The Acadiana Advocate 03-26-2026 by The Advocate

Lafayette City Council rejects daiquiri bar

Lounge wasproposedfor vacant spacedowntown

BY FAITH SCHOLL

Contributing writer

The Lafayette City Council said no to adaiquiri bar proposed for avacantspace downtown.

Council members voted 3-2 during theirTuesday meeting to deny aconditional use permit that would have allowed applicants to openthe DowntownDaiquiri Lounge at 522 JeffersonSt.

Andy Naquin, Liz Hebert and Thomas Hooks voted to deny the permit. Kenneth Boudreaux and Elroi Broussed voted in favor

“Wedefinitely need fairness. Because Ihear the points about, you know,without consistent enforcement, you have inconsistent records. So you’re basing things off reputation.”

THOMAS HOOKS, Lafayette City Council member

The denial came after the applicants behind the project, Marlon Haynes and Jeremy Figaro, had won approvalfor thepermitfrom the cityzoning commission lastmonth They hadsignage posted outsidethe building for weeks and had promoted thebusiness on social media for months. Thebusiness came under scrutinybythe Lafayette Police Department andthe Downtown Development Association before the vote.LPD saidthe business wouldlead to increased crowdsinthat block of Jefferson Street. DDAofficialscited the complaints from Rooftop 116, which Haynes owns. “Wedeﬁnitely need fairness,”Hookssaid. “Because Ihear the points about, you know, without consistent enforcement, youhaveinconsistent records. So you’re basing things off reputation.”

The vote followed alengthypublic discussion regarding thebusiness.DDA CEOKevin Blanchard spokeofthe importance of thepermitting process that came outofaprevious moratorium on bars in 2018.

ä See DAIQUIRI, page 7A

The owners

theproposed Downtown

at the location for weeks despite not having approvalfrom the Lafayette City Council

Lawmakersupset with priceofprescriptiondrugs push bill to forcecompanies to disclose cost

BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer

Some Louisiana lawmakersthink prescriptiondrugs cost too much, and they want to create anew PrescriptionDrug AffordabilityBoard to investigate why —and force pharmaceutical companies to disclose pricing information.

“Wewantthe truth,” state Sen. Kirk Talbot,R-River Ridge, said Wednesday while presenting aproposal thatwould require drug companiestoreveal to theboard how

much it costs themtomakecertain prescription drugs andthe prices they charge.

Under Talbot’slegislation, Senate Bill 401, it would be illegal forpharmaceutical companies not to report theprice information to the board.

“Costs of prescription drugs have been increasing dramatically without any attributed reason,” the legislationsays. “Transparency is typically the ﬁrst step toward cost containment.”

Drug manufacturers are expected to push back strongly against the

bill, however Talbotintroduced the measure at apublic hearing Wednesday,but he temporarily set it aside to give interest groups moretimetotravel to BatonRouge and providecomment on the bill next week.

PhRMA, anational tradegroup representing the pharmaceutical industry,said Wednesday in a statement that “lawmakers should focus on solutions that protect patient access and hold middlemen

Legislationtargets noncitizen voting

Some fear measure couldpurge citizens from therolls

BY MEGHANFRIEDMANN Staff writer

Months after the state announced the results of an investigationthat foundnoncitizensrarelyvotein Louisiana elections, legislators are weighing alaw that wouldrequire future state ofﬁcials to conduct such investigations every year CastbyRepublicans as away to safeguard election integrity, the proposal sparked resistance at the State Capitol Tuesday from Democrats andadvocacy groups, who worried suchprobes could inadvertentlykickactual U.S. citizens off therolls because they would rely on aDepartment of HomelandSecurity tool that has been criticized forproducing inaccurateresults.

voters’ citizenship using the System Alien Verification for Entitlements program,knownasSAVE. That process would flag people whocould be noncitizens andtherefore ineligible to vote. The Secretary of State’soffice would be requiredtoinvestigate those results, with the goal of removing from the rolls voters whose citizenship could not be verified. HB691 cleared the House &GovernmentalAffairs Committee

House Bill 691 by state Rep. Beau Beaullieu, R-New Iberia,would require Louisiana to annually check

ä See VOTING, page 7A

Instagram, YouTubefound liable in social mediaaddiction trial

BY KAITLYN HUAMANI and BARBARA ORTUTAY AP technologywriters

LOS ANGELES Metaand YouTube must pay millions in damages to a20-year-old woman aftera jury decided the social media giant and video streamer designed their platforms to hook youngusers without concern for their well being The California jury’sdecision Wednesday in afirst-of-its-kind

lawsuit could influence the outcome of thousands of similar lawsuits accusing social media companiesofdeliberately causing harm.

Theplaintiff, known by her initials KGM, testified at trial that she became addicted to social media as achild and that thisaddictionexacerbated hermental health struggles. After 40 hours of deliberations, amajority of jurors agreedand awarded her $3 million in damages.

Jurors later recommended an additional $3 million in punitive damages after deciding the companies acted withmalice, oppressionorfraud in harming children with their platform. The judge has ﬁnal say over the damages.

It’s the second verdict against Metathis week, after ajuryinNew Mexicodeterminedthe company harms children’smental health and safety, in violation of state law Meta andGoogle-owned You-

Tube issued statements disagreeing with the verdict and vowed to exploretheir legal options, which includes appeals.

Google spokespersonJoseCastañeda said the verdictmisrepresentsYouTube “which is aresponsibly built streaming platform, not asocial media site.”

The jurydetermined that Meta and YouTube knew the design or operation of theirplatforms was dangerous or was likely to be dan-

gerous when used by aminor.They also agreed that theplatforms failed to adequately warn of that danger,further contributing to the plaintiff’sharm. Only nine of the 12 jurors had to agreeoneach claim against each defendant.Two jurors consistently disagreed withthe other10on whetherthe companies should be held liable.

ä See TRIAL, page 7A

STAFF PHOTO By ADAM DAIGLE

Daiquiri Loungehavehad signage installed

BRIEFS

Trump reschedules

China trip for May 14-15

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump will travel to Beijing for a rescheduled summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping on May 14 and 15, the White House announced Wednesday Trump had been scheduled to travel to China later this month but previously announced he was delaying the trip so he could be in Washington to help steward the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran. The Republican president had announced a rescheduled trip even though the war in Iran continues and the U.S. is pressing Tehran to accept a ceaseﬁre proposal.

The president and first lady Melania Trump also plan to host Xi and his wife for a White House visit later this year Press secretary Karoline Leavitt, when asked if the new dates for Trump’s trip could suggest he believes the Iran war could end soon, offered an optimistic tone that the conﬂict could reach an endgame before he travels. “We’ve always estimated four to six weeks,” Leavitt responded “So you could do the math on that.”

The United States and Israel launched the attacks against Iran on Feb. 28. The China trip had been planned for months but began to unravel as Trump pressured Beijing and other world powers to use their military might to protect the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for the ﬂow of oil. The strait has been effectively closed as Iran targets energy infrastructure and trafﬁc through it.

Another boat strike kills 4 in Caribbean, U.S. says WASHINGTON The U.S. military said it carried out a strike Wednesday on a boat accused of smuggling drugs in the Caribbean Sea, killing four people, as the Trump administration pushes forward with a monthslong campaign against alleged trafﬁckers in Latin America while waging a war against Iran

The latest attack brings the number of people who have been killed in boat strikes by the U.S. military to at least 163 since the Trump administration began targeting those it calls “narcoterrorists” in early September

As with most of the military’s statements on the dozens of strikes in the eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, U.S. Southern Command said it targeted the alleged drug trafﬁckers along known smuggling routes. The military did not provide evidence that the vessel was ferrying drugs. A video posted on X showed a boat moving across the water before it was engulfed in a bright explosion.

President Donald Trump has said the U.S. is in “armed conflict” with cartels in Latin America and has justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States and fatal overdoses claiming American lives Guthrie appeals for help finding missing mother

A tearful Savannah Guthrie, in her ﬁrst interview since her 84-year-old mother was apparently abducted from her Arizona home, said that “someone needs to do the right thing” and come forward with information to help the investigation

“We are in agony,” she told NBC News colleague Hoda Kotb in a portion of the interview aired Wednesday on the “Today” show She said she wakes up in the middle of each night thinking of what her mother went through.

NBC said Wednesday that a full interview with its “Today” show host will air on the program Thursday and Friday It is Guthrie’s first interview since her mother was reported missing on Feb. 1. Based on security footage, authorities believe Nancy Guthrie was kidnapped or otherwise taken against her will. Savannah Guthrie has been a co-host of NBC’s morning show since 2012, and is expected to return at some point, although no date has been set as she spends time with her family.

Despite offering a $1 million reward for information, there has been little movement in the investigation.

FEMA will resume grant program

Judge orders resilience funding program restored

BY GABRIELA AOUN ANGUEIRA Associated Press

The Federal Emergency Management Agency on Wednesday opened applications for a major resilience grant program that the agency canceled last year, less than three weeks after a federal judge ordered FEMA to make the funding available.

FEMA will make $1 billion available for the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program, which helps states, local governments, territories and tribes take on preparedness projects to harden against natural hazards like ﬁres, ﬂoods, earthquakes and hurricanes.

“When done correctly, mitigation activities save lives and reduce the cost of future disasters,” Karen S. Evans, FEMA’s acting leader, said in a statement announcing the resumption.

While the resumed funding restores access to badly needed assistance for some areas, FEMA imposed new rules that are in line with the Trump administration’s attempt to push more responsibility for disaster management on states.

The new rules, which include the cessation of funding for hazard mitigation planning and non-ﬁnancial direct technical assistance, could impact smaller communities with fewer resources and expertise.

“The program now maximizes state and local responsibility for resilience and risk reduction rather than federal investing in a wide range of activities,” a FEMA statement said.

The Trump administration has

slashed disaster preparedness dollars across multiple FEMA programs. It’s been one year since President Donald Trump approved any state or tribe’s request for hazard mitigation funding, a typical add on to major disaster declarations.

The funding announcement comes after FEMA under a previous acting leader Cameron Hamilton, canceled the BRIC program last April, calling it “wasteful and ineffective.” That decision drew blowback from Republican and Democratic lawmakers as roughly $3.6 billion was halted for what amounted to several years’ worth of projects to protect infrastructure, communities and homes across the U.S.

A federal judge last December ruled that FEMA could not eliminate BRIC and ordered FEMA to reverse course after a coalition of 22 Democratic-led states and

First woman installed as head of Church of England

Former nurse now archbishop of Canterbury

BY DANICA KIRKA Associated Press

CANTERBURY, England

The new archbish-

op of Canterbury knocked three times on the doors of the city’s great cathedral on Wednesday, ceremonially demanding to be allowed inside in a tradition laid down over centuries by each new leader of the Church of England.

But this time, for the ﬁrst time ever, a woman came knocking. And the doors were opened.

Sarah Mullally a former cancer nurse who became a priest at the age of 40, walked into the cathedral to celebrate her historic election as the ﬁrst female archbishop of Canterbury since the post was created more than 1,400 years ago.

Although Mullally, 63, formally became archbishop in January, Wednesday’s event marked the beginning of her public ministry as both the head of the Church of England and spiritual leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion.

The communion is an association of independent churches, including the Episcopal Church in the U.S., that together have more than 100 million members.

“We walk with God — trusting that God walks with us,” Mullally said in her ﬁrst sermon as archbishop. “Trusting that in all that we face, in the sorrow and the challenges as much as in the joy and the delight — we do not walk alone.”

The ceremony at Canterbury Cathedral was attended by Prince William, Princess Catherine, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and representatives from many of the 42 churches that comprise the Anglican Communion. Representatives from the Roman Catholic and the Orthodox churches also attended.

In a nod to Mullally’s historic appointment, the service was held on the Feast of the Annunciation, which marks the moment Mary was told she had been chosen to be the mother of Jesus. It is a day on which the church says it celebrates “one of the great women of the Bible and thinks about how we can respond to God’s call.”

The celebration marks a major milestone for the Church of England, which traces its roots to the year 597, when the pope sent St. Augustine to Britain to convert the population to Christianity He is now recognized as the ﬁrst archbishop of Canterbury The English church broke away from the Roman Catholic Church in the 1530s, during the reign of King Henry VIII.

The church ordained its ﬁrst female priests in 1994 and its ﬁrst female bishop

in 2015.

Rifts in the Anglican Communion

Mullally begins her tenure as archbishop at a difﬁcult time for the Church of England and the Anglican Communion, whose members are deeply divided over issues such as the role of women and the treatment of LGBTQ+ people.

Mullally replaces former Archbishop Justin Welby, who announced his resignation in November 2024, after he was criticized for failing to act decisively and tell police about allegations of physical and sexual abuse by a volunteer at a church-afﬁliated summer camp.

In an interview with the BBC this week, Mullally said the church was “seeking to become more trauma informed, listening to survivors and victims of abuse.”

In her sermon, Mullally said she had “such hope” for the church and considered ways big and small in which she found God in action.

From nurse to archbishop

Mullally, who is married and has two adult children, was born in 1962 in Woking, southwest of London.

She attended local schools and worked as a nurse in Britain’s National Health Service until she was named chief nursing ofﬁcer for England at the age of 37, the youngest person ever to hold the post While still working in that job, she began training for the ministry

Mullally was named a bishop in 2015, becoming the fourth woman in the Church of England to reach that rank. Three years later, she was named bishop of London, one of the most prominent positions in the church.

She was named archbishop of Canterbury after a monthslong selection process conducted by a committee of senior clergy and lay people, including representatives from the government and Anglican Communion.

But her appointment was not without controversy in a church that is still split over the role of women.

Archbishop Henry Ndukuba of the Church of Nigeria said her election was “devastating” and insensitive “to the conviction of the majority of Anglicans who are unable to embrace female headship in the episcopate.”

But Wednesday focused on a new start, rather than long-standing disagreements.

George Gross, an expert on theology and the monarchy at King’s College London, said Mullally’s appointment instantly makes her one of the most recognized Christian ﬁgures in the world, alongside the pope. “I think it’s huge, absolutely massive,” he told The Associated Press. “The stained-glass ceiling is smashed.”

the District of Columbia sued the Trump administration over the cancellation. After the agency failed to release funding, U.S District Judge Richard G. Stearns again ordered FEMA this month to take steps toward restoring the program. Last week, FEMA announced it would resume program support for BRIC awards when the DHS shutdown ended, saying that it had finished evaluating the program that was originally signed into law during Trump’s first term. Under former President Joe Biden, BRIC became too bureaucratic and “focused on ‘climate change’ initiatives,” FEMA said in a statement. States will have 120 days to apply for the new funding opportunity, which covers fiscal years 2024 and 2025, since FEMA rescinded last year’s opportunity Meanwhile, it’s still unclear how quickly they can expect resumption of the grants they were already awarded.

BY ERIC TUCKER and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Justice Department has settled for roughly $1.2 million a lawsuit with Michael Flynn, the former national security adviser to President Donald Trump who pleaded guilty during the Republican’s first term to lying about phone conversations with a top Russian diplomat but was later pardoned.

Court papers filed Wednesday do not reveal the settlement amount, but a person familiar with the matter, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to disclose nonpublic information, conﬁrmed the total as about $1.2 million.

The settlement resolves a 2023 lawsuit in which Flynn sought at least $50 million and asserted that the criminal case against him amounted to a malicious prosecution. It also represents a stark turnabout in position for a Justice Department that during the Biden administration had pressed a judge to dismiss the complaint.

“Such weaponization of the federal government

must never be allowed to happen again,” a department spokesperson said. Flynn pleaded guilty in December 2017 to lying to the FBI when he said he had not discussed with the diplomat, Sergey Kislyak, sanctions that the outgoing Obama administration had just been imposed on Russia for election interference. During that conversation, Flynn advised that Russia be “even-keeled” in response to the punitive measures, and assured him “we can have a better conversation” about relations between the countries after Trump became president. The conversation alarmed the FBI, which at the time was investigating whether the Trump campaign and Russia had coordinated to sway the election. In addition, White House ofﬁcials were stating publicly that Flynn and Kislyak had not discussed sanctions, which the FBI knew was untrue. But Flynn later sought to withdraw his guilty plea, saying federal prosecutors had acted in “bad faith” and broken their end of the bargain when they sought prison time for him. Flynn was later pardoned.

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ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ALASTAIR GRANT

Sarah Mullally left, arrives Wednesday for the Enthronement Ceremony installing her as archbishop of Canterbury in Canterbury, England, the first woman ever to lead the Church of England.

Delta dings Congress as TSA wait times drag on

Airline suspends lawmakers’ special accommodations

BY MATTHEW ALBRIGHT Staff writer

As travelers wait for hours to get through airport security because of unpaid TSA workers leaving their posts, Delta is telling members of Congress to get in line.

The airline said Tuesday it is suspending specialty services, such as escorts and red coat services, and will treat members of Congress like any other passenger based on their SkyMiles status.

“Next to safety, Delta’s No. 1 priority is taking care of our people and customers, which has become increasingly difficult in the current environment,” the company said in a statement.

It adds to mounting pressure on lawmakers to end a budget impasse that is bogging down travel nationwide

But members of Congress said no deal seems to be imminent.

“We’re back to square one,” Sen. John Kennedy, R-Madisonville, said on CNN on Wednesday.

“That’s honestly the way I see it I wish I didn’t have to say that, but that’s where we are.”

Why are lines so long?

Transportation Safety Administration workers are quitting or calling out sick in droves because they are not getting paid. That’s because the budget bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security, which includes TSA, is in limbo

in the Senate. The worker shortages snarled security lines on Sunday and Monday in New Orleans, particularly in the mornings Passengers reported three- or four-hour waits, and many missed their flights Airport officials said Sundays and Mondays are the busiest and advised travelers to arrive three hours before their ﬂight on those days. They suggested a two-hour lead time on other days.

So far travelers have not faced major delays at the Baton Rouge or Lafayette airports.

Who is and isn’t getting paid?

TSA workers, Federal Emergency Management Agency employees and members of the Coast Guard are not getting paychecks.

While Immigration and Customs Enforcement is under the Department of Homeland Security, that agency has money from the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” the mammoth spending legislation last year that implemented much of President Donald Trump’s domestic agenda.

So ICE agents are being paid —

Trump deployed some of them to airports, including the one in New Orleans

Kennedy has been trying to pass a resolution that would withhold senators’ pay during funding shutdowns like this one or the one that shuttered much of the federal government last year But that resolution has not advanced in the Senate.

What’s the holdup?

The bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security is subject to the Senate ﬁlibuster, which means it needs 60 votes. With 53 Repub-

Airport in Kenner on Monday.

lican senators, that means Democratic votes are needed to pass it.

Democrats refuse to vote for the bill unless Republicans agree to changes to immigration enforcement after federal agents killed two American citizens during a crackdown in Minnesota Those changes include requiring agents to display names and ID numbers, stop wearing masks and wear body cameras, among others.

The impasse has lasted for more than a month.

When could the shutdown end?

It’s not clear when or how the political gridlock could end.

Democrats have proposed a standalone bill to fund just TSA.

Some Republicans, including Kennedy, have called for Republicans to strike a deal to fund everything in the Department of Homeland Security except for ICE; the GOP could then pass a budget for ICE through the same budget reconciliation process it used for Trump’s big budget bill last year, which only requires a majority vote. But both ideas have faced resistance. President Donald Trump has said Republicans should not cut any deal that does not include passing the “SAVE Act,” which would require proof of citizenship

to register to vote, among other voting security changes. What do La. senators say?

Kennedy said the deal he supported appears to be out of the picture now

“The whole ‘opening-everythingup on reconciliation’ is premised on the suggestion by Democrats that they would open everything up — including TSA — but ICE, and we would have to deal with ICE on our own,” Kennedy said.

But now Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has “changed that position,” Kennedy said, and won’t agree to vote for other DHS funding unless Republicans “agree to what he wants to do on ICE.” Schumer said Wednesday that Democrats have consistently called for reforms to ICE during the budget debate.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, cast doubt on passing a piecemeal bill, saying Congress should fund “the entire department.”

“That is the responsible way to do this,” he said. “We’ve been very resistant to any idea to break it apart.”

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, said in a statement that “Senate Democrats are solely responsible for every missed ﬂight and paycheck withheld during this shutdown,” and noted that he has voted repeatedly to fund the homeland security department.

“They’re inﬂicting pain on Americans to appease their left-wing base. That’s wrong,” Cassidy said. The Associated Press contributed to this story

Chicago unveils winner of snowplow naming contest: ‘Abolish ICE’

BY JAKE SHERIDAN Chicago Tribune (TNS)

CHICAGO When a Chicago salt truck with a baby blue cab pulled up slowly behind Mayor Brandon Johnson on Wednesday, the mayor pointed to the newly christened vehicle’s name as evidence that the city stood together Emblazoned on its side: “ABOLISH ICE.”

The eye-catching name — a play on words jabbing at President Donald Trump’s use of U.S. Immigra-

tion and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, agents in Chicago and other cities to enforce the administration’s aggressive deportations — was submitted over 9,000 times

The total accounted for 70% of all submissions in a citywide contest to name six new salt trucks, Johnson said.

“We don’t want ICE in Chicago,” Johnson said as he unveiled the top winner “Chicago has spoken overwhelmingly We do not want ICE or our cities occupied by rogue

federal agents who are operating outside of the bounds of the Constitution. It’s an affront to who we are as a nation.” The support for the name, which Johnson said was “resounding,” followed this past fall’s Operation Midway Blitz, a 64-day incursion in which more than 100 ICE and other federal agents arrested 4,500 people. The effort also involved tear-gassing citizens and the attempted deployment of National Guard members onto city streets.

Local Democratic ofﬁcials, including Johnson and Gov JB Pritzker, vehemently opposed the operation. Johnson reiterated that opposition on Wednesday, as he has also opposed moves this week by Trump to deploy scores of ICE ofﬁcers to airports around the nation to assist Transportation Security Administration agents amid an ongoing partial government shutdown that is leaving TSA agents unpaid. As Johnson celebrated the tongue-in-cheek jab at ICE, a

heckler shouted behind a row of television cameras. The man, who departed after being asked to leave, called the truck naming a “joke” in light of the murder of Loyola University Chicago freshman Sheridan Gorman, who prosecutors allege was murdered by a Venezuelan national, Jose Medina, 25. Republicans and others have laid blame on Johnson and Pritzker for supporting city and state sanctuary policies, they argue, that are partly responsible for the killing.

Askthe experts: A deep diveoncarbon captureand storage

Thisstory is brought to you by ExxonMobil

There’sbeenalotoftalkaroundcarbon capture andstorage (CCS) recently, especially right here in Louisiana. We’veheardquestions from Louisiana residents about CCS technology’shistory and safety; the economic opportunityfor landowners, parish governments and the state; and whatmakes the U.S. Gulf Coast agood location forCCS.

Louisiana experts in geology, technology, economics and businesshavebeen discussing some of thesecommon CCS questions in panels,information sessions and other meetingsacrossthe state.Here’swhat they’re saying.

Familiar technology,new opportunities

Carbon capturetechnologydatesback to the 1930s when the separation of carbon dioxide (CO2)fromnatural gaswas ﬁrst patented. By the early 1950s,patents to use CO2 forenhanced oil recovery (EOR) were issued, and carbon capture, utilization and storage via this processofficiallycame into commercial useinthe early 1970s In Louisiana,EOR has been apart of our energy economyfor at least 40 years. But now, newopportunities have emergedfor CCS to help manufacturersremaincompetitiveinglobal markets

Gregory Upton, Jr., PhD,ExecutiveDirector and Associate Research Professorat the LSU Center forEnergy Studies,spoke at aCenterfor Emerging Energies (CEE) panel about howchanging markets impact demand forLouisiana-made products

“For overacentury,Louisiana has been amajor producer and exporter of energy, as well as products derived from fossil fuels—fertilizers, chemicals,and plastics— thatare sold in both domestic and international markets,” said Dr.Upton. “Theseare products the world will continue to need. Whatweare seeing todayisthatcompanies countries,and consumers areincreasingly signaling that theywantlower-carbon-intensityversions of thoseproducts.”

Meeting global demandhas become more importantthan ever forLouisiana industry.CCS technologyplays acritical role in keeping Louisiana industry competitive,

and supports U.S. energydominance,while sustaining local jobs and attractingbillions of dollarsinnew investments in the state

Louisiana has the rightrecipefor CCS

From its multi-layeredgeologyand vast existing pipeline infrastructuretoa booming industrialeconomyand experienced workforce, Louisiana has the rightrecipe forsafe,permanent CO2 storage.

Ourstate’s unique geologyhas formed in ideal layers forCCS. Layers of porous sandstone act like aspongefor storage, sealed in by the solid rock layers hundreds of feet thick.

ExxonMobil geoscientist Kathryn Denommee, PhD,explains whyLouisiana’s subsurface is aprime location forCO2 storagewells: “You canthink of the subsurface as sort of alayercakewith alternating layersofshale, then sand, moreshale and more sand. Louisiana hasa lot of very widespread shale units and it’sheld hydrocarbons for millions upon millions of yearsand so it is morethan capable of holding CO2 in the ground as well.

Louisiana’s robust pipeline infrastructure,large industrialsector and prime geography alsomake the state agoodﬁtfor CCS. Mark Zappi, PhD,ExecutiveDirector of the Energy InstituteofLouisiana at the UniversityofLouisiana at Lafayette, spokeatthe CEE panel about the suitabilityofthe U.S. Gulf Coast’sgeologyand geography

“Ifyou look at southeast Texasand Louisiana,and youlook at the U.S. Geological Surveymaps of whereCCS could be andshould beapplied, we area keycenterofNorth Americaand in manywaysthe world,”Dr. Zappi said. “Weare one of the best places to do this Louisiana is in awinning position. Geographicallywehavealot of advantages

[compared] to manyother statesif we take advantageofit.”

JasonLanclos,Louisiana Economic DevelopmentDirector of State Energy Developmentand Planning, reinforced the state’s prime positioning:“If youlook at amap of the infrastructurealready in place across Louisiana —six interstates, eightdeep-draft ports and50,000 miles of pipeline —it tells aclear story.Wehaveboth the physical assets and the expertise to unlockcarbon captureatscale, creating long-term economic growth and opportunity forcommunities across our state.“

Highly experienced, heavily regulated Notonly hasLouisiana’s layeredgeologykept oil in placefor years, butitisalso already storing millions of tons of CO2 as a result of EOR projects.The wells forpermanent CO2 storagefor CCS aredeeper and moreheavily regulated, meaning thereare extralayers of safety in place.

From itsmulti-layered geology and vastexisting pipeline infrastructuretoa booming industrial economy and experienced workforce, Louisiana has the rightrecipe forsafe, permanentCO2 storage.

Storing CO2 underground in dedicated storagerequires aClassVIpermit to construct and operate. While permits forClass I, II, III, IV,and Vwells aredesigned to ensureprotection of underground sources of drinking water, Class VI permits require waterprotection and proof of permanence, meaning operators must ensurethe CO2 remains exactly whereit’ssupposed to be stored –thousands of feet belowthe surface.

“Weare looking forstorage facilities that would have multiple layers of caprock,”Dr. Denommee explained. “Sothe same rocks thatare keeping oil in the ground fortens of millions of yearsare the same types of rocks

thatwill keep the CO2 in the ground.

In addition to thesedeep natural formations,wells areengineered with multiple protectivebarrierstopermanently contain CO2within the injectionzone

Operational planning, continuous testing and monitoring, and extensiveinvestment in emergency responseplanning and training further support CCS well safety Last year,ExxonMobil worked with the Louisiana Fire &Emergency Training Academyand River Parishes Community Collegetolaunch the Louisiana Pipeline Emergency Training Program.

“Weare grateful to ExxonMobil forintroducing newand innovativetools that enhance the proactivetraining of ﬁrst responders,”said Chancellor Quintin Taylor of RPCC.“This program allows teams to practice real-lifescenarios,ensuring the safety of both our communities and our responders.

After decades of drilling in Louisiana ExxonMobil has detailed knowledgeofLouisiana’ssubsurface. We usethatexpertiseto ﬁnd the best locations forsafeand effective storage, securethe necessary permits,construct the storagewells,and store CO2 Researchers, academics,geoscientists pipeline operatorsand economic developmentleadersalikeare excited forthe beneﬁts CCS will unlock forLouisiana

“I think we canhaveitall if we do this correctly,” said Dr.Zappi. “Wecan have our cake hereinLouisiana and eatittoo.I think we have the brain powerand know-howin place thatcan assist industry and regulators along with working with the public to make surewedothis properly.I’m really ﬁred up about Louisiana’sfutureinsomanyways.

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

With TSA screen lines closed, Transportation Security Administration employees help travelers through the screening process at Louis Armstrong International

ExxonMobilgeoscientistKathryn Denommee, PhD, describes subsurface layers of caprock and porous sandstone.

Center forEmerging Energies expertpanel in LakeCharles

Iran rejectsU.S.plan, issues owndemands

BY JON GAMBRELL, MIKE CORDER, MUNIR AHMED and AAMER MADHANI Associated Press

DUBAI, UnitedArabEmirates

Iran on Wednesday dismissed an American planto pause the war in the Middle East and launched more attacks on Israel and Gulf Arab countries, including strikes that hit afuel tank at Kuwait InternationalAirport, sparking aﬁre.

Iran’sdefiance came as Israel launched airstrikes on Tehran and as the United States deployed paratroopers and more Marines to the region.

Iran’sForeign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an interview on state TV that his government has not engaged in talks to end the war,“and we do not plan on any negotiations.” Thatfollowed areport from Iranian state TV’sEnglish-language broadcaster quoting an anonymous official as saying Iran rejectedAmerica’s ceaseﬁre proposaland has its own demandsfor an end to the ﬁghting.

Earlier,two ofﬁcials from Pakistan, which transmitted the U.S. plan to Iran,described the 15-point proposal broadly,saying it addressed sanctions relief, arollbackof Iran’snuclear program, limits on missiles and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, through which aﬁfth of the world’soil is shipped

An Egyptian official involved in the mediation efforts said the proposal also includes restrictions on Iran’ssupport for armed groups. The ofﬁcialsspoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details not yet released.

White House press secretary KarolineLeavittin-

sisted the U.S. and Iran are in talkseven as Iranian ofﬁcials denyit. “Talks continue.They are productive,as the president said on Monday,and they continue to be,” Leavitt said at aWhite House brieﬁng Wednesday. Leavitt warned that if talks with Iran don’t panout President DonaldTrump “will ensure they are hit harder than they have ever beenhit before.”

Some of thepointsinthe U.S. ceaseﬁreproposalwere nonstartersinnegotiations before thewar: Iran hasinsisted it won’tdiscuss its ballistic missile program orits support of regional militias, which it viewsaskey to its security

Iran’sattacks on regional energyinfrastructure, along with its restrictions on the strait, have sent oil prices skyrocketing.

More U.S. troops on way

At least1,000 troopsfrom the 82ndAirborne Division will be sent to theMideast in the coming days, threepeople with knowledge of the plans told The Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive militaryplans. Theparatroopers are trained to jump intohostile or contested areas to secure key territory and airﬁelds

The Pentagon is also sending about 5,000 moreMarines trained in amphibious

Hegsethprays forviolence‘againstthose whodeserve no mercy’ at Pentagon service

Secretaryalso making changes to chaplain corps

BY TIFFANY STANLEY Associated Press

WASHINGTON Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, hosting hisfirst monthly Christian worship service at the Pentagon since the Iran war began, prayed Wednesday to have “every round ﬁnd its mark.”

“Every month it is ﬁtting to be right here,” he told the gathered civilianemployees and uniformed militarypersonnel. “Allthe moreﬁtting this month, at this moment, given what tens of thousands of Americans are doing right now.”

pitted Christiansagainst Muslims. Statements offaith are common in American public life, across political parties and religious traditions. Pentagon aides and Hegseth’s defenders pull examples fromhistory,such as President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s supportofgiving Biblesto troops. Hegseth regularly cites George Washington, who pushed to establish the military chaplain corps.

tagon for internalcommunications about the worship services, their cost,guests and any complaints received from employees.

Chaplain corpsreforms

assaults andthousands of sailors to theregion.

Most Americans believe theU.S. militaryaction againstIranhas gone too far and many are worried about thecost of gasoline, according to anew AP-NORC poll.

Challengetodiplomacy Mediators are pushing for possible in-persontalks between the Iranians and the Americans, perhaps as soon as FridayinPakistan, the Egyptian andPakistani ofﬁcials said.

Trump hassaid theU.S. is “in negotiations right now” andthatthe participants include special envoySteve Witkoff, Trump’sson-in-law Jared Kushner,Secretary of

State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance. Trump has not disclosed who from Iran they are in contact with, but said “I can tell you, they’d like to makeadeal.”

Press TV,the English-language broadcaster on Iranian state television, quoted an anonymous official as saying, “Iranwill endthe warwhen it decides to do so and when its own conditions are met.”

It cited an Iranian fivepoint proposalthatincludes ahalt to killings of its ofﬁcials, safeguards against future attacks on Iran, reparationsfor thewar,the endof hostilitiesand Iran’s“exercise of sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.”

Those measures, particularlyreparationsand its continued chokeholdover the Strait of Hormuz, likely will be unacceptable to the White House. While Iran and Oman both have territoryinthe strait, its narrow shipping channels are viewed as international waters through which all ships can travel.

Any talks between the U.S. and Iran would face monumental challenges. It’snot clear who in Iran’s government has the authority to negotiate —orwould be willing to, as Israel has vowed to continue killing the country’sleaders.

Israel launches newstrikes

The Israeli military said Wednesday it had carried out waves of airstrikes in Tehran, following strikes aday earliertargeting an Iraniansubmarine developmentcenter in Isfahan. Missile alert sirens sounded multiple times in Israel as Iran and the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanonlaunchedattacks Hezbollah has fired rockets into northern Israel around theclock sincethe warbegan. Iran also kept up pressure on itsneighbors.Saudi Arabia’sDefense Ministry said it had destroyed at least eight drones in its oil-rich Eastern Province, and missile alert sirens sounded in Bahrain. Kuwait said it shot downmultiple dronesbut that one hit afuel tank at Kuwait International Airport. Meanwhile, six people allegedly linkedtoHezbollah were arrested in Kuwait for planning to assassinate Gulf leaders, Kuwait’s Ministry of Interior said in astatement. Fourteen associates hadfled the country,officials said.

He read aprayer he said was first given by amilitarychaplain to the troops who captured then-President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela.

“Let every round ﬁndits mark against the enemiesof righteousness and our great nation,” Hegseth prayed during the livestreamed service.

“Give them wisdom in every decision, endurance for the trialahead, unbreakable unity,and overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy.”

Hegseth frequently invokes his evangelical faith as head of the armed forces, depicting aChristian nation trying to vanquish its foes with military might.

“I pursued my enemies and overtook them, and did not turn back till they were consumed,”heread from the Psalms on Wednesday Duringthe expanding Iran war and globalconflicts, Hegseth’sChristian rhetoric has drawn renewed scrutiny,including his past defense of the Crusades, the brutal medieval wars that

Hegseth often goes beyond standard calls for God to bless the country or its troops.Last week,heasked Americans to pray for servicemembers “inthe name of Jesus Christ.” On Wednesday,heagain prayed in Jesus’ name. Ronit Stahl, author of “Enlisting Faith: How the Military ChaplaincyShaped Religion andState in Modern America,” said referring to God in broad language is not unusual in this context. “But the shift towards the specificity of JesusChrist and therefore Christianity and in Hegseth’scase, aparticular form of Protestant Christianity,isnew, especially coming from the defensesecretary.

Advocacy group filessuit

Hegseth belongs tothe Communion of Reformed EvangelicalChurches,aconservative network co-founded by theself-described Christian nationalist Doug Wilson. CREC pastorshave appeared at Hegseth’sPentagon services at least three times,including Wilson who preachedthere in February Alawsuit was ﬁled Monday over theservices byAmericans United for Separation of Churchand State.The advocacy group ﬁled asimilar suit against theLabor Department,where Secretary LoriChavez-DeRemer hosts monthly prayer gatherings inspiredbyHegseth. Thesuitseekstoenforce a public records request from December,askingthe Pen-

Military chaplains typically provide worshipservices within the defense department. As ordained clergy andcommissioned ofﬁcers, they ministerfrom their specific tradition, but provide spiritual care to troops of any faith or no faith.

Hegseth announced Tuesday two reforms in what he has described as “making the chaplain corpsgreat again.” He wants chaplains to focus more on God and less on therapeutic “self-help and self-care.” In recent years, the military hasbecome increasinglydependent on chaplains to help addressthe growing numbers of troops in mental healthdistress.

In avideo message, he said chaplains would no longer wear their rank on their uniform but instead be identiﬁed by religious insignia. He arguedthe move would remove “unease or anxiety” service membershave about approaching ofﬁcers for spiritual care.

He also saidthe military is reducing the number of faith codes, or religiousafﬁliations, thatitrecognizes. The militarywill now use 31 religious afﬁliations, down from morethan200, which included many smallProtestantdenominations as well as identifications for Wiccans, atheists and agnostics.

ThePentagon didnot respond to several requests for more information about thechanges

The militaryisreligiously diverse, and nearly 70% of troops identify as Christian, according to a2019 congressional report.Nearly aquarter of troopswere listed as “other/unclassified/unknown,”with small percentages of atheists/agonistics, Jews,Muslims andadherents of Eastern religions.

Hegseth

Pulitzer-winning author Tracy Kidder dies at 80

BY R.J RICO Associated Press

Tracy Kidder, an award-winning narrative nonfiction writer who turned everything from computer engineering to life in a nursing home into unexpected bestsellers, has died. He was 80.

Kidder’s longtime publisher Random House conﬁrmed his death in a statement Wednesday: Tracy’s gifts for storytelling and tireless reporting are an enduring reﬂection of the empathy, integrity, and endless curiosity he brought to everything he did.”

Kidder won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award for his 1981 work “The Soul of a New Machine,” which delved into the work of a ﬂedgling computer company long before most people cared about the inner workings of Silicon Valley

“It was like going into another country,” Kidder told The Associ-

ated Press at the time. “At ﬁrst, I didn’t understand what anybody was saying.”

Over the ensuing decades, Kidder immersed himself in worlds he was previously unfamiliar with, producing richly researched books about topics that may not sound like light reading.

For 1989’s “Among Schoolchildren,” he spent a year in a ﬁfthgrade classroom, highlighting the dedication of an inner-city teacher in Holyoke, Massachusetts. Later for 1993’s “Old Friends,” he observed the dark side of growing old in America while also chronicling how two friends maintained their dignity in a nursing home despite their inﬁrmities.

Turning these events at a Northampton, Massachusetts, nursing home into a cohesive narrative was one of his major challenges, Kidder told the AP “Not a lot happens, and yet I think when you read it, you feel

that a lot does Small things have to count for a great deal,” he said.

In 2003, Kidder wrote “Mountains Beyond Mountains,” about a doctor’s effort to bring health care to Haiti. The work introduced Kidder’s work to a new generation of readers as numerous universities added it to their reading lists.

“Mountains Beyond Mountains changed my life and the lives of so many others around the world,” John Green, author of “The Fault in Our Stars,” wrote on social media Wednesday

The book even inspired the indie rock band Arcade Fire’s 2010 hit “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains).”

All the while, Kidder was careful to eschew focusing on his longtime loves like ﬁshing or baseball, afraid that if he spent too much time in one of those realms, it might cause him to “feel sick of it.”

Kidder was born in New York City in 1945 and attended Harvard

University where he signed up for ROTC to avoid the Vietnam War draft.

After graduation, despite thinking he would be assigned a Washington communications intelligence role, Kidder was instead sent off to Vietnam, where the 22-year-old was placed in charge of an eight-man rear-echelon radio research detachment that monitored the communications of enemy units to try to pinpoint their locations.

Kidder documented the confounding experience in 2005’s “My Detachment,” an often humorous memoir that offered insights into the lives of the support troops who made up most of the 500,000-plus U.S. military personnel who were in Vietnam at the height of the buildup when the author served there in 1968-69. The war became an abstraction for Kidder, who never saw combat and knew the enemy only as “dots on a map.”

Melania Trump shares spotlight with robot

BY DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press

WASHINGTON Melania Trump often commands the attention of any room she enters but all eyes — and cameras were trained on her humanoid companion on Wednesday

The robot accompanied the first lady to the White House East Room for the final day of a summit she had convened with counterparts from around the world through her Fostering the Future Together global initiative. The group has been discussing ways to empower children using education, innovation and technology including artificial intelligence.

Melania Trump and the humanoid walked slowly side by side along the red carpet from the opposite end of the hallway

The ﬁrst lady paused just before entering the East Room while the robot walked around the table with the panelists and took up a position in the center of the room. It took a moment to scan the audience before speaking.

“Thank you, first lady Melania Trump, for inviting me to the White House. It is an honor to be at Fostering the Future Together’s global coalition inaugural meeting,” it said.

“I’m Figure 03, a humanoid built for the United States of America,” it continued. “I am grateful to be part of this historic movement to empower children with technology and education.”

“Welcome,” it said before offering similar greetings in 10 other languages. The robot then thanked everyone and retraced its steps back down the red carpet.

The ﬁrst lady thanked the robot for joining her, adding: “It’s fair to state, you are my ﬁrst American-made humanoid guest in the White House.”

The startup robotics company Figure AI, based in Sunnyvale, California, introduced Figure 03 in October as its third-generation humanoid robot for people to use at home for help with such household tasks as laundry, cleaning and washing dishes, according to its website and company literature.

CEO Brett Adcock said on social media he was “proud to see F.03 make history as the ﬁrst humanoid robot in the White House.”

The startup is competing with others, including Boston Dynamics and Elon Musk’s Tesla, as well as a number of companies in China, in building robots that look human-like and do some of the things that people do.

After the war Kidder and his new wife, Frances Gray Toland, moved to the Midwest so Kidder could enroll in the University of Iowa’s prestigious creative writing program, where he latched onto the New Journalism wave pioneered by writers like Tom Wolfe and Truman Capote.

Kidder hated the title “literary journalist,” telling the Dallas Morning News in 2010 that he found the description “pretentious.”

The term creative nonfiction irked him too: “It suggests we make things up.”

Instead, he saw himself as a storyteller

“I don’t think of fiction and nonfiction as all that different, except that nonfiction is not invented,” he told the AP “But I take exception to those people who think nonfiction should not appropriate the techniques of fiction They belong to storytelling.”

U.N. calls for reparations to remedy ‘historical wrongs’ of trafficking Africans

BY EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday adopted a resolution declaring the trafﬁcking of enslaved Africans “the gravest crime against humanity” and calling for reparations as “a concrete step toward remedying historical wrongs.”

The resolution also urges “the prompt and unhindered restitution” of cultural items — including artworks, monuments, museum pieces, documents and national archives — to their countries of origin without charge.

The vote in the 193-member world body was 123-3, with 52 abstentions. Argentina, Israel and the United States were the three members voting against the resolution. The United Kingdom and all 27 members of the European Union were among those that abstained While the United States opposes the past wrongdoing of the trans-Atlantic slave trade and all other forms of slavery, it “does not recognize a legal right to reparations for historical wrongs that were not illegal under international law at the time they occurred,” deputy U.S. ambassador Dan Negrea said before the vote.

“The United States also strongly objects to the resolution’s attempt to rank crimes against humanity in any type of hierarchy,” he said. “The assertion that some crimes against humanity are less severe than others objectively diminishes the suffering of countless victims and survivors of other atrocities throughout history.”

BY ANDREW DALTON Associated Press

In the United States, support for reparations gained momentum in the wake of the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police ofﬁcer in 2020 However, the issue has been a difﬁcult one and has been caught up in a broader conservative backlash over how race, history and inequality are handled in public institutions.

Unlike U.N. Security Council resolutions, General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding but are an important reﬂection of world opinion.

“Today, we come together in solemn solidarity to afﬁrm truth and pursue a route to healing and reparative justice,” Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama, a key architect of the resolution, said before the vote.

“The adoption of this resolution serves as a safeguard against forgetting,” he said.

“Let it be recorded that when history beckoned, we did what was right for the memory of the millions who suffered the indignity of slavery.”

Mahama noted that the vote was taking place on the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the transAtlantic Slave Trade, honoring the memory of about 13 million African men, women and children enslaved over several centuries.

Diplomats applauded and some cheered the adoption of the resolution

The history of slavery and “its devastating consequences and long-lasting impacts” must never be forgotten, said British acting U.N Ambassador James Kariuki, speaking on behalf of

LOS ANGELES A woman from Florida pleaded not guilty Wednesday to the attempted murder of Rihanna. Ivanna Lisette Ortiz, of Orlando also pleaded not guilty through her attorney to more than a dozen other felony counts in Los Angeles Superior Court. Prosecutors allege the singing superstar, her hiphop star partner A$AP Rocky and their three young children were among the people assaulted at their home in the Beverly Hills area on March 8 when Ortiz, 35, pulled up to the property and

mainly Western nations, including some that enslaved Africans.

Western nations are committed to tackling the root causes that persist today, he said, pointing to racial discrimination, racism, xenophobia and intolerance. He said “the scourge of modern slavery” also must be addressed — trafﬁcking, forced labor, sexual exploitation and forced criminality.

Cyprus’ deputy U.N. ambassador, Gabriella Michaelidou, speaking on behalf of the EU, echoed the U.S. and U.K. on concerns about “the use of superlatives” that imply “a hierarchy among atrocity crimes.”

Michaelidou also cited the EU’s concern about the resolution’s “unbalanced interpretation of historical events” and legal references that are inaccurate or inconsistent with international law, including “suggestions of a retroactive application of international rules which was non-existent at the time and claims for reparations.”

The resolution “unequivocally condemns the trafﬁcking of enslaved Africans and racialized chattel enslavement of Africans, slavery and the trans-Atlantic slave trade as the most inhumane and enduring injustice against humanity.”

In approving the resolution, the General Assembly afﬁrms the importance of addressing the historical wrongs of slavery that promotes “justice, human rights, dignity and healing.”

The resolution calls on U.N. member nations to engage in talks “on reparatory justice, including a full and formal apology measures of

restitution, compensation, rehabilitation, satisfaction, guarantees of non-repetition and changes to laws, programs and services to address racism and systemic

discrimination.”

It encourages voluntary contributions to promote education on the trans-Atlantic slave trade and asks the African Union, the Caribbean

Community and the Organization of American States to collaborate with U.N. bodies and other nations “on reparatory justice and reconciliation.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JACQUELyN MARTIN First lady Melania Trump arrives, accompanied by a robot, to attend the Fostering the Future Together Global Coalition Summit on Wednesday at the White House in Washington.

DAIQUIRI

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“Whilethe moratorium had some deleterious effectsbecause of the way that it kind of got these properties into these really bad, long-term conditions,” he said, “we still knew that we needed to have away to enforce good neighbors andgood neighbor rulesin downtown.”

DDA, which recommendedthe permit not be allowed at this time,

TRIAL

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The jurors also decided Meta held more responsibilityfor harm to the plaintiff. The jurysaid Meta shouldered70% of the responsibility while YouTube bore the remaining 30%. Meta and YouTube were thetwo remaining defendants in the case. TikTok and Snap settled before the trial began.

Jurors listened to about amonth of lawyers’ arguments, testimony and evidence, and they heard from KGM, or Kaleyasher lawyers called her during the trial,aswell as Meta leaders Mark Zuckerberg and Adam Mosseri. YouTube’s CEO, Neal Mohan, wasnot called to testify Kaley says she began usingYouTube at age 6and Instagram at age 9. She told the jury she was on social media “all day long” as achild. Lawyersrepresenting Kaley ledbyMark Lanier, were tasked with provingthat the respective defendants’ negligence was asubstantial factor in causing Kaley’s harm. They pointed to specific design features they said are de-

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responsible for driving highdrug costs.”

“The bill does not address the role of insurance companies and pharmacybeneﬁt managers (PBMs), who ultimately decide what patients pay at the pharmacy counter and what hoops they must jump through to access their medicines,” PhRMA spokesperson Will May said. SB401 doesn’taddress pharmacy beneﬁt managers, or PBMs.

VOTING

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Wednesday in a9-7 votethat fell along party lines. It now needsapproval from the full Housetomove to the Senate. During the committee meeting, SecretaryofStateNancy Landry said her office is already using SAVE, and that it has removed from the rolls 403 people who failed to prove their citizenship. That number represents roughly 0.01% of the2.9 millionvoters currently registered in Louisiana

The department’ssearch reviewed people on therolls in May 2025 and their voting history,which dated back to the 1980s “83 of the (noncitizens) cast votes in at least one election foratotal of 440 votes,” Landry said. “Since 2020 there’sbeen 130 illegalvotes. To Landry,her department’sﬁndings were proof of aproblem.

“My ﬁrst election wasdecided by 33 votes,” she said. “Every vote

noted that Rooftop 116generated themost noise complaints among downtown bars and was cited a year ago for failing to have adequate security at alarge event, which was in violation of the bar’s conditional use permit.

Rooftop also was thesubject of 206calls to 911 in the past four years, including several instances when authoritieswere calledtwice in one night, according to data gathered by the DDA.

The Lafayette PoliceDepartmentopposed thepermitdue to itslocation in ablock of Jefferson

Street that currentlygenerates the mostcalls to authorities.

Haynes’ wife, Candice, told council memberswhat their priorities were if it were to open. She voiced acommitmenttobeing a good neighbor downtown.

“Weunderstand change canraise concerns and we respect business owners that who have questions or concerns,” she said. “But Iwant to be clear —we’re not here to disrupt.Weare here to contribute.”

Shaylin Dean, one of the co-operators, accused media reports of failing to addresstheir past busi-

Civil

signed to “hook” young users, like the“inﬁnite” nature of feeds that allowed for an endless supply of content, autoplay features and no-

tiﬁcations.

The jurors were told not to take into account the content of the postsand videos Kaley viewed be-

ness experience. The group owns other businesses downtown, including The Alley nearby and Ash 2Ash Cigars on Buchanan Street.

AlexMontgomery,aLafayette resident and retired law enforcement ofﬁcer,has worked at nightclubs and event centers for at least 14 years within his 35 yearsofwork. He spoke in favor of the permit

“At one time, downtownwas a ghost town,” he said. “If any of you remember,itwas broken glass, brokenwindows,one or twobusinesses open down there. The downtown area has grown. It is an entertain-

cause tech companies areshielded from legal responsibility for posted content, based on Section 230ofthe 1996 Communications Decency Act. Meta consistently arguedthat Kaley’s struggles with mental health were notconnected to her social media use, often pointing to her turbulent homelife. Meta also said “not oneofher therapistsidentiﬁed social media as the cause” of hermental health issues. But the plaintiffs did not have to prove that social media caused Kaley’sstruggles —only that it was a“substantial factor” in causing her harm.

YouTubefocused less on Kaley’smedical records and mental health history and more on her useofYouTube andthe nature of the platform.They argued that YouTubeisnot aformofsocial media, but rather avideo platform akin to television,and pointed to herdeclining YouTube use as she got older. According to their data, she spent about one minute aday on averagewatching YouTube Shorts sinceits inception.

YouTube Shorts, which launched in 2020, delivers short-form, vertical videos with the “inﬁnite scroll” feature that plaintiffs arguedwas

ment community down there; it’s not just aresidential area.”

Those involved with the project did notcommentafter the vote.

Haynesand Figaro posted to social media afterward, thanking those who supported theproject andindicating they will try again.

“Whenpushing boundaries,resistance is inevitable,” Haynes wrote. “However,I’m conﬁdent that our trailblazing will makethe journey smoother for those who follow.” Email Adam Daigle at adaigle@ theadvocate.com.

addictive.

Lawyers representing both platforms also consistentlypointed to thesafety featuresand guardrailstheyeach have availablefor people to monitor and customize their use.

The case, along with several others, hasbeenrandomlyselected as abellwether trial, meaning its outcome could impact how thousands of similar lawsuits filedagainst social media companies play out. While thecases in Los Angeles and New Mexico both focused on the harms inﬂicted on children, there were key differences between the two. NewMexico’s lawsuitwas ﬁled by state Attorney General Raúl Torrez in 2023. State investigators built their case by posing as childrenon social media,then documenting sexualsolicitationsthey received as wellasMeta’sresponse. The jury wasasked to determineif Meta violated New Mexico’sconsumer protection law

The Los Angelescase was ﬁled by asingleplaintiff againstMeta, YouTube, TikTok and Snap. After the lattertwo settled, she argued that Meta andYouTube were addictive by design, and that they especially target young users.

Those businesses administer drug beneﬁtsonbehalf of health plans, determine which drugs are covered byaplan andnegotiate lower prices with drug manufacturers. However,lawmakers for months have been calling for tighter regulations on PBMs, and several bills dealing with PBMs have been ﬁled this year. Under SB401, the Prescription Drug Affordability Boardwould create alistof“critical prescriptiondrugs …for which there is a substantial public interestinunderstanding thedevelopment of pricingfor the drugs.” Foreach drugonthat list,phar-

counts, and everyineligible vote cancels an eligible vote out.”

But to Democrats,the numbers represented asliver of the votes cast over the last several decades and therefore proveda different point: that voting by noncitizens is not athreattoelections.

“This bill is designed to deny people the right to vote,”said state Rep. Wilford Carter,D-Lake Charles.“We don’treally have a problem.”

Howthe SAVE system works SAVE hascome intothe spotlight in recent months after President DonaldTrump’sadministration gave statesfree access to thetool, prompting someofﬁcials to use it to purge noncitizens from voter rolls.

But news reportsfrom other states have raised accuracyconcerns about SAVE. Theprogram has wrongly ﬂagged U.S. citizens, in part because it is not always updated when immigrants become citizens,accordingtothose reports.

In Texas, stateofﬁcials wrongly ﬂagged at least 87 voters as non-

maceutical companies would be required to provide theboard with cost and price information. That would include the cost to produce onedose; research anddevelopment costs; marketing costs; prices charged to foreign countries for the drug; and prices charged to Louisianapharmacies and other purchasers in thestate. That cost and price information would be conﬁdential and not subject to public disclosure laws. If amanufacturer fails to report the information, it would be aviolation of Louisiana’s Unfair Trade Practices and ConsumerProtection Law

citizens using SAVE, according to an investigation from the Texas Tribune.

Landry said Louisianawas not Texas, andthather office thoroughly investigated each person flaggedbySAVE. Aspokesperson for theSecretary of State’sOffice declined to disclose thetotal number of people flagged, citing an ongoing investigation.

Voterswho were identiﬁed as ineligibleafter an investigation had 21 days to respond withproof of citizenshipbefore they were removed from therolls.

HB691 would write that process into law,making parishes responsible for notifying voters who are slatedfor removal, and canceling their eligibilitywhentheydonot respond in time. It would also require state investigators to refer registeredvoters identiﬁed as possible noncitizens to prosecutors.

Representatives from the League of Women Voters, the Southern Poverty LawCenter andthe American Civil Liberties UnionofLouisianaall testified

GROUND,TOGETHER WITH ALLBUILDINGS ANDIMPROVEMENTS

Drug marketing materials directed at health care providers would also have to include price information under the legislation. Failuretoinclude it in marketing would also be illegal.

TalbotonWednesday emphasized the body would not set drug prices or put in place an upper limit on prices in Louisiana —but it could look into such apolicy

“This board does not set prices,” he said. “I would like this board to maybe make arecommendation, if they see ﬁt,tothe Legislature on whether we should go downthat route.”

The board would provide an an-

against HB691. Sarah Whittington, the ACLU of Louisiana’sadvocacy director, said the organization feared that uploading data to SAVE would make votersvulnerable to data breaches. She also argued 21 days is not always enough time to prove citizenship,especiallyfor voters whomust replace missingrecords

Noncitizen voting

Sarah Louis-Ayo, an organizer withVoice of the Experienced, said mostimmigrants would never vote illegally and risk potential citizenship.

“Wedon’ttake thislightly,this narrative that immigrants are illegally voting,” Louis-Ayo said, adding thatshe had lived in the United Statesfor over 20 yearsand won citizenship several years earlier

Somelegislators, including state Rep. Joy Walters, D-Shreveport, worried data uploaded to SAVE could be abused by ICE.

Beaullieu challenged that notion and saiditwrongly politicized the issue at hand.

nual report to the Legislature on drug prices, including those that are “excessively high.” It could also recommendwaystolower costs.

Talbot said the measure“represents the ﬁrst step toward better understanding and then fixing health careexpendituresinthe state.”

In an interview,hesaid he’snot laying theblame on pharmaceutical companies forhigh drug costs, but rather seeking to answer a question: “Why is the price as high as it is and whatcan we do about getting moreaffordable drugs for our citizens?”

Reports from other states suggest it is rare for noncitizens to illegally vote.A reviewofUtah’s 2.1million registered votersidentiﬁed one noncitizen on the voter rolls, but that person had never cast avote, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.

ButBeaullieuarguedLouisiana’sdata showed noncitizen voting could be on therise,since130 of the440 illegalvotes were cast since 2020.

“This is us getting in front of it and addressing it now,” he said.

Sometimes, noncitizens accidentally registertovote, said Landry She said that language barriers, along with alack of training among OfﬁceofMotor Vehicle employees, whoare required to offer voter registration, werebehind some of the wrongful registrations. In an email, OMV Deputy Commissioner Matt Boudreaux said employees arerequiredtotake an annual voter registration training, and that the agency is working with theSecretaryofState’sOfﬁce to enhance that training.

PREPARED BY COMEAUXENGINEERING &CONSULTINGDATED AUGUST 3, 2006, ACOPY OF WHICHISATTACHED TO THAT CERTAINACT FILEDUNDER ENTRYNO. 2008- 36614, RECORDSOF LAFAYETTE PARISH LOUISIANA, WHICHPLAT OF SURVEY IS MADE A PART HEREOF BY REFER‐ENCE THERETO. WHICHHAS THEAD‐DRESSOF304 CLAY RIDGE DRIVE, YOUNGSVILLE, LA 70592 ANYONE PURCHASING PROPERTY AT SHERIFF'S SALE IS GIVENUNTIL 2:00 P.M. ON SALE DAYTOPAY THEFULLPURCHASE AMOUNT BY CERTIFIED FUNDS PUBLISHON: MARCH26, STRUCTURED SECURITIES ACQUISITIONTRUST 2019-HB1VersusNo. 20245540 NANCYMARIE STOUTSHADDOX A/K/A NANCYMARIE STOUT A/K/ANANCY M. STOUT A/K/ANANCY STOUT A/K/ANANCY MARIE SHADDOXA/K/A NANCY M. SHADDOXA/K/A NANCYSHADDOXA/K/A NANCYSTOUT SHADDOX A/K/ANANCY S. SHAD‐DOXAND THEUNOPENED SUCCESSIONOFAND UN‐KNOWNHEIRS OF FRED TOWNSWELLSHADDOX, JR. A/K/AFRED TOWNSELL SHADDOX, JR. A/K/AFREDT.SHADDOX, JR. A/K/AFREDSHAD‐DOX, JR. 15THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT- PARISH OF LAFAYETTE STATEOF LOUISIANA Notice is hereby given that by virtue of awritof FI FA issued in thehere‐inaboveentitledand numberedcause Ihave seized andtaken into my possessionand will offer forsaleand sell for cash *WITHOUT *ap‐praisement,tothe last andhighest bidder,at public auction, at the LAFAYETTE PARISH GOV‐ERNMENTBUILDING, 1010 LAFAYETTE STREET,2ND FLOORinLafayette Louisiana, between the legalsalehours com‐mencingat10:00 A.M. on WEDNESDAY, *APRIL 29, 2026*** ,the followingde‐scribedproperty, to wit: THAT CERTAINTRACT OR PARCEL OF GROUND,TO‐GETHER WITH ALLBUILD‐INGS ANDIMPROVE‐MENTSTHEREON AND ALLRIGHTS, WAYS,PRIVI‐

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By NATHANBURTON

litigator David Ackerman, right, embraces NewMexico state attorney Linda Singer following alandmark verdict Tuesday where the juryfound Meta willfully violated NewMexico’sconsumer protection laws and are ordered to paythe state $375 millionindamages.

Bill takes aimat senator’s runfor Congress

Feud over Miguez’s district residencya ‘sensitive subject’

BY TYLER BRIDGES

Staff writer

Simmering tensions among ambitious senators at the state Capitol burst intothe open Wednesday —sort of.

Theskirmish pitted Sen. Stewart Cathey against Sen. BlakeMiguez and involved members of the Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee.

Victim in apartment shooting identified

Police sayFranklin man, 22,found dead in parking lot

Cathey,aRepublican from Monroe, seriously considered running for the 5th Congressional District seat that U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow is vacating to try to unseat U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy.Miguez, aRepublican, is running for the seat even though he lives just outside of New Iberia, nearly 100 miles from thedistrict, which extends from BatonRouge to Monroe. At issue before the committee was Cathey’sSenate Concurrent Resolution 9. It asks Congress tosupport changingthe constitutionalprovision that allows members of Congress to live outside their districts.

Native sonDavid Begnaud skipsN.O. chaos

Post praising Lafayette airportTSA goes viral

BY KRISTIN ASKELSON Staff writer

Lafayette native and longtime

CBS journalist David Begnaud

made aviral social media post Monday praising Transportation Security Administration at the Lafayette Regional Airport.

Begnaud was originally scheduled to fly to Los Angeles from Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, which has been plagued in recent days with hourslong delays and causing some passengerstomiss their ﬂights. The delays at MSY arebeing caused by Transportation Security Administration workers calling in sick because they haven’tbeen paid fully since the Feb.14 start of apartial government shutdown amid astalemate between Republicans and Democrats over funding for the Department of Homeland Security

BY JA’KORI MADISON Staff writer

Twoseparate shootings in less than48 hours have left two people dead in Lafayette. Themostrecentshootinghappened early Wednesday morning at an apartment complexoff KalisteSaloom Road. Police identiﬁed the victim as Irving Lumpkin III,22, of Franklin.

According to the Lafayette Police Department, ofﬁcers were called to the Grand PointeApartments shortly after 6:30 a.m on Wednesday.When they arrived, they found LumpkinIII sufferingfrom gunshot wounds in the parking lot. He was pronounceddead at the scene. Investigators have not released details about what led up to theshooting, and no arrests have been announced. This fatal shooting camejust days after aseparate shooting claimed the life of a Lafayette teenager At 10:15 p.m. on Monday,the Lafayette PoliceDepartment responded to the 400 blockof East Cedar Street, in reference to ashooting incident. Upon arrival, officers located thevictim deceased in theroadway from an apparent gunshot wound

Travis Grifﬁn Jr 16, of Lafayette, was

identiﬁed as the victim.

Grifﬁn waslater identiﬁedasastudent at Northside High School. To support students andstaff during this time, Lafayette Parish School System said additional counselors will be available on campus for anyone who mayneed support or aspace to talk.

“Our hearts are with the family,friends, classmatesand the entire Northside High communityastheygrievethis devastating loss,” the school systemsaidina statement. Both shootings remain under investigation,and policeare urging anyone with information to come forward.

Third‘No Kings’ rally

Protestplanned in downtown Lafayette

BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer

Residents in and around Lafayette areexpected on Saturday to join millions of Americans across the country in aNo Kings rally This will be the third No Kings protest to be held in downtown Lafayette, organized by Good Trouble 337, the Lafayette region’s50501 chapter,and Indivisible

The rally will takeplace from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Prejean Point, 735 Jefferson St. (former site of the Mouton statue).

Thousands of No Kings events are planned nationwide.

“Our peaceful day of action is going to bring together local residentsfrom all walks of life whoshare asimplemessage: We don’tdokings in America,” event organizers said in anews release. On Oct. 18, more than 400 peo-

ple gathered at Prejean Point in Lafayette, joining morethan 7 million people from all 50 states in the largest single-day protest yet against President DonaldTrump and what theycall his authoritarianism

“When ourfamiliesare under attack andcosts arepushing people to thebrink, silence is not an option,” according to the national website. “Wewill defend ourselvesand our communities against thisadministration’s unjust andcruel acts of violence. America does not belong to strong men,greedy billionaires or those whorulethrough fear.Itbelongs to us, the people.” No Kings events adheretoa commitment to nonviolent protest and community safety. Organizers are trained in de-escalation. According to theNoKings national site, others citiesinLouisiana planning rallies Saturday include BatonRouge, New Orleans Covington, Lake Charles, Shreveport, Alexandria, Ruston, Monroe and Leesville.

Email Claire Taylor at ctaylor@theadvocate.com.

BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer

Lafayette prosecutor Emilia Pardo is the ﬁrst person to announce theircandidacy forthe Lafayette CityCourt judge seat being vacated by longtime Judge Doug Saloom. After 31 yearsasthe Division B Lafayette City Court judge, Saloom announced in Februarythatheisretiring as of Dec. 31. The election to replace Saloom is Nov.3

Alifelong resident of Lafayette, Pardo is agraduate of Lafayette High School. She earned her undergraduatedegree fromthe University of Louisiana at Lafayette and her law degree from LoyolaUniversity College of Law

Pardo has served for16years, focusing on domestic violence as an assistant district attorneyin the 15th JudicialDistrict, which includes Lafayette, Acadia and Ver-

milion parishes, andisamagistrate in Scott CityCourt. City Court is usually the first place where many people encounter thejustice system,Pardo saidin astatement. It maybewhere they go to settle their ﬁrst ticketorwhere they go to small-claims court.

“CityCourt touchespeoplefrom all walks of life and every background,” Pardo said, “often in situations thatfeel unfamiliar andstressful.

“That is exactly why I’m running,” she said. “I believe the people who come throughCityCourt deserve ajudge who is fair,who believes in second chanceswhen possible and who can also be ﬁrm when necessary.”

Formanypeople,these cases are what shapes their view of the justice system,Pardo said.

“I have seen ﬁrsthand how much city court affects everyday people andfamilies. Ibring experience from both sides of the bench, along withthe judgment,perspective and practical understanding this role requires,” she added

Begnaud

Pardo

The Wednesdayshooting off Kaliste Saloom Road was the second fatal shooting in less than 48 hours in Lafayette.

STAFFPHOTOSByLESLIE WESTBROOK

Lawenforcement personnel respond to afatal shooting Wednesday at an apartment complex off Kaliste Saloom Road in Lafayette.

OUR VIEWS

MayLa.’s longleafpines

live long andprosper

The longleaf pine tree mightnot beasiconic asight to current generationsofLouisianans as it was to their ancestors, butthe species has along, important history in ourareaand elsewhere in the South.

We cheer efforts to ensure it will have along future here as well.

That goal, led by conservationists andgovernment ofﬁcials, involves not just persuasion but thoughtful environmental management, accordingtoa storybythis paper’sMike Smith. Longleaf pines, with their signature bunched needles, were once abundantinthispartofthe country,covering some 90 million acresfrom Virginia down into Texas. In Louisiana, they were traditionally prominentinthe parishes northofLake Pontchartrain and in thecentral andwesternparts of thestate.

In recent years, however,total acreage had dropped all theway down to three million Theculprits in the decline range fromlogging to adesire for faster-growingtimber to thedesire to avoid forest ﬁres

Controlled burning, though, is oneof the tools nowbeing used by groupssuch as thenonproﬁt Nature Conservancy to clear out underbrush and allow sun in, helping new trees to grow.

The federalgovernmenthas also offered some cash assistance to growers.

“Wildlife is alarge driver here in Louisiana of individuals coming in wantingto be apartof thelongleafstory,”Sarah Trichel, the USDA’s acting Louisiana stateconservationist, said. “We have those that remember seeing longleaf when they weregrowing up anddon’tsee that anymore,and theyreally wanttohave thatlongleaf stand reestablished, to see those long needles, those large cones, and for their grandchildren and their grandchildren’s children.”

Thanks to efforts by apublic-private consortium known as America’sLongleaf Restoration Initiative, these pines arestarting to seearebound. By last year,total acreage had creptup to 5.2 million. The group’sgoal is 8million. That shouldn’tjust matter to those who appreciate the trees’ beauty Longleaf pines’ growthpatternsprovidewideopen spaces for wild turkeys, bobwhite quail and other animals, as well as some other endangered plants. The grass thatgrowsaround them is suitable for cattle grazing. These trees may grow more slowly than other species, but their wood is strong and well-suited to shipand infrastructure building.

“If you care about the environment and you careabout biodiversity,and you live in an area where longleaf was historically thenatural ecosystem,it’shard to do anything betterthan to restore this system,” Will deGravelles, who overseeslongleaf pine restoration forthe Nature Conservancy in Louisiana, toldSmith. We care about all of those things, and think Louisianans who enjoy our state’snatural spaces and who make their livingthere do too. We hope these restoration effortswill keep this unique tree plentiful in ourstate foryears to come.

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE AREOUR

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

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

Gettingagun easier than avoter ID with SAVE Act

To purchase aweapon, alicensed gun dealer or an unlicensed privategun seller can set up atable in acivic center or auditorium at agun show.Gun buyers must provide avalid driver’s license and ﬁll out aform. Nearly every buyer will leave the gun show withhis/ her new weapon of choice. Somewill be there to purchase aweapon as agift for someone else.

The SAVE Act (spearheaded by the samepeople who are hell-bent on protectingthe right to bear arms) allows no organization or person to set up atable in acivic center,auditorium, student union or church to register voters.

If theSAVEAct passes, everyone will have to go to agovernment ofﬁce during ofﬁce hours to register tovote.

According to theSAVEAct, every U.S. citizen must provide documentation proving they are who they say they are (passport,Real ID). Furthermore, the nameappearing on all required documents must be identical to the one appearing on their birth

certificate. It seems the authors and supporters of the SAVE Act are moreconcerned with facilitating the Second Amendmentthan the15th and 19th Amendments Ihave asuggestion should the SAVE Act pass: Throw “Let’sVote!!!” parties. Organize church buses, limos, tour buses, etc., topick up U.S. citizens from aconvention center,auditorium, student union, church,etc. and bring everyone to the Registrar of Voters’ Office. Entrance to theparty is alegal birth certificate, proof of residence, Real ID, and/or apassport. With documents in hand, drive everyone to the governmentoffice to register to vote. Then return to theparty! Political affiliation is nobody’sbusiness —the goal is to facilitate the voter registration process.

Let’sparty for the RIGHTTO VOTE!!!

PHYLLIS LEAR Port Barre

Earlychildhood educationneededfor

When Gov.Jeff Landry addressed lawmakers at the opening of Louisiana’slegislative session on March 9, he spoke about strengthening the state’seconomy,removing barriers to work and building aworkforce ready to meet theneeds of Louisiana’sindustries If Louisiana is serious about those goals, there is one piece of workforce infrastructure that must be part of the conversation: early childhood education

Every morning, thousands of Louisiana parentsrely on early childhood education programssothey can show up for their jobs —nurses beginning hospital shifts, workers clocking in at plantsand reﬁneries, teachers standing in classrooms. For manyofthem, none of that happens without asafe, reliable place for their young children. When early childhood education breaks down, theworkforce breaks down withit. Louisianaalready faces aworkforce participation challenge, ranking near thebottom nationally in labor force participation, witharate of about 58%.

Businessleaders across Louisiana

increasingly point to child care as a major barrier keeping parents from working.

Parents cannot work if they have nowhere safe for their children to go. Across Louisiana, the demand foraffordable, high-quality early childhood education far exceeds supply.The gap is especially signiﬁcant forinfants and toddlers, where care is mostexpensive and the number of availableseats is mostlimited. Families struggle with costs. Employers struggle with absenteeism and turnover when workers cannot ﬁnd reliable care.

Louisianahas made meaningful progress over the past decade, but thedemand from working families still far exceeds whatthe system can provide.

If Louisiana wants to strengthen itseconomy and grow its workforce, early childhood education must be treated and invested in as essential infrastructure.

Because if we want morepeople in theworkforce tomorrow,wemust.

LIBBIE

SONNIER

Political alarms, rants and fingerpointing are not unique to either major political party.Asking abasic yes-or-no question often yields no answer —only adiatribe of blamedirected at the other side. Frustration with, and apathy toward, Congress increases by the day.Meanwhile, the number of voters changing their affiliation to Independent or No Party affiliation continues to grow What can we do to counter partybased deflection and political theater? Be waryofthose whorepeat rehearsed talking points. Issues are often camouflaged with emotionally charged terms like “no illegal human beings,” “uncaring,” “common sense” and even “patriotism” —phrases designed to tug at the heart rather than inform the mind. An informed and thoughtful public is often inconvenient forpoliticians. Many of us are fedup, frustrated and feel helpless in the face of congressional gridlock. Remember, we are dealing with representatives whomight struggle to agree on something as simple as offering Coke, Pepsi and filtered water in a cafeteria —though somehow,baloney always makes the menu.

TOMLEWIS Baton Rouge

Congressional delegation is not friendly to farmers

Hanks

Just

CEO,

Louisiana Policy Institute forChildren

RICHARD C. LANDRY Lafayette

Four brand-newLouisiana books, butjustone degree

Most of youknow the line about“six degreesofseparation,”meaningthat everyone on Earth supposedly knows someone who knows someone who within six moves —knows everybody else. In Louisiana, it’smore like asingle degree of close connection. Our unique culture so seamlessly entwines literature, music,food, other arts,politics and other diversionsthat I myself am surely just one happy connection away from you,and from you, and, yes, you As it happens, Louisianans of note arepublishing (or had published about them) four new books in early 2026.I have an unbreakable rule against writingformal reviews of booksbyfriends (oreven friendly acquaintances), but these books show how the degrees of close connection, again, apply Archaeologist, scholar and traditional jazz band leader Fred Starr is out with hisautobiography “Blue Skies: My Life in Many Worlds.” Beginning with charming recollections of his boyhood in Cincinnati, it traces his rise to (among other things) an internationallyrecognized expert on Russia and, as an adopted citizen of New Orleans, amajor contributor to the Crescent City’scultural life.

New Orleans history teacher Howard Hunter has published “Conversations with Jason Berry,” acompendium about the Louisiana writer of that name whose “bodyofwork,”Hunter writes, “has probed the human condition through journalism, theater,cultural criticism, thenovel, ﬁlm, and history.”

In April, New Orleanian Nancy Lemann’sﬁrst novel in two decades, The Oyster Diaries, will be released. I eagerly await. Lemann’sﬁction, as accurately described in aMarch 23 New York Times feature, is full of “unexpected word choices, asense of place …[and] strong emotion,”whilebeing “preoccupied withwhat she calls the ‘verities’: honor,nobility,humility.”

Speaking of honor: Alsoin April, my former boss Bob Livingston, the longtime congressman from Louisiana,releases “The Rainbow Chaser:The man whogambled for success and broke even.”

The ﬁrst third is an entertainingly told pre-congressional autobiography; therest is adelineation of examples of “lawfare”bypower-besotted, politicized prosecutors.AsLivingston

We’ve long known that Donald Trump drives his critics crazy, andhe’snow doing it to some critics whoused to be his friends.

The isolationist right is convinced that President Trumpis waging the Iran WaronIsrael’s behalf, which wouldmakehim thehandmaiden of aforeign power That should be afamiliarsounding charge, sinceDemocrats and the legacy media spent most of Trump’sﬁrstterm making the same accusation,except the foreignpuppeteer was Russia rather than Israel.

details, he himself was targeted by the Justice Department for …well, for something unspecified relating to the Foreign Agents Registration Act, for hisbrief (and well-chosen) lobbying representation of Ukrainian Yulia Tymoshenko,ananti-Russian, pro-Americanpolitical leader Livingston’swell-earned reputation for legal probity (alongwith his bank account, for lawyer’sbills) was placed at severe risk during 20 months of abusive harassment,even though he had dutifully and openly filed requisitepaperwork detailing “hundreds of meetingrequestsand meetings held with [Tymoshenko].” After an 88-page brief conclusively proved his innocence, the would-beprosecutors silently slunk away,and eventually Livingston received an anodyne letter asking him to fix what he calls “a minor clerical omission that was corrected in two minutes.” Nothing remotely approachinga crime; no charges filed.

Allofwhichleads, exactly,where? Well, this being Louisiana, there is a one-degree connection between all four of these people.

Theﬁrst time Imet Lemann, Iwas workingfor Livingston’s1987 race for governor and she showed up, seeking localcolor for her writings, when he was “guest bartending” as acampaign gimmickatBud Rip’s Old 9th Ward Bar Livingstonand Starr? Fastfriends. Livingstonand Berry? Livingston wrote thelegal brief that ﬁrst convicted Byron De La Beckwith, the murder-

hiscontradictory statements during this war,nothing we’ve heard suggests anythingother than that he genuinely relishes killing Iran’sleaders and destroying its weapons.

Journalist Jason Berry signs books during the NewOrleans Book Festival at Tulane University in NewOrleans in 2023.

er of civil rights leader Medgar Evers (although Livingston’sbrief helped convict De LaBeckwith not for Evers but for theattempted murder of Jewish leader A.I. Botnick). As it happens, Berry’sfirst job out of college was as press secretary for the Mississippi gubernatorial campaign of Charles Evers, Medgar’sbrother Berry,anavid chronicler of the roots of New Orleansmusic, has favorably mentioned Starr multiple times in Berry’svarious writings on traditional jazz. Meanwhile, Berry’sfirst big break as awriter camewhen novelist Walker Percy put him in touch witha publisher.And for Lemann, Percy was amentor,friend and, in aword she frequently uses for him,her “hero.” Round and round theconnections go. Frommyvantage point, this sort of thingjust doesn’thappen anywhere else quite like it does in Louisiana. For years, our politics were part of our entertainment, and our entertainers (thinksinger/actor Jimmie Davis) became politicians. Andpolitics here inspire great works of fiction —see “All theKing’sMen” —and theconvivial culture draws pols and artistes to eat and drink delectables together while their lives overlap. Somehow,sodothe lives of almost every Louisianan, all wrapped together in one abundant, fascinating jumble. Onedegree of connection always seemstoapply

Email QuinHillyer at quin.hillyer@ theadvocate.com

To partisans behind Bluesky,itmust have seemed like agiftfrom the gods when Elon Musk bought Twitter.Inshort order,he changed its nametoX,shifted its moderation policies sharply to the right and sent millions of internet refugees searching foranew home. But as the ancients knew,gifts of the gods often come with strings attached.

In the twoyears since Bluesky opened to all comers, the social media app has gained 43 million users, an amazing feat foracompany with fewerthan 50 full-timeemployees. That growth got ahuge boost from Musk’santics in the lead-up to the 2024 election, which endowed Bluesky with abase of devoted users —users whoskewed heavily progressive and brought with them cancel culture tactics that had ﬂourished on X. Those users are now the platform’s biggest barrier to growth.

Consider the ﬁrestorm that ensued when Jesse Singal joined Bluesky in late 2024. Singal is reviled on the leftfor his reporting on youth gender medicine, and tens of thousands of users have blocked him.Many petitioned for him to be banned from the platform. Bluesky refused. Wherever possible, the company relies on strong moderation tools (such as massblock lists) that let communities police their own boundaries, rather than the whole app. That admirable ethos let Singal stay,but abusive users inundated him with death threats. Singal’s is the mostextremeexample, but it’scommon enough that one of the site’stechnical advisers felt compelled last May to clarify that it was not OK to tell other users to kill themselves. Social media depends on network effects: In theory,each user makes the platform moreattractive to other users. In practice, Bluesky has agroup of users whotry to repel outsiders. Those users are aminority of aminority Chief Operating Ofﬁcer Rose Wang told me that politics accounts foronly 10 %ofBluesky activity,and mostfolks are sharing stories and swapping memes,not mobbing fellow users. But the territorial faction is strong enough that manynon-progressives quickly gave up, and active daily use stats suggest the platform is hitting aplateau rather than escape velocity While the number of people with Bluesky accounts keeps inching up, active daily posters currently hover around 650,000, about the same as in September

Iasked Chief Executive Ofﬁcer Jay Graber how the company can grow in such conditions. She had an answer —agood one. But it will be tricky to pull off.

Now,“Russia, Russia, Russia,” as Trump often puts it, has become “Israel, Israel, Israel.”

Temperamentally,Trump loves exercising power,always wants to do it on his own authority,and seeks to preserve hisoptions.Itshouldn’tbe surprising, then, that as commanderinchief of the world’s most proﬁcient military, he’s been drawn to using and threatening force.

Israel didn’t talkTrumpintoconductinghis Venezuela raid, or menacing Denmark over Greenland, or looking to Cubaashis nextpotential target.

theJewish state, but morethan anything,they are damning Donald Trump. What worse offense can apresident of theUnited States commit than subjugating his own nation to aforeign power? It’sa treasonous act that deserves eternal infamy and impeachment and removal. This is exactly why theRussia obsessives so delighted in believing that Trumpwas atool of the Kremlin.

All of this is misbegotten, ﬁrst and foremost, because we havenever had a president who is so thoroughly hisown man as Donald Trump. Good luck trying to control him, as so many advisers and consultants have learned over the years There are very few things he’sdone as president where you’vethought “Oh, that’ssounlike him.”

That includes firing FBI Director James Comey in his first term,one of the main countsagainst him duringthe Russia frenzy,and launchingthe war against Iran today. Going back 50 years,noone would have been shocked to learn that a nationalistic American presidentobsessedwith strength had bombedIran. Trump is just suchafigure, andsure enough, he’sbombed Iran twice in his second term.

Trump has made bellicose statements about Iran since 1980, and despite all

LETTERS TO THEEDITORARE

One argument, based on adistortion of remarksmade by SecretaryofState Marco Rubio at theoutset of the war,is that Israel forced Trump’shand; it was going to attack Iran no matter what, andweknew U.S. personnel would be hitbyIran in response and would be particularly vulnerable if we didn’thit Iran as well.

Trump, therefore, had no choice. Check and mate, BibiNetanyahu. Theidea, though, that Trumpwas too sheepish to stay Netanyahu’shand if theIsraeli prime minister was about to launch amilitary operation that Trump opposed and was going to jeopardize American lives is preposterous.

Trump hasbeen happy to say no to Netanyahubefore.Hepressured the Israeli leader into turning back planes at theend of the Twelve-Day Warlast June.

By alleging that Israel forced the U.S. into war,the isolationiststhink they are making aharsh criticism of

Most of theright-wing dissenters blanch at following their own logic. An alternative tack —seen in intelligence ofﬁcial Joe Kent’sresignation letter —istoargue that Trumpwas simply fooled. Kent said there was “a misinformation campaign” that “sowed pro-war sentiments,”and that “this echo chamber was used to deceive” the president This argument is still astinging condemnation. It paintsTrumpasaneasily manipulated naïf, and on ahighly consequential matter of war and peace. In reality,there was no broad-ranging media drumbeat for war and no wave of popular support for one. This, again, emphasizes how thedecision was Trump’s, and his alone.

The Russia hoax was, in part,driven by theleft’sshock and disappointment at Trump’svictory in 2016. Likewise, theisolationistsare having trouble processing thefact that the president in whom they invested so much has launched amajor war in the Middle East.

ButTrumpwas not owned by this faction of theright, any morethan he is owned by Israel.

Michael Barone is on X, @MichaelBarone.

Bluesky is not anormal social media company.Organized as apublic beneﬁt corporation, it doesn’thave to prioritize proﬁts forits investors. It takes aspecial kind of mission-oriented investor to embrace that ethos, but apparently they exist. Bluesky just announced that it had raised $100 million forthe company to invest in the platform’sapp and open protocol. The protocol is arguably moreimportant. What is it? Well, Bluesky isn’ttrying to build a walled garden like Facebook or X. It’s trying to create something morelike email: an open system that lets developers build their own Twitter or Substack-like apps atop ashared network of users whowould have one identity across all those applications.

Iﬁnd that vision appealing because Igot my writing start as ablogger

It wasglorious. It also couldn’tlast.

The old internet nerds loved the freedom, but when the masses arrived, that freedom became overwhelming. There was too much content and no quick way to organize it.

Meanwhile, traditional media was building its own walls. When digital readership was small, it was safetoput your content online forfree, as akind of advertising. As readership forprint publications dwindled, giving your stuff away got moreexpensive.

Alot of virtual ink has been spilled regretting this shift. Bluesky is betting on its reversal: reopen the frontier,leave the little subdivisions and once again cavort on the open range, where communities and developers shape the network without acommon gatekeeper

Iwant to believe that this can happen, as I want to believe that Ican be 28 again. Yeteven apublic beneﬁt corporation needs somerevenue to keep things running, and I’mnot clear where that will come from —whether or not the vision is realized.

Ihave my doubts. But Iamrooting forWang and her team to defymypessimistic expectations. It might be afantasy.But if so, it’sanawfully compelling one.

MeganMcArdle is on X, @asymmetricinfo. Email her at Megan.McArdle@washpost.com.

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER Quin Hillyer

Michael Barone

ega McArdle M n

AUDIENCE WITH THE POPE

BY JEFF DUNCAN Sports columnist

Gayle Benson pitched a papal visit to New Orleans during her Monday meeting with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican in Rome.

During a 35-minute meeting in the pope’s private library in the Apostolic Palace, Benson and Archbishop James Checchio expressed their hope that he would visit New Orleans during a future U.S. visit, highlighting reasons why the city should be a priority in a future papal itinerary, said Greg Bensel, the Saints and Pelicans senior vice president of

BILL

Continued from page 1B

Cathey made it clear that he was targeting Miguez. What ultimately happened Wednesday illustrates how business is typically conducted in the Louisiana Senate. The Senate committee had three items on its agenda It dispatched two of them, then got to Cathey’s SCR9. That’s when things got interesting. Six committee members Miguez, committee chair Caleb Kleinpeter, R-Port Allen; Sen. Mike Reese, R-Leesville; Sen. Greg Miller, R-Norco; Sen. Larry Selders, D-Baton Rouge; and Sen. Sam Jenkins, D-Shreveport — all walked into a side room where they could discuss matters privately Normally, senators work out touchy subjects beforehand They had obviously not done this yet on Cathey’s bill.

A contentious race

Here’s the back story that confronted them: Miguez had been challenging Cassidy in the Senate election for months but exited that race on Feb. 3 after President Donald Trump endorsed Letlow Instead, Miguez announced, he would run for Letlow’s seat with Trump’s support.

TSA

Continued from page 1B

“I had ﬂown into New Orleans and saw the 3,000 people waiting to get through TSA and I was like, ‘I ain’t doing that.’ So I drove two hours west to Lafayette in order to ﬂy out of my hometown airport,” Begnaud said in his post.

Begnaud said there were zero passengers waiting in

government relations, who attended the meeting with Benson.

Among the discussion topics during the 35-minute meeting were Leo’s family ties to New Orleans, the efforts to restore historic St. Louis Cathedral and the health and vitality of the Catholic community in New Orleans, Bensel said. Archbishop-emeritus Gregory Aymond and Wayne LaJaunie, Benson’s brother, also attended the meeting. “We were extremely grateful and humbled that Pope Leo spent such quality time with us in his private library,” Benson said. “He

That didn’t sit well with Cathey The following day, referring to the president’s praise of Miguez, Cathey tweeted, “Somebody lied to @realDonaldTrump!

On Feb. 11, Cathey set aside his interest in running for the office, saying Trump had made “the wrong choice.”

State Sen. Rick Edmonds of Baton Rouge, state Rep. Michael Echols of Monroe, and Board of Regents Chair Misti Cordell of Monroe are also running in the May 16 Republican primary Back to the committee hearing: When his colleagues left, Sen. Mike Fesi, R-Houma, remained at his seat at the committee dais

Asked why by a reporter sitting in the audience, Fesi replied, “I don’t think there should be a discussion. I don’t want to be in it because I know what I’m going to say.”

Minutes later Selders emerged from the side room and joined Fesi on the committee dais.

Wasn’t he supposed to be part of the side discussion?

“I’m a rookie,” joked Selders, who was elected to the Senate only a year ago.

‘A glass of water’

Five minutes later, Senate President Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, strolled into the

the TSA line in Lafayette. After making his way through the security screening, Begnaud said he spoke with some TSA employees and confirmed they were working without pay “I stood there and I think I told them thank you four times,” he said. On Tuesday, lines at MSY were reportedly shorter as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents began helping direct passengers through security lines.

cares deeply about the people of New Orleans and state of Louisiana, where he has such close family ties. He offered his prayers and blessings. It was quite moving to be with him.”

Benson gave Leo an update on the current renovation and restoration of the St. Louis Cathedral. He thanked her and the benefactors for their efforts.

The group also discussed the work being done to promote the causes of the Servant of God Henriette de Lille and Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, as well as other matters relevant to the archdiocese.

committee room and headed to the side chamber

“I just want a glass of water,” he said with a smile on his face.

Henry departed ﬁve minutes later The senators came out soon after, minus Miguez, the committee vice chair

Cathey took his seat at the witness table and explained why he wanted them to approve his resolution.

Cathey said he was opposed to what he called “congressional carpetbagging.” He described it as “candidates forcing themselves into areas where they are not necessarily wanted.”

Cathey said he had lived in the district all his life but noted that one of the candidates didn’t live there.

Cathey didn’t mention Miguez by name — but then he didn’t have to.

Cathey asked for his colleagues’ support.

Kleinpeter noted that no one had a question for him That indicated the senators had privately agreed to allow it to die a quiet death.

But Fesi, not having joined the discussion, spoke up.

“Doesn’t the residency require you to live in the state?” he asked.

Yes, replied Cathey, but not in the congressional district. He added that state

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Benson presented a New Orleans Saints jersey among other gifts. Leo blessed the group and gave each attendee a blessed rosary

“Pope Leo was particularly interested in our Catholic schools and expressed gratitude for the cooperation offered by the state of Louisiana in assisting our children the opportunity of choosing a Catholic education,” Bensel said.

Checchio received Leo’s permission to name the upcoming renovation of St. Louis Cathedral rectory as the Pope Leo XIV Center for Evangelization in honor of him and his family, who lived

legislators have to live in their districts.

“We have up to 25 congressmen (throughout the country) who don’t live in their district as of right now,” persisted Fesi. “What kind of ﬁrestorm would this start?”

“People would be represented by legislators who actually understand the district, live in the district that they represent and actually vote for themselves,” Cathey replied.

He then asked for a favorable vote.

But no senator spoke up to move the resolution. In fact, no one said anything. As a result, Kleinpeter said it would be reported “without action.” That essentially killed SCR9.

in New Orleans for 200 years and attended Mass at the Cathedral.

The gesture, Bensel said, “moved the Holy Father deeply.”

After the meeting, the group visited the U.S. Embassy of the Holy See to meet with U.S. Ambassador Brian Burch to discuss potential programs between the Holy See and the city of New Orleans and state of Louisiana.

The Saints contingent ﬂew to Paris on Wednesday, where they were scheduled to connect with Saints quarterback Tyler Shough and offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga and visit the Louvre.

What happened?

So what happened in the side room?

In an interview Kleinpeter indicated that Cathey hadn’t discussed the resolution beforehand with the committee members, so they had to take a break to work it out.

“It’s a sensitive subject,” Kleinpeter said.

Senators, he added, “like to be respectful We don’t throw hand grenades like the House does.”

Cathey in an interview afterward, accused Miguez of “political opportunism,” saying, “Our needs are a lot different in northeast Louisiana than New Iberia.”

Miguez did not return a phone call.

Colvin Gamble Norwood, Jr. ("Woody"). John graduated from Hanson Memorial High School in 1966 at thetop of hisclass. He wasawarded aBachelor of Arts degree in 1970 from LSU in Baton Rouge and Juris Doctor degree from Tulane Law School in 1973. In 1977 John returned to LSU to earn his MBA. Afew months before he was to graduate from law school, he noticed aposting from Northeast Louisiana University in Monroe (NLU) seeking arecent JD to teachbusiness law. He applied for and got the job, beginning acareer that broughthim immense personal satisfaction as well as highmarks from his students. In 1981 Johnaccepted a position teaching business law in the Business School at the University of Arkansas, where he played apivotal role in developing the Honors program and mentoring students. Many students have expressed their gratitude, acknowledging his guidance and influence on their careers. The winner of several teaching awards over the years, Johnloved his profession, approaching it from the start with enthusiasm anddedication. John retired in 2021 after 40 years at theUniversity of Arkansas. Burial will be private in the family cemetery in Franklin Colleagues, students and friends are invited to attend aCelebration of Life in honor of Professor John Norwood. This eventwill be held April 17, 2026, in Fayetteville at 2:30 pm in the Reynolds Center Auditorium at theWalton College of Business on the University of Arkansas campus. SUBSCRIBE TODAY Reporting you can trust on stories that matter

PHOTO PROVIDED By NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

Gayle Benson, right, and Archbishop James Checchio, left, of the Archdiocese of New Orleans meet with Pope Leo XIV.

PLAYING ‘BIG’

The guards on theLSU women’s basketball team should spendtheir downtime inside alead room withone of those radiation warningsymbolsonthe door and asign that reads “Dribble at your own risk.”

In Sunday’s101-47 demolition of Texas Tech in the NCAA Tournament’s second round, Flau’jae Johnson andMikaylah Williams went nuclear for 24 points each in acombined57 minutesofcourt time.

MiLaysia Fulwiley had aquiet ﬁrst two games of the tournament: 13 points in a116-58 ﬁrst-round winover Jack-

sonville, two pointsagainst Texas Tech. Butthatwas coming off astringofsix straight contests where she averaged 21.3 points per game off thebench. And there’snoforgetting point guard Jada Richard, who has been in double ﬁgures

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

in ﬁve of the Tigers’ past six contests.

Great guard play is as essential as air in the NCAA Tournament. But forLSU (29-5) to get back to theFinal Four,to ﬁrst overcomeDuke in Friday’sSacramento 2regional semiﬁnals (9 p.m. ESPN) and then probably top-seeded UCLA on Sunday in theElite Eight, LSU will need morethan that.

The Tigers will need elitepost play

The Tigers will need someonetobe their LaDazhia Williams. Williams started 34 of LSU’s36games

There’snothinglike inserting two new starters into the lineup andtheyrespondina bigway

Thatscenarioallowed UL coach Matt Deggs to deliver asly smile of approval afterTuesday’s9-3 victory against Southeastern Louisiana at Russo Park.

In Monday’sweekly news conference, Deggs announced he was shaking up thelineup by adding Josh Limand Jayce LaCavatothe outﬁeld.

Limhit athree-run homer and LaCava was 2for 3withadouble andtwo RBIs on Tuesday.

“Lim is all business and he workshis butt off,” said Deggs, whose Cajuns (17-8) will playULMonroeat6 p.m. FridayinLafayette.“He’sseriously tooled up. He’s just short in stature, but he’s super strong.I have compared him to (Houston’sJose) Altuve and his strength, and he showcased that tonight.”

After fallingbehind 6-0, the Lions scored three runs in the sixthtocut UL’s lead in half. Lim quickly ended anycomeback dreams with athree-run homer to straightaway center ﬁeld

Firing McMahon to hire Wade wouldcost LSUhoops

pack in March 2025. If LSU decides to hire Wade, it’ll have to pay a pair of buyouts. One would be McMahon’sroughly $8 millionbuyout with threeyears left on hiscontract. Theother is Wade’s, so he can leave NC State after one year.LSU would have to pay NC State $5 millionfor Wade’sbuyout. However,that price tag drops to $3 million if LSU hires Wade after April 1. The transfer portal window opens April 7. Once LSU pays NC State, it’ll have to hand Wade acontract that is likely comparable to or morethan the money he would have earnedannually at NC State. This then would be followed by agreeing to provide therequisiteNIL resources necessary to rebuild the team and the money to hire his coaching staff. After NC State lost to Virginiainthe ACC Tournament on March12, Wade said in anews conference that LSU had notcontacted him.

“Is the jobopenthere?” Wade said. “No?Listen,let me be very clear:I’m excited at NC State. Iwas hired at NC Statetodoa job.Thiswasn’tgoingto take one year.I’vealready metwith our administration about next year and

ä See LSU MEN, page 3C

leadoff UL’s pivotal six-run fourth inning. Rigoberto Hernandezlater doubled hometwo runs fora2-0 lead.After Drew Markle’srunscoring single added another run, LaCava addedatwo-run single for a5-0 cushion. Blaze Rodriguez’s ground out chased home the sixth run.

BY KEVIN FOOTE

“Tobehonest, I’venever hita home run over center field like that, so thatwas kind of surprising, but it’sawesome,” Lim said. “I sawsomethingstraight, andthen after Ihit it, Ilooked andblacked out, but it was awesome.” Lim was alsohit by apitch to

“Being on the bench for Iguess 20 games of the season and you ﬁnally get your chance, and you come through in amoment like that,itmeant alot,” LaCava said.

“I think coach deﬁnitelysaw the toughness and grit that comes with my bat in the lineup.

“I think tonight deﬁnitely elevated alittle bit of my game. Ithink

it’ssomething Ican grow from and push forward with, for sure.” Another good thing about Tuesday’swin was starting pitcher Ty Roman camethrough with another successful midweek start for the Cajuns, yielding three runs on three hits, one walk and four strikeouts in 51/3 innings. Former Cajuns player Connor Cuffcontributed to the Lions’ three-run sixth with atwo-run home run. The UL coaching stafftried to getJRTollett going after arough Sundayouting, but he walked theﬁrst twobatters he faced in

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU forward Kate Kovalshoots over Jacksonville guard Priscilla Williams, left, in the first quarter of theirNCAAtournament firstroundgame on Friday at the Pete Maravich

Wade McMahon

On TV AUTO RACING

9:30 p.m. Formula 1: practice APPLE TV COLLEGE BASEBALL

6 p.m. Miami at Clemson ACC

7 p.m. Oklahoma at Texas SEC NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

6:10 p.m. Texas vs. Purdue CBS

6:30 p.m. Iowa vs. Nebraska TBS

8:45 p.m. Arkansas vs.Arizona CBS

9:05 p.m. Illinois vs. Houston TBS MEN’S COLLEGE HOCKEY

12:30 p.m.UConn

Freshmen to lead Arizona and Arkansas

BY JOSH DUBOW AP sportswriter

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Coach John Calipari has made a career of relying on freshman stars to make long NCAA Tournament runs so the fact that he’s doing it again at Arkansas with Darius Acuff and Meleek Thomas should come as little surprise.

For Arizona, it’s been a bit of a change for coach Tommy Lloyd, the Wildcats have gone from being a veteran-laden team to one that revolves around a talented freshmen duo of Brayden Burries and Koa Peat.

The Sweet 16 matchup in the West region on Thursday night between the top-seeded Wildcats (34-2) and fourth-seeded Razorbacks (28-8) will be the ﬁrst game played in this round when the top two scorers for both teams are freshmen.

“If you have coaches that are confident in the culture of their program, it doesn’t matter what year you are in school to be able to be a significant contributor,” Lloyd said. “I know, the way our freshmen play, people remind me all the time like, did you realize your three freshmen were the leading scorer last game? No, I didn’t realize that. But when I’m writing up lineup cards and whatever, or game plans, I don’t write freshman next to their name either. I just know they’re really good basketball players.” The winner of the game between the Wildcats (34-2) and the Razorbacks (28-8) will advance to the regional final to play the winner of the game between second-seeded Purdue (29-8) and No. 11 seed Texas (21-14).

The freshmen have carried a heavy load for both Arizona and Arkansas this season with only Duke getting a higher share of its scoring this season from freshmen among NCAA Tournament teams Arizona has had more than half of its scoring — 50.3% — come from freshmen with Burries averaging 16 points per game, Peat at 13.7 and Ivan Kharchenko at 10.7. Arkansas ranks third among tournament teams with 44.2% of its scoring coming from freshman led by Acuff’s 23.3 and Thomas’ 15.6.

The Wildcats won the Big 12 regular season and tournament thanks in large part to the play of Peat and Burries. That carried over to the ﬁrst weekend of the tournament with Burries scoring 34 points last weekend while making seven of eight 3-pointers, while Beat averaged 14.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.

Acuff scored 36 points in the secondround win over High Point for the second most ever for a freshman to De’Aaron Fox’s 39 for Calipari’s Kentucky team against UCLA in the 2017 Sweet 16. His 60 points so far are the most ever for a freshman in the ﬁrst two rounds and he joined Billy Donovan and Jimmer Fredette as the only players of any class since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985 to average at least 30 points and six assists in the ﬁrst two rounds.

Thomas scored 40 points the first two games, making Arkansas one of two teams alive in the tournament with two players averaging at least 20 points per game in the ﬁrst two rounds.

Calipari has made a career of relying on freshmen with talented players such as Fox, Derrick Rose, Anthony Davis, Julius Randle, Devin Booker and Karl-Anthony Towns helping fuel long tournament runs at Memphis and Kentucky

“I would say just it’s the conﬁdence that he instills in his players,” Thomas said. “He doesn’t want anybody to be shy of their own game. When we commit and we come, and it’s time to hoop in the summer, you put your game on display From there on he’ll recognize what you do best and he’s going to help you.”

Pope’s status

Sean Miller is optimistic Texas guard Jordan Pope can play in a homecoming game despite injuring his ankle late in a secondround win over Gonzaga.

“We’re hopeful that he can,” Miller said. “We’ve given him a lot of rest since our last game, and I think he’s really responding to it.”

Pope, who was born and raised in nearby Oakland, is averaging 13.1 points per game for Texas this season and hit a key 3-pointer late in a ﬁrst-round win over BYU.

“Jordan has really grown and emerged as our point guard,” Miller said. “We depend on him in just virtually every category.”

Big Red’s bandwagon showing out in H-Town

Nebraska fans hyped about team’s huge turnaround

BY ERIC OLSON AP sportswriter

Oklahoma City was caught off-guard by the invasion of Nebraska Cornhuskers fans for the ﬁrst and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament.

Thousands of people in red took over the arena and downtown eating and drinking establishments. Young men made celebratory dives into a nearby canal after wins. Word spread that some of the bars ran out of the beer of choice, Busch Light. A good time was had by all.

Now the Big Red bandwagon is headed to Houston for the Sweet 16, and the fans are going to be extra frisky with rival Iowa as the opponent for Thursday night’s game at the Toyota Center

A sign that Houston is prepared: Tom’s Watch Bar, designated the ofﬁcial headquarters for Nebraska fans, has opened an outdoor overﬂow area and rented refrigerated trucks to keep cold drinks at the ready for when the taps run low inside With Sweet 16 games at night and the Houston Astros’ season opener down the street in the afternoon, an estimated 3,000 patrons are expected, said Brooks Schaden, co-CEO of the Denver-based chain with 19 Tom’s locations

Nebraska basketball caught on with the masses in the Cornhusker State largely because the program’s turnaround was so dramatic. The Huskers had never won a game in eight previous NCAA Tournament appearances and they still haven’t won a conference championship since 1950.

At a time when the Nebraska football team hasn’t given fans much to cheer about, the basketball team’s 20-0 start under Fred Hoiberg attracted new followers. Jim Holloway, a research engineer at the university’s Midwest Roadside Safety Facility hadn’t attended a Nebraska basketball game in many years and his wife, Jessica, isn’t even a sports fan. But after Nebraska beat Vanderbilt to make the Sweet 16, a game Jim watched alone

THURSDAY’S GAMES

n No. 11 Texas vs. No. 2 Purdue, 6:10 p.m., CBS

n No. 9 Iowa vs. No. 4

Nebraska, 6:30 p.m.TBS/TruTV

n No. 4 Arkansas vs. No. 1 Arizona, 8:45 p.m., CBS n No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 2 Houston, 9:05 p.m.,TBS/TruTV

on TV Jessica surprised him by buying tickets from an online broker The Holloways loaded up their dogs in their recreational vehicle Wednesday and began the 13-hour drive from their home in Raymond, Nebraska The fact the RV gets about eight miles per gallon at a time of rising gas prices didn’t faze Jim.

“I like the Hoiberg story, him being from the Midwest and all that good stuff that comes with it,” he said.

“I watched him in the pros, watched him at Iowa State, knew of him. That’s my leading interest. And just the fact they’re having a good season and wanting to be supportive.”

Hoiberg said he and his players appreciate all the support. After the win over Vanderbilt, the players did a victory lap around the arena to high-ﬁve the fans. Hoiberg said he had never seen one fan base dominate a venue at a neutral site like that.

“It’s what made that event so unforgettable for so many people,” Hoiberg said “For our guys to go around and show the love to the fans... There’s no doubt they had a

Saints pick up former No. 2 overall pick Wilson

The Saints reached a free agent agreement with former No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson late Tuesday according to league sources. Wilson will join Spencer Rattler as depth behind starting quarterback Tyler Shough. The New York Jets selected Wilson with the second pick of the 2021 draft after his breakout junior season at BYU. Wilson compiled a 12-21 record over parts of three seasons as the Jets starting quarterback. New York traded Wilson to the Denver Broncos before the 2024 season, and he then spent the 2025 season with the Miami Dolphins. Wilson has a career passer rating of 73.1, having thrown for 23 touchdowns and 25 interceptions in 38 games.

Seahawks to open season on Wednesday of Week 1

SEATTLE The NFL announced Wednesday that the Seattle Seahawks, the league’s reigning Super Bowl champions, will open the season at home on Wednesday, Sept 9, in the regular-season opener for the league.

The league did not name an opponent but did announce the date and time — a 7:20 p.m. kickoff — and TV designation (NBC).

The opponent will be announced with the rest of the NFL schedule this spring.

The date of the Seahawks’ game had been in question because the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers will play on Friday morning, Sept. 11, in Melbourne, Australia — a game that will air in the U.S. on Thursday night, Sept. 10.

North Carolina parts ways with basketball coach Davis Hubert Davis appeared to be the right coach to be North Carolina’s bridge from Dean Smith to Roy Williams and into the future. Instead, that run lasted just ﬁve years.

North Carolina parted ways with Davis, announcing late Tuesday it had made “a leadership change” to end Davis’ tenure as successor to retired Hall of Fame coach Williams. The program with six NCAA titles and a national-record 21 Final Fours now has just three March Madness wins in the four seasons since an unexpected run to the 2022 national title game in Davis’ debut season. The Tar Heels reached the Sweet 16 as a No 1 seed in 2024 before being upset by Alabama, but otherwise haven’t reached the round of 32 in that span, and even missed the NCAAs entirely in 2023.

Cole put on 15-day IL by Yankees before opener

huge impact on us winning those two games just with the energy, how charged-up it was, and it was really fun to be a part of that. Husker fans are going to remember that forever.” Dawn Friedrich said she and her husband, Jeff, sure will. She said they might attend three Nebraska basketball games per year along with some football and volleyball games. They previously had never traveled for a basketball game. Now they’re hardcore. They drove to the games in Oklahoma City, then back home to Wausa, Nebraska — population fewer than 600 — on Sunday They turned around Wednesday and began their drive to Houston, nearly 1,000 miles away

“We weren’t 100% sure we were going to make the Houston trip,” Dawn Friedrich said, “and then Monday sometime we decided, ‘Yeah, what the heck.’” Following the Huskers isn’t cheap. Ticketing technology company Victory Live, which analyzes prices across multiple re-sale platforms, reported the average price paid for an all-session ticket to Thursday’s games in Houston had increased 22% since Nebraska earned its spot in the Sweet 16. The average price paid Wednesday was $524, up from $429 before Nebraska’s win over Vanderbilt on Saturday “We told our son last night that we guess we’re spending all your inheritance,” Friedrich said.

SAN FRANCISCO Ace Gerrit Cole was put on the 15-day injured list by the New York Yankees before Wednesday’s season opener against San Francisco rather than the 60-day IL. If the 35-year-old right-hander had been placed on the 60-day IL, he could have not pitched in a major league game until May 24. He had Tommy John surgery on March 11 last year with Los Angeles Dodgers team physician Dr Neal ElAttrache and has made a pair of spring training starts, on March 18 and on Tuesday New York also placed left-hader Carlos Rodon, recovering from elbow surgery in October on the 15-day IL and put shortstop Anthony Volpe (shoulder surgery) on the 10-day IL

Eighth grader has perfect women’s NCAA bracket

The only perfect bracket left after the opening weekend of the men’s and women’s NCAA tournaments from more than 40 million entries across all the major contests — was produced not by some college basketball expert or betting guru but an eighth grader from suburban Pittsburgh. His name is Otto Schellhammer He is 14 years old. And despite his perfect-so-far women’s bracket, he admits to knowing nothing about hoops.

“I play with my friends,” he said, “but I don’t really watch it.” Oh, he’ll be watching now Schellhammer has correctly picked the ﬁrst 48 women’s games in ESPN’s Tournament Challenge, leaving him just 15 away from perfection. He has Texas cutting down the nets on April 5 in Phoenix.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOS By NATE BILLINGS

Nebraska fan holds a sign after the Cornhuskers beat Vanderbilt in an NCAA Tournament secondround game on Saturday in Oklahoma City

Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg acknowledges the fans as he leaves the court after a game against Vanderbilt on Saturday

Sources: LSUtargets McNeeseADwithWadeties

BY TOYLOYBROWN III and WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writers

LSU is working to hire McNeese State athleticdirector HeathSchroyerasa senior administrator,which is viewed as an important step in theability to lure former men’sbasketball coach Will Wade back to Baton Rouge, multiple sources told The Advocate on Wednesday Schroyerhas ledthe McNeese State athletic department for nearly six years afterhewas the program’smen’sbasketball coach starting in 2018. After Wade was ﬁred for cause by LSU in spring 2022 because of multiple allegations of NCAALevel Iviolations, Schroyer hired him as the coach of the Cowboysa year later At LSU, Schroyer would reunite with LSU president Wade

Rousse, who was hired in Novemberafter serving as president of McNeese. They worked closely together in LakeCharles, and Schroyerwas on campus with Rousse the day he was announced as the LSU president. Schroyerwouldﬁll aspotinthe athletic department that was vacated whenLSU promoted Verge Ausberry to athletic director.His role would oversee men’sbasketball and external government affairs. There have been discussions about hiringSchroyer at LSU formonths, and now theprocess is accelerating as the school reaches acritical point in its decisionwith themen’sbasketball coaching spot

Whilecurrent coach Matt McMahon remains, the wheels are in motion to hire Wade away from NC State. He just ﬁnished his ﬁrst season withthe Wolfpack witha 20-14 record and a68-66 lossin

LSU forward Kate Koval, center,ﬁghts for controlofthe ball against Arkansas guard Bonnie Deas, left, and Arkansasforward Maria Anais Rodriguez,right, on Jan. 29 at the Pete

RABALAIS

Continued from page1C

at forward during the 2022-23 Tigers’ run to their ﬁrstNCAA championship, playing in the long shadows cast by All-American Angel Reese and guards such as Johnson and Alexis Morris.

But in the Sweet 16 against second-seededUtah, Williams had her career moment as aTiger.Battling downlow against AlissaPili, theUtes’ All-American forward, Williams poured in agame-high 24 points on 11-of-14 shooting with six rebounds. She also helped hold Pili to manageable numbers (14 points,ﬁve rebounds).

LSU survived Utah 66-63, its closest game of theentire tournament. It is fair to say theTi-

LSU MEN

Continued from page1C

some of the changes that we need to make and some of the thingsthat we need to do to put thisprogram where it deserves long term.” Wade also told reporters that the 2025-26 squad would be his worst at NC State.

“We’ll be fine,” Wade said on March 17. “I wouldn’tworry about us. This will be the worst team we have at NC State right here. You just watched it.This is the ﬂoor of our program, and we willbemuch better moving forward.

UL BASEBALL

Continued from page1C

gers wouldn’thave won theNCAA title without the superb effortWilliams gave that day

“Shout out LaDazhia,” Johnson said last week goinginto the NCAA Tournament. “Thatwas my vet. Ilove her.”

As for this year’spostplayers, this year’s“bigs,” Johnson said: “We’re really tellingthem, ‘Weneed y’all. We need y’all. We (guards are)going to handle our part, but we need y’all to be big.’ “I think they really like taking on that responsibility.And their focus has been unmatched. Kate, Mama, Zand Grace, they’ve really been turning it up anotch. I think they know we need them. And Ithink they know we’re counting on them.”

Flau’jae spoke of forwards

Kate Koval,Amiya Joyner,ZaKiyah Johnson and Grace Knox. All four have rotatedinand out of theLSU lineup this season de-

the First Four of the NCAA Tournament to Texas. Wade led McNeese to excellence, winning the regular-seasonand Southland Conference Tournament championships to earn an NCAA Tournament berth in each of his twoseasons at the school. In his second NCAA Tournament appearance at McNeese during the 2024-25season,the No. 12 seed Cowboys won their ﬁrst-round matchup against No 5seedClemson. This season, McMahon led LSU to a15-17 overallrecord anda last-place finishinthe SEC, going 3-15. The fourth-year coach’sfuture with theprogram is uncertain, as rumors swirl regarding thepotential return of Wade. With threeyears remainingonhis contract, McMahon’s buyout if fired at LSU without cause is roughly $8 million.

third period of the SECrival game on Feb.14atthe Pete Maravich

pending on the matchup. They’ve all had big performances at times, but all also have faded into the background at times. They will have to be golden in the Golden State this weekend. Duke starts off withaformidable group of forwards in 6-foot-2 Toby Fournier —the Blue Devils’ best player with 17.4points and 8.0rebounds pergame alongwith 6-3Delaney Thomas (11.1 ppg, 6.4 rpg) and6-4 Jordan Wood (4.9, 3.1). If LSUcan getbyDukefor thesecondtime this season (the Tigers won 93-77 at Duke on Dec. 4), then the mountain that is UCLA waitstobeclimbed (theBruins playMinnesotain theother regionalsemi).UCLA (33-1) got slightly disrespected by not being the No. 1overall NCAAseed instead of UConn, but theBruins are tough enough. Most formidable of all is 6-7 cen-

ter Lauren Betts (17.1 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 1.8 blocks per game), who just poured in 35 points and nine rebounds in an 87-68 secondround win over OklahomaState.

In ESPN’sﬁrst-rate documentary about NC State’slegendary upset of Houston in the 1983 NCAA men’s ﬁnal,Dereck Whittenburg talksabout Hall of Fame Cougars center Hakeem Olajuwon, saying in subtle but telling fashion, “He is aproblem.”

LikeHakeem the Dream, Betts is a“Houston,wehave aproblem” problem. No one, including LSU, has acomp forher,though the6-5 Koval comes closest.

Koval (8.6ppg, 6.4 rpg) has started only 16 of the Tigers’ 34 games. But she started against Jacksonville and Texas Tech, one assumes to get her acclimated as best as possible for the regional test to come.

“I feel post play is super im-

LSU POINT GUARD THOMAS TO ENTER PORTAL

LSU pointguardDedan Thomas will enter the transfer portal, his dad, Dedan Thomas Sr., told The Advocate on Wednesday.

The juniorspentone season at LSU,averaging 15.3pointsand ateam-leading 6.5assists before having seasonending foot surgery in February. He is the ﬁrstplayertoannouncehewill enter the transfer portal fromcoachMatt McMahon’s roster

The news of Thomas’ intention to transfer comes as signs point toward the potential ﬁringofMcMahon and reunion with former LSU coach Will Wade, whocurrentlycoachesatNCState. Thomas,who transferred to LSU fromUNLV, injured his left foot on Jan. 2, theday before the Southeastern Conference opener.Hereaggravated the injury on Jan. 28 after playing in three games before being shut down for theseason.

“Weknow what’s got to get ﬁxed.

Toyloy Brown III

I’ve gotavery clear mind on what we need andhow we need to go aboutattacking and doing it.That’s what we’re going to do. As soon as theplane hits the ground tomor-

UL SOFTBALL

Continued from page1C the sixth to bring on closer Cody Brasch.

“Sometimes the save isin the sixth or seventh inning, and that’s what happened,” Deggs said Brasch entered the game withthe bases loaded and one out withUL leading by three runs. He got abig strikeout and line out to avoid more damage.The right-hander pitched 22/3 innings with two walksand four strikeouts in 38 pitches.

“Well, I’m going to shake some things up on the weekend, too,” Deggs said when askedabout his usage of Tollett. “We’ve got to have somemore depth in the middle of theballgame.”

homer forformer McNeese player Brooke Otto for a5-2 Cajuns’ leadafter twoinnings

“Itwas really important that we startoff good,” UL coachAlyson Habetzsaid. “It putsthem on their heels.”

The game’sresult left both teams at 20-13 on theseason. UL returns to action at 6p.m. Friday at UL-Monroe.

“Yeah, comingoff theseries, we’ve had ahabit of,like, winning big games, and then not coming out super strongthe next game,” Hart said.“So we knew we wanted to makesurewestart early

“I deﬁnitely think we’re on the up. We don’twant to peak too early,sowewant to keep going up and get to thetop.”

McNeese responded witha two-run homerun to left in the second inning by Corine Poncho.

UL starting pitcher Bethaney Noble followed that frame with 31/3 consecutive shutoutinnings to slow McNeese’smomentum.

“Just trusting my defense is thegreat thing about being on this team,” Noble said. “I can trust my Dtodoanything. Even after that home run, Iknewthey hadmyback.Sojust going out there andkeep pounding the zone.”

Hart later singled in the fourth to make her 3for 3with twohomers,awalk and three RBIs.

Noble improvedto7-4 after allowing tworuns on six hits, two walksand striking outthreein 51/3 innings.

“I feel good,” Noble said. “I feel like Ineed to work on some things, and there’salways going to be some things you need to work on, but Itrusted myself, and Itrusted my teammates, andthat’sall that matters.”

Sage Hoover covered the last 12/3 innings withnobaserunners andtwo strikeouts

“Just scouting them, that they seem to hit up alittle betterthan down,” Habetz said of whyNoble started.“So that was kind of the reasoning behind that. We’re going to try to keep it alittle lower so they could get more ground balls.” The Cajuns also playedexcel-

portant,” Koval said last week, “especially with the system coach (Kim) Mulkey runs. Just being able to step up when our guards are getting doubledor they’re switching up defenses. Just being conﬁdent, asking for the ball in the paint and being dominant.

“The mindsetistodominate every game we get. We’ve been working hard for this moment.” Koval alone doesn’thave to be the low post star for LSU this weekend. ZaKiyah Johnson, Knox or Joyner could ﬁllthat role just as well.

But as sure as the sun sets over the Golden Gate bridge each day,one or more of those LSU forwards will have to bring their A-game, their A-plus game, if the Tigers want to bring back aregional title.

Staff writer Reed Darcey contributed to this report.

rowinRaleigh,we’re going to work. There’snovacation, there’s no timeoff. We’re getting to work, and we’regoing to get this thing turned around.”

Wade coached LSU to three NCAA Tournamentappearances in fiveseasons andhad an overall recordof105-51 anda 56-33 SEC record. His deepest finish in the postseason was the Sweet 16 during the 2018-19 season. Wade was fired for cause in 2022 after the NCAA determined he committed violations.

LSU(15-17, 3-15 SEC) finished last in theSEC thisyear.Under McMahon, the Tigers are 17-55 in the SEC in four years.

lentdefense withnoerrors, and Dayzja Williamsturned aline drive into adouble play after she caught theballand came up throwing.

“She read that off the bat, and she hadn’tbeen doing a reallygreat jobofreading it off the bat and getting there quick,” Habetz said of Williams. “But to catch that and come up throwingand make a good throw,and get that out, that was areally big play

“I challengedher on afew balls against TexasState that she didn’tthink she could catch.She just needstobepushed, because Ithink she’snaturally alittlepassive.She’s notthatkid that just is in your face, and man, if she was, it wouldbecrazy what she could do.”

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU forward AmiyaJoynermakes amove in the paintafter grabbingthe rebound against South Carolina in the

AssemblyCenter

STAFF FILE PHOTO By HILARySCHEINUK

Maravich Assembly Center

STAFF FILE

PHOTOByBRETT DUKE

McNeese State coach Will Wade, left,greets McNeese president Wade Rousse, center,and athletic director Heath Schroyerafter McNeese beat the UNOPrivateers at Lakefront Arena on March 6, 2024.

Been there, done that

Experienced pitcher Duhon keys North Vermilion win over STM

BY MIKE COPPAGE

Contributing writer

North Vermilion pitcher Blaze Duhon has the poise and maturity that come with starting games for four years.

The senior left-hander showed it Tuesday not allowing an earned run over six innings and striking out six St. Thomas More hitters while walking only one in a 4-1 victory

The win created a three-way tie atop the District 4-4A baseball standings

“Blaze is so experienced that he doesn’t get rattled,” coach Jeremy Trahan said. “He needed that tonight. He’s had some tough-luck performances, but he did a great job against one of the best lineups we’ll see.”

STM (17-7, 4-1) got the leadoff hitter on base in four innings against Duhon including a double by Southern Miss commitment Cooper Hawkins in the sixth, but the Cougars were held to a sacrifice fly from Eli Clark that scored Hudson Lejeune in the top of the fifth.

“This is probably the best game I’ve pitched all year,” Duhon said. “I felt the best I’ve been. That’s a great ball team right there.

“My splitter was working tonight. It would run off the plate and get them to swing and miss.” Brock Broussard, one of 10 seniors pitched a perfect seventh inning with

“Blaze is so experienced that he doesn’t get rattled He needed that tonight. He’s had some tough-luck performances, but he did a great job against one of the best lineups we’ll see.”

JEREMy TRAHAN, North Vermilion coach

a strikeout to get the save after moving over from shortstop. He led the Patriots (16-8, 4-1) with two hits and two runs scored.

“Brock did an amazing job, coming in and pounding the zone,” Trahan said.

“He wants the ball. He’s a guy we like giving the ball to He’s the same as Blaze: the moment isn’t too big.”

In the top of the second, STM had runners on second and third base with one out. Duhon then recorded two strikeouts to keep the Cougars off the board. He also struck out two and induced a ﬂyout to get out of the sixth inning after a Hawkins double.

“I really, really like this team,” Trahan said. “It doesn’t matter whether we win or lose. It’s the same group. They’ve done a really good job of buying in.”

Left ﬁelder Bradyn Lebouef made an outstanding play in the top of the second inning throwing out a Cougar at home after catching a ﬂy ball.

“(Lebouef) has totally bought into the program,” Trahan said. “It’s the ﬁrst game Bradyn has started in a while. We wanted to get him in the lineup against a left-handed pitcher He’s a phenomenal defender who threw a perfect one-hop to the plate.”

The Patriots capitalized on four errors against ace pitcher Cayden Dartez, who didn’t allow an earned run and struck out seven over six innings with no walks. Broussard gave North Vermilion a 1-0 lead in the third inning. Avery Stutes hit an RBI single that was the highlight of a three-run ﬁfth.

“That guy on the mound is really good,” Trahan said of Dartez. “We didn’t exactly tear the cover off the ball, but we had some pretty big hits and laid down a couple of good bunts We played the game and kept picking each other up.”

Landon Gremillion and Jax Smith each had a hit for the Patriots. Duhon and Lebeouf scored one run apiece.

“We compete,” Trahan said. “I really love this group. We’re going to enjoy it tonight, then get ready for Rayne on Thursday Rayne has a solid team This district has some top-end arms. Day in, day out, you’re going to see somebody really good, which is going to help us come playoff time.”

Teurlings Catholic, which defeated North Vermilion and lost to STM, is also 4-1 in league play (17-9).

SCOREBOARD

0-6 2 2 16 Murray 28:02 2-12 2-2 0-5 12 3 7 Matkovic 22:33 5-6 0-0 0-3 1 1 12 Fears 19:58 9-12 0-0 0-1 3 0 21 Queen 18:26 2-8 1-1 0-5 3 1 5 Missi 16:38 1-4 0-0 3-4 2 0 2 Totals 240:00 45-8811-13 6-34 33 19 116

Percentages: FG .511, FT .846.

3-Point Goals: 15-34, .441 (Bey 4-6, Murphy III 4-12, Fears 3-5, Matkovic 2-2, H.Jones 1-2, Murray 1-4, Queen 0-3). Team Rebounds: 5. Team Turnovers: None.

Blocked Shots: 3 (H.Jones, Queen, Williamson). Turnovers: 7 (Bey 2, Fears 2, H.Jones, Murray, Williamson). Steals: 5 (Fears 2, Murphy III, Murray, Williamson). Technical Fouls: Jones, 1:11 fourth. FG FT Reb NEW YORK Min M-A M-A O-T A PF PTS Anunoby 39:38 7-16 2-2 0-4 4 4 21 Hart 37:56 3-8 4-5 0-8 3 4 10 Towns 24:23 8-17 3-3 3-14 1 3 21 Bridges 37:28 5-12 0-0 0-2 7 1 14 Brunson 38:41 11-19 8-9 0-1 7 1 32 Clarkson 20:46 4-6 2-2 1-3 5 1 10 Robinson 20:44 5-5 1-1 4-8 0 2 11

Diawara 11:05 1-2 0-0 0-0 1 0 2 Alvarado 9:19 0-0 0-0 1-1 1 2 0 Totals 240 44-85 20-22 9-41

Catholic-NI at Houma Christian, Franklin at Delcambre, Lafayette Renaissance at Lafayette Christian, Loreauville at West St. Mary, Midland at Lake Arthur, Notre Dame at Welsh, Ascension Episcopal at Port Barre, Centerville at Gueydan, Jeanerette at Westgate,

PHOTO By ROBIN MAy

North Vermilion pitcher Blaze Duhon throws to the plate during Tuesday’s game against St. Thomas More. The senior didn’t allow an earned run over six innings while striking out six and walking one in a 4-1 win.

STAFF PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK Jermaine Davis of Cecilia competes in the long jump during the Oil City Relays on Friday at Acadiana High in Scott. Davis has the area’s top long jump at 21 feet, 5 inches.

BY LINDA GASSENHEIMER

Pistachio Chimichurri Taco Yields 2 servings. Recipe is by Linda Gassenheimer

4 (5-inch)

1. Heat oil in a skillet. Add the cauliflower and saute 2 minutes. Turn cauliflower over and cover the skillet with a lid. Cook the cauliflower for 3 more minutes or until tender Remove from skillet.

2. Place tortillas on a counter. Add 2 tablespoons hummus to the center of each tortilla and lightly spread it over the tortillas.

3. Top the hummus with the cauliﬂower and spread the chimichurri sauce on top. Sprinkle pistachio nuts over the sauce on each tortilla. NUTRITION INFO PER SERVING: 487 calories (63 percent from fat), 34.3 g fat (4.6 g saturated, 12.9 g monounsaturated), no cholesterol, 15.5 g protein, 36.2 g carbohydrates, 11.1 g ﬁber, 589 mg sodium.

Enjoy spring weather with an outdoor meal of sweet potato chili

BY APRIL HAMILTON

Contributing writer

Editor’s note: During April Hamilton’s kitchen remodel, she’s moved her cooking into the backyard. This is the second in a series spotlighting some of the outdoor meals she prepares for her family

The kitchen is my playground, a place with myriad options for fun and creativity The drawback to my kitchen of nine years was the limited space to invite friends to play along. We hosted dozens of dinner parties over these years, and friends fretted that I kept them on the outskirts of the action. Extra people in the small but mighty kitchen would inevitably lead to a daring game of bumper cars. The walls had to come down. While our kitchen and beyond was carefully and cleanly disassembled by the contractor team, we headed to the great outdoors: our semi-covered pool deck providing partial shelter and a space

to cook, campsite style. With a family history of camping, this cooking concept is familiar and requires only a few simple tools. Plus, with access to refrigeration, a garden hose and electricity, we are hardly roughing it. My ﬁrst goal was to utilize the contents of my pantry, a tiny kitchen closet that was full of

BY GRETCHEN McKAY Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (TNS)

Not everyone is a fungi fan. For some, it’s a textural thing (mushrooms can be slimy

hidden treasures. Fire-roasted canned tomatoes, a bag of sweet potatoes from the farmers market and cans of black beans were discovered just as the temperature plummeted. I made a double batch of sweet potato chili, a recipe from my own cookbook, with flourishes, that fed us for days. It also complied with the next goal: keep the cooking confined to a single pot or pan, all done on a Coleman one-burner camp stove. On weekends, we fire up the grill and let the rice cooker bubble enough rice to fill our menus for the week and repeat. Colorful salads fill half the plate. Six weeks in and roughly 10 more to go — and the routine has been a fun challenge, filled with nostalgia. In the dark of predawn, my husband brews the coffee in a Chemex pour-over with boiling water from an electric kettle. The aroma is an escape from construction chaos to memories of family camping and immersing in nature.

ä See CHILI, page 6C

Sweet Potato Chili

STAFF PHOTOS By MICHAEL JOHNSON April Hamilton finishes stirring a pot of Sweet Potato Chili.

TNS PHOTO By LINDA GASSENHEIMER

Howtowater Africanviolets

Dear Heloise: African violets often look droopy and tired without the right light or amount of water.Ifyour plant struggles in adesk or shadowy corner,move it to an east-facing window Theseplants thrive in mild morning light but dislike the hot afternoon sun from west windows. Place the pot on a windowsill or on a table with adrainage tray.When the soil feels dry,push your ﬁnger about an inch in to check. If it’sdry,water the plant thoroughly and let excess water drain out.Let the pot sit in the tray for an hour so that the soil absorbs what it needs.

Clashofhosting styles

Afterward, pour off any extra waterand wait for the soil to dry before watering the plant again. —Kathleen Tideman, via email

Jewelryorganizer

Dear Heloise: If you struggle to keep earrings paired and easy to find, try usinga small tackle box. Clear plastic boxes for fishing lures often have many small compartments, making them perfect for organizing earrings. Each section holds apair so that you won’thave to dig through adish or untangle pieces. The boxes are compact and lightweight, and they fiteasily in adrawer,onadresser,oron acloset shelf. The clear lid lets yousee everythingata glance. Youcan findsmall tackle boxes at stores like Dollar Tree, Dollar General, Walmart, or sportinggoods stores. It’sacheap, practical way to keep jewelry tidy and accessible. Linda Rudolph,via email Removing superglue

rub lightly.Test an unseen spot ﬁrst to check the ﬁnish. Finally,wash with warm, soapy water and dry well. —Heloise Petprescriptionmeds

By The Associated Press

Today is Thursday, March 26, the 85th day of 2026. There are 280 days left in the year

Todayinhistory: On March 26, 2024, Baltimore’sFrancis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after being struck by acontainer ship, killing six maintenance workers on the bridge. (Maryland ofﬁcials have announced plans to replace the bridge by late 2030.) Also on this date: In 1812, an earthquake devastated Caracas,Venezuela, causing as many as 30,000 deaths. (The U.S Congress later approved $50,000 in food aid to be sent to Venezuela —the ﬁrst example of American disaster assistance abroad.)

In 1945, U.S. forces declared victory in the Battle of Iwo Jima against the Japanese Imperial Army.(U.S. Marines and Navy personnel sufferedroughly27,000 casualties and Japanese forces more than 18,000 in the 36-day battle.)

In 1979, apeace treaty

Dear Heloise: My husband accidentally dribbled superglue on my Corian kitchen countertop. Can it be removedwithout damagingthe surface? He’d really like to get outofthe doghouse! —FreyaWaynberg, via email Freya, yes!Corian is durable, so you can usually removesuperglue without harming it. Instead of wiping it while it’swet,Irecommendwaitingapproximately 30 minutes, oruntil the glue is gelatinousbut not fully hardened.Then carefully scrapeaway the glue with asharp chisel or card scraper.Work slowly to avoid scratching the surface. If aﬁlm remains, dab abit of acetone-based nail polish remover on asoft clothand

TODAYINHISTORY

was signed byIsraeli Prime MinisterMenachem Begin andEgyptian PresidentAnwar Sadat and witnessed by President Jimmy Carter at theWhite House.

In 1992, ajudge in Indianapolis sentenced former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson to six years in prison for arape conviction. (Tyson was released in 1995.)

In 2013,Italy’stop criminalcourt overturned the acquittalofAmerican Amanda Knox in the2007 killingof British roommate Meredith Kercher andordered Knox to stand trial again. (Convictedinabsentia, Knox was exonerated bythe Italian Supreme Court in 2015.)

In 2018, atoxicology report obtained by The Associated Press revealed that the late pop superstar Prince had “extremely high” levels of fentanyl in hisbodyatthe time of his death in April2016.

In 2021, Dominion Voting Systems ﬁleda$1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against FoxNews, sayingthe cable news giant falsely claimed that thevotingcompany

Dear Heloise: Many pet owners buy prescription medications from their veterinarian for convenience, but it’s smart tocompare prices. Somereputable online pet pharmacies sell the samemedicationsfor less. There are manyonline pharmacies, so do someresearch before choosing one. Broaden your search to include the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, which governs theapproval of internet pharmacies in theUnited States. Somepet pharmacies, such as Pet Rescue Rx,donate aportion of purchases to rescue organizations. This means that buying pet medicine can support animal rescues. Your veterinarian must authorize all prescriptions, so conﬁrm the medication, dosage, and the pharmacy’s legitimacy before ordering. By checking prices and reputable sources, you can save money while ensuring that your pet receives safe, effective treatment. —John H., in San Antonio Send ahinttoheloise@ heloise.com.

rigged the2020 election. (Fox would eventually agree to pay Dominion $787.5 million in one of the largest defamation settlements in U.S. history.)

Today’sbirthdays: Basketball Hall of Famer Wayne Embry is 89. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is 86. Author Erica Jong is 84. Journalist Bob Woodward is 83. Singer Diana Rossis82. Rock singer Steven Tyler (Aerosmith) is 78. Actor-comedian Vicki Lawrence is 77. Actor-comedian Martin Short is 76. Country singer Ronnie McDowell is 76. Country singer Charly McClain is 70. TV personality LeezaGibbons is 69. Football Hall of Famer Marcus Allen is 66. Actor Jennifer Grey is 66. Basketball Hall of Famer John Stockton is 64. Actor Michael Imperioli is 60. Country singer Kenny Chesney is 58. Actor Leslie Mannis54. Google co-founder Larry Pageis 53. Rapper Juvenile is 51. Actor Keira Knightley is 41. Actor-comedian Ramy Youssef is 35. Actor Ella Anderson is 21.

Chicken Meatballs in Mushroom Sauce

Serves 4-6. Recipe is by Gretchen McKay,Post-Gazette.Iused groundwhite meat chicken andwhite button mushrooms. If the mushrooms are not packaged clean, be sure to remove anydirtwitha damp paper towel.

FOR MEATBALLS:

1pound ground chicken

½cup pankoorregular breadcrumbs

1⁄3 cup whole milk

1largeegg,beaten

1⁄3 cup grated Parmesan

2tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1teaspoon garlic powder

1teaspoon onion powder

½teaspoon dried oregano

1teaspoon kosher salt

Extra-virgin olive oil, for frying

FOR SAUCE:

2tablespoons butter

1tablespoon olive oil

2cloves garlic, minced

1largeshallot, peeled and chopped (about ¼cup)

1cup mushrooms, finely chopped

2tablespoons flour or cornstarch

1½ cups chicken broth or stock

1teaspoon chopped fresh

rosemary

1teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

Pinch of smoked paprika

Salt and pepper,totaste

½cup heavy or light cream

Dear Miss Manners: My inlaws and Iare opposites on acellular level when it comes to hosting. It ends up making me feel uncomfortable every time we get together,even if it’s just for very small, informal family gatherings.

Iwas taught to set adate and time and let invitees know in advance. The host chooses the menu, and the guests may offer to bring something.You might bring home leftovers of the dish you brought,oryou can leave them for the host.

When Ileave their house, they drill me equally well about which leftovers I would like, how much of those leftovers, and what else from the fridge can they send home. From their perspective, this consideration is very generous. But as aguest, I don’twant to decide what they serve or offend anyone by not taking leftover noodles.

On theother hand, my inlaws will wait until aday or two before aspecial date, then seemingly remember it ought to be celebrated. This is aheadache for holidays when we need to coordinate with my family as well, and has led to theimpression that my husband and Iprioritize my family, who have set adate and time weeksinadvance.

As for their menu, it’s typically not set until the guestshave arrived. Iget quizzed on what Iwould like to eat, down to which type of noodle Iwould prefer and would my kids like their cucumbers peeled or unpeeled. Someone usually has to run to thestorefor a missing ingredient

When invited to our house, they request, “Can you makethe cheesy potatoes?” and afterward they ask, “Can Itake the potatoes home?” which seems rude to me. They probably think I’m being stingy fornot wanting to makethe cheesy potatoes (I’m already planning to makemashed) or offering them yogurt that’s about to expire from my fridge.

Are they generous and I’mstingy? Or are they rude and indecisive? And knowing neither party is likely to change, how can I better navigate these awkwarddifferences in the future?

Gentle reader: Etiquette neitherknows norcares who is generous andwho is stingy,and indecisive andrude arenot opposites. But youhavecome

to the right place to ask howtonavigate these differences. There will need to be adivision, stating which family is responsible for which festivity each year On your birthday (presumably your responsibility), your rules will govern, and the in-lawswill be told the date months in advance. On your sister-in-law’s birthday,her rules will govern. Youwill learn the date (one hopes) in enough timenot to miss little Liam’sschool play and to separate the lasagna noodles from linguini before the meal Everyone will be understanding when they have to be to preserve the peace. Even if you have to let them have the expiring yogurt. As to how this grand deal is to be brokered, Miss Manners recommends that that be lefttoyour husband and his sibling, as they are the mostfamiliar with how to survive under both regimes.

Send questions to Miss Manners at herwebsite, www.missmanners com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail. com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

Sweet Potato Chili

2. Using aspoon or small ice cream scoop, roll into 24 meatballs. Place on abaking sheet, place in refrigerator and allow meatballs to chill for 20 minutestohelp them ﬁrm up.

3. When readyto cook,heat ¼ inch of oliveoil in alarge saute pan over medium-high heat. Placemeatballs in the hotoil in asingle layer; don’t overcrowd the pan. Youmay need to cook in batches.

4. Cook forabout 3-5minutes per side, turningthem regularly to get an even brown crustonall sides.

5. Remove to apaper towel-lined plate to drain and setaside whileyou make the sauce.

6. Heat 2tablespoonsbutter and 1tablespoon oliveoil in the same pan. When sizzling, add minced garlic and chopped shallot. Cook until the shallots soften and turn

1. In large bowl, stir together ground chicken, breadcrumbs, milk, beaten egg, Parmesancheese, parsley, olive oil, spices and salt. Mix with your hands or arubber spatulauntil wellcombined.

translucent.Add chopped mushroomsand cook for another 4-5 minutes

7. Whiskinﬂour or cornstarch andcook for 1more minute to get rid of the raw flourflavor.Slowly add chicken broth or stock, whisking continuously until thesauce thickens.

8. Stir in rosemary,parsley and apinch of paprika, then season to taste with salt andpepper. Gentlyfold in meatballs. If the sauce is toothick, adda little more stock or water

9. Simmer meatballs for 10 minutes, gently stirring every so often. Stir in heavy cream, toss to makesure it’s well combinedand turnoff theheat.

10. Serve hot on top of noodles, rice or mashed potatoes.

NOTE: To cutdownonfat, bake themeatballs in a375 F oven for about 20 minutes instead of frying them. Ilove the taste of fresh rosemary, but some people don’tlike it. If you’re not afan, simply leave it out of the sauce.

Makes 4servings. Recipe is from “Counter Intelligence: The Best of April’sKitchen” by April Hamilton.

1tablespoon olive oil

1medium onion, chopped

2teaspoons ancho chili powder

1cup vegetable stock or water

1largered-skinned sweet potato, peeled and cut into ¼-inch dice

1(14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes 1(15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

3tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1chipotlechiliinadobo, chopped (optional, for alittle smoky heat)

Saltand pepper to taste

1. Heat theoliveoil in a medium saucepan over medium heat

CHILI

2. Add the onion andsaute untilslightlysoftened, about 5minutes.

3. Addchili powder and stir 1minute.

4. Add broth and diced sweetpotato andbring to aboil.

5. Cover pan; reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.

6. Add tomatoes and beans and stir well to combine.

7. Continue cooking, uncovered, until the chili thickens and sweet potato is tender,about 10 minutes.

8. Add the cilantro and optional chipotle andseason with salt and pepper,as desired.

9. Ladle into bowls and serve.

Notes

This recipe can easily be doubled and encored in many future dishes! No one will ever guess it is vegan. For acarnivore version, ﬁrst brownahalfpoundofchorizo before sauteing the onion. Serve abig scoop of warmchili on abed of crisp salad greens foratasty taco salad.Justadd some chips, cheese, avocadoand asqueeze of limeand Taco Tuesday is served. It is also an excellent dip forquesadillasand all by itself in abowl, it comforts like aclassic chili.

Hints from Heloise Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

STAFFPHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Sweet Potato Chili servedasasalad

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Too much of anything will hold you back. Dive deep into your mind and apply more thought and energy to making your home and close relationships better.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Mental stimulation will set the wheels in motion and help you navigate your way forward with precision. Look for grants, incentives and courses that can help you expand your interests.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Get the facts firsthand. Work to make a difference. Whether you focus on your needs or reach out to help others, the process will be uplifting and will open doors that lead to insight.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Avoid letting negativity and criticism set in. Look for the good in everyone and everything, and you'll attract the right people. Share your intentions and speak from the heart.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Whatever you do next, weigh the pros and cons before getting involved in situations that could be hard to extricate yourself from. Protect your reputation and stick to the facts.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Reach out, make suggestions and participate in events and activities that address issues of concern. Don't let your enthusiasm lead you to overextend yourself physically or financially.

LIBRA (Sept 23-Oct. 23) The people and places that attract you will not be conducive to you best interests. Listen

carefully and refrain from offering personal information.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Set yourself up for success. Trust and believe in your abilities and reach out to people who are heading in the same direction. Work-related events will change your perception of someone interesting.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Take note of what others do or say, but don't follow the herd. Focus more on what makes you happy and choose a lifestyle that allows you to fulfill your heart's desires.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Be careful what you share and sign up for and who you trust to look out for your interests. When opportunity knocks and it will — open the door.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Apply your energy and attention to how you handle your finances. A change at home or to your lifestyle that encourages you to start a home business or sell off items you no longer use will boost your morale.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Do something you enjoy or investigate something that intrigues you and the outcome will be enlightening. Don't hesitate to hone your skills; practice makes perfect, and perfection attracts those as enthusiastic as you.

By Andrews McMeel Syndication

FAMILY CIrCUS

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

TODAy'S CLUE: H EQUALS C

CeLebrItY CIpher

For better or For WorSe

peAnUtS zItS FrAnK And erneSt

SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

SherMAn’S LAGoon

dooneSbUrY

bIG nAte

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with severalgiven numbers. Theobject is to place thenumbers1to9inthe empty squaressothat eachrow,eachcolumn andeach3x3 box contains thesamenumber only once.The difficultylevel of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

THe wiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS

CurTiS

BY PHILLIP ALDER

AristotleOnassissaid,“Don’tsleeptoo much. If yousleep threehourslesseach night forayear, you will have an extra month andahalf in which to succeed.” Iwonder if he tried that plan,but fell asleep on the job.

Abridge player cannot affordtosleep atthetable.Heshouldcountwinnersand losers, and watch all of thecards as they areplayed. In thisdeal, the problem is South’s extraloser.Westleads thespade queen against three hearts. Howshould South proceed?

Northhadatextbookgame-invitational limit raise, showing at leastfour hearts, 10-12 support points (high-card points plus short-suit points) and eight losers. South guessed well to pass. Whenthe dummy comes down, declarer should count his losers. Here he has one club, one heart and at least two spades. He hasonly seven sure winners: four hearts, two diamonds and one club.

South should play alow spade from thedummy at the first two tricks. East is bound to have the ace andmight be forced to play it. Here, though, the defenders take the first three tricks. Then East shiftstoalow club. What next?

Declarer has gained an eighthwinner, his last spade. But he still has five los-

Each Wuzzle is awordriddle which creates

ers:threespades,oneheartandoneclub. How can he eliminatethat club loser? South must immediately take three diamond tricks. He cashes his diamond ace, plays adiamond to dummy’s jack, and discards his club jack on the diamond

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Stocks rise, oil prices

ease as war continues

NEWYORK Hopes for a possible end to the war with Iran pushed stocks higher on Wall Street Wednesday while oil prices eased. Financial markets have swung sharply since the war began , and many of the reversals have struck hour to hour as uncertainty continues to dominate about how long the war will last.

The price for a barrel of Brent crude delivered in June fell 3% to settle at $97.26 Gold, which has been one of the investment world’s worst losers through the war, rose. It climbed 3.4% to settle at $4,552.30 per ounce.

On Wall Street, Arm Holdings soared 16.4% after the U.K. company announced a suite of chips for data centers and artiﬁcial-intelligence technology.

Robinhood Markets rallied 5% to help lead U.S. stocks after its board authorized a program to send up to $1.5 billion to shareholders by buying back the company’s stock.

Terns Pharmaceuticals rose 5.7% after Merck said it would buy the oncology company in an all-cash deal valuing it at $6.7 billion. Merck rose 2.6%

On the losing end of Wall Street was On Holding. The Swiss company that sells On shoes slumped 11.2% after saying its chief executive ofﬁcer, Martin Hoffmann, is stepping down. In Hong Kong, Pop Mart International Group tumbled 22.5% after the company behind the popular Labubu dolls reported explosive growth in proﬁt and revenue, but not enough to meet analysts’ expectations.

Businesses may be quicker to raise prices

FRANKFURT, Germany The head of the European Central Bank says that businesses may be quicker to raise prices in response to the oil shock from the Iran war due to bitter memories of the inflation spike after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. If oil and gas prices continue to rise, “the response of firms and workers may be faster than last time,” ECB President Christine Lagarde said Wednesday in the text of a speech at a conference in Frankfurt, Germany Even though the ECB brought the 2022 inflation spike under control with higher interest rates, “that experience has left a mark,” she said. “An entire generation has now lived through its first episode of high inflation and it may not be as slow to react a second time.”

Inﬂation in the countries that use the euro currency peaked at 10.6% in October 2022 after the invasion led to the cutoff of most Russian natural gas supplies and sent oil prices temporarily higher Inﬂation in February was 1.9%, according to EU statistics agency Eurostat Lagarde pointed out that monetary policy cannot lower oil prices, and that central banks typically look past transitory energy spikes without raising interest rates Raising rates only makes sense if higher energy prices start being built into prices for other goods and into workers’ wages, producing a price spiral.

OpenAI pulls the plug on AI video app Sora SAN FRANCISCO OpenAI is shutting down its social media app Sora, which went viral last fall as a place to share short-form videos generated by artiﬁcial intelligence but also raised alarms in Hollywood and elsewhere.

OpenAI said in a brief social media message Tuesday that it was “saying goodbye to the Sora app” and that it would share more soon about how to preserve what users already created on the app. The company behind ChatGPT released Sora in September But a growing chorus of advocacy groups, academics and experts expressed concern about the dangers of letting people create AI videos on just about anything they can type into a prompt, leading to the proliferation of nonconsensual images and realistic deepfakes in a sea of less harmful “AI slop.”

Ethanol blend receives EPA’s OK

Agency grants waiver for E15 fuel

BY MELINA WALLING Associated Press

The Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday that it would temporarily allow widespread sales of a higher ethanol gas blend in a move that it hopes will tamp down consumer prices that have soared since the Iran war began The higher blend has been pro-

hibited in warm weather because of concerns it could worsen smog.

“President Trump is unleashing American Energy Dominance, and today’s action will directly lower prices at the pump and gives a clear demand signal to our domestic biofuels producers,” U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in a statement.

The summer waiver for E15 has become commonplace in recent years, and both Republicans and Democrats have called for it to become year-round and permanent to lower prices at the pump. It’s

already allowed in some Midwestern states.

Some places don’t have the necessary infrastructure or enough of a supply of ethanol to ramp up use, said Kenneth Gillingham, a professor at the Yale School of the Environment who studies the impacts of transportation regulations on prices, emissions and consumer welfare.

More corn used for ethanol also means less can be used for animal feed, said Jason Hill, a professor at the University of Minnesota who studies food, energy markets

and environmental consequences. That means consumers could be trading lower costs at the pump for higher costs at the grocery store.

Hill said he thought the announcement was targeted more at farmers hit hard by higher prices for the diesel they use to run their equipment and by fertilizer price hikes caused by the Iran war He said similar announcements have been made before as a way to express support for “agriculture and those who drive.”

TSA ofﬁcers share how they are scraping by without a paycheck

Tens of thousands set to receive $0 again

BY PHILIP MARCELO, OBED LAMY and RIO YAMAT Associated Press

A woman in Indiana who put off dental surgery because she doesn’t know if she can afford the copay A Florida couple with young children who are depleting their savings. A grandmother in Idaho who plans to sell her car to pay the rent.

They are among about 50,000 Transportation Security Administration ofﬁcers expecting to receive another $0 paycheck this week. A dispute in Congress over funding the Department of Homeland Security has held up their salaries since mid-February With monthly bills coming due many of these federal employees, who screen passengers and luggage at airports across the U.S., are making difﬁcult choices about how to make ends meet.

High absentee rates at some major airports have produced long lines and frustrated passengers at understaffed security checkpoints. Union leaders and federal ofﬁcials say empty gas tanks, child care expenses and the threat of eviction keep more screeners from showing up the longer the shutdown continues. At last count, more than 480 had quit instead of weathering the ongoing uncertainty TSA’s acting administrator told lawmakers Wednesday

“Stop asking me about the long lines. Ask me if somebody’s gonna eat today,” Hydrick Thomas, president of the national American Federation of Government Employees union council that represents TSA employees, told reporters Tuesday

Indiana TSA agent turns to food pantry for groceries

Before starting her shift at Indianapolis International Airport on Monday Taylor Desert stopped at a food bank for meat, eggs, vegetables and dairy products.

“I never thought I would be in a position where, working for the federal government, I would need to go to a food bank to supplement my groceries,” she said as she loaded bags into her car Desert, who has been a TSA ofﬁcer for seven years, said her last full paycheck came on Feb 14, the day the shutdown started. She had some savings to draw on despite a record 43-day shutdown last fall but put some personal plans on pause.

For example, Desert needs to get her wisdom teeth removed but says the TSA isn’t approving time off during the shutdown. She also worries about costs from the surgery not covered by insurance. Wednesday was the 40th day of the DHS funding lapse. If it goes another 21 days, Desert said she would seek another job.

“I don’t want to have to spend my entire savings just to afford to keep living,” she said.

Taylor Desert, a Transportation Security Administration agent, checks in to pick up groceries at Gleaners Food Bank in Indianapolis on Monday Desert is among the approximately 50,000 TSA officers working with no incoming paycheck as a partial government shutdown continues.

Florida TSA couple worry about their young children

Oksana Kelly, 38, and her husband, Deron, 37, both work as TSA agents at Orlando International Airport. They have two young children and don’t know how they will keep supporting their family without any income coming in.

Kelly said they’re dipping into savings for now but it’s running dry If the shutdown persists, they will ask relatives for help or take out a loan, which she worries would put them deeper in debt.

Her husband has worked as a DoorDash delivery driver in his spare time since the shutdown in October and November He’s considered resigning from the TSA to put the couple on more stable ﬁnancial footing.

“It’s very mentally exhausting,” said Kelly, who is an organizer for the labor union representing TSA workers across central and northern Florida. “How do we even decide between being able to feed our kids or come to work?”

A veteran officer in Idaho fears homelessness

Rebecca Wolf cries every day She tries to hide it from her grandchildren, ages 11 and 6.

“They don’t understand why grandma’s crying,” Wolf said. “I try not to cry in front of them, but sometimes it’s just too much.”

The 53-year-old TSA ofﬁcer and union leader in Boise, Idaho, joined the agency soon after its creation in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks. She was homeless at the time but turned her situation around with steady work and the beneﬁts of federal employment. Now, Wolf can’t help but dwell on where she was 24 years ago. “I don’t want to be in that position again,” she said.

Her Feb. 28 paycheck amounted to $13.53, sending her “into a spiral right away.”

With no savings to fall back on, she is preparing to sell her car to cover her rent due in a week. She calls nonproﬁts daily seeking rental assistance, but hasn’t had any luck. Supporting six family members — four children and two grandchildren — has always been challenging, but the repeated shutdowns have made it nearly unsustainable.

“I worked hard to get to where I am now, and the thought I might lose it all scares me,” she said.

A father in Utah makes ‘hard decision’ to leave federal service

Robert Echeverria quit his job as a TSA agent at Utah’s Salt Lake City International Airport about two weeks into the current shutdown.

The 45-year-old, who has a wife and three children, counted five government shutdowns in the nine years he worked for the agency The toughest was last year’s record shutdown that ended in mid-November

Echeverria said his family skipped Christmas and took months to recover ﬁnancially He began looking for a new job in February when it became clear Congress was headed for another budget battle.

“Emotionally I was already distraught,” Echeverria said last week. “We were barely recovering from the last shutdown.”

He now works for the department that manages the airports in Utah’s capital. Leaving federal service “was a hard decision for me,” Echeverria said.

“I really believed in the mission of the TSA,” he said. “We took an oath, and it was a way for me to give back to the country that gave me so much.”

Canadian prime minister: English-only condolences lacked compassion

BY ROB GILLIES Associated Press

TORONTO Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Wednesday that the Air Canada CEO’s Englishonly message of condolence after Sunday’s deadly crash in New York showed a lack of compassion and judgment and Quebec’s premier called on the airline executive to resign. Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau is being summoned to testify at Parliament’s ofﬁcial languages committee after he shared a fourminute condolence video online that only included two French words — “bonjour” and “merci.” Antoine Forest, one of the two pilots killed in the crash at La-

Guardia Airport, was a Frenchspeaking Quebecer Forest and Mackenzie Gunther died when the Air Canada Jazz ﬂight they were landing at LaGuardia collided with a ﬁre truck on the runway Sunday evening.

Canada’s largest airline is headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, where French is the primary language. Rousseau has been criticized for not speaking French previously He delivered his condolence video message in English, with French subtitles.

“We proudly live in a bilingual country There are two official languages here and Air Canada has a special responsibility whatever the situation to communicate whatever the situation in both of-

ﬁcial languages,” Carney said.

“I am extremely disappointed by the message released by the CEO of Air Canada. It shows a lack of compassion, and we will be closely following his comments before the ofﬁcial languages committee as well as the comments coming from the board of Air Canada.”

Quebec’s identity has been contentious since the 1760s when the British completed their takeover of what was then called New France Quebec is about 80% French-speaking.

Quebec Premier François Legault noted that when Rousseau was appointed president of the airline in February 2021, he promised to learn French.

“If he still doesn’t speak French today it’s disrespectful to his employees and to his francophone customers, so yes, I think that if he doesn’t speak French, he should resign,” Legault said.

A spokesperson for Air Canada didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

The Ofﬁce of the Commissioner of Ofﬁcial Languages has received hundreds of complaints about Rousseau’s video.

“I don’t want to make political hay over what remains a tragedy with people still in hospital, but this isn’t the first time that he’s been told to speak French and he should know better,” said Marc Miller the Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MICHAEL CONROy