The Acadiana Advocate 03-29-2026 by The Advocate

Birds take flight at Rockefeller RefugeinGrandChenier on March 17. Researchers at the CameronParish refugetrack the movement of ducks and geese, manyofwhichare experiencing population decline. But therefugeitselfisvanishing

TRACKING HABITATS

In CameronParish, Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge fights to protect waterfowl,

butislosingground

ABOVE: Paul Link, aresearch program manager withthe Louisiana Departmentof Wildlife and Fisheries, dumps rice as bait for blue-winged teal ducks at Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge.

LEFT: An American coot skips across the water on March 17.

BY AIDANMcCAHILL Staff writer

Scooter Trosclairpunches his airboat through asoil patch into an opening of brackish marsh. As theboat cuts through bitter coldfront air,there’saneruption of ﬂuttering wings. He’s gliding through Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge, 26.5 miles of protected Gulf coastline in Cameron Parish,thatduringthe winter,becomes one of the state’s densest waterfowlpopulations —hometo around 200,000 ducks, geese and coots.

It’s mid-March, andthe chorus of quacks is small compared with afew months before. Mostofthe mallards, pintails, white-fronted geese andsnowgeesehavegone northfor spring, though manyblue-winged teal, mottled andblack-bellied whistlingducks remain.

“Usually this whole flat, the sky will be black,”said Trosclair.“January,December,you couldn’tput another bird in here.”

Among Trosclair’smost daunting tasks as the Rockefeller program manageris protecting it fromcoastal erosionand land loss. Since the1910s,when Tabasco heir E.A.McIlhenny purchased theland and soldittothe Rockefeller Foundation, the refuge haslost more than 15,000 acres to the Gulf.

Trosclair,50 grew up in surrounding Grand Chenier He began working on the refuge in high school andhas seen the area devastated by hurricanes: Rita in 2005, Ike

ä See HABITATS, page 3A

Higher ed leadersOK three-year bachelor’s degree

to work ayearfaster’

BY HALEYMILLER Staff writer

Louisiana last week became the latest state to joina burgeoning trend in higher education: the three-year bachelor’sdegree.

The credential, shortened to “AccB,” is more than an associate degree,yet it requires 30 fewerhours in the classroom than atraditional bachelor’sdegree. It has been describedbythe state’s highereducation leaders as “efﬁcient,” “lean” and “responsive” to industry as wellasthe evolving expectationsplaced on collegesand universities.

“Students can get to work ayear faster,” said Liz Beard, provost and vice chancellor foracademic affairsatLSU at Alexandria, whereLouisiana’s ﬁrst twodegrees in the accelerated model will be offered. “That’sa cost saving. That’sbeing respectful of our students andour graduates’ time andthe commitmentittakes to be afull-time student.”

The Louisiana Board of Regents approved Tuesday the addition of the stripped-down bachelor’s to itslist of degrees.Itispartof ongoing conversations between lawmakers, universitiesand the Regentsabout howto make highereducationmorealignedwithlabor market demand and guarantee students jobs —and strong wages —after graduation. “Wetalkeda lottoday abouthow important it is that, as an enterprise, highereducationisable to providethe workforce

See DEGREE, page 6A

Scrutiny comesafter several high-profile scandals

BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer

Major gambling scandals and reports of threats against athletes have led to renewed questions about the effects of sports betting —and, in particular,prop bets. Now,Louisiana lawmakers couldsoon wade into thedebateoverwhether those bets should still be allowed. Prop bets are wagers that gamblers place on aspecific event or occurrence during a game, rather than just on the final outcome. They wouldbeoutlawedunder Senate Bill 354, which is on track to be considered in the Louisiana Legislature on Tuesday Live “micro-bets”onparticular playsor actions during agame would also be prohibited under the measure. Several high-profile NBA, MLBand NCAA sports gambling scandals cametolight recently in which players intentionally underperformed to influence betting odds. Thatundermines the integrity of the games, and banning prop bets could help

ä See BETS, page 6A

Train, van collide in rural Mississippi; 5 killed

WIGGINS, Miss. Five people were killed when a train and van collided in rural Mississippi, authorities said Friday

All ﬁve killed were in the van, Stone County Coroner Wayne Flurry said. The lone surviving van passenger, a 23-year-old woman, was ﬂown to a hospital, Flurry said. No one aboard the train was reported injured

The crash occurred when a Canadian Pacific Kansas City freight train collided with a vehicle in a crossing, the railroad said in a statement. The location was near Wiggins, about 45 miles northwest of Biloxi.

2 dead, 7 others injured in Tenn. school bus crash

HUNTINGDON, Tenn. — A school bus crash in west Tennessee on Friday killed two students and injured at least seven other people ofﬁcials said.

The crash involving a Tennessee Department of Transportation dump truck, a Chevrolet Trailblazer and the school bus took place at about noon on Highway 70 in Carroll County, said Maj. Travis Plotzer, a spokesperson for the Tennessee Highway Patrol. Plotzer said details of the crash were still being sorted out, but it appeared that the transportation department dump truck did not contribute to the crash itself.

Plotzer said there were a total of 25 students and five adults on the bus. The school bus was carrying students and employees from Kenwood Middle School in Clarksville for a ﬁeld trip to Jackson, Tennessee, the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System said in a statement. The cause of the crash was under investigation.

Officials said at least seven other people were taken by air ambulance to hospitals in Tennessee. The nature of their injures was not immediately disclosed Plotzer called the crash “a parent’s worst nightmare.

French police thwart suspected bombing

PARIS French police have thwarted a suspected bomb attack outside a Bank of America building in Paris, authorities said Saturday One suspect was detained and another escaped The national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office, or PNAT, told The Associated Press that it has opened an investigation into alleged terrorism-related offenses.

The suspected offenses include attempted damage by ﬁre or by a dangerous means, the manufacture of an incendiary or explosive device, the possession and transport of such devices with the intent to prepare dangerous damage, and involvement in a terrorist criminal association.

RTL radio, citing police sources, reported that the incident took place early Saturday when police ofﬁcers spotted two suspects carrying a shopping bag near the premises of the Bank of America in the 8th arrondissement of the French capital.

One of the suspects, holding a lighter, was attempting to ignite a device, RTL said, while the second suspect managed to escape.

Nepal police arrest 2

ex-officials over deaths

KATHMANDU, Nepal Police in Nepal arrested former Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli early Saturday over the deaths of dozens of people during violent protests in September that toppled the government and resulted in new elections. Authorities arrested the powerful Communist Party leader at his residence on the outskirts of the capital Kathmandu They also arrested Ramesh Lekhak, the former home minister who has been accused of ordering authorities to ﬁre on protesters.

The arrests came a day after a new government headed by rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah took ofﬁce following a landslide win in a parliamentary election by his Rastriya Swatantra Party Hundreds gathered near the prime minister’s ofﬁce later Saturday to protest and demand that Oli be immediately released.

Reject idolatry of power and wealth, pope says

Leo XIV urges people of Monaco to use Catholic faith, money for good

BY PAOLO SANTALUCIA and NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press

MONACO Pope Leo XIV urged residents of the principality of Monaco on Saturday to use their wealth and influence for good and reject the “idolatry of power and money” that is fueling wars around the world

Leo made a one-day trip to the glitzy Mediterranean enclave, becoming the ﬁrst pope to visit since Pope Paul III came in 1538.

Prince Albert and Princess Charlene met Leo at the Monaco heliport, just down the coast from the marina that is home to the megayachts of the rich and famous To celebrate his arrival, a cannon boomed in a ceremonial salute and boats in the marina sounded foghorns that at one point interrupted Leo’s remarks.

At the palace, members of the royal family stood in the courtyard to greet Leo, the women dressed in black and with lace head coverings. Charlene wore white — a protocol privilege granted by the Vatican to Catholic royal sovereigns when meeting popes, known in diplomatic terms as “le privilège du blanc.”

In his opening greeting from the palace balcony, Leo urged Monaco

to use its wealth, influence and

“gift of smallness” to do good in the world. It was important, he said in French, “especially at a historical moment when the display of power and the logic of oppression are harming the world and jeopardizing peace.”

Speaking later in the cathedral, Leo urged Monaco’s Catholics to spread their faith “so that the life of every man and woman may be defended and promoted from conception until natural death,” he said.

Such terms are used by the Vatican to refer to Catholic teaching opposing abortion and euthanasia. Monaco is one of the few European countries where Catholicism is the ofﬁcial state religion. Prince Albert recently refused a proposal to legalize abortion, citing the important role Catholicism plays in Monaco’s society

The decision was largely symbolic because abortion is a constitutional right in France, which surrounds the coastal principality of about 1 square mile.

But in refusing to allow it in Monaco, Albert joined other European Catholic royals who have taken a similar stand over the years to uphold Catholic doctrine on an increasingly secular continent. A coastal playground for the rich

and famous, Monaco is renowned as much for its tax-friendly incentives and Formula 1 Grand Prix as its glamorous royal family The son of the late American actress Grace Kelly, Albert spoke in perfect, unaccented English when he greeted Leo at the heliport. Leo was heard noting that he landed three minutes late.

Leo’s visit was designed to highlight how small states such as Monaco and the Holy See can punch above their weight on the global stage. Leo used his homily at Mass in the Monaco stadium to do just that, urging the faithful to reject the type of idolatry that has enslaved people in cycles of war and injustice.

Today’s wars, “stained with blood, are the fruit of the idolatry of power and money,” he said. “Let us not grow accustomed to the clamor of weapons and images of war! Peace is not merely a balance of power; it is the work of puriﬁed hearts, of those who see others as brothers and sisters to be protected, not enemies to be defeated.”

Monaco’s population of 38,000 is heavily Catholic and multinational.

Many people ﬂocked to the palace grounds to greet Leo, and some lined the streets to wave Vatican and Monaco ﬂags as his open-sided popemobile passed by

Henry Lee, forensic scientist who testiﬁed in O.J. trial, dies

BY SUSAN HAIGH Associated Press

Henry Lee, the famed forensic scientist who helped bring modern crime scene investigation into the public spotlight through his involvement in highproﬁle cases like the O.J. Simpson murder trial, has died He was 87.

Lee “passed away peacefully” Friday at his home in Henderson, Nevada, following a brief illness, according to a statement from his family and the University of New Haven, where he taught for more than 50 years.

Lee rose to fame after his testimony in Simpson’s 1995 trial, in which he questioned the handling of blood evidence.

He also served as a consultant in other well known investigations, including the 1996 slaying of 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey in Colorado; the 2004 murder trial of Scott Peterson who was accused of killing his pregnant wife, Laci; and the 2007 murder trial of record producer Phil Spector

But Lee’s work drew scrutiny in his later years, with a 2023 federal court ruling ﬁnding him liable for fabricating evidence in a 1985 murder case that sent two Connecticut men to prison for decades.

Born in China, the 11th of 13 children, Lee and his family moved to Taiwan where were he earned a degree in police administration and became a police ofﬁcer and later a captain. He and his late wife moved to the U.S. in 1964, where he earned advanced degrees in forensic science and biochemistry

He ﬁrst gained prominence for his work in Connecticut investigating the 1986 disappearance of ﬂight attendant Helle Crafts — using tiny fragments of bone,

a thumb tip, a tooth crown and pieces of hair found near her home to help authorities make the case that Craft’s husband had cut up her body and disposed of it in a wood chipper Prosecutors were able to win a conviction despite having no body “Sometimes they compare me to Sherlock Holmes or Charlie Chan. Those are just ﬁctional characters,” Lee was quoted as saying in a 2000 article, as he stepped down as commissioner of the Connecticut State Police. “In real life, the scientists, detectives and public have to work together We don’t get commercial breaks.”

Lee continued to work on high-proﬁle cases, but in 2020, a state judge vacated the 1985 murder convictions of two men who had been found guilty in part based on testimony about what Lee said at the time were bloodstains on a towel. Tests done after the trial, when the men were appealing their convictions, showed the stains were not blood.

A federal judge in 2023 said there was no evidence to back up Lee’s testimony Lee defended his reputation and work, denying that he fabricated evidence and suggesting traces of blood may have degraded in the 20 years between the crime and when experts for the defense tested the towel.

Lee ultimately spent much of his career based in Connecticut, including as head of the state’s forensic laboratory At the University of New Haven, he helped to build its forensic science program from a single ﬁngerprint kit into a multidisciplinary academic department. Lee later helped found a forensics institute in his name at the school to train and provide case consultation to forensic and criminal justice professionals.

“Dr Lee was a remarkable individual,” University of New Haven President Jens Frederiksen said in a statement.

Republic of Congo court confirms leader’s win and fifth term

BY LOUIS OKAMBA Associated Press

BRAZZAVILLE, Republic of Congo —

The Republic of Congo’s constitutional court on Saturday confirmed President Denis Sassou-N’Guesso’s victory in the recent election, granting the 82-year-old leader a ﬁfth term.

“The president Denis Sassou-N’Guesso is elected with 94.90% of the vote, representing an absolute majority,” said Auguste Iloki, president of the constitutional Court, at the end of the hearing.

Provisional results announced March 17 by Interior Minister Raymond Zephirin Mboulou had already placed SassouN’Guesso in the lead with 94.82% of the vote.

Six other candidates challenged the 82-year-old for the top job in the Central African country that boasts one of the largest oil reserves in sub-Saharan Africa.

Two of his challengers had rejected the provisional results. One of them, Uphrem Mafoula, had filed an appeal with the constitutional Court seeking to annul the election. The constitutional Court on Saturday rejected the appeal.

The election is the latest in a trend of octogenarian African leaders clinging to power Sassou N’Guesso is the third-longest-serving African president, only behind Cameroon’s Paul Biya and Equatorial Guinea’s Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo. Sassou N’Guesso, running for the Congolese Party of Labor ﬁrst came to power in 1979 and ruled until 1992 when he organized the country’s ﬁrst multiparty elections. He returned to power as a militia leader following a civil war in 1997.

A constitutional referendum in 2015 removed presidential age and term limits, allowing N’Guesso to run again.

The Republic of Congo is struggling with high international debt, which stands at 94.5% of its gross domestic product, according to the World Bank, and skyrocketing unemployment rates for young people More than half the country’s 5.7 million population lives in poverty and 47% of the country’s population is under 18.

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REUTERS POOL PHOTO By GUGLIELMO MANGIAPANE

Princess Charlene of Monaco, left, and Prince Albert II of Monaco, right, meet Pope Leo XIV at the Prince’s Palace during Leo XIV’s one-day pastoral visit to the Principality of Monaco on Saturday.

in 2008, and Laura in 2020. With each storm, fewer people return, and most of the properties around the refuge are now hunting camps. His own employees have lost their homes three times in the past 15 years. With the nearest grocery store an hour away, it’s harder for him to ﬁnd people to work in the remote area.

“We lost our applicant pool,” he said. “You also lost the talent of people from here that understood the nature of the beast, of how to manage this stuff.”

Beyond protecting wetlands, Trosclair and a small team of dedicated biologists conduct some of the most extensive waterfowl research in the world. It’s led by biologist Paul Link, a 45-year-old North Dakotan, who has spent most of his life following the birds up and down North America — either in person or by GPS tracking devices. During his four years on Rockefeller, Link estimates he’s tagged at least 45,000 ducks and geese on the refuge and surrounding rice farms.

By studying their longterm movements, Link and his team are trying to answer why so many waterfowl populations massively ﬂuctuate, in a state with over a $100 million hunting industry revolving around them.

According to aerial surveys conducted by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the population of waterfowl has bounced between 2 million in Louisiana in the 1980s to 5 million by the turn of the century, back to a low of 2 million over the last decade.

While overall duck populations are 24% higher in North America than they were in 1970, many of those species are on a steep decline, including mallards, northern pintails and bluewinged teals, whose breeding grounds to the north are losing habitat. Meanwhile, mottled ducks, a staple in Louisiana year-round, are threatened by the state’s deteriorating marshes.

While Link says his research could help identify ways to mitigate some of those factors, he says the answer to keeping ducks coming back to Louisiana will remain the same.

“It’s simply habitat,” Link said. “The more of it, the higher quality we can provide, the more will come.”

Follow the teal

Most ducks and geese treat Rockefeller as a bedroom. They sleep there during the day, then ﬂy to rice and crawﬁsh farms to feed at night; during hunting season, they usually head back to safety before shotgun shells hit the chamber

Blue-winged teal are different, feeding during the day and staying longer than most into the spring, said Link. On a grassy bank near headquarters, Link steps into shallow water and dumps a bucket of rice. It’s late morning, and nearby teal eye the bait. Later with volunteers, he’ll time the feedings with attempts to attach transmitters that track the birds’ little-studied migration routes, which span from upper South America to Alberta, Canada. The devices use satellites to collect their locations every 30 minutes and track their movement every 6 minutes, then send all this data back to Link and his graduate students via cellular networks.

By following their paths and recovering birds that go silent, Link hopes to pinpoint what’s killing them.

Since 2012, blue-wing teal’s breeding population in North America has dropped from its peak of 9.2 million to around 4 million, according to Ducks Unlimited, a waterfowl conservation group. That forced Louisiana to shorten its teal hunting season last year from 16 to 9 days for the ﬁrst time in decades.

Because teal constantly travel great distances, they’re among the highest carriers of avian flu, and Rockefeller partners with the University of Georgia’s Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Studies to collect saliva and blood samples that are tested for the virus. Some samples are sent to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital to develop human vaccines. Link says the disease has spread more rapidly as habitat disappears and birds crowd into smaller remaining wetlands.

Should hunters worry?

This year’s duck hunting season was a good one for Jeff Deblieux in coastal Louisiana. November cold fronts and drought conditions in northern Louisiana and Arkansas pushed larger numbers south to the coast. At 64, Deblieux has duck hunted all his life, and he’s not too concerned about overall declining numbers, mainly because he’s seen it before “We hope we’re on the bottom of that cycle, and eventually it’s going to come back up,” he said. Jason Olszak, waterfowl program manager for LDWF, felt the same.

“We’ve been here before,” said Olszak. “I’m not super pessimistic about anything

other than the breeding grounds.”

Olszak Link and most ecologists agree the primary threat to waterfowl comes less from the loss of coastal marshland than from recent droughts and habitat loss in the Prairie Pothole region, which spans from Iowa through the Dakotas into Saskatchewan and Alberta, where 70% of North America’s waterfowl breed. Increasingly, the land is being converted to oil and gas development and row-crop

farmland.

“It has all been dependent on the wetness of the prairies,” said Olszak, referring to duck numbers. “A confounding factor is the fact that they continue to convert those native grasslands into row crops.”

With fewer birds coming from the north, Olszak said there’s actually a surplus of habitat for ducks in Louisiana. But he, Link and Deblieux all agree — to varying degrees that changes to Louisiana’s habitat quality

still matter Invasive plant species like salvinia and water hyacinth crowd out vegetation ducks rely on for winter feeding, while saltwater intrusion — worsened during hurricane years — kills much of the rest.

In Louisiana, wintering ducks actually rely on agriculture, particularly rice farms. But many have been replaced by sugar cane ﬁelds.

With increased harvest efficiency and herbicide use, Link says those that remain leave little for ducks to fatten up on, while transitions to more level rice ﬁelds expose the birds to more predators. Add in the fact that Louisiana is regularly in the top three states for duck harvests, and the cumulative stress shows.

Link compared two white-fronted geese he’s tracked among 297 females part of the largest waterfowl movement study in the world. One wintered in central Illinois, the other in Louisiana. The Louisiana bird slept barely 10 hours total over two weeks. The Illinois bird snoozed 10 hours nightly over the same period.

“You’re cracked out, you can’t even think straight trying to stay alive,” he said of the Louisiana bird.

“In Louisiana, we’re seeing that we’re having lower breeding propensity, lower fecundity, lower success for our birds,” Link added. “They are at a terrible disadvantage.” Louisiana ducks also face much longer migration flights back north, made harder to time by increasingly erratic weather patterns. Mistime that ﬂight, said Link, and birds return to a barren wasteland. He’s bafﬂed they still come to the state in the numbers they do. Many are simply programmed to fly over better wintering spots for the reliable wetland habitat. His studies aim to pinpoint exactly how Louisiana can do its part in improving conditions and understand how bird behavior is changing.

“They want to come here,” said Link. “If we did a better job taking care of the habitats here, they’d have better survival when they come back home during the spring.”

Limestone, levees and LNG Trosclair and his staff

maintain more than 50 water control structures to regulate water and salinity levels for vegetation, along with 200 miles of levees and a loch structure to keep saltwater inundation at bay

As Trosclair whips the airboat through the marsh, dump trucks haul sediment to rebuild an old levee since overtaken by the tide. He points to a 5.5-mile limestone barrier, fully completed on the beach in 2023. The rocks help retain sediment pushed in by waves and new land began forming there within months. Oyster grass now grows where there was once open water

The structure — which Trosclair is working to secure funding to extend another 4.5 miles — has already attracted droves of ﬁsh and crustaceans Near the barrier, a pair of dolphins breaches the surface Overall, $344 million is being spent on current projects to preserve the refuge, cobbled together from federal, state and local governments, conservation groups like Ducks Unlimited, and private companies, including the liqueﬁed natural gas industry that has boomed in the surrounding area.

Trosclair takes funding wherever he can ﬁnd it and welcomes any industry that will bring people back to his home.

“If you don’t have people here, there is no one concerned about the issues,” he said. “The state doesn’t have the money There are higher priorities. You have to maintain the hospitals before you maintain the habitat for ducks.”

But the money hasn’t stopped Rockefeller’s fundamental challenge — at least not yet. The refuge loses 50 to 100 feet of marsh annually, with some areas losing up to 300 feet, Trosclair said. That poses dangers beyond waterfowl. Just 900 feet to the north lies La. 82. Past that, hundreds of thousands of acres of agricultural ﬁelds. “All this marsh is entangled in so many different livelihoods, but it’s all related to culture, what we eat, what we produce, even how we act,” he said. “But you’re working against the forces of nature in the Gulf.”

April11-12 &April 18-19

STAFF PHOTOS By LESLIE WESTBROOK

A brown pelican flies over a canal at Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge in Grand Chenier on March 17. Many waterfowl species are on a steep decline in Louisiana.

Scooter Trosclair biologist and program manager at Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge, talks about coastal restoration work on March 17.

MandisruptsLafayette’s ‘NoKings’rally

About250 attend anti-Trump protest

BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer

About 250 people gathered Saturday in downtown Lafayette for the “No Kings” rally,protesting President Donald Trump, his policies and actions, including bombing Iran, failing to improve the economy and arresting nonviolent immigrants.

The otherwise peaceful protest was interrupted by Richard Carter, whodescribed himself as aChristian and member of Foundation’sChurch.

Carter called those in attendance fascists and hypocrites who need to repentfor killingbabies andpeople in Iran.

Several people, including a Catholic priest, surrounded Carter,urging him to leave. He continued to yellatthe crowd, which yelled back, chanting and blowing whistles to drown him out.

They eventually corralled Carter near the street where he debated afew people who confronted him about his comments.

No one was injured. No uniformed law enforcement was present.

At aprevious “No Kings” rally in October,two police officers watched from the roof of Le Centre International at the intersection of Jefferson Street and Lee Avenue.

Saturday’scrowd was

smaller than theOctober event,where more than 400 peoplerallied against Trump.

The local protesters on Saturday joined millions around the country and across theglobewho rallied and marched to call for an end to U.S.policies and actionsthattheybelieveare bringing thenation closer to amonarchy.

“Ifwedon’t do something pretty soon, we’regoing to lose this country,” Robert Nix, of Morgan City,saidas he held asign facing motorists whodrove down Jefferson Street.“Inever thought we could,but Ithink it’spossible.”

NixblamedTrump for starting awar allegedly in part to eliminate Iran’s nuclear capabilities, but noted theU.S.already had anuclear weapons deal with Iran. Trumpwithdrew the U.S. from that agreement in 2018 during his ﬁrst term.

Danny Northcutt, of Lafayette, spent fouryears in the U.S. Navy offthe coast of the Gulf of Tonkin in Vietnam. He saidheattended Saturday’srally because “I’magainst fascism, and that’swhat Ithink we have: authoritarian rule.”

Aimee Dominique, an event organizer and emcee, called therally “an organizing moment” to get people

crowds Springsteen headlines Minn. demonstration

BY MARK VANCLEAVE, STEVE KARNOWSKI, TODD RICHMOND andJOHN HANNA Associated Press

ST.PAUL, Minn. Crowdsof

people protested Saturday against the war in Iran and President Donald Trump’s actions, in “No Kings” rallies across the U.S. and in Europe. Minnesota took center stage, in what organizers expected to be mass demonstrations involving millions of people.

Thousands of people stood shoulder-to-shoulder on the Minnesota Capitol lawn and surroundingstreets in St. Paul. Some held upside down U.S. ﬂags, historically asign of distress. The event’sheadliner was BruceSpringsteen, who performed “Streets of Minneapolis.” He wrote the songin response to the fatalshootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents and in tribute to the thousands of Minnesotans who took to thestreets overthe winter to protest the Trump administration’saggressive immigration enforcement. Before he launched into the song, Springsteen said people’scontinued pushback against U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement has given the rest of the country hope.

“Your strength and your commitment told us that this was still America,” he said. “And this reactionarynightmare, and these invasions of American cities, will not stand.”

People rallied from New York City,with almost 8.5 million residents in a solidly blue state, to Driggs, atown of fewer than 2,000 people in eastern Idaho, a state Trump carried with 66% of thevote in 2024.

Organizers said more than 3,100 events —500 more than in October —wereregistered, in all 50 states.

In Topeka, Kansas,a rally outside the Statehouse had people impersonating afrog king and Trump as ababy Wendy Wyatt drovewith “Cats AgainstTrump” sign from Lawrence, 20 miles to the east, and planned to drive back to her hometown for alater rallythere.

Wyatt said “thereare so many things” about the Trump administrationthat upset her,but “this is very

hopeful to me.”

GOP officialsdismissive

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson characterized them as the product of “leftist funding networks” with little realpublic support

The“only people whocare about theseTrump Derangement Therapy Sessions are the reporters who are paid to cover them ”Jackson said in astatement.

The National Republican Congressional Committee was also sharply critical.

“These Hate America Rallies are wherethe far-left’s most violent,deranged fantasies get amicrophone,” NRCC spokespersonMaureen O’Toole said.

Protesters’listofcauses

Trump’simmigration enforcementpush, particularlyinMinnesota,was just one item on along list of protester grievances that also included the war in Iran and therollback of transgender rights.

In Washington, hundreds marched pastthe Lincoln Memorial and into the National Mall, holdingsigns that read “Put down the crown, clown” and “Regime change begins at home.” Demonstratorsrang bells, played drums and chanted “No kings.”

Bill Jarcho was there from

Seattle, joined by six people dressed as insects wearingtacticalvests that said, “LICE” —spoofing ICE, as part of what he called a “mock and awe” tour

“What we provide is mockerytothe king,” Jarcho said. “It’sabout taking authoritarianism and making fun of it, which they hate.”

In New York,Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union,said during a news conference that Trump and his supporterswant people to be afraid to protest

“They want us to be afraid that there’snothing we can do to stop them,” she said. “But you know what? They are wrong —dead wrong.”

Organizers said two-thirds of RSVPs for therallies came from outside of major urban centers.Thatincluded communitiesinconservativeleaning states like Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Utah, SouthDakotaand Louisiana, as well in electorally competitive suburbs in Pennsylvania, Georgia and Arizona Main eventatMinn. Capitol

Organizers designated the rally in St. Paul as the national ﬂagship event.

The bill there included singerJoan Baez, actor Jane Fonda, Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders anda long list of activists, labor leaders and elected ofﬁcials.

to vote.

“Democracy starts with us,”she said. “Louisiana needs to stop not voting.”

TiaLeBrun, of Terrebonne Parish, who is acandidate forthe 3rd Congressional District seat held by Clay Higgins, of Lafayette, urged residentstomake sure they areregisteredtovote since thousands of Louisianans werepurged from voter rolls earlier this year Higgins, aRepublican, consistentlyvotes with Trump.InNovember, he was thelone vote against releasing the Department of Justice’sﬁles on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. LeBrun saidresidents

need to vote.

“Wehavetohave everyoneshowup,”she said. “We need to be showing up for our wives, our daughters, our mothers.”

Lafayette resident Sally Donlonalso urged people to check their voter registration andvote forDemocrats

“Bad people have been able to turn our world around,” Donlon said, pointing out that only about 64%

of people voted in thelast presidential election.

John Day,who will face LeBrun in the May 16 primaryelection for Higgins’ seat,said voting is themost powerful tool Americans have to stop injustice. “Weare not subjects,” he said. “Weare Americans. We will never have aking.”

Contact ClaireTaylor at ctaylor@theadvocate.com

This articleisbrought to youbyHospice of Acadiana HospiceofAcadianabrings

By Amanda McElfresh | amcelfresh@theadvocate.com

DuringNationalPhysicians’Week,observed March25to31, andNationalDoctors’Day on March 30,communities arerecognizing the many ways that physicians servepatients, often in rolesthatextendbeyondtraditional medicalcare. ForDr. GregoryRiggs,chief medical officeratHospice of Acadiana,thatworktakes on adifferentmeaning,centerednot on curing illness, butonensuringcomfort,dignity and peaceduringthe ﬁnal stages of life

Dr.Riggs oftenbeginshis days at Calcutta House,Hospice of Acadiana’sinpatient location wherepatientswithterminalillnessesaretreated when symptoms such as severe pain,seizures or breathing difficultiescannotbeadequately managedathome. Thegoalistohelppatients stabilizeina residential-stylesetting,withthe hope that they canreturntofamiliarsurroundings if theircondition improves Beyond Calcutta House,Dr. Riggshelps overseethe care of patients receivinghospice andpalliativeservices in privateresidences nursinghomes andlong-term care facilities

nurses,chaplains andsocialworkers.Wealso have alarge networkofdedicated volunteers, includingphysician volunteers,who graciously give of theirtimetoserve ourpatients. We tryto take awhole person approach to manage their physical health,aswellasoffer counseling or spiritualcareiftheyortheir family needsit.

In fact,caringfor family membersisjustas importanttoHospice of Acadianaascaringfor thepatients.Dr.Riggssaidthereisanemphasison communicatingdetails aboutthe organization’s services,answering questionsand checking with relativesastheycopewithgrief,lossand uncertainty.

Withfaithasacentralpartofsomanypeople’s livesinSouth Louisiana, thoseconversations canoften turn toward thespiritual

“Wehavepatientsfroma varietyofbackgroundsand religiousbeliefs,and we trytomeet each person wheretheyare as it pertains to their faith,”hesaid. “Our chaplainsare trainedto provideChristian-orCatholic-basedsupport when that is desired, butwehavethe abilityto providesupport for otherfaithsaswell.”

“The biggestdifference betweenhospice and othermedical settings is probably in howwe evaluatepatients,”Dr.Riggssaid.“Inatraditional setting, we usemetrics such as vitalsigns,lab results, bloodtests andimaging to diagnose and treat patients.We’re focusedonﬁxing things In hospice, patients have acondition that we cannot ﬁx.Our focusturns to qualityoflifeand symptommanagement. It’s more aboutbedside evaluationsandwhatthepersonlookslike.Those become thesigns that tell us howtomanagethe patient. That shiftinperspective drew Dr.Riggs to hospiceand palliative care earlyinhis medical training. Whilecompletinghis residencyat Wake Forest University,hewas mentored by a physicianwho specializedinthe area,opening hiseyestoasideofmedicinethatisoften less visible, butjust as impactful.

“There is somethingspecial abouthelping people diewithdignity or giving them alevel of peaceatthe endoftheir life,not only for them, but fortheir families,” he said.“It’s very different than traditionalmedicine, butveryrewarding in itsown way.”

Despiteits growingpresenceinhealthcare, hospicecarecanstillbemisunderstood.Dr.Riggs said oneofthe most common misconceptions is that hospiceisonlyfor patients whohavejust days left to live.Inreality,itisoften alonger journeythatcan last for weeksormonths, with afocus on improvingquality of life forpeople with serious, life-limitingconditions. Most commonly,hospicepatientshavebeendiagnosed with diseases such as cancer,dementia, heart disease, braindisorders, Parkinson’s, ALSand others. And, whilemanypatientsare older, Dr RiggssaidHospice of Acadiana treats people from infants allthe wayuptothose over 100. “Eachpersonrequiresindividualizedcarebasedon theirdiagnosisandparticularcircumstances,”he said.“Wehaveamultidisciplinaryteaminvolved in each person’s care that includes physicians,

HospiceofAcadianawas founded in 1983 around thetimewhensuchserviceswere becoming more commonplace. Over theyears, Dr.Riggs said he hasseenhospice andpalliative care become more widely accepted,bothinthe medicalcommunity andthe public at large. That hasalsopromptedchanges in howsome insurancecompanies coversuchcare, as well as agreater emphasis on providingservices that keep people in theirown homesuntil theirﬁnal moments.

“It’sanhonor to work with HospiceofAcadiana. Thereisa true sensefromeveryonethat we aredoing this work as amission,” Dr.Riggs said.“It doesn’tfeellikeabusiness. It feelslike we aretruly aministrythatisserving people in ourcommunity.”

HospiceofAcadianaisthe only nonprofit hospiceinthe region andhas served more than 30,000 patients andfamiliessince itsinception.Comprehensiveinpatient andoutpatient services areavailable,including palliative care, griefcounselingand symptommanagement. This work is supportedbythe HospiceofAcadianaFoundation, whichensuresthateveryone receives qualitycareand supportregardlessof theirﬁnancialsituation.Visit hospiceacadiana. comtolearn more.

STAFF PHOTO By CLAIRE TAyLOR Richard Carter,right, and Don Mitchelldebate during a‘No Kings’rally heldSaturdayinLafayette.

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD BOWIE

Demonstrators gather fora ‘No Kings’ protest on SaturdayatPrejeanUnity

DEGREE

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that Louisiana needs,” said Tristan Denley, deputy commissioner for academic affairs and innovation, at the Board of Regents meeting.

“We need to do it in ways that provide our campuses with ﬂexibility and nimbleness.” Louisiana is not the first state to opt for a lean-andmean version of the postsecondary credential. Maine, Indiana and Utah have encouraged reduced bachelor’s programs to streamline the higher education-job market pipeline and save students money

“This is something that is being looked at all over the country, and some places have already adopted it,” University of Louisiana system President Rick Gallot said.

“I do think as higher ed evolves, we have to be ﬂexible enough to embrace new technology, new ways of doing things.”

The 90-hour programs can face opposition from some higher education leaders and faculty who argue they are less comprehensive and more resemble a certiﬁcation than a bachelor’s degree

Pre-medical school and other majors requiring wide-ranging, demanding coursework are often cited

BETS

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address that, said Peter Robins-Brown, executive director of Louisiana Progress, a left-leaning advocacy group.

“People need to believe that every shot, every pitch every pass, every handoff, every tackle is being done to serve the purposes of that team’s greater interest winning the game,” he said.

But businesses that operate mobile sportsbooks argue that a legal, regulated sports betting market allows companies to catch problems by closely monitoring betting activity ﬂagging suspicious behavior and reporting bad actors to regulators.

“Blanket prohibitions of types of bets accomplish nothing, shifting activity away from regulated markets back to other settings, and eliminating integrity oversight that has caught bad actors and brought people to justice,” said Joe Maloney, president of the Sports Betting Alliance, which represents DraftKings, Fanatics, FanDuel, bet365 and BetMGM.

“Only a regulated framework, not misguided bans, can safeguard consumers, uphold integrity, and deliver real accountability for Louisiana,” Maloney said in a statement.

Gambling activity is driven to underground and illegal platforms with no oversight when sweeping bans are imposed, the Sports Betting Alliance says. On the other hand, legal sportsbooks monitor bets in real time, track bettors’ identity, location and age, and collaborate with regulators, the group says.

“Legalized online sports betting did not create prop bets,” SBA said in a statement “Prop betting will happen in Louisiana, whether it’s legal or not.”

High-profile scandals

Gambling scandals tied to sporting events have existed long before the recent proliferation of online sports betting.

But since the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018 overturned a sports betting ban, a wave of new controversies has come to light, including in recent months.

Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz in November were indicted on charges they took bribes from sports bettors to throw certain types of pitches, including tossing balls in the dirt instead of strikes, to ensure successful bets Both have pleaded not guilty, and a trial is scheduled for later this year

as ill-suited to the reduced model.

“It certainly won’t be a one-size-fits-all, and it will not be conducive for every program,” Gallot said

Developers of the 90-hour curriculum say the degrees are equally in-depth as the 120-hour bachelor’s requiring the same number of discipline-speciﬁc courses and general-education classes. The reduced course load comes from electives, LSUA Dean of STEM Nathan Sammons said.

“We are adding a new tool to the higher ed toolbox for several different career paths,” Sammons said.

“There will always be a place for two-year degrees, I think there will always be a place for four-year degrees, but there’s been a place

for three-year degrees for a while now especially in industries that are rapidly shifting and as technology shifts with it.”

The new degree model

Only two programs, information technology and bioinformatics at LSU-A, have been established as accelerated bachelor’s programs in the state so far But other institutions said they will also explore using the shortened model.

“We embrace innovation and look forward to hearing from the campuses on potential programs that could utilize and beneﬁt from” the 90-hour degree, Gallot said.

LSU system President Wade Rousse said in a statement that the programs will most likely be used by the

In October, Miami Heat player Terry Rozier was indicted for allegedly disclosing to friends that he would be leaving a game early when he was with the Charlotte Hornets in March 2023, prompting bettors to make successful under” wagers on his prop bet values for that night. Rozier has pleaded not guilty.

In January federal prosecutors indicted 26 people in a point-shaving and bribery scheme that involved NCAA basketball games between 2023 and 2025. Players were accused of rigging outcomes of the ﬁrst half of games, among other charges. Several defendants played basketball for Louisiana universities.

The NCAA has since called for a ban on prop bets in college sports contests.

In a January letter to state gambling commissions, NCAA President Charlie Baker said the association has “deep concerns about the dangers collegiate sports betting poses to the health, safety and well-being” of student athletes. Prop bets should be banned due to the risk of players adjusting their performance to guarantee the outcome of a bet, requests to student athletes for insider information to manipulate betting markets, and increased reports of player harassment by bettors, Baker wrote. The Sports Betting Alliance, however, says that many recent integrity cases were caught because bets were placed in the legal market and ultimately ﬂagged for leagues and law enforcement.

Prop betting harassment

Some college athletes also want to see prop bets banned for their games.

Student members of the Big Ten Conference Student-Athlete Issues Commission urged Baker to keep pushing for a ban.

They wrote in a February letter that prop bets expose college players to harassment on social media platforms and are “a direct avenue to the overwhelm-

regional campuses.

“At the ﬂagship, we’ll measure excellence the way the world measures it, by becoming a top 50 research institution,” Rousse said.

“Professional program curriculums belong at the ﬂagship, but as a system, our regional campuses also play an important role by housing programs that provide lower costs, shorter time to degree and speed to market for students. That’s where I see the accelerated degrees thriving.”

At LSU-A, students can begin taking courses in the 90-

hour majors as early as fall 2026, though they will not be able to declare the major ofﬁcially until the following spring.

The programs require the ﬁnal sign-off from LSU’s accreditation body, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, Sammons said.

Though the Board of Regents policy allows some flexibility with general education requirements, Sammons said LSU-A maintained the same required 39 hours for both its accelerated and conventional bachelor’s degrees.

The staff developing the accelerated programs was “fiercely protective” in keeping the well-rounded liberal arts education intact, he said.

“That’s one of the major concerns we had going into this,” Sammons said. “We don’t want to eliminate that breadth of learning that college is so good at providing knowledge of our history, the ability to communicate, the ability to write, the ability to know a little bit about the natural history of this planet.”

LSU-A’s reduction in credit hours comes from elec-

By Amanda McElfresh|

Whilemanypeopleassociate doctors primarilywithexamrooms,proceduresor hospital visits,physicianstoday play amuch broaderroleinmodernhealthcare. At FMOL Health,doctors arenot only caregivers,but also leaders, collaborators, researchersand innovators workingtoimprovehow care is delivered.

ing number of death threats that student-athletes receive if they ‘ruin a parlay’ or cause a fan to lose their bet.”

An NCAA study looked at social media abuse during championship events for the 2023-2024 seasons, monitoring accounts of Division I players. It found that abuse related to sports betting and match-ﬁxing allegations made up 12% of all identiﬁed instances.

And another NCAA study last fall showed that more than one-third of Division I men’s college basketball players reported experiencing social media abuse related to sports betting.

Aside from harassment and game-rigging concerns, some argue that the current era of sports betting and widespread smartphone use is contributing to other social ills.

Banning prop bets in Louisiana would help curb problems with gambling addiction, said Robins-Brown.

“Imagine somebody on their phone using the app where there’s essentially no friction, right, between you and being able to make a lot of bets in rapid succession in a way that looks and feels very video-game like,” he said.

Prop bets allow people to gamble on “play after play after play” during a game in a format that is “very addictive,” he said.

“We’re just strong supporters of putting up some commonsense guardrails when it comes to the gambling industry and trying to protect consumers from being lured into this type of addictive behavior,” Robins-Brown said.

The Sports Betting Alliance says the companies it represents are committed to player safety and “invest heavily” in “responsible gaming technology.”

Employees are trained to spot problem gambling, players can set self-imposed time and money limits, and players can put themselves on exclusion lists, for example. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

“Asmedicinebecomes more complex, the humanelementsofcompassion, teamwork andleadership areessential,alongside clinical expertise,”saidDr. JamesCraven, FMOL Health Executive Vice Presidentand ChiefPhysician Officer. “Muchofaphysician’s work happens outsidethe OR,examroomorbedside.That includes reviewingclinicaldata, developing best-practice care algorithms,staying current onresearch,collaboratingwithotherspecialists, andmentoring residents andmedical students throughour partnershipwithLSU Health.”

As oneofthe largesthealthcaresystems basedinLouisiana, FMOLHealthserves communitiesacross theGulfSouthasOur Lady of theAngels in Bogalusa,Our Lady of theLakein BatonRouge,Our Lady of Lourdes in Lafayette, St FrancisinMonroe andSt. Dominicin Jackson, Mississippi. FMOL Health is theleadinghealthcare provider for more than half of Louisiana’s population,aswellasthe largestmetropolitan area in Mississippi. Theworkisdonethrough a networkofhospitals,clinics,physician offices, elderlyhousing andintegratedsystems With such awide-rangingsystem, Dr Craven said collaborationiscrucial to positive outcomes.FMOLHealthphysiciansroutinely work acrossspecialties andlocations to manage complexcases.Meanwhile,academicpartnershipswithLSU,SouthernUniversity, Baton RougeCommunity Collegeand theUniversity of LouisianaatLafayette strengthen education andadvance research andinnovation–all of whichdirectlybeneﬁts patientcare.

“Clinicalexcellenceisimportant,and it’s only part of it.You have to communicateclearly andkeeplearning, becausemedicineisalways changing,” Dr.Cravensaid. “The best physiciansadapt,but they also buildtrust with their patients andfamilies. And, empathyisjustas important. Taking thetimetounderstandwhat apatientisgoing throughand what mattersto them reallymakes thedifference.”

That commitment to compassion and continuous learning also shapes howFMOL Health physicians approach medicalinnovationsand advances.Byengagingincutting-edge research andexploring newtreatmentoptions, doctorsare able to pair empathywithscience, ultimately improvingoutcomesand expanding possibilitiesfor theirpatients

That innovationisonfull displayatthe FMOL Health |Our Lady of LourdesBurn Center,where physicians tackle some of the most complexand rare casesinburncare. Providersare usingcutting-edgetechniquesto restorepatients’ skin andacceleratehealing, includingharvestingpatients’own skin cells andcultivating newtissueinthe labfor grafting when traditionaloptions arelimited.Inother advanced procedures,specialized skin cells aretreatedand applieddirectlytopatientsas spray-ongrafts,helpingtorepairextensiveburns

tives rather than the general education core, Sammons said. The free electives accompanying a traditional bachelor’s degree are not always efficient at preparing students for a career in their ﬁeld, he said.

“We’re keeping tight control over the courses that they take that are tailored specifically for them, and we’re letting loose courses that students might have chosen that might be loosely related to getting them where they want to be,” Sammons said.

The Board of Regents policy gives guidance that majors most ﬁtting for the 90-hour model will be developed “in collaboration with industry partners, usually focused on a high-demand career ﬁeld.”

Beard said LSU-A evaluated ﬁelds experiencing both rapid technological change and job market growth when choosing which programs to offer with 90 credit hours.

“This is higher ed done right,” Beard said. “It’s requestioning some of the traditional models and keeping the things that work, keeping that great core and foundation, but we’re not afraid to be innovative.”

more effectively.These pioneering approaches areexpanding treatmentpossibilities and creating newpaths to healingfor patients with themostcomplex burn injuries

At FMOL Health |Our Lady of theLake Cancer Institute, theHematologicMalignancy Cell Therapyprogram is pioneering treatments such as autologous bone marrow transplants. In this procedure, doctorsuse apatient’sown stem cellstorestore healthyblood cell production afterhigh-dose chemotherapy.Dr. Craven said thetreatment is already offeringnew hope for patients with bloodcancers such as multiple myeloma.

“Researchgives patients accesstonew treatmentsand keepsphysiciansclosely connectedtothe latest advances in medicine That strengthensthe qualityand scopeofcare we provideand ultimately ensuresthatour patients beneﬁt from both advanced science andexperiencedclinical teams,”Dr. Craven added. “Byparticipating in research,we’re ensuring patients in Louisianaand Mississippi have accesstoworld-class care close to home.” Some of that research is alreadybeing put into practice at FMOL Health,particularlyasit relatestotechnological advances.The Intellisep test wasdeveloped throughresearchatFMOL Health |Our Lady of theLakeand is nowused by emergencyroomphysicianstoaccurately identify patients at risk for sepsis.Thatmeans doctors canintervene earlier andprovide the rightcareatthe righttime, Dr Cravensaid. Throughout thes ys tem, physicians use advanced diagnostics,imaging andminimally invasive techniques each daytoprovide more precisetreatmentfasterthaneverbefore.

“These toolsgivephysiciansamorecomplete view of thepatient. They improveaccessto information,expandcareoptions andsupport greaterprecision in both treatmentand procedures,”Dr. Cravensaid.

However, he notedthatFMOLHealthuses theseemergingadvancementsascomplements to humanconnection, notreplacements. “Technology supports care,but it doesn’t replace relationships. Ourphysiciansfocus on listening, understanding patientgoals andguiding decisionswhile usinginnovationtoenhance outcomes,” Dr.Cravensaid. “Thatbalance betweeninnovationand compassion reﬂects themission-drivenapproachofFMOLHealth. Ithink we will continue to seegrowthinprecision medicine,AIand digitaltools,along with stronger collaborationacrosshealthcareand academic partners. Even with theseadvances, thephysician-patient relationship will remain centraltoquality care.”

FMOL Health joinsother healthcare organizations in recognizingphysiciansduring NationalPhysiciansWeek (March 25-31) and National Doctors’ Day(March30).Visit fmolhealth.org to learnmoreabout FMOL Health or ﬁndalocationnearyou

PHOTO PROVIDED By LSU AT ALEXANDRIA Liz Beard, Cheryl Bardales, Nathan Sammons and Prakash Ghimire of LSU at Alexandria meet on Friday.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By JOHN LOCHER

Betting odds for Super Bowl LIX are displayed on monitors at the Circa resort and casino sports book in Las Vegas on Jan. 30, 2025.

HowHomelandSecuritydealunraveled

Thereseemedto be an agreement, untilthere wasn’t

BY STEPHENGROVES, MARYCLARE JALONICK and JOEY CAPPELLETTI Associated Press

WASHINGTON Forseveral

hours Friday,inthe stillness before dawn, the Senate appeared to have finally figured outhow to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security before it faced the longest partial shutdown in U.S. history Senators handed House SpeakerMikeJohnson,RBenton, their deal and headed for the airports, seemingly confident of success. Then it collapsed. Spectacularly

An incensed Johnson marched out of his office Friday afternoon. He angrily rebuked the plan that the Senate had unanimously agreed to as a“joke.”

“I have to protect the House, and Ihave to protect the American people,” Johnson told reporters.

It was adramatic denunciation of adeal that his counterpart, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, RS.D., had negotiated after weeks of effort, and was the latestabrupt turn in afunding saga that has bedeviled top Republicans for much of

theyear

The collapse ofthe deal leaves Congress, nowona two-week spring break,with no easy way out of theimpasse thathas put DHS into ashutdown since mid-February.Italsohas exposed arare rupture between the two Republican leaders in Congress, testingtheiralliances as theylabor to move another set of President Donald Trump’s priorities into law before theNovemberelections.

Nothing ahead is likely to be easy

Howthe deal collapsed Thune had negotiated for weeks with Democratic senatorsontheir demands fornew restrictionsonthe department’simmigration enforcementwork.Offers were traded severaltimes Thetalks moved along at a stop-start pace. Votes failed again and again

ButasTrump made it clear Thursday thathe would signanexecutive action to pay Transportation Security Administration workers, Thune and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York settled on adeal: It would not includefunding forU.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and for U.S. Border Patrol, and would set aside Democratic demandsfor new limits on the agencies.

Thunepointed outthat

while House Majority Whip TomEmmer

and House Republican

Congresshad allotted money for immigration enforcement and he told reporters that “we can get at least alot of the government opened up againand then we’llgo from there.”

Asked if he hadcleared the compromise with Johnson, Thune said the two had texted

“I don’tknow what the House will do,” thesenator said early Friday as the deal came together

ButasHouse Republicans woke up to the news,their outrage was swift.

Rep.Nick LaLota, R-N.Y., saidthatona GOP conference call that morning to discuss their path forward,a

fewdozen members ranging from moderates to hard-line conservativesspoke in oppositiontowhatthe Senate had done.

“The Senatechickened out,” he said. “The cowards there, only afew of them in the middle of thenight with Ithink only three to ﬁve senators present on the ﬂoor,chickened out because theywanted to go home for two weeks. We need to raise thebar.”

What’s next forGOP?

The bittersplit threatens to makethe job for Republican leaders more difﬁcult as they try to advance their priorities while they still have

guaranteed control of both chambers. Trump hassaid that legislation to impose strict newproof of citizenship requirements on voting is histop priority,but there is no real path for that plan in the Senate withits 60-vote threshold foradvancing legislation.

Some Republicanshave pushed insteadfor abudget package that could potentially put someparts of thevoter ID lawinplace

Republicans are also contemplating howtopass an expected request from the White House to fund the war withIran that could total morethan$200 billion, among other priorities.

Meanwhile, the flop of the funding deal has given Democrats another chance to pin the partial shutdown on House Republicans.

“They know this is acontinuation of the shutdown because the Senate is gone,” said Massachusetts Rep. Katherine Clark, the No. 2 Democratic leader.“So they know fully well what they’re doing.”

It is not clear whatthe Senate will do next. Aquick resumption of talks is unlikely Negotiations ended acrimoniously on both sides, with each blaming the other for moving the goalposts along the way

Schumer said he wasproud of his caucus for “holding the line.” But Republican Sen.

Susan Collins of Maine, who leads the Senate Appropriations Committee, said Democrats were “intransigent and unreasonable.”

Thune said he believed that Democrats never wanted adeal and would not vote for ICE funding underany circumstances.

“I felt like from the beginning, they just didn’twant to getto‘yes,’”Thune said after the vote. The dynamic leftsenators convinced that the deal was theonly waytomove past their disagreements and reopen DHS. But House Republicans on Friday night seemedto revelinthe fact they had deﬁed the wishes of the Senate. GOPmembers said that they work from aperspective thatisclosertothe will of their constituents.

To Rep. Virginia Foxx, RN.C., the Senate’sproposal was“nothing more than unconditional surrender masqueradingasasolution.” She said the House “will not bend itselfintosubmission by acquiescing.”

Those searching fora way out of the shutdownseemed discouraged.

“This takes two chambers to get the job done,” said Pennsylvania Rep.Brian Fitzpatrick,a moderate Republican. “Apparently, there’snot enough communication between those chambers.”

BY MARÍA PAULAMIJARES TORRES Bloomberg News (TNS)

Several U.S.airportsadvised travelers on Saturday to arriveat leastfourhours beforetheir ﬂights because of long security lines even after President Donald Trumpsaid Transportation Security Administration workers would be paid by tapping funds from his 2025 tax and spending bill. The Department of Homeland

Security shutdowncontinues with no end in sight, with Congress havingleft for atwo-week break after failingtoagree Friday on aspending measure. AirportsinAtlanta and Baltimoreissued the four-hour warnings while Houston warned of much longer than usual waits.

House Republicans on Friday rejected bipartisan Senatelegislation to end apartial government shutdown andfundmost of DHS. Trump signed amemo Friday di-

recting TSApersonneltobepaid as he tried to alleviate disruptions at U.S. airports, but it remains unclear how much it will do to improve wait timesatsecurity checkpoints, which have varied widely at different airports.

The memo would cover back pay andpaychecksgoingforward, according to the Ofﬁce of Management and Budget, but TSAworkers remained skeptical about what would be delivered.

“We’re supposed to get our back pay, only nothing continuing on,” said Jill DeJanovich, aTSA worker and theNevada union representative,on“Bloomberg This Weekend.” “While we are thankful and we’re grateful that we will supposedly be getting that we’re not goingtobepaidfromhereonout.It’s just ourbackpay.Soessentially we’re just resetting the clock.” The memodoesn’tcite the specific source of funding. Federal law gives Congress the power of the purse,whichmeansthe president may lack the legal authority to unilaterally authorize pay Trump’smemo directed DHS and the White House budget ofﬁce to use funds thathavea“reasonableand logical nexus”toagency operations to provide employees whohaveworked without pay “withthe compensation andbeneﬁts that would have accrued to them if not for” the shutdown.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MARIAM ZUHAIB Speakerofthe House MikeJohnson, R-Benton, center speaks

R-Minn., right,

Conference Chair Lisa McClain, R-Mich., listen during anewsconference Friday on Capitol Hill in Washington.

LOUISIANAPOLITICS

Stateweighsmorewaystotoughen foreignseafood rules

BY MATTHEW ALBRIGHT Staff writer

The Louisiana Legislature is considering several new laws aimed at more strictly regulatingimported seafood, part of abroader push at both the state and federal levels to shield the state’s shrimpers and ﬁshermen.

Several of the bills are sponsored by state Rep. Jessica Domangue,R-Houma, who comes from afamily of down-the-bayou shrimpers.

give the commissioner of agriculture and forestry the authority to seize, hold or destroy any imported seafood that fails to meet the state’srulesfor food safety and testing. Thebill passed out of theHouse Agriculture Committee without opposition.

“My daddy was ashrimper, my grandpa was ashrimper, my greatgrandpa was ashrimper,” Domangue said in a committee hearing Thursday “This is our way of life in Terrebonne Parish. This is so many of our constituents’ way of life. We’re just working together to ﬁght to save this industry.”

Domangue has sponsored House Bill 121, which would

‘Censorship’ decree praised by leaders

The Trump administration has agreed to afederal consent decree with Louisiana and Missouriover claims that the federal government under former President Joe Biden unconstitutionally pressured social media companies to censor posts about COVID-19, elections, and more.

Gov.Jeff Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill hailed the decree as a “victory for free speech in Louisiana.”

“I’d like to thank President Trump and his administration for defending the Constitution and ending this assault on free speech,” Murrill said in the statement.

The decree stems from a lawsuit the two states ﬁled in 2022, while Landry was attorney general. It accused the Biden administration of pressuring social media companies to remove or reduce the prominence of posts that it called misinformation about COVID vaccines and the results of the 2020 election, in which Biden defeated Trump.

The Republican state ofﬁcials behind the lawsuit argued that the Biden Administration was censoring conservative views.

The suit made it all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court,where it was dismissed. Amajority of justices ruled that the states did not have the standing to sue, but did not issue an

Commissioner Mike Strain told lawmakers that, under thecurrent system, hisagents inspect seafood for dyes, antibiotics and othercontaminants.But if they ﬁnd seafoodthat doesn’t meet regulations, they have to call in the state health department to actually seize it.

The bill, Strain argued, wouldallow the state to more swiftlytakeseafood that doesn’tmeet regulations out of thesupply.

Domanguealsohas proposed another law that would require retailers to keep invoices of their

seafood purchasesfor six months. Theagriculture commissioner says that will help his ofﬁce track the ﬂow of seafood when conducting safetyinvestigations.

Domangue also has spon-

sored House Bill 109, which would dedicate2.5% of revenue the state takes in from sports gambling to astate fund that pays forsafety monitoring of foreignseafood. Andshe has sponsored

another bill that would allow the money from that fund to also be used to marketand promote Louisiana seafood.

Rep. Timothy Kerner,RLaﬁtte, has proposed House Bill 857, which would address the “commingling” of imported seafood with local seafood.Currently, processors and distribu tors are required to label whether their seafoodisimported or not; the bill would create penalties for those who mix imported seafood with local seafood and do not label it as such.

Seafood regulations are an evergreen political issue in Louisiana, given that shrimping andfishingare both major economic drivers and acultural anchor Louisiana’s leadersalso have pushedrecently for federalactions to tighten oversight of imported seafood. Those efforts became especially prominent last fall after Walmart issued a recall for Great Value raw frozen shrimp products after regulatorsfound traces of radioactive cesium in

somesamples.

U.S. Sen. JohnKennedy, R-Madisonville,took to the Senate floor to mockingly compare foreign shrimp to themonster from thehorror movie “Alien,” complete with aposter board-sized photo of the sci-fi creature. Lt. Gov.Bill Nungesser used the incident to renew hispushtoimposeaninspection feeof10cents per pound on imported seafood, which would raise money to hire thousands of additional food safety inspectors. Sen. Bill Cassidy,R-Baton Rouge, sponsored abill to send money to shrimpers andfishermenfrom efforts to battleseafood “dumping.” The U.S. accuses some countries, particularly China,ofsubsidizing seafood that is exported to the U.S., artificially keeping the price downand squeezingout domestic producers. The U.S. imposes taxes on products it determines are part of that tactic;Cassidy’s bill would requiremoney from those taxes to be sent to local producers.

Kennedy proposes cap on cost of insulin

Sen. JohnKennedy,RLouisiana, is cosponsoring abipartisanbill that would set a$35-per-month cap on theprice of insulin for Americans whohaveinsurance andcreate apilot programtoprovide insulin at thesame cost for those whodon’t Insulin is an essential treatment for people with diabetes.

“When moms anddads lie down to sleep at night andcan’t,they’re usually worried aboutthe cost of

living —and fora whole lotoffamiliesinLouisiana, oneofthe biggest worries is howthey’re going to pay for life-saving medicationlike insulin,” Kennedy said in a statement.

Kennedy said the pricecap would “save Americans money,helpthem avoidlife-threatening diabetescomplications, andmake ourhealth caresystem look abit more like we designeditonpurpose.”

Kennedy cosponsored the bill —dubbedthe Improving Needed Safeguards for

Users of Lifesaving Insulin Now,or“INSULIN Act” —with Sen. SusanCollins, R-Maine,Sen.Jeanne Shaheen,D-N.H. and Raphael Warnock D-Ga. In anewsrelease, Kennedy’s ofﬁcesaidthe averageinsulindependent person with diabetes pays $4,800 in outof-pocket costs a year to treat the disease. Thatcan result in patients rationing or going without treatments, increasing the risk of alife-threatening health crisis.

opinion on themerit of the claims.

Theconsentdecree is a legally binding promise by the federal government that it will notthreaten social media companies or order them to removeposts or tweak their algorithms to underplaythem On social media app X, Landry said he was proud of Murrill’swork with the Trumpadministration to “defend our fundamental right to free speech.”

Tributes pour in forRapides sheriff

TopLouisiana leaders paid tribute this weekto William Earl Hilton,the former longtime sheriff of Rapides Parish,who was killedinahit-and-runcrash

Monday

“Sheriff Hilton was a greatman who dedicated his lifetopublic service,”

Gov.Jeff Landry said in a statement on social media.

“He will be deeplymissed by all who knewhim, but especially by the incredible people ofRapides Parish.” Hilton returned to his

home in the Hineston area around 1p.m. when he encounteredLadonna Delrie, 53, of Pollock,leaving, the Sheriff’sOffice said. When he attempted to makecontact with her, she allegedly ran him over Delrie was apprehended after apolicechase that reached speeds of more than 100 mph and ended when deputiesdeployed spike strips, the authorities said. She was booked on counts of first-degreemurder, flight from an officer, criminaldamagetoproperty andsimple burglary

U.S.Sen.Bill Cassidy honored Hilton with a speech on theSenate ﬂoor He notedthe sheriff’s 50year career in lawenforcement and willingness to come outofretirement for two more terms as the parish’stop lawenforcement leader

“Sheriff Hilton was a sheriff in every positive, meaningful sense of the word,” said Cassidy.“He was steady.Hewas committed. He was there to answer the callwhenthe community needed him.”

STAFF FILEPHOTO By SOPHIAGERMER

Shrimper TeaNguyencollects shrimpfrom the ice pit on his boat at Gautier’sAtThe Harbor in Pass Christian, Miss.

PROVIDED PHOTO By U.S. SEN. BILL CASSIDy’S OFFICE

U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, pays tribute on the U.S. Senate floor to formerRapides Parish Sheriff William Earl Hilton, whowas killed in ahit-and-run lastweek.

Strain

Domangue

Teachervowsto keep fighting TenCommandmentslaw

BY PATRICK WALL Staff writer

After afederal appeals court in February clearedLouisiana’sTen Commandments law,Christopher Dier kept getting the samequestion: What about his lawsuit?

Dier,aNew Orleans history teacher and former Louisiana Teacher of the Year,sued in2024 to block the law requiring public schools and colleges to post the biblical text in classrooms. But his lawsuit was putonhold while asimilar legal challenge from a group of public-school parents wound through the courts.

The parents were initially successful, as afederal judge in November 2024 declaredthe law unconstitutional and blocked its enforcement.

That all changed in March after the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the lower court’s ruling. The judges didn’truleon the law’sconstitutionality,and instead said it wouldn’tbeclear whether the law violates students’ religious freedoms until afterthe posters go up in classrooms.

That’swhen peoplestarted asking Dier whether his lawsuit stood achance. One of them was U.S. District Court Judge Greg Guidry in the Eastern District of Louisiana, who last year paused Dier’scase whilethe 5th Circuit weighed the other one. On March 5,Guidry ordered Dier’s and the state’s legal teams totell him what they think the appeals court ruling means for Dier’s case. The state says Dier’sargument is “virtually identical” to those

the 5th Circuit rejected. ButDier says his case uniquely argues that teachers, in carrying out thelaw, will give students the impression that they endorse the state’smessage.

While he awaits adecision from Guidry,Dier said he will not put up aposter in his classroom even after Gov.Jeff Landry said after theFebruary ruling that schools should start posting the signs.

The law does not specify penalties, and aspokesperson for state Attorney General Liz Murrill noted that the lawrequires schools —not teachers—toput up the displays.

Dier said he’swilling to risk any consequences because he believes thelaw erodes religious freedom and will make many students feel alienated.

“A lot is at stake,” he said.

The Times-Picayune| TheAdvocaterecently spoke with Dier abouthis legal battle, which he said he is waging independently of his school and the Orleans Parish School Board. Theinterview hasbeen condensed andedited for clarity

What went throughyour mindwhen the 5th Circuit allowed the TenCommandments lawtotakeeffect?

Iwas incredibly disappointed. I was hopingfor abetter outcome in that case so that my case would be rendered irrelevant.

And Iwas upset because kids deserve to be in asafe classroom where their religious afﬁliations or non-religiousafﬁliations are respected.

Did it feel likethe ruling put more pressure on your lawsuit?

When the ruling cameout, there

were many people who reached out. Andthey were essentially asking, “What about your lawsuit? Is it gonna be theone that could effectively challenge the law?”

So it does seem like there is a little more onus on my lawsuit to do well in the courts.

What argument is your lawsuit making against the TenCommandmentslaw?

My lawsuit is saying that this violates teachers’constitutional rightsbecause we are forced to put something up in our classroom that is unconstitutional or we could face consequences.

It also makes us complicit in pushing Christian nationalism onto our students.Itmakes us follow something that is blatantly unconstitutional but also bad pedagogy as well.

It undermines aclassroom culture built on empathy,respect, and belonging. Andall of that is crucial for academic success.

You’re saying that if teachers carry out the law, they could be seen as endorsing it?

Absolutely.Because it’sinour classrooms. It’sonour walls. Essentially what that is saying is that we not only condone, but we also legitimize this.

What do you saytoproponents of the law who argue that the TenCommandmentsare historically significant and good principles for students to live by?

It is certainly true that these documentsare historic, but that doesn’tmean that they are a fundamental part of theUnited States.

The United States was founded as asecular country,and there is no evidence that the TenCommandmentswere used in thecreation of the Constitution.

That’ssomething we want to

drive home to students as well: This was aplace where there was no state-sanctioned religion as existed in Europe at the time. That is embedded within the establishment clause of the First Amendment—that there should be separation between religion and state. If you’re instructedtoput up aTen Commandments posterinyourclassroom, how are you going to respond?

Iwill not be posting the Ten Commandments in my classroom.

So the 5th Circuit’sruling and the governor’sdirectivehaven’t changed your position?

No. If anything, it reafﬁrmed my mission. We need to stand up for constitutional rights at all times, but especially whenit’sthe most difﬁcult. No one in history ever stood up for the rights of others solely when it’s convenient and made an impact.

Email Patrick Wall at patrick. wall@theadvocate.com

STAFFPHOTO By PATRICK WALL

Christopher Dier,a high school historyteacher in NewOrleans,

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CONFLICT IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Iran-backedHouthis entermonth-old war

BY SAMY MAGDY, AAMER MADHANI and JON GAMBRELL Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates Iranianbacked Houthi rebels entered the month-old war in the Middle East on Saturday,claiming amissile launch that Israel said it intercepted. About 2,500 U.S. Marines arrived in the region.

And Pakistan’sgovernment said that regional powers plan to meet Sunday to discuss how to end the fighting, while Iran expressed skepticism aboutthe diplomatic efforts.

The war has threatenedglobal supplies of oil and natural gas, sparked fertilizer shortages and disrupted air travel. Iran’sgrip on the strategic Strait of Hormuzhas shaken markets and prices. The United States and Israel continue to strikeIran, whose retaliatory attacks have targeted Israel and neighboring Gulf Arab states. More than 3,000 people have been killed.

The Houthis’ entry could further hurt global shipping if they again target vessels in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait off the Red Sea, through which about 12% of the world’s trade typically passes There could be limited relief after Iran on Friday agreed to allow humanitarian aid and agricultural shipments through the Straitof Hormuz following aU.N. request.

U.S. President Donald Trump,

BY STEVEN SLOAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON President

Donald Trump says the United States is winning the war with Iran evenasthousands of additional American troops deploy to the Middle East. He has pilloried other countries for not helping theU.S.,only to saylater he does not need their assistance. He has twice delayed deadlines for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. He has both threatened to “obliterate” Iran’senergy plants if the vital waterway remains largely shuttered andsaid the U.S. was “not affected” by the closure.

At one pointthis month, Trump said one of his predecessors —who, he strongly suggested, was aDemocrat —privately told him he wished he had taken similar action against Iran. Representatives for every living former president quickly denied that such aconversation happened.

As the war entered its second month on Saturday, Trump’spenchant for embellishments, exaggerations and falsehoods is being tested in an environment where the stakes are much higher than an isolated political ﬁght.

Apresident who has long embraced bluster and salesmanship to shape narratives and focus attention is confronting the unpredictability of war

meanwhile, has given Iran until April 6toreopen the strait WitnessesinTehranreported heavy strikes late Saturday.Israel’smilitary earlier said that it targeted Iran’snaval weapons production facilities, and said that it would ﬁnish attacking essential weapons production sites within “a few days.” Iran ﬁred missiles toward Israel. The U.S. said that it hasstruckmore than 11,000 Iraniantargets in thewar And Ukraine’spresidentvisited Gulf nationsashis country offers

defense help withdrones. Involvementsparksconcerns

Houthi Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said on the rebels’ Al-Masirah satellite television station that they launched missiles toward “sensitiveIsraeli militarysites” in the south. If the Houthis increase attacks on commercial shipping, as they have in the past, it would further pushupoil pricesand destabilize “all of maritimesecurity,” said Ahmed Nagi, aseniorYemen an-

alyst at the International Crisis Group. “The impact would not be limited to the energy market.”

The Babel-Mandeb,atthe southern tipofthe Arabian Peninsula, is crucial for vessels heading to the Suez Canal through the Red Sea. SaudiArabiahas been sending millions of barrels of crude oila daythrough it because the Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed.

Houthi rebels attacked more than 100 merchant vessels with missilesand drones, sinking two vessels, between November 2023 andJanuary2025, saying that it was acting in solidaritywithPalestiniansinGazaduring the IsraelHamas war

The Houthis’ latest involvement would complicate the deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford, the aircraft carrierthatarrivedinCroatia on Saturdayfor repairs. Sending it to the Red Sea could draw attackssimilar to those on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in 2024 and theUSS Harry S. Truman in 2025.

The Houthis have held Yemen’s capital,Sanaa,since 2014. Saudi Arabia launched awar against the Houthis on behalf of Yemen’sexiled governmentin2015, and they now have an uneasy ceaseﬁre.

Attempts at diplomacy

Pakistan saidthatSaudi Arabia, Turkey andEgypt will send top diplomats to Islamabad fortalks aimed at ending the war,arriving Sunday foratwo-day visit.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharifsaidthatheand Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkianheld “extensive discussions” on regional hostilities. But IranianForeign Minister Abbas Araghchi told his Turkish counterpart by phone thatTehran was skeptical aboutrecentdiplomatic efforts. Iranian state-run mediasaid that Araghchi accused the UnitedStates of making “unreasonable demands” and exhibiting “contradictory actions.” Trumpenvoy SteveWitkoff has saidthatWashington delivered a 15-point “action list” to Iran for a possible ceasefire, with aproposal to restrictIran’snuclear program —the issue at the heart of tensions with theU.S.and Israel— andreopen the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran rejected it and presented afive-point proposal that included reparations and recognitionofits sovereignty over the waterway Meanwhile, U.S. ships with around 2,500 Marines trained in amphibious landings have arrived, adding to thelargest American forceinthe region in more than two decades.And at least1,000 paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division, trained to land in hostile territory to secure key positions andairfields, have been ordered to the Middle East. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that Washington “can achieveall of ourobjectives without ground troops.”

Leon Panetta, whoserved Democraticpresidents as defensesecretary, CIA directorand White House chief of staff, said he has “seen enough warswhere truthbecomes the ﬁrst casualty.”

“It’snot the ﬁrst administration thathas nottoldthe truthabout war,”hesaid. “Butthe president hasmade it kind ofa very standard approach to almost any question to in oneway or another kind of lie aboutwhat’sreally happening andbasically describeeverything asﬁne and that we’re winning the war.”

Michael Rubin, ahistorian at theAmericanEnterprise Institute who worked as a staff adviser on Iran and Iraq at the Pentagon from 2002 to 2004,said Trump is “theﬁrst president of any partyinrecent history that hasn’tselfconstrained to live within rhetorical boundaries.

“So of course it creates a great deal of confusion,” he said.

Zigs andzagsare thepoint

To his critics, Trump’s style is asignthat doesn’t have acoherent long-term strategy.But forTrump, the zigs and zags seem likethe point, amethod that keeps hisopponents —and pretty much everyone else —alwaysontheir heels.

Theapproach was clear last week in the hours before he announced the second delay of the deadline for Iran to reopen the strait. Asked what he would do aboutthe

deadline,Trump said he did notknowand that he hada day before he had to decide.

“In Trumptime, aday,you know what it is,that’saneternity,”the Republican president said to laughter from membersofhis Cabinet

To some on Capitol Hill, the freewheelingismore frustrating than amusing.

Rep. Gregory Meeksof New York, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, lamented thatTrump is “going back and forth and constantly contradicting himself.”

“The administration is winging it,” he said. “So how can you trust what the president says?”

Republicans werenot will-

ing to go thatfar,but their concern was apparent.Sen.

John Kennedy of Madisonville said his constituents “support what the president has done.”

“But most of my people are also equally or even more so concerned about cost of living,” he said.

Republican Rep.Chip Roy of Texas, who sits on the House Budget Committee andisa member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, saidhis constituents were on board with “blowing somecrapup.” Nonetheless, he expressed reservations about the prospect of ground troopsand saidthe administration hasnot provided enough details in brieﬁngs

forlawmakers.

“Taking outbad guys, taking out conventional (weapons),taking outoratleast working to take out nuclear capability,pressing to keep thestraits open,all those are good things and I’ve been supportive and will continue to be supportive,” Roy said. “But we’ve got to have aserious conversation about how long this is going to go,boots on theground, all those things.”

Risksofbacking Trump

While Trump hasmaintained deepsupportamong Republicans, apollfrom The Associated Press-NORC Centerfor Public Affairs Research indicatesthatthe president risks frustrating his voters if the U.S. gets involved in the kindofprolonged war in the Middle East that he promised to avoid.

Although 63% of Republicans back airstrikes against Iranian military targets, the survey found, only 20% back deploying American ground troops.

That reflects the political challenges aheadfor Trump, whodid not prepare the country for such an extensive overseas conﬂict. If the war drags on or escalates, pressure on Republicans could build before the November elections, when their majorities in Congress areatrisk. Some in the party have said sending in ground troops would be ared line that Trumpshouldnot cross.

The administration also will likely need congressional support foranadditional $200 billiontosupport the war.That amount of money, whichTrump has said would be “nice to have,” even as he said the war was “winding down,” wouldbeatough vote at anytime.But it poses particular risks in an election year

WhiteHouse spokesperson Anna Kelly saidina statement thatTrump is “right to highlight the vast success of Operation Epic Fury.” “Iran desperately wants to make adeal because of howbadly they are being decimated, but the President reserves all options, military or not, at all times,” she said. Therecould be some ‘logic’ Rubin, the former Iranand Iraq adviser at the Pentagon, said there could be some “logic”tothe president’s ever-evolving rhetorical approach to the war.Hesaid Trump’sinitial comments about ongoing negotiations, whichIran denied, could “spread suspicion andfear within the regimecircles.”

“Perhaps Donald Trump or those advising him simply want the Iranians to grow so paranoid theyrefuseto cooperate with each other or perhapstheyeven turn on each other,” he said. “But then again, there’salways a danger with Donald Trump of assuming that his rhetoric is anything morethan shooting from the hip.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ANMAR KHALIL

People donate moneyfollowingacall by Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani to supportIran andLebanon during the warwith the U.S. and Israel on Friday in Babylon, Iraq.

Housing Authority audit shows check fraud

Several issues found in 2024 fiscal year

BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer

An audit of the Lafayette Housing Authority has revealed that a check for $16,738 was fraudulently cashed, and the theft was not reported to authorities.

The Housing Authority’s au-

dit for the ﬁscal year that ended Sept. 30, 2024, which was released March 18 by the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s Ofﬁce, revealed several issues, most of them minor Auditors with Darnall, Sikes and Frederick noted that a $16,738 check issued by the authority to a

landlord was intercepted, altered, endorsed and cashed by someone outside the authority who was not authorized to cash the check. The bank processed the check without properly verifying the person’s identity or authorization.

The housing authority, they wrote, discovered the theft in a

timely manner through its bank reconciliation process, but did not report the incident to the legislative auditor or the District Attorney’s Ofﬁce.

As a result of the theft, management wrote in its response, Positive Pay was implemented with the housing authority’s bank and the authority uses direct deposit in handling checks to landlords so “there is no possibility of landlord checks being stolen.”

The bank partially reimbursed the authority for $4,107.

The auditors noted deﬁciencies in several processes that pose a risk of penalties and ﬁnes by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

They include not maintaining complete and accurate information in Housing Voucher Cluster tenant files and not timely

COLORFUL CELEBRATION

School Board OKs targeted pay

Bus drivers, support personnel to see increase

BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL Staff writer

The Lafayette Parish School Board recently approved a portion of its 202627 budget that includes targeted pay increases for bus drivers and school support personnel. Final adoption of the nearly $360 million budget is expected in May, with implementation beginning on July 1, according to an LPSS statement. Bus drivers’

ISS facilitators, LPNs and bus attendants.

The investment reflects the district’s focus on safety and supporting essential employees, wrote Board President Hannah SmithMason.

“They are often the ﬁrst and last adults our students see each day, and they are responsible for getting

WESTBROOK

PHOTOS By PAUL KIEU

during the Lafayette Holi festival in Girard Park in Lafayette. Hosted annually by the Acadiana Indian Association, Lafayette Holi is one of many similar observances throughout the worldwide

Asian diaspora celebrating the arrival of spring

LEFT: Mark Fuselier, of Opelousas, throws colored powder into the air.

LEFT: Musicians perform during the festival.

‘People didn’t want me out there. But I went anyway’

N.O’s first Black bus driver recounts how he made history

BY BLAKE PATERSON Staff writer

When Sean Sawyer had to write a paper for Black History Month as an elementary school student in the 1970s, he turned to his family for advice.

“You should write about your daddy,” his maternal grandfather told him. “He was the ﬁrst Black bus driver.” Sawyer decided to pick someone else.

“I didn’t think too much of it at the time,” he said in a recent interview “But as I got older, I really wish I would have.”

In 1961, Sawyer’s father, Freddie Sawyer Jr., stepped behind the wheel of a city bus and broke the color barrier as the first Black bus driver employed by the New Orleans Public Service Inc., the predecessor to the Regional Transit Authority

A picture of Sawyer, then 22 years old, appeared in the newspaper, alongside an article in which the civil rights leader Avery C. Alexander called his hiring a “historymaking move in the right direction.

Looking back on that time of his life isn’t easy, Freddie Sawyer Jr said in a recent interview at his home in New Orleans East, just days before his 87th birthday

“I hated to go to work, but I had to go,” he said. “People didn’t want me out there. But I went anyway.”

Making history

Freddie Sawyer Jr was

born on March 14, 1939, in Bogalusa, Louisiana, where his New Orleans mother went to give birth. He grew up in what was then known as the Magnolia Project in the 11th Ward. It was some of the better housing available, he said. There was running water, a bathtub and windows you could open. He calls it “Magnolia Heights.”

He went to high school at Walter L. Cohen and later Samuel J. Green and was on a summer break from Dillard University, where he was training to become a teacher and coach, when he got a job at NOPSI in 1960, ﬁrst in the maintenance department

The low-level role was one of the only jobs NOPSI allowed Black workers at the time.

But he became a driver there in 1961 after a local civil rights group, the Consumers League of New Orleans, threatened to boycott the transit agency to protest its hiring practices. His promotion came only a few years after a federal judge in 1958 ordered New Orleans to desegregate its streetcars and buses. Until then, a movable, wooden sign reading “For Colored Patrons Only” separated passengers. After the newspaper story ran with his picture, Black residents lined the streets to catch a glimpse of him driving and cheer him on.

But his new job nearly cost him his life.

His ﬁrst route was the St. Claude Avenue line, which ended at Domino Sugar’s Chalmette refinery in St. Bernard Parish.

On Mardi Gras night in 1962, while turning the bus around near the reﬁnery, a man stepped out and ﬁred a shotgun. The buckshot barely missed him. For the rest of his time on

that route, the New Orleans Police Department assigned a private detective to ride with Sawyer Sometimes, he wore a baseball mitt to catch fares that White passengers threw at him to avoid touching him

He had to use separate water fountains and restrooms. He picked his bus routes based on where he could use the bathroom. Louisiana Avenue and Calliope Street were at the top of the list. Other times he’d have to “go check the tires out” and relieve himself behind the bus.

“But I made it, you know I hung in there,” Sawyer said. “What was I going to do. Have no job?”

‘A trailblazer’

At 87 years old, Sawyer

says he’s still hanging in there. He retired from the RTA in 2001, after 41 years on the job.

Wearing a Black Lives Matter T-shirt, Sawyer shufﬂed through his living room in his New Orleans East home as a TV blared from another room.

A sign outside with an image of a handgun warns would-be intruders to “get right with Jesus” and “tell him you’re on your way.”

Above his couch hangs a copy of the 1961 newspaper story that featured his picture. He said didn’t know he was going to be photographed, explaining the surprised look on his face.

A framed portrait of The Times-Picayune front page featuring President Barack

Obama sat on a chair nearby In February the Regional Transit Authority and New Orleans City Council honored Sawyer as part of Black History Month.

District D council member Eugene Green, who sponsored the council resolution, noted that Sawyer faced “many, many challenges, some of which we can’t even understand today.”

“But the fact that he withstood those challenges and was a beacon of hope to a lot of others who wanted to have the same sort of employment is something that we should be celebrating all the time,” Green added.

As a child, Sean Sawyer mostly heard about his father’s story from other family members. “He didn’t really talk to me about it,” said the younger Sawyer, who shares the same birthday as his father and who is also an RTA driver, following in his father’s footsteps.

But, he said, it’s a story everyone should know

“Every person of color who was the first one of anything should be known,” Sean Sawyer said. “The story should be told.”

RTA CEO Lona Edwards Hankins described him as a “trailblazer whose courage and determination helped reshape the landscape of public transportation in our city.”

Email Blake Paterson at bpaterson@theadvocate. com.

Slidell residents complain of defects in D.R. Horton homes

Mold, health issues described in class-action lawsuit

BY WILLIE SWETT Staff writer

The night Janika Royal first moved into her new home in Lakeshore Villages near Slidell, she was too excited to wait for the furniture to arrive, so she slept on an air mattress on the ﬂoor

It was her ﬁrst home, and as a U.S. Marines veteran, she’d gotten help from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to secure the loan. She moved in on Oct. 31, 2023, with her niece and her two sons.

But as Royal said in state court in Baton Rouge in December and again at a community meeting in Slidell on Tuesday, a year after moving in, she saw mold in her

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The shooting occurred on Thursday around 8:40 p.m. near Overton and Martel streets. When police arrived, one victim was found and later transported to a local hospital. The victim’s condition is unknown at this time. An investigation is ongo-

coat closet and all over the ceiling of her mechanical closet. She said she began suffering migraines, and her children developed allergies and rashes.

“I served my country, I raised my kids, I thought I was doing everything right purchasing my home and I’m left with just a nightmare,” Royal said Tuesday at a community meeting at a church in Slidell attended by more than 100 other people.

Royal is among a number of Louisiana homeowners who have ﬁled suit against the nation’s largest homebuilder, D.R Horton, arguing the company’s homes are not built to withstand Louisiana’s climate. Their attorneys are seeking state court approval to proceed with a class-action lawsuit against the company, said attorney Lance Unglesby.

The company did not respond to an emailed request for comment, and an employee of D.R. Horton said

ing. Anyone with information about this incident or any criminal activity is urged to contact the Opelousas Police Department at (337) 9482500 or St. Landry Crime Stoppers at (337) 948-TIPS (8477). All callers may remain anonymous.

Man arrested on gun counts

A Breaux Bridge man has

by phone that media inquiries must go through email. The company has previously defended the quality of its homes and also argued that because of agreements that residents signed when they bought their homes, the disputes should be settled through arbitration, which would follow different procedures than traditional court.

In response to Royal’s lawsuit in state court D.R. Horton has filed a federal lawsuit seeking to have a federal judge order her to arbitration.

D.R. Horton has homes in developments across Louisiana from Lake Charles to Slidell. Once completed, Lakeshore Villages, where Royal lives, is expected to have thousands of homes, becoming one of the largest developments in St. Tammany Parish. The company also has homes in the Bonterra and Tamanend neighborhoods in St. Tammany

been arrested and charged with possession of machine guns and an illegal machine gun conversion device.

Braylon Living, 19, of Breaux Bridge, was arrested March 19 after search warrants were executed at a house in the 1000 block of John Road and in the 1000 block of Weeping Willow Drive in Breaux Bridge, St Martin Parish Sheriff Becket Breaux said in a news release.

ment,” said Eva Woods, who lives in Lakeshore Villages, in front of a line of other homeowners getting ready to share their concerns. Lakeshore Villages is outside the city limits of Slidell, so building regulations fall to St. Tammany Parish. Nic LeBlanc, the parish’s director of permits, said in an interview that every home in Lakeshore Villages must undergo parish inspections and is required to meet building codes, but noted those were minimum requirements.

At the community meeting in Slidell on Tuesday, around a dozen homeowners from Lakeshore Villages complained of mold, ventilation problems and water intrusion, as well as health issues. The meeting was organized by the community

The search warrants were obtained following a joint investigation with Homeland Security, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, he said.

Agents recovered various ﬁrearms, one containing an illegal machine gun conversion device, multiple devices to convert semi-automatic weapons into fully automatic weapons, a 3D printer and

groups Concerned Citizens of St. Tammany and Louisiana United International in response to homeowner complaints.

“I pay too much money on my mortgage and my taxes, insurance is too much, to be living in this type of environ-

computer hydrocodone pills and marijuana. Living, the sheriff said, was charged with nine counts of unlawful handling of machine guns, nine counts of possession or dealing in unregistered or illegally transferred weapons, 11 counts of illegally carrying weapons while attempting to commit a crime, one count of illegal possession of stolen ﬁrearms and one count of possession of a Schedule II narcotic.

“Many, many builders do not go for minimum. They go for exceeding the minimum,” he said. He also said that since Jan. 1 of this year, all inspections have been required to be conducted by parish employees, as opposed to contractors.

Email Willie Swett at willie.swett@theadvocate. com.

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Freddie Sawyer Jr., the first Black person to drive a public bus in New Orleans, holds up an article on March 9 at his home in New Orleans. Sawyer began driving in 1961 and, now retired in his 80s, was honored last month by the Regional Transit Authority and the New Orleans City Council for his trailblazing role.

STAFF PHOTO By WILLIE SWETT

Janika Royal stands outside of her home in Lakeshore Villages near Slidell, which was built by D.R. Horton.

THE GULF COAST

Crave’s Chicago 6ix moves into new building

Two

new food trucks headed to food hall

BY MARY PEREZ The Sun Herald

May 15 was a year since Crave

Food Hall opened in downtown Ocean Springs and, besides being a trendy place to gather and eat, it has become a restaurant incubator of sorts.

Some of the restaurants that opened in the food hall at OS 1515 on Government Street last summer have moved on, making space for new ones to move in and bring new foods to try

The latest transition is Chicago 6ix Street Food Bar & Grill. It has closed at Crave and will open by May 1 at the former Kenny Ward’s and 38 Degrees location at 1224 Bienville Blvd., in Ocean Springs.

Erik Robinson and Dennis Johnson plan to feature specialties from the restaurant at Crave, like authentic Chicago hoagies and dogs from Robinson’s hometown Philly cheesesteaks that are made with his special seasoning and are the number one seller on the menu, gyros and Chicago wings.

The variety on the Chicago 6ix menu is echoed by the other restaurants at Crave, which makes it popular with people who want a tasty Philly cheesesteak 1,000 miles from Philadelphia, spicy tortillas, Asian specialties and Maine lobster rolls

Like other food halls in the U.S. Crave is becoming known as a place where chefs can test new dishes and develop new menus without the investment and overhead of opening a traditional brick-and-mortar restaurant.

Restaurants coming and going

At Crave, people eat at one of the indoor seating areas, at a table along the sidewalk or in the sprawling courtyard with a colorful mural background. They can order and pay at one restaurant or try something from several of the food outlets. The success of

the food hall and the restaurants has gone hand-in-hand.

Crave was a step-up to the ﬁrst permanent place for Salty Jax, which opened in February at the food hall after operating out of a food truck at various locations since 2022. Owners Ngoc Nguyen and Lu Duong made their food truck into one of the favorites on the Coast by selling lobster and shrimp rolls, Baja tacos and seafood sandwiches and platters. Their customers have followed them to Crave, they said.

A second food truck has also transitioned to Crave. The Lum Pan Filpino food truck, based in Biloxi, opened earlier this month.

Lumpia spring rolls, shrimp fried rice, shrimp pancit stir-fried noodle dish and pork barbecue are among their specialties.

Crave is where Frank Marcello made the jump from 35 years in the restaurant business in Louisiana to his ﬁrst place in South Mississippi. He opened at the food hall last summer and developed a following and investors, and in December, Marcello’s — Taste of New Orleans restaurant opened

a few blocks away from Crave in the center of Ocean Springs at 1019 Government St.

People are taking notice. A feature article in Garden & Gun Magazine about the Amtrak train stops in South Mississippi included a spotlight on chef Wilfredo Avelar at Mawi Tortillas and Shorelines Coastal Kitchen inside Crave and the Latin American and coastal ﬂavors he brings to the food hall.

Chicago 6ix story

Crave wasn’t the ﬁrst restaurant location and Chicago 6ix wasn’t the ﬁrst name for Robinson’s restaurant when he began selling his Chicago hoagies and specialties in Ocean Springs.

His business started as SmokeN-Hoagies near Gulf Park Estates, until issues with the building and road construction in that area led him to the opportunity at Crave, he said.

“I want to venture out and start another brand under a new name,” he said were his thoughts as he moved to Crave, “or bring a partner on this time.” He did

both — “and now we’re venturing out on our own at Chicago 6ix,” he said.

Robinson was born and raised in Chicago “My grandmother taught me how to cook,” he said, and he moved south and stayed after his brother was stationed in the Navy in South Mississippi. What’s a pizza puff?

The name Chicago 6ix comes in part from the six main styles of dishes on the menu, starting with his Chicago roots and his original Chicago hot dog.

He’s also doing Polish sausage sandwich popular in Chicago, along with his version of Chicago chicken with his secret sauce. The Italian beef sandwich featured on “The Bear” show and inspired by a restaurant in Chicago, will also have Robinson’s own twist and a place on the menu.

“We haven’t put the menu together quite yet, but it’s basically going to be like the main menu from Smoke-N-Hoagies and Chicago 6ix, with a few things added on,” he said.

At Crave, he started adding dishes like pizza puffs to his specials. “That’s a pastry-ﬁlled pizza that’s deep-fried,” he said He also began trying out his recipes for ribs, tacos and pasta, which he plans to feature as specials at his new restaurant, along with catﬁsh and shrimp platters.

The new location will give him the opportunity to add Sunday brunch, he said, and family dinners like chicken or fried ﬁsh with a couple of sides for convenient and reasonably priced meals, he said.

He envisions the restaurant as mostly takeout, but said there will be nine tables where people can dine and a bar so they can get some wine with their pasta or a cold beer with their Chicago dog.

He’s hiring servers, bartenders and kitchen help, getting the sign installed to let people know Chicago 6ix is on the way and preparing to welcome back his customers and draw new people in for a taste of Chicago, Robinson said.

4 Gulf Coast cities get top ranking as

Readers pick winners in Southern Living survey

BY MARTHA SANCHEZ Staff writer

A Southern Living survey has named four Gulf Coast destinations among the top 20 beach getaways in the South.

More than 17,000 readers voted in the survey The magazine praised the winners for their pristine white sand, quaint streets and boutique hotels.

Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, Alabama, were ranked second.

“Florida can have its panhandle,” Southern Living writer Tara Massouleh McCay wrote, “but Alabamians are pretty happy with their own 32-mile stretch of shoreline that unfurls across these twin towns.” Destin, Florida, was ranked third. Ocean Springs, Mississippi, and Panama City Beach, Florida, ranked 19th and 20th, respectively

The magazine applauded the cities’ diverse hotel options, small businesses and picturesque waterfronts.

The survey highlights how fast tourism is growing across the Gulf Coast as the region’s population rises. Long a drive-in destination for vacationers across the South, the Gulf Coast is now attracting newcomers from across the country

The full list of top 20 beach destinations includes cities from Texas to North Carolina.

Siesta Key, Anna Maria Island and Sanibel Island, all in Florida, also made the list. Southern Living readers also voted for South Padre Island in Texas.

BY SOPHIE KASAKOVE Staff writer

Among the mélange of entertainers, hustlers and eccentrics that clock in on Bourbon Street each evening, an enduring, controversial and nonhuman element has gone missing.

It’s been two years since state wildlife agents launched an effort to remove the pythons, boas and other animals that were draped across shoulders and pushed in carts along the promenade

The creatures and their owners — most of whom sought to make a buck off of awed tourists — have largely stayed away ever since. After four animal conﬁscations during and after Mardi Gras in 2024, when Gov Jeff Landry deployed Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries agents to Bourbon Street, agents have encountered just one animal on the strip in the past two years: a live alligator in February, according to department records.

“We didn’t seize one snake

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reinspecting units leased to families at least once every two years for quality

this year to my knowledge, and that tells you right there,” said Stephen Clark, the head of the Wildlife Department’s enforcement division. “Our presence during not only Mardi Gras but all the high-traffic events has been effective in deterring folks from bringing animals into large crowds of people.”

The animal crackdown, dubbed “Operation Exotic,” is just one tentacle of a recent and widespread enforcement push from state, local and federal law enforcement agencies that has transformed the worldfamous street. Ofﬁcers have also focused on clearing homeless encampments and have said that their presence deters crime.

The push has sent vendors, performers and snakes into hibernation and driven an ongoing debate over who Bourbon Street is for

“There is a criminal, and then there is a regular working class,” said Laney Greco, who was arrested in May 2024 for bringing a 10foot, 8-inch Burmese python named Sonny to Bourbon Street and Orleans Avenue. “You’re hurting the workingclass people who are trying to make tourism better.”

Running afoul of the law

The animal owners ran

The Housing Authority’s board, the auditors wrote, failed to meet with a quorum at least once a month as required. Board minutes show the board did not have a quorum for meetings in Decem-

up against multiple state and city codes. State law prohibits the possession of constrictor snakes longer than eight feet long, and the sale of reptiles or amphibians without a license New Orleans’ municipal code prohibits keeping any wild or exotic animal as a pet, including snakes that will grow to larger than three feet, monkeys, raccoons, squirrels, leopards, alligators and roosters. Per an agreement with State Police, 50 agents have enforced those and other rules in the city during major events, such as Bayou Classic New Year’s, and Mardi Gras, Clark said.

Records show agents were involved in 84 incidents on Bourbon Street since 2024, mostly for charges like drug and firearm possession.

Department records show agents encountered five snakes, one opossum and an unspeciﬁed number of redeared slider turtles from February to May 2024. The agents’ presence appears to have been a deterrent as few have recently dared to bring their pets to the famous strip, other than Eurrell Johnson, who was caught toting a 3- to 4-foot alligator down Bourbon Street on Feb. 15. In all seven of the animal

ber 2023 and in February, May and June 2024 “due to unavoidable scheduling conflicts and unforeseen circumstances.”

Contact Claire Taylor at ctaylor@theadvocate.com

encounters, agents slapped the owners with a citation. Four creatures were conﬁscated, while three others were left with their owners. Only one owner, Greco, was arrested, having broken multiple city codes, according to the state’s incident report.

Mixed reactions

Jeff Dorson, executive director of the Humane Society of Louisiana, said he supports enforcement of laws keeping animals off the strip.

“Wild animals and Bourbon Street aren’t a good mix,” said Dorson. “The noise, the crowd, that’s the opposite of how these animals like to survive: away from people in wilderness. Not on Bourbon Street.”

Christian Pendleton, a commissioner with the French Quarter Manage-

ment District and general manager of Brennan’s Restaurant, said the change to Bourbon Street has been welcome.

“This is a neighborhood first. This is people’s homes ﬁrst. This is people’s businesses first,” he said. “Snakes can really freak people out.”

Some of the enforcement has drawn criticism. When Saffron the opossum was swept up in the Carnival 2024 dragnet, a petition to “bring Saffron home” to his owner William Voiles drew nearly 14,000 signatures, as New Orleanians accused the state of overreaching into the private relationship between a man and his pet.

Once she was released from jail, Greco attempted to continue caring for Sonny during its stay on the Northshore. After informing Wildlife Agent Jimmie Dan-

Continued from page 1B

iel that rats irritate Sonny’s stomach, Greco arranged a meetup with Daniel at the Shell station beside the Twin Span Bridge to provide three live rabbits for the python’s consumption, according to state records.

In an August interview, Greco said she had yet to receive an update on the snake’s whereabouts. She didn’t return calls last week.

“I hope she isn’t dead, but it’s been almost two years now,” Greco then said. Though citations involving animals are down, the creatures haven’t disappeared from Bourbon Street entirely Pendleton said. Just last week, Pendleton said he spotted two people riding Segways down the busy strip with snakes wrapped around their necks.

“You’re like, ‘Ugh. Here we go again,’ ” Pendleton said.

schools running smoothly, wrote board member Jeremy Hidalgo.

“These employees keep our campuses running, support our teachers, and help create a positive environment for students,” he wrote. “This investment reﬂects how important they are to our schools.”

SUN HERALD PHOTO By HANNAH RUHOFF

Crave Food Hall at OS 1515 in Ocean Springs has become a restaurant incubator, where chefs are encouraged to introduce new dishes.

OPINION

OUR VIEWS

Focusjuvenile justice on what kids need, notadults

There are anumber of juvenile justicebills in theLouisiana Legislature this season, andwe appreciate that our legislators remainfocused on this issue.

Because it is so easy to derail young lives permanently and so hard to return themtothe right track, laws that affect youth require extravigilance about unintendedconsequences. That’swhy House Bill 140, by Rep.Vincent Cox, R-Gretna, concerns us greatly

It seeks to drastically increase the amount of time youths accused of crime canbekept behind bars awaiting trial. While adults might sit in jail for several months before trial, the Louisiana Children’sCode is writtentoensure that children go through thecourt systemmore quickly

In the juvenile system, youth aresupposedto be adjudicated or released in no more than30 days for nonviolent crimes andnomorethan60 days for more violent crimes.

This bill would triple theadjudication timeline for nonviolent youth crimes to 90 daysand double it for violent crimes to120 days. Theclock would also be suspended or reset forcertain events, such as waiting forajudge to rule on a motion. If those deadlines pass withoutaction, youths could be released only aftertwo written defensemotions and ahearingfor prosecutors to argue why it’sagood idea to keep a youth behind bars.

Prosecutors say more time is neededbecause they are faced with more evidence to gather nowadaysand that defense lawyers use the tight timelines to game the system andforce case dismissals.

However,wedon’tbelievethose issuesshould outweigh the interest we haveasa society to assure juvenilesare not forever scarredbyan indifferent justice system.Opponents of the bill arguethatthe longer youths stay outofschool, the less amenable theyare to rehabilitationand more likely to reoffend.

Let’snot forget that teensaccused of very serious crimes in Louisianacan alreadybemoved to theadult system, so this bill isn’toffering the public any additionalprotection against the most dangerous offenders. It seems purely for theconvenience of adults, not thecareofchildren.

The bill now moves to thefullHouse fordebate, and it is perhaps some comfort thatCox vows to consider amendmentstoaddressconcerns raised.

But the legislation signals how much theLegislature’s view of juvenile justice haschanged since it abandonedlandmark 2016 reforms that included measures designed to reducethe number of juveniles in detention.

We often see juvenile crime sensationalized to justify hardline policies. Butthe fact is that between 2000 and 2020, youtharrest ratesin Louisiana declined by more than 60%. We hope the Legislature will deal in facts and reject any change that could causeharmtothe very young people who most need to seethat societyhasn’tgiven up on them.

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

Is affordabilityreallya crisis?

At somepoint,the headlines turned “affordability” from aconcern into a “crisis.” Butwhat does affordability mean?For most of us, that depends on what we consider our minimum requirements for happiness.

If you look at TikTok, life in New York Cityisafairy tale of chic bars, eggs topped with caviar and everyone looking conspicuously stylish. For much of Gen Z, TikTok is what they know of the expensive cities they and plentyofothers dream of frolicking in. The music. The sunsets. The screenshot bait. They set their heartsonthe pricey neighborhoods paraded across the screen.

believe they’ve beencheated of the lifestyle they think is rightfully theirs.

Homeprices in Los Angeles are especially high relative to incomes.A real estate expert there said that forbuyers, “There has to be versatility in searches People are not needing as much space. They want convenience.” Translation:They must maketradeoffs.

Aresome people leaving California for less expensive places? Sure. Andifthe move makes sense, who could blame them?But that hardly meansCalifornians are stampeding for theexits. To borrow Yogi Berra’s line, nobody wants to live in California anymore —it’stoo crowded.

Addtothem theimmigrantswho stream intothese cities for economic opportunity,many not appreciating thegrittier reality. Somehow the less privileged newcomers seem better equipped to make peace with disappointment.

Zohran Mamdani won the New York mayoralty promising amuch moreaffordable city,which he can’tdeliver Now politicians of both parties, President Donald Trumpincluded, are selling the same dream to themasses who

Whenreaders pointout errors in stories or on ourwebsite,we go to great lengths to review what’sbeen reported andcorrect the record if we have made an error Sometimes, it’sa straightforward matter.Aname was misspelled; anumber was wrong. We make those corrections quickly,often within minutesoftheir coming to our attention. Sometimes, though, these reviews can be moreextensive.

Someretirees feeling priced out of theFlorida coast are moving across thestate’spanhandle to Alabama.

Andfor generations, New York City residentshave departed forthe less expensive suburbs.

As for big city living, one deal that helps justify thehigh rents is public transportation. Most New Yorkers get along ﬁne without their own vehicles. They almost certainly don’tneed cars for every family member above the

age of 18. An uncle wholived in car-dependent Dallas never learned to drive. How did he do it? He moved near abus line and, according to his daughter,hehad friends with cars. The average price of anew vehicle recently passed $50,000. That doesn’t include the expenses of car insurance and maintenance. For acar that’s driven 15,000 miles ayear,the annual cost of insurance alone now averages $1,650. Meanwhile, the U.S. is abig country There are wonderful, “more affordable” cities in the heartland: Omaha, Columbus, Indianapolis, Kansas City In formerly booming Austin, median house prices are now in the mid$400,000s, downabout 20% from the 2022 high. APolitico piece on the affordability crisis noted, with astraight face, that almost half of Americans feel “they could not pay foravacation that involves air travel.” Talk about expectations. For mostofus, affordability isn’ta “crisis.” It’s aﬁrst world problem

Froma Harrop is on X, @FromaHarrop. Email her at fharrop@gmail.com

We takevery seriously our obligation to present accurate information. Yetespecially on contentious issues, when facts and data are disputed, the mostaccurate information isn’talways obvious. If that’s thecase, we have to go back to our sources to determine what’strue. We rely on eyewitnesses and primary sources when available, and not just what has been reported second-hand.

That’swhy it can take time to review requests forcorrections. We do not wanttocompound an error by not making a thorough investigation before issuing acorrection. Readers should know that if there is a correction to astory,editors have also researched how the error was made and taken steps to ensure it’s not repeated On Opinion pieces as well, we correct factual errors. If theerror of fact led to mistaken context or conclusions, that must be addressed. When building an argumentfor or against an issue, if there are major facts wrong, the entire argumentcan founder Readers often point out what they feel are mistaken conclusions madeby other readers in letters and see them as errors. Butletter writers can give their own interpretation of the facts —aslong as they don’tmisrepresent

facts. Likewise, letter writers sometimes state clearly that their opinions are based on their own observation or estimation, which others can dispute. And they are often disputed. We print letters from those whodisagree as well. Turning to our letters inbox for March 19-26, we received 65 letters. The topic that stood out, not surprisingly,was the warinIran. Five of you wrote to give your opiniononhow it’s going. The current legislative session wasthe subject of three letters, as were immigration and the SAVE Act, but otherwise no single topic got more than twoletters. That includes the Senate race, the government shutdown and the trial of “slammers” whofaked trafﬁc accidents forbig insurance payouts in the New Orleans area.

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

Froma Harrop

Arnessa Garrett

COMMENTARY

Sticking to principles earnsHallofFamehonor

Dad’stheme was liberty.That’s what drove him.

Rarely is ajournalist faced with the newsworthy occurrence of his father being awarded, posthumously,asigniﬁcant public honor.But that’swhat happenedSaturday night, when Haywood Hillyer III was inducted into the Louisiana Political Hall of Fame for 35 years of volunteer work in the trenches helping build the state’soncemoribund Republican Party.

induced my father to devote decades tounremunerative toil? In laying this out,Iamtrying to not project my beliefs onto Dad, but to accurately reﬂect his own —which, granted, were about 90% aligned withmine, but not entirely

My late father is one of eight inductees —including my mentor and friend, the eminently deserving Clancy DuBos —inthis year’sclass. The Hall is part of the Louisiana Political Museum, agem of an institution, in Winnﬁeld.

Last year,before Dad was selected, Iwrote aFather’s Day piece about his belief that politicalparticipation was acivic duty in which “honor and trust are crucial …[and] political opponents need not be personal enemies, [and] all forms of bigotry have no valid place in American life.” What, then, is the substance of the political philosophy that

As an entry point,start with immigration: an issue thatcertainly wasn’t my father’smain interest, but which is uber-controversial now and for which Iknow (while not entirely agreeing with) my father’sviews quite well. It helps elucidatehis broader beliefs. Like most conservatives, Dad was ﬁrmly against leniency for illegalimmigrants, but he went farther (although not nearly as far, nor for the same reasons, as Team Trump does). Unlike my view,Dad also wanted somewhat restrictive limits on legal immigration, albeit while wantingtostreamline the rigmarole involved. What’simportant, though, is his reasoning. Dad didn’tcare about the color or nationalityoreducational background of immigrants, believing allshould be in thesame queue. But he thought thenumber of legal immigrants should

be pre-limited each year.Why? Because theAmerican system is aspecial blessing that needs nurturing. Mostpeople don’tinstinctually understandthat therule of law can complement, not impede, maximum liberty.Most people don’tcome from political cultures where thevery point of law is to protect liberty rather than to project power,where theconsent of the governed is paramount and where rightsare seen not as grants from government but as preexisting verities to which government must bow Theseconcepts must be learned. Alas, for decades,weAmericans haven’teven done well at civics education for our own progeny, much less for the foreign-born. Dad didn’twant to erase other cultural practices —food,music, family traditions —but he believed civic acculturation takes hardwork. He believed that withoutproper assimilation of newcomers, bothour own system and the newcomers’ welfare could be adversely affected. Hence, while immigrants should be not just welcomed but

encouraged, theyshould come in asteady,predictable stream, reasonably (but notseverely) limited in annualnumbers.

The point, Dadbelieved, was that ourconstitutional system is profoundly good and profoundly workable, but also somewhat fragile. If toomanynewcomers come too fast, he thought acclimation would fail.

Now let’sleaveimmigrationaside.What Dad believedmadethe system profoundly important to protect wasits aspiration to maximum individualliberty that doesn’timpinge the liberty of others. He believed people can thrive if coercive institutions don’t interfere. He believed the main job of thenationalgovernment was to provide fordefense, and themain joboflocal government was to strictly enforcecriminal laws,but thatall levels of government should write fewer laws to enforce at all.

Dad distrusted centralized power —ingovernment and anywhere else. WhatDad loved were local, volunteer organizations: neighborsfreelychoosing to join neighborsinworthy endeavors.

All of which meant he wanted government as small, andaslocal,aspossible.And while he thought government can be a provideroflastresort for the poor andthe inﬁrm, he believed government by its nature wasn’t averyeffective distributor of goods, services andlasting aid. A compassionate man, Dadthought atoo-big government was ahindrancetoeffective compassion. Moreover,hesaw the power involvedinbiggergovernment as athreat to the freedom he cherishedfor allcitizens, regardless of race or creed

There’s lots more,but you get the picture:Dad’s outlook was coherent—and unselﬁsh. Agree or notwith his notions of what works best in practice, his motivations were patently admirable.

In the words of the Constitution’spreamble, that’swhy Dad spent so many years, largely behind the scenes, as apolitical volunteer:“to secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and ourposterity.”

Iamoverjoyedthatthe LouisianaPolitical Hall of Fameishonoring his idealistic efforts.

Email Quin Hillyer at quin hillyer@theadvocate.com

Partyprimaries newtoLa.,but days mightalready be numbered

The ﬁrst vote under Louisiana’sbrandnew party primary system has yet to be cast,but the backlash looks likeit’salready underway

That’scertainly one way to read aunanimous vote in the state Senate last week to once again elect the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education under the familiar —and popular —open primary system.

Senate Bill 49 by state Sen.Alan Seabaugh, R-Shreveport, cleared the upper chamber 35-0. It may drawsome opposition in theHouse, but with Gov.(and chief partyprimary advocate) Jeff Landry now well past his honeymoon —and with voters still learning the new system’scomplicated ins-and-outs ahead of the May 16 primary —I’d give it a real chance.

taxpayers money.Stagingaclosed primary and runoff for justthe BESEseats, in the same year that legislators and statewide ofﬁcials run in open primaries, would cost an extra $5.4 million.

Theprice tag is certainly one argument against thenew system, but it’s far from theonly one.

Even morepersuasive is that there’s no sign at all that most voters wanted partyprimaries in the ﬁrst place.

Landry and other party-line Republicans —and certainly someDemocrats —see these elections as away of bolstering candidates who are more in line with their party’sbase.

The upcoming ballot, headlined bythe closely-watched U.S. Senate race, also featuresaspecialelection forBESE’sDistrict 1, which will proceed underthe existing rules regardless of the legislation’s fate

Thefullstate education board is up for electionnext year,which his whenthe bill aims to take effect Seabaugh and state Rep. Mike Bayham, R-Chalmette, who has asimilar proposalon the House side, say their goal is to savethe

That’scertainly the dynamic in theSenaterace, where forces loyal to President Donald Trumpare targeting incumbent Bill Cassidy,who supports Trump on just about every issue but had thetemerity to vote to convict him in his secondimpeachment in 2021. Trump’shand-picked challenger,U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow,is openly running on this theory —saying, for example, that she’llonly debateon aconservative radio host’sprogram because “Moon Griffon reaches the heart of Louisiana’sconservative grassroots, and thatisexactly the audience that should hear this debate.” (What, other voters shouldn’t?)

Onepoll for an organization that supportsopen primaries found that 69% of Louisianans prefer them, and forgood reason. Open primaries allow all voters to support any candidateregardless of party, rather than restricting their options. They also give candidates incentive to try to appeal to thebroadest possible swath of voters, not just those in their own ideological camp.

Andthe poll was taken wellbefore people had to contend with ﬁguring out which party they’re registered in ahead of May 16 —and which partythey should be registered in if they want their vote to be meaningful in astate that’sbound to send aRepublican to Washington come November

Well before last week’sstate Senate vote, there were already plenty of signs that the politicians know how few of theirconstituents wanted things to change.

Landry didn’topenly campaign on the issue when he ran in 2023, even though his push for thenew law in early 2024 suggestsitwas his plan all along.

Andwhile they wentalong with the governor on many controversialissues back then,lawmakers pushed backonthis one to asigniﬁcant extent.

Although the initial bill imposedparty primaries on mostnonlocal ofﬁces and

limitedparticipation to registeredmembers of each party,the lawthatwound up passing left lawmakers themselves alone andexemptedstate-levelofﬁces, including the governor, leaving only Congress, BESE, the Public Service Commission and the state Supreme Court underthe new rules. It also allowedthe 800,000 or so voters who arenot registered in aparty to participate in eitherthe Republican or Democratic primary And now the tide may wellbeturning against even that watered-down version. In fact, someobservers —the politically astute state Senate President Cameron Henry,R-Metairie, among them —predict momentum to trash the new system once this year’svoting comes and goes.

“I believe after the May election you’re going to see several bills to undo it because it is going to be breathtakingly confusing to all of the voters,” he said before the session started. That’sbasically what happened the last timethe state tried something like this nearly 20 years ago. Last week’sdecisive Senate vote may be the ﬁrst sign of history repeating itself Email StephanieGrace at sgrace@ theadvocate.com.

Don’talter N.O. courtsbased on faulty comparisons

Here we go again. The Louisiana Legislature is picking on New Orleans because the parish has something the other 63 parishes don’thave: the most courtsand themost judges. If measures moving through theLegislature become law, New Orleans would lose 14 judges. And most of them are Black. On Thursday,the House Judiciary Committeevoted 10-5 in favor of House Bill 911 that would signiﬁcantly damage theexistingcourt system in Orleans Parish.Gov.Jeff Landry,who claims to love theCrescent City and says he just wants to see the city do better,ispushing this hard. There are too many courts, toomany judges, and it all costs too much money,the governor argues. The guv arguesthattoo many Orleans Parish judges are “incompetent” and inconsistent withcourt administration, and they spend withoutguardrails Plus, he adds, the New Orleanscourts are akey reason there’ssomuchcrime in the state’slargest city Landry wants the Republican supermajority Legislature to reduce thenumber of civil and criminal judges, abolish the juvenile court andincreasestate judicial oversight over what happensincity-based courts. As proposed by Republican state Rep Dixon McMakin of BatonRouge,a new 41st Judicial District Courtwould have several divisions, includinga juvenile section, not astandalone court. The way

McMakinsees it, combining thejuvenile court with the civil and criminal district courts could save about $7 million thatthe state pays to subsidize theexisting court system. Criminal court judges and juvenile court advocates have argued that they’re notequipped to handle theintricacies of youthcases, and they have heavy caseloads. The civil, criminal and juvenile court clerk duties would be merged intoasingle, elected clerk job. Something they’re calling a“consolidated judicial expense fund” would becreated tooversee the combined court operations.

In addition, Senate Bill 217 would reduce thenumberofcivil district court judgesin OrleansParish and create aprocess to remove criminal district court judgeships. Of our64parishes,Orleans is different. In other parishes,there’sone combined court handling civil and criminal cases. In Orleans, there is acivil court and acriminalcourt. All64parishes have court staff, and,yes, we have two setsofstaff in New Orleans. Ultimately,Republican legislators are seeking to reduce thenumber of civil court judges from 14 to 10 and the number of criminal court judges from 12 tonine. These 19 would handle civil and criminal cases. McMakin wants to reduce thenumber ofjuvenile judges from four to two. Amagistrate judge would continue in the newcourt.

TheRepublican emphasis is on saving money. They’re tyingtheir determination to shrink the number of Orleanscourts and judgestoa 2006 report that implies there’s an imbalance between Orleansand other

parishes based on arrestsand caseloads.

The problem with thereport is that it compares OrleansParishtoother parishes that handle case filings differently.Looking at the number of arrests, charges and court cases isn’tthe sameifone parish, like Orleans, combines moreincidents into single filings and other courts increase that number withindividual incident filings.

We’ve seen this before.

In 2006, shortly after Katrina, and again in 2008, the Legislature pushed to combine

Orleans’ civil, criminal and juvenile courts. For avariety of reasons, that effort failed. They tried again in 2011, this time with a different approach but still focused on consolidation. That effort failed.

What’sscary is that if this measure gets through the House and the Senate, the plan would go into effect without New Orleans or Louisiana voters weighing in. They’d just do it. Because they can. They will, if we don’tpay attention. Things can change as these matters surface and get attention. One companion measure sought to allow the governor to choose which elected judges and which elected district attorneys he wanted to remove.

As the measure was moving through the legislative sausage process, the Legislature, not the governor,would have that opportunity.Ifitbecomes law,Senate Bill 123 would give the Legislature the chance to remove judges for“malfeasance, gross misconduct, or incompetence committed while in ofﬁce.” Any such removal would have to be approved by aHouse majority and atwo-thirds vote in the Senate. An accused judge would get atrial in the Senate. Imagine that circus. The revised bill would require voter approval.

Do we really need to send something like that to voters? Do we really wantthe governor or the Legislature to choose which of our elected judges should be “recalled” without voter input? Ithink not.

Email Will Sutton at wsutton@theadvocate. com.

Quin Hillyer

Stephanie Grace

Will Sutton

H. Hillyer

STAFF FILEPHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Rep. DixonMcMakin, R-Baton Rouge

SPORTS

UL drops another SunBelt series

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

It’sdifﬁcult to manage acollege baseball game whenruns arefew and farbetween. As aresult, life got alittle bumpier forthe UL Ragin’ Cajuns after suffering a7-3 home loss to UL-Monroe on Saturday at Russo Park.

“Wejust got to playtougher baseball,especially atthe dish,” UL coachMattDeggs said. The Cajuns dropped to 1710 and2-6 in theSun Belt with the loss,while thevisitingWarhawks are now 16-12and 6-2.

UL will try to avoid getting swept forthe second straight SunBelt weekendat1 p.m. Sunday Jake Haggardbroke open atight game with athree-run homerinthe top of the ninth to give the Warhawks afour-run cushion. Haggardﬁnished 3-for-3 withadouble, homerand three RBIs.

“You may hit alittle hot streak where they’re finding holes, and theyfound a couple with some, but if you watch the approaches, they’re staying on the baseball,” Deggs said of the UL-Monroe hitters.

BY JIM KLEINPETER Contributing writer

For the second consecutive game, LSU softball bottledup afearsome Oklahoma attack. This time the Tigers ﬁnished the job. Sophomore left-handerJayden Heavener handcuffed the No. 5Sooners on two hits, and Kylee Edwards slammeda two-run homer to liftthe Tigers to a3-1 victory at Tiger Park on Saturday No. 20 LSU couldn’thold a1-0 leadinthe ﬁnal inning in a3-2 lossFridaynight.Thistime the Tigers led 3-0, and even though Oklahoma got an unearned run in the seventhtobring the tying run to the plate, Heavener struckout Allyssa Parker andgot Abby Daltonona grounder to third to seal thedeal. LSU (23-11, 4-7 SEC) nearly has snapped Oklahoma’snow 367-game streak without being shut out in two consecutive games. Oklahomaenteredthe series leading the nation in homers (129), runsscored andbatting average. Oklahoma (33-3, 7-1) hadonly onegamewithouta homerbeforecomingto Baton Rouge, where the Sooners have failed to homer twice.

LO TO

LSUlaments season’s end, reasonsthatled to buzzer-beater

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

SACRAMENTO, Calif. The shot will sit withcoach Kim Mulkeyfor awhile How coulditnot?Itrolled and rolled and rolled around therim before dropping in with no time remaining,perhaps thecruelest way to end aseason.

Flau’jae Johnson putbothher hands to her head in disbelief. Mikaylah Williams turnedaway fromthe rimand sulked down the baseline. Mulkey walked over to thescorer’stable, whereshe congratulated Duke coach Kara Lawson.

The LSU women’s basketball team was 2.6seconds away from theEliteEight on Friday.Itjust needed one more defensivestop. Force amiss, secure the rebound and dance to thedoorstep of theFinal Four

But now the No. 2-seeded Tigers are headed back home, with no choice but to stew in theharsh realitythat they letapromising season slip away “Ittakes awhile to getoverit,” Mulkey said. What went wrong for LSUinits 8785 loss to Duke in the Sweet 16? It was muchmore thanthatlast-second shot. The Tigers struggled to bothdefend the paint and rebound missedshots and as aresult,theycould never fully ignite theirtransitionoffense— the dangerous attack they used this year to enjoy one of the bestoffensivesea-

sons in NCAAhistory

The No. 3-seeded Blue Devils scored 38 points in the paint and pulled 20 rebounds off theoffensive glass. Only one team has notched that many paintpointsagainst LSU this season, and only two have snared that manyoffensive boards. TheTigersnever gave up. They trailed 83-73 at the5:11 mark of the fourthquarter —right before MiLaysia Fulwiley andWilliams teamed up to build alast-ditch12-1 run. Williams gave LSUan85-84 lead by sinking two free throws withnine seconds left.

Thejolting ﬁnality with which a college basketball team’sseason can end in the NCAA Tournament is something no one can prepare for happening. That certainly was the case for theLSU women’sbasketball team Friday night in its 8785 loss to Duke in the NCAA Sacramento2regional semiﬁnals. The Tigers made afrenzied comeback from 83-73 down with 5:11 remaining to take an 85-84 lead on Mikaylah Williams’ clutch free throws with9.2 seconds left, only to have their season snuffed out when Ashlon Jackson made an around-the-rim 3-pointer from the right wing as time expired. Jackson’sshot could have spun out easily.But it didn’t. The result: for LSU, asour —not

Thenthe Tigers forced amiss on Duke’sensuing possession. But they alsoletthatshotbounceofftherimand out of bounds, handing the Blue Devils achancetorun the baseline inbounds set that they used to win the game. Most spectatorswill remember Ashlon Jackson’sdramatic shot when they remember the game in the future. Mulkey,Williamsand the rest of theTigers probably will think about that one rebound they failed to secure.

sweet —16indeed.

The stunned looks on the Tigers’ faces, especially that of senior guard Flau’jae Johnson, told the entire story.LSU was done after its second-shortest NCAA Tournament run in five victory-flush seasons under KimMulkey “Ittakes awhile,” Mulkey said, “to get over it.” True enough. It is over, though. So what do we make of this 29-6 season? In one respect, it was a remarkable season filled with somebreathtaking moments. LSU’s mostlasting, legacy-type achievement probably will end up being the offense. LSU set the NCAA women’sDivision I record formost 100-point games in aseason (16) and the Southeastern

Jackson, in background, scored a3-pointer to winthe

LSUlost 87-85. AP PHOTO By SARA NEVIS

On TV AUTO RACING

9a.m. NTT IndyCar Series: Warmup FS2

10 a.m. IndyNXT: Grand Prix of Alabama FS1

noon NTT IndyCar:IndyGrandPrix FOX

2p.m. FIM Motocross: MX2 CBSSN

2:30p.m.FIM MotoGP: GrandPrix FOX

2:30 p.m. NASCAR Cup: Cook Out 400 FS1

3p.m. FIMMotocross: MXGP CBSSN COLLEGE BASEBALL

11 a.m. Tennessee at Vanderbilt ESPN2

noon Florida at Arkansas SECN

2p.m. NC State at Georgia Tech ACCN

3p.m. Mississippi St. at Ole Miss SECN

7p.m. West Virginia at ArizonaSt. ESPN2 MEN’SCOLLEGEBASKETBALL

1:15p.m. Tennessee vs.Michigan CBS

4:05 p.m. UConn vs. DukeCBS

BROADCASTHIGHLIGHTS

WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

noon Notre Dame vs.UConn ABC

2p.m. Dukevs. UCLAABC MEN’S COLLEGE HOCKEY

2p.m. Denvervs.W. Michigan ESPN2

4:30 p.m. Minn. Duluth vs. Michigan ESPN2

MEN’S COLLEGE LACROSSE

11 a.m.Johns HopkinsatRutgers BTN

WOMEN’S COLLEGE LACROSSE

1p.m. Johns HopkinsatNorthwestern BTN COLLEGESOFTBALL

9a.m. California at Notre Dame ACCN

11 a.m.Oklahoma at LSU ESPN

1p.m. TexasA&M at TexasESPN

3p.m. Michigan St. at OhioSt. BTN

3p.m. Wichita St. at South Florida ESPNU

5p.m. Florida St. at Clemson ACCN

6p.m. S. Carolina at Mississippi St. SECN GOLF

noon PGATour:Houston Open GOLF

2p.m.KornFerry Tour:Club CarGOLF

2p.m.PGA Tour:Houston Open NBC

4p.m.PGA Champions: Hoag Classic GOLF

6p.m.LPGATour:Ford Championship GOLF HORSE RACING

2p.m.America’s Dayatthe RacesFS2 MLB

12:30 p.m.Kansas City at Atlanta MLBN

6:20 p.m.Cleveland at Seattle NBCSN NBA

2:30 p.m.L.A.Clippers at Milwaukee NBATV

6p.m. Houston at NewOrleans GCSEN

6:30 p.m.New york at Oklahoma City NBC

9p.m.Golden State at DenverNBC HOCKEY

noon Florida at N.y.RangersNHLN

6p.m.Chicago at NewJerseyNHLN TENNIS

11:30 a.m. Miami-WTATENNIS

2p.m.Miami-ATP TENNIS

Braun liftsLSU past Kentucky

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

No LSU freshman benefited more from preseason scrimmages than Mason Braun.

Despite arriving in Baton Rouge as the No. 1ﬁrst baseman in thenation, according toPerfect Game, Braun was not expected to be asignificant contributorfor LSUthisseason.Onpaper,there were alot of veterans he’d have to overcome to earn consistent at-bats.

But then he began to rake. He consistently tagged the ball against LSU pitching in the preseason, which earned him astart on opening day and plenty of playing time duringnonconference play

But he struggled after apromising start, falling out of the lineup as aregular and not recordinga hit since March8against Sacramento State.

Braun was back in the lineup Saturday against Kentucky.Despite his recent struggles, LSU coach Jay Johnson’sdecision paid off. Braun went 2for 4with four RBIs, including athree-runhome run in the fourth inning,inLSU’s 7-0 win overthe Wildcats at Alex Box Stadium.

“I thought he took somereally good at-bats on Tuesday,” Johnson said. “He hadn’tbeen in (the mixin alittle bit). Ithink he walkedthree times on Tuesday.Ithought he took agood at-bat last night against (Kentucky pitcher Jaxon) Jelkin, which were hard to come by “And Ifelt like thiswas agood matchup for him.”

Hitting eighth in alineup desperatefor more production, Braun doubled to drive in arun in the second inning before blasting aball over the heart of the plate in the fourth that resulted in the home run. The shot over the right-center fence was his second homer of the year “I just saw apitch up in the zone. It was acutter,I think,” Braun said. “And it just kept running in on the hands and …that’s our goal (is to get) pitches up in thezone and hit them hard.”

Braun’sstrong bat-to-ball skills made him an intriguing hitter entering the season, potentially as acomplementary piece to alineup that brought back four starters from last year’snational championship team. But as LSUhas continued to struggle —the Tigers were 9-10 over their last 19 games entering Saturday—perhaps they’ll need Brauntobemore than just ahelpful freshman “He’sgoing to be agood hitter,” Johnson said. “I’m really optimistic about whatMasoncan bring.”

Sophomore right-hander William Schmidtmadehis thirdcareer start inSoutheastern Conference play Saturday against Kentucky (21-5, 5-3 SEC), and it was easily his best outing of the three. Schmidt tossed 51/3 shutout innings with just

twowalks and six hitsallowed. He only struckout threebatters, but he avoided surrendering hard contact and threw52ofhis 88 pitches for strikes.

“It’sjust conﬁdence,” Schmidt said. “That’swhy I’m getting the balltostart the game; they have the most conﬁdence in me. Just again, the mindset thing. It’salways(about) thenextpitch.You can’tchange what’s already happened. Last year,maybe that would get to me.”

Schmidt exitedfor senior right-hander ZacCowan in the sixth. Despite beinga candidate to start Sunday’sgame, Cowan tossed 32/3 shutout inningswith seven strikeouts andjust onehit allowed. Including Saturday’s outing, Cowan has thrown 81/3

WOMEN’SSWEET 16 ROUNDUP

ON DECK

WHO: LSU (18-10, 3-5 SEC) vs Kentucky (21-5, 5-3)

WHEN: Noon, Saturday WHERE: AlexBox Stadium ONLINE: SECNetwork+

RADIO: WDGL-FM, 98.1 (Baton Rouge); WWL-AM, 870 (New Orleans);KLWB-FM, 103.7 (Lafayette)

RANKINGS: Kentucky is No.19 in D1Baseball’srankings; LSUis not ranked PROBABLE STARTERS: LSU —TBA;Kentucky —LHP Ben Cleaver(1-1, 2.45 ERA) PREGAME UPDATES: theadvocate.com/lsu ON X: @KokiRiley WHATTOWATCH FOR: LSU has not announced astarting pitcher.The Tigers could have savedseniorright-handerZac Cowan and handedhim the ball on Sunday, but coach Jay Johnson decided to use him in relief on Saturdayinstead. Cleaverallowedtwo earned runs in 323 innings last weekend against OleMiss. He also failed to escape the first inning against Alabama the week before.

scoreless inningsinSEC play after arocky start to the season in which he gave up sixearned runs in four innings against nonconference foes.

“When you’re down runs, and you’re chasing runs, and you just don’tknow what’scoming from him,” Schmidt said of Cowan, “he’salmost impossible to hit.”

Omar Serna also contributed two hitsfor LSU, and Steven Milam drove in two runs.

LSU (18-10, 3-5) and Kentucky ﬁnish their three-game series at Alex Box Stadium on Sunday First pitchisset fornoon, and the game will be availableto stream on SEC Network+.

SouthCarolinacruises into EliteEight

ByThe Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. Ta’Niya Latson scored 28 points and Raven Johnson added 18 to help topseeded South Carolina beatNo. 4 seed Oklahoma 94-68 on Saturday and advance to the Elite Eight of the women’sNCAA Tournament. South Carolina will facethe winnerofSaturday’sTCU-Virginia game on Mondaynightfor the chance to go to the Final Four in Phoenix from the Sacramento4 Regional.

The Gamecocks have advanced to the national semifinals in six of the past eight Final Fours and won three national championships during that stretch. Oklahoma was looking for its ﬁrsttripto the regional since the 2009-10 season, which was the Sooners’ last time in the Final Four

The Gamecocks (34-3)jumped out to astrong startbehind Latson, who was playing in her first Sweet16. The senior guard played the first three yearsofher career at Florida State before coming to South Carolina this season. She scored eightofthe team’sfirst 10 points as the Gamecocks went up 10-0. Johnson scored nine points as

theGamecocks were up 23-13 after theﬁrst quarter Oklahoma(26-8) turned the ball over on three of its ﬁrst four possessionsinthe secondquarter and SouthCarolina took advantage. Latson’sfour-point play with 46 seconds left in the half made it 4728. The Sooners got astop on the next possession, but Sahara Williamsmissed awide-open layup just before the buzzer Latson finishedthe first half with 18 points and Johnsonhad 16. Second-team AP All-American Joyce Edwards wasscoreless in the opening 20 minutes. It didn’t matter as theGamecocks had enough offensefromLatson and Johnson

South Carolina got Edwards more involved in the second half as shescored theteam’s ﬁrst four points in the third quarter as the Gamecocks gave Oklahomano shot at acomeback.Edwards ﬁnished with eight points and nine rebounds.

AaliyahChavez scored 21 points to leadthe Sooners, and Raegan Beers added 14.

NO.2 MICHIGAN 71, NO.3 LOUISVILLE

52: In Fort Worth, Texas, Olivia Olsonscored 19 points,fellow sophomore Syla Swords added 16

and No. 2Michigan overcame a sluggish start fora victory over Louisville.

TheWolverineswentona 16-0 run in thesecond quarter to erase an 11-pointdeﬁcit, their biggest, then broke atie in the thirdquarterbyscoring 17 consecutive pointsand cruising to their second Elite Eight, both in thepast ﬁve seasons. Michigan (28-6) tied aschool record for victories and will play top-seeded Texas on Mondaynight foraspotinthe Final Four Elif Istanbulluogluscored 18 points for the third-seeded Cardinals (29-8), who shot 35% and were outscored 49-16 over atwoquarterstretch from midway through the second to the middle of the fourth.

Olson, the top scorer among a bevy of sophomores leading both teams, missed four of herﬁrst ﬁve shots, and the Wolverines went more than six minutes without scoring to start thegame.

Te’YalaDelfosse, whohad 10 points, eight rebounds and two blocks,had a3-pointer during thesecond-quarterrun that she capped withathree-point play for Michigan’sﬁrst lead at 28-25.

NO.1 TEXAS 76, NO.5 KENTUCKY 54: In Fort Worth, Texas, Rori Harmon had 11 points, seven assists and six stealsand Texas beat fellow SEC member Kentucky,sending the top-seeded Longhorns to another Elite Eight.

Jordan Lee had 18 points while All-Americaforward Madison Booker had 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists for the Longhorns (34-3), who have an 11-game winning streak. Harmon also had seven rebounds. Amelia Hassett hit a3-pointer on the ﬁrst shot of the game for the Wildcats (25-11),but their only lead didn’tlastlong. Texas responded with15-0run, in the middle of whichHarmon had threedefensive rebounds and fourassists in aspanof90seconds. Texasisinthe Elite Eight for the thirdyearina rowunder coach VicSchaefer.Last year,itwent to theFinal Four forthe ﬁrst time since 2003. ClaraStrack, the 6-foot-5 center whocame fromVirginia Tech with coach Kenny Brookstwo years ago, ledthe Wildcatswith 16 points. Asia Boonehad 11 points while Teonni Key added 10 points andnine rebounds.

IN BRIEF FROM STAFFAND WIRE REPORTS

ErrorshurtCajuns softball in SBC loss at UL-Monroe

The defensive mishaps camein bunches for the UL softball team on Saturday in Monroe.

The Cajuns committed four errors in losing to UL-Monroe 5-4 in the second game of aSun Belt Conference series.

TheCajuns (20-15, 3-5Sun Belt) will try to avoidbeing swept by ULM (21-17, 5-3) when the teams meet in the series ﬁnale at noon Sunday It started promising for the Cajuns,who took a2-0 lead in the third on an RBI double by Mia Norwood and arun-scoring single by Mia Liscano. In the bottom of the third, twomisplayed ground balls preceded back-to-back tworundoubles to giveULM a4-2 lead UL tied it at 4-4 in the fourth before the Warhawks, whoplayed error-free, took a5-4 lead in the ﬁfth on Hollie Thomas’ single and Olivia Faggard’sdouble

LSUbasketball recruit asks for release from signing LSUbasketballrecruitKevin Thomasrequestedhis release from his signing with the Tigers, he announced on Instagram, two days after Will Wade’shiring. Thomas, afour-star recruit for theClass of 2026,madehis announcement on Instagram.Thomas is allowed to reopen his recruitment because of the coaching changes within the program

The 6-foot-6, 195-pound Thomas is ranked the No. 78 player in thecountry andthe No. 32 small forward, according to 247Sports. Thomas, who attends Sagemont Prep in Florida, committed to coach Matt McMahon on Oct. 17. The Tigers have three players whointend to enter the transfer portal that opensApril7:guards Dedan Thomas andRon Zipper and forward Jalen Reed.

U.S. horse Magnitude wins $12M Dubai Gold Cup

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates Magnitude beat race favoriteForever Young to winthe Dubai Gold Cup on Saturday in the ﬁrst major outdoors sporting eventsince theoutbreak of the Iran War.

The4-year-oldAmerican horse, ridden by Jose Ortiz and trained by Steven Asmussen, successfully resisted adetermined effort from Japan’s Forever Young with Ryusei Sakai on board,towin the almost $7 million ﬁrst prize. Meydaan wasthird, followed by Imperial Emperor,both Irish horses. There was $12 million in prize money forthe nine-horse race. Therace went ahead despite the cancelation of othermajor sporting events in the region sincethe United Statesand Israel launchedtheir initialattacksonIran on Feb. 28.

Hamlin qualifies firstat

Martinsville, his49th pole

MARTINSVILLE, Va.— Denny Hamlin earned his fifth pole position at Martinsville Speedway and 49th of his Cup Series career,tying him with NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Isaac for10th all time.

The Joe Gibbs Racing star turneda 98.241-mph lapSaturday in the No. 11 Toyota to beat William Byron, whose No.24Chevroletqualiﬁedsecondat97.957 mph forSunday’s400-lap race. With his win two weeks agoat Las Vegas Motor Speedway,Hamlin, 45, broke atie with Kevin Harvick for 10th on the all-timewin list in NASCAR’spremier series. He is twopoles away from tying the career total of Ryan Newman

Denver Summitshatters

NWSL attendancerecord

The expansion Denver Summit’smatch against the Washington Spirit on Saturdaybroke the National Women’sSoccer League record forattendancewith itsannounced crowd of 63,004. Fans at the Denver Broncos’ home stadium broke thepreviousNWSL recordof40,091 who attended BayFC’smatch against the Spirit lastseason at Oracle Park, home of the San Francisco Giants. In 2024, the Chicago Starsdrew 35,038 to agameagainst BayFC that wasplayed at Wrigley Field, hometothe Cubs.

The match wasthe Summit’s ﬁrst at home in Colorado. The team played its ﬁrst three on the road, going 1-1-1.

The game against theSpirit on Saturday ended in ascoreless draw

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU designated hitter Mason Braun leaps in the air in celebrationafter hittingahomerun against Kentucky in the fourth inning on Saturdayat AlexBox Stadium

“They’re extremely good against breaking balls, especially down in a count. They’re very, very tough to ﬁnish, and we’ve just got to ﬁnd our swagger again.”

UL starting pitcher Andrew Herrmann pitched well enough to win, allowing three runs on six hits, two walks and seven strikeouts in seven innings.

“I thought he pitched his heart out,” Deggs said of Herrmann. “I thought he it wasn’t perfect, but man, under normal circumstances, he gave us a chance to really win that ballgame.”

But at times, the senior southpaw is susceptible to solo home runs, and that bit again Saturday ULM scored the game’s first run in the second when Haggard singled and scored on Kade Dupont’s sacrifice fly to center.

The Cajuns scratched across a run in the ﬁfth when Noah Lewis led off with a double to left and scored on Josh Lim’s ﬁelder’s choice ground ball to second. UL later loaded the bases in the inning but stranded all three runners.

“It’s hard right now to string anything together,” Deggs said. “One good thing and then we go out, out — maybe a positive out.

So it’s just about sustaining good at-bat after good at-bat.

“That’s what good lineups do. We’ve got to work to get that going, and keep heading in the right direction.”

Stranding those runners in the fifth — and 10 for the game — loomed large for UL when Bryce Blazer and Dayne Wray both hit solo homers in the top of the sixth for a 3-1 ULM lead.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Cajuns had runners on the corners with one out but a double play ended the threat.

Another double play ended a two-on, oneout threat in the eighth for the Cajuns.

“That’s what happens when balls are constantly on the ground or rolled over. That’s what’s going to happen,” Deggs said. “The game’s not set up to get jammed 0-0.

“Anytime you’re hitting balls the wrong way, ultimately, you’re going to get taxed for it.”

Donovan LaSalle’s leadoff homer in the seventh got UL within 3-2, but Haggard greeted reliever Garret Carter with a double and scored on Dupont’s one-out single for a 4-2 lead.

ULM starter Brandt Corley got the win after allowing one run on four hits with five walks and five strikeouts in five-plus innings.

Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@theadvocate.com.

LSU

Continued from page 1C

“Jayden Heavener gave us a great one today,” LSU coach Beth Torina said. “I knew in the research that they hadn’t seen an arm like her this year I even looked back last year and thought they hadn’t, somebody with what she does.

“I didn’t know how it would play out because there wasn’t a ton of tape on them. I hoped it would and it did; she was great, she executed the plan beautifully, being herself and attacking them in her own way ” Heavener (8-6) struck out four, walked two and hit two batters while working around a pair of threats She got a boost by pitching most of the game with the lead after Alix Franklin delivered a sacrifice fly in the first inning off Parker, the Sooners starting pitcher Heavener threw 99 pitches, 64 for strikes, for her 10th complete game.

“I needed to go out there with my best stuff and not be timid, throw my game and make them get themselves out,” Heavener said. “I let my defense work and my offense came through with an amazing home run by Kylee.

RABALAIS

Continued from page 1C

Conference record for most points per game in a season, averaging exactly 95 per contest. This team also earned a No 2 NCAA regional seed, the highest under Mulkey and tied for the Tigers’ best since the 2008 Final Four team. Even LSU’s 202223 national champions were a No. 3 seed. In the end, there were no banners, trophies or championship rings for the fingers of this team. What Mulkey has established at LSU has set a high standard for the program, higher even than the halcyon days of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers Seimone Augustus and Sylvia Fowles, who combined to lead the Tigers to five straight Final Fours from 2004-08. There is frustration to a season that ended up being very good but not great after an NCAA crown followed by two straight trips to the Elite Eight, because great is what is expected from LSU again. Women’s college basketball is a highly stratified sport. There are teams on the highest plateau, like this year’s No 1 seeds: UConn, UCLA, South Carolina and Texas. Then there’s the next plateau That’s where this LSU team, Vanderbilt Duke and maybe one or two others currently reside. Getting to that top plateau is a very tough ascent. LSU has been close to it the past three seasons since that Angel Reese-led title run in 2023, but not quite there. Against the very best teams on its schedule — Duke (twice), South Carolina (twice), Texas (twice) and Vandy LSU was a combined 2-5. Again, that’s very good. Not elite. LSU lacked the consistency to get there, particularly because it didn’t have dominant post play Maybe one more season from Aneesah Morrow might have gotten the Tigers back to the Final Four

“(I used) pitch combinations, working the zone and hitting my spots. They are all hard outs. It’s working my own game, knowing what I can throw to the zone.”

The only run she allowed was unearned when Kai Minor singled with one out and scored on a throwing error by LSU third baseman Avery Hodge on a bunt by Ailana Agbayani. Hodge had entered the game as a defensive replacement in the sixth inning.

LSU got the early lead when Jalia Lassiter and Sierra Daniel walked to start the game and moved up on Tori Edwards’ grounder Franklin’s fly ball to deep center field scored Lassiter easily In the fourth, Franklin singled for LSU’s first hit and Kylee Edwards hit a 1-0 pitch into the center-field bleachers for her fourth homer, and third in the last five games. She has raised her batting average 73 points to .295 with 15 hits in the last 11 games.

“I was looking, ‘See ball, hit ball.’ ” Edwards said of the home run. “Yesterday, I got a lot of off-speed pitches. Today, a little bit of both. If it’s a strike, I’m going to swing at it.

“It goes back to the work I’ve put in the cages. I had a good weekend last weekend so that really helped my conﬁdence. Yesterday, I had really good swings but hit it right to the second baseman and right ﬁelder.”

Morrow is long gone to the WNBA. So now is Johnson, who departs LSU as one of the stylish players the Tigers have ever had. From a pure talent standpoint, though, the Tigers will ﬂourish in 2026-27 if they can retain their core players Williams, MiLaysia Fulwiley, Jada Richard, Grace Knox, Kate Koval, ZaKiyah Johnson — which is always an iffy proposition in the transfer portal era. These Tigers will all be a year older and have even more chemistry Experience counts for an awful lot in the college game, though LSU could certainly beneﬁt from adding another big with some bite in the portal.

As for Mulkey, well, the season may end but never the story She’s been the subject of recent unsubstantiated internet rumors that she is on the verge of retirement, rumors that came up in Friday’s postgame news conference.

Mulkey will be 64 before next season tips off, so in a way such things are to be expected, irresponsible though they are. But she vehemently shot them down Friday

“I have no clue where that stuff comes from,” Mulkey said. “I’ve never ever told anybody that.”

Mulkey is unquestionably closer to the end of her head coaching career than the beginning. Just as unquestionably, the ﬁre clearly still burns.

One imagines a season ending in the Sweet 16 — just her fourth in her past 16 seasons between LSU and Baylor (not counting the pandemic season of 2019-20) that didn’t AT LEAST end in the Elite Eight — will stoke that ﬁre even more.

Mulkey spoke about building a mature program this season. It’s a program that won its NCAA title ahead of its time. Becoming the elite of the elite remains the goal.

Email Scott Rabalais at srabalais@theadvocate.com

Mulkey

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — No, Kim Mulkey is not ready to call it quits on her coaching career

Mulkey said in a news conference Friday that she is, in fact, returning to the sidelines for a sixth season with the LSU women’s basketball team. The viral rumors that ﬂoated around the internet before the No. 2-seeded Tigers lost to Duke in the Sweet 16 on a buzzer-beater, she said, are not true.

“I’m not retiring,” Mulkey said “Do I look that bad?

“I don’t know where that came from. I’m only 63. And I’m healthy, with a few stents in my heart. Doctor says I’m good to go. I have no clue where that stuff comes from, guys. I’ve never ever told anybody that.”

The rumor appears to have originated from a pair of X accounts that claim to be “LSU insiders.” Their posts that said Mulkey was retiring at the end of the 202526 season looked like social-media news reports, and as of early Saturday morning, they had accumulated more than 200,000 impressions.

Late Friday night, a reporter asked Mulkey whether the rumors were true, and she said people were “blowing up” her phone with that same question.

“There are moments where you feel like, ‘Why am I doing this?’ ” Mulkey said. “But I don’t get how people can just write crap on social media. That has to make you all feel really bad as journalists.”

Mulkey, who’s under contract through the 2032-33 season, also said that sometimes opposing coaches try to use her age and experience against her in recruiting. Some of them, she said, ﬂoat the possibility that she could soon retire, given the fact that she’s more than 40 years into her coaching career She spent 16 seasons as an assistant at her alma mater Louisiana Tech before she accepted the Baylor head coaching job in 2000. She took over at LSU in 2021.

During Mulkey’s tenure, the Tigers won the 2023 national title and advanced to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament in four consecutive years. They reached the Elite Eight in both 2024 and 2025, but in 2026, they fell just short of that round of the tournament.

LOSS

Continued from page 1C

“They just grabbed them at the important times,” Williams said. “We couldn’t get them when it mattered.”

Rebounding was an issue LSU had to solve this season but only for a brief twogame stretch. The Tigers didn’t corral enough boards in close losses to Kentucky and Vanderbilt to begin SEC play leading associate head coach Bob Starkey to order a rebounding bubble a funky-looking, old-school contraption that trains rebounding instincts.

LSU ﬁrst snapped the bubble onto the rim in practice before it faced Georgia on Jan. 8, and the Tigers didn’t lose a battle on the boards for two months.

The Tigers ended their SEC slate of matchups ranked second in the league in offensive rebounds per game (15.4) and ﬁrst in defensive rebounds per game (31) No SEC team had a wider average rebounding margin than LSU (+13.6 boards per game).

Duke figured out a way to force that problem to resurface.

The Tigers forced enough missed shots (42), but they let the Blue Devils rebound almost half of them (20), which both limited LSU’s transition opportunities and gave Duke second chances to score — none more consequential than the one that decided the game.

“It can weigh on you mentally late in the game,” Lawson said, “when you squander a lead and the other team takes it.

“We stayed so strong in those huddles. All their eyes were on me, and we were very purposeful in what we wanted to do, and

Mulkey said she plans to fill the two openings on her coaching staff and begin evaluating players in the transfer portal. Flau’jae Johnson and Amiya Joyner are the only contributors who exhausted their eligibility when LSU lost Friday. The rest of the Tigers can return for another

our execution on that last play was great.” The shot that Lawson was referring to brought Johnson’s collegiate career to an end. She was teammates with Williams for three seasons but the star duo never found a way to see what it could accomplish together in the Final Four On Friday, they combined to score 35 points on 12-of-30 shooting. Johnson will go down as an all-time LSU great. She was a key contributor to the school’s only basketball national title. She then blossomed into a star leading the Tigers to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament in three consecutive seasons. Williams can return to LSU next season. So, too, can Fulwiley and the rest of roster, except for senior forward Amiya Joyner Mulkey said Friday that she will soon ﬁll the two vacancies on her coaching staff and dive into the transfer portal. Because the Tigers are losing Joyner, they have a clear need to add at least one transfer post player The only freshman on next year’s team is 6-foot-2 wing Lola Lampley — a top-30 national recruit, according to ESPN The loss to Duke will linger for a while. Mulkey knows exactly what went wrong, and she’ll be thinking about it in the days, weeks and months ahead.

“We just couldn’t get three stops in a row,” Mulkey said. “We couldn’t rebound the ball so that we could take off in transition It was kind of like we were moving in mud.

“But we did ﬁght to the bitter end and put ourselves still in a position to win.”

The Tigers just didn’t seal the deal, and they continue to search for a way back to the Final Four

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

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU shortstop Kylee Edwards tags Oklahoma runner Allyssa Parker in the second inning of their game Saturday at Tiger Park LSU won 3-1.

ALL-METRO SOCCER

GIRLS

PLAYER OF THEYEAR

PROVIDED PHOTO

Teurlings Catholic forward BrileyLeBouef scored ateam-high 24 goalsand added 11 assistsasthe Rebels advanced to the state championship match.

BRILEY LeBOUEF TEURLINGSCATHOLIC, JR. • FORWARD

When it came to Teurlings Catholic’s BrileyLeBouef, coach Dave Lapeyrouse knewitwas amatter of timebefore she became an offensiveforce

That time came this past season, LeBouef’s junior year,asshe helped theRebels finish 15-6-3 and reach the Division II state championship game.

“Briley’sreally matured as aplayer,” Lapeyrouse said.“She’salwaysbeen one of our more skillful and technical players. I thinkthis year was one of those yearswhere fromamaturityand mental standpoint, she approached each game withthe right competitivementality.She scored some really big goals for us this year,especially in the playoffs, and that really helped us to have a great season.”

LeBouef was one of the Rebels’ biggest playmakers, scoring ateam-high24goals

and adding11assists as Teurlings finished as the staterunner-up afterfalling2-0 to St. Scholastica.

“She led our team in goals, but she also led thedistrict in goalsscored,”Lapeyrouse said.

“What makes her so tough is that she is really composed on the ball, and she is really good technically.Weuse the word dynamic, and shereally is adynamicplayerwith good ball control.”

For her efforts, LeBouefwas named the Acadiana Advocate’sPlayerofthe year

“I thinkitiswell-deserved,”Lapeyrouse said.

“I thinkthereare alot of really good players in Lafayette andthisyear she was abletocome through on areally young team and be an impact (player) to help us gettothe final.She has alot of potential,and Ithink next year is going to beevenbetter forher.”

EricNarcisse

GIRLS COACHOFTHE YEAR

DAVE LAPEYROUSE TEURLINGSCATHOLIC

Fielding ayouthful and inexperienced team, it’sunderstandable manydidn’t knowwhat to expect from Teurlings Catholic. But all season, the Rebels rose aboveit. The result was arun to the Division II state final, their first since 2019 when theywerein Division III.

GIRLS ALL-METRO TEAM

BRILEY

LEBOUEF TeurlingsCatholic, Jr

MYLIA

PAYNE Southside, Jr

AUBREY

HOPTON Acadiana Renaissance, Sr

SKYLAR

STUTES St.ThomasMore, So

JUSTYSE

GEORGE Teurlings Catholic, Sr

Teurlingsfell shortintryingtoget the program’s first state title in sevenyears in a 2-0loss toSt. Scholastica in the final

For his efforts and the success of his team, Lapeyrouse was named the Acadiana Advocate’sgirls soccer Coach of the year EricNarcisse

KEIRA LEWIS David Thibodaux, Sr

AMELIE

TRAPPEY Catholic-New Iberia,Jr.

COLLINS MECHE TeurlingsCatholic, Fr

MARGARET

ODOM AscensionEpiscopal,Fr.

ZOEI THIBODEAUX VermilionCatholic, Sr

GIRLS SECOND TEAM

GUINN

BROUSSARD TeurlingsCatholic, Jr

MARLEY

BARNHILL Southside, Sr

SYDNEY BABINEAUX St.ThomasMore, Sr

OLIVIA

GIROUARD Acadiana Renaissance, Jr

JILLIAN ARMENTOR Catholic-New Iberia, Jr

Ellender Martin, North Vermilion; AvaPfeifer,Lafayette High; KenzyArabie,Acadiana; Elise Kennison, Lafayette Christian; Mary-Katherine Fontenot,Westminster Christian; Emma-Kate Rogers, Southside;Reide Sizemore,AcadianaRenaissance; Ani-Catherine Landry, St.Thomas More;Autumn Shrick, St.Thomas More; HollynnStorms,Teurlings Catholic; Anna Miles-Brook, Catholic-N.I.; Lila Oubre,North Vermilion; AudryVige, ESA; Elise Howes, David Thibodaux;Ella Rebert, Cecilia

BOYS PLAYER OF THEYEAR

TeurlingsCatholic forward Carson Dwyer movesthe ball upfieldagainst St. Thomas More in aDivisionIIstate semifinal match on Feb.21inLafayette. Dwyer,who had an incredible playoff runinwhich he scored 12 goals, finished with 35 goals and 10 assists in leading Teurlingstothe Division II state championship.

SR • FORWARD

Itwasn’tthe number of players Teurlings Catholic lost from the2025 Division II state runner-up team that concerned coach Stephen Devine. It wasthe qualityofthe players. Devineknewfor the Rebels to make arun at astate final return, several players— ledby Carson Dwyer —wouldhavetocomethrough. And theydid.

Dwyer was good during the regular season, but was outstanding in the playoffs

“I think that he showeda differentpartof himself throughout the playoffs,” Devine said.

Dwyer had hat tricks in the firsttwo playoff matches before scoring an incredible six goalsina 6-4 winoverCentralLafourche in the quarterfinals.The Rebels went on to beat Prairieville 2-1 in the state final.

“It’sfunnybecause yousee him everyday in training,you know the qualities that he has and what he’scapableofinevery session andevery game,and wheneveryou seeit, honestly, some of it is surprising,” Devine said. “Tosee howgood he is technically,and howhe finishedunderpressure. There wasalot of

stuffthat impressed me about him especially during playoff time.”

Dwyer finishedwith 35 goals and 10 assists to lead the Rebels(18-7-1) to the Division II state championship.

For his efforts, Dwyer wasnamed the Acadiana Advocate’s Playerofthe year “That’sawesome. It’swell-deserved,”Devine said.“The kid lovesthe sport. He loves Teurlings and he loveshis teammates.” Devine said the best is yettocomefor Dwyer,who will continue his career at Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi.

“His work ethic is neverquestioned,”Devine said of the 6-foot-1Dwyer.“His commitmentto himself, and Idon’t meanthat in aselfish way. I meanitinhim wanting to constantly getbetter There’sa lot of traits that he has that players are capable of having,but youhavegot to be committed.you’vegot to be passionate about the sport and about development.That, along with his size, and his really good technical ability is all what makeshim such agood player.”

EricNarcisse

BOYS COACHOFTHE YEAR STEPHENDEVINE TEURLINGSCATHOLIC

One year after finishing as the state runnerup,Teurlings Catholic boys soccer coach Stephen Devine was confidentthe Rebels could getback to the title game and win it all. The Rebels provedhim right, as theyused their combination of talentand experience to winthe DivisionIIstate championship. It

BOYS ALL-METROTEAM

ELLISON HAYNES

David Thibodaux, Sr

LUKE FINLEY

St.ThomasMore, Sr

LUKE

BREAUX

TeurlingsCatholic, Sr

CARTER

SCHWARTZ St.ThomasMore, Sr

CARSON

DWYER TeurlingsCatholic, Sr

wasTeurlings’ first soccerchampionship since 2009. For his efforts and the success of his Rebels, whowere18-7-1, Devine wasnamed the Acadiana Advocate’sboyssoccer Coach of the year

EricNarcisse

ROBERT CALIDONIO Beau Chene, Sr

HAYES TROTTER AscensionEpiscopal,Sr.

LUKE

VIATOR TeurlingsCatholic, Jr

WYATT SAGRERA NorthVermilion,Sr.

LOGAN

BOUDREAUX TeurlingsCatholic, Sr

BOYS SECOND TEAM

HAYES

BEAULLIEU AscensionEpiscopal,Sr.

LUKE

McLAIN VermilionCatholic, Sr

OZZY

MARTINEZ Acadiana,Sr.

NOAH

BEGNAUD Southside, Sr

SEBASTIAN ZAGRAI Lafayette High, Sr

Luke Brown,Teurlings; Koen Jones, David Thibodaux; McClane Proffitt,Westminster Christian; Cameron Foret,Ascension Episcopal; WilliamSonnier,St.Thomas More; Eden Schlabach,Teurlings; Marcus Franco, Beau Chene; Peyton Chapman,Acadiana Renaissance; John Parker Rholdon, Ascension Episcopal; Landon Tierrablanca, Lafayette Christian; Bennett Hargrave, Erath; Aiden Landry,Cecilia; TrevorMiller,Southside; Evan Trahan, Lafayette High; AustinDomingue,Acadiana

CARSON DWYER TEURLINGSCATHOLIC,

STAFFFILE PHOTOByBRAD BOWIE

Southside boys claim their ﬁrst track title

BY ERIC NARCISSE Staff writer

Southside’s Josh LaBorde has more than two decades of coaching experience.

Despite his wealth of experience, LaBorde entered this season having coached only one year of track and ﬁeld, and that came last year at Southside.

In just his second season at the helm, LaBorde led the Sharks to do something no one before him had been able to accomplish: win a track meet.

Behind a performance that required contributions from everyone, the Sharks’ boys scored 76 points to win the Beaver Club Relays on Friday It was the Sharks’ boys ﬁrst track and ﬁeld victory in school history

“It feels awesome,” LaBorde said. “I’m just so happy for the boys. I saw a lot of great grit and effort, and we had a lot of PRs (Friday) We didn’t individually win a lot of events, but the guys really pushed to give their best effort.”

The Sharks only won two events — 110 hurdles (Ryan Benoit, 15.49 seconds) and the 200 meters (Cameron Allen, 22.04) — but earned a handful of second and third places.

“It’s a team sport, and that’s what I’ve been trying to teach them, because a lot of people don’t think that,” LaBorde said. “But when you go in and give your best, it helps the team. Your best may only be a fourth or ﬁfth place. But when you do it as a team, you can come out together as a champion.“

Rounding out the top ﬁve ﬁnishers after the Sharks were Lafayette Christian and St Thomas More in a tie for second, Northside with 64 and Acadiana with 61.

“I kind of felt like we had a chance to win this meet coming in,” LaBorde said. “Every track coach

“It feels awesome. I’m just so happy for the boys. I saw a lot of great grit and effort, and we had a lot of PRs (Friday). We didn’t individually win a lot of events, but the guys really pushed to give their best effort.”

JOSH LABORDE, Southside coach

kind of does what they call a paper meet, where you look at the entries. I told a couple of the coaches, I think we got a chance. So, you’re telling young teenage boys you got a chance to win this meet, and you haven’t done it before, so they really don’t know how to respond. Everybody just bought into their role.“

Considering the amount of talent throughout Lafayette Parish, LaBorde said winning the Beaver Club means even more.

“Personally I think winning this meet really ranks up there because Lafayette Parish has some awesome schools. Being able to show that we have the athletes that can compete at this level is really big for us. I think it is something that we can build on and keep growing it into something special.”

LaBorde said the moment was “surreal” when it was announced that the Sharks had won the meet.

“It is really unspeakable words,”

LaBorde said “I’m just so proud because even some guys that were upset with their final finish, but they still were competing at a high level. Really pushing themselves forward, I saw guys diving at the ﬁnish line. I’m very proud of them. Words really can’t describe it.”

Email Eric Narcisse at enarcisse@theadvocate.com.

Delcambre high jumper sizzles at Panther Relays

BY NEAL MCCLELLAND

Contributing writer

Delcambre junior Emma Smith’s 2026 track season can be described with two words — on ﬁre.

Starting with claiming a state indoor state title in her signature event, the high jump, Smith moved on to the outdoor season where she won at Texas A&M, set a personal and school record at 5 feet 10 inches and is expected to compete at the Texas Relays next week.

On Friday night at CatholicNew Iberia, though, she added a new set of logs to an already burning ﬁre as she cleared 6 feet for the first time in her career winning the high jump event, setting a meet record and setting a Delcambre school record in the process.

Oh, and, by the way she became the No. 1 jumper in the state this year and is in the top ﬁve nationally this season.

“I was thrilled, happy and excited to ﬁnally clear 6 feet,” Smith said. “I had been stuck at 5-10 for three weeks.

“I knew it was going to happen sooner or later It just happened sooner.”

Smith then tried to top her own record at 6-1 but missed on three straight attempts.

“I was so excited about clearing 6 feet that I probably didn’t do all my best at the next height,” she said.

Still, setting a new record and breaking a personal goal has inspired her to go even higher

“Now that I know I can top 6 feet. I know that I can do 6-1, 6-2 and above,” she said. “ And it gives me a lot of conﬁdence going

competed to Texas Relays next week.”

Another indoor state champion, Catholic-New Iberia’s Eli Parich, who is also the reigning state champion in Class 2A pole vault, didn’t have a great meet Friday but still won his signature event comfortably

He has also been burning up the charts this season.

Two weeks ago at Erath, Parich broke Gavin Gautreaux’s longstanding school record of 17-1.5 feet, going 17-2.

“I wasn’t feeling my best today and only cleared 15-6,” he said.

“I didn’t jump last week, and it turned out to be a pretty hot day and I don’t think I was quite ready to jump, but I still managed to jump well enough to win.”

Now that the school record is his and he’s cleared 17 feet as well, the Catholic junior has two new goals for the rest of the outdoor season.

SCOREBOARD

Johnson 6-15 1-2 13, Richard 3-8 0-0 6, Williams 6-15 9-9 22, Joyner 4-8 1-1 9, Knox 3-6 1-1 7, Fulwiley 11-17 4-4 28, Hines 0-0 0-0

0, Totals 33-71 16-17 85 Duke 24 23 20 20 — 87 LSU 19 21 25 20 — 85

3-Point Goals—Duke 7-26 (Fournier 0-1, Jackson 2-8, Mair 4-10, Nelson 0-1, Wood 0-2, Roberson 1-4), LSU 3-8 (F.Johnson 0-2, Williams 1-4, Fulwiley 2-2). Assists—Duke 16 (Jackson 5), LSU 8 (Fulwiley 4). Fouled Out— LSU Knox. Rebounds—Duke 41 (Roberson 10), LSU 41 (Joyner 6, Knox 6). Total Fouls— Duke 16, LSU 19. Technical Fouls—None.

A—9,446. College softball

State scores, schedule

Friday’s games Lamar 5, Nicholls 0 Southeastern 12, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 2 Alcorn 7, Southern 0 Oklahoma 3, LSU 2 ULM 4, UL 1 Saturday’s games Southern 9, Alcorn 4, Gm. 1 Southern 10, Alcorn 7, Gm. 2 Southeastern 6, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 0, Gm. 1 Southeastern 4, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 0, Gm. 2 LSU 3, Oklahoma 1 Lamar 7, Nicholls 2 ULM 5, UL 4 Sunday’s games Oklahoma at LSU, 11 a.m. UL at ULM, noon College baseball Friday’s games Alabama-Birmingham 9, Tulane 6 UL-Monroe 5, UL 3 Southeastern 13, UNO 11 Northwestern State 12, Nicholls 2 Prairie View A&M at Southern, n Kentucky 7, LSU 4 Saturday’s

“I want to defend my state title and I want to go for 18 feet,” he said. “I think I have a good chance of doing both before the season ends.”

Catholic-New Iberia junior Dylan Nelson is starting to turn up the heat on his outdoor season.

For three consecutive weeks, he has improved his personal record in the high jump and ﬁnished second Friday night. He jumped 6 feet, 6 inches, which is 4 inches better than he did last week.

The only reason why he missed out on first place was that the winner of the event had fewer misses.

“I’ve really been improving from week to week,” Nelson said. “I’ve also been competing in the long jump. Last year, I ﬁnished fourth in the high jump at the state meet, and my goal this year is to ﬁnish in the top three and on the podium.”

PHOTO By LEAH MCCLELLAND

Delcambre’s Emma Smith wins the high jump at the Panther Relays at Catholic High of New Iberia on Friday.

DannyHeitman AT RANDOM

springtime Louisiana, nature often crosses thethreshold

Ididn’tmean to start something when we replaced our roof in January. But our new set of shingles soon pointed us to other things that needed to be ﬁxed: the rotting windowsill, the cracked siding, the lattice along acarport so frayed by the years that it looked like lace nibbled by moths.

So we’ve been writing checks to men who arrive in trucks, and they work their magic with lumber,caulk and paint. Looking around our place in these early days of spring,I sometimes feel as if our house is agrand old ship in drydock, getting its seams sealed so we can safely sail through the wet and wind of another Louisiana summer What’spleased me most,I guess,was the arrival of our handyman, Bob, to refasten the threshold on our front door.It had ﬁnally worked loose after bearing amillion footsteps— the back and forth of afamily that has never quite decided which is best, going out or coming home. Like most gifted carpenters, Bob loves alevel surface and astraight line, and it was a joy to see him plumb up the threshold and secure it,with aperfect grasp of geometry, where it needed to go. He had, with this simple repair,clearly redrawn aboundarybetween outside and in, and Ifelt that some small part of my world made sense again.

Even so, I’ve lived in Louisiana long enough to know that when spring arrives,the borderbetween outdoors and indoors is easily crossed.

That thought came to mind the other day when Ispotted a salamander,bright and brown as apenny,running across the floor of our den. Few of my physical skills have improved with age, but Ihave gotten better,Ithink, at catching the wriggly things that tend to trespass into our house in the warm months. I’ve learned to stalk my quarry slowly, usually with awash clothorhandkerchief as amakeshiftnet. Within aminute, I’d scooped up our visitor and returned him to the lawn. It was the year’s first skirmishina border war that willcontinue, I’m sure, for the next few months. Ilooked up from my keyboard one mild Louisiana day and spotted agreen lizardon one of our bookcases,asconfident in his claim to the shelf as avolume of Hemingway In

ä See AT RANDOM, page 4D

The newspaper is reintroducing its Cookie Contest at the Baker Fair from 2p.m. to 5p.m.April 12 at the Main Library, 7711 Goodwood Blvd., in Baton Rouge The first-place winner will receive a$100 gift card; second place, $75 gift card; and third place,$50 gift card.

The winners and their cookies will be featured in The Advocate’s Living section. For details andto enter the contest, go to ebrpl.co/ advocatecookiecontest.

BY JOANNABROWN Staff writer

InLouisiana, agoodseasoning blend is like alittle shakercan of gold. Many locallyowned restaurants andmarkets proudly offertheir proprietaryseasoning, available to bring homeand dust a little magic over your own recipes. Rising Louisianachefs often break into theculinary scene by creating personal spice blends, giving their brand a(hopefully) well-loved placeinyourpantry. AndLouisianans love to ship cannisters of their favorite blends to friends and family all over the country.After all, a productlike“Slap Ya Mama” Cajun seasoningisn’tavailable on shelves everywhere —but it can go on almost anything. That’sthe real power of agreat Cajunand Creole seasoning blend. If you’re new to Louisianacooking or don’thave the wherewithal for a long-simmering gumbo or rice and gravy,a little spiceisall you need to transport your food to bayou country

Popularized with the “blackening” spices usedtocreate iconic dishes like Chef Paul Prudhomme’s blackened redﬁsh, Louisiana-style

spice blends are simple to create, but offer the bold ﬂavors most associated with Cajun cooking —a mix of spicy,savoryand smoky found through the generous use of salt, pepper, onion,garlic,paprika and other herbsand spices, in varying amounts.

CobyBailey,the Lafayette fire captain and chef who won season 4 of “Great American Recipe,” created Captain CobyCajunSeasoning to bring attentiontohis YouTube cooking channel and growing Louisiana chef brand. His blend is peppery and savory,and cooks really well over aroasted chicken. As Bailey craftedthe recipe,hepaidattention to factors like whether it was too salt-forward, or if the cayenne neededbalancing —only working with thespiceshehad in hiskitchen.

ä See TARGIL, page 4D

“The out-of-state marketispretty big.There’sjust somethingabout gettingyour Cajun seasoning made in theheartofCajun country— they’re willing to payfor something that’s Cajun certified.” JADE HUNDLEy,TargilSeasoning employee

LakeProvidence’s portalong the Mississippi River during low-water days in 2012 Merchant boatmen considered the community asafe havenalong the river

BY ROBIN MILLER Staff writer

PHOTOSByROBIN MAy

Targil Seasoning &Butcher Supplies is located in Opelousas. The packaging company, spiceshop and kitchen store specializes in creating private label blends for customers likeCaptainCoby, Best Stop and Slap ya Mama.

Brandon Fontenotunloadsapalate of freshlymadeseasoning at the Targil packaging plant March 13 in Opelousas.

Vote for the Louisiana Readers’ Choice Award

BY JOY HOLDEN and LAUREN CHERAMIE Staff writers

In 1999, the Louisiana Readers’ Choice Award was established to foster a love of reading in children throughout Louisiana by motivating them to vote for their favorite books. The ﬁrst award was given in 2000.

To date, more than 1.5 million books have been read, and 485,000 votes have been cast.

Each year, school-aged children vote for their favorites in fiction, nonfiction, graphic novels and poetry in four lists: kindergarten through second grade, third through fifth grade sixth through eighth grade and ninth through 12th grade.

Louisiana librarians and educators curate the lists.

“They get all into it,” said Amanda Jones, a librarian at Live Oak Middle School in Watson. “Their favorites this year were ‘Mexikid,’ ‘It Found Us’ and ‘The Labors of Hercules Beal.’ I’d say ‘Eb and Flow’ was also a heavy contender.” Jones, recently named to the 2025 Time 100 Next list for her advocacy work against censorship, was recently featured in the documentary “The Librarians.” She has spoken up for banned books and librarians in Livingston Parish.

Those who have read or listened to at least three nominated titles from the list can vote at library.la.gov/services/for-the-public/louisiana-readers-choice or by fax at (225) 342-3547.

This year’s competition features 52 titles total across the four distinctive grade level lists.

Some of the authors include Sara Shepard, best known for her “Pretty Little Liars” series, for the book “Penny Draws a Best Friend”; Lynne Cox, the first person to swim between the United States and the Soviet Union across the Bering Strait in 1987, for the book “Yoshi Sea Turtle Genius: A True Story about an Amazing Swimmer”; and Dave Eggers, author of “Zeitoun,” the true story of Abdulrahman Zeitoun, who stayed in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. Eggers’ book “Moving the Millers’ Minnie Moore Mine Mansion: A True Story” is nominated in the third through ﬁfth list.

Voting for Louisiana Readers’ Choice is limited to one vote per student, and voting ends May 1 Students who read or listen to all nominated titles on their list can receive a Certiﬁcate of Program Completion from the State Library For summer reading, ﬁnd the 2026-2027 nominated titles at https://tinyurl.com/29vafbw7.

Past winners

Last year, the following books won the 2024-2025 Louisiana Readers’ Choice Award:

n Kindergarten-second grade: “Acorn Was a Little Wild,” written by Jen Arena and illustrated by Jessica Gibson n Third-ﬁfth grade: “The Gardener of Alcatraz: A True Story,” written by Emma Bland Smith and illustrated by Jenn Ely

n Sixth-eighth grade: Swim Team,” by Johnnie Christmas

n Ninth-12th grade: “The Sunbearer Trials,” by Aiden Thomas

The Louisiana Readers’ Choice program is sponsored by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the Louisiana Center for the Book, the Louisiana Library and Book Festival Foundation, the Louisiana Chapters of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and the State Library of Louisiana.

Kelly Roussell opened her mobile romance bookstore,

and Love Letters, which travels around south Louisiana for popups and festivals.

The road to romance

BY JOY HOLDEN Staff writer

Growing up in Edgard, Kelly Roussell had access to books through the local library, but a local bookstore was not to be found. Inspired to bring romance novels to small towns in south Louisiana, Roussell bought a trailer last year and opened her own mobile romance bookstore, Lattes and Love Letters.

Roussell, a mother to a 3-year-old girl and 7-year-old boy is a respiratory therapist by day Although her days are ﬁlled with priorities and responsibilities, reading and operating a mobile bookstore are her passions. She makes time to do something she loves.

Roussell understands the power of a good book. Most of her life, she has enjoyed reading casually, but she truly became a bibliophile in 2019 when she was pregnant with her son. Diagnosed with preeclampsia, Roussell was prescribed bed rest.

“It kind of saved my mental health,” Roussell said. “I’m a romance girl. I love all things romance and romantasy I was in the house and I wasn’t doing anything, or I was in the hospital and I couldn’t move, so I started reading.”

She kept at it, and now she says she reads about 100 books a year She likes to sell books that she has read herself, so she can discuss them with her customers.

When Roussell decided to open a bookstore, she chose mobile over a brick-andmortar spot so she could be ﬂexible and bring the books to her customers. She keeps busy on the weekends, attending local markets and pop-ups.

“Literacy is important in the community,” Roussell said. “Reading romance is still reading. Bringing books to the community is important, and it’s also just fun for me. I love meeting new people, and

I love selling these books. It’s always a good time.”

Roussell keeps the mobile bookstore stocked with 250-300 books. She says her top ﬁve bestsellers are “Demon’s Dream: An Unexpected Love” by Elle Kayson, “For the Fans” by Nyla K., “Graves” by Katelyn Taylor, “Den of Vipers” by K.A. Knight and “You’ve Got a Place Here, Too: An Anthology of Black Love Stories Set at HBCUs” edited by Ebony LaDelle. Lattes and Love Letters also features local authors. Roussell likes to host them at her store so people can have their books signed.

The latte in Lattes and Love Letters comes from Roussell’s partnership with Try-Me Coffee Roasters out of New Orleans. The unique flavors, along with coffee mugs, are her most popular items. Her most popular coffee flavor is a caramel nut flavor, “Lattes and Love.”

One product that Roussell loves to put together is the Blind Date with a Book package. Customers can choose which genre of romance to be surprised with

One of Roussell’s bestsellers at Lattes and Love Letters is ‘you’ve Got a Place Here, Too: An Anthology of Black Love Stories Set at HBCUs.

and will receive a wrapped surprise book, cocktail recipe, reusable cup or mug and extra goodies like stickers, bookmarks and reading guides.

Two of her favorite events to attend are the Full Moon Market, a night market in Plaquemine, and the Look Who’s Reading Book Festival in Thibodaux.

“It’s about the experience,” Roussell said. “It’s about supporting someone in your community and making relationships with other readers. The conversations and connections are special.”

Lattes and Love Letters will be at Pints and Pages Book Club from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Grain Creations Brewery, 14141 Airline Highway, Baton Rouge. Roussell is also looking forward to BookTok Bash on the Bayou from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 18 in Plaquemine.

People can ﬁnd Lattes and Love Letters by following Roussell on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok

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

‘Theo of Golden’ book club discussion is Tuesday

Staff report

“Living with sadness accepting it, is easier than trying to pretend it isn’t there. It is another of life’s great mysteries that sadness and joy can coexist so compatibly with one another In fact, I wonder if, on this side of heaven, either one can be complete without the other.” — Allen Levi, author of “Theo of Golden”

The Louisiana Inspired Book Club is inviting all readers to join in the reading and discussion of “Theo of Golden” by Allen Levi at 7 p.m. March 31.

Mark your calendars to join the Louisiana discussion of the book, which will include a conversation among panelists

from around the state. The link for the discussion is https://www.youtube.com/live/ e1xQ5nOONvo?si=qe7De0YiKUlCUU6d

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

“Theo of Golden,” a small underdog of a book, was self-published in 2023 and has become a word-of-mouth hit. In 2025, it was acquired by traditional publishers Atria, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, for wider release and distribution.

The book is Levi’s ﬁrst novel. His pub-

lisher says he’s working on a second. “Theo of Golden” is about a mysterious, kind stranger named Theo who arrives in Golden, a small Southern city where he begins a campaign of anonymous generosity In doing so, he transforms lives through small acts of kindness, art and storytelling. The book explores themes of wonder connection and community

If you have a question for the discussion, email Jan Risher at jan.risher@theadvocate.com.

Sign up for notices for the Louisiana Inspired Book Club, which selects a book to read and discuss quarterly, here at www nola.com/book_club.

Jones

Louisiana mom opens mobile book store that travels around the state

PROVIDED PHOTOS

Lattes

TRAVEL

DeQuincy fest pays homage to area’s rich railroad history

Held April9-11,

BY COURTNEY PEDERSEN Staff writer

When most people hear southwest Louisiana, their minds go to Lake Charles and the energy industry.But the small towns throughout Calcasieu Parish have plenty to offer DeQuincy,just 25 miles north of Lake Charles, has arich railroad history. Every year,the town hosts the Louisiana Railroad Days Festival to pay homage to its past. The free festival, scheduled forApril9-11at the DeQuincy Railroad Museum, is areal exampleof small-town life, festival cochairman Tonya Thibodeaux said.

‘‘The hospitality is unmatched by everyone,” Thibodeaux said. “Whether it’sinthe washer board tournament or the bling your Tshirt or the face painting, you’ll just see the families together.You’ll seefriends together.Everybody’ssmiling.” Thibodeaux said Louisiana RailroadDays is one of the few completely alcohol-free festivals in the state. From scavenger hunts to gospel nighttopageants andT-shirt competitions, the festivaloffers avariety of events and focuses on making it something everyone can afford.

“Becauseitisa completely family-friendly atmosphere, with free parking and free entertainment, it helpsmake it alittle bit easier to go to the fair,” Thibodeaux said.

Visit Lake Charles Chief Marketing Ofﬁcer Timothy Bush said many festivals and events are the heartbeat of communities and provide alook at the culture and music tied to the area.

“When you look at the Railroad Festival,itisalso a festival that has along tradi-

tioninsouthwest Louisiana and certainly supports the awarenessofthe community of DeQuincy,” Bush said. “It’ssomething to helpbring people to thearea, andthat’s certainlyimportant for every communityto have a drawlike that.”

From fair to festival In 1897, DeQuincy was established by the KansasCity Southern Railroad andgrew into acommunity with the jobsthatwere provided by the railroad Years later,in 1963, mothers L.L. Irwin and Mickey Jameson wanted to finda way to raise money for the Campﬁre Girls and decided to start what was knownas the Country Fair With it being enjoyed by communitymembers each year, thefestival beganto growinsize.

After20years, DeQuincy

TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER

By ChristopherElliott

Mayor GaryCooper came to ameetingofthe DeQuincy Federated Service League to suggest that the Country Fair be changed to aRailroad Festival. Theclub membersagreed.

With thehelp of state Rep James David Cainand state Sen. Cliff Newman, it was broughttothe statelegislature andwas recognized as an ofﬁcial state fair

By the spring of 1984, it was ofﬁcially the Louisiana Railroad Days Festival.

“(The name)was natural becauseitisengraved in who we are,” Thibodeaux said. “Many of ourcitizens have retired from the railroad. Manyofour citizens still work for the railroad. It is still agreat part of who we are and what our city is now

Back then, it was almost a no-brainer.”

All themoney raised from thefestival goes back to the community

Thibodeaux said the festival funds scholarships for studentsfromDeQuincy, Singer,Starks and SouthBeauregard. Theyalso use the funds to help those in need in the community Festival schedule

Preparation forthe festival is well underway with T-shirtsand ride tickets already available forpurchase.

The ride tickets are$1 each in advance, but will be sold for at least $2 starting at 2p.m. April 9. To purchasetickets in advance, Thibodeauxsaidtheycan

call the Little Caboose at (337) 786-4056 to put them on hold.

Thursday,April 9

The festival is set to begin at 4:30 p.m.onApril 9 with an opening ceremony featuring Rhenly Hungerford and Hank Howard. The vendorbooths andcarnival rides open at 5p.m., along with amodel train show

Thenight will continue with children’sactivities beginning at 5:30 p.m

Friday,April 10

On Friday,vendor booths andthe model trainshow will start at noon, and rides open at 1p.m. Aparade will begin at 3p.m.

The night will end with hours of music starting with the Singer Junior High Choir at 5p.m.and Gospel Night at 6p.m.with local talent and the Louisiana AllState Choir headlining.

Saturday,April 11

The longest day of the festival starts at 8:30 a.m.with theRun theRails 5K Fun Run/Walk.

The festival, vendor booths and model trainshow open at 9a.m.The Bling Your T-shirt/Outﬁt Contest will also kick off at 9a.m.

“I’ve seen people sew on sleeves and collars to make it aprofessional shirt,” Thibodeaux said. “I’ve seen people take the shirts and completely transform it into acompletely blingedout dress withleggings to match. just phenomenal ideas.”

Following thecontest, rides will open at 10 a.m. with theRailroad Idol and OldTimers Reunionfollowing suit.

The festival’sﬁrst Washer BoardTournament will start at noon.

Aday full of music will ensue, starting with HeartAche from noon to 1:30 p.m and ending with Casey Chesnutt from 8p.m. to 9:30 p.m

Wheretostay

n Heritage Place Hotel &Suites, located at 1028 E.

Fourth St. is 0.7 miles from the DeQuincy Railroad Museum, a15-minute walk or 2-minute drive.

n Willow Ranch RV Park, 2021 La. 12 in DeQuincy, is located to the northeast of thetown of DeQuincy and offers full hookup sites and practical amenities forvisitors traveling witha camper or RV n BayouGlamping Co a new lodging option in southwest Louisiana, offers visitors achance to experience the outdoors and camping in amore glamorous fashion. Located at 3669 Cayton Road in Westlake, it’sa30-minute drive from DeQuincy

n L’Auberge Casino Resort, located at 777 Avenue It’safull resort with acasino,pool, spa andseveral restaurants just 35 minutes from the festival grounds. Wheretoeat

n Coconuts Cajun Grill, located at 1045 La. 27 in DeQuincy, is alocal familyowned restaurant that offers burgers, po-boysand boiled shrimp.

n El Tucan, 1577 E. Fourth St. in DeQuincy,offers classic Tex-Mex favorites like enchiladas, fajitas andburritos.

n Dave’sDiner serves American food and classic Southern diner food at 408 W. Fourth St.

n Jeanne’sBourbon Street BBQ in Westlake is located at 915 Sampson St.The restaurant is also home to a Winchester museum. The website states that the establishment is covered from wall to wall in “someofthe best andoldest Winchester riﬂes leftinthe world.”

n Tony’s Pizza, at 335E Prien Lake Road in Lake Charles, is afamily-owned restaurant that has been in thecommunity since1968 and consistently ﬁnds itself on the Top100 IndependentPizzerias in theUnited States by thePizza Today publication,according to its website.

Frontier Airlines melted stroller butwon’t payfor replacement

Frontier Airlines destroyed my child’s stroller during a flight from Phoenixto Seattle.When we picked it up, the plastic frame wasmelted —itwas completelyunsafetouse.

Christopher Elliott

I filed aclaim with Frontier,but theyrejected it, calling the damage“normal wear and tear.” Iappealed and filed asecond claim as requested, but after weeks of emails and follow-ups, Ihaven’t received aproperresponse. The stroller cost $179, and Ijust want the airline to cover the replacement. Can you please help? —Cheryce White, Sequim,Wash.

Wait, did you say Frontier melted your stroller? How do you melt agate-checked stroller?I mean, the cargo hold can’t be that hot, can it? Frontier Airlines should have kept your stroller safe and delivered it to youingood condition at theend ofyour ﬂight. When it failed, it shouldhave promptly investigated your claim and made afair offer to repair or replace the stroller,especially sincethe damage was obviously notjustnormal wear andtear Under U.S. Department of Transportation rules andstandard airline contracts of carriage, airlines are generally responsible for damage to checked baggage

—including strollers —unless they can prove the passenger failedtomeet reasonablepacking requirements. Some airlines don’t even acceptliabilityfor strollers, meaning you’re at thecompany’s mercy Frontier says it is notliable for a stroller unless packaged in ahardsided case.

(It’susually better to get asmall, foldable strollerand take it on the plane as acarry-on than to surrenderittoyourairline at thegate.)

Still, this policydoesn’texcuse returning amelted andwarped stroller withoutadequate compensation. The airlineshouldhave handledyourclaim quickly and

transparently,rather than denying it without explanation and ignoring your follow-ups. Filing adetailed claim immediatelyafter discovering damage is essential,which you did. Youalso escalated appropriately by following up andappealing the denial. It’simportant to keep all your correspondence and documentation, creating aclear paper trail. If the airline stalls, consider escalating to executives. Ipublish contact infofor airline executives, including Frontier Airlines, to help consumers do just that.

If allelse fails, you could ﬁle aclaim in small-claims court, especially since the value here is

under $200. Fortunately,that wasn’tnecessary.Icontacted Frontier on your behalf. After reviewing your case, the airline agreed to reopen the claim and offered to pay for anew stroller.Your case shows that being organized, polite and ﬁrm can make adifference —even when your stroller has ameltdownon the plane.

Christopher Elliott is the founderofElliott Advocacy,a nonproﬁtorganizationthathelps consumers solvetheirproblems. Email himatchris@elliott.org or get help by contacting himat elliottadvocacy.org.

STAFF PHOTO By COURTNEy PEDERSEN

LouisianaRailroad Days Festival is painted on amural in downtown DeQuincy PROVIDED

IquitFacebook andtappedintomyreal-life feed

BY SANDRA ZAID

Contributing writer

Human Condition

Iquit Facebook eight years ago. Iwalked away withthe solemn drama of someone abdicating an imaginary throne, likethere should’ve been atiny digital crowdgasping as Ipressed “deactivate.” There wasn’t,of course; just me,mylaptop and the uncomfortable realizationthat absolutely noone would notice. For years, I’d been curating this strange museum of repetitive selﬁes, political rants, and birthday reminders for people I’m pretty sure Ionce met in the ’70s near alocker but couldn’tpick out of alineuptoday

My feed felt less like real life and more like areality show written by algorithms —faker than a puppy ﬁlter and somehow louder than an actual puppy

Why did Iwalk away from Facebook? At some point it hit me: I couldn’t possibly have 800friends Ican’teven keep ﬁve houseplants

alive. Maintaining all those “connections” was basically emotional juggling with strangers who vaguely remembered my last name.

Icouldn’t possiblyhave 800 friends; Ican’tpossibly have 80 friends —true friends. So, Ileft. Iwalked away from the drama of two middle-aged neighbors

engaging in aheated showdown over the exact height of their garage sale lawn sign.

Iwalked away from my aunt’s numerous noble charitable deeds. These were largely unknown and highly questionable.

Iwalked away from my twicemarried niece’sexuberant life in

TARGIL

Continued from page1D

However,ifyou’re looking to scale, you need ingredients like granulated garlic and onion in industrial quantities. Every batchneeds to be consistent. And it helps if you have access to enormous mixers and production lines that can toss and churn andpackagethousands of pounds of seasoning in aday, then slap on alabel.

That’swhere Targil Seasoning &ButcherSupplies of Opelousas comes in. The packaging company,spice shop and kitchen store —they have an awesome amount of baking goods and cool kitchen tools, along with every spice you could need —specializes in creating privatelabel blends forcustomers like Captain Coby, Best Stop and Slap Ya Mama, whose signature bright yellow cannisters dominate Targil’sproduction lines Walking the factoryﬂoor as the scent of crab boil seasoning ﬁlled the air,manager Todd Lejeune said when acustomer comesforward with arecipe they want to bring to market, the process can take up to eight weeksof development

“It depends on how complex it is,” he said. “Sometimes, we have people come in and all of their measurements are in teaspoons, so we convert it to weight. They might buy their ingredients from agrocery store, and ours are alittle different. We’llmake recommendations, like garlic powder versus granulated garlic. The powder is going to harden up like arock in no time,so you’ll need to go with the granulated to put it on ashelf. Then we just continue to send samples until we get it right and custom to their blend.”

That’swhat the process waslikefor Coby Bailey,who worked with Targil to create his blend, which he tested out on friends, family and fire ﬁghters before scaling up.

“I started from the ground up, you know —half acup of salt, two tablespoons of cayenne pepper,atablespoonof black pepper.Then you go, ‘no, that’snot really good Let’schange it.’ And that’s how Igot to the blend Ihave

today,” saidBailey

“Targil made atest blend for me, but using theirseasoning wascompletely different from usingthe seasoning Ihad from Walmart or Super One. The onion powder Ihad was way milder,but when Iused the same amount with Targil’s seasoning, it overpoweredthe whole blend. We kept testing it until it cameout perfect.”

The company alsohelps with creating labels and submitting them for approval to the Louisiana Department of Health, which is anecessary step for selling in stores.

“The market is flooded with Cajun seasonings here in south Louisiana —itis what it is,” said Bailey.“It’s very hard to get shelf space. If seasonings don’tdowell, the stores kickthem off. It’s avery, very tough market, butifyou stay at it,and your seasoning’sgoodenough, you’regonna make it.”

Butseasoning isn’tjusta Louisianafavorite. Cajun spiceblends arepopular across the country —brands likeSlapYaMama have expanded nationwide —and Targil hasgrown alongside the craze for more spice.

“Theout-of-state market is prettybig.There’s justsomething about get-

ting your Cajun seasoning made in the heart of Cajun country —they’re willing to pay for something that’s Cajuncertified,” said employee Jade Hundley,whose grandfather, A.C. Bellard, founded Bellard’sPoultry and Mama’sFried Chicken in Opelousas.

The Bellards purchased Targil Seasoning from founder Ashton Guilbeaux and family in 1995, which is when theymoved into making customblends for privatelabels —a huge market waiting to be given an opportunity

According to Hundley,seasoning isn’tabout making food taste “Cajun.” It’sabout separating yourself from the rest of the pack —maybe exploring the nuances of different peppers in your blend —while staying in the lane of tradition. At theend of the day,itjust has to be good.

“In Cajun cuisine, everybody has their own twist People get creative and want to do something alittle different, put their own spin on it,”Hundleysaid. “They’re all similar,but also very different, and it all kind of ties into theCajun roots.”

Email Joanna Brown at joanna.brown@ theadvocate.com.

Chicago, New York City and Miami. Iknowshe struggles to pay her bills.

Yes, Iwalked away from fantastic stories no one could believe. Party after party.Perfectly made-upfaces. Slender bodies and extravagant manicures. Expensive dinners and gourmet dishes. Very expensive wine. I walked away from it all.

Idownsized my circle. Not in aminimalist, Scandinavianfurniture way—just in a“maybe Ionly need ahandful of actual humans” way Iamdownsized to my cellphone and to writing to the kind who texts back with words instead of cryptic reaction GIFs. When Istopped scrolling through other people’slives like it was anever-ending soap opera, somethingweird happened. Time appeared. Whole stretches of it. Empty and quiet and alittle terrifying, like when the power goes out andyou suddenly hear your own breathing.

So, Istarted reading again. Real books. Sentences with beginnings,

AT RANDOM

Continuedfrom page1D

or Proust. I’m no longer startled by thepresence of aJune bug who’smade its way into the living room

CURIOUS

Author Georgia Payne Durham Pinkston wrote in her 1977 book, “A Place to Remember: East Carroll Parish,La. 1832-1976,” that Captain Bunch and his “cut-throats” hid out in theold river cut-off, now known as Bunch’sBend.

“He and his crew would lie in wait for ﬂatboats going down theMississippi River enroutetoNew Orleans,” Pinkston wrote. “The pirates boarded the boats, killed thecrewmen and took their boats and goods.”

The boats were easy pickings,sothe boatmen treaded lightly Bunch’sBend was located approximately 10 miles northofthe town of Lake Providence. Reader Baker Boydinquired about how thetown, which stands across the river from Mississippi just below the Louisiana-Arkansas state line, got its name.

“My high school played basketball games in that area,” the Baker reader said. “I’ve always been curious as to how thetown got itsname.”

Asafehaven

Chris Sanders, director of the East Carroll Parish Library branch in Lake Providence, says thetown is named for God’sdivine protection.

“If theboatmen could makeitthrough that part of the river alive and without being robbed, they knew they were safe,” Sanders said. “So, they called that point in the river past the bend, ‘Providence.’”

Pinkston’sbook points out that atrading post stood at Providence, where theboatmen could regroup. She adds that themerchants ﬁnally ﬁgured out away to stop the slaughters.

“Eventually,agroup of Kentucky ﬂatboat crews tied their boats together and ﬂoated past thebend,” theauthor writes. “When Bunch and his men boarded, the well-armed crews met them andslaughtered every pirate, making the river safe.”

Butasisthe case with so manystories and legends, Pinkston pointsout asecond story associated with thetown’sname.

“The other account relates that when settlers moving westwardfrom theCarolinas, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi to homestead reached this beautiful lake abounding with all kinds of ﬁsh and thewoods ﬁlled with fruits and animals for food, they

middles and ends. Iwandered into corners of the internet where people argued thoughtfully instead of exclusively in memes.Mybrain, which had been surviving on digital junk food, remembered what vegetables tasted like.

The whole exit wasdeeply uncinematic.Noone beggedmetostay. No violins were playing. Facebook didn’tsenda search party.But Igainedthis small, miraculous thing: privacy.Silence. The blissful freedom of notknowing what my formerelementary school classmate hadfor breakfast. And it turns out that not knowing everything about everyone is its own kind of peace. So yeah, Itraded the digital circus foraquieter life. And honestly,itfeels alot morelike mine. —Zaid lives in Denham Springs. HumanConditionsubmissions of 600 wordsorfewer may be emailedtofeatures@ theadvocate.com. Stories will be kept on ﬁle and publication is notguaranteed.There is no payment forHumanCondition

and is thrashing itself against alamp. My wife has carried caterpillars in with the houseplants.

She also brings in less prickly gifts, such as a branch of azalea blossoms she placed in an urn-size vase this month. The white

gave thanks to Providence forthis bountiful supply,” she writes. “Many of them searched no further,but madetheir homes here.”

Between the two stories, Pinkston admits in her writing that the pirates are moreexciting. And Sanders sticks to that story at the library because, well, the pirate tale has roots.

The bend in the river north of Lake Providence is still named forCaptain Bunch, and the 18-mile road trail near the townalso bears the pirate’sname. As forthe boatmen transporting goods through the pirates’ gauntlet, they often were the sametravelers whotook the 500-mile Natchez Trace north toward home, because their boats were built only to ﬂoat downstream They sold their boats forlumber in NewOrleans, then hit the Natchez Trace by either foot or horseback, where they eventually faced anew set of bandits and criminals, which earned the route its nicknameof“The Devil’s Backbone.”

But the boatmen were looking to God while on the river.They were grateful to reach Providence, which wasthe town’soriginal namewhen its charter was adopted in 1812, the same year Louisiana becamea state. Yes, there was aLake Providence, but that name applied only to the oxbow lake leftformed when the Mississippi River changed course. The town, simply knownasProvidence, was forced to relocate more than amile east from its original location bank in 1848 because of the river’s ﬂooding.

Apostalmix-up

Itsname becameanissue with the postal service in the early 1900s when mailfrom Providence, Rhode Island, began getting mixed up with that of Providence, Louisiana.

So, Providence, Louisiana, becameLake Providence. Still, residents referred to the townbyboth names. According to Pinkston, state Rep. J. Martian Hamley sponsored abill in the Louisiana Legislature in 1935 to ofﬁcially rebrand the town’sname to conform with that on the Post Ofﬁce: Lake Providence. Another interesting story about the town happened in 1863, when Gen Ulysses S. Grant brought his Union Armyfor avisit to dig acanal to rejoin the oxbow lake to the Mississippi River.This story is documented by aLouisiana state historical marker on the town’sLevee Road. Grant’stroops occupied

Email DannyHeitman at danny@dannyheitman com.

the town, using it as asupply depot and base during the Vicksburg Campaign in 1862 and 1863.

Though Lake Providence is actually morethan 40 miles upriver from Vicksburg, Mississippi, Grant developed what he thought would be aperfect strategy forbypassing Confederate troops on the opposite side of the Mississippi River

Grant’scanal

He “ordered the digging of acanal here to connect the Mississippi and Lake Providence,” Pinkston writes. “Grant planned to take the Federal gunboats through the Tensas (River) and other streamsand bypass the guns of Vicksburg and approach the city from below.”

Troopsworkedunderthe direction of Gen. James McPherson from January to March1863, when they breached the levee. The canal was 100 feetlong andonly 5feet wide by thattime.The Mississippi’swatersrushed in with suchfury thatitﬂooded the town, andMcPhersonimmediately evacuated his troopstohigher ground.

“Grant’scanal remained an open ditch and abreeding ground formosquitoes until 1953,” Pinkston writes. “Sen. Russell Long, son of Huey P. Long, went to Congress at the urging of local people and introduced abill to have the government fill up the canal. According to areport, Sen. Long remarked, ‘Since the federal government dug it, it’sonly fitting that the federal government fill it up.’” The United States government complied, filling all but about 1,000 feet of the original canal, which can still be seen today from an elevated boardwalk and observation pier across Lake Street from the Byerley House Visitor Center The boardwalk also includes interpretive markers that tell the story of the area and provides a picturesque view of the oxbow lake.

Do you have aquestion about something in Louisiana that’sgot you curious? Email your question to curiouslouisiana@ theadvocate.com. Include yourname, phone number and thecitywhere you live.

Nicholas Elair loads bulk red pepper into gallon containers to be shipped at the Targil plant.

PHOTOSByROBIN MAy Jade Hundley, left, and Todd Lejeune walk through the Targil Seasoning &Butcher Supplies production plant March 13 in Opelousas.

AT THE TABLE

Setting a memorable Easter table comes with good food

BY MARIE DESORMEAUX CENTANNI

Contributing writer

My 14-year-old son insists on eating every meal in our formal dining room.

A bowl of cereal. Microwave ramen noodles Pizza

He won’t cut his ﬁngernails or put his laundry away, and yet he opts for the cut glass tumblers rather than plastic cups, the Blue Willow china over basic white plates.

It’s a far cry from us children of the ’80s who took our meals at the kitchen table, the dining table reserved for special occasions and out of bounds.

The same went for formal living rooms versus dens.

I suppose we can partially thank open ﬂoor plans for erasing these lines between breakable, stainable, untouchable formality and the paper plate zone.

But in our home, I prefer to think it’s because we’ve brought the “special” to every occasion, even ramen We approach formality not with an eye toward the expensive, irreplaceable and breakable, but the thoughtful and meaningful.

Especially our Easter table

Every year, we add some new element or layer, and the result is a magical setting that’s been curated over nearly two decades — that’s what makes an overthe-top tabletop attainable. For us, it started with the discovery of a set of Wedgwood lettuce plates from an antique shop in Lafayette that are hand-colored with bright green lines that trace the veins and edges of the leaves.

Some were chipped and others were faded (likely placed in the dishwasher — no!), but collectively, they were stunning, quirky and extremely versatile — and the ﬂaws made them affordable.

I like to pair them with my paternal grandmother’s china, Spode “Ermine,” featuring a sharp blue ring of Maltese crosses and ﬂeur-de-lis surrounding a ﬁeld of ermine

Over the years, I’ve found elements to leverage that sharp blue and green: an April Cornell tablecloth, blue cut-to-clear stemware and eyelet napkins from Pottery Barn.

There was even a pair of blue and white bunny salt and pepper shakers my thoughtful daughter picked up on a class ﬁeld trip to Washington, D.C.

This year’s addition to the table is a set of green and white egg cups from Anthropologie the same perfect green as our Wedgwood, and the perfect vessel for Easter eggs.

Eggs are a big deal in my family, with Avoyelles Parish roots on my mother’s side. You see, we paque (or pock) eggs trying to ﬁnd the strongest one of the bunch by knocking two against each other The competition is intense, from the selection of neighborhood yard eggs (some feed their chickens oyster shells to harden the eggs) to the boiling method (point down to avoid an air pocket).

My childhood Easters with Cottonport cousins centered around eggs, and in the past few years we’ve made the drive for the egg paquing festival in Cottonport.

So, there’s a lot of thoughtfulness behind those green egg cups gracing the table this year.

And that’s the point. The preciousness of the meaning behind each object on our Easter table including some years a triumphant collection of plastic golden eggs won at Easter egg hunts or actual faux Easter grass hanging from the chandelier — is far more treasured than the dollar value of the objects

My family’s favorite Easter table staple is the King’s Egg Casserole, a Junior League of Lafayette recipe baked in a bunt pan for a show-stopping brunch dish. We serve it on a tall, crystal cake stand and slice and serve it just like cake.

The dish is a meal in itself — featuring eggs, cheese, bacon, ham and green onions — and a crowd pleaser for all ages.

Our family usually attends 7 a.m. Mass on Easter Sunday, then returns home to enjoy brunch and dig into Easter basket goodies. This recipe can be prepared ahead of time to bake with no fuss, allowing us to enjoy the morning.

To truly enjoy the end of Lent, I love my mother’s Corn and Crawfish Bisque, especially when you’ve been diligent about peeling leftover crawfish and snagging extra corn and potatoes during those Friday crawfish boils. Yes, you can use canned corn and frozen crawfish tails (Louisiana, of course), but there’s something about an Easter Sunday soup flavored with the spoils of the preceding season that brings home the point. I’ve been especially good about squirreling away and freezing corn for Easter Sunday I suppose next year my mission is cream soup bowls to round out the table. I’m sure my ramen-loving son will support that addition.

Marie DesOrmeaux Centanni is the executive director of governmental and alumni affairs at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and enjoys curating collections of vintage tableware through her Instagram business, The Dish Ran Away with the Spoon, @dishranaway

King’s Egg Casserole

Serves 30; Recipe from “Something to Talk about,” The

Corn and Seafood Bisque

Serves

and

1 In a large soup pot over medium heat, saute onions and garlic in butter until transparent.

2. Add canned ingredients.

3. Add cream cheese and seafood, simmer to blend (add crab later in this step as it cooks quickly)

4. Add green onions, wine and Worcestershire.

5. Continue to simmer until creamy and well blended, adding in remaining seasoning to taste.

‘Stand by Me’ stars reﬂect on movie’s 40-year anniversary

BY LINDSEY BAHR

lm writer

Jerry O’Connell, Corey Feldman and Wil Wheaton were already thinking about “Stand by Me” when Rob Reiner died in December Just a week prior, the trio spent a weekend together attending some screenings of Reiner’s beloved comingof-age ﬁlm, which was about to turn 40. The memories from that formative 1985 summer in Oregon were ﬂooding back and they were having fun being together again As Feldman told The Associated Press in a group Zoom with Wheaton and O’Connell, he was “very grateful to be back with my bros.”

“We’ve stayed in touch loosely through the years and we’ve gotten together here and there,” Feldman said. “But there’s never been a time that the three of us just hung out it was like a high school reunion, but only for three people that really got it.” It was just the start of a multi-city tour that had been long in the works. Then the Reiner news broke, and they knew they had each other.

“My first thought was, ‘I am so glad that I have a place to land with my grief,’” Wheaton said. “There’s not a lot of other people in the world who really know what this feels like.” For better or worse, in some ways they’d been here before with their costar River Phoenix, who died in 1993. At a 25th anniversary screening, they remembered Reiner saying to no one in particular that it “feels like there should be a chair here for River.” And in that spirit, O’Connell, Feldman and

Wheaton started ﬁguring out what they could do to honor and remember the ﬁlmmaker who not only changed their lives but who gave them an experience they’ve all been chasing ever since.

“We know how much Rob loved ‘Stand by Me.’ We know what it meant to him,” Wheaton said “It never occurred to me to just shelve it all. I thought, well, now we really have to get out there.”

Wheaton and O’Connell were also among those who stood on the Oscars stage for the Reiner tribute. Feldman

was not there, because he was not invited, he said on social media.

But the trio will continue on together The tour still has a handful of stops left, in Anaheim, California; Seattle; Portland, Oregon; Indianapolis and Chicago. And for broader audiences, a 4K restoration of the ﬁlm that was released in theaters for one week.

People like to say that Hollywood doesn’t make movies like “Stand by Me” anymore, but, in 1985, they weren’t exactly clamoring to make it either Yes, it was based on

a Stephen King novella, but it was also a small hangout movie with no stars. Just four 12-year-old boys on a quest to find a dead body Though Reiner had hits under his belt as a filmmaker, everyone passed And even he had modest expectations for its reach: As Reiner told his screenwriters, according to a New York Times article in 1986, “There’s no way this picture is going to do business, because no one who went to ‘Rambo’ will go to see our film.”

Somewhat ironically, O’Connell told the AP, “Rambo: First Blood Part II” was the movie he saw the night before he boarded the plane to Oregon to ﬁlm “Stand by Me” and that, “as an 11-yearold, I thought it was the greatest ﬁlm I had seen in my life.”

“Stand by Me” was definitely not “Rambo.” And the only reason it did get made was Norman Lear, who saved it after his company’s new owner, Coca-Cola, refused to put up the money. Lear funded it himself, to the tune of “$8 million and change,” as he told the Times in 1986. It would end up earning over $52 million in its initial run in the late summer of 1986.

The film tapped into something universal about youthful friendships, lazy summer days, bullies, dark home lives and adventure. Perhaps most importantly, the boys were relatable and true, their friendship forged through off-screen games that Reiner played with them.

“Rob took the time to really reach us and help us make authentic emotional connections to what our characters were experiencing,” Wheaton said. “We were kids. I

don’t think I’ve even turned 13 yet. River hasn’t turned 15 yet. And Rob is talking to us the way you talk to seasoned professionals and bringing these incredible performances out of us.”

Though it was set in 1959, it’s also become a kind of nostalgic catchall for any generation who lived through a time before cellphones.

“I think it’s what’s so special about ‘Stand by Me’ is that it’s not like any epic adventure movie,” O’Connell said. “There are no, like, stunt sequences with cars rolling over and explosions. It’s a simple movie.”

O’Connell has seen the ﬁlm

many times over the years, but usually at home, ﬂipping through channels with his dog or cat as a companion. But watching in a movie theater again was transportive.

“Getting to see it on the big screen, it’s a different experience,” O’Connell said. “I think it’s because it is such an epic ﬁlm with little boys.” At the screenings, they’ve all noticed a wide range of ages in the audience, from young kids to grandparents. Wheaton said it seems to be resonating in particular with “the ‘Stranger Things’ generation,” referencing a show that was heavily inspired by “Stand by Me.”

A set of Wedgwood lettuce plates take their place on Marie DesOrmeaux Centanni’s Easter table in Lafayette.

PROVIDED PHOTOS By MARIE DESORMEAUX CENTANNI King’s Egg Casserole

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GENE J PUSKAR

Cast members, from left, Corey Feldman, Wil Wheaton and Jerry O’Connell promote the 40th anniversary of ‘Stand by Me’ in Pittsburgh.

SONy PICTURES PHOTO

Jerry O’Connell, from left, River Phoenix, Wil Wheaton and Corey Feldman star in ‘Stand by Me.’

By The Associated Press

Today is Sunday,March 29,the 88th dayof2026. There are277 days left in theyear

Todayinhistory:

On March 29, 1974, agroupofChinese farmers digging awell struck fragmentsofterra-cotta buried underground; archaeologists would ultimately discover terra-cotta sculpturesofmorethan8,000 soldiersand other ﬁgures. The“Terra-cotta Army” would become one of the most signiﬁcantarchaeological discoveries of the 20thcentury Also on this date:

In 1943, World WarIIrationing of meat, fats and cheese began, limiting American consumers to store purchasesofanaverage of abouttwo pounds aweekfor beef, pork, lamb andmuttonusing a coupon system.

In 1951, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were convicted in NewYork of conspiracy to commitespionage for the Soviet Union. (Theywereexecuted in June 1953.)

In 1961, the 23rd Amendment to theU.S. Constitution was ratiﬁed, allowingresidents of Washington, D.C., to vote in presidential elections.

In 1971, Army Lt. William L. Calley Jr. wasconvicted of murdering 22 Vietnamese civilians in the 1968 My Lai massacre. (Initially sentencedtolife imprisonment with hard labor,Calley’ssentence would be commuted by President RichardNixon to three years of house arrest.)

In 1971, ajury in Los Angeles recommended the death penaltyfor Charles Manson andthree female followers for the 1969 Tate-La Bianca murders. (The sentences were commutedtolife in prison when the California stateSupreme Court struck down the death penaltyin1972.)

In 1973, the last United States combattroops left SouthVietnam, ending America’sdirect military involvement in the Vietnam War.

In 1984, under the cover of early morning darkness,the Baltimore Coltsfootball team left its home city ofthree decades, sending theteam’s equipment to Indianapolis in moving truckswithout informing Baltimore cityorMarylandstate ofﬁcials.

In 2004, President George W. Bushwelcomed seven formerSoviet-bloc nations(Romania,Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia andSlovenia) intoNATOduring aWhite House ceremony In 2021, salvage teams using powerful tugboats setfree an enormous container shipthatwas wedged across Egypt’sSuezCanal fornearly a week, blocking all ship trafﬁcon thevital waterway and disrupting the global shippingsystem. Today’sbirthdays: Comedian Eric Idle is 83. Former British Prime Minister John Majoris83. Basketball Hall of Famer Walt Frazier is 81. Football Hall of Famer Earl Campbell is 71. ActorBrendan Gleeson is 71. Actor Christopher Lambertis69. Actor Annabella Sciorra is 66. Comedian-actor AmySedaris is 65. ModelElle Macpherson is 62. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto,aDemocrat from Nevada, is awless is nni

Dear Miss Manners: We live in an era where thesocial fabric has thinned signiﬁcantly.The clubs, civic organizations and community events that once brought our forefathers together are largely fading away.Opportunities for natural socialization have plummeted acrossthe country,leaving manyofusmore isolated than generations past. In this new landscape, the realityisthat we can often truly depend only on our families and ourselves. When amother hostsher own daughter’sbridal shower today,itisrarely out of vanity.Rather, it is often aresilient effort to gather scattered loved ones and createcommunitywhere it no longer existsnaturally.Ihope we might view this not as a breach of taste, but as anecessary adaptation to keep our connections alive.

decked out in hat and gloves. As more women entered the workforce and began traveling forbusiness, they would often havedinner alone in nicer restaurants. In fact, Iremember being warned not to accept being relegated to theback of the restaurant or to atable near the kitchen. My peers andI were told to exert ourright to sit where we liked.

GentleReader: Agreed that the social fabric has thinned, and also that it is an excellent idea to gather people one cares about to, as you put it, recreate community

Miss Manners only wonders why one should wait todosoonanoccasion on which presents for one’sdaughter are expected.

Dear Miss Manners: When Iwas growing up, it wasn’tunusual to see awoman lunching alone at arestaurant, all

Oddly,these days, when more and more women live independently,Inever see awoman dining alone, except maybe in acoffee shop. Iwould like to begin doing so: My husband can no longer dine out due to healthproblems, and Iget tired of the compromises required when dining with friends. Iwould be very happy to eat dinner alone at arestaurant of my choice, but I’mnot much of atrailblazer Ijust can’thelp but wonder whythis has gone so out of fashion

GentleReader: When Miss Manners thinksofvaliant women blazing trails, their tasks are more arduous and dangerous than eating in arestaurant. She fails to see why you don’tsimply do it.

Onecan easily speculate about why it seems rarer for women to dine out alone today: It could be amatter of time, now that most women are work-

ing, or of money,asrestaurants tend to be expensive. It could be sociability, as your preference foreating alone is atypical. It could also have to do with the availability of takeout.

Dear Miss Manners: Afamily member sent me a“happy anniversary” message; however,itwas on the date of my ﬁrst marriage, not my second (which has now lasted 30 years). She attended both weddings. It kind of ruined my day,but Iknow she meantwell. What bothers me, though, is that when Ipolitely reminded her of my actual anniversary date, she messaged back asking if Iwas sure about that, since she had adifferent date saved in her book. Certainly,she should not have asked if Iwas sure about my own wedding date, correct? How should Ihave responded?

Gentle Reader:: With, “Yes, I’mquite sure. So is my husband. We were both there, as you may remember.” Why the mistake should have ruined your day,Miss Manners cannot guess. But whywereyou not amused at this silly attempt to avoid admitting to a mistake?

Send questions to Miss Manners to dearmissmanners@gmail.com.

Dear Heloise: For thepast 50 years, Ihave kept pairs of socks together by using safety pins. Idon’t know where Iread this tip.Itcould have been in a “HintsFrom Heloise” columnsince I have been aHeloise follower since forever —Annette H., via email Annette, yes, this is an old Heloise trick,and many have told me that it was a simple but very effective method to keep their socks from getting lost. glad

Researchingcharities

Dear Heloise: Several years ago, Idonated some inherited money to several charities,choosing ones that I thought my relative would have supported. Now my mailbox is ﬂooded daily with requestsfor more donations, as my information was sold or shared between organizations. Yourecently published a hint regarding CharityNavigator’sreviews. They also offer agiving basket!

Donations can be madeto your chosen charities, and choose withhold

ers say the samething about suddenly getting requests forhelp from various charities after making one donation. Just pick the ones you want and ignore the others. Our wallets can only stretch so far. —Heloise Self-serve soundoff

Dear Heloise: Why are so manyjobs disappearing? Iwent to alocal car wash yesterday,and for$25, they have large rollers that clean the exterior of the car.But they have stopped cleaning the interior! There were no attendants whohopped inside wi dow he in

mind paying alittle extra to have people do asimple job, but all the places have done away with people whodid a decent job forafairly small wage. —LindseyM., in California Lindsey, it’sa newworld. The newspaper boys are gone,self-serve restaurants arespringing up everywhere, andﬁnding a salespersonina department store can be difﬁcult. The costofdoing business has increased dramatically and hasforced business owners to cutexpenses where they can Change is inevitable, but we’ll all adapt eventually

VOLUNTEER

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

Hints from Heloise

Last fall, the startup expanded its focus beyond renewable wind energy to include industries that can benefitfrom the expertise it developed building lightweight, strongand aerodynamic materials.

BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL

BY RICH COLLINS Staff writer

PROVIDED PHOTO James Martin, right, has a conversation by the 3D printer at GWTin Avondale.

For thepast 16 years, James Martin has been among the most prominent cheerleadersfor Louisiana’sstill-unrealized offshore wind industry Gulf Wind Technology,the companyhe formed ﬁve years ago with partnersDavid King and Mitchel Graff, created acutting-edge technology center at the former Avondale Shipyard for the manufacturing and testing of wind blade prototypes designed to operateinthe region’schallenging wind conditions.

ä See VENTURE, page 2E

By ENAN CHEDIAK

Phillpott, Lakeside’s longtime regional director of leasing. “Retailers used to come to town

to open three locations. Now,they’re looking to open one and it’satLakeside.” Experts attributeLakeside’ssuccess to several factors. One is its prime location at the intersection of Causeway andVeteransboulevards, whichisbusy, prosperous andconvenient to shoppers fromOrleans, Jefferson and St. Tammanyparishes and beyond.

Data shows the malldraws from a60-mile radius that extends from BatonRougetoBay St.Louis,

ä See MALLS, page 2E

The Lakeside Shopping Center in Metairieisdefying national odds. As malls atrophyamid changing consumer habits, Lakeside is adding more highend retailers and posting year-overyear sales increases.

STAFFPHOTO By ENAN CHEDIAK

Pete Broome cutsastripofacompositematerial at GWT in Avondale.

But last year, after the second Trump administration essentially froze all investment in domestic offshore wind projects, the company’s leaders faced an existential decision: pivot or perish.

They chose pivot.

Last fall, the startup shortened its name to GWT and expanded its focus beyond wind to include industries that can beneﬁt from the expertise it developed building lightweight strong and aerodynamic materials.

These days, the venture’s founders are eyeing opportunities in aerospace, maritime, energy and defense and they’re celebrating the completion of their first post-pivot gig: the repair of a giant, multimillion-dollar radio telescope in New Mexico owned by a U.S. government agency

Last week, while hosting a visit to GWT’s 30,000-square-foot facility Martin expressed optimism about his company’s new direction overall.

“We’ve spent years ﬁguring out how to make wind blades lighter, stronger and cheaper and we’re set up at a facility that will allow us to expand quickly into production and shipping at scale,” he said.

“Now we’re ready to apply those strengths to booming sectors of the economy.”

‘Similar to wind’

Last year, workers discovered a broken piece on a government radio telescope that’s part of a larger array of instruments loaded with tech that allows them to listen to radio waves coming from outer space. All those delicate components can wear out after years of exposure to the elements

The agency started making calls to ﬁnd someone who could handle the repair The work required engineering know-how and the ability to make replacement parts out of carbon ﬁber “composite” material, a lightweight alternative to metal used in aviation, auto racing, wind energy and other industries

The hunt led to GWT, which had spent the previous ﬁve years creating and studying wind blade prototypes while also building a service division that repairs and improves blades and turbines globally

Martin sent out a project manager and engineer to assess the problem Within a week’s time, the team had manufactured a replacement part and sent it back west for installation.

“We know how to ﬁx a wind turbine, which is a large structure with a foundation, a tower, electronics and generation equipment,” Martin said. “A large satellite dish is similar: One captures energy

GWT repaired a prototype radio antenna that is part of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory’s proposed NextGeneration Very Large Array telescope initiative in New Mexic.

PROVIDED PHOTO

MALLS

Staff work around a table at the 3,000-square-foot

prototypes designed to operate in the region’s challenging wind

opportunities.

from the wind, and the other has to withstand the wind.”

Now, GWT hopes to parlay the New Mexico success into steady work by standing up a U.S.-based manufacturing facility for telescope components and more. It’s investing $12 million this year on new equipment, personnel and product development to help it compete for work.

“We want to design, manufacture and service many products for many customers,” Martin said.

Service work

As GWT looks for more composite manufacturing work in other industries, it’s paying the bills through its service work on existing onshore wind infrastructure.

The company also gets hired to evaluate risk for lenders when infrastructure is bought or sold.

Even though new U.S offshore wind projects are on hold, the nation has more than 100,000 turbines in more than 40 states, and wind produces about 11% of the country’s electricity, enough to power more than 40 million homes, government data shows.

GWT gets hired to make repairs, replace parts and enhance the performance of existing turbines and blades. It has built a customer base of more than 20 clients who manage wind farms of various sizes

velopment adviser with Stirling.

Last year, it signed a six-month contract with a utility company in the Dominican Republic that led to ﬁve teams working around the clock making upgrades to a farm

The income from that service work is supporting changes at GWT’s manufacturing and testing facility, where engineers and technicians are making prototypes to show off to customers looking for a reliable supply chain.

During a recent visit to the technology center, there was visible evidence of the new strategy

A dozen employees buzzed around the cavernous space as a cross-section of a drone wing prototype sat on a worktable near a carbon ﬁber chassis that could be used to build an unmanned vehicle. In an enclosed area, a 3D printer bigger than a commercial refrigerator was ﬁlled with hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of liquid orange resin. Adjacent shelves held mock-ups of hydrofoils and other car parts for one of GWT’s side hustles: wind-tunnel testing for one of the world’s major racing teams.

Martin is especially excited about the potential of making aerospace components

“Elon Musk got approved to put a million satellites into orbit,” he said.

“And the war in Ukraine has highlighted the need for high-throughout, low-cost products, which is our bread and butter.”

From Isle of Wight to N.O. East

Martin was born and raised off the southern coast of England on the Isle of Wight, which itself has become a manufacturing hub for wind turbines. He joined the industry in the 1990s. Then, in 2010, a startup company he co-founded was wooed by Louisiana economic development ofﬁcials to set up shop at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans East. Working from that site for several different com-

past three years, compared with 5% nationwide.

panies, Martin spent the next 12 years helping design blades that are now in use worldwide.

In 2021, when the Biden administration was prioritizing renewable energy, Martin and his partners launched GWT with the hope of creating designs that would be viable in the Gulf of Mexico, where moderate wind speeds occasionally give way to hurricanes and other storms. The partners set up shop on the site of a former thriving shipyard, now reborn as a logistics hub called the Avondale Global Gateway where they have invested millions in equipment that can bind together carbon ﬁbers and various resins to make composite components. The space is designed to bring products from concept to reality quickly

The factory’s location on the banks of the Mississippi River — and its access to more unused industrial space on-site were both big draws as Martin and his partners envisioned mass producing blades and shipping them via barges.

In 2023, the oil giant Shell contributed $10 million to a partnership

with GWT to develop and test new blade designs in the hopes of gaining a competitive advantage in the Gulf. The same year, the company purchased a used turbine to install at Port Fourchon. It would have been the ﬁrst one operating in Louisiana, but the project was scrapped after the Trump administration halted offshore wind projects under construction and canceled new leases, permits and funding. Supply chain disruptions from the pandemic and the war in Ukraine created additional problems for the nascent industry

“There’s no longer a market for us to mass produce that product,” said Martin, who believes the country’s turn away from wind energy may be temporary

In many states where it is a key contributor to the power grid, utilities and local leaders are helping make the case for it from a purely economic standpoint.

Said Martin, “In Texas, they get rid of all the political narratives and it’s just about trading electrons.” Email Rich Collins at rich. collins@theadvocate.com.

Continued from page 1E

“There’s still hope for in-person retail.”

‘Christmas . every day’

Feil Mississippi, and from the northern tip of Tangipahoa Parish to the bayou region.

Another is the retail savvy of its longtime owners — New Yorkbased Feil Co. The family-owned ﬁrm — still chaired by Jeffrey Feil, who bought Lakeside out of a foreclosure sale with his father in 1968 — has continued to reinvest in the property over the years, most recently with a $20 million renovation in 2019.

Those upgrades, which added natural light, raised ceiling heights inside individual stores and allowed tenants to custom-build their storefronts, have made it easier to respond to changing consumer preferences and attract trendy and higher-end tenants, which, in turn, attracts more shoppers.

External factors are also at play

Studies show that Gen Z shoppers are rediscovering malls as part of a broader shift away from so much screen time. In a recent study by Ipsos Consumer Tracker, nearly 60% of shoppers ages 18-34 said they shop at malls often — twice the rate of adults over 55, The New York Times recently reported

“The pendulum is starting to swing back a little,” said Ryan Pecot, senior retail leasing and de-

The hope does not extend to all malls, or even most of them. Half the nation’s malls have shut down since the 1980s, and another 40 or so, on average, close each year, according to CapitalOne Shopper, which tracks retail data. By the end of the decade, as many as 87% of the roughly 1,200 malls still in business could be shuttered, the study estimates.

At the same time, a fraction of high-end malls is thriving. The top 100 malls in the country account for half the entire sector’s value, The New York Times reported, while the bottom 350 make up 10%.

Lakeside is among the fraction of successes. It ranks among the top 15% of the country’s 600 superregional malls based on the number of visits per square foot, according to national tracking data provided by Lakeside. The statistic is a key performance metric that measures how efﬁciently a property drives trafﬁc relative to its size.

Superregional malls are those of at least 1 million square feet with anchors, a mix of high-end tenants and shoppers who come from at least a 25-mile radius.

Lakeside also outperforms other top malls in both occupancy and revenue growth Its vacancy rate is around 1%, compared with 5% for the top 100 class A malls around the country and its sales have increased nearly 7% a year over the

“It’s Christmas at Lakeside every day,” said Kirsten Early, a longtime local retail expert and principal at SRSA. “They are best in class, hands down.”

Success begets success

Early and other observers say that besides the inherent advantages of its location and the retail know-how of its ownership, the Feils, the mall’s management has done a good job attracting trendy new tenants from outside the market, like Alo Yoga, a Beverly Hills brand that opened its ﬁrst Louisiana location in Lakeside last year, and Aritzia, a fashionable Canadian label opening this spring.

The mall also has been effective in attracting retail tenants away from other shopping centers in the local market. Arhaus, a high-end furniture store, left the South Market District for Lakeside in 2023. Anthropologie vacated its two-story location in Canal Place, where it was an anchor tenant, for Lakeside in 2025.

Athleisurewear powerhouse Lululemon, which originally opened three locations in the New Orleans market Magazine Street, Canal Place and Lakeside — has since closed the Uptown store and doubled the size of its Lakeside store.

Experts say negotiating with retail tenants and placing them in a mall in a location that works for them and beneﬁts the overall mix of the center is both an art and a science that Phillpott, Lakeside’s

leasing director, has mastered. She compares it with a puzzle with a lot of constantly moving pieces.

Lakeside also closely tracks store performance and sales. Management won’t disclose average lease rates, though the numbers likely vary widely from tenant to tenant, depending on the deal. But it will move an underperforming tenant to a less visible location or terminate a lease if that is an option.

“Sales are a key metric in this business, and customers vote with their wallets,” Phillpott said. “If a store is not performing sometimes, it’s not the right time or the right ﬁt.”

Experts say whatever formula Lakeside has landed on, it works and in the world of malls, success begets success.

“Once a mall is busy, it stays busy,” Pecot said. “That energy feeds on itself. People want to be a part of it.”

Broader trends still down

On the ﬂip side, once a mall starts dying, it doesn’t take much to push it over the edge. When Cortana Mall in Baton Rouge began losing its anchor tenants a decade ago, they fell like dominoes, causing smaller retailers to shut down. The mall has since been torn down and is now the site of an Amazon distribution center

The Mall of Acadiana in Lafayette is dealing with an exodus of its anchors. Macy’s recently announced it will close, joining Sears. Only JCPenney and Dil-

lard’s remain. In 2020, JCPenney announced plans to close the Acadiana Mall location but reversed its stance a month later

“Geographically, it is still welllocated,” said Pecot, who is based in Lafayette. “But the anchors have closed, so the smaller stores have started to close. I think you will see further deterioration.”

The Mall of Louisiana in Baton Rouge, which also fits the definition of a superregional mall given its size and tenant mix, is holding its own, market watchers say. Though it does not have as many high-end retailers as Lakeside, it has backfilled vacancies in recent years with “experiential”-style tenants like the Blue Zoo Aquarium and Main Event family entertainment space that have kept people coming to the mall and filling up space.

“That’s important,” Pecot said. “People don’t feel safe and don’t enjoy being in an empty mall. They like being around other people.”

Jonathan Walker, a commercial broker with Maestri Murrell in Baton Rouge, said while there are a handful of bright spots in the mall landscape, he believes the broader trends away from malls will continue.

“Louisiana is a little unique in that people still like traditional shopping methods,” he said. “But that national outlook for malls is not that positive.”

Email Stephanie Riegel at stephanie.riegel@theadvocate. com.

GWT cofounder James Martin rolls composite material between his fingers at the Avondale facility

STAFF PHOTOS By ENAN CHEDIAK

GWT facility in Avondale. The company got its start manufacturing and testing of wind blade

conditions but has changed its focus to aerospace, maritime, energy and defense

Banker closinghole in services forsmall, midsized companies

BY IANNE SALVOSA Staff writer

Currency Bank President and CEO Scott Gaudin lovingly calls Baton Rouge the “biggest small town in America.”

The bank serves mainly small to midsized businesses, andGaudin plans to make his companythe goto bank for local companies in the capital region. Currency is headquartered in Towne Center and has been positioning itself for growth in the state, acquiring ab1Bank branch in Kaplan andselling its Arkansasbranch in the past year

What are your plans for the bank’sfuture? Right now,our focusisonthe capital region. People askme, “Why is 90% of ourgrowthinBaton Rouge?” Isaid, “Let me run through some numbers with you.” Baton Rouge has35banks. We started with 32; three more have joinedus.

Q&A WITH SCOTT GAUDIN

Gaudin started Currency during the pandemic after spotting a gap in the market for companies servingsmalltomidsized businesses—which describesmostin Baton Rouge —mainly duetothe consolidation of other banks.Since then, it’sbecome one of the fastestgrowing banks in thestate,with about $250million in assetsand $207.4 million in deposits.

Its revenue grew more than 560% over the past three years, landing itself aspot on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing companies last year With three branches across Baton Rouge, Kaplan and Oak Grove, Currency has built abase of 144 shareholders, primarily BatonRougebased business owners.

In this week’sTalking Business, Gaudin discusses CurrencyBank’s competitive advantage, his plans for growth and why he’s set on growing in the capital region. This interviewhas been edited for length and clarity

We did amarket share study a yearago,two years ago, andwewere ranked16th out of 35, notbad for year five. We have 2% of the market share. There’s so much businessherethat we could still go getthat we don’teven know about most of it.

Our batting average when we have achance to do business withsomebody is very high. We typically winmostdeals that we touch. We ﬁnd away to make it happenbecause, again, we’re the bankfor business owners,owned by business owners. We understand those requests

NowI want to make sure Idon’t confuse anybodyeither.IfI’m not abusiness owner,can Istill bank there? Well, of course, we just tend to add the mostvalue with asmall to medium-sized business andthat owner.It’snot aprerequisite. It’s nota requirement. Thattends to be where we shine

As far as focusing on growth in Louisiana,our focus, at leastfor the immediate future, is going tobeon the capital region.

How do you plan to keep that samefocus on small to midsize businesses?

Ibelieve alittle romantically, perhaps alittle naively,that people bank withpeople.

Igoback to relationshipsand sometimes certainbanknames

ASK THEEXPERTS

maybeonthe sign, but in the day, peoplebankwithScott andMatt, and so we tend to gravitate toward folks who are proven and have a following.

We arevery, very deliberate and intentional about who we bring aboard, because, for being thefastest growing bank in the state last few years, we only have 35 people. We getthe people part right ﬁrst. Ihappen to believe that sometimes skill sets are interchangeable. They get thepeople part andthe culture part right ﬁrst

If you’re agood ﬁt for that, that’s agood start, and we can kind of go from there.We’re currently located here in Baton Rouge right now. We payattention to the outlying areas such as Ascension,which continues to boom and is one of the fastest growing parishesinthe stateover the last 10 or so years. We’ve gota desiretoexpand out to that area withthe right leader

What else do you think distinguishes the bank, and how do you guys plan to compete?

I’mnot trying to share too much personal information, but Itook allmypenniesIhad savedinmy couch, and Iput them in thebank stock.

I’manowner in the bank, andso

Louisiana puts its money whereits manufacturing is

“SiteReadiness” is thesecretsauceofeconomicdevelopment.

serving smallto midsized businesses.

when you talk to me,you’re talking to someonewho,ifthe bank fails or succeeds, personally impacts a greatdeal.Alot of folksyou may deal with at the banks don’tnecessarilyhave skin in the game; they’re more order takers.

Anothervery deliberate,intentional thing we did —think about some of the best experiences you’ve had either at arestaurant or ahotel, some of your most favorite meals from memories, and had a certain concierge approach to the service. We wantedtoemulate that concierge approach to the bank.

I’dliketotalkabout thesaleofyour Arkansas branch. How does that fitwith your longtermplans?

It’s my beliefthata$250 million bank has challenges having the right infrastructure in placeto supporta bank in twostates, and it takes up bandwidth, and not to mention, Louisiana laws are different than other states. That’sanother challengefor us beinga community bank is knowing twosets of laws andtwo sets of state regulations. We were approached unsolicited about it. We didn’ttry to sell it. I said no threeorfour times at ﬁrst, but Iwill tell you, the thing that made me reasonably assured was

Working

that he promised me all the employees of that branch would keep their jobs.

In atown where it’sat, it’satown of 800 people andjusttwo banks

The bank job is areally good job.

It was very important to me that they kept their job. When Iwas reasonably sure that wasgoing to occur,and Isaw the big picture of our growth related to focusing on Louisiana, it clicked.

We keep coming back to that point of you being based here in Baton Rouge, and what that means for you in the bank.

Baton Rouge, believe it or not, as far as the mid-major cities go in the South, is oneofthe most coveted banking markets. Whenyou combine LSU and Southern; the petrochemical sector,whichemploys probably about 20% of our population;and stategovernment, which employs achunk as well, both internally and externally,whether it’s stateworkers or lobbyists or whatever,those three things make Baton Rouge amazingly consistent. Ican speak fromthe point of view of abusiness owner,aﬁxed, predictableoutcome, even if it’s not the very best possible,ishelpful. I think Baton Rouge is agreat place to be.

Recognizing this,Louisiana has takenanimportant step towardslong-term economicdevelopmentby announcing the ﬁrst 19 locationsthatwill beneﬁt from “FastSites”investment.Backedbythe $150 million SiteInvestmentand Infrastructure ImprovementFund(createdbyAct 365ofthe 2025 Legislative Session) and led by Louisiana Economic Development, FastSites directs millions of dollars toward preparinghigh-quality manufacturing andother sitestocompetenationally formajor projects andemployers

Fiveofthe selected sites arelocated in GreaterNew Orleans. Theseinclude:

AvondaleGlobalGateway (Maritime,Jefferson Parish)

Esperanza (Manufacturing, St.CharlesParish)

Franklinton IndustrialPark (Manufacturing,Washington Parish)

Gulf South Commerce Park (Logistics, St. TammanyParish)

NavalSupport Activity Site (Maritime,Energy/Orleans Parish)

TheFastSites initiativeisdesignedfor long-term impact. Rather than a one-time investment, theprogram operates as revolving capital, withfunds expected to be repaid as sites aresoldorleasedand then reinvested into preparingadditionallocationsfor development. This model helps ensure that Louisiana continuestobuild apipelineofready-to-go sites capable of competing fortransformative projects

Scott Gaudin started Currency Bank during the pandemic after spotting a gapinthe market for companies

STAFF PHOTO By JOHN BALLANCE

AROUND THE REGION

Expert predicts Haynesvilleclosure,risingoil andgas prices

BY LIZ SWAINE Staff writer

The future of the Haynesville Shale is easy to read, William D. DeMis told afull house of geologists and oil and gas professionals.

DeMis

“It looks like we’re coming to the end of the field,” said DeMis, aformer senior vice presidentand chiefgeologist at Goldman Sachs, former explorationmanagerat Marathon Oil and current Texas-based oil and gas consultancy owner. “I’m goingto be showing you how Ithink the Haynesville is ﬁxing to decline.”

The Haynesville Shale includes roughly 17 parishes and counties in northwest Louisiana and east Texas. It has been called one of the largest shale plays in the U.S. As recentlyas2021, the U.S. Energy Information Administration estimated the shale play contained roughly 56.2 trillion cubic feetof“technically recoverable” natural gas.

DeMis pulled public EIA information from the north Texas Barnett and the northern Arkansas Fayetteville shale plays to chart the future of Haynesville.

“These great big shale plays, they get to aplateau, and they haveaboutthree years of plateau, three or four years of plateau, and then they just start to decline. And then once they start the decline, they decline quite quickly,” DeMis said. “In ﬁve years, the Barnett’sdown 44%, and in threeyears, the Fayetteville is down 40%.”

The general public ﬁrstbe-

gan hearing in detail about the Haynesville Shale around 2008 when the current natural gas boom began, but the formationitself is millionsof years old, born in the Earth’s Jurassic period. Geologists hadknown for years about thewealthof gas contained in tiny pores in rock at 10,000 to 14,000 feet, but new technology that allowed horizontal drillingand hydraulic fracturing created away to both get to the gas and remove it.

The Haynesville, based on thedata DeMis has accumulated, peaked in July 2023 andhas been in aplateaufor three years. By 2030, DeMis said gasvolume will drop between 5billion and 9billion cubic feetper day. According to theEIA, the Haynesville Shale produced roughly14.9 billion cubicfeet per day in 2025 He said someofthe dropin

production has been caused by producersthrottling back volume because of low prices. Low prices maybe good forconsumersbut can put energy producers out of business.

Natural gas prices at the Henry Hub hit $1.61 per 1,000 cubic feet, which DeMis said “was the cheapest molecule of energy since the timeofthe pharaohs.”

“And I’m not saying this to be poetical or to be ﬂowery. Imean literally,that unit of energy was so low, so cheap, it was cheaper thanbuying oats and feeding them to your oxen,” he said.

Many Haynesville operators use $2.50 perMcf, or thousand cubic feet,asa break-even, and $5, they say, will “turn on the tap.”

Historically,when prices have risen,companies have rushed to increase drilling. DeMis believes someofthat

bullishnessisgone even though there continues to be interest in both proven and unprovenHaynesville locations.

“I think all those companies aregoing to be carefully scrutinizing how much cash flow do we need, how much inventorydowehave left to come up withthe right amount of drillingfor their company,” he said.

“I don’tthink we’re going to see‘drill, baby drill,’ and that’snot abad thing, because if ‘drill, baby drill,’ means you drill yourself into unproﬁtabilityand you go Chapter 11 or Chapter 9, that’snot suchagreat idea.”

Withoutactivity,mineral

leases will revert to the landowner,sosomedrilling is done simply to secure the lease, saidDeMis.That is called“heldbyproduction.” There are also “drilled, uncompleted” wells that have not yet been fracked, which would bring theminto production.

DeMis predicts data centers, LNGexports and unknowns regarding the consequences of the war in Iran will affect natural gas prices, and the new ﬁnds in Texas’ Western Haynesville won’t come online fast enough to depress prices.Utilizing the large amounts of gas from west Texas’ PermianBasin will likewise be hampered by lack of pipeline capacity to get it to market. He said prices will start to “ﬁrm up”in18months, and in the “intermediate term, we are going to see strong pricerises.” That will be due, he said, to timing andinability to get product to the user “Prices may climb up to $7, $8 and that will ultimately spur more discoveries, more drilling, and moreproduct being brought intothe market. But Ithink we’re going to have amismatch between more demand than we have supply in the later part of this decade,” he said.

EmailLiz Swaine at liz. swaine@theadvocate.com.

Louisianahasthe infrastructureand expertise.Now we’vealignedthe systembehindit.

Louisiana’sstatewide energy strategy andnew nuclearframework align infrastructure, workforce, and capitalinvestment to accelerate projectdelivery andexpand industrial growth

Thegoalis simple: Grow high-wage jobs,strengthen communities, andleadinboth traditionaland next-generation energy.

LOWEST INDUSTRIAL ELECTRICITY RATES intheSouth

50 energy projects announced since2018

Home ownership among Gen Zsurges in Lafayette

The number of adults in their 20s who havebought homes in the Lafayette area had one of the highest spikes in the U.S.,data shows.

The number of Gen Z-owned homes rose from 78 in 2018 to 3,428 in 2023, accordingtodata released from RentCafe, anationwide apartment search website. That increase in home ownership among Gen Z, which includes those born between1997and 2012, is the ﬁfth-highest in the U.S., data shows. It’sa43-fold increase that

wasthe second-highest spike amongsouthern cities, trailing onlyJacksonville, Florida.

The gains come from a151% rise inincomes and 4% rise in job growth, the reportindicated. The rate of GenZ homeowners is now similar to that of Baton Rougedespite the lower populationbase.

Lafayette is an affordablemetro area for homebuyers with “a busy cultural events calendar anda dynamicfoodand musicscene,” the report said.

Themarket stillleans renterheavy with78% of Gen Znot owninghomes. Total rentersjumped

BUILDINGPERMITS

Issued March 19-24

Commercial alterations

MEDICAL: 1105 Kaliste Saloom Road, description, expansion and light renovation to Our Ladyof Lourdes Heart Hospital operating room; applicant, MoliereCH; contractor, Kent Design Build; $6.2 million.

MEDICAL: 401 N. Aububon Blvd., description, neuroscience center for Ochsner Lafayette General; applicant, AQ Studios Architecture; contractor, The Lemoine Co.; $15.5 million.

RESIDENTIAL: 105 Connie Circle, description, none listed; applicant andcontractor, Glendon Normand Construction Co.; $60,000.

RETAIL: 3809 Ambassador Caffery Parkway,Suite133-C; description, Back Nine retail golf store; applicant, Back Nine; contractor, Thomson Brothers Construction; $306,000

RESIDENTIAL: 105 Boulet Drive, description, none listed; applicant and contractor, Glendon Normand Construction Co.; $60,000.

Commercial demolition

RETAIL: 4953 Johnston St., description, demolition of former CrazeNutrition location; applicant, Daly Silasa; contractor, All American Demolition; $9,986.

Newcommercial

UTILITY: 1128 E. Milton Ave.,Milton; description, ofﬁce building for Milton Water System; applicant, Frick Architecture; contractor, Stellco; $443,000.

Newresidential 3613 RIDGE ROAD,RAYNE: Ryan Bordelon, $550,000.

1004 DUHON ROAD,DUSON: Van Alan Homes, $908,500. 203 DUCHARMELANE: Greatwood Homes, $1,102,125. 413 JUDICE LANE,DUSON: DSLD, $268,875

701 WOODVALE AVE.: Provence Homes, $759,250. 113 YORKTOWN COURT: DSLD

$191,125

100 CORDERO COURT: DSLD, $268,875

520 DENMARK ROAD,SCOTT: Jerry’s Pools, $517,500.

126 BETRILLO COURT: DSLD, $274,250

124 BETRILLO COURT: DSLD $260,250

104 AVRON DRIVE,CARENCRO: Montgomery Builders, $193,375.

315 HEWITTWAY,BROUSSARD: McLain Homes, $1.5 million.

506 OCEANS BLVD., YOUNGSVILLE: LevelConstruction &Development, $274,950.

101 SWEET RIDGE WAY, YOUNGSVILLE: LevelConstruction &Development, $265,278.

102 CAPE TOWNAVE., YOUNGSVILLE: EliteHome Builders, $360,000

123 BAYFIELD DRIVE,YOUNGSVILLE: Manuel Builders, $230,000.

321 ARCHERST.,YOUNGSVILLE: DSLD,$157,320.

313 APPLEBYWAY,YOUNGSVILLE: DSLD,$121,980. 315 APPLEBY WAY,YOUNGSVILLE: DSLD,$136,800. 109 GRIMMON ROAD,YOUNGSVILLE: DSLD,$132,660. 304 APPLEBY WAY,YOUNGSVILLE: DSLD,$119,460. 209 APPLEBY WAY,YOUNGSVILLE: DSLD,$163,200. 213 APPLEBY WAY,YOUNGSVILLE: DSLD,$163,200.

BUSINESS BRIEFS

from 1,418 in 2018 to 12,340 in 2023, agrowthratethe report ranks 13th highest in the U.S. NewIberiafestival to honor authorRick Bragg

Author Rick Bragg will be honored next month during the Books Along the TecheLiterary Festival.

Bragg will be celebrated as the 2026 GreatSouthern Writer,festival co-chairs Deb and Paul Lindsey said in aconversation with Jan Swift,ofthe Discover Lafayette podcast.

The festival, April 10-12 in down-

Fool Take: Mmm, mmm good dividends

town New Iberia,will also have sessions, book signings, museum tours, abook fair and other events. Bragg, aPulitzer Prize-winning journalist, is abestselling author whose writing captures “the struggles and strength of Southern life,” andnotes that he continues to teach at the University of Alabama,Lindsey said. The opening FridaysessionfeaturesJane and Scott Wolfe,ofMelba’s Po Boys in New Orleans, who will discussentrepreneurship, perseverance, literacy and community.JaneWolfe receivedthe 2024 LightUpfor Literacy Award

from the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities for her work withEat andRead at Melba’s Fridayincludesasessiononthe Creolelineage of PopeLeo XIV,a discussion with romance author Juliette Cross and aclosing session on Carville andHansen’sdisease. Saturdaybrings the Dave Robicheaux Readers Theater,aBragg book club, asessiononthe Louisiana Black Creole Trail Riders, aprogram on Black female jazz singers, aswamp pop-themed session and Bragg’smajor symposium andsigning.

The Campbell’sCo. (Nasdaq: CPB) is known for its flagship soup label, but it also owns several meal and snack brands, including Prego, Rao’sHomemade, Pace and V8, as well as Goldfish, Lance, Snyder’sof Hanover,Pepperidge Farm, Cape Cod and Kettle.Ithas been diversifying by relying less on salty meals and snacks and by offering products specifically catering to health-conscious consumers.

Shares of Campbell’s(Nasdaq: CPB) are down morethan 40% over the past year,though, presenting atasty opportunity for long-term believers. The depressed stock price has alsopushed up the dividend yield, to arecent 7.4%. What’sgoing on? Well, Campbell’soverpaid for its 2018 Snyder’s-Lance acquisition. Costsare going up due to inﬂation, while management is tempering growth expectations.Campbell’searnings have been ticking down —though the company has kept itsindustryleading market share across many of itskey brands.

Although Campbell’srecent results have been poor,the company’sstrugglesreﬂect industrywide challenges,not execution errors. Meanwhile, its strong dividend is intact and seems sustainable. Best of all, Campbell’sstock is attractively valued, with arecent forward-looking price-to-earnings ratio of 11.2, well below its ﬁveyear average of 14.2. (TheMotley

Beyond Blueprints.

Fewindustriesdependonsuchavastarray of raw materialsand high-techproducts, or have such complex business relationshipsamongsuppliers,designers, vendors, or contractorsasthe construction industry JonesWalker’sConstruction Team helpsclients from across theindustrymanage allofthese moving parts

We understand thecomplexdynamicsbetween —and theuniquepriorities of —industryparticipants andcraft solutions that minimize disputes,manage risks,and help keep projects moving from conception to completion

Ourclients’projectsare equallydiverse andinclude major infrastructure,manufacturing facilities andplants, hospitals, marinefacilities, andairports, as well as the products andservicesnecessary to complete such facilities

WilliamH.Hines

Fool recommends Campbell’s.) Fool’sSchool: Tread carefully withannuities

To securefairly reliable pensionlike income, you might consider buying one or more annuities. Note, though, that some annuities are preferable to others. When buying an annuity,you typically fork over ahefty sum to an insurance company that promises to pay you according to speciﬁed terms —such as for 10 years, or for the rest of your life. The payments might start immediately or,with adeferred annuity,at some point in the future. (At recent rates, a65-year-old woman in Illinois might pay $100,000 to receive around $634 permonth for the rest of her life, beginning immediately.)

There are many kinds of annuities, generally classified as fixed, fixed indexed, registered indexlinked or variable. Fixed annuities arefairly straightforward, offering to pay interest on your account at (atleast) apredetermined rate for aspecified period. Indexed and index-linked annuities tie your payouts to the performance of a certain benchmark, such as the S&P 500 index. Variable annuities let you invest the money in your annuity account in securities such as mutualfunds, with payouts linked to their performances.

Annuity guarantees are only as safe and sound as the insurers thatmake them, so shop around and favor companieswith strong credit ratings. It’salso smart to learn about the pros and cons of each type of annuity.For example, indexed and variable annuities

can be particularly complex, and you maylose money with some of them.Somevariable annuities mayoffer extra goodies, such as long-term care insurance or aguaranteed minimum income, but these features will comeatacost.

When considering an annuity look into the fees it charges; they could be steep, potentially costing you $900 per year or more on a$50,000 annuity.Also beware of commission-seeking salespeople who stress that your gains and incomeearned in an annuity account will accumulate tax-free until you withdraw the money.That’strue, but it’salso true of traditional IRA and 401(k) accounts.

Read all the large and ﬁne print before buying an annuity.Learn more at investor.gov

Ask the Fool: What is ‘fintech’

What does “fintech” refer to? —D.R.,Tacoma,Washington The “fintech” term is amashup of thewords“finance” and “technology.”Thus, afintech business is one that permitsconsumersorbusinesses to manage finances digitally,via technologiessuchasmobile apps, desktop software and/or cloud-computing platforms. These companies are disrupting traditionalfinancial businesses withnewer,faster and arguably better financial services. Fintech enterprises are involved in awide range of activities, including digital banking, contactless payments, payment processing, lending, wealth management, roboadvising, blockchain technology, cryptocurrencies and brokerage services.

Largecommercialconstruction projects often face disputes over delays,defective work cost overruns, andsubcontractor failures.For Louisianaproject owners,resolving these conﬂictsisa legal obligation andbusiness strategy.Early planning, contracts, andclaims canturnsetbacksintorecoveryopportunities, protecting investmentsand strengthening delivery

Effective preparationevaluates projectriskand contract structure,since deliverymethods and pricingshaperesponsibility.Indemniﬁcation provisions,schedules,and liquidated damages provideleverage,while alignedlitigationstrategy andearly insurerinvolvementsupport business objectives.Documenting issues, preserving evidence,meeting bond requirements,and presenting supportedclaimsenhance credibility,resolve disputes,and safeguardproject success.

Jones Walker is proudtohelpleadthe wayfor Louisiana’s construction industry as it navigatesacomplex legal environment.

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MADE IN LOUISIANA

Outland’s expertise goes deep

Slidell-based company specializes in supporting underwater operations

BY JONAH MEADOWS Staff writer

During its four decades in operation, Outland Technologies, which designs and builds robots from a nondescript warehouse in a Slidell ofﬁce park, has never established itself as a household name. But when it comes to deep-water operations, the company is known all over the world as an experienced player in a highly specialized ﬁeld. It counts among its clients several militaries, including the U.S. Navy large industrial companies, marine researchers, search and recovery teams, and at least one billionaire treasure hunter

And its 20,000 cameras and nearly 300 remotely operated vehicles have been used on all ﬁve continents for a variety of diverse missions, providing real-time video from up to 2,000 feet under the sea.

Outland does it all with just 18 employees from its 1,250-square-foot warehouse and ofﬁces resembling a high-tech shoe repair shop, with specialized workstations and a shipping container that’s been converted to a testing tank. The company’s products have to be light but durable. At the same time, the pressures of deep-sea operations require precise production and painstaking quality control — a single misplaced eyelash could make for an uneven surface and a shattered lens.

“These products are going to the middle of nowhere. Failure is not an option,” said Sean Mayﬁeld, sales director of the family-owned ﬁrm. “When you’re 500 miles offshore, there’s no FedEx; you got to be able to make it work.”

From black-and-white to full HD Outland Technology was founded in 1984 in a Gretna garage by Buddy Mayﬁeld, Sean Mayﬁeld’s uncle, who had worked building electrical equipment at the pioneering com-

mercial diving company Taylor Diving and Salvage. After Taylor shuttered, Buddy Mayﬁeld set up shop building undersea equipment for former Taylor customers.

In 1995, the company expanded to its Slidell facility where machinists, electricians, engineers and designers craft custom components of cameras, custom cables and handassembled underwater vehicles

About four years ago, the company acquired equipment to start producing nearly all of its own parts in-house rather than subcontracting them to machine shops

Though it still sources sheet metal, raw cable, thruster motors and camera sensors from other companies Outland now operates a hightech mill, lathe and 3D printer to make its own parts, which are then tested at the Slidell facility inside high-pressure chambers at up to 1,500 psi.

One of Outland’s ﬁrst ROV sales was to the Army Special Forces Today, defense contracts comprise about 10% of the company’s $5 million in annual sales, with clients including the Italian, British and U.S. navies, among others

While many of the details of its equipment’s military capabilities remain secret, unclassiﬁed missions include mapping beaches around the world to prepare for potential amphibious invasions

Though the technology has improved, the core design of the underwater vehicles, which today go for prices ranging from $50,000 to $120,000, has remained broadly the same.

“In the old days, it was black and white, old funky video cameras, and that’s just what they used,” said Sean Mayﬁeld “Now, you get high deﬁnition, more sensors, bandwidth for different types of sensors, sonars a lot more data, just data, data, data.”

The build time varies depending

on the specific order, but it typically takes a few weeks for Outland to complete a custom-built ROV, which can range from the size of a briefcase to a small refrigerator

Range of uses

It turns out, there are a lot of uses for an underwater robot.

Aquatic farmers in Hawaii use an Outland ROV to check nets for the holes regularly ripped open by sharks — a job that previously required a diver in the water

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers uses them to inspect obstructions in the lock systems

Search and rescue expert Keith Cormican, who has recovered more than 60 drowning victims, used an Outland ROV to recover a body from the bottom of a glacial lake near Mount Everest and another from about 1,600 feet below the surface of Lake Tahoe in North America’s deepest body recovery.

Researchers also have used the unmanned underwater vehicles to create a 3D model of an aqueduct in Prague, to track archaeological evidence of prehistoric migration routes left at the bottom of Lake Michigan and to monitor artiﬁcial reefs to count ﬁsh populations

Industrial uses range from measuring the voltage of sacriﬁcial anodes on oil rigs and ships to check for corruption, to inspect underwater pipelines and the bottom of ships to ensure they are safe without the need to move it into a dry dock — a process called underwater inspection in lieu of dry docking.

Other maritime uses include cleaning hulls or propellers and keeping an eye on oil rigs blown over during Hurricane Katrina as massive rotating blades were used to slice through the metal.

“Rather than send a guy in the water to watch it to say ‘Alright, he’s almost through, he’s almost through’ — pretty dangerous,” Mayﬁeld said, “they use an ROV and just sit there and monitor it.”

Growing market

Globally, the unmanned under-

water vehicle market is undergoing signiﬁcant growth, with market research ﬁrms projecting it to grow at more than 8% a year and rise from under $6 billion last year to nearly $9 billion by 2030.

As a small shop with the capability to custom-build solutions to the needs of a wide range of customers, Outland isn’t necessarily in a position to rapidly scale up to meet that demand. And while its underwater equipment has earned a reputation for quality and durability, it cannot compete on speed or quantity with much larger companies like GoPro or Boeing.

But in the future, company ofﬁcials are hoping more ROVs will be needed for insurance inspections, which saves ship owners boatloads of money over paying for drydocking.

“The hope is that we can make an ROV easy enough, cheap enough, easy-to-use enough that the people on the ship could just have one on their ship,” Mayﬁeld said.

Currently, operators call in contractors who operate their own un-

derwater vehicles to conduct the inspections.

Separate from the cameras and ROVs it makes in-house, about 20% of Outland’s business comes from other manufacturers who outsource production of their consumer-focused vehicles or other products, like the autonomous boat-cleaning robot that functions like an underwater Roomba. More advancements in artiﬁcial intelligence and autonomous navigation are continuing to push the industry forward, with technology moving faster than the process to patent it. New experimental forms of underwater communication could also change the market. Mayﬁeld said that’s part of what keeps the business exciting, forcing Outland to stay sharp and leverage innovations in the company’s favor

“By the time I patent it, we’re already onto the new stuff,” he said. “There’s no point.”

Email Jonah Meadows at jonah. meadows@theadvocate.com.

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Spring TRAVEL GUIDE

WildBeauty

of theSouth: NaturalDestinationstoVisit This Spring

Springisone of themostbeautiful seasonstoexplore thenaturallandscapesofthe southern UnitedStates. Mild temperatures, bloomingwildflowersand lush greenery transform theregion’slocales into idealdestinationsfor outdooradventure. Thesenaturalwonders showcase thediverse beauty of theSouth andmakeperfect stopsfor aspringtravelitinerary

Cumberland Falls

Often called the“Niagaraofthe South,” Cumberland Fallsisone of Kentucky’s most impressive naturallandmarks.Located within Cumberland FallsState Resort Park, the68-footwaterfall stretches acrossthe Cumberland Riverand createsa dramatic curtainofrushingwater.It’salsoone of the fewplaces in theworld wherevisitorscan sometimessee arare“moonbow,”a rainbow formed by moonlight reflecting throughthe mist of thefalls.

HotSprings

National Park

Locatedinthe Ouachita Mountainsof Arkansas,Hot SpringsNationalParkis famous forits naturallyheatedthermal springsthatemerge from themountainside. Visitors canhikescenic forest trails,explore mountain overlooksand experience the historic bathhouses that once attracted travelersseeking thehealingproperties of themineral-richwater

AtchafalayaBasin

Thelargest swamp in theUnitedStatesoffers an unforgettable window into Louisiana’s wild landscapes. This vast networkofbayous, cypressforests andwetlandsishometo countlessspecies of birds, fish andwildlife. Guidedboattours allowvisitorstoglide beneathmoss-drapedtrees whilelearning aboutthe basin’s ecologyand cultural heritage.Springisespeciallyvibrant,asrising waterlevelsand blooming vegetation bring theswamp to life.

Great SmokyMountains

National Park

Straddlingthe border of Tennesseeand NorthCarolina, GreatSmoky Mountains National Park is knownfor itsrolling mountain views, mist-coveredpeaks and diversewildlife. Visitors canhikethrough forests filled with wildflowers, explore scenic drives like Cades Cove or watch waterfalls rushingwithspringrainfall.Withmorethan 800 miles of trails,the park offersendless opportunities forhiking, photography andwildlifespotting.

Okefenokee Swamp

This vast wilderness of cypresstrees, blackwater channelsand floating peat islandsstretches acrosssoutheasternGeorgia andnorthernFlorida.Visitorscan paddle throughquiet waterways, take guided boat toursorwalk elevated boardwalk trails to spot alligators,turtles andawide varietyofbirdspecies. Spring brings cooler temperaturesand active wildlife, making it anideal season to explorethe swamp

From mountain peakstowindingbayous, thesouthernUnitedStatesis filled with naturalwonderswaiting to be explored. A springtimevisit offerscomfortable weather, breathtaking sceneryand achanceto reconnectwithsomeofthe region’s most remarkable landscapes.

Spring TRAVEL GUIDE

Foodie Cities Serve Up

,Culture and

CulinaryCreativityFlavor

Fromiconicregionaldishesto innovativechef-driven cuisine, certain cities have builtreputations as culinarycapitals. Whetheryou’researching forstreetfood, classic comfort dishesor fine dining, thesecitiesoffer unforgettable flavorsworth planningatriparound.

SANFRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

SanFrancisco’s culinaryreputationistied to freshingredientsand global influences. Thecityisknown forits sourdoughbread, often served alongside creamy clam chowder Local seafood such as Dungeness craband oystersfeature prominentlyonmenus,while neighborhoodslikeChinatown andthe MissionDistrictoffer everythingfromdim sumtoauthentic Mexican street tacos. The city’s strong farm-to-table cultureensures seasonal produce playsastarring role in many dishes.

PORTLAND, OREGON

Portland is ahaven foradventurous eaters thanks to creative chefsand athrivingfood cart culture. Visitors cansampleeverything from Korean tacosand Thai noodles to gourmetgrilled cheese sandwiches served from colorful food trucks. Thecityis also knownfor artisanaldoughnuts, craft coffee andlocallysourced dishesfeaturing mushrooms, berries andfresh seafood.

LASVEGAS, NEVADA

Celebritychefrestaurantslinethe LasVegas Strip, offeringeverythingfromhigh-end sushiand steaktoelaborate tastingmenus. At thesametime, visitors canexplore diverse global flavors—fromauthentic Chinese cuisineinChinatowntovibrant street-style tacos andmodernfusiondishesthroughout thecity.

CHICAGO,ILLINOIS

Thecityisfamousfor itsdeep-dish pizza, featuringa thickcrust layeredwithcheese, chunky tomato sauce andtoppings baked into arichpie.Chicago-style hotdogs— served on apoppy-seedbun with mustard, relish,tomatoes, onions,peppers and pickles—areanother must-try.Chicago also boasts avibrant restaurant scenewith upscalesteakhouses, creative tastingmenus anddiverse internationalcuisine

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

Thecity’smostfamousdishisNashville hot chicken, a fieryfried chickencoatedina cayenne-based glaze andtypicallyserved with whitebread andpickles. Barbecue is anotherlocal favorite,often paired with classic sides like bakedbeans,coleslaw andcornbread.Inrecentyears,Nashville’s restaurant scenehas expandedtoinclude chef-driven eateries, inventivebrunch spotsand trendy cafésthatblendSouthern traditions with moderncreativity.

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA

TheCrescentCity’scuisineblendsFrench, Spanish, Africanand Caribbeaninfluences into iconic dishes. Savorrichseafood gumbo, spicy jambalayaand crispy po’boyspiled highwithfried shrimp or roastbeef. Sweet treats like powdered-sugar-dusted beignets andpralines aredessert staples, whileoyster bars andcrawfish boilshighlight theregion’s deep connection to Gulf seafood

Together,these cities highlight theincredible varietyofAmericanfoodculture.From Cajunclassics andSoutherncomfort dishes to cutting-edgeculinaryexperimentation, each destination offers flavorsthatmakeita must-visitfor food lovers.

Your guide to this spring’s

Must-see

Ifyou’replanningaspringgetaway,these festivals provide theperfect mixofentertainment, regional flavor andunforgettable experiences.

Music Festivals

Coachella ValleyMusic and Arts Festival I Indio, California (April 10-12, April 17-19)

Oneofthe most influential music festivalsinthe world, theevent spanstwo weekends andfeatureshundredsofperformersacrossmultiplestages, showcasing everythingfrompop andhip-hop to electronic music andindie rock.Massive art installations,elaborate stagedesigns andcelebrity sightings have become part of thefestival’sidentity.

2026 scheduledperformersinclude SabrinaCarpenter,JustinBieber, KarolG, TeddySwims, TheStrokes, AddisonRae,FKA Twigs andYoung Thug.

NewOrleans Jazz &Heritage Festival I NewOrleans, Louisiana (April 23-26, April 30-May 3)

Often simply called “Jazz Fest,” this iconic eventfeaturesperformancesby world-renowned artistsalongsidelocal musicians. In addition to jazz, the lineupspans genres includingblues,rock, gospel andzydeco. Festivalgoerscan explore craft boothsand enjoyclassic NewOrleans dishes such as crawfish bread, jambalayaand beignets.

2026 scheduledperformersinclude TheEagles, Stevie Nicks, RodStewart, Lainey Wilson,Jon Batiste, Tyler Childers, TheBlack Keys andT-Pain. Trombone Shorty,who is celebratinghis 40thbirthday, will closeout thefestivalMay 3rd.

Stagecoach Festival I Indio,California (April 24-26)

Held in California’sCoachella Valley,the Stagecoach Festival has become oneofthe country’spremier music events Thefestival features majorcountry stars, emerging artistsand alivelyatmosphere that includes linedancing,barbecueand Western-themedexperiences.

2026 scheduledperformersinclude Bailey Zimmerman, Brooks &Dunn, Cody Johnson, EliYoung Band,EllaLangley,LyleLovett, Post Malone andRiley Green.

WelcometoRockville I DaytonaBeach,Florida (May7-10)

Welcome to Rockvilleisone of thelargest rock festivalsinNorth America, transformingthe DaytonaInternational Speedway into a massiveconcertvenue each May. Themulti-day festival features dozens of rock andmetal bandsperformingonmultiplestageswhile fans camp, socialize andenjoy theoceanfrontsetting nearby.Withits high-energy crowds andpowerfulliveperformances, theevent has become amajor destinationfor rock fans from acrossthe country.

2026 scheduledperformersinclude FooFighters, My Chemical Romance, Guns N’ Roses, Staind,Alice Cooper,Plain WhiteT’s andBring Me TheHorizon.

Rolling Loud I Orlando,Florida (May 8-10)

RollingLoudhas earned areputationasthe world’spremier hip-hop festival TheOrlando editiondraws huge crowds eagertosee top rapartists andrisingstars performonenormousstages. Knownfor surprise guest appearances andelectrifyingperformances, the festival reflects theglobal influence of hip-hopculture.

2026 scheduledperformersinclude DonToliver,Playboi Carti, NBAYoungboy, Chief Keef,Destroy Lonely,Nettspend,TiaCorine andSkaiWater

artistsfrom15countries

Spring TRAVEL GUIDE

These

DestinationsCoastal

areperfect fora GETAWAY SPRING

Pleasanttemperatures, fewercrowds andbloomingcoastal landscapes make springtime ideal forbeach walks, waterfront diningand outdoorrecreation. From theGulfCoast to theAtlanticand Pacificshores, thesedestinationsoffer scenic beauty,local cultureand memorabletravel experiences.

GULF SHORES, ALABAMA

Gulf Shores is knownfor itssugar-white sand beachesand emeraldwaters. Spring visitors canenjoy kayaking,dolphin-watching cruisesand relaxingdaysalong theshoreline before thepeaksummer crowds arrive Nearby Gulf StateParkoffershikingand biking trails,while waterfront restaurants servefresh seafood like shrimp,oysters and redfish.

GRANDISLE, LOUISIANA

Forauniquely Louisianacoastal experience, GrandIsleoffersablend of naturalbeauty and fishingheritage. Located alongthe Gulf, thebarrier island is knownfor birdwatching, fishingand peaceful beaches. GrandIsle StateParkprovides opportunities forhiking, campingand observingcoastal wildlife. Spring visitors mayalsosee migratorybirds passingthrough theisland’swetlandsand shorelinehabitats.

TYBEEISLAND,GEORGIA

Just ashort drivefromhistoricSavannah, TybeeIslandprovides alaid-backcoastal escape filled with charm. Visitors canclimb thehistoricTybee Island Lighthouse for sweeping oceanviews, explore marshlands by kayakorwatch dolphinsplaying along theshoreline. Theisland’srelaxed beach cultureand freshseafood restaurantsmake it afavoritefor travelersseeking apeaceful spring retreat.

DESTIN, FLORIDA

Destin is famous forits powderywhite sand beachesand striking turquoisewaters alongFlorida’s Emerald Coast. Spring is an especiallypleasanttimetovisit,with comfortabletemperaturesideal for fishing charters,snorkelingexcursions andsunset beachwalks. HarborWalk Villageoffers waterfront restaurants, live music andshops, giving visitors plenty to enjoybeyondthe beach.

SANTABARBARA,CALIFORNIA

Often called the“American Riviera,”Santa Barbarablends stunningcoastal scenerywith Mediterranean-style architecture.Visitors canstrollalong palm-lined beaches, explore thescenic harbor or enjoywinetastings from nearby CentralCoast vineyards. Spring is an especially lovely time to visit, with colorful gardensinbloom andcomfortable temperaturesperfect foroutdoor diningand coastalwalks.

From Gulf Coastislands to California’s scenic shoreline,these coastaldestinations highlightthe diversebeautyofAmerica’s waterfront landscapes.Whetheryou’re searchingfor quietbeaches,outdoor adventureorfresh seafoodbythe water, springoffersthe perfectopportunity to explorecoastalescapes.

Letter from

In Louisiana, thecallofthe wild is afullon symphony.Withmorethan7,000 milesof coastlineand 21 stateparks,you’llfindmore fishingspots,scenictrails, andwildlifespecies than youcan count.

Driftthrough coastalmarshes,wanderbeneath thousand-year-oldcypress trees in shaded swamps,orventure outontothe open waters of theGulf. Exploreremarkabletrail systems on foot or by bike.Pitch atentbeneath the starsata scenic campground,orparkyourRV in theperfect spot.“Sportsman’sParadise” is more than aslogan– it’s atime-tested truth.

LT.GOVERNOR NUNGESSER

Of course,enjoyingthe outdoorsinLouisiana isn’tlimited to sports andrecreation. There arecountless otherwaystotakeinthe state’s naturalbeauty– from sculpturegardens andhistorichomes to outdoor dining,openairconcerts, andmorethan400 incredible festivalsheldacrossthe stateeachyear.

From anglersand birderstohikers, garden enthusiasts, andfestivalfans, everyone can find asense of connection in Louisiana’s wide-openspaces. So,get outthere andstart exploring. In Louisiana, theroadlesstraveled is endless– revealingsomething newtoFeed Your Soul everytimeyou visit.

Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana

Adventure

Louisiana GREAT RIVERROAD

LouisianaGreat RiverRoadisone of tworoutesinthe statethathavereceiveddesignation as an All-American Road.Entwinedwiththe Mighty Mississippi,itﬂowsthrough ruraltowns as well as cities like NewOrleans andBaton Rouge, revealinganamazing mixofculture,history,and naturalbeauty.

Near Epps, PovertyPoint WorldHeritageSite hasnumerousearthen ridges andmoundsbuilt by indigenous people between1700 and1100 BC.Heading to St.Francisville, CatIslandNational WildlifeRefuge is home to thelargest bald cypresstreeinNorth America. Thebeautiful Audubon StateHistoricSite and Oakley House inspired famous naturalist/artist,JohnJames Audubon.

Over in BatonRouge,you’llﬁnd 30+historicbuildings andfascinating itemsfromthe 18th and19thcenturies at the LSURural Life Museum. BatonRouge Cruises oﬀersfun sunset,dinner, or cocktail excursions on theMississippi River. LauraPlantation in Vacherie serves as Louisiana’sCreoleHeritageSite. About50miles away, Vue Orleans is an immersivemuseumwithobservation decksfor panoramiccityviews. While thereare plenty of familiarsightsinNew Orleansand Baton Rouge, keep an eyeout forall thehiddengemsalong theway.

Did youknow?

Poverty PointState Historic Site is thestate’s only UNESCO WorldHeritageSite– oneof just 26 in theU.S

TheSaint at theSt. Francisville Inn: 2025 Michelin Awardmention.Named atop-100 restaurant in America.

VUE Orleans

Chef Karlos Knottwas crowned

King of Louisiana Seafood

CULTURAL Wetlands Trail

True to itsname, watersurroundsmuchofthisscenic byway. With naturalbeautyaround everyturn, a road trip alongthisroute carries youthrough towns that have made shrimping, trapping,and farming away of lifefor centuries. Each stop is steeped in historyand culture, from Native American burial moundstocolorfulCajun traditions.

Setonthe windingbanks of BayouLafourche, Historic Downtown Thibodauxhas afun blend of boutiques, bistros, andnightlife. The Bayou Country Children’sMuseum giveskidshands-on Louisianaexperiences of everything from aMardi Gras floattoa shrimpingboat.

Big Boy’s Main Street Cookoff

Visitthe E.D. WhiteHistoricSite,where youcan tour theformerhomeofthe firstLouisiana Supreme CourtJustice. Laurel ValleyPlantation still has nearly 40 original structures,offeringa detailed pictureofthatdistincttimeperiod.

ChauvinSculpture Garden is alittlefolkart wonderland on thebanks of BayouPetit Caillou, displaying more than 100 fantasticalreligiousthemed sculptures.Overat FaithFamilyShrimp Company,learn howwild-caught, driedshrimpare made.Further outin GrandIsleState Park,you can even camp rightonone of only asmall handfulof Gulf-front beachesinthe state.

Laurel ValleyPlantationisthe nation’s largest surviving19th centurysugar plantation. did youknow?

TOLEDOBEND FOREST

Scenic Byway

“NO MAN’S LAND”

Running alongLouisiana’s west-central border with Texas, this bywayalsoparallels Toledo Bend Reservoir,the largest manmadelakeinthe South. Constructedfromanoriginallogging traincar, Zwolle Museum on theBend explores thecreation of thereservoir. Fort Jesup is thesiteofa garrison that wasestablished by future U.S. President ZacharyTaylorin1822. Both Northand South Toledo Bend StateParks offergreat hiking,plus cabins andtentorRVcamping.South hasexcellent

SouthToledoBendState Park

NATURETRAIL Creole

“LOUISIANA’S OUTBACK”

This area’s nickname of “NoMan’s Land”stems from its historyasa neutralstrip between Spainand theU.S.

off-road vehicletrails, while Northoffersa pool and hassuperbfishing access. CypressBendResort is a lakeside oasiswithgreat views, wateractivitiesand agolfcourse. When allthe action gets youhungry, don’tmiss Zwolle Tamales.

CypressBendResort Golf Course didyou know?

This picturesque180-mile trailisone of only tworoutesinthe stateto receiveAll-American Road designation. Creole Nature Trail Adventure Point in Sulphur is an idealplace to startyourtrip. Thefreeexhibit immerses youinSouthwest Louisiana’sculture,while helpingfamiliarize youwiththe trail’suniquelandscapesand wildlife. Peveto WoodsBird& ButterﬂySanctuary is amajor stopover formigrating birdsand Monarch butterﬂies, welcomingaround twomillionbirds annually.Meanwhile, RockefellerWildlifeRefuge hasone of thehighest nestingdensities for American alligators. Just keep in mind that this is amoreprimitive route, so bringalong your ownnecessities,likefood,drinks, andsun screen.

This area wasoncea hideoutfor thefamousprivateer Jean Lafitte Pirate’s playground

Creole Nature Trail

FIND YOUR Festival

Louisiana’s celebrations areready to welcomeyou withgreat food,culture, and music year-round.

French QuarterFestival

April –New Orleans: Includes 20+ stages of livemusic, localcuisine,and specialevents

Festival InternationaldeLouisiane

April –Lafayette:Largest internationalmusic fest in theU.S., with gourmetfood andhandcrafted artworks

PonchatoulaStrawberry Festival

April –Ponchatoula:Includesmusic,a carshow, abake-off, awingcook-off, anda parade

BeauregardWatermelon Festival

May –DeRidder: Includes carnival rides, live entertainment, food vendors, andwatermelon eating challenges

Louisiana Peach Festival

June –Ruston: 2025 statefestivalofthe year winner. Includes kids’activities, livemusic,food vendors, andanartsmarket

Golden Meadow-Fourchon International Tarpon Rodeo

July –PortFourchon: Includes livemusic,local food, ashrimpboil, andgiveaways

Louisiana Shrimp &Petroleum Festival

September –MorganCity: Includes acarnival, a children’svillage andparade, a5k, livemusic,ﬁreworks, andauthentic drilling rigtours

RedRiver Revel

October –Shreveport: Includes kids’games andrides, face painting,food vendors, music, andworks from 80+ artists

Rougarou Fest

October –Houma:Includescarnivalrides,trick-ortreating,outdoor movies,a haunted house, anda folklifevillage

Natchitoches Christmas Festival: CELEBRATING 100YEARS! Saturday before Thanksgiving throughJanuary 6

Includes more than 300,000Christmas lightsand events likeHoliday Kids Fest andCookieswithSanta

LouisianaPeach Festival

ACity Market At TheBattery

Atlanta, Georgia

Hereare FiveFarmers Markets Worth Visiting in theSouth This Spring

This market combines freshproduce with an energeticurban atmosphere.Visitors canshopfor seasonal fruits andvegetables, locallymade honeyand bakedgoodswhile enjoyinglivemusic andfamily-friendly activities. Thesurroundingrestaurantsand shops make it easy to turn amorningmarket visitintoafull dayofexploring

CharlestonFarmersMarket

Charleston, South Carolina

SetinhistoricMarionSquare, this is one of theLowcountry’smostbeloved weekend traditions. Vendorssellfresh produce, sweetgrass baskets, seafood andhandmade crafts, giving visitors atruetaste of coastal SouthCarolinaculture.Food stallsserving shrimp dishes, barbecue andfresh lemonade make it just as much aculinarydestination as ashoppingexperience

sgardensand farmsbegin producingfresh vegetables,berries andherbs,farmers markets fill with vibrantcolors, regional specialties andwelcomingenergy. For travelersplanningaspringgetaway,these farmersmarkets offer adelicious way to experience localculture whilesupportingregionalfarmers

Crescent City FarmersMarket

NewOrleans, Louisiana

OperatedbyMarketUmbrella, theCrescent City FarmersMarketrotates throughseveral neighborhoodsand showcasessomeof Louisiana’sbestfarms andfoodproducers. Visitors can find seasonal produce,Gulf seafood, baked goodsand localspecialties like hotsauce andfresh herbs. Cooking demonstrations andchefappearances often highlight howlocal ingredients shapethe region’s renowned cuisine.

NashvilleFarmers Market

Nashville, Tennessee

Featuringbothanoutdoor farmersmarket andalarge indoor food hall,springvisitors will find locallygrown vegetables, flowers andhandmadegoodsalongsideinternational food vendorsofferingeverythingfrom barbecue to global street food. Themix of farm vendorsand diversediningoptions makesitone of theSouth’s most dynamic markets.

State FarmersMarket

Raleigh,North Carolina

This is oneofthe largest agriculturalmarkets in theSoutheast.Openyear-round, it offers acres of vendor spacewhere farmerssell freshproduce,plants, jams andregional specialties. In spring,the market becomes especially lively as strawberries, greens and floweringplants fill thestalls.

From coastalcities to capitaltowns, thesemarkets offer travelersachanceto experience flavors, traditionsand hospitality. Whetheryou’resamplingfresh produce or browsingartisan goods, each stop provides a memorabletaste of spring

Springisthe perfecttimetoreset your routine, soak up sunshine andfocus on wellness.Manydestinationsare designedtohelppeoplerechargethrough nature,spa treatments andmindful experiences. Whetheryou’relooking for aweekend retreatoralongergetaway, thesesites offer opportunities to relaxand reconnect.

BLACKBERRYMOUNTAIN

Walland, Tennessee

Nestledinthe foothillsofthe Smoky Mountains, Blackberry Mountain focuseson outdoorwellness. Guests canexplore hiking trails,rockclimbing routes andguided meditation sessions in thefresh mountain air. Farm-to-table diningand spaexperiences roundout therejuvenatingstay. www.blackberrymountain.com

LAKEAUSTIN SPARESORT

Austin,Texas

This award-winningdestination spaisknown forits tranquil settingand personalized wellness experiences. Guests canenjoy yoga, meditation classesand outdooractivities like kayaking andpaddleboarding. The resort also offersavarietyofspa treatments andwellnessworkshops focusedonstress management andhealthy living. www.lakeaustin.com

MIRAVALAUSTIN RESORT &SPA

Austin, Texas

MiravalAustinoffersa holistic approach to wellness that combines spatreatments, mindfulness workshops andoutdoor adventures. Guests canparticipate in activities rangingfromyoga andequine therapy to cookingclasses that emphasize healthy, seasonal ingredients. www.miravalresorts.com

HILTON HEAD HEALTH

Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

Locatednearthe beachesofthe Atlantic Ocean, this wellness retreatblendscoastal relaxation with structured fitnessand nutritionprograms. Visitors cantakepart in groupworkouts, cookingdemonstrations andmindfulness sessions,all whileenjoying scenic walksalong theisland’sfamous shoreline.

www.hhhealth.com

THE LODGE AT WOODLOCH

Hawley, Pennsylvania

This is alongtimefavorite fortravelers seekinga luxurious wellness retreat. Surrounded by forested landscapes, the resort offersnaturehikes, spatreatments andwellnessclasses designedtorestore both body andmind.

www.thelodgeatwoodloch.com

From lakesideretreatstomountain hideaways, thesedestinationsmakeiteasy to prioritize relaxation andwellbeingwhile exploring some of theSouth’s most beautiful landscapes.

Spring TRAVEL GUIDE

HHistoricDowntowns

istoricdistricts offer aglimpse into acommunity’s culturalpastwhile servingas vibrantmoderncenters for food,art andlocal life. From cobblestone streets andpreserved architecture to lively markets andriverfrontpromenades, these walkable areasinvitevisitorstoslowdown andexperience thecharacter of each destination

Savannah, Georgia

Savannah’s historic district is often considered oneofthe most beautifulin thecountry.Shadedbytoweringoak trees draped in Spanishmoss, thecity’siconic squaresand cobblestone streetsinvite leisurely exploration. Visitors cantour historic homes, browse artgalleries and dine in restored buildings that date back centuries. RiverStreet, with itsshops and waterfront views, addsanother layerof energy to thedistrict.

Oxford,Mississippi

Home to theUniversityofMississippi, Oxford blends literary heritage with alively downtown culture. Thehistoriccourthouse square anchorsthe district,surroundedby bookstores, restaurantsand localboutiques. Fans of Southern literature often stop by Square Books, abeloved independent bookstorethathas become acultural landmark

Natchitoches, Louisiana

As theoldestpermanent settlementinthe LouisianaPurchase, Natchitochesoffersa downtown filled with historic character. Brickstreets,wrought-iron balconies and Cane RiverLakecreateasetting that feelsof anotherera. Visitors canexplore boutique shops alongFront Street, enjoyLouisiana cuisineand walk thepicturesque riverbank promenade Thecity’sdeepFrenchand Creole heritage addsevenmorecharm to this beloveddestination

Beaufort, South Carolina

Nestledalong thecoastal marshlands of the Lowcountry,Beaufort’shistoricdowntown feels relaxedyet deeply rooted in history. Strollingalong BayStreetreveals waterfront views, historic churches andbeautifully preservedhomes. Thearea’swalkable layout makesiteasytospend an afternoon exploring artgalleries, cafésand shaded parkswhile soakinginthe coastalscenery.

Natchez, Mississippi

Perchedonabluff overlookingthe MississippiRiver,Natchez boasts oneofthe South’smostpicturesque historic districts. Visitors canstrollalong theriverfront, browse antiqueshops andexplore beautifully preserved18th- and19th-centuryhomes. Thecity is especiallyknown forits historic mansions andscenic walkingtours that bring its layeredhistory to life. Downtown also featurescharmingcafés andrestaurantsthat makeiteasytolingerand enjoythe view

From riverfront townstocoastal communities in theCarolinas,these destinationsremindtravelers that sometimes thebestway to experience aplace is to wander itsstreets anddiscoverits stories alongthe way.

Sg Spring TRAVEL GUIDE

pringisone of themostenjoyable seasonsfor travel.

Mild weather, bloominglandscapesand a packed calendaroffestivals andoutdoor events make it an ideal time to explore new destinations. Whetheryou’replanninga quickweekend escape or alongervacation, a little preparationcan helpensureyourtripis both relaxing andmemorable.

BOOK EARLYFOR POPULARDESTINATIONS

Events andaccommodations can fill up quickly, so it’s agood ideatomakereservations in advance. Bookingearly canalsohelpyou secure better prices on flights, hotels and tickets.

CHECK THE LOCAL EVENT CALENDAR

Many cities host specialeventsduring thespring, includingmusic festivals, food celebrations andfarmers markets. Researchinglocal calendars canhelp youplanyouritinerary around unique experiences youmight otherwisemiss.

PACKLAYERS FOR CHANGINGWEATHER

Spring weathercan vary widely.Cool mornings, warm afternoonsand occasional rain showers arecommoninmanyregions. Packinglightweight layers such as sweaters, jackets andscarves canhelpyou stay comfortablethroughoutthe day.

PLAN OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES

Hiking,biking, kayaking andbeach walksare all greatwaystoexperience adestination’s naturalbeauty. Many national parks, botanical gardensand scenic trails are especiallyvibrant during this season.

BE FLEXIBLEWITH YOUR ITINERARY

Oneofthe best partsof travel is discovering unexpectedexperiences. Leavingsome room in your schedule allows youto explore localshops, trynew restaurantsor follow recommendationsfromresidents. Flexibility canoften lead to some of the most memorablemoments of atrip.

CONSIDER MIDWEEK TRAVEL

Travelingduringthe middle of theweekcan often mean fewercrowdsand lowerprices. Flightsand hotelrates arefrequentlyless expensive Tuesdaythrough Thursday,and popularattractions maybeeasier to enjoy withoutlonglines.

PROTECTYOURSELF FROMTHE SUN

Even during cooler spring temperatures, thesun canstill be strong.Packing sunscreen, sunglasses andahat canhelp protectyou during long days outdoors, especially if your travel plansinclude beaches, parksoroutdoor festivals.

SUPPORT LOCALBUSINESSES

Spring travel offersagreat opportunity to experience thecharacterofacommunity Visiting farmersmarkets, locallyowned restaurantsand smallshops notonlycreates amoreauthentic travel experience butalso supports thepeopleand businessesthat make each destination unique.

LOUISIANA

‘Early warning for serious risks’

Baton Rouge clinical trial monitors postpartum hemorrhaging

BY MARGARET DELANEY

Staff writer

Woman’s Hospital in Baton Rouge has enrolled the first 40 United States participants in a global study testing a wearable monitor designed to predict postpartum hemorrhage, a potentially lifesaving complication.

After experiencing postpartum trauma during the birth of her second son in 2013, mechanical engineer Sarah McDonald set out to turn her experience into measurable data. She went to medical school in 2015 and founded Baymatob and the Oli monitor after she graduated from medical school.

The Oli monitor — named after her

son who is now a healthy teenager

— is a wearable device that attaches to the abdomen during labor using 10 sensors to track blood pressure, contractions and fetal health and generate personalized risk alerts for postpartum hemorrhage.

“What we’re trying to do is provide early warning for serious risks to prevent complications from happening altogether,” said Tara Croft, the chief executive ofﬁcer of Baymatob.

When a woman is in labor, when the uterus is contracting, there are up to 800 milliliters of blood every minute pumping through her uterus. Severe bleeding can become critical quickly

research

and

at Woman’s Hospital, hold Oli devices on Feb 23 in Baton Rouge. The Oli station in a birthing suite carries two Oli devices for backup.

Panel discusses the role of food in staying healthy

BY MIRIAM FAUZIA and JAMIE LANDERS

The Dallas Morning News (TNS)

DALLAS Human health is shaped by far more than what happens in a doctor’s office. Research estimates that as much as 80% to 90% of health outcomes are inﬂuenced by factors outside of medical care including diet, physical activity and other everyday habits.

Yet food, one of the most powerful drivers of health, is rarely treated as medicine.

That idea came into focus at a panel hosted this week by The Dallas Morning News during its pop-up newsroom at The DEC Network in Red Bird, part of the newspaper’s Trust Initiative.

“Beyond the Doctor’s Office: Nourishing Health from the Inside Out” brought together experts

from UT Southwestern Medical Center, Children’s Health, Parkland Health and Methodist Health System to discuss how food can help prevent and manage disease, particularly given the links between food insecurity and chronic illness.

The panelists also addressed practical ways people can incorporate healthier habits into their lives. The Dallas Morning News’

health reporter Emily Brindley moderated the panel.

The concept of food as medicine isn’t new, said Dr Jaclyn Albin, an internist and director of UT Southwestern Medical Center’s Culinary Medicine Program.

The movement gained traction in the 1980s, when medically tailored meals were provided to patients with advanced HIV during the AIDS epidemic.

“They found that people who were delivered healthy meals stayed out of the hospital,” Albin said. “They lived longer They felt better Imagine that, a healthy meal helps you heal. It brings longevity and comfort in a sickness.” Studies have found that improving access to nutritious food — whether through medically

ä See FOOD, page 2X

STAFF PHOTOS By MICHAEL JOHNSON

From left, Dr Elizabeth Sutton, director of research at Woman’s Hospital; Tara Croft, CEO of Baymatob; Carie Dowden, research coordinator at Woman’s Hospital; Briasha Jones, research manager at Woman’s Hospital; and Dr Cliff Moore, chief medical officer at Woman’s Hospital, stand in a birthing suite at the hospital in Baton Rouge on Feb 23.

Carie Dowden, research coordinator at Woman’s Hospital,

Briasha Jones,

manager

Teen girls are most likely to tear their ACLs

Parents say more must be done to protect them

BY MARC LEVY Associated Press

HARRISBURG, Pa. Soﬁa Tepichin was about 30 minutes into her club soccer team practice in October when she spotted a fast-approaching defender. She tapped the ball away and hopped over the defender’s outstretched foot, came down awkwardly and heard a “pop.”

She immediately fell to the ground, pain shooting through her left knee and knew it wasn’t good. It was, she said, “heartbreaking.”

“And I knew personally that I tore my ACL,” Tepichin said.

Tepichin joined the growing ranks of female high school athletes tearing their anterior cruciate ligament, a devastating knee injury that researchers are pressing the sports world to take more seriously

Decades of research on prevention methods is available, but parents, researchers and trainers say that teams, coaches and leagues aren’t doing enough to protect the girls and educate parents.

Vulnerable athletes

Sports fans hear often about high-profile athletes like U.S. Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn tearing their ACLs, and many ACL injuries are chalked up to bad luck or a part of sports that will continue to happen at all competitive levels.

Still, high school-age female athletes suffer these injuries at much higher rates than their male counterparts — up to eight times more likely, one study says — and adults, most often in noncontact situations in sports that require fast changes in direction, researchers say Biomechanics researchers, trainers and physical therapists say there are pre-workout warm ups and strengthening routines such as FIFA 11+ or PEP — that can at least reduce the risk of an injury that takes such a high physical and mental toll on young athletes.

FOOD

Continued from page 1X

tailored meals or programs that provide fresh produce — can help manage dietrelated conditions such as heart disease, which claims about 2,500 lives each day in the United States.

While eating healthier might sound simple, it can feel daunting — or even unappealing — for someone who hasn’t had positive experiences with foods often labeled as “healthy.”

Milette Siler, a culinary dietitian nutritionist and cofounder of UT Southwestern’s Culinary Medicine Program, said it’s important to consider people’s financial access to food as well as their emotional and cultural connections to it, focusing not on taking foods away but on adding nutritious ingredients and enhancing ﬂavor

“Is there a way to take maybe an ultra-processed food that is what you can afford right now,” Siler said, “and add some value to it with some foods that, while they might also be processed, are convenient and inexpensive to add nutrition?”

Part of that strategy involves scrutinizing nutrition labels not so much for additives, although these chemicals added to preserve food can affect health and are important to keep in mind, Siler said.

Instead, she recommends focusing on a few key markers of nutrient density, such as protein, dietary ﬁber sugar and sodium.

“Every food is going to have drawbacks because it’s grown in a world that is not perfect,” Siler said. “So helping people understand it’s a

But, they say, most coaches lack training or expert help, and high school girls compete in settings with far fewer resources than the professional and collegiate levels. As a result, risk-reduction routines are rarely included in day-today coaching curricula and practices.

“The real crime in this is that the data has been out there for 25 years,” said Holly Silvers-Granelli, a physical therapist and biomechanics researcher who advises athletes, professional teams and major sports leagues on injury prevention “People are clamoring for answers, and the answers are largely there.”

The trendline of ACL injuries isn’t entirely clear, but the National ACL Injury Coalition — formed by the Aspen Institute and the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York — said its analysis of data from high school athletic trainers showed that the average annual ACL injury rate for high school athletes grew almost 26% from 2007 to 2022.

The rate for girls grew more than 32%, compared to 14.5% for boys, it said On their own to recover When they get injured, high school athletes and

their parents often find themselves on their own to deal with it ACL injuries can require surgery and a year of rehab, physical therapy and strength training, which insurance may not fully cover Recovery changes their routine and identity: They miss out on the camaraderie of the team and stand on the sidelines, which can be as hard as the physical trauma, parents say

Many high school athletes who tear their ACL never perform again at the same level, if they even return to the sport, the National ACL Injury Coalition says. And once injured, they carry a heightened risk of another ACL injury and long-term complications like degenerative joint disease, researchers say

The coalition has urged the sports world to treat ACL injuries like brain injuries, now that professional and youth sports have tried to improve training, rules and equipment standards to prevent and detect concussions.

Sophia Gerardi, a sophomore at Pennsylvania’s Apollo Ridge High School who tore her ACL during a basketball game in December, was told by her doctors that she’ll forever have to wear a knee brace to play

sports. She had surgery in January, will miss volleyball season and hopes to be back for next winter’s basketball season.

Like many girls who tore their ACL, she didn’t recall getting any ACL injury-prevention training.

Surveys of coaches show that many don’t know about risk-reduction programs, aren’t trained to do them or aren’t encouraged to learn about them, said Vince Minjares, who leads the Aspen Institute’s ACL injury prevention project Some coaches tell Minjares that it takes too much time.

He hopes that’s changing.

‘What is the solution’

This spring, the American Youth Soccer Organization — one of major national organizations in U.S. youth soccer — will roll out new age- and stage-based neuromuscular training programs aimed at preventing ACL injuries through warm-ups.

Coaches will get a regimen of exercises in bite-sized chunks, with video instructions The goal is to build good habits before preteens age into more physical and demanding competition.

“My biggest shock was that this didn’t already exist,” said Scott Snyder AYSO’s senior director of pro-

grams and education. “Everyone I talk to says, ‘Yeah, that makes perfect sense,’ but nobody’s done it yet.”

Last year, biomechanical researchers at the Scottish Rite for Children hospital in metropolitan Dallas began providing high school teams with resources typically only available or affordable at the professional and collegiate levels. They created preseason injury-prevention trainings, tailored for female athletes, to improve strength and movement quality. At the start of the eight-week program, each athlete gets a free motion-capture 3Dlevel assessment to identify weaknesses in strength, movement or balance. Another assessment at the end determines if the program reduced risk.

Future trainings could include nutrition and sleep, said Sophia Ulman, who directs the hospital’s Movement Science Laboratory

“My team and I got tired of studying ‘why, why, why’ when there’s so many different possibilities to answer that question. And we wanted to move into the ‘what is the solution,’” said Ulman. Other biomechanics labs in the U.S. are trying similar outreach, she said.

One of the teams that par-

THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS PHOTOS By ELÃAS VALVERDE II

ABOVE: Dr. Dora Johnson speaks March 10 during a panel discussion about the relationship between food and medicine, hosted by The Dallas Morning News, at The DEC Network in Dallas. RIGHT: The crowd listens as doctors and health care officials participate in the panel discussion.

teeter-totter.” For parents and caregivers of young children, Dr Stormee Williams, a pediatrician and chief health equity ofﬁcer at Children’s Health, said it’s important to build healthy eating habits early to support better health later in life. At the same time, she said parents should meet kids where they are by introducing healthier versions of foods they already enjoy such as a baked apple topped with cinnamon instead of apple pie.

“Don’t restrict the children in your life to what you like and don’t like,” Williams

added. “Even if it’s something that you don’t readily eat, but you have it available, go ahead and serve it to them, because they might like it.”

For people on GLP-1 drugs, whether for managing diabetes or weight loss, Dr Dora Johnson, a family medicine physician with the Methodist Health System, recommends focusing on eating enough protein and multiple small meals a day

ticipated was Plano East High School in Texas, where players — including Tepichin — had suffered a rash of ACL tears the past couple years.

Cristy Cooley, Plano East’s coach, said that getting a hands-on demonstration from trained professionals in proper exercises and movement patterns makes a big difference.

“It’s one thing talking about it,” Cooley said. “But it’s a totally different thing to show us.”

‘Something’s got to change’

Like other parents, Tiffany Jacob said she learned a lot about preventing ACL injuries that she wished she had known before her daughter — East Plano sophomore Aliya Jacob tore her ACL last February For instance, the surgeon told them three days a week of strength training is an absolute must for soccer players.

“Something’s got to change,” Tiffany Jacob said. “Coaches, clubs, something. They have to do something to prevent this because it’s just such a horrible injury.” Aliya — who knows at least seven other female soccer players who tore an ACL, her mother said is back playing for East Plano now She endured twice-a-week physical therapy, the isolation of rehabilitation and, her mother said, “ﬁguring out who you are when you’re not playing soccer.”

Tepichin, a high school senior, recalls her surgeon telling her to take a couple days to get all her sadness and anger out — and then devote herself to her recovery She’ll miss her last year of playing high school and club team soccer Her next time on a ﬁeld could be for Saint Vincent College in Pennsylvania, where she committed to the NCAA Division III team.

Tepichin has seen a sports psychologist, gotten comfort from others who underwent the surgery — her sister, her father and her friend and found a new routine after having been constantly busy with two soccer teams and a job.

“There’s not a day that I go that I’m not working out or doing something,” she said, “or getting better for my health and my recovery.”

why Parkland, partnering with other health organizations and communities, has developed interventions in speciﬁc ZIP codes, speciﬁcally South Dallas, to try to reverse that,” said Jessica Hernandez, vice president of community integrated health at Parkland Health.

“You can imagine that food is a part of that, but it is one part.” Siler highlighted a partnership at Red Bird with Crossroads Community Services, which opened a nutrition pharmacy on-site.

Patients from nearby clinics who are screened and identiﬁed as food insecure can easily access the pantry and select food for themselves.

Panelists said financial barriers and food insecurity remain major obstacles to ensuring people have access to the nutrition they need.

For example, the Community Health Needs Assessment Report — a data-driv-

“As you lose weight rapidly, you lose muscle mass,” said Johnson. “That’s why we spoke about protein being very important to incorporate in all your meals, but you also want to preserve muscle mass through weight-bearing and strength training.”

en evaluation of the health status, needs and challenges facing communities in Texas — is used to help guide local health programs. The 2025 report identiﬁed food insecurity and nutrition among the top three healthrelated problems in Dallas and Rockwall counties.

“Some of the statistics were astounding, which is

The screening process takes less than 30 seconds and is done for all patients to reduce stigma. The program’s goal, Siler said, is not just to address food insecurity but also nutrition insecurity, ensuring people have access to the nutrients they need to support their health. Overall, treating food as medicine must be a priority for health providers hoping to change the tides in medical care and prevention of preventable diseases, Albin said. That means having thoughtful, sensitive conversations with patients and communities about their relationship with food, particularly for those who have experienced food-related trauma.

“We’ve created a void in medicine,” Albin said. “I think we need to own that we haven’t been a voice for this I blame us, which is part of why training the next generation to do better and to not do harm in their language around food is a huge priority.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By LM OTERO

Plano East High School soccer player Sofia Tepichian, right, has her movement analyzed with help from sports biomechanics researcher Sophia Ulman on Jan. 22 at the Movement Science Laboratory at Scottish Rite for Children in Frisco, Texas.

options recipes plant-basedingredientspulledstraight fromthefridgeandpantry.Naturalegg dyeingmeantsimmeringbeetsforpink, turmericforyellow,redcabbageforblue orspirulinaforgreen,thenlettingeggs soakforhours,sometimesovernight, hopingforthebest.

FromSimmerPots toSimpleKits

Ifyoulovethehands-onprocess ofmakingdyesfromingredientsin ,ab anyrecognize fromthebakingaisle,offersnaturalfood coloringmadefromvegetablejuicesand

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andspirulina.These ingandcanalso aking,drinksor offerseggdyekits plant-basedpigments erencefamilieswill dyesdon’ttypically ultra-brightneoncolorsmany Instead,theshades stillvibrant,often

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MollyKimball,RD,CSSD,isaregistereddietitian withOchsnerHealthandfounderofOchsner’sEatFit nonproﬁtinitiative.Formorewellnesscontent,tuneinto Molly’spodcast,FUELEDWellness+Nutrition,andfollow @MollykimballRDand@EatFitOchsneronsocialmedia. Emailnutrition@ochsner.orgtoconnectwithMollyor scheduleaconsultwithherteam.

LOUISIANAFALLS BEHINDIN CHOLESTEROL SCREENINGS

High cholesterol can lead to abuildup of plaque in the arteries that increases the risk of heartattacks and strokes, according to the American Heart Association. High cholesterol does not have symptoms.Thus, regular cholesterol screenings— a simple blood test or “lipid profile” once every four to six years —are recommended to continuously evaluate heartrisks.

In 2023, 85.6% of American adults were up to date on their cholesterol screenings, aslight decrease in the last five years from 86% in 2019.InLouisiana, only 83.8% of adultsreported cholesterol screenings in the last five years.

From 2017 to 2020, 86 million American adults overthe ageof 20 had high or “borderline high” cholesterol, accordingtodata from the Centers forDisease Control andPrevention.

Additionally in March, the American HeartAssociation, along with the American College of Cardiology, recommended new cholesterol guidelines to begin screening and treating peoplefor high cholesterol in their 30s. Themedical groups lowered the

recommended agebyatleast adecade as heartattacks and hearthealth risks are becoming more common in younger adults. The national heartassociations also recommend screening for two biomarkers in the blood that have been linked to heartrisks.

These Louisiana parishes had the highest percentageofadults in 2023 whoreported having their cholesterol checkedwithin the last five years, in descending order:

nEast Baton RougeParish with 87.1% of adults;

nSt.TammanyParish with 86.4% of adults;

nJefferson Parishwith 86.3% of adults;

nAscension, Orleans,St. Charles and St. John the Baptist parishes with 86.2% of adults;

nLafayette, St. Jamesand West Baton Rougeparishes with 86.1% of adults;

nBossier Parish with 85.9% of adults;

nWest Feliciana Parish with 85.5% of adults.

These Louisiana parishes had the lowest percentageofadults in 2023 whoreported having their cholesterol checkedwithin the last five years, in ascending order:

TheScienceBehindBetterColor Whetheryou’reusingastore-bought naturalkitormakingdyesfrom scratch,there’sonekeyingredient thatmatters:vinegar.

Funfact:Eggshellsaremadeprimarilyof calciumcarbonate.Whenyouaddvinegar tothedyesolution,itlowersthepHand slightlychangesthesurfaceoftheshell, makingitmoreporous,allowingpigment tobindmoreeffectively Toolittleacid,andthecolorwon’t takewell.Toomuchacid,andyou’llsee bubblingthatcanleaveunevenspots.ApH around4tendstoworkbest,whichiswhy mostrecipescallforaspeciﬁcamountof vinegarratherthanjustasplash.Forkids whoenjoythesciencesideofcooking, inexpensivepHstripsfromadrugstorecan turneggdecoratingintoasimple,handsonlearningactivity.

AFewAdditionalTipsfor

BetterResults:

•Leteggssitlongerforadeeper color–naturaldyesbuildgradually, notimmediately.

•Trylayeringcolorsbydyeingin oneshade,lettingitdry,then dippingagain.

•Usewaxpencilstodrawdesigns beforedyeingtocreateadyeresistantpattern.

Colorful,CreativeandStill ConnectedtoTradition

Regardlessofhowyouopttodyeyour eggs,thegoalisn’tpicture-perfecteggs:It’s timewithfamily,handsstainedwithcolor andtheconversationsthatarehappening whilesomethingfuntakesshape. Thisspring,bringonthecolor–naturally, creativelyandinwhateverwayﬁtsyour homebest.

nClaiborne Parishwith 81% of adults;

nEast Carroll Parish with 80.2% of adults;

nCaldwell Parish with 81.5% of adults;

nAvoyelles and Catahoula parisheswith 81.8% of adults;

TheLouisiana Health section is focusedonproviding in-depth, personal accounts of health in the state.This sectionlooks at medical innovations, health discoveries,

and reexamining

nEvangeline and Madison parishes with 82.1% of adults;

nAcadia,Allenand Franklin parishes with 82.2% of adults; nBienville and Concordia parishes with 82.3% of adults

nWebster Parishwith 82.4% of adults.

Health editions will also profile people whoare advancing health for the state of Louisiana. Do youhavea health story? We want to hear fromyou. Email margaret.delaney@ theadvocate.com to submit health questions, stories and more.

Molly Kimball RD,CSSD

Parenting center facility unveiled in Covington

BY MARGARET DELANEY Staff writer

St. Tammany Health System pulls back the curtain on the newly renovated home of its Parenting Center at 71338 La. 21, Covington, a vibrant space designed to support the center’s mission of nurturing strong parents, healthy children and conﬁdent families.

The renovated space includes play-and-learn areas, family classrooms and outdoor access to the Tammany Trace and other Koop Drive amenities.

Denham Springs health center closes temporarily

Ochsner Health Center — Denham Springs, at 30819 La 16, is temporarily closed after a vehicle accident on March 5 damaged the building. There were no injuries. The facility sustained signiﬁcant damage, and there is currently no estimate on how long it will take for the clinic to reopen Ochsner continues to assess the situation and will update as soon as possible.

Ochsner is contacting clinic patients to reschedule their appointments or direct them to nearby Ochsner locations, including Ochsner Health Center Denham Springs South, so there are no disruptions in care.

N.O. hosts national summit for lung cancer

The third annual African American Lung Cancer Patient & Caregiver Summit in New Orleans is set for April 23-25 at the Marriott Warehouse Arts District. The weekend-long event will focus on “survivorship, emerging treatments, clinical trials, environmental and clean-air justice, public policy, AI in care, mental wellness, financial navigation, caregiver support and patient advocacy.”

The event is free for lung cancer patients and caregivers and includes meals, hotel accommodations and travel and learning materials.

8 Tulane researchers nationally recognized

Several Tulane University researchers have been named as senior members by the National Academy of Inventors, or NAI a designation that recognizes rising stars who drive a culture of innovation on campus and help develop the next generation of inventors.

Tulane’s honored researchers include:

n Matthew E. Burow, an associate professor of medicine and surgery in hematology & medical oncology, advances translational

research in hormone-responsive breast cancer and metabolic disease.

n John D. Clements, professor emeritus of microbiology and immunology, is a global leader in vaccine development and mucosal immunology His work has advanced next-generation vaccines for infectious diseases affecting vulnerable populations worldwide.

n Scott M. Grayson, professor of chemistry, designs and synthesizes complex polymer materials with precisely controlled nanoscale structures.

n Michael J. Moore, professor and chair of biomedical engineering, develops advanced neural tissue engineering technologies to improve the study and treatment of neurological disorders. His work aims to accelerate development of safer, more effective therapies for patients with nerve damage and neurodegenerative disease.

n Lisa Morici, professor of microbiology and immunology, develops next-generation vaccines to prevent emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases.

n Kim C. O’Connor, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, is a stem cell engineer focused on advancing regenerative medicine. Her research explores why adult stem cells differ in their ability to repair tissue and control

inﬂammation.

n Noshir S. Pesika, associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, designs nature-inspired materials that control how surfaces stick, slide and interact at the micro- and nanoscale and includes designs to better replicate natural cartilage and improve treatment options for knee injuries.

n James E. Zadina, professor of medicine, pharmacology and neuroscience and director of the Neuroscience Laboratory at the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System, studies the neurobiology of opioids and the mechanisms of pain and addiction. His research led to the discovery of endomorphins, naturally occurring opioid peptides in the brain, and focuses on developing new pain medications that provide powerful relief with fewer side effects and lower risk of addiction.

The 2026 class of NAI Senior Members includes 230 emerging inventors — the group’s largest new cohort to date. The new members hail from 82 institutions across the globe and collectively hold over 2,000 U.S. patents.

Spend Behavioral Health Day with group in BR Rally at the Baton Rouge Capi-

tol at AZ Young Park, North Third Street, from 9 a.m. to noon on April 27 with Louisiana Mental Health Association and the Foundation for Suicide Prevention — La. Chapter Wear white for behavioral health. Lunch and a vendor event to follow the rally Register for the event at the Louisiana Mental Health Association’s website.

AARP New Orleans hosts free line dancing class

AARP New Orleans is hosting a “Keep it movin’ and groovin’ ” series of one-hour dance classes starting at 10 a.m. April 18, May 16, June 20 and July 18 at the Gernon Brown Recreation Center, 1001 Harrison Ave.

The class teaches steps to hiphop, country/western, R&B, zydeco, New Orleans’ favorites and “oldie’s but goodies,” according to a release from AARP Membership is not required to attend the event. Register at aarp. org.

Health Notes is an occasional listing of health happenings around Louisiana. Have something you’d like to share? Contact us at margaret.delaney@theadvocate. com.

European regulators endorse new sleeping sickness pill

Move paves way for usage in hard-hit African countries

BY MIKE STOBBE AP medical writer

NEW YORK European drug regu-

lators on Friday endorsed a new and simpler treatment for sleeping sickness, in what could be a giant boost to efforts to eliminate the disease A European Medicines Agency committee gave its nod to acoziborole, made by Sanofi. The decision is seen as a crucial step to making the medicine available in Congo, the country with the most sleeping sickness cases, and paving the way for its use in other African countries.

The product’s proponents say three of the pills, taken together as a one-time dose, are an easier and far more accessible treatment than current regimens, which can require arduous trips to hospitals.

“This disease is on the brink of elimination” and the new drug could accelerate progress toward ﬁnishing the job, said Dr Junior Matangila of the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative, an in-

MONITORS

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Postpartum hemorrhage is defined as severe bleeding within 24 hours of childbirth. It can happen up to 12 weeks after delivery in rare cases, with a total blood loss greater than 1 liter (or one standard-sized water bottle) regardless of Caesarean or vaginal delivery according to the Cleveland Clinic

Because large amounts of blood are lost so quickly, blood pressure can swiftly decline and restrict blood ﬂow to the heart brain and other organs. Labor and delivery teams need to identify postpartum hemorrhaging as quickly as possible.

“If you can be prepared with the right people, the right medicines, the right blood — that matters,” Croft said. “Time matters.”

Postpartum hemorrhage occurs in about 5% of deliveries worldwide, accounting for 25% of maternal deaths, but most cases aren’t life-threatening with prompt treatment.

The risk is especially relevant in Louisiana.

A 2022 study found that 12.3% of births in Louisiana resulted in postpartum hemorrhaging, significantly higher than the U.S. average at 5%. The same study conducted at a South-Central Louisiana hospital, indicated that anemia during delivery, Black women, high body mass index score and Caesarean deliveries were “the strongest predictors” of postpartum hemorrhaging.

Those indicators initially identified Louisiana and Woman’s Hospital as the perfect place for Baymatob to conduct their fourth

Dr Mariame Camara holds an acoziborole pill at the Dubreka Clinical Trial site, in Dubreka, Guinea, in 2024. A European Medicines Agency committee gave its nod to acoziborole on Friday as a new and simpler treatment for sleeping sickness.

ternational organization focused on new treatments. If sleeping sickness could be eliminated, it might be the first time spread of an infectious disease was erased without a vaccine, Sanoﬁ ofﬁcials noted.

Monica Mugnier, a sleeping sickness researcher at Johns Hopkins University, said the drug is a major treatment improvement but

and ﬁnal clinical trial, according to Croft.

Predicting the unpredictable

Current labor monitors typically use two Velcro belts one to track contractions and one to monitor the baby’s heartbeat — connected by wires to a machine. These systems have changed little since the 1960s and cannot predict postpartum hemorrhage.

When the baby moves, the existing straps and machines attached make a distressed sound, creating unnecessary confusion and worry for expectant mothers. Clinicians are constantly moving and repositioning the belts as the baby moves.

“It can be sensory overload,” said Elizabeth Sutton, director of research at Woman’s Hospital.

The Oli monitor is quick and simple to attach. It “clicks on” with four sticky electrodes, similar to the probes that attach to EKG monitors.

“It sticks on, and it stays on,” Croft said. “We prioritized comfort ﬁrst. Moms often don’t notice it’s on. And if they do notice it, we’ve heard them compare it to a warm hug.”

Medical teams rely on a patient’s history and risk factors (like blood clotting disorders, obesity, advanced maternal age and certain medications) to identify when patients have a higher risk of hemorrhaging after birth. However, around 40% of hemorrhages occur without risk factors, according to data from the Cleveland Clinic.

“Today, there is no way to reliably predict whether a mom hemorrhages,” Moore said. “That’s what this technology is for This is really important to be able to get everybody ready before the bleeding happens. Right now it’s unpredictable.”

that it’s yet not clear exactly how big a turning point its approval will be There are still questions about where the disease-causing parasite is lurking, for example.

“This isn’t solved yet,” she said.

Sleeping sickness is spread by tsetse ﬂies found only in rural, subSaharan Africa. The ﬂies bite people and infect them with a parasite.

Infections can start with vague,

Knowing, or at least having some sense, that excessive bleeding will happen before it occurs can allow the labor and delivery team, blood banks and expecting mothers and families to better prepare for potential blood loss.

“Whilst (hemorrhaging) is particularly prevalent and serious, it’s also very treatable if you know in advance,” Croft said.

Interventions, both big and small, for postpartum hemorrhaging include multiple medicinal interventions, devices inserted vaginally to control bleeding and (in severe cases) a complete hysterectomy

“The quicker you know what’s happening, the quicker you can intervene and the less serious your medical care needs to be for that mom,” Sutton said. “And the less blood she loses.”

The worldwide clinical trial at Woman’s Hospital compares the existing fetal and maternal monitors with the Oli monitor. No clinical decisions are being made based on the Oli itself at this time However, preliminary studies of the data gathered look promising, according to Croft.

Dedicated to future moms

Since beginning the clinical trial in December 2025, the Oli study has monitored 110 mothers at Woman’s Hospital through their delivery, more than halfway to its 200-patient quota within the clinical trial. Baymatob is aiming toward 1,000 monitored labors during their clinical trial across ﬁve U.S. hospital sites: Columbia University Medical Center, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and the University of Colorado Medical Center

The trial is completely voluntary,

ﬂu-like symptoms, and then worsen as the parasites multiple and fan out through the body — including into the nervous system. One result is the namesake symptom: a ﬂipped sleep cycle in which people are awake at night but drowsy during the day Coma and death can occur if it’s not treated.

Researchers have been unable to develop a vaccine against the wormlike microscopic parasite because it has a unique ability to alter its protein coat, making it difﬁcult to design an enduring immune system defense, Mugnier said.

The battle against the parasite has relied on efforts to kill off the ﬂies and on medicines to save infected people. It’s been difﬁcult.

Many of the infected are living in remote areas without access to hospitals.

“It’s a disease of poverty,” said Matangila, who is based in Congo. Sleeping sickness surged in the 1970s and 1990s amid political and economic instability in sub-Saharan Africa. Not helping was that the traditionally available medications were toxic and painful.

Treatments improved in the early 2000s and were a major reason for a dramatic decline in reported infections, which in 2009 dropped

to below 10,000 for the ﬁrst time in a half century In 2024, there were fewer than 600 reported cases of the most common version of sleeping sickness, although it’s not known how many people are infected and undiagnosed.

The World Health Organization has set a goal to stop the spread of that form of sleeping sickness by 2030.

Current treatments can take 10 days and require difﬁcult trips to hospitals from remote villages. Many patients have had to undergo spinal taps, to help doctors understand the stage of infections — and which drugs to use. Enter acoziborole. A small but pivotal study of about 200 patients in Congo and Guinea found that more than 95% of treated patients were considered cured 18 months later

Sanoﬁ ofﬁcials used that study as a basis to push for approval of the drug for the most common form of human sleeping sickness. It can be used for people ages 12 and older, to treat both early and advancedstage infections — taking away the need to do spinal taps.

Sanofi has pledged to donate doses to the World Health Organization, so the drug will be free to patients.

and the labor and delivery team at Woman’s offers the use of the device to laboring women who have at least one hour before delivery

“This is a unique study,” Sutton said. “Because women don’t qualify for it until they’re in labor Doing it ahead of time is really impossible.”

But, the research team at Woman’s manages to ﬁnd mothers willing to go along with the study, with all of their questions answered, thanks to the research and labor and delivery teams at the hospital.

“We have to thank the moms who have agreed to participate in the study,” Croft said. “We’re indebted to them and moms of the future are as well.” The data, so far in the three previous clinical trials, suggest that the

Oli monitor can predict up to 80% of postpartum hemorrhages.

“There are a few other conditions we intend to monitor over time including stalled labor, fetal distress, uterine rupture, still birth and a host of others,” Croft said.

The device has received FDA breakthrough designation, a status intended to speed development and review of promising medical technologies.

“The ﬁrst step is to look at hemorrhaging, but eventually, the data that we collect will help us predict other conditions in the future,” Moore said.

Email Margaret DeLaney at margaret.delaney@theadvocate. com.

PHOTO PROVIDED By DRUGS FOR NEGLECTED DISEASES INITIATIVE

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Dr Cliff Moore, chief medical officer at Woman’s Hospital, holds the two cardiotocography monitors that are used during delivery to monitor the heart rate and contractions on Feb 23 in Baton Rouge.

Life-savingtreatmentat OchsnerMDAnderson savesLouisiana mom after unexpected colon cancer diagnosis

By Amanda McElfresh amcelfresh@theadvocate.com

This story is brought to you by OchsnerHealth.

Mel Buchanan didn’texpect anything unusual when she scheduled her ﬁrst colonoscopy last year.She had no symptoms and wasleading abusylifeasawifeand mom of two kids,adesign curator at the NewOrleans Museum of Art and asocial butterﬂy with agroup of closefriends

But Buchanan’sprimary care physician reminded her thatshe wasturning 45.Per national guidelines,that’swhen people of averageriskshouldbeginscreening for colon cancer

“I didn’ttakemuch convincing. My brother-in-lawpassedawayfromcolon cancer when he was42, so my family knew about this,” Buchanan said.

The screening detected polyps in Buchanan’scolon, which were laterconﬁrmed as cancerous.While many polyps canberemovedduring acolonoscopy, Buchanan required aseparate colon resection surgery.Furthertests showed the cancer had spread to four lymph nodes,meaning it wasinstageIII.

“Thatwas the hardmoment,”she said. “I had been taking it seriously already,but IknewIhad to search forthe best cancer care in the NewOrleans area and put everything Ihad into the journeyahead.”

Buchanan is part of agrowing trend: moreyounger adults arebeing diagnosed with colorectal cancer.Aldo Russo,MD, gastroenterologist at Ochsner Health Center -O’Neal in BatonRouge, said colorectal cancer nowappearstobethe deadliest cancer foradults under age50. That’s whynationalguidelines have loweredthe recommended agefor aﬁrstcolonoscopy.

amine the colon and often remove polyps during the same procedure. If no polypsare found, apersoncan go up to 10 yearsbefore needing another colonoscopy.

“The test canseemintrusiveand intimidating, but therehavebeen many advances in sedation and equipment. A patientshouldn’tfeelanything during a colonoscopybecauseofthe techniques we usenow,” Dr.Russo said. “We’re not hereto make anyone uncomfortable. We’rehereto ﬁnd and remove potential cancer.”

JasonBreaux, MD,surgicaloncologist at Ochsner LafayetteGeneral -Burdin Riehl, said, just likein Buchanan’scase, surgery is required forsome patients.Theseoperations canbenecessary if apolyp is cancerous,too large to be removedduring acolonoscopy, or if apatienthas a differenttype of malignantmassin the colon or rectum.

Indiana,” Buchanan said. “I felt something when Ilearned Iwas beingcared forby Leila.She wastruly wonderful.Ialways knewIwas in capable hands with her.”

“Wedosurgeries in aminimally invasive fashionwith small keyhole incisions and ascope. The techniqueshave evolved further into the useofrobotic technology. Ithink of it as computer-assisted surgerywithimprovedvisualization, dexterityand tissue handling. The surgery can be done very precisely,” Dr Breaux said.

JasonBreaux,MD

Surgicaloncologist

Dr.Mizrahi said one hallmark of colorectal cancer treatmentatOchsner MD Andersonisthe multidisciplinary team approach thatincludes everyone from nurses and radiation oncologists to surgeons and gastrointestinal specialists.Other professionals offer integrativeoncologyservices such as nutrition guidance, acupuncture, tai chi and yoga Buchanan has found relief in acupuncturetohelp treat neuropathythatdeveloped in her hands and feet after chemotherapy. Nowthatshe has no evidence of disease, she has followedDr. Mizrahi’s advice to getina sweat-producing exerciseatleast three to four times per week.

OchsnerLafayetteGeneral

“The acupunctureand the exercisehavehad wonderful impacts,” she said. “After you’ve gone through chemotherapyand felt likethe worstversion of yourself forsix months, just anormal dayfeels tremendous.”

PatientMelBuchanan,nowinsurvivorship,stands outsideOchsnerMDAndersonCancerCenter inNewOrleanswearingherportable chemotherapypump.

AldoRusso,MD Gastroenterologist

OchsnerHealthCenter-O’Neal

“Thereare people who should be screenedearlier or more frequently if they have genetic mutations or certain chronic conditions,”Dr. Russo said. “Genetic syndromes,aswell as conditions such as ulcerativecolitis and Crohn’sdisease, can put someone at ahigher risk of colon cancer.You canalsobeatahigher risk if you have afamily history of colon cancer,especially in aﬁrst-degree relativeormultiple second-degreerelatives. If youhavethat family history,you need to be screened at least 10 yearsearlier than your youngest relativewho had colon cancer.”

While alternativescreening methods such as stool tests and DNA kits are available, Dr.Russo said the colonoscopy remainswhatdoctorscall the “goldstandard” becausephysicians candirectly ex-

Thatmeans patients have ashorter recovery time, withlesspain and a quicker return to normal life.

Dr.Breaux said most patients remain in the hospital forabout twodaysafter surgery,althoughsome go home even sooner.However,thatmay not be the end of treatment, depending on the diseasestage.

“Stage Iand most stage II casesdonot requirechemotherapyafter surgery,” Dr Breaux said.“In stageIII patients, where the cancer has spread to lymph nodes,they generally need chemotherapyfor about six months after surgery.”

Thatwas the treatmentplan forBuchanan, who received chemotherapy under the care of Jonathan Mizrahi, MD, gastrointestinal medical oncologist at Ochsner MD AndersonCancer Center in NewOrleans.She spokewithtwo other oncologists beforechoosing Dr.Mizrahi and wasoptimistic. But when she went to The Gayleand TomBenson Cancer Center forher ﬁrst chemotherapysession, it felt likefate had truly intervened.

“The nurse who wasgiving my treatment said her name wasLeila.Tears came to my eyes.Mydaughterisnamed Leila, spelled and pronounced exactly thesame way. Shewas named after my grandmother,who Igrewupnexttoonafarm in

Dr.Mizrahi said he and his team are working to help other colorectal cancer patients feel the same way. Clinical trials inNewOrleansareunderwaytodetermine the efficacy of immunotherapies and other newtreatments.Inaddition, acolorectal liver metastases program offersindividualized care to patients whosecancer has spread beyond the colon andintothe liver

“Our clinical integration with MD Andersonelevatedwhatwewerealready doing in NewOrleans,” Dr.Mizrahi said. “It has broadened the varietyof clinical trials forpatients in NewOrleans and given us accesstotreatments thatare among the most advanced in the nation. Thatmightbeanew drug, anovelway of administering adrug or the timing of a drug thatcan improve outcomes.”

Despitethe challenges of the past year Buchanan is gratefulthatshe underwent her colonoscopywhen she did. Dr.Mizrahi noted thatwhen patients wait until symptoms appear –such as blood in the stool, abdominal pain, unexplained weightlossor changes in bowelhabits or stoolcaliber– it canindicate thatcancer is moreadvanced.

“Mel wasable to start treatmentearlier becauseher cancer wasfound beforeshe wassymptomaticand when therewere still multiple treatmentoptions,” he said.

“That’sexactly whywedothesescreenings. Ialsoremind people that there’s no age that’stoo young to alert your physician if something in your body changes or doesn’t feel right. Advocatefor yourself and don’t be embarrassed.”

“Melwasabletostart treatmentearlierbecause hercancerwasfoundbefore shewassymptomaticand whentherewerestillmultiple treatmentoptions.That’s exactlywhywedothese screenings.Ialsoremind peoplethatthere’snoage that’stooyoungtoalertyour physicianifsomethinginyour bodychangesordoesn’tfeel right.Advocateforyourself anddon’tbeembarrassed.”

JonathanMizrahi,MD Gastrointestinalmedicaloncologist OchsnerMDAndersonCancerCenter inNewOrleans

OchsnerHealthistheleadingnonproﬁthealthcareproviderinLouisiana,MississippiandacrosstheGulfSouth, deliveringexpertcareatits47hospitalsandmorethan370healthandurgentcarecenters.Tolearnmoreabout howOchsnerempowerspeopletogetwellandstaywell,visitochsner.org.

AdiagramofthecolonisshownbyJonathanMizrahi,MD,gastrointestinalmedicaloncologist,OchsnerMDAndersonCancerCenterinNewOrleans.

Recoverymovesfasterwheneverythingyouneedisinoneplace. AtOchsnerLafayetteGeneralAndrewsOrthopedicsandSportsMedicine Institute,ourteamdeliverssurgery,rehabandperformancetrainingonone cutting-edgecampus.AndwithourAcadianaOrthopedicteamsteering patientstotherightexperts,recoveryisneverfar.

Learnmoreorscheduleanappointmentatochsner.org/lafayetteortho

Anothermeaning

Acadiana couple takeson Louisiana storiesthat don’t fitthe cultural mold

BY LAUREN CHERAMIE

Staff writer

At Louisiana weddings, when Ronnie Milsap’s1980 song “If YouDon’tWantMe To”comes on, somethinghappens. People ﬂood the ﬂoor,line up and at aprecise moment —they freeze.

Nobody knows why.

The song has no reference to anything cold or frozen. The songwriters and producers didn’teven know about the line dance sensation untilthe early 2000s. And yet, somewhere in Louisiana, atradition wasborn that is now so embedded in the culture that at least one family believes if the Freeze isn’tplayedata wedding, the marriage will fail.

Allison Bohl DeHart andPeter DeHart want to ﬁnd out why

That question —why —isthe premise of the DeHarts’ latest documentary

As spouses, parents, designers, musicians and creatives,the two founded makemade in Lafayette, adesign studio that works on ﬁlm production, photography, graphicdesign,exhibition design, branding, animation, illustrationand web design. They are rooted in widening the lens of what people believeLouisiana culture is, including the stories that make up the state.

Their focus is to elevate voices that might otherwise go unheard

“We’re usuallyinterested in people that are more or less not boundbythe classic genre boundaries that Louisiana culture gets put in,” Bohl DeHart said.“We like the people and themusic and the art that blurs those boundaries.

Both creativesare quick to point out that they aren’tCajuns —and in astate wherecultural identity runs deep and complicated, that distinction matters.

“The big questionindocumentary is, ‘Why are you the one to tell this story?’ Youhave to really askyourself that on a deep level and havean answer that’svalid, because these things takealong time,”

Bohl DeHart said

The DeHarts’ graphicdesign work with Route Lafayette,incollaboration withthe Council for the Development of French in Louisiana, focused on incorporating more Louisiana French aroundthe city.

“Neither of us speaks Louisiana French ﬂuently,but Ialways saythat you don’t have to be ﬂuent in alanguage tochampion it,” DeHart said That sentiment resonates beyond Cajun French. The DeHarts may not have extreme roots in southLouisiana, but that doesn’tmean they can’t highlight the cul-

ture.

Acommon theme in their work is legacy.Their ﬁlm projects usually center around people who are trying to ﬁnd deep understanding.

DeHart says he and his wife don’tmake it agoal to purposely highlight the older generation,but it’s somethingthat comes up often. They don’tcreatemany ﬁlms that center around coming-of-age stories.

They saytheir work comes from a place of curiosity —and ashared understanding that aproject could take up to 10 years to complete.

“Wehelp each other through thatunknown in agood way,” BohlDeHart said.

“A lotofpeople that we bring on, or come work with us,have that same kind of shared understanding thatstoriesabout this area take alongtime to understand, because it’s kind of amisunderstood area.”

For their research on theFreeze line dance, the DeHarts consulted John “Pudd” Sharp, the assistant director for research at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Center for Louisiana Studies. Sharpisafolklorist who writes grants, workswith ﬁlm andvideo restorationand digitization. He says the DeHarts are “special storytellers” who can showcase stories that otherwise may be taken for granted —likethe Freeze.

“There areall these things thatyou wonder about withthat dance and the

song,” Sharp said. “They are trying to get to thebottom of it, and it’sanice exploration of somethingthat’sbeen hidden in plain sight that no one really has agood answer to.”

He, too, is enamored withthe origin story of the line dance, especially considering that the song has no “instruction” fordance —suchaswith “Cupid Shufﬂe.”

“I’vebeen at multiple weddings where there’salive band —ofveryaccomplishedand highly sought-aftermusicians —and people are sitting and watching them playmusic,” Sharp said. “As soon as they take abreak, the DJ puts on the Freeze, andthe whole crowdjumps up and runs to the dance ﬂoor.Itissuch astrange phenomenon in aplace known for live music and the love of live music.”

Pastprojects from theDeHarts include “Sallie’sAshes,”afilm focusedon three grandmas from Alabamawho fight for the removal of atoxic coal ashpit in their city,and “Ancestral Artistry,” a documentaryabout the influenceofAfricans and Creoles of ColoronLouisiana architecture —madewiththe Louisiana Architecture Foundation, Conni Castille and C.E. Richard. For theshort fiction film “17YearLocust,” BohlDeHart received the #CreateLouisiana French Culture Film Grant. Thestory followsa Haitian immigrant and Cajun woman who find connection in south Louisiana. Becca Begnaud, of Lafayette, is in thefilm. When several creativesare

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JanRisher LONG STORy SHORT

Winningat parallel parking

Between the time Iwrite this and the time you read it, Iwill have had abirthday Ilove my birthday.I love the excuse to gather people, to make something out of an ordinary weekend, to celebrate being alive with people Iadore.

Years ago, Itook the pressure off my husband of planning my birthday festivities, and he has never once complained about that decision. Iworked 17 years as a professional event planner —parties come easily to me. Handing him the party planning baton was genuinely unfair.I do the planning, and he helps abundantly

It’s an arrangement that works beautifully forboth of us. Through the years, Ihave had a lot of funwith it —especially the big decade birthdays.

For my 40th, Ifulﬁlled alifelong dream.I hired aband, borrowed ared sequined dress, and forone night and one night only,I was abackup singer.Inanoutdoor kitchen south of Lafayette, Isang backup to VanMorrison’s“Brown Eyed Girl” and James Taylor’s “Shower the People.”

For my 50th, we rented multiple cabins at astate park near my hometown in Mississippi. Friends came from near and far, and my sweet parents organized an oldfashioned ﬁeld day —the kind my dad used to put together for the townwhere Igrew up. It was ablast. My dad was in his heyday in complete drill-sergeant mode, bossing people around. We competed to see whocould pick up marbles with their toes and drop them into abucket. We tossed pretzel sticks into ashower cap covered with shaving cream like it wasanOlympic sport. My dad always madewhatever competition we werecompeting in feel like an Olympic sport.

For my 60th, Ihired adifferent kind of band and acaller,and we had acontra dance. On one of those Louisiana days that can only be described as perfect, there are moments from that afternoon spinning, swinging, dosi-do-ing and surrounded by love —that will stay with me as someofmy favorite memories of my whole life.

So this year (which is not a decade birthday,just aperfectly good birthday), Iwas torn about the best way to celebrate. We have alot going on right now living in arental house while we rebuild our homeafter aﬁre. Work is full. I’mteaching ajournalism class at LSU. Like most everyone else, we have acombination of responsibilities that makeliferich and complicated and occasionally overwhelming. Icouldn’tcome up with aparty

STAFF PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK

Husbandand wife PeterDeHartand Allison Bohl DeHartare pictured recently at The Learning Lab in Lafayette

PROVIDED PHOTO

Becca Begnaud, of Lafayette, worked withAllison and Peter DeHartonthe film ‘17year Locust.’

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STAFF PHOTO By JANRISHER

Sharp

INSPIREDDISCUSSIONS

ASK THEEXPERTS

La.nativeishelping students acethe ACTinSt. Helena

BY JOYHOLDEN Staff writer

Shiyecca Singleton,director of special programs and initiatives andtesting coordinator for the St. Helena Parish school district, has worked in education in St.Helena since 2011. Although aGreenwood, Mississippi, native, Singleton has invested in Louisiana education for the last 15 years

Singleton started out as ahigh schoolEnglishteacheratSt. Helena College and Career Academy

Her journey continuedasamaster teacher andthen as an assistant principal for four years before joining the district. As director of special programs and initiatives, Singleton has led the charge to partner with ACT prep program

TopTutors for Us.

St. Helena Parish, arural parish with only three schools,joined forces with TopTutors forUs, an equitable test preparation system that focuses on improving Black and Brown students’ test scores, which helps them earn scholarships and access to more universities.The program was founded by Angelica Harris, aLouisiana native who developed her own test prepsystem after raising her ACT score from 16 to 32 and earning $1.5 million in scholarships. TopTutors for Us specializes in test prep tutoring to meet individual needs of students

This interview was edited for length and clarity

What has been your experience withSt. Helena students in testing prior to utilizing TopTutors for Us?

In the years I’ve beenthere, I started out seeing alot of growth. We had adesigned ACT prep plan. Just in using that prep program andlive instruction daily,wesaw so much growth.

As the years progressed, we introduced ACT Workkeys (assessments measuring essential, real-world workplaceskills)

Everyone is required to take the ACT,but not everybodywants to go to apostsecondary university We extended to Workkeys to give them accesstocareer readiness.

As the years progressed and teachers transitioned outofthe program, that strength became a

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working on aproject, Begnaud says the group sometimes needs aperson who reigns everyone in. Bohl DeHart was the ring leader and troubleshooter for “17 Year Locust,” Begnaud said. “She kept things in order.She would oversee what was going on, and she could pull the pieces together,”she saidofworking with Bohl DeHart on “17 Year Locust.” “In all the ﬁlmsthat I’ve worked on in allthese years, Ifelt very calm that nothing was going to be forgotten on a professional level, because Iwalked into that as anonprofessional.”

The DeHarts alsore-

PROVIDED PHOTOS

ShiyeccaSingleton, director of special programs and initiatives and testing coordinator for the St.

Helena Parish schooldistrict

weakness, and we sawACT scores drop off. Once COVID came, schoolsstartednot requiring it, and the focus shifted.

Ouraverage score has dropped to a14.3, which is below the state average, so we at thedistrict space have hadthose conversations of, “What can we do?”

Howdid thepartnership withTop Tutors for Us come about?

Angelica reached outtothe district, and the superintendent forwarded me the information.I reached out to herand had along conversation about the ways Top Tutors forUssupportsthe learners. Icalled our grants manager who had worked with Angelica in the Orleans Parish schools.

In goingthrough the design of the program, we all agreed that it would be agood ﬁt for our school. Youcan keep trying certain things,but when you’re not seeing the results, you have to be willing to trysomething else. What we like in particularis how they assign the tutors. We do high-dosage tutoring on small groups of three to four learners. Having tutors who know ACT, but also have demonstrated that they themselves can perform well, really helps withbuy-in.

Howhaveyou integrated the program into the St. Helena College and Career Academy?

leased “Bending Lines,”a ﬁlmabout sculptorRobert Wiggs in Lafayette. Wiggs, whopassed away in 2015, wasn’tfrom Lafayette, but he spent mostofhis life here.

“He’sstill partof Louisianalandscape. Almost all thesculptures we have in Lafayette are his, so he’s part of Lafayette,” DeHart said Because the DeHarts didn’tgrow up in south Louisiana, much likesome of their characters, they notedthattheyrelateto those stories because they cansee themselves in the subject matter.Their professional goal is always to make afilm that connects to national and international audiences andmotivates people to learnmoreabout the state.

Q&A WITH SHIyECCA SINGLETON

DIRECTOROFSPECIALPROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES

NewOrleans-nativeAngelica Harris, center,founded TopTutors for Us, atest-prep companythat aims to help students of color getinto top colleges and earnscholarships.

We started this spring semester in lateJanuary.Wehave three sections of kids. Some of our learners took the ACTinFebruary and some took it two weeksago. We’re excited to see theresults. One of ourlearners, it was her ﬁrst time taking it in February, and she scored a21. We are very proud of her What do you envision as an outcome of using the program?

While we’renot expecting 15-point gains, we are looking for growthand getting our kids to understand the value of taking the ACT. We want to seerealisticgrowth and increase their exposure. We’restill pushing them to take advantage of opportunitiesto register even when they are not obligated in thefall andspring at

The duo says Lafayette is aspecial place to make these films, because the city is fullofpeople who are multidisciplinary creatives. There may be a CEO who is also aﬁddler or aﬁlmmaker who is also a musician.

Bohl DeHart said the collaborative nature of the creativesinLafayette makesitastrong place for connections.

“I didn’tknow thatstaying in one place would be so fruitful,” she said. “If you think about the connections youmaketothe community andthe people,what can develop and flourish long termissomuch more fruitful than shallowconnections everywhere else.” Email Lauren Cheramie at lauren.cheramie@ theadvocate.com.

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school. They have national testing all year long, and they have two fee waivers to take it on their own. What makes TopTutorsfor Us different than other programs?

One of the questions we asked was, “Doyou have ahybrid model?”

The learners can log in, and they can be in their small groups, but they still need face-to-face time. We’re realistic aboutour learners. We know ourlearners.

TopTutors cameinand gave their assessment to determine the needs of the individuals so they could properly place them with the tutortheyneeded to be with —working on the speciﬁc content they need the most support on. They build on that data.

So it’s different, because in a day-to-day classroom, there’s

around.

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idea that felt right for the moment. I’vebeen thinking alot lately about what some are calling the “post-luxury shift”—the idea that some people are done with spectacle and hungry for somethingreal and alittle ridiculous.

Even with that insight, I was stumped on this year’s party. That is, until last week, when we were on vacation in ayurt,and theidea hit me —Ihad seen someone online having this very competition in front of their homeonthe West Coast Iamhaving aParallel Parking Party —onaTuesday.The weekends were just too full all theway

curriculum youhave to teach everyone. Youhave to embed those scaffolds and differentiate for various learners. Even if you’re amasterofyourcontent,thatis still hard fora group of 15 to 20 students.

Thetutorsworkwiththe learners online and also cometothe school for in-personinstruction. How do you hope this initiative raises ACT scores for St.Helena students?

Aside from looking to see growth,we’re hoping that we do see aconfidence in testingand thatmotivationtokeep going.

Whenwecan build that with the current group, the juniors andseniors, the youngerlearners seeit, andit’slike adomino effect. Email Joy Holdenatjoy.holden@ theadvocate.com.

Ihave created rules —no cameras and no driverassisted parking. Ihave secured multiple orange trafﬁc cones. Ihave conﬁrmed judges with measuring tapes, yardsticks, painters’ tape and clipboards.

With the help of my husband, we will have appropriately themed street food.

The response from friends has been something else entirely.Turns out, manypeople believe in their parallel parking abilities with their whole hearts.

Maybe they are hungry for something real and alittle ridiculous, forthe joy of a speciﬁc, unglamorous skill being taken seriously on a Tuesday evening.

One friend is rearranging atrip —rearranging an actual trip —because she is so certain she will prevail

in this competition. People are trash-talking their unknowncompetition. At least adozen people are certain they will win. Maybe parallel parking is one of the last things we do without an audience —or even the possibility of an audience. There’snoscoreboard —noone watching other than cars that pass or wait. People rarely see how good any of us are at it. Until now Lifeisfull. We steal celebration and laughter where and when we can ﬁnd them.Atthis stage of life, aTuesday evening surrounded by people we love —defending their honor over parallel parking —might be exactly the right kind of party

Email Jan Risheratjan. risher@theadvocate.com.

MardiGrascrash victim mayqualify forParalympics

BY KASEY BUBNASH Staff writer

After more than amonth spent surrounded by doctors and therapists in two different hospitals, one of the ﬁrst places Adam Sivia wentwhen he was released was thegym.

“I just cried the whole time,” he said. “Everything— it really hit me once Igot out the hospital.”

Sivia’slife changed forever on Mardi Gras theyearwhenheand afriend, former Saints player Pierre Warren, were hit by acar outside aMid-City gas station. It was Feb. 16, 2021, and Sivia and Warren were standing outside the Tulane Avenue store when aman pulling into aparking spot failed to stop, pinning Sivia againstthe building before reversing and driving off.

Warren madeitout with cuts andbruises, but Sivia’slegswere crushed. He lost so muchblood that he ﬂatlined, and doctors had to amputate both of his legs from just above the knee down to stop thebleeding.

After aweek in intensivecare at UniversityMedical Center and about three weeks at TouroRehabilitation Center,Sivia was back at home in awheelchair.A longtime athlete whoplayedcollege football at Wisconsin’sCarroll University, coached at Lusher CharterSchool (now The Willow School) and had recently joined alocal rugby team, Sivia wasn’t sure he’d everbeable to play sports again.

He was still strugglingwith the basic tasks of daily life

So that ﬁrst day out of thehospital, Sivia went to the gym,hoping to ﬁnd some sense of familiarity and peace of mind.

He never stopped going, instead making gyms like West Bank Athletic Club and Body Doctors ahomeawayfrom home. He regained hisstrength and learned how to walk and lift weights with prosthetic legs.

Sivia’shours in the gym eventually led him toregister for sporting events geared toward athletes with disabilities, and the return to competition gave him anew sense of purpose and hope.

In the years following, Sivia quit teaching to train practically fulltime. He qualifiedto join this year’sU.S. Para PowerliftingNational Team and now, ranked at 18th in the world, he’s setting his sightsonthe 2028 Summer Paralympics in Los Angeles

Shanda Gentry, chief academic officer at FirstLine Schools, where Sivia worked foryears, said it’sbeen an inspiration to watch Sivia turn a traumaticexperience into anew opportunity

“Ifhecan be this positive after being an athlete andlosing his legs,the rest of us really just need to getittogether,”Gentry saidwith alaugh.

‘I candoanything’

Gentry was the school director at Arthur Ashe Charter School when Sivia was hit in 2021. He was teachingkindergarten there, and Gentry,aself-described “mama bear,” said she wasdevastated when sheheard the news.

“It was almost like one of my ownchildren had been injured,” shesaid.

Gentry and other Arthur Ashe and Lusher staffgot to workrallying ﬁnancial and emotional supportfor Sivia,whose family was battling awinterstorm andlingering coronavirus restrictions on the way to New Orleans from Sivia’shome state of Illinois.

Just surviving thecrash wasa feat, so Gentry saidshe was surprised when four months later Sivia toldher he was readytocome back to teach summer school.She wasn’t sure returning to work so soon was agood idea, but seeing Sivia interact with thestudents

quickly changed hermind. Kids aren’tafraid to ask questions, and Gentry saidSivia responded with honesty about the new challenges he wasfacing. And, of course, with asense of humor

“Sitting here thinking about Adam,” Gentrysaid, “heisthe life of theparty whether he haslegs or not.”

Establishing aroutine early on in his recovery is ultimately what helped Siviaget back on track. He taught kindergarteninthe fall followingthe crash. Around that same time, he decided to attend aDream Team Prostheticscamp in Oklahoma for people who had lost both legs abovethe knee, a surgery known for its difﬁcult recovery

Sivia was still largely reliant on his wheelchair when he showed up at thecampthat September After, he didn’tuse it againfor the next year anda half.

“Itreally just put my mindset

from,‘Ican’tdothis’ to ‘I can do anything, it just looks different now,’” he said.

An Olympic odyssey

Afterayear teaching kindergarten and another year in PE, Sivia quit to competeand work as apersonal trainer,ajob that he said keeps him in the gym constantly He competes in events around theworld, including Egypt, Canada and, next up, Ireland, and has afew sponsorshipsand support from Team USA. There’sstill work to do, though. To qualify forthe next summer Paralympics,Sivia said he’ll have to rank among thetop eight parapowerliftersinthe world

Butwhether he makes it or not, Sivia and his story continue to inﬂuence those around him

In February,hemade trips to several FirstLine Schools sites, wherehetalked to special education students about his crash, recoveryand powerlifting journey

Referring to himself as “halfrobot,” he showed the kids his most high-tech prosthetics —the ones thathave microprocessingpowered knees —and beat countless students in pushup competitions and let them try to pick up a45-pound weight.

Tiffany Willis, director of special education at FirstLine Schools,worked with Sivia when he was ateacher and invited him to speak at the schools to help motivate kids to get through state testing —and all the studying that comes with it. Each year, the school systemchooses a “mentor,” usually in the form of afamous professional athlete or public ﬁgure, who has overcome hardship to achieve their goals

But, this year,Willis thought of Sivia. Why pick LeBron James when there’sa heroright hereat home?

“Itwas reallyinspiringfor the students to see that, knowing they couldpossiblydothe same thing,” Willis said.

Email KaseyBubnash at kasey bubnash@theadvocate.com.

With thousands of Shellmen andwomen across thestate,we areworking everyday to reduce emissions, while increasing efﬁciencyinour operations

Our tomorrowdependsonwhatwedotoday.Together, we arepoweringprogressfor abrighterfuture. Louisiana is where we live and we’reproud to call it home.

PROVIDED PHOTOByADAMSIVIA

Adam Sivia liftsweight in the gym, training for powerlifting competitions.

FAITH & VALUES

Convent of Leonardo’s ‘Last Supper’ still active

Dominican friars continue to live, pray and welcome visitors

BY MARÍA TERESA HERNÁNDEZ Associated Press

MILAN — The Rev. Paolo Venturelli never gets too close when he visits Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper.” The Dominican friar prefers to stand away from the wall where it was painted, on the opposite side of the room once used by members of his order for meals.

“From there, the painting looks as though it were painted in the middle of the refectory,” said Venturelli of the masterpiece depicting the Gospel story of Jesus’ ﬁnal meal with his apostles. “It unleashes all kinds of human and spiritual reactions.”

He lives in Santa Maria delle Grazie, a convent and basilica in Milan where Leonardo worked in the 1490s at the request of Ludovico Sforza, then ruler of the city

“The Last Supper,” which illustrates the biblical account of Jesus announcing that one of his apostles will betray him, is located in the convent’s original refectory Such rooms still serve as dining spaces where monastic communities gather for food, prayer and reading. Yet at Santa Maria delle Grazie it is no longer part of the friars’ daily life.

After the Napoleonic suppression of religious houses in the 18th century, the refectory passed into state hands. Today it is known as the Cenacolo Vinciano and is managed by Italy’s Regional Directorate of Museums of Lombardy

“We don’t go often because we have to ask permission to enter,” said Venturelli, who can stay inside for only 15 minutes like any other visitor because of preservation rules.

“It no longer belongs to us.”

Living beside art

A dozen priests and nine novices make up Santa Maria delle Grazie’s current Dominican com-

munity Dressed in the iconic white robes associated with their order or brown hooded capes in winter — friars are regularly seen walking inside the basilica.

Not all tourists visiting the Cenacolo make a stop at its adjacent church. But among those who do, some look at Venturelli and the other friars with curiosity

“We just came from the cloister and saw one of the friars taking care of the garden,” said Maria Teresa Bruzzi, who traveled from Genoa with her husband in midFebruary

“We came to see Leonardo’s Last Supper but we also wanted to see the church because it’s quite special,” she added. “This is a Renaissance church that combines two styles and was very important for the Sforza family.”

According to Venturelli, visitors to the sanctuary are often blown away by its architecture

When they visit the chapel of Our Lady of the Grazie, they can

see that the beauty around them was built to give glory to the one who is beautiful in and of himself — God,” he said.

Tickets for the Cenacolo are often sold out and the museum is closed on Mondays, preventing last-minute visitors to Milan from seeing the painting. The basilica, in contrast, opens daily and welcomes those wishing to attend Mass or go to confession.

“Confessions are very much sought after and we maintain this service for the citizens of Milan but also for all visitors,” said the Rev Llewellyn Muscat, prior of the Dominican community at Santa Maria delle Grazie.

Venturelli offers confessions to Italian-language speakers. Muscat can support those speaking English, Italian and Maltese, his mother tongue. And while other friars offer their services in French and German, the prior said they all make an effort to understand everyone

“We cannot hold back the graces that the Lord gives to each one of us,” Muscat said.

A life of study and prayer

Dominicans arrived at Santa Maria delle Grazie as the complex was being built in the 15th century However, the order had established an earlier presence in Milan. Those ﬁrst friars’ devotion to St. Catherine of Siena is still visible in the basilica. Frescoes depict her alongside St. Catherine of Alexandria associated with the Dominican tradition of study and considered the patron saint of philosophers.

That intellectual legacy is also evident inside the convent itself. A few steps away from the steady ﬂow of tourists, dozens of shelves ﬁlled with books stand in the halls.

“Reading is part of our identity,” Muscat said. Neither he nor his fellow friars

follow a strict daily schedule. But study, prayer and their ministry shape their routine.

Priests like him celebrate Mass on a regular basis and assist nearby parishes when clergy are needed. Others oversee the novitiate program, teach at local Catholic institutions, or collaborate with Santa Maria delle Grazie’s cultural center, which organizes conferences and events.

“We try to offer the spiritual push that people need,” Muscat said.

A bond beyond art

The fact that Leonardo was commissioned to paint “The Last Supper” inside a Dominican convent was no accident. Venturelli said most of his order’s refectories have this scene depicted on their walls And according to Muscat, it echoes Dominican principles.

“For us, it does not awaken an emotion about something that belongs to the past,” he said. “It is like a continuation in which we eat together with Jesus and his apostles, as though his words are also spoken to us.”

Muscat, like any other visitor who stands in front of Leonardo’s mural, feels deeply moved by it. In his case, however, it is not only the art but also a shared history that strikes a deeper chord.

The painting, like the convent that houses it, has endured centuries of upheaval and has required collective efforts to survive.

“‘The Last Supper’ is a call to my personal conscience and a call to the conscience of the order,” Muscat said. “Because here in the Grazie there are no individuals, but a community that works and welcomes.”

The order’s current refectory is housed away from tourists, deep inside the labyrinth-like convent where the friars find the quiet needed for reﬂection and prayer It is a modest, wide room, with several square tables instead of a long one, like the table depicted in “The Last Supper.”

It’s nice, Muscat said. But who knows, he added, maybe one day the old refectory will belong to them again.

The urban gardens that cultivate gender, climate justice

BY PETER YEUNG

Contributing writer

Editor’s note: This story created by Peter Yeung for Next City is part of the Solutions Story Tracker from the Solutions Journalism Network, a nonproﬁt organization dedicated to rigorous reporting about responses to social problems. Louisiana Inspired features solutions journalism stories that provide tangible evidence that positive change is happening in other places and in our own communities — solutions that can be adopted around the world.

Up in the lung-busting altitudes of Quito, Ecuador’s capital city, 71-year-old Maria Achiña and 70-year-old Alegria Irua are busy digging up soil and plucking weeds from their modest allotment of kale, onions, broccoli and cilantro.

The green-fingered pair are part of a group of local women who till the land beside the neighborhood’s health clinic, which is free to them under the city’s celebrated participatory urban agriculture project focused on gender, climate and food justice.

“It gives us good food to eat and a bit of income to help pay the bills,” says Achiña, who lost both her husband and daughter in recent years. “And besides us old ladies, we need to ﬁll our time with something.”

The plot is one of thousands across Quito that have been created since 2002 under the Participatory Urban Agriculture Program, a municipal scheme that supports the growing of organic food for household sales and selfconsumption.

To date, some 21,000 urban farmers have been trained and provided with technical assistance in Quito. But gender justice and women’s empowerment are central to the program.

While anyone can participate, the agriculture program prioritizes vulnerable populations, such as victims of domestic violence, female heads of household who are unemployed, elderly women, people who are disabled and refugees. As a result, women in vul-

nerable situations represent 84% of participants who are trained in agroecology, farm animal husbandry, food processing and entrepreneurship to improve livelihoods and increase food security.

“This is about the right to food,” says Alexandra Rodríguez Dueñas, the coordinator of the agriculture program “In Quito, food is often seen as the responsibility of women within households. By supporting urban farming, we are supporting women.” Sitting high in the foothills of the Andes at around 9,000 feet altitude, Quito is surrounded by mountains with only two access roads. Its geographic position means it is vulnerable to external food supply disruption, making urban agriculture programs crucial.

Proponents say locally resilient urban food systems like Quito’s,

which promote agriculture based in and around cities, not only aid vulnerable groups and battle food poverty, but also cut the climate toll of food production, maintain cultural traditions of farming, boost the consumption of healthy foods and even encourage socializing.

While the green trend for citygrown food is more recent, Quito’s urban agriculture project dates back decades to Ecuador’s economic crisis in the 1990s, which saw a switch of currency from the sucre to the dollar, instantly devaluing local salaries and forcing many into food insecurity Some 48% of the population were then living below the poverty line.

“Urban agriculture was our strategy to create access to food,” says Dueñas. Over the years, more than 4,000

allotments have been created:

urban farming on roof terraces, greenhouses within the city center larger farms on the outskirts of Quito, peri-urban and rural farms that supply inner-city residents. The urban gardens produce about 4.3 million pounds of organic food per year Many of the gardeners sell their organicallygrown food in over a dozen weekly city markets known as “bioferias” that provide a sales point for producers.

Agostina Beatriz Chicaiza, 69, and Maria Gladys Chicaiza, 52, run a farm together in the suburbs of Quito. The pair earns up to $200 per week by cultivating organic crops like broccoli, cauliﬂower, corn and potatoes, which are sold at a bioferia in the city

“It provides us with a better income than many other people receive,” says Agostina

Each participant gains an average of $175 of extra income per month through the project, roughly 3.5 times the amount of human development funding invested by City Hall, according to Laine Young, a researcher at Wilfrid Laurier University’s Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems, who studied the Quito scheme

“AGRUPAR is an incredibly empowering project for women across the city, but it is also impactful for people experiencing classism, racism and ableism,” says Young. “It has also been extremely effective in helping lowincome people from Quito have food security and maintain an income.”

In an attempt to balance the books, the project is also run by CONQUITO, a private agency set up by the municipality in 2005. Under it, there is an aspect of cost-sharing where participants pay for training and technical assistance at an affordable rate ($1 to attend general training and $2 for bespoke support, including site visits).

“This helps participants to work towards economic independence,” adds Young.

Pierre Paul Audate, of the National Institute of Public Health of

Quebec who carried out a study in 2019 comparing urban agriculture in Montreal and Quito, argues the major achievement is how Quito made the initiative part of its city planning. The rules regarding urban agriculture are often not clear in many cities across the world, explains Audate, hampering the rollout and scale-up of farms.

“Quito’s project has been a huge success,” he says. “When you look at Montreal, these are mostly small-scale initiatives doing it by themselves. But in Quito, urban agriculture has been made part of the public policy of the city.”

Yet securing the overall economic sustainability of the project is still a challenge that lies ahead.

“While it has good practices regarding payment for training and technical assistance to keep the support going, the agriculture program is still very dependent on governmental funding,” Young explains.

There is also a “significantly larger population that needs support than the agriculture program has the capacity for,” considering the large population of Quito and the high poverty and malnutrition rates in the city, according to Young. She believes that the project capacity could be increased by forging partnerships with other city departments.

And even advocates like Dueñas admit that, due to land availability and the climate, Quito can only produce a fraction of the food it requires But ongoing developments have seen the importance of urban agriculture for the city underlined further, with food recently integrated into the Quito Climate Action Plan for 2050. In the meantime, Quito’s efforts to cultivate a sustainable and just urban food system are bearing fruit.

“Before I didn’t know how to cultivate a thing, not even cilantro,” says Susana Sacancela, 44, who owns a 21/2-acre farm where they grow lettuce, cherries and herbs to be sold to neighbors and at city markets.

“Now the power is in my hands.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MARÍA TERESA HERNÁNDEZ

Worshippers attend Mass on Feb 15 at the Basilica of Santa Maria delle Grazie, best known as the home of Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘The Last Supper,’ in Milan, Italy

PHOTO PROVIDED By PETER yEUNG

Urban farm plots are beside a neighborhood health clinic in Quito, Ecuador

SUNDAY, MArch 29, 2026

CURTIS / by Ray Billingsley

SLYLOCK FOX / by Bob Weber Jr

GET FUZZY / by Darby Conley

HAGAR THE HORRIBLE / by Chris Browne

MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM / by Mike Peters

ZIGGY / by Tom Wilson

ZITS / by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

SALLY FORTH / by Francesco Marciuliano & Jim Keefe

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE /byStephan Pastis

directions: Make a 2- to 7-letter word from the letters in each row Add points of each word, using scoring directions at right. Finally, 7-letter words get 50-point bonus. “Blanks” used as any letter have no point value All the words are in the Official SCRABBLE® Players Dictionary, 5th Edition.

word game

instructions: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

todAY's Word — ForsAKen: for-SAYkin: Renounced or abandoned.

Average mark 33 words Time limit 60 minutes

Can you find 55 or more words in FORSAKEN?

ken ken

instructions: 1 -Each rowand each column must contain thenumbers 1through4 (easy) or 1through6 (challenging) without repeating 2 -The numbers within the heavily outlinedboxes, called cages, must combine using thegiven operation (inany order)toproduce the target numbersinthe top-left corners. 3 -Freebies: Fillinthe single-boxcages withthe numberinthe top-left corner

instructions: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 gridwith several given numbers. The object is to placethe numbers 1to 9in theempty squares so that each row,each column and each 3x3 boxcontains the same number only once. The difficultylevel of the Conceptis Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday

directions: Complete thegridso that numbers 1–132 connect horizontally, vertically or diagonally

Sudoku

wuzzLes

Overbid, overplay

North’s double of five hearts was not a pure penalty double. It was a “card showing” double and South had to decide whether to play for penalties or bid on. They would not have gotten rich defending five hearts, but at least they would have gone plus This deal was played recently in Chile and South, Jose Robles, had his hands full trying to make five spades.

Robles ruffed the opening heart lead and cashed the ace of spades, getting the bad news He led a low club to dummy’s queen and East’s king. East did not have an attractive play so he continued with the ace and another club.

Robles reasoned that East would not have done that if he had another heart to play, so it looked like West’s starting distribution was 0-9-2-2 Robles led a diamond to dummy’s ace and continued with the jack of diamonds.

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

super Quiz

Take this Super Quiz to a Ph.D. Score 1 point for each correct answer on the Freshman Level, 2 points on the graduate Level and 3 points on the Ph.D. Level.

SUBJECT: LOVE MATTERS

(Example: Rolling Stone magazine ranked the song “Can’t Help in Love” No. 403. Answer: Falling.)

FRESHMAN LEVEL

1. What calendar date is set aside for an annual celebration of romance and love?

Answer________

2. Song title: “Love Is a Many-Splendored ______.”

Answer________

3. Complete the 1963 James Bond film title: “From with Love.”

Answer________

4. What is platonic love?

Answer________

5. In what 1994 Disney film is the song “Can You Feel the Love Tonight”?

GRADUATE LEVEL

Tannah Hirsch welcomes readers’ responses sent in care of this newspaper or to Tribune Content Agency inc., 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, Ny 14207. E-mail responses may be sent to gorenbridge@ aol.com. © 2026 Tribune Content Agency

East played low and so did Robles! That pinned the 10 and Robles was in charge. He might have played a diamond to the nine, but he needed to take the spade finesse also. He could have done this differently, but he chose to lead a diamond to the king, ruff his last diamond in dummy, and then lead a spade to his 10. Very well played!

ARIES (March

transpire

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) A physical reaction to a shift taking place will require restraint. Slow down and consider the outcome before you launch your response. Choose to nurture love, not to test it.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Fix what’s dragging you down. Simplify your actions and words, and you’ll

regain focus and the ability to use your strengths and connections.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Keep your emotions hidden. Choose selfimprovement over criticizing others. Let your intelligence be your calling card.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Design your routine to meet your demands. Take responsibility and gather information that helps you coordinate and streamline your time and effort.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Share your feelings, intentions, and emotions.

Make kind gestures and exhibit honesty and integrity Don’t hold back with those you encounter throughout your day

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Before implementing a personal change, doyourhomework Agive-and-take attitude prioritizing equality will help you maintain the status quo and fnd the best path forward.

SCORPIO (Oct 24-Nov. 22) A new venue will stimulate your senses and give you plenty to digest Traveling, engaging in educational pursuits and meeting new people will

The 1998 film “__ in Love” won seven Oscars, including Best Picture.

What is a bromance?

The name of this Italian

spill over into how and where you reside.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Have fun, and something magical will transpire. Less talk and more action will help you evolve into the person you aspire to be.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Listen to suggestions, and opportunities will follow. An adjustment to how you earn or use your money will lead to profit. Put your ego aside and posture yourself for success.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Apply pressure where it counts. You can

turn something you enjoy doing into a new beginning. Make strategic moves. PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Accept invitations that can help you make new acquaintances Step outside your comfort zone, and you’ll discover what you can do to support yourself and build a better social infrastructure.

goren Bridge

1. Feb. 14 (Valentine's Day).2.Thing.3.Russia.4

Intimate butnon-sexual love. 5. "The Lion King." 6. Shakespeare. 7. Aclose, nonsexualfriendship between men. 8. Casanova. 9. Eyes. 10. Victoria. 11. "How do Ilove thee? Let me countthe ways." 12. Honor.13. Anne Boleyn. 14. "Romeo and Juliet." 15.Aphrodite.

SCORING: 24 to 30 points —congratulations, doctor; 18 to 23 points—honorsgraduate; 13 to 17 points —you’replenty smart, but no grind; 5to12points —you really shouldhit the booksharder;1point to 4points —enroll in remedial courses immediately; 0points who reads thequestions to you?

Saturday's Cryptoquote: If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it wouldbea merrier world. —J.R.R. Tolkien