The Times-Picayune 03-30-2026

Shorter N.O. airport wait times reported

Passengers still urged to arrive earlyamid government shutdown

BY KASEY BUBNASH Staff writer

Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport saw another roundof long security lines Sundaymorning, but six weeks into apartial government shutdown that has left Transportation Security Administration employees without pay,travelers reported significantly shorter waittimes than those that have plagued the airport in recent weekends.

Travelers waiting to go through New Orleans airport security hadalready amassed by about 3:45 a.m. Sunday,with lines snaking through the building and nearing the front entrance. But unlike in recent weekends when airport officials and passengers reported hourslongwait times that in many cases led to missed flights, Sunday’slines were fast-moving and had started to dwindle later in the morning.

One passengersaid it took her alittle less than an hour to get through the early morning rush-hour line.MSY spokesperson Erin Burns did not immediately respond to arequest for comment.

As of Friday,MSY officials were still warning passengers to arrive at least three hours early to catch flights on Sundays and Mondays, especially from 4a.m. to 7a.m. and from 3p.m. to 6p.m., when lines for departures typically peak. Other days of the weektendtosee wait times of around 15 to20minutes, officials said, though they encouraged travelers to arrive at leasttwo hours early those days.

ä See AIRPORT, page 5A

Miss.jail used to hold detained immigrants

Staysare usually briefbeforebeing transferredelsewhere

BY MARTHA SANCHEZ Staff writer

After Mandonna “Donna” Kashanian was arrested by federal immigration agents last summeroutside her longtime New Orleans home,she spent the night in ajail in Hancock County, Mississippi. The 64-year-old Iranian woman was soon released afterpublic outcryand a nudge from U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise,the Republican House majority leader from Jefferson.She was one of hundreds of newly detained immigrantsinLouisiana and across the Gulf Coast to pass through the Mississippi Coast facility Hancock County’spartnership with Immigration and Customs Enforcement has quietly transformedthe jail near Bay St. Louis into acrucial tool for the federal governmentasPresident Donald Trump’sadministration deports

ä See DETAINED, page 4A

PRICEPOINTS

Hospital’s effortstomakehealthier food cheapermay encouragebetterchoices

BY EMILYWOODRUFF Staff writer

Most people don’tgotothe hospital forthe food. ButRachel Siguroften makesthe short trip fromher job with St.Bernard Parish to the smallcafeteria inside Ochsner Health’sSt. Bernard Parish Hospital.

On Monday, there was pork loin with gravy.Midweek,apasta primavera And every day, agrilledchicken option.

At the cash register,her meal often rings up for lessthan $4. Thefood optionslabeled with an “Eat Fit” seal, indicating it meets certainnutritional standards, are half price. That means the porkloin is $2.25. Aside of green beans is 50 cents.

“You normally don’tthink aboutgoing to eat lunch at ahospital,” said Sigur 54, who heard aboutthe cafeteria from

some ladies in her accounting department. “But thefood quality was good andthe prices were really affordable.”

Over the years, the Eat Fitlogohas become afamiliar marker on menus acrossLouisiana at restaurants, food trucks andevenmajor events, signaling that are there are no white carbs or addedsugar,minimalanimal-based saturatedfats, moderatesodiumand an emphasis on lean protein, produce and whole foods.

Now,the 50%discountsonEat Fit items in Ochsner cafeterias are part of an initiative to use subsidies to encourage healthier eating. Andstudies, along with similar pilots at other businesses, suggest it has promise.

“We’ve had Eat Fit in existence since 2013,” said Molly Kimball, aregistered dietitian who leads the program. “We work with about 550 restaurantsand

food service spaces across the state.”

But inside many hospital walls, cafeterias and vending areas often more closely resemble the food offerings at gasstations than somewhere you’dtry to live out your doctor’shealth advice. Even if healthy foods are present, it might not be the thing people reach for.

At Ochsner,Kimball wondered what might help. “Even if someone’smaybe not motivated by the healthy choice, could they be motivated by price point?” Kimball said.

The program was rolled out to all Ochsner locations last year and discounts the healthier itemsorsells them at cost if the 50% discount is steeper than the price to acquire them. So far, it seemstobeworking.

See FOOD,

geese, manyofwhich

vanishing

CameronParish, Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge fights to protect waterfowl, butislosingground

BY AIDAN McCAHILL Staff writer

Scooter Trosclair punches his airboat through asoilpatch into an openingofbrackishmarsh.As the boat cuts through bitter cold-front air,there’san eruptionoffluttering wings.He’sgliding through Rockefeller WildlifeRefuge, 26.5 miles of protected Gulf coastline in Cameron Parish, that during the winter,becomes one of the state’sdensest waterfowl populations —home to around 200,000 ducks, geese and coots. It’smid-March, and the chorus of quacks is small compared with afew months before. Most of the mallards,pintails, white-frontedgeese andsnow geese have gone north forspring, though many

See HABITATS, page 5A

STAFF PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK

STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

Trinise Causeyservesa healthyhot lunch on Thursday at Ochsner Baptist in NewOrleans. From$2meals in hospital cafeterias to subsidized workplace lunches, newefforts aim to make healthyfood cheaper —and early data suggests it may shift behavior

Car hits pedestrians

in U.K. city, injuring 7 LONDON Police in the English city of Derby arrested a man on suspicion of attempted murder after a car struck a number of pedestrians in the busy city center, sending seven people to hospitals.

Counterterrorism officers were assisting local police in the investigation, which is common practice for this type of incident, Chief Superintendent Emma Aldred of the Derbyshire Constabulary told a news conference on Sunday

“I would like to clarify that this does not mean the incident is currently being treated as terrorism,” Aldred said. Police are “keeping an open mind” about the motive, she said.

The incident occurred at about 9:30 p.m. Saturday on Friar Gate, a popular night spot in central Derby, a city of about 275,000 people northeast of Birmingham.

A 36-year-old-Derby man was arrested a short distance away and remains in police custody, Derbyshire Police said.

‘Back to the Future’ actor Tolkan dies at 94

Actor James Tolkan, known for his roles as a cigar-chomping naval commander in “Top Gun” and a gruff high school administrator in “Back to the Future,” has died. He was 94.

Tolkan died Thursday in Lake Placid, New York, where he lived, his booking agent said Saturday A brief obituary published on the “Back to the Future” website said Tolkan died “peacefully,” but no cause of death was given.

In “Back to the Future,” Tolkan portrayed the bow tie-wearing vice principal Gerald Strickland, who eyeballed students for trouble in the halls of the fictitious Hill Valley High School — in particular Marty McFly, played by Michael J Fox Tolkan also appeared in “Top Gun” as commanding officer Tom “Stinger” Jardian. Near the end of the film, when Jardian asks Tom Cruise’s character, Capt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, about his choice for future duty, Mitchell replies that he wants to be a Top Gun instructor “God help us,” Tolkan’s character replies, laughing. Born in Calumet, Michigan, Tolkan graduated from high school in Arizona and served in the Navy during the Korean War. He eventually made his way to New York, where he spent a quarter century acting in theater roles. He was a member of the original ensemble cast of “Glengarry Glen Ross.” Tolkan is survived by his wife of 54 years, Parmelee Welles, who said in a statement that her husband also was an avid art collector and adored animals.

Nestlé says 413,793 KitKat candy bars stolen GENEVA Swiss food giant Nestlé says about 12 tons, or 413,793 candy bars, of its KitKat chocolate brand were stolen after leaving its production site in Italy last week for Poland.

The company, based in Vevey, Switzerland, said Friday that “the vehicle and its load are still nowhere to be found.”

The shipment of the crunchy bars, made of waffles covered with chocolate, disappeared last week while en route between production and distribution locations. The chocolate bars were to be distributed throughout Europe

The missing candy bars could enter unofficial sales channels across European markets, the company said, but if this does happen, all products can be traced using the unique batch code assigned to individual bars.

A spokesperson for KitKat said that as a result, consumers, retailers and wholesalers would be able to identify if a product is part of the stolen shipment by scanning the on-pack batch numbers. If a match is found, the scanner will be given clear instructions on how to alert the company, which will then share the evidence appropriately

“Whilst we appreciate the criminals’ exceptional taste, the fact remains that cargo theft is an escalating issue for businesses of all sizes,” KitKat said in a statement.

Dozens arrested after L.A. rally

Police say protesters at detention center failed to disperse

BY JOHN RABY Associated Press

Authorities in Los Angeles de-

ployed tear gas near a federal detention center and made dozens of arrests following one of thousands of “No Kings” rallies held this weekend across the United States and in Europe to protest President Donald Trump’s actions and the war in Iran

Los Angeles police said Sunday that 74 people were arrested for failing to heed a dispersal order that was given after Saturday’s rally ended One other person was taken into custody on suspicion of possessing a weapon that police described as a dagger

The arrests stood out from what otherwise were mostly peaceful protests. Organizers said there were more than 3,100 events reg-

istered in all 50 U.S. states.

As hundreds of protesters surrounded a federal complex in downtown Los Angeles, some threw rocks, bottles and broken concrete blocks at officers, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said in a statement late Saturday night

Two officers who were struck by concrete blocks sustained undetermined injuries and received medical attention, DHS said.

Andre Andrews Jr., a Navy veteran and independent journalist, had walked the entire route of the Los Angeles rally and captured video of the event. He said after authorities gave the dispersal order, they deployed tear-gas canisters when protesters didn’t comply Some protesters wearing shields and gas masks on the other side of a fence at the federal complex picked up the canisters and tossed them back at police. Andrews said some people also smashed concrete barriers into smaller pieces and threw them at authorities.

“Does it make L.A. look bad? No. They’re bad actors causing prob-

lems, for sure,” Andrews said.

“The peaceful protest was good for the cause. You have the right to do that. But the other people, they were definitely causing problems.”

Airport delays could persist and ICE may not leave soon

BY JOHN RABY, MATT SEDENSKY and RIO YAMAT

Associated Press

Even after President Donald Trump ordered emergency pay for Transportation Security Administration agents to ease long security lines, major U.S. airports on Sunday were still urging travelers to arrive hours early and federal immigration officers brought in to help may not be leaving anytime soon.

Trump’s executive order on Friday instructed the Department of Homeland Security to pay TSA officers immediately, though it’s unclear how quickly travelers will see an impact.

Tens of thousands of TSA employees have been working without pay since DHS funding lapsed on Valentine’s Day

The department’s shutdown reached 44 days on Sunday, eclipsing the record 43day shutdown last fall that affected all of the federal government.

Trump deployed Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to some airports a week ago to help with security as TSA callouts rose nationwide the same officers who may now remain in place if TSA staffing strains continue.

When will ICE’s deployment end?

Making the rounds on Sunday morning news shows, White House border czar

Tom Homan said it depends on how many TSA employees would be returning to work after they start receiving their pay

“ICE is there to help our brothers and sisters in TSA We’ll be there as long as they need us, until they get back to normal operations and feel like those airports are secure,” he told CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

Speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Homan said it also depends on how many TSA agents “have actually quit and have no plan on coming back to work.”

Nearly 500 TSA officers have quit since the shutdown started, according to DHS.

When will TSA officers get paid?

Homan, in his CNN interview, said he hopes TSA officers will be paid by Monday or Tuesday

“It’s good news because these TSA officers are struggling,” Homan said.

“They can’t feed their families or pay their rent.”

Johnny Jones, secretary-treasurer of the American Federation of Government Employees’ TSA chapter, said Sunday that he has heard from workers worried they may not receive their full back pay

because TSA management was given very short notice to begin processing

payments He also said TSA agents are concerned they could miss pay for time they were unable to work because they couldn’t afford to report for duty

“It is a disaster in progress,” Jones said.

What’s the current situation?

Some of the busiest airports in the United States continued to ask travelers to arrive hours before their departure time in order to get through security lines.

Baltimore-Washington International Airport, for example said Sunday that checkpoint wait times had improved from Saturday but “remain longer than normal.” The airport continued to recommend passengers show up several hours early, along with airports such as Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans.

“Security wait times are significantly longer than normal and can change quickly,” according to an advisory posted Sunday on the website of LaGuardia Airport.

Maryland Gov Wes Moore said in a post on X Saturday evening that more ICE agents were being deployed to BWI to assist at TSA security checkpoints to “speed up the clearance process for passengers not immigration enforcement.”

How soon will this help with delays?

It’s hard to tell.

Caleb Harmon-Marshall, a former TSA officer who runs a travel newsletter called Gate Access, said the staffing crisis won’t improve significantly until officers are confident that they won’t be subjected to more skipped paychecks.

“It has to be an extended pay for them to come back or want to stay there,” he said, estimating longer lines could linger for another week or two.

Jones, the TSA union leader, offered a more optimistic outlook on Sunday, saying he’s hopeful that passengers could see wait times ease closer to typical levels once workers are able to afford basic expenses like gas to get to work.

TSA will also have to decide whether to reopen checkpoints or expedite service lanes they closed or consolidated at airports due to inadequate staffing, which led to passengers standing in screening lines that clogged check-in areas or showing up far too early for their flights.

A handful of airports have experienced daily TSA officer callout rates of 40% or higher Nationwide on Thursday, more than 11.8% of the TSA employees on the schedule missed work, the most so far, DHS said Friday

Police said those arrested included eight juveniles. Also detained was a woman dressed as the Statue of Liberty, smiling as she chatted with an officer who led her away In Denver the police department said on the social platform X that it declared an unlawful assembly and deployed smoke canisters after a small group of protesters blocked a road and did not leave as asked. At least eight people were arrested, as was a ninth person later who police said was throwing objects. In Minnesota, an event on the Capitol lawn in St. Paul drew Bruce Springsteen as its headliner to celebrate resistance to Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement. Demonstrations also were held in more than a dozen other countries, according to co-executive director Ezra Levin of Indivisible, which spearheaded the events. U.S. organizers estimated that the first two rounds of No Kings rallies drew more than 5 million people in June and 7 million in October Levin estimated at least 8 million participants showed up Saturday

5

defendants each get 5 years in plea deal for fatal party shooting

By The Associated Press

DADEVILLE, Ala Five men involved in a fatal shooting at a sweet 16 party in Alabama were sentenced Friday to five years in prison after taking plea deals that were sharply criticized by some of the victims’ families.

Four people were killed and more than 30 were wounded when gunfire erupted at the 2023 birthday party in Dadeville, Alabama. The violence rocked the small city of 3,200 residents located about 60 miles northeast of Montgomery Willie Brown, 22; Wilson Hill, 23; Travis McCollough, 19; Tyreese McCollough, 20; and Sherman Peters, 18, pleaded guilty to reckless murder They were sentenced to five years in prison and 15 years on probation. A sixth defendant was given youthful offender status and his court records are not public. Only one defendant, Tyreese McCollough, ad-

dressed the court, saying he was “very sorry” for what happened, according to news outlets. Some family members criticized the plea deal, saying the sentences were not adequate punishment for the gravity of the crime and the young lives that were lost.

Four young people, including two high school seniors, were killed in the shooting that drew national attention: Philstavious “Phil” Dowdell, 18; Shaunkivia Nicole “KeKe” Smith, 17; Marsiah Emmanuel “Siah” Collins, 19; and Corbin Holston, 23.

“What justice would look like, it would be at least 30 years,” Amy Jackson, Smith’s cousin, told WSFA. District Attorney Mike Segrest told the court that the plea deals provided the best outcome, WSFA reported. He said the evidence showed that the defendants exchanged gunfire with Holston but they could not determine who shot first.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By DAVID J PHILLIP

wait in long security checkpoint lines Friday at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston.

Pope rejectsclaimsthatGod justifies war

BY NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press

ROME Pope Leo XIV said Sunday that God doesn’tlistentothe prayers of thosewho make war or cite God to justify their violence, as he prayed especially for Christians in the Middle East during a Palm Sunday Mass in St.Peter’s Square With the U.S.-Israeliwar on Iran entering its second monthand Russia’songoing campaign in Ukraine, Leo dedicatedhis Palm Sunday homily to hisinsistence that God is the“kingofpeace” whorejects violence.

“Brothers and sisters, this is our God: Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war,whom no one can use to justifywar,” Leosaid. “Hedoesnot listen to the prayers of thosewho wage war,but rejects them, saying: ‘Even though you make many prayers, Iwill not listen: your hands are full of blood.’” Leaders on allsides of the Iran war have used religion to justify their actions. U.S. officials,especially Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, have invoked their Christian faith to cast the war as aChris-

tian nation tryingtovanquish its foes with military might. Russia’s Orthodox Church, too, hasjustified Russia’sinvasion of Ukraineasa“holy war” against aWestern worlditconsiders has fallen into evil.

In aspecialblessing at the end of Mass, Leo said he waspraying especially forChristiansinthe Mid-

dle East who are “suffering theconsequences of an atrocious conflict. In many cases, they cannot live fully the rites of theseholy days.” Leo said that during Holy Week, Christians cannot forget how many people around the world are suffering as Christ did. “Their trials appeal to the conscience of all. Let us raise ourprayers to the Prince

of Peacesothathemay support people wounded by war and open concrete paths of reconciliation and peace,” Leo said.

Holy Week afterPopeFrancis Formany people at the Vatican, thestart of Holy Week this year brings back memories of thefinal suffering days of Pope Francis, who died on Easter Monday When Holy Week opened last year,Franciswas still recovering at the Vatican after afive-week hospitalstay for double pneumonia. He haddelegated the liturgical celebrationstoothers, but rallied on Easter Sunday to greet the faithful from the loggia of St. Peter’sSquare. Most poignantly, he thenmadewhatbecame his final popemobile loop around thepiazza. Francis died the following morning after suffering astroke.His nurse, MassimilianoStrappetti, later told Vatican Media that Francis had toldhim:“Thank you for bringing me back to the square” for thefinal salute.

Leo is due to preside over this week’sliturgical appointments andisreturning to tradition with theHoly Thursday foot-washing

ceremony that commemorates Jesus’ Last Supper with his disciples. During his 12-year pontificate, Francis famously celebratedthe Holy Thursday ritual by traveling to Rome-area prisons and refugee centers to wash the feet of people mostonsociety’smargins. Restoringfoot-washingtradition

Leo, history’sfirst U.S.-born pope,isreturning theHolyThursdayfoot-washing traditiontothe basilica of St. John Lateran, where popesperformed it fordecades The Vatican hasn’tyet said who will participate, though Popes Benedict XVI and John Paul II normally washed the feet of 12 priests. On Friday,Leo is due to preside overthe GoodFridayprocession at Rome’sColosseum commemorating Christ’sPassion and crucifixion. Saturday brings the late night Easter Vigil, during which Leo will baptize new Catholics, followed a few hours later by Easter Sunday whenChristians commemorate the resurrection of Jesus. Leo will celebrate Easter Sunday Mass in St. Peter’sSquare and then deliver his Easter blessing from the loggia of the basilica.

IsraelipolicestopCatholics from entering historic church

BY MELANIE LIDMAN and NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press

TELAVIV,Israel Israeli police prevented Catholic leaders fromenteringthe Church of the Holy Sepulchre to celebrate aprivate Masson the Christian holiday of Palm Sunday for the first time in centuries, setting off awave of criticism from the United States and others. Jerusalem’smajor holy sites, including the church, are closed becauseof the ongoing Iran war,asthe city has come under frequent fire from Iranian missiles. The Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem calledthe police decision “a manifestly unreasonable and grossly disproportionate measure.” It prevented two of the church’stop religious leaders, including the Latin Patriarch, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and the Custos of the Holy Land, from celebrating Palm Sunday at theplace where Christians believe Jesus was crucified PalmSunday commemorates Jesus’ triumphant entry intoJerusalem and launches the Holy Week

commemorationsfor Christianswhich culminates in Easter Israeli police said they had notifiedchurchauthorities on Saturday that no Mass could take place on Palm Sunday because of safety considerations, the lack of access for emergency vehiclesinnarrow alleysof theOld Cityand lack of adequate shelter

However,the Latin Patriarchate said the Church of theHoly Sepulchre had been hostingMasses that aren’t open to the public since the Iran war began on Feb.28, anditwas unclear whySunday’sMass and access by the two priests was any different.

“It’savery,very sacred day for Christians and in our opinionthere wasnojustification for such adecision or such an action,” said Farid Jubran, the spokesperson for theLatin Patriarchate of Jerusalem

Jubran said that the church had requested permission from police for a few religious leaders to enter the church foraprivate celebration on Sunday —not one that was open to the pub-

lic. The Patriarchate said that the decision impeded freedom of worship andthe status quo in Jerusalem

The traditional Palm Sunday procession normally sees tens of thousands of Christiansfrom around the worldwalkfrom theMount of Olives down the narrow hilly streets towardthe Old City,waving palm fronds and singing.

ThePatriarchate canceled the traditional processional lastweek because of safety

concerns, and has held Masses limited to fewer than 50 worshippers in compliance with the Israeli military’s guidelines for civilians. Pizzaballa instead celebrated Mass in thenearby St.Savior’sMonastery,a soaring marble church which is located next to an underground music school thatthe Israeli militaryhas deemed asafe shelter space.

Later on Sunday,Pizzaballa held aprayer forpeace at the Dominus FlevitShrine

on the Mount of Olives, but kept hishomily concentrated on Jesus and didn’tmention the morning’sincident.

The closure sparked a waveofcriticism that Israeli authorities hadgone too farinrestricting worship, including from Israel’stop ally,the United States.

U.S. AmbassadorMike Huckabee,a devout evangelical Christian, said that the incident was“an unfortunate overreach.”

He said in astatement that the proposed prayer was well below the 50-person limit for gatherings. “For the Patriarch to be barred from entry to theChurch on Palm Sundayfor aprivate ceremony is difficult to understand or justify,” he wrote.

French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the incident, which he said hadaddedtothe “concerning increase in violationsof the status of the Holy Sites in Jerusalem.”

Italianauthoritiesacross the political spectrum condemned the movetorestrict Pizzaballa, an Italian cardinal considered aleading papal contender in the 2025 conclave, to access the church.

The Italiangovernment formally protestedthe incident to Israeli authorities and summoned Israel’sambassador to Rome for clarification.

PremierGiorgia Meloni said that the police action “constitutes an offense not only against believers but against every community that recognizes religious freedom.”

IsraeliPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saidthere was no “malicious intent” and that the cardinal was prevented from accessing the churchbecause of safety concerns, but that Israel would try to partially open theChurch of the Holy Sepulchre in the coming days. In an interviewwithItalian Catholic broadcaster TG2000, Pizzaballa said there was difference of opinions withIsraeliauthorities over accessing the church, but that thedispute remained polite.

“Wewant to use this situation to try to clarify betterwhat will be done in the coming days, respecting the security of all naturally but also in respect of the rightto prayer,” he said.

Europe seekstoincreasedeportationsassomewarnofTrump-liketactics

BY SAM McNEIL and GIADAZAMPANO Associated Press

BRUSSELS The European Union is expanding itspowers to track, raid and deport migrants to “return hubs” in third countries in Africa and elsewhere, quietly adopting tactics of the Trump administration that have drawn public criticism across the 27-nation bloc.

The EU continues to tighten migration policies after right-wing parties took power in some countries in 2024. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, from the centerright European People’sParty coalition, has said that the new measureswill prevent arepeat of the 2015 crisis caused by Syria’scivil war, when about 1million people arrived to seek asylum.

“Wehave learnt thelessons of the past. Andtoday, we are better equipped,” von der Leyen has said. The new policies, known as the Pact on Migration and Asylum, go into effect on June 12. Far-right parties in Europe have praised the deportation policies of U.S. President Donald Trump and called for the EU to adopt asimilar approach. Humanrights groups warn that authorities are already illegally pushing back migrants at EU borders and hollowing out their legal protections.

Italyprovidesamodel

The EU already spends millions of dollars to deter migrants before they reach its shores, and has supported tens of thousands of Africans returning home, voluntarily or by force.

In addition,Meloni’sCabinet has approved an antiimmigration package that would allow the navy to halt vesselsininternational waters for up to six months if they are deemed athreat to public order; return intercepted migrants to countries of originor third countries; and speed up the deportation of foreignnationals convicted of crimes. An “informal group” of EU nations including Germany, Austria, theNetherlands, Denmark and Greece are pursuingdeportation center agreements, said Bernd Parusel, aresearcher at the Swedish Institutefor EuropeanPolicy Studies. Kenya is one country they are speakingwith, said Tineke Strik, aDutch memberofthe European Parliament. Whether consciously or not, the plan is similar to Trump’sdeals with nations like El Salvador to take in deported migrants,she said. Some in Europe cheerplan

Duringthe WinterOlympics in Italy,protests erupted over the deployment of U.S. Immigration and CustomsEnforcement agentsto provide security to theU.S. delegation.But othersin Europehave praised ICE’s actionsand called for settingupdeportation-focused police units.

In 2024, Belgium passed a

What’senvisioned now is an expansion of what Italy has created underPrime Minister GiorgiaMeloniand her “tough on migration” stance.Itoperates twomigrantdetention centers for rejected asylum-seekers in Albania. One currently holds at least 90 migrants, said lawmaker Rachele Scarpa, whosaid that shefound people confused and scared during arecentvisit

law allowing the EU border service Frontex operations inside the country,stoking fears among activists that Frontex couldjoininonraids.

But Frontex’smandatejust covers borders, said spokespersonChris Borowski, and the current role in voluntary or involuntaryreturns for theservice includes “coordinating flights, helpingwith travel documentsand making sure fundamental rights are respected throughout theprocess.”

The European Commission has declined requests to take apositiononU.S. federal immigration policies.

In Britain, which left the EU several years ago, the center-left Labour Party government has madecurbing unauthorized immigration akey focus.

In February, theHome Office said thatalmost 60,000 people hadbeen deported sincethe government was elected in July 2024.

Pushbacks, raidsincrease Under the principle of non-refoulementinEUand international law,aperson can’tbereturned to acountry where they would face persecution.

But European immigration enforcement tactics include so-calledpushbacks, wherepeople trying to cross into the EU areforced back across aborder without access to asylum procedures. Authorities in Europe carryout an averageof221 pushbacks aday,according to aFebruaryreport by a group of humanitarian organizations. More than 80,000 pushbacks were recorded in 2025, the report said, mostly in Italy, Poland, Bulgaria and Latvia. “Men,women and children

—including individuals in critical medical condition —are routinely subjected to beatings, attacks by police dogs, forced stripping, forced river crossings and theftofpersonal belongings,” accordingtothe report.

Europeanagents arebrutalizingmigrantsjust like in the U.S., saidFlorDidden, migration policy expert at the Belgian human rights group 11.11.11. Some, like in Greece, even wear masks.

“The images areshocking and the outrage is justified,”hesaidofthe U.S.“But whereisthatsame moral clarity when European bor-

derauthoritiesabuse,rob and let people die?”

Protectionsfor migrants

The groups also have recorded an expansion of surveillancetechnologylike drones, thermal cameras and satellites to monitor people on the move.

Other human rights groups warnofa weakening of legal protections.

TheEU’snew migration regulations allow for more police raids in private homes andpublic spaces andmore use of surveillance and racial profiling, said aletter to EU institutions in February

from 88 nonprofit groups including theBrussels-based Platform forInternational Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants.

“Wecannot be outraged by ICE in the United States while also supporting these practices in Europe,” said the platform’s director,Michele LeVoy Olivia Sundberg Diez, EU migration advocate for Amnesty International, said Europe retains more protections for vulnerable migrants than the United States but shares muchof the political momentum toward harsher policies.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ALESSANDRATARANTINO

Pope Leo XIV caresses achild Sunday after presidingoverMass in St. Peter’s Squareat the Vatican on the Catholic feast of Palm Sunday

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MAHMOUD ILLEAN

Catholic faithfuls attend aPalm Sunday Mass on Sunday at the MonasteryofSaint Saviour in Jerusalem’sOld City

Pakistan says it will host talks between U.S. and Iran

Iran

threatens to target U.S. homes

BY MUNIR AHMED, SAMY MAGDY and CARA ANNA Associated Press

ISLAMABAD Pakistan announced

Sunday that it will soon host talks between the U.S. and Iran, though there was no immediate word from Washington or Tehran, and it was unclear whether discussions on the monthlong war would be direct or indirect.

“Pakistan is very happy that both Iran and the U.S have expressed their confidence in Pakistan to facilitate the talks. Pakistan will be honored to host and facilitate meaningful talks between the two sides in the coming days,” Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said after top diplomats from Turkey Egypt and Saudi Arabia met in Islamabad.

cover after some 2,500 U.S. Marines trained in amphibious landings arrived in the Middle East. He said Iranian forces were “waiting for the arrival of American troops on the ground to set them on fire and punish their regional partners forever,” according to state media.

Pakistan later said the diplomats had departed for their home countries. The talks were originally scheduled to continue Monday Pakistan’s foreign ministry did not answer questions, and Iran’s mission to the United Nations declined to comment.

Islamabad has emerged as a mediator, having relatively good ties with Washington and Tehran, after what Pakistani officials call weeks of quiet diplomacy

Earlier, Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, dismissed the talks in Pakistan as a

FOOD

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Systemwide, Eat Fit items grew from about 8% to 14% of total food and beverage sales in 2025, with some hospital locations reaching more than a third of all purchases. Sales of water and other healthier beverages rose sharply — up 71% in some cases.

Barriers to healthy food

At a nearby Wendy’s visible from the St. Bernard hospital parking lot, a salad runs about $8. A hamburger starts at $2.39.

Megan Knapp, a public health researcher at Xavier University of Louisiana, said that cost disparity is an issue when it comes to public health.

“If you’re trying to eat healthier and it’s more expensive, that’s an additional barrier,” said Knapp. “When you reduce that barrier, you

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thousands of immigrants lacking permanent legal status across the country

“It’s a real simple agreement,” Hancock County Sheriff Johnny Alison said.

“We have the space.”

The complex is among dozens of local jails around the nation that the Department of Homeland Security is using to hold migrants who are often not charged with crimes.

The number of immigrants at the jail, who are generally held there in the days immediately after their arrests before transferring to longerterm ICE detention facilities, has soared since Trump took office. Federal data shows the facility’s average daily population of ICE detainees nearly tripled last year

Local leaders said the partnership brings thousands of dollars a month to Hancock County, where Trump won almost 80% of the votes in the last election. And jail officials said the immigrants in their custody receive the same services as county inmates, but are kept separately from them.

The practice has also raised concerns among some legal groups and immigration rights activists, who argue local jails are not always fit to hold migrants facing civil charges.

The jail has held several Louisiana residents whose arrests by ICE made headlines last year Among them: A Mexican-born woman married to a U.S. Marine Corps veteran from Baton

Iran also threatened to attack homes of U.S. and Israeli “commanders and political officials” in the region. A spokesperson for the Iranian military’s joint command, Ebrahim Zolfaghari, cited the “targeting of residential homes of the Iranian people in various cities” and other “malicious actions,” state media reported. “We don’t know at what moment our homes could be targeted,” said Razzak Saghir al-Mousawi, 71, describing relentless airstrikes as Iranians crossing into Iraq urged the United States to end the war. “I am definitely afraid.”

Meanwhile in Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military will widen its invasion of Lebanon, expanding the “existing security strip” in that country’s south while targeting the Iranianbacked Hezbollah militant group. No details were released.

Over 1 million Lebanese have been displaced in the war One of them, Mohammad Doghman, called Israel “an expansionist state.”

Call to end war

The war has threatened global supplies of oil, natural gas and fertilizer and disrupted air travel Iran’s grip on the strategic Strait of Hor-

make it easier to change behavior.”

In recent years, federal and state policymakers have focused on lifestyle as the key to improving public health as obesity rates and chronic diseases have climbed over the past several decades. In Louisiana, that has included efforts to ban candy and soda from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP And through a produce benefit program, SNAP users can receive an additional 30 cents for every dollar spent on fresh fruits and vegetables.

At the same time, the federal government eliminated SNAP-Ed, the program that funded nutrition education and healthy eating guidance for low-income households. The produce benefit is capped at $25 per month. In Louisiana, more than 800,000 people struggle with food insecurity, meaning there is no certainty on access to af-

Rouge who was briefly held in Hancock County after ICE arrested her last May. Some immigration attorneys said this week that clients recently arrested in New Orleans have been transferred to Hancock County before returning to Louisiana’s ICE facilities.

The jail now holds anywhere from five to 25 ICE detainees per day, compared with its previous tallies of two to five a day before Trump took office, according to estimates by the county’s current and former sheriffs

The jail held up to 50 immigrants a day, on average, some months last year, according to the Deportation Data Project, an academic group that publishes government records. Still, immigrants are in the minority at the complex, which has a capacity of 310 inmates.

Greg Shaw, a county supervisor whose district includes the jail, said he had heard nothing from locals about the agreement since it began. He was also not sure if constituents had heard about it.

Jimmie Ladner, the county administrator, said residents are becoming more conscious of the jail’s federal contract as immigration enforcement increases.

ICE sought help from jail

Hancock County signed a contract with ICE and DHS during Trump’s first term in 2020 after federal officials approached local leaders “to see if we could help them out,” said Brandon Zeringue, the jail’s warden. The county has earned more than $230,000 under the agreement since October

muz has shaken markets and prices. Now the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels‘ entry into the war could threaten shipping on another crucial waterway, the Bab el-Mandeb strait to the Red Sea.

An Associated Press video shot shortly before midnight showed a huge plume of black smoke rising from a large fire in Tehran, following strikes in Iran’s capital Earlier Sunday night, Israel’s military said that over the past 24 hours its fighter jets had dropped more than 120 munitions in Tehran, targeting sites used for weapons research, development and production. Around the same time, Iran’s state television said power was back in areas of Tehran that had experienced outages after attacks on electricity facilities.

More than 3,000 people have been killed in the war that began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran that triggered Iranian attacks against Israel and U.S. military assets and other sites in neighboring Gulf Arab states. The war continues on the digital front as well.

‘Direct dialogue’

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said the meetings in Pakistan are aimed at opening a “direct dialogue” between the U.S. and Iran, which have largely communicated through mediators. The war began with U.S. and Israeli strikes during indirect talks. Pakistan said the foreign ministers met Sunday without U.S. or Israeli participation.

Iranian officials have rejected a U.S. 15-point “action list” as a framework for a possible peace deal and publicly dismissed the idea of nego-

tiating under pressure. But Iran’s state broadcaster has reported that Tehran drafted its own five-point proposal reportedly calling for a halt to killing Iranian officials, guarantees against future attacks, reparations and Iran’s “exercise of sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.”

Iran has eased some restrictions on commercial ships in the strait, agreeing late Saturday to allow 20 more Pakistani-flagged vessels to pass through. It “sends a clear signal that Iran remains open for business with the world, provided the United States abandons coercion,” said Asif Durrani, Pakistan’s former ambassador to Iran.

An adviser to the United Arab Emirates, Anwar Gargash, called for any settlement to the war to include “clear guarantees” that Iranian attacks on neighbors will not be repeated. He said Iran’s government has become “the main threat” to Persian Gulf security, and called for compensation for attacks on civilian infrastructure.

Strike threats on universities

Iran warned of escalation after Israeli airstrikes hit several universities, including ones that Israel claimed were used for nuclear research and development. Concerns over Iran’s nuclear program are at the heart of tensions.

The paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said Iran would consider Israeli universities and branches of U.S. universities in the region “legitimate targets” unless offered safety assurances for Iranian universities, state media reported.

“If the U.S government wants its

fordable, nutritious food.

Even as politicians point to these programs as improvements, healthier food often remains out of reach for many Americans. Federal data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows food prices rose 3.1% over the past year Lettuce is up 15.3%, frozen fish is up 8.1%, and ground beef increased 15.2%, the data shows.

Moreover studies exam-

2025, according to figures provided by Ladner ICE paid the county $56,000 for detention services last December when federal agents launched a high-profile immigration enforcement operation across the New Orleans region.

The contract allows Hancock County officers to bring detainees from nearby ICE field offices to the jail. It does not permit them to arrest migrants or enforce federal law

Zeringue said ICE detainees are held in a separate cell block from other inmates. They are served three meals a day, given complete medical screenings and sometimes attend Spanish-speaking religious services at the jail on Sundays

“We have plenty enough room,” Zeringue said. “We are not overcrowded.”

The federal government’s contracts with local jails are not new But immigration attorneys say ICE now appears to be using the jails more often.

Brandon Riches, an immigration attorney who works in Mississippi and Alabama, said about half his clients who have been detained on the Gulf Coast passed through the jail. Logan Luquette, an immigration attorney based in Mandeville, also said many of his Mississippi clients move through the jail after federal agents arrest them.

Another client arrested this month in New Orleans spent a few days in Hancock County before being taken to a Louisiana ICE facility in Jena, Luquette said.

A DHS spokesperson called the jail “a valued part-

ining food pricing interventions have found that consumers respond predictably to cost: When healthier foods are discounted, people buy and consume more of them A meta-analysis looking at 22 of these studies found that a 10% price reduction was linked to about a 12% increase in consumption.

“We tend to think of healthier foods as more expensive,” said Pia Chaparro,

ner for ICE since the Biden administration.”

“DHS has called on states and local government to help with bed and detention space capacity,” the spokesperson said in a statement “Despite a historic number of injunctions, DHS is working rapidly to remove these aliens from detention centers to their final destination — home.”

Challenges reported

Immigration attorneys raised several questions

universities in the region spared, it should condemn the bombardment” of Iranian universities by midday Monday, the Guard said U.S. colleges have campuses in Qatar and the UAE, including Georgetown, New York and Northwestern universities. The American University of Beirut and the Lebanese American University, also in Beirut, moved classes online and called it a precautionary measure.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry has said dozens of universities and research centers have been hit, including the Iran University of Science and Technology and Isfahan University of Technology. Both sides in the war have threatened to attack civilian facilities, which critics have warned could be a war crime.

Death toll climbs

In Lebanon, officials said more than 1,200 people have been killed. There were fears of more deaths after Netanyahu, speaking on a visit to northern Israel, announced the expanded invasion. Hezbollah “still has residual capability to fire rockets at us,” he said.

Iranian authorities say more than 1,900 people have been killed in the Islamic Republic, while 19 have been reported dead in Israel. In Iraq, where Iranian-supported militia groups have entered the conflict, 80 members of the security forces have died.

In Gulf states, 20 people have been killed. Four have been killed in the occupied West Bank. Thirteen U.S. service members have been killed in the war

a public health researcher at Tulane University who will be evaluating Ochsner’s Eat Fit program over the next three years. “These types of initiatives take the economic barrier out of the equation.”

Subsidized meals at a loss

Some others have pursued similar programs to Ochsner In break rooms at Laitram, the New Orleans-area manufacturing company, coolers and shelves hold meals prepared to Eat Fit or low-carb standards, along with typical offerings and snacks like chips and cookies.

The company pays about $12 per meal, but since 2020, it has sold the healthy options at half price.

As a result, filling meals featuring shrimp, fish, chicken or beef alongside a vegetable such as cauliflower or sweet potato fly off the shelves. The chili and meatballs are “fan favorites,” said Franck LaBiche, Laitram’s human resources director

The company technically

about the jail’s process. Riches said he struggles to contact clients during their brief stays in Hancock County and usually waits to consult with them until they are transferred to longerterm ICE detention centers.

Dalaney Mecham, an immigration attorney based in Gulfport, Mississippi, said he has not been able to locate clients while they are in Hancock County because the facility does not appear on an online ICE detainee locator

takes a loss for the meals, but sees it as an investment in their health benefits package, which also includes an on-site pharmacy, gym and clinic. They hope it leaves their employees in better physical and mental health, said LaBiche. “I’d be lying if I tried to say ‘Yes, I can relate it to health premiums,’” said LaBiche. “But we know that it is very appreciated by people, particularly folks that work on the production lines and can’t leave for lunch to get a good meal at a good price.” At Ochsner Baptist on Thursday, server Trinise Causey scooped teriyaki chicken into Styrofoam plates at a steady pace to satisfy the stream of patients, employees and families that were already lining up by 11:30 a.m. Slathered in a dark sauce, the food looked good. At the cash register, the Eat Fit option rang up for $3. “I do think that’s what’s capturing them,” she said.

He questioned whether detainees who are not facing criminal charges should be held in a county jail.

“It just goes to show how we have criminalized many of these people who have not necessarily been accused of any crime,” Mecham said. Zeringue, the jail’s warden, said ICE detainees receive the same services as county inmates.

“We don’t keep them with our guys that are charged with criminal offenses,” he said. “They are safe.”

STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

Carrots and broccoli are among the healthy options during lunch on Thursday in the cafeteria at Ochsner Baptist in New Orleans.

blue-winged teal, mottled and black-belliedwhistling ducks remain.

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

Among Trosclair’smost daunting tasks as the Rockefeller program manager is protectingitfromcoastal erosion andland loss. Since the 1910s, when Tabasco heir E.A.McIlhenny purchased the land and sold it to the Rockefeller Foundation,the refuge has lost more than 15,000 acres to the Gulf.

Trosclair,50, grew up in surrounding Grand Chenier He beganworking on the refuge in high schooland has seen the area devastated by hurricanes: Rita in 2005, Ike in 2008, and Laura in 2020. With each storm, fewer people return, and most of the properties around the refuge are nowhunting camps. Hisown employees have lost their homesthree times in the past 15 years. With the nearest grocery store an hour away,it’sharder for himtofind people to work in the remote area.

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

Beyond protecting wetlands, Trosclair and asmall team of dedicatedbiologists conduct some of the most extensive waterfowl researchinthe world. It’s ledbybiologistPaul Link,a 45-year-old North Dakotan, who has spent most of his life following the birds up and down NorthAmerica eitherinperson or by GPS tracking devices. During his four years on Rockefeller Link estimates he’stagged at least 45,000 ducks and geese on the refuge and surrounding rice farms.

By studying their longterm movements, Link and histeamare tryingto answer why so many waterfowl populations massively fluctuate, in astate 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 2million in Louisiana in the 1980s to 5million by the turn of the century,back to alow of 2million 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 asteep decline, includingmallards, northern pintails andbluewinged teals, whose breeding grounds to the north are losing habitat. Meanwhile, mottled ducks, astaple in Louisiana year-round, are threatenedbythe state’sdeteriorating marshes.

While Link says his researchcould help identify ways to mitigate some of those factors, he says the answertokeeping ducks coming backtoLouisiana will remain the same.

“It’ssimply habitat,” Link said.“The moreofit, the higher quality we can provide, the more willcome.”

Follow theteal

Most ducks and geese treat Rockefeller as abedroom. They sleep there during theday,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, feedingduring the day and stayinglonger than

AIRPORT

Continued from page1A

The New Orleans airport is among several acrossthe nation thathavegrappled with congestion as federalTSA workers have called out sick at record rates.TSA agents, who are paid through the Department of Homeland Security,haven’tbeen paid since Feb. 14 amid apartial government shutdown and

Paul Link, aresearchprogram manager with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, dumps rice as bait for blue-wingedteal ducks

Scooter Trosclair,biologist andprogrammanager at Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge, talks about coastalrestoration work on March 17

most into the spring, said Link. On agrassy bank near headquarters, Link steps into shallow water and dumps abucket of rice. It’s late morning, and nearby teal eyethe bait. Later,with volunteers, he’ll time the feedings with attemptstoattach transmitters that track thebirds’little-studied migration routes, whichspan fromupper South America to Alberta, Canada. The devicesuse satellites to collect their locations every 30 minutes and track their movement every six minutes then sendall this data back to Link and his graduate studentsvia cellularnetworks. By following their paths andrecovering birdsthat go silent, Link hopes to pinpoint what’s killingthem. Since 2012, blue-wing teal’s breeding population in North America has dropped from its peak of 9.2 million to around 4million,according to Ducks Unlimited, awaterfowl conservation group. That forcedLouisianatoshorten its tealhunting season last year from

stalemate in Congressover DHS funding. Republicanshaverepeatedly blamed Democrats for the shutdown, as they refuse to fund DHSuntilthe administration makes changes to its aggressiveimmigration enforcement tacticsafter agents fatally shot twoU.S. citizensduringsweeps in Minneapolis. Democrats have pointed the finger instead at Republicans,who they say are withholding funding from DHS by resisting con-

16 to nine days for the first time in decades.

Because teal constantly travel great distances, they’reamongthe highest carriers of avian flu, and Rockefeller partners with the University of Georgia’s Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Studies to collect saliva and blood samplesthat are testedfor the virus. Some samples are sent to St.Jude’sChildren’s Research Hospitaltodevelop humanvaccines.

Link says the disease has spreadmore rapidly as habitat disappears and birds crowd into smaller remaining wetlands.

Should huntersworry?

This year’sduckhunting season wasa good onefor Jeff Deblieux in coastal Louisiana. November cold frontsand drought conditions in northern Louisiana andArkansas pushed larger numbers southtothe coast At 64, Deblieux hasduck hunted all his life, and he’s nottoo concernedabout overall declining numbers, mainly because he’sseen it

cessions.

PresidentDonald Trump signed an executive order Friday instructing theDHS to pay TSA officersimmediately, but it’s notclear when the impacts will be felt at airports, which are enteringa busy timeofyear as schools across the country let out for spring break and the Passover and Easter holidays. Email Kasey Bubnash at kasey.bubnash@ theadvocate.com

before

“Wehope we’reonthe bottom of that cycle, and eventually it’sgoing to come back up,”hesaid.

Jason Olszak, waterfowl program manager for LDWF, felt the same

“We’vebeen here before, said Olszak. “I’m notsuper pessimistic about anything other thanthe breeding grounds.”

Olszak, Linkand most ecologistsagree the primary threat to waterfowl comes lessfromthe loss of coastal marshlandthan from recentdroughtsand habitat loss in the Prairie Pothole region, whichspans from Iowa through theDakotas intoSaskatchewan andAlberta,where 70% of North America’swaterfowl breed.Increasingly,the land is being converted to oil andgas developmentand row-cropfarmland.

“It hasall been dependent on the wetness of the prairies,” said Olszak, referring to duck numbers. “A confoundingfactor is the fact that they continue to convert thosenative grasslands into rowcrops.”

With fewer birds coming from the north, Olszaksaid there’sactually asurplus of habitatfor ducks in Louisi-

ana. But he,Link andDeblieux allagree —tovarying degrees —thatchangesto Louisiana’shabitat quality still matter.Invasive plant species like salvinia and water hyacinth crowd out vegetation ducksrelyonfor winter feeding, while saltwater intrusion— worsened during hurricane years kills much of therest.

In Louisiana,wintering ducks actually rely on agriculture, particularly rice farms. But manyhave been replaced by sugar cane fields. With increased harvest efficiency and herbicide use, Link says those thatremainleavelittle for ducks to fatten up on, while transitions to more level rice fields expose the birds to more predators. Add in thefact that Louisiana is regularlyinthe top three states forduck harvests, andthe cumulative stress shows.

Link compared two white-frontedgeese 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 sleptbarely10hours total over two weeks. The Illinois bird snoozed 10 hours nightly over thesame period

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

“InLouisiana,we’re seeing that we’re having lower breeding propensity,lower fecundity,lower success for our birds,” Link added. “They are at aterrible dis-

advantage.”

Louisiana ducks also face much longermigration flights back north,made harder to time by increasingly erraticweather patterns. Mistime thatflight, said Link, andbirds return to abarrenwasteland. He’s baffledtheystill come to the state in thenumbers they do. Many are simply programmed to fly over better wintering spots forthe reliable wetlandhabitat. Hisstudies aimtopinpoint exactlyhow Louisiana can do itspartinimproving conditions and understand how birdbehaviorischanging.

“They wanttocome here,” said Link. “If we did abetter job taking care of the habitats here,they’dhave better survival when they come back home during the spring.”

Limestone, levees andLNG Trosclair and his staff maintain more than50water control structures to regulate water and salinity levels forvegetation, along with200 miles of levees and aloch structure to keep saltwater inundation at bay.

As Trosclair whips the airboat through the marsh, dump trucks haul sediment to rebuild an oldlevee since overtaken by the tide. He points to a5.5-mile limestone barrier,fully completed on thebeach in 2023. The rockshelpretainsediment pushedinbywaves andnew land began forming there within months. Oyster grass nowgrowswhere therewas once open water The structure —which Trosclairisworking to secure funding to extend another 4.5 miles—has already attracted droves of fish and crustaceans. Near the barrier,apair of dolphins breaches thesurface. Overall, $344 millionis being spentoncurrent projects to preservethe refuge cobbled together from federal,state andlocal governments, conservation groups like Ducks Unlimited, and private companies, including theliquefiednaturalgas industry that hasboomed in thesurrounding area. Trosclair takes funding wherever he can find it and welcomes anyindustry that will bring people back to his home.

“If you don’thave people here, there is no one concerned aboutthe issues,” he said. “The state doesn’thave the money.There are higher priorities. Youhave to maintain the hospitals before youmaintainthe habitat for ducks.”

But themoney hasn’t stopped Rockefeller’sfundamental challenge —at leastnot yet. Therefuge loses 50 to 100 feet of marsh annually,withsome areas losing up to 300 feet,Trosclair said. That poses dangers beyond waterfowl. Just 900 feet to thenorth liesLa. 82. Past that, hundreds of thousands of acres of agricultural fields

“All this marsh is entangled in so many different livelihoods, but it’s allrelated to culture, what we eat, whatweproduce, even how we act,” he said. “But you’re workingagainst the forces of nature in theGulf.”

An American cootskips across the water on March 17. Many waterfowl species are on asteep declineinLouisiana.

at Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge.

NOLA.COM | Monday, March 30, 2026 1Bn

Campground sold for $2.5 million

Once home to Cajun Olympix, firm plans to reopen Washington Parish site

BY BOB WARREN Staff writer

A Washington Parish campground that gained a measure of fame for its annual Redneck Cajun Olympix has been sold for $2.5 million to a North Carolina-based investment firm making its first foray into the camping business.

Jazz Fest foundation parts ways with CEO

Departure a ‘mutual decision,’ nonprofit board leader says

BY KEITH SPERA Staff writer

A month before the 2026 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, the nonprofit organization that owns it has parted ways with its CEO. Blake-Anthony Johnson was hired as CEO of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation in January 2025. An Atlanta native, he came to New Orleans from Chicago, where he most recently led the Chicago Sinfonietta orchestra.

Johnson’s departure from the Jazz & Heritage Foundation after only 14 months on the job was a “mutual decision as he transitions to other opportunities,” the foundation board’s President Rachel F. Cousin said in a statement.

News that Johnson was out as CEO broke on the eve of a March 24 news conference at the Fair Grounds that marked the monthlong countdown to Jazz Fest’s April 23 opening day Jazz Fest’s schedule cubes were also released that day

Johnson’s replacement on an interim basis is Sarita Carriere, the foundation’s chief administrative and financial officer, who has been on staff since 2014 and has a background in accounting.

As interim executive director, Carriere spoke on the foundation’s behalf during the March 24 news conference but did not mention Johnson’s departure and declined to comment further after the news conference. Cousin was not available to answer additional questions.

“With more than a decade of service to the Foundation, Carriere brings extensive institutional knowledge, steady leadership and a deep commitment to cultural preservation and education to this leadership role,” Cousin’s statement said. “Sarita, a long-standing and accomplished leader at the Foundation has the full confidence of the Board and of staff leadership Our work and planning for the 2026 festival and

The sale of the Silver Creek Campground in Mount Hermon closed in late February, said Zach Soder, whose Soder Capital purchased the site from the Alabamabased JSM Property and Development.

Spencer Mann, president of JSM, had sought to sell the 72acre campground last year at an

auction. But the winning bidder was not able to fulfill the purchase requirements. So Mann said he began reaching out to businesses and continued marketing the site through Facebook.

That’s where Soder saw it.

“Between Christmas and New Year’s, I saw it on Facebook and we were able to strike a deal over

the holidays,” Soder said. Soder said Silver Creek is the company’s first campground, but if things go as well as he hopes, it won’t be the last. He noted that more people are choosing family campgrounds for weekend trips and vacations.

“There’s a trend there,” he said.

“This is the first of, hopefully,

many campgrounds.”

Soder said his company is typically invested in apartments, but has been looking for other investment avenues.

Silver Creek, which had been open for decades and attracted a loyal following of campers, was known in part for its annual Redneck Cajun Olympixs event, which included events like lawn mower

MUSICAL PROCESSION

ABOVE: The Storyville Stompers Brass Band performs as Saint Anna’s Episcopal Church leads a Palm Sunday procession around the Treme neighborhood in New Orleans.

LEFT: Leo Ranner, 10, left, and Ed Azemas carry palm fronds.

BELOW LEFT: The Rev Allison Reid claps as the band plays. BELOW RIGHT: Valerie Boucher holds a palm frond over her head in the sprinkling rain during the procession.

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 coat closet and all over the ceiling of

STAFF PHOTO By WILLIE SWETT

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

ä See JAZZ FEST, page 2B

STAFF PHOTOS By SOPHIA GERMER ä See SOLD, page 2B

Romanian nationals accused of placing card skimmers

BY MICHELLE HUNTER Staff writer

Authorities in Jefferson Parish have arrested a pair of Romanian nationals accused in other states of placing credit card skimmers in stores to commit public benefits fraud.

Cosmin Vaduva, 36, and Elena Caldarareasa, 32, were booked into the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna on March 23 on six counts of violating anti-skimming laws and six counts of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, said Sgt. Brandon Veal, spokesperson for the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. Authorities allege the pair put skimmers on point-ofsale devices used for credit and debit card transactions in at least six Jefferson Parish businesses in March. The locations of all the skimmers were not immediately available. But investigators recovered skimmers linked to the suspects at a convenience store on Veterans Memorial Boulevard in Metairie, a small grocery store just off Lapalco Boulevard in unincorporated Gretna and a convenience store in Kenner, according to arrest records EBT identity theft Vaduva and Caldarareasa were extradited from Birmingham, Alabama, where

JEFFERSON PARISH

federal prosecutors charged them March 18 with access device fraud and conspiracy to commit access device fraud. They are accused of placing skimmers in at least eight stores in Alabama, court records show. Investigators accused the pair of committing public benefits fraud, seeking to steal public assistance money given to residents. Vaduva and Caldarareasa placed the skimmers to target electronic benefit transfer cards, authorities said. Their goal was to steal the identifying information from the cards and re-encode it

onto new “cloned” cards using those to make unauthorized purchases, court records said.

Law enforcement agencies across the country have seen a rise in identity and financial information thefts targeting less-protected EBT and food assistance cards in the years after banks began introducing more security measures, such as embedded chips, for personal credit and debit cards, authorities have said. The thieves usually target point-of-sale terminals in larger stores such as Walmart, Family Dollar and Dollar General as well as smaller local grocery stores, authorities said.

Video reviewed by Jeffer-

son Parish Economic Crime Unit detectives and U.S. Secret Service agents investigating the Alabama skimmers show Vaduva placing the skimmers onto credit card readers in stores while checking out at registers, authorities said. Caldarareasa is seen distracting cashiers by asking questions, redirecting their attention and even using her body to block the view of Vaduva’s actions, according to court records and incident reports.

Mississippi arrest Jefferson Parish detectives identified a possible suspect vehicle in their cases and obtained photos of

the suspects recovered from business surveillance videos. They shared the information with law enforcement in Mississippi and Alabama. Vaduva and Caldarareasa were arrested March 12 when Grenada County Sheriff’s Office deputies stopped their vehicle on Interstate 55 North based on warrants out of Louisiana and Texas, the department said. Deputies searched the vehicle and seized three overlay skimmers, more than $8,000 in cash and several credit, debit and gift cards, according to court records. Vaduva and Caldarareasa were being held Sunday at the Gretna jail. Bail for each was set at $240,000.

Marrero man sentenced after pleading guilty to killing cyclist

BY MICHELLE HUNTER Staff writer

A Marrero man was sentenced to more than two years in prison after he admitted to killing a 64-year-old cyclist in a West Bank crash, according to court records

Mark Sicuro, 36, pleaded guilty Thursday to negligent homicide and a number of traffic infractions, including improperly passing a bicycle, court records show. He was charged in the Oct 31, 2024, death of Lan Si Ho, of Marrero.

Driver killed in fiery crash near Covington

BY MICHELLE HUNTER Staff writer

The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office is investigating after a fiery crash that left one person dead near Covington on Saturday night. Authorities have not identified the victim, the driver of an SUV involved in the crash. Deputies were dispatched to Oaklawn Drive near Pine Crest Drive in the Tchefuncta Club Estates after receiving a report of a single-vehicle wreck about 8:30 p.m., the

Sheriff’s Office said Investigators determined that an SUV veered left off the roadway into a ditch before hitting a tree stump. The vehicle then caught fire. The unidentified driver was pronounced dead at the scene, the Sheriff’s Office said. The St. Tammany Parish Coroner’s Office is working to identify the victim. No other information was immediately available.

Email Michelle Hunter at mhunter@theadvocate com.

Jazz & Heritage Foundation CEO BlakeAnthony Johnson, from left, stands with Tim Poche, Rachel Cousin and Billy Hoffman during the 2025 Jazz Fest Gala in New Orleans on April 23. Johnson is leaving his position after 14 months on the job

JAZZ FEST

Continued from page 1B

our year-round programs continue uninterrupted.”

The change in foundation leadership should not affect the upcoming Jazz Fest, which is booked, managed and produced by Quint Davis’s Festival Productions Inc.-New Orleans and AEG Presents, one of the world’s largest producers of live entertainment.

The foundation, governed by a volunteer, term-limited board, contracts with Davis and AEG to produce the festival. The foundation uses the millions of dollars in Jazz Fest proceeds to fund an array of cultural and educational programs and activities, including this weekend’s free Congo Square Rhythms Festival in Armstrong Park

The foundation also owns the broadcast license for community radio station

WWOZ 90.7 FM.

The foundation’s fulltime staff of approximately 18 employees, which was until recently overseen by Johnson, implements those programs and manages the foundation’s facilities and archives.

The foundation enjoyed years of relative stability with Don Marshall as ex-

ecutive director Marshall, a New Orleans native with a long history of local arts management, became the Jazz & Heritage Foundation’s executive director in 2004.

Over the next two decades, he navigated the board’s internal politics and served as a bridge between the board and Jazz Fest’s producers. He helped guide the foundation and the festival through the upheavals of Hurricane Katrina and the COVID pandemic.

After Marshall left, Johnson was hired in early 2025 with the newly created title of CEO.

The foundation board released a statement this week on Johnson’s behalf. “It has been a privilege to lead the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation through a period of meaningful transformation,” Johnson said in the statement. “I’m proud of what we have accomplished together over the past two seasons and grateful to the Board, Transition Committee, staff, and community partners whose partnership made this progress possible. I appreciate the Board’s support as I transition to my next leadership role and remain confident in the Foundation’s continued success.”

State Police investigators said Sicuro was driving a pickup truck southbound on Barataria Boulevard about 5:30 p.m. when he tried to pass Ho near Eighty Arpent Road.

Ho was riding his bicycle in the right lane near the fog

SOLD

Continued from page 1B

races and a belching contest.

The campground also hosted biker rallies and holidaythemed events.

The campground off La. 1055 has been closed since last July, when Mann’s company purchased it from Silver Creek Campground SSS LLC. Mann said his company bought the campground with the intent to sell it quickly He would not disclose what he paid for it.

Mann said campgrounds traditionally had been largely run as “mom-and-pop” operations.

But, he said in an email, “Outdoor hospitality has become a major focus for private equity over the past several years, and there is significant demand for larger parks that can be repositioned and scaled.”

Silver Creek has been run as a family operation for years and Soder said it would retain that family feel.

He said they plan to hire a camp manager, perhaps a husband-wife team, to be onsite and run things. He also said some seasonal employees will be hired as well.

He said the company hopes to reopen the campground soon, perhaps sometime in April.

Soder said his company

line, State Police said. The tires of Sicuro’s truck hit Ho, throwing him from his bike.

The truck then ran over Ho, causing fatal injuries, according to court records. Ho was pronounced dead at the scene, State Police said. Sicuro faced up to 10 years

in prison on the negligent homicide charge, according to court records. Judge Jacqueline Maloney, of the 24th Judicial District Court, sentenced him to two years and six months in prison with credit for any time served after his arrest.

She also sentenced him to 30 days in parish prison on three counts of violating traffic laws, court records said. A restitution hearing will be held May 21.

Email Michelle Hunter at mhunter@theadvocate.com.

will work to improve Silver Creek’s marketing efforts and website. A disc golf course will also be added, he said.

He said he recently met with officials in Washington Parish to discuss efforts to boost tourism. And the Redneck Cajun

HOMES

Continued from page 1B

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 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 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 environment,” said Eva Woods, who lives in Lakeshore Villages, in front of a line of

Olympix? Soder said it’s undecided at this point if they’ll bring those back, but added that he was leaning toward it.

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.

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

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

PHOTO By MARy STROUT

New Orleans

PROVIDED PHOTO

The Silver Creek Campground in Washington Parish has been sold for $2.5 million to a North Carolina-based investment firm

PHOTO PROVIDED By JANIKA ROyAL

Mold grows on a door in the mechanical closet in Janika Royal’s home.

NewOrleans

Area Deaths

Manard,Ethel Pascal,Julieta EJefferson

Garden of Memories

Pascal,Julieta NewOrleans

Lake Lawn Metairie

Manard,Ethel Obituaries

Manard, Ethel Dameron

Ethel "Shingo" Dameron Manard passed away on March 22, 2026 in Covington, LA at the age of 106. She was predeceased by her beloved husband, John Poston Manard; her parents, Ethel Claiborne Dameron and Charles Irving Dameron; two brothers, Charles Haywood Dameron and Claiborne Dameron; and her sister, Dorothy Dameron Blair Sutz. She is survived by her three children, Courtney Manard Kane (H. Scott Kane, III), Barbara Bolling Manard and John Poston Manard, Jr (Mamsie Manard), four grandchildren andnine great-grandchildren.

Mrs. Manard was born in Natchez, MS and grew up on Sandbar Plantation in WestBatonRouge Parish. She attended Newcomb College, where she was affiliated with Kappa Kappa Gamma. Active in school, community and preservation

endeavors, sheservedas President of the Junior League of NewOrleans, TheChristianWoman's Exchange,and theLouise S. McGehee School Parent Teacher Association. She was Chairman, Women's division of theUnited Fund for the GreaterNew OrleansArea, Registrar for the National Society of the ColonialDames in the StateofLouisiana,represented Louisiana on the Board of Advisorsfor the National Trust forHistoric Preservation, on the founding Board of Crippled Children's Hospital (now Manning Family Children's) in 1955during the polioepidemic, and was one of the founding members of the Preservation Resource Center in New Orleans.

She was co-founderand Chairman of the Garden Library of the New Orleans Town Gardeners,and the Southeastern Architectural Archive,Tulane University Library. She served as Research Chairman for the NewOrleansTown Gardeners as Parkway Partners for the Beautification Project of Jackson Square. Mrs. Manard was Chairman of the Mayor's Advisory Committee for the preservationand renovation of Lafayette Cemetery #1 in the Garden District. She was restoration chairman for the Hermann-Grima Historic House in the Vieux Carré and chairedthe committee for replanting the parterre gardens in the courtyard.She was cofounder of the Garden Library of the New Orleans Botanical Garden Advisory Board of City Park.She served as Directorof OrleansTours and was treasurer of the Christwood Resident Council.

Mrs. Manard served on theBoard Advisory CommitteeofShadows-onthe-Teche,Board of Directorsofthe Southern GardenHistory Society, Parish Council of Trinity Episcopal School, the Board of Directors of the Law League of Louisiana, theBoard of Friends of the Tulane Library, and the Board of the Newman School Parents League.

Mrs.Manardeditedsev-

eral publications including Go Magazine-The Authentic GuidetoNew Orleans; Women Who Cared-The 100 Yearsofthe Christian Woman's Exchange; AHistory of the OrderofSt. Lazarus in the United States of America; ANew Orleans Courtyard 1830-1860 -The HermannGrima House; and A History of the John A. Lohman Fund,Christwood Retirement Community.

Mrs. Manard received theTerry-Parkerson Award in recognitionofher outstanding contributionto theGardenDistrict, the first Grace King Award by SaveOur Cemeteries and theGarden Club of America Merit Award, all forsaving Lafayette Cemetery #1. She received theSustainer Award of the Junior League of New Orleans. She receivednumerous accolades, awards and certificates fromThe Orleans Club, theChristian Woman's Exchange, and theLouisianaAssociation of Museums in recognition of her inspiration, leadership, distinctive serviceto her community,and efforts in support of theresearch, restorationand preservation of theHermann-Grima House. In addition, she was presented with a MeritAward fromthe Garden Club of America for establishing thegarden libraryofthe NewOrleans Town Gardeners. Relatives and friends of thefamily are invitedtoattend services at Christ Episcopal Church, 129 N. NewHampshire Street Covington, LA on Thursday, April2,2026 at 10:00 a.m. privateintermenttofollow. In lieu of flowers the family requeststhat donations be made to Christ Episcopal Church, Covington LA,the Hermann-Grima Historic House, Community Sailing NewOrleans, or the Preservation Resource Center.

JulietaE.Pascal, ana‐tive of Guanaja, BayIs‐lands, Honduras,and a NewOrleans,Louisiana resident of over 40 years, died on Sunday,March 22, 2026 at theage of 85 years. Julietaismourned by her loving husband of 63 years, Joseph;her children:Janell Chelchowski(Ski),Carlson Pascal,and DarlaPascal (PhilVon Dullen III);her grandchildren, Candice Joubert(Eric)and Nicholas Chelchowski;great grand‐sons,Landonand Logan Joubert; andmanyrela‐

tivesand friends. Shewas preceded in deathbyher parents, Annieand Ian Kirkconnell, andher sib‐lings: Yolanda, Peggy,and SimonKirkconnell.Julieta wasa homemaker, adedi‐catedmemberofthe Sev‐enth-Day AdventistChurch, andanavidwrestling en‐thusiast.She enjoyedpa‐rades, especially with her late sister;familygather‐ings;shopping; keepingup with familyand friendsin Honduras;and tellingusall what to do.She lovedthe coloryellowand hadtobe talked outofmaking everything that shade. Rel‐atives andfriends arein‐vitedtoattend avisitation at Garden of Memories Fu‐neralHome& Cemetery 4900 AirlineDrive,Metairie, LA 70001 on Wednesday, April1,2026 at 1:00 pm fol‐lowedbya Graveside Ser‐vice at 2:00 pm.Tooffer condolences, please visit

Pascal,Julieta E.

Voices of small farmers areoften obscured

Arecent guest column byChad Hanks, aLouisiana sugar cane farmer,bringing attention to the problems of Louisiana farming, while laudable, still overlooks a keyfaultoforganization.

Everyone speaks for theLouisiana farmers, except the Louisiana farmers don’tspeak for themselves.

That was my opinion years ago when Louisiana farmers were in distress, agreat many in bankruptcy.Alaw firm asked me, a turnaround business consultant, to explore solutions. Longstory short, Iorganized the Louisiana Farmers Association for asmall group of Louisiana farmers. They tried; it failed. The big, allied farm businesses won out. The farmers’ association was dissolved in 2023.

Associations are valuable not only because of their inclusivenature, but also for an exclusionary aspect. Louisiana farmers need to pound desks for themselves, notallied groups. They musthave theirown association.

SAM GALLO Baton Rouge

Trumpdoing what must be doneinIran

Regarding the letter byJennifer Ward, Ihaven’tmet asingle Donald Trump supporter who regrets his vote.

However,I’ve run into hundredsofDemocrats regretting voting forPresident Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Isuppose she thinks letting Iran continue to have nuclear weapons is fine and dandy. Don’t think just because they are terrorists they won’tuse them against us. It’sagood thingshe is not in charge of anything.They areout to destroythe world and must be stopped. I’m gratefulto have astrong leader whoiskeeping us safe.

DAVID BASSHAM Houma

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Don’tleave outsingers whomade‘Sinners’shine

Ireadwith interest Will Sutton’swellwritten columnonMarch 18 detailing the roleofLouisianans in thefilm “Sinners.”He mentioned theOscar forthe soundtrack won by Swedish composer Ludwig Göransson but notthe vocal music or dance or those who created it. This was notSutton’sfault;noonscreen credit was accorded theartistsgreatly responsible for the emotions provoked, especially in thescene of the encounter between the vampiresand thecitizens of Clarksdale

All the vocal music was created and supervisedbyone of the mostwell-known Irish voices in the country,Tony Davoren of Sunset, cultural consultant to the film. His wife anddaughter Sheila and Róisín were among the uncredited dancers.

Iquote fromJoanna Brown’sexcellent article in the newspaper on March 17:

“Göransson needed achoir of local singers whocould perform ‘Rocky Road to Dublin’ and‘Wild Mountain Thyme’ in an authentic Irish voice, and Davoren pulled together a

chorus of musicians from across south Louisiana who nailed theaccent, and the tunes.”

According to Davoren,“Every single person who showed up was from Louisiana,baby. This was Louisiana pride on full display musicians, singers, dancers, artists.”

Here are the names of those notcredited who deserve recognition: Tony Davoren, Richie Stafford, Debbie Cornett, Pete Dawson, Julia Dawson, Frank Bladen, Kevin Muggivan, Ross Muggivan, Jim Hogg, James Linden Hogg, Aaron Svoboda, Shannon Kelly,Jennifer Kelly,Andy Lee, Robert Ryan, Eric M. Martin, Toby Rodriguez, Brittany Piatz, Jacob Landry, Jesse Reaux and Beth Patterson.

Music is acornerstone of culture.Ignoring musicians’ artistryisadisservice to all musical traditions.

Thanks to thenewspaper’s journalists who highlighted Louisiana’screative musical artistry

MAYWAGGONER professor emerita, UL-Lafayette

Debate exemplifies tribal mentalitythatholdsLa. back

As aLouisiana expat who recently contributedtothe state’strend of “brain drain,” therecentcommentary on thenewspaper’s perceived duty to “cater” toasingle demographicofits customer base effectively exemplifies the cultural issues that drive educated people out of the state.

Louisiana culture, perpetuated by LSU, outdated perceptions of masculinity and “KeepingUpwith theJoneses” syndrome, overwhelmingly indoctrinates the population into associating their identities with sports teams. As our older,God-fearing generations appear to care less about the decorum and

criminal actions of our government, their attention undoubtedly narrows in on whatever cultural clickbait topic their leaders put before them.

The news is not an LSUgame. The news is not aSaints game. Youare not wearing a jersey.This is not ateam. This is real life— and the childish attitudes exhibited by the older generations during times of political turbulence makemewonder,“Where are the adults?”

Certainly not in Louisiana.

DCFS needs to be fixed, but focusondeeper problems

Iama licensed clinical social worker.I workedfor theDepartmentof Children andFamily Services forsix years before Ileft in December 2025 after whistleblowing due to policy changesthatI felt were jeopardizing child safety.I am writing to talk aboutSen.Regina Barrow’s proposed bill to abolishDCFS.

Iunderstand that there is (justifiably) alack of confidence in the departmenttodoits job.However, Istronglybelieve that abolishing DCFSwouldonly create further chaos andinstabilityinthe child welfare system and would further jeopardize child safety.I believe reforming the system is amuchbetter solutionthan abolishment

Ibelieve that part of theagency’s dysfunction stemsfrom thegovernor appointing unqualifiedpeople in positionswhere incompetency is dangerous. DCFSleadershipshould be appointed by experienced child welfare professionals, notthe governor Secondly, manyofDCFSissues stem from failure to maintainaqualifiedworkforce. DCFSisnot an agency wherepeoplewant to work longterm.Tofixthis,DCFSshould see an increase in itsbudget to increase worker wages, hiremore workers to lowercaseload numbers andimplement programstosupport employee mental health.This job literally traumatizes people.Anyone who works overtime to protect children should notbelivingpaycheck to paycheck. We allneed to reflect on howLouisianaculture promotes statewide neglect of women andchildren.We are forcing women to givebirth whethertheywant to or not, but when those children have needs, we cutfunding to social services. Children andfamiliesare hurting due to adiseased cultureofmisogyny and hyper-individualismthatisactually hurtful to everyone. This cultural disease needstobehealed if we can ever expect Louisiana children and familiestothrive

MELANIEMANN Hammond

Hegsethfails to demonstrategravitas needed foroffice

PAUL NICK Austin, Texas

While theproposed Low Carbon Logistics CCS project targetsRagley and Sulphur, this is astatewide issue of environmental justice.

As president of Mossville EnvironmentalAction Now (MEAN), Iamsounding an alarm for all of Louisiana.

OUR GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name and the writer’scity of residence.The Advocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address and phone 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. Box588 Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@theadvocate.com. TO SEND US ALETTER, SCAN HERE

Ourcommunity in Mossville was effectively erased by theencroachment of industry. We have seen firsthand how “public necessity”isused as atool to displace families. Mossville Environmental Action

This generous stateisagain giving massive tax breaks to big business, in this case for data centers. The state also has to provide significant newelectric infrastructure and water availability.That’s alot of money upfront and money forever from ouralready-strapped tax base.Inreturn, theclaim is that the state will benefit in the long run from taxes paid by employees andassociated businesses. Data centers employ few people beyond initial construction, so that claim sounds false. Anyway, that’spassing thetax burden onto

Now stands in solidarity with our neighbors. We are watching, and we are ready to take action. We cannot allow the state to continue embroidering hazardous CO2infrastructure into residential areas. Our neighborhoods are not industrial sacrifice zones. We demand adenial of these permitstoensure that what happened to Mossville never happens to another Louisiana community

DEBRA SULLIVAN RAMIREZ president, Mossville Environmental Action Now LakeCharles

others. In simple language, thedeal looks like this: “Weare going to makemassive amounts of money,but we won’tpay going-rate taxes on the facility that generates future major profits. In return, thestate of Louisiana has to provide significant electrical power and fresh water infrastructure. Andifitturns out to be abad financial deal forthe state, so what?” Sounds like afootball coach contract to me.

ANDREWGALLIEN Harahan

Pete Hegseth’sbellicose behavior and overt excitement is moreappropriate to apubescent teenager winner of avideo gamethan the solemndemeanor appropriate fora secretary of the Department of Defense whounderstands the gravity of war.His referring to the deaths of six American service members by saying, “bad things happen,” and his complaint that the media is focused on this minor episode are deplorable. The thousands of military members whohave given their lives in defense of our nation are American heroes and not dismissible events.

Hegseth and his bone-spurred boss, whosneered at the bravery of prisoners of warand mocked the valor of fallen soldiers with his baseball-capped salute, fail to comprehend basic military tenets. Military inductees vow to support and defend our Constitution, thus the Department of Defense, not War. Of the thousands of military men and women Ihave met through the years, none aspired to becomekilling machines. They do not desire to rain death and destruction from the sky.Infact, not only is the opposite true, manyofour brave soldiers sufferlifelong anguish over their wartimeexperiences.

SUSAN

DUHON Many

PHOTO By PAUL KIEU

Achoir of singers whoworked on the 2025 film ‘Sinners’ performa selection of Irish folk songs featured in the movie during the Celtic BayouFestival in Lafayette on March 14.

Fighting evil is aworthy causewhenitcomes to Iran

“The only thing necessary forthe triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” This often-quoted statement was often attributed to Irish philosopher-politician Edmund Burke andis more important today than perhaps at any other time in global history

Arnie Fielkow GUEST COLUMNIST

Today,the United States and Israel are in amilitary battle against one of the most murderous, repressive and brutal regimes in world history —the Islamic Republic of Iran. Iran is directly responsible for the murders of thousands of Americans, tensofthousands of its own citizens and the rape, beheading, burning and kidnapping of over 1,200 innocent Israeli citizenson Oct. 7, 2023. More than 80 years ago, theworld came together to fight and ultimately defeat the evil of NaziGermany, fascist Italy and imperialistic Japan. World WarIItruly reflectedthe good of the world eliminating an evil unprecedented in the annals of global history. Today,asimilar good-versus-evil battle again exists, and it istime for the American and European publics to understand the horrific consequences if Iran and its proxies were ever able to develop nucleararms. Such bombs would first be directed at Israel (whose destruction the theocratic stateofIran has long sought) and soon thereafter target New York City,Chicago, Los Angeles and every other American community

As alifelong Democrat, Ihave had many disagreements withthe current and past Trump administrations regarding various domestic policies. However,when it comes to the current international situation, Istand wholeheartedly behind our U.S. government. Unlike many in my own party, I do not feel the need to oppose every Trump position. Many of my Democratic Party colleagues are on the wrong side of history.Idonot object to an honest debate regarding constitutionalauthority to declare war,but Iammore concerned with defeating an enemy that is cruel, murderous and seeks to destroy the democratic principles most Americans hold so dear.In feeling so, Iamcontent as aDemocrat —but more importantly as an American —supporting apresident with

whom Ihave many disagreements

Regrettably,both the isolationists on the political right and so-called progressives on the political left are unable to see the dangersIran presents. While the Tucker Carlsons of theworldspew anti-Semitic rhetoric, pro-Hamas protesters on American campuses and streets don’ttruly understand how Iran and its proxies stand fully against therightsthey seek to protect for women, LGBTQ+, immigrants and more. It is frustrating to watch bothoftheseextremes in our political dialogue.

Finally,Ihave spent thepast four years advocatingfor,and supporting, the courageous citizenry of Ukraine in its continuing battle against Russia and its war criminal president, Vladimir Putin

LikeIran, Putin has committed historic atrocities against innocent civilians, including attacksonschools and hospitals, and theunlawful kidnapping of over 20,000 youth. Ihave traveled to Ukraine numerous times since the2022 war began and am continually amazed by thebravery,courage, strength and beautyofthe Ukrainian people.

Iamproud that alarge percentage of Democrats have supported Ukraine

in its current conflict. Iwish our president and more Republicans would do likewise, so ajust and sustainable peace can be found.

Butfor those pro-Ukrainian members of mypartywho object toU.S. involvement in Iran, do they not understand that it is the Islamic Republic of Iran providing lethal drones, missiles and other arms to Russia, which are killing theUkrainian people? Adefeated Iran will greatly benefit Ukraine and also lead to aworld which is safer, morepeaceful and offers achance for atruly prosperous and stable Middle East. No one wants to see war and the ultimate sacrifice of our brave servicemen and servicewomen fighting to preserve democracy and peace. But, as we saw eight decades ago, some thingsare worth fighting for when confronted with true evil.

So, repeat,wemust never allow evil to prevail as good men idly stand by May God protect theforces of good!

Arnie D. Fielkow is aformer president of the New Orleans City Council and former CEO of the Jewish FederationofGreater New Orleans

Cuttingloanlimitsfor some health professionswould be abad move

The U.S. Department of Education recently released aproposed rule change thatwould affectfederal loan limits for graduate students. These changes could harm the country’sworkforce and limit access to advanced education for some individuals. Under the proposal, atwotiered loan system would be created for graduate students. In onetier, made up of 11 designated “professional” degree programs,students would be eligible to borrow up to $50,000 per year,with a$200,000 lifetime cap. These include pharmacy,dentistry, veterinary medicine, chiropractic, law, medicine, optometry,osteopathic medicine, podiatry,theology and clinical psychology

La.’s gotthe best coastal sciencebut it is often ignored

Gov. Jeff Landry and his followers in the Legislature always claim they’re on the hunt for government actors whoare wasting our money

Well, they can easily spot the culprits in one of history’slargest wastes of public spending just by looking in amirror

Since 2007, they have approved morethan $21 billion in spending on our Master Plan for aSustainable Coast. Using that funding, the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority produced global-leading research and engineering on how to save and rebuild coastlines threatened by industrial destruction and the growing impacts of climate change.

And what have the governor and his allies done with those very expensive facts? They’ve mostly ignored and denied them —and even worked against the solutions uncovered forour coastal salvation.

An example of that waste was recently highlighted in new research that madeshocking headlines around the world: Current sea levels average 8inches to afoot higher worldwide and several feet higher in someareas —than previously thought. That meanssurging sea levels caused by the fossil fuel emissions driving climate change will be drowning many coastal communities much sooner than expected.

The newssent manygovernments rushing to find funding foremergency adaptations. But Louisiana’scoastal research community was not panicked.

That’sbecause those new sea levels were largely aresult of finding somecoastline elevations had previously been overestimated, especially in poorer countries with less funding for scientific research.

So, the oceans are not higher,the land in some places is lower than thought.

Louisiana wasnot listed among suspect areas because we have the mostaccurate records of coastal elevation of any spot on the planet. For 20 years, the CPRA’s Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS) has used almost 400 stations across the coastal zone to constantly take important ecological measurements including elevation and subsidence. There is nothing like it anywhere in the world.

“I have realized foralong time what we have here is completely unparalleled,” said Tulane University professor and researcher Torbjörn Törnqvist. “What we have been able to do in Louisiana, we are not able to do in any other coastal area in the world foratleast the next 10 to 20 years. “My colleagues even in western Europe are always amazed and quite envious of what we have to workwith.”

munities desperately need. Under this proposal, however,their access to federal loan support would be half that of other students. The average graduate studentinthe United States is 33 years old. At 33, many people have mortgages,children, aging parentsorall three. Many are primary breadwinners.

Collins GUEST COLUMNIST

Other graduate students,including those pursuing degreesinnursing, public health, ministryand counseling, would be limited to $20,500 annually and a$100,000 lifetime cap.That distinction will determine whocan afford to enter entire professions. There is no question that future physicians,dentists and attorneysrequire significant financial support to complete their degrees, but they arenot alone in thatreality Across the country,thousandsof graduate studentsare pursuing degreesinprofessions thatrequire advanced expertiseand that ourcom-

Returning to school at that stage of life often means leaving asteady job with benefits. It is a calculated risk taken in pursuit of acareer that will ultimately contributetosociety and, often, improve their family’s financial stability. Graduate loans make that risk possible.Withoutthem,many simply could notafford to step away from income long enough to complete the required graduateeducation. Capping loans at $20,500 ayear in high-cost programs that demand full-time commitment will limit the number of students able to return to school. The policy will also disproportionately affect first-generation college students and those from lower-income backgrounds whoare far less likely to have family resources to cushion the financial strain of graduateschool. For them, federal loans are foundational. At the same time, thenation is confrontingacute workforce shortages. Can the U.S.afford to graduatefewer mentalhealth professionals, like coun-

selors and social workers, in aclimate already desperately short of mental healthcare providers? Can we afford fewer caregivers like nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists and nurse-midwives in the midst of anational nursing shortage that is only worsening? Fewer healthcare providers like occupational, speech and physical therapists? Fewer professors and researchers to educate university studentsacross a multitude of career paths?

These are all examples of professions —and yes, they are indeed professions in every way that the 11 on the list are professions —ingreat demand and offering society asignificant return on investment. Are we willing to gamble that these proposed loan caps will not severely hamper qualified individuals from seeking graduate education? Iam neither willing nor supportive of risking all that would be lost should these caps be enacted. Iencourage others to act in support of the future composition of our health care system, our mental health workforce, our educational institutions and thebroader professional class that sustains our communities. Decisions about financing graduate education inevitably shape who is able to answer thecall to serve.

Michelle Collinsisdean of the College of Nursing and HealthatLoyola UniversityNew Orleans

Thanks to CRMS and other master plan research, Louisiana’scoastal zone is arguably the mostunderstood in the world. And when that information is combined with the peerreviewed findings on the dramatic acceleration of sea level rise, our governor and lawmakers are armed with the mostaccurate information of how to extend the lives of communities on our sediment-starved and sinking coastal landscapes —the mostproductive and economically important part of the state.

The conclusions reached with the $21 billion the state has spent include the fact that emissions from the use of fossil fuels are causing the rapid rise of sea level that could drown much of the area below I-10 in the decades ahead.

The obvious and urgent response would be forLouisiana to join other states and nations in working to reduce the production and use of oil, gas and coal.

But Landry,who has called climate change ahoax, has devoted his entire political career in Congress, as our attorney general and now as governor to fighting those reforms because they might hurt oil and gas profits.

And he has killed the river sediment diversions in the master plan that the state-sponsored science has shownare the best waytoensure any long-term sustainability to someparts of our coastal zone. This is agovernor whowas outraged at wasting $100 million on an LSU coaching mistake but seemstobeOKthrowing away the facts found about our coastal survival after spending $21 billion —all because it might hurt the oil business he loves.

BobMarshall canbereached at bmarshallenviro@gmail.com, andfollowedon X, @BMarshallEnviro.

Bob Marshall

Michelle

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

Smokerises after amissile attack in TelAviv, Israel, on June 13.

with meteorologist DamonSingleton

The weather todayand for most of the week will be much different from what we’vebeen experiencing for the last fewweeks.Expect some partlytomostlycloudy, warmand humid conditions today. The averagetemperature for this dayis75degrees.This afternoon, temperatures will risetothe mid- to upper 70s.Withsoutheasterly winds at 15 mph, the dewpoints will be high and so willhumidity Rain chances are at 40%,soexpect somescattered rain, whichis great news considering our drought conditions

Airportstalemate hasreporter travel by rail

BY BILL BARROW Associated Press

ABOARD THECRESCENT

There’ssomething melodic about watching the sun rise over arural stillness broken only by the rhythms of steel wheels on tracks. Or so we tell ourselves.

In this case, being aboard atrain at all owedmoreto politics than poetry.

Congress and Donald Trump were mired in their latest budget stalemate, one rooted in the Republican president’simmigration crackdown and the tactics of federal forces he has sent to U.S. cities. But this impasse has upended afoundational constant of American life today: easy air travel

In Atlanta, my hometown airport, cheerfully marketed as the world’sbusiest, had descended into organized chaos. Unpaid federal employees called out from work, leaving adiminished security staff to screen travelers frustrated by hourslong waits in line. Iwanted to get to Washington forthe NCAA basketballtournament. So Ieliminated the risk of amissed flight and booked the train overnight and into game day acrossa 650-mile route.

In this fraught moment in U.S. politics, Islowed down and thought about things we take for granted. Who ever ponders the conveniences of that 20th-century innovation, the airplane,that makes 21st-century hustle possible? We book and board. An unconscious, firstworld flex of modernity. It’s even rarer to grapple with the inconvenience. My decision had taken me further back, to the 19th century and another defin-

inginnovation: the long-distance train A141/2-hour weekend train ride is time aplenty to appreciatehow completely politics, economics, social strife and fights overidentity and belonging have always affected theorder of our lives, including how,when and where we move around in these United States.But Amtrak’sCrescent also allowed me to see the expanse of our collective experience. Itraversed the urban, suburban and rural breadth of East Coast America. I learned howother travelers came aboard. And in that,I found theportraitof people, past and present, who refuse to be as paralyzed as some of their elected leaders.

Convenienceonrailways

There is little glamour late nightina crowded Amtrak station. Children are up past bedtime and tended by frazzled parents. Older adults strugglewith luggage and stairs.

Airports are not red-carpet affairs either,ofcourse. Butthere is acertain cachet to Delta’sAtlanta-Washing-

Taking amidnighttrain from Georgia

Itraversed the urban, suburban and ruralbreadth of East Coast America. Ilearned how other travelers came aboard. And in that, Ifound the portrait of people, past and present, who refuse to be as paralyzed as some of their elected leaders.

ton flights. They typically takeabout two hours gate to gate. They often are slotted at amidpoint gate of the concourse nearest the main terminal. That is almost certainly anod to members of Congress who use it —but who have lost some airline perks during this extended partial shutdown. In normal circumstances I can get from my frontporch to Capitol Hill or downtown in as little as 41/2 hours. Securitylines these days could at least double my overall air travel time.

The train is still longer andtimeismoney,weare taught. But certainty has value,too, even if it means at 11:29 p.m. departure. And at theAmtrak station,there werenostandstill lines, no Transportation Security Administration agents, no ICE agents as stand-ins.

Passengers who arrived mereminutes before depar-

ture made it on board and found seats quickly —assigned in boarding order, not predetermined zones that yield jammed aisles. There’s no in-seat service or satellite TV.But even coach seats, the lowest Amtrak tier,are as spacious as airline firstclass —and thereisWi-Fi, so it’snot the19th century or even 20th century after all.

On board, Iheardone crew memberjoke, “I’m no TSA agent.”

Thepathways of history

As aboy in rural Alabama, Icountedtrain cars and wonderedwhere they were headed. I’vesince read diary entries andletters frommy grandmother andher sisters recounting WorldWar II-era weekend trips to Atlanta.

TheSouth’s largest city has ahistorical hook, too. Originally named “Terminus,” Atlanta developed in the antebellum eraasa critical in-

tersection of north-south and east-west rail routes. That is what drew Gen. William Tecumseh Shermanfor one of the Civil War’sseminal campaigns that helped defeat the Confederacy Acentury afterthe Civil War, Deltachose Atlanta for its headquarters rather thanBirmingham, Alabama,which wasthe larger city as of the1960 census

The company’sdecision was tied up in tax breaks forthe airline, named for its crop duster origins in the Mississippi Delta region. According to someinterpretations, Delta’sdecisionwas made easier because of the more overtracism of Alabama’s and Birmingham’sleaders as they defended Jim Crow —a code that, amongother acts, allowed states to segregate thepassenger trains that predated Amtrak.

On this night, Iheard many languages and accents, notable given the role that immigrant labor played in building the U.S. rail system and especially striking now with immigration —legal and illegal —atthe forefront in Washington, my destination. Isaw faces that reflected U.S. pluralism, adifferent mix from what my grandmotherand auntswould have seen alifetime ago.

Thearray of voicescelebrated the freedom and ease of rail travel.Sodid Agatha Grimesand herfriendsafter they boarded in Greensboro, North Carolina, as part of alongweekendtrip to celebrate her 62nd birthday

“I gotstuckinthe Atlanta airport last week,” Grimes said, as hergroup laughed togetherinthe dining car. “It’sjust nuts.”

BerettaNunnally,a selfdescribed “train veteran” who organized their trip, said, “There’snoworry aboutparking. No checking bags. Youcometothe station, youget where you going, and you come home.”

Planes,trains, automobiles

Still, that is not as easy as it once was. Just as politics, economics and subsidies helped grow U.S. railroads, those factors diminished the network as auto manufacturers, oil companies, road builders and, finally,airline manufacturers and airlines commanded favorfrompoliticians and attention from consumers. Ridinghours across rural areas, Inoticed thejunkyards where kudzu and chain-link fencing framed rows of rusted automobiles. I saw the farmland and equipment that helps feed cities and the rest of the nation. I awoke to see the night lights of office towers in Charlotte, North Carolina.I sawvibrant county seats —and Ithought of countless other towns like them that are not thriving as they sit disconnected from passenger rail and farfrom the Eisenhower-era interstate system that we crossed multiple times on our way In each setting, voters —conservatives, liberals, the extremes and betweens —havechosentheir representatives, senators anda president who now set the nation’scourse.

WhenIarrivedinWashington, Ipaused to enjoy Union Station’sgrand hall andits BeauxArts appeal and Ilamented how much splendor has been lost because so many striking U.S. terminals have been razed. I stepped outside and looked up at the Capitol dome. While Ihad slept, the Senate managed abipartisan deal to fund all of the Department of Homeland Security except immigration enforcement. As Icontinued northward, House Republican leaders rejected it.The stalemate continued.

Iwas aweary traveler but renewed citizen. Ihad a gametoget to. And the train rolled on.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By BILL BARROW

An Amtrak train offers views of the Virginia countryside on Friday.

Bryant makes seamless transition from LSU gymnast to assistant coach

BY SCOTT RABALAIS

Staff writer

Haleigh Bryant exhibited impeccable timing when she was an All-American gymnast for LSU, leaping and tumbling to titles and perfect 10s.

She didn’t lose that timing late in her career as she shifted from competing to coaching.

“I told Jay (Clark, LSU head coach) my sophomore or junior year that I wanted to coach college gymnastics,” Bryant said.

“He said he would help me find a job. Jay has so many connections and I was open to moving.

“Then all the stars aligned.”

Bryant decided to return in 2025 for a fifth season, which the NCAA allowed because she started her career during the pandemic. At the same time, another former LSU great, Ashleigh Gnat, decided to leave coaching.

“Jay told me that summer (before her fifth season) that

Bugs (Gnat) was looking to move on,” Bryant said “He asked me if I wanted to step into that role. That didn’t feel real.”

It became very real this past July, when Gnat officially stepped down and Clark picked Bryant to fill her role, joining the staff alongside husband and wife assistant coaches Garrett and Courtney McCool Griffeth.

As a first-year coach, Bryant has served as sort of an apprentice to the rest of the staff But she’s been a big asset as a recruiter because, well, she’s Haleigh Bryant. When she walks into a recruit’s living room, they’re excited,” Clark said.

“It’s been as seamless a transition as we could have asked for She just picked it right up.” Bryant and the rest of the LSU coaching staff lead the No. 2-seeded Tigers into NCAA regional action this week at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center

ä See STARS, page 3C

LSU assistant coach Haleigh Bryant celebrates as gymnast Kailin Chio sticks the landing for a perfect 10 on the balance beam during a meet against Alabama on Feb 27 at the PMAC. STAFF FILE PHOTO By

MICHAEL JOHNSON

Pels fall to Rockets, lose fifth straight

BY LES EAST Contributing writer

The last time the Houston Rockets visited the Smoothie King Center, they held a 25-point lead before the New Orleans Pelicans made the second-largest comeback in franchise history to win. The Rockets were back in the building Sunday night and built an even

BY GUERRY SMITH Contributing writer

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

Mickey Loomis has shown repeatedly that he loves trading up in the NFL draft. Imagine the New Orleans Saints general manager having even more resources to do so. A proposed rule change from the Cleveland Browns would allow teams to trade up to five years’ worth of draft assets instead of the three years that the league currently allows, with the goal to give teams greater flexibility and create a more active trade landscape. It’s unclear if the Saints support the measure, but we could soon find out when NFL owners discuss the change at next week’s league meetings in Phoenix. For the change to be enacted, at least 24 of 32 teams must vote to approve it. Here’s what else to keep an eye on as it relates to the Saints ahead of the meetings, which run through Sunday and conclude Tuesday Moore updates Saints coach Kellen Moore will be made

PROVIDED PHOTO By TULANE ATHLETICS

ENAN CHEDIAK

Rockets

Jabari Smith Jr

Elliott holds on for 1st win of season

BY NATE RYAN Associated Press

MARTINSVILLE, VA. — The strategy calls don’t always work out for Chase Elliott in the Cup Series. So when the plan comes together as it did in a victory Sunday at Martinsville Speedway it’s especially sweet for NASCAR’s eight-time most popular driver and his legions of adoring fans.

“It’s really cool when this stuff works out, and to win these races is so tough,” Elliott said while celebrating on the front stetch to huge cheers after his first win this season and the 22nd of his career “So, just really, really grateful for the opportunity I never take it for granted. Trust me, this is a dream come true for me.”

The 30-year-old from Dawsonville, Georgia, capitalized on a shrewd gamble by crew chief Alan Gustafson to pit the No. 9 Chevrolet earlier than the other contenders. When the caution flew on the 312th lap, Elliott was in second behind Denny Hamlin and pitted with the rest of the lead-lap drivers aside from Ross Chastain, who took the lead by staying on track.

Elliott took first from Chastain after a restart and led the final 69 laps to win by 0.565 seconds over Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota.

“It was definitely a team effort,” Elliott said after his second win on the 0.526-mile oval. “That was awesome So proud of Alan and the whole team. They did a great job, and we took a gamble. But just so proud of them They put up with a lot, and they got to put up with me all the time. So I just appreciate them for sticking with me.”

Joey Logano finished third, followed by Ty Gibbs and William Byron.

Elliott, who has been voted NASCAR’s most popular driver annually since 2018, led 84 laps in delivering the first win this year for Hendrick Motorsports. The winningest team in NASCAR history has a record 31 victories at Martinsville.

Gustafson, whose calls are frequently second-guessed by one of NASCAR’s biggest fan bases whenever Elliott struggles, said he got a supportive call Sunday morning from team owner Rick Hendrick.

“He’s like, ‘Everything’s great, love you guys, playing the long game, and this is a marathon, not a sprint,’” Gustafson said in recounting the conversation. “But

nevertheless, when the boss calls you, it gets your attention.”

The decision was virtually a nobrainer for Gustafson after Elliott started 10th and ran mostly outside the top five for the first half of the 400-lap race.

“We were just kind of trapped in like the 10th spot,” Gustafson said. “It’s really hard to pass, and we just need to do something different. I just felt like it was worth a shot. And when we pitted early, I think it just drug a lot of guys down. Obviously, the caution’s great. It gave us track position, and the rest is history.”

Hamlin, who has a series-best six wins at Martinsville, started from the pole position and dominated, leading 292 of the first 317 laps. The Joe Gibbs Racing star got shuffled from the lead during a pit stop sequence under a yellow flag that began on the 312th lap and then lost momentum on the ensuing restart. He also thought a loose wheel caused his handling to fade in the final stage.

“(Elliott) did a good job of controlling the pace there,” Hamlin said. “It just really came from that bad restart I had Just not much really I could have done, and it felt like we gave it our all. We’ll check it out here, but I just

thought the wheel was loose here on that last run. Either way, these are just some of the races that get away from you and your career.”

The win came 11 years to the day of Elliott’s debut in the Cup Series. He finished 38th in the March 29, 2015, race that was won by Hamlin. Elliott said he was reminded of the anniversary at an autograph session Sunday morning. “A couple fans that were here that day came up to me and told me about it,” Elliott said. “So I got to thinking about it. Really cool to kind of see all that come full circle.”

Future deal

Tyler Reddick’s blazing start to the Cup season comes during a contract year for the 23XI Racing driver Though he would be the hottest free agent in NASCAR on the open market, Reddick has said he’s committed to staying at the team he joined three years ago.

After winning the pole position Saturday, Hamlin guaranteed that 23XI would sign Reddick to an extension soon.

“Tyler’s one of those guys that was very important for us to get our hands on him very early,” Hamlin said. “I think he’s lived up

to the expectations for us. We’re seeing it this year He’s putting it all together, and our race cars are really fast, too.”

Hall of Fame nominees

The NASCAR Hall of Fame unveiled a list of 15 candidates for the three-member class of 2027 that will include two from the Modern Era category and one from the Pioneer division. Among the new nominees are 2014 Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick, six-time ARCA champion Ray Elder, championship crew chief and engine builder Ernie Elliott, winning car owner Ray Fox and championship crew chief Herb Nab.

Some of the notable holdover nominees are Cup Series winners Jeff Burton and Greg Biffle, who was killed in a plane crash last December

Up next

After an off weekend for Easter the NASCAR Cup Series will continue its short-track swing at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee on Sunday April 12. Kyle Larson has won two of the past three races at the 0.533-mile oval, leading 411 of 500 laps in a victory last April.

Antonelli, 19, claims Japanese GP for 2nd straight win

BY STEPHEN WADE Associated Press

SUZUKA, Japan Italian 19-yearold Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes has won his second consecutive Formula 1 race, taking Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix ahead of Oscar Piastri of McLaren. Antonelli

finished a comfortable 13.7 seconds ahead of the Australian Charles Leclerc of Ferrari was third with George Russell of Mercedes in fourth. McLaren’s Lando Norris was fifth with sixth for Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari at the Suzuka circuit in central Japan on a clear, sunny spring afternoon

Antonelli won the first F1 race of his career two weeks ago in China, the second-youngest winner in history. The youngest was Max Verstappen in 2016 at 18. Antonelli also won from pole position in China.

Antonelli has 72 points from three races and now becomes the youngest to lead the season drivers’ standings.

“It’s too early to think about the championship, but we’re in a good way,” Antonelli said. “I got a terrible start, I just need to check what happened.

“Definitely, it’s been (the starts) a weak point this year and I need to improve that because you can easily win or lose races with that.” Mercedes continues domination Russell was second in China two weeks ago and won the seasonopening race in Australia which means Mercedes has victories in

the first three races of 2026. In Japan, Antonelli started from pole with Russell alongside him, but neither got a great start with Piastri beating both to the first turn and holding the early lead.

But Antonelli and Mercedes again showed that they have mastered the 2026 car configuration, which features a 50-50 split between internal combustion and electrical-battery power

The cars are also lighter, narrower and shorter than last season, with many drivers complaining about the new regulations, the most radical changes in a decade.

Antonelli’s good fortune

McLaren’s Piastri got a great start. Antonelli didn’t and wound up in sixth after the first lap but clawed his way back. He had the lead on the 22nd lap when Hass driver Oliver Bearman lost control and hit a tire barrier, triggering the safety car Bearman limped out of the car but was reported later to be in good shape by medical officials. Antonelli said he got a bit “lucky” with the deployment of the safety car “I don’t know what would have happened, what the outcome

Woodland wins first PGA title since brain surgery

HOUSTON Gary Woodland won the Houston Open on Sunday, an emotional moment that seemed so improbable 30 months ago when he had brain surgery, and even two weeks ago when he opened up about his struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder Woodland looked better than ever at Memorial Park, taking a one-shot lead into the final round and stretching it to seven shots until coasting home to a trophy that felt as big as his U.S. Open title at Pebble Beach in 2019. He closed with a 3-under 67 to win by five shots over Nicolai Hojgaard. The gallery paused chanting his name so Woodland could roll in a 5-foot par putt. He stretched both arms, exhaled and looked to the blue sky before his tears began pouring.

Three-time Vikings All-Pro DB Browner dies at 65

EAGAN, Minn. — Joey Browner, a three-time All-Pro defensive back who played nine of his 10 NFL seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, has died, the team said. He was 65.

The Vikings announced Browner’s death Sunday and said his family had informed the team. A cause of death was not released.

A native of Warren, Ohio, who played at Southern Cal, Browner was selected by Minnesota with the 19th overall pick in the 1983 NFL draft. It was the first time the Vikings had used a first-round pick on a defensive back.

Browner played for the Vikings from 1983-1991 and finished his career with 37 interceptions, the fifth most in franchise history He also had 18 forced fumbles in 138 games for Minnesota.

Cubs, 2B Hoerner finalize $141 million, 6-year deal

CHICAGO Nico Hoerner and the Chicago Cubs finalized their $141 million, six-year contract Sunday that establishes the Gold Glove second baseman as a franchise cornerstone going forward. Hoerner could have become a free agent after this season but instead chose to stay with the club that drafted him.

The contract runs from 2027-32 and includes deferred money Hoerner’s long-term deal comes days after All-Star center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong agreed to a $115 million, six-year contract. The 28-year-old Hoerner was selected by the Cubs in the first round of the 2018 amateur draft out of Stanford. He is starting his last season under a $35 million, three-year contract that was finalized in March 2023.

UNC suspends arena talks amid coaching search

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — North Carolina is putting talks about the future home for its men’s basketball program on hold.

would have been without the safely car,” Antonelli said. “But that definitely made life a lot easier.”

McLaren much, much better

Piastri also wondered what might have been, but acknowledged Mercedes probably had too much pace.

“It’s a shame we never got to see what would have happened, but for us at this point to be disappointed about finishing second — is a pretty good place to be.”

Piastri did not even start the season’s first two races. He crashed on a warm-up lap prior to his home race in Australia, and both McLaren cars failed to start in China due to electrical faults.

“I think this weekend we just did a really good job of optimizing what we had,” Piastri said. “We just nailed everything. Unfortunately it wasn’t quite enough for the win. But at the moment a result like today is as good as a win.”

Hamilton went all last season without a podium driving for Ferrari, but managed third place in China. He was close to another podium in Japan, showing the Ferrari is much more competitive.

“I’ve not lost what I had,” Hamilton said this week in Japan. Long hiatus

Formula 1 now takes a five-week break with races scheduled for April in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia called off because of the war in Iran. The next race is May 3 in Miami.

The school said in a statement Sunday that it is suspending those discussions as officials focus on hiring a new coach after the firing of Hubert Davis. WRAL of Raleigh first reported news of the pause.

The school is mulling whether to renovate the Smith Center, the program’s home since January 1986. It also is considering building a new arena, potentially off the main campus. The discussions have led to debates among fans and even members of the program, with retired Hall of Fame coach Roy Williams coming out in support of renovating the center

Olympic champ Semenya disappointed with IOC CAPE TOWN Two-time Olympic champion runner Caster Semenya on Sunday expressed her disappointment with IOC President Kirsty Coventry over the decision to ban transgender women from competing in women’s events at the Olympics.

Semenya, who is South African, said she expected more from a female leader and fellow African like Coventry who is from Zimbabwe.

“Personally, for her as a leader, she’s an African, I’m sure she understands how we as Africans, we are coming from, as a global South, you cannot control genetics,” Semenya said.

The International Olympic Committee’s decision also restricts athletes such as Semenya with medical conditions known as differences in sex development, or DSD.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By EUGENE HOSHIKO Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli of Italy smiles on the podium after winning the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix on Sunday at Suzuka in central Japan.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CHUCK BURTON

Chase Elliott celebrates in victory lane after winning the Cook Out 400 on Sunday in Martinsville, Va The win comes 11 years to the day of Elliott’s debut in the Cup Series.

LSU’sbatsexplode in winoverKentucky

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

Jay Johnson didn’tpanic after Friday’sgame.

LSU’sbats had gone quiet again registering just tworunsineight innings against Kentucky ace Jaxon Jelkin, but his reaction to the performance was notone of despair. Combined with theseven runs his team scored the nextday, Johnson was feeling good about his attack before Sunday’sseries finale.

“I’m not surprised we hada good day today,” Johnson said after Saturday’sgame, “because Ifelt like there were some thingsinthe game last night that wereOK.”

But LSU’soffense was better than just OK at Alex Box Stadium on Sunday.The Tigers had 16 hits and came backfrom aseven-run deficit and afour-run deficit to take down Kentucky 17-10. Thevictory handed them their first series win in Southeastern Conference play “(Kentucky) makes it hard, man,” Johnson said. “They’renot coming in here and just going, ‘Hey,it’sLSU, so we’re goingto give it to them.’ It’snot how this thing goes.

“And so if you don’tthrow punches back, and I’m not talkingabout scoring runs, I’m talking about having your manhood challenged and responding, you’re going to lose. And we’ve lost and haven’tresponded that way.Today,you can’t ask for abetter response.”

LSU went 8for 20 with runners in scoring position and 10 for 26 with runners on base. Senior Chris Stanfield went 4for 5witha double Fifth-year senior Seth Dardar had three hits and drove in four runs. Junior Jake Brownand sophomore Derek Curiel had two hits apiece. Curiel also hit ahome run

“We’ve gone down alot in certain games this year,and we’vekindof laid down,and we kind of didn’t have that fight back,” Curielsaid.

TULANE

Continued from page1C

UAB (18-10, 4-2) won for the 15th time in 19 home games.

“Weplayed with more care and competitiveness today than we had all weekend,” Tulane coach Jay Uhlman said. “I canlive with that. The first thing Isaid tothe group wasIpicked out Sam and just patted him on the shoulder He’sdone alot of really great things for us. That’sa tough one.” The Wave came close tosalvaging thefinale with help from the Blazers. First basemanWesley Helms dropped aroutinethrow on agrounder from catcher Johnny Elliott to start the ninth of a3-3 game, putting the go-ahead run on base. Pinch runner Evan Burg advanced to second on Tanner Chun’s groundout beforesecond baseman Brady Waugh’soffbalancethrow went wide of first

“Today,we’re sick and tired of it. We’re not goingtodothatanymore.”

There were plenty of game-defining hits.Sophomore John Pearson hit athird-inning grand slam that cutLSU’sdeficit from six to two. Dardar blasted athree-run homerinthe sixththatgaveLSU its first lead at 11-10,flipping his batatleast two stories into theair after smashingit435 feet.

“I grew up watching LSU my entire life, and it means alot to me to be in astadiuminfront of all those fans,” Dardar said.“So when Iwas rounding third, going home and hearing the crowd cheer for me, it just meantthe world to me.”

His theatrics started ashouting matchbetween thetwo dugouts. At first,Kentucky coach Nick Mingione was, presumably,upset with the bat flip. Thena warning was issued to LSU by the umpires about Dardar’sflair for the dramatic, and that somehow ledto more shoutingfromJohnson that he directed toward the Kentucky dugout.

Senior Zach Yorke was also so upset with the Wildcats that pitching coachNate Yeskie needed to holdhim back.

“I thought they were going to kick (Dardar) out of the gamebecauseI guesshebat-flipped it.And Itold you guys yesterday,all thisis going to happeneveryweekend,” Johnson said. “And so Ijustmotioned thedugout and Iwas like, ‘Seth, flipitlower.Flip it lower.’

“That was my instruction at that time, and then the (Kentucky) pitching coach wants to fight me, whatever.”

It was the boilingpoint of aseries that was emotionally charged from start to finish. Even on Saturday,Yeskie wasshouting at the Kentucky(21-6, 5-4 SEC) dugout after junior JakeBrown threw out arunner athometoend an inning.

“Another weekend in the SEC,” Johnson quipped

afterhefieldeda grounder from Kaikea Harrison. Burg raced around thirdatUhlman’s urging andbeat athrowhome to make the score 4-3. It was not enough. Larson was just as ineffective as on Saturday,when he allowedtwo hits and awalkwhile also committing a throwing error in adecisive fourrunsixth for UAB.

Tulanewasted an outstanding relief outingfrom BlaiseWilcenski, who entered in the third inning with a2-0 deficit that was threatening to get largerand retired 11 consecutive batters. TheWavetied thescore inthe fourth on back-toback doubles by TrentLioliosand Brett Rowell and Elliott’ssacrifice fly,thenwentahead 3-2 on Tye Wood’s two-out,solo homerinthe sixth.

It was thefirst home run by either team in the series —nosurprise for Tulane, which hadhit 15 allyear,but ashock for UAB, which entered with aleague-best 44 longballs.

LSUsoftball dropsseries to Oklahoma

BY JIM KLEINPETER

Contributing writer

Held without ahome run in the previous twogames,Oklahoma came out swinging against LSU on Sunday at Tiger Park.

While the No.20Tigers fought back gamely, the No. 5Sooners overpowered themwithtwo homers in the first inning and four overall in an 8-4victory to take theseries.

LSU(23-12 overall, 4-8 SEC) hit threehomers of its own, including twobyKylee Edwards, but couldn’tovercomethe nation’s leader in homeruns, runs scored and batting average.

Oklahoma freshman catcher KendallWells hit her nationalbest 26th homer over the right fieldfence for a2-0 lead four pitches into the game. One out later,Gabbie Garcia hit asolo shot,her 16th,tohelpthe visitors go up 4-0before LSU’sfirst at-bat.

Oklahoma (34-2, 8-1) now has 133 dingers in 36 games.

“They’re areally good ball club,” Edwards said. “Weknew they weregoing to come outhitting. We had to do the samething. Ithink we did. It’sthe gameof softball; anybody can winonany given day

theSooners rallied, started and exited thegame after Garcia’s homer,throwing 11 pitches.

Jayden Heavener,who threw a two-hit victory Saturday,cooled off the Sooners over the next three innings but gave up athreerun homer by Isabella Emerling in the fifth.

Oklahoma’sElla Parker hit asolo shot in thesixth andEdwards answered with her second homer and third in twodays. Edwards is now tied with Tori Edwards for the team lead with six homers.

LSUcamebackwithAlix Franklin’srun-scoringsinglein theseventh andhad thetying run on deck. But Parker made a fine running catch of KyleeEdwards’ sinking line drive in right field with tworunnersontoend the game.

“I’m proud of the fight in our team,” LSUcoach Beth Toria said. “Wescratched back and got within one swing of it at the end, which Ithought wasreally cool.

“It’stoughtoget an offense like that outmultiple times in multipledays. Ithought (Heavener) did agreat job. She fought forus the whole weekend.”

On the mound Sunday,LSU (1910, 4-5) couldn’t stop shooting itself in thefootfor most of theafternoon. The Tigers’ pitchers walked 10 batters and hit two others. They allowed Kentucky to score its first three runs on just one hit,and four of the free passes they issued resulted in runs.

Redshirt junior right-hander Gavin Guidry startedthe game for LSU,but only lasted 11 3 innings He walkedfourbatters, hit another and gave up six earned runs, raising his ERAto6.64 on the season.Sophomore left-hander Santiago Garcia replaced Guidry in thesecond inning and allowed two inheritedrunners to score before a thirdrun came across in thethird. By theend of the top of the third, LSUtrailed 7-0.

“I was like, ‘Man, Iguesseverybody went tothe concert last night andwenttobed at 4a.m. anddid whoknows what,” Johnsonsaid. “And didn’tgive arear end about today.’ ”

LSU’sstruggles on thebump continuedintothe fifth, when sophomore right-hander Mavrick Rizy walkedtwo batters despite recording just one out.Redshirtsophomore right-hander Deven Sheerin replaced him after the second free pass, butSheerin allowed atwoout, two-run double that stretched Kentucky’slead from one to three. He then surrendereda singlethat gave theWildcatsa10-6 advantage. The Tigers’ pitching staff finally regathered themselves after that. They didn’tallow arun after the fifth inning, as Sheerin, sophomore left-handerDanny Lachenmayer andfifth-year senior GrantFontenot tossed ashutout the rest of theway LSU faces SouthernonTuesday in the final game of its nine-game home stand. First pitchisset for 6:30 p.m., and the game will be available to stream on SECNetwork+.

That stat changed in the final two innings. Tulane’sBeau Sampson, who replaced Wilcenski after he gave up aleadoff single in theseventh to break up his perfect outing, surrendered an opposite-field solo shot from Waugh with one out in theeighth.

UAB’sinfield sloppinessinthe ninthgave Tulane areprieve after it failedtocapitalize on twoearlier errors, but Larson (1-2), who had a 1.37 ERAatthe start of the week, could not keep theball in the park.

“That spot (going to Larson) was ano-brainer for us,”Uhlman said. “He’sdone it allyearexceptfor yesterday.The ball was coming out of his hand good.”

TheWavealmostovercame another rough outing from astarting pitcher.Jake Toporek gave up five hitsand two runs in 22/3 innings. Tulane, whichistied forlastin the American withMemphis and FloridaAtlantic, will host Nicholls on Tuesday before traveling to Wichita State for an Easter weekend series that startsThursday

“Weplayed ourbutts off. It was areally good series. Our pitchers did fantastic. This is what happens on Sunday. Both sideshit really well. We have to come out next weekend and do the same thing,and we’ll be fine.”

LSU got back-to-back solo homers from Edwards and Char Lorenzinthe secondinningtocut thedeficit in half

LSU starter Cece Cellura, who had shutout the Sooners for sixinningsFridaynight before

LSU had seven hits off starter andwinnerMilia Gauchino but struckout 11 times, including four by preseason All-America first baseman Tori Edwards.

“It’stoughtobeher sometimes,”Torinasaid.“She’scircled on every scouting report. She sees pitches alittledifferent than everybody else and gets pitched differently.She’s hadsomereallygoodswingsin the last couple of weeks. She’ll bounce back.”

Up next,the Tigers will play athree-game series at Missouri starting at 6p.m. Thursday

STARS

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Theregionalbeginsat2 p.m. Wednesdaywithafirst-round meet between Air Force and Nebraska. The winner advances to SessionIIofThursday’ssecond round at 7p.m. to face LSU, No 15 Clemson and Auburn.

Thetop two teams fromLSU’s side of the bracket advance to face the top two teams from Thursday’s1 p.m session between No. 7Stanford, No 10 Michigan, North Carolina andUtah State in the regional final. The top two teams from that meet, set for5 p.m Saturday,moveon to the NCAA Championships in Fort Worth, Texas. Anative of Cornelius,North Carolina, Bryant committed to LSU as an eighth-grader and wrapped hercompetitive career as arguably the greatest gymnast in LSU history.Atwo-time NCAA individual champion andfivetime SECindividual champion, Bryant, 24, has more All-American honors (33) and perfect 10s (18) than any Tiger gymnast. But would her success as a competitor make herasuccessful coach, especially now that she’s coaching many of her former teammates?

Coen said. “It was nice to have her as ateammate and being able to confideinher.But it’s also been nice to have her as acoach, because she knows what we’vegone through.

“If we’re having ahard time, Ican go to herand lether know what’s been going on.Atthe same time, she can give me the coach’s perspective and whatthey expect out of us.”

What will be expected of LSU after another stellarregular season is to advance to nationalsfor the fourth straight year —especiallysince the Tigers are competing on their home floor.But Bryant believes they are ready to handle it.

“If we’re having a hard time, Ican go to her and lether know what’sbeen going on. At the sametime, she can givemethe coach’sperspective and what they expect out of us.”

KyLIE COEN, LSU gymnast, on assistant coach Haleigh Bryant

“This team really is something special,” she said. “It’ssoimportant to have 21 girls who all want the same goal. For some teams, that’sharder to create. That started back in August.” Bryant hopesthata career thatstartedasanassistant coach at LSU will lead her to the opportunitytobeaheadcoach one day Doesshe dream of being LSU’s coach?Bryant doesn’twantto think that fardown the road.

“It’scertainly been different, but it’snice,”LSU juniorKylie

“I’m staying patient and just being in the moment,” Bryant said. “Learning from Jay and Courtney andGarrett.IfIbecomea head coach at LSU or another school, they’rethe best andIwantto learn everything Ican.”

STAFFPHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON LSU shortstop Kylee Edwards high fivesateammate whilecelebrating her home runagainst Oklahoma in the second inning on Sunday at TigerPark

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU third baseman John Pearson drivesthe ball foragrand slam againstKentucky in the thirdinning of their game on SundayatAlexBox Stadium.LSU won17-10 to earnits first SECseries victory.

NCAA TOURNAMENT

WOMEN’S ROUNDUP

Lendeborg leads Michigan past Vols into Final Four

By The Associated Press

CHICAGO Yaxel Lendeborg

scored 27 points, Elliot Cadeau had 10 assists and Michigan rolled into the Final Four, overwhelming Tennessee for a 95-62 victory in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday Morez Johnson Jr added 12 points for top-seeded Michigan, which posted its 11th victory this season by at least 30 points. Aday Mara had 11 points and blocked two shots in the Midwest Region final.

Making the most of its size and athleticism on both sides of the court, Michigan (35-3) advanced to its first Final Four since 2018 and ninth overall. Next up is a compelling national semifinal against Arizona on Saturday Under second-year coach Dusty May — who took Florida Atlantic to the Final Four in 2023 the Wolverines became the first school to win at least four games in an NCAA tourney by double digits while scoring at least 90 points in each. Lendeborg, who was named the region’s Most Outstanding Player, was 10 for 19 from the field. He became the first Michigan player to score at least 23 points in three consecutive NCAA Tournament games since Juwan Howard did it in four straight in 1994

EAST REGIONAL

No. 7 UCONN 73, No. 1 DUKE 72: In

Washington, D.C., Braylon Mullins sank a desperation 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left to give UConn an astonishing victory over top-seeded Duke, earning the Huskies a spot in the Final Four after they rallied from a 19-point first-half deficit. The Blue Devils (35-3) led by three before UConn’s Silas Demary Jr. made one of two free throws with 10 seconds left. With Duke playing keep-away to prevent the Huskies from fouling, Cayden Boozer’s pass near midcourt was deflected by Demary,

and after UConn came up with the ball, Mullins swished a 3 from 35 feet away It’s the second straight season to end in a huge collapse for Duke, which was the top overall seed in this year’s tournament

The Blue Devils led by six with 1:14 remaining before falling to Houston in last year’s national semifinals.

UConn (33-5) missed 18 of its first 19 attempts from 3-point range and finished 5 for 23. The fifth will be remembered in Connecticut for generations.

Strong, Quiñonez lead Huskies over Notre Dame

By The Associated Press

FORT WORTH, Texas All-America forward Sarah Strong scored 21 points, Blanca Quiñonez added 20 and defending national champion UConn beat Notre Dame 70-52 on Sunday in the Fort Worth Regional 1 final, sending coach Geno Auriemma and the Huskies to their 25th Final Four in the women’s NCAA Tournament. The Huskies (38-0), who have won 54 games in a row, clinched the first spot for the Final Four in Phoenix. They will be going for their 13th national championship. Azzi Fudd, UConn’s other firstteam AP All-America pick, added 13 points and four assists.

Hannah Hidalgo had 22 points and 11 rebounds for the Fighting Irish (25-11), plus three more steals to increase her NCAA single-season record to 202 and single NCAA tourney mark to 29 But she also had five turnovers, the first time in her 10 NCAA tourney games with more turnovers than steals.

The ninth NCAA tourney meeting between the Huskies and the Irish was their first with a spot in the Final Four on the line.

They had both made it that far the first eight times they met in March Madness, the last in 2019 when Notre Dame won a semifinal game over UConn and then lost to Baylor in the title game.

SACRAMENTO 2 REGIONAL

No. 1 UCLA 70, No. 3 DUKE 58: In Sacramento, California, Lauren Betts had 23 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks to help UCLA rally from a rare halftime deficit and beat Duke, advancing to the women’s Final Four for the second straight season. The top-seeded Bruins will play either Texas or Michigan in Phoenix on Friday in the national semifinals. UCLA is two wins away from the program’s first NCAA title.

Third-seeded Duke tested UCLA (35-1) like few teams had done this season The Bruins struggled to get going offensively or contain the Blue Devils (27-9), who reached their second straight Elite Eight on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Ashlon Jackson against LSU in the Sweet 16.

Taina Mair scored 21 points to lead Duke, which also lost in a regional final last year

Texas women draw motivation from former coach Conradt

BY SCHUYLER DIXON AP sports writer

FORT WORTH, Texas Rori Harmon doesn’t hear many speeches from Jody Conradt, the retired Texas women’s basketball coach who led the Longhorns to their only national championship 40 years ago. The fifth-year point guard figures there’s not much need for many words.

“I feel that national championship presence,” Harmon said. “It’s that undefeated season presence around us. That’s almost like all you need.” Conradt was around the program long before the latest effort by the Longhorns to add a banner to the one raised for the 34-0 team of 1985-86.

Top-seeded Texas will chase a second consecutive Final Four berth when it faces No 2 seed Michigan in the Fort Worth Regional 3 final Monday night. Conradt’s team didn’t have to leave

was among the elite — now that it finally appears to be again under Vic Schaefer who was born in Austin and remembers first meeting Conradt in 1990 when he was the first-year coach at Sam Houston State in the prison town of Huntsville, about 150 miles from the UT campus.

“I think they’re aware,” Conradt said. “We just celebrated the 40th year, and the exes all came back and that team was recognized. I know they talked about it as a team, and I think they would like to be the second team to win the national championship.”

Texas’ Final Four berth last year was its first since 2003 The Longhorns lost to South Carolina in the semifinals so they’re still looking for their first trip to the championship game since winning it all.

“We see the banners hanging up in our practice gym every day and not only (chasing) a second championship for the university but also a first one for Coach Schaefer That was a big reason why I came here.” Conradt won her title in the formative years of women’s athletics and is considered one of the pioneers of her sport. Schaefer certainly sees her that way

“I think the longer you’re away from coaching, it becomes less about wins and losses,” said Conradt, whose final season was 200607. “I think the pride I feel now is we had the opportunity to build a foundation for young women having opportunity It sort of set the standard for what was going to happen across the country.”

As the Longhorns chase Conradt’s on-court legacy, they’re equally as aware of what her tenure meant outside the lines.

can, sometimes gives players puzzles (Jordan Lee said she and fellow guard Bryanna Preston got a 1,000-piece behemoth recently) and will on occasion offer a few words of encouragement or advice. Her presence is a reminder of the last time the Texas program

The Longhorns have a chance for consecutive top-five finishes in The Associated Press poll for the first time since 2003-04 under Conradt. Texas finished at least that high every year from 198288, including four consecutive No 1 rankings.

“I think one our best reminders is having Coach Conradt at the gym with us,” said Lee, a sophomore.

“She wasn’t just a coach,” senior post Kyla Oldacre said. “She was everywhere. She was a huge advocate for women’s basketball, and that’s what’s so outstanding for us when she talks to us, you do take that personal, in a positive way, of course.”

They’re taking the pursuit of a championship personally, too.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By TONy GUTIERREZ UConn forward Sarah Strong goes up for a basket against Notre Dame guard Vanessa de Jesus during the first half in the Elite Eight on Sunday in Fort Worth, Texas.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By LM OTERO

Former Texas women’s basketball coach Jody Conradt, who led the Longhorns to their only championship 40 years ago, watches the end of the game against Kentucky during the Sweet 16 on Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ABBIE PARR

UConn guard Braylon Mullins scores the winning basket during the second half against Duke in the Elite Eight on Sunday in Washington.

Oluwanifemi

ALASTAIRGRANT

Gamecocks glovesashetakes partinaworkout session at the National Sports Center on SundayCrystal Palace in London.

From TipperarytoSEC

Irishrugby player commits to

SouthCarolina

BY KEN MAGUIRE AP sportswriter

LONDON Neff Giwa sometimes asks himself: “Is thisreally happening to me?”

Incredibly,yes.

The 20-year-old Irishman who has never played American football committed on Sunday to play at South Carolina as an offensive lineman.

Giwa, who is also Nigerian, has come along way—from Tipperary —inashort amountoftime

Just afew months after showing an interest in the sport, he was touring U.S. college campuses, meeting coachesand collecting offers.

It’salot to handle, evenfor someone who is 6feet, 71/2 inches tall, weighs 295 pounds and has 37-inch-long arms and great foot speed.

“I knew that there’d be ajourney there, but Icould neverhave anticipated this,” Giwa, in an interview with The Associated Press, said of the whirlwind around his recruitment.

Giwa, whose full first name is Oluwanifemi, selected the Gamecocksover offers from Miami, North Carolina, SMU, Tennessee and Texas.

Giwa had two visits to Columbia and spent “alot of time ”with coach Shane Beamer ‘Freakishnumbers’

Giwa —pronounced witha hard G—heard about Brandon Collier through afriend familiarwiththe American’strackrecordoffinding, training and placing international kidsatU.S. college football programs. Collier,anAmericanwho played defensive line at UMass, runs PPI Recruitsout of Germany. Collier had Giwa visit him for aworkout and immediatelyenvisioned him protecting quarterbacks

“If you can create atackle in alaboratory,this is what you want himtolook like,” Collier

SAINTS

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Saints’ latest offseasondevelopments, including why New Orleans added another quarterback in Zach Wilson. This has been abusy stretch for Moore, who has traveled the country while hitting the pro day circuit. The second-year coach has been spotted at the University of Miami, Ohio State and Texas Tech. Moore, of course, will be tight-lipped about the team’sdraft plans, but the availability should provide some insight into what the coach has at least observed. It was at this time last year thatMoore confirmed the Saints were doing their homework on quarterbacks, amonth before the Saints drafted Tyler Shough.

Otherrulechanges

Among the other morenotable topics to be discussed by owners at the meetings center around whether teams should be able to declare an onside kick at any time. The league had changed the rule over the past few years, with the most recent change coming last year, when teams were again allowed to declare an onside kick at any time when trailing. The tweaks, how-

told the AP

It wasn’tjusthis size, though.

Collierclocked Giwa at 4.88 secondsinthe 40-yard dash and measured his broad jumpat9 feet,10 inches —“prettyfreakishnumbers,” Collier noted “Then he hasthe toughness,” he added. “You can have all these measurements, butifyou’renot toughmentally and physically then youprobablywon’tmake it.”

Collierwas bringing his latest group of recruits on campus tours earlier this month and decided to add Giwa —mostly just to introduce himtothe process.

“I didn’thave expectations,”

Giwa told the AP before Sunday’s announcement.“It was just to see what was out there, basically,and what to work towards.”

“Things kind of picked up.”

Here come theoffers

Not long after touching down in the U.S., Collier detoured to Toronto to check out another touted prospect.Giwa joined him.

“I had them do some passsets and some one-on-ones withsome kids,helooked phenomenal,” Collier said of Giwa.

So he instructed Giwa to immediately create an Xaccount so colleges could learn moreabout him Collier then posted acouple of videos “anditwentviral from there.”

“Miami, they messaged me literally 60seconds after Iposted it,” Collier said.“The head coach (Mario Cristobal) wrotemeamessage —‘get himtoMiami.’”

Likeactually oneminute?

“Literally 60 seconds, man,” Collier said.“The power of networkingand social media. People know what Ido.”

Giwa didn’t talk to Belichick

North Carolina would have been an intriguing choice notonly to play for iconic coach Bill Belichick but also becausethe TarHeels play their 2026 opener against TCU at AvivaStadium in Dublin.

“I haven’tspoken to him personally,” Giwa said of Belichick Playing in hiscountry someday would be great: “I was born in Ireland,and Iwas raised in Ireland. It definitely would be cool and abit of an honor to dothat.”

ever,eliminatedthe possibilityof any surprise —which the Saints used famously to their advantage in SuperBowl XLIV when calling “ambush.”

Thelatest proposedchange won’t bring backthe elementof surprise, but it at least gives teams the option to be aggressive.The Saints attempted two onside kicks in 2025, recovering one. The latter recovery led to adramatic finish in aloss to theMiami Dolphins, when New Orleansalmost pulled off the upset.

Paredes’ late 2-RBI double liftsthe Astros past Angels

BY KRISTIERIEKEN AP sportswriter

HOUSTON Isaac Paredes hit a tiebreaking two-RBI double with twoouts in the eighth inning to help the Houston Astros to a9-7 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday despite adisappointing major league debut from starter Tatsuya Imai.

There were twooutsinthe eighth when theAngels intentionally walked Yordan Alvarez to give Houston runners at first and third. Alvarezstole second before Paredes hit aline drive off Drew Pomeranz (0-1) to put Houston on top 8-6. Jose Altuve followedwith a double to push the lead to 9-6.

Imai allowedthreehitsand fourruns with four walks and four strikeouts in 22/3 innings.

took over for Bryan Abreu. Nolan Schanuel hit an RBI single to cut thelead to two,but King struck out the next twobatters forhis first save.

Jorge Soler drove in three runs and Zach Neto hit atwo-run homer forthe Angels as they split this series 2-2.

The game was tied with one on andone outinthe fourth inning when Netomade it 6-4 with his shot to the seats in leftfield. Christian Walker’s two-RBI double with two outs in the fifth inning tied it 6-6.

Lots of internationaltalent

Marvin Nguetsop, aGerman defensive end who is doing ayear of prep school in Connecticut, was considered the toprecruit on Collier’srecent tour.Hegot offers from Ohio State andMichigan.

“All of the kids had offers on the tour, too,” Collier said. “Tennessee offered fiveorsix of thekidson one day.”

Giwa is notthe first of Collier’s recruits to get offers despite no football experience. Hero Kanu received an offer from Penn State without ever playing the sport. The defensive lineman ultimately choseOhio State. He nowplays at Texas.

Giwa is asmall-townkid

Giwa grew up in Cashel, atown in County Tipperarywitha population under 5,000.

His mother is anurse and his father is aphysiotherapist. Giwa, whohas threeolder siblings, said they were thefirst Nigerian family to move intotown and that local residents “definitely madeusfeel welcome.”

Whatdoes he tell everyone about college football andthe facilities he’svisited?

“I tell them it’s adifferent world over there,” he said.

Rugby,soccer,hurling and Gaelic football are the local sports.

Giwa likes thatAmerican football allows him to use his size.He sees arugby-to-football template in Jordan Mailata, a6-foot-8 Australian who plays offensive tackle for thePhiladelphia Eagles.

Name, imageand likeness deals allowcollege athletes,eveninternational ones if done correctly,to earn big money

“Itdoes makeyou think about possibilities and choices and how youcan help others. (But) it’smore just making your family proud,” he said.

Giwa credits Collierwithcreating life-changing opportunities. He’snot sure what he’dbedoing otherwise.

“I’djust be aregular guy,” he said withalaugh, “doing what 90% of the world is doing, just trying to make aliving. That’s why I’m so grateful because I’m able to do

Another hot itemtobemulled over is whether theleague will be able to centralize aspects of officiating in case theleague has to use replacement officials next season With theNFL andthe referees’ association unable to come together on anew collective bargaining agreement,the league has proposed allowing the league’sofficiating department to “correct clear and obviousmisses madebyonfield officials” —but only in case of awork stoppage. The league last used replacementofficials in 2012.

Othernuggets

The league meetings also give reporters agreatchancetospeak with other coaches around the league.Thatshould provide furtherinsight intothe Saints’ batch of free agents. Jacksonville Jaguars coach Liam Coen,for instance, will be able to speak to whatrunning back Travis Etienne can add, while Buffalo Bills coach Joe Brady can share what he learned when working with guard David Edwards. New York Jetscoach Aaron Glenn is also of interest after the Jets lured away veteran linebacker Demario Davis. Elsewhere, Saintsowner Gayle Bensonisexpected to attend the league meetings after an overseas trip to theVatican and France.

The Astros are banking on him to have abig year after signing the right-hander to athree-year, $54 million contract following a stellarcareer in Japan where he was athree-timeAll-Star in eight seasons with the Pacific League’s Seibu Lions.

The Angels had two on with one out in theninth when Bryan King

Christian Vázquez drove in two runs with asingle in Houston’s four-run secondinning to give the Astros an early lead. There wasone out in the third when Imaiwalked Netobefore he movedtothird on asingleby Mike Trout. Schanuel walked to load the bases andSoler cleared them withhis double to the cornerinleftfieldtoget theAngels within one.

Jo Adell’stwo-out RBI single tied it at 4-4 and chased Imai. Los Angeles starter Jack Kochanowicz allowed four hits and six runs with five walks in four innings.

PELICANS

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presence.” Kevin Durant and Jabari Smith

Jr.scored 20 points each, former LSU star Tari Easonscored 15 andAmenThompsonadded 14 for theRockets.

Houston, which leads the NBA in rebounds pergame(48.1), held a59-36 edge on theboards as reservecenterClint Capela matched Sengun’s14inbarely 16 minutes

“We’ve got to be better on the board for sure,” Borrego said. “Itjustcomes down to physicality and overalleffort. It’s oneon-one, two-on-one at times, and you’ve gottofind away to fight and scrap andclaw to getanoffensive rebound, to get adefensive rebound.

“Wejust did not bring it. Some guys did, but not everybody.”

Forward Saddiq Bey,who scored 18 points, led New Orleanswith seven rebounds and the Rockets’ 22-8 advantage in offensive rebounds led to a31-10 edge in second-chance points.

Dejounte Murray,whose availability wasinquestion until shortlybefore tip-off becauseof aleft hand contusion, scored 19 points.Williamson matched Bey’s 18, Derik Queen had 13, Jeremiah Fearsscored 12 and Herb Jones 10 for the Pelicans (25-51), who lost their fifthstraight.

New Orleans, which prevailed 133-128 in its near-record comeback Dec. 18, trailedbyasmany as 23 points in thefirst halfSundaybut chipped away and got as close as 13 points in the third

quarter before Houston expanded the lead the rest of the way. The Pelicans will makeaquick road triptoPortlandonThursday andSacramento on Fridaybefore returning home next week for their final two homegames of the season.Leading scorer Trey Murphy missed his third consecutive gamebecause of asprained right ankle.

The Rockets increased their 21-point halftime lead to 24 early in the third quarter,but the Pelicans used a14-3 run to creep within 76-63. Sengun made a3-pointer and Smith added two free throws to push the lead to 18. New Orleans got as close as 14 on twooccasions, butHouston rebuilt the lead to 101-80 at the end of the third quarter and led by as manyas33inthe fourth. Both teams led by as many as six points in the early going. The Rockets held leads of 12-6 and 14-8before thescore was tied twice. New Orleans took its biggest lead, 26-20, before the score was tied twomore times, the last at 29 at the end of the first quarter Houston scored the first eight points of the second quarter Fears converted a3-point play to stop the run, but Sengun and Smith scored fivepoints each and Eason added a3-pointer during a 15-0run that gavethe Rockets a 52-32 lead.

Karlo Matkovic madeadunk to stop that run, but Houston took its biggest lead of the half,64-41, on a3-pointerbySengun before holding a68-47 halftime lead The Pelicans missedall nine of their 3-pointers in the second quarterwhile the Rocketsmade 6of12.

AP PHOTO By ANNIE RICE Saints head coachKellen Moore attends TexasTech’spro dayon ThursdayinLubbock, Texas.

STAFFPHOTO By ENAN CHEDIAK Pelicans guard Jeremiah Fears goes up for alayup against Houston Rockets center Clint Capela, left, and forward Jabari Smith during their game Sundayatthe SmoothieKingCenter

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By

‘Neff’ Giwa wears SouthCarolina

Philadelphia International Airport on Tuesday.

Guinness World Record for longest line of cheesesteaks is set at Philadelphia International Airport

BY STEPHANIE FARR

The Philadelphia Inquirer (TNS)

PHILADELPHIA Philadelphia

“steaked” its claim on the sandwich that bears its name by setting the Guinness World Record for longest line of cheesesteaks — 1,291 lined up end to end — at Philadelphia International Airport on March 24, National Cheesesteak Day

“We are the world champions of cheesesteaks, baby!” yelled MarketPlace PHL operating partner Clarence LeJeune as he accepted the award on behalf of the airport. Wit or witout the title, there’s no question Philly is the cheesesteak capital of the world, but now that we have the receipts, nobody better start any beef.

As a live DJ played bangers like Daft Punk’s “Harder Better Faster, Stronger” and Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train” in the connector between Terminals B and C, more than 100 airport employees and volunteers stuffed the foot-long Amoro-

Assemblers prepare the cheesesteaks at Philadelphia International Airport to attempt to set a Guinness World Record for the longest line of cheesesteaks.

so’s rolls with 990 pounds of Philly’s Best Steak, then drizzled 225 pounds of Cooper Sharp cheese sauce all over them.

On hand to help set the record were Kosuke and Tomomi Chujo, owners of the Tokyo bar Nihonbashi Philly who have gone viral for the

authentic cheesesteaks they make in Japan and for their love of all things Philly

“We came just for this event We have to join, otherwise we can’t say we’re a cheesesteak restaurant,” Tomomi Chujo said.

As proud as she was to participate in the world record, Chujo — who wore a green baseball cap that said “BIRDS” and socks that read “PHL Cheesesteak” — was equally proud of experiencing a different Philly rite of passage on this trip.

“I got a PPA ticket! I am so happy!” she said, marking perhaps another record for the first time anyone has ever been happy with the Philadelphia Parking Authority In the hour or so it took to create the cheesesteaks, a drone continually flew over the assembly line as travelers from the around the world stopped to ask about the commotion and the placards set up that said: “HISTORY IN PROGRESS.”

ä See RECORD, page 2D

We want to be here for this moment so when we visit other cities we can talk trash. ... Well, we got the world record. We have the pictures and evidence. We were here today and Philly made history.” KALA JOHNSTONE

‘13 Going On 30’ is getting a reboot on Netflix

BY EMILY

rk Ruffalo’s Matt “MatFlamhaff, is executive producing the project.

“People We Meet on Vacation” star Emily Bader and Logan Lerman, known for “Oh, Hi!” and “Perks of Being a Wallflower,” will star in the reboot. Brett Haley, who directed Netflix’s “People We Meet on Vacation,” will reunite with Bader to helm the project.

In a statement to “ Deadline,” Haley said, “‘13 Going On 30’ is one of those rare, perfect films. Funny, emotional, deeply human, with unforgettable performances from Jennifer Garner, Mark Ruffalo, and Judy Greer I’m a longtime fan, so stepping into this reimagining comes with tremendous responsibility.”

“Jennifer Garner being on board as an executive producer after playing such a big part of what made the original special, is especially meaningful,” Haley continued. “I also couldn’t be more excited to reunite with Emily Bader after ‘People We Meet on Vacation.’ She and the amazingly talented Logan Lerman are a magical pairing. I feel incredibly lucky to be trusted with something that means so much to so many people.”

Stephen Colbert goes from late night to ‘Lord of the Rings’ with new movie script co-write

BY ALEXANDRA

LOS ANGELES Stephen Colbert, with the end of his late-night series less than two months away, already has a new gig lined up: co-writing the script for an upcoming “Lord of the Rings” movie.

Peter Jackson, the visionary filmmaker who adapted author J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic fantasy for the big screen in the early aughts, teased “very special partner” Colbert’s involvement in a video posted to social media Tuesday In the post, Jackson video calls Colbert, who says he’s “pretty happy” about the screenwriting role. Colbert, famously a fan of “The Lord of the Rings,” began his part of the video by expressing his love for Tolkien’s books and Jackson’s films before noting his interest in earlier chapters of “The Fellowship of the Ring.” He said that material could make for “its own story that could fit into the larger story.”

The TV personality and screenwriter, 61, said coming up with an idea for a new movie was a family affair that also involved his son, screenwriter Peter McGee. “It took me a few years to scrape my courage into a pile to give you a call,” he told Jackson, “but about two years ago, I did. You liked it enough to talk to me about it.” Colbert said he and Jackson further discussed the project with veteran screenwriter Philippa Boyens and presented it to production company NewLine and its parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery Boyens, along with Jackson and screenwriter Fran Walsh, oversaw the “LOTR” and The Hobbit” film trilogies.

“I could not be happier to say that they loved it,” Colbert continued.

Colbert said he was worried he wouldn’t be able to balance both the new “LOTR” film and his series, “but it turns out I’m going to be free starting the summer.”

Why’s that? CBS, the home network of “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” announced in 2025 its plans to cancel the latenight talker after more than a decade The show’s final episode is set to air May 21. Since news of his show’s cancellation, Colbert has been a vocal critic of CBS parent company Paramount Global, notably slamming the company’s “big fat bribe” of $16 million in settlement payments to President Donald Trump because of CBS News’ edits to a “60 Minutes” Kamala Harris interview He had also referenced the company’s merger with David Ellison’s Skydance Media. Ellison is the son of Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison. Though the upcoming end of “The Late Show” in May seemed to signal a split between its host and Paramount, it seems he’ll be working under the Paramount umbrella once again. In February, Ellison’s Paramount Skydance emerged victorious in a competitive bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, besting Netflix. Deadline reports that the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger will be in full swing before the end of the year Warner Bros. Discovery revealed in May 2024 that it was

ä See REBOOT, page 2D ä See COLBERT, page 2D

THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER/ TNS PHOTOS By ALEJANDRO A. ALVAREZ Michael Empric, adjudicator with Guinness World Records, inspects the construction of cheesesteaks at

DEL ROSARIO

Los Angeles Times (TNS)

Keep dancingtopreservememory

Dear Doctors: In regardstothe phenomenon of musicand cognition, multiple studies show folks whodance are less likelytodevelop dementia. This presumably takes the music componentand addsmemory,movement and doingsomething to abeat. Every timeIsee an articleondementia, theyneglect to mention dancing

Dear reader: We recently discussed arecent study about dementia risk and music. The researchers found alower incidence of dementia among people wholisten to music every day This was compared with those who didn’tlisten to music on a daily basis. The study also found thatthe music group did better on memory and cognitive tests than thenon-musicgroup.

Dr.Elizabeth Ko Dr.Eve Glazier ASK THE DOCTORS

The benefits of music for cognition have been making headlines for several years. But we agree with you that the effects of dance on cognition have been mostly absent. As readers here areaware, regular physical exercise has aprotective effect on memory.But thediscipline needed to start moving and stay moving oftenisa challenge.

Dance is both social and fun, so it seemslogical it could help people to get off the couch when the gym might not That brings us to thestudy about dance we think you are referring to. Researchers conducted this study at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. The findings were published in 2003 in the New England Journal of Medicine. The researchers analyzed five years of physical and mental healthdata. They gathered data from 469 adults over age 75. They found that many physical activities correlated to improved cognitive healthoutcomes, though dancing was the best of them all. Participantswho danced regularly had a76% lower risk of developing

Miss Mannersinmiddleschool

Dear Miss Manners: Iteach seventh gradeinasuburban school. Ihavenoticed an increasingly unsettling trend as Iwalk around the room to check on students:Nobody says “yes, please” or “no, thankyou” anymore. Ihave tried to remind them in many differentways what the polite response is, but it never really seems to stick. Finally,Idecided to invoke Miss Manners. I told them all aboutyou and how Miss Manners, who is areal person, would like to remind them the proper way to respondtoquestions.

responses. What would you say to 12-year-oldsto impress upon them how important this is?

dementia in the five years of the study compared to thepeople who didn’tdance. The researchers proposed that themultipledisciplines involved in dance activate abroad network of brain regions at once. Dance involves aerobics, coordination, agility and rhythm.It also involves flexibility,balance, memoryand social interaction. In asingle dance, you are constantly learning, adjusting and adapting. In,say,anevening of dancing, you challengeboth brain and body in away that is uniquely complex and rigorous. And over years, thesustained challenges of dancing may have aprotective effect on the brain. Still, thereare someimportant caveats to keep in mind. The

first is that this wasanobservational study.Although it can flag aconnection between abehavior and an outcome, it cannot offer proof.The other factor is time. Dementia often takes manyyears to develop. The 76% lower risk that wascited applies only to the five-year span of the study.A longer follow-up might have had different results. That said, the study clearly showsthe potential benefits of this lively activity.So, may we have the next dance?

Sendyour questions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla. edu, or write: Ask theDoctors, c/oUCLA HealthSciences Media Relations, 10880 Wilshire Blvd.,Suite1450, Los Angeles, CA, 90024.

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

Gentle reader: “Don’t blame me”?

Sorry.The idea of frightening children into basiccourtesy scares Miss Manners. Butsince you say itworks, she willtry to get over that.

Only by takingonthe persona of someone else have Iseen any success in their

RECORD

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Thesigns seemedtotake on adual meaning given thatitwas thefirstday Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were visibly deployed in theairport at the behest of the Trump administration as TSA wait times skyrocket acrossthe country due to thepartial government shutdown. But the wait times weren’t bad at thePhilly airport Tuesday.Desiree Cruz,33, of Los Angeles, who was flying home from aweddingin Philly,arrived several hours before her flight but only hadtowaitfive minutesto get through her TSA PreCheck screening. She was ecstatic to stumble upon the record-setting event as she killed time in the airport, especially since she hadn’tgrabbeda cheesesteak while she was in town.

“This is extraordinary! This is surreal!”she said. “I was just thinkingabout getting acheesesteak and nowI am about to witnesshistory.” Once the assembly was done, Guinness World Record official adjudicator Michael Empric —who was dressed in avery official Guinness World Record blue blazer and armed with avery official blue Guinness World Record clipboard— walked the line with his tally counter to make sureall the cheesesteaks meatexpectations.

Every steak wasrequired to be on aroll 30 centimeters long and had to be

REBOOT

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In case youmissedit(or were living under arock in 2004), our former Los Angeles Times film critic Manohla Dargis wrote of the film: “Another iterationonthe apparently indestructible body-switching premise, ‘13 Going On 30’ closely adheres to the essential gimmick and learning curve introduced to superior effect in the 1988 hit ‘Big.’ “After adisastrous birthday party and afoolish wish to become ‘30, flirty and

Surely seventh graders are capableof understanding that people need to get along with one another,rather than living in aconstant state of alarm, suspecting that others mean us harm. Unfortunately,they have been taught to evaluate online communications with that cynical approach. But inreal life, we have

filled with chopped beef and “somecheese product.” Each cheesesteak also had to touch the next one,end to end, resulting in atotal length of about 1,271 feet. Therecord-setting attempt wasnot without its misteaks. Whenannouncinghis findings,Empricnoted that a few holes in the line were filled with partial pieces of cheesesteaks.While that very Philly workaround did not disqualifythe attempt, those partial steaks were deductedfrom thetotal Philly’scheesesteak line was afirst-time category creator,according to Empric. As such, Guinness World Records set abaseline of 500 cheesesteaks to be considered for therecord, a bar Philly easily beat While othershave claimed to set GuinnessWorld Recordsfor longest lineof cheesesteaks —like the Main StreetGrill in Lewiston, Idaho, whichmade a 722-foot line of cheesesteaks in 2023 —they either didn’t followthrough, didn’tmake the cut, or never submitted their paperwork to officially beconsidered aGuinness World Record holder, Empric said This isn’tthe first time a massive lineofcheesesteaks has been assembled in Philadelphia, either.In2015, Steve’sPrince of Steakscreated a480-foot cheesesteak for the Philadelphia Cheesesteak Festival, and in 2021, morethan adozen Philly restaurateurs andestablishments workedtogether to build a510-foot line of cheesesteaks that ran three blocks through theItalian Market.

thriving’ (some alliterative propaganda she’sread in a fashion magazine), Jenna wakes one morningtodiscover that she’smetamorphosed into an older,taller, somewhat curvier versionof herself.Now playedbyGarner,the wild-eyed teenager comes face to face with a wish fulfillment of alifethat comes with adesigner Manhattan apartment,anexecutive position at aslick women’s magazine,a hockey-star boyfriend who likes to strip to Vanilla Ice, and rowupon rowofdesignershoes.” While mum’sthe wordon plot specifics,the scriptfor the reboot is by Hannah

developeda codetoindicatethatweare notbullies making demands, but rather that we harborgoodwill towardothers. “Please” meansthat, although they are asking forsomething, compliancewould be appreciated. “Thank you” expressesthatappreciation And now Miss Manners must express herappreciation to you forinsisting on teachinga skill that will contribute to those children’ssuccess.

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

Given thatTuesday was thefirst official cheesesteak Guinness World Record attemptfor Philly,twin sisters Kala and Maya Johnstone, who are food influencers and the owners of FoodChasers’ Kitchen, came from Glenside to witness it.

“Wewanttobehere for this moment so when we visit other cities we can talk trash, like Baltimore, who is giving us hell talking about they got thebetter cheesesteak,” Kala Johnstone said. “Well, we got theworldrecord. We have thepictures and evidence. We were here today and Philly made history.”

Afinalrequirement to obtain theGuinness World Record,accordingtoEmpric, was thatall of the cheesesteaksmust be donated or consumed on site. In accordance, cheesesteaks were freely givenout to participants, volunteers, and airport workers, while others were hand-delivered to Transportation Security Administration employees, whohavegonewithout a paycheck since the partial shutdown began last month

Peter Ciarrocchi, CEO of Chickie’s&Pete’s, whose four airport restaurants provided the kitchen equipment and prep space for theevent said he loved watching so many people work together to make this record areality

“Breaking the world record is always awesome,”he said. “But oneofmyfavorite things today was feeding the TSA with thecheesesteaks, because this cityisthe City of Brotherly Love and these people are working without pay.Withoutthem, nobody can be in this airport.”

Marks, whopennedand directed “Mark, Mary,&Some Other People,” with revisions by FloraGreeson, who wrote “The High Note.”

Oncenews of the reboot broke online, social media chatter picked up, with fans speculatingwhich eras the film may be setin. If, like theoriginal, the protagonist wakesupasa 30-year-old in today’smodern world, some worry theflick won’tbeas lighthearted as the original. One user on Threads said, “The conceptofa13Going on 30 wherea teenager in 2009 nowwakes up in THIS reality in her 30s feelslike horror not romcom.”

Dear Harriette: Iaminthe creativeindustry andthoroughlyenjoy my job! It offers newexperiences and achancetolearn hands-on skills in a safeand supportive environment.The workplace is comfortable and fosters open communication withoutretaliation.Iwas given a task that Idon’t particularly likebut that requires enthusiasm to complete. There are others in ourorganization who would fit the task betterand have fun doing it. Ifeel likeIwould be of better use in another role;however,Iwant to be areliable

worker. Otherthanthis, I am proficient in allmyroles andconsistently bring my A game to the office. Iamina place thatpeople enjoyand would want to remain awelcoming presencetomy colleagues. Should I continue to fake the funk or risk letting ourlead manager down? —Tough Task

Dear ToughTask: It sounds like your job is close to ideal. It is rare that an employee has no tasks that are undesirable. It is common that you would have at least one duty that isn’tyour favorite. What you can do is change your attitude. Tack-

le it with gusto. Figure out how to do it extremely well and as quickly as possible so that it doesn’tbecome a source of anxiety foryou. Youmay also want to look around to see if anyone is struggling with atask that you find appealing. You could speak to your manager and offer to swap tasks, pointing out that you think each of you might be more efficient with the redistribution of duties.

Sendquestions to askharriette@ harriettecole.com or c/oAndrewsMcMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St.,Kansas City,MO 64106.

Getlipstickstainsout of clothes

Dear Heloise: How do Iget lipstick out of my favorite T-shirt? —Kay E., in Frankfort, Kentucky Kay,rub thearea with cold cream or shortening. Afterward, place afew drops of dishwashing liquid on the area and let soap rest there for 10 minutes. Next,hand-wash with club soda. There are also stain-removing cloths that are commercially sold and usually found in the laundry detergent section of your grocery store. Heloise Silencingunknown callers

Hints from Heloise

Dear Heloise: In responseto

By The Associated Press

Today is Monday, March 30, the89th day of 2026. There are 276 days left in the year

Todayinhistory: On March 30, 1981, President Ronald Reagan was shot and seriously wounded by John Hinckley Jr.outside aWashington, D.C.,hotel. Also wounded were White House press secretary James Brady,Secret Service agent Timothy McCarthy and aDistrict of Columbia police officer,Thomas Delahanty. (Hinckley would be found not guilty by reason of insanity and held at a psychiatric hospital until his supervised release in 2016 James Brady died in 2014 as aresult of his injuries.)

Also on this date:

In 1822, Florida became a United States territory

In 1867, U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward reached agreement with

COLBERT

Continuedfrom page1D

heading back to theShire with two new films. The first is “The Hunt for Gollum,” starring and directed by “Lord of theRings” alum Andy Serkis.

the person whoanswered her phone every time it rang, she can go to her settings and scroll to the “phone” tab. Go to “screen unknown callers” and check “silence.” She will only get calls from her contacts this way. Other calls will be visible, and she can return them only if she chooses. Itake this feature off if I’mexpecting acall from adoctor or an appliance delivery.Otherwise, this saves alot of time and annoyance. —Jenny R., via email Jenny,there is aserious problem with this method.

TODAYINHISTORY

Russia to purchase the territory of Alaska for$7.2 million, adeal ridiculed by critics as “Seward’sFolly” but later recognized as advantageous to the U.S.

In 1870, the 15th Amendmenttothe U.S. Constitution, which prohibited denying citizens the right to vote and hold office on the basis of race, was declared in effect by Secretary of State Hamilton Fish.

In 1939, Detective Comics issue No.27was released, featuring the first appearance of the superhero character Batman.

In 1975, as the Vietnam Warneared its end, Communist forces occupied the city of Da Nang.

In 2009, heavily armed militants stormed apolice training academynear Lahore, Pakistan, taking hostages and killing cadets and others before being overpowered after several hours. Authorities reported

According to Deadline,the “LOTR” project involving Colbertistentatively titled “The Lordofthe Rings: Shadow of the Past” and is setmorethana decade after the death of central hobbitFrodo.Fellowhobbits

Anew doctor or pharmacy might try to contact someone whoforgot to add these numbers to their contact list. People get new phone numbers all the timeand might not be able to call afriend to let them know that they changed phone numbers. Asituation like this has its pros and cons. —Heloise

Oniontears

Dear Heloise: Here’sanother tip foravoiding tears when chopping onions: Just stand at arm’slength while you’re chopping. Carole F.,via email Sendahinttoheloise@ heloise.com.

at least 20 deaths, including several attackers.

In 2023, aManhattan grand jury voted to indict Donald Trumponcharges involving payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign to silence claims of an extramarital sexual encounter,the first ever criminal case against aformer U.S. president. Today’sbirthdays: Actor John Astin is 96. Actordirector Warren Beatty is 89. Basketball Hall of Famer Jerry Lucas is 86. Musician Eric Clapton is 81. Actor Paul Reiser is 70. Rap artist MC Hammer is 64. Singer Tracy Chapman is 62. Actor IanZiering is 62. TV personality Piers Morgan is 61. Singer Celine Dion is 58. Actor Mark Consuelos is 55. Singer Norah Jones is 47. Country musician Justin Moore is 42. Country musician Thomas Rhett is 36. Actor Gideon Adlon is 29.

“Sam, Merry and Pippin set out to retrace the first steps of their adventure” while a new generation seeks to unearth a“long-buriedsecret.” NewsofColbert’s screenwriting gig spurred arange of reactions on social media among the dedicated “Lord of the Rings” fanbase, with some users excited forthe late-night host and others expressing their disappointment with his involvement.

Harriette Cole SENSE AND SENSITIVITy

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Base your decisions on the time and energy it will take to complete what you set out to do. Be cautious not to take on more than you can handle or projects that are unrealistic.

tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Make the first move; start conversations, address matters that concern you and take care of your backlog of updates, cancellations and deadweight. Choose comfort, peace and love.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Choosebrainover brawn to fight your battles. Knowledge is your path to solidarity and innovative suggestions, and following through with actions will put you in the spotlight.

cAncER (June 21-July 22) Lean in, take the lead, say what's on your mind and live up to your word. The sky is the limit when you focus on what's important to you; rewards will follow.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Choose discipline over distraction. Avoid risks that can damage your reputation, position or financial well-being. Adopt a positive attitude and work diligently.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) You'll dazzle everyone with your words of wisdom. Focus on the effect you will have on others, and offer positivity and support to all those you encounter.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Follow your passion. Use your skills to work on a project that's suited to the changing times.

Review your relationships and stick with the people who have made a positive impact on you.

scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Sort out any differences you have with the people you live with you or nearby. Get ready to make your voice heard. Do your research, volunteer and be part of the solution.

sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Take time to rest, rethink and come up with a plan to bring about positive change. Invest in how you look and feel, and upgrade your skills and qualifications.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Check your investments, move money around and consider how to use your skills to excel. Jealousy, ego and competition will stand between you and your dreams.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Consider how you earn and spend your money. Nothing is for free; if you think you're getting something for nothing, ask direct questions and negotiate on your behalf.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Be open to eventsthatencouragemovement,socializing and fulfilling your heart's desires. Sitting idle will get you nowhere, but the moment you do something that resonates, magic will happen.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2026 by nEa, inc., dist. By andrews mcmeel syndication

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

toDAy's cLuE: L EQuALs Q

FAMILY CIrCUS

CeLebrItY CIpher

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM SherMAn’S LAGoon

Sudoku

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

Saturday’s PuzzleAnswer

THewiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS

CurTiS

By PHILLIP ALDER

Buddha said, “There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth: not going all the way, and not starting.”

When do you touch trumps in abridge deal? The answer might be at the start (sometimes), in themiddle (occasionally), or never (rarely). There arealso twoways to play trumps in abridge deal: two by two while drawing those held by theopponents; and one by one, as in this deal.

Howshould Southplay in seven hearts after West leads the club queen?

North’s four-diamond rebid is asplinter: at least four-card heart support, thevalues for game and asingleton (or void) in diamonds. South uses two doses of Blackwood before bidding seven. (If you use RomanKey Card Blackwood, North would answer five diamonds, zero or three key cards. Then, over five no-trump, which guarantees possession of all four aces andthe king-queen of trumps, North would bid six clubs to show the club king.)

South has four tricks outside hearts: onespade,onediamondandtwoclubs.So he needs to take nine trump tricks. The deal requires acomplete crossruff. And in this situation, declarer should first cash all of his side-suit winners. He wins with dummy’s clubking, takes the club ace (discarding aspade from his hand) andspade ace, plays adiamond to his ace, ruffs adiamond with the heart four (whew!), and claims on acrossruff. Note finally that it was lucky West did not have atrump to lead, taking two of declarer’s ruffs away from him. ©2026 by nEa, inc.,dist. By andrews mcmeel syndication

wuzzles

Each Wuzzle is aword riddle which creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: nOOn gOOD =gOOD aFTErnOOn

Previous answers:

word game

InstRuctIons: 1. Wordsmustbeoffour or more letters.2.Words that acquire

“s,”

or

or “dies,” are not allowed. 3.

or an “s” may not be used. 4. proper

explicitwords are not allowed.

toDAy’sWoRD GAInFuL: GANE-ful: Profitable

Average

loCKhorNs

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C. PiCKles

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.

Saturday’s Puzzle Answer

ken ken

InstructIons: 1 Each row and each column must contain the numbers 1 thorugh 4 (easy) or 1 through 6 (challenging) without repeating. 2 The numbers within the heavily outlined boxes, called cages, must combine using the given operation (in any order) to produce the target numbers in the top-left corners. 3 Freebies: Fill in the single-box cages with the number in the top-left corner. HErE is a

WiShinG Well

Scrabble GramS

Get fuzzy

jump Start

roSe iS roSe

animal crackerS

DuStin

Drabble Wallace the brave

breWSter rockit

luann

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PUBLIC NOTICE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERNDISTRICTOF LOUISIANA CIVILACTIONNO. 2:25-cv02109 SECTION“G” MAGISTRATE “2 GULF CREDIT,LLC VERSUS

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ContiStreet,New Or‐leans, LA 70119. Proposal submittaldeadlineisFri‐day, April10, 2026 4:30 P.M. Proposalsare to be submittedelectronically (via emailorUSB viamail or hand-delivered to the addresslistedabove). Go to FirstLineSchools (FirstLine)official web site at http://firstlinesc hools.org/rfps/for the full RFP. 181436-mar21-apr3-14t $100.66

TheSewerageand Water BoardofNew Orleansan‐nounces aDeclaredVa‐cancy, effectiveSatur‐day, May9,2026, of one(1) existing seat on itsBoard of Directorsfor Con‐sumerCommunity Advo‐cate Pursuant to La.R.S 33:4071, theSewerage andWater BoardofNew Orleansherebygives no‐tice that it is accepting applications from per‐sons from Consumer Community Advocate in‐terested in servingon theBoard of Directors.

to comment on this permit requestfor aperiodof forty-five (45) days.Re‐sponsesshouldbe mailed to LDWF Scenic Rivers Program,2000 QuailDrive,Baton Rouge, LA 70808. 182133-mar28-29-30-3t $317.17

INTERNATIONALSCHOOL OF LOUISIANAFOODSER‐VICE DEPT INVITATION TO BID BIDNO. 27-CN-0001 DRY & FROZEN FOODS BIDNO. 27-CN-0002 MILK &MILKPRODUCTS BIDNO. 27-CN-0003 JANI‐TORIAL ANDPAPER PRODUCTS BIDNO. 27-CN-0004 FRESHPRODUCE Sealed bids will be re‐ceived at 1400 Camp Street,New Orleans, Louisiana70130 until 2:00 PM,onTHURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2026. Details/Specs: Obtain at theabove ad‐dress, email mboudreaux@isl-edu org, call (504) 444-2696, or visit: http://isl-edu org/about-isl/rfp. Dead‐line forquestions:April 23, 2026. Responsespro‐videdApril 24, 2026. This institutionisanequal opportunity provider 180998-mar30-apr6-2t $214.68

TheSewerageand Water BoardofNew Orleansis comprisedofeleven members, sevenofwhich arecitizensappointedby themayor with thead‐vice andconsent of the City Councilfroma list of nominees submittedby theSewerageand Water BoardSelection Commit‐tee.

TheSewerageand Water BoardSelection Commit‐teeiscomprised of rep‐resentatives from thefol‐lowing organizations: Dil‐lard University,Loyola University,TulaneUniver‐sity,XavierUniversity, DelgadoCommunity Col‐lege,SouthernUniversity at NewOrleans,Univer‐sity of NewOrleans,New OrleansChamber of Commerce,New Orleans Regional BlackChamber of Commerce, andthe UrbanLeagueofGreater NewOrleans ELIGIBILITY, PROFES‐SIONAL QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

Thetermofoffice for membersappointed to theSewerageand Water BoardofNew Orleansis four years. Additionally amembershall serveno more than twoconsecu‐tive termsofoffice Each nomineeshall be a registered voterinOr‐leansParishand shall have been adomiciliary of OrleansParishfor two yearsprior to his/herap‐pointment. Please note that nominees forthe CouncilDistrictvacan‐cies must reside in the City CouncilDistrictfor whichheorshe applied. Consumer/Community Advocacy nominees may reside anywhere in Or‐leansParish. Each nomineeshall have experience in architec‐ture,environmental qual‐ity, finance, accounting, business administration engineering, law, public health,urban planning facilitiesmanagement, public administration science, construction business management community

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quirements

law, includingbut

limitedtothe

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Pursuant to Act 1ofthe 2025 First Extraordinary Session, the election previously scheduled for April18, 2026 has been rescheduled for May16, 2026.

be submitted to the electors of the state, for their approval or rejection in the manner provided by law,a proposaltoamend ArticleX,Section 2(B) of the Constitution of Louisiana, to read as follows: §2. Classified and Unclassified Service Section 2.(A)

(B) Unclassified Service. The unclassified service shall include the following officers and employees in the state and city civil service:

(1) elected officials and persons appointed to fill vacancies in elective offices;

(2) the heads of each principal executive department appointed by the governor,the mayor,orthe governing authorityofa city;

(3) city attorneys;

(4) registrars of voters;

(5) members of state and city boards, authorities, and commissions;

(6) one private secretary to the president of each college or university;

(7) one person holding aconfidential position and one principal assistant or deputy to any officer,board, commission, or authority mentioned in (1), (2), (4), or (5) above, except civil service departments;

(8) members of the military or naval forces;

(9) teaching and professional staffs, and administrative officers of schools, colleges, and universities of the state, and bona fide students of those institutions employed by any state, parochial, or municipal agency;

(10) employees, deputies, and officers of the legislatureand of the offices of the governor,lieutenant governor,attorney general, each mayor and city attorney,ofpolice juries, school boards, assessors, andofall offices provided for in Article Vofthis constitution except the offices of clerk of the municipal and trafficcourts in New Orleans;

(11) commissioners of elections, watchers, and custodians and deputy custodians of voting machines;

(12) railroad employees whose working conditions and retirement benefits areregulated by federal agencies in accordance with federal law; and (13) the director,deputy director,and all employees of the Governor’sOffice of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. Additional positions may be added to the unclassified service and those positions may be revoked by rules adopted by a commission. Additional officers, positions, and employees may be added to the unclassified service in the state civil service by law and such additional officers, positions, and employees may be removed from the unclassified service only by law

Section 2. Be it further resolved that this proposed amendment shall be submitted to theelectors of the state of Louisiana at astatewide election to be held on April 18, 2026, if House Bill No. 625 of the 2025 Regular Session of the LegislatureofLouisiana becomes effective.If House Bill No.625 of the 2025 Regular Session of the Legislatureof Louisiana does not become effective, this proposed amendment shall be submitted to the electors of the state of Louisiana at astatewide election to be held on November 3, 2026.

Section 3. Be it further resolved that on the official ballot to be used at said election thereshall be printed aproposition, upon which the electors of the state shall be permitted to vote YES or NO,toamend the Constitution of Louisiana, which proposition shall read as follows:

“Do you support an amendment to allow the legislaturetoremove or addofficers, positions, and employees to the unclassified state civil service?” (Amends Article X, Section 2(B))

Proposed Amendment No. 2 Regular Session, 2025 ---ACT No. 218 ----

SENATE BILL NO.25

BY SENATOR EDMONDS AND REPRESENTATIVE CHENEVERT

AJOINT RESOLUTION

Proposing to amend Article VIII, Section 13(D)(1) of the Constitution of Louisiana, relative to certain effects and purposes for the proposed St.George community school system in East Baton Rouge Parish which shall be regarded and treated as aparish and shall have the authority granted parishes with respect to operating aschool system, including the purposes of certain funding and the raising of certain local revenues for the support of elementary and secondary schools; to provide for submission of the proposed amendment to the electors; to specify an election date for submission of the proposition to electors and to provide for aballot proposition.

Section 1. Be it resolved by the LegislatureofLouisiana, two-thirds of the members elected to each house concurring, that thereshall be submitted to the electors of the state, for their approval or rejection in the manner provided by law,aproposal to amend Article VIII, Section 13(D)(1) of the Constitution of Louisiana, to read as follows: §13. Funding; Apportionment

Section 13. (D)(1) Municipal and Other School Systems. For the effects andpurposes of this Section, the Central community school system the St. George community school system, and the Zachary community school system in East Baton Rouge Parish, and the municipalities of Baker in East Baton Rouge Parish, Monroe in Ouachita Parish, and Bogalusa in Washington Parish, and no others, shall be regarded and treated as parishes and shall have the authority granted parishes. Consistent with Article VIII of this constitution, relevant to equal educational opportunities, no state dollars shall be used to discriminate or to have the effect of discriminating in providing equal educational opportunity for all students.

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Section 2. Be it further resolved that this proposed amendment shall be submitted to theelectors of the state of Louisiana at astatewide election to be held on April 18, 2026, if House Bill No. 625 of the 2025 Regular Session of the Legislature of Louisianabecomes effective. If House Bill No. 625 of the 2025 Regular Session of the Legislatureof Louisiana does not become effective, this proposedamendment shall be submitted to the electors of the state of Louisiana at astatewide election to be held on November 3, 2026.

Section 3. Be it further resolved that on the official ballot to be used at said election thereshall be printed aproposition, upon which the electors of the state shall be permitted to vote YES or NO,toamend the Constitution of Louisiana, which proposition shall read as follows:

Do you support an amendment to grant the St. Georgecommunity school system in East Baton Rouge Parish the same authority granted parishes forpurposes of Article VIII, Section 13 of the Constitution of Louisiana, including purposes related to the minimum foundation program, funding for certain school books and instructional materials, and the raising of certain local revenues for the support of elementary and secondary schools? (Amends Article VIII, Section 13(D)(1))

Proposed Amendment No. 3 Regular Session, 2025 --ACT

Proposing to amend Article VII, Section10.8(A)(1), (2), and (4), (B), and (C)(1) of the ConstitutionofLouisiana, to enact Article VII, Section 10.17, and to repeal Article VII, Sections 10(F)(4)(d), 10.1, 10.8(A)(3) and (C)(3), and 10.16(A)(9), relative to monies in the state treasury; to repeal the EducationExcellence Fund within the Millennium Trust, the Louisiana Education Quality Trust Fund, and the Louisiana Quality Education SupportFund; to apply monies heldinthose funds to liabilities of the Teachers’ Retirement System of Louisiana and to requirelocal public school systems to pay ateacher pay raise with savings realized from payment of those retirement system liabilities; to requireadditional state general fund expenditures for the Minimum FoundationProgram relative to such pay raises; to direct the state treasurer to take certain actions with respect to monies in repealed funds; to provide for calculation and transfer of such monies to the Overcollections Fund for use by specified entities pursuant to outlined restrictions; to execute technical changes; to provide forsubmission of the proposed amendment to the electors; and to provide for related matters.

Section1.Beitresolved by the LegislatureofLouisiana, two-thirds of the members elected to each house concurring, that thereshall be submitted to the electors of the state of Louisiana, for their approval or rejectioninthe manner provided by law,a proposal to amend Article VII, Section10.8(A)(1), (2), and (4), (B), and (C)(1) of the Constitution of Louisiana and to enact Article VII, Section10.17 to read as follows:

§10.8. Millennium Trust

Section10.8. Millennium Trust (A)Creation. (1) Thereshall be established in the state treasury as aspecial permanent trust the “Millennium Trust”. After allocation of money to the Bond Security and Redemption Fund as provided in Article VII, Section9(B)ofthis constitution, the treasurer shall deposit in and credittothe Millennium Trust certain monies received as aresult of the Master Settlement Agreement,hereinafter the “Settlement Agreement”, executed November 23, 1998, and approved by Consent Decree and Final Judgment entered in the case “RichardP.Ieyoub, Attorney General,exrel. StateofLouisiana v. Philip Morris, Incorporated, et al.”,bearing Number 98-6473 on the docket of the FourteenthJudicial District for the parish of Calcasieu, state of Louisiana; and all dividend and interest income and all realized capital gains on investment of the monies in the Millennium Trust. The treasurer shall deposit in and credittothe Millennium Trust the following amounts of monies received as aresult of the Settlement Agreement:

(a) Fiscal Year 2000-2001, forty-five percent of the total monies received that year (b) Fiscal Year 2001-2002, sixty percent of the total monies received that year (c) Fiscal Year 2002-2003 and each fiscal year thereafter seventy-five percent of the total monies received that year each fiscal year as aresult of the Settlement Agreement.However,beginning in Fiscal Year 2011-2012 after the balance in the Millennium Trust reaches atotal of one billionthree hundred eighty milliondollars, the The monies deposited in and credited to the Millennium Trust, received as aresult of the Settlement Agreement,shall be allocated to the various funds within the Millennium Trust as provided in Subsubparagraphs (2) (b), (3)(b), and (4)(b) and (c) of this Paragraph. TOPS Fund. (d) For Fiscal Year 2000-2001, Fiscal Year 2001-2002, and Fiscal Year 2002-2003, ten percent of the total monies received in each of those years for credit to the EducationExcellence Fund which, notwithstanding the provisions of Subparagraph (C)(1) of this Section, shall be appropriated for the purposes provided in Subsubparagraph (d) of Subparagraph (3) of Paragraph (C) of this Section. (2)(a) The HealthExcellence Fund shall be established as a special fund within the Millennium Trust. The treasurer shall credit to the Health Excellence Fund one-third of the Settlement Agreement proceeds deposited each year into the Millennium Trust, and onethirdofall investment earnings on the investment of the Millennium Trust. The treasurer shall reportannually to the legislatureastothe amount of Millennium Trust investment earnings credited to the Health Excellence Fund.

(b) Beginning Fiscal Year 2011-2012, and each fiscal year thereafter,the The treasurer shall credit to the HealthExcellence Fund one-third one-half of all investment earnings on the investment of the Millennium Trust. The treasurer shall report annually to the legislature as to the amount of Millennium Trust investment earnings credited to the HealthExcellence Fund.

(c) (b) Beginning on July 1, 2012, after After allocation of money to the Bond Security and Redemption Fund as provided in Article VII, Section9(B)ofthis constitution, the state treasurer shall deposit in and credittothe Health Excellence Fund an amount equal to the revenues derived from the tax levied pursuant to R.S. 47:841(B) (3).

(4)(a) The TOPS Fund shall be established as aspecial fund within the Millennium Trust. The treasurer shall deposit in and credit to the TOPS Fund one- thirdofthe Settlement Agreement proceeds deposited into the Millennium Trust, and one-third of allinvestment earnings on the investment of the Millennium Trust. The treasurer shall report annually to the legislatureastothe amount of Millennium Trust investment earnings credited to the TOPS Fund.

(b) Beginning Fiscal Year 2011-2012, and each fiscal year thereafter,the The treasurer shall credit to the TOPS Fund one hundred percent of the Settlement Agreement proceeds deposited into the Millennium Trust, and one-third one-half of all investment earnings on the investment of the Millennium Trust. The treasurer shall report annually to the legislatureastothe amount of Millennium Trust Settlement Agreement proceeds and investment earnings credited to the TOPS Fund.

(c) Uponthe effective date of this Subsubparagraph, the state treasurer shall deposit,transfer,orotherwise credit funds in an amount equal to such Settlement Agreement proceeds deposited in and credited to the Millennium Trust received by the state between April 1, 2011 and the effective date of this Subsubparagraph to the TOPS Fund.

(B)Investment. Monies credited to the Millennium Trust pursuant to Paragraph (A)ofthis Sectionshall be invested by the treasurer with the same authority and subject to the same restrictions as the Louisiana EducationQuality Trust Fund. as provided by law However,the portion of monies in the Millennium Trust which may be invested in stock may be increased to no morethan fifty percent by aspecificlegislative instrument which receives afavorable vote of two-thirds of the elected members of each house of the legislature. The legislatureshall provide for procedures for the investment of such monies by law.The treasurer may contract, subject to the approval of the StateBond Commission, forthe management of such investments and, if acontract is entered into, amounts necessary to pay the costs of the contract shall be appropriated from the Millennium Trust.

(C)Appropriations. (1)(a) Appropriations from the Education Excellence Fund shall be limitedtoanannual amount not to exceed the estimated aggregate annual earnings from interest,dividends, and realized capital gains on investment of the trust allocated as provided by Paragraph (A)ofthis Sectionand as recognized by the Revenue Estimating Conference. Amountsdetermined to be available for appropriation shall be those aggregate investment earnings which areinexcess of an inflation factor as determined by the Revenue Estimating Conference. The amount of realized capital gains on investment which may be included in the aggregate earnings available for appropriation in any year shall not exceed the aggregate of earnings from interest and dividends for that year (b)(i) For Fiscal Year 2011-2012, appropriations from the Health Excellence Fund shall be limitedtoanannual amount not to exceed the estimated aggregate annual earnings from interest,dividends, and realized capital gains on investment of the trust and credited to the Health Excellence Fund as provided by Subsubparagraph (A) (2)(b) of this Sectionand as recognized by the Revenue Estimating Conference. (ii) For Fiscal Year 2012-2013, and each fiscal year thereafter appropriations Appropriations from the Health Excellence Fund shall be limited to an annual amount not to exceed the estimated aggregate annual earnings from interest,dividends, and realized capital gains on investment of the trust and credited to the HealthExcellence Fund as provided by Subsubparagraph (A)(2)(b) (A)(2)(a) of this Sectionand as recognized by the Revenue Estimating Conference and the amount of proceeds credited to and deposited into the Health Excellence Fund as provided by Subsubparagraph (A)(2)(c) (A)(2)(b)

its successor andisapproved by the legislatureinconformity with the provisions of Article VIII, Section 13(B). (c) Funding amounts required pursuant to the provisions of Item (a)(ii) of this Subparagraph shallbemaintainedfor each public school system at the level establishedfor thatsystem for the 20262027 school year until anew minimum foundation program formula thatincludesthe funding andpermanentsalary increase required pursuant to Subsubparagraph (a) of this Subparagraph is adopted by the State BoardofElementary andSecondary Education or its successor andisapproved by the legislatureinconformity with the provisions of Article VIII, Section 13(B). (3)For the purposes of this Paragraph,the following terms shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearlyindicates otherwise: (a) “Personnel” shall mean persons employed in the positions for whichanacross-the-board pay raise wasproposed in the Fiscal Year 2023-2024 minimum foundation program formula for that fiscal year andfor whicha stipend wasprovided for Fiscal Year 2024-2025 in ActNo. 4ofthe 2024 RegularSessionofthe Legislature (b) “Public school system” shall mean anycity,parish, or other local public school board; charter school; andany otherelementary or secondary school governing authority Section 2. Be it resolved by the Legislature of Louisiana,two-thirds of the members elected to each house concurring, thatthere shall be submitted to the electors of the state of Louisiana,for their approvalor rejection in the mannerprovided by law,aproposal to repeal Article VII, Sections 10(F)(4)(d), 10.1, 10.8(A)(3) and(C)(3), and10.16(A)(9). Section 3. Within twoweeks of the effective date of this Act, the Department of Education shall coordinate with the Department of Treasury to certify amounts maintainedinthe Education ExcellenceFund held to the creditofa political subdivision or school. The state treasurer is hereby authorized anddirected to transfertothe Overcollections Fund an amount equal to the totalcert fied balance. Notwithstanding anyprovision of constitution or lawtothe contrary,moniesheldinthe OvercollectionsFund pursuant to the provisions of this Section maybe withdrawnbythe Department of Education without appropriation in order to remit to each entity its certified amount prior to the endof fiscal year 2026-2027. Use of moniesreceived pursuant to the provisions of this Section shall be restricted to expenditurefor pre-kindergartenthrough twelfth grade instructionalenhancementfor students, including early childhood education programs focusedonenhancing the preparation of at-risk children for school, remedialinstruction, andassistance to children who fail to achieve the required scores on anytestspassage of whichare required pursuant to state laworrule for advancementto asucceeding grade or othereducational programs approvedbythe legislature. Expenditures for maintenance or renovation of buildings, capitalimprovements, andincreases in employee salaries areprohibited. Section 4. Within twoweeks of the effective date of this Act, the State BoardofElementary andSecondary Education andthe BoardofRegents shall each coordinate with the Department of Treasury to certify amounts maintained in the Louisiana Quality Education Support Fund held to the agency’scredit within the fund. The state treasurerishereby authorized anddirected to transfertothe OvercollectionsFund an amount equal to the certified balances of each agency.Moniesheldinthe Overcollections Fund for each agency shall be appropriatedand usedinaccordance with the following:

(A) HigherEducation. Moniesattributable to the certified balance of the BoardofRegents shall be appropriated to the Board of Regents and allocated for anyorall of the following highereducational purposes to enhanceeconomic development:

(1)The carefully defined research efforts of public andprivate universities in Louisiana

(2)The endowment of chairs for eminent scholars.

(3)The enhancementofthe quality of academic,research,or agriculturaldepartments or units within acommunity college,college or university.These funds shall not be usedfor athletic purposes or programs.

(4)The recruitment of superior graduate students.

(B)Elementary andSecondary Education. Moniesattributable to the State BoardofElementary andSecondary Education shall be appropriated to the State BoardofElementary andSecondary Education andallocated for anyorall of the following purposes:

(1)Toprovide compensation to city or parish school board professional instructionalemployees.

(2)Toinsureanadequate supply of superior textbooks, library books, equipment,and otherinstructionalmaterials.

(3)Tofund exemplary programs in elementary andsecondary schools designed to improve elementary or secondary studentacademic achievement or vocational-technical skill.

(4)Tofund carefully defined research efforts, including pilot programs, designed to improve elementary andsecondary studentacademic achievement.

(5)Tofund school remediation programs andpreschool programs.

(6)Tofund the teaching of foreign languagesinelementary and secondary schools.

(7)Tofund an adequatesupply of teachers by providing scholarships or stipends to prospective teachers in academic or vocational-technical areas where there is acritical teacher shortage.

Section 5.(A) Notwithstanding anyprovision of this Acttothe contrary anytransfer to the Teachers’ RetirementSystem of Louisiana pursuant to the provisions of this Actshall be netofamounts needed to satisfy the requirements of Sections 3and 4ofthis Actand amounts needed to satisfy 2025-2026 fiscal

10.1, 10.8(A)(3) and (C)(3), and 10.16(A)(9)) Proposed Amendment No. 4 Regular Session, 2025ACT No. 221HOUSE BILL NO.366 BY REPRESENTATIVE DESHOTEL

to ad valorem taxes; to authorize certain payments to certain parishes; to provide for theclassification of certain property; to authorize the exemption of certain property under certain circumstances; to provide for effectiveness; to provide for submission of the proposed amendment to the electors; and to provide for related matters.

Section 1. Be it resolved by the LegislatureofLouisiana, two-thirds of the members elected to each house concurring, that thereshall be submitted to the electors of the state of Louisiana, for their approval or rejection in the manner provided by law,aproposal to amend Article VII, Sections 10.15(F)(1) and 18(A) and (B) and to add Article VII, Sections 20.1, 20.2, and 21(P) of the ConstitutionofLouisiana,toread as follows: