The Advocate 03-31-2026

SAINTS COACH MOORE VAGUE

‘THIS IS HOME’

New coach Will Wade welcomes second chance with LSU basketball, sets goal to make Tigers ‘national force’

BY TOYLOY BROWN III Staff writer

LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry

didn’t hide from the face-lift the LSU men’s basketball program needed when he took over for predecessor Scott Woodward.

“I came here to a lot of (basketball) games lately,” Ausberry said. “It was half empty.”

The culture change started at Monday’s introductory news conference for returning coach Will Wade in front of excited fans, administrators and alumni at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

“In fact, there were more people here today, probably, than some of our last basketball games,” Ausberry said about Wade’s news conference. “So we had to change our culture.”

Wade is back in Baton Rouge after being fired for cause by LSU in 2022 over allegations of NCAA rule infractions. Wade the last coach to lead LSU to the NCAA Tournament, aims to get the Ti-

an introductory news conference on Monday.

gers back to March Madness and beyond after a two-year stint at McNeese State and, most recently, his lone season at NC State. Wade made the NCAA Tournament in all three seasons combined at

INSIDE

ä Scott Rabalais: Wade embodies LSU and wants to give school something back. Page 1C

ä Will Wade previews plan for next season’s staff, roster Page 1C

the two schools.

“Did I think this was possible?” Wade said about coming back to LSU. “I mean, I guess you never count anything out in life But when we left here, we never thought we’d be back. No, I wouldn’t say I thought it was possible.”

Wade’s return came together quickly Traction picked up Wednesday as LSU worked to hire McNeese State athletic director Heath Schroyer to become its senior deputy athletic director and executive director of external relations for the LSU system Schroyer hired Wade at McNeese in 2023 and also will reunite

ä See WADE, page 5A

High school students learn to fly

Program at Live Oak offers first step to pilot’s license

BY CLAIRE GRUNEWALD Staff writer

On a February afternoon, Luke Hetherwick took off flying in a Cessna 172 Skyhawk over the Mississippi River as Kaiten Campo manned the air traffic control station to ensure a safe flight. “I’m currently at 1,500, and

we’ve established two-way communication into Class C airspace,” Hetherwick said into his headset to Campo. After a few minutes of flying, Hetherwick began his descent with Campo checking to make sure the air space was clear for landing. Hetherwick smoothly touched down at Baton Rouge Metro Airport.

“He regularly sticks the landing — but it’s far more advantageous to crash in a simulation,” Campo said, because while the pair have aspirations to relive this exact

situation as professionals one day, they are now still only high school students who were using a flight simulator that afternoon inside a Livingston Parish classroom. Live Oak High School offers aviation classes to students like Hetherwick, a junior, and Campo, a senior, providing them with some pilot training for free. Students use certified flight simulators, watch training videos and hear from guest speakers, all to prepare for the Federal Aviation

ä See FLY, page 7A

a bill advancing in the Legislature with Gov Jeff Landry’s support. Instead, personal vehicles would just need a sticker that lists its vehicle identification number Drivers in some parts of the state, however, would still have to get

New LSU men’s basketball coach Will Wade greets the student section following

STAFF PHOTOS By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU President Wade Rousse, left, and athletic director Verge Ausberry, right, hold up a jersey as they introduce Will Wade as the new men’s basketball coach during a news conference on Monday.

Live Oak High School aviation students line up to poke their heads inside the cockpit of an Airbus H125 helicopter during a field trip on Wednesday.

STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Teams search for 27 after passenger boat sinks

PALU, Indonesia Rescue teams raced Monday to find 27 people missing after a passenger boat sank in rough seas on its way to a remote village in Indonesia.

The boat, the Nazila 05, was carrying 27 passengers and crew members when it departed Taliabu Island in North Maluku province just after dusk on Sunday. It was bound for Kema, a coastal village in the same province, said Muhammad Rizal, who heads the search and rescue office in Central Sulawesi’s Palu city, near where the boat sank.

He said the incident was first reported to authorities on Monday morning by the ship’s owner, Rifani Samatia, after the Nazila 05’s captain contacted him to report that the vessel’s bow had broken after it was hit by high waves during rough weather About 30 minutes later, the captain reported that the vessel had sunk.

“All 27 people aboard managed to evacuate using a longboat before the ship went down,” Rizal said. “However, their current location remains unknown.”

Gunmen kill at least 20 in Nigeria attack

ABUJA, Nigeria An attack on a community in Nigeria’s northcentral region left at least 20 people dead, residents and authorities said.

The attack occurred on Sunday night in Gari Ya Waye community in the Jos North area of Plateau state, Joyce Lohya Ramnap, the state commissioner for information, said in a statement. She did not give the number of casualties, but said there was “loss of lives” and injured.

No group has claimed responsibility, but residents said many gunmen on bikes shot sporadically into the community

Renoir, Cézanne, Matisse paintings stolen in Italy

ROME Thieves made off with three paintings worth millions of dollars from a museum near the city of Parma in northern Italy, police said Monday

The heist took place on the night of March 22-23 at theMagnani Rocca Foundation, a private museum, with thieves forcing open the entrance door police said.

The three stolen paintings are “Fish” by Auguste Renoir, “Still Life with Cherries” by Paul Cézanne, and “Odalisque on the Terrace” by Henri Matisse.

Local media reported that the thieves were able to nab the paintings in less than three minutes and escape across the museum gardens.

The museum believes a structured and organized gang was responsible for the theft, which was interrupted by the alarm, local media reported.

ASSOCIATED

Trump lobs more threats at Iran

Social media post promises widespread destruction if deal not reached ‘shortly’

BY JON GAMBRELL, JOSH BOAK and MIKE CORDER Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates

President Donald Trump on Monday threatened widespread destruction of Iran’s energy resources and other vital infrastructure, potentially including desalination plants that supply drinking water, if a deal to end the war is not reached shortly.”

Iran, meanwhile, struck a key water and electrical plant in Kuwait, and an oil refinery in Israel came under attack. Israel and the U.S. launched a new wave of strikes on Iran, as the war raged with no end in sight.

Trump’s new threat came in a social media post. Earlier comments to the Financial Times suggested American troops could seize Iran’s Kharg Island oil export hub. Trump has repeatedly claimed to be making diplomatic progress — though Tehran denies negotiating directly while ramping up his threats and sending thousands more U.S. troops to the Middle East.

Trump told the New York Post that the U.S is negotiating with Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf.

The former Revolutionary Guard commander, who has taunted the U.S. on social media, dismissed the talks facilitated by Pakistan as a cover for the latest American troop deployments.

In a social media post, Trump said “great progress is being made” in talks with Iran to end military operations. But he said if a deal is not reached “shortly,” and if the Strait of Hormuz is not immediately reopened, the U.S. would broaden its offensive by “completely obliterating” power plants, oil wells, Kharg Island and possibly even desalination plants.

The strait is a crucial waterway through which a fifth of the world’s oil is shipped in peacetime.

The laws of armed conflict allow attacks on civilian infrastructure such as energy plants only if the military advantage outweighs the civilian harm, legal scholars say It’s considered a high bar to clear,

Cuba to receive a

and causing excessive suffering to civilians can constitute a war crime.

The U.S. already has targeted military positions on Kharg. Iran has threatened to launch its own ground invasion of Gulf Arab countries and to mine the Persian Gulf if U.S. troops set foot on its territory

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said Tehran had received a 15-point proposal from the Trump administration containing “excessive, unrealistic and irrational” demands, while denying there had been any direct talks.

Qalibaf, the parliament speaker Trump says he is negotiating with, 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.

Twice during Trump’s second term, the U.S. has attacked Iran during high-level diplomatic talks, including with the Feb. 28 strikes that started the current war

sanctioned Russian oil tanker amid blockade

BY ANDREA RODRÍGUEZ Associated Press

Police: Student shoots teacher, self at Texas high school

BY JAMIE STENGLE Associated Press

A 15-year-old student shot a teacher at a Texas high school and then fatally shot himself Monday, according to authorities, who were still investigating what led to the early morning attack. No other injuries were reported at Hill Country College Preparatory High School in Bulverde, a small but growing city near San Antonio.

The teacher was taken to a nearby hospital. Comal County Sheriff Mark Reynolds said hours after the shooting that he did not know her condition

“What happened today is something no community ever wants to face, but we prepare for something that we hope never occurs,” Reynolds said

He said the student shot the teacher before turning the gun on himself Reynolds said investigators were working to understand the relationship between the student and the teacher and looking into how the firearm was obtained.

The small campus of roughly 250 students was placed on lockdown shortly after 8:30 a.m., according to the school One student told San Antonio television station KSAT that they heard loud bangs coming from a room on the second floor and then heard screaming.

Another student told the TV station that she heard five shots and yelling before her debate teacher told students to get inside a classroom.

The school canceled classes for Tuesday but counselors would still be made available for students and families, Principal Julie Wiley said in a statement.

China resumes direct flights to North Korea after 6 years

By The Associated Press

BEIJING China’s flag carrier resumed direct flights between Beijing and North Korea’s capital of Pyongyang on Monday not long after the restoration of passenger train services between the capitals.

The Air China flight was welcomed by the Chinese ambassador to North Korea, Wang Yajun, and other diplomats, according to Chinese state media.

Passenger train service from China to North Korea had resumed March 12. Flights and passenger trains to North Korea had been suspended since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. North Korean carrier Air Koryo resumed flights between the capitals in 2023. China is Pyongyang’s biggest trading partner and major ally, and Chinese tour groups had made up 90% of all visitors to North Korea prior to the ban.

A clown chants during a protest Monday outside the Ministry of Education in La Paz, Bolivia, against the government’s ban on holiday parties at schools during teaching hours. GET IN TOUCH

Clowns take to streets of Boliva to protest decree

LA PAZ, Bolivia Dozens of clowns marched through the streets of Bolivia’s capital on Monday to protest a government decree that limits extracurricular activities, threatening their livelihoods.

Wearing full face paint and their signature red noses, the clowns gathered in front of the Ministry of Education in La Paz to oppose a decree published in February The new mandate says schools must comply with 200 days of lessons each year effectively banning schools from hosting the special events where these entertainers are frequently employed.

“This decree will economically affect all of us who work with children,” said Wilder Ramírez, a leader of the local clown union, who also goes by the name of Zapallito. The clown told journalists that “children need to laugh” while his colleagues wondered out loud if Bolivia’s Education Minister had ever had a childhood. BRIEFS

HAVANA Cuba prepared Monday to receive a sanctioned Russian tanker carrying roughly 730,000 barrels of oil, the first such fuel delivery this year to the island that has been brought to its knees by a U.S. oil blockade. It comes a day after President Donald Trump told reporters he had “no problem” with the Russian oil tanker delivering relief to Cuba. There were conflicted reports about the exact location of the Russianflagged Anatoly Kolodkin. While the Russian Transport Ministry and the state-run news portal Cubadebate said the vessel had already arrived, shiptracking data showed it was still navigating Cuban waters with an estimated docking time of Tuesday Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Monday that Russia had previously discussed its oil shipment to Cuba with the United States. “Russia considers it its duty not to stand aside, but to provide the necessary assistance to our Cuban friends,” he told reporters. The tanker’s final destination is the port of Matanzas, a strategic hub for an island that produces

ASSOCIATED

One of two sailboats carrying humanitarian aid organized by activists with an international organization that departed from Mexico arrives in Havana on Saturday.

barely 40% of its required fuel and relies on imports to sustain its energy grid.

Experts say the anticipated shipment could produce about 180,000 barrels of diesel, enough to feed Cuba’s daily demand for nine or 10 days.

Asked about Trump’s decision to allow the Russian oil tanker and not ones from other nations, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday called it “a decision that will continue to be made on a case-bycase basis for humanitarian reasons or otherwise,” adding that “there’s been no firm change in our sanctions policy.” Trump, whose government has come at its Ca-

ribbean adversary more aggressively than any U.S. government in recent history, has effectively cut Cuba off from key oil shipments in an effort to force regime change.

The blockade has had devastating effects on the civilians Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio say they want to help The Trump administration is demanding that Cuba’s government end political repression and liberalize its economy in return for a lifting of sanctions.

Islandwide blackouts have roiled Cubans who have grappled with years of crisis, and a lack of gasoline and basic resources has crippled hospitals and slashed public transport.

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ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By HASSAN AMMAR

Portraits of Hezbollah’s late leaders Hassan Nasrallah, right, and his cousin Hashem Safieddine are shrouded in smoke following an Israeli airstrike Monday in Dahiyeh, Beirut’s southern suburbs, Lebanon.

PRESS PHOTO By RAMON ESPINOSA

PRESS PHOTO

Gulf allies privately make case to Trump to keep fighting

BY AAMER MADHANI, SAMY MAGDY, MATTHEW LEE and SAM MEDNICK Associated Press

WASHINGTON Gulf allies of the United States, led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, are urging President Donald Trump to continue prosecuting the war against Iran, arguing that Tehran hasn’t been weakened enough by the monthlong U.S.-led bombing campaign, according to U.S., Gulf and Israeli officials.

After private grumbling at the start of the war that they were not given adequate advance notice of the U.S.Israeli attack and complaining the U.S. had ignored their warnings that the war would have devastating consequences for the entire region, some of the regional allies are making the case to the White House that the moment offers a historic opportunity to cripple Tehran’s clerical rule once and for all.

Officials from Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain have conveyed in private conversations that they do not want the military operation to end until there are significant changes in the Iranian leadership or there’s a dramatic shift in Iranian behavior, according to the officials, who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The push from the Gulf nations comes as Trump vacillates between claiming that

from his home in Florida.

“They’re all fighting back.”

The Gulf countries host U.S. forces and bases from which the U.S. has launched strikes on Iran, but have not joined the offensive strikes.

Varying support

While regional leaders are broadly supportive now of the U.S. efforts, one Gulf diplomat described some division, with Saudi Arabia and the UAE leading the calls for increasing military pressure on Tehran.

neutralize Iran’s nuclear program, destroy its ballistic missile capabilities, end Tehran’s support for proxy groups, and also ensure that the Strait of Hormuz cannot be effectively shutdown by the Islamic Republic in the future as it has during the conflict About 20% of the world’s oil flowed through the waterway before the war

State Marco Rubio on Monday underscored that the U.S. and its Gulf Arab allies are in sync about Iran.

structure.

Iran’s decimated leadership is ready to settle the conflict and threatening to further escalate the war if a deal is not reached soon

All the while, Trump is struggling to rally public support at home for a war that’s left more than 3,000 dead across the Mideast and is shaking the global economy. Yet the U.S leader is sounding increasingly confident that he has the full support of his most important Mideast allies including some that were hesitant about a new military campaign in the lead-up to the war

“Saudi Arabia’s fighting back hard. Qatar is fighting back. UAE is fighting back. Kuwait’s fighting back Bahrain’s fighting back,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday evening as he made his way to Washington

The UAE has emerged as perhaps the most hawkish of the Gulf countries and is pushing hard for Trump to order a ground invasion, the diplomat said. Kuwait and Bahrain also favor this option. The UAE, which has faced more than 2,300 missile and drone attacks from Iran, has only grown more irritated as the war grinds on and the salvos threaten to tarnish its image as the safe, pristine and monied hub for trade and tourism of the Mideast.

Oman and Qatar, which historically have played the role of intermediary between the long economically isolated Iran and the West, have favored a diplomatic solution.

The diplomat said Saudi Arabia has argued to the U.S. that ending the war now won’t produce a “good deal,” one guaranteeing security for Iran’s Arab neighbors.

The Saudis say an eventual war settlement must

Build America, Buy America law spurs construction delays

BY CHARLOTTE KRAMON

Associated Press/Report for America

It has a catchy name — Build America, Buy America — and the lauded goal of bringing manufacturing jobs back to the United States.

But the law has spurred a bottleneck for affordable housing.

Nearly everything from HVACs and lighting to sink hooks and ceiling fans in affordable housing projects that get federal dollars must be produced in the United States. But, developers say, numerous products do not, as they have long been imported from overseas markets with cheaper labor costs.

Although builders can apply for waivers, the process has been at a near standstill as the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which has had its staff slashed by the Trump administration, has only greenlit a handful of projects.

The waiver process has caused construction delays and hundreds of thousands of dollars in extra costs as the country faces an affordable housing crisis

“They need to be treating this like the fire that it is,” said Tyler Norod, president of Westbrook Development Corporation, which builds affordable housing in Maine.

“We’ve sort of resigned ourselves that we’re just gonna build less units across the entire country during a housing crisis.”

Diana Lene has been on affordable housing waitlists for the past five years. The 75-year-old loves living close to her daughter and grandchildren in Fargo, North Dakota, but her apartment is too expensive on her Social Secu-

rity income.

“It’s just maxing my budget down to pennies,” she said. To save money she avoids driving often and buys food on sale.

“I’m just trying to keep a roof over my head, but it’s getting more and more difficult,” Lene said. “I don’t like to live in fear, and yet sometimes it jumps in there.”

Lene is on a waitlist for one of nonprofit developer Beyond Shelter’s apartments.

CEO Dan Madler is building a 36-unit building for people like Lene, but he had to postpone lumber orders to verify they comply with the law and can’t find ceiling fans made in America. He doesn’t know when HUD will approve a waiver

U.S. President Joe Biden signed the Build America, Buy America Act as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in 2021, building on longstanding efforts to boost American manufacturing at a time when the U.S. economy was emerging from a pandemic-era recession Known as BABA it applies to infrastructure projects funded by federal agencies, not just affordable housing.

Denver developer Julie Hoebel says she has spent over $60,000 just on a consultant to comb through websites and call suppliers to try to find American-made materials, not to mention the additional labor costs involved.

But the waivers she submitted to HUD in November for around 125 materials in an 85-unit building haven’t been approved.

“If they take much longer then we’ll come to a standstill,” she said.

HUD is taking at least six months to approve many

waivers.

Even BABA advocates agree HUD must grant waivers more quickly and give the industry clearer instructions on how to prepare them, which they note other federal agencies are doing.

HUD did not address questions from The Associated Press about waiver approval delays developers say increase costs, as well as concerns about making the process more transparent. In a statement it said it’s committed to “ensuring that federal spending supports America’s industrial base” while “closely monitoring how compliance with these policies impact costs for builders.”

Asked in January about whether the delays and cost increases mean affordable housing should be exempt from BABA rules, HUD Secretary Scott Turner said the agency was looking into the issue, but did not provide details. We are looking at this with BABA as it pertains to HUD to provide flexibility to certain projects in certain places around our country,” Turner said, adding that HUD is committed to assuring developers get “the flexibility they need as it pertains to building.”

The law itself isn’t the problem, supporters say Unions representing the steel and manufacturing industries say taxpayer dollars should fund American-made materials and suppliers will adjust to meet demand for products that aren’t available.

“You’ve got a system in place that leans heavily on using imported materials to make a better profit,” said Scott Paul, president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing. “I don’t know if that serves the public good.”

Achieving those goals would require a sharp course correction by the theocracy that has been in charge of the country since the 1979 Islamic Revolution or its removal.

Senior Emirati officials, meanwhile, have become more pointed in their rhetoric toward Iran.

“An Iranian regime that launches ballistic missiles at homes, weaponizes global trade and supports proxies is no longer an acceptable feature of the regional landscape,” Noura Al Kaabi, a minister of state at the UAE’s Foreign Ministry, wrote in a column published Monday by the state-linked, English-language newspaper The National. She added: “We want a guarantee that this will never happen again.”

The White House declined to comment for this story about the deliberations with Gulf allies. But Secretary of

“They are religious zealots who can never be allowed to possess a nuclear weapon because they have an apocalyptic vision of the future,” Rubio said of Iran in an appearance on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” “And all of their neighbors know that, by the way which is why all of their neighbors have been supportive of the efforts we’re conducting.”

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto leader, has told White House officials that a further defanging of Iran’s military capabilities and clerical leadership serves the long-term interest of the Gulf region and beyond, according to a person who has been briefed on the conversations.

Still, the Saudis are sensitive to the fact that the longer the conflict goes on the more opportunity Iran has to carry out strikes on the kingdom’s energy infrastructure, the heartbeat of its oil-rich economy

A Saudi government official underscored that the kingdom ultimately wants to see a political solution to the crisis, but its immediate focus remains safeguarding its people and critical infra-

Trump, in recent days, has sought to spotlight that most of the Gulf countries have stood in lockstep with his administration as the U.S prosecutes the war, noting how they’ve coalesced in the thick of crisis as he criticizes NATO allies for not joining the U.S. in the fight. On Friday, he heaped praise on Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates for showing “bravery” as the war has unfolded.

The president, speaking at an event in Miami sponsored by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, was particularly effusive about the Saudi crown prince, hailing him as a “warrior” and a “fantastic man.”

Trump also alluded to the fact that the Gulf countries were hesitant about his and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to launch the war, but have since rallied.

“They weren’t thinking this was going to happen, nobody was,” said Trump, referring to Iran launching thousands of retaliatory salvos around the Gulf. “And they turned against them and really became very powerfully aligned. And they were with us, but they weren’t with us very obliquely They were with us.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO President Donald Trump waves to the media on the South Lawn on Sunday as he arrives at the White House.

Israel parliament passes deathpenalty forPalestinians

BY JULIA FRANKEL Associated Press

JERUSALEM Israel’sparliament on Monday passed alaw approving the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of murdering Israelis, ameasure that has been harshly condemned by the international community and rights groups as discriminatory and inhumane.

The law makes the death penalty —byhanging the default punishment for West Bank Palestinians convicted of nationalistic killings. It also gives Israeli courts the option of imposing the death penalty on Israeli citizens convicted on similar charges— language that legal experts say effectively confines

those who can besentenced to death to Palestiniancitizens ofIsrael and excludes Jewish citizens. It will not apply retroactivelytoany prisoners Israel currently holds, including the Hamas-led militants who attacked thecountry on Oct. 7, 2023, triggeringthe IsraelHamas war in the Gaza Strip.

Minutes after thebill passed, the Association of Civil RightsinIsrael said it had already petitioned Israel’shighest court to challengethe law.Itcalled thelegislation “discriminatory by design”and said the parliament hadenacted it “without legal authority” over West BankPalestinians, who are not Israeli citizens.

Spainclosesoff airspace to U.S. planes involved in Iran war

BY SUMAN NAISHADHAM Associated Press

MADRID Spainclosed its airspace to U.S. planes involved in the Iran war officials said Monday,in anotherstepbyEurope’s loudest critic of U.S. and Israeli military actions in the monthlong conflict.

The country earlier said that the U.S. couldn’tuse jointlyoperated military bases in the war,which Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has described as illegal, reckless and unjust.

Defense Minister Margarita Robles said that the same logic applied to the use of Spanish airspace.

“This was made perfectly clear to the American military andforces from thevery beginning. Therefore, neither the bases are authorized, nor,ofcourse, is the use of Spanishairspace authorized for any actions related to the war in Iran,” Robles told reporters, describing the conflict as “profoundly illegal and profoundly unjust.”

Sánchez has called on the U.S., Israel and Iran to end the war “You cannot respond to oneillegality with another, because that’show humanity’sgreat disasters begin,” he said earlier this month

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Spain’sleaders are “bragging” about cutting off its airspace, even as Washington has pledged to defend theNATOmember.He said that the trans-Atlantic military alliance is useful

for the U.S., because it “allows us to station troops and aircraft and weapons in parts of the world that we wouldn’tnormally have bases, and that includesin much of Europe.”

“But if NATO is just aboutusdefendingEurope if they’re attacked, but then denying us basing rights when we need them, that’snot avery good arrangement,” Rubio told Al Jazeera on Monday.“That’s ahard one to stay engaged in andsay this is good for theUnited States.So allof that is goingtohavetobe reexamined.”

After Sánchez’sgovernment denied the U.S. use of theRotaand Morón militarybases in southern Spain, PresidentDonald Trump threatened to cut tradewith Madrid. Washington made trade threats last year,too, when Sánchez saidthat hisgovernment wouldn’t increase its defense spending in accordancewith a deal agreed to by other NATO members following Trump’spressure.

At the time, Sánchez’s government saidthat Spain couldmeet its military commitments by spending2.1% of grossdomestic productondefense, instead of the5% therest of the 32-nation military alliance agreed upon. Sánchez also hasbeen among the most vocal criticsofIsrael’sactions during the war in Gaza, which hasinvited criticismfrom Israel’s government on several occasions.

ActivistsinHaiti say at least30are dead in gang attack on town

BYEVENS SANON Associated Press

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti At least 30 people were dead and dozens more missing on Monday after agang renewed its attack on atown in central Haiti, according to human rights activists.

Gran Grif attacked Petite-Rivière de l’Artibonite early Sunday,burning homes and leaving bodies strewn on the streets. The gang attacked again on Monday,said Bertide Horace, spokesperson for the Commission for Dialogue, Reconciliation andAwareness to Save theArtibonite, an activist group. She told The Associated Press that the gang remained in control of the Jean-Denis neighborhood and set up roadblocks.

“The area is completely deserted,” she said by phone. “Only the gangs

NASA begins thecountdown

DOJsues Minn.over transgender athletes

BY STEVE KARNOWSKI Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS— The Trump administration sued Minnesota and its school athletics governing body on Monday,carrying outathreat to punish the state for allowing transgenderathletes to compete in girls sports.

Thelawsuitispart of abroader fight over the rights of transgender youth. More than two dozen states have laws prohibiting transgender women andgirls from participating in certainsports and somehave barred gender-affirming surgeries for minors. Courts have blocked someofthose policies.

In the lawsuit filed Monday,the Justice Department alleges the state Department of Education and the Minnesota State High School League are violating TitleIX, afederal lawagainst sexdiscrimination in educational programsthat receive federal money

have control.” She saidher organization has collected at least 30 bodies andwas investigating reports ofpeoplemissing. Antonal Mortimé, ahuman rightslawyer and coexecutivedirector of the Défenseurs Plus human rights group, told Radio Caraïbes that 70 people were believed killed, based on reports from activists on theground

Haiti’sNationalPolice said officers backed by Kenyan police leadinga U.N.-supported mission helped rescue peopleinthe Jean-Denisneighborhood butwere delayed because gangs haddug large holes to prevent policefrom entering.

Gangs control an estimated 90% of thecapital, Portau-Prince, and have seized control of swathsoflandin Haiti’scentral region

BY MARCIA DUNN AP aerospace writer

CAPE CANAVERAL,Fla. NASA began the countdown Monday for humanity’sfirst launch to the moon in 53 years.

The32-storySpace Launch System rocket is poised to blast off Wednesday evening withfour astronauts. After a dayinorbitaroundEarth,their Orion capsule will propel them to themoon and back. There arenostops —just aquick U-turn around the moon. The nearly 10-dayflight will endwith a splashdown in the Pacific.

“Our team has worked extremely hard to getustothismoment,” said launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson. “Certainly all indications are right now we are in excellent, excellent shape.” Managerssaid the rocket is doing well followingthe latestround of repairs. Forecasters said the weathershould cooperate. NASA’s Artemis II mission should have soared in February,but was

FBI: Mich. synagogue attacker inspired by Hezbollah

BY COREYWILLIAMS Associated Press

DETROIT— Aman who crashed his pickup truckinto aDetroit-area synagogue earlier in March was carrying outanattackinspired by the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah and had sought to inflict as much damage as possible, the FBI said Monday.

Ayman Ghazali made avideo before the attack at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, saying he wanted to “kill as many of them as I possibly can,” saidJennifer Runyan, head of the FBIin Detroit.

Ghazali, 41, satinthe parking lotfor afew hours on March12before smashing his F150 through doors and into the hallway of an early childhood education area, striking asecurity guard. He thenexchanged gunfire with another guard before fatally shooting himself. No oneelse among the 150 children and staff was injured. It was a“Hezbollah-inspired act of terrorismpurposely targeting theJewish community and the largest Jewishtemple in Michigan,” Runyansaid. She cited videos andother images discovered on Ghazali’ssocial media accounts in which he embraced vengeance and Hezbollah’smilitantideology.Runyan said he searched for Michigan synagogues and Jewishcultural sites afew days before the attack before settlingon Temple Israel.

Ghazali’sFord F150 was stocked with commercialgrade fireworks and containers with more than 30 gallons of gasoline.There was afire in the truck’sengine but no explosion.

grounded by hydrogen fuel leaks. The leaks werefixed, but then ahelium pressurization line became clogged, forcing areturn to thehangar late last month. The rocket returned to thepad 11/2 weeks ago, and its U.S.-Canadian crew arrived at thelaunch site on Friday

Unlike Apollo, which sent only men to the moon from 1968 through 1972, Artemis’ debut crew includes awoman, person of color and anon-U.S. citizen.

ArtemisII’spilot Victor Glover said over the weekend that he wants young people to seethem and think, “Girl power and that’s awesome, andthatyoung brownboysand girlscan look at me and go ‘Hey,helooks like me and he’sdoing what?’”

At the same time, Glover,who is Black, looksforwardtowhen“oneday we don’thave to talk about these firsts” and exploring the cosmos becomes an all-encompassing “human history.” NASAhas thefirst six days of April to launchArtemis II before standing down until theend of the month.

“The Trump Administrationdoes not tolerate flawed state policies that ignore biological reality andunfairly undermine girlsonthe playing field,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi saidina statement. Democratic Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison called the lawsuit “a sad attempt to getattention” over an issue that has already been in litigation for months. He said he’ll keep fighting.

“It is astonishing that any president would try to target, shame and harass children just trying to be themselves, letalone apresident withsomany actual problems to address,” Ellison saidina statement.

The administration hasfiledsimilarlawsuitsagainstMaine andCalifornia,and hasthreatened thefederal funding of some universities over transgender athletes, including San Jose State in California and the University of Pennsylvania. Ellison filed apreemptive lawsuit last April, saying Minnesota’s human rights act supersedes executive orders issued by President Donald Trump last year

with LSU President Wade Rousse, who held the same position at McNeese before taking over at LSU last year

“There wasn’t some formal interview process,” Wade said. “We all know each other We’ve all known each other for a long time. Really, what’s today, Monday? It really pretty much kicked into gear on Wednesday of last week. That was pretty much when the first contact was made, and that was when the process started. But because of everybody’s familiarity with each other, it moved pretty quick.”

Ausberry said Wade was the only coach the university targeted and spoke to about the position Wade previously led LSU (201722) to three NCAA Tournament appearances in five seasons, with an overall record of 105-51 and a Southeastern Conference record of 56-33.

Wade doesn’t foresee it taking long to return the basketball program back to where he feels it should be — competing for national titles.

“We’re going to build a winning program, and we’re going to build this thing quick,” Wade said “This is not something that’s going to take long. We’re coming back to try to hang a banner, win a national championship or I’m going to be the first coach fired from the same school twice.”

Wade didn’t shy away from his past at LSU. He said the LSU jersey he was given to take a picture with, which had the No. 26 to signify the year of his return, should also have No 22 since that’s when his first stint ended.

Rousse connected the success Wade had at McNeese with what he believes will occur at LSU.

Wade led McNeese (2023-25) to regular-season and Southland Conference Tournament championships to earn an NCAA Tournament berth in each of his two seasons there.

“The way I look at this is what we had at McNeese, we did it on a regional scale,” Wade said. “We can

One word that was repeated by multiple people Monday was “alignment.”

AIRPORTS

Continued from page 1A

were back to normal and running around 15 to 20 minutes or less.

In Houston, which last week required up to four hours to clear security the international airport reported waits of less than 10 minutes in some of its terminals on Monday

The Department of Homeland Security has been under fire for some time over how federal agents rounded up people suspected of entering the country illegally After two American citizens were killed by officers in Minneapolis, Democrats demanded changes to enforcement procedures and operations.

They refused to fund the department until immigration restrictions were instituted, causing the shutdown.

After negotiations stalled, President Donald Trump ordered the Department of Homeland Security to pay TSA agents some of the $170 billion the department had on hand from last summer’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act

The department also over-

STICKERS

Continued from page 1A

inspections.

New Orleans, Kenner and Westwego have their own rules requiring the stickers — which locals famously call “brake tags” and those would “still be allowed to continue as they are,” Office of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Keith Neal said.

And, emissions testing would still be required for drivers in several Baton Rouge-area parishes because of a federal air quality order under the Clean Air Act. Those parishes are Ascension, East Baton Rouge, Iberville, Livingston and West Baton Rouge. Commercial vehicles and school buses would still be required to do regular safety inspections. House Bill 838, sponsored by Rep. Larry Bagley, RStonewall, would set a $6 annual cost for the new VIN sticker, and the fee would be assessed and collected by the Office of Motor Vehicles during registrations and registration renewals.

For example, someone who renews a vehicle registration every two years would pay $12 and someone who renews every four

sees other offices, such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Coast Guard, which were not included in the order And the pay for TSA officers is only temporary and still would require Congress to approve funding for the next fiscal year

DHS appropriations are on the agenda with no clear resolution when the House and Senate return to Capitol Hill in mid-April.

A resolution to the funding impasse fell apart Friday. Senate Republicans unanimously passed a bill that would have funded for a short time all of Homeland Security except for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said on the Senate floor that it was a pragmatic way to get Homeland Security employees paid while working out the immigration enforcement issues that have held up the department’s annual appropriation.

Instead of approving the Senate deal, House Republicans narrowly passed an alternative that would fully fund Homeland Security, in-

years would pay $24. “The good thing about it is you won’t have to go get a sticker,” Bagley told members of the House transportation committee. “It’ll simplify many things.”

For most parishes, inspection stickers would no longer be required effective Jan. 1. Starting June 30, law enforcement would be prohibited from issuing citations for not having an inspection sticker In the five-parish capital region that’s subject to federal emissions testing requirements, the law would take effect once the Environmental Protection Agency approves the change.

The House transportation committee approved the bill Monday without objection. The new stickers would contain a QR code that, when scanned, lists the VIN.

“The only thing that’ll be in that QR code is the VIN,” Evelina Broussard, chief information officer for the state’s Office of Technology Service, told lawmakers on Monday Bagley in an interview said having the 17-digit VIN accessible to law enforcement through a QR code allows them to more easily enter it into the systems they use for ticketing or other searches, rather than enter it manually

take that same formula with more resources and more support just because of the financial aspect of it all and move that to LSU, and we can make us a national force.”

There’s also alignment from the notion Wade simply fits Louisiana culture with his spirit and attitude.

“I understand, I’m not for everybody, and we understand also that LSU isn’t for everybody,” Wade said. “But one thing we both un-

cluding ICE and CBP, without allowing any concessions to immigration law enforcement activities.

“I’m quite convinced that it can’t be that every Senate Republican read the language of this bill,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, RBenton, told reporters Friday

“Well, we actually read their bill,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, RJefferson, told ABC News’ “This Week” on Sunday “One of the things that we had real concerns with is it actually defunds over 25% of the baseline operations of the Department of Homeland Security — 25% at a time when we’re at a heightened threat level.”

Without an agreement between House and Senate Republicans, Congress left Washington for two weeks.

TSA agents, whose average salary is about $50,000 annually, were last paid on Feb. 14. As “essential employees” they were required to work without pay during the shutdown. Most received a partial paycheck on Feb. 28, then missed both paychecks in March.

This came after they weren’t paid for 43 days

Landry called for eliminating inspection stickers in his “State of the State” speech to open the legislative session earlier this month.

“It’s time to eliminate the inspection sticker and stop this major inconvenience for Louisiana drivers!”

Landry posted on X Monday after the bill passed out of committee.

Landry previously said the state may eventually use the sticker to display insurance coverage information.

Asked about the plan to display insurance information, Bagley said it is not currently part of the legislation, though it “possibly could” be in the future.

Bagley, who has served as a state representative for 11 years, said he’s been trying to pass the legislation since his second year at the Capitol.

Landry’s support of the measure is what’s made the difference this year he said.

“He’s saying he’s going to change Louisiana for the better; we’re going to see a lot of changes,” Bagley said of Landry “This is one of them.”

Bagley said so far this year there’s been no opposition to his bill.

“Why would you want to fight a first-term governor that’s popular when you know there’s probably not much you can do?” he said.

derstand is I’m for LSU and LSU is for me, and make no mistake about that.

“This is home. I wasn’t born in Louisiana, but Louisiana is home for me and my family.” Wade said he wants to bring joy back to the PMAC and not have the men’s basketball program be a “stopgap” between football and baseball seasons.

“I’m honored to be your coach and represent this state and this great school. It’s the honor of a lifetime to be back.

“You never get second chances in life, but we get one here and we’re going to make this better than the first time.”

“We have a lot of work to do, but I promise you we’re going to get this program back to the NCAA Tournament and back to the top of the SEC in short order,” he said.

when most of the federal government was shut down in October and much of November About 1,100 workers left TSA employment during that time period.

Homeland Security reports about 500 agents have quit since the February shutdown. About 12% of the transportation security officers have called in sick or otherwise missed their shifts, causing slowdowns

in the required screening of passengers before boarding flights. At some airports, like New Orleans, up to 40% of the TSA workers were not on duty at some points.

White House border czar

Tom Homan told CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday that paying TSA officers should relieve the delays at the airport.

“It’s good news, because these TSA officers are strug-

gling. They can’t feed their families or pay the rent,” Homan said. “They’re sitting there right now, working very hard, not being paid by members of Congress (who are) out on vacation getting paid. It’s ridiculous.” Staff writer Marco Cartolano contributed to this report. Email Mark Ballard at mballard@theadvocate. com.

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

New LSU men’s basketball coach Will Wade poses for photos after Monday’s introductory news conference.

BUSINESS

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Stocks swing through another shaky day

NEW YORK U.S. stocks swung Monday as oil prices kept climbing because of uncertainty about when the war with Iran could end.

The S&P 500 slipped 0.4% and deepened its loss since the war began to pull 9.1% below its record set early this year

The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 49 points, or 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite fell 0.7%.

Caution was prevalent throughout financial markets. After jumping to an initial gain of 0.9%, the S&P 500 quickly erased nearly all of it before seesawing lower Stock indexes rose in Europe but fell sharply in some Asian markets, while the price for a barrel of benchmark U.S. crude rose 3.3% to settle at $102.88

The mixed movements followed a whirlwind of action in the war over the weekend, including an entry into the fighting by Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Shortly before the U.S stock market opened for trading Monday, President Donald Trump said on his social media network that “great progress has been made” with “A NEW AND MORE REASONABLE, REGIME to end our Military Operations in Iran.”

But he also threatened the possibility of “blowing up and completely obliterating” Iranian power plants if a deal is not reached shortly and if the Strait of Hormuz, an integral waterway for the flow of oil, is not opened immediately.

Sysco to buy Restaurant Depot in $29B deal

NEW YORK Sysco, the nation’s largest food distributor, will acquire supplier Restaurant Depot in a deal worth more than $29 billion.

The acquisition would create a closer link between Sysco and its customers, who right now turn to Restaurant Depot for supplies needed quickly in an industry segment known as “cash-and-carry wholesale.”

Sysco, based in Houston, serves more than 700,000 restaurants, hospitals, schools and hotels, supplying them with everything from butter and eggs to napkins.

Those goods are typically acquired ahead of time based on how much traffic restaurants typically see. Restaurant Depot offers memberships to mom-and-pop restaurants and other businesses, giving them access to warehouses stocked with supplies for when they run short of what they’ve purchased from suppliers like Sysco.

It is a fast-growing and highmargin segment that will likely mean thousands of restaurants will rely increasingly on Sysco for day-to-day needs.

Restaurant Depot shareholders will receive $21.6 billion in cash and 91.5 million Sysco shares. Based on Sysco’s closing share price of $81.80 as of March 27, the deal has an enterprise value of about $29.1 billion.

Air Canada CEO to retire following crash

TORONTO Air Canada announced Monday its CEO will retire later this year after Michael Rousseau was criticized for his English-only message of condolence following this month’s deadly crash in New York.

Canada’s largest airline, based in French-speaking Quebec, said Rousseau told the board he will leave by the end of the third quarter Canada is an officially bilingual nation, and Prime Minister Mark Carney said Rousseau’s decision to retire is “appropriate.” “It is essential that the next CEO of Air Canada is bilingual,” Carney said. Carney had said the Englishonly message showed a lack of compassion and judgment. Quebec’s premier and others called on the airline executive to resign.

BY MICHAEL CASEY Associated Press

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Monday that it is important to closely monitor inflation amid a spike in energy prices from the Iran war Powell, who spoke before nearly 400 students at Harvard University as gas prices inched toward an average of $4 per gallon in the U.S., said there wasn’t a lot Fed policymakers could do since energy shocks “tend to come and

go pretty quickly” and monetary maneuvers work over the longerterm. But a series of energy shocks, nevertheless, could be concerning.

cial intelligence and that while employment is historically low, there is very little job creation right now

“You have to carefully monitor inflation expectations because you could have a series of big supply shocks and that can lead, you know, the public generally, businesses, price setters, households to start expecting higher inflation over time. Why wouldn’t it?” Powell said.

In wide-ranging remarks, Powell acknowledged young graduates were entering a challenging job market. He noted the role of artifi-

DOUBLE IMPACT

Rising gasoline prices hurting those who use personal vehicles for work

BY DEE-ANN DURBIN and MATT SEDENSKY AP business writers

Leslie Sherman-Shafer, an Uber driver in the San Francisco Bay Area, likes to start each shift with a full tank of gas. It used to cost her around $25 to fill up her Toyota Corolla. She’s spent closer to $40 since the Iran war began and pushed up the average U.S. price for a gallon of regular gasoline by $1. Sherman-Shafer, a retired dental office assistant who picks up Uber passengers five days a week said she’s putting in extra hours to cover the difference.

“We don’t get reimbursed for gas. We rely on the generosity of the tip,” Sherman-Shafer said. Some passengers have tipped more to compensate for higher gas prices, but most don’t tip at all, she said.

Driving a car, van or truck is a big part of many Americans’ workdays. Nearly 27% of civilian workers cited driving as a physical demand of their jobs last year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Millions of drivers use personal vehicles for their work, from delivery and ride-share providers like Sherman-Shafer to self-employed electricians, nannies, home health care aides and real estate agents.

As the war enters a fifth week and continues to disrupt global oil supplies, many of those workers are now scrambling to make ends meet The national average price for gas reached $3.99 per gallon on Monday, up 34% from a month earlier, according to AAA.

“With everything going up, it’s impossible to save a dime,” Sherman-Shafer said. Some companies compensate employees for using their own vehicles, including the cost of gas. In the U.S., the Internal Revenue Service sets a standard mileage rate every year that businesses and private contractors can use to calculate tax deductions Alpine Maids, a housekeeping company based in Denver, pays cleaners the 2026 federal reimbursement rate of 72.5 cents per mile for the distance they drive to clients’ homes.

But with gas prices spiking, that money is not going as far said Chris Willatt, a former geologist who now runs Alpine Maids.

“Our maids drive their own cars, so it’s kind of like their paycheck got smaller,” Willatt said “They’re all upset.”

Willatt said he reduced how often maids must report to the office, from daily to once a

The U.S. job market has been lackluster for the past year Employers added fewer than 10,000 jobs a month in 2025 — the weakest hiring outside a recession since 2002. This year began with a strong 126,000 new jobs in January but the United States whipsawed to 92,000 job losses the following month. Economists refer to a low-hire, low-fire job market in which companies are hesitant to add staff but don’t want to let go of the workers

that they have That’s made it especially hard for young people to find employment. There’s some concern that artificial intelligence is taking over entry-level work that previously would have gone to young jobseekers, or that companies are reluctant to make hiring decisions until they better understand how they are going to use AI. Powell said he was optimistic over the medium- to long-term, noting that history has shown that technological innovations have repeatedly raised living standards and increased production. Largelanguage models, he said, make people, including himself, more productive.

week, and rejiggered cleaning assignments so employees aren’t driving as far between clients If gas prices climb further, he said he might increase what he charges customers so he can pay workers more.

Molly Kenefick, the owner of Doggy Lama Pet Care Inc. in Oakland, California, said she recently raised her gas reimbursement rate to 80 cents per mile for 15 employees who use their own vehicles to pick up dogs and take them for hikes around the Bay Area. The rate increase will stay in place until gas prices in their area drop below $5 for at least a month, she said.

Kenefick said she planned to raise prices for the company’s services in May But she doesn’t want to increase them too much because she’s worried she’ll lose clients So Kenefick is also dipping into her savings to pay for gas.

“The economy is hard for people Everybody’s under strain,” she said. “I can take some of the load and the company can take some of the load, provided this doesn’t go on too long.”

Ride-hailing and food delivery platforms that rely on gig workers don’t reimburse drivers for gas, but some are offering temporary incentives in response to rising gas prices. DoorDash, Uber, Lyft and Instacart are providing more than the usual cash back on gas purchases for drivers who use company-branded debit cards. DoorDash and Instacart are giving a weekly fuel payment

to drivers who travel 125 miles or more making deliveries.

Sarah Noell, who spends about 20 hours a week making deliveries for DoorDash in Lynchburg, Virginia, said the measures help somewhat. But she said she’s noticed more customers declining to add tips to their orders as gas prices have increased.

Noell has started refusing any order that won’t average out to $1 per mile, including the $2.50 per order she gets from DoorDash. That cancels out many users who aren’t tipping or give only small tips.

“It takes nearly double the cost to fill my tank,” Noell said. “Ten dollars used to get me a decent amount. Now it only gets me 3 gallons.”

Owners of diesel-powered vehicles have seen even steeper fuel price increases since the war started on Feb. 28, affecting drivers around the world Drivers of diesel-powered “jeepneys” in the Philippines went on strike for two days last week to protest their higher costs. In France, dozens of buses and trucks drove slowly on the Paris ring road Monday to demonstrate their concerns about rising diesel prices.

“The major difficulty right now is finding our balance in our business since we sold services with the vehicles at a certain price for diesel that was much cheaper And we’re not going to ask customers to pay that difference,” said Sarah Bahezre, manager of a bus transportation company

Global streaming revenue surges past $160

BY CERYS DAVIES Los Angeles Times (TNS)

Global streaming revenue surged to $150 billion last year, driven largely by an increase in prices by Netflix and other streamers, according to a new report. In 2025, global streaming subscription revenue grew by 14%, reaching a total of over $157 billion, the report from Ampere Analysis found. In the last five years, revenue has tripled from the $50 billion seen in 2020. Streamers continue to dominate the

scriptions

lion worldwide by 2030. The U.S. is the largest driver of this revenue growth, as the country accounts for 50% of 2025’s global streaming subscription revenue, per Ampere Analysis. Netflix accounted for the largest revenue share in the U.S. at 14%. Last

billion

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By TERRy CHEA

Leslie Sherman-Shafer, an Uber driver, fills up her car at a gas station in Alameda, Calif. Sherman-Shafer picks up Uber passengers five days a week and is putting in extra hours to cover the difference for the cost of gas.

Middleton refills a gas station in Kingston Springs, Tenn.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

PHOTO By GEORGE WALKER IV

Administration written exam

The 2-year-old program essentially is ground school training, which is one of the required steps to get a pilot’s license, as the prospective pilots learn about navigation and flight regulations.

A lot of flight schools don’t offer in-person ground school instruction anymore, mainly shifting it online, said Live Oak aviation teacher Aaron Heuvel

“That’s where Live Oak kind of stepped in and Livingston Parish stepped in. You could get the same training online by yourself if you paid for it, but we’re doing it in a classroom setting and letting them get hands on with the simulator, and they’re getting it for free,” Heuvel said.

The program offers two counterparts: an introductory class and more advanced class The program is led by Heuvel, a Live Oak alumnus who has been a pilot for over a decade.

The aviation classes have consistently expanded over the past two years. In August, the program received the in-classroom air traffic control station Now, it has plans to partner with the Louisiana Air National Guard to bring in an aircraft for students to learn basic mechanical skills.

Many of the students who take the class do so without an interest in an aviation career and leave the class the same way But for students like Hetherwick and Campo, being in the program has altered their plans.

“I wanted to be a pilot the second I walked in here,” said Hetherwick, who originally planned to go into aerospace engineering. “It’s changed the course of my future.”

Reaching new heights

Hetherwick recently enrolled in a flight school out of Louisiana Regional Airport in Gonzales, where he will have to fly a minimum of 40 hours to get his license.

He said it has been easier and faster for him to pick up information at the school due to the ground instruction he has received at Live Oak. His flight instructor said it is “so much easier” to instruct him because of the class, Hetherwick said “Now I’m on the road to becoming a private pilot within the end

“That’s

of this school year,” the 17-year-old said.

Hetherwick is the only student enrolled at a local flight school, but some other students want to do the same while at Live Oak, Heuvel said.

Campo, who is about to graduate, plans to get a job at Baton Rouge Metro Airport to save money to pursue becoming an air traffic controller

“I wanted to go into (the pilot field) for the longest time, but in this class, I figured out that I have a big thing for doing air traffic control,” Campo said.

In March, Heuvel and 11 of his students went on a field trip to the Baton Rouge airport to learn about aviation careers and look at aircraft used commercially and privately When Tara Tessier, an air service

coordinator, asked how many students in the group had been to Baton Rouge Metro, only a few hands raised in the air

For a majority of students on the trip “this is their first exposure to an airport,” Huevel said. Along with touring the commer-

cial airport, students also explored career options at smaller places, like at Baton Rouge’s Mosquito Abatement and Rodent Control, which is down the street from Baton Rouge Metro. It has opportunities for aviation careers due to its aerial application of mosquito control products.

Glen Wilkinson, aircraft operations manager, explained why the agency is transitioning to helicopter operations for eco-friendly options that will reduce pesticide usage.

“Most people don’t know about our aerial program,” he told the students

The students were able to show off their knowledge of aircraft parts to Wilkinson while looking at British Islander planes and a helicopter in the hangar

Students like Cole Reynerson

asked Wilkinson if the helicopter’s blades were made out of aluminum and how much the price tag was for the Heliwagon, an advanced landing pad under the helicopter.

The opportunity for the students to learn about aviation in this way is unique, Heuvel said.

Live Oak is the only nonselect public school, a classification that excludes charter or magnet schools, to offer this type of program, he said. Heuvel said he aims to have his class become a feeder program for students wanting to go to the aviation school at Louisiana Tech University Ultimately, he hopes programs like this continue to grow throughout the state.

“It’s still expanding. It’s still so new here,” Heuvel said. “We’re making it accessible.”

STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Teacher Aaron Heuvel, left, shows student Ethan Pertuis around the cockpit of an islander airplane during the Live Oak High School’s aviation class field trip to Baton Rouge Mosquito Abatement and Rodent Control on Wednesday.

Have us take alook!

JanRisher

LOUISIANA AT LARGE

Costume room feelslike home

Walking into the costume room at LSU felt like timetravel. There was asmell —fabric, maybe, or sewing machineoil.

Whatever it was, for amoment, Iwasn’tinBaton Rouge anymore. Iwas alittle girl in my grandmother’sgarageturned-sewing room, surrounded by fabric, jars of buttonsand arainbow of zippers on pegs.

Ispent huge swaths of time there as achild —sortingbuttons and my personal specialty —coordinating prints that most people wouldn’tthink went together

The room had aparticular logic and language.

So, Idiscovered, does the costume room in LSU’sSchool of Music.

Iwas there because Kyla Kazuschyk, associateprofessor of costume technology,was about to put me in akimono.

Kazuschyk had four large safety pins angled on her shirt like abrooch —practical jewelry,asitturned out. Midway through dressing me, she pulled them off one by oneand put them to work on the kimono. She’sthat kind of cool. It wasn’tjust any kimono. This was Cio-Cio-San’sfirst-act costume —the one wornby the ill-fated Butterfly herself. It will be featured in Opéra Louisiane’sproduction of Puccini’s“Madama Butterfly,” performed for one night, at 7p.m. April 11 at the Raising Cane’sRiver Center Theatre for the Performing Arts in Baton Rouge.

I’ll confess Ithought it was “Madam Butterfly” until this recent interaction —the “a”at the endisPuccini’sItalian, not atypo. The kimonos originatedat the Paris Opera before making their way to Virginia’s Castleton Festival. Paul Groves, Opéra Louisiane’sgeneral director,was gearing up to pick up 31 more costumes

“They’ve been beautifully cared for and steamed,” Groves told me. He paused. “They’ve also been in my fishing truck.” That’sLouisiana opera. Before Icould try it on, Kazuschyk walked me through the process. It is atheatrical kimono, she explained, which means certain traditionalsteps were skipped to make putting it on and off easier —apractical necessity for dressing and undressing during performances. Atraditional obi, the belt portionofakimono, would be one very long strip of fabrictied in an elaborate bow in the back. For special occasions, like a wedding or other ceremony Kazuschyk told me, women in Japan go to aspecialist to have an obi tied —the way aLouisiana woman might go to asalon for an updo. That said, in this theatrical kimono, the obi is stitched in place, and there are hooks and snaps where there would traditionally be none. “A kimono could have 10 layers,” Kazuschyk said. This one has two. Then she asked, in the way that good teachers do, how wide Ithought kimono fabricis. I knew the answermust be interesting —orshe wouldn’thave asked. So, Iwent withvery wide because the garments are so sweeping and dramatic. I was wrong. Traditional kimono fabric, woven on aloom, is only

DutchBrosplans newlocation

JubanCrossingsite is company’s2nd BR-areastore

BY CLAIREGRUNEWALD Staff writer

The drive-thrucoffee chain knownfor its sweet drinks plans to build asecond Baton Rouge-area location in Livingston Parish. Asign recently posted in the Juban Crossing shopping center

says aDutch Bros Coffee location is planned for the area directly between the McDonald’sand RaceTrac.

The coffee chain is known for its sweet coffee drinks like the Golden Eagle, which has espresso, half-and-half, vanilla andcaramel syrup anda drizzle of caramel on the top. Butitalso serves avariety of drinks such as matchas,teas, smoothies and more.

The store is proposed to be 986 square feet with adrive-thru,

according to the final site plan. Construction has not officially begun. The Livingston Parish Planning Commission will hold apublic hearingfor the coffee store’s final site plan at the April 7meeting, according to its agenda.

The Dutch Bros seniorproject manager listed on the sign could not be immediately contacted.

This proposed location is only oneofthe additions for Juban Crossing.Mostrecently, Dave’s HotChickenopenedits doors

right around the corner. Target has plans to build astore in the center at the northwest corner of Juban Road and Juban Crossing Boulevard.

The closestDutch Bros location is at 625Frogmore Drive in Baton Rouge and opened in October

The Oregon-based coffeechain, founded in 1992, hasgrown to over 1,000 locations nationwide, with four stores operating in Louisiana. There are Dutch Bros locationsinBaton Rouge,Shreveport, Lafayette and Lake Charles.

CRACKSHOTS

ABOVE: AustinHebert, from left, shoots at aclay target with teammates Luke Hains, Cole Hebert, Noah Harmon and Beau Harrington, all of Lafayette, behind him on Friday duringthe 4-H Southernregional shooting sports match at Bridgeview GunClub in PortAllen RIGHT: Hains shoots at a clay target duringthe competition.

Officialsprobe deathof womanfound in canal

CRIME BLOTTER staff reports

Detectivesare investigating the death of a woman whose body was found face down in aBaton Rougecanal Sunday morning. Officers were called out to the scene near the 9100 blockofTom Driveatabout 11 a.m. Sunday,wherethe woman’sbody was in the canal, BatonRouge police said An autopsy is being performed to determine the cause of herdeath.The department said it would not be releasing the nameofthe victim until thenext of kin has been reached Man shot, killed in vehicle, Baton Rouge police say Aman whom BatonRouge policefound inside avehicle suffering from multiple gunshot wounds has died. Police discovered William Hills, 23, inside

avehicle at the 4500 block of Beechwood Drive about 5:35 p.m. Sunday Hills was taken to the hospital, where he later died, officials said. Thereare no suspects or motives at this time, police said, but theinvestigationis ongoing.

Police investigatefatal Friday shooting on St. GerardAvenue A45-year-old man died Friday night after ashooting on St.Gerard Avenue, according to Baton Rouge police. Terry Huggins was shot shortly before 8p.m. in adriveway in the 5900 block of St. Gerard. He was transportedtothe hospital, but died from his injuries,police said in a news release.

Anyone withinformation about the shooting is asked to call the Police Department’s ViolentCrimes Unit at (225) 389-4869 or Crime Stoppersat(225) 344-7867.

BYMARCO CARTOLANO Staff writer

An earthquake was reported in the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday night, hundreds of miles away from Louisiana’scoastline, according to the U.S. Geological Survey The small 3.9 magnitude earthquake, located 220 milesfrom Venice, wasfirst reported at 9:22 p.m according to USGS data. Thequakewas shallow,havinga depth of 10 kilometers, reports showed. Gulf earthquakes are fairly uncommon, but are knowntohappen, Eric Jeansonne, chiefmeteorologist at WLOX-TV in Biloxi, Mississippi, said Sunday night. There was no tsunamithreat associated with the quake, he added. Asimilarearthquakewas reported in the Gulf in 2023.

Atchafalaya artwork

Postcardscelebrate foodways,introduce people to ‘America’s foreigncountry’

BY JOANNA BROWN Staff writer

Did you know Louisiana harvests around 17.7 million pounds of pecanseach year?

Pecan comes from the Algonquin word “paccan” or “pakan,” meaning ahard nut that has to be cracked witha stone.Here is another interesting fact: Louisiana cattle are most likelyto be “Brangus,” a hybrid of Angus andBrahman cattle that are better suited for heat andhumidity

The state is the top domestic producer of crawfish, bluecrabs and oysters, and pork is known as the“preferredmeat” in the Atchafalaya National Heritage Area, aregion that encompasses much of Acadiana and stretches from central Louisiana to the Gulf Coast

Last year,the AtchafalayaNational Heritage Area produced aseries of postcards with detailed illustrations and fascinating tidbitsabout thefoodways that make up theregion,wherefoodand nature interact daily to produceone of America’smost unique cultures.Caroline Byrne Cassagne, executive director, said the postcards are afun waytointroduce people to “America’sforeign country,”

RISHER

Continued from page1B

15 inches wide. Four widthsstitched together make thekimono. That’spart ofwhy they’re so expensive.

With the talk of looms and weaving, Itoldher about the beautiful loom at myhome —still waiting to be used because Icannot figureout how to get it set up. My grandmother would haveunderstood the loom and the logic of theseams. Shewas amasteratmakingsomethingbeautifulfrom whatever was at hand.

With Kazuschyk, Ihad worn adress that day. When the moment came, Itook it off to getthe full effect of wearingakimono —infor apenny,infor apound. Kazuschykdraped the inner layer,then the outer,working thehooks, tucking the sash. One sleeve restsinsidethe other “You don’twant anythinghangingout,” she said, asentence that applies to moresituations than kimono dressing.

Yomo Li, an LSU graduatestudent who had triedonthe kimono before me andoffered an impromptu song from theApril11performance,lookedatmeand said, “Itfits youperfectly.” Which says something abouther generous spirit. Standing there, Ithought aboutthe character Cio-Cio-San, who marries an American naval officer and builds her lifearound thepromise that he will return. She is defined bywaiting and believing —and is destroyed by both. And yet, wearing that kimono —a pieceof history that traveled from Paris toVirginia to Louisiana, by way of afishingtruck—Ifelt nothing but joy

My grandmother understood,hopingand being crushed, and about creatingbeauty out of whatever wasathand.

The room had its own language. Turns out, Istill speak it

Tickets for the April11Opéra Louisiane’s production of “Madama Butterfly” range from $21.50 for students to $151.50 for box seats and are available at operalouisiane.com Email Jan Risher at jan.risher@theadvocate. com.

friendly

“Lastyear,the Office of Tourism was celebrating the year of food, so we started thinking about how food, especially in Louisiana, is such abroad subject. We also wanted to look at theculture andnatural resources surrounding it, because that’sa big reason we’re nationally designated,” Cassagne said.

“Wethought we’d step back andlook at the foodway itself, instead of just one gumbo recipe.Why are these things indigenous to Louisiana? Why do youfind them in dishes here and not other places? Ilike theway Aileen realistically captured the subjectsand included notes that look like afield guide. For instance, alot of people probablydon’tknowthat there’sa very successful conservation storyabout Louisiana’salligators.”

oneofthe taglines forthe region that touches 15 parishes in the southernhalf of thestate. Lafayette illustrator and writerAileen Bennett,knownfor workslike“ALittle Book About Fire,” drew thecards.Her style is approachable but also realistic, such as ahand-drawn alligator that looks both suitably prehistoric and very

The Atchafalaya National Heritage Area produces anew seriesofpostcards every yearwithaLouisianaartist. This year,the theme is “Year of Outdoors, andthe newseries will be released this October,which is Atchafalaya Heritage Month.

Email Joanna Brown at joanna brown@theadvocate.com.

BY MICHELLE HUNTER Staff writer

The formeradmissions director at aMetairie private school hasbeenarrestedand accused of embezzling more than $87,000 in cash tuition payments madeby parents, according to authorities. Maryfrancis Johnson, 32, of Belle Chasse, worked at Crescent City Christian School, apreKthrough 12th grade institution runbyCelebrationChurch, Louisiana Attorney GeneralLiz Murrill’soffice said.State investigators allege Johnson stole money from the school between 2020 and 2023.

As the school’sadmissions director,part of Johnson’sjob was to collect and keep track of tuition payments from parents. Johnson instead pocketed the money,according to authorities. “Cash would be received and areceipt issued, but the funds wouldnever make it to thebank, aLouisiana Bureau of Investigations agent wrote in an arrest affidavit.

Investigators identified19familieswhose cashpaymentswent missing under Johnson’stenure, according to authorities. One family paid $24,000 in cashover atwo-year period while another handedover$13,500 in twopayments, authorities said. Johnsoncreated fake entries into the school’sfinancial trackingsystemtohidethe missing cash, assigning accounts with scholarships,money orders or credits to prevent families from beingbilledagain,authorities said.

Crescent City Christian School officials first discovered aprobleminsummer 2023 when they realized cash tuitionpayments from several families didn’t have corresponding bank deposits, authorities said.

In one instance, administrators foundanempty payment envelope in Johnson’s desk drawer indicating that aparent hadturnedin$12,123 cash to cover tuition for her daughters on June 12, 2023, according to investigators. Butschool administrators couldn’tfind any evidence that the moneyhad ever been deposited.

The parent confirmed that she hadmadethe cashpayment, and said she’d made asimilar $12,320 tuitionpayment for her daughtersin2022. Butschool officials couldn’tfind acorresponding bank depositfor that payment, either,according to authorities. Neitherpayment was ever deposited, investigators allege. When confronted, Johnson admitted accounting errors, tried to lay blameonother colleagues and even offered to repay any missing money,officials said. However,she never admitted to stealing themoney,accordingto authorities.

But investigators claimed the evidencepointedsquarely at Johnson. No other staff member had access to the financial trackingsystem and the opportunity to carryout thescheme on this scale, officerssaidinthe arrest affidavit.

Theinvestigationsbureau obtained warrants for Johnson’s arrest in thecase. She turned herself in at theJeffersonParish Correctional Center in Gretna on March 24, whereshe was booked on theftvalued over $25,000 and computer fraud. Johnson wasreleased from jail the sameday on a$30,000 bail. Email Michelle Hunter at mhunter@theadvocate.com.

29, 2026

3: 3-1-4

4: 0-2-0-3

5: 1-4-0-0-7

STAFF PHOTOS By JOANNA BROWN

PHOTO PROVIDED By LIZ PINA Kyla Kazuschyk,associate professor of costumetechnology, dresses columnist Jan Risher in a ‘Madama Butterfly’ kimono.

Postcardsdrawn by Lafayette illustrator

Aileen Bennett share localfoodways presentthroughout the Atchafalaya National HeritageArea.

Obituaries

Aydell, ShirleyFontenot Shirley Fontenot Aydell, resident of FrenchSettlement, passed at the ageof 90 on March 28, 2026. She was born in White Hall,LA on February 19, 1936 to her parents Pauline Dupuy and Steve Fontenot, Jr. She wenttoschool in Maurepas and graduated from French SettlementHigh School. Shirley cared deeply for her family and devotedher life to taking care of themasa homemaker. She wasalso the owner of Nuby's Grocery for many years. Shirley also was an avid member of St.Joseph Catholic Church. She will be dearly missed by those that had theprivilege to know and love her. She is survived by son HenryAydell Jr. (Sheila), daughters Kim Hughes (Kenny) and Terri Estrada (Rudy), grandchildren Michell Watts (Aaron), Dusty Aydell (Denee), Abby Aydell, Christopher Hughes, Pam Blont (Dustin), Hilary Hoover (Freddie), and Ashley Aydell(Patrick), great-grandchildrenMiles, Cane,Madden, and Cameron,Camdenand Cason, Kayla (Micah) and

son Kayla (Micah) and Kaleb,Mason, and Harper and Kendall,and sister-inlawsBeverly Fontenot and JoAnn Fontenot. Sheispreceded inpassing by husband of 51 years HenryAydell, parents Pauline Dupuy and SteveFontenot Jr., son Dwayne Aydell and daughter-in-law Renee, andnine brothers. Pallbearers will be Dusty Aydell, Camden Aydell, Kaleb Watts, ChristopherHughes, Albert Fontenot, Jr., and Freddie Hoover. There will be aservice held at St. Joseph's Catholic Church onWednesday, April 1, 2026from 9:00am to 11:00am with aservice starting at 11:00am. Burial willfollow at St. Joseph's CatholicChurchcemetery.

Goloforo Sr., Frank

FrankGoloforoSr.,89, peacefully departed this life on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, in Gonzales,LA. Frankwas preceded in deathbyhis belovedwife of 62 years, BarbaraMaGill Goloforo andhis youngest son, RussellGoloforo. Frankwas theson of the late Mike Goloforo and Mary Kurtz. He is survived by hisfourchildren: Debo‐

rahGoloforoSpurgeon (Charles), FrankGoloforo Jr.(Elizabeth), DavidGolo‐foro,Michael Goloforo (Anna). He is also survived by 15 grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildrenand 8 great-great-grandchildren, andsisters CarolWilliams, LindaBocklud,and Marion Guidry.Hewas preceded in deathbyhis stepmother, Zina Domino Goloforo;sis‐ter, Jo AnnMelerine-Vick‐nair;and brothers,Steve Salisburyand Larry Kurtz. Relativesand friendsofthe family areinvited to attend thefuneral serviceon Wednesday, April1,2026, at theGardenofMemories FuneralHome, 4900 Airline Dr.inMetairie, LA,at12:00 pm.Visitationwillbegin at 10:00 am.Entombmentwill follow in theGardenof Memories Cemetery

MaxOverton UsreyIII passed away Tuesday March 24, 2026, of natural causes.BorninBlytheville, Arkansas, Max was agraduateofBlythevilleHigh School and subsequently earneda Bachelor of Science degreeinCivil Engineering from Louisiana StateUniversity. His l th d f l

State University His lengthy and successful professional career included positions withMcRae& Associates, and more than 30 years with EvansGravesEngineersasSenior Special ProjectsEngineer Max was amember of the LouisianaEngineering Society and theLouisianaSociety of Professional Surveyors. He is fondly remembered by family and friends forhis passion for life,both in his workand in his recreational pursuits first and foremost finding peace on thewater off the coast of Floridaashe fished,skied or sailed. His love of meandering down theTchefuncta River earnedhim thetag line,« Cruising to theMax! »Back at home in BatonRouge, Max honed his culinary skills thankstothe Food Network on television, and chieflytohis own excellent taste and adventurous spirit. Hisfried turkey for holidays became afamily traditionand astapleon many afriend's tablefor Thanksgivingand Christmas. The constant and abiding lovesofMax's life were first and foremost his daughter, Lindsey Kaye Usrey, and his four-legged best friend, Jack, an Ameri-

best friend, Jack, an Ameri canBulldog, always by his side. Maxispreceded in death by hisparents, Max Overton Usrey, Jr., and Ruth CurtisUsrey. A memorial service will be held Wednesday, April 1, at St.James Episcopal Church,208 North 4th Street in Baton Rouge at 5:00 p.m. with visitation at St.James beginning at 4:00 p.m. Memorial gifts in his honor may be made to St JamesEpiscopal Church or theEdible Schoolyard in NewOrleans,Louisiana. Familyand friends may sign theonline guestbook or leave apersonal note to thefamilyatwww.resthav enbatonrouge.com

was a devoted wife, moth er,and educator of thirty years. Sheissurvived by herson,sister,grandchildren,and family. Viewing will be held at SageHill Baptist Church,7708 Sage Hill Road,St. Francisville, Louisiana 70775 on April 4, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. -11:00 a.m. servicestobeheld at 11:00 a.m., presided by Reverand Leroy Comena. Intermenttofollow at Southern Memorial Gardens, 3012 BlountRoad, Baton Rouge,Louisiana 70807. Bourgeois, Gaynell SaintJosephCo-Cathedralat10am. Hull, Michelle Riverwood FamilyServices Funeral Home in Brookhaven,MSat2pm LeJeune,Francis WilbertFuneral Home in Plaquemine at 11am

Augustan PraterVessel entered eternal rest at her residence in Zachary, Louisiana on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, after a chronicillness. She wasan 82-year-old native of Woodville, Mississippi. She wasa devotedwife,moth-

Usrey III, Max Overton

Vessel, Augustan Prater

We have watched in recent years apush by public officials to use overly broad language to expandrestrictions on the public’sability to monitor what they are doing.

In the 2024 legislative session,lawmakersconsidered abill to shield records of public bodies that related to “advisory opinions, recommendations and deliberations comprising partofa process by which governmental decisionsand policiesare formulated”—inother words, anything that agovernmental body deemed essentialto its process. Thankfully,thatbill waspulledafter backlash from good governmenttypes.

Yet, in the same session, another bill passed that allowed local officials to declareconfidential publicrecords involving “economic development”projects valuedat$5million or more, which could cover anything amunicipality deemedrelated to such projects.

In asimilar vein this session comes Senate Bill 289, by Sen. Mark Abraham,R-Lake Charles. This measure, which passedthe Senate andisgoing to the House, would allowLouisiana colleges and universities to exempt records related to universitysearches for presidents, coaches and other “executive” jobs frompublic records law.

The argument is that those applyingmight not want their current employer toknowthey are looking for another job.Wecan understand that reasoning. However,the bill, asoriginally written, didn’tdefine the term “executive.” Academic deans were removed from thelist when the bill moved out of committee, and Abraham says he’sopentoother amendments.

This newspaper has aggressively sought records from LSU related to its operations, as taxpayer money is at stake. In 2013, TheAdvocate |The Times-Picayune successfully suedalong with the student newspaper The Daily Reveille foraccess to records related to asecret presidential search.

The rationale for this bill remains murky No one has said that LSU, which namednew presidentWade Rousse in November, or ULLafayette, which named new president Ramesh Kolluru in February,orSouthern University, which is currentlyinthe midst of apresidential search, has had trouble attracting quality candidates for these jobs due topublic disclosure requirements.

The bill also seeks to limit public accesstorecords of potential donors to universitiesortheir private fundraising arms as well as disclosure of proprietary research. ButasStevenProcopio of the Public Affairs Research Councilpointed out, the names of donors to private foundations arealready shieldedand proprietaryresearch hasnever been subject to public records law The goal of these fuzzy measures seems to be to make public records whatever officials say they are.

Politicians often campaignontransparency because they know that it plays well with the public. When in office, though, transparency often takes aback seat to other aims. We believe weakening public records law ultimately weakens support forwhatevergovernmental officials are tryingtodo. Exceptions to public records can be necessary,but they should always be narrowly written.

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE

WELCOME. HERE AREOUR

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

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

TO SEND US A LETTER SCANHERE

La.iswhathappens when politiciansfavor therich

Ron Faucheux’sop-ed “Numbers tell thestoryofwhy Louisianalags other Southern states” echoes the concerns from Faimon Roberts’ earlier op-ed, “Louisiana has amigration crisis, but it’snot theone manythink.”Inshort, people are leaving Louisiana, and that is not good for our economic outlook. The rich love Louisiana. They know they will face minimal consequences for creating Cancer Alley and can treat working people here however they want. Louisiana’spoliticians care moreabout attracting money than attracting people.

However,without working people, there is nothing to invest money in.

The richest companies in the world are also found in the places with the highest taxes and most worker protections, like California and New York. These companies know that they need workers more than they need tax exemptions. That’sthe leverage Louisiana’s workers need to use.

Groveling and begging therich to

share acrumboftheirhoarded billions will only empower them further.Weallow the billionaires to decide whoand what gets invested in, what is and isn’t produced. They evenget to decide who getselected. Their extreme wealth undermines theability of our society to democratically makedecisions about what we want our society to look like. When the interests of acarbon capture company are weighed equally with hundreds of Ascension Parish residentssaying no, you’ve arrived at an oligarchy.People are leaving Louisiana not because we haven’tappeased theoligarchs enough, but because the oligarchs are getting what they want, and we live or die at their whims. Ourpoliticians should invest in and empower people and communities, notgive out moretax breaks to the wealthy.Workers make Louisiana great,not billionaires.

Abetter world is possible. BEN WENDT Baton Rouge

It’s no wonderthatconservatives discouragedfromwriting to paper

Despite its protestations of balance to the contrary,the newspaper’s March 17 opinion page contained 100% liberal opinions, to wit:

n An editorial advocating against SenateBill 123, abill that would give thegovernor (currently and likely to be in thefuture aRepublican) more power over judges.

n An opinion letter essentially advising that liberal voters temporarily register as Republicans to influence the upcoming primary elections, depriving the GOP’sactual members of the right to select itspreferred candidates free of outside influence.

n An opinion letter advocating against the (Republican) president’s policies related totaxes and foreign policy

n An opinion letter advocating against the (Republican) governor’s support of posting theTen Commandments in public school classrooms.

n An opinion letter criticizing aprevious opinion letter writer,aconservative, and claiming that conservatives

“just start makingstuff up because they want it to be true.”

n An opinion letter criticizing the president’s prosecution of themilitary action in Iran, in which sadly 13 members of the military have died, and comparing it to the Vietnam War, in which we lost 58,000.

Areader looking for balance in thenewspaper’sopinion page of St. Patrick’s Day would have had better luck finding afour-leafed clover while blindfolded, at night, on theway home from thepub.

Apparently,noconservative readers submitted lettersworthy in the editor’s opinion of publication. If that is the case, it might be because days like this makethe effort of joining thedebate in this forum seem futile. Or thenewspaper receives those lettersbut affirmativelychooses not to give these readers avoice. Either explanation is unfortunate.

RILEY HAGAN III St. George

There’sno

President Donald Trump andhis supporters appear to demand nothing less thanthe expulsion of anyonewho hasenteredorremained in the U.S. without aproper visa, including those brought as children, those admitted as refugees and those with years of history working to support their families, obeying the laws andpaying taxes.

Furthermore, theydemand that even those admitted legally be threatened with expulsionifthey sayanything displeasing to Trump. Any who disagreeare said to favor open borders, violent crime waves andillegalimmigrants voting in elections.

One can support rational, humane controlofimmigration, and most do. If we aretodemandthatentrants apply lawfully,wemust provide an orderly,safeprocessfor them to apply,makeacaseand get aprompt, fair answer. No onesaysweshould not exclude those who arefugitivesfrom justice, entering for criminal purposes or without means of support. And we may require that lawful residents maintain proper contact and obey the laws where they reside. Those who do areentitled to all the protection of the Constitution and the law.

It is clearly unjust to expel those brought here as children and educated here

And it is at leastinhumane and irrationaltodenyamnesty to those in violationofthe lawinthe past, who have sincebeen lawful and productive andare willing to acknowledge their fault.

And allAmericans should be outragedatthe creation of amasked, lawless band to enforceunjust policies andthreaten the innocent with the supposedguilty WILLIAMR.EDWARDS JR. Lafayette

Thepolitical instantreplay

In sports, the instant replay was invented and first used by aman named Tony Verna on the Dec. 7, 1963, broadcast of the Army-Navy footballgame on CBS.

The political “instant replay” has no single author or starting date, but its overuse has produced few resolutions of the major problemsconfronting the country.What it has produced is a deepening cynicism about politics and so much else.

Toomany Americans now see their fellow Americans who are of a different party or persuasion as abiggerenemy than Iran or Russia. Long-term friendships have been destroyed over whether one loves or hatesPresident Donald Trump. At least the sports instant replay usually leads to the affirming or overturning of adecision by the referee. The political instantreplay solves nothing, even when the “players” are shown tobe wrong. The result in too many cases hasbeen political paralysis.

Cable news and more than afew newspapers are increasingly obsessed with the November elections, as if they will somehow change the political game. We are bombarded with the “truth” that the party that controlsthe White House is bound to lose seats in Congress, although there have been exceptions.

Voters who are angry at Trump for whatever reason had best be careful what they wish for.

Despite hisoccasional bad demeanor and crude language, Trump has succeeded where other presidentsand congresses have failed.DoDemocrats want to run on aplatform of reopeningthe southern border? Allowing more people from many nations and possibly terrorists to cross the border in violation of our immigration laws would also increase the number of deadly drugs that have killed thousands of Americans. Imagine the effectinstant replays of workers tearing down the wall and watching aflood of people pour across would have when a majority of voters say they approve of border control.

Would Democrats, should they regain House and Senatemajorities, continue toback biological males playingonfemale sports teams andusing locker rooms and restrooms restricted to women and girls? Would their party continue tosupport gender reassignment surgery for prison inmates with taxpayers footing thebill? Would their opposition toshowing identification before voting and proof of citizenship before registering continue? All of these are “80-20” issues, in some cases higher What about taxes? Would Democratsrun on raising taxes when it’s thespending that needs to be cut to reduce the unsustainable $38 trillion debt? Would Democrats, whose party created Social Security,Medicareand Medicaid, lead the way in reforming these programs before they runout of money (estimated to be in seven years for Social Security) and benefits substantially cut, or taxes substantially

raised,orboth? It doesn’ttake asoothsayer to predict Democrats would seek revenge on Trump by again impeaching him, possibly morethan once, though he will have fewer than two yearsleft in office and theSenate, even with a Democrat majority,would not likely convict him and removehim from office. The problem with political instant replays is that few,ifany,problems are solved. It’s all about the politicians, not thepeople. Ultimately,they are not completely at fault. We are, becausewekeep electing the same people, expecting adifferent outcome Voters, especially thelow-information kind, areguiltyofcreating the political instantreplay.Aslong as we keep rerunning thetape, nothing will change.

Email Cal Thomasattcaeditors@ tribpub.com

Whereisthe arcofjustice headed?

Former President Barack Obama liked to quote Martin Luther King Jr.’sline that “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” Of course, whatwas an expression of optimism for themoral reformer King was more in the nature of avictory spike of the football for acompetitor in azero-sum electoral contest like Obama. More importantly,the belief that things are moving toward justice comes more naturally to believers in Americanexceptionalism, of which Obama isn’tone. He famously said that he believed in America’sexceptionalism only as much as “Brits” believe in British exceptionalism or Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism.

In the maelstrom of modern war,presumed certainties crumble like piecrust. Consider twoquestions asked in the wakeofU.S. attacks on Iran

In April1943, American code breakers in the Pacific Theater decrypted flight plans of Adm Isoroku Yamamoto, whohad conducted Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor.Days later,his plane was destroyed. The New York Times headline was: “‘Gosh!’ Says Roosevelt On Death of Yamamoto.” Wasthis targeted killing of aparticular person of military importance an assassination? Every president since Gerald Ford, whowas responding to harebrained Kennedy administration plans to kill Fidel Castro, has officially respected Ford’sfinding that assassinations violate international law,and hence disserve U.S. interests. The second question is: What is constitutionally (never mind prudentially) obligatory concerning Congress’sinvolvement in uses of military force? The answer is: almost nothing. An ethical calculus that can answer the first question is elusive. And as the waragainst Iran illustrates, the twoquestions are inseparable: Surprise is asubstantial military asset. If the Trumpadministration had briefed legislators in advance, could it have achieved the targeted killings crucial to its regimedecapitation objective —anobjective intended to economize violence? Less than twoyears after the targeted killing of Yamamoto, on March 9, 1945, morethan 300 B-29s leftthe Mariana Islands, bound forTokyo. There they dropped 1,665 tons of incendiary bombs that destroyed one-sixth of Japan’scapital, killing between 80,000 and 100,000 or more. Try, without experiencing moral vertigo, to disapprove Yamamoto’sassassination, which it was,in awar that included the incineration of Tokyo. In 1787, the Constitutional Convention initially wasgoing to vest in Congress the power to “make war.”Instead, it vested the power to “declare war.”The convention did this because Congress is often dispersed, whereas presidents are on the job 24/7. And because presidents can act with moreenergy and dispatch than Congress even when it is in session. And because if the power to makewar werevested in Congress, the president might lack the power to respond unilaterally to sudden attacks. And because throughout history, wars have often been declared by the launching of them.

But British and Greek exceptionalisms look to distant pasts and encompass the idea of decline, which, if not the opposite of justice, is certainly not positive. Britons may look withpride on the British Empire, but not without atwinge of regret that it has all but disappeared. Greeks may look back on theastonishing creativityofAthens 2,500 years ago, but not without recognizing that it was held down under the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman empires for almost all the centuries since.

In contrast, the United States has a history that can be easily,ifperhaps oversimply,interpreted as astory of continual winning. Economic growth —the exception rather than the rule before 1800 in European lands —has been cumulative over time. Cultural progress abounds: the abolition of slavery,equality for women, and civil rights for Black people, all have advanced, though with some setbacks over the years. In such an environment,itmay seem natural to believe that, as ageneral rule, anyway,things get better.Yet the long run of history teaches different lessons. Historians of ancient cultures

and their archaeological colleagues can describe marked declines of civilization enough for one of them to titlea book “1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed. Edward Gibbon, listening to the monks chanting vespers on the steps of Santa Maria in Aracoeli, was inspired to write thehistory of thedecline and fall of the Roman Empire, thefirst volume of which came outinFebruary 1776 and is still in print today Historians continue to dispute just how much and even whether the Roman Empire declined. But it seems indisputable that itsmilitaryforces dwindled, its long-distance tradepetered out, and itstechnological advances were forgotten. It took centuries for Europeans to figure outhow to build adome like that of the Pantheon in Rome, but there it is today In American politics over the last century,ithas been theDemocrats whose rhetoric proclaims them as the partyofprogress. Someofthis has a Marxist base, the New Deal idea that a complex industrialized society should have an increasingly large government to protect and guide individuals To many since at least the 1980s, that argument seems antique. Biggovernment has not managed to build asingle mile of track for California’shigh-speed railline in 19 years, while the privatesector has developed artificial intelligence at astonishing rates. Note also that in this century Americans, including recent immigrants, have been moving out of big-government states like New York Illinois and California, and into smallgovernment states like Florida, Tennessee and Texas Republicans under Ronald Reagan and the two Bushes made the argument and provided some proof that market-friendly policies can produce more than big government.But President Donald Trump’s“Make America

Great Again” mantra suggests moving back to some unspecified moment in thepast. Perhaps to the low-immigration, high-family-formation, high-churchgoing 1950s in which Trump and his baby boom predecessors, former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, grew up. In any case, Trump’s inevitable retirementleaves Republicans uncertain and probably divided on what progress and decline mean. For articulate Democrats, the focus has moved from economics —on which they make vague promises of more redistribution to theless affluent —and toward cultural issues. Buton that, theirconfidence that the arc of justice moves theirway has encountered some turbulence. They have seen American opinion do so on some issues, notably same-sex marriage, butnot on abortion or immigration.

Or,asthe liberal economistNoah Smithargues,intheir isolated communities —trendy central city neighborhoods,affluent suburbs and university towns— and sycophantic media, they have failed to notice that most Americans don’tbelieve, or aren’tmoving closer to believing, that “racial preferences in hiring, leniency toward petty crime and illegal immigration, and transwomen on women’ssports teams are basic rights.”

My sense is that thearc of history moves around, andsometimes in a malign direction. Notably,among the sharply increasing antisemitism of theuniversity Left (now installed in New York’s Gracie Mansion) and in theemergence of aless numerous but equally disturbing antisemitismon thefringes of the podcastRight from Southwestoutposts to thewoods of Maine. Thereare some directions in which thearc of history should never head again.

Michael Barone is on X, @MichaelBarone.

Industrialism and conscription —nations, not just militaries, mobilized forwar —have blurred the distinction between combatants and civilians whose farms, factories and transportation systemssustain combat. Hence the wholesale destruction during Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman’s march through Georgia andSouth Carolina. Hence theWorld WarIIbombing of residential areas to “de-house” (the Allies’ antiseptic term)German and Japanese civilians. Other aspects of the modern state that have partially erased the distinction between military and nonmilitary factors are organizational bureaucracies, mobilizing propaganda and forced-draft science (e.g., the Manhattan Project). Albert Einstein supposedly said, “Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler.” In law,constitutional and other,and in war,which is even difficult to define, we should emulate Einstein. We should makedistinctions as clear as possible, but not clearer

That our nation is planted thick with lawyers is part cause and part consequence of the American yearning forrules to govern those whogovern us. Codifying behavior in order to circumscribe governmental discretion is mostnecessary,but mostdifficult, regarding executive latitude in war-making. There is only one large and clear example of Congress asserting primacy: It wielded its power of the purse to end what remained, in 1975, of U.S. participation in Vietnam.

Other than among his devotees, Donald Trump has only the trust and empathy he has earned: none. It is too late forhim to prudently increase Congress’sbuy-in with his Iran policy by consulting it. So, the language and processes of law are the only arrows in his critics’ quivers. Those are, however,unavailing. Courts will not intervene where Congress is, as apractical matter,precluded by presidential nimbleness. There are manykinds of wars, and as manyways for presidents to evade Congress. Non-state actors (e.g., Hamas) can initiate and wage wars. Presidents can marginalize Congress by calling awar a“police action” (Korea, 1950).

For decades, this column has been atireless to somereaders, atiresome—critic of the swollen, often lawless, modern presidency.Now more than ever it is urgent to regard executive power as, in Daniel Webster’swords, “a lion which must be caged.” But conditions, threats and capabilities change, so moral and political imperatives do, too. Changes in modern circumstances, including technologies, often strengthen, if not the argument for, then the opportunity for, executive unilateralism

Email George Will at georgewill@washpost.com

George Will

Cal Thomas

Michael Barone

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ALEX BRANDON

President Donald Trumplistens to areporter during the swearing in for Homeland Security SecretaryMarkwayne Mullin in the Oval Office of the White House on March 24.

The forecast todayisverymuch like yesterday. After somemorning fog,expect partly cloudy, warmand humid conditions with alight breeze. Temperatures this afternoon willrisetothe low80s.With winds out of the southat10mph,dew points will be high, so humidity will be noticeable.There is a50to60% chance of showers and storms today, so keep the umbrellahandy. With the rainwe’re expecting todayand the next fewdays, tree pollen levels should fall, so allergyreliefispossible. Higher temperatures tomorrow.

BY HOLLYRAMER and JENNIFER MCDERMOTT Associated Press

Vermont’seffort to make fossil fuel companiespay for damage causedbyclimate changewas tested Monday in afederalcourtroom, where the state argued that two lawsuits challenging its groundbreaking 2024 lawshould be thrown out.

Vermont became the first state to enact aclimate superfund law, modeled on the federal superfund law that taxed petroleum and chemical companies to pay to clean up sitespollutedbytoxic waste. It took action after suffering catastrophic summer flooding in 2023aswell as damage from other extreme weather,whichscientistssay is occurring more frequently due to climate change. The money it collects would be used for climate adaptationprojects, such as upgradestostormwater drainage systems, sewage treatment plants and roads.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and atop oil and gas industry trade group,the American Petroleum

Institute, sued Vermontoverthe law in December 2024, calling it unconstitutionaland aviolation of federal law. The Department of Justice also sued Vermontand NewYorkafterPresident Donald Trump ordered Attorney General Pam Bondi to take action against states that may be overreaching their authority in how they regulate energy development. In suing, Bondi called Vermont’slaw and a similar one signed by New York’s Democratic Gov.KathyHochul “burdensomeand ideologically motivated” and saidthey threaten American energyindependence and national security

In asking ajudge to dismiss the lawsuits Monday,Vermont argued that it has the authority to raise revenue, protect thehealth and welfare of its citizens and mitigate environmental harms.

Thestate also said that the law does notconflict with federal law or policy,regulate fossil fuel emissions or punish fossil fuel producers.

“As asovereignstate, Vermont getstodocertain things that are exercises of atraditional stateau-

BY MICHAEL BIESECKER and JASON DEAREN Associated Press

WASHINGTON— About 100ofthe nation’smostcontaminatedtoxic waste sites are in areas prone to floodingand wildfires, apotential public healththreat to millionsof Americans in surroundingcommunities, the internalwatchdog at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has found. The EPA’sOffice of Inspector General issued two new reports last week that are part of aseries assessingthe weather-relatedvulnerabilities of the 157federalSuperfund sites prioritizedfor cleanup due to the serious risk they pose to public health and the environment. About 3million Americans live within amile of aSuperfund site, while 13 million people live within 3miles. Some of the Superfund sites were found to be at risk from multiple natural-disaster threats. Thestud-

ies found 49 in coastal areas are at risk from sea-level rise or storm surge from hurricanes, with many locatednearhighlypopulated areas andimportant ecological locales like Chesapeake Bay. Another47 are in low-lyingsites prone specifically to inlandflooding from heavy rain.The review also found 31 sites

Vermontdefends itslandmarkclimate superfundlaw

thority.The Superfund Act operates squarely in those areas of traditional state authority,” Jonathan Roseofthe Vermont attorney general’s office said in U.S.District Court in Rutland

The plaintiffs in both cases,however,argue that Vermont can’tlegally impose liabilityorpenalties on out-of-stateenergy producers forharms arising from out-ofstate andglobalgreenhouse gas emissions.

“Thiscase is notabout Vermont’s abilitytoraise revenueand protect the healthand welfare of its residents. It’sabout Vermont’sattempt to subject global energy production activity to Vermont law,which brazenlydisregards the constitutional division of power in thefederal government and the states, said DOJattorney Riley Walters.

While other courtshave allowed the application of astate law to out-of-state conduct, thosecases involved direct and traceable connections between the behavior and theharm, he said.

“It’simpossible to trace in-state harm to any particular source of greenhouse gas emissions, let

in areas at high risk for wildfires. Despitethese risks, thefive-year plans governing theexpensive and time-consumingcleanups at the sites often failedtoaccount for damage posedbyflooding from sea-level rise andmorefrequent storms and wildfire, the inspector general’sreview found.

alone to the fossil fuel production thatiseven further down along the alleged causal chain,” he said.

“Thereisnot adirect and traceable connection between oil that’s extractedinTexasorinSaudi Arabia and aflood or someother weather event that takes place in Vermont.”

West Virginia, atop producer of natural gas and coal,isleading two dozen states intervening in the case with theChamber and API, out of concern that Vermont will demand to recover billions of dollars from majorenergyproducers andoil refiners in their states.

Meanwhile, the Conservation Law Foundation, an environmental advocacy groupinNew England, and the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont are supporting Vermont in the litigation. Attorney Adeline Rolnick, representing the conservation foundation and farmers, toldthe judge Mondaythat granting the plaintiffs’ motions to strike down thelaw “would give the federal government this roving license to seek toenjoin any state law that it disagrees with simply by pleading

preemption.

“Thatwould be quiteanexpansion of the federal role in our state-federal system, and the court should instead require the United Statestoshowconcrete imminent injury like any other litigant,” she said.

Judge Mary Kay Lanthier took the motionsunder advisement and said she would issue rulings as soon as possible.

Republican Gov.Phil Scott allowed the bill to becomelaw without his signature, saying he was concerned aboutVermonttaking on theoil industry alone. Since then, the idea has gained traction elsewhere. In addition to New York, other Democratic-controlled states are also considering climatesuperfund laws, while others are seeking damages from fossil fuelcompanies in state courts for harmscaused by climate change.

“This is the first timethat astate legislature has taken the gigantic step of pursuing pollutersand holding them accountable to clean up the mess thatthey’ve made, said Jennifer Rushlow,interim vice president forCLF Vermont.

“That is abig problem because it meansthe site managers are not planning mitigation measures,” said Betsy Southerland, aformer director of the agency’swater protection division who spent over 30 yearsatthe EPA.

“The communities living near those sitesshould be madeaware of this planning failure and should insist on robust plans,” she said.

At locations with little or no planning forfloods, contaminants could be released into surrounding communities andtaxpayerdollars alreadyinvestedinremediation could be wasted, the review found.

The EPAsaiditisreviewing the inspector general’sfindings and that the Superfund program does factor “the impacts of extreme weather events and other hazards as astandard operating practice in the development and implementationofcleanup projects.”

Lastyear,President Donald Trump firedEPA Inspector General Sean O’Donnellatthe begin-

ning of Trump’ssecond term,and the office’snew review makes no mention of climate change, aterm the Republican administration has scrubbed from federal websites. But the new reports issued by the office’sremaining staff still lay out the risks posed by awarming planet to the nation’smost dangerous toxic waste sites.

Lara J. Cushing, aprofessor at the University of California, Los Angeles who has studied the effects of achanging climate on the nation’s toxic waste sites, petrochemical plants and other hazardous areas, called thenew reports “noteworthy and important.”

“Although President Trump may wish to ignore it, the fact is the climate is changing and we need to be proactive in responding to rising seas and more extremeweather or facethe consequences of increasingly frequent cascading naturaltechnological disasters that poison communities andlocal ecosystems,” said Cushing.

Maravich Assembly Center

PEAS IN APOD

The lights went down, the fog machine kicked in and like arock star,Will Wade strode into the Pete Maravich Assembly Center with his entourage: wife Lauren and their daughter Caroline. From the speakers highabove the PMAC floor,Thin Lizzy started belting out its50-year old classic, the appropriately chosen “TheBoys are Back in Town.”

“Guess who just got back today …” Wade is back to coach basketball at LSU. Abit older,a bitchastened by a past that Monday still tugged at the elbow of his tan sports coat, but as defiantlyconfident as ever

“We’re coming back to makehistory,” Wade told afrothed-up assemblage of LSU boosters, students andmajor domos. “We’re going to makehistory one way or the other.We’re coming back to try to hang abanner,win anational championship or I’mgoing to be the first coach fired from thesame school twice. “But one way or another,we’re going to make history.It’sgoing to be afun ride …ain’tnodoubt about that.”

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

PHOENIX— On the surface, Kellen Moore sounded more optimistic Monday about Alvin Kamara playing for the New Orleans Saints in 2026 than he did two weeks ago. TheSaints coach, speakingto reporters at the NFL owners’ meetings, said he couldfind ways forKamaraand Travis Etienne to share abackfield. Andheanswered affirmatively when asked whether Moorewas planningfor Kamara to be on the roster next season. He reiterated that the Saints “love” Kamara and that he means “the world to us.”

Wade previews plan for staff,roster

BY TOYLOY BROWNIII Staff writer

In one breath, Will Wade dropped a playfulquipaboutreturningfour years after he was fired as theLSU men’s basketball coach

Not long after,hebecamevery seriouswhendiscussing his goals in Baton Rouge

“LSU and Louisiana deserve awinner, andthat’swhatwe’re going to deliver, andwe’regoing to deliver that in short order,” Wade said at his introductory news conferenceonMondayatthe Pete MaravichAssembly Center Making LSUaperennialwinneris the focus for Wade, and he’ll get his shot whenthe transfer portal opens April 7. Beforethat, Wade will have to getafew assistantcoaches,which he saidwill happenbynextweek. He also explained why he’snot abeliever in having alarge coaching staff.

“Staffs have gotten so big now,” Wade said. “We’re not going to have the biggest staffinthe world. Idon’twant to have 100 people running around and walking on topofeach other.But we’re going to have ourshell recruiting staff in place here in .hopefully by the first of next week.” Wade didn’tmention any coaches whomheintends to hire. Once he gets his first fewassistants on staff, he said he’llfill the otherstaff openings in aboutsix weeks.

Just like his previousfive seasonsat LSU,Wadeheldthe PMAC in the palm of his hand. It was atotally Louisiana, classically LSU kind of moment. The coach firedfor violating NCAA rules andrefusing to talk to his then-supervisors about them, who went from ayear’sexile to two years at McNeese State andone season at NC State (winning seasons, one mustadd) is back.All wrappedupina big bear hug of “Son, we’vemissed you, have something to eat” Louisiana-style emotions that Wade clearly reveled in.

He knows he’s been excoriated in the media,from the days of beingcaught on afederal wiretaptalking abouta “strong-ass offer” to arecruittoleaving NC State after just oneseason,report-

But in those sentences, therewas enough vagueness andcaveats to leave an out that makesKamara’s return farfromaguarantee. Moore said there is afull “process” to go through this offseason,without providing any clarity on what that process entails. And though he mentioned that Kamara wasonthe roster,hesaid it in away that left open the possibilitythat it couldchange Moore was even asked whether anything hadchangedwith the running back since thecoach last spoke toreporters twoweeks ear-

edly via an emailfrom hisagent to the athletic director.He’shad to learn to live with opinions abouthim that Wade knows he helpedcreate andlikely never will change

“I long agoquit worryingabout my perception,” he said.“That part doesn’t bother me too much.

“I know people have been talking aboutusalittle bit. Iunderstand. I’m not for everybody,and we understand that LSU isn’tfor everybody.But one thing we both understand is I’m for LSU and LSU is for me. Make no mistake about that.”

Those wordsgoright to the heart of what makes this Liz Taylor/Richard Burton rekindled romance between LSU and Wade work.LSU —alreadythe home base of widely criticized coaches such as Lane Kiffin and Kim Mulkey —iscomfortable playing the role of the villain. It’s practically apoint of pride. And Wade —who spent five tumultuous, NCAA-shroudedbut fruitful

lier,whenhewas far more vague about the situation.

“No,” Moore said.“No,wehaven’t (talked).”

The end result added anew layer of confusion, onethe Saints seem content to string along. The Saints, to be fair,don’t have to make adecision now.Mandatoryminicamp —let alone training camp and the start of theseason —ismonths away.Kamaraalso has abig say in his future if he decides to retire

But Tuesday was notMoore doing a180 in the way he once did with Derek Carr. For those that don’trecall, Moore

See SAINTS, page 4C

Wade madeitclear that he’s essentially the “head coach and the general manager” at LSU right now, and anyfinaldecisiononwho dons apurple-andgold jerseywill come from him.

“I’ll get input from everybody else, but it’sgoing to be me,”Wade said. “That’smyjob as ahead coach. They’re notpaying me allthatmoney to have otherpeople make decisions on things. Ithink that I’m going to have aheavy hand in whatwe’re doing anddeciding who we take andwhat we do.” Wade,who coached LSU (2017-22) to threeNCAA Tournament appearances in five seasonsand an overall record of 105-51, said completing his staffisn’t something he’s in arush to do.Hesaid he had 182 text messagesrelating to people wanting to join his staff the last time he checked his phone.

LSU will be in the nationwide race to recruit playersinthe transfer portal starting next Tuesday. Wade said that he’s had conversationsabout the

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Scott Rabalais

STAFF FILE PHOTOByDAVID GRUNFELD

Saints running backAlvin Kamara runs up the middleagainst the Tampa BayBuccaneers defenseduring agame at the Caesars Superdome on Oct. 26.

LEARNMORE

Jake Brown LSU Baseball, Outfielder

BASKETBALL AFRICA LEAGUE

Noon DARCity vs.Al Ahl Ly NBATV COLLEGE BASEBALL

6p.m. Auburn at Georgia Tech ESPN2

7p.m. Campbell at North CarolinaACCN

7p.m. Kansas at Missouri SECN

WOMEN’SCOLLEGE BASKETBALL

5p.m. NJCAA Division IChamp.: TBD ESPNU

COLLEGE SOFTBALL

5p.m. Penn St. at Pittsburgh ACCN

5p.m. Wichita St. at Oklahoma SECN HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL

6p.m.Girls McDonald’s: East vs.West ESPN

8p.m.BoysMcDonald’s: East vs.West ESPN MLB

5:40 p.m. Washington at Philadelphia MLBN

8:40 p.m. N.y.yankees at Seattle TBS,TRUTV NBA

10:50 a.m.Norwayvs. Switzerland FS2

1:30 p.m.Bosnia-Herzegovina vs.Italy FS1

1:30 p.m.England vs. Japan FS2

3:55 p.m.Congovs. Jamaica FS1

10 p.m.Iraq vs. Bolivia FS1

6p.m.Knoxville at Asheville City CBSSN

6p.m.U.S.vs. Portugal TNT,TRUTV TENNIS

10 a.m. WTAEarly Rounds Tennis

7p.m. Newyork at Houston NBC,Peacock 10 p.m. Portland at L.A.ClippersNBC,Peacock MEN’S SOCCER

Texas, S.Carolina return to FinalFour

BY STEPHENHAWKINS Associated Press

FORT WORTH, Texas— Madison Booker had 19 points and seven rebounds, fifth-year senior guard RoriHarmon has 13 assists and Texas is going to the women’sFinal Four for the second year in arow after a77-41 rout over Michigan in the Fort Worth Regional 3championship game Monday night. The Longhorns missed only one shot in the first quarter,quickly buildingadouble-digit lead and maintaining control even through extended periods of poor shooting by both teams after that in the only regional final matching the top two seeds.

Justice Carlton added 15 points while Kyla Oldacre added 12 points and 11 rebounds for Texas (35-3), which built as much as a 40-point lead.

Top-seeded Texas is going to its fifth Final Four.The only othertime the Longhorns had madeback-toback appearances was their undefeated 34-0 national championship in 1986and semifinal loss the following season.Before last year’s loss to South Carolina, theyhadn’t made it to the final weekendof MarchMadness since 2003.

Next for Texas is Friday in Phoenix against UCLA (35-1), another topseed and arematchagainst the only team to beat the BigTen champion this season. TheBruins have won 29 in arow since a7665 loss to the Horns in the Players Era Championship on Nov.26.

Olivia Olson and MilaHolloway each had 11 points for Michigan (28-7), which tied the single-season school record for wins. It was in the Elite Eight for only the second time and hasn’tmade it past that. The Wolverines finished 22.8% (13 of 57) from thefield,in-

cluded several missed layups.

Booker,anAPAll-American forward,had bookend baskets in an early10-0 Texas run that made it 12-2. In the middle of that, she made anifty pass to Harmon, who made an equallyimpressive quick flip pass to 6-foot-4 Breya Cunningham inside for an easy basket.Cunningham had 11 points.

Sacramento Regional 4 NO.1 SOUTH CAROLINA 78,NO.3TCU 52:

In Sacramento,California, Joyce Edwards scored 24 points and Agot Makeer added 18 to help South Carolina beatTCU to ad-

vance to theFinal Four. Thetop-seeded Gamecockswill face UConninthe Final Four in Phoenix on Friday night in arematch of last season’snational championship game. SouthCarolina (34-3) has now reached the Final Four in seven of thepastnine seasonsand won three national championships during that stretch. Coach Dawn Staley has been at the helm for all of them,including theundefeated 2023-24 season. This was thefirst time the Gamecocks really had been challenged in the NCAATournament. They had been averaging nearly 100

pointsa game in their first three contests and were winning by an average of 45 points.

TheGamecocks have so many offensive weapons making them tough to guard. The Horned Frogs (32-6) did agood job on the South Carolina guards, but had no answer forEdwards and Makeer Edwards also had 12 rebounds and threeblocks. The pair scored the first 12 pointsofthe fourth quartertoblow an eight-point game wide open. TCU was trying to reach its first Final Four and has now been eliminated in theElite Eight in consecutive seasons.

True Cinderella missingfrommen’s FinalFour

BY EDDIE PELLS Associated Press

All that talent at Arizona and Michigan. All that momentum and good vibesatUConn. And somebody has to play the part of the unheralded “little guy.” At the Final Four next weekend, that role belongs, improbably,to Illinois.

In asign of the times, the Illinii —aBig Tenteam with more wins in the conference over the past seven seasons than any other program —will pass for something resembling Cinderella when college basketball’sbiggest party kicks off in Indianapolis on Saturday The first challenge forcoach Brad Underwood’steamwill be stoppinga hard-charging UConn juggernaut that came from 19 points down and got agamewinner from the logo with 0.4 seconds left from an Indy native —Braylon Mullins —tomake its third Final Four in the past four years. The past two times theHuskies reached this point, they won the championship.

“It’saUConn culture, aUConn heart,” coach Dan Hurley said. “Webelieve we’resupposed to win this time of year.” All these teams do. Arizona, led by Brayden Burries, and Michigan, with Yaxel Lendeborg, have up to nine NBA prospects between them.

The Wildcats opened as slight favorites —atplus-165 towin the championship, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. That was ashade ahead of the Wolverines, who are plus-180 after their 95-62 romp over Tennessee on Sunday But, in one of afew strange twists on the odds chart, the Wildcatsare 11/2-point underdogs to Michigan in Saturdaynight’s marquee semifinal, amatchup of No. 1seeds.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ABBIEPARR

UConnforward Tarris Reed celebrates after theHuskies’ win against Duke in the EliteEight of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday in Washington.

tion’ssixth most populous state and aschool with an enrollment of nearly 60,000 —feelsmost like thisyear’sout-of-nowhere underdog speaks more about the current state of college hoopsthan theIllini themselves.

They are aNo. 3seed —the highest number at the FinalFour in twoyears.(UConn is a2.Last season, all four No. 1s madeit.)

This year’s meeting of 1vs. 1 —Michigan vs. Arizona— is a heavyweight matchup of power teams from power conferences meetingwitheverything at stake.

Twoyears ago, they won 11 and sent oneteam (NC State) to the FinalFour.

Not surprisingly, Underwood the coach who landedonthe Illinois radara decadeago by coachingdouble-digit seed Stephen F. Austintoapair of upset wins in the tournament —views his program’s trip to theFinal Four more as destinythana once-in-alifetime story

It is, however,the first trip for Illinois since 2005, when it lost to North Carolina in the title game.

ä MEN’SFINAL FOUR No. 3Illinois vs. No. 2UConn, 5:09 P.M. SATURDAy,TNT/TRUTV No. 1Michigan vs. No. 1Arizona, 7:49 P.M. SATURDAy,TNT/TRUTV

—haveapotential NBA lottery pickoftheir owninguard Keaton Wagler. Even so, the best-known name on the Illini rostermight be Andrej Stojakovic,whose father, Peja, was athree-time NBAAllStar.Illinoisisthe third school in threeyearsfor the younger Stojakovic,who spent oneseason at Stanford andanother at Calbefore joining Underwood’s crew

The task for Illinois: Figuring outwho to keyonacross aroster that has five players who averagedouble figures, led by Tarris Reed Michigan vs.Arizona

The Wildcats-Wolverines game is ahigh-powered matchup of programsthat have shownthere’s more thanone way to amass talent in the era of the unlimited transfer portal andbig-money name, image andlikeness deals.

LSU hoops freshman says he will enter transfer portal

LSU’s Mazi Mosley intends to enter thetransferportal,heannounced on social media on Monday

The freshmanplayed 19 games and averaged 1.8 points in 6.4 minutes per game. Mosley,a6-foot-5 guard from California, shared the newsofhis entry into the transfer portal the same day new coach Will Wade had his introductory newsconference at LSU.

The most he scored in agame wassix points in a10-point loss to SouthCarolinaonJan.6.He played over 20 minutesinagame twice during the season. Mosley committed to LSU under former coachMattMcMahon on Sept. 30, 2024. He was ratedthe No.75playerinthe 2025recruiting class, according to 247Sports.

Super Bowl heading back to LasVegas in 2029

LAS VEGAS The Super Bowl will return to Las Vegas in 2029 for the second timeafter NFLowners votedMondaytoaward the nation’sgambling and entertainment capital the big game.

Las Vegas getting the Super Bowlback after Kansas City defeated San Francisco 25-22 in overtime in February 2024 seemed like only amatter of time.

Commissioner Roger Goodell all but gave that possibility his blessing after the first Super Bowl in a city the league long shunned because of concerns aboutlegalized sports betting.

“We’re excitedtobring theSuper Bowlback to Las Vegasand provide our fans another incredible experience in one of America’sgreatest sport and entertainment destinations,” Goodell said in astatement.

NBA Board of Governors approvessaleofBlazers

NEWYORK— The NBA Board of Governors approved the sale of controlling interest in the Portland Trail Blazers from Paul Allen’sestate to agroupled by investor Tom Dundon on Monday

The league said in astatement it expects the deal to close this week. ESPN previously reported it was for $4 billion. In March, the Boston Celtics sold for$6.1 billion. Dundon’sgroupincludes Portland-based Sheel Tyle, the co-founderofinvestment firm Collective Global; Marc Zahr,copresident of Blue OwlCapital; and the Cherng Family Trust, the family office and investment firm of the co-founders of Panda Express. Earlierthis month, Dundon sold aportion of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes to three new minority owners, atransaction reportedly worth $332.5 millionfor 12.5% of the team

Sun to be sold to Rockets owner,movetoHouston

The Connecticut Sun says it will move to Houston in 2027 after reaching an agreementtosellthe team to Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta in adeal worth arecord $300 million, according to aperson familiar with the sale.

The WNBA Board of Governors still needs to approve the sale and the move. The team will playinConnecticutfor the upcoming season before moving to Houston and becoming the Comets again. This will end a23-year run by the team in NewEngland after the team moved to Connecticut from Orlando in 2003.

Illinois is a11/2-point favorite over UConn and, in reality,it’sthe Huskies, at plus-550, who are the biggest long shot in Indy Even so, the fact that Illinois the flagship university in the na-

It’safar cry from amere three yearsago,when mid-majors Florida Atlantic (coached by Dusty May, whonow leads the Wolverines) and San Diego State crashed collegebasketball’sbiggest party Sincethen, NIL and the transfer portal have reshaped the contoursofplayermovement, another spasm of realignmenthas made thebig conferences bigger (Arizona, now in the Big 12, was in the Pac-12 in 2023), and the highachieving underdogs whousedto makeMarch Madness what it is have gone into aslump.

“I don’twant to sound arrogant,”saidUnderwood,whose teams have won96Big Tengames since2019-20, two morethanPurdue. “I’ve neverdoubted us getting to aFinal Fourwould happen. Ihavethought we have hadother teamscapable. ButI also know howdoggone hard it is to do it.”

The Big Tenknows all about this. Both Illinois andMichigan have achance to deliver atitle for the conference for the first time sinceMichigan Statewon it all in 2000. Illinoisvs. UConn

Four of the five starters for Tommy Lloyd’sWildcatsbegan their careers in Tucson; the fifth, Big12player of theyear Jaden Bradley,moved over from Alabama and hasbeen withthe Wildcats forthree years. Meanwhile,the topfour players in minutesplayedatMichigan— Lendeborg, Morez Johnson Jr., Aday Mara and Elliot Cadeau —all arrived from thetransfer portal.

Double-digit seeds won atotal of five games in this tournament (not counting the play-in round).

TheIllini, ledbythe so-called “BalkanBloc”— acohort of players with roots in Eastern Europe

In atwist thatmakes perfect sense these days, both coaches parlayed rootsinthe mid-majors to aspotonthe sport’sbiggest stage.Lloyd spentdecades as atop assistant for Mark Few at Gonzaga before heading to Arizona to rebuild theprogram after the ouster of Sean Millerin2021. May led FAUtothe FinalFour before heading to the Michigan program thathad thrived, then collapsed, underformer Fab Five star JuwanHoward

NC State reachesdeal with Vols assistant Gainey NC State has an agreement with Tennessee assistant coach and former Wolfpack player Justin Gainey to lead its men’s basketball program,aperson with knowledge of thesituation toldThe Associated Press on Monday

The deal requires approval by the school’sboard of trustees to becomeofficial, with trustees scheduling an emergency meeting forTuesday to “consider apersonnel matter.”

The school also said Mondaythat it would hold anewsconference forits next coach on Wednesday Gainey would replace Will Wade, wholasted just one season in Raleigh before leaving forLSU Gainey,49, served as the Volunteers’ associate head coach under Rick Barnes since the 2022-23 season, when he also took over as the team’s defensive coordinator On TV

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By TONy GUTIERREZ

TexasguardRoriHarmon stepsback to shoot against Michigan guard Olivia Olsonduring theirElite Eight game on MondayinFortWorth, Texas.

Koepka,Lowry to team for2026ZurichClassic

BY JEFF DUNCAN Staff writer

The all-star team of Brooks Koepka and Shane Lowry has committed to play in the upcoming Zurich Classic, tournamentofficials announced Monday Koepka, afive-time major winner,will make his first appearance in the NewOrleansPGA event since 2019. In his first year back on the PGA Tour since returning from a three-plus-year run with LIV Golf,heisranked No. 162 in the latest World Golf Ranking Lo wr y, wh o paired with Rory McIlroytowin the 2024 Zurich, is ranked No. 32 in the world afterhis 28th-place finish at the Houston Open last weekend.

“This should be amostpowerful team,” said SteveWorthy, the CEO of the Fore!Kids Foundation, which operatesthe tournament for the PGA Tour.“Both of these players havewon major titles, and both have extensive experience in major international team competitions.”

Koepka is the first major player to return to the PGA Tour after leaving for LIV.Aspart of his

conditionstoreturnthrough the returningmember program, he reportedly had to make a$5million charitable donation, forfeit 2026 FedExCup bonus eligibilityand forgoplayer equity shares for five years. While ineligible for sponsor exemptions into 2026 signature events,heisrequiredtoearnhis way into those fields through play in full-field PGATour events such as the Zurich. So farthis season, he has tied for ninth in the Cognizant Classic, tied for 13th in The Players Championshipand tied for 18th in the ValsparChampionship.

He teamed withhis brother Chase to tie for fifth in the2017 Zurich Classic,the first year thetournament adoptedthe team format.

He has won the PGAChampionshipthreetimes andthe U.S. Open twice among his ninePGA Tour titles. He ranked No. 1inthe world for 47 weeks from October 2018 to February 2020.

He playedonfour U.S. Ryder Cup teams and one Presidents Cup squad. In 15 Ryder Cup matches, he has posted arecord of 7-6-2, ranking 18th on the all-timeAmerican points list. This will be Lowry’sseventh appearance at theZurich. Hisbest performance thisyear cameatthe CognizantClassicin Palm Beach, Florida, where he finished tied for secondafter leading

thetournamentwiththree holes to play.Healso tiedfor eighthin the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, where he finishedsecondin2025.

Lowry hasextensive experience in team play like theZurich, which will be playedApril 23-26 at the TPCofLouisiana.The 38-year-old Irishman has played for Europe on thelast threeRyder Cup teams. He sank the putt that clinched the2025 RyderCup for theEuropean team at Bethpage Black last September

He wonBritish Openin2019 at RoyalPortrush Golf Club by firingacourse-record63inthe third round to win by six shots over Tommy Fleetwood. He has won seven other titles, four on theDPWorldTourand the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in 2015 that earned him his PGA Tour card.

Lowryalso has posted atie for thirdinthe Masters, atie for fourthinthe PGA Championship and atie for secondinthe 2016 U.S. Open Lowry recorded 12 top-25 finisheslastseason, including a tiefor 12thatthe Zurich.He enjoyed oneofhis best years on the PGATour in 2024. In addition to hisZurichClassic victory,he posted six top-10 finishes, including asolosixth in the PGA Championshipand atie for sixth in the British Open.

Pels’GLeagueteam moving to Kenner

BY RODWALKER Staff writer

The New Orleans Pelicans’ G League affiliate is moving closer to its parent team. The Pelicans announced Mondaymorning thattheir GLeague team will be relocating from Birmingham,Alabama, to Kenner The team will be rebrandedasthe Laketown Squadron. The team has played in Birmingham since2021. It playedthe two seasons before that in Pennsylvania as the Erie BayHawks.

“Weare proud to bring the Squadron and NBA GLeague basketball to the City of Kenner and Laketown Park,” Pelicansowner Gayle Bensonsaidina statement. “Wethank Kenner Mayor Michael Glaser and the Kenner City Council for their partnership in making this move possible, and we look forward to growing our basketball fan base and investing in this vibrant, family-oriented community.”

The Laketown Squadron will beginplaying games at the Pontchartrain Center in the 2026-27 season beginning in the fall.

As part of the relocation, the Squadron and city of Kenner plan to complete arenovation of the Pontchartrain Center that will include new locker rooms, upgraded audio andlighting systems, and enhanced videoboards. Capacity at the Pontchartrain Center is 3,700. David Chaix, CFO for the New Orleans Saintsand Pelicans, said in aKennerCityCouncil meeting in Februarythat relocating closer to New Orleans will make theoperation more efficient while helping “deepen our organization’sinvestmentinthe local community.” Plans to relocatehavebeengoing on for the past 18 months.

Joe Dumars, in his first year as

the Pelicans executive vice president of basketballoperations, gave astatement on the advantages of having the GLeague affiliate closer to NewOrleans.

“The close proximity to Kenner givesusthe ability to better align our basketball operations andcoaching strategies, integrate player development and enhance roster flexibility throughout the season,” Dumarssaid. “Weare excitedtoannouncethis move and look forward to deepening our connection with the local community.”

Thereare several benefits to theG Leagueteam beingcloser to NewOrleans. Injured playerscan rehabwith the GLeague team without having to make the 61/2-hour drive to Birmingham. G League players also can share resources such as medical staff and training facilities. Coaches and front office personnel can attend more games. Also, attendancemay improve.

The Birmingham Squadron playedatLegacy Arena,where the capacity is 17,000. Attendance for Squadrons games in Birmingham dwindled overthe years. Thefirst game in 2021 drew acrowd of 5,000.Attendanceatthe team’sfinal game in BirminghamlastTuesdaywas 1,744.

“Weare extremely grateful forthe partnership we have built with the City of Birmingham including the fans, community partners, and civic leaders who supported the Squadron on and offthe court,” Benson said. “Birminghamremains an important part of our region, and we thank Mayor Randall Woodfin and BJCC CEO TadSniderfor theirleadership and support through this transition.”

EmailRod Walker at rwalker@ theadvocate.com.

Continued from page1C

budget for playerswith theLSU athleticadministration, naming athletic director Verge Ausberry,president Wade Rousse and senior deputy athletic director and executivedirector of externalrelations for the LSUSystem Heath Schroyer,who he reports to directly Wade said he was instructed to craft aroster that allowsLSU to win.

“It’sspend until you feel like youhavea good enoughteamto compete in the SEC,” Wade said. It was reported by The Athletic that LSU canspend “at least $12 million to $15 million —between revenue-sharing and NIL —on player payroll.”

Wade predicts the total cost of players in his first seasonwill be higher than in future years because most of the roster will come from the portal.

“We’re going to have to go get abunch of new players, and the new players andthe goodplayers cost,” he said. “They ain’tcheap.

Continued from page1C

seasons at LSU from 2017-22 is thepoint man for that.The poster child. If former football coach Les Miles was theMad Hatter,Wade is the Black Hatter.Heembodiesthe “Wedidn’t come here to be liked, we came here to win and drink all your beer” ethos that the LSU fan base laps up.

“The first year,yeah,theremay be some sticker shock, but we’ve got agood plan.”

Wade hasconfidencethat once aplayer is at LSU, he’ll have an easier time retaining them.

Four players fromlast year’s roster already intend to enter the transfer portal: guards Dedan Thomas, Ron Zipper andMazi Mosley,and forward JalenReed. There are five remaining players on the team with eligibility, including freshman pointguard Jalen Reece, who attended Wade’s news conference.

Wade said he’shad one-on-one meetings with“five or six”players. In thosesessions, he brought up hisexperiencecoachingformer LSU player and second-round NBAdraft pick Skylar Mays, who stayed with the program after his initial coach,Johnny Jones, was fired.

“Those conversations will continue,” Wade said. “We’re going to support the guys, whatever they want to do.Iftheywanttostay here at LSU, we’re goingtosupport them and findarole for them. And if they want to go somewhere else, we’re going tosupportthem in thataswell.”

Wade admitted he never thought he’d get asecond chance at LSU. Now that he hasone, he saidpart of theequation for him is giving backtothe school that gave himhis first bigcareer break. Aschool that is doubling downonhim to do it again and even do it better

“I’ve never connectedwith a fan base and with people like I have with LSU and Louisiana,” Wade said. “I feel like we left the book open alittle bit. We left some chapters unfinished.

“Tohave the opportunity to comeback and finish thatoff and to bring pride and joytopeople thatI care about and people that mean alot to me, yeah,Ifeel aheavy burden towards that. That’s abig reason Icame back.

“I’mexcited to represent LSU and Louisiana again.”

If you’re not from Louisiana, if you don’tunderstand the place and itspeople, you probably can’tunderstand why Wade and LSU fit so well together. Iran intoTasmin Mitchell

an LSU basketball great who grew up and became ahigh school legend just across the Amite River from Baton Rouge in Denham Springs —onmyway into the PMAC on Monday Mitchell was an assistant coach and director of player personnelonnow former LSU coach Matt McMahon’sstaff. His future withhis almamater is, obviously,now much in doubt. Wade was asked about whether he would have astaff assembled in time forthe April 7opening

of the transferportal window, an essentialbuilding block for Wade’s first second-timearound team, but his answer was noncommittal. Although Mitchell’sown future is uncertain, his thoughts on the hire were definitive

“They got the right guy for the job,” Mitchell said of Wade. “You can quote me on that.” That tells you alot about this LSU-Will Wade thing. “Spread the word around. Guess who’sback in town?”

STAFFPHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JASON BEHNKEN

Brooks Koepka walks towardthe 18thgreenduring the final round of the Valspar Championship golf tournament March 22 in Palm Harbor,Fla.

Lowry

STAFF FILE PHOTOByBRETT DUKE

The PontchartrainCenter’ssignisseen near the end of Williams Boulevard in Kenner on April 19, 2024.

MooresaysSaintswant to extend WR Olave

BY MATTHEW PARAS

Staff writer

PHOENIX The New Orleans Saints are attempting to sign wide receiver Chris Olave to along-term contract extension, coach Kellen Moore said Monday Moore, speaking at the NFL owners’meetings,saidthe effort has continued after thetwo sides talked during the season.An agreement has yet to be reached, andOlave is entering the final year of his rookie-scale contract after New Orleans picked up his fifthyearoption.

“There’sconversations, and that’swhat this time of yearisall about,” Moore said. “That’sobviously the business side of this thing that inevitablycomes up.It’s just about aworking relationship for everyone, what works best for everyone and find agood situation.

“Weknow we love Chris, and we’re excited about his future.

Olave is in aposition to get paid after acareer season. The25-yearold hauled in 100 catches for 1,163 yards in 16 games, bouncing back after an injury-plagued 2024. That year,Olave dealt with several concussions —includingone that ended his seasoninNovember and caused himtocontemplate retirement. The Saints and Olave were proud of the wide receiver’sresilience, and now he’sset to cash in.

Another factor is the wide receiver market has exploded. Jaxon Smith-Njigba of Seattle signed afouryear,$168 million contract last week, months after Jets receiver Garrett Wilson inked afour-year,$130 million deal. Nine receivers currently have an average salary of $30 million annually,and three make more than $35million per year

“These timelines are all different,” Moore said when asked whether there’sabenefit in getting Olave extended in the earlier part of the offseason. “I think it’s hard to try and say everyone has to follow the same timelines. There are alot of conversations,a lotof variables that go into those things We’ll just continuetokeep work-

SAINTS

Continued from page1C

was equallynoncommittal about the quarterback’sfuturewhen Moore was hired by the Saints in February 2025. Then, weeks later at the combine, Moore was seemingly on board with Carr “Wefeel fortunate to have Derek here,” he said back then. (The Saints’ plans obviously changed when Carr later retired that offseason). Until then, Kamara’sfuture remainsupinthe air.The saga continues even after the Saints tookmeasurestoaddressthe 30-year-old’s contract. Earlier this month, New Orleans useda creativeaccounting trick and alittle-known salary-cap rule to alter Kamara’scap hit rather than aconventional restructure The move lowered Kamara’scap

ing through that.”

Olave has said he wants to remain with theSaints.The former 2022 first-rounder is also recovering from ablood clot that caused himtomiss thefinal gameoflast season, but Moore said he believes thewide receiver is doing well.

“This is their offseason, so we’re not around theseguys every day, but he’sawesome,”Moore said.

QB competition

The Saints won’tbeholding a starting quarterback competition this summer, but therewill be a battle for thebackup spot.

Aftersigning ZachWilson last week,Moore confirmed Monday that the Saints’ newest additionto the quarterback room will compete with Spencer Rattler to be starter Tyler Shough‘s backup.

“Our job is alwaystomake those environmentsascompetitive as possible,”Mooresaid. “Wefeel goodabout watching Zach over the time of his journey.(I’ve) followed him, evaluatedhim anumberof times now, and soIfelt like the opportunity was right.”

TheSaints wanted to addanother quarterback because they had only two on theroster,Moore said. Third-stringer Jake Haener departed for the KansasCity Chiefs this offseason and fourth-stringer Hunter Dekkers joined the United Football League. Rattler has been thesubject of traderumors,though the Saints feel no urge to part ways with their former starter Wilson has experienced awhirlwindsince entering the NFL as the secondoverall pick in 2021. He went from ahigh-profile prospect to flaming out with the Jets before serving as abackup with the Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins. Though he’saroundthe sameage as Shoughand Rattler, Wilsonhas considerably more starting experience with 33 starts.

Wilson said last week thathe signed with the Saints to learn under Moore, aformer quarterback turned coach. The 26-year-old has seen quarterbacks suchas Sam Darnold and BakerMayfield turn their careers aroundafter rocky starts,

hit to $10.4millionand cleared $8 million in cap space.

Butthen the Saints signed Etienne and new questions emerged. ESPN, for instance, reported that teams wondered whether the Saints would be opentotrading Kamara, whilethe NFL Network reported others wondered whether Kamara could retire.

As of now, theSaintshave the most salary-cap dollarsand overall cash committedtotheir running backs across the NFLin 2026. NewOrleans structuredEtienne’sfour-year,$52 million contract inaway that makes the first year of his cap hit ($5 million) palatable. Would having Etienne and Kamara be manageable if they were both on thebooks for $16 million —$2million lessthan Kamara’s originalcap hitfor 2026? Even then, Kamara is coming off theworst seasonofhis career,

Bucs confident QB

MayfieldinTampa Bayfor thelonghaul

BY ROBMAADDI AP pro football writer

PHOENIX The Tampa Bay Buccaneersare confident Baker Mayfield will be their quarterback beyond the 2026 season.

Mayfieldisenteringthe final season of athree-year,$100 million extension he signed after reviving his career in Tampa Bay in 2023. Bucs general manager Jason Licht said he’shad conversations with Mayfield’srepresentatives andanticipates getting an extension done.

“Baker is still our quarterback. He’s one of thetoughest guys on the team. He’sagreat leader,” Lichtsaid. “Everything kind of revolves around the quarterback spot. At some point, I’m sure we’ll figure something out. There’sno timetable on that.”

Mayfieldhas thrived withthe Buccaneers since replacing TomBrady.Once discarded by three teams,the 2018 No. 1overall pick led Tampa Bay to adivision title and aplayoff win in 2023. He followed that up with his best season in 2024, completing 71.4% of his passes for 4,500 yards, 41 touchdowns and 16 interceptionsfor a106.8 passer rating.

AP FILEPHOTO By LyNNE SLADKy

Tampa BayBuccaneers

quarterback Baker Mayfieldcalls aplayduring the first halfofa game against the Miami Dolphins on Dec.28inMiami Gardens, Fla

eran linebacker Lavonte David, so this is unquestionably Mayfield’steam.

Licht isn’tconcerned about his quarterback holding out.

“Baker is atrue professional. He’saleader of this team. Ihave confidence we’regoing to be OK,”Licht said.

Licht also isn’tworried that Mayfield might want to play out his contract year and increase his value on the open market

and he hopestofollowasimilar path.

Moore said he believes a“healthy environment” in New Orleanscan benefit Wilson.

“You do some homework on it, youevaluate everything,” Moore said. “Zach went through alot early in New York. His experience going to Denver (in 2024) wasareally healthy situation. That preseason film in Denver was really,really good.

“Obviously,wehavetiesand know what thatoperation looked like for him, and we can provide an opportunity for him to just get better as aquarterback.”

Door open

The door remains open for Cam Jordan to return to theSaints.

Mooresaid Monday that the team would “continue to have conversations” with the 36-year-old aboutwhetherJordan will playa 16th season in New Orleans.

Amongthe issues theSaints and Jordan have tohash out is the pass rusher’srole. After aresurgent 101/2-sack season last year,Jordan hassaidhewants an opportunity to earn another 10-13 sacks and climb up theNFL’s all-time sacks leaderboard.

Is thatfeasible in NewOrleans?

“I thinkthose areall just the fun, healthyconversations that we all get to have,” Moore said. “Obviously,weloveCam. He’s obviously afree agent (and his) responsibilityistoput yourself in thebest positiontobesuccessful. And so Camgets to do that. That’s acredit to him,his journey and the performance that he had lastyear

“I thought he did areally good job for us, and so we’ll continue to have those conversations.”

Jordan told former teammate Terron Armstead earlier this month that he hasreviewed three options with hiswife, Nikki,and indicated he was open to playing elsewhere. But Jordanstill holds an affinity for the Saints andthe city of New Orleans, most recently appearing at aPelicans game Sunday for aCam Jordan bobblehead night.

Mayfield wasanearly frontrunner for NFL MVP last year when theBucs opened 6-2, but the injury-riddledteam unraveled andfailedtowin itsfifth straightNFC South title. Mayfield, playing through injuries, saw hisproduction drop. He threwfor 3,693 yards, 26 TDs, 11 picks and had a90.6 passer rating.

The Buccaneerslostsix-time

ProBowlwide receiverMike Evans in free agency and vet-

“Baker is atrue pro. Baker has never let us down. I’m not going to deal with hypotheticals. We love Baker,” Licht said. The team alsowants to extend outside linebacker YaYa Diaby’scontract. He’sentering thefinal season of his rookie deal.

“I’d love to have YaYa here long term,” Licht said. “He’sa very good,young player that’s probably alittle bit underappreciated, Ithink, overall for what he’sdone. He’sagood, young player.Welike him a lot.”

Harbaugh,OBJ talk aboutreceiver’s possible N.Y. return

PATLEONARD Newyork Daily News (TNS)

PHOENIX John Harbaugh and Odell Beckham Jr.have discussed apossible New York Giants reunion. Theytextfrequently Maybe it will happen. Maybe it won’t. But it’scome up. “The obvious answer would be you look at everyoption, andif Odell’sanoption, we’ll be looking at it, for sure,” Harbaugh said about the former LSU star on Monday at theNFL owners’ meetings. “He and Idotalk, and we do text.We’ve maintained areally good relationship. He’sone of my very favorite people in the world.

“It’snot like you don’ttalk to guys aboutthings like that. Certainly we have. We’ll just have to see where it allgoes, what’sbest for him, what’sbest forthe Giants.That’sthe number onething is it’s what’sbest for our team, and any player,ifhehelps you be abetterteamand canmakeyou better,then you’re gonna pursue that.” Beckham,33, has not played in an NFL gamesince 2024 forthe Miami Dolphins. But he wants to play again, and he hasn’tbeen shy aboutmaking clearthat he would

and it’sworth wondering whether he can bounce back. He had career lows in several categories —including rushing yards (472) and yards per attempt (3.6) —and missedthe final six games because of knee and

ankle injuries. It’s also fair to wonder about how Kamara will co-existwith Etienne.Kamara, to his credit, hasbeen at his best when he’shad another legitimate threat to man-

love to run it back in New York. He playedfor Harbaugh’sBaltimore Ravens in 2023 priorto his stopinSouth Beach, so signing with the Giants would be a reunion with both the football team and Harbaugh as his head coach Beckham rekindled hype around his highlight-reel talents with aone-handedtouchdown catch at theFanaticsFlagFootball Classic recently.And Giants co-owner John Mara —who is in attendance at the owners’ meetings —has spokenseveral times since trading Beckham to Cleveland in March 2019 about how strong of an affinity he stillhas forOBJ.

Signing aplayer like Beckham whodoes not play special teams to aone-year,low-cost contract wouldn’tbethe normal allocation of those assets on an NFLroster But Beckham’ssupernova Giants career keeps him belovedinthe Big Apple.

Beckham’s intention wasto play here for along time. He signeda major contract extensionin2018 shortly before Dave Gettleman traded himaway in March 2019.

But with Harbaugh as the head coach, areunion is now apossibility

age the workload. But Etienne andKamarashare similarskills, particularly in how they can be a factor in the passing game. On that front, Moorewas willing to acknowledgethathealready hadenvisionedhow the two could complement each other

“Both of them obviouslyhave the explosive, elusive ability to play in all three phases, which is beneficial,”Mooresaid. “I feel like ourrunning backroom is areally healthy room right now, with just thedepth andthe experienceand all the guys that are in there.” Pick apart Moore’swordsclose enough, and even that might have contained acaveat. Right now? Doesthat mean the room is subject to change?

Thelackofconcreteanswers just widens the guessing game.

EmailMatthew Paras at matt. paras@theadvocate.com

STAFF FILE PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD Saints running back Alvin Kamara goes down during the first halfofthe game againstthe Atlanta Falcons at the Caesars SuperdomeonNov.23.

STAFF PHOTO By DAVIDGRUNFELD

NewOrleansSaints wide receiver Chris Olave scoresa touchdown on a23-yard pass from quarterback

Tyler Shough as he beats Newyork Jets safetyDeanClark during the second half on Dec.21atCaesars Superdome.

LSUrestructures athletic department

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

LSU athletics will have anew reporting structure under athletic director Verge Ausberry,heannounced Monday shortly after Will Wade’sintroductory news conferenceasthe new LSU men’sbasketball coach.

Ausberrywill overseethe whole department, but he revealed that he’stabbed ahandful of administrators to lead the charge with raising money for certain programs.

deputyADand chief strategyof-

ficerZach Greenwell with leading thechargewhenitcomes to raising NIL money for the program.

Ausberry also noted that Miriam Segar, senior associateADand senior woman administrator,issupervising the women’sbasketball team.

“It’s great alignment. It makes my worldeasier,”Ausberry said.

Tigerbaseballpersistsduring awildweekend vs.Kentucky

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

That was certainly something.

LSUbaseball won its first series in Southeastern Conference play lastweekend againstKentucky but it was anything but conventional. There was yelling, big mistakes on bothsides of the ball and awhole bunchofwalks, for bothteams.

“This is anew day and age,” Ausberry said. “Notthe same days of the old athletic director sitting in the officesand just dictating what you’re doing. Now we’ve got to be out there, concentrating and focusing on how we generate revenue.”

Executive deputy athletic director and chief operatingofficer Julie Cromer will carryonasthe overseer of the football team, butshe’ll also be doing it alongside deputy AD and chief revenue officer Clay Harris, who has been tasked with being the point person for raising money for the football program

Heath Schroyer —LSU’s new senior deputy AD and executive director of external relationsfor the LSU System, who was hired Thursday away from McNeese State —is the new lead administrator for the men’sbasketball team.

Schroyer was the athletic director at McNeese before arriving at LSU, and he hired Wade atMcNeese in 2023. Ausberry is optimistic that Schroyer’s connections in southwestLouisiana can open up a new stream of revenue for theathletic department.

“I think that’sthe thing Heath does, he brings alot of new money to us, anew donor pool to us,”Ausberry said. “It gives us the southwest part of the state where he’s from …and (he) can work some anglesdown there that we haven’t been able to get to in along time.”

DanGaston, the senior associate AD for facilities operations and events, will continue tooversee baseball, but LSU also hastasked

“Like Isaid,our new alignment in our department,those guys, you’re notgoing to findthem in that office. Most people are going to be on the street, mainly raising revenue.”

In additiontoannouncing the restructuring, Ausberry clarified that each team’s pieceofthe revenue-sharingpie won’tchangeunderthe athleticdepartment’snew structure, despite LSU’s renewed investment in men’sbasketball.

Football still will receive 75% of the $20.5millionthat LSUwill be allowed to directly spend on athletes. Men’sbasketballisset to get 15%,women’sbasketball will collect 5% and the rest will obtainthe remaining 5% to share.

“We’re goingtobeout therebeating the streets,” Ausberry said.

“LSU is acharity. Like (Skip Bertman) usedtosay,LSU as an athletic department is acharity.Sothat’s the way we’re lookingatthis.”

LSU’sdecision to hire Wade is the latest chapter in arecentspending spree. It signed Wade to aterm sheet Friday that locks him into a seven-year,$30 million contract

The program also paid a$4million buyout to get Wade released from hiscontract at NC State, and it owes roughly $8 million to former coach Matt McMahon.

That spending follows the sevenyear, $91 million deal handedout to Kiffinlastwinter, andthe $54million buyout for ex-coach Brian Kelly

Those figures don’tinclude the money LSU has spent, or is aboutto spend, on its rosters forbothsports, or the money forked out to assistant coaches coming and going for football and men’sbasketball.

“My jobis to generate revenue forthe whole department,” Ausberry said. “And make sure this department is in alignment, the president’soffice, the board and everythingelse, (so) that we winin every sport.”

Southern Lab, Ascension Christianstandouts honored

BY JACKSON REYES

Staff writer

Four Baton Rouge-areaathletes

landed on the LSWAClass 1A allstate team, with several more earning honorable mention recognition. Southern Lab senior AsiaPatin was named the outstandingplayer on the girls side. The McNeese State signee averaged 19.8 points, 7.6 assists, 6.7 reboundsand 4.8 steals this season. She helped lead the Kittens to their third straight statetitle after defeating JS Clark43-38. Patin was named the most outstanding player in the championship game

Her teammate, junior Kori Wesley,averaged 13.2 pointsper game andwas amajor part of theteam’s title defense.

On the boys side, two area athletes landed on the second team. East Iberville sophomore Jordan Scharnett averaged 15.4points,6.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists and2.7 steals. He scored 18 points against Lakeview in theDivision IV nonselect semifinal to help theTigers reach their first state title game. AscensionChristian’sDylan Spanselalso earned second-team honors after he finished as the District 8-1A MVP.Heaveraged 20.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists andtwo steals.

However,despite trailing7-0 on Sunday withthe series tied at agameapiece,the Tigers came through.

Here are five takeawaysfrom acrazy weekend at Alex Box Stadium:

Mixedbag forthe starters

LSU’sfirst weekend without right-hander Cooper Moorewasn’t always smooth, to saythe least Sophomore right-handerCasan Evans walked sixbattersinthe first three innings on Friday.Redshirt junior right-hander Gavin Guidry,replacing Moore, gave up sixearned runs andcouldn’tget out of the second inning.

But there were some positives for LSU coach Jay Johnson. Evans gave up onehit after thesecond inning and retired nine of the last 10 battershefaced. Sophomore right-hander William Schmidt had his bestSEC start yet,tossing 51/3 shutout innings.

Evans has thepotential to be an ace, and Schmidt has consistently kept LSU in games.The main question remaining now,besides howLSU will fill itsthird rotation spot with Mooreout,ishow LSU andJohnson can get Evans to be the pitcher he was against Oklahomamore consistently

“I toldhim after theouting, like, he wants to be better there,” Johnsonsaid. “But if he can do that when he’s notathis best,he’ll pitch for along time as astarting pitcher.”

WhereisArrambide?

Johnson turned to anew path at catcher this weekend.

Instead of startingsophomore Cade Arrambide behind the plate for at least two games this weekend, as he has every week heading into this series, thesophomore didn’tsee the fieldonceagainst Kentucky.Stretching back to Tuesday, Arrambide has been on the bench in LSU’spastfour games

He was notlistedonLSU’s availabilityreport headinginto last weekend’sseries or during it. Johnson also confirmed on Friday that he was healthy Arrambide had been dropping in the batting order.Hehit ninth against OklahomaonMarch 21 and was 1for hislast 11 at the plate after astrong showing against Vanderbilt.Despite his strugglesagainst theSooners, he was still LSU’sbest defensive option behind thedish. But that didn’tseem to matter forJohnson.FreshmanOmar Serna started all threegames instead, and Johnson turned to redshirt junior Eddie Yamin behind thedish in the ninth inning on Friday,not Arrambide.

HasDardarlockedupsecond?

No Tiger had abigger weekend at the plate than SethDardar,the

Kansas State transfer whoentered Friday withfive hits in his previous39at-bats.

Dardar smacked three doubles on Friday before recording three walks on Saturday and hitting a go-ahead three-runhomeronSunday.Bythe end of the weekend, he had gone6for 10 with five runs driven in, and his batting average went up from .220 to .275.

“I think I’mabetter hitter when I’malittle more aggressive,” Dardar said. He also played improved defense, taking over for junior Trent Caraway,who struggledat second base on Friday.Hehelped turn two double plays and fielded all threeground balls hit to him in Saturday and Sunday’sgames.

“I’ve been working alot before practice, after practice with(LSU defensive director of player development Justin Bridgman), working alot on turning double plays, which Iwas happy with this weekend,” Dardarsaid. “I know coach Bridgman was fired up for me every time Icame in the dugout,just fist-bumped me,telling me, ‘Let’sgo!’ If Dardar can contribute with the bat and, most importantly adequately field second base, that wouldprovide amassive boostfor theTigers moving forward.

Whocan Johnsontrust in relief?

It’shard to find reliable arms in thebullpenbesidessenior righthanderZac Cowan at the moment. Redshirt sophomore right-hander Deven Sheerin has someofthe best pure stuff on the team and was dominantfor mostofnonconference play,but he gave up two hits, including atwo-run double, on Sunday.Sophomore righthanderMavrick Rizy continued to strugglewith his command on Sunday and walkedtwo of the three batters he faced. Sophomore left-handerEthan Plog gave up three earned runs on Friday and has 10 walks in 11 appearances after going through nonconference play as LSU’stop left-hander out of the bullpen. Juniorleft-handerSantiago Garcia, who had allowed just twoearned runs in his past eight appearanc-

BYSCOTT RABALAIS Staff writer

LSU is hosting an NCAA gymnastics regional this week, and LSUgymnastsare takinganarmful of All-Americahonors into that competition.

FourTigers earned atotal of nine regular-season All-America awards Mondayfrom theWomen’s Collegiate GymnasticsAssociation, led by Kailin Chio

Chio earnedfourfirst-team awards in theall-around and on vault, beam andfloor.The sophomore’sseason National QualifyingScore averageisrankedfirst nationally in the all-around and on vault and beam and tied for fifth on floor

Chio earned four first-team awards in theall-around and on vault, beam andfloor.The sophomore’sseason National QualifyingScore averageisrankedfirst nationally in the all-around and on vault andbeam, and tied forfifth on floor

Twoother Tigers —junior Konnor McClain and sophomore KaliyaLincoln —also werefirst-team honorees on barsand floor,respectively

McClain also wasasecond-team All-American on beam while Lincoln,the co-SEC floor champion, wasa second-teamer on vault. Junior Amari Drayton was also asecondteam selection on vault. WCGA regular-season AllAmerica honors are determined by NQSrankings at the end of the regular season, going to the top 16 gymnastsoneach eventand in the all-around.

Single-session tickets

Individual session tickets for thisweek’sNCAA regional at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center are now on sale through LSU Tickets foreach session start at

ON DECK

WHO: LSU (19-10) vs Southern (10-16)

WHEN: 6:30 p.m.Tuesday

WHERE: Alex Box Stadium

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

RANKINGS: None

PROBABLE STARTERS: LSU TBA; Southern— TBA PREGAME UPDATES: theadvocate.com/lsu ON X: @KokiRiley

WHATTOWATCH FOR: LSU has wonthree consecutive midweek games over Louisiana Tech, Grambling and Creighton after strugglinginthose affairs during nonconferenceplay. Last Tuesday was arguably itsstrongest midweek showing,a 15-5 win in eight inningsoverLouisiana Tech. Southerniscoming off aseries victoryoverPrairieViewA&M at home in SWAC play.

es,also gave up atwo-run double on Sunday Cowan getting back to his old form hasbeen massive for LSU’s relief corps, but the Tigers still need acouple morearmsto emerge forthem to fully turn things around on the mound. LSUshowedsomereal fight Trailing 7-0 in the third inning, LSU could have easily rolled over on Sunday. Guidry—aplayer whom Johnson has repeatedly said that he’d bet his life on gave up six earnedruns in 11/3 innings, and Johnsoncouldbeheard from the dugout screaming at him as he struggled in the first. Johnson was extremely animated through the first three innings, and that wasn’tbyaccident.

“I think an overused thing I hear coaches say all the time is the best thing Ican do is be myself.No, the best thing Ican do is be exactly what my team needs me to be when they need me to be it,” Johnson said. “And I’mnot going down. Like, we may lose. We may play awful, but hey,man, if Iwant them to be tough, competitive, into it, (I havetoshowthat) …and theyneededsomething, because, Imean, they didn’tshow up ready to play today.”

There have been several games this season where LSU has failed to answer Johnson’scall to action. Both Sacramento State losses. The second Vanderbilt defeat. The twotight losses to Oklahoma. But Sunday was something different. For maybe the first time all year,the Tigers punched back. And that’satrait Johnson hopes his team continuestohaveas LSUbegins thesecondhalfofits schedule.

“Wedon’t have it.Wehaven’t shownthe consistency that we’ve got anything,” Johnson said, “but I’mhappy to winorlose with that amount of fight and competition that our team showed today.”

$12, with tickets for all three sessions starting at 30. The regional begins at 2p.m. Wednesday with afirst-round meet between Air Force and Nebraska.The winner advances to SessionIIofThursday’ssecond round at 7p.m.against No. 2-seeded LSU, No.15Clemson and Auburn. Session Iisat1 p.m ThursdaywithNo. 7Stanford,No. 10 Michigan, North Carolina and Utah State. The top twoteams from each Thursday’sregional semifinals advance to the regional final at 5p.m.Saturday. Thetop two teams from there go on to the NCAA Championships. LSU gymnasticsagain ledthe nation in averageattendance with 12,389 per meet,but coach JayClark said Mondaythatsofar about 5,000 regional tickets have been sold.

“For whatever reason,regional tickets areatoughersell,”hesaid. “It’snot part of the season-ticket package and the NCAA dictates theprices. Hopefully ourfans will

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU second baseman Seth Dardar

fires the ballto first base on Sunday at AlexBox Stadium

Ausberry

Is your citrus tree still alive—or just therootstock?

Take a closer look

GARDEN NEWS

ed, which means asection of wood from adesirablecultivar, called ascion, is cut and joined with aseparate species known as rootstock.

PROVIDED PHOTO The fruit of trifoliate orangetrees tends to have alot of seeds

This creates anew tree —one that produces fruitonthe scion wood on top and that has ahardy,more vigorous root system. Rootstock allows citruscultivars like lemons, oranges, satsumas and kumquats tobetter thrive in our climate and handle other stresses such as diseases. While most kindsof citrus are stillquite vulnerable in cold temperatures,they’d be even less hardy if grown on their own roots. Rootstock also canhelp maximize the quality and quantity of fruit.

Trifoliate orange (Citrustrifoliata) is one of the most common rootstock species used in the citrus trade. Flying Dragon (Poncirus trifoliata ‘Flying Dragon’) is popular for dwarf citrus trees.

ä See TREE, page 2D

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

‘TEA PARTY HATS’

“Tea PartyHats: TheLouise FertittaCollection” in conjunction with ‘Finding Alice: Artists Exploring Wonderland featuring Abelardo Morell.’ WHEN: April11-May24. Hours are10a.m.-4:30 p.m.Tuesdaythrough Saturday and 2-5 p.m.Sunday. l WHERE: West Baton RougeMuseum,845 N. Jefferson Ave., Port Allen l ADMISSION: $4, adults; $2, seniors, military,students. l VISIT: westbatonrougemuseum.org

Teatimebegins onApril 11 when theWestBaton RougeMuseum opensits exhibitof‘TeaParty Hats’

BY ROBIN MILLER Staff writer

The hats won’tbe on exhibit in time for Easter,but that wouldn’thavemattered to Louise Fertitta. She didn’tneed aholiday to dictatewhen she would or could wear ahat

“She would always have ahat on when Isaw her,” saidLauren Davis,curator of the West BatonRouge Museum. “And everyone who knew her,knew about her hats.”

The museum is opening “Tea Party Hats: TheLouise Fertitta Collection,” on April 11. The exhibit, asampling of the late PortAllen resident’shat collection of hundreds, will coincide

PROVIDED PHOTO FROM THE WEST BATONROUGE MUSEUM Late Port Allen businesswoman Louise Fertitta was knownfor wearingadifferent hat every day. She ownedhundreds of them and donatedalarge selection of her collectionto theWest Baton RougeMuseum.

with themuseum’straveling exhibit, “Finding Alice: Artists Exploring Wonderland featuring Abelardo Morell,” which

ä See HATS, page 2D

STAFFPHOTO By ROBIN MILLER The West Baton RougeMuseum’s ‘Tea PartyHats’ will coincide with its exhibit ‘Finding Alice: Artists Exploring Wonderland featuring Abelardo Morell.

Roshi ramen is on themenu

BY MADDIE SCOTT Staff writer

STAFF PHOTO By ROBIN MILLER

Samples of hats from the West Baton RougeMuseum’sLouise Fertitta Collection are set outinpreparation for installation of the exhibit, ‘Tea PartyHats: TheLouise Fertitta Collection,’openingApril 11.

By The Associated Press

Today is Tuesday, March 31, the 90th day of 2026. There are 275 days left in the year

Today in history:

On March 31, 1968, at the conclusion of a nationally broadcast address on Vietnam, Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson stunned listeners by declaring, “I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your president.”

Also on this date:

In 1492, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain issued the Alhambra Decree, an edict expelling Jews from Spanish soil, except those willing to convert to Christianity In 1854, Japan and the United States signed the Treaty of Kanagawa, which opened two Japanese ports to American vessels and marked the beginning of Japan’s transition away from isolationism.

DINING

Continued from page 1D

noodles, ramen, chicken wings, dumplings, pig ears and more.

DiGiulio Brothers

Italian Cafe

n 2903 Perkins Road

Since opening in 1987, this restaurant has served pizza, pastas, sandwiches, soups, salads and desserts.

Its outdoor patio area was renovated in September 2025 to add mahogany French doors, red umbrellas and greenery The doors can be propped open on days with beautiful weather, and this sunroom area also has air conditioning units and TVs.

Drago’s Seafood

Restaurant

n 10111 Perkins Road

The Louisiana-born seafood restaurant reopened its Baton Rouge location in August 2025, and the covered front patio overlooks Perkins Rowe’s Town Square.

On nights when there’s live music in the square, this patio can feel like dinner and a show

The menu features dishes like their signature charbroiled oysters, Fleur de Lis Shrimp, gator tacos, gumbo and crawfish étouffée.

SoLou

n 2112 Perkins Palm Ave

This restaurant has a large outdoor patio with views of winding oak tree branches and green landscaping. Lounge on the cushioned patio furniture with a beverage or sit at the table and share an appetizer with friends. The menu includes soups, salads, burgers, sandwiches and plates like chicken and waffles, chili glazed salmon and fettuccine Alfredo.

Modesto Tacos Tequila and Whiskey n 3930 Burbank Drive, Baton Rouge

Last year, Modesto expanded into the Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux test kitchen to open its “Mezcaleria,” but if it’s nice out, the patio is where it’s at Try the wide range of tacos on Tuesdays, when the restaurant offers $4 tacos and $10 dip trios There are also enchiladas, fajitas, a smash burger and tortas on the menu. Try the brunch menu on Saturday and Sunday, which features huevos rancheros, steak and eggs,

TREE

Continued from page 1D

In 1889, the Eiffel Tower in Paris opened for dignitaries; at 1,024 feet, it was the world’s tallest building (the tower would open to the public the following May) In 1931, Notre Dame college football coach Knute Rockne, 43, was killed in the crash of a TWA plane near Bazaar, Kansas. In 1993, actor Brandon Lee, 28, was accidentally shot to death during the filming of a movie in Wilmington, North Carolina, when he was hit by a bullet fragment that had become lodged inside a prop gun In 1995 Tejano music star Selena, 23, died after being shot by Yolanda Saldívar, the president of Selena’s fan club, who was found to have been embezzling money from the singer (Saldívar was later convicted of firstdegree murder and sentenced to life in prison.)

In 2004, four U.S civilian contractors were killed by Iraqi insurgents in Fallujah, Iraq; frenzied crowds then

breakfast tacos and apple empanadas.

Magpie Cafe n 3205 Perkins Road

This Mid City coffee shop has a quaint outdoor patio packed with greenery and plants. Some of the potted plants are usually for sale, too.

Grab some coffee from their new spring menu or a breakfast sandwich, quiche or frittata. The wide assortment of pastries include gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan options.

Barracuda Taco Stand

n 2504 Government St., Baton Rouge

This New Orleans-born taco chain has outdoor seating with plenty of shady, covered spots to cool off over tacos, chips and dips or a bowl. At night, the glow from the string lights bring a warm energy, great for a nighttime taco and margarita pairing with friends.

Poor Boy Lloyd’s n 201 Florida St

This longtime po-boy restaurant has been sitting beside the Mississippi River since 1967. In fact, the menu has around 20 different poboys as well as other Louisiana dishes like red beans and rice, fried pickles and seafood plates. The bulk of the seating is inside, but on beautiful days, the few umbrella-covered patio tables in front of the restaurant let customers feel the breeze and gaze at the river

Luna Cocina n 3109 Perkins Road

This modern Mexican restaurant has a covered rooftop bar and lounge, serving drinks, tacos, salads, chips and dips and Tex-Mex. At night, the rooftop glows from the stringed lights, offering a cozy atmosphere under the night sky.

BRQ n 10423 Jefferson Highway

dragged the burned, mutilated bodies and hanged two of them from a bridge.

In 2005, Terri Schiavo, 41, died at a hospice in Pinellas Park, Florida, 13 days after her feeding tube was removed in a wrenching court battle that began in 1998.

In 2022, scientists announced they had finished fully sequencing the human genome, the full genetic blueprint for human life. Today’s birthdays: Actor William Daniels is 99. Actor Shirley Jones is 92. Musician-producer Herb Alpert is 91. Actor Christopher Walken is 83. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, is 82. Former Vice President Al Gore is 78. Actor Rhea Perlman is 78. Rock musician Angus Young (AC/DC) is 71. Hockey Hall of Famer Pavel Bure is 55. Actor Ewan McGregor is 55. Actor Brian Tyree Henry is 44. Filmmaker Chloé Zhao is 44. Musician-producer Jack Antonoff is 42. Singersongwriter Dounia is 29.

customers off. The menu features barbecue, seafood, sandwiches, salads and daily lunch specials

Frankie’s Dawg House n 2318 Cedardale Ave

This gourmet hot dog spot serves hot dogs, burgers and fries. There’s also a small bar serving drinks. Arguably, the main dining area is technically inside, but the rustic ambiance gives a shack-like sunroom kind of vibe, still great for enjoying spring’s weather Plus, there are some picnic benches that are actually outside in front of the restaurant.

Mid City Beer Garden

n 3808 Government St., Baton Rouge

The open-concept beer garden is the perfect place to enjoy nice weather, not to mention the extensive beer and cocktail menus. The food menu includes everything from cheese fries to gumbo to blackened chicken Alfredo and bread pudding.

Pelican to Mars

n 2678 Government St., Baton Rouge

The neighborhood bar, Pelican to Mars, always has an array of events on its patio. From silent book club to trivia nights to outdoor live music, grab a cocktail or mocktail and enjoy it all in the great outdoors. The food truck in the parking lot often hosts rotating vendors, including Louisiana Sandwich Co. In the mornings, grab a coffee from House Brew, located inside the bar

The Chimes Restaurant & Tap Room n 3357 Highland Road, Baton Rouge

This restaurant has served patrons for more than 25 years, and the rooftop dining area offers a great atmosphere for some beer, spinach and artichoke dip and a fried shrimp po-boy Both reservations and walkins are welcome.

Tsunami

n 100 Lafayette St., Baton Rouge

Many will argue that Tsunami’s outdoor dining area on the roof of the Shaw Center for the Arts offers the best views of the Mississippi River and downtown Baton Rouge.

HATS

Continued from page 1D

opened on March 21.

Both shows will run through May 24.

Alice and the Mad Hatter

“We were thinking about Alice and the Mad Hatter’s tea party, and we knew the hats would be a perfect fit,” Davis said.

Fertitta donated a large selection of her hat collection to the museum before her death in 2020. She was the owner of Louise’s Flower Shop in Port Allen and a member of several West Baton Rouge Parish charitable and social organizations. She also served as the queen of Port Allen’s Good Friends of the Oaks Mardi Gras Parade.

But the community nicknamed her the “Queen of Port Allen” because of her hats.

“I don’t know the exact number of hats that she had,” Davis said. “I’m not sure she knew I just know there were hundreds and hundreds Some of the hats belonged to her mother and maybe even her grandmother They gave their hats to her, and she continued collecting hats.”

Some date back well into the early 20th century

Some may be older

“She didn’t know which one was the oldest,” Davis said “But the sweet thing about this story is before her death, she gave her hats to women in the community who wanted them, along with family members and, of course, the museum.”

Never the same hat

Legend has it Fertitta was never seen in the same hat twice.

The exhibit will be a mix of hats from the museum’s collection and some on loan from family and friends. Davis has begun sorting through the hats to choose which ones will be displayed in the museum’s Brick Gallery

And Davis is right about this show being the perfect complement to the “Alice in Wonderland” theme in its main gallery Alice did, indeed, sit down to a tea party with the Mad Hatter, so tea and hats seem to be a natural match.

Visitors can walk through the “Tea Party Hats” show before moving to the main gallery to see the Mad Hatters’ tea party in “Finding Alice,” which is being toured through Mid-America Arts Alliance’s Exhibits USA national touring exhibition program

“Finding Alice” spotlights artist Abelardo Morell’s photographic compilations incorporating Lewis Carroll’s illustrations to tell Alice’s story

“So, all of the art on the walls is as Morell’s, and then we borrowed a couple of Walter Anderson’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’ pieces from the Walter Anderson Museum of Art in Ocean Springs for this show,” Davis said.

One of the Anderson pieces depicts the Mad Hatter’s tea party, where he and Alice are joined by the March Hare and sleeping Dormouse to celebrate 364 unbirthdays at a table where it’s always 6 p.m. — tea time.

“We also include ‘Alice in Wonderland’ books with illustrations by a variety of artists from all over the world,” Davis said. “So, you’ll see some books in different languages. And as for Morell, I think he was first inspired by his daughter and her resemblance to Alice. It wasn’t necessarily a physical resemblance but one of curiosity as she grew up. He later did another series during COVID, and the story resonated with him during that time because we were living in this kind of upside down, topsy-turvy world.”

Which makes sense when considering how Alice had to reach Wonderland by way of a rabbit hole.

Carroll’s original title for Alice’s journey was “Alice’s Adventures Under

Ground.”

Hats for all occasions

Visitors don’t have to dive into a rabbit hole to experience the West Baton Rouge Museum’s Wonderland, nor are they required to adhere to the Mad Hatters’ specified tea time while mingling among the tea party hats. In fact, they can look beyond tea parties when it comes to the hats. After all, the Kentucky Derby, with its over 150-year hat tradition, is coming up on May 6, and spring weddings are already in play

“Louise didn’t need a reason to wear her hats, but sometimes she wore some that were more costumey,” Davis said. “She wore purple, green and gold hats at Mardi Gras.”

She had Easter hats, too.

“And she had some funny hats,” Davis said. “She had one with a little $1.98 price tag that she called her Minnie Pearl hat.”

Minnie Pearl, whose real name was Sarah Ophelia Colley, was a comedian who gained fame on the Grand Ole Opry The trademark piece in her country girl dress attire was a flowertopped straw hat with a dangling price tag.

“We don’t have that hat in our collection, but her son sent me a photo of her in that hat the other day,” Davis said. “The show will include several photos of Louise in her hats.”

Fertitta’s friends called her “Weez,” and some of those friends even honored her by wearing their own hats.

“She would often come to a lot of the museum’s exhibit openings, always wearing a hat,” Davis said. “I knew her from being in West Side Women’s Club, which was kind of an educational-social group for women. We had a special tea party for her one year, and everybody wore a hat in honor I can say that she was a beloved member of the community.”

Email Robin Miller at romiller@theadvocate. com.

full of seeds. And, unlike other types of

BRQ’s outdoor patio, The Backyard, features a full outdoor bar and seating options in both shade and sun with outdoor fans to cool

citrus, their branches are covered with unsightly thorns. So, take a close look at your citrus tree. Do you see thorns on the new growth emerging from the base? If so, that’s the rootstock, and it’s possible that the desirable citrus cultivar died during our freezes this winter Apart from folks who are interested in grafting, there’s little point to keeping a trifoliate orange or

The restaurant focuses on sushi with Japanese and Eastern flare while marrying it to Southern roots.

Features coordinator Lauren Cheramie contributed to this report.

other rootstock tree around for the average home citrus grower If you’re sure that you only have rootstock left, it’s best to cut down the tree and replace it with a new one. If your preferred citrus cultivar still seems to be living but you see a few thorny rootstock shoots at the base of the tree, now’s a good time to trim those

PROVIDED PHOTO By WEST BATON ROUGE MUSEUM

Louise Fertitta owned hundreds of hats and wore a different one every day. The Port Allen resident donated a large selection of her hats to the West Baton Rouge Museum before her death in 2020. The museum will open an exhibit of the hats on April 11.

STAFF PHOTO By MADDIE SCOTT Pork bowl from Barracuda Taco Stand

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Take a moment, breathe deeply, relax your mind and body and rethink your next move. Start with baby steps and adjust as you go.

tAURUs (April 20-May 20) Whatever you choose to reveal will impact your life, work and friendships. An unexpected change will turn out to be more advantageous than you anticipate.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) The people you meet will offer insight and connections to those who can help you further your agenda. Don't sit idle when you have some bridges to burn and others to build.

cAncER (June 21-July 22) Beopen,discuss the possibilities and rely on experts and the facts and figures. Participation will reconnect you to the people and things that make a difference to you.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Take a walk and consider the changes you can make and the outcomes that will follow. Your relationships will be tested if you let divisiveness interfere.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Seize of any chance you get to move ahead. Refuse to let self-doubt or competition stop you from giving your all and pursuing your dreams. Show passion, desire and the will to come out on top.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Too much of anything will weigh you down. Shed your burdens and focus on what you can achieve. Believe you can do it, and

you'll convince the powers-that-be to support your efforts.

scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Let your mind wander, listen to what others say and pick what works best for you. Combining all the skills you have accumulated will help you make a splash.

sAGIttARIUs (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Get your papers, finances and health in order Start discussions that can help regulate how you run your personal and business interests. Try your best in all things.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Deception will result in confusion. Observation, research and forging an authentic path forward are the way to go for you today. Monitor your time, money and health to avoid shortcomings.

AQUARIUs (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Take better care of yourself. Protect, prepare and promote what you want to achieve, and turn your thoughts into a reality. Out with the old and in with the new.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Indulge in something that puts a smile on your face and makes you look and feel your best. Get active, have some fun and include loved ones in your interests.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2026 by NEA, Inc., dist.

By Andrews McMeel Syndication

FAMILY CIrCUS

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

toDAy's cLUE: s EQUALs G

CeLebrItY CIpher

For better or For WorSe

FrAnK And erneSt

SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

SherMAn’S LAGoon

bIG nAte

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.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

nea CroSSwordS La TimeS CroSSword

THewiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS

Bridge

By PHILLIP ALDER

George Orwell claimed, “One does not establish adictatorshipinorder to safeguard arevolution; one makes a revolution in order to establish adictatorship.”

At the bridge table, one sometimes establishesawinner in order to safeguardacontract —asinthis deceptive deal. Southreaches four hearts. What shouldhedoafterWestleads the diamond king?

North’s three-diamond jump-cue-bid belowthreeofpartner’ssuitwasaMixed Raise.Itshowedfour-cardheartsupport, 7-9 high-card points and nine losers: a hand too good for apre-emptive jumpraise to three hearts and tooweak for a game-invitational two-diamond cue-bid raise.

Theoriginal South wonwithhis diamond ace, drew trumps and played a spade to dummy’s 10. East wonwithhis jack and returned adiamond. Declarer ruffedand took asecond failing spade finesse. Later, he losttwo club tricks to go down one.

Agreed, it was unlucky that all four key cards were offside, but South could have survived. After drawing trumps, declarer should have attacked clubs. Westwouldhavewonwithhisqueenand shiftedtoaspade, but South wouldhave takenafinesse.Eastwouldhavewonand led back adiamond.South would have ruffedand played the club king.

West could have won this trick or the next and ledaspade, but declarer would havewonwithdummy’saceanddiscardeddummy’slastspadeonhisfourthclub. Then, finally, Southwould have ruffed his third spade. He would have taken one spade, five hearts, one diamond, two clubs and that spade ruff on the board. ©2026 by

By Andrews McMeel Syndication

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

Previous answers:

word game

InstRUctIons: 1. Words

Average

Can

today’s thought “Unless your law had been my delights, Ishould then have perished in my affliction.” Psalms 119:92

wuzzles

God’s Word cansee us through the toughestoftimes. G.E. Dean

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles

Anyone knowingthe whereabouts of anyheirs,successors,and/or assignsofAshleyRobertson and RichardRougeou please contact TammyBowdenat225-266-4873 182410-Mar30-Apr1,3t $97

knowingthe whereabouts of KIMSHENA HARRISa/k/a KIM HARRISpleasecontact EthelClay, Attorney at Law, (225) 906-0435. 182472-Mar31-Apr2,3t $85

knowingthe whereabouts of VELMABELLBOYDAND WILLIAM JOSEPH

p g dersare encouraged to consider participation. Informationisavailable from theOffice of Facility Planning andControl or on itswebsite at https:// www.doa.la.gov/doa/ fpc/ If youhavea disability andwould like to request an accommodationin ordertoparticipate in this meeting, please con‐tact Cheryl Schillingat Cheryl.Schilling@la.gov or (225) 342-6060 as soon as possible butnolater than 48 hoursbeforethe scheduledmeeting. STATEOFLOUISIANA DIVISION OF ADMINISTRATION FACILITY PLANNING AND CONTROL MATTHEWH.BAKER DIRECTOR 180745 March24, 31, April 7, 3t $165.63

mentsfor this project. ThesuccessfulBidder shallberequiredtofur‐nish aPerformance and PaymentBondwritten as describedinthe Instruc‐tionstoBidders included in theBid Docu‐mentsfor this project.

AMANDATORY PRE-BID CONFERENCE WILL BE HELD at 10:30 AM on Wednesday, April8 2026 at 150 TerraceAve BatonRouge,LA70802 ContactShane Faustat (225) 342-4599 if assis‐tanceisneeded forthe MandatoryPre-Bid Con‐ference. It is theresponsibilityof allpotential biddersto visitthe ProjectSiteto assess thelocation, lo‐gistics, andsitecondi‐tionsprior to bidding.

Bids shallbeaccepted from Contractorswho arelicensedunder LA R.S. 37:2150-2192 forthe classification:Heavy Construction Subclassification:Land‐scaping, Gradingand Beautification;orSpe‐cialty,Subclassification: CoastalRestoration & Habitat..In accordance with LA.R.S 37:2165(C),anyoneob‐jectingtothe classifica‐tion must send acerti‐fied letter to both the LouisianaState LicensingBoard forCon‐tractors andthe CPRA at theaddresslistedabove Thelettermustbere‐ceived no laterthanten (10) working days priortothe dayon whichbidsare to be opened Bidder is required to comply with provisions andrequirementsofLA R.S.38:2212(B)(5). No bid maybewithdrawn for a period of forty-five (45) calendar

City of Monroe Purchasing Division 1014 Grammont Street Monroe,LA71201 AllBidders MUST obtain copies of BiddingDocu‐mentsfromthe City of Monroe Purchasing Divi‐sion by emailing us at purchasing@ci.monroe la.us, therebybeing addedtothe Bidders’ List.Bidsfromvendors notonthe Bidders’ List will notbeaccepted. The name of thevendormust matchthatofthe name on theBidders’List, under whichthe Request forBid wasrequested Sealed bids must iden‐tify,onthe outsideenve‐lope,the name of the vendor Biddersalsohavethe op‐tion to submit bids elec‐tronically.Tosubmit a bidelectronically, bid‐ders must register at www.QuestCDN.com. Bidderssubmittingbids electronically must ob‐tain copies of thebid packet as indicatedelse‐whereherein. TheOWNER reserves the righttorejectany or all bids forjustcause per StatePublicBid Law.

Acorporate resolution authorizinga representa‐tive of thecorporation to sign thebid must accom‐pany thebid if thebidder is acorporation.Suchac‐tivities will be in accor‐dancewithTitle 38:2237 of theLouisiana Revised Statutes No Bidders maywith‐draw theirbid within Forty-Five (45) days after theactualdateofthe openingthereof An awardshall be made to theresponsible bidder or bidderswhose bidis determined in writing by h i h i

g y thegoverning authority of theCityofMonroeto be themostadvanta‐geousfor each chemical, taking into consideration priceand otherevalua‐tion factorsset forthin theInformation forBid‐ders MINORITY-OWNED FIRMS ANDSMALL BUSINESSES AREENCOURAGEDTO PARTICIPATEINTHISRE‐QUESTFOR BIDS BidReference No 2026-00000015 /s/ Date RichardMoore, Director of Administration News Star:3/31/2026, 4/07/2026, 4/14/2026 Monroe Dispatch: 3/31/2026, 4/07/2026, 4/14/2026 Advocate:3/31/2026, 4/07/2026, 4/14/2026 182488-mar31-apr7-14-3t $156.55

centralbidding.com or in asealedenvelope, clearlymarked “TRASH COLLECTIONAND DIS‐POSALSERVICES2026” andmailedordelivered to: CentralCommunity School System Re:TRASH COLLECTION ANDDISPOSALSERVICES 2026 Attention: BeckyEasterling 11576 Sullivan Rd BatonRouge,Louisiana 70818 AMandatory Pre-Pro‐

A.M. April9,2026 forthe following: A26-0285 TIRE SERVICES FOR CITY OF BATONROUGE Official biddocuments areavailable at Central Bidding (https://www centralauctionhouse. com/rfpc10656-city-ofbaton-rouge.html)orby requestfromthe City of BatonRouge at dsstew‐art@brla.gov Bids shallbesubmitted electronically viawww centralbidding.com or on thesolicitationbid forms furnishedbythe City of BatonRouge andParish of East BatonRouge prior to thebidding deadline Electronic bids forthe solicitation will be down‐loaded by theCityof BatonRouge andParish of East BatonRouge,Pur‐chasingDivision. Begin‐ning as soon as feasible afterthe bidclosing time allelectronicbidswillbe downloaded andpublicly read aloudalong with all paperbidsreceived, if any, in Room 806 immedi‐atelyafter the11:00 a.m. bidclosing.Bidders or theirauthorizedrepre‐sentatives areinvited to be present. NOTE:The only vendor information h d h bid

y shared at the bid open‐ingwillbethe readingof thenames of thoseven‐dors whosubmitted bids

Note:The City-Parishhas electedtouse LaPAC, the state's online electronic bidposting andnotifica‐tion system,inaddition to itsstandardmeans of advertisingthisrequire‐ment.ThisInvitationto Bidisavailable in elec‐tronic form at theLaPAC website https:// wwwcfprd.doa.louisiana. gov/osp/lapac/dspBid

ent&term=102. Bids,amendmentsto bids or requestfor with‐drawal of bids received aftertimespecified for bidopeningsshall notbe considered forany cause whatsoever Inquirieswillbereceived up until 5pmonApril 3, 2026. Full informationmay be obtained upon request from theabove address or by telephoningDexter Stewartat(225) 389-3259, Ext.3264, or viaemail dsstewart@brla.gov Anyvendorwho would like to listen to theopen‐ingofthisbid

Jury Type: Petit Judge: Elizabeth A. Engolio Date: Monday,May 4, 2026

ADAMS, ALACIA AMIRIE 10710 3RD ST MARINGOUIN, LA 70757

AGUILLARD, JAMES H57985 JOSEPH ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2018

ALBERTJR, RAYMOND EDWARD 22210 WALKERST#15PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2030

ALEXANDER, DEION DESHEA 4715 MARTIN LUTHER KING JR PKWY ST GABRIEL, LA 70776

ALLAIN, NELLIE C 24015 KIRTLEY DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5541

ALLEN, CHANTRECIALACHELLE 33555 BOUDREAUX ST WHITE CASTLE, LA 70788-2726

ANDERSON, JONATHAN GEROID 77570 H& HSTMARINGOUIN, LA 70757

ANDERSON, STACY MARIE 29355 HWY 75 PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-6103

ANDRE III, JOHN ALBIN 79015 HURDLE RD ROSEDALE, LA 70772

ANDREPONT,JACOB PAUL 24285 GOLDEN SHORE AVEPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5276

ARMSTEAD, VARNESSA DENISE 25000 PIN OAK AVEPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-7522

ASHFORD, VINCENT PAUL 59970 ALICE CARLISLE DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5268

BAILEY,DEBRA M 10310 GROSSE TETE DR MARINGOUIN,LA70757

BALCUNS, CAIDEN JOZEPH 59600 THOMAS ROSS DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764

BANKS, MARTHA A 6610 HWY 74 #1007 ST GABRIEL, LA 70776-4569

BANKS,MYRIO JON 23460 RICH ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764

BANKS, SHEDRICK RACHARD 57970 PANAMSTPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-4142

BANKSTON, LIEN V 26030 HWY 77 PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764

BARKER, JOHN F 57905 MERIAM ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3345

BATISTA, JAYLEN ARON 57833 LAVILLE ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764

BATISTE, DEANA CLARK 76330 GRIFFIN DR ROSEDALE, LA 70772-3834

BEATTY,AMY FOURROUX 58360 LABAUVE AVEPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3122

BECKWOOD, LAMONICA LANN 76539 CENTERSTROSEDALE,LA70772

BELLOT,BRY 24415 CHENE ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764

BERGERON, CORTNEY KAYMARIE 59155 DARBY AVEPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3403

BERTHELOT,BRAD JOSEPH 24220 CALVIN ST #A PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3612

BERTHELOT JR, HENRYPAUL 59785 KEMBERDRPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764

BESSIX, JALINE DANIELLE 24765 PATUREAU LN PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5900

BEZET,SUZAN COLLINS 59320 RAGUSA RD PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-6554

BLANCHARD, HADLEY MICHELLE 57830 LABAUVE AVEPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3336

BLANCHARD, KYLE STEVEN 24340 KIRTLEY DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5510

BLANCHARD, SYDNEY CLAIRE 20385 SALLIE DR PLAQUEMINE ,LA70764

BLANCHARD, TYNIA LEMAY59235 EMMA AVEPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3411

BLANK JR, WILLIE JOHN 62850 BAYOU JACOBRDPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5601

BOLLINGER, JEFFREY JOSEPH 1515 HWY 75 SUNSHINE,LA70780-3212

BOUDREAUX, KAREN GEORGE 23970 HWY 386 GROSSE TETE, LA 70740-3708

BOUDREAUX, MATTHEW JOHN 7095 BAYOU PAUL RD ST GABRIEL, LA 70776-5606

BRADFORD, MARYKATHLEEN 24520 KIRTLEY DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5508

BRIGALIA, ELIZABETH ANN 59645 MYRTLE GROVEDRPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-7437

BROWN, DYLANMICHAEL 22090 HWY 77 GROSSE TETE, LA 70740-3618

BROWN, KALAYN LAKIRSIA 1905 JAKE LN SUNSHINE,LA70780-3502

BROWN, OLEVIA C 10370 HWY 77 MARINGOUIN, LA 70757

BUCKNER, MELINDA BREN 57718 ERWIN DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-4418

BUDD, BRITTANY RENEE 76915 SALARIE LN GROSSE TETE, LA 70740

BUTLER, ANNEDRA THOMPSON 58945 MARTIN LUTHER KING BLVDPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3031

BUTLER, DANELLE LYNN 58785 MERIAM ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2947

BUTLER, GWENDOLYN F 58930 ST LOUIS RD PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-6517

BUTLER, ROLANDO JERMAINE 58440 BARROW ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-4208

CADY,CHRISTOPHER BRYANT 77900 HURDLE RD ROSEDALE, LA 70772

CALLEGAN, ADONIS J58755 NEW CAMP RD WHITE CASTLE, LA 70788-4136

CANTILLO, DWAINE MICHEAL 33027-A BAYOU SORRELRDPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-7126

CARBO, DANIEL ARTHUR 39305 BAYOU PIGEONRDPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-7748

CARBO, JOSHUA MIQUEL 37055 HWY 75 PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-7711

CARPENTER, JOSEPH CHARLES 10735 RAILROAD DR MARINGOUIN,LA70757

CARRINGONE I, RYAN JOHN RANDOLPH 63250 BAYOU RD PLAQUEMINE,LA70764-5926

CARTER, BARBARA ANN 56750 CPL HERMAN BROWN JR DR BAYOU GOULA, LA 70788-3116

CARTER, JOHNTIAH L10750 3RD ST MARINGOUIN,LA70757

CASMA, DEMETRES J23835 PUNCHY WILSONSTPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3456

CASTROGOVANNIE, CAMRYN BLAYNE 58640 HWY 404 WHITE CASTLE, LA 70788

CAZES, CATHY MARIE 59590-ABELLEVIEW RD PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-6500

CHRISTMAS, JOSEPH EARL 24740 PALERMO ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-6009

CLARK, CHARLOTTE RENEE58389 DESOBRYSTPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3501

CLARK, MAKAYLA KEHIRA 1865 JAKE LN SUNSHINE,LA70780-3501

CLETHEN, PAUL DOUGLAS58055 WASHINGTONSTPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-4045

COLE, GERALD ERVIN 58819 ALLENSTPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3063

COLEMAN, MARYETTA57720 TRUE HOPE LN PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-4500

COLEMAN, SHANDREKA JANAE 32205 HWY 405 WHITE CASTLE, LA 70788-2005

COLLINS,DENISE MANNING 20455 CHARLESORY DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764

COMEAUX, GLORIA ANGELLETTE

MARIE 5675 MAGNOLIA DE CHRISTOPHEDRCARVILLE, LA 70721-2131

COMEAUX, VALERIE CLAIRE BURGE 24815 HWY 77 PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5426

COUSSOU, SHERRYRENEE 26125 WINTERSTPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-6328

CRAFT JR, BOYD 5665 MONROELNCARVILLE, LA 70721

CROW,KEVIN WINTZ 7565 BAYOUPAUL RD ST GABRIEL, LA 70776-5726

CRUMP,AMBER SHIREE 10845 GREEN ST MARINGOUIN, LA 70757

CUMMINGS,TAMISHA5535 ANDREWS LN ST GABRIEL, LA 70776-5439

DABNEY,JAMEKIA LYNETTE 55035 TASSIN DR WHITE CASTLE, LA 70788-2343

DAIGLE, SHANE MICHAEL 58939 DARBY AVEPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3401

DANDRIDGE, TIERSTENE AVA31851 LACROIX RD WHITE CASTLE, LA 70788-3620

DAVIS, DORIAN TYRELL 32640 FRANCISE ST WHITE CASTLE, LA 70788-2228

DEDON, KAYLIN TEMPLET 1110 ETTADRSTGABRIEL, LA 70776-5623

DEVILLIER, PARKER JOSEPH 58515 MILLE AVEPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3569

DICKERSON, COURTNEY RENEE58105 MERIAM ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2718

DOMINIQUE, RAVEN DARNELL 33465 BOUDREAUX ST WHITE CASTLE, LA 70788-2705

DUHE, KENNETH JOHN 195 SOUTH CLUB AVESTGABRIEL, LA 70776-4438

DUNN, BRITTANY ALEXIS 57835 NEW ERWIN DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2325

DUPONT,DOROTHY J22490 TALBOTDRPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5217

EDGERSON, DALASHIA JANEE 57545 CPL HERMAN BROWN JR DR BAYOU GOULA, LA 70788-3124

EDWARDS, LANDON R32665 BAYOUSORRELRDPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-7122

EDWARDS, WANDA M33010 BOWIE ST WHITE CASTLE, LA 70788-2321

FALCON JR, STEPHEN JOHN 5505 MARTIN LUTHER KING JR PKWY CARVILLE, LA 70721

FAVORITE, RACHELLE TRUSCLAIR 11125 HWY 77 MARINGOUIN, LA 70757-3504

FERNANDEZ, TRACY LYNN 24632 HIGH SCHOOL ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764

FISHER, DONNA 32150 HWY 75 PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-7100

FLEMINGS III, FELTON JOSEPH 32765 BOWIE ST WHITE CASTLE, LA 70788-2611

GALES, LEDRIKA S5666 MAGNOLIA DE CHRISTOPHEDRCARVILLE, LA 70721-2131

GANAWAY, JASON WAYNE 63150 BAYOUJACOBRDPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5604

GARRETT,SANDRICA 5465 POINT CLAIR RD CARVILLE, LA 70721-2108

GAUTREAUX, SHELLYHYMEL 53590 WARE ST WHITE CASTLE, LA 70788-4908

GHOLSON, STAR KENYON 16985 AUDREYLNGROSSE TETE, LA 70740-3028

GIBSON, ALENA EBONIQUES 5437 WILLIAM RD ST GABRIEL, LA 70776

GIBSON, BRYANCHARLES1825 BESSON LN SUNSHINE, LA 70780-3527

GIBSON, JACIENICOLE 53140 POINT ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-6958

GIBSON, JERRYWAYNE 53140 POINT ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-6958

GIBSON, LEROY HALL 5480 MORRIS ST CARVILLE, LA 70721

GILLIS, GEORGE ERIC 58766 WARE DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-4252

GIVENS, TYESE LAJOY 10825 BAYOU RD MARINGOUIN, LA 70757-3405

GOMEZ, HUNTER 56865 HWY 404 WHITE CASTLE, LA 70788-4322

GRANT JR, EDWARD 32975 OLANO ST WHITE CASTLE, LA 70788

GRAVES, JACOB RYAN 59730 THOMAS ROSS DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5271

GREAVIS, AKEYA77220 COLEMAN DR MARINGOUIN, LA 70757

GREEN, BROGINALD DERELL 56621 BREAUX ST BAYOU GOULA, LA 70788-3032

GREEN, JAKYREE ALNEDIA 62200 4TH ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-6002

GREEN, JUSTICE JUANYAE 57020 CPL HERMAN BROWN JR DR BAYOU GOULA, LA 70788-3119

GREEN, LUSCIOUS LEBRE 32525 LEONA AVEWHITE CASTLE, LA 70788-2513

GREEN JR, SUNNYJAMES 4837 MARTIN LUTHER KING JR PKWY ST GABRIEL, LA 70776-4215

GUEHO, CHAD MICHAEL 10915 HWY 411 MARINGOUIN, LA 70757-3805

GUERCIO, JOHN J32480 SONNY BARBIER ST WHITE CASTLE, LA 70788-2414

GUERIN, AUSTIN BLAIR 60250 CHOCTAW ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-4632

GUIDRY, BERTON HAAS 1300 BELLE TERRE DR ST GABRIEL, LA 70776-5222

GUIDRY, GRANT MICHAEL 440 CLOCK TOWER DR ST GABRIEL, LA 70776-4449

HALL, HENRIETTE THENESIA 23970 HARMASON ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3016

HANDLEY,NAKIA JQUAN 4905 LANDRYSTSTGABRIEL, LA 70776

HANKS, ELEYNA RUTH 57745 SENATOR GAYBLVDPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-4437

HATHCOCK, COURTLYN RENEE 58040 LABAUVE AVE# BPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3243

HAYDEL, ROBERTWAYNE 63114 BAYOU JACOB RD PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5604

HAYDEN JR, THOMAS L78205 CEDAR ST GROSSE TETE, LA 70740

HAYMON, LINDA BRANT21400 HWY 77 GROSSE TETE, LA 70740-3507

HEALD, DARCI LYNN 6715 HWY 74 ST GABRIEL, LA 70776-4547

HEARNS, NAKRIA 24855 BUTLER ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-4211

HEBERTSR, ALBERTCHARLES 20285 SALLIE DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5323

HEBERT, ALLISON CALCAGNO 27055 BRADY LN PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5949

HELAIRE, TONGELIA WADE 59350 STONEWALL DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-7422

HILL, MARK ALLEN 77510 WHEELOCK LN MARINGOUIN, LA 70757-3624

HILLERY, ADA MARIE 32342 SONNY BARBIER ST WHITE CASTLE, LA 70788-2412

HIMELJR, RANDY 59870 THOMAS ROSS DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5273

HOFFMAN, ADRIANN ISABELLE 7180 BAYOU PAUL RD ST GABRIEL, LA 70776-5604

HOLMES, IRIANNAANGELLE 58740 WW HARLEAUX ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2932

HOPKINS JR, BOBBY DONALD 58365 FORTSTPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3109

HORNSTEIN,ROBERTDEAN 125 SOUTH CLUB AVESTGABRIEL, LA 70776-4438

HYMES, LINDA MARIE 58667 CAPTAIN THARRIS ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3001

JAMES, AMBRE L32425 DOC DEAN ST WHITE CASTLE, LA 70788-2042

JAMES, CAPRI K22720 AIDAN RD PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5254

JENKINS, ERNEST M58354 WW HARLEAUX ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3118

JENKINS, VERLINE KATHY 25198 FOLSE ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-6003

JEWELL, MATTHEW H10465 HWY 411 MARINGOUIN, LA 70757

JOFFRION, JODY ALAN 18190 WILLOW ST GROSSE TETE, LA 70740

JOHNSON,BREONNE CHANTE 58462 NATS ALY#CPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2857

JOHNSON,COURTNEY DETTE 24211 BOURGEOIS ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3748

JOHNSON,DEXTER TRUMAINE 23630 KEARNEY ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2965

JOHNSON, LARRYGLENN 57939 CENTER ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-4366

JOHNSON, STACY 11531 FLINTSTOCK ST MARINGOUIN, LA 70757

JOHNSON,TAMELA MICHELLE 58577 WARE DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-4247

JOHNSON JR, TRAMANNLUNDON 2050 JAKE LN SUNSHINE, LA 70780-3506

JONES, GALA JEAN 55050 TASSIN DR WHITE CASTLE, LA 70788-2342

JONES, MARIE HINES 58488 WW HARLEAUX ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3136

JORDAN,LINDA JEAN 62655 BAYOU RD PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5919

JOSEPH, LATISHA LUNETTE 25925 TENANT RD #H33 PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-6551

JUMONVILLE, LEE MATTHEW 22740 JADE DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764

JUNOT,ALLISON LANDRY27025 BRADY LN PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5949

KELLEY,LESLIE M33585 BAYOU SORREL RD PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-7220

KELLYJR, JAMES LAMAR 415 CLOCK TOWER DR ST GABRIEL, LA 70776-4449

KELLY, JOAN DANDREA 57675-B TRUE HOPE LN PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-4541

KERSHAW,ERICA LYNN 59030 BELLEVIEW DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764

KINBERGER, LYSSA C57825 LAVILLE ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2321

KNIGHT,MARLENA DENAE 59010 MARTIN LUTHER KING BLVD PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3034

KOLDER, JAMES K24715 NUTTALL RD PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5500

KRAFT,ELIZABETH OLINDE 58375 CANAL ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3509

LABAUVE, BETTY M60200 GROSSE TETE ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-4634

LAMBERT, JANEE VIGUET 24696 EISENHOWER DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3925

LANAUTE, KEISHANDA 1340 BESSON LN SUNSHINE, LA 70780-3539

LANDRY, CLARK J37225 HWY 75 PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-7713

LANDRY, HARLEE MARIE 56006 HWY 404 WHITE CASTLE, LA 70788

LANDRY, LEONARD DAVID 65145 LITTLE FARMS RD PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5823

LANE, JOHN WESLEY 10205 LIONS AVEMARINGOUIN, LA 70757

LARSON, ASHLEY CLEGG 57905 JOSEPH ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2018

LATHAN, PAULINE WELSH 76775 MAGNOLIA ST GROSSE TETE, LA 70740

LATIOLAS, DARIAN PAUL 16175 DEER BUCK RUN ROSEDALE, LA 70772-3830

LAURENT,BARBARA JEAN 59355 EVANGELINE AVEPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3417

LEBLANC, ALLISON MAE 16785 HWY 77 ROSEDALE, LA 70772-3709

LEBLANC, DEREK PAUL 62500-C BAYOU JACOB RD PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5526

LEE, DAVID CHARLES 1025 LAWRENCE PKY ST GABRIEL, LA 70776

LEGER, MARSHA BOYER 22210 WALKER ST #18PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2030

LEONARD, GINNY DAIGLE 35315 FIFTY FOOT RD WHITE CASTLE, LA 70788-4409

LEONARD, GLENN A35315 FIFTY FOOT RD WHITE CASTLE, LA 70788-4409

LEONARD, STACEY J56080 MEDINE RD WHITE CASTLE, LA 70788-4430

LEONARD-HUGHES, LATOYA KIWAN 1905 BAYOU PAUL LN ST GABRIEL, LA 70776-4930

LEWIS, DERYL NELSON 32840 LEE ST WHITE CASTLE, LA 70788-2312

LEWIS, JEAN ANN 24045 CHARLES DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3519

LEWIS, SHELITADOMINIQUE 29840 JW HOLMES ST BAYOU GOULA, LA 70788-3128

LIGHT,KRISTY MARIE 22210 WARREN ST,LOT#B PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5018

LIGHTS, JOHNEL TYRONE 58291 BELL ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2237

LITTLE, LINDA ANN 57235 CPL HERMAN BROWN JR DR BAYOU GOULA, LA 70788-3121

LUKE, DHAVEN JAMAL 59610 MYRTLE GROVE DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-7437

MAJOR, BRANDON ONIEL 32645 WILLOW ST WHITE CASTLE, LA 70788-2221

MANISCALCO, GIANNAELIZABETH 59055 ISLAND DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-7434

MARTIN, JOSHUAKENNETH 57915 RANDOM OAKS DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-7004

MCMANUS, JAMIE BURCH 77890 MCBAYDRGROSSE TETE, LA 70740-3527

MCNAIR, GERREN DEMARCO 58250 NICHOLAS ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2239

MCQUISTON,JOELLE DUGAS 33235 BAYOU SORREL RD PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-7128

MENDOZA, SYLVIA K65695 SHELBY KDRPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-7306

MICHEL, LYLE JOESPH 751 RIVER RD SUNSHINE, LA 70780-3203

MICHELLI, HUNTER J25505 SPRING ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-6318

MILES, ALAYE BRIANCA32225 BOWIE ST WHITE CASTLE, LA 70788-2401

MILLBROOKS, TARA BOUDREAUX 34525 HWY 69 WHITE CASTLE, LA 70788-4435

MILLER, JOAN MARIE24530 HEBERTSTPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-4009

MILLER, RENEE H1330 BAYOU PAUL LN ST GABRIEL, LA 70776-4943

MORALES, QUENTIN PAUL 36655 HWY 75 PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-7707

MOUCH, MARK GREGORY32110 HWY 75 PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-7100

MURPHY,MARCELLE 59550 MYRTLE GROVE DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-7438

Thesenumbers will pro‐vi ac in 182391$98.

11:00 A.M.

2026,

thefollowing: REQ2201 CRADLEPOINT MODEMS Official biddocuments areavailable at Central Bidding(https://www centralauctionhouse. com/rfpc10656-city-ofbaton-rouge.html)orby requestfromthe City of BatonRouge at shab‐nins@brla.gov.

Bids shallbesubmitted electronically viawww centralbidding.com or on thesolicitationbid forms furnishedbythe City of BatonRouge andParish of East BatonRouge prior to thebidding deadline Electronic bids forthe solicitation will be down‐loaded by theCityof BatonRouge andParish of East BatonRouge,Pur‐chasingDivision. Begin‐ning as soon as feasible after thebid closingtime allelectronicbidswillbe downloaded andpublicly read aloudalong with all paperbidsreceived, if any, in Room 806 immedi‐atelyafter the11:00 a.m. bidclosing.Bidders or theirauthorizedrepre‐sentatives areinvited to be present.

Note:The City-Parishhas electedtouse LaPAC, the state'sonlineelectronic bidposting andnotifica‐tion system,inaddition to itsstandardmeans of advertisingthisrequire‐ment.ThisInvitationto Bidisavailable in elec‐tronic form at theLaPAC websitehttps:// wwwcfprd.doa.louisiana. gov/osp/lapac/dspBid cfm?search=departm ent&term=102. Bids,amendmentsto bids or requestfor with‐drawal of bids received after time specified for bidopeningsshall notbe considered forany cause whatsoever. Inquirieswillbereceived up until 5pmCST on April14, 2026. Full informationmay be obtained upon request from theabove address or viaemail shabnins@ brla.gov Anyvendorwho would like to listen to theopen‐ingofthisbid canaccess thefollowing link,atthe date andtimeofthisbid opening:

NOTE:The only vendor informationsharedat thebid openingwillbe thereading of thenames of thosevendors who submittedbids. Join by phone +1-408-418-9388 United States Toll Access code:263 373 080 (followedbythe #but‐ton) Alternatenumbers to call if numberabove is not available, which may occurdue to network traffic(usethe same Ac‐cess Code,followedby the# button): United States Toll (Boston)+1-617-315-0704 United States Toll (Chicago)+1-312-5358110 United States Toll (Dal‐las) +1-469-210-7159 United States Toll (Den‐ver) +1-720-650-7664 United States Toll (Jack‐sonville)+1-904-900-2303

SaleofSurplusVehicles Notice is hereby given that theGas District of West FelicianaParish, 9880 W. FelicianaPkwy, St.Francisville, LA 70775, will be acceptingsealed bids forthe sale of a2013 white Ford F350 dually with 228720 miles, until Friday,April 10that4:00 p.m. This vehicleisbeing sold “asisand withouta war‐ranty.”The minimumbid forthe F150 is $3000.00, andthe maximumbid for theF350 is $6000.00. It shallbethe responsibil‐ityofthe bidder to en‐sure that theirbid arrives at thedesignatedloca‐tion by theindicated time.Latebids, facsimile or telephonebidswillnot be considered.All prop‐erly submittedbidswill be accepted,withthe highestbid obtaining ownership. Allsealed bids must includethe words“Sale andSurplus Vehicle.” Bids will be accepted by mail –WestFeliciana GasUtility District #1 P.O. Box2485 St.Francisville, La 70775 Direct Drop Off9880 W. FelicianaPkwy St.Francisville, La 70775 182231 March30thru April3,5t $627.30

PUBLIC NOTICE NOTICE theLouisiana De‐partment of Conserva‐tion andEnergy(DCE) Office of Permitting and Compliance (OPC)has received thefollowing applicationfor an AfterThe-Fact (ATF)Coastal UsePermit(CUP) in ac‐cordance with theState andLocal CoastalRe‐sourcesManagementAct of 1978, as amended, (Louisiana R.S. 49:214.21214.41),and therules and regulationsofthe CoastalResources Pro‐gram.Asper Louisiana R.S. 49:214.36.N.2, notice is beingprovidedthat a Draft ATFPermithas been issued forreview. Thedraft ATFpermitas well as theapplication forthe unauthorized work includingdrawings maybeinspected at 617 North3rd Street,LaSalle Building,Room 1078, BatonRouge,LAoron theOPC webpageat: http://denr.louisiana. gov/index.cfm?md=pag ebuilder&tmp=home& pid=591. Copies maybe obtained upon payment of cost of copying. Writ‐tencomments, including suggestionsfor modifi‐cationsorobjectionsto thedraft permit andstat‐ingthe reasonsthereof arebeing solicitedfrom thepublic. Comments must be received within fifteen (15) days of the date of publicationof this notice.Comments should be uploaded to ourelectronic record,but maybemailed, faxed or emailedtothe desig‐natedOPC Reviewer.All commentsmustcontain theappropriateapplica‐tion number andthe commenter'sfullname andcontact information. Anypersonmay request, in writing, within the comment period speci‐fied in this notice,that a StateorFederal public hearingbeheldtocon‐siderthisapplication.Re‐f bli h

Use Permit (CUP)inaccor‐dancewithLa. R.S. 49:214.21 et seq andthe l f h l

Man‐agementProgram.Appli‐cationsfor coastaluse permitsmay be in‐spectedat617 North3rd Street,Room 1078, Baton Rouge, LA or on theOPC webpageat: https:// denr.louisiana.gov/page/ public-notices.Copies areavailable,costs apply. Writtencomments aresolicited from the public andmustbere‐ceived within 25 days of thedateofthisnotice. Commentsmustbeup‐loaded directly to our electronic record throughthe OPCweb‐page or mailed to:OPC Administrator, Kyle lk y Balkum,P.O.Box 44487, Baton Rouge, LA 708044487. Allcommentsmust containthe appropriate CUPnumberand the commenter's full name andcontact information. Beloware thereferenced application(s):* CUPNUMBER: P20250769 Name:Cameron Parish GravityDrainageDistrict 5c/o K&MProject Ser‐vices, Llc1000 COUNTRYCLUBROAD LAKE CHARLES, LA 70605 Attn:Mitch Thomas Lo‐cation:Cameron Parish LA;Lat 29-46-21.9N,Long -92-53-17.8W;Section 4, T15S-R05W Description: Replacement of awater l p

MINUTES CITY COUNCILMEETING CITY OF BAKER PARISH OF EAST BATONROUGE STATEOFLOUISIANA COUNCILCHAMBERS

3325 GROOM ROAD, BAKER, LOUISIANA 70714

www.youtube.com/@bakerforward March 24, 2026 -6:00 p.m.

The City Council of the City of Baker,Louisiana, met in regular session on March 24, 2026, with the following members inattendance at the meeting: MAYOR DarnellWaites

COUNCILMEMBERS DesireeCollins Rochelle Dunn Cedric Murphy Dr.CharlesVincent Robert Young

CALL TO ORDER –Mayor Waitespresided

The invocation was given by CouncilMember Dunn.

The Pledge of Allegiance was led by CouncilMember Young.

Public comments will be allowed on all agenda items. Such comments shall not exceed 3minutesand shall be confinedtothe agenda item and any proposed disposition thereof.***

DISPOSITION OF THE MINUTESOFPREVIOUS MEETING

The motion was made by CouncilMember Vincent,seconded by Council Member Dunn to approve the minutes of the meeting heldonMarch 10, 2026.

The mayor called for public comments or questions.

Vote was called for YEAS: Collins, Dunn, Murphy,Vincent,Young

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None

The motion passed with avoteof5-0.

RECOGNITIONS

1. Recognize Patsy Mullins for her tireless efforts and continuouswork to Keep Baker Beautiful (Mayor)

The mayor asked that this agenda item be tabled until the next meeting.

PLANNING AND ZONING MATTERS

RESOLUTIONS AND PROCLAMATIONS

1. Proclamation declaring March 2026 Multiple Sclerosis Month in the City of Baker (Vincent)

The proclamation was read by Aneatra Boykin.

Themotion was made by CouncilMember Vincent,seconded by Council

Member Murphy to accept the proclamation

The mayorcalled for public comments or questions.

Vote was called for

YEAS: Collins, Dunn, Murphy,Vincent,Young

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None

The motion passed with avote of 5-0.

2. Proclamation declaring March 2026 National Kidney Awareness Month in the City of Baker (Vincent)

The proclamation was read by Aneatra Boykin.

Themotion was made by CouncilMember Vincent,seconded by Council Member Murphy to accept the proclamation

The mayorcalled for public comments or questions.

Vote was called for

YEAS: Collins, Dunn, Murphy,Vincent,Young

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None

The motion passed with avote of 5-0.

3. Proclamation declaring April2026 ChildAbuse Prevention Month in the City of Baker (Vincent)

The proclamation was read by Aneatra Boykin.

Themotion was made by CouncilMember Vincent,seconded by Council Member Murphy to accept the proclamation

The mayorcalled for public comments or questions.

Vote was called for YEAS: Collins, Dunn, Murphy,Vincent,Young

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None The motion passed with avote of 5-0.

NEW BUSINESS

1. Presentation of City of Baker elected officials and community civility pledge (Collins) Council Member Collins, after attending the National League of Cities Conference in Washington, D.C., proposed that city leaders adopt a civility pledge. The pledge would create norms forappropriate behavior. An ordinance regarding the civility pledge will be introduced and adopted in the coming weeks.

Council Member Collins elaborated further on her time at the National League of Cities Conference saying that she is incrediblygrateful for having been afforded the opportunity to attend. She stated cityleadersplan to create committees in order to facilitate greater community participation and utilization of resources and residents’ skills

2. Tireordinance for Baker (Vincent) Council Member Vincent reiteratedthe importance of adopting atire ordinanceinthe City of Baker that mirrors the ordinance adoptedbyBaton Rouge. The ordinance would provideguidelines and regulations forthose businesses that deal with tires, as well as acting as ameans of ensuring that storefronts remain presentable

The mayor said the proposed tireordinance will be introduced at thenext council meeting.

PUBLIC MEETING

1. Adopt Ordinance 2026-8, an ordinance to designate and declare certain City of Baker assets surplus and scrap and forrelated matters (Mayor) (Introduced 3/10/2026) Public meeting was held.

The motion was made by CouncilMember Murphy, seconded by Council Members Vincent/Young to adopt Ordinance 2026-8.

The mayor called for public comments or questions.

Vote was called for YEAS: Collins, Dunn, Murphy,Vincent,Young

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None The motion passed with avoteof5-0.

ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS

1. Report from the National League of CitiesConference –Washington, D.C. (Mayor)

Themayor reported that the National League of Cities Conference was really good this year,saying it provided incredible networkingopportunities. He said they wereable to meet with Representative Fieldsand Senator Cassidy to discuss funding for various projects throughout the city

The mayor asked that residents be mindful of bills being proposed and how they affect the City of Baker.Heasked that members of the community take avested interest, become involved andcontact their representatives to voice their opinions and concerns.

The mayor said the city continues to replace gas and sewer lines, building the infrastructure that recent growth will necessitate. He said the city is in agrowth stage.

The mayor said installation of LED lighting continues throughout thecity Council Member Collinscommended themayor on thework he did at the National League of Cities Conference.

Council Member Murphy said theNational League of Cities Conference accentuated for him theimportance of local government and leaders and what they do for their constituents. He spokeabout the importance of housing and real estate to economic development, saying they arekey factors for facilitatinggrowth andprosperity.Council Member Murphy stated the city needs strong housing policies that tie to economic development, and the council is in aposition to ensurethishappens.

ANNOUNCEMENTS/COMMENTS

1. District 2announcements (Dunn)

CouncilMember Dunn said the National League of Cities Conference was agreat time and an educational and learning experience. She said one of thekey takeaways for herwas hearing that in ordertobea great city,acity must be unified. Shesaid it is imperative that leaders and residents come together.Council Member Dunn stated the importance of voting was also discussedatthe conference and it is an issue that must be addressed.

CouncilMember Dunn thanked Calvin Jyles, Public WorksDepartment, for taking careofthe tree that fell on achurch in her district over the weekend.

2. Speedinginneighborhoods, grass cutting and drain basins, etc. (Vincent)

CouncilMember Vincent thanked the mayor for the work being done to replace the gas lines. He stated that speeding in the neighborhood is still a problem, andasked residents to be careful while driving. CouncilMember Vincentreminded everyone to not blow grass clippings and debris into catch basins or ditches, as this is extremely detrimental to drainage. He reminded everyone to do all they can to keep the community beautiful.

CouncilMember Collins announced the Citizen of the Year has been selected.

CouncilMember Collins thanked the Public WorksDepartment for repairingawater line.

CouncilMember Collins said the City of Baker Recreation Association is having sign-up for T-Ball, baseball, and coaches pitch.

CouncilMember Collins announced “Rooted in Faith, Growing in Community” a fifth Sunday family day event will be held Sunday,March 29, 2026, from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at MLK Park.The event is free and open to the community

CouncilMember Collins announced that BernNadette Stanis, Thelma from Good Times, will be at Refining Fire, awomen’sconference being held Saturday,March 28, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. Tickets for the event are$81.00.

CouncilMember Young saidheand Council Member Vincent weren’t thanked for holdingthe city downwhile the other council members attended the conference, to much amusement.

The mayor encouraged everyone to sign up for Gov Delivery in order to remain awareofthings going on in the city

The mayor reminded everyone that the city will host apop-up shop in the parkEaster weekend –Thursday,Friday andSaturday.Hesaid it will be a regularly scheduled event for the next sixmonths. He asked that everyone come out and show their support.

The mayor announced the Chamber of Commerce golf tournament is coming up.

APPOINTMENTS TO BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS

CONDEMNATIONS

1. 1916 Florida (Mayor)

2. 2235 Chamberlain (Mayor)

3. 1984 Chamberlain (Mayor)

4. White house next door to 1984 Chamberlain (Mayor)

5. 12979 Wedgewood (Mayor)

6. 1008 Epperson (Mayor)

7. Chamberlain Avenue at John Marks (Mayor)

8. 2441 Ray Weiland(Mayor)

9. 4331 Amerest

The mayor said the city would likethe owners of properties on the condemnation list to come forwardand rehabilitate their property

CouncilMember Dunn announced Delta Sigma Theta will host aclass and attorneys will preparewills for free.

Aresident who lives on Sinbad Street stated she hasbeen unable to get thename of the contractor who is working on thegas lines in herarea.

The mayor stated he would provide that information following the meeting.

REPORTS ON BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS

1. Planning and Zoning Commission

2. Annexation Review Committee

3. Economic Development Team

4. Heritage Museum/Related Committees

5. ABC Board

6. Other Special Committees a. Buffalo Festival b. Prayer Breakfast c. Strategic Planning Committee d. CitizensAdvisoryBoardtoLaw Enforcement

e. MainStreet District Committee

ADJOURN The motion was made by CouncilMember Dunn seconded by Council

Member Murphy to adjourn.

The mayor called for public comments or questions.

Vote was called for YEAS: Collins, Dunn,Murphy,Vincent, Young NAYS: None ABSENT:None ABSTAIN: None The motion passedwith avote of 5-0.

CITY OF BAKER

PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE

STATEOFLOUISIANA

I, Angela CanadyWall, certify that IamClerk of the Councilfor the City of Baker,Louisiana, and that the above and foregoing is acopy of the minutes of aregular meeting of theCouncil for the City of Baker,Louisiana heldonMarch 24, 2026.

Angela CanadyWall, LCMC Clerk of Council

STATEOFLOUISIANA

3325 GROOM ROAD

BAKER, LA 70714 March 24, 2026

The CityCouncil of theCity of Baker,Louisiana, sittingasthe Boardof Commissionersfor Norman E. “Pete” Heine MemorialGardens, met in regular session on March24, 2026, with thefollowing membersin attendance at themeeting: COMMISSIONERS

Desiree Collins

Rochelle Dunn

Cedric Murphy

Dr.Charles Vincent

Darnell Waites RobertYoung

CALL TO ORDER –Commissioner Waitespresided.

DISPOSITION OF MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING

The meeting wascalledtoorder and themotionwas made by Commissioner Waites, seconded by Commissioner Vincent to approve theminutesofthe meeting held on March10, 2026.

Commissioner Waitescalledfor public commentsorquestions.

Vote wascalledfor YEAS: Collins, Dunn, Murphy,Vincent,Waites, Young NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None The motionpassed by avoteof6-0

PUBLIC NOTICE NEW BUSINESS

OTHER NECESSARYBUSINESS

1. Monthly Business Report

2. OtherReports

3. Items Requiring Action

ADJOURN Therewas no other business to come beforethe commission. The motion wasmade by Commissioner Waites, seconded by Commissioner Dunn to adjourn.

Commissioner Waitescalledfor public commentsorquestions.

Vote wascalledfor YEAS: Collins, Dunn, Murphy,Vincent,Waites, Young NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None

The motionpassed by avoteof6-0

CITY OF BAKER

PARISHOFEASTBATON ROUGE

STATEOFLOUISIANA

I, Angela Canady Wall, certify that Iam Clerk of theCouncil forthe Cityof Baker,Louisiana, and that theabove and foregoing is acopy of theminutes of aregular meeting of theBoardofCommissionersfor theNorman E. “Pete” Heine MemorialGardens held on March24, 2026.

Angela Canady Wall, LCMC Clerk of Council

MINUTES BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BAKER CONSOLIDATED UTILITIES SYSTEM CITY OF BAKER PARISHOFEASTBATON ROUGE STATEOFLOUISIANA 3325 GROOM ROAD BAKER, LA 70714 March 24, 2026

The CityCouncil of theCity of Baker,Louisiana, sittingasthe Boardof Commissionersfor theBaker Consolidated UtilitiesSystem, met in regular session on March24, 2026, with thefollowing membersattending:

COMMISSIONERS

Desiree Collins Rochelle Dunn Cedric Murphy Dr.Charles Vincent Darnell Waites RobertYoung

CALL TO ORDER –Commissioner Waitespresided.

DISPOSITION OF MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING

The meeting wascalledtoorder and themotionwas made by Commissioner Waites, seconded by Commissioner Vincent to approve theminutesofthe meeting held on March10, 2026.

Commissioner Waitescalledfor public commentsorquestions.

Vote wascalledfor YEAS: Collins, Dunn, Murphy,Vincent,Waites, Young NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None

The motionpassed by avoteof6-0

PUBLIC NOTICE

NEW BUSINESS

OTHER NECESSARYBUSINESS

1. Monthly Business Report

2. OtherReports

3. Items Requiring Action

ADJOURN Therewas no other business to come beforethe commission. The motion wasmade by Commissioner Waites, seconded by Commissioner Dunn to adjourn.

Commissioner Waitescalledfor public commentsorquestions.

Vote wascalledfor YEAS: Collins, Dunn, Murphy,Vincent,Waites, Young NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None

The motionpassed by avoteof6-0

CITY OF BAKER

PARISH OF EASTBATON ROUGE STATEOFLOUISIANA

I, Angela Canady Wall, certify that IamClerk of theCouncil forthe City of Baker,Louisiana, and that the above and foregoing is acopy of the minutes of aregular meeting of theBoardofCommissionersofthe Baker Consolidated Utility System held on March24, 2026.

Angela Canady Wall, LCMC

Clerk of Council