The Acadiana Advocate 04-09-2026

Sheriff: Parade crashnot hate crime

10 remain hospitalized followingSaturday incident

BY ASHLEY WHITE Staff writer

There is no evidence that the

is

his car into the Lao New Year parade while intoxicated on Saturday did so as ahate crime or actofterrorism, said Iberia Parish Sheriff Tommy Romero

“At this point in our investigation,wehavenoevidencetosupport this being ahate crimeora terrorist act,”hetold reporters Wednesday morning.“This was a tragic event inwhich an individual decidedtooperate his vehicle while intoxicated, drive in areckless manner,strikingmultiplepedestrians.”

As of Wednesday morning, most of thepeople whowere transported to area hospitals have been released,Romero said. Three people, whowere initially in critical condition, are now in stable condition. Another seven patients are still receiving treatment at ahospital. Todd Landry,57, of Jeanerette, who is still being held at Iberia

ParishJail, hadhis bail setat

$247,500 after he was booked on 18 counts of first-degree negligent vehicular injuring, one count operating avehicle whileintoxicated (first offense), open container and careless operation, according to theIberia Parish clerk of court. Landry hit 18 people with his car during the Lao NewYear parade at about 2p.m.onSaturday.Several videos showed revelers running to and from the scene where

Landry’sblue Chevrolet came to a stop in ashallowditch,allegedly with awoman trappedunderneath. Witnesses described the scene as horrific andsaidtheywereindisbelief

Deputies “responded immediately” to detain Landry and render aid, Romero said. During theinvestigation,Landry showed signs of impairment and

ä See PARADE, page 5A

$1.5Bcoastal

plan hits delay

Advocatespush foranswers over cancellations

BY MIKE SMITH Staff writer

Louisiana’s$1.5 billion annual plan for coastal protectionand restorationran into adelay at the state Legislature on Wednesday after advocatesraisedconcerns over amajor changeinstrategyby Gov.Jeff Landry’sadministration

The advocacy group Women of the Storm, formedinthe wake ofHurricane Katrina, has posed aseries of questions to the state’scoastal authority related to the

cancellation of expansive river diversion projects. Senate President Cameron Henry has signaled his intent to have those questions answered beforethe plan can moveforward,officials were toldata Senate committee hearing.

Thedelay is the latest turn in alongrunning controversy surrounding the Landry administration’smovetocancel the Mid-Barataria and Mid-Breton Sediment Diversions. Mid-Baratariabroke groundin2023, while construction had not begun on Mid-Breton.

Thoseunprecedented projects hadlong beenseen as linchpins in the state’s coastal master plan, andaround $700 million had already been disbursed for them. But Landry opposed theplans based on cost and the damage they would do to commercial fisheries in those areas.

Theprojectswere being largely paid for

ä Louisiana schoolsmust justify their placement of students with special needs under newbill. Page 3A

ä Republicans shut down bill to create Louisiana Voting Rights Act. Page 1B

withfinesand settlement money related to the2010 BP oil spill. The state’scoastal authority nowplans to focus instead on building large-scale “land bridges” and restoring barrier islands.

Sen. PatrickConnick, R-Marrero,

ä See COASTAL, page 6A

Mississippi jail used to hold detained immigrants

BY MARTHA SANCHEZ Staff writer

After Mandonna

“Donna” Kashanian wasarrested by federal immigration agents last summer outside her longtimeNew Orleans home, she spent thenight in ajailinHancock County,Mississippi.

The 64-year-old Iranian woman was soon released after public outcryand anudge from U.S. Rep. SteveScalise, the Republican House majority leader from Jefferson. She was one of hundreds of newly detainedimmigrants in Louisiana and across the Gulf Coast to pass through the Mississippi Coast facility Hancock County’spartnership with Immigration andCustoms Enforcementhas quietly transformed the jail near Bay St. Louis into acrucial tool for the federal government as PresidentDonaldTrump’sadministration deports thousands of immigrants lacking permanent legal status across the country “It’s areal simple agreement,” Hancock County SheriffJohnny Alison said. “Wehave the space.” The complex is amongdozensof local jails around the nationthatthe Department of Homeland Security is using to hold migrants whoare often not charged with crimes.

Thenumberofimmigrantsatthe jail,who aregenerally held there in the days immediately after their arrests before transferring to longerterm ICEdetention facilities,has soared since Trumptook office. Federal data shows the facility’saverage daily population of ICE detainees nearly tripled last year

Local leaders said the partnership brings thousands of dollars amonth to Hancock County,where Trump wonalmost 80% of the votes in the

See DETAINED, page 6A

Ceasefire threatenedasIsraelstrikes Lebanon, Iran closes strait

BY BASSEM MROUE,SAMY MAGDY, JONGAMBRELL and SAM METZ

AssociatedPress

TEHRAN,Iran Aceasefire deal to pause the war in Iran appeared to hang by athread Wednesday after the Islamic Republic closed the Strait of Hormuz again in response to Israeli attacks in Lebanon. The White House demandedthat the channel be reopened andsought to keep peace talks on track.

CO IN T MI EAST NFLICT HE DDLE AS

The U.S. and Iran both claimed victory after reaching the agreement, and world leaders expressedrelief, even as more drones and missiles hit Iran and Gulf Arab countries. At thesametime, Israel intensified its attacks on theHezbollah militant group in Lebanon, hitting several commercial and residentialareas in Beirut withoutwarning. At least182 people were killed and hundreds were wounded in one of the deadliest days in thelatest Israel-Hezbollah war

ä Iran’sStrait of Hormuztoll proposal violatestrade norms. PAGE 5A

Thefresh violence threatenedto scuttle what U.S.Vice President JD Vance called a“fragile” deal.

The Iranian parliament speaker said planned talks with the U.S. to seek a permanent halt to hostilitieswere “unreasonable” becauseWashington broke three of Tehran’s10conditions

ä See CEASEFIRE, page 5A

Pro-government demonstrators in Tehran, Iran, celebrate Wednesdayafter the announcement of atwo-week ceasefire in the war with the United States and Israel ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTO

man who

accused of driving

STAFF FILEPHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Work on theMid-Barataria Sediment Diversionproject began in 2023.

Miner rescued after nearly 14 days in mine

MEXICO CITY A miner was rescued Wednesday after being trapped for nearly 14 days following a collapse in the northern Mexican state of Sinaloa, authorities said in a statement.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed that another miner has been found dead and one more is still missing.

A dam breach caused by a structural failure flooded El Rosario mine on March 25, trapping Francisco Zapata Nájera and three co-workers Of the 25 miners present during the accident, 21 escaped immediately Five days later, rescuers pulled one survivor from a depth of 985 feet.

Zapata Nájera was located on Tuesday by divers, but the rescue teams were unable to reach him through heavily flooded areas until 21 hours later

The survivor was brought to the surface Wednesday morning His condition was stabilized and he was sent in a Mexican Air Force helicopter to a hospital in Mazatlán, where he will be treated by specialists.

Some hours before, Sheinbaum had said that the rescue teams were waiting for the water to be pumped out to complete the extraction.

Mexico’s deadliest mining accident took place in February 2006 at the Pasta de Conchos mine in Coahuila, where an explosion killed 65 workers.

Residents: Attacks in Nigeria leave 20 dead

ABUJA, Nigeria Gunmen attacked two villages in the northcentral region of Nigeria, killing at least 20 people, residents said Wednesday

The attacks occurred in the early hours of Tuesday in Bagna and Erena, located in the Shiroro area of Niger state. Shiroro is about 155 miles or a four-hour drive from the capital, Abuja.

“They came on motorbikes and began shooting. It was a surprise attack, because it was in the early hours of the morning,” said Jibrin Isah, who lives in Erena.

Residents said that at least 20 people were killed, with more missing. However, local police said that only three people were killed.

“Unfortunately, two vigilante members and a driver from the joint security team lost their lives during the attack, while some others were injured,” Niger state police spokesperson Wasiu Abiodun said in a statement. Residents said the attackers operated for hours, raiding homes and sending residents to flee to safety in neighboring communities.

“Those killed in the attacks were above 20,” Muhammad Tukur a resident of Erena, told The Associated Press. Nigeria, which is Africa’s most populous country, is battling a complex security crisis, especially in the north where there is a decade-long insurgency and several armed groups who kidnap for ransom.

Man who hit wolf with snowmobile sentenced PINEDALE, Wyo. A judge in Wyoming sentenced a man to 18 months of probation for hitting a wolf with a snowmobile before taping the wounded animal’s mouth shut, bringing the creature into a rural bar, then killing it.

District Judge Richard Lavery in Pinedale sentenced Cody Roberts, 44, to probation on Wednesday, in accordance with a plea deal Roberts reached with prosecutors in February Lavery also fined Roberts $1,000 and ordered him not drink alcohol, enter a bar or liquor store, nor hunt or fish while on probation.

Roberts told Lavery at his change-of-plea hearing in March that he regretted what he did and apologized to his family and community Roberts avoided as much as two years in prison and a $5,000 fine by pleading guilty He initially pleaded not guilty and a trial was set for March.

The incident happened in February 2024 in Daniel, a town of about 150 people, some 50 miles south of Jackson.

Artemis II astronauts follow Apollo tradition

Crew names lunar features after loved ones

BY MARCIA DUNN AP aerospace writer

HOUSTON Lunar love knows no bounds.

Now hurtling home from the moon, the Artemis II astronauts took a poignant page from Apollo 8 earlier this week, proposing deeply personal names for a pair of lunar craters.

Commander Reid Wiseman and his crew asked permission to name one small, fresh crater after their capsule called Integrity and another after his late wife, Carroll. Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen made the request right before Monday’s lunar fly-around. Wiseman was too emotional to talk. Carroll Wiseman, a neonatal nurse, died of cancer in 2020.

During Apollo 8 in 1968, astronaut Jim Lovell bestowed his wife’s name upon a prominent lunar peak: Mount Marilyn. It was humanity’s first trip

to the moon and she anxiously awaited his return back home in Houston.

The three Americans and one Canadian of Artemis II are the first lunar visitors since Apollo 17 closed out that grand epoch in 1972, and their crater-naming request temporarily left ground controllers speechless.

“It was definitely a very emotional moment. I don’t think most of us knew it was coming,” NASA lunar scientist Ryan Watkins told The Associated Press on Wednesday from Johnson Space Center in Houston “There was not a single dry eye.”

Mission Control’s lead scientist Kelsey Young worked with the Artemis II crew before launch, quietly helping them choose the two bright, relatively young craters which they quickly spied once they were close enough to the moon through zoom lenses as

Long Island architect admits to killing eight

BY MICHAEL R. SISAK Associated Press

RIVERHEAD, N.Y A Long Island architect who led a secret life as a serial killer pleaded guilty on Wednesday to murdering seven women and admitted he killed an eighth in a string of long-unsolved crimes known as the Gilgo Beach killings.

Rex Heuermann, 62, entered the pleas in a courtroom packed with reporters, police and victims’ relatives, some of whom wept as he detailed his crimes. He will be sentenced in June to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Heuermann’s guilty pleas — to three counts of first-degree murder and four of intentional murder — bring finality to a case that bedeviled investigators, tormented victims’ relatives and tantalized a true-crime obsessed public for years.

Although he wasn’t charged in her death, he also admitted that he killed Karen Vergata in 1996.

Under questioning by Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney, Heuermann admitted that he strangled all eight victims and dismembered some of them, that he used burner phones to contact them, and that he wrapped their bodies in burlap before dumping them.

Wearing a black suit coat and white button-down shirt, Heuermann appeared matter-of-fact and unemotional as he answered questions from Tierney and the judge. He never looked back at the packed courtroom gallery

The women, many of them sex workers, were killed over a 17-year span and bur-

well as their naked eyes.

Proposed Carroll Crater is at the moon’s left limb on the boundary of the moon’s near and far sides, and occasionally visible from Earth. It’s rather shallow and approximately 3 miles across, according to Watkins The slightly bigger Integrity crater is completely on the lunar far side.

Their request came shortly after they broke Apollo 13’s distance record for deep-space travelers. All four astronauts wept as they embraced in a group hug.

“We lost a loved one. Her name was Carroll, the spouse of Reid, the mother of Katie and Ellie,” Hansen radioed his voice breaking. “It’s a bright spot on the moon and we would like to call it Carroll.”

Mission Control fell silent for nearly a minute before replying: “Integrity and Carroll crater,

loud and clear.”

The emotion-drenched scene was vastly different from the 1960s and 1970s Apollo moonshots in more ways than one. NASA’s Apollo all-male test pilots were for the most part all business and tear-free.

“This is no fault of Apollo,” Watkins said. “I think we’re seeing just a more human aspect.”

Once back on Earth later this week, the crew will submit the two proposed names to the International Astronomical Union.

Nearly a half century passed between Apollo 8 and the union’s sign-off of Mount Marilyn in 2017.

The IAU’s Ramasamy Venugopal promised a decision on Carroll and Integrity in about a month, the norm “for straightforward requests.”

There already are 81 astronaut-named lunar features on the group’s approved list, including Apollo 16’s Baby Ray and Gator

BY SETH BORENSTEIN AP science writer

WASHINGTON March’s persistent unseasonable heat was so intense that the continental United States registered its most abnormally hot month in 132 years of records, according to federal weather data. And the next year or so looks to turn the dial up on global warmth even more, as some forecasts predict a brewing El Niño will reach superstrength.

Not only was it the hottest March on record for the U.S., but the amount it was above normal beat any other month in history for the Lower 48 states. March’s average temperature of 50.85 degrees Fahrenheit was 9.35 F above the 20thcentury normal for March. That easily passed the old record of 8.9 F set in March 2012 as the most abnormally hot month on record — regardless of the month of the year — according to records released Wednesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The average maximum temperature for March was especially high at 11.4 F above the 20th-century average and was almost a degree warmer than the average daytime high for April, NOAA said. Six of the nation’s top 10 most abnormally hot months have been in the last 10 years. This February, which was 6.57 F above 20th-century normal, was the 10th highest above normal.

“What we experienced in March across the United States was unprecedented,” said Shel Winkley, a meteorologist with Climate Central, a nonprofit science research group.

“One reason that’s so concerning is just the sheer volume of records, all-time records that were set and broken during that time period,” Winkley said. “But also this is coming on the heels of what was the worst snow year And the hottest winter of record.”

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ied in remote locations, including along an isolated beach highway across the bay from where he lived, authorities said.

“This defendant walked among us playacting as a normal suburban dad when in reality, all along, he was obsessively targeting innocent women for death,” Tierney said at a news conference hours after the hearing.

He thanked relatives of the victims, including some standing alongside him, for helping bring their loved ones’ stories to life. And he praised members of the Gilgo Beach Homicide Investigation Task Force, which cracked the case with the help of clues that included DNA lifted from a discarded pizza crust.

“He thought that by killing them, he could silence them forever and get away with murder,” Tierney said. “But he was wrong.”

Gloria Allred, an attorney for some of the victims’ families, described several of the women as young mothers who were just trying to earn extra money to support their children because they didn’t have the means to go to college or get a decent job.

“Little did they know that the defendant, Rex Hermann, did not care about their hopes and dreams, or that they had families and friends who loved them,” Allred said before calling up family members to speak directly about the case and the plea deal.

Elizabeth Baczkiel, whose daughter Jessica Taylor was murdered by Heuermann, said: “I am glad that this is over as far as him pleading guilty. It took a big chunk of stress off of me and my family.”

Fighting back tears, Missy Cann, whose sister Maureen Brainard-Barnes was murdered, said his guilty plea “brings solace” after living 19 years “in the space between heartbreak and hope.”

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PHOTO PROVIDED By NASA

The Artemis II crew clockwise from left, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen,

Commander Reid Wiseman, and Pilot Victor Glover, take time out for a group hug inside the Orion spacecraft on their way home on Wednesday. The crew proposed naming a crater after Wiseman’s late wife.

Bill could change La. special education hearings

Systems would have to justify decisions

BY ELYSE CARMOSINO Staff writer

Louisiana school systems would have to justify their accommodation decisions for students with disabilities under a bill that seeks to shift the burden of proving whether a child’s special education plan is appropriate from parents to districts.

Federal law already mandates that districts give families the right to challenge decisions about their children’s education through hearings. House Bill 342 by Rep. Alonzo Knox, D-New Orleans, adds additional provisions requiring that a school system must be the one to make the case during those hearings as to why its decision is the right one and provide enough evidence to convince the hearing officer

The House Education committee voted unanimously Wednesday to approve the proposal. It next heads to the House floor

“These school districts hold all the power and information,” Knox said during Wednesday’s meeting. He added that the bill’s intent “is really to level the playing field” for families.

Advocates say transferring the burden of proof to school districts gives families a needed leg up when navigating the due process system. They say school districts, not parents, are typically the ones with direct access to important student documents and robust legal representation.

But opponents have warned the move could result in more lawsuits and higher costs for districts.

While considering a similar law in 2023, a fiscal and policy note from Maryland’s General Assembly pointed out that, after New Jersey shifted the burden

lenging a school system, according to data from the state Education Department.

“Parents without legal training, without resources and already caring for children with significant needs must prove that the government agency failed,” said parent advocate Kathryne Hart, who noted her family received a favorable ruling. “Meanwhile, school districts control the records, the evaluations, the experts and have the benefit of in-house legal counsel.”

of proof to schools in 2008, the state saw a surge in due process hearings within the first year (Data from subsequent years showed numbers eventually fell to where they were before the law was passed).

Judge pauses abortion pill case while FDA conducts review

Telehealth access left in place for now

BY EMILY WOODRUFF Staff writer

A federal judge in Lafayette declined to block, for now, the practice of accessing abortion pills in Louisiana through the mail following telehealth appointments, but left open the possibility of future restrictions that could change how many of the state’s residents access abortion.

In a 37-page ruling, U.S. District Judge David Joseph on Tuesday denied the state’s request to immediately reinstate in-person requirements for the abortion drug mifepristone and instead put the case on hold while the Food and Drug Administration conducts a safety review

The drug is regulated under a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy, or REMS, a program the FDA uses to manage safety risks for some medications while keeping patient access.

The agency is currently conducting a safety review to evaluate those rules. The judge said the case should be put on hold while the FDA conducts a safety review of its abortion pill rules, finding that the agency, not the court, should evaluate the evidence first

The case was brought against the FDA in October by Attorney General Liz Murrill and a Louisiana woman who alleged she felt coerced into taking pills that her boyfriend ordered. It argued that the FDA violated the Comstock Act, a 19th-century law that restricts the mailing of items intended for abortion, when it stopped requiring that the pills be distributed in person.

The FDA has said it is conducting a safety review of mifepristone and asked the court to pause the case while that process is underway, but has not indicated whether it plans to change its current rules.

The pause ordered by Joseph, who was appointed in 2020 by President Donald Trump, is temporary It allows the state to pursue restrictions after the FDA’s safety review is complete. Joseph also left the door open to rule in Louisiana’s favor later, saying the state is “likely to succeed on the merits” of their challenge to the FDA. Murrill said the state would continue with the case, pointing out that the judge also said Louisiana is unable to enforce its laws, causing “irreparable harm.”

“Accordingly, under binding Fifth Circuit precedent the only thing left to do

BOWIE

STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRAD

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill takes questions after speaking in Western District Court on Feb 24, at the Federal Courthouse in Lafayette. Murrill is pursuing criminal cases against two doctors in California and New york accused of sending abortion pills to patients in Louisiana.

is vacate the 2023 REMS pending the outcome of this litigation,” Murrill said in a statement. “We will ask the Fifth Circuit to do so.”

La. abortions rising Louisiana’s near-total abortion ban, enacted in 2022 after Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization, makes it illegal to perform most abortions in the state with limited exceptions for fetal anomalies or to save the life of the mother

The law is directed at providers within Louisiana but does not include the people who take the pills themselves or directly reach outof-state doctors prescribing abortion pills via telehealth, a gap at the center of this legal challenge. According to the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports abortion rights, abortions tied to Louisiana residents rose from about 7,410 in 2024 to 9,350 in 2025 In 2021, before Louisiana’s ban was in place, 7,444 people received abortions in Louisiana.

All of the 9,350 recorded by the Guttmacher Institute were telehealth abortions — meaning pills sent by doctors in states with shield laws that protect prescribing abortion medication across state lines — and do not include people who traveled from Louisiana to other states for abortions. The 9,350 figure is the number of prescriptions sent to Louisiana and does not track whether they were used. That number also does not include abortion pills sent from international organizations or received through informal networks. Despite Louisiana and many other states banning abortion after the Dobbs decision, abortion numbers have remained relatively stable. But how people access care is shifting, especially in states where abortion is largely banned, said

Kimya Forouzan, a principal state policy adviser at Guttmacher and author of the report.

“People in this broad swath of states are fairly far from a state where they can access care,” Forouzan said. “So we have seen people increasingly access care via telehealth.”

Safety review

Mifepristone was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2000 and rules over its use have changed over time under the REMS program.

Before 2021, mifepristone had to be taken in-person in Louisiana. That rule was suspended during the pandemic and made permanent in 2023. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found the FDA relied on data and its standard review process when evaluating the drug’s safety

The drug has been a lightning rod for groups that oppose abortion In 2024, Louisiana classified it as a controlled dangerous substance alongside drugs like Xanax and fentanyl, placing restrictions on how it can be prescribed and dispensed.

In his ruling, Joseph said the FDA’s REMS safety review must be completed by early October Any changes stemming from the review could determine whether telehealth access remains available or is restricted.

Murrill is pursuing criminal cases against two doctors in California and New York accused of sending pills to patients in Louisiana. Those states have not been willing to have the doctors extradited to face the charges Without telehealth, advocates said some may turn to less safe options or face more health risks.

Email Emily Woodruff at ewoodruff@theadvocate. com.

Still, parents say the current process works against them.

In Louisiana, just one out of 43 due process complaints filed during the 202425 school year resulted in a family successfully chal-

In most states, the party who files the due process complaint — typically parents — must prove the school is in the wrong. But if HB342 is signed into law, Louisiana would join a growing handful that place the onus on districts, including Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York and Nevada.

“This change is not radical,” Hart said. “It provides transparency to government decision-making, and most importantly, it helps ensure that children receive the education they’re entitled to.”

The proposal is the state’s latest effort to improve the educational experience for children with disabilities after a 2024 audit found that Louisiana had failed to protect their rights by making sure schools were following federal law

Last year, lawmakers passed legislation that placed new restrictions on when and how schools can restrain and seclude students with exceptionalities and mandated districts install cameras in all special education classrooms. The cameras were required to be up and operating in schools across the state as of February

Hart and several others said the move would promote accountability, better documentation and better decision-making from the outset among the state’s school systems.

Republican Clay Fuller, second from right, poses with his wife, Kate, right, and their children, Callum, left, and Tallulah during Tuesday’s election night watch party after Fuller won a special election for Georgia’s 14th Congressional District.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO

BY JEFF AMY Associated Press

RINGGOLD, Ga. — Republican Clay Fuller on Tuesday won Marjorie Taylor Greene’s former U.S. House seat in Georgia, turning back a Democratic challenge with the help of President Donald Trump’s endorsement despite uneasiness over the war in Iran.

In a deep red district that Greene won by 29 points and Trump carried by almost 37 points two years ago, Fuller was on track to prevail by about 12 points with almost all votes counted The result added to a string of special elections where Democrats performed better than expected, a track record the party hopes will create momentum toward November’s midterm elections when control of Congress hangs in the balance.

In another election held Tuesday, a Democraticbacked candidate for the Wisconsin Supreme Court won by double-digit mar-

gins, growing the liberal majority there. Fuller insisted that his victory over Democratic candidate Shawn Harris in Georgia was a testimony to Trump’s staying power

“They couldn’t beat Donald Trump and they never will,” he told supporters in Ringgold, near the border with Tennessee. “And I will be on Capitol Hill as a warrior to have his back each and every day.”

However, Trump’s escalating rhetoric had some Republicans concerned, even in this deep red district. The president had set a deadline for Tuesday at 8 p.m. — one hour after polls closed in Georgia for Iran to reach a deal with the United States, saying that “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.” However, he later announced a two-week ceasefire to allow negotiations to continue Acworth resident Jason McGinty said he was worried Trump was “about to

go too far” and “may be committing a war crime” if he followed through on threats to bomb power plants and other infrastructure in Iran. He voted for Fuller to “make sure the America First party is still in place.”

Retiree Judy McDonald agreed with the president’s decision to go to war but was “very anxiety-ridden” over the conflict.

“Eventually we will have peace and the Iranians will kind of come to a conclusion that they won’t have a country if they don’t stop the terrorism,” she said. Fuller will serve out the remaining months of Greene’s term, bolstering the party’s slim majority in the House, where Republicans control 217 seats to Democrats’ 214, with one independent. He’ll have to face another Republican primary on May 19 to win a full twoyear term, and could face a June 16 party runoff. Harris is already the Democratic nominee for November

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

House Bill 342 by Rep. Alonzo Knox, D-New Orleans, is heading to the House floor. The bill would put the burden of proving a child’s special education accommodation plan on the school, not parents.

Iran’s Hormuz toll proposal violates trade norms

BY DAVID McHUGH and JOHN LEICESTER Associated Press

FRANKFURT, Germany To end the war with the United States and Israel, Iran is demanding the right to collect tolls in the Strait of Hormuz as a precondition for reopening the waterway vital to world oil supplies. Yet collecting tolls in the strait would violate a basic and enduring principle of international maritime trade: freedom of peaceful navigation. It’s an ancient idea that was codified by the United Nations’ Convention on the Law of the Sea, which took effect in 1994. Opening the strait would save the global economy from supply constraints that have pushed energy and fertilizer prices sharply higher since the war began on Feb. 28. But agreeing to Iranian toll-collecting would cement the Islamic Republic’s control over the strait through which 20% of the world’s oil is shipped — and enrich the country against whom the war was

CEASEFIRE

Continued from page 1A

for an end to the fighting. In a social media post, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf objected to Israeli attacks on Hezbollah, an alleged drone incursion into Iranian airspace after the ceasefire went into effect and the U.S assertion that it will not accept any Iranian enrichment capabilities in a final agreement.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi insisted that an end to the war in Lebanon was part of the ceasefire deal with the U.S Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump said the truce did not cover Lebanon.

“The world sees the massacres in Lebanon,” Araghchi said in a post on X. “The ball is in the U.S. court, and the world is watching whether it will act on its commitments.”

Lebanon’s health ministry said Israeli strikes killed 182 people on Wednesday, the highest single-day death toll in the Israel-Hezbollah war White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the closing of the strait reported in Iranian state media was “completely unacceptable.” She repeated Trump’s “expectation and demand” that the channel be reopened.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said American and Israeli forces had achieved a “capital V military victory” and that the Iranian military no longer posed a significant threat to U.S. forces or the region.

The Iranian military said the country forced Israel and the U.S. to accept its “proposed conditions and surrender.”

Much about the agreement was unclear as the sides presented vastly different visions of the terms. Iran said the deal would allow it to formalize its new practice of charging ships passing through the strait, a crucial transit lane for oil. But the details were not clear, nor was it known whether vessels would feel safe using the channel or whether ship traffic had resumed. It also was unclear whether any other country agreed to this condition. The White House said Trump is opposed to tolls for ship passage through the strait. Only 11 vessels moved

launched.

U.S. President Donald Trump has made reopening the strait a priority But the White House said Wednesday he is opposed to tolls, and analysts say the Gulf’s oil producers are, too.

Analysts say they have seen no change in traffic through the strait since the ceasefire was announced, despite claims to the contrary from the White House.

Here are things to know about Iran’s proposal and the international law with which it collides.

After the U.S. and Israel launched the war, Iran immediately exercised leverage by blocking the strait with attacks — and threats of attacks — on ships, making passage too risky The disruption caused immediate shortages in some Asian countries highly dependent on the region’s energy, sent gasoline prices higher in the U.S. and Europe, and threatened global economic growth.

Iran then began vetting vessels in a murky scheme dubbed the “tollbooth” by shipping analysts.

The ships were told to divert from the middle of the strait in Iranian and Omani territorial waters and instead detour around Iran’s Larak Island. After delivering detailed information on crew and cargo to intermediaries of Iran’s paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, some vessels were allowed to proceed and at least two reportedly paid the equivalent of $2 million in Chinese yuan.

Iran’s 10-point proposal for ending the war includes a provision allowing it and Oman to charge ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, according to a regional official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss negotiations they were directly involved in. The official said Iran would use the money it raised for reconstruction.

But the Law of the Sea Treaty’s Article 17 guarantees a right of “innocent passage” for ships that do not threaten the coastal states.

So allowing Iran and Oman to start charging for passage through the strait would set a dangerous precedent, experts said.

Freedom of navigation in the world’s seas has been a fundamental right for hundreds of years, founded on “the idea that the sea doesn’t belong to anyone,” said Philippe Delebecque, a professor and maritime law expert at Paris’ Sorbonne University

“Freedom of navigation has always been recognized, including specifically in straits,” he said. The concern is if the Strait of Hormuz could be closed, then why not the Strait of Gibraltar between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, or the Strait of Malacca off Indonesia?

He called that scenario “the end of an international society.”

While 172 countries have ratified the U.N. convention, Iran and the United States are among those that have not.

“Not having ratified the convention doesn’t give (Iran) total freedom of action in the Strait of Hormuz,” said Julien Raynaut, who heads the French Association of Maritime Law, a trade group. “It remains subject to international law and notably this customary

right of passage.”

An Iranian tollbooth could lead China to conclude that it could restrict movement in the Taiwan Strait, Raynaut said.

Oman and Iran may face diplomatic pushback to adhere to the convention, said Constantinos Yiallourides, a senior research fellow at the British Institute of International and Comparative Law Free passage “is in the interest of everyone,” he said. “We all want to get the best products at the best prices.”

Some economists say that, from a strictly financial standpoint, the world would barely notice the additional costs from any tolling in the Strait of Hormuz.

For example, a $2 million toll on a large tanker carrying 2 million barrels of oil amounts to $1-perbarrel increase on that ship’s oil.

“The burden does not fall on global consumers, but overwhelmingly on the Gulf states that supply the oil that transits the strait,” wrote the Bruegel think tank in Brussels.

through the strait Wednesday roughly the same as in prior days, according to Windward, a maritime intelligence firm. Iran was requiring shippers to pay tolls of up to $1 a barrel for outbound oil, it said. The largest supertankers carry up to 3 million barrels of crude.

The fate of Iran’s missile and nuclear programs the elimination of which were major objectives for the U.S. and Israel in going to war — also remained unclear Trump said the U.S. would work with Iran to remove buried enriched uranium, though Iran did not confirm that.

Peace talks

Trump initially said Iran proposed a “workable” 10-point plan that could help end the war the U.S. and Israel launched on Feb. 28. But when a version in Farsi emerged that indicated Iran would be allowed to continue enriching uranium — which is key to building a nuclear weapon — Trump called it fraudulent without elaborating.

Vance later said the deal was being misrepresented within Iran, though he did not offer details.

Leavitt said Iran’s original, 10-point plan was “fundamentally unserious, unacceptable and completely discarded.” But a new, 15-point plan Iran presented Tuesday

could now “align with our own” proposal for peace she said.

The White House also said Vance would lead the American negotiating team in talks in Pakistan aimed at finding a permanent end to the war Pakistan said the talks could begin in Islamabad as soon as Friday Iran’s demands for ending the war include a withdrawal of U.S. combat forces from the region, the lifting of sanctions and the release of its frozen assets.

United Nations Secretary General António Guterres’ personal envoy arrived in Iran for talks on “the way forward.”

Meanwhile, Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said Israel will continue to “utilize every operational opportunity” to strike Hezbollah. The Israeli military said it struck more than 100 targets within 10 minutes Wednesday across Lebanon, the largest wave of strikes since March 1.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the Israeli attacks as “barbaric.” Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit accused Israel of “persistently seeking to sabotage” the Iran ceasefire deal.

Hezbollah has not confirmed if it will abide by the ceasefire, though the group has said it was open to giving mediators a chance to

secure an agreement. An official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment publicly, said the group would not stop firing at Israel unless Israel agreed to do the same.

Threats survive U.S.-Israeli strikes have battered Iran and its leadership, but they have not entirely eliminated the threats posed by Tehran’s nuclear program, its ballistic missiles or its support for regional proxies, such as Hezbollah. The U.S. and Israel said addressing those threats was a key justification for going to war

Trump said the U.S. would work with Iran to “dig up and remove” enriched uranium that was buried under joint U.SIsraeli strikes in June. He added that none of the material had been touched since. There was no confirmation from Iran.

Hegseth told a Pentagon

briefing Wednesday that the U.S. would do “something like” last June’s joint strikes with Israel on Iranian nuclear sites if the country refuses to surrender its enriched uranium voluntarily Netanyahu warned in a televised address that his country was “ready to return to fighting at any time.

Our finger is on the trigger.” Tehran insisted for years that its nuclear program was peaceful, although it enriched uranium up to 60% purity, a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels.

Airstrikes reported

Shortly after the ceasefire announcement, Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates all issued warnings about incoming missiles from Iran. That fire stopped for a time, then hostilities appeared to restart.

An oil refinery on Iran’s Lavan Island came under attack, according to Iranian

Continued from page 1A

submitted a breath sample indicating a blood-alcohol level of 0.137%, according to the Louisiana State Police. In Louisiana, anyone with a blood-alcohol limit of or over 0.08% is considered intoxicated. The investigation which is being conducted by the Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office and State Police, is ongoing Additional charges may be brought, a State Police spokesperson said.

“This incident highlights a very real and immediate consequence of impaired driving,” the State Police spokesperson said “One decision can change lives in an instant, especially in crowded settings like community events where families are gathered. Our message is simple: If you choose to drink, do not drive.” Romero said he and his office extended their thoughts and prayers to the victims and their families. He also thanked the State Police, other first responders and state officials for their help and support. The Lao New Year Festival, celebrating Songkran, occurs annually on Easter weekend in Lanexang Village, outside of Broussard The festival, the largest such gathering in the U.S., is hosted by the growing Lao community that has made a home in the Coteau area over the past 50 years. Live music and alcohol sales were suspended following the incident, while Sunday’s religious services continued as planned. Contact Ashley White at ashley.white@ theadvocate.com.

state television. A short time later, the UAE’s air defenses fired at an incoming Iranian missile barrage. Kuwait said three power and water desalination plants were badly damaged after 28 Iranian drones were launched at the country Saudi Arabia said it intercepted nine drones. More than 1,900 people had been killed in Iran as of late March, but the government has not updated the war’s toll for days.

In Lebanon, where Israel is fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah militants, more than 1,700 people have been killed, and 1 million people have been displaced Twelve Israeli soldiers have died. In Gulf Arab states and the occupied West Bank, more than two dozen people have died, while 23 have been reported dead in Israel, and 13 U.S. service members have been killed.

Shipping fees

Iranian attacks and threats deterred many commercial ships from using the strait, through which 20% of all traded oil and natural gas passes in peacetime. That roiled the world economy and raised the pressure on Trump both at home and abroad to find a way out of the standoff. The ceasefire may formalize a system of charging fees in the strait that Iran instituted and give it a new source of revenue. The plan allows for both Iran and Oman to charge ships, according to a regional official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss negotiations they were directly involved in. The official said Iran would use the money it raised for reconstruction.

That would upend decades of precedent treating the strait as an international waterway that was free to transit. Such a shift would likely be unacceptable to the Gulf Arab states, which also need to rebuild after repeated Iranian attacks targeting their oil fields.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By HASSAN AMMAR Smoke rises following several Israeli airstrikes in Beirut, Lebanon, on Wednesday.

Well, with those east-southeasterly winds blowing at up to 25 mphwith gusts up to 30 mph and 4- to 8-foot seas, aSmall Craft Advisoryhas been issuedfor the coastal areas into the Gulfand is in effectuntil tonight. Otherwise,I expect apartlycloudywarm and breezy day. Temperatures willberising to the low80s today, but rising to the mid-80s by Sunday.Rainchances are right at 20%, so afew

are possible todayand tomorrowwith heavier

afew storms offshore.A dryweekend ahead

lastelection. Andjail officials said theimmigrants in their custody receive the same services as county inmates, but are kept separately fromthem.

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

The jail has held several Louisiana residents whose arrests by ICE made headlines last year

Amongthem:AMexican-born woman married to aU.S. Marine Corps veteran from Baton Rouge who was briefly held in Hancock County after ICE arrested her last May. Some immigrationattorneys said this week that clients recently arrested in New Orleans have been transferred to Hancock County before returning to Louisiana’sICE facilities.

The jail now holds anywhere from five to 25 ICE detainees per day,compared with its previous tallies of twotofive aday before Trump took office, according to estimates by the county’s current and former sheriffs. The jail heldupto 50 immigrants aday,onaverage, some months last year,according to the Deportation DataProject, an academic group that publishes government records. Still, immigrants are in theminority at the complex, which has a capacity of 310 inmates.

COASTAL

Continued from page 1A

informed the coastal authority leadership of Henry’swishes at the start of Wednesday’s hearing before the Senate’sTransportation, Highways andPublic Works Committee.

“I think these are serious questions that need to be answered in atransparent way,” Connick, who chairs the committee, said later in the hearing.

Poll results

The hearing will continue next week after written questions can be answered and ameeting can be held to hash out concerns, Con-

Greg Shaw,acounty supervisor whose districtincludes the jail, said he hadheard nothingfromlocals aboutthe agreement since it began. He was also not sure if constituents hadheard about it.

Jimmie Ladner,the county administrator,saidresidents are becomingmore consciousofthe jail’s federal contractasimmigration enforcement increases ICEsoughthelpfromjail

Hancock County signed acontract with ICE and DHS during Trump’sfirst term in 2020after federal officials approached local leaders “to see if we could help them out,”said Brandon Zeringue, the jail’swarden.

The countyhas earned more than $230,000 under theagreement since

nick said.Approval from the committee is one of several steps the annual plan must take at the Legislature.

The annual plan for fiscal year 2027, which begins in July,includes atotal of 143active projects across thestate’scoast, ranging from leveebuilding to marsh construction andecosystem restoration.

Coastal authority leadership said at thehearingthat they were willingtomeetand answer thequestions. Women of the Storm founder Anne Milling saidthe group was “delighted that Sen.Connick was able to raise these issues.”

Theadvocacy groupwas instrumental in pressuring Congress to commitfunding toward rebuilding after thetwin devastationsofhur-

October 2025, accordingtofigures providedbyLadner. ICE paid the county$56,000 for detention services last December,when federal agents launcheda high-profile immigration enforcement operation acrossthe New Orleans region.

The contractallowsHancock County officers to bring detainees from nearby ICE field offices to thejail. It does not permit them to arrest migrantsorenforce federal law

Zeringue said ICE detainees are heldina separatecellblockfrom other inmates. They are served threemeals aday,given complete medical screenings and sometimes attend Spanish-speaking religious services at the jail on Sundays

“Wehaveplenty enough room,” Zeringue said. “Weare not overcrowded.”

ricanes Katrina andRita in 2005. It haslongpushedfor construction of the diversions as anature-based approach to Louisiana’slandloss crisis. They notethat land building throughdredging aloneeventually erodes like the rest of the coast, while river diversions would mimicthe way south Louisiana wasformedinthe first placeand nourishthoseother marshrebuilding efforts. They point to arecent poll on behalf of the Restorethe Mississippi River Delta coalition showing 76% of residentsoppose the cancellation of thetwo diversions.

Womenofthe Storm’squestions relate to what specificprojects will replace the diversions, money already spent on them, and how re-

The federal government’scontracts with local jails are not new

But immigration attorneys say ICE nowappears to be usingthe jails moreoften.

Brandon Riches, an immigration attorney who works in Mississippi andAlabama,saidabout half his clientswho have been detainedon theGulf Coast passed through the jail. Logan Luquette,animmigrationattorney based in Mandeville, also said many of his Mississippi clients move through thejailafter federal agents arrest them.

Another client arrested this month in New Orleans spent afew days in Hancock County before being taken to aLouisiana ICE facility in Jena, Luquette said. ADHS spokespersoncalledthe

placement projects will be evaluated and chosen, among others.

‘Cannotaffordtobuild’

Landry and Coastal Protection andRestoration Authority leadership point to the ballooning cost of thediversions —Mid-Barataria had grown to around $3 billion alone— as well as the influx of fresh water and nutrients they would bring to commercial fishing areas. Oyster growers andshrimpers in those areas would have been forced to move or find anew line of work. CPRA ChairGordon Dovesaid large-scale land bridges built with dredged sediment would produce results faster and for less money Thoseideas are still in the planning stages anddetails remain to

jail “a valued partner for ICE since the Biden administration.”

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

Challenges reported

Immigration attorneys raised several questions aboutthe jail’s process.

Riches said he struggles to contact clients during their brief stays in Hancock County andusually waits to consult withthem untilthey are transferred to longer-term ICE detention centers.

Dalaney Mecham,animmigration attorney basedinGulfport, Mississippi, said he hasnot been able to locate clients while they are in Hancock Countybecause thefacilitydoes notappear on an online ICE detaineelocator

He questioned whetherdetainees who are not facing criminal charges shouldbeheldina countyjail.

“It just goes to show how we have criminalized many of these people who have not necessarily been accused of any crime,” Mecham said.

Zeringue, the jail’swarden, said ICE detainees receive the same services as county inmates.

“Wedon’tkeep them with our guys that are chargedwithcriminal offenses,” he said. “They are safe.”

be worked out.

“You cannot afford to build this diversion, besides killing the shrimp, the oysters,” Dove said.

He disputed that the $700 million disbursed would all be lost. He said that between insurance payments, interestonremaining funds andother methods, thelosseswillamounttobetween $250 million and $275 million.

Sen. Gary Carter,D-New Orleans, pressed Dove on his contentionthatlandbridgeswerea better strategywhile expressing concerns over the losses.

“Evenifit’s275,that’s $275 million,” said Carter,who represents parts of Jefferson, Orleans and Plaquemines parishes. “That’sa lot.”

Bill to create La. voting act fails

State a party to suit that could weaken federal protections

BY ALYSE PFEIL

in the Louisiana Legislature on Wednesday the latest in a running debate over whether and how race should play a factor in drawing election maps in the state.

State missing School Board’s audit

Superintendent blames CPA for delayed filing

BY ASHLEY WHITE Staff writer

The Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s Office has not yet received the annual audit from the Lafayette Parish School Board, which is required by state law Legislative Auditor Mike Waguespack said his office had not yet received the school district’s audit as of 2:30 p.m Tuesday Lafayette Parish school system Superintendent Francis Touchet Jr said the district was working with its independent auditor to get a final report to the state and blamed the delays on the firm. Public bodies, such as the School Board, that receive state funding are required to submit an audit to the state within six months of the close of their fiscal year, according to state law They can ask for an extension.

Most agencies work with an independent auditor who reviews an entity’s financials and ensures the entity complies with state and federal law when it comes to issues such as record compliance, grant reporting and proper controls over money

If an auditor finds issues, it gives the public entity a chance to respond to any findings. A final report is submitted for review to the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s Office Audits are then posted on the Auditor’s Office website for public review

In years past, the school system’s audit has been available for public review on the Auditor’s Office website early in the spring, typically at the end of February or early March. After media reports that the district had not yet filed its audit with the state Touchet said in a statement Monday afternoon that the district sent a final draft of its 2024-25 fiscal year audit to independent auditor Kolder Slaven & Company “a month ago and have responded quickly and fully to every request since.” The 2024-25 fiscal year ended on June 30. The board has worked with Kolder Slaven & Company for at least five years and in that time has paid the firm about $2.1 million for its services, the district said in a January meeting During that meeting, the board discussed requests for quotes from auditing firms and ultimately voted

Se n. Royce Duplessis, a Black Democrat from New Orleans, argued Wednesday that Louisiana needs its own Voting Rights Act because the Supreme Court could “at any moment” issue a ruling that weakens federal voting protections.

His legislation, Senate Bill 365, would have prohibited election practices that disadvantage minority voters and voting maps that unfairly dilute minority voting power “Every Louisiana voter deserves a fair shot at the ballot box and an equal voice in their government,” he said. But the Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee rejected the bill along party lines, with four Republicans voting no and three Democrats voting yes. Members of the GOP majority didn’t comment on

CREATIVE CANVASES

ABOVE: Beckham Dooley, 5, paints a colorful picture of his own Wednesday while his mom, artist Jaime Dooley, paints on the windows of Opportunity Machine in downtown Lafayette. RIGHT: Jaime Dooley works on a colorful south Louisiana scene as downtown readies for Festival International later this month.

STAFF PHOTOS By LESLIE WESTBROOK

For The Acadiana Advocate Sarah Nugent is president of CETCO Energy Services and a native of Broussard. What are one or two of your greatest business and/or community achievements? I progressed from an entry-lev-

be recognized at a banquet Friday at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s Student Union Ballroom. For tickets, visit bit. ly/20under40for2026.

‘Helping others realize that healthier living is possible’

For The Acadiana Advocate Valerie N.Thompson is the tobacco cessation coordinator and public health nutritionist at Southwest Louisiana Area Health Education Center She is a native of Natchitoches. What are one or two of your greatest business and/or community achievements? One of my greatest achievements has been advancing community-based public health initiatives that make wellness more accessible and culturally relevant across Acadiana. Through my work with Southwest Louisiana Area Health Education Center, I have supported tobacco cessation outreach and, for more than five years, led community-level nutrition education programs that help

individuals make informed lifestyle changes to prevent chronic disease and better self-manage conditions such as hypertension, diabetes and obesity This work emphasizes practical and sustainable strategies that

LAFAYETTE PARISH

Duplessis

OUR VIEWS

Time forLa. voters to picktheir primary

Louisiana will soon debutpartyprimariesfor certain major elections, instead of the familiar openprimaries thatallowany voter to choose any candidate. So for those still figuringout not just which candidates to support butalso how to make sure theycan votefor them, it’scrunch time.

Put as simply as possible, registeredRepublicanscan vote in the May 16 Republican primary (with early voting beginning May 2) andthe June 27 primary runoff in the high-stakes U.S. Senate race, U.S.House races and scattered contests for the stateSupreme Court, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education andthe Public Service Commission.Same goesfor registered Democratsinthe Democratic primary and runoff.

Voters registeredas“no party” canpick either of the major party ballots butmuststickwith that party through both the primary and runoff stages of the election cycle. Those registered under athird party —say,Green or Libertarian —cannot take part in either partyprimary, but can vote on constitutional amendments and in elections for other offices that still arechosen by open primary

Bottom line: Now is the time to check your registration to make sure it matchesyour intentions

Forthe May 16 electiondate, April15 is the last day to change registration information, including party,atlocal registrar offices.Changes made by mail must be postmarked by that date

Voters who make changes onlineat geauxvote com have alittle more time, until April 25. Because questions of how to vote are so much in the news these days, we’d like toshareafew additionalreminders about how things workin Louisiana.

State law requires that voters present aphoto ID with asignature but does not designate specifictypes of IDs. Voters canobtainafreeID by presenting their voter registrationcardat Office of MotorVehicle locations. They can also sign an affidavit at their polling placeverifying that they are eligible to vote. Officials then confirmeligibility

Roughly455,000 voters have been placed on the inactive voter list, which meansthatthey have not voted or taken action concerningtheir registration in 10 years or thata canvassing mailingrequiredbylaw was returnedasundeliverable, perhaps because the votermoved That’smore than in the past duetolegislation passedin2024, but the secretary of state’s office says inactive status does notpreventeligible voters from participating. Voters can check their statusatthe secretary of state’swebsite and fix any problems aheadof the April deadlines. Theycan also update their information —anew address, forexample —at their polling place on election day We urge everyone to check,and if necessary update their information now,sothattheydon’t face any unwelcome surprises whentheytry to exercise this most sacred constitutionalright.

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

Setthe record straight on opposition at protest

On March 28, my wife andIwere walking downtown for brunch when we came upon acrowd holding signs that read, “Eat theRich,” “No Nazis,” “No Fascists”and “No Christian Nationalists.” Unaware of the protest, I had no intentions of participating, yet ended up becoming theguy misrepresented in the newspaper’sarticle, “Man disruptsLafayette’sNoKings Rally.”

Media footage shows much of what I said before theprotestersdrowned me out, although missing was my opening statement,“Here stands the dreaded Christian nationalist, bogeyman in the flesh.”I then asked what was more hateful about Christian nationalism faith in Christ or love of country,quoting John 3:16 and declaring that God has blessed this country because of our Christian heritage. At no time did Iaccuse the audience of killing babies or Iranians, aludicrous assertion unless abortionists or terrorists had been in attendance. What Idid say under the

din was that these protesters assume they travel ahigh and noble road, but theirs in truth is alow road, paved with ghouls who poison and mutilate gender-confused children, butchers who yank 6-month-old babies from the safetyoftheir mothers’ wombsand misguided officials monetizing brutal Iranian dictators. Regarding the men pushing me out, Icried, “These are thefascists!” Yes, I did say,“Youneed to repent,” but don’t we all? As for calling people hypocrites, to aman wearing areligious T-shirt jabbing his finger in my face, Iliterally said, “One of us is ahypocrite.” In short, your reporter should know that Inever called that crowd abunch of fascists, hypocrites and baby killers. In today’spolarized society,should not Christian activists expect from the newspaper,ifnot your support, at least an effort to get thefacts straight?

RICHARD CARTER Lafayette

Amendmentwould stripindependenceofcivil service

Anovote on Constitutional Amendment No. 1onMay 16 is critical to thefutureofour state. If passed, this amendment could totally politicize our public workforce in Louisiana and potentially become ahuge burden to our state budget by decimating the constitutional protections in our merit system.

It would allow agubernatorially controlled Legislature to decide by asimple majoritywhich employees would be classified and which would be unclassified, or politically appointed. Currently,the apolitical State Civil Service Commission makes that decision on positions not listed in the state constitution, if they find it necessary

This would then allow any governor, through his politically appointed departmentheads, to hirewhoever he pleases withoutregard to qualifications, with no requirementsonsalary The uniformpay plan currently in existence would be abolished. This is exactly why our current

Merit Civil Service System was put intothe constitution initially in 1952, after aGov.Earl Long-controlled Legislatureabolished it in 1948. It was reestablished in the constitution at the Constitutional Convention in 1973 with minor changes after ayear-long discussion. Since then, the commission, under its rule-making authority, has made manyimprovements to make our currentHRsystem one of thebest in the country,ascertified by itspeers.

Civil Service was,and continues to be, an essential reform that works well for the taxpayers of our state. It does not protect the incompetent but provides amechanism for their removal if they do notperform.Italso provides equal pay for equal work for 38,000 state civil serviceclassified employees, who could lose their jobs if this amendment passes. We must retainthis valuable system and not return it to politics of old.

DANIEL SULLIVAN NewOrleans

Anewspaper’s jobistoexpose readers to newideas

Recent letters makeitclear that manypeople rarely step out of their single-viewpoint media sphere. For example, there’sDuke Truby,who is certain (without evidence) that most readers are conservatives just like him,probably because that’sall he encounters in the rest of his media diet.

Then there are the letter writers whorepeat partisan information, like Michael Gallagher,who wrote to imply that undocumented immigrants can be automatically registered to vote in California when they get adriver’slicense.

In under aminute, Ivisited the California Secretary of State website to find that that is untrue. Voter registration information submitted at the DMVissent to the Secretary of State foreligibility to be verified (including U.S. citizenship) before registration is complete; immigrants can get adifferent kind of license, which explicitly does not confer the right to vote.

Checking those facts surely took less timethan writing aletter to this paper,yet that apparently never occurred to Gallagher; he just assumed that what he’sheard in his restricted media space is correct. His is not the only letter to do this, just the most recent. The primary reason Istill subscribe to this newspaper is precisely because it’sasource that has not been personally curated forme. I want to know about all the newsand opinions, not just what agrees with me. And the moreoutrageous aclaim is, the moremotivated Iamtodouble-check it, because Iknow media intentionally manipulate emotions. I urge everyone to step outside your bubble, check somefacts to assess the reliability of your sources, talk to people whodon’tagree with you and learn that there’salot moreto the world.

ELIZABETH DIETCH NewOrleans

Caoreemerges as educationpolicymaven

With so much else in the news, few people noticed on Jan. 6when former U.S. Rep. Joseph Cao wasappointed temporarily to avacant seat on the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Notice should be taken. This new position for Cao, aRepublican from Harvey,isthe latest installment in one of the most fascinating lives in American politics.

Seventeen years ago, three weeks before Cao won arace for Congress against all odds in aheavily Democratic district, Iadmiringly described him as “a Vietnamese refugee-turned physics major-turned Jesuit-turned philosophy professor,lawyer and dual-hurricane survivor.” By then, he already had run and lost astate legislative race. He lost his congressional reelection bid in 2010. He later withdrew from arace for attorney general and ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate andanappeals court judgeship. He also served on the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority.

Clearly,this man loves theidea of public service in arepresentative democracy As an 8-year-old escapee from communism —“essentially orphaned by the Vietnam War,”hesaid —this makes sense: He understands that rule via the consent of the governed is aprecious commodity Still, why BESE? It was an appointment for which Cao said he never asked. It came via asurprise email from Gov.Jeff Landry,torepresent St Tammany Parish and partsofOrleans, Jefferson and Tangipahoa, after previously elected incumbent Paul Hollis took ajob with the Trump administration. Caoisnow one of three candidates in the May 16 primary to complete Hollis’ term.

The earlier portfolios he served or sought required either apolicy generalist or afocus on law or coastal issues. Why,now,education? Cao told me this week he actually

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

Bob Livingston, right, Louisiana’sformer 1st Congressional District representative, talkswithnewly elected 2nd District Rep. Ahn ‘Joseph’ CaoofNew Orleans at Republican National Committee headquarters in Washington in 2008.

considered “several” other races for BESE, but thedistrict would be very expensive torun for and it’svery hard to raise money for aBESE race. Inever participated because of the cost.”

When Landry’semail arrived, Cao said, “I was ecstatic. It was adream come true.”

Andintruth, education even more thanthe law has been his life’swork. When he felt called to the Catholic priesthood in the early 1990s after graduating from Baylor University with adegree in physics, he joined the SocietyofJesus (rather than other Catholic orders) because “Jesuits are famous as educators. That was my main reason for joining theSociety of Jesus: so Iwould have theabilityto educatekids andyoung adults.”

For six years in Jesuit training, that’swhat he did, in schools in the Washington, D.C., area and then for “predominantly poor children” in places “all over Texas and Louisiana,” tutoring in English and math.

Afterleaving theJesuits because he “wanted to haveafamily and participate in politics, andbeing apriest you can’tdothosethings,” he became aphilosophy instructor at Loyola UniversityinNew Orleans while in law school there. He is now at LSU Health Sciences Center as an adjunct professor/guest speaker teaching ethics and

public policy Cao alsoserved on the boards of three public charter schools. He speaks especially passionately about theNew Orleans Military &Maritime Academy in Algiers, an openenrollment high school sitting on land formerly controlled by thefederal government.Itwas Cao who, while in Congress, arranged for the feds to transfer theland to local control specifically to create that school.

“Education is morethan simply intellectual advancement,” Cao said, in explaining one of the fundamentals of bothNOMMA andofhis overall approach to schooling. “It must encompassamorality factor It teaches them abouthelping others, about giving back to thecommunity.”

Himselfaproduct of public schools, Cao saidheisanavid supporter of the LA GATORschool-choice accounts so that poorer children can find instruction that includes this holisticperspective.

“When Iwas in theSociety of Jesus, Iworked with mostly poor families, people struggling to makeends meet, kids not being educated adequately,” Cao said.

“The bestthing that we can do to serveour kids is to hold ahigh level of accountability in regard to our schools, in regard to teachers, in regardtofamily and parental involvement. The reason why we [in Louisiana] have climbed the national report cards revolves around two very importantissues. Oneisaccountability [andthe second] is in getting parents more and more involved.”

Finally,Cao saidthat for children “from broken homes [where parents won’tget involved], the children may need alot of emotional support. That’s why it’ssoimportant to expand school counseling programs focused on truancy and emotional development.”

Cao sounded like an idealist 17 years ago, and he soundslike an idealisttoday.Inaworld of cut-throat politics, that sound is quiterefreshing.

Email QuinHillyer at quin.hillyer@ theadvocate.com

Yes, we should continue to boldly go

So much for journalistic objectivity. The BBC science editor coveringthe launch of Artemis II couldn’tcontain herenthusiasm when thefirst plumes of smoke spread out from thelaunch pad. “Oh, my goodness! Oh,mygoodness!” sheexclaimed, clapping like aschoolgirl. As the rocket lifted off, she got visibly emotional: “It’snot just what you see andyou hear as the rocket lifts off. You can feel the force of it through your body.This is the most powerful rocket that NASA haseverbuilt!” Rebecca Morelle can be forgiven for falling in love with the subject of her story

Arocket launch is an awe-inspiring event —acontrolled explosion hurling agigantic projectile into theether There’sthe sheer power,the unavoidable risk, the questing spirit.Arocket feels and looks like the future, and there’ssomething very human about gazing intothe sky in wonder NASA hasn’tbeen glamorousindecades. Once upon atime, kids were putting up glossy photos of Apollo rockets and astronauts on their bedroom walls. But the Apollo program was killed long ago —civil-rights activistswere among those mobilizing against it,oddly enough —and nothing has captured the imagination the same way since. The space shuttle made space flight routine and boring, and there was nothing particularly ambitious aboutthe International Space Station.Rovers and telescopes wereworthyendeavors, but not thrilling. There is no substitute for manned space flight. The Artemis project is not exactly boldly going where noman has gone before,since it returned to the moon after we were there half acentury ago. But sending astronauts250,000 miles from Earth as part of aproject to eventually set up abase on themoon is the most enterprising NASAproject since Apollo. This is all to the good, but Artemis

has been plagued by delays and cost overruns. NASA hasn’tbeen able to replicate the urgent, mission-driven approach that characterized the Apollo program.Ittook eight years to get to themoon thefirst time, while Artemis hasbeen going for nine years and we still aren’tback. NASAprojects tend to get caught in acycle: Onepresident proposes abig newinitiative,onlyfor it to get canceled byhis successor,who proposes hisown initiative that is canceled in turn The worst-case scenario is that a Democratic president elected in 2028 nixesArtemis because President Donald Trumpfavored it. That said,the space expert Robert Zubrinnotes that space is particularly appealingtoAmericans as apeople defined, in part, by thefrontier.JFK talked of “the New Frontier,” and the famous open of theTVshow “Star Trek”called space “the final frontier.” Certainly,the American space program is amarked contrast with that of theEuropeans, theEuropean Space Agency.NASA’sbudget is several times larger.We’ve sent men to the moon, whereasthey haven’t. Andwe’ve

sent multiple successful landers and rovers to Mars (thefirst lander in 1976, thefirst rover in 1997), whereas the ESA has only managed two unsuccessful landers. Getting back to themoon is nice, but it is amanned mission to Mars that should be our ultimateobjective. It would truly be another giant leap for mankind, opening up avista of homo sapiens as amulti-planetary species. The technological challenge would be significant,requiring Apollo-like exertions, while there’smuch of scientific importance to be learned on the Red Planet.

Right now,the mostpopular movie in America is “Project Hail Mary,” a sci-fi thriller about adesperate mission intospace. The film plays to our inherent interest in journeys intothe unknown, and toour admiration for those who have thecourage to explore new worlds, from Francis Drake to Neil Armstrong.

Artemis II tapped into the same thing,which is why that BBC reporter —and so manyofthe rest of us —were so moved Rich Lowry is on X, @RichLowry

Internet responds poorly to AI use

On Thursday morning, Isat downwith one of my chatbots and asked it to round up the best takes on arecent social media controversy.The results wereunsatisfying —hallucinations, apologies and search results that weren’twhat I’dasked for. After several prompts and corrections, the chatbot seemed to give up. Shortly thereafter,sodid I. Fortunately,I was intimately familiar with this controversy,since Itouched it off. In social media parlance, Iwas “the maincharacter,” so Ialready had plenty of raw material and could see how badly ChatGPT had failed. But if you’re hoping foracolumnonwhy artificial intelligence is useless, Iregret to disappoint. Irarely read its summaries and never let it touch my copy directly,but it’sstill enormously helpful as asuper search engine, data downloader and interlocutor to steelman opposing views. It also works as asupplementary fact-checker (before it goes to the human ones) and to suggest clarifications and cuts so Ican hand my editor cleaner copy

Ironically,saying this on Xiswhat caused all the trouble: Many people think that using AI at any stage of the writing process amounts to outsourcing your thinking to amachine, and they reacted badly to ajournalist suggesting someAIuse might be all right.

Obviously,I disagree, but Irecognize those folks are grappling with important questions, such as “What is writing for?” and “Which uses of AI serve those purposes, and which undermine them?”

The people whowant AI to be off-limits are right that technology changes how you think and write. Iamold enough to have done creative writing in longhand and then on a typewriter,before Igot my first computer

Something was lost in each transition, because the slowness and forced rewriting of the old methods improved the text in certain ways. But they also raised the cost (in time and effort) of making changes, and ultimately mostwriters decided the new ways were worth it. Most writers have already madethat same decision with machine learning.

My line is that Ioutsource tedious tasks such as “searching the web”or“finding data buried in the footnotes” or “clicking through janky websites.”

Relying on AI summaries or using AI copy short-circuits the workessential to real learning. College term papers have so little value that people must be paid to read them,yet we makestudents write them because the merit is in the struggle: developing opinions, trying to lay them out in order,discovering what’s missing or wrong, and tearing down the whole framework and rebuilding it several times. Used properly,AIcan be away to struggle harder —with better data, morereading, firmer comprehension or sharper criticism. AI meansyou can do moreofthose things in aproject’slimited timeframe. Unfortunately what makes AI an excellent struggle machine also makes it atop-notch struggle avoider.Like mostprofessional writers, I’mappalled that British journalist Alex Preston used AI to pad out aNew York Times Book Review —even though I’dhave been fine if he’d just used it to change “petrol” to “gas.” Using it to provide the actual copy violated the trust of readers who could presumably have queried achatbot if they wanted amachine’sopinion.

No one wants journalism to end up like those “hand-highlighted” Thomas Kinkade paintings, aflat expanse of mass-produced schlock sprinkled with adusting of human glitter in the final touch-up process. That makes ahard no very appealing —ifyou aren’tusing AI at all, you can’tbetempted to use it the wrong way. But I doubt that particular line can hold. Machine learning is simply too useful, and it will tempt even hardcore AI opponents in a thousand ways —searching forhalf-remembered citations, access to untranslated archives in languages you can’tread, downloading of documents scattered across dozens of badly designed webpages. Each of those uses will shape what we know and how we think, just as search and social media algorithms have. Each successful use will invite moreuse.

There will be artisanal holdouts whoreject all those possibilities, but Idoubt they’ll be amajority.Sofor the foreseeable future, the rest of us will be figuring out where to draw the lines, knowing that somelines will be crossed by others, if not erased entirely

The best we can hope foristhat in the struggle to draw and redraw them,we’ll learn where they belong.

MeganMcArdle is on X, @asymmetricinfo

Email heratMegan.McArdle@washpost.com.

Quin Hillyer Rich Lowry

ega McArdle M n

PHOTO PROVIDED By NASA

The moon is seen from acamera Mondayoutsidethe Orion Spacecraft after the ArtemisIIastronauts surpassed the farthest distance evertraveled by humans from Earth.

HondoRodeo readytogallopintoSuperdome

BY DOUG MacCASH Staff writer

Last week, workers spread 115 truckloads of dirt on the floor of the Caesars Superdome. The soft carpet of earth is meant to break the falls of champion cowboys who will be flung off furious bulls and bucking broncos during the Hondo Rodeo. The event, which runsFriday through Sunday,may or may not be the half-centuryold Superdome’sfirst rodeo, but it’ssurely the most deluxe. With $1 million in prize money each weekend, the touring rodeofest attracts

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But he pointed to the crowd of supporters who flockedtothe Capitol to urge support for the bill. Over 130 people formally registered their support for the measure, and more than70 people sent also emailsin support, Kleinpeter noted during the hearing.

“While we were realistic about what the outcome may have been, this is still acase that has to be madeand was exhibited by the fact that hundreds of people showed up in support,” he said.

Potentiallyseminal case

Thelawsuitthatspurred the bill is Louisiana v. Callais, aredistricting and voting-rights case that has been argued beforethe U.S. Supreme Court, which is expected to issue aruling before the end of July

The case centers on Section 2ofthe federal Voting

AUDITOR

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the best buckaroo athletes. And eachday of the fest concludes with top-flight country music concerts. The HondoRodeo Fest is thebrainchild of James Trawick and business partner Blake “Wild Bill” Cody. Trawick said that earlierin life he’d competed as arodeo cowboy,and Cody had been arock ‘n’ roll musician. Theyboth came close to stardom, he said,but “not close enough ”

While “licking their wounds,”Trawick said,the two men decided to try to curatethe besttraveling rodeo show anyone had ever seen. TheHondo Rodeo

Rights Actof1965,alandmark civil rights lawthat prohibits discriminationin voting and in redistricting.

Attorney General Liz Murrill’soffice is arguing the law compelsstates to draw majority-Blackdistricts,which shesays isunconstitutional because it violates the Equal Protection Clause and force states to favor one population over another

Defenders of the Voting Rights Actargue it is necessary to prevent the return of JimCrow-era votingmaps thatsplit up Black communities into separate districts, diluting their voting power

Some legal experts believe theSupreme Court may strike down that key provision of the law and pave the way for redistricting plans with fewer majority-Black districts.

In Louisiana, the ruling could impact voting maps for Congress, the Legislature and evensomejudicial districts —all of which have been challenged in court for discriminating against Black

Fest debutedinPhoenix in 2024. The marathon festbegins at noon Fridayand Saturdaywith acowboy-oriented marketplace in Champions Square,which will include leather goodsand other C&Wcrafts, plus food and beverage vendorsand a “muttonbustin’”mini rodeo for kids,featuring sheep instead of horses and bulls.On Sunday,the fest begins with an outdoor churchservice led by Duck Dynasty’s Willie Robertsonat11:30 a.m.

At 4p.m. each day,the Superdome doors open, with the Angola Rodeocompetition from 5p.m. to 5:30 p.m.,

voters.

ASupreme Courtdecision to overturn Section 2ofthe VotingRights Act could affect thepolitical power of Black and minority voters, said Ashley Shelton, president andCEO of thePower Coalition, avoting-rights advocacy groups backing Duplessis’ bill.

“Their ability to elect a candidateofchoice is what’s at stake right now,” she said.

Shelton said SB365 would have put voting rights into statelaw and represented a commitmenttofair andequitable elections.

What wouldbill do?

SB365 would have established the Louisiana Voting Rights Act, anew section of law expressly prohibiting state andlocal governments from infringing citizens’ right to vote.

Votersuppression and voter dilution would have been outlawed under the measure. In the bill, suppression refers to limiting minority access to voting or to the political pro-

followed by the two-hour main-event rodeo. After thedusthas settled, aDJ will provide music, leading up to the live two-hour-plus concerts, which will end at 11:30 p.m.

Admission ranges from $35 to $250, with VIPtickets as high as $1,000. Visit the Caesars Superdome websitefor more information. Winning cowboyswill takehome $100,000 in prize money,Trawick said. Star Louisiana cowpokes Shane Hanchey of Sulphur,Tyler Waguespack of Gonzales and Kade Sonnier of Carencro will be competing on hometurf.

cess, and dilution refers to election maps that lessened the voting strength of minority groups.

AVoting Rights Commission also would have been set up to monitorgovernment election practices and ensure theyare not discriminatory

About20people testified in support of the bill at the Capitol.

“I carry with me the voices of my ancestors,” said Yolanda Burnette-Lankford.

“Those whowere denied the right to vote, yet never stoppedbelieving in this democracy.”

Some said theylearned from their African American grandparents, born in the early1900s,about their experiences facing discrimination at the ballot box.

“I neverthought that we would be back at this place where we are still having to fight to ensure thatwehave fairness as it relates to voting rights,” saidstate Sen. Regina Barrow,D-Baton Rouge

“Voting is the only equalizer,” Barrow said.

Blackburn, Dr. James H.

Dr.James H. Blackburn

91. Visitation will be observed at Fountain Memorial FuneralHome in Lafayette, LA on Friday, April 10, 2026, from 4:00 pm untilthe Funeral Service with Military Honors at 6:00 pm. Online obituary andguest book may be viewed at www.fountainm emorialfuneralhome.com. FountainMemorialFuneral Home and Cemetery,1010 Pandora St.337-981-7098 is in charge of arrangements.

Stroderd, Mildred Hebert

Touchetsaid in hisstatement that because the School Board voted to hire adifferentauditor, “the continued back-and-forth raises real concerns about objectivity ”

“Still, we’ve met everyrequirement and will continue working to get the audit finalized and submittedtothe Louisiana Legislative Auditor,” Touchet said. The delayed filing of the auditcomes as the district

to change its firm to EisnerAmper,which, in its bid, said it could offer its services for at or under $200,000 annually Boardmember Jeremy Hidalgo argued at the time that the district hires an auditor to help them fix issues, not “come in and create a(public document) just to have some headlines and sabotage whoeveritisthat they’re auditing.”

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18% and improving global employee satisfaction and engagement. Irealize DEI is acontroversial term these days, but in my experience, when done effectively,DEI is not apolitical statement. It’sreally good leadership that brings the best out in people.

What’syour favorite thing about what you do for aliving?

Playing asmall part in helping people develop to their fullest potential. There is real power in giving an encouraging wordatthe right time or challenging someone to think bigger about their own future and capabilities.

Youstepped into leadership during COVID and delivered record profitabilitywhile supporting global company programs to increase diversityand women in the workforce.How has your business and leadership journey empowered you to supportothers locally and internationally?

I’ve been reflecting lately on how leaders are not in a

THOMPSON

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My favorite part of what I do is working directly with people and seeing small moments of progress turn into real confidence and hope Whether it’sastudent, afamily or acommunity member,Ilove helping others realize that healthier living is possible and that they don’thave to walk that journey alone.

Your Ph.D.research focuses on

you

position for when everything is going well. People don’t actually need you much whenever things are going well. We’ve been through some ups and downs, especially being in the oil andgas industry,which tends to cycle. Youhave timeswhere thebusiness is growing, and thingsare goingwell, and then you go through difficult times where thework is not plentiful, and you have to make hard decisions about potentially layingpeople offormakingchanges in strategy.Those are difficult timestowalk through, but it’salso the time that tests your leadership and when people need you the mostto have asteady hand anda vision of the future where you don’tpanic and instead make sound strategic decisions aboutwhatthe company is going to look like in the future and what it’sgoing to take to get there. I’ve learned awhole lot from being thrown into situations, both personally and professionally,where I

lead chronic disease preventioninitiatives locally.What sparked yourfocus on maternal nutrition, and what changedoyou most want to see?

Black women experience harderpregnanciesthan their counterparts. National averages will show that Blackwomen experience higherrates of chronic diseasesthatare preventable during their pregnancies, which makes themexperience higher ratesofinfant death. Iwould loveitifwe could cutthese numbers down. Iwould lovetosee Black women have access to nutritioneducationand nutritious foods that are

and boardhave received pushback from the public on itsrecent decisions.In January,the boardapproved a$65,000 raise for Touchet, bringing his total salary before performance stipends to $300,000. It voted in acontentious March meeting to take ComeauxHigh offline, rezone its nearly700 students to nearbyhigh schoolsand eventually move the district’s career center to the campus Alawsuit was filed after

didn’thave all the answers. Youlearn alot by tackling aproblem, especially with ateam thatthinks differently thanyou do. Ireally love helping other people develop, whether thatbe mentoring or even challenging themwith an assignment thatfeels alittle toobig. Iget to watch how theyrespond to being put in asituation where theyhave to think differently,work with people theywouldn’tnormally work withand have thatopportunity to speak up and develop solutions that drive business growth and innovation or even change the course of the company

People did thatfor me when Ididn’tnecessarily think Iwas ready to stepinto anew role. Several people have mentored me and encouraged me and said, “No, you’re ready.Stepin. We believe in you to do this.” The pathmycareer took is aresult of those people that really championed me. So any chance thatI have to do thatfor somebody else, Iabsolutely love doing so.

relevant to theirculture, theycan consume on adaily basis and still meet their nutritional needs.

LOTTERY

TUESDAY,APRIL 7, 2026

PICK 3: 6-1-4

PICK 4: 4-5-8-5

PICK 5: 6-8-2-2-5

MEGA MILLIONS: 5-15-22-33-37

that vote, claiming the board violated its ownpolicy and open meetings law.A hearing in that lawsuit will be held Monday

Mildred Hebert Stroderd wasborn on September 7, 1940, in Iota, Louisiana, and on April 1, 2026, at theage of 85, she passed from this life in Baton Rouge,Louisiana, leavingbehinda legacyof grace, devotion,and quiet strength.Her life wasa testament to love well kept, duty well done,and joyfound in thesimple and sacredthingsofhomeand family. For thepast 50 years, she wasa residentofthe Central Community andfor over 20 years worked alongsideher husband, HermanStroderd, in their familyowned and operated business, Murray's Central Pharmacy. Additionally, for many years, she volunteered with theSt. Alphonsus NursingHome Ministry and theBereavementMinistry. Shewas also amember of the KnightsofColumbus Council2807 Ladies Auxiliary.

Shewas preceded in death by herbeloved husband of 56 years, Herman Stroderd; herparents,W.E. andRoseHebert; hersister, Barbara "Bobbie"LaCombe; and herbrother Charles Hebert,Sr. Mildred is survived by herchildren, Cindi (Mike) Schlatre; EnaAucoin; Damian (Debbie)Stroderd; Allison (Roger) Istas; and SuzonneHorning. She leaves behind an extensive familytreeincluding 13 grandchildren: Emelie McLellan;Beau (Kim) Schlatre; LoriBeth(Josh) Stewart; Logan (Ashley) Schlatre; Katelyn Marchand; RebeccaMarchand; Ben (Madison)Stroderd; Zoe Istas; Oscar Istas; JacobMarchand; PhoebeIstas; Joshua (Kyleigh)Marchand; andMoira Istas; as well as 6great-grandchildren:Laurel Schlatre; Liam McLellan;Drake Schlatre; Annamarie Stroderd; Thorin Miller;and baby Stewart. Thosewho knew and lovedher shall remember herlaughter, hercare, her wisdom, and the gentle strength with which she bore both joyand sorrow. Thefamilywould like to extenddeepestappreciation andlove to all those that helped care for Mildred duringthe final season of herlifeincluding: OurLady of theLake Hospital andstaff,Amedisys Home Instead, Central Guest House,Central Fire Department, Acadian Ambulance,her host of doctors and nursesand all others that helped through various services, prayers andvisits. In lieu of flowers, donations canbe made in Mildred's name to St.VincentdePaulFood Pantry of St.Alphonsus Liguori Catholic Church

BY DAVE SKRETTA AP sportswriter

AUGUSTA, Ga. Brooks Koepka was asked acouple of years ago whether it was possible to shoot 59 at the Masters and shatter that most hallowed scoring barrier few will ever touch. The look of incredulitythatcrossed his face was both withering and comical.

“Have you played here?” Koepka replied

“Not yet,” he was informed.

“Yeah,” Koepka said, “I could tell by the question.”

In fact, only two peoplehave managed aroundof63atthe Masters, much less59. NickPricewas thefirst to set the record four decades ago, and the most recent was Greg Norman, whose first-round 63 in 1996 came before his epic final-round collapse.

SPORTS

AUGUSTA,Ga. The Golf Channel’sBrandel Chamblee caused astirinFebruary in the golf world. In golf, astirisnot like threatening to bomb aforeign nation or flying to themoon. He simply put forwardanotion.

Chamblee saidThe Players should not only be considered amajor —like theMasters, U.S. and British opens, and thePGA Championship but thebest major.The best becauseofthe qualityofits course, field and now 50-plusyear history Obviously Chamblee, like anyone, is entitled to his opinion. Even awrongopinion.

The Masters isn’tjustone of thefour majors, which are all golf needs.It’sthe bestmajor Andthereare about as many reasonsthat’s trueasthereare magnolia trees lining Magnolia Lane (60).

Golf has been played on every continent, including Antarctica, where researchers occasionally play what they call the“Winter’s End Classic,” basically sort of aputting tournamentonice.

Golf even has been played on the moon.

Not by the crew of Artemis II (just aflyby) butin1971 by astronaut Alan Shepard during

Apollo 14. He fasten lunar sample scoop bothofwhich are still somewhere on the Fra Mauro highlands Golf as we know it began in St.Andrews,Scotland, which will host its31st British Open championship next year Butnowhere is it venerated, cherished and raised to more of an art form than at Augusta Nationa Masters. Why is Chamblee about The Players? you need to know: N made awinning put Sawgrassand broke intosuch ablubber of Irish stew as Ror did after winning la Masters, becoming ropean to winthe ca slam. McIlroy certa melt into the groun

BY ZACH EWING

Ask 100 people, “Family Feud” style, for the most notable thing about the New Orleans Saints’ haul in the 2025 NFL Draft, and Tyler Shough wouldbe the No. 1answer In fact, there might not be another answer But as uncommon as it is for the Saints to take aquarterback high in the draft, they managed to do something else last year that’seven more rare. It was the first time in 12 years that general manager Mickey Loomis and the New Orleans front office did not swingatrade during the draft. Someofthe trades have been seismic.Trading up to No.6toselect defensive tackle Johnathan Sullivan in Loomis’ first draft as generalmanager in 2003. Moving up for Mark Ingramin2011. Multiple first-round trades in 2022 to get

Chris Pauldidn’tdoit. Neither did Anthony Davis nor Zion Williamson. In fact, no rookie who has ever put on aNew Orleans Pelicansor Hornetsuniform ever had done what Jeremiah Fearsdid Tuesday night in the Smoothie King Center Even Fearswas shocked when he found out that the 40 points he scored in the 156-137 victoryover theUtah Jazz were anew franchise record for arookie. “For real?” Fearsasked. “That’s crazy.” Yes, Jeremiah. For real. Andyes, that is crazy Buttruthbetold, there was plentyofcraziness on this record-setting night in thePelicans’ home finale. We’ll get to that later First thingsfirst, though. The 40 points eclipsed the previous rookie record of 37 pointsset by Marcus Thornton in the 2009-10 season. Fears was just 3yearsold when Thornton came off the bench and scored his 37 points in aroad loss to theCleveland Cavaliers. Fears’ record-setting night came in a much-needed win, snapping the Pelicans’ eight-game slide. Fearsshot 17 of 29 from the floor despite making just one of his seven 3-point attempts.

“That wasanimpressive run by him,” Pelicans interim coach James Borrego said. “He made just one 3-pointer.The rest, he’s at the rim all night. He had three or four finishes that wereelite finishes.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By BILL KOSTROUN

RoryMcIlroyfalls

hisknees

ASSOCIATED PRESSFILE PHOTO By MATT SLOCUM

Sergio Garcia reacts to aputt on March20.

AP PHOTO By MIKE STOBE

STAFFPHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS

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5 p.m.

LSU outfielder Jake Brown slides safely into third base during the first inning as BethuneCookman third baseman Andrey Martinez can’t come up with the ball on Tuesday night at Alex Box Stadium. The Wildcats came away with a 10-7 victory.

PHOTO By PATRICK DENNIS

Midweek blues continue

Tigers suffer another upset loss, this time to Bethune-Cookman

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

LSU baseball’s margin for error on Tuesday was thinner than usual for a Jay Johnson-coached team

How could it not be? Especially after the Tigers lost five nonconference games before their Southeastern Conference schedule began, which included defeats to 13-20 Sacramento State and 16-16 McNeese State.

If LSU wanted to maintain a solid chance of hosting a regional in June, it likely had to beat BethuneCookman.

But that was not the case Tuesday. The Tigers lost to another mid-major opponent at Alex Box Stadium, falling 10-7 to BethuneCookman in a loss that damaged LSU’s June aspirations

“(Johnson) tells us the pressure is on, and it is,” outfielder Derek Curiel said. “And we know that we need to probably win two more SEC games now because we lost this one tonight.”

A disastrous seventh inning sealed LSU’s fate after a back-andforth affair through six innings.

Leading by a run, the Tigers (2212) surrendered five runs on two

Zambrano,

W, 2-3

Garcia, L, 1-1

Lachenmayer

Rizy

Ricken

HBP by Turner D. (Yamin IV); by Anselmo, A. (Pearson); by Garcia (Lee, D.); by Lachenmayer (Rodriguez, M); by Rizy (Lucena, M.); by Barroso, A. (Braun); by Barroso, A. (Harden); by Ricken (Rodriguez, M); by Zambrano, J. (Yamin IV). BK — Ricken(1) Umpires — HP: Blake Thames 1B: Colby Vidrine 2B: Mark Arata 3B: Eddie Newsom T — 4:10. A 10,847 (paid)

walks, two hit batters and an error in the seventh. Right-hander Mavrick Rizy’s two walks both forced in runs. Rizy also hit a batter as did left-hander Danny Lachen-

mayer Johnson turned to four pitchers in the inning before freshman right-hander Reagan Ricken got a strikeout to end the rally

“You’re not going to outwill or outwant (anyone with) however many walks or hit by pitches we had in the seventh (Tuesday),” Johnson said.

The error LSU committed in the seventh came from senior Seth Dardar on a ground ball to second base, a mistake that came with two outs and cost the Tigers two runs. LSU’s struggling defense, which has been a constant theme throughout its up-and-down season, suffered another low by allowing three unearned runs to Bethune-Cookman (23-10) on two errors.

“I’ve seen Dardar make that play 100 times,” Curiel said, “and he just didn’t (Tuesday).”

A bad top of the seventh was compounded in the bottom of the inning by the offense’s inability to cash in on a perfect opportunity LSU had the top of its order up to the plate with the bases loaded and nobody out in the seventh. But instead of taking a big chunk out of a 10-6 deficit, Steven Milam, Jake Brown and John Pearson all struck out.

“We lost the strike zone with some good hitters,” Johnson said. “It makes it hard to win when you do that against a good team, a mo-

tivated team, a rested team.

“They took advantage of us losing the strike zone there, and that was really the difference in the game.”

The Tigers constantly shot themselves in the foot in the seventh inning, but the Wildcats earned their runs before that point. The SWAC leaders had eight hits, including a home run and two doubles, before scoring five runs in the seventh.

LSU had no walks and hit just one batter before the seventh.

“This team was in the NCAA Tournament last year,” Johnson said. “I guess they’ll be in it again (this year).”

Tuesday was another big night for Curiel and Cade Arrambide at the plate. Curiel went 3 for 5 with two RBIs, and Arrambide was 3 for 5 with a double. Their productivity helped LSU score in each of the first four innings. Brown also produced with the stick, blasting a 388-foot home run in the sixth inning and going 2 for 4 on the day But he couldn’t come up big in the seventh when his team needed him the most.

LSU is back on the road on Friday in Oxford, Mississippi, against Ole Miss. First pitch from Swayze Field is set for 6:30 p.m., and the game will be available on SEC Network+

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

Acadiana Renaissance shuts out AES

Handschin, Rideaux lead way in tune-up victory before playoffs

BY MIKE COPPAGE Contributing writer

Keegan Handschin broke up a pitcher’s duel, and left-hander Sebastian Rideaux threw a shutout for Acadiana Renaissance in a nondistrict playoff tune-up on Tuesday at Ascension Episcopal. In the sixth inning, Handschin tripled to deep left field to score Spencer Glaeser, who reached on error, with the game’s first run. The senior shortstop drove in Glaeser and Emric McAdams for two insurance runs in the seventh of the 4-0 win.

“I saw a fastball, trusted my approach and swung, and just let it happen,” Handschin said of the triple off Ascension Episcopal starter Sport Gros, who struck out nine over six innings Micah Porche’s sacrifice fly drove in Handschin in the sixth. Meanwhile, McAdams made a sensational back-handed defensive play at third base in the fifth inning, and Glaeser made a sliding catch in right field in the third.

“I played third base so I’m hard on these guys,” ARCA coach Tyler Jensen said. “That’s about as tough a play as you can have.” Jensen praised his outfield that

also includes left fielder Michael Batiste and center fielder Carter MacKay, who had two hits.

“We’re really athletic out there and cover a lot of ground,” Jensen said “We take a lot of pride in it.” Rideaux, a junior, had a one-hitter through five innings. His pitch count was at 67 heading into the seventh, which saw the Blue Gators load the bases on singles from Bennett Woodring, Austin Adams and Rive Trahan

“He knows who he is,” Jensen said of Rideaux. “A lot of high school guys get up there, let it

go, and walk five or six. Sebastian throws three pitches for strikes, and he can throw them anywhere in the count.”

Rideaux walked none and struck out three while finishing with a five-hitter on 96 pitches in the meeting of Youngsville schools whose campuses are less than 2 miles apart.

“Going into the last inning, all we wanted to do was win,” Rideaux said. “We had to fight through adversity and come out with the win. The off-speed was working, and I had to rely on my defense to

LSU gymnastics star Chio wins top award in region

The accolades continue to roll in for LSU sophomore standout Kailin Chio, as Tuesday she was named the Central Region Gymnast of the Year by the Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA).

The nation’s No. 1-ranked gymnast in the all-around, on vault and beam, Chio previously was named the Southeastern Conference Gymnast of the Year She has 40 individual event titles this season, including the SEC all-around title an NCAA-best 12 perfect 10s.

The WCGA presents awards annually to gymnasts in six NCAA Division I regions as well as two each in Division II and III. Chio and LSU head to Fort Worth, Texas, next week for the NCAA championships. LSU will be in the first semifinal at 3:30 p.m. Thursday

Former LSU center Nwoko finds new home at Xavier

Former LSU starting center Mike Nwoko found a landing sport Wednesday after entering the transfer portal.

The 6-foot-10 Nwoko is transferring to Xavier, his agent told The Advocate. He entered the transfer portal on Tuesday with a “Do Not Contact” tag.

Nwoko is the first player from LSU’s team last year to decide where he will play next season. The junior played one year at LSU, averaging 13.4 points on 61% shooting and 5.9 rebounds in 21.8 minutes per game. Nwoko, who was the team’s third-leading scorer, had five 20-point games and shot 76.1% from the free-throw line, improving from 60.1% the previous season.

Prosecutors want Tiger’s prescription drug records

Prosecutors are seeking Tiger Woods’ prescription drug records from a pharmacy nearly two weeks after his vehicle crashed in Florida and he was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Prosecutors in Florida on Tuesday said they planned to issue a subpoena seeking copies of all prescription medication records for the legendary golfer on file at Lewis Pharmacy in Palm Beach, Florida, from the start of the year through the end of last month. Prosecutors in Martin County, Florida, want the times the prescriptions were filled, the number of pills, the dosage amounts and any instructions that accompanied the pills, such as warnings about driving while taking them, according to documents in an online court docket.

Braves pitcher Lopez, Angels OF Soler suspended Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Jorge Soler and Atlanta Braves pitcher Reynaldo López each received seven-game suspensions from Major League Baseball on Wednesday, a day after they were ejected after their participation in a brawl.

help me out. That’s what I’ve been doing all year.”

The Eagles (22-5), who remained at No. 3 in the Division II select power ratings, will start righthander Cole Schexnaider in their next game against Division IV nonselect No. 6 Centerville (18-4).

“Gros had us in a blender for sure,” Jensen said of the Blue Gators junior, who struck out the side in the second inning sandwiched around hits from Rideaux and MacKay “Our bats weren’t very good.

“Things could’ve gotten away from him in that first inning, but he settled in. He’s one of the better arms we’ve seen. That’s why I love playing these guys. We know we’re going to see some good arms and quality at-bats. They’re really well-coached.”

In the top of the first, Gros hit Rideaux with a pitch, walked Batiste and an error allowed Cormier to reach base, but he got an infield fly, a strikeout and a flyout to prevent any damage.

“He kept his composure,” Blue Gators coach Lonny Landry said of Gros. “He allowed maybe two hard-hit balls in this outing — six innings of baseball against a good team, one of the best in their division. I thought he did an outstanding job.”

The Blue Gators (17-10) are No. 11 in the Division IV select power ratings. The top 12 seeds will get a first-round playoff bye.

Michael Hill, the MLB senior vice president for on-field operations, also announced that the players received undisclosed fines. The suspensions were scheduled to begin with Wednesday’s game but were put on hold pending appeals from each player Soler homered off López in the first inning of Tuesday night’s game. In his next at-bat, Soler was hit by a 96 mph fastball from López.

Prolific Dodgers infielder, base stealer Lopes dies Davey Lopes, a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ record-setting infield of the 1970s and ’80s and one of baseball’s premier base stealers, died Wednesday He was 80.

Lopes was a four-time All-Star during his 10 years with the Dodgers. He played in four World Series, winning the 1981 championship. He holds the franchise record for most games played at second base with 1,134. His 1,145 games batting leadoff are second in the organization to Maury Wills (1,279). Lopes established himself as one of the most prolific base stealers in baseball. He stole 418 bases as a Dodger, second-highest career total in franchise history behind Wills (490). Lopes holds the

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD BOWIE

Acadiana Renaissance pitcher Sebastian Rideaux delivers against Ascension Episcopal on Tuesday. Rideaux threw a five-hit shutout.

Chris Olave and Trevor Penning. Many others have been all but forgotten, pick swapsthathappen deep into thedraftonSaturday afternoons.

One thing is for sure:New Orleans is among the most active trade partners in the NFL, and history tells us there will be wheeling and dealing during this year’sdraft from April 23-25 in Pittsburgh. Here’sacomplete history of the Saints’ draft-day trades under Loomis’ leadership. (Note: Only trades made during thedraft are listed here.)

Francis) Note: Only fourofthese38trades were the Saints tradingdowninthe draft.Thiswas themost recent. So it wouldgoagainst a 19-year trendifNew Orleans were to move back from No. 8this month. WITH HOUSTON Saints received: No. 107 pick (RBAntonioPittman) Texans received: No. 123 (CBFredBennett), No. 163 (OTBrandonFrye)

2008 draft

WITH NEW ENGLAND Saints received: No. 7pick (DTSedrick Ellis), No. 164 (OTCarl Nicks) Patriots received: No. 10 (LB Jerod Mayo), No. 78 (LB ShawnCrable) Note: This wasthe last time the Saints picked as highasNo. 8.

WITH DETROIT Saints received: No. 144 pick (DTDeMario Pressley)

Lions received: No. 146 (FB Jerome Felton), No. 218 (S Caleb Campbell)

WITH GREEN BAY Saints received: No. 237 pick (WR Adrian Arrington) Packers received: 2009 sixth-round pick (CB BrandonUnderwood)

2009 draft WITH PHILADELPHIA Saints received: No. 164 pick (P Thomas Morstead) Eagles received: No. 222 (flipped to Colts, PPat McAfee), 2010 fifth-round pick (flippedto Dolphins,S Reshad Jones)

Note: Want to impress friends with some trivia?Thomas Morstead and PatMcAfee were traded for each other (sort of)ondraft night.

2010 draft

WITH ARIZONA Saints received: No. 123 pick (DTAlWoods)

Cardinals received: No. 130 (DE O’BrienSchofield), No. 201 (CBJorrick Calvin)

WITH JACKSONVILLE Saints received: No. 158 pick (C MattTennant)

Jaguars received: 2011 fourth-round pick (S Chris Prosinski)

2011 draft

WITH NEW ENGLAND

Saints received: No. 28 pick (RB MarkIngram)

Patriots received: No. 56 pick (RB Shane Vereen), 2012 first-roundpick (flipped to Bengals, G Kevin Zeitler)

RABALAIS

Continued from page1C

The Players amonth earlier

After winning the 2017 Masters, Spanish golfer Sergio Garcia and his wife Angela Atkins (Drew Brees’ cousin, by the way) named their daughter Azalea. It happens to be spelled the same way in Spanish as English, which is handy,but it is also the name of Augusta National’s13th hole.

Sorry,Brandel, but Ihave yet to see any other couple naming their child “Island Green” after the 17th at Sawgrass. And when have we seenthe caddie at The Players —orany other tournament, for that matter —return to the 18th green to bow to the course, as Hideki Matsuyama’sbag man Shota Hayafuji did in 2021? That would be zero, which like Azalea is apparently spelled the same in English and Japanese.

“I don’tthink there’samore beautiful golf course on earth,” McIlroy said. “It’slike you’re playing golf in the prettiest park in the world.”

It’snot just the grounds, the surrounds and the gravitas of the tournament. It’sall the little things that make the Masters great. There are no seat numbers at the Masters. No skyboxes looming over the 18th green. There are roars for great shots yes, and eventhe occasional boorish call for aball to “Get in thehole!”(spareme) For the most part, though, gentility reigns. Here you can set down your folding chair next toagreen or tee box and come backhours later to find it in the same place. Oh, someone mayhave borrowed your seat for amoment,but apolite request (or astern look from one of the ever-present securityguards)

Continued from page1C

In addition to all the scoring, he alsofinished with sixassists, five rebounds and three steals. That stat line puts him in exclusive company.Over the last 10 years, the only other rookies to score 40 points with at least fiveassists and five rebounds are Victor Wembanyama, Anthony Edwards, Trae Young, Donovan Mitchell and CooperFlagg.

Fears nodded his head in approvaland flashed abig smile as that exclusive list was read to him. “That feels really good,” he

2012 draft No draft-daytrades Note: One reason this wasthe outlier year with no trades?The Saints didn’t have many picks to deal.They had already traded their first-rounder in the Ingram deal in 2011, and they had to forfeittheir second-round pick in the aftermath of Bountygate.

2013 draft

WITHN.Y.JETS

Saints received: No. 106pick(flipped to Dolphins

—see below)

Jets received: RB ChrisIvory

WITH MIAMI Saints received: No. 82 pick(DT John Jenkins)

Dolphins received: No. 106(TE Dion Sims), No. 109 (flipped to Packers, OT DavidBakhtiari)

2014 draft

WITHARIZONA

Saints received: No. 20 pick(WR Brandin Cooks)

Cardinals received: No. 27 (S Deone Bucannon), No. 91 (WR John Brown) 2015 draft

WITHWASHINGTON Saints received: No. 167pick(CB Damian Swann)

Washington received: No. 187(WR Evan Spencer), 2016 sixth-round pick (QBNate Sudfeld) 2016 draft

WITHNEW ENGLAND

Saints received: No. 61 pick(SVonn Bell)

Patriots received: No. 78 (G Joe Thuney), No. 112 (WR MalcolmMitchell)

WITHWASHINGTON Saints received: No. 120pick(DT DavidOnyemata)

Washington received: No. 152(DT MattIoannidis), 2017 fifth-round pick (TE JeremySprinkle)

Note: The 2017 draft rightfully gets alot of attention, but the year before, theSaints took Sheldon Rankins and All-Pro receiver Michael Thomas in the first tworounds, then swung these twodeals thatproduced multiyear starters later in the draft. 2017 draft

WITHSAN FRANCISCO Saints received: No. 67 pick(RB Alvin Kamara)

49ers received: No. 229(CB Adrian Colbert), 2018 second-round pick(flipped to Washington, RB Derrius Guice)

Note: Akey component of perhaps the best draft in team history 2018 draft

“I

sends themontheir way

There are no cellphones allowed at AugustaNational, no cameras exceptfor practice days, when there are more cameras here per square foot than anywhere else on theplanet. Youcan stand by the bend in the 13th fairway,looking at therockyribbon of Rae’sCreek stretching off toward the12th and13th greensinthe distance, andthink what alucky humanyou are.

Speaking of Earth, youcan call anywhere on it from banks of free phones scattered across the course. Otherwise,you’re cut off from the normal clutter of our ever more hectic 21st century world. Sounds nice? For at least this week, it certainly is.

“It feels like the fans are alittle bit more engaged in thegolf,” Ludvig Aberg said. “They’re alittlebit more attuned to what’sgoing on. It feels like good golf shots are being appreciated in adifferent way Andit’salsoquite nice to just leave your phone somewhere.”

Here, sandwiches cost between $1.50 and $3. An entire meal of a sandwich, bag of chips and abeer (trythe Crow’sNest) won’tset you back more than $10. Heck, youcan have one of everything on the entire menu,breakfast and lunch, for $78.75. Adjusted for inflation, the concession stand prices are actually cheaper than they were at the first Masters in 1934.

Speaking of prices, apass for all four tournament rounds costs$525. That’s$131.25 per day.Face value. Of course,good luck getting one at face value, but we digress.

ESPN’sScottVan Pelt saiditbest: TheMasters is one of one.

“You can’tgowrongwiththis place,” Akshay Bhatia said. “Everything is just top tier.” Amen(Corner), Akshay

said. “Those guys obviously each andevery nightgoout there and show everybody what they are capable of. They’vedone some great stuff around theleague. I know they are going to continue to do their thing. That’sbig time. That’shuge.” The elite company Fearsjoined didn’t stop there. The 19-yearold became theeighth teenager in NBA history with a40-point game. Theothers read like a who’swho ofbasketball: LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony,Kevin Durant, Cliff Robinson, GG Jackson, Edwardsand Flagg Fears’ previouscareer-high was 28 points. It was clear by halftime Tuesday that hewas going to top that. He had 20 through the first

WITHGREENBAY Saints received: No.14pick (DE Marcus Davenport) Packers received: No.27(flipped to Seahawks, RB Rashaad Penny), No.147 (flipped to Rams,LBMicah Kiser), 2019 first-round pick (flipped to Giants, CB DeandreBaker) 2019 draft

WITHMIAMI Saints received: No.48pick (C Erik McCoy), No 116 (flipped to Jets —see below) Dolphins received: No.62(flipped to Cardinals, WR Andy Isabella), No. 202 (OTIsaiah Prince), 2020 second-round pick (DTRaekwon Davis)

WITHN.Y.JETS Saints received: No.105 pick (S C.J. GardnerJohnson) Jets received: No. 116 (flipped to Titans, S Amani Hooker), No.168 (flipped to Titans, LB D’Andre Walker) 2020 draft

WITHCLEVELAND Saints received: No.74pick (LB Zack Baun), No.

244 (flipped to Vikings, see below)

Browns received: No.88(DT Jordan Elliott), 2021 third-round pick (WR AnthonySchwartz)

WITH MINNESOTA Saints received: No.105 pick (TE Adam Trautman) Vikings received: No.130 (DTJames Lynch), No 169 (CBHarrison Hand), No.203 (OTBlake Brandel), No. 244 (QBNate Stanley)

WITH HOUSTON Saints received: No. 240 (QBTommyStevens) Texans received: 2021 sixth-round pick (flippedto Bills,SDamar Hamlin)

Note: The Saints tradedevery remaining pick they had for the rights to draft Trautman and then got back into the draft anyway by giving up a2021 selection 2021 draft

WITH DENVER Saints received: No. 76 (CBPaulsonAdebo)

Broncos received: No. 98 (G QuinnMeinerz), No 105 (LBBaron Browning) WITH INDIANAPOLIS Saints received: No. 206 pick (OTLandon Young) Coltsreceived: No. 218 (QBSam Ehlinger),No. 229 (WR Mike Strachan)

SAINTS EXERCISE

BRESEE’S FIFTH-YEAR CONTRACT OPTION

The NewOrleans Saints picked up defensivelinemanBryan Bresee’sfifth-yearoption, asource withknowledgeofthe situation confirmed.

The move ensuresthat Bresee, the team’s 2023 first-round pick, will be undercontract forthe 2027 season. By picking up the option, the Saints will payBresee acontract estimatednorth of $13 million, according to Over The Cap. NewOrleans had until Maytodecide on Bresee’sstatus but officially picked up theoption Wednesday.

Bresee, 24, had only 21/2 sacks last season, afive-sack drop from the 71/2 he racked up in 2024. But the Saints believe he playedbetter than his sack numbers indicate. Despite missing twogames because of an injury, Breseeplayed acareer-high 69% of the team’s defensivesnaps.

The Saints draftedBresee29th overall threeyears agoout of Clemson.

Matthew Paras

think that’sabig thing,a lot of mid-irons into small targets. Wedges into small targets.If you’re on and it’syour day, sure, you can makealot of birdies. But you’re also going to makea bogeyortwo quite easily.”

JUSTIN ROSE

MASTERS

Continuedfrom page1C

That remains thehighestsingle-round scoring record of any of the major championships.

“I’m surprised that it has been thatlong,” said Justin Rose, who has twice shot 65, including the first round last year,which he paired witha final-round 66 that put him in aplayoff thathelost to Rory McIlroy

Rose also has shot 81 at Augusta National, by the way “There’ssomany great players capableofputtingup thatnumber,” Rose continued, reflecting on the longstanding record ahead of this year’stournament. “I think that thecourse lends itself mostideally to that score on a Sunday,but also if conditions allow,Sundayiskind of when thecourseisgetting itsmost sort of maxed out, in terms of green speeds andfirmness. So that kind of counteracts some of thosemoreaccessiblehole locationsthattraditionally we see on Sunday.” There’sreason to believe therecord could be matched, or even broken. For one thing, scores keep coming down, including in the majors. Branden Grace was the first to shoot 62 when he did it at the British Open in 2017, but four have matched him in thepast

two quarters in agame Borrego sat mostofhis normal starters. For thehome crowd wanting to see starssuch as Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy and Saddiq Bey play one final home game, it was abit of adisappointment. That disappointmentflipped to excitementonce Fearsand his teammates came outthe locker room for thesecond half. That’s when they started rewriting the record book. The Pelicansset franchise records for points in aquarter (50 in thethird),points in ahalf (95) and pointsina game(156). The team got amuch deserved standing ovation at the end. Now Fears gets to take his show on the road for thefinal two

three yearsatthe U.S. Open and PGA Championship, where Shane Lowry and XanderSchauffele bothshot62in 2024. Then there’sthe fact that technology,physiology andjust about everyother“ology” have improvedoverthe years. Players have been hitting the ball farther and just as accurately, andthathas forced Augusta National to continually change to keep up. Those changes are one reason, Rose said, thatits current record still stands.

Subtle alterations have taken place around greens and bunkers, butthe mostnoticeable changes are in sheer length. The course played to 6,925 yards when Norman shotthe most recent 63. It will play to 7,565 when the first roundbegins Thursday “I think that’s abig thing, alot of mid-irons into small targets. Wedges into small targets,” Rose said. “If you’re on and it’s your day sure, you can make alot of birdies. But you’re also going to makeabogey or two quite easily.”

Anthony Kim setthe singleround record for birdies at the Masters with 11 in 2009, but he also dropped enough shots to finish with around of 65. So, birdiesalone probablyaren’t enough to challenge Priceand Norman; it would take an eagle or twoaswell.

games of theseason. The Pels play theBoston Celtics on Friday and the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday Youcan best believe Fears will play in those last twogames. He has played in all 80 games thus far,which probably shouldn’t come as asurprise. Afterall, Fearshasn’tmissed agame since his freshman year of high school when he broke his thumb. He’s been goingstrong since.

“I’ve been learning alot throughout the season,” Fears said. “Just trying to get better each and every game. Ithink I’ve been doingagood job with that.” His coach would agree. “I’mreally just proud of his growth,”Borrego said. “From

That’spossible. Four players haveeven eagled consecutive holes in the same round, including Dustin Johnsonand Phil Mickelson. It just isn’teasy. Nothingis at AugustaNational “The scores arealways a little higher than you think they’regoing to be,” said 2023 British Open champion Brian Harman, who has just three rounds in the 60s —all 69s —in20competitive rounds at theMasters. “You know, when you come out here and youplay, youfeel like youcan go shoot low numbers. It’sjust not alot of thelow numbers outhere.

“It’salot more of agrind than people think.”

The second nine tends to play about astroke more difficult than the first nine at Augusta National, thanks in part to water that comes into playthrough Amen Corner

But while seven players have gone out in 30, most recently MinWoo Leein2022, onlytwo have come homein29: Mark Calcavecchia in the final round in 1991 andDavid Toms in the finalround in 1998.

In other words, it would take pairing the best first nine with the best second ever to do to break 63.

“IfIwant to go play the membertees and maybe play like, 15 holes,” said Koepka, a five-time major winner,“yeah, Icould do that.”

training camp to where he’sat today,he’staken amassive step. This franchise is in areally good place because of players like him Fantastic.”

Fears doesn’trecall scoring this manypoints in agame recently but he does remember a55-point performance in middle school. His career-high at Oklahomalast year was 31. None of that compares to what he did Tuesday

“It’salot to wrap my head around,” Fears said. “But it’s huge.”

Everyone in the Smoothie King Center forthe Pels’ final home gameagrees.

Email RodWalkeratrwalker@ theadvocate.com.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILEPHOTO By JASON DECROW

Alabama running backMark Ingram poses for photographs with guests after he was selectedasthe 28thoverall pick by the Saints in the first round of the NFL draft on April 28, 2011, in Newyork.

BY ERIC NARCISSE Staff writer

With the end of the softball regular season approaching, Kaplan coach Brittany LeBouef is taking any win her team can get. Although she wasn’t satisfied with her team’s performance in an 8-2 victory over Acadiana High on Tuesday, LeBouef is happy the Pirates prevailed despite not playing their best.

“I didn’t think we played the greatest game,” LeBouef said. “I think we are out of routine with school being out. (We’re) just not in a daily routine, and I don’t think our energy level was the greatest. But we got the job done, and a win is a win at this point.” The Pirates did some good things throughout the game, showing patience at the plate en route to drawing 11 walks.

“We work a lot on swinging at balls in the zone,” LeBouef said. “I think we may

have been a little too patient at times, but 11 walks are always good. I would like to see us attack the zone a little more, but just not swing at balls outside of the zone.”

The Pirates (20-5), who have won 16 of their past 17 games, took advantage of the walks when they could. Emma Sherman was 2 for 4 with two RBIs, Kalli Trahan was 1 for 2 with an RBI and pitcher Lexi Greene was 1 for 1 with an RBI, two stolen bases and three runs scored. Greene also was effective in the circle She allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits and three walks while striking out 13 in seven innings.

“I thought she pitched really well (Tuesday),” LeBouef said. “She was very poised; she hit her spots and kept them off balanced. I think she did a great job in the circle.” Of the six hits Greene allowed, only one a secondinning home run by Zevie

Menard went for extra bases.

“I have nothing bad to say about how she threw,” said LeBouef, whose Pirates will play host to St. Thomas More at 5:30 p.m. Thursday “I think her ability to move the ball up, down, side to side is what makes her tough. She keeps people off-balanced and when her change-up is working, it is really hard for people to hit her hard.”

The Rams (12-11), who will play host to Lafayette Christian at 5 p.m. Thursday, have lost eight of their last 10 games.

Chasity Williams was saddled with the loss after allowing two earned runs on one hit and four walks in two innings.

“It’s a huge win. Every win at this point

STAFF PHOTO By ROBIN MAy

Lexi Greene of Kaplan gets ready to bat during

Getting 3great meals from two chickens

Homemade or store-bought,both bring

BY BETH DOOLEY Tribune News Service (TNS)

More than the sum of itsjuicy meat and crispy skin, agood roast chicken is all about those luscious pan juices. Whether you choosetoroast the bird yourself or pick up agrocery store’srotisserie chicken, these juices —golden, sticky,salty— inspire sauces, soups andrice bowls, and provide an excuse to mop your plate with ahunkof sourdough bread. As we march into spring, Icherishunfussy recipes that look after themselves. As the ingredients work their magic in the oven,I can focus on the changingseasons —cleaning, organizingand eventuallypreppingthe garden. It makes sense to roasttwo birds at once. The first for dinner and lunch the next day; the secondto use for three or more entirely different meals down the road

Over the years, I’ve roasted many chickens many different ways Every cookbook offers adifferent method, each claiming to be the best: start the bird in a hotoven upside down; poach it first before roasting; use low,low heat for along, long time (3 to 4 hours). But the method Irely on now sticks to the basics.

Aroast chicken can providethe basics for dinners allweek

First, choose agood chicken (organic and free range), then salt and pepper it inside and outand set it in the refrigerator to brine overnight. This draws up moisture, adds taste, and helps ensure crisp skin. Bring the chicken to roomtemperature before roasting. Rub it all overwith lots of butter (it is about the butter).Set the chicken in the pan withseveral cloves of garlicand potatoes, the essential accompaniment —they’ll emerge wrinkled and richly seasoned. Whether or not to basteremains up for debate. With enough butter, there is truly no need, butbastingoccasionally helps keep the meat succulent, the skin crackly brown. Afew lemon slices over thebreast make anice touch. Be sure to allow the chicken to rest for about 10 minutes before carving so the juices retreat into the meat. Let’sagree that agood rotisserie chicken is afine option when long on hunger and shortontime. Why not pick up two? The small amount of pan juices thatcollect on the bottom of the packageare dark, thick, gooey and worthsaving. Set the chicken in aroasting pan, add the pan juices, andtop it with afew lemon slices before rewarming in amoderate oven. I’veserved this at adinner party without admitting that Ihadn’t roasted the bird myself. No one complained. That second roast chicken provides the basics for dinners the rest of the week; all you need are afew key pantry staples anda little imagination.

In New Orleans, there are certain rituals that mark thepassage from childhood to something deeper,your first Mardi Gras parade where you truly understand themusic, your first taste of your grandmother’s gumbo made just right,your first pilgrimage to the New OrleansJazz &Heritage Festival.

For13-year-old me in 1974, that rite of passage came during eighthgrade at Our Lady of Lourdes, when the entire class embarked on what seemed like an unlikely field trip for aCatholic

BY LINDAGASSENHEIMER

(TNS)

school: aday at the racetrack. The irony wasn’tlost on me andmyclassmates, Edward Valteau, Pat Dwyer, TimothyHughes, Shawn Lewis,Freddy Costello, Kathleen Turner,Angela Hayes, Denise Green, John Williamson, Toni Venable and others. As we walked through thegates of the Fair Grounds Race Course

—chaperoned by parents, Coach Williamsand the ever-watchful Sister Edmund —wecouldn’thelp but exchange knowing glances.

ACatholic school taking students to aracetrack? It seemed deliciously rebellious, even if the nuns were right there with us. But this wasn’tabout gambling or horses. This was about something farmore important to the soul of New Orleans: the preservation and celebration of aculture that runs through the city’s veins like the Mississippi River itself.The teachers explained that this festival, still in its infancy,had started just four years earlier in 1970. In the inaugural year,a mere350 people attended nearly half weremusicians.

See JAZZ FEST, page 6C

TNS PHOTO By LINDAGASSENHEIMER

Pork Chops Basque StylewithSpaghetti and Peas

TNS PHOTO By RADU DUMITRESCU

Getataste of Jazz Fest at home with po-boy,mango freeze

PHOTO By MONICA BELTON Hot sausage po-boy with pickles and chips

Bring home ataste of Jazz Fest by making amangofreezeathome.

JAZZ FEST

Continued from page5C

It was ahumble beginning for what would become one of theworld’smost important cultural celebrations. The festival hadmoved from the Municipal Auditoriuminwhat is now Armstrong Park, but by 1972,it had found its home at the Fair Grounds Race Course, the third-oldest racetrack in America, operating since 1872. There was something poetic about that,new culture taking root on historic ground.

As our class of eighth graders walked around the festivalgrounds,the city revealed itself in new ways. We heard alittle bit of jazz, the music that gave the festival its name with its complex improvisations and soulful horns. We caught snippets of blues, raw and honest, telling stories of struggleand resilience. And we experienced gospel, which felt familiar from church but somehow differentatJazz Fest, more joyful, more free, more connected to the earth beneath

Hot Sausage Po-boy

Serves 4.

our feet than theheaven above.

This wasthe NewOrleans Jazz &Heritage Festival in its truest form: not just entertainment,but education. Not just performance, but preservation. Thecity hadalways been filled with music,food and arts, agumbo of cultures stirred togetherbyFrench, Spanish, African, Caribbean and American influences. But in the modern age, there was afear that this unique heritage might fade, might be forgotten, might be drowned out by the homogenizing forces of televisionand mass culture.

That’swhy thefestival existed,the teachers told us. It wasaway to share New Orleansculturewith the world, yes, butmore importantly,it was away to share it with young New Orleanians to pass thetorch to the next generation. My classmates andI weren’t just attendinga concert; we were being initiated into our birthright as children of ourextraordinary city.Walking among the crowds that day,I don’t thinkIfully graspedthe

4-6 hot sausagelinks, split in halflengthwise

2tablespoons neutral oil

4pistolettes

4small Roma tomatoes, sliced 1/4-inchthick

16 dill pickle slices

1head lettuce, shredded Mayonnaise and Creole mustard, if desired

Heatoven to 350degrees.

1. Slice each loaf of bread in half, lengthwise,then place in the oven directlyonthe

MangoFreeze recipe

Serves6

4cups frozen mangopieces

1 1/2 cups whole milk yogurt

6tablespoons powdered sugar or agavenectar

1/2

PHOTO By MONICA BELTON

significance of what was happening. Icouldn’tknow that this festival would grow from that modest gathering intoanevent drawing hundreds of thousands of people annually.I couldn’tpredict that Jazz Festwould become synonymous with New Orleans itself, as essential to the city’sidentityasbeignets and streetcars.

ButIfelt something. In themusic floating across theinfield, in thesmell of food cooking, in thesight of Sister Edmund tapping her foot to ablues number, Ifelt the heartbeat of my city.And that feeling, that connection to my place and my culture and my community, that was the real rite of passage.

Kevin Belton is resident chef of WWL-TV and has taught classes in Louisiana cooking for 30 years. The most recent of his four cookbooks, “KevinBelton’sCookin’ Louisiana: Flavors from the Parishesofthe Pelican State,” waspublished in 2021. EmailChef at chefkevinbelton@gmail. com.

grates. Toast until crispy and warm, about 3minutes

2. Addoil to alarge skillet over mediumhigh heat.When oil is hot,add sausages cut-sidedown and sear for 5minutes,or until goldenbrown. Flip all sausages and sear on theother side for 3minutes. Sausages should be golden brown and heated through.

3. Add2sausage halves to each bottom slice of bread, then addlettuce, tomatoes and pickles. Coat top slice with mayonnaise, andCreole mustard, if desired, then cutsandwich in half.

1. Combine all ingredients in ahighspeed blender or food processor,blending until smooth.

2. Pour into acontainer and freeze for 1-2 hours until firm. Serve: Scoop intobowls or cones.

Anotherday at the‘XYZ’ factory

Dear Miss Manners: Iwork around machinerythat features rotating plastic molds. While not common, the molds occasionallycatch on aperson’sclothing and damage the zipper of one’spants. When that occurs,it is impossible to rezip the pants and the person has to replace the zipper when they get home. If Ihappen to spot one of my co-workers with an open fly,doIsubtly directtheir attention to it in case it is just unzipped? This risks embarrassing them if it is damaged and there is nothing that can be done about it.OrdoIsay nothing, which risks them getting more embarrassed later,when they realize they have been working all day with their fly down?

CHICKEN

Continuedfrom page5C

Tostadas

For each tostada, pile 1/4 cup shredded meat onto adeep-fried tortilla, add 1/4 cup sliced red peppers and 1/4 cup shredded queso fresco or mozzarella. Drizzle on any remaining pan juices and run the tostadaunder thebroiler until the cheese is melty,about 2to4minutes. Serve garnished withplentyofchopped cilantro; add afew lime wedges on the side.

Rice bowl

In aheavy pot, heat 2to3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil over high heat, add 1/4 cup chopped onion, 1/4 cup chopped parsley 1/4 cup diced yellow peppers, 1 cup cherry tomatoes,and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the toma-

Roast Chicken

Makes one roast chicken for 4to6 people. Recipeisfrom Beth Dooley.This mealwill keep on giving for the next day or two. Why not roast two chickens while you’re at it? Be sure to roast potatoes alongside for aone-pot meal. The secret? Butter,and lotsofit

1largechicken (about 3to5pounds)

Saltand freshly ground black pepper

6tablespoons unsalted butter

1pound YukonGold or red potatoes, cut into 1/2inch pieces

5to6clovesgarlic

3to4lemon slices

1. Removeand discard thebag with chicken parts. Season thechicken inside and out withlots of coarse salt and

PORKCHOPS

Continuedfrom page 5C

Pork Chops Basque Style

Yields 2servings. Recipe is by Linda Gassenheimer

2teaspoons olive oil

3/4 pound boneless pork loin chops

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 cup frozen chopped onion

1/2 cup slicedgreen bell pepper

1/2 cup slicedred bellpepper

1/2 cup cubed plum tomatoes

1/4 cup chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1. Heat oil in askillet over mediumhigh heat and add the pork chops. Cook 3 minutes tobrown on one side. Turn chops over and cook another 3minutes. Remove chops to aplate.

2. Addthe garlic, onion andbell peppers to theskillet.Cook, stirring, 1minute.

3. Addthe tomatoes,chicken broth and thyme. Bringittoasimmer and return thepork chops to theskillet. Cover with a lid and simmer 4to5minutes. Do not boil. Ameat thermometer should read 145 F.

4. Place pork chops on two plates and

By The Associated Press

Today is Thursday,April 9, the 99th day of 2026. There are 266 days left in theyear

toes are blistered and shriveled and the peppers have softened, about 3to5minutes. Stir in any remaining pan juices and 1cup chicken stock or moreasneeded, 1 cup shredded chicken meat,and season with 1to2teaspoons za’atar seasoning and 1to2tablespoons lemon juice, to taste. Stir in 2cups cooked white rice. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Chickenstock

Save the bones from your chicken, put them into apot, add enough cold water to cover by 1inch, add half an onion, 1 carrot, 1stalk celery,1bay leaf and any remaining pan juices. Set the pot over high heat, bring to aboil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the stock is reduced and tasty,about 3hours.

Remove and discard the bones and vegetables. Strain and transfer to acovered container.Cool, cover and store in the refrigerator foruptoaweek or freeze.

freshly ground pepper.Set on aplate and refrigerate uncovered overnight. Bring the chicken to room temperature before roasting.

2. Preheat the oven to 450F.Set the chicken, breastside up, in aroasting pan andsurround it with the potatoes and garlic.Rub the chicken with the butter, tucking some of it up underthe breast skin.

3. Roast undisturbed forhalf an hour

Reduce the temperature to 375 degrees; lay the lemon slices on the chicken breast and continue roasting, occasionally basting with the pan juices, until the thigh juices run clear when poked and adigital thermometer registers 165 degrees when inserted into the thickest part of the thigh. Allow the chicken to rest forabout 15 minutes before serving with the potatoes and plenty of pan juices.

spoon vegetables and sauce over the chops. Nutrition infoper serving: 289 calories (31% from fat), 10.0 gfat (2.1 gsaturated, 3.8 gmonounsaturated), 96 mg cholesterol, 42.2 gprotein, 8.5 gcarbohydrates, 2.2 gfiber,160 mg sodium

Spaghetti and Peas

Yields 2servings. Recipe is by Linda Gassenheimer

3ouncesspaghetti 1cup frozenpeas

1tablespoon olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Bring alarge saucepan three-fourths filled with water to aboil. Add the spaghetti and boil 9minutes.

2. Add the peas to the boiling water and cook 1minute. Remove 2tablespoons of the pasta water to abowl.

3. Drain the spaghetti and peas and add to the bowl. Toss with the olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with the pork. Nutrition infoper serving: 248 calories (28% from fat), 7.6 gfat (0.7 gsaturated, 4.4 gmonounsaturated), no cholesterol, 7.6 gprotein, 37.1 gcarbohydrates, 3.6 g fiber,5mgsodium.

TODAYINHISTORY

In 1940, during World WarII, Germany invaded Denmark and Norway

Gentle Reader: Doesanyone in such cases —whether the zipper is broken or merely unruly —really decide that the best course of action is to walk around the rest of the day hoping no one will notice? Surely not. There are such things as safety pins, and bathrooms where they can be applied without risking more thanpsychological damage.

Miss Mannerstherefore recommendsissuing thewarning,after giving consideration to such delicacies as gender,familiarity, rank andany nearby sharp objects. Dear Miss Manners: Oneofthe rules my daughter has for her wedding in her opinion, to prevent chaos and trouble —isthatif aperson wants to bring a plus-one,they havetohave beentogether for at least ayear.Plus, she wants to meet the guest first,preferably over lunch or dinner Her mother andIare recently divorced,but we still get along (betterthan when we were married). Her sister is single, andher brotherisbringing hishusband oftwo years. My daughter hasimplemented this rule on all guests,including close family.Mygirlfriend of several months, therefore, cannot attend,nor can my ex’s boyfriend. The bride’ssiblings (my son andother daughter) think that their mom andI should each be allowed to bring ourrespective dates. All of us are 50-plus, andwe feel we can behave for the

evening. After all, this is about the bride and groom, not us. What are your thoughts?

GentleReader: We can agree that etiquette rules are meanttoprevent trouble. Butyour daughter’srule, in addition to being arbitrary, fails to meet that basic goal. She is hoping, understandably,toguard against strangers coming as casual dates, but is she really going to exclude someone’s lawful spouse because the wedding was too recent? Or because themeet-and-greet lunch fell through? And even if we establish arule for thirdcousin Oswald, whom no one likes anyway, Miss Manners fails to see thesense in applying it to thepartners of thebride’s parentsorsiblings. Given thateveryone else is keeping theirheads,perhaps you and your ex-wife can approach your daughter together.Ask for special dispensation for thepartners of all the immediatefamily membersbecauseyou know it would mean so much to everyone to be there. Plus, you promise not to tellthe other guests you aregetting special treatment Email dearmissmanners@ gmail.com.

Todayinhistory: On April 9, 1865, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered his Army of Northern Virginia to Union Lt. Gen.Ulysses S. Grant at the village of Appomattox Court House in Virginia, effectively ending the American Civil War. (Remaining Confederate units elsewhere would formally surrender by early June of 1865, closing out the bloodiest conflict on American soil without further major combat.)

Also on this date: In 1939, Marian Anderson performed at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington,D.C., after the Black singer was denied theuse of Constitution Hall by the Daughters of theAmerican Revolution.

In 1942, during World WarII, some 75,000Philippine andAmerican soldiers surrenderedto Japanesetroops, ending the Battle of Bataan in the Philippines. The prisonersweresubsequently forced to march 65 miles to POW campsinwhatis nowknown as the Bataan Death March; thousands diedorwerekilled en route

In 1959, NASA introduced the “Mercury Seven,” its first seven astronauts: Scott Carpenter,Gordon Cooper,John Glenn, GusGrissom,Wally Schirra, Alan Shepard and Donald “Deke” Slayton. In 1968, funerals, private and public, were held for the Rev.Martin Luther King Jr.atthe Ebenezer Baptist Church and at Morehouse College in Atlanta, five days after

the civil rights leader was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. In 2003, Baghdad fell to American troops during the Iraq Warafter six days of fighting. In 2005, Britain’sPrince Charles married Camilla Parker Bowles, whotook the title Duchess of Cornwall.

Today’sBirthdays: Actor Michael Learned is 87. Drummer Steve Gaddis 81. Actor Dennis Quaid is 72. Fashion designer Marc Jacobs is 63. Model-actor Paulina Porizkova is 61. Actor Cynthia Nixon is 60. Actor Keshia Knight Pulliam is 47. Actor Jay Baruchel is 44. Actor Leighton Meester is 40. Singer-songwriter Jazmine Sullivan is 39. Actor Kristen Stewart is 36. Actor Elle Fanning is 28. Rapper Lil NasX is 27. Actor Isaac Hempstead Wright is 27. Singer Jackie Evancho is 25.

Getgoodportion controlwitha tin

Hints from Heloise

Dear Heloise: Portion sizes used to get out of hand in my kitchen until Iput a muffin tintouse in anew way.Instead of guessing or overfilling bowls, I now divide snacks into each cup, which creates instant portion controlwithout any measuring tools.Nuts, cut fruit, crackersand vegetables stayneatly separated, making it much easier to stay

mindful of how muchyou eat. This method has also been especially helpful for children since portions are clearly visible and snack time feels more engaging. During meal prep, ingredients stay organized and ready to grab, whichsaves time when cooking begins. —Danielle V.,inSan Diego Smartappliances

Dear Heloise: Many people praise energy-efficient appliances, but some find that the new technology doesn’t always work as expected. Modern washing machines use sensors to set water levels and cycles. This saves energy,but some loads still comeout with detergent residue or aren’t fully clean. So, this means that you should adjust your washer’ssettings. Use a larger load or an extrarinse cycle to remove detergent and improve cleaning. Experiment to find what works. Clean clothes and energy efficiency matter! Know your machine’s features. —Sarah, via email Send ahinttoheloise@ heloise.com.

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Put more pressure on what matters most, and resolve issues of concern before it's too late. Procrastinating will lead to regret; do your due diligence and forgo setbacks

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Tidy up any loose ends before starting something new. Show your appreciation and gratitude. How you present yourself, your image and your concerns will captivate someone in a position to help you.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Check into how you can make a difference, and start the ball rolling. It's up to you to bring about change. Stop procrastinating and start doing. Put your energy into research, detail and presentation.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Expand your interests, and you'll connect with people who can enrich your life. Opportunities are apparent, but so is exaggeration. Question any offer that's not realistic.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Stretch your legs, participate in events that address your concerns and make a difference. Your discipline and original ideas will help position you for leadership.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) You're in the zone and ready to make a change. Refuse to let what others do or say stand in your way. Avoid those offering the impossible and eager to take advantage of you.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) You can dream all you want, but when reality sets in, realism is what counts. Monitor your cash, reactions and relationships carefully

Put your emotions aside, and keep your mind on delivering what you promise.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) An open mind and a willingness to compromise will help. If you take an offensive position, you'll meet with similar opposition Embrace meaningful relationships, and sparks will fly.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Put yourself first. Invest more time and effort in yourself, your surroundings and your future. Overspending on expensive procedures or entertainment unnecessarily will have a negative impact on your life.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Letting emotions dictate conversations will lead to misunderstandings. Be very concise regarding what you want and expect in return. Pay attention to how you look, live and love.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Monitor how you earn or delegate your money carefully. A wrong decision can leave you in debt. A lifestyle change will require plenty of planning, energy and ingenuity.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Stretch your mind, your body and your soul by being true to yourself. Look for activities that encourage strength, good health and a chance to make new friends with people who share your goals.

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

FAMILY CIrCUS

CeLebrItY CIpher

For better or For WorSe

SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

LAGoon

bIG nAte

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placingpuzzle basedona9x9 grid with several givennumbers Theobject is to place thenumbers 1to9inthe emptysquaressothat each row, each column andeach3x3 boxcontainsthe same number only once. Thedifficultylevelofthe Sudoku increasesfromMonday to Sunday

Yesterday’sPuzzle Answer

nea CroSSwordS

TimeS CroSSword

BLondie

BaBY BLueS Hi and LoiS

BY PHILLIPALDER

Ernie Harwell, who calledthe play-byplay for the Detroit Tigers for 42 years, said,“Everybody in the minorleagues ifyou’reaplayer,anannouncer,whatever —wants to be in the bigleagues.”

At the bridge table, when we see along minor suit, we probablywishitwere a majorsuit. Thegame revolves around majors and no-trump,not minors. However, when we have alongminor,we must make thebest pitch we can.

In yesterday’s deal, openerstarted with one no-trump and responder had a weak hand with alongmajor. He bailed out of no-trump into his long suitvia a transfer bid. Today, the responder hasalongminor. What should he do?

Ibelieve everyone should usetransfers into the majors, butonly take up transfers into the minors with regular partners. (If you wouldliketolearn about these transfers, go to my web site: phillipalderbridge.com.)

If you do not use minor-suit transfers, thebest way to sign off in aminor is by immediately jumping to three of your longsuit, which must contain at least six cards —asintoday’s deal

If you use minor-suit transfers, follow your partnershipmethods. And note thatone no-trump ought to fail.

How should South plan the play in three diamonds after West leadsthe

heart jack?Declarer starts with two losers in themajors and at least one trump loser.

Hisbasicplanshouldbetoleadtrumps toward his hand, up to his honors, and to take clubfinesses when in his hand. Here, he will lose one spade, oneheart and two diamonds to make hiscontract.

©2026 by NEA, Inc., dist.

By Andrews McMeel Syndication

Each Wuzzle is aword riddle whichcreates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc.For example: NOON GOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON

Previous answers:

word game

InsTRucTIons: 1. Wordsmust be of four or moreletters.2.Words thatacquire fourletters by theadditionof“s,”suchas“bats” or “dies,” are notallowed. 3. Additional words made by addinga“d” or an “s” may notbeused. 4. Proper nouns, slang words,orvulgar or sexuallyexplicit words are notallowed.

ToDAY’s WoRD EPIsoDIc: ep-ih-SOD-ik: Occurringatusually irregular intervals.

Averagemark21words

Timelimit 25 minutes

Can you find 25 or more words in EPISODIC?

YEsTERDAY’sWoRD —AGGREssoR

wuzzles

loCKhorNs

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe garfield

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Southwest Airlines joins others in bag fee hike

Southwest Airlines is raising checked baggage fees by $10, less than a year after ending its “bags fly free” perk that long set it apart, as jet fuel costs have jumped since the start of the Iran war

Customers checking one bag will pay $45 starting on Thursday, while a second will now cost $55, according to Southwest. Some travelers will still receive a free first checked bag, including certain loyalty-tier members, eligible co-branded credit card holders and activeduty military members

The move was made “as part of an ongoing analysis of the business and against the evolving global backdrop,” the Texas-based carrier said in a statement.

Southwest ended its generous, decades-old policy of allowing passengers to check two bags for free in May 2025, a move that marked a major shift for the carrier after years of marketing the perk as a key differentiator

The airline now joins a growing list of U.S. carriers that have increased fees since the war in the Middle East began Feb. 28, sending oil prices swinging as fighting near the Strait of Hormuz disrupted global supplies.

Oil plunges below $95 as the Dow surges

Oil prices plunged below $95 per barrel, and stock markets surged worldwide after President Donald Trump pulled back from his threat of devastating attacks against Iran.

The S&P 500 leaped 2.5% Wednesday after Trump announced a two-week ceasefire.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average soared 1,325 points, and the Nasdaq composite rallied 2.8%. To be sure, stock prices are still below where they were before the war And oil prices are still higher because the threat remains that the war could continue.

On Wall Street, companies with big fuel bills roared back to trim some of the sharp losses taken on worries about oil prices staying high.

United Airlines soared 7.9% and cut into its loss for the year, which came into the day at 20.1%. Cruise ship operator Carnival climbed 9.6%. Delta Air Lines rallied 4.2% after it reported stronger results for the latest quarter than analysts expected. CEO Ed Bastian said demand for flights remains strong, and it’s making moves to make up for higher fuel bills. Delta on Tuesday became the latest airline to raise its fees for checking bags. In the bond market, Treasury yields dropped as hopes built that easing oil prices could let the Federal Reserve resume its cuts to interest rates later this year.

GM recalls 270K Chevrolet Malibus

General Motors is recalling more than 270,000 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles in the U.S. because the rearview camera screen may display a distorted or blank image.

The National Highway Traf-

fic Safety Administration said in a letter that a rearview image that doesn’t display properly reduces the driver’s view behind the vehicle, which increases the risk of a crash.

A safety recall report from the agency said that GM’s supplier identified an issue with the bonding process used to assemble the camera housing that could weaken the adhesive bond on some assemblies.

The automaker’s investigation found that the mounting configuration of the Sharp Electronics camera on the Chevrolet Malibu could expose it to moisture that may breach an insufficient housing bond

The recall includes Chevrolet Malibu vehicles with model years 2023 through 2025.

GM said that it is not aware of any crashes or injuries related to the recall issue.

crease from “several” in January

The Fed doesn’t disclose precise numbers of how many officials supported each position, but in Fed jargon, “some” is considered more than “several.”

BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP economics writer

WASHINGTON The number of Federal Reserve policymakers willing to consider an interest rate hike this year rose between the January and March meetings, as higher gas prices stemming from the Iran war threatened to worsen inflation in the coming months.

Minutes of the Fed’s March 1718 meeting, released Wednesday, showed that “some” of the central bank’s 19 policymakers on its rate-setting committee supported changing their post-meeting statement to reflect the potential for a future rate hike. That is an in-

And “many” of the officials pointed to the risk that higher oil and gas prices could keep inflation elevated for “longer than expected, which could call for rate increases” to push inflation back down. For about 18 months, the Fed has leaned toward cutting rates, and in its meetings has alternated between cuts and no change to rates. The slow shift toward considering potential hikes marks a major change from that trend. At the beginning of this year financial markets expected several rate reductions. Now investors don’t expect a cut until late 2027, future prices show Ultimately the Fed kept its key

rate unchanged at its March meeting at about 3.6%. It has stood pat in its first two meetings this year after cutting its rate three times at the end of 2025 Chair Jerome Powell, at a news conference after the meeting, downplayed projections by officials that the Fed could reduce its rate once this year

spending to offset higher gas prices, according to the minutes, which would slow growth and raise unemployment.

Another reduction depended on underlying inflation cooling steadily this year Powell said. “If we don’t see that progress, then you won’t see the rate cut,” he said then.

The minutes, released three weeks after the meeting, underscore the Fed’s dilemma as it seeks to fill its congressional mandates of low inflation and maximum employment. Fed officials acknowledged that the Iran conflict could also force households to cut back

The central bank typically raises rates to cool the economy and combat inflation, while it would cut them to bolster growth and hiring.

Navigating this “two-

BY DAVID KLEPPER Associated Press

WASHINGTON Hackers backing Tehran say an uncertain ceasefire between Iran and the United States and Israel won’t end their retaliatory cyberattacks, a warning that American cybersecurity experts say potential targets in the U.S. and Israel should take seriously

One leading hacking group known as Handala said after the ceasefire announcement that it was temporarily postponing attacks on the U.S. but would continue to target Israel. It vowed to revive its efforts against America when the time was right — demonstrating again how digital warfare has become ingrained in military conflict Already, the two-week ceasefire appears at risk of fraying over significant disagreements between the parties, which each are claiming victory in the war

A pro-Palestinian, pro-Iranian network that operates independently of Tehran, Handala has claimed credit for disrupting the operations of the U.S. medical manufacturer Stryker and hacking into FBI Director Kash Patel’s personal email account, among other cyberattacks. The group is just one of several proxy hacking networks allied with Iran.

“We did not begin this war, but we will be the ones to finish it,” Handala wrote on its X account. “And let it be clear: The cyber war did not begin with the military conflict, and it will not end with any military ceasefire.”

U.S. authorities warned on Tuesday that hackers supporting Iran had burrowed into internet-connected computers used to automate and control technology in a variety of important industrial sectors.

The computers, known as programmable logic controllers, are used in ports, power plants and water plants key targets for foreign hackers looking to disrupt everyday life in the U.S

In a joint advisory from the FBI, National Security Agency and Cybersecurity and

BY MATTHEW DALY Associated Press

WASHINGTON The head of the Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday defended his decision to repeal the legal determination that serves as the basis for federal rules to slow climate change, telling a gathering of climate change skeptics they should “celebrate vindication.”

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin made the remarks in the keynote address at a conference hosted by the Heartland Institute, a conservative think tank that rejects mainstream climate science and what it calls “climate alarmism.” Zeldin told the gathering that repeal of the 2009 “endangerment finding”

Infrastructure Security Agency, officials urged organizations that use the technology to ensure their security precautions were upto-date. CISA did not immediately respond to questions Wednesday about the impact that the ceasefire would have on cybersecurity Cybersecurity experts say the warning should be taken seriously by potential targets regardless of the sides announcing a temporary truce.

Markus Mueller, a cybersecurity executive at Nozomi Networks, said he anticipates an increase in cyberattacks on American organizations following the ceasefire, not a decrease.

That’s because any lull in hostilities would allow hackers to shift from regional targets directly involved in the conflict to efforts to infiltrate U.S. organizations that participated

reversed decades of unthinking adherence to liberal politicians and environmental groups about the dangers of climate change.

“Today is a moment to celebrate. It is a day to celebrate vindication,” said Zeldin, a former Republican congressman from New York who is widely believed to be under consideration for a possible promotion to attorney general, following Pam Bondi’s forced departure last week.

in the war effort in some way, a list that includes data centers, tech companies and defense contractors.

He also predicted that some groups based in Iran or Russia may seek to circumvent the truce by launching a significant cyberattack on a U.S. target that is designed to attract the attention of the American public.

“With a ceasefire, we will likely see an expansion of cyber activity both in scale and scope,” Mueller said. “These groups will likely try to execute a high-profile attack such as what we saw with Stryker.”

So far, the attacks attributed to pro-Iranian hackers have been high in volume but low in impact, designed to boost morale among Iran’s supporters while reminding its opponents of continued vulnerabilities despite their military advantages.

Obama and Biden administrations twisted science to determine that greenhouse gases are a public health risk.

The EPA earlier this year revoked the endangerment finding, a scientific conclusion that for 16 years was the central basis for regulating planet-warming emissions from power plants, vehicles and other sources.

The Trump administration argued the finding hurts industry and the economy and claimed the

Zeldin’s prominent appearance at a conference hosted by a group deeply skeptical of the established science around climate change reflected the vast reversal that President Donald Trump’s administration has carried out of traditional policies meant to protect the environment. The EPA has rolled back dozens of air and water protections and has said it does not have legal authority to regulate climate change.

“You were right there on the front lines against there being an endangerment finding in 2009,” Zeldin told the Heartland conference.

Environmentalists denounced Zeldin’s appearance before the conservative group, accusing him of “rallying climate deniers” at a time when climate change is creating greater risks of extreme weather, including stronger hurricanes, more dangerous floods and more intense wildfires.

Zeldin’s speech “promotes disinformation” and amounts to doing the bidding of Heartland’s secretive donors, said Joe Bonfiglio, U.S. director of the Environmental Defense Fund.

“The Heartland Institute is not a serious scientific organization. It’s a disinformation factory,” Bonfiglio said. “Having the EPA administrator serve as their opening act isn’t just embarrassing — it’s a signal of how completely the Trump administration has abandoned its obligation to protect the public from pollution.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

From left, Acting Commander of the U.S Cyber Command William Hartman, FBI Director Kash Patel, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe listen during a House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence hearing to examine worldwide threats last month on Capitol Hill in Washington.