The Advocate 04-10-2026

FORMER LSU STAR SAM BURNS SHARES LEAD AT MASTERS 1C

Quieterhurricane season forecast

the coming season to produce 13 named storms, including six hurricanes. Twoof those are expected to develop intomajor hurricanes of Category 3strength or above.

BY KASEY BUBNASH Staff writer

Hurricane researchersatColorado State University are predictingslightly below-average activity during the upcoming Atlantic hurricaneseason thankstothe likely return of “robust” El Niño conditions.

Scientistsatthe National Tropical Weather Conference on Thursday said they expect

Atypical season brings 14 named storms, seven hurricanes andthreemajor hurricanes, according to CSU.

This year’soutlook is in stark contrast to those of the past coupleofyears,when warmoceanwaters andother factorsfueled abnormally prolific hurricane seasons.

CSU issued its most severe hurricane predictioninits 40 years of seasonal forecastingin2024, warning that the Atlantic could give rise to 11 hurricanes —anumber that

turnedout to be right on themoney.Last yearsaw more tropical activitythanusual as well, with fewer storm formations than in

‘We’re down to thewirenow’

AlleyesonArtemis II as crew describesjourney andpreparesfor return to Earth

ByThe AssociatedPress and Tribune News Service

HOUSTON DrawingeverclosertoEarth, the Artemis II astronauts tidied up their lunar cruiser for its upcoming “fireball” return and reflected on theirhistoric journey around the moon, describing it as surreal and profound

As the next-to-last day of their flight dawned Thursday,humanity’sfirst lunar explorers in more than halfa century were less than 150,000 miles from home with the odometer clicking down.

“Wehave to get back. There’ssomuch data that you’ve seen already,but all the good stuff is comingback withus. There aresomany more pictures, so many more stories,” said pilotVictorGlover, adding that “riding afireball through theatmo-

sphere is profound as well.”

Being cut off from all of humanity for nearly an hour while behind themoon was especially “surreal,” according to commander Reid Wiseman

“There’salot that our brains have to process …and it is atrue gift,” Wiseman saidlate Wednesdayduring the crew’s first news conference since before liftoff.

While out of contact behindthe moon Monday,Wiseman, Glover,Christina Koch and Canada’sJeremy Hansen became the mostdistant humans ever, clocking in at arecord252,756 miles from Earth before heading back. As they emerged from behind themoon, they experienced awondrous total solar eclipse as the orb blocked thesun from their perspective.

Launching from FloridaonApril 1diminishedthe amount of illumination on the lunar far side, Glover noted, but the eclipse was the consolation prize“and it

ä See ARTEMIS, page 8A

2024 but ahigh ratioofpowerful hurricanes that underwent rapid intensification.

But El Niño, which generally creates conditionsthat hamper hurricane activity in the Atlantic andcould be in full effect by this season’speak, mayhelp prevent another busy season this year —and that’sgood newsfor Louisiana.

“So the odds of El Niño look very,very high,” CSU hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach said at Thursday’sconference. “But the question obviously is: How strong is the El Niño? Aweak,marginalElNiño typically

BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writer

Abill that would require pregnancy centers that provide health care services to be licensed with theLouisiana Department of Health stalled in the House after facing pushback fromLouisiana Right to Life, an influentialantiabortion lobbying group. House Bill 611, by state Rep. Aimee AdattoFreeman,D-New Orleans, is based on arecommendation in aSeptember report by the Legislative Auditor’sOffice. That agency found gaps in howthe state oversees pregnancy centers, some of which receive public funds. Currently, pregnancycenters in Louisiana are not licensed as medicalproviders,eventhough some perform ultrasounds, offer STI testing and prescribe medication, accordingtothe legislativeauditor’sreport. The centers are also not subject to patient privacy laws like HIPAA. Auditors reviewed 12 pregnancy centers that receive state funding through Louisiana’sPregnancy and Baby Care Initiative, which is administered through the Department of Children and Family Services. All facilities performed ultrasounds, but only nine reported having aphysicianwith an active license on staff,

PHOTOSPROVIDED By NASA

The Artemis II crew,from left, commanderReid Wiseman, missionspecialist Christina Koch,pilot VictorGloverand Canadian astronaut andmission specialist JeremyHansen answermedia questions during avideo conference on Wednesday.

The Artemis II crewphotographed the moon’ssurface on Monday.

Scientists: Octopus

fossil isn’t an octopus

LONDON A 300-million-yearold tentacled sea creature has lost its crown as the world’s oldest octopus, after scientists found evidence that it’s not an octopus at all.

Newly published research concludes that fossilized remains listed by Guinness World Records as the earliest known octopus belong instead to a relative of a nautilus, a cephalopod with both tentacles and a shell.

University of Reading zoologist Thomas Clements, the lead researcher behind the new findings, said the fossil, Pohlsepia mazonensis, has long been the subject of scientific debate.

“It’s a very difficult fossil to interpret,” he said. “To look at it, it kind of just looks like a white mush. If you look at it and you are a cephalopod researcher and you’re interested in everything octopus, it does superficially look a lot like a deep-water octopus.”

The creature, a blob about the size of a human hand, was found in the Mazon Creek area of Illinois, about 50 miles southwest of Chicago, that is rich in fossils from a period before dinosaurs walked the Earth.

Its identification by paleontologists as an octopus in 2000 upended ideas about the evolution of the eight-tentacled cephalopods, suggesting they emerged much earlier than previously thought. The next oldest-known octopus fossil is only about 90 million years old.

Nigerian army general, soldiers killed in attack

ABUJA, Nigeria An army general and several soldiers were killed during an attempt to raid a military base in northeastern Nigeria early Thursday, officials said.

The attack occurred in Benisheikh in Borno State, army spokesman Michael Onoja said in a statement, but it was repelled. Onoja described the assailants as “terrorists,” which is the term the military uses to describe members of Islamic militant groups in the northeast of the country

President Bola Tinubu confirmed that a general was killed in the attack.

“The insurgents’ counterattack is a sign of desperation,” he said in a statement. “I extend my condolences to the families of our gallant soldiers, led by Brigadier General Oseni Omoh Braimah, who made the ultimate sacrifice in the defense of our country today in Borno State. The government will never forget their sacrifices.”

Judge rejects agreement in Navajo elder case

PHOENIX A federal judge in Phoenix has rejected a plea agreement that would have allowed a man who admitted to beating a Navajo elder and leaving her for dead to avoid more prison time Preston Henry Tolth, 26, now will face trial on charges of carjacking and assault in relation to the 2021 disappearance of Ella Mae Begay A trial date hasn’t been set. Under the agreement, Tolth would have been sentenced to three years of time served in exchange for acknowledging his role in the crime and pleading guilty to a single count of robbery Begay’s case received national media attention and helped highlight the broader crisis of Indigenous people who go missing or are killed. Nearly five years after she disappeared, Begay has not been found. The rare decision to reject a plea agreement followed anguished testimony from Begay’s son and niece who told the court Tolth should not walk free without revealing Begay’s location Begay’s daughter reported her mother missing in June 2021 from her home in Sweetwater, Arizona, a small community on the northern part of the Navajo Nation.

Protesters rally against facility

Opposition grows against Maryland detention center

BY REBECCA SANTANA and HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH Associated Press

HAGERSTOWN, Md. Horns blared and protesters screamed “Stop ICE!” outside a meeting on the western edge of Maryland where county officials were discussing mundane issues like the solid waste budget.

It’s been like this ever since the Department of Homeland Security bought an 825,000-square-foot building in Washington County as part of a plan to transform warehouses across the U.S. into detention facilities for tens of thousands of immigrants.

“This is a facility built for packages, not people,” Patrick Dattilio, the founder of an anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement group called Hagerstown Rapid Re-

sponse, said as he stood outside the county commission meeting.

The federal government has faced fierce opposition in communities where it spent a total of $1.074 billion for 11 warehouses under a plan that Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin is reviewing. Washington County is the most welcoming community a place where officials said they supported ICE, albeit amid whistles and jeers. The processing center there was supposed to be one of the first to open in a facilities project hatched under Mullin’s predecessor, Kristi Noem.

But now DHS’ plan for the Washington County building is paused — mired in a court battle like some of the other warehouse-to-detention projects across the U.S. Questions swirl about whether Mullin will move ahead with the facilities project or chart another course as he pursues President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda.

The sprawling blue-and-white warehouse in Washington County

has been the subject of intense debate in part because of the way commissioners voiced their support for ICE.

While repeatedly insisting that their hands were tied because the federal government already bought the building, the commissioners also approved a proclamation during their Feb. 10 meeting declaring their “unwavering support” for DHS and ICE.

The proclamation, which didn’t specifically mention the warehouse purchase, was met with so much booing and yelling that the commission president cleared the room.

The county wanted something, too. It forwarded the proclamation to Noem the next day in an email identifying hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of sewer, airport and highway upgrades that it said were needed, according to a public records request received by local resident Ethan Wechtaluk, who’s running for Congress in the district that includes the warehouse.

ICE, flush with cash from a mas-

EPA proposes gutting rules targeting coal ash

Rollback would affect groundwater protections

BY MICHAEL PHILLIS and ALEXA ST JOHN Associated Press

The Trump administration on Thursday proposed weakening rules for the disposal of ash produced by burning coal that can contain hazardous heavy metals and contaminate groundwater Those regulations were strengthened under the Biden administration as part of a wider crackdown on pollution from coal-fired power plants.

The Trump administration proposed easing standards for monitoring and protecting groundwater near some coal ash sites, and rolling back rules that require the cleanup of entire coal properties rather than just the sites where ash was dumped.

The revisions would also make it easier to reuse coal ash for other purposes.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said the proposal reflects the agency’s “commitment to restoring American energy dominance, strengthening cooperative federalism, and accommodating unique circumstances at certain (coal) facilities.”

Burning coal produces tremendous amounts of ash, a waste product that contains heavy metals such as mercury, lead and cobalt If not stored properly coal ash can contaminate groundwater Coal

plants are often situated on the banks of rivers or other waterways, with waste ash sitting nearby

Opponents say the proposal, which grants states and other regulators the ability to grant exemptions from national standards, may open the door for companies to leave coal ash sitting in groundwater

The Biden-era EPA in 2022, for example, rebuffed the Gen. James Gavin Power Plant in southern Ohio for trying to close a coal ash disposal site that the agency said was in contact with groundwater In January 2025, with Trump back in the White House, coal industry entities asked Zeldin to revise the agency’s stance on the issue.

“Opening the door to leaving ash in groundwater undermines one of the central protections of this rule, and that’s essentially what this does,” said Nick Torrey, an attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center, a nonprofit

The proposed rule also seeks to lift restrictions on the use of coal ash called “beneficial use” by the EPA — in secondary materials such as cement and as structural fill.

The agency also said that industry and others have said the health risks from coal ash were overstated in previous EPA assessments. Federal officials said the estimated cost savings were more than enough to justify the proposed changes

USPS to suspend pension contributions

BY SUSAN HAIGH Associated Press

The U.S. Postal Service said Thursday it has informed federal budget officials it will temporarily suspend its employer contributions to Federal Employees Retirement System annuities, allowing it to keep making payroll, paying suppliers and delivering the mail.

The Postal Service also wants to increase postage rates, including raising the price of a First-Class Mail Forever stamp from 78 cents to 82 cents. USPS filed notice Friday with regulators, who still need to approve the changes.

The step taken by the Postal Board of Governors to forgo the pension

payments is meant to preserve cash and liquidity due to the Postal Service’s “ongoing, severe financial crisis,” Postal Service Chief Financial Officer Luke Grossmann said in an internal message to USPS employees Officials have warned the USPS is on course to run out of cash by around February 2027.

Despite the suspension of employer contributions, effective Friday, current and future retirees will not be immediately impacted, Grossman said. “The risk to the Postal Service and the American public from insufficient liquidity for postal operations dramatically outweighs any longer-term risk to the pension funds from not making the cur-

rently due payments,” he said in the statement. USPS deferred payments in 2011 during another financial crisis.

The Postal Service said it will continue transmitting employees’ retirement contributions to the federal Office of Personnel Management, along with Thrift Savings Plan contributions, including employer automatic and matching funds, and will also maintain its employer contributions to Social Security Brian Renfroe, president of the National Association of Letter Carriers, said the temporary suspension of annuity payments is “not ideal” but it doesn’t immediately impact his members.

sive congressional appropriation, has since signed a contract worth $113 million to renovate the building for 500 to 1,500 detainees, but a judge temporarily halted work after Maryland’s attorney general sued. A hearing is scheduled for April 15. County commissioners did not respondtoemailortelephonerequests for comment. County administrator Michelle Gordon in a statement said the commissioners were declining all interview requests.

Many residents of the county — a place Civil War buffs come to visit the Antietam battlefield before making their way to nearby Gettysburg — are outraged both because they have moral objections to the facility and because they didn’t find out about the purchase beforehand.

“We have had no voice in this,” Carroll Sager said over the din of protesters and honking cars. Behind her, the sheriff’s department had cordoned off part of the county building with crime scene tape to deter protesters.

Putin declares a ceasefire in Ukraine for Orthodox Easter

By The Associated Press

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday declared a 32-hour ceasefire in Ukraine over the Orthodox Easter weekend, following an earlier call from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a pause in some of the hostilities to observe the holiday Putin’s decree, released by the Kremlin, orders Russian forces to observe a ceasefire starting on 4 p.m. Saturday and lasting until the end of Sunday Zelenskyy proposed earlier in the week that each side stop targeting each other’s energy infrastructure over the holiday, saying he made the offer through the United States, which has been mediating talks between delegations from Moscow and Kyiv as Russia’s invasion stretches into a fifth year

There was no immediate reaction from Kyiv to Putin’s announcement.

Previous attempts to secure ceasefires have had

little or no impact. Putin unilaterally declared a 30hour ceasefire last Easter, but each side accused the other of breaking it. The Kremlin statement announcing the ceasefire said that “orders have been issued for this period to cease hostilities in all directions,” adding that “troops are to be prepared to counter any possible provocations by the enemy, as well as any aggressive actions.”

“We assume that the Ukrainian side will follow the example of the Russian Federation,” it said. Russia has effectively rejected a 30-day unconditional truce proposed last year by the U.S. and Ukraine as a step toward peace, insisting instead on a comprehensive settlement, but Moscow has announced several short, unilateral ceasefires. The U.S.-led talks have made no progress on key issues, and Washington’s attention has switched to the Middle East conflict.

Classified

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CAROLyN KASTER

A barge on the Ohio River moves past the Mountaineer Power Plant, a coal-fired power plant near New Haven, W.Va., on March 13. The Trump administration has proposed rolling back a Biden-era crackdown on pollution from coal-fired power plants

Netanyahu authorizes direct talks with Lebanon

Negotiations could boost ceasefire efforts

BY JON GAMBRELL, ELENA BECATOROS and MIKE CORDER Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — In a potential boost to Middle East ceasefire efforts, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that he authorized direct negotiations with Lebanon “as soon as possible” aimed at disarming Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants and establishing relations between the neighbors.

The two countries have technically been at war since Israel was established in 1948, and Netanyahu later stressed that there was no ceasefire between them. In a video statement, he said Israel will keep striking Hezbollah until security is restored in northern Israel.

There was no immediate response from Lebanon. But IsraelLebanon negotiations were expected to begin next week at the State Department in Washington, according to a U.S. official and a person familiar with the plans, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the delicacy of the matter.

The prospect of talks appeared to bolster the tentative ceasefire in the Iran war that has staggered under the weight of Israel’s bombardment of Beirut, Tehran’s continued chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz and uncertainty over whether talks can find common ground.

However later Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump appeared to cast doubt on the effectiveness of the ceasefire, writing on his social media platform: “Iran is doing a very poor job, dishonorable some would say of allowing Oil to go through the Strait of Hormuz.”

“That is not the agreement we have!” Trump wrote.

Netanyahu’s authorization of negotiations with Lebanon came amid disagreement over whether the ceasefire deal included a pause in fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, and a day after Israel pounded Beirut with airstrikes, the deadliest day in Lebanon since the war began Feb. 28.

Israel has fought multiple wars and launched several major invasions of Lebanon over the years, most recently sending in troops

last month in response to Hezbollah fire on Israel’s northern border communities.

The launch of direct peace talks is a significant achievement, though reaching an agreement will be difficult after decades of hostilities, Hezbollah’s continued presence and longstanding disagreements over the countries’ shared land border

The talks in Washington are expected to be handled on the American side by the U.S ambassador to Lebanon, Michel Issa, and on the Israeli side by the Israeli ambassador to the U.S., Yechiel Leiter according to the person familiar with the planning It was not immediately clear who would represent Lebanon. The timing and location of the talks was first reported by Axios.

After declaring victory with the ceasefire announcement, both Iran and the U.S. have appeared to apply pressure on each other Semiofficial news agencies in Iran suggested forces have mined the Strait of Hormuz a crucial waterway for oil that Tehran has closed.

Trump warned that U.S. forces would hit Iran harder than before if it did not fulfill the agreement.

Trump expressed concern again Thursday over reports that Iran’s military was charging tolls on tankers seeking to pass through

the strait. “They better not be and, if they are, they better stop now!” he wrote on social media.

Questions also remained over what will happen to Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium at the heart of tensions, how and when normal traffic will resume through the strait, and what happens to Iran’s ability to launch future missile attacks and support armed proxies in the region.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a message on Telegram that Iran’s decision to accept a ceasefire “is not a sign of weakness but a way to solidify Iran’s proud victories.”

Despite disputes over the ceasefire, it appears to have halted weeks of missile and drone attacks by Iran on its Gulf Arab neighbors and Israel, with no new launches reported Thursday There were no reports of strikes by the U.S. or Israel targeting Iran.

Israel vows continued strikes Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, warned in a social media post Thursday that continued Israeli attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon would bring “explicit costs and STRONG responses.”

Qalibaf has been discussed as a possible negotiator who could meet U.S. Vice President JD Vance

First lady delivers statement at White House, denies Epstein ties

BY COLLIN BINKLEY and WILL WEISSERT Associated Press

WASHINGTON First lady

Melania Trump is denying ties to Jeffrey Epstein and knowledge of his sex crimes, saying Thursday that the “stories are completely false” and calling accusations that she was somehow involved “smears about me.”

Reading an extraordinary statement at the White House, Melania Trump said she and her attorneys were fighting back against “unfound and baseless lies” in regards to her connections to the late financier, a convicted sex offender who leveraged connections to the rich, powerful and famous to recruit his victims and cover up his crimes.

“The lies linking me with

the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today,” she said. “The individuals lying about me are devoid of ethical standards, humility and respect. I do not object to their ignorance, but rather I reject their mean-spirited attempts to defame my reputation.”

The seemingly out-of-theblue message came as her husband, President Donald Trump, and his administration had finally seemed to move past more than a year of controversy surrounding Epstein, especially as the Iran war had become all-consuming in Washington The first lady’s comments almost assuredly served to push the story back into the political spotlight even as the president urged the public and media to move on from the case.

The White House used its X account to reshare a video

posted by the first lady’s office of Melania Trump reading her statement White House officials did not respond to requests for comment on whether the president had prior knowledge of the first lady’s comments.

The first lady spoke for about five minutes, reading her statement in the Grand Foyer, then walked away without taking questions.

Melania Trump also called on Congress to hold a public hearing centered on survivors of Epstein’s crimes, with a chance to testify before lawmakers and have their stories entered into the congressional record.

“Each and every woman should have her day to tell her story in public if she wishes,” she said. “Then, and only then, we will have the truth.”

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this weekend in Islamabad. The White House has said Vance would lead the delegation for talks starting Saturday Iran had said Israel’s ongoing attacks on Hezbollah were violating the ceasefire agreement. Netanyahu and Trump have said they were not.

Trump said Thursday that he has asked Netanyahu to dial back the strikes in Lebanon.

Lebanon’s health ministry said more than 300 people were killed and more than 1,100 wounded Wednesday by Israeli strikes on central Beirut and other areas of Lebanon that Israel said targeted Hezbollah, which joined the war in support of Tehran.

Early Friday morning, Israel’s military said it struck approximately 10 launchers in Lebanon that had fired rockets toward northern Israel on Thursday Israel also said Thursday it killed Ali Yusuf Harshi, an aide to Hezbollah leader Naim Kassem. Hezbollah did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Threat of mines looms over strait

Semiofficial news agencies in Iran published a chart Thursday suggesting the country’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard put sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz during

the war a message that may be intended to pressure the U.S.

The chart, released by the ISNA news agency and Tasnim, showed a large circle marked “danger zone” in Farsi over the route ships take through the strait, through which 20% of all traded oil and natural gas once passed.

Only a trickle of ships have transited since the war began after several were attacked, and Iran threatened to hit any that it deemed connected to the U.S. or Israel. Ships appeared to continue to avoid the strait even after the ceasefire.

Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Saeed Khatibzadeh, told the BBC that his country will allow ships to pass through the strait in accordance with “international norms and international law” once the U.S. ends its “aggression” in the Middle East and Israel stops attacking Lebanon.

The head of the United Arab Emirates’ major oil company, Sultan al-Jaber, said some 230 ships loaded with oil were waiting to get through the strait and must be allowed “to navigate this corridor without condition.”

The strait’s de facto closure has caused oil prices to skyrocket — affecting the cost of gasoline, food and other basics far beyond the Middle East. The spot price of Brent crude, the international standard, was around $98 Thursday, up about 35% since the war began. Fate of Iran’s enriched uranium

The fate of Iran’s missile and nuclear programs which the U.S. and Israel sought to eliminate in going to war — was unclear The U.S. insists Iran must never be able to build nuclear weapons and wants to remove Tehran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, which could be used to build them. Iran insists its program is peaceful.

Trump said Wednesday that the U.S. would work with Iran to remove the uranium, buried in last year’s U.S. and Israeli strikes, though Iran did not confirm that. In one version of the ceasefire deal that Iran published, it said it would be allowed to continue enrichment. The chief of Iran’s nuclear agency Mohammad Eslami said Thursday that protecting Tehran’s right to enrich uranium is “necessary” for any ceasefire talks.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By HASSAN AMMAR

Lebanese civil defense workers search for victims on Thursday in the rubble of a building destroyed in an Israeli airstrike a day earlier in central Beirut, Lebanon.

Republicansreckon with losses

BY SCOTT BAUER,JEFF AMY and JONATHAN J. COOPER Associated Press

MADISON,Wis. The bluntest assessment of Republicans’ failures during this week’s elections in Wisconsincame from one of their own.

“Wegot our butts kicked,” said U.S. Rep. TomTiffany, who is running for governor. He was referring to Democratic victories in campaigns for the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the mayor’soffice in Waukesha,aconservative suburb outside Milwaukee. But some Republicans were also rattledbyaspecial election in Georgia, where their candidate to replaceMarjorie Taylor Greene in Congress won by amuch slimmer margin than the party enjoyed in the past.

Taken together,the swings added more data pointstoan increasingly clearpicture of Democratic momentum heading into the November midterms, when controlof Congress and state governments is up for grabs.

“In rural, urban, red, blue, Democrats have overperformed everywhere,” said Jared Leopold, aDemocratic consultant whose clients includeKeisha Lance Bottoms, acandidate for Georgia governor.“That is a significant canary in the coal mine about what November of ’26 is going to look like.”

Some Republicans insisted there was no need to panic, and their fundraising remains stronger than Democrats’. StephenLawson,a Georgia strategist, said “the sky is not falling.”

But he also said his party is running behind where it has been in the past, and Republicans need to be “lookingat these results carefully.”

‘A redalarm’ Special elections are no guaranteeabout the future, butDemocrats areshowing surprising strength. They flipped aTexas state Senate district. They won astate

for Wisconsin governor, speaksduring anewsconference on Wednesday about what theGOP needstodoinNovember after big defeats in the spring election, outside of the state Capitol in Madison, Wis.

House seat in aFloridadistrict that includes President Donald Trump’sMar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach.

Then theygained ground Tuesday in theelectiontoreplace Greene, who resigned from Congress in January after afallingout with Trump.

Republican ClayFuller, who won by 12 percentage points,“CRUSHED” his opponent in arace that “wasn’t close,”according to asocial mediapostbyJoshMcKoon, chairman of theGeorgia Republican Party

But two years ago, Greene wonby29percentage points and Trump carried thedistrict by almost 37 percentage points.

“That’sared alarm forRepublicans,”said Democratic strategistMeredith Brasher Democrat Shawn Harris plans to challenge Fuller again in November Jackie Harling, thedistrict’sRepublicanchairwoman, said shebelieved that Greene’s resignation energized Democrats while her partyissufferingfrom “election fatigue.”

“Marjorie Taylor Greene was like afreighttrainthat youcouldn’tstop, and when she pulled out, it gave Democratshopeand it gave them ashotatwinning something they believed wasunwinnable,” Harling said ‘Bluer side of purple

Georgia has key races this year,including an open contest for the governor’s office.U.S.Sen.Jon Ossoff, aDemocrat,istrying to de-

fend his seat as well.

There’sreason to think that simmeringdiscontent could boomerang on Republicansjust two years after Trump harnessed voters’ angerwith his comeback presidential campaign.

In November,Democrats defeated twoRepublican incumbentsinstatewide races for seatsonthe Public Service Commission, which regulatesutilities. Rising electricity rates have been afault line in recent campaigns especially as enormousdata centersare built to power artificial intelligence.

But Georgia Democratic Party Chair Charlie Bailey is trying to maintain modest expectations.

“Wecould cement ourselves,put ourselves, on the slightly bluerside of purple,” he said. ”We’re not goingtoovernight turn into Colorado.”

‘A clearsignofmomentum’

Wisconsin holds statewide elections for Supreme Court seats, and liberals expanded their majority with a20-percentage-point blowoutvictoryonTuesday Democratssaw gains in red, blue andpurple counties when compared with another judicial race last year,which was also won by theliberal candidate.

“This to me was avery clear sign of momentum and enthusiasm for Democrats in the fall,” said Wisconsin DemocraticParty Chairman Devin Remiker The state hasits own open

race for governor this year and Democrats arehoping to take control of thestate Legislature and oust Republican U.S. Rep. Derrick VanOrden.

“It’s time for ustoput this thing in overdrive,” saidMandela Barnes,a Democratic former lieutenant governor who is running for governor Milwaukee CountyExecutiveDavid Crowley,another Democratic candidatefor governor,said it’sclear that “people are really upset with the Republican Partyand their brand right now.”

“Butthat doesn’t mean that they’re automatically going to come overtothe Democrats,” Crowley said. “Andthat’s why we have to continue to focusonthe issues and speak to thevalues of all the voters here in the stateofWisconsin.”

‘A lotofanxiety’

Tiffany,the Republican candidate forgovernor in Wisconsin, cautioned against reading too much into Tuesday’sresults.

He said“every election is unique,” and he wasn’t making any changes to his campaign. He saidthe key to winning will be to “paint that clear contrast of how we are going to help everyday Wisconsinites.”

But Democrats seemed to be making inroads, including in Waukesha, in acounty that’sa Republican.

Democrat Alicia Halvensleben, president of the city’s Common Council,defeated Republican ScottAllen, one of the most conservative members of the state Assembly She said Trumpcame up “a lot” when she was campaigning, although she thinks her victory came down to local issues and how the state legislature wasn’taddressing them.

“There’ssomuch uncertainty at the nationallevel,” Halvensleben said. “I think that level of uncertainty is causing people alot of anxiety,all theway down to the local level.”

Settlement halts cuts to agency that fundsU.S.libraries

Agreementreached betweenIMLS, JusticeDepartment

BY GARYFIELDS Associated Press

WASHINGTON Plaintiffs challenging the Trump administration’scost-cutting measures againstanagency that funds andpromotes librariesacross the U.S. said Thursdaythey settled the case withthe Justice Department in adeal that would reverse some of the steps taken.

The American Library Associationand the American Federation of State, County and MunicipalEmployeessaidthattheyhad reached an agreement with the Justice Department thatwill allowthe Institute of Museum andLibrary Sciences to continue awarding grants andoperating programs that support libraries and museums.

The White House referred questions to the Justice Department. The Civil Division of the Justice Department, which agreed to thesettlement, did not immediately comment.

The two organizations filed alawsuit last May, spearheaded by the group DemocracyForward,to stop the administration from gutting the IMLS after President Donald Trump signed aMarch 14 executive orderthatreferredto it and several other federal agencies as “unnecessary.”

The measures that set in motionwere part of a broader attempt by the administration to save money by slashingstaff, grants and programs in the federal government.

Staff was subsequently placed on administrative

leave with manyreceiving termination notices. The agency’sthen acting director also began canceling grants and contracts and fired the members of the National Museum andLibrary Services Board.

“When the administration began shuttering IMLS last year,itset offachain reaction.Librariesacross the country started cutting hours, staff and services people relyon— afterschool programs, support for job seekers and connection forolder adults,” said American Library Association president Sam Helmick in apress statement.

The settlement said all reductions in force to the staff in 2025 have been rescinded andall employees who received them are authorized to return to work. IMLSwill notissue anymore RIFs in order “to effectuate” the purposeofthe executive order,the settlement said. Lee Saunders, president of the American Federation of State, County andMunicipal Employees,calledthe settlementavictory forevery communitythatdepends on libraries andmuseums

The plaintiffs will file ajoint stipulation of dismissal of the casewithout prejudice in seven days if the government adheres to termsofthe agreement. The settlement announcementcomes three days after afederal judge in Rhode Islandapproved an administration request to withdraw its appeal of afederal districtcourt opinionina separate lawsuit filed by 21 attorneys general.

IMLS is theonlyfederal agency tasked with providing funding forthe nation’s libraries. It wasestablished in 1996 by aRepublican-led Congress.

BY BRIAN WITTE Associated Press

ANNAPOLIS,Md. Maryland has reached asettlement with the owner and operator of the massive cargo ship that crashed into aBaltimore bridge two years ago, causingits deadly collapse, state officials announced Thursday

26, 2024, crashinto the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

“For twoyears,Maryland workers, families, and communities have carriedthe weightofa disasterthat shouldnever have happened,”Brown said in a news release.Itdid not give details of thesettlement.

said.

The settlement in principle was reached with Grace Ocean Private Limitedand Synergy Marine Pte Ltd, ownerand operator of the M/V Dali, AttorneyGeneral Anthony Brown said. The settlement resolves aportion of the state’sclaims arising from the ship’sMarch

Theattorney general noted thatthe Dali’scrash into the bridge “disrupted the Port of Baltimore, devastated livelihoods, and sent economic shockwaves across our State that are still being felt today.”

“Our work is not finished, but this settlementisanimportant step towardmaking Maryland whole,” Brown

The companies confirmed in ajoint statement that significant progresshas been made in resolving claims. Within the past week, the statement said, theyhave reached “two pivotal settlement agreements with the StateofMaryland and ACE American Insurance Company that underscoretheir commitment to areasonable and structured outcome to this unfortunate incident.”

The$350 million settlementwith the insurance companymatched the amount ACE paid to Maryland, an amount that represented the limit of the state’s policy Settlement reachedwithowner, operator of ship that hitbridge

ASSOCIATE PRESS PHOTO By SCOTT BAUER

Rep. TomTiffany, R-Wis., acandidate

JudgefindsPentagonisviolating courtorder

Reportersstill denied access

BY MICHAEL KUNZELMAN and DAVIDBAUDER Associated Press

WASHINGTON Afederal judge on Thursday ruled that the Defense Department is violating his earlier order to restore access to the Pentagon for reporters, asetback in the administration’sefforts to impede the work of journalists.

U.S. DistrictJudge Paul Friedman sided with The New York Times for the second time in amonth. He hadearlier said the Pentagon’snew credential policy violatedjournalists’ constitutional rights to free speech and due process. On Thursday,hesaid Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s team had tried to evade his March20ruling by putting in new rules thatexpelall reportersfromthe building unless guided by escorts.

“The department simply cannot reinstate an unlawful policy under the guise of taking‘new’ action and expect the court to look the other way,” Friedman wrote.

Friedman had ordered Pentagon officialstoreinstate the press credentialsof seven Times reporters and stressed that his decision applies to “all regulated parties.” The Pentagon building serves as the headquarters for U.S. military operations.

Defense Department spokespersonSean Parnell said it disagrees with the ruling and intends to appeal. Parnell said in asocial media post that the department

has“at all times” complied with judge’sorders, reinstating journalists’ credentials andissuing “a materially revised policythataddressed every concern” identified by the judge

“The Departmentremains committed to press access at thePentagon while fulfilling its statutory obligation to ensure the safe and secure operationof thePentagon Reservation,” he wrote.

Timesattorney Theodore Boutrous saidThursday’s ruling“powerfully vindicates both the Court’sauthority andthe First Amendment’s protections of independent journalism.”

Abrewing dispute

In October,reporters from mainstream news outlets walked out of the building rather than agree to the new rules. The Times sued the Pentagonand Hegseth in December to challenge thepolicy

President Donald Trump hasfought againstthe press on several levels since returning to his second term, suing The Times andWall Street Journal, and cutting

funding for public radio and television because he didnot liketheir coverage. At the same time, he frequently talkstothe media andresponds to reporters who call him on his cell phone.

In aseriesofbriefings on the Iran War, Hegseth hasfrequently ignored or insulted legacy media reporters let in to cover the events, while concentrating on questions from friendly conservative media.

Times attorneys accused the Pentagon of violating the judge’sMarch 20 order, “both in letter andspirit” with its revisedpolicy.The newspaper said that Pentagon was also trying to impose unprecedented rules dictating when reporters canoffer anonymityto sources.

Friedman said that the access thePentagonmade available to permit holders “is noteven close to as meaningful as the broadaccess” they previously had.

Government lawyerssaid the Pentagon’srevised policyfully complies with the judge’sdirectives. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell

Cubanpresident tellsNBC News

By The Associated Press

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico Cuban

President Miguel Díaz-Canel told NBC News’ Meet the Press that he would not step downinhis first interview with aU.S. network, aportion of which was broadcast Thursday In anearly five-minute clip that is part of alonger interview scheduled to air on Sunday,journalistKristenWelker asked Díaz-Canel if he would be “willing to step downifit meant saving Cuba.” Before answering,DíazCanel asked if she had ever posed that questiontoany other president in the world: “Is that aquestion from you, or is that coming from the State Department of the U.S. government?”

Díaz-Caneladded: “In Cuba,the people whoare in leadershipposition are not elected by theU.S. government, and they don’thave amandatefrom the U.S. government. We have afree sovereign state.” He said he became president not out of a“personal ambition or corporateambition or evena party ambi-

tion,” but because of amandate by thepeople.

“If the Cuban people understand that Iamnot fit for office, that Ihave no reason to be here,then Ishould not be holding this position of president,I will respond to them,” hesaid The interview comes as tensions between Cuba and the U.S. remain highdespite both sides acknowledging talks, although no details have been shared.

Díaz-Canelaccusedthe U.S. government of implementing a“hostile policy” against Cuba and said it has “no moraltodemandanythingfrom Cuba.”

He saidthe U.S. should recognize howmuchthe policies have cost theCuban people “and how much they havedeprived the Americanpeople from anormal relationship with the Cubanpeople.”

Díaz-Canel noted that Cuba is interestedinengagingin dialogue and discussing any topic withoutconditions,“not demanding changes from our political system as we are not demanding change from theAmerican system, about which we have anum-

ber of doubts.” Cuba blames aU.S. energy blockade for itsdeepening woes, with alackofpetroleum affecting theisland’s health system, public transportation and the production of goods and services.

In late March, aRussian tanker carrying 730,000 barrels of crudeoil arrived in Cuba, marking theisland’s first oil shipment in three months.Russia haspromised to send asecond tanker Despite threatening tariffs in early January on countries that sell or provide oil to Cuba, theadministration of U.S. President Donald Trumpallowed the tanker to proceed.

“Cuba’sfinished,”Trump said at the time. “They have abad regime. They have very bad and corrupt leadership and whether or not they getaboat of oil, it’snot going to matter.”

Cuba produces only 40% of the fuel it consumes,and it stopped receiving key oil shipmentsfromVenezuela after theU.S.attacked the South American country in early January andarrested its then leader

hassaidthe administration would appeal Friedman’s March 20 decision.

ThePentagonPress Association, which includes AssociatedPress reporters, saidthe Pentagon’sinterim policypreserves provisions that Friedman deemed to be unconstitutionalwhilealso adding new restrictions on credential holders.

“In effect,” Justice Department attorneys wrote, “Plaintiffs ask this Court to expand theOrderto prohibit the Department from ever addressing the securityofthe Pentagon through apress credentialing policywith conditions that may address similar topics or concerns as the enjoinedconditions. The Order does not say that, and this Court should notread it to say that.”

Currentpress corpsagreed

Thecurrent Pentagon press corps is comprised mostly of conservative outlets that agreed to thepolicy. Journalists from outlets that refusedtoconsent to the new rules, including from theAP, have continuedreporting on the military from outside the Pentagon.

Friedman, who was nominated to the bench by Demo-

craticPresident Bill Clinton, said recent U.S. military operationsinVenezuela and Iranunderscore the need for public access to information about government activities.

“Those who draftedthe First Amendment believed that thenation’s security requires afree press and an informed people and that such security is endangered by governmental suppression of political speech.That principle has preserved the nation’ssecurity for almost 250 years. It must not be abandoned now,” thejudge wrote last month.

Friedman said the challenged policy is clearly designed to weed out “disfavoredjournalists” andreplacethemwiththose who are “on board and willing to serve” the administration.

“That,”hewrote,“is viewpoint discrimination, full stop.”

War puts focus on dependence on petrochemicals

Conflict highlights global vulnerability

BY STEVEN GRATTAN Associated Press

BOGOTA, Colombia The Iran war has exposed deep vulnerability in the global economy: dependence not just on oil, gas and coal for fuel, but on petrochemicals that underpin everything from food production to plastic packaging.

As disruptions ripple through energy markets, the war is highlighting how fossil fuels are embedded far beyond transport and electricity In the short-run, the widespread reliance will lead to higher prices for myriad products, while long-term the pollution that comes from petrochemicals will exacerbate climate change.

A two-week cease fire an-

Part of the

use in power and transport. Fredric Bauer, a senior lecturer at Lund University

transition away from petrochemicals, given its reliance on fertilizers, pesticides,

systems and connecting more directly with farmers and producers that rely less on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.

The petrochemical industry says demand is likely to remain strong, arguing that its products are essential to modern life and the energy transition.

The American Chemistry Council, which represents U.S. chemical manufacturers, told The Associated Press in a written response to questions that petrochemicals are used in products ranging from medical devices and semiconductors to building materials and packaging, and are also key to renewable technologies such as wind turbines, solar panels and electric vehicles.

The group said that companies are working to cut emissions through efficien-

cy improvements, recycling and new technologies, and rejected the idea that demand must fall, calling petrochemicals “foundational” to sectors such as health care, food production, clean water and infrastructure.

Lévi Alvarès, the campaign manager from the Center for International Environmental Law, said that petrochemicals have become so embedded in daily life that many people don’t realize how much they rely on them, but individuals and communities can begin by rethinking consumption and engaging more closely with local systems.

“It is not a choice of the consumer,” she said, noting that many people are constrained by what is available, but can still start to look at everyday products differently

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GENE J PUSKAR

Shell Polymers Monaca Plant, a petrochemical plant, operates in Monaca, Pa., on Tuesday.

SCAN TO SEE BENEFITS

BY JAMES BROOKS and STEPHANIE LIECHTENSTEIN Associated Press

OLKILUOTO,Finland— With the push of abutton, the elevator descends hundredsof meters in seconds into the dark depths of Onkalo.

“Weare now at about minus 430 meters (1,411 feet),” muttered geologist Tuomas Pere as he steered acar through alabyrinth of manmade tunnels. “Weare driving through 1.9-billion-yearold bedrock.”

After decades of construction, the world’sfirstfacility for permanently disposing spentnuclear fuel is set to begin operations in Finland, becoming afinal resting place for tons of dangerous radioactive waste.

ConstructionofOnkalo

—which means “cave” in Finnish —began on the west coast in 2004. It sits on the secluded island of Olkiluoto, in adense wooded area. The closest town is Eurajoki, about 9.3 miles inland, which is home to about 9,000 people. Many work at the nuclear power plant or storage facility

The $1.2 billion project couldsoonbecomeoperational, with authorities ex-

of years before the radioactivityfalls tonormal, background levels.

Accordingto a 2022 report by the International Atomic EnergyAgency, almost 400,000 tons of spent fuel have been producedglobally since the 1950s, with two-thirds remaining in temporary storage and one-third beingrecycled inacomplex process.

Theworld’sspent nuclear fuel is currently temporarily stored insidespent nuclear fuel pools at individual reactors and at dry cask storage sites above ground Thereiscurrently no permanentunderground disposal facility forcommercial

“For manydecades after spent fuel is discharged from areactor,it’ssoradioactive that it makes transporting and reprocessing very difficult,” Lyman said But eventually the main radioactivecomponentwill decay,headded, making it less risky to handle.

“So over time the plutonium becomes more accessible either to terrorists or to acountry thatmay want to useit,” he said, adding that the only way aterrorist —or astate —could theoretically use thematerial for anuclear bomb would be if they had “an off-site reprocessing capability.” During reprocessing,

plate below ahard glazed surface.

Kunze said that the ceramicplates are“inexpensive and veryrobust” and should ideally be buried “in

large numbers” in the area around therepository as wellas“inside the foundations” of every houseinthe community.The goal should be to distribute as many ce-

ramic plates in the area as possible.

Finnish officials saythe Onkalo nuclearrepository reflects the country’slongterm approach to nuclear energy policy

A1994act required radioactivewaste generated in Finland to be handled, stored and permanently disposed of within the country’s borders.

“Back then… some of the waste wasstill exported, but we wanted to takecareofit ourselves,”saidSariMultala,Finland’senvironment minister. “Wealso stick to the decisions, unlike many other countries.”

Multala did not rule out eventually accepting limited amountsofnuclear waste from other countries. “In thesmall scalethere could be some kind of possibilities, as long as it is allowed by the international regulators,” she said.

was one of the greatest gifts.”

Nearly 90% of the rocket, including the orange core providing much of the firepower, was constructed at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans East.

During the only other Orion test flight to the moon — in 2022 without a crew the heat shield suffered considerably more damage than expected from the 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit of reentry. That raised the crew safety alarm for Artemis II and ultimately was among the reasons it was delayed until 2026.

Mission Control will be paying close attention to how the capsule’s heat shield holds up Decisions about the heat shield made since then, though, will be put to the test as NASA astronauts are headed for a splashdown return at 7:07 p.m Friday off the coast of San Diego in the Pacific Ocean. The recovery ship, USS John P Murtha, was already at sea, with a squadron of military planes and helicopters poised to join the operation.

It’s the first time that NASA and the Defense Department have teamed up for a lunar crew’s reentry since Apollo 17 in 1972. Their Orion capsule will come screaming back, hitting the atmosphere at a predicted 34,965 feet per second — or 23,840 mph — not a record but still mind-bogglingly fast

The trip back will be quick, taking only about 13 minutes. That will happen after the crew module separates from the service module, which has been its primary source of propulsion this past

HURRICANE

Continued from page 1A

has a lot less of an impact than a really strong El Niño.”

CSU researchers noted the April forecast is their earliest and most uncertain. The research team will issue forecast updates on June 10, July 8 and Aug. 5, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration usually releases its first official hurricane season forecast in May

Back so soon?

El Niño and La Niña are two opposing climate patterns that disrupt normal wind and current conditions in the Pacific Ocean, impacting weather patterns across the globe. El Niño tends to increase vertical wind shear across the Atlantic, according to CSU, which helps break up storms and prevent hurricane formation and intensification

PREGNANCY

Continued from page 1A

according to the report. According to the audit, there is no state requirement that ultrasounds at pregnancy centers be conducted or interpreted by professionals and because pregnancy centers are not regulated, clients cannot file complaints against the provider or facility. There are 38 pregnancy centers in Louisiana, the report says.

During Wednesday’s meeting of the House Health and Welfare

reported

and Artemis

week. It also has been the covering and protection of the heat shield for the entire mission. Instead of replacing Artemis II’s heat shield, which would have forced another lengthy delay, NASA tweaked the capsule’s descent through the atmosphere to

reduce the blisteringly hot exposure. Next year’s Artemis III and beyond will fly with redesigned heat shields. Artemis III will see astronauts practice docking their capsule with a lunar lander or two in orbit around Earth Artemis IV in 2028

will attempt to land two astronauts near the moon’s south pole, setting the stage for what NASA hopes will be a sustainable lunar base. NASA officials have been loath to provide their risk assessment numbers for the nearly 10-day mission, acknowledging launch

and entry as the biggest threats.

“We’re down to the wire now,” said NASA’s Lakiesha Hawkins.

“We’re down to the end of the mission, and obviously getting the crew back home and getting them landed safely is a significant part of the risk that’s still in front of us.”

“In El Niño years, you tend to have fewer storms than you do in La Niña,” Klotzbach said.

Though La Niña conditions were still present early this year, scientists at the Climate Prediction Center said Thursday that transitional neutral conditions had emerged and will likely be followed by El Niño There’s a 61% chance that El Niño will return between May and July, just before the Atlantic reaches its busiest time of year according to the Climate Prediction Center

The timing is important, Klotzbach said. El Niño conditions tend to grow stronger as time goes on, and if conditions emerge too late in the year, Klotzbach said its greatest impacts could be felt outside hurricane season

El Niño and La Niña conditions can last for months or several years, according to NOAA, though they don’t occur on a regular schedule. They generally occur every two to seven years, with transitional neutral periods in between.

Committee, when legislators considered HB611, Freeman argued all clinics should have doctors on site to interpret ultrasounds in case they indicate medical emergencies.

Supporters of the bill contended it would bring pregnancy centers in line with other health care facilities, protecting women and babies.

The bill would not apply to centers that do not offer health care services.

Erica Inzina, policy director of Louisiana Right to Life, which holds immense sway in the Capitol, pushed back against the notion that pregnancy centers are not

The last strong El Niño stretched from 2023 into 2024, and CSU researchers said this year’s conditions exhibit characteristics similar to that year, 2015, 2009 and 2006.

Warm waters vs. El Niño

While El Niño conditions typically make it harder for storms to form, other factors at play can have just as much impact on what happens in the tropics. The potential for even a powerful El Niño is not an all clear, Klotzbach said. Despite a strong El Niño in 2023 — when CSU issued a near identical April forecast to this year’s that hurricane season ended as one of the most active in 70 years, with 20 named storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes.

Record warm ocean temperatures that year helped fuel the formation and strengthening of storms, combating El Niño’s usual calming effects.

CSU forecasters said temperatures in the Atlantic this year pres-

properly regulated. Medical care at pregnancy centers is administered by health care providers who are already subject to the licensing requirements of their profession, Inzina said.

Dorothy Wallis, CEO of Caring to Love Ministries, which operates the Care Pregnancy Clinic in Baton Rouge, argued the bill was unnecessary

“We self-regulate,” she said, adding that her facility has a boardlicensed medical director Such comments garnered sharp replies from some Democrats on the committee, including state Rep. Mandie Landry, D-New Or-

ent mixed signals for the upcoming hurricane season, with warmer than normal waters in the western tropical Atlantic and slightly cooler than usual temperatures in the east.

Landfall probability

CSU’s forecast even gets down to the nitty-gritty details of where a hurricane might land and how likely storms are to impact U.S residents. Researchers said there’s about a 32% chance a major hurricane will hit somewhere along the U.S. coastline this coming season, well below the historical average from 1880 to 2020. There’s a 20% chance of a major hurricane making landfall on the Gulf Coast, a 15% chance on the East Coast and a 35% chance for a Caribbean landfall, according to CSU.

Klotzbach said Thursday that there’s roughly a 28% chance that one hurricane will hit somewhere within 50 miles of Louisiana. A major hurricane has a 10%

leans, who is widely considered one of the most progressive voices in the Legislature.

“Self-regulation of a health care facility is, I think, the opposite of what the Health and Welfare Committee wants,” Landry said.

She contended that the bill would not affect Wallis if her clinic was already operating appropriately

After a lengthy discussion, Freeman offered to voluntarily defer HB611 — but not before coming down on critics, who she said insinuated the proposal was not in line with pro-life values.

Freeman found it “personally insulting,” she said, “that someone

chance of hitting within the same distance.

“It takes only one storm near you to make this an active season for you,” CSU professor and researcher Michael Bell said in a news release announcing the forecast. CSU’s methodology

CSU has been issuing seasonal hurricane forecasts for more than four decades in an effort to provide the best estimate of activity in the Atlantic during the upcoming season. But it is not an exact measure.

The team bases its forecasts on a statistical model and three models that use a combination of information and predictions of large-scale conditions based on medium-range weather forecasts.

The models use 25 to 40 years of historical hurricane season data and evaluate various hurricanerelated conditions, including Atlantic sea surface temperatures, sea level pressures, vertical wind shear levels and El Niño.

would say this is against our babies and mamas.”

A fiscal note for HB611 found it would cost the state over $600,000 annually, mostly to pay for five new Health Department staffers to draw up and implement the regulations.

Freeman expressed skepticism about that estimate.

“I have very big questions about the fiscal note because if LDH’s job is to regulate health care facilities, it’s already baked into their numbers. They already have a lot of money to do oversight,” Freeman said in an interview that took place after she deferred the bill.

the crew

of the moon.

Former Forest Servicedirectordecries closureplans

Baltimore’s field office to closeby endofyear

BY KARL HILLE

The Baltimore Sun (TNS)

BALTIMORE Baltimore’s Forest Service Urban Field

Office will close sometime this year,according to a March 31 U.S. Department of Agriculture announcement. Employees at the Catonsville office say they still do not know when or how that willtakeplace, or what will happen to them.

“Reorganization? More like disorganization,” one employee told The Baltimore Sun on Thursday.“We allgot aletterabout it, but it was filled with ambiguity. It’sbeen achallenge —fear doubt, confusion, misinformation.” He asked that his name not

be used for fear of retribution.

“I was completely dumbfounded,” retired Baltimore field office director Morgan Grove toldThe Sun. “I thought, ‘The Forest Service can’tbethat dumb.’ Of course, Ifeel terrible for the staff there who have dedicated theirprofessional lives to the USDAForestService andtodoingresearch for the American People. They believetheirjob is to produce research and data that is going to makethe world a better place.”

The USDA announced theclosures of at least 31 local offices at the endof Marchas part of aplanto “strengthen local leadership, streamline operations, andimprove mission delivery.” Changesinclude moving headquarters to Salt Lake City,Utah, consolidating research activities at Fort Collins, Colorado, tran-

sitioning to astate-based leadership model and building anetwork of Operations Service Centers.

“The transitionwill occur in phases to ensure continuity of operations and to give employees time and clarity as decisions are made,” the statement reads The USDA Forest Service declined to answer questions fromThe Sun, includinghow manyemployees are affected andwhena detailed timeline would be released. Officials responded by emailing quotes included in their March 31 news release.

Agencyplans include appointing 15 state directors to overseelocal operations, the statement said. “This approach is intended to simplify thechain of command, strengthen local partnerships andgive fieldleaders greater abilitytorespond to conditions on the ground.”

Venezuelan lawmakersapprove sweeping bill to regulate mining

Legislationisbid to lure foreigninvestors

BY REGINA GARCIA CANO Associated Press

CARACAS,Venezuela— Venezuelan lawmakers on Thursday approvedabill to regulate thecountry’smining as it seeks to attract leery foreign investors to aonce-private industry that has long been exploited by criminal groups with ties to the government. It is the latest legislative initiative by acting President Delcy Rodríguez since the self-proclaimedsocialist government that has ruled Venezuela for 26 years came under pressure from the Trump administrationin January,when the U.S. military deposed then-President Nicolás Maduro

The lengthy bill will now undergo areview by the country’shigh court to determine if it is constitutional.

The bill regulates mineral rights, establishes small, medium and large-scale mining categories, and allows for independent arbitration of disputes, which foreigninvestors view as key to guard againstthe government seizing their assets. It also bans the president, vice president, ministers, governors and others from holding mining titles.

The bill is a“vehicle for the construction of future prosperity” and an “instrument that protects” mining workers across thecountry, National Assembly president Jorge Rodríguez told lawmakers afterthe measure was approved. The approval came aday afterthe actingpresident asked publicand private sector workers, whosewages have long not allowed them to afford basic necessities, for patience as her government works to improve

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By ARIANA CUBILLOS Venezuela’sactingPresidentDelcy Rodriguezsmiles during ameeting withadelegation led by U.S. EnergySecretary Chris Wright at Miraflores Palace in Caracas,Venezuela, on Feb.11. Rodriguez’slatest initiativeisa bid to lure foreign investors to the country’smining industry.

the country’s economy.She promisedthema wageincrease on May 1but didnot disclose the amount.

On Thursday,asworkers protested for betterwages in thecapital,Caracas, Delcy Rodríguez arrived in Grenadaonher first official internationaltrip as acting president.

Twodecades ago, many foreign firms in the mining and oilsectors sawtheir assets seized by the Venezuelan government. However,ascrucial oil revenues plummeted, Maduro’sgovernment in 2016 designated more than 10% of Venezuela’sterritory as amining development zone stretching across the central area of thecountry Since then, mining operations for gold, diamonds, copper and other minerals have proliferated. Many of these sites are informal, unlicensed mines operating under brutal conditions and the presence of criminal groups Homicides,human trafficking, fuel smuggling and other crimes are commonplace in mining areas, but ordinary Venezuelans continue to flock there in hopes

of getting rich quick and escaping poverty

Officials and members of the military takecuts from the illegalmining revenue in exchange for allowing the operation of mines.

“The mining and subsequent sale of gold has proven to be alucrative financial scheme for some wellconnected Venezuelans and senior officers within the National Bolivarian Armed Forces, which profitsfrom charging criminal organizationsfor access and inputs, such as fuel,”the U.S. State Department reported to Congress last year

“The estimated market value of gold mined in Venezuela is difficult to confirm, but well-respected sources estimate that it averaged $2.2 billion annually over the past five years.”

The newly approved bill sets royalties andtaxes and capsmining concessions at 30 years,withthe possibility of renewal. It also establishes prison penalties for those who participate in illegal activities and those who cause environmental damages, and allows for the seizure of illegally obtained minerals

Grovesaidclosing the Baltimore field office wastes aglobal model of how integrated, local forest research benefitssurroundingcommunities.Work conducted here provided the world withnew ways to measure urban trees, parks andforests, using NASAorbital assets that candistinguish trees from buildings andother hard surfaces. That research revealed howhistoricdiscrimination againstBlack neighborhoods showsupin theirlack of trees, as well as trees’ connection to crime and public health, including howmanypeople die during heat waves

At 30 years old, the Baltimore officeisone of the ForestService’soriginal urbanfield offices, he said, responsible for theworld’s longest-running urbanwatershedmonitoring program —tracking the health

of Gwynns Falls. Baltimore researchers partnered with the Baltimore City Division of Forests and Department of Public Works, pioneering programstorecover and reuse wood fromtrees downed by storms and demolitions of abandoned buildings and homes.

Grove saidthe agency’s justifications forconsolidating offices in Salt Lake City, Utah, don’tmake sense.

“The Forest Service said they need to relocate people to where theforests are. Howmanyforests are in Utah?” he said. “The most heavily forested part of the United States is theMid-Atlantic region and the Northeast, and they know that.”

Utah’sforests cover onethird of the state, according to astate forestry division publication. Maryland is 39% wooded, while forests cover half of themid-Atlantic region —from Maryland

to lower New York State and 58% to 89% of states in theNortheast.America’s forested lands are concentratedinthe South, Northeast, Lake States, Rocky Mountains and Pacific Coast, according to the Environmental Systems Research Institute,developer of the mapping tool ArcGIS An employee at the Baltimore officetoldThe Sun theyhavenot receivedany clear communications about when their office will close, or whether they will have to relocated to Utah or Colorado.

“This administration does not have alot of respect for civilservants, or science, or research,” said one employee who askedtoremain anonymous as she is notauthorized to speak with the media. “We’ve heard that pretty loud and clear from the political leaders. They have treated us like trash.”

Panel hears bill for CATS, BREC bank statements

Lawmaker says effort increases ‘accountability and transparency’

BY CLAIRE GRUNEWALD Staff writer

A Baton Rouge state representative is asking the Legislature to approve a bill that would require Baton Rouge’s parks and transit

agencies to submit bank statements to the auditor every month in an effort he says would increase “accountability and transparency.”

House Bill 204, by state Rep. Dixon McMakin, R-Baton Rouge, would require BREC and the Capital Area Transit System to submit statements to the Legislative Auditor’s Office every month. Right now they participate in the office’s annual audit.

The House Committee on Municipal, Parochial and Cultural Affairs heard the bill on Thursday

2026

After discussion, McMakin agreed to voluntarily defer the bill until the next committee meeting to potentially make adjustments based on input from other legislators. No date has been set yet for the committee meeting.

Originally, Baton Rouge’s Council on Aging was included in the bill, but it was removed during the

committee meeting. Rep. C. Denise Marcelle, D-Baton Rouge, asked to remove that part from the bill, saying it would be “redundant” for the council because it submits multiple financial reports a year McMakin said this bill would require financial reports to be posted online, making it easier for taxpayers to see how money is spent.

“This is an accountability and transparency bill,” he said.

The representative said as of right now, he doesn’t know if other local government agencies are un-

STIRRING SOMETHING UP

der a similar system. “I don’t mind being the first. Other parishes might follow our lead,” McMakin said.

Leaders of the transit and parks systems attended the committee meeting and answered questions about how finances are publicly shared and the potential workload of a monthly audit.

CATS CEO Theo Richards told the committee that most financial matters already go through board

Honduran man snared in sting pleads guilty

TV show caught attempt to meet with minor for sex

BY QUINN COFFMAN Staff writer

A Honduran man, arrested last year in a sting set up for Chris Hansen’s “TakeDown” streaming television show, pleaded guilty Monday in federal court to attempting to meet with a minor for sex.

William Alexander Ruiz Ponce,

Teen

fatally

CRIME BLOTTER staff reports

28, pleaded guilty to a count of attempted enticement of a minor and two counts of attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor

Ruiz Ponce was one of 11 suspects caught in a February 2025 series of stings conducted by the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, where undercover agents pose as minors in online chats. These “proactive investigations” seek to find child predators before they claim a victim. For each of the dozens of stings LPSO has conducted alongside

Hansen, suspected predators were directed to a home in Denham Springs where they believed they would be meeting up with a teenager for sex. According to a release from the U.S. Department of Justice, Ruiz Ponce is a Honduran national without legal authorization to be in the country

As part of his guilty plea, Ruiz Ponce admitted to having used social media and text messages to try to convince a person he believed to be a 14-year-old girl from Denham Springs into a sexual relationship with him.

Ruiz Ponce admitted to planning a meeting with the “girl” and traveling 35 minutes to Denham Springs to meet with “her” in February 2025. Ruiz Ponce’s conversation with the agent became more sexual after being told she was 14, according to a conversation between an LPSO detective and Hansen during the “TakeDown” episode that documented Ruiz Ponce’s arrest.

“It’s fine with me, send me more photos of you,” Ruiz Ponce reportedly texted the agent after being

ä See STING, page 8B

shot in BR on Wednesday night, police say

A 19-year-old man was fatally shot on a Baton Rouge street Wednesday night after he and his friends were fired on by a group of unknown people, Baton Rouge police said. Montrell Nover was identified as the victim, according to the Coroner’s Office.

Nover was outside his home in the 4500 block of Sycamore Street with a group of friends at 9:30 p.m. when an unknown group approached and be-

gan firing, then fled, police spokesperson Lt. L’Jean McKneely said. Nover died at the scene, McKneely said. Some in the victim’s group of friends began to fire back at the attackers, police said. Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (225) 344-7867. 19-year-old wanted in the rape of 16-year-old A man is wanted by police on accusations he drove a 16-year-old girl he met on Snapchat from her

house in Ethel to his apartment in downtown Baton Rouge and raped her Sean Patrick St. Cyr, 19, is wanted by the Baton Rouge Police Department on counts of thirddegree rape, misdemeanor carnal knowledge of a juvenile and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile. West Feliciana Parish sheriff’s deputies responded to a call about a runaway juvenile on March 1 off La 955 East and learned the victim went missing at 8:30 p.m., according to police. The victim left a note that said

she was leaving with St. Cyr, according to the arrest warrant. Several hours later, police returned to the residence. The victim had returned, but appeared to be under the influence of an unknown substance, according to the warrant. Police took her to a hospital for treatment, where a nurse confirmed she had injuries consistent with sexual assault and tested positive for a sexually transmitted infection, police said. According to the arrest warrant,

ä See BLOTTER, page 8B

BY ELLYN COUVILLION Staff writer

Eli Carr, center right watches Hendrix Reese touch the pool of the fountain with a stick as their family Brittney Dorsey, Melissa Jackson and Suporia Reese,

laugh while walking behind them at Perkins Rowe on Thursday.

ä See BILL, page 8B

Opelousas officer arrested, placed on

leave

She joinsothers involved in malfeasance investigation

BY STEPHENMARCANTEL

Staff writer

An Opelousas police officer who was recently arrested alongside the Mamou police chief and Ville Platte mayor was placed on administrativeleavelast week.

Opelousas Police Chief Graig LeBlanc confirmed Yolanda Lewis wasplaced on administrativeleave April 2due to an ongoing malfeasanceinvestigation

LeBlanc declined to commentonthe arrest.

Lewis was arrested TuesdayinaLouisiana State Police investigation into the use of government databases toshare protected information with adefendant in an ongoing criminal case.

The investigation resulted in thearrest of Mamou Police ChiefCharles “Pat” Hall and Ville Platte Mayor Ryan Leday Williams, along with three law enforcement officers

All five were released from jail sometime between Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning after bonding out.

On Tuesday,Lewis posted on social media following her release from the St. Landry Parish Jail, thanking people for birthday wishes and briefly responding to her arrest. Lewis was not immediately available for comment.

“Just pray for me through this time with what’sgoing on, and you know what’sgoing on.Idon’twanttohide nothing from nobody.I’m notashamed of nothing,” Lewis said. She faces charges of malfeasance and trespassing against state computers following aMarchrequest by the Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office to investigateallegations against several publicofficials, according to State Police.

During the investigation, detectives saidthe fivepublic officials accessed state and government computer databases and sharedsensitiveinformation from the systems with an arrested defendant regarding an ongoing criminal case.

Thedisclosed information included details about alleged victims in active investigations.

Twoother officers, Ville Platte policeSgt. Darrian Guillory and 911 dispatch officer Chasessica Basco, were arrested on the same counts. Guillory and Basco’s employment statusisunknown. Ville Platte Chief Perry Thomas and Evangeline Parish 911 Director Liz Hill were not available for comment. Lewis is well known in the Opelousas community and has gained alevel of viral fame on social mediafor herinteractions with Elijah Duplechain, an Opelousas child with Down syndrome.

Lewis was arrested in 2012 on accusationsofobstruction of justiceand malfeasance in office stemmingfrom an investigation into aconspiracy to commit felony theft while working at the Opelousas Police Department. She was arrested alongsideVille Platte police Officer NicholasFranks in an allegedconspiracyinvolving Lewis’ husband,Quinn Lewis, and at least three other people suspected of theft in Ville Platte. At the time, investigators found that Yolanda Lewis and Franks met withthe suspects and coached them into making statements that would keep Quinn Lewis out of jail.

Singletonhonored by MetroCouncil

DUNLAP

Damon Singleton speakswhile East Baton RougeParish Metro Council member DarrylHurst watches as Singleton is honored at the Metro Council meeting on Wednesday

Weatherforecaster hostsWakeUpBaton Rougevideos

Staff report

Damon Singleton, alongtime weather forecaster whoanchors the Wake Up BatonRouge and Wake Up NOLA online videos, was honored Wednesday at theEast Baton Rouge ParishMetroCouncil meeting for his service to thecommunity

Singleton was recognized for his contributions in the media and public safety “He hasbecomea trusted voice and source of credible information,” said council member Darryl Hurst, who presented Singleton with the honor,citing his role in keeping people safe during storms.

Hurst said Singleton has dedicated his life to public serviceasa U.S. naval officer,anROTC educator andnow as aforecaster andmedia

personality,“using his platform to inform, uplift andconnect communities across the region.”

Singleton thankedthe audience, quipping that he’d been in the building foranhour and ahalf and “haven’t heard one bad weatherman joke.”

He said he enjoys his role in keeping people “informed and aware” of weathereventsand thedangers they sometimes pose.

“I consider it aprivilege to be able to do this work, and I’m honored to be here,” he said.

Singleton delivers daily forecasts for Wake Up Baton Rouge, Wake Up NOLA andWakeUpAcadiana, weekday morning vertical video platforms from Georges Media Group on TheAdvocate.com and NOLA.com.

The platforms deliver news, weather,sports, dining tidbits, thedaily ClueDat puzzle and more through videos and email newsletters.

Wake Up Baton Rouge launched in February,and Wake Up NOLA in August. Wake Up Acadiana launched in Lafayette this week.

Boudin Fest ambassador brings messageofinclusion

Born with arare geneticdisorder, sheembodies ‘limitless,’ parentssay

BY JA’KORI MADISON Staff writer

At just5 yearsold, Olivia Miller has already captured heartsasthe first Limitless Little Ambassador for theScott Boudin Festival. The Limitless Little Ambassador role was createdtodemonstrate the power of inclusion. Born with CHARGE syndrome, arare genetic disorder that affectsher eyes, ears, heart and airway,Olivia’slife has been filledwith surgeries and therapies.

Yetdespite those challenges, her parentssay her happiness andresilience inspire everyone around her “She’salways happy,” said father PhillipMiller.“No matter what she’sgonethrough,she always radiates withajoy and it inspires us.”

Her mother,Alexis Miller,became emotional reflecting on her daughter’sjourney.“When Olivia wasborn, they never expected hertomake it this far,but shehas proved themwrong time and time again,” she said. “She truly is the most resilient and strongestperson Iknow. She embodiesthe word‘limitless.’” Festival officials couldn’tagree more, saying Olivia was chosen becauseshe embodies the festival’s spirit of community,inclusion and celebration.

LaurenSegura,boardmember and pageant director,said the inspiration behind therole was rooted in bothawareness and education.

“Wewanted to bring awareness to families and children withspecial needsand give ourqueensand ambassadors achance to learnfrom them,” Segura said. “Just because a childinteractswith theworld differently doesn’t diminish their val-

ue or abilitytoimpact others.”

For Olivia’s parents, this opportunityisachancetoshare herstory and reshape how others view children withdisabilities.

“When Ifirst found out Olivia was agirl, my heart fluttered at the idea of being agirl mom and putting her in pageants and dance classes,” Alexis Miller said. “When Ilearned abouther diagnosis, those dreams felt unattainable. But Ialways say Godisthe ultimate physician, and at the end of the day,hehas the final say.”

That dream has now comefull circle. Alexis Miller,who once held pageant titles herself, says watchingher daughter stepinto this role is something she will never take for granted.

“If people can see what she’s capableof, maybeitchanges how theysee other kids like her,” Phillip Miller said. “That’swhat this is really about.”

Olivia’spersonality shines in the simplest, most joyful ways. She loves being around people and is especially drawn to lightsand movement, often reacting instantly to theworld around her.Athome, she enjoys playing outside, swinging, watching “CuriousGeorge,” cuddling withher family and eating ice cream.

Butwhat truly sets her apart is her connection to others.

“She can feel thevibe of aroom,” Phillip Miller said. “Whether it’sa wedding or aquietspace, she reacts immediately.You can tell she understands more than people might think.”

Since being named ambassador,

Olivia’s story hasalreadytouched thousands.

“We’ve been completely blown away by the response and kindness from people across the state and even thecountry,” Alexis Miller said. “She’sreceived over 10,000 reactions, andevery time we go out, people recognize her.”

The family recently volunteered at the Acadia Parish Special Olympics, where strangers approached them with excitement.

“People were asking, ‘Is that the little famous queen from Facebook?’”AlexisMillersaid. “Seeing everyone interact with her story andshare such kindwords is exactly what this is all about.”

She saidthe support andprayers they’ve received over the years have carried them through someof their most difficult moments, and now this role is giving them aplatform to reach even morepeople.

“I alwaysknewmygirlwas special and that she would movemountains,” Phillip Miller said. “Now we get to share her with the world and show what it truly meanstobe‘limitless.’”

During the festival, Olivia will paradewiththe queens, meet attendees and represent amessage of acceptance and inclusion.

“Everyone should love everyone,” Alexis Miller said.“No matter color race, gender, disability, everyone should feel included and this role is doing just that.”

The 2026 Scott Boudin Festival will takeplace Fridaythrough Sunday.For more information on lineup, tickets, and parking, visit scottboudinfestival.com

BY JOHNPOPE

Contributing writer

Michael Fawer,a lawyer known for his outspoken advocacyonbehalf of such high-profileclients as former Gov.Edwin W. Edwards, former lawmaker Renee Gill Prattand the New Orleans businessman Aaron Mintz, has died. His death Wednesday was due to complications from kidney disease, according to Randall Smith,his longtime law partner.Hewas 90.

In addition to being renownedasa keen legal strategist, Fawer was known for his passionate courtroom demeanor,when he didn’t hesitate to takeonnot only opposing lawyers but also judges

“He was fierce,” Smith said. “He was avery driven guy.…Hewas afierce defender and afierce combatant, whether in thecourtroom or on thetenniscourt.”

“I thinkhewas born that way,”his son, JonathanFawer,said.“He grewupinNew York in theBronx.Itwas just innate, part of his character He was always passionate, even when we were talking. It washow he expressed himself. His friends loved him forthataspect.”

Fawer earned an undergraduatedegree at Cornell University and alaw degree at Columbia University

Although he was best known as adefense attorney,Fawer started his career as aprosecutor,workinginWashington, D.C., for theU.S. Justice Department’sOrganized Crime

andRacketeering Section, according to adeath notice. He servedasanassistant U.S. attorneyinthe SouthernDistrict of New York, andhewas namedchief of special prosecutions in 1965.

In the late 1960s, he was sent to New Orleans because theJustice Department was prosecuting associates of thereputed mafia boss CarlosMarcello.While in New Orleans, Fawer met Myrna Dahmer,whom he married.

The couple lived in New York Cityuntil 1971, when theymoved to New Orleans so he could join the firm of Kullman, Lang, Inman and Bee. Fawer sta rted his own practice in 1974, launching acareer lasting nearly ahalf-centuryin which he tried more than 100 cases.

“I think he wanted to be abig fish in alittle pond, Jonathan Fawer said.

Fawer’smost notable client was Edwards, whom he successfully defended in 1986 againstfraud charges related to theawardingof hospital licenses. The first trialendedina hungjury; the jury in the second trial acquitted him. But after Edwardswas charged with rigging the statelicensing of riverboat casinos, he hiredDaniel Small, aBoston lawyer who had specialized in white-collar criminal-defense work, less than three months be-

fore thetrial began.

Edwards was convicted on 17 counts, sentenced to 10 years in prisonand served eight.

Twoyears earlier,inprobably his mostsensational case,Fawer defended furniture-store executive AaronMintz. His wife, Palma Mintz, was found dead in her bed with agunshot wound. Aaron Mintz was charged with second-degree murder. Prosecutors said he madethe deathappear to be asuicide.

Smith saidthe 1984 trial was “the O.J. Simpson case of New Orleans.” After hearing seven days of testimony, ajury deliberated nearly five hours before acquitting Mintz. Throughout the trial, Fawer had argued that Palma Mintz had taken her own life, pointing outthatshe had suffered from depression and planned her death. Moreover,hesaid, the Orleans Parish District Attorney’sOffice hadn’tinvestigated her deathproperly Fawer was not so successful when he represented Gill Pratt, who had served in the Legislature andonthe New Orleans CityCouncil She had been charged with participating in aconspiracy that looted more than $1 million from sham charities that she had helped create. Fawer conceded that his client had routed the money to thegroups, but he said she had no knowledge that otherswere skimming the money,regardlessofwhat the prosecution’s heapsof documentsclaimed.

“Throwing thousands of pieces of paper at youdoes not acrimemake,” he said. The jurors in the first trial were unable to reach averdict. But in asecond trial, in July 2011, Gill Pratt was convicted and sentenced to four years in prison.

Afuneral will be held Fridayatnoon at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home, 5100 PontchartrainBlvd. Visitation will begin at 10:30 a.m. Burial will be private. Contact JohnPopeat pinckelopes@gmail.com.

Fawer also took on the case of Curtis Kyles, who had been booked with firstdegree murderinthe 1984 slaying of Delores “Dee” Dye,who wasshot while loading groceries into her car The first trialendedwith ahungjury; the jury in the second trial convicted Kyles of first-degree murderand sentenced him to death. But the U.S. SupremeCourt threw out the conviction and sentence, citing prosecutorial misconduct.By that time, Kyleshad finished serving aseparate sentence forarmedrobbery but remained in custody on the murder charge. Like the juries in Kyles’ previous trials, this panel wasdeadlocked,too, and OrleansParish DistrictAttorney Harry Connick announced he was dropping the case. For his work on this case Fawerreceivedthe Sam DaltonCapital Advocacy Award from the Louisiana Association of Criminal Trial Lawyers. Fawer retired in 2018 and wrote amemoir,“From the Bronx to the Bayou.” He also took coursesatTulane and Loyola universities and studied Yiddish online. Afounding memberofthe Northshore Jewish Congregation,Fawer wasits president and alongtime trustee. He wasmarried three times, to Myrna Dahmer Fawer, VickiBouvier Fawer and Cindy Fawer His first twowives survive him, as do MerryMcSwain, his companion; Jonathan Fawer and Melanie Fawer, his children by his first marriage; Alexandra Livaudais andJessica Amacker, his children by his second marriage; and seven grandchildren.

STAFF PHOTO By MIKE

PHOTO PROVIDED

Olivia Miller is the Scott Boudin Festival’s first Limitless Little Ambassador

BUSINESS

U.S. stocks rise but oil prices trim their gains

Inflation gauge rose before war

NEW YORK U.S. stocks rose Thursday, even though oil prices did too, as financial markets moved more modestly a day after surging on optimism about a ceasefire in the war with Iran.

The morning began with moderate losses for Wall Street following drops for Asian and European stocks.

But the S&P 500 erased its dip and finished with a 0.6% gain after Israel’s prime minister authorized direct negotiations with Lebanon. That eased worries that the two-week ceasefire announced late Tuesday may already be in trouble because of Israel’s bombardment of Lebanon.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 275 points, or 0.6%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 0.8% after both indexes likewise recovered from early losses.

Crude oil prices pared some of their gains, but they nevertheless remained higher for the day on uncertainty about when oil tankers can start fully flowing through the Strait of Hormuz. The narrow waterway has been at the center of President Donald Trump’s demands of Iran, and blockages there have kept oil and natural gas stuck in the Persian Gulf and away from customers worldwide.

Long-term mortgage rate eases to 6.37%

The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate eased this week, a modest relief for prospective homebuyers who have been facing higher borrowing costs as mortgage rates climbed to the highest level in nearly seven months

The benchmark 30-year fixed rate mortgage rate dropped to 6.37% from 6.46% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday One year ago, the rate averaged 6.62%.

This week’s decline in rates follows five straight increases. When mortgage rates rise they can add hundreds of dollars a month in costs for home shoppers, limiting what they can afford to buy

The average rate is now back to roughly where it was two weeks ago. Meanwhile, borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, popular with homeowners refinancing their home loans, also eased this week. That average rate dropped to 5.74% from 5.77% last week. A year ago, it was at 5.82%, Freddie Mac said. Mortgage rates are influenced by several factors, from the Federal Reserve’s interest rate policy decisions to bond market investors’ expectations for the economy and inflation. U.S. economy grows at sluggish 0.5% pace

WASHINGTON The American economy, slowed by last fall’s 43-day government shutdown, grew at a sluggish 0.5% annual pace from October through December the Commerce Department reported Thursday in downgrade of its previous estimate.

U.S. gross domestic product the nation’s output of goods and services — decelerated in the fourth quarter after registering impressive growth of 4.4% from July through September and 3.8% from April through June. The latest number was marked down from the Commerce Department’s previous estimate of 0.7% fourthquarter growth. Federal government spending and investment fell at a 16.6% annual pace because of the shutdown, lopping 1.16 percentage points off fourth-quarter GDP growth. Consumer spending expanded 1.9%, down a notch from the previous estimate and from 3.5% in the second quarter Spending on goods such as cars and clothing grew just 0.3%, down from 3% in the July-September period For all of 2025, the economy grew 2.1% last year, slower than 2.8% in 2024 and 2.9% in 2023 BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

Costs were elevated even before conflict, measure indicates

BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP economics writer

WASHINGTON — A key measure of inflation stayed high in February, before the war in Iran spiked gas prices, a sign that everyday costs were elevated even before the conflict began. An inflation gauge monitored by the Federal Reserve rose 0.4% in February from January, up

slightly from the previous month. Compared with a year ago, prices rose 2.8%, the same as January Thursday’s data was delayed by a backlog of economic reports created by the six-week government shutdown last fall.

Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core inflation also rose 0.4% in February from January, and it was 3% higher than a year earlier The annual figure is slightly below January’s reading of 3.1%.

Still, the monthly increases are at a pace that if continued for a whole year, would easily top the Fed’s 2% inflation target.

“Consumer inflation was firming even prior to the outbreak of war in the Middle East, and it is primed to jump sharply higher in March,” Kathy Bostjancic, chief economist at Nationwide, wrote in a client note. “Even if a long-lasting deal to end the war is reached and the Strait of Hormuz is fully reopened, it would take months for oil, gasoline, diesel and other commodity supplies to snap back to prewar levels and thus for prices to settle back to preconflict levels.”

Thursday’s report is largely a warm-up for the more important inflation data to be released Friday,

when the government will publish the higher-profile consumer price index for March. The Friday report will be the first to reflect the impact of the gas price spike from the Iran war Economists forecast it will show a big increase of 0.9% just in March from February, and a 3.4% gain from a year earlier The annual figure would be a big increase from 2.4% in February

The large jump in inflation in March will heighten concerns at the Fed that prices are moving further away from their inflation target and make it much less likely the central bank will cut rates anytime soon.

Travelers face higher costs, fewer options as jet fuel prices swing

BY RIO YAMAT AP airlines and

travel

writer

A new reality is setting in for travelers worldwide: rising fees, fewer flight options and difficult decisions about whether a trip is worth the cost.

The culprit is volatile oil and jet fuel prices, which have spiked sharply since the war in the Middle East began and fighting near the narrow Strait of Hormuz created a chokepoint for global oil supplies.

“Volatility is the real story here,” said Shye Gilad, a former airline captain who now teaches at Georgetown University’s business school “Right now, the airlines are trying to make bets on what they think will happen in the future.”

Airlines are responding cautiously, trimming schedules and adjusting prices in ways that experts say will ripple unevenly across the market but ultimately affect nearly every type of traveler

Budget airlines and the price-conscious customers who rely on them are likely to feel the pinch first and most acutely, experts say, but even travelers in premium cabins won’t escape the higher prices and less convenient

schedules.

Oil prices have swung wildly in recent weeks, briefly topping $119 a barrel at one point, plunging Wednesday below $95 on news of a two-week ceasefire that temporarily reopened the Strait of Hormuz, and then climbing back toward $100 on Thursday as uncertainty over the fragile deal grew Iran again closed the key artery for global oil shipments in response to Israeli strikes Wednesday in Lebanon.

“When prices move quickly in both directions, it’s very hard for airlines to make predictions,” Gilad said. “That’s why there’s a lag between oil market moves and what passengers see in ticket prices.”

In other words, even when oil prices drop, travelers may not see relief right away. Gilad said airlines can take months, sometimes even up to a year, to adjust prices as they wait for energy markets to stabilize.

“At this level of fuel, it’s hard to call anything temporary,” Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian told reporters this week after the Atlanta-based carrier raised its checked baggage fees.

Bastian said Wednesday as Delta kicked off the earnings season for U.S. airlines that the

higher fuel prices are expected to add $2 billion in operating expenses in the second quarter alone. United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said in a recent memo to staff that if jet fuel prices stay elevated, it would mean an additional $11 billion in annual costs. That’s more than double what United earned in its most profitable year

“For perspective,” Kirby wrote, “in United’s best year ever, we made less than $5B.”

According to the International Air Transport Association, the average global jet fuel price rose to $209 per barrel last week, up from roughly $99 at the end of February when the war started Travelers from the U.S. to Hong Kong and New Delhi are paying the price.

U.S. carriers are embedding the higher operating costs into ticket prices and add-on fees. Delta, United, Southwest Airlines and JetBlue have all increased their checked baggage fees. United has moved beyond add-ons to adjust pricing in its front cabins. The carrier said last week it is bringing the “pay for what you want” approach already standard in economy to its premium cabins, turning perks like advanced seat selection and fully refundable tickets into optional extras.

Polymarket bets tied to Iran war draw calls for investigations

BY KEN SWEET Associated Press

NEW YORK Calls are increasing inside Congress for investigations into the prediction market platform Polymarket after the latest instance where groups of anonymous traders made strategic, well-timed bets on a major geopolitical event hours before it occurred. On Wednesday, The Associated Press reported that at least 50 brand new accounts on Polymarket placed substantial bets on a U.S.-Iran ceasefire in the hours, even minutes, before President

Donald Trump announced the ceasefire late Tuesday on social media. These were the sole bets made on Polymarket through these accounts. In January, an anonymous Polymarket user made a $400,000 profit by betting that Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro would be out of office, hours before Maduro was captured. In the hours before the start of the Iran war another account made roughly $550,000 in a series of trades effectively betting that the U.S. would strike Iran and that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would be removed from office. Such prescient wagers have

raised eyebrows — and accusations that prediction markets are ripe for insider trading. And the issue goes beyond these three geopolitical events, according to at least one report. Researchers at Harvard University released a paper last month where, using public blockchain data, they estimated that $143 million in profits have been made on Polymarket by individuals who potentially had insider information about events ranging from Taylor Swift’s engagement to the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize last year Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y who sits on the House Financial Ser-

vices Committee as well as the subcommittee on digital assets and financial technology, sent a letter Thursday to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission demanding the regulator review and investigate these well-timed trades. The CFTC regulates the derivatives markets, which includes prediction markets.

“This pattern raises serious concerns that certain market participants may have had access to material nonpublic information regarding a market-moving geopolitical event,” Torres wrote The letter was shared exclusively with The AP

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By SETH WENIG

March 30 at LaGuardia Airport in New york

Cook,Albert Melancon FuneralHome, 108 N LexingtonAve. at 6:30 p.m.

Faucette Jr., Lee

St.AlphonsusLiguoriCatholic Church,14040 GreenwellSprings Road in Greenwell Springs,atnoon.

Fournier Jr., John AcaciaChurch, 10051SiegenLane, BatonRouge,Louisianaat2pm

Gelpi, Mary

St.GeorgeCatholicChurch,7808 St George Dr BatonRouge,LAat11am.

Hardin,Curtis

Greenoaks FuneralHome, 9595 Florida Blvd., BatonRouge,LAat 11am Richardson Jr., Jesse NewLight Missionary Baptist Church,650 Blount Road,atnoon.

Ruth,Gerard

OurLadyofMercy Catholic Church 445 MarquetteAvenue,at10a.m

SchlechtSr.,David

St.John theBaptistCatholic Church 402 SouthKirklandDrive in Brusly,at

10 a.m.

Scioneaux, Tommy

St.ElizabethCatholic Church in Paincourtville,LAat11:30am.

Toural Sr., Daniel LouisianaNationalCemeteryin Zacharyat1 p.m

Wright,Vernon Unitarian Church of BatonRouge at 10 a.m.

Obituaries

Bass, Haywood G.

Haywood GBass of Baton Rouge,La. passed away March 19, 2026 of natural causes. Visitation will be Monday, April 13 at 10:00AM. Funeral services 11:00 AM at Broadmoor PresbyterianChurch, 9340 Florida Blvd., Baton Rouge, La. Full obituary at Greenoaks Funeral Home site.

Battieste, Eric Reynolds

Eric RBattieste Sr also lovingly called "Eric B" was aWonderful Loved man and He will truly be missed.

Visitation 9am. Afuneral service will be held at 10:00 AM on 2026-04-11atHall Davis and Son, 9348 Scenic Hwy.

Bozeman, Virginia Baker 'Nell' God called Nell home on April 6, 2026 and she is rejoicing with her loved ones already in Heaven. She

was bornonDecember 10, 1939 two daysbeforeher highschoolsweetheart and husband of 41 years, Ike Bozeman, Jr.Ikieprecededher in death. She waspreceded in deathby her son C.O. Bozemanand her grandson AlexRyan "Cowboy" Bozeman. Nell and Alex or "Al" as she calledhim had an extra special relationship. Daughter of Percy and Margaret Bakerand daughter-in-law of Ike and RuthBozeman. Also preceded in death by her sistersCarol AnnBaker,Betty Jo BakerMayfield, and Brenda Bozeman Caldwell Sheissurvived by her daughter Jennie Lynn Bozeman who had the pleasure of sharing ahome with her. Nell wasbeyond compare as amama to Jennie Lynn and C.O.and as amaw maw to Alexand allhis friends. She wasa lifetime resident of Zachary and alifelong memberofZachary United MethodistChurch where she met Ikie in Sunday School as young children. Shealsoworshipped at Bethany Church with her daughter the past twenty years. Specialthanks to Catina Dunaway her former daughter-in-law who visited weekly helping with anything she needed. Specialthanks to her cherished friend and nurse Melanie Vicellio,RN. Much appreciationtoDr. Andrew Kuyoyo, ChaplainatHospice of Baton Rouge,with whom she enjoyed much spiritualencouragement scripture, prayer,and laughter.Nellrequested that Chaplain Andrew speak at her Graveside Service on Friday, April10, at 2:00. Azalea Rest Cemetery, 5140LA-964, Zachary. Nell truly was God's Special Servant and will be foreverloved and missed by allwho knew her

Cook,AlbertLeo 'Al' To view Al'sobituary in full, please visit www.mela nconfunerals.comA visitation willbeheldfrom3:30 PM to 8:00 PM on 2026-0410 at MelanconFuneral Home, 108 NLexington Ave.

Aservicewillbeheld from 6:30PMto7:30 PM on 2026-04-10 at MelanconFuneral Home ,108 NLexington Ave.

DeLatte, Joseph Ramie

Joseph Ramie DeLatte, Sr. passed awaypeacefully on April 7, 2026.Hewas bornonMay 1, 1931,in Livonia, Louisiana,toJohn

DeLatte and VirginiaDeLatte.Joseph proudly served his country in the United States Marine Corps, enlisting in June of 1948 in NewOrleans, Louisiana. He achieved the rank of Staff Sergeant before being honorably discharged on June 15, 1951, at Camp Lejeune,North Carolina. Josephmarried theloveofhis life,Mary, in 1954. Josephworked for UnitedStates Steel, where he dedicated35years of hard workbefore retiring. He was also afaithful member of St.Martin of Tours CatholicChurch in Forney, Texas, and aproud member of the Knights of Columbus. Josephissurvivedbyhis wife, Mary; his sons, JosephJr.,Michael, and Brent;his brother Franklin; his brother,Elmo; and hissisters, Jerry, Betty, Susie, and Peggy. He also leavesbehindnine grandchildrenand nine great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Karen; his parents, John and Virginia DeLatte; his brothers, Douglas and John Jr.; hissister Mary; and his sister, Doris. Aservicehonoring Joseph's life will be held at St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church at 10:00am on April 28th, 2026, followedbya privateinterment at DFW NationalCemetery.Inlieu of flowers,the family kindly requests donations be madetothe Knights of Columbus, Council 13133, District 107, Assembly 3786, Forney, Texas

MaryIrma Lee

Mary Irma LeeLeRay Hill,known as "Tootie," passed away on April 8, 2026 at theage of 83. She wasa Third Order of Mary Member and committed her life to serving God, her family,and others. She was born in Brusly, La to Brantley LeRay and IdaLee Thibodeaux LeRay on April 18, 1942. She waspreceded in death by her parents and brother, J.B."Sonny" LeRay Jr.She is survived by her loving and devoted husband of 61 years, Ralph; their children, Susan, Gerard,Ann Marie grandchildren, Kate, James, and Luke. She will be entombed in St.John theBaptist Catholic Church Mausoleum in Brusly.

Jeremy Michael Klibert entered into thewarmth and comforting embrace of his Lord and Savioron April3,2026. Jeremy was a loving husband,father, brother, and sonwho left a lasting impressionand smiling memories foreveryonehemet.A resident of Prairieville, Louisiana, he was preceded in death by hisfather and best friend, Jeffrey "Bodean" Klibert.Heissurvived by theloves of his life,his wife, Liz, son, Jacksonand Burreaux (family dog). He is also survivedbyhis Maw Maw Rose, his mother,Carolyn; brother, Shawn &wife,Natalie; sister, Jenny March &husband, Justin. Jeremy was a centerpiecetoa largeand loving family that included his in-laws, Jimmy &Kay Stelly; brothers and sisters -in-law: Chris& Lindsey Stelly and Josh &Ann Kleinpeter. Numerous nieces and nephews: Logan &Ava Klibert,Teegan March, Caleb,Landry, Andrew &Mary Kleinpeter, Alexander &Claire Stelly and Isabella &SophiaStelly.Jeremywas aproud ParantoBrayden Bessinger &Ava Klibert.He is survivedbynumerous aunts, uncles, cousins and toomany friendstoname, allofwhom he loveddearly.Healso leavesbehind his workfamily as apartner with Faulk& Winklerin Baton Rouge Jeremy willbememorialized and laid to rest on Saturday, April11thatSt. John theEvangelist CatholicChurch, 15208 Highway 73, Prairieville, Louisiana. Visitation will be held from 9:30 am to 12:00 pm,followedbya Mass of ChristianBurial at 12:00 pm. Final restingwillbeat SerenityOaks Memorial Park,15304 Hwy 73, Prairieville In lieu of flowers,please considerdonating to the SJP/STARenewing our Faith, Building our Future Capital Campaign https://s tjohnprimarysttheresamid dle.factsmgtadmin.com/gi ve or by contacting Edith "Duke" Soulierdukesoulier@sjp-sta.org.

Meyer, Devin Michael 'Hitman'

DevinMeyer on Sunday, April 5, 2026. SonofLola Meyer Hyde and thelateAlbertTebault Stepson of Kenyetta Tebault. Husband of Sofia Gonzalez-Rojas Meyer. FatherofAdrian Meyerand Deon Meyer. Brother of Keniesha Meyer-Taylor,Logan Tebault andSaylor Tebault. God Sonof Charles Taylor.Alsosurvived by ahostofnieces, nephews, cousins, other relativesand friends.Age 29 years. Anative of Hahnville, LA andresident of Kenner,LA. Relativesand friends of thefamilyare invited to attendthe Masonic service at Robottom Mortuary, 850 Hwy44(River Road), Reserve, LA on Saturday, April 11, 2026 at 12:00 NOON. Justin Cuter, Officiating.Interment St John Memorial Garden Cemetery,LaPlace, LA.Visitationatthe above named funeral home from 11:00 AM untilservice time.SERVICED BY ROBOTTOM

It is with deep love and gratitude that we announce thepassing of GloriaStaempfli Magee. Ms. Gloria died peacefullyat theage of 94 on March20, 2026. The seconddaughter of Alcusand Matilda Staempfli born in NewOrleansLa, July 6,1931. Precededindeathbyhusband LeRoy Magee, son Dr LawrenceMagee, daughter Sharon Mageeand sister PaulineStaempfli Morgan. Survivedbydaughters Deborah M. (Glenn) Estapa of Dallas TX. Barbara M. Gagneaux, Zachary, LA Mary Ellen "Ellie"Millerof ZacharyLA. Many Grandchildren, great grandchildren andgreat-great grandchildren, cousins, nieces andnephews. Ms. Gloria graduated from Our Lady of theLake Regional Medical RN Programin 1976 and retiredasHeadof theICU at LaneMemorial Hospital, ZacharyLAin 1996. Ms. Gloria's presence andskilledcarebrought comfortand healing to those in need.Upon retirementher passion for nursingallowed hertocarefor membersofher ownfamily as they were befallen with theirown medical needs. She enjoyed adventurous travel, cruises, long road trips with herfamily as well as dinner anda movie. Later in life sheenjoyed guestswho would come by unexpectedly just to sit and reminisceabout herchildhood andraising herfamilyall over Louisiana. Ms. Glorialived life on herterms. Shewas strong-willed, andunafraid to speak hermind. Those whoknewher understood herdirectnatureand the resilienceshe learned as a young childtocarryher through nearly acentury of life. She leaves behind so manymemories, carried on by herlarge family, friends, and all those fortunate enough to have known her. She willbe deeply missed and forever remembered. AMass of Christian Burial will begin on Saturday April 11th, 10:30 am at St.Johnthe Baptist Catholic Church 4826 Main Street,Zachary, Fr. Lamar Partin will celebrate theMass. Recitation of TheRosary will begin at 9:15 am prior to Mass. Inurnment will follow at AzaleaRestCemetery.Share memories at www.CharletF

CecilBoyce Moore,age 94, passed away on Tuesday, April 7, 2026. He was born on June 10th, 1931, to Robert Britt Moore Sr.and Vesta Wright Craft Moore He graduated from Pine Grove High School. He proudlyservedinthe United States AirForce, followed by an eightyear stint of dairy farming, then 37.5 years with Ethyl Corporation. Upon itsclosing, he wasthe last employee to leave theplant. He is survived by his wife of 75 years, Paula Mae SibleyMoore,son Donald Boyce(Pam), daughter Paula Jean Chavers(Keith), daughterLinda Sue Johnson(John Keith).Hehad seven grand-children:

Klibert,JeremyM.

Magee, Gloria Staempfli

Hill,

LeRay 'Tootie'

Moore,Cecil Boyce

Rachel, April,David, Bobby(BB),Nikki, Summer,Tobin. He had sixteen greatgrandchildren whom he loveddearly.

Visitation will be Friday, April 10th, 9:00-11:00.Service at 11:00 withburial in Craft Family Cemetery. He is preceded in death by his parents Robert Britt Moore Sr. and Vesta Craft Moore, and his brother Robert Britt Moore Jr Verse in his journal, Psalms 46:10, He says, "Be still, and know that Iam God; Iwill be exalted among the nations, Iwill be exalted in the earth."

Pankey, George Atkinson

George Atkinson Pankey, MD,affectionately known as "Kin," passed away at St. Anna's at Lambeth House in New Orleans, LA, on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, at the age of 92. Aloving and devoted husband, father, grandfather,mentor, and friend, Kin leaves behind aprofoundlegacy of medical excellence and familial devotion. Anative of Ruston, LA, and alongtime resident of New Orleans, he was preceded in death by his parents, Annabel AtkinsonPankey and George Edward Pankey; his first wife, Anne Schillin Pankey; and his second wife, Patricia Carreras Pankey. He is survived by his daughters, SusanPankey Ives (Charles) of New Orleans and Laura Pankey Nel (Charles) of London, UK; his sons, Stephen Charles Pankey of Frankfort, KY, and Dr. Edward Atkinson Pankey (Aisha) of Massillon, OH; and his beloved grandchildren,Conrad Squire Nel, Jennifer Anne Nel, and NainaRahman. After graduating from RustonHigh School, Kin attended Louisiana Tech University before transferring to Tulane University, where he earned aBachelor of Science in 1954 and his Doctor of Medicine in 1957. He completed his internship and residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Minnesota Hospitalsin

1960,followed by aMaster of Science in Internal Medicine,Microbiology, and Immunology in 1961. Kinbegan his career in New Orleans in 1961 as a full-time instructor in InternalMedicine and InfectiousDisease at Tulane University School of Medicine.In1963, he began his careeratOchsner Clinic as aconsultant in infectiousdisease, wherehe wouldremainfor the duration of his medical career and life. Kin was known as an expert diagnostician, revered for his relentless dedicationtosolving difficult medical dilemmas and treatinghis patients with unwavering compassion. A true pioneer, he was one of the first physicians in the country to become boardcertifiedinInfectious Diseases in 1972.AtOchsner, he founded the Section of Infectious Diseases and later establishedthe officialdepartmentand its Fellowship Training Program, serving as DepartmentChairand Program Director from 1972 to 1994. Kin's contributions extended well beyond the Ochsner Clinic andHospital. He was co-founderof the NewOrleans Citywide Infectious Disease Conference, awell-attended eventwhich serves to foster collaborationand educationamong the infectiousdisease departments of hospitals in the greater NewOrleansarea. Throughouthis career, Kin contributed to various local,national,and international committeesand boards, activelyshaping policy to advance the development and implementation of strategiesfor the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of infectious diseases. He wasfrequentlyinvited to serve as a speaker, presenter, exhibitor, andpanelistatlocal,national,and international conferences. He was actively involvedinnumerous clinical trials that produced many of the therapeutic treatments used today. Kin also maintained an activecommitment to bench laboratory research. He establishedand selffunded The Infectious Disease Research Laboratory at Ochsner in 1999 to support his research, which remains active to this day pursuing the goalofdevelopingand validating an in vitro methodfor the rapid determinationofsynergy between two or more antimicrobialagentsagainst multi-drug-resistant bactei d f i hi h

riaand fungi.Thisresearch helpstocombat anti-microbial resistance and evaluate rapid diagnosisof infectious disease. Throughout his career Kin held appointmentsatTulane University School of Medicine and Louisiana StateUniversity School of Dentistry. He was Senior Visiting Physician at Charity Hospital in NewOrleans, served as Consultant Physician with theDepartment of Medicine,Veterans AdministrationMedical Center in Biloxi,MS, and numerous otherinstitutions. The designationof Master of theAmerican College of Physicians in 2002, Ochsner's Lifetime Achievement Awardin 2022, theAmerican Medical AssociationPhysician Recognition Award 19781981, theClinician Award fromthe Infectious DiseaseSociety of America 1996, Tulane Medical Alumni Association's Outstanding Alumnus Award in 2015 are some of themostprestigious accolades he received.Kin was aproud member of the KappaAlphaFraternity, theEmpire Club, The HuguenotSociety, Sons of theAmerican Revolutionand a32nd degree Master Mason in Louisiana Lodge#102, Free and AcceptedMasons. Attending almost every home game, Kinwas a dedicatedSaintsfan and heldseason ticketsfrom thefranchise's very beginning.Heloved agood book, aglass of wine, and alivelygame of bridge.His home was always filled with music, from 50s and 60s classicstothe tropical sounds of Jimmy Buffett. Most of all, he lovedbeing with hisfamily,especially when traveling.Heand his belovedwife,Pat,shared theadventures of their lifetimes together on two world cruises. We who mournthe passing of Kin are forever grateful forhis friendship, compassion, love,and support. Our familywouldliketothank the Passionate Care team and Saint Anna's staff forthe remarkable care givento Kin. Theircompassionand dedication madea difference we will never forget Visitation willbeheldat Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home at 5100 PontchartrainBlvd. on Friday, April 10thfrom 4:00 to 7:00 pm. Funeral services and interment will be private.Inlieu of flowers,donations can be madetothe Pankey Family Caregiver Support Fund at Ochsnerbyvisiting

https://www.ochsner.org/ pankey. The family invitesyou to share your thoughts,fond memories,and condolences online at www.lakel awnmetairie.com

Percy, Patricia

PatriciaAnn Lousteau

Percy was born on June 3, 1949 in NewOrleans, Louisiana to A.J. and Fabienne Lousteau. The eldest of nine children, Pattigrew up in Gonzales, Louisiana and graduated fromSt. Joseph's Academy. She attendedLouisiana State University, where she met and married Robert Ryland Percy,III Despiterepeatedly stating she didn't want to have children, Ryland wore her down and they welcomed five children, with Tess and Ben being born on Guam during Ryland's United States Navy deployment.Upon returning stateside, Ryland and Patti returned to BatonRouge forRyland to enter law school, before ultimately moving to Gonzales, where they welcomedColin, Adam and Matthewinto thefamily

Pattiworkedasa homemaker, art teacheratLa Maison desEnfants, receptionist at Lousteau Ford, and illustrator at Ragsland Clothing.

Her truetalent was in art, with her numerous painting,sewing and knitting projectsalways on display. In 1991, PattireturnedtoLSU to obtain her degree in Interior Design whilefighting cancer at thesame time. Her eyefor designand color was amazing.Itshouldalso be noted she was frequently referred to as "Dr. Patti" withinthe family dueto her "extensive"medical knowledge.She was never afraid to trya new endeavor,whether it be coaching

boys' soccer or playing tennis, which all found amusing as shehated both sportsand goingoutside. But what Patti trulyloved washer family. Just two days before herpassing she and Ryland celebrated 56 years of marriage. She wasproud of herchildren andtheir spousesand was especially in love with eachofher grandchildren Sheknewhow to filla home with food andlaughter, wasanamazing gift giver and wasalways ready to give advice telling you exactlywhat she thoughtabouta situation.Her wit andcandor will be greatly missed. Patti is survived by her husband, Robert Ryland Percy, III,of56years; her daughterKatherine Tess PercyStromberg(Lee), BenjaminRylandPercy (Bethany), ColinAndrew Percy(Michele), Adam Conner Percy(Meredith) andMatthew Ian Percy (Kaylin). Sheisalso survivedbyher grandchildren:William, Ian and JamesPercy; Paige,Lily andCannon Percy; Hadley andCullenPercy; River andPoppyPercy, and Grayson,Finn andRowan Stromberg; as well as numeroussiblings andbrothersand sistersinlaw. The familywould like to especiallyrecognize herdear friend, DorisMartinez, and sister,Lee Klienpeter, who each showed such love andcompassion over the last several years. Visitation will be at St TheresaCatholic Church on April 11, 2026 at 8:30 AM,with the Funeral Mass to follow at 10:30 AM.The Committal Service will take place afterwardsat Serenity Oaks. In lieu of flowers, the familywould appreciate donationsmade to acharity of yourchoice.

Thevenot, Richard Curry'Dick'

Richard "Dick" Curry Thevenot, 92, alongtime residentofBaton Rouge, Louisiana, went home to be with his SavioronMonday, March23, 2026. Dick is survivedbyhis beloved wife of 68 years, Pat Thevenot; his children Trentand Mary Pat,and Greg andJoniThevenot; hisgrandchildrenJohn Pauland Bristen,Jacob andErica, AnnMarieand Jake Salemi; andMickey andAshleigh,Jaclynand Tyler Deville,Jonathan Nellis, and Joseph andAllison Thevenot; hisfivegreatgrandchildren; hissiblings Beryl AnnBarnett, Marvin, Bruce, Steve,and Sharon Roth andmanyextended familymembersand friends -all whowill deeply miss him. Dickwas preceded in death by his father Gern Peter Thevenot, hismother Mavis Bruce Thevenot, his brotherRonald Gern Thevenot, andhis eldest son "Rick" Thevenot.Dick will be fondlyremembered for hissteadfast love,tenderspirit,quick-wittedhumor, captivating stories, andpassion for gardening Although soft spoken, he hada presence that litupa room andleft alastingimpression on anyone he met. Visitation willbeheld Saturday, April 11, 2026, from 12:30 p.m. until2:00 p.m. at ResthavenFuneral Home, 11817 Jefferson Hwy. Baton Rouge,LA 70816. Funeral serviceswill begin at 2:00 p.m. withPastor KenSpiveyofficiating. Intermentwill follow at ResthavenGardens of Memory.

OPINION

Building cageswon’t keep kids from beingkilled

On the title track of his 2016 album “4 Your Eyez Only” —and in the documentary he filmed partly in Baton Rouge —J.Cole raps as adead father writing aletter to the daughter he will never raise. The song indicts a system that chose prison when whatwas needed was education. It is an eight-minute elegy —and apolicy argument. And it is the song Ihave not been able to stop hearingsince March 8, when 8-year-old Davian Nicholas was shot and killed on San Juan Drive while agroup of young men turned an argument into ashootout in the same space where children play East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff Sid Gautreaux called it a“heartbreaking and senseless tragedy.” He was right.But heartbreak without analysis is just grief on repeat. If we want to understand why Davian is gone, we havetoexamine what we are building —and what we are re-

It’s time

Hagan

fusing to build —inthe neighborhoods where our children live. Here is what we are building: Gov.Jeff Landry’sproposed budget includes an $82 million increase for corrections and inmate housing, an 11% hike that pushes state spending in thatcategory to nearly $800 million. That money would help fund expansion at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, higher per diem payments to sheriffs and new juvenile detention capacity. Morebeds. More cages. More capacity to warehouse human beings only afterthe damage is done.

Here is what we are refusing to build: the community infrastructurethat actually keeps children alive.

Criminologist Robert Sampson’sresearch on collective efficacy —one of the mostrigorously tested theories in neighborhood violence prevention —has demonstrated for nearly three

decades that what protects children is not the lengthofa sentence handed down after a shooting.

It is thedepth of social cohesion in the neighborhood before acrime ever happens. When residentsknow each other,trust each other and are willing to interveneonbehalf of each other’s children, violence goes down.

A2022 study published in PNAS Nexus showed that collective efficacy literally buffers children’sbraindevelopment against the neurological impact of gun violence exposure. Other research,including workinNew Orleans, shows that neighborhood trust andcohesion shape how violent crime touches children’sdevelopment and daily lives.This is not abstract theory This is Louisiana-connected data telling us what works Butcollective efficacy requires adults —present, stable, connected adults— in thecommunity. Andthat is precisely what mass incarceration destroys.

forCongress to supportthe fight againstParkinson’s

From the time Icould push alawn mower at age 12, Iworked. Sometimes two or three jobs at once. Work meant freedom to me. If Iwanted something, Iearned it.

After three semesters of college, Ijoined the U.S. Navy.Serving aboard afastattack submarine in my early 20s, Iwas responsible for chemical analysis of reactor systems, maintaining radiation exposure records for the entire crewand managing the disposal of contaminated waste during deployments. It was agreat deal of responsibility for someone so young, and Itook pride in the work.

cated myself to Parkinson’sadvocacy

Louisiana incarceratespeople at one of the highest rates in the world. When we remove that many parents, mentors, neighborsand wage earners from a neighborhood,wedonot make it safer.Wetear apart the social fabric that produces safety Research publishedinJAMA Surgeryin2024 found thathigher incarcerationrates in Black communitieswereassociated with higher firearmhomicide rates —and thatsingle-parent households created by incarceration mediated nearly aquarter of thateffect. The very fracture mass incarceration causesisthe mechanismthrough whichthe next shooting becomes possible.

This is why state Rep. BarbaraFreiberg’sHouse Bill 168 matters. Her bill would create atransitional reentry program for women on parole —manyof whom are mothers responsible for minor children. Gender-responsive reentry programs have been shown to be roughly

40% more effective at reducing recidivism thanone-size-fits-all approaches.Community supervisioncosts on the order of a few thousand dollars ayear per person. Aprisonbed can cost10 timesthat. Fora fraction of what Louisiana is pouring into cages, HB168 offers ablueprint for stabilizing the families and neighborhoodsthatprotect children like Davian.

J. Cole wrote adead man’s lettertoafatherless daughter because the systemchose punishment over possibility.Davian Nicholas should be finishing third grade

The questionLouisiana must answerisnot whether we are tough enough on crime. It is whether we arewise enough andhonestenough —tofund what the evidencealready tells us actually works.

Andrea Haganisa criminology instructor at Loyola University NewOrleans and founder of Pattern Hunters, LLC.

‘Lookback’ legislationcreates fairness forabuse victims

presume liability or impose automatic punishment; it simply restores the opportunity forclaims to be judged on their merits.

Ihaveserved on anational board for the Parkinson’sFoundation, been presidentof the Gulf Coast chapter andreceived recognition for the most volunteerhours in ayear among more than 5,000 volunteers. Randy LeBlanc and Ico-founded and run anonprofit in Baton Rouge called The Mission for Movement, where we apply everything that we’ve learned nationally to help people locally living with Parkinson’s.

After the Navy,Iworked as aradiation safety officerand later built an 18-year career as an operator at BASF Chemical Corporation. Iexpectedthat job to carry me through to retirement. Instead, unexplained symptomsbegan to appear It started afterareaction to blood pressure medication that sent me home from work. Fatigue, short-term memory problems,apathy andsevere leg cramps followed. Over the next 10 months, Isaw 13 specialistsand had more than 100 doctor andlab visitstrying to find answers.

Eventually,the investigation turned neurological. Ascan indicated Parkinson’s disease. When medication confirmed the response, my diagnosis was made.

Iwas 44 years old.

Ihad never not worked in my life Suddenly,Icouldn’twork at all. Ihad time to think, but very few answers. I feared my future.

Five months after my diagnosis, Iattended theParkinson’sPublic PolicyForum for the first time. Idrove16hours, wondering how Iwouldhandle walking into aconvention hall filled withpeople living with Parkinson’s. It turned out to be one of thebestdecisions of my life.

Isaw peoplefurther along in thedisease still advocating, still working, still helping others. They were doing things Iassumed Parkinson’swould make impossible. That experience showed me my life was not over —itsimply hada new direction.

Over the past 12 years, Ihave dedi-

Ibelieve my years of chemical exposure during my Navyservice andchemical industry career may have contributed to my diagnosis.

While definitive links to thespecific chemicals Ihandled are still being studied, they are similar in nature to substances like Paraquat and TCE chemicals already associated with Parkinson’srisk. Long-termexposure to even small amounts may have consequences.

Parkinson’sdisease is progressive and there is still no cure. Ihave been fortunate that my symptoms have progressedslowly,but eventually my abilities will decline. When that happens, I will rely on the advocacy of others.But until that day,Iwill not stop. That’swhy I’m headed to Washington, D.C.,toask Congress to take three concrete steps to address thegrowing Parkinson’scrisis in the United States. First, increasefederal funding for Parkinson’sresearch, treatment development, medications and prevention strategies. Second, fully implement the National PlantoEnd Parkinson’sAct

This bipartisan law has already been signed, but key steps —including convening theadvisory board —have yet to occur. Third, ban chemicals known to contribute to Parkinson’sdisease that have alreadybeen banned in other countries.

Parkinson’sisoften called a“silent disease”because one of itssymptomsis asoft or breathy voice. Butthe millions of Americansliving with Parkinson’s —and the millionsmore who will be diagnosed in the coming years —cannot afford to besilent.Weneed Congress to hearus.

Benjamin Bement is aformer president of the GulfCoast Chapter of the Parkinson’sFoundation.

Mostsurvivorsofchildhood sexual abuse do not come forward right away Many wait decades;some neverspeak up at all. Historically,the law has forced survivorstoact on atimeline that ignores what modern-day trauma research shows about survivorsofabuse.

The National Children’sAlliance reports that approximately one in four girls and one in 13 boys in the United States experience childhood sexual abuse.

The average age of disclosure often falls well into adulthood, frequently in someone’s30s, 40s, or even 50s. Yetstatutes of limitations assume survivorsreport immediately,orsoon thereafter,whichcreates barriers that prevent survivors from accessing thejustice system when they are ready.

Criticsargue thatevidence in decadesoldcases is toostale to support fair litigation. Yetcourts routinely handle casesinvolving events thatoccurredmanyyears earlier, andassessing witness credibility is acorejudicialfunction. Others claimrevivalstatutes areunconstitutional. However, revivalstatuteshave been repeatedly upheld, andlegislatures clearly have authority to modify limitationperiods in the interest of justice.

Louisiana’slookback windowcorrects that injustice. By reopening previously time-barred civil claims, the state has aligned its laws with modern trauma research and restored apathtoaccountability.States that have yet to do so should follow suit

Abuseoften involves grooming, coercion, secrecy and authority figures, and survivorsfrequently suppress or compartmentalizetheir trauma.Shame, fear of retaliation and institutional pressure further delay disclosure. Legal deadlines turned these realities intostructural barriers, denying survivorsaccess to the courts before they could meaningfully participate.

When thelaw says it’s too late to file a claim, the messagetosurvivors is devastating. Survivors who have carriedthe weight of abuse in silence fordecades are only to be toldtheir legal rights have expired before they can be heard.

Denying aforum compounds the original harm, which reinforces shame and isolation rather than accountability

Civil claims do more than provide individual redress; they expose patterns of abuse, promote transparencyand strengthen institutional safeguards. Litigation uncoverssystemicfailures, deters future misconduct and drives meaningful reform.

In 2021, theLouisiana Legislature enacted arevival window allowing survivorstobring previously time-barred civil claims, which Louisiana’sSupreme Court upheld in 2024. The windowisopenuntil June 14, 2027.

Temporary by design, it reopens claims while maintainingfairness: Courts still evaluate evidence, assess credibility and consider defenses. The law does not

Some contend thatthe law is unfair to institutions. But revival windows do not assign guilt; they require proof.These windows ensure claims areevaluated in court ratherthandismissed by the calendarona technicality

Louisiana demonstrates that legislative reform basedontrauma research is both legally sound andmorally necessary

Many statesstill impose rigid deadlines thatfailtoreflect modern understandings of trauma.Aligning law with science and fairness ensuressurvivors are notdenied justicesimply because they cameforward laterinlife Sincethe revivalwindowwent into effect, survivors have filed claimsagainst powerful institutions, including multiple lawsuits against the Diocese of Lafayette for decades-old abuse thatwould have hadnocivil remedy but forthis reform. In 2025 alone, at least adozen separate lawsuits were filed in Louisiana’s15thJudicialDistrict, bringing the total pending civil claims to about50since June 2024. These cases showexactly whatthe law was designedtodo: Give survivors their dayincourt, even when their voices were silenced for decades Justicerequiresbothcourage and flexibility fromlawmakers, courts and society. Survivors arenot asking for special treatment. Theyare asking to be heard. Louisiana’s lookback window restores access to justicewithout undermining fairness, proving thatdelayed disclosure should never mean deniedjustice. Other states should follow this example so thatsurvivors are no longerbarredfromhaving their day in court.

Whenthe lawfinally listens, justice is no longerout of reach. It is finally within grasp.

ReaganCharleston Thomasisan attorney basedinNew Orleans

ISSUE OF THE WEEK DRONE AS FIRST RESPONDER

As police departments across the countrylook forwaystocut response time and address staffing shortages, anew tool hasjoined the force —aerialdrones. Lawenforcementinmanycities are turning to these flying objects to keep an eye on suspects during chases,surveythe sceneofcrimes in progress, alertofficers to danger and evendetermine whether they need to deployresources.InLouisiana, Jefferson Parish is an earlyadopterofthis Drone as First Responder,or DFR, technology, and theresults have been impressive— withdrones assisting in 170 arrests in their first four months of operation. But not everyone isa fan. Privacy advocates raise concerns about dronesoverstepping constitutional protections.They wonder whethervideo captured by dronescouldbeused againstthose whohaven’t committed acrime, andtheysay that the programsare bound to expand without guardrails in place.Are drones the future of policing or the harbinger of anascent surveillance state? Here are twoperspectives:

Welcomedrones, ‘a new paradigm in policing’

The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office recently launched its Drone as First Responder,orDFR, program, reducing emergency response times to critical incidents. Current research indicates that a response time of one minute or less significantly increases the probabilityofon-scene arrests.

While aquick response is essential, the probabilityof arrestdrops dramatically if the response time exceeds five minutes. JPSO is proud of its average response time of four to six minutes, but every second we cut off that time makes us more effective.

themtomake decisions based on information they might not otherwise have.

Don’tsurrender privacy to dronesurveillance

Iamaware this technology does not come without privacy concerns. The idea that this technology could be misused is not foreign to me. Recent advances in camera technology and developments in artificial intelligence have put alot of information intoour hands

DFR operatorsmonitor the 911 system to quickly determine when a response is needed and take immediate action. Obviously,drones will never replacethe need for adeputyto respond to acall, but the ability to provide real-time intelligence to responding officers is truly agame-changer

Unlike traditional drone flights that require an on-scene operator tolaunch adrone, aDFR drone can be launched fromone of 23 fixed locations within Jefferson Parish in under 15 seconds and can travel 1.5 miles in under two minutes. Without the constraints of traffic and other factors, JPSOdrones can respond to acritical incident in 90 secondsorless.

Asingle operator canpilotuptofour drones at atime to either augment our response or makesure we always have adrone monitoring an incident scene.

JPSO drones provide ahigh-definition video feed to responding officers, enabling them to see what is happening before they arrive on scene. Drone operatorsare able to locatesubjects andidentify potential hazards that responding ground personnel might otherwise be unable to see.

JPSO drone operators are experienced first responderswith the ability to relay the right information to all responding patrol unitsonthe ground, providing vital intelligence to allow

We are not using that information to pryunnecessarily into your backyardcrawfish boils. We are, however,using it to arrest the person whoistrying to steal your crawfish pot Thatiswhat theDFR program does. It supports investigations and prosecutions.

By capturing crimes in progress, drone video footage can be used as evidence tosupportthe prosecution of suspects once cases reach thecourtroom. Our best method to prevent crime is tostop offendersthe first time,before they have thechance to commit their next crime.

We prevent crime tomorrow by stopping crimes that are happening today DFR is not about an officer quickly getting adrone to an incident,but rather adrone getting an officer to an incident quickly

Since the inception of theDFR program in early November 2025, JPSO has conducted well over 6,000 flights (over48flightsaday on average) and the technology has contributed to over 220 arrests and the recovery of 35 stolenvehicles and 18 firearms. Theresults speak volumes.

DFR is truly anew paradigm in policing. JPSO is intentional when it comes tobeing one of the premier programs in the country in enhancing both officer and community safety when responding to calls for service. While it has always been hardtocommit acrime in Jefferson Parish and get away with it, it just got harder

Joe Lopinto has been theJefferson Parish sheriff since 2017.

Police departments acrossLouisiana are reporting historic staffing shortages. The fear is so severe that Gov.Jeff Landry declared an official state of emergency.For the thin blue line, technology looks like alife raft in desperate times. Everyone has seen the videos of American justice delivered from drones raining hellfire. Air dominance is an American way of life. It’spowerful, and it seems easy.The militaryhas trained us to believe that drones are alot better than getting dirty with boots on theground.

This delusion has seduced us countless times.Istarted my career as acontractor for theNational Geospatial Intelligence Agency.Iwent on to work forthe NSA. I believed that, with the right surveillance, we could find and kill theterrorists intent on hurting Americans. While the technology worked, our Middle East warswere disasters

Police departments aredetermined to repeat the samemistakes by refurbishing thesame military technology.Drones as first responders, or DFR,advertise themselves as an easy solution to police staffing woes. They’re marketed as force multipliers and promise quick, low-effort deployments to calls for service. Response times will go from insane to afew short minutes. Butwhat does adrone response mean?

Adrone isn’tapolice officer.Itisn’tafirefighter or amedic. Adrone can’t stop arobbery or save alife.

Adrone is an AI-powered aerial surveillance system. It’sa camera, and cameras don’tstop crime or provide first aid. Instead of apolice officer responding to your call, he’ssitting at headquarters watching ascreen. The response time metric looks fantastic. Buthelp isn’tany closer.The drone isn’tfor you. Instead of help, you get acamera flying high above you. If theoperator eventually sees something,police will dispatch an officer several minutes after assistance should have already been on theway.That short response time is meaningless when thetime to the scene is just aflying camera.

Afirst responder can only be boots on the ground.

“Drones as first responders” is mass surveillance with sympathetic branding. These are aerial camera platforms that will hover over our homes and backyards, recording continuously They will livestream your crawfish boil and your kids swimming in the pool.

The video and location will be streamed back to the police and forever stored in databases. Big Brother can loiter above your front door,observe when you leave and chase you wherever you go. This is Orwellian overreach. It is aviolation of our property,our privacy and our constitutional rights.

Proponents will argue that surveillance concerns are overblown and hyperbolic. DFRwon’ttarget you. The drones will only target criminals. They’ll be in someone else’sneighborhood. They won’tpatrol the skies or linger over your home. Drones won’t“chase you smarter.”

There has never been agovernment program that didn’tgrow and overreach. Once the system is built, the government will find new uses. DFRwill start with responding to calls forservice. It will expand to include peripheral crimes observed on scene. Next, the vendor will release a feature to scan forcrimes en route. Since mostcrimes are committed by known criminals, adding the facial recognition option just makes sense.

After aerial imagery of your property exists, whywouldn’tauthorities look for zoning violations? The fines could fund new drones. Afew new drones dedicated to finding citations could fix the parish budget and, obviously,keep us all safe. The police and Landry do not mention that crime is at historic lows. There’sno emergency.There is no crisis. Don’tbefooled by empty promises of security from AI-powered surveillance. There is no need to surrender your privacy or to give the government flyover rights to your property.The door to surveillance only swings one way.

Matthew Wollenweber is aNew Orleansbased security engineer,privacy advocate andprogressive organizer.

STAFFPHOTO By MICHELLE HUNTER

The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’sOffice has deployed first responder dronesaround the parish to respond to scenes and assist deputies.

Matthew Wollenweber GUEST COLUMNIST

Joe Lopinto GUEST COLUMNIST

STING

Continued from page 1B

asked if he was OK with talking to a14-year-old, according to messages read by the detective during the episode. Before their meeting,Ruiz Ponce sent the agentsexually-explicit images of himself including of his genitals.He also askedfor theagent’slocation and expressed an interest in having sex. According to the detective featured in “TakeDown,” Ruiz Ponce sentnudesof himself inside aporta-potty taken while he was at work

BILL

Continued from page 1B

meetings for approval and that this additional task would be redundant.

“Itwilltakeawayfromthe work that’s already being done in the finance staff,”he said. “Having to do duplicate work only adds to the limited staff.”

on aconstruction site.

“Now I’m waiting for yours, to see your cute body without clothes,” Ruiz Ponce texted the agent,among more explicit messages read by the detective during the episode.

Theconvictionwillland Ruiz Ponceinprison for a minimum of 10 years, with amaximum punishment of life in prison. Due to his charges, Ruiz Poncecould also possibly be required to pay a$250,000 fine, be understate supervision for the rest of his life, or register as asex offender Upon completionofhis sentence, Ruiz Ponce is also

subject todeportation or removal, according to aDOJ news release. Ruiz Ponce’sinterview withHansencan be seen on season 13, episode 8of “TakeDown,” which aired on TruBlu in May 2025.

ALouisiana House of Representatives resolution honoring Hansen and his television crew for their work with the LivingstonParish Sheriff’s Office was adopted last month after being introduced by Rep.Kellee Dickerson, R-Denham Springs Email Quinn Coffman at quinn.coffman@ theadvocate.com.

were on target to complete our audit for 2025 on time,” Simmonssaid.

BREC’sissues, which include filing its audits late and gettingreports back from the Legislative Auditor’sOffice with multiple items flagged in past years, was discussed by committee members. An auditfrom two years ago found that three parks system employees misappropriated funds BREC interim Superintendent JanetSimmons toldthe committee that all of BREC’s audits are now current.

“Weare happytosay that we wereable to complete all of thedelayed auditsand

In January,Pearlina Thomas, the former CAO of CATS, was indicted and arrested along with four others on multiple charges, including counts of contract fraud, bribery,money laundering and more as part of awide local government corruption investigation by the Louisiana Attorney General’sOffice.This indictment was not discussed in the committee meeting.

BLOTTER

Continued from page 1B

St. Cyr drove to the victim’s house in Ethel and told the victim to getinhis carand then drove her to his apartment in the Lake Towers apartment complex in downtown Baton Rouge. After arriving at the apartment complex, police saidthe pair had consensual sexual contact beforeSt. Cyrgave the victim marijuana. Shelostconsciousness after that and woke to find him attempting to engage in moresexual activity,police said.

At some point later,the victim asked to go home, and St.Cyr refused and kicked herout of hisapartment, police said.A food delivery

Some representatives,like Marcelle, asked Legislative AuditorMichael Waguespack how it would impact his office if multiple parishes adopted this method.

Waguespack said it could increase somecostsand require additional workload if it became awidespread practice.

After 40 minutesofdiscussion, Rep. Alonzo Knox, D-New Orleans, asked McMakin to voluntarily defer thebillsothey couldmeet to possibly amend it and discusshow often it would request mandatory statements

driver saw thevictim and drove her home, whereher guardians called the police, according to the arrest warrant

Landry talksHondo rodeo, LIVGolfinN.O. SPORTS

Governor on importance of

Editor’snote: This is partof1 of 2of Gov Jeff Landry’sinterview.The second part will be in Saturday’sedition.

BY JEFF DUNCAN Staff writer

Sports have been amajor focus of Jeff Landry’stwo-year tenure as Louisiana governor.During that time, he’s helped lure major sporting events to the state,signedalongterm lease agreement with the New Orleans

LSUpoint guard Richardto enterportal

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

LSU women’sbasketball guard Jada Richard plans to enter the transferportal, asource confirmed Thursday

Richard, an Opelousas native, started 34 of the 35 games the Tigers played thispast season as part of abreakout campaign. She finished second on the team in minutes played, and she averaged9.5 points percontest while shooting 45% from the field and 40% from 3-point range.

Only Flau’jae Johnson, MikaylahWilliams and MiLaysia Fulwileyscored in double figures moretimesin2025-26 than Richard, who posted 19 10-point games and two20-point showings.

Coach Kim Mulkeytold WAFB-TV on April 4that she expected to lose only one potential returner to the portal this cycle: freshmanpoint guardDivineBourrage. Since then, though, LSU has seen two players who were expected to play significant roles next season decide to test the market. Freshman guard Bella Hines announced Tuesday that she planned to transfer.ThenRichard chose to enterthe portal on Thursday Bourrage, Hines andRichard each signed with LSU as high school recruits.

ESPN said that Richard —a former Lafayette Christian Academy star andLouisiana Gatorade Player of the Year —was the 90thbest prospect in her class, which means that she’sone of the nine top-100 players who

Saints andorchestrated an overhaul of the LSU athletic department

He conducted an exclusive 25-minute phone interview Thursday withcolumnist Jeff Duncan in which Landry touched on avariety of sports-related topics, includingLSU’s recent hireofmen’s basketball coach Will Wade, New Orleans’bid to host the 2031 Super Bowl,the Pelicans’

plans to renovatethe Smoothie King Center and the upcoming Hondo RodeoFest and LIV Golf tournamentinNew Orleans.

Here’stheir conversation:

Let’sstartwith the big event in town thisweekend.

JayCicero (CEO of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation) credits you for luring the Hondo Rodeo Fest to New Orleans.Whywas it so important to you?

It’sextremely important. Cause when you look at the number of NFR (National Finals Rodeo) champions that come out of Louisiana, we have as manyNFR champions as, say, Wyoming, which mostpeople would think of as abig rodeo state. Those

cowboys and cowgirls, in, say,Wyoming or Texas or Colorado, often get an opportunity to compete on their own hometurf Plenty of times, Wyoming has Frontier Day (Rodeo) in Cheyenne. Colorado has their rodeo, Houston at the (Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo) and Fort Worth, Texas (Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo). There’stons of them. In Louisiana, our athletes don’tget an opportunity to compete at anational level in their own hometown on your own home turf. And so Ithought it wasextremely important. Look, Igrew up

STEADY HANDS

AUGUSTA, Ga. Fiveminutes into talking with Sam Burns and you would be imbued withthe feeling that he’s thekind of person you’d want landing your airliner in a40mph crosswind, or being thelead surgeon on your hernia operation. Stoic, unflappable, and agreat pair of hands.

The golf-mad, Masters garden gnome-buying public surely stampeded right over the fact that the former LSU All-American workedoverAugusta National Golf Club’spar-5sThursdaylike Katie Ledecky swimming the 1,500 against eighth graders, playing those four holes in acollective 5-under par.That’sbecausewhile Burns carved himself outa share of thefirst-round lead at theMasters, he does the sharing withreigning green jacket owner Rory McIlroy,both firing 5under 67s. Rory’sstory—his quest to becomejust the fourth

man to winback-to-back Masters titles —iscertainly big news. But save somebandwidth forBurns, who found away to post his best-ever round here on aday when Augusta National played with the rumpled texture of asun-dried tomato.

The field’scombined scoring average was 74.648, the highest foraMasters first round since 2017.

“I drove it really nice,” Burns said. “I think historically people whohave success here play the par-5s really well, and we were able to do that today.It’sagood recipe around this golf course.”

There is acommon thread running through Burns’ and McIlroy’sscorecards other than the identical numbers they shot (McIlroy birdied all the par-5s). Rory,of

N.O. couldopt to bolsterdefensive front

LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

signed free agent deals elsewhere this offseason Currently,the only interiordefensive linemenunder contract beyond this upcoming

season are John Ridgeway and little-used youngsters Vernon Broughton,Khristian Boydand Coziah Izzard. New Orleans liked what it sawout of Broughton in limitedaction,but the2025 third-rounder is also coming off an injury that cost him all but one gameofhis rookie season. So this could be apositionthe Saints address, bothfor this season andbeyond. FLORIDADLCALEB BANKS, 6-FOOT-6, 330 POUNDS: There is achance Banks is the first interior defensive lineman togointhe draft, which would put him out of the Saints’ range, but

ä See SAINTS, page 3C

Scott Rabalais

SamBurns reacts after missinga putt on the 17thhole during the first round of the Masters at the Augusta National Golf ClubonThursday in Augusta, Ga

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON LSU guard Jada Richard drives the ball up courtinsecond-round NCAA Tournament game against Texas Tech on March 22 at the PMAC. Richard, astarter,plans to enter the transfer portal.

See LSU, page 4C

Catholic bats explode in the third

Bears use outburst to run-rule Zachary in district showdown

BY JACKSON REYES Staff writer

Catholic and Zachary high schools entered a critical District 4-5A matchup on Thursday Both teams held a 5-1 record in district play and looked to jump out to an advantage in the first of a twogame series. With Catholic in front 4-1 after two innings, the third inning decided it.

The Bears exploded for seven runs in the inning, with 12 hitters coming up to the plate. Catholic recorded six hits, had three walks and took advantage of two Broncos errors in a 12-1 run-rule win at Catholic.

The Bears (27-4, 6-1) will look to clinch the District 4-5A title on Saturday at Zachary

Eight of the nine Catholic batters had hits in a 13-hit attack. All nine in the lineup reached base safely at least once.

Meanwhile, the Broncos (24-7, 5-2) were held hitless in the fiveinning contest.

Bears center fielder Dekohta Jones had a team-high three RBIs after a 3-for-3 day

“Keeping my approach small,” Jones said on what led to his success. “Thinking not to do too much and just get the job done for the

gets an RBI single in the

against Central on Thursday at Catholic’s diamond.

team.”

Jude Schneider, Harrison Kidder, Hayes Segar and Kooper Childs also recorded multi-hit games. “It’s a boost of confidence for everybody,” Jones said on the bats getting hot. “The team’s morale

goes up when we all achieve.”

Zachary (24-7) jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first after an error scored a runner from third. Catholic responded in the bottom of the first with Jones’ two-run single After Catholic plated two more

runs in the second, Zachary changed pitchers from Louisiana Tech commitment Noah Sullivan to Kam Bailey in the third.

The Bears took advantage and exploded for seven runs in the third to take an 11-1 lead Catholic added one more run in the fourth.

“To have the offense come out and do that against such a good arm is a special day,” Catholic coach Brad Bass said.

While the offense stole the show, the game marked senior pitcher Lucas Lawrence’s first start of the season after missing time with an offseason injury

He walked four batters through the first two innings, but settled into a groove, not allowing a hit and striking out two.

“Took me a second to get back into the rhythm of things,” Lawrence said. “After that, it felt amazing.” Bass credited Lawrence for the work he put in to return to the mound.

“To go through what he went through emotionally, early, and then just immediately get his nose to the grindstone and go to work and get himself healthy,” Bass said. “It’s truly special.”

His teammates shared similar excitement, with the win a potential signifier of the Bears peaking with the postseason around the corner

“We were waiting for that all season,” Jones said. “I’m glad he’s back. The bats coming around, too; it’s perfect for everybody.”

U-High prevails over Parkview in pitchers’ duel

BY CHARLES SALZER

Contributing writer

The stakes were high for Parkview Baptist and University High when they met for a key District 6-3A baseball contest, and the teams delivered a classic performance

In a game that featured a combined three hits and no earned runs for either team, the Cubs who did just enough to earn a 2-0 win Thursday evening at the UHigh diamond.

U-High (23-8, 5-1) bounced back after losing 4-3 at Parkview on Tuesday Cubs pitcher Brody Mayeux went the distance, allowing just two hits and one runner to get into scoring position in six innings of work.

For Parkview (19-12, 5-1), Lo-

gan Sorrel went seven innings, and was nearly as good. U-High touched him for a pair of unearned runs in the third, when it took advantage of a walk and an error

“I’m an old-school baseball guy, and I loved this game tonight,” UHigh coach Jon Ramsey said. “It was a pitchers’ duel. Their guy threw well, and our guy threw better We found a way to scratch out two runs and that held up.”

Mayeux threw 106 pitches and struck out nine batters. He issued just two walks, both in the fifth inning, when catcher Mackie Musgrove threw out Parkview’s Holden Dryden trying to steal second base.

“The mindset was no free bases,” Mayeux said. “If you do that, you make them string together

hits in order to beat you, and I feel like I did a good job limiting the free passes.”

Parkview’s best scoring opportunity came in the third inning when Dryden led off with a double down the right-field line. Noah Landry followed with a fielder’s choice bunt that left runners at the corners with no outs, but it was all the damage Parkview could muster

Mayeux struck out Ethan LeBlanc and Jackson Phillips trying to lay down a bunt, and closed out the inning after Henry Beckers’ come-backer to the mound.

“I did bear down there,” Mayeux said. “I started locating the off-speed (pitches) and I got them off balance. When they were trying to bunt, I elevated some fast balls, and they weren’t

PREP REPORT

able to lay down those bunts.”

U-High’s third inning rally began when Ian McCauley and Shepherd Gammon drew backto-back walks with one out. Trey Sotile followed with a bunt, but Sorrel threw wildly to third allowing McCauley to score the first run. Gammon came in from third on a passed ball.. Sorrel threw 108 pitches and struck out 10 batters. He issued three walks and only allowed one hit, a two-out single in the first inning.

“This is late-season, playofftype baseball,” Parkview coach Phillip Hawke said. “It was two really good arms going at it. There were limited chances, and the name of the game was when they had their opportunity they executed.”

76ers’ Embiid out due to appendicitis, to have surgery

HOUSTON Joel Embiid was diagnosed with appendicitis and will undergo surgery on Thursday in Houston, the Philadelphia 76ers announced.

The 76ers played the Rockets on Thursday night.

The team said further updates will be provided as appropriate. The 76ers are currently eighth in the Eastern Conference and on track for a spot in the play-in tournament, though they are only one game behind sixth-place Toronto. Embiid has been limited to 38 games this season, sidelined primarily by injury management in his knees.

He was held out against the Detroit Pistons on Saturday with “right oblique; injury management; (and) illness.” He has not played in both games of a back-to-back all season.

Falcons agree to 1-year deal with former Chiefs RT Taylor ATLANTA The Atlanta Falcons have reached an agreement on a one-year, $5 million deal with former Kansas City Chiefs right tackle Jawaan Taylor

The agreement, which includes an extra $1 million in incentives, was first reported by ESPN and announced on social media by Taylor’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus. Taylor will have an opportunity to move into the starting right tackle position left vacant Wednesday when Kaleb McGary announced his retirement after missing the 2025 season with a lower left leg injury The right tackle position will be especially important to provide blindside protection for the Falcons’ two left-handed quarterbacks, Michael Penix and Tua Tagovailoa.

Angels reliever Stephenson out for season with injury

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Los Angeles Angels right-hander Robert Stephenson will miss the 2026 season after having ligament and flexor tendon repair surgery on his right elbow It is the continuation of injury woes for Stephenson, who was expected to be one of the team’s top relievers after signing a three-year, $33 million deal in January 2024. He missed the 2024 season after undergoing an ulnar collateral ligament repair with an internal brace in May 2024.

Stephenson was limited to 12 games in 2025 after he was diagnosed with a stretched biceps nerve. Stephenson, 33, had a setback in spring training after attempting to pitch through thoracic outlet syndrome symptoms he experienced in the offseason

Stanford freshman Okorie declares for the NBA draft STANFORD,Calif.— Stanford star guard Ebuka Okorie will enter the NBA draft after leading the ACC in scoring as a freshman.

Okorie developed from an underthe-radar recruit out of New Hampshire into one of the top freshmen in the country in his one season with the Cardinal under coach Kyle Smith. Okorie thanked Smith and the coaching staff on Thursday in his announcement on social media to enter the draft.

Thursday’s scores Slaughter Charter 14, False River 3 Family Christian 11, Maurepas 2 Catholic 12, Zachary 1 Live Oak 5, Dutchtown 3 Port Allen 12, East St. John 2 Broadmoor 10, Tara 7 Brusly 16, Plaquemine 1

SGA favored to win in the NBA MVP race

BY TIM REYNOLDS AP basketball writer

For the first time in about 20 years, the NBA’s MVP race might actually be, well, a race

his behalf will be filed.

The MVP cases

At least, it feels like there’s at least some intrigue regarding who’ll wind up winning the Michael Jordan Trophy later this spring. Oklahoma City’s Shai GilgeousAlexander is the clear favorite to win the MVP award again, which makes a lot of sense. He’s the best player on the league’s best team, and he has similar numbers to when he was the runaway winner a year ago. But there are more legitimate candidates than there have seemed to be in past years. Denver’s Nikola Jokic remains a perennial candi-

date and is putting together a season the likes of which have never been seen in NBA history San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama has made clear that he wants the award. Boston’s Jaylen Brown has been hearing MVP chants from adoring fans for months, a thankyou of sorts for how he kept the injury-riddled Celtics near the top of the Eastern Conference standings And nobody even knows yet if the Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Doncic, who will win the scoring title, will even be eligible and listed on the awards ballot. He’s going to finish the regular season just shy of the league’s 65-game minimum, and his representation has said an appeal seeking a hardship exemption on

A look at the numbers of each of the top candidates, entering Thursday: Gilgeous-Alexander: 31.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 6.6 assists per game. Thunder are 56-12 when he plays, and he’s scored at least 20 points in every game this season extending his NBA record streak.

Jokic: 27.8 points, 12.9 rebounds, 10.9 assists per game. He’s a full rebound and assist per game better than everyone else, and he’s shooting 57% despite being every opponent’s center of defensive attention.

Wembanyama: 24.8 points, 11.5

rebounds, 3.1 assists, 3.1 blocks per game A 7-foot-4 guy with a shooter’s touch, guard skills, a willing passer and an absolute defensive menace who seems to still be getting better

Brown: 28.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.2 assists per game. It’s well-documented that Boston rather enjoyed proving those who thought the Celtics would plummet this year without Jayson Tatum wrong. Brown is why the Celtics stayed in the race.

Doncic: 33.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, 8.3 assists per game. He’s not eligible and would need an NBA ruling to help But maybe his MVP candidacy is best described thusly: The Lakers look like title contenders with him, and look wildly different without him. Baseball

Okorie’s 719 points scored in his lone season at Stanford are the third most ever for a Cardinal player in a season, trailing only Adam Keefe’s 734 in 1991-92 and Chasson Randle’s 724 in 2014-15.

Okorie was a first-team all-ACC pick and was an honorable AP AllAmerican.

Tigers’ Meadows leaves game on cart after collision

MINNEAPOLIS Detroit Tigers center fielder Parker Meadows was taken away on a cart after a headto-head collision as teammate Riley Greene caught a fly ball on Thursday Meadows landed on his back in a daze, barely moving with his hands pointed up and blood appearing on his face. After a few minutes, Meadows was able to sit up. Then medical personnel slowly helped him stand and move toward the cart to be taken for further examination. Josh Bell led off the eighth inning for Minnesota with a shallow fly that the left fielder Greene called for with Meadows converging, before the 26-year-old tried slowing up and backing off at the last second. But his face appeared to slam against Greene’s head.

PHOTO By PATRICK DENNIS

Catholic High’s Kooper Childs

second inning

LANDRY

around horses and rodeoing and cattle. It’sjust agreat tradition, and those athletes, Ibelieve, deserved an opportunity to compete for big money rightherein Louisiana.

And this event has more things going on than just the rodeo competition, right?

I’m hoping that people takean opportunity to come see what’s outthere. It’safamily event family-focused. We’ve got some outdoorevents. They’ve got mutton bustingoutside. We’vegot freeentertainment in Champions Square. We’ve got some bigname entertainers that are coming in (Jason Aldean and Lynyrd Skynyrd). And we get to see a bunch of great cowboys and cowgirls compete for alot of money

And as Iunderstand it, this is an opportunity to tie in the state’sagriculture industrywith the event?

We lookedlong and hard to see where we could actually put this (event). There’sreally only one city in the whole country that can entertain people better than anyone else,and that’sNew Orleans. Some people say,why didn’tyou do this in Shreveport? Whydidn’tyou do it in Monroe or Alexandria or Lake Charles? And Iwas like,wewanted to put aworld-class event on, and there’sonly one city that has the number of hotels in relationship to the (Superdome), and that’s New Orleans. And so yes, we get an opportunitytotie in all of our agriculture. We’ve got the LSU veterinarian school, the LSU and Southern (Agriculture Centers). We’re trying to time all in and on top of that. The first lady (wife Sharon Landry)joined with (Love One Louisiana Foundation) to donate 35,000 pounds of ground beef to the food banks throughout the state, so this is just one of these great opportunities to showcase world-class athletes, have some funand do it in afamily-style atmosphere in New Orleans.

Could this be something thatgoes beyond just one year? Oh, this is just the beginning. We want to make Louisiana a permanent stop on the profes-

SAINTS

Continued from page1C

there’salso achanceheslides because of his medical history Banks played in just three games last season because of afoot injury, and he broke his foot at the combine.

If, for whatever reason, he is available laterinthe draft than his talent would suggest, Banks would be ahigh-upside bet. He moves well for someone so big, which showed up at the combine and on his highlight reel. And there’sa competitive factor that teamswill probably like: He suffered hisfoot injury in fallcamp, tried to play through it, then returned for the finaltwo games of the season FLORIDASTATEDLDARRELLJACKSON, 6-5, 315:He’saphysically imposing presence, bringing both height and length (7-foot-2 wingspan) to the forefront. Though he played at three programs in his college career,healso earned team captain honors in his final season at Florida State, somethingthe Saints have traditionally valued in their prospects. Whichever team takes him will be betting on traits, as Jackson was never super productive, toppingout at 31/2 sacks and 4tackles for loss in 2024. CLEMSON DL DEMONTE CAPEHART,6-5, 313:Capehart played six seasons at Clemson, eventually working his waythrough atalented rotation to crack the starting lineup. Oncehe got in, he played well, earning allACChonors in 2024. He profiles as arotational run-stopperwho wins with length and strength. It

sional rodeo circuit. And this is just the beginning. This is not theend. This is not aone-off. This (event) hasanopportunity to showcase rural Louisiana and the great things that go on are around rural Louisiana.Whether it’srodeoing. Whetherit’scattle Whether it’shorse racing, either at the thoroughbred level or the quarter horse level. Whether it’s equestrian sportssuch as hunters and jumpers, whichseem to be starting to pick up, especially on theNorthShore (of Lake Pontchartrain). Again, when you wrap those things around our agriculture and mechanical schools like Southern and LSU,and then you tie in the LSU vetschool.

Let me ask youabout anotherevent coming up, that youwere involved in landing here in New Orleans: the LIV Golf New Orleans tournament (June25-28) at City Park. Whywere you so committed to bringingthat tournament here?

The thing thatreally attracted me to that event was sitting down with Greg Norman after he had an opportunity to look at City Park, and he said thathe believes that City Park is the onlyplace in the entire country where you can play golf and walk to ahotel and (nightlife) entertainment.Again, it goes to show you thestructure thatNew Orleans has. And, of course, you know LIVis ahot-ticket item. Theydothings alittle different. They’realittle bit unconventional in the way that theyrun a golf tournament, and I’malittle bit of an unconventional fella. So Isaid, OK,this might be fine.

And how would you answer critics who wonder whyyou and state officials dipped into the state’smajor event fund to lure an event likethat to New Orleans?

It’s kind of like this: Entertainmentis to business what fertilizer is to agriculture. They both increase the yield. And, so, if you want to increase sales tax and tourism dollars and fillour hotels up …Look to (get) LIV Golf tournament just to cometoNew Orleans at atime when the city’s begging to do something, which is in the slow summer months, andyou if youreally want to blow the tourism horn, thenyou want to get big events like that. And the common thread between the (Hondo) rodeo and the LIV Golf tournament is they’re both family-type events.

AP PHOTO By MICHAEL CONROy Clemson defensivelineman DeMonte Capehartruns adrill at theNFL scouting combine on Feb 26 in Indianapolis

is worth noting that Capehart was also arrested before the 2024 seasonfor unlawful possession of a firearm on Clemson’scampus

SOUTHEASTERN DL KALEB PROCTOR, 6-2, 291:Proctor is abit of atough evaluation for the Saints specifically,because his relatively small framefor the position long would have been anon-starter for New Orleans. That may still be true, but theprototypes are shifting in Year 2under defensive coordinator Brandon Staley.While Proctor is not astallorheavy as some of his counterparts,hehas good enough length with 33-inch arms, and he dominated the lower level of college football at Southeastern, racking up nine sacks last year on hisway to Southland Conference Player of theYear honors.

EmailLuke Johnson at ljohnson@theadvocate.com

LSUDBPickett has ‘gottena lotbetter’

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

When he was afreshman, LSU

cornerback DJ Pickett had the luxury of easing into his collegiatecareer

He wasn’tplaying every down Buthewas seeing the field —just enough to flash his potential, build confidenceand crucially,make thekindofmistakesthatwould show him how he could improve ahead of that pivotal sophomore season.

“People think that Ihad apretty good year,” Pickettsaid, “but I feel like Icould have done alot better.”

So Pickett is using LSU’sspring practicestomakethose strides. He said Thursdayafter the Tigers wrappeduptheir eighth session thathehopesnot onlytokeepadding muscle onto his long, lanky frame, but also to slowthe game down alittle more. To understand how to better read an opposing offense —oranopposing receiver

Thegoal, of course, is for Pickett to marry themental part of playing cornerback to the physical.Few defensive backs have his height andlength, but he just needs to learnhow to use them.

Only thencan Pickettlive up to thelofty expectations that came with hishighnational recruitingprofile. Whenthe rising sophomore from Florida signed with LSUin2025, he was oneof

thecountry’stop 12 prospects, according to 247Sports composite rankings.The Tigers hadn’t signeda cornerback of hispedigreeinfive high school signing cycles, and their grip on the “DBU” moniker had begun to loosen as aresult.

Pickett hasa shot to help LSU strengthen that claim, and it’snot hard to see why.

“I haven’t really seen manycorners at hissize moving like that,” saidseniorreceiver JayceBrown, aKansas State transfer

“He’sphysically gifted, as you can see, but he also hasgood footwork. Ifeel like he’s honed in on just his footwork part of the game and his technique, and Ifeel likehe’sgotten alot betterinthe spring.”

Lastseason, Pickett playedthe third-most snaps of anyLSU cornerback. Mansoor Delane —a projected first-round NFLdraft pick —and PJ Woodland, arising junior,were ahead of him on the depthchart.

Butnot because he wasn’tplaying tight enough coverage. Pickett wastargeted 38 times as afreshman, according to Pro Football Focus, andhegave up 20 catches for 250 yards and three touchdowns. He also caught three interceptions which was tied forthe secondmost among FBS freshman cornerbacks.

Alarge chunk of those catches

and yards are from LSU’sTexas Bowl loss to Houston. The Cougars targeted Pickett seven timesinthatgame,according to PFF,completing five passes for62 yards and two touchdowns. The Tigers, as awhole, struggled on defense throughout that game. Houston possessed the ball for 38 minutes, using long, methodical drives to pile up 38 points and 437 total yards. For Pickett and the other returning LSUdefenders, that showing put adamper on an otherwise solid 2025 season, anditshowed them how they need to improve if they want to enjoy abetter season in 2026. “He’sa technician,” Dottery said. “I seehim here all the time, as someone else working.” Now Pickett’sisone of LSU’s unquestionedstarters. He and Woodland will man the outside cornerback spots next season for the Tigers, who entered their first transfer portal cycle under coach Lane KiffininDecember with confidence in their incumbent corners.

LSU signed 43 transfers, and only one of them is acornerback. The rest of the position group has six returners andthreefreshmen. None of them,though, have Pickett’spotential.

“I just feel like Ineed to probably just geta little stronger,a little bigger,” Pickettsaid. “Just knowing the gamemore.”

NFLhit with DOJinvestigation

BYJOE REEDY ANDERIC TUCKER Associated Press

TheJusticeDepartmentisinvestigating the NFL forpotential anticompetitive practices,according to agovernment official.

The official, who was not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation by nameand spoke on condition of anonymityThursday, said the investigation is “about affordability for consumers and creating an even playing field for providers.”

The investigation was firstreported by TheWall Street Journal.

The NFL has not received anotification that theleague is being investigated, accordingtotwo other people withknowledgeofthesituation.Those people spoke on condition of anonymity becausethey arenot authorized to speak on possible legal matters.

Theinvestigation comes amid increasing federal scrutinyofthe amount of money fans are paying to watch sports on television. The Federal Communications Commission, for example,isseekingpublic comments on the ongoing shift of live sports frombroadcast channels to streaming services.

The NFL said in astatement Thursday that over 87%ofits games are available on broadcast television,includingall that are playedinateam’slocal market.

“The NFL’smedia distribution model is the most fan and broadcaster-friendly in the entire sports and entertainment industry.The 2025 season was our most viewed since1989 and reflects the strength of the NFL distributionmodel and its wideavailability to allfans,”the league said in its statement.

Utah Sen. Mike Lee, chair of the Senate judiciary subcommittee on antitrust, competition policy, and consumer rights, wrote aletter to the Justice Department and theFederal Trade Commission on March 3urging them to review whether theNFL’s distribution methods are in linewith the Sports Broadcasting Act, which grantslimited antitrust immunity to allow teamstocollectively license gamebroadcaststonationalnetworks

“The modern distribution environment differs substantially from the conditions that precipitated this exemption. Instead of asmallnumber of free broadcast networks,the NFLnow licenses games simultaneously to subscription streaming platforms, premiumcable networks, and technology companiesoperating underdifferent business models.”

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU cornerback DJ Pickett makesa catch during adrill at spring practiceonMarch26atthe team’s football practice facility

LEARNMORE

Chris Stanfield LSU Baseball, Outfielder

Tigers drop to No.75 in RPIafter latest loss

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

OXFORD,Miss. Tuesday was asetback —abig one LSU baseball dropped itssixth nonconference game to amidmajor opponent, losing 10-7 to Bethune-Cookmantofall to 22-12 on the season. The Tigers hold arespectable 6-6 record in Southeastern Conference play,but they re 75th in the country in RPIwithfive losses against teams in the fourth quadrant of the rating’srankings.

LSU still has plentyoftimeto make up for its subpar RPI andrecord with six weekends remaining in its SEC slate. Starting on Friday the Tigers travel to Ole Miss —the No. 13 team in the RPI —for a three-game seriesinOxford, Mississippi (6:30 p.m., SEC Network+).

Whether LSU can make up the difference in RPI and contend for a regional host spot will come down to amultitude of factors,but arguably chief among themis whether these five players can play well over the second halfofSEC play Here’swhy these players are critical to LSU’ssuccess moving forward.

GAVIN GUIDRY: No Tiger reliever got off to abetter start than Guidry, who had a0.00 ERA through his first nine innings of the year However, five of his nextsix appearances were not pretty.Guidry gave up at least one earnedrun in five of them and no fewer than two earned runs in four of thoseoutings

The final appearance of the six was the ugliest, an afternooninwhich he surrendered six earnedruns in 11/3 innings against Kentucky

As he struggled against the Wildcats —Guidry also walkedfour batters —LSU coachJay Johnson could be heard from the dugout shouting at the veteran,pushing him for better results.

But Guidry may have found his groove again. Against Tennesseeon Sunday,heallowed justone earned run on two hits in 51/3 innings of relief, giving LSU’soffensea chance to score 10 runs in the 12th inning that essentially clinched the series victory for the Tigers.

The key to his successinthe outing, Guidry said, was his ability to locate his fastball early in counts and utilize his cutter asaway to force weak contact. In the past, he relied on hiscurveball and slider to get outs. Turning to the fastball and cutter on Sunday helpedhim get Tennessee’shitters offofhis breaking balls. Alongwith histwo fastballs, he was also ableto mix in afew changeups.

Guidry’s revamped pitchmix —combined with afour-seam fastball that’suptothe mid-90s, four to five mph fasterthan what it was before his injury last year —makes him one of LSU’smost potent weapons in relief. If he can getback to commandingthe ball consistently,that would change theoutlook of LSU’sseason.

EDDIEYAMIN: Despite redshirting last season, Yamin has quickly become an important role player for LSU. He went 2for 5with adouble on Sunday after replacing Omar Serna at catcher in the third inning following acollisionnear home plate that forced the freshmanout of the game. Yaminalso went 1for 2with awalk and two hits by pitches in his third start of the year on Tuesdayasthe designated hitter Even before LSU’slasttwo

LSU

Continued from page1C

ä LSU at OleMiss. 6:30 P.M.FRIDAy,SECN+

games, the veteran has consistently taken good at-bats. He has a.520 on-base percentage,and half of his sixhits have gone forextra bases. Andlikelast season, he’sbeen an integral part of LSU’slocker room as oneofthe most well-likedplayers on theteam.

Yaminhasmovedtotheforefront,in part, because others have struggled. Yorke’sissues at the plate and in the fieldhave made first base aquestion mark forLSU. Yamin, Serna, freshman Mason Braun and sophomore John Pearson are allalternatives to Yorke if Johnson wants to make achange at first. Yamin hasn’tstarted a game at first this season, but he’s played the position in shortspurts throughout his collegiatecareer Given his popularity in the locker room and recent surge as arighthanded bat, Yamin hassuddenly become an important piece to the puzzlefor LSU’slineup.

GRANT FONTENOT: Fontenot has stepped up into amuch larger role this season,despite being off the Tigers’ active roster in Omahalast

summer

He holds a1.50 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 12 innings and hasn’t allowed an earnedrun since his second appearance of the season against Kent State. Before giving up three unearned runsagainst Tennessee on Sunday,hehadn’t even surrendered arun since LSU’swin over Indiana.

What’saided Fontenot’sascension has been an uptick in his fastball velocity,which nowconsistently sits in theupper 90s.

The key to unlocking that for him has beena mechanical tweak in his delivery.Fontenot has stayed more closed offtohome plateas he moves down themound, which has helpedhim throwthe ball with better intentand command

He also changed his pitch mix this year,throwing afour-seam fastball, asweeperand ahard slider (velocity-wise) after relying on asinker and aslower sliderlast season.

Astrongfinishfor Fontenot would do wonders for an LSU bullpen that has been inconsistent throughout the first half of the sea-

LSU guard Jada Richard dribbles past TexasTechguard Denae Fritz in the third quarterofasecondroundNCAA Tournament game on March22atthe PMAC.

LSUbaseballtoreceive more in revenueshare

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

LSUbaseball will receive roughly 5% of theathleticprogram’srevenue-sharing budget this upcomingschool year,athletic director Verge Ausberry said in an interviewon104.5

ESPNBaton Rouge radio on Wednesday.

Baseballhad previouslyshared a5%sliceofthe athletic department’srevenue-sharing budget with softball, gymnastics and LSU’s remainingOlympic sports

The women’sbasketball team, in comparison, hadits own 5% of therevenue-sharing pie.

Now,baseballand women’s basketball will receive about the same amount in revenue share money,Ausberry saidonThursday.Healso said that baseball will havemoreNIL money available.

“I’ve been meetingwith(LSU coach Jay Johnson) about that,” Ausberry said. “He had some concerns about where we were and some things that we had to do.”

Men’sbasketball receives 15% of LSU’s revenue-sharing budget, and football obtains 75% of the funds. Both of those sports, Ausberry said, are apriority to

fund because both sports drive revenue forthe athletic department. Additionally,baseball could also be one of those sports, despite the program losing just under $1 millionduring the 2025 fiscal year

“Baseballisanotherplace where we can grow somerevenue,” Ausberry said. “Right now Jay is thehighest-paidcoach in thecountry,and that changedour forecast there. But eventually, that’sanother program where we can grow “You’re very luckyintoday’s age, (where) youhave three sportsthatcan make aprofit.And though Jay and them are in the red alittlebit,it’sstill apositive because alot of programshave big deficits in that sport.”

Ausberry’scommentscome aweek afterJohnson did not shut downthe possibility of departing LSUtobecome an MLB manager “Guys, they have that itch sometimes to go to the majors, to the NFL. Nick Saban did it,” Ausberry said. “We’re going to do everything in our power here, myself, (LSU president Wade Rousse) and the rest of our team, to make sureJay Johnsongets what he needstowin in college baseball.”

son.IfGuidry and Fontenot can become reliable reliefoptions, alongside right-handerDeven Sheerin and right-hander ZacCowan, it would give Johnson plentyofarms to survive theSEC Tournament or aregional.

ZACH YORKE: Yorke’sarrival in Baton Rouge has not gone as smoothly as manyexpected.

The GrandCanyontransfer has struck out more times (30) than any otherplayerontheteamandhadtwo errors that cost LSUmultipleruns last weekend. He was also benched in Tuesday’s game and is tied forthe team lead in errors with five

WhenaskedaboutwhatYorkeneeds to improve on, Johnson mostly focused on themental sideofhis game.

“I think (he needs to) remain positive,” Johnson said.“It’s boring, but how you review things is everything.”

LSUbrought Yorke to Baton Rouge so he could fill Jared Jones’ shoes at first base as acapable defender and power bat.But if he continues to struggle, Johnson will likely have no choice but to turn to adifferent option at first.

SETH DARDAR: Dardar’simprovement as of latehas been amajor factor in LSU’sbetterplay in recent weeks.

After his batting average dropped to .220 beforethe Kentucky series, Dardar hasgone12 for his last29atthe plate with threehome runs and eight RBIs. Hisdefense has continuedtolag, but the strideshe’smade with his bat have helped lengthen out a lineup that desperately needed it.

LSU was searching for areliable option at second basebefore Dardar’srecent surge. The Tigers had tried junior Trent Caraway as astarterand used freshman Jack Ruckertasadefensive replacement. ButCaraway struggled at theplate, and Ruckert’sdefensive mistakes eventually costLSU aseries win over Oklahoma.

TannerReaves replaced Dardar after he suffered an ankleinjury sliding into second base on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Johnsonwas unsure about his availability.

AhealthyDardar is critical for the offense. It’snot acoincidence that LSU’simprovement at theplate in recent weeksoccurred at thesame time as Dardar’sascension.

Pels

rookie Peavylooks to finishseasononhighnote

BY RODWALKER Staff writer

TheNew Orleans Pelicans will play out the string on what has been adismal season this weekend. Just two games remain. Friday’sroad gameagainst the Boston Celtics, followed by Sunday’s season finale at the Minnesota Timberwolves. The team’sbiggest stars Zion Williamson, Dejounte Murray, SaddiqBey,Herb Jones and Trey Murphy —aren’t expected to play Thatmeans more minutes for Micah Peavy The rookie, fresh offthe best game of his young career,isn’t taking these final twogames for granted

“It’sjust the experience,” Peavy said. “... Because during the summer,we’re only going to be able to playpick-up games. It’s notthe same. Take it seriously and get everything out of it.”

Peavy gotjust his secondstart of theseason in Tuesday’srecordsetting victory over theUtah Jazz at theSmoothie King Center.In his firststartsincelate November, Peavy scored aseason-best 20 points to go alongwithfour rebounds, twoassistsand two steals. Evenmoreimpressive is that he shot 9-of-13 from the floor, including 2-of-3on3-pointers. Not bad forasecond-round draft pick whom thePelicansselected mainly because of his defensive prowess.

“It felt great,” Peavysaid. “I just felt comfortable out there. The guys were giving me confidence. During our shootaround (Tuesday morning),the guys were telling me to shoot the ball. Don’tworry about anything.”

NewOrleans Pelicans guard

MicahPeavy reacts after hitting a three pointer against the Detroit Pistons during the second half of agame on Jan. 21 at the Smoothie KingCenter

Borrego embraces the challenge that the younger guys on the roster will get.

“It’sbeen great for this group that we’ve been able to see team’s best,” Borrego said. “We’ll get Boston’s best.Iwas telling the guys this morningthatit’sfun to play in Boston. Youonly get so many opportunities to play in front of that fan base, that energy.That’ll be really important to ourguys to rise to the occasion and watch them step in that environment against ateam that’sgoingtocompete forthe title. And then Minnesota obviously is doing the samething, preparing for the playoffs. These will be two important games forus.”

It’llbeparticularlyimportant for Peavy as he finishes his first season playing in the shadowsof Fears and DerikQueen. There have been plenty of lessons for himashenavigated the ups and downs of his rookie season.

“I learned that Ican play defense at the highest level,” Peavy said. “I think I’ve shown that all year.Hopefully,thesegames I show that Ican do it at the offensive end as well.”

have signed with the Tigers across thelast three recruiting cycles. Six of those players have now decided to enter their names into the transfer portal. Richard is one of them, thoughshe’sthe first starter of thebunch to look elsewhere. The other fiveeither came off the bench or struggledto crack Mulkey’sregular rotation. Richard hardly saw the floor during her freshman season. That year,she averaged fewer thanfive minutes per game from the start of SEC play through the end of the NCAA Tournament. Ahead of her sophomore season, Richard improved her game to the point at which she couldoperate as LSU’slead ballhandler —a job that other,more experienced players have struggled to manage in previousyears. Richard, though, looked like

—one who proved that she could both feed the post andset up Johnson,Williams and Fulwiley on the wings. Shefinished her sophomoreyear with more than twice as many assists as turnovers, and shecould’veplayedthe position for two more seasons. Butnow it appears that Richard wantstoplayelsewhere, which leaves LSUwith aneedtofind a new point guard. TheTigers arealso losing senior guardKailynGilbert to the portal.She playedakey roleoff thebench during the2024-25 seasonand decided to return for the 2025-26campaign,but played in only the first five games of the year before stepping away for personal reasons.

As of Thursday, outofLSU’s fourportal entrants, only Bourrage hasfound anew school. She signed withIllinois.

Oneofhis biggest encouragers wasafellow rookie. Jeremaiah Fears, who setthe franchise record for points by arookie in Tuesday’sgame with 40 points, was just as proud of Peavy’s20. Fearshas played in every game this season. He knowshow tough it was at times for Peavy, who has played in 59 games.

“I’msuper proud of him and the way he playedtonight,” Fears said. “You could see throughout theseason that hisconfidence was alittle shaky with the minutes situation. Itold him to take advantage of it. Go out there and playyour game. Don’t thinktoo much.You’rehere forareason and you did alot to get to this point.” Peavy listened. The13field goal attempts werethe mosthe’s taken in agame. Now he’ll get to take more shotsasthe Pelicans (26-54) play twogames against teams still jockeyingfor playoffpositions. Pelicans’ interim coach James

The key to it all, he says, is confidence. He’shad to alter his game, going from Georgetown, where he was apoint guard with theballinhis hand allthe time,to coming to the Pelicans and having to play off the ball.

“I’ve neverdonethat, so that takes an adjustment,” Peavy said. “These next couple gamesI’m going to continue getting better at that.” While Peavy’sconfidence grows, so hasBorrego’sconfidence in the rookie.

“Wesaw what he can do,” Borrego said. “He can have areal impact as atwo-way player that can guard the best playerany given night. His growth is going to be the shooting piece, the offensive end. Butthere is no doubt in my mind he’s going to get there.”

for the role. She’sa

This year,the transfer portal is open for allDivision Iplayers through April20.

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU pitcher Gavin Guidry delivers apitch against Oklahoma in the seventhinning on March 21 at Alex Box Stadium.

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

THE MASTERS

McIloryshareslead earlylead

Reigning champ tied with Burns at 5-underpar

BY DOUG FERGUSON AP golf writer

AUGUSTA, Ga. Rory McIlroy has been celebrating all week at Augusta National as the defending champion, and on Thursday he found something else to savor a5-under 67, his lowest start at the Masters in 15 years to share thelead with Sam Burns McIlroy hit only five fairways but still managed to settleinto his round when he blistered a 3-wood out of the first cut over the hill and onto the green at the par-5 eighth. That set up the first of five birdies in an eight-hole stretch on aday he got nearly everything he could out of his round

Only one other player in the last 10 years —Hideki Matsuyamain 2021 —shot 67 while hitting only five fairways. McIlroy wasn’tthe least bit bothered. There was a freedom in his swing, and nothing is more freeing thanfinally having aMasters green jacket

“I think winning aMasters makes it easier to win your second one. Ido,” McIlroy said.

“It’shard to say because there’s still shots out there that you feel alittle bit tight with, and you just have to stand up and commit to making agoodswing and not worry about reallywhere it goes.

“But Ithink it’seasierfor me to make those swings and not worryabout where it goes when Iknow that Ican go tothe Champions Locker Room and putmygreen jacket on at the end of the day.”

Burns was among the early starters. He played the par 5s with threebirdies andaneagle and wound up with his lowest score in his fifth Masters appearance.

“Historically,people who have success here play the par 5s really well,and we were able to do that today.Soit’sagood

Rory McIlroy, of NorthernIreland,celebrates after abirdie on the 15thhole

Masters on ThursdayinAugusta, Ga.Masters golf tournament at the AugustaNational

in Augusta,Ga.

recipe around thisgolfcourse,” Burns said.

ScottieScheffler,the No. 1 player in theworld going for athirdgreen jacket in the last five years, was3under through three holes in the tougherafternoon, when the light gusts began playingtricks andthe greens got crispy.Hehad one bogeyand 14 pars the rest of the way for a70.

Thewhole daywas tough, and the forecast —this could be the first Masters in 25 years without anyrain —has everyoneonedge thinking what the next three days could hold. Yes, the weather was gorgeous. But dry andfirm conditions are scary,eveninthis marvelous garden.

“It was veryfirm for aThursdayout there,” Scheffler said “We’ll see howmuchtheywant to pushit.”

Patrick Reed,the 2018 Masterschampion and atwo-time winner on the European tour this year, was at 69 alongwith Jason Dayand KurtKitayama. Reed was atop the leaderboard for so muchof the day due to

twoeaglesonthe frontnine thatsenthim outin31.

Buthedropped ashot on the 10th, andthen wasflummoxed by what he thought wasanideal shotfor his second into the par-5 15th. Such arethe firmness of the greens that his shot hit hardoff the back of thegreen, bounded down the slope and didn’tstop rolling untilitwas in the pond on No. 16.

“Water?” Reed asked his caddie as he looked toward the green.“It landed on the green.”

He laterdescribed it as a “head-scratcher.”

“I knew if it went over the green, we would be fine,” Reed said. “Didn’treally thinkI was goingtogo30yardsoverthe green.”

JustinRose, twicea playoff loser in the Masters, was in range of the lead until he dropped three shots over the last five holes andhad to settle for a70, tied with Scheffler, XanderSchauffeleand Shane Lowry

The greensare alreadyare so firm that Rose quipped, “You

might geta yellowjacket if you win.” That was areference to theshade of thegreens —ayellow sheen means firm and fast, andthatcolor on Thursday can makeplayers nervous.

“I think it’sintheir control really,how they want it to be,” Rose said. “I think overall every player would say they would like it firm and fast,but Ithink there’saboundary to that.”

While thelack of abig wind made it manageable,Augusta National can still takeabite out of anyone with enough swirling gusts to bring indecision,orbad shots that wind up in thewrong spot.

Bryson DeChambeau found thatout on the11thholewhen he put his approach in theright bunkerand it took himthree to getout on hisway to a76. Jon Rahm turned potential birdie or better into adoublebogey with ashotintothe azalea bushes on thepar-5 13th. He didn’tmake a birdie in his78.

Onlyfive players broke 70, and only 16 players brokepar, the lowest in five years at the Masters for theopening round.

Reed shootsgoodround butfeels he gotbad break

BY SCOTT RABALAIS Staff writer

AUGUSTA, Ga.— On atough day when 10 of the 91 playersinthe Masters tournament failedto break80, Patrick Reed hadmuchto be pleasedabout with Thursday’s 3-under par 69 that had him in atie for third, two back of co-leaders Sam Burns and RoryMcIlroy Reed eagled both par-5s on the first nine —Nos. 2and 8— to turn in 5-under par with the lead. But he made bogey on the par-4 10th hole, then another stroke slipped away as Reed’ssecond shot on the par-5 15th went into the pond on No. 16. “I felt Iplayed alot betterthan the score today,” said Reed, the 2018 Masters champion. “All in all, there were alot of qualityshots.”

Mendoza of Indiana,who said he was attending the Masters tournament for the first time.

Alsointhe crowd: New Orleans native and formerNFL quarterback Eli Manning in his green jacket (he became an AugustaNational member in 2024), thePhiladelphia Eagles Saquon Barkley and comedian KevinHart,who caddiedfor Bryson DeChambeau during Wednesday’sPar3Contest.

Champkickedout

The Masters’ no tolerance policy for cellphonesisnojoke, even for aformer major champion like Mark Calcavecchia

Player on Tiger

Three-timeMasters champion

GaryPlayer said his heart goes out to TigerWoods because of thepain he suffers from over 20 surgeries during his career

ButPlayer, 90,also admonished the five-time Masterswinnerfor being behindthe wheel, which led to his DUI arrest March 27 after Woodscaused acar crash near his home in Jupiter,Florida. Woods is not attending the Masters this year as he seeks treatment.

PARSCORES

UnitedStates39-38—77 +5 C. Jarvis, South Africa38-39—77 +5 M. McNealy,UnitedStates40-37—77 +5 R. Neergaard-Petersen,Den.38-39—77 +5 AlexNoren,Sweden37-40—77 +5 Fred Couples, UnitedStates34-44—78 +6 RasmusHojgaard, Denmark 37-41—78 +6 Min WooLee, Australia 39-39—78 +6 Jon Rahm, Spain 40-38—78 +6 AngelCabrera,Argentina

Stargazing at Augusta

The former UniversityHigh golfer thought he’d made another one as he went for the green in two on the 550-yard 15th from 263 yards out. But his shot hitthe back of the green and bounded into the water on 16,setting up abogey “With how high it was coming in,Idon’t seethatballlanding on the green and going that far,” Reed said. “I’m just going to go ahead and write thatdown as abad break. Idon’t knowany other way to put it.”

RABALAIS

Continued from page1C

course, had his breakthroughmoment in last year’sMasters, finally collecting the last major title he needed to become Europe’s first career grand slam winner

Burns is still looking for his major breakthrough. Like a Kailin Chio perfect 10 performance, he’sgot all the required elements to be amajor champion: hits it amile, sharp iron player, superb putter,and we mentioned that never too high/too low personality of his. His talents were on display on the par-5 second hole. At 585 yards,it’sAugusta’slongest, though it plays shorter as it runs steeply downhill. Burns piped a 392-yard drive(!!) down the middle, then hit a6-iron from 213(!!!)

Among the celebrity sports sightings during Thursday’s first round at AugustaNational were Heisman Trophywinner Fernando

that trundled down to four feet to set up an eagle putt.

“I would say my second shot into 2was pretty nice,”Burns said in his deadpan,don’t-worryI’ll-have-your-safe-cracked-inside-10-minutes manner.Hehad another powerful, pivotal stretch on thesecondnine, withbirdies at 12, 13 and 15, thelatter two again par-5s Burnspummeled Somehow,despiteobvious exceptional golfingskills, the big titles have eluded him.

In the 2024 British Open at Troon, Burns was one off Billy Horschel’s lead goingtothe final round. But Burns’ gamesank to the bottom of Loch Ness onSunday as he shot80 to fadetoatie for 31st.

In last June’sU.S. Open at rugged, rainy Oakmont, it was Burnswho led going into thefinal round. But atoughrules decision,forcinghim to play from a splashy lie on the 15th hole, was

The 1989 British Openwinner reportedly was removed from the club by security Tuesday for being caught using his phone on the grounds. Calcavecchia, 65, was an honorary inviteetothe tournamentbecause of being apast major champion. Calcavecchia playedinthe Masters 18 times,finishingasrunnerup in 1988 to Sandy Lyle

his undoing. Burns shot 78 and ended up in atie for seventh. The silver lining to those Sunday clouds is that it was his best finish in amajor to date, an indication that Burns is getting closer to The Big One. There are other indications that, for Burns, gettingclose isn’tenough. Sam is good friends with world No. 1and two-time Masters champ Scottie Scheffler,their young families often share houses during tournament weeks. According to Golf.com, Burns asked Sheffler the morning of the final round at Oakmonthow to close thedeal in something like aU.S. Open. Sheffler described it as “a good chat,” but theBurns trophy case still remains light on amajor championship trophy His Masters resumeisa variation on that theme. Burns’ best finish here is atie for 29th in 2023, though he said his home

“He’s in pain,”Playersaidafter serving as an honorary starter alongside fellow Masters champions Jack Nicklaus and TomWatson.“Do Iblame himfor taking medicine? Hell, no.But Idon’tthink he should drive acar.Whenyou’re taking that medicine, it’sdangerous.

“Allhe’sgot to do is just not drive acar and get achauffeur My reflexes, Ithink, are as good as when Iwas 20, but Idon’tdrive anymore. Iget achauffeur.But my heart goes out to him. There’s nothing worse than living in pain everyday of your life.”

course, highly regarded Squire Creek in Choudrant near Ruston, is agood prep forAugusta with its big, sloping greens. “Atthe endofthe day,” he said, “it comes down to execution.” As much as Burns clearly burns to win abig one, he is just as clearly not consumed by his profession. He is openly,deeply religious andisraising a2-yearold boy named Bear with his wife, Caroline.

“WhenIget back home, you kind of forget about golf alittle bit,” Burns said. “You get to have the joyofbeing adad and just hanging out with him. It’sareally good distraction. I’m looking forwardtodoing that this afternoon.”

A2-year-old neither knowsnor cares if you’re leading the Mastersornot.

Maybe, major title or no, Burns hasthis golfthing already figured out

No.2: Pink Dogwood

Par5,585 yards

Round 1average: 4.648

Rank: 18

Eagles: 3

Birdies: 36

Pars: 45

Bogeys: 5

Double bogeys or worse: 2

Howitplayed: Wherewould the Masters’ fieldhavebeen Thursday without No.2 to kick around? On a brutal dayfor scoring,Pink Dogwood wasanearly boost to what turnedout to be alot of bad rounds. Conversely, it wasa catalyst forSam Burns, Patrick Reed and Scottie Scheffler, whoall made eagles there and wound up tiedfor first, third and sixth, respectively.

Scott Rabalais

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTO

Patrick Reed hits his tee shot on the 14th hole duringthe first roundofthe Masters on Thursday.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By DAVID J. PHILLIP

during the first round of the

Golf Club on Thursday

PARTY FOR THE PLANET

Earth DayBaton Rouge2026 willtakeplace from 10 a.m. to 4p.m. SaturdayatRhorer Plaza,200 St. Louis St. Celebrate the planet withfun activities and workshops. Whether you’reaneco-warrior or justwant to learn more, the event is geared toward all.Free. eventbrite.com.

CIRCUS COMES TO TOWN

Get readyfor the Human Cannonball, Globe of Death, The World’sSmallest Person, livemusic, specialeffects and avirtual reality experience at Garden Bros.CircusFriday-Sunday at Memorial Stadium, 1750 Foss St. Free kids ticket with everyadult ticket purchased gardenbrosnuclearcircus.com.

GET YOUR PLANT ON

‘Singeaux’ musical revuetocelebrate anniversary, while Shakespeare goes to aLa. dive bar

BY ROBIN MILLER Staff writer

Tenyears ago,the Musical Theatre Club at LSU was formed after the LSU School of Theatre optedtodiscontinueits musical theater class.

Now acelebration is in order

“In honor of our10th year, we’re going to be performing songs from musicals that have been on Broadway in the last 10 years,” said Ashari Harper,who is co-directing the show with Kylie Broomfield.

Both are junior theater majors in LSU’sSchoolofTheatreand Film. Harper is from Dallas, and Broomfield is from Chicago Andnow both arefirst-time directors of “Singeaux,” the Musical Theatre Club’sannual musical revue at the end of the spring semester

The curtainwillopen on this year’sshow at 7p.m. Friday in the LSU Union Theater.Admission is free.

The program features a 34-membercastperforming18 numbers from such musicals as “Wicked,” “Hadestown,” Six,” “Come From Away” and “Tina!”

Members of the Musical Theatre Club at LSUrehearse ‘Ex-Wives’ from the Broadwaymusical ‘Six’ for the club’sannual‘Singeaux’ revue, which takes the LSU Union Theater stageonFriday.

‘SINGEAUX’ AND‘THE COMEDYOFERRORS’

The Musical Theatre Clubat LSU’sannual ‘Singeaux’ revue

WHEN: 7p.m. Friday.

WHERE: LSU Union Theater, Veterans Drive, on campus. ADMISSION: Free Louisiana Shakespeare Co.’s production of ‘The Comedyof Errors’ WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Fridayand Saturday, and April 17-18. WHERE: Black Box Theatre, Cary SaurageCommunity Arts Center, 233 St. Ferdinand St.

JUDYBERGERON

ADMISSION: $26.50 VISIT: lashakes.org BY

BY JOHN WIRT

Contributing writer

amed after TimMcGraw, his country music star uncle,Timothy Wayne is making his ownwaves in music.

Asinger,songwriter and history major at LSU, he’ll have moretimefor musicafter graduation on May16. “Once I’m done, I’ll be touring, writing songs andeverything else,” Wayne said last week following a class. “After Itakea week off to decompress, I’m hitting the ground running. Hopefully,wedon’tfaceplant, but I’ve gotshows linedupand I’m getting ready.”

Friday —three days after his 23rd birthday —Wayne will headline a show at the Texas Club. His growing 2026 concert schedule also includes appearances on his Uncle Tim’s “Pawn Shop Guitar Tour.” This tour will be Wayne’ssecond time as an opening actfor hisuncle In 2024, he joinedMcGraw forsix shows on the “Standing Room Only Tour,” performing forstadium crowds numbering in thetens of thousands.

STAFF PHOTO By ROBINMILLER

FRIDAY FLORIDA STREET BLOW-

HARDS: Busking at Starbucks downtown, 11:30 a.m.

LIVE AFTER FIVE: THE MI-

CHAEL FOSTER PROJECT: Rhorer Plaza, 5 p.m.

CAITLYN RENEE: Agile Brewing, 5:30 p.m.

THE LONGNECK SOCIETY: El Paso, Denham Springs, 6 p.m.

STEVE GUSTAFSON: Stab’s Restaurant, 6 p.m.

3 BLIND MICE: Sullivan’s Steakhouse, 6 p.m.

PECAN PRALINES: Galvez Seafood, Prairieville, 6 p.m.

EDDIE SMITH: T’Quilas, Zachary, 6 p.m.

JOSIAH SHILLOW: Tallulah Crafted Food and Wine Bar, 6 p.m.

HISTORICAL HAPPY HOUR

FEATURING KASEY BALL: West Baton Rouge Museum, Port Allen, 6 p.m.

THE LEE SERIO BAND: T’Quillas, Denham Springs

6:30 p.m.

DOWNFALL: Papi’s Fajita Factory, Watson, 6:30 p.m.

THE SPICE BAGS: Bin 77, 7 p.m.

THE DRUNK UNCLES: On The

Half Shell, Prairieville, 7 p.m.

DON POURCIAU & KONSPIRA-

CY: VFW Zachary Taylor Post (Choctaw), 7 p.m.

HENRY TURNER JR. & ALL-

STARS: Henry Turner Jr.’s Listening Room, 8 p.m.

KENDALL SHAFFER DUO: Moonlight Inn, French Settlement, 9 p.m.

THE DUPONT BROTHERS: The Vineyard, 9 p.m. LA SOUTHBOUND: Fred’s on the River, Prairieville, 9 p.m.

20 BELOW ZERO: Churchill’s, 9 p.m.

TIMOTHY WAYNE/CODY LEE: The Texas Club, 9 p.m.

TYREE NEAL: The Edge Bar at L’Auberge, 9 p.m.

SATURDAY CHARLSTON BOURGEOIS: Leola’s Café, 11 a.m.

IAN WEBSTER DUO: Sullivan’s Steakhouse, 5:30 p.m.

BRIAN RITTENHOUSE: T’Quilas, Zachary, 6 p.m.

ARNETT HAYES: Stab’s Restaurant, 6 p.m.

PAPO Y SON MANDAO: Pedros, Denham Springs, 6 p.m. DON POURCIAU & KONSPIRA-

CY: El Paso, Denham Springs, 6 p.m.

CORDON BLUEZ BAND: El Paso, 6 p.m.

ACOUSTICRATS: Bin 77, 7 p.m.

STUDIO4: Curbside Burgers,

7 p.m.

SATURDAY NIGHT BALLROOM

“AT THE MOVIES” DANCE: American Legion Post 38, 7 p.m.

PERIQUE: On The Half Shell, Prairieville, 7 p.m.

LOUISIANA LANDFALL: Swamp Chicken Daiquiris, St. Amant, 8 p.m.

ACOUSTIC SATURDAY WITH

DIXIE ROSE: Henry Turner Jr.’s Listening Room, 8 p.m.

2 DOMESTIC 1 IMPORT:

O’Hara’s Irish Pub, 8 p.m.

RIVER RAIN: Phil Brady’s, 8 p.m.

CHASE TYLER BAND: Fred’s on the River, Prairieville, 9 p.m.

EMILY ANN ROBERTS/SJ

MCDONALD: The Texas Club, 9 p.m.

CANE FEVER: The Vineyard, 9 p.m. LA GROOVE: Churchill’s, 9 p.m.

SUNDAY

ERIC BASKIN: Watermark

Timothy Wayne performs in Alex Box Stadium for LSU baseball’s National Championship celebration on June 25.

WAYNE

Continued from page 1D

“That was a massive honor because Uncle Tim thought I was good enough to open for him,” Wayne said. “I liked being up there and seeing all the faces. But a lot of people were worried about me My uncle just told them, ‘Y’all, he’s got this.’ ”

Wayne’s other music work so far includes several songs released to music streaming platforms; appearing on the 2025 Louisiana float at the Rose Parade in Pasadena, California; and opening for McGraw last year at the Field of Dreams concert in Dyersville, Iowa.

Wayne recorded his latest single, “Guarandamntee Ya,” five years ago during a recording session that was a surprise high school graduation present from his uncle.

“I thought Uncle Tim was going to record that song and I was going to watch,” Wayne recalled. “I would have been happy with just that, but I got so much more He brought me over to the microphone, made me stand still, shoved a pair of headphones over my head and said, ‘Here’s your vocal mix, your volume, overall mix and master volume Here’s your lyrics sheet. I hope you learned the

song. Sing it.’ And I sang it.”

Wayne grew up in Franklin, Tennessee, about 20 miles south of Nashville.

Despite his proximity to Music City and the stardom achieved by his uncle and aunt (Faith Hill), being a singer-songwriter wasn’t in his plans until his junior year of high school.

“The Marine Corps was the only thing I had in mind since I was 4 years old,” he said. “I did everything to get prepared for it. I was ready to go right after school.”

But then Wayne’s high school guidance counselor informed him he needed an art credit to graduate. After failing at pottery and photography he gave guitar a shot. And because everyone else in his class was already playing guitar, he practiced the instrument until his fingers bled, hoping to catch up.

“That guitar opened the gate to everything else,” he said.

Wayne soon started singing and, less than a year after he’d picked up the guitar, wrote his first song, a collaboration with singer songwriter and actor Mark Collie.

While still a high school junior, Wayne accepted musician friend Tim Bumgartner’s invitation to join him on stage at the Legends Corner bar on Broadway in Nashville. One of the five

songs they performed, Waylon Jennings’ “Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love),” got a great reaction.

“Everybody wanted me to sing it again,” Wayne remembered “And the second time, people started dancing in the middle of the bar, dancing outside of the bar and coming in off the streets. It was awesome. It was that moment where I was like ‘This is what it’s about.’ I was enthralled by that feeling of being something everybody can enjoy I wound up diving (into music) after that.”

Wayne credits his aunt, uncle and parents with helping him take the plunge into music.

“They were always just Uncle Tim and Aunt Faith, but, growing up, when I watched these giants on stage, they were so big in my eyes that I never thought, ‘Give me a microphone. I can do that,’ ” he said. “It wasn’t until they told me Uncle Tim was one of my early-on believers. Aunt Faith told me she believed in me. My parents told me they believed in me, too. Everybody else believed in me, but I had to put faith in myself, belief in myself. Once I did that, I fell in love with it. I always loved music.”

Email John Wirt at j_wirt@ msn.com.

Hotel, 10 a.m.

RACHAEL & ERIC: Leola’s Café, 11 a.m.

KIRK HOLDER: On The Half Shell, Prairieville, 11 a.m.

JUSTIN BURDETTE TRIO: Superior Grill-MidCity, 11 a.m.

MUSICIANS FÊTE: West Baton Rouge Museum, Port Allen, noon THE MOJOES: Fred’s on the River, Prairieville, 3 p.m.

POLECAT FUNK: Beauvoir Park, 3 p.m.

SONGWRITER SUNDAYS: La Divina Italian Cafe, 5 p.m.

OPEN MIC JAM: Fat Cat Saloon, Prairieville, 7 p.m.

MONDAY

NICK PERKINS: Pedros, Denham Springs, 6 p.m.

KATIE KENNEY: Superior GrillMidCity, 6 p.m.

TUESDAY

RHETT GUILLOT: Bin 77, 5:30 p.m.

KIRK HOLDER: Superior GrillMidCity, 6 p.m.

EDDIE SMITH: On The Half Shell, Prairieville, 6:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY

CHRIS LEBLANC: Mason’s Grill, 5:30 p.m.

CAM PYLE: Tallulah Crafted Food and Wine Bar, 6 p.m.

LSU JAZZ JAM: Classic Vinyls, 6 p.m.

SHANE MADERE: On The Half Shell, Prairieville, 6:30 p.m.

SONGWRITERS OPEN MIC: Le Chien Brewing Co., Denham Springs, 6:30 p.m.

KIRK HOLDER: Bin 77, 6:30 p.m.

SONGWRITERS OPEN MIC W/ HEATH RANSONNET: Coop’s on 621, Gonzales, 7 p.m.

ANDY PIZZO TRIO: Hayride Scandal, 7:30 p.m.

OPEN MIC JAM: O’Hara’s Irish Pub, 8 p.m.

THURSDAY

CAM PYLE: Hilton Capitol Center, 5 p.m.

JEFF BAJON PROJECT: BLDG 5, 5:30 p.m.

KASEY

PROVIDED PHOTO

“Daphnis and Chloe and Other Lovers: Lithographs by Marc Chagall.” Each LSU student has selected an artwork on view, conducted research, and designed a conversationbased experience. Limited to the first 15 visitors. Free. lsumoa.org.

“EPIC: ELVIS PRESLEY IN CONCERT” (2026): 2 p.m. and 6 p.m., Manship Theatre, 100

Lafayette St. Film features never-before-seen footage and recordings feature Elvis Presley in concert at his Las Vegas residency during the later stage of his career. Directed by Baz Luhrmann $9.50. manshiptheatre.org. A JEANS AND THINGS LOVE AFFAIR — THE LOVE NOTES:

6 p.m.-9 p.m., Oxbow Rum Distillery, 760 St. Louis St Enjoy music, food and drinks in a benefit for the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank. $35. https://buytickets.at/lovenotes/2031821.

SATURDAY NIGHT BALLROOM “AT THE MOVIES” DANCE: 7 p.m.-10 p.m., American Legion Post 38, 151 S. Wooddale Blvd. A mix of recorded music for dancing including ballroom, Latin and swing dancing. Cash bar. Dancers encouraged to wear something thematic, opt for dressy casual, or “wear whatever makes you feel like dancing.” $15 (dancers and spectators).

SATURDAY-SUNDAY SPRING FLING PLANT SALE:

9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday, LSU Hilltop Arboretum, 11855 Highland Road. Hosted by Friends of Hilltop Arboretum. An expanded selection of

native plants will be featured along with native plant resources and education. Also featured will be 300-plus species of native and traditional trees, shrubs, perennials, vines, ferns, camellias and grasses. www.lsu.edu/hilltop.

SUNDAY

“IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE”

25TH ANNIVERSARY SCREENING: 2 p.m., Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St. $9.50. manshiptheatre.org.

BRAVER ANGELS BATON ROUGE MEETING: 2:30 p.m.-

4 p.m., South Branch Library, 2210 Glasgow Ave. Discussion topic: “Education of our students can be improved with public funding of vouchers: pros and cons.

SENSORY SECOND SUNDAY:

3 p.m.-5 p.m., Louisiana Art & Science Museum, 100 S. River Road. Dimmed lights, lowvolume music, designated quiet areas, headphones and sensory tools are available. Due to limited space, preregistration recommended at tinyurl.com/LASMSensorySunday. lasm.org.

TUESDAY

RED STICK FARMERS MARKET:

3 p.m.-6 p.m., Main Library at Goodwood, 7711 Goodwood

Blvd. Farm-fresh produce, goods, cooking demonstrations. breada.org.

BATON ROUGE CHESS CLUB:

6 p.m.-8 p.m., La Divina Italian Cafe, 3535 Perkins Road, Unit 360. A chance to play and learn; all levels welcome. Free.

WEDNESDAY

RED STICK FARMERS MARKET: 9 a.m.-noon, ExxonMobil YMCA, 7711 Howell Blvd. Farm-fresh produce, goods and more. www.facebook. com/redstickfarmersmarket.

VILLA ALBERTINE PRESENTS

NIGHT OF IDEAS: 5:30 p.m.-

8 p.m., LSU Museum of Art, 100 Lafayette St. L’AIL — Languages of AI in/and Louisiana, featuring a panel with artist Olivain Porry and scholar Jonathan Mayers, moderated by Dr. Jeffrey Leichman, followed by a reception with a student project, music and refreshments. Free. Registration recommended at https://vip. villa-albertine.org/_9rmn48.

THURSDAY

RED STICK FARMERS MAR-

KET: 8 a.m.-noon, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, 6400 Perkins Road. Farm-fresh produce, goods and more. facebook.com/redstickfarmersmarket.

MANSHIP THEATRE RED

CARPET GALA WITH LEANN

RIMES: 6 p.m., Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St. Annual fundraiser to support the theatre’s mission to enrich the lives of audiences of all ages by presenting worldrenowned performers on our stage. Fully catered reception and an open bar, followed by an intimate performance with Rimes. $250 or $300. https:// www.manshiptheatre.org/ red-carpet-gala.

CREATIVE CONNECTIONS:

6 p.m., LSU Museum of Art, 100 Lafayette St. Explore the digital age through art in this program inspired by AI: Artistic Interpretations. For ages 16+. Free. Limited space; pre-registration required at bontempstix.com

OUTDOOR COMMUNITY

YOGA: 6 p.m.-7 p.m., pavilion by the pond, LSU Hilltop Arboretum, 11855 Highland Road. Drop-in; no registration required; bring your own mat. Free, but donations welcome. www.lsu.edu/hilltop.

WEEKLY SOCIAL BIKE RIDE: 7 p.m., Geaux Ride, 521 N. Third St., Suite A. Free. fareharbor.com.

SYMPHONY NIGHT AT L’AUBERGE: 7:30 p.m.9:30 p.m., L’Auberge Event Center, 777 L’Auberge Ave Featuring violinist Risa Hokamura and Baton Rouge Symphony Chorus. $25 and up. brso.org.

ONGOING

BATON ROUGE GALLERY CENTER FOR CONTEMPORARY ART: 1515 Dalrymple Drive. “Real Life Experience: Juried High School Exhibition,” through April 26. Hours: noon-6 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday. batonrougegallery.org.

CAPITOL PARK MUSEUM: 660 N. Fourth St. “Grounds for Greatness: Louisiana and the Nation,” “The Louisiana Experience: Discovering the Soul of America,” “African American History,” “Music and Musicians” and “Mardi Gras,” permanent exhibits. (225) 342-5428 or louisianastatemuseum.org.

CARY SAURAGE COMMUNITY ARTS CENTER SHELL GALLERY: 233 St. Ferdinand St. “Dennisparkercelloetc,” exhibit of cellist Dennis Parker’s transformations of musical instruments into sculptural works, through April 17. Hours are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday artsbr.org.

THE GALLERY AT MANSHIP: 100 Lafayette St. “Brandon Lewis — When All God’s Children Get Together.” Hours are 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday, 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday.

KNOCK KNOCK CHILDREN’S

MUSEUM: 1900 Dalrymple Drive. Museum- and EBR

Schools-hosted art exhibition for K-5 students, “Big Ideas, Little Hands: EBR Schools’ K-5 Masterpiece,” through Sunday. knockknockmuseum.org.

LOUISIANA ART & SCIENCE MUSEUM: 100 S. River Road. “Then, And Now, And Always: The Artwork of Nick Bustamante,” through July 19, SoupCon Gallery; “Pinpointing the Stars,” through Aug. 1; “Crossroads & Connections: A Century of the Railway in Baton Rouge,” through Oct. 1; “Going Places: Transportation Toys of the Past,” through July 6, and “Shelf Queens: Model Train Masterpieces,” also through July 6. (225) 3445272 or lasm.org.

LSU’S BARNES OGDEN GALLERY: 31 S. Campus Drive.

LSU’S GLASSELL GALLERY: Shaw Center for the Arts, 100 Lafayette St. “Mia Isabel Pons: this body held others” and “Sarah Moschel Miller: To be closer,” both LSU School of Art MFA thesis exhibitions, through Saturday. Hours: noon-8 p.m. LSU MUSEUM

THEATER

Continued from page1D

Each song segues directly into the next, breaking only for intermission.

Last week, the cast gathered for its first dressrunthroughonthe stainedcarpet in asecond-floor classroom in LSU’sMusic and Dramatic Arts Building. The room doesn’tprovide theairy space of astage, but it’swide enough to accommodate the choreography by junior theater major Layla Collado of Maryland.

But the club definitely isn’t complaining.

“We’ve been rehearsing wherever we can this semester,”Harper said “We’ve been in classrooms, and sometimes we’ll practice in the Greek Theatre.”

But by Thursday,the show moved to the Union Theater, where cast members were expected to hit theirmarks in costumes from their stock closet, LSU’sCostumeShop andonloanfrom MidCity Civic Theatre.

Since its inception, the club, like the musical theater class that inspired it, has attracted students in avariety of majors from across the campus. Many have described it as an escape from the everyday routine of schoolfor afew hours each week. And the reward? They get to perform in fall musicals and spring“Singeaux” revues.

The Musical Theatre Club is supported by annual donationsfrom John Turner and Jerry Fischer,along with $5 student membership fees.

Though students must audition for shows, their participation is voluntary, and rehearsals always take place outside of class.

Back at rehearsal, Harper calls in the club members for the beginning of thesecond act. The entire cast, dressed in green, runs to the center of thespottycarpetand waits for the cue of the music. And when the musicstarts, the classroom suddenly transforms into the Emerald

‘FIANCÉ’

Continued from page1D

becomes atrue last-minute cliffhanger.” Perpolicy,TLC does not provide last names of cast members, therest of whom include:

City as the spiritofthe musical “Wicked” fills the room. It doesn’tmatterthatthe carpet is dirty and chairs are shoved againstwalls. Music is magic, and the Musical TheatreClub knows how to wield it.

Shakespeareinabar

Shakespeare’sstories can fit in justabout any setting, even an old country divebar somewhere in thedepths of rural south Louisiana.

Doubts? Well, see for yourself when the Louisiana Shakespeare Co. opens The Bard’s“TheComedyofErrors” on Friday in the Cary Saurage Community Arts Center’sBlack Box Theatre, 233 St. FerdinandSt.

Not only will audience members watch the farce of mistaken identity playout some alsowillbe abletoorder drinks from the onstage bar

“We’ll also invite people to come up and dance,” director ShaneStewart said.“So it’svery interactive. That’s what we’re goingfor.”

Shakespeare’soriginal setting for “Comedy”was the Greek islandofEphesus,in whichtwo sets of identical twins accidentallyseparated at birth arrivetoaseries of mishaps filled with puns, wordplay and slapstick

Yes, Shakespeare actually dabbled in slapstick comedy during hiscareer,which plays wellinthisshow.

“Wealwaystry todoeverything with aLouisiana theme, anda lot of the plays we’ve done in the past have been New Orleans-based,because that’swhatpeoplethink of when they think of Louisiana,” Stewartsaid. “But I grew up in St.HelenaParish in rural Louisiana, so Ithink of settings like old divebars.”

And the settinghas away of enhancing thework. Why? Because Shakespeare wrotehis plays not for scholars buteveryday people.

The poetry of his prose may be studied by scholars, but his stories have universal appeal.

“A lot of times when people thinkofShakespeare, they think of Hamlet’ and‘Macbeth,’ but Shakespeareisa

n Catie,26, Portland, Oregon,and Josh,30, England n Marissa, 45, BlueBell, Pennsylvania, and Edward, 32, Dominican Republic n Mallorie, 29,Athens,Alabama, and Rasit, 29, Turkey n Shea, 54,Paducah, Kentucky,and Anabelle,54, Philippines n Ashia, 38, Alabaster

lot morethan that,” Stewart said. “So, ‘The Comedy of Errors’ shows the other side of Shakespeare, andit’sfun with slapstick andsilliness. And Ican just remember watching old TV shows like ‘The Dukes of Hazzard’ and ‘The Fall Guy,’ where they would have their sillier moments with characters like Boss Hogg and, andsome of those charactersjust clicked withme, becausethere are brothers in ‘Comedy,’ just as thereare two brothers in ‘The Dukes of Hazzard.’ I hate to say it, butIwas alittle bit inspired by that.”

Stewart’s version of “Comedy” is set somewhere within the late 1980s and the mid 1990s, when GarthBrooks was tops on thejukebox. Andspeakingofjukeboxes, Stewart andJennifer Bouquet, the company’s executive director,put out asearch for onebeforethe play went intoproduction.

“I wish we could have found ajukebox, but nobody had one,” Bouquet said. “We asked Playmakers(of Baton Rouge) andmyfriends who teach at different schools, but nobody hadone.Iguess we could have asked local bars, but they probably wouldn’thave wanted to give theirs up.”

But that doesn’tmean there won’t be music. What dive bar would be complete without it?

Show up early for a7 p.m. music performance before each show,then getready for aShakespeariancountry music battle like no other “Wedouse alot of music in theplay,” Stewart said. “We actually have avery special scene thatinvolves music.In the script, there’ssupposed to be asword fight, but this is setina Louisianabar.So, instead,wehavea linedanceoff, and we’regoing to invite people to come up and dance in the dance-off.”

Andinthe midstofitall, TheBard’swords will ring loud, fitting perfectly in their south Louisiana setting.

Email RobinMiller at romiller@theadvocate. com.

Alabama,and Maxwell, 28, Nigeria n Thomas, 31, Long Beach, California,and Paula, 41, Brazil

Look for more “90Day Fiancé news on Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, YouTube andTLC.com, and jointhe conversation using #90DayFiance.

By The Associated Press

Today is Friday,April 10, the100th day of 2026. There are 265 days left in theyear

Todayinhistory: On April 10, 1998, the Northern Ireland peace talksconcluded as negotiatorssigned theGood Friday Agreement,alandmarksettlement to end 30 years of bitter rivalries and bloody attacks.

Also on this date: In 1815, Indonesia’s Mount Tamboraexploded in the biggest known volcanic eruption in 1,000 years, one that altered global weather.About 92,000 people are thought to have died, including 82,000 who perished of starvation and disease and 10,000 killed by itsdirect impact.

In 1866, theAmerican Societyfor the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was founded in New York by

Henry Bergh. In 1912, the British liner RMS Titanic set sail from Southampton, England, bound forNew York on its ill-fated maiden voyage. In 1919, Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata wasassassinated by forces loyal to President Venustiano Carranza.

In 1963, the nuclear submarine USSThresher (SSN-593) sank during deep-diving tests east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, killing all 129 aboard.

In 1971, the U.S. table tennis team arrived in China at the invitation of the communist government foragoodwill visit that came to be knownas“pingpong diplomacy.”

In 2010, aplane crashed on approach in dense fog to the Smolensk airport in Russia, killing Polish President Lech Kaczynski, the first lady and 94 other government and armed forces

figures as wellasmany prominent Poles. In 2019, scientists released the first image ever madeofa black hole, revealing afiery,doughnutshape object in agalaxy 55 million light-years from earth.

Today’sbirthdays: Labor leader-activist Dolores Huerta is 96. Football Hall of Famer Mel Blount is 78. Author Anne Lamott is 72. Singer-producer Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds is 67. Musician Brian Setzer is

PROVIDED PHOTO By LIZ ODOM-DALTON

From left, Chase Duhe is the merchant,Carlyle Runfalo is Angelo and Bekah Fontenot is the courtesan in the Louisiana ShakespeareCo.’s production of ‘The ComedyofErrors.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Refuse to let anyone talk you into something you don't need. Scams are prevalent, and overpaying for a hyped-up product or inflated quote will set you back.

tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Take care of unfinished business. An opportunity will surface if you apply for a position or go for an interview. Be sure to ask questions and get what you want in writing.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Be part of the solution, not the problem. Consider the positive changes you can make if you fact-check and research the best way to proceed. Talk is cheap if you don't follow through.

cAncER (June 21-July 22) Take more time to appreciate what is going your way, and spend less time worrying and criticizing what isn't. Attitude is everything when you want to get things done.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Buckle up and get busy. Don't share too much personal information; listen, absorb and determine what and who are in sync with you. Equality is essential.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Love is on the rise, and healthy discussions that share expectations will help solidify a meaningful relationship. What you do to encourage, support and help others or a cause will make a difference.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Slow down, and think before you spend. Only offer what's feasible and make promises

you can fulfill. Discipline and ingenuity, along with completion, will lead to victory.

scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Put on your thinking cap, and you'll come up with an idea that will encourage a new adventure. Social events and sensitive topics of conversation will require finesse and delicate monitoring.

sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Put some time, money and thought into your living arrangements. It's time to upgrade your surroundings to suit your needs. A proper workspace will help you be more productive.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Ease into whatever you want to do, and spare yourself taking on too much or upsetting a situation that is already festering. Don't dig yourself into a hole when it's time to climb out.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Keep a low profile, and you'll accomplish the most. A lifestyle change is on your agenda, and putting the pieces in place will put your mind at rest.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Keep life simple and affordable. Initiate positive change and healthy choices. Someone you encounter will offer insight into how you can use your skills more effectively.

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

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

toDAy's cLuE: t EQuALs y

FAMILY CIrCUS

CeLebrItY CIpher For better or For WorSe

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

LAGoon

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placingpuzzle based on a9x9 grid with several givennumbers. Theobject is to place thenumbers1 to 9inthe emptysquares so that each row, each column andeach 3x3 box containsthe same number onlyonce.The difficulty levelofthe Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

THe wiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS CurTiS

By PHILLIP ALDER Bridge

Bill Wattersonsaid, “Weekends don’t countunlessyouspendthemdoingsomethingcompletelypointless.”Bearthatin mindasthe weekend is about to start.

However, another of those words is relevant to today’sNorth hand: pointless. Andsometimes you have to bid witha true Yarborough. South opens twoclubs, strong, artificial and forcing. North responds two diamonds, weak, artificialand forcing. Southrebids two spades,naturalandforcing.Whatshould North do now?

Usually,withaverybadhand,responder givesa secondnegative: either two no-trump (traditional) or threeclubs (modern), according to partnership preference.Here,though,withfour-card support for opener’s major, responder should jump to four of thatmajor.This indicatesatleast four trumps butno first- or second-round control:noace, void, king or singleton. Against four spades,West leads the heart queen. How should South plan the play?

Declarer has two heart losers, so can afford only one trump loser, not two. There is just one layout that will save South: eitheropponent must have asingleton queen.Declarer shouldtake the first trick and lead hisspade king. And because this deal is seeing the light of

day,youjustknowthatwillwork.Finally, South might have rebidthree no-trump, whichNorthwouldhavepassedbecause he could notbesure of an eight-card major-suitfit.(Thisisabadsequencefor Standard.) Then, if West hadled aclub, South wouldhave had to make the same spade play.

©2026 by NEA, Inc.,dist.

By Andrews McMeel Syndication

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

Previousanswers:

word game

InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of four or moreletters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a“d” or an “s” maynot be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words,orvulgarorsexually explicit words are not allowed.

toDAy’s WoRD REFusAL: rih-FYU-zul:The act of denying.

Averagemark 29 words Time limit45minutes

yEstERDAy’s WoRD —EPIsoDIc

Can you find 35 or more words in REFUSAL? epic peso pied poise pose iced ides scope

spec sped spice spied dice disc disco does dope dose code coed cope copied copies copse

wuzzles

loCKhorNs

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles hidato

mallard

Baton Rouge, in theabove enti‐tled andnumbered cause, Ihaveseizedand proceed to sell by public auction, on thefront stepsofthe West Baton h p RougeCourthouse,850 8thStreet,PortAllen LouisianaonWEDNES‐DAY, MAY13, 2026 at