The Advocate 04-11-2026 by The Advocate

McILROY MAKESBIG MOVE

SPLASHDOWN

ArtemisII crew safely returnstoEarth in perfectendingtohistoricmoonmission

BY MARCIA DUNN AP aerospace writer

HOUSTON Artemis II’sastronauts returnedfromthe moon with adramatic splashdown in the Pacific on Friday to close out humanity’s first lunar voyage in more than ahalf-century It was atriumphant homecoming for the crew of four whose record-breaking lunar flyby revealed not only swaths of the moon’sfar side —never seen before by human eyes —but atotal solar eclipse. Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover,Christina Koch and Canada’s Jeremy Hansen hit the atmosphere

traveling Mach 33 —or33times the speed of sound —ablistering blur not seen since NASA’s Apollo moonshots of the 1960s and 1970s. Their Orion capsule, dubbed Integrity,madethe plunge on automatic pilot.

Thetension in MissionControl mounted as the capsule became engulfed in red-hotplasma during peak heating andentereda planned communication blackout.

All eyes were on thecapsule’slifeprotectingheat shield that had to withstand thousands of degreesduring reentry.Onthe spacecraft’sonly other test flight— in 2022, with no oneon board —the shield’s charred exterior

Cassidyurges Democrats to reregister forprimary

Newelectionrules wouldlimit votes

BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer

U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy,R-Baton Rouge, is making aconcerted push to get Democrats to switch their party registration so they can vote for him in next month’sRepublican primary

That’sprompted criticismfrom those who say it provides more

Legislation targets homeless people

Billwould make sleeping on street acrime,create ‘homelessnesscourts’

BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writer

Over the past several years, Lashauna Williamssays, she has struggled to afford permanent housing while trying to get treated forpost-traumatic stress disorder and depression.

Williams, whosaid she grew up in foster care, describedbouncing between shipping containers, rented apartments and friends’ houses. She spent several months at aNew Orleans shelter where, she said, she wasoften treated harshly Sometimes, she would leave the shelter early in themorning to catch afew extra hours of sleep in the park, abrief escape before she began her day,she said. Now, aproposal in the Louisiana Legislature would makecamping in unauthorized public spaces acrime.Supporters of the idea, which would also allowlocal jurisdictions to establish “homelessness courts,” say it will give law enforcement atool to steer homeless people toward services and help draw downfunds from President Donald Trump’sadministration. HouseBill 211, sponsoredbystate Rep. Debbie Villio,R-Kenner, is part of Gov Jeff Landry’slegislative agenda. The bill lays out amechanism forhomeless people to avoid prison time by pleading guilty,

ä See HOMELESS, page 4A

evidence that he’snot atrue conservative —especially since neither of Cassidy’stwo Republican opponents, state Treasurer John Fleming and Baton Rouge U.S. Rep.Julia Letlow,are making a similar effort.

Central to Cassidy’smove to encourage party switches is a decision by Gov.Jeff Landry and Republican lawmakersin2024to end Louisiana’sunusual jungle primary forfederal races beginning

ä See CASSIDY, page 4A

cameback looking as pockmarked as themoon.

Like so many others, lead ﬂight director Jeff Radigan anticipated feeling some of that “irrational fear thatis humannature,” especially during the six-minuteblackout that preceded the openingofthe parachutes. The recovery ship USS John P. Murtha awaited the crew’sarrival off the San Diego coast, alongwith asquadronofmilitary planes andhelicopters. The astronauts’ families huddled in Mission Control’sviewing room, where cheers eruptedwhenthe capsule

ä See SPLASHDOWN, page 5A

BY QUINN COFFMAN Staff writer

ASt. Francisville police ofﬁcer accused of improperly driving awoman around in his cruiser thenight she drowned in ahotel bathtub —adeath originally thought to be an overdose or asuicide —isnow suspected of having given herdrugs, according to the district attorney Richard Parsons Jr.—who resigned 2022, shortly after thedrowning —was charged last year with malfeasance in of-

ﬁce forallegedly having given Rene Horton aride in his cruiser Photos recovered fromParsons’ phone during thedrowning investigation tied him to both Horton’sdeath and to aseparate incident involving the sexual battery of aman, District Attorney Sam D’Aquilla said. On Thursday, D’Aquilla submitted a warrant to re-arrest 39-year-old Parsons on acount of negligent homicide in Horton’sdeath. He wasbooked on the sexual batterycharge in October2025 andthe malfeasance charge in August 2025. According to D’Aquilla, Parsons dropped

See OFFICER, page

STAFF FILE PHOTOByJAVIER GALLEGOS Gov. Jeff Landryand state Rep.Debbie Villio,R-Kenner,are backing aproposal that wouldmakesleepingonthe street a crime and allowjurisdictions to establish specialty‘homelessness courts.’ ä

PHOTO PROVIDED By NASA

TheArtemis II splashes down in the PacificOcean off the coast of California on Friday

BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

Tourist boat capsizes in northern India, kills 10 LUCKNOW, India An overcrowded tourist boat capsized in the Yamuna river in northern India on Friday leaving at least 10 people dead, ofﬁcials said

The accident occurred near the temple town of Vrindavan, a major Hindu pilgrimage site in Uttar Pradesh state.

Officials said the privately operated boat, which had a capacity of about 15 passengers, was carrying around 25 people when it overturned midstream.

Preliminary ﬁndings indicated strong winds caused the vessel to sway before it struck a pontoon bridge and capsized.

Senior administrative ofﬁcer Chandraprakash Singh said 15 people were rescued, four of them in critical condition. The dead were all from India and included six women, he said

Officials said most passengers were not wearing life jackets and that the boat appeared poorly maintained. The operator ﬂed the scene after the accident, they said.

FAA investigates close call on LAX taxiway

A Frontier Airlines jet nearly collided with two trucks that crossed in front of it earlier this week at Los Angeles International Airport, but unlike last month’s deadly crash in New York while a plane was landing, this incident happened on a taxiway while the plane was moving slowly

The Frontier pilot was alarmed and used an expletive as he told the tower he had to slam on the brakes to avoid a collision late Wednesday “It was real close. The closest I have ever seen,” he said in audio posted by ATC.com.

No one was hurt in the incident that is being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration. The agency said several vehicles on a service road crossed in front of the plane around 11:25 p.m. Wednesday

The incident in Los Angeles appears to have happened in an area of the airport where the planes are communicating with air trafﬁc controllers about their movements, but ground vehicles are simply supposed to yield to any planes which are typically moving only about 15 mph. Airport ofﬁcials didn’t respond immediately to questions about what happened and what procedures are in place to prevent collisions.

Aviation safety expert Steve Arroyo, who was a longtime United Airlines pilot, said these kind of incidents happen daily on taxiways across the country, but don’t normally get any attention because the collision is avoided. The issue will undoubtedly get more attention now “Multiple incidents, accidents happening, just in March alone, I think it’s time to put some serious eyes on what’s going on on the ramp,” Arroyo said.

Texas overturns sentence of death-row inmate

Texas’ highest criminal court has overturned the death sentence of a Harris County man who was on death row for nearly half a century

Clarence Curtis Jordan, 70, was ﬁrst convicted in 1978 of murdering Joe L. Williams, a 40-year-old Houston grocer Jordan, who is intellectually disabled, was then found in subsequent years to be incompetent and therefore could not be executed. But for almost four decades, he did not have an attorney to advocate for him and was seemingly forgotten on death row Jordan was finally appointed a new attorney in 2024 as news emerged that there were numerous delayed criminal appeals in Harris County, some of which were lost for more than a decade. The revelation came amid an effort by the county to reduce the backlog in its criminal courts.

Following new legal advocacy, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals vacated Jordan’s death sentence in a Thursday ruling

The panel also sent the case back to Harris County for a new punishment proceeding.

The Harris County District Attorney’s Ofﬁce said Thursday that the overturning of Jordan’s death sentence is “what justice looks like,” while adding that his conviction stands.

Gaza marks 6 months since ceasefire began

Residents in limbo as war in Iran causes confusion

BY WAFAA SHURAFA and CARA ANNA Associated Press

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Friday marks six months since Gaza’s ceaseﬁre deal took effect, a milestone largely lost in the confusion over the new and even more fragile ceaseﬁre in the Iran war

The ravaged Palestinian territory of 2 million people has seen the most intense fighting stop between Israeli forces and Hamas-led militants. But most of the ceaseﬁre work remains to be done, from disarming Hamas and ending its two-decade rule to deploying an international stabilization force and beginning vast reconstruction. Gaza residents are in limbo, with limited aid entering through a single, Israeli-controlled border post.

Focusing on a deal’s details is crucial. Already the Iran war’s two-week ceasefire has created deadly confusion over Lebanon as Israel insists the deal doesn’t apply there and continues to attack the Iranian-backed Hezbollah, while Iran insists it does and threatens to upend the agreement. Israel made a surprise announcement Thursday authorizing direct negotiations with Lebanon, despite the lack of

diplomatic ties.

Not long ago, the U.S.-created and Trump-led Board of Peace kicked off with $7 billion in pledges and sweeping intentions of resolving not only Gaza but other conflicts that emerge around the world.

Nine days after the board’s initial meeting, the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran.

The Board of Peace has not met again, and it’s still waiting for Hamas to respond to its proposal on disarming, a major concession and perhaps the hardest step. Hamas’ charter calls for destroying Israel.

A U.S. ofﬁcial said Hamas has not been given a deﬁnite deadline to respond to the proposal but added that “patience is not unlimited.”

The ofﬁcial was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity

The lack of a deadline can weaken pressure to act. Meanwhile, diplomacy is busy putting out different ﬂames.

Board of Peace director Nickolay Mladenov told the U.N. Security Council last month that the world should not lose sight of Gaza as a new war ﬂared. The choice in Gaza is between “a renewed war, or a new beginning; the status

quo, or a better future,” he added.

“There is no third option.”

Palestinians might suggest a third option: neglect.

Six months into the Gaza ceasefire that took effect on Oct. 10, little beyond the largely silenced explosions has changed.

Vast tent camps house most of the territory’s population.

Other residents shelter in damaged apartment buildings. Health workers and other humanitarian workers say there has been little progress in the expected surge of medical supplies and other aid.

The U.S. 20-point ceaseﬁre plan for Gaza is largely failing on the humanitarian front, ﬁve international aid groups said in a scorecard released Thursday They said conditions have deteriorated further in Gaza since the Iran war began.

“During the ﬁrst two weeks of March 2026, trucks entering Gaza declined by 80%, and the price of basic goods increased dramatically,” they said. Medical evacuations have stalled.

Palestinians expressed fading hopes for any immediate improvement in their lives.

“There is pollution and disease.

It’s as if there’s no ceasefire at all,” said Maysa Abu Jedian, a displaced woman from Beit Lahiya.

Immigration board denies Mahmoud Khalil’s appeal

BY JAKE OFFENHARTZ Associated Press

NEW YORK An immigration appeals board has denied Mahmoud Khalil’s latest bid to dismiss his deportation case, a largely expected ruling that brings the former Columbia University graduate student and Palestinian activist one step closer to re-arrest and possible expulsion.

The Board of Immigration Appeals issued the ﬁnal order of removal on Thursday, according to Khalil’s lawyers. The board’s rulings are not public, and an inquiry to the U.S. Department of Justice was not immediately returned.

Khalil said he was not surprised by the ruling, which he called “biased and politically motivated.” His attorneys said he cannot be lawfully detained or deported as he pursues a separate case in the federal court system.

“The only thing I am guilty of is speaking out against the genocide in Palestine and this administration has weaponized the immigration system to punish me for it,” Khalil said in a statement

The Board of Immigration Appeals sets precedent in the byzantine immigration court system, which is controlled by the Department of Justice — and increasingly under the inﬂuence of the Trump administration.

Khalil, a 31-year-old legal permanent resident, was the ﬁrst person whose arrest became publicly known during the federal crackdown on noncitizens who publicly criticized Israel and its actions in Gaza.

The government has claimed that

Khalil’s efforts as a leader of pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia were “aligned to Hamas.” They have not presented evidence of any connection to the terrorist group, and Khalil has adamantly denied allegations of antisemitism.

After his arrest last March, Khalil spent 104 days in an immigration jail, missing the birth of his ﬁrst child, before he was ordered released by a federal judge in New Jersey

Khalil suffered a signiﬁcant setback in his federal case earlier this year with a U.S. appeals panel ruling the judge in New Jersey overstepped his authority by releasing him. In a 2-1 decision, the panel found that law requires the case to fully move through the immigration courts before Khalil can challenge the decision in federal court.

Khalil’s lawyers are requesting the full appeals panel reconsider the decision. Earlier this month, they asked one of the appellate panel’s judges to step aside because of his previous role as a top Justice Department ofﬁcial involved in investigating student protesters.

Prince Harry sued by charity

African group claims defamation

BY BRIAN MELLEY Associated Press

LONDON A charity co-founded by Prince Harry in Africa to honor his late mother, Princess Diana, has sued him for defamation after he stepped down as a patron last year

Sentebale, which supports young people living with HIV in Botswana and Lesotho, ﬁled suit last month in London’s High Court, according to court records viewed Friday Online ﬁlings show Harry and his friend, Mark Dyer, a former trustee at the charity, are being sued for either libel or slander No documents were available.

“The charity seeks the court’s intervention, protection, and restitution following a coordinated adverse media campaign conducted since 25 March 2025 that has caused operational disruption and reputational harm to the charity its leadership, and its strategic partners,” Sentebale said Friday in a statement on its website.

A spokesperson for Harry and Dyer said the pair “categorically reject these offensive and damaging claims.”

The lawsuit puts the Duke of Sussex in an unaccustomed position as a defendant in the High Court Over the past three years, he has repeatedly been on the other side of litigation as the leading claimant in invasion of privacy suits against Britain’s most prominent tabloids over allegations of phone hacking and unlawful snooping by journalists and the private eyes they hired.

Harry co-founded Sentebale, which means “forget me not” in the language of Lesotho, about 20 years ago in memory of his mother, who was a prominent advocate for treatment of HIV and AIDS and helped reduce stigma around the disease. Prince Seeiso of Lesotho was the co-founder Disagreements at the charity surfaced in 2023 over a new fundraising strategy and the two founders stepped down as patrons in March 2025 in support of trustees who had quit.

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ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ABDEL KAREEM HANA

Palestinian youth look on as they stand in an area next to tents at a makeshift camp for displaced people at sunset in Khan younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Thursday

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MATT ROURKE

Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil’s latest bid to have his deportation case dismissed was denied by the Board of Immigration Appeals.

U.S., Iran prepare for peace talks in Pakistan

Ceasefire shaky as Israel, Hezbollah trade fire

BY JON GAMBRELL, SAM MEDNICK and

MUNIR

AHMED Associated Press

ISLAMABAD With the ceasefire in Iran still shaky, U.S. Vice President JD Vance headed Friday to Pakistan for high-level talks with Iranian officials, as Israel and Hezbollah militants traded fire and Tehran maintained its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz.

Many issues could derail the truce and the negotiations aimed at making a broader deal to stop the fighting permanently Iran’s semiofficial Tasnim news agency close to the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, claimed that the talks set for Saturday would not happen unless Israel stopped its attacks in Lebanon. And U.S. President Donald Trump said on his social media platform that Iran has no leverage except to restrict ship traffic in the strait, through which 20% of the world’s traded oil once passed. Kuwait, meanwhile, said it was targeted by seven drone attacks since Thursday that it blamed on Iran and its militia allies in the region. Though the Guard denied launching any assault, it has carried out attacks across the Mideast in the past that it did not claim.

Preparations for the talks between Iran and the U.S. appeared to be moving forward, with Vance boarding Air Force Two for the long ﬂight to Islamabad.

Elsewhere, negotiations between Israel and Lebanon were expected to begin Tuesday in the U.S. capital, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun’s office said Friday Beirut is keen to hold direct talks to end the war between Israel and Hezbollah, but under a ceaseﬁre similar to the one with Iran.

Before his departure, Vance said he believed the negotiations with Iran will be “positive.”

But he added “If they’re going to try and play us, then they’re going to ﬁnd that the negotiating team is not that receptive.”

In Islamabad, security forces locked down key parts of the Pakistani capital, erecting barricades along routes from the airport to the city.

Hours later, the Iranian delegation led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf arrived in Islamabad, Iranian state TV reported The delegation included security, political, military economic and legal teams. The report said negotiations will begin only if the other side accepts Iran’s preconditions.

Earlier in the day, Qalibaf posted on social media that two points he said had been mutually agreed on a

ceasefire in Lebanon and the release of blocked Iranian assets — have yet to be implemented

“These two matters must be fulﬁlled before negotiations begin,” he wrote.

Direct negotiations

Israel’s insistence that the ceaseﬁre in Iran does not include a pause in its ﬁghting with Hezbollah has threatened to sink the deal. The militant group joined the war in support of its backer, Iran.

The day the truce was announced, Israel pounded Beirut with airstrikes, killing more than 300 people, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry It was the deadliest day in the country since the war began Feb 28.

Trump said Thursday that he had asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to dial back the strikes.

Then on Friday Israeli warplanes struck near a state security office in the southern town of Nabatieh, killing 13 officers, according to the Lebanese president’s office. Israeli forces said they also hit about 10 rocket launchers in Lebanon that had fired toward northern Israel.

A day earlier, Netanyahu said he authorized the negotiations with Lebanon with the aim of disarming Hezbollah militants and establishing relations between the neighbors, which have technically been at war since Israel was established in 1948.

Aoun’s office confirmed that the two sides were set to negotiate after Lebanon and Israel’s ambassadors to the U.S. held a call with Washington’s ambassador to Lebanon to discuss terms

The U.S. State Department will mediate.

In a ﬁrst statement since Israel announced direct negotiations with Lebanon, Hezbollah chief Naim Kassem urged Lebanese ofﬁcials to stop offering “free concessions,” but he did not take a clear stance on the talks.

Two days after Israel’s barrage, people sifted through the wreckage of their homes, trying to salvage furniture and personal mementos Some expressed gratitude that they did not lose loved ones.

“There is no substitute for family,” said Wissam Tabila, 35. “Everything else can be replaced.”

Strait a sticking point

Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz has sent oil prices skyrocketing, driven stocks down and roiled the world economy Tehran’s control over the waterway has proved its biggest strategic advantage in the war

The spot price of Brent crude, the international standard, was around $97 Friday, up more than 30% since the war started.

Before the conflict, over 100 ships passed through the strait each day many carrying oil to Asia. With the ceasefire in place, only 12 have been recorded passing through.

Trump said Iran has little clout in the negotiations.

“The Iranians don’t seem to realize they have no cards, other than a short term extortion of the World by using International Waterways,” Trump posted Friday. “The only reason they are alive today is to negotiate!”

Questions linger

Questions also remain over the fate of Iran’s missile and nuclear programs, which the U.S. and Israel sought to eliminate in going to war

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 make them. Iran insists its program is peaceful.

Trump has said that the U.S. would work with Iran to remove the uranium, though Tehran has not confirmed that.

More than 3,000 people have been killed in Iran, a top Iranian ofﬁcer told the state-run Iran newspaper Iran’s government has not provided any definitive death toll from the war

In Lebanon, at least 1,953 people have been killed and 1 million have been displaced Over a dozen people have died in Gulf Arab states and the occupied West Bank, while 23 civilians were killed in Israel Thirteen U.S. service members have been killed.

Kamala Harris, former vice president and 2024 presidential candidate, speaks with the Rev.Al Sharpton during the National Action Network Convention in New york on Friday.

Kamala Harris considering another presidential bid

BY STEVE PEOPLES and MATT BROWN Associated Press

NEW YORK After chants of “run again!” ﬁlled the room, former Vice President Kamala Harris told African American activists on Friday that she’s actively considering another presidential bid.

“I might I am thinking about it,” Harris told Rev Al Sharpton after he asked directly whether she was going to run for president in 2028.

Harris’ comments came during the National Action Network’s annual convention, where more than a half-dozen potential candidates appeared this week, hoping to make inroads among Black voters — who comprise one of Democrats’ most powerful blocs.

The Democrats’ next presidential primary season won’t begin in earnest until after November’s midterm elections, but this week’s conference showcased a collection of Democrats already jockeying for position in what promises to be a crowded competition.

For now, at least, there is no clear early favorite. But there did appear to be a favorite at Sharpton’s conference.

Harris, the nation’s ﬁrst

Black female vice president and the Democrats’ presidential nominee in 2024, earned the only standing ovation and the largest crowd of any other 2028 prospect this week.

Sharpton noted that Harris earned more votes in her losing 2024 campaign than even former Democratic Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.

“Whatever she decides to do she made a point in history,” Sharpton said.

Harris has raised the possibility of another presidential bid before in the 15 months since she left ofﬁce.

She also recently launched a political action committee and began to travel across the United States to support Democrats, especially across the South.

Still, some in the party have shifted their focus to a new generation of Democratic leaders given Harris’ struggle in the last presidential contest.

The convention lineup this week featured Pennsylvania Gov Josh Shapiro, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Illinois Gov JB Pritzker, Maryland Gov Wes Moore, Kentucky Gov Andy Beshear Rep. Ro Khanna of California, and Arizona Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego.

Buttigieg, speaking shortly after Harris left the stage, received soft applause from a room that was about halfempty Some cheered when he mentioned supporting federal workers and minority businesses, but many attendees had streamed out of the packed auditorium after Harris’ speech in an effort to grab a selﬁe with the former vice president.

Buttigieg, like many other 2028 prospects this week, laughed off a question about whether he would seek the presidency again.

Harris was more explicit. Three times she repeated, “I’m thinking about it,” when Sharpton asked her about a 2028 White House run

“I served for four years being a heartbeat away from the presidency of the United States. I spent countless hours in my West Wing office footsteps away from the Oval Office. I spent countless hours in the Oval Office and the situation room I know what the job is, and I know what it requires,” Harris said. She continued: “I am thinking about it in the context of who and where and how can the best job be done for the American people. That’s how I’m thinking about it. I’ll keep you posted.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By EMILIO MORENATTI

A resident checks damage to buildings on Friday as she walks near charred cars at the site of Wednesday’s Israeli airstrike in Beirut, Lebanon.

HOMELESS

goingonprobationfor at least a year,and completing atreatment program. Someonewho successfully completes the program could have their conviction tossed.

HB211 “prioritizes and balances accountability,compassion, ﬁscal responsibility and the long-term well-being of individuals, families and neighborhoods,” Villiotold the House Judiciary Committee at the Capitol on Thursday.“This legislation calls for acoordinated strategy that integrates criminal justice, housing, health careand homelessness response systems into acontinuum of care.”

But to Williams, HB211 would create a“cycle of shame.”

She and other advocates opposed to the bill came out in force to testify at the committee hearing, saying the bill would “criminalize” homelessness —and could make it more difﬁcult for homeless people to get jobs and housing by giving them arrest records. Opponents also argued HB211 would place more pressure on already overcrowded jails.

“Becoming unhoused due to falling on hard times, facing ﬁnancial insecurity or being housinginsecure because you’vebeendiscriminated against is not acrime,” said Monique Blossom, policy director of the Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center.“We’re extremely

CASSIDY

Continued from page1A

this year As aresult, only Republicansand those registered “noparty”can vote forCassidy,Letlow, Fleming and afourthcandidate,Mark Spencer,inthe May 16 semiclosed Republican primary.

Similarly,only Democrats and no party candidates can vote on May16for anyof the three Democratic candidates: Jamie Davis, Nick Albares and Gary Crockett.

Cassidy has said in interviews that he’ssimply trying to prevent conservativeleaning Democratsfrom being disenfranchised

“If you’re aDemocrat who has been voting Republican for awhile, you’re not going to be able to vote unless you change to no party or Republican,” he said on March 23 on KEEL, aShreveport radio station. “Otherwise, you’re not going to be able to vote.” Critics paint adarker picture.

“Bill Cassidy wants to be the Democrats’ favorite Republican. That’sﬁne,” Scott McKay,the publisher of The Hayride, aconservativewebsite, told talk show hostMoon Griffon in aradio interview lastmonth. “The problem is that Republicans don’t like you as aresult of that. So you’re probably not going to winthe primary.”

Meanwhile,Letlow’scampaign on Friday seized on a Substack post on Cassidy’s efforts by liberal commentator BobMann, ahistorian and former LSU mass communications professor whopreviously worked as astaffer to Democratic elected ofﬁcials, to question the senator’sconservative credentials.

Cassidy noted that voters

concerned that this bill will push people experiencing homelessness who have nowhere to go into acycle of incarceration and repeated homelessness.”

HB211clearedthe Judiciary Committee in a12-4 vote. It needs to pass theHouse beforeadvancingtothe Senate. Asimilarmeasure failed to pass the Legislature last year

What HB211does

HB211 would make “unauthorized camping on public property” acrime, punishable by up to six months in prisonfor aﬁrst offense andatleast oneyearinprisonfor asubsequent offense, along with ﬁnes ofupto$1,000.

Thelegislation deﬁnes unauthorized camping as “the intentional use of any tent, shelter,orbedding constructed or arranged for the purpose of orinsuch away to permit overnight useonpublic property that is not adesignated camp ground.”

Ofﬁcials could use the offense as grounds to admit defendants to “homelessness courts,” though homeless peopleaccusedofother crimes wouldalso be eligible.

Some criticsofthe proposal noted state statute already allows judges to establish specialty drug courts and mentalhealth courts, which offer similar services.

Louisiana has 31 adult drug courts and three mental health courts, according to the Law Library of Louisiana

In an interview, James Lee, pol-

can easily changetheir registration through thesecretary of state’sGeauxVote app. They can also do it online through geauxvote.com. Thatdeadline is April 25. For voterswho want to changetheir registration in personorthrough themail, the deadline is April 15. About five weeks before the primary,each of the threeRepublicancandidates hasalegitimate case to make for finishing first or second in the primary and thus advancing to theJune27party runoff. Each campaign has released polls showing its candidate runningfirst or a close second Bolstered by far with the biggest campaign warchest, Cassidy has been campaigningaggressively and telling voters that he is aconservative whohas delivered billions of dollars toreduce traffic congestion,prevent flooding, provide safer drinking water and create jobs.

Asuper PACsupporting him has spentheavily to broadcast TV adsthatbash Letlow for herstock market trades and that paint her as an untrustworthysteward of taxpayer money.The super PACis also highlighting her calls in 2020 forexpanding diversity, equity andinclusionprograms —ano-no for conservatives.

Letlow has been emphasizing her endorsement by President DonaldTrump, saying it shows she is the true conservative in the race.

She has counterattacked Cassidy,saying hisvoteto convict Trump onimpeachment charges(of inciting the attack on theCapitol on Jan 6, 2021) means he can’tbe trustedtoback the president. Letlow alsosaysthatCassidy votedfor legislation that promoted DEI, anaccusation he dismisses. Letlow

“Becoming unhoused due to fallingonhard times, facing financial insecurity or being housing insecure because you’ve been discriminated against is not acrime. We’re extremely concerned that this bill will push people experiencing homelessness who have nowhere to go into acycle of incarceration and repeated homelessness.”

MONIQUE BLOSSOM, policy director of the Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center

icydirector forthe governor, said the homelessness courtswould be more ﬂexible, andcould connect individuals withservices even when they don’thave mental healthorsubstance use issues.

“It’sreally something toallow every individualsituation to be treated differently,” he said.

Passing HB211 also would help Louisiana drawdownfederalfunding, Lee said.

In July, Trump issued an executive order directing the attorney general to“prioritize available funding to support the expansion of drug courts andmental health courts.” It also directs thegovernmenttoattempttofavor states thatenforce prohibitions on public camping andloiteringwhengiving grants.

notes shehas voted against DEI measures during her five years in Congress, including a2023votethather campaign said “prohibits biological males from competing in women’ssportsat schools receiving federal funding.”

Flemingpresentshimself as the most conservativeof thethree,touting his96% scorecard rating from the American Conservative Union during his eight years in theHouse representing northwest Louisiana and his fouryears working for Trumpduring his first administration.

After watching Cassidy andLetlow attack each other,Fleming was hit in recent days by apro-Letlow super PACassociated with Landry, which said he didn’tsupport asecure border. Another group aired an attack that said he had voted for bills promoting carboncapture sequestration

Fleming saidbothlines of attack were lies and released the video that was thesource of theborder attack ad to show it had been edited deceptively

Besidespromoting party switches in public appearances, Cassidy’scampaign has sent text messagesto urge Democratstochange their partyregistration.

AFeb. 13 text said: “Check your voter registration. Ensure your voiceisheardthis election …Check this off your to-do list and get it done TODAY!”

The text included alink to “update your voter registrationhere.”

Since Feb. 1, there are 7,740 fewer Democrats, 4,819 more no party voters and 3,829 moreRepublicans

How much credit Cassidy can claimisunclear.The number of Democrats in

But Angela Owczarek,client services director forthe Orleans ParishPublicDefender’sOfﬁce,said that by threatening them with jail time, HB211 would coerce people into receiving medical treatments they maynot want,simply for sleeping outside.

Thebillis“rife” with waystofail people outoftreatment programs, shesaid, noting that probation could be revoked forthose whodo not “constructively engage” with their programs.

“Wedon’tidentify everypersoninLouisiana with substance useand mental health conditions andforce them to participate in ambiguously defined treatment processes,” Owczarek said. “It isn’tappropriate, or fair,oratrue carriageofjusticetoforce acceptance of that treatment onto unhoused people.”

In the United States in 2024, about 2in10homeless adultshad serious mental health disorders, while about 18% had substance use disorders, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, ahealth policy research institute. There was some overlap between those two populations.

Otherbills

HB211 is one of two bills rankling people who work to address homelessness.

HouseBill616, by state Rep. Alonzo Knox, D-New Orleans, would penalize homeless service providers if they fail to hand over informationrequestedbythe Loui-

Louisiana has been declining foryears to thepoint where Republicansare projected to have themost voters in the state,perhaps as early as this year

Forcomparison’s sake, about 1.5millionpeople voted for Cassidy and another Republican in the2020 Senateprimary,when it was open to all voters.

Susan Tudor,a retired healthcare executive in Alexandria, saidshe switched from Democrat to no party.

“I disagree with Cassidyon alot of things, butI believe he is thebestcandidate,” Tudor said. “He’smore conservative than Iamonsome things, but Irespect him as aphysician. Ithink he made apolitical calculus on the Robert Kennedy(conﬁrmation)vote (to be secretary of the Department of Health andHumanServices), but he’s at least challengedhim He’sworked on both sidesof theaisle. Ithought he made acourageous vote on impeachment.Idothink, in the system we have, like it or not, senioritymatters.”

Cassidy chairs the Senate Health, Education,Labor

siana legislative auditor.The proposal aimstomake sure the state canproperly assess whether providers receiving public funds are doing their jobs, Knox told legislators during an April 8meeting of the House Health &Welfare Committee.

Opponentsargue that providers are already thoroughly audited at the local and federal level, and that additionalauditswouldtake up valuable staff time.Theyalso warn the lawcould risk exposing sensitive health information about their clients.

Amanda Stapleton, deputy executive director at UNITYofGreater New Orleans, said the federal DepartmentofHousing andUrban Development requires providers to redact personal identifying information when they submit data for audits. UNITY leads agroup of organizations that provide housing and other services to homeless people.

Another proposal from Knox, House Bill 457, appears less controversial. It would direct the Louisiana Department of Health and the state ﬁre marshal to set and enforce minimum standards of living at group homes, halfway houses, emergency shelters and community facilities. Some worry the regulations could make it too expensive to offer housing to those in need. Both bills cleared the House Committee on Health and Welfare on Wednesday.They now require a vote from the full chamber

and Pensions Committee, giving hima powerful voice on changing the country’s health care system. Nathan Chapman, ahistoric preservationist in New Orleans, said he,too, switched from Democrat to no party

“I did appreciate he voted for the impeachment,” Chapman said. “That took real courage.I don’twant to see him punished for that. Iwish hehaddonemoreagainstRobertKennedy.Alot of people look to him forleadershipon that issue. Ithink he’sinadifﬁcult position. On the whole,I think he’sagood manand is trying to maneuver as best as he can.” That maneuvering is ultimatelytoo clever,Bob Mann wrote in aSubstack post Thursday.HesaidCassidy called himMondaynight to explain why Democrats should switch to votefor him

Mann wrote that the call andCassidy’srecordlefthim with ambivalent feelings, in part because of the senator’s decision to incessantly label Letlow as a“liberal,”even though she has astrong conservative voting record.

Mannwrote:“He’sessentially telling people like me in private conversations: I’m really not as crazy and MAGA-like as I’ve hadtosound over the past year and ahalf. And, by theway,Iknowyou’reangry aboutRFK, but look at allthe bipartisan legislation I’ve supportedthatprovesI’mreallya sensible moderate. “As Isay,all that’sprobably true.Deepdown, Cassidy isn’tasconservative as he must pretend to be.”

Concluded Letlow’scampaign in astatement: “LouisianaRepublicans know exactly who Bill Cassidyis, and on May16, theywill make their voices heard.”

Notice is hereby givenpursuanttoArticle 7, Section23(C) of theLouisiana Constitution andR.S.47:1705(B)thata public hearingof theLaw EnforcementDistrictofLivingston Parish will be held at itsregular meeting place, theofﬁce of Livingston Parish Sheriff JasonArd,20300 Government Blvd,Livingston, Louisiana70754 on Tuesday, June 2, 2026 at 10:00a.m.toconsiderlevying additional or increasedmillage rateswithoutfurther voterapprovaloradoptingthe adjusted millagerates afterreassessmentand rolling forwardtorates nottoexceedthe prior year’s maximum. Theestimated amount of taxrevenuestobecollected from theLaw Enforcement(Maintenance) taxinthe next year from theincreased millageis$10,111,452.06, andthe amount of increase in taxesattributable to theincreased millageis$2,491,921.84

emerged from its communication blackout and again at splashdown.

The last time NASA and the Defense Department teamed up for a lunar crew’s reentry was Apollo 17 in 1972 Artemis II was projected to come screaming back at 36,170 feet per second — or 24,661 mph — just shy of the record before slowing to a 19 mph splashdown.

“A perfect bull’s-eye splashdown,” reported Mission Control’s Rob Navias.

Artemis II’s record flyby

Launched from Florida on April 1, the astronauts racked up one win after another as they deftly navigated NASA’s long-awaited lunar comeback, the first major step in establishing a sustainable moon base.

Artemis II didn’t land on the moon or even orbit it. But it broke Apollo 13’s distance record and marked the farthest that humans have ever journeyed from Earth when the crew reached 252,756 miles. Then in the mission’s most heart-tugging scene the teary astronauts asked permission to name a pair of craters after their moonship and Wiseman’s late wife, Carroll.

During Monday’s record-breaking ﬂyby, they documented scenes of the moon’s far side never seen before by the human eye along with a total solar eclipse. The eclipse, in particular “just blew all of us away,” Glover said.

Their sense of wonder and love awed everyone, as did their breathtaking pictures of the moon and Earth The Artemis II crew channeled Apollo 8’s ﬁrst lunar explorers with Earthset, showing our Blue Marble setting behind the gray moon. It was reminiscent of Apollo 8’s famous Earthrise shot from 1968.

“It just makes you want to continue to go back,” Radigan said on the eve of splashdown. “It’s the first of many trips, and we just need to continue on because there’s so much” more to learn about the moon.

Their moonshot drew global attention as well as star power, earning props from President Donald Trump; Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney; Britain’s King Charles III; Ryan Gosling, star of the latest space flick “Project Hail Mary”;

OFFICER

Continued from page 1A

Horton off at the Francis Hotel around 3:45 a.m. on March 7, 2022, just before the end of his shift. He then returned to the hotel once he was off the clock.

Parsons told investigators he found Horton drowned in the room’s bathtub, at which point he called police, D’Aquilla said.

The original investigation found Horton had acciden-

Scarlett Johansson of the Marvel Cinematic Universe; and even Captain Kirk himself, William Shatner of TV’s original “Star Trek.” Test for future missions

Despite its rich scientific yield, the nearly 10-day flight was not without technical issues. Both the capsule’s drinking water and propellant systems were hit with valve problems. In perhaps the most high-profile predicament, the toilet kept malfunctioning, but the astronauts shrugged it all off.

“We can’t explore deeper unless we are doing a few things that are inconvenient,” Koch said, “unless we’re making a few sacriﬁces, unless we’re taking a few risks, and those things are all worth it.”

Added Hansen: “You do a lot of testing on the ground, but your ﬁnal test is when you get this hardware to space, and it’s a doozy ”

Under the revamped Artemis program, next year’s Artemis III will see astronauts practice docking their capsule with a lunar lander or two in orbit around Earth. Artemis IV will attempt to land a crew of two near the moon’s south pole in 2028.

tally drowned, or possibly committed suicide, after an overdose of her own prescription medicine, he said. Because Horton’s death wasn’t considered a homicide in 2022, crime scene photos and videos have since been deleted, D’Aquilla said. The evidence connected to the male victim recovered from Parsons’ phone has prompted authorities to investigate whether Horton had been drugged, D’Aquilla said Evidence from the phone

The Artemis II astronauts’ allegiance was to those future crews, Wiseman said.

“But we really hoped in our soul is that we could for just for a moment have the world pause and remember that this is a beautiful planet and a very special place in our universe, and we should all cherish what we have been gifted,” he said.

allegedly showed Parsons performing a sexual act on a man who appeared to be unconscious, D’Aquilla said. When the man was contacted by police, he told them he had not consented to the act, he said.

Parsons is believed to have committed the battery in May 2022, according to his indictment.

Parsons is expected to be booked on negligent homicide next week, D’Aquilla said. The investigation into Horton’s death is ongoing, he said.

and relieffor bulging,herniated, or degenerative discdisease in theneckand lumbar regions. The gentle distractive forces of theSpinal Decompression create adecompression of the

PHOTO PROVIDED By NASA

Recovery teams work to secure the Artemis II crewmembers after splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California on Friday.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GREGORy BULL

the return of NASA’s Artemis II in Coronado, Calif., on Friday.

‘Judge shopping’ bill fails to advance

It would allow criminal cases to be randomly reassigned

BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writer

A bill that would allow prosecutors to have criminal cases reassigned to new judges when defendants waive jury trials failed to make it out of the Louisiana House on Wednesday af-

Delta adds flights for 5 LSU games

Three home and two away events part of nonstop travel option

BY ELLYN COUVILLION Staff writer

Delta Air Lines is adding more than 40 Friday and Sunday nonstop

ﬂights for the “most anticipated” games of the 2026 college football season, and that includes three home games and two away games for the LSU Tigers.

“From powerhouse southeast showdowns to legendary rivalries and prime-time matchups at iconic stadiums, Delta is making it easier for fans to follow their teams wherever the season takes them,” Delta said in an online statement.

“College football fans plan their entire fall around these games, and we take that just as seriously,” said Amy Martin, vice president of the airline’s network planning LSU games and airports that have new ﬂights scheduled to and from the game are: Sept. 5 Clemson at LSU Flights on Sept. 4 and Sept 6 at Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport in Greer South Carolina, Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport, and Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. Oct. 10, LSU at Kentucky Flights on Oct. 9 and Oct. 11 at Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Kentucky, and Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport.

Nov 7,Alabama at LSU Flights on Nov 6 and Nov. 8 at LaGuardia Airport in Queens, New York, and Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport.

Nov 14 Texas at LSU Flights on Nov. 13 and Nov. 15 at LaGuardia Airport and Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport.

Nov 21 LSU at Tennessee Flights on Nov 20 and Nov 22 at McGee Tyson Airport near Knoxville, Tennessee, and Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport.

ter some Republicans joined Democrats to oppose the measure.

But House Bill 310 could get another chance to pass later in the legislative session after the tight vote

Its sponsor state Rep. Josh Carlson, R-Lafayette, garnered 50 votes in favor of the measure, just shy of the 53

needed to send it to the Senate.

Forty-nine legislators voted against the bill, and six were absent. Even though the vote landed in Carlson’s favor, HB310 did not win the majority of the full 105-member chamber needed to move forward. Carlson said he plans to bring it up

for another vote. Under the proposal, a criminal defendant who opts to have a bench trial would have his case randomly reassigned to a new judge, as long as the court has at least three judges.

The district attorney could intervene to stop the reassignment.

Supporters, including Attorney General Liz Murrill, argue the measure would keep defendants from “shopping” for favorable judges. But critics — who note that criminal cases are randomly assigned to judges in the ﬁrst place — contend it would simply allow district attorneys to do that instead.

Nutty by nature

BY AIDAN McCAHILL

Staff writer

Residents on West Baton Rouge Parish’s sewer system will see slightly higher utility bills for the first time in nearly two decades after the Parish Council approved a 15%

phens, the parish’s Director of Finance, said during Thursday’s council meeting. The rate increase only applies to residents using the parish sewer system, and not Port Allen, Brusly or Addis municipal systems. The rate increase is the first the parish has approved since 2008. It comes as West Baton Rouge attempts to replace 10 smaller outdated wastewater treatment facilities with one regional system, which is currently in the design phase, according to Parish President Jason Manola.

To do so, the parish applied for and was awarded a $10 million grant through Louisiana’s Water Sector Program, which required an independent sustainability study on the parish’s sewer utility system to be conducted by accounting ﬁrm EisnerAmper Stephens said Thursday that, as a result of the sustainability study, the ﬁrm had originally proposed that the parish increase sewer rates by 95% to maintain 15% in asset reserves to cover emergency repairs to major infrastructure. “It was a little bit of stick-

er shock,” Stephens said. He explained EisnerAmper had not accounted for sales tax and interest income on utility reserves the parish generates, and that the parish government was able to negotiate the proposal down to the current rate increase. The flat base rate for sewer service will increase from $10 to $11.50, and the per-thousand-gallon rate will rise from $2.25 to $2.59. District 2 council member Daryl Babin noted the rates

BY TIMOTHY BOONE Staff writer

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON A blue jay picks up a nut off the ground recently near City Park Lake in Baton Rouge.

Steve Scalise tours Venture Global LNG in Plaquemines

Representative touts state’s energy might

BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer

At Venture Global’s massive liqueﬁed natural gas export terminal in Plaquemines Parish on Friday, a tanker bound for Poland was being loaded with more than 150,000 metric tons of LNG, enough to power a quarter of a million homes for a year.

U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, the Republican House majority leader from Jefferson and a close ally of President Donald Trump, looked on from a loading dock

Along with a small delegation of fellow Congress members and an ofﬁcial from the U.S. Department of Energy, Scalise had come to the site 30 miles south of New Orleans for a tour

“Five years ago, this was a cow pasture,” said Scalise of the 630acre site in Port Sulphur. “Now, it is the largest, most efﬁcient LNG facility in the world.”

Scalise’s visit to the facility was designed to underscore America’s energy independence six weeks into Trump’s war with Iran, which continues to disrupt global energy supplies despite a ceaseﬁre earlier this week

Iran still controls the Strait of Hormuz, through which a ﬁfth of the world’s energy supply travels, and Qatar has said it will be months before its Ras Laffan LNG facility, badly damaged last month by Iranian missiles, will be back online.

Because of the war, oil prices remain near $100 a barrel, up 40% since February. Gasoline prices topped $4.15 a gallon on average nationwide and were at about $3.80 a gallon in Louisiana.

Meanwhile, U.S. natural gas prices haven’t really budged, remaining under $3 per million British thermal units. That’s not the case overseas. In Europe, gas prices have surged in recent weeks, and are trading at nearly

$18 per mmBtu, which is why companies like Venture Global are expanding their ability to export the fuel to reach those markets

“We produce our own energy now and we do not rely on producers overseas,” Scalise said “Europe, Asia, other countries all want our natural gas.”

Venture Global’s Plaquemines facility is one of two export terminals the Virginia-based company currently operates, with more set to be built It rises up suddenly from the pastures of Plaquemines Parish along a oncesleepy highway lined with orchards and gnarled, wind-swept oaks.

It is surrounded by giant ﬂood-

walls designed to withstand 14 feet of standing water and winds of up to 220 miles per hour

Inside the walls, which are guarded with layers of security, high-tech components are used to supercool natural gas pumped in from underground pipelines. After the gas is transformed into its liquid state, it ﬂows through pipelines that cross the highway and is pumped into tankers that send it around the world.

LNG exports from the U.S. have skyrocketed over the past decade, growing from around 16 billion cubic feet in 2014 to more than 5.5 trillion cubic feet in 2025, according to the U.S Energy Information Administration. Louisiana has emerged as ma-

jor player in that export market

More than 60% of the nation’s LNG exports now travel through Louisiana. In addition to Plaquemines LNG, Venture Global also operates Calcasieu Pass LNG in Cameron Parish and is building a third terminal, Calcasieu Pass 2, or CP2.

Additionally, the company is awaiting ﬁnal regulatory approval for an $18 billion expansion of its Plaquemines Parish facility, which cost more than $23 billion to construct and began production in December 2024.

The expansion would bring the total maximum production capacity of the facility to 45 million tons per year from the current 27

Caledonian Society to hold annual Tartan Ball

Staff report

Fans of the Scottish Highlands, haggis and dancing will have a chance to let loose at the Caledonian Society of Baton Rouge’s 2026 Tartan Ball later this month.

The Caledonian Society’s annual event will celebrate Scottish traditions, including music, dancing and food on Saturday April 25, according to an announcement from the group.

Scottish dress is appreciated, and black tie attire is required

for the ball, which will be held at 6 p.m. at the Woman’s Club Inc., on T.J. Jemison Boulevard. Guests are encouraged to bring their own alcoholic beverages, but soft drinks and food from the Louisiana Culinary In-

stitute will be provided. Tickets are $80 each, which must be mailed to the Caledonian Society of Baton Rouge, P.O. Box 83075, Baton Rouge, 70884. Checks can be addressed to the Caledonian Society The deadline to RSVP is Sunday

Locals rescue 27 dogs on Breaux Bridge road

Many were injured, giving birth or nursing puppies, officials say

BY JA’KORI MADISON Staff writer

Twenty-seven dogs, including several nursing mothers and puppies, were found abandoned on a roadside in Breaux Bridge, according to Acadiana Animal Aid, drawing attention to the ongoing issue of animal abandonment.

Some of the dogs were actively giving birth in the open and exposed to harsh weather without shelter or care, organizers said

“This is the reality we face far too often, and cases like this require immediate, intensive care,” the organization said in a statement. Found several weeks ago, rescuers said 16 of the 27 animals were newborn puppies, estimated to be between 1 and 10 days old, most in fragile condition

Many showed signs of hair loss and ringworm, while nearly every adult dog tested positive for heartworm disease. Eight of the dogs also suffered deep puncture wounds believed to have been caused by a wild animal, likely a feral hog.

The animals were ﬁrst discovered by a group of local residents who refused to leave them behind.

“Myself and a group of friends are the ones that found these dogs and helped bring them in,” Nariah Gotch wrote in a public comment.

“I had all of them at my house at some point because I refused to leave them out there.”

Gotch described the animals as some of the sweetest rescue dogs she has encountered, despite what they had possibly endured

“They still manage to be so incredibly sweet and patient with us. The mommas let me handle

One of the 27 chocolate-colored dogs that were found on the side of the road

their newborns to get them to safety,” Gotch wrote. “When they were severely injured by hogs, they let me carry them to the truck without a fuss.”

According to Acadiana Animal Aid, several dogs required urgent medical treatment for injuries consistent with wild animal attacks.

Following the initial rescue, the organization took in all 27 dogs, beginning a monthslong recovery effort.

The cost of care for the abandoned dogs is estimated at more than $6,000, including intake, spay

and neuter procedures, wound treatment, medications and heartworm therapy A breakdown provided by the organization lists $2,600 for intake and spay-neuter surgeries, $2,000 for wound care and pain medication, $1,000 for heartworm treatment and $500 for ringworm treatment. Rescue leaders say cases like this are not uncommon and continue to strain already limited resources across the region. When the puppies reach 8 weeks old, they will be placed for adoption, along with several adult dogs, as their recovery continues.

“So many tears have been shed throughout this whole ordeal,” Gotch wrote. “We hope the next ones can be happy tears as we watch them prance off to their new lives.”

Rescue officials say the case highlights the importance of responsible pet ownership, including spaying and neutering, as well as the need for continued community support. Those interested in adopting or contributing to the dogs’ care can learn more by visiting acadianaanimalaid.org/adopt or donate at acadianaanimalaid.org/give.

million. Venture Global hopes to begin construction on the expansion phase, which will be located immediately adjacent to the existing facility in 2027.

LNG has been billed as a cleaner source of energy than coal as much of the world moves more toward renewable energy

But it is also a signiﬁcant source of greenhouse gas emissions, and critics have argued that new export terminals will lock in gas consumption for decades to come and undermine efforts to transition away from fossil fuels.

At the site visit Friday, Scalise argued that fossil fuel-based sources of energy would remain dominant and that renewable forms of energy like wind and solar were unreliable.

“They will get better over time,” he said. “But you will never get rid of fossil fuels. We need more forms of energy.”

Scalise, who like most Republicans in Congress have supported the war with Iran, also predicted that energy prices will come down after the conﬂict is resolved.

U.S. energy costs increased nearly 11% in March as a result of the war, according to ﬁgures released Friday, pushing prices for everyday household goods up and increasing the annual inﬂation rate to 3.3% last month.

“You’re going to see gasoline prices come back down,” Scalise said “I’d like them to be lower,” he said.

As part of his energy tour, Scalise was joined by U.S. Rep Bob Onder, a Republican from Missouri, and U.S Rep. Craig Goldman, also a Republican, from Texas, as well as Energy Undersecretary Alex Fitzsimmon.

Earlier on the tour, the group visited an offshore oil rig operated by Occidental. Jonah Meadows contributed reporting to this story

Email Stephanie Riegel at stephanie.riegel@theadvocate. com.

JUDGE

Continued from page 1B

On the House floor, Carlson said a defendant should not be able to get rid of a jury’s input just to keep his case in front of a judge he believes will give him a more lenient sentence. His bill would “protect the integrity, in reality and perception, of our criminal justice system,” Carlson said. He said he brought the bill because he believes some judges in Louisiana acquit defendants even when the evidence shows they are guilty

Democrats grilled Carlson about the bill ahead of the vote — but so did state Rep. Brian Glorioso, a Republican from Slidell, who said he did not believe Louisiana judges were regularly violating their oath of ofﬁce by making decisions like the ones Carlson described. Glorioso said HB310 went “a bridge too far” and infringed upon the “limited rights” of defendants.

State Rep. Jeremy LaCombe, R-Livonia, a formerprosecutor,joinedGloriosoinspeaking against the bill. He said defendants often waive their jury trial rights because they want to speed up the court process and spend less time in jail not because of favorable judges.

HB310 comes amid a push to give the Legislature more oversight of judges. Senate Bill 123 by state Rep. Jay Morris, RWest Monroe, would allow legislators to remove judges for “malfeasance, gross misconduct, or incompetence.” That bill passed the Senate and now sits before the House and Governmental Affairs Committee. It is unclear whether judges can currently be impeached under Louisiana law Carlson’s proposal also is one of several pieces of legislation that have upset defense advocates, who say they would stack the decks in favor of prosecutors. Senate Bill 97, also by Morris, would allow Louisianans to vote on a constitutional amendment that would require a prosecutor’s approval for a defendant to opt out of a jury trial.

The Senate passed that measure last month, and it now needs approval from the House Administration of Criminal Justice Committee. And House Bill 52, by state Rep. Debbie Villio, would amend Louisiana law so that defendants accused of misdemeanors would only be entitled to jury trials if the crime’s possible penalty exceeded a $2,500 ﬁne or 6 months imprisonment. Currently, the threshold penalty is a $1,000 ﬁne or six months imprisonment. The House is scheduled to debate HB52 on Monday

LOTTERY

THURSDAY,APRIL 9, 2026

PICK 3: 4-2-1

PICK 4: 4-5-7-3

PICK 5: 0-5-4-9-0 Unof

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

U.S. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, front left, and other members of the congressional delegation tour the Venture Global Plaquemines LNG Export Terminal on La. 23 in Port Sulphur on Friday.

PROVIDED PHOTO By ACADIANA ANIMAL AID

in Breaux Bridge

Battieste, Eric Hall Davisand Son, 9348 Scenic

Hwy.at10am.

Buchanan,Donna

Lake Lawn Metairie FuneralHome, 5100 PontchartrainBoulevard in New Orleans, at 3p.m

Christy, Melody

Mt.GillionBaptistChurch,38280 HenryRoadinPrairieville,at11a.m

Klibert, Jeremy

St.John theEvangelistCatholic Church,15208 Highway 73 in Prairieville,atnoon.

Magee, Gloria St.John theBaptistCatholic Church

4826 Main Street,Zachary at 10:30am

Meyer, Devin

RobottomMortuary, 850 Highway44 (River Road)inReserve,atnoon.

Percy, Patricia

St.Theresa Catholic Church at 10:30

a.m.

Sensley, Harriett

Wesley United MethodistChurch

8337Carruth Road in Wilson, at 11 a.m.

StewartJr.,Edmond

Hall Davisand Sons FuneralHome, 9348Scenic Highway,at1 p.m

Thevenot,Richard ResthavenFuneralHome, 11817 JeffersonHighway,at2 p.m

Obituaries

Bass, Haywood Haywood Glenn Bass,of Baton Rouge, LA, aged 96, passed peacefullyinhis home to be with the Lord Jesus Christ on March 19, 2026. Haywood was born in Winnfield, Louisiana,to Burney and Serena Bass on December 6, 1929. He was preceded in death by his parents, brother; Stan Bass, sister; Lesker Bass Bates and his former wifeand mother of his children; Fran BassCopes. The surviving loved ones include his son and daughter in law; Billy (Bill) and Rachel Bass and daughter; Elizabeth Bass Cunningham, and his significant other of 39 years; Barbara Beckmann. He also leaves four grandchildren; Joshua Bass, Charity Bass Early and husband, Connor Early, Nathaniel Bass, and Grace Bass, and his great grandson; Peter Early. One of Haywood's proudest accomplishments was building and operating his own business, Bass Electronics Inc. from 1963 until 2012. Services will be held at Broadmoor Presbyterian Church, 9340 Florida Blvd, Baton Rouge, LA. April 13, 10:00-11:00 AM Visitation, followed by the funeral service at 11:00.Internment immediately following at Greenoaks Memorial Park

Wiley Arne Collins, 66, of Baton Rouge,passed away on April 8, 2026.Heworked as an auctioneer,wherehe builtlifelong friendships that becamelikefamily. He enjoyedfishing, sports, workingout, and spending time with lovedones. He was known forhis humor and lively spirit. He is survivedbyhis children,Ashleyand Amy Collins; his grandson, Jackson Murphy; hissiblings, BillyCollins,Tricia Davis, and PaulaCollins; his beloved dog, Morty; and many loving friends. Visitationwillbeheldat 10:30 a.m followedbya service at 12:30 p.m. on Monday,April 13, 2026,at Rabenhorst Funeral Home East. Afullobituarymay be viewedatrabenhorst.com.

DavisJr., Guy Allen Guy AllenDavis,Jr.,79, passed awayonFebruary 27, 2026,inDenham Springs,LA. Allen is survivedbyhis wife, Frances Gormley Davis,his son, ChristopherMichael Davis, his sister-and brother-inlaw, Carolyn and Chuck Jesse, his sister-in-law, LouellaDavis and numerous nieces and nephews. He wasprecededindeath by his parents, Guy Allen Davis,Sr. and EugeniaFoster Davis,his brothers, Gene Allen Davis,Charles Edward Davis,Douglas Foster Davisand hissister, Camille DavisReed. Acelebration of lifewill be held at alater date. Day,Sammy Lee

Lance CorporalSammy Lee Daywenthome to be with the LordApril3,2026 at Baton Rouge General Bluebonnet. He served in the UnitedStates Marine Corp.In1973. He was the owner/operator of hisown LawncareService.His hobbies werepencil sketching airplanes,hewas avivid

Eddis Jean. He leavesto

cherish 7siblings Bernice, Mary Jeannette (Houston Tx), MiltonLee (Victoria), AlvinLee, JosephLee (Betty), LevorisMarie, Elizabeth Washington(Carlton), ahost of niecesand nephews. Avisitation will be held from 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM on 2026-04-17 at Winnfield Funeral Home , 7221 Plank Rd .A funeral servicewillbeheldat11:30 AM on 2026-04-17 at Winnfield FuneralHome, 7221 Plank Rd

Hebert,Josie Cascio

JosieCascioHebert passed away at her home in BatonRouge on Tuesday, April7,2026, at the ageof82. Visitation willbe on Monday, April 13, 2026, at St.Thomas More Catholic Church, 11441 Goodwood Blvd, from 8am until FuneralMass at 9am. Burial will follow at MagnoliaCemetery. To view thefull obituary and online guestbook, please visit www.rabenhorsteast.com.

1SG (Ret.)Donald Lee

Johnson, Sr.

Born: February 11, 1952Died:April 3, 2026

First Sergeant (Retired) DonaldLee Johnson, Sr. wasa devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He proudly served in theUnited States Army for 35 years, retiring as aFirst Sergeant and earning the Legion of Merit.A proud graduateofScotlandville Sr. Highclass of 1970 in BatonRouge,Louisiana.A faithful member of Greenview First Baptist Church, he shared hisloveofmusic and joy witheveryone around him. Donald marriedCarrie Johnsonin2005, and they shared 23 years of love and devotion.Heissurvived by his wife; children Donald "Tiger" (Navonne) Johnson, Jr., D'Arryl(Wendy) Sumter, Darond(Tyreea) Sumter,Dwayne (Tnelda) Sumter, Donna (Desarae) Henderson, D'Netra Sumter,Donovan (Megan) Johnson, MistiChampion, Dontae Johnson, Michael Johnson, and Matthew Johnson, and abonus son, Wayne (Lisa) Glass; twenty -four grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. He is also survivedby twobrothers, Roderick (DeLisa)Kenney and An-

White and Gloria Hayes; and ahost of nieces, nephews, other relatives, and caring friends. He is preceded in death by his mother Bernice Johnson Kenneyand nephew Stephen Anthony Kenney.

Acelebration of life will be held Monday, April 13, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at GreenviewFirst Baptist Church in Columbia,South Carolina, followedbyinterment at Fort JacksonNational Cemeteryat12:00 p.m.

Neyland, Kathleen Kern 'Kathy'

Kathleen"Kathy" Kern Neyland passed away peacefully on April6,2026, after alongbattlewithdementia Kathyissurvived by her belovedhusband of 55 years, Ray Neyland,with whom she shared alifetime of cherished memories,love, and companionship. She is also survived by her children: Dana N. Johnson (Charlie),Mark Neyland (Carolyn), Terry N. Rouprich, and stepdaughterTammi N. Vicknair

Affectionately known as "NaNaw,"Kathy was a proud and loving grandmother to eight grandchildren:Leah N. Deville;AshleyN.Raymond (GJ); ChristopherSellars (Brittney); Lance Neyland (Raven); BradleyNeyland (Hanna); KathleenHuff (Nathan); Courtney Kittrell (Jordan); and Grant Vicknair. Her love extended even further to her 16 great-grandchildrenand twogreat-great-grandchildren

She is survivedbyher siblings,KevinKern and Larry Kern and her dear friend Michelle O'Brien Kathywas preceded in death by her parents, Dr. Lawrence J. Kern and Jeanne ThibodauxKern. Kathywillberemembered forher generous heart and her warmth.She had aspecial gift formaking others feelwelcome, often expressing her love throughcooking.Her home was agathering place where family and friends were always invited, and no one ever left hungry.

An avid reader, Kathy also dedicatedher time to volunteering in alocal elementary school reading program, sharing her love of books withyoung students.

by hercompassion, generosity, and love for her family. Shewillbedeeply missed and forever rememberedbyall whohad theprivilegeofknowing her. Thefamilyextends heartfelt gratitude to Bridgeway Hospice and its caringstaff for their compassion andsupport In lieu of flowers, the familyasks that donation may be offered to VolunteersinPublicSchools (VIPS)bycalling (225) 2264700 or visiting www.vipsbr.org.

Sensley, Harriett T.

The familythankseveryonefor theirprayers,contributions, and support during this difficult time

Aviewing (wake) will be held from9:00 AM to 11:00 AM on 2026-04-11 at WesleyUnited Methodist Church,8337 Carruth Road Afuneral service willbe held from11:00 AM to 12:30 PM on 2026-04-11 at WesleyUnited Methodist Church,8337 Carruth Road, Wilson, LA.

CharlotteJeanSumners wasbest known for her deep love of family, her faith, andher kindness. Shewas abeautiful, incredibleladywhose smile couldmake anythingbetter. Charlotte Jean Davis Sumners, age 82, of Baton Rouge,Louisiana, passed away on April 8, 2026, as a result of dementia.She wasborninSylacauga,Alabama, in 1945 to Flossie Jean Davis andCharles PaulDavis, Jr.She grew up with threesisters- all of whom she wasvery close to. Charlotte attendedVincent High School. Shewas also homecomingQueen andheadcheerleader. Aside from school activities,she wasalso very involved in theGirls in Action programatCalvary Baptist Church.Charlotte met thelove of herlife, GlennEarl Sumners, in ninthgrade. Glennwas involved in sports, and he also graduatedasValedictorian. They hada very lovingand caringrelationship dm iedonD emb

blessed with adaughter, Laura,onAugust 29, 1970, WhileGlenn wasattending theUniversity of Alabama. Laura wasthe lightoftheir lives,and thethree of them lovedjust beingtogether,regardlessofwhat they were doing. For most of herlife, Charlottewas involvedinbanking andreal estate. Shehad many friends in both.Her kind naturemade it impossible nottolove her, andpeople were naturally drawn to her. Charlotte enjoyedbeingoutside gardening,goingout in theboat on the backyard lake,and just being outside with Laura Gleen,orthe furbabies we'vehad over theyears. Laura hasbeen involvedin animal rescue for 35 years, so thehouse and family were always filledwith numerouscatsand dogs. They were partofthe family. Charlotte'sfavorite thinginlifewas simply beingwith herfamily, no matter what they were doing. However, she really enjoyed travelinginternationallywith Glenn. Throughoutthe years, she visited over tencountries andhad numerousadventures. Charlotteand Laura also hadmorethantheir share of goodtimes traveling. Disney Worldwas theirfavorite place to go, andtheytried to make it at least once ayear since 1980. The Florida Keys were aclosesecond. They especially love KeyWest andIslamorada- following the sun to more fun together day afterday. We couldnot have asked for a better wife, mother, or sister than charlotte. We will miss hereverysingle day. However, hermemory will live on forever in the hearts of those wholoved hermost. Charlotte was preceded in death by her parents, Charles Pauland FlossieJeanDavis, as well as herfather-in-law and mother-in-law, LeeRoy andMary Ruth Sumners. Shehas lost many special furbabiesoverthe years whowill be waitingatthe Rainbow Bridge to cross into Heaven with her! Charlotteissurvived by heradoring husband, Glenn Earl Sumners, and herbeloved daughter, Laura LeAnnSumnersRusso Sheisalso survived by her threesistersand theirhusbands, Patsy andFreddie Green,Sandraand Russell Fuller, andPaulette and RickyVick. Agraveside memorial will be held in Harpersville,Alabama, at a datetobeannounced later

Johnson,Donald Lee

Sumners,Charlotte Jean Davis

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Chinese automakers’ overseas push pays off HONG KONG China’s exports of passenger cars accelerated in March, an industry association said Friday as Chinese automakers stepped up their push to grow overseas markets Passenger car exports jumped 82.4% year-on-year last month to around 748,000 vehicles, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, up from the 586,000 vehicles exported in February

Exports of new energy passenger vehicles — including battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids surged more than 140% in March from a year ago to 363,000 units. That’s also up 31% from about 276,000 units of such vehicles exported in February

The biggest Chinese automakers, including BYD and Geely Auto, have been increasing their efforts in boosting sales abroad, including expanding production facilities outside China There have also been growing expectations that the global energy shock and higher fuel prices due to the Iran war could prompt more drivers to want to switch to EVs. Chinese car brands have made inroads over the past months in regions such as Europe, Latin America and Southeast Asia.

Protesters clog roads in Ireland over gas prices

LONDON — Protests over high fuel prices in Ireland entered a fourth day on Friday, sparking concerns about fuel shortages and emergency services as demonstrators clogged roads and blocked access to reﬁning and distribution sites around the country

The Irish government was set to meet with farmers, truckers and agricultural contractors on Friday to discuss the crisis, triggered by rising gasoline and diesel costs as the conﬂict in the Middle East restricts oil exports from the region. Protests began on Tuesday as slow-moving convoys restricted access to some of the busiest streets in Dublin, the capital, and blocked fuel depots that supply half the country Some protesters slept in their vehicles overnight, demanding that the government speak with them. Over 100 service stations have now run out of fuel, national broadcaster RTE reported, citing the industry organization Fuels for Ireland.

The government on Thursday asked the army to remove vehicles from blocked roads amid concern that the protests could impede police, ﬁreﬁghters and ambulances responding to emergencies.

Restraining order on Nexstar-Tegna extended

A federal judge on Friday extended an emergency restraining order on a $6.2 billion merger between Nexstar Media Group and Tegna for one week. Eight state attorneys general and DirecTV sued to block the merger between the local television giants, arguing that it would raise consumer prices and harm local journalism

They asked U.S. District Court Chief Judge Troy L. Nunley in Sacramento, California, to halt the merger until their antitrust lawsuit is resolved.

Nunley extended the temporary restraining order until April 17, saying the extension would give him time to prepare a ruling on whether a longer preliminary injunction is needed.

The deal, announced last year and approved by the Federal Communications Commission, would create a company that owns 265 television stations in 44 states and the District of Columbia. When the judge issued the original temporary restraining order, he said the merger could give Nexstar the power to demand higher fees from multichannel video programming distributors like DirecTV, because if the distributors refuse to pay the increases they could risk subscribers losing access to things like NFL football games.

Stocks drift lower, oil prices ease

BY DAMIAN TROISE and ALEX VEIGA AP business writers

Stocks drifted mostly lower on Wall Street and oil prices slipped Friday ahead of planned U.S.-Iran talks following a shaky ceaseﬁre agreement.

The major indexes posted modest losses for the week, despite having mostly notched gains this month amid optimism that the war with Iran could be heading toward a resolution. High-level talks between negotiators from Iran and the U.S. are planned for Saturday in Pakistan.

The benchmark S&P 500 has erased most of its losses from March and is just 2.3% short of its all-time high set in January The

market is still prone to big swings on developments around the war

Oil prices have been behind many of the stock market’s sharp movements. They’ve risen sharply as shipping through the vital Strait of Hormuz essentially stalled since the war began. Brent crude oil, the international standard, has gone from roughly $70 per barrel before the war in late February to more than $119 at times.

The situation leading into the peace talks over the weekend remains uncertain. Iran’s semiofﬁcial Tasnim news agency claimed that talks wouldn’t happen unless Israel stopped its attacks in Lebanon.

The conﬂict is behind the surging inﬂation in the U.S. in March. The

government reported the biggest spike in inﬂation in four years as prices at the gas pump jumped. The inﬂation increase was just short of what economists expected. Bond yields rose a bit following the latest inflation update. The yield on the 10-year Treasury climbed to 4.32% from 4.29% late Thursday Inflation has been a lingering concern for economists. Prices on a range of consumer goods and services are already stubbornly high, in part from the impact of extensive global tariffs. Higher gas prices are immediately felt by drivers at the pump, but they could eventually raise prices on everything from food to airfare as companies pass along higher costs for shipping and fuel.

Analysts are warning that there might be a drawn-out impact from the oil supply shock in the months ahead. “While I’m glad to see the effects to be less than expected in March, the effects in April are now more likely to be worse,” Jamie Cox, managing partner for Harris Financial Group, wrote in a research note. Most companies in the S&P 500 lost ground Friday, with health care and ﬁnancial company stocks driving much of the decline. Eli Lilly and Co. fell 1.6% and Charles Schwab closed 2.5% lower Technology stocks with hefty values helped offset losses elsewhere. Nvidia rose 2.6% and Broadcom rose 4.7%.

War in Iran sends inﬂation soaring and consumers’ moods plunging

Gas prices have largest monthly jump in six decades

BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP economics writer

WASHINGTON The largest monthly jump in gas prices in six decades caused a sharp spike in inflation last month, creating major challenges for the inflation-fighters at the Federal Reserve and heightening already substantial political hurdles for the White House.

Consumer prices rose 3.3% in March from a year earlier, the Labor Department said Friday up sharply from just 2.4% in February and the biggest yearly increase since May 2024. On a monthly basis, prices rose 0.9% in March from February, the largest such increase in nearly four years.

It’s the ﬁrst read on inﬂation to capture the effects of the Iran war The surge in gas prices will stretch the budgets of lower- and middle-income households as it erodes their incomes, making it harder to afford other necessities such as food and rent.

Excluding volatile food and energy, core prices rose 2.6% in March from a year earlier up from 2.5% in February And last month core prices rose a modest 0.2%, suggesting that rising gas prices haven’t yet spread to many other categories.

A big question for now is how long the oil and gas price shock lasts and whether it will lead to a broader, long-lasting inﬂation boost, similar to what occurred in the spring of 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine. For now, economists say that it is unlikely the U.S. will see a widespread increase similar to a few years ago, when inﬂation topped 9%.

Still, how the war and its impact on inﬂation will play out in the coming months remains highly uncertain. Despite a tenuous ceaseﬁre, little has changed in the Strait of Hormuz, a bottle neck where millions of barrels of oil typically pass daily

“It’s painful in the near term,” said Michael Pearce, chief U.S. economist at Oxford Economics. “It’s going to get more painful in April,” when further gas price increases will lift inﬂation higher But Pearce said the impact may be shorterlived than after the pandemic: “I think the conditions are much more like a short, sharp shock than what we saw in 2022.”

Fuel-related increases now, later

Industries that depend on oil and gas are paying more, particularly airlines, which have passed on those higher costs to travelers. Fares jumped 2.7% just last month and are 14.9% higher than a year ago. Many delivery services, including UPS and FedEx, have already announced fuel surcharges that have raised shipping costs for businesses and households

Grocery prices slipped 0.2% last month and are up just 1.9% from a year earlier yet

economists believe they will move higher in the coming months as diesel fuel prices surge. Most food is shipped by truck. More expensive fuel is “contributing to rising production costs across the food supply chain and could put upward pressure on grocery prices going forward,” said Andy Harig, a vice president at the grocery trade group FMI-The Food Industry Association. “As energy prices increase, the costs associated with producing and delivering food also rise.”

Clothing costs rose 1% in March from the previous month and are up 3.4% from a year earlier Used car prices, however, fell 0.4% last month and down 3.2% from a year earlier

The gas price shock stemming from the Iran war has shifted inflation’s trajectory from a slow, gradual decline to a sharp increase further away from the Fed’s 2% target. As a result, the central bank will almost certainly postpone any cut in interest rates for months. Many Fed officials will look past the increase in headline inflation, however, and focus on core prices, which are likely to rise more slowly If Americans cut back on spending elsewhere in response to more expensive gas, the economy could slow and unemployment may rise.

Consumer sentiment hits record low Consumer sentiment plunged to a record low in April, according to a survey released Friday by the University of Michigan, largely because of the Iran war and concerns over higher gas prices. Their Index of Consumer Sentiment fell to 47.6, from 53.3 in March.

“Many consumers blame the Iran conﬂict

for unfavorable changes to the economy,” said Joanne Hsu, the university’s director of consumer surveys. High prices had angered American voters before the war and the spike in prices for oil and everything that entails, from the pump to the grocery store, could make it more difﬁcult for the president’s party to hold on to seats in both the House and the Senate in this year’s midterms.

Polling by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research last month found that about 6 in 10 Republicans are at least “somewhat” concerned about affording gas in the next few months.

Kyle LaFond, the founder of American Provenance, a small manufacturer of personal care products near Madison, Wisconsin, said his shipping costs have already risen between 30% and 40%.

The increases follow tariffs that were also a signiﬁcant expense, because the company imports coconut oil, shea butter, cocoa butter, and other ingredients.

LaFond said he absorbed tariff costs for months, but ﬁnally threw in the towel last September and raised prices by 20% to 30% across the board, the ﬁrst price hike from the company since 2021.

Now, LaFond feels like it’s a repeat of the tariff experience. He is trying to avoid raising prices again, but it depends on how long the fuel price spike lasts. If it continues until early summer, he may have to raise prices again.

“I’d really hate to do that because that would be two years of consecutive price increases, which for us, we’ve never done that before,” he said “But for the business to survive, then that might be necessary.”

Report: Most gambling companies don’t have AI governance plans

BY RICHARD N. VELOTTA

Las Vegas Review-Journal (TNS)

A new University of Nevada-Las Vegas report on artificial intelligence in the gambling industry says 1 in 5 companies have a dedicated AI governance role, and most organizations have no established governance practices. In what is targeted to be an annually updated report, the UNLV International Gaming Institute published its first research on the use of artificial intelligence and says while most companies have no governance practices,

others are in the early stages of development. The UNLV International Gaming Institute’s AI Research Hub in collaboration with U.S.-based audit, tax and ﬁnancial advisory ﬁrm KPMG LLP, on Thursday released the 113-page “State of AI in Gaming 2026,” an annual global benchmarking series tracking how AI is shaping the global gambling industry Authored by Kasra Ghaharian, director of research for the UNLV International Gaming Institute, the report examines AI adoption across four dimensions: industry maturity, regulatory

landscape, innovation pipeline, and responsible use by drawing on original survey research from 83 gambling companies and 113 regulators worldwide.

“Society is at an inﬂection point with AI, and until now there has been no rigorous, independent baseline for understanding where the gambling industry stands,” Ghaharian said. “’The State of AI in Gaming’ is designed to ﬁll that gap, serving as an essential resource for operators, regulators, researchers and every stakeholder navigating the adoption, return on investment and responsible

integration of AI within the gambling industry.”

“What the data show is a clear gap between ambition and execution,” said Rick Arpin, the report’s executive editor and KPMG U.S. Gaming lead. “Governance is where that gap is most visible. With governance scoring just 30 out of 100 and most organizations lacking dedicated AI oversight, many companies are moving faster on AI adoption than on the controls needed to manage it. Those that address this now will be better positioned to realize value and avoid unnecessary risk.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MARTA LAVANDIER

A customer pays for gasoline at a Mobil gas station April 1 in Miami, Fla.

ANOTHERVIEW

Will independent candidates ever breakthe two-partylock?

To paraphrase Mark Twain: Everybody complains about political parties, but nobody does anything about them. Given the failures of America’stwo-partyduopoly —on vivid display during the TSA shutdown—you’d thinkmore independents and third-party candidates would berunning for ofﬁce.

Independents are uniquely positioned to challenge abroken status quo. With each party tightly focused on defeating —and destroying —the other,shouldn’tthereberoom for nonpartisan alternatives? Polling showsthere is.

More Americans presently identifyasindependent than with either major party.AJanuaryGallup poll found that 45% of theelectorate calls themselves independents. Among younger voters, it’s56% of GenZand 54% of Millennials.

Yetindependents rarely prevail in elections or mount serious campaigns.Since theyear 2000,independentshave wononly eight out of more than 400 U.S. Senate elections.During this period, threesenatorsbecame independents after getting electedonmajor-party tickets:Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and James Jeffords of Vermont. One,Dean Barkley of Minnesota, was appointed. Even thesesenators generally caucus with one of the two political parties that control committee assignments. Incumbent Sens. Bernie SandersofVermont and Angus King of Maine, both independents,caucus with Democrats. Winning aU.S. House seat as an independent is evenmore of ararity.Currently,only one member is an independent, U.S. Rep. Kevin Kiley from California. He was twiceelected as aRepublican and is now seeking athirdtermasanindependent.

In Louisiana, the last independent to drawsubstantial statewide support was aformer governor,John McKeithen, who won 23% of the vote in the 1972U.S. Senate race, ﬁnishing behind Democrat J. Bennett Johnston and ahead of Republican Ben C. Toledano

Why is it that so few independents run or win? Money is abarrier.Parties and allied groups control fundraising networks in asystem awash with cash. Independents must build war chests from scratch, unlessthey’repersonally wealthy

Established political parties also have well-oiled get-outthe-vote operations, which independents lack. Moreover, election laws and campaign ﬁnance rulesare often biased, intentionally or not, in favor of major-party candidates. One common misconception is that independent means centrist, ideologicallysomewhere between Democratson theleft and Republicans on the right. While that’soften the case, independent voters represent awide range of beliefs, which can be aweakness because it makes it hardertorally them behind asingle candidate.

In this year’selection, liberals in Idaho, Montana and South Dakotaare running for the Senate as independents, believingthat label gives them abettershotthan running as Democrats —atoxic brand in those redstates. That’sdriving Democrats crazy,ofcourse,because it’ssplitting the anti-Republican vote.

One state that might elect an independent senator this November is Nebraska; there, plenty of Democrats are working for independent Dan Osborn, who is mountinga strong bid to take down Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts Osbornisa U.S. Navy veteran, former union leader and industrial mechanic. Twoyearsago,heran as an independent for the state’sother Senate seat, capturing 47% of thevote —animpressive showing.

There is no major Democrat in the Nebraska race, at least not yet, and that’sthanks to Democratic leaderswho have worked to clear the ﬁeld to helpOsborn. They believe, even if they don’tadmit it, that an independent has abetter chance to defeat Ricketts than aDemocrat who’d have to carry the baggage of anational party considerablytothe left of the state’svoters. Republicans have wonNebraska in every presidential election except one since 1940. Osborn’spositions mix centrist and libertarian themes: pro-farmer,pro-consumer,pro-worker.Hebacks raising the minimum wage and cutting small-businesstaxes.He defends gun rights, says he’spersonally pro-lifewhile supporting Roe v. Wade and opposing late-termabortions.He supports “defensive purposeonly” funding forIsrael,opposedthe “One Big Beautiful Bill” supportedbyRicketts andcriticizes tax breaks forthe wealthypaidfor by the working class.

Three polls over the last year have had Ricketts ahead by just one point; one had Osbornahead by one. If Osborn wins, his victory could become amodel forother blue and red states where Democratic and Republican party brands are toxic in statewide elections Any chance Louisiana could become one of them?

Ron Faucheux is anonpartisanpolitical analyst,pollster and writer based in Louisiana.

Makesurejuvenileoffenders getchancefor rehabilitation

My heart breaks each time anew law is written that hinders therehabilitation of achild who has madea poor choice tocommit anonviolent crime.

Clearly,those who choose to commit crimes should have suitable consequences; however,children should be given theopportunity to receive their consequences but also to change and learn from their mistakes

House Bill 140 would increase the incarceration time before trial for youth. Most people will admit that longer time in detention centers without any rehab servicesdolittle to coach achild intomaking better

choices. Most of us have had the beneﬁt,asa child, of making bad choices and being given another chance with proper correction, mentoring and parenting. Ihappen to believe children are our future, even those whohave mademistakes and are ready and willing to do the worktochange their lives. It’smyhope that legislatorswill consider whether this law has abetter chance of allowing a child to change his lifeand become an asset to society or re-offend and becomealifelong liability of the state.

DEDRA MAJOR Chalmette

Thequiet disenfranchisement of EBRvoters

Attorney General Liz Murrill’srecent motion to force the recusal of three Black judges in Baton Rouge —Chief Judge Donald R. Johnson, Judge Ronald R. Johnson and Judge Gail Horne Ray —isadirect assault on the voters who put them on the bench.

By attempting to strip these judges of nearly 100 cases, the attorney general is trying to nullify our elections. This isn’taprocedural formality;itisa tactical strike. These judges are being targeted because they dared to challenge ajudicial redistricting law.Since when does defending theconstitutional rights of your constituents disqualify you from doing your job?

The stakes are life and death. These three judges oversee all deathrow cases from East Baton Rouge. Notably,every person on

Allbusinesses, nonprofits need to payfairshare of property taxes Don’tbeblind

Here are two meanings of the word “minions:” Aservile dependent,follower or underling. The fallen angels, demons or spiritual powers that blindly follow,serve and carry out theevil bidding of Satan.

In my opinion, awhole slew of politicians are minionstothe “one” they are afraid of.

deathrow from our parish is Black. By removingthese judges, the state is clearing “roadblocks” to executionsbyremoving the very oversight that understands the systemic biases of our legal system Furthermore, District Attorney Hillar Moore’sdecision to allow this hand-off to theAG, rather than defending his own ofﬁce and the voters who elected him,isastaggering abdication of duty

As acommunity advocate and former NAACP political action chair, Iknow that when the state tries to hand-pick which judges are “allowed” to hear cases, we no longer have afair judiciary.Wehave apolitical tool. We must stand with the judges we elected anddemand that our votes be respected.

TIA FIELDS Baker

Please, wakeupand stop drinking theKool-Aid, or else our country will become The United States of Trump. Don’tlaugh, look around. His nameispopping up everywhere. Just lately,minions wantto nameaMississippi River bridge after Trump.

REBECCA WILLIAMS Metairie

Iwould like to see on the spring 2027 ballot aproposition to amend the state constitution to require every citizen, every company,every college or university,nonproﬁt or not to pay their share of property tax. Just because you support jobs in the community does not mean you have free access to city services like sewerage and water All of your employees pay for the city services they use in their homes. Youshould pay your share, too. City and state elected ofﬁcials are too scared to do anything. Baton Rouge needs to craft aconstitutional amendment to give the voters the responsibility to decide whether to tax all citizens equally Let the voters makethe call. Louisiana is apoor state because ordinary citizens bear the burden of taxation forthe whole state. This is not fair.Welive in America. All men are created equal. There are no kings in our great country ANNE EASSON NewOrleans

Let’shearmoreabout Democratic candidates

We have had many, manyarticles about the Republican candidates running forthe U.S. Senate seat in Louisiana. As an afterthought, these articles mention that there are three Democratic candidates running in the primary

If we are lucky,the articles mention their names, but lumpthem all in the “not well-known” category It seemsthat the obligation of a free and unbiased press is to give them the chance to be knownby writing an article with the same depth given to Sen. Bill Cassidy, Rep. Julia Letlow and State Treasurer John Fleming. Someinformation about each candidate and their viewswould be extremely welcome. Otherwise, the category “not wellknown” becomes aself-fulﬁlling prophecy Thank you foryour consideration.

KATHLEEN GRUMICH NewOrleans

Ron Faucheux

SPORTS

Landry talksSuper Bowl LXV, LSUchanges

Governor discusseshis role in Wade returningtoTigers

Editor’snote: This is part 2of2ofGov.Jeff Landry’s interview. The ﬁrst part ran in Friday’sedition.

BY JEFF DUNCAN Staff writer

Gov.Jeff Landry conducted an exclusive 25-minute phone interview Thursday with Times-Picayune columnist Jeff Duncan in

which Landry touchedon avariety of sports-related topics.

Here’sthe secondpart of their conversation:

In January, you went with (SaintsPelicans owner) GayleBenson to meet with (NFL commissioner) Roger Goodell and(NBA commissioner) Adam Silver.One of the things that came out of that wasNew Orleans’ bid fora future Super Bowl.What are our chances of getting the 2031 game? Well, I’m betting on it.

Why?What makes you so confident?

Well, because No.1,when you go around andyou ask NFL fans what is the best place you’ve ever enjoyed aSuper Bowl, timeand time again, it comes back to New Orleans. Imean, it just is. The city’sbuilt for entertaining. Youknow what Imean?

Andwhen we recognize that, and when we utilize that, and when we leverage that, then the city is prosperous. Ithink that the thingsthat we’ve done by making the city

‘Hate’ that fuels

Despite brilliant round, Hatton someone whom the common golfer can relate

AUGUSTA, Ga. If you play golf, youhavea little Tyrrell Hatton inside of you. Golf is such ahard, unforgivinggame that we takerelish not in ourgreat shots —rare as they may be— but recounting to our friends our bad ones.

“You should have seen meon17Saturday.Ihit my drive sideways and it went cleanthrough my cart.Nearly nailed Bob in theshins.” Hatton seems to takethe golfer’smasochistic streak and raises it to an art form. Take Friday’sround for instance. He hit everygreeninregulation —just thethird Masters competitor to pull that off since 1997 —but almost sounded

pleased withthe fact that he three-putted the18th hole for his only bogey to end up with avery ﬁne 6-under 66.

“Walking up 18, I was pretty conﬁdent that Icouldn’tmessitupenough that I wouldn’tshoot my best scorehere,” Hatton said. “I mean, naturally Itried with athree-putt, so that was disappointing. But Iwould have taken 6underbefore I wentout. Who wouldn’t? Six-under 66 was one of the twobestscores of the Masters’ second round, around in which there was somehow justalittle less ﬁre in the

ä See RABALAIS, page 4C

safer,byworking to bring morepeople into the city,which of course increases revenues, which, again, helps to ﬁll the city and the state. It’s all good stuff

Reportedly,the NFL would like to see upgradeswith Louis Armstrong Airport and increase some of the highendhotel inventory in the city before we getaround to ournext

LSU stymies proliﬁc Arizona lineup

BY JIM KLEINPETER

Contributing writer

LSUleft-handerJaydenHeavener did what she has donelately, andsecondbasemanSierra Daniel did something she seldom does.

ä Arizona at LSU 5P.M. SATURDAy,SEC NETWORK+

It all added up to another victory forthe No. 21 Tigers softball team, whichtook the series opener against No. 13 Arizona 4-1at Tiger Park on Friday Heavener allowed five hits and an unearned run in her 12th complete gameofthe season, this one against the nation’s No. 9hitting team. Daniel hit athree-run homer in the third inning, just her second this season and fourth of her career Heavener overcame her own throwing error that ledtothe Wildcats’ only run. She worked out of acouple of jams but finished strong, retiring the last seven batters. She struck out the side to finishoff thewin for LSU (27-13).

“All my pitcheswereworking, but it wasn’tmybest night obviously,” Heavener said. “I got away with acouple of things, being able to work through it. The defense behind me didanamazingjob.I wasoverthinking the entire game, so Itriedcoming out and not thinking.”

It wasthe seventhtime in herlasteight outings that Heavener allowed one earned run or fewer, and she did it against aspeedy team with a.363 team batting average.

LSUsoftballplayers celebrate after Sierra Daniel’sthree-run home runagainst Arizona on Friday at TigerPark.LSU won4-1. ä See LSU, page 3C

over thehump of an EliteEight.”

BYREED DARCEY Staff writer

Throughout the season, coach Kim Mulkey expressedcautiousoptimism that herLSU women’sbasketball team would bring back most of its key contributors foranother year.

Mulkey knewit’d be easier saidthandone, but she felt conﬁdent she could fendoff the transfer portalasrecently as April 2, when she wrapped up her exit interviews with players andtold WAFB-TV in an interview that she expected to lose only one eligible returner to the open market.

“You cannot understand the value of having all ofthemcomeback,” Mulkeysaid.

“That’s how youbuild it.That’show youget

Then things changed.LSU since haslost two guards to the portalinapairofmoves that were as signiﬁcant as they were surprising. Freshman Bella Hines announced Tuesday that she was leaving the Tigers, and sophomorepoint guardJada Richard, an Opelousas native,decided to followher outofthe door two days later Now LSUneedsanother post playeror two, andthe Tigers also must pursue someone who can assume their ballhandling responsibilities. Richard was supposed to shoulder most of that load forthe next two years, but she chose to test the transfermarketinstead,leaving the Tigers with only two returningguards: Mikaylah Williams and

MiLaysia Fulwiley LSU signed nine ESPN top-100 high school recruits from 2023-25, but six of them have enteredthe transfer portal.Fourofthe six left after their freshman years. The three whoare still on board areWilliams,ZaKiyah Johnson and Grace Knox. If Johnson comes back for her sophomore year,she could play on theperimeter.LSU is also adding McDonald’sAll-American Lola Lampley,a6-foot-2 wing from Indiana. But their roles won’tcomeinto focus until LSU rounds out the roster,and that process nowwill takemoreworkthanexpected. It started FridaywhenFlorida guard Laila

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Scott Rabalais

Landry Benson

PROVIDED PHOTO By THOMAS LOVELOCK/AUGUSTANATIONAL GOLF CLUB

Tyrrell Hatton tees off on the 12thhole during thesecond round of the Masters tournament on Fridayatthe Augusta National GolfClub in Augusta, Ga

PHOTO By MICHAEL BACIGALUPI

Astros place righty Javier and outfielder Meyers on IL

SEATTLE The Houston Astros placed right-hander Cristian Javier on the 15-day injured list with a right shoulder strain and outﬁelder Jake Meyers on the 10-day IL with an oblique strain on Friday Houston selected the contracts of right-hander J.P France and outﬁelder Taylor Trammell from Triple-A Sugar Land. Houston also transferred right-hander Ronel Blanco to the 60-day IL. Meyers left with lower back tightness in the middle of an at-bat in the second inning of Wednesday’s 9-1 loss to the Colorado Rockies. Javier was removed from the game with shoulder tightness.

Javier is 0-1 with a 12.54 ERA in three starts this season. Meyers is batting .243 with one homer and four RBIs.

Curiel powering up for LSU

Recent grand slam illustrates his talent

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

Derek Curiel knew where he wanted the pitch and what to do with it.

The bases were loaded for the sophomore LSU cleanup hitter with two outs. With the Tigers trailing by three runs to Tennessee in the eighth inning on April 3, it was crucial for Curiel to pull through for his team.

The moment didn’t faze the LSU star. It was just another showcase of why Curiel is one of the best LSU hitters under coach Jay Johnson “I bet my life on him with a bat in his hand in a key situation and he’s playing it at his caliber right now, (and is) maybe even better than ever,” Johnson said. “I’m excited because that changes our team when he’s that caliber of player.”

The reliever Curiel was facing, Tennessee right-hander Bo Rhudy, had a fastball with a lot of ride, meaning the pitch would carry up in the zone. It was the trait that allowed former LSU pitcher Ty Floyd to strike out 17 Florida hitters in Game 1 of the College World Series in 2023.

Curiel knew exactly what to do with a pitcher like Rhudy

“With ride guys, you want to start the ball a little bit down maybe three balls down,” Curiel said. “So I wanted to see the ball at my knees or middle thigh.”

After taking Rhudy’s ﬁrst pitch for a ball, Curiel got a fastball that started at his thigh. He knew it was the perfect pitch to swing at, because he ﬁgured the ball would

end up just above his waist by the time he swung.

“If it starts at your waist, you don’t want to swing at it because then it’ll be at your chest,” Curiel said. “But it started at the perfect spot, especially with the ride guy and then it rode onto my barrel.“

Curiel executed his plan to perfection, taking Rhudy’s fastball the opposite way to left ﬁeld for a grand slam that gave LSU a 5-4 lead, which eventually became a 7-5 victory

Rarely is Curiel aiming to hit a home run, but the circumstances called for it.

“I’m always trying to hit a line drive,” Curiel said, “a low line drive, but with a guy with a ride

heater — especially at a smaller ballpark like this — I was actually trying to hit a ﬂy ball because I knew his fastball was probably going to get a little bit above my barrel, and that’s kind of what I wanted.

“I wanted to see the ball deep. I didn’t want to be out in front of it. And I wanted to hit a backside homer, and that’s what I did.” Curiel’s blast against Tennessee was the continuation of a hot streak that carried through the rest of that series. Against Tennessee, he went 7 for 14 with a triple to go along with the grand slam. That blast was his second grand slam in as many games.

Since LSU’s win over Louisiana

Tech, a nine-game stretch, Curiel is 19 for 40 with three home runs and 18 RBIs. The surge lifted his on-base plus slugging percentage and batting average past last season’s marks, despite a slow start to the season.

“The guy’s trending again to be one of the best players in the country,” Johnson said. “And it may not feel like that. And I don’t think that’s as much to do with Derek (as it does with the fact that) he was so good last year.”

Email Koki Riley at koki.riley@ theadvocate.com. For more LSU sports updates, sign up for our newsletter at theadvocate.com/ lsunewsletter

Archie to miss Manning Award event

Ex-Saints quarterback recovering from back surgery

BY JEFF DUNCAN Staff writer

It takes something serious to keep Archie Manning away from the Manning Award ceremony

The annual event, which honors the top quarterback in college football, is a highlight of the year for Manning. And it’s particularly enticing this year, as one of his favorite quarterbacks, Fernando Mendoza of Indiana, is being recognized.

Alas, Manning’s health won’t allow him to attend the event Saturday night at Manning’s Sports Bar and Grill in downtown New Orleans. Only weeks removed from major back surgery, Manning is in the early stages of what he calls “a long road” to recovery.

“I’m very, very disappointed

I can’t be there,” Manning said, “mainly because I’m so crazy about Fernando.”

Mendoza has been one of Manning’s favorites since he attended the 2024 Manning Passing Academy after his sophomore season at the University of California. Manning followed Mendoza with keen interest last season, after he transferred to Indiana and led the Hoosiers to an unbeaten national championship and Heisman Trophy honors. Mendoza led the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) in passing touchdowns (41) and led the Power Four in touchdowns responsible for

(passing and rushing, 48). He was also the only FBS quarterback with six games of four-plus touchdown passes and zero interceptions.

Later this month, Mendoza is expected to become the ninth Manning Award winner to be selected No. 1 overall in the NFL draft, joining Cam Ward Bryce Young Joe Burrow, Kyler Murray, Baker Mayfield, Jameis Winston, Cam Newton and JaMarcus Russell.

“He’s just a great quarterback — and great people he and his whole family,” Manning said. “Fernando just bubbles over with personality

Our whole (MPA) staff was crazy about him.”

In the elder Manning’s absence, his oldest son, Cooper, will handle

the Q&A session with Mendoza at the ceremony WDSU-TV sports director Fletcher Mackel will serve as the emcee.

It’s only the second time Archie Manning has missed the ceremony since the Sugar Bowl named the award after his family and started presenting it in 2004. Manning said he texted Mendoza and his family to express his apologies for missing the festivities. “This one is tough for me because of how much I think of Fernando,” Manning said.

Manning is optimistic the recent procedure on his back will allow him to get back on his feet soon. Dr Ronald Lehman, a spine specialist at New York Presbyterian

Hospital, performed the procedure, which required seven hours to realign and stabilize Manning’s spinal column.

It’s the sixth back surgery Manning has undergone in the last two decades. He said the problems began after an auto wreck roughly 20 years ago and have been exacerbated by the years of wear and tear from his 13-year NFL playing career with the Saints, Oilers and Vikings.

“I was in constant pain,” Manning said. “It had gotten to the point where I couldn’t stand more than 10 minutes. The doctor told me I was a year away from being in a wheelchair.”

The recovery process required Manning to spend six days in the hospital and 12 more in a rehab center in New Jersey not far from youngest son Eli’s home. The proximity provided Manning’s wife, Olivia, a convenient place to stay while he recovered.

“My wife is ﬁrst-team All-Pro,” Manning said. “She’s stronger than new rope.”

Manning, 76, returned to New Orleans on April 3 and is undergoing physical therapy to aid his recovery

He said the pain in his back and lower extremities has dissipated since the procedure. The challenge now is to regain his strength and mobility

“The great news is the pain is gone in my lower back and legs, but I’ve got a long road ahead of me to get over the surgery,” he said. “I have to start with just getting out. I’m going to get there. But I’m not going to be running any high hurdles anytime soon.”

Athletics put OF Rooker on IL with oblique strain

NEW YORK Brent Rooker was placed on the 10-day injured list by the Athletics on Friday because of an oblique strain, ending a streak of 214 consecutive games played for the outﬁelder and designated hitter

Zack Gelof was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas to ﬁll the roster spot prior to the Athletics’ series opener at the New York Mets.

Manager Mark Kotsay didn’t provide a timeline for the AllStar slugger, who will miss his ﬁrst game Friday since Aug. 15, 2024, the last time the Athletics were at Citi Field.

Rooker was injured while fouling off a changeup in the ﬁrst inning of Thursday’s 1-0 victory at the New York Yankees.

Heat waives Rozier after federal gambling charges

MIAMI Terry Rozier, who is facing federal charges related to a gambling operation, was waived by the Miami Heat on Friday in an expected and procedural move that allows the team to sign another player to its roster before the postseason. Rozier was with the Heat for one game this season — the opener at Orlando on Oct. 22, a contest in which he did not play He was arrested by federal ofﬁcials at the team hotel the following morning on charges that he offered information to help people win bets on his stat totals in a 2023 game when was with the Charlotte Hornets. Miami has until Sunday to sign another player It’ll open play in the play-in tournament either Tuesday or Wednesday

Bowman cleared to return after missing four races

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Alex Bowman has been cleared to return to the NASCAR race weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway after missing four races with vertigo. Hendrick Motorsports announced Thursday that Bowman will drive the No. 48 Chevrolet on Sunday at the Tennessee track.

“It’s been tough being out of the car, but we all wanted to make sure I was 100% ready before returning,” Bowman said. “I feel really good, and I’m excited about being at the track with my team and getting back to racing.” Bowman had to exit his car during the March 1 race at Circuit of the Americas because of the symptoms of vertigo. He was replaced by Myatt Snider that day

Tigers’ Jansen now has 3rd most saves in MLB history

DETROIT Detroit’s Kenley Jansen put Miami down in the ninth inning and moved into a tie for third in MLB history with his 478th save Javier Baez homered and the Detroit Tigers beat the Miami Marlins 2-0 on Friday night to end a ﬁve-game skid.

Jansen struck out one and moved into a tie with Hall of Famer Lee Smith (1980–97) on the saves list. The 38-year-old right-hander picked up his second save of the season.

Baez sent a line drive to left ﬁeld that hit the top of the wall and went out to make it 2-0 in the ﬁfth for his second homer of the season.

Detroit’s Keider Montero (1-1) struck out seven and allowed two hits and a walk over six innings.

The Tigers entered having lost nine of their last 11 games.

PHOTO By PATRICK DENNIS

LSU hitter Derek Curiel is congratulated by teammates after hitting a grand slam in the third inning against Southern University earlier this season at Alex Box Stadium.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Archie Manning holds the Louisiana Legacy award that honors him and his family during the Children’s Hospital of New Orleans Louisiana Legacy event at the NOW Pavilion on Feb 5, 2025.

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Reynolds arrived in Baton Rouge for avisit, according to asource. Reynolds, a6-1 guard, is arising senior and former McDonald’sAllAmerican. She started 97 games across the three years shespent with the Gators. Last season, she averaged 12.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and1.9 assists pergamewhile shooting 43% from the ﬁeld

LSU will have to look elsewhere if it wants to find acleaner fit for the role left behind by Richard —a true point guardwho proved last season that she can be adisruptive defender,anefficient shooter and a willing playmaker

“She’sour little engine out there,” Mulkey said March 21 in between LSU’sﬁrst- and secondround NCAA Tournament games.

LSU

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Daniel hit her homer over the right-ﬁeld fenceagainstasteady wind.Avery Hodge opened the inning with asingle and Jaila Lassiter drew her second walk of the game.

“Wecalled time and contemplated what we should do,” said Daniel, ajunior inﬁelderwho is 11 for her last 19 (.579). “I saw a pitchI couldswingonand went for it. Idon’twant to let apitcher get apitch overthe plate byme.” LSU tacked on an insurance runinthe sixth.ToriEdwards doubled and Char Lorenz drove in pinchrunner DestinyHarris from second base with abase hit to right ﬁeld.

“It was areallygood night —we even had ﬁreworks,” LSU coach Beth Torina said with asmile.“The fourth run was huge, continuing the momentum with alittle less pressure in the seventh inning.

“Good pitchers win on all their days, not just their greatdays,” Torina said of Heavener.“It was nice to see ateam with alot of speed hit the ball in the air.It’s easier to defend that. She did an awesome job of closing the door in the seventh. They score aton of runs in the seventh inning.” LSU fell behindinthe first inning on abunt that turned into four bases. Heavener fielded Sereniti Trice’sbunt and threw wide of first, and the ball traveled all the way to the right-field corner

ﬁelder Alix Franklin mis-

Right

LANDRY

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Roger (Goodell) talked to me about when we were there. He said, Jeff, it’shard for us to really point to awhole lot of things to critique (New Orleans) about, (but) the Super Bowl (LIX) we just put on, he said there is an issue with ramp space in the airport, and they’d like to see us fix that. That’s an easy fix,and Ithink we’re doing that. Certainly,hementioned the high-end hotels. The Omni is really the anchor to proving that wecan do that. When you bring theOmni hotel in, it will only enhancethe events that we’re already bringing in like the rodeo, LIV Golf and all the other things. I’d love to seethe Final Four back in the Superdome The Superdome was builtinthe late ’60s and ’70s. That stadium has endured and continuestobea go-back-to stadium, more thanany other in the entire country. When the NFL went throughall these big stadium buildups (and constructions) in recent years, the Superdome just kept rockingalong. We did abig upgrade to it forthe Super Bowl. And guess what, it shined. That buildingisamagnificent place to entertain people

Along those lines, another big economic development plan wasunveiled recently aroundthe dome —the major renovation of the Smoothie King Center and the sur-

“She’satrue point guard,but she hasa tremendous shot. She didn’t like sitting the bench last year, and she tookitupon herselfinthe summer to getthe work in that she needed knowing thesystem betternow.”

Richard shot 45% from theﬁeld and 41% from 3-point range as a sophomore. She also ﬁnished with a2:1 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Reynolds is acareer 20% 3-point shooter who averaged more turnovers than assists during her junior season. Her97 giveaways were theeighth-most among SEC players.

But LSU has just begun the process of recruiting playersin thetransfer portal, whichwill be open untilApril20.

Mulkey and her staff initially thought this cyclewould be a quietone. Things changed rather quickly,and their priorities shifted as aresult.

PHOTO By MICHAEL BACIGALUPI

LSU starting pitcher Jayden Heavener deliversapitch in a game against Arizona on Fridayat TigerPark. LSU won4-1.

handled the ball, and thespeedy Trice easily circled thebases. That was all Heavener gave up. She worked out of ajam in the fifthinning whenRegan Shockey and Trice hit one-outsinglesand advanced to secondand third on a fly ball by Tayler Biehl. Heavener thenwalked the Wildcats most dangeroushitter Sydney Stewart on four pitches beforegetting Grace Jenkins on aflyball to the wall inright field that Franklin caughteasily The teamsplayagain at 5p.m Saturday in the Teal Game. The Tigerswillwearteal jerseys, and awalktoraise awareness for ovarian cancer will be held at 8:30 a.m. at thefield.

rounding campus.Wheredoyou stand on that project?

Ithink that Gayle Benson is one of the best female philanthropists and businesswomen in that city, and she cares deeply about that city.She’scompletely loyal to that city and the laws in Louisiana, as well. We are working through, in apartnership way,tomake some of those things happen. Icertainly would liketosee ithappen. We just have to make sure that it’sgood for thestate and the taxpayers, and it’s good for the Pelicans and the Saints.And we’re gonna get there

She’ssaidthat she wants you and her to hammer out the deal

We absolutelyare. In fact, we’re going to Mass with her soon. Sharon and Igotothe cathedral with herinNew Orleans once amonth, or once every couple of months or so. We’ll be back over there on Sunday

Let’stalk LSU.What are your thoughts on Will Wade coming back as men’sbasketball coach?

Ilove it. Ilove it. Like Isaid (in asocial-media post), where there’sawill, there’sa Wade! Look, right now, LSU is probably holdingthe best groupofcoaches in the country.Wehave got the biggestpowerhousefromKim Mulkey to Will Wade. Our track and ﬁeld andgymnastics coaches (DennisShaver andJay Clark). (Baseball coach) Jay Johnson. I mean, the list just goes on and on.

Bighit evadesTigersvs. OleMissinseriesopener

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

OXFORD,Miss. Onebig hit.

That’sall LSU neededFriday night against OleMiss at Swayze Field.It’swhat theTigers were missinginthe seventh inning Tuesdayagainst Bethune-Cookman withthe bases loaded and nobody out, and it was theproblemthat plaguedthemfor stretchesagainst Tennessee theprevious weekend.

Instead,itwas Ole Miss that came through with one swing of thebat in the eighth inning.

With the scoretiedat3-3, left ﬁelderTristan Bissetta delivered along single with the bases loaded and nobody out in what turned into athree-run inning that handed the Rebels a6-3 win over LSU (22-14, 6-7 SEC).

Multipledefensive miscueson theinfield in theeighth opened the door for Ole Miss (25-11, 6-7).

After aleadoff infield single,LSU freshmansecond baseman Ethan Clauss, adefensive replacement, failed to touchthe bagatsecond on apotential double play that left everyone safe. Then, fifth-year senior SethDardar,who was playing third base but was shifted toward the middle of thefield, made an errant throwtofirst thatleft the bases loaded withnobody out

That’swhen Bissetta made LSU pay.Abunt single anda sacrifice fly to left field after Bissetta’shit provided Ole Miss thecushion it needed.

TheTigers were charged with only oneerrorinthe eighth, but the mistakesproved to be extra painful in agamewhere they had plentyofchances to takethe lead.

LSU stranded arunneratthird base in the third inning, left runners on the corners with one out in thefourth, and failed to score with two runners in scoring position in theﬁrst and sixthinnings.The Tigerswereworking counts and stringing together enough quality at-bats to threaten in most innings against OleMiss left-handed starter Hunter Elliott, but it was their inability to produce thebig hit LSU’sonlyrun-scoring play before theseventh inning was junior Jake Brown’stwo-run home run in theﬁrst,his 14th of theseason. Dardar hurt rallies in thefourth and sixth innings by striking out withrunners in scoring position.

Andwe’re gonna build championship teams with that group of coaches.

How involvedwere you in tryingtoget Wade back?

Well, let me justsay,Ihelped wherever Icould. Will and Iare very close. Iwas sadthat we didn’t pick him up last year (in2025). It was something that irritated me. LSU missed an opportunity It’s why there was abig change in leadership over there(in the athletic department). Think about this, Will Wade left LSU, went to McNeese and took themto the NCAATournament.Heleft McNeese, and his old team at McNeesemade the tournament and his new team at NC State made the tournament. And LSU, Imean, theycouldn’teven ﬁnd the tournament

Whyisthe success of the LSU athletic programsoimportant to you as governor? Because when the LSU athletic program is successful, it is like a high tidethat raises all the boats. Ithink it improves theuniversity athletic programs throughout all of Louisiana’suniversities. I care about all of those universities.We’reworking hard at a time when auniversityaweek is closing in this country.And colleges and universities are going through ahuge transition. But what Idoknow is that having an unbelievable athletic program at theﬂagship (LSU) is something

ä LSU at Ole Miss 4P.M.SATURDAy,SEC NETWORK+

His strikeout in the sixth ended that inning. Sophomore John Pearson struck outtoﬁnish the fourth, sophomoreDerek Curiel grounded out to end the third inning, and sophomore Cade Arrambide got pickedoff at thirdbase to conclude theﬁrst inning.

LSU pushed arun across in the seventh inning on asacrifice fly from Curiel that tied the game3-3, but that’sall the bats could muster despiteloading thebases with one out LSU’s recent lull with runners in scoring position comes in stark contrasttoits last threewins, all of which were dramatic comeback victories thatrelieduponatleast onebig hit. Perhapsthe Tigers’ step back in production in these situations is just areturn to the mean.Maybe it’ssomething more. Either way,it’ssomething

that beneﬁts all of the athletic programsaround the state.

In arecent social-media post, youpraised President Trump’ssigning of an executive order to ﬁx what youcalled“the broken college sports system.”Why do youthink it’s broken?

A: Listen, that’snot just my opinion. That’s, like, 90% of college fans’ opinion. Let’sjust talk about college football. College football fans are frustrated. The amount of money that’sbeing thrown around is so unsustainable that it’sbreaking athletic programs around the country.Those are all facts. It’sdestroying other Division Isports andwomen’s sports and Olympic sports. And there are no guardrails. These agents don’thave any caps, but the NFL agents have caps. We don’thave any guardrails for(players) transferring in the portal. And if you look at the number of kids that are going into the portal and thenumber of kids that aren’tbeing accepted, every one of those kids that go in and are not accepted means they’re losing their scholarships. They’re out. College athletics was supposed to be a supporter,agateway to get you an education so that you can go back and become avery productive citizen in this country

Youwrote that op-ed piece on RealClearPolicy.org in December,addressing the issue and saying let’sﬁxcollege sports. One of the things yousaid in there was,“Don’t

LSU’s attack will have to find again, and fast.

LSUsophomore right-handed starter Casan Evans kept the Tigers withinstriking distance despite arough first twoinnings. He gave up four singlesthat eventually led to tworuns in the first inning before surrendering a solo homerun in the second. After the homer,Evans locked in, retiring14ofthe next 16 batters and not allowing anotherhit for the rest of his outing. He finishedwithnine strikeouts in six innings, predominantly relying on his changeup and curveball to fool Ole Miss hitters.

LSU and Ole Miss continue their three-game series on Saturday. First pitchfromSwayze Field is setfor 4p.m., andthe game will be available to stream on SEC Network+.

Email Koki Rileyatkoki.riley@ theadvocate.com. For more LSU sports updates,signupfor our newsletter at theadvocate.com/

hate the player, hate the game.We did what we had to do.”What did youmeanbythat? Listen, it certainly wasnot fun. To have to go out there and poach acoach before he had an opportunity to coach agroup of kids that he brought over there, who Iknow absolutely loved him and loved the program over at Ole Miss, and not allow him to finish the season out. Youknow what? Those are the kind of guardrails we need. It doesn’thappen in the NFLbecause of exactly that. Right now,the only focus in college sports is aloyalty to BenjaminFranklin on $100 bills, rather than the loyalty to the teammates and to the coaches and to the programs. But Ididn’tget to write those rules —I had to play by those particular rules. And the only waytoget Lane Kiffinwas to do what we did. Ididn’tlike it. I don’tthink it was fair to his players. It wasn’tfair to him,but again, Congress needs to get off their tail and fix this thing.

What are your thoughts about Lane Kifﬁn so far,the excitement he’s created in Baton Rouge? Oh, Ilove it. Listen, Itell you, Lane and Itrade texts when we can. Iknow he’sinthe middle of spring training. Idonot bother him.When the portal class had opened up, Idonot bother him Look, Iwant them all to go out there and do their jobs and get those kids in tip-top shape so we can go winsome championships.

STAFFPHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON LSU right fielder JakeBrown swings at an Oklahoma pitch in the eighth inning on March 21 at Alex Box Stadium. Brown hit atwo-run home run in the first inning against OleMiss on Friday. LSUlost 6-3.

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Jake Brown LSU Baseball, Outfielder

MASTERS

McIlroycooking in bidtorepeat

BY DOUG FERGUSON AP golf writer

AUGUSTA, Ga. Rory McIlroy delivered adynamicfinish to the Masters on Friday,lookingevery bit like someone who has done this before. Six birdies over the last seven holes gave him a7-under 65 and asix-shotlead that seta Mastersrecord through 36 holes. The ﬁnal hour of afascinating daystarted to look like avictory lap.

McIlroy,who madethree straight birdies early in his round, found himself locked in aduel with old nemesis Patrick Reed, the 2018 champion whobirdied the par-3 12th to tie for the lead. McIlroy wascoming offa few loose swings when he reached the heart of Amen Corner.

“Standing on the 12th tee, I didn’timagine beingsix shots ahead,”McIlroy said.

Beforelong, he was all alone. His tee shot over Rae’sCreek on the dangerous 12th hole landed 7 feet behind the ﬂag. He birdied both par 5s after having to lay up from the trees. He took advantageofthe lowerpin at thepar-3 16th for what amounted toatap-in birdie. And then he really sent thegallery into afrenzy when he chipped in from 30 yards on the 17th.McIlroy couldn’tsee the hole over the crest of the hill on the green, but he knew it was good because “I could see everyone in the grandstand start to stand up.”

“That’sabonus,” he said And there wasone more to go —another perfect approach that came down the slope to 6feet for one last birdie.

That put him at 12-under 132, six shotsclear of Reed(69) andSam Burns (71). The previous record forthe largest 36-hole leadatAugusta Nationalwas five shots by Jordan Spieth (2015), Raymond Floyd (1976), Jack Nicklaus (1975), Herman Keiser (1946) and Harry “Lighthorse” Cooper (1936). All but

Cooper went on to win.

If McIlroy holds on,hewould become the fourth player to win back-to-back at the Masters, joiningNicklaus,Nick Faldo andTiger Woods. He hada two-shot lead after 36 holes in 2011 and stretched it to four shotsgoing into the ﬁnal roundbefore hefamously implodedwith an 80.That was the startofhis Masters heartache thatlasteduntil ayear ago, when he triumphed in aplayoff to ﬁnally prove he could winatAugusta National.

“I knowwhat can happen around here,good andbad,” McIlroy said with asmile.“Youdon’thave to remindmenot to get ahead of myself.There’salong way to go. I

got off toanamazing start.” Augustaallowed for that. It was warmer,brighterand drier. The wind wasn’tquite as strong and the gusts didn’tswirl as much.And therewas much better scoring in partbecause of moregenerous pin positions, including on 16 and 18, where cleanly struck shots could feed toward the hole

Thescores were nearly two shotslower than Thursday Reed was bogey-freeuntil failing to save paronthe ﬁnal hole. Thatalso cost him aspotinthe ﬁnal groupSaturday with McIlroy.Theywere paired together in the last group in 2018, with seeminglyall of Augusta on McIlroy’sside, only for Reed to win

handily Burns, the formerLSU star, birdied his last two holes to salvage a71and will be paired with McIlroy JustinRose, the playoff loser to McIlroy ayear ago, had a roughday with theputter and still shot 69 to be part of the group at 5-under 139 —now seven shots behind—along with Shane Lowry (69) and Tommy Fleetwood, who had twoeagles in his roundof68. ScottieScheffler, theworld’sNo. 1player, is now 12 shots behind. Scheffler twice hit into the water on the par 5s on the back nine, made bogey on both, andshot74 for his first round over par at the Masters in three years.

Crudegesture earnsMacIntyre areprimand

BY SCOTT RABALAIS Staff writer

AUGUSTA, Ga. —RobertMacIntyre’s crude gesture after abad shot in Thursday’sﬁrst round apparently did not go unnoticed by Masters tournament ofﬁcials.

The formerMcNeese State golfer, ranked No. 8inthe world,reportedly wasreprimanded for his actions. MacIntyre made amiddle-ﬁnger gesture not toward another player or the crowd but toward thepond fronting the 15th green after hitting one of two shots into it Thursday,leading to aquadruple-bogey 9. The Scottish golfer alsoapparently was caught by an on-course microphone cursing afteranother poor shot. It was afrustrating round for MacIntyre, as he shot an 8-over 80. MacIntyre rebounded with a1-under 71 on Friday but still wound up 7over,missingthe cut

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Augusta National Golf Course than there was Thursday Did the Lords of Augusta take pityonthe field for astroke average of nearly 75 in the first round? Perhaps. Hatton probably would have preferred they installed windmills and flamethrowers Hatton already hasahistory of grumbling that Augusta National is atricked-up track. Whenhefinished last among the players who made the cut in 2022 at 17 over par,Hatton was caught on audio telling his caddie, “I hate this place.” He was caught on video mimicking the motion of firing a gun at the famous 13th hole During the 2024 Masters, Hatton talked of his hate-haterelationship with the par-5 15thhole.

“That hole lives rent-free in my head,” Hattonsaid back then. “I

by three strokes. He declinedto speak to reportersafter either round.

On Friday, MacIntyre’sInstagram account eitherdoubled downonhis gesture,orhepoked funathimself, with acomputergenerated image of the golfer as a boxed-up Masters garden gnome, again with his middle ﬁnger prominently displayed Endgamefor Burns

At least in one sense, former LSUAll-American Sam Burns is still right with Masters 36-hole leader RoryMcIlroy

The two started the day tied for the lead after Thursday with 5-under 67s. McIlroy then ran off with asecond-round 65 to getto 12 under,giving him asix-stroke lead over Burns, who shot 71, and former University High golfer Patrick Reed (69), the2018 Masters champion

hate it. Iabsolutely hateit. AndI thinkithates me with thescores Iend up producingonit.”

For all that vitriol, Hatton is still well ensconced on the Masters leaderboardhalfwaythrough this year’stournament. His 66 took him from 2over after the ﬁrst round to 4under,putting him in atie forseventh. One would sayadeﬁnite contender,though he ended up light years behind fellow UK royal subject Rory McIlroy after the reigning Masters champion made thejump to light speed on the secondnine Friday, diving to 12 under witha tournament-best round of 65. McIlroy alone will determine whether anyone is acontender or not on this Masters weekend. That includes former LSUAllAmerican Sam Burns and former University High golfer Patrick Reed, both tied for second but adistant six strokes behind the Northern Irishman.

Burnswas tied for the lead

Burns willbepaired with McIlroy in the final group of Saturday’s third roundbecause of golf’s tradition of “firstin, lastout.” Burns finished playing his second round Friday before Reeddid. Burnsand McIlroy will teeoff at 1:50 p.m. Reed and Justin Rose, wholosttoMcIlroy in aplayoff in the 2025 Masters, will be in the second-to-last group at 1:39 p.m. Roseistied for third at 5under

The big difference from Burns’ first round to his second? On Thursday he played the par 5s in 5 under.OnFriday,heplayed them in even par “I felt like Iwas playing pretty solid,” Burns said. “Just wasn’t really holing any putts.”

Burns was 1over for his round until abirdie-birdie ﬁnish vaulted him intothat tie for second.

Printererror?

Two-time U.S.Open champion

with McIlroy after 67s in the first round, then scrapped his way to a1-under 71 on Friday.Reed has sailed consistently along with a pair of 3-under 69s in pursuit of asecond green jacket to go with theone he captured in 2018. McIlroy looked invincible as he sizzled to asecond-nine 31, closing with four straight birdies, including one on alengthy pitch shotafter driving in thetrees left of 17 and having to punch out right of the green. But no doubt he will remind himself of thetime he shot an 80 in the final round here in 2011, when he started Sunday with afour-stroke lead and wound up in atie for 15th place. If it was Hatton in McIlroy’s position, he definitely would remindhimself.

Onething to say for Hatton: He’sthe only player from the10man LIV Golf contingent in this year’sﬁeld who is even remotely in contention. Talk about LIVorlet die. Hatton

Bryson DeChambeau is nicknamed “The Scientist” forall thetinkering he does with his swing and clubs.

Thelatest? He carried a5-iron in hisbag this week that he made with a3Dprinter in his golf laboratory. Did it help him much? Notreally DeChambeau shot a76onThursday and 74 on Friday,missing the cut when he triple-bogeyed the 18th hole Friday

DeChambeau said the club printed in eighthours, then needed grooves cut into it and other ﬁnishing touches. The entireprocess took about aday and ahalf.

DeChambeau, whowas in the finalgroup withMcIlroy in last year’sMasters before finishing in atie for fifth,was one of 10 LIV Golf players in the 91-man field andamong the five who missed the36-hole cut at 4over

wound up the only one of the10 who is under parasthe Masters makes the turnfor the weekend. The next best was 2020 Masters winner DustinJohnson,tiedfor 24thplace at even par. Other LIV former Masters winners —Sergio Garcia, Jon Rahmand Charl Schwartzel —all just made it through at T45, T47and T47, respectively.Bryson DeChambeau, in the final grouponSundaywith McIlroy last year,had achanceto join thembut made a7onthe 18th hole to fall into atie for60th Lestyou think Hatton is just somesideshow,think again. He’s been ranked as high as fifth in theworld —he’snow at No.33 because his world ranking has atrophied while on the LIV Tour, which doesn’tget full ranking points. ButasFriday’sround can attest, he can golf his ball. That no one on the planet is playing golf as well as McIlroy through the first two rounds isn’t the fault of Hatton or anyone else.

Rank: 1

Eagles: 0

Birdies: 5

Pars: 57

Bogeys: 25

Double bogeys or worse: 4

Howitplayed: Thefourth lives up to its namemost rounds, making players crabbyafter playing it. It’sAugusta National’slongestpar 3, and withthe pin tucked behind the front bunker as it wastoday, it’snearlyimpregnable That said, 36-hole leaderRory McIlroycracked its code,knocking his teeshot 22 feet past the hole and dropping the fast, curling puttfor one of his nine birdies.

Scott Rabalais

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOByDAVID J. PHILLIP

Rory McIlroy, of NorthernIreland, hits his tee shot on the 16thhole during the second round of the Masters golf tournament at the AugustaNational Golf Club on Friday in Augusta, Ga

BR-area athletes excel at Meet of Champions

BY JACKSON REYES Staff writer

The Meet of Champions on Friday included several Baton Rouge-area track and ﬁeld competitors notching personal bests as they prepare for the state meet. The meet at A.W Mumford Stadium included 17 boys teams and 16 girls teams Glen Oaks won the boys meet with 69 points over Eleanor McMain’s 56 points. Brusly won the girls meet with 109 points to best the 52 points by Glen Oaks.

One of the top performances came from Belaire senior Warren Kemp in the 300-meter hurdles. He completed the event with a time of 38.69, which is a new personal best and also is the secondbest time in the state this year

He beat Jeron Bickham of Warren Easton, who holds the top time in the event this year at 18.43.

“If I stay with him, then I’m going to run a good time,” Kemp said of his mindset before the race. “I’m like, I’m going to keep pushing, and I’m going to get out fast.” He hopes he can achieve a time of 38.30 in his next meet but his biggest goals are still ahead of him. “My potential, I say, I can try to get a 37,” he said. “If I keep pushing hard, keep working hard, I think I’ve got it in me.” Glen Oaks senior Tyrin Garrison completed a time of 49.12 in the 400, which is now the 10thbest time in the state in that event. “I had a lot going through my mind since this is my third

and ﬁeld

LHSCA Meet of Champions BOYS

Teamtotals: 1. Glen Oaks, 69. 2. Eleanor McMain 56. 3. Catholic, 48.5. 4. Brusly, 44. 5. Warren Easton 42. 6. Liberty, 38. 7. Southern Lab, 36. 8. University Lab, 29. 9. Madison Prep, 23. 10. Belaire, 20. 10. Parkview Baptist, 20. Field events

Javelin: 1. Darius Mack, Madison Prep, 133-11. 2. Alijah Banks, Glen Oaks, 133-05. 3. Dylan Murdock, Glen Oaks, 114-10. Highjump: 1. Warren Gougisha, Southern Lab, 6-04.00. 2. Brady Biossat, Catholic, 6-00.00. 3. Dylan Richard, Liberty, 5-08.00. Shotput: 1. Raheem Gray, McKinley, 4700.00. 2. Keondric Brown, Brusly, 46-00.50. 3. Darius Mack, Madison Prep, 43-01.00 Longjump: 1. DeAndre Dunn, Glen Oaks, 23-05.25. 2. Miles Torres, Warren Easton, 2301.50. 3. Parris Hayes, Livonia, 22-06.25. Discus: 1. Benjamin Varrette, Liberty, 128-07 2. David Okotcha, Brusly, 128-05. 3. Roman Johnson, Southern Lab, 116-08. Triplejump: 1. Jai Joseph, Northside, 45-

00.00. 2. Granger Collins, University Lab,

44-03.25. 3. Decaleb Green, Donaldsonville, 43-04.00. Track events 4x800-meterrelay: 1. Glen Oaks, 8:46.25. 2. Eleanor McMain, 9:01.91. 100: 1. Erin Moore, University Lab, 10.98. 2. Jaden Mofﬁtt, Catholic, 11.07. 3. Caden Johnson, Southern Lab, 11.30. 110hurdles: 1. Jeron Bickham, Warren Easton, 14.55. 2. Miles Torres, Warren Easton, 15.09. 3. Angel Gilbert, Eleanor McMain, 15.36 4x200relay: 1. Catholic, 1:27.05. 2. Eleanor McMain, 1:28.91. 3. Liberty, 1:29.91 1,600meters: 1. Andrew Watts, Parkview Baptist, 4:34.81. 2. Gabriel Najar, Brusly. 4:57.54, 3. Chase Winfrey, Donaldsonville, 5:14.37. 4x100relay: 1. Southern Lab, 43.34. 2. Eleanor McMain, 43.41. 3. Westgate, 43.77.

400: 1. Tyrin Garrison, Glen Oaks, 49.12. 2. Miles Torres, Warren Easton, 49.30. 3. Evan Poole, Brusly, 50.59. 300hurdles: 1. Warren Kemp, Belaire, 38.69. 2. Jeron Bickham, Warren Easton, 39.54. 3. Gordon Rush, University Lab, 42.04 800: 1. Andrew Watts, Parkview Baptist,

event,” Garrison said. “I was really going for 48, but I’ll settle for my 49.12.”

He is looking to build on that momentum as the state meet gets closer

“It shows me I can do better,” he said. “I don’t want to keep that in my head I’m trying to be No. 1.” Madison Prep senior

“All

1:58.58. 2. Chauncey Anthony, Liberty 2:04.74. 3. Kingston Joseph, Glen Oaks, 2:11.51. 200: 1. Henry Mensman, Catholic, 21.85. 2. Bernell Campbell, Eleanor McMain, 22.22. 3. Harrison Lalande, Catholic, 22.34. 4x400relay: 1. Glen Oaks, 3:26.84. 2. Brusly

3:27.99. 3. Liberty, 3:30.57. GIRLS

Track events

100: 1. Dai’jah Robertson, Warren Easton, 12.32. 2. Kynnedi Morris, Warren Easton, 12.40. 3. Kassidy Washington, U-High, 12.60. 200: 1. Dai’Jah Robertson, Warren Easton, 24.77. 2. Destiny Harrison, Liberty, 25.41. 3. Kassidy Washington, U-High, 25.62. 100hurdles: 1. Dynasty Wilfred, Madison Prep, 15.80. 2. Queen Lewis, Brusly, 17.74. 3. Ja’Ryiah Andrus, Plaquemine, 18.98. 300hurdles: 1. Dynasty Wilfred, Madison Prep, 43.44. 2. Autumn Brown, Brusly, 48.04. 3. Queen Lewis, Brusly, 49.22. 400: 1. Destinee Wilfred, Madison Prep, 1:00.06. 2. Victory Clark, Brusly, 1:00.84. 3. Aldany Dupree, Brusly, 1:01.08. 800: 1. Lillian Lind, Brusly, 2:35.71. 2. Klan Stanley, Southern Lab, 2:42.50. 3. Sanarah

TerryRobinson

‘Retired’ Pastor Tommy French,95, hasn’t lost love of teaching

The Sunday school teacher in Room209 at JeffersonBaptist Church in BatonRouge is a familiar and beloved presence. At 95 years old and nearly two decadesafter retiring as senior pastor,the Rev.Tommy French continues to faithfully share his wisdom, insight and deep knowledge of Scripture.

“It’sagrace of God that he has left me here so long andlet me have good health so Ican teach,” French said. “Everything is by his grace and by my faith in him, and I’m just tickled to be able to doit.” French said he still enjoys teaching the “catch-all” coed class each Sunday morning. From young to old, anyoneis welcome to attend. The fellowship and connection with the students make the class ajoy, French added. He says it’san honor to teach every Sunday About with COVID afew years ago forced French to discontinue preaching regularly, but his calling for teaching hasn’tfaded.

“I’m going to keep teaching as long as the Lord lets me— until he tells me to stop,” he said. French, aMichigannative who grew up in Texas, founded Jefferson Baptist Church in 1958 as amission of FirstBaptist Church of Baton Rouge. He shepherded the congregation for 50 years before retiringin 2007.

“I felt like Icompleted the mission that God called me to do,” he said. “I didn’thaveany problems, and God took care of me. Iwas able to stay and get it ready for the next pastor.”

That next pastor was the Rev.David Goza, who took over in 2008.

“Brother French has been amentor to me since Icame to town 18 years ago,” Goza said. “He’s been acounselor,he’sbeen a friend, and he’sabeliever in Jesus Christ. He’snever faltered. He always consistent and stands on the word.” French, who holds the title of pastor emeritus and still attends the weekly staff meeting, commended Goza for his faithful preaching and focus on missions.

“The church has grown and he’sgoing well,” French said “He’sevangelistic. He tells the staff to not only go out intothe worldbut also the congregation to witness to people.” Goza said he doesn’thesitate to call on French for his steady guidance, adding that he’sa “faithful adviser.” Gozanoted that French’sinﬂuence extends beyond Jefferson.

“He means alot to the community as well,” Goza said. “He’sprayedwith governors all the way back to the ’70s. He’sbeen aﬁxture for all these years.” French graduatedfrom Baylor University beforeearning amaster’sdegree in religious education from Southwestern Seminary in 1957. He sought a full-time pastor position in Texas butended up moving to Baton Rouge with his wife, Mary,

ALegacy everlasting

‘Interview with theVampire’reshapedNew Orleans historyand culture. Nowit’s50years old.

BY RIENFERTEL Contributingwriter

At times it feels like I’ve read almost every novelset in New Orleans, except, until recently,what might rank as the city’sbestselling book of all: Anne Rice’s“Interview withthe Vampire.”

Like“Uncle Tom’sCabin,” which helped sparkthe deadliestconﬂict in the nation’shistory,and “A Confederacy of Dunces,” asurprisingly persistent hit worldwide, Rice’sdebut, originally published 50 years agoonApril 12, is not just abook but aphenomenon that has shifted the trajectory of New Orleans’ history and culture. It’sa book that still feels fresh, and it’s well worth aﬁrst or repeat read.

For thosewho haven’tsunk their teeth intothe scattered Anne Rice universe, “Interview with theVampire” tells thestoryofLouis and Lestat. In asingle,continuous monologue,dulyrecorded by amostly silent interviewer known only as the “boy,” Louis recounts his life story —a bloodybildungsroman

SouthernPearl Oyster House, at 9460 Perkins Road in Baton Rouge, closed on Jan. 2.

that begins in late 18th-century Louisiana. BornLouis de Pointe du Lac, he’s the25-year-old master of an indigo plantation outside New Orleans, amopey loner mourning the recentdeath of his belovedyounger brother Enter LestatdeLioncourt, an

alluring jerk who also happens to be avampire. With one bite, he becomes theIlyatoLouis’ Shane —blood-suckingsoulmates and, as the decades andcenturiesroll by,heated rivals.

On their first day as immortalcompanions, they sharethe cozy confines of Lestat’scoffin, face-to-face, Louis on top. Despite finding Lestat “handsome and intriguing,” the sleeping arrangement fills the new vampire with dread.

“Couldn’tI,” he begs, “stay in the closet?”

Lestat teaches Louis howtokill, to feed,tolive,tolove, to accepthis undying fate.

“Evil is apoint of view,” the teacher tells the student in one of his manydeliciously droll monologues. “Weare immortal. And what we have before us arethe richfeasts that consciencecannot appreciate and mortal men cannot

BY MADDIE SCOTT Staff writer

STAFFFILE PHOTOByCHRIS GRANGER

Thevampires were out in the daylight at the second-lineparade honoring the late author Anne Rice whodied in December2021. Hundredsofpeople gathered in the Garden District of NewOrleans on Oct.30, 2022.

FAITH MATTERS

French

Goza

Rice

Trytoignoreneighbor’smonetarybragging

Dear Miss Manners: Ihave aneighbor who makes it apoint to tell me that she and her husbandhave an investment portfolio worth $1 million-plus Imanage asmile and a “That’swonderful!,” but Iwas brought up to not mention such things. And yes, there is an air of superiority and self-satisﬁed smugness about her comment that does, Iadmit, rub me the wrong way

never worked outsidethe home— again,how luckyfor her. Gentle reader: Whew.Feel better? Yes, her behavior is rude, but asyou point out,itmay be all she has.While you still have 25 more years to catch up

Perhaps this is because Iam25years younger,soIhave notyet been able to amass near that amount. Iamalsosingle, and perhaps not as smart, capable or ambitious as herbrainy husband. She, conversely,has

RELIGION BRIEFS

FROM STAFFREPORTS

National Autism Month celebration

St. James BaptistChurch, 1105 N. 44th St., Baton Rouge, will celebrate National Autism Month at 8a.m. April 26

The guest speaker will beNeimanColbert, a14-year-old from Houston, Texas, who was recognized by Texas as the 2025–26 StudentofCharacter andhonored by U.S. Rep. Charles Cunningham with aCertificate of Merit.

All are invited to hear his message and personalexperience.

MATTERS

Continued from page1D

to stay with his parents (Mary passedin2008 and French has since remarried.)

“I tried to ﬁnd achurch all over Texas, and God just would not give me one,” French said While serving at First Baptist Church under the Rev.John Norris Palmer and working for the freight line, French sought ways to expand his ministerial calling.

“I went one night to drive around Drusilla,” he said.“I told my wife, ‘I wonder if Dr Palmer would likemetostart a Bible study on amission property.’” French made acall to Palmer, who asked Frenchto meetthat week. He offered for French to take the mission church.

“He said the Lord had already talked to him,” French recalled “(Palmer) said, ‘Keep your job at the freight lines, and we’ll pay you $200 amonth to start the mission.’ French launched the mission that would become Jefferson Baptist. His legacy in ministry has endured for 70 years, and his message remains unwavering.

One scripture that has anchored French’sfaith is from God’spromise to Abrahamin Genesis 15:1: “I am your shield and thy exceedinglygreat reward.”

“God is my shield,” French said. “He protects me. He takes care of me.”

Another scripture that motivates French is John 14:6: “I am the way,the truth, and the life.”

“That’sthe modiﬁer,the,” French said. “That means if you want to get to heaven, you’ve got to go through Jesus.Just trust Jesus.”

Contact Terry Robinson at terryrobinson622@gmail.com.

Dear Miss Manners: When Iwas swimming laps at the local pool, all the lanes were doubled up due to crowding.The person swimminginthe lane next to mine was doing the breaststroke andhit me with her leg, under the lanerope, on two consecutive laps. Iignored theﬁrst hit,but tried to gether attention at theend of thesecondlap to ask her to please

be morecareful. She didn’tstop or acknowledge me, just did her turn at the wall and continued on. Is there apolite way to ask her to address this, short of shouting or splashing? Or do Ijust have to put up withafoot hitting me in theribs on each pass?

Gentlereader: Do you ever see her in the locker room afterward? If so, Miss Manners recommends you makesmall talk abouthow crowded the pool can get and that sometimes you do not even realize that what you are kicking is another person and not awall.

Dear Miss Manners: Ihave a 12-year-old niece, thechild of my late brother.She has been adopted by my mother,soIasked my niece if she preferred me to

introduce her as my niece or my sister She responded with the preference of being introduced as my sister.Ihave no concerns and will do that, but Iamcurious if there is aprotocol or etiquette forthis situation. Iamthe youngest of three brothers, andgenuinely excited to have asister,even with the unfortunate circumstances that created the situation. Even so, I am in my mid-40s, and Isee some interesting expressions from people when Iintroduce my 12-yearold sister

Gentlereader: Youasked your sister what would please her and she told you. Now you both can be amused by others’ reactions as they scramble to do the math. Miss Manners assures you that you owe them no further explanation.

Dear Miss Manners: When Iinvite guests to my homefor dinner, mostofthem very kindly bring ahostess gift. However,I rarely receive athank-you note. Do people these days think a hostess gift(which Ireally don’t care to receive) is areplacement forathoughtful, handwritten thank-you note?

Gentle reader: Yes, they do. They also think it is areplacement for reciprocating the invitation.

Sendquestions to Miss Manners at herwebsite, www missmanners.com.

‘INTERVIEW’

Continued from page1D

know withoutregret. God kills, andsoshall we; indiscriminately.”

The interviewer recountsthe early days, saying,“It sounds as if it was like being in love.”

“That’scorrect,” Louis conﬁrms.

“It is like love.”

Thoughthere are nosex scenes, per se, but Rice’snovel remains not only unquestionablysexybut defiantly homoerotic,especially foraheteronormative married woman writing in the mid-1970s. (Years later, shewould describe herselfasa“genderless soul.”)

But love is ﬂeeting, even for the everlastingundead. Lestat derides hiscompanion’s love for literature and other “mortal nonsense.” (In adisplay of Rice’ssubtle humor, Lestat only haslove for Macbeth. Who but avampire could best understand Shakespeare’simmortal “Tomorrow andtomorrowand tomorrow” soliloquy?) Louis,who stubbornly subsists on the blood of ratsand cats, is meanwhile disgusted by his partner’sthirst for human ﬂesh —his vengeful delight in taking life, twoorthreeyoung souls anight.

In one of the novel’smost horrific moments, Lestat convinces

Louis to head off apotential uprising and slaughter the enslaved humanswho work his plantation. It’s adamning commentary on local history and humanity’sworst tendencies —the brutalsubjugation of ourfellowkind —shotthrough theprism of vampiric lore.

“That’s how vampires increase,” Lestat grimly informs, “through slavery.”

As in many toxic relationships, thecouple tragically decides to add athird to their familial unit.

“I want achild tonight,”Lestat tells Louis while leadinghim by the hand throughthe streets of twilit NewOrleans after another unsatisfying killing spree. “I am like amother Iwant achild!

Untothem achild is born —or bitten —a 5-year-oldgirlthey nameClaudia. She’sa “magnificent doll”ofachild, Rice writes “a magic doll” who will never grow old. Thechild is astand-in for Rice’sown young daughter, Michele, who died of leukemia at the age of 5in1972. Living in aluxurious RoyalStreet ﬂat ﬁlled with antiques, onefather teaches her to “see the beauty around us, the creation of mortals everywhere.”

The other bestows his bloodlust. Here liesthe dark butloving heart of Rice’snovel, astory of howtocare andprovide forthose little monsters thatparentscall

their children, demonic angels who might turn out —for better or worse —just like their mothers and fathers. Likeall good children, Claudia eventually —ittakes seven decades, an eye-blink in vampire years —rebels. She, and only she, sees them forwhattheyare: “Snatching me from mortal hands like two grim monsters in anightmarefairy tale, you idle, blind parents! Fathers!”

AfterconvincingLouis to help her kill Lestat, the pair fleesto Eastern Europe to hang out with someold-school vamps —asort of “Finding Your Roots” Nosferatuedition —but those bloodsuckers turn out to be amindless drag. Gay Paree is more Louis’ style; there, he falls in with the Théâtre des Vampires, acoven led by Armand, theoldest, andarguably hunkiest, vampire in the world. This Paris section showcases Rice at her baroquebest: dreamy,Catholic and deeply weird

Not to spoil ahalf-century-old novel, but Lestat lives. Many vampires die.And Louis, despite having achoice of companions at book’send, is left“utterly alone.”

“Interview with theVampire” wasanimmediateand enormous success, andAnne Rice couldn’t help but continue the saga of Louis, Lestatand Armand, alongside

ahostofnew characters, in what would become abaker’s dozenof novels called “The Vampire Chronicles.”

The series has spawned an annual Vampire Ball (which celebrated its30th anniversary last Halloween), apair of ﬁlms (one campy fun,the other nu-metal nonsense) and numerous attempts to launch atelevision adaptation. “Interviewwiththe Vampire” finally premiered in October 2022, the lead seriesinAMC’svampire-and witch-focusedfranchise,a year following theauthor’sdeath. The third season airs in June.

Recently,Rice’sson andestate manager,Christopher,anovelist himself,announced plans for an anniversaryeditionofhis mother’sdebut novel, featuring neverbefore-seen pages from her original manuscript, set for release this October

Until then, this recent Anne Rice convert will be stalking the shelves of used bookstores, hunting fora mass market paperback copy of the next titlein“The Vampire Chronicles,” feverishly waiting, achingfor ataste of fresh vintage ink.

RienFertel is theauthor of four books. This is his 50th book review forThe Times-Picayune | The Advoate. He can be reached at rienfertel@gmail.com.

Thoughtful sign comforts guests

Dear Heloise: Ispent hours crochetingedges on my guesttowels, but visitors never used them. They noticedthe towels, hesitated, and dried their hands elsewhere. To solve this, Iwrote ashort poem and placed it in clear view: “You are aguest, and we’re happy you’re here.These towels are for you, so please be dear.Use them freely when you enter here. They’re out for you, so have no fear.” The poem reassured guests;they smiled, felt welcome, and used the towels. The main lesson: Athoughtful sign puts guests at ease. —Maria S.,inPerrysburg,New York

keepdrinkscold in coolers during beach trips without leaving awatery mess. By day’s end,the melted ice provides cold, refreshing water Youcan also soothe sunburns or sore spots by wrapping afrozen bottle in acloth to provide comfort. This trick saves money,reduces waste, and is more useful than expected. Just recycle thebottles when they wear out. —AndreF., in Malibu, California

Make cleanuplessirksome

ers and bins by hand with hot,soapy water,following guidance from theCenters for Disease Control.

I’ve found that it’smuch easier to wipe down one section at atime when the fridge isn’tpacked full. Onehabit that really helps is placing leftovers and jarsonshallow trays. If somethingleaks, Ionly have to washthe tray not theentire shelf. Ialso keep abox of baking soda in the back to help control odors.

Reader gets involved in momand grandma’sﬁght

Double-dutyfrozenbottles

Dear Heloise: Ifreeze recyclable plastic water bottles for use as ice packs. They

Dear Heloise: Cleaningthe refrigerator used to feel like an all-day project, so I started tackling it in smaller stepsinstead.First,I pullout anything thatis expired or questionable andtoss it outright away Then Iwash shelves, draw-

Every few days, Idoa quick check for spills or food that’sgone bad. Staying on top of it this way keeps everything fresher, reduces waste, and saves me from thedreaded deepclean marathons. It took me years to ﬁgure this out! —Muriel,inColorado

Send ahinttoheloise@ heloise.com.

CLOSURES

Continued from page1D

deathofits owner,NaQuellar Martin-Thompson. Veganish Vibes served plant-basedcomfort and soul food such as red beans and rice, gumbo, burgers, jackfruit ribs, beignets and bread pudding.

AsianSeafood House

At the intersectionof Florida Boulevard and South Sherwood Forest, this seafood buffet closed on March 3afteropening in July 2021.

The owner, Yuki Chen, said she may open the restaurant back up if she can ﬁnd enough people to work in the kitchen or if she can find abusiness partner to take over the ﬁnances Chen also owns the Asian Supermarket with her husband, located in the same parking lot. The chain has

alocation in Lafayette and will soon open athird spot on Siegen Lane inside the former Big Lots. This new location will have afood court serving some of the samedishes as therestaurant, shesaid Kabobs

At 16569 George O’Neal Road, this Greek and Lebanese restaurant closed in January after almost 13 years of operation.The business posted the closure on Instagram, saying the headchef had toretiredue to health issues. It served Mediterranean dishes like chicken shawarma,hummus, gyro sandwiches, salad, seafood, lamb shank, stuffedbell peppers and kabobs.

Solera

At 4205 PerkinsRoad, this tapas restaurant opened in 2019 and closed on Feb1.Owner Brian Dykes said hewanted to

give Soleraachange.

Theclosuregives rise to anew restaurant,Southdowns Grille, designed by the same team behind Solera and located in the same building. It’s aiming to open in mid-April, andthe name is inspired by Southdowns Lounge, aneighborhood pub that opened in the 1960s and closed in 2008.

BeignetBaton Rouge

At 7673 Perkins Road, this beignet, coffeeand food spot closed in March after operating for about two years. It serveda variety of traditional and stuffed beignets, acoffee menu and afood menuwith breakfast tacos, sandwiches, shrimp and grits, pastas and more. This was thebusiness’ second location, so withthe closure, it’sback to one location.The open location is at 14241Coursey Blvd., near theneighborhood Walmart.

Dear Harriette: My mom has always had atroubled relationship withmygrandmother,primarily due to growing up in poverty,surrounded by so much uncertainty. Due to her upbringing, my mom vowed to provide her children with abetter life than what she had. After high school, mymom left homeand became theﬁrst one in her family to obtain acollege degree, and she married my father,who is from an upper-middle-class family Lately,there has been even moretension between my mom andgrandmother with my grandmother believing my mom thinks she’sbetter than the rest of thefamily since she hasa degree, career and house in thesuburbs.

Idotoestablish boundaries? —Class Divide Dear Class Divide: Tell your grandmother and your mother that you love them both and want the family to be happy again. Thank your mother for working hard to provide agood lifefor you, and then point out that her success and relative wealth sometimes makethe rest of your family feel inadequate. Ask her to be moresensitive to them and less ﬂashy all around.

Thank your grandmother forall she has done to care foryour family and foryou. Tell her you do not want to have to choose sides because you love them both. Add that you do not want to be in the middle of their squabbles. If she doesn’t stop, back away forawhile.

remarks directly toward my best friend and making funofher forbeing Indian. They wereasking her how much curry she eats and other off-putting questions while laughing. Understandably,mybest friend and Iwere uncomfortable and ended up leaving early Iapologized profusely to my best friend, and she said that, sadly,ithappens often. Itried to bring it up with my college friends, but they changed the topic. My friends obviously aren’t responsible forthe actions of others, but Iamhurt that they are continuing to surround themselves with these men,even after being told they madebigoted remarks. Idon’tknow what to do. Do you have any advice? —Awkward Encounter

I’ve always had aclose relationship withmygrandmother,but lately she’s been snippy withme, trying to get me to pick sides. When it comes down to it, I would side with my mom. I don’twant to be involved in their drama, even though I feel like I’m being dragged into it. What do you suggest

Dear Harriette: Last weekend, my best friend came to visit me since we go to different colleges. While she washere, we wentout with someofmycollege friends, whobrought along some guys they wereseeing. I leftthe room forafew moments, but Ioverheard the men making derogatory

TODAYINHISTORY

By The Associated Press

Today is Saturday,April 11, the 101st day of 2026. There are 264 days left in the year

Todayinhistory:

On April 11, 1945, during World WarII, U.S. Army troops liberated the Buchenwald Nazi concentration camp near Weimar,Germany.

Also on this date:

In 1814, Napoleon Bonaparte abdicated as emperor of the French and was banished to theisland of Elba. (Napoleon later escaped from Elba and returned to power in March 1815, until his downfall in theBattle of Waterloo in June 1815.)

In 1865, President Abraham Lincoln spoke to a crowd outside the White House, saying, “Wemeet this evening, not in sorrow, but in gladness of heart.” (It was the last public address Lincoln would deliver; he would die four days later after being shot by John Wilkes Booth.)

In 1961, former Nazi SS ofﬁcer Adolf Eichmann went on trialinIsrael, charged withcrimes againsthumanity for his role in the Holocaust. (Eichmann was later convicted and executed.)

In 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law theCivil Rights Act, which

included the Indian Civil Rights Act and the Fair Housing Act, one week after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr

In 1970, Apollo 13, with astronauts James A. Lovell, Fred W. Haise and Jack Swigert, blasted off on its ill-fated mission to the moon.(The mission was aborted following an oxygen tank explosion two days after liftoff, and the crew splashed downsafely in the Paciﬁc Ocean on April 17.)

In 1980, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission published guidelines saying sexual harassment in the workplace amounted to unlawful sex discrimination

DearAwkward Encounter: Sounds like your college “friends” aren’ttrue friends. They should have spoken up to tell the guys to quit it. It’s not OK to hear your guests make racist remarks and let that go unchecked. One way to stand your ground is to stay away from them.

Sendquestions to askharriette@ harriettecole.com.

in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In 2012, George Zimmerman,the Florida neighborhood watch volunteer who fatally shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder.(He was acquitted at trial.)

Today’sbirthdays: Actor Joel Grey is 94. Actor Louise Lasser is 87. Actor Peter Riegert is 79. Actor Bill Irwinis76. Former MLB catcher Jason Varitek is 54. Actor Jennifer Esposito is 53. Rapper David Banner is 52. Model Alessandra Ambrosio is 45. Singer Joss Stone is 39. Singer Summer Walker is 30.

Harriette Cole SENSE AND SENSITIVITy

Hints from Heloise

Veganish Vibes, an all-vegan soul food restaurant in Baton Rouge, closed in Januaryafter the death of its owner and operator,NaQuellar Martin-Thompson.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Fire up the engine, and make your way forward. Put your energy where it counts and maximize your time and effort. A change in how you earn or use your money will encourage you to make a move.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Control your emotions, and keep your thoughts to yourself. Work diligently behind the scenes to ensure you achieve the most with the least amount of interference.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Change matters. Sitting idle will leave you in a state of stress. Change is ideal, and research, talking to experts and exploring possibilities will guide you forward.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Look at the big picture, but don't take on too much. Refuse to let what others do interfere with your plans. Follow your heart and explore the possibilities.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Filter through information before making a change. You have plenty to gain if you are observant, thorough and don't overspend or overdo. Be careful not to buy into beauty scams that promise the world and offer few returns.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Do your best to show up, do your thing and have a positive impact on others. Let intelligence lead the way, and others will follow Participation is the best way to bring about change.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Distance yourself from anyone who doesn't coincide with your plans. Refuse to let anyone

talk you into overloading your schedule or spending more than you can afford.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Take advantage of any opportunity to mix business with pleasure. Travel and communication are on the rise. A change will lead to romance, adventure or a new beginning.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Act instinctively. Put your heart and soul into whatever you pursue, and pioneer your way forward. Managing your finances and implementing a healthy, less stressful lifestyle is within reach.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Take the high road, keep your thoughts to yourself and avoid discord, interference and temptation. Pay attention to and nurture relationships dear to your heart.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Review your financial position and consider how to make it better. Read the fine print, and put in place a thrifty plan and discipline that helps you cut your costs and alleviate stress.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Knowing when to start and stop is essential if you want to avoid waste, debt or unnecessary interference. Say no to excessive behavior, and recognize when someone offers an inflated point of view.

By Andrews McMeel Syndication

FAMILY CIrCUS

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

TODAy'S CLUE: B EQUALS L

CeLebrItY CIpher

For better or For WorSe

SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY Mother GooSe And GrIMM

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudokuis anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with severalgiven numbers. Theobject is to place thenumbers1to9inthe empty squaressothat eachrow,eachcolumn andeach3x3 box contains thesamenumber only once.The difficultylevel of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

THe wiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS

Bridge

BY PHILLIP ALDER

Alfred North Whitehead, an English mathematician and philosopher who died in 1947, said, “It requires avery unusual mind to make an analysis of the obvious.” What some people see as obvious, others find unusual. Take, for example, today’sdeal.LookattheNorthhand.Your partneropensoneheart,yourespondone no-trump,and he rebidstwo clubs. What would you do now?

It looks obvious to raise to three clubs, game-invitational.Butyouwoulddothat with aweaker hand. Forexample, take two of the low clubs and make them low diamonds. Youwouldstill raise to three clubs.Thishand, though, is morepowerful. In fact, if you hadhad king-queenjack-sixthofclubsandthediamondking, you probably would have responded two clubs, not one no-trump, planning to rebidthreeclubs.How can you show a very good three-club raise? By rebidding two spades. This cannot be natural, because you would have responded one spade, not one no-trump, with length in that suit. And it says nothing about your holding in spades.(The same call can be usedifopenerrebids two diamonds andyou have excellent support for that suit.)

Inthisinstance,South,withthosewonderful aces, should continue with three spades to describehis distribution, and

wuzzles

leavethreeno-trumpasanoptionshould North have strong diamonds. Here, Northwouldprobablybidfourclubsand South wouldraise to game. As you can see, five clubs needs either theheartfinesse or theclub finesse to work. But three no-trump has no chance with the club finesse failing.

by NEA, Inc dist.ByAndrews 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 fourormoreletters.2.Words that acquire four lettersbythe additionof“s,” suchas“bats” or “dies,”are notallowed. 3. Additional words madebyadding a“d” or an “s” may notbeused. 4. Proper nouns, slang words,orvulgar or sexually explicit wordsare notallowed.

toDAY’sWoRD WEREWoLVEs: WARE-wulvz: Peoplecapableofassuminga wolf’sform.

Averagemark33words

Time limit 60 minutes

Can youfind49ormore words in WEREWOLVES?

YEstERDAY’s WoRD —REFusAL

loCKhorNs

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles

Anyone knowingthe whereabouts of theheirs of SusanKyleDearolf please contactB.KyleKershaw Attorney at Law, 212 Laurel

BatonRouge,Louisiana,70801, telephonenumber(225) 336-9600. 184085-4/11-12-13-3t $109.00

Anyone knowingthe whereabouts of YolandaC.Sills and/or RajahSills please contactattorney Melanie NewkomeJones at melanie@melaniejoneslaw.netor 225-344-2200. 184019-4/11-12-13-3t $109.00

PUBLIC NOTICE IN THEMATTEROFTHE SUCCESSION OF LACY BOULINGY HONORE; PROBATENo: 116975-33; 19thJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT; PARISH OF EAST BATONROUGE STATEOFLOUISIANA NOTICE OF APPLICATION FORAUTHORITY TO PAY ESTATE DEBTS NOTICE IS GIVENtothe creditorsofthis Succes‐sion andtoall otherin‐terested persons, that a TableauofDistribution hasbeen ﬁledbyKENNA FRANKLIN,Administrator of this Succession,with herPetitionpraying for homologation of the Tableauand forauthority to paythe debtsofthe Estate listed thereon; andthatthe Tableauof

is applying to theLouisiana Depart‐ment of Environmental Quality, Office of Environ‐mental Services for a WaterQuality Certifica‐tion in accordance with statutoryauthority con‐tained in theLAC 33:IX.1507.A-Eand provi‐sionsofSection 401 of theClean WaterAct Comments concerning this applicationcan be filedwiththe WaterPer‐mits Division within ten days of this noticebyref‐erencing WQC260312-01, AI 1350 to thefollowing address: LouisianaDepartment of EnvironmentalQuality WaterPermits Division P.O. Box4313 BatonRouge,LA708214313 Attn:Water Quality Certifications Comments maybesub‐mitted by emailto DEQWaterQualityCertifica‐tions@la.gov

NOTICE NOTICE theLouisiana De‐partment of Conserva‐tion andEnergy, Ofﬁce of Permitting andCompli‐ance (OPC)has received thefollowing applica‐tion(s)for aCoastal Use Permit (CUP)inaccor‐dancewithLa. R.S. 49:214.21 et seq.,and the rulesofthe CoastalMan‐agementProgram.Appli‐cationsfor coastaluse permitsmay be in‐spectedat617 North3rd Street,Room 1078, Baton Rouge, LA or on theOPC webpageat: https:// denr.louisiana.gov/page/ public-notices.Copies areavailable,costs apply. Writtencomments aresolicited from the public andmustbere‐ceived within 25 days of thedateofthis notice Comments must be up‐loaded directly to our electronic record throughthe OPCweb‐page or mailed to:OPC Administrator, Kyle Balkum,P.O.Box 44487, BatonRouge,LA708044487. Allcommentsmust containthe appropriate CUPnumber andthe commenter's full name andcontact information. Beloware thereferenced application(s):* CUPNUMBER: P20260244 Name:St. CharlesParish Department of Public Worksc/o CoastalPer‐mitting,LLC 14433 RIVER

andEnergy, Ofﬁce of Permitting andCompli‐ance (OPC)has received arequest to extend for thereferencedapplica‐tion(s)for a CoastalUse Permit (CUP)inaccor‐dancewithLa. R.S. 49:214.21 et seq.,and the rulesofthe CoastalMan‐agementProgram.Appli‐cationsfor coastaluse permitsmay be in‐spectedat617 North3rd Street,Room 1078, Baton Rouge, LA or on theOPC webpageat: https:// denr.louisiana.gov/page/ public-notices.Copies areavailable,costs apply. Writtencomments aresolicited from the public andmustbere‐ceived within 10 days of thedateofthis notice Comments must be up‐loaded directly to our electronic record throughthe OPCweb‐page or mailed to:OPC Administrator, Kyle Balkum,P.O Box44487, BatonRouge,LA708044487. Allcommentsmust containthe appropriate CUPnumber andthe commenter'sfull name andcontact information. Beloware thereferenced application(s): CUPNUMBER:

P20231055 (Extended) Name:Talos Energy,LLC c/oTim Morton &Associ‐ates,Inc.730 E. Kaliste Saloom Road Lafayette La 70508 Attn:Donna Hol‐lier Location:Vermilion Parish,LA; Lat. 29-49-51N Long.91-59-27W (see platsfor additional coor‐dinates);Intracoastal Waterway;Section 18, T14S-R5E.Description: RemovalofThibodeaux No.1 Facility,walkway boat dock ﬂareboom andpilings. Plug and abandonofIsadore Del‐cambre Estate No.1 and 2SWD wells.A truckmounted drilling rig broughtinbybarge will be used to plug and abandonthe wells,and a boardmat area will be utilized to supportthe rig. Approx.1.5 cy of ma‐terial will be excavated, andapprox.234 cy of material will be hauled in to restoreproject area to pre-projectelevations. 183881-apr11-1t $63.22

DISTRIBUTION ANDFOR AUTHORITYTOPAY ESTATE DEBTS NOTICE IS GIVEN, to the creditorsofthis Estate to allknown heirs, andto allother interested per‐sons,thatMichelle Lorio St.Martin, duly ap‐pointed Administratorof theEstateofAlbert. T. Furr, Jr.(“Estate”), has ﬁledthe Administrator’s ThirdTableau of Distribu‐tion (“Tableau”)withher petition praying forho‐mologationofthe Third Tableau andfor authority to paythe debtsofthe Estate listed thereon; andthatthe Third Tableau be homologated afterthe expiration of seven(7) days from the date of publicationof this Notice.Any Opposi‐tion to the Petition and ThirdTableau must be ﬁledprior to homologa‐tion Publication: TheAdvocate BatonRouge Publishedonce Attorney: Michelle LorioSt. Martin Address: KOCH /ST. MARTIN,LLC 201 Napoleon Street BatonRouge,LA 70802 Telephone: (225) 612-9700 183877-apr11-1t $48.30

19THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF EAST BATONROUGE STATEOFLOUISIANA NOTICE OF APPLICATION TO SELL MOVABLE PROPERTY AT PRIVATE SALE NOTICE IS GIVEN, to the creditorsofthis Succes‐sion,toall knownheirs andtoall otherinter‐estedpersons,thatMari‐lynHerseyDeWeese, Ad‐ministratorofthe Estate of BernardDallDeWeese, III (“Estate”),has made applicationtothe Court forthe sale,atprivate sale,ofthe movable property morefullyde‐scribedinthe Petition under theterms andcon‐ditionsprovidedin the agreementattached to the Petition ﬁledinthese proceedings; andafter theexpirationofseven (7)daysfromthe date of thepublication of this Notice,an Order shallbe issued authorizing,ap‐proving andhomologat‐ing that application. Any Oppositiontothe Peti‐tioner’s applicationmust be ﬁledprior to homolo‐gation Publication: TheAdvocate–East BatonRouge Publishedonce Attorney: DavidG.Kochand Hannah Gale Keller KOCH /ST. MARTIN,LLC Address: 201 Napoleon Street BatonRouge,Louisiana 70802 Telephone: (225) 612-9700 183875-apr11-1t $48.97