The Acadiana Advocate 05-01-2026 by The Advocate

“The best waytoend race-based discrimination is to stop making decisionsbasedonrace.”

GOV.JEFFLANDRy

La.leaderspostpone U.S. Houseelections

Gov. Jeff LandrysaidThursdaythat ‘allowing elections to proceed under an unconstitutional mapwould undermine the integrity of our system and violate the rightsofour voters.’

Move comesinwakeofSupreme Courtmap ruling

BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer

In adramatic move with statewide ramifications, Gov. Jeff Landry on Thursday postponed Louisiana’supcoming elections forthe U.S.House,a day after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Louisiana’s congressional map is an illegal racial gerrymander Landry,who has the authority under state law to change the electionschedule in case of an “emergency,” moved quickly because absentee ballot voting has already begun for the May 16 pri-

mary election andearly voting begins on Saturday.Lawmakersare planning for the House races to takeplace later this year,only after the Legislature and governor have redrawnthe mapfor the six congressional districts. The election plans are likely to cause chaos for voters andelection ofﬁcials becauseLandry andlegislativeleaders are keeping the existing May 16 primary schedulefor other races, most notably the hotly contested Senate election in which Sen. Bill Cassidy is facing atough challenge from U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow andstate Treasurer

TrumpblastsCassidy

over surgeongeneral

Presidentcalls senator‘very disloyal’ forholding up vote

BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer

WASHINGTON —President Donald Trump on Wednesdaycalled U.S Sen. Bill Cassidy “verydisloyal” fornot scheduling aconﬁrmation vote for Casey Means, the controversial MAHA inﬂuencer,asthe nation’ssurgeon general. Trump then withdrewMeans’ nomination and tapped Dr.Nicole

B. Saphier.The third nominee for thepost, Saphier is aradiologist in New York and aFox News contributor.

On Truth Social, Trumpcalled for Louisiana voters to defeat Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, in theMay 16 closed party primary.Trump has endorsedU.S.Rep.Julia Letlow,RBaton Rouge, in Cassidy’seffort to win athird six-year term —early votingstarts Saturday.Letlow is also backedbythe MAHA movement “Hopefully all of the Great Republican People of Louisiana,

John Fleming. The ﬁve constitutional amendmentsscheduled for May 16 also would continue as planned, according to sources.

So wouldaheated state Supreme Court race on the northshore, twoPublic Service Commission races —one in northwestLouisiana andthe other to represent thesuburban districts around New Orleans —aseat on the Board of Elementaryand SecondaryEducation and local races around the state. Landry saidhaving allbut the six

ä See ELECTIONS, page 7A

ficking of Fentanyl Act, legislation sponsored by Sen.Bill Cassidy, right, on July 16. ä See TRUMP, page 5A

BY OLIVIA TEES and

COFFMAN Staff writers

Northside principal on leave

Rapper with felony conviction visitedschool

BY JA’KORI MADISON and ASHLEYWHITE Staff writers

Northside High School Principal James Rollins has been placed on administrative leave, school officials said Thursday Officials with the Lafayette Parish school systemconfirmed the disciplinary action but have notreleased areason for the decision, saying they can’tcomment on personnelissues. A spokesperson did not verify whether Rollins was on paid leaveorfor howlong. Social media posts have raised questions about the timingofRollins’ leave following aWednesday appearance by rapper Torrence “Boosie” Hatch at Northside High School. Sources told The Acadiana Advocate that Hatch visited Northside High on Wednesday afternoon with state Rep. Tehmi Chassion, D-Lafayette, without district approval, violating LPSS policy Hatch wasscheduled to visit Carencro High School on Tuesday buthis travel was delayed and the visit wasscrapped. Asocial media video appears to confirm Wednesday’svisit to Northside.

School Board member Josh Edmond andCarencroHigh School athletic ofﬁcials, including coach Gavin Peters, also met the rapper at Northgate Mall,which is adjacent to the Northside campus. Edmond said he did not accompany the rappertoNorthside but that he did follow protocol to arrange his visit to Carencro, which involved getting approvalfrom Superintendent Francis Touchet, getting the proper security andother logistical arrangements.

Chassion has not responded to requests forcomment from The Acadiana Advocate.

The school system has not conﬁrmed a connection between therapper’sappearance and Rollins’ leave.

Ballistics testing of evidence gatheredinthe investigationof the fatal mass shooting in the Mall of Louisianashouldbe available in aweek, East Baton Rouge Parish DistrictAttorney Hillar Moore said Thursday

That will help authorities paint afuller narrative of events that led up to the shootinginthe food court, which left aYoungsville teenager dead and ﬁve other people wounded, authorities said. Policesofar have arrested one suspect. Initially,four people weredetained forquestioning immediately after the shooting, buttheywerereleased after ashort time. It remainsunclear how many shooters were involved, though authorities have said they believe it stemmedfrom

Ballistics test resultsshouldbe availableina week, DA says ä See SHOOTING, page 5A

PROVIDED PHOTO

PresidentDonald Trumpsigned Halt All Lethal Traf

STAFF FILEPHOTO By JOHN BALLANCE

QUINN

Britney Spears charged with DUI in California

LOS ANGELES Britney Spears was charged in California on Thursday with driving under the inﬂuence of drugs and alcohol, authorities said.

The 44-year-old pop star was charged with a single misdemeanor count of driving under the combined inﬂuence of alcohol and at least one drug, the Ventura County District Attorney’s Ofﬁce said. A Spears representative had no immediate comment.

The criminal complaint does not specify what kind of alcohol or drugs, or what amount, Spears is accused of having used.

Spears, who has since entered substance abuse treatment, was arrested March 4 after she was pulled over for driving her black BMW fast and erratically on U.S. 101 near her home, the California Highway Patrol said. She appeared to be impaired, took a series of ﬁeld sobriety tests was arrested on suspicion of driving under the inﬂuence of a combination of alcohol and drugs and was taken to a Ventura County jail, the CHP said. She was released on bail the following day. Police completed their investigation and presented it to prosecutors on March 23.

A representative at the time called Spears’ actions “completely inexcusable” and said it would ideally be “the ﬁrst step in long overdue change that needs to occur in Britney’s life.”

Spears voluntarily checked into a substance abuse treatment facility just over a month after the arrest, her representative said. Spears’ arraignment is set for Monday Because it is a misdemeanor charge, she will not be required to appear in court, prosecutors said.

Scientist who mapped human genome dies

J. Craig Venter, who mapped the ﬁrst draft of the human genome and helped scientists understand how genes shape our lives, died Wednesday He was 79. Venter’s death was announced by the J. Craig Venter Institute, a genomics research group with locations in La Jolla, California, and Rockville, Maryland. The institute said he died in San Diego after being hospitalized for side effects from a recent cancer treatment.

In the 1990s Venter bet that he could use a different sequencing technique to speed up the process of decoding the human genome and beat an enormous government effort called the Human Genome Project. And in 2000, Venter’s private company Celera Genomics announced, along with Human Genome Project leaders, that they had decoded the 3.1 billion sub-units of DNA, the chemical “letters” that make up the recipe of human life. Three years later in April 2003, the project declared the genome complete.

“Some have said to me that sequencing the human genome will diminish humanity by taking the mystery out of life,” Venter said at a White House event in 2000 about the breakthrough “Nothing could be further from the truth.” And his work did reveal even greater mysteries — even as it helped scientists understand the genetic causes for rare diseases and more common conditions such as heart disease and cancer, as well as what mutations or shifts may put people at higher risk of disease.

Congress OKs extension of surveillance program

WASHINGTON Congress has approved a short-term extension of a critical surveillance program used by U.S. spy agencies, staving off a Friday expiration as disputes over a longer reauthorization remain unresolved.

The House sent the extension to President Donald Trump’s desk Thursday after the Senate cleared it earlier in the day The move comes despite passage through the House of a longer three-year extension, with lawmakers needing more time to negotiate a ﬁnal agreement. The temporary patch extends the program through June 12

“I don’t like kicking the can down the road. Not my jam But that’s where we are,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, RS.D.

IMAGE PROVIDED By DANA VERKOUTEREN

This courtroom sketch depicts Cole Tomas Allen, seated center the California man arrested in the shooting incident at the correspondents’ dinner in Washington, appearing Thursday before U.S Magistrate Moxila Upadhyaya in federal court in Washington.

Prosecutors release video from D.C. attack

Of

ficials: Footage shows man attempting to storm correspondents’ dinner

BY MICHAEL KUNZELMAN and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Associated Press

WASHINGTON Federal prosecutors released a video Thursday showing the moment authorities say an armed man tried to storm the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner and attempt to kill President Donald Trump.

Jeanine Pirro, the top federal prosecutor for Washington, posted the video on social media She said it shows Cole Tomas Allen shooting a U.S. Secret Service ofﬁcer as he runs through security toward the gala packed with journalists, administration ofﬁcials and others.

Pirro said there is no evidence that the agent was hit by friendly ﬁre.

Allen agreed earlier Thursday to remain jailed while he awaits trial.

Allen did not enter a plea during his brief appearance in federal court days after authorities say he ran through a magnetometer at the Washington Hilton while holding a long gun and disrupted one of the highest-proﬁle annual events in the nation’s capital.

Allen was injured during Saturday night’s attack but was not shot. A Secret Service officer was shot but was wearing a bullet-resistant vest and survived, officials say Prosecutors have said they believe Allen fired his shotgun at least once and that a Secret Service agent fired five shots. They had not previously confirmed that it was Allen’s bullet that struck the agent’s vest.

In court papers pressing for Allen’s continued detention, prosecutors wrote Wednesday that Allen took a picture of himself in his hotel room just minutes before the incident, and that he was outﬁtted with an ammunition bag, a shoulder gun holster and a sheathed knife. In a message that authorities say sheds light on

his motive, Allen referred to himself as a “Friendly Federal Assassin” and alluded obliquely to grievances over a range of Trump administration actions.

Allen’s lawyers agreed during the brief hearing before U.S. Magistrate Moxila Upadhyaya to keep their client behind bars for now after initially arguing in court papers that Allen should be released.

In a court filing Wednesday, the defense wrote that the government’s case is “based upon inferences drawn about Mr Allen’s intent that raise more questions than answers” and noted that Allen’s writings never mentioned Trump by name The defense left the door open to pressing in the future for Allen’s release before trial.

“The government’s evidence of the charged offense –- the attempted assassination of the president –- is thus built entirely upon speculation, even under the most generous reading of its theory,” defense lawyers wrote.

Allen’s lawyers alleged that some of acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s statements “indicate that the recovered ballistics evidence is inconsistent with aspects of the government’s theory, evidence collected by the government and/or statements made by witnesses.”

The Justice Department, in response, said the evidence shows Allen ﬁred his shotgun at least once in the Secret Service agent’s direction. Investigators recovered at least one fragment at the crime scene that is consistent with a buckshot pellet, prosecutors wrote.

“The government is aware of no physical evidence, digital video evidence, or witness statements that are inconsistent with the theory that your client fired his shotgun in the direction” of the officer or that the officer “was indeed shot once in the chest while wearing a ballistic vest,” prosecutors wrote.

Allen was charged on Monday with that crime, as well as two additional ﬁrearms counts, including discharging a weapon during a crime of violence. He faces up to life in prison if convicted of the assassination count alone.

TEXAS

Camp Mystic drops reopening plan over

outrage by families, lawmakers

BY JIM VERTUNO and SEAN MURPHY Associated Press

AUSTIN,Texas Camp Mystic on Thursday halted plans to reopen this summer on the Texas river where ﬂoodwaters killed 25 girls and two teenage counselors, backing down in the face of outraged families and investigations that accused the all-girls Christian camp of dangerous safety and operational deﬁciencies.

The decision, a striking reversal of the camp owners’ determination to reopen, follows weeks of testimony in court hearings and legislative investigations. Those hearings laid bare the camp’s lack of detailed planning for a ﬂood emergency reliance on poorly trained staff, and missed chances for an evacuation that came too late as ﬂoodwaters ripped through the camp on the banks of the Guadalupe River in the early morning hours of July Fourth.

The camp’s owner, Dick Eastland, also died in the ﬂooding.

As recently as Tuesday, members of the Eastland family told state lawmakers the camp would be ready to open for business for nearly 900 campers on May 30. That swiftly changed with Thursday’s announcement that the camp had withdrawn its application for a license renewal for 2026

“No administrative process or summer season should move forward while families continue to grieve while investigations continue and while so many Texans

still carry the pain of last July’s tragedy,” Camp Mystic said in a statement.

A spokesperson for the Texas Department of State Health Services conﬁrmed Thursday that the camp has withdrawn its application.

The decision was praised by Texas Lt. Gov Dan Patrick, who opposed the camp’s reopening while investigations were ongoing.

“I am thankful to hear that, today, the Eastland family withdrew their application,” Patrick said in a statement “Given the tragic circumstances, this is the correct decision to protect Texas campers and to allow time for all investigations to be completed.”

Texas Gov Greg Abbott, who has not weighed in publicly on whether the camp should reopen, noted in a statement Thursday that the result of ongoing investigations into Camp Mystic by DSHS and the Texas Rangers “will be made public as soon as possible.”

Several lawsuits have been filed against the camp and the Eastlands. The families of the victims have packed court and legislative hearings, often wearing “Heaven’s 27” pins with photographs of their daughters. They listened to the details of missed flood warning signs, the descriptions of the flood and the decision to leave the girls in their cabins until it was too late. The testimony included video of the raging floodwaters as a girl repeatedly screamed for “help!” somewhere in the distance.

President signs DHS funding bill

Legislation ends shutdown, funds much of agency

BY LISA MASCARO AP congressional correspondent

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump swiftly signed a bipartisan legislation Thursday to fund much of the Department of Homeland Security, but not its immigration enforcement operations, shortly after the package won ﬁnal approval in the House, ending the longest agency shutdown in history

The quick action after weeks of political blame brought an abrupt end to the monthslong standoff that began after Trump’s deadly immigration crackdown in Minneapolis launched a reckoning on Capitol Hill over the funding for the president’s agenda.

DHS has been without routine funds since Feb. 14, causing hardship for workers, and the White House had warned that temporary funding Trump had tapped to pay Transportation Security Administration and other agency personnel would “soon run out.” Some employees risked missed paychecks in May

“It is about damn time,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, who proposed the bipartisan bill more than 70 days ago.

The House swiftly voted by voice earlier Thursday without a formal roll call, to pass the measure. The movement in Congress comes as DHS is under intense scrutiny after Trump ousted Kristi Noem as the department’s leader, installing Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin in the middle of the shutdown The agency counts some 260,000 employees, across TSA, the Coast Guard, FEMA and other operations.

Many workers have endured repeated turmoil with potential furloughs and pay lapses as the congressional stalemate dragged on. This shutdown came on the heels of last year’s government-

wide closure, which itself had set a record at 43 days. Countless employees have struggled with bills or simply quit their jobs. In the aftermath of the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both U.S. citizens, by federal agents during protests against the immigration actions in Minneapolis, Democrats refused to fund U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol without changes to those operations. At the same time, Republicans would not go along with a plan pushed by Democrats to fund TSA and the other parts of DHS without the money for ICE and Border Patrol. They insisted that immigration operations must not be zeroed out. After the shutdown intensiﬁed, with hourslong lines at airport security screening, the Senate unanimously approved the bipartisan package in a middle of the night vote a month ago. Then the bill languished in the House.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, himself had called the legislation a “joke.”

To break the impasse, Republican leaders in both the House and Senate decided to tackle the immigration enforcement funding on their own through what is called budget reconciliation a cumbersome weekslong process ahead.

By beginning that path, Johnson was able to unlock the broader bipartisan bill for the rest of DHS House Republicans late Wednesday adopted a budget resolution, on a largely partyline vote, that focused on eventually providing $70 billion for immigration enforcement and deportations for the remainder of Trump’s time in ofﬁce. His term expires in January 2029.

Johnson acknowledged Thursday that while he had trashed the bipartisan bill before, the new budget process ensure that the immigration money eventually will ﬂow “with no crazy Democrat reforms.”

“We threw a fit,” the speaker said. “We had to.”

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Hegseth testifies before Congress

Defense secretary faces tough questions from Democrats

BY BEN FINLEY, STEPHEN GROVES and MEG KINNARD Associated Press

WASHINGTON Defense

Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared before Congress at a pair of hourslong hearings this week for the ﬁrst time since the Trump administration went to war against Iran, with the Pentagon chief facing tough questions from skeptical Democrats.

Hegseth seemed to emerge with solid Republican support over his leadership and handling of the war. But a few GOP lawmakers questioned his dismissal of a top Army general, while some sought assurances that the Pentagon is doing everything possible to prevent civilian deaths.

The hearings Wednesday and Thursday before the House and Senate Armed Services committees delved into the Trump administration’s 2027 military budget proposal, which would boost defense spending to a historic $1.5 trillion. Hegseth and other Pentagon ofﬁcials stressed the need for more drones, missile defense systems and warships.

While Republicans focused on the details of military budgeting and voiced support for the Iran operation, Democrats grilled Hegseth about the ballooning costs of the war, the huge drawdown of critical U.S. munitions and the bombing of a school that killed children.

Clashes with Democrats

The hearings were the ﬁrst time a member of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet has defended the war publicly on Capitol Hill since it entered the conflict without congressional approval two months ago.

Hegseth did not hold back in his criticism of anyone who questioned the war “The biggest adversary we face at this point are the reckless naysayers and defeatist words of congressional Democrats and some Republicans,” Hegseth said on Thursday as he opened the second day of hearings.

He cast the conflict as a historic victory by a president who, unlike his predecessors, is backing up his tough talk on Iran Yet even Hegseth’s timeline for the war included a tacit admission that it has dragged on much longer than Trump’s initial pledges of only a few weeks.

Democrats relentlessly questioned Hegseth on endgoals for the war and sought to highlight the steep economic repercussions being felt through high prices for gas and other goods

“I’m sad for all the people who voted for Trump. I’m sad for them because you betrayed them,” Rep. Ro Khanna, a California Dem-

Washington.

ocrat, told Hegseth as he questioned the war costs during a nearly six-hour hearing Wednesday Sen Jack Reed the Senate committee’s ranking Democrat, argued Thursday that the war has left the U.S. in a worse strategic position, with 13 American troops killed and more than 400 injured.

The Strait of Hormuz, a critical sea route for global oil shipments, remains closed, sending fuel prices skyrocketing Iran still has highly enriched uranium and enough combat capabilities to keep the conﬂict locked in an impasse.

“I am concerned that you have been telling the president what he wants to hear instead of what he needs to hear,” Reed said. The Trump administration, meanwhile, is coming under growing pressure from Republicans on Capitol Hill to ﬁnd an end to the conﬂict, especially as a 60-day legal window expires for the president to conduct the military campaign without permission from Congress.

That deadline is Friday, but Hegseth claimed that because a fragile truce is in place, “the 60-day clock pauses or stops in a ceaseﬁre.”

Sen. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat, responded, “I do not believe the statute would support that,” adding that he had “serious constitutional concerns.”

Cost of Iran war Pentagon officials informed lawmakers that the cost of the war to date is $25 billion, with most of that being spent on munitions. Operations and equipment repairs also have contributed to the costs.

Still, that number was met with some skepticism on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers have been expecting an eventual request for war funding from the White House to run closer to $100 billion.

There is also concern that the bombing campaign against Iran has depleted America’s supply of weapons, such as crucial missile defense systems, potentially leaving the country vulnerable if conﬂicts break out in other areas of the globe.

Hegseth contended that

the Pentagon is not in any danger of running low on munitions, yet he also blamed any challenges on President Joe Biden’s decision to assist Ukraine as well as on an aging U.S. defense manufacturing industry

“On the munitions front, we’re in really good shape but we need to accelerate,” Hegseth told senators.

He presented the Pentagon’s budget request as vital to the goal of multiplying munition production rates and said he plans to bolster the industry so that it can quickly replace any munitions used in the Iran war

The budget request would amount to a record boost to defense spending that would increase the Pentagon’s budget by over 40% from the previous year Pentagon firings

The defense secretary faced intense questions from Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, a Pennsylvania Democrat, about his decision to oust the Army’s top uniformed officer, Gen. Randy George, one of several top military officers to be dismissed since Trump took office again.

Houlahan said George was deeply respected by members of the military and Congress and asked why Hegseth ﬁred him. Hegseth’s response that “new leadership” was needed failed to satisfy her

“You have no way of explaining why you fired one of the most decorated and remarkable men,” Houlahan began, before Hegseth interrupted her “We needed new leadership,” he repeated.

Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa also spoke out about George, saying she was “disappointed” to see his retirement “hastened.”

Ernst said George “pulled the Army out of its worst recruiting crisis since the Vietnam era” and trimmed “nonessential” positions.

George had held the post of Army chief of staff, which typically runs for four years, since August 2023.

“He had 38 years of honorable service. He achieved the greatest Army recruitment and modernization effort in a generation,” Ernst said. Bombing of school

Hegseth told lawmakers

in the House that a deadly strike on an Iranian elementary school that killed more than 165 people, including many children, is an “unfortunate situation” that is still under investigation.

The Associated Press has reported there was growing evidence that pointed to U.S. culpability for the Feb 28 strike, which hit a school adjacent to a Revolutionary Guard base in Iran. Experts, citing satellite image analysis, said the school was probably struck as bombs were dropped on the compound in quick succession.

Senators wanted to know what the Pentagon is doing to prevent deaths of civilians.

Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, of New York, asked Hegseth: “What is your response to targeting that has resulted in the destruction of schools, hospitals, civilian places? Why did you cut by 90% the division that’s supposed to help you not target civilians?”

Hegseth responded that the Pentagon has an “ironclad commitment” to do more than other countries to prevent civilian deaths.

Iran’s leader vows to protect nuclear, missile capabilities

BY JON GAMBRELL and AAMER MADHANI Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates

Iran’s supreme leader deﬁantly vowed Thursday to protect the Islamic Republic’s nuclear and missile capabilities, which President Donald Trump has sought to curtail through airstrikes and as part of a wider deal to cement the war’s shaky ceaseﬁre.

In a statement read by a state television anchor, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said the only place Americans belonged in the Persian Gulf is “at the bottom of its waters” and that a “new chapter” was being written in the region’s history Khamenei has not been seen in public since taking over as supreme leader following the killing of his father in the war’s opening airstrikes.

His remarks come as Iran’s economy is reeling and its oil industry is being squeezed by a U.S Navy blockade halting its tankers from getting out to sea. The world economy is also under pressure as Iran maintains its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a ﬁfth of all crude oil is transported. On Thursday, the global benchmark for oil, Brent crude, traded as high as $126 a barrel.

That shock to oil supplies and prices is putting pressure on Trump, who is floating a new plan to reopen the critical passageway used by the U.S.’s Gulf allies to export their oil and gas. Under the plan, the U.S. would continue its blockade on Iranian ports, while coordinating with allies to impose higher costs on Iran’s attempts to subvert the free flow of energy, according to a senior administration offi-

cial, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly In a cable sent Tuesday, the U.S State Department instructed American diplomats around the world — except those in Belarus, China, Cuba and Russia — to seek their host government’s support for the Trump administration’s call for assistance in establishing a “maritime freedom construct” that would ensure free and unimpeded access to shipping through the strait.

“Thiscommitmentreﬂects broad international consensus on the need for coordinated action to counter Iranian maritime provocations and ensure navigational rights and freedoms in the Strait of Hormuz,” said the cable, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press on Thursday The initiative, being led by the State Department and the Pentagon’s Central Command, “is a fundamentally defensive response to protect the rights of all countries to navigate international waters freely and safely and to hold Iran accountable for its aggressive and illegal actions to impede the free flow of commerce,” the cable said. At the same time, Trump has also floated possible changes to U.S. troop presence in allied countries in Europe. The day after the president announced his administration was conducting a review on potentially reducing the U.S. troop presence in Germany, he was asked by a reporter whether he’d weigh pulling U.S. forces out of Italy and Spain which have sparred with the United States over use of bases for Iran-related operations.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CLIFF OWEN

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth testifies Thursday before the Senate Armed Services Committee, on Capitol Hill, in

ICEreleasesdetainedMississippi brothers

BY MARTHA SANCHEZ Staff writer

The teenage brothers arrested by federalimmigration agents as they walked to their school bus last week were released from custody Thursday after outcry fromresidents and leaders acrossthe Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Gail Baptiste, the brothers’ legal guardian and host mother,said the teens from the Republic of the Congo are returning to their home in Diamondhead, Mississippi, after more than aweek in federaldetention.

“Wehave the boys and we are on our way home,” she said Thursday afternoon.

The release of Israel Makoka,

18,and Max Makoka,15, followed pleasfrom students, teachers, neighborsand the mayor of their deep-red Mississippi community.

TheofficeofRepublican U.S Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith also helped thefamily ﬁnd atop immigration attorney and answered their questions about the federal immigration process, according to Baptiste.

“My ofﬁce is doing what it can to work with the guardians of Max and Israel Makoka as they deal with an ongoing and complex immigration case,”Hyde-Smith said in astatement earlier this week.

“Wewill continue to monitor the situation andwork towardthe best possiblesolution within the law.”

Studentsand staff at Hancock HighSchool, wherethe Makokas

the two groupsmet spontaneously or hadarguedbeforehandonline, are still unanswered, Moore said.

studiedand played basketball, wrote dozens of letters in support of the brothers’ release. Residents in Hancock County,where Donald Trumpwon almost 80% of the vote in thelastpresidential election, also called and left messages at the ofﬁces of Hyde-Smith, Republican U.S.Sen.Roger Wicker and Republican U.S.Rep.MikeEzell, who representssouthernMississippi in Congress.

The brothers’ arrests came as theTrump administration cracks down on illegal immigration and increases scrutiny on international students studyinginthe United States.

ICE has not responded to detailed questions about the case. Butinastatement, theagency told

whether there was previous social media jousting back and forth.”

media outlets the brothers violated their studentvisas by transferring outofthe Piney Woods School, a historically Black boarding institution in central Mississippi.

The Baptiste family saidthe brothers unknowinglyfell out of legal status when they transferred to Hancock High School last year

“Theywere granted the opportunity to participate in astudent exchange program. However, they failed to attend that school,”

aU.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesperson said in astatement earlier this week.

“Because they violated theirvisas, they are subject to removal.”

Federal agents arrested the brothers as they left home to board theirschool bus on April

asearch warrantwas securedfor his grandmother’shouse.

21,according to theirhostfamily. IsraelMakoka was held at an ICE facility in Jena. Authorities transferred Max Makoka to afacility in Houston.

Diamondhead Mayor Anna Liese praised the brother’srelease.

“As acommunity, we are hugely relieved and absolutely overjoyed thatthe boys areontheir way home,” shesaid.“Ithasreallybroughtoutthe best in ourpeople.Theyralliedfor these kids anddid whattheycould to advocateforthem,andIthinkitmade adifference.”

Amy Maldonado,anattorney representing the Makoka brothers, said they will participate in ICEcheck-ins andcourt proceedings whileseeking reinstatement of their student visas.

an encounter between two groups.

Police said they recovered one gun from the scene.

Moore said ballistics testing will reveal how many guns were used, how many times each ﬁred and which shots struck which victims. It could alsotie the gunsto other previous shootings in Baton Rouge, he noted.

Other questions, suchaswhether it was atargeted attack, or whether

TRUMP

Continued from page1A

which Iwon, BIG, three times, will be voting Bill Cassidy OUT OF OFFICE in the upcoming Republican Primary!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“I nominated Casey,a strong MAHA Warrior,at the recommendation of Secretary Kennedy,who understands the MAHA Movement better than anyone, with perhapsthe possible exception of ME!,” Trump wrote in another Truth Social post, referring to Department of Health& Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.and the Make America Healthy Again movement the sec-

PRINCIPAL

Continued from page1A

Hatch was in Lafayette to promote Boosie Bash, an annual concert, which will be held at the Cajundome next week with alineup of special guest appearances. The bash has been held in Baton Rouge,the rapper’shometown, since its inception in 2017

Hatch was arrested in 2009 and served prison time for gun and drug convictions. In January,he was sentenced to three yearsof supervised release for being afelon in possession of aﬁrearm.

In February,Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill took legal action against Boosie, saying the rapper used the hazing death of

Moore conﬁrmed one group was made up of ﬁve individuals, while twowereinthe other group. He said it hasn’tbeen determined whether either group had gang ties.

“From what Ican gather,there were some words exchanged, that someone said something andthen after that shots are ﬁred,” Moore said.“Thequestion is whether therewas one or more shooters.

We don’tknow exactly what was said to let it off. …Ihave no idea

retary has trumpetedfor years.

Thepresidentwroteabout 20 minuteslater on another Truth Social post that he was nominating Saphier Cassidy’scampaign did notrespond to arequest for comment, and hehas repeatedly refused to talk aboutMeans. But,aschair of the Senate Health, Education,Labor &Pensions committee, Cassidy has not scheduled avoteonMeans’ confirmation, even though herhearing took place in February Means reportedly did not have enough Republican votes on the committee to forward her confirmation to thefull Senateasall the Democratic members oppose. With 12 Republicans and11Democrats, one GOP

Southern University student Caleb Wilson to promote the 2025 Boosie Bash. Wilson was atrumpet player in the university’sHuman Jukebox.

Boosie announced at the timethat he wasworking with the Wilson family and theHuman Jukebox to launch the Caleb Wilson MemorialScholarship, and added that some of theproceeds from the festival would go to that scholarship fund.

Butaccording to Murrill, neither Wilson’sparentsnor Southern gave consentfor organizers to use their son’s name in connection withthe event. Murrill said in astatement she intended to take legalaction,“due totheir misappropriation of hisname and image to promote their for-proﬁt event. This is not a charitable event.”

Rollinswas appointed

Markel Lee, 17, wasbookedwith onecount of ﬁrst-degree murder, five counts of first-degree murderand acount of illegaluse of a weapon.Heturned himself in to police.

Someanswers could be revealed through searching suspects’ phones, Mooresaid, andlearning who was communicating with Lee prior to him going to themall.

Lee, who is being held without bail, dropped out of Glen Oaks High School in August 2024, records show.Authorities conﬁrmed

membervoting “no” would have ended Means’ chances. Senators raised questions about Means’ writings and past positions.

During her Senatecommitteeconfirmation hearing, Meansdid notembrace the use of vaccines. While agreeing that vaccinations save lives, she wouldn’t expressly support shots to combat measles. She appeared to back Kennedy’s policies thatsupport his long-heldvaccine skepticism.

Means also was opposed by prominent conservative bloggers and the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission,which sets public policy for the 13 million Southern Baptists This is notthe first time that Trump hasgoneafter

principal of Northside High in June 2024.Hehas more than 25 years of experience in education and holds a bachelor’sdegree fromthe University of Louisiana at Lafayette andamaster’sdegree in administration and supervisionfromSouthern University

Before hisrole at Northside, Rollins servedasprincipal of LeRosen Preparatory School.His career also includesteaching physical science, health, physical education, ACT prep, and world geography,according to an LPSS news release. He hasadditionallyheld assistantprincipal positions at the W.D. andMary BakerSmith Career Center, Carencro High School, Lafayette High School, and served as an itinerant assistant principal at Acadiana High School.

The shooting killed 17-year-old Ascension Episcopal High School seniorMartha Odom.She was at themall with her friends celebrating senior skip daybefore their graduation on May 16.

Five bystanders were injured, including two AscensionEpiscopal seniors. All the victims, except Donnie Guillory,43, have been released from the hospital. Guillory is in stable condition at Our Lady of the Lake Hospital after multiple surgeries. Leewas seen on multiplesurveil-

Cassidy on social media. In April 2024, Trump posteda two-page entry that read,in part: “One of theworst Senators in theUnited States Senate is, without question, Bill Cassidy,ATOTAL FLAKE, Republican though he may be.”

Cassidy became oneof seven Republican senators to convict Trump of inciting insurrection in the2021 impeachmenttrial that followed the Jan. 6, 2021, sacking of theU.S. Capitolby Trump supporters trying to disrupt theofﬁcial certiﬁcation that Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election. Cassidy was the only mem-

lance videos from the mallrunning from the scene with asemi-automatic pistol in his hand, his arrest warrant said. On Monday, amemorial was held at the mallfor the victims, hosted by clergymembersand city leaders, including East BatonRouge Parish Mayor-President Sid Edwards.Over 200 peopleattendedto show their support forthe victims and the city Baton Rouge police spokesperson Sgt. L’Jean McKneely said authorities are still asking the public for anyinformationtheyhaveon the individuals involved.

ber of Louisiana’sRepublican delegation in Congress to support impeachment; he also was the only GOPmemberfromthe state who voted to certifythe electors from every state.

TheLouisiana RepublicanParty censuredCassidy and its moreconservative members have belittled him since.

Severalleading Louisiana conservativesspent the last few yearsﬂirting with challenging Cassidy.Hedrew twomajor elected ofﬁcials as opponents —Letlow and State Treasurer John Fleming. Onceadoctor fromMin-

den, Fleming is afounder of the far-right Freedom Caucus in the House and worked in the administration during Trump’sﬁrst administration. Cassidyhas spentmuch timetrying to makeamends with Trump. He is largely responsiblefor Kennedy becoming thenation’s health chiefdespite fundamental disagreements on vaccinations. As apracticing physician and medical researcher for 30 years before elective ofﬁce, Cassidy ardently supports vaccinations. Kennedy has spent years questioning whether certainvaccines work.

BRIEFS

FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

Stocks rally to best month since 2020

NEW YORK The U.S stock market motored to more records Thursday as proﬁts keep piling up for Alphabet, Caterpillar and other big businesses. The gains came after the latest whipsaw moves for oil prices, which surged toward their highest levels since the war with Iran began only to quickly regress.

The S&P 500 rallied 1% and topped its prior all-time high to close out its best month in more than ﬁve years. The Dow Jones Industrial Average leaped 790 points, or 1.6%, while the Nasdaq composite climbed 0.9% to its own record.

Alphabet led the way and rallied 10% after the owner of Google and YouTube reported proﬁt for the latest quarter that almost doubled analysts’ expectations. Investments in artificial intelligence “are lighting up every part of the business,” CEO Sundar Pichai said. Traders are buying and selling contracts for different kinds of oil going out for many months In the most actively traded part of the market for Brent crude, for delivery in July, the price got as high as $114.70 per barrel overnight. It then fell back toward $107 before settling at $110.40, nearly unchanged from the day before.

Caterpillar soared 9.9%, Eli Lilly jumped 9.8% and O’Reilly Automotive leaped 8.4% after all delivered profits for the latest quarter that topped analysts’ expectations Meta Platforms tumbled 8.7% even though the company behind Facebook and Instagram made more proﬁt last quarter than expected.

Jobless claims plunge to lowest since 1969

Applications for U.S. unemployment benefits plunged to the lowest level in decades a sign that job-cut announcements have not yet meaningfully translated into layoffs.

Initial claims fell by 26,000 to 189,000 in the week ended April 25. according to Labor Department data released Thursday. The median forecast in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for 212,000 applications.

Continuing claims, a proxy for the number of people receiving benefits, dropped to 1.79 million in the previous week, the lowest in two years. Filings have remained subdued despite high-profile companies such as Meta Platforms Inc. and Nike Inc. announcing job cuts, signaling the labor market continues to be in a lowfiring environment. Before adjusting for seasonal factors, initial claims also fell last week. New York led the declines with nearly 11,000 fewer filings, erasing a large increase over the previous two weeks. California and Connecticut also registered sizable declines.

Average long-term mortgage rate rises

The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate rose this week, pushing up borrowing costs for prospective homebuyers in the midst of the spring homebuying season. The benchmark 30-year ﬁxed rate mortgage rate rose to 6.3% from 6.23% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday That’s still down from one year ago, when the rate averaged 6.76% The increase ends a three-week slide, bringing the average rate back to where it was two weeks ago.

Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, popular with homeowners refinancing their home loans, also moved higher this week. That average rate rose to 5.64% from 5.58% last week. A year ago, it was at 5.92%, Freddie Mac said. Mortgage rates are influenced by several factors, from the Federal Reserve’s interest rate policy decisions to bond market investors’ expectations for the economy and inflation. This week’s uptick in the average rate on a 30-year home loan follows a rise in the yield on U.S 10-year Treasury bonds

THEADVOCATE.COM/news/business

Union Pacific argues for merger

Previous application to acquire Norfolk Southern was denied

BY JOSH FUNK AP transportation writer

OMAHA, Neb Union Paciﬁc hopes regulators will be convinced this time that its $85 billion acquisition of Norfolk Southern that it detailed for the second time Thursday will be good for the country

The U.S Surface Transportation Board rejected Union Pacific’s initial application as incomplete in January because regulators wanted more details about how the deal would affect the competitive balance between the ﬁve remaining major freight railroads and

the impact on customers. The STB has 30 days to decide whether to accept this application, and then it will move forward into its detailed review of the deal that will likely last more than a year

Union Paciﬁc CEO Jim Vena said the new application makes an even stronger case for the benefits of the merger that he believes would shave a day or two off the delivery time for many shipments because they would no longer have to be handed off between two railroads in the middle of the country The Omaha, Nebraska-based railroad projects that the merger could lead to shifting 2.1 million truckloads off the highway onto trains, and doing that could save shippers $3.5 billion because over long distances, rail is cheaper than trucking. Critics that include some current

major rail shippers like chemical companies and agricultural groups and two of the major competing railroads worry that the shipping rates existing customers pay could soar if Union Paciﬁc gains monopoly power all across the country Competitors BNSF and CPKC railroads joined a new coalition Wednesday to highlight concerns that the deal could hurt shippers and eventually consumers if it leads to higher rates for companies that have few options besides rail to get their raw materials and deliver their products.

But Vena said CSX and BNSF are already improving their operations to ensure they can compete ,and shippers will benefit from that if the deal is approved. Plus, he pointed out that since BNSF is owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway it has the ﬁnancial

resources to do whatever is needed because Berkshire is sitting on nearly $400 billion cash.

“The ﬁrst few years after this, it’s gonna be like one of those old 15-round boxing ﬁghts. Prices are gonna be used, the service is going to be used, everything. And I think the customer’s going to be the winner in all this while we knock down, drag it out, to see who can win and grow their market share,” Vena said.

But the STB established a high bar for major railroad mergers like this one around the turn of the century after past rail mergers snarled freight and led to prolonged disruptions while two railroads worked to integrate their networks. Now Union Paciﬁc has to demonstrate that this deal will enhance competition.

High oil prices due to war weigh on everything from gas to goods

As conflict in Iran enters third month, consumers are paying for disruption

BY MAE ANDERSON and WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS AP business writers

NEW YORK Pain at the pump. Higher postal prices. Flights canceled, costlier airplane ticket prices and baggage fees. Everyday items such as soap and toothpaste getting more expensive.

Consumers are paying for the Iran war’s disruption of global energy production as the conﬂict enters its third month. Steeper gasoline, diesel and jet fuel prices are making driving and air travel more expensive.

Many companies warn there’s more to come: the cost of fuel and of materials derived from petroleum could drive up food prices and for other household items.

Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz to oil tankers, keeping them pent up in the Persian Gulf and away from customers worldwide, while a U.S. Navy blockade is preventing Iran from selling its own oil. Prices surged overnight on worries that the war will affect the ﬂow of crude for a long time.

Gas surges to highest level since 2022

As the cost of crude climbs, so do the prices of gasoline and other fuel that keep equipment, cars, buses, delivery trucks and airplanes running.

Across the U.S., gas prices are at their highest level since 2022. The national average hit $4.30 a gallon on Thursday compared with $2.98 before the war started, according to AAA. That’s a 44% increase since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28.

Diesel prices making shipping cost more

Steep diesel prices are making it more expensive to haul everyday goods. Diesel is now at an average of nearly $5.50 a gallon, up from $3.76 before the war, AAA says.

Shippers have started adding surcharges to cover the cost. The U.S. Postal Service implemented a temporary 8% charge on some of its services, including Priority Mail, to help blunt the impact of rising transportation costs. Amazon added a 3.5% fuel and logistics surcharge on third-party sellers using its platform to offset fuel prices as well.

Shoppers may see more sticker shock for clothing, cosmetics, furniture and other goods. Plane tickets getting pricier

After jumping to $209 a barrel in early April, the global price of jet fuel eased last week to around $179, still well above the roughly $99 at the end of February

Fuel is one of the largest expenses for airlines. Its prices are pushing up airfares, baggage fees and add-on charges

Major U.S. carriers including Delta, United, American and Southwest have raised checked baggage fees. United is expanding its “pay for what you want” model from economy to premium cabins, charging separately for options like seat selection. American is adding fees for seat assignments in basic economy even for its elite-tier loyalty members.

Outside the U.S., carriers in Asia and Europe have added or raised fuel surcharges, in some cases tacking on hundreds of dollars to long-haul tickets.

Many airlines also have trimmed flight schedules, cut less proﬁtable routes or reduced seat capacity The Lufthansa Group has said it plans to cancel about 20,000 ﬂights across its network over the next six months.

Consumer goods makers raising prices

Procter & Gamble, the maker of such household products as Crest toothpaste, Tide detergent and Charmin toilet paper, warned last week the war would cause a $1 billion hit to proﬁts during its next ﬁscal year Many of P&G’s products and packaging are made of resin or other petroleumbased material, Andre Schulten, P&G’s chief financial officer, told reporters on April 24. He said the company may have to pass on costs to shoppers.

London-based Unilever, which makes everything from Dove soap to Hellmann’s may-

onnaise, plans to raise prices around 2% to 3% in “small doses,” CFO Srinivas Phatak said in an earnings call on Thursday

Groceries could be next

Grocery prices have yet to be affected, according to government ﬁgures. But they are expected to rise with tightening supplies of fuel and fertilizer

Fuel accounts for roughly 15% to 30% of the total cost of food, according to the Independent Grocers Alliance, a grouping of 7,500 global supermarkets. Fertilizer is also essential to farmers, and about 30% of the world’s fertilizer shipments typically pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

Ken Foster, a professor of agricultural economics at Purdue University, said there is typically a 3- to 6-month lag between an energy price shock and an increase in retail food prices. The lag can be up to a year for packaged foods with a longer shelf life. Increased hunger in Asia, Africa is possible

The U.N. World Food Program estimates that 45 million additional people – the majority of whom live in Asia and Africa — could tip into hunger if the war doesn’t ease by the middle of this year That would bring the global total of people facing food insecurity to 363 million, the highest level on record.

“Delays and higher transport costs push up food prices, and families who spend 50% to 70% of their income on food are the ﬁrst to go without,” Corinne Fleischer, the program’s supply chain director, said in a statement.

Senate bans its members, staff from betting in prediction markets

BY MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Senate has approved a bipartisan resolution to prevent its own members from using prediction markets, banning senators who are often privy to sensitive information from making bets on upcoming events. The measure that passed unanimously by voice vote Thursday was written as a change to the Senate’s rules, so it will go into effect immediately It comes a week after a U.S. special forces soldier was charged with using classiﬁed information to bet on the January capture of Venezuela’s then-

president, Nicolas Maduro, and as lawmakers increasingly voice concerns about who might be making public wagers on the war with Iran.

“United States senators have no business engaging in speculative activities like prediction markets while collecting a taxpayer-funded paycheck, period,” said Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, who sponsored the resolution. An amendment by Sen Alex Padilla, D-Calif., broadened the measure to include staff.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said the move was a “no-brainer.” He encouraged the House and Trump administra-

tion to do the same. “We must never allow Congress to turn into a casino where members representing the public can gamble on wars or economic crises or elections,” Schumer said. “That would destroy the very principle of representative government.”

Sens. Todd Young, R-Ind., and Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., have introduced a bill to ban all federally elected ofﬁcials and government employees from using insider information to make prediction market bets. Young said the resolution was “a good ﬁrst step” and he encouraged the Senate to take up their bill. Prediction markets including the betting platform Polymarket and

its chief rival Kalshi, have come under scrutiny as the business has expanded. Polymarket has received particular criticism as a venue for offshore trades that are beyond the reach of U.S. regulators. Earlier this month, The Associated Press reported that a group of new accounts on Polymarket made highly specific, well-timed bets on whether the United States and Iran would reach a ceasefire on April 7, resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars in profits for the new customers. On the same day the AP published the report, the White House warned staff against using private information to trade on prediction markets.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ERIN HOOLEy

BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer

One day after the U.S Supreme Court ruled that Louisiana’s congressional map is unconstitutional, Gov Jeff Landry declared an election emergency and suspended primary elections for the state’s six U.S. House seats, just two days before early voting was set to begin.

In an executive order, Landry said that the state had little choice, because “electing members to Congress under an unconstitutional map ﬂies in the face of the United States Constitution ”

“This executive order ensures we uphold the rule of law while giving the Legislature the time it needs to pass a fair and lawful congressional map,” Landry said A three-judge panel on the Western District federal court, where the lawsuit was originally ﬁled, buttressed that point in an order issued late Thursday in which it said the state could not use the current maps.

ELECTIONS

Continued from page 1A

congressional races go forward on May 16 as planned is the only legal path for Louisiana.

“The best way to end racebased discrimination is to stop making decisions based on race,” Landry said Thursday in issuing his executive order “Allowing elections to proceed under an unconstitutional map would undermine the integrity of our system and violate the rights of our voters

This executive order ensures we uphold the rule of law while giving the Legislature the time it needs to pass a fair and lawful congressional map.” Landry made his statement after he and Attorney General Liz Murrill said, “The state is currently en

But some election lawyers say it’s not clear that Louisiana was right to delay the congressional primary, since changing the election date will confuse voters, and there are more procedural steps in the Supreme Court case.

“The primary is already underway,” said Michael Li, a redistricting expert and senior counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice.

Mail ballots were already sent to voters who are overseas or in the military, and people in Louisiana voting by mail have already begun to cast ballots, he said.

In East Baton Rouge Parish, for example, ballots were sent to military and overseas voters on March 25 and to all other absentee voters on April 8, according to data from the registrar of voters there. And 4,364 voted ballots have already been returned in that parish.

Sarah Brannon, an ACLU votingrights lawyer and attorney on the team representing Black litigants in the Supreme Court case, echoed Li.

sworn to serve.”

The Legislature won’t have to call a special session to redesign the current congressional boundaries that give Louisiana four Republican and two Democratic seats.

Lawmakers can redistrict the House seats through bills ﬁled during the current legislative session by state Sen. Jay Morris, R-West Monroe, or state Sen. Caleb Kleinpeter, R-Port Allen. The Legislature has time to take up those measures because the legislative session is not scheduled to end until June 1.

The redistricting process won’t begin on Friday The House is not scheduled to meet again until Monday and the Senate on Tuesday “We want to stress to voters, as the Secretary of State has advised, that it is only the six Louisiana U.S House seats whose races are being

“People have already cast their ballots,” she said. “It is extremely chaotic and confusing to try and change the rules of the election in the middle of an ongoing election.”

Brannon also noted that congressional candidates have already formally qualiﬁed for the race.

“The most equitable thing to do for voters and candidates who are already participating in this process is to allow the election to continue,” she said.

Both Brannon and Li said there have been many redistricting cases where voting maps have been struck down by a court close to an election, and the map is used for the upcoming election but altered for future ones.

“This is not uncommon in redistricting cases where there’s rulings about maps, and the changes don’t always get implemented immediately,” Brannon said.

The process

On Thursday Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill said Louisiana is “enjoined from carrying

representation at a critical moment.”

The map adopted by Landry and legislators in 2024 created the Baton Rouge-to-Shreveport district won by Fields, who has supported the governor’s initiatives behind the scenes. Creating that district meant sacriﬁcing the congressional seat held by then-U.S. Rep. Garret Graves, a Republican from Baton Rouge who was at odds with Landry Depending on the new map, Graves could try to win back his seat in the House.

The events in Louisiana are being closely watched in Washington. President Donald Trump issued a shoutout to Landry on Truth Social “for moving so quickly to ﬁx the Unconstitutionality of Louisiana’s Congressional Maps. He has shown tremendous Vision, Strength, and Leadership.”

U.S. House Speaker Mike

out congressional elections under the current map.”

A lower court had already ruled the current map was unconstitutional and blocked Louisiana from using it, but that decision had been put on hold until the Supreme Court could weigh in. The Supreme Court’s decision means that earlier ruling blocking the map is now in effect, Murrill and Landry argued.

But Brannon said whether Louisiana must use a different map for the 2026 midterms is “unresolved.”

The Supreme Court’s opinion Wednesday is “not an order or an injunction” blocking use of the map, nor does it include guidance on immediate next steps, Brannon said.

“There are some procedural steps that need to take place,” she said. “That procedural process has not occurred yet.”

Still at issue is when the high court will issue a certiﬁed judgment, which “would have more legal impact,” Brannon said.

The Black litigants in the case Thursday afternoon opposed the plaintiffs’ request, arguing that the court should allow them 25 days to consider asking for a rehearing.

They are also asking the court to hold off on issuing its judgment until the 2026 elections are complete.

Louisiana in court filings on Thursday said the state believes the Supreme Court opinion automatically triggered a prohibition on using the current map.

“The Governor and Attorney General are thus working with the Legislature which is in session until June 1 — to immediately produce a constitutional map and electoral process for Louisiana,” Louisiana’s ﬁling states. “They do not view their ability to do so as contingent upon when this Court transmits its opinion and judgment.”

The White plaintiffs in the case on Wednesday quickly asked the Supreme Court to immediately issue a certiﬁed copy of its judgment. They argue the lower court has to either approve a new map passed by the Legislature or draw a new map itself, and because elections will be held in either the coming days or months, “time is of the essence.”

campaigning hard to perform well in the May 16 primary, traveling the district from Monroe to Baton Rouge, and running ads on TV stations and digital networks. But now that race is up in the air

Echols said he hopes that lawmakers now return to the congressional maps that were in place for the 2022 elections. Under that map, the 5th Congressional District included northeast Louisiana and extended to the Florida Parishes. Under the current map that the Supreme Court has invalidated, the district extends to Baton Rouge, where Letlow now lives.

Edmonds said he will run for the 5th Congressional District seat no matter the new boundaries. In the meantime, he added, he is keeping his current cam-

paign plans.

Edmonds would lose the beneﬁt of being on the same May 16 ballot as the proposed constitutional amendment to create a school district for the city of St. George within East Baton Rouge Parish.

Edmonds sponsored the legislation that is prompting the constitutional amendment and has been expecting a solid turnout from St. George voters to boost his candidacy

The Washington Post ﬁrst reported on plans to delay the House election schedule. Legislators have gotten themselves in this fix because they followed Landry’s lead in 2024 to switch to a semiclosed primary schedule for this year’s elections, a move from the open primary system that has been in place

for 50 years. Moving to the semiclosed primary in which no-party voters can decide whether to vote for either party’s slate of candidates — meant moving up the election schedule.

Traditionally, candidates in the open primary system don’t have to qualify until July at the earliest. Legislative sources said that delaying the House elections likely means moving back to an open primary schedule for those races. Delaying the House elections will cost millions of dollars for state ofﬁcials to create a new primary election this fall in advance of the general election that is already scheduled for Nov 3.

Washington bureau chief Mark Ballard and Capitol news reporter Alyse Pfeil contributed to this article.

TAKE A GOOD BOOK

TOP: Simon Pontiff flips through ‘La Bataille Magique,’ the French-language book that he and 23 other French-immersion first-graders wrote, illustrated and published, as his parents Leah and Seth look on during a Hollywood-themed celebration and book signing party at Myrtle Place Elementary in Lafayette on Thursday. ABOVE RIGHT: ‘La Bataille Magique,’ the French-language book that 24 French-immersion first-graders wrote, is seen during a Hollywood-themed celebration. BELOW: Ariya Smith and Jesse Despain sign each other’s copies of ‘La Bataille Magique’ at Myrtle Place Elementary in Lafayette STAFF PHOTOS By

LESLIE WESTBROOK

Storms likely to linger through Friday

Staff report

For anyone planning to spend time outdoors in Lafayette, expect a rainy start to the weekend before conditions improve Saturday afternoon

Showers and thunderstorms began Thursday, and rain is even more likely on Friday

Overnight lows Thursday were expected to fall to about 64 degrees with light northeast winds with a 60% chance of precipitation Rain chances on Friday include widespread showers and possible thunderstorms throughout the day Highs will reach near 70 degrees, with northeast winds around 10 mph and gusts up to 20 mph. Rainfall totals between a half inch and three-quarters of an inch are possible.

National Weather Service forecasters in Lake Charles said on Friday afternoon and evening, “Individuals should stay weather aware and monitor the latest forecasts and the potential for ﬂooding.”

Showers are likely to continue into Friday night and early Saturday morning, with chances of precipitation being 100% heading into early morning hours of Saturday

Conditions should improve by Saturday afternoon, with skies turning mostly sunny and highs near 71 degrees. By Sunday, dry and sunny weather is expected to return, with temperatures warming to around 76 degrees.

BY JOANNA BROWN

Louisiana Community College Chancellor Vincent June, SoLAcc’s Mary Morrison,

Rice sales director Henry Helo, SoLAcc’s Carleen Sylvester and Foundation for SoLAcc’s Thomas Falgout.

OPINION

Reducing domestic violence agroup effort

PROVIDED PHOTO

Aplaque will accompanya cross monument honoring the eight children slaininthe domestic murder spree in Shreveport on April 19.

Domestic violence is avery serious issueinLouisiana. It is acancer feeding off the most vulnerable of our residents, and it does not discriminatebecauseof sex, race, creed or socioeconomic status. The most recent tragedy in Shreveport is arguably the most heinous example of domestic violence thatwehave ever seen. While we wrap our arms around theindividuals affected by the events of April19, we must alsosee this as amandatetoput our resources and time intoprevention measures so thatthis never happens again.

No discussion of domestic violence issues can be complete without addressing mental health

Truck‘slammer’ scam should spur

and substance abuse. Providing mental healthand substance abuse resources for both abusers and survivorsmustbea top priority. Mental healthand substance abusemay increase volatilityand ﬁnancial strainand may also enhance thelethality risk in adomestic violence situation. As with all social issues, breaking cycles of abusebegins with education. Healthy relationships must be taught,and they must be taught early.Wemustbecome more adept as asociety at identifying abusive situations and abused individuals. This is especially important for those who directly touch these individuals, including law enforcement,court systems, educators, medical providersand state agencies that offer services to these individuals. Expansion of home visitsfor at-risk mothers, hospitals and

clinics creating warm handoff protocols for patients in need of services and increased funding for school andcommunity-based preventionare just afew ways to improve outcomes for survivors. While economicstressors do not causeabuse,theyoften trigger or increase the risk of domestic violence. Reducing ﬁnancial dependence on an abuser by providing education or job training is key,but so is affordable childcare andtransportation. Thesehurdlesare especially evident in ruralareas where there are limitedresources and opportunities. Increasing existing safety nets for survivors by maximizing sheltercapacity and housing support and necessary associated wraparound services for survivors is crucial. As attorney general and now as governor, JeffLandry has made huge strides in our state in

addressing some of the above issues. Gov.Landry made sure the one-time funds for our shelters hasbeen converted into permanent funding, he hascontinued to strengthenour laws to protect survivors andhas created partnerships with wonderful private entitieswho exist in our local communities to support survivors, but we still have alongway to go It is going to take education, funding andincreased programs on agrand scale. We can andwe must do better. If you or someoneyou knowneedshelpright now, ﬁnd your local domestic violenceprogramorcall the Louisiana Statewide Hotline: 1 (888) 411-1333. Help is free, conﬁdentialand available 24/7.

LaurieMarienisthe executive director of Gov. JeffLandry’s OfﬁceofWomen’s Policy

policy changes

Amendment4 wouldgive statea competitiveedge

What unfolded recently in afederal courtroom in New Orleanssoundsmore like atrue-crime thriller thana civil justice case. But for Louisianans, it’s not entertainment. It’sawarning After alengthy federal investigation, two plaintiffs’ attorneys were convicted for their roles in asprawling scheme that staged truck crashes, filed fraudulent insurance claims andmanipulated the Louisiana legal system for profit For more than adecade, recruiters known as “slammers” were paid to find passengers,pack them into cars and intentionally cause crashes with commercial trucks on roads like I-10. They’dthen directthose false injury cases to corruptattorneys in on the scheme and eventually trigger lucrative, often seven-figure lawsuit settlements. Acooperating witness in the investigation was even murdered beforetrial

For me, this isn’tjust something I read about in the headlines. It’s something I’ve lived. As the head of athirdgeneration, family-owned Louisianabasedtrucking company,I’ve seen ﬁrsthand how these jackpot justice rings operate, and the real damage they leave behind for drivers,businesses and families.

Trucking companies andtheir drivers have increasingly become prime targets —not becausethey’re atfault but because they’re seen as deep pockets that can be easilyextorted. The civil justice system has become ahighstakes game wherethe threat of massive jury awards wildly disconnected from actual damages forces settlements regardless of merit.

For our industry,the stakes are especially high. Trucking remains in a prolonged freight downturn,withtight margins and rising insurance coststhat often ignore even the strongest safety records. When litigation turnsintoa gamble instead of afact-based process, insurers hedge their risk by raising premiums across the board —leaving carriers and, ultimately,consumers to pick up the tab.

It’snot aline item on areceipt, but Louisianans pay it every day.Those higher insurance premiums are passed along in the cost of groceries, fuel and everyday goods. It slowseconomic growth and puts additional strain on families already dealing with rising costs. In total, the U.S. economyloses $529 billion —or$4,207 per family each year

This kind of abuse startslong before the courtroom. Across Louisiana, billboard ads and late-nightcommercials ﬂood theairwaves, often painting truck drivers asreckless dangers rather than theprofessionals who keep theeconomy moving.That messaging shapes perceptions, and those perceptions can follow jurors into thecourtroom.

Noneofthis is to say that legitimate victims shouldn’thave their day in court. They absolutely should.

But when the system rewards manipulation instead of truth, it stops serving thepublic. Louisiana’s own U.S. House Speaker MikeJohnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise can ﬁght back against fraud ringsatthe national level by helping advance Reps. Mike Collins and Brandon Gill’sStaged Accident Fraud Prevention Act, which would make it a federal crime to engineer acrash with a commercial motor vehicle.

At the same time, Louisiana’struckersare calling on Sen. John Kennedy to introduce companion legislation in the U.S. Senatetoensure this effort gains traction in both chambers.

Lawmakers in Baton Rouge can alsohelp restore balance, whether by increasing transparency in litigation ﬁnancing,cracking down on staged accidents or ensuring that damages more accurately reﬂect reality

Other states have already begun to act. Reforms in Florida have helped stabilize insurance markets and deliver relief to consumers, while New York is moving to crack down on staged crashes andfraudulentclaims without undermining legitimate cases.

Thequestion is whether Louisiana will follow suit or continue down apath where abroken system drives up costs foreveryone

Truckers take pride in running loads from thePort of New Orleanstothe highwaysthat carry goods up and down the Mississippi River.Every grocery shelf, construction siteand small business depends on them.

Thecase in New Orleansshould be a wake-upcall to protect the lifeblood of thestate’seconomy,not just because of its shocking details, but because of what it reveals about the broader environment. Curbing lawsuit abuse means restoring fairness and holding bad actors accountable, so thesystem works as intended Justice should never be for sale. And in Louisiana, it’stime to makesure it isn’t.

Randy Guillot is the president of Jefferson-based Triple GExpress, Inc.

Louisiana’seconomic growth hinges on asimple reality: Companies go where theycan compete and succeed. When deciding where to build, expand or invest, they closely evaluateworkforce, infrastructure and, critically, taxpolicy

Right now,Louisiana’sinventory taxputs our communities at adisadvantage.

For more than ﬁve decades,myfamily has done business in the Marigny New Orleans is home,and today I’m proud to run the company with my twobrothersright here in the state we love.

But I’ll be honest: We’ve been approached about basing our operations in neighboring states. We’ve neverseriously considered leaving, but Ican’tsay the same for business colleagues who have felt the pressure of this debilitating tax. Louisiana is ripe for opportunity and investment, but we can’tstart businesses behind the eight ball themoment they choosetocome here.

Experiences like this are exactly why the inventory tax is harmful to economic growth.

Most states —morethan 40 —donot taxbusiness inventory at all. In Louisiana, however,groceries on shelves, vehicles on lots, rawmaterials in warehouses and products awaiting shipment are taxedas property before they areever sold. That added costcan discourage investment, slowexpansion and shift jobs and opportunitiestoneighboring states.

Amendment 4offers apractical solution.

Ratherthan imposing astatewide mandate, it gives parishes theoption to reduce or eliminate inventorytaxes based on theirlocal economic goals. This is local control in action, allowing each communitytodecide what works best.

For parishes seeking to attract new employers or support growing industries, this ﬂexibility matters. Inventory taxes can directly impact business decisions, often forcing employers to choose between paying taxes on unsold goods or investing in hiring, wages and expansion. Reducing that burden can help businesses reinvest in their workforce and operations.

At thesame time, Amendment 4respectsthe needs of parishes that rely on existing revenue streams. Communities thatbeneﬁt from the current system can continue using it. The amendment simply provides an additional option, not arequirement

This balanced approach strengthens Louisiana’sabilitytocompete while pre-

FILE PHOTO Industryand other business sectors hope Gov. Jeff Landry’splantoeliminate the state’sinventorytax succeeds, but some localgovernments are leeryoflosing that revenue.

serving local decision-making

It also buildsonthe state’srecentefforts to modernizeits tax structure. After significantreforms in 2024, Amendment 4 addresses oneofthe remaining structural challenges affecting awide range of industries from small, family-owned businesses to largemanufacturers anddistributors. For chambers of commerce andeconomic development leaders, theimplications are clear.The inventory tax is frequently identified as abarrier in site-selection decisions. Providing local flexibilityhelps removethatobstacleand makes Louisiana amore attractive place to invest and grow. Importantly,Amendment4 does not eliminate theinventory tax statewide.It does notimposeaone-size-fits-allpolicy. Instead,itempowersparishes to evaluate theirown economicpriorities and choose theapproach thatbest supportslong-term growth

The bottom line is simple.Competitiveness matters.

By giving parishes another tool to attract investmentand support job creation, Amendment 4helps position Louisianafor strongereconomicoutcomes.

For voters who prioritize economic growth andﬁscal responsibility, Amendment 4isapractical,locally controlled reform that strengthens competitiveness without expanding governmentormandating statewide change.

In May, voters can take apractical step toward strengthening oureconomy andexpanding opportunity across thestate. Approval of Amendment 4would give Louisiana communities the ﬂexibilitythey need to compete andsucceed

“Scott Ballardisco-owner of Ballard Brands andisboard of the Louisiana AssociationofBusiness and Industry

Scott Ballard GUEST COLUMNIST

COMMENTARY

creation of anew St. Georgeschooldistrict in the May16election.

ISSUE OF THEWEEK ST.GEORGE SCHOOL SySTEM

Proponentsofa newschool systeminthe southeast partofEast Baton Rougehaveworked for years to bringittofruition. Now, it’sonthe May16ballot.Voters acrossthe state,and those within East Baton RougeParish, will have to approve Amendment 2for the districttobecomea reality.Opponentsargue that anew system would exacerbate inequities and harmstudents in the East BatonRougeParish schoolsystem.Here are twoperspectives.

Vote forimprovedlocal control, opportunity

Anew school district wouldbebad forstudents

Education is the cornerstone of athriving community,but for too long, the conversation around our schools has been dominated by fear rather than vision. As we approach the upcoming vote on Amendment 2, which will enable the creation of a school system for the city of St.George, it is time to move past rhetoric and focus on the practical realities of whatisbest for our children and our taxpayers.

At the core of this issue is accountability.Arational approach to governance suggests that the closer adecision-maker is tothe person affected, the better the outcome. By establishing alocal school district for St. George, we are not just drawingnew lines on amap, we are creating asystem where parents have adirect line to their representatives.

When aschool boardis tasked withoverseeing amassive, parishwide bureaucracy,individual student needs can be overlooked. Asmaller,more focused district helps ensure that every dollar is tracked,every policy is examined and every child receives the attention they deserve Just as important, this effort is aboutprotecting student opportunities. Families across our community rely on magnet and specialized programs that support their children’ssuccess. Under the law establishing the St. George School District, students already enrolled in magnet programs, including K-8 magnet schools, will be allowed to remain in their current schools.

Future cross-district enrollment will occur through agreementsbetween both school boards, allowing both districts to plan responsibly while maintaining continuity for families. Our goal is not todisrupt opportunity,but to preserve and expand it.

We must also address the common refrain that this move will

“bankrupt”the existing system. This argument is used to maintain thestatusquo. In reality, as studentstransition to anew district, the costsassociated with educating them—teachers, facilities and administration —transition as well.

Evenwithin theEast Baton Rouge Parish School Board,leaderslike PresidentShashonnie Steward have acknowledged that while there will be ashift in funding, the impact “won’t be to thedetriment thatpeople think.”

Themathisstraightforward:

Whenyou have fewer students to serve, you requirefewer resources. Claims of alooming “ﬁscal cliff” assume that systems cannot adjust,yet school systems across Louisiana have adapted to enrollment changes before. Responsible ﬁnancial planning, not fear,should guide these discussions.

Oppositiontothis amendment is often framed as aquestion of unity,but local governance does not mean isolation. It means responsibility.Communities across Louisiana —including Central and Zachary —havedemonstrated thatlocally governed districts can deliver strong academic outcomes while maintainingpartnerships with neighboring systems.

Voting yesonthis amendment is notabout “leaving” anyone behind; it is about leading toward a more efﬁcient, transparent and parent-driven model of education. It reﬂects abelief that parents should have meaningful accessto decision-makers and that funding should follow students to the programs that best servethem. Thechoicebefore votersisnot between division and cooperation. It is between maintaining acentralized structureorembracing amodel that prioritizes accountability, opportunityand student success. By choosing local governance, we are choosing afuture designed around the needs of children. And thatisafuture worth supporting Dustin Yates is themayor of St George.

Public education is grounded in the promise thatall children deserve access to high-quality opportunities and resources, regardlessof their ZIPcode or theirfamily’s economic status. Amendment 2onthe May16 statewide ballot, creating anew school district in St. George would violatethispromise by cementing and deepening the long-standing racial and economic divides that keep East BatonRouge Parishfrom reaching itsfull potential.The new breakaway schooldistrict would serve apopulation that is much wealthier and more White than the parishasa whole, while the school district that would remain would be less wealthyand more predominantly Black than it is today Students andfamilies on both sides of this newdivide would lose if the amendment wins majority support fromstatewide voters and in the parish. East Baton Rouge schools would hemorrhage tax revenues. The East Baton Rouge school system estimates that it would lose 25% of its projected property and sales tax revenue —$94 million—and $17 millionper year in per-pupil state funding through the Minimum Foundation Program. But its costs would only shrink by $40 million, creating a$71 millionannualshortfall. This means two likely outcomes: Budget cuts, whichcould translate to largerclass sizes andfewer instructional supports and make it hardertorecruit andretainteachers. Alternatively,the school board could try making up the shortfallbyraising property taxes.

FamiliesinSt. George, meanwhile, would have fewerchoices in howand where their kids are educated. The EBR School System estimatesthat 2,633 students live in St. George but currently attend East Baton Rouge schools outside St. George.

Agrandfather clause, included in acompanion law to the amendment,letsstudentsstay at their current school and allows studentsin St. George and East Baton Rouge to attend school across district lines. But St. George families would have far less access to highly competitive magnet and gifted programs in East BatonRouge once the phase-in period has passed. That’sbecause EBRschools would be allowed to establish enrollment policies thatgive preference to students within

its boundaries, meaningSt. George students would be last in line foradmission to highperforming magnets. The samewould be true forstudents withspecial needs or exceptionalities, whowouldalsohavefewer options. Teachers andschool employees would also face signiﬁcant disruption. TheEBR public school system estimates that 478 of itsemployees currentlywork in aschool that would become part of the newdistrict. Theseemployees would face achoice: They could resign or retire from theircurrent job andapply to workwithSt. George, which meansthey would have to regaintheir tenureand other beneﬁts; or they could choose to remainand be reassigned to newschoolsorpotentially laid off.

Thenthere are so-called“legacy”costs: health,retirement, life insurance andother beneﬁts. The newschool district would be responsible forhealth, retirement, life insurance andother beneﬁts forevery personit hires.

ButEBR remains responsible forthe legacy costs of allprevious retirees from St.George, allowing St.George to walk away from approximately$57.8 million in liabilities. This is aconservative estimate, as it excludesthe teachers, faculty andadministrators notdirectlylocated in St. George whostill served St. George students.

Dollarsaside, the vote on St.George is about something morefundamental.It’sabout what kind of communitywewantBaton Rouge to be;what kindofmessagewewant to send to students. Arecentanalysisbythe Brookings Institution ranked55large U.S. metro areas on theireconomicperformance acrossseveral broad categories. TheEast Baton Rouge metro area came in 55th place —dead last in thecategory of “inclusion.” The message wasunmistakable: Whenracial andeconomic dividesare allowedtofester,the whole communitysuffers. There is abetter wayforward,and it starts by staying together andrejecting this misguided amendment. EBR schoolsjust sawthe highest performance scores in thedistrict’s history,and thecountry is taking notice of the dramaticgains in reading andmath scores that are happening here and across theDeep South.Weshould be building on these gains, nottearing this district apart.

JanMollerisCEO of InvestinLouisiana. Carina Holguin is astudent intern at Invest andanLSU Presidential Alumni Scholar

GUEST COLUMNIST

Carina Holguin GUEST COLUMNIST STAFF FILE PHOTOByHILARy SCHEINUK

Students departan East Baton RougeParish school bus on George O’NealRoad inside the city limitsofSt. Georgein2024. Voters willweigh in on the

Calvin Duncan vows to keep fighting forjustice

Louisiana lawmakers cutNew Orleans

BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer

Criminal courtrecords aresacred to Calvin Duncan. He knows they can mean the difference between freedom and life in what he calls “the pit.”

Duncan spent decadesﬁghting for case documents from his murder trial from the conﬁnes of the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. As alegalcounsel in the prison, he handled thousands of other prisoners’ appeals as well, pushing for copies of trial transcripts,supplemental police reports and other records.

“Everyparish’sclerk office in this state, Icould get recordsfrom prison —exceptOrleans Parish,” Duncan said in alengthy interview last week. “And Isee my friends dying because they can’tget their damn records.” If he’snot so eager to cedeaseat that he won in convincingfashion last fall, 40 years after hismurder conviction and life sentence, Duncan explains he has worktodo.

“My motive is not to be in politics. My motive is to correct asystem that still exists,” Duncan said “If Idon’tget to take ofﬁce, Ihope the person thatdoes makes sure that what happenedtomedoesn’t happen to other people.” Duncan has called it “personal” where he ﬁnds himself now: The Legislature on Wednesday sent a bill to Gov. Jeff Landry to eliminate the post of Orleans Parish Criminal Clerk of Court, to which city voters overwhelmingly elected Duncan last November over incumbent Darren Lombard

“If it reaches my desk, I’m gonna sign it,” Landryreiterated on WBOK on Wednesday,citingcost savings. “I’m not telling you the timing is the best, but Idon’t getto pick the time sometimes.”

The bill to cut Duncan’selected job is part of awider package of legislation that would markthe most signiﬁcant shift for the Orleans judiciary in over 100 years. Landry and other supporters of asmaller,reconﬁgured judiciary

SOLACC

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school ofﬁcials announced. The ﬁrst two were awarded during SoLAcc’sSpring 2026 ScholarshipReception.

10 YEARS

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“That would be shameful,” Duncansaid. “For hertoappoint him or hire him,itwould be going against the will of the voters.”

The author of SB256, Sen. Jay Morris, R-West Monroe, has empowered Napoleon to hire temporary employeesand contractors for the transition. The criminal clerk’s nearly 90 staff members are assured jobs until at least Jan. 15.

Lombard andDuncanran a heated campaign that featured a last-ditch lawsuit by the incumbent,who is wellconnected in city political circles, that challenged Duncan’sinnocence claim. Murrill entered the fray as well against Duncan.

Recently,Lombard hasdescribed Duncan as his “rightful successor,” joining local political leaders who have chafed publicly at thestate intervention.

New Orleans MayorHelena Moreno is among those who endorsedLombardbut arenow championing Duncan’scause.

Crow-era law in 2018, and the U.S. Supreme CourtfollowedinApril 2020 by strikingdownsplit-jury laws in both Louisiana andOregon. Murrill had argued the case to preserve nonunanimous juries before the U.S. Supreme Court as the state’ssolicitor general under Landry,then the attorney general. Duncan watched from the front row Murrill hasdeniedany rolein SB256 or any of the legislation aimed at the Orleans Parish courts.

Duncan said last week that he had not spoken directly with Landry,Lombard or Napoleon. He indicated he wasn’tallowedaccess to the clerk’sofﬁce in the weeks after last year’selection win.

“When he (Lombard) ﬁnally said yes to atour,wewere at the Legislature. It was too late for that,” Duncan said. “A transition can’t happen in 30 days.”‘

Returned From the‘Pit’

for Orleans Parish argue it’slong overdue. They insist Duncan is a casualty,not atarget. They point to alimited timewindow to rein in the Orleans courts from Baton Rouge, with numerous six-year judgeshipsupfor grabs this year

Fueled by Landry’s calls for judicial reform, Republicanlawmakerspushed four separate measures through both chambers.

In all, they seek to remove several New Orleans judgeships, merge civil andcriminal clerks and combine thecivil, criminaland juvenile courts into one. It would also empower Landry to select aﬁvemember “nominating committee” that chooses magistrate commissioners in theparish’scriminal court.

Under Senate Bill 256, Chelsea RichardNapoleon,the clerk for OrleansCivil District Court, will take overrecordkeeping next week for both courts as well as elections in the city,which Lombard’sofﬁce has overseen.

On the radio, Landry said he wasn’ttrying to keep Duncan from electiveofﬁce, including the combined clerkseat when it comes up in four years.

“He can runfor sheriff,hecan runfor mayor,hecan run for gov-

Thecheck presentation took place ahead of the Crowleycampusadvisory board’smeeting. “Weknowfrom our recent economicimpact study that one out of every 97 jobs in Acadiana is connected to SoLAcc and its

Brad William Blanchard, a former Abbeville resident who was prosecuted separatelyand sentenced in November2025 to 150 months in prison. Investigatorsconﬁrmed thatMillerdistributedthe material to Blanchard. Authorities said that after his arrest, Miller admitted to creating social media accountstoentice minors into sending sexuallyexplicit material.

GASPARD

Continued from page1B

Hulin. Gaspard’s debut on “The Voice,” with abilingual cover ofSam Cooke’s“Bring It On Home To Me,” epitomizedmuch of what this artistdoesbetter than anyone else —fusing soulful, accessible tunes with Louisiana French and adeep Cajun sensibility.OnaKickstarter post he recently published to raise funds for his next album, Gaspard explains thathis Cajun identityis central to who he is as an artist —and that’swhy he wants to expand the boundaries of what “Cajun music” is. “I don’twant to separate any of my creativityanymore,”hesaid. “It might be folk songs. It might be funk songs. It will certainly be a lot of soul-inspired bilingual music. Iwant to pursue my creativity,inthe opposite direction of traditional music.” That doesn’tmean abandoninghis Cajun roots. Far from it. On the Kickstarter, Gaspard talks about pushingfor aswamp pop revival —that southwest Louisianagrown genrethat pulls in all of the sounds that make you move and feel something, and mixesitwith abit of

ernor. I’m notstopping himfrom running. Idonot know Calvin Duncan,” Landry said. “It’s about recognizing that the city is out of balance.”

Following Wednesday’sapproval in theSenate, Duncan ﬁled afederal lawsuit in Baton Rouge’s U.S. Middle District Court thatnamed Landry,Attorney General Liz Murrill and SecretaryofState Nancy Landry as defendants.

The lawsuit, led by ACLU attorneys, describesthe legislation as an “unconstitutional campaign” that seeks to“illegally obstruct” him from taking his duly elected post. Duncan seeksatemporary restraining order to allowhim to assume ofﬁce at noon Monday

Questionsovertransition

Neither clerk’soffice has explained their plans for atransition withonly weeks to go before the criminal clerk was settooversee aslate of local races.

Napoleon and Lombard failed to respond to multiple calls from The Times-Picayune this week.

Several lawmakers and political insiders have speculated that Napoleon would appoint Lombard to continue overseeingthe criminal side of the ofﬁce.

graduates,” said Lana Fontenot, vice chancellorfor institutional advancement and executive director of the foundation for SoLAcc. “Partnerships with employers like SupremeRiceensure thatimpact continues to grow.”

He also acknowledgedusinghiddencameras to produce additional abuse material, which he then shared. The FBI led theinvestigation. The case was prosecuted by AssistantU.S. Attorney DannySiefker, with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Denise Duhon.

Cajun rock ’n’ roll. “As I’ve experienced my heritage and my culture as aCajun, therewere so many things portrayed to me about that heritage that didn’tnecessarily feel like me,” according to Gaspard. “Itfeltmorelikewhatpeople were telling me that I am. “My pursuit in my music has always beentoexpress myself as creatively as possible and talk about who I am, and that means accepting thatI’m not necessarily atraditional Cajun artist. There’salot of people that are losing their connection to who theyare —ormaybe they are tryingtodiscover whothey are, especially when it doesn’t look like all the ways that we’ve been taught.My hope is to create the next step in the progress and expansion of Cajun music, to reinspire and help reignite an identity for my

Louisiana musician Dustin Dale Gaspard performs in ‘The Voice’s’ blindauditions in 2025.

PHOTO PROVIDED By GRIFFIN NAGAL/NBC

generation and the generationstocome.”

Dustin Dale Gaspardwill play two sets at the New Orleans Jazz &Heritage Festival on Saturday at noon and 3p.m.

Email Joanna Brown at joanna.brown@ theadvocate.com.

LOTTERY WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2026

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“I thinkitsets avery scary precedent,” she said after Duncan’s supporters helda ceremonial swearing-in. “Because this is a situation where somebody doesn’t like whogot elected, and then all of asudden the Legislature comes in and abolishes the ofﬁce.”

‘Too late forthat’

In 1985, ajury convicted Duncan of shooting aman dead during a late-night robbery at aTreme bus stop.Hespent the next 36 years ﬁghting to get his conviction undone.

Duncan reached an agreement with former Orleans Parish District AttorneyLeonCannizzaro, whonow headsMurrill’scriminal division, to plead guiltytolesser charges and go free in 2011.

Adecade later,District Judge Nandi Campbell vacated Duncan’s conviction and sentence under the state’s factual innocence statute. Shecited,among otherthings, inconsistencies in akey eyewitness’ trial testimony and suppressed evidence. District Attorney Jason Williams subsequently dismissed the case.

Whenheleft prison, Duncan went on to spearhead advocacy against nonunanimous juries. State votersabolishedthe Jim

Lawmakers who favor the change have described thecriminal clerk’sposition as “ministerial.” To Duncan, “it’sthe most important departmentinthiscity because it deals with your lifeand liberty.”

He has no plans to go away quietly,oratall.

The former prison counsel often speaksinhushedtones andwears abroad smile behind ajoyful glint. The smile dissolves and his eyes narrow when he talks about watching men languish anddie in Angola forlack of access to court ﬁles.

“Nobody else experienced this. I experienced it, so Iwant to correct it,” he said.

It took nearly 25 years forDuncan to get the police reports that ultimately undermined his conviction. Once he did, he faced procedural bars before the deal that led to his release.

Duncan, who foundedthe Light of Justice program, has traveled the state obtaining records forincarcerated litigants representing themselves in appeals.

If they refuse to hand him the keys, he said he’ll certainly run for the combined clerk’spost in four years.

“I got to ﬁnd these people’srecords. They’re there somewhere,” he said. “I ain’tresting until Iﬁnd these damnrecords.”

UL looking to keep hot streak going

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

The ﬁve-game week couldn’t have got off to a better start for UL.

The Ragin’ Cajuns defeated Southern 15-5 in seven innings Tuesday and then cruised to a 7-1 win over Nicholls on Wednesday But now comes the really critical part of the challenging week with Georgia State in town scheduled to start at 6 p.m. Friday, before the 2 p.m. game on Saturday and 1 p.m. ﬁnale Sunday

The Panthers are 22-22 overall and 10-11 in Sun Belt play — a game ahead of the Cajuns (27-18, 9-12). The problem is UL’s ﬁnal two series are at second-place Appalachian State (26-17, 13-8) and hosting league leader Coastal Carolina (31-13, 17-4) The good news is the Cajuns are playing

their best baseball of the season. Now it’s a matter of proving it’s not too late in the season.

“We’re starting to do is string stuff together,” UL coach Matt Deggs said after Wednesday’s win. “The lineup’s starting to get long We spent the first half of the year, three quarters of the year, if you will, starting and stopping We’d sputter in the lineup. Now you’re not getting that as much.” For instance, true freshman center fielder Noah Lewis continued to show progress this week,going2-for-4withanRBIonWednesday. He set the stage for two first-inning runs with a one-out single.

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

Nevada baseball didn’t hit the ground running when Jay Johnson took over the program in 2014.

The Wolfpack ﬁnished that season 15-15 in the Mountain West Conference and 31-28 overall. It was his ﬁrst season as a Division I head coach, and it’s still the fewest number of wins Johnson’s had in a campaign outside of the COVID-19 shortened year of 2020.

But Johnson, who has led his teams to two national championships and four trips to the College World Series since, has hit another speed bump in 2026. LSU baseball, with a 25-21 overall record and 6-15 mark in Southeastern Conference play, is on the precipice of missing the NCAA Tournament for the ﬁrst time since 2011, heading into this weekend’s series with South Carolina beginning on Friday (6:30 p.m., SEC Network+).

HOME RIGHT

Free agent corner Emerson grateful for Saints’ belief in him

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

It did not take long for Martin Emerson to feel like he found the right place to call home. The free agent cornerback visited the New Orleans Saints, the team of his childhood, and spent about 20 minutes “chopping it up” with the rest of the defensive backs. He felt welcomed, like he was already part of the team Then he met the coaches and heard exactly what he wanted to hear to make signing a free agent contract an easy decision: They believed in him

“I was ﬁred up,” Emerson said “Just the same vision, the same goals. Even coming off this injury, they believe in me, and that’s all I need. The 25-year-old Emerson is coming off a serious injury, having ruptured his Achilles tendon in late July during a training camp practice with the Cleveland Browns

In his ﬁrst three seasons, the former third-round pick out of Mississippi State worked his way into a starting

role with Cleveland. He broke up 15 passes during his 2022 rookie season, then enjoyed a breakout 2023 campaign, when he intercepted four passes and broke up 14 as a 12-game starter But Emerson missed the entire 2025 season, which also happened to be the ﬁnal year of his rookie contract

The recovery was tough, Emerson said. He spent nearly two months on bed rest, where he “couldn’t walk, couldn’t (do) nothing” and needed help to get out of his bed. But the forced time away from the game also allowed Emerson time to slow down and focus on other areas he might otherwise not exercise. When he couldn’t work with his body, he trained his mind. He read self-help books, listing titles such as “48 Laws of Power” and “Why the Best are the Best.” And now that he’s recovered, he feels faster than he did before. “That year built me up in a good way honestly,” Emerson said. “I could rehab and take care of my body, but

ä See SAINTS, page 4C

The Tigers head into the series having been swept in three consecutive three-game series in SEC play for the ﬁrst time in program history The last time they had been swept in three straight series was in 1966, when they dropped a trio of two-game sets to Tulane, Ole Miss and Mississippi State.

“The goal is to win all three games this weekend,” Johnson said. “That’s where my focus is at. It’s where the team’s focus is It’s where I want the team’s focus to be.” LSU finds itself in uncharted territory, especially for a program that is coming off two national championships in three years and entered the season as the No. 2 team in the country But as unusual as this season has been for LSU, it’s also on pace to be an outlier on Johnson’s résumé.

In 12 seasons as a Division I head coach, Johnson has only missed the NCAA

Former Cleveland Browns cornerback Martin Emerson runs on the field during a practice at the team’s training camp on July 25 in Berea, Ohio. Emerson signed a free agent contract with the Saints. AP FILE PHOTO By DAVID RICHARD

8:30 p.m. L.A. Lakers at Houston PRIME

6 p.m. Tampa Bay at Montreal ESPN2

6:30 p.m. Buffalo at Boston ESPN 9 p.m Vegas at Utah ESPN MEN’S

Infantino affirms Iran will participate in World Cup

VANCOUVER, British Columbia FIFA President Gianni Infantino opened his address at Thursday’s FIFA Congress by afﬁrming that Iran will participate in the World Cup and that the team will play in the United States despite the conﬂict between the two nations.

“And the reason for that is very simple, dear friends, is because we have to unite. We have to bring people together. It is my responsibility It is our responsibility,” Infantino said “Football unites the world. FIFA unites the world. You unite the world We unite the world.”

Young Iota ready for big stage

Bulldogs join Notre Dame, Kaplan, Northside Christian at state tournament

BY ERIC NARCISSE Staff writer

Young and inexperienced, the Iota Bulldogs softball team knew they would experience some growing pains this season.

With only three returning starters from last year’s team, Bulldogs coach Steven Thomas knew they’d need to grow up quickly

The best way, she said, was to expedite that growth through competition.

“The schedule was tough at the beginning and we played some quality opponents,” Thomas said.

“I feel like we are pretty battletested and those girls just kept growing. Going into it I knew we would be competitive.”

As the fifth-seeded Bulldogs prepare for their Division II nonselect semiﬁnal game against No. 1 North DeSoto, Thomas is conﬁdent Iota is ready for the challenge.

“The biggest surprise is we had some good sophomores and some good untested juniors that have really stepped up,” Thomas said.

“They have all really done well and the chemistry of this team has been great.”

The Bulldogs will face North DeSoto at 2:30 p.m. Saturday on Field 16 at Frasch Park in Sulphur

Iota is one of four Acadiana-area teams to qualify for the state tournament. Because Friday’s games was rained out, all four will play Saturday in hopes of reaching the championship round on Sunday Joining Iota is Notre Dame, Kaplan and Northside Christian of Crowley Notre Dame, the No. 3 seed in the Division III select bracket,

will play No 2 Parkview Baptist at noon. Last season, the Pios suffered a 13-11 loss to No. 2 D’Arbonne Woods in the semiﬁnals after a losing big early lead. No. 2 Kaplan will play No. 3 French Settlement in the Division I nonselect division The Pirates return to Sulphur with redemption on their minds after falling 13-3 to Doyle in last year’s semiﬁnals.

In Class C, No. 1 Northside Christian will take on upsetminded Simpson at noon. No. 13 Simpson knocked off No 4 Summerﬁeld and No. 5 Ebarb to reach the semiﬁnals.

Iota could have the toughest assignment in top-seeded North DeSoto, which has reached the state ﬁnal every year since 2021 and have won the championship four of the past ﬁve seasons.

“It doesn’t matter what kind of team you have, when you get to this stage in the season it is going to be tough,” Thomas said. “I wouldn’t tell you that I didn’t think they could do it because I knew the type of girls we had in the locker room and I knew the work

ethic, but it was just about when we were going to play our best ball on this type of stage.”

Behind pitcher Sage Cherry, Charlie Sonnier and Angela Lacombe, the Bulldogs know the task is tall, but Thomas said it is one Iota can accomplish.

“We saw them on Saturday against Pearl River,” Thomas said of North DeSoto. “They have great talent and just a great softball tradition. It’s going to be another tough game. We’re super excited to be on the same stage with them and have the opportunity to go play.”

Thomas said not making the moment too big is going to be key for the Bulldogs.

“It’s going to be kind of the same thing that got us here,” Thomas said. “We have to go out there and just compete. Solid pitching, great defense behind them and team ball offensively We just have to have that mindset that we’re supposed to be here.”

Email Eric Narcisse at enarcisse@theadvocate.com.

Vermilion Catholic falls to St. Mary’s

BY MIKE COPPAGE

Contributing writer

You would have never guessed that St. Mary’s pitcher Trey Scarborough had thrown just seven innings all season before Wednesday’s regional playoff game at Vermilion Catholic.

The senior, who missed nearly the entire season with an injury, threw another seven innings in a 5-0 win over the reigning Division IV select champs, allowing three hits with one walk and two strikeouts.

“That’s a really good ball club,”

Screamin’ Eagles coach Ben Harrington said of the No. 9-seeded Tigers, who will host No. 16 Central Catholic in the quarterﬁnals after the Eagles from Morgan City upset No. 1 Opelousas Catholic.

“I don’t know how many pitches their pitcher threw, but it didn’t take him many He stayed around the zone and gave us ﬁts. We put the ball in play We just kind of hit it right at guys, and they made the plays.”

VC (15-11) was robbed of three hits on excellent defensive plays from the Tigers’ right ﬁelder and first baseman. Scarborough (74 pitches) set the tone in the bottom of the first inning by catching a popped-up bunt and throwing out

Dominic Gautreaux, who stroked a leadoff single, for a double play

When we play good defense and throw strikes, we’re capable of beating anybody we play,” St. Mary’s coach Dennis Breland said.

“Trey has been hurt all year We’ve been battling through his injury He threw a hell of a game.”

No. 8 VC, which hadn’t played in nearly three weeks, fell behind 3-0

in the ﬁrst inning as the Tigers (169) loaded the bases on two walks and a hit batsman ahead of two hits, including a double from Scarborough.

“The layoff hurts everybody,” Harrington said. “It’s kind of hard to keep your guys in playing mode when you haven’t played in a couple of weeks. Regardless, they were the better team. They got the big hits when needed and capitalized on our mistakes.”

Gautreaux got the start for VC and threw three innings before Harrington summoned Fisher Quackenbos out of the bullpen. Quackenbos and sophomore Cole Albert, the star of last year’s title game, combined to throw four scoreless innings. It was Albert’s ﬁrst outing of the season. “Cole had a tweak in his shoulder and has been under doctor’s super-

vision,” said Harrington, who will also bring back sophomore pitcher Cruz Hebert next year “He’s been champing at the bit I’m glad to ﬁnally see him on the mound. I know that’s where he wants to be.”

Matthew Mollere and Will Simon had the other two hits for VC, which will graduate seven seniors. Among the top returning players for next year are Hebert, who batted cleanup on Thursday Albert Trey Hebert (CF/P), second baseman Caden Dehart, catcher Jacob Dubois and outﬁelder James Bradley

“We have good meat and bones coming back next year,” Harrington said. “I’m really excited about what we do have coming back. I’m proud of our guys and the season they had.

baseball, man.

and

Infantino has not wavered on Iran’s participation in the World Cup or in its matches in the United States. At one point, Iran asked to move its games to Mexico, but that request was rejected.

World’s tallest player

Rioux signs with UC Irvine

IRVINE, Calif. — The world’s tallest college basketball player is going coast to coast.

Former Florida walk-on Olivier Rioux, a 7-foot-9 center from Canada and one of the most recognizable student-athletes in North America, announced Thursday he has signed with UC Irvine. The school in Southern California announced his arrival hours earlier

“Olivier is a high-character young man whose presence will elevate our team, our university, and our community,” UC Irvine coach Russell Turner said in a statement.

“He embodies the values that have deﬁned our success at UC Irvine.

UC Irvine won the Big West regular-season title last season but lost in the conference tournament and ended up in the NIT

Young takes early lead at Cadillac Championship DORAL, Fla. — Cameron Young made, by his own count, about a billion feet worth of putts. Jordan Spieth was, to use his own word, a nerd. Both approaches were optimal in the opening round of the Cadillac Championship.

Young shot a bogey-free round of 8-under 64 on Thursday, taking a one-shot lead over Spieth and Alex Smalley at Trump International Doral to open the $20 million signature event — the first PGA Tour event at the course in 10 years.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler had a slightly different opinion after his opening round. He made three birdies in the first five holes, then didn’t get another the rest of the day

Milwaukee hires former Memphis coach Jenkins

MILWAUKEE Taylor Jenkins was officially announced as the Milwaukee Bucks coach on Thursday, as the former Memphis Grizzlies coach takes over a team coming off a 50-loss season that snapped a string of nine straight playoff appearances.

The Bucks said Jenkins will have an introductory news conference Wednesday at the Milwaukee Art Museum.

The 41-year-old Jenkins coached the Grizzlies from 2019-25 and posted a 250-214 record that included three straight playoff appearances from 2021-23. The Grizzlies ﬁred him with nine games left in the 2024-25 season and went on to get swept by eventual champion Oklahoma City in the ﬁrst round of that year’s playoffs.

Broncos QB Nix expected to be ready for training camp

ENGLEWOOD Colo. Bo Nix is still expected to be ready for training camp and the regular season following a cleanup procedure on his right ankle during a scheduled post-operative visit with his surgeon, a person with knowledge of the matter told The Associated Press.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity Thursday because the team isn’t releasing details of Nix’s cleanup performed by Dr Norman Waldrop III, who operated on Nix after Denver’s quarterback broke a bone in his right ankle on Jan. 18 during the AFC playoffs.

The Broncos will probably be conservative with Nix following the follow-up surgery, which was either going to take place this spring or after next season.

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD BOWIE

Notre Dame pitcher Madaline Johnson and the third-seeded Pios will take on No. 2 Parkview Baptist in the Division III select semifinals at noon Saturday in Sulphur

STMboys, Teurlingsgirls captureregionaltitles

BY ERIC NARCISSE Staff writer

The Acadiana area has had great individual and teamperformances during regional track and ﬁeld meets this week and thatsuccess continued Wednesday

While the Teurlings Catholic girlscontinuedastellar outdoor season and solidiﬁed themselves as astate title contender inwinning the Region II-4A championship, St. ThomasMore’sboys pulled off astunner with aregional title of their own.

“Thiswas unexpected,”STM coach Rya Frederick said. “With teams like Westgate, Brusly and Cecilia, you hope to just be somewhere around them in the end. Then you have Teurlings who has been putting together aphenomenal season in the boys and girls. So it’slike where do we ﬁt into the mix?”

The answer was at the top

The Cougars had 65 points, followed by Teurlings (63), David Thibodaux (59), Northside (58) and Cecilia (551/2).

“They rose to the challenge and I’mhappy for them,” Frederick said. “I’m really excited for them.”

The way the Cougars accomplished the feat was equally impressive, as every point earned proved to be adifference-maker STMfinished first in only one event—the javelinwon by Slade Boudreaux (197 feet, 9inches) butﬁnishedsecond or third in six events.

“It was amixture of both first, second and third and some little points here and there,” Frederick said. “Wegot alot of points in thefield events. We went first and third in the javelin and our freshman (Boudreaux) is sensational.

We had some kids that stepped up in the ﬁeld events. Our ﬁeld events were phenomenal forus, and then our distance runners did what they hadtodo.”

TheRebels had to win the 4x400meter relay for achance to share the title, but they ﬁnished second to Belaire.

“Wewereable to holdonatthe end,” Frederick said. “There were some other teamswho didn’thave kids run like Cecilia’sBraylon Calais and Brusly has one of the

fastest guys in thestate that didn’t run. (We) alsoexpectedTeurlings to win the4x4 and they got nipped. So it takes someluck and some personal bests by guys you have competing.”

TheTeurlings girlsscored135 points for the win. TheRebels finishedinthe top three in 13 of the19 eventsincluding seven first-place finishes.

“It was astrong showing for both thegirls and the boys,”Rebels coach KellyLaMaison said. “We

had multiple regional champions andawhole bunch of state qualiﬁers. We weredisciplined and we worked the right way and we competed the right way.Wecompeted for each other.I’m really proud of them.”

AaryamSaleh, Abigail Leger, and Maci Sheppard headlinedthe Rebels’ top performers. Saleh placed ﬁrst in the 400 meters(58.10seconds), second in the 800 (2:17.44) behind Leger and anchored the Rebels’ 4x400 (4:03.55) and 4x800 (10:14.30)relayteamsto titles

In addition to winning the 800 (2:15.32), Leger won the 1,600

(5:07.01) andplaced thirdinthe 3,200 (12:43.10), while Sheppard won the 100 (12.28) andplaced second in the 200 (25.82).

“Our depthwas key. We don’t rely on just one or two athletes. We have multiple contributorsacross all of the events,” LaMaison said.

“Wehave such agreat group, and they work extremely hard. It was atotal team effort.”

Brusly was second with 105 points, followed by St. Thomas More (86), West Feliciana (83) and Cecilia (54).

Email Eric Narcisse at enarcisse@theadvocate.com.

8. Brusly 41, 9. West Feliciana 37, 10. Belaire33, 12. Livonia 20, 13.Comeaux 10, 14. North Vermilion 9, 15. Opelousas 6, (tie) McKinley 6, 17. St.Michael 5, 18. Broadmoor 4, 19. Plaquemine 1.5, 20. Istoruma 1. Track events 100 meters - 1. Parris Hayes, Livonia, 10.89; 2. Ean Hills, West Feliciana,10.95;3.Zyier Stokes, Westgate, 11.01. 200 - 1. Jai Joseph, Northside, 21.85; 2. Zyier Stokes, Westgate, 22.09; 3. Tyrese Henry, Beau Chene, 22.12. 400 —1.Jatavion Harris, WesFeliciana, 48.99; 2. BraedenPrejean, Northside, 48.99;3 De”Kelian Chevalier, Cecilia, 49.48. 800 —1.BarrettRichard,David Thibodaux, 2:00.05;2.EvanBarron, Teurlings,2:00.94; 3. Patrick Godeaux, Breaux Bridge, 2:01.11. 1,600 —1.EmersonCullen, DavidThibodaux, 4:33.43; 2. Gabe Ayalloore,St. Thomas More, 4:41.26;3.Christian Camacho, Breaux Bridge, 4:43.77. 3,200 —1.Emerson Cullen, David Thibodaux,

9:57.41; 2. John Henry Fitzgerald, St. Thomas More, 10:08.08; 3. AndreOdinet, St. Thomas More, 10:28.95. 110 hurdles —1.Ali Carrier, Beau Chene, 14.53; 2. Jude LeJeune, Brusly,14.82; 3. Keshawn Orville, Beau Chene, 14.92. 300 hurdles —1.Warren Kemp, Belaire, 38.29; 2. Ali Carrier, Beau Chene,39.17;3.Cyren Oxley,Brusly,39.52. 4x100 relay —1.TeurlingsCatholic (Micah Lemoine, Carsen LeBlanc, Gunner Fontenot, Jacob Dean) 42.56; 2. Westgate 42.85; 3. Norhtside 43.08. 4x200 —1.Northside (Tylin Merriweather, Braeden Prejean,Kam’ron Celestine, Jai Joseph) 1:28.39; 2. Belaire1:28.70; 3. Brusly 1:28.93. 4x400 —1.Belaire3;22.13, 2. Teurlings 3;24.74, 3. Norhtside 3:25.33. 4x800 —1.David Thibodaux (Emerson Cullen, John Cullen,Dallas Citizen, Barrett Richard) 8:16.38; 2. Teurlings8:18.49;3.St. Thomas More8:21.44. Field events Shot put —1.Corey Sassau, Cecilia, 56-4; 2. Jamal Scott, West Feliciana, 49-1; 3. Raheem Gray,McKinley, 48-4. Discus —1.Corey Sassau,Cecilia, 143-2;2

DrakePerry,Teurlings, 139-7;3.David Okotcha, Brusly,135-6 Javelin —1.Slade Boudreaux, St. Thomas More, 197-9; 2. Channing Berard, Teurlings, 174-10; 3. Charlie Tatman, St. Thomas More, 156-5. Pole vault —1.EvanJones,David Thibodaux, 13-6; 2. Evan Cloteaux, North Vermilion, 13-6; 3. Reid Oliver, Beau Chene, 11-6 High jump - 1. Dashawn White,Westgate, 6-4; 2. Kyle Guillot, St. Thomas More, 6-2;3.Chace Dugas, Northside, 6-2. Long jump - 1. ParrisHayes, Livonia, 22-9; 2. Xarian Babineaux, St. Thomas More, 21-8;3 Jermaine Davis, Cecilia, 21-4. Triplejump —1.Jai Joseph, Northside, 46-8; 2. Jermaine Davis, Cecilia, 45-0.5;3.Xarian Babineaux, St. Thomas More, 44-11 Girls team scores: 1. Teurlngs Catholic 132, 2. Brusly 105, 3. St. Thomas More86, 4. West Feliciana 83, 5. Cecilia 54, 6. David Thibodaux 34, 7. Broadmoor 20,8.Plaquemine 17,9 Northside 16, 10. St. Michael 13, 11. Opelosuas 10, 12. Comeaux 4, (tie) Westgate 4, (tie) North Vermilion4,15. Beau Chene 2. Track events 100 meters —1.Maci Sheppard, Teurlings, 12.28; 2. Alyssa Jones, David Thibodaux,

12.37; 3. Asia Batiste, Cecilia,12.47. 200 —1.Victory Clark,Brusly,25.65; 2. Maci Sheppard, Teurlings,25.82; 3. Alyssa Jones, David Thibodaux,25.92. 400 —1.Aaryam Saleh,Teurlings, 58.10; 2. AldanyDupree, Brusly,59.54; 3. ZireeBroussard, Teurlings, 59.86. 800 —1.AbigailLeger,Teurlings, 2:15.32; 2. Aaryam Saleh, Teurlings,2:17.44; 3. Katelyn Billedeaux, St. Thomas More, 2:19.71. 1,600 —1.AbigailLeger,Teurlings, 5:07.01; 2. KenyaCummings,David Thibodaux,5:22.52; 3. AbbyKate Mendoza,St. ThomasMore, 5:23.01. 3,200 —1.MIa Cestia, St. ThomasMore, 12:05.20; 2. Abby Mendoza,St. Thomas More, 12:24.86; 3. AbigailLeger,Teurlings, 12:43.10. 100 hurdles - 1. Queen Lewis, Brusly,15.27; 2. Sy’Nae Howard,Cecilia,15.52; 3. Nikkie Devillier, Cecilia, 16.11. 300 hurdles —1.Queen Lewis, Brusly,47.90; 2. NikkieDevillier, Cecilia,48.52; 3. Addison Maynard, St. Thomas More, 48.69. 4x100 relay - 1. Brusly 49.88, 2. West Feliciana 50.11; 3. Northside 50.45. 4x200 —1.Brusly 1:44.83, 2. Northside 1:46.78, 3. Cecilia 1:47.73. 4x400 - 1. Teurlings4:03.55, 2. Brusly 4:11.38, 3. St. Thomas More 4:12.76.

SCOREBOARD

April 26: Toronto 93, Cleveland89 Wednesday,April29:Cleveland125,Toronto120 Friday,May 1: Cleveland at Toronto, 6:30 p.m. x-Sunday, May3: Toronto at Cleveland, TBA Western Conference L.A. Lakers 3, Houston 2 Saturday,April 18: L.A. Lakers107, Houston 98 Tuesday,April 21: L.A. Lakers 101, Houston 94 Friday,April 24: L.A. Lakers 112, Hou. 108, OT

Sunday, April 26: Houston 115, L.A. Lakers 96 Wednesday, April 29: Houston 99, L.A.Lakers 93

Friday, May1: L.A. Lakers at Houston, 8:30 p.m.

x-Sunday, May3: Hou. at L.A. Lakers,TBA Minnesota 3, Denver2

Saturday, April 18: Denver116, Minn. 105

Monday, April 20: Minnesota 119, Denver114

Thursday, April 23: Minnesota 113, Denver96 Saturday, April 25: Minnesota 112, Denver96

Monday, April 27: Denver 125, Minnesota 113

Thursday, April 30: Denver at Minn., n

x-Saturday, May2: Minn. at Denver, TBA Oklahoma City 4, Phoenix 0 Sunday, April 19: OKC119, Phoenix 84 Wednesday, April 22: OKC120, Phoenix107

Saturday, April 25: OKC121, Phoenix109

Monday, April 27: OKC131, Phoenix122

San Antonio 4, Portland1 Sunday,April 19: SanAntonio 111, Portland 98

Tuesday, April 21: Portland106, S. Antonio 103

Friday, April 24: S. Antonio 120, Portland108

Sunday, April 26: S. Antonio114, Portland 93

Tuesday, April 28: San Antonio 114, Portland 95

Hockey

NHL Playoffs

Wednesday’s games

Montreal 3, TampaBay 2, Montreal leads series 3-2

Philadelphia 1, Pitt. 0, Phila wins series 4-2 Utah at Vegas, n Thursday’s games Dallas at Minnesota, n Edmonton at Anaheim, n Friday’s games

TampaBay at Montreal, 6p.m.

at Boston,6:30 p.m.

at Utah, 9p.m.

7, Nicholls 1

3-1), 1:20 p.m.

(Singer2-1)atPittsburgh(Keller 2-1), 5:45 p.m.

(Misiorowski 1-2) at

(Irvin1-3), 5:45 p.m. Philadelphia (Wheeler 0-0) at Miami (Pérez 2-2), 6:10 p.m.

Francisco (Ray2-3)atTampaBay (McClanahan 2-2), 6:10 p.m. L.A. Dodgers(Sheehan 2-0) at St.Louis (Liberatore0-1), 7:15 p.m. Atlanta (Holmes2-1)atColorado (Quintana 1-2), 7:40 p.m. N.Y. Mets (Scott 0-0) at L.A. Angels (Ureña 0-3), 8:38 p.m. Chicago White Sox(Schultz 1-1) at San Diego (Márquez3-1), 8:40 p.m.

4x800 - 1. Teurlings (Scarlett James, Emma Trudell, Mia Lemaire, Aaryam Saleh) 10:14.30; 2. St.Thomas More10:30.68; 3. David Thibodaux 10:48.75. Field events Shot put —1.Khloe Lewis, Broadmoor, 35-3; 2. London Thi,Cecilia,34-10; 3. Chelzi Bellock, Plaquemine,34-4. Discus —1.Khloe Lewis, Broadmoor, 130-7; 2. London Thi,Cecilia,128-11; 3. DaishaMcClinton, Brusly,103-9. Javelin —1.Mary Guidry,Teurlings, 112-5; 2. London Viator, Teurlings,111-9; 3. Madelyn Bourgeois, West Feliciana, 103-7. Pole vault —1.Olivia Woods,St. Thomas More, 12-6; 2. CamrynSmith, Teurlings,9-0;3.LillianWood, West Feliciana, 8-6. High jump —1.Destinee DeRouen, Brusly,5-0; 2. Diamond Peck, West Feliciana, 5-0; 3. Kate Laragy,St. Thomas More, 4-10. Triplejump —1.Diamond Peck, West Feliciana, 37-11; 2. AlayahStanley,West Feliciana, 372; 3. Breanna Chavis, Opelousas,35-5. Long jump —1.AlayahStanley,West Feliciana, 19-2; 2. Diamond Peck, West Feliciana, 18-3; 3. JaydeJones, Brusly,17-1.

St.Thomas More’sXarian Babineaux competes in the triplejump on

Tournament four times (threetimes, not including the COVID year). But in the three years wherehedidn’t crackthe field, his teams still had achance to make the big dance heading into the ﬁnal weeks of the season.

“I’ve never been in aposition like this,” Johnson said.

“Even in the MountainWest, the Mountain West tournament is double elimination.

My ﬁrst year in Nevada, we would have had to win the tournament to get in. But every other year,we’ve been in aposition to be in the NCAA Tournament until the final game of the season.

“That’snot reallythe case, as we stand today.Doesn’t mean that can’tchange, but we’re not in that position today.”

After laying the groundwork in his ﬁrst season at Nevada, Johnsonled the Wolfpack to a41-15 record and their first Mountain West regular-seasontitle in program history.But they still missed the NCAA Tournament after going 0-2 in the Mountain West Conference tournament, suffering losses to New Mexico and San Diego State.

The other two instances in which Johnson missed out on theNCAA Tournament came at Arizona, when the Wildcats didn’t get there in 2018 and 2019.

In 2018, Arizona only won 34 games despite having one of the best offensesin the Pac-12. The Wildcats won their past two series in conference play against Arizona State and Oregon, but it wasn’tenough to overcomea14-16 conference record or a5-5 start to the season.

TheWildcats woneven fewer games the next year (32), but also led all Power Five teams in batting average and ﬁnished the season winning 13 of their past 14 games. What ultimately

WHO: SouthCarolina(22-24, 7-14 SEC) at LSU (25-21,6-15)

WHEN: 6:30 p.m.Friday

WHERE: Alex BoxStadium

ONLINE/TV: SECNetwork+

RADIO: WDGL-FM, 98.1 (Baton Rouge); WWL-AM, 870 (New Orleans); KLWB-FM,103 7(Lafayette)

RANKINGS: Bothteamsare unranked.

PROBABLESTARTERS: LSU—RHP WilliamSchmidt (4-4,4.17

ERA); South Carolina. —RHP Amp Phillips (3-5, 3.27)

PREGAME UPDATES: theadvocate.com/lsu

ON X: @KokiRiley

WHATTOWATCH FOR: LSU movesSchmidt into the Friday startingrolewith sophomore right-hander Casan Evans’ status for this weekenduncertain.The Tigers are taking it slow with Evans after he was scratched from hisstartlast Fridaydue to arm discomfort. Phillips gave up ﬁveearnedruns in just11/3 innings last weekend againstKentucky KokiRiley

determined their fate was how they played during the middle of the year, when aseven-game losing streak and another stretch in which they lost 10 of 12 games placed them in a deep hole

Unlike with Arizona in 2018 or 2019, LSU probably won’tbeinthe hunt for aspot in the NCAA Tournament on May14, when theTigers begin their ﬁnal series of the regularseasonagainst Florida. They would have to, at the very least, sweep South Carolina andwin theseries at Georgianextweekendto be in consideration for the tournamentheading into their three-game set with theGators.

Their best path to making the big dancemay be through winning the SEC Tournament. They’d need to go 5-0over sixdays, but even the odds ofthathappening, given their injuries and season-long struggles, are unlikelyto say the least.

“The season isnot over We are where we are; we’ve had 46 games, and we have accountabilityfor that,” Johnson said. “But we still have 10 more games in the

regular season, and I’ve seen things changequicker.”

This year hasturnedinto anightmare for LSU, and the season is on track to become one of the worst in Johnson’shead coachingcareer. Butfor aprogramthathas already had so much success under his command, this season is likely nothing more than just ablip on the radar for Johnson and LSU.

“He’sdone agreat job of managing everything. He’s the best coach I’ve ever played for,” juniorshortstop Steven Milam said. “I have the most faith and belief in him. And he’stelling us to be positive, and what youhavetodoisjust get back to work

“There is no running from it. There’snoway around it.You have to attack it head-on, and that’s what he wants us to do,but youhavetostay positive and in all this negative.”

Email Koki Rileyatkoki riley@theadvocate.com

For more LSU sports updates, sign up forour newsletter at theadvocate. com/lsunewsletter

Fulleffort scratched,

BY STEPHEN WHYNO AP sportswriter

LOUISVILLE, Ky.— Fulleffort was scratched from Saturday’sKentuckyDerby because of achip in his left hind ankle,the latest departure from the ﬁeld of 20 horses roughly 24 hours after Silent Tactic was ruled out Race officials announced the change Thursday, and trainer BradCox told The Associated Press thatFulleffortwill undergo surgery and is expected to recover and return to racing. Cox said an X-ray revealedﬂuid in the ankle and called it an easydecision becauseFulleffort showed some lameness. “That’s part of the game,” Coxsaid. “Itwas aproblem thatneeded to be addressed.”

Fullefort’sexit means jockey TylerGaffalione will have to waitfor another chance to winthe race for theﬁrst time. Cox went into the week withthree Derby horsesand is nowdownto two: Commandment and

SAINTS

Continuedfrom page1C

also mentally,itmademe stronger as aman.”

He joinsa Saints cornerback room that is defined by itsyouth. By theend of last season, the Saints were starting second-year corner Kool-Aid McKinstry on oneside androokie Quincy Riley on theother.The longest-tenured Saintinlast year’sdefensive secondary,Alontae Taylor,signed afreeagent contract with theTennessee Titansthis offseason. Though Taylor’sdeparture created avoidinthe starting lineup, Emerson said he hasnot played on

Further Ado. “I love ‘em,” Cox said. “Both had agreat morning. I’mexcitedabout Saturday. With Fulleffort out, Ocelli draws in off the also-entered list. Trainer Whit Beckman found outafter thecoltgallopedatChurchill Downs around 7:15 a.m

“I kind of had the expectation all along that if you’re within acouple spots that youhaveachance,” Beckman said. “Especially in thisday and age, it just seems there’salways alot of changes fromthe time we draw to the timewerun. We were kind of quietly conﬁdent that things would go our way.” Beckman has been training Ocelli all along as though thecoltwould be participatinginthe Derby. Ocelli is coming off athirdplace ﬁnish in the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct Race Track on April 4.

the inside sincehewas in high school.His conversations with the Saints have primarily been about playing boundary corner And the Saints shouldn’t have to wait too long to see what Emerson can do.

Though he is less thana year removed from amajor injury,Emerson said he was cleared “to participate in everything” abouta month ago.

“I’m not sure how everything will look;I have to talk to everybody and we’ll getonthe samepage with that, but pretty much I’mfullgo,” Emerson said. “I don’twant to rush anything because I’mlike nine months out, but training camp, Iwill be full-go.”

ThePensacola, Florida,

“He’s been training great sincewegot back here from New York after theWood,” Beckman said. “Around the barn, he’savery mature, easy-going horse. Sometimes he couldbealittlequirkyon the track, but it seemslike we’re getting alittlebit close to perfection every time.” Ocelli follows Great White into the field, who got in Wednesday when Silent Tactic was scratched because of afoot injury Like Great White’sJohn Ennis, Beckman was unsure if he’d have ahorse in the Derby but was unbothered by the situation.

“The certainty of it to me was morestressful because things can only go wrong,” Beckman said. “Inthis case, when things can only go rightand if something did go wrong, well, it didn’t matter: We weren’tinthe race anyway Coming in knowing you could —maybe, maybe not —go, you just kind of letthe cards fall and letthe universe do its thing.”

native said he grewup rooting forNew Orleans because his grandmother, who served as amother ﬁgure for him, wasa huge fan of Drew Brees and the Saints. He’sgrateful to be just ashort drive away from home, especially with ateam that believesinwhat he can do.

“Theyknowwhattype of player Iam, they believe, andthey’re excitedtosee the playerIcome back to be after the injury,” Emerson said. “They believe in me. I’mgoing to come in, put my head down and compete every day and be the best player Ican be.”

Email Luke Johnson at ljohnson@theadvocate. com.

“I thought the tone was kind of set with Noah’satbatinthe ﬁrst,”Deggs said “He takes atwo-strike approach and hits one in the 4-hole,then steals second andstealsthird. The kidreallyisstarting to take over the game at times.”

That gaveittoanother freshman in catcher Colt Brown,who also has been abig part of the Cajuns’resurgence. Brown delivered atwo-run single to center “The team putmeina greatopportunity to do what Ineeded to do,” Brown said “The guys beforemedid their jobs, so Ijust did what Ihad to do for the team.” Brown has flourished of late,hitting in the middleof the lineup. He was 1-for-2 with three RBIs in the game after the sacriﬁce ﬂy in the sixth.

“I feel like I’m seeing the ball really well,” Brown said. “I made aswing adjustment andthe coaches have helped me out. It’sbeen night and day right now.SoI just want to keep themomentum going. Imean, our whole team, each and every game, Ifeel like we’rescoring eightor nine runs. So it’sjust great that we’re clicking at the right time as ateam.”

At that point, it was all about the pitching, taking the Cajuns to the ﬁnish line for asecond midweek game this week after defeating Southern 15-5 in seven innings Tuesday Ty Roman went the first four innings, allowing only one run on three hits, two walks and four strikeouts.

Roman’sbeenstarting on Sundays in recent weeks

“Tygrinded forus,” Deggs said. “I think he’sjust acouple of mechanical adjustments that we talked to him about. He finished strong. We could have ran him back out there, butSandy (pitching coach Taylor Sandefur) wantedtoleavehim conﬁdent for this weekend.”

Murphy Brooks got the victory after aperfect inning with one walk and continues to show he can be trusted on the weekend as well.

Also, true freshman Hayden Pearson pitched the final four innings on two hits, onewalk and three strikeouts over 51 pitches.

“HP was kind of thestory for me,” Deggs said of Pearson. “He came out,attacked thestrike zone. Whenhe does that, he’shard to ﬁnd.

He’s hard to hit.” At times earlier thisseason, Pearson struggled with command, but he was very consistent inWednesday’s four-inning outing.

“It wasfun,” Pearson said of hisextended relief outing. “After each inning,IknewI wanted to go one more every inning. Then Icame back and like, Iwant to go one more. Ijust wantedtokeep goingand do everything Icould. Ikept throwing strikes andhitting myspots, like coach Sandy (Sandefur) had been harping on,nonstop,and they worked tonight.”

Despite notpitching consistently,Pearson has remained steady in most of his outings.

“I think it’sa lot of communication,” Pearson said. “ The coaches have been very good. When there’sbeen a period of time where I’m not pitching toomuch, there’s a reason why —we’re work-

ing on something.I feel like thatseason, I’ve been just pounding on strikes, strikes, like ﬁguring out how to land fastballs glove side.

“That’s what Coach Sandy’sbeen preaching to me So yes, there’sbeen some breaksand pitching, but we were just workinginthat time,soit’sbeen very good.”

The Panthers won agame at Coastal Carolina two weeks ago and beat Old Dominion twoofthree last weekend.

Georgia State is hitting .263 as ateam with 282 runs scored, 27 homers and 78 stolen bases in 91 tries.

John Beverley (.388, 2HRs, 33 RBIs, 30 SBs) leads the way,followed by Cole Grifﬁth (.329, 2HRs, 20 RBIs).

On themound, the Panthers have a6.20 team ERA with 262 walks and87hit batsmen in 384.2 innings.

TheCajuns’ staff has177 walks andhit 72 batters in 403 innings with a5.05 ERA.

Expected to start theﬁrst two gamesare right-hander Cody Brasch (3-2, 2.78, 45.1 IP,62K)and southpawAndrew Herrmann(5-2, 4.15, 73.2 IP,81K).

Email KevinFooteat kfoote@theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTO By BRADKEMP

UL rightﬁelder DonovanLaSalle has surged near the bottom of the Cajuns’ order in recent weeks.

Two-day

event returns forninth year

Staff report

Twodays of music, vendors and acontesttosee whocan down the most mustard greens and cornbread?

Must be the ninth annual Baton RougeSoulFoodFestival, taking placefrom 11 a.m. to 8p.m. Saturday andSunday,May 23-24,at the Main Library at Goodwood 7711 Goodwood Blvd.

The free, family-friendly event features blues, soul, R&B, jazz, gospel and Christian music.Italso has avendors’ village, judged soul food cooking contest and the aforementioned eating competition.

Returning to the festival stage willbeHenry Turner Jr.& Flavorand the Listening Room Allstars including Ervin “Maestro” Fosterand theMyBetterHalf Band, King Solomon, Kelton ‘NspireHarperand Pastor Leon Hitchens.

By MICHAEL JOHNSON

TeddyJohnson, of Teddy’sJuke Joint, welcomes the crowd to the Baton RougeSoul Food Festival in 2025. This year’sevent is May 23-24

Saturday’stalent lineupopens withsouland Southern bluesman Adam Gabriel, followed by Susie Shepherd, the Phoenix Rouge DanceTroupe and Christianrapper StephenKing. New to thefestivalisblue-eyedsoul Shadow RoadBand and Christian singer-songwriter Karly Monday.Carlo Dittaalso joins with his New Orleans R&B, followedbyjazzinstrumentalist RodneyGipson. Closing Saturday’sschedule will be old school R&B band LA Grove.

Sunday’slineup starts with Ms. Pressure, aSouthern soul singer,and Southern blues and soulsinger Mister Cotton, also new to the festival. Christian singer-songwriter Xavie Shorts is followed by the House of God Praise Team andLisaHarris will return with her Tina Turner Revue. Soul singer UncleChess then will take the stage, followed by Poet Sir AP and Christian singer-songwriter Princess Teha. Closing the festival will be Eilene Rockette with the House of God Church Healing and Deliverance Youth Dance Praise Team Free Spirit, Kerwin Fealing and Princess Teha with DJ Olu will host.

Entry into the soul food cookingcompetition will remain open until May 15. Categories ä See FESTIVAL, page 6C

Pinch, peel and party

The 12th annual Crawfish King Cook-off, which supports Junior Achievement and Big Buddy, seasons up downtown from 4p.m. to 8p.m. FridayatRhorer Plaza.Thirty-five-plus teams will compete for theCrawfish KingPaddle and 10,000 pounds of crawdads will be ser ved. crawfishkingcookoff.com.

LIVING

‘RUN FOR YOUR WIFE’

BY ROBIN MILLER | Staff writer

ohn Russo opted to remain in thetheater dressing room over mingling with thepublic thelast time he played Stanley Gardener So, the public came to him. Well, at least one member of thepublic. Russo’scharacter was the meddlesome neighbor to themain character of Ray Cooney’s“Run For Your Wife.” He’llbereprising the role when Sullivan Theater opens its production of the farcical comedy on Friday It will be the third time Russo has played Stanley,and one of those times was in New Orleans, when an audience member sought himout after theproduction. Look forliesand slapsticktobookend thelaughs in Sullivan Theater’scomedy‘RunFor your Wife’

Friday-Sundayand Thursday-Sunday, May7-10.All performances begin at 7:30 p.m., with the exception of Sundaymatinees which startat 2p.m l $33.50, adults; $28.50, students. l sullivantheater.com ä See 'WIFE', page 6C

to the public at 9a.m.Friday for Red ClayStrays’Nov 5concertatthe Raising Cane’sRiver Center Arena, Baton Rouge, and Nov. 6

KLEIN

BYJUDYBERGERON Staff writer

CadeWilliams center,plays John Smith, who is married to Mary, played by SophieRollins, left,and Barbara, played by Brittany Zimmerman, in Sullivan Theater’s farcicalcomedy ‘RunFor your Wife.

STAFF FILE PHOTO

By The Associated Press

Today is Friday,May 1, the 121st day of 2026. There are 244 days left in the year

Todayinhistory: On May 1, 2011, President Barack Obama announced thedeath of Osama bin Laden during aU.S. commando operation, which took place in Abbottabad, Pakistan,in the early morning hours of May 2local time. Also on this date: In 1866, three days of race-related rioting erupted in Memphis, Tennessee, as White mobs targeted Black people, 46 of whom were killed, along with two Whites. In 1931, the Empire State Building was dedicated in New York City; it would be the world’stallest building for four decades.

In 1960, the Soviet Union shot down an American U-2 reconnaissance plane and captured its pilot, Francis

‘WIFE’

Continued from page5C

“I’ll never forget it,” Russo said. “I neverlikedgoing out meeting the crowd in costume afterwards, but it always used to help the theater grow and progress. AndIdidn’tgoout this one particular time, and awoman came back into the dark theater,and shekeptsaying, ‘Stanley Gardner,Stanley Gardner,I’ve gotta meet you.’ Russo acquiesced, meeting her outside the dressing room.

“And shesays,‘I’ve got to tell you, my husband died two weeks ago, and Ihave cried every day since,until this play,’”Russosaid.“She said it was the first time she’d laughed, and Ican’ttell you how much that means. I well up when Ithink about it, and it was one of the richest moments Ithink I’ve ever had on stage, just to be told how what we did helped someone through laughter.”

Plenty of humor

And “Run For Your Wife” promises plenty of laughter as main character John Smith’sdouble life is upended when he awakens in a hospital after rescuing abag lady from amugging.

John, played by Cade Williams, is ataxi driver, and his schedule is aperfectﬁt for alifestyle that accommodates one wife in the mornings and another in the evenings. He’ssecretly married to two women, Mary,played by Sophie Rollins, and Barbara, played by Brittany Zimmerman.

Of course, each wife is clueless about the other Meanwhile,the police want to talk to him, as does the media and, of course, both wives. What’sabigamist taxi driver to do?

Well, Sullivan Theater will have all the answers, as well as lots of slapstick, chaos and slamming doors during its

FESTIVAL

Continued from page5C

include meats, vegetable and side dishes withjudging on Saturday; and breads, desserts, appetizers, soups, beverages and ices judged on Sunday Judging covers presentation, taste, and the story or history behind each dish. Contestants need to bring enough food for six people the day of their judging. First, second and third place prizes will be awardedin

STRAYS

Continued from page5C

Orleans-based band The Revivalists will join The Strays as special guests for some tour dates although not the Louisiana shows. For those two concerts, special guests will be Muscadine Bloodline, aduo also from south Alabama —and Ellaville, Georgia, singer-songwriter

TODAYINHISTORY

Gary Powers. In 1963, Jim Whittaker joined by Sherpa mountaineer NawangGombu,became theﬁrst American to summit Mount Everest In 1964, the computer programming language BASIC (Beginner’sAll-Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) was ﬁrst run by its inventors, Dartmouth College professors John G. Kemeny and ThomasE.Kurtz. In 2003, President George W. Bush declared that “majorcombat operations in Iraq have ended” in aspeech aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, which bore abanner reading “Mission Accomplished.” (The last U.S. combat troops would not withdraw from Iraq until December 2011.)

In 2011,Pope Benedict XVIbeatiﬁedPope John Paul II, moving his predecessora step closer to sainthood in aVatican Mass attended by some 1.5 mil-

lion pilgrims. (John Paul II would be declared asaint by Pope Francis at acanonizationceremony in 2014.)

In 2015, six Baltimore police ofﬁcers were charged withfelonies ranging from assault to murderinconnectionwith thedeath of Freddie Gray,aBlack manwho’d sufferedaspinal injury while riding in apolice van. (None of the ofﬁcerswould ultimately be convicted.)

Today’sbirthdays: Singer Judy Collins is 87. Singer Rita Coolidge is 81. Filmmaker John Woois80. Actor Dann Florek is 76. Musician Ray Parker Jr.is72. Hall of Fame jockey Steve Cauthen is 66. Singer-actor TimMcGraw is 59. Filmmaker Wes Anderson is 57. Football Hall of Famer Curtis Martin is 53. Actor Jamie Dornan is 44. Singer Victoria Monét is 37. Singer Rema is 26. Actor Lizzy Greene is 23. Social media personality Charli D’Amelio is 22.

runof“Run ForYour Wife.”

“It’s thelongest-running play in London,” director Madalyn Mullins said. “The playhas beenproduced in so many countries.They have productions of it in China, Japan andFrance right now. And I’ve read where they even haveone in Ghana.”

Mullins also directed Sullivan’sproductionofthe farce, “Noises Off,” in August,soshe was wellprepared to take on Cooney’s comedy, whichpremiered on London’sWest Endin 1983.

If done right, the comedy will have the audience laughing from beginning to end. But alot of moving parts have to be in place behind the scenes for it to work.

“You have to set up the dominoes for them to fall in theright place,” said Mullins, “So, you have to take that timeand put everything in its place, and Ilove that sort of thing. And Ireally enjoy working with theactors. …We, together,can create something very fun. So, thereare some things that the show demands, but we gettoﬁll in all of thestuffin between.”

Definitelysomeslapstick

Besides, Mullins said, a farce is the welcome mat for slapstick.

each category

Downloadable forms and additional instructions are available on thewebsite. The mustard greens and cornbread eating contest will happen late Saturday afternoon Festival discounts include $2 bowls beanie weenies both days and $2 shotsofstrawberry wine on Saturday Afestival pre-party will run from 7p.m. to midnight on Thursday,May 21, at Henry TurnerJr.’s Listening Room,2733 North St., Baton Rouge. Donation is $30 and includes asoul food buffet

Brent Cobb Presale tickets will be available starting at noon Tuesday,and end at noon Thursday.Public tickets sales start at 9a.m. Friday Tickets are $159 andup. The Strays’ third studio album, “Grateful,” drops June5 viaHBYCO Records/ RCA Records. The record’s electrifyingopening track, “Demons In Your Choir,”is available for download The band’shonors include

Repeat afterme: The host pays,not theguests

Dear Miss Manners: Iama person of acertain age. Ienjoy the company of other people, but I movequiteslowly Igladly receive guestsfor afternoon tea, as my housekeeper is amenable to serving. Occasionally I wish to entertain a small group at aﬁne restaurant for the evening. Since Iam making the invitation, I require nothing from my guestsbeyond apleasant thank-you note. Unfortunately,the younger guestsinthe group frequently ask, “How much is my share of the bill?” Idon’tquite know how to respond, and it makes for asomewhat awkward moment. Ialways makearrangements for thecost of the meal andagenerous gratuity to be paid when Imake thereservation. How do Iphrase, “Please be my guest at dinner” without invoking the unpleasant, “My treat”?

“I wasn’tplanningtodoa ton of slapstick forthe show, butwiththiscastand with blocking that came about, I knewthatslapstick was totally thedirection this show was going,”Mullins said. “But it’s aguaranteed laugh, andit’salwaysalot of fun. So Iknow the audience is going to have fun withit.”

Andinthe midst of it all will be nosy Stanley stirring thepot.

“Tobefair,telling everyone that John Smith has two wives isn’treally aspoiler, because that’sspoiled in the ﬁrst 30 seconds of the play when Stanley entersthe stage,” Russo said. “Stanley is the unemployed neighbor who doesn’twant to work, and as John lies about his wives, Stanleystarts to lying aboutthem, too. Andwhen the police getinvolved,the lies snowball even further.”

Russo’scharacterization of Stanley changeswith each director,but Stanley’s comedic core remains the same.

“And, you know,comedies like these are away of not laughing at ourselves,but laughing withourselves,” Russo said. “Ray Cooney has written alovely script here, and it makes us laugh.

Email RobinMiller at romiller@theadvocate. com.

and no-host bar Festival sponsors are VisitBaton Rouge,WBRZ Television (Channels 2, 2+ andtheir afﬁliate stations, WBTZ, Channel36.1 and WBRZ.com), East Baton Rouge ParishLibraries, Blue Runner,Thomas Law Firm (Vernon W. Thomas, Esq.), Joyful Jumps, Cutting Edge CE Conferenceand Henry TurnerJr.’s Listening Room Museum Foundation. Formoreinformation on thecontest andfor VIP packages, call(225) 8029681 or visit hitcitydigital. wixsite.com/brsoulfoodfest.

the Americana Music Honors &Awards’2024 “Emerging Artist of the Year,” the Academy of Country Music(ACM) Awards’ 2025 “New Vocal Duo or Group of the Year” andthe CountryMusic Association (CMA) Awards’ 2025 “Vocal Group of the Year.” For more info,see redclaystrays.com/tour Email Judy Bergeron at jbergeron@theadvocate. com.

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

one of our grownchildren, and the minute the first person was done eating, my wife began doing the dishes. She’ll clear the first finished plate and put it in the dishwasher,then start washing pans and doing whatever she can to “erase” the party In my world, the dirty plates should be cleared, but the actual washing of the dishes waits until everyone is finished. That way,everyone can help get things done. Can you help me with a polite waytohandle this?

Gentle reader: Youmight tell her,before the next party,“But dear,how will we indicate that we want everyone to leave if we start cleaning up so soon? Let’swait until they are in danger of overstaying their welcome. Then it can be our signal to start shufﬂing them out.”

Gentlereader: Youcan only say in theaftermath, “Please. Iinvited you” with the emphasis on the “I” and the “you.

Dear Miss Manners: My wife is what Icall a“party eraser.” For example, we hosted abirthday party for

Or you can ﬂoat your “everyone can help” idea. But Miss Manners fears this might be the reason the poor lady is trying to get ahead start —toprevent everyone from crowding her kitchen and breaking her china.

Dear Miss Manners: Ireconnected with an old friend, and Ithought we were

developing astrong bond. But earlier this year,I called her and never received acall back. Ialso leftanote in her mailbox, but still no call. Then, about three months later,she called and said she had been very preoccupied with her son’s aging dog and the fleas he infested her house with. So we finally had lunch and had apleasant time. After about two weeks, I again called her and she didn’tcall back formonths. Idecided not to call her again because of her behavior NowI’m starting to regret my decision to end the friendship. It’s been five months.

Gentle reader: Calling in order to maintain astrong bond is not high on this friend’slist. Perhaps she is atexter.Oraletter writer But if you would like to resurrect the friendship and ﬁnd out, Miss Manners suggests you ask before getting duped again.

Sendquestions to Miss Manners at herwebsite, www.missmanners. com; to heremail, dearmissmanners@gmail. com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

SHOWSTOWATCH —ACADIANA

audville, 2:30 p.m

FRIDAY

LIVE MUSIC: Cane River Pecan CompanyPie Bar,New Iberia, 5p.m

WHISKEY BAY&FRIENDS: Adopted DogBrewing,Lafayette, 6p.m

LIVE MUSIC: Charley G’sSeafood Grill, Lafayette, 6p.m

LIVE MUSIC: Naq’s-n-Duson, Duson,6 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Prejean’s,Broussard, 6p.m

LIVE MUSIC: Jim Deggy’s Brick Oven Pizza&Brewery, Lafayette, 6p.m

CHLOE FONTENOT: Buck & Johnny’s, Breaux Bridge, 6:30 p.m.

ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO &THE ELECTRIC SAINTS: Acadiana Center for the Arts, Lafayette, 7:30 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: The Barrel of Broussard, Broussard, 8p.m.

SHOTGUNLILLIE: Rock ‘n’ Bowl de Lafayette, Lafayette, 9p.m

SATURDAY

DON FONTENOTBAND: Fred’s, Mamou,8 a.m.

GENO DELAFOSE &ROCKIN

BOOGIES: Buck &Johnny’s, Breaux Bridge, 8a.m

CAJUN JAM: Moncus Park Lafayette, 9a.m

SATURDAY MORNING JAM

SESSIONS: The SavoyMusic Center,Eunice,9 a.m.

CAJUN JAM: Tante Marie, Breaux Bridge, 11 a.m.

MUSIC MOSAIC —AYEAR OF SOUND AND PLACE —UL

STRINGSENSEMBLE: Children’sMuseum of Acadiana, Lafayette, noon

CAJUN FRENCH MUSIC JAM: Vermilionville Living History Museum &Folklife Park Lafayette, 1 p.m.

DRUM CIRCLE: NUNU Arts and CultureCollective, Arn-

LIVE MUSIC: Jim Deggy’s Brick Oven Pizza&Brewery Lafayette, 6p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: CharleyG’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Prejean’s, Broussard, 6p.m.

SUGAR JAMFEATURING

LVVRS: Sugar Mill Pond, Youngsville,6p.m.

MARYBROUSSARD: Buck &Johnny’s, BreauxBridge 6:30 p.m

SILVERBACKIMPROVPRESENTS —THE ‘90S: Citédes Arts, Lafayette, 7:30 p.m

LIVE MUSIC: The Barrel of Broussard, Broussard, 8p.m.

SUNDAY

LIVE MUSIC: TanteMarie, BreauxBridge,11a.m. THE SUNDAYPEOPLE: Whiskey& Vine,Lafayette, 11 a.m.

LESFRERES MICHOT: Prejean’s, Carencro, 11:30 a.m.

JAMBALAYA ACOUSTIC MUSIC JAM: Tom’s Fiddle&Bow Arnaudville, 12:30 p.m

CAJUN JAM: BayouTeche Brewing, Arnaudville, 2p.m.

LEROYTHOMAS: Cypress Cove Landing, BreauxBridge 3p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: CharleyG’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6p.m.

MONDAY PATRICIO LATINO SOLO: Cafe Habana City, Lafayette, 11 a.m.

LIVE MUSIC: CharleyG’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6p.m.

BLUEGRASS JAM: Citédes Arts, Lafayette, 6:30 p.m

TUESDAY

LIVE MUSIC: CharleyG’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6 p.m TERRYHUVAL &FRIENDS:

Prejean’s Restaurant,Lafayette, 6p.m.

KIDS’ CAJUN JAMNIGHT: Jeaux Biffs, BreauxBridge 6:15 p.m

GREENLIGHTSESSIONSOPEN MIC: The Jefferson Street Greenroom, Lafayette, 7p.m.

WEDNESDAY DULCIMERJAM: St. Landry VisitorCenter,Opelousas, 10 a.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Park Bistro, Lafayette, 6p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: CharleyG’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6p.m. MERCREDI SHOWFEATURING COUNTRYROUNDUP:

p.m CAJUN JAM: Blue Moon Saloon, Lafayette, 8p.m. THURSDAY LADIESNIGHT WITH DJ DONOVAN IN THE MIX: Cowboys Nightclub, Scott, 6p.m. LIVE MUSIC: Naq’s-n-Duson, Duson, 6p.m. LIVE MUSIC: CharleyG’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6p.m. KARAOKE PARTY—PANDA ENTERTAINMENT: Black Bull, Youngsville,8p.m.

PROVIDED PHOTO By MATTHEW WALKER

The cast for Sullivan Theater’sproduction of RayCooney’s farcical comedy, ‘Run For your Wife’

Louisiana band LVVRSheadlines Sugar Jam at Sugar Mill Pond,youngsville,

Saturday. The band is coming off areturnengagement at JazzFestonApril

tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Check your schedule and fill the empty spaces with whatever your heart desires A new location, lifestyle or relationship looks promising and offers a multitude of tempting offers.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Emotions and ego collide; common sense will keep you out of harm's way and situations that can spin out of control. If you can't help or offer a kind word, retreat.

cAncER (June 21-July 22) Lighten up, say no to drama and distance yourself from anyone trying to start a fight. Overreacting will lead to trouble. Stick to a budget, set boundaries and avoid hasty decisions.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Mixing business with pleasure requires intuition, time and patience if you want to avoid unnecessary implications. Trying to force your will or plans on others will meet with opposition.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Let your intuition lead the way and focus more on what you say than on how you look. Beware of anyone trying to coerce you into spending on something you don't need or buying into a dubious scam.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Approach situations with grace and a set budget. Opportunities are endless, but not all will be equal. Use charm and knowledge, ask questions and figure out the best fit.

scoRPIo (oct 24-nov. 22) Open discussions and negotiations are favored if you are willing to meet the other party

in the middle. Choose intelligence over force. Social events will lead to interesting encounters

sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Make a list and proceed. Execute your plans with confidence, but stay within budget. Refuse to let anyone pressure you into something you don't want or can't afford.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Caution is necessary when dealing with touchy issues. Expect situations to get blown out of proportion and for tempers to escalate more quickly than usual.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Put emotions and ego aside, and focus on getting things done. A budget-friendly agenda will put your mind at ease and give you a fighting chance to reach your objective.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Pay attention to your needs. It's more difficult to backtrack than it is to do your due diligence. Choose discipline and moderation over being lazy and indulgent. Recognize and refuse emotional manipulation.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Your words will resonate with someone who shares your beliefs. Keep talking and asking questions until you are satisfied that you are making the right choices. Financial and personal growth are within reach.

FAMILY CIrCUS

CeLebrItY CIpher

better or For WorSe

SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

LAGoon

bIG nAte

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. Theobject is to place thenumbers 1to9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column andeach 3x3 box containsthe same number only once. Thedifficultylevel of theSudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’sPuzzle Answer

THe wiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS

CurTiS

By PHILLIP ALDER

William Shakespeare wrote, “Defer no time, delays have dangerous ends.”

How wrong could he be when applied to bridge? Many players make mistakes becausetheyplaytooquickly.Inparticular, when a defender is on lead, a delay or two or three for analysis is rarely a bad idea.

In this deal, for example, West leads the heart two against four spades. What should East do?

North responds with four clubs, a perfect splinter bid, showing at least fourcard spade support, game-going values and at most a singleton in clubs.

East was tempted to overcall four hearts. However, the vulnerability was unfavorable, East presumably had two cast-iron defensive tricks (so the opponents did not have a slam), and NorthSouth owned the master suit. (Note that if East does intervene with a four-heart bid, South should pass. North would be delighted to double for penalty and the price would be 1,100 or 1,400.)

East knows that his partner has led a singleton. So, many a defender wins with his heart ace and immediately gives his partner a ruff. After that, there is no longer a defense East should consider his target. Four tricks are needed, not three. From the point-count, West is known to have a Yarborough. So, East must organize

his diamond ruff before giving West his spade ruff. At trick two, East should shift to his diamond. Declarer will win in the dummy and play a