The Advocate 05-01-2026 by The Advocate

La.leaders postpone Houseelections Move comesinwakeofSupreme

BY TYLERBRIDGES Staff writer

In adramatic move with statewide ramifications,Gov.Jeff Landry on Thursday postponedLouisiana’s upcoming elections for the U.S. House, a dayafter theU.S.Supreme Court ruled that Louisiana’scongressional map is an illegal racial gerrymander Landry,who has theauthorityunder statelaw to change the election schedule in case of an “emergency,” moved quickly because absentee ballot voting hasalreadybegun for the May 16 primary election andearly voting begins on Saturday.Lawmakers areplanning

ä State officials saycongressional mapcan’tbeused. PAGE 5A

for theHouse races to take place later this year,onlyafter the Legislature and governor have redrawnthe map for thesix congressional districts. The election plans are likely to cause chaos for votersand election ofﬁcials because Landry and legislative leaders are keepingthe existing May16 primary schedule for other races, most notablythe hotlycontested Senate election in which Sen. Bill Cassidy is facing atough challenge from U.S. Rep. Julia Letlowand state Treasurer

JohnFleming. The ﬁve constitutional amendmentsscheduledfor May16 also would continue as planned, according to sources. So would aheated state Supreme Court race on the northshore, twoPublic Service Commission races —one in northwest Louisiana and the other to represent the suburban districts around NewOrleans —a seat

Councilpicks McLindon forparish attorney

Democratic memberspush back againstappointment

BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER Staff writer

The East BatonRouge Parish Metro Council has chosen anew attorneytoserveasalegal adviser to them, the mayor-presidentand all city-parish departments —though it did nothappen without some pushback.

With seven votesfrom the seven Republican members, the council approved John McLindon to take over the city-parish’stop legal position starting May 4.

Whilethe council’sRepublicans voted in favor of McLindon, the three Democratswho attended the meeting shared concerns.

“I’m veryhonoredtobehere,” McLindon said after the appointment.“Youknow, theselastfew weekshave been,quitehonestly,pretty stressful.

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,

ä See TRUMP, page 6A

Police piecing together mall shooting evidence

BY OLIVIA TEES and QUINN COFFMAN Staff writers

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 7A

STAFF FILE PHOTO By JOHN BALLANCE

Gov. Jeff Landrysaid Thursdaythat ‘allowing elections to proceed under an unconstitutional map would undermine the integrity of our system and violatethe rightsofour voters.’

PROVIDED PHOTO

PresidentDonald Trumpsigned Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl Act, legislation sponsored by Sen.Bill Cassidy, right, on July 16.

STAFFPHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Newly appointed Parish AttorneyJohn McLindon speaks before the Metro Councilafter being selected for the position during ameeting at CityHall on Thursday.

BatonRouge, Zachary, Gonzales andPrairievillestoresApril

BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

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 amid outrage

Site was location of deadly flooding last year

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 4v

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 fami-

lies 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 Democrat, 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

Early Voting

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 “unfor-

TheEastBaton RougeParishRegistrar of Voters Office announcesthat EarlyVoting forthe May16, 2026 Election will be held Saturday,May 2, 2026 throughSaturday, May9,2026 from 8:30 am until6:00pm (ClosedonSunday)

Main Office:CityHall–222 SaintLouis St.–Room604

Southeast: Fire StationBuilding–11010 CourseyBlvd.

Archives:State Archives Building –3851Essen Ln

Baker: MotorVehicle Building–2250MainSt.

Central: CentralBranchLibrary –11260 Joor Rd

Voters will be askedtoidentifythemselveswitheithera photoID or signatureona voteraffidavit.You mayuse adriver’slicense,a Louisianaspecial ID,a LA Wallet digitaldriver’slicense,a U.S. military identification card thatcontainsyournameand picture; or some other generallyrecognizedpicture ID thathas your name andsignature Sample ballotsare availableonlineatwww.GeauxVote.com Call (225)389-3940 formoreinformation

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.

tunate 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.

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 Washington.

ICE releases detained Miss. brothers

Teens were arrested at Diamondhead school bus stop

BY MARTHA SANCHEZ Staff writer

The teenage brothers arrested by federal immigration agents as they walked to their school bus last week were released from custody Thursday after outcry from residents and leaders across the 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 a week in federal detention.

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

The release of Israel Makoka, 18, and Max Makoka, 15, followed pleas from students, teachers, neighbors and the mayor of their deep-red Mississippi community

The ofﬁce of Republican U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith also helped the family ﬁnd a top 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 a statement earlier this week “We will continue to monitor the situation and work toward the best possible solution within the law.”

Students and staff at Hancock High School, where the Makokas studied and played basketball, wrote dozens of letters in support of the brothers’ release. Residents in Hancock County, where Donald Trump won almost 80% of the vote in the last presiden-

tial election, also called and left messages at the ofﬁces of Hyde-Smith, Republican U.S Sen. Roger Wicker and Republican U.S Rep. Mike Ezell, who represents southern Mississippi in Congress

The brothers’ arrests came as the Trump administration cracks down on illegal immigration and increases scrutiny on international students studying in the United States.

ICE has not responded to detailed questions about the case. But in a statement, the agency told media outlets the brothers violated their student visas by transferring out of the Piney Woods School, a historically Black boarding institution in central Mississippi.

The Baptiste family said the brothers unknowingly fell out of legal status when they transferred to Han-

cock High School last year

“They were granted the opportunity to participate in a student exchange program However, they failed to attend that school,” a U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesperson said in a statement earlier this week. “Because they violated their visas, they are subject to removal.”

Federal agents arrested the brothers as they left home to board their school bus on April 21, according to their host family Israel Makoka was held at an ICE facility in Jena. Authorities transferred Max Makoka to a facility in Houston.

Next steps

Diamondhead Mayor Anna Liese praised the brother’s release.

“As a community, we are hugely re-

lieved and absolutely overjoyed that the boys are on their way home,” she said. “It has really brought out the best in our people. They rallied for these kids and did what they could to advocate for them, and I think it made a difference.”

Amy Maldonado, an attorney representing the Makoka brothers, said they will participate in ICE check-ins and court proceedings while seeking reinstatement of their student visas.

Israel Makoka was released with an ankle monitor Maldonado said. He will return to Mississippi in time for his high school graduation.

His younger brother, Max, was released to the Baptistes, his legal guardians, and will likely attend a local private school next year Maldonado said the family will also be required to pay Hancock High School for the cost of this year’s tuition in accordance with federal laws that govern international students’ attendance at public schools.

Their brothers’ arrests outraged many neighbors across the tight-knit city of Diamondhead, where most residents support the Trump administration. Some residents questioned the outcry arguing ICE had no choice but to detain the brothers’ since their legal status had lapsed. The Baptiste family said an ICE agent told them the agency received a tip that “two African kids” were attending Hancock High School.

The brothers arrived in the U.S. in 2023 and 2024 and stayed with the Baptiste family during the holidays and summers before they transferred to the local high school. Their arrests drew national media attention.

Baptiste credited their release to local and federal leaders “who really went to bat for us,” she said.

“The boys are very grateful,” she added. “They look forward to having an opportunity to ﬁnish their education.”

Brazil’s Congress reduces Jair Bolsonaro’s prison sentence

BY MAURICIO SAVARESE Associated Press

SAO PAULO

— Brazil’s Congress voted Thursday to reduce former President Jair Bolsonaro’s 27-year prison sentence, a decision likely to be appealed to the Supreme Court and one that could potentially upend the nation’s October presidential election.

It’s unclear how much time Bolsonaro would serve for his conviction for leading a coup attempt, but analysts

say the move could shave 20 years off his sentence The former president, who began his term in November, is currently under house arrest

The opposition to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva scored its win by drawing centrist senators and federal deputies to comfortably override his veto on a sentencing bill passed last year Bolsonaro supporters were conﬁdent of their victory before the voting began.

“This is a first and much

awaited step by those who are afﬂicted. The next stage is full amnesty,” said Sen. Espiridião Amin, a Bolsonaro

ally

The bill passed by Congress last year reduces prison terms for several crimes, including those against the democratic rule of law and leading a coup when a person is convicted in both. The new legislation states that only the count carrying the highest sentence should be counted.

Sen. Davi Alcolumbre,

president of Brazil’s Senate, argued earlier that the scope of the decision excludes heinous crimes, a claim legal experts say will be questioned in court Bolsonaro allies in Congress said the move beneﬁts

not only the former president, but also supporters who were sentenced for destroying government buildings in capital Brasilia on Jan. 8, 2023, in a riot that mirrored the assault on the U.S Capitol Hill two years earlier

By The Associated Press

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has moved to address stafﬁng issues that triggered concern and uncertainty among and about its workforce, including reinstating employees put on leave for publicly opposing agency policies, and extending contracts for some workers whose terms were set to expire soon.

Fourteen FEMA employees who signed a public letter of dissent last August sounding alarms about the nation’s disaster preparedness were reinstated after being put

on paid administrative leave for eight months, according to two FEMA staff members.

They were among over 190 current and former FEMA employees who signed the letter but were the only active employees who included their names. The letter, known as the “Katrina Declaration,” called out multiple policy decisions by President Donald Trump’s administration that the signatories said risked a catastrophe like the one seen after Hurricane Katrina

“I feel pretty vindicated, and like we did the right thing,” said Abby McIlraith,

a FEMA emergency management specialist who is among the reinstated workers.

The group received emails Wednesday informing them that an investigation into that matter was closed and instructing them to return to work Thursday, she said. Their reinstatement was ﬁrst reported by NBC News.

FEMA leadership also told some employees this week that it will be extending certain term-limited employees’ contracts, according to documents seen by The Associated Press, after extended uncertainty over the future of those positions.

Trump gives OK to major new oil pipeline

Structure would link U.S., Canada

BY MEAD GRUVER and MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — President Donald Trump granted a key approval Thursday for a major new oil pipeline that would carry oil from Canada into the U.S. where it would be exported and reﬁned.

The three-foot-wide Bridger Pipeline Expansion would carry up to 550,000 barrels of oil a day from the Canadian border with Montana down through eastern Montana and Wyoming, where it would link with another pipeline.

The project would require additional state and federal environmental approvals before construction, which company ofﬁcials expect to start next year Environmentalists hope to stop the project over worries that the pipeline could break and spill. At peak volume, the 650-mile pipeline would move two-thirds as much oil as the better-known Keystone XL pipeline that got partially built before President Joe Biden, citing climate-change concerns, canceled its permit on the day he took ofﬁce in 2021.

“Slightly different from the last administration They wouldn’t sign a pipeline deal. And we have pipelines going up,” Trump said after signing the Bridger Pipeline Expansion crossborder approval.

PHOTO PROVIDED By THE BAPTISTE FAMILy

Israel Makoka, 18, and Max Makoka, 15, were arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents as they headed to their school bus in Diamondhead, Miss. They were released from custody on Thursday.

La. officials say congressional map can’t be used

Election lawyers disagree that ruling immediately invalidated primaries

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.

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.

“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

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.

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 enjoined from carrying out congressional elections under the current map.”

The governor issued the executive order after Secretary of State Nancy Landry took the necessary step of certifying that an “emergency” existed for Louisiana’s election laws following the Supreme Court ruling. In a statement, she said the House races will remain on the May 16 primary ballot, but those votes won’t be counted.

The governor’s plans are already inviting criticism

U.S. Rep. Cleo Fields, a Democrat from Baton Rouge who could be given a seat through redistricting that he cannot win, called delaying the congressional elections and redrawing the current map “an unwise stance for Louisiana to take Louisianans who have already submitted their ballots deserve to have their voices heard. Halting this election would be nothing short of disenfranchising the very constituents we are 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 suspended at this time,” state Senate President Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, and House Speaker Phillip DeVillier, R-Eunice, said in a statement “All other races and ballot measures will continue as scheduled on the election dates currently scheduled. We urge voters to continue to make their plans to vote in all other races or matters on the ballot on the election dates currently scheduled.”

Republicans have said they want the new map to eliminate either one or both of the congressional seats held by Fields and U.S Rep. Troy Carter of New Orleans. Both are Black Democrats. It’s possible the two might have to run against each other

“This election is already underway mail-in ballots have been sent, and early voting begins in just two days,” Carter said in a statement Thursday “We must account for that reality and ensure voters aren’t left in confusion or denied fair 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 Johnson, R-Benton, told reporters Thursday that he supports delaying the elections, while noting he has no say in that decision.

“The governor has no choice but to suspend it,” Johnson said. “The court has ruled our map unconstitutional.”

Said Cassidy: “The governor’s decision to move ahead with the Senate race during a confusing time is disappointing Now, it’s up to all of us to help people understand what’s happening and make sure voters know how to cast their votes over the next two weeks.”

The changed election schedule will most directly affect the Republican primary to replace Letlow in the 5th Congressional District race. Candidates include state Rep. Michael Echols of Monroe, Sen. Rick Edmonds of Baton Rouge, state Sen. Blake Miguez of Erath and Board of Regents Chair Misti Cordell of Monroe. The candidates have been

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

$10,000

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.

Thesearchcontinues fora pieceofLouisiana history. Followingthe recentinvestigation into thedisappearance of theancient cypressboard donatedtothe StateCapitol decades ago, theStebbinsfamilyisdoublingtheir efforts to bringithome.

Thefamilyisnow offeringa $10,000 reward for information that resultsinthe recovery of theboard

Details of the disappearance: Theboard waslastseenatClaySchexnayder’s district office in Gonzales when he left office in January2024.

Do youhaveinformation regardingits whereabouts? We areseeking thesafe return of this irreplaceable piece of ourstate’s heritage.Yourtip couldbethe keyto restoringafamilylegacyand apiece of ourstate’s heritage

HOWTOHELP

If youhaveany informationregardingthe CypressBoard, please contact: Crimestoppers Phone: 225-344-STOP(7867)

But Ireally did want this.”

Thevote cameafternearly an hour of discussion from council members

Some Democrats said McLindon might be the best for the job but argued the process was too rushed and questioned if aconﬂict of interest was at play

McLindon called the debate —which was particularlylivelyattimes

“baptism by ﬁre,” and said he was ready to get started right away Republicans endorsed McLindon’sabilities as an attorney,and some said they understood the Democrats’ timeline concerns. Still, they said the seat needed to be ﬁlled now

“I believe we made agreat choice today,” said Mayor Pro Tempore Brandon Noel.

“I know this may have felt rushed by some, but Greg Rome announced his retirement to me just over two months ago, andwith pending litigation, some of us thought it best to ﬁllthe vacancy sooner rather than wait.”

A‘toxic’ council

Thedebate began when Carolyn Coleman, aDemocrat, argued there was aconﬂict of interest, as McLindon representsRepublican council member Laurie Adams and her husband.

Alater correction was made by Adams and McLindontonotethathehad only represented thecouncil member’shusband, and he had recently withdrawn from that role.

Coleman also said it was improper to hire an attorney who has tried cases in the past against the city-parish’s interests.

“As adefense attorney,he has the primitive strategy, conﬁdentialinformation and evidence usedagainst the

SHOOTING

Continued from page1A

an encounter between two groups. Police said they recovered one gun fromthe scene

Mooresaidballisticstesting will reveal how many guns wereused, howmany times each ﬁred and which shots struck which victims.

It could also tiethe guns to other previous shootings in Baton Rouge, he noted.

Other questions, such as whether it was atargeted attack, or whether the two groups met spontaneously or hadarguedbeforehand online, are stillunanswered, Moore said.

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

“From what Ican gather, thereweresomewords exchanged, that someone said something and then after that shots are fired,” Mooresaid. “The question is whether therewas one

cityofBaton Rouge,” she said. “He’ssupposed to ﬂip the script andprotect the city? That’s ethical conﬂict. Attorney-client privilege is atwo-way street.” Council member Jen Racca, aRepublican and an attorney herself,saidthe party split overthis particular councilissuewas an example of the division“that has become toxic” for theMetro Council in the past 6months.

“We’ve hadoutside playerscommunicating with each of us, turning us all against one another,creating conspiracies, creating division, and hereweare now,a 7-5 council,” shesaid to hercolleagues.

Racca pointed to McLindon’sno-party afﬁliation as something that could help bring thecouncil back to bipartisanship.

“This man back here, John McLindon, he’snot astaunch Republican.He’snot aRepublican at all,” Racca said. ‘Noone will outworkme’ McLindon, 62, is anLSU Lawgraduate and has prac-

or more shooters. We don’t know exactly what was said to let it off. …Ihave no idea whether there was previous social media jousting back andforth.”

Markel Lee, 17,was booked with onecountof first-degree murder,five counts of ﬁrst-degreemurder and acount of illegal use ofa weapon. He turned himself in to police.

Some answers couldbe revealed through searchingsuspects’ phones,Moore said, and learningwho was communicating withLee prior to him going to the mall.

Lee, who is being held without bail, dropped out of GlenOaks High School in August2024, records show Authoritiesconfirmeda search warrant was secured forhis grandmother’shouse

The shooting killed 17-year-oldAscension Episcopal High School senior Martha Odom. She was at the mall with her friends celebrating senior skip day before their graduation on May 16

Five bystanders were injured,including two Ascension Episcopal seniors. All

ticed law in the area for about 30 years,spending most of the past decadein criminal law

Before that, McLindon’s career focused on civil law for severalﬁrms in the Baton Rouge area.

He has had notable cases at the state and federal level in EastBaton Rouge, Livingston and other surrounding parishes, andhas been private counsel forseveral public ofﬁcials.

At leastthree othershad expressed interest in the job, including embattled former judge Tiffany FoxworthRoberts, currentAssistant ParishAttorney Creighton Abadie andformer LouisianaNAACP President Ernest Johnson. The position has been vacant since April 18, following Greg Rome’sretirement after more than two years.

Rome navigated the cityparish through several notable legal matters, including “BRAVE Cave”settlements in casesagainst BatonRouge police and compliance with FBIand Louisiana Attorney

thevictims, except Donnie Guillory,43, have been released from the hospital. Guilloryisinstable condition at OurLady of the Lake Hospital after multiple surgeries.

Leewas seen on multiple surveillance videos from the mall running from thescene with asemi-automatic pistol in his hand, his arrest warrant said.

On Monday,a memorial washeldatthe mall forthe victims, hosted by clergy membersand cityleaders includingEast Baton Rouge ParishMayor-President Sid Edwards. Over200 people attended to show their support for the victimsand the city Baton Rouge police spokesperson Sgt. L’Jean McKneelysaidauthorities arestill asking the public for any information they have on the individuals involved.

General’s Ofﬁce subpoenas relatedtothe ongoing corruption probes. McLindon takes over as

numerous civil cases have recently been ﬁled against the city-parish, including one ﬁled by District Attor-

ney Hillar Moore in Baton Rouge court last week over his ofﬁce’sfunding. Ahearing is scheduled Thursday Before the council’svote, Moore spoke in favor of McLindon, calling him one of thehardest working attorneys he’shad to face in the courtroom.

Looking ahead to his ﬁrst day, Monday,McLindon said he’salready reviewed Moore’slawsuit against the city-parish, adding “we’ve gottohit theground running” with the next court date only aweek away Though some noted the quick turnaround, the new parish attorney said he’s facedsimilar challenges in civil cases before.

“I’vebeen

BR real estate market to stabilize

BY IANNE SALVOSA Staff writer

While the Baton Rouge real estate market is stabilizing, new construction is stalling as developers deal with high costs. The market experienced a boom

a few years ago after rebounding from pandemic and hurricanerelated setbacks, but has been met with high interest, insurance and inﬂation rates. Baton Rouge-area real estate will stabilize, and the next year will be characterized by increased rents, consistent vacan-

cies and little new construction, local experts predicted at the annual Trends conference, held Thursday at L’Auberge casino. “I talked to Stoa, the developers over there, and they said they don’t really have anything else besides what’s out of the ground,”

Craig Davenport, of Cook, Moore, Davenport and Associates, said of multifamily development. “Since they’re the only ones building right now outside the affordable people, I think we’re going to see a slowdown in construction over the next two to three years.”

Davenport and Mark Segalla of JRE Brokerage discussed the multifamily real estate market 2025

BEHIND THE MEATBALL

ABOVE: Volunteers at the Italian Booth, Marcia Empson, from left, Bobbie Stiglets, Pat Quartararo, Jean Kay Brown, DeeDee McCrary, Mary Nola and Anita Scineaux, roll some of the almost 1,000 meatballs for meatball po-boys for this weekend’s 45th annual St. Thomas More Festival on the church’s campus in Baton Rouge. The Italian Booth also offers muffulettas, Italian salads and other treats. The festival opens at 5 p.m. Friday and runs through 4 p.m. Sunday with rides, Asian, Cajun and American food booths and a sweet shop, funnel cakes and a used book sale.

MIDDLE LEFT: Sammy Terito stirs gallons of the special tomato gravy to accompany the meatball po-boys for the festival. LEFT: Bob Breaux, left, and Lionel Bollinger mix meatballs for the St. Thomas More Festival.

$3.25B

Move to fund River Bend data center

BY IANNE SALVOSA Staff writer

A company developing a $12 billion data center in West Feliciana Parish is selling $3.25 billion worth of bonds to finance the project. Miami-based Hut 8 is developing an artificial intelligence data center in St Francisville with a $10 billion price tag for its first phase. The company announced earlier this week it has priced the bonds at $3.25 billion, aligning itself with a growing trend of data centers developers using debt financing to fund the large-scale developments.

Hut 8 did not return a request for comment.

Hut 8 DC LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of the company will issue the bonds. The bonds will also help reimburse the company for investments made in the facility, set aside money for any potential debt and pay for fees associated with the bonds, according to a release.

The bond offering closed on Thursday The notes will have a 6.192% per annum interest rate and will mature in 2042. Credit rating agency Fitch Ratings expected to rate the bonds at BBB last week, meaning the company is expected to be able to repay its debts with a low risk for

Man found shot outside gym ID’d

Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce.

Around 4:52 p.m. the Sheriff’s Office issued a statement about a large police presence and said there will be temporary delays.

STAFF PHOTOS By JOHN BALLANCE

Calvin Duncan vows to keep fighting forjustice

Louisiana lawmakers cutNew Orleans clerkoffice

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 thousandsofother 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,” Landryreiteratedon 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 for Orleans Parish argueit’slong overdue. They insist Duncan is a casualty,not atarget. They point to alimited timewindow to rein in the Orleans courts from Baton Rouge, withnumerous six-year judgeships up for grabs thisyear

Fueled by Landry’scallsfor judicial reform, Republican lawmakers pushed four separate

measures through bothchambers.

In all, they seek to remove several New Orleans judgeships, merge civil and criminal 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 run for sheriff, he can runfor mayor,hecan run for governor.I’m notstopping himfrom running. Idonot know Calvin Duncan,” Landry said. “It’sabout recognizing that the city is out of balance.”

Following Wednesday’sapproval in theSenate, Duncan ﬁled afederal lawsuit in Baton Rouge’sU.S Middle District Court thatnamed Landry, Attorney General LizMurrill and Secretary of State 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.

“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 tohire temporary employeesand contractors for the transition. Thecriminal clerk’s nearly90staffmembers are assured jobsuntil at least Jan. 15.

Lombard andDuncanran a heated campaign that featured a last-ditch lawsuit by theincumbent,who is well connected in city political circles, that challenged Duncan’sinnocence claim.Mur-

rill 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 OrleansMayor Helena Moreno is among those who endorsedLombardbut arenow championing Duncan’scause.

“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. He spent the next 36 years ﬁghting to gethis convictionundone

Duncan reached an agreement with former Orleans Parish District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro, whonow headsMurrill’scriminal division,toplead guilty to lesser charges and go free in 2011.

Adecade later,District Judge Nandi Campbell vacated Duncan’s conviction and sentence under the state’sfactual innocence statute. She cited, among other things,inconsistencies in akey eyewitness’

trial testimony and suppressed evidence. District Attorney Jason Williams subsequently dismissed thecase.

When he left prison, Duncan went on to spearhead advocacy against nonunanimous juries. State voters abolished theJim Crow-era lawin2018, andthe U.S. SupremeCourt followed in April 2020 by striking down split-jury laws in both Louisiana andOregon. Murrill had argued the case to preserve nonunanimous juries before theU.S.Supreme Courtas the state’ssolicitor general under Landry, then theattorney general. Duncan watched fromthe front row Murrill has denied any role in SB256 or any of the legislationaimedatthe OrleansParish courts.

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

“Whenhe(Lombard) ﬁnally said yestoatour, we were at the Legislature. It was too late for that,” Duncan said. “A transition can’t happenin30days.”‘

Returned From the‘pit’

Lawmakers who favor the change have described the criminal clerk’sposition as “ministerial.” To Duncan, “it’sthe most important department in this city because it deals with your life and liberty.”

He has no plans to go away quietly,oratall.

The former prison counseloften speaksinhushedtones andwears abroad smile behinda joyful glint. The smile dissolvesand his eyes narrow when he talks about watching men languish and die in Angola forlack of access to court ﬁles.

“Nobody else experienced this. Iexperienced it,soI want to correct it,”hesaid. It took nearly 25 years for Duncan to get the police reports that ultimately undermined his conviction. Oncehedid, he faced proceduralbarsbeforethe deal that ledtohis release.

Duncan,who founded the Light of Justiceprogram, hastraveled the state obtaining records forincarcerated litigantsrepresenting themselves in appeals.

If they refusetohandhim the keys, he said he’llcertainly run for the combined clerk’spostin four years.

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

default. Hut 8made $235.1 million in revenue last year with 45% year overyear growth, according to aproxy statementﬁledwiththe Securities and Exchange Commission.

Building and running AI data centers is acapital heavy task, with billions spent on construction and more needed to fundthe technology insideofit. Consulting firm McKinsey &Company estimates that spending on data centers could run up to $7 trillion by 2030.

Companies producing AI technology have largely been funding the development themselves, but a$1.5 trillion funding gap has emerged in the rapid progression of the AI boom, according to Morgan Stanley, which is where investors come into play.Companies producing AI data centers including Alphabet and Oracle Corp. have used also bonds to ﬁnancedata center projects. Construction delays and weak ﬁnancial performance are some of the biggest risks

for companies producingAI infrastructureand technology, both hindering developers’ ability to repay debts used to ﬁnancethe projects AI company Fluidstack will providethe River Benddatacenter capacity

to Anthropic, known for its Claude chatbot, in a15-year $7 billion deal,with Google providing aﬁnancial backstop. Through 2042,Hut 8 expectstospend $5.3 billiononthe data center,with $83 million for construction

in 2027 and therest toward repaying thebonds and interest, according to aHut 8 investorpresentation. The tenantswill fund the roughly $10 billion worth of computers in thedatacenter The bond offering is the

latest development in the data center,which is expected to complete its ﬁrst phase of construction by the end of the year.Last month, West Feliciana Parish officials inkeda water improvement deal with Hut 8stating that

thecompany will fund new water main infrastructure to avoid disrupting the parish’s water supply The data center’soperationsare expected to begin in the secondquarterof 2027.

STAFFPHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

Calvin Duncan, center,points to the steps of the criminal courthouse as he makeshis waythrough the crowd for his swearing-in as the newclerk of courtfor Orleans Parish in NewOrleans on April 21. Hundredsattended theevent on the steps of the Orleans Parish Criminal District Courthouse.

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

This

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

and inﬂation

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 According to government figures, grocery prices have yet to be affected by the disruption of global energy production due to the war in Iran, but they are expected to rise as fuel and fertilizer prices continue to increase.

Orleans Parish sheriff makes initial court appearance

Hutson faces charges from probe in wake of N.O. jailbreak

BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer

It’s been a wrenching week for outgoing Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson. On Tuesday, she delivered an emotional farewell address at the Orleans Justice Center, marking some of the challenges she faced during her four-year term as the parish’s first African-American woman sheriff.

The next day, Hutson surrendered on 30 felony charges from an indictment stemming from an investigation that began after 10 inmates escaped from the Orleans Justice Center on May 16.

And on Thursday, Hutson made her ﬁrst court appearance on the charges. She issued her ﬁrst state-

ment in response, vowing to “aggressively ﬁght” them. And details began to emerge on the speciﬁcs of the allegations.

An arrest warrant afﬁdavit obtained by WVUE-TV alleges that Hutson failed to supervise the jail even after several warnings from federal consent decree monitors.

The report detailed security lapses where staff left inmates unsupervised for hours with access to items they could fashion into weapons. High-risk inmates were allowed out of their cells and assaulted staff and other inmates, destroyed property, smoked, possessed dangerous contraband and lit ﬁres.

“OPSO used to house many of those inmates in a high-security unit, but chose to abandon this practice after Sheriff Hutson took ofﬁce,” the afﬁdavit stated.

Agents from the Louisiana Bureau of Investigations, which falls under Attorney General Liz Murrill’s office, said they found evi-

dence that Hutson lied to criminal court judges over a two-year span regarding her ability to staff transfers of detainees from the jail to the courthouse seven days a week for in-person appearances. A report by Louisiana’s legislative auditor this month said Hutson’s ofﬁce saw an 8.6% staff increase between 2022 and 2025. None of those staff members was assigned to handle courthouse matters despite repeated requests from judges, LBI stated. It was not immediately clear how the individual counts under the indictment relate to those allegations.

With days until she leaves the helm of the Sheriff’s Office, the 59-year-old Hutson sat quietly in the courtroom Thursday morning, flanked by Bianka Brown, her chief financial officer and now codefendant. Brown was indicted on 20 counts under the same charging document.

Criminal District Judge Franz Zi-

bilich set bails for both women following Wednesday’s indictments. It’s unclear which judge will end up with the case, but it landed Thursday with District Judge Leon Roche.

Zibilich told Hutson and Brown to turn in their passports and ordered both not to leave the state.

They’re set to be arraigned May 15. Hutson was led out of the courtroom afterward. She issued a statement late Thursday

“I will aggressively ﬁght to clear my name,” Hutson said. “The timing of this indictment is concerning. It will not deter me from pursuing every available legal action to demonstrate that these accusations are unfounded.”

Her attorney, Gregory Carter, described Hutson as feeling “offended” by the indictment.

“I think we all would be caught off guard to come to serve this city, and serve it passionately, and to have something like this happen,” Carter said outside the courtroom

Thursday Sheriff-elect Michelle Woodfork, who unseated Hutson last October, is set to take ofﬁce Monday

A special state grand jury seated for months in Orleans Parish under the direction of prosecutors with Murrill’s ofﬁce levied the bombshell charges Wednesday afternoon in an indictment that lacked key details.

The charges against Hutson include 14 counts of malfeasance in ofﬁce, three counts apiece for obstruction of justice and ﬁling or maintaining false public records, along with 10 related conspiracy charges.

Brown, 40, faces eight malfeasance counts, six charges of filing false public records and three counts apiece for obstruction of justice and conspiracy Hutson and Brown both were booked in Jefferson Parish late Wednesday Hutson made a $300,000 bond, and Brown was released on a $200,000 bond.

NOPD: 6 jailed in St. Claude shootout that killed Marine vet

Police search for seventh suspect

BY MISSY WILKINSON Staff writer

Six people are in jail and a seventh is wanted after a drug feud culminated in a St. Claude shootout that left a Marine Corps veteran dead in the crossfire, the New Orleans Police Department said Thursday Court documents describe a conflict between rival dealers that escalated on April 7, leaving more than 60 shell casings from four firearms scattered across the intersection of North Claiborne Avenue and Desire Street.

One bullet struck Michael Garcia, 41, as he drove to his partner’s house, killing him.

“He served our country and we are so sorry to his family,” NOPD Superintendent Anne Kirk-

REAL ESTATE

Continued from page 1B

mixed-income construction, new multifamily construction is expected to slow over the next two years. There were $584 million in multifamily real estate sales last year thanks to out-of-state buyers purchasing student apartment complexes, compared with $90 million the year prior Student complexes made up $358.8 million in sales, a large market due to the skyrocketing enrollment at LSU Insurance rates for multifamily units have decreased in the past few years from an average of $1,400 per unit in 2023 to an average of $1,100 per unit last year

Davenport predicts rates will continue to fall in 2026.

“Let’s hope there’s no more natural disasters and those insurance rates keep going down, because that just helps properties be able to put more into maintenance and upkeep and all the other expenses that go along with apartments,” he said.

Overall residential new construction was down 11% last year, said Tom Cook of Cook, Moore,

patrick said at a media brieﬁng announcing the most recent arrests.

“He did die as a result of just being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Mother and daughter Bennalynn Ingram, 39, and Mi’janae “Gunna” Ingram, 20, were arrested on accessory to second-degree murder and second-degree murder counts, respectively Also jailed are Alshawn “Osama” Watts, 21, and his uncle, Terrence Leavell, 48. Watts faces seconddegree murder as well as narcotics counts tied to an outstanding warrant. Leavell was booked on manslaughter, possession of a ﬁrearm by a felon and illegal use of weapons.

Caron “Rondo” Fortenberry, 25, and Joshua “Money” Emery, 33 — associates of the Ingrams were both booked on second-degree murder counts.

Byron “BB” Dubose, 23, remains wanted on one count of second-de-

Davenport and Associates. After an average of 30 days on the market, homes sold for a median price of $265,000.

New home sales in East Baton Rouge Parish were down about 11% from the year prior, totaling about $274 million. New home sales in Ascension Parish fell about 18% due to a moratorium on lot development and drainage issues. Livingston Parish saw a small decrease in new home sales at about 5%. Concurrently, new home permits in the Baton Rouge area fell 16.5% from the previous year

The shaky performance is largely due to elevated interest rates, Cook said, which made developers and buyers nervous.

“It was not a banner year for residential last year,” he said.

In 2026, he expects the residential market to stabilize and new construction will slow down.

Developers should keep an eye on the city of St. George, Cook said, as the city solidiﬁes its own planning and zoning processes.

The commission is currently working on rezoning the city, consolidating 45 zoning classiﬁcations to 15, which Cook said could change property values.

“There’s a long way to go,” he said. “Bless their hearts.”

gree murder Investigators say Watts was targeted “due to an ongoing contention between drug dealers” by the Ingrams, Fortenberry, Emery and Dubose, who were driving through the 9th Ward in Bennalynn Ingram’s red Nissan SUV, according to court records.

Fortenberry was driving, with Bennalynn Ingram in the passenger seat, when Dubose spotted Watts at North Claiborne Avenue and Desire Street — an area where, according to an NOPD affidavit Emery was “the predominant drug dealer.” Authorities say Watts had recently cheated Dubose and Fortenberry in a drug deal

Dubose allegedly got out of the SUV and punched Watts, who ﬂed in his blue Nissan Maxima but returned to the intersection a short time later

Both groups dispute who opened ﬁre ﬁrst. Watts told police that everyone in the SUV got out wearing

About 30% of first-time homebuyers and 24% of Generation Z and millennial buyers are using gift or family money to pay for down payments, Jim Purgerson, executive vice president of Citizens Bank and Trust, said. Using gift money requires communication with lenders, Purgerson said, or else deals could be delayed.

Mortgage rates should stay below 7% for the rest of 2026, consistent with the past few months, though the rate is still elevated, he said.

In the industrial market, manufacturing leads the way, accounting for about 20% of tenant demand, said Evan Scroggs of Lee and Associates.

Vacancy rates are creeping up, with a rate of 7.6% at the end of 2025, up from 6.78% in 2024. But, it’s largely concentrated in North Baton Rouge, which holds 66% of vacancies.

He predicts the market will remain tight with minimal inventory of industrial spaces that are more than 50,000 square feet. Scroggs sees tenant demand increasing from the data centers under construction around the state from contractors and subcontractors servicing the facilities.

“If you spend any time on our

masks and ﬁred on him. Those in Ingram’s SUV said Watts pulled up alongside them and ﬁred at the vehicle.

Watts’ uncle, Leavell, who lived around the corner on Gallier Street, allegedly told the NOPD that he’d shot at the SUV to protect his nephew He was arrested that same day on a manslaughter count

As Watts ﬂed the area a second time, he crashed his Nissan into Garcia’s Jeep before running away on foot. Ofﬁcers arriving at around 5 p.m. found Garcia inside the wrecked Jeep with a gunshot wound to the head.

Real-Time Crime Center footage, Instagram records, a clandestinely placed GPS tracker and suspect interviews allowed investigators to develop a timeline of the shooting’s aftermath.

“Gunna” Ingram resumed distributing drugs in the SUV within hours of the murder Though she was grazed in the leg, she had her

market looking for sites to build, we’re just running out of sites,” he said.

Companies in the chemical, advanced manufacturing and clean energy sectors are investing in the Baton Rouge area with $21 million to $23 million in industrial projects under construction. It’s expected to buoy job growth with 21,600 to 23,000 additional jobs projected for the area through 2027, according to economist Loren Scott.

There’s about 5.25 million square feet of ofﬁce space in Baton Rouge, which is small compared with similar markets, Bill Sanders of Lee and Associates said.

Due to high construction costs, existing office space, or second generation space, is becoming more popular Tenants are also shifting around the market and relocating to new spaces.

The strongest submarket is the Essen Lane-Bluebonnet Boulevard corridor, which has 90% overall occupancy rate, outpacing Downtown for the ﬁrst time since 2019. Notable sales in the area included a $21.5 million sale of the United Plaza XII office building to the state.

“It’s not a whole lot of new blood coming into the market, so it’s a lot of the same tenants that are

cousin dig the fragment out at home rather than go to a hospital and risk arrest.

“got ina shoot out and da bullet grazed my leg and ah piece of fragment was in my leg,” she texted a relative after sending a news report about the shooting. She also sent Fortenberry an article about Garcia’s death, along with laughing emojis “F***ed his s*** up,” she wrote.

“Gunna” Ingram was booked Wednesday and is being held on a $1 million bond. Emery was arrested Saturday in a separate domestic violence case and was ordered held without bail at his Gwen’s Law hearing. He was rebooked on a second-degree murder charge, with bail in that case set at $3 million.

Leavell remains jailed on a $700,000 bail. Bail information for the other suspects was not immediately available.

Police are still searching for Dubose.

looking to rightsize and relocate,” Sanders said. In the retail market, tenants are driven to anchored developments, Will Chadwick of JRE Brokerage said where big-box stores and national brands draw shoppers. There was a 8.31% gap between vacancy rates of unanchored centers and that of anchored centers. Retail leasing remains strong, he said, with a large supply of existing space that has emerged through chains such as Bed Bath & Beyond and Conn’s going out of business. The sales of the Towne Center and Perkins Rowe lifestyle centers to out-of-state investors also show the strong demand in the market.

While new construction will slow throughout the market, he expects a slight uptick on construction on existing developments. Developments such as Juban Crossing in Denham Springs, which is set to add Target and Dutch Bros Coffee as tenants, and the expansion of local retailers like City Roots Coffee into additional locations show the strength of the market, Chadwick said.

“We can support local mom-andpop shops, not just one shops, but two, three, four shops all in the same region,” he said.

Obituaries

Bean Jr., Clarence

Clarence Bean, Jr., affectionately known as "Bean", passed away on April 20, 2026, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, at the age of 85. He was born on March 20, 1941, in Ferriday, Louisiana, to the late Clarence Bean, Sr., and Phoebe Lloyd Bean. Bean attended Southern University Laboratory School and graduated with the Class of 1959. He later attended Southern University and A&M College before joining the United States Army from 1961 to 1967. After his military service, Bean built along and respected career with Shell Chemical, where he worked for more than 31 years before retiring.

He is survived by his loving wife of 61 years, Margaret Vavasseur Bean; his son, Brett Bean (Caronda); his daughter-in-law, Susan Bean; his sister, Carolyn Malbrue;his sisters-in -law, Gail Vavasseur Jones, and Deborah (Orna Ray) Shaffers; his brothers-inlaw, Carl White and Benjamin Jones;and his grandchildren, Maitland Elizabeth Bean, Heather Elaine Bean, Blake Joseph Bean, Caelyn WrenaeZeno andBria Delanie Bean. As well as ahost of nieces, nephews,cousins, and friends He was preceded in death by his parents, Clarence, Sr., and Phoebe Lloyd Bean; his son, Walton Joseph Bean; his sister, Gilda McSwain; his brother, Wesley Bean; his brothers-in-law, Clifton Malbrue and Joseph Earl Vavasseur, Jr.; his sisters-in-law, Francis Jean Vavasseur Jeffries and Carolyn Vavasseur White.

Gaither Gilbert, Shirley Mae

Anative &resident of Maringouin, La passed away at the age of 89. A70 year faithful member of Sweet Home Baptist Church. Visitation &religious services are saturday May 2, 2026 at Sweet Home Baptist Church 10300 Church st. Maringouin, La 9am untill 11am services. Conducted by Rev. Belfred T. Pryer. Interment Church Cemetery.Shirley is survived by her loving husband Albert Gilbert, Jr. daughters Pamela Smith,

Connie Percell,Cassandra (Carlos) Scott &Phyllis(Brandon) James.One sister Mary Gaither Lane, OnebrotherRoosevelt (Vanja) Gaither& sister in lawLeona Gilbert. Nine Grandchildren &12Great Grandchildren. Professional servicesEntrusted to A. Wesley's Funeral Home of Maringouin. Like us on Facebook awesleyfuneralh ome@facebook.com

Hirschey, Shirley Bertrand

Shirley died in the early morning of April27, 2026, surrounded by her family

Shewas 89.

Precededindeath by her husband of 70 years, Kenneth, daughterKarole, great-grandson Christopher III, as well as herparents SJ and MaeBertrand hersisterCarol,and brother Arton.

Survived byher sons, Kenny (Lynn), Karl, Konrad Chris (Claire)and daughter Karin Gerace (Tom), 11 grandchildren, 11 great grandchildren and one great grandson expected in June. She is also survived by abrother John Bertrand.

Shegraduated fromSt Anthony High School in 1955.Asa young bride, Shirley was thewifeofa naval officerwhereshe and Ken werestationedin many locations,most notablyNewfoundland, Canada wherethey madelifelongfriendships

Shirleywas afantastic cook and enjoyedfeeding everyone,especially the CatholicHigh Cross Country team whereshe served poboys to everyone there. Shewas amemberofthe Baton Rouge Women's Tennis Association and enjoyedmany years of tennis and made countless friends. She wasanavid LSU sports fanand agolf enthusiast. Above all Shirleytook prideinher family and loved the family beach trips and family gatherings.

Shirley was amemberof the St. Agnes AltarSociety and the loved the masses and breakfasts with the St Agnes Coffee Group.

The family wouldlike to thankthe Gentiva Hospice CareTeam fortheir exceptional care and compassioninShirley's final days. We would like to especially thank Kara,Mel,and Joycelyn.

There willbea visitation in the St. Agnes Parish Hall beginning at 11:30 am until the LatinFuneral Mass at 1:00 pm in the church.

In lieu of flowers, consider amemorial gifttoSt. Agnes Catholic Churchin honor of Shirleyand Ken Hirschey. Donationscan be made at stagnesbr.com.

JohnsonSpain, Gwendolyn Ann

Gwendolyn AnnJohnson Spaindeparted this life on April19, 2026, surrounded by her family and closest friends. She was born September 10, 1960 to the unionofBen and Odeal Courns Johnson. Raisedin alovinghome,she was the youngestoftwo daughters.

Gwendolyn is survived by her husband Henry Earl Spain; daughter NatalieJ Washington; sonLawrence JohnsonSr.,and son Jerrick Johnson; sisterLinda Rogers; five grandchildren;three greatgrandchildren, and ahost of otherfamily and friends. Visitationwillbeheldfrom 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM on 202605-02 at Hall Davis &Sons Funeral Service ,9348 Scenic Hwy.,withthe CelebrationofLife immediately following. Burial willbe held at Winnfield Memorial Garden, 7221 Plank Rd

passed away on April 25, 2026. Born on October30, 1925, to thelate Hartzel and Beatrice Bradford, she was alifelong member of Camphor Memorial United Methodist Church and a graduateofSouthern University(B.S., 1947; M.Ed., 1975).

Moore dedicatednearly 60 years to educationinSt. Helena, East Baton Rouge, and East Feliciana Parishes and was namedTeacher of theYearatJackson Middle Schoolin1996. Arelentless advocate and warriorin thefight against breast cancer, she co-founded Sisters Supporting Sisters and later theLouisiana Coalition of African American Breast CancerSurvivors.

She is survived by her twochildren, one grandson, one great-granddaughter, and ahost of relatives and former students.

ACelebrationofLife will be held on May 2, 2026, at Camphor MemorialUnited Methodist Church. Visitation willbegin at 8:30 a.m., followedbythe DeltaSigma ThetaSorority,Inc. Omega Omega Service at 9:30 a.m.,and theFuneral Service at 11:00 a.m.

Elwood B. Mays, 84, formerly of Dayton, Ohio, was born January10, 1942, passed away on April 20, 2026, in BatonRouge, Louisiana. He is survived by his wife, Mary Wheeler Johnson Mays. Visitation willbeheldSaturday, May 2, 2026, at 8am until religious services at 10 am. Services are entrusted to DesselleFuneral Home 263 EddieRobinsonSr. Drive, Baton Rouge, La. 70802

McCray, ShirleyLondon

ShirleyLondonMcCray departed this life on April 21, 2026, at theage of 83. Viewing willbeheldon Saturday, May 2, 2026, at Apostolic Assembly of Christ,48123 Highway 16, DenhamSprings, La 70706 at 9amuntil thereligious serviceat11am. Rev. Mary Moss willbeofficiating the service. Interment willbe in St.Peter Cemetery.

Arrangementsentrusted to MJR Friendly Service Funeral Home

Moore,JuliaBradford

Julia Bradford Moore, 100, of Baton Rouge,

Morgan Sr., Anthony Windell

AnthonyW.Morgan,Sr. passedonApril 26, 2026, in Baton Rouge,La., Born December 05, 1954.

Acelebration of life service will be held at Freeman Baptist Church in Ethel, La. on Saturday, May 2, 2026 at 11:00am, viewing will be held from9:30am11:00am.

Aburialwill be held at Southern Memorial Gardens Cemetery

day, April 23, 2026. Visitation will be held from10:00 a.m. untilreligiousservice at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, May4,2026 at the Mt. Zion Baptist Church Innercity, 24400 Eleanor Drive Plaquemine,LAconducted by Pastor RicardoHandy, Sr.Interment Grace Memorial Park. She is survivedby: sister:Quinette M. Green and brother: Joseph Murry, III;brotherin-law:MercerLawrence Sr., Aunts, Uncleand ahost of nieces, nephewsand otherrelativesand friends. Shewas preceded in death by herparents: Joseph Jr.and Yvonne K. Murry; two sisters: Joyce MurryLawrence andJosie MurryCosey;nephew: Mercer G. Lawrence, Jr andbrother-in-law: Joe Green,Jr. ServicesentrustedtoPugh's Mortuary, (225) 687-2860.

Murry, Sherall Yvonne

Anative of Plaquemine departed this life on ThursMays, ElwoodBerry

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

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

Truck‘slammer’ scam should spur policy changes

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

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

Laurie Marien GUEST COLUMNIST

Scott Ballard GUEST COLUMNIST

Randy Guillot GUEST COLUMNIST

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

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 the detriment that people 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

PHOTOByHILARy SCHEINUK

Georgein2024. Voters willweigh in on the

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

Nevada baseballdidn’thit theground running when JayJohnson tookoverthe program in 2014.

HOME RIGHT

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

It did not take longfor Martin Emersontofeel like he found the rightplace tocall home.

The free agent cornerback visitedthe NewOrleans 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 wasalready part of the team.

Then he met the coaches and heard exactly what he wanted to hear to makesigning afreeagent contract an easy decision: They believed in him.

BY JEFF DUNCAN Staff writer

The Kentucky Derby will berun for the 152nd time on Saturday at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky

The favorites in the earlybetting pools are The Puma (7-2) and Renegade (4-1), but handicappers expect awide-open race. Since2000, just 28% of morning-lineodds favorites (7 of 25) have won the Run forthe Roses. The 1-2-3 ﬁnishers in the Louisiana Derby —Emerging Market (15-1), Pavlovian(30-1) and Golden Tempo (30-1) —are

“I was ﬁredup,” Emerson said. “Just the same vision, thesame goals. Even coming off this injury,they believe in me, andthat’s all Ineed.”

The 25-year-old Emerson is comingoff aserious 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 astarting role withCleveland.Hebroke up 15 passes during his 2022 rookie season, then enjoyed abreakout 2023 campaign, when he intercepted four passes and broke up 14

also among the contenders.

New Orleansishome to some of thetop horse racing experts in the nation. Each year,Iround up agroupofthem to handicap therace. This year’slineup is excellent, as always:

TOMAMOSS’ANALYSIS AND SELECTIONS: The 2026 Kentucky Derby has adifferent feel to it than last year’srace.Asa handicapper,you’re always looking for value. When Renegade,the post-time favorite and the most talented horse in the race,drewthe No.1post,it leveled

the playing field.The other 19 horses will be jockeying for position out of the gate and pushing down towards the rail to save ground going into the turn.There’sno doubtthat he will be shuffled back in thepackearly and forced to navigate afull field of 20 horsesto reach the front.Think aboutdriving and maneuvering through rush-hour trafficonAirline Highway,and youcan understand the difficulty of that task.Isee this as an opportunity to bet on ahorse offering biggerodds.

The Wolfpack finished that season 15-15 in the Mountain West Conference and 31-28 overall. It washis first season as aDivision Ihead coach, and it’sstill the fewest number of wins Johnson’shad 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 theCollege WorldSeries since, has hit another speed bump in 2026. LSU baseball, with a25-21 overall record and6-15markinSoutheasternConference play,isonthe precipice of missing the NCAA Tournament forthe first timesince 2011, heading into this weekend’sseries withSouth Carolina beginning on Friday (6:30 p.m., SEC Network+).

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 atriooftwo-gamesets

STAFF FILE PHOTOByMICHAEL

LSUcoachJay Johnson stands just outside the dugout during agame against Sacramento State on March 7atAlex Box Stadium.

1. Chief Wallabee (8-1): Chief Wallabee was most recentlyaveryclose third in the Florida Derby. Kelly Clarkson famously sang,“What doesn’t kill youmakes youstronger,” and when it comes to thoroughbred racing,competition in defeat leads to improvedfuture performance.

2. Further Ado (6-1): He was very impressivein winning the BluegrassStakes by astunning 11 lengths.Aneffortsimilar to that one puts him right there at the finish line. He has tactical speed, which will allowhim to be in averygood spot early,asthe

Former Cleveland Browns cornerbackMartin Emerson runs on the field during apractice at theteam’straining camp on July 25 in Berea,Ohio. Emerson signed afreeagent contract withthe Saints. AP FILEPHOTO

By DAVID RICHARD

JOHNSON

Steven Milam LSU Baseball, Infielder

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.”

LSU, Wade have quiet recruiting start

BY TOYLOY BROWN III Staff writer

Low key is one way to de-

scribe LSU’s offseason so far under coach Will Wade.

Kentucky transfer Mo Dioubate is the only player who has committed to the program since the college basketball transfer portal window opened on April 7.

Since Wade returned to Baton Rouge on March 26, nine players with eligibility from last year’s team entered the portal. The team’s two high school signings under former coach Matt McMahon reopened their recruitment, which is normal after a coaching change, and 22-year-old guard Owen Foxwell, who played in the National Basketball League in Australia, decommitted and signed to Wisconsin.

Not much has happened besides the hiring of three assistant coaches — Rick Stansbury, Johnny Jones and Damon Stoudamire. The slow start in building the next team comes after Wade said at his March 30 introductory press conference that turning LSU into a success will happen sooner rather than later

“We’re going to build a winning program, and we’re going to build this thing quick,” Wade said. “This is not something that’s going to take long. We’re going to get in that portal when it opens next (Tuesday), and we’re going to put together a winner because everybody in here deserves a winner.”

A source with knowledge of the team’s situation told The Advocate that there’s no internal concern with the lack of commits thus far LSU, like any other team, can continue to add players later in the summer Typically, teams have most, if not all, of their scholarship players in June before summer workouts

When the portal closed on April 21, that meant college players could no longer make themselves available to join a new team.

How does LSU compare?

LSU is the only high-major

basketball team with one player on its roster projected for the 2026-27 season. Florida is the other SEC team with just a single transfer However, it has a high school and international signee slated and several returners. The other high-major teams with one transfer commit are Michigan State, Illinois, Purdue and Virginia. In all those cases, they have more than one player for next year’s roster because they return multiple players, have high school signees or both.

Stanford is the only highmajor team with no players acquired in the transfer portal or internationally yet. The Atlantic Coast Conference school does have ﬁve high school signees.

Wade added players gradually during his lone season at NC State. When the portal opened on March 24 last year, he added his first commitment 11 days

later Dioutbate committed to LSU 14 days after the transfer window began. NC State had three commitments after the same amount of time had passed since the transfer window started.

The Tigers’ slow start in the portal means that many of the most sought-after talents are no longer on the market.

Eight players remain uncommitted on The Athletic’s top 100 transfer portal players list as of Thursday Four are ranked in the top six, and they are all early entrants for the 2026 NBA Draft. The deadline for college players to withdraw from the draft is May 27. One of those top players is Santa Clara transfer forward Allen Graves, who is from Ponchatoula. LSU is interested in the redshirt freshman, according to reports from On3 and 247Sports. His older brother, Marshall Graves, played for Wade at LSU from 2017-20.

International recruiting

While the depth of talent in the portal is shallower over three weeks since player movement began, Wade and company can still acquire talent internationally

The same source with knowledge of the team’s situation told The Advocate that LSU is trying to recruit overseas players. Finding talent outside of traditional high school and college pathways has grown in popularity after the advent of NIL, but Wade doesn’t have an extensive track record of attracting highlevel non-American players, dating back to his ﬁrst stint at LSU (2017-22).

Wade had two international freshmen at NC State. One didn’t appear in any game action and the other, Musa Sagnia from The Gambia, averaged 2.3 points in 34 games. At McNeese State (2023-25), Wade had one Latvian and one Canadian player on his teams. Both were upperclassmen who averaged less than four points and transferred from a different college.

Across Wade’s first five seasons at LSU, he had only two non-American players play for him: Australian forward Duop Reath and British forward Kavell Bigby-Williams. Reath was the second-leading scorer (12.5) during the 2017-18 season, which was Wade’s ﬁrst year in Baton Rouge. Reath’s ﬁrst season with the Tigers was the previous year under coach Jones.

Bigby-Williams, originally from London, played a year at Oregon before transferring to LSU during the 2018-19 season. He was the team’s second leading rebounder (6.7).

While practically the entire team is unknown, two things are certain. Wade said he’ll have a “heavy hand” in creating the team. He is also comfortable with the resources at his disposal.

“We’re going to win, and we’ve got the resources that we need to compete in the SEC,” Wade said on March 30. “At the end of the day that’s all we can ask. Then it’s on me to get the job done. It’s on me to make it happen.”

Knicks crush Hawks in record-setting Game 6

BY MAURA CAREY AP sportswriter

ATLANTA OG Anunoby scored 29 points in 27 minutes, KarlAnthony Towns had his second triple-double of the series and the New York Knicks had their biggest playoff victory in franchise history, overwhelming and eliminating the Atlanta Hawks 140-89 in Game 6 on Thursday night.

NBA playoff roundup

The Knicks broke several NBA records by halftime. Their 40-15 lead at the end of the ﬁrst quarter marked the largest of the shot clock era. Their 47-point halftime lead was the biggest in playoff history New York’s 51-point win tied for the sixth-largest margin of victory in NBA postseason history

Dyson Daniels and Mitchell Robinson were ejected after ﬁghting following a pair of free throws from Anunoby that gave the Knicks a 50-point lead in the second quarter

The Knicks exceeded 100 points with 8:21 remaining in the third quarter New York’s start-

ers were done for the night with 2:45 remaining in the third.

Anunoby scored 26 of his points in the first half. Mikal Bridges ﬁnished with 24. Towns, five days after becoming the fourth Knicks player with a playoff triple-double, had 12 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.

The Hawks were 12 for 39 from the field in the first half and 4 for 18 from 3-point range. Atlanta had 14 turnovers in the first half. Jalen Johnson led the Hawks with 21 points. Nickeil Alexander-Walker, CJ McCollum and Jonathan Kuminga each had 11 points.

The Knicks will face the winner of the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers series in the Eastern Conference semiﬁnals.

76ERS 106, CELTICS 93: In Philadelphia Tyrese Maxey scored 30 points, a resurgent Paul George had 23 points and a Philadelphia 76ers’ team that lost by 32 points twice in this ﬁrst-round playoff series played their most complete game of the season and forced Game 7 with a 106-93 win over the Boston Celtics on Thursday night.

The decisive game is Saturday in Boston. Uplifted by Joel Embiid’s early

return from an appendectomy, the Sixers rebounded from two blowout losses to win Game 5 in Boston and were buoyed by a throwback effort from George to keep a comfortable lead in Game 6 Embiid did his part in Game 6 with 19 points. The play of the game and maybe the series — came in the third when Kelly Oubre Jr blocked Jaylen Brown, Maxey scooped the loose ball and fed to George on the break who then dazzled with a behind-the-back pass to VJ Edgecombe who ﬁnished with a thunderous dunk for a 69-54 lead

A night after the Flyers won in overtime to advance to the second round of the NHL playoffs, Sixers fans cut loose after that slam. The 76ers will only go as far as Embiid can take them on his injury-prone 7-foot frame and Maxey is a bona fide All-Star Edgecombe’s youthful exuberance made a fan favorite in Philly and an NBA Rookie of the Year ﬁnalist.

Lost in the shuffle at times is the 35-year-old George — in large part this season because of a 25-game suspension for ﬂunking a drug test — who has

deferred to the other three Sixers when needed yet can still ﬂash that All-Star form. George hit a team-high five 3s that all stretched the lead and the offense ran through him when Embiid — still recovering from his early April surgery — was on the bench.

George signed with the Sixers in the summer of 2024 on a fouryear $212 million free-agent contract and was expected to form a 1-2 championship punch with Embiid. George was instead derailed by injuries, personal issues and the suspension that had him forgotten at times by fans and in the offense. Not against Boston. He keyed Philadelphia’s game of the season, a stunner given how the Celtics toyed with them in their three wins this series. The Celtics never led in Game 6. Brown was hampered by three fouls in the ﬁrst half and ﬁnished with 18 points. Jayson Tatum had 17 for the Celtics and left in third quarter with an apparent calf injury

The Celtics went more than 4 minutes without a point to close the third and the Sixers stormed into the ﬁnal quarter with an 8263 lead.

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 FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Will Wade talks about his journey back to LSU as the mens basketball coach during an introductory press conference on March 30 at the PMAC in Baton Rouge.

LSUtohostNCAA tennis regionals

BY CHARLESSALZER

Contributing writer

The LSU men’sand women’s tennis teams have each had varying levels of success throughthe years, but they have rarely been relevant on the national scene in the same season.

This spring has beenanexception. Both LSU tennis teamsﬁnished the season in the top 10 of theITA rankings, and both will serve as regional hosts this weekendin theﬁrstroundofthe NCAA tennis tournament at the LSU Tennis Complex.

TheLSU men(25-6) areseeded seventh in the 64-team field and begin play Friday against Alabama State (10-9) at 5p.m. Pepperdine (17-9) and Michigan (13-10) square off at 2p.m. to open the regional.

The men’swinners willplay at 5p.m. Saturday for achance to move into the round of 16.

For the LSU women (19-9), the opening opponent will be Stephen F. Austin (11-8) forthe second consecutive year.LSU defeated SFA4-0 last year,a winthatstarted the Tigers’ run to the national

semifinals. LSUreached thenational semifinals for the first time in program history before losing 4-2 to North Carolina.

This year,LSU is seeded 10th overall, and will play SFAat2 p.m. Saturday.The regional gets started when TCU (20-4) and Rice (17-6) play at 11 a.m. in the ﬁrst match of the day “There were alot of ﬁrsts last yearwith the NCAA finish,conference win totals and total wins, so Icertainly think we’vetried to build on that,”LSU women’s coach TaylorFogleman said.“We haven’thad too many valleysbut if you hadasked ourgirls before the SEC tournament,Idon’tthink theywould have said there were an immense amount of peaks.”

That changedatthe SECtournament when LSU defeated topranked Georgia 4-1 in the semiﬁnals. LSUlost 4-2 to Auburn in the championshipmatch, but it went 4-1atthe tournament including three winsover ranked opponents.

TheLSU womenare led by sophomores Cadence Braceand Kayla Cross, theirtop two performers from last season. Brace, an AllAmerican,and Cross will play No.

1and No. 2singles, and will also form theTigers top doubles team.

An abundanceofavailable playershas also been afactor for the men’s team, which recorded two of itsbiggest wins of the season amid athird-place SEC ﬁnish. The Tigerswon 4-3 at second-ranked Texas4-3 on March 6, and then defeated No. 12 Georgia 4-3 in the semiﬁnals of the SEC tournament.

The win over Georgia was LSU’s ﬁrst over the Bulldogs since 1999 andhelpedthe Tigers post their highest wintotal since that same year

“We’ve won alot of different ways, but we feel conﬁdent at all six singles and allthreedoubles spots,”LSU men’s coach Danny Bryan said. “Do we win there every time? No, but we don’tfeel like we have any holes in our lineup. I thinkthat’s really been thekey for us gettingtofour points.”

The LSU men feature top player OlafPieczkowski, who edged teammate Erik Aritiunian for honorsasthe SECfreshman of the year.Sophomore Andrej Loncarevic, who Bryan calls the most improved player in thecountry, has also been afactor

Dunham to name newpracticeﬁeld afterStingleyJr.

BY JACKSON REYES Staff writer

Dunham’snew practice ﬁeld beingbuilt will be namedafterone of its greatest players, the school announced Thursday

The field will be named “Derek Stingley Jr.Field,” and it will be anew turf practice field located on the school’scampus. The formerLSU cornerback and current memberofthe Houston Texans madeadonation to the school for thefield, according to the post.

Construction on thefieldwill begin in Mayand the school expectsittobeready in August.

“It is worth noting that Derek’s gift represents the largest single alumni donation in school history,

making it possible forustocomplete this project andname the ﬁeld,” Dunham wrote in apost. Stingley,aconsensus All-American at LSU, was also astandout player forDunham, where he won the LSWA’sMr. Football award in 2018.

“I am happy to give back to a place that generously invested in me,providing me with the foundation to embarkonmyjourney as ayoung man in this world,” Stingley said in the newsrelease. Dunhamcoach Neil Weiner thanked Stingley

“Derek made his name on the field,” Weiner wrote. “Now,his name will be on the ﬁeld —impacting future Tigers foryears to come!”

PREP REPORT

■ No. 7HolyCross at No. 2Catholic, Catholic leads 1-0after 3-2victory Thursday; Game 2, 1p.m. Saturday; Game 3tofollow Game 2* DivisionIIselect ■ No. 9St. Michael at No.1Vandebilt Catholic, 3p.m.Saturday; 3p.m.Sunday; 5:30 p.m. Sunday DivisionIII select ■ No. 9Parkview Baptist at No. 1University,2 p.m. Saturday; 1:30 p.m. Sunday; Game

BY JACKSON REYES Staff writer

PROVIDED PHOTO

LSU tennis star Erik Arutiunian reacts during atennis match earlier this year

STAFF FILE

PHOTOByHILARy SCHEINUK

Former Dunham great Derek StingleyJr. looksonfrom the sideline before kickoff against Capitol on Oct. 12, 2018, at Memorial Stadium.

PHOTO By PATRICK DENNIS

KENTUCKY DERBY

Fulleffortscratched from Kentucky Derby

BY STEPHENWHYNO AP sportswriter

LOUISVILLE, Ky.— Fulleffort was scratched fromSaturday’s Kentucky Derby because of achip in his left hind ankle, thelatestdeparture from theﬁeld of 20 horses roughly 24 hours after Silent Tactic was ruledout Race officials announced the changeThursday,and trainer Brad Cox told The Associated Press that Fulleffort will undergo surgery and is expected to recover and return to racing. Cox said an Xray revealedﬂuid in the ankle and called it an easy decision because Fulleffort showed some lameness.

“That’spart of the game,” Cox said. “It was aproblem that needed to be addressed.”

Fullefort’sexitmeansjockey TylerGaffalione will have towaitfor another chance to win therace for the ﬁrst time. Cox went into the week with three Derbyhorses andisnow down to two: Commandment andP-

DERBY

Continued from page1C

horses pass the grandstand for the ﬁrst time.

3. Renegade (4-1): He isthe most talented horse in the ﬁeld,but it would not be surprising for the connections to walk away from this year‘s Kentucky Derbyknowing theyran the best horse, only to lose because of trafﬁc issues. He will need the HorseGods on his sideto have aclean trip.

Long shot –Wonder Dean (30-1): The Japanese have put tremendouseffort in trying to winthe Kentucky Derby, and makenomistake, theywill accomplish that goal. It should’vehappened two years agowith Foreveryoung,who encountered trafﬁc issues down the stretch. Foreveryoung is nowconsidered thebest older dirthorse in the world. (TomAmosswasoneoftheleading thoroughbredtrainersinNorthAmerica beforesteppingdownearlierthisyear TheNewOrleansnativeisalsoalongtime racinganalystatFoxSports.)

MICHAEL BEYCHOK’S ANALYSIS AND SELECTIONS: My top pick last year finishedfourth at averygood priceof 18-1. If Iimprove on that result this year an “in the money” finish is guaranteed As usual, the Kentucky Derbypresents handicappers with adifficult and challenging puzzle to solve for the winner, butlet’sgiveit agoand trytoget home a long-shot winner

1. Incredibolt (20-1): Incredibolt has wontwo races overthe quirky Churchill Downs racetrack.When he wonthe Street Sense takes in October,I said then to myself,“Self, this is my Derbyhorse. Incredibolt ran astinker in his ﬁrst start as a3-year-old but followedthat effort with awin going alonger distance in the Virginia Derby. He is owned by PinOak Stud, which has roots in Baton Rouge through the Bernhard family.What a storyitwould be if this horse could win for his late owner Jim Bernhard and his wife, Dana, and son, Ben. It would truly be incredible, and I’m betting on it on Saturday.

2. Chief Wallabee (8-1): His trainer,Bill

ä KentuckyDerby.

Further Ado. “I love ‘em,” Cox said. “Bothhad agreat morning. I’m excited about Saturday.”

With Fulleffort out, Ocelli draws in off the also-entered list. Trainer Whit Beckmanfound outafter the coltgalloped at Churchill Downs around7:15 a.m.

“I kind of had the expectation all alongthat if you’re within acouple spots that you have achance,” Beckman said. “Especially in this day and age, it just seems there’s always alot of changesfromthe time we draw to the time we run. We were kind of quietly conﬁdent that things wouldgoour way.”

Beckmanhas been training Ocelli all along as though the colt would be participating in theDerby. Ocelli is coming off athird-place ﬁnish in the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct

Mott, wonthis race last year.and his son, Riley, trains our top selection. Mott has nowwon twoKentucky Derbies, so he knows howtoget ahorse to peak on the ﬁrst SaturdayinMay.Thisone looks like he is peaking

3. DanonBourbon (20-1): Ahorse from Japan always adds alittle mysterytothe Derbystory, and this horse is undefeated in three starts, racing solely in Japan. Forever young,anotherJapanese horse, provedtwo years agothe quality of the 3-year-oldsinthe FarEast can compare to the U.S. horses. It’shard to predict just howgood this one is, but if he is as good or better than the previous Japanese entrantstothe Derby, then he ﬁtsright in as along shot.

Long shot— Emerging Market(15-1): TheLouisiana Derbywinner maynot be a long, long shot, but he is deserving of a mention. Undefeated after just twostarts, histrainer,Chad Brown, surely thinks enoughofhis rawtalent to give the Derby ashot. I’ll certainly include him in most of my exotic plays.

(MichaelBeychokisaseniorpartnerof OursoBeychokInc.,anaward-winning nationalpoliticalconsultingﬁrmbased inLouisiana,andthe2012National HandicappingChampionshipand 2012EclipseAwardwinnerforbest handicapper.)

KEVIN KILROY’S ANALYSISAND SELECTIONS:Each year,a bigpartof handicapping the Kentucky Derbyis figuring out which prepraces had the bestfieldsand then using horses out of those racesinyour wagers. Isee Gulfstream and Fair Grounds as the key prep seriesfeaturing thebest 3-yearolds.While the Arkansas Derbyand the Blue Grass Stakes showcased talented winners, the horsesthat Renegade and Further Ado beatare very suspect. 1. Commandment(6-1): Thiscolt is built like atank and is willing and able to bully through tight spots to split horses. Perfect in four starts since his sprint debut, he’s passedevery distance test he has faced, overcome difficult trips andbeaten legitimate DerbycontendersinThe Puma and Chief Wallabee.With awin at Churchill Downs on his résumé, we know he handles the track, and in his works as

Horse racing in Japanisonthe rise

BY STEPHENWHYNO AP sportswriter

LOUISVILLE,Ky. As horse racing grapples with an uncertain future in the U.S. with tracksclosing and legalizedsports bettingtaking away something that made the sport unique,there is aplace in the world where it’sgetting increasingly popular and turning out signiﬁcantly better competition

Japan is pouring tons of money into everything from breeding to training and racing, with aturn to dirt-track runners over the past decade or so after turf was the focusfor so long. Following anear miss with Forever Young in 2024, theinvestment could soon pay off in the form of aKentucky Derby winner,with DanonBourbon and homebred Wonder Dean thecountry’shopesinthe race this year

“Weare gettingcloser,”racing manager Hiroshi Ando told The Associated Press outside the Japanese horses’ barn Thursday “For Japan, Ithink we’re able to change Japanese racing history again, like we didwith Forever Young in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Our ambition is the Kentucky Derby right now,ifpossible.”

to Japan to stand as astallion. He was Japan’s leading sire for 13 consecutive years from 19952007, and his ancestors have won races all over the world. Interest in mainstream dirt racingrampedupa littleafter that, around thetimeVictoire Pisa delivered Japan’sfirst Dubai World Cup championship in 2011. American Pharoah, who won the Derby,Preakness andBelmont Stakesin2015 to enda 37-year Triple Crown drought, is in Japan breeding until July

“Obviously he produced alot of good horses in Japan, too, so Japanese people love American Pharoah babies,” Ando said. “I’m really interested to see how his babies perform because we have manygood Japanese mares.”

Race Track on April 4.

“He’sbeentraining great since we got back here from New York after theWood,” Beckman said. “Around the barn, he’sa very mature, easygoing horse. Sometimes he could be alittle quirky on the track, but it seemslike we’re getting alittle bit close to perfection every time.

Ocellifollows Great White into the ﬁeld, who got in Wednesday when Silent Tactic was scratched because of afoot injury.Like Great White’s JohnEnnis, Beckman was unsureif he’d have ahorseinthe Derby but wasunbothered by the situation.

“The certainty of it to me was morestressful because things can only go wrong,” Beckman said. “In this case, when thingscan only go rightand if somethingdid go wrong, well, it didn’tmatter:We weren’tinthe race anyway Coming in knowing you could —maybe, maybenot —go, you just kindof letthe cards fall and let the universe do itsthing.”

well as his races, he runs evenly through everycall.

2. Golden Tempo (30-1): We’ve watched Golden Tempotakeshapeat Fair Grounds, backing up his maiden scorewith an electric last-to-ﬁrst win in the Lecomte. His nonchalance out of the gate and late-running style areconcerns in the Kentucky Derby, butsince we last sawhim runthirdinthe Louisiana Derby, he has trained more aggressively and shows up at Churchill as chiseled as I’ve ever seen him.

3. Incredibolt (20-1): Hisvictoryinthe Virginia Derby ranks at thetop of my list of visually impressiveprepwins. Buried in traffic for muchofthe race, Incredibolt accelerated when daylight opened in the stretch and drewawayfrom the field putting hisclass and push-button speed on full display.Interms of speed figures, he would need amajor step forward to beat the best we’veseen from his rivals, buthis jockey,Jaime Torres, toldmehe had alot more horse than we sawat Colonial Downs, leading me to believe that areasonable move forwardputs him right there withthis group. Long shot –Fulleffort(20-1): No horse hastouted himself on the track over the last twoweeksmorethan Fulleffort. Relaxed yetproducing sharp times in his drills, Fullefforthas been galloping with an alpha energythat Ilook for in horses readytofire the best race of their careers. He overcameaspeed-favoring track at TurfwayPark to win the Jeff Ruby, and similar to Final Gambit last year,I believe he is amust-use in the thirdand fourth slots of anytrifecta or superfecta youplay. (KevinKilroyisaracinganalystatthe FairGroundsRaceCourseandChurchill Downs.Heisatwo-timeNational HorseplayersChampionshipqualifier finishing21stin2021.)

PATRICK MCGOEY’S ANALYSIS AND SELECTIONS: 1. Incredibolt (20-1): The son of Bolt D’oro is improving at the right time, coming off apowerful closing win in the Virginia Derby at the 11/8-mile distance.His latest Churchill work was smooth and efﬁcient,and he already owns atwo-turnwin over thistrack in last fall’sStreet Sense Stakes. From post No. 11, he should work out astalking trip

The ambitionfor alonger period of time hasbeen theArc De Triomphe on grass in Paris, because Japan’sroots in racing are on turf.

The Japanese Racing Association launched the Japan Cup in 1981 to promote the sport and get more nationalinterest in it, and it has become therichest turf race in the world with apurse of $8.2 million.

“Wetried to learn alot of things from the techniques and lots of things from foreigncountries, not onlyU.S. —from European countries,” said TomHashimoto, general manager of theJRA’s New York Representative Ofﬁce. “Developed not in ashortperiod, (but) we make it.Ittook step by step and learn from other countries,and now we areverylucky to have so many good thoroughbreds.”

That history of quality thoroughbreds there dates to the early‘90s, when 1989 Kentucky Derby,Preakness and Breeders’ CupClassicwinner Sunday Silence drewlittle breeding interest in the U.S. and was exported

behind the main pace, whichﬁts his onerunstyle in aﬁeld with plenty of speed. He needs to improve to winthis race. But 20–1 Morning Line odds are generous for ahorse that is peaking and provenat Churchill. Pulling hard for the Bernhard family (and young trainer RileyMott) to bring the DerbytrophytoLouisiana.

2. Chief Wallabee (8-1): He is lightly racedbut moving forward with everystart, and Bill Mott is one of the best in the worldatpointing ahorse for aspecific race.This colt wasn’t on an early Derby plan, but he jumped up after his maiden win, just missing in the Gulfstream preps, the last being asolid third in the Florida Derby.Hehas trained sharply at Churchill, including arecent five-furlong move in a minuteflat with blinkers added to keep him focused.With only three starts,he has plenty of upside to step forward again on Derbyday.Wejust sawthe Fitzpatrick brothers win the Zurich Classic; we might justsee father-and-son Mott runone-twointhe Kentucky Derby.

3. Further Ado (6-1): Further Ado owns the highestspeed ratings in thefield and is bred to runa mile and aquarter,asason of GunRunner.Heabsolutely dominated the Blue Grass Stakes by 11 lengths and is amajor playerifhecan repeat his Keeneland performances at Churchill. Hall of Famer John Velazquez taking the mount adds to the appeal, especially with the parallels to Authentic: same Spendthrift connections, similar forwardrunning style and breaking from the samepost 18 slot Velazquezusedtowin the 2020 Derby.If he breaks clean and cansit atrackingtrip just offthe leaders, he should getfirst run on the deep closers and have abig shot at winning Long shot —Emerging Market (15-1): Emerging Market fitsthe Louisiana theme and is one of the mostintriguing,lightly racedcolts in the race. He is 2-for-2 stretching out from asharp maiden win at Tampatoagritty victoryinthe Louisiana Derby at 1-3/16 miles, so the Derby distance is well within his scope. Flavien Prat, whohas consistently delivered in Triple Crownraces, signed on here instead of sticking withFlorida Derbywinner Commandment, whichspeaksvolumes about howlivethis horse is.The last horse to win the Derbywithonly twostarts was

While the resultofhis stay in Japan won’tbeevident for afew years, thecountryischurningout stronghorses on aregular basis, coming along way from its debut Ski Captain ﬁnishing 14th in 1995. Master Fencer in 2019 andDerma Sotogake in ‘23 each were sixth,and Forever Young wasavery close thirdtwo years agowhenMystik Dan beat Sierra Leone by anose. The posttime just before7 p.m. at Churchill Downsmakes the KentuckyDerby aﬁrstSunday morning in Mayevent in Japan, and all the horsescoming from there running in it is makingfanstakenotice.

“Last coupleyears, Japanese racing peopleunderstand theKentucky Derby,”Ando said.“Even the public knowsthe Kentucky Derby now,which is great for betting, great for the industry.” Ando just wantstokeep experiencing the Derby, whichhecalled the best atmosphere in racing and addictive. The chance to have aJapanese presence almostannually is certainlynoaccident, given howintentional Japanesestakeholders have been about getting to theelitelevel of thesport.

“Theimportantthing is, how does the money fund the horse racing industry as awhole?” Hashimoto said. “Not only the racing: breeding, training, training, training and racing and back to breeding. We have to invest the money to all the aspects of horse racing.”

Leonatus in 1883. But at a15–1 morning line, Emerging Marketisexactly the kind of lightly raced with big upside long shot whocan blowupthe exotics. (PatrickMcGoeyisacommerciallitigator fromNewOrleansandwonthe2011& 2012Breeders’CupBettingChallenge and2018KentuckyDerbyBetting Challenge.)

JEFF DUNCAN’S ANALYSIS AND SELECTIONS: Ilack astrong conviction for thisyear’srace, the wayI did with Sovereignty ayear ago.The race seems to have several win-worthycontenders with no true standout.When in doubt,I relyon my tried-and-true formula, whichwinnows the ﬁeld down to the horses that have proventheycan runa 100-plus Beyer Speed Figure, whichistraditionally what is needed to winthe Derby.

1. Further Ado (6-1): Trainer Brad Cox has neverhad ahorse crossthe finish line first in the Kentucky Derby, but this couldbehis year.Hehas three quality prospects,led by thisspeedyson of Gun Runner.Further Ado owns the fastest BeyerSpeed Figure (106) in the field. If rider John Velazquez can gethim intoa good stalking position intothe first turn, Ithink he will pounceonthe restofthe field at the top of the stretch.

2. Chief Wallabee (8-1): This talented Bill Mott-trainee has done nothing wrong in three career starts and lookspoised to makeajump to anew lifetime best performance.That’swhat it will taketo win the Derbyinonly his fourth lifetime start. In Mott, we trust.

3. Emerging Market (15-1): The Louisiana Derbywinner is lightly raced and will trytobecome the ﬁrsthorse in modernhistorytowin the Derbyafter only twolifetime starts.Trainer Chad Brown is extremely high on him and wouldn’t have entered him in the race if he didn’t think he couldwin.

Long shot –Fulleffort(20-1), Golden Tempo (30-1): Whypickone when two will do? Not sureeither is fast enough to win, but Iamconﬁdent both will getthe distanceand can hit the board.They’re trained by twoofthe best conditionersin the sport, Cox and Cherie DeVaux. Iwill throwboth of thesecolts intomytrifecta and superfecta bets.

PRESS PHOTO By CHARLIE RIEDEL

CardinalscontinuetobeatPirates aceSkenes

BY WILL GRAVES AP sportswriter

PITTSBURGH The almost maniacal preparation Paul Skenes pours into every start is alreadythe stuff of legend, just two years into his career

Still, even the Pittsburgh Pirates ace knows no matter how his pregame routine goes, he’snever really sure what kind of stuff he’s going to haveonagiven day until he steps onto the moundand the leadoff hitter steps into the box.

Many times, such as last week in Milwaukee, it’snearly perfect. Then there are afternoons like Thursday against St. Louis, when thecommand that seems to come so easily looks far more ordinary than extraordinary Skenes’ third pitch of the game landed in the right-field seats at PNCPark courtesy of Cardinals rookie JJ Wetherholt. Three batters later,Jordan Walker turned on asweeper that didn’tsweep and sent it into the first row of bleachers in left to give the Cardinals the early momentum on their way to a10-5 victory and afour-game sweep The loss dropped Skenes (4-2) to 0-5 against the Cardinals, though that number is alittle misleading. His career ERA versus St. Louis sits at 2.95, even after allowing five runs, four earned, in his first rocky performance since abumpy openingday in New York against theMets.

That number is telling of the almost impossibly high standard

Skenes has set for himselfduring his rapid rise from ﬁrst overall draft pick to arguably the best pitcher in thegame

“Nobody expectsmore out of Paul Skenesthan Paul does out of himself,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “I think when he has a game like today or the opener,we have to ﬁndaway to pick him,be-

ARBOGAST

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By CHARLES REX

LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman, left, applaudsyasir Al-Rumayyan, Governor of PublicInvestmentFund of SaudiArabia, at the LIV Golf InvitationalChicagotournament on Sept.18, 2022, in SugarHill, Ill.

SaudiArabiapulling its funding from LIVGolf

BY EDDIE PELLS

AP national writer

The billionaires in Saudi Arabia are pulling the plug on LIVGolf. It won’tbethe ﬁrst mega sports project they’ve givenuponrecently Over the last several weeks, the Saudis have bailed on aWinter Olympics-style sports festival and sold one of their best soccer teams, all while shifting the strategy of theirmultibillion-dollarinvestment fund that bankrollsitall.

The Saudi Public Investment Fund, helmed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, recently delivered anew prospectus outlining its strategy for 2026-30. The strategy focuses on moreinternal investment while“maximizing financial returns,strengthening investment efﬁciency and increasing private sector participation.” The ultimate goal is to fulfill the prince’s“Vision2030,” which seekstoenhanceand overhaul Saudi Arabia’sinfrastructure and make tourism amore focal point of an oil-based economy It follows an era in which the fund poured staggering sums of money into various sports ventures around theworld. Soccer has been acenterpiece—the country is hosting the 2034 World Cup, while PIF owns amajoritystakein Newcastle of the Premier League and bolsters the Saudi Pro League. The fund has also spent big on men’sand women’spro tennis, Formula 1, boxing and more.

LIV Golf, though not the most expensive, is thehighest profile among them; the fund has reportedly poured some $5 billion into LIV without receiving any return

“For the past two years, we’ve seen the beginning of the scaling back of some of the mega projects that were announced in 2021, 2022,” Kristian Ulrichsen, a Middle East expert at Rice University’sBaker Institute for Public Policy

“That’sexactly when LIV Golf began, as well.” LIV Golf has new leadership and anew business strategy

The PIF announced Thursday it

would withdraw funding for LIV Golf after2026, ending weeks of speculation and reporting that the Saudiswere about to cut the cord. YasirAl-Rumayyan,the PIF governor whowas behind the creation of LIV Golf, is no longer listed as chairmanof LIVGolf amid reports he hasresigned from that role.

Staff and players have been aware for the last two weeks the PIFwas only goingtosupport LIV Golf through the end of this year

LIV responded with anew board and aplan to diversify intoaninvestment model with hopes of ﬁndinglong-term partners.

ThePIF’sdeep pockets were integral forLIV in prying some of thesport’sbest players from the PGA Tour.Itspent $1 billion to land the likesofBryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, PhilMickelson,Cameron Smith and eventually Jon Rahm, thelast big signing at theend of 2023.

In an interview earlier this week with The Wall Street Journal, PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp said: “We’re interestedinhaving thebest players who can help our tour. Notevery playercan do that.”

Already,ﬁve-time major winner Koepka has moved back to the tour from LIV,and Masters champion Patrick Reed plans to return later this year.

In asignofthe times, Saudis scale back multibillion-dollar plans forsuper-city Aboutthreemonths ago, Saudi Arabiascaled backplans fora futuristicsuper-city project called TheLine insideabigger project called“Neom”that was supposed to span more than 100 miles and runfrom theRed Seaacross the desert mountains.

Onefeature of the project was a resort calledTrojena,which was envisioned as ayear-round skiresort that would host the 2029 Asian WinterGames (which themselves were moved instead to Kazakhstan). It could have served as a dress rehearsal for future Olympics or,atthe very least,the 2034 World Cup that has already been awarded to thekingdom.

cause he picks us up all the time.”

Yetgiven achancetoput ahaltto Pittsburgh’sﬁrst rough patch this season, Skenes didn’tquite have it. He fell behind Wetherholt 2-0 before theSt. Louis second baseman turned on a95mph fastball —a tick below theusual 98-99 range Skenes sits at —and laced it into theseats above the Roberto Clem-

SAINTS

Continuedfrom page1C

as a12-game starter

But Emerson missed the entire 2025 season, which also happened to be theﬁnal year of his rookie contract.

The recovery wastough, Emerson said. He spent nearly two months on bed rest,where he “couldn’twalk, couldn’t(do) nothing” and needed help to get out of hisbed.But theforced time away from the game also allowed Emerson time to slow down and focus on other areas he might otherwise not exercise.

Whenhecouldn’twork with hisbody, he trained his mind. He read self-helpbooks, listing titles such as “48 Laws of Power” and “Why theBest are theBest.” And nowthathe’srecovered,he feels faster than he did before.

“That year built me up in agood way,honestly,” Emersonsaid. “I

LSU

Continuedfrom page1C

to Tulane,Ole Miss andMississippi State.

“Thegoalistowin all three games this weekend,”Johnson said. “That’swhere my focus is at.It’swhere the team’sfocus is It’swhere Iwant the team’sfocus to be.”

LSUfinds itself in uncharted territory,especially for aprogram that is coming offtwo national championships in three years and entered the season as theNo. 2team in the country.But as unusual as this season has been for LSU, it’salsoonpace to be an outlier on Johnson’srésumé.

In 12 seasons as aDivisionI head coach, Johnsonhas only missed theNCAA Tournament four times (threetimes, not including the COVID year). But in thethree years where he didn’t crack the ﬁeld, his teams still had achance to makethe big dance heading into the final weeks of theseason.

“I’venever been in aposition like this,” Johnson said. “Even in theMountain West,the Mountain West tournamentisdouble elimination.Myﬁrst year in Nevada, we would have had to winthe tournament to get in. But everyother year,we’ve been in aposition to be in the NCAATournament until the ﬁnal game of theseason.

“That’snot really the case, as we stand today. Doesn’tmean that can’tchange, but we’re not in that position today.”

After layingthe groundwork in his ﬁrst season at Nevada, Johnson led the Wolfpack to a41-15 record and their ﬁrst Mountain West regular-season title in program history.But they still missed the NCAATournament 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 the NCAA Tournament came at Ari-

ente Wall in right. Ivan Herrera followed with an infield single.Two batters later, Walker pounced on an 83 mph sweeper that caught the inside partofthe plate.The ball sailed just over theglove of Pittsburgh left ﬁelder Jake Mangum,sending theCardinals on their waytotheir ﬁrst four-game sweep at PNCPark since 2019.

could rehab andtakecare of my body,but also mentally,itmade me strongerasa man.” He joins aSaints cornerback room that is deﬁnedbyits youth. By theend of last season, the Saints were starting secondyear corner Kool-Aid McKinstry on one side and rookieQuincy Riley on the other. The longesttenured Saintinlastyear’sdefensive secondary, Alontae Taylor,signed afree agent contract with theTennesseeTitansthis offseason. Though Taylor’sdeparture created avoid in the starting lineup, Emerson said he has not played on the inside sincehewas in high school. His conversations with the Saints have primarily been about playing boundary corner And the Saints shouldn’thave to wait too long to seewhatEmerson can do. Though he is less than ayear removed from amajor injury, Emerson said he was cleared “to participate in everything” about

ON DECK

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

WHEN: 6:30 p.m. Friday

WHERE: Alex Box Stadium

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

RANKINGS: Both teamsare unranked

PROBABLE STARTERS: 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: LSUmoves

Schmidt into the Fridaystarting role with sophomore right-hander Casan Evans’ status forthis weekend uncertain.The Tigers are taking it slow withEvans afterhewas scratched from his startlast Friday due to armdiscomfort. Phillips gave up five earned runs in just 11/3 innings last weekendagainst Kentucky KokiRiley

zona,whenthe Wildcats didn’t get there in 2018 and 2019. In 2018, Arizona only won34 games despite having one of the best offenses in the Pac-12. The Wildcats won their past twoseries in conference play against Arizona State andOregon, but it wasn’tenough to overcome a 14-16 conference record or a5-5 start to the season TheWildcatswon even fewer games the next year (32), but also led all Power Five teams in batting average and ﬁnished theseason winning 13 of their

Asked why St. Louis might have his number —relatively speaking —the 23-year-old Skenes responded with his typical mixofsarcasm and blunt truth.

“They score moreruns than us,” he said.

Skenessettled in —his nine strikeouts were aseason high but when the Cardinals were able to makecontact, they madethings happen. They added arun in the third after an infield single by Alec Burleson anda throwing errorby rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin led to an RBI single by Nolan Gorman. In thefifth, Burlesonflipped his bat at achangeup well off the plate and dumped it into left field to drive in Wetherholt.

“I think that sometimes teams go up there,try to work his pitch count, try to get that up,” Kelly said. “It doesn’tseem to be the case. They’re going up there swinging andtrying to gettheir swingoff. .They putsomegood swings on the ball today.”

The Pirates fell to 16-16, hardly the horriﬁc start of ayear ago that cost former manager DerekShelton his job, but it also has them off the pace abit in the hyper-competitive NL Central with ﬁrst-place Cincinnati coming in forthe weekend.

“I mean,every team is going to have skids,” Skenes said. “Just got to get back to whoweare and just play our game. Not try to do too much. Just think we’re trying to do too muchalittle bit, especially today.Just got to be us.”

amonth ago.

“I’m not sure how everything will look; Ihave to talk to everybody and we’ll get on the same page with that, but pretty much I’m full go,” Emersonsaid. “I don’twanttorush anything because I’mlike nine months out, but training camp, Iwill be fullgo.”

The Pensacola, Florida, native said he grewuprooting for New Orleans because his grandmother,who served as amother ﬁgure for him, was ahuge fan of Drew Brees and the Saints. He’s grateful to be just ashort drive away fromhome, especially with ateam that believesinwhathe can do.

“They know what type of player Iam, they believe, and they’re excited to see the player Icome back to be after the injury,” Emerson said. “They believe in me I’m going to come in, put my head down and compete every day and be the best player Ican be.”

past 14 games. What ultimately determined their fate was how they played during the middle of theyear,whenaseven-game losing streak andanother stretch in whichtheylost10of12games placed themina deep hole. Unlike with Arizona in 2018 or 2019, LSU probably won’tbein the hunt for aspot in the NCAA Tournament on May14, when the Tigers begintheir ﬁnal series of theregularseason against Florida. They would have to, at the very least, sweep South Carolina and win the series at Georgia next weekendtobeinconsiderationfor the tournament heading into their three-game set with the Gators. Their best path to makingthe big dancemay be through winning the SEC Tournament. They’d need to go 5-0 over sixdays, but even the odds of that happening, given their injuries and seasonlong struggles, are unlikely to saythe least.

“The season is notover. We are where we are; we’ve had 46 games, andwehaveaccountability for that,” Johnson said. “But we still have 10 moregames in the regularseason, andI’ve seen things change quicker.”

This year hasturnedinto a nightmare for LSU, andthe seasonisontrack to become one of the worstinJohnson’shead coaching career.But for aprogramthathas alreadyhad so much successunderhis command, this season is likely nothing more than just ablip on the radarfor Johnsonand LSU.

“He’sdone agreat jobofmanaging everything. He’sthe best coach I’ve ever played for,” junior shortstop Steven Milam said. “I have the most faith and belief in him. Andhe’stelling us to be positive,and whatyou have to do is just getback to work.

“There is no running from it There’snoway around it. You have to attack it head-on, and that’swhathewants us to do,but youhavetostay positive andin allthis negative.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOByGENE J. PUSKAR

PittsburghPirates pitcher Paul Skenes walks to the dugout after pitching the top of the first inning of agame against the St.Louis Cardinals in PittsburghonThursday.

PINCH, PEEL AND PAR

The 12th annual Crawfish King Cookwhich supportsJunior Achievement and Big Buddy,seasons up downtown from4 p.m. to8 p.m. Fridayat Rhorer Plaza. Thirty-fiveplusteams will compete for the Crawfish King Paddleand 10,000 pounds of crawdads will be served crawfishkingcookoff.com.

TY off,

MARDI GRAS IN MAY

The Spanish Town Pink Dress Crawlwill crank up at 5p.m. Saturday at Bogan Fire Station downtown. From there, the pink-dressed participants will maketheir waytoparticipating bars as partofthis coordinatedofficial Spanish Town Parade after-party experience. Tickets are $24 at 13festivals.com/pink-dress-crawl.

FREE DAY May 3isthe first Sunday in Mayand that

BATONROUGE

SOUL FOOD FESTIVAL

Two-day event returns forninth year

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.

STAFF FILE PHOTO 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

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

JBY 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.

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

ROBBy KLEIN

BYJUDYBERGERON Staff writer

Multigenre Mobile Alabamabased band The Red Clay Strays will swing through Louisiana fortwo showsonits “GratefulTour” in November

The band takes the stage at theRaising Cane’s River Center Arena in Baton Rouge on Nov. 5and theBrookshire Grocery Arena in Bossier

Staff report

PROVIDED PHOTO By MATTHEW WALKER

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.

“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 page1D

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 page1D

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

The

for

of RayCooney’s farcical comedy, ‘Run For your Wife’

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

“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.

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 the death of Osama bin Laden during aU.S. commando operation,which took place in Abbottabad, Pakistan, in theearly 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, theEmpire State Buildingwas dedicated in New York City; it would be theworld’stallest building for four decades.

In 1960, theSoviet Union shot down an American U-2 reconnaissance plane

and captured its pilot, Francis GaryPowers.

In 1963, Jim Whittaker, joined by Sherpa mountaineer Nawang Gombu, becamethe ﬁrst American to summitMount Everest.

In 1964, thecomputer programming language BASIC (Beginner’sAll-Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) wasﬁrst run by itsinventors, Dartmouth College professors JohnG.Kemeny andThomas E. Kurtz.

In 2003, President George W. Bush declared that “major combat operations in Iraq have ended” in aspeech aboard the aircraft carrier USSAbraham Lincoln, which bore a banner reading “Mission Accomplished.” (The last U.S. combat troops would not withdraw from Iraq until December 2011.)

In 2011, Pope Benedict XVI beatiﬁed Pope John Paul II, moving his predecessor astep closer to

sainthood in aVatican Mass attended by some 1.5 million pilgrims. (John Paul II would be declared asaint by Pope Francis at acanonization ceremony in 2014.) In 2015, six Baltimore police ofﬁcers were charged with felonies ranging from assault to murder in connection with the death of Freddie Gray,aBlack man who’d suffered aspinal injury while riding in a police van. (None of the ofﬁcers would ultimately be convicted.)

Today’sbirthdays:

PROVIDED PHOTO By MATTHEW WALKER

cast

Sullivan Theater’sproduction

Repeat afterme: The host pays,not theguests

Dear Miss Manners: Iama person of acertain age. I enjoy the company of other people, but Imove quite slowly.Igladly receive guests for afternoon tea, as my housekeeper is amenable to serving. Occasionally I wish to entertain a small group at aﬁne restaurant forthe evening. Since Iam making the invitation, Irequire nothing from my guests beyond apleasant thank-you note. Unfortunately,the younger guests in the group frequently ask, “How much is my share of the bill?” Idon’tquite know how to respond, and it makes for asomewhat awkward moment.

at dinner” withoutinvoking theunpleasant,“My treat”?

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

Can you help me with apolite way to handle this?

Keep awig in pristine condition

Dear Miss Manners: My wifeiswhatI call a“partyeraser.”

Forexample, we hostedabirthday partyfor one of our grown children, and the minute the ﬁrst person was done eating, my wifebegandoing the dishes.

She’llclear the ﬁrst ﬁnished plate and putitin thedishwasher,thenstart washing pansand doing whatever she can to “erase” theparty

Gentlereader: Youmight tell her,before thenext party, “But dear,how will we indicate that we want everyone to leaveifwestartcleaning 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.”

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

Dear Heloise: For those whowear wigs, Ialways wear athin cotton headband underthe elastic perimeter of thewig. It absorbs most of the oil andperspiration, especially in warmweather Irarely have to wash thewig, and when Ido, Ijust wash theedgestoavoid soaking the entire wig. In my opinion, they never look quite the same after amajor washing. Ialso have multiple wigs that I rotate,whichminimizes the need for washing! Wigged Out,inArizona

Putitinthe car!

Ialways make arrangements for thecostofthe meal and agenerous gratuity to be paid when Imake the reservation. How do I phrase,“Please be my guest

In my world,the dirty platesshouldbecleared, but the actual washing of thedishes waits until everyoneisﬁnished. That way,everyone can help get thingsdone.

JODI JAMES WITH ERIC SCHMITT: Mid City Ballroom,8 p.m. ACOUSTIC SATURDAYSW/ HENRYTURNER JR AND DIXIE ROSE: Henry Turner Jr.’s Listening Room,8 p.m.

CINCO DE MAYO LATIN NIGHT: Chelsea’s Live, 9p.m.

LA GROOVE: Churchill’s, 9p.m. THE SPECS: Fred’sonthe River, Prairieville, 9p.m

SUNDAY

JUSTIN BURDETTE TRIO: Superior Grill-MidCity,11a.m.

JUNIOR LACROSSE: Fred’son the River, Prairieville, 3p.m

OLD TIME MUSIC JAM: West Baton RougeMuseum, Port Allen, 3p.m.

MUSIC AT THE MANSION: Old Governor’s Mansion, 4p.m

SONGWRITER SUNDAYS: La Divina Italian Cafe, 5p.m.

LUCY YOES: PizzaByronz, 5p.m.

OPEN MIC JAM: FatCat Saloon, Prairieville, 7p.m.

MONDAY

JEFF BAJON PROJECT: Supe-

Send questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners. com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail com; or through postal mailtoMiss Manners, Universal Uclick,1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

Atlanta-basedrockband CollectiveSoul plays theL’Auberge Event Center,Baton Rouge, at 8p.m.Friday. Tickets startat $70.

rior Grill-MidCity,6 p.m

TUESDAY

RALPH DAIGLE: Rio Verde Mexican, Gonzales, noon

ROCKIN’ DOPSIE &THE MOLLY

RINGWALDS: CasaMaria, Watson, 6p.m.

EDDIE SMITH: On The Half Shell, Prairieville, 6:30p.m.

ALEX LAMBERT WITH THEBROSFRESH: Chelsea’s Live, 7p.m.

OPEN MIC JAM: Brickyard South, 8p.m

WEDNESDAY

CHRISLEBLANC: Superior Grill-MidCity,6 p.m LSU JAZZ JAM: ClassicVinyls, 6p.m.

SONGWRITERS OPENMIC: Le ChienBrewing Co.,Denham Springs, 6:30 p.m

KIRK HOLDER: Bin 77, 6:30 p.m

SONGWRITERS OPENMIC W/ HEATHRANSONNET: Coop’s on 621, Gonzales, 7p.m ANDYPIZZOTRIO: Hayride Scandal, 7:30p.m.

OPEN MIC JAM: O’Hara’s Irish Pub, 8p.m.

THURSDAY

RHETT GUILLOT: Superior Grill-MidCity,6 p.m

BUBBAPLAUCHÉ: Backstreet Lounge, 6p.m

KYBALION: El Paso, 6p.m

EMMA MURPHY: La Divina Italian Cafe,6 p.m.

TREY GALLMAN: Fred’sonthe River, Prairieville, 7p.m

MISS MPRESENTS …VIVAZ

NOLA LATIN JAZZ: Mid City Ballroom, 7:30 p.m.

HENRY TURNER JR. &ALLSTARS: Henry Turner Jr.’s Listening Room, 8p.m

BLUES JAM: Phil Brady’s, 9p.m

BRYANMARTIN/THOMAS CAIN: The TexasClub, 9p.m OUTLYING

FRIDAY

AC &THE PROMISED: Charlie’s Lounge, Addis, 8p.m

SUNDAY

WILL WESLEY: Full Moon Saloon,Hammond, 6p.m.

Compiled by Marchaund Jones. Want your venue’s musiclisted? Email info/ photos to showstowatch@ theadvocate.com. The deadline is noon FRIDAY for the following Friday’s paper

Hints from Heloise

Then I’dhave to maketime forthese errands on the weekend. To stop myself from “forgetting,” Inow grab the item and put it in my car the evening before Iplan to do something. While I’matit, Ialso put asticky note on the dashboard so I’ll remember that there is avacuum in the trunk of the car (or if the front right tire needs additional air,for example). This has mademylife so much easier! —Carmela N., via email

Antibacterialwipes

Dear Heloise: It seemed as if Iwas always forgetting to drop off dry cleaning on my way home from work, or I’d forget to send thevacuum in for repairs.

Dear Heloise: Regarding the reader who wrote in regarding how nonsensical it was to have antibacterial wipes at the entrance of agrocery store, Ialways thought that the wipes were there

for the handle(s) of the cart you chose. This way, you can wipe off germs that are left on the cart/ basket before you shop. When doing so, you can also wipe off your own hands if desired. —Kathleen S.,via email Make alistbeforeyou go

DearHeloise: BeforeIgoto adoctor’s appointment, I always sit down the night before andmakealist of questions thatIneedto askthe doctor.Otherwise, I’ll forget something. I also take noteswhile the doctor is talking so thatI’ll remember their instructions. This hassaved me from asking embarrassing questions over the phone when the doctor doesn’t have time —Jane, in Denver, Colorado

Sendahinttoheloise@ heloise.com.

SHOWSTOWATCH —BATON ROUGE

PROVIDED PHOTO

DAVID ABBOTT

FRIDAY SPOOF NIGHT! WITH “THE

TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON (2009)”: 7:30 p.m., Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St

Presented by the Family Dinner Comedy Troupe andFilms at Manship, evening includes screeningalong with comedic commentary.$17.manshiptheater.com.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY

EVENING SKY VIEWING:

8:30 p.m.-10 p.m., BRECHighland Road Park Observatory, 13800 Highland Road. See the majestyofthe nightsky in these public viewingsfor those 6and up.hrpo.lsu.edu/ events.

SATURDAY

STRONG &CALM WARRIOR

YOGA: 8a.m.-9 a.m., USS KIDD Veterans Museum,305 S. River Road. https://www usskidd.com/.

BATONROUGE ARTS MARKET:

8a.m.-noon,Fifth andMain streets, downtown. Vendors sell avariety of unique, original works of artincluding pottery,woodwork, textiles, glass, paintings, sculptures photographs, handmade soaps, handmade toys,jewelry and more. artsbr.org.

RED STICK FARMERS MARKET:

8a.m.-noon, Fifth and Main streets, downtown. Farmfresh produce and goods. breada.org.

TRINITY UNION LODGE 2ND ANNUAL CARSHOW: 9a.m.-

2p.m., GerryLane Cadillac, 10945 Reiger Road. Open to all model, make,and year cars, trucks and motorcycles. Proceeds from the showwill support thelodge’sdyslexia training program. $25entry fee dayofevent FAMILY-HOUR STARGAZING:

10 a.m., Irene W. Pennington Planetarium at theLouisiana Art &Science Museum, 100 S. River Road. Learn about the stars and constellations in thelocal nighttime sky, followedbyanall-ages show. lasm.org.

MONTHLYCONTRA DANCE:

3p.m.-5:30 p.m., St. Alban’s Chapel, corner of Highland Road and Dalrymple Drive. Newcomer instruction at 2:45 p.m. Singles and couples welcome. $7 per person; free for ﬁrst-timers.Louisianacontrasandsquares.com or (225) 803-9194.

WILDFLOWERSSOUND BATH:

6p.m., Irene W. Pennington

Plantarium at LouisianaArt & Science Museum, 100 S. River Road. Part of Planetarium Month. lasm.org.

SUNDAY

“FALLSEVEN TIMES,GET UP EIGHT: THE JAPANESEWAR BRIDES” FILM AND MOTHER’S DAYCRAFTS: noon-4p.m Louisiana’sOld State Capitol, 100 NorthBlvd. Apowerful story of love,resilience,and family.Free, butadmission requestedateventbrite.com.

PBS KIDS: BEACH DAY!: 1p.m.2:30 p.m Manship Theatre 100 Lafayette St. Beach Day kids’ movies“Aqualicious and “Donkie Hodie” plus arts and crafts. Free, butregister forplanning purposes https://www.manshiptheater.com/comingsoon/ pbskids-beach-day.

FREEFIRST SUNDAY: Louisiana Art &Science Museum, 100 S. River Road;Old State Capitol, 100North Blvd.; Old Governors’ Mansion,502 NorthBlvd.; Magnolia Mound Museum +Historic Site,2161 Nicholson Drive; LSU Museum of Art, 100Lafayette St.; and Cary Saurage Community Arts Center, 233 St.Ferdinand St. and LSU Centerfor River Studies, 100Terrace Ave. Free admission toall exhibits and

installations,plus reducedprice entry to LASM’s Irene Pennington Planetarium shows

TUESDAY

RED STICK FARMERS MARKET:

3p.m.-6 p.m.,Main Library at Goodwood, 7711 Goodwood Blvd. Farm-fresh produce, goods, cooking demonstrations. breada.org.

BATONROUGE CHESS CLUB: 6p.m.-8 p.m.,LaDivina Italian Cafe, 3535 Perkins Road, Unit 360. Achance to playand learn; all levels welcome. Free.

WEDNESDAY

RED STICK FARMERS MARKET: 9a.m.-noon,ExxonMobil YMCA, 7711 Howell Blvd. Farm-fresh produce, goods and more. www.facebook. com/redstickfarmersmarket.

“THE DRAMA (2026)”: 2p.m and 7:30 p.m., Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St.Starring Zendaya,Robert Pattinson and Alana Haim, the movie follows ahappily engaged couple getting put to the test when an unexpected revelationsends their wedding week off the rails. $9.50. manshiptheater.com.

THURSDAY

RED STICK FARMERS MARKET: 8a.m.-noon,Pennington Biomedical Research Center, 6400 Perkins Road. Farm-fresh produce, goods and more. facebook.com/redstickfarmersmarket.

“NAVIGATING THECOSMOS” DEBUT: noon,Irene W. Pennington Planetarium at Louisiana Art &Science Museum, 100 S. River Road. Part of Planetarium Month. lasm.org.

OUTDOOR COMMUNITY

YOGA: 6p.m.-7 p.m.,pavilionbythe pond, LSU Hilltop Arboretum, 11855 Highland Road. Drop-in; no registration required; bring your ownmat. Free, but donations welcome. www.lsu.edu/hilltop.

WEEKLY SOCIAL BIKERIDE: 7p.m., GeauxRide, 521 N. ThirdSt.,Suite A. Free. fareharbor.com.

KARAOKE,TRIVIA, BINGO AND MORE: 8p.m.-11 p.m., BrickyardSouth Bar +Patio, 174 SouthBlvd. Presented by BarFly Entertainment. Free to play. https://www.facebook com/brickyardsouth.

ONGOING

ARTGUILD OF LOUISIANA: Independence Park Theatre, 7800 Independence Blvd. Ro-

berta Loﬂin, “Watercolor Basics —Flowers and Leaves,” 9:30 a.m.-noon Saturday,and “Watercolor Basics —Waterscapes (Beach,Bayou, and Flowing Water), May23and May30. Text workshop coordinator BarbaraAndrepont at (225) 773-8020 or artguildlouisiana.org.

BATONROUGE GALLERY CENTER FORCONTEMPORARY

ART: 1515 Dalrymple Drive ExhibitsbyJeremiah Ariaz, Justin TylerBryant and Kristine Thompson, through May 24; opening reception 6p.m.9p.m. Wednesday. Hours: noon-6 p.m.Tuesday-Sunday batonrougegallery.org.

CAPITOL PARK MUSEUM: 660 N. FourthSt. “Groundsfor Greatness: Louisiana and theNation,” “The Louisiana Experience:Discovering the SoulofAmerica,” “African American History,” “Music and Musicians” and “Mardi Gras,” permanent exhibits. (225) 342-5428 or louisianastatemuseum.org.

CARY SAURAGE COMMUNITY ARTS CENTER SHELL GALLERY: 233 St. Ferdinand St. “A Refugee’s Origin by K.T.Ho: AMixed-MediaExhibition Exploring Vietnamese Diaspora, Colonial Legacy, and Survival,” through May 29. Opening reception is from 6p to 9p.m. Friday,and an artist talkat12:30 p.m Sunday.Hours arefrom9a.m. to 4p.m. weekdays and from 10 a.m. to 2p.m. Saturday artsbr.org.

THE GALLERYATMANSHIP: 100 Lafayette St. “Brandon Lewis —WhenAll God’s ChildrenGet Together.” Hours are9 a.m.-4 p.m.Monday, 9a.m.-10 p.m.Tuesday-Thursday, 9a.m.-11 p.m.Friday 10 a.m.-11 p.m.Saturday, and 11 a.m.-5 p.m.Sunday

LOUISIANAART &SCIENCE

MUSEUM: 100 S. River Road.

“Then, And Now, And Always: The Artwork of Nick Bustamante,” through July 19, SoupCon Gallery; “Pinpointing theStars,” through Aug. 1; “Crossroads&Connections: ACentury of theRailway in Baton Rouge,” through Oct. 1; “Going Places: Transportation Toys of thePast,” through July 6, and “Shelf Queens: Model Train Masterpieces,” also through July 6. (225) 3445272 or lasm.org.

LSU MUSEUM OF ART: Shaw Center for theArts, 100 Lafayette St. “AI: ArtisticInterpretations,StudioArt Quilt Associates,” through May

10. “Daphnis and Chloe and Other Lovers:Lithographs by MarcChagall,”through May 24. (225) 389-7200 or lsumoa. org.

MANSHIP THEATRE JONES

WALKERFOYER: 100 Lafayette St. “Look up:APhilosophy for Birding and Life” by Gail Suberbielle.Freeand open during regular Shaw Center building hours unless thereis aprivate event. LSU TEXTILE &COSTUME MUSEUM: Human Ecology Building, TowerDrive, LSU campus. “Stitches in Time: Quilts & Fashion,”exploring theenduring dialogue between quilt making and dress, SundayJan. 15, 2027. (225) 578-5992 or email textile@lsu.edu

MAGNOLIA MOUNDMUSEUM

+HISTORIC SITE: 2161 Nicholson Drive.Guided and selfguided tours.Hours arefrom 10 a.m. to 4p.m. MondaySaturday and from 1p.m. to 4p.m. Sunday.brec.org/facility/MagnoliaMound OLD GOVERNOR’SMANSION: 502 NorthBlvd. Open for tours.Hours arefrom9 a.m. to 4p.m. Monday-Friday.Free admission. oldgovernorsmansion.com.

OLD STATECAPITOL: 100 NorthBlvd. “Bought for aSong: AYoung Nation Expands,” display of the Louisiana Purchase, through July 11. “Japanese WarBrides: Across AWideDivide,” through June 13. “A MorePerfect Union: Reconstruction’s Legacy in Louisiana,”permanent exhibit.Free. Hours: 10 a.m.-3 p.m.Tuesday-Saturday, plus Free FirstSunday louisianaoldstatecapitol.org. USS KIDD VETERANS MUSEUM: 305 S. River Road. Displaysofavariety

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 For 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

nea CroSSwordS La TimeS CroSSword

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 spade, but