The Acadiana Advocate 05-03-2026 by The Advocate

‘LIVINGSHORELINE’

Pair of coastalprojectscreatesolutions on theedgeofthe marshusing oyster shells,mangroves, concrete breakwater

BY JOSIE ABUGOV

Staff writer

On the far reaches of theLouisianamarsh,a fewdozen volunteers were engaged in aweightlifting workout with unconventional equipment: 30-pound bags ofrecycled oyster shells.

The volunteers for the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana passed the oysterbags in aline of people toward amuddy shorelinealong theeastern edge of the Biloxi Marsh, the last piece of landbefore the Chandeleur Islands.

“Weare protecting asmall but mighty sliver of the marsh,” saidFiona Lightbody,CRCL’s programmanager for oyster recycling

They were buildingwhatiscalled a“living shoreline,” agrowing tool for coastal protection across Louisiana,

ä See SHORELINE, page 6A

BY JOEL THOMPSON Staff writer

Redistricting bills already filedfor regular sessionofLa. Legislature

BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer

Theprocess of redrawingLouisiana’scongressionaldistricts could begin as soon as Wednesday after the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated the voting map and Gov.Jeff Landry put thebrakes on that looming vote.

State senators say they have been holding feverish talks behind the scenes to devise aplan to address therulinglast weekthat Louisiana’s House congressional mapisunconstitutional because it relied too heavily on race when it was drawn. On Thursday,saying he would not allow Louisiana to vote on an illegalmap,Landry declared an emergency that canceled the May 16 primary forthe six U.S. House elections.

Akey personinwhathappens nextisstate Sen. Caleb Kleinpeter,R-Port Allen. He is both the chair of the Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee—which is where the redistricting bills will likely start—and sponsorofone of those bills.

“I’m sure we’regoing to have ﬁreworks somewhere,” Kleinpeter said.

On Friday,Kleinpeter said he hopes his committeewill take public testimony and pass aredistricting bill on Wednesday,but he acknowledged that that plan maybetoo ambitious. Lawmakerswould face atightertimetable if the committee hastowaitaweek but would likely still have enough timesince the regular legislative session doesn’tend until June 1.

Sheriff’s Office spokespersonMark LeBlancsaid Johnsonwore aface mask and feigned illnessduring St.LandryParishjailsecurityunder scrutiny again Wronginmatewalks free,authorities say

The escape of an inmate from the St. Landry Parish jail Monday night is raising new questions about release

procedures atthe facility Authorities say DeMarkus Johnson walked out of the jailaround9 p.m. after posing as another inmate, Jaylen Brown, who was scheduled to be released. Deputies pro-

cessing Brown for release failed to verify Johnson’s identity and allowed him to leave, according to the St. Landry ParishSheriff’s Ofﬁce. Brown was later released as planned afterthe error was discovered.

Johnson, who was being held on acharge of domestic

abuse battery involving child endangerment,remains at large.His bail hassince been revoked.

ä See JAIL, page 3A

The decisions have thrown Louisiana’selections into disarray after absentee voting had alreadybegun forthe May16primaryand just before aweek of early voting began on Saturday. These developments will mean new districts for Louisiana’scongressional delegation which currently has four Republicans and two Democrats —unless one of several lawsuits that have just been ﬁled gum up those plans. Together,these events have also spawned confusion and lots of questions. Here are the best answers we have so far.

ä See MAP, page 4A

Landry

Kleinpeter

STAFF PHOTOSByBRETTDUKE

Bags of recycledoyster shells areunloaded from aboat and placed along the shoreline during aCoalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana event at Morgan Harbor Pass in St.Bernard Parish on April 17. The shells areusedtohelp build alivingshoreline to reduce erosion and createhabitat.

Birds gather and take flight from recycled oyster shells placed along the shoreline at Morgan Harbor Pass in St.Bernard Parish.

Supreme Courtasked to weigh mifepristone case

Amaker of the widely used abortion pill mifepristoneasked the Supreme Court on Saturday to blockanappellatecourt ruling that cutoff mail-orderaccess to the drug just aday earlier,in whatwas the biggest jolt to abortion policy in the U.S. sincethe overturning of Roe v. Wade Danco Laboratories, which is also adefendant in the lawsuit in question, asked to block theNew Orleans-based5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decisionwhile appeals are pending, saying the appellate ruling “injectsimmediate confusionand upheavalinto highly time-sensitive medical decisions.”

The appeals court’sunanimous ruling Friday marked asubstantial victory for abortion opponents seeking to stem the ﬂowof abortion pills prescribed online, which they view as subverting state bans. It requires that mifepristonebedistributed only in person and at clinics, overruling regulations set by the federal Food and Drug Administration.

“We’re nowgoingtosee,Ithink in away we haven’tbefore,what thenationwilllook like when abortion bans are actually in effect,” said Mary Ziegler,anexpert on abortion law anda professor at University of California at Davis School of Law

Activists’ detention up Spain-Israel tensions

SOLARES,Spain Spain’sforeign minister on Saturday called for the immediate release of an activistdetained by Israel after an aid ﬂotilla bound for Gaza was intercepted by the Israeli navy in international waters.

Saif Abukeshek, adual SpanishSwedishcitizen of Palestinian origin, was detained for questioning in Israel on Saturdayalong with Thiago Ávila of Brazil. A legal aid group said both men had launched ahunger strike.

Dozens of other activists were picked up by the Greek coast guardfollowing the Israeli action and taken to the island of Crete.

“This is acase of illegal detention in international waters, outside the jurisdiction of Israeli authorities. Ihavemade this clear to my Israeli counterpart,” José Manuel Albaressaidinaninterview with public radio.

An Israel-based legal advocacy group, theLegal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, or Adalah, said it had visited the two men at adetention site in theIsraeli portcity of Ashkelon. It said both reported being on ahunger strike after allegedly being repeatedly beaten whileincustody

“Adalah maintains that the treatment of the two activists, including the use of isolation, prolonged blindfolding and physical beatings, constitutes agrave violation of international law,” the group said.

In an online post, Israel’s ForeignMinistry said Abukeshek and Ávila werebeing questioned for possible linkstothe armed group Hamas. It said the two men had been granted consularvisits.

Whale stranded off Germany released

BERLIN Arescue team on Saturday released from abarge in the North Sea ahumpbackwhale thathad been stranded in shallow waters near Germany since March, witnesses said. NicknamedTimmy by Germanmedia, the whalewas spotted swimming near Germany’s Baltic Sea coast on March 3, far from itsnaturalhabitat in the Atlantic Ocean. The mammal’shealth deterioratedasitbecame repeatedly strandedinshallow waters near the coastal city of Wismar, and unsuccessful effortsto coax it toward deeper seas were livestreamed acrossthe globe

The environment minister for Germany’sMecklenburgWestern Pomerania state gave the green light for the attempt to save the whale, proposed by aprivate initiative, despite some warnings from the scientific community that it may be too much for the animal. Jens Schwarck, amemberof the private initiative who was on site, said the whale was released around 9a.m. local time, according to theGerman news agency dpa. The agency reported that the whale wasreleasedabout 45 miles from the coast of Skagen, Denmark.

ImprisonedIranian Nobel winner at ‘veryhighrisk’

Jailed rights lawyer in hospital after health crisis

BY SARAH EL DEEB and ADAM SCHRECK Associated Press

BEIRUT The health of imprisoned Iranian rights lawyer Narges Mohammadiwas at “very high risk,” her foundation and family saidSaturday,adding that Iran’s Intelligence Ministry was opposing her transfer to Tehran for treatmentbyher own doctors. Mohammadi, aNobel Peace Prizelaureate in her early 50s, was urgently transferred to a hospital in Zanjan in Iran’s northwest on Friday after a cardiac crisis and fainting. Her family hassaid herhealth had beenworsening in part from a beating she received during her December arrest.

MedicalteamsinZanjan have requested her records before performing anytreatment,while recommending thatshe be transferred to Tehran, herfoundation said.

But herParis-based husband, Taghi Rahmani, said the Intelligence Ministry opposed thetransfer for angiography,orimaging of the bloodvessels. He spoke in avoice message shared with The Associated Press by thefoundation.

Vehicles drivepast abillboard on Saturday withgraphic showing the Strait of Hormuzand sewn lips of PresidentDonald

in downtown Tehran, Iran.

Her legal team is pursuing the matter with theGeneral Prosecutor’s ofﬁce, the foundation said. Fragileceasefire holds Iran’sforeign minister,Abbas Araghchi, spoke by phone with counterparts in Qatar,Japan, Italy and South Korea aday afterU.S.President Donald Trump rejected Iran’slatestproposalto end the war

charging fees at times.

The U.S.onFridaywarned againsttransfers not only in cash but also in “digital assets, offsets, informal swaps, or other in-kind payments,” including charitable donations and payments at Iranian embassies.

Israeli strikeskill7 in Lebanon

Catholic conventin border villagebulldozed

BY BASSEM MROUE Associated Press

BEIRUT Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon killed at least seven people and woundedothers on Saturday while the Israeli military demolished parts of aCatholic convent in aborder village, ofﬁcials said.

Israel’smilitary on Saturday issued anew warning for residents of nine southern villagestoevacuate. Israel and Lebanon’smilitant Hezbollah group have kept up their attacks despite aceaseﬁre in place since April 17.

In the border village of Yaroun, Israel’smilitary used bulldozers to destroy parts of aCatholic convent that hadbeenempty as aresult of thelatest ﬁghting.

“Whatweheardisthatitwas destroyed with bulldozers,” said Gladys Sabbagh, the superior general of the Basilian Salvatorian Sisters. Sabbagh told The Associated Press thatthe convent includeda school that had been closedsince the 2006 Israel-Hezbollahwar,aswellasa clinic thatwas recently moved to the nearby village of Rmeich.

CO IN T MI EAST NFLICT HE DDLE AS

The Norwegian Nobel Committeeina statement urged Iranian authorities to immediatelytransfer Mohammadi to her medical team,saying her lifeisintheir hands.

“She has themental resilience for imprisonment, but her body does nothave the readiness. The MinistryofIntelligencewouldn’t even mindif (she) died,” her husband told Sky News.

He added that their children hadn’tseen Mohammadi for over adecade, since 2015.

Before her arrest on Dec. 12, Mohammadialready had been serving asentence of 13 years and nine months on charges of collusion against state security andpropaganda against Iran’s government,but hadbeen released on furlough sincelate 2024 over medical concerns.

Trump said Friday that “I’mnot satisﬁedwithit, so we’ll seewhat happens,” without giving details. Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency saidTehranhanded over its plan to mediators in Pakistan on Thursdaynight Thethree-week ceaseﬁreappearstobeholding. Negotiationscontinued by phone after Trump called off his envoys’ trip to Pakistanlast weekend, the president said.

Trump alsohas floated anew plan to reopen the StraitofHormuzatthe mouth of thePersian Gulf, where about aﬁfth of the world’strade in oiland natural gas typically passes.

Firmswarnedabout sanctions

The UnitedStates haswarned shipping companies theycould face sanctions forpaying Iranto pass safely through theStrait of Hormuz, adding pressure in the standoff over control of it.

Iran effectively closed the strait by attackingand threatening ships after theU.S. and Israel launched awar on Feb. 28. Tehran later offered some ships safe passage via routes closer to its shore,

TheU.S.has respondedwitha naval blockade of Iranian ports sinceApril 13,depriving Tehran of oil revenue it needs to shore up its ailingeconomy.The U.S. CentralCommand on Saturday said 48 commercial ships have been told to turn back.

Iran hangstwo men Iran on Saturday said it hanged two men convicted of spying for Israel.

The judiciary’snews outlet, Mizanonline,saidYaghoub Karimpour was accused of sending “sensitive information” to an ofﬁcer in Israel’sMossadintelligence agency,while Nasser Bekrzadeh allegedly sent details about government andreligious leaders as well as information about Natanz. Thecityishome to anuclear enrichment facility bombed by Israel and theU.S last year Iran hashangedmore than a dozen people over alleged espionage andterroristactivitiesin recent weeks. Rights groups say Iran routinely holds closed-door trials in whichdefendants are unable to challenge the accusations they face.

Associated Press writersCollin Binkley in Washington and Nasser KarimiinTehran contributed to this report.

She described the convent as asmall compound housing just two nuns, who left because of the war.Sabbagh did nothavefurther details as Yaroun’s residents have been displaced.

The Israelimilitary issued astatement saying that as the armywas destroying Hezbollah infrastructure in Yaroun, ahouse thathad no religious signs was damaged. It added thatas soon as the military knew it was linked to achurch, soldiers “prevented any further damage from being done.”

The military added that Hezbollah used thecompoundinthe past to ﬁre rocketstowardIsraelonseveral occasions. It added that the military does not strike religious institutions intentionally

The Catholic Church in Lebanon rejected claims that the compound was used for military purposes.

“Weare against allpractices against places of worshipand churches. Theseare places to spread peace,love andeducation,” said Rev.Abdo Abou Kassm, director of the Catholic Centerfor Information. “These arenot military bases.”

The demolition at the convent came days after images of an Israeli soldier wielding an ax against the fallen statue of Jesus on the cross in the southern Lebanese village of Debel had sparked widespread condemnation, in Lebanon and internationally

Customer Service: HELP@THEADVOCATE.COM or 337-234-0800

News Tips /Stories: NEWSTIPS@THEADVOCATE.COM

Obituaries: 225-388-0289 •Mon-Fri9-5; Sat10-5; ClosedSun

Advertising Sales: 337-234-0174•Mon-Fri 8-5

Classiﬁed Advertising: 225-383-0111 •Mon-Fri 8-5

BY SAMYA KULLAB

Associated Press

KYIV,Ukraine Twopeople were killed after aRussian drone attacked aminibus in the southernUkrainian city of Kherson, local ofﬁcials said Saturday,inthe latest barrage ofcivilianareas, ahallmarkof Moscow’sfull-scaleinvasion of its neighbor

Seven peoplewere also wounded in the attack, regional head Oleksandr Prokudinsaid.Hours later Russia attacked another minibusinKherson, wounding the driver,hesaid Meanwhile, along thenorthern border with Belarus, Ukraine recorded “rather unusual” activity on Friday,Ukrainian PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyy said in apostonTelegram on Saturday.Without elaborating,hesaid activity was seen on theBelarusian side of the border and that Ukraine would act if matters escalated.

“Weare closely documentingand keeping the situation under control. If necessary,wewill react,” he said.

Belarus, aclose ally of theKremlin, has allowed Russia to use itsterritory as astaging ground to send troops into Ukraine and to host some of Moscow’s tactical nuclear weapons.

On Ukraine’s BlackSea coast, aRussian strike damaged port infrastructure in the city of Odesa.Nocasualties were reported Ukrainian civilianshaveendured relentless air assaults since Russia launcheda full-scale invasionofits neighbor more than four years ago. U.S.brokeredtalksbetween Moscow and Kyiv over the past year have brought no respite, with Russia rejecting Ukraine’s offer of aceaseﬁre, and in recent weeks the Iran war has diverted international attention from Ukraine’splight. Meanwhile, on the roughly 750-mile

front line, Russia claimed Saturday it had taken control of the village of Myropillia in Ukraine’snortheastern Sumy region. It was notpossibletoindependently verify the battleﬁeld claims, and Ukraine did not immediately comment.

In Russia, local officials in the Krasnodar region saidthat afire that broke out Friday followinga Ukrainianstrikeon an oilterminalinthe Black Seacity of Tuapse was put out on Saturday Ukrainian drones have hit theoil refinery and export terminal in Tuapse on four occasions in just over twoweeks, sparking fires that prompted localevacuationsand sent up massiveplumesof smoke.

Ukraine has escalated itslong-distance strikesagainst Russian oilfacilitiesin an effort to slash Moscow’soil exports, akey source of funding for itsgrinding invasion of Ukraine. But the economic impact is so far unclear,asthe rise in oil prices from the Iran war,and arelated easing of U.S. sanctions, have helped replenish theKremlin’s coffers.

Subscribe: theadvocate.com/subscribe E-Edition: theadvocate.com/eedition Archives: theadvocate.newsbank.com

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By VAHIDSALEMI

Trump in asquare

Mohammadi

Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting sees shift in focus

Attendance down as business discussions take center stage

BY JOSH FUNK AP business writer

OMAHA, Neb The folksy wisdom and jokes that were a staple of the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting for decades when Warren Buffett led the show was mostly replaced Saturday with detailed business discussions led by new CEO Greg Abel. Attendance is down signiﬁcantly this year with the arena only a little over half full, but still no other corporate meeting can come close to matching the crowds at Berkshire’s Woodstock for Capitalists. For years, more than 40,000 attended to listen to the 95-year-old Buffett and — before his death in 2023 Buffett’s longtime partner Charlie Munger was always part of the fun. Buffett gave up the CEO title in January, but he remains chairman and did make a few comments during the meeting.

Berkshire’s businesses were the focus, but timely

JAIL

Continued from page 1A

the release process, making identiﬁcation more difﬁcult

“Only his eyes were visible,” LeBlanc said in a television interview, adding that Johnson avoided eye contact and spoke in a raspy voice.

The Sheriff’s Office has not detailed what identiﬁcation procedures are required when inmates are released or whether those protocols were followed in this case An internal investigation is underway Parish President Jessie

topics like the Iran war and the risks and beneﬁts of artiﬁcial intelligence also came up.

Vice Chairman Ajit Jain said Berkshire would be willing to insure ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz if the price was right and the U.S. Navy escorted those ships.

Jain said he believes there is enough capacity across the insurance industry to take on that risk and there is definitely a need for it because that waterway is the path for so much of the world’s oil supply

“The short answer is it depends on the price,” Jain said.

Abel said the war in the Middle East is definitely creating challenges for Berkshire’s businesses because oil is such a fundamental input, but he’s confident that the managers will find a way to deal with that.

“We very quickly move to what is the best solution for our customers,” Abel said.

Buffett’s contributions

Saturday’s meeting began with a video tribute to Buffett beginning with a clip showing the standing ovation Buffett received last year after he surprised

Bellard criticized the Sheriff’s Office response, saying basic safeguards could have prevented the escape He told KADN that issuing jailspecific identification cards to inmates would help avoid similar incidents “This is happening too often in St. Landry Parish,” Bellard said, also raising concerns about delays in notifying victims and the public.

The SLPSO said Johnson’s alleged victims have been notified of his escape. Bellard has previously questioned staffing levels at the jail, arguing that limited personnel makes it difficult

shareholders by announcing that he would step down.

Abel then announced the symbolic move of retiring jerseys with Buffett’s and Munger’s names on them that will hang in the rafters of the arena.

Buffett again praised Abel and said he’s glad that he made the decision to promote him now

“He’s very, very smart about businesses,” Buffett said during a live interview that aired during the meeting. And Abel is close to earning his American citizenship after growing up in Canada. He has been with Berkshire more than 25 years.

Buffett complained that too many people treat the stock market like a casino and gamble with their investments. He said the world would work better if more people treated each other well.

“If the whole world lived by the golden rule then it would be such a more wonderful society,” Buffett said.

Easing the transition

Signs of the transition were peppered throughout the 200,000-square-foot exhibit hall where Berkshire companies sold their products.

to maintain security and oversight.

“One deputy on a ﬂoor with around 100 inmates is impossible,” Bellard said. “The previous administration had two deputies and a rover making regular checks. We didn’t have people breaking out of the jail. ” This comment came following the escape of several inmates from the jail after they managed to chip away at one of the cell’s cinder blocks.

The incident follows other recent breakdowns involving inmate custody in the parish, including the escape of a Duson man during a

A caricature of Abel playing his favorite sport of hockey is front and center on commemorative boxes of See’s Candy At the Pilot Travel Center booth, pictures of Abel and Buffett are plastered on a semitrailer truck windshield, but Abel is in the driver’s seat And shareholders lined up to buy a Squishmallow version of Abel to go with the latest versions of the popular Buffett and Munger stuffed dolls.

“Sadly we miss Warren and Charlie and that show which was fun, but it’s a business meeting for a lot of us and hearing what the businesses are doing is what it’s all about,” investor Chris Bloomstran, who is president of Semper Augustus Investments Group said.

Also, many people travel to Omaha primarily to meet up with like-minded value investors, who practice the approach that Buffett employed, and attend some of the investment conferences and meetings that are scheduled around Berkshire’s shareholder meeting.

“That’s why I’m really here, really here is to network with other people,” said Bob Robotti, who runs his own investment company

transport from a drug treatment facility last month

That man, Michael Vavasseur, was killed by police days later after a pursuit. Guidroz did not respond to requests for comment. Authorities did not say Johnson posed a threat to the public. However, he was arrested in 2024 after an hourslong armed standoff with police.

The Sheriff’s Office said Johnson’s escape remains under investigation and urged anyone with information on his whereabouts to contact authorities or submit an anonymous tip through St. Landry Crime Stoppers.

Focusing on businesses

Abel opened the meeting with a detailed discussion of how Berkshire’s biggest businesses are performing He gave a granular explanation about the performance of Berkshire’s insurers, its BNSF railroad, utilities and manufacturers. He talked about how Berkshire is using artiﬁcial intelligence “to solve problems at our companies.”

But Abel also used a deepfake video of Buffett asking a question about Berkshire’s long-term prospects at the start of the Q&A session to highlight some of the cyber challenges and risks AI presents.

“It’s scary,” Buffett said later in the meeting. For example, AI could easily create an extremely convincing fake version of the leader of a country with nuclear weapons, he said.

Abel stressed over and over that Berkshire’s basic approach that trusts CEOs to manage the day-to-day operations of their companies will not change, and he won’t feel pressured to spend the company’s nearly $400 billion in cash prematurely

“One of our greatest strengths at Berkshire is patience and being disciplined at allocating our capital,” Abel said. “We’re not anxious to deploy capital into subpar opportunities.”

What does Landry’s executive ordermeanfor Louisiana’s Houseelections?

House Speaker Mike Johnson, Rep. Steve Scalise, Rep. Clay Higgins, Rep. Cleo Fields and Rep. Troy Carter are no longer running for reelection on May16. The same goes for their challengers. Landry’smovealso voided the election forthe 5th Congressional District seat thatRep. Julia Letlow is vacating to run forthe Senate. Thataffects four Republicans running in that race: State Sen. Rick Edmonds, of BatonRouge; Rep. Michael Echols, of Monroe; Sen. Blake Miguez, of Erath; and Misti Cordell, of Monroe, who chairs the stateBoardof Regents. It also affects the lesser-known Democratic candidates. Whowilldrawthe new congressionalmap?

State legislators carry out the redistricting duties, and the governor will have amajor say because he will havetoapprove their map. Lawmakerswon’t need aspecial session to carry out that work. Four legislators filed redistricting bills to be heard in the regular legislative session currently underway, in casethe Supreme Court rejected the existing congressional map in time. The bills to watch are on the Senate side, legislators said. State Sen. JayMorris, R-West Monroe, has three bills, while Kleinpeter, Sen. Ed Price, DGonzales,and state Rep. Mike Johnson, R-Pineville, have one each. Under two of Morris’bills, the Legislature wouldeliminate either Fields’ or Carter’sseat Under his third bill, lawmakers would eliminate both majorityBlack seats.

Kleinpeter described his bill as a“placeholder,” meaning he ﬁled abill just to have one that can be changed. Price’sbill would keep the current 4-2 partisan divide, meaning it stands little chance of passage in aLegislaturewith aRepublican supermajority Johnson’sbill would reimpose the previous congressional map with a5-1 partisansplit.

When will theLegislature beginto redraw thecongressional map?

If the Senateand Governmental Affairs Committee adopts anew map on Wednesday,the full Senatemight vote on that measureon Thursday.That bill wouldthenpass to the House and Governmental Affairs Committee.

Several factors could push back that schedule. Kleinpeter said he is notonly giving extra consideration to the views of Speaker Johnson, Scalise and Higgins in theredesign but also to fourstate Senate colleagues who are considering running for theHouse: Edmonds; Sen. Thomas Pressly, R-Shreveport; Sen.Kirk Talbot, R-River Ridge; and Sen. Stewart Cathey,R-Monroe.

Edmonds is already campaigning for the 5th Congressional District seat. Pressly is eying apossible campaign forSpeaker Johnson’s seat if Democrats win the House in November and Johnson then resigns. Thesamelogic appliesfor Talbot with Scalise.

Catheyislooking at possibly running forthe 5th Congressional District seat. Kleinpeter said he is asking the four senators to offer maps for their districts.

“I’m having to juggle alot of differentoptions,” he said.

Kleinpeter added he is not work-

ing with Miguez on apossible map. Miguez has angered his colleagues by running for the5th CongressionalDistrict seat even though he lives no closer than70miles from the district

What will happen to Rep. Cleo Fields andRep.TroyCarter?

It seems likely that one or bothof themwill losetheir job.

It’spossible thatthe Legislature will draw amap that pits them against each other.Then the questionwould be whetheritisweighted toward Baton Rouge (to favor Fields) or New Orleans (to favor Carter)

Kleinpeter indicated that he would favor aBaton Rouge-centric district —ifthe newmap retains oneBlack-majority seat —because of the post-Katrina population shift to the capital city. But Senate President Cameron Henry,aRepublican who representsboth Jeffersonand Orleans parishes,may favor aNew Orleans-centric districttogive his home area agreater voice in Washington.

What is thenew date forthe congressionalelections?

We don’tknowthatyet. But legislators indicatethat it’s likely thatthey will return to theopen

primarysystem, meaningthatcandidates would qualify for the six House races in July or August and compete in aprimary on Nov. 3. In any race where no one received at least 50% of the vote, the top two vote-getters would compete in a runoff election in December

What does Landry’s executive ordermeanfor theother races on theMay 16 ballot?

Those elections will still be held. Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill say the Supreme Court ruling affected only the congressional elections, so theotherswill go forwardas scheduled. The marquee election on the ballotpitsU.S.Sen Bill Cassidy against state Treasurer John Fleming, Letlow and Mark Spencer,a business owner Three candidates are competing in theDemocratic primary: Gary Crockett, Nick Albares and Jamie Davis.

TwoRepublicans— Judge Blair Edwards and Judge Billy Burris —are facing offfor aLouisiana Supreme Court seat that covers the northshore of Lake Pontchartrain. TwoDemocrats and two Republicans arerunning for the Public Service Commission seat held by term-limited Foster Campbell in adistrict that in-

cludes 24 parishes in north Louisiana. Five Republicans are running for the Public Service Commission seat held by term-limited Eric Skrmetta in adistrict that covers suburbanNew Orleans. TwoRepublicans are challenging Joseph Cao for his seat on the BoardofElementary andSecondary Education. As scheduled, voters will also decide whethertoapprove the ﬁve constitutional amendments. Whyare some conservatives upsetwithLandryand Murrill?

Talk show host Moon Griffon is among theloudest conservative voices blaming Landryand Murrillfor the election confusion,because the two insisted that legislators redistrict the House seats in 2024 and create the district that Fields won at the expense of then-U.S.Rep.GarretGraves, a Republican.

“The statewas neverrequired to drawnew congressionalmaps in the first place, and the map that was drawn looked like childrenwith crayonshad been given theassignment,” Graves posted on social media Wednesday

Landry andMurrill said in 2024 that the Legislature had to draw the new congressional mapbecause U.S. DistrictCourt Judge Shelly Dick was poised to do so. Political insiders said Landry targeted Graves because he supported arival of Landry’sduring the governor’srace.

What does thenew election schedule mean forGraves?

Graves represented the Baton Rouge-based 6th Congressional District for 10 years until Landry and state legislators redrew the boundary linesin2024 andgave himanunwinnable district.He didn’trun for reelection as aresult.

If legislators draw him amore favorabledistrictnow,hewould be the best-known candidate, and he’d havethe most money, with $3.6 million leftover in hiscampaign account. For now,Graves is trolling Landry andMurrill on social media for pushing the map redesign two years ago that cost him his district —and that the Supreme Court has now overturned. Graves said they need better lawyers and suggested they contact billboard trial lawyer Morris Bart.

SHORELINE

Continued from page 1A

considered a promising nature-based strategy in the battle against land loss By no means a solution on their own, especially considering the state’s huge coastal dilemma, such projects can, however, play a meaningful role when combined with other approaches, scientists say.

And in a state that cherishes its oysters, recycling them for coastal protection and to produce more of the beloved shellﬁsh holds special appeal. Last month’s work in the Biloxi Marsh, near a site formerly inhabited by the Chitimacha Tribe, was a pearl of an example.

Over the course of six days, CRCL placed 250 tons over 550,000 pounds of oyster shells to construct 1,000 linear feet of new reef, built to encourage oyster habitat and reduce shoreline erosion They also planted 4,000 mangroves in the area.

Anyone eating oysters in New Orleans and Baton Rouge may have contributed.

The organization has collected shells from restaurants in those two cities over the last dozen years and returned them to Louisiana waters, creating thousands of feet of new oyster reef. The structures have a twofold beneﬁt: The reefs promote more oyster growth while the structures reduce shoreline erosion.

Oysters, because of the way they feed, also improve water quality by ﬁltering it, while the reefs they form are beneficial to a wide range of marine life.

Placement is important.

In the case of the new CRCL reef, it complements a nearby project built by the state’s coastal agency Pilings and poles marking the state’s Biloxi Marsh restoration project could be seen in the distance from the CRCL boats carrying the thousands of pounds of oyster shells.

“We’ve been strategically aligning our project with other work being done by the state,” Lightbody said.

“Because our reef, by itself, will have some value of impact, but added onto this much larger project, it’s just a multiplicative effect of ecological beneﬁts.” From gray to green

The two coastal projects may be working symbiotically, but their methods are very different. While the volunteers planted native grasses and lined the receding marsh with oyster shells, the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority used different types of concrete to build a roughly 12-mile stretch of breakwater Still, both projects are considered what scientists call a “living shoreline.” The state’s concrete breakwater will eventually be covered in new oyster reefs, too.

Standing on the stern of the large oyster boats CRCL was using to build the reef, Craig Gothreaux, a fish biologist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, passed bag after bag of oyster shell to another volunteer waiting in the shallow water Gothreaux has volunteered for a number of CRCL’s reef builds, which he noted replicates the traditional process of returning oyster shells to the water to create new habitat for the species. He explained

that Louisiana lacks “hard substrate,” like rock, that marine organisms need to grow on

“Both of these living shorelines represent that hard material,” Gothreaux said of the two Biloxi Marsh projects. “It’s just using different materials to achieve that.”

The causes of land loss in Louisiana are many, but shoreline erosion is an important one. That’s where living shorelines can play a role since they keep waves and tides from repeatedly battering the marsh.

Louisiana Sea Grant notes that living shorelines “can combine plantings with structural elements.” In other words, that can mean oyster bags stacked along the shore — such as with the CRCL project — as well as cement domes with holes for oysters to attach, like the state project.

Beyond oysters and concrete, living shoreline initiatives might also incorporate rock jetties, vegetation and recycled sand, such as in a Jefferson Parish Bucktown shoreline project

Gothreaux explained the spectrum of shoreline techniques ranging from the greenest — which would use vegetation only to the grayest, like a bulkhead

“Depending on the environment and the wave energy, you kind of have to go to a grayer or a harder technique,” he said ‘Right at the front lines’

The state’s living shoreline falls on the grayer, more engineered side of the spectrum, though the agency still designed the Biloxi Marsh project to attract oysters and other marine habitat.

David Chambers, a CPRA ﬁeld engineer for the project, said that the concrete structures “serve as a kind of refuge” for ﬁsh and other sea creatures potentially hiding from predators, but also help reduce wave energy that accelerates erosion.

Completed in July 2023, the state’s $66 million Biloxi Marsh project used settlement funding from the 2010 BP oil spill to construct nearly 12 miles of breakwater and “marine mattresses,” or bags ﬁlled with rock, near the shoreline.

Unlike the volunteer project, the breakwaters don’t touch the marsh edge and sit away from the shore.

“The thing that I liked about what (CRCL) did was that it was right at the front lines of coastal erosion,” Chambers said, allowing the waves to break before reaching into the marsh.

Rudy Simoneaux, chief of engineering at CPRA, said that living shorelines are very effective at attenuating wave energy, though the structures like those in the Biloxi Marsh are historically more expensive and complex to install than rock or bulkhead.

“Living shorelines are not the agency’s primary method for shoreline protection, but they have been done before,” Simoneaux said.

The agency doesn’t currently have any large-scale living shorelines underway, Simoneaux said, but that doesn’t rule out a future scenario where implementing one would make sense. Any project that would help the agency reach its primary goal of protecting the shoreline is a method worth pursuing, he said.

‘A house and a skyscraper’

During a lunch break from reef building, Andrew Ferris, a coordinator for CRCL’s native plants program, explained that as sea levels rise, the new oyster reefs will grow with it.

“A wall or a rock dam — these things have a discrete lifespan that a living shoreline just doesn’t have,” Ferris said.

Still, he compared the difference in scale between the nonprofit project and the state agency project as “the difference between a house

Bags of recycled oyster shells are stacked along the shoreline during a Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana event at Morgan Harbor Pass in St. Bernard Parish on April 17.

STAFF PHOTOS By

BRETT DUKE

and a skyscraper.” The $500,000 CRCL volunteer project yields a fraction of the footage of the state project, but it also reﬂects a difference in aims, Ferris said. There is also a less visible goal associated with

such projects, he said. New coastal advocates can be recruited by illustrating the connection between a night out at a restaurant with marsh protection.

“We are part of the coastal ecosystem, and we have

always been part of the coastal ecosystem down here,” Ferris said. “And so part of our living shoreline projects are that we are creating a more engaged and educated base of Louisiana residents.”

ThenextgenerationofoneofMazda’smostpopularvehicleshas arrivedinAcadiana, andearly demand suggests it couldquickly becomeone of theregion’smostsought-after SUVs

Theall-new 2026 MazdaCX-5, acomplete redesign of thebrand’s longtime best-seller, is nowavailableatAcadianaMazda.Withupgraded technology,moreinteriorspace andanelevated design that’s sleekand refined, thelatestversion buildsonamodelthathasalreadysoldmorethan 4.5millionunits globally

TheCX-5hasbeenatopsellerforMazdasince itsinception.It’swhatmadeMazdasowell-known especially in theSUV segment. This is the first timethey’veredesignedit,andit’ssuchabeautiful refresh,”saidChrista Billeaud,AcadianaMazda Dealer Principal. “It’smuchmoreelevatedand sophisticated, as opposedtosporty.

Inside,the cabinhas been reimagined with a minimalistic design anda strong focusontechnology.A15-inchtouchscreendisplayanchorsthe interior,replacing traditionalknobs andbuttons with afully-digital interface. Driverscan usethe displaytosee theviews from theCX-5’smultiple cameras, plus connecttheir devicestoplaytheir favorite musicorpodcasts andsee turn-by-turn directionsviathestate-of-the-artnavigationsystem “Thedisplayisgoingtoappealtopeoplewhoare tech-savvy andwho like averyclean appearance withanupgradeddrivingexperience,”Billeaudsaid Beyondtechnology, theredesignemphasizes comfortand functionality, particularly forfamilies. The2026CX-5islargerthanits predecessor, offeringmorespace forpassengersand cargo. Rear seatinghas been expanded in both width andheight,makingiteasyforadultsandchildren to ride comfortably. Plus, thedoors open wider than before,creatinganew levelofaccessibility. “Somecustomerswhowerecominginwiththe ideaoflookingatourbiggervehiclesarelookingat theCX-5and saying it fits theirneeds perfectly,” Billeaudsaid.“Itcanbegreatforagrowingfamily or asinglepersonwho wantsavehicle with alot of room.It’snot just forone groupofcustomers.”

Underthe hood,the 2026 CX-5 continuesto offer Mazda’sreliable 2.5-literenginepairedwith standard all-wheeldrive,afeature that remains amajor sellingpoint Themechanics mean that theCX-5can handle anyweather conditions that mightcomeupinLouisiana,fromheavysummer rainstowinterice storms Theutility andversatility is second-to-none,” Billeaud said.“We even hadsomeone purchase onerecentlybecause sheismovingtoa snowy climateand wanted avehicle that couldhandle theterrain This is avehicle that people candrive withconfidence.TheCX-5hasbeenanationaltop safety pick formanyyears,and theexpectation is that the2026model will rank just as highly.” Evenwithsignificantupgrades,theCX-5remains competitivelypriced. Models at Acadiana Mazda rangefrom$31,000 to $44,000,which Billeaud

said hasbeenapleasantsurprise. Acadiana Mazdareceived its firstdeliveryof thenewCX-5’sinlateMarch,andsoonsoldseven within threedays. Billeaud said thedealership’s strong salesfigures mean it will receivemore CX-5sinthe coming months

Themorewesell, themoreweare allocated, andbecause we have been doingsowell, Mazda hasallocated us additional ones,” sheexplained “That meanswe’re goingtocontinuetohavea really strong CX-5 selectionand good numbers in ourinventory.”

CustomerscanvisitAcadianaMazdain-person to see theselection andtest-drivetheir favorite But, if they have alreadydecided they’reready for theCX-5, Billeaud said thedealershipwillwork with customersonpre-ordersand deposits so they canbeready to hitthe road as soon as their vehiclearrives.

“Weactually do alot of pre-orders.Peoplecan callusandgettheprocessstartedatanytime.We canget it orderedand getthemexactly what they want,”Billeaudsaid.“Oursalesteamisphenomenal They know everydetailabout thesevehiclesand cananswerany question,but at thesametime, there’snopressureatall.Weoften have people whowanttocomeinand go foratestdrive,then they contactusweeks or months laterready to makeapurchase.That’scompletelyfine.Wework on thecustomer’stimeline.”

ThesameistruefortheAcadianaMazdaservice department,whosetechniciansarehighly-trained to maintain andrepairall vehicles

“Mazda makesthese vehicles so well that there aren’t alot of repairsneeded,”Billeaudnoted “Our techniciansare always learning aboutthe technology andmaterials beingused nowsothey cangetdriversbackintheirvehiclesquickly,even if it’s just forroutine maintenance.

As SUVs continue to dominate thelocal market,Billeaudsaidthe2026CX-5istheperfect opportunitytoexperienceavehicle that blends performance, practicality andelegance.

“TheCX-5hasalwaysbeenastrongcompetitor, butIthink otherbrandsare goingtobewatching Mazdaveryclosely now,”Billeaud said.“This is theone that they aregoing to want to beat.” Acadiana Mazdaislocatedat1700Southwest Evangeline Thruway,Lafayette.Tolearn more aboutthe 2026 MazdaCX-5, stop by in person visitwww.acadianamazda.com or call thesales department at 337-232-9666

Recycled oyster shells line the shore at Morgan Harbor Pass in St. Bernard Parish.

By Amanda McElfresh| amcelfresh@theadvocate.com

Spirit Airlines shuts down

BY AAMER MADHANI,

RIO YAMAT, JEFF AMY and MIKE CATALINI Associated Press

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Spirit Airlines, an impish upstart that shook the industry with its irreverent ads and deep discount fares, announced Saturday that it has gone out of business after 34 years.

The ultralow cost airline that once operated hundreds of daily ﬂights on its bright yellow planes and employed about 17,000 people said it had “started an orderly wind-down of our operations, effective immediately.”

Although Spirit had gone bankrupt twice before, the company said high oil prices which have been rising because of the war with Iran, made it impossible to stay aloft.

The airline said on its website that all ﬂights have been canceled and customer service is no longer available Some passengers arrived Saturday for flights and were stunned to find them canceled, while workers learned overnight they were out of jobs.

“We are proud of the impact of our ultra-low-cost model on the industry over the last 34 years and had hoped to serve our guests for many years to come,” Spirit’s announcement said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Saturday that Spirit had a reserve fund set up for customers who bought directly from the airline to get refunds. People who bought from third-party vendors like travel agents would have to seek refunds from them.

Duffy said United, Delta, JetBlue and Southwest were offering $200 one-way flights for people who had Spirit confirmation numbers and proof of purchase for a limited time. Other airlines would also help Spirit employees who might be stranded as well as offering them a preferential application process as they look for work. Spirit said in a statement it was working to get more than 1,300 crew to their home bases and that the final Spirit flight landed at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport from Detroit Metropolitan Airport.

The company advised customers that they could expect refunds but there would be no help in booking travel on other airlines.

The Trump administration had considered a government bailout for the cashstrapped business to keep it from going under, but a deal was not reached. Of the potential bailout, Duffy said Saturday “we often times don’t have half a billion dollars laying around.”

President Donald Trump had floated the idea of a bailout last week after the airline found itself in bankruptcy proceedings for the second time in less than two years with jet fuel prices soaring because of the Iran war

‘They got you there’ Five Spirit flights were still showing as “on time” on Saturday morning on the departure board in Atlanta. A trickle of passengers who hadn’t heard the news were still showing up.

“What!?” exclaimed Taylor Nantang as she, her husband and four children arrived for a Saturday afternoon Spirit flight from Atlanta to Miami for a spurof-the-moment vacation.

The family had driven down from Tennessee to the Atlanta airport.

“So the whole airline at every airport is out of business?” asked Nantang. “Oh my, that’s crazy.” Other passengers wondered whether the airline would still answer its customer service phone or when the refunds for canceled ﬂights might arrive on their credit cards.

Joshua Sigler, who had bought a ticket Friday for a ﬂight Saturday to Miami,

said he would just return home after learning of the cancellation, rather than try to take advantage of deals other airlines were offering to stranded Spirit passengers.

He said he had gotten no communication from Spirit, which he had ﬂown multiple times in the past. “They get you there,” he said of past ﬂights. “It was cheap.”

‘Boo-hoo crying’

Former Spirit flight attendant Freddy Peterson was on a Spirit ﬂight from Detroit that arrived in Newark around 11 p.m. Friday

He said that despite rumors flying on social media Friday, things seemed kind of normal, with more than 200 passengers on the plane.

“All our aircraft were packed,” he said.

Peterson, 60, said he set his alarm clock for 3 a.m. Saturday to check the company website at the hour of the rumored shutdown and learned all Spirit ﬂights were canceled. He said Delta Air Lines brought him and another ﬂight attendant back to Atlanta on Saturday morning, with Peterson leaving from there to drive to his home in Shellman in southwest Georgia.

“I’ll probably do the boohoo crying and all that other stuff once I get in my car.”

Peterson said he had been a ﬂight attendant with Spirit for 10 years and the company has “done wonders for me.” He said the airline’s reputation for bargain basement chaos was largely undeserved, but he did fault management for not communicating with the employees in the closing days, saying a promised employee town hall was canceled

Bailout fizzles

As late as Friday after-

noon, Trump had said his administration was looking at a bailout for Spirit and had given the budget carrier a “ﬁnal proposal” for a taxpayer-funded takeover Spirit proudly disrupted the penny-pinching portion of the airlines industry with its no-frills, low-cost ﬂights and provocative ads like its “Check Out the Oil on Our Beaches” campaign after the Deepwater Horizon disaster in 2010, referencing suntan oil, but alluding to the crude spilled on the Gulf Coast.

However, Spirit has struggled ﬁnancially since the COVID-19 pandemic, weighed down by rising operating costs and growing debt. By the time it ﬁled for Chapter 11 protection in November 2024, Spirit had lost more than $2.5 billion since the start of 2020.

The budget carrier sought bankruptcy protection again in August 2025, when it reported having $8.1 billion in debts and $8.6 billion in assets, according to court ﬁlings.

White House blames Biden

The White House had blamed President Joe Biden’s administration for Spirit’s tenuous ﬁnancial situation. Biden, a Democrat, opposed a proposed merger between Spirit and JetBlue in 2023. On Saturday Trump administration to social media voices of conser ics who faulte Spirit’s demise. On Saturday blamed Biden a predecessor Pete “Many at the that this was a disaster merger should lowed,” he said.

Tad DeHaven, analyst at the Cato a libertarian think

BY FABIOLA SÁNCHEZ and ISABEL DEBRE Associated Press

MEXICO CITY — Two mem-

ruling Morena party, Sen. Enrique Inzunza, said he would continue serving in the Senate while defending himself from the accusations.

the Trump administration also bears responsibility, arguing that the airline’s current crisis reflects a chain reaction of policy missteps rather than a single decision. He pointed specifically to Trump’s decision to strike Iran as “bad foreign policy,” saying the conflict drove up jet fuel prices and Spirit’s operating costs.

“They were already in trouble,” DeHaven said, describing the situation as “a compounding effect in terms of policy.”

Supporters of a rescue including labor unions representing Spirit’s pilots, ﬂight attendants and ramp workers said a collapse would put thousands of Americans out of work and hurt consumers by reducing airline competition and increasing airfares. About 17,000 jobs could be impacted, according to Spirit lawyer Marshall Huebner

Budget-conscious and leisure travelers would likely feel Spirit’s absence the most, especially in places where the airline has a big footprint such as Las Vegas and the Florida cities of Fort Lauderdale and Orlando.

bers of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s party in the northwestern Sinaloa state said they would temporarily step down from their posts after the United States charged them and eight other politicians and security ofﬁcers with drug trafﬁcking in a bombshell indictment that has shaken Mexico’s political establishment.

In a short video announcement at midnight Friday, Gov. Rubén Rocha Moya, the highest-ranking ofﬁcial named in the indictment, denied accusations that he protected the Sinaloa cartel and helped it smuggle drugs into the U.S in exchange for millions of dollars in bribes.

“My conscience is clear,” said Rocha, 76, a longtime ally of influential former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador “To my people and to my family, I can look you in the eye because I have never betrayed you, and I never will.”

But he said he would take a temporary leave of absence from the position he has held for six years to defend himself against what he called the “false and malicious” allegations and cooperate with the Mexican government’s investigation.

Juan de Dios Gámez Mendívil, the mayor of the Sinaloa state capital Culiacán named in the indictment, also said he would take leave and denied the charges. Another defendant and member of the

In a special vote Saturday the state’s local congress appointed as interim governor Yeraldine Bonilla Valverde, an ally of Rocha who previously served as the state’s secretary of government.

Rocha and Gámez Mendívil had enjoyed immunity from criminal prosecution as sitting governor and mayor But in leaving their posts even temporarily the officials lost their blanket protection from prosecution, Arturo Zaldívar, a former Mexican Supreme Court justice who now advises Sheinbaum, posted on X.

“They can be detained like any person,” he wrote. Sheinbaum has struggled to strike a balance between the interests of her progressive Morena party and pressure from President Donald Trump to step up the ﬁght against cartels.

In a nod to her party’s anticorruption platform, Sheinbaum said she wouldn’t defend anyone found to have committed a crime. But she vigorously defended Mexico’s sovereignty vowing that if federal authorities uncovered “irrefutable” evidence linking the 10 indicted ofﬁcials to cartel crime, the accused would be tried in Mexico, not the U.S. — a move that risks backlash from an American administration that has threatened military action against cartels on Mexican soil.

“We will never subordinate ourselves because this is a matter of the dignity of the Mexican people,” she said Friday

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JEFF AMy

An airport employee walks past the Spirit Airlines counter at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport after the airline’s shutdown.

Troop withdrawal plan adds to U.S.-Europe friction

Pentagon to pull 5,000 troops from Germany

BY KIRSTEN GRIESHABER and EMMA BURROWS Associated Press

BERLIN Germany’s defense minister on Saturday appeared to take in stride a Pentagon announcement that the United States plans to pull some 5,000 troops out of the country, President Donald Trump’s latest attempt to reduce America’s commitment to European security Boris Pistorius said the drawdown, which Trump has threatened for years, was expected, and he said European nations needed to take on more responsibility for their own defense But he also emphasized that security cooperation beneﬁted both sides of the transAtlantic partnership.

“The presence of American soldiers in Europe, and especially in Germany, is in our interest and in the interest of the U.S.,” Pistorius told the German news agency dpa.

The planned withdrawal faced bipartisan resistance in Washington, with swift criticism from Democrats and concern from Republicans that it would send the “wrong signal” to Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose full=scale invasion of Ukraine recently entered its ﬁfth year

Trump’s decision comes as he seethes at European allies over their unwillingness to join his campaign with Israel against Iran.

He has lashed out at leaders like German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer Merz last week criticized the war in Iran, saying the U.S. is being “humiliated” by the Iranian leadership and calling out Washington’s lack of strategy

In another sign of friction, Trump accused the European Union of not complying with its U.S. trade deal and announced plans to increase tariffs next week on cars and trucks produced in the bloc to 25%, a move that would be particularly damaging to Germany, a major automobile manufacturer

At least one EU lawmaker called the tariff hike “unacceptable” and accused Trump of breaking yet another U.S. commitment on trade.

A pullout of 5,000 soldiers from Germany would amount to about one-seventh of the 36,000 American service members stationed in the country The Pentagon offered few details about which troops or operations would be affected. The withdrawal is sched-

Air Force:

Ex-Qatari 747 nearly ready to fly as Air Force One

By The Associated Press

The U.S. Air Force has ﬁnished modifying and testing a Boeing 747 jet donated by Qatar for temporary use as Air Force One and expects to have it ready for President Donald Trump to use this summer, the service announced late Friday

The jet is currently being painted red, white and blue, the Air Force said in a news release.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth accepted the luxury jet a year ago despite questions about the ethics and legality of accepting an expensive gift from a foreign nation, as well as concerns about security and cyber intelligence. Trump has defended the gift as a way to save tax dollars.

Trump has said he wouldn’t ﬂyaroundintheaircraftwhen histermends Instead,hesaid, the plane would be donated to a future presidential library

uled to take place over the next six to 12 months.

Trump previously said he would pull 9,500 troops from Germany during his ﬁrst term, but he didn’t start the process and Democratic President Joe Biden formally stopped the planned withdrawal soon after taking ofﬁce in 2021.

More broadly, around 80,000-100,000 U.S. personnel are usually stationed in Europe — depending on operations, exercises and troop rotations. The U.S. increased its European deployment after Russia launched its full-scale war on Ukraine in February 2022. NATO allies like Germany have expected for over a year that these troops would be the ﬁrst to leave.

Pistorius, in his comments to dpa, said, “We Europeans must take on more responsibility for our security,” while stressing recent efforts by Germany to boost its armed forces, accelerate procurement and develop infrastructure.

NATO spokesperson Allison Hart, in a post Saturday on X, said the trans-Atlantic alliance was “working with the U.S. to understand the details of their decision on force posture in Germany.”

“This adjustment underscores the need for Europe to continue to invest more in defense and take on a greater share of the responsibility for our shared security,” she added, noting “progress” toward a target among NATO allies to each invest 5% of their economic output to defense.

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement that the “decision follows a thorough review of the Department’s force posture in Europe and is in recognition of theater requirements and conditions on the ground.”

A U.S. defense official speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, said the branches of the U.S. military didn’t have prior knowledge of the decision to draw down the 5,000 troops and learned about it “in real time.”

In response, the Defense Department reiterated on Saturday that it conducted a thorough review of its force posture in Europe.

“The decision to withdraw troops in Germany follows a comprehensive, multilayered process that incorporates perspectives from key leaders in EUCOM and across the chain of command,” acting Pentagon Press Secretary Joel Valdez wrote in an email, using the abbreviation for U.S. European Command. Most U.S. troops in Germany come from the Army and Air Force.

Germany hosts several American military facilities, including the head-

quarters of the U.S. European and Africa commands, Ramstein Air Base and a medical center in Landstuhl, where casualties from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were treated. U.S. nuclear missiles are also stationed in the country Withdrawal of 5,000 troops — the size of a brigade combat team — from Germany would likely have limited impact on combat power, but “in terms of messaging of U.S. commitment though, it’s very different,” another U.S. defense ofﬁcial said.

The only permanent brigade combat team in Germany is the 2nd Cavalry Regiment, alongside an aviation brigade and other assets, which is considered to have an important role in America’s and NATO’s ability to deter threats.

After swift pushback from Democrats on Friday, Republican leaders of both armed services committees in Congress said Saturday they were “very concerned” about the troop withdrawal.

Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi and Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama said the decision risked “undermining deterrence and sending the wrong signal to Vladimir Putin.”

They also said the Pentagon had decided to cancel the planned deployment of the Army’s Long-Range Fires Battalion. Parnell’s statement made no mention of that.

Wicker and Rogers said any signiﬁcant change to the U.S. force posture in Europe warrants review and coordination with Congress.

“We expect the Department to engage with its oversight committees in the days and weeks ahead on this decision and its implications for U.S. deterrence and trans-Atlantic security,” they said in a joint statement.

They also noted that Germany has heeded Trump’s call to shoulder more of the burden of defense spending in Europe, while giving U.S. forces access to its bases and airspace in the war against Iran.

Trump has mused for years about reducing the American military presence in Germany, and has railed against NATO for its refusal to assist Washington in the war, which began on Feb. 28 with U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.

American allies in NATO have braced for a U.S. troop withdrawal since Trump took ofﬁce, with Washington warning that Europe would have to look after its own security, including that of Ukraine, in the future.

Burrows reported from London. Associated Press writers Ben Finley in Washington and Jamey Keaten in Lyon, France, contributed to this report.

Lourdesleaderfosters excellence in nursing

By Amanda McElfresh| amcelfresh@theadvocate.com

AsNationalNursesWeekhighlightsthevitalrole nursesplayinpatientcare,leadersatFMOLHealth |OurLadyofLourdessaytheprofessionalsooffers meaningful growth pathways,withexpanding opportunitiesfor clinical care,management, educationand long-termcareeradvancement

For Sherelle James, DNP, RN,associate chief nursingofficer,that journeyreflectstheevolution ofnursingitself.Whatbeganduringherchildhood asanearlyfascinationwithcaregiversvisitingher grandfathergrewintoa26-year career that spans hands-on patientcare, leadership andeducation

“Nursing is acalling forme,”James explained. “Itallowsmetobeofservice to thoseinneed. Answeringthe Call Jamesstarted as alicensedpractical nursein 2000 before becomingaregisterednurse three yearslater and, ultimately, earningadoctorate in nursing. Today, sheoverseesnursing andclinical supportteams,helping shapepolicies, guide patientcarestrategiesand ensure safety across theorganization.

“Sherelleisago-topersonwhogetsthingsdone,” notedStephanie Manson,Our Lady of Lourdes marketpresident.“Nothingistoobigortoosmall forhertotackle.Ialwaysfeelbetterknowingshe’s handling asituation or leadinga projectfor us.”

Throughoutmost of hercareerJamesbalanced beingasinglemom,financialstrugglesandgrowing herskill set– experiencesthatstrengthenedher resolveand helped buildaresilienceshe instills in others to this day.

“I neverlostsight of whyI started,”James explained. “Mypurpose stayed in frontofme. My faithcarried me throughevery setback, every late night, everymomentofdoubt.I knew that becominganursemeantIwouldhavetheprivilege of making ameaningfuldifference in thelives of people Icared for. That belief kept me moving forward, even when thepathfeltimpossible.”

EducationinAction

InadditiontoherexecutiveresponsibilitiesatOur LadyofLourdes,Jamesisanadjunctinstructorat LSUEunice,teachingcardiacandhematologycare toseniornursingstudents.TheroleallowsJamesto bridgethegapbetweenclassroomknowledgeand real-world experience.She often seesher younger selfinherstudentsandemphasizesnotonlyclinical care andthe importance of compassion,but how to look forsmall gestures like asimplesmile or aquiet thankyou that lets nurses know they are having an impact.

“A lifelong learner, Sherelle values continuous learning andisalwaysupfor newchallenges,” Manson said.“It’s importantfor hertomentor others,teach nursingstudentsand organize programs to encourageadditionalfaculty.”

At first, Jameswas hesitant to teach. “I don’t like to be in frontofa crowd. But, when Ilooked atthebigpicture,IrealizedIcantouchthepeople whowillcarefor future patients andensurethey have theeducation they need.Ithas been very rewarding. When I finish each class, Iget alot of thankful comments andmeaningfulquestions That tells me they comprehend andunderstand. It feelslikeanextension of nursing.

OurLadyofLourdes frequently looksfor ways to help itsnursesgrowintheir careers, Manson noted,whetherthatmeansassigningthemkeyroles in newprojects, enhancingtheir responsibilities or providingeducational opportunities.

“Our missionisveryimportant,sowelookfor nurses whoare agood fit. We want people with a service-minded spirit whowillprovide compassionatecareand an excellentpatient experience,”

shesaid. “Wehave many wonderfulnurseswho thrive in bedsideand clinical care roles, andthey aretruly theheartbeat of ourorganization. Then, whenweseenursesearlyintheircareerswhoshow interest in leadershipand supervisoryroles,we findwaystohelpthemcontinuouslyimproveand usetheir skills in differentways.”

Jamessaidshe is also proudofthe successes of an emotionalagility programthatOur Lady of Lourdesbegan offeringabout twoyears ago. During thesesessions,nursesand leadersfrom differentspecialtiesdiscusshow to best handle differentscenarios that arelikelytoarise “I thinkthathas been beneficial to nurses who arefeeling overwhelmed,stressedorburnedout There’ssomething specialabout hearingfrom othernurseswho have hadsimilar experiences,” Jamessaid. Thenursesareverythankfulandhave identified howtheycan better handle stressful situations.”

MaintainingMotivation

Manson notedthatgivingnursesthe chance to sharefeedbackand inputhas proven to be key to helpingthemmaintaintheir motivation and well-being.Inadditiontosupportiveprogramslike theemotional agilitygroups, Manson said Our Lady of Lourdesleaders seek nurses’input when evaluating newtechnology, treatmentmethods or patientamenities

“A keypiece of retentionisengagingnurses andincluding them in decision-making,” she said.“Nurses spendthe most time with patients anddevelop awonderful intuition. They arethe firstonestonoticeifsomething is wrongwitha patientand canuse theirclinicalknowledge to escalate or address thesituation That meansit’s importantfor them to have avoiceineverything that involves patientcare.

Whiletools andopportunities mayevolve, the foundationofnursingremainsrootedinpurpose. Forthose whofeela callingtoserve,nursing is away to grow,leadand make alasting impact “You arenot only providingdirectpatient care,but youare advocatingfor patients and theirfamilies. Nursingisa commitment that requires strength,perseverance, resilience and compassion everysingleday,” Jamessaid. “It’s always importanttostayconnected to your ‘why andyourpurpose. When youdothat, keep your faithstrongand rely on your supportsystems,it canbethe most rewardingexperience. NationalNursesWeekisbeing observedMay 6-12,2026, to recognizethe vitalrolenursesplay in thehealthcaresystemand localcommunities. As healthcare continuestoevolve, nurses remain at thecenter–guiding patients, coordinating care andhelping improve outcomes This week is atime to saythank youand reflectonthe lastingimpact nurses have in shapinghealthier futuresfor all.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MARKUS SCHREIBER

Bundeswehr troops demonstrate their capabilities on Thursday during a visit of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to the army at the Bundeswehr base in Munster, Germany. The United States plans to pull some 5,000 troops out of Germany.

Pope urgeswealthy U.S. Catholicstokeepdonating

BY NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press

ROME Pope Leo XIV on Saturday encouraged some of the wealthiest U.S. Catholics to keep on giving to support his charitable works, in an audience that conﬁrmed how the electionofthe ﬁrst U.S.-bornpopehas invigorated American Catholics and their donations.

The Chicago-born Leo met with members of The Papal Foundation, amajor funder of papal development projects in the developing world, in the Apostolic Palace at the end of theirannualpilgrimage to Rome.

In his remarks, Leo thankedthe foundation stewards for their generosity,which he said had allowed “countless people to experience in aconcrete fashion the goodness and kindness of God in their own communities.”

He noted in particular the priests and nuns from poor countries who are able to study at Rome’spontifical universities to earn advanced degrees thanks to scholarships funded by foundation’sgrants, which combined over the past four decades have totaled more than $270 million.

While The Papal Foundation contributions to the Vatican remained strong during Pope Francis’ 12year pontificate, other donations to the Holy See tankedduring the global ﬁnancial crisis, COVID-19 and other strains. Some U.S. Catholics also soured

the

on donating to theHolySee following years of unrelentingstories of mismanagement, corruption and scandal, as well asFrancis’ known criticism of American-style capitalism.

Theelection ofLeo seems to have reinvigorated the U.S. church, especially the donor class. On Saturday The Papal Foundationannounced that itsmembers hadapprovedmore than $15 million in grants for 2026, a record in the foundation’s 38-year history

The foundation also announced that 25 new familieshad joined itin theyear since Leo’selection, in the strongest sign yet that the

electionofanAmerican, English-speaking pope anda mathmajor with an eyetothe Vatican’s balance sheet —has been good news for church fundraising.

“The growthwe’reseeing is incredibly encouraging, as it reﬂects asharedcommitment to serve, to give, and to bring the church’s mission to life in meaningful ways across the globe,” David Savage, thefoundation’s executive director, said in a statement

The foundation wascreated by thelateCardinal John Krol of Philadelphia in 1988, as away forwealthy U.S. Catholicstodirectly fund charitable initiatives

Bright moon maydim the EtaAquarid meteor shower

BY ADITHIRAMAKRISHNAN

AP science writer

NEWYORK— The Eta Aquarid meteor shower soonwill light the sky with debris from Halley’scomet. Buta bright moonwill spoilthe fun this year,making the display harder to glimpse.

The shower will peak Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. Viewers from the Southern Hemisphere typically see 50 meteors per hour during the peak, but the interfering moon could cut that number by half. In the north, skywatchers will likely see fewerthan10per hour

“For us in the Northern Hemisphere, it’snot going to be as impressive,” said Teri Gee, manager of the Barlow Planetarium in Wisconsin. “The farther south you are, the better you’ll see it.” Meteor showers happen when the Earth charges throughtrails of debris left behind from comets or asteroids. Those bits collide with Earth’satmosphere at extremely high speeds, producing streaks of light that are also known as shooting stars.

On any given night,a handful of stray meteors are visible under dark skies. Meteor showers yield amore exciting show and happen at predictable times every year

Most meteor showers are caused by leftovers from comets, and the Eta Aquarids feature debris from one of the most well-known. Halley’scomet passes by Earth about every 76 years on its

trip around the sun. It’ll next swing by in 2061. To glimpse these meteors, it’sbest to go outside justbeforedawn. Venture away from citylightsand tall buildingstoget aclear viewofthe sky.In thiscase, it might also help to ﬁnd a spot that blocks theluminous waninggibbous moon, which will be84% full. Bring blankets and lawn chairs. Avoid lookingat your phone and give your eyes time to getusedtothe darkness. Look to the east in

the vicinityofconstellation Aquarius andbright star Eta Aquarii.

“You’re looking forbright streaksthatappearinthe corner of your eye for a fraction of asecond,” said astrophysicist Nico Adams withSSP International, a nonprofitthatpromotes STEM education.

There’snobetterway to enjoy the show than to experience it ﬁrsthand, Gee said.

“It almost feels like you’re discovering it yourself,” she said.

of the pope.

To become asteward requires a$1million gift to afund that thenhelps support papal projects, such as building orphanages or monasteries.For 2026, for exam-

ple, someofthe approved projects include the construction or renovation of a safeschool for marginalized tribal children in India, and professional technical training forvulnerable women in the Philippines. The foundation currently hasasits membersall the U.S. cardinals, and is governed by aboard of trustees madeupofCatholic laypeople and bishops.

By Amanda McElfresh| amcelfresh@theadvocate.com

Formanynurses, thegoaloftheir work is to diagnose,treat andhealpatients. Butfor those workinginhospicecare,themissionisdifferent–somethingquieter,deeperandprofoundlyhuman.

“Wecometoworkevery dayknowing that we cantruly change someone’s finalmoments The goalistohonortheirwishesandhelpthemhaveas muchpeaceanddignityaspossible,”saidShawntelMoore,seniordirectorofclinicalservicesat HospiceofAcadiana. “Hospice nurses aresteady handsinmoments when people arescared. They arecalmwhenpeopleare uncertain. They are compassionate. Youhavetoslowdown, truly seethe person in frontofyou andmakesurethe momentstheyhaveleft trulycount.”

Moorehas spentmorethan20years as anurse and15years as anurse practitioner.Inthe two yearssince joiningHospice of Acadiana,she has come to seehospice nursingasameaningful chapterwherepatientsandfamiliesaresupported in ways that extend beyond medicalcare.

That mightmeansmall gestures,likebuyinga patient’sfavoritecakeor flowers, or bringing in astylist fortheir hair andnails.Itmight mean simplysittinginsilencewiththemduringmoments of quietreflection.Or, it canbehelping guide family membersthrough questions, concerns anduncertainty

Mooresaidthatwhile hospicenursing is a beautifuland meaningful calling, it also carries aheavy emotionalweight. That is whyHospice of Acadiana hascreated multiple formsofsupport forits nurses. Mooresaidthere is always time setaside forconversation, reflection andhealing Quarterlywellnessprogramsaretimesforthestaff to debriefand recharge.And,monthly dinners at alocal restaurant give everyone achanceto unwind,laugh andenjoy oneanother’s company.

“Loved ones areoften overwhelmed, afraid andunsurewhatdecisions need to be made.Our nurses step into that spacewithreassurance and confidence.Weareabletotakesomeofthatburden off of families,” Mooresaid. “Wecan’t change the outcome, butwecan affectthe journey. We give family membersthe abilitytosit with theirloved ones,saywhattheywanttosayandhelpthemfind peaceintheir finalmoments.”

That levelofcareismadepossiblethrough a holistic,team-basedapproach.HospiceofAcadiana nurses work alongsidephysicians, social workers, chaplainsand volunteers to care forthe whole person –body, mind andspirit. Mooresaidthere isadeeprespectandappreciationfortheroleeach person playsineasinga patient’s finaljourney

“Asanonprofit,weare privileged to serve everyone whocomes to us,and we know we are better as ateam. We know this wouldnot be possible withoutour nurses,” Mooresaid. “No matter someone’sbackgroundorcircumstances, we know that peacecomes when patients feel safe andunderstood, andknowthattheyare not alone. Ournursesare able to providethatpeace andcomfort.”

“WhenI steppedintothisrole, oneofmy priorities wasmakingsureour nurses take care of themselves. Youcan’t pour from an empty cup,”Moore said.“If we take care of ournurses andother staff,theytakecareofeachother That createsanevenbetterdynamic forour patients andfamilies.

HospiceofAcadianaisthe only nonprofit hospiceinthe region andhas served more than 32,000 patients andfamiliessince itsinception Comprehensive inpatientand outpatient services includepalliativecare, griefcounselingand symptommanagement. This workissupported by theHospice of Acadiana Foundation,which ensuresthateveryonereceives qualitycareand support.Visithospiceacadiana.comtolearnmore.

Observed from May6-12, National Nurses Week 2026 is atimetorecognize thecompassion, skill andresilience that nurses bringtotheir work everyday That impact is deeplyfeltinhospice care as nurses guideindividuals andfamiliesthrough someoftheir most difficult moments Theweekisa time to give thanksand acknowledgethe profound difference nurses make each day.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ALESSANDRATARANTINO

Pope Leo XIV holds his weekly general audience on Wednesdays in St.Peter’sSquare at

Vatican.

This articleisbrought

youbyHospice of Acadiana

LOUISIANAPOLITICS

High court decision opensdoortocountrywide battles

Severalstateson vergeofredrawing congressional maps

WASHINGTON —U.S. Rep

Cleo Fields, D-Baton Rouge, likely won’tbeonly House member affectedbythe Supreme Court’sdecision last week to effectively eliminate his minority-majority congressional district.

Louisiana v. Callais was renderedasthe November midterm elections are getting underway.Republicans are trying to keep their bare House majority.Democrats think they have a shot to pick up the six seats necessary to take the levers of power in the House.

Many states have already begun primaryelections for themidterm Congressional contests.

In his initial reaction upon hearing about the Supreme Court decision, President Donald Trumpsaid state legislatures should lean into redrawing congressional maps and eke out afew more districts that would elect aGOP candidate.

House Speaker Mike Johnson,R-Benton, wants Republican legislatures to go backtowork as he tries to holdontoaGOP majority

A6-3 Supreme Court majority found that the Voting Rights Act of 1965, under which minority voters have challenged electoral maps for decades, allows districts to favor aparticular party but not aparticular race unless intentionaldiscrimination is proven.

Black voters have backed Democratic candidates with 80% to 90% pluralities since 1960.

“With this decision, states no longer have to ensure that communities of color have aconstitutional right to acongressional district in which they make up a majority of the vote,” Amy Walter wrote in The Cook Political Report, based in Washington.

Bill on termlimits faces headwinds

Aproposed constitutional amendment to set alimit of two overall terms for governors, instead of two consecutive terms, has twice failed to pass the Louisiana House. Currently, governors cannot serve more than two terms in arow —but they can come back and serve again after aterm out of ofﬁce. Former Gov.Edwin Edwards was elected in 1972, 1976, 1983 and 1991. House Bill 225, by Rep. Mike Bayham, RChalmette, would change the limit to two terms outright. That would bar former Gov John Bel Edwards, aDemocrat, from running again after serving from 2016 to 2024.

“All states that have unconstitutional mapsshould look at that very carefully andIthink they should do it before themidterms,” Johnson told reporters Thursday Facingsigniﬁcant headwinds goinginto November’smidterm elections, Trump earlier this year pushed Republican-led states to redistrict andadd moreGOP congresspersons. Some Democratic-led states responded by doing the same.

Theinitial round ofredistrictingtit-for-tat left Democrats and Republicans ﬂipping aboutthe same number of seats. That doesn’tyet count Florida, where the Legislatureis consideringnew maps that turn fourDemocratic seats —two of which are from minority-majority districts that would be eliminated into safe Republican ones.

The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter andSa-

Thebill passed out of the Committee on House and Governmental Affairs on an 11-2 vote. ButBayham has faced difﬁcultygetting it past theHouse ﬂoor

Because thebill proposes amendingthe constitution, it requires atwo-thirds vote to pass, or 70 votes. TheHouse hastwice voted on the bill, and it fell short both times —first in a 67-22 vote on April 22 andagain on a 67-21 vote on April 28. If thebill passes, the term limits would not immediately change. Voters would first have to approve amending thestate constitution. If approved, Louisiana’s rules wouldbewouldbe similartothose forpresident. The 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, approvedbyCongressin1947 andratifiedbythe statesin

bato’sCrystal Ball —two respected political handicappers —estimated seven districtscould change parties due to theCallais ruling. National Public Radio counted 15 House districts. Fair Fight Action and Black VotersMatter,two Atlanta-based voting rights groups, calculated 19 seats directly tied to the Voting RightsAct, but 27 seats could go Republican over time.

“It certainly appears possible, perhaps even likely,

1951, seta limit of two terms for U.S. presidents. Before thatamendment was ratiﬁed, only President Franklin D. Roosevelt had served morethan two terms; he was elected four times Psychedelics bill advances

Abill thatwould open the door for moreresearch and testing of therapies that use psychedelic drugs like ibogaine and psilocybin is close to passing the Louisiana Legislature.

Agrowing body of research suggeststhose drugs can be powerful treatment tools for PTSD in veterans, drug addiction, and some mental health conditions. But theyare illegal for general useand research has been limited, given the potential for abuseifusedimproperly Senate Bill 43, by Sen. PatrickMcMath, R-Covington, would createa PsychedelicAssistedTherapy Program

that these Republican states will be able todraw out all or some of their Democratic-held seats, if not in 2026 than 2028,” said Kyle Kondik, managing editor of Sabato’sCrystal Ball in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Just how many depends on how fast GOP-dominated states move toredraw their congressional maps to add moreRepublican-leaning seats.

Other Republican states will be watching the progress and outcomeofthe

at the LouisianaDepartment of Health that would support research for ibogaine and psilocybin. Money from amassive settlementthe state reached withpharmaceutical companies over the addiction crisis could be used to fund the research.

The drugs would not be legalized for general use, and all research and clinical trials would need to be authorizedbythe federal Food and Drug Administration, withsigniﬁcant safeguards and procedural reviews.

The bill got aboostfrom President Donald Trump, who lastmonth signedan executive order aimed at hastening research into psychedelics and removing some of the federal rules thatrestrictthat research.

SB43 has broad support in the Legislaturesofar.It passed the Senatewithout opposition, and was unanimously approved by the House Healthand Welfare committee.

See the Louisiana Purchase

An original copy of the agreement for the Louisiana Purchaseisondisplay at

inevitable lawsuits that will be ﬁled over Gov.Jeff Landry’ssuspension of the elections forLouisiana’ssix House seats. Somestates seem on the verge of going forit: Alabama, South Carolina and Tennessee.

U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., urged the state attorney general to throw out afederal district court order not to change until 2030 the mapsthat helped elect two Black Democrats in the state’seight-member delegation.

“Inacountry where only 20 House seats are truly competitive, two moreRepublicans from Alabama could mean the difference between gridlock and advancing Trump’sagenda,” Tuberville, whoisrunning forgovernor,wrote in an op-ed. “Alabama, which voted forTrumpby65% in 2024, by all rights should send an entirely Republican delegation to Washington.” That percentage is statewide.Birmingham and Montgomery voters favored Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate in 2024. Johnson and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson and secondin-commandaslong as the GOPmajority holds, know all too well the difﬁculties of navigating aone or twoorthree seat majority

Asmallnumber of GOP representatives can —and have —used their votes as leverage to get concessions in legislation Republican leadership wants and Democratic members oppose. In somecases, depending on attendance, even asingle Republican objecting will kill legislation on party line votes.

“This ruling strengthens equal protection forall voters, and gives people in Louisiana and across the country greater conﬁdence that mapswill be drawn fairly and not racially motivated,” Scalise said.

Email Mark Ballardat mballard@theadvocate. com.

the Louisiana State Capitol as part of the nationwide celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. In one of the largest land deals in history,the United States bought 828,000 square milesofland from France for $15 millionin 1803. That nearly doubled the size of the UnitedStates, adding territory from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains and from the Gulf of Mexico to the Canadian border.That land now includes all or part of

15 modern states, including Louisiana. The exhibit is open and will last until July 11. It is free and open to visitors of all ages. “This is more than an exhibit,” Gov.Jeff Landry said, when he announced the idea in his speech to open the legislative session. “It is apowerful opportunity for Louisiana to tell its story —toremind the nation that our state has always been central to America’sgrowth, ambition, and belief in the future.”

STAFF FILE PHOTOByBRETT DUKE

Allen Whitehead delivers voting machines and signs to Harriet Tubman Charter School in Algiers on Oct. 10. The Supreme Court’sdecision in Louisiana v. Callaiscouldhavehuge implications for howelection maps are drawn all over the country.

PHOTO

Schoolscan help combat food insecurity,advocatesays

BY ELYSE CARMOSINO Staff writer

Louisiana has one of the highest rates of children facing food insecurity,with nearly 1in4young people struggling with hunger Lindsay Hendrix, chief impact officer at Second HarvestFood Bank,has spent over adecade tackling the issue, particularly among the state’sK-12 students. Her team worksto identify food insecurity across 23 parishes and collaborates with schools to establish food assistance programs,such as the Summer Feeding Program, which will serve breakfast and lunch to students at 99 schools this summer Food insecurity is when people, usually due to alack of financial resources, are unable to easily access the amount of food needed to survive. Children facing food insecurity mighthave to skip some meals or fill up on junk food.

Research shows that students who don’teat enough nutritious food are more likely to suffer from chronic health conditions and perform poorly in school. They might struggling with fatigue and inattentiveness or frequently miss class Now advocateslike Hendrix are bracing for anew challenge. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which

oversees several food assistance programs, including free school lunch programs, said last year that it will discontinue an annual food insecurity survey,which theagency called “redundant”and “politicized.” Hendrix said the lossof data willmake it more difﬁcult to trackhungerand ensurefamiliesand children getthe resourcestheyneed. “Not havinginformation aboutaproblem is aproblem,” she said. At thestate level, Louisianalawmakers are taking some steps to address childhoodhunger HouseBill 218, currently

awaiting review by theSenate Education Committee, would create ascreening process to detect food insecurity among public school students. House Bill 269, which is pending approval by theHouse Education Committee, asks thestate education department to fund theFree School Breakfast Program, afederal program that reimburses schools up to one breakfast per student per school day

Hendrix spoke to The Times-Picayune |The Advocate about why preventing hunger amongstudents is importantand what schools and communities

can do to help.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity

What is food insecurity,and what does it look likeinLouisiana?

Food insecurityisaUSDA measurement that surveys a sample of people across the nation and asks respondents whether they’vebeen able to meet their food needs over the last month.

Looking at statewide data, Louisiana is ranked third as having one of the highest food insecurityrates in the country among bothadults and children. We have more food insecure children than alot of states can even imagine.

In total, 248,000 Louisiana children come from afoodinsecure household.

Howdoes food insecurity impact a child’sdevelopment?

We talk to alot of educators, and they know which children in their classrooms struggle with hunger

Usually thosekids have trouble focusing. There’s often sleepiness, lethargy, and theyaren’table to perform well on tests or in their lessons because they’re not retaining the information they’re being taught.

There’salso evidence that shows afood insecurechild may be sick moreoften, so theymissmoreclasses.

It’s alot of disruption in the child’sday.Ultimately it negatively impactstheir ability to succeed as they move along in school and life.

What signs shouldeducators look for that indicate achildisstruggling withhunger?

Teachers and staff should be on the lookout for a preoccupation with food

Hoarding food, putting food in pockets, asking classmates for food, et cetera.

They should also look for poor concentration and focus, low energy,orshifts in behavior

What are somewaysschoolscan helpcombat childhood hunger?

They can make sure that afamily is going through the qualiﬁcation process for free and reduced meals and make sure the child is actually participating in those meals.

For alot of schools, free and reduced meals are a big part of the day.Making sure that achild who is food insecure is able to access breakfast is important, as is being mindful of how the school sets up their day

Alot of educators talk about how their students are missing that free breakfast because their bus gets in too late. Teachers often have to supplement with snacks they’re purchasing out of their own pockets to be able to feed kids so that they can focus in the morning.

Is Second Harvest working on any initiatives in schools?

Childhood hunger spikes in the summertimebecause kids who qualify for free breakfast and lunch are stuck when school gets out, so they cometosummer feeding programs where

they can continue to get those meals.

We’re working on our largest summer food program on record. It’scalled SummerFeeding, and it’spart of the USDA’s summer food service program in partnership with the Louisiana Department of Education.

Ninety-nine sites have applied to receive breakfast and lunch meals across our service area. Last year we served 72 sites.

We’re also opening anew community kitchen at our Bayou Distribution Center in Houma, which serves Terrebonne, Lafourche and St. Mary,that’sgoing to serve about 6,000 children this summer How can peoplehelp hungry students in their communities?

Supporting schools and teachers is really important. Teachers spend alot of their own dollars serving their students, and they’re already underpaid for what they do.

It can also help to speak directly to your legislators about providing resources for schools to be able to serve food-insecure children. For example, the state

PHOTO PROVIDEDByLINDSAyHENDRIX.)

LindsayHendrix is the chief impact officer for Louisiana’s Second Harvest Food Bank.

Trumplikes idea of government owning some firms

did notimmediately address the shutdown of the carrier.

BY JOSH BOAK Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trumphad no qualms about agovernment takeover of Spirit Airlines, so long as the terms could be portrayed as afinancial victory in what would have been the latest addition to a taxpayer-backed conglomerate of business interests.

But the budget carrier ceased operations on Saturday after reaching an impasse with an administration that increasingly sees the government as an activist investor that will shape the path of the U.S. economy.

While Trump has long railed against Democrats and other opponents as communists —the antithesisof the free market ethos that helped America grow into a superpower —hehas taken ashine to the government owning some of the means of production since he has been back in the Oval Ofﬁce.

Trump sees opportunities in preserving legacy brand companiessuch as Intel and possibly making atidy proﬁt for Uncle Sam. The Republican president views the investments as critical for economic security and emblematic of his own dealmaking skills, overturning what had been GOP dogmathat government should avoid picking winners and losers.

In the case of Spirit, a cash-strapped budget airline that faced surgingfuel costs caused by the Iran war,Trump told reporters on Friday that the government would buyastakein the company “only if it’sa good deal.” His objection to abailout was not ideological as much as it was about the upside. “If we can help them, we will,” Trumpsaid. “But we have to come ﬁrst.” Trump

He had compared the potentialacquisition to an earliermove tobuy astake in Intel.Trump haswatched the computerchip manufacturer’sstock closely.“I’m very proud of that Company in that Iamresponsible for making the United Statesof Americaover30BillionDollars in the last 90 daysonthat stock alone,” Trump posted on socialmediathis week.

Communism wields big inﬂuence in countries such as China, Vietnam, North Korea and Cuba, where governmentsplay acentral role in providinggoods and services. Theideologyhas morphed over itshistory from the premise that government should own all property to asysteminwhichthe government might own or controlmajor companies.

In theUnitedStates, major government interventions in the private sector have been unusual outside of arecession. Trump aides say his interventions are necessary to compete against China’s industrial heft, yetthe president hasfrequently tethered corporateAmericato his administration.

He has used his tariffsto solicit foreign investments and claimed that he controls howthe moneyisbeing spent.The government has a “golden share” to limit what Japan’sNipponSteel can do after buying U.S.Steel. His administration brokered an agreement to takea cutof computer chipsales to China by Nvidia and AMD

Under Trump, the government has invested in rare earths company MPMaterials to break China’scontrol of the metallic elements needed forsmartphones, autos and other technologies. Add to thatagreements for stakes in Lithium America, Trilogy Metals and Vulcan Elements as well as preferentialﬁnancing forWestinghouseand ReElement Technologies

The administration backed off endingthe government

conservatorship of the mortgage companies Fannie Mae

andFreddie Mac. Trump says they areworthmore now becauseheheld on instead of privatizing thecompanies in his ﬁrst term.“If I would have sold it,Iwould have felt like aschmuck,” he said Friday

He is accessible to CEOs, speaking regularly on the telephone with them, yet he also can be demanding of them to support his agenda. He has told Walmart to not raise prices because of his tariffs andsuggestedhe would favorably “remember” companies thatdecline to seek refunds after the Supreme Court ruled his tariffs wereillegal.

To critics, Trump’sdesire to fund andholdownership stakes in privatebusiness is abyproductofanidinoverdrive.

“This is entirely areﬂection of atransactional-minded president who wants unilateral controlofthe economy,” said TadDeHaven,a policy analyst at theCato Institute, alibertarian think tank. “At the end of the day,itisabout power,itisabout leverage

and it is about control.”

Others seesome logic in competing against Chinese manufacturers that can churn away without regard to proﬁts, undercutting factories in other industrialized nations andputtingAmerica’s preeminence as amilitary power andtechnological innovator at risk.

The investment in Intel was “a strategic move, necessitated by the growth of Chinaasaneconomicpeer and rival,” said Sujai Shivakumar at the Center for Strategic and International Studies,aWashington-based think tank.

“The keypoint is that we should notsacriﬁceour national economic and industrial framework in the name of ‘free markets’ or other ideologies,” he said. “Pragmatism, in various forms of industrial and innovation policy, have always been a feature of our economic system sincethe very beginning of our republic.”

During the 2024 campaign, Trump portrayed the administration of Democrat Joe Bidenascommunist and socialist.

“Wewill cast out the communists,” Trump said at an April 13, 2024, speech in Pennsylvania. “Wewill liberate our country from these tyrants and villains once and for all.”

Bidenoften stressed his beliefinthe power of free marketstohelp themiddle class and he believed his efforts to raise corporate tax rates would help achieve that. “I’m acapitalist,” he said in his last State of the Union address, saying he was not opposed to companies making proﬁts. “That’sgreat —just pay your fair share in taxes,” he said.

The Biden administration extendedloansand grants to chipmakers and sought to leverage the government’s role as acustomer of American businesses.But akey difference wasthat theinvestments were based on laws passed by Congress.

Trump’sunilateral approach is more nimble,his WhiteHouse argues, saying that funding for his investmentscome from sources previously approved by Congress.

Trump specifically took

loans and grants from Biden’s2022 CHIPS and Science Actand converted them into a$11.1 billion purchase of Intelstock.Inhis 2025 addresstoCongress, Trump called the CHIPS Act a“horrible, horrible thing” and suggested the Republican majorities claw back funding to pay down the budget deﬁcit.

With Spirit Airlines in Chapter11bankruptcy,his administration had been weighing a$500 milliondeal that would have given the government astake in the Florida-based discount airline. Other budget carriers have been interested in similar packages. That possibility drew objections fromRepublicans such as Sens. TedCruz, of Texas, andTom Cotton,of Arkansas. Trump hadtold reportersinthe OvalOfﬁce that he wanted to save the jobsatSpirit Airlinesand that “whenthe prices of oil goes down, we’ll sell it for a proﬁt.”

Government investment can help to even the playing field forAmerican companies competing against subsidized foreign businesses, said Monica Gorman, amanagingdirector at Crowell GlobalAdvisors whohelped lead manufacturing and industrial policy in theBiden White House.

But Gormansaid that it wasunclearwhether the Trump administration had fully grasped therisks of “makingsome bad bets.” She stressed the importance of formalizing theprocess through legislation instead of relying on Trump’s whims.

“Congressreallyneeds to stepinand design alegislative framework for U.S. industrial policy that governs equity stakes as well as other mechanisms suchasloans and grants,” she said. “All of these are important tools in the U.S. industrialpolicy tool kit, but we need more guidance on when and how to use them.”

Father, daughter duo duped NYC’s art world

yearslong scheme tricked galleries with fake paintings

BY JAKE OFFENHARTZ Associated Press

NEW YORK A little over a year ago, the New York City art dealer Robert Rogal received a visit to his private showroom from a young woman, who seemed eager to ofﬂoad a family heirloom.

Introducing herself as Karolina Bankowska, she carried a framed painting signed by Andrew Wyeth, resembling the watercolor landscapes the celebrated artist had completed early in his career Intrigued, Rogal accepted the piece on consignment, ﬁguring it might fetch between $20,000 to $30,000 at auction.

“The provenance was a little fuzzy,” he said. “But she seemed credible. It wasn’t an obvious counterfeit.”

In fact, Rogal now believes the painting was a fake — one of at least 200 carefully designed imitations that federal prosecutors say Bankowska, 26, and her father Erwin Bankowski, 50, tried to pass off to unwitting buyers. On Tuesday, the duo plead-

ed guilty to defrauding their victims including some of New York City’s most prominent ﬁne art auction houses of at least $2 million. The counterfeits, which were forged in Poland by an unnamed co-conspirator, were often reproductions of lesser-known works by prominent and prolific artists, like Banksy and Andy Warhol, prosecutors said. Their most proﬁtable fake, purportedly by the artist Richard Mayhew, was sold

by the auction house DuMouchelles last October for $160,000.

A representative for DuMouchelles said they had cooperated with federal authorities but were not authorized to discuss the sale further. Several other auction houses targeted in the scheme, including Bonhams, Phillips, Freeman’s and Antique Arena, either declined or did not respond to inquiries. The father and daughter

— Polish citizens living in New Jersey face charges of wire fraud conspiracy and misrepresenting Native American–produced goods, a charge stemming from their duplication of the Luiseño artist, Fritz Scholder

They face the possibility of more than three years in prison under federal guidelines, in addition to $1.9 million in restitution and possible deportation to Poland. In court on Tuesday, Bankowska told a judge that

her “conduct was wrong and I am guilty.” Her attorney, Todd Spodek, said his client had placed more than $1 million in an escrow account.

Through a Polish interpreter, Erwin Bankowski also apologized. His attorney, Jeffrey Chabrowe, added that his client had “regrettably made a terrible decision in an effort to support his family.”

As news of the fakes reverberated around the art world, experts described the scheme as a classic of the genre one that is far more prevalent than some in the industry would like to admit.

“The only unusual thing about this case is that the forgers got caught,” said Erin Thompson, a professor of art crime at the City University of New York.

“People think of the art world as a genteel place full of cultured people who just want to share the wonder of beautiful art,” she added. “You should assume there are a lot more fakes out there.”

Prosecutors said the father and daughter began commissioning a Polish artist in 2020 to create the fake artworks. Using antique paper, they also forged stamps to attach to the paintings, adopting the names of since-shuttered

galleries where a given artist might have plausibly shown their work. It wasn’t long before the sales began to draw scrutiny In March 2023, representatives for the artist Raimonds Staprans caught wind of a forged painting, “Triple Boats,” for sale by an auction house. A few days after the reps contacted the auction house, the painting sold to a buyer for $60,000, prosecutors said.

Thompson, the professor of art crime, noticed other irregularities as well The gallery stamp on the back of the faked Wyeth, for example, listed its year as 1976, but included a zoning address number that had been phased out in 1962.

Coincidentally, perhaps, the fake stamp bore the name and address for M. Knoedler & Co. One of New York’s oldest and most esteemed commercial galleries, Knoedler closed down in 2011 amid allegations of proﬁting from forgeries of paintings by Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko and others.

Ultimately Rogal said he never listed the Wyeth, in part because the stamp on the back was “too clean.” When he called Bankowska and told her to pick it up, she never responded.

BY SYLVIA HUI

Associated Press

LONDON Britain’s prime minister warned Saturday that tougher action was needed against people chanting certain phrases at pro-Palestinian protests, as concerns grew over the safety of British Jews after the stabbings of two Jewish men in London.

Keir Starmer said he would always defend the right to protest, but said there may be instances where some marches protesting the war

in Gaza should be banned. He suggested that repeated proPalestinian marches have had a “cumulative effect” linked to the rise in antisemitic incidents in the U.K.

“When you see, when you hear some of those chants —

‘globalize the intifada’ would be one I would pick out — then clearly there should be tougher action in relation to that,” Starmer told the BBC.

The Arabic word intifada is generally translated as “uprising.”

A 45-year-old man was

charged Friday with attempted murder after two Jewish men were stabbed and wounded Wednesday in Golders Green, a London neighborhood that’s an epicenter of Britain’s Jewish community. Police called the attack an act of terrorism. It was the latest in a string of incidents including recent arson attacks on synagogues and other Jewish sites in the British capital.

The U.K.’s most senior police officer warned Friday that British Jews are facing

their greatest ever threat, and blamed social media for making antisemitism more mainstream than before.

Mark Rowley, the head of the Metropolitan Police, said British Jews are now the target of every extremist group spreading hate.

“The ghastly fact is that Jews are on everybody’s list, all of those hateful groups, whether you’re extreme right, whether you’re extreme left, whether you’re Islamist terrorist, whether you’re right-wing terrorist,

and some hostile states as well now with some sort of Iranian-related threats,” he told The Times. “There’s a ghastly Venn diagram that they’re at the middle of.”

Britain’s official terror threat level was raised from substantial to severe after Wednesday’s stabbing attack. Severe is the secondhighest on a ﬁve-point scale and means intelligence agencies consider an attack highly likely in the next six months.

The government said the change was not due solely to

the Golders Green attack but also due to increased danger “from Islamist and extreme right-wing terrorist threat from individuals and small groups based in the U.K.” The number of antisemitic incidents reported across the U.K. has soared since the attack by Hamas-led militants on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and the subsequent war in Gaza, according to the Community Security Trust charity. The group recorded 3,700 incidents in 2025, up from 1,662 in 2022.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JAKE OFFENHARTZ

Art dealer Robert Rogal never listed this suspected forgery of an Andrew Wyeth painting in his New york gallery because the stamp on the back was ‘too clean.’

AcademyAwardsorganizationannounces 2027 rules

International film eligibility expanded, AI addressed

BY LINDSEY BAHR AP film writer

The organization behind the Oscars is for the first time addressing the use of artiﬁcial intelligence in performances and scripts for the 2027 Academy Awards

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Friday released updates across many categories, stressing the importanceof human authorship while not banning AI.

The new rules also include significant changes to the much-criticized international ﬁlm category,expanding eligibility to include films that won top qualifying awards from prestigious film festivals like Cannes, Venice and Toronto.

“As we do every year,we made alot of, we think,really smart and progressive changes,” filmacademy CEO Bill Kramer told The Associated Press. “Obviously,asthe academy becomes more global, we need to think about how we are inviting international ﬁlms into the Oscars conversation.”

As part of its annual review of Oscar eligibility rules, the academy is tackling one of the global ﬁlmmaking community’sbiggest concerns: generative artiﬁcial intelligence.

The new rulesstate that “the tools neitherhelp norharm the chances of achievinga nomination” and that the academy and each branch “will judge the achievement, takinginto account thedegree to which ahumanwas at the heart of thecreativeauthorship when choosing which movie to award.”They’realsoreserving theright to request more information from the ﬁlmmaking team about the nature of the use of AI and “human authorship.”

“Humans have to be at the center of thecreativeprocess,” saidacademyPresident Lynette HowellTaylor “AsAIcontinues to evolve, ourconversations aroundAI will dosoalongwith that. But for theacademy, we are alwaysgoing to put humanauthorshipatthe center of our awards eligibility process.”

Whenitcomes to the eligibility ofperformances, only roles “demonstrably performedbyhumanswith their consent” will be considered. The organization declinedtocomment on whether the upcoming AIrendered ValKilmer performance would be eligible as the ﬁlmmakers have not yet submitted it for consideration

Alikeness is notanactor, for one, but it mightalso depend onhow Kilmer is credited in the ﬁlm: AsVal Kilmer or something else? One could also take Andy Serkis as Gollum as an example of ahuman collaboratingwith technologyfor theﬁnal performance.

“Wewill review that on a

case-by-case basis,”Kramer said. “We, like everybody in ourindustry andworld,we will be assessing this every year.”

Thereisless ambiguity in thescreenplay categories,where the rulesstate that“screenplays must be human-authoredtobeeligible.”

The ﬁlm academy has often hadtoreviewits standards to meet the technological advances of themoment, whether it be sound, color or computergenerated imagery (CGI).

As its membership has grownmuchmore international, there have been increasing calls for an overhaul to theinternational ﬁlm

4N.J.residents chargedwith illegallyvoting, lyingonforms

By The Associated Press

NEWARK, N.J.— Federal prosecutors in New Jersey have charged four residents with illegally voting.

The U.S. attorney’sofﬁce for New Jersey said in a statement Friday that the four people were not U.S. citizens when they registered to vote and cast ballots in federalelections,as federallaw requires. Their charges range from illegally voting in afederal election to making false statements when applying for citizenship and unlawful procurementofcitizenship

or naturalization. Prosecutors say all four voted in at least one federal election from2020to2024, aperiod that included two presidential electionsand one midterm election.

Theysay the defendants, after casting ballots, then submitted applicationsfor naturalization in which they falsely claimedtohave never voted or registered to vote in afederal election.

U.S. Attorney Robert Frazersaidthe charges reflect his office’s“commitment to protecting the integrity of our election system.”

Last year,the office launched atask force focused on election-related crimes such as voter registration fraud, casting of fraudulent ballots, voting by noncitizens andindividuals votingmultiple times in thesame election

Social media claims of widespread voter fraud surged after the 2020 election andhavecontinuedto be amplifiedbyPresident Donald Trump andhis allies

But current andformer election ofﬁcials have said such fraud is isolated and rare.

category,which had been continually criticized as unjust,outdated and subject to political interference. That’s ledtoindependent anddissident filmmakers often pointedly notbeing submitted to represent thecountry they’re from.

Last year’sPalmed’OrwinneratCannes, for instance,was “ItWas Just an Accident,” from Iranian ﬁlmmaker Jafar Panahi,was not submitted as Iran’sofﬁcial entry for the 98th Academy Awards, but France’s. Under the newrules, “It WasJust an Accident” could be considered eligible because it won the top Cannesprize andnot

because acountry chose to submit it. In addition to the Palme d’Or at Cannes, the Golden Lion at Veniceand the Platform award at Toronto, other festivals with eligible qualifying awards will also include the Berlin International Film Festival’s Golden Bear, the Busan International Film Festival’s best film award and the Sundance Film Festival’sWorld CinemaGrand Jury Prize. All the international films will also be credited as the nominee, not the country or region, and the award will be accepted by thefilmmaker.

The director’s name will also be listedonthe Oscar plaque, “after the ﬁlmtitle

and country if applicable.”

“Thatreally reflects our desire to honor the film’s creative team.Thatishow we approach other categories,” Kramer said. “And as we become more global, as the filmmaking community becomes moreglobal. I think it’sreally about afocus on the filmmakers and less a focus of the country.” The acting branchis catching up with the rest of the academyinallowing an actor to be nominated for morethan one performance in asingle category.If, say, this year’sbest actor winner Michael B. Jordan has twoextraordinary leading performances in two different films in 2026, he could possibly gettwo best actor nominations. This is standard practice in the other categories. In 2001, at the73rdOscars, StevenSoderbergh was nominated for best director for both “Traffic” and “Erin Brockovich,” winning the prize forthe former The organization also clarified the eligibility of original songs used during a film’s end credits. For songs in whichthe first musiccue plays over the end credits, that song must overlap with at least the film’s last 15 seconds before the credits roll in order to be considered eligible. This year’soriginal song winner,“Golden” was akey part of “KPop Demon Hunters” and used several times throughout the film “Wenever stop looking at ways to improve our eligibility process,” Taylor said.

VisitBaton Rougebuildson dynamic2025withrenewed energy andadiverse slateof events for2026

By Amanda McElfresh| amcelfresh@theadvocate.com

This articleisbrought to youbyVisit BatonRouge

By The Associated Press

TAIPEI, Taiwan Taiwan’s

President Lai Ching-te said he arrived in the African nation of Eswatini on Saturday, days after his government was forced to push back the trip when several countries withdrew permission for himtoﬂyover their territo-

ries reportedly over Chinese pressure. In apost on X, Lai said he arrived in Eswatini —Taiwan’s only diplomatically in Africa —to“afﬁrm our long-standing friendship.” He said that Taiwan, aselfruled democracy thatChina considers part of itsterritory,“will never bedeterred by external pressures.”

Lai was originally scheduled to visit the southern African country from April 22, but Taiwaneseofficials said that ﬂight permits were revoked by Seychelles,Mauritius and Madagascar over “strong pressure from the Chineseauthorities, including economic coercion.”

BatonRouge is provingthatit’smorethan Louisiana’scapital city –it’sadestination on therise. With ayearofrecord-setting events andpositivemomentum,2025sawsigniﬁcant tourismachievementsinthe region,and 2026 isshapinguptocarrythatenergyevenfurther. Oneofthe biggestsuccessstories of 2025 wasthe United States BowlingCongress OpenChampionships,whichtransformedthe RaisingCane’sRiver Center into afully-functioningbowlingcomplexfornearlyﬁvemonths From Marchthrough July,morethan50,000 bowlersand roughly100,000 of theirfriends family membersand fans made theirway to BatonRouge

Thechampionships generatedaneconomic impactofcloseto$150millionforBatonRouge a14percent increase from thelasttimethe tournamentwasheldlocallyin2012.Theﬁgure representsdollarsspentathotels,retailstores, restaurants, gasstations, theBaton Rouge Metropolitan Airport, coffee shopsand more

“Therealwinwasthattheeconomicimpact spilledoverfromtheRiverCenteranddowntown area into severalother areasofBaton Rouge, said LauraCating, Senior Vice Presidentof MarketingandCommunicationsforVisitBaton Rouge. “Weheard from theownersofseveral restaurantsand hotels whosaidthisevent made theiryearfroma ﬁnancial standpoint.”

That successextendedintoBaton Rouge’s growingreputationasadestination for athletic-based entertainment. In August LSU’sAlexBox Stadium welcomed thewildly popularBananaBallWorldTour, featuring thePartyAnimalsandTexasTailgaters.With twosold-outcrowdsand agrowing fanbase, theevent broughta newkindofhigh-energy, family-friendlyexperience to thecity.

Around thesametime, BatonRouge leaned intoitsartisticsidewiththelaunchoftheBaton RougeUnderground Film Festival,afour-day eventthatcelebratesindependent film and fostersavibrant creativecommunity.Hosted at theManship Theatre, the2025festivalfar

exceededexpectations, drawingabout 1,800 attendees, well aheadofthe projection of 500 people.The 2026 festival is slated for August 27-30.

Now, alleyesare on 2026.Muchofthe momentum so farisbeing driven by Death Valley Live,anew concertseriesinsideLSU’s TigerStadium.Theinitiativerepresentsafresh chapterinlarge-scale entertainmentfor the city.The inauguralDeath Valley Live show on March28drewmorethan65,000fanstosee countrystarZachBryan

BatonRouge’s combinationofeventsthat appeal to multiple demographics,combined withtouristdestinationsthatappealtoeveryone from historybuffstofamilieswithyoung kids toavidfoodies,ishelpingthecitymaintainand grow itstourism momentum

“Webelieve BatonRouge hassomething to offer everyone at everytimeofthe year.We’re reallyproudoftheaccomplishmentsandfeedback wereceivedin2025andwefeel2026isalready off to astrongstart.We’re excitedtowelcome even more people to BatonRouge during the rest of theyear,”Catingsaid. Learnmoreabout tourismimpactatwww visitbatonrouge.com/about-us/why-tourism-matters.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILEPHOTO By MATT SAyLES

The organization behind the Oscars is for the first time addressing the useofartificial intelligence in performances and scripts for the 2027 Academy Awards.

Seven indicted on child exploitation

Former Teacher of the year among those charged

BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Lafayette in recent months has charged seven Acadiana residents, from Broussard to Basile, with child sexual exploitation, including enticing a minor to engage in sexual activity and distribution of child porn.

A Broussard Middle School

Pollution report provides mixed picture

Some La. areas get failing grades for air quality

BY DAVID J MITCHELL Staff writer

Air quality in the Baton Rouge and Hammond metro areas has received failing grades for smog and fine particle pollution in a new three-year study, while New Orleans dropped in the national rankings despite faring better than those neighboring cities.

The American Lung Association’s “State of the Air” report for 2026 revealed a mixed picture for Louisiana air quality based on those two major pollutants between 2022 and 2024.

In northern Louisiana, the Monroe-Ruston and Shreveport-Bossier City metro areas were rated among the cleanest in the nation for ground-level ozone more commonly known as smog and short-term particulate pollution, respectively Though most other parts of the state remained in compliance, many saw pollution rankings slip as they fell behind other states with improving air

For Baton Rouge and Hammond, the ALA’s failing grade for ozone — due to Baton Rouge-area parishes — suggest noncompliance with federal air quality standards the nonproﬁt says.

“Unfortunately, too many people in the Baton Rouge and New Orleans metro area are living with unhealthy levels of ozone and particle pollution,” said Eric Weinzettle, the association’s director of advocacy “This air pollution is causing kids to have asthma attacks, contributing to chronic health conditions, and making people who work outdoors sick.”

The association relied on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Quality Index ratings for ozone, 24-hour ﬁne particulate pollution and annual ﬁne particulate pollution. Those ratings rely on data from the state air monitoring network.

EPA has scrutinized ozone and particulates for decades due to their broad presence across the nation and serious health impacts. Especially harmful to children, older adults and people with asthma, ozone can cause breathing problems, may be a cause of asthma and can lead to premature death, the EPA says Fine particulates are microscopic solid or liquid particles that can embed in the lungs and enter the bloodstream. They can cause breathing problems but also raise the risk of high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease.

For 2022-24, East Baton Rouge, Iberville and West Baton Rouge parishes all received an “F” for ozone from the association.

West Baton Rouge also received a failing grade for annual

teacher, Christie Dunbar Oster, 38, of Broussard, was indicted April 30 on a charge of enticing a minor to engage in sexual activity She was arrested in January.

An eighth-grade teacher, she was named Teacher of the Year in 2025.

Oster is charged with having maintained a sexual relationship with a minor victim, one of her students, for most of 2024. The

U.S. Attorney’s Office alleges Oster used her cellphone to hold sexual discussions with the student and to instruct the student on deleting text messages to avoid detection.

Scott resident Luxe Arlen Thomas, 19, has been indicted in federal court on charges of producing and possession of child sexual abuse materials.

A former National Guardsman,

he was charged with producing child porn, interstate transportation of a minor to engage in sexual activity and other child sexual abuse materials-related crimes.

Thomas allegedly engaged in a monthslong pattern of abuse of a minor girl he understood to have intellectual challenges and to be in a foster system, according to the news release.

He allegedly traveled to another state to engage in “sexually explicit conduct” with the girl, then transported her back to Lou-

isiana to do the same, producing and possessing sexually explicit images as he did so.

Rickey James Hebert, 66, of Abbeville, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Lafayette on three charges: conspiracy to produce visual depictions involving the sexual exploitation of minors, attempted coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity and receipt of child pornography according to

CRAWFISH CRAZE

Board to consider Comeaux settlement

Lawsuit alleges procedure to close school wasn’t followed

BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer

The Lafayette Parish School Board has scheduled a special meeting for Monday to consider settling a lawsuit over its March 12 vote to close Comeaux High School.

The board is expected to retire into executive session for the discussion, which is typical when the topic is pending litigation. In this case, 15th Judicial District Judge Valerie Gotch-Garrett at a trial on Wednesday also warned board members not to discuss the matter among themselves or with others except in an executive session because they remain under sequestration as potential witnesses.

The public may attend the meeting at 5:30 p.m. Monday at the central ofﬁce, 202 Rue Iberville in Lafayette. Details of the proposed settlement probably won’t be disclosed to the public at the meeting.

Gotch-Garrett ordered the board to report to her courtroom at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday to present the settlement agreement. If the board does not approve the proposed settlement or if Gotch-Garrett is not satisﬁed with it, she warned that she will continue the trial on the lawsuit that began Wednesday

The trial was halted Wednesday after nearly eight hours of testimony by Superintendent Francis Touchet, three high school principals and School Board President Hannah Smith Mason. After a short break late Wednesday afternoon, Gotch-Garrett said the board and plaintiff were considering a settlement. On March 12, the board voted to

Pair of La. projects win $20M in contest

Groups address post-storm power, abandoned oil platforms

BY JOSIE ABUGOV Staff writer

Two Louisiana projects addressing post-storm electricity shortages and abandoned offshore oil platforms have won a $50 million contest aimed at funding scientiﬁc initiatives in the region. The two winning groups — the Louisiana Public Health Institute and the Gulf Offshore Research Institute — will each receive $20 million. The National Academies’ Gulf Research Project announced the winners Thursday as part of the philanthropic Gulf Futures Challenge. The public health initiative will develop at least eight solar and battery-powered energy resilient hubs at healthcare centers in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. In addition to installing the energy system to power the community health clinics through storms, the “Gulf Hub” network will strengthen infrastructure at the facilities and develop a data-sharing network in case of severe disasters where people must evacuate.

“Those are really safety net clinic providers that provide high-quality primary care, preventative care and behavioral health services within 100 miles of the coast,” said Taslim van Hattum, the chief program ofﬁcer of the Louisiana Public Health Institute. “We are catalyzing a transformative vision for access to continuous care before, during and after disasters.” The Mandeville-based Gulf

ABOVE: Members of the band Four Horses perform at the Breaux Bridge Crawﬁsh Festival on Saturday at Parc Hardy in Breaux Bridge.

RIGHT: Jake Davis, of Knoxville, Tennessee, sucks the head of a boiled crawﬁsh.

STAFF PHOTOS By BRAD BOWIE

COMEAUX

close Comeaux High as a high school for the 2026-27 school year and repurpose it as a career center and other districtwide purposes.

Suzanne LaJaunie and others sued the board, alleging it did not follow rules or the state’s open meetings law in voting to close the school. Touchet and Mason testiﬁed Wednesday that they didn’t know they were required to hold a public hearing before voting to close a school.

Gotch-Garrett on April 13 ordered the school system to halt all work on the Comeaux High closure until the hearing Wednesday She was not happy when the School Board on April 15 voted to rescind its March 12 vote to close the high school and planned to hold a public hearing.

At Wednesday’s hearing, Gotch-Garrett warned she could hold the board in contempt for violating her order not to take action, but she would not do so. Mason apologized, saying she thought the board was doing the right thing by undoing the March 12 vote and restarting the process.

POLLUTION

Continued from page 1B

particulate levels, with a level nearly 1.1% higher than the federal standard. Under the association’s scoring, the lowest parish scores brought down the entire metro areas. The combined metropolitan statistical areas of Baton Rouge and Hammond, which the nonproﬁt lumped in with Baton Rouge worsened by six spots nationally over last year, falling from 32nd to 26th worst for ozone.

To exclude or not

The New Orleans metro area ranked 100th worst for ozone nationally, a nearly 7.5% drop from last year, but it still a received a “C.” The area saw greater slips in national rankings for short-term and annual particulate pollution but still received strong grades, the association says. The combined ozone grade for New Orleans and Hammond was based on St. John the Baptist Parish,

CONTEST

Continued from page 1B

Offshore Research Institute, meanwhile, will give new life to idle oil and gas platforms. Kent Satterlee, the executive director of the organization, said the group aims to use the $20 million to repurpose five platforms into sites for ocean observation, habitat monitoring, ﬁsh farming pilots and other uses.

“Something of this magnitude is game-changing,” Satterlee said of the grant “It allows us to really implement our vision and to put together a repeatable and scalable process that can be used by other organizations.”

Eight other ﬁnalists will receive up to $875,000 for their projects, which include three other Louisianabased initiatives focused on concerns including ﬁnancing climate mitigation and transitioning to clean energy

The shortlisted groups included a plan from Tulane to repurpose decommissioned wind turbines and a proposal from Louisiana State University to help finance expensive climate mitigation efforts.

which has the lowest grade in the two regions. State ozone data weren’t available in Orleans or Tangipahoa parishes.

Adding to the mixed picture, Shreveport-Bossier City ranked among the best in the nation for shortterm particulate pollution, receiving an “A,” but was among the worst for annual particulate levels Particulates in Caddo Parish were 7.7% higher than the annual federal standard for the three-year period, giving the area a failing grade.

The state Department of Environmental Quality, which operates state air monitors, has previously questioned how the ALA analyzes air data and declined to comment on its report.

The EPA allows states to exclude days with bad air from natural events for calculations that can bring regulatory consequences. In recent years, DEQ has convinced EPA to exclude high particulate levels in West Baton Rouge for days in 2022 and 2023 due to Saharan dust storms and Canadian wildﬁres.

The EPA method also shaves off the three worst days of pollution in a year for a more evened-out picture. The association report also relies on an annual particulate standard that the Trump administration is reconsidering to boost oil production and manufacturing.

Arguing that people breathe bad air whether regulators count them or not, the ALA applies every bad air day under AQI standards, weights them based on severity and averages them over three years.

Air toxics not included

The report, however doesn’t look at many other pollutants, including air toxics from industries and other sources that contribute to risk for cancer and other ailments.

Ozone forms when compounds released from fossil fuel burning in cars, power plants, industrial facilities and other sources react with sunlight.

Going back to the early ’90s, the Baton Rouge metro area has struggled periodically with being in

“nonattainment” for ozone, forcing increased business costs and regulatory efforts.

In March 2017, EPA declared the area in attainment, but the ALA says its “F” grade for the Baton Rouge region correlates with nonattainment.

Iberville had Louisiana’s worst rating for ozone. The parish had the most bad air days at 29 over three years and had the highest weighted, three-year average at 10.2 days per year

Preliminary data from the Baton Rouge Clean Air Coalition show seven of nine DEQ air monitors in the Baton Rouge area were at or below the federal ozone standard between 2022 and 2024.

But state monitors in West Baton Rouge and Iberville had average ozone concentrations 1.5% to nearly 6% above the federal limit for 2022 to 2024.

DEQ officials said they believed local and international wildﬁres in 2022 and 2023 contributed to those measurements and tried to have EPA exclude those

high days.

Jason Meyers, administrator for DEQ’s Air Planning and Assessment Division, said EPA declined to review DEQ’s proposal because it did not meet the requirements.

Desiree Lemoine, campaign manager for Industry Makes, which advocates for Louisiana manufacturing, pointed out that ozone and particulates can come from heavy traffic and agricultural burning.

She noted that Baton Rouge and Lake Charles, which also has a large industrial base, are near busy interstate highways.

“Cars sitting in trafﬁc on sunny days cause ozone,” Lemoine said.

She suggested the association’s ﬁndings could be read positively because most metro areas had passing grades.

“I think this is something Louisiana should celebrate, considering the reputation we have outside of our state’s lines,” Lemoine said.

David J. Mitchell can be reached at dmitchell@ theadvocate.com.

facilities.

Continued from page 1B LOTTERY FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2026

“We asked the people of the Gulf for their visions for a brighter future, and they responded with a ﬂood of exciting proposals,” said Lauren Alexander Augustine, executive director of the Gulf Research Program.

Healthcare network

The Gulf Hub initiative from the public health institute will provide healthcare to hundreds of thousands of

residents in the region, van Hattum said The importance of building energy-resilient sites that can keep the lights on during storms has gained traction in recent years, including the resilient lighthouses at New Orleans churches established after Hurricane Ida. The public health project is designed to include features beyond ensuring the healthcare facilities can withstand grid interruptions during hurricanes, ﬂooding and extreme heat.

This includes establishing “a regional data network,” van Hattum said, that will ensure clinics have medical records for patients across

“So if they are evacuating New Orleans and seen in Atlanta, a physician there is about to query through the Gulf Hub network,” she said.

The initiative is a partnership between primary care associations across four states, a host of universities including LSU’s School of Public Health and Southern University’s School of Social Work, and a host of nonproﬁt organizations.

Farms and sea

For Satterlee, who leads the offshore research institute, repurposing the idle oil platforms is anything but a one-size-fits-all approach

The organization plans to transform the degraded sites into a range of new uses, from clean energy pilots testing a mix of solar, wind and hydrogen systems to trial runs for extracting seawater minerals like lithium and cobalt.

Satterlee said the speciﬁc conditions of the platforms such as its depth and the habitat around it — will affect how the scientists repurpose the structure.

“Some of our repurposing has a much higher probability of success than others,” he said.

For instance, ocean monitoring is “ready to go,” Satterlee said, and will be installed on all ﬁve platforms.

the federal indictment. The alleged criminal activity occurred on or about Nov 30.

Hebert was allegedly paying a Filipina woman to create live videos of minor children being sexually abused and otherwise engaging in sexually explicit conduct, the U.S. Attorney’s Ofﬁce alleged in a news release. He pleaded not guilty to all charges on April 30. Donald W. Bergeron, 42, of Broussard, was indicted in April on three charges, including distribution, receipt and possession of child pornography, court records show

The indictment by a federal grand jury in Lafayette says Bergeron from around April 11 through Dec. 19, 2021, used social media messaging applications and cloud-based file storage services to send, receive and save images of child sexual abuse, a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Ofﬁce states. Bergeron allegedly has a prior conviction for incest with a child.

Scott Nicholas Martel, 36, of Basile, was indicted in March for receiving and possessing child sexual abuse materials. The indictment alleges that on or about Jan. 31, Martel falsely portrayed himself online as having access to minors by using online names such as “BaileyMomof2daughters” to secure child sexual abuse materials from others in internet-based chat rooms, the news release states.

A February search of his phone, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Ofﬁce, revealed child sex abuse materials he received in this way plus AI-generated pornographic materials involving Martel’s use of photos obtained online of minor children living in his area.

Carencro resident Cody Allen Bell, 34, was indicted April 30 on charges of receipt and possession of child porn.

According to the indictment, the alleged incidents occurred from around February 2021 until about May 31, 2022.

A tip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by an encrypted message application led to the investigation. The tip advised that someone attempted to upload child sexual abuse materials to the messaging applications.

The NCMEC sent the tip to the Louisiana Bureau of Investigations, where detectives identified the suspect as Bell, the release states. Detectives found materials on Bell’s messaging account, cloudbased storage account and cellphone.

Opelousas resident Michael “White Mike” Roy Williams, 61, was indicted April 30 by a federal grand jury in Lafayette in two separate cases, one charging him with possessing child sexual abuse materials and the other charging him with possessing an explosive device, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Aquaculture farming, however, is not ready for commercialization because government regulatory changes are needed, he said.

“We’re going to have to work with the government agencies to significantly streamline that process,” Satterlee said.

The organization has so far submitted a permit application to repurpose one platform in the South Pass area near the mouth of the Mississippi River, he said. The other platforms have not yet been identiﬁed.

Email Josie Abugov at josie.abugov@ theadvocate.com.

The investigation started with the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce receiving information that Williams possessed child pornography. Detectives obtained a search warrant for his smartphone and another search warrant for his home where they allegedly found an explosive device.

Contact Claire Taylor at ctaylor@theadvocate.com

4: 5-9-4-5

16-21-27-41-61 MEGA BALL: 24 Unofficial notification, keep your tickets.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD BOWIE

Comeaux High School students line up to speak in opposition to the potential closure of the school during a regular meeting of the Lafayette Parish School Board on March 12 at board offices in Lafayette.

THE GULF COAST

TikTok star readiestoopenrestaurantinMississippi

BY MARTHA SANCHEZ Staff writer

Matthew Bounds

By dawn,

arrives at the brick build-

ing that will soon become his new restaurant. Two weeks before opening day his schedule keeps getting busier

“Weare in serious crunch time,” the social media star said in between texting a contractor and coordinating adishwasher installation. “I’m having the time of my life right now.It’spure chaos.”

For three years, the southern Mississippi native has grown his reach, video by video,post by post, until he earned more than 7million followers across social media platforms —more than doublethe population of his home state.

His fame is the result of quick cooking tutorials, tailored for fans on the go. But Bounds, 43, says he cares more about building community than gaining likes and views. He tries to make viewers feel welcome however he can: by cooking meals with cheap ingredients, by mixing Southern charm with occasionalcurse words, by wearing aT-shirt that says “y’all” in rainbow letters.

Now his career —and his audience —isexpanding beyond the internet.Bounds released his third cookbook last month, which has sold about 17,000 copies so far and recently made The New York Times bestseller list. He and his husband, CJ Bryant, willopen the restaurant, called Neighbors Tap&Table, in Gulfport, Mississippi, this month.

These days, Bounds is too busy to ﬁlm several videos a day like he used to —heis mostly reposting old recipesand hopestoshare new

Matthew Bounds, known as ‘your Barefoot Neighbor,’has grownfamous online by inviting viewers into his kitchen for quick, easy meal tutorials. Bounds will open the restaurant, called Neighbors Tap& Table, in Gulfport, Miss., this month.

ones soon. The to-do listis packed at the restaurant, where stacks of boxes are still ﬁlled with glasses and plates. Bounds is excited andnervous.

“It lookslike amess right now,”Bounds said Thursday But “it’svery,very close.”

‘YourBarefootNeighbor’

His social media career began with ahumble request:Would Boundscreate aTikTok account to likevideos of his friend’s dog? It was 2022, and Bounds was workingasaninsurance adjuster.Consumed with politics, he had deleted all social media. Buthe obliged andeven posted a few videos of yard work and homeprojects under the username “yourbarefootneighbor.” Thenhedecided tostart

MatthewBoundscooks simple, quick meals, including this recipe for one pot pimento cheese and sausagegnocchi.

cooking.

Hiseasymealtutorials featuring dishes like chili cheese tortellini and one panSalisburysteak —took

off. Bounds soon quit his insurancejob, landed brand deals and sponsorships and became afull-timesocial media personality

Hisaudience— mostly women in their 30s and 40s nicknamed the “barefoot neighborhood” —expanded. They also started enthusiastically contributing to fundraisers andcharitiesBounds began to spotlight.

For his birthdaylastyear, Bounds raised over $370,000 by livestreaming on social media for 26 hours. The money wenttofood pantries and nonproﬁts across the region.

“The best part about him is he doesn’twant the credit,” said Christen Duhé, president and executive director of the Gulf Coast Community Foundation, which helped Bounds distribute donations.

“He’snot really in it forhim He’sinittodowhat’sbest forother people.”

‘Weall feel like we belong’ Bounds should be on the road.

If notfor long days preparing to open the restaurant, he would be meeting readers,signing books and appearing on the talk show circuit to promote his newest cookbook,called“Keep It Simple Y’all: Every Day.

“I’m doing none of that because it is 6:42 a.m. and Iam here in the restaurant in a construction zone,” Bounds said in one recent video.

“These are my days right now.This is where Ilive, and Ilove it.”

His latest endeavorbegan late last year,when afriend screenshotted aFacebook post with newsthat arestaurant in downtown Gulfport wasfor sale. By January,Bounds and Bryant had signed alease on the space.

“Wekeep throwing around the phrase ‘soft landing place’ whenever we talk aboutthisplace,” Bounds said. “That’swhat we want it to be forpeople. We want it to be areally beautiful,

comfortable space that anyone can walk into.”

They plan to open May 16, serving small plates and shareables at evening happy hours. And “of course,” Bounds said, “we’re going to do abangin’ lunch.” Boundssays the restaurantwillshare the mission he cultivates on social media: to create aspace where guests can “sit down aminute, put your feet up, hang out foralittle while.” But viewers say Bounds’ appeal comes as much from his welcoming attitude as it does from his firm stands against hate.Bounds, the son of aBaptist preacher has credited that stance to aviralvideo in whichhe mentionedhis husband and received some of “the most vile, hateful remarks I’ve ever seen.” He didn’tlet it fly. And last year,after aMississippi Coast restaurant promoted a special for straight couples only,Bounds helpedorganize atour called “Love the Coast” to patronize inclusive restaurants across the region.

“He doesn’taccept bullying andhedoesn’taccept negative talk,” said Martha AllenPrice, theexecutive director of Extra Table, a nonproﬁt food bank in Mississippi that Bounds has supported. “Matthewhas created aneighborhood, andweall feel like we belong.” On Thursday, Bounds was at the restaurant by 6:30 a.m. Soon, electricians and contractors started arriving. There were boxes to unpack, paint to touch-up, tables and chairs to assemble.

“I can’twaittothrowthe doors open,” Bounds said this week,pausing for a moment in the chaos. “I’ve always wanted to have my own spot.”

High

courtrulingonVotingRightsAct doesn’thavetobeend of thestory

The decision bythe United StatesSupreme Court in Louisiana v. Callais to fundamentally alter the understanding of the 1965 Voting RightsAct is surely one of those landmark decisions —like Dred Scott, like Plessy,like Brown —thatwill deﬁne the courtfor decades to come. And like those cases, it is undoubtedly amilestoneinthisnation’slongmarch toward racialjustice. Or perhaps,ifthe courtisto be believed, theend of that march as it reaches its destination.

In a6-3 ruling, the court upheld the constitutionalityofthe Voting RightsAct itself, but it struck down Louisiana’s6th CongressionalDistrict, agreeing with plaintiffs that it is an unconstitutional racial gerrymander

The district was created by the LouisianaLegislatureinJanuary 2024 in response to legalchallenges to previous congressional maps thatminority voters said unfairly diluted their power at theballot box. At the time,Louisiana, which has six congressional districts, was using maps created in 2022 andhad one Black representativeinCongress.

Alawsuit argued that because the state,where one-third of the population is Black,did not have two seats, or one-third of the delegation, determined by Black-majoritydistricts, that indicated themaps were in violation of Section 2ofthe Voting Rights Act, whichprohibitsdiscrimination in voting on the basis of race. Facing judicial pressure,the statecreated asecond district,snaking from Shreveport to Lafayette to Baton Rouge, where Black voterswere in themajority.That led to thecurrent case, where agroup of 6th District voters who described themselves as “non-African American”filedsuit, arguing the new maps made them the victims ofa racial gerrymander Writing for themajority, Justice SamuelAlito affirmed the court’s inclination in recentcases to move past race as theyardstick of fairness in American society.Incases involving affirmativeaction andcriminaljustice, it seems to be saying thatit’s time to looktoother measures of how our societyis faring in upholding theEqual Protection Clause of our Constitution The ruling takes notethat“vast social change has occurredthroughoutthe country and particularly in the South, which have made great stridesinending entrenched racial discrimination.” It says that because of this, the framework of determining whether districts unfairly disenfranchise minorities needs to be updated.

In her dissent, Justice ElenaKagan,joined by Jus-

tices Sonia Sotomayor and KetanjiBrown Jackson, said that the ruling ”will set back the foundational right Congress granted of racial equality in electoral opportunity.”

It’shard to see how that won’tbethe case, particularly in today’shyperpartisan climate. While we feel thecourt may be right to declare thatSection 2was too broadly interpreted, we also ﬁnd it disturbing that the court gave Louisianaand others little guidance as to the way forward. The Callais case now returns to thedistrict court, which presumably will have to hash out how thestate should proceed. But adding to the chaos, ofﬁcials have postponed electionsfor House seats scheduled for May 16, even though early voting started Saturday

When theSupremeCourt ﬁrst held ahearing on Callais on March 24, 2025, we knew it was amomentouscase. When the court asked for arare rehearing Oct. 15, many felt thejustices were deadlocked on key issues.

It is no surprise to us that Louisiana is at the center of acase so central to our civil rights. Our state has ahistory punctuated by racial strifeasmuch as racial blending. In the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson decision, the court famously got in wrong, using the Louisiana case to enshrine “separate but equal” as the legal doctrine underpinning segregation fordecades to come. In recent years, the descendants of Homer Plessy,a Black shoemaker from Treme, and John Howard Ferguson, the White judge whoruled that Plessy could not sit in arail car reserved forWhites, have united to promote racial justice in an only-in-Louisianakind of story

So we know that even when the SupremeCourt rules, that’snot the end of the story.The arc of the moral universe still bends.

Much of what the Callais ruling meansinpracticalterms is still to be determined. We urge our legislators and governor,who put forward thecurrentmap,toproceed carefully. Louisiana is likely to eliminate its second majority-Black district, but it is still possible to draw mapsthat are fair and representative of the will of abroad swath of citizens. Florida has approved new maps, and someother Republican-led states, like Mississippi, vowed to redraw mapsassoon as the ruling came down.

When the Voting Rights Act was passed, the meansand methods of disenfranchising Black voterswere perhaps moretransparent. There werepoll taxes and literacy tests designed with the speciﬁc intent of excluding minorities when lynchings and other brutal intimidation tactics of the Jim Crow era couldn’t.

Nowadays, however,barriers to voting can be moresubtle. Politicians have powerful tech tools to pick their voters, and we have seen an aggressive push by President Donald Trumpand Republicans countered by Democrats to redistrict in timefor midterm elections to help their party gain seats. Will we see afrenzy of gerrymandering now that the gloves are off?

It is no secret that somepoliticians of both parties would rather adiscouraged and apathetic electorate than one that holds them accountable. With this ruling, we must renew our commitment as voters. If politicians are certain that they can determine who holds power by slicing and dicing the electorate and pitting groups against one another,westill have the power to prove them wrong. By doing so, we honor those whomarched and fought and died forequal access to the ballot box.

Along line of Black voters seek to register in the corridor of CityHall near the office of the Orleans Parish registrar after the VotingRightsAct passedin1965.

FILEPHOTO

Ellen Floyd,ofBoothville, fills out avoter registration application in Buras under the directionoffederal examiner Bruce Rhiddlehooverafter the Voting Rights Act passed in 1965.

COMMENTARY

Education moneyshouldmovefromStartoLAGATOR

An April 22 Wall Street Journal investigative report provides good reason for Louisiana’slegislature to move some education money away from one controversialrecipient, in favor of the LA GATOR scholarship program.

The main opponent of fuller funding for LA GATOR has been state Senate President Cameron Henry.The arguments he uses againstthat scholarship program, however, apply even more readily to aprogram called Star Academy —the subject of the Journalinvestigation —thatlastyear received $20 millioninLouisiana government funding. Asensible solution would be to take half ofthis year’s allocation for Star Academy and give it to LA GATOR instead

Let’sstart with Star Academy,a product of acompany called NOLAEducation, based in New Orleans butoperating in states across the country.For all we know, it might be the greatest thing since the ﬁrst time someone put mint and chocolate together.The Journal story,however,suggests it may be aﬂop.

Described as a“school within aschool,” Star Academy is aprogram of math and science instruction completewith specialized supplies and software, intendedfor studentswho have fallen behind academically NOLA Education and someschooldistricts across the country say the program dramatically improves graduationrates and test scores.

The Journal’sown reporting, though, shows anumber of jurisdictions contesting those statistics or expressing signiﬁcant unhappiness with the program. Amiddle school in Nevada, for example,actually dropped from two stars to one in the state’s ratings. And in St. Mary Parish here in Louisiana, “after initial gains in standardized test scores at FranklinJuniorHigh, scores

The LA GATORmascot poses for apicture withagroup of students from different schools duringanApril 22 rally for the school voucher program at the Pentagon

have since fallen sharply.” University of Southern California education professor Patricia Burchsuggested that the program hasn’tbeen subjected to evidence-based scrutiny. In other words,there’snodefinitive data, and there are asignificant number of red flags.

Nowconsider LA GATOR, which provides state-funded savings accountsfamilies can usefor arange of education-related options from privateschools to home-schooling needs to tutoring and special-ed offerings. The main argument Henry has used against it, repeatedly,isthe lack of dataproving its efﬁcacy

Well, of course therehasn’tbeen timein

just twoyearsfor formal, peer-reviewed studies, but there is indeed data of several important kinds. The Louisiana Department of Education reportsthat of parents already using LA GATOR, 99% saythey would recommend the program and 97% are satisﬁed withtheir children’sacademic progress. Eligible families have ﬁled more than 17,000 applications for the program for the 2026-27 school year,and apoll shows that 65%of Louisiana voterssupport “full funding” for it —meaning double the$43.5 million that Henry says is themosthewill allow Why should Henry and theLegislature skimponaprogramsopopular with the ultimatetestaudience, namely the parents themselves,and also popular with the gen-

eral public?

Erin Bendily of the conservative Pelican Institute writes that, as it is, $42 million dedicated to education will go unused, thus reverting back to the state. Moreover “lawmakers have a$577 millionsurplus left over from the previous ﬁscal year …and an extra $292 millioninunspent cash from the current budget year.” Clearly,Henry is being at least abit disingenuous by contending that giving more to LA GATOR would amount to “spending money that we don’thave.” Granted, Henry is worried not just about this next yearbut about setting aprecedent for funding levels in future years. Prudence is agood character trait. Still, the above numbers showthat he protests at least alittle too much.

Nonetheless, funds essentially are fungible. To an extent, money can be movedfrom one state government ﬁnancial pot to another.That’swhy apartial solution suggests itself. Even if Henry is worried about adding another $44 milliontoLAGATOR when there’snopeer-reviewed data but massive evidence of parental satisfaction, why not take $10 millionofthe $20 millionallocated for Star Academy and use it for LA GATOR instead? After all, Star Academy not only lacks peer-reviewed data, but also is subject to the signiﬁcant questions raised by The Wall Street Journal.

Rough arithmetic says this reallocationof $10 millioncould allow about another1,400 students, on top of the current 5,600,toparticipate in LA GATOR. Meanwhile,school systems thrilled with StarAcademy still would have a$10 millionpot from which to draw Then the state could closely monitor both programs —and determine in future years if one, or both, or neither,should receive further,signiﬁcant funding. If Henry wants evidence, this is the way to get it.

EmailQuin Hillyer at quin.hillyer

@theadvocate.com

In Mississippi, immigrationcrackdown hits tooclose to home

Paperwork errors happen. Whenitcomes to complicated government programs,they happen alot.

Youknow the best way to ﬁx apaperwork error? Do alittle more paperwork. And, if you’re going to be really proactive,change thesystemsothat it’seasier to understand in the ﬁrst place.

Alas, that is not the Trump administration’sworking premise thesedays when it comes to treatment of peoplefrom elsewhere in the world.

The horror show out of Mississippi over the last few weeks is just the latest example of good people getting caught up in acrackdown on allegedly bad actors —but one that’s so scattershot and downright cruel that it’ssweeping up people who are doing their best to follow the rules, complicated though they often are.

legal guardians didn’tentirely understand the implications under immigration law of switching themfromaprivate schooltoa public one.

So last month, the two young men whose basketball coach has called them the heart of soulofthe team wereaccosted by Immigrationand CustomsEnforcement agents as they readiedtoboard their bus to school, zip-tied in frontoftheir friends and host father,separated from one another and taken to facilities in Jena, Louisiana and Houston.

playeda part,and theending for these two teens is happy,atleastfor now If only thatwerethe case for the many otherswe’ve all heardabout, and the many, many morewehaven’t, who ﬁnd themselves in similar situations.

The good news is that two students at Hancock High School, 18-year-old Israel Makoka and his 15-year-oldbrotherMax, are back home in Diamondhead, meaning Israelcan go aheadand graduate with his friends.

That doesn’tchange just howtraumatizing these recent weeksmust have been for thenatives of theRepublic of Congohere on student visas and their adoptedcommunity —all because their host parents and

As unlucky as they weretofall into ICE’sgrasp, theywereatleast fortunate to have done so in an area where mostpeople voted for President Donald Trump, who had promised to crack down on the worst of the worst but never said awordabout going afterkids at thelocal school.

To its great credit, thecommunity rose up in the teens’ defense and contacted federalrepresentatives who could help. To hercredit, U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith did, ﬁnding the family an attorney and helping them navigatethe process. Thursday,the brothers were released back to host parents Gail andCliff Baptiste. It’snot clear exactly whathappened, but some combination of public shameand political pressure surely

I’mtalking about the militaryspouses and the people picked up at court, which by deﬁnition means theywere trying to comply with alegal process. I’mtalking aboutimmigrants who didn’tknow there was aproblem withtheir status or who saw their statussuddenly changed by administrativewhim.

I’malso talking about the few,like these brothers, who managed to get the attention of someone withpolitical inﬂuence. People like Donna Kashanian, theNew Orleans woman arrested while gardening after years in this country,who was released from custody after her friends and loved ones got her caseinfront of U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise. And People like PaolaClouatre,of BatonRouge, amom of two small children and wife of aMarine veteran who was detained for several months before being released withthe quiet help of U.S. Sen. John Kennedy

Like her fellow Republicans from Louisiana,Hyde-Smithapparently worked her inﬂuence behind thescenes.Like them, though, she didn’tuse the opportunity to

speak out about the larger issues raisedby the detentions. What ashame, because people like her could really do some good for some more good people. Even after immigration authorities’ ugly overreach in places like Minnesota,even after former Border Patrol chief GregBovino and ex-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem were ﬁred, this latest incident suggests the administration has not pivoted from its reckless, senseless sweep. Meanwhile, Republicans en masse continue to follow aTrump-authored script that highlights horriﬁc but unusual instances of violent crimes committedbyimmigrants as evidence of the crackdown’sworth. When was the last time you heard one of them wonderhow many other scared people who’ve never hurt asoul have been ripped from the their communities, threatened with deportation or sent to countries where they have no ties? It shouldn’ttake congressional intervention to save each of these individuals. Not whensimply clarifying the rules— and showing alittle human decency would do the trick.

EmailStephanie Grace at sgrace @theadvocate.com.

It’sprobably no surprise tomost of you that most faith-based radio stations are basedinthe South. That includesLouisiana: About 74% of people wholive here are Christians of some kind. Butdid you know that nearly all U.S. residents live in places where they can listen to faith-based radio stations?

According to a2023-24Pew Research Center study,ofall Christians across our nation,33% would call themselves evangelical Christians, about 23% identify as Catholics and about 11% consider themselves Black Protestants. “Mainline” Protestants make up6% of that. Iwasn’tsurprised to learn that about 21% of all those surveyeddon’tclaim any faith or religion. One way or another, it seems they identify as aused-to-bewhatever,nothing special or “spiritual” if they bless their food, say prayers andhave lookedata Bibleoranother holy book from time to time. Iwas surprised to see that Buddhists are 2% of our state’sreligious population and Hindu, Jewish andMuslim faith followersare each less than1%of those who live in the state.

shows that no matter what faith or which religious practices we follow,awhopping 98% of U.S. residents live in places where faith-based radio stations can be heard. There are about 17,000 AM and FM radio stations in our country,and about 4,000 of them are religious radio stations, accordingtothe study.That’s about 25% of all radio stations in the U.S.

n North Carolina: 182

n California: 221

n Florida: 227

n Texas: 433

The analysis from thePew-Knight Initiative goes beyond surface-level factoids to show with charts,data and maps where these radio stations are located, where they are concentrated and where it’smore likely that people in certain states listen to faith radio. Louisianaisn’tamongthe states with the mostreligiousradio stations, but we have more than moststates.We’ve got 100 of these stations, according to thesurvey Consider thenumber of faithradio stationsinthese states:

n District of Columbia (D.C.): 3

n Wyoming: 39 n Montana: 68 n Arkansas: 79 n Mississippi: 85 n Louisiana: 100 n Michigan: 135

Adifferent Pew study released in March

Most of Catholic Louisianaisinthe state’ssouthern parishes. Certainly,there are non-Catholics in thesouthern part of thestate, including Baptists, Episcopalians, Lutheransand others whofall under theChristian umbrella without seeing Pope Leo XIV as their leader

Iasked Aaron Smith, director of data labs at Pew,tohelp me put Louisiana in context.

“Louisiana ranks 18thamong all states in the total number of religiousstations located in the state,” he shared. But of stationsthat play primarily religious content, Louisianaranks ﬁfth.

Smithsaid most religious stations consider themselves Christian radiostations. Someidentify as Catholic radio. “Eight percent of these stationsnationwide say they are speciﬁcally Catholic radio stations,”headded. “That’sexactlyinline with the share of religious stations in Louisiana that are Catholic.”

Per Pew,“Large majorities of White evangelical Protestants (76%) and Black Protestants (84%) say they listen to reli-

gious programming.” About 39% of nonChristians listen to sometype of religious radio. Iwas surprised to learn that comparable numbers of older and younger people listen. Among those 55 and older,47% listen. Among those 18-49, 44% listen. Who are these young people? Oh, Isee. Pew included streaming platforms. Amajority of religious radio listeners —59% —said they don’tlisten to these stations forpolitical commentary,and 55% say they rarely or never hear political commentary.These factoids are fascinating: Among those whoare Democrat or Democrat-leaning, 48% said they neither like nor dislike hearing it when they do hear it. Guess what? The Republican and GOP-leaning listeners said the samething: 48% of them. We are adivided nation, economically, housing-wise, politically,socially in so manyways. But it seemsthe religious among us are listening to someofthe same faith-focused programming and feel much the sameabout it.

Thank God, Allah, Jehovah and Buddha that something is centering someofus.

Email Will Sutton at wsutton @theadvocate.com.

Will Sutton

Stephanie Grace

Quin Hillyer

STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Barracks.

SPORTS

Lucroy’s speech inspires Cajuns in

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

At the end of Jonathan Lucroy’sacceptance speech for getting hisnumber retired, the former UL catcher looked at thedugout andchallenged the current Ragin’Cajunsto meet the program’shigh standards established by his former coach Tony Robichaux. Apparently,they listened.

The Cajuns promptly went out and demolished Georgia State 14-1 in seven innings in the ﬁrst game of Saturday’sdoubleheader at Russo Park.

Lucroy’sNo. 21 is now on the wallincenter ﬁeld next to Ron Guidry’s No. 3. Guidry joined thelargegroup of family,friends and former teammates on the ﬁeldfor the pre-game ceremony.The only other retired

jersey number is Robichaux’sNo. 36.

With the win, UL improvedto28-18 overall and10-12 in Sun Belt play,while the visiting Panthers dropped to 23-23 and 10-12.

The Cajuns scored three runs in the second, seven more in the third and then another three in the fourth to take control of thegame.

Colt Brown got it started with asolo homer to left-center to lead off the third.

Blaze Rodriguez scored on the back half of adouble steal, and Drew Markle added a sacriﬁce ﬂy for the3-0 lead.

Theseven-run thirdfeatured three walks, two hitbatsman anda balk.Inadditionto the help the UL offense received, it also got adouble from RigobertoHernandez and an

RBI double from Markle.

In the fourth,Donovan LaSalle extended the lead to 13-0 withalong three-runhome run.

UL was playing adoubleheader because Friday’s openerwas postponedbyrain. Consequently,bullpens are always abig concern.

Starting pitcher Andrew Herrmann was able to throw aseven-inning complete game, only giving up asolo home runinthe top of theseventh to Wesley Bass.

In theseven innings, the senior southpaw yielded ﬁve hits, walked one andstruck out six in 88 pitches.

The Panthers, meanwhile, usedfour different pitchers —all allowingeither three or four runs in thegame.

Noah Lewis, Colt Brown, Steven Spalitta and Markle all had two hitstopower the Cajuns’ 10-hit attack.

WOMAN’S TOUCH

STEPHEN WHYNO AP sportswriter

LOUISVILLE, Ky.— Golden Tempowon the Kentucky Derby on Saturday,making Cherie DeVauxthe ﬁrst womanto train the winner of theopening leg of theTriple Crown. Ridden by Jose Ortiz, Golden Tempo —who was at theback of the pack early —charged down the stretch to make history for DeVaux inthe 11/4-mile race, winning at odds of 23-1. Renegade was second, with Jose’sbrother Irad Ortiz Jr.aboard, and longshot Ocelli wasthird.

“I don’teven haveany words right now,” DeVaux said. “I just can’t. Just so,so, so happy for Golden Tempo.

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

Josedid awonderful job, amasterful job of getting him there. He was so far out of it.” DeVaux is just thesecond female trainer to win any Triple Crown race after Jena Antonucci with Arcangelo in the 2023 Belmont Stakes. She won the Derby in her ﬁrst opportunity,eight years since starting her own stable.

“I’m glad Ican be arepresentative of all women everywherethat we can do anything we set our minds do,” DeVaux said.

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

The offense wasn’tgoing to ﬁx itself overnight.

Twoweeks ago, Jay Johnson called LSU’s two-out hitting issues a“deep-rooted” problem. He said his players needed to shorten theirswings and hit theballupthe middle andtothe opposite ﬁeld more often. More hard-hit line drives and ground balls and fewerﬂyouts.

ä South Carolina at LSU 2P.M.

SUNDAy,SECN+

“It’snot the era that these playersthatweare coaching right now have grownupin,” Johnson said after LSU’sloss to TexasA&M on April 17. “A lot of them talk about exit (velocity) and distance and homeruns.” It took afew lineup changes, but those issues Johnson described may not be as deeprooted as he once thought. LSU beat South Carolina 6-1 on Saturday during the ﬁrst game of adoubleheader at Alex Box Stadium.The Tigers leaned on an array of opposite-ﬁeld singles, big two-out hitsand qualityat-bats to pull away from the Gamecocksearly andbreak their ninegamelosing streak in Southeastern Conference play

They scored five runs on six hits in the first two innings, taking a5-1 advantage by following the playbook Johnson laid out for them twoweeks ago. Freshman Mason Braun ledoff the first inning with asingle. Fellow freshman Omar Serna followedhim with adouble before sophomore DerekCurielhit into aground out, allowing Braun to score. LSU (26-21, 7-15 SEC) added another run on sophomore Cade Arrambide’sopposite-field single. Three more runs cameacross in the second inning on aCuriel one-out single that drove in Braun anda two-run, two-out,opposite-field single from junior Steven Milam

DeVaux

ä Georgia State at UL 1P.M. SUNDAy,ESPN+

For the second consecutive year, the LSU women’s tennis team opened play in the NCAA Tournament with a win over Stephen F. Austin.

The Tigers won the doubles point, then picked up singles wins from Kayla Cross, Carolina Kuhl and Kinaa Graham to post a 4-0

Tigers add ‘retired’ transfer Posen

Former five-star recruit hasn’t competed in three years

BY SCOTT RABALAIS Staff writer

The LSU Tigers added another gymnast from the transfer portal — and one remarkable story Ariel Posen signed with LSU this week, three years after she retired from collegiate gymnastics at Georgia because of multiple leg and knee injuries

“The story continues,” Posen wrote on her Instagram account.

“I’m back!! I’m so excited to announce that I’ll be using my remaining eligibility to continue my gymnastics career at LSU on a full athletic scholarship.”

LSU coach Jay Clark said he ran into Posen in December while attending the wedding of former Tigers gymnast Elena Arenas Posen wasn’t a guest she was serving drinks and hors d’oeuvres at the reception.

“She said she was thinking about making a comeback, that she wanted to be part of something,” Clark said. “When we were there for our meet (in January at Georgia), Haleigh (Bryant) and I ran into her downtown. It sparked a thought.” Not long afterward, Clark got a call from PeteArenas, Elena’s father, who owns a gymnastics training facility in Athens, Georgia.

“He said, ‘She’s been in my gym for ﬁve weeks and she looks great on two events — bars and beam,’ ” Clark said. “ ‘She may be a great addition.’ ” Clark decided that Posen, a former five-star recruit, would be, at least on bars and beam, for the 2027 season. Whether Posen has any eligibility beyond that remains to be determined.

Posen went on to thank LSU’s coaching staff “for this incredible opportunity

“The moment I stepped onto campus, it just felt right,” she said. “The coaches, the girls, and the

overall environment are exceptional and it truly felt like home.”

“My journey hasn’t been conventional, but stepping away gave me the clarity to see exactly what I wanted, and the motivation to go after it.”

Two transfers so far

Posen is LSU’s second transfer in this cycle, joining former Penn gymnast Skyelar Kerico, who competed from 2023-25 but did not have a routine in 2026. Both are from New Jersey — Posen from Manalapan, Kerico from Toms River

LSU is expected to look to add one or two more transfers during this cycle. The Tigers lose only three seniors who were regular contributors last season: Ashley Cowan, Emily Innes and Courtney Blackson Cowan gets SEC honor Cowan, a senior completed her career by earning the Southeastern Conference Brad Davis Community Service Award for gymnastics.

A native of Hillsborough North Carolina, Cowan competed at LSU from 2023-26 and won the 2024 SEC uneven bars title.

“She came as a walk-on and earned her way to the point where

she won an SEC championship and ended up on an athletic scholarship,” Clark said.

“She exemplified persistence, hard work, commitment, leadership and academic excellence. She’s just what you want a studentathlete to be. There’s no one more deserving.”

LSU swimmer Jacob Pishko also earned the Brad Davis award for men’s swimming and diving. Both Cowan and Pishko will receive $7,500 postgraduate scholarships and are eligible for the SEC’s male and female community service leaders of the year awards, which will be announced later this month.

Kaplan delivers victory to reach title game

Notre Dame falls in semifinals

BY ERIC NARCISSE Staff writer

SULPHUR The Kaplan Pirates are no strangers to having to play from behind.

It’s something they’ve been forced to do several times this season. While the early deficits have drawn the ire of coach Brittany LeBouef, that experience proved beneficial in Saturday’s Division II nonselect semifinal game against French Settlement at Frasch Park. Trailing 5-0 entering the bottom of the third inning, the second-seeded Pirates scored unanswered eight runs to defeat No. 3 French Settlement 8-5 and advance to the Division III nonselect state final. The Pirates will face No. 5 Sterlington at 3 p.m. Sunday on Field 15.

“It feels great,” LeBouef said. “I’m super proud of my kids and my coaching staff. We put in a lot of work and we trusted our game plan and came out on top.” French Settlement jumped out to 5-0 lead in the third inning, but the Pirates wasted little time responding.

“When we came off the field after they scored ﬁve runs, I just told them ‘Hey, we are OK. We don’t need to score ﬁve runs all at once. We just need one run at a time. We got a lot of game left.’

“They trusted it and the energy

The Kaplan Pirates overcame an early 5-0 deficit to beat French Settlement 8-5 in the state semifinals.

never died. The life was never sucked out of us and that’s what makes a championship team.”

The Pirates scored seven runs in the bottom of the third inning, highlighted by a three-run home run by pitcher Lexi Green.

“I thought it was going to be a dog ﬁght,” LeBouef said. “I wasn’t expecting that many runs to be scored on either side. I’m just glad we got the win Our kids never doubted it for a second that we were going to come back to win this game.”

Green, who ﬁnished 2 for 3, was the winning pitcher after allowing five unearned runs on nine hits and one walk, while striking out eight.

“She did an excellent job in the circle,” LeBouef said. “I thought once she got going, she was

(tough). She didn’t panic.” In addition to Green, the Pirates’ top hitters were Kadey Duhon, who hit her ﬁrst career home run to give Kaplan an 8-5 lead in the bottom of the sixth.

“We’re ﬁred up,” LeBouef said. “Hopefully we can bring a state championship back to our town.”

Class C

NO 1 NORTHSIDE CHRISTIAN 8, NO. 13

SIMPSON 0: For the first time since 2022 when it finished as the state runner-up, Northside Christian is headed back to the state final.

Behind a dominant pitching performance by Brooklyn Hebert, the Warriors cruised past Simpson. “It feels great to be going back to the ﬁnal,” coach Ryan Hanagriff said. “It really feels great, es-

pecially coming off of last year.”

Hebert tossed seven shutout innings, allowing six hits, one walk and striking out 10

“She really did a wonderful job for us,” Hanagriff said. “She kept them off balance and did a great job of hitting her spots. She was very aggressive with her pitches and that was a big part in her keeping them in with no runs on the board.”

The Warriors were led by shortstop Heaven Williams (2 for 4, triple, three RBIs), Emily Abshire (3 for 3, triple, two RBIs, three runs) and Alexis Miller (13, RBI).

“Each and every inning, we put the ball in play and made things happen,” Hanagriff said. “We got some timely hits and continued to put runs on the board. That helped us to put pressure on them.”

Division III select NO 2 PARKVIEW BAPIST 5, NO. 3 NOTRE

DAME 2: The Pios’ hopes of returning to the state ﬁnal were dashed in the semifinals by Parkview Baptist.

Maddy Teare and Cate Romero both had a hit and drove in a run for Notre Dame (30-3).

Camille Menard took the loss after allowing three runs (one earned) on three hits in one inning.

Parkview Baptist’s Jalayah Slaughter got the win after allowing two earned runs on four hits and four walks, while striking out 14 in seven innings.

Email Eric Narcisse at enarcisse@theadvocate.com.

to TCU with a 4-2 win in Saturday’s ﬁrst match.

LSU picked up doubles wins from Kenna Erickson and Ella McDonald at the No. 2 position, and Addison Lanton and Kuhl at No. 3.

Kostyuk wins Madrid Open by taking down Andreeva

Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine beat Mirra Andreeva of Russia 7-5 6-3 to win the Madrid Open title on Saturday

The two players, whose countries have been at war since Russia’s invasion in 2022, did not shake hands at the net after the match or pose together at the awards ceremony

The 23rd-ranked Kostyuk collapsed back onto the clay court and held her hands over her face after converting match point when Andreeva’s ﬁnal shot ﬂew

Kostyuk finished her victory speech with “glory to God and glory to Ukraine.”

The win was Kostyuk’s third WTA title.

Seidler family strikes deal to sell control of Padres

The San Diego Padres have reached an agreement to sell control of the team to an investor group led by Kwanza Jones and José Feliciano.

The family of late owner Peter Seidler formally announced the deal Saturday The sale must be approved by Major League Baseball.

The deal with private equity billionaire Feliciano and his wife took shape last month at an MLB-record valuation of $3.9 billion. The Padres’ announcement didn’t give speciﬁcs on the members of the investor group or purchase price. Seidler’s family began to explore a sale in November, two years after the death of the popular Peter Seidler who became the primary owner in 2020. His brother, John Seidler, has served as chairman since his death.

Furyk picks U.S. assistants for 2027 Ryder Cup team

U.S. Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk said Saturday that Justin Leonard and Stewart Cink will be two of his assistants for the 2027 matches at Adare Manor in Ireland.

Furyk announced the selections at the Kentucky Derby Both were under consideration as captain. Leonard played in three Ryder Cups, two of them U.S. victories. This is Leonard’s ﬁrst time as a Ryder Cup assistant. He was an assistant under Furyk at the 2024 Presidents Cup, and Furyk referred to him as “my right-hand man.” Cink played on ﬁve consecutive U.S. teams, including part of the 2008 U.S. victory at Valhalla. He was an assistant captain to Zach Johnson in Italy in 2023, a European victory

Young holds six-shot lead going to final round

DORAL, Fla. — Cameron Young didn’t have as easy of a time in the third round of the Cadillac Championship as he did while building a big lead Thursday and Friday

It didn’t seem to matter, either Young is still in full control at Trump National Doral after his round of 2-under 70 on Saturday got him to 15 under for the week. He had a six-shot lead over a group that includes top-ranked Scottie Schefﬂer Si Woo Kim (69) and Kristoffer Reitan (69) also were 9 under Ben Grifﬁn (68), Nick Taylor (72) and Matt McCarty (69) were 8 under Young shared the lead through three rounds at the Masters — tying for third at Augusta

shots.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU gymnast Ashley Cowan waves to the crowd during team introductions before the meet against Auburn on Feb. 13

STAFF PHOTO By ROBIN MAy

UL settlesfor No.8 seed afterDHsplit

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

Lexie Delbreyhadn’tbeena reg-

ular part of the UL pitching rotation recently

But the UL coaching staff still believes in the senior pitcher

She produced in abig way Saturday,giving up no earned runs in 51/3 innings to pick up one win of adoubleheader over South Alabama at Jaguar Park in Mobile, Alabama.

UL rallied for arun in the sixth and another in the seventh inning for a2-1 win over South Alabama in the ﬁrst game, but the momentum faded with a4-3 loss to the Jaguars in the second game.

As aresult, UL ﬁnishes asthe No. 8seed and won’tget aﬁrstround bye in the SunBelt Tournament, which is scheduled to start Wednesday in Lafayette.

Awin in the second game would have meant aNo. 6seed and not having to play until Thursday Instead, the Cajuns will be the No. 8seed and play No. 9Troyon Wednesday

UL ﬁnished the regular season at 28-26and 11-13,while theJaguars improved to 29-25 and 13-11.

South Alabama snapped a29-game losing streak to UL with a4-0 victory Thursday.

Delbrey’sstellar effort wouldn’t have mattered without UL producing just enough offense. Neither team didmuchatthe plateinthe ﬁrst game with the Cajuns outhitting the Jaguars 4-3. Both teams stranded only two runners

South Alabama got arun in the ﬁfth on Ansleigh Smith’stwo-out RBI single. An inning later, UL hitter Mia Norwoodsingled andscoredon Kennedy Marceaux’stwo-out RBI doubletotie the game.

In thetop of theseventh, BrookeOttodoubled and Erin Ardoin ran for her.After Haley Hart’ssacrifice bunt, Ardoin scored theeventual game-winning run onawild pitch.

Delbrey ended up allowing the one unearned runonthree hits, no walksand one strikeout in only 57 pitches. Julianne Tiptonpitched the ﬁnal12/3 innings to get the vic-

STAFFPHOTO By BRAD KEMP

UL’s Lexie Delbreythrew51/3 effectiveinningsinSaturday’s2-1 winover South Alabama.

tory after notallowing any hits or walks.

SouthAlabama jumped on Tipton for three runs in theﬁrst inning of the second game.Olivia Branstet-

Horses in the 152ndrunning of the Kentucky Derbycompete at Churchill

Golden Tempo wonthe race.

DERBY

Continued from page1C

During the week, DeVaux shifted from downplaying what it would mean to be the first woman to train aDerbywinner to understanding she’s arole model to girls who might want to follow in her footsteps. She’s just the18th woman to saddle a horse in theKentucky Derby Jose Ortiz showed off the ridingprowess that has made him so successful at Churchill Downs inrecent days to winthe Derby forthe first time in his 11thtry.It came alittleunder 24 hours since he also won the Kentucky Oaks, the top racefor 3-year-old fillies. TheKentucky Derby went on with just 18 horsesafter Great White was alate scratch forflipping over and throwing his jockey off his back. Track veterinarians madethe call to scratchthe long shot who got into the field Wednesday when Silent Tactic was ruled out becauseofafoot injury

by Arrambideinthe fourth. But the lead theTigers hadbuilt was more than enough forthe pitchingstaff to ﬁnish off thegame.

ter led the way with an RBI triple beforeadouble steal andSydney Stewart’srun-scoring ground out got thethird run home. UL slowly got back into the

SAINTS

Continued from page1C

Almosteverybody hassomethingtoprove. Take theplayersatacrossroads.

game.Inthe second,two walks and asingle preceded aDayzja WilliamsRBI ground out. Later in the second, Marceaux got arun home on aground out.

In the ﬁfth, Hart singled and Cecilia Vasquez later got an RBI bunt single to tie the gameat3-3.

But the Cajuns settledfor just one run in that frame and that was thestoryofthe loss. UL outhit

South Alabama 8-7 but stranded 10 runners to only three leftonfor the Jaguars.

As aresult, Gracie Dees gave the Jaguars the winning margin with a leadoffhomer in the bottom of the sixth off of Sage Hoover Hooverpitched22/3 innings, allowing the one run on four hits, no walks and two strikeouts.

Tipton gave up threerunsin31/3 innings.

South Alabamaace Rylee Harrison continued to bafﬂe the Cajuns, surrendering no earned runs over six innings with no walks and four strikeouts.

Email KevinFoote at kfoote@theadvocate.com.

On awindy day with gustsblowing in from center ﬁeld, stringing together quality at-bats and hitting the ball low and hard weregoing to be keysfor the Tigers.They executed that gameplanthrough theﬁrst two innings against South Carolina (22-25, 7-15).

“When we pop-up to short, ground out to short, (hit a) fly ball to center field,the appearance is we’re trying to do toomuch,” Johnson also said after the TexasA&M loss. “And trying to do toomuchis not aplan or asign of amature offensive baseball team. And that’s my responsibility.And that will get fixed.” LSU had only one extra-base hit on Saturday,but power hasn’t been abig issue for the Tigers this season. They enteredSaturday seventh in the conferenceinhome runs. Their problem has been generating “professional” at-bats up and down the order “Wehaveplenty of home runs, honestly.Weactuallydo,” Johnson said. “If you attached professional at-bats—which is what we’re known for (and)isastaple

S. Carolina100 000 000 —1 61 LSU 230 100 00X— 68 1 E— Evans(8); Ruckert (5).DP—S.Carolina 2; LSU 2. LOB—S.Carolina 5; LSU 8. 2B

—LeCroy (7); Lizama (8); Serna (8). HBP— Serna; Reaves. South Carolina IP HR ER BB SO Phiilips (L, 3-6) 68 65 43 Marlatt 20 00 13 LSU IP HR ER BB SO Schmidt (W,5-4) 65 11 17

Fontenot(S, 3) 31 00 04 WP —Phillips (7); Schmidt (10).HBP —by Phillips (Serna); by Marlatt (Reaves)

Umpires—HP: JohnBrammer1B: Randy Rosenberg2B: Seth Buckminster 3B:Joseph Smith Start —1:03 p.m. Time —2:29 Attendance —10395

of why we have two national championships —with the power on this team,it would beplenty.”

Milam and freshman William Patrick finished with two hits. Along with Milam, Curiel and Arrambide drove in multiple runs.

The Tigers were 3for 9withrunners in scoring position and 5for 17 with runners on base. LSU’sonly run after the second came on afielder’schoice

“It’s alot easier to pitch ahead than (when you’re) chasing runs andchasing zeros,”LSU sophomoreright-handed starter William Schmidt said. “They did their job.”

Schmidt,inhis eighthSEC start, got through six innings for the ﬁrst time in conference play. He surrendered five hits and fell behind in the count to enough hitters early in thegame to drive up hispitch count, but he also walked only one batter and struck out seven.

After Schmidt, Johnsonturned to ﬁfth-year senior right-hander Grant Fontenot to record the last nine outs. Theveteran struckout four batters and allowed just one hittoﬁnish off thegame.

“That was sick,”Schmidt said of Fontenot’seffort. “It saves alot of guys (for therest of theseries).” LSU faced South Carolina in Game 2ofSaturday’sdoubleheader,but thatgamewas not over by press time. Visittheadvocate.com for afull report

Email Koki Rileyat koki.riley@theadvocate.com.

Last fall, the Saints acquired Ja’Lynn Polk from the New England Patriots and claimed Trey Palmer off waivers from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Polk and Palmer didn’tappear in agame lastyear because of injuries, and now that the Saints have invested afirst-round pick in Tyson, their path to meaningful on-field action got alot more difficult. Polk or Palmer likely would have to beatout Devaughn Vele forthe third spot,ifOlave and Tyson start as expected. Vele,like Polkand Palmer,was acquired late last summer,but the former Denver receiver seized his chance midway throughthe year after Rashid Shaheed was traded and Brandin Cooks was released. Vele, 28, emerged as ago-to target in the intermediateportion of thefield— with15ofhis 25 catches traveling 10-19 yardsthrough theair Polk and Palmer are each at a crossroads for different reasons. Polk, a2024 second-rounder,had ahorrificrookie year (12 catches for 87 yards) that saw the Patriotsgiveuponhim aheadofhis second season, whichwas further derailed by aseason-ending shoulderinjury. Palmer showedpromiseasa 2023 sixth-rounder, but more often than nothewas buried on Tampa Bay’sdepth chart. Neither player is solidified enough to assume his roster spot is guaranteed. On that front, they join acrowded group that includesBub Means, Kevin Austin, Ronnie Belland Mason Tipton all players whohaveseen snaps the last few seasons because of injuries but will have to earn their spot in 2026.

NFLteamsusuallykeep5-6 receivers on the 53-man roster,with some clubsgoing as farastokeep seven. For New Orleans, one of those spots may be occupiedby areturn specialist, as it drafted Barion Brown fromLSU in the sixthround.Technically areceiver, Brown made hisimpact on kickoff returnsbyreturning an SEC-record six touchdowns in college Brown is alogical candidate to be the returner next season, but theSaints have other options rookie cornerback Lorenzo Styles andrunning back Ty Chandler there if theywanttopivotand free up the roster spot for amore conventional wideout.

In Moore’sfirst season, the Saintsendedupkeeping eight of their nine draft picks on cutdown day. That would be good news for notonly Brown but also fourth-

rounder Bryce Lance —a6-foot3wideout from North Dakota State who had astrong history of production in theFCS andran an impressive 4.3 40-yard dash at the scouting combine. The selections of Lance and Tyson also demonstrate howmuch thereceiving room haschanged in the last year.Loomis said the Saints’ goal was to gettallerat theposition,and both players Tyson is 6-2 —add much-needed size. Before trading for the 6-5 Vele in August, the Saints were set to be one of only twoteamsin the NFL without awide receiver taller than 6-3. Look close enough now,and the receivers have started to resemble abasketball team of all shapes and sizes. But to keep with the basketball analogy,the Saints also have agroupthatembodies the position-less, one-through-five style thathas spread throughout the modern NBA. Olave, Tyson and Vele have the flexibilitytoeach play theX,Z andslotpositions at wide receiver.That frees up Moore to keep defenses guessing by mixing up where each playerlinesup. While somedraftanalysts have voiced concerns about whether Tyson and Olave are too similar as receivers, there are notable differences between them. Tysonis2inchestallerand more aggressive at the catch point, which could translate to being better at contested catches.Olave,enteringhis fifth season,isapolished route runnerwho wins just as muchwith his technical footwork as he does with his speed. Tyson, Olave and even Vele have injury concerns.But if they can stay healthy,that’sa trio that complements one another in their differences, while also having enough overlapping traits thatcan be hard to stop. Just like abasketball team.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ABBIEPARR

DownsonSaturday in Louisville, Ky

LIVING

Casino tables, showgirlsand baby formula

TAyLOR MILLS PHOTOGRAPHy

For Queen of Sparkles Jaime and Hunter Odom’sbabyshower, 25 friends threwacasino-themed Baby Royale event on April19 at The Colonel’sClub in Baton Rouge.

Inside the extravagant shower for La.’s Queen of Sparkles

BY JANRISHER Staff writer

When Jaime Glas Odom walks into aroom, nobody wonders if shehas a ﬂair for the dramatic.

Glas Odom is the founderofQueen of Sparkles, the Baton Rouge-based clothing brandthat has dressed LSU women’sbasketball coach Kim Mulkey,Hoda Kotb, Jenna Bush Hager, Jojo Siwa andvariousreality television personalities. Glas Odom has built an international following around the principlethat more sparkleisalmost always the rightanswer So when 25 of her closest friends —some dating back to secondgrade —gathered to plan the April 19 baby showeratThe Colonel’sClub, they knew that nobody was bringing a casseroleand calling it aday Instead, the baby shower theme was Baby Royale Theexecution was exactlywhat that sounds like. Casino tables.Real chips. Real dealers. No money.Tiger Girls dressedas showgirls. Sushi served onpersonalized poker chips.A wing bar.Afry bar.Anice sculpture. Apianist— Rusty Yates, playing in the corner Custom-made neon signs. Feathered tablescapes. Ascratch-off game called “Who Has the Daddy? in which guests scratched off toﬁnd the real photo of father-to-be Hunter Odom instead of the many posesof Matthew McConaughey (who happens to look alot like Hunter Odom). At one point, the hostesses —all wearing matching feathered hats emerged with sparklers and alightup sign thatread “Cheers, Mom and Dad,” in full Vegas-style fashion.

ä See SHOWER, page 4D

DannyHeitman AT RANDOM

Confessionsofa Louisiana hawk-watcher

Iwas walking to our backyard compost pilethe other morning when Ispotted asmall gray mound near the sweet olive tree. There were little tufts of this and that —what Itook to be the leavings of amourning dove who had, it seemed, been quickly lifted from one world to thenext. Isuspected one of our neighborhood hawks had enjoyed arecent kill. Red-tailed hawks arecommon throughout Louisiana, andIoften see one or two on morning walks down my city street. My days start

ä See AT RANDOM, page 4D

BY JA’KORIMADISON Staff writer

For those who enjoy picking their own ﬂowers, afamily-run farmjustoutsideSt. Martinville offers visitors achance to do just thatwhile spending aday immersed in rural life.

At St.Rose Flower Farm, 1271 Leed ChampagneRoad, owner Denise Zis has created adestinationwhere families and friends can cuttheir ownflowers, sip freshlemonade, interact with animals andenjoy arelaxed outdoor experience.

“I neverhad aplan to start a ﬂower farm,” said Zis, amother of eight, who is originally from New York. “I just wanted tohave beauty in my home and at the same timewemoved out to the country to kind of homestead.”

What began as apersonal project hassincegrown into aseasonal attraction for the Acadiana community

One of thefarm’smost popularattractions is its spring U-

pick, whichiscurrentlytaking place from dawn to darkFriday through Sunday or by appointmentother days. Guests canpick their own blooms directly from the fields.The farmprovides supplies including garden clippers, ﬂower food, mason jars and bucketsfor collecting flowers.

Visitors are encouraged to wear outdoor clothing, along with sun protection and bug spray

Beyondflowers, the farm offers blackberry picking, petting animals, swings and shaded areas, creating an environment for visitors whosimply just wantto spend timeoutdoors.

“It’snot just about the ﬂowers,” Zissaid. “It’sabout having aplace wherefamiliescan come anddo something together.I have afamily myself so Iknow how that inclusiveness matters.”

For Zis, who recalls visiting farms as achild and participating in similar pick-yourself experiences, she says those memories were some of the best she has growing up.

Now,she sees visitors creating their own.

“We’ve had people say they feel healing, or inspiration,” she said. “Somepeople come and realize they want to grow ﬂowers too.” That desire to grow food and

PROVIDED PHOTOS

Owner Denise Zis established St. RoseFlowerFarminSt. Martinville around 2018.

St.Rose FlowerFarmwelcomes visitors to enjoythe pet stable.

Acadiana Center forthe Arts hostsannualjazzbrunch

The Acadiana Center for the Arts recently hosted its premier fundraising event under sunny skies and cool temperatures. The aptly named Sunny SideBrunch lived up to its moniker The April 12 event was held at thehomeofCarolyn and KipSchumacher in near perfect weather

Kris Wartelle

This year’sjazz brunch drew alarge crowd of sponsors and guests. The white tents for seating, ladies and gents dressed in spring colors and smart hats, gave the partyavery Kentucky Derby vibe. Thisevent couldalso give any fancy New Orleans brunch some stiff competition. We witnessedone of the liveliest auctions we can remember with bidders pledging more money than ever foritems. It was all for agood cause, of course. Funds raised from the Sunny Side Jazz Brunch support the AcA’sperforming arts programs. Those include national acts of music, dance, andtheater in Lafayette. Funds also help theexpansion of AcA’s Artsin Education work in schools and parishes around Acadiana.

Every year,the AcA hitsa home run with this event. AcA staff and leadership do an outstanding job of making sure those whoattend have agreat time while helping to bring more art andmusic into the community.The hope is that with programslike these, everyone will get achance to experience some of the magic theAcadiana Center for the Arts offers.

MakingAcadianaresidents aware of how vital such programs aretothe quality of life in our community is among the AcAgoals. If you want to ﬁnd outmore, check out theAcA website: acadianacenterforthearts.org.

Thank you AcA. Untilnext year,may your skies always be sunny and your mimosas always be cold.

PHOTOSByKAyLA MCDONALD

EJ and Daphne Krampe, Carolynand Kip Schumacher

Jimmy and Melissa Bienvenu, Kim and Richard Broussard

Todd Lambert, Samuel Oliver, Byron Reyes

Kelly Cobb, Tala Ehsan

Jennifer Potier Sharon Moss, Sarah Moss, CouryMoss

HaleyThevis, Lindsayand BaileyKidd, LindaKidd

Karen and Adrian King

Jourdan and Leslie Thibodeaux

Traci Aucoin, Miriam Bourgeois, Tina Fremin,Sally Herpin, Cecile Mouton

Erica Day, Missy Andrade

Mark and Connie Guidry

Jayand Margaret Ruffin

Marcus Thomas, Dr.Brent Rochon

Anthonyand Emilia Pardo

Nancy Broadhurst, Dr.Karen Wyble

TRAVEL

District aims to ‘makeFortLauderdalecoolagain’

BY AMANDAROSA Miami Herald (TNS)

Avintage store next to amatcha cafe next to aromance bookstore across the street from abrewery next to apilates studio. Crisp white walls decorated in murals you’d expecttofindinMiami’s Wynwood Art District.

For the trend-seeking 20-something-year-olds of Fort Lauderdale, Thrive Art District, acommerce and arts hub near downtown, may be their new oasis.

“Wesay in private alot,‘We need to make Fort Lauderdale cool again,’”said Taymir Terrell, 28, who founded Alma Matcha with friend Jessica Binder,29, and opened their Thrive location last October

“Miami’sgot their thinggoing,”

Binder said. “Fort Lauderdale has got room for growth, so we want to be apart of that.”

What was once two cityblocks of dingy industrial warehouses is now an alluring complex ofstores, cafes, artist studiosand event space meant to attractFort Lauderdale’sburgeoning population of young professionals and South Floridians willing to drive from Miami and West Palm Beach. Brothers Jonathan and Abraham Fish, Thrive’sco-founders anddevelopers, said the idea was to bring something different to Fort Lauderdale.

“It has to be big enough to really change an area, to do something that’sreally going to make adifference,” Jonathan Fish added. “FortLauderdale is justperfect because there’ssucha need for adestination like this over here.”

Thrive Art District, about 80,000 square feet of mixed-use space in the Progresso Village area, certainly aims to ﬁll aniche. Tucked in between thehistoric Sistrunk neighborhood, the still under-constructionFAT Village development and Flagler Village, aneighborhood popular with young people and families, Thrive ismeant to cater to downtown Fort Lauderdale’sevolving demographics.

Fort Lauderdale,asMayor Dean Trantalis boasted duringhis State of the City address last year,isin the midst of an economic “renaissance.” The post-pandemicyears have been deﬁned by areal estate boom, population surgeand increase in jobs, especially in and around the downtown area. Unlike other major cities, downtown Fort Lauderdalehas seenan83% increase in families with children since 2018,according to datafrom the FortLauderdaleDowntown Development Authority

From ‘gross’warehouses

It started with acar ride around town. Years before the pandemic, theFishbrothers were driving around Fort Lauderdale looking for agem. They found it in on Fifth Street and EighthAvenue,where there was a60-foot-wide right of way. “It just has so much opportunity,” Jonathan said.

The brothers, who used to work in the insurance industry,then started approaching owners to purchase the warehouses in 2016, eventually acquiring about 10 buildings. When they presented the idea for the art district to the Fort Lauderdale City Commission, “they thought we were dreaming,” Jonathan said “Now we’re heroes,” Abraham quipped.

City Commissioner Steven Glassman, who represents the area Thrive is located,recalledwhen the Fish brothers invited himtour the site six years ago,back when

TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER

By ChristopherElliott

it was “reallygross.”

“I looked at them and said, ‘Really?’ ”Glassman said. “Itwas such ablighted area. Imean, it wasjustone ragshopafter another,greasy, dirty, derelict.I just couldn’tbelieve what they were telling me their vision was, but I love peoplewith vision.”

Thebrothers’ visionand passion for the ideaiswhat got Glassman on board. He workedclosely with the Fish brothers,who invested about$20 million in the project, to get Thrive to the finish line.

The brothers said thecity allowed them exceptions to certain city codes regarding setbacksin order to buildthe district as they intended.

Construction started in 2021. Businesses andartists started moving into the district in 2024.

To date, Thrive is home to about 35 businesses and art studios

for about adozen artists, where monthly rent starts at $600 for a smallstudio.

Incorporating artintothe development was central to the Fish brothers’vision, they said. Their father was an artdealer who raised his sonsaround art. But while their father was focused on the oldmasters, the brothersare more interestedinstreetart and howitevolvedfromtabootorespected.

“Wealways felt that art is somethingthat really uniﬁesand creates something special. When you create adistrict, it’svery important that there’satheme. What’s unique about the destination?” Abraham said. “Ours, Iwould say, is thebest way of going about it.”

Street art was the answer

The Fish brothers sayThrive is home to, probably,“the largestoutdoor galleryinthe world.”

They started by inviting mural artists they were fans of to view the space andcreateaunique piece of art. Soon, other artists from South Florida and around the world reached out, they said.

“When you take an area that’s blighted,where nothing is really happening, and you activate it with arts and culture, it’samagnet,”Glassman said. “It creates an energy.Itjust makes people want to be there.”

Boomingbusinesses

WhenSotiria Sourlis came to Thrive foranArt Walk event, she immediately fell in love —with a storefront

She wasn’t alone, Abraham said. Acouple of people wanted the spacefor themselves, but Sourlis and her restaurant Greek Sugar gotthe prize

“I love thebrightness of this

particularstore. Ilovethatit faces the music square where all theeventsare. High ceilings,my neighbors, all the art outside, all thecultureinthe neighborhood,” Sourlis said. “I love my view when Istand here andIsee the tremendous mural in front of me. We’re happytobea part of theThrive community.”

Therestaurant already has repeat customers, she said. One fellow Greek woman drove from Davie,Florida,for ataste of home.

Artist Chris Dyer,who sells customglass artworks, hada similar love-at-ﬁrst-sight story with Thrive. “I drovepastthe neighborhood and Iwas like, ‘Let me do asales pitch,’”herecalled.

He contactedthe Fish brothers immediately and moved in last year

The demand forspace at Thrive, either forstorefronts,studios or event scheduling, is high, theFish brothers said. Thrive regularly hostseventsincluding artfests,car shows, musicperformances,yoga classes andother wellness-related events.

Thebrothers are alsointalks withcruise linesabout bringing tourists to Thrive for excursions when they hopoff theships in Fort Lauderdale. Tourists can come do atourofthe artdistrict, learn how to spray paint amural or make their own custom bag charms at leather shop Atomic Freedom.

As small business ownersand Broward natives, Binder and Terrell said Thrive’srapid growth has been exciting to see. The art district, which is primarilyoccupiedbylocal businesses, is exactly where they want AlmaMatcha to grow, theysaid.

Though theycould have opened acafeanywhere, MiamiorNew York City,Binderand Terrell said there’s no place like home

“This is what we want for us andfor ourour future kids and ourour neighbors andour sisters andbrothers. It’snot to saywe won’teventually do Miami and New York andall these othermajorplaces,” Terrell said. “But that doesn’tfeed the soul.”

Christopher Elliott

My wife and Iwere booked into the Hampton Inn in Great Falls, Montana. On the morning of our trip, she wokeupwitha 102-degree fever and a severe cough.She was later diagnosed with pneumonia and had to be admitted to the hospital. Icalled thehotel to cancel the reservation, but the desk clerk told me we’dstill becharged the full $173 because it wasa latecancellation. He said there wasnothinghecould do. Icalled Hilton’scustomer service line, and arepresentative said theproperty

would have to handle it. Iasked for the hotel manager,but she wasinameeting.I left my number but never heard back. Ilater wrote to Hilton’scorporateoffices and even sent acertified letter to Hilton corporate,but no one responded.I just want arefund or acredit for afuture stay.Can you help me? —Bill Chellis,CamanoIsland,Wash I’m sorry to hear about your wife’sillness, and Ihope she’sfeeling better. Hotels typically have strict cancellation policies —many require 24 hours’ notice or more to avoid penalties. In your case, Hiltonwas within its rights to charge for thenight. But in the hospitality business, having theright to do something anddoing the right

thingare often not the same. Your paper trail shows you did everything you could to get help. Youcalled, you asked for amanager,you appealed to corporate, and you followed up in writing. (By theway,you can ﬁnd the names, numbers and email addresses of the Hilton executives on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org.) That’sexactly what consumers should do when they have alegitimate request for an exception to policy Washington Statehas aConsumer Protection Act that broadly prohibits“unfair or deceptive” practices. While it doesn’tspeciﬁ-

cally cover hotel cancellations, it does give consumers alegal avenue if acompany refuses to act in good faith. On afederal level, there’snoblanket law requiring hotels towaive penalties formedical emergencies, but the Federal Trade Commission does monitor businesses formisleading practices.The “may incur charges” wording in Hilton’sown cancellation notice arguably leftthe door open for somediscretion. When Icontacted Hilton, it reviewed your case again. Arepresentative said its front desk agent hadcorrectly followed policy but confirmed that it overlooked your follow-up requests. Hilton refunded your $173. Your case is agood reminder that policies are not always the final word. If you have avalid reason —backed up by documentation —and you politely persist, companies can often bend arule. And when they don’t—well, you know how to find me. Christopher Elliott is the founderofElliott Advocacy,a nonprofitorganizationthathelps consumers solvetheirproblems. Email himatchris@elliott.org or get help by contacting himat elliott.org.

MIAMI HERALD/TNS PHOTOS By CARL JUSTE

The ThriveArt District, an arts and commercial hub in FortLauderdale, Fla., that caters to young professionals, is nowopen.

Maddison Haruch, right, prepares amatcha for acustomer at AlmaMatcha’stemporarylocation as the buildout for itspermanent store is underwayatthe ThriveArt District in Florida.

Grandmachooses incenseovergranddaughter’shealth

house? —SmokedOut

Dear Harriette: My momhas gotten into burning incenselately,and whenever Ibring my 10-year-old daughter over,she has an allergic reaction to it. She starts coughing and sneezing and has even gotten rashes from it. I’ve asked my mom not to burn it on days when she watches my daughter after she gets out of school,but she says no because it helps her relax and she likes the smell of it. This has been frustrating becausemy momis the one who offered to help watch my daughter after schoolwhile I’m at work. I’m grateful for the help since child careisexpensive

Harriette Cole

SENSE AND SENSITIVITy

andmywork schedule makes it hard to pick my daughter up right away.At the same time, it’s painful tosee my daughter clearly uncomfortable every time she’s in my mom’shouse. Now Ifeel stuck. Iappreciatethat my mom is helping me out with child care, but Ifeel likemy daughter’shealth should come ﬁrst.Idon’twant to start an argumentwith my mom or seem ungrateful, but Ialsodon’twant my child to suffer every timeshe goes over there. Should Iﬁnd differentchild care or keep bringing my daughter to her grandma’s

Dear Smoked Out: Your mother is being irrational and is not thinking about theresponsibility that she willingly accepted. It is unconscionable to put her granddaughter in aspace where she can’tbreathe simply because she likes the smell. Askyour mother to reconsider her position. Point out how your daughter’sbody reactstobeing in her space —the coughing and rashes. Emphasize that you are talking about ahealth issue, not apreference. If your mother refuses to budge, you will need to ﬁnd another place for your daughter to go after school. It may be hard to pay for it,but your daughter’s

healthismost important. Dear Harriette: Acouple of weeks ago, agroupofold friends and I got together and ended up having aconversation about our love lives. Some of my malefriends asked me what kind of partner I am interested in and offered to keep an eyeout fordecent candidates for me. It seemed like a ﬂeeting conversation at the time, but since then one of those guys, who is married, has texted me a couple of times referencing the conversation —just small jokes about what we discussed. Yesterday,hetexted me late at night saying he’d love to continue theconversation and learn more about my likes and dislikes. It

ST.ROSE

Continued from page1D

flowers for her family laid thefoundation for the farm. In 2017, Zis began selling her first bouquets by partnering with a local vendor.The first flower bouquet that she soldwas out of aman’s truck, shesaid.

“He was selling oranges, andIasked him ifhewould sellsomeofmyﬂowers outofhis truck.

From there, interest grew through smallmarketsinnearby communities, where customers began asking about the business. While searching for inspiration for aname, Zis found it in astory she was readingtoher children about St.Rose of Lima,who grew and sold ﬂowers to support herfamily

“I was inspired by that,” she said. “She had alarge family like Idid and soldﬂowers to make aliving for her family,and I thought this is something Ican relate to.”

Thefarm was formallyestablished around2018 with aregistered name and hassince expanded into an agritourism destination. In itsearly stages, it operated similarly to acommunity-supported agriculture model, offering mixed selectionsofﬂowers in bloom for pickup or delivery

Around the same time,Zis experimented with asmall sunﬂower patchwhere visitors could cuttheir own ﬂowers, an idea that quickly gained popularity

“People were asking, ‘Can we come cut ourown ﬂowers? she said. “So Isaid, if Iever havethe opportunity to expand,I want to do aU-pick.”

Today,the farm’s spring U-pick season typically runs fromlate March through mid-June, with asecondseason in the fallfrom around October until theﬁrst freeze. Availability depends on weather conditions.

Visitors check in at the farmstand, wheretheycan chooseajar or bucket, add water and ﬂoral food, and pick up garden clippers. Guests are instructed to cut individual stems while leaving part of the plant intact to ensure continued growth.

After gathering ﬂowers, visitorscan arrangetheir bouquetsinashaded hoop house area beforereturning clippers and making payment through acash drop or digital options.

The farm operates largely on aselfservesystem,amodel Zis said allows ﬂexibility while relying on community trust.

“I felt very strongly our communityis honest and good,”she said. “The beneﬁts were going to outweigh the risks… and it makes it moreconvenient foreveryone.”

AT RANDOM

Continued from page1D

early,and it’sahabit of mine to scan the sky while Istroll, curioustosee if the moon is still up.

Idon’talways see the moon, but sometimes, if I’m lucky,I’ll spot araptor up above the tree line, circling on wind Ican’t feel from my lowly vantage pointon the sidewalk. He’shunting for breakfast, which must be achallenge for ahawk who lives in the city

My Peterson Field Guide, tattered now from years of consultation, tells me that theredtailed hawk is acommon creature “ofroadsides and woodland edges.” Its favored habitat is “open country,woodlands, prairie groves, mountains, plains, roadsides (and) ﬁeld edges,” as Peterson puts it.

For open country hawkwatching in Louisiana, Ilike best the long drives we take to see in-laws in Acadiana. The ﬂat terrain and wide pastures are aparadise forhawks, and it’s alively thing to seethem glidinghigh above the cows, who don’t look like they mind the company Hawks also seem to like recently reapedﬁelds where the land, emptyofeverythingbut

felt borderline ﬂirtatious to me. Perhaps Iamoverthinking this because I’ve heard rumors that he and his wife are experiencing trouble in paradise. Ihaven’tresponded. How would you handle this? —Borderline Inappropriate

Dear Borderline Inappropriate: Trust your instincts. During daylight hours, text him back and thank him forhis interest but tell him you don’tfeel comfortable continuing this conversation. He may be well-meaning, but his overtures are crossing the line —you don’thave to say that; just don’t continue to respond.

Sendquestions to askharriette@ harriettecole.com.

The farm offers two container options for U-pickvisitors. Mason jars, priced at $20, are smaller,reusableand easy to transport,making them apopularchoice for children. Buckets,priced at $45, allow for collecting alarger number of stemsand creating multiple arrangements at home.

stubble, gives them aclear view of miceand other good thingsto eat. That autumn time after the sugarcane harvestseems likea festiveseason for hawks in our part ofthe world. Thehawkswhere Ilive don’t have such grand pickings, but they seem to get by There are two parks in my neighborhood and some open lots the hawks might like. Isaw oneatthe park last year eyeingthe squirrels.I’ve alsoseen them around my place, which is only half an acre buthas enough birds andother wildlife to interest apredator in search of a meal. Sometimes, while sipping coffee on thepatio, I’ll hear a red-tailed hawk nearby Thesoundisunmistakable, like akettle shrieking to aboil. Thehawk’s mostvivid calling card greeted me theother day as Iwas puttingaway the lawn mower.There, at thebase of an oak, wasasingle,largefeather —the kind ofquill big enough for aFoundingFather to scribblehis thoughts.The pattern of white and tawny bars matched the proﬁle of ared-tail.

Thefeather reminded me that Ishare my homewith lots of other residents —including many, I’m sure, that I’ll never even see.

Email Danny Heitman at danny@dannyheitman.com.

SHOWER

Avariety of flowers are grown that work best in Louisiana’sclimate with all of the planting schedules basedonseasonal conditions

“We’re not solving aﬂower problem,” she said. “We’re creating adestination a place where people can comeand experience something.”

Beyond the ﬁelds, Zis has also expanded herwork through St. Rose Academy, an online resource offering step-by-step gardening guidanceand ﬂower-growing techniques forhome gardeners, particularly in Southern Gulf Coast growing zones. Looking ahead, Zis said the goal remains focused on creating meaningful experiences forvisitors.

Continuedfrom page1D

About 200 people attended the baby shower,and each left with Queen of Sparkles swag,including alimited-edition BabyRoyale sparkly sweatshirt.

The casino concept started with asuggestion from Hunter Odom’s mother.Glas Odom —whose Las Vegas bachelorette party included all theglitz andglamour possible —immediately saidyes.

“Having it at Colonel’sClub was perfect—the perfectvenue for that kind of party,” Glas Odom said.“Everyone didsucha great job.”

Leigh Manuel, who was maid of honor at thecouple’s2023 wedding and is Glas Odom’slongtime bestfriend, served as chief party planner.Itwas roleshe took on with enthusiasm anda dose of self-awareness.

“Especially for baby showers, I’m normally thegirlwho Venmos and that’sit,”she said. “But Iknew thatinthis case, more is more.”

Glas Odom saidthe scaleofthe celebration caught herslightly off guard —which is saying something, given that shebuilt abrand on maximalism.She acknowledged that sheand her husband are outgoing, but that doesn’t

mean they are looking to be the center of attention.

Whenitcomes to partyplanning, she saidher tacticistomake the festivities “supercolorful and loud —and it will takethe attention away from us.” Manuel andthe rest of the planning team took thatconceptas direction.

Manuelspent adecade as a retailbuyer,soshe leaned into sourcing the details for the event.

“Jaime is easy to plan for.Everything is so colorful,” Manuel said. “I love to buy things, so that partwas fun.”

She scoured Etsy.She made things herself. Otherhostesses stepped in, including Megan Hutchins who handled the ﬂowers and featheredtablescapes. The Colonel’sClub—which Manuel and Glas Odom’s longtimefriend andUniversity High classmate Jordan Piazza owns —handled food andcoordination, including events coordinator JessicaBurris.

BradleyEasley,the Colonel’s Club’smanager,had his mother Tina Devall make all the desserts by hand. Devall was the one who placed thesushi on the poker chips, which maybethe mostonbrand detail of the soiree.

The party ranlike it hadbeen in theworks for months. Because the restaurant was open forSundaylunch,the crew

only had90minutestotransform the place into acasino and display thedozensofdetails that turned it fromashowerinto aspectacle.

“Seeing it allcome togetherwas really cool,” Manuel said. “Jaime andHunterthought it wasalmost as good as the wedding.”

Fora woman who is, professionally and personally,the Queen of Sparkles, thatisnot asmall thing to say.

ForGlasOdom, the event pointed toward something larger than aparty

“It’soverwhelming with love, more than getting married,” she said. “And it’sall about this baby inside of me who doesn’tknow howmuchloveiscoming.”

Glas Odom’s duedateismidMay.She is still logging 10,000 steps aday

She saidshe haswanted to be a mother for so long thatshe made a conscious decision to enjoy every moment of the pregnancy.Byher account, she has, with oneexception: sleeping hasbecomeslightly uncomfortable

But for Manuel —who admits this was her ﬁrst real foray into party planning —the baby shower landedexactly as intended. “It was so fun,” she said. “I told themI alreadyhavetwo ideas for the ﬁrst birthday.”

Email Jan Risheratjan.risher@ theadvocate.com.

PROVIDED PHOTOS By DENISE ZIS Alemonade stand offers up refreshments forvisitors at St. Rose FlowerFarminLafayette.

St. Rose FlowerFarmfeatures shaded areas.

Elizabeth Zis picks blueberriesatSt. Rose FlowerFarm.

Author draws on La. folklore, culture in debut

BY JOY HOLDEN Staff writer

Author Kayla Hardy, who has a doctorate in English specializing in creative writing and African American literature, is a mythology expert and award-winning author and screenwriter Hardy served as an adjunct professor at Binghamton University and is an avid scholar and lover of Black folklore, mythology and Voodoo

Her new book, “The Quarter Queen,” is a fantasy novel set in a racially divided, spellbound antebellum New Orleans where alchemists, witch hunters and enslavers all vie for power

At the center is reigning Voodoo queen Marie Laveau and her daughter “Ree,” who is everything her principled mother is not: spoiled and rebellious. But when Ree ﬁnds Marie comatose in the bayou, she must uncover the secrets of her mother’s life in search of a cure. Told in alternating timelines between Ree in 1846 and Marie’s rise to power 25 years earlier, “The Quarter Queen” is a portrait of a mother and a daughter in the throes of racism, magic and resistance. Although from Akron, Ohio, Hardy is inspired by her Louisiana Creole ancestry and familial lineage of root work and magic and she aims to tell diverse-driven horror and dark fantasy stories. This interview has been edited for length and clarity What inspired you to write “The Quarter Queen?” I spent my childhood summers in Louisiana, which was a culture shock, like people speaking French and Spanish and being Catholic but also practicing root work. I was like, “How can you do two things at once and really be two things at once?” I think that’s a question that probably stayed on

Kayla Hardy, author of ‘The Quarter Queen’

my mind for forever I grew up and wanted to be a writer, and I think I was always a super fan of Marie Laveau and the uniqueness of Louisiana culture.

At SUNY Binghamton, I was able to hone my skills as a Black folklore researcher, and at that time, I was reading a lot of Zora Neale Hurston and Voodoo rituals. How did you come up with Marie Laveau’s internal conflict of a free woman of color who had power and yet, couldn’t or wouldn’t do something about the enslaved people around her?

Marie Laveau was a female of color and essentially the ﬁrst in her line to be born free. Her mother and grandma were enslaved. There’s different narratives around if they bought their freedom or were released. The book starts with Marie, and

then I build the world around her

Everyone talks about her as the great Voodoo queen and the spectacle around it But I wanted to ask, “What was the interiority of her life like as a free woman of color with all of this power, and what did she do with it?” It’s a narrative about power This is a fantasy with actual magical power, so you can’t just be sipping tea all day

Now we know in a real historical context that even enslaved folks went to Congo Square with free people of color to gather and found a way to keep on keeping on. You ﬁnd a way to turn pain into joy

Modern readers may look at free people of color that were Creole who might get a bad rap, but they didn’t make the system in which they existed. They were born into

it and did not make these rules.

That being said, we’ve always had a way of subverting these rules to carve our own sense of freedom.

I wondered with Marie how this must be on her brain all the time. I just can’t picture how she could ever shut that off with her amount of privilege and power

I wondered if she wanted to ﬁgure out her role in this, if she felt guilt. I think maybe sometimes she would want to put the blinders on, because there’s only so much one can take with seeing those horrors every day How do we still have our own sense of agency?

Your characters are complex and nuanced. How did you develop those layers in your characterization?

It’s a tough thing when you have a dual timeline. And also you need to set up the “why” in the world. You have to also care about Marie enough before she goes into the

coma. We have to get a glimpse of what Ree thinks the problem is. Then Jon the Conjurer is an ideological villain, but he’s hardly the worst person in New Orleans. The problem is a system.

I started with Marie, who is our saint, so we have to have our sinner with Ree. I think the story is full of antiheroes. That’s the commentary on enslavement. We worry about our families, and is it fair to ask somebody to be a mother but also ﬁght for everyone else?

What do you want people to know about this book who may be unfamiliar with Marie Laveau and Voodoo? And what can you say about her faith?

That it is anything but demonic.

The loa (spirits) are here to help guide people in areas between the world and the spiritual world. Voodoo can be a spiritual practice factored alongside Catholicism. I’m not endorsing Voodoo, but I want to illustrate that this was done and continues to be done in this small section of the world.

It’s one of those things I knew going into it about Marie. I didn’t want her faith and practice to be in contention because it’s literally not for many people. She believes in God, but the institution may be corrupt. God is much bigger than four walls.

Anything that is institutionalized has the ability to control or warp us, but that God is bigger than that. It’s funny because there is so much of God in this book. Christ came to the broken, and He may choose the outcasts or someone like Marie.

Email Joy Holden at joy.holden@ theadvocate.com.

13-essay collection recounts segregated New Orleans

BY RIEN FERTEL

Contributing writer

“From the Back of a Bus Named Desire” by Brenda Quant, University of New Orleans Press, 184 pages.

In the late 1950s, while waiting for a late-night bus with her mother 10-year-old Brenda Quant took a ride on the Whites-only swing set at Washington Square. She became, in her words, “the happiest criminal in New Orleans.” The nearest playground to her childhood home, Bunny Friend Park on Desire Street, was off-limits to her, as were the city’s other 100-plus Whites-only recreation areas. There were only 19 — scattered, dilapidated, heavily policed playgrounds reserved for Black children, so young Brenda was more than happy to oblige her mother’s transgressive encouragement.

She tested each swing, thinking about “the little White behinds that would sit in them the next day,” and, after ﬁnding the perfect seat and swinging “with the intensity of an Olympic athlete,” launched herself into the realm of moral lawlessness

“I became a repeat offender A habitual swing thief,” she writes. “I was never apprehended, and I am reported to be still at large, hiding out somewhere in New Orleans.”

A short, sweet essay on that episode leads off Quant’s debut, “From the Back of a Bus Named Desire.” A collection of memoir and history, the book emerged from a request by her godson, Shawn, for help with a Black History Month homework assignment on the Civil Rights Movement. A

lifelong teacher and activist, Quant, née Dyer helped organize several social justice advocacy groups, including the Equal Rights Congress.

Shawn’s homework became her own. She began reminiscing, writing, publishing work that led to the essays that eventually became Quant’s MFA thesis, earning her a degree in creative writing from the University of New Orleans in 2015 at the age of 70. The collection’s 13 essays are straightforward and, at times, sneakily experimental. They are conversational and often quite humorous. The work of a student, yes, but one with a knack for personal storytelling.

Quant’s strongest material follows the narrative track established by that initial homework assignment primarily what she calls the “inside-out world” created by

Jim Crow New Orleans

She writes of being in 10th grade and hearing the venomous anti-integration chants from the self-described cheerleaders who rallied against Ruby Bridges’ enrollment at William Frantz Elementary, located just four blocks from her house.

Quant remembers squeezing through crowds of White passengers to make her way to the rear of the city’s segregated public buses, all the while “denying that any interracial touching was happening.” A plank of varnished wood, simply known as the “screen,” divided White and Black patrons. The system forced riders to relocate the screens themselves, forward and back as passengers ﬁlled and emptied the bus, participating in their own partitioning. It was, she says, “a moveable evil.”

In the waning years of segregated transportation, a group of her college friends tossed the partition out the window You can almost hear Quant laughing to keep from crying as she writes what happened next. Her friends were all arrested, but not before “some whites boarded the bus, and with no screen did not know where to sit.” When the end of the screen era finally came in 1958, the offending pieces of wood were set ablaze in a terrific bonfire. Reading these essays, one can envision another path for Quant: that of the academic historian. There are longer pieces here on the life of Harry Washington, who, once enslaved by our nation’s first president, in time found freedom in Sierra Leone; another on the legacy of rice cultivation. Although informative and well-written, these essays, set alongside the others, can’t

measure up to the author’s more memoiristic leanings.

More tantalizing is a hybrid essay on geophagy the widespread, though often shunned, practice of eating earth. Quant tells of being a young dirt eater, the shame of salivating after rains for “the thick, musky emanations of wet earth.” Eventually she takes comfort in choupique, that local ﬁsh capable of living in droughtstruck ponds for several days. She prized the taste of this socalled trash ﬁsh, which she likens to “mud on mud, in mud, with a side of mud.”

The collection ends with an exploratory exercise, a series of ekphrases, dramatically composed descriptions of visual art think back to your high school reading of Keats’s “Ode on a Grecian Urn” — originating in an Ancient Greek form of rhetoric. Literally meaning “to speak out,” this is where Quant excels. There are nods to an aunt’s cherished antique umbrella, a set of furniture handcrafted by her father, a friend’s lush dessert: “Emily’s chocolate cake is the anti-vanilla, a velvety black hole blanketing out sound, subsuming and negating its crystal white ingredients noiselessly, hungrily a comforting eclipse, reassurance that darkness will follow light.”

It’s perhaps ﬁtting that the collection ends with such loving, lyrical personal odes. Quant died in 2022, at the age of 75. “From the Back of a Bus Named Desire” is a moving tribute to her city and herself.

Rien Fertel is the author of four books. He can be reached at rienfertel@gmail.com.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Author Brenda Quant died in 2022, at the age of 75. ‘From the Back of a Bus Named Desire’ is a moving tribute to her city and herself.

DINING SCENE

Find classicJazzFestfoodall year,including ‘lostdishes’

Ian

Forthose who reallydivein, the New Orleans Jazz &Heritage Festival can feel like its ownseason in New Orleans, and it’sshort one. But Jazz Fest food lives on throughout the year in different ways. Here’show to get ataste of it when you want to satisfy an offseason craving or bring a centerpiece dish to the nextparty, including afew that are now JazzFest memories Cochon de lait po-boyfrom Walker’s SouthernStyle BBQ,10828 HayneBlvd.

The cochon de lait po-boyhas become one of the most populardishes at Jazz Fest. Its vendor, Love at First Bite, has adual identity with its restaurant, acounter-service barbecue joint on the lakefront in New Orleans East.

If you make the trip, it can be a surf-and-turf day with astop at the adjacent Castnet Seafood, the fish market and purveyor of fine poboys and boiled crawfish.

Creole hot sausagepo-boyfromVaucresson Creole Café &Deli, 1800 St. Bernard Ave.

The Vaucresson family has been serving Creole sausage po-boys at Jazz Fest since the ﬁrstone in 1970. It was harder to ﬁnd outside of festival season until 2022,then they opened anew deliand cafe at thesite of their historicbutcher shop in the 7th Ward.

Now they’re working with chef Bunny Young, who has greatly expanded the menu of Creole plate lunches and home-style cooking. Of course the po-boys are always available, and links are sold to cook at home too.

Creole file gumbo from Li’l Dizzy’sCafé, 1500Esplanade Ave.

This deﬁnitive Creole gumbo is served daily at the Baquetfamily’s restaurant, now amainstay of the Treme in its next generation. The festival dishes troutBaquet (with crabmeat) and trout Dizzy (with shrimp and crawﬁsh) make periodic appearances as specials, and,

TODAYINHISTORY

By The Associated Press

more rarely, so does thecrawﬁsh bisque

Natchitoches meat pies from Mrs.Wheat’s

Local maker Mrs. Wheat’sships nationally,with alineup of spicy or mild meat pies, crawﬁsh pies, shrimpand andouille pies, and crab andartichoke pies, in small and large versions

They’re servedata few restaurants,including theHowlin’ Wolf Den (907 S. Peters St.),inthe freezercase at somegroceries and sold hot at many Louisiana gas station delis. Order at meatpies.com. Crawfish strudel and more from Cottage Catering,1536 River Oaks Road, Harahan

The Harahan-based caterer and bakeryhas a“festival store” sectiononits website, offering all of its Jazz Festdishes in large, party-sized quantities for shipping or pickup, including theincredible crawﬁsh strudel and itswhite

Today is Sunday,May 3, the123rd day of 2026. There are 242days left in the year

Todayinhistory: On May 3, 1999, the Bridge CreekMoore tornado struck the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, causing 41 deaths and nearly 600 injuries; thetornado’stop wind speedof321 mph wasthe highest ever recorded on Earth.

Also on this date: In 1802, Washington, D.C., was incorporated as acity In 1937, Margaret Mitchell wonthe Pulitzer Prize for her novel, “Gone with the Wind.”

In 1948, the Supreme Court, in Shelley v. Kraemer,ruled that covenants prohibiting the sale of real estate to Blacks or members of other racialgroups were legally unenforceable.

In 1979, the Conservative Party ousted the incumbent Labour government in British parliamentary elections; Conservative leader Margaret Thatcherwould become the ﬁrst female U.K. prime minister the following day In 1986, riding the longshotFerdinand, Bill Shoemaker became the oldest jockey to win the Kentucky Derby at age 54. In 2016,inastunning triumph for a political outsider,DonaldTrump all but clinched the Republican presidential nomination with aresounding victoryin theIndianaprimary.(Trump woulddefeat Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton in November 2016 for his ﬁrst presidential term.)

In 2021, an elevated overpass on a Mexico City metro line collapsed onto aroad, killing 26 peopleand injuring dozens just as asubway train was crossing over the section.Atleast onecar was trapped beneath the rubble. In 2023, a13-year-oldstudent shot dead nine childrenand aschool guardat aschool in Belgrade, Serbia. Theshooter was too young to face trialunder Serbian law,but his parents, charged for failing to keep the weaponsout of reachoftheir son, wereconvicted of child neglect. The boy’sfather also was convicted of “grave acts against public safety.”

Today’sbirthdays: Singer Frankie Valli is 92. Singer Christopher Cross is 75. Actor Amy Ryan is 58. Actor Bobby Cannavale is 56.Music executive-entrepreneur Damon Dash is 55. Actor Christina Hendricks is 51. Actor Dule Hill is 51. Country musicianEricChurchis49. Golfer Brooks Koepka is 36. Country singer Ella Langley is 27. Actor Rachel Zegler is 25. Soccer player Florian Wirtz is 23. Actor Maxwell Jenkins is 21.

chocolatebread pudding, pork debris and gritsand shrimp and grits. Order through cottagecatering.com.

Crawfish bread from Panaroma Foods

This classic Jazz Fest dish is servedatthe Fair Grounds as a sliceofcheesy,meaty stuffed bread. The Marksville-based maker Panaroma Foods will ship whole loaves of crawﬁshbread, along withits sausage jalapeño bread and shrimpbread, from its kitchens in central Louisiana. See nolacrawﬁshbread.com.

Rawand charbroiled Lady Nellie oysters at Parleaux Beer Lab,642 Lesseps St.

The off-bottom oysters at Jazz Festare beauties,farmedoff Grand Isle by Justin Trosclair.In addition to raw, this year he added charbroiled oysters, which were plump, full of juice, snapping with chile butter sauce and topped with

exceptionally good cheese. He serves both styleseach Sunday at apop-up at Parleaux Beer Lab, the Bywater’sfamily-friendly taproom and beer garden. Jama jama combo from BennachinRestaurant,1212 RoyalSt. Jamajama, oneofthe signature ﬂavors of theCongo Square area at Jazz Fest, is awell-seasoned sauteed spinach dishthat’salways on the menu at thishomey African eatery in the French Quarter,along withpoulet-fricassee (chicken on a stick) and friedplantains, together on its“Jazz Fest comboplate.”

Praline stuffed beignet,crabmeat beignet, pralines,from Loretta’sAuthenticPralines, 2101 N.RampartSt.; and the French Market, 1100 S.Peters St. Lorretta’sships orders forits Creole candiesaround thecountry, and, at itsMarigny restaurantand French Market stand, the menu

includes the Jazz Fest specialty of stuffedpraline beignets (along withsome savory stuffedbeignets notserved at Jazz Fest). For shipping see lorettaspralines.com Ya-ka-mein from MissLinda Green “OldSober” is abeefy,brothy remedyina cup, theNew Orleans street food classic. Linda Green is thequeen of ya-ka-mein, andapart from Jazz Fest sheand herfamily set up at numerousother festivals andholdfrequent pop-ups, often at 2304 Washington Ave. For updates, see facebook.com/ChefLindaGreen/.

Is it rude forthriftshopperstobrag?

Dear Miss Manners: Ihave some friends who frequently announce to me how much money they are saving by shopping at discount stores, buying off-brand items and buying all of their clothing, including shoes, at secondhand and thrift stores.

Iamnot wealthy, but Iama professional who works hard. Ido not shop at these stores because whenever Ihave tried in the past, Iamnot satisﬁed:Idon’twear or use the items, andend up feeling thatI have truly wasted money instead of saving it

Whether something is “expensive” is subjective, isn’tit? Idonot ever brag or tell anyone what Ipay for anything.

It is one thing to makegeneral comments about good shopping places, but when one of my friends starts telling me the exact dollar-and-cents difference, I can’trespond.

She will continue to repeat how much she saves as though shewants me to agree, which Iusually don’t.

For example, afriend announced that she could not buy abag of chocolate chips at the grocery store. Ithought it might be

An

an interesting story,but she proceeded to say that shewas so spoiled by the prices at such-and-such discount store, she just could not make thepurchase elsewhere. Mostofthe time Ihavenoresponse, but Idid laugh at this one and say,“Youmustnot have wanted them verybadly.” Occasionally I’ll say,“Well, good foryou.” Most of the time Ijustignore the discussion, but it always feels awkward. Isn’titjustasrude to constantly talkabout penny-pinching as it is to brag about how muchmoney one spends?

Gentlereader: It is not quite the same. But Miss Manners agrees withyou that it is certainly no moreinteresting.

Dear Miss Manners: Would you please ask everyone to avoid completing someone else’ssentence unless you’re aclose friend of the speaker,understand thecircumstances and know thecontext of what they’re saying?

When someone does this to me, Ibite my tongue and have theurge to say,“If you are telepathic, then we don’teven have to continue this conversation at all.” But I’ve outgrown the urge to be sarcastic.

Gentle reader: That is arelief. Miss Manners will reward you by spreading the word. Although she will warnyou against giving close friends, and even partners and family members, your exemption. They can be equally bad at predicting the end of your sentence —and even more infuriating if they get it wrong.

Dear Miss Manners: Iwould like to ask your readers to think twice about giving asurprise party

The surprise may be much moreenjoyable forthe hosts and guests than for the person being surprised. If you wanttohonor someone, why wouldn’tyou do it at atimeand in amanner that is agreeable to the person being honored? The surprise not only deprives the honoree of the joy of anticipation; sometimes the honoree may ﬁnd the party painfully embarrassing or inconvenient.

Gentle reader: Or worse, if they have a heart condition.

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,MO64106.

Dear Heloise: Shoes can develop odors quickly,especially after long days. Asimple solution helped in my house: Isprinkle baking soda inside each shoe before bedtimeand let it sit overnight. Bakingsoda absorbs moisture and neutralizes odors. Shake it out in the morning, and the differenceisnoticeable right away

After dealing with one too many unpleasant odors, Imade this part of my routine. You can repeat it as needed. —Eric W., in Omaha, Nebraska

Keep theshower flowing

Dear Heloise: Weak water pressure in the shower can make mornings frustrating. Mineral buildup often clogs the tiny

holes in theshowerhead over time. Iﬁxed minewithout replacing anything by doing this: Fill aplastic bag with white vinegar and secure it around theshowerhead using arubber band. Let it soak for afew hours or overnight. The vinegar breaks down thebuildup and clears theopenings. After dealing withuneven spray for months, Itried this and noticed thedifference right away.Remove the bag, run hot water,and wipe the surface clean. The ﬂow should improve almost instantly —Teresa G., in Phoenix,Arizona

Aclean blender

Dear Heloise: Washing ablender can feel like achore, especially after making something thick or sticky.Ifound amuch easier way that skips thescrubbing altogether.Right after using theblender,Iﬁll it about half-

way with warm water and add asmall drop of dish soap. Then Iplace the lid on securely and run the blender forabout 20 seconds. The spinning action reaches around the blades and sides, loosening food that usually sticks.

Istarted doing this after struggling to clean out peanut butter and smoothie residue that seemed impossible to remove.

Now cleanup takes almost no effort at all! Once the cycle ﬁnishes, pour out the soapy water and give everything a quick rinse. Most of the messis already gone. Forthe best results, clean theblender soon after using it so that food doesn’tdry inside. Be careful not to overﬁll it and always makesure that the lid is tight before turning it on. This simplehabit keeps the blender fresh, saves time, and avoids thehassle of deeply scrubbing

every time. —Olivia N., in Portland, Oregon

Keep icecream scoopable

Dear Heloise: Rock-hard ice cream can be tough to serve straight from the freeze, but asimple storage trick keeps it softenough to scoop. Place the ice cream container inside aresealable plastic bag before returning it to the freezer.This helps block out cold air and slowsdown freezing. Istarted doing this after bending one too manyspoons by trying to dig into frozen dessert. Now the texture stays smooth and scoopable without waiting. It also helps prevent ice crystals from forming on top —asmallchange but abig improvement when dessert timerolls around! —Brian C., in Madison,Wisconsin Sendahinttoheloise@ heloise.com.

Hints from Heloise

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

STAFFPHOTO By IAN McNULTy Creole stuffed bread, servedatCreole Lunch House in Lafayette, has also been afavorite flavor at Jazz Fest in NewOrleans for manyyears.

MAINTENANCE Halliburton Energy Services,Inc.inNew Iberia,LAseekstofill thepositionof MaintenanceProfessional,Senior- L&P to performpreventiveand corrective maintenanceonLogging andPerforat‐ingsurfaceand downhole equipment; work directly undera GeneralMainte‐nanceProfessional L&Ptoimplement knowledgeand experience in main‐taininglogging equipmentand tools; visitfield locationswhenneeded to help solveequipment's operation problems.Toapply, visitjobs. halliburton.comand enter#207560 in “searchbykeyword”field.Ifoffered employment,musthavelegal rightto work in U.S. EOE, includingdisabil‐ity/veterans

GAUTHREAUX, GRANTTHOMAS

GEORGE, LATRISA LINZER

GESCH, ANGELA

GILBILE,MAHESH

ABDALLAH, MALEK MOHAMMAD

ABRAHAM, CORNELL J AGGISON, DIMITRI ALLEN KING

ALLEMAND, MARILYN FRANCE

AMY,JESSICA MANTIE

ANDERSON, MATTHEW WAYNE ANDRAS, EVIE VOORHIES ANDRUS, MICHELE RENE

ARABIE, TYLER JACOB

ARCENEAUX, KIMBERLYL ARCENEAUX, GLENDALE ANTHONY

ARCENEAUX, LANDRELD NICOLE

ARCENEAUX, RIANNA DESHAY

ARDOIN, ANITAWILLIE

AUBREY,AMBER DENEA

AYALA, ROSA MARIA

BABIN, JOYCE B

BABINEAUX, JULES D

BAILEY,JOSHUA MICHAEL BARCOME, CATEY ELISABETH

BATISTE, SYDNEY NICOLE

BAYONE, CEDRIC L BAZER, RODNEY J BEGNAUD, BROCK JOSEPH

BEGNAUD, OLIVE B

BELLARD, BISHOP DEMOYEN

BELLARD, MICHAEL C BEN, KIERRA LASHAY

BENJAMIN, JOHNATHAN RAY

BENOIT,MARIO F BERNARD, LISA RICHARD

BERTRAND, JUDITH W BILLEAUD, EMMA MARIE

BLACKWELL, SHAWANNA ROSHELL

BLAKE, GEORGE ALBERT

BLANCHARD, CYNTHIA

BOBBA, LAKSHMIPRASANNA

BONIN, LINDA L

BORDEN, JAMIE BRANDON

BOUDREAUX, CHAVONNDRIA AUNDRIEKAH

BOUDREAUX, SHELLYMONIQUE

BOURG, ANGELA LANGLINAIS

BOURGEOIS, BROOKE DUPUIS

BOURQUE, MARYLYN LANERIE

BOUTIN, JACOB JAMES

BOYD, GLADYS FELICIAN TRAHAN

BOYER, MILLARD GERARD

BRADLEY,ENDREKA MICHELLE

BRANTLEY,PATRICK MICHAEL

BRASSEAUX, DALE JOSEPH

BROU, JOANN BONVILLAIN

BROUSSARD, ANITAVEGA

BROUSSARD, CHAD MICHAEL

BROUSSARD, PAUL M

BROUSSARD, MYAKATHRYN

BROUSSARD, KEILAN MICHELLE

BROUSSARD, BRIANDAMARCO

BROUSSARD, JALEN JAMAL

BROUSSARD, JOSHUA BLAKE

BROWN, KHRISTIANANJELLE BROWN, JENE BRITTANY BRUNO, RENEE

BURKHEISER, RACHEALLYNN BYRD-HODGES, JERRI KASSANDRA

CALHOON, EDEAN

CAMPBELL, NEALON JAMES

CASTILLE, RANDY

CHAPMAN, TIMOTHY PAUL

CHAPMAN, ELIZABETH STROTHER

CHAPMAN, SUSAN BAIRD

CHARLES, STEPHANIE A

CHAUVIN, DEANA MARIA

CHEVALIER, ALLEN F COHEN, BRADFORD L COSBY,HENRY

DAIGLE, AMANDA LYNN

DAMOND, JASON CHARLES

DARBY,ROBERTLEE DAVIS, LAURA GATES DAVIS, ROBERTZANE

DENNIS, JAMES PHILLIP

DESHOTELS, ZACHARYBERCHMAN

DOMEC, STACIE

DOMINGUE, MEREDITH ANNE

DOUGLAS, LATREVIA SHANTE

DUGAS, FERMIN

DUGAS, RYAN CHRISTOPHER

DUGAS, CORY JEROME

DUHON, DARRYL J DUPLECHIEN, FARREL W DUPLECHIN, CHARLES D

DUPLIN, GINNY FAYE

DURAL, PAULETTE LOUISE

EAGERS, JACQUELINE NICOLE DAVIES

EAGLIN, JOHN D EDWARDS, THEODORE GLENN

EDWARDS, CHASITY ENOLA LEE

ELLIS, JOHN TREVOR

ELNIMER, AYMAN FR ESCOBEDO-HERNANDEZ, YILDA ROCIO

FAUGOT,MAURICE B

FOLEY,ALEX DAVID

FOLSE, ADAM SCOTT FONTENOT,RICHARD LUKE

FOREMAN, LARRYG

FOSTER, RANIA ARMANI

FRANK, CLAIRE ELIZABETH

FUENTESCAMPOS, JOSEANDRES

FUSELIER, JECKELL JOSEPH

GABRIEL, ARTHUR

GABRIEL, JACOBY TENELL

GAD, MARIE ALANA HARGRAVE

GALLIEN, TERRI S GANNON, HAILEY RUTH

GARBER, SHANI LYNN

GARCIA, MOLLYCLAIRE

GARY, RICKY RAY

GARY, MYLAINA NOELLE

GARY, LEROY J

GARY, CHINITAANN

GASPARD, CHANEY JULES

GAUDET,ALEXA ERIN

GAUTHIER, STEPHEN ERNEST

GIROUARD, HOLLIE MICHELLE

GIROUARD, ALLISON B

GONSALEZ, JUAN JOSE

GONZALEZ, MARLI R

GONZALEZ, LOGAN ARMANDO

GONZALEZ, KASSANDRA GOODMAN, JARVIS J GOTCH, ROSE BOYD

GOUDEAU,JODY LYNN

GRABERT, MADDIEGAILE

GRACZYK, CALLEN W GREEN,REGAN HEATH GREEN,DERRICK LAMOND

GUIDRY,CARROL J GUIDRY,JARED LEE

GUIDRY,JOSEPH GUILBEAU,AINSLEYCATHERINE GUILBEAU,ASHLEY GALLAGHER GUILLORY,PAIGE NICOLLETTE

HAASE, BARBARA PARKER

HAMILTON,RACHEL M HAN, YANYAN

HARDING,GARYLOUIS

HARDY,SHAWN FELTON

HARGROVE, JOSHUA WADE

HARRIS, MARCUSLAMAR

HAYES, GAYLYNN

HAYES, STEPHEN LAWRENCE

HEBERT, JACE MICHAEL

HEBERT, AMANDA VIERCK

HEBERT, PAIGE MARIE

HEBERT, GRIFFINCARL

HELAIRE, AMILCARJ

HENDERSON,TOBY JOHN HENSON, LACEY LYNN

HERNANDEZ, CHRISTINA MARIA

HIDALGO, MARY HIGGINBOTHAM

HOWARD, JUAN TARYUS TRAKEIL

HUDSON,MICHELLE

JAGNEAUX, SPENCER MICHAEL

JOHE, ANNE MCFATTER

JOHNNIE, JAMARIAN ELIJAH WARREN

JOHNSON, LINEY

JOHNSON, CARMEN MARIE

JOHNSON, CHRISTINE

JONES, HEATHLAWRENCE

JONES, MELISSA WHITEHEAD

JUAREZ, ALEX Y KEELING, RIVER JOEL

KEYS, OFELLOW JOHN KINGMAN, SIDNEY LAMAR KINGSLEY,CARRIEANN

KLEIMEYER, LISA A KNOTT,BUSTER JULES

KOFFI,MARIECLAUDE ASTRID

KONDA, MOKSHITREDDY

KONDA, VENKATANARENDRAREDDY

LABIT,TYSON JUDE

LAFONTAINE,LARRY

LAGRANGE, SARA L LAMBERT, ASHLEY KAYE

LAMBERT, TERRYW

LANDRY, ARIELLE MONE

LANDRY, EUGENE D

LANDRY, JULIAN ANTHONY

LANTIER, JAKE CURTIS

LARA, FRANCISCO

LASSALLE, LEXI MARIE

LAWRENCE, BEN RICHARD

LE, DAVIDDUYEN LE, VANTHI BICH

LEBLANC, CARRISC

LEBLANC, ERICP LEBOURGEOIS, HERMAN A LEGE, JENNIFER LYNN

LEGENDRE, MICHAEL J LEGER, KENDALL P

LEMOINE, LYDIAALEXANDRA

LEMOINE, DARLENE D

LEMOINE, SAMUEL MICHAEL

LEVINSON,ANDREW SCOTT

LEWIS, IAN MICHAEL

LEWIS, KATHERINE CORIANNA DORISE

LINDON, TRAVISJOSEPH

LIVING, DAMON JAMES

LOGAN, ANTONIOKATREL

LORMAND, CANDYMARIE

LOUVIERE, VIRGINIA A

LUCAS, RAYMONDJOHNSEN

LY,ANNIE BL

LYMUEL, ARIEL LEXIS

MAJORFAULK,JAN ERIN

MALVEAUX, JOHN CASEY

MANDELLA, TRACEY MICHELLE

MARSHALL, DELASHIA

MARTIN, DUANEK

MARTIN, KATIEL

MATESE, SHARON B

MATIS, VICTORIAFRANCIS

MAYEUX, JULIA

MCBANE, ALETAB

MCCLOSKEY,JEANNINE S MCCRACKEN,NICHOLAS PRESTON

MALDONADO-GONZALEZ, JUAN ANTONIO

MCQUADE, MANDYELENA GONZALEZ

MEAGHER, THOMAS E

MECHE, BEVERLYLACAZE

MEIER, VICTORIAANN

MEJIA, PABLO

MELANCON,JILL D

METZEL, AMBER FAITH

MIGUES, FAITHCAROLYN

MILLER, JOEL N

MILLIKEN,SINEAD RUTH

MILLS,JEROME O MILSON,LOVERICK DAVONTRELL

MINCER, DAVIDALAN

MITCHELL, LEANNMICHELL NICOLE

MITCHELL, ALAINE’ MONAE

MOHAMMAD, ASHRAF H

MORENO, MORGAN FRANCES

MORTENSEN,EARL T

West Univer‐sity Avenue,Lafayette LA.Bidsreceivedafter theabove speciﬁed time f i h ll b

MOSLEY,WARDELLJAMES MOUTON, ERIC DUANE MOUTON, LELAND JAMAR HAYMOND NAFF,LUCAS DEAN NAVARRE, JOHN JAMES NAVARRE, MITCHELL RAY NED, TRACY RENEE NEWTON, MARQUEL NICOLE NGU, HONGHANH VO NGUYEN, DIEP VAN NGUYEN, KEVIN TRAN ORTEZMEJIA, LUCY FABIOLA OUBRE, TRENT STUART OWENS, ROBERTB CHRISTOPHER JOSEPH PACE,SAMUELMAURICE PARKER, HYATTHEATH PARKER, AMANDAL PARTIPILO, ANTHONY STEPHEN PATIN, MICHAELL PATIN, NANCY MARIE PATTERSON, JON WESLEY PELLEGRIN, AMY THERIOT PERRET,PHILIP E PESSON, CHAD N PETE,MYRA PETERS, KEBBIE RENEE PETERSON,SARAH ELIZABETH PHARR, BOBBY VONTERY PLAISANCE,ALISA NICOLE POUSSON, WALTER I POWERS, KELLEY A PREJEAN, MILTON JAMES PREJEAN, TRINA M PRESLEY, HAYDEN DALLAS RABALAIS, ANNECATHERINELEBLANC RANSONET, TOMMY JOSEPH REL,BRITTNEY LYNN RICHARD, ALTON JOSEPH RICHARD, KEVIN P ROBIN,SHANNON PAUL RODRIGUEZ, CARLEYBLANCHE ROGERS,AMBERRAE ROMERO, BARBARA B ROMERO, PAUL MARION ROTH,TIMOTHY J ROUSE,EDWARD ANTHONY ROUSSEAU, LINDAH ROUSSEAU, KRISTOPHERG ROYER, GAVIN THOMAS SANNER, KELLYTHIBODEAUX SANSON, COLIN JAMES SANTIAGOLOPEZ, ANGELYVE SANTOS, LIZZETTE NADINE SCOLA, BENJAMIN AARON SCOTT,DEJOHN SEDATOL, SASHA JONES SELLERS, SYDNI NICOLE SEMERE, RACHELMARIE SIMON, TOD JOSEPH SIMON, WESTON SCOT SIMON, TYLERGAGE SINEGAL,GERALDINE D SKELTON, ELIZABETH CLAIRE SLAGLE,ELMER CUTHBERT SMITH, BRUNO DYER SMITH, DEONDRA LEIGH ST PIERRE, NORMAN LAWRENCE STANSBURY, WANDASPAIN STELLY, DAVID STELLY, CARLJOSEPH STELLY, JARED BLAKE STEVENS, MONICASHERELL STIELPER, TAYLOR RENEE STONE,COREY DERREL STRINGER, JANNA FAY STUART, AMY STUTES, NICOLE RENEE SYLVESTER, REBECCA D TABB, RYON JAMES TAN, YEESING TATE, HELENH TATE, CASEYLEE TEJERA, ELLA FAITH THIBODEAUX, ENOLA M THIBODEAUX, BRETT MICHAEL THIBODEAUX, CORLANDRA MICHELLE THIBODEAUX, SKYLA PAIGE THOMAS, REGINALD THOMAS, SARAH CROSSLAND TRAHAN, BRITTANY CLAIRE TRAINER, ELIJAH TURNER, JASON WAYNE VALENZUELA,NATALIA ELENA VENABLE,SPENCERELIAS VIATOR, RYAN JOSEPH VIDAL, THOMAS EDWARD VILLARREAL, SHERLYN VALERIA WAGNER, VERLINDA A WASHINGTON, BRIANAANASTASIA WASHINGTON, REGINARENEE WEBER, CHLOE EILEEN WEBSTER, CRYSTAL NICOLE WELLS, VALERIE WILLIS WEST,JASON FARRELL WHITE, MARY S WHITE, DAVIS EDWIN WIGGINS, SARAH LYNN PATTERSON WILLIAMS, STACY BJONES WILLIAMS, TRADAIJA ANGELLE WILLIAMS, RICKEY WILSON, JAMIE ROMERO WILSON, JANNA KIRSTEN WILTZ, JOSEPH L WINTERS, TOMMIE GANTT WOFFORD, GLEN TERRY XU,YINGFENG YOUNG, ELIZABETH MARY ZAUNBRECHER, FREDERICK ZENO, JAYLON JAMAL

business enter‐prises in thepurchaseor sub-contractingofmate‐rials, supplies,services andlabor andmaterialin which disadvantaged business areavailable Assistance in identifying said businessesmay be obtained by calling2918410.

PURCHASING DIVISION Lafayette Consolidated Government PUBLISHDATES:4/28/26, 5/3/26 DPR# 1005687 185500 April28, May3,2t $139.58

p p cationsare availableat thePurchasingOffice lo‐catedat705 West Univer‐sity Avenue,Lafayette LA,70506, telephone number(337)291-8034, Attn:KeirstonSt. Amant. Amandatory pre-pro‐posalwillbe REMOTE ONLY.The conference will be conductedtoad‐dressany questionsthat maybeposed by prospectiveproposers Theconferencewillbe held on May12, 2026, at 11:00 A.M. Thelinktoaccessthe on‐line meetingis https://us02web.zoom us/j/88139604537? pwd=LpJAXPyo71Ixkkx c9SUG7JxIDuDMO3.1 Thepasscodeis 768626. Proposalsreceivedfrom personsnot attending this conference will not be considered LCGreservesthe rightto accept or reject anyand allproposals submitted. LCGfurther reserves the righttomakeanaward withoutfurther discus‐sion of theproposalsub‐mitted.Therefore,the proposal should be sub‐mitted initially on the most favorableterms that theVendorcan offer.Atits discretion LCGreservesthe rightto requestbestand finalof‐fers from theRFP final‐ists.The Vendor should be prepared to accept this RFPfor incorpora‐tion into acontractre‐sultingfromthisRFP.The contract mayincorpo‐rate some or allofthe Vendor’s proposal.Itis understood that thepro‐posalwillbecomea part of theofficial file on this matterwithout obliga‐tion to theLCG No Proposer may with‐d hi l f p y draw hisproposal for at leastone hundred twenty (120) days after thetimescheduled for theopening of proposals. Each proposal shallbe submittedasprovidedin thespecifications. Theoriginalwrittenor electronic language of theproposalshall notbe changedoraltered

IV.NEW BUSINESS 3. CASE NO.: 2026-20-BOZ APPLICANT: Johnston

cept by approved written addendum issued by the Purchasing &Property Management Division.If Contractor’s submittalis discovered to containal‐terationsorchanges to theoriginalwritten or electronic documents, theContractor’sre‐sponse shallbedeclared

FIELDS STORMING THE

‘We’re notsaturated yet’:Louisiana’s localleaders hope foreconomicgains from youth sports complexes

BY RICH COLLINS Staff writer

Last weekendatthe Youngsville SportsComplex near Lafayette,70 teams competed in ayouth baseball tournament, hundreds of people played soccernearby and ESPN trucks were there to broadcast the Conference USA Beach Volleyball Championship games also happening on-site

For Josh Smith, Youngsville’sassistant director of parks and recreation, the level of activity was nothing special.

IDEAS INNOVATION &

“It was aquiet weekend, actually,” he said.

Welcome to the booming world of youth travel sports, which has transformed out-of-the-way areas across Louisiana —likeasugar cane ﬁeld in Youngsville —intocomplexeswithmeticulously maintained playing surfaces, high-techlighting and camera systems, busy concessionsbooths, concert venues and other creaturecomforts for young athletes and their families.

Over thelast dozen years, communities statewide have investedhundreds of millions in facilities in Broussard, Ruston, West Monroe, Baton Rouge, Westwego and other locations as the youth sportsindustry in theUnited States has grown intoa$40 billion annual colossus. Parents with the means to do so spend hundreds or thousands ayear on registration fees,equipment, lessonsand travel in an effort to give their young baseball, soccerorvolleyball players acompetitive edge.

That spending hasmanypolitical andbusiness leaders in Louisianaand nationwide seeing dollar signs.

Over the last 30 years, more than 100 large“destination”-style sports complexeshave been built across theU.S., from Disney’sESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Florida to the Rocky TopSports World in Tennessee.

ä See COMPLEXES, page 2E

ABOVE: The Conference USA Beach VolleyballChampionship took placeApril23-26 at the youngsville Sports Complex near Lafayette.

PROVIDED PHOTO

BOTTOM: John AlarioJr.,former president of the Louisiana Senate and former speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives, throws abaseball to hisgrandson Maddox Alario, 6, following the dedication ceremony of the newAlarioyouth Sports ComplexonJan. 23 in Westwego.

STAFFFILE PHOTOByCHRIS GRANGER

Statelooks to be at center of newnuclear energy sector

BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer

For the past year,former SpaceX

engineer Ben Kellie has been building anuclear power company that will use new technology to provide cleaner and safer energytolarge, industrial users like petrochemical refineries and artificial intelligence data centers. Last week, Kellie cametoNew Orleans in search of the kind of deals and financing neededtogrow his Los Angeles-based company, Applied Atomics, at the state’s first Nuclear Strategy and Supply Chain Summit.

Hosted by Louisiana Economic Development, thetwo-day event at the Windsor Court Hotel brought together more than 200investors,

energy executives, industrial contractors and federal regulators to network, mingle anddiscussall aspectsofanuclearenergy sector that many experts believe is on the cusp of anew era of explosive growth.

“It was impressive to have such abroad-based coalitionofpeople interested in nuclear power in one room with acommon goal,”said Kellie, whose company helped sponsor the event. “I think everybody is trying to ﬁgure out where this is going to go and how we build up overtime.”

Gov. Jeff Landrywants Louisiana to be at the center of whatever that new nuclear energy sectorlooks like.

At aglobal energy conference in March in Houston, Landry unveiled his nuclearenergy strategy for the

state.Itseeks to position Louisiana as ahub for nuclearpower plant fabrication —building the modular components that will make up the next generation of plants. It also calls for expanding existing plants like Waterford3and Riverbend.

At the summit at theWindsor Court, LED began workingthrough thedetails of what it will taketo implement that strategy.

“Wehave200 of themost impressive people in theindustry upstairs,”LED Secretary Susan Bourgeois said ahead of thesummit.“We want feedback and direction from them aboutwhat they need. This will lead to the work planabout building Louisiana out as anuclear leader.”

ä See NUCLEAR, page 2E

‘Nuclear renaissance’

Attendees at the summit included leaders in energy services and utilities Bernhard Ca pi ta l’ s principal Jeff Jenkins, Entergy Louisiana CEO Phillip May and Turner Industries CEO Stephen Toups, who announced at the summit that his industrial construction company is expanding its nuclear fabricationbusinessinLouisiana. Representatives from major corporations, including Dow,Meta and the venture capital arm of Nippon Steel, were there, too. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chair Ho K. Nieh opened the summit with remarks on the Trump administration’spriorities, while David LaCerte, aformer Louisiana secretary of Veterans Affairs who now sits on the Federal Energy Regu-

COMPLEXES

Continued from page1E

Though notonthe same scale as the country’slargest facilities, Louisiana’s sports complexes serve locals throughout the week and tournaments on the weekends, bringing in revenue through rental fees, sponsorships and concessions while boosting local economies by hosting visitors needing meals, lodging and entertainment.Small businesses —from restaurants to T-shirt shops and entertainment centers —have cropped up around the complexes to provide related services.

Though popular,these sites —which are often built with public funds—can be controversial, as some studiesquestiontheir economic benefits and others show thegrowth of travelteams is an unfair advantage for wealthy families.

In Youngsville, Mayor Ken Ritter said the investment in thetown’s complex has paid off by bal anc ing community access with rentals to tournament organizations.

“It definitely put us on the map,” Ritter said. “It’sa huge driver of quality oflife, which has fueled population growth here.”

Tale of 2sportscomplexes

Neighboring cit ies

Youngsvilleand Broussard —both suburbs of Lafayette —showhow sports tourism can spark growth.

On the same day in 2011, residents in both towns voted to implementnew sales taxes that would support their parks and recreation departmentsand raise money to build complexes that would be used by the community and also serve travel tournaments.

The now-121-acre Youngsville facility opened in 2014 on donated sugar cane ﬁelds

The 122-acre Broussard Sports Complex debuted three years later,and leaders in both towns say the complexes have fueled dramatic growth.

In Youngsville, the city’s population grew from 11,000 in 2014to over 20,000this year,and many of thenewcomers are regular users of the complex their tax dollars support. On weekends, they share the space with visitors coming from as far away as Japan, China and Venezuela. Combined, the locals and visitors led to 1.5 million visits to the site last year,according to parks and rec data.

Broussard’ssports complex, about 16 minutes northeast, had about1million visits in 2025, generating $21 million in related spendingina town that historically has been ahub for oilindustry-related businesses. The populationhas climbed to about17,000, a

latory Commission, hosted a “ﬁreside chat.” They were joined by dozens of investors and executives from companies that wantapiece of what Landry in his opening remarks called“theworld’s second nuclear renaissance.”

One attendee was scouting forsites to build what his company says will be a$7 billion facility that turns nuclear wasteintofuelfor nuclear power plants. Another was looking for opportunities for hisLondon-based company, which plans to build small modular nuclear reactors atop offshore platforms.

Kellie is lookingfor asite in New Orleans for atesting and training centerfor Applied Atomics. The facility will house anonnuclear simulator —ascaled-down version ofone of the company’spower plants— that will also be used to train future employees.

“SpaceX didn’treinvent the rocket. Theytook existing rocket technology and modernized it,” Kellie said of Applied Atomics’ business model.“That is whatwe are tryingtodo withnuclear —make it affordable, easier

roughly 30% jump since the complex opened Lafayette’sconvention and visitor’sbureau and its economic developmentagency support bothfacilities, and their operators say there’s enough demand to justify both

“Wepartner with Youngsville becausesome tournaments are too big forany one facility to host,” said Broussard Mayor Ray Bourque.“We understand our economy is bigger than our borders.”

Region’s biggest?

Youngsville and Broussard are some of Louisiana’s ﬁrst big travel sports facilities. Several othershavefollowed suit.

The185-acre Ruston Sports Complex, completed in 2022, notched ahalf-million visits last year and is contributing to the growth of aonce-sleepytown of about22,000 people that will soon be home to the$370 million Radiance Technologies microchip packaging facility andthe state’s ﬁrst Buc-ee’s.

Afew weeks ago,the facility hosted 92 travel baseball teams, which used every available field, according to Matt Cotton, thetown’s parksand recdirector Forfamilies of players who can’t attend every game in person,fancy cameras use artiﬁcial intelligence to track the ball to stream the action online.

About30miles east of Ruston’splaying ﬁelds, the West Monroe Sports &Event Centeropened in 2024 with indoorspace forbasketball, volleyball, pickleball and more.

In January,the New Orleans area welcomed the $45 million John Alario Jr.Youth Sports Complex.Leaders of the Westwegofacility, which hosted its ﬁrsttravel tournament in February,are already hopingfor an expansion that would bringdormitory-style rooms for teams.

One of thefacility’sdraws is its proximity to New Orleans.

“When you come here, you get to go onaswamp tour or take aside trip to the French Quarter,” said Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng. “When my kids played travel sports, we were often stuck in agym in themiddle of nowhere with acrappy motel and bad coffee.”

In Baton Rouge, Elite TrainingAcademy opened its indoor sports facility in 2024, and theownersare already planning amassive expansion

Last week,the EastBaton Rouge Parish Metro Council paved the way for atax incentivetosupport theacademy’splan to build what could be the biggest indoor sports in the region.

Thebusiness’sinvestors include billionaire Todd Graves, founder of Raising Cane’srestaurants, and Joe

to build using modern software to bring down cost.”

Cleaner, safer?

Landry’s focusonnuclear power aligns withPresident DonaldTrump’sinterests. The Trump administration has invested billions in nuclear energy and pushed to speed up the regulatory approval processfor new and expanded nuclear power plants.

The movement long predates boththe sitting president and governor.President Barack Obama started paving the wayfor more nuclear power nearlytwo decades ago. And President Joe Biden’s2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and2022 Inﬂation Reduction Act both set aside billions for new nuclear capacity.

At the state level,former Gov.JohnBel Edwards’ Louisiana Climate Action Plan in 2022 included nuclear in the recommendations to meet agoal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. In 2023, the Louisiana Public Service Commission unanimously approved adirective to study new nuclear plants in thestate. Driving the interest is de-

mand for power sources that do not emit the greenhouse gassesthatcause extreme weather

Environmentalists note that while nuclear power is cleaner in some respects thannatural gas, it is not a truly clean energy source, like wind and solar,and its radioactive waste carries healthand safetyrisks.

Experts say thelatest versions of cooling technology used in the kind of mini power plants generating a lotofthe buzz at themoment —smallmodular reactors that can be deployed behind thefence of large individual users or in energy “parks” that serve agroup of several plants andreﬁneries— are safer than those usedin older plants.

“It’sfundamentally the sametechnology but smaller machines and in the process of making them smaller they have investedininherent or passive safety,” saidMichael Corradini, professor emeritus in the Department of Nuclear Engineeringand Engineering Physics at the University of WisconsinMadison.

Expertsalso point out thateven among the legacy

plants, like Waterford 3and Riverbend, the safety record is good.

“Riverbendand Waterford 3havebeen very well-run plants,” Corradini said. “It’s important to remember also that even withThree Mile Island(thePennsylvania nuclear plant that nearly melted down in 1979), nobody waslost or hurt on-site.”

Chernobyl, the high-proﬁle Russian disaster in 1986, was different. “That was a faulty design,” he said.

Benchstrength

The bigger challenge for widespread deployment of nuclearpower at themomentisthe cost. Nuclear power is expensive to build and the handful of projects in recent years have been built have come in late and over budget.

New designs take timeto demo and scale up. Companies looking to ramp up arelooking forclients and ﬁnancing. AppliedAtomics, which is backed by venture capital,has raised $8 million so far.Itneeds alot more.

“Weneed companies that need green power,” said Leigh D’Angelo, Applied

Atomics chief marketing ofﬁcer.“We need someone to ﬁnance build-out of construction.” Toups, of TurnerIndustries, believes Louisiana’s biggest role in the emerging nuclearsector will be in doing the kind of work his company does —fabricating the modular components that are portable, smallerand can be reassembled on-site forindividual users.

“There arehundreds of companies like us that are going to make up this nuclear supply chain …building the stuff, thepipes, the modules, the subassemblies that are going to go in all the nuclear reactors,” he said.

ToupssaidLouisiana’s deep bench strength in industrial construction —seven of the 10 largest industrial construction companiesinthe U.S., including Turner,are basedinthe state— make Louisiana well positioned to build nuclear power plants.

“Ifthere is aboiler maker or apipemakeranywhere in the globe, they came from Louisiana,” he said.

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

With the TPC

buidlinga

District is

Burrow, quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals and former LSUstar

Lake Charles is also getting in on the act,planning an indoor sports complex on thesite of thedemolished Capital One Tower using $23 millioninCommunity Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funds. Expenses addup

Despite theoptimism and investmentinyouth sports, some saycomplexoperators need to setrealistic expectations.

Ritter,the Youngsville mayor,saidhis town’sfacility finished lastyear in the red, with $1.6 million in revenue and$3.8 million in expenses.

“Insurance, utilities,repairsand maintenance all addup, so the complexis supported by adedicated sales tax,”hesaid. “Our community made that investmentearly.”

Critics say thegrowthof travel sports —prompting families to spend thousands ayear —excludes low-income kids. There also have been high-proﬁle failures. In Arizona,one of the country’s biggest sportscomplexes the320-acre BellBankPark —filed for bankruptcy in 2023. The site was sold later that year andrebranded Arizona Athletic Grounds.

But in communitieslike Broussard and Youngsville, where the complexes have become part of everyday life, thoseconcerns are far removed

Kristi Comeaux, owner of the custom screen-printing andembroiderybusiness

LDD Concepts in Youngsville, has seen business and personalbeneﬁts from the town’s investment because hercompanymakes shirts andsouvenirs for leagues andteams, andher family members areregulars on gamenights.

“Our sixth grader plays track, softball andsoccerand we’re basically at the complexseveral times aweek,” she said. “Theykeep it clean and safe, so she walks around the place like she owns it.”

Email Rich Collinsatrich. collins@theadvocate.com.

Ritter

Bourque

Toups

STAFF FILE PHOTOByDAVID GRUNFELD

Louisiana golf course at rear,a 90-acre swath of land sits along Nicolle Boulevard where plans call for

$20.6million-plus youth sports complex between Avondaleand Marrero. The Louisiana Stadium and Exposition

buildingthe complex, and Jefferson Parish will operate it.

TALKING BUSINESS

ASK THE EXPERTS

Fish fry producer sets growth strategy to boil

BY IANNE SALVOSA Staff writer

Louisiana Fish Fry Products

CEO Joe Tuza says he plans to make the Baton Rouge brand a national player

Tuza is a newcomer to Louisiana and started his role last summer previously working in Richmond, Virginia, for Sauer Brands, best known for Duke’s Mayonnaise.

Tuza sees a parallel between the loyal consumer bases of the 100-year-old condiment brand and the Louisiana Fish Fry Products which was started in 1982 by Tony’s Seafood founder Tony Pizzolato.

The company already has a footprint across the country, with its top-selling ﬁsh fry mix present in 90% of grocery stores in America. Louisiana Fish Fry Products rakes in over $100 million in annual revenue and has more than 200 employees spread across its headquarters and production facility, distribution centers and warehouses.

“Being new here, I had misconceptions about Cajun food,” Tuza said in an interview at the company’s Plank Road headquarters, next door to Tony’s Seafood.

“People will say it’s too spicy, or it’s too complicated, or ‘I wouldn’t even know where to start to make that.’ Part of what we’re trying to do is demystify Cajun food for consumers and making it simpler for them.”

In this week’s Talking Business, Tuza talks reaching new consumers, sales growth and goals as the company’s new leader

This interview has been edited for length and clarity

Can you talk a little bit about the audience you’re trying to reach?

I think the home chef hasn’t gone away There might be more time crunch than they’ve had in the past. One of the pieces that benefit us, particularly, say, a gumbo or

jambalaya is that proteins have become more readily available and easier to manage. When you start thinking about mom, who’s leaving work at 4 or 5 and trying to ﬁgure out what’s for dinner that night. Because the kids are coming home from school or practice, and she’s like, well, “I have some sausage in the fridge, and I have a rotisserie chicken that I bought. What am I going to do with it?”

Those types of products for us, we call them our bases Those types of products are really quick. You can make products on a Tues-

day night, and you can have a Cajun meal in 30 minutes. That’s who we’re targeting with those types of products. What are some of your other goals and priorities as leader of the company?

It’s critical that we remain a key part of Baton Rouge. It’s critical that we maintain the homeliness that the kind of part of the community that we are and maintain that. We have employees who have been here for 40 years working here, and so there’s something right going on. My goal is to make sure that I understand what works

Q&A WITH JOE TUZA LOUISIANA FISH FRy PRODUCTS CEO

in that culture and how we ampli-

fy that going forward. That’s really critical for us.

Of course, sales growth is critical. Expansion is critical for us as an organization to survive. It’s a good opportunity for us to bring Cajun to the world. Our competitors aren’t necessarily Cajun companies.

Some of them sell Cajun foods and that we compete against, but not many of them wake up every day like I do and think nothing but Cajun food, and I think that’s what helps differentiate us as well is we as a company are 100% focused on the categories we are in.

What have you noticed among other companies that work in a similar vein, and are there any challenges or certain trends that you all may be experiencing right now?

If you’re running a soft drink business, you know 99% of households are going to buy soft drinks.

If you’re running a crawﬁsh boil company, your opportunity is a little bit more limited. That probably is one of the tougher pieces we’re up against. We do a really good job of the folks who buy us, they buy us a lot and so we will get folks who will buy our products, six, seven, eight, times a year which is a lot for what we sell. How do we get those folks who aren’t buying us in the household ever, any of our products or any of our category to go, “Hmm, I should do something different for dinner tonight What should I do?” What we’re trying to do is offer as many solutions as we can. How are you going to get there?

We have opportunities to get our products in the grocery store and distribution. We have one product that’s in 90% of grocery stores in America. The next product below that is in about 50%.

Just basic fundamentals, if we could get four or ﬁve items into 90% of the grocery stores in America instead of just one, that, by itself, is what I would call just sales execution, just getting it in the store, the ﬁrst part.

The other area for us is going to be innovation. We’ve recently launched a number of new items that are that early on are showing great success. We came out with a Cajun Reserve boil, a premium crawﬁsh boil or seafood boil product, came out with some new bases, seafood bisque, jambalaya, and we’re coming out with red beans and rice bases, so people can sometimes make products easily and quickly at home and in under 30 minutes.

Any plans in the near future to increase your team?

As the business grows, we deﬁnitely will. We’ve added a few new roles since I started here In the last six months, we’ve added some new roles under research and development to be able to make sure we’re creating some really great new products. We’ve added a few sales roles. Today, I went out and walked the plant with our vice president of operations, and tried to say where are our bottlenecks if we were to grow this percent? We’re already having those conversations as to what’s next. We’re adding headcount as needed. We’re looking to see where we can invest as needed, and we’re excited about where the growth is going to come from and how we’re going to get there. We start moving into product lines that we can’t make here, we will use outside manufacturing the order to meet demands, but as of right now, most of which everything we make is made right here.

AROUND THE REGION

Hancock Whitney is venturing into north Mississippi

Newest branch marks bank’s ‘next chapter’

BY RICH COLLINS Staff writer

Hancock Whitney Bank is con-

tinuing to expand beyond its traditional Gulf Coast base.

The Gulfport, Mississippi-based bank — which has a major presence in New Orleans is opening a new branch in June in a suburb of Jackson, Mississippi.

The new Flowood ﬁnancial services center, which joins a second Jackson-area location that’s been in operation for less than a decade, is one of only a dozen or so Hancock Whitney branches north of Interstate 20, which cuts across north Louisiana and bisects central Mississippi.

The

Most of the institution’s nearly 200 locations are clustered near the Gulf Coast in ﬁve states from Texas to Florida.

The planned opening signals the bank’s new focus on a metro area of about 600,000 people that’s less than a three-hour drive from its headquarters but wasn’t part of its footprint for more than a century

“Our planned Flowood ﬁnancial center represents the next chapter in our continued growth across the Jackson metro area,” Leigh Pace,

the bank’s area market president, said in a prepared statement.

“We’re growing with purpose to meet the evolving ﬁnancial needs of Mississippians.”

Hancock County Bank was founded in 1899 in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. It acquired its New Orleans-based rival Whitney Bank in 2011 and a few years later began its expansion into central Mississippi. Now Hancock Whitney is the largest bank headquartered in the region.

Today, the institution has more than $35 billion in assets, $29 billion in deposits and about 3,600 employees. Roughly a third are located in greater New Orleans, and about half of that team works in Hancock Whitney’s downtown building, 701 Poydras St., the former One Shell Square.

Hancock Whitney declined through a spokesperson to comment on the planned expansion. In an interview last year, however,

ACADIANA INBOX

Hancock Whitney’s Greater New Orleans regional director, Liz Heﬂer, said the bank plans to grow by acquisition and continues to evaluate potential transactions.

Last year, it acquired the Tampa, Florida-based wealth management

ﬁrm Sabal Trust Co.

Hefler said the bank has been aiming to grow its market share by adding more consumer accounts, hiring more small-business bankers and growing loans, deposits and fee income in the middle market space, which includes companies with revenues between $50 million and $1 billion.

As of June 30, the most recent date for which ﬁgures are available, Hancock Whitney was the second-largest bank in Louisiana, with a nearly 13% share of the market, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. It has less than 6% of the market in Mississippi, where it is the state’s sixthlargest bank.

Like its competitors large and small, Hancock Whitney is navigating challenges and opportunities unique to 2026.

Slowly falling interest rates mean lower loan yields but potentially more demand, and uncertainty surrounding commercial real estate — the office market, in particular — could mean credit losses, experts say Regional banks, meanwhile, struggle to compete with the economies of scale buoying their big bank competitors when trying to keep up with expensive technology and fraud prevention costs. In that atmosphere, many banks are prioritizing fee-based income from wealth management and other services.

The new Jackson-area Hancock Whitney branch will offer personal, commercial and small business banking, along with wealth management, lending and other ﬁnancial services.

Grant Guillotte was named executive vice president and chief banking ofﬁcer of Crowleybased First National Bank of Louisiana.

Guil lotte brings decades of experience to the position. His last job was as southwest Louisiana regional president for Hancock Whitney and he held leadership roles with Capital One.

Guillotte is a graduate of LSU and a native of Franklin.

The bank also named Audrey Schmolke as senior vice president and private banking program manager

Schmolke, previously a vice president and private banker at Red River Bank, will lead the development of First National Bank’s private banking program.

First Horizon Bank added two associates and promoted a third team member

Eddie Buttross was promoted to commercial banking group manager and will oversee commercial banking efforts in the market.

Christine Kieu was hired as senior private client relationship manager She has 25 years of banking experience.

Melinda Brahan was named treasury management sales ofﬁcer

Acadian Ambulance’s National EMS Academy graduated 20 emergency medical professionals after they com-

pleted a 12-week program of medical education.

Local graduates include Logan Abshire, of Morse; Nicholas Brasseaux, of Carencro; McKenna Chaisson, of New Iberia; Rhe’Monnie Francis, of Lafayette; Esteban Garcia, of Broussard; Raquel Gautreaux, of Duson; Charles Herring, of New Iberia; Verlin Idleman, of Lafayette; and Leslie Madrigal, of Bunkie.

Also, Connor McGee, of Carencro; Elizabeth Menier, of Ville Platte; Kevin Oppenheimer, of New Iberia; Damien Patterson, of Rayne; Tiffany Simpson, of Broussard; William Smalley, of Lafayette; Sydette Stelly, of Abbeville; Hunter Trahan, of Abbeville; and Taylor Turks, of Lafayette.

Greg Hamer, president of Morgan City-based B&G Foods, was named as a member of Better Louisiana during the ﬁrst quarter

B&G Foods operates more than 200 Taco Bell locations along the Gulf Coast.

Eight business leaders will chair teams of business and community leaders Tuesday through Thursday for One Acadiana’s 2026 Membership Event.

Chairs include Landon Boudreaux, SLEMCO; Brad Gaubert, Keaty Real Estate; Maurisha LeJeune, Ameriprise Financial; John Nugent, BeLocal Acadiana; Kayla Patel, Louisiana Works; Mary Pham, Acadian Ambulance; and Jaci Russo, BrandRUSSO. Co-chairs will be Corey Jack, Jack & Associates, and Diogo Tavares, of Northwestern Mutual.

Abigail Benoit was named senior director of business management with Acadian Ambulance. Benoit has over 18 years in health care operations and business development, including 13 years working with skilled nursing facilities before transitioning into hospice care. She will oversee the company’s business development team and focus on growth, retention, administration and more.

The event is in partnership with Your Chamber Connection, a nationally recognized firm known for specializing in innovative and high-impact engagement strategies for chambers of commerce. Participants will receive training and tools to effectively communicate One Acadiana’s impact on region.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

Gulfport, Miss.-based Hancock Whitney Bank, which has a major presence in New Orleans, is expanding beyond its traditional Gulf Coast boundary.

Schmolke

Guillotte

Flyingtaxishaveleftthepagesofsciencefictionfor TerrebonneParish.

Louisianaisoneofjustahandfulofstatesselected bytheFAAtotestthenextgenerationofaircraft.

TheLIFTOffLouisianaprogramwillgeneratetherealworldsafetyandoperationaldatanecessarytoguide responsibleaviationpolicyacrossthecountry

Fromshipyardstoskyways,Louisianaishelpingto shapewhatcomesnext

Issued April 22-28

Commercial alterations

GAS STATION: 812 Vincent Road, description, LiveOak Gas Station; applicant, SPEC; contractor, Dev Banga; $1 million.

RETAIL: 1879 W. PinhookRoad, description, Planet Fitnessto move into Ofﬁce Depot location; applicant and contractor, The MT Studio; $1.5 million.

INDUSTRIAL: 2200 Cameron St., description, coveredcanopy area for Louisiana Scrap; applicant, D+B Architecture; contractor, Thomson Brothers

Supreme Ricetofund

SoLAccscholarships

Officials with Supreme Rice donated $25,200 to South Louisiana Community College as part of acontinued partnership for workforce development.

The money will fundtwo $2,100 scholarships each of the next six semesters for students in SoLAcc’swelding and electrician programs, two high-demand fields, school ofﬁcials announced.

“Weknow from our recent economic impact study that one out of every 97 jobsin Acadiana is connected to SoLAcc and its graduates,” said Lana Fontenot, vice chancellor for institutional advancement and executive director of the foundation for SoLAcc.

“Partnerships with employers likeSupreme Rice ensure that impact continues to grow.”

Office Depot toclose Pinhook location

Abig-box ofﬁcesupply retailer in midcity Lafayette will close later this year and aﬁtness chain will move into the space.

Planet Fitness was granted abuilding permit fromLafayette Consolidated Government to begin construction on the Office Depot space at 1879 W. Pinhook Road, documents show

Construction, $150,000

APARTMENTS: 200 Oak Crest Drive, description, work at a unit at TheGenesis Lafayette apartments; applicantand contractor, AcadianaConstruction Group; $110,000

APARTMENTS: 200 Oak Crest Drive, description, work at a unit at TheGenesis Lafayette apartments; applicantand contractor, AcadianaConstruction Group; $110,000 CHURCH: 205 E. BayouParkway,description,work on St. Pius XCatholic Church;applicant, Hoffpauir Studio; contractor, J.B. Mouton; $750,000

BUILDINGPERMITS

MEDICAL: 310 Youngsville Highway,description,dumpster enclosure forOceans Behavioral HealthofAcadiana Hospital; applicant and contractor, The Lemoine Co.; $20,000.

Newcommercial INDUSTRIAL: 6133 U.S. 90 E., Broussard; description warehouse; applicant,Jacam Building C; contractor, Trident of Lafayette; $250,000.

Commercial demolition PHARMACY: 616 Jefferson Blvd.,description, none listed

BUSINESS BRIEFS

Ofﬁce Depot’sleasewith theshopping center ends in October andthe store is expected to close by then, said RyanPecot,senior retail leasing and development adviser with Stirling Properties.

No details were available for Planet Fitness’ plans for thebuilding, but thework is valuedat$1.5 million.

Office Depot has quietly closed stores in recent years, reportsindicate. The brand has closed about 1,100 stores sinceitmergedwith competitor OfficeMax in 2023.

Thestore has been there since summer 1996, when the shopping center was anchored by anOld America Store.

The shuttered Pizza Hut location nextdoorcould have atenant soon, Pecot said.Negotiations areongoingwith anotherrestaurant conceptfor thespace.

UL unveils FabLab at LEED Center

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette’sLouisiana Entrepreneurship& Economic Development Center and Office of Innovation Management heldaribboncutting for itsnew fabrication laboratory

The LEED center opened the REDIIWorks FabLab with aribbon-cutting and

open house as guestscan tourthe space, see equipment demonstrations and learnhow theFabLab will serve the community

The labisa freepublic makerspace designedtohelp entrepreneurs, students, creatorsand small businesses move ideasinto action. It features 3D printers, computers, avinyl cutter anda laser cutter and engraver for prototyping, design and small-scale production

The labwas madepossible through U.S. Department of Agriculture grant,part of the Rural EconomicDevelopment Innovation Initiativethat supports business development in ruralcommunities across Acadiana.

International grocer set for Bismillahsite

The building that last housed an international grocery storeinLafayettewill reopen under new ownership.

Alimitedliability company registered to Sajid Dadwani, of Beaumont, Texas,bought the buildingat2441 W. Congress St. andsaidheplansto open Desi Mart,a specialty grocery andkitchenthathas locationsinLakeCharles andBeaumont.

The BismillahGrocery closed at that location last year after aseven-year run.

“Weknowthe community

As Jazz Fest 2026 wraps, it’sprettyeasytomakethe casefor living in NewOrleans basedonculturealone.But anew national rankingmakes it clearthisisalso oneofthe smartestplacesinthe countryfor young workerstobuild acareer

Glassdoor andRedﬁn justnamed NewOrleans the best mid-sized cityin thecountryfor recent collegegraduates The2026 Best U.S. Cities to Launch Your Career report ranked citiesacross13indicators that include housing affordability, career opportunity,and quality of life, analyzing millions of salary reviews,employer ratings,job postings,and home sales. They callitthe “fullﬁnancial picture,”and NewOrleans showsupstrong acrossthe board:

•Average early-career earnings: $57,414

•Typicalstarter home price: $175,000

•Monthly mortgage payment as %ofincome: 24%

•Monthly rent as %ofincome: 32%

•Whatmakes it great: Jobvariety, pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods, andstrong transit access

Andthose opportunitiesare real.Greater NewOrleansoffersdiverse careerpaths acrosshealthcare, energy,education, aerospace,hospitality andmore. Whydoesthatmatter? Because43% of youngprofessionals say careergrowth mattersmosttotheir quality of life. Creating pathways to those opportunitiesisapriorityfor localleaders. GNO, Inc.’s GNOuinitiative connects employers anduniversitiestobuild industry-aligned curriculum andbettermatch talent withdemand.

for Jefferson Pharmacy;applicant and contractor, Castle RowConstruction; $10,000. OTHER: 805 Rue du Belier, description, carport demolition; applicant and contractor, Rise Construction; $5,000. OTHER: 415 DorothySt., description, none listed; applicant and contractor, Romel Enterprises; $10,000. Newresidential 391 LA. 1252, CARENCRO: BelaireDevelopment &Construction, $514,750. 627 WHITMORE ROAD,SCOTT: Southwest Louisiana Builders,

$612,125.

328 ACORN DRIVE: JW Contractors Group,$613,625.

307 CASTLE VINEWAY: Bailey Home Builders, $951,625.

121 CARROLLTONCIRCLE: SAAS Services, $975,000. 119 HAMILTONPARC WAY: ManuelBuilders, $302,000.

203 ROSENSTIEL COURT: DSLD $174,500.

405 JUDICE LANE, DUSON: DSLD,$279,375. 613 WHISPERING MEADOWS DRIVE,BROUSSARD: E.J. Rock Construction, $280,000. 120 CYPRESS RIDGE DRIVE, BROUSSARD: VanAlan Homes,

Fool’sSchool:

Private equity

hasmissedhaving areliable specialty grocer in this spot,” he said.

Plans include renovating the building andoffering Indian and Pakistani grocery items, ahalal meat departmentand a kitchen offering biryani, samosas and daily curries, Dadwanisaid.

MCBank

takeover gets federal OK

Thetakeover of MC Bankbyagroup led by former IberiaBankexecutive Daryl Byrd gotfederal approval, bank ofﬁcials announced

The Federal Reserve’s board of governors granted regulatoryapproval of theproposedmergerbetween the bank andByrd’s group, DMMS Purchaser, andMCBank.

Themovewill establish MCBank as astronger, more competitive financial institution, officials from both groups said

The group indicated it will expand to the Atlanta and Baton Rouge markets.

MCBankhas branch ofﬁcesacross south Louisiana, including ofﬁces in Lafayette and Youngsville, andannounced plans to build amultistory,full-servicebanking center in the AmbassadorTown Center in Lafayette.

$215,430. 300 BENSON GROVE DRIVE

YOUNGSVILLE: Andries Builders, $355,000. 111 SUMMIT HEIGHTS DRIVE, YOUNGSVILLE: JayCastille Construction, $550,000. 112 CYPRESS LAKEDRIVE, YOUNGSVILLE: Azna Commercial, $435,000. 109 MAPLEBROOK WAY, UNIT B, YOUNGSVILLE:

Motley Fool

The most familiar way to invest in companies is through the stock market, where big andsmall investors can buy shares of publicly tradedbusinesses. Anotherway is via private equity ﬁrms thatbypass the public markets.

In anutshell, private equity firms typically raise money from institutions andwealthy investors and thenbuy (orhelpfinance) private or public companies. (Whenpublic companiesare bought, theyare generally takenprivate, meaning sharesare no longerpublicly available.) The private equity firm will usually thenmanage the acquiredcompanies, aiming to increasetheir value andeventually sell them for aprofit. Sometimes thatinvolvesbreaking up acompanyand selling it in pieces;sometimesaggressive cost-cutting involves sizable layoffs. It’salso common for private equity firms to take on debt to acquire companies (“leveraged buyouts”), andthe acquirees areoften saddled with much of that debt. Perhaps notsurprisingly, there’s adarkside to pri-

Working

vate equity.For example, a 2026 report from the NYU Stern Centerfor Business andHumanRights titled“Private Equity and Healthcare: Balancing Profit With Wellness” noted,“Private equity firms have investedmorethan $1 trillionindebt-financed healthcaredealsover the last decade— oftenatthe expense of patient care.” Meanwhile, private equity firms have also been investing in real estate.An NPR report stated“private equity wasoutbidding aspiring homeowners, making it more expensive to buy ahome andpocketing the appreciationinhome values.” And CNBC has reported, “Real estate investors, both individual and institutional, bought onethird of allsingle-family residential properties sold in the secondquarter of 2025.” Alittle digging online will turn up more criticism of private equity,with many criticsconcluding thatitdoes more harm thangood.Supporters argue thatithelps struggling companiessurvive and, often, avoidbankruptcy.The largest private equity firms include Blackstone, KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts), The Carlyle Group, Apollo Global Management and Brookfield AssetManagement. (Some of these are themselves publicly traded companies.)

MichaelHecht President &CEO GNO Inc

Part of what puts NewOrleans over thetop doesn’t show up in adataset. Walkable neighborhoods, livemusic everynight, world-classfood, anda cultural calendar unlike anywhere elseare notjustamenities. Theseare thecommunity features that bring young professionals to GreaterNew Orleans andkeepsthemhere.

This report comesasyoung workersacrossthe countryare actively deciding where to live. 89% of workersaged20–29 saytheywouldrelocate fora job if thepay supports theirideal lifestyle,morethan anyother age group.Ifyou know arecent grad weighingtheir career options, pointthemtoWorkNOLA.comfor local job listingsand DestinationGNO.comfor everything they need to know about making themovetoGreaterNew Orleans.

Turnsout thebestcityinAmerica to startyourcareeralso has thebestsecondline.

BY JONAH MEADOWS Staff writer

While large corporations tend to dominate the headlines of business pages, statistics show small businesses serve as the backbone of the American economy

According to the most recent U.S. census data, companies with fewer than 100 employees gener-

ate $11.6 trillion in annual business revenue and account for more than 32% of all jobs at ﬁrms with employees nationwide.

In Louisiana, which had just three companies on last year’s Fortune 1000, such ﬁrms employ an even larger share of the workforce 37.6% of employees and generate $145.7 billion in revenue every year

In honor of National Small Business Week, which kicks off Sunday, we wanted to hear from small business owners across the state. In the latest installment of our occasional One Big Question feature, we asked six business owners “What is the biggest challenge of running your small business?”

ALFONZO BOLDEN

Co-founder and co-CEO, Cajun Nation Cajun Seasoning Co Lafayette food producer

Everybody has a seasoning now everybody and the biggest challenge has been staying ahead of that We use a major co-packer in this area, and those same seasoning companies are using the same co-packer

The lead time, at one time, was two weeks. Now, it’s four to ﬁve weeks. So, we’re trying to locate a second co-packer so we don’t have all of our eggs in one basket. That’s been the biggest challenge. Also, as of late, a big challenge is the fuel surcharges impacting our shipping. Recently, it may be up as much as 10%, so it really impacts the bottom line.

ONE BIG QUESTION

GREG AND LISA ROACHE

President and CEO, Gainey’s Concrete, Holden precast concrete manufacturer

Lisa Roache: The most difficult thing is communication and making sure that everyone is on the same page and aligned. Greg has a lot of ideas. He has more ideas in an hour than most people have in a lifetime. Someone needs to be able to hone those, take them and execute them. If not, it’s chaos in a company

Greg Roache: I’m the president, Lisa is CEO, and we’re husband and wife and we’re 73% owners, so it’s very unique that owners actually can fulﬁll these roles. In order to run a precast plant, we need lots of skilled positions — project managers, estimators, safety,

plant management, all with strong semi-engineering skills. But then we need unskilled people, too. So, getting quality people into the company is a challenge.

LR: Contributing to it is the fact that people can get medical marijuana cards so readily We have a zero tolerance for drug and alcohol at our company, and after we make them a job offer, they fail the preemployment drug screen. It’s a really bad problem when you think of all the effort, because everyone gets interviewed three times.

NENETTE GRAY

Founder and CEO, Lemonade Creative Marketing, Baton Rouge marketing ﬁrm Navigating through uncertainty would be my biggest challenge —

Beyond Blueprints.

Fewindustriesdependonsuchavastarray of raw materialsand high-techproducts, or have such complex business relationshipsamongsuppliers,designers, vendors, or contractorsasthe construction industry

JonesWalker’sConstruction Team helpsclients from across theindustrymanage allofthese moving parts

We understand thecomplexdynamicsbetween —and theuniquepriorities of —industryparticipants andcraft solutionsthatminimizedisputes, managerisks,and help keep projects moving from conception to completion

Ourclients’projectsare equallydiverse andinclude major infrastructure,manufacturing facilities andplants, hospitals, marine facilities,and airports,aswellasthe products andservicesnecessary to complete such facilities

dealing with the erratic nature of tariffs, the instability of the economy, supply chain disruptions, managing changing client expectations.

Another big one is handling the cash ﬂow crunches while still being able to grow Resiliency is absolutely necessary as an entrepreneur if you want to succeed. Entrepreneurship is not for the faint at heart. It’s just absolutely not.

IAM CHRISTIAN TUCKER

President and CEO, ILSI Engineering, New Orleans civil engineering ﬁrm Between the budget shortfalls of the city and Sewerage & Water Board and other various different agencies, it’s a lack of opportunity

Funding is limited, the federal government isn’t spending like they were before and that lack of trickle -down is real. I mean, meaningful opportunity to lead to prime work and to be trusted with projects that match our actual capabilities.

The expertise is here, the experience is here, the past performance is here. What’s missing is the trust from public agencies to put that work in our hands as locals only, instead of constantly giving projects to large multinational ﬁrms that depend on small firms like ours to really get the local work done and to understand what’s under the street and what’s under the surface and what’s above it, how to navigate the agencies and how to get real results that keep projects moving forward. We live here. We hire here. We invest here. We regenerate dollars here. We’re a part of the tax base.

The challenge is not whether small business can do the work, it’s whether we’re given the opportunity to prove it at the level that we know we can deliver

RUSSELL PERRONE

President and owner, Perrone & Sons, New Orleans produce distribu-

tor

The hardest part is insurance, both auto and wind-hail insurance. You can drive down our streets and you see billboard after billboard of personal injury attorneys going after trucks.

Every time one of my trucks gets on the road with our name to advertise, we are a target for these lawyers to go after if we’re in an accident. That’s really put a damper on wanting to do business in the state.

We’ve been through the Great Depression, we’ve been through World War II, and each generation has faced their problems, but most of our problems are not related to a particular industry taking advantage of bodily injury payouts. Every time I wake up with an alert on my phone, I hope it’s not an accident because even a little 5 mph fender bender winds up costing a couple hundred thousand dollars.

LAKEISHA ROBICHAUX

CEO, Chief of Minds, Baton Rouge organizational development ﬁrm Maintaining the visionary role, because oftentimes we tend to want to put our hands in a little bit of everything, so getting out of the day-to-day operations of things can be a challenge. We’ll get a project that I’m very interested in, and I want to jump in and say, “Hey, what’s going on? I think we should do this.”

We have to trust our team to do the work and implement it, even though we’re excited about it. You have to be positioned to let that work ﬂow like it’s supposed to ﬂow so I can make sure we’re getting the revenue, the projects, that we have great culture across the organization and that the systems are working like they’re supposed to. Email Jonah Meadows at jonah. meadows@theadvocate.com.

Largecommercialconstruction projects often face disputes over delays, defectivework cost overruns, andsubcontractor failures.For Louisianaproject owners,resolving these conﬂictsisa legal obligation andbusiness strategy.Early planning, contracts, andclaims canturnsetbacksintorecoveryopportunities, protecting investments andstrengthening delivery.

Effective preparationevaluates projectriskand contract structure,since deliverymethods and pricingshaperesponsibility.Indemniﬁcation provisions,schedules,and liquidated damages provideleverage, whilealigned litigationstrategy andearly insurerinvolvementsupport business objectives.Documenting issues, preserving evidence,meeting bond requirements,and presenting supportedclaimsenhance credibility,resolve disputes,and safeguardproject success Jones Walker is proudtohelpleadthe wayfor Louisiana’s construction industry as it navigatesacomplex legal environment.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Cajun Nation Cajun Seasoning Co. co-founder Alfonzo Bolden, left, with his brother Troy

LOUISIANA

BACK AT HOME

First Louisiana patient out of isolation following sickle cell gene therapy

BY MARGARET DELANEY Staff writer

The first patient in Louisiana to receive genetically edited therapy for sickle cell disease went home this week after months in isolation at Manning Family Children’s Hospital in New Orleans.

Daniel Cressy, 23, is one of many patients in line to receive this treatment for a possible cure for painful, unpre-

dictable chronic condition. Next week, Manning Family Children’s will begin the process of harvesting stem cells from a 14-year-old from Monroe.

Sickle cell disease is a chronic condition that causes intense pain throughout the body, often leading patients to multiple hospitalizations in their lifetime. With new gene editing, doctors hope this will be a “functional cure” for those with sickle cell.

Louisiana consistently ranks among states with the highest sickle cell disease prevalence per capita. About 80 babies are diagnosed each year Medicaid covers care for roughly 3,000 people with the condition, but the total number living with it is unknown, though the state is building a registry In 2023, 1,430 people were hospitalized with sickle cell disease in Louisiana. Sickle cell disease manifests in the ﬁrst year of life, but babies with the condition often appear completely healthy

Most parents only learn their child has the condition after a routine heel prick in the hospital.

That’s because, during infancy, the body still relies on fetal hemoglobin, a type of oxygen-carrying protein that’s produced in the womb.

But, in sickle cell patients, the gene that makes fetal hemoglobin is turned off shortly after infancy Those with

After surviving brain bleed, La. patient returns to health care

BY MARGARET DELANEY Staff writer

To Mackenzie Johnson, boredom was the enemy

As a daughter to two basketball coaches and high school counselors in Dry Creek — just outside of DeRidder — she was always at the ready She was 19. She was in school. She was a healthy, ex-college athlete. Then, in the fall of her sophomore year of nursing school at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, she started having unusual

symptoms: headaches, nausea, vomiting, ear pain and personality changes.

“I just didn’t care about anything,” Johnson said.

On her 20th birthday, when she was home for Thanksgiving, her mother insisted she go to the doctor They went to the ER. Johnson was sent back home that night with a migraine diagnosis. The next morning, she woke up and told her parents there was something wrong.

“My body is shutting down,” she told them. “I can feel it.”

She went back to the hospital and insisted on a scan of her brain. That CT scan showed she had a hemorrhagic stroke, or bleeding in the brain.

The hospitals began to make calls to other programs that could treat Johnson. Dr Cuong Bui, a vneurosurgeon at Ochsner Health, contacted them directly because he thought her brain bleed was something more rare.

One of the more common causes of brain bleeds is an aneurysm,

See BLEED, page 2X

PROVIDED PHOTO

After surviving a dangerous brain bleed while a nursing student, Mackenzie Johnson, right, went on to become a nurse practitioner

At left is her surgeon, Dr Cuong Bui.

See THERAPY, page 2X

STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

Daniel Cressy Louisiana’s first patient to receive gene therapy for sickle cell disease, leaves Manning Family Children’s Hospital in New Orleans on April 21. Staff members held a small parade for him as he walked from his room and went outside for the first time in weeks.

Psychedelic retreats spring up across the world

Booming business has few safety guardrails

BY MATTHEW PERRONE Associated Press

WASHINGTON Surging interest in the purported beneﬁts of psychedelic drugs has given rise to books, documentaries and conferences dedicated to the mind-altering substances. Now add one more business to the list: psychedelic retreats.

Hundreds of outﬁts across the world are offering multiday trips where attendees pay for drug-assisted experiences claiming to promote psychological healing, personal growth and other beneﬁts.

Many have safety procedures in place, but they still carry “potential for physical, psychological, and interpersonal harms,” researchers who surveyed dozens of retreats wrote in a recent paper in JAMA Network Open.

Currently no psychedelics have been federally approved in the U.S., although that may soon change. On Saturday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the Food and Drug Administration to accelerate reviews of psychedelics that show potential for conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder The order also directs law enforcement agencies to quickly lower restrictions on any psychedelic approved by the FDA.

THERAPY

Continued from page 1X

the chronic condition have a mutation in the hemoglobin gene that makes blood cells stiffen and curve into a crescent shape that easily clots and gets jammed up in their joints, causing intense pain

Dr Benjamin Watkins, a pediatric hematologist-oncologist, came to Manning Family three years ago after participating in early clinical trials of using gene editing to mimic healthy hemoglobin at Emory University. Those trials found a 97% success rate in reducing pain for people with sickle cell disease

Cressy contacted Watkins and the team at Manning Family far before the FDA approved a stem cell gene therapy for sickle cell patients. He was ﬁrst in line for the treatment when the New Orleans hospital started taking patients.

“I really just wanted to be cured so I could ﬂy,” he said He sought treatment so he can get his pilot’s license, which the disease currently prevents him from obtaining. Once he found

BLEED

Continued from page 1X

according to Bui. However, for Johnson, the bleeding was a cerebral cavernoma deep in her brain. The malformation is caused by a cluster of abnormally thinwalled blood vessels.

“It looks like a raspberry, and blood can leak out and ultimately bleed,” Bui said.

The causes of cerebral cavernomas are, by and large, spontaneous and unknown and most patients are asymptomatic until the bleeding causes irritation in the brain For Johnson, the bleeding caused her to have seizures and some of the leaking blood went into the ﬂuid spaces in her brain.

Johnson was picked up by Acadian Air Med and flown to Ochsner in New Orleans She was still talking on the flight and remembers mentioning to her mother that she wanted to be an in-flight nurse one day Less than 24 hours after landing everything got worse.

Johnson stopped breathing while getting her CT scan.

Doctors intubated her and put her on life support.

“We were in a ﬁght for my

been used for centuries by Indigenous cultures.

No matter where they operate, experts say there are no industrywide standards or regulations for how participants are screened, prepared or monitored afterward.

could impair their ability to respond in an emergency Important questions when evaluating retreats include:

n Do retreat staff have training and equipment to handle a medical emergency?

think it could stop them from attending.

“When you’re really desperate and hoping to access something that you think could help you, there’s an incentive not to be truthful,” McGuire said.

The only drug to come before the FDA thus far, MDMA, was rejected as a PTSD treatment in 2024 due to concerns about its safety and effectiveness

Dr John Krystal, a Yale School of Medicine psychiatrist who has followed the ﬁeld, says psychedelics should be approached as “a serious medical procedure that carries risks that must be carefully managed.”

People who work in the ﬁeld say today’s retreats are far safer than those of prior decades, when psychedelic experiences were almost always conducted underground with few safety precautions

“The sheer visibility of psychedelics has led to more demand for these retreats,” said Brad Burge, who has worked with psychedelic nonproﬁts, drugmakers and retreat operators for nearly 20 years. “That growing market has allowed retreats

out his treatment would be the ﬁrst, “I ﬁgured I should share what it’s actually like so other patients know it’s possible,” he said.

In March 2024, Manning Family Children’s became a treatment center for multiple gene therapies available for sickle cell patients. Then, the process began for Cressy to receive treatment It took the hospital, and Cressy, 18 months to coordinate with Louisiana health insurances to cover the massive bill these therapies front from $2.2 million to $3.1 million depending on the therapy That doesn’t include the hospital stays, chemotherapy and other costs.

The gene therapies for sickle cell disease are intended for the most severe forms of the chronic condition where patients, despite doing everything right, they still stuffer

Patients must be older than 12 and within the last year have had at least two vaso-occlusive events, extremely painful episodes that commonly lead to emergency department visits.

While these treatments are for both young and older adults, the therapy can

life,” Johnson said. “My body was declining really fast.”

Johnson was taken to surgery, where Bui drained the excess blood to relieve the excess pressure in her brain. Her brain bleed was coming from the basal ganglia, a part of the brain that controls motor control, habit formation and emotional processing. It’s located in the center of the brain and is difﬁcult to access surgically Bui and his team at Ochsner elected to monitor Johnson’s cavernoma instead of surgically removing the malformation.

“For some reason, unbeknownst to anybody, (the cavernoma) stopped bleeding,” Johnson said. Johnson was on life support for a couple of weeks, in the hospital for a month and home by Christmas.

Since then, Johnson recovered with no issues No more bleeding. No seizures. Instead, she decided to continue life as she had before.

Building back up

Just two weeks after coming home from brain surgery, Johnson began her ﬁrst semester of clinicals at UL nursing school. All the while, she was in occupational and physical therapy four times a week.

to expand their services, hire more medical and coaching staff and take safety more seriously than we’ve ever seen in the past.”

Psychedelic retreats

Virtually all the drugs offered at retreats are illegal under U.S. federal law, including magic mushrooms, ayahuasca, MDMA and LSD.

Retreat companies will not always make that explicit or sometimes claim that they are protected by a rare legal exemption for religious organizations that traditionally use psychedelics.

But only a handful of groups have formally obtained that legal status, including the Native American Church, which uses peyote in its ceremonies.

Some retreats are held in countries that don’t restrict psychedelics, including Peru and Brazil, where ayahuasca a psychedelic brew of Amazonian plants — has

only prevent future damage to the body, not reverse the effects of years with sickle cell, according to Watkins.

Harvesting, editing, healing Cressy’s stem cells were harvested in both August and September and sent to a genetics lab in Scotland, where the stem cells were genetically edited to reset his body’s switch for protection from the searing, unpredictable pain of his chronic disease.

Although there are three types of gene therapy offered at Manning Family Children’s, Cressy’s does not correct his sickle cells. It reverts his genes back to his fetal hemoglobin — before the sickle cell disease switched on.

In early March, Cressy underwent chemotherapy for four days, removing the sickle-celled hemoglobin in his body to make room for the new genetically edited cells While in hospital, the team at Manning Family thawed out his new stem cells, received at -180 degrees Fahrenheit from Scotland, transferred to a syringe and given to Cressy down a tube in his chest.

“It’s the easiest part of the

Before continuing her education, she looked to Bui for advice: Was this a good idea for her recovery? According to Bui, this was exactly what she should be doing.

“The saying ‘use it or you lose it’ applies to the brain just as much as it applies to our physical bodies,” Bui said. “In neuroscience, it’s one thing to take care of the immediate problem, but ultimately, what we do is we hope to restore or preserve function. It’s ultimately about getting back to normal function.”

That encouragement from Bui was what Johnson needed to go full steam ahead.

Despite long hours in therapy where the team at Our Lady of Lourdes retaught her basic motor skills like walking up the stairs, relearning simple math and how to do a puzzle, Johnson graduated nursing school in four years. She did so with honors and with the help of her care team, best friend Heidi Garcia and her boyfriend Jordan Johnson, who drove her places, helped button her shirts, brewed her coffee and folded her laundry

“We were only 20 years old,” Johnson said. “And they were stuck with me, but we got through it.” After graduation, Johnson

“If there is no regulation, what does that mean about the quality of care you’re going to have?” said Joshua White, founder of the Fireside Project, which runs a hotline for people experiencing distress during psychedelic trips. ”I certainly fear that there could be a race to the bottom where there is no liability or accountability.”

Standards vary

With essentially no oversight, potential attendees are on their own when vetting different options.

“It’s really important that somebody interested in a psychedelic retreat do their research, talk to the organizers or facilitators to get more information about what is being offered and how,” said Amy McGuire, a biomedical ethicist at Baylor College of Medicine and co-author of the JAMA Network Open study McGuire and her colleagues documented a wide range of practices, including some companies offering multiple psychedelic drugs over the course of their retreats.

Many retreats have health professionals on site, but their roles and responsibilities are often vague. In some cases they take psychedelics alongside participants, which

n Is there a hospital nearby and transportation to get there?

n Do staffers spend signiﬁcant time helping participants prepare and process the experience?

Websites that compile user reviews, such as Retreat. guru, are one source for this information.

One of the most important safety steps happens before any retreat begins: screening out people with serious medical conditions who shouldn’t take psychedelics.

More than half the retreats surveyed for the study excluded participants with mental illnesses such as schizophrenia.

“Psychedelic drugs may worsen symptoms of psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia,” noted Krystal, who was not involved in the research. “It is important that patients are carefully screened to ensure that appropriate patients enter treatment.”

Significantly, all the retreats said they rely on potential customers to truthfully disclose their medical history and health conditions.

That approach carries risks, the authors noted, since people suffering from severe afﬂictions may withhold information if they

Discontinuing medications

Another potentially risky practice: Nearly 90% of the surveyed retreats require or recommend that attendees stop taking certain medications, including antidepressants, before using psychedelics. These so-called “washout periods” ranged from one day to six weeks before the psychedelic experience.

Medical experts say safely tapering off antidepressants like Prozac can take six to 12 weeks and requires professional supervision.

“The patient needs to realize that by going off their medicine they’re at greater risk of recurrence or exacerbation of their symptoms,” said Dr Jeffrey Lieberman, a Columbia University psychiatrist. “They should be monitored regularly to make sure nothing bad happens.”

The rationale for halting antidepressants comes from research that combining those drugs with psychedelics may cause excess levels of serotonin, a brain chemical that influences mood, sleep and other functions. But retreat operators may also be trying to make sure the medications don’t dull the intensity of the psychedelic experience, according to McGuire.

a newborn,” Watkins said. “And the side effects of having chemotherapy — hair loss, nausea, mouth sores — gets better as these stem cells grow then start to heal him.”

For now, Cressy is still looking to the skies for his next adventure Before his gene therapy, Cressy applied for his pilot’s license with the Federal Aviation Administration but was denied due to his condition. After his isolation period is finished, he plans to get back to ﬂight training.

process,” Watkins said. “It takes two minutes.”

Then, they watched him.

For weeks or months after receiving new or altered cells, the body has to catch up. Within 24 hours, the genetically edited cells found their way to Cressy’s bone marrow Then, those cells need to ramp up to make all of the white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets he lost during chemotherapy

“These are like greatgreat-great-grandmother cells,” Watkins said. “They divide and replicate and

started as a trauma nurse at Ochsner Lafayette General. Then, years later, as she had reminded her mother, she became an in-ﬂight nurse for Acadian Air Med.

“I ended up flying as a flight nurse for the same helicopter that airlifted me to Ochsner ﬁve or six years ago,” Johnson said. “I transferred probably hundreds of hemorrhagic strokes.”

Not one to stand still for too long, Johnson went back to school after ﬂying for a few years to pursue a masters for nurse practitioner at McNeese University. At the end of her courses, Johnson had to complete specialty hours working with patients.

She gave Bui a call.

“I just thought it would be amazing to learn from the man that saved my life,” Johnson said.

A few days and a four-hour

make more, new cells.”

When the bone marrow cells mature enough, a process that takes about four weeks, the new cells can make their way into the blood stream.

During that time, Cressy was isolated and given medication to control his pain and prevent viruses, bacteria and fungus from infecting is fragile new blood system. This week, he headed home. He’s still on strict orders to stay away from possible infection.

“It’s kind of like having

drive later, Johnson walked into Ochsner in New Orleans, not as a patient, but as a caregiver

“Seeing her walking back into the clinic in scrubs instead of a hospital gown was definitely one of the more surreal moments that I’ll never forget,” Bui said. “To really stand next to someone in your clinic that you once were standing over their hospital bed, that I now see as a colleague, I think that’s incredibly powerful.”

Johnson spent four days with Bui and his neurosurgery team at Ochsner She was in some of his surgeries. She spoke to families. She even brought her mother and daughter to visit with the team.

The FAA confirmed to Cressy that other sickle cell patients who underwent gene therapy were able to ﬂy again. Cressy befriended one of them, creating a brand called “Privileged Pilots.” He has been speaking at aviation and sickle cell events, explaining the process to people who might want to do the same.

For now, Cressy is still on isolation while at home and will be continuously monitored by his doctors and team at Manning Family Children’s.

“I want people to see that what was once impossible is possible,” he said. “If I can do it, they can do it.”

“I’m very proud of her and what she’s done. She’s taken a personally bad medical situation. she’s turned one of the hardest moments of her life to a purpose that’s bigger than herself. As caregivers, you can’t teach that kind of empathy,” Bui said. “Mackenzie has really earned it.” Now 33, Johnson is married to her high school sweetheart, Jordan, and is a nurse practitioner at Bardin Dermatology in DeRidder Despite doctors telling her children wouldn’t be in her future because of the pressure it puts on the body, Johnson has two young children. She still has her cavernoma and revisits Bui and Ochsner every three years for scans.

“I was at the lowest of lows. Now, I’m a nurse practitioner building a house with a third kid on the way,” Johnson said. “I’m trying to get some roots. I’m trying to make a difference in the community that I’m from.”

Email your answers, comments or questions to

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By JESSIE WARDARSKI

Participants lay face down on the grass on Oct. 15, 2022, during an integration circle at an ayahuasca retreat in Hildale, Utah.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER Daniel Cressy sits on a hospital bed on July 30 as his blood stem cells

harvested as part of the process to remove sickle

disease at Manning Family Children’s Hospital in New Orleans. Cressy is back home after being in isolation

EatFit Live Fit

Menopause isn’t just hotﬂashes —here’swhat’sreally happening

Whenmostpeoplethinkabout menopause,theythinkabout hotﬂashes,nightsweatsor maybeevenmoodswings.

ButwhatI’vebeenhearingmoreand morefromfriends,colleaguesandreaders —issomethingdifferent:“Ijustdon’tfeel likemyself.”

Thatfeelingcanshowupinways thatdon’talwaysseemconnectedat ﬁrst—skinthatsuddenlylookscrepey, jointpain,brainfogorrestlesssleep. Youmightnoticechangesinweightor muscletone,orevenshiftsincholesterol levelsdespitenochangestoyourdietor exerciseroutine

What’sbehindit?Often,itcomesback toestrogen.

“Wehaveestrogenreceptorsalloverour body—brain,skin,heartandmuscle,”says ElizabethLapeyre,M.D.,aboard-certiﬁed OB/GYNatOchsnerHealthandmedical directoroftheMenopauseandWomen’s WellnessCenteratOchsnerBaptist.“So whenestrogenlevelsstartdipping,that’s whenwestartnoticingchangesinso manyaspectsofourwellbeing.”

This“head-to-toe”effectisoneofthe mostoverlookedpartsofmenopause.It’s literallyasystem-wideshift.

Takethebrain.Manywomendescribe walkingintoaroomandforgettingwhy they’rethere,orstrugglingtoﬁndwords mid-sentence.That’snotimagined.“There arethreetimesinyourlifewhenyour brainchanges:puberty,pregnancyand perimenopauseormenopause,”said Dr.Lapeyre.“It’snotpermanent,but that’swhywomenstarthavingthese cognitivechanges.”

Sleepoftenunravelsatthesame time,whetherfromnightsweatsor simplywakinginthemiddleofthenight andnotbeingabletofallbackasleep. Andoncesleepisoff,everythingelse

follows:energy,appetite,mood andevenmetabolism.

Bodycompositionshifts,too.As estrogendeclines,maintaininglean musclebecomesmorechallenging. Thatcanshowupasagradual lossofstrength,moreabdominal weightgainandchangesinhow yourbodyrespondstothesame routinethatusedtowork.

Evencholesterolcanchange. Estrogenhasaprotectiveeffecton cardiovascularhealth,andwhenit declines,LDLcanstarttorise.

Andthenthere’sskin.Collagen productiondropsquickly.Womencan loseupto50%oftheircollageninthe firstfiveyearsaftermenopause.Skincan feelthinner,drierandmorefragilealmost overnight.It’soneofthemorevisible— andsurprising—signsthatsomething significantisshifting.

That’salsowhereagrowingquestion comesin:Whataboutusingestrogen directlyontheskin?

Topicalestrogenforfacialskinhas beenstudiedfordecades,withsome datasuggestingimprovementsinskin thickness,hydrationandelasticity.

“It’simportanttonotethatnotevery symptomisgoingtobehormonerelated,”saidDr.Lapeyre.“Therecanbe overlapwiththingslikethyroidissues, sleepproblemsorstress—buttoooften, womenaretoldeverythingis‘normal’

withoutreallydiggingdeeperintowhat’s goingon.”

Partofthehesitationaroundtreatment comesfromoutdatedfearsabout hormonetherapy.

“Alotoftheconcernaround hormonescomesfromolderstudies thatwenowunderstandwereﬂawed,” saidDr.Lapeyre.“Thewaywethinkabout hormonetherapytodayismuchmore nuancedandmuchmoreindividualized. Andnowweknowthat,formostwomen, hormonereplacementtherapyissafe, whichisabigshiftfromwhatweused tothink.Anditdoesimprovemany ofthesehormone-relatedissuesthat womenareexperiencing.”

Hormonetherapycanincludeestrogen, progesteroneand,insomecases, testosterone.Eachonehasaspeciﬁcrole, andthetreatmentscanbelife-changing.

MollyKimball,RD,CSSD,isaregistereddietitian withOchsnerHealthandfounderofOchsner’sEatFit nonproﬁtinitiative.Formorewellnesscontent,tuneinto Molly’spodcast,FUELEDWellness+Nutrition,andfollow @MollykimballRDand@EatFitOchsneronsocialmedia. Emailnutrition@ochsner.orgtoconnectwithMollyor scheduleaconsultwithherteam.

ManyFDA-approvedoptionsare bioidenticalhormones,meaning theyarechemicallyidenticalto whatyourbodyproduces.That’s differentfromcompounded hormones,whicharecustommixedandnotFDA-regulated animportantdistinctionwhenit comestoconsistencyandsafety Withinthatconversation, testosteroneisoneoftheareas gettingmoreattention—andoften confusion.Whileitmayhelpwith energyandlibidoinsomecases,it’s notwithoutrisk.

“Testosteronetherapyinwomenisa bitofthewildwest,”Dr.Lapeyrenoted, emphasizingtheimportanceofcareful dosingandmonitoring.Sideeffects canincludeacne,oilyskin,enlarged pores,facialhairandmoodchanges likeirritabilityoraggression,whichcan improveifdosingisadjustedorstopped Othersideeffects,likeadeepeningof thevoicewhentoomuchtestosteroneis given,arenotreversible.

Thebottomline:Ifsomethingfeelsoff it’sworthpayingattention.

Thisstageoflifeisn’tsomethingyou simplyhavetoendure.Itshapeshowyou feeleachday—yourenergy,yourfocus, yourrelationships,andhowyoushowup forthepeoplearoundyou.Withevolving scienceandmoretreatmentoptions available,it’sworthhavingaconversation withyourdoctoraboutwhatmightbe rightforyou.

Foradeeperunderstandingofwhat’s happeningduringmenopauseandhow tonavigatethephysicalandcognitive changes,listentothefullconversation withDr.ElizabethLapeyreontheFUELED Wellness+Nutritionpodcast,available nowwhereveryougetyourpodcasts.

Cholesterolguidelinesaffectpatientsasyoung as 9

BY KARL HILLE

The Baltimore Sun (TNS)

BALTIMORE Updated for the ﬁrst time in six years, clinical guidelines for screening and managing cholesterol now recommend earlier screenings —asyoung as 9years old —for those with afamilyhistoryofheartdisease, among other standards of care.

“Shifting the paradigm toward proactive prevention strategies earlier in life can meaningfullychange the trajectory of cardiovascular disease and lead to better

healthoutcomes forpeople decades later,” Johns Hopkins cardiologist SethMartin,amember of the guidelinewriting committee, said in astatement on the Hopkins website

Introduced at theAmerican College of Cardiology’s annualScientificSession in NewOrleans on March 28, the guidelines includea new frameworktohelpdoctors calculate personalized risk assessmentsconsidering each patient’sunderlying conditions. These can include afamily historyof congestedarteries,arthritis,

In2024, 14.8% of Louisianans avoided or delayedneeded health care due to cost according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Avoiding or delaying neededhealth care has been associated with increasedpreventable hospitalizations and missed opportunities to prevent disease and managechronic conditions, all of which can lead to worse and more expensivehealth outcomes.

Health care prices are higherinthe United States than in other countries. In 2024, U.S. health care spending grew 7.2%, reaching $5.3 trillion —that’s$15,474 per person.

On average, 11.5% of Americanadultscould notsee their doctor due to cost withinthe past 12 months. Louisiana had the sixth-highest percentageofadults whodid not seek caredue to health care expenses.

According to America’sHealth Rankings analysis, the prevalence of avoiding caredue to cost is higher among:

n Women compared with men

n Adults ages 18 to 44 have aprevalence more than four times higher than adults age65 and older

n Hispanic,American Indian/AlaskaNative andHawaiian/PacificIslander adults compared

early menopause, and several pregnancy-related issues like preeclampsia or gestational diabetes. The guidelines alsoencourage shared decision-making between doctors and patients and emphasize reducing blood levels of low-density lipoproteins, or bad cholesterol, andotherfatsand lipids at earlier ages

“Weknow that lower LDL cholesterollevels are better when it comes to reducingthe risk of heartattacks, strokesand congestive heart failure,” Johns Hopkins Dr RogerS.Blumenthal, chair

withAsianand white adults.

n LGBTQ+ adults comparedwith straight adults.

n Adults whohavenot servedinthe U.S. armedforces comparedwith adults whohave served.

Additionally,75% of adults ages 18 to 64 whowereuninsured in 2025 saidtheyskipped or postponed gettingneeded health care in the past year due to costs, compared with 37% of adultswith health insurance. Even among those withhealth insurance, many adults are underinsured, meaning their coveragedoesn’t allowaffordable accesstohealth care.

These states had the lowest percentageof adultswho avoided health care needs due to cost in 2024, in ascendingorder:

n Hawaii with 6.4%; n Vermont with 7.9%; n Iowa with 8%; n Massachusetts with 8.1%;

n NorthDakota with 8.2%;

n NewHampshire with 8.6%;

n SouthDakota with 8.9%;

n Maine with 9.2%; n Delaware

9.7%

of the guideline writing committee, said in thestatement. “Wealsoknowthat bringing elevated lipids and blood pressure down in young adults supports optimal heartand vascular health throughout aperson’slife.”

The guidelines were jointly published in theJournal of the AmericanCollege of Cardiology andCirculation on March 13. They come at atime when one in 10 American adults has tested positivefor high blood cholesterol, accordingtothe Centers for Disease Control andPreven-

tion. Specialists believe the actualnumberofpatients suffering from high cholesterol might be one in four adults. High blood cholesterol increases the risk of narrowing or hardening of the arteries, blocking blood ﬂow,and increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Blumenthal said 80% to 90% of apatient’srisk depends on habitsthatcan be changed to support hearthealthy living and keep cholesterollevelswithin a normal range. These include eating aheart-healthy diet, engaginginregular,brisk

physical activity,avoiding tobacco,getting enough sleep and maintaining ahealthy weight. He said focusing on lifestyle interventions should be aﬁrst or foundationalapproach.

In addition to screening children witha family history of heart disease, the guideline recommends that everyone get aone-time screening forlipoprotein(a), which can reveal genetic factors that increase individual risk forheartdiseaseby40% or more. Additional testing can help doctors reﬁne care for each patient.

n Pennsylvaniawith 9.8% These states had the highest percentageof adults whoavoided health care needs due to cost in 2024, in descending order:

BROUGH TT OY OU BY

Molly Kimball RD,CSSD

Honoring Our DedicatedNurses

ThisNursesWeek,wecelebratenotonlythecompassionanddedication thatdefinenursingtoday,buttheboldvisionshapingitstomorrow.From cutting-edgetechnologyandadvancedpracticeleadershiptoinnovative patientadvocacyandcommunityimpact,thefutureofnursingisbrighter thanever.

Acrossourhospitals,clinics,classroomsandcommunities,Ochsnernurses areleadingchange,drivingaccesstocare,providingextraordinarypatient experiencesandredefiningwhat’spossibleindeliveringthehighest qualitycare.

Thisweekwehonoryou–yourvoice,yourpurposeandthepromising futureyou’recreatingforyourself,ourpatientsandtheprofession.

EmilyC.,RN | Lafayette

Cultivating community

BY CATHERINE S. COMEAUX

Contributing writer

Lafayette’sGrande Dame de MahJongg, Pat Link, is experiencinga peak inpopularity,just like the strategic tile game she loves.

At 92, in what she calls her third era of life (teachingand tour organizing were her ﬁrst two), she has turnedher homeintoa Mah Jongg parlorwhere shewelcomes players, up to six times aweek, to clack tiles and enjoy the comradery that forms around the tables

The game has multiple accepted spellings, but Link teaches and plays bythe rules of the National Mah Jongg League, which uses “Mah Jongg.”

On arecent gameday,Linkwelcomed newplayers to learn more about the game that is played obsessively by its adorers. With coiffed hair,full makeup and anaura of calm concentration, she presided over her Vegas-style automated table in aback room of her home

As the table suckeda setoftilesdown a hole in its center,she gave players aquick history lesson while showingoff her antique wooden tile set whichincludedwhat she playfully called, “Mr.Babineaux’sred book of rules,” explaining, “I’m originally from Little Rock, Arkansas, but forsome reason,Iwant to Cajun-ify Joseph Park Babcock.”

The‘Grande Dame de Mah Jongg’ in Acadiana shares joyin tabletop game

JanRisher

LONG STORy SHORT

By the timeyou read this, I should be on the last day of my canoe trip downpart of the Mississippi River —that is, if the good Lord is willing and the creek don’trise, as my mom would say These days, Ilive closer to the Mississippi River than Iever have —less than amile, as the crow ﬂies. And yet, forall that proximity,this will be my ﬁrst timepaddling it.

Our all-female crew plans to put in at Clarksdale, Mississippi, and head south. We aren’tsure yet where we’ll be getting out —it depends on the current and our strong backs.

The Father of Rivers has deﬁned so much of my life. Living my childhood in Mississippi and much of my adulthood in Louisiana, I’ve thought of the river itself as abridge from one state to the other

The river shaped the lives of those whocame before me, too including my great-great-grandfather,who came to NewOrleans from Liverpool, England, then decided to head north on the Mississippi and got off at Vicksburg. Iwonder how carefully he considered that decision. Isaid yes to this adventure thinking Iunderstood what Iwas agreeing to. Idid not.

The logistics alone have humbled me. In my mind, Ihad all the gear Ineeded. I’ve had it for years. Then, about three weeks ago, Irealized Ihad none of the gear —yeolde ﬁre strikes again. Goodneighbors stepped in and helped me ﬁll the gaps —camping mattress, duffelbag, head lamp, large hat, sun clothes. The required mosquito netting to drape over said hat arrived this week. This is not the American West, where my crew and I have paddled before. Out there, mosquitoes werenot aconcern, and the nights were so cool and clear we didn’teven sleep in the tents. We just lay under the giant sky dotted with stars from east to west.

On the Mississippi in April, the sky is still giant, but it comes with considerably morecompany

The ladies around Link’stable —with its well-lit, self-rolling dice —had dabbled in some of these variations.

Carol Saucier,the longest-playing participant with45yearsoftile clacking un-

Babcock, born in Lafayette, Indiana, was an employee of Standard Oil in China who brought “Mah-Jongg” to the UnitedStates in theearly1920s. His redbook of rules is considered closer to therules of China where the game originated —closer than theover 40 known variations played globally

der her belt,learned theWright-Patterson variation,created by the Ofﬁcer’s Wives Club at theAir Force base of the same name. Someone had played Riichi, aJapanese form, on vacation once.

Beforeshe connected with Link, Leslie Leonpacher learnedaformofparty Mah Jongg which the table dubbed “Cahj Jongg,” when they heardher descriptionof the loose rules and lack of cards.

Around Link’s tables, players follow the rules of theNational Mah Jongg League whichuses “the card” —asmall folding brochure coveredinwhatappears to be colorful hieroglyphics but actually are lists of various hands (patterned tile combinations) needed to win. Link explained that, as you play,the patterns become ingrained in your mental muscle memory

At the table,players swiftly discarded and pulled symbol-rich printed tiles, attention focused,calling out, “Three dot Eight bam …Six crack …Red dragon.”

“The game is stimulating and challenging. It’sneurologically goodfor you,” Link said.

“Unless you lose allthe time, then you want to kill people,” one player said, countering with asmile, despite being down $2

Themonetary stakesare low,serving more as away to keep scoreratherthan to getrich; some days they play only for prizes.

Justwhen players have memorizedthe hands listed on the card,the Mah Jongg New Year rolls around on April 1, and the

As the trip has inched closer I’ve felt atrepidation I’mnot accustomed to feeling. The Mississippi River can be beautiful and brutal in equal measure. Something about this trip has asked moreofmebefore Ieven get in the boat.

Songs, poetry and friends have pushed me forward.

In 2022, my husband and I drove to Lake Itasca in Minnesota, to the headwaters of the Mississippi. Standing there was morepowerful than Icould have anticipated. Families were wading across, children jumping

ä See RISHER, page 2Y

STAFF PHOTOSByLESLIE WESTBROOK

Players shuffletiles between games of Mah Jongg at the home of PatLink on April 10 in Lafayette

Afold-out

Jongg

PatLink plays Mah Jongg at her home

STAFF PHOTO By JANRISHER

The mighty Mississippi River beginsits journeyinLakeItasca, Minnesota. Thislittleboy and his family easily walkedacross the river, in true Indigo Girls’ fashion in five steps.

ASK THE EXPERTS

Youth gaming labs support social emotional skills

BY JONI HESS Staff writer

Years before esports programming became a thing in New Orleans, nonproﬁt Unchained Realities began with a group of friends who wanted to improve youth outcomes by focusing on athletics, education and community building.

Its founder, Gentilly native Brent DeLarge, has since expanded the organization into a gaming hub that offers internships, esports labs and social connections at schools, public recreation centers and other locales across New Orleans. Its subsidiary, NOLAGROWN also introduces kids to graphic design, screen printing and photography

Through a partnership with the New Orleans Recreation Department, the organization cut the ribbon on its third and fourth esports lab last year

Unchained Realities now has esports labs at Joe Brown Park in New Orleans East, Milne Playground in Gentilly, Cut-Off Recreation Center in Algiers and the Lyons Center Uptown. This interview has been edited for length and clarity

How did you guys bring in the gaming aspect of Unchained Realities? During the pandemic, communicating through the game was one of the only ways to hang out with my friends. We thought, ‘We need to do something like this for kids.’

But we didn’t know what or how

We later started working with this school that was connected to the YMCA and we got someone to donate 10 gaming PCs. We had students unbox them. We didn’t know much about curriculums but we started teaching lessons

about design and media for about six weeks. And how did you grow from there?

Maybe a year or two later the YMCA reached back out to us, and we ran free play where kids would come out and play video games with us. We started learning more about the gaming space from an educational standpoint. Can you tell me about how the partnership with New Orleans Recreation Department came to play? I heard that NORD was trying

Q&A WITH BRENT DELARGE FOUNDER OF UNCHAINED REALITIES

to get into the esports space. I had a relationship with NORD, so I reached out to (CEO) Larry Barabino, and he brought me to the table.

What other places do you offer programming? Our newest thing is we’re teaching at the Juvenile Justice Intervention Center on Saturdays for four hours. We have two different sets of kids that do curriculum and play games with us. We do ﬁeld trips where we go on site or they come to us and we talk to kids about the jobs they could pursue in the gaming world. Can you give some detail about the curriculums you’re teaching? Sometimes the gaming environment can be stressful. Kids get frustrated when they lose. We teach them about triggers and social emotional learning skills to better manage their emotions. We introduced our kids to Unreal Engine, which creates games such as Fortnite. We teach kids how to set up a stream through Twitch or You-

Tube. We teach them how to use AI prompts to come up with their own esports teams. They pick team names, create a logo and then the kids print T-shirts with the logo they designed. For our music and sound design program, we take a video game clip and they learn how to do voice-overs and add sounds to it. What kind of impact could gaming have on New Orleans youth?

When we ﬁrst started with the YMCA, kids from an alternative school came to us two times a week. For whatever reason, the school and the YMCA parted ways and those kids could no longer come to our lab. But two of the boys ended up pulling (car) door handles one day and one of them was shot during the same exact time frame that they would’ve been with us. I’m not saying it would’ve never

Continued from page 1y

National League issues new cards with new hands to learn one of the reasons cited when people talk about the cognitive benefits of the game. At the nonautomated table in Link’s dining room, the tiles made a clicketyclacking sound as they were shuffled. Collectively shifting and tumbling the hard, smooth tiles, each player relaxed their focus and the chatting flowed. There was talk of plans for the weekend, upcoming tournaments and past games. The question arose, “Why is Mah Jongg so popular now?”

“I would love to know,” said Link, who has been playing for 32 years and teaching the game for over a decade, adding, “I’ve met so many people. My life wouldn’t be as rich without Mah Jongg. I’m never lonely.” A couple of players cited the pandemic, as it was a game people could play outdoors. Coming out of those isolating times, people were eager to gather together and reconnect. Another person mentioned the 2018 movie, “Crazy Rich Asians,” which features an intense Mah Jongg scene. No matter the reason, the game is hot right now — even the South Regional

Library branch of the Lafayette Public Library is hosting lessons. By her estimates, Link has taught over half of Lafayette’s players. She has devised lesson plans to teach groups of four to six players the National Mah Jongg League variation in eight weeks. She starts with learning the tiles, then the history, then the “touchyfeely” of the tiles, followed by the rules in incremental steps. Her final advice to learners is to play online as much as possible to create the mental muscle memory required to play swiftly since the game is most fun

when it ﬂows at a good pace. (On realmahjongg.com her handle is “allons.”)

Link is an advocate of the National League rules — the standard for tournaments. People seek her out for her commitment to the rules as well as her no-nonsense approach which she mixes with a dry sense of humor Using the organizational skills she honed in her second era of life as owner of the tour company Allons a Lafayette, she recently helped her granddaughter host a highly successful charity fundraising tournament in Shreveport. In Lafayette, she hosts an

annual tournament, scheduled for June 23 this year, at the Petroleum Club.

“For Pat, it’s about building community,” Leonpacher said.

One of Link’s recently widowed students shared that Mah Jongg helps her to ﬁll the void after her husband’s death. It’s a planned event that allows her to meet people, giving her an added dimension to life.

“Pat is the Grande Dame of Mah Jongg,” said player and student Ali Romero. “If you get invited to play at her house you say ‘yes!’” She recalled a time when

Link had encouraged her with a wry comment that made her laugh.

“When I was new, I was nervous. Pat’s kind of scary,” Romero said. “Once, I kept complaining about not having a good hand, and she said, ‘Well, Ali, maybe you’re not a good player.’”

To an outsider, these words might sound harsh, but to sit at the table with Link and witness her take delight in the game is to know that her words are taken as encouragement by the players who adore her and show up regularly for the community she has created.

Continued from page 1y

also couldn’t help thinking I knew a thing or two those young parents couldn’t yet imagine about where their children’s lives were going and who they might become. I think of Lake Itasca every time I hear the Indigo Girls’ “Ghost.” The song traces the Mississippi from those Minnesota headwaters — small enough for those children and me to cross in ﬁve steps — to something so vast it hardly seems connected to where it began.

The mighty and the tender, always braided together

Then there is Heraclitus, who wrote more than 2,000 years ago: “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.” I would substitute woman there, but the truth of it has outlasted the noun by millennia.

The river I paddle this week is not the river at Lake Itasca not the river my ancestors went up or crossed, not even the river I saw last Tuesday from the bank.

And I am not the same woman who said yes to this trip, either

One of my favorite quotes, often attributed to St. Augustine, has also been with me as this trip approached: “The deepest desire of the human heart is to belong, to be welcomed, to know you are seen and worthy of kindness.” I cannot verify he wrote it more than a thousand years ago, but I cannot argue with it, either The women I’m paddling with make me feel all of those things. Most of them I’ve paddled with before. One of them found the outﬁtter, arranged the details and made the whole adventure possible. What a blessing to have friends who make me feel like I belong. That is no small gift. Finding people who make me feel welcomed, seen and worthy of kindness is the journey I always want to take. These women also make me laugh. And somewhere between Clarksdale and wherever we take out, I suspect that may be what this trip is really about.

Email Jan Risher

PROVIDED PHOTO

DeLarge supervises a group of students while they game in one of his programs.

MAH JONGG

Players slide tiles into the center of an automatic shuffling table.

STAFF PHOTOS By LESLIE WESTBROOK

Pat Link, clockwise from top right, Jo Tu, Jane Sawvel and Dolores Champagne play Mah Jongg at Link’s automated table.

THERE’S GOOD NEWS,TOO

Theseare storiesofglobalprogress, compiled by the media group Fixthe News andshared in partnership with The Advocate/The Times-Picayune.

Each story overview is linked to an original report or story with more information.

NEWWEIGHT-LOSS PATHWAY

Researchers at StanfordMedicine andthe University of Colorado, Boulder, studied pythons’ extreme “feast-and-famine” metabolism to uncover new clues about weight loss. After eating massivemeals, pythons experience dramatic physiological changes and produce hundreds of metabolites. One molecule —called pTOS— increased more than 1,000-fold. When scientists administeredthis molecule to obese laboratorymice it suppressed appetite and caused weight loss comparable to GLP-1 drugs likeOzempic.

“Although it’stoo soon to tell whether this metabolite, called pTOS,will translate to anew weight loss drug in humans, the studysolidifies the powerofstudying extremes in the animal kingdom. Reptiles have repeatedly gifted humans with clinically significant drugs,” med stanford.edu reported.

The pTOS molecule appearstoact directly on the appetite and feeding behaviors of the mice, causingthe obese mice to eat less thanthe control mice.After 28 days, the obese mice lost 9% of their bodyweight. Although promising,the findings are still early,and it’sunclear whether pTOS can be developed intoasafe and effectivetreatment for humans. Still, the discovery opens apotential newpathwayfor obesity therapies

ECUADORCONSERVATION

Last month, the Wildlife Conservation Society reported that Ecuador officially recognized the

STORIES OF GLOBAL PROGRESS,COMPILEDByFIX THE NEWS

NEW WEIGHT-LOSS PATHWAY

CourtlandPotter,7,lets JeremyHumphreyofAce’sReptile Emporium place aballpython on her arms.After eating massive meals, pythons experience dramaticphysiological changes and produce hundreds of metabolites.One molecule —calledpTOS—increased more than 1,000-fold.When scientists administered this molecule to obese laboratorymice, it suppressed appetite and caused weight loss comparable to GLP-1 drugs likeOzempic.

Llanganates-Yasuní Connectivity

Corridorasa Special Conservation Area,linkingLlanganates National Park in theAndes withthe yasuní Biosphere Reserve in the Amazon. Covering about2,159 square kilometers, the corridor represents a major step in protecting biodiversity and sustainableland use.The initiative, launched in 2024, involved ecological studies,community engagementand collaboration among localgovernments, civil societyand more The corridorspans from high Andean páramo ecosystemstolowland tropical humid forests, creating a continuous ecological transition betweenAndean and Amazonian

landscapes— which supports diverse habitats and allows the movement of species.Because of this, the corridor functions as acritical climate refuge. Sebastian Valdivieso, CountryDirector of WCS Ecuador,saysthisrecognition helps to safeguard biodiversity and supports localcommunitieswhose livelihoods depend on healthy ecosystems.

CHILDPOVERTY FALLS

Newdata shows that child poverty in Scotland is declining, with rates falling from 25% (2020-23) to 21% (2022-25), while remaining lowerthan the UK average.The improvement, as reported by the Child Poverty ActionGroup,reflects

policy efforts such as targetedsocial security measures and more accurate data collection using administrative records alongside surveys. However, the statistics arestill considered “in development,” meaning furtherrevisions arepossible as methodologies improve.Despite progress, around one in five children in Scotland still liveinpoverty, highlighting ongoing challenges.The ScottishGovernmentremains legally committedtoreducing child poverty to below10% by 2030/31 underthe Child PovertyAct.

PHILIPPINES’ TRANSPORT Commuters in Manila successfully pushedfor safer,moreinclusive

streets by organizing collectively and influencing public policy, according to The WorldResources Institute. In acity whereonly about 6% of residents owncars, most people rely on walking,cycling or public transport— yetinfrastructure and funding historically prioritized vehicles, leaving commuters with unsafeconditions.

During the pandemic, when transit shutdownsexposeddeep inequalities, acoalition of transportworkers, cyclists and community advocates formed.The Move As OneCoalition unitedadiverse group of jeepney drivers, bus operators, commuters, disability advocates, women’s groups, youth organizers, LGBTQ+ activists and cycling groups.

“By organizing across sectors, the coalition has turnedfragmented demands into collectiveaction, reframing transportation as apublic service that shapesthe livelihoods, health and opportunitiesofmillions, The WorldResourcesInstitute reported.

Armed withdata, the coalition found that “just 1% of road spending supportedpublic transport, walking or cycling.”Through advocacy,public campaigns and direct engagement withpolicymakers, theysecured major reforms— influencing decisions affecting an estimated$946 million in immediate transportfunding and $12 billion in medium- and long-term funding

This includesthe creation of pedestrian boulevards, bikelanesand adedicatedbusway.The movement also improvedwages and working conditions fortransportworkers.

Fixthenews.com is asolutions journalism newsletter that ﬁnds stories of progressand shares them withreaders from across the world. Acclaimed author Steven Pinker calls Fix theNews“thebestsource for positivenewsonthe internet.”

With thousands of Shellmen and womenacross thestate,we areworking everyday to reduce emissions, while increasing efﬁciencyinour operations

Our tomorrowdepends on whatwedotoday.Together, we arepowering progress forabrighterfuture. Louisiana is where we live and we’reproud to call it home.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Congregation raises money to tackle medical debt

BY BOB WARREN Staff writer

In the end, turns out it wasn’t much of a dilemma at all. Mount Olivet Episcopal Church in Algiers Point in New Orleans had some money set aside and the thinking was that it would help purchase a statue of Mary But then the church’s pastor, the Rev. Bill Terry found himself researching a sermon on Christian engagement. That research turned up a church in South Carolina whose congregation raised money to partner with a nonproﬁt, Undue Medical Debt, that purchases medical debt and then “forgives” debtors.

“So I did my due diligence,” Terry said one recent morning The company was legit. So was the debt relief program.

“I preached my sermon about it,” Terry said. “It fits with the beatitudes; they call us to relieve suffering.”

A church member was so moved that she pledged a donation, saying, “We don’t really need a statue, but people can use our help,” Terry said. “I agreed.” So did the church leadership and many of its congregation of 30-35 people. And after a funding campaign that just wrapped up in the weeks after Easter Mount Olivet was able to send around $17,000 to Undue Medical Debt.

‘It’s just math’

It might not sound like a lot but that $17,000 was enough that the nonproﬁt could purchase $1.7 million of debt, said Allison Sesso, Undue Medical Debt’s president and CEO.

In the coming weeks, nearly 1,500 New Orleans area residents will receive notiﬁcation that their medical debt has been erased.

Because medical debt is typically part of a hospital’s “bad debt portfolio,” it’s often sold at pennies on the dollar, Sesso said. She said the company has erased more $40 billion in debt since its founding in 2014.

“It’s not magic,” she said, “It’s just math.”

Mount Olivet traces its roots to 1846, when services were held in the parlor of the Hughes Hotel a couple of blocks from the church’s current location on Pelican Avenue. The congregation formally organized in 1848 and was admitted into the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana in 1851. Terry, 74, is a New Orleans native, Navy veteran and a former insurance underwriter who “became a priest in my 50s.” For

Looking for La. faith

The newspaper is inviting ministers from across Louisiana every faith tradition, every denomination, every corner of the state to contribute ﬁrst-person columns on faith for occasional publication in the Louisiana Inspired section.

Topics are wide open, as long as they’re rooted in faith. Write about doubt, community or why ancient traditions still matter Write about what faith looks like in a ﬂood zone, a small town or a hospital room. Write about why you do this work.

Columns should be 550–750 words, ﬁrst-person, written for a general audience, original and unpublished. Submissions do not guarantee publication and will be edited for length and clarity

Promotional content and attacks on other faith traditions are not a fit. Honest, personal writing about faith in Louisiana life is.

To submit, email the following to Jan Risher at jan.risher@ theadvocate.com:

n The completed column (550–750 words)

n A headshot

n A bio of no more than 100 words

n The name and address of your church or place of worship

n The best contact phone number for the minister (not to be published). Louisiana has always had a lot to say about faith. We’re listening.

years, he led St. Anna’s Episcopal Church on Esplanade Avenue. He was a recognizable ﬁgure around Treme, with his white beard and ponytail and his commitment to annually chronicling the city’s murder victims with each of their names written on a large board outside the church.

He retired from St. Anna’s in 2023 and has been at Mount Olivet for the past couple of years.

“I’m a priest and retirement doesn’t work for me,” Terry said with a grin

At Mount Olivet, Terry says, he not only found a charming, old church that has been a ﬁxture in Algiers Point since the 1800s, but also a congregation that hungered to spread kindness and become known beyond the stained-glass windows of the sanctuary

Looking for an identity

Partnering with Undue Medical Debt doesn’t only help area residents struggling under the weight

of debt, it is part of a local congregation shaping its image.

“This place (Mount Olivet) has been looking for an identity that goes beyond that lovely building on Algiers Point,” Terry said.

Several times during a conversation inside the church one recent morning, Terry refers to the Beatitudes the blessings taught by Jesus in the gospel of Matthew They include several well-known phrases, including “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted,” and “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”

“Undue Medical Debt was a perfect ﬁt. We’ve become a beatitudes church,” Terry said.

“Imagine you’re sitting at home worrying about paying off the bills and you get a letter that says, simply, your debt is forgiven,” he added. “That sounds like something Jesus would say.” Terry was astounded as he researched medical debt. Nearly a

quarter of Louisiana’s population, he said, struggles with medical debt.

“Most people don’t realize it, but medical debt is traded like a commodity in this country,” he said.

Sesso said for-proﬁt companies buy and sell that debt. Undue Medical Debt buys blocks of debt but instead of then trying to collect it as some other companies might, it forgives the people carrying the debt.

Buying, selling debt

Sesso said Undue Medical Debt analyzes a number of factors, including income and debt ratio, to determine eligibility Then letters are sent to people telling them they’re now clear of that debt.

Some of the people might have been uninsured Others had insurance that didn’t cover all the bills.

“It’s not a personal failing,” she said of people who face medical debt. “What did they do wrong? They got sick.”

Undue Medical Debt isn’t new to Louisiana. In 2024 it partnered with the city of New Orleans and Ochsner Health to forgive some $59 million in debt for 66,000 New Orleanians. Ochsner also said in 2024 that it was teaming with Undue Medical Debt to wipe out the debt of nearly 200,000 patients across its system.

Terry said Mount Olivet members made donations, and the church worked with the nearby Old Point Bar, a well-known Old Algiers meeting spot, on a fundraiser in March. Band members and bartenders dug into their tip jars to help, he said.

Hazel Pomfret, a Mount Olivet member who lives in Algiers Point, called the debt relief effort a “nobrainer.”

“It puts us on the map,” she said.

“It tells people we care about the community

Email reporter Bob Warren at bwarren@theadvocate.com.

Student teaches kids how to manage money

BY DAHLIA BAZZAZ Seattle Times (TNS)

Editor’s note: This story was created by Dahlia Bazzaz for the Seattle Times. Louisiana Inspired features solutions journalism stories that provide tangible evidence that positive change is happening in other places and in our own communities solutions that can be adopted around the world.

SEATTLE Seventeen-year-old Siddhi Tandon didn’t set out to start a financial literacy program She was just trying to ﬁgure out what to do with her ﬁrst paycheck.

Three years ago, the student at Lakeside School in Seattle had earned about $500 working as a camp counselor, and went to a Chase bank location to cash the check After hearing about the different kinds of accounts she could open, she got her ﬁrst sense of just how little she knew about money management

“I realized this was going to be important in my life going forward,” she said. “This is such a gap and something I never learned in school.”

That experience — part confusion, part curiosity — pushed her down a ﬁnancial literacy research rabbit hole She pored over YouTube videos and articles that explained budgeting, investments loans and the stock market Then, last year, she decided to share that information with everyone else, starting an organization called “Cubs of Wall Street.”

Tandon now gives free ﬁnancial literacy workshops to students at libraries and schools across Washington state, reaching more than 4,500 students so far She also authored a book released in

formula.

“Budgeting is not simple. This is a really good rule to get kids started thinking about this,” she said.

Part of what makes the sessions effective, she believes, is that they’re led by someone close in age to the audience. Students are often more willing to engage, ask questions and see themselves in the material.

That relatability shows up in the kinds of questions she gets. In some sessions, students reference financial research or speciﬁc stocks. In others, she explains what a bank account is. The range, she said, highlights just how uneven access to financial knowledge can be.

February, “What I Learned About Money,” aimed at helping kids understand the basics of managing money early Her efforts reflect a broader gap lawmakers have repeatedly tried and failed to address in Washington. This year marked the third consecutive attempt to require financial literacy in schools; proposals with bipartisan support did not make it through the 2024 or 2025 legislative sessions, and again fell short this year The issue has gained traction nationally, where more than two dozen states now require some form of financial literacy education, up from just five in 2018. Her sessions are designed to

meet students at different levels. Some arrive already familiar with investing concepts, while others are starting from scratch. The lessons begin simply, covering how money is earned and what it means to budget, and then move to more advanced topics like investing and different kinds of interest. Tandon often uses examples that feel accessible to younger audiences for example, comparing investments to collectibles like Pokémon cards that gain value over time.

She also introduces foundational concepts like the 50-30-20 rule, which breaks income into 50% needs, 30% wants and 20% savings. But she’s careful to frame it as a starting point, not a rigid

Tandon’s own learning curve included early mistakes. She remembers panic-selling a stock during a dip, only to watch it rebound the next day, a lesson in how volatile markets can be and why long-term thinking matters. Now, she shares those experiences openly, along with practical steps students can take, like opening a bank account, understanding taxes on a ﬁrst job or simply thinking differently about saving small amounts of money

“Every bank account started is a huge win,” she said.

While she continues to expand her program, Tandon sees schools as a critical part of the solution, and an area where more could be done.

“School prepares us to get a job,” she said during a TedX talk she gave last year about her journey to becoming ﬁnancially literate “But what it doesn’t prepare us to do is manage the money that we earn from a job.” For now she’s helping to ﬁll that gap herself.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By SCOTT THRELKELD

The Rev. Bill Terry hugs a member of the congregation after his final Mass at St. Anna’s Episcopal Church in New Orleans on July 23, 2023. Now at Mount Olivet Episcopal Church in Algiers Point, Terry has led an effort to raise money for medical debt relief.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

Tutor Ashlyn Miller helps Mason Gray, 10, and his brother, MJ, 11, with math skills during an after-school program on Oct. 8, 2024. Like Miller, Siddhi Tandon helps students by giving free financial literacy workshops at libraries and schools across Washington state.

SUNDAY, MAY 3, 2026

CURTIS / by Ray Billingsley

SLYLOCK FOX / by Bob Weber Jr

GET FUZZY / by Darby Conley

HAGAR THE HORRIBLE / by Chris Browne

MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM / by Mike Peters

ZIGGY / by Tom Wilson

ZITS / by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

SALLY FORTH / by Francesco Marciuliano & Jim Keefe

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE /byStephan Pastis

grams

directions: Make a 2- to 7-letter word from the letters in each row Add points of each word, using scoring directions at right. Finally, 7-letter words get 50-point bonus. “Blanks” used as any letter have no point value All the words are in the Official SCRABBLE® Players Dictionary, 5th Edition.

word game

instructions: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

todAY's Word — HeritAGe: HEH-rihtij: Something transmitted by or acquired from a predecessor

Average mark 40 words

Time limit 60 minutes

Can you find 58 or more words in HERITAGE?

ken ken

instructions: 1 -Each rowand each column must contain thenumbers 1through4 (easy) or 1through6 (challenging) without repeating 2 -The numbers within the heavily outlinedboxes, called cages, must combine using thegiven operation (inany order)toproduce the target numbersinthe top-left corners. 3 -Freebies: Fillinthe single-boxcages withthe numberinthe top-left corner

instructions: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 gridwith several given numbers. The object is to placethe numbers 1to 9in theempty squares so that each row,each column and each 3x3 boxcontains the same number only once. The difficultylevel of the Conceptis Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday

directions: Complete thegridso that numbers 1–132 connect horizontally, vertically or diagonally

Sudoku

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

wuzzLes

Overcoming adversity

Today’s deal is from a recent team match in Turkey. We know that four spades failed at the other table.

We don’t know why West at this table chose to lead a club, dummy’s first-bid suit, but it gave declarer nothing that he couldn’t get on his own. Dummy’s jack of clubs won the opening lead.

The contract would be cold if the trumps split 3-2, so South cashed the ace of spades and led a spade to his king, getting the bad news. He led a low heart from his hand. The defense took two heart tricks and led a club to South’s king. South ruffed a heart in dummy and discarded a diamond on the ace of clubs.

♠

TAURUS

help you get what you want.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Get ready to go for it. You can be powerful without letting your ego get in the way Avoid unnecessary arguments, and set the stage for your success.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Use your energy to engage in helping others or to participate in a cause that concerns you. A constructive idea applied to how you earn your

The king of diamonds was followed by a diamond to the ace, leaving this position (at left). South led a spade to dummy’s queen and led the club from dummy. He scored his eight of spades “en passant” Very nicely done!

Tannah Hirsch welcomes readers’ responses sent in care of this newspaper or to Tribune Content Agency inc., 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, Ny 14207. E-mail responses may be sent to gorenbridge@ aol.com. © 2026 Tribune Content Agency

living will be the push you need to get ahead. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Get involved in an event, activity or pastime that motivates you to learn something new Your input will make a difference, and the people you encounter will have a positive impact on how you live and move forward.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) An honest assessment regarding your skills will make a difference in how others perceive you. Let intelligence guide you and detail help you reach your objective. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) You have more possibilities available to you

than you think. A change of scenery will spark your imagination and help you direct your energy accordingly You have plenty to look forward to, so stop procrastinating.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Bantering with those closest to you will result in opportunities, insight and a fresh start. You will get good results from constructive ideas, joint ventures and being true to yourself.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Start changing your surroundings to meet your needs. How you live will have an impact on how you

perform. Self-improvement is prominent. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Less talk will spare you grief. Focus on home, comfort and all the things that put a smile on your face. Refuse to let outside influences interfere with your schedule.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Update your look, pamper yourself and live in and enjoy the moment. Take better care of yourself. Look after your emotional well-being and start mapping out your future.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Opportunity knocks; open the door. Get out, mingle and discover what’s

new and exciting. Rely on your judgment in financial matters to avoid scams and aggressive sales tactics.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Keep your thoughts and emotions to yourself, and offer patience, understanding and love to the people you encounter Overreacting will ruin your day and disrupt your domestic environment.

1. Central Park.2.The Big Apple.3.The Statue of Liberty.4.Bronx Park.5.BrooklynBridge. 6. The East River. 7. Rockefeller Center 8. Times Square. 9. Museum of Modern Art. 10. TheHigh Line. 11. Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, StatenIsland.12. New Amsterdam. 13. Mayor of New York City 14. Stephen A. Schwarzman Building. 15.Wall Street.

SCORING: 24 to 30 points —congratulations, doctor; 18 to 23 points—honorsgraduate; 13 to 17 points —you’replenty smart, but no grind; 5to12points —you really shouldhit the booksharder;1point to 4points —enroll in remedial courses immediately; 0points who reads thequestions to you?

Saturday's Cryptoquote: I've neverlosta game;I just ran out of time. —Michael Jordan