The Acadiana Advocate 05-13-2026

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2026 LEGISLATURE

Alligator hunting to expand in state New law establishes a recreational season

BY JOSIE ABUGOV Staff writer

STAFF PHOTOS By LESLIE WESTBROOK

Part of the old Coburns building in downtown Lafayette collapsed overnight Tuesday, officials said.

FORMER COBURNS SITE COLLAPSES

Abandoned building has been in disrepair for years

BY ADAM DAIGLE

Acadiana business editor An abandoned building that was part of the old Coburns operation has collapsed, sending bricks sprawling and exposing the inside of the building that is more than a century old.

Emergency crews and others were on-site at the corner of Buchanan and Second streets Tuesday morning.

The building likely caved in between 10 p.m. Monday and 7 a.m. Tuesday, according to Alex Lazard, executive director of the Lafayette Public Trust Financing Authority.

Wood beams in the second floor of the building had been wet and rotting for years, and the floor eventually fell and apparently took the roof and part of the wall with it, said Kevin Blanchard, CEO of the Downtown Development Authority.

The building is part of the property that remains owned by the state Department of Transportation and Development that was originally set to be demolished for the construction of Interstate 49. The financing authority has leased the building since 2019.

There are parts of the building that could be salvaged, Lazard said, including a large metal door that was along the wall that collapsed. He said late Tuesday his agency is meeting with

ä See ALLIGATOR, page 4A

Firefighters inspect damage to the old Coburns building. building officials to look at stabilization options and what the next step will be.

The building dates back to the late 1800s and was once the site of Merchants Grocer Co., which left the building in 1976, archives show. Merchants dates back to 1903 when it was reportedly the only wholesale grocer between New Orleans and Houston and had to get products shipped by train or boat.

The site remains part of the down-

town’s development plan and remains a location that’s in need of investment, Blanchard said. The building’s future is unknown at this point.

“We don’t have a lot of old things in Lafayette,” Blanchard said. “We’ve got to be careful before we let things fall down or tear them down. We have to take care of the things we have.”

Email Adam Daigle at adaigle@ theadvocate.com.

ELECTION 2026 U.S. SENATE

BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer

In a campaign that has focused more on President Donald Trump than the issues, government regulation of carbon capture and sequestration has emerged as a key fault line in Saturday’s Senate primary.

State Treasurer John Fleming has made his forceful opposition to the new process a key driver of his campaign, saying it threatens to poison waterways and strip

WEATHER HIGH 85 LOW 63 PAGE 10C

landowners of property rights.

That has made him the target of attack ads broadcast by two outside groups associated with Gov. Jeff Landry and financed at least in part by oil and gas companies that want to inject the carbon dioxide deep in underground wells.

Fleming has counterattacked by saying that U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, who has Landry’s support, actually supports the industry because her fiancé, Kevin Ain-

Funeral home faces eviction over alleged hazards

BY JOEL THOMPSON Staff writer

sworth, is a major lobbyist for carbon capture and sequestration companies in Baton Rouge. Letlow has called that accusation “a low blow.”

Letlow has said she favors letting local communities decide whether to allow the process.

“If a project is not safe, if it’s not transparent and if it does not have community buy-in, it should not move forward,” she said in a radio debate May 5.

But in a separate interview, Letlow refused to be pinned down on how a community would decide to give a green light.

A New Iberia funeral home has been served with an eviction notice after inspectors reported alleged health hazards, including failed ventilation, excessive heat and unsanitary conditions inside the facility.

Fields Funeral Home was served an eviction notice last week following an inspection report from the city of New Iberia. The funeral home’s owner, Wilfred Fields, declined to comment.

The eviction notice was issued May 7, when New Iberia city inspector Matthew Gulotta conducted an inspection of the facility following a complaint in April from Eminent Property Management, which owns the property.

According to Gulotta, he received pictures from Eminent that showed multiple violations on the property.

Gulotta was able to confirm these issues during a visit to the property last week with representatives from the Louisiana Department of Health and the Louisiana State Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors.

ä See CARBON, page 5A

ä See FUNERAL, page 4A

Carbon capture becomes key issue in race Trump has thus far dominated election

Louisiana hunters will be able to catch up to 10,000 more alligators this fall as part of a new recreational season, another milestone in the stunning population resurgence of the ancient reptiles stalking the state’s wetlands.

The new law passed by the Legislature and signed last week establishes the state’s first recreational season, separate from the existing three-month commercial period where licensed hunters can harvest alligators on designated lands and water bodies.

All lands and water bodies statewide will be available for recreational hunting, excluding those enrolled in the commercial program.

The sponsor of the bill, state Sen. Robert Allain, R-Franklin, called the law “the first of its kind in Louisiana” and an important Allain step to expand opportunities for recreational hunters.

“We’re offering a new way to address nuisance or overabundant alligators while still maintaining our important commercial alligator industry and controlled harvest limits,” Allain, a commercial alligator hunter, said.

The recreational program will run throughout October, starting this year. Certified hunters ages 16 and older will be eligible to enter the lottery, which will give 5,000 winners two tags each to harvest alligators in the region where they applied.

Business ......................8A Commentary ................3B Nation-World................2A Classified .....................6A Living............................5C Opinion ........................2B Comics-Puzzles .....7C-9C Metro ...........................1B Sports ..........................1C

101ST yEAR, NO. 317

2A ● Wednesday, May 13, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Man with assault rifle shoots at drivers, is shot

BOSTON — A man previously convicted of shooting at police strode down a busy road outside Boston, firing an assault-style rifle at passing cars, shooting two drivers and sending others scrambling until he was wounded when a state trooper and a former Marine opened fire, authorities said.

As bullets tore through at least a dozen cars, including a state police cruiser, panicked motorists abandoned their vehicles or hid under them for cover, according to prosecutors and state police. Authorities said the gunman fired more than 60 rounds during the Monday afternoon attack in which two victims suffered life-threatening injuries.

The shooting happened on a heavily traveled road along the Charles River in Cambridge, home to Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Sidewalks and riverside paths in the area are often crowded with pedestrians, joggers and cyclists.

“The suspect, identified by prosecutors as 46-year-old Tyler Brown of Boston, was shot multiple times in the extremities and is expected to face charges including two counts of armed assault with intent to murder and other gun offenses.

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FDA commissioner resigns

Makary faced pushback from pharma CEOs, activists

BY MATTHEW PERRONE and SEUNG MIN KIM AP health writer

WASHINGTON — The head of the Food and Drug Administration, Dr. Marty Makary, is resigning after a rocky tenure that drew months of complaints from health industry executives, anti-abortion activists, vaping lobbyists and other allies of President Donald Trump.

News of Makary’s departure Tuesday came just 13 months after he was confirmed to lead the powerful regulatory agency.

A surgeon and health researcher, Makary came to prominence among Republicans as an outspoken critic of COVID-19 health measures during the pandemic, when he frequently appeared on Fox News Channel. But he struggled to manage the FDA’s bureaucracy and failed to win the confidence of its staff after mass layoffs, leader-

ship upheavals and a series of controversies in which the agency’s scientific principles appeared to be overridden by political interests, including those of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “He’s a great doctor, and he was having some difficulty,” Trump told reporters outside the White House. “But he’s going to go on and he’s going to do well.”

Trump later confirmed in a social media post that Kyle Diamantas, the agency’s chief for foods, is expected to take over as acting commissioner.

Diamantas is an attorney with personal ties to Donald Trump Jr. In that post, the president included what appeared to be a text message from Makary submitting his resignation. In it, he noted that “I announced 50 major FDA reforms.

Joe Biden’s FDA had none,” and thanked Trump for the chance to serve.

The FDA commissioner, as the

leader of an agency that regulates billions of dollars in consumer goods and medicines, is often required to juggle competing priorities that straddle science and politics.

Makary faced a unique challenge in balancing calls by Trump and other Republicans to cut red tape at the FDA, while also tending to Kennedy’s interest in scrutinizing the safety of vaccines, drugs and food additives. The decision to get rid of Makary was made by Kennedy, and then the White House signed off on it, according to an administration official who was granted anonymity because they were not authorized to describe internal dynamics.

Virtually all of the FDA’s senior career officials resigned, retired or were forced out in the first year of the second-term Trump administration, leading to a steady stream of leaks and negative stories in the media cataloging low morale, dysfunction and frustration among staff.

Appeals court spares Trump from $83M payment temporarily

Three arrested, accused of plotting murder TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — Honduran authorities on Tuesday arrested three people, including a powerful politician, accused of masterminding the 2024 assassination of an environmental leader, which became a symbol of government corruption and the ongoing perils of protecting the environment in the region.

Adán Fúnez, former mayor of the city of Tocoa, was captured at his home on Tuesday on suspicion of masterminding the killing, following years of accusations by religious and environmental leaders.

Juan López was an anti-corruption crusader who led a fierce community effort against an iron oxide mining project in Colon, a rural region of northwestern Honduras, which activists said endangered the zone’s dense jungles and crystalline waters, including protected reserve areas. López was one of the fiercest critics of then-mayor, Adán Fúnez, a supporter of the mine and close ally of Honduras’ former President Xiomara Castro.

In September 2024, López called on Fúnez to step down because of a corruption scandal.

Days later, the environmental and human rights defender was shot six times in the chest and once in the head by a masked gunman, fueling demands for justice by the Biden administration, Pope Francis and the United Nations — and accusations against Fúnez, a power-broker in the region’s decades-long bloody agrarian conflict. The death brought back stark memories of the global outcry over the 2016 murder of Honduran environmentalist Berta Cáceres.

Rights group: Nigerian airstrike kills 100 civilians ABUJA, Nigeria — Nigeria’s military Tuesday denied a rights group’s claim that an airstrike killed 100 civilians in a market over the weekend, as attention turned again to a long-running fight against armed groups in the country’s volatile north.

Amnesty International in a statement Monday said a military airstrike on Sunday hit a market in Tumfa in Zamfara state. A Red Cross official in the state, Ibrahim Bello Garba, confirmed the strike to The Associated Press and said “multiple civilians” were killed.

“In one village alone, 80 people were buried and there is no evidence that any of those people killed is a bandit. They are all civilians. The majority of them are young girls and small boys,” Amnesty International Nigeria director Isa Sanusi told the AP. Nigeria’s military confirmed an airstrike to the AP but said “no verifiable evidence of civilian casualties as being suggested in the media has been established.”

The Amnesty allegation is the latest related to an accidental military airstrike hitting civilians in the West African nation that faces threats from militant groups including Boko Haram.

Makary’s handpicked deputy, Dr. Vinay Prasad, was pushed out of the agency twice in less than a year for running afoul of specialty drugmakers and groups for patients with rare diseases. Makary appeared poised to weather the controversy, despite an ongoing pressure campaign calling on Trump to fire him.

Recent weeks brought fresh criticisms from other interest groups that the White House considers key to Republican chances in November elections.

Anti-abortion groups have accused Makary of slow-walking an internal review of the abortion pill mifepristone, which has been on the market for 25 years but remains a target for conservative activists.

They are seeking to roll back FDA rules that currently allow the pill to be sent through the mail.

Vaping executives told Trump that Makary was blocking approval of their products, including new flavored e-cigarettes seen as crucial to the industry’s survival.

Defamation award delayed until Supreme Court review

BY MICHAEL R. SISAK and LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated Press ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ALEX BRANDON

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, left, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine arrive to testify at a House Appropriations subcommittee budget hearing for the Department of Defense on Tuesday, in Washington.

Hegseth gets bipartisan grilling on costs of war Defense secretary faces pushback on endgame, diminishing stockpiles

subcommittee on defense.

Trump has assailed NATO allies and others for not helping reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global shipping corridor, or otherwise offering more support, saying he plans to pull thousands of troops out of Germany in the coming months.

BY BEN FINLEY, KONSTANTIN TOROPIN, Oklahoma Rep. Tom Cole, the RepubBILL BARROW and STEPHEN GROVES lican chairman of the House AppropriaAssociated Press tions Committee, voiced his concerns in WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete a separate hearing, saying that “America Hegseth faced tough questions Tuesday First has never meant American alone.”

“American power is most effective from Republican and Democratic lawmakers about the Trump administration’s when it’s exercised in concert with likeend game for the Iran war, the conflict’s minded nations who share our interests rising $29 billion cost and its impact on and our values,” Cole said. diminishing U.S. weapons stockpiles.

While the Pentagon chief softened his Bipartisan pushback on munitions tone from hearings before Congress The hearings before the powerful House nearly two weeks ago, notably avoiding and Senate Appropriations defense subthe same pointed criticism of lawmak- committees spanned four hours as they ers, he got far more pushback from reviewed the Trump administration’s 2027 members of his own Republican Party military budget proposal, which calls for a about the levels of U.S. munitions used historic allocation of $1.5 trillion.

The discussions quickly veered into in the Iran war and President Donald Trump’s intense criticism of traditional the handling of a war that appears locked in a stalemate as higher fuel prices pose allies for not taking part in the conflict.

“I take issue with the characterization political problems for Republicans in the that munitions are depleted in a public midterm congressional elections.

California Republican Rep. Ken Calforum,” Hegseth said. “That’s not true.”

Even as he insisted that the U.S. military vert, the House subcommittee’s chair, has plenty of missile defense systems and asked about the impact of the Iran war other munitions for the Iran war or future on military funding as well as weapons conflicts, Hegseth told House and Senate stockpiles drawn down from the conflict. lawmakers overseeing defense spending “Questions persist about whether we are that the Trump administration is working building the depth and reliance required to ramp up production of weapons. for a high-end conflict,” Calvert said.

Pentagon officials also told lawmakers Minnesota Rep. Betty McCollum, the that the cost of the Iran war has risen to defense subcommittee’s ranking Demoabout $29 billion, the vast bulk of which crat, pressed Hegseth on whether the — roughly $24 billion — is related to re- military has a plan to draw down troops in placing munitions and repairing equip- the Middle East if Congress passes so-farment but also includes operational costs unsuccessful efforts to end the Iran war.

“We have a plan to escalate if necesto keep forces deployed. That is up from the overall total of $25 billion that Pen- sary,” Hegseth said. “We have a plan to tagon comptroller Jay Hurst revealed retrograde if necessary. We have a plan nearly two weeks ago. He said the up- to shift assets.”

He said he would not reveal any next dated estimate does not include the cost to repair or rebuild U.S. military sites steps publicly. Noting repeated questions from lawmakers over weapons stockdamaged in the region. piles, Hegseth said the concerns have Importance of American allies been “unhelpfully overstated” and that Hegseth faced notable pushback from “we have plenty of what we need.”

He said the defense industry has been Republicans on the Trump administration’s straining of relations with long- told to “build more and build faster,” time allies, with Kentucky Sen. Mitch blaming the military industrial base’s McConnell telling Hegseth that “NATO inadequate capacity on previous adminis the most important military alliance in istrations and U.S. aid to Ukraine in its world history.” war with Russia.

“It seems to me that a lot of the EuroThe Center for Strategic and Internapean countries think that we’re reduc- tional Studies has painted an alarming picing our influence there, they’re sort of ture of U.S. stockpiles of munitions, includon their own,” said McConnell, the GOP ing interceptors that can defend against chairman of the Senate Appropriations incoming enemy missiles on land and sea.

NEW YORK — President Donald Trump won’t have to pay an $83 million defamation award to a longtime advice columnist until the U.S. Supreme Court gets a chance to review the case or reject an appeal, according to a court entry Tuesday.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed to a request by one of Trump’s lawyers that it let the president delay the payment to E. Jean Carroll, though it required that Trump post a $7.4 million bond to cover any additional interest costs, a request Carroll’s attorney had made.

The appeals court late last month refused Trump’s request for a rare meeting

of the full 2nd Circuit to hear an appeal of a threejudge panel’s affirmance of the January 2024 verdict.

Afterward, Trump attorney Justin D. Smith asked the 2nd Circuit to stay the effect of its decision upholding the award so that Trump would not be forced to pay the judgment before the high court has a chance to consider an appeal.

Smith said last week there was a “fair prospect” that the Supreme Court will find in favor of Trump, who has called Carroll’s claims first made publicly in 2019 that she was sexually attacked

by Trump in a Manhattan luxury department store dressing room in spring 1996 a “made up scam.”

The $83 million award to Carroll, 82, came from a jury that briefly heard Trump testify and observed his animated behavior for several days.

Trump is challenging the award on several grounds, asserting “absolute immunity” for comments he made while president.

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CONFLICT IN THE MIDDLE EAST Hezbollah leader urges Lebanon to withdraw from talks with Israel

Vehicles drive Sunday past banners showing portraits of children who were killed during a February strike on a school in southern town of Minab at Tajrish square in northern Tehran, Iran.

BY BASSEM MROUE and FADI TAWIL Associated Press

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By VAHID SALEMI

Trump claims ‘control’ over Iran

Kuwait, which came under attack streets. Iranian state TV said there Shaky ceasefire tenuous by Iran in the war and during the were no reports of casualties. as Kuwait accuses Iran shaky ceasefire that is still holding. Kuwait said a paramilitary But the allegation and ongoing at- Revolutionary Guard team tried of failed attack tacks in the region have threat- to infiltrate Bubiyan Island in the

BY JON GAMBRELL and MELANIE LIDMAN Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Kuwait said on Tuesday that Iran launched a failed attack earlier this month on an island where China is helping build a port in the Gulf Arab country. The accusation came just hours before U.S. President Donald Trump was to depart for Beijing on a high-stakes visit over the Iran war and other issues.

Trump said he would have a “long talk” about Iran with Chinese President Xi Jinping but said trade would be a bigger focus. As he left for the summit, Trump again threatened Iran if its leaders don’t reach an agreement on its nuclear program.

“We have Iran very much under control,” Trump said. “We’re either going to make a deal or they’re going to be decimated. One way or the other, we win.”

Iranian state media quoted the country’s foreign ministry as calling “baseless” the allegation by

ened to reignite open warfare.

The narrow Strait of Hormuz remains in Iran’s chokehold, the U.S. is maintaining a blockade against Iran and negotiations between the two countries appear at a standstill.

“True peace cannot be built with a literature of humiliation, threats, and coercive score-settling,” Kazem Gharibabadi, an Iranian diplomat, said Tuesday on X. With the risk of the conflict breaking out again, Israel has sent Iron Dome air-defense weapons and personnel to operate them to the United Arab Emirates, the U.S. ambassador to Israel said.

It was the first publicly acknowledged deployment of Israel’s military to the Emirates — home to Abu Dhabi and Dubai — and underlined the growing relationship between Israel and the UAE. Also very late on Tuesday night, a magnitude 4.6 earthquake shook parts of Iran, followed by several aftershocks, according to Iranian state media. Witnesses felt the temblor in the capital of Tehran, where some people sought refuge in the

northwest corner of the Persian Gulf near Iraq and Iran on May 1.

Four men were detained and two escaped when Kuwait’s forces disrupted the attack, it said.

A statement that Iranian media attributed to the foreign ministry in Tehran said four officers on a “conventional maritime patrol mission” had entered Kuwait’s waters because of “a disruption in the navigation system.” It denied any hostile intent and called for the men’s release.

Bubiyan Island is home to Mubarak Al Kabeer Port, which is under construction as part of a Chinese plan to build infrastructure across the world. It also came under Iranian attack during the war.

Kuwait provided no reason for why it delayed linking the attack to Iran after initially announcing it on May 3 without any details.

Trump is traveling this week to China for a summit where Iran will likely be a main topic. Beijing long has been a buyer of sanctioned Iranian crude oil and has been hurt by the strait’s closure.

BEIRUT — The leader of Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group called on the government on Tuesday to withdraw from direct talks with Israel this week in Washington, calling them a concession and instead urged for indirect negotiations.

Lebanon and Israel are scheduled to hold two days of talks in Washington, starting Thursday, in an attempt to end the latest IsraelHezbollah conflict that broke out two months ago, following the Iran war, and discuss the future of relations between the two countries, which have officially been at war since Israel was created in 1948.

Naim Kassem said in a letter directed to the group’s officials that direct negotiations benefit Israel and that they are “concessions by Lebanese authorities.”

He said Lebanon’s government should instead resort to indirect negotiations, as it has done in the past, such as when a ceasefire was reached in November 2024.

Indirect talks are usually done through a third party.

Kassem also said the dispute over Hezbollah’s weapons was an internal affair and should not be part of the talks with Israel. The Lebanese government has sought the disarmament of the militant group after the latest round of fighting broke out in early March, calling all military activities by the group illegal.

Lebanese authorities have also demanded the cessation of hostilities, Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, deployment of Lebanese troops south of the Litani River, the release of Lebanese prisoners held in Israel and the return of displaced people to their homes.

Kassem said Hezbollah is ready

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to cooperate to help achieve the five points demanded by the Lebanese government.

Despite the U.S.-brokered ceasefire, which went into effect on April 17, Israel and Hezbollah have continued carrying out daily attacks. The latest war started on March 2, when Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel two days after the United States and Israel attacked Iran.

On Tuesday, Hezbollah fired several drones at northern Israel, according to Israel’s military. The military said it intercepted several drones before they crossed the border, but some explosive ones detonated in Israel, near the border, though no injuries were reported.

Lebanese Health Minister Rakan Nassereddine told reporters that since the ceasefire went into effect, 380 people have been killed and 1,122 have been wounded. That brings the toll since the war began to 2,882 killed and 8,786 wounded.

From the early hours of Tuesday, Israel’s air force carried out strikes in different parts of southern Lebanon, as well as the village of Sohmor in the eastern Bekaa Valley, state-run National News Agency reported. The agency said airstrikes on the village of Jibchit killed three people and wounded four.

The Israeli military had earlier issued an evacuation warning to the residents of Sohmor and four villages in southern Lebanon.

The National News Agency said Israeli forces entered parts of the southern village of Deir Mimas on the Litani River and blew up a water pumping station that uses solar energy and supplies the village with fresh water. The agency said that the predawn blast at the station caused widespread damage.

4A ● Wednesday, May 13, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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Senate committee debates new congressional voting map

BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer

A Louisiana Senate committee worked into the night Tuesday to advance the deeply contentious process of redrawing Louisiana’s congressional voting map.

The Senate Governmental Affairs committee gaveled into a meeting at 7 p.m., and was expecting to unveil a new voting map that Senate leaders hope to advance to the House. By 7:30 p.m., they had yet to do so.

Sen. Regina Barrow, D-Baton Rouge, said committee members were prepared to meet throughout the night to ensure the public could comment on the plans.

Echoing a marathon hearing on Friday, a crowd of activists and residents had flocked to the Capitol to push back on attempts to reduce the number of majority-Black election districts. At points, in the hallways,

ALLIGATOR

Continued from page 1A While all parishes will be included, more tags will be allotted in the central and northeast portions of the state than the coastal zones.

Jeb Linscombe, the alligator programs manager at the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, noted that recreational hunters are able to enter the existing lottery, though the licenses and tags themselves are considered commercial.

The areas eligible under the commercial program are narrower than those allowed under the new program. The majority of the commercial season takes place in Louisiana’s coastal zone, Linscombe said, and 80% of it is on privately owned land.

The new statewide recreational program is “completely separate,” Linscombe said. It applies to all land and water bodies not encompassed in the commercial system.

“If you win the lottery, you can go anywhere so long as you can get permission to hunt that property,” said Linscombe.

Louisiana has seen a drastic turnaround in the population of its wild alligators, which were once listed under the Endangered Species Act. Habitat loss along Louisiana’s eroding coastline, along with unregu-

they broke out into chants of “We ain’t goin’ back” and “Whose vote?

Our vote,” among other refrains.

The Legislature is racing to redraw the state’s congressional map after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the current one is unconstitutional.

That has provoked a ferocious debate over voting rights, with many Black lawmakers and citizens arguing Republicans are undermining decades of civil rights progress.

The burning question in the Capitol has been whether Republicans will draw a “5-1” map, keeping one of the two majority-Black seats, or a “6-0” map, which would have none.

Sen. Sam Jenkins, D-Shreveport, said Tuesday that the committee would not be advancing a 6-0 map.

Republican state leaders, including Gov. Jeff Landry, Senate President Cameron Henry and House Speaker Phillip DeVillier, have all expressed reservations about a

6-0 map, saying it could leave Republican candidates vulnerable to Democratic challengers. But President Donald Trump has been pushing GOP-led states to maximize the number of Republican-leaning districts in hopes of preventing Democrats from taking control of the U.S. House in November’s midterms.

On Tuesday, state leaders seemed to be bracing for disruptions during the committee meeting.

Landry released a video on social media just before noon, addressing the congressional map vote and calling for respect and civility.

“I know there is a lot of passion on both sides of this issue. And nobody appreciates a healthy debate more than me,” Landry said. “All I’m asking from fellow Louisianans is that we have a civil and intellectual debate.”

Hours before the committee convened, a crowd began to gather out-

lated hunting, drove the declines, which culminated in a total ban on hunting from 1962 to 1972.

Since the state launched its alligator management program over 50 years ago, Louisiana’s wild alligator population has soared from less than 100,000 to more than 3 million, according to the wildlife and fisheries agency. There are also nearly 1 million alligators on farms.

During the closed seasons in the 1960s and ’70s, the state wildlife agency developed a commercial hunting program for landowners who would, in exchange, protect the coastal wetland habitat that alligators call home. The program also allows wildlife officials to more closely track alligator populations in those areas and the level of hunting that can be sustained.

The wildlife department estimates that the program, along with the farm-raised alligator industry, generates more than $250 million each year in economic activity.

Allain called the resurgence of the species the “greatest conservation story in America.” Aspects of the program have been used for the management of crocodilian species around the world, the agency said.

Increasing hunting opportunities for Louisianans has also been a goal of the wildlife department under the current administration, Tyler Bosworth, the secretary of the agency,

told legislators in March. This includes expanding hunting opportunities to the black-bellied whistling duck and black bears, as well as gaining state control of the amberjack season.

Gov. Jeff Landry also hosts his own alligator hunt each year, a major political fundraising event that has drawn the likes of Donald Trump Jr. and Charlie Kirk.

Allain said the legislation faced little pushback and passed without any “no” votes. Linscombe noted that some landowners expressed concerns about trespassing, but that the department has pledged to work with them.

Last year, the commercial hunt yielded at least 38,000 alligators, Linscombe said. The addition of 10,000 recreational tags is unlikely to translate to another 10,000 harvested animals.

“You never harvest everything you offer,” Linscombe said.

The wildlife agency prohibits the sale of all parts of the recreationally harvested alligators, including hides and meat. Hunters can catch the alligators by hook and line or snatch hook only. Pole hunting and free shooting are not allowed.

Rare albino alligators are also prohibited from the harvest, and hunting one could result in a fine of more than $10,000 or imprisonment for up to a year.

side. When a security guard started explaining that seating in the committee rooms and hallway would be limited, a verbal confrontation ensued between the guard and some members of the public.

“I feel restricted for my freedom and my rights,” said Laketa Smith, of Baton Rouge. “We’re not being treated with dignity and respect.”

“It feels like the new Jim Crow is taking a very, very dark turn on the state of Louisiana,” Smith said.

Tensions have been high in the Capitol ever since the Supreme Court’s ruling last month.

In a hearing Friday, residents and community leaders spoke for more than eight hours urging legislators not to eliminate Black districts.

At one point during Friday’s hearing, Sen. Gary Carter, D-New Orleans, accused Sen. Jay Morris, R-West Monroe, who is sponsoring legislation to draw a new map, of

FUNERAL

Continued from page 1A Among the violations Gulotta said he observed was a failure of the building’s HVAC unit and gurneys covered in an unknown residue. Multiple portable A/C units had been brought in to attempt to alleviate the problem. However, one was not functional, and the temperatures within the building remained excessive, according to Gulotta.

Gulotta said proper HVAC systems and sanitary, nonporous work surfaces are required for funeral home operations.

He went on to describe the lack of air conditioning in the building as a possible health risk to visitors.

“When you work with formaldehyde in a building without proper ventilation, that’s a textbook violation,” he said.

Exposure to formaldehyde can cause skin irritation and has been linked to cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Gulotta said while they were not able to identify the substance on the gurneys, he did not believe it came from human remains.

“It appeared to be a roof leak or

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targeting Black elected officials.

“You’re suggesting that I called you racist,” Carter, who is Black, said heatedly to Morris, who is White. “What I’m suggesting is that we look at the body of your work this session. You are the only member of this body that has legislation that reduces significant African American political power throughout the state of Louisiana.”

On Monday, Carter apologized to Morris on the Senate floor. And Tuesday, he said in a statement that he was stepping away from his role on the committee.

“For the betterment of the Committee, and in order to help restore the decorum and focus that this moment demands, I’ve taken a voluntary leave of absence from the Senate Government & Affairs Committee,” Carter said.

Sen. Royce Duplessis, a New Orleans Democrat, took Carter’s place.

something similar,” Gulotta said.

“Whatever it was, it shouldn’t have been there. It’s a clear violation.”

The city does not require routine inspections of businesses, he said.

“The only time I can go in and inspect is if we receive a credible complaint or have probable cause that there’s a violation of some kind,” Gulotta said. “We go in and inspect whenever they first apply for their occupational license with the city and if they add any structure to the property, but those are the only times we’re mandated to go and inspect.”

Gulotta said the business appears to have already vacated the building.

The Louisiana Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors said it is in the early stages of an investigation into the business, according to The Daily Iberian.

Fields Funeral Home’s occupational license was issued by the city of New Iberia License and Tax Department; it lapsed on Dec. 31 of last year and was never renewed. This license is separate from the one issued by the Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors, which grants permission to practice embalming in Louisiana.

The funeral home is scheduled for an eviction hearing at 9 a.m.

Thursday in New Iberia City Court.

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CARBON

Continued from page 1A U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy on Tuesday said he agrees with Fleming that oil and gas companies should not be able to exercise eminent domain to build pipelines and storage facilities without landowners’ approval.

Cassidy also said he supports the moratorium that Landry has imposed on new carbon capture and sequestration projects. Letlow also backs that moratorium.

Cassidy said allowing parish governments to block carbon capture and sequestration projects “is an acceptable option.”

Where the race stands Fleming and Letlow are trying to unseat Cassidy this year in the Republican election campaign. Saturday is the primary, where the top two Republican finishers, if no one wins above 50%, advance to a runoff on June 27.

All three candidates are predicting they will win one of the two spots in the June 27 runoff. Polls indicate that Letlow has the best chance.

But political analysts note that the new semi-closed primary election system and recent seismic events — including a U.S. Supreme Court decision that nullified Louisiana’s congressional map and Landry then canceling the House elections — make prognosticating Saturday’s results a challenge.

Three Democrats are vying in their own primary to face the Republican Senate nominee in November. They are Nick Albares, a policy analyst in New Orleans; Gary Crockett, a business owner in New Orleans; and Jamie Davis, a soybean, cotton and corn farmer in northeast Louisiana.

Albares said Tuesday that he sides with Fleming and Cassidy in not allowing companies to use eminent domain to build carbon capture and sequestration projects on private land.

Davis called for “binding

Cassidy

Fleming

consent from the people who live there, not a public comment period that gets ignored” before any injection wells are permitted.

Crockett said, “I’m totally against it.”

Trump dominates election Trump has been a dominant topic in the campaign because each of the three Republicans is claiming to be the candidate best aligned with the president.

Letlow has his endorsement.

The three Democrats have been scathing in their criticism of Trump.

In a weekly call with reporters Tuesday, Cassidy announced $150 million in additional federal money to build a replacement bridge on Interstate 10 over the Calcasieu River in Lake Charles.

In making the announcement, Cassidy slipped in a story about how he was riding on the ancient bridge with Trump in the presidential limousine nicknamed “the Beast” to an event in Hackberry in Cameron Parish in 2019. As they reached the top, Cassidy said, Trump wondered aloud, “Is this bridge going to hold us”?

Cassidy said the new bridge would be able to hold the Beast and is an example of how he delivers for Louisiana. He said the money came from the Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act, a President Joe Biden initiative that he supported, unlike the rest of Louisiana’s Republican delegation.

Fleming, meanwhile, speaking to a Republican luncheon Tuesday in Baton Rouge, highlighted a nine-page referral to the Department of Justice by a nonprofit group that accuses Letlow of filing false campaign finance reports to the Federal Elections Commission.

T h e Coolidge Reagan Foundation alleged that the Letl o w Vi c Letlow tory Fund raised money for two months without reporting it and then tried to conceal this later.

The foundation said it has filed previous complaints against Hillary Clinton and the Democratic National Committee.

“With the FEC, you have to be very careful with your paperwork,” Fleming told the crowd at the Ronald Reagan Newsmaker Luncheon.

Letlow’s campaign dismissed the allegation.

“Bill Cassidy voted to convict President Trump (on impeachment charges in 2021) and has spent over $10 million attacking Julia Letlow,” Letlow’s campaign said in a statement. “Now, in an attempt to distract from President Trump’s endorsement of Letlow, Cassidy’s allies are desperately trying to dress up routine FEC paperwork questions because they can’t defend Cassidy’s record. The Letlow campaign takes compliance seriously and has filed all required reports with the FEC.” In recent days, Letlow has said that the defeat last week of five state senators opposed by Trump in Indiana bodes well for her campaign, since Trump wants to end Cassidy’s Senate career.

Outspent by Cassidy and Letlow, Fleming has said he is running a grassroots

campaign. One example of that, he said in an interview, is that a majority of the members of the Republican State Central Committee have requested that the committee endorse him.

Derek Babcock, the party chair, didn’t respond to a text Tuesday asking how the party’s executive committee, which actually issues the endorsement, will respond.

Attack ads target Fleming Landry has inserted himself into the campaign by raising money for two groups associated with him, the Accountability Project and MAGA Energy, to attack Fleming. Both groups are organized in a way that doesn’t require them to disclose their donors and are headed by two of his key campaign associates, Jay Connaughton and Jason Hebert.

Landry held an event at the Governor’s Mansion on April 20 with about 15 carbon capture and sequestration executives, said some-

one who attended the meeting but spoke on condition of anonymity. Landry warned the group that a Fleming victory would harm their industry. The executives then heard a pitch to raise $1.5 million to defeat Fleming, according to the source.

In a brief interview, Landry acknowledged holding the meeting but wouldn’t discuss it.

Fleming repeats his opposition to carbon capture and sequestration at every opportunity, telling the Reagan luncheon, “It’s just not good for Louisiana.”

In other appearances, Fleming has said the technology is unproven and dangerous, saying in a radio interview last month, “It’s stuffing toxic carbon dioxide in the ground and using your taxpayer money and stealing your land through private domain for profiteering.”

For a month, the Accountability Project and MAGA Energy have been attacking Fleming.

The Accountability Project has broadcast ads accusing Fleming of being a supporter of allowing illegal aliens across the Mexican border. Fleming called that a lie while speaking at the Reagan luncheon, saying he supports tough border restrictions.

MAGA Energy accuses Fleming of having voted for pro-carbon capture and sequestration bills while he served in the House. That, too, is a lie, Fleming told the Reagan crowd.

In a new line of attack, the Accountability Project is attempting to undermine a key part of Fleming’s proTrump biography by saying that Fleming never served as Trump’s deputy chief of staff during his final 10 months as president in his first term.

In campaign appearances, Fleming has said his office was 10 steps from the Oval Office in the West Wing, and he told the Reagan luncheon that the accusation was “an absolute lie.”

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Putin hails Russia’s test launch Federal judge rules ICE in Colorado violated order of a new ballistic missile limiting warrantless arrests Russia’s president calls grade the Soviet-built components vehicle, capable of flying 27 times the Russian nuclear triad — faster than the speed of sound. The it ‘world’s most powerful’ of deploying hundreds of new, land- first vehicles have already entered

By The Associated Press MOSCOW — Russia on Tuesday test-fired a new intercontinental ballistic missile as part of efforts to modernize the country’s nuclear forces, a launch hailed by President Vladimir Putin just days after his claim that the fighting in Ukraine is nearing an end.

Putin said that the nuclear-armed Sarmat missile would enter combat service at the end of the year.

It was built to replace the aging Soviet-built Voyevoda.

“This is the most powerful missile in the world,” Putin declared, adding that the combined power of the Sarmat’s individually targeted warheads is more than four times higher than that of any Western counterpart.

The Russian leader has repeatedly brandished the nuclear sword after sending troops into Ukraine in February 2022 to try to deter the West from ramping up support for Ukraine.

After overseeing a military parade on Red Square on Saturday commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, which for the first time in nearly two decades didn’t include heavy weapons, Putin declared the conflict in Ukraine is coming to an end.

Since coming to power in 2000, Putin has overseen efforts to up-

based intercontinental ballistic missiles, commissioning new nuclear submarines and modernizing nuclear-capable bombers.

Russia’s effort to revamp its nuclear forces pushed the United States to launch a costly modernization of its arsenal.

The last remaining nuclear arms pact between Russia and the U.S. expired in February, leaving no caps on the world’s two largest atomic arsenals for the first time in more than a half-century and fueling fears of an unconstrained nuclear arms race.

The Sarmat — designated “Satan II” in the West — is meant to replace about 40 Soviet-built Voyevoda missiles. Its development began in 2011 and before Tuesday, the missile had only one known successful test and reportedly suffered a massive explosion during an abortive test in 2024.

Putin said Tuesday that the Sarmat — part of a slew of new weapons that Putin revealed in 2018, claiming they would render any prospective U.S. missile defenses useless — is as powerful as the Voyevoda but with a higher precision. It is capable of suborbital flight, he said, giving it a range of more than 21,700 miles and an extended capability to penetrate any prospective missile defenses.

Moscow’s new weapons include the Avangard hypersonic glide

service.

Russia has also commissioned the new nuclear-capable Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile, and used its conventionally-armed version twice to strike Ukraine. Oreshnik’s range of up to 3,100 miles makes it capable of reaching any target in Europe.

Putin also announced Russia was in the “final stages” of the development of the nuclear-armed Poseidon underwater drone and the Burevestnik cruise missile powered by miniature atomic reactors.

The Poseidon is designed to explode near enemy coastlines and cause a radioactive tsunami. The Burevestnik has virtually unlimited range thanks to nuclear propulsion, allowing it to loiter for days, circling air defenses and attacking from an unexpected direction.

Putin has described those new weapons as part of a Russian response to the U.S. missile shield that Washington developed after its 2001 withdrawal from a Cold War-era U.S.-Soviet pact that limited missile defenses.

Russian military planners have feared a missile shield could tempt Washington to launch a first strike that would knock out most of Moscow’s nuclear arsenal in hopes of intercepting a small number of surviving missiles fired in retaliation.

BY JACQUES BILLEAUD Associated Press

A federal judge ruled Tuesday that immigration officers in Colorado have violated his order limiting when they can arrest people without a warrant.

U.S. District Senior Judge R. Brooke Jackson said Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have violated his November order that barred them from arresting anyone without a warrant unless they had probable cause to believe a person is in the country illegally and likely to escape before officers can get a warrant. Since then, Jackson said ICE agents have violated the order by continuing to make warrantless arrests “without individualized, pre-arrest probable cause determinations of flight risk.”

The judge also ordered immigration agents who are authorized to make warrantless arrests to undergo training on the court’s orders and for the government to turn over records of such warrantless arrests. The ruling came in a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado over so-called collateral arrests of people accidentally caught up in immigration enforcement actions.

The ACLU accuses U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement of indiscriminately arresting Latinos to meet enforcement goals amid President Donald

Trump’s mass deportation efforts and ignoring legal restrictions on who should be detained.

In his latest ruling, Jackson concluded ICE had failed to adequately train its deportation officers on the requirements of his November court order and is now requiring such instruction within 45 days.

He also found ICE had “uniformly failed” to follow documentation requirements for warrantless arrests under his court order.

ICE, which has appealed Jackson’s November decision, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday’s ruling.

“This is a profoundly important decision for the rule of law and the people of Colorado,” Tim Macdonald, legal director for the ACLU of Colorado, said in a statement. “The court made clear that ICE is not above the law and cannot continue to violate the law.”

In the last year, federal judges in Oregon, California and Washington, D.C., also have ordered immigration officers in their districts not to conduct arrests without a warrant unless there is a likelihood of escape. Immigration officers generally get administrative warrants, which are documents issued by immigration authorities that authorize an arrest, before looking for someone targeted for arrest and deportation. At issue in the court cases is the arrest of other people without legal status that officers find.

Announcements

.theacadianaadvocate.com The Classified/Public Notice Department will be closed on

MONDAY ONDAY,, MAY 25TH 25T in observance of

Memorial Day

And will be observing the following Early Deadline: Deadline: Thursday May 21 @ 3pm

Run Date Tuesday May 26 Wednesday May 27

Call (225) 383-0111 - Option 3 then Press Option 1 or email: Classifieds at ClassifiedAds@theadvocate.com or Public Notices at legal.ads@theadvocate.com

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PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE TO BIDDERS Notice is hereby given that sealed bids will be received either electroni‐ cally at https://lafayet tecsdgovla.tylerportico. com/va/vendor-access/ registration or in the of‐ fice of the Purchasing Di‐ vision at the Lafayette Consolidated Govern‐ ment Building, located at 705 West University Av‐ enue, Lafayette, Louisiana, until 3:00 pm Central Time on the 28TH day of May, 2026 for the following:

WASHED GRAVEL RE-BID and will, shortly there‐ after, be opened and read aloud in City Hall lo‐ cated at 705 West Univer‐ sity Avenue, Lafayette, LA. Bids received after the above specified time for opening shall not be considered and shall be returned unopened to the sender. Bidders are encouraged to attend the bid opening virtually by using the following link https://us02web.zoom. us/j/83904010718? pwd=HUS1ovStvA5sSTG cqH6ODmTW9UlaNl.1 Meeting ID: 839 0401 0718 Passcode: 521176 In accordance with Louisiana RS 38:2212. vendors may submit their bid electronically at the website listed above.

Bidders wishing to sub‐ mit their bid electroni‐ cally must first be regis‐ tered within LCG Vendor Access at the website listed above. The regis‐ tration process can take some time; therefore, LCG recommends regis‐ tering days in advance of the time that bids are due. It is the sole respon‐ sibility of the bidder to ensure their bid is deliv‐ ered (whether electroni‐ cally via Vendor Access, in person, or via mail) to the Purchasing Division prior to the scheduled date and time of the bid opening. Vendors may request the bid package electronically from Thomas Metrejean at tg‐ metrejean@lafayettela. gov.

Vendors submitting bids electronically are re‐ quired to provide the same documents as bid‐ ders submitting through the mail as soon as avail‐ able. Only a bid bond, certified check or cashier’s check shall be submitted as the bid se‐ curity. Electronic copies of both the front and back of the check or bid bond shall be included with the electronic bid.

Bids must be signed in d i h

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

g accordance with LRS Title 38:2212(B)5. A Cor‐ porate Resolution or Cer‐ tificate of Authority au‐ thorizing the person signing the bid is re‐ quired to be submitted with bid. Failure to sub‐ mit a Corporate Resolu‐ tion or Certificate of Au‐ thority with the bid shall be cause for rejection of bid.

The Lafayette Consoli‐ dated Government strongly encourages the participation of DBEs (Disadvantaged Business Enterprise) in all con‐ tracts or procurements let by the Lafayette Con‐ solidated Government for goods and services and labor and material.

To that end, all contrac‐ tors and suppliers are encouraged to utilize DBEs business enter‐ prises in the purchase or sub-contracting of mate‐ rials, supplies, services and labor and material in which disadvantaged business are available.

Assistance in identifying said businesses may be obtained by calling 2918410.

Copies of the bidding documents are available at the Purchasing Office located at 705 West Uni‐ versity Avenue, Lafayette, LA 70506. Tele‐ phone number (337) 2917187 (Attn: Thomas Me‐ trejean). Bidding docu‐ ments shall be available until twenty-four (24) hours before the bid opening date.

Each bid shall be accom‐ panied by a certified check, cashier’s check or bid bond payable to the Lafayette Consolidated Government, in the amount of $500.00. If a bid bond is used, it shall be written by a surety or insurance company cur‐ rently on the U.S. Depart‐ ment of the Treasury Fi‐ nancial Management Service list of approved bonding companies which is published annu‐ ally in the Federal Regis‐ ter, or by a Louisiana domiciled insurance company with at least an A-Rating in the latest printing of the A.M. Best’s Key Rating Guide to write individual bonds up to ten percent (10%) of policyholders’ surplus as shown in the A.M. Best’s Key Rating Guide, or by an insurance com‐ pany in good standing li‐ censed to write bid bonds which is either domiciled in Louisiana or owned by Louisiana resi‐ dents. The bid bond shall be issued by a company licensed to do business in Louisiana and counter‐ signed by a person who is under contract with re‐ siding in this state. The certified check, cashier’s check, or bid bond shall be given as a guarantee that the bidder shall exe‐ cute the contract, should it be awarded to him, in conformity with the con‐ tract documents within ten (10) days.

No bidder may withdraw his bid for at least fortyfive (45) days after the time scheduled for the opening of bids. Each bid shall be submitted only on the bid form provided with the specifications.

Bids will be evaluated by the Purchaser based on the lowest responsible and responsive bid sub‐ mitted which is also in compliance with the bid documents.

The Lafayette Consolidated Government reserves the right to reject any and all bids for just cause in ac‐ cordance with LA R.S. 38§2214.B.

PURCHASING DIVISION Lafayette Consolidated Government PUBLISH DATES: 5/13/26, 5/17/26 DPR # 994697 187363-MAY 13-17-2T $99.54 PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE TO CONTRAC‐ TORS Notice is hereby given that sealed bids will be received either electroni‐ cally at https://lafayet tecsdgovla.tylerportico. com/va/vendor-access/ registration or in the of‐ fice of the Purchasing Di‐ vision at the Lafayette Consolidated Govern‐ ment Building, located at 705 West University Av‐ enue, Lafayette, Louisiana, until 10:00 AM Central Time on the 11th day of June, 2026 for the following:

JENKINS RD BRIDGE RE‐ PLACEMENNT and will, shortly there‐ after, be opened and read aloud in a room within City Hall located at 705 West University Avenue, Lafayette, LA. Bids received after the above specified time for opening shall not be con‐ sidered and shall be re‐ turned unopened to the sender. Bidders are en‐ couraged to attend the bid opening virtually by using the following link https://us02web.zoom. us/j/84349890626? pwd=UbUZav5ZG6COeYQ CxMkCePwha4L231.1 Meeting ID 843 4989 0626 Passcode 195016

Scope of Services: The scope of the project con‐ sists of but not limited to the removal of the exist‐ ing timber bridge and in‐ stallation of a 9’X4’ con‐ crete box culvert and subsurface drainage, erosion control matting, and asphalt. All work to be completed within 75 working days from is‐ suance of Notice to Procced.

The Classified Advertising Department will be closed on

MONDAY ONDAY,, MAY 25TH 25T in observance of

Memorial Day

And will be observing the following Early Deadline: Deadline: Thursday May 21 @ 3pm

Run Date Tuesday May 26 Wednesday May 27

As always, you may place your ad 7 days a week, 24 hours a day online at www.theadvocate.com or call Monday – Friday 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM (225) 383-0111 Public Notices Bids/Proposals

In accordance with Louisiana RS 38:2212. vendors may submit their bid electronically at the website listed above.

Bidders wishing to sub‐ mit their bid electroni‐ cally must first be regis‐ tered within LCG Vendor Access at the website listed above. The regis‐ tration process can take some time; therefore, LCG recommends regis‐ tering days in advance of the time that bids are due. It is the sole respon‐ sibility of the bidder to ensure their bid is deliv‐ ered (whether electroni‐ cally via Vendor Access, in person, or via mail) to the Purchasing Division prior to the scheduled date and time of the bid opening. Bidders may re‐ quest the electronic bid package from Heather Kestler at hkestler@ lafayettela.gov

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

y four hours before the bid opening date. Questions relative to the bidding documents shall be ad‐ dressed to Heather Kestler at hkestler@ lafayettela.gov.

p the specifications. The contractor successful will be required to exe‐ cute performance and labor and material pay‐ ment bonds in the full amount of the contract as more fully defined in the bid documents.

Contractors are re‐ quested to attend a prebid meeting, which will be held on May 27, 2026 at 10:00 AM in the large conference room, Lafayette Consolidated Government, Public Works Administration Building located at 1515 East University Avenue, Lafayette, LA.

Bids must be signed in accordance with LRS Title 38:2212(B)5. A Cor‐ porate Resolution or Cer‐ tificate of Authority au‐ thorizing the person signing the bid is re‐ quired to be submitted with bid. Failure to sub‐ mit a Corporate Resolu‐ tion or Certificate of Au‐ thority with the bid shall be cause for rejection of bid.

Each bid shall be accom‐ panied by a certified check, cashier’s check, or bid bond payable to the Lafayette Consoli‐ dated Government, the amount of which shall be five percent (5%) of the base bid plus additive al‐ ternates. If a bid bond is used, it shall be written by a surety or insurance company currently on the U.S. Department of the Treasury Financial Management Service list bonding of approved companies which is pub‐ lished annually in the Federal Register, or by a Louisiana domiciled in‐ surance company with at least an A-Rating in the latest printing of the A.M. Best’s Key Rating Guide to write individual bonds up to ten percent (10%) of policyholders’ surplus as shown in the A.M. Best’s Key Rating Guide, or by an insurance com‐ pany in good standing li‐ censed to write bid bonds which is either domiciled in Louisiana or owned by Louisiana resi‐ dents. The bid bond shall be issued by a company licensed to do business in Louisiana. The certi‐ fied check, cashier’s check, or bid bond shall be given as a guarantee that the bidder shall exe‐ cute the contract, should it be awarded to him, in conformity with the con‐ tract documents within ten (10) days.

Copies of the bidding documents except for Section C – “Standard Specifications for Roads, Drainage, Bridges and Other Infrastructure 2023 Edition” are available upon request at the Of‐ fice of Purchasing lo‐ cated at 705 West Univer‐ sity Avenue, Lafayette, LA 70502 upon payment of $202.01 per set, nonrefundable. NOTE: NO CASH WILL BE ACCEPTED ONLY CHECKS OR MONEY ORDERS MADE PAYABLE TO LAFAYETTE CONSOLIDATED GOVERN‐ MENT. Copies of Section “C” Standard Specifica‐ tions for Roads, Drainage, Bridges and Other Infrastructure” 2023 Edition are available from the Public Works Department at 1515 E University Avenue, Build‐ ing A, Lafayette LA 70501.

Bid Documents shall be available until twentyf h b f h bid

No contractor may with‐ draw its bid prior to the deadline for submission of bids. Withdrawal of bids thereafter shall be allowed only pursuant to LA R.S. 38§2214.C. Other‐ wise, no bidder may withdraw his bid for at least forty-five (45) days after the time scheduled for the bid opening of bids. Each bid shall be submitted only on the bid form provided within the specifications. The successful bidder will be required to execute per‐ formance and labor and material payment bonds in the full amount of the contract as more fully defined in the bid docu‐ ments. No contractors may withdraw his bid for at least forty-five (45) days after the time scheduled for the open‐ ing of bids. Each bid shall be submitted only on the bid form provided with h ifi i h

Bidders wishing to sub‐ mit their bid electroni‐ cally must first be regis‐ tered online with Lafayette Consolidated Government as a poten‐ tial supplier at the web‐ site listed above. Bidders submitting bids electron‐ ically are required to pro‐ vide the same docu‐ ments as bidders sub‐ mitting through the mail as soon as available.

Only a bid bond, certified check or cashier’s check shall be submitted as the bid security. Electronic copies of both the front and back of the check or bid bond shall be in‐ cluded with the elec‐ tronic bid.

Bids will be evaluated by the Purchaser based on the lowest responsible and responsive bid sub‐ mitted which is also in compliance with the bid documents.

The Lafayette Consolidated Government reserves the right to reject any and all bids for just cause in ac‐ cordance with LA R.S. 38§2214.B. Contractors or contract‐ ing firms submitting bids in the amount of $50,000.00 or more shall certify that they are li‐ censed contractors under Chapter 24 of Title 37 of the Louisiana Re‐ vised Statutes of 1950 and show their license number on the front of the sealed envelope in which their bid is en‐ closed. Contractors shall be licensed for the clas‐ sification of “HIGHWAY, STREET AND BRIDGE CONSSTRUCTION”. Bids in the amounts specified above which have not bid in accordance with the requirements, shall be rejected and shall not be read. Additional informa‐ tion relative to licensing may be obtained from the Louisiana State Li‐ censing Board for Con‐ tractors, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

The Lafayette Consoli‐ dated Government strongly encourages the participation of DBEs (Disadvantaged Business Enterprises) in all con‐ tracts or procurements let by the Lafayette Con‐ solidated Government for goods and services and labor and material.

To that end, all contrac‐ tors and suppliers are encouraged to utilize DBEs business enter‐ prises in the purchase or sub-contracting of mate‐ rials, supplies, services and labor and material in which disadvantaged businesses are available.

Assistance in identifying said businesses may be obtained by calling 2918410.

PURCHASING DIVISION Lafayette Consolidated Government PUBLISH DATES: 5/13, 5/17, 5/24 DPR 999058 187123 May 13, 17, 24, 3t $307.98

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Legal Notices

PUBLIC NOTICE --DECLARATION OF ELECTION RESULTS Be it known and declared that the governing au‐ thority of the Parish of Lafayette, State of Louisiana (the "Parish"), did meet in open and public session to exam‐ ine the official certified tabulations of votes cast at the special election held in the Parish on Sat‐ urday, November 15, 2025, and did examine and canvass the returns of the said election, there having been submitted at said election the fol‐ lowing propositions, to wit: PROPOSITION NO. 1 OF 2 (MILLAGE CONTINUA‐ TION) Shall the Parish of Lafayette, State of Louisiana (the "Parish"), continue to levy a special tax of 4.47 mills on all property subject to taxa‐ tion in the Parish (an es‐ timated $12,743,000 rea‐ sonably expected at this time to be collected from the levy of the tax for an entire year), for a period of 10 years, beginning with the year 2027 and ending with the year 2036, for the purpose of constructing, improving and maintaining roads and bridges in the Parish, said millage to be contin‐ ued at the rate currently being levied, represent‐ ing a 0.30 mill increase (due to reappraisal) over the 4.17 mills authorized to be levied through the year 2026 pursuant to an election held on March 28, 2015?

PROPOSITION NO. 2 OF 2 (MILLAGE CONTINUATION AND REDEDICATION) Shall the Parish of Lafayette, State of Louisiana (the "Parish"), continue to levy a special tax of 3.81 mills (the "Tax") on all property subject to taxation in the Parish, for a period of 10 years, beginning with the year 2026 and ending with the year 2035 (an estimated $10,861,000 reasonably expected at this time to be collected from the levy of the Tax for an entire year), and shall the proceeds of the Tax heretofore or here‐ after received be used for the purposes of con‐ structing, acquiring, im‐ proving, maintaining, op‐ erating, and supporting public facilities and pro‐ grams in the Parish as follows: (i) 1.24 mills for drainage; (ii) 0.422 mills for providing fire protec‐ tion and all costs affili‐ ated thereto; (iii) 0.078 mills for roads and bridges; and (iv) 2.07 mills for public health units, mosquito and other arthropod abate‐ ment and control, animal control, drainage, and paying mandated ex‐ f h

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p y g penses of the coroner, said millage to be contin‐ ued at the rate currently being levied, represent‐ ing a 0.25 mill increase (due to reappraisal) over the 3.56 mills tax autho‐ to be levied rized through the year 2025 pursuant to an election held on March 28, 2015?

There was found by said count and canvass that (i) there was a total of 6,892 votes cast IN FAVOR OF Proposition No. 1 and a total of 3,081 votes cast AGAINST Proposition No. 1, as hereinabove set forth, and that there was a majority of 3,811 votes cast IN FAVOR OF Propo‐ sition No. 1 as herein‐ above set forth and (ii) there was a total of 6,980 votes cast IN FAVOR OF Proposition No. 2 and a total of 2,977 votes cast AGAINST Proposition No. 2, as hereinabove set forth, and that there was a majority of 4,003 votes cast IN FAVOR OF Propo‐ sition No. 2 as herein‐ above set forth. There‐ fore, it has been declared by the governing author‐ ity of the Parish that the propositions as herein‐ above set forth were duly CARRIED by a majority of the votes cast by the qualified electors voting at the said special elec‐ tion held in the Parish on Saturday, November 15, 2025. Results by precinct are available from the Clerk of the Council of the Parish Council during regular business hours or via the Louisiana Sec‐ retary of State’s website (voterportal.sos.la.gov).

The actual cost of the election as determined by the Louisiana Secre‐ tary of State in accor‐ dance with the provi‐ sions of Chapter 8-A of Title 18 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, as amended, is $202,059.84.

Parish of Lafayette, State of Louisiana /s/ Joseph Gordon-Wiltz JOSEPH GORDON-WILTZ LAFAYETTE CLERK OF THE COUNCIL 187431-may 13-1t $52.98

Public Notices Meet/Hear/Min

Public Notices Meet/Hear/Min g Town Hall Auditorium I. Call to Order II. Chair’s Opening Re‐ marks III. Approval of the Min‐ utes April 20, 2026 IV. New Business With respect to the fol‐ lowing items, the Zoning Commission will hold a public hearing and vote on a recommendation.

1. Case No. 2026-10-REZ 403B South Buchanan Street CUP A request for a Condi‐ tional Use Permit (CUP) for a bar/lounge in a D (Downtown) zoning dis‐ trict located generally north of Jefferson Street, west of Garfield Street, and south of Buchanan Street. Deferred from April 20, 2026.

2. Case No. 2026-5-REZ 2000 Block South College Road Rezoning A request to rezone prop‐ erty from CH (Commer‐ cial-Heavy) to RM-1 (Res‐ idential Mixed) located generally north of South College Road, west of Market Place, and south of Oak Branch. Deferred from April 20, 2026.

3. Case No. 2026-11-REZ 111 Porter Lane Annexa‐ tion A request for a zoning classification of RS-1 (Residential Single-Fam‐ ily) for property pro‐ posed for annexation into the city of Lafayette located generally north of Porter Lane, west of Saint Margarite Street, and south of Marcelle Drive.

V. Other Business 1. Briefing: Greig Street and Street of Love Ad‐ ministrative Rezoning 2. Director’s Report and review of Lafayette City Council action on mat‐ ters previously consid‐ ered by the Zoning Com‐ mission.

3. Discussion Item: Com‐ missioner’ Workshop 4. Discussion Item: Sepa‐ rate Planning and Zoning Commission Meetings VI. Adjournment 186040-may 3-13-17-3t $88.12

PUBLIC NOTICE --Agenda City Zoning Commission Public Meeting 5:30 P.M., or immediately following the conclusion of the Lafayette City Planning Commission, whichever occurs later Monday, May 18, 2026 Community Development and Planning Depart‐ ment 220 West Willow Street, Building C ll di i

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The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Wednesday, May 13, 2026 ● 7A

Redistricting push has mixed results Denver airport President’s efforts to reshape districts fizzle in S. Carolina, win in Missouri

who contend that the new districts can be suspended only after Hoskins determines the petition meets constitutional requirements and has enough valid signatures. Hoskins has until Aug. 4, the day of Missouri’s primary elections, to make that determination.

BY DAVID A. LIEB, JEFFREY COLLINS, JACK BROOK and KIM CHANDLER

Risk in redistricting

Associated Press

President Donald Trump’s push to redraw the nation’s U.S. House districts received mixed results Tuesday as South Carolina senators defied his desires but Missouri’s top court upheld a new map that could help Republicans win an additional seat in the November midterm elections.

Rather than waning, a national redistricting battle that began 10 months ago has intensified — inflamed by a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that weakened the federal Voting Rights Act and provided grounds for states to try to eliminate voting districts with large minority populations.

Republican lawmakers in Louisiana are wrestling with how politically aggressive to be when redrawing House districts after the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated a majority-Black district as an illegal racial gerrymander.

The ripples of the Louisiana ruling already have led to new U.S. House districts in Tennessee and have extended to Alabama, where Republican Gov. Kay Ivey announced an Aug. 11 special primary for four of the state’s seven congressional districts. That came after the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday overturned an order mandating use of a map with two largely Black districts. The state plans to switch to a map passed in 2023 that has only one majority-Black district, giving Republicans a chance to win an additional seat.

Republicans think they could gain as many as 14 seats from new House maps enacted so far in Texas, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio,

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By DAVID A. LIEB

Protesters against a Missouri congressional redistricting plan gather outside the Missouri Capitol on Tuesday in Jefferson City, Mo. Florida and Tennessee. Democrats, meanwhile, think they could gain six seats from new maps in California and Utah.

The Virginia Supreme Court last week struck down a redistricting effort that could have yielded four more winnable seats for Democrats.

Split of Kansas City Missouri was the second Republican state, after Texas, to redraw its congressional districts at Trump’s urging last year.

Tuesday’s two unanimous state Supreme Court decisions, delivered just hours after arguments, “are a complete victory for Missouri and for the people’s elected representatives,” Republican Attorney General Catherine Hanaway said in a statement.

Attorneys for voters challenging Missouri’s new map had focused on changes to a Kansas City-based district long represented by Democratic U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, who previously was the city’s first Black mayor.

The new map takes a compact urban district that covered 20 miles and two counties and stretches it 200 miles over 15 counties, distorting it “into a sprawling behemoth that cuts clear across the state to unite territories that share nothing in common,”

said Abha Khanna, a partner in the Elias Law Group, a Democratic firm.

But the Supreme Court upheld a March decision by a lower court, which found the map as a whole satisfied the compactness requirement even though the Kansas City district may look less compact. No Missouri court has ever struck down a congressional map for not being compact, said attorney John Gore, who defended the districts on behalf of the Republican Party.

A second case heard by the high court centered on whether the new map took effect in December, as asserted by Hanaway and Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, or whether it should have been suspended when referendum signatures were submitted.

To suspend the map before validating the signatures would let activists temporarily undercut laws by submitting boxes of fraudulent signatures, Missouri Solicitor General Lou Capozzi argued.

But to not immediately suspend the map “would dilute the referendum right, if not destroy it altogether,” said attorney Jonathan Hawley, arguing for voters who sued.

The Supreme Court agreed with Republican officials,

Trump urged South Carolina to redraw its congressional districts ahead of the November elections in an attempt to help Republicans win another seat. The state House voted in favor of letting lawmakers return after the regular session ends to consider redistricting, and proposed a new map that could eliminate the state’s only Democratic-held seat.

But the Senate had to give permission to take up redistricting, too. The 29-17 vote failed, coming just two votes short of the two-thirds needed, as five Republicans joined all Democrats in opposition. The Senate could try again before its regular work session ends Thursday Trump had said on social media that he was closely watching the redistricting vote, urging South Carolina senators to “be bold and courageous” and to delay the June 9 House primaries so new districts can be drawn.

Although Republicans have a supermajority in the chamber, some GOP senators weren’t sure the proposed map would guarantee the party could unseat longtime Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn. They also said it could push enough Democrats into other districts to backfire, resulting in a 5-2 or even a 4-3 Republican split.

Republican Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey acknowledged the pressure from Trump, but said he doesn’t like being asked to bend to someone’s will instead of doing what’s best for his state.

“I got too much Southern in my blood,” Massey said.

“I’ve got too much resistance in my heritage.”

security missed man killed by plane

said airport Chief Trespasser scaled released, Executive Officer Phillip perimeter fence Washington.

BY MEAD GRUVER and MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Workers at Denver airport initially missed a security breach by man who scaled an 8-foot perimeter fence and crossed a runway where he was hit and killed in a fiery collision by a plane with 231 people on board, authorities said Tuesday.

The runway fatality underscores the longstanding challenge of keeping intruders out of major airports. Denver International Airport sprawls across 53 square miles — twice the size of Manhattan — on open prairie northeast of the city center.

The 41-year-old trespasser triggered an alarm as he crossed into the airport in a remote area about 2 miles from the terminal late Friday night. But security personnel mistakenly attributed that alarm to a herd of deer that was nearby.

Authorities said the man died by suicide. However, no note from the victim was immediately recovered.

The manner of death was determined based on the investigation at the scene, a records review and a postmortem examination, said Sterling McLaren, chief medical examiner for the city and county of Denver.

The collision involving the Frontier Airlines plane as it was taking off for Los Angeles sparked an engine fire that forced passengers to evacuate via slides. Twelve people sustained minor injuries and five were taken to hospitals. Four have since been

A black-and-white video released by the airport shows, from a distance, a figure walking toward the runway with arms swaying. The person crosses onto the runway at a slight angle and seconds later the plane is seen speeding past. It strikes the person with its right engine, which bursts into flame.

A few minutes before the man scaled the fence, a ground-based radar system activated in the area, triggering an alarm. An airport worker checked a surveillance camera and saw a herd of deer in the same area but did not initially see the trespasser, Washington said.

“The camera view was alternating between the wildlife and the individual.

There are some ditches in the area, so the person was out of view for a bit as well,” Washington said.

He said federal officials notified the airport about the trespasser. Because of the remote location and short time period between the man scaling the fence and crossing the runway, Washington said airport personnel were not able to intervene.

The man crossed about 650 feet from the fence to the runway before being struck and killed by the Frontier Airlines plane traveling at 150 mph on takeoff.

The plane’s engine caused the man’s death, McLaren said. She described it as “a purposeful act with a foreseeable fatal outcome.”

Denver police Chief Ron Thomas said investigators were contacting the man’s family and those who knew him to seek more information about his motivations.

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ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By MARK SCHIEFELBEIN

The cargo ship Dali is stuck under part of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after the ship hit the bridge, March 26, 2024, as seen from Pasadena, Md.

Ship operator and employee are charged Baltimore bridge crash Prosecutors file criminal charges in maritime tragedy

BY MICHAEL KUNZELMAN and ED WHITE Associated Press

BALTIMORE — Prosecutors announced criminal charges Tuesday in the deadly 2024 collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, accusing a Singapore-based ship operator of intentionally relying on an improper fuel pump that contributed to the ruinous crash and then lying about it to investigators.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche called it a “preventable tragedy of enormous consequence.”

The indictment names Synergy Marine Pte Ltd., based in Singapore, and Synergy Maritime Pte Ltd., based in Chennai, India. Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair, 47, an Indian national who was technical superintendent for the Dali container ship, was also charged.

Synergy Marine expressed disappointment and

accused the U.S. Justice Department of turning an accident into a crime.

“This was a maritime casualty that should be assessed through the full factual, technical and regulatory record, rather than through selective mischaracterizations in a criminal indictment. ...

Synergy will vigorously defend itself against these inaccurate allegations,” the company said.

Nair’s lawyer, David Gerger, had a similar response, saying his client “thinks about this accident every day, but he certainly did not cause it.”

The Dali, bound for Sri Lanka, lost power twice in a four-minute span as it moved to sea from the Port of Baltimore, causing it to crash into the Key Bridge in the early hours of March 26, 2024. Investigators say a loose wire in a switchboard likely caused the first power loss that led to its steering failure.

After regaining power, the ship found itself in trouble again. The Dali turned to a certain pump to supply fuel to two generators but the

pump was not designed to automatically restart after the first blackout, so a second blackout occurred, the indictment says.

If the Dali had used the proper fuel pumps, according to the indictment, the vessel would have regained power in time to safely get under the bridge. Instead, it crashed into a supporting column of the bridge, killing six construction workers who had been filling potholes.

“As alleged, the bridge was struck and collapsed because those who were responsible for the ship’s operation deliberately cut corners at the expense of safety,” said Jimmy Paul, head of the FBI’s Baltimore office.

The government alleges that the same problem occurred with same type of pump on two of the Dali’s sister ships.

The companies and Nair are charged with conspiracy, misconduct causing death, failing to immediately inform the U.S. Coast Guard of a hazardous condition, obstructing the National Transportation Safety Board and making false statements.

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Netflix touts $325B economic impact

On the eve of its upfront presentation to the advertising industry, streaming giant Netflix is touting the economic results of its film and television show productions.

The Los Gatos, California, company’s programming has created more than 425,000 total jobs and contributed more than $325 billion to the global economy, Netflix said in a new report Tuesday. The company cited its filming work in more than 4,500 cities and towns around the world. Netflix said it has also invested more than $135 billion overall in its movies and shows.

“While other entertainment companies pull back, we’re leaning in,” co-chief executive Ted Sarandos wrote in a post Tuesday about the report. “As we look ahead to the next decade, we’ll keep investing in the relationships we’ve built with the creators we work with, the communities we depend on and the fans who love to watch.”

Netflix highlighted its work in California, noting that its legal drama “The Lincoln Lawyer” contributed more than $425 million to the Golden State’s economy and employed more than 4,300 cast and crew members over its four seasons. The show filmed at more than 50 locations throughout Los Angeles, including Dodger Stadium and Grand Central Market.

Filming in L.A. has emerged as a hot topic this week at the television industry’s annual upfront presentations in New York, particularly as California has battled other states and countries to retain productions locally.

eBay rejects GameStop’s $56B takeover offer Online seller eBay is rejecting an unsolicited $56 billion takeover offer from GameStop, calling the proposal “neither credible or attractive.”

Ryan Cohen’s GameStop disclosed earlier this month that it was pursuing a takeover of eBay, seeing it as a vehicle to compete with online retail giant Amazon.

The national gaming retailer said at the time that its approximately 1,600 U.S. stores could become drop-off and shipping locations. One proposal included live sales broadcasts from GameStop locations featuring eBay products.

GameStop’s bid is worth $125 per share in cash and stock. The equity value of the proposed deal is $55 billion on paper. The company previously said that it started accumulating shares in eBay beginning in February and currently has a 5% stake.

In a letter from eBay Chairman Paul Pressler sent to Cohen, eBay’s board said it had completed its review of GameStop’s offer and believes eBay is a “strong, resilient business.”

Under Armour reports additional sales decline Baltimore-based Under Armour reported another year of declining sales Tuesday as the athletic apparel company continued a sweeping restructuring effort under founder and CEO Kevin Plank aimed at stabilizing the business and repositioning the brand around premium products and performance innovation.

The company reported fourthquarter revenue of $1.2 billion, down 1% from the same period a year earlier, while full-year revenue fell 4% to $5 billion. North America, Under Armour’s largest market, remained a challenge, with quarterly sales down 7% and annual sales declining 8% to $2.9 billion.

Still, the company pointed to signs of improvement internationally, where fourth-quarter revenue rose 10% to $539 million. Sales grew 13% in Asia-Pacific and 22% in Latin America during the quarter.

“Intentionality will define this chapter for the brand,” Plank said. “We’ve executed a deliberate reset of the business, making more intentional choices about where and how we compete.”

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Market’s record-setting run halts AI stocks slump, oil prices rise

BY STAN CHOE

AP business writer A sudden halt for technology stocks put the brakes on Wall Street’s record-setting run Tuesday.

Some of the sharpest drops hit chip companies and stocks that had been on electric runs because of the artificial-intelligence boom.

Intel slumped 6.8% after its stock had more than tripled so far this year. Micron Technology dropped 3.6% after coming into the day with a gain of nearly 180% for the year to date, and CoreWeave sank 6.1% to cut into its gain of 60% for 2026.

The pullback for AI stocks began

earlier in the day in Asia, where South Korea’s Kospi index sank 2.3% from its all-time high on worries that the government may redistribute windfall AI profits from companies to its citizens.

Also weighing on Wall Street was another rise in oil prices as the war with Iran threatens to drag on. The price for a barrel of Brent crude climbed 3.4% to settle at $107.77 as a fragile U.S.-Iran ceasefire looks more tenuous. The war has essentially shut the Strait of Hormuz to oil tankers, keeping them stuck in the Persian Gulf instead of delivering crude to customers worldwide.

The resulting leap for crude oil prices, with Brent up from roughly $70 per barrel before the war, caused inflation in the United States to worsen last month by more than economists expected,

according to a report released Tuesday. In another discouraging signal, price increases accelerated by more in April than economists expected even after excluding gasoline and food costs.

That could be a result of tariffs and bad weather also pushing prices higher, according to Brian Jacobsen, chief economic strategist at Annex Wealth Management.

Treasury yields rose in the bond market following an initial zigzag, suggesting traders suspect the Federal Reserve will keep interest rates high to combat inflation.

The Fed has been keeping its cuts to interest rates on hold recently, as it waits to see how high inflation will go because of the war with Iran and the tariffs introduced by President Donald Trump.

That’s because lower rates can worsen inflation at the same time

that they give the economy a boost.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.45% from 4.42% late Monday and remains well above its 3.97% level from before the war.

Traders still largely expect the Fed to keep its main interest rate steady this year, but they’re now betting on a better than 1-in-3 chance that it could hike rates by December, according to data from CME Group.

Zebra Technologies became the latest company in the S&P 500 to top analysts’ expectations for earnings, and its stock leaped 11.4%. The company, which helps customers digitize and automate their workflows with bar code scanners and other products, also gave a forecast for profit over the full year that topped analysts’ expectations.

A driver picks up an order at an Amazon Now location in Bellevue, Wash.

AP PHOTO

Amazon prepares to raise consumer expectations with faster delivery

REDEFINING A NEED FOR SPEED

BY ANNE D’INNOCENZIO AP retail writer

NEW YORK — More than 20 years after it redefined fast shipping, Amazon is preparing to raise the bar on consumer expectations again by offering to fulfill customers’ most urgent product needs in a half-hour or less for an extra fee.

The company, which revolutionized online shopping in 2005 with two-day deliveries for Prime members, is rapidly opening small order-processing hubs in dozens of U.S. and foreign cities to cater to shoppers who can’t or don’t want to wait for cough medicine to relieve flu symptoms or tomatoes for tonight’s dinner salad.

The ultrafast service, called Amazon Now, first launched in India last June. Amazon says 30-minute deliveries now are also available in urban areas of Brazil, Mexico, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The mini-warehouses devoted to Amazon Now are about the size of a CVS drugstore.

They stock about 3,500 products for expedited delivery, including beer, diapers, pet food, meat, nonprescription medications, playing cards and cellphone charging cables.

“We know that customers love speed and always have,” Beryl Tomay, Amazon’s head of transportation, said Monday. “What we see customers doing, when we offer faster speeds, are they purchase more from Amazon. And Amazon becomes more top of mind for that or other types of items as well.”

In the U.S., the company first tested Amazon Now in Seattle, the home of its headquarters, and in Philadelphia. Most residents of Atlanta and the Dallas-Fort Worth area now have access as well. The service is also live in Houston; Denver; Minneapolis; Phoenix; Oklahoma City; Orlando, Florida; and dozens of other cities, Amazon said, with New York City and others expected by year-end.

The service charges for Amazon Now start at $3.99 for Prime members, who pay an annual fee of $139, and $13.99 for nonmembers. A $1.99 small basket fee applies to orders under $15, Amazon said.

The company’s bet on a need for speed also comes as some consumers are rebelling against rushed deliveries as they weigh the potential impact on the environment and the workers tasked with preparing orders at a rapid rate.

Amazon’s approach A relentless focus on speed helped Amazon build a logistics and e-commerce empire.

After it made two days the new delivery time normal, Amazon moved into one-day and same-day deliveries for its Prime members. This spring, the company began making 90,000 products available in one hour or three hours at an extra cost.

The scaled down and sped up microhubs that are designed to handle 30-minute orders represent another step in Amazon’s pursuit.

Only a handful of people prepare orders from aisles of shelves in the 5,000- to 10,000-square-foot facilities, unlike the

sprawling fulfillment centers storing millions of items where Amazon employs a mix of human workers and robotics to pick and pack orders.

Amazon tailors the product inventory to each location and uses artificial intelligence and other technology to analyze what customers buy, as well as when and how often.

The most popular U.S. purchases so far include soap, toothpaste, mouthwash, toilet plungers, bananas, limes and wireless earbuds, Amazon said.

The competition Amazon’s attempt to up the instant gratification ante provides direct competition to on-demand food delivery platforms like Instacart, Uber Eats, DoorDash and Grubhub, which don’t have the scale of the e-commerce titan, according to independent retail analyst Bruce Winder.

“What Amazon brings is their prowess in supply chain,” Winder said.

These smaller companies said they don’t see Amazon as a threat, though, citing the hundreds of thousands of items they are able to deliver to users’ doorsteps by partnering with various merchants and restaurants.

“DoorDash has a mission to empower grocers and retailers and augment their existing footprint, not to replace them,” DoorDash spokesperson Ali Musa said in an emailed statement. “We win only when they win, which is how we can offer over half a million grocery and retail items in under an hour across the country.”

“We know that customers love speed and always have.” | Beryl Tomay, Amazon’s head of transportation

Iran war hitting home as gasoline prices fuel inflation surge

BY PAUL WISEMAN AP economics writer

WASHINGTON — U.S. consumer prices climbed sharply again last month as the 10-week war with Iran delivered higher gasoline prices and more pain for Americans.

The Labor Department’s consumer price index rose 3.8% from April 2025, the biggest jump in three years, and up from a 3.3% year-over-year gain in March. On a month-to-month basis, April prices rose 0.6% from March as gasoline prices rose 5.4%, according to the data released Tuesday. The monthover-month gain was down from a 0.9% increase in overall prices

from February to March, when the initial financial shock from the war hit the U.S. economy.

Labor Department figures showed that gasoline prices are up more than 28% compared with a year ago.

However, the AAA motor club listed the average regular gallon of gasoline above $4.50 on Tuesday, about 44% more than it cost last year at this time.

Excluding volatile food and energy costs, so-called consumer core prices rose 0.4% last month from March and 2.8% from April 2025, relatively modest readings that suggest the energy price burst has yet to spill over more broadly into prices for other goods.

Grocery prices rose 0.7% from March to April as meat prices rose after they had declined slightly in the month before.

Prices are rising at a time when Americans are already frustrated by the high cost of living. Affordability is likely to be a key issue when voters go to the polls Nov. 3 to determine whether President Donald Trump’s Republican Party maintains control of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.

“Inflation is the key drag on the U.S. economy now,” Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, wrote. “There is a real financial squeeze underway.

For the first time in three years, inflation is eating up all wage gains.

This is a setback for middle-class and lower-income households and they know it. They are having to cut back on spending and stretch every dollar.”

In April, average hourly wages fell 0.3% from a year earlier after accounting for inflation — the first year-over-year drop in three years.

Inflation had been dropping more or less steadily since peaking with a 9.1% year-over-year spike in June 2022, a surge caused by supply chain bottlenecks at the end of COVID-19 lockdowns and a jolt for energy prices following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

But inflation has remained above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target.

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Wednesday, May 13, 2026 ● 9A

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French hantavirus patient critically ill, on an artificial lung Cases grow to 9 confirmed, 11 reported

BY THOMAS ADAMSON and RUSS BYNUM Associated Press

PARIS — A French woman infected in the deadly hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship is critically ill and being treated with an artificial lung, a doctor at the Paris hospital caring for the sickened passenger said Tuesday. The outbreak has now reached 11 total reported cases, 9 of which have been confirmed.

Three people on the cruise died, including a Dutch couple that health officials believe were the first exposed to the virus while visiting South America.

The French passenger hospitalized in Paris has a severe form of the disease that has caused life-threatening lung and heart problems, said Dr. Xavier Lescure, an infectious disease specialist at Bichat Hospital.

He said the woman is on a life-support device that pumps blood through an artificial lung, providing it with oxygen and returning it to the body. The hope is that the device relieves enough pressure on the lungs and heart to give them some time to recover. Lescure called it “the final stage of supportive care.”

With the evacuation of all passengers and many crew members completed, the MV Hondius is now sailing back to the Netherlands, where it will be cleaned and disinfected.

The director of the World Health Organization said confirmed and suspected cases have only been reported among the cruise ship’s passengers or crew.

“At the moment, there is no sign that we are seeing the start of a larger outbreak,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO

Some crew stayed aboard Dutch staff quarantined the ship and set course for the Dutch port city of RotTwelve employees at a terdam, said ship operator Dutch hospital where a pasOceanwide Expeditions. senger from the Hondius is H a n t a v i r u s u s u a l l y being treated have to quarspreads from rodent drop- antine for six weeks after pings and is not easily trans- improperly handling bodily mitted between people. But fluids, Radboud University the Andes virus detected Medical Center said in a in the cruise ship outbreak statement Monday night.

The “risk of infection is may be able to spread between people in rare cases. low” the hospital said, but Symptoms — which can in- it was requiring the dozen clude fever, chills and mus- employees to go into prevencle aches — usually show be- tive quarantine as a “precautween one and eight weeks tion.”

The hospital in the eastern after exposure.

WHO chief Tedros has city of Nijmegen received advised that returning a passenger last week from passengers should stay in one of the evacuation flights quarantine, either in their that landed in the Netherhomes or in other facilities, lands and the person has ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MICHEL EULER for 42 days. He added that since tested positive for An ambulance enters the Bichat Hospital where a woman who tested positive for hantavirus WHO cannot enforce its hantavirus. guidance, and that differBlood and urine from the remains in intensive care, in Paris on Tuesday. ent countries may handle patient should have been director general. He added: American countries before pines. All were placed into the monitoring of passen- handled “according to a “But of course the situation boarding the cruise ship. quarantine, according to the gers without symptoms in stricter procedure,” the hosdifferent ways. pital said. could change, and given the The husband and wife later Dutch government. long incubation period of the died. virus, it’s possible we might Argentine officials have see more cases in the com- said the couple took a birdwatching tour that included ing weeks.”

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Voters could face delays for primary

BY CLAIRE TAYLOR

Staff writer

If you are one of the 47,000 Lafayette Parish residents registered no party and plan to vote in Saturday’s closed-party primary election for U.S. Senate, you will face a special process before being allowed to cast your ballot.

“We anticipate issues,” Lafayette Parish Clerk of Court Louis Perret said.

Voters across Louisiana will

go to the polls Saturday to select their choices for U.S. Senate, among other ballot items. With closed-primary elections, registered Republicans can vote only for a Republican and registered Democrats can vote only for a Democrat. Those registered no party can vote for either a Republican or a Democrat.

The same applies when voting for U.S. House of Representatives, but that election was canceled by Gov. Jeff Landry when the U.S. Supreme Court declared

the state’s congressional map unconstitutional.

On Saturday, each no-party voter, when signing in at their polling site, must declare whether they are voting in the Republican closed primary, the Democrat closed primary or as a no-party voter, Perret said.

They also must fill out a onepage form, Perret said, sign it and get the elections commissioner at the polling site to sign it.

Any no-party voter who does not declare which party they’re vot-

ing for will not be able to cast a vote in the Senate race on Saturday.

Another situation that may cause delays for voters Saturday, Perret said, are the 23,000 people in Lafayette Parish who haven’t updated their addresses and haven’t responded to attempts to contact them.

Voter rolls were canvassed per state law, where notices were sent to the last address for people who haven’t voted recently. Those who didn’t respond were purged from

voter rolls.

Those people will have to update their address at the polls Saturday, Perret said.

“We anticipate a long day and voter confusion,” Perret said.

“We’re asking the public to be patient.”

Also on Saturday’s ballot in Lafayette Parish are four state constitutional amendments and renewal of a 3.12-mill property tax that generates $8.89 million a year to operate Lafayette Parish libraries.

McNeese community interviews presidential semifinalists Three hopefuls pitch ideas for campus

BY MEGAN WYATT

Staff writer

The three semifinalists in the running to be the next president of McNeese State University each pitched their ideas during campus interviews Tuesday for how to improve the campus and strengthen student retention rates.

The three semifinalists are Dee Dee Anderson, vice chancellor for student life at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Wayne Brumfield, interim vice president for student affairs at Buffalo State University; and state Sen. Mike Reese, a Republican from Leesville. They fielded questions Tuesday from faculty, staff, students, alums and community members.

And on Wednesday, the presidential search committee will interview them and recommend finalists. The search comes after Wade Rousse, who was selected in 2024 as McNeese’s president, changed jobs late last year to become LSU’s president.

Anderson and Brumfield, the more traditional candidates who hold doctoral degrees and previously studied at Louisiana universities, spoke about their extensive experiences in higher education leadership, their love for the state and their desire to lead a smaller university like McNeese, which has roughly 6,500 students.

Reese, a less traditional candidate who holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and has no higher education work experience, spoke about how McNeese is uniquely positioned to meet the workforce demands for industries in southwest Louisiana. He suggested

ä See MCNEESE, page 4B

Topgolf begins layoffs across company Number of affected Lafayette employees unknown

BY ADAM DAIGLE

Acadiana business editor Topgolf has begun letting go of hundreds of employees companywide after earlier rounds of layoffs, multiple outlets are reporting.

Estimates are five layoffs at each location, with the affected positions including management and others tied to operations, events and customers experience, reports indicate.

Dallas Magazine first reported this story.

It’s unknown how many jobs were lost at the Lafayette location, which said it would employ 200 full- and part-time workers when it announced it would open near Costco in early 2023. Topgolf also has a Baton Rouge location.

As part of an incentive package with the Lafayette Economic Development Authority, the company would be awarded $50,000

ä See TOPGOLF, page 4B

STAFF PHOTOS By BRAD KEMP

Family and friends of Broussard Fire Department engineer Alex Bourque take part in a 150-year-old tradition of pushing a new truck back into the station during a dedication of the 107-foot aerial ladder truck in his honor at Broussard Fire Station No. 2 on Monday in Broussard.

Broussard dedicates truck Namesake was a former department member who died of cancer

BY JOEL THOMPSON Staff writer

The Broussard Fire Department welcomed a new ladder truck to its fleet Monday as part of a special ceremony that dedicated the vehicle to a former department member who lost his battle with cancer four years earlier.

Alex Bourque died May 11, 2022, from bone cancer. However, his legacy and impact have clearly remained within those who knew him.

“He left the world better than he found it,” said Deputy Chief Justin Denais, who serves as one of the Fire Department’s deputy chiefs. “Dedicating this truck to Alex will be a reminder that he rides with us every single day.”

Fire Chief Bryan Champagne fought back tears as he recounted Bourque’s legacy in the department.

“Cancer may have taken his life, but what it did not do is take away the impact he made on all of us here,” he said.

The dedication featured several symbolic gestures commemorating Bourque’s passing, including the ringing of the fire station bell four times to signify the fourth anniversary of his death.

Deacon Jules Breaux, of Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church, performed a blessing of the vehicle and fire department employees alongside members of Bourque’s family, who engaged in a ceremonial pushing of the truck into the station.

Members of Bourque’s family said they were appreciative of the gesture.

“It means a lot to us,” said brother Josh Bourque, who also works for the Fire Department. “It’s going to remind us of Alex when we see it.”

Each of Alex Bourque’s family members in attendance also received a commemorative plaque honoring the

Jenae Bourque, wife of late Broussard Fire Department engineer Alex Bourque, stands in the cab of the new fire truck with their children, Elliot, 7, and Zander, 4. occasion.

The vehicle features two decals, one bearing Bourque’s likeness and another that depicts a fire helmet with the phrase “never forget.”

The truck itself is also an important upgrade for the department, with specifications that match the growing

needs of the city. Broussard mayor Ray Bourque described the moment as “a proud day for the city of Broussard.”

“Alex was a wonderful young man,” the mayor went on to say. “He embodied dedication and virtue. Those are things I hope we can all learn from.”

2B ● Wednesday, May 13, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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OPINION T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M/opinions

OUR VIEWS

Shifting support in anti-DEI era puts HBCUs in peril

There can be no question that historically Black colleges and universities have for decades stood firm in supporting educational opportunity for a large swath of Louisiana’s population.

Would that we as a state stood as firm in our support for them.

The latest blow comes as the Board of Regents announced a change in the formula it uses to dole out money to the state’s colleges and universities. For the fiscal year starting July 1, it will no longer use a metric that gave schools credit for graduating students from races that generally have lower graduation rates than the rest of the population. The so-called “underrepresented minority completer” metric was scrapped to comply with the Trump administration’s executive order to end diversity, equity and inclusion programs among all federal contractors.

To us, it isn’t clear at all that this metric violates such orders, as it purportedly applies to any race whose graduation rates are low and any school that improves them, but that is an argument for another day. The preemptive dismantling of programs that benefit minority institutions by labeling them DEI deserves more scrutiny.

The immediate effects of this move are clear.

The Southern University System, which comprises five campuses and is the only historically Black university system in the country, stands to lose around $1.5 million based on estimates from fiscal year 2025, when its annual budget was $191.8 million. Grambling State University, part of the University of Louisiana System, will take the second largest hit, standing to lose $899,000.

We understand that higher education is under pressure. Several universities, facing harassment and investigations by the U.S. Department of Education, have abandoned their DEI-related policies altogether. The Board of Regents itself is facing an inquiry from the department, announced in February, over efforts to increase the number of underrepresented minorities receiving postsecondary credentials.

President Donald Trump and his administration used to tout their support for additional HBCU funding, but the frenzy to root out DEI undercuts that support.

Still, we do not have to turn our backs on these schools. There are things the state and its citizens can do.

We urge the Legislature to immediately approve the $19 million the Southern University System has requested for campus safety and infrastructure. We urge the Board of Regents to check its assumptions so it doesn’t fall into the trap of overcomplying with anti-DEI orders when no reason exists to do so. And we hope all who have the means will open their wallets and emulate noted philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, who has donated to our Louisiana HBCUs to an extraordinary degree.

Let’s not forget that these institutions have always welcomed all races without legislation forcing them to do so. Now that the Department of Education says it’s interested in treating everyone fairly without regard to race, it is a shame HBCUs could lose out.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE ARE OUR GUIDELINES: Letters are published

identifying name, occupation and/or title and the writer’s city of residence.

The Advocate | The Times-Picayune require a street address and phone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor, The Advocate, P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@ theadvocate.com.

YOUR VIEWS

Why preserving our wetlands is important

Humanitarian aid to Iran’s displaced needed In a recent article, Pope Leo spoke about not fearing President Donald Trump and his insistence on following the gospel’s call to protect the vulnerable. That same moral call should shape how we respond to the growing humanitarian crisis caused by the war in Iran.

The UN Refugee Agency estimates that about 3.2 million Iranians have been forced from their homes since the conflict escalated.

Families are sheltering in damaged buildings and overcrowded camps, often without reliable access to clean water, food or medical care. Many left behind jobs, schools and loved ones with only what they could carry. Children are facing interrupted education and trauma that will follow them long after the fighting ends.

Here in Louisiana, we know what it feels like to be displaced and to rely on others’ compassion. After hurricanes,

our communities depended on outside help for shelter, food and the chance to rebuild. For people in Iran today, international humanitarian aid plays that same life-saving role.

That is why I urge U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, a member of the Appropriations Committee’s foreign aid subcommittee, to support the highest possible level of funding for humanitarian aid. This support translates directly into shelter, medical supplies, food assistance and protection for civilians who have lost almost everything.

At a time when global crises are multiplying, the United States should not look away. New Orleans understands that in moments of disaster, the true measure of a society is whether it chooses to help. I hope our elected officials will choose to help now.

In Louisiana, one of the many things that protects residents from hurricanes is the coastal wetlands. However, with the rise of wetland loss, people in Louisiana have an increased susceptibility to negative effects on the economy and the environment.

Coastal wetlands are not just a defining geographical feature of Louisiana, but they are the barrier that helps protect communities and wildlife that must be preserved.

Some of the many benefits of coastal wetlands include reducing flooding, improving water quality and providing habitats for endangered species. Despite these many benefits, the rate of wetland loss in Louisiana has increased over the years. Approximately 450,000 acres of wetlands are projected to be lost by 2050. Wetland loss does not only mean loss of land, but also loss of communities, wildlife and the economy.

Coastal wetlands play an important role in flood prevention in Louisiana. This works through wetlands acting as a “giant sponge,” as the soil soaks up any excess water that is accumulated during a flood. Additionally, during hurricanes, wetlands act as a buffer between water and land; the wetland absorbs all the force of the water, preventing it from accumulating speed and height before it reaches developed areas like towns and cities.

It is important to preserve wetlands due to their contribution to improving the water quality in Louisiana. Wetlands retain and absorb pollutants and undergo disinfection due to UV radiation from the sun.

Louisiana policymakers must take immediate action to help protect and avoid any more wetland loss. To do this, increased funding for the restoration and conservation of coastal wetlands must be implemented. Finally, local and federal governments must collaborate with communities and public health agencies to help develop practical restoration plans.

NICOLE KORCHEV New Orleans

Post office needs more sustainable income It has come to my attention that the U.S. Postal Service is seeking to raise the price of a first-class stamp to 82 cents to address a severe financial crisis.

Without this increase, the USPS states it could run out of cash by February 2027.

The number of dollars this increase would generate is unknown, but, as we all know, it is only a temporary fix. Why go for a temporary fix when a more permanent fix could be initiated and possibly result in lowering the prices for some of the services they offer?

Currently, the USPS delivers mail to approximately 170 million individual delivery points for free.

Think of how much money could be

generated if a $1 a month fee were charged to each address receiving mail.

For those opting out of paying a fee, an assigned general delivery address at the closest post office in their area would become their new mailbox.

After traveling to their new assigned location and standing in line to receive their mail, the $1 fee would suddenly become reasonable.

Of course, it isn’t something that could happen overnight, but if the postmaster general had heeded my proposal years ago when I first, second and third presented it, the USPS wouldn’t be in the predicament it is now facing.

DEBBIE KEMP Clinton

Crime by illegal immigrants in an unfair media spotlight TO SEND US A LETTER, SCAN HERE

I have been wondering for a while why it is necessary for media, in print and online, to describe a suspect in a crime as an illegal immigrant, but if a suspect in a crime is an American citizen, it is never mentioned, so we must assume that he or she is an American citizen.

I am fine with removing illegal immigrants convicted of serious crimes to their country of origin as

the current law permits, but I find it offensive to differentiate in such an obvious manner when reporting the crime and the alleged perpetrator’s citizenship status.

I despise criminal behavior but wonder, proportionally, who is committing more crimes — American citizens or illegal immigrants?

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COMMENTARY No, Gov. Landry, equal rights are not extra rights Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry was quite proud of himself, landing a featured role in a CBS’ “60 Minutes” story about his efforts to lead Louisiana to a less diverse congressional delegation as swiftly as possible.

Landry got more than 15 minutes of fame. It came because he and our Republican-dominated state Legislature are moving quickly to take away the economic, political and social progress we’ve made. The guv had lots to say, but the one line that caught my attention and made me sit up was this: “In the United States, we get equal rights,” Landry Will said. “No one gets extra Sutton rights.”

That’s a problem. Equal in whose eyes? Extra in whose eyes?

Frankly, governor, when it comes to political representation, White people in Louisiana have “extra rights.” If White people make up about 55% of the state and Black people are about 33%, how does 55% of the population translate to a delegation that is two-thirds White?

This column isn’t long enough to provide a history lesson about equality and rights, but let’s start with the idea of opportunity.

U.S. Rep. Troy Carter has pointed out in recent days that there have been four Black members of Congress since Reconstruction, but there should have been five.

John Willis Menard should’ve been U.S. Rep. John Willis Menard.

He won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives with 68% of the vote in 1868.

That’s overwhelming by any political standard. But Congress refused to seat him, primarily because his opponent — the man who lost — said Congress wasn’t ready to include a Negro.

Congress chose to leave the seat vacant rather than have a duly elected Black man join them.

Louisiana first had two Black congres-

STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

From left, U.S. Rep. Cleo Fields, former U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond, former U.S. Rep. William Jefferson and U.S. Rep. Troy Carter testify on Louisiana’s redistricting efforts during a Senate & Governmental Affairs Committee meeting at the State Capitol on May 8. sional representatives when Cleo Fields and Bill Jefferson went to Washington from Baton Rouge and New Orleans, respectively, in the 1990s. Fields was elected to Congress in 1992, then lost the seat after a court order in 1996. Thirty years later, Fields returned to Congress. Now, he faces being sent home again, once more because of redistricting.

The U.S. Supreme Court recently issued a 6-3 ruling that gutted the Voting Rights Act, specifically Section 2, which provides guidelines and tests to better ensure that voting patterns aren’t discriminatory. The high court said that Louisiana’s congressional map — with two majority-Black districts — was unconstitutional. Landry immediately moved to get the Legislature to make a quick change.

Four draft congressional maps were being considered in the Legislature on Tuesday. One would include six Republican districts. Another would include five majority-White districts and one majorityBlack district, based in Baton Rouge. A third would include five majority-White districts and one majority-Black district, based in New Orleans. The fourth would include four majority-White districts and two majority-Black districts, one based in Baton Rouge and another based in New Orleans.

For months, some have whispered that a possible “compromise” might be a 5-1 Republican-Democratic map, one that might bring about a Fields-Carter challenge for one majority Black district, including Baton Rouge and New Orleans.

Fields and Carter are clear: Don’t choose.

“That’s what everybody wants to do.

They’re trying to pit us against each other,” Carter told me during a WBOK 1230 AM Good Morning Show program last month. “Here’s what we’re going to do: We’re going to fight for two seats. ….

We’re lock-step together. We’re going to go down this road. We’re going to fight for two seats.”

Fields agreed, ruling out the FieldsCarter battle. “I don’t know what the Legislature is going to do,” he added during the joint radio interview. “But I do know one thing: I have no desire to run for Congress against another African American congressman. I just don’t feel good about that.”

Fields and Carter said a 4-2 map is not only possible and reasonable, it can also meet all the constitutional principles outlined by the high court.

The high court took away the results test courts used to see the impact of racial discrimination, saying intent must be proven.

It’s hard to prove that someone intentionally hurt my feelings when I know I’m hurt. If this state and this nation want “equal rights,” even the playing field, stop giving White people a head start and let Black people compete with no guarantee.

The Supremes don’t want racial gerrymandering, only political gerrymandering.

Fields and Carter aren’t fighting for their political lives. They’re fighting for fair and just Black representation.

Black and White Democrats, Republicans and No Party voters should agree on fair representation and “equal rights” with a 4-2 congressional map.

That’s no guarantee. That’s an opportunity.

It ain’t extra.

Email Will Sutton at wsutton@ theadvocate.com.

ON THE BALLOT | CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS

La. would be more effective with Amendment 1 passage The goal of good government must Or perhaps those states recognize be the effective and efficient delivery that efficiency and effectiveness are of services for the benefit of citizens. not possible when, as in Louisiana, Without a doubt, voter approval of managers must operate under a burAmendment 1 on May 16 would be an densome bureaucracy. incremental step toward the Though opponents to achievement of that goal.

Amendment 1 suggest dire I have been in government consequences, nothing like service for many years, and that has materialized in other time and again I have heard states, nor in Louisiana’s own from agency heads that Louiunclassified agencies, which siana’s civil service system is Conrad include the Legislature, the attorney general’s office and so obstructive because it draAppel the Louisiana Military Departmatically restricts efforts to GUEST properly manage their staff. ment.

These agencies employ COLUMNIST In fact, as the votes on legislahundreds of non-civil service workers with good results. tive passage of Amendment 1 Public servants are the backbone demonstrate, legislators too believe of our government. Louisiana is forthat most agencies would rather move poorly performing employees tunate to have so many dedicated to proverbial “rubber rooms” rather long-term employees, classified and than ever trying to dismiss them. unclassified alike, whose expertise What does that say about the govern- and institutional knowledge are inment’s duty to its constituents to devaluable.

But that dedication makes our failliver effective and efficient services?

Amendment 1 simply allows the ure to reform all the more troubling.

Louisiana Legislature to define which State agencies continue to struggle state positions fall inside or outside with recruiting and retaining skilled of the state civil service system. workers, and one reason is that we Positions can be added or removed maintain a system in which producthrough the legislative process, tive employees must absorb the meaning with public debate, recordextra burden of protected but noted votes and accountability to voters. so-productive co-workers. Giving the Legislature authority to revisit The proposed changes sought in which positions should be classified Amendment 1 are the norm across creates exactly the kind of adaptive the nation. Forty-three of the 48 mechanism that good management states that maintain civil service practices require in order to function systems already give this authority as expected. to their legislatures. Of the remainOpposition to civil service reform ing two states with civil service, only Louisiana and Michigan place author- draws the same criticisms every time it is proposed, but policies similar ity exclusively in appointed boards.

One argument against Amendment to ours have been abandoned by so many other states, and their and our 1 is that it dismantles our civil service system. It does not. It just brings own history disproves the naysayers.

Louisiana in line with how most of the To guide our future, it is long past time that we turn away from what rest of the country already operates. we have always done, because I supImportantly, the 43 other states that place authority in their legislapose that is just what we have always done, and look to well-proven best tures have not, as opponents have practices. suggested, experienced a collapse The goal of government must be of employee protection or the mass effectiveness and efficiency, not the politicization of their workforce. If fear of challenging the status quo. anything, placing this power within a directly elected legislature rather than a board of nonelected appoinConrad Appel is a member of the Louisiana Board of Elementary and tees seems more democratic.

Secondary Education and a former Perhaps this is why almost every state senator. other state already does it this way.

Amendment 3 is good for teachers and for Louisiana The University of Louisiana at Lafayette educator can change the trajectory of is consistently among the state’s largest thousands of lives. Their examples shaped producers of teachers and school adminismy own commitment to higher education trators. Our graduates serve in early child- and continue to guide the way I think about Louisiana’s teachers and schools today. hood programs, elementary schools and That is why fiscal stability within Louihigh schools across nearly every parish and school district in Louisiana. They form siana’s education system matters and why the foundation of our state’s classAmendment 3 on the May 16 ballot has generated significant discussion rooms and help develop the skilled within the education community and workforce our economy requires. beyond.

Today’s teaching profession reAmendment 3 addresses longflects both extraordinary commitstanding retirement obligations. If ment and significant challenges.

Ramesh approved, the amendment would reMany talented students enter eduKolluru direct balances from three existing cation because they want to make a difference in children’s lives and constitutional education trust funds GUEST COLUMNIST to pay down a portion of the Teachstrengthen their communities.

Yet too many hesitate or leave the ers’ Retirement System of Louisiclassroom prematurely because of ana’s unfunded liability. By reducing concerns about compensation and career that debt, school systems would see lower sustainability. High turnover disrupts stuemployer retirement contribution costs.

I applaud Gov. Jeff Landry and memdent learning, strains school systems and ultimately affects student success. bers of the Louisiana Legislature for their The strength of Louisiana’s education sys- ongoing efforts to address teacher pay. If Amendment 3 is approved by voters, those tem is directly connected to the strength savings could create the opportunity for of Louisiana’s economy. Schools prepare the nurses, engineers, business owners and permanent salary increases — $2,250 for skilled professionals who sustain communi- teachers and certified personnel and $1,125 for eligible support staff — which could ties and drive economic growth across the provide a more stable source of compensastate. Behind many of those careers is a teacher who helped shape a student’s confi- tion over time.

The amendment could also affect how dence, direction and future. prospective educators view the long-term I have seen the impact of educators firststability of the profession. hand in my own life.

For universities like UL Lafayette that My mother had only an eighth grade train the next generation of teachers, polieducation before putting herself through college while raising my brother and me, cies related to compensation and fiscal stabecoming first a teacher, then a school prin- bility may influence enrollment, retention and student success. When students see a cipal. Throughout her career, she and my clearer and more stable financial path withfather quietly helped support many young people financially so they could continue in the profession, more may complete edutheir education. cation degrees and remain in classrooms When she passed away, thousands of across Louisiana. her former students came to pay their The influence of a great teacher extends respects. Many spoke about how she had far beyond a single classroom or school changed the course of their lives — not year. It can shape families, communities only through teaching, but through encour- and generations. Louisiana’s students deagement, support and belief in what they serve skilled, dedicated educators who can could become. focus on teaching rather than their own Until that moment, I did not fully underfinancial uncertainty. Future teachers destand the scale of her impact. serve a profession that values their contriAs a graduate student at UL, I saw that butions with reliable, long-term support. same quiet investment in others reflected And communities across Louisiana deby then-President Ray P. Authement, who serve schools that are stable, strong and took time to personally encourage people prepared to serve the next generation. like me and so many others.

My mother and Dr. Authement reinforced Ramesh Kolluru is the president of the something I have believed ever since: One University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

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New monitors reveal smaller earthquakes in North La. Federal seismometers were installed in March

BY ADAM DUVERNAY

Staff writer

New earthquake monitors in northwest Louisiana are revealing more details and data on regional shaking than was previously possible.

Federal earthquake trackers installed and upgraded seismometers in northwest Louisiana after a magnitude 4.9 quake rattled the Coushatta area in March.

Ever since, small quakes that were previously easy to miss are being recorded, and data about them is becoming more reliable.

The U.S. Geological Survey maintains a public, realtime map of the world onto which geophysicists post incoming data on earthquakes, but its accuracy is constrained by available data.

Data in northwest Louisiana, until recently, largely came from monitors far away from the epicenters.

The March 5 magnitude 4.9 quake caught the attention of USGS researchers, who deployed a team of technicians to set up new monitors and to upgrade existing seismic stations to transmit data wirelessly.

Now, much smaller earthquakes are being identified and added to the map.

“By putting in the additional stations, we’re able to see more small earthquakes,” said USGS research geophysicist Justin Rubinstein. “We are putting in an effort to look for these smaller earthquakes … We have an interest from both the media as well as state and local government.”

From Dec. 4, 2018, to March 4, the USGS recorded 31 earthquakes on its map with epicenters in Louisiana, north of Natchitoches and between the Texas state line and Ruston. The majority were at or above magnitude 2.5, below which threshold quakes usually aren’t added to the map.

Between March 5 and May 8, USGS has mapped 41 earthquakes in northwest Louisiana, many of which were below magnitude 2.5.

The most recent small

quake in northwest Louisiana uploaded to the USGS map was on May 3, a magnitude 1.3. It was one of 27 earthquakes smaller than magnitude 2.5 added to the map since March 9, the Monday following the weekend during which the new monitors were installed.

Between 2000 and May 4, USGS added eight earthquakes in northwest Louisiana below magnitude 2.5, the smallest being magnitude 2.1.

Rubinstein said northwest Louisiana is now an area of interest for USGS, so its more recent earthquakes of any size are of interest enough to undergo the manual analysis required to have them mapped. Older earthquakes below the magnitude 2.5 threshold in northwest Louisiana appearing on the USGS map, he said, were more likely initially registered by their automatic equipment as larger before that review process.

“The only earthquakes that we publish are earthquakes that have been manually reviewed. Normally, we just process earthquakes that are 2.5, 3 or bigger,” Rubinstein said. “Sometimes our

automatic solutions make an earthquake look big, so the human will go process it. If it turns out to be a 2.1 or a 1.5, we’ve already done the work on the earthquake, so there’s no reason not to publish it.”

The new monitors are also capturing better data on the earthquakes’ epicenters, revealing clusters of small quakes in new places.

Before the new monitors were installed, the USGS map over the last two years showed earthquakes were happening largely in two areas of northwest Louisiana: Mooringsport and Coushatta. The Mooringsport area hasn’t seen a quake since early 2025, but Coushatta remains active.

Between March 5 and May 8, USGS recorded on its map 12 earthquakes north of Coushatta, including the magnitude 4.9 quake and its related shocks, and two more nearby west of Red River. But between those dates, the map now shows earthquakes in nearby areas it hasn’t before.

The map now shows since March 5 another 12 earthquakes have occurred southwest of the Coushatta

area around Interstate 49.

The largest was a magnitude 2.6 on April 9 about 7 miles west of Coushatta; the smallest was a magnitude 1.3 on May 3.

The map also shows a cluster of 11 earthquakes since March 5 further south on the I-49 corridor, about 3 miles west of Powhatan, which is north of Natchitoches. The biggest of them was a magnitude 2.6 about 8 miles west of Powhatan and the smallest was a magnitude 1.8.

Additionally, the USGS map shows there were four quakes smaller than a magnitude 2.5 since March 5 in areas west of Ringgold.

Northwest Louisiana’s modern geological history is not prone to earthquakes.

Their emergence in recent years may be linked to oil and gas activity, specifically the disposal of briny wastewater by injecting it deep in the ground, through a phenomenon known as “induced seismicity.”

“The recent increase in earthquakes in the central United States is primarily caused by disposal of waste fluids that are a byproduct of oil production,” the USGS

website states. “Wastewater disposal wells typically operate for longer durations and inject much more fluid than is injected during the hydraulic fracturing process, making them more likely to induce earthquakes.

In Oklahoma, which has the most induced earthquakes in the United States, 2% of earthquakes can be linked to hydraulic fracturing operations.”

The EPA now is asking Louisiana to more closely monitor wastewater injection.

Rubinstein, who leads the USGS research group on induced earthquakes, said the study into the nature of northwest Louisiana quakes is ongoing.

“This is a work in progress. There is definitely evidence that these earthquakes could be induced.

There’s obviously lots of oil and gas activity in the area, which of course is not the only criteria that we need to determine whether these earthquakes are induced,” Rubinstein said.

Email Adam Duvernay at adam.duvernay@ theadvocate.com.

Massive fire destroys Missing elderly Opelousas Carencro mechanic shop man found deceased

BY KRISTIN ASKELSON Staff writer

A mechanic shop in Carencro was destroyed Monday morning after a fire sparked by fuel fumes caused the building’s roof to collapse, authorities said.

The fire was reported about 11:30 a.m. at a commercial building on Thoroughbred Drive, according to the Carencro Fire Department. Firefighters arriving at the scene found the metal mechanic shop fully engulfed in flames, with thick black smoke

visible from nearby neighborhoods.

Carencro Fire Chief David Mouton said the fire appears to have started while a worker was cleaning car parts using a mixture of gasoline and diesel fuel.

According to officials, fumes from the mixture were ignited while a drill was being used to remove screws, causing the fire to spread rapidly through the building.

“The roof itself has collapsed,” Mouton told KADN, adding that Lafayette Consolidated Government sent heavy equip-

ment to help crews remove metal debris so firefighters could reach flames still burning underneath.

The Carencro, Lafayette and Scott fire departments responded to the blaze.

Because of the collapse, crews initially focused on protecting nearby buildings before mounting a defensive attack on the fire, officials said.

One person near the cleaning bin suffered minor flash burns but declined medical treatment, authorities said.

No other injuries were reported.

Staff report

A missing elderly Opelousas man who was the subject of a statewide Silver Alert has been located deceased.

Lee Darbonne, 81, was discovered missing about 10:30 a.m. Monday from his Opelousas residence, according to Louisiana State Police.

A Silver Alert was issued Tuesday with his description, saying he suffered

Darbonne was deceased, from a medical condition that may impair his judg- Guidroz said. ment.

State Police released the description of his car and LOTTERY license plate number.

St. Landry Parish Sheriff MONDAY, MAY 11, 2026 Bobby Guidroz reported PICK 3: 5-9-9 Tuesday afternoon that PICK 4: 3-9-0-7 Darbonne’s vehicle left the PICK 5: 3-8-4-2-4 Interstate 49 frontage road POWERBALL: 24-30-37during the night.

The vehicle, covered by 56-64 (7) dense foliage, was found Unofficial notification, Tuesday by an employee of keep your tickets. a local business.

N O R T H A M ER I CA’S

MCNEESE

Continued from page 1B money from the state and corporations could help in that realm.

Anderson, a Pineville native, attended Louisiana Tech University and has a doctorate in educational leadership. She has served in a number of higher education roles at Louisiana Tech, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, the University of Southern Mississippi and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

“I feel like this has been leading up to a presidential role,” Anderson told alums and community members Tuesday. “I’ve had lots of strong experiences, both in the classroom and managing the institution and in working with outside constituents — those two halves of the whole that I’ve talked about a lot in my answers.”

If selected, Anderson would be the first woman to serve as president of McNeese. She also shared that has a 10-pound Chihuahua mix named Sandwich and enjoys tap dancing.

“Of course, I would be really honored,” Anderson said. “It would be just a great opportunity to represent the institution, but also to be a groundbreaker. And I feel confident that I have the skills.”

Brumfield, a Hammond native, has a doctorate in educational leadership and

TOPGOLF

Continued from page 1B per year as an incentive to employ at least 100 fulltime workers from the local area, have a combined payroll of $3 million and offer basic health insurance, according to LEDA’s 2023

research and counseling from LSU. He’s also worked for several colleges, including Southeastern Louisiana University, LSU at Eunice, the University of Louisiana at Monroe, the State University of New York at New Paltz, California State Polytechnic University and Buffalo State University.

“Academic excellence is important to me,” Brumfield said. “Rigor is important. Student life is important. Engagement is important. Retention is important.

And I say all the time, and I’ve been saying for years, we can recruit all day, but if we can’t retain the students we’re recruiting, then that work is in vain.”

If selected, Brumfield would be the university’s first permanent Black president.

He shared that he loves cooking and singing — and even sang a few verses of Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” during an interview.

“It’s a privilege to just be here, to be a semifinalist,” Brumfield said. “And if I am selected, I will be the president for the university, and I believe that we have to create avenues for access and success for students from all backgrounds.”

Reese, a Vernon Parish native, is a graduate of University of Louisiana at Monroe, where he served as the student body president and earned a bachelor’s in business administration, finance and commercial banking.

Since 2001, he has been a

managing partner and CEO at Reese Companies.

He has also served on several boards and committees, including the Central Louisiana Economic Development Alliance, the Louisiana Student Financial Assistance Commission and the Rapides Foundation. Reese has represented portions of Beauregard, Calcasieu, Rapides and Vernon parishes in the Louisiana State Senate since 2019.

“We’ve got to take advantage of the fact that we have the fastest growing economy in the state of Louisiana right here in southwest Louisiana,” Reese said. “We need somebody to connect with those industries, help those industries understand how their investments in the university will return in the labor force that they’re looking for to support their businesses.”

If selected, Reese would follow in the role of his predecessor, Rousse, who had a less traditional academic background before becoming a university president.

Reese also shared that he enjoys spending time on Toledo Bend and can balance for about 200 yards on water skis.

“McNeese is in this really unique opportunity to explore a nontraditional leader because they’ve already developed these great institutional leaders,” Reese said. “You’ve got all that expertise covered, and what we’ve got to do is enhance our external affairs.”

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LEDA has made one $50,000 payment, records show. It earlier paid a $110,000 incentive payment to Topgolf in 2023 for meeting its construction goal.

The layoffs follow the company selling a majority stake of its ownership to a private equity firm months ago, a move that was an-

nounced in November.

Tariffs have also cut into the company’s revenue, including $34 million reported last year. The company’s net income in 2025 fell to $38.8 million, down from $93.4 million in 2024.

Email Adam Daigle at adaigle@theadvocate. com.

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Cajuns to host Coastal in pivotal SBC series

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

STAFF FILE PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

LSU football coach Lane Kiffin speaks during a news conference on Feb. 4 at the LSU football operations facility.

Stoking the fire

Kiffin turned up the heat in already-hot LSU, Ole Miss rivalry with comments in Vanity Fair Back in December when LSU hired Lane Kiffin, I wrote that the “Lane Kiffin Experience may be like nothing ever before.”

Change that word “may” to “will.”

The Tigers’ new football coach has once again found himself broiling in a hot yoga studio of his own making, this time over quotes from a cover story profile of him in Vanity Fair.

In that article, Kiffin referred to experience with recruits at that Scott place” he coached (his frequent Rabalais “last reference to Ole Miss) who would sometimes (not every time) say their families had misgivings about them playing/living in Mississippi because of the state’s fraught history with civil rights. Kiffin went on to say recruits’ families didn’t express the same misgivings about Baton Rouge and LSU because of the diversity in the city and on the campus. “ ‘We want that for our kid because that’s the real world,’ ” Kiffin said in the Vanity Fair piece, requoting the recruits’ families talking about LSU. Kiffin did a follow-up interview with our former

ä See RABALAIS, page 3C

LSU coach addresses comments on recruiting Black players to Ole Miss

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

LSU coach Lane Kiffin offered an apology on Tuesday for what he said to Vanity Fair recently about the challenges of recruiting Black players while he was the coach at Ole Miss.

In his initial comments to Vanity Fair, Kiffin said that family members of top recruits would sometimes express reservations about letting their sons live in Mississippi, given the state’s checkered racial past and its reluctance to distance itself from certain symbols. Players’ parents, Kiffin said, have not been expressing that sentiment about Baton Rouge since he’s been in charge of the Tigers’ football program.

“I really apologize if anybody at Ole Miss or in Mississippi was offended by that,” Kiffin told On3.

“In a four-hour interview, I was asked a lot of questions on a lot of things, and Ole Miss has been

“I really apologize if anybody at Ole Miss or in Mississippi was offended by that.”

There’s a lot riding on UL’s Sun Belt Conference series against Coastal Carolina, starting at 6 p.m. Thursday at Russo Park.

For starters, there’s the league standings.

The Chanticleers (34-17, 20-7) have lost three of their past four SBC games and have a one-game lead on Southern Miss (37-14, 19-8) in the Sun Belt’s regularseason race.

“All of a sudden, they lost a game to Georgia Southern and then (lose a series to Old Dominion),” UL coach Matt Deggs ä Coastal said. “Now here comes Carolina Southern Miss, so now at UL. 6 P.M. there’s a lot to play for THURSDAy, ESPN+ everybody.”

Meanwhile, the Ragin’ Cajuns (32-20, 14-13) would like to secure at least a top-six finish to get a first-round bye next week at the Sun Belt Tournament in Montgomery, Alabama.

Marshall, Texas State and Old Dominion are in a three-way tie for seventh place — one game behind the Cajuns at 13-14.

The Cajuns’ magic number to secure a spot in the tournament is one. To be left home, UL would have to get swept and multiple teams below the Cajuns would have to sweep their opponents, but it is mathematically possible.

With three series left, Deggs said he figured the Cajuns had to go 5-4. So far, UL is 5-1 and hoping for more.

“We’ve hit that,” Deggs said. “We’ve won five already with a chance for more against a really good ball club.

“I wish we were fighting to win the

ä See CAJUNS, page 3C

LANE KIFFIN, LSU coach wonderful to me and to my family. I was asked questions about the differences in recruiting, and I said a narrative that we battled there from some out-of-state Black parents and grandparents was not wanting their kid to move to Mississippi. That’s a narrative that coaches have been fighting forever. It wasn’t calculated by bringing it up.”

Kiffin’s remarks quickly went viral on Monday, straining the already tense relationship he has with Ole Miss. He spent six seasons with the Rebels, then left them in November before their

ä See KIFFIN, page 3C

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

UL’s Steven Spalitta, who also plays catcher, has gotten some time in the outfield in the past week because of injuries.

Scheffler looking to ditch ‘bridesmaid’ label

After three runner-up finishes, star player set for PGA Championship

BY DOUG FERGUSON AP golf writer

NEWTOWN SQAURE, Pa. — Scottie Scheffler is the reigning champion at the PGA Championship and feeling like a bridesmaid over the past month.

Runner-up to Rory McIlroy at the Masters. Playoff loss to Matt Fitzpatrick at the RBC Heritage.

Runner-up (by six shots) to Cameron Young at Doral.

“Last week my wife was like, ‘Hey, Scottie. You’re like the first guy in PGA Tour history to have three solo runner-ups in a row.’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, it’s probably because the guy that was playing that good figured out a way to win one of those,’ ” Scheffler said Tuesday.

It hasn’t put much of a dent in his confidence going into the second major of the year. Scheffler is fierce when it comes to competiASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CAROLyN KASTER tion, hates losing even in friendly matches with his caddie and still Scottie Scheffler hits from the bunker on the third green during a PGA has come to appreciate that winChampionship practice round at Aronimink Golf Club on Tuesday in ning isn’t always easy.

Newtown Square, Pa. Scheffler is hoping to repeat as champion.

He has a firm hold on the No. 1

ä PGA Championship.

NOON THURSDAy, ESPN

world ranking — he is approaching three straight years at the top of golf — despite not winning since his season debut in the California desert.

“You know you’re playing good golf, and you’d love to get some wins,” he said. “Finishing second hurts, but I think when you reflect and you’re looking at things to work on, there’s a lot less to clean up when you’re finishing second than there is when you’re finishing 30th.”

Not that he has a lot of experience with the latter — Scheffler hasn’t finished 30th or worse since August 2024.

To end that run of silver medal this week at Aronimink would allow him to join Brooks Koepka (2018-19) and Tiger Woods (199900 and 2006-07) as the only players to win back-to-back in the PGA Championship in stroke play.

In his way is a course has plenty

of room off the tee and little room for error when it comes to hitting the correct spot on the large, severely contoured greens.

He also faces the strongest field of the four majors, with 98 of the top 100 in the world, which includes the last three players to beat him — McIlroy (No. 2), Young (No. 3) and Fitzpatrick (No. 4).

McIlroy came up to Aronimink two weeks ago for a peek at the course he had not played since the BMW Championship in 2018, when it was so soft and mushy from rain that the event couldn’t finish until Monday. The hope this week is for minimal rain and firm, dry conditions.

“For the most part, it should be a bit drier, which really brings out the character of the greens,” McIlroy said. “The greens seem to be the big defense and the big talking point of the golf course.”

McIlroy had his practice round cut short on Tuesday with a blister on his right toe that was causing

ä See SCHEFFLER, page 3C

2C ● Wednesday, May 13, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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LSU to host ‘College GameDay’ Kickoff times, TV set for Clemson, Ole Miss games

BY REED DARCEY

Staff writer

LSU football has another highprofile season opener this coming season, and ESPN wants its signature college football show to be there for it.

The network announced Tuesday that “College GameDay” is headed to Baton Rouge for the Tigers’ Week 1 showdown against Clemson, which is set to kick off at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 5 in Tiger Stadium (ABC). That matchup, which is the second half of the two programs’ home-and-home series, will double as coach Lane Kiffin’s LSU debut.

In 2025, LSU opened its season with a 17-10 win at Clemson. It was coach Brian Kelly’s first sea-

son-opening win of his tenure in Baton Rouge, but it didn’t propel the Tigers into the College Football Playoff like he hoped it would.

The school fired him only eight games — and three losses — later, then named Kiffin his successor in late November.

Clemson also had a disappointing year. Coach Dabo Swinney’s Tigers finished their 2024 season with 10 wins and a CFP berth, but they tumbled to 7-6 in 2025. They wrapped the year with a loss to Penn State in the Pinstripe Bowl.

LSU has opened each of the past six seasons against power-conference opponents. Its 2026 campaign will be the first in which it plays nine SEC games. The Tigers’ other two nonconference foes are Louisiana Tech (Sept. 12) and McNeese State (Oct. 3).

The most anticipated matchup of LSU’s 2026 slate is its SEC opener: a Sept. 19 road clash with Ole Miss. That game will be Kiffin’s first in Oxford, Mississippi,

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By JACOB KUPFERMAN

LSU running back Caden Durham runs with the ball in the first half against Clemson on Aug. 30 in Clemson, S.C. since he left the Rebels ahead of their CFP run in November, and it will kick off at 6:30 p.m. on ABC, ESPN revealed Tuesday.

“College GameDay” last visited Baton Rouge in November 2024 before LSU’s 42-13 loss to Alabama. Its next trip to LSU’s cam-

BY CHRIS BURROWS Associated Press

ASSOIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By RICK SCUTERI

Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss throws during the Fiesta Bowl against Miami on Jan. 8 in Glendale, Ariz. current LSU coach Lane Kiffin’s successor.

“I do think it’s really important for them to get away from it,” Golding said. “They need a reset.”

Perhaps no player could appreciate a break more than Chambliss, who’d won a Division II national title in 2024 but remained relatively unknown before Ole Miss QB Austin Simmons was sidelined by an ankle injury. Elevated into a starting role, Chambliss debuted by leading the Rebels to a 41-35 home win over Arkansas.

By the time the season ended in a last-second, CFP semifinal loss to Miami, the dual-threat Chambliss had totaled more than 3,900 yards and accounted for 30 touchdowns.

The Rebels finished 13-2 and

pus will be its 500th road broadcast in show history.

On3 was first to report the news on Tuesday on that the show was coming to LSU-Clemson.

Email Reed Darcey at reed. darcey@theadvocate.com.

ranked No. 4 in the final Associated Press Top 25. Along the way were a handful of victories over ranked teams, including Tulane and Georgia in the CFP. Chambliss routinely produced explosive, clutch plays, overcoming his less-than-ideal size (6-foot-1, 200 pounds) and emerging from a relative obscurity in ways that captured fans’ imagination.

NIL endorsements, estimated at $1.5 million by On3, followed.

AT&T, for example, traded off Chambliss’ transfer story, stylish demeanor and puckish smile.

Another big win for Chambliss came off the field after a threemonth legal challenge that resulted in an additional year of eligibility. The ruling became a big win for Ole Miss when Chambliss opted to stay in Oxford.

“It was very stressful,” Chambliss said shortly after the Mississippi Supreme Court denied the final appeal by the NCAA in March.

“I knew I was going to play football somewhere, either the NFL or here (Ole Miss), but not knowing was tough. I knew whatever happened was in God’s hands, but it was still tough.”

The decision to remain at Ole Miss was less difficult.

“You know, when I visited Oxford from Ferris State, I really liked it here and wasn’t promised anything about being the quarterback,” Chambliss said. “The thing that helped was my parents really liked it here, too, on the visit. We’ve been treated great and once Ole Miss decided to go with PG (Pete Golding), we wanted to stay.”

While Chambliss takes his hiatus from Oxford, the Ole Miss media department intends to organize a Heisman Trophy campaign. Chambliss finished eighth in last year’s voting and has been listed with preseason front-runners Arch Manning of Texas and C.J. Carr of Notre Dame.

Ole Miss has a solid track record with quarterbacks in the Heisman Trophy race, with five – Charlie Conerly, Jake Gibbs, Archie Manning (twice) and Eli Manning — finishing in the top five.

The Rebels also have produced other prominent NFL quarterbacks, including 2025 first-round pick Jaxson Dart of the New York Giants.

Thunder says it isn’t perfect, but record disagrees

BY GREG BEACHAM

AP sportswriter

LOS ANGELES — The Oklahoma City Thunder insists it hasn’t been perfect during their NBA title defense.

Its record at the playoffs’ halfway point disagrees.

The Thunder completed its second straight series sweep of the spring Monday night when it held off the resilient Lakers 115-110 in Game 4 of the second round.

Oklahoma City went 8-0 against LeBron James and the Lakers this season — and the defending champs are also 8-0 in these playoffs after back-to-back routs of Phoenix and Los Angeles.

Sure, coach Mark Daigneault can see areas for improvement and problems to be solved. MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander warns that the job is far from finished.

Yet the Thunder are unquestionably the class of the sport with this playoff streak following their dominant regular season as they seek the NBA’s first back-toback championships since Golden State did it 2017 and 2018.

General manager Sam Presti’s merciless machine is looking fairly unbeatable as it heads to the Western Conference finals for

the second straight year and the sixth time in the past 16 seasons.

“We’ve done our job so far, that’s all it really means,” GilgeousAlexander said. “We’ve gone out there, we’ve executed, we played at a high level and we’ve been able to win eight tough games against really good opponents. That’s all it really means. And nothing is guaranteed. In the playoffs, no two games are the same, especially when you change opponents. So the challenges are all coming up, I guess you can say.”

The next challenge is a date with either the San Antonio Spurs or the Minnesota Timberwolves in the conference finals — after several more days of rest than those teams, which were tied heading to Game 5 on Tuesday night.

But whoever emerges from that rock fight of a series will face the NBA’s biggest challenge in the smooth, relentless Thunder, who appear to be operating on an even higher level than it reached last season while winning the title.

“We’ve been very, very good,” Daigneault said. “I thought we had more lapses tonight than we had had in previous games, so we have to learn from that. Obviously we have to play better in more of the 48 minutes, but I also think the

The Saints have given Brock Rechsteiner a reason to put his wrestling career on hold.

Rechsteiner, the son of WWE Hall of Famer Scott Steiner (Big Poppa Pump), signed with the Saints after the undrafted wide receiver impressed at the team’s rookie minicamp. The 6-foot-2, 225-pounder spent four seasons at Jacksonville State, catching 52 passes for 630 yards and seven touchdowns.

Rechsteiner has said that he plans to pursue wrestling after football, but wanted to fulfill his dream of playing in the NFL first.

As a corresponding move, the Saints placed guard Nick Saldiveri on reserve/physically unable to perform, meaning he’ll be required to miss the 2026 season.

Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke dies at 29

Ole Miss QB Chambliss is ready to recharge OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss is ready to “disappear” for a while.

Having spent the previous eight months under college football’s media microscope, the sixth-year senior smiled when reporters asked about his summer plans once spring practice wrapped up.

“I’m looking forward to it,” he said.

For Chambliss, the spring session finished with a weekend meet-and-greet fan function before a weeklong session of spring drills that were closed to reporters.

Chambliss planned to return with family to his childhood hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he was expected to make personal appearances and speeches at school functions.

Chambliss regularly touts his hometown roots, his experience at Division II Ferris State and an opportunity to “give back and tell (schoolchildren) if I can make it, you can make it.”

Coach Pete Golding said he encouraged all Ole Miss players to give themselves a break from football following spring football and exams.

“I told them I didn’t want to see them for a few weeks,” said Golding, who is heading into his first regular season as a head coach after going 2-1 in the College Football Playoff last season as

Saints sign son of WWE Hall of Famer Steiner

wind is going to be in your face in a playoff game for different reasons at different times, and you’ve got to be able to recenter.

I thought we did that exceptionally well.”

The Thunder had never swept back-to-back playoff series, and neither did the Seattle SuperSonics before it.

The Lakers got blown out by Oklahoma City three times before managing one close game.

The Thunder trailed in a fourth quarter for the first time in these playoffs, and its five-point win was the smallest of the spring.

But the Thunder rallied, as it almost always does.

Gilgeous-Alexander scored nine of his 35 points in the fourth quarter. Ajay Mitchell, the backup guard who has become a star in Jalen Williams’ injury absence, poured in 10 of his career playoffhigh 28 in the same period. Chet Holmgren had arguably the biggest baskets of all, including a goahead dunk with 32.8 seconds left.

The Thunder celebrated a closeout quarter that seemed to feature a big play from everybody who touched the court. A few minutes later, it was back to business.

“Everything that we’ve done so far is behind us,” Gilgeous-Alex-

ander said. “We still have a huge target on. We have two more series to win to reach our ultimate goal, and that’s what we’re focused on.”

Los Angeles coach JJ Redick and his staff appeared to have a surprising, effective game plan to harass the Thunder’s scorers — and yet it didn’t make much of an impact on the scoreboard at all.

Daigneault found teachable moments during his team’s demolition of the Lakers, who sent double-teams at Gilgeous-Alexander and other ball-handlers at a rate they hadn’t seen since the Thunder’s playoff series with Denver a year ago.

In perhaps the most dismaying aspect of this series for the Thunder’s future opponents, it’s learned and improved from the Lakers’ meager successes.

“It really had us having to sharpen our attacks, but I thought we did a great job of that,” Daigneault said. “Down the stretch, we had some big-time plays (with) high-lows, traps, and we had a dunk for Chet. That was a great attack, and I just thought we showed great execution of that. So I think we’re a lot better in that area than we were coming into the series.”

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke has died, the team, his agency and the NBA said Tuesday. He was 29.

Neither the Grizzlies nor Clarke’s agency, Priority Sports, provided any details about when, where or how Clarke died.

“We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of Brandon Clarke. Brandon was an outstanding teammate and an even better person whose impact on the organization and the greater Memphis community will not be forgotten,” the Grizzlies said in a statement. “We express our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones during this difficult time.”

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver expressed sympathies to Clarke’s family and friends and the Grizzlies organization.

Broncos to play Chiefs in Monday Night Football opener

NEW YORK — The Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs will play Sept. 14 in the first game of ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” schedule.

Where that game will be played was not part of Tuesday morning’s announcement. The location has not been determined yet with the NFL still finalizing things ahead of Thursday night’s 2026 season schedule release.

Another unknown is whether two-time NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes will be available for the Chiefs’ season opener. His goal is to be ready for Week 1. The Chiefs quarterback tore the ACL and LCL in his left knee on Dec. 14 in the final minutes of a loss to the Chargers, which effectively eliminated the Chiefs from playoff contention.

Warriors coach Kerr signs 2-year contract extension

SAN FRANCISCO — Steve Kerr has signed his new two-year contract to remain coach of the Golden State Warriors.

The team made the announcement Tuesday after Kerr reached agreement on a deal last weekend.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue coaching this team,” Kerr said in a statement. “This organization has meant so much to me for the last 12 years — from ownership to our players, our staff and our fans — and it’s an incredible privilege to be a part of something so special. I’m excited to keep competing with this group.”

The 2015-16 NBA Coach of the Year, Kerr has a career record of 604-353 and a 104-48 playoff mark, with Golden State winning its last championship in 2022.

Missouri RB Hardy released from hospital after shooting

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Star Missouri running back Ahmad Hardy has been released from the hospital and will soon be back on the University of Missouri campus following the gunshot wound he suffered over the weekend, a team official told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

From a health standpoint, that’s positive news for the 20-year-old who underwent emergency surgery Sunday after he was shot in the leg early that morning.

There’s still no clarity over whether Hardy will be able to play for the Tigers in 2026. Team officials have emphasized that it’s far too early to know Hardy’s status for the season.

Details are still sparse regarding the circumstances of the shooting outside of a Laurel, Mississippi, club that left Hardy and one other person injured.

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Wednesday, May 13, 2026 ● 3C

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Saints could play Packers or Steelers in Paris

BY JEFF DUNCAN Staff writer

The Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers have emerged as possible candidates to be the New Orleans Saints’ opponent for their game in Paris this season, multiple sources said Tuesday.

While the league has not announced the date or Saints’ opponent for the game, multiple sources said the game will be played Sunday, Oct. 25 at Stade de France.

The NFL is expected to formally announce the date and opponent for the game Wednesday, when it reveals its full slate of international

games.

Media reports in February indicated the Cleveland Browns would serve as the Saints’ opponent for the game, which will be the first NFL contest in France as part of the NFL’s nine-game International Series for the 2026 season. Saints owner Gayle Benson denied those reports at the time, saying the opponent had not been determined by NFL officials.

Instead, it could be a multiple-time Super Bowl champion like Green Bay or Pittsburgh.

Packers president Ed Policy said at the NFL owners meeting in March that the Packers were being considered as the opponent for

both the Saints game in Paris and the Detroit Lions game in Munich. On Tuesday, he told a Wisconsin-based podcast that he has learned Green Bay is no longer an option for the Lions game.

A league source independently confirmed Tuesday to the Times-Picayune that the Packers will not play in the Munich game.

“My understanding is (the Lions game) is not going to happen,” Policy said to Cheesehead TV. “I can confirm that. The only other possibility is the Saints.

They are hosting a game in Paris, and I have not heard one way or the other about that.”

Another social media ac-

count specializing in schedule leaks said late Tuesday the Steelers would be the Saints’ opponent.

The game is technically one of nine home games on the Saints’ 2026 schedule.

If the Packers are the opponent and not the Browns, the Saints would lose a home game against a potential NFC playoff contender, which could prove costly if the game factored into playoff tiebreaker procedures.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced the Saints’ participation in the game at his state-of-theleague news conference before Super Bowl LX in San Francisco.

The NFL has targeted Par-

RABALAIS

Continued from page 1C colleague Wilson Alexander, now a national college football writer with On3. com, apologizing to folks in Ole Miss and Mississippi, though not venturing all the way down the road to contrition.

“That’s a narrative that coaches have been fighting forever” at Ole Miss, Kiffin told On3. “It wasn’t calculated by bringing it up.”

I wrote it before, write it again now, and will, I’m sure, do so in the future, but very few people who know of Kiffin have neutral opinions of him. Here are a few of mine when it comes to this latest episode: ■ Ole Miss folks don’t like to admit it, but their athletic programs, school and state have been haunted by issues over race for decades. I have no evidence but little doubt Kiffin had the conversations with recruits families like the ones he talked about in Vanity Fair. The team’s nickname, Rebels, is a direct reference to the Confederacy, after all.

■ That said, for Kiffin to say that now that he’s at LSU is something out of the “glass houses” department.

LSU’s nickname, “Fighting Tigers,” is one given to a Louisiana Confederate unit during the Civil War. And Louisiana is one of several states controversially now considering redrawing its congressional map to the point it could eliminate the state’s two majority Black

SCHEFFLER

Continued from page 1C some discomfort last week at the Truist Championship.

Not since Jordan Spieth in 2015 has anyone captured the first two majors of the season, and McIlroy has a chance to do that. The majors have become his focus of late, especially now that he finally has the career Grand Slam from winning the Masters a year ago.

McIlroy and Spieth are in

CAJUNS

Continued from page 1C league this weekend, but I’m proud of the fight that we’ve shown.”

UL enters the weekend with a 48 RPI, while the Chanticleers are No. 25. The series winner will get an RPI bump.

The Cajuns are juggling solutions to the recent injuries of second baseman Rigoberto Hernandez and left fielder Mark Collins.

The weekend ended with Lee Amedee (.310, four HRs, 40 RBIs) at first base and Owen Galt (.167, HR, four RBIs) at second base, but circumstance could alter that during the upcoming series.

Coastal Carolina star pitcher Cameron Flukey — a preseason first-team AllAmerican — has struggled to get back to form after missing most of the season with a rib injury.

In his three appearances since returning, he’s allowed 10 runs on 11 hits, two walks

STAFF FILE PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

LSU coach Lane Kiffin looks on during the first day of spring practice on March 24 at the LSU football operations center. districts.

■ I think Kiffin really wants to be liked — and if that’s impossible considering the way he left Ole Miss, at least appreciated — for making the Rebels a winner during his six seasons there. The Rebels will likely never admit it, but Kiffin deserves a huge amount of credit for their season that found Ole Miss advancing all the way to the College Football Play-

off semifinals, even if he didn’t coach in the CFP. Zero chance of that, so Kiffin makes jabs at Ole Miss in subtle but still stinging ways.

■ Kiffin should not have done the Vanity Fair interview, or at least not said anything derogatory about Ole Miss. Half of seeming clever, the author Patrick Rothfuss wrote, is keeping your mouth shut at the right times. That’s not Kif-

fin’s modus operandi.

In the end, there is little, if anything, Kiffin could say about Ole Miss or Mississippi that wouldn’t enrage Ole Miss and Mississippi people. He could say Oxford is the quaintest college town in the world and Ole Miss fans would take up pitchforks and torches.

Take the vitriol LSU fans had for Nick Saban returning to college football at

the same group when the PGA Championship begins Thursday, along with Jon Rahm of LIV Golf. Spieth lacks only the PGA Championship to complete the career slam.

For all the talk about bunker complexes that seem to line every landing area — there are 20 bunkers on the 11th hole alone — players have been talking about the greens all week, particularly if the rain holds off and the course gets firm.

“Greens are diabolical.

Should be a really good

test,” Xander Schauffele said. “You can make it as easy or difficult on yourself as you’d like. If you get aggressive to certain pins and short-side yourself, you’re going to hit it to 20 or 30 feet at best, just based on how fast and firm it is and how much it runs away from you. But at the same time, there’s certain pockets where ... you can hit a really good shot and get rewarded for it.

“The greens are definitely the thing to prepare for this tournament. I think it will be

fun to watch.”

Scheffler and McIlroy have combined to win four of the last five majors — McIlroy at Augusta National the last two times, Scheffler at the PGA Championship and British Open last year.

Scheffler is more about precision, though he certainly has enough length.

McIlroy feasts on wider fairways as one of the best drivers of the ball. Aronimink could test a little of each, though McIlroy was more concerned about the second shot.

and 10 strikeouts in seven innings. A 6-foot-6 junior, Flukey (0-2) has a 6.39 ERA for the season.

Last season, the Chanticleers had a 3.22 ERA on their way to being national runners-up. This season, Coastal has a 5.19 ERA while allowing 444 hits in 4402/ 3 innings. Opponents are batting .263.

The Chanticleers’ two regular starters are Luke Jones (4-1, 4.37 ERA) and Ross Norman (6-4, 5.94).

The Cajuns are expected to start Cody Brasch (4-2, 2.47) and Andrew Herrmann (6-3, 4.19), with Ty Roman (3-4, 4.97) likely to go in Game 3.

“No free passes, no free passes,” Deggs said of the pitching.

Offensively, the teams are similar. UL is batting .263 with 313 runs, 38 home runs and 101 stolen bases, compared to Coastal at .269 with 369 runs, 52 homers and 107 steals.

“I think they’ve got one of the best coaching staffs in the country,” Deggs said.

“They do a great job devel-

oping, recruiting. They play a definitive brand of baseball with a definitive identity, and they do a very good job of it.

“You’ve got to keep them off base — make them earn it ... gobble up routine plays. ... I think the series will come down to, as do a lot of them, two-out knocks.”

There’s also the farewell theme for Amedee, Jose Torres, Hernandez, Herrmann and reliever Tyler Papenbrock all playing their final home games.

“Lee, it’s been a thrill to watch him grow and mature,” Deggs said. “When he came to us, he was a good ball player, and he’s become a really good ball player.

He’s a really good leader and a really good man — just super proud of him.

“Herm, (Torres), you know, all these guys. I just love them like they’re my own. (Papenbrock) already graduated from another school, but you would have thought he’s been here four years. All of those guys are just very, very special to us.”

is as a priority international market in recent years as league officials expand the international series to new cities across the globe. The 80,698-seat Stade de France is the national stadium of France and the largest sporting facility in the country. It served as the host site for various events at the 2024 Summer Games, including the opening and closing ceremonies.

Saints and New Orleans tourism officials are collaborating to turn the game into a Washington Mardi Gras-style event, with multiple parties and marketing programs leading up to the game.

“We are excited to be se-

Alabama and crank it up to 11. That anger LSU fans had for Saban started with a deep-seated fear, which was proven right, that he would beat LSU in football most of the time. I think Ole Miss fans have a similar worry deep down about Kiffin and LSU. My main concern with all this is not some article or one quote within it. It is that anything involving Kiffin and Ole Miss continues to stoke the anger its fans have toward him and LSU, anger that has a very real possibility of boiling over Sept. 19 when the Tigers go to Oxford for their Southeastern Conference opener.

It’s a game that, no surprise, will be the backdrop for that Saturday’s “College GameDay” show and will be a 6:30 p.m. primetime kickoff on ABC (“College GameDay” is also coming to Baton Rouge on Sept. 5 for the 6:30 p.m. opener with Clemson on ABC).

I am serious when I say that I hope LSU and Ole Miss officials have a very good security plan in place for LSU’s arrival/departure from Vaught-Hemingway Stadium and for Kiffin and the LSU team on the field. That viral video of an LSU baseball fan punching an Ole Miss fan earlier this season in Oxford he thought threw a drink on him is just the undercard for what Sept. 19 may bring.

Vanity Fair or not, it’s only going to get hotter in this border war over the next four months.

lected to play in the first regular season game to be held in France,” Saints owner Gayle Benson said in February. “This moment is special not only because of the strong cultural connection between Louisiana and France, but also because we will compete before a growing Saints fan base in Paris.”

Team officials said seasonticket holders will be given a 10% price reduction on tickets and parking to reflect the cost of the lost game on the home schedule. Fully paid season ticket holders will receive a credit and refund.

Season ticket holders also will be allowed priority presale access to a lottery for tickets for the Paris game.

KIFFIN

Continued from page 1C College Football Playoff run so he could become LSU’s coach.

The Vanity Fair profile chronicled Kiffin’s controversial move and why he made it. In the interview, he discussed LSU’s resources and its history of success, while also outlining a conversation he’d sometimes have with players he was recruiting to Ole Miss. “ ‘Hey, coach, we really like you,’ ” Kiffin told the magazine. “ ‘But my grandparents aren’t letting me move to Oxford, Mississippi.’ That doesn’t come up when you say Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Parents were sitting here this weekend saying the campus’ diversity feels so great: ‘It feels like there’s no segregation. And we want that for our kid because that’s the real world.’ ” Kiffin later clarified the comment to Vanity Fair, saying that he hopes it “comes across respectful to Ole Miss.”

“There are some things that I’m saying that are factual,” Kiffin said. “They’re not shots.”

Kiffin’s first LSU roster, which wrapped up spring practices on April 25, features 60 newcomers. The new-look group will open its season at home against Clemson on Sept. 5, then host Louisiana Tech a week later before beginning SEC play at Ole Miss on Sept. 19.

Email Reed Darcey at reed. darcey@theadvocate.com.

“I think in this day and self below the hole for the age I’m not sure if it’s going most part.

“That’s the key.” to test all aspects of your bag,” McIlroy said. “Strategy off the tee is pretty nonexistent. It’s basically bash driver down there and then figure it out from there. ...

When these traditional golf courses take a lot of trees out, it makes strategy not as much of a concern off the tee.

“But the greens are the main focus this week, and I think getting yourself in the right sections of the greens, making sure you leave your- STORE.THEADVOCATE.COM

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Southside football ramps up physicality

BY MIKE COPPAGE

Contributing writer

Every spring football practice at Southside High begins the same way: in goal-line situations.

Most programs end their practices in those tight formations, going toe-to-toe with physically demanding reps, but the Sharks do it differently because they have a different style of punishing offense than the bulk of today’s shotgun schemes.

“The goal-line stuff is like the WWE (wrestling),” Sharks coach Jess Curtis said. “Physical and lively.”

The Sharks posted a 10-3 mark in 2025 and lost to Ruston in the quarterfinals for the second straight year. The offense brings back 1,000-yard rushers Justin Williams and quarterback Parker Dies, as well as Kollen Francois, a multifaceted athlete who averaged over 10 yards per carry and finished with over 900 yards rushing.

“We’re returning our whole backfield plus other guys who didn’t really get the chance to show what they got, but just know we got them,” Francois said.

In fact, Southside brings back its five top rushers, which also include Coby Broussard and Jovan Joya. Francois said there is no issue with sharing the load.

“We have a team that is confident and a team that sticks together,” the rising senior said. “Everybody is looking to be better and push each other. We know when we don’t have the ball, we have to block for others. It’s looking out for your brother so he can do the best he can with the ball in his hands.”

Curtis has been pleased with center Kollin Creduer and tackles Ethan Trahan and Jackson Zinger, who all got playing time last year.

John Jackson, a returning starter, is the most physical of the bunch and is sliding down from tackle to guard.

“We’re taking off at Southside,”

Curtis said. “It’s a big senior class, really talented. The sky’s the limit to what we can do this year. The offensive line has the chance to be as good, or even better.”

Defensive ends Ethan Roque and Landry Kahler have been formidable opponents in spring practice against the first-team offense.

“Those two guys really came on last year and will be bookends,” Curtis said. “We have a lot of guys who can run and bring hats. That’s the cool thing about being at Southside. We have numbers here, a lot of kids who have paid their dues and got some role time.

“That’s what this spring and summer is going to be for, to find FILE PHOTO By LEE BALL the right guys, put them in the right seats on the bus and get roll- Southside coach Jess Curtis has brought a physical approach the ing.”

Sharks, and it has worked with great success so far.

Dies called Williams (5-foot-9, 195 pounds) a train, but he’s also often compared to a bus. The pow- prospect who often drags piles of squad scrimmage. Their opponent in the preseason jamboree will be erful runner showed his speed on tacklers with him. the outdoor track and field circuit The Sharks will wrap up the former District 3-5A rival Carenand is an under-the-radar college spring with an abbreviated intra- cro, which dropped to Class 4A.

SCOREBOARD Odds

Beaumont Bracket

NBA Wednesday

FAVORITE at DETROIT

MLB

Montreal 2, Buffalo 1

Thursday LINE O/U OFF (OFF)

UNDERDOG Cleveland

Wednesday

American League FAVORITE LINE at CLEVELAND -141 at BALTIMORE OFF at TORONTO -162 Kansas City -119 Seattle -123 National League FAVORITE LINE at CINCINNATI -157 at PITTSBURGH -186 Chicago Cubs -138 at MILWAUKEE -137 at LA DODGERS -249 Interleague FAVORITE LINE at BOSTON -139 Detroit -112 Miami -124 at TEXAS -129 at ATHLETICS -141

NHL

Wednesday

FAVORITE at COLORADO

UNDERDOG LA Angels N.Y Yankees Tampa Bay at WHITE SOX at HOUSTON

LINE +119 OFF +137 +101 +103

UNDERDOG Washington Colorado at ATLANTA San Diego San Francisco

LINE +132 +155 +117 +116 +204

UNDERDOG Philadelphia at N.Y METS at MINNESOTA Arizona St. Louis

LINE +117 -104 +105 +108 +119

LINE UNDERDOG -203 Minnesota

LINE +167

College softball NCAA Tournament glance (Double elimination; x-if necessary)

Baton Rouge (La.) Regional Friday, May 15

Game 1 — No. 5 Virginia St. (46-10) vs. South Alabama (32-25), 3 p.m.

Game 2 — Akron (34-23) vs. No. 4 LSU (3717), 5:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 16

Game 3 — Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, TBD Game 4 — Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, TBD. Game 5 — Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner, TBD

Sunday, May 17

Game 6 — Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner, TBD x-Game 7 — Game 6 opponents, TBD

Bryan-College Station (Texas) Regional Friday, May 15

Game 1 — No. 4 Texas A&M (45-9) vs. UConn (31-26), 1 p.m.

Game 2 — McNeese (40-20) vs. No. 5 Arizona St. (41-16), 3:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 16

Game 3 — Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, TBD Game 4 — Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, TBD Game 5 — Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner, TBD

Sunday, May 17

Game 6 — Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner, TBD x-Game 7 — Game 6 opponents, TBD

Tuscaloosa (Ala.) Regional Friday, May 15

Game 1 — No. 1 Alabama (49-7) vs. USC Upstate (36-21), noon Game 2 — Belmont (40-22) vs. No. 8 Southeastern (46-14), 2:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 16

Game 3 — Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, TBD Game 4 — Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, TBD Game 5 — Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner, TBD

Sunday, May 17

Game 6 — Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner, TBD x-Game 7 — Game 6 opponents, TBD

NFCA Top 25 poll Through Sunday

Rec. Pts. Prev.

1. Nebraska (26) 46-6 768 2 2. Oklahoma (2) 48-8 720 1 3. Alabama 49-7 707 4 4. Texas Tech 52-6 671 3 5. UCLA 47-8 629 6 6. Texas 42-10 603 10 7. Florida State 49-8 600 8 8. Tennessee 42-10 583 5 9. Florida 48-10 561 7 10. Arkansas 42-11 494 9 11. Virginia Tech 46-10 437 13 12. Oregon 40-12 424 11 13. Duke 39-14 404 12 14. Stanford 37-13 357 14 15. Oklahoma State 38-15 306 16 16. Georgia 38-18 298 17 17. Texas A&M 36-17 284 15 18. LSU 37-17 219 18 19. Arizona State 41-16 191 24 20. Mississippi State 38-18 187 19 21. Grand Canyon 52-8 175 21 22. Arizona 35-16 162 20 23. UCF 38-16-1 81 22 24. Virginia 38-13 74 23 25. Louisville 44-12 66 25 Others receiving votes: Belmont (52), USF (15), Ole Miss (2), South Carolina (2), Southeastern (2), Omaha (1).

College baseball Southland Conference tournament (Double elimination; x-if necessary)

Hammond Bracket Thursday, May 14

G1: No. 4 Nicholls vs. No. 5 McNeese, 1 p.m.

G2: No. 1 Southeastern vs. No. 8 HCU, 6 p.m.

Friday, May 15

G3. Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2, 1 p.m.

G4: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2, 6 p.m.

G1: No. 3 UTRGV vs. No. 6 Northwestern State, 1 p.m.

G2: No. 2 Lamar vs. No. 7 SFA, 6 p.m.

Friday

G3: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2, 1 p.m.

G4: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2, 6 p.m.

Saturday

G5: Winner of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4, 1 p.m.

G6: Winner of Game 4 vs. Winner of Game 5, 6 p.m.

Sunday

x-G7: Winner of Game 6 vs. Loser of Game 6, 1 p.m.

Championship Series May 21

G1: Winner of No. 1 Seed Bracket vs. Winner of No. 2 Seed Bracket

May 22

G2: Winner of No. 1 Seed Bracket vs. Winner of No. 2 Seed Bracket

May 23

x-G3: Winner of No. 1 Seed Bracket vs. Winner of No. 2 Seed Bracket

State scores, schedule Thursday’s games

Coastal Carolina at UL, 6 p.m.

Alabama A&M at Southern, 6 p.m.

Florida at LSU, 6:30 p.m.

Tulane at Rice, 6:35 p.m.

Rec. Prev.

1. UCLA 46-5 1 2. North Carolina 40-9 2 3. Georgia Tech 42-8 3 4. Georgia 41-11 5 5. Auburn 35-15 6 6. Texas 37-12 4 7. Oregon State 40-11 10 8. Southern Miss 37-14 12 9. West Virginia 35-12 15 10. Texas A&M 37-12 9 11. Florida State 36-15 14 12. Arkansas 34-18 17 13. Mississippi State 38-14 11 14. Kansas 37-15 7 15. Ole Miss 34-18 20 16. Oregon 36-14 13 17. Southern Cal 41-12 18 18. Alabama 35-17 19 19. Florida 34-18 21 20. Coastal Carolina 34-17 8 21. Oklahoma State 33-18 NR 22. Arizona State 34-17 16 23. Boston College 36-17 22 24. Nebraska 37-14 25 25. Cincinnati 35-18 NR Dropped out: Virginia, Oklahoma

Pro basketball NBA playoff glance SECOND ROUND (Best-of-7; x-if necessary)

Detroit 2, Cleveland 2

Tuesday, May 5: Detroit 111, Cleveland 101 Thursday, May 7: Detroit 107, Cleveland 97 Saturday, May 9: Cleveland 116, Detroit 109 Monday, May 11: Cleveland 112, Detroit 103 Wednesday, May 13: Cleve. at Detroit, 7 p.m.

Friday, May 15: Detroit at Cleveland, TBA x-Sunday, May 17: Cleveland at Detroit, TBA

New York 4, Philadelphia 0

Monday, May 4: New York 137, Philadelphia 98 Wednesday, May 6: New York 108, Philadelphia 102 Friday, May 8: New York 108, Philadelphia 94 Sunday, May 10: New York 144, Philadelphia 114

Western Conference

Oklahoma City 4, L.A. Lakers 0

x-G7: Winner of Game 6 vs. Loser of Game 6, 1 p.m.

Sunday, May 3: Colorado 9, Minnesota 6 Tuesday, May 5: Colorado 5, Minnesota 2 Saturday, May 9: Minnesota 5, Colorado 1 Monday, May 11: Colorado 5, Minnesota 2 Wednesday, May 13: Minn. at Colorado, 7 p.m. x-Friday, May 15: Colorado at Minn., TBA x-Sunday, May 17: Minn. at Colorado, TBA

Tampa Bay New York Baltimore Toronto Boston Central Division Cleveland Chicago Detroit Kansas City Minnesota West Division Athletics Seattle Texas Houston Los Angeles

Monday’s games

L 13 16 23 23 23

Pct .675 .619 .452 .439 .425

GB — 2 9 9½ 10

W 22 19 19 19 18

L 21 21 22 22 23

Pct .512 .475 .463 .463 .439

GB — 1½ 2 2 3

W 21 20 19 16 16

L 19 22 22 26 26

Pct .525 .476 .463 .381 .381

GB — 2 2½ 6 6

Baltimore 3, N.Y. Yankees 2 Cleveland 7, L.A. Angels 2 Tampa Bay 8, Toronto 5 Arizona 1, Texas 0 Seattle 3, Houston 1

Tuesday’s games

L.A. Angels at Cleveland, n N.Y. Yankees at Baltimore, n Philadelphia at Boston, n Tampa Bay at Toronto, n Detroit at N.Y. Mets, n Kansas City at Chicago White Sox, n Miami at Minnesota, n Arizona at Texas, n Seattle at Houston, n St. Louis at Athletics, n

San Antonio 2, Minnesota 2

WNBA glance

L 0 0 0 1 2 1 1

Pct 1.000 1.000 1.000 .500 .000 .000 .000

GB — ½ ½ 1 2 1½ 1½

L 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1

Pct 1.000 1.000 .500 .500 .500 .000 .000 .000

GB — ½ 1 1 1 1½ 1½ 1½

No games scheduled.

Tuesday’s games

Atlanta at Dallas, 7 p.m.

Minnesota at Phoenix, 9 p.m.

New York at Portland, 9 p.m.

Hockey NHL playoff glance EASTERN CONFERENCE

Chicago Milwaukee St. Louis Cincinnati Pittsburgh West Division San Diego Los Angeles Arizona San Francisco Colorado

Monday’s games

W 28 19 19 19 15

L 13 22 22 22 25

Pct .683 .463 .463 .463 .375

GB — 9 9 9 12½

W 27 22 23 22 22

L 14 16 17 19 19

Pct .659 .579 .575 .537 .537

GB — 3½ 3½ 5 5

W 24 24 20 17 16

L 16 17 20 24 25

Pct .600 .585 .500 .415 .390

GB — ½ 4 7½ 8½

Arizona 1, Texas 0 San Francisco 9, L.A. Dodgers 3

Tuesday’s games

Colorado at Pittsburgh, n Washington at Cincinnati, n Philadelphia at Boston, n Detroit at N.Y. Mets, n Chicago Cubs at Atlanta, n Miami at Minnesota, n San Diego at Milwaukee, n Arizona at Texas, n St. Louis at Athletics, n San Francisco at L.A. Dodgers, n

Wednesday’s games

Pro tennis ATP World Tour Internazionali BNL d’Italia results Tuesday At Foro Italico, Rome Purse: €8,235,540 Surface: Red clay

Men’s Singles

Round of 16 Casper Ruud (23), Norway, def. Lorenzo Musetti (8), Italy, 6-3, 6-1.

Karen Khachanov (13), Russia, def. Dino Prizmic, Croatia, 6-1, 7-6 (2).

Rafael Jodar (32), Spain, def. Learner Tien (19), United States, 6-1, 6-4.

Jannik Sinner (1), Italy, def. Andrea Pellegrino, Italy, 6-2, 6-3.

Luciano Darderi (18), Italy, def. Alexander Zverev (2), Germany, 1-6, 7-6 (10), 6-0.

Andrey Rublev (12), Russia, def. Nikoloz Basilashvili, Georgia, 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2.

Martin Landaluce, Spain, def. Hamad Medjedovic, Serbia, 7-5, 6-4.

Daniil Medvedev (7), Russia, def. Thiago Agustin Tirante, Argentina, 6-3, 6-2.

Round of 16 Marcel Granollers, Spain, and Horacio Zeballos (2), Argentina, def. Santiago Gonzalez, Mexico, and Robert Galloway, United States, 6-2, 6-2.

Lucas Miedler and Alexander Erler, Austria, def. Kevin Krawietz and Tim Putz (6), Germany, 7-6 (10), 7-6 (4).

Mate Pavic, Croatia, and Marcelo Arevalo (5), El Salvador, def. Edouard Roger-Vasselin, France, and Hugo Nys, Monaco, 7-5, 6-3.

Fabien Reboul and Sadio Doumbia, France, def. Joe Salisbury, Britain, and Francisco Cabral (8), Portugal, 7-5, 6-3.

Christian Harrison, United States, and Neal Skupski (4), Britain, def. Jakob Schnaitter and Mark Wallner, Germany, 6-4, 5-7, 11-9.

WTA Internazionali BNL d’Italia results

Tuesday At Foro Italico, Rome Purse: €7,228,080 Surface: Red clay

Women’s Singles

Quarterfinals Sorana Cirstea (26), Romania, def. Jelena Ostapenko, Latvia, 6-1, 7-6 (0).

Coco Gauff (3), United States, def. Mirra Andreeva (8), Russia, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4.

Women’s Doubles Round of 32 Taylor Townsend, United States, and Katerina Siniakova (2), Czechia, def. Hailey Baptiste, United States, and Alexandra Eala, Philippines, 6-2, 6-1.

Women’s Doubles

L.A. Angels (Detmers 1-3) at Cleveland (Messick 4-1), 12:10 p.m.

N.Y. Yankees (Fried 4-2) at Baltimore (Bradish 1-5), 5:35 p.m.

Philadelphia (Painter 1-4) at Boston (Gray 3-1), 5:45 p.m.

Tampa Bay (Jax 1-2) at Toronto (Cease 3-1), 6:07 p.m.

Detroit (Valdez 2-2) at N.Y. Mets (Scott 0-0), 6:10 p.m.

Kansas City (Lugo 1-2) at Chicago White Sox (Schultz 2-2), 6:40 p.m.

Miami (Meyer 2-0) at Minnesota (Woods Richardson 0-5), 6:40 p.m.

Arizona (Nelson 1-3) at Texas (Rocker 1-4), 7:05 p.m.

Seattle (Miller 0-0) at Houston (McCullers 2-3), 7:10 p.m.

St. Louis (Liberatore 2-1) at Athletics (Ginn 1-1), 8:40 p.m.

Atlanta Miami Philadelphia Washington New York Central Division

7:05 p.m.

St. Louis (Liberatore 2-1) at Athletics (Ginn 1-1), 8:40 p.m.

San Francisco (Ray 3-4) at L.A. Dodgers (Ohtani 2-2), 9:10 p.m.

Men’s Doubles

W 27 26 19 18 17

East Division

Monday, May 4: Minn. 104, San Antonio 102 Wednesday, May 6: San Antonio 133, Minnesota 95 Friday, May 8: San Antonio 115, Minnesota 108 Sunday, May 10: Minnesota 114, San Antonio 109 Tuesday, May 12: Minnesota at San Antonio, 7 p.m.

Friday, May 15: San Antonio at Minn., TBA x-Sunday, May 17: Minn. at San Antonio, TBA

SECOND ROUND (Best-of-7; x-if necessary)

Colorado 3, Minnesota 1

National League

Tuesday, May 5: OKC 108, L.A. Lakers 90 Thursday, May 7: OKC 125, L.A. Lakers 107 Saturday, May 9: OKC 131, L.A. Lakers 108 Monday, May 11: OKC 115, L.A. Lakers 110

Sunday, May 17

Monday, May 4: Vegas 3, Anaheim 1 Wednesday, May 6: Anaheim 3, Vegas 1 Friday, May 8: Vegas 6, Anaheim 2 Sunday, May 10: Anaheim 4, Vegas 3 Tuesday, May 12: Anaheim at Vegas, n Thursday, May 14: Vegas at Anaheim, TBA x-Saturday, May 16: Anaheim at Vegas, TBA

Wednesday’s games

Eastern Conference

Wednesday’s games

G5: Winner of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4, 1 p.m.

G6: Winner of Game 4 vs. Winner of Game 5, 6 p.m.

Vegas 2, Anaheim 2

East Division

D1 Baseball Top 25 poll

Saturday, May 16

WESTERN CONFERENCE

American League

Through Sunday

Monday’s games

Saturday, May 2: Carolina 3, Philadelphia 0 Monday, May 4: Carolina 3, Philadelphia 2, OT Thursday, May 7: Carolina 4, Philadelphia 1 Saturday, May 9: Carolina 3, Philadelphia 2, OT

MLB glance

Friday’s games

W New York 2 Chicago 1 Atlanta 1 Washington 1 Connecticut 0 Indiana 0 Toronto 0 WESTERN CONFERENCE W Golden State 2 Dallas 1 Phoenix 1 Seattle 1 Las Vegas 1 Los Angeles 0 Minnesota 0 Portland 0

Carolina 4, Philadelphia 0

Pro baseball

Coastal Carolina at UL, 6 p.m.

Alabama A&M at Southern, 6 p.m.

Florida at LSU, 6:30 p.m.

Tulane at Rice, 6:35 p.m.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Wednesday, May 6: Buffalo 4, Montreal 2 Friday, May 8: Montreal 5, Buffalo 1 Sunday, May 10: Montreal 6, Buffalo 2 Tuesday, May 12: Buffalo at Montreal, n Thursday, May 14: Montreal at Buffalo, TBA x-Saturday, May 16: Buffalo at Montreal, TBA x-Monday, May 18: Montreal at Buffalo, TBA

Colorado (Quintana 1-2) at Pittsburgh (Keller 4-1), 5:40 p.m.

Washington (Irvin 1-4) at Cincinnati (Lodolo 0-1), 5:40 p.m.

Philadelphia (Painter 1-4) at Boston (Gray 3-1), 5:45 p.m.

Detroit (Valdez 2-2) at N.Y. Mets (Scott 0-0), 6:10 p.m.

Chicago Cubs (Imanaga 4-2) at Atlanta (Ritchie 1-0), 6:15 p.m.

Miami (Meyer 2-0) at Minnesota (Woods Richardson 0-5), 6:40 p.m.

San Diego (King 3-2) at Milwaukee (Misiorowski 3-2), 6:40 p.m.

Arizona (Nelson 1-3) at Texas (Rocker 1-4),

Round of 16 Asia Muhammad, United States, and Anna Danilina (6), Kazakhstan, def. Irina Khromacheva, Russia, and Giuliana Olmos, Mexico, 3-6, 7-5, 10-7.

Jessica Pegula, United States, and Storm Hunter, Australia, def. Vera Zvonareva, Russia, and Laura Siegemund, Germany, 7-5, 6-4.

Linda Noskova and Tereza Valentova, Czechia, def. Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini (1), Italy, walkover.

Nicole Melichar-Martinez, United States, and Cristina Bucsa (7), Spain, def. Aleksandra Krunic, Serbia, and Nadiia Kichenok, Ukraine, 7-6 (4), 7-5.

Golf PGA Tour FedEx Cup Leaders Through May 11

Points Money 1. Cameron Young 2,504 $11,794,670 2. Scottie Scheffler 2,431 $10,566,430 3. Matt Fitzpatrick 2,404 $10,595,426 4. Collin Morikawa 1,727 $6,655,930 5. Jacob Bridgeman 1,512 $6,824,450 6. Chris Gotterup 1,407 $4,975,544 7. Si Woo Kim 1,380 $4,838,855 8. Akshay Bhatia 1,342 $6,363,733 9. Ludvig Aberg 1,330 $4,516,733 10. Rory McIlroy 1,278 $6,956,975 11. Tommy Fleetwood 1,115 $3,567,743 12. Min Woo Lee 1,097 $4,348,499 13. Kristoffer Reitan 1,094 $5,009,729 14. Sepp Straka 1,064 $4,045,137 15. Nicolai Hojgaard 1,059 $4,258,570 16. Xander Schauffele 1,042 $4,208,988 17. Rickie Fowler 1,029 $4,096,077 18. J.J. Spaun 962 $3,296,522 19. Adam Scott 951 $2,982,307 20. Justin Rose 935 $3,394,486 21. Jake Knapp 928 $3,083,713 22. Alex Fitzpatrick 862 $2,832,750 23. Kurt Kitayama 860 $3,598,421 24. Russell Henley 844 $2,979,817 25. Gary Woodland 838 $3,041,435 26. Hideki Matsuyama 806 $2,916,770 27. Robert MacIntyre 804 $3,007,808 28. Matthew McCarty 775 $2,790,468 29. Ryan Gerard 746 $2,619,223 30. Sam Burns 726 $2,390,160 31. Nicolas Echavarria 711 $2,550,917 32. Ryo Hisatsune 691 $2,574,380 33. Sahith Theegala 690 $2,398,723 34. Patrick Cantlay 669 $2,491,903 35. Alex Smalley 656 $2,281,550 36. Daniel Berger 648 $3,091,923 37. Harris English 632 $2,024,258 38. Sudarshan Yellamaraju 631 $2,185,877 39. Ben Griffin 618 $2,199,898 40. Jordan Spieth 580 $2,292,596 41. Pierceson Coody 577 $2,123,874 42. Harry Hall 570 $1,917,025 43. Patrick Rodgers 568 $2,150,814 44. Maverick McNealy 519 $2,012,782 45. Shane Lowry 511 $1,847,968 46. Alex Noren 504 $1,825,392 502 $1,814,948 47. Nick Taylor 48. Ricky Castillo 502 $1,450,679 49. Sam Stevens 499 $1,883,221 50. Aldrich Potgieter 479 $1,517,525 51. Jason Day 479 $1,793,379 52. Andrew Putnam 455 $1,670,580 447 $1,751,401 53. Austin Smotherman 54. Bud Cauley 439 $1,492,818 55. Michael Kim 431 $1,561,644 56. Sungjae Im 425 $1,298,971 57. David Lipsky 421 $1,416,981 58. Justin Thomas 395 $1,483,785 59. Viktor Hovland 394 $1,699,276 60. Jordan L. Smith 381 $1,276,698

61. Ryan Fox 379 62. Michael Thorbjornsen 370 63. Brandt Snedeker 360 64. Max Homa 355 65. Brian Harman 348 66. Brooks Koepka 339 67. Andrew Novak 334 68. Matt Wallace 315 69. Taylor Moore 306 70. Corey Conners 298 71. Keith Mitchell 295 72. Keegan Bradley 283 73. Kevin Roy 280 74. Eric Cole 271 75. Stephan Jaeger 257 76. Tony Finau 257 77. Tom Hoge 253 78. Marco Penge 251 79. Wyndham Clark 248 80. Davis Thompson 248 81. Chandler Blanchet 246 82. John Keefer 235 83. Seonghyeon Kim 235 84. Matti Schmid 231 85. John Parry 229 86. Billy Horschel 222 87. Zachary Bauchou 222 88. Adrien Dumont De Chassart $583,944 89. Christiaan Bezuidenhout $549,801 90. A.J. Ewart 219 91. Mark Hubbard 215 92. Taylor Pendrith 208 93. Mac Meissner 200 94. Rasmus Hojgaard 199 95. Austin Eckroat 192 96. Denny McCarthy 191 97. Zecheng Dou 191 98. Matthieu Pavon 185 99. Hao-Tong Li 185 100. Joel Dahmen 184 101. Karl Vilips 184 102. Chad Ramey 182 103. Beau Hossler 181 104. Tom Kim 175 105. Kris Ventura 171 106. Hayden Springer 171 107. William Mouw 168 108. Aaron Rai 167 109. Lucas Glover 164 110. Seamus Power 164

$1,415,339 $1,362,892 $884,904 $1,261,665 $1,453,337 $1,315,994 $1,242,673 $1,142,018 $1,033,016 $1,204,894 $1,057,800 $1,180,054 $840,158 $806,726 $881,419 $990,747 $959,513 $943,413 $990,686 $714,119 $717,922 $783,302 $710,507 $748,960 $627,837 $812,070 $591,560 222 220 $629,801 $588,154 $804,099 $542,816 $579,214 $583,260 $663,456 $564,862 $538,821 $620,725 $653,674 $508,760 $601,021 $454,251 $523,033 $556,359 $523,212 $657,518 $521,334 $680,988 $508,995

Transactions MLB American League ATHLETICS — Released C Austin Wynns.

Designated RHP Eduarniel Núñez for assignment. Selected the contracts of 2B Michael Stefanic and RF Henry Bolte from Las Vegas (PCL). Optioned 3B Brett Harris to Las Vegas.

BALTIMORE ORIOLES — Reinstated LHP Trevor Rogers from the 15-day IL. Optioned RHP Jose Espada to Norfolk (IL).

CLEVELAND GUARDIANS — Sent RHP Shawn Armstrong to Akron (EL) on a rehab assignment.

HOUSTON ASTROS — Sent LHP Josh Hader, CF Jake Meyers and SS Jeremy Pena to Corpus Christi (TL) on rehab assignments.

Reinstated RHP Tatsuya Imai from the 15-day IL. Optioned RHP Logan VanWey to Sugar Land (PCL).

MINNESOTA TWINS — Agreed to terms with 2B Quinn McDaniel and LHP Jack Walker on minor league contracts.

NEW YORK YANKEES — Placed SS José Caballero on the 10-day IL. Recalled SS Anthony Volpe from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (IL).

TEXAS RANGERS — Sent RHP Chris Martin to Round Rock (PCL) on a rehab assignment.

National League ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS — Acquired OF Jose Requena from the L.A. Dodgers in exchange for OF Alek Thomas.

ATLANTA BRAVES — Agreed to terms with LHP Julio Robaina on a minor league contract. Placed C Sean Murphy on the 10-day IL retroactive to May 11. Agreed to terms with C Sandy León. Selected the contract of LF José Azocar from Gwinnett (IL). Optioned SS Jim Jarvis to Gwinnett.

COLORADO ROCKIES — Reinstated RHP Jimmy Herget from the bereavement list.

Optioned RHP Tanner Gordon to Albuquerque (PCL).

LOS ANGELES DODGERS — Designated CF Michael Siani for assignment. Optioned CF Alek Thomas to ACL Dodgers.

MIAMI DOLPHINS — Placed RB Le’Veon Moss on the reserve/retired list.

MILWAUKEE BREWERS — Reinstated OF Christian Yelich from the 10-day IL. Optioned UTL Tyler Black to Nashville (IL).

NEW YORK METS — Agreed to terms with 2B Nick Roselli on a minor league contract.

Designated 2B Andy Ibáñez for assignment.

Selected the contract of LF A.J. Ewing from Syracuse (IL).

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS — Sent RHP Jason Foley to Sacramento (PCL) on a rehab assignment.

WNBA PHOENIX MERCURY — Activated F Valeriane Ayayi.

NFL

BUFFALO BILLS — Signed TE Shane Zylstra to a one-year contract. Released K Maddux Trujillo. Signed WR Skyler Bell and LB Kaleb Elarms-Orr to rookie contracts.

DETROIT LIONS — Signed T Blake Miller, EDGE Derrick Moore, LB Jimmy Rolder, CB Keith Abney II, WR Kendrick Law and DL Skyler Gill-Howard and Tyre West to rookie contracts. Signed QB Luke Altmyer, OL Melvin Priestly, TE Miles Kitselman, DL Aidan Keanaaina, Anthony Lucas and Eric O’Neil, LB Erick Hunter and DBs Aamaris Brown and De’Shawn Rucker to UDFA contracts.

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS — Signed TE Johnny Pascuzzi, S Myles Purchase and OT Laekin Vakalahi. Waived OLB Niles King and TEs Tanner McLachlan and Thomas Yassmin. Waived/injured CB Jeremiah Wilson.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS — Signed QB Jalon Daniels, RB Kadarius Calloway, WRs Dean Patterson and Eric Rivers Jr., TE Kenny Fletcher Jr., OL Henry Lutovsky and Paul Rubelt, DL Josiah Green and Deshawn McKnight, LBs Caden Fordham, Javin Wright, Yasir Holmes and Jack Pyburn, CB Ayden Garnes, S Ja’Qurious Conley and P Aidan Laros to UDFA contracts.

TENNESSEE TITANS — Signed WR Carnell Tate to a rookie contract.

NHL

VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS — Recalled F Braeden Bowman from Henderson (AHL).

LIVING

T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M

|

W e d n e s d ay, M ay 13, 2026

5Cn

Series explores rising South Korean influences

BY MARK KENNEDY Associated Press

NEW YORK — Not too long ago, Daniel Dae Kim had an unusual encounter with a salmon. It had nothing to do with dinner.

The actor, director and producer lay down in a doctor’s office in Seoul and underwent microinjections into his face of DNA from salmon sperm. The hope was to reduce inflammation and improve elasticity.

“I look like a got a little sunburn and a little redder than usual, but it’s not bad,” he says to a camera crew after the procedure. “OK, I’m camera ready.”

Kim was putting his face on the line as part of the new CNN series “K-Everything: The Global Rise of Korean Culture,” Kim his love letter to K-beauty, K-pop, K-food and Kfilm. It debuts Saturday on CNN International and is also available on CNN and HBO Max. “It’s an examination of how Korea has risen in the course of three short generations from a war-torn third world country to one of the most modern places in the world,” Kim says in an interview. “We’ll take a look at how that’s happened through food, through cinema, through beauty products and through music.”

STAFF PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK

Santa Picanha, which focuses on Brazilian-inspired cuisine, recently opened in the former Scratch Farm Kitchen space in Lafayette.

Now serving

From pickleball, to wings and brunch, the 10 new Lafayette-area restaurants that have opened this year

What’s the show about?

At a vibrant kimchi festival in Pyeongchang, Kim explores how K-food is reshaping fine dining across the globe. In other episodes, he meets actor Lee Byung-hun, “Gangnam Style” singer-songwriter Psy, BigBang’s Taeyang and the songwriters behind the Oscarwinning song “Golden.”

“For those who’ve never been to Korea, this is a nice introduction in a way that is not something taught in a classroom or in a textbook,” Kim says.

In the beauty episode, Kim chats with makeup artist and influencer LeoJ and model Irene Kim on how beauty standards have changed. He tries various serums and face masks and even visits a factory where snail slime is collected to be used in various products.

“I got to meet people from different walks of life, from different cities, from different economic classes, and it just broadened my understanding of the culture,” he says.

Kim was born in South Korea but moved to the United States when he was 1, returning frequently. That makes “KEverything” a personal journey, which also includes his parents.

Seoul has undergone such an economic and cultural boom that all the landmarks his parents knew from when they were teenagers were gone and they relied on him to navigate. “It was almost a foreign country to them,” he says.

BY JA’KORI MADISON Staff writer

The Lafayette food scene continues to evolve as the area has welcomed a surge of new restaurants that have opened so far this year, with new concepts ranging from brunch-focused cafes to pickleballdriven entertainment venues.

The openings include a mix of national chains, regional brands and local mom-and-pop restaurants.

Several openings, such as Bistrology, SMASH and Empire Wingz have already drawn attention for STAFF PHOTO By JOANNA BROWN their unique concepts or expansion into the Acadiana market, The sticky chicken plate lunch from while others continue to build on Gravy in Lafayette the evolving food scene.

Here is a list of new restaurants traditional Cajun dishes like beef in the Lafayette area. debris over rice. They also havea “lighter side” menu that includes Gravy items such as a Greek wrap or an Gravy is a new plate lunch res- Asian-inspired salad with a sesame taurant for all Cajun cravings. It ginger vinaigrette. opened at 107 E. Main St. in Lafayette in the old Pat’s Downtown. The SMASH (Pickleball + Restaurant) restaurant is open from 10:30 a.m.

SMASH Pickleball and Restauto 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. rant opened at Youngsville’s Sugar As its website states, Gravy is Mill Pond at 2822 Bonin Road. The “comfort food done right.” The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to menu includes fried shrimp, étouf- 9 p.m. daily.

Featuring a rooftop bar, full-serfée, pork roast, catfish and other

‘A trusted guide’ Kim joins a crowded field of celeb travel hosts, which includes Tony Shalhoub, Rainn Wilson, Eugene Levy, Stanley Tucci, Orlando Bloom, Zac Efron, José Andrés, Chris Hemsworth, Will Smith, Eva Longoria and Ewan McGregor.

Kim, the “Lost” star who recently earned a Tony Award nomination, is a fan of the late chef and TV host Anthony Bourdain, who helped create the role of modern TV travel host.

“I wouldn’t say that this show is as irreverent as Anthony Bourdain’s show was, but I

ä See KOREA, page 6C

vice restaurant, pickleball amenities plus a pet-friendly patio, SMASH is perfect for lounging and catching up over cocktails. SMASH also has a large playground area for children, bringing together a lively social atmosphere for families, food lovers and friends.

JD’s Urban Eatery JD’s Urban Eatery opened at The Hub in the former Northgate Mall in North Lafayette. Hours for the restaurant are 11 a.m. until they sell out.

The eatery offers a mix of casual dining options such as signature lamb chops, along with rib-eyes, salmon, loaded pasta bowls, specialty potatoes and other items.

JD’s Urban Eatery is part of the ongoing revitalization of the Northgate Mall property, now known as The Hub.

Off The Hook Off The Hook opened in the former Viva La Waffle building at 101 Liberty Ave. The restaurant is open from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday to Thursday. On Friday and Saturday, it closes at 10 p.m.

ä See OPENINGS, page 6C

THE BEST THINGS WE ATE THIS WEEK

Only settle for the best with our recent favorites Melanzane Fritti from Josephine’s in Baton Rouge

Staff report

Melanzane Fritti, Focaccia

n Josephine’s, 5350 Government St.,

Baton Rouge

STAFF PHOTO By JOy HOLDEN

I stopped by Josephine’s for lunch because I hadn’t been there yet. First impressions were cozy and charming. I ordered the Melanzane Fritti, or fried eggplant, for my appetizer. The starter was served as a tower of fried

eggplant discs and tomato set atop whipped herb ricotta and balsamic vinegar, topped with a healthy dollop of burrata.

The eggplant was nicely fried and crispy. The creamy cheeses offset the sweet tang of the balsamic vinegar. One perfect bite had all the components at once.

For my entree, I wanted something fresh and bright, so I chose

ä See BEST, page 6C

6C ● Wednesday, May 13, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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Choosing the phone call over the companion Gentle reader: People selling things Dear Miss Manners: When I am with and those in their grips — which, someone in person, I think it is these days, seems to be everyone rude to answer the phone (the — promote the idea that message being that the Technology Changes Evcaller is more important than our conversation). A erything. friend claims that she only Miss Manners has nointends to pick up and say ticed that this is seldom the she will call them back. case as regards etiquette.

But sometimes there is When someone shows up Judith an exchange, and I am sitat your door unannounced Martin (or calls your phone) when ting there waiting till she MISS you are not in a position finishes. I always let my MANNERS to offer a welcome, it is calls go to voicemail when proper to expect that the I am with a real person. would-be visitor will leave a card That is what voicemail is for. (or leave a message on your voiceShe says my way is rude, and I say her way is rude. I would mail). In certain circumstances, appreciate your phone etiquette you might choose to answer the pronouncement. door (or pick up).

Yes, it is possible to say politely that you will have to call the person back because you are engaged, but it is difficult to do so gracefully — and generally unnecessary. Barring the discovery of the oft-cited genuine emergency, leaving your original companion waiting indefinitely does not qualify as polite — even if the caller is no less “real” for being at a distance.

Dear Miss Manners: My niece is getting married in April. She has chosen not to invite her third cousins.

I was planning to ask my 20-yearold grandson to be my plus-one.

He will drive and pay for our hotel costs. The location is very exclusive and superexpensive.

The problem is that my grandson is actually a third cousin.

Can he still be my plus-one? My brother and sons now say they’re not going if the grandson is not able to go. They are a tight group and we all do things together.

Gentle reader: Anyone who believes that explaining the logic behind the guest list will silence objections by demonstrating its fairness has never hosted a wedding.

Invitations are properly issued to people, not titles or relationships, which is why Miss Manners has never approved of the casual stranger who attends as a plusone. Issuing positive invitations to individuals — rather than posting rules — also avoids drawing at-

tention to who is being excluded.

If, as seems likely, the ban on third cousins was an organizing principle you heard stated — rather than one printed on your invitation — then your grandson qualifies as a plus-one and may go. But if your niece was rude enough to exclude third cousins in print, then your male relatives have the right idea — though perhaps, in the interest of family harmony, you should regret that you are unable to attend without being as explicit about your thinking as your niece was about hers.

Send questions to Miss Manners at her website, www. missmanners.com.

Gains, losses in progress with an exact copy, which the Dear Heloise: I subscribe to the print and digital versions Express-News offers, there’s no way short of reading it of the newspaper. While I on my big-screen TV that sincerely like being able to provides the full-page access the digital context at a glance. edition when I travel, The digital edition I see two main drawcan also be clumsy to backs to it: navigate. I don’t think First, I do almost there’s a fix for this all of the daily problem. But with puzzles, and printing Hints from progress, we always them out is a hassle Heloise lose a few things as — and frankly quite we gain others! — Mardifficult to do when I’m on the road. I do recogtha R., in Seguin,Texas nize that I can’t access my Home protection home print edition from the road at all, but buying Dear Heloise: The main reaa local paper at a corner son that I switched from store is nearly imposa hard-copy newspaper to a digital copy hasn’t been sible anymore. I’d be very happy if the paper made its mentioned in your column: puzzles interactive so that I We frequently travel and wouldn’t have to print them. don’t want newspapers to be left on the driveway and The second drawback for me is the loss of context and alert thieves that we are away. There’s no need to serendipity while browscall the newspaper coming. This seems small, but it’s important to me. The pany to stop delivering the spatial and tactile aspects of paper or get a neighbor to reading a full-sized sheet of pick up the paper. This has newsprint are missing from been a huge help. We enjoy the digital experience. Even your column. — Lyndy C., in

Huntington Beach, California

Be gone, aphids!

Dear Heloise: I hate aphids.

I really detest these pesky little buggers. With warm weather comes the miserable aphids. How do I get rid of them? — Shelly H., in Orange, California Shelly, aphids and whiteflies seem to be attracted to their favorite color, which is a very bright yellow, so try this method: Either paint a board a shocking yellow, or use a bright yellow lid from a jar and coat one side with petroleum jelly, motor oil or even honey. The insect lands on the yellow board or lid, and it can then be trapped there. When it seems to be drying out, scrape off the sticky goo and recoat it to continue trapping bugs.

You can also plant garlic cloves about 4 to 6 inches apart. Aphids don’t like this scent, so they’ll usually stay away from the plant. — Heloise Email heloise@heloise.com.

BEST

Continued from page 5C the Insalata di Pollo. The chicken was grilled and laid evenly across the bed of greens and cherry tomatoes. Fried capers and Gorgonzola finished off the salad with a delicious pancetta vinaigrette. Next time, I’ll get more dressing on the side because it was that good.

To go along with my salad, I ordered the focaccia bread, made in-house.

It was the best I’ve had in ages — crispy and salty on the edges but soft otherwise. The flavors were beyond tasty, and the Parmesan olive oil for dipping made it even better.

— Joy Holden, features reporter

Cowboy Cobb 2.0

n Overpass Merchant, 2904

Perkins Road, Baton Rouge

I’ve been on a run of unintentionally ordering subpar salads from various eateries, and it got to the point where I entered a salad strike of sorts. That is, until I went to Overpass Merchant, and I took a chance on the Cowboy Cobb 2.0.

I’m glad I did.

I think every salad should be more like this Cobb.

At $15, it has some great things going on: Mixed greens tossed in cowboy ranch, topped with bacon, radish, red onions, crumbled queso fresco, toasted corn and grilled chicken.

The ratio of dressing to

KOREA

Continued from page 5C loved it because I felt like he was showing me his take on each country and he was a trusted guide,” he says. “If I can be that for some people then that’s the spirit that I’d like to bring into this show.”

Amy Entelis, executive vice president for talent, CNN Originals and creative development, says Kim brings a unique and deeply personal perspective to the series.

PROVIDED PHOTO By LOGAN GLOVER

Bistrology offers a Latin-inspired brunch concept with a bar, specialty coffees, lush decor and decadent menu offerings.

OPENINGS

Continued from page 5C The restaurant specializes in crawfish étouffée, fried shrimp and catfish, or a smothered roast beef debris po-boy — all available for drive-thru pickup.

Off The Hook was founded in 2012 in Thibodaux and has since expanded around south Louisiana. Lafayette is now home to the company’s ninth store.

Santa Picanha

STAFF PHOTO By MADDIE SCOTT

Cowboy Cobb 2.0 from Overpass Merchant lettuce was just right, and I loved the crunchiness from the corn. The radishes were refreshing, and the red onions tasted vinegary, a nice contrast to the rest of the flavors. I enjoyed the dual proteins of chicken and bacon. It’s everything I could possibly want in a salad.

— Maddie Scott, features reporter

STAFF PHOTO By JOANNA BROWN

man Drive, Lafayette

Boiled crawfish for Mother’s Day from the Crawfish Pot in Lafayette

According to my feeds, boiled crawfish is the way to go for south Louisiana families on Mother’s Day — and I love that for our moms.

Out of a plethora of boiled crawfish drive-thrus in the Lafayette area, I discovered Crawfish Pot this season, and I’ve been obsessed ever since. It’s some of the best seasoned crawfish I’ve tasted, the spice levels are on point, and each

crustacean is large, juicy and easy to peel. The fast, friendly service, and accessible location near central Lafayette and Scott, is yet another bonus.

I got a 5-pound sack of medium-spiced crawfish, which had a very noticeable heat, and worked through those surrounded by my family. Make sure to stop by The Crawfish Pot before the season ends. It’ll be worth it.

— Joanna Brown, reporter

“From the first time I met him, it was clear he was incredibly well equipped to tackle this — deeply passionate about the subject and highly knowledgeable.

He was also very focused on making sure the way we look at Korean culture translates to a broad global audience, really putting a spotlight on it,” she says.

Kim has never played TV host, but he’s an avid traveler and he’s not a fish out of water in Korea. He says despite stretching himself, he felt comfortable.

“I get to introduce the world to a culture that I love and have gotten to know and has informed who I am as a performer and as a human being. So to me, it was strangely comfortable and it didn’t feel at all like I was stepping outside of my comfort zone.”

Kim hopes the series can help non-Koreans better understand a culture that has influenced so much of the globe of late and address anti-Asian racism, which surged during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Crawfish

n The Crawfish Pot, 817 Fore-

Santa Picanha opened in downtown Lafayette in the former Scratch Farm Kitchen space. The restaurant is closed on Mondays and is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, with earlier closing hours of 4 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The restaurant’s menu is a la carte and casual, with a friendly vibe that welcomes groups of all ages. Santa Picanha’s focuses on Brazilianinspired cuisine, featuring grilled meats and traditional churrasco-style offerings.

Bistrology Brunch & Coffee Bistrology Brunch & Coffee opened at 3905 Ambassador Caffery Parkway. The restaurant is open Monday

to Thursday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and on weekends from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The restaurant’s concept began in Florida and boasts contemporary design, Latin-inspired flavors and a drinks menu focused on specialty coffees. The Bistrology menu is brunchfocused alongside specialty drinks and includes a variety of classic and modern lunch and dinner options.

Empire Wingz

ing flavors that reflect its Louisiana setting. Bep also offers Vietnamese coffee, a bold roast balanced with sweet condensed milk, and usually served iced.

The Cajun Table Drive-Thru The Cajun Table officially opened its new drive-thru-only crawfish concept called “Boil and Go” at 6974 Johnston St. Business hours are from 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Monday through Saturday.

The business is known for boiled seafood and has received local recognition, including in The Acadiana Advocate’s 2024 crawfish bracket. The new concept focuses on quick-service boiled crawfish, offering customers a convenient drive-thru option during crawfish season.

Empire Wingz opened at 1521 Ambassador Caffery Parkway. The restaurant hours are from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Sunday.

The restaurant specializes in chicken wings with a variety of flavors and sauces such as barbecue and garlic Parmesan flavors. Empire Wingz focuses on takeout-friendly meals with specialty flavor Dunkin’ options such as Cajun Ajun, Dunkin’ opened its third Dry Ranch and a Cajun Dry Lafayette location at 3546 Rub. Ambassador Caffery Parkway. The restaurant is open Bep Lafayette daily from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The national chain ofBep Lafayette opened at 2429 W. Congress St. in La- fers coffee, doughnuts and fayette. The restaurant is breakfast items, bringing open Monday through Fri- another quick-service opday from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. tion to one of Lafayette’s The cafe offers a menu of busiest commercial corriVietnamese comfort food, dors. The new location reincluding bánh mì sand- flects the continued growth wiches and other tradition- of national brands in the al dishes, while incorporat- area.

TODAY IN HISTORY

By The Associated Press Today is Wednesday, May 13, the 133rd day of 2026. There are 232 days left in the year.

Today in history: On May 13, 1846, the United States Congress formally declared war against Mexico, following battles along the disputed U.S.-Mexico border in the preceding weeks; the Mexican-American War would continue for nearly two years until the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in February 1848.

Also on this date: In 1940, in his first speech to the House of Commons as British prime minister, Winston Churchill said, “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.”

In 1973, in tennis’ first socalled “Battle of the Sexes,” Bobby Riggs defeated Margaret Court 6-2, 6-1 in Ramona, California. (Billie

Jean King soundly defeated Riggs at the Houston Astrodome later that year.)

In 1981, Pope John Paul II was shot and seriously wounded in St. Peter’s Square by Turkish assailant Mehmet Ali Agca.

(Agca was sentenced to life in prison in Italy in July 1981, but was pardoned in 2000 at the Pope’s request.)

In 1985, a confrontation between Philadelphia authorities and the radical group MOVE ended as a police helicopter dropped two bombs onto the group’s row house, igniting a fire that killed 11 people (including five children) and destroyed 61 homes.

In 1995, British climber Alison Hargreaves became the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest, the world’s tallest mountain, without bottled oxygen or the help of sherpas. (The following August, she was one

of several climbers to die in a sudden, fierce storm while descending from the pinnacle of K2, the world’s second-highest peak.)

In 2016, the Obama administration issued a directive requiring public schools to permit transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms consistent with their chosen gender identity.

Today’s Birthdays: Actor Harvey Keitel is 87. Musician Stevie Wonder is 76.

Screenwriter-producer David Simon (“The Wire”) is 67. Basketball Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman is 65. TV host/comedian Stephen Colbert is 62. Musician Darius Rucker (Hootie and the Blowfish) is 60.

Actor Samantha Morton is 49. Actor-writer-director Lena Dunham is 40. Actor Robert Pattinson is 40.

Actor Debby Ryan is 33.

Country musician Morgan Wallen is 33.

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Wednesday, May 13, 2026 ● 7C

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FrAnK And erneSt

bIG nAte

zItS

zodIAC tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Stick to the path of least resistance. Use your experience and knowledge to press forward with insight and a backup plan if necessary.

Welcome positive input.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) You can make a difference if you reach out, help someone in need or redirect your energy into volunteer work that melts your heart.

How you spend your time will map out how you feel about yourself. cANcER (June 21-July 22) Be bold, aggressive and thoughtful when dealing with others, and you will have a positive impact on how situations unfold. Channeling your energy into being the best version of yourself will make you feel good.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Listen, learn, take notes and use the information you gather to elaborate on something you want to pursue. Actions speak louder than words and are more difficult for others to manipulate.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Whether you are looking to enhance your skills, knowledge, experience or lifestyle, putting a plan in place that's doable will give you the strength and confidence to proceed.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Sign up for something that will raise your awareness and give you something to consider that will encourage a positive lifestyle change.

A motion or signal someone offers will resonate with you. scoRPIo (oct. 24-Nov. 22) Hang on tight and move like the wind. Explore what's

available to you and how you can incorporate your dreams into an opportunity that may seem far-fetched to others but resonates with you. sAGIttARIus (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Stick close to home. Give yourself a chance to digest what's happening around you and find a place where you fit in and can apply what you do best to bring about positive change. cAPRIcoRN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Hold tight.

Now isn't the time to make waves.

Observation is your friend and will help you dissect what you are up against and how to deliver the best option or outlet for change.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Money matters, and putting a budget in place before starting something will ease stress and keep you on track with your plans. Talk to experts and get second opinions.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Financial discussions will help you decide what you can afford. Work with the numbers, manage your money and search for alternative means and methods to create the lifestyle you desire.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Get moving.

Exercise, conversations and being part of where the action is will elevate your creative imagination, giving way to something that excites you. Refuse to let what others say influence you.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2026 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

For better or For WorSe WonderWord

peAnUtS

SALLY Forth

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

toDAy's cLuE: D EQuALs I

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

SherMAn’S LAGoon FAMILY CIrCUS

dooneSbUrY

8C ● Wednesday, May 13, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

CurTiS

Hi and LoiS

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Sudoku InstructIons: Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers.

The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

BaBY BLueS

BLondie

THe wiZard oF id

nea CroSSwordS

La TimeS CroSSword

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Wednesday, May 13, 2026 ● 9C

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B.C.

Bridge

By PHILLIP ALDER Jean Nidetch, a co-founder of Weight Watchers, said, “It’s choice — not chance — that determines your destiny.” At the bridge table, sometimes chance does determine your destiny. For example, when you are in a contract that depends solely on a finesse. But much more often, your choices are the determining factor.

In today’s deal, West had two choices on the first round of the auction: to make a takeout double or to overcall one notrump. Here, the double would have worked much better, because it would not have placed all of the missing honors in his hand. But West preferred one no-trump because it defined his hand strength much more accurately than double.

Against four hearts, West led the diamond queen. How did South plan the play?

North’s decision to jump to three hearts worked well. Anything less and his side probably would not have reached game.

Declarer was faced with four potential losers: one heart and three clubs. And since only 16 points were missing, West was marked with the heart king and club ace. South saw that his only chance was an endplay.

After taking the first trick, he cashed his heart ace, relieved to see East follow suit. Then declarer cashed his other top diamond and dummy’s top spades, ruffed

garfield

Pearls Before swiNe

hagar the horriBle

the spade five in his hand, and exited a trump.

West won with his king, but had no riposte. If he had shifted to clubs, South would have scored his king. But when West led the diamond jack, declarer discarded a club from the board and ruffed in his hand. He then claimed, conceding two club tricks. © 2026 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

wuzzles Each Wuzzle is a word riddle which creates a disguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD = GOOD AFTERNOON

PiCKles

Previous answers:

mallard fillmore

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 — LINGERs: LING-gers: Tarries.

Bizarro

marmaduKe

Average mark 25 words Time limit 40 minutes Can you find 34 or more words in LINGERS? yEstERDAy’s WoRD — AGENDuM aged ague amen amend game name nude nudge dame

damn dang dean dune dung unmade made mane mange

mead mean mega mend menu

loCKhorNs hidato Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

today’s thought “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. you cannot serve God and mammon.”

Matthew 6:24 It’s all or nothing as far as God is concerned. Who are you serving? — G.E. Dean

10C ● Wednesday, May 13, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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TODAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

MONDAY

Partly sunny and delightful

Mostly sunny

Partly sunny and nice

Partly sunny and nice

Mostly cloudy

Mostly cloudy and humid

HIGH

LOW

HIGH

85° 63°

LOW

HIGH

89° 67°

LOW

85° 67°

Beaumont 89/65 Port Arthur 89/68

Baton Rouge 85/60

Lake Charles 88/65

New Orleans 85/65 Houma 88/62

Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

0s

Hattiesburg 85/60

Alexandria 88/62

Lafayette 85/63

10s

20s

30s

40s

50s

HIGH

LOW

87° 72°

60s

70s

80s

90s 100s 110s

High/low Normal high/low Last year’s high/low Record high Record low

YESTERDAY

Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today

MAY 16

City

Austin Boston Dallas Fairbanks Honolulu Las Vegas Louisville Miami Nashville

PRECIPITATION

82°/66° 85°/66° 76°/60° 93° in 2022 44° in 1924

TODAY’S TIDES Lake Pontchartrain (Tchefuncte River) Shell Beach South Point, Marsh Island Cypremort Point Grand Isle (Barataria Pass) Mississippi River (Southwest Pass) Wine Island

NEW

Shown are areas of precipitation and high temperatures for the day.

LOW

Lafayette through 5 p.m. Tuesday

Jackson 83/60 Many 89/59

HIGH

86° 74°

TEMPERATURE

Longview 88/63

-0s

LOW

Monroe 88/62

Shreveport 90/66

-10s

HIGH

84° 72°

Well, we got a great break from the rain yesterday and that terrific weather continues today. So, expect a sunny, warm and dry day with a light breeze. your temperatures this afternoon will rise into the mid- to upper 80s and possibly into the low 90s tomorrow.

With winds out of the north at 10 to 15 mph, the air will be dry and humidity will be low. Winds will likely become southerly by Thursday.

The UV Index is once again at the “very high” level, so if you’re outdoors for an extended period, protect your skin.

24-hour total Month to date Normal month to date year to date Normal year to date

HIGH

6:51p 1:21p 2:38a 4:55a 8:06a 7:50a 9:14a

6:15 a.m.

7:53 p.m.

3:49 a.m.

4:41 p.m.

FIRST

MAY 23

Hi

90 63 90 66 85 96 76 91 80

TODAY Lo

63 55 66 42 72 70 48 75 51

FULL

LAST

MAY 31

W

s c s pc pc s pc t s

Hi

90 60 90 57 84 96 69 91 73

JUN 8

THU. Lo

66 49 69 42 73 72 48 73 51

W

s r s c sh pc s pc s

FT.

LOW

0.69” 8.88” 2.03” 23.86” 20.65”

FT.

HIGH

0.5 3:50a 0.3 1.3 10:04p 0.3 1.8 6:27a 1.3 1.5 10:14a 1.1 0.9 5:45p 0.2 1.1 4:09p 0.3 1.1 6:47p 0.2

FT.

MODERATE

READING 46 MAIN POLLUTANT Ozone

MAIN POLLUTANT Ozone

SOURCE: LOUISIANA DEQ AND AIRNOW.GOV

LOW

FT.

--- ----- ----- ----- --1:13p 1.6 6:28p 0.3 2:36p 1.4 10:21p 0.4 --- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ---

The solunar period schedule allows planning days so you will be fishing in good territory or hunting in good cover during those times. Major periods begin at the times shown and last for 1.5 to 2 hours. The minor periods are shorter.

MAJOR MINOR MAJOR MINOR

Today Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday

City

8:56a 9:39a 10:27a 11:23a 11:50a 1:02a 2:14a

New Orleans Orlando Philadelphia Phoenix Pittsburgh Raleigh St. Louis San Diego Tampa

Hi

85 87 75 101 64 79 75 70 87

2:44a 3:26a 4:13a 5:08a 6:10a 7:19a 8:31a

TODAY Lo

65 69 56 74 45 57 50 59 73

9:20p 10:04p 10:55p 11:54p 12:26p 1:36p 2:47p

W

pc t c pc t pc s pc t

TODAY

GOOD

Hi

87 89 66 100 53 71 75 70 87

3:08p 3:52p 4:41p 5:38p 6:43p 7:52p 9:03p

THU. Lo

67 68 50 74 41 46 59 61 71

Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice.

W

s s pc s c pc s pc s

MISSISSIPPI Memphis Vidalia-Natchez Red River Landing Baton Rouge Donaldsonville Reserve New Orleans OHIO Cairo COMITE Near Olive AMITE Near Darlington Denham Springs Port Vincent TICKFAW Montpelier Holden ATCHAFALAYA Simmesport Melville Krotz Springs Butte La Rose Bayou Sorrel Morgan City

FLOOD STAGE

34 48 48 35 27 22 17

TUE. 24-HOUR STAGE CHANGE

14.28 38.06 40.40 24.60 15.90 11.59 7.64

-0.36 -0.24 -0.20 +0.10 +0.10 -0.05 +0.14

40

28.15

-0.49

19

1.09

-4.66

18 29 8

3.08 28.75 5.68

-5.19 +1.01 +0.26

13 15

5.42 10.57

-4.60 +0.68

47 34 29 20 12 6

20.68 15.46 13.31 10.47 6.50 3.55

-0.34 -0.23 -0.11 -0.04 +0.20 -0.02

data as of 7 a.m. Tuesday

Forecasts and graphics, except for Damon’s Outlook, provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2026

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The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Wednesday, May 13, 2026 ● 3S

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easy application 18 MONTHS 0.00%

SYNCHRONY 37 MONTHS 5.99% FINANCING 88 MONTHS 7.99% Schedule Your Free In-Home Informative Quote

Meet with our Optimize team.

Get the specific information and recommendation for installation on your home: Safe Generator location, required clearances, kW size/NEC load circulation, install details, Optimize install process, and receive your specific quote.

1

Meet With an Install Designer & Complete the In-Home Assessment • Location of generator • Size required • How it works • How install happens • Qualify for financing • Answer questions • Location of generator • kW sizer report • Install details • Total Price

Schedule Installation

Air Cooled Generators (Most Common) Ai

• Reliable backup power for essential home systems • Coverage for a typical-sized home during occasional outages

steps to completion

Receive a Written Quote

Not All Home Standby Generators Are The Same

Best for homeowners who want:

GENERATOR INSTALLATION

Air-cooled standby generators make up about 90% of the systems Airinstalled inst in our area. They use an engine similar to what you’d find in a lawn law mower or motorcycle.

• Pick install date • Pay Down Payment • Sign Agreement

Permits & Engineering

Air-cooled units run at 3600 RPM and are designed for emergency use lasting days to a couple of weeks. During extended outages, they may consume more oil and require more frequent oil checks.

2

• Engineering Review • Apply for permits • Contact Utilities • Get Approvals Required

Installation Day

Liquid Cooled Generators (Premium Heavy-Duty Option)

Liquid-cooled generators are a higher-performance option built with larger, heavier-duty engines, similar to a small truck engine with a radiator cooling system like a car.

Best for homeowners who have: • Larger homes with heavy electrical loads • Homes running two AC systems or more

Liquid-cooled units come in both 3600 RPM and 1800 RPM models.

The 1800 RPM models are widely considered the most durable and reliable standby generators available, designed for longer run times, quieter operation, and reduced wear.

• Install Pad or Stand • Install Transfer Switch • Install Gas Lines • Install Generator • Complete electrical • Complete gas work

After installation Day • Have inspections done • Inform utilities • Gas meter upgrade by utility • Schedule final walk through

We specialize in stocking premium 1800 RPM models for homeowners who want the very best.

Final Walk Through

Not sure which type is right for your home? Our team can size the perfect generator based on your electrical load, lifestyle, and outage history. Call us today.

If you have...

Recommended Type

Typical home, occasional outages

Air-Cooled

Large home, multiple AC units

Liquid-Cooled

Rural area with long outages

Liquid-Cooled (1800 RPM)

Budget-focused backup power

Air-Cooled

Maximum longevity + quiet operation

Liquid-Cooled

3

• Load test generator • Explain basics • Deliver paperwork • Offer maintenance • Collect balance

Full Service Dealership • GENERAC Warranty Repair • Maintenance Group Plans • Full Service After Storms • Dedicated Repair Technicians • Dedicated Maintenance Technicians • After Hours - On Call Service

MULTIPLE LOCATIONS TO SERVE YOU BETTER

• 20017 Hwy 36, – Covington • 10172 Mammoth Ave. – Baton Rouge • 2207 Greenwood St. – Kenner • 112 North Pat St. – Scott

Free In-Home Informative Quotes

337.469.3142 OptimizeGP.com

Awarded Top Service Dealership in North America for 2021 & 2024 by GENERAC

OPTIMIZE has been the largest Louisiana Generator Dealership since 2019 and now is Nationally recognized as among the Top 5 Largest GENERAC Dealerships.

OPTIMIZE is 100% Focused on Home Standby Generators.

Install, Maintenance & Repair.

4S ● Wednesday, May 13, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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INDUSTRY LEADING

12 YEAR WARRANTY

199 /

$

MONTH 88 MONTH SYNCHRONY FINANCING

7.99 %

MONTHLY Payment Based on $13,475 Install Detailed in ad Financed by SYNCHRONY FINANCING for 88 Months at 7.99%.

INSTALLED PRICE 22 kW GENERAC

13,475

$

Includes Normal Installation: Generator, ATS,Taxes, Battery, Surge Suppressor, 4” Concrete Pad, Permits, Labor, above ground Gas Piping up to 20 feet, Normal Electrical and Wiring (up to 60’).

*NOLA installs regularly require a stand & short trench – adding $900.

TURN-KEY INSTALLATION LOW $600 DOWN PAYMENT 12-YEAR WARRANTY INCLUDED

Free In-Home Informative Quotes

PRICE QUOTE GUARANTEE

INCLUDED EXCLUSIVE

SCHEDULE YOUR

FREE ESTIMATE

INSTALL NOW & SAVE

12 YEAR Power Plus Warranty

America’s Longest Lasting Warranty Plus 12YR Power WA R R A N T Y MULTIPLE LOCATIONS TO SERVE YOU BETTER

• 20017 Hwy 36, – Covington • 10172 Mammoth Ave. – Baton Rouge • 2207 Greenwood St. – Kenner • 112 North Pat St. – Scott

337.469.3142 OptimizeGP.com

Louisiana’s #1 Full Service GENERAC Dealer 2024 Top 6 Dealer in North America 2024 Top Service Dealer in North America 2022 Top 5 Dealer in North America 2021 Top Service Dealer in the USA 2020 Generac Core Champion in the USA