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ELECTION 2026

Senate race headlines election day ballot items

Five constitutional amendments also go to voters

BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer

STAFF PHOTOS By BRAD KEMP

University of Louisiana at Lafayette graduates toss their caps during the spring commencement for colleges of Engineering and Sciences at the Cajundome on Friday.

LET ’EM FLY

The spring commencement exercises for the graduates in the College of Engineering and the Ray P. Authement College of Sciences took place on Friday at the Cajundome. Julie Emerson, chief of staff for Gov. Jeff Landry, was the featured speaker. Also graduating Friday were the colleges of Business Administration, Education & Human Development, Nursing & Health Sciences and the College of the Arts. The University of Louisiana at Lafayette awarded a total of 1,775 degrees.

Graduate Emily Anne Duhon sends love to family and friends during the commencement ceremony on Friday.

Can U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy survive to fight another day?

That’s the biggest question on Saturday’s primary election ballot, with polls showing that Cassidy may not finish first or second in the Republican Senate primary to keep alive his hopes of winning a third term in the Senate.

Trying to unseat Cassidy are U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow and state Treasurer John Fleming. All three have run as the candidate Cassidy most aligned with President Donald Trump.

The outcome has drawn extensive coverage from news outlets outside of Louisiana as a litmus test of Trump’s power and popularity. Trump wants to defeat Cassidy because he joined Democrats in voting to Letlow convict the president on impeachment charges stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol by Trump supporters.

Trump has endorsed Letlow, who has emerged as the frontrunner thanks to the president’s backing, polls show. Gov. Fleming Jeff Landry, who is close with Trump, has also endorsed Letlow and has raised big dollars INSIDE for outside groups attacking ä On the Fleming to keep him from ballot. PAGE 2B knocking out Letlow in the primary.

The Senate race is the marquee election on Saturday, when voters will also decide whether to approve five constitutional amendments.

Also on the ballot are elections for the Louisiana

ä See ELECTION, page 3A

Lafayette’s adjudicated property program may see overhaul

to productive use. faces a backlog of roughly 200 investors.

Council weighs reforms amid staffing shortages side “We have to create the program adjudicated property applications Council member Kenneth Bou-

BY DEAN BOUDREUAX

adjudicated property program afContributing writer ter mounting complaints that the system is understaffed, inconsisLafayette City Council members tent and leaving north Lafayette are weighing changes to the city’s neighborhoods vulnerable to out-

WEATHER HIGH 84 LOW 70 PAGE 6A

dreaux last week called for the creation of a committee to overhaul the process, arguing the city has failed to properly resource a program intended to return taxdelinquent and blighted properties

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that we want and stop pretending about doing something that we actually are not doing,” Boudreaux told fellow council members.

The discussion comes as Lafayette Consolidated Government

TO OUR READERS: Because of today’s election and expected late results, Sunday’s newspaper delivery may be delayed.

and an ongoing legal dispute over a Ransome Street property that prompted officials to temporarily pause the process.

ä See OVERHAUL, page 3A

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BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

6 from hantavirus-hit ship arrive in Australia

MELBOURNE, Australia — Six passengers from a cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak arrived Friday in Australia for a quarantine expected to last at least three weeks.

The Gulfstream long-range business jet carrying them from the Netherlands landed at RAAF Base Pearce outside the Western Australia state capital, Perth.

The passengers, crew and a doctor who accompanied them were taken by bus to the nearby Bullsbrook quarantine facility.

Australian Health Minister Mark Butler said the government would implement one of world’s strongest quarantine responses to the outbreak.

He said passengers of the cruise ship MV Hondius who returned to the United States and most European countries would spend a few days in a quarantine center before they were sent home.

“We have taken the decision to take a stronger approach to quarantine arrangements than that because we are determined to ensure there is no risk at all of any transmission of this virus into the Australian community,” Butler told reporters in his hometown of Adelaide.

The five Australians and one New Zealand citizen will spend the three-week quarantine period in the facility that had remained largely unused since it was built in 2022 is response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gaza airstrike targeted Hamas military leader

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — An Israeli airstrike in Gaza on Friday targeted the leader of Hamas‘ military wing, Israeli officials said, but it wasn’t immediately clear if Izz al-Din al-Haddad was killed or injured.

Hamas did not immediately acknowledge or comment on the strike.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said an airstrike carried out by the military Friday evening targeted al-Haddad, the leader of Hamas’ Qassam brigades.

There were at least two Israeli strikes Friday evening in Gaza City, one of which Israel said targeted al-Haddad. One strike targeted a residential building and another a vehicle. Seven people were killed and dozens of others wounded, according to health officials in the Palestine Red Crescent Society’s Saraya Field Hospital and Shifa hospital, where the casualties were taken In a statement, Netanyahu and Katz said that al-Haddad was “one of the architects” of the Oct. 7 attack.

Gaza has seen near-daily Israeli fire despite a fragile ceasefire agreement reached in October. More than 850 people have been killed since then, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

Soldier’s wife out of U.S. immigration custody

The wife of a U.S. Army sergeant has been released from federal immigration custody after spending a month in detention.

Sgt. Jose Serrano, an active duty soldier stationed in Texas who served three tours in Afghanistan, previously told The Associated Press that immigration agents arrested his wife, Deisy Rivera Ortega, during an April 14 appointment with immigration services to advance her application for permanent residency.

U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, a Democrat and combat veteran, told the AP that she personally contacted Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin on Wednesday to advocate for Rivera Ortega’s release after learning of her situation from advocacy groups.

Rivera Ortega returned home Thursday evening.

“Rivera-Ortega has been released from ICE custody with a GPS tracking device, mandatory home visits, and ICE office check-ins. She will receive full due process,” said the DHS, which oversees U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The family of Rivera Ortega did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Trump weighs Taiwan arms package President says he hasn’t made decision on deal as he returns from China

BY AAMER MADHANI, WILL WEISSERT and SIMINA MISTREANU Associated Press

BEIJING — President Donald Trump said Friday that he has not made a decision on whether to move forward with a major arms package for Taiwan after hearing concerns about it from Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Trump’s comments on Taiwan — a self-ruled island that China claims as its own territory — came as he flew back to Washington after wrapping up critical talks in which both leaders said important progress was made in stabilizing U.S.-China relations even as deep differences persist between the world’s two biggest powers on Iran and Taiwan.

“I’ll be making decisions,” Trump said. “But, you know, I think the last thing we need right now is a war that’s 9,500 miles away.”

Trump’s Republican administration in December authorized a record-setting $11 billion weapons package for Taipei, but it has yet to move forward. Lawmakers also approved a $14 billion arms sale to Taiwan in January, but the sale cannot advance until Trump formally sends it to Con-

REUTERS PHOTO By EVAN VUCCI

Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, and President Donald Trump attend a meeting Friday on the sidelines of their visit to the Zhongnanhai Garden in Beijing, China. gress. China opposes such sales and has suggested that Washington’s relationship with the self-governing island is the key factor in U.S.-China relations.

Trump said Xi also reiterated China’s strong opposition to Taiwan’s independence. “I heard him out,” Trump said. “I didn’t make a comment.”

Trump’s consultation with Xi about arms sales to Taiwan may violate the socalled Six Assurances, a set of nonbinding U.S. policy principles formulated in 1982 under President Ronald Reagan that have helped guide the U.S. relationship with Taipei, according to analysts.

The second of the Six Assurances states that the U.S. “did not agree to consult with the People’s Republic of China on arms sales to Taiwan.”

Trump said the issue of the 1982 assurances came up in the talks with Xi. Trump also said he raised a potential three-way nuclear deal that would involve the U.S., Russia and China.

He wants each of the three countries to sign a pact that would cap the number of nuclear warheads in their arsenals. China has previously been cool to entering such a pact.

Beijing’s arsenal, according to Pentagon estimates, exceeds 600 warheads and is far from parity with the U.S. and Russia, which are each estimated to have more than 5,000 warheads.

But Trump suggested Xi was receptive to the idea.

“I got a very a positive response,” Trump said. “This is the beginning.”

The last nuclear arms pact, known as the New START treaty, between

Russia and the United States expired in February, removing any caps on the two largest atomic arsenals for the first time in more than a half-century. As the treaty was set to expire, Trump rejected a call by Russia to extend the twocountry deal for another year and called for “a new, improved and modernized” deal that includes China.

The Pentagon estimates China will have more than 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030.

Xi welcomed Trump at his official residence, Zhongnanhai, on Friday for their final engagement of the summit before the U.S. leader’s return to Washington. The leaders took a short walk through the grounds that feature ancient trees and Chinese roses, and they strolled through a covered passageway with green col-

umns and archways painted with birds and traditional Chinese mountain scenes.

Over tea and lunch, Trump and Xi — with top aides and translators in tow — huddled for nearly three hours of talks before the U.S. leader completed his three-day visit to China.

Trump appeared impressed by the bucolic grounds, remarking that the roses were the most beautiful he had ever seen.

Xi promised to send him some rose seeds.

“It’s been really a great couple of days,” Trump told reporters.

Xi, for his part, called it a “milestone” visit. “We have established a new bilateral relationship, or rather a constructive, strategic, stable relationship,” he said.

But the optimistic outlook collides with some difficult truths about the thorniest issues between the two superpowers.

Beijing has shown little public interest in U.S. entreaties to get more involved in solving the conflict in Iran, even though Trump said in an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity that Xi had in their conversations offered to help.

In recent weeks, the U.S. State Department has accused Chinese firms of providing satellite imagery to the Iranian government, and the Treasury Department has moved to target Chinese oil refineries accused of buying oil from Tehran, as well as shippers of the oil.

Sources: DOJ prepares to seek Raúl Castro indictment U.S. ramping up pressure on Cuba

BY JOSHUA GOODMAN, ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press

MIAMI — The Justice Department is preparing to seek an indictment against former Cuban President Raúl Castro, three people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Friday, as President Donald Trump threatens possible military action against the communistrun island.

One of the people told the AP that the potential indictment is connected to Castro’s alleged role in the 1996 shootdown of four

planes operated by the Miami-based exile group Brothers to the Rescue.

Castro was defense minister at the time.

All three people spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation.

The Cuban gov- Castro ernment did not respond to a request for comment on the potential indictment, which was reported earlier by CBS. Any criminal charge against Castro, which would need to be approved by a grand jury, would dramatically escalate tensions with Havana. Following the U.S. military’s brazen capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January, the Trump

administration quickly turned its attention to its ally Cuba and ordered an economic blockade that choked off fuel shipments to Cuba, leading to severe blackouts across the island, increasing food insecurity, and heightening ongoing economic woes across the island.

But the U.S. war in Iran gave Cuban leaders something of a reprieve from U.S. talk of regime change.

Richard Feinberg, a professor emeritus specializing in Latin America at the University of CaliforniaSan Diego, said that any indictment of Castro will play well with voters in south Florida but is unlikely to persuade members of the U.S. military to pursue

Judge declares mistrial in rape retrial of Harvey Weinstein

BY JENNIFER PELTZ

keep fighting,” attorney Marc Agnifilo said, adding that the defense believed NEW YORK — Jurors dead- it has “outstanding” proslocked in Harvey Wein- pects if the case is retried.

The majority-male stein‘s rape retrial Friday, forcing another mistrial Manhattan jury weighed whether Weinin a #MeToo-era case that has gone stein raped Jesto trial three times sica Mann, a so far. hairstylist and While the foractor. Weinstein’s lawyers argued mer Hollywood that the encounter mogul has been was consensual. It convicted of other happened in 2013 sex crimes on two Weinstein during a fraught U.S. coasts and remains behind bars, the relationship between the mistrial leaves the New then-married Weinstein York rape charge in limbo. and the decades-younger Prosecutors were ponder- Mann.

Deliberations began ing whether to try the case a fourth time, after some Wednesday. On Friday, afjurors said outside court ter the jury sent two notes that nine out of 12 wanted in 90 minutes saying it was to acquit Weinstein. stuck, Judge Curtis Farber Weinstein, 74, showed declared a mistrial. little reaction as he was Some jurors said they ushered from court, but his were struck by gaps in attorneys said later that he what Mann recalled, parwas pleased with the out- ticularly when defense lawyers were questioning come.

“Maybe it’s not the win her.

“The prevailing thought that he wanted, but it’s a win, and we’re going to was that the witness had a Associated Press

lot of inconsistencies in her story,” said juror Josh Hadar, 57. He favored acquittal: “I don’t come to that easily, but it just seemed that there was enough reasonable doubt.”

Another juror, Sarae Perez, 25, noted that she studied feminism and is well versed in #MeToo, but she also couldn’t overcome uncertainties about Mann’s account.

“There were places where we couldn’t trust her word for it,” she said.

Mann said in a statement that the mistrial “doesn’t in any way detract from the truth I told.”

“I deserve justice, which is why I stand up and face unbearable public scrutiny in the name of a greater good,” she said.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg hailed Mann’s “perseverance and bravery” and said in a statement that prosecutors will consult her about next steps. They’re due to say next month whether they will retry the case.

a second war of choice — this time just 90 miles from Florida.

“There’s no easy Venezuela copy,” said Feinberg.

“There’s no clear line of succession and it’s hard to imagine regime change without U.S. boots on the ground.”

The AP reported in March that the U.S. Attorney in Miami had created a special working group of prosecutors and federal law enforcement to build cases against top Cuban officials amid calls by several south Florida Republicans to reopen its inves-

tigation into Castro’s alleged role in the 1996 shootdown.

As Trump seeks to wind down the war in Iran, speculation has been growing that he may soon turn his attention back to Cuba after pledging earlier this year a “friendly takeover” of the country if its leadership didn’t open up its economy to American investment and kick out U.S. adversaries.

Trump declined to discuss a potential indictment on Friday, deferring to the Justice Department.

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ELECTION

Continued from page 1A Supreme Court, the Public Service Commission, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and local races, including who will be mayor of Kenner and president of Lafourche Parish.

Voting takes place between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m.

Cassidy, Letlow, Fleming and business owner Mark Spencer of Belle Chasse are running in the Republican Senate primary.

Competing in the Democratic Senate primary are policy analyst Nick Albares, who lives in New Orleans and has the endorsement of his former boss, ex-Gov. John Bel Edwards; Jamie Davis, a farmer in northeast Louisiana running with the endorsement of the Louisiana Democratic Party; and Gary Crockett, a business owner in New Orleans.

The three Democratic Senate candidates appeared Friday at a forum hosted by Jim Engster on his “Talk Louisiana” public radio program.

Albares, Davis and Crockett criticized Trump for launching the war against Iran. They also knocked plans underway by Landry and the Republican-controlled state Legislature to turn the Black-majority district held by U.S. Rep. Cleo Fields of Baton Rouge into a safe Republican seat, as legislators draw a new map for the state’s six congressional districts.

How will ‘no party’ voting go?

Voters will choose among the Republican and Democratic Senate candidates in separate party primaries Saturday. No-party voters can choose whether to vote for either the Republican or Democratic

OVERHAUL

Continued from page 1A

tended for redevelopment in the McComb-Veazey neighborhood, but Bingham said six were lost because of redemptions and procedural conflicts.

“Duplicate applications came up months after we’d already gone through the process,” Bingham said.

“Things like that happen, and then we’re left asking, now what do we do?”

She said the pilot program’s original funding structure was built around those 19 properties and has become increasingly difficult to sustain as the process continues to shift.

“We’re constantly trying to adjust the model and make it fit,” she said. “So that it can be something other communities around Lafayette can also duplicate.”

Bingham told the council

House elections, even though absentee ballot voting was underway.

Landry made that decision after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the state’s current congressional districts are unconstitutional.

During early voting, Black voters turned out in large numbers proportionally, with analysts citing anger at the move to eliminate seats held by Black elected officials.

Anyone with concerns or questions on Saturday can speak with an election commissioner at their precinct or call the secretary of state election hotline at (800) 8832805.

Voters can go to geauxvote.com or download the GeauxVote app to get their voting information, their sample ballot, their voting precinct location, and other info, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.

Last-minute campaigning On Friday, Cassidy and Fleming kept up their attacks on Letlow, while an outside group associated with Gov. Landry continued its attacks on Fleming.

Cassidy mostly stuck to his home base in Baton Rouge, speaking to a disabled veterans’ group at a hotel and talking to reporters at a gun range.

Afterward, he stepped into the range and, while shooting an AR15, hit the bull’s-eye on five of six shots. He proudly held up the paper target afterward to show off his marksmanship.

Fleming appeared on the talk show radio programs of two conservative stalwarts, Jeff Crouere and Moon Griffon.

On both, he blamed Letlow for attack ads broadcast by the Accountability Project, one of the pro-Landry outside groups, that say Fleming is soft on border security, didn’t serve as Trump’s dep-

there are more than 200 adjudicated properties in the McComb-Veazey Cultural District alone and warned that without safeguards, outside investors could buy up land before neighborhood organizations have a chance to redevelop it.

“We don’t want it to go to a fire sale,” she said. “People with more resources can come in and scoop up these properties without any conversation with the community or any connection to the neighborhood.”

She pointed to the Community House on 12th Street — now used for meetings and community programming — as an example of a successful redevelopment project that began as an adjudicated property.

Dominique Mouton, founder of the T Founda-

uty chief of staff in his first term and voted for carbon capture and sequestration bills as a member of Congress more than a decade ago.

“It’s dishonest politics, and it’s boomeranging on them,” Fleming said on Griffon’s show.

Letlow, who is leading in most polls, went to Cameron Parish with Landry and Energy Secretary Chris Wright to celebrate plans for a $13 billion LNG facility.

In a phone interview, Letlow said her key message is that she has Trump’s message and would be a great public servant in the Senate.

Letlow noted that she’s not involved with the Accountability Project and said Fleming’s comments “are another of his conspiracy theories.”

Bernard parishes and a smidgen of Orleans Parish.

Two Republicans are running for the seat: William Burris, a district court judge in St. Tammany and Washington parishes; and Blair Edwards, a 1st Circuit Court of Appeals judge and former juvenile judge.

Board of Elementary

Three Republicans are running in a primary election for the 1st District seat on BESE, which sets policy for Louisiana’s K-12 school system. The district covers St. Tammany Parish and parts of Orleans, Jefferson and Tangipahoa parishes.

Those candidates are: n Joseph Cao, a former member of Congress who Gov. Jeff Landry Five constitutional amendments appointed to fill a vacant spot n Mike Hollis, who is in the inVoters will decide whether to approve five amendments to the state surance business and whose faconstitution. ther and brother were both state Amendment 1 would give the lawmakers n Ellie Schroder, who worked in Louisiana Legislature more power to designate which positions have public schools for nearly 30 years civil service protections. and is the wife of former state Amendment 2 would create a Treasurer John Schroder. school district in St. George, the new Public Service Commission city in East Baton Rouge Parish.

Amendment 3 would liquidate Five Republicans are running several education trust fund ac- for a seat on the Public Service counts and use the money to pay Commission representing St. Tamoff retirement debt, which would many Parish and parts of Orleans, fund a $2,250 raise for teachers Jefferson and Tangipahoa parstatewide. ishes. The commission regulates Amendment 4 would give par- utilities.

The candidates are: ishes the option to eliminate taxes n Wayne Cooper, a kitchen manon business inventory.

Amendment 5 would raise the ager at the Florida Parish Juvenile mandatory retirement age for Detention Center n State Rep. Stephanie Hilferty, judges from 70 to 75.

R-New Orleans State Supreme Court n John Mason, a criminal deVoters in the first district of the fense attorney n State Rep. Mark Wright, Louisiana Supreme Court will elect a new justice. That district R-Covington n John Young, the former Jeffercovers Livingston, St. Tammany, Washington, Tangipahoa and St. son Parish president.

tion, also urged the council to reopen access to the process. His organization teaches reconstruction classes and has worked to acquire adjudicated properties on Lafayette’s north side for nearly three years.

“They’re building 40, 50 houses for rent,” Mouton said of outside developers.

“That doesn’t make things better. It only makes somebody rich who doesn’t even

live here.”

Mouton said community organizations understand the process and requirements but are being shut out because of delays and administrative barriers.

“We can’t get into the process,” he said. “Please give us a shot and don’t delay this process again.”

The debate underscored broader concerns about whether Lafayette’s adju-

dication program has the staffing and structure necessary to address blight while protecting longtime residents from displacement.

“This is how we start preventing displacement,” Bingham said. “Long-term residents and community organizations should not be pushed out of the opportunity to help shape their own neighborhoods.”

r y ou da tY o ar T St ove M

According to previous reporting, only one employee is currently assigned to process adjudicated property applications. Chief of Staff Christina Dayries has publicly acknowledged staffing shortages and said the pause allows the city to reevaluate the system with outside legal assistance.

LCG has hired Monroe attorney Wesley Johnson, who specializes in Louisiana adjudication law, to help redesign the process following a new state law that took effect Jan. 1 and changed how taxdelinquent properties are handled.

Council member Andy Naquin said the administration does not plan to wait on additional state action before updating the process, while also acknowledging concerns surrounding the ongoing property dispute.

Any ordinance changes would require approval from both the Lafayette City and Parish councils, a process expected to take at least a month. With litigation still pending over the Ransome Street dispute, officials have not said when the adjudication process could resume.

Boudreaux, one of the council’s most outspoken critics of the current system, said previous administrations dedicated more staff and resources to the program.

“At most administrations, there were two people committed to working from start to finish in Boudreaux this program,” he said. “We just have to make a decision. Do we want to really do something about it and deal with it the right way?”

During public comment, neighborhood leaders and nonprofit groups urged the council to prioritize community organizations over speculative investors.

Tina Shelvin Bingham, chair of the McCombVeazey Neighborhood Coterie and community development director for Habitat for Humanity of Lafayette, said she has worked inside the adjudication system for years through the Adjudicated Properties Pilot Program, known as APPP. The initiative launched in 2023 with 19 properties in-

candidates, but not both. To do so, no-party voters must fill out a onepage Declaration of Ballot Choice.

Cassidy is relying on a goodsized turnout of no-party voters for him.

But he told reporters on Friday that he fears a significant number of no-party voters won’t understand the new system and won’t vote for him as a result.

“The system should be made to serve the voter, not asking the voter to serve the system,” he said.

Landry and Republican legislators instituted the semi-closed party primary for this year’s elections.

Past open primaries — where voters could choose among Republican and Democratic candidates on the same ballot — produced turnout rates of about 50%.

But this year, the office of Secretary of State Nancy Landry is projecting a voter participation of only 28%. That would equal about 830,000 voters.

About 257,000 people have already voted, either by absentee ballot or during the May 2-9 early voting period, according to pollster John Couvillon, who conducted surveys for Fleming. Of the 257,000 voters, only about 15% have been no-party, Couvillon said.

In all, 27% of Louisiana’s voters are registered as no-party.

If no candidate wins a majority in either party primary, Cassidy needs to finish first or second to advance to the runoff election on June 27 and avoid becoming on Saturday only the second incumbent Louisiana senator to lose reelection since 1932.

Early voting from May 2-9 showed widespread confusion with the semi-closed primary system and with Gov. Landry’s decision to declare an “emergency” and cancel the races for the six

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Iranian official: Lack of trust impeding talks with U.S.

BY SHEIKH SAALIQ and ADAM SCHRECK

Associated Press

NEW DELHI — Iran‘s foreign minister said a lack of trust is the biggest obstacle in negotiations to end the war with the U.S., saying Friday that Tehran would be open to diplomatic help, particularly from China, to help ease tensions.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said contradictory messages have “made us reluctant about the real intentions of Americans.”

“We are in doubt about their seriousness,” he told reporters in New Delhi, adding that negotiations would move forward if Washington was ready for a “fair and balanced deal.”

President Donald Trump earlier this week dismissed Iran’s latest formal proposal as “garbage.” While Iran was said to include some nuclear concessions, Trump has said he wants to remove highly enriched uranium from the country and prevent it from developing nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.

In separate negotiations in Washington between Israel and Lebanon, both sides agreed Friday to extend their ceasefire until early June, U.S. officials said.

With talks between Iran

and the U.S. at a standstill during the shaky ceasefire, tensions remain high and threaten to tip the Middle East back into open warfare and prolong the worldwide energy crisis sparked by the conflict.

Iran still has a chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway where a fifth of the world’s oil passed through before the war, and America is blockading Iranian ports.

Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, who finished talks on Friday, agreed the strait needs to be reopened.

Araghchi said Friday that Iran would welcome diplomatic support from other countries, particularly from China, citing Beijing’s previous role in facilitating the restoration of ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Beijing has shown little public interest in U.S. requests to get more involved, even though Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity that Xi had in their conversations offered to help.

Pakistan said Thursday it was continuing diplomatic efforts to help ease regional tensions. But it declined to disclose details of the discussions or say whether the U.S. had formally responded.

“The clock on diplomacy has not stopped. The peace process is working,” Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MANISH SWARUP

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrives for a meeting Thursday during the two-day BRICS summit in New Delhi, India. told reporters in Islamabad.

Trump has demanded a major rollback of Iran’s nuclear activities while Iran says it has a right to enrich uranium.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who launched the war with Trump on Feb. 28, also wants Iran’s highly enriched uranium removed from the country.

Iran’s foreign minister said Friday that the issue of its enriched uranium stockpile is one of the most difficult subjects in negotiations with the U.S. Russia has previously offered to take the stockpile if Iran is willing to give it up. Araghchi said Russia’s

proposal was not currently under active discussion, but could be revisited.

“When we come to that stage, obviously we will have more consultations with Russia and see if the Russian offer can help or not,” he said.

Israel and Lebanon agreed to extend the expiring Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire for another 45 days to allow for negotiations on a broader peace agreement, the U.S. State Department said.

After two days of meetings, the department said it would reconvene the two sides for discussions on June 2 and 3, while a military track — between the Israeli and Lebanese armies — by

the Pentagon will begin on May 29. Hezbollah opposes Lebanon’s direct negotiations with Israel and has not been part of the talks.

Israel’s ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter said the talks were frank and constructive. “There will be ups and downs, but the potential for success is great,” he said in a social media post. “What will be paramount throughout negotiations is the security of our citizens and our soldiers.”

The ongoing ceasefire hasn’t stopped Israel and Hezbollah from trading strikes.

The Israeli military said Friday it hit Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon after re-

porting hostile aircraft alerts and launches from across the border. Lebanon’s health ministry said three paramedics were killed in a strike near the city of Harouf. Other strikes around the coastal city of Tyre wounded nearly 40 people, destroyed a health center and damaged the neighboring Hiram Hospital, wounding six medical workers, the ministry said.

A Chinese private security company said it lost communication Thursday with a ship it was operating as an offshore work platform — the same day the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center reported that a ship anchored off the United Arab Emirates coast had been seized.

Sinoguards said it had “been informed through relevant channels” that the vessel Hui Chuan was taken into Iranian waters for documentation and compliance inspection by the authorities.

The company’s emailed statement said there was no indication of any injuries on the ship and that it was cooperating.

The security company and the U.K. maritime center did not say who was behind the seizure. It happened as a senior Iranian official reiterated his country’s claim of control over the Strait of Hormuz and another said it had a right to seize oil tankers connected to the U.S.

Colorado’s governor commutes ex-election clerk Tina Peters’ sentence Former official convicted in scheme to copy election data

BY COLLEEN SLEVIN and NICHOLAS RICCARDI Associated Press

DENVER — Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on Friday commuted the sentence of election conspiracy theorist Tina Peters following pressure from President Donald Trump, the latest instance of the president using his powers to reward those who echoed his baseless claims of mass fraud as the cause

of his 2020 loss.

Trump has championed the case of Peters, a 70-yearold former county clerk who was sentenced to nine years behind bars after being convicted in a scheme to make a copy of her county’s election computer system. She gets released June 1.

In April, a Colorado appeals court Peters ordered Peters to be resentenced because it said the judge who sent her to prison wrongly punished her for speaking out about election fraud, a decision praised by Polis. The court upheld her convictions though.

In a letter to Peters, Polis wrote that Peters was convicted of serious crimes and deserved to spend time in prison. “However, this is an extremely unusual and lengthy sentence for a first time offender who committed nonviolent crimes,” the governor wrote.

President Donald Trump posted around the time of the announcement on his Truth Social platform: “FREE TINA!” Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, a Democrat, said “it was a dark day for democracy” and ”selling out our state’s justice sys-

DOJ will seek death penalty in killings of Israeli Embassy staffers

BY MICHAEL KUNZELMAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department will seek the death penalty for the man accused of fatally shooting two staff members of the Israeli Embassy in Washington outside a Jewish museum, prosecutors said in a court filing Friday.

Elias Rodriguez faces federal hate crime and murder charges in the killings of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim as they left an event at the museum last May. Ro-

driguez shouted “Free Palestine” during the shooting and later told police, “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza,” according to his indictment.

The charges against Rodriguez include a hate crime resulting in death. The indictment also includes notice of special findings, which allows prosecutors to pursue the death penalty.

“My message to anyone who seeks to commit political violence in this district — D.C. is not the place. You will be held accountable and you will face the full wrath of the

law,” Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, said at an unrelated news conference Friday in which she revealed the Justice Department’s death penalty decision.

The hate crimes charges mean prosecutors will have to prove that Rodriguez was motivated by antisemitism when he opened fire on Lischinsky and Milgrim, a young couple who were about to become engaged. Milgrim, 26, was a U.S. citizen and Lischinsky, 30, was an Israeli citizen working in the U.S.

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tem for Trump is an affront to the rule of law.”

“A clear message is being sent to those willing to break the law and attack democracy for the president — they will likely not face consequences for their actions,” Griswold said at a news conference.

Peters has been serving her sentence at a prison in Pueblo after being convicted in 2024 by jurors in

Mesa County, a Republican stronghold that supported Trump.

Peters snuck in an outside computer expert, an associate of MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, to make a copy of her county’s Dominion Voting Systems election computer server as state officials updated it in 2021.

After Peters joined Lindell onstage at a “cybersymposium” that promised to

reveal proof of election rigging, video and photos of the upgrade, including passwords, were posted online.

Peters was convicted of state, not federal, crimes, which put her beyond the reach of Trump’s pardon power that he used to free those convicted of crimes for the Jan. 6, 2021, attacks on the U.S. Capitol. But the president still championed her cause.

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The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Saturday, May 16, 2026 ● 5A

lll

Sources: U.S. halts deployments to Poland, Germany Pentagon seeks to reduce troop numbers in Europe

BY KONSTANTIN TOROPIN, EMMA BURROWS, BEN FINLEY and CLAUDIA CIOBANU

Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon is drawing down thousands of troops in Europe by canceling deployments to Poland and Germany as opposed to yanking forces already stationed there, U.S. officials say, as President Donald Trump has tussled with allies over the Iran war and called for changes.

Several U.S. officials confirmed that 4,000 troops from the Army’s 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division were no longer en route to Poland this week. The Trump administration had previously said it was cutting U.S. forces only in Germany, and the decision spurred questions and criticism in both Warsaw and Washington.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ALEX BRANDON

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, left, testifies Tuesday at a House Appropriations subcommittee budget hearing for the Department of Defense in Washington, as Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine listens.

Two officials told The Associated Press the Poland deployment was canceled after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a memo directing the Joint Chiefs of Staff to move a brigade combat team out of Europe. One of them said the choice of which unit was left to military leaders.

Besides the Army combat team based in Fort Hood, Texas, the memo also led to the cancellation of an upcoming deployment to Germany of a battalion trained in firing long-range rockets and missiles, according to the two officials, who like the others spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensi-

tive military operations.

Three U.S. officials said the canceled deployments were part of an effort to comply with a presidential order issued at the beginning of May to reduce the number of troops in Europe by about 5,000. The reasoning does not appear to have been well communicated

because others based in Europe said they did not know if the halted deployment to Poland was part of the previously announced reduction in troops.

Trump and the Pentagon have said in recent weeks that they were drawing down at least 5,000 troops in Germany after Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the U.S. was being “humiliated” by the Iranian leadership and criticized what he called a lack of strategy in the war.

The drawdown reflects a growing rift between the administration and traditional European allies, with the U.S. leader repeatedly criticizing fellow NATO members for a lack of support for the Iran conflict.

Polish officials on Friday insisted that the canceled U.S. deployment to Poland, which was reported earlier

by The Military Times and other outlets, was not targeted directly at their country but was a consequence of Trump’s decision to reduce the number of troops in Germany.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he “received assurances” that the decision was of a logistical

nature and said it does not directly impact deterrence capabilities and Poland’s security.

Joel Valdez, a Pentagon spokesman, said “the decision to withdraw troops follows a comprehensive, multilayered process” and he argued that it was “not an unexpected, last-minute decision.”

Speaking to Congress in a hearing Friday, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and Gen. Christopher LaNeve, the Army’s chief of staff, said discussions around the halted deployment to Poland occurred over the past two weeks but that the decision itself was made in the past couple days.

Republican Rep. Don Bacon, of Nebraska, said he spoke with Polish officials Thursday and they were “blindsided.”

The move also left some U.S. military personnel in Europe in the dark about how the Trump administration was reducing forces. A U.S. official based in Europe said a meeting was called with 20 minutes’ notice on Monday to discuss the cancellation of the deployment to Poland.

New Ebola outbreak confirmed in remote Congo province Officials say 65 deaths recorded

By The Associated Press KINSHASA, Congo — Africa’s top public health body on Friday confirmed a new Ebola outbreak in Congo’s remote Ituri province, with 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths recorded so far.

Neighboring Uganda later confirmed one death in an Ebola case it said was imported from Congo.

The deaths and suspected cases have been recorded mainly in the Mongwalu and

Rwampara health zones, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement. The agency said 65 deaths have been attributed to the outbreak and that four of those have so far been confirmed in a laboratory.

Ebola is highly contagious and can be contracted through bodily fluids such as vomit, blood or semen. The disease it causes is rare, but severe and often fatal.

Scientists were trying to determine exactly what virus was driving the current outbreak in Congo. The Ebola virus — also known as

the Ebola Zaire strain — has been prominent in Congo’s past outbreaks. Results so far suggest some variant other than the Ebola Zaire strain, with sequencing continuing to give more clarity, the Africa CDC said.

The World Health Organization says the Ebola disease is caused by a group of viruses, and that three of them are known to cause large outbreaks: Ebola virus, Sudan virus and Bundibugyo virus.

Uganda on Friday reported one Ebola case involving a Congolese man admitted to a hospital in Kampala

Kyiv mourns as deaths from Russian attack rise to 24

BY SAMYA KULLAB, HANNA ARHIROVA and BARRY HATTON

Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine — The death toll from a Russian missile attack that flattened a Kyiv apartment building rose Friday to 24, including three teenagers, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said as he led the mourning for one of the deadliest attacks on the capital in the 4-year-old war.

The cruise missile hit the nine-story corner apartment block Thursday during what the Ukrainian air force said was Russia’s biggest barrage on the country of the fullscale invasion. Emergency workers finished digging through the rubble searching for victims after more than a

day, Zelenskyy said on X. Crowds of grieving people — many of them children — streamed toward a makeshift memorial beneath a tree near the destroyed building.

Teenagers clutching bouquets arrived in groups and broke into tears as they approached the growing mound of flowers and stuffed toys beside photographs of the dead. A portrait of a girl in a school uniform, posed against a bright yellow backdrop, was among the photos.

Zelenskyy and other top government officials visited the site to pay tribute to the dead, as did Kyiv-based foreign diplomats.

Russia has hammered Ukraine with large-scale aerial attacks in the days since a May 9-11 ceasefire

that President Donald Trump said he asked Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin to observe. Fighting continued over those 72 hours, although reportedly on a lesser scale.

This week’s attacks ran counter to recent suggestions from Trump and Putin that the war is close to ending.

The assault mostly targeted the Ukrainian capital, where 48 people were wounded, including two children, Zelenskyy said.

He said Moscow had launched more than 1,560 drones against Ukrainian population centers since Wednesday, adding that about 180 sites across the country were damaged, including more than 50 residential buildings.

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three days before he died.

Officials said the case was “imported” from Congo, and that Uganda has not yet confirmed any local cases.

Uganda’s Health Ministry said the patient was tested posthumously on Friday after neighboring Congo confirmed its Ebola outbreak.

All contacts linked to the man have been quarantined, the agency said. The deceased’s body has been taken back to Congo.

The ministry said the person was infected with the Bundibugyo virus, a variant of the illness that has been endemic in Uganda.

The WHO said last year that Congo has a stockpile of treatments and some 2,000 doses of the Ervebo Ebola vaccine. The Ervedo vaccine is effective against the Ebola Zaire strain — considered the most severe one — but not against the Sudan virus or Bundibugyo virus, according to health authorities.

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, World Health Organization director-general, told reporters Friday that the WHO last week sent a team to help Congo investigate the outbreak and collect samples. While initial

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results did not confirm Ebola, a new analysis on Thursday did, he said.

Congo has “a strong track record in Ebola response and control,” Tedros said, adding that the WHO is releasing $500,000 to aid Congo’s response.

The latest outbreak comes around five months after Congo’s last Ebola outbreak was declared over after 43 deaths.

Ituri is in a remote eastern part of Congo characterized by poor road networks, more than 620 miles from the nation’s capital of Kinshasa.

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6A ● Saturday, May 16, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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TODAY

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

Partly sunny and nice

A shower and t-storm; humid

Humid with clouds and sun

Humid; a stray morning shower

A shower and t-storm; humid

Clouds and sun, showers around

HIGH

LOW

HIGH

84° 70°

LOW

HIGH

86° 77°

LOW

87° 74°

Beaumont 84/76 Port Arthur 85/77

Baton Rouge 85/69

Lake Charles 84/73

New Orleans 84/72 Houma 83/72

Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

0s

Hattiesburg 86/63

Alexandria 86/69

Lafayette 84/70

10s

20s

30s

40s

50s

LOW

HIGH

LOW

86° 71°

YESTERDAY

Lafayette through 5 p.m. Friday

Jackson 84/64 Many 86/69

HIGH

88° 73°

TEMPERATURE

Longview 87/71

-0s

LOW

Monroe 87/66

Shreveport 89/71

-10s

HIGH

88° 75°

Not a bad day in the forecast today. Expect a partly to mostly cloudy, warm and breezy day. Temperatures this afternoon are about where they should be, rising to the mid-80s, and temperatures tomorrow should be just as high or higher. Winds will be southerly at 10 to 15 mph with gusts up to 20 mph. This will bring moisture from the Gulf, so expect rising dew points and humidity. Our rain chances will be at 10%, so an isolated shower is possible. Under partly cloudy skies, rain chances tomorrow will be at 10 to 20%.

60s

70s

80s

90s 100s 110s

High/low Normal high/low Last year’s high/low Record high Record low

Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today

MAY 16

City

Austin Boston Dallas Fairbanks Honolulu Las Vegas Louisville Miami Nashville

Shown are areas of precipitation and high temperatures for the day.

86°/68° 86°/67° 89°/76° 95° in 1933 48° in 1917

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

PRECIPITATION

24-hour total Month to date Normal month to date year to date Normal year to date

HIGH

7:39p 1:29p 5:48a 8:43a 9:10a 8:38a 10:18a

6:14 a.m.

7:55 p.m.

5:42 a.m.

8:16 p.m.

FIRST

MAY 23

Hi

87 76 88 61 85 93 83 89 88

TODAY Lo

74 61 73 39 73 70 65 78 61

FULL

LAST

MAY 31

W

pc s pc pc sh s t t pc

Hi

91 84 88 63 87 90 90 87 91

JUN 8

SUN. Lo

76 55 77 41 75 59 72 78 65

W

c s pc pc sh s pc t s

FT.

0.9 1.9 2.5 2.0 1.5 1.9 1.9

LOW

0.00” 8.88” 2.48” 23.86” 21.10”

FT.

HIGH

6:30a -0.1 --- --8:29p -0.7 --- --8:26p -0.3 6:55p -0.5 9:28p -0.4

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FT.

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MODERATE

READING 77 MAIN POLLUTANT Ozone

MAIN POLLUTANT Ozone

SOURCE: LOUISIANA DEQ AND AIRNOW.GOV

LOW

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FT.

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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 11:23a 5:08a 11:54p 5:38p Sunday 11:50a 6:10a 12:26p 6:43p Monday 1:02a 7:19a 1:36p 7:52p Tuesday 2:14a 8:31a 2:47p 9:03p Wednesday 3:26a 9:41a 3:56p 10:12p Thursday 4:32a 10:46a 5:00p 11:14p Friday 5:31a 11:44a 5:56p ----

City

New Orleans Orlando Philadelphia Phoenix Pittsburgh Raleigh St. Louis San Diego Tampa

Hi

TODAY

84 89 82 99 76 87 80 69 92

Lo

72 73 66 72 61 63 67 61 75

W

pc t s s t s t pc t

TODAY

MODERATE

Hi

86 90 89 94 82 92 90 69 92

SUN. Lo

76 72 65 68 63 66 76 60 76

W

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

t t pc s t pc pc pc t

Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice.

FLOOD STAGE

34 48 48 35 27 22 17

FRI. 24-HOUR STAGE CHANGE

11.90 35.40 38.00 22.40 14.10 10.78 7.30

-0.84 -0.96 -0.80 -0.90 -0.80 -0.55 none

40

25.10

-1.41

19

-0.78

-0.76

18 29 8

0.50 19.63 4.99

-0.63 -5.67 -1.11

13 15

2.83 10.87

-0.60 -1.80

47 34 29 20 12 6

19.69 14.66 12.24 10.21 6.40 3.29

-0.11 -0.14 -0.49 -0.09 -0.10 -0.02

data as of 7 a.m. Friday

Forecasts and graphics, except for Damon’s Outlook, provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2026

FLORIDA

House map accused of violating gerrymandering law

BY DAVID A. LIEB and JEFFREY COLLINS

Associated Press

New U.S. House districts that could help Republicans win several additional seats in Florida got their first test in court Friday against assertions that they violate a state constitutional ban on partisan gerrymandering.

Attorneys representing voters asked a state judge to block the new districts from being used in the midterm elections and instead reinstate districts used for previous elections. Such a move would create a significant wrinkle in President Donald Trump’s attempt to hold on to a narrow House majority by redrawing voting districts to the GOP’s advantage. The judge gave no timetable for when he will rule.

Florida’s new House map is part of a national redistricting battle that gained steam last year when Trump urged Texas Republicans to redraw the state’s congressional districts. On Friday, the Texas Supreme Court refused to declare that Democratic lawmakers had vacated their offices when they briefly fled the state to block a redistricting vote.

The Florida Legislature approved a new House map on April 29 — the same day the U.S. Supreme Court weakened federal Voting Rights Act protections for minorities

while striking down a majority-Black congressional district in Louisiana. Since then, several Southern states have taken steps to try to eliminate minority districts that have elected Democrats.

On Friday, Democratic U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, of Tennessee, announced that he is ending his reelection bid.

His decision came a week after Tennessee Republicans enacted a new U.S. House map that carves up Cohen’s majority-Black district in Memphis. The new map gives Republicans a shot at winning all nine of Tennessee’s U.S. House seats.

Republicans already hold 20 of Florida’s 28 U.S. House seats. New voting districts signed into law by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis after a swift two-day special legislative session could improve the GOP’s chances to win four additional seats in the November elections.

Congressional districts typically are redrawn once a decade, after each census, to rebalance populations. But since Trump urged mid-decade redistricting last year, Republicans think they could gain as many as 15 seats from new House maps in Texas, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Florida, Tennessee and Alabama. Democrats, meanwhile, think they could gain six seats from new maps in California and Utah.

Democrats had counted on

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By MIKE STEWART

State Rep. Angie Nixon, D-Fla., speaks loudly on April 29 on the House floor as lawmakers vote on a redistricting bill during a special session of the Florida Legislature in Tallahassee, Fla. winning up to four additional seats in Virginia. But the Virginia Supreme Court last week struck down a Democratic redistricting plan approved by voters, ruling the legislature violated procedural requirements when placing it on the ballot.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2019 that it has no authority to decide whether partisan gerrymandering goes too far. But it said partisan gerrymandering claims could continue to be decided in state courts under their

own constitutions and laws.

Florida voters approved a state constitutional amendment in 2010 that prohibits U.S. House districts from being drawn with the intent to favor or disfavor a political party or incumbent. The amendment bars districts from diminishing the ability of racial or language minorities to elect the representatives of their choice. It also requires districts to be compact and, where feasible, use existing political and geographic boundaries.

Lawsuits filed on behalf of voters seek a temporary injunction against the new House map for violating that amendment. Their arguments focus heavily on political favoritism.

Under the new House map, 82% of voters in districts represented by Republicans remain in the same districts as under the previous map, said attorney Chris Shenton, who represented Common Cause and other groups challenging it. Just 41% of voters in districts represented by

Democrats are kept in their same districts, he said.

“It shows that Democratic districts are being targeted for reconfiguration. And why? To favor Republicans and disfavor Democrats.

That is unconstitutional,” Shenton said.

Attorneys representing Florida’s state lawmakers and executive officials argued that partisan intent had not been proven and that a temporary injunction against the new districts is not appropriate in advance of a fully developed trial.

Though DeSantis called lawmakers into session before the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Louisiana case, he anticipated an eventual outcome weakening Voting Rights Act protections for minority districts. Among other changes, Florida’s new map reshapes a southeastern district that DeSantis’ office said was created to help elect a Black representative in an attempt to comply with federal law.

DeSantis’ office said no racial data was used to prepare the new map he presented to the Legislature. In a memo to lawmakers, DeSantis’ General Counsel David Axelman asserted that Florida’s constitutional provision about racial redistricting violates the U.S. Constitution. If one element is invalid, Axelman wrote, then the entire 2010 amendment is void.

Tennessee man pleads guilty in shooting death of rapper Young Dolph

By The Associated Press MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Tennessee man pleaded guilty on Friday in the shooting death of Young Dolph during a daytime ambush at a Memphis bakery, marking an end to courtroom battles stemming from the rapper and music label owner’s shocking kill-

ing in his hometown more than four years ago.

Cornelius Smith Jr., 36, pleaded guilty to seconddegree murder in a Memphis courtroom under an agreement with prosecutors that dropped other charges against him, according to a news release from the district attorney’s office. He was

sentenced to 20 years in prison as part of the plea deal.

Smith and another man, Justin Johnson, were charged with first-degree murder in the November 2021 killing of Young Dolph at his favorite cookie shop, located near his childhood home in a working-class Memphis neighborhood.

Smith was the main witness in the trial of Johnson, who was convicted of firstdegree murder in 2024 after Smith named him as the second shooter. Johnson was sentenced in September 2024 to life in prison. Johnson was later sentenced for two other convictions from the trial: conspiracy to commit mur-

der and possession of a gun as a felon.

Smith also testified at the trial of Hernandez Govan, who was acquitted in August of charges that he organized the killing.

Young Dolph, whose legal name is Adolph Thornton Jr., was a rapper, independent label owner and producer

who grew up in Memphis and was admired in the city for his charitable works. The 36-year-old was in his hometown to hand out Thanksgiving turkeys to families when he was killed.

The shooting stunned the entertainment world as another death of a rap star killed in their prime.

METRO

T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M

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S at u r d ay, M ay 16, 2026

1BN

Schools support staff to get raises

Bus drivers will also see increases

BY CLAIRE TAYLOR

The Lafayette Parish School Board on Thursday approved the salary hikes Lafayette Parish public for support staff and bus school support staff and bus drivers as part of the 2026drivers will receive a pay in- 27 budget.

Bus drivers can expect a crease starting July 1.

Staff writer

$4,000 increase, bringing the starting salary to $25,000, according to a news release.

Each step on the pay scale for bus drivers will also increase by about $4,000.

Some school-based sup-

LAFAYETTE PARISH

port staff also are in line for pay raises with the 2026-27 budget.

Support staff such as clerks, secretaries, bookkeepers, C-Print Captionists, paraeducators, proctors,

ISS facilitators, LPNs and bus attendants are to receive a $1,500 annual pay increase.

These latest pay adjustments build on pay raises implemented by the school system over the past year for teachers, cafeteria staff, technicians, custodians and

other employees.

The school system has also added incentive pay opportunities for teachers, athletic coaches and club sponsors, according to the news release.

Contact Claire Taylor at ctaylor@theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTOS By LESLIE WESTBROOK

ABUZZ WITH COLOR ABOVE: A bee approaches Salvia nemorosa, also known as May Night, in the Lafayette Master Gardener Demonstration Garden on Wednesday at the Ira Nelson Horticulture Center in Lafayette.

LEFT: A bumblebee descends on a purple coneflower in the Lafayette Master Gardener Demonstration Garden.

RIGHT: A bumblebee descends on a purple coneflower.

Nottoway Plantation owners file Demo could begin on suit a year after destructive fire future Chipotle location Iberville Parish, others acted in ‘gross negligent manner,’ it claims

BY AIDAN McCAHILL Staff writer

Nearly a year after Nottoway Plantation burned to the ground, its owners filed a lawsuit against the Iberville Parish government, Parish President Chris Daigle and the city of Plaquemine, claiming all three acted in a “gross negligent manner” that contributed to the complete destruction of the major attraction.

Nottoway Plantation Resort filed the petition for damages on Thursday, asking for compensation of “all reasonable damages.”

Its owner, Dan Dyess, could not be immediately reached for comment.

Nottoway Plantation was destroyed in a fire on May 15, 2025.

The blaze started at around 2 p.m. in the mansion’s south wing before completely engulfing it by nightfall.

At some point after firefighters arrived on the scene, the suit claims the Plaquemine Fire Department assumed the lead. At 3:30 p.m., sources on the scene reported the fire had been con-

tained in the “Boys Wings” of the mansion. Water had extinguished the fire on the floor, drapes and furniture, according to the lawsuit, and the fire was in a position to be completely put out.

But it was a “false horizon.” The mansion was built using a 19thcentury technique called “balloon framing,” where wall studs run vertically in a single piece from the foundation up to the roof — a “known issue for firefighters,” the suit states. The spaces between those studs hadn’t been fully extinguished, the suit alleges, and the Plaquemine Fire Department

ä See FIRE, page 2B

LLC registered to New Orleans Permit filed for Johnson developer Craig Ripley in March.

Street property Sticks will close Saturday and

BY ADAM DAIGLE

Acadiana business editor

The building that houses Sticks Billiards and two other businesses could soon come down so construction of a Chipotle location can begin.

A demolition permit was filed Thursday with Lafayette Consolidated Government for the property at 3220 Johnston St., which houses Sticks and formerly Dawn Nails and Johnston Street Coin Laundry.

The work is valued at $66,150.

The property was bought by an

host a private event Sunday before it opens at a new location next to The District, according to its Facebook page. The business had been there since 1992.

The business had to be out by June 1, co-owner Bert Istre said.

Demolition will likely begin shortly thereafter.

“We were shocked to find out our building was sold to be demolished,” the business posted in March.

Johnston Street Coin Laundry, owned by Steven and Sheri Sorrel,

ä See CHIPOTLE, page 2B

2B ● Saturday, May 16, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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ON THE ACADIANA-AREA BALLOT

Blue Bayou water park’s new management team, from left, Gabriella Lorusso, guest services manager; Glenn Haggerty, chief development officer; Mark Moore, chief operating officer and general manager; and Alex Moore, director of revenue, stand together in front of the newly renovated park on Thursday in Baton Rouge.

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Polls on voting day, May 16, open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.

Runoffs, if needed, will be held June 27.

For more information, go to geauxvote.com.

Party Affiliations D = Democratic R = Republican NP = No Party

payment from the Revenue Stabilization Trust Fund.

NOTE: Races for the U.S. House of Representatives will appear on the ballot, but those votes will not be counted. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled the state’s voting map unconstitutional and Gov. Jeff Landry postponed the election, but it was too late for election officials to change the voting machines.

ST. MARTIN PARISH

U.S. SENATOR DEMOCRATIC PARTY

Blue Bayou ready for summer New management spent $1M in renovations

BY IANNE SALVOSA Staff writer

After taking last summer off, getting new managers and undergoing a $1 million refurbishment, Blue Bayou water park is set to open Saturday.

The new manager, Mandevillebased Leisure Sports and Recreation, has led a more than $1 million refurbishment of the park’s roughly a dozen attractions since June.

Enhancements to the park will be ongoing throughout the summer, but all attractions will remain open throughout the process.

Mark Moore, chief operating officer of Blue Bayou, first got his start in the water park industry at the attraction off Interstate 10 and said he’s excited for locals to dive back into the nostalgic park. Moore, Chief Development Officer Glenn Haggerty and President and CFO Paul Rees are leasing the park under SFBB LLC. “There’s been families coming here for years and years, parents bringing children, and then grandparents bringing grandchildren,” Moore said. “I’m excited to see that back in the community. I’m excited to see those families coming back here and making new memories that continue to build for generations to come.”

The park features a wave pool, a lazy river and a children’s area with dump buckets and slides. Fan-favorite attractions like the Mad Moccasin slide, a black tube slide that coils down from two snakeheads at the top, and the Conja, a white, winding tube slide, will return after restorations

over the past few months.

Dixie Landin’, an amusement park that accompanied Blue Bayou, is closed permanently.

Food vendors T-Joe’s Grill, Chicken Shack and the Bayou Treats Stand will be returning, with some new menu items like dirty soda. The new management has retired the traditional locker system for a “smart locker system,” which uses the guests’ choice of either facial recognition or a personal identification number to open the locker.

The park will have about 300 staff members spread across departments, including aquatics, food and beverage, and park services. Moore said the park is still seeking lifeguards.

Water parks and pools across the country have struggled with hiring lifeguards in the past few years due to the pandemic hindering training opportunities and the perception that lifeguarding is solely a seasonal gig for teenagers rather than a career, according to the American Lifeguard Association.

Moore said park management offers free lifeguard training to those hired for the role, a “big perk” for young teens looking for work. To mitigate the nationwide shortage, he says management tries to treat employees as they would treat guests.

“When we’re working, we’re working, and when we’re laughing and playing, we’re laughing and playing, and we get to teach a lot of the young workforce how to do that, and that has worked very well for us for the past 20 years in Gulfport, (Mississippi),” Moore said.

Leisure Sports and Recreation also own Gulf Islands Waterpark in Gulfport and their management of Blue Bayou marks the company’s entrance into the Baton Rouge market.

Blue Bayou is set to be a regional attraction, drawing guests from Lake

Charles and Alexandria, Haggerty said. The park is located off Interstate 10 at 18142 Perkins Road.

The Gulf Islands Waterpark also has a far reach, drawing from Mobile, Alabama; Pensacola, Florida; and Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

Blue Bayou can accommodate up to 4,000 people.

“It’s south Louisiana, south Mississippi, south Alabama, really giving us an opportunity to engage with families across the Gulf Coast,” Haggerty said.

Blue Bayou previously hosted artists including Blake Shelton and Panic! at the Disco, and Haggerty says he plans to have “family-focused” entertainment at the park, with specific events to be determined.

Since the pandemic, water parks across Baton Rouge have had a limited presence, closing due to challenges from Hurricane Ida and staffing issues. BREC-owned Liberty Lagoon will also make a return this summer under new management, as a part of the organization’s broader restructuring which includes privately managed aquatics.

Haggerty said the company’s two decades of experience in the Gulf Coast have prepared Blue Bayou to weather whatever obstacles may come in its future.

“This is not a short-term thing for us,” he said. “We’ve been met with a lot of things when we opened Gulf Islands Waterpark. Katrina hit six weeks later, and so if we can rebound from that in south Mississippi, we can manage our way through what life brings us.”

Blue Bayou will be open both days this weekend and open daily starting May 23. The park offers season passes starting at $79.99 and day tickets, which vary from $15 to $36 depending on the day, time and height of the guest.

Nicholas “Nick” Albares Gary Crockett “Jamie” Davis

REPUBLICAN PARTY “Bill” Cassidy John Fleming Julia Letlow Mark Spencer

AMENDMENT 5

To change the mandatory retirement age of judges from 70 to 75 years of age.

LAFAYETTE PARISH PARISHWIDE

3.12-mill property tax renewal, Lafayette Public Library

ST. MARTINVILLE MAYOR Melinda Narcisse “Mel” Mitchell, D Lisa Nelson, D Mark Pratt, NP Jason Willis, D

ST. MARTINVILLE COUNCIL DISTRICT 1 Brad Horton, R Marty Theriot, R

ST. MARTINVILLE COUNCIL DISTRICT 3 Jonas A. Fontenette, D Patrick Wiltz, D

ST. MARTINVILLE COUNCIL DISTRICT 4 Janise Anthony, D Monica Charles, D Harold “Cat” Pickney, D

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS

VERMILION PARISH

AMENDMENT 1

Anita R. Levy, D Roslyn R. White, NP

To allow the legislature to remove or add officers, positions and employees to the unclassified state civil service system.

AMENDMENT 2

To grant the St. George community school system in East Baton Rouge Parish the authority to operate a school system.

AMENDMENT 3

To fund a teachers pay raise by paying down the longterm debt of the Teachers Retirement System of Louisiana.

That would be achieved by redirecting funds from three educational trust funds.

AMENDMENT 4

To allow parishes to reduce or eliminate property taxes on business inventory, but only if the sheriff, school board and parish governing authority approve. Parishes choosing to fully exempt inventory taxes could receive a one-time

ABBEVILLE MAYOR ABBEVILLE POLICE CHIEF Mike Hardy, R William “Bill” Spearman, NP

ABBEVILLE COUNCILMAN AT LARGE Bang Bui, NP Carlton Campbell, D Ravin St. Julien, D

ABBEVILLE COUNCIL DISTRICT A Jesrial Jevon Davis, D Neal A. Richard, R

ABBEVILLE COUNCIL DISTRICT B Todd Chauvin, NP Rachel Touchel Mouton, R Francis Plaisance, R

ABBEVILLE COUNCIL DISTRICT D Terry Broussard, D Malcolm Jones, NP

KAPLAN POLICE CHIEF Keith M. Greene Sr., R Joshua Hardy, R

CHIPOTLE

end of our story.”

Ripley was involved Continued from page 1B in the construction of the location next door, which included demolishing announced its closure last an old Wendy’s location month, noting that it had in order to build what opened in 2012. It does not was initially to be a Starlist a new location. bucks. That 2,500-square“While this wasn’t a de- foot building is listed for cision we wanted, and it’s lease. something out of our control, we trust that when Email Adam Daigle at one door closes another adaigle@theadvocate.com. one opens,” its Facebook post states. “Even when we don’t fully understand the Funerals Today why, we know this isn’t the DuBois, Eldine Our Lady of Fatima Roman Catholic Church in Lafayette at 1pm.

FIRE

Continued from page 1B should have known to send hose lines to the attic, or the highest point of the structure, to douse it from above and prevent the fire from spreading.

But they didn’t, despite standard procedures and also at least two of the Nottoway Plantation employees notifying the Plaquemine Fire Department that water needed to be put in the walls from the attic. That, along with additional failures by the department, allowed the fire to reignite and spread, the suit states.

The petition for damages also claims that at a “critical juncture,” Daigle, who is a volunteer firefighter, arrived at the scene and told firefighters to “stand down.”

The suit claims his actions allowed the fire to rekindle.

Daigle said he has not gotten a chance to thoroughly review the petition for damages but called the claims false.

The Plaquemine Fire Department was one of several fire departments on the scene that acted in an assisting role, Daigle said. Others included White Castle, Bayou Goula, Iberville Parish, St. George, Baton Rouge and West Baton Rouge fire

LOTTERY

THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2026 PICK 3: 6-6-4 PICK 4: 7-7-0-9 PICK 5: 1-5-3-6-7

Unofficial notification, keep your tickets.

departments.

Plaquemine Fire Chief Darren Ramirez could not be immediately reached for comment.

One of the challenges in putting out the fire at the time was a lack of available water, and the suit claims the Parish Council’s failure to maintain an adequate water supply directly contributed to the damages.

“Water. Not enough of it,” Iberville Parish Fire Department Director Shaun Bordelon told The Advocate during the fire.

The suit alleges the only fire hydrant available was operating at less than half capacity for both water flow and water pressure. The lack of water and failure to utilize water from the Mississippi River allegedly directly contributed to the damage.

Safe Home Monitoring Inc., a home alarm company, is also included in the suit for negligence and breach of contract. It claims the alarm system failed to sense the fire and alert first respond-

ers in time.

After last year’s fire drew national media attention, the owners of Nottoway Plantation told The Advocate in February they planned to rebuild the mansion “exactly as it stood.” No insurance had been purchased on the mansion before the fire.

Prior to its destruction, Nottoway was a major tourist attraction in Iberville Parish, though one that sparked divided reactions from local residents and the descendants of enslaved Black Americans. Shortly after the fire, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms began assisting the Louisiana Fire Marshal in investigating the origin of the fire.

A spokesperson for the State Fire Marshal said Friday the investigation is still ongoing. Interviews with the owners, workers and witnesses, as well as results of lab tests conducted on recovered items, have so far not revealed anything suspicious about the cause of the blaze, the official said.

The Acadiana Advocate’s Obituary Department

Memorial M i l Day D H Hours

.theacadianaadvocate.com Garage Sales LAFAYETTE 211 Sleepy Hollow., Sat, May 16, 7a12p. Most items under $1. Rest mostly under $5. Crafting, teaching, beauty, toys, Disney, party.

Employment EDUCATION Need 11th grade Math & English tutor for a couple of hours a day, 3-4 days per week. Contact Jamie Abshire at 337652-2368 for an interview. Student at‐ tends Lafayette High School. Competi‐ tive Salary. Serious inquiries only.

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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

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

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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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DEADLINE

DOGS Labrador retrievers - Born 3/18/26, dewclaws removed, first vaccines and have been dewormed. Varying shades of yellow to red. Only male pups avail‐ able $800.00 (337) 704-1900

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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

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BUSINESS

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Saturday, May 16, 2026 ● 3B

T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M/news/business

DOW 49,526.17 -537.29 -1.07%

NASDAQ 26,225.15 -410.08 -1.54%

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Tech CEOs summoned to Congress for hearing

Social media CEOs once again are being called to testify before the Senate in light of mounting legal and public pressure to protect young users on their platforms.

The leaders of Meta, Alphabet, TikTok and Snap were invited to testify next month before the Senate Judiciary Committee, a committee spokesperson confirmed Friday.

The hearing comes at an inflection point for social media as court cases, proposed legislation and increased advocacy place mounting pressure on the tech companies behind these platforms to protect children and teens who use them by making material changes to how they operate.

“Americans are realizing more and more every day that they cannot trust the CEOs at the helms of these companies because they do not put our safety first,” said Sacha Haworth, executive director of watchdog group The Tech Oversight Project. “If it feels like the pace is accelerating, it’s because it is.”

The date of the hearing has significance for advocates. In 2024, Senators Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., introduced a resolution to designate June 23 as Social Media Harms Victim Remembrance Day. The resolution encouraged the “government, industry and community stakeholders to take action to prevent social mediarelated harm.”

India raises fuel prices during global crisis NEW DELHI — India raised fuel prices by $0.03 per liter Friday as the government moved to offset losses due to higher global oil prices.

In New Delhi, gasoline prices rose to $1.17 a liter, while diesel climbed to $1.09 a liter.

India imports about 90% of its oil and has been hit hard by rising energy prices and supply disruptions linked to the Iran war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. It had until now avoided raising retail fuel prices despite sharp increases in energy costs, making it one of the last major economies to pass higher crude prices on to consumers.

The price increases came days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged Indians to adopt voluntary austerity measures.

Modi on Sunday called on people to work from home where possible, limit foreign travel and reduce purchases of gold. He described fuel conservation and saving foreign exchange as an act of “patriotism,” and encouraged greater use of public transportation, carpooling and lower fertilizer consumption.

Opposition leaders said Modi’s appeal came only after a key round of state elections had concluded, noting that fuel prices were kept unchanged during the campaign.

Starbucks to lay off workers, close offices Starbucks said Friday it’s laying off 300 corporate employees and closing some U.S. offices as part of its ongoing turnaround.

No coffeehouse employees are affected, the company said. The cuts will impact employees in support functions like marketing, human resources and supply chain management. No international employees are affected for now, but Starbucks said it is also reviewing its corporate structure outside the U.S. Starbucks said it’s also closing underused offices in Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago and other cities. The Seattle-based company recently announced that it’s opening a corporate office in Nashville, Tennessee, that will employ up to 2,000 people within five years.

Starbucks expects to the moves to result in $400 million in restructuring charges, including $120 million in employee separation benefits.

Starbucks has been trying to reduce costs and complexity under Chair and CEO Brian Niccol, who joined the company in 2024. Last year, the company laid off 2,000 corporate employees and closed hundreds of stores in the U.S., Canada and Europe.

S&P 500 7,408.50 -92.74 -1.24%

EURO 1.1621 -0.0049 -0.42%

CRUDE OIL 105.66 4.49 4.44%

GOLD 4,524.30 -153.80 -3.29%

6-MO T-BILLS 3.74 0.01 0.27%

30-YR T-BONDS 5.12 0.09 1.79%

Oil prices rattle the bond market Stock markets worldwide drop from records

BY STAN CHOE

AP business writer NEW YORK — The U.S. stock market fell from its records Friday and joined a worldwide drop for stocks after higher oil prices sent a shiver through the bond market. Stocks that had been caught up in the euphoria around artificial-intelligence technology led the way lower.

The S&P 500 fell 1.2% from its all-time high set the day before.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 537 points, or 1.1%, and the Nasdaq composite sank 1.5% from its own record.

Technology stocks tumbled in a

sharp turnaround from their meteoric rises for much of the year, which had carried markets worldwide to records but also raised criticism that they had gone too far.

Nvidia, the stock that quickly became the face of the AI revolution, dropped 4.4% and was the heaviest weight on the S&P 500. It had come into the day with a gain of more than 26% for the year so far.

Micron Technology was another one of the heaviest weights on the market after falling 6.6%. It’s nevertheless still up nearly 154% for the year so far.

“To us, it looks like markets have pushed into overbought territory,” according to Brian Jacobsen, chief economic strategist at Annex Wealth Management. He said the strong corporate profits and durable U.S. economy that launched U.S. stocks to records remain intact, but

“the path is unlikely to be smooth.

Periods like this call for discipline more than hope.”

In the meantime, rising oil prices are raising the pressure after already worsening inflation by more than economists had feared. The war with Iran is continuing, and the Strait of Hormuz remains shut to oil tankers, which is preventing them from delivering crude to customers worldwide and driving up oil’s price.

The price for a barrel of Brent crude oil, the international standard, rose 3.3% to settle at $109.26 and is well above its level of roughly $70 from before the war.

Many big U.S. companies have been saying their customers have been able to keep spending on their products and services despite having to pay higher prices for gasoline. But U.S. households have also

been telling surveys they’re feeling discouraged about the economy and the pressures building on them because of the war and tariffs.

The worries were most clear Friday in the bond market, where Treasury yields climbed. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.59% from 4.47% late Thursday. That’s a notable move for the bond market, and it’s well above its 3.97% level from before the war.

The yield on the 30-year Treasury reached 5.13% and is back to where it was in 2007, before the financial crisis sent yields crashing toward zero in the ensuing year.

Higher yields can make mortgages and other kinds of loans going to U.S. households and businesses more expensive, which slows the economy. They also tend to push downward on prices for stocks and all kinds of other investments.

Trump says China agreed to buy Boeing planes, interested in more

BY RIO YAMAT

Associated Press

Aircraft manufacturer Boeing will make its first major sale to China in nearly a decade with an order for 200 planes, President Donald Trump told reporters Friday as he flew back from his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said China reserved the right to buy as many as 750 Boeing aircraft as part of a deal reached during the summit. The White House did not specify the types of planes or provide any other details.

Neither the Chinese government nor Boeing issued statements confirming the purchase agreement. A Boeing spokesperson on Friday referred questions to the White House.

The deal, if finalized, would mark a significant breakthrough in a market that was once central to the U.S. aerospace company’s long-term growth.

Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg was among a large group of American CEOs who joined Trump during the president’s trip to Beijing, seeking to sell products and services to China.

Trump said the potential aircraft deal also would benefit General Electric, which he said would supply 400 to 450 engines to China. GE Aerospace Chairman and CEO H. Lawrence Culp also joined the president on his trip. The company did not immediately comment on the agreement.

While there were some hopes that the summit would result in concrete announcements of deals, the trip ended with a lot of uncertainty about what the two sides agreed on, said Bonnie Glaser, managing director of the Indo-Pacific program at the German Marshall Fund.

“I think we really have to wait until we hear numbers from Boeing or from the Chinese,” Glaser told a media briefing Friday, saying there had been little concrete information about any trade agreements from the summit, including on Chinese purchases of U.S. exports such as soybeans, liquefied natural gas and beef. “All that we have is really what the president has told the world that China has agreed to.”

Last month, Ortberg expressed confidence that any broad U.S.-China trade agreement to emerge when Trump and Xi met would be a “meaningful opportunity” for Boeing.

“President Trump has been very focused on supporting us in international campaigns, and he’s been very successful in doing that,” Ortberg told investors.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By LINDSEy WASSON

A Boeing 737 MAX airplane on the final assembly line is seen during a media tour at Boeing’s factory on April 15 in Renton, Wash.

Since Trump’s return to the White House for his second term, his administration has made Boeing a focus of its plans to revive U.S. manufacturing. A visit to the Middle East a year ago culminated in major aircraft agreements, including a Qatar Airways order for up to 210 Boeing jets in what the planemaker described at the time as its largest-ever widebody aircraft order. Saudi Arabia also placed commercial jetliner orders during the trip.

Other major Boeing agreements have followed meetings between Trump and foreign leaders. In August, Korean Air formalized a roughly $50 billion deal to buy more than 100 Boeing aircraft, spare engines and long-term maintenance services during South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s visit to Washington.

The following month, a day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo an met with Trump in Washington, Turkish Airlines said it planned to add 225 Boeing aircraft to its fleet.

In another win for Boeing, the biennial Dubai Air Show opened in November with hometown airline Emirates ordering 65 of Boeing’s upcoming 777-9 aircraft. Days later, FlyDubai, the lower-cost sister carrier of Emirates, announced it had ordered 75 additional Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, roughly a third of the narrowbody airliners Boeing de-

livered went to China. But the company’s business there plummeted as U.S.-China relations soured.

China also was the first country to ground the 737 Max in 2019 after two of the then-new models crashed less than five months apart in Indonesia and Ethiopia, killing 346 people.

Chinese airlines did not resume Max flights until January 2023, much later than carriers in many other countries.

Ortberg took over as Boeing’s CEO in 2024, a calamitous year for the company. In January of that year, a panel known as a door plug blew off a 737 Max shortly after takeoff from Portland, Oregon. Boeing faced mounting financial pressure as it came under intensifying scrutiny over alleged production and quality failures.

Months later, the U.S. Justice Department revived a criminal case against Boeing tied to the two fatal Max crashes, although prosecutors later reached an agreement with Boeing to dismiss the case, committing the company to an additional $1.1 billion in fines, compensation for victims’ families and internal safety and quality improvements.

Then an eight-week strike stretching through the fall by machinists who assemble the 737 Max in Washington state disrupted production and added to the company’s financial strain.

AP finishes US restructuring with round of layoffs

BY JOCELYN NOVECK AP national writer

The Associated Press laid off an unspecified number of U.S.-based journalists on Friday, part of a restructuring announced last month that is turning the news organization’s focus away from print journalism and toward visual journalism and other revenue sources.

“This is part of the restructuring we announced last month to align our operations with what our top customers need from us today,” an AP spokesman, Patrick Maks, said in an email. He declined to give numbers or to say whether the layoffs would conclude on Friday.

“It’s never easy to part ways with valued colleagues — we are appreciative of their contribu-

tions to the AP and wish them all the best,” wrote Maks, the news outlet’s director of media relations and corporate communications.

The layoffs, which had been expected, come about a month after AP, one of the world’s oldest and most influential news organizations, offered buyouts to more than 120 journalists based in the United States. About 40 subsequently volunteered and were accepted, according to the News Media Guild, the union that represents AP journalists.

The guild said some 20 employees had been laid off by midafternoon. For those affected, Friday was their final day of work.

Tony Winton, the guild’s administrator, said the union had received an email just before 10 a.m. Friday

from an AP human resources official saying the company was planning to implement layoffs, and the last day of work was Friday. He said no other information was provided.

“Today’s cuts show just how directionless AP’s leadership has become,” said a statement from Kimberlee Kruesi, an AP reporter and the guild’s acting president. “The company touts that it is prioritizing visual journalism, yet among the 20 employees sacked today are experienced photographers.”

Julie Pace, executive editor and senior vice president of the AP, said in an interview last month that AP’s goal was to reduce its global staff by less than 5%. The company does not say how many journalists it employs.

Pace said at the time that the AP “is not in trouble.”

“We’re making these changes from a position of strength, but we’re doing so now to recognize our changing customer base,” she said.

Over the past four years, the AP’s revenue from newspapers has declined by 25%. Gannett and McClatchy, two of the largest traditional newspaper publishers, dropped AP in 2024.

AP customers now are dominated by broadcast, digital and technology companies. Kristin Heitmann, senior vice president and chief revenue officer, said last month that the company had seen a 200% growth in revenue from technology companies over the same period.

4B ● Saturday, May 16, 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

ANOTHER VIEW

Trump’s allies float a specious theory about treaties Shakespeare’s Cassius asked, “Upon what meat doth this our Caesar feed that he is grown so great?” Constitutional theories are the meat that feeds today’s swollen presidency.

The “unitary executive theory” is an idea percolating in America’s political and judicial debates. Its radicalism includes insistence that the president may unilaterally withdraw the nation from treaties to which the Senate has consented.

Withdrawal from NATO has become topical because of the current president’s long-standing animosity toward the alliance. This has intensified because some NATO members have been uncooperative concerning the Iran war, George about which they were barely consulted.

Will Put aside the wisdom of leaving NATO — history’s most successful instrument of collective security — during the largest European war since NATO was created in 1949. But consider the ramifications of this additional marginalization of Congress: postulating an inherent presidential power to withdraw from even the most consequential treaties.

In “Imperial from the Beginning: The Constitution of the Original Executive,” Saikrishna Bangalore Prakash, University of Virginia law professor, writes, “While people often speak of the Senate ‘ratifying a treaty,’ the Senate can do no such thing”: “It supplies its ‘advice and consent’ only to the making of treaties, that is, it consents to the president’s ratification of them, an act that finalizes them as international contracts and the law of the land. The Senate recognized this when it passed the following resolution for the first proposed treaty: The Senate ‘do consent to the said convention, and advise the President of the United States to ratify the same.’”

But the “convention” becomes a treaty only upon Senate consent. This makes it “the supreme law of the land” (Article 6 of the Constitution). Would a president unilaterally nullifying this law, which he did not unilaterally make a law, violate his duty to “take care that the laws be faithfully executed?”

The NATO treaty’s Article 13 says that any party to the treaty can cease to be a party after giving one year’s notice of withdrawal. Could Congress in 1949 have conditioned its consent to the treaty by stipulating that no president could undertake an Article 13 withdrawal without its consent? If not, why not? And if Congress could have asserted its role then, why not now?

Curtis Bradley of the University of Chicago Law School notes that the Constitution is silent regarding withdrawals from treaties, of which there were just seven at the Founding. Today, there are thousands. Most are minor; none is as important as the NATO treaty.

Modern presidents have often unilaterally withdrawn the nation from treaties. But does practice always and forever define propriety? Through the nation’s first century, Bradley says, “no president” thought the vesting of executive power in presidents “gave them the treaty termination power.”

Then, “presidents worked with Congress to terminate treaties.”

In 2023, bipartisan congressional majorities (including Marco Rubio and 86 other senators) passed a bill that became this law: Absent a two-thirds Senate vote of concurrence (mirroring the vote to enact a treaty), or an act of Congress, “The President shall not suspend, terminate, denounce, or withdraw the United States from the North Atlantic Treaty.” How would a president justify noncompliance with this law and the unilateral abrogation of another — the treaty?

Presidents may unilaterally extend recognition to foreign governments, thereby establishing relations. Treaties, however, establish U.S. obligations. The president’s primacy in foreign policy does not entail the power to exclude Congress from involvement in implementing or renouncing these obligations.

Supporters of the unitary executive theory argue that the vesting of executive power in the president means a presidential monopoly of all power connected in any way to executive duties. John Yoo, law professor at the University of California at Berkeley, brings to his advocacy of the unitary executive theory learning that is proportionate to his tenacity. He says: “The Constitution only provides for the participation of the Senate in making the treaty; therefore, everything else regarding international agreements defaults to the president.”

But his brassy “therefore” cannot disguise a non sequitur.

He says, “Unlike with legislation, where Congress can override a presidential veto, the Senate has no power to force the president to accept a treaty that he opposes.” But there is no such thing as a treaty the Senate opposes.

Yoo says leaving NATO “would certainly be a foreignpolicy disaster.” But his theory insists that the Constitution relegates Congress to the role of spectator at the disaster.

When a theory drags its adherents into such an intellectual cul-de-sac, the theory should be relegated to the ranks of ideas that need to be reconsidered.

YOUR VIEWS

How we invest in La. must lead on early education says a lot about us childhood education Louisiana employers are absorbing a $1.3 billion annual hit. Not from regulation. Not from litigation. From a workforce that can’t show up. The reason is straightforward: Parents can’t work when they have nowhere safe to take their children.

This isn’t a family problem. It’s a business problem. And right now, it’s our problem.

Gov. Jeff Landry opened this legislative session with a clear charge: Strengthen Louisiana’s economy, remove barriers to work and build a workforce ready to meet industry’s demands.

Those are the right goals. But they cannot be achieved while we ignore the single largest barrier keeping Louisiana workers on the sideline. Louisiana already ranks near the bottom nationally in workforce participation at 58%. Business leaders across the state will tell you why: childcare. When the system breaks down, workers don’t show up. When workers don’t show up, employers absorb the cost.

When employers absorb the cost, Louisiana loses. Right now, over 116,000 children under the age of 4 lack access to quality early education programs.

Louisiana is not starting from scratch. More than two decades ago, this state led the entire South with the creation of LA-4, delivering quality pre-K to over 80% of atrisk 4-year-olds before most states had even entered the conversation.

That was a decision to compete.

The creation of the Early Childhood Education Fund signaled that Louisiana wasn’t done — that we understood the next and harder frontier was infants and toddlers, the most expensive and most undersupplied segment of the entire pipeline. That is Louisiana’s distinct advantage. And it is what this session must protect.

The data is not in dispute. The cost of inaction is not theoretical.

The only question is whether Louisiana leads or follows.

On April 19, the newspaper included an editorial about education. It was titled, “As public school enrollment shrinks, (our) state needs a strategy.” It highlighted that there are 60,000 fewer students in our Louisiana public schools than 10 years ago.

I took an interest and researched the current fastest-growing parishes in Louisiana. Livingston, Lafayette and Ascension were the top three parishes for population growth.

According to a Google review, “Lafayette Parish Schools have maintained a solid ‘B’ letter grade. Ascension and Livingston parish schools are currently holding an ‘A’ rating.” Anyone with kids and an average income in Louisiana will want to live in a parish with a strong public school system. When my friends were pregnant with their first baby, many quickly moved to Livingston because they wanted affordable housing and high-quality public schools. Many families make this sacrifice despite the inconvenience of the commute to and from work.

Back in 1991, I remember the Louisiana Lottery was touted as a way to fund K-12 public schools.

Last year, the lottery brought in $585.2 million in profit. Louisiana also received $144 million in state taxes for Exxon and $84 million in local taxes. For sports gambling, Louisiana earned $67.9 million. Of course, we are also earning millions from Caesars casino, as well as the riverboats.

Our next investments include artificial intelligence data centers in Louisiana. With all these profitable businesses, at what point are we going to seriously invest in high-quality public schools for all of our children? When is Louisiana going to become a state that pays teachers a competitive wage? Surely, Louisiana has the ability to see that quality public schools are a well-established investment for our communities and our state.

JOHN ENGQUIST Baton Rouge

Ten Commandments a learning opportunity in schools If someone insists you post the Ten Commandments in your school, here’s a suggestion.

For your upper grades, history and literature, have them research other law codes or society rules. For the lower grades, ask them to construct a plan for what they feel would be proper classroom or playground behavior.

From the Code of Hammurabi to Robert’s Rules of Order and

The Girl Scout Laws, every group of people have some recognized agreements on what people should do to have peace and good order.

(For example, don’t take things that don’t belong to you.)

Then take these and post them with the Ten Commandments.

Your students will learn something.

NANCY VAN DEN AKKER New Orleans

Comey case puts Trump hypocrisy on full display It is another disappointment that we have a president who would react, as President Donald Trump has, regarding the seashell formation that James Comey encountered on a North Carolina beach.

Hundreds, possibly thousands, of “MAGA patriots” demanded the hanging of Vice President Mike

Pence on Jan. 6, 2021. Not a vague, implied, encrypted message made of seashells, but blood-curdling demands that our vice president be hanged! What did Trump do? Release them all! Hypocrisy beyond description.

ALICE DEVALL Baton Rouge

ADELE FOSTER Mandeville

Email George Will at georgewill@washpost.com.

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S at u r d ay, M ay 16, 2026

LATE-NIGHT TIGERS

Florida-LSU ended after this edition went to press. For game coverage, visit theadvocate.com 1CN

Pounds ready to flourish with UL Transfer forward glad to return to SBC

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

During his first three seasons of collegiate basketball, Dani Pounds endured his fair share of ups and downs.

Even after his best season a year ago at Tennessee Tech, his head coach was fired after a 12-18 campaign, prompting him to enter the transfer portal.

Now that he’s settled with the UL Ragin’ Cajuns, though, the 6-foot-8, 225-pound Atlanta, Georgia, native is convinced his uncertain days are over.

“Being around them (UL coaches, players), all of them just seemed like a complete unit and that right there would showed me like a lot of this team,” Pounds said. “I felt like I needed to be a place that really can help grow me in the future — not really just for that moment or just next year coming up but like really a family I see beyond my career.”

The Cajuns will be the third stop for Pounds during his journey — and all signs point to UL getting the best version.

As a true freshman at Old Dominion, Pounds started 20 of 31 games and averaged 2.8 points and 3.9 rebounds in 15.6 minutes a game.

ä See UL, page 3C

STAFF FILE PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Saints wide receiver Dante Pettis, left, celebrates wide receiver Chris Olave’s touchdown in the second half of a game against the New york Jets on Dec. 21 at the Caesars Superdome.

SEASON OUTLOOK Game-by-game predictions following Saints’ schedule release

T

he New Orleans Saints’ path to the playoffs is now set after the league announced the 2026 schedule Thursday.

The Saints have missed the playoffs each of the past five seasons.

The last time they made it was in Drew Brees’ final year.

The Saints are Tyler Shough’s team now, and it’ll be up to the second-year quarterback and his new

weapons to lead the team back to the postseason.

It won’t take long for the Saints to get tested, as they face two of their toughest opponents right out the gate.

Can the Saints improve on last year’s 6-11 record and return to the playoffs for the first time since 2020?

PROVIDED PHOTO

Tennessee Tech transfer Dani Pounds is coming off his best of three collegiate seasons.

LATE THURSDAY

Cajuns handle Coastal to claim opener in critical Sun Belt series

Here are my annual (and way-tooearly) game-by-game predictions for this season.

SEPT. 13 AT DETROIT LIONS, NOON • Last meeting: Saints lost 33-28 in 2023 • Lions in 2025: 9-8, fourth in NFC North PREDICTION: The Saints start on the road for just the second time in the last eight years. The Lions took a step back last season after making the playoffs the previous two seasons, including a trip to the NFC championship game after the 2023 season.

The Saints have to deal with a loaded offense that includes QB Jared Goff, RB Jahmyr Gibbs and WRs Amon-

Rod Walker Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams.

Too much firepower. Lions 27, Saints 17 | Record: 0-1.

SEPT. 20 AT BALTIMORE RAVENS, NOON • Last meeting: Saints lost 27-13 in 2022 • Ravens in 2025: 8-9, second in AFC North PREDICTION: Starting the season with

Staff writer

ä See CAJUNS, page 4C

ä See WALKER, page 3C

NFL exec explains why ‘Domecoming’ tribute isn’t on anniversary

BY KEVIN FOOTE The UL Ragin’ Cajuns got the first punch in against reigning national runner-up Coastal Carolina with a convincing 7-2 win on Thursday at Russo Park.

But for coach Matt Deggs, the heavy lifting has just begun.

“It’s gigantic,” Deggs said. “We’re fighting for everything this ä Coastal weekend — both clubs are.

Carolina at We’ve played some of the UL 2 P.M. best baseball in the league SATURDAy, ESPN+ over the last four weeks, but that shows you how big a hole we dug.”

The Cajuns improved to 33-20 overall and 15-13 in league play, while the Chanticleers dropped to 35-18 and 20-8.

UL is now tied with South Alabama (31-21, 15-13) for fifth place with two games left and owns the tiebreaker over the Jaguars.

“We have the opportunity to come out tomorrow and win a series, but that’s a tall task,” Deggs said. “We’re going to have to play some really good baseball tomorrow.

back-to-back road games isn’t easy.

One of the most difficult tasks in the NFL is trying to slow down the Ravens’ tandem of QB Lamar Jackson and RB Derrick Henry. Former Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter takes over as head coach in Baltimore, replacing John Harbaugh. The Ravens added former Saints draft pick Trey Hendrickson, so an always-tough defense should be even better. The Ravens lead series 6-2 and will stretch that lead even more. Ravens 27, Saints 17 | Record: 0-2.

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

Saints safety Steve Gleason blocks a punt by Falcons punter Michael Koenen in the opening drive of the Saints’ return to the Superdome on Sept.

25, 2006, following Hurricane Katrina. The Saints ran the ball for the first score of the game, eventually winning the game 23-3. The NFL will recognize the 20th anniversary of the Saints’ homecoming on Oct. 5 with a Monday Night Football broadcast. STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL DEMOCKER

The NFL recognized the 20th anniversary of the New Orleans Saints’ first game back in the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina by scheduling the black and gold against the Atlanta Falcons in prime time on “Monday Night Football.”

But in an odd twist, the game will be 10 days removed from the actual “Domecoming” date: Steve Gleason’s famous blocked punt against the Falcons took place on Sept. 25, 2006.

And the Saints won’t play the Falcons this year until Oct. 5 — in Week 4 of the NFL season, even though New

ä See TRIBUTE, page 3C

2C ● Saturday, May 16, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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Southern Cal at Oregon BTN MEN’S COLLEGE LACROSSE 11 a.m. Johns Hopkins vs. Notre Dame ESPNU 1:30 p.m. Syracuse vs. North Carolina ESPNU WOMEN’S COLLEGE SOFTBALL WORLD SERIES Noon TBD, Regional — Game 2 ESPN 2 p.m.

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SEC Tournament Championship SECN CYCLING 6 a.m.

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Switzerland vs. Latvia NHLN 5 a.m. (Sun.) Great Britain vs. U.S. NHLN MLB 3:05 p.m. Baltimore at Washington FS1 6:15 p.m. N.y. yankees at N.y. Mets Fox 8:38 p.m. L.A. Dodgers at L.A. Angels MLBN NHL PLAYOFFS 7 p.m.

Buffalo at Montreal, Game 6 ABC MEN’S SOCCER 6:25 a.m. Heart of Midlothian at Celtic CBSSN 8:55 p.m. Chelsea vs. Manchester City ESPN2 5 p.m.

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LA Galaxy at Seattle FS1 WOMEN’S SOCCER 5:30 p.m. Chicago at North Carolina ION 7:45 p.m. Orlando at Denver ION TENNIS 10 a.m. Rome-WTA Tennis 5 a.m. (Sun.) Rome-ATP/WTA Tennis UFL 11 a.m. DC at Louisville ABC 2 p.m.

Houston at St. Louis ABC

Orioles IF Westburg has surgery, will miss season

WASHINGTON — Baltimore Orioles infielder Jordan Westburg had Tommy John surgery on his injured right elbow on Wednesday and will miss the rest of the season.

“Pretty normal Tommy John surgery,” general manager Mike Elias said Friday. “Obviously this will put him out for the rest of the year. I think it’s too early to put a specific timeline on something like this, but him being back as a full player in the early part of 2027 is very much in play.”

Westburg, an All-Star in 2024, had a partial tear of his ulnar collateral ligament. He received a platelet-rich plasma injection in February and had hoped to return this season. Westburg was limited to 85 games last year because of injuries.

Ruud defeats Darderi in Italian Open semifinal

ROME — Casper Ruud maintained his focus during a nearly two-hour rain delay to rout home player Luciano Darderi 6-1, 6-1 and reach the Italian Open final for the first time on Friday.

The match was suspended with Ruud leading 4-1 in the first set.

In Sunday’s final on the red clay of the Foro Italico, Ruud will face top-ranked Jannik Sinner or former No. 1 Daniil Medvedev.

Sinner led Medvedev 6-2, 5-7, 4-2 when their semifinal was suspended due to rain. The match will resume on Saturday.

Coco Gauff will play Elina Svitolina in the women’s final on Saturday.

Rome is the last big warmup before the French Open starts in nine days.

Spurlock makes NASCAR history, crashes in race

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CAROLyN KASTER

Chris Gotterup lines up his ball on Friday during the second round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pa.

Smalley, McNealy share PGA lead

pair of newcomers to the top of back with a pair of late bogeys in blustery in the morning and getThey have many stars the ting faster by the minute in the leaderboard Friday in Alex his round of 67.

They were at 4-under 136, the late afternoon — that McIlroy was Smalley and Maverick McNealy, on their heels at and left hope for just about every- highest 36-hole score to lead the outside the top 25 after a bogeyone else on a course that won’t let PGA Championship since 2012 at free 67 and still only five behind.

PGA Championship anyone Kiawah Island (4-under 140).

The difference between first get too far away.

Smalley, in only his fifth major championship, overcame three straight bogeys after making the Associated Press turn and closed with a birdie for NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — The first a 1-under 69. McNealy, who has PGA Championship at Aronimink never been among the top 25 in Golf Club in 64 years brought a any major through 36 holes, fell

BY DOUG FERGUSON

Chasing them? Everyone from Chris Gotterup and Hideki Matsuyama, defending champion Scottie Scheffler and Justin Thomas, even Masters champion Rory McIlroy.

Such is Aronimink — cold and

and worst was only eight shots, unusually tight for any tournament, much less a major.

“Anyone who makes the cut, they’ve got to feel they have a shot in the tournament,” McIlroy said.

Preakness has everything but Derby winner

BY STEPHEN WHYNO Associated Press

Except for the Kentucky Derby winner going for the Triple Crown, the 151st running of the Preakness Stakes has a little bit of everything.

The Preakness features a venue change to a 115-year-old track that has never hosted the event, a field of some of the best 3-year-old colts in the country and a couple of chances to make horse racing history.

“This is a great race,” Maryland Jockey Club president and general manager Bill Knauf said. “It’s 14 horses: a great betting race. Incredibly hard handicapping race.

And you don’t always have those.”

After Cherie DeVaux decided not to enter Golden Tempo two weeks after his thrilling last-tofirst charge in the Derby, there is — just like that day — no obvious horse to beat. Six horses opened at odds of 8-1 or shorter.

One and done at Laurel Park The second leg of the Triple Crown moved down the road to Laurel Park for a one-time performance while Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore is rebuilt from the ground up. The plan is for the Preakness to return to its traditional home next year, midconstruction, with the full Pimlico back in 2028.

Many of the top trainers have limited experience at Laurel, which will host the Preakness at the same 1 3/16-mile length.

“I’ve run horses there sparingly,” said Chad Brown, who has the slight morning line favorite, Iron Honor. “The change for this year isn’t going to stop me from going

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JULIA DEMAREE NIKHINSON

one of Brittany’s horses that we get to have a ride in the race with.”

Ocelli is one of three Derby horses in the field, coming off finishing third as a 70-1 long shot, and could accomplish something not done in more than a century: No horse has broken his maiden — picked up his first win — in the Preakness since 1888.

Looking to join 19th-century champions like Refund, Saunterer, Cloverbrook, Shirley and Culpepper, Ocelli is 0 for 7 but he did win a 2-furlong trial race in Aiken, South Carolina, that doesn’t count on his record.

“At an unrecognized racetrack and race meet, he is indeed a winner,” trainer Whit Beckman said.

“He knows how to put his head across the line first.”

Horses work out at sunrise ahead of the 102nd running of the BlackEyed Susan horse race on Friday at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md. The 151st What to watch With a capacity of just 4,800 at Preakness Stakes will run at the track Saturday evening. ä Preakness Stakes.

6:01 P.M. SATURDAy, NBC

and kind of seeing what happens.”

Tactically, the stretch run at Laurel is shorter than many tracks. The finish line comes 1,089 feet after the final turn, compared to 1,152 feet at Pimlico and 1,234 feet at Churchill Downs. It could be an edge for hometown horse Taj Mahal, who is unbeaten in all three of his races on the dirt course there.

“I’d like to think it’s beneficial that he’s had a good two-turn run over it,” trainer Brittany Russell said. “That’s definitely in our favor.”

Chances at history DeVaux two weeks ago became

the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner, following Jena Antonnuci’s 2023 Belmont victory with Archangelo, Russell has the chance to complete the Triple Crown sweep in the Preakness.

In the aftermath of losing a horse to a cardiac event following his debut race Friday, Russell is saddling Taj Mahal in the Preakness at her home track, where she started her business eight years ago and is stabled full time. Husband Sheldon is the jockey.

“We’re just trying to keep it pretty simple,” said Sheldon Russell, who’s set to take part in his fourth Preakness. “We both do our homework. We watch replays together.

It’s nice because I know him.

That’s a huge advantage, I would say. I’m happy, and I’m happy it’s

Laurel Park, tickets are hard to come by this year. The Preakness is set to air on NBC and Peacock, with post time scheduled for 6:01 p.m.

Brown, who has won the Preakness twice, pointed out that the $2 million race, even without the Derby winner, carries great importance in the sport, for the rest of this year and beyond. While Golden Tempo has the spotlight now, the Preakness could bring a rival to challenge him.

“Maybe there’s another star that’s going to emerge from this race and perhaps we’ll be looking back at the Preakness in a few months saying, ‘Wow, this was the start of this particular horse’s campaign that ended up being one of the top horses,’ ” Brown said.

“Just not sure that’s not clear yet until we run the race.”

DOVER, Del. — Dystany Spurlock became the first Black woman to compete in one of NASCAR’s three national series, crashing on lap 39 in her debut in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at Dover Motor Speedway on Friday.

Spurlock, 34, drove the No. 69 MBM Motorsports Ford at the track in Delaware. Her truck became loose while coming around a turn and she tried to save it before crashing into the outside wall, which ended her race.

She finished 36th.

Spurlock made her stock car racing debut in March, finishing seventh in the ARCA Menards Series East — one of NASCAR’s developmental series — while driving the No. 66 MBM Ford at Hickory Motor Speedway in North Carolina.

Ko, Doherty share lead in Cincinnati; Korda 3 back

CINCINNATI — Jin Young Ko and Amanda Doherty each shot 4-under 66 on Friday to share the second-round lead in the Kroger Queen City Championship, with Nelly Korda three shots back in her bid for a third straight victory.

Korda had two late birdies for a 67 at Maketewah Country Club.

She won the Chevron Championship for her third major, then followed with a victory in Mexico before taking last week off.

Ko had a bogey-free round in the morning to reach 7-under 133 on the first-year venue. The 30-yearold South Korean player has 15 LPGA Tour victories, winning two majors in 2019.

Doherty had five birdies and a bogey, closing with a birdie on the par-3 18th.

Woodson Jr. commits to play at Michigan in 2027

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Charles Woodson Jr. has committed to play college football at Michigan, which is where his dad won the Heisman Trophy in 1997.

The defensive back is headed to Ann Arbor, where he’ll play under first-year coach Kyle Whittingham. The 5-foot-11, 170-pound rising senior will be part of the 2027 class.

Woodson picked the Wolverines over several other schools, including Florida State, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Iowa State and Kentucky, according to ESPN. The elder Woodson is one of the all-time great college football defensive backs, starring for Michigan from 1995-97. He led the Wolverines to the national title in 1997 and became the first primarily defensive player to win the Heisman.

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UL

pop threat and shot 3s working as a sixth man,” Pounds said.

His game really began to expand at Tennessee Tech. Individually, it was his best season, but the lack of team success forced a coaching change and another new situation for Pounds.

“When I came to Tech, I put everything together,” he said. “I picked-and-popped and shot 3s, I drove the ball from the top. I was both a threat to shoot and a threat to drive, and I could post up.”

On the court, though, Pounds improved to 10.6 points and 4.9 rebounds a game. His field goal

percentage increased to 52.1%, his free throw shooting skyrocketed from 61 to 78.8% and so did his 3-point shooting to 35.3%.

“During my career, I learned you have to really capitalize on your opportunities,” he said. “You can’t be passive or hold back at all in any moment. I take whatever I need.”

In fact, Pounds would classify his approach now as being more of “a bully’ on the court capable of doing “whatever I want.”

Once he decided to transfer again, Pounds went through two different agents before settling on the right representation and destination.

“I was looking for a place where I could win and be valued at the same time,” Pounds said. “Being back to the same conference is something that was good, because I have a lot of experience there.

“The Sun Belt Conference is a grind for sure. You better win as many games as you can in the regular season for sure.”

Pounds will be joined by other new portal teammates, including 6-foot Mekhi Cooper from Lindenwood, 6-foot-3 Trent Middleton from North Carolina A&T, and 6-foot-5 Deion Ware from South Plains College to the roster.

Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@ theadvocate.com.

flexible with the date as long as it was close enough.

Continued from page 1C “Relative to the exact date of the anniversary, honestly, we figured if we were within a couOrleans has a home game in Week 3. ple of weeks, we were in good shape,” said Mike North, the Why the delay?

According to an NFL executive, NFL vice president of broadcast the league wanted to make sure planning. “Fans remember that the game had its moment, but was moment, the electricity, the ex-

citement.

“If we were a week early or close to the day or a week later, we weren’t going to throw away our best schedule just by being off a couple of days.”

North said the NFL has to be mindful of other events in the region, though he noted he didn’t have the stadium’s availability

memorized. The NFL opted to have the Philadelphia Eagles play the Chicago Bears on “Monday Night Football” in Week 3.

Still, North said having the Saints take the Falcons on in prime time was a priority for the league — starting at the very top.

“It was, and it’s really to the com-

missioner’s credit, it was, ‘We’re gonna play Falcons at Saints on Monday night this year. Fit it in that kind of 3-week window,” North said, referring to commissioner Roger Goodell. “It wasn’t a requirement it had to land in a special week, but it was a requirement straight from the boss that it landed on our schedule.”

Continued from page 1C “Coming out of high school like a run-and-gun post,” Pounds said.

“I dunked everything. I didn’t really do too much crazy shooting.

I mostly did work in the post and face-up jump shots.”

But after those minutes dropped to 8.5 minutes a game, Pounds transferred to Tennessee Tech for last season.

“By my sophomore year at ODU, I was more of a pick-and-

TRIBUTE

WALKER

• Bucs in 2025: 8-9, second in NFC South PREDICTION: Raymond James Stadium has been pretty good to the Saints over the years. The Saints are 6-2 in their last eight games there. Baker Mayfield returns at quarterback, but he’ll no longer have Mike Evans (now with the 49ers) to throw to. But there are still plenty of weapons and the defense added former Saints’ LB Alex Anzalone and rookie edge rusher Rueben Bain. Slight edge to the home team. Bucs 20, Saints 17 | Record: 7-7.

Continued from page 1C SEPT. 27 VS. LAS VEGAS RAIDERS, 3:25 P.M. • Last meeting: Saints lost 25-10 in 2024 • Raiders in 2025: 3-14, fourth in AFC West PREDICTION: The Saints are 5-2 in their last seven home openers.

In this one, they’ll face either the No. 1 overall draft pick (QB Fernando Mendoza) or veteran Kirk Cousins. They’ll also have to contend with Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty. The Raiders revamped their linebackers corps in free agency. Surprisingly, the Saints have lost three of their last four games against the Raiders.

They’ll get a win this time, their first of the season. Saints 27, Raiders 13. | Record: 1-2.

OCT. 5 (MONDAY) VS. ATLANTA FALCONS, 7:15 p.m.

• Last meeting in New Orleans: Saints lost 24-10 in 2025 • Falcons in 2025: 8-9, third in NFC South PREDICTION: The Saints get a prime-time game this season after not having one in 2025. The Saints have lost their last five prime-time games. They should have plenty of motivation for this one after getting swept by the Falcons last season. It was the first time that had happened since the 2016 season.

The Falcons quarterback situation is still up in the air with Michael Penix and Tua Tagovailoa vying for the job. Running back Bijan Robinson is the early favorite in Vegas to win Offensive Player of the Year, so slowing him down is a must. The Dome on a Monday night should be rocking. Saints 23, Falcons 17 | Record: 2-2.

OCT. 11 VS. MINNESOTA VIKINGS, NOON • Last meeting: Saints lost 27-19 in 2023 • Vikings in 2025: 9-8, third in NFC North PREDICTION: Kyler Murray, who spent his first seven seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, signed with the Vikings in March. He gets to team up with one of the NFL’s best receivers in former Destrehan High and LSU star Justin Jefferson. The Saints defense did a solid job of keeping Murray in check last year (five sacks, 163 yards passing), despite losing to Arizona in the opener. The Saints lost their last two games against the Vikings, but snap that skid. Saints 30,Vikings 20 | Record: 3-2.

OCT. 18 AT NEW YORK GIANTS, NOON • Last meeting: Saints won 26-14 in 2025 • Giants in 2025: 4-13, fourth in NFC East PREDICTION: Two of the top quarterbacks in the 2025 draft (Tyler Shough and Jaxson Dart) go headto-head for the first time. Dart played in last year’s game against the Saints, but Shough was still a backup to Spencer Rattler at the

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Other newcomers include high school signees 5-10 point guard Isaiah Wilks from Oklahoma City, 6-foot-8 Ty’shawn Duncan from Alexandria and 6-7 swing man Zayson Salanoa from Humble, Texas — not to mention prep school addition Derrick Florence from Mobile, Alabama.

That group replaces the losses of Jaxon Olvera to Portland, Joshua Lewis home to South Florida, Dorian Finister to Charlotte and Mike Collins to Lamar.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Saints quarterback Tyler Shough looks to make a pass as center Luke Fortner right, protects him against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Oct. 26 in the Caesars Superdome. won 20-17 in 2025 • Panthers in 2025: 8-9, first in NFC South PREDICTION: The Panthers won the NFC South last season for the first time since 2015. QB Bryce Young had his best season since being the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2023.

OCT. 25 VS. PITTSBURGH STEELERS (IN Wide receiver Tet McMillan was named Offensive Rookie of the PARIS), 8:30 A.M. • Last meeting: Saints lost 20-10 in Year, finishing ahead of secondplace Shough. The Saints have sent 2022 • Steelers in 2025: 10-7, first in AFC the Panthers home with an L the last three times they came to New North PREDICTION: The Saints take the Orleans. Make it four. Saints 21, Panlong trip across the pond to take thers 20 | Record: 6-3. on one of the league’s most storied NOV. 22 AT CHICAGO BEARS, NOON franchises. It’s designated as a • Last meeting: Saints lost 26-14 in Saints home game, but it could feel like a neutral site with the Steel- 2025 • Bears in 2025: 11-6, first in NFC ers’ large fan base. The Saints are 2-1 in international games, with all North PREDICTION: This very well three of those being played in London. Slight edge to the Steelers if could be the toughest game on Aaron Rodgers returns for another the Saints’ schedule. The Bears year. If it’s Mason Rudolph at QB, reached the divisional round of this one flips the other way. Steelers the playoffs and came close to reaching the NFC championship 23, Saints 20 | Record: 4-3. game. Much like last season, Bears defensive coordinator and NOV. 1 (BYE WEEK) former Saints head coach Dennis Allen will have his unit locked in.

NOV. 8 VS. CLEVELAND BROWNS, NOON • Last meeting: Saints won 35-14 in Bears QB Caleb Williams showed during the playoffs just how dan2024 • Browns in 2025: 5-12, fourth in AFC gerous he can be. This begins a tough stretch. Bears 27, Saints 16 | North PREDICTION: Will it be Shedeur Record: 6-4.

Sanders or Deshaun Watson holdNOV. 29 AT CINCINNATI BENGALS, NOON ing the keys to the Cleveland of• Last meeting: Saints lost 30-26 in fense that was one of the worst in the league last season? The de- 2022 • Bengals in 2025: 6-11, third in AFC fense is led by two-time Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett. North PREDICTION: Joe Burrow and The Saints’ offensive line will be tested, but they pass the test. Saints Ja’Marr Chase play the Saints for the second time in their stel19, Browns 16. | Record: 5-3. lar careers. Burrow threw for 300 NOV. 15 VS. CAROLINA PANTHERS, NOON yards, including a late touchdown • Last meeting in New Orleans: Saints to Chase, in the win over the Saints

time. Dart threw for 202 yards and two TDs (and two INTs). The Giants signed ex-Tulane WR Darnell Mooney in free agency to go alongside former LSU star Malik Nabers. Round 1 goes to Shough.

Saints 21, Giants 20 | Record: 4-2.

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DEC. 27 VS.ARIZONA CARDINALS, NOON • Last meeting: Saints lost 20-13 in 2025 • Cardinals in 2025: 3-14, fourth in NFC West PREDICTION: The Cardinals came to the Dome last season and gave the Saints their first season-opening loss since 2018. The Saints had a chance late, but Juwan Johnson wasn’t quite able to hold on to what would have been a late touchdown.

Jacoby Brissett is the likely starting QB unless Gardner Minshew or Carson Beck wins the job. The Saints have to slow down rookie Jeremiyah Love, a running back whom Saints fans coveted in the draft. Saints 24, Cardinals 13 | Record: 8-7.

four years ago in the Dome. The Saints’ secondary will surely get JAN. 3 AT ATLANTA FALCONS, NOON tested with Chase and Tee Higgins.

• Last meeting in Atlanta: Saints lost The Bengals beefed up their D-line 19-17 in 2025 this offseason. Bengals 30, Saints 20 | • Falcons in 2025: 8-9, third in NFC Record: 6-5.

South PREDICTION: The Saints have lost DEC. 6 VS. GREEN BAY PACKERS, NOON their last three games at Mer• Last meeting: Saints lost 34-0 in cedes-Benz Stadium. Both of the 2024 last two games were decided by • Packers in 2025: 9-7-1, second in two points (19-17 last year and NFC North 26-24 the year before that). Saints PREDICTION: Jordan Love and the linebacker Kaden Elliss returns to Packers have won their last two face the team he played with for games against the Saints, both at the past three seasons after playLambeau Field. Three years ago, ing his first four years in New Orthe Saints were unable to hold on leans. Falcons 28, Saints 23 | Record: 8-8. to a 17-0 lead. And two years ago, it was just a whipping from start JAN. 10 VS. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS, to finish. The Saints keep it close NOON this time, but the Packers run their • Last meeting in New Orleans: Saints winning streak against Saints to lost 23-3 in 2025 three in a row. Packers 26, Saints 21 | • Buccaneers in 2025: 8-9, second in Record: 6-6.

NFC South PREDICTION: The Saints have lost DEC. 13 AT CAROLINA PANTHERS, NOON the last four games in the Dome • Last meeting in Charlotte: Saints won against the Bucs. The last home 17-7 in 2025 win against Tampa Bay was the • Panthers in 2025: 8-9, first in NFC Halloween game in 2021 when South Jameis Winston injured his PREDICTION: Tyler Shough’s first knee. The Bucs saw their streak victory as a starter came last sea- of four consecutive NFC South son in Charlotte. Now he looks to titles come to an end last season. improve to 2-0 at Bank of America The NFC South typically comes Stadium. The Saints swept the down to the last week of the seaPanthers last season. Assuming son, and this year won’t be any my prediction is right for the first different. There likely will be meeting this season, this is their scoreboard-watching on this day chance to sweep them again. The to see what’s going on between two teams have alternated wins the Falcons and Panthers in their and losses the last four meetings in regular-season finale. The Saints Charlotte, but Saints end that trend end their home woes against and sweep again. Saints 20, Panthers Bucs, secure their first winning 17 | Record: 7-6. season since 2023 and squeeze into the playoffs. Saints 17, Bucs 14 DEC. 20 AT TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS, | Record: 9-8.

NOON • Last meeting in Tampa: Saints won 24- Email Rod Walker at rwalker@ 20 in 2025 theadvocate.com.

ONE great state FOUR great apps

4C ● Saturday, May 16, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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Auburn ends LSU’s season in women’s tennis Staff report The LSU women’s tennis team fell to No. 2-seeded Auburn 4-1 in the NCAA Championship quarterfinals Friday morning in Athens, Georgia, bringing an end to another strong season for coach Taylor Fogleman’s squad.

Under Fogleman’s direction, LSU reached the NCAA quarterfinals for the second consecutive

season and for only the second time in program history.

Friday’s match marked the third time this season Auburn defeated LSU, including a 4-3 outcome in the title round of the SEC Championship on April 19 in Norman, Oklahoma. On March 7, Auburn topped LSU 4-2 at the LSU Tennis Complex.

Following a tight contest in the SEC Championship, Auburn came

up with an answer each time LSU was on the verge of building momentum at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex.

LSU’s No. 1 doubles team of Cadence Brace and Kayla Cross picked up a 6-4 win, but Auburn secured the doubles point with victories from its No. 2 team of Angella Okutoyi and Merna Refaat and No. 3 pairing of Ekaterina Khairutdinova and Ash-

ton Bowers.

Cadence Brace provided LSU, the tournament’s No. 10 seed, its lone point of the day when she topped Auburn’s DJ Bennett, 6-3, 7-5 in the No. 1 singles match.

Auburn swept three other singles matches to clinch the victory, with Khairutdinova, Okutoyi and Eva Ionescu all coming out on top. Ionescu, who also clinched Auburn’s victory over LSU in the

SEC Championship, provided the decisive point Friday, 4-6, 6-0 and 7-5, over Ella McDonald.

Auburn (36-3) advances to play the winner of Ohio State-Pepperdine in the national semifinals at 3 p.m. Saturday in Athens.

Matches are available to watch on ESPN+.

Fogleman, a New Orleans native, has led LSU to the postseason in each of his four seasons as coach.

SCOREBOARD Holes-in-one

Major League Baseball

James Upton

American League

Course: Baton Rouge Country Club Hole: No. 8 Yardage: 151 yards Club: 8 Iron Witnesses: Charlie Peit, Tommy McRae, Charles Mugrove

East Division

Nick Russel

Course: Baton Rouge Country Club Hole: No. 3 Yardage: 108 Club: Wedge

W 28 27 20 19 18

L 14 17 24 24 25

Pct .667 .614 .455 .442 .419

GB — 2 9 9½ 10½

Cleveland Chicago Minnesota Detroit Kansas City

W 24 22 20 19 19

L 21 21 24 25 25

Pct .533 .512 .455 .432 .432

GB — 1 3½ 4½ 4½

Athletics Seattle Texas Houston Los Angeles

W 22 22 21 17 16

L 21 23 22 28 28

Pct .512 .489 .488 .378 .364

GB — 1 1 6 6½

Central Division

Odds Sports Betting Line MLB

West Division

Saturday

American League FAVORITE LINE at DETROIT OFF Texas -152 National League FAVORITE LINE Arizona -124 Philadelphia -188 Interleague FAVORITE LINE Kansas City -111 Baltimore -116 at TAMPA BAY -126 at CLEVELAND -162 Milwaukee -120 Chicago Cubs -112 N.Y Yankees -130 at ATLANTA -138 at SEATTLE -132 LA Dodgers -132 at ATHLETICS -130

Tampa Bay New York Baltimore Toronto Boston

UNDERDOG Toronto at HOUSTON

LINE OFF +128

UNDERDOG LINE at COLORADO +104 at PITTSBURGH +158 UNDERDOG at ST. LOUIS at WASH Miami Cincinnati at MINNESOTA at WHITE SOX at N.Y METS Boston San Diego at LA ANGELS San Francisco

LINE -108 -102 +108 +136 +102 -104 +110 +118 +111 +112 +110

UNDERDOG Buffalo

LINE +136

Thursday’s Games

nez 4-1), 3:10 p.m.

Cincinnati (Paddack 0-5) at Cleveland (Williams 5-3), 5:10 p.m.

Chicago Cubs (Taillon 2-2) at Chicago White Sox (Martin 5-1), 6:10 p.m.

Milwaukee (Henderson 0-1) at Minnesota (Prielipp 1-1), 6:10 p.m.

Boston (Tolle 1-2) at Atlanta (Elder 4-1), 6:15 p.m.

N.Y. Yankees (Rodón 0-0) at N.Y. Mets (TBD), 6:15 p.m.

San Diego (Buehler 2-2) at Seattle (Gilbert 2-3), 6:15 p.m.

L.A. Dodgers (Wrobleski 5-1) at L.A. Angels (Soriano 6-2), 8:38 p.m.

San Francisco (McDonald 1-0) at Athletics (Severino 2-4), 8:40 p.m.

Hockey NHL Playoff SECOND ROUND (Best-of-7; x-if necessary)

EASTERN CONFERENCE Montreal 3, Buffalo 2

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 3, Montreal 2 Thursday, May 14: Montreal 6, Buffalo 3 Saturday, May 16: Buffalo at Montreal, 7 p.m. x-Monday, May 18: Montreal at Buffalo, TBA

N.Y. Mets 9, Detroit 4 Minnesota 9, Miami 1 Seattle 8, Houston 3 St. Louis 5, Athletics 4 Philadelphia 3, Boston 1 Chicago White Sox 6, Kansas City 2

Friday’s Games

Baltimore at Washington, n Toronto at Detroit, n Cincinnati at Cleveland, n Miami at Tampa Bay, n Milwaukee at Minnesota, n Boston at Atlanta, n N.Y. Yankees at N.Y. Mets, n Chicago Cubs at Chicago White Sox, n Texas at Houston, n Kansas City at St. Louis, n L.A. Dodgers at L.A. Angels, n San Diego at Seattle, n San Francisco at Athletics, n.

Carolina 4, Philadelphia 0

Colorado 4, Minnesota 1

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

Toronto (TBD) at Detroit (Mize 2-2), 12:10 p.m.

Kansas City (Cameron 2-2) at St. Louis (Leahy 4-3), 1:15 p.m.

Baltimore (Bassitt 3-2) at Washington (Cavalli 1-2), 3:05 p.m.

Miami (Alcantara 3-2) at Tampa Bay (Martinez 4-1), 3:10 p.m.

Cincinnati (Paddack 0-5) at Cleveland (Williams 5-3), 5:10 p.m.

Chicago Cubs (Taillon 2-2) at Chicago White Sox (Martin 5-1), 6:10 p.m.

Milwaukee (Henderson 0-1) at Minnesota (Prielipp 1-1), 6:10 p.m.

Texas (deGrom 3-2) at Houston (Teng 1-3), 6:10 p.m.

Boston (Tolle 1-2) at Atlanta (Elder 4-1), 6:15 p.m.

N.Y. Yankees (Rodón 0-0) at N.Y. Mets (TBD), 6:15 p.m.

San Diego (Buehler 2-2) at Seattle (Gilbert 2-3), 6:15 p.m.

L.A. Dodgers (Wrobleski 5-1) at L.A. Angels (Soriano 6-2), 8:38 p.m.

San Francisco (McDonald 1-0) at Athletics (Severino 2-4), 8:40 p.m.

Oklahoma City 4, L.A. Lakers 0

East Division

NHL

Saturday

FAVORITE LINE at MONTREAL -162

Pro basketball NBA Playoff SECOND ROUND (Best-of-7; x-if necessary)

Eastern Conference Cleveland 3, Detroit 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: Cleveland 117, Detroit 113, OT Friday, May 15: Detroit at Cleveland, 6 p.m. x-Sunday, May 17: Cleveland at Detroit, TBA

New York 4, Philadelphia 0

Western Conference

Tuesday, May 5: Oklahoma City 108, L.A. Lakers 90 Thursday, May 7: Oklahoma City 125, L.A. Lakers 107 Saturday, May 9: Oklahoma City 131, L.A. Lakers 108 Monday, May 11: Oklahoma City 115, L.A. Lakers 110 Monday, May 4: Minnesota 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: San Antonio 126, Minnesota 97 Friday, May 15: San Antonio at Minnesota, 8:30 p.m. x-Sunday, May 17: Minnesota at San Antonio, TBA

WNBA Glance Chicago Atlanta New York Washington Indiana Toronto Connecticut

W 2 2 3 1 1 1 0

L Pct 0 1.000 0 1.000 1 .750 1 .500 1 .500 1 .500 3 .000

GB — — — 1 1 1 2½

Minnesota Las Vegas Golden State Phoenix Dallas Seattle Portland Los Angeles

W 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 0

L 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2

GB — — — 1 1 1 1 1½

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Thursday’s Games

Pct .667 .667 .667 .333 .333 .333 .333 .000

W 30 21 21 20 18

L 14 23 23 24 25

Pct .682 .477 .477 .455 .419

GB — 9 9 10 11½

Chicago Milwaukee St. Louis Pittsburgh Cincinnati

W 28 24 25 24 23

L 16 17 18 20 21

Pct .636 .585 .581 .545 .523

GB — 2½ 2½ 4 5

Pct .591 .581 .476 .409 .386

GB — ½ 5 8 9

Central Division

San Antonio 3, Minnesota 2

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Atlanta Philadelphia Washington Miami New York

Minnesota 90, Dallas 86 New York 100, Portland 82

Friday’s Games

Las Vegas at Connecticut, n Washington at Indiana, n Chicago at Phoenix, n Toronto at Los Angeles, n

Saturday’s Games

No games scheduled.

CAJUNS

Continued from page 1C We did a good job tonight of not giving them anything.” .The Cajuns’ offense was ready from the first inning — sparked by new leadoff hitter Blaze Rodriguez, who had two hits and scored two runs.

“I did it last week and we played good with it, so I decided to leave him there,” Deggs said of Rodriguez.

In the first, Rodriguez singled, stole second base, took third on Noah Lewis’ bunt and scored on Lee Amedee’s groundout to second base.

Rodriguez’s lead-off base hit in the third led to a three-run rally.

Amedee walked ahead of Colt Brown’s RBI single to left.

West Division Los Angeles San Diego Arizona San Francisco Colorado

W 26 25 20 18 17

Thursday’s Games

L 18 18 22 26 27

Cincinnati 15, Washington 1 Pittsburgh 7, Colorado 2 N.Y. Mets 9, Detroit 4 Minnesota 9, Miami 1 Milwaukee 7, San Diego 1 St. Louis 5, Athletics 4 Philadelphia 3, Boston 1 Chicago Cubs 2, Atlanta 0 L.A. Dodgers 5, San Francisco 2

Friday’s Games

Philadelphia at Pittsburgh, n Baltimore at Washington, n Cincinnati at Cleveland,n Miami at Tampa Bay, n Milwaukee at Minnesota, n Boston at Atlanta, n N.Y. Yankees at N.Y. Mets, n Chicago Cubs at Chicago White Sox, n Kansas City at St. Louis, n Arizona at Colorado, n L.A. Dodgers at L.A. Angels, n San Diego at Seattle, n San Francisco at Athletics, n

Saturday’s Games

Kansas City (Cameron 2-2) at St. Louis (Leahy 4-3), 1:15 p.m.

Arizona (Rodriguez 4-0) at Colorado (Sugano 3-3), 2:10 p.m.

Baltimore (Bassitt 3-2) at Washington (Cavalli 1-2), 3:05 p.m.

Philadelphia (Sánchez 4-2) at Pittsburgh (Chandler 1-4), 3:05 p.m.

Miami (Alcantara 3-2) at Tampa Bay (Marti-

“We didn’t strike out until the middle of the game, and we were able to cash in and take advantage of a couple of free opportunities,” Deggs said. “We were able to use our legs and steal some bases tonight.”

Donovan LaSalle then hit a tworun double to fall just inside the right field line for a 4-0 cushion.

“I was like, ‘Stay fair, man, stay fair,’ and thankfully it stayed fair,” LaSalle said. “We got the runs in and provided a spark for us.

“We just came out and we just played our game, you know? We’ve been playing good ball and we just staying on us. I mean, that’s all we can do, and we’re just sticking together and playing as a team right now.”

Lewis did the igniting in the fifth with a single and a stolen base, before Amedee knocked him in with a run-scoring single.

“I thought Noah had a heck of a

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’s games

x-G7: Winner of Game 6 vs. Loser of Game 6, 1 p.m.

Beaumont bracket

Thursday’s games

G1: No. 6 Northwestern State 6, No. 3 UTRGV 5 G2: No. 7 SFA 3, No. 2 Lamar 0

Friday’s games

G3: No. 2 Lamar 3, No. 3 UTRGV 2 G4: No. 6 Northwestern State vs. No. 7 SFA, n

Saturday’s games

G5: No. 2 Lamar vs. Loser of Game 4, 1 p.m.

G6: Winner of Game 4 vs. Winner of Game 5, 6 p.m.

Sunday’s games

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

x-G3: Winner of No. 1 Seed Bracket vs. Winner of No. 2 Seed Bracket

Vegas 4, Anaheim 2

Thursday’s games

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: Vegas 3, Anaheim 2, OT Thursday, May 14: Vegas 5, Anaheim 1

National League

Saturday’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

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Saturday’s Games

G3. Houston Christian 6, No. 4 Nicholls 5 G4: No. 5 McNeese vs. Southeastern, 6 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: Colorado 4, Minnesota 3, OT

CONFERENCE FINALS (Best-of-7; x-if necessary)

Colorado vs. Vegas

Wednesday, May 20: Vegas at Colorado, 7 p.m.

Friday, May 22: Vegas at Colorado, 7 p.m.

Sunday, May 24: Colorado at Vegas, 7 p.m.

Tuesday, May 26: Colorado at Vegas, TBA x-Thursday, May 28: Vegas at Colorado, TBA x-Saturday, May 30: Colorado at Vegas, TBA x-Monday, June 1: Vegas at Colorado, TBA

College softball NCAA Tournament glance (Double elimination; x-if necessary)

Baton Rouge (La.) Regional Friday’s games

Game 1 — No. 5 Virginia St. 6, South Alabama 0 Game 2 — Akron (34-23) vs. No. 4 LSU (3717), n

Saturday’s games

Game 3 — No. 5 Virginia St. vs. Game 2 winner, TBD Game 4 — South Alabama vs. Game 2 loser, TBD. Game 5 — Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner, TBD

Sunday’s games

Game 6 — Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner, TBD x-Game 7 — Game 6 opponents, TBD

Bryan-College Station (Texas) Regional Friday’s games

Game 1 — No. 4 Texas A&M 17, UConn 3 Game 2 — No. 5 Arizona 8, McNeese 0

Saturday’s games

Game 3 — No. 4 Texas A&M vs. No. 5 Arizona, TBD Game 4 — UConn vs. Game 2 loser, TBD Game 5 — Game 3 loser vs. McNeese, TBD

Sunday’s games

Game 6 — Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner, TBD x-Game 7 — Game 6 opponents, TBD

Tuscaloosa (Ala.) Regional Friday’s games

May 23

State schedule

UL 7, Coastal Carolina 2 Southern 9, Alabama A&M 8 Florida 11, LSU 8 Rice 12, Tulane 0

Friday’s games

Coastal Carolina at UL, n Alabama A&M at Southern, n Florida at LSU, n Tulane at Rice,n

Saturday’s games

Tulane at Rice, 1:05 p.m.

Florida at LSU, 2 p.m.

Coastal Carolina at UL, 2 p.m.

Alabama A&M at Southern, 3 p.m.

Late Thursday Florida 11, LSU 8

LSU Florida (29-25, 9-19 SEC) (35-18, 16-12 SEC) ab r h bi ab r h bi Braun 1b 5 2 2 0 Jones cf 2 1 2 2 Serna dh 5 2 2 1 Yost ph 2 1 0 1 Curiel cf 4 2 1 1 Lawson ss 4 1 1 0 Arrambide c 5 0 2 1 Cyr lf 3 2 1 1 Milam ss 5 1 3 3 Surowiec 3b 6 1 1 4 Pearson 3b 3 0 1 0 McDonald dh 5 1 1 0 Dardar ph 1 0 0 0 Bowen c 5 1 1 0 Ruckert 2b 3 0 0 0 Stripling 1b 4 1 2 1 Yamin ph 1 0 0 0 Kurland 2b 2 2 0 1 Patrick rf 0 0 0 0 Strayer rf 2 - 0 0 Reaves lf 3 0 0 0 TOTALS 39 8 12 7 TOTALS 35 11 8 10 Florida 600 110 210 — 11 8 1 LSU 003 001 022 — 8 12 2 DP — Flroda 1; LSU 1. LOB — Florida 12; LSU 7. 2B — McDonald (5); Stripling (7); Jackson (11); Peeples (2) HR — Stanfield Serna (10); Curiel (15); Milam (15). HBP — Yost; Lawson; Dardar. SB — Yost (2); Lawson (11).

LSU IP H R ER BB SO 2 Lachenmayer ⁄3 4 6 6 3 1 1 Ricken 4 ⁄3 4 2 2 0 5 Williams 11⁄3 0 2 0 1 2 1 Benge ⁄3 0 0 0 2 0 Primeaux 1 0 1 1 4 1 Rizy 1 0 0 0 1 0 Florida IP H R ER BB SO King 51⁄3 8 4 4 0 7 Barberi 12⁄3 1 2 1 1 3 1 Barlow ⁄3 0 0 0 1 2 2 LugoCanchola ⁄3 0 0 0 1 1 Reeth 0 2 2 2 0 0 Whritenour 1 1 0 0 0 2 WP — King (4); Primeaux (1); Rizy2(8). ;Bar HBP — by Ricken (Yost); by Barlow1;LugoCanchola 15/9; Reeth 7/5.

Umpires — HP: Brian Hale 1B: Scott Letendre 2B: William VanRaaphorst 3B: Jordan Ferrell Start — 6:34 p.m. Time — 3:38 Attendance — 10553

Golf Kroger Queen City Championship

Frida Kinhult Anna Nordqvist Patty Tavatanakit Jing Yan Adela Cernousek Anne Chen Perrine Delacour Muni He Sei Young Kim A Lim Kim Alison Lee Jeongeun Lee6 Pornanong Phatlum Mao Saigo Hinako Shibuno Maja Stark Carla Tejedo Rose Zhang Lauren Hartlage Charley Hull Ariya Jutanugarn Megan Khang Andrea Lee Yan Liu Julia Lopez Ramirez Emma McMyler Carolina Melgrati Lilia Vu Miyu Yamashita Yuri Yoshida Na Rin An Celine Boutier Nasa Hataoka Wei-Ling Hsu Jin Hee Im Nanna Koerstz Madsen Aline Krauter Ryann O’Toole Emily Pedersen Jenny Shin Lexi Thompson Yana Wilson Arpichaya Yubol Michelle Zhang Pajaree Anannarukarn Hye Jin Choi Allisen Corpuz Olivia Cowan Manon De Roey Brianna Do Gemma Dryburgh Maude-Aimee Leblanc Ingrid Lindblad Polly Mack Leona Maguire Yealimi Noh Kokona Sakurai Aditi Ashok Laetitia Beck Celine Borge Ssu-Chia Cheng Chisato Iwai Yu Liu Mary Liu Yuna Nishimura Mimi Rhodes Jasmine Suwannapura Jenny Bae Ashleigh Buhai Lauren Coughlin Isabella Fierro Isi Gabsa Melanie Green Akie Iwai Soo Bin Joo Gurleen Kaur Yuka Saso Chiara Tamburlini Albane Valenzuela Chanettee Wannasaen Weiwei Zhang Nataliya Guseva Moriya Jutanugarn Minami Katsu Dongeun Lee Jeong Eun Lee5 Paula Reto Amy Yang Camille Boyd Gina Kim Nastasia Nadaud Natasha Andrea Oon Alexa Pano Suvichaya Vinijchaitham Dewi Weber Ana Belac Auston Kim Mina Kreiter Carolina L Chacarra Coto Jessica Porvasnik Pauline Roussin Linnea Strom Lauren Walsh Laney Frye Mariel Galdiano Sofia Garcia Azahara Munoz Saki Baba Jiwon Jeon Madison Young Briana Chacon Brooke Matthews Kum Kang Park Madison Reemsnyder

69-69—138 70-68—138 70-68—138 71-67—138 69-70—139 70-69—139 74-65—139 69-70—139 71-68—139 69-70—139 72-67—139 69-70—139 70-69—139 69-70—139 70-69—139 71-68—139 70-69—139 70-69—139 69-71—140 68-72—140 70-70—140 70-70—140 69-71—140 72-68—140 73-67—140 70-70—140 71-69—140 67-73—140 70-70—140 74-66—140 70-71—141 69-72—141 73-68—141 69-72—141 70-71—141 72-69—141 70-71—141 70-71—141 72-69—141 69-72—141 73-68—141 71-70—141 71-70—141 69-72—141 73-69—142 72-70—142 75-67—142 72-70—142 72-70—142 75-67—142 70-72—142 69-73—142 70-72—142 72-70—142 71-71—142 72-70—142 69-73—142 72-71—143 76-67—143 74-69—143 71-72—143 72-71—143 73-70—143 71-72—143 71-72—143 72-71—143 69-74—143 75-69—144 75-69—144 73-71—144 72-72—144 75-69—144 73-71—144 71-73—144 75-69—144 74-70—144 72-72—144 73-71—144 71-73—144 71-73—144 71-73—144 75-70—145 72-73—145 75-70—145 71-74—145 71-74—145 71-74—145 73-72—145 72-74—146 76-70—146 74-72—146 75-71—146 78-68—146 78-68—146 77-69—146 72-75—147 75-72—147 71-76—147 75-72—147 75-72—147 74-73—147 73-74—147 72-75—147 76-72—148 74-75—149 78-71—149 74-75—149 75-75—150 76-74—150 77-73—150 76-76—152 74-78—152 76-76—152 78-74—152

-2 -2 -2 -2 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 E E E E E E E E E E E E +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 +3 +3 +3 +3 +3 +3 +3 +3 +3 +3 +4 +4 +4 +4 +4 +4 +4 +4 +4 +4 +4 +4 +4 +4 +5 +5 +5 +5 +5 +5 +5 +6 +6 +6 +6 +6 +6 +6 +7 +7 +7 +7 +7 +7 +7 +7 +8 +9 +9 +9 +10 +10 +10 +12 +12 +12 +12

Friday’s games

Friday At Maketewah Country Club Cincinnati Purse: $2 million Yardage: 6,423; Par: 70 Second Round Amanda Doherty 67-66—133 Jin Young Ko 67-66—133 Lottie Woad 70-64—134 Lydia Ko 68-67—135 Chella Choi 66-70—136 Nelly Korda 69-67—136 Jennifer Kupcho 70-66—136 Rio Takeda 66-70—136 Jeeno Thitikul 69-67—136 Jodi Ewart Shadoff 71-66—137 Cassie Porter 69-68—137 Hae-Ran Ryu 71-66—137 Sophia Schubert 69-68—137 Ruoning Yin 70-67—137 Ina Yoon 66-71—137 Robyn Choi 71-67—138 In Gee Chun 74-64—138 Lindy Duncan 69-69—138 Erika Hara 69-69—138 MinJi Kang 71-67—138

game and I thought Donny had a heck of a game,” Deggs said. “We need those guys to stay hot and keep moving forward for us.”

During that stretch, Coastal Carolina’s offense wasn’t having nearly as much fun against UL starter Cody Brasch. All the Cajuns’ ace right-hander did in six innings was limit the Chanticleers to two baserunners — a two-out Jackson Winer single in the second and a one-out Ty Barranga hit by pitch in the third.

“I’m starting to get a routine going and starting to really feel comfortable in that starting position,” Brasch said. “I’m really starting to feel like I can throw more and more pitches, and I really like it.”

Coastal’s offense didn’t get as far as second base against Brasch.

“Best outing of the season?”

Brasch asked. “I don’t know. I’m not sure. I don’t think so, but it was

was good.”

Naturally, the Chanticleers liked it when UL elected to take Brasch out after 88 pitches and Blake Barthol illustrated that with a two-run home run in the seventh to narrow UL’s lead to 5-2.

Hayen Pearson got another run to work with when he came on in the eighth for Parker Smith, who gave up two runs in the seventh.

LaSalle’s bases-loaded walk gave UL a four-run lead.

The freshman southpaw covered the last two innings, allowing one STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP hit and one walk with one strikeThe UL infield celebrate its 7-2 out. victory over Coastal Carolina on “It fires me up, just the way he Thursday at Russo Park. works, love it,” Brasch said of Pearson. “He’s such a good pitcher, and he’s going to be so good in up there for sure.

“I felt like I was in that flow and the years to come. I’m excited to I kind of felt really good. I was watch him grow. He’s going to be pretty hot out there, and my velo able to throw that ball real hard, dropped a little bit. The location too.”

Game 1 — No. 1 Alabama 8, USC Upstate 0 Game 2 — Belmont 2, No. 8 Southeastern 0

Saturday’s games

Game 3 — No. 1 Alabama vs. Belmont, TBD Game 4 — USC Upstate vs. No. 8 Southeastern, TBD Game 5 — Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner, TBD

Sunday’s games

Game 6 — Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner, TBD x-Game 7 — Game 6 opponents, TBD

College baseball Southland Conference tournament (Double elimination; x-if necessary)

Hammond bracket Thursday’s games

G1: No. 5 McNeese 11. No. 4 Nicholls 3 G2: No. 1 Southeastern 3, No. 8 Houston Christian 2

-7 -7 -6 -5 -4 -4 -4 -4 -4 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2

Transactions Major League Baseball

American League BALTIMORE ORIOLES — Acquired RHP Eduarniel Núñez from the Athletics in exchange for cash considerations and optioned him to Norfolk (IL). Designated RHP Christian Roa for assignment.

BOSTON RED SOX — Sent LHP Danny Coulombe to Portland (EL) on a rehab assignment.

DETROIT TIGERS — Reinstated RHP Connor Seabold from the 15-day IL. Optioned RHP Ricky Vanasco to Toledo (IL).

TAMPA BAY RAYS — Designated RHP Aaron Brooks for assignment. Recalled RHP Trevor Martin from Durham (IL).

LIVING

T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M

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S at u r d ay, M ay 16, 2026

5CN

Store’s budget take on jambalaya enticing

BY MADDIE SCOTT Staff writer

I’ve eaten a lot of jambalaya in my lifetime as a Louisiana native who grew up climbing magnolia trees and chasing lizards in between Covington and Mandeville. I’ve also frequented Trader Joe’s as someone who, not too long ago, found solace in their frozen food selections during finals week.

Now, as a food reporter in Baton Rouge, I wonder, can a frozen bag of jambalaya capture Louisiana flavor?

Trader Joe’s, a Californiabased chain, has over 650 locations in the United States, and they brought their rendition of jambalaya to stores in February. The purple bag is found in the frozen section and runs $5.49 plus tax, enough for two servings.

Online, the product’s description gives a small history rundown on the dish, writing that jambalaya means “jumble” or “mish-mash” and is derived from West African, Spanish and French influences.

“You can taste each of these influences in every forkful of Trader Joe’s Jambalaya, our easy-to-prep version of this iconic (and aptly-named) Louisiana treat,” the description states.

Big-font text on the front of the bag describes the ingredient list in a nutshell: “Seasoned rice with uncured andouille sausage, onion and green bell peppers.”

How can one make and promote a Louisiana dish without the complete Cajun Holy Trinity? Where’s the celery?

Technically, the andouille sausage includes celery in the form of “cultured celery juice powder,” per the ingredients list.

Does this break the trinity? No, I guess. But I’m feeling a little uneasy about it.

STAFF PHOTO By MADDIE SCOTT

Trader Joe’s sells bags of frozen jambalaya running at $5.49 a pop.

The cooking (or warming up) My kitchen is about the size of a small bathroom, so it makes cooking a challenge in terms of counterspace, but it keeps everything in arm’s reach. Luckily, the bag’s instructions are not complex.

There are microwave and stovetop instructions to choose from. Cooking by stovetop felt more promising, so I turned on medium-high heat, added two tablespoons of water to my stainless steel pan and poured the bag in. The contents began to melt, and the aroma filled the air. Eight minutes later, I had dinner.

If it looks like jambalaya, and it smells like jambalaya, it must be jambalaya, right? We’ll see.

The taste test First, I took a bite of the rice.

It was well-seasoned with a mild kick and good texture — not too soft. I was relatively impressed.

My fork speared a piece of the andouille sausage (which,

ä See JAMBALAYA, page 6C

A view of the front of the Burden Museum & Gardens’ new welcome center.

STAFF PHOTOS By ROBIN MILLER

With open arms This building will welcome visitors to 440 acres of gardens and museums in Baton Rouge

T

BY ROBIN MILLER Staff writer

he ribbon will be cut on May 17, but the Burden Museum & Gardens new welcome center won’t officially open its doors until this summer. Though, the opening date is pending at the moment.

But the completion of the center ushers in a new starting point connecting Windrush Gardens, the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens and the LSU Rural Life Museum on their 440 acres at 4560 Essen Lane in Baton Rouge.

“Basically, this will be the front door to the property,” said Jeff Kuehny, director of the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens at the Burden Center.

Once it opens, visitors can stop Bill Stark, director of the LSU Rural Life Museum, left, and Jeff Kuehny, by the welcome center to get an director of the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens, stand in front of the newly idea of the grounds’ layout, where to go to find the 25-acre Windrush completed welcome center for the Burden Museum & Gardens, which Gardens designed by Steele Bur- officially will open in the summer. den, the LSU Botanic Gardens and the LSU Rural Life Museum’s 30 and his wife, Emma, who named it Ione, donated the land to LSU in Windrush after a creek in the Eng- 1966 as the LSU Rural Life Musehistoric buildings. um and Burden Research Center. lish Cotswolds.

Understanding the grounds Their son, William Pike Burden, The grounds were rebranded as To understand the grounds, it’s and his wife, Ollie Steele Burden, the Burden Museum & Gardens in important to know its history. eventually raised three children on 2013.

Steele Burden, a self-taught The property was a working farm the grounds: Ione Easter Burden, known as Windrush Plantation William Pike Burden Jr. and Oillie landscape architect, designed and in the 19th century. In 1856, the Brice Steele Burden, known sim- maintained the property’s 25 acres plantation was gifted as a wedding ply as Steele. ä See BURDEN, page 6C present to John Charles Burden Steele Burden and his sister,

‘INELIGIBLE BACHELOR’

Prairieville billboard bachelor announces engagement Jeff Seeger’s new billboard advertises that he’s no longer a bachelor. He’s engaged.

PROVIDED PHOTO

BY JOY HOLDEN Staff writer

In April 2025, Prairieville entrepreneur Jeff Seeger decided to take a unique direction with his next billboard: he decided to advertise himself. In the last year, Seeger’s bold bachelor bet has paid off.

He is now engaged to Robin Caronna — however, the couple

did not meet via the billboard.

They met through Hinge, a dating app, four months after the billboard went up. Perhaps Seeger’s public declaration that he was ready for love provoked the universe to nudge these two together. Caronna is from Hammond, and she says that she knew nothing of the billboard until

ä See BILLBOARD, page 6C

6C ● Saturday, May 16, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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TODAY IN HISTORY

By The Associated Press Today is Saturday, May 16, the 136th day of 2026. There are 229 days left in the year.

Today in history: On May 16, 1966, the Chinese Communist Party issued the May 16 Notification, a document that criticized “counterrevolutionary revisionists” within the party and marked the beginning of the Cultural Revolution.

Also on this date: In 1770, Marie Antoinette, age 14, married the future King Louis XVI of France, who was 15.

In 1868, having already been impeached by the House of Representatives, President Andrew Johnson narrowly avoided impeachment by the Senate, which

voted 35-19 in favor of impeachment — one vote shy of the required two-thirds majority.

In 1929, the first Academy Awards were presented. “Wings” won the award for Outstanding Picture, while Emil Jannings and Janet Gaynor were named Best Actor and Best Actress.

In 1943, the nearly monthlong Warsaw Ghetto Uprising came to an end as German forces crushed the Jewish resistance and blew up the city’s Great Synagogue.

In 1960, the first working laser was demonstrated at Hughes Research Laboratories in Malibu, California, by physicist Theodore Maiman.

In 1975, Japanese climber Junko Tabei became the first woman to reach the summit of

Mount Everest.

In 1988, U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop declared that nicotine is as addictive as heroin or cocaine as part of his campaign to warn against the health hazards of smoking and make America smoke-free by 2000.

In 1991, Queen Elizabeth II became the first British monarch to address the U.S. Congress, speaking to a joint meeting of both chambers during her state visit to the United States.

In 1997, President Bill Clinton publicly apologized for the notorious 40-year Tuskegee Experiment, in which government scientists deliberately allowed Black men to weaken and die of treatable syphilis.

In 2011, Space Shuttle Endeav-

our launched on its 25th and final flight into space, bound for the International Space Station. The launch came as NASA was winding down the 30-year shuttle program that would end with a final flight by the orbiter Atlantis in July of the same year.

In 2018, officials at Michigan State University said they had agreed to pay $500 million to settle claims from more than 300 women and girls who said they were assaulted by sports doctor Larry Nassar.

In 2022, the U.S. death toll from COVID-19 reached 1 million.

In 2025, a devastating tornado claimed several lives and damaged hundreds of homes in Somerset, Kentucky, during a severe weather outbreak in the South

and Midwest that killed at least 19 people.

Today’s Birthdays: Actor Danny Trejo is 82. Actor Pierce Brosnan is 73.

Olympic gymnastics gold medalist Olga Korbut is 71. Baseball Hall of Famer Jack Morris is 71. Actor Debra Winger is 71. Olympic marathon gold medalist Joan Benoit Samuelson is 69. Actor Mare Winningham is 67. Rock musician Krist Novoselic (Nirvana) is 61. Singer Janet Jackson is 60. Football Hall of Famer Thurman Thomas is 60.

Singer Ralph Tresvant (New Edition) is 58. Actor David Boreanaz is 57. Tennis Hall of Famer Gabriela Sabatini is 56. Actor Tori Spelling is 53. Actor Megan Fox is 40. Actor Thomas Brodie-Sangster is 36.

Rapper Travis Bennett is 32. Model Lani Randol is 27.

RELIGION BRIEFS FROM STAFF REPORTS

Wesley Founders’ Day approaching

call the church office at the Rev. Orin D. Grant Sr., (225) 343-8421 or Dr. Joyce pastor of St. Paul MissionO’Rourke at (225) 252-1736. ary Baptist Church, Gretna.

All are invited.

The historic Wesley United Methodist Church, 544 Government St., Baton Rouge, will celebrate 160 years of serving the comFreeman Baptist Church, munity at a Founders’ Day 4628 La. 955, Ethel, will hold Little Prairie Baptist service at 10 a.m. Sunday, its pastor’s appreciation Church, 40497 La. 42, Praiservice at 2 p.m. Sunday, rieville, will host a gospel May 24.

The Rev. Robert Johnson, May 31. concert at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The church will celebrate of the Louisiana ConferFeatured guests will be ence of the United Method- and honor the Rev. Robert The Chuck Wagon Gang.

L. Scott Jr. for his service The public is invited to ist Church, will speak. the evening of faith, music The community is invited. and commitment.

The guest speaker will be and fellowship.

For more information,

Freeman Baptist to honor pastor

Gospel concert at Little Prairie Baptist

BILLBOARD

Continued from page 5C their first date.

Seeger, 35, and Caronna, 32, met for lunch at Mike Anderson’s in Prairieville on Sept. 14, 2025. They both say that first impressions indicated a solid friendship, not a love match. However, they ended up spending the rest of the day together — from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. — so something was clicking.

“The date lasted 12 hours,” Seeger said. “I didn’t want to get rid of her. We kept getting to know each other.”

Caronna felt like they were on the same page about a mutual friendship, and she said that the date was “super laid back.”

Lunch turned into a stop at Seeger’s Blue Jay Snoballs followed by swimming, more hanging out and then dinner at Agave Blue.

Seeger and Caronna found out that they enjoyed each other’s company.

Since then, they have taken road trips, seen concerts, run races, hiked trails and worked out together.

Both business owners, Caronna and Seeger say they share a drive for improvement, a longing to travel, spontaneity for adventure, love for deep conversations and flexibility toward the future.

“I liked that he was driven and had his businesses,” Caronna said. “He was super motivated. He was very intentional. That was my favorite thing about him.”

Caronna, a mother of four — ages 13, 11, 10 and 8 — started a business with her daughter, Bella, called Brave Bella’s Beads in 2023. What began as a mission to pay for braces has evolved into a business

STAFF PHOTOS By ROBIN MILLER

Jeff Kuehny, director of the LSU AgCenter Botanical Gardens, stands in the events room in the new welcome center for the Burden Museum & Gardens.

BURDEN

Continued from page 5C

PROVIDED PHOTO

Jeff Seeger gets down on one knee to propose to Robin Caronna on May 1 in Denver, Colorado. with a charity component that includes donations to St. Jude Hospital, because Bella is a patient there.

The couple primarily lives in Prairieville in a house full of pictures of the couple with her children.

A sunrise proposal

At the end of April this year, Caronna and Seeger went to Denver to see Two Friends, a DJ group, at Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater. The next morning, on May 1, Seeger woke Caronna up to go see the sunrise on the rocks.

“It was perfect,” Caronna said. “Jeffrey got on his knee, and it was beautiful. I forgot the sunrise was even there.”

Caronna says looking back now, she sees several signs that a proposal was coming up, but in the mo- Email Joy Holden at joy. ment, she was completely holden@theadvocate.com.

JAMBALAYA

Continued from page 5C by the way, Trader Joe’s did not skimp out on the sausage portions). The texture was a little denser than I’m used to, more so resembling a hot dog than a sausage. The taste, however, was solid: flavorful, a little smoky. I found myself looking forward to each piece.

I finished the bowl, and the pan still had another serving left that I saved for later. I was quite satisfied.

The verdict In the aftermath of meeting Trader Joe’s jambalaya, I wondered what makes jambalaya, jambalaya. I texted my family group chat and asked for their thoughts.

surprised.

“I knew probably four months ago that I was ready, which is so cool,” Seeger said, “because I’ve had long relationships in the past. When you know, you know. We were just a couple months in and I was like, ‘This is what I’ve been looking for.’ ” As for a wedding date, the couple is looking to Feb. 27, 2027. Seeger says when they had only been dating for a couple of months, a friend jokingly asked when they were getting married, and Seeger replied with “227-27.” The date stuck.

After Seeger proposed, he put up a new billboard in Prairieville on May 6 proclaiming that he is now “an ineligible bachelor” and that “She said yes!”

STAFF PHOTO By LAUREN CHERAMIE

Trader Joe’s sells frozen jambalaya running at $5.49 a bag.

My dad, New Orleans born and raised (a Brother Martin alum), said the sausage is important and should contain “juuust the right amount of heat.” I

agree with this.

My brother’s take surprised me. He believes there’s not a singular thing that’s pivotal in the dish. In just a few sentences, he explained a jambalaya philosophy that was surprisingly comforting.

“All cultures have rice dishes, and this one is ours,” my brother, Ben Scott, said.

“There’s no one thing for fried. No one thing for rice and beans. What makes jambalaya, jambalaya is that the cook says they’re making jambalaya and that it tastes good.”

That made me think. Maybe the question isn’t about how authentic Trader Joe’s jambalaya is, but rather, if it’s enjoyed.

Was Trader Joe’s jambalaya enjoyable? My answer lies in the happy, empty bowl sitting in front of me.

of live oaks, ancient crape myrtles and camellias he called Windrush Gardens.

He also founded the openair LSU Rural Life Museum with a mission to preserve Louisiana’s 19th century rural culture.

The Rural Life Museum was among the first in the state to interpret slavery, and Steele Burden served as its curator until his death at age 95 in 1995.

Baton Rouge has since expanded around the grounds, but the museums and gardens are an oasis. Once visitors pass the front gate, all sounds of the city disappear.

Shifting gears And now the Welcome Center will enhance this experience.

Bill Stark, director of the LSU Rural Life Museum, says the goal is for tours to start at the welcome center, with plans to build more collaborative programming between the museum and gardens.

A master plan for the welcome center was drawn up in 2010, but actual construction on the building didn’t begin until last summer.

“It’s taken us that long to get here,” Kuehny said. “We really began working on the project in earnest about six years ago. That’s when we really started raising funds and getting some design concepts. And we got a road put in so that we would have a construction entrance and be able to manage that along with other traffic that we had.”

But then came the COVID pandemic, and building supply prices skyrocketed.

Some $5 million was raised for this project totally funded by donations and designed by New Orleans architectural firm EskewDumezRipple.

“We had a larger building planned,” Kuehny said. “But everything doubled in price during COVID, so we had to go back and scrap the old plans for the building.”

Scaling back So, the building’s size was scaled back by half, now measuring 9,500 square feet — 6,500 of it enclosed, and 3,000 square feet outdoors.

“In the primary point of entry, we wanted to have a large cover space,” Kuehny said. “We also wanted to have a space for people to gather outdoors. And then

Bill Stark, director of the LSU Rural Life Museum, shows some of the cases for the gift shop that will occupy part of the reception area in the Burden Museum & Gardens’ new welcome center. we have the space in the front of the building for reception, future ticketing, exhibits and a gift shop.”

Meanwhile, the Rural Life Museum will continue operating its own gift shop.

As for the welcome center’s exhibit space, visitors will be greeted by a permanent display on the Burden family, along with exhibits about the gardens and museum. A smaller space also will be reserved for changing exhibits.

The space also features a large events room designed to host programs, workshops, classes and even such events as weddings. In the future, Kuehny said the center may also put up a second building to have a cafe and more office space.

The current building was constructed on the space once partly occupied by the property’s research gardens’ greenhouses and facilities, which, Kuehny said, have been moved to a property on the opposite side of U.S. Interstate 10 from the museum and gardens.

“The outdoor area will be phased into the master plan as part of an exhibit of the different ecosystems of Louisiana,” Kuehny said. “It took a year to complete the building, which is designed to interpret the landscape.

We’re still working on the landscaping, but you can get views of different landscapes on each side.”

Landscapes in full view In full view on one side are Burden’s designed gardens dominated by rose blooms at the moment. The property’s wetlands stand on the opposite side. And in the distance of the sculpted gardens is a view of the property’s woodlands.

“The building also has a green infrastructure,” Kuehny said. “The roof is sloped upward so it doesn’t stop your eye from viewing the landscape. It’s also designed so all of the water that comes off of the surface of the building and the parking lot areas flows into the rain guards here, which is meant to remediate the amount of storm water that we have.

One of our main themes here is living with water.”

An exit door on the side of the events room leads out to a manicured lawn, which doubles the events space.

And while finishing touches are being made to the building, plans are in the works for a redesign of Burden’s rose garden to allow more visitor interaction.

“As we move on in our landscape design, we’re working on interpreting the future of stormwater management in Louisiana,” Kuehny said. “Louisiana is one of the highest rainfall states in the the country. We compete with Mississippi and Hawaii.”

This interpretation also will play into the Rural Life Museum’s 2027 theme focusing on the state’s floodwaters, which will include the Great Flood of 1927 and the 2016 flood in Baton Rouge.

“We’ll be looking at the whole state in our programming, and we have all kinds of artifacts that date to 1927 to pull from our collection and exhibit,” Stark said.

This will be one of the ways the Rural Life Museum will collaborate with the gardens. For now, the welcome center’s summer opening is top priority.

“This is long overdue,” Kuehny said. “We had long outgrown our conference center.”

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Saturday, May 16, 2026 ● 7C

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FrAnK And erneSt

bIG nAte

zItS

zodIAC TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Be bold. Once you lay your intentions on the table, you will get a clear vision of what's possible.

Don't sit back when asking for what you want will help you come to terms with what it will take to reach your goal.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) You'll have plenty of ideas and change your mind a lot, which will confuse some and excite others. Be true to yourself and worry less about who comes along on your journey.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Be a good observer. Bide your time, and offer only what's necessary. Confusion will set in due to misinformation. Take the initiative to determine what's valid before you agree to get involved.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Channel your energy into fulfilling your obligations.

Someone will be quick to point out your flaws if you take shortcuts or renege on a promise you made. Take a step back.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Pay attention to the changes others make. Protect yourself from anyone who tries to talk you into something you don't want to do.

Choose to be direct and to take a pass.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Physical activities that strengthen your mind, body and soul will be uplifting and give you a positive perspective regarding what's possible. Trust and believe in yourself.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) You'll be drawn to people, places and events that are new to you. The opportunity

to share perspectives with those from different backgrounds will help you find common ground.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Put a plan and a budget in place. Getting organized will be the most effective way to stay out of financial trouble. A little charm, resourcefulness and confidence will result in new beginnings.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Put your energy into something you enjoy doing.

Challenge yourself, socialize, enter a competition and rise above any situation that tries to drag you down when you are upward bound.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Don't get stuck in someone else's dream. It's time to build your own future and to turn your attention to what makes you happy. Let the past go and make way for a bright future.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) You have plenty to gain regarding personal growth, establishing your position and gaining the support necessary to turn your dream into a reality. Protect your honor.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Discuss your thoughts and intentions with those affected by the decisions you make, and find solutions that will justify your actions. How you manage your money and what you spend it on will matter.

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: O EQUALS S

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

SherMAn’S LAGoon FAMILY CIrCUS

dooneSbUrY

8C ● Saturday, May 16, 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 ● Saturday, May 16, 2026 ● 9C

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B.C.

Bridge

BY PHILLIP ALDER Jackie Chan, an action film star who hails from Hong Kong, said, “American stunt men are smart — they think about safety. But in Hong Kong, if you’ve got the guts, you do it. All of my stunt men have gotten hurt.”

At the bridge table, we have safetyplays. Their aim, usually, is to ensure at most one loser whatever the lie of the missing cards in that suit. Experts know a lot of them; less capable players know far fewer. But, of course, often a safetyplay proves unnecessary, because the distribution is docile.

The safety-play that is needed in this deal looks so strange that many would never even think of it. How should South play to guarantee making six no-trump?

West leads the spade 10.

North made a sensible quantitative raise to slam.

Declarer starts with 10 top tricks: three spades, three hearts, two diamonds and two clubs. So he needs only four club winners, not five.

It is tempting to win the first trick in the dummy and call for the club jack (the right play in seven no-trump). And it is true that any time clubs are 3-2 or 4-1, or East has all five, there is no damage done. However, when West has all five clubs, suddenly the contract has died.

South should take out insurance. He should win the first trick in his hand

garfield

Pearls Before swiNe

hagar the horriBle

and lead a low club toward the dummy.

At the worst, this costs an overtrick.

Here, though, if West wins with his club queen, four club tricks are established.

Or, if West plays low, declarer wins with dummy’s 10, plays a heart to his hand, and leads another club toward dummy — mission accomplished. © 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 — cAPItoL: KAP-ih-tol: A building in which a legislative body

Bizarro

marmaduKe

meets.

Average mark 27 words Time limit 45 minutes Can you find 40 or more words in CAPITOL? YEstERDAY’s WoRD — FoRAYED fade fare faro fear fedora foray ford fore foyer fray frayed

froe oared rayed read ready redo road rode adore aero aery

yard yare year yore dare deaf dear defray defy doer dory

dray dyer

loCKhorNs hidato Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

today’s thought “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”

Genesis 1:1

God and God alone is the creator and sustainer of the universe. — G.E. Dean

10C ● Saturday, May 16, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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