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2026 LEGISLATURE

House panel OKs map Updated congressional districts approved after hours of testimony

Ascension fights order on secrecy deals Judge rules nondisclosure agreements must be turned over

BY DAVID J. MITCHELL Staff writer

STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Sen. Jay Morris, R-West Monroe, holds up a proposed congressional map during a House and Governmental Affairs Committee meeting about congressional redistricting on Thursday.

INSIDE

BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer

Republican lawmakers on a Louisiana House committee approved an updated congressional map Thursday, after a hearing lasting 10 hours and more public testimony strongly opposing a GOP plan to get rid of one of the state’s majorityBlack districts.

The map approved last week by the Senate remains largely intact, but the latest version from the House makes significant changes that affect a number of parishes in the Baton Rouge and Lafayette areas and other parts of the state.

But a fight could be brewing between the two Republican-controlled chambers

“I’m not messing with what they do in the House,” he said. “If it comes back like ä Senate committee makes cuts to budget. we don’t like it, then we’ll fix it. That’s Page 4A what the Senate does.”

The changes stemmed from specific ä Louisiana teachers may lose $2,000 asks by House lawmakers, moving votstipends. Page 4A ers between districts and a requirement to maintain equal population in each disover how exactly to draw the new lines. trict, said state Rep. Beau Beaullieu, R“I don’t like the map,” said Sen. Caleb New Iberia, who chairs the House and Kleinpeter, a Port Allen Republican who Governmental Affairs Committee. chairs the Senate committee that handles “The amended map is a representation redistricting. “I don’t understand why of our House members’ requests,” he they changed the map that drastically said. “It’s all a domino effect.” over on the House side.”

Meanwhile, dozens of speakers again Kleinpeter said he doesn’t plan to work showed up to speak out against the with House members while the legislaä See MAP, page 6A tion moves through the lower chamber.

Below-average hurricane season predicted NOAA researchers say strong El Niño conditions likely to help

a decade, thanks to incoming strong El Niño conditions that are expected to help limit storm formation.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association is forecasting eight to 14 named storms this season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30. Of

BY KASEY BUBNASH those, three to six are expected to beStaff writer come hurricanes, and one to three of Federal hurricane researchers are those are expected to become major predicting below-average activity hurricanes of Category 3 strength or during the upcoming Atlantic hurri- more.

An average season ends with 14 cane season for the first time in over

WEATHER HIGH 84 LOW 71 PAGE 8B

named storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes.

NOAA officials presented their 2026 outlook Thursday from the NOAA Aircraft Operations Center in Lakeland, Florida, marking the 50th anniversary of the agency’s vital Hurricane Hunter aircraft.

The main contributor to this year’s quiet outlook, forecasters said, is the expected return of El Niño before the

ä See HURRICANE, page 5A

Business ......................3B Commentary ................7B Nation-World ................2A Classified .....................8D Deaths .........................4B Opinion ........................6B Comics-Puzzles .....5D-7D Living............................1D Sports ..........................1C

A state district judge has ruled that Ascension Parish’s government must turn over nondisclosure agreements among officials and business leaders related to industrial development projects, but the parish is seeking to block that order while it appeals.

The records are nondisclosure agreements between the parish and state and business officials in connection with the RiverPlex MegaPark industrial complex proposed for 17,000 acres of farmland and woods in western Ascension.

Hyundai Steel, CF Industries, Nemo Industries and Linde have announced new plants for the west bank park along the Mississippi River.

The change is promising billions of dollars in investment and thousands of jobs for a high poverty corner of the state. But the projects will also transform a rural region around the Modeste community north of Donaldsonville that already has elevated cancer risk from toxic air pollution from existing industries across the river.

Rural Roots Louisiana and the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, environmental groups opposed to the massive buildout, sued in December for the documents after a records request was denied in September.

After reviewing the documents in his private chambers last week, Judge Cody Martin found that neither of the public records exemptions that parish officials had been

ä See SECRECY, page 5A

Hurricane Melissa, one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes ever, struck Jamaica and Cuba last year.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

101ST yEAR, NO. 326

2A ■ Friday, May 22, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Two separate attacks kill at least 16 in Honduras

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — Gunmen opened fire in two separate attacks Thursday on the Honduran coast, killing at least 16 people, including six police officers, police said.

The first incident took place at a plantation in the municipality of Trujillo in northern Honduras, where at least 10 workers were shot and killed, National Police spokesman Edgardo Barahona said.

The resource-rich region has been the site of a decades-long agrarian conflict.

In the second attack, assailants opened fire on police in the municipality of Omoa in the Cortes department near the Guatemalan border, killing six officers, including a senior officer, police said.

The officers were assigned to an anti-gang mission and were attacked while traveling to Omoa from the capital, Tegucigalpa, police said.

Although Barahona said at least 10 workers were killed in Trujillo, he said the overall toll still remains unclear, partly because relatives of the victims have removed bodies of their loved ones. Investigators have been sent to the scene, he said.

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Backlash to $1.8B fund delays bill Republicans recess without voting on immigration meaures

BY KEVIN FREKING, MARY CLARE JALONICK and LISA MASCARO Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans abruptly left Washington on Thursday without voting on a roughly $70 billion bill to fund immigration enforcement agencies, frustrated with the White House and at an impasse over whether to try to block a new $1.776 billion settlement fund to compensate Trump allies who believe they have been politically prosecuted.

Republicans had already abandoned part of the bill that provided $1 billion in security money for the White House complex and President Donald Trump’s ballroom amid backlash from members of their own party. But the settlement announced by the Justice Department this week prompted even more questions, spurring a push to limit the taxpayer dollars that

some feared could go to Trump supporters who harmed law enforcement officers in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

A tense meeting with acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on Thursday morning only heightened the frustration among senators. Soon after it ended, Republican leaders announced that they would not vote on the immigration enforcement measure until they returned from a Memorial Day recess the week of June 1, which was Trump’s self-imposed deadline for them to pass it.

Blanche “had an appreciation for the depth of feeling” among GOP senators, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said afterward.

The last-minute scramble on the bill came as Democrats have criticized Republicans for trying to fund Trump’s ballroom when voters are concerned about affordability issues — and as some GOP lawmakers have grown increas-

ingly frustrated with Trump.

Several GOP senators have spoken out against the Justice Department settlement announced this week, and many were upset by the president’s Tuesday endorsement of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in next week’s primary runoff against Sen. John Cornyn.

Growing tensions derail bill Both sides have acknowledged the tensions. Thune said Thursday that the White House should have consulted Congress before it announced the settlement, which he said made “everything way harder than it should be.” Trump’s endorsement of Cornyn’s opponent also complicated matters, he said.

“I think it’s hard to divorce anything that happens here from what’s happening in the political atmosphere around us,” Thune told reporters. “There is a political component to everything we

Germany urges the EU to offer Ukraine ‘associate membership’

Charges dismissed against ex-administrator A Virginia judge on Thursday dismissed all charges against a former school administrator accused of ignoring repeated warnings that a 6-year-old had a gun hours before a teacher was shot.

Acting on a defense motion, Circuit Judge Rebecca Robinson issued the ruling on the fourth day of the trial of Ebony Parker, who was charged with eight felony counts of child neglect.

“The court is of the legal opinion that this is not a crime,” Robinson said.

The former assistant principal was charged in the January 2023 shooting at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News that left teacher Abby Zwerner wounded. Prosecutors had said the charges issued in a grand jury indictment were for each of the bullets in the gun brought into Zwerner’s classroom. Each count could have carried a maximum penalty of five years in prison upon conviction.

Parker was not called to testify during the trial. On Wednesday, a video interview of Parker conducted three days after the shooting by a school district human resources officer was played in the courtroom for the jury.

Parker said she was told about reports that the student had a gun in his backpack, but said she could not leave her office due to ongoing testing. A reading specialist who first reported the concerns then searched the backpack, but no gun was found, Parker said.

Parker then said the student’s mother would arrive to pick him up and go through the rest of his belongings.

The student’s mother was sentenced to nearly four years in prison for felony child neglect and federal weapons charges.

Two charged with creating ‘deepfake’ porn NEW YORK — Federal prosecutors have charged two men with using artificial intelligence to create nude videos and photos of female celebrities under a newly enacted law meant to halt the spread of deepfake pornography.

Cornelius Shannon, 51, and Arturo Hernandez, 20, were both arrested Tuesday for generating sexually explicit AI content that drew millions of views online, according to criminal complaints.

The men — who do not appear to be connected — are among the earliest defendants to face charges under the Take It Down Act, a law signed last year by President Donald Trump that adds stricter penalties for publishing AI-created deepfakes and “revenge porn.” The bill drew bipartisan support, as well as the public backing of first lady Melania Trump.

Under the new law, the men now face up to two years in prison.

Attorneys for Shannon and Hernandez did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

do around here.”

Trump unloaded on senators in a social media post Wednesday, urging Republicans to fire the Senate parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, who said over the weekend that parts of the $1 billion security proposal did not qualify for the ICE and Border Patrol bill. Trump also renewed his long-standing calls for the Senate to pass the SAVE Act, a Republican bill that would require voters to prove U.S. citizenship, and to end the Senate filibuster.

Republicans need to “get smart and tough,” Trump said, or “you’ll all be looking for a job much sooner than you thought possible!”

While they have been loyal to Trump on most issues, Senate Republicans have resisted his repeated calls over the years to kill the filibuster, which creates a 60-vote threshold for most bills in the Senate.

Asked Thursday at the White House if he was losing control of the Senate, Trump replied: “I really don’t know. I can tell you — I only do what’s right.”

BY LORNE COOK and GEIR MOULSON Associated Press

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By DIROLE LOTSIMA DIEUDONNE

Flames and smoke rise from an Ebola treatment center in Rwampara, Congo, on Thursday following an arson attack by residents.

Residents burn an Ebola treatment center in Congo cording to a witness who spoke to The Health crisis authorities, Associated Press by telephone. police intervened to try to calm aid agencies struggling to the“The situation, but unfortunately they contain outbreak were unsuccessful,” said Alexis Burata, a local student who said he was in the

BY JUSTIN KABUMBA, MONIKA PRONCZUK area. “The young people ended up setting fire to the center. That’s the situation.” and GERALD IMRAY Associated Press

BUNIA, Congo — People set fire to an Ebola treatment center in a town at the heart of the outbreak in eastern Congo on Thursday after being stopped from retrieving the body of a local man, a witness and a senior police officer said, as fear and anger grow over a health crisis that doctors are struggling to contain.

The arson attack in Rwampara reflects the challenges of health workers trying to curb a rare Ebola virus by using stringent measures that might clash with local customs, such as burial rites. The disease has been spreading for weeks in a region lacking in adequate health facilities and where many people are on the move to escape armed conflicts.

The bodies of those who die from Ebola can be highly contagious and lead to further spread when people prepare bodies for burial and gather for funerals. The dangerous work of burying suspected victims is being managed wherever possible by authorities, which can be met by protests from victims’ families and friends.

The center in Rwampara was burned by local youths who became angry while trying to retrieve the body of a friend who had apparently died of Ebola, ac-

An AP journalist saw people break into the center and set fire to objects inside and also to what appeared to be the body of at least one suspected Ebola victim that was being stored there. Aid workers fled the treatment center in vehicles.

Deputy Senior Commissioner Jean Claude Mukendi, head of the public security department in Ituri Province, said the youths had not understood the protocols for burying a suspected Ebola victim.

“His family, friends, and other young people wanted to take his body home for a funeral even though the instructions from the authorities during this Ebola virus outbreak are clear,” Mukendi said.

“All bodies must be buried according to the regulations.”

Hama Amadou, field coordinator for the humanitarian organization ALIMA, which had teams working at the center, said later that calm had been restored and that aid teams were continuing their work at the center.

There were 160 suspected deaths and 671 suspected cases in Congo’s two provinces, Congolese authorities said on Thursday. Earlier in the week, the U.N. said there were two cases including one death in neighboring Uganda.

Contentious segment of Dakota Access oil pipeline gets OK Approval comes decade after Standing Rock

BY JACK DURA Associated Press

BISMARCK, N.D. — Federal officials on Thursday gave final approval for the Dakota Access oil pipeline to continue operating its contentious Missouri River crossing, an outcome that comes nearly a decade after boisterous protests against the project on the North Dakota prairie.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ decision to

grant the key easement means the pipeline will keep operating but with added conditions for detecting leaks and monitoring groundwater, among others. The announcement brings an end to a drawnout legal and regulatory saga stemming from the protests in 2016 and 2017, though further litigation over the pipeline is likely.

The $3.8 billion, multistate pipeline has been transporting oil since June 2017 from North Dakota’s Bakken oil field to a terminal in Illinois. The line carries about 4% of U.S. daily oil production, or roughly 540,000 barrels per day,

The Corps is “decisively putting years of delays to rest and moving out to safely execute this crossing beneath Lake Oahe,” Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Adam Telle said in a statement.

The pipeline crosses the river upstream from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s reservation, which straddles the Dakotas. The tribe has long opposed the pipeline, fearing a spill and contamination of its water supply. In 2016 and 2017, thousands of people camped and protested for months near the river crossing.

BRUSSELS — German Chancellor Friedrich Merz wants the European Union to consider offering “associate membership” to Ukraine and breathe new life into talks aimed at ending more than four years of war with Russia, according to a letter seen Thursday

by The Associated Press.

His letter, to the EU’s top officials, comes as the 27-nation bloc weighs whether to try to launch its own negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, with U.S. mediated talks bogged down while America’s attention focuses on the Iran war.

Under Merz’s proposals, Ukraine would take part in EU meetings, but without voting rights, and would also have non-voting “associate members” of the bloc’s powerful executive branch, the European Commission, and the European Parliament.

He insisted that this “would not be a membership light,” and “go far beyond” the Association Agreement that currently governs EU-Ukraine relations. Merz suggested a “snap-back mechanism” in case Ukraine backslides on democratic standards.

European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reaffirmed last month that official membership talks with Ukraine should be opened “without delay,” and Merz too called for that process to start.

On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed signs of possible progress in the accession negotiations, saying in an address that it is “very important for us. Ukraine has fulfilled everything necessary for this progress.”

Candidate countries must bring their laws into line in 35 policy areas, or “chapters,” ranging from justice standards to farm and fishing rules.

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The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Friday, May 22, 2026 ■ 3A

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agency approves Republicans call off vote Key the design plan for arch on Iran war resolution Legislation was on verge of passing

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-Benton, and House GOP leaders depart a news conference at the Capitol in Washington on Wednesday.

BY STEPHEN GROVES Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Republicans struggled Thursday to find the votes to dismiss legislation that would compel President Donald Trump to withdraw from the war with Iran, delaying planned votes on the matter into June.

The House had scheduled a vote on a war powers resolution, brought

by Democrats, that would rein in Trump’s military campaign. But as it became clear that Republicans would not have the numbers to defeat the bill, GOP leaders declined to hold a vote on it. It was the latest sign of the slipping support in Congress for a war that Trump launched more than two months ago without congressional approval.

“We had the votes without question and they knew it, and as a result they’re playing a political game,” said Democratic Rep. Gregory Meeks, who sponsored the bill.

Republicans in the Senate are also working to ensure they have the votes to dismiss another war powers resolution that advanced to a final vote earlier this week, when four GOP senators supported the resolution and three others were absent from the vote.

The actions by congressional leaders showed Republicans are struggling to maintain political backing for Trump’s handling of the war. Rank-and-file Republicans are increasingly willing to defy the president over the conflict.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, told reporters that the vote was delayed to give lawmakers who were absent a chance to vote. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, did not answer questions from reporters as he exited the House chamber.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE

the U.S. Another House war powers resolution nearly passed last week, falling on a tie vote as three Republicans voted in favor.

Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he had the votes “locked in” this time around.

“People are beginning to finally listen to the American people who don’t support the war in Iran, and I think there’s a growing number of Republicans who see how devastating the war has been for our country,” said Democratic Rep. Adam Smith of Washington state.

The lone Democrat who voted against the war powers resolution last week, Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, has said he will vote in favor of the legislation next time.

In a joint statement, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and other caucus leaders said Republicans were “cowardly” to pull the vote.

“Even as we prepare to recognize our nation’s fallen heroes on Memorial Day, House Republicans refuse to show up and be accountable to the brave service members that have been recklessly put in harm’s way,” they added.

Republicans have been broadly supportive of Trump’s efforts to destroy Iran’s nuclear capabilities, but Frustration with Iran war grows some are now saying the president’s On Capitol Hill, patience with the legal timeline to wage a war without war has worn thin as the stalemate in congressional approval has expired. the Strait of Hormuz disrupts global Under the War Powers Resolution shipping and elevates gas prices in of 1973, presidents have 60 days to

engage in a military conflict before Congress must either declare war or authorize the use of military force.

“We’re past 60 days so it’s got to be brought to us to vote on. We’re following the law,” said Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., adding that he plans to vote for the war powers resolution.

The dispute over war powers The White House argues that the requirements of the War Powers Resolution no longer apply because of the ceasefire with Iran. At the same time, Trump has said he was just an hour away from ordering another strike on Iran earlier this week, but held off because Gulf allies said they were engaged in negotiations to end the war.

Still, Trump said on social media that military leaders should “be prepared to go forward with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment’s notice, in the event that an acceptable Deal is not reached.”

Trump has repeatedly set deadlines for Tehran and then backed off.

Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican who has so far voted against the war powers resolutions, expressed frustration with the Trump administration’s stance, especially from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

“The current status quo, Pete Hegseth demonstrates how incompetent he is,” Tillis told reporters, adding that he would be willing to vote for an authorization for use of military force.

Trump says he’s sending 5,000 more troops to Poland Announcement stirs confusion

BY BEN FINLEY and MATTHEW LEE Associated Press

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday said the U.S. will send an additional 5,000 troops to Poland, stirring confusion following weeks of changing statements from Trump and his administration about reducing — not increasing — the American military footprint in Europe.

The Trump administration has said it was reducing levels in Europe by about 5,000 troops, and U.S. officials confirmed about 4,000 service members were no longer deploying to Poland.

Trump’s social media announcement raises more uncertainty for European allies that have been blindsided by the changes as the administration has complained about NATO members not shouldering enough of the burden of their own defense and failing to do more to support the Iran war.

“Based on the successful Election of the now President of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, who I was proud to Endorse, and our relationship with him, I am pleased to announce that the United States will be sending an additional 5,000 Troops to Poland,” Trump said on Truth Social.

Trump and the Pentagon have said in recent weeks that they were drawing down at least 5,000 troops in Ger-

many 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.

Trump then told reporters at the beginning of the month that the U.S. would be “cutting a lot further than 5,000.”

As of last week, some 4,000 troops from the Army’s 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division were no longer en route to Poland. The Associated Press reported that the canceled deployment was part of an effort to comply with Trump’s order to reduce the number of troops in Europe.

A deployment to Germany of personnel trained to fire long-range missiles also was halted.

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Trump wants to build at entrance to capital

BY DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts on Thursday approved the design for the triumphal arch that President Donald Trump wants built at an entrance to the nation’s capital, a key step in the project’s process but one that has no immediate bearing on the timeline for construction.

Commissioners, all appointed

by Trump, acted despite overwhelming public opposition to the 250-foot arch, one of several projects the Republican president is pursuing alongside a White House ballroom to leave his imprint on Washington.

At the White House, Trump told reporters he thought the vote was “fantastic” adding that “we’re the only important and major city that doesn’t have one.”

The commission only oversees designs and has no role in the actual construction or funding of the arch or any other project it considers. Preliminary surveys and testing of the arch site began last week. The National Capital Planning Commission, a separate federal agency that approves construction on federal land, has the arch on the agenda at its June meeting.

Trump had said last year that the arch could be paid for with private donations left over from the ballroom project. A cost estimate for the arch is still being calculated, but a mix of taxpayer and private money is expected to be used to pay for it, according to a White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the president has not publicly discussed the project’s cost.

“The building is beautiful,” said the commission’s chairman, Rodney Mims Cook Jr., shortly before the vote on the slightly revised design. Commissioners had suggested several changes when they first reviewed the design in April. Some were made by the Harrison Design archi-

tecture firm and approved on Thursday.

The arch would stand 250 feet tall from its base to a torch held aloft by a Lady Liberty-like figure on top of the structure, flanked by two gilded eagles. But four lions envisioned as guarding the base were removed.

The phrases “One Nation Under God” and “Liberty and Justice for All” would be inscribed in gold lettering atop either side of the monument.

A public observation deck on top would provide 360-degree views of the region. The arch would have an exterior made of granite.

The commission’s vice chairperson, architect James McCrery II, said in April that he preferred the arch without the figures on top, which would have reduced the height by about 80 feet. Critics argue that the arch would dominate the skyline and disrupt carefully designed views between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.

It would be more than twice as tall as the Lincoln Memorial, which is 99 feet tall, and close to half the height of the Washington Monument, at about 555 feet tall.

McCrery had also recommended nixing the ground-level lion statues along with an underground tunnel for pedestrians to get to the arch, which would be built on a busy traffic circle. The design approved Thursday has no lions and incorporates pedestrian crosswalks. A platform the arch would have been built on also has been removed.

Ten people who testified Thursday, including on behalf of organizations such as the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the DC Preservation League, opposed the arch on grounds that it is too big. They said the project needed to be approved by Congress because it would be built on federal land and that it would disrupt the sightline between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington House at Arlington National Cemetery that was created to symbolize reunification after the Civil War.

4A ■ Friday, May 22, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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Senate panel makes big cuts to budget School vouchers, raises, education funds trimmed

BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writer

Raises for judges and members of Gov. Jeff Landry’s Cabinet next year appear to be off the table after a Senate panel cut them from the state budget, along with funding to expand LA GATOR and money that would have increased the per-student rate schools are paid for operating costs.

Facing budget constraints, the Senate Finance Committee made those changes Thursday through a lengthy set of amendments, just days after a statement from Landry cast doubt on who should receive pay raises and threw a wrench into budget deliberations.

Other cuts are unsurprising after state economists predicted Louisiana would bring in about $100 million less in tax revenue for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1, than previously expected. On its own, the increase for GATOR, a program that gives taxpayer money to families to pay for private school, would have cost $43.5 million.

Senators also lowered by $30 million the state funds schools receive as determined by a formula known as the Minimum Foundation Program. That allocation was already set to decrease because of declining public school enrollment, but lawmakers had agreed to increase the per-pupil payments schools get for operating costs to soften the blow.

Still, not all the amendments

pared back the budget: the Senate panel, for example, gave state lawmakers the right to daily allowances for days they work outside of the legislative session, and it allocated about $18.5 million for raises for corrections officers.

Whether those budget items last remains to be seen; the fates of other pending proposals, such as raises for registrars and prosecutors, also are murky.

On Monday, Landry issued a statement on X saying that no state workers should receive pay raises this year if teachers don’t get them.

Since then, legislative leaders have been seeking clarity on what exactly Landry meant. The governor spent the first part of the week in Greenland. President Donald Trump, who has said he wants to acquire the island, named Landry its special envoy earlier this year.

The governor returned Wednesday night, according to his social media.

State Rep. Jack McFarland, RJonesboro, who chairs the House Appropriations Committee and sponsors multiple budget bills, said he expected to meet with the governor Friday.

Landry’s statement about pay raises came after a constitutional amendment that affected teacher pay failed at the polls Saturday.

Amendment 3 would have liquidated three state education trust funds and used the money to turn $2,000 and $1,000 stipends that teachers and school support staff receive, respectively, into permanent raises. The raises also would have grown to $2,250 and $1,125.

Teachers have received stipends for three years in a row, so they effectively face a pay cut. Lawmakers would have to allocate $200

them to fight wildfires,” he said, referring to a pay increase for firefighters that he has supported. “It’s not a want; it’s a necessity. I feel the same way with corrections.”

Pay raises

STAFF FILE PHOTO

Rep. Jack McFarland, R-Jonesboro, has balked at the idea of abandoning pay raises for low- and middle-income workers.

million to avoid that outcome — a feat top budget officials in the Legislature have described as unrealistic.

Senate President Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, initially said the Senate would cut out all raises in the budget and park bills authorizing new pay increases, to prevent Landry from vetoing legislation.

But McFarland balked at the idea of abandoning pay raises for low- and middle-income workers.

“I’ve expressed this to (Landry’s) chief of staff, Julie Emerson.

Those are to me a critical industry.

Firefighters — we’ve got to have

The budget the House passed included $10,000 pay raises for state firefighters, who receive $28,000 annually, McFarland said. It was not immediately clear whether the Senate amendments impacted that raise.

As for the pay increase lawmakers now want to give prison employees, state officials hope it will help address staffing shortages and save money on overtime costs.

Corrections cadets have one of the highest turnover rates of all state workers: Between 2024 and 2025, that rate was 164%, according to Louisiana’s annual turnover report.

The state Civil Service Commission recently approved a $3 hourly raise for cadets, meaning they could make $20.50 an hour, said Gary Westcott, the state’s top corrections official. They currently make $17.50, he told legislators earlier this year.

The increase for corrections officers came through an amendment to House Bill 1, which lays out the state’s operating budget for the coming fiscal year.

An amendment to House Bill 983, which controls the state’s judiciary budget, takes out $6.7 million that would have made the pay boost judges received last year permanent.

Two other proposals are also hanging in the balance as budget deliberations continue.

An amendment to HB1 sets aside $500,000 to update the pay schedule for registrars of voters, but the

appropriation is dependent on the passage of a bill that would enact that change.

The measure, Senate Bill 25 by state Sen. Caleb Kleinpeter, R-Port Allen, is headed to the House Appropriations Committee, with a hearing scheduled for Tuesday.

Kleinpeter said Tuesday that he wants to keep fighting for the raises. Registrars haven’t had their pay schedules adjusted since 2007, he said.

Meanwhile, state Rep. Peter Egan, R-Covington, has been pushing two bills to give prosecutors more resources. House Bill 660 would raise the base salary for assistant district attorneys from $50,000 to $60,000, and House Bill 719 would let district attorneys hire more prosecutors.

Hillar Moore, the district attorney for the 19th Judicial District in East Baton Rouge Parish, has said his office is in dire need of more staff, and that he has struggled to retain prosecutors because he cannot offer competitive salaries.

While the status of negotiations on HB660 and HB719 is unclear, their odds did not appear promising Thursday.

The House did not include raises for prosecutors in the budget it originally passed. There did not immediately appear to be any new money allocated for those measures in the amendments the Senate passed.

Both HB660 and HB719 are pending approval by the Senate Finance Committee.

The budget bills now head to the full Senate for approval; after that, the House will need to agree to the amendments. If it doesn’t, the bill will go before a small committee of legislators who will hash out the final version in private.

Louisiana teachers likely to lose $2,000 stipends Budget advances without their funding

BY PATRICK WALL

Staff writer

Louisiana’s public school teachers, who are among the lowest-paid in the country, are likely to take home $2,000 less next school year after state lawmakers advanced a budget Thursday that leaves out educator stipends.

The state Legislature has given one-time pay boosts to teachers in the past few years instead of permanent raises. After voters rejected a ballot measure Saturday that would have financed teacher raises, educators urged lawmakers this week to add stipends to the state budget.

On Thursday, those hopes were dashed as the Senate Finance Committee approved a budget plan that does not include the annual pay bumps — $2,000 for teachers and $1,000 for school support staff — that educators have received since 2023. Legislative leaders had warned that they were unlikely to find the roughly $200 million needed

“We’re working our butts off in the classrooms, but yet you’re gonna take away money that you’ve given to us for the past few years?”

D’SHAy OAKS, Louisiana Association of Educators president for the stipends after recent economic forecasts predicted a drop in state revenues next year.

D’Shay Oaks, a school librarian and president of the Louisiana Association of Educators, a statewide teachers union, noted that the state is poised to give teachers less money even as student test scores continue to rise.

“We’re working our butts off in the classrooms,” she said, “but yet you’re gonna take away money that you’ve given to us for the past few years?”

Louisiana ranks 49th for average teacher pay, which was $56,785 in 2025, according to a recent analysis by the National Education Association, a national teachers union. In 2024, Louisiana teachers earned about $6,000 less on average than their peers in nearby states,

according to data from the Southern Regional Education Board.

In the May 16 election, Louisiana voters rejected an amendment to the state constitution that would have liquidated three education trust funds to pay off teacher retirement debt, then put the savings toward teacher raises.

Gov. Jeff Landry had championed the amendment, which was similar to one that failed to pass last year. But some educators opposed paying for the raises at the expense of trust funds that support education programs that benefit students.

On Monday, Landry posted on social media that no state employees should get pay increases this year if teachers do not receive permanent raises. In response, lawmakers planned to nix raises for prosecutors, judges, legislators and other state workers.

The Louisiana Federation of Teachers, the largest statewide teachers union, had called on the Legislature to draw from a state savings account called the Revenue Stabilization Trust Fund to pay for another year of educator stipends.

“Louisiana teachers and school employees should not face a reduction in pay

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while the state has resources available to prevent it,” the union said in a Facebook post Tuesday.

While the budget bill advanced by the Senate com-

mittee did not boost teacher pay, it did include raises for some state workers, such as corrections officers. A spokesperson for Landry did not immediately respond to

a request for comment.

The bill, which could still be amended, now heads to the full Senate for approval.

Then it will go back to the House.

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Friday, May 22, 2026 ■ 5A

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HURRICANE

Continued from page 1A Atlantic reaches its busiest time of year. El Niño is generally associated with fewer storms in the Atlantic.

The last time the agency issued a below-average May outlook was in 2015, officials said.

Still, NOAA administrator Neil Jacobs said powerful hurricanes have formed and hit land during past El Niño seasons.

“Even though we’re expecting a below-average season in the Atlantic, it’s very important to understand that it only takes one,” Jacobs said at the news conference.

PHOTO PROVIDED By NOAA

Hurricane researcher Jason Dunion works on a Hurricane Hunter mission. The National El Niño and La Niña are Hurricane Center credits the missions as one of the most important tools for better two opposing climate pat- understanding hurricanes.

Good news for Louisiana

terns that disrupt normal wind and current conditions in the Pacific Ocean, impacting weather across the globe.

El Niño tends to increase vertical wind shear across the Atlantic, Jacobs said, which helps to break up storms and prevent hurricane formation and intensification.

Though El Niño is not yet in full swing, scientists at the Climate Prediction Center said on May 14 that there’s an 82% chance such conditions will emerge

SECRECY

Continued from page 1A claiming for nine months applied.

State public records law is weighted in favor of disclosure, and the 23rd Judicial District judge wrote that it was up to parish government to prove public records exemptions applied.

“The burden of proving protection from production of documents is on the custodian who is bound by law to produce said documents,” Martin wrote in the ruling signed Friday. “Ascension Parish has not met its burden in doing so.”

With that finding, Martin granted the legal petition, known as a “writ of mandamus,” which forces the parish to provide the agreements.

But while Martin ordered that the records be produced in five days, parish officials moved on Wednesday to appeal and delay disclosure during the appeal process.

‘Hidden behind secrecy’ The plaintiffs noted the court victory, but questioned why parish officials are “stonewalling” the release of the agreements, some of which have already been provided under separate records requests.

“If these projects are truly in the best interest of the people, why are so many documents hidden behind secrecy?” asked Ashley Gaignard, president of Rural Roots Louisiana, one of the plaintiffs.

“The people of Ascension Parish deserve transparency, honesty and a clear

sometime between May and July. Jacobs said it’s also likely that this year’s El Niño conditions will be moderate to strong.

That’s good news for Louisiana, but bad for those neighboring the Pacific Ocean, where Jacobs said forecasters are expecting to see heightened activity this season. El Niño has the opposite effect in the Pacific, he said, reducing wind shear and making it easier for strong storms to form.

Since El Niño’s impacts are most prominent deep in the tropical Atlantic, Matthew Rosencrans, NOAA’s lead seasonal hurricane forecaster, said we’ll likely see fewer long-track storms in 2026. But a few so-called homegrown storms could still spin up in the Gulf.

“You could get those storms in the Gulf that have the short awareness times,” Rosencrans said.

Ken Graham, director of NOAA’s National Weather Service, urged those in all

hurricane-prone states to prepare for the upcoming season as usual, regardless of the forecast.

“Don’t let words like ‘below average’ change the way you prepare,” Graham said.

understanding of what is being planned for our communities, our health and our future. What are they hiding, and why can’t the public know the full plan before decisions are made that impact generations to come?”

Pamela Matassa, spokesperson for the parish, said Ascension officials would not comment since it involved an ongoing legal matter.

The legal battle in Ascension comes as Gov. Jeff Landry has made a push for more industrial projects, and his state department of economic development has used NDAs extensively.

Though the NDA dispute has arisen from a fight against the overall buildout, Hyundai’s $5.8 billion steel mill has drawn the focus of some community and other groups.

On Thursday, representatives of the United Steelworkers, the Sierra Club’s Louisiana chapter and the Sunrise Community Group of Donaldsonville dropped a list of demands for Hyundai at its Gonzales office, including over worker safety and reduced environmental impact, that would be enforced through a community benefits agreement.

In previous statements, Hyundai officials have touted their operations’ ability to improve the economic fortunes of local residents employed by their plants and their efforts to stand up workforce training in Donaldsonville. They also declined to comment on the NDA dispute because their company wasn’t a party to the litigation.

Ascension Parish officials claimed three exemptions applied to the nondisclosure agreements: trade secrets, deliberative process and economic development negotiations.

The economic development negotiation exemption, a relatively new one adopted in 2024, is designed to protect talks between local officials and potential economic prospects, as well as the records related to those talks.

But Martin found that, at the time the records request was filed, the parish failed to follow the requirements of that exemption. It requires the parish president to lay out why the exemption is needed and a public vote by the Parish Council backing the move that also discloses in advance that the exemption was going to be invoked.

The parish did take those steps, but only in January, months after the fact.

For the trade secrets exemption, in which parish officials had argued businesses that were party to the NDAs had an expectation of privacy, Martin found the agreements did not contain confidential information.

The agreements laid out how other documents that are confidential in nature, such as financial statements, might be subsequently produced. Martin found what the plaintiffs were seeking didn’t fall under that exemption.

The deliberative process exemption is designed to protect discussions on new laws or policies, such as confidential advisory opinions among different agencies that might hurt the parish’s ability to debate future plans.

Martin found that the parish didn’t truly assert any of the documents are advisory opinions, only that where the NDAs might have advisory information they “should be protected.”

“Ascension Parish has not met its burden in doing so,” he found.

Martin wrote that his review of the documents did not find that they were “the types of documents for which the deliberative process privilege anticipates providing protection.”

‘Has not met its burden’ In the public records fight,

Classic Eats,Timeless Memories

A better outlook This year’s outlook is in stark contrast to prior years, when warm ocean waters and other factors fueled unusually prolific hurricane seasons.

In 2024, researchers issued alarming preseason

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

forecasts that warned of an extremely active season, a prediction that came to fruition. Last year saw more tropical activity than usual as well, with fewer storms than in 2024 but a high ratio of powerful hurricanes that were difficult to forecast.

Still, the National Hurricane Center made strides last season in forecasting accuracy, improvements that officials said would not have been possible without NOAA’s 50-year-old Lockheed WP-3D Orion Hurricane Hunter aircraft, known as “Miss Piggy” and “Kermit.”

Outfitted with Doppler radars and able to fly into the eye of a hurricane, the P-3 aircraft collect critical data that forecasters use to more accurately predict how strong a storm will get and where it might go, according to Rear Admiral Chad Carey, director of NOAA’s Commissioned Officer Corps.

“These flying, meteorological data collection machines are one of the most important tools we have to better understand hurricanes,” Carey said. “The data collected using NOAA aircraft improve hurricane track forecasts and intensity forecasts by as much as 20%.”

Newer technology showed promise last season, too, when the National Hurricane Center incorporated artificial intelligence-based weather model guidance in its hurricane predictions for the first time in 70 years of existence.

AI will play an even bigger role in this year’s forecasts, according to center Senior Hurricane Specialist John Cangialosi, who said the agency is hoping to use AI models more efficiently after experimentation last year. They’ll be incorporated in both forecast discussions and the center’s other blended tools.

“So we’re going to use it sort of smarter in 2026,” he told The Times-Picayune | The Advocate on Tuesday.

Cangialosi also took the opportunity to remind those in storm-prone areas that while El Niño could make it harder for storms to form in the Atlantic this year, there’s no guaranteeing where those that do form will go.

“There’s a lower risk, but it doesn’t mean there’s no risk,” Cangialosi said. “It doesn’t mean anyone is off the hook.”

Email Kasey Bubnash at kasey.bubnash@ theadvocate.com.

Notice is hereby given pursuant to Article 7, Section23(C) of the Louisiana Constitution and R.S. 47:1705 (B) that a public hearing of the Town of Clinton in East Feliciana Parish will be held at its regular meeting at the Clinton Town Hall Office located at 11209 Bank Street, Clinton, LA on Tuesday, July 14, 2026 5:45 p.m. to consider levying additional or increased millage rates without further voter approval or adopting the adjusted millage rates after reassessment and rolling forward to rates not to exceed the prior year’s maximum. The estimated amount of tax revenues to be collected in the next year from the increased millage is $1,523,094.23, and the amount of increase in taxes attributable to the millage increase is $8,942.29.

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6A ■ Friday, May 22, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

MAP

Webster Webster

Lincoln Lincoln

Caddo Caddo

proposed map.

“As Black Americans, we have endured so much,” said Angel-Mariah Thompson, “from slavery to segregation to lynchings to discrimination to Jim Crow to mass incarceration to economic exploitation.”

Redistricting is a matter of morality, she said.

The New Orleans-anchored, Black-majority District 2, currently represented by U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, D-New Orleans, is more or less unchanged in the version approved Thursday.

Also unchanged is District 1, the southeast Louisiana district that includes St. Tammany in the north and Lafourche toward the south and is currently represented by House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson.

Republicans hold a supermajority in the Legislature. That leaves Democrats with virtually no chance to stop a new map that slashes one Democratic district and adds a Republican one.

The House committee advanced the map on a 10-7 vote along party lines.

What changed?

Some of the biggest adjustments the House made to the Senate map affect the Acadiana and Baton Rouge regions.

In Acadiana: Lafayette, St. Martin and Acadia parishes would all be split into at least two congressional districts.

Lafayette Parish would mostly be in the 3rd District, which runs along the southwestern part of the state and is currently represented by U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins, R-Lafayette. But a northern section of the parish would be in the 6th District, the new, solidly Republican district centered in suburban Baton Rouge.

Acadia Parish would also

Ouachita Ouachita Bienville Bienville

DeSoto DeSoto

Red R ed River River

Caldwell Caldwell

Madison Madison

Grant Grant

Sabine Sabine

Allen Allen

3 4 5

Concordia Concordia

Avoyelles Avoyelles

Evangeline Evangeline

W. Feliciana W. Feliciana E. Feliciana E. Feliciana

JJefferson efferson Davis Davis

6 Tangipahoa Tangipahoa

St. St. Helena H elena Pointe Pointe St. LLandry St. andr y C Coupee oupee

Washington Washington

EBR EBR WBR WBR

Cameron Cameron

2

Tensas Tensas

LaSalle LaSalle

Rapides Rapides

Vernon Vernon

Calcasieu Calcasieu

1

Franklin Franklin

Catahoula Catahoula

Natchitoches Natchitoches

Beauregard Beauregard

Richland Richland

Jackson Jackson Winn Winn

Proposed Louisiana congressional district map

Morehouse M orehouse West West East Carroll East Carroll Carroll Carroll

Union Union

Claiborne Claiborne

Bossier Bossier

Continued from page 1A

lll

St. Tammany St. Tammany

Livingston Livingston

Acadia A cadia St. John St. John Iber ville Iberville Lafayette St. Lafayette Ascension A scension St. Martin Martin Vermilion Vermilion

Iberia Iberia

St. S t. James James Assumption Assumption St. Mary St. Mar y

Orleans Orleans

Jefferson Jefferson

St. St. Charles C harles Lafourche Lafourche

St. Bernard St. Bernard Plaquemines Plaquemines

Terrebonne Terrebonne Staff St ff map Source: Louisiana Legislature

be mostly in the 3rd District. But one small section would be in a Shreveportanchored district, while another would be in a Monroerooted district.

St. Martin Parish would no longer be entirely in the 3rd District. Instead, most of it would be 6th District.

St. Landry Parish is now almost entirely in the 5th District. That Monroeanchored district covers northeast Louisiana and is currently represented by Rep. Julia Letlow, R-Baton Rouge, who is vacating her seat to run for the U.S. Senate. Previously, the parish was split between three congressional districts.

Calcasieu Parish is now entirely part of District 3, rather than being split up.

In the Baton Rouge region, the new map now splits Pointe Coupee Parish in half, with the southern part in the 6th District and the northern part in the 5th.

Livingston Parish is also split up now; most of its population is still in the 6th

District, but a northeastern part of the parish was moved to the 5th.

Kleinpeter — whose Senate district includes part of the Baton Rouge metro area and part of the Acadiana region — questioned the decision to split off the northern portion of Pointe Coupee into District 5 and to group St. Martin into a Baton Rouge-based district.

Pointe Coupee Parish is more a part of the Baton Rouge area than is St. Martin, he said.

Beaullieu, the House committee chair, said lawmakers didn’t request changes specifically to Livingston, Pointe Coupee and St. Martin parishes.

“These were a result of trying to push population or move population around based on other member requests,” he said. “It’s all kind of a chain reaction. None of them are isolated in a silo.”

The updated map also eliminates a spur of the New Orleans-anchored 2nd District, which had pushed

out into suburban Baton Rouge. That means the Baton Rouge home of Republican state Sen. Blake Miguez is now back in the 6th District; the Senate map had shunted him into the 2nd.

Other changes In north Louisiana, the parishes of Jackson, Lincoln and Morehouse were moved into District 4, the Shreveport-anchored district in northwest Louisiana currently represented by U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton.

Johnson now has a district that nearly entirely follows parish lines.

Grant Parish, in central Louisiana, was moved entirely into District 5.

State Rep. Dixon McMakin, R-Baton Rouge, introduced the updated map on behalf of GOP members of the Louisiana House.

He said that, after talking to House members, he focused on trying to make Grant, Calcasieu and St. Landry parishes whole,

rather than splitting them up in different congressional districts.

McMakin said he also worked not to change District 1 in southeast Louisiana. And he noted that Jackson, Lincoln and Morehouse parishes in the northern part of the state were moved.

to tell how many bubbles were in a bar of soap or how many gallons of water were in the Mississippi River in order to vote.”

Like he did in previous meetings and debates, Morris also noted that Louisiana’s current map was deemed unconstitutional, and the state has been barred by a federal court Committee debate from using it in this year’s While Republicans ma- midterm elections. neuvered toward the map they wanted, Democrats A major political battle continued to fiercely protest The Legislature’s redisthe elimination of a Black tricting effort comes after seat. the U.S. Supreme Court last Marc H. Morial, president month ruled Louisiana’s and CEO of the National congressional map unconUrban League and former stitutional over lawmakers’ mayor of New Orleans, addition of a majority-Black launched the public testi- district in 2024, a move mony portion of the meet- they made in response to a ing. He said that, when he Voting Rights Act lawsuit first visited the State Capi- brought by Black voters.

The high court’s ruling tol in 1968 as a 10-year-old boy, every Black person substantially weakened the working there was holding Voting Rights Act, saying a mop or broom, carrying a it’s almost always illegal to tray of water, shining shoes use race as a factor when drawing voting maps. or cutting hair.

President Donald Trump That year, his late father, Ernest “Dutch” Morial, was has called for GOP-led the first Black person elect- states across the country ed to the Legislature, where to draw new congressional he brought legislation to maps to secure more Reundo a Louisiana law that publican seats in the U.S. required blood for transfu- House ahead of midterm sions to be labeled either elections this fall.

Louisiana Republicans White or Black.

Marc Morial called the could have drawn a map GOP redistricting plan “a that eliminated both Demreversal of progress.” ocratic-leaning districts.

Democratic lawmakers on But GOP leaders have said the committee spent over creating six Republican four hours pressing Sen. districts would filter too Jay Morris, the West Mon- many Democratic voters roe Republican who is spon- into those districts and run soring the bill, to change the the risk of voters electing more than one Democrat to map.

Morris said the proposed Congress.

U.S. Rep. Cleo Fields, a map was driven by politics and not race and was color- Black Democrat from Bablind. Rep. Candace Newell, ton Rouge who represents D-New Orleans, called the the district lawmakers have idea of colorblindness “very been ordered to dismantle, offensive.” also said he won’t compete “It means that the person against Carter, a New Orwho is claiming colorblind- leans Democrat, for reelecness is willfully ignoring tion. the oppressions that have Those factors have been placed on Black peo- cleared the way for Louisiple in this country,” Newell ana lawmakers to craft a sosaid. “It minimizes the lived called 5-1 map rather than experiences of my grand- one with six Republican parents who were forced districts.

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The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Friday, May 22, 2026 ■ 7A

lll

Lawmakers warn data safety rules don’t protect key sites

buildings. They also urged Cellphones at crats.

“The sale of Americans’ the Department to expand data by data bro- the list of countries of conWhite House, CIA location kers poses a serious threat cern that were barred from unprotected to U.S. national security, acquiring data on Ameri-

BY RON TAU

Associated Press

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO EMRAH GUREL

Activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla disembark a plane upon arriving at Istanbul Airport, in Istanbul, Turkey, on Thursday.

Israel deports hundreds of Gaza flotilla activists International backlash leads to release

BY MELANIE LIDMAN Associated Press

TEL AVIV, Israel — The Israeli government on Thursday released and deported hundreds of flotilla activists who attempted to breach Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza. Outrage abroad over the activists’ treatment prompted several countries to summon Israeli envoys to hear their concerns.

About 420 activists departed Israel on planes bound for Turkey, where they landed Thursday evening in Istanbul. Wearing gray sweatsuits and Arab keffiyehs, they descended stairs to the runway flashing twofingered salutes and chanting “Free Palestine.” Some

appeared to be limping.

All of the activists were expected to be taken for a medical checkup, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement that “all foreign activists” from the flotilla had been deported.

The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, or Adalah, said one participant who holds Israeli citizenship, Zohar Regev, was released following a court hearing on charges of illegal entry into Israel and unlawful stay. Regev has taken part in previous flotillas to Gaza.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday he instructed that the activists be deported “as soon as possible,” after sharply rebuking Israel’s national security minister for provocative videos showing the

minister taunting detained flotilla activists who were handcuffed and kneeling.

Netanyahu said that although Israel has every right to stop “provocative flotillas of Hamas terrorist supporters,” the way National Security Minister Itamar BenGvir dealt with the activists was “not in line with Israel’s values and norms.”

Ben-Gvir released videos Wednesday showing him walking among some of the detainees. In one, activists with their hands tied behind their backs are kneeling, their heads touching the floor inside what appears to be a makeshift detention area on the deck of a ship.

Several countries, including Britain, France and Portugal, summoned Israeli envoys on Thursday over concerns about the treatment of flotilla activists and in protest of Ben-Gvir’s actions.

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration spent almost a year crafting regulations to block U.S. adversaries from buying commercial data gathered from cellphones at the federal government’s most sensitive locations.

The resulting rules, however, have a few gaps. Left off the list of 736 sensitive locations were the White House, Congress and the CIA’s headquarters, among others, according to a warning issued Thursday by three congressional Demo-

particularly when data about U.S. government employees is sold to foreign governments,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter to Trump administration officials. “Such data can reveal sensitive information that can be exploited for espionage purposes.”

The letter, which was signed by Sens. Ron Wyden of Oregon and Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, and Rep. Sara Jacobs of California, urged the Trump administration to address the oversights and create a “protection zone” that encompasses the entire Washington, D.C. region rather than choosing individual

cans.

A spokesman for the Justice Department declined to comment. The office of the Director of National Intelligence did not respond to a request for comment.

Data brokers have long sold such information to help companies better target advertising, analyze consumer habits and assess investment opportunities. Governments have increasingly turned to these datasets to enforce laws and gather intelligence.

Foreign spy agencies, for example, can use such data to map the patterns and activities of U.S. government personnel.

Russia holds nuclear drills on land, sea and in air with Belarus

By The Associated Press MOSCOW — Trucks carrying intercontinental ballistic missiles rumbled over forest roads, atomic-powered submarines set sail from Arctic and Pacific ports, and crews scrambled into warplanes as Russia and neighboring Belarus held the final stage of their joint nuclear drills Thursday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the maneuvers in a video call with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko.

“The use of nuclear weapons is an extreme, exceptional measure for ensuring the national security of our states,” Putin said.

Lukashenko earlier inspected Russian shortrange nuclear-capable Iskander ballistic missiles at a military unit involved in the drills and declared: “I dreamed about this machine a long time ago.”

The three-day drills

that began Tuesday come amid a surge in Ukrainian drone strikes. including on Moscow’s suburbs that killed three people and damaged several buildings and industrial facilities.

The strikes made it harder for officials in the Kremlin to cast the conflict in Ukraine — now in its fifth year — as something so distant that it doesn’t affect the daily routines of Russian civilians.

Wide array of weapons Russia’s Defense Ministry said the exercise involved 64,000 troops, over 200 missile launchers, more than 140 aircraft, 73 surface warships and 13 submarines, including eight armed with nuclear-tipped ICBMs. The drills focused on the “preparation and use of nuclear forces under the threat of aggression,” it said.

The maneuvers also practice cooperation with Belarus, an ally that hosts Russian nuclear weapons.

Russian arsenals in Belarus include its latest intermediate range nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile system.

Along with nuclear-tipped ground- and submarinelaunched ICBMs, the maneuvers featured a broad assortment of short- and medium-range weapons.

Unlike the intercontinental missiles that can destroy entire cities, tactical nuclear weapons intended for use against troops on the battlefield are less powerful.

They include aerial bombs and warheads for short- and medium-range missiles and artillery munitions.

The Defense Ministry said the Russian armed forces test-fired Yars and Sineva ICBMs, as well as medium-range sealaunched Zircon and airlaunched Kinzhal missiles, noting that all missiles hit their designated practice targets. Belarusian troops test-fired a short-range Iskander ballistic missile inside Russia.

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BR defense attorney to remain on probation Complaints from two clients led to 2023 suspension

BY QUINN COFFMAN Staff writer

STAFF PHOTOS By MADDIE SCOTT

The Trinity Brass Band plays through the rain during Coffee Call’s 50th anniversary celebration on Wednesday.

BEIGNET, DONE THAT

Stephen Sterling III, a Baton Rouge public defender and defense attorney, will remain on probation for another year after the Louisiana Supreme Court ordered an extension of his sanctions tied to a 2023 suspension from practicing law.

The court did not specify what Sterling did to violate a condition of his existing prohibition.

An order to keep Sterling from practicing law was put in place in October 2023, after an Office of Disciplinary Counsel report found he was not communicating with clients, had misled a client about the status of her settlement, and other issues.

For those failures, the state Supreme Court ordered Sterling to be suspended from practicing for six months. After the suspension was served, Sterling was reinstated to the practice of law effective April 9, 2024, and his twoyear probationary period began April 15, 2024.

But before the suspension period ended, the Office of Disciplinary Counsel filed a motion seeking to extend Sterling’s probation for another year.

ä See PROBATION, page 2B

Rainy weather doesn’t dampen Coffee Call’s 50th birthday as shop hosts daylong celebration

BY MADDIE SCOTT Staff writer

Cannatellas, coffee lovers and customers second-lined through the rain on Wednesday, celebrating 50 years of Coffee Call.

Founded by Vincent Cannatella in 1976, Coffee Call has been a community hub for those seeking beignets in Baton Rouge. On Wednesday, a daylong celebration saw live music fill the restaurant from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m.

The menu was half-off all day for those dining in, many of whom danced in a second-line led by the Trinity Brass Band.

At 3 p.m., the brass band looped around the parking lot, and a crowd of all ages clutched umbrellas and danced to the beat, including Cannatella’s great-granddaughter, Margot Gautreaux, 5, who skipped, hopped and twirled to the brass band in pigtails.

She had fun dancing to the music, she said. Her celebrations were followed by a plate of beignets.

“Coffee Call is truly a family-owned and operated business,” said co-owner John Cannatella on the microphone to a room full of family, friends and customers. “One generation teaches the next. And just as it was my honor to learn the business from my father, it is truly an honor for me to teach and pass the torch on to the next generation.”

He said he couldn’t have asked for a better business partner or better niece, Brandi Catoire.

STAFF PHOTO By JOHN BALLANCE

Metro Council member Darryl Hurst, left, and attorney Stephen Sterling speak April 29 outside the Attorney General’s Office. Sterling’s probation for practicing law was extended for another year by the Louisiana Supreme Court.

ABOVE: Margot Gautreaux, 5, dances in the rain at Coffee Call’s 50th anniversary celebration.

LEFT: Retired night manager of Coffee Call Elvin Dunn, left, won ‘The Real Deal’ award on Wednesday.

ä See COFFEE CALL, page 2B

Rainy Memorial Day weekend forecast for Baton Rouge meteorologist said.

The chance of precipitation Baton Rouge had the perfect this week has ranged from 80% recipe for rain this week — mois- to 90%, said Mike Efferson, with ture-laden Gulf winds combined the weather service’s office in with warm temperatures — and Slidell.

“Memorial Day is predicted to that pattern is expected to continue through the holiday week- be the same, with a 70% to 90% end, a National Weather Service chance of rain,” Efferson said.

Staff report

A chance of thunderstorms is also predicted throughout the weekend and through Tuesday.

A persistent flow of winds from the Gulf will continue to bring abundant moisture over the next several days that will meet “warm, almost summerlike” temperatures in Baton Rouge,

he said.

As the moist air rises, then cools, “there’s the rain,” Efferson said.

“I don’t expect it to be any different on Memorial Day,” he said.

High temperatures in the mid80s will continue through early next week.

Elayn Hunt officer accused of inmate relations A sergeant at Elayn Hunt Correctional Center admitted to having sexual relations with an inmate after she was caught by another sergeant at the prison, authorities said.

Sgt. Deja Lee, 25, was arrested on a count of sexual conduct with a person in an institution on Thursday and booked into the Iberville Parish CRIME jail.

BLOTTER Deputies with the Iberville Parish Sher- staff iff’s Office responded reports to an investigation on Thursday after a corrections officer found an inmate in an employee-only bathroom, trying to hide, the arrest document said.

The officer said she initially saw the bathroom door close and lock, and heard the toilet flush shortly after.

Then, Lee exited the bathroom, and the other officer entered and found the inmate hiding behind a wall, said the arrest warrant.

ä See BLOTTER, page 2B

2B ■ Friday, May 22, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

lll

Former Oakdale police chief pleads guilty to visa fraud conspiracy

BY JOEL THOMPSON Staff writer

A former Oakdale police chief has changed his plea to guilty for his involvement in a visa fraud conspiracy uncovered last year.

A federal indictment issued in July alleged that Chad Doyle and three other law enforcement officials generated false police reports for U-visa applications. They’re named in a 21-page, 62-count indictment that alleges the scheme operated in central Louisiana for almost 10 years.

U-visas are a specific type of visa for individuals who were the victims of certain criminal activity in

the United States.

The indictment alleges that Doyle worked with Oakdale-based business owner Chandrakant Patel, who operated the scheme. The alleged victims listed in the reports all shared the last name Patel, though court records do not indicate whether they were related.

Patel, who was granted a U-visa in 2023, charged prospective applicants $20,000 for falsely generated police reports in connection with various law enforcement officials across central Louisiana, according to a plea agreement for the former Oakdale marshal for Ward 5, Michael Slaney.

The indictment claims that Patel

paid officers $5,000 for the generation of these reports.

The violent crimes listed in the false reports tended to be armed robberies, which led prosecutors to notice the unusually high rates of these crimes occurring in the relatively small communities.

Slaney also pleaded guilty in the conspiracy last week, in which he admitted responsibility for certifying at least 78 false reports over the course of the conspiracy.

As a result of the plea agreements, both Doyle and Slaney agree to forfeit multiple bank accounts associated with the conspiracy, as well as property in DeRidder owned by Slaney.

Other law enforcement officials indicted include former Forest Hill Chief of Police Glynn Dixon and Glenmora Chief of Police Tebo Onishea.

Court records show that the remainder of Doylwe’s co-defendants in the case have plea changes scheduled within the next couple of weeks: n Patel, the Oakdale businessman, was indicted on one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud, one count of bribery, 24 counts of mail fraud and eight counts of money laundering. His change of plea hearing is set for Thursday. n Dixon, Forest Hill chief of police, was indicted on a count of

conspiracy to commit visa fraud, six counts of visa fraud, six counts of mail fraud and one count of money laundering. Dixon was an elected chief, but records at the Secretary of State’s Office indicate he’s no longer chief in Forest Hill. His change of plea hearing is set for June 4. n Onishea, former elected Glenmora chief of police, was indicted on a count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud, six counts of visa fraud and six counts of mail fraud. His change of plea hearing is set for Thursday.

If convicted, the remaining defendants could also be ordered to forfeit additional bank accounts, properties and vehicles allegedly tied to the scheme.

COFFEE CALL

BLOTTER

“Brandi is hardworking and smart, and she’s good with the tools. Thank God, because I am not,” he said, laughing.

Awards and recognitions were given at the microphone to longtime employees, including Debra Wallace, who has worked at all four Coffee Call locations, Elvin Dunn (also known as Eddie D.) and 45-year employee Michelle Miles.

Customer Jim Glas, 80, said he remembers taking his children to Coffee Call for the first time in 1989, back at its original location where they’d visit at least once a week.

“My wife and I wanted beignets and coffee, and this is where you came,” Glas said. “So we started bringing the kids, and they absolutely loved it. They’d eat beignets, white sugar all over them, but we had fun.”

Since then, Glas has been

Deputies said they confirmed that Lee and the inmate entered the bathroom at the same time, as shown in video surveillance footage.

Lee told investigators she had previously had a sexual relationship with the inmate, according to the arrest warrant.

Lee is the ninth officer arrested at Elayn Hunt since the start of the year. Since Warden Travis Day took over the prison in January, he has been working to crack down on malfeasance in the office and contraband A Donaldsonville High in the facility.

School student was arrested after he created a list of students that he intended to harm, the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office said.

Kyle Sanchez was arThe teenager who was fatally shot Wednesday eve- rested Monday by deputies ning has been identified as on one count of terrorizing Tyruan Dunn, 15, the East and was booked into the AsBaton Rouge Parish Coro- cension Parish Jail. His bail is set at $75,000. ner’s Office said.

Continued from page 1B

PROBATION

Continued from page 1B The state Supreme Court approved that request on May 12.

As conditions of his probation, Sterling must complete the Louisiana Bar Association’s Ethics School within the next 12 months and pay all fees and expenses tied to the Office of Disciplinary Counsel’s investigation.

“In support of the motion, the parties assert the extension is warranted to address a violation by respondent of the Rules of Professional Conduct during the period of probation,” the Supreme Court’s order states, although it didn’t expand on what violation Sterling had committed.

Of the seven justices on the court, only Justice Jay McCallum dissented to the order extending Sterling’s probation, on the grounds it was too lenient.

Continued from page 1B

STAFF PHOTO By MADDIE SCOTT

A crowd dances to music played by the Trinity Brass Band at Coffee Call’s 50th anniversary celebration on Wednesday. a regular. Right after Hurricane Katrina, Glas used to go to Coffee Call every day and play cards with his friends. They had a ball together, he said.

Arsheal Barnes, 64, was seated by the front window, looking outside at the brass band and admiring the scene. Like many longtime customers, he also remem-

bers the original location at the now-demolished Village Square Shopping Center. He became a customer when his sister, Michelle Miles, started working there in 1982.

“The owners are just so wonderful,” Barnes said.

“I can’t say enough about them. Every time I go, they make me feel so comfortable here.”

When a settlement was reached in the case in 2019, Sterling allegedly failed to provide the grocery store’s attorneys with the required paperwork to process it.

The woman continually asked Sterling for updates on the settlement, according to the committee’s report.

In 2021, Sterling was ordered by the court in that case to perfect the settlement within the next month,

but it was never completed.

After five more months and an attempt from the store’s attorneys to dismiss the case, Sterling assured the court he would complete the settlement paperwork, according to the report.

In early 2022, the store’s attorneys again complained to the court that Sterling had failed to provide them with a tax document needed to deposit the rest of the settlement money for Sterling’s

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Student booked on terrorizing count

Teenager fatally shot Wednesday ID’d

client.

In the second complaint, a man paid $150 for a consultation with Sterling in 2021, followed by a $2,500 fee, which was quoted as the price of representation in a first-offense DUI. When the charge instead came down as a full fourthoffense DUI, Sterling told the client the legal fee would be $10,000 due to the more severe crime, according to the report.

The client said the fee was too high and requested a refund of his original $2,500.

The refund was never delivered, according to the report.

Sterling didn’t file any pleadings or make any official appearances in court in that case, according to the report.

Sterling also allegedly failed to file an answer to the committee’s charges in a timely manner.

Deputies responded to a report that a list had surfaced online that included the names of several Donaldsonville High School students that Sanchez had threatened to harm, the Sheriff’s Office said.

During the investigation, Sanchez admitted to deputies that he made the list but said he never planned to carry it out, according to deputies.

In an email from the school sent to parents, school officials said they were notified late Monday of the threats and immediately contacted the Sheriff’s Office. Sanchez is facing both legal and disciplinary consequences and has not been on campus since the incident was reported, the email said.

“The safety and security of our students and staff remain our highest priority. We take all threats seriously and will act quickly and decisively to ensure a safe learning environment for everyone,” the school said.

During a November 2025 murder trial, Sterling was issued eight counts of contempt of court alongside his co-counsel. He was eventually required by a state court to pay $800 in fines over the charges.

Sterling could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Email Quinn Coffman at quinn.coffman@ theadvocate.com.

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Little communication Complaints from two clients led to Sterling’s 2023 suspension: One was an elderly woman who had been injured at an Albertsons in 2016, and the second a driver needing representation after a DUI in 2021.

In the older woman’s case, she suffered severe damage to her front teeth while at the store and had Sterling file for damages as her attorney, according to the Office of Disciplinary Counsel’s committee report.

But Sterling failed to file discovery documents on the woman’s behalf in a timely manner and did not communicate with the opposing counsel, according to the committee report.

Police responded to the scene of the shooting around 5:25 p.m. and found Dunn suffering from multiple gunshots, according to Baton Rouge Police Department spokesperson Sgt. L’Jean McKneely. Dunn was transported to a hospital and died.

Police also identified a second victim suffering from life-threatening gunshot injuries who was transported to a hospital.

Police have no suspects of motives at this time.

No further details were immediately available.

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BUSINESS

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Friday, May 22, 2026 ■ 3B

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

DOW 50,285.66 276.31 0.55%

NASDAQ 26,293.10 22.74 0.09%

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FROM WIRE REPORTS

Stocks edge higher after U-turn for oil prices

NEW YORK — Hour-to-hour swings for oil prices keep jerking financial markets around, and U.S. stocks wavered Thursday following the latest reversal.

The S&P 500 rose 0.2% and inched closer to its all-time high set last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 276 points, or 0.6%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 0.1%.

All three indexes erased early drops and gained strength following the latest U-turn for oil prices. Brent crude oil briefly got above $109 per barrel in the morning, threatening to worsen the world’s already high inflation, before quickly erasing all its gains in midday trading and falling 2.3% to settle at $102.58.

Oil prices are yo-yoing because of uncertainty about how long the war with Iran will keep the Strait of Hormuz shut. The closure has prevented oil tankers from exiting the Persian Gulf to deliver crude to customers worldwide, driving up oil’s price.

As oil prices eased Thursday, so did pressure on Wall Street that’s been building from the bond market.

Yields had climbed so high that they threatened to slow economies worldwide and undercut prices for stocks, bitcoin and all kinds of other investments.

They’ve already forced the average long-term U.S. mortgage rate to its most expensive level since last summer, and they could curtail companies’ borrowing to build the AI data centers that have supported the U.S. economy’s growth recently.

Average mortgage rate climbs to 6.51% The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate climbed this week to its highest level in nearly nine months, driving up borrowing costs for homebuyers during what’s traditionally the housing market’s busiest time of the year.

The benchmark 30-year fixed rate mortgage rate rose to 6.51% from 6.36% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. Despite the sharp increase, the average rate remains below 6.86%, where it was a year ago.

Rates have been mostly trending higher since the war with Iran began. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has roiled energy markets, sending crude oil prices sharply higher — a key driver of inflation.

Mortgage rates are influenced by several factors, from the Federal Reserve’s interest rate policy decisions to bond market investors’ expectations for the economy and inflation.

Meanwhile, borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, popular with homeowners refinancing their home loans, also rose this week. That average rate climbed to 5.85% from 5.71% last week. A year ago, it was at 6.01%, Freddie Mac said.

U.N. court: Right to strike protected by treaty THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The United Nations’ top court issued a landmark advisory opinion on the right to strike on Thursday, finding that a cornerstone labor treaty protects the ability of workers to walk off the job.

The International Court of Justice was asked in 2023 by the International Labor Organization, a U.N. agency, to settle an internal dispute over whether one of the ILO’s conventions gives workers the right to strike.

Advisory opinions aren’t legally binding, but carry significant weight. The decision could have a worldwide impact on labor regulations, enshrining the right to strike in labor standards and international trade agreements.

Labor unions welcomed the decision.

“As any trade unionist will tell you, there is no right to organize without the right to strike!” Christy Hoffman, general-secretary of UNI Global Union, said in a statement after the opinion was announced. “The two are inseparable foundations of any functional and fair industrial relations system. Congratulations to the many advocates who argued the point so brilliantly before the ICJ.”

S&P 500 7,445.72 12.75 0.17%

EURO 1.1620 -0.0004 -0.03%

CRUDE OIL 96.35 -1.91 -1.94%

GOLD 4,539.80 8.50 0.19%

6-MO T-BILLS 3.75 0.03 0.81%

30-YR T-BONDS 5.09 -0.03 -0.55%

Trump eases federal refrigerant rule Move comes in a bid to address surging grocery costs

BY MATTHEW DALY Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Thursday loosened federal rules that require grocery stores and air-conditioning companies to reduce greenhouse gases used in cooling equipment, a step that President Donald Trump said would help lower grocery costs.

Trump said at a White House ceremony that the action by the Environmental Protection Agency would “substantially lower costs for consumers” by delaying costly restrictions that limit the type of refrigerants U.S. businesses and families can use.

The move to relax the Biden-era rules on harmful pollutants known as hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs,

emitted by refrigerators and other appliances was the latest attempt by the Republican administration before pivotal elections in November to try to address rising voter concerns over the cost of living.

It is not clear how much or how quickly grocery prices could be impacted. Industry groups said it could even raise prices because manufacturers have already redesigned products, retooled factories and trained workers to build and service next-generation refrigerant equipment.

Inflation in the United States increased to 3.8% annually in April, amid price spikes caused by the Iran war and Trump’s sweeping tariffs. Inflation is now outpacing wage gains as the war has kept oil and gasoline prices high.

The regulation from the Democratic Biden administration was “unnecessary and costly and actually makes the machinery worse,” Trump said at a ceremony joined by top executives from Kroger, Piggly

Wiggly and other grocery chains.

He said the EPA action would protect hundreds of thousands of jobs and save Americans more than $2 billion a year.

The Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute, which represents more than 330 HVAC manufacturers and commercial refrigeration companies, said the change in approach would “inject uncertainty across the market” and could even raise prices.

“This rule works against basic supply and demand,” said Stephen Yurek, the group’s president and CEO. “By extending the compliance deadline” for phasing out HFCs, the administration “is maintaining and even increasing demand in the market for existing refrigerants while supply continues to fall.”

The greenhouse gases are thousands of times more potent than carbon dioxide and are considered a major driver of global warming.

It is a reversal after Trump signed a law in his first term that aimed to

reduce harmful, planet-warming pollutants emitted by refrigerators and air conditioners. That bipartisan measure brought environmentalists and major business groups into rare alignment on the contentious issue of climate change and won praise across the political spectrum.

The 2020 law reflected a broad bipartisan consensus on the need to quickly phase out domestic use of HFCs. The EPA action highlights the second Trump administration’s drive to roll back regulations perceived as climate friendly. The plan is among a series of sweeping environmental changes that the agency’s administrator, Lee Zeldin, has said will put a “dagger through the heart of climate change religion.”

Environmentalists criticized the administration’s actions, saying the new rule would exacerbate climate pollution while disrupting a yearslong industry transition to new coolants as an alternative to HFCs.

Close to home

Higher fuel prices have some scaling back Memorial Day travel plans

BY RIO YAMAT

AP airlines and travel writer As someone who is “not the best person with bugs and stuff,” Stephanie Bernaba never imagined herself becoming an outdoorsy mom.

But the mother of three is getting more daring as gas prices and other travel costs make vacations more expensive. Her family has traded pricier trips, such as long summer stays in Florida and an annual Disney World visit around her birthday, for local beaches, bike rides and hiking trails near their home in coastal Rhode Island.

“I’ve been trying to do more of that because one, it’s quality time. Two, it’s fresh air. And three, we’re not spending an arm and a leg,” Bernaba, 47, said.

That kind of calibration is shaping the summer travel season, which gets its traditional start in the U.S. with the long Memorial Day holiday weekend. Higher fuel prices resulting from the Iran war and other inflationary pressures are making most forms of travel costlier as people in many parts of the world form their plans.

The U.S. Travel Association expects annual travel spending to grow by a modest 1% this year, powered largely by domestic leisure travel despite the FIFA World Cup giving soccer fans from other countries a reason to visit the U.S. Airfares have climbed around the world along with the price of jet fuel as the war constrains global oil supplies.

Sticking closer to home may not cushion the sticker shock. The nonprofit Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy estimated Americans would collectively spend an extra $3.5 billion on gasoline over the holiday weekend.

The average price for a gallon of regular gas in the U.S. was $4.56 on Thursday compared to $3.18 a year ago, according to motor club AAA. Other travel expenses have gone up too. The latest consumer price index showed airfares were 20.7% higher in April from a year ear-

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JAE C. HONG

Travelers wait to board an Amtrak train on Wednesday at Union Station in Los Angeles. Some Americans are planning to scale back their summer travel as higher fuel prices resulting from the Iran war and other inflationary pressures take a toll on people’s pocketbooks. lier, the cost of intracity transit such as buses and subways rose 5.6%, lodging cost 4.3% more, and eating out got 3.6% pricier.

Despite elevated prices, industry forecasts suggest Americans still want to get away, even if it means replacing long trips with long weekends, choosing destinations closer to home and finding ways to cut costs by cooking meals or using buses and trains instead of driving.

AAA predicted that 45 million U.S. residents would travel at least 50 miles from home between Thursday and Monday for the holiday.

The Transportation Security Administration said it expects to screen 18.3 million passengers from Thursday to next Wednesday.

Many households are planning summer vacations but making tradeoffs such as shorter trips or cheaper lodging, according to Bank of America analysts. Mastercard said in a recent report that consumers appeared increasingly focused on value and were adjusting their destinations and timing instead of not going away at all.

“Generally, it’s certainly more of a demand reshuffling than a demand softening,” David Tinsley, a senior economist at Bank of America Institute, said.

For the Bernaba family, that has meant trading a big vacation for a shorter trip nearby this summer. Their scaled-back itinerary still is pricey: more than $400 for a ferry to Martha’s Vineyard for their car and passengers, and about $800 a night for each of the two hotel rooms the family of five needs.

Another family that had planned to join them backed out after seeing the price tag.

“The pinch is being felt all the way around,”

Bernaba said.

Analysts have increasingly described travel spending as “K-shaped,” with higher-income households continuing to spend while lowerincome families pull back or opt out entirely.

Bank of America said lower-income households were significantly more likely to report having no summer travel plans this year.

New polling of registered U.S. voters by Quinnipiac University found that 48% have cut back on vacation spending, 54% have reduced what they spend on dining out, and 36% have curbed their driving.

Travelers are confronting other stressors besides cost.

Airlines around the world have canceled flights and trimmed routes to save on fuel and operating costs, leaving passengers with fewer options. The conflict in the Middle East has complicated getting there and rerouted flights to and from Asia, adding another layer of concern on top of broader geopolitical tensions and the declining value of the dollar for people considering trips abroad.

Recent U.S. government shutdowns, which caused major flight disruptions and long security lines, also are likely still fresh in travelers’ minds.

The various factors impacting travel right now has made planning trips more mentally taxing and may be pushing people toward simpler and more accessible vacations that feel easier to manage, said Marta Soligo, a tourism sociologist at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

“The key word here is unpredictability,” Soligo said. “Tourists don’t like unpredictability.”

President calls off artificial intelligence executive order Trump says he’s concerned it could dull U.S. tech edge

BY COLLIN BINKLEY and MATT O’BRIEN Associated Press

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump called off plans to sign a new executive order on artificial intelligence hours before an expected White House ceremony Thursday because he said he was worried the measure could dull America’s edge on AI technology.

Trump said he was postponing the Oval Office event with tech industry executives because he did not like what he saw in the order’s text.

“We’re leading China, we’re leading everybody, and I don’t want to do anything that’s going to get in the way of that lead,” Trump told reporters.

The order would have established a framework for the government to vet the national security risks of the most advanced AI systems before their public release, according to a person familiar with the White House’s deliberations with the tech industry but not authorized to speak about them publicly. The directive was being characterized as a voluntary collaboration with participating U.S.-based tech companies, including Anthropic, OpenAI and Google, the person said.

The push for some kind of government action to review leading AI systems follows growing concern within the banking industry and other institutions about the leaps in AI’s abilities to find cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the world’s software.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and outgoing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell convened an urgent meeting with Wall Street CEOs in April, warning them about

the cybersecurity risks posed

by Anthropic’s AI model, Claude Mythos.

The meeting, urgently assembled at the Treasury Department’s headquarters, was intended to ensure that banks were aware of the risks associated with the models, Bessent said at CNBC’s “Invest in America Forum” in Washington in April. “This new Anthropic model is very powerful,” he said. “Some banks are doing a better job in cybersecurity than others, and we want to have the ability to convene them and talk about what is best practices and where they should be heading.”

That led some allies of the Republican president to propose better methods for getting those AI tools in the hands of trusted cybersecurity experts.

Trump had pledged to undo the AI safety regulations set by his predecessor, Democratic President Joe Biden. Trump’s administration has

viewed the AI sector as an engine to help deliver on his pledges to expand the economy and he has promoted its major players at events at the White House and around the world. Last week, Trump had tech CEOs in tow for a summit with China’s Xi Jinping.

Trump’s ambitions for the sector have collided with the fears of voters over the impact of the technology on American life, jobs and electricity bills. Republicans themselves are divided over whether to embrace the AI industry or side with voters who express skepticism about the technology.

Also complicating the government’s interest in working with Anthropic on cybersecurity is the government’s ongoing legal fight with the company. Trump in February ordered all U.S. agencies to stop using Anthropic’s chatbot Claude after an unusually public clash between the Pentagon and CEO Dario Amodei.

4B ■ Friday, May 22, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

Funerals Today Causey, Ronald Louisiana 11am.

National

Cemetery

at

Chauvin, David

Greenoaks Funeral Home, 9595 Florida Blvd, Baton Rouge, LA at 11am.

Guillory, June

Trinity Episcopal Church in the Common Room, 3552 Morning Glory Ave., Baton Rouge, La at 2pm.

Jackson, Donald

New Pilgrim Baptist Church at 11am.

Louis, Nicholas

St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Plaquemine at 2:30 p.m.

Pfister, Wayne

St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Donaldsonville at 1 p.m.

Poche', Carl

St. Joseph Catholic Church at 11 a.m.

Saucier, Arnold

St. Patrick Catholic Church, 12424 Brogdon Lane, at 1 p.m.

Obituaries Casserleigh, Douglas Washburn

Douglas Washburn Casserleigh, age 79, died on Tuesday, May 19, 2026.

Doug was a dedicated husband of 34 years to Deirdre McCarthy Casserleigh. Loving father of Douglas W. Casserleigh Jr (Amy), Mathilde C. Fusco (Christopher), and Bess Casserleigh (Dixon McMakin); grandfather to Charlie and James Fusco; brother to Randy L. Casserleigh (Suzi), and Hank G. Casserleigh (Boo). He was preceded in death by his parents, Henry and Shirley Dunlap Casserleigh. Doug was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on October 17, 1946. He graduated from Fortier High School and Tulane University where he received his JD in Law. His profession as a corporate attorney for J. Ray McDermott took him and his family to live all over the world including London, Singapore and Dubai. A private celebration of life with family will take place at a later date.

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Ascension Oaks, Gonzales on Friday, May 15, 2026, at the age of 90. She was a resident of Prairieville and lifelong native of Plaquemine, LA. Visitation will be held at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, Plaquemine on Saturday, May 23, 2026, from 9am until Mass of Christian Burial at 11am, celebrated by Father Martin Lawrence. Interment will follow at Grace Memorial Park, Plaquemine. Nettla is survived by her children, Sylvia Burgess and husband William, Lloyd "Poncho" Landry, Jr., Larry "Chubby" Landry, Steve Landry and wife Vicki, and Chad Landry and Jeanne; grandchildren, Shane Burgess and wife Melissa, Daryn Burgess and wife Alise, Taryn Boone and husband Tracy, Jordan Dowden and husband Blake, Dustin Landry and wife Jennifer, Lloyd "Ponch" Landry, III, Jarrid Landry and wife Whitney; Corey Landry and wife Mandy, Brandi Edwards and husband Greg, Holly Hubbs and husband Brian "Tank", Adam Landry and wife Carley, Ashley Drinkwater and husband Matt, Emily McFarland and husband Lance, Landon, Barker, Alex and Harvin Landry; grandson-in-law, Joey Kelley; fifty-one great grandchildren; nine greatgreat grandchildren; siblings, Beverly Scalise, Roland Landry, and Susan Chrostowski and husband Andrew; numerous nieces and nephews. Preceded in death by her husband, Lloyd J. Landry, Sr.; granddaughter, Kristen Burgess Kelley; great-granddaughter, Penelope Landry; daughter-in-law, Kendra Simpson Landry; parents, Nolan Landry and Pearlie Bouquet Gravois and husband Elmo; and siblings, Marjorie Vaughn and Melva "Butsy" Young. Nettla loved her family especially her grandchildren and was always excited for a visit from them. She was a selfproclaimed Golden Girl along with her best friends, Joycelyn, Rose, Butsy and Gloria. Special thanks to Hospice of Baton Rouge for their care, Randle Lorance for all his visits, songs he sang and support. Please share memories online at www.wilbertservices.com.

Louisiana needs in-depth, solutions-driven, public service journalism more than ever.

Mills, Roger V.

Franklin, Elouise Signater

Elouise Franklin a life long resident of Morganza, Louisiana , born November 12, 1940 peacefully transition to her heavenly home on May 15, 2026. She leave to cherish her memories her four daughters Myrna Cannon(Rickey) , Tammie Whiten, Kathy Shavers(Ricky) and Ruthie Kennedy (Rogers), Three grandchildren, 5 great grandchildren numerous family members, neighbors, her Mt. Era Church family and community. A funeral service will be held at 10:30 AM on 2026-05-23 at Mt.Era B.C., 8616 Callegan Lane.

Harrell-Morgan, Patsy Lynn 'Pat'

Funeral Service will be held at 11:00 AM on 2026-05 -23 at Amite River Baptist Association Multi-Purpose Building, 4576 Highway 48 West Liberty, Mississippi 39645 Rev. Byron K. Sanders Sr./ Officiant

Landry, Nettla Marie

In Loving Memory Superintendent Roger V. Mills transitioned from this life on Monday, May 11, 2026, at the age of 69. A spiritual leader, gifted

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How to place a Memorial Ad An “In Memory Of” ad, is a way to pay tribute to your loved one.

This remembrance is often printed on the anniversary of a loved one’s death.

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TO PLACE A MEMORIAL AD GO TO: obituaries.theadvocate.com, click submit an obituary and select create a memoriam.

Nettla Marie Landry passed away peacefully at

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chef, and devoted culinary arts educator, Superintendent Mills left a profound impact on the lives of many in Baton Rouge and in the communities of Amite and Wilkinson Counties in Mississippi. He diligently served as Pastor of Paradise Park Church of God in Christ and held the position of District Superintendent for District 1 in the Louisiana Eastern Third Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction. He received his education at Scotlandville High, LSU, and Southern University. During his time at Southern University, he was a member of the football team, where he cultivated a deep and lifelong love for the sport. Superintendent Mills was united in holy matrimony for fortytwo wonderful years to his beloved wife, Jurunist Mills, who preceded him in death on April 15, 2026. He leaves to cherish his memory his siblings: Neala Bradley (Harry, Jr.), Volois Maiden (Alonzo), Diane Mills, and Glasco Antoine (Ray Helen), along with a host of family members, friends, loved ones, and colleagues.

Visitations will be held Friday, May 22, 2026, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at

Hall Davis & Sons Funeral Service, 9348 Scenic Highway, and Saturday, May 23, 2026, from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. at the W.K. Gordon Prayer Center, 8930 Plank Road, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. A Homegoing Celebration will start at 10:00 a.m., followed by a burial to be held at New Zion Baptist Church Cemetery, Highway 963.

Troxclair, David Joseph

Thomas, Joyce Lorraine 'Raine'

Joyce Lorraine "Raine" Thomas, devoted educator and lifelong Little Ezion Baptist Church member, passed away on May 14, 2026. She was known for her faith, compassion, and over 30 years of service shaping young lives.

David Joseph Troxclair passed away on Monday, May 18, 2026, at the age of 76. He was born August 27, 1949, in White Castle, Louisiana to Dunkin Joseph Troxclair and Rita Gertrude Rome Troxclair. After obtaining his bachelor's degree in business from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, David entered the food industry and never looked back. As a perpetual foodie, Dave joined his sister's family business as the manager of Frank's Restaurant Grill & Bar for over 30 years.

He is preceded in death by his parents; his loving wife of 16 years Bonita "Bonnie" Troxclair; his sisters Brenda Martin and Marlene Hadden; his infant brother Charles Troxclair;

and his brothers-in-law Donald Martin and Russell Euggino.

David is survived by his sisters Cynthia Euggino, Sidonia "Sid" Lovelace and husband Alan, and Catherine "Cathy" Dedman and husband Frank Dedman, Jr.; his brother Bruce Troxclair; his brother-in-law Stan Hadden and wife Pam; and his beloved nieces, nephews, greatnieces and great-nephews - who affectionately called him "Uncle Dave", as well as countless other family and friends.

David enjoyed hunting and fishing, teaching most of his siblings how to bait a line. His family and friends especially enjoyed him partaking in the outdoors, as they reaped the benefits of his catch to kitchen.

Dave recently traveled to Toledo Bend and only got to enjoy a boat ride on the water, as the 'fish weren't biting'.

Whether at work or at home he could be found cooking, often making his famous jambalaya, smoked sausage or hogshead cheese. As you can imagine, this left many a conversation about food!

In his spare time, he enjoyed keeping tabs on his

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Friday, May 22, 2026 ■ 5B

siblings - never missing an opportunity to tease them.

Uncle Dave will forever be remembered as the family jokester! He never missed a puzzle in the morning paper and was an avid sports fan. In years past, he cherished trips with his wife to the Caribbean Islands, and trips to Canada to visit her birthplace.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend the Funeral Service at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 23, 2026, at Resthaven Funeral Home, 11817 Jefferson Highway in Baton Rouge. A Visitation will be held at the funeral home beginning at 1:00 p.m. Interment will follow at Resthaven Gardens of Memory.

Honoring David as pallbearers are Frank Dedman III, Ross Dedman, Travis Euggino, Kevin Lovelace, Alfredo Figueroa and Todd Guerin.

In lieu of flowers and at the family's request, memorials in honor of David Joseph Troxclair may be made to St. Jude

the Apostle Catholic Church.

Family and friends may sign the online guestbook or leave a personal note to the family at www.resthav enbatonrouge.com

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6B ■ Friday, May 22, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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

Data centers will make power grid stronger Concerns about rising electricand billions in tax revenue. ity bills and overtaxed grids have One reason Entergy is able to dominated the national data cenmake data centers work for custer conversation, but Louitomers in Louisiana is a key advantage we have siana is showing that they over other states where can actually strengthen residents are experiencgrid reliability and help keep electricity prices ing bill spikes and relidown for all customers. So ability issues from data much so that the Trump centers: regulatory overPhillip administration recently sight of utilities.

May highlighted Entergy as a In deregulated states, GUEST model for how utilities can COLUMNIST developers can build their work with tech companies own power generation for to improve reliability and data centers but still conaffordability. nect to the grid without any pubEarlier this month, Entergy lic oversight. In regulated states Louisiana announced another $2 like Louisiana, however, utilities billion in new customer savings must receive Public Service from our power agreement for Commission approval for every Meta’s Louisiana campus agreemajor investment or new project to ensure it benefits customers. ment, bringing total projected Deregulated electricity markets savings from data centers (inhave also consistently seen sigcluding Meta’s and Hut 8’s), to $2.8 billion over 20 years, which nificantly higher residential rates includes a 10% reduction in storm even before data centers came recovery and grid resilience on the scene — an important fact costs. The projects are also exoften omitted by deregulation pected to create thousands of jobs advocates. In contrast, our state’s

regulatory model has helped Entergy Louisiana keep residential rates more than 30% below national average while ensuring that adding new large customers strengthens our grid rather than strains it.

I am grateful that Gov. Jeff Landry and the PSC have advanced a framework that prioritizes customer protection, stability and long-term affordability while ensuring we can still move fast enough to compete for these once-in-a-generation economic development opportunities.

Entergy is doing its part to protect customers, too. Our Fair Share Plus pledge outlines how we’re ensuring tech companies pay their fair share of the cost to power their facilities, plus provide added benefits for our communities. For example, Meta has agreed to donate hundreds of millions of dollars to home energy efficiency and bill support programs for vulnerable customers, workforce development and

State needs to get more Black students into STEM I didn’t realize how rare I was until a demand STEM careers. student stated, “I’ve never had a math These pathways cannot thrive without teacher who looked like you.” strong STEM foundations. Currently, I had been teaching for years, but Louisiana has lost 60,000 students in that moment made Louisiana’s 6% real. the public school system. If Black boys Black men make up only about 6% to 7% continue to be underrepresented in of the state’s entire teacher workadvanced math and science courses and if Black men conforce — and in STEM classrooms, the number is even smaller. To tinue to be nearly absent from that student, my presence wasn’t STEM teaching, then the state ordinary. It was exceptional. That will struggle to build a wellexception has consequences far versed, future-ready aviation beyond the classroom. Louisiana’s M. Paul workforce.

6% isn’t just an education statistic.

The Federal Aviation AdminSmith IV istration It is a preview of the STEM workhas warned of a severe GUEST national shortage of air traffic force the state will have — and the COLUMNIST controllers, one of the most talent it will continue to lose. mathematically rigorous and Algebra and calculus are gatehigh-paying positions in the aviation secways to high-demand careers in artificial intelligence, aviation, engineering, tor. Without stronger K-12 STEM prepaenergy and computer science. But gate- ration and role models, Louisiana risks leaving large segments of its population ways only open when students can see out of these opportunities. themselves in the people guiding them.

Federal policymakers recognize these For many Black boys, a Black male shortages.

STEM teacher is often the first signal In 2024, Sen. Raphael Warnock chamthat advanced mathematics, robotics, coding or engineering belongs to them, pioned legislation allocating new fundtoo. ing to diversify aviation workforce Research consistently shows that hav- development. The message from Washing even one same-race teacher can inington is clear: The country cannot meet crease confidence, academic persistence its aviation and STEM workforce needs without broadening who has access to and long-term achievement. these fields.

Over time, this shapes who enrolls in Louisiana has an opportunity to align advanced STEM courses, who pursues STEM majors and ultimately who enters with this national momentum. But that begins with strengthening the front STEM professions. The 6% becomes a end of the pipeline — the teachers who pipeline problem long before students introduce STEM concepts long before reach college. This challenge is not students choose a major or career. At a unique to Louisiana.

Nationally, Black men remain severely time when national conversations about DEI are heated, it is essential to clarify underrepresented in STEM graduate programs — making up only about 2% of that addressing the 6% is not a political stance; it is solely economic. students. This number signals a fragile Ensuring that Black boys see Black pipeline. If we are to bridge this gap, Louisiana must become more intentional men teaching STEM courses is not about ideology; it is about preparing the engiabout recruiting talent from nontraditional paths: veterans, industry profesneers, pilots, air traffic controllers, aviasionals and career changers who, like tion mechanics, coders and innovators me, didn’t initially see the classroom as that Louisiana — and the country — will an option. need. Black men have contributed to Louisiana is working to expand its America’s progress in STEM and aviapresence in aviation, engineering, drone tion throughout history of the United technology, advanced manufacturing States. Supporting the next generation and artificial intelligence. Recently, the continues that legacy. state announced its first “Aviation Day,” Targeting districts where the gap is bringing together educators, industry greatest will ensure the 6% begins to leaders and policymakers to strengthen rise where it is most needed. If Louisiaviation and aeronautics pathways for ana wants a stronger STEM workforce students. tomorrow, then it must start with who The need is urgent. In reporting for stands in front of the classroom today.

The Hechinger Report, Javeria Salman noted that aviation is rapidly becoming M. Paul Smith IV is a science and a modern version of shop class, offering mathematics education doctorate students hands-on pathways into highcandidate at Southern University A&M.

renewable energy investments.

We also require prepayments, multiyear contracts and financial safeguards so other customers don’t shoulder their project risks.

While data centers we serve are paying their fair share of the cost to serve them, electricity costs were already rising long before data centers arrived and are projected to continue rising nationwide because of factors like inflation, fuel price volatility, supply chain disruptions, storms and the need to replace infrastructure.

In Louisiana, however, our customers’ bills will be lower than they otherwise would have been thanks to our data center service agreements.

One of the few ways we can ease these inflationary bill impacts is by adding new large customers who can pick up the tab on a larger share of the cost of grid maintenance and upgrades that residential and small-business customers would otherwise have had to pay for alone.

Because of the data centers joining our grid, we can now make critical upgrades to our infrastructure at a fraction of the cost to existing customers — upgrades that strengthen reliability for our current customers and help attract even more industrial investment, like Hyundai’s Ascension Parish steel plant.

This boosts Louisiana’s economic development profile, brings new jobs and resources and keeps electricity more affordable.

The U.S. is competing in a global race for AI dominance, and supporting domestic data centers will help us win it while providing our communities with lower long-term energy costs, stronger infrastructure and new economic opportunities. Our state is showing how high-tech and households can thrive on the same power grid, improving the lives of Louisianans today and for generations to come.

Phillip May is president and CEO of Entergy Louisiana.

Program can help Louisiana address its physician shortage We know that Louisiana is truly one and retaining doctors within our state of a kind. From our world-renowned is crucial for solving these challenges. music to our celebrated cuisine, our Communities where medical students state’s heritage plays an important role and residents train are often where in our nation’s story. they choose to practice longYet, compared to other states, term, with 62% of family physiour health and wellness lag. To cians staying in the state where preserve our cultural richness they completed their residency. and support those who shape it, It’s also imperative that we we must improve the health of all train physicians who reflect our communities.

Leonardo and understand the communiFor too many years, Louisiana Seoane ties we serve. Patients receivhas placed near the bottom in ing care from doctors who GUEST health rankings. understand their cultures expeCOLUMNIST Healthcare leaders and partrience better communication, greater trust and improved ners, working with the Louisihealth outcomes. ana Department of Health and other The creation of the Xavier Ochsner agencies, are responding by focusing College of Medicine is part of the soluon quality metrics and better health outcomes. tion. As a college within Xavier UniverBy concentrating efforts to decrease sity of Louisiana — a top HBCU recogchronic diseases like diabetes and nized as a leader in placing graduates heart disease, and creating innovative into medical school — XOCOM builds solutions to improve maternal care, we on a proud legacy. As we undergo the are working diligently to elevate our accreditation process, we are commitstate’s health and increase life expected to this mission by training exceptancy. tional, empathetic doctors in-state to Prioritizing these health initiatives serve communities across Louisiana. supports our friends, families and Yet, with national medical student neighbors, allowing them to live fuller debt exceeding $215,000 and proposed and happier lives. federal student loan caps on the horiHowever, to truly move the needle, zon in July, we must also overcome the we must also address our U.S. physifinancial barriers that keep talented students from pursuing medical school cian shortage and its effect on receivto begin with. ing timely, preventive care. In the One solution is the $3 million Hupast several months, projections of the shortage have shifted, pointing to mana Health Workforce Scholarship a worsening long-term crisis: By 2038, Fund, which will advance our efforts we will be short up to 141,000 physito make medical school accessible by covering full tuition at XOCOM for stucians nationwide.

We feel this already in Louisiana, dents with financial need who commit where 60 of our 64 parishes are desto practicing primary care, internal medicine or maternal care in Louisiana ignated Health Professional Shortage after graduation.

Areas. Meeting this challenge now reWe need more programs like these quires innovative solutions. that reduce financial burdens and help This effort starts with training more improve health outcomes for everyone. primary care physicians who serve as To build a healthier future, we must the front line of disease prevention.

Better access to primary care means find more innovative solutions to invest in our physician workforce now, ensurearlier interventions, improved maternal and infant health outcomes and ing that those who train here have evrelief for our overburdened emergency ery reason to stay. departments.

Most importantly, it helps our loved Dr. Leonardo Seoane is the president ones prevent and manage chronic and founding dean at Xavier Ochsner conditions before they become lifeCollege of Medicine and executive vice threatening. president and chief academic officer Evidence clearly shows that training at Ochsner Health.

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The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Friday, May 22, 2026 ■ 7B

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COMMENTARY

STAFF PHOTO By JILL PICKETT

Residents vote Saturday at C.E. Byrd High School in Shreveport.

ISSUE OF THE WEEK THE MIDTERMS Voters across the country have started to register their choices in the midterm elections. In Louisiana, party primaries on Saturday for U.S. Senate led to the ouster of incumbent Sen. Bill Cassidy, who faced a challenger backed by President Donald Trump.The president has been using the midterms to exact retribution on officials he has deemed insufficiently loyal. Cassidy made the list for voting to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial. But while the president has demonstrated his grip on the Republican Party, it’s unclear if he will have the same sway in the November general election.With high gas prices and the war in Iran, the president’s popularity is at an all-time low.What will voters be looking to as they make their decision? Here are two perspectives:

Midterm elections present gloomy picture for GOP

What party will take over the re-redistricted House?

For the first time this term, President concern. It’s especially concerning in Donald Trump’s job approval rating has light of the president’s low job approval dipped below 40% in the RealClearPolirating, which is another good predictor of midterm results. tics average of polls. The newest In Trump’s first midterms, in rating is 39.9% approval and 57% 2018, the president’s party, like disapproval. today, controlled both the House The president’s approval has and Senate. The final generic balbeen ticking downward for months — it started at 50.5% lot average before the midterms approval in January 2025 — and favored Democrats by 7.3 points, Byron was brought to its current point nearly the same as it is today.

York by a number of polls showing his Trump’s job approval rating imjob approval in the mid-to-high mediately before the 2018 elec30s. The latest is a New York Times poll tions was 43.6%, a bit better than it is tosows Trump at 37% approval and 59% day. In that election, Democrats picked disapproval, all among registered votup 41 seats to win control of the House.

The GOP kept control of the Senate. ers.

The Republican Party’s obvious weakThe Times poll found a significant gender gap in Trump approval. Fortyness going into the 2026 midterms is, of four percent of men approve of the job course, the main reason behind the masthe president is doing, while 29% of sive battle over redistricting. It appears women approve. The race/ethnicity gap the GOP will win that battle, at least this is larger — Trump’s approval among year, which could reduce its possible White respondents is 45% while his apmidterm losses in the House. But the current Republican advantage in the proval among non-White respondents House is so small that Democrats can is 20%. Among respondents who voted for Trump in 2024, his approval rating is win control by picking up a tiny number 79%. Among those who voted for former of seats.

The current party balance in the Vice President Kamala Harris, it is 3%, House is 217 Republicans to 212 Demoand among those who did not vote, it is 21%. crats, with one independent and five The new survey, like many others, vacancies. However those are sorted found solid disapproval of the war in out, the fact is, if the election were held Iran. The Times asked, “Do you think today, Democrats could win control of Donald Trump’s decision to go to war the House by picking up three or four with Iran was the right decision or the seats. That is an incredibly low bar for wrong decision?” Sixty-four percent the party to achieve. said the wrong decision, while 30% said Meanwhile, President Trump is adding the right decision. Among Trump 2024 to his already dominant power in the Revoters, 76% said going to war was the publican Party. Over the weekend, one right decision. Among Harris voters, of his last GOP antagonists in the Sen95% said it was the wrong decision. ate, Sen. Bill Cassidy, lost a primary in The pollsters, of course, asked respon- Louisiana after Trump endorsed his Redents’ opinion on Trump’s handling of publican opponent. That means Trump the economy — it was 33% approve and has gotten rid of all but two of the seven 64% percent disapprove. More specifiRepublicans who voted to convict him in cally, they also asked about Trump’s han- the 2021 post-presidential impeachment trial. dling of the cost of living — it was 28% The Cassidy defeat is on top of others, approve and 70% disapprove. like the successful Trump-encouraged As far as the coming midterm elecprimary challenges of several Inditions are concerned, on the so-called generic ballot question — “If the 2026 ana Republican state lawmakers who general election for Congress were held crossed Trump on redistricting. Trump’s today, which party’s candidate would obvious power in such matters has you be more likely to vote for in your made many lawmakers scared of clashdistrict?” — 50% said the Democratic ing with him, whatever they might feel candidate, while 39% said the Republiabout redistricting.

So now, Trump’s authority over the can candidate and 11% said they did not Republican Party has never been higher. know.

But now, with 51/2 months until midThat 11-point advantage for Democrats is bigger than the party’s advanterms, he’s not doing nearly as well with the electorate as a whole. tage in the RealClearPolitics average of the generic ballot, which stands at Email Byron York at byork@washington7.2 points. Still, even the average is big enough to cause Republicans serious examiner.com.

As elections analyst Nate Silver exAs President Donald Trump’s job approvplained, the uneven distribution of al sinks to or below 40% (dependthe parties’ voting bases tends to ing on which poll you’re looking give Republicans an advantage in at), betting markets and political single-member, equal-population conventional wisdom are that his districting. Increasingly since the Republican Party is not necessarily mid-1990s, and even more so after doomed to lose its narrow House Trump’s emergence, Democratic majority, nor is it at serious risk of Michael voters tend to be concentrated in losing its Senate majority.

Barone central cities, sympathetic suburbs This is partly because of court and university towns, while Repubdecisions affecting redistricting in major states, but it also owes something to lican voters tend to be spread more evenly fundamentals that a few observers have around the rest of the country. noted even before. One example is Henry This means that Republican districting Olsen, writing two months ago in The Wash- plans tend to have more compact-shaped districts, while Democrats tend to link disington Post, noting that the president’s job approval has been cratering more among tant nodes with tenuous corridors. Illinois nonvoters than among likely voters. In Democrats’ 14-3 plan, for example, contoday’s RealClearPolitics polls, the same sists of bacon strips leading outward from relation is apparent: Trump’s slippage is less Chicago wards and heavily Democratic among those more likely to vote. suburbs out across miles of treeless prairie Similarly, Republican pollster Patrick to Democratic towns. Virginia Democrats’ Ruffini in March noted that, in a 60,000-per- 10-1 plan had five districts fan out from heavily Democratic Arlington and Fairfax son biennial YouGov survey, the Democratic advantage in party identification has Counties, just across the Potomac River been steadily narrowed toward the vanish- from Washington, D.C. In contrast, Texas and Florida Repubing point since 2006. And this year’s special elections, in which the opposition party licans’ plans would probably pass even a typically fares better than the president’s, stringent numeric test for compactness have been showing less anti-Republican and contiguity. movement than in 2025.

The result for the moment is nearly a levNonetheless, the fact that the president’s el playing field in the House races. The auparty almost always loses House seats thoritative Cook Political Report rates 188 (exceptions: 1934, 1998, 2002) plus the fact seats as solidly Republican and 184 seats that Republicans won only 220 seats to as solidly Democratic. It rates 22 seats as Democrats’ 215 in 2024, has made it seem leaning or likely Republican and 23 seats close to certain that Democrats would win as leaning or likely Democratic. That’s 210 control. seats at least leaning Republican, 207 as To forestall that, Trump last summer leaning or likely Democratic, leaving 18 urged Texas’ Republican governor and leg- seats, four currently held by Democrats islature to redistrict its 38 House districts. and 14 by Republicans, as tossups.

So if Democrats win all the tossups, they They passed a plan portrayed as gaining would control the House 225-210, a net gain five Republican seats, although it may not of 10 seats — a win, but not the blue wave if the 2024 MAGA surge among Hispanthey’ve been hoping for. If Republicans win ics evaporates, as polls suggest. Similarly, half of the tossups, they would control the Republicans in North Carolina (where the House 219-216, a net loss of just one seat.

Democratic governor has no veto over Those numbers are beginning to look faredistricting) and Ohio passed plans advermiliar. The House was 222-213 Democratic tised as gaining one and two seats, respecin 2020, 222-213 Republican in 2022, 220tively.

215 Republican in 2024.

Democrats retaliated spectacularly last Americans have had such periods of parNovember in California, where a plan is estimated to increase Democrats’ edge in the tisan parity, characterized by especially bitter partisanship before, in the fights state’s delegation from 44-8 to 48-4. between Jacksonians and Whigs between In the meantime, the U.S. Supreme 1832 and 1852, and between the pro-Civil Court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais ruled that the Voting Rights Act doesn’t re- War Republicans and dubious Democrats quire maximizing the number of “minority- between 1864 and 1894. Eventually, other influenced” districts, which opened the way issues arose, new political platforms emerged and something like a consensus for some Republican legislators to redisemerged. trict and add a district for their party. And Could that happen this year? Maybe. But in Florida, Republican legislators quickly it sure doesn’t look like it. passed Gov. Ron DeSantis’ redrawing of its 28 districts, which was predicted to add Michael Barone is on X, @MichaelBarone. four Republican districts.

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8B ■ Friday, May 22, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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TODAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

Showers and a heavier t-storm

Humid with a t-storm or two

Showers and a heavier t-storm

Cloudy with heavy t-storms

An a.m. t-storm or two; cloudy

A strong thunderstorm; humid

HIGH

HIGH

HIGH

LOW

84° 71°

LOW

83° 73°

LOW

81° 72°

79° 69°

Beaumont 84/74 Port Arthur 83/74

Baton Rouge 84/71

Lake Charles 83/72

New Orleans 85/76 Houma 86/73

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

0s

Hattiesburg 82/71

Alexandria 81/70

Lafayette 83/72

10s

20s

30s

40s

50s

LOW

HIGH

84° 71°

LOW

85° 74°

Baton Rouge through 5 p.m. Thursday

Jackson 82/69 Many 84/66

HIGH

TEMPERATURE

Longview 84/67

-0s

LOW

Monroe 84/69

Shreveport 83/68

-10s

HIGH

If you’re tired of the rain, I’ve got bad news for you: more rain and storms are on the way today. So expect a mostly cloudy to overcast, mild, humid and breezy day. There’s a small chance we could experience excessive rainfall that could lead to some measure of flash flooding today. Temperatures this afternoon will be in the low to mid-80s. Winds will be out of the south at 10 mph, bringing lots moisture from the Gulf. Unfortunately, more showers and storms are in the forecast for the weekend.

60s

70s

80s

90s 100s 110s

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

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

Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today FIRST

MAY 23

HIGH

--6:25p 11:40a 2:20p 2:22p 1:42p 3:30p

LAST

MAY 31

Atlanta Austin Boston Charlotte Chicago Dallas Denver Houston Las Vegas

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

6:06 a.m.

7:56 p.m.

12:08 p.m.

1:04 a.m.

FULL

City

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

82°/72° 87°/67° 79°/63° 95° in 2022 48° in 1894

Hi

TODAY

82 87 60 75 67 84 64 86 94

Lo

69 73 49 65 55 69 44 74 73

NEW

JUN 8

W

t t pc t c t pc t pc

JUN 14

Hi

81 80 61 75 66 81 71 84 95

SAT. Lo

69 67 51 67 55 68 50 70 72

W

t t c t c t s t s

FT.

YESTERDAY

TODAY

READING 39 MAIN POLLUTANT Ozone

MAIN POLLUTANT Ozone

GOOD

PRECIPITATION

LOW

0.86” 10.69” 3.44” 26.89” 23.76”

FT.

HIGH

--- 12:32p 0.0 1.5 6:01a 0.0 1.9 1:21a 0.0 1.9 5:41a 0.3 1.1 1:33a -0.1 1.5 --- --1.4 2:35a -0.1

SOURCE: LOUISIANA DEQ AND AIRNOW.GOV

FT.

---------------

---------------

LOW

---------------

FT.

---------------

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 Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday

City

5:27a 11:40a 6:18a 12:06a 7:02a 12:51a 7:41a 1:31a 8:18a 2:08a 8:55a 2:44a 9:33a 3:22a

Los Angeles Miami Nashville New york City Philadelphia Phoenix St. Louis San Francisco Seattle

Hi

75 88 75 65 65 98 68 68 74

TODAY Lo

58 79 69 51 52 73 61 53 52

5:52p ---6:41p 12:30p 7:24p 1:13p 8:02p 1:52p 8:39p 2:29p 9:16p 3:05p 9:55p 3:44p

W

pc pc t c sh s sh pc s

Hi

74 89 82 56 54 99 78 69 70

SAT. Lo

58 79 65 50 53 75 63 53 51

W

pc t t r r s t pc pc

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

N O R T H A M ER I CA’S

MISSISSIPPI Memphis Vidalia-Natchez Red River Landing Baton Rouge Donaldsonville Reserve New Orleans OHIO Cairo COMITE Near Olive AMITE Near Darlington Denham Springs Port Vincent TICKFAW Montpelier Holden ATCHAFALAYA Simmesport Melville Krotz Springs Butte La Rose Bayou Sorrel Morgan City

FLOOD STAGE

34 48 48 35 27 22 17

THU. 24-HOUR STAGE CHANGE

6.30 29.90 32.60 17.20 10.10 8.15 4.80

-0.58 -0.60 -0.70 -0.60 -0.40 -0.30 -0.13

40

21.32

+0.14

19

0.46

+1.76

18 29 8

0.84 13.86 2.94

+1.30 +1.70 +0.06

13 15

3.05 2.01

+0.04 -0.06

47 34 29 20 12 6

14.98 10.92 8.50 8.00 5.50 3.80

-0.23 -0.22 -1.00 -0.29 -0.30 -0.01

data as of 7 a.m. Thursday

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

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SPO ORTS

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

|

F r i d ay, M ay 22, 2026

1CN

2-time NASCAR champ Busch dies No cause of death was given.

Driver was hospitalized early pitalized.

Busch’s family said earlier Thursday that he was hospitalized with a “severe illness,” three Thursday with ‘severe illness’ days before he was to compete in the Coca-

AP FILE PHOTO

Kyle Busch celebrates winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series on March 20, 2011.

BY STEVE REED

Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Busch was the younger brother of Kurt Busch, a NASCAR Hall of Famer.

“Our entire NASCAR family is heartCONCORD, N.C. — Kyle Busch, a two-time Cup Series champion who won more races than broken by the loss of Kyle Busch,” anyone across NASCAR’s three national se- the statement said. “A future Hall of Famer, Kyle was a rare talent, ries, has died. He was 41.

The Busch Family, Richard Childress Rac- one who comes along once in a ing and NASCAR issued a joint statement ä See BUSCH, page 4C Thursday saying Busch died after being hosAP sportswriter

NCA A SUPER REGIONAL

STRONG L S U V S . A L A B A M A • 6 P. M . F R I D A y • E S P N 2

BOND

Orgeron back at LSU in new role Former Tigers’ coach signs one-year, $100K deal

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

Not long after coach Lane Kiffin first landed in Baton Rouge, he picked up his phone and called his longtime friend and colleague Ed Orgeron.

Kiffin was passing by Tiger Stadium when the two coaches talked. According to the recollection of the call he shared at his introductory news conference, Kiffin cracked to Orgeron that the drive onto campus gave him an urge to start talking in his voice — the gravel-toned Cajun accent that powered the Tigers to one of the best seasons in college football history in 2019.

ä See ORGERON, page 3C

STAFF FILE PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

Former LSU coach Ed Orgeron watches his players before kickoff against Texas A&M on Nov. 27, 2021. Orgeron returns to LSU as a special assistant to recruiting and defense.

LSU pitcher Jayden Heavener takes the field for a game against Texas A&M on March 14 at Tiger Park. LSU softball’s bond has been key to their success ahead of the NCAA Super Regional. STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSO

‘Sisterhood’ big part of LSU’s success heading into super regional

C

BY JIM KLEINPETER Contributing writer all them the “Sisterhood of the Circle.”

It’s a good enough moniker for LSU pitcher Paytn Monticelli, who likens the LSU staff to a sisterhood that played a big part in launching the Tigers into this weekend’s NCAA Super Regional at No. 1 national seed Alabama.

The teams play Friday at 6 p.m. on ESPN2 and Saturday at 2 p.m. on ESPN. If they split those games,

the deciding game for a berth in the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City will be played Sunday at a time to be determined. ä See LSU, page 5C

Coach O’s return another ‘only at LSU’ kind of comeback At some point you’ve probably caught a show on a band reunion tour. You know, when the musicians set aside their squabbling and contractual grievances to play together again. They may still not like each other, but the money is too good to resist.

This spring, LSU has put Scott Rabalais together a reunion tour that’s about the most LSU thing you can imagine. Three former head coaches — not just former, but fired coaches — have returned since March. It

ä See RABALAIS, page 3C

w

LEARN MORE

Sam Leavitt LSU Quarterback

2C ■ Friday, May 22, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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IN BRIEF

BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS On TV

AUTO RACING 10 a.m. NTT IndyCar: Carb Day Practice FS1 11:30 a.m. F1: Practice APPLETV 1 p.m.

NTT IndyCar: Oscar Mayer 500 FOX 1:30 p.m. NTT IndyCar: Pit Competition FOX 2:30 p.m. NASCAR Truck Series: Practice FS2 3:30 p.m. F1: Sprint Qualifying APPLETV 3:35 p.m. NASCAR Truck Series: Qualifying FS2 6:30 p.m. NASCAR Truck Series FS1 CHL 8 p.m.

Kitchener at Kelowna NLHN COLLEGE BASEBALL 9 a.m.

Michigan St. vs. Southern Cal BTN 1 p.m.

Purdue vs. UCLA BTN 2 p.m.

Virginia Tech vs. North Carolina ACCN 3 p.m.

Arkansas vs. Texas SECN 5 p.m.

MIchigan vs. Nebraska BTN 6 p.m.

Pittsburgh vs. Florida St. ACCN

6:30 p.m. Aubrun vs. Texas A&M SECN 9 p.m.

UW vs. Oregon BTN WOMEN’S COLLEGE LACROSSE 2 p.m.

Maryland vs. North Carolina ESPNU 4:30 p.m. J. Hopkins at Northwestern ESPNU COLLEGE SOFTBALL 10 a.m. Texas Tech at Florida ESPN2 11 a.m. Duke at Arkansas ESPNU noon Mississippi St. at Oklahoma ESPN2 2 p.m.

Tennessee vs. Georgia ESPN2 4 p.m.

Nebraska vs. Oklahoma St. ESPN2 6 p.m.

LSU at Alabama ESPN2 8 p.m.

Arizona St. at Texas ESPN2 8 p.m.

UCF at UCLA ESPNU GOLF 8 a.m.

PGA Tour Champions GOLF 2 p.m.

PGA Tour: The CJ Cup GOLF HORSE RACING noon America’s Day at the Races FS2

FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

MEN’S IIHF HOCKEY Canada vs. Slovenia NHLN Sweden vs. Italy NHLN MLB 1:20 p.m. Houston at Chicago Cubs APPLETV 6:05 p.m. Detroit at Baltimore APPLETV 6:30 p.m. L.A. Dodgers at Milwaukee MLBN 9:30 p.m. Chicago White Sox at SF MLBN NBA 7:30 p.m. Oklahoma City at San Antonio NBC NHL 7 p.m.

Vegas at Colorado ESPN UFL 7 p.m.

DC at Orlando FOX WNBA 6:30 p.m. Golden State at Indiana ION 9 p.m.

Connecticut at Seattle ION 9 a.m.

1 p.m.

Koepka leads the Byron Nelson

BY SCHUYLER DIXON AP sportswriter

McKINNEY, Texas — Scottie Scheffler won’t be the wire-to-wire winner of his hometown CJ Cup Byron Nelson again this year.

For now, the world’s top-ranked player is chasing Brooks Koepka, the five-time major champion looking for his first victory since returning to the PGA Tour from LIV Golf.

Koepka shot 8-under 63 for a one-shot lead over five other early finishers at the revamped TPC Craig Ranch on Thursday, with Scheffler three back while playing with Koepka and Si Woo Kim, one of those at 64.

“I felt like I was getting lapped out there for a little bit,” said Scheffler, who led from the start of last year’s Nelson and won by eight shots at 31 under while tying the tour’s 72-hole scoring record at 253. “So I was fortunate to make a couple birdies late in the round and keep myself in the tournament.”

Kim — the highest-ranked player in the field behind Scheffler at No. 24 — had the only bogey in the threesome, on his 16th hole at the par-3 seventh.

One of several countrymen in the event sponsored by South Korean conglomerate CJ Group, Kim got back within a shot of the lead with a birdie while Koepka saved par 5 at the ninth.

Emiliano Grillo, Keith Mitchell, Stephan Jaeger and Michael Thorbjornsen were tied with Kim, one shot ahead of Doug Ghim and Mackenzie Hughes.

Koepka, who contended at last week’s PGA Championship before fading on Sunday, eagled the par-5 12th and was 4 under through five holes. He had four

AP basketball writer

NEW YORK — Playing at home hasn’t provided much comfort for WNBA teams this season.

Through nearly the first two weeks, home teams have only won about 29% of games. Out of the 15 teams, only New York has a winning record at home.

This is the worst percentage to start a season by home teams in the league’s 30-year history, according to Elias Sports Bureau stats provided to The Associated Press by the WNBA. Through an equivalent number of games, the previous worst was 41% in 2021 — when fans weren’t

INDIANAPOLIS — Caitlin Clark has a back injury and was ruled out by the Indiana Fever for Wednesday night’s game against the Portland Fire.

The Fever disclosed Clark’s injury less than two hours before tipoff. She had not been listed on Indiana’s injury report a day earlier.

The star guard has not missed a game this season after her 2025 campaign was cut short by a series of injuries. Clark is averaging 24.3 points, nine assists, five rebounds and one assist in four games.

Clark has spoken this season about lingering back issues. After the Fever’s season-opening loss, she said her back “gets out of line pretty quickly.”

Eagles’ Smith arrested for driving 65 mph over limit Philadelphia Eagles edge rusher Nolan Smith Jr. was arrested last week in Georgia for driving 135 mph in a 70 mph zone, authorities said.

Smith, who played at Georgia, was cited for speeding and reckless driving, the Twiggs County Sheriff’s Office said on Thursday.

He posted bond and was released shortly after his arrest on May 15.

Smith, from Savannah, Georgia, was selected by the Eagles with the 30th pick in the 2023 NFL draft. He has 25 quarterback hits, 10.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries over three seasons.

He played a crucial role in the Eagles’ Super Bowl LIX run, recording five quarterback hits, four sacks and four tackles for loss during the playoffs.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By LM OTERO

Brooks Koepka hits to the 14th green during the first round of the Byron Nelson on Thursday in McKinney, Texas. more birdies in a span of five holes in his back nine, capped by a 3-foot birdie putt on the short par-4 sixth.

Kim had four birdies on the front and four more on the back while Scheffler was lagging at 2 under before getting birdies on three of his final five holes.

“It was just a comfortable group,” Koepka said. “Everyone is just kind of feeding off each other, easy. Everyone’s having fun. Makes it enjoyable. I feel comfortable on the golf course as well.”

Even though he hardly recognizes parts of it.

Koepka last played at TPC Craig Ranch in 2021, the year before he bolted for LIV. The sixth Nelson at the par-71 layout about

30 miles north of Dallas was the debut of a Lanny Wadkins-led redesign that cost nearly $25 million and added bunkers everywhere and overhauled the greens with mounds and ridges.

“The greens are totally different than when we played,” Koepka said. “That’s obviously the biggest thing. Off the tee it looks pretty good. Place hasn’t changed too much. It’s familiar. I like it.”

Koepka was a regular at the Nelson a decade ago, including a runner-up finish in 2016 when he lost to Sergio Garcia in a playoff.

The 36-year-old also has a little CJ Cup history. He rose to No. 1 in the world with a victory when the event was in South Korea in 2018.

The title sponsorship moved to the U.S. after the COVID-19 pan-

demic and has been associated with the Nelson since 2024.

The move to LIV forced Koepka to put aside things such as world rankings, and now he’s dealing with stipulations he had to agree to in order to rejoin the PGA Tour. Among them is not being exempt for the $20 million signature events, even though he won a major — the 2023 PGA — while with LIV. “I think there’s such a huge difference right now of trying to get into signature events, on my way back, coming back to the tour,” Koepka said. “(Winning) would be a big confidence boost for sure because I feel like I’ve been playing well. I feel like I’m knocking on the door, and I’m very, very close.”

WNBA home teams win 29% of games

BY DOUG FEINBERG

Clark out for game against Fire because of back injury

allowed to attend games early on because of the COVID pandemic.

Home teams won 43% of their games to start the 2016 season.

Both those years the number reached over 50% by the end of the season. There was nearly a 54% home advantage in 2021 and 55% in 2016.

There are a lot of factors that go into the poor start at home so far, including scheduling. The expected top teams Las Vegas and New York have been on the road for most of the start of the season.

That said, Chicago, which was near the bottom of the standings last year, went 3-1 on the road to begin this season.

“It’s bizarre and interesting,

but I don’t think it signals a trend that will continue,” ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo said. “We just need to have the better teams to have more home games.”

Golden State coach Natalie Nakase agreed she didn’t think the early trend would continue.

“I don’t put much stock in it,” said Nakase, who’s team visits New York on Thursday night. “I think it gives players that out to say that we have more advantage at home or we have more advantage away. I just say there’s two hoops, there’s a court, there’s a couple refs, and we got to play. At the end of the day, when you step on the court, you got to be ready to fight.”

One thing it’s not caused by is a lack of fans in the buildings.

Attendance is up 6% so far this season compared to last year, according to the website Across The Timeline.

The second-year Valkyries have established quite a homecourt advantage. They led the league in attendance last year and so far have drawn well in their first two games at home.

“You also don’t want to take it for granted, you know, and take advantage of it,” she said. “But we do have the love of support that is, you know, amazing. But at the same time, you have to be able to handle the noise. So we try to prepare as best as we can.”

French Open prize money won’t change despite protest

PARIS — The French Open prize money will not change this year despite players complaining they deserve a bigger share, tournament director Amelie Mauresmo said on Thursday.

Top players have criticized the Open organizers for reducing the players’ share of revenue to an alleged 14.3% — compared to 22% at standard ATP and WTA events.

To show their discontent, many competing at Roland Garros, where play begins on Sunday, are planning to limit their interaction with reporters to 15 minutes during Friday’s traditional pre-tournament media day.

Roland Garros organizers increased the prize money by about 10%, after the U.S. Open last year raised their’s by 20%.

Iowa State great Ryan promoted to assistant coach

AMES, Iowa — Emily Ryan, one of the most productive point guards in women’s college basketball history when she played for Iowa State, has been hired as a full-time assistant at her alma mater, coach Bill Fennelly announced Thursday.

Ryan played for the Cyclones from 2020-25 and was a graduate assistant last season. She finished her career with 993 assists, a school record and seventh all-time in Division I. She was just the third NCAA women’s player to record at least 1,500 points, 900 assists and 600 rebounds in a career. She also ranks in the top five in program history in steals and blocks.

Ryan was voted to the All-Big 12 first team in 2022 and second team in 2023 and was on the league’s alldefensive team in 2021.

center Chinyelu LSU women set for NCAA championships Florida returning for senior season

Tigers making sixth straight appearance

BY SCOTT RABALAIS Staff writer

If it’s time for the NCAA women’s golf championships, it means the LSU Tigers are still playing.

LSU has appeared in the past six championships, one of just eight programs to do so. The Tigers will tee it up Friday morning at La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California.

“It’s hard to do in a sport where there’s no defense,” coach Garrett Runion said of LSU’s streak.

“I don’t want a good team, I want a good program. To have a good program, you’ve got consistently be at national. I’m very proud of what we’ve done.”

The Tigers got to Carlsbad by finishing fourth last week in the NCAA Waco (Texas) regional.

“All the credit goes to the players that have bought in, worked hard, and showed up when they needed to in the most stressful tournament of the year (NCAA regionals),” Runion said. “I think that just helps them understand what we’ve done back home to prepare them, and handle that pressure.”

The Tigers will use the same lineup from the regional with sophomore Francesca Fiorellini, seniors Elsa Svensson and Taylor Riley, sophomore Josefin Widal and freshman Ryleigh Knaub. Sophomore Rocio Tejedo will be the alternate.

Knaub leads the team with a 71.96 stroke average, just ahead of Fiorellini’s 71.97.

Riley, who grew up in nearby San

Diego, is the daughter of former PGA touring pro Chris Riley and former LSU golfer Michelle Louviere.

She becomes the 13th LSU player to compete in at least three NCAA Championships.

“She’s a little sentimental, knowing it’s her final college tournament in her hometown,” Runion said.

The NCAA Championships are a marathon, not a sprint. The field of 30 teams will be cut to 15 Sunday, followed by a final round of stroke play Monday when the NCAA individual champion is crowned. The top eight teams begin match play Tuesday to determine the team champion Wednesday.

Live scoring is available at www.

Scoreboard.clippd.com, with streaming pay coverage on BabyGrande. com. Television coverage switches Monday to The Golf Channel.

PROVIDED PHOTO

LSU senior Taylor Riley will compete for the third time in the NCAA Championships.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida center Rueben Chinyelu decided Thursday he will return for his senior season to run it back with a stacked frontcourt that helped the Gators win a national championship in 2025.

Chinyelu formally removed his name from the NBA draft to play another year with fellow big men Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh.

Coach Todd Golden’s roster is expected to cost roughly $25 million in 2026-27.

Chinyelu went through the NBA pre-draft process and had until May 27 to decide whether to return to school or stay in the draft.

The 6-foot-10, 265-pound Nigerian became the first Florida player in 50 years to average a doubledouble, totaling 10.9 points and 11.2 rebounds a game last season.

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Friday, May 22, 2026 ■ 3C

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NFL MVP Stafford agrees New Giants coach Harbaugh admits WR Nabers might to one-year extension

ORGERON

Continued from page 1C “I don’t know, man,” Kiffin said over the phone, “I’m feeling you right now.”

“Coach,” Orgeron replied, “you’re at the best place in America.”

Now they both are. LSU announced Wednesday night that Orgeron was returning to Baton Rouge to fill a role on Kiffin’s staff. The former Tigers’ head coach will work as a special assistant to recruiting and defense, and he signed a one-year deal worth $100,000, according to a copy of his term sheet obtained Thursday by The Advocate.

Orgeron, 64, can coach on the sideline during games and hit the road to recruit.

The NCAA passed a rule change in 2024 that removed restrictions on the number of FBS staff members who can “provide technical and tactical instruction” during games and practices while maintaining the limit on coaches who can leave campus to recruit prospective players.

Teams must still designate no more than 11 staffers, including the head coach, as off-campus recruiters. Orgeron is expected to fill one of those spots, according to a report from On3.

It’s an ideal role for the Larose native, who spent the 2025 season talking publicly

RABALAIS

Continued from page 1C

coach at Tennessee in 2009 and then USC in 2010. When USC fired Kiffin in 2013, the school made Orgeron interim head coach, the same role he filled in 2016 when LSU canned Les Miles.

Orgeron got the job fulltime later that season, then, of course, led LSU to that incomparable 2019 national championship season. Even if Kiffin wins a couple of national titles at LSU, he won’t be able to field a team that surpasses that Joe Burrowled squad. Still, Orgeron was out by 2021, unable to sustain the program at such a high level.

Coach O bounced around the sport, lived for a while in Miami Beach, Florida, got remarried, watched his sons begin their football coaching careers and talked of getting back in the game — an itch that until now he was unable to scratch with a permanent position.

Considering their relationship, it seemed natural that Kiffin would hire Orgeron as defensive line coach on his new staff at LSU. When he didn’t, it seemed Kiffin might have deemed that too awkward, which was fair enough.

Eventually, though, Kiffin decided he needed some Coach O energy and enthusiasm on his staff.

Say what you want about Orgeron’s quality as a head coach and how things ended for him at LSU. But the man is a preeminent defensive line coach and an unparalleled recruiter. He may not be on point to do either for the Tigers — LSU has two D-line coaches in Sterling Lucas and Kevin Peoples — but he can certainly offer invaluable input and make

for some indelible in-home visits.

There was understandable concern among Tiger fans when former recruiting coordinator and fellow Louisiana coaching icon Frank Wilson wasn’t retained by Kiffin, instead trekking north to Ole Miss to be part of Pete Golding’s new staff in Oxford, Mississippi. But by bringing back Orgeron, Kiffin can say, “I’ll see your Frank Wilson and raise you a Coach O.” The personal touch isn’t as important as it was before NIL and revenue sharing — every recruit now is like Rod Tidwell in “Jerry Maguire,” bellowing “Show me the money!” — but Orgeron will be able to go on the road and help recruit. There isn’t a high school coach he won’t make an impression on, and I imagine he has lost little or anything off his in-home fastball he displayed in “The Blind Side.”

Getting back into football in an official capacity is certainly a win for Orgeron.

Unless he started contradicting what Lucas and Peoples are teaching the Tigers’ D-linemen, I can’t imagine this isn’t a win for LSU. And it’s a win for Kiffin, at least temporarily, though some will and have dredged up some of Orgeron’s past off-the-field transgressions.

However you look at it, it’s an engrossing final act of a career filled with remarkable chapters. One more enticing ingredient to a 2026-27 LSU athletic year already stocked with compelling characters like Kiffin, Wade and Kim Mulkey.

Football season can’t get here fast enough.

New york Daily News (TNS)

NEW YORK — The New York Giants’ goal with Malik Nabers is to get him back on the practice field during training camp and ready for their Week 1 regular season opener against the Dallas Cowboys.

But they might not hit that goal right on the mark.

Head coach John Harbaugh acknowledged Thursday after the team’s third OTA practice that Nabers’ availability for the start of the regular season is uncertain, although Nabers is currently in the building rehabbing and striving toward that goal.

“If he’s out there, great,” Harbaugh said of Week 1. “If he’s not, great.”

The coach said Nabers’ surgery and recovery are “not a simple” knee rehab, given that doctors had to repair both his right ACL and meniscus. Then Nabers had a second surgery recently to clean up scar tissue, as The Athletic reported.

It seems clear that the Giants understand it would be wise to develop an offensive identity that does not lean too hard on Nabers, 22, who might not be on the field at the start of the season. That way when he does return, hopefully his explosiveness takes them from good to great.

“An ACL is a tough injury,” left tackle Andrew Thomas said. “But we’re gonna be ready for him when he comes back. Malik’s a game changer.”

With both Nabers and Darius Slayton (sports hernia surgery) not practicing, a ton of receivers had opportunities to catch passes from Jaxson Dart during Thursday’s indoor practice, from

veteran Darnell Mooney to Ryan Miller.

Dart connected most consistently with the running backs, though, particularly Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Devin Singletary in the flats. The QB also found wideout Calvin Austin III twice, including down the right sideline to get in field goal range during an end of half situation.

Rookie Malachi Fields and speedster Xavier Gipson both had big gainers down the field thrown by backup quarterback Brandon Allen, while Mooney and Miller each dropped a pass from Dart.

Mooney said his role on this team is “to make plays and dominate,” regardless of what he’s asked to do or what the depth chart looks like.

D-Line worth monitoring Veteran defensive tackle Roy Robertson-Harris limped off the field on Thursday, and trainers seemed to be looking at his lower right leg or ankle. That was concerning because RobertsonHarris was the ranking member of the interior defensive line on the practice field.

New signings DJ Reader and Shelby Harris were not at practice, which is voluntary at this juncture. And new signing Sam Roberts had offseason surgery.

Dexter Lawrence’s forced trade out of town to Cincinnati depleted a unit that had anchored the worst run defense in pro football last season.

Harbaugh loaded up on linebackers with Tremaine Edmunds and Arvell Reese, but those players won’t reach their potential this season if they aren’t protected by a physical, violent and formidable front.

So it will be interesting to

continue to monitor attendance and performance at the position as this builds toward mandatory minicamp in June and training camp in late July.

Thomas managing ailments Harbaugh said that the Giants are managing Thomas, their franchise left tackle, because he is being careful with shoulder and foot issues. Thomas said neither injury required surgery this offseason. These are just precautions for a shoulder ailment that he battled last season and for the Lisfranc injury in his foot that shut him down in 2024. Still, it was noteworthy to see second-year tackle Marcus Mbow receiving opportunities while Thomas stayed out of team reps. Harbaugh said Thomas practiced two of out three days this week as part of a steady ramp-up toward the season … Wide receiver Jalin Hyatt rode the bike during the team period of practice after appearing to tweak something earlier … Safety Jevon Holland was asked if the pace of Harbaugh’s OTA practices are faster than what he’s used to. “Faster than last year?

Yeah, for sure,” Holland said … Harbaugh continued running the Giants’ first and second units through full speed end of half and end of game situations, a dramatic difference from Brian Daboll’s four years as coach … Safety Beau Brade intercepted Allen and almost had a second later in practice … Rookie corner Colton Hood did not participate but walked out to the sideline midway through practice. Corner Dru Phillips, quarterback Jameis Winston and fullback Patrick Ricard were not there, either … The Giants return to practice next Wednesday.

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tionally as one of the nation’s best recruiters when he was LSU’s head coach. He and his staff landed all of the major stars who led the Tigers to their 2019 national title, including Joe Burrow, Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase, Derek Stingley and others. Many of them were from Louisiana, which was one of the reasons Kiffin has said attracted him to the LSU job.

So, having Orgeron on board should enhance the Tigers’ recruiting operation ahead of an important 2027 high school signing cycle.

Louisiana has five players in the top 100 of 247Sports’ composite rankings, and two of them are already committed to LSU: Ruston tight end Ahmad Hudson and Shreveport quarterback Peyton Houston.

The other three could soon hear from Orgeron, who telegraphed his move back to LSU in an interview with Jacksonville, Florida, radio station WJXL 92.5 FM last December. It was a few days after Kiffin called him on his way to the Tigers’ football operations building.

“I’d consider it, yes,” Orgeron said. “I’d definitely consider it. No question. Lane and I have worked together at three schools. I love him.

He and I are good friends; I believe in him. So definitely, if he does ask me, I’d consider it. No question.”

It just took Kiffin more than one phone call to do it.

PAT LEONARD

R

U

about his desire to coach again but only if he found “the right situation.” He’s spent the last four years in an unofficial retirement, collecting his $17 million buyout in monthly installments until this past December.

“Now, do I expect to be a national championship coach?” Orgeron told The Advocate in January. “I’m not expecting that. I’m not expecting to be a head coach. I was happy being a defensive line coach. I loved it. I love coaching football.

I love being retired. Either one would be fine.”

The on-field coaching role Orgeron will fill in his second stint at LSU, though, is less clear than his recruiting responsibilities.

The Tigers have three assistant coaches assigned to different parts of the defensive line — the position group that Orgeron has overseen throughout his career. Sterling Lucas is the program’s official defensive line coach, Kevin Peoples is now in charge of its interior linemen, and Lou Spanos is a pass-rush specialist. Kiffin retained Peoples from coach Brian Kelly’s staff, but hired Lucas away from South Carolina and brought Spanos with him from Ole Miss.

Even if Orgeron’s new role doesn’t require him to be as hands-on as he was in his last job as an assistant coach, he can still leave a considerable mark on the program.

Orgeron was known na-

not be ready for opener

YO

started with Will Wade coming back to coach men’s basketball and bringing back Johnny Jones to be on his staff.

Now comes an encore to bring the house down: Coach O is back.

Wednesday night, in the midst of what is sure to be LSU baseball’s seasonending loss to Auburn in the SEC tournament, news broke that Ed Orgeron was returning to be a part of Lane Kiffin’s staff. Not as a position coach, but as a special assistant for defense and recruiting. His salary: $100,000, a bit removed from the high-rent district of his $9 million salary in his final season as LSU’s head coach in 2021 (the school finished paying Orgeron his $17 million buyout in December, so no clawback is available).

When Kiffin took the LSU job in late November, he mentioned calling Orgeron on his way past Tiger Stadium.

“I said, ‘Hey man, this place just makes me want to talk like you right now,’ ” Kiffin said. “I rolled down the window and I was like, ‘Geaux Tigahs!’ to the fans.”

Orgeron replied, “You’re in the best place in America right now.”

The two have been friends and coaching colleagues for a long time.

Kiffin and Orgeron were on Pete Carroll’s staff together at Southern California. Later, after being fired as head coach at Ole Miss, Orgeron went to work for Kiffin when he became head

time.

Stafford is coming off one of the best seasons of his career in which he won his first MVP award, edging New England’s Drake Maye in the voting. Stafford passed for an NFL-best 4,707 yards and a career-high 46 touchdowns against just eight interceptions before he led the Rams to two road playoff victories and a spot in the NFC championship game.

The upcoming season will be Stafford’s 18th in the NFL and his sixth with the Rams, who acquired him in a trade with Detroit in 2021. Stafford is the sixth-leading passer in NFL history with 64,516 yards, and he is seventh with 423 touchdown passes, two behind Philip Rivers.

T

LOS ANGELES — Reigning NFL Most Valuable Player Matthew Stafford has agreed to a one-year contract extension through the 2027 season with the Los Angeles Rams.

The Rams announced the deal Thursday without immediately revealing its value.

ESPN reported the 2027 deal is worth $55 million with a potential to increase to $60 million, a raise from his salary for the upcoming season.

The deal indicates that the 38-year-old Stafford is at least strongly thinking about staying with the Rams past 2026.

That’s notable because Stafford has professed a yearto-year mentality about his

future ever since he led the Rams to a Super Bowl championship in February 2022, and he only confirmed he would return for the upcoming season while accepting his MVP trophy in February.

The Rams then surprised the league by drafting Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson with the 13th overall pick last month, throwing Stafford’s long-term future into momentary doubt — until head coach Sean McVay made it quite clear that Stafford is the Rams’ starting quarterback for as long as he decides to play.

“Whenever that time comes for (Simpson) to get an opportunity to be Matthew’s successor will be on Matthew’s terms,” McVay said at the

AP P

EN

AP sportswriter

SCAN

BY GREG BEACHAM

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Sinner chasing career Grand Slam Italian star draws French opponent in first round of French Open

BY SAMUEL PETREQUIN AP sportswriter

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By TONy GUTIERREZ

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander celebrates after making a 3-pointer during the second half of Game 2 in the Western Conference finals against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday in Oklahoma City.

Spurs, Thunder deal with multiple injury concerns

BY TIM REYNOLDS AP basketball writer

Oklahoma City’s Shai GilgeousAlexander seems to have shaken off his now-traditional Game 1 blahs. San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama is putting up numbers the likes of which haven’t been seen in a conference finals for about a half-century.

The stars in these Western Conference finals, they’re being stars.

It’s the supporting casts that are of major concern — for both teams.

Game 3 of the West title series is on Friday night, things having shifted to San Antonio tied at a game apiece. The Spurs took Game 1 behind 41 points and 24 rebounds from Wembanyama, and the defending champion Thunder got 30 points from Gilgeous-Alexander on the way to getting a victory in Game 2.

“We’re probably most comfortable playing in front of our fans,” Spurs guard Stephon Castle said after the Game 2 loss in Oklahoma City. “I don’t think we’ll have any problem doing that. Mentally, I think we’re all in a good head space. We came here, won a game on the road and they’re a good team and they responded.

So, now we have a chance to play in front of our fans.”

It’s not the mental side that either the Spurs or the Thunder should be worried about. It’s the physical.

There’s a bad ankle. A pair of aching hamstrings. A shot to the

ä Thunder at Spurs, 7:30 P.M. FRIDAy, NBC

thigh. And those are only the injuries that the world seems to know about, not even taking into account the aches and pains that have accumulated over the last seven or eight months.

As expected, the West finals are shaping up to be quite the battle.

Two battles, really. There’s the obvious one, Thunder vs. Spurs, the two best teams in the league this season vying for a spot in the NBA Finals. The other is those teams vs. attrition, and right now, attrition might be winning.

“It feels like that’s always at this time of the season in every sport, right? You have to get to the end to give yourself a chance,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “And I think that’s why we have to continue to trust our depth and guys have to step up when their name’s called — answer the bell and be able to give us some quality minutes.”

Spurs All-Star guard De’Aaron Fox has an ankle issue that’s not going away until after the season ends. His replacement, Dylan Harper, seemed to tweak a hamstring in Game 2 and departed early. Thunder guard Jalen Williams aggravated his problematic left hamstring in Game 2 and his replacement, Ajay Mitchell, was shaken up by a thigh issue in the final moments.

The Spurs won Game 1 largely because Harper stepped up. The

Thunder won Game 2 largely because Isaiah Hartenstein was a huge factor, both in terms of physicality and production. For as out-of-this-world great as Gilgeous-Alexander and Wembanyama are, there will be X-factors that decide games and perhaps the series.

“I think it’s a privilege,” said Hartenstein, who had 10 points and 13 rebounds in Game 2.

“You dream of playing in games like this and playing a game against another great team is always something really special. Again, I heard somewhere that pressure is a privilege and so I think just being in this series where the pressure is so high, just trying to go out there and enjoy competing is always something really important.”

Gilgeous-Alexander struggled big-time in Game 1, shooting only 7 for 23 — the sixth time in his last seven Game 1s in which he’s failed to make half his shots.

But his rhythm was clearly back in Game 2, which is what he expected.

“I just have sucked when I get too long of a break,” GilgeousAlexander said. “I don’t think it’s anything other than that.”

Wembanyama has 62 points and 41 rebounds so far in the series.

Others have had more points in the first two games of a conference finals, but nobody since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1974 have had at least 60 points and 40 rebounds through two games in this round.

Guardiola gaining support BUSCH for becoming American coach after World Cup

Continued from page 1C

BY RONALD BLUM

AP sportswriter

NEW YORK — Former players Alexi Lalas and Stu Holden along with fellow Fox broadcasters Rebecca Lowe and Rob Stone all said they think the U.S. Soccer Federation should c ontactPep Guardiola about taking over as the American national team’s coach after the Guardiola World Cup. “Pep would be a wonderful hire. He’s a visionary. He’s one of the best coaches that’s ever coached in this game,” Holden said Thursday at an event to promote Fox’s World Cup coverage.

Guardiola is expected to leave Manchester City after Sunday’s finale of his 10th season as manager.

Mauricio Pochettino, the former Tottenham manager who took over the U.S. team from Gregg Berhalter in late 2024, has a contract through the World Cup and has said he isn’t sure whether he would be interested in a new U.S. deal.

Guardiola is likely to be highly sought.

“I don’t know if he takes the call, but he might even be calling you,” said Lalas, a star U.S. defender at the 1994 World Cup. “He’s never coached internationally. He’s also never coached a team that’s not an elite team. ... He might not be the right guy,

but you definitely have that conversation.”

Lowe, a British-born, naturalized American who grew up in London and lives in California, has hosted NBC’s Premier League coverage since 2013 and will be working for Fox for the first time next month.

“Having somebody like Pep would double or triple the fan base in my opinion in this country because they’re out there but they need to fall in love with the U.S. men’s national team,” she said. “And then on the field, he will improve the players. I know he won’t get them very often, but when he gets them, he’ll improve them. Imagine if you’re Weston McKennie and Pep Guardiola is your manager? You are running through a brick wall for that man.”

Guardiola, a 55-year-old Spaniard, won two Champions League titles with Barcelona and one with Manchester City along six Premier League championships and three in La Liga and also in the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich.

After coaching Barcelona from 2008-12, he moved to New York for a one-year sabbatical, then led Bayern Munich from 2013-16 before switching to Manchester.

“He’s the kind of guy who would like that new challenge: taking over a national team, coming to a country that probably feels like his second or third home,” Stone said. “So this is that next logical challenge.”

generation. He was fierce, he was passionate, he was immensely skilled and he cared deeply about the sport and fans.

The statement went on to say that “throughout a career that spanned more than two decades, Kyle set records in national series wins, won championships at NASCAR’s highest level and fostered the next generation of drivers as an owner in the Truck Series. His sharp wit and competitive spirit sparked a deep emotional connection with race fans of every age, creating the proud and loyal ‘Rowdy Nation.’ ” The news comes 11 days after Busch radioed into his crew near the end of a Cup Series race at Watkins Glen asking a doctor to give him a “shot” after he finished the race. According to the TV broadcast, Busch had been struggling with a sinus cold that was exacerbated by the intense G-forces and elevation changes at the New York road course.

Busch finished the race in eighth place.

Busch competed at Dover last weekend and won the Trucks Series race for Richard Childress Racing. He finished 17th at the NASCAR All-Star race.

“Absolute shock. Very hard to process,” veteran NASCAR driver Brad Keselowski posted on social media.

NASCAR driver and former teammate Denny Hamlin posted on social media: “Absolutely cannot comprehend this news. We just need to think of his family during this time. We love you KB.” A polarizing figure known as “Rowdy” and “Wild Thing” for his post-race fights, regular feuds with other drivers and sometimes

PARIS — Jannik Sinner won’t have the crowd on his side when he starts his quest for a career Grand Slam at the French Open.

On Thursday, Sinner drew a French opponent in the first round — Clement Tabur, ranked a careerhigh 165th. Tabur received the wild card vacated by former champion Stan Wawrinka, who gained a late automatic entry.

With two-time reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz out injured, Sinner is the overwhelming men’s favorite on the red clay of Roland Garros, where play starts on Sunday.

The Italian is unbeaten in three months. He’s won 29 straight matches and dropped just three sets. The French Open is the only major Sinner hasn’t won. Sinner had three match points in last year’s final but Alcaraz prevailed in an epic match.

In the women’s draw, Coco Gauff is trying to become just the third woman to successfully defend the Roland Garros title this century after Justine Henin and Iga Swiatek. Gauff will start her campaign against fellow American Taylor Townsend, a doubles specialist.

Gauff said at the draw she was “as ready as you can be.”

“I feel I had a good tournament in Rome, similar to the preparation I had last year, so I feel really ready.”

In the absence of Alcaraz, who will also miss Wimbledon, Sinner has claimed all three clay Masters trophies in Monte Carlo, Madrid, and Rome. Sinner has the fifth longest winning run in the ATP Tour era (since 1990). Novak Djokovic has the record of 43 straight wins in 2010-11.

With his historic Rome title — first homegrown men’s champion in 50 years — Sinner became the second man after Djokovic to win all nine Masters, the biggest tournaments outside the Grand Slams.

Djokovic continues to chase an unprecedented 25th major title.

But the Roland Garros champion from 2016, 2021, and 2023 is in Paris with only one match on clay this season and only three tournaments all year because of a shoulder injury. The 38-year-old will take on Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the first round. Djokovic couldn’t meet Sinner until the final.

outlandish behavior, the multi-talented Busch stormed on the Cup Series scene in 2005 by winning Rookie of the Year.

He went on to win championships in 2015 and 2019 for Joe Gibbs Racing.

From Las Vegas, Busch experienced unrivaled success across NASCAR’s three national series winning a combined 234 Cup, O’Reilly Auto Parts and Trucks Series races. He had 63 Cup victories along with Busch 102 O’Reilly Auto Parts wins and 69 Trucks victories — both records.

Kyle Busch was a racing prodigy.

He was said to be ready to race at NASCAR’s top level at 16, but a cigarette settlement banned his debut and he had to wait until he was a 18. At the time Kurt Busch said “if you think I’m good, wait until you see my brother.”

Busch was fired early in his career by Hendrick Motorsports to make room on the team for Dale Earnhardt Jr. “Kyle and I had a really challenging existence for many years,” Earnhardt said in a statement.

“But we luckily took the time to figure out our differences and that was something he instigated with a conversation in his bus around how we each managed our racing teams. I was super eager for us to get on better terms. But it was he who made the effort for that to be possible.”

Busch moved on to Joe Gibbs Racing where he experienced the vast majority of career success.

But Busch was let go when there was no sponsor after the 2022 season and joined RCR, where had struggled to win races.

His lack of success led to a recent spat with former JGR team-

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO

Jannik Sinner, of Italy, celebrates winning a point against Casper Ruud, of Norway, during the final match at the Italian Open in Rome on Sunday.

No. 2 seed Alexander Zverev, still looking for his first major crown after making it to the 2024 final in Paris, will be up against another local player, Benjamin Bonzi.

Home favorite Arthur Fils, the highest-ranked French player at No. 19, opens against Wawrinka in a mouthwatering contest.

Gauff aiming for back to back Gauff’s first Roland Garros title came with a victory over topranked Aryna Sabalenka in the final a year ago.

Just like last year, Gauff was the runner-up at the Italian Open, losing in the final to Elina Svitolina.

She is No. 4 and seeded to meet No. 1 Sabalenka in the semifinals.

While Sabalenka remains unbeatable at times on hard courts, she is still perfecting her game on clay. She was upset by American Hailey Baptiste in the Madrid Open quarterfinals and lost in the third round at the Italian Open to 36-year-old Sorana Cirstea.

Sabalenka appeared visibly bothered by lower back pain in Rome. Her first-round opponent is Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, a Spaniard ranked 51st.

Elena Rybakina, ranked No. 2 and this year’s Australian Open champion, is in the same half of the draw as No. 3 Swiatek.

Rybakina has mixed results on clay. She has reached the French quarterfinals twice. She starts against Veronika Erjavec of Slovenia.

Swiatek, the four-time French Open champion, lost to Svitolina in the Rome semifinals and is still reshaping her game under new coach Francisco Roig, who used to work with Rafael Nadal. Swi tek’s 26-match winning streak at Roland Garros ended in the semifinals last year with a loss to Sabalenka. She opens against Emerson Jones of Australia, a wild card.

mate Denny Hamlin, who appeared to criticize Busch on the Actions Detrimental podcast.

Hamlin said, “If you’re expecting Kyle Busch to just go back to Victory Lane on a regular basis, you are kidding yourselves.”

While Hamlin later said he meant no harm by the comments and was just making an observation, Busch took exception and said he could make Hamlin’s life “hell” on the racetrack.

While several laps down at last month’s race at Kansas, Busch made good on the threat and raced Hamlin hard instead of allowing the race leader to pass. That decision held up Hamlin during a crucial stage of the race and Tyler Reddick wound up winning the race after Hamlin faded late.

After winning the Trucks race at Dover last week and showing an uptick in speed, Busch seemed to make a veiled jab at Hamlin, saying “I guess I just remembered how to drive.”

After earning his win at Dover, Busch was asked how many races he wants to win in his career before he stops racing.

“You take whatever you can get, man,” Busch said. “You never know when the last one is going to be, so cherish them all — trust me.”

The unexpected death is just the latest tragedy to hit NASCAR. Last December, former driver Greg Biffle, his wife and two children and three others died in a plane crash in Statesville, North Carolina.

The announcement of Busch’s death came after Indy Car teams had already left Gasoline Alley on media day at the Indianapolis 500. As word spread on Main Street in Speedway, Indiana, just a short walk from Indianapolis Motor Speedway, race fans — IndyCar and NASCAR — were saddened.

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Friday, May 22, 2026 ■ 5C

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LATE WEDNESDAY

LSU’s season ends with loss to Auburn Reigning national champs staying home for the postseason

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

HOOVER, Ala. — Derek Curiel called it a fluke.

Between injuries, defensive struggles, poor pitching, an inconsistent offense, and everything else in between, Curiel knew that almost nothing had gone right for LSU this season. For the sophomore, this was “a crazy, fluky year.”

But to call it all bad luck wouldn’t fully explain why LSU will miss the NCAA Tournament in 2026, a reality that became official on Wednesday night at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium when No. 14 seeded LSU was eliminated by No. 6 Auburn in the second round of the SEC Tournament by a final score of 3-1.

After winning its eighth national championship a year ago, LSU finished with a 30-28 record and will not appear in an NCAA regional for the first time since 2011.

“We’ve had a lot of good fortune,” coach Jay Johnson said. “It’s almost like baseball sometimes is going to baseball you, and sometimes life doesn’t go the way that you want it.

“There’s a little bit of a stretch here where it was like, ‘OK, I’m paying for some sins that helped us get the two championships.’ It felt like that sometimes (this season).”

On Wednesday, LSU had the game-tying run at first base with two out in the ninth inning after Brayden Simpson accurately challenged a strike-three call in a full count that turned into a two-out walk. But John Pearson grounded out to shortstop to end the game.

“They gave it everything they had for two days,” Johnson said.

In some respects, Curiel is right.

Junior right-handed starter Cooper Moore — who underwent successful surgery to repair a stress fracture at the tip of his elbow on Wednesday — only pitched in three Southeastern Conference games.

Sophomore right-handed starters

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU pitcher Casan Evans delivers against Kentucky on March 27 at Alex Box Stadium. On Wednesday, Evans pitched 42/ 3 innings against Auburn, striking out eight while allowing four hits and one earned run.

Casan Evans and William Schmidt missed time, as did freshman Omar Serna, senior Chris Stanfield and junior Jake Brown. Brown, despite hitting 16 home runs, missed most of the second half of the year with a broken hamate bone.

That’s bad luck, but even those setbacks don’t fully account for a 22-28 record after an 8-0 start to the season. It doesn’t justify a .967 team fielding percentage, or the 10.46 ERA the Tigers posted in five of their final six series against SEC competition.

“I think we were a little short in a lot of areas,” Johnson said. “I mean, a lot of areas. I’m not (just) talking about players. Yeah, a little bit in how we recruit, a little bit in how we developed (them), both the individual player and the team.

“We just lost a lot of close games,

LSU

Continued from page 1C LSU is trying to end an eight-year WCWS drought after getting to Oklahoma City four times in Beth Torina’s first six seasons at the helm.

The seven-member pitching staff is headed by Monticelli, Jayden Heavener and Cece Cellura, who each pitched a completegame victory in the Baton Rouge Regional last weekend. It will go head-to-head with one of the best pitching staffs in the nation, led by junior right-hander Jocelyn Briski, the SEC Pitcher of the Year.

Monticelli, the only Tigers pitcher with previous super regional experience, said the group’s closeness is the foundation of the confidence that has been building throughout the season. They took some early hits but finished strong with 17 wins in the past 22 games.

“We get along so well,” said Monticelli, who spent two seasons with Oklahoma, which made the WCWS both years, and won it all in 2024. “We went to a pitcher dinner last night. We do a lot of stuff outside of the field. The seven of us are like sisters, that’s the best part of our team.

“It’s a sisterhood within a sisterhood.

Sometimes we can feel like we’re on our own island and wouldn’t have it any other way. We’ve got each other’s back no matter what.”

Monticelli (9-3, 2.39 ERA) and Cellura (95, 3.12) tamed Virginia Tech’s powerful offensive attack, holding the Hokies to seven hits and two runs in 13 innings. Heavener (13-8, 2.75) threw a three-hit shutout, the 10th of her career, in the opener against Akron.

“To get three complete games from three different pitchers in a regional is pretty unheard of,” LSU coach Beth Torina said. “It’s special what they did last weekend.”

LSU (40-17) will need more of that to get

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and that’s been a hallmark of why we have two championships in the four years, is we’ve been able to be on the right side of those games, like a game like tonight.

And against the best teams, we just couldn’t do it.”

LSU’s regular-season struggles meant that the Tigers had to win the SEC Tournament to make the NCAA Tournament. They needed to win five games in six days to accomplish that, a task they began successfully on Tuesday when they beat No. 11 Oklahoma 6-2.

“This is our postseason baseball,” right-hander Gavin Guidry said after Tuesday’s win. “Postseason baseball has started earlier than it has the last couple of years . ... If we don’t win these games, we’re going home and the season is over.”

NO. 1 ALABAMA

RECORD: 52-7, 19-5 in SEC, 31-2 at home, 14-4 away, 7-1 neutral COACH: Patrick Murphy, 28th season (1,369-405 overall, all at Alabama) CWCS TITLES: 1 (2012) CWCS APPEARANCES: 15 (2000, 2003, 2005-06, 2008-09, 2011-12, 2014-15, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2023-24) SUPER REGIONALS: 19 NCAA TOURNAMENTS: 27 2026 REGIONALS: Defeated South Carolina Upstate (8-0), Belmont (2-0), South Carolina Upstate (9-0)

LSU then put itself on the right track to earning a second win on Wednesday, taking the first lead of the night in the fourth inning.

But Auburn, after tying the game 1-1 in the bottom of the fourth, took the lead in the fifth thanks to an errant throw to third base from freshman second baseman Jack Ruckert with two outs.

With runners on first and second, Ruckert cleanly fielded a weak ground ball and had a chance to throw out shortstop Brandon McCraine at third base after the Auburn runner had lingered too far off the bag. But Ruckert’s throw was well wide, and it allowed McCraine to easily score.

The mistake was the 66th error LSU has committed this season.

“They’re better on a mound.

PROBABLE LINEUP Player 2B Jena young 1B Brooke Wells DP Alexis Pupillo RF Ana Roman C Marlie Giles LF Audrey Vadagriff 3B Ambrey Taylor SS Salen Hawkins CF Kristen White Team

Avg. .333 .398 .396 .319 .377 .377 .308 .283 .357 .326

HR RBIs 6 30 23 65 17 58 12 42 6 21 9 31 11 35 4 29 0 6 95 364

RECORD: 40-17, 13-11 in SEC, 31-5 at home, 8-7 away, 1-5 neutral COACH: Beth Torina, 15th season (618-270 at LSU, 747-381 overall) CWCS TITLES: 0 CWCS APPEARANCES: 6 (2001, 2004, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017) SUPER REGIONALS: 11 NCAA TOURNAMENTS: 27 2026 REGIONALS: Defeated Akron (8-0), Virginia Tech (8-0 and 7-2) ALL-TIME RECORD VS.ALABAMA: 49-44

PROBABLE LINEUP Player CF Jalia Lassiter 2B Sierra Daniel SS Kylee Edwards RF Alix Franklin 1B Tori Edwards C Maci Bergeron LF Char Lorenz DP Ally Hutchins 3B Avery Hodge Team

Avg. .348 .341 .349 .292 .287 .260 .266 .216 .210 .291

HR RBIs 9 40 4 31 10 40 6 37 12 44 3 31 6 23 1 11 1 13 57 304

past Alabama (52-7), which lost only one SEC series this season. The heart of the Crimson Tide’s team is its own pitching staff. Briski is 22-3 with a 1.38 earned run average and 182 strikeouts in 1462/ 3 innings, while Vic Moten is right behind with 20-4, 1.66 ERA, 1351/ 3 innings, 163 strikeouts and 52 walks.

Alabama had the second-lowest team ERA at 1.52 with 430 strikeouts and only 103 walks.

“They do a ton of things well,” Torina said.

“They’ve been led by their pitching staff and are solid on all fronts.”

The Tide is led offensively by Brooke Wells and designated player Alexis Pupillo.

Wells has hit 23 homers with 65 runs batted in while batting .398. Pupillo also brings power with 17 homers and a .396 average.

Torina likes her team’s resilience after a slow start and knows trying to beat the na-

They’re just a little better on defense and popped a couple of homers out of here,” Johnson said. “And we made one mistake, and that was the ball game.”

After Ruckert’s error, Auburn extended its lead in the sixth on a solo home run from third baseman Eric Guevara. Auburn led 3-1 entering the seventh and then inserted its top reliever, lefthander Jackson Sanders, to close out the final three innings.

LSU mustered just three hits off Auburn left-handed starter Jake Marciano. A sacrifice fly from sophomore John Pearson that drove in Curiel was the only run it could muster off the Auburn ace. LSU finished the game with just four hits; Curiel had two of them.

“Those guys really pitched,” Johnson said. “They really didn’t give us much to hit. I mean, they were in the zone, but tough to hit within the zone.”

LSU sophomore right-hander Casan Evans made just his second start since returning from arm soreness on Wednesday, and through four innings, he pitched as well as he had all season. Evans had six strikeouts, and the only run he allowed was a solo home run in the fourth.

He didn’t run into any trouble until the fifth, when Auburn put two on with nobody out in an inning that eventually resulted in it scoring the go-ahead run. Evans allowed just one earned run in 42/3 innings, striking out eight batters in his final start of the year.

Sophomore left-hander Ethan Plog then replaced Evans and escaped the fifth inning jam, and senior right-hander Zac Cowan allowed just one earned run in three innings in relief after Plog. But the strong effort on the mound wasn’t enough to stave off what has now become inevitable.

LSU baseball will not be playing in June this year.

“I feel bad because we didn’t get to where we needed to be or wanted to be, or where I think this team could have been,” Johnson said. “And I don’t know that I’ve ever said that in my entire career. And that stings.”

TOP PITCHERS Player W-L Jocelyn Briski 22-3 Kaitlyn Pallozzi 9-0 Vic Moten 20-4 Team 52-7

Briski

ERA IP SO BB 1.38 146.2 182 20 1.47 71.2 58 21 1.66 135.1 163 52 1.52 378 430 103

Pallozzi

Moten

NO. 4 LSU

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TOP PITCHERS Player W-L ERA IP SO BB Jayden Heavener 13-8 2.75 132.1 120 74 Cece Cellura 9-5 3.12 98.2 48 17 Paytn Monticelli 9-3 2.39 76 62 26 Team 40-17 2.65 375.2 279 142

Heavener

Cellura

Monticelli

tion’s No. 1 seed will come down to grinding through imperfect performances.

“This team is tough. The things they went through made them tougher,” Torina said.

“They understand they can take a punch, and it doesn’t have to be perfect. It won’t be perfect this time of year. We’re going to get punched; it’s how you respond. They’ve learned this response and proven they have one. They’ll keep fighting all the way.”

ONE great state FOUR great apps

6C ■ Friday, May 22, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

lll

Knicks take 2-0 lead after win over Cavs

BY BRIAN MAHONEY AP basketball writer

Hole-in-one Kenneth Doucet Course: Pelican Point Golf Club Hole #, yardage: No. 4, 144 yards Club selection: 7-iron Witnesses: Aaron Dunaway, Mike Wilson, Owen Parker, Denny Lacombe

Odds

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By yUKI IWAMURA

New york Knicks guard Jalen Brunson shoots during the second half of Game 2 in the Eastern Conference Finals NBA against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday in New york.

Conference finals for the second straight year but haven’t played for the championship since losing to the San Antonio Spurs in 1999.

Brunson scored 38 points and led the Game 1 comeback. He had only two points in the first half Thursday before making the first basket of the run that broke open the game.

Hart burned a Cavaliers defensive strategy that seemed built around leaving him open from long

Miss, 11 a.m.

Game 11: Loser Game 9 vs. No. 2 Seed Coastal Carolina, 3 p.m.

Game 12: Loser Game 10 vs. Winner Game 8, 6:30 p.m.

Southland Conference tournament glance

(Best two of three; x-if necessary)

Game 1: Lamar 9, McNeese State 3

O/U (217½)

UNDERDOG Oklah. City

Friday’s game

Game 2: No. 2 Lamar vs. No. 5 McNeese, 6 p.m.

Saturday’s game

x-Game 3: No. 2 Lamar vs. No. 5 McNeese, 6 p.m.

UNDERDOG Tampa Bay Minnesota Detroit at KAN CITY Texas

LINE +128 +122 +114 +114 OFF

UNDERDOG LINE at CINCINNATI -107 at MIAMI +108 Washington +182 at MILWAUKEE -105 Colorado +162

NHL

FAVORITE at COLORADO

UNDERDOG LINE Houston +121 Cleveland +151 Pittsburgh +138 Athletics OFF at SAN FRAN -106

SEC tournament glance At Hoover, Ala.

Tuesday’s games

First round Game 1: No. 16 Missouri 10, No. 9 Ole Miss 8 Game 2: No. 12 Vanderbilt 8, No. 13 Kentucky 5 Game 3: No. 10 Tennessee 11, No. 15 South Carolina 6 Game 4: No. 14 LSU 6, No. 11 Oklahoma 2

Wednesday’s games

Second round Game 5: No. 8 Miss. State 12, No. 16 Missouri 2 Game 6: No. 5 Florida 8, No. 12 Vanderbilt 3 Game 7: No. 7 Arkansas 8, No. 10 Tennessee 4 Game 8: No. 6 Auburn 3, No. 14 LSU 1

Thursday’s games

Quarterfinals Game 9: No. 1 Georgia 5, No. 8 Miss. State 3 Game 10: No. 5 Florida 13, No. 4 Alabama 3

Friday’s games

LINE -190

UNDERDOG LINE Vegas +158

College softball NCAA Tournament glance Super Regionals LSU vs. Alabama

At Tuscaloosa, Ala. Friday: No. 4 LSU (37-17) vs. No. 1 Alabama (49-7), 6 p.m.

Saturday: Alabama vs. LSU, 2 p.m. x-Sunday: LSU vs. Alabama, TBD

Texas Tech vs. Florida

At Gainesville, Fla. Friday: Texas Tech (52-6) vs. No. 2 Florida (48-10), 10 a.m.

Saturday: Florida vs. Texas Tech, 11 a.m. x-Sunday: Texas Tech vs. Florida, TBD

Duke vs. Arkansas

At Fayetteville, Ark. Friday: No. 3 Duke (39-14) vs. No. 2 Arkansas (42-11), 11 a.m.

Saturday: Arkansas vs. Duke, 4 p.m. x-Sunday: Duke vs. Arkansas, TBD

UCF vs. UCLA

At Los Angeles Friday: No. 6 UCF (38-16-1) vs. No. 2 UCLA (47-8), 8 p.m.

Saturday: UCLA vs. UCF, 8 p.m. x-Sunday: UCF vs. UCLA, TBD

Oklahoma St. vs. Nebraska

At Lincoln, Neb. Thursday: No. 4 Oklahoma St. (38-15) vs. No. 1 Nebraska (46-6), n Friday: Nebraska vs. Oklahoma St., 4 p.m. x-Saturday: Oklahoma St. vs. Nebraska, 4 p.m.

Arizona St. vs. Texas

At Austin, Texas Friday: No. 5 Arizona St. (41-16) vs. No. 1 Texas (42-10), 7 p.m.

Saturday: Texas vs. Arizona St., 6 p.m. x-Sunday: Arizona St. vs. Texas, TBD

Georgia vs. Tennessee

At Knoxville, Tenn.

Thursday: No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 2 Tennessee, n Friday: Tennessee vs. Georgia, 2 p.m. x-Saturday: Georgia vs. Tennessee, 10 a.m.

Mississippi St. vs. Oklahoma

At Norman, Okla.

Friday: No. 5 Mississippi St. (38-18) vs. No. 1 Oklahoma (48-8), noon Saturday: Oklahoma vs. Mississippi St., noon x-Sunday: Miss. St. vs. Oklahoma, TBD

College baseball Sun Belt conference tournament glance Tuesday’s games

Game 1: No. 7 UL 11, No. 10 Marshall 1 Game 2: No. 9 Georgia State 17, No. 8 Old Dominion 1

Wednesday’s games

Game 3: No. 6 Texas State 6, No. 3 App State 5 Game 4: No. 7 UL 12, No. 2 Coastal Carolina 11 Game 5: No. 1 Southern Miss. 7, No. 9 Georgia State 6

Thursday’s games

Game 6: No. 4 Troy 11, No. 5 South Alabama 3 Game 7: No. 2 Coastal Carolina 8, No. 3 App State 2 Game 8: No. 5 South Alabama 7, No. 9 Georgia State 4 Game 9: No. 7 UL vs. No. 6 Texas State, n

Friday’s games

W 33 30 23 22 21

L 15 21 27 27 29

Pct .688 .588 .460 .449 .420

GB — 4½ 11 11½ 13

Cleveland Chicago Minnesota Kansas City Detroit

W 30 25 23 20 20

L 22 24 27 30 31

Pct .577 .510 .460 .400 .392

GB — 3½ 6 9 9½

Athletics Texas Seattle Houston Los Angeles

W 25 24 24 20 17

L 24 25 27 31 33

Pct .510 .490 .471 .392 .340

GB — 1 2 6 8½

Central Division

range after he was benched for the rally in Game 1, playing just three minutes combined in the fourth quarter and overtime.

The forward had been shooting just 26.7% from 3-point range and after a third straight miss from long range early Thursday, he put his jersey in his mouth and bit it, bouncing the ball down hard in frustration three times. But he kept firing and finished 5 for 11 on 3s.

Game 10: No. 4 Seed Troy vs. No. 1 Southern

Game 11: No. 7 Arkansas vs. No. 2 Texas, 3 p.m.

Game 12: No. 6 Auburn vs. No. 3 Texas A&M, 7 p.m.

Late Wednesday

Auburn 3, LSU 1 LSU (30-28)

Auburn (37-18) ab r h bi ab r h bi Braun rf 4 0 1 0 Rembert 2b 4 0 1 0 Arrambide c 4 0 0 0 Fralick c 4 1 1 1 Curiel cf 3 1 2 0 Bingaman 1b 4 0 0 0 Milam ss 3 0 0 0 Guevara 3b 4 1 2 1 Simpson dh 2 0 0 0 Terrell lf 4 0 1 0 Jh. Pearson 3b 3 0 1 1 B. McCrai. ss 3 1 1 0 Stanfield lf 3 0 0 0 M. McCrai. dh 2 0 1 0 Ruckert 2b 2 0 0 0 Carter cf 3 0 0 0 Yamin ph 1 0 0 0 Belyeu rf 2 0 0 0 Patrick rf 2 0 0 0 Yorke ph 1 0 0 0 TOTALS 28 1 4 1 TOTALS 30 3 7 2 LSU 000 100 000 — 1 4 1 Auburn 000 111 00X — 3 7 0 E — Ruckert (5). DP — Auburn 1. LOB — LSU 5; Auburn 5. 2B — Curiel (18). HR — Fralick (14); Guevara (12). HBP — Belyeu SH — Simpson (1). SF — Pearson (2). CS — McCraine (3).

LSU IP H R ER BB SO Evans (L, 2-4) 42⁄3 4 2 1 1 8 1 Plog ⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 Cowan 3 3 1 1 0 4 Auburn IP H R ER BB SO Marciano (W, 5-5) 6 4 1 1 1 4 Sanders (S, 4) 3 0 0 0 2 2 BP — by Cowan (Belyeu, C.).

Umpires — HP: Kevin Sweeney 1B: Scott Kennedy 2B: Jason Bradley 3B: Clint Fagan Start: 8:10 p.m. Time — 2:34 A — 14,461

Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament glance At Birmingham, Ala.

Wednesday’s games First round

Game 1: No. 3 Florida A&M 8, No. 6 Texas Southern 6 Game 2: No. 4 Alabama State 10, No. 5 Grambling 0 Game 3: No. 2 Southern 4, No. 7 Jackson State 3, 10 innings Game 4: No. 8 Arkansas-Pine Bluff 6, No. 1 Bethune-Cookman 4

Thursday’s games

Game 5: No. 6 Texas Southern 8, No. 7 Jackson State 7 Game 6: No. 1 Bethune-Cookman 7, No. 5 Grambling 6 Game 7: No. 3 Florida A&M vs. No. 2 Southern, n Game 8: No. 4 Alabama State vs. No. 8 Arkansas-Pine Bluff, n

Friday’s games

Game 9: No. 6 Texas Southern vs. Loser Game 7, 9 a.m.

Game 10: No. 1 Bethune-Cookman vs. Loser Game 8, noon Game 11: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 9, 3 p.m.

Game 12: Winner Game 10 vs. Winner Game 8, 6 p.m.

Saturday’s games

x-Game 11b: Loser Game 11 vs. Winner Game 11, noon x-Game 12b: Loser Game 12 vs. Winner Game 12, 3 p.m.

Sunday’s game

Game 13: Championship game, 1 p.m.

Pro basketball NBA Playoffs CONFERENCE FINALS (Best-of-7; x-if necessary)

Eastern Conference New York 2, Cleveland 0 Tuesday, May 19: New York 115, Cleveland 104, OT Thursday, May 21: New York 109, Cleveland 93 Saturday, May 23: New York at Cleveland, 7 p.m.

Monday, May 25: New York at Cleveland, 7 p.m. x-Wednesday, May 27: Cleveland at New York, TBA x-Friday, May 29: New York at Cleveland, TBA x-Sunday, May 31: Cleveland at New York, TBA

Western Conference San Antonio 1, Oklahoma City 1

Monday, May 18: San Antonio 122, Oklahoma City 115, 2OT Wednesday, May 20: Oklahoma City 122, San Antonio 113 Friday, May 22: Oklahoma City at San Antonio, 8:30 p.m.

Sunday, May 24: Oklahoma City at San Antonio, 8 p.m. x-Tuesday, May 26: San Antonio at Oklahoma City, TBA x-Thursday, May 28: Oklahoma City at San Antonio, TBA x-Saturday, May 30: San Antonio at Oklahoma City, TBA

Atlanta Philadelphia Washington Miami New York

W 34 25 25 22 21

L 16 25 25 28 28

Pct .680 .500 .500 .440 .429

GB — 9 9 12 12½

Milwaukee Chicago St. Louis Cincinnati Pittsburgh

W 29 29 28 26 26

L 18 21 21 24 24

Pct .617 .580 .571 .520 .520

GB — 1½ 2 4½ 4½

Los Angeles San Diego Arizona San Francisco Colorado

W 31 29 25 20 19

L 19 20 23 30 31

Pct .620 .592 .521 .400 .380

GB — 1½ 5 11 12

Central Division

West Division

Wednesday’s games

Cincinnati 9, Philadelphia 4 Arizona 6, San Francisco 3 Texas 5, Colorado 4 Washington 8, N.Y. Mets 4 Atlanta 9, Miami 1 Milwaukee 5, Chicago Cubs 0 Pittsburgh 7, St. Louis 0 L.A. Dodgers 4, San Diego 0

Thursday’s games

Cleveland 3, Detroit 1 Toronto 2, N.Y. Yankees 0 Athletics at L.A. Angels, n

Pittsburgh 6, St. Louis 2 N.Y. Mets 2, Washington 1 Atlanta 9, Miami 3 Colorado at Arizona, n

Houston (Arrighetti 5-1) at Chicago Cubs (Taillon 2-3), 1:20 p.m.

Cleveland (Williams 6-3) at Philadelphia (Sánchez 5-2), 5:40 p.m.

Tampa Bay (Martinez 4-1) at N.Y. Yankees (Cole 0-0), 6:05 p.m.

Pittsburgh (Chandler 1-5) at Toronto (Gausman 3-3), 6:07 p.m.

Minnesota (Prielipp 1-2) at Boston (Tolle 2-2), 6:10 p.m.

Detroit (Flaherty 0-5) at Baltimore (Bassitt 3-3), 6:15 p.m.

Seattle (Gilbert 2-4) at Kansas City (Cameron 2-3), 6:40 p.m.

Texas (deGrom 3-3) at L.A. Angels (Rodriguez 0-1), 8:38 p.m.

Athletics (Springs 3-4) at San Diego (Buehler 3-2), 8:40 p.m.

Chicago White Sox (Martin 6-1) at San Francisco (McDonald 2-0), 9:15 p.m.

Houston (Arrighetti 5-1) at Chicago Cubs (Taillon 2-3), 1:20 p.m.

Cleveland (Williams 6-3) at Philadelphia (Sánchez 5-2), 5:40 p.m.

St. Louis (Leahy 5-3) at Cincinnati (Paddack 0-5), 5:40 p.m.

Pittsburgh (Chandler 1-5) at Toronto (Gausman 3-3), 6:07 p.m.

N.Y. Mets (Peralta 3-3) at Miami (Pérez 2-6), 6:10 p.m.

Washington (Mikolas 1-3) at Atlanta (Elder 4-2), 6:15 p.m.

L.A. Dodgers (Wrobleski 6-1) at Milwaukee (Henderson 1-1), 6:40 p.m.

Athletics (Springs 3-4) at San Diego (Buehler 3-2), 8:40 p.m.

Colorado (Sugano 4-3) at Arizona (Soroka 6-2), 8:40 p.m.

Chicago White Sox (Martin 6-1) at San Francisco (McDonald 2-0), 9:15 p.m.

Friday’s games

Thursday’s game

Friday

Friday

Tampa Bay New York Toronto Boston Baltimore

Thursday’s games

At Beaumont, Texas

NBA

American League FAVORITE LINE at N.Y YANKEES -152 at BOSTON -144 at BALTIMORE -134 Seattle -134 at LA ANGELS OFF National League FAVORITE LINE St. Louis -112 N.Y Mets -128 at ATLANTA -222 LA Dodgers -114 at ARIZONA -195 Interleague FAVORITE LINE at CHI. CUBS -145 at PHILA -182 at TORONTO -165 at SAN DIEGO OFF Chi. White Sox -113

East Division

Wednesday’s games

Championship series

MLB

National League glance

East Division

Tampa Bay 5, Baltimore 3 Minnesota 4, Houston 1 Texas 5, Colorado 4 Seattle 5, Chicago White Sox 4 Cleveland 3, Detroit 2, 10 innings Toronto 2, N.Y. Yankees 1 Boston 4, Kansas City 3 Athletics 6, L.A. Angels 5, 10 innings

SCOREBOARD FAVORITE LINE at SAN ANTONIO 1½

American League glance

West Division

NEW YORK — Josh Hart scored a playoff career-high 26 points, Jalen Brunson had 19 points and 14 assists, and the New York Knicks moved halfway to their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999 by beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 109-93 on Thursday night.

Mikal Bridges also scored 19 points and Karl-Anthony Towns had 18 points and 13 rebounds for the Knicks, who won their ninth straight game. That’s the NBA’s longest postseason winning streak since the Boston Celtics won 10 straight on their way to the 2024 championship.

Two nights after rallying from a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter, the Knicks made sure they would be in control late with an 18-0 run in the third quarter that gave them a 71-53 lead. Fans chanted “Knicks in four! Knicks in four!” in the final minute, long after the starters had gone to the benches.

Donovan Mitchell scored 26 points and James Harden had 18 for the Cavaliers, who will have to climb out of a 2-0 deficit for the second straight round. They host Game 3 on Saturday.

The Knicks are in the Eastern

Friday

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

Friday’s games

BOX SCORES Pittsburgh 6, St. Louis 2

Cleveland 3, Detroit 1

Pittsburgh

Cleveland

St. Louis ab r h bi ab r h bi Cruz cf 5 1 1 0 Wether. 2b 4 0 0 0 Lowe 2b 4 1 2 1 Herrera dh 4 2 2 1 Reynolds lf 5 0 0 1 Burleson 1b4 0 2 0 Horwitz 1b 3 1 1 0 Walker rf 4 0 1 1 Griffin ss 4 2 1 0 Gorman 3b 4 0 0 0 Ozuna dh 4 0 2 2 Winn ss 2 0 0 0 Mangum rf 4 0 1 1 Fermín lf 4 0 1 0 Triolo 3b 4 0 1 0 Pagés c 4 0 2 0 Davis c 3 1 1 1 Scott cf 3 0 0 0 Pozo ph 1 0 0 0 Totals 36 610 6 Totals 34 2 8 2 Pittsburgh 100 102 200 — 6 St. Louis 001 000 010 — 2 DP—Pittsburgh 1, St. Louis 1. LOB—Pittsburgh 6, St. Louis 7. 2B—Griffin (8), Cruz (10), Burleson (12). HR—Lowe (13), Davis (3), Herrera (6). SB—Griffin (11).

IP H R ER BB SO Pittsburgh Ashcraft W,3-2 7 4 1 1 2 9 Dotel 1 3 1 1 0 2 Montgomery 1 1 0 0 0 0 St. Louis 1 May L,3-5 5 ⁄3 6 4 4 2 7 2 Graceffo ⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 2 Bruihl ⁄3 3 2 2 0 0 1 Svanson 1 ⁄3 1 0 0 0 1 Pushard 1 0 0 0 0 1 HBP—May (Davis).

ABS Challenge—Ozuna (Strike-Confirmed); Ashcraft (Ball-Confirmed); Herrera (Strike-Confirmed); May (BallOverturned to Strike).

Umpires—Home, James Hoye; First, Tyler Jones; Second, D.J. Reyburn; Third, John Libka.

T—2:32. A—27,705 (44,494).

Detroit ab r h bi ab r h bi 3 1 1 1 Vierling cf 4 0 0 0 4 0 1 1 McGon.3b-ss 3 0 1 0 4 0 0 0 Dingler c 4 1 2 1 4 0 0 0 Greene lf 4 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 Jones dh 2 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 Work. ph-dh 1 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 Torkelson 1b 4 0 1 0 3 1 1 1 Pérez rf 4 0 0 0 3 1 3 0 Lee 2b 2 0 0 0 Keith ph-3b 1 0 0 0 Short ss 2 0 1 0 McKin. ph-2b 2 0 1 0 Totals 33 3 6 3 Totals 33 1 6 1 Cleveland 002 000 010 — 3 Detroit 000 000 010 — 1 LOB—Cleveland 4, Detroit 9. 2B—Rocchio 2 (7), Schneemann (9), Dingler (10). HR— Bailey (2), Dingler (9). SB—Rocchio (9).

IP H R ER BB SO Cleveland Cantillo W,4-1 52⁄3 3 0 0 3 6 1 Festa H,7 ⁄3 1 0 0 0 1 2 Armstrong H,4 ⁄3 0 0 0 1 2 2 Herrin H,4 ⁄3 1 1 1 0 1 2 Heuer H,1 ⁄3 0 0 0 0 1 Gaddis S,1-2 1 1 0 0 0 2 Detroit Mize L,2-3 62⁄3 4 2 2 0 4 2 B.Smith ⁄3 2 1 1 1 1 2 De Jesús 1 ⁄3 0 0 0 0 2 ABS Challenge—Cantillo (Ball-Overturned to Strike); Cantillo (Ball-Overturned to Strike); Rocchio (Strike-Overturned to Ball); Hoskins (Strike-Overturned to Ball); Armstrong (Ball-Overturned to Strike); Herrin (Ball-Confirmed); Gaddis (BallOverturned to Strike).

Umpires—Home, Manny Gonzalez; First, Tom Hanahan; Second, Ron Kulpa; Third, Scott Barry.

T—2:40. A—25,687 (41,083).

N.Y. Mets 2, Washington 1

Atlanta 9, Miami 3

New York

Atlanta

Schneem. 3b Ramírez dh DeLauter rf Hoskins 1b Bazzana 2b Martínez lf Kwan cf Bailey c Rocchio ss

WNBA glance

EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlanta Chicago Indiana New York Toronto Washington Connecticut

W 2 3 3 3 3 2 1

L 1 2 2 2 3 2 5

Pct .667 .600 .600 .600 .500 .500 .167

GB — — — — ½ ½ 2½

Las Vegas Golden State Minnesota Dallas Phoenix Portland Los Angeles Seattle

W 4 3 3 3 2 2 1 1

L 1 1 2 2 3 3 3 4

Pct .800 .750 .600 .600 .400 .400 .250 .200

GB — ½ 1 1 2 2 2½ 3

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Wednesday’s games

Indiana 90, Portland 73 Dallas 99, Chicago 89 Connecticut 80, Seattle 78

Thursday’s games

Minnesota 100, Toronto 72 Golden State 87, New York 70 Los Angeles at Phoenix, n

Friday’s games

Dallas at Atlanta, 6:30 p.m.

Golden State at Indiana, 6:30 p.m.

Connecticut at Seattle, 9 p.m.

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

EASTERN CONFERENCE Montreal 1, Carolina 0

Thursday, May 21: Montreal 6, Carolina 2 Saturday, May 23: Montreal at Carolina, 6 p.m.

Monday, May 25: Carolina at Montreal, 7 p.m.

Wednesday, May 27: Carolina at Montreal, 7 p.m. x-Friday, May 29: Montreal at Carolina, TBA x-Sunday, May 31: Carolina at Montreal, TBA x-Tuesday, June 2: Montreal at Carolina, TBA

WESTERN CONFERENCE Vegas 1, Colorado 0

Wednesday, May 20: Vegas 4, Colorado 2 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

Transactions Major League Baseball American League BALTIMORE ORIOLES — Sent RHP Jose Espada outright to Norfolk (IL).

CLEVELAND GUARDIANS — Agreed to terms with SS Luis Rodriguez on a minor league contract.

HOUSTON ASTROS — Agreed to terms with RHP Andrew Marrero on a minor league contract. Optioned RHP Jayden Murray to Sugar Land (PCL). Sent RHP Cody Bolton outright to Sugar Land.

National League ATLANTA BRAVES — Claimed C Maverick Handley off waivers from Baltimore. Selected the contract of RHP Carlos Carrasco from Gwinnett (IL). Optioned RHP Victor Mederos to Gwinnett.

MILWAUKEE BREWERS — Sent RHP Quinn Priester to Nashville (IL) on a rehab assignment.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS — Reinstated RHP Clayton Beeter from the 15-day IL. Optioned LHP PJ Poulin to Rochester (IL).

Washington ab r h bi ab r h bi Benge rf 5 0 1 0 Wood lf 4 0 1 0 Bichette ss 4 0 1 2 Mead 3b-1b 4 0 0 0 Soto lf 3 0 0 0 Chaparr. 1b 2 0 0 1 Vientos 1b 4 0 0 0 Vivas ph-3b1 0 0 0 Baty 3b 4 0 2 0 Abrams ss 2 0 0 0 Semien 2b 4 0 1 0 Crews rf 3 0 0 0 Ewing cf 2 0 0 0 Lile dh 4 0 2 0 Melend. dh 2 1 0 0 Young cf 3 0 0 0 Torrens c 4 1 1 0 García ph 1 0 0 0 Nuñez 2b 3 0 0 0 Tena ph 1 0 0 0 Ruiz c 4 1 2 0 Totals 32 2 6 2 Totals 32 1 5 1 New York 002 000 000 — 2 Washington 000 010 000 — 1 E—Bichette (5), Crews (1), Nuñez (5).

LOB—New York 8, Washington 8. 2B— Wood (14), Lile (14). SB—Soto (5). S—Ewing (2).

IP H R ER BB SO New York Peterson W,3-4 5 4 1 1 3 3 Brazobán H,2 1 0 0 0 0 0 Raley H,8 1 0 0 0 0 2 Weaver H,6 1 0 0 0 1 1 Williams S,7-8 1 1 0 0 0 1 Washington Cavalli L,2-3 7 4 2 2 1 9 Beeter 1 0 0 0 1 2 Ribalta 1 2 0 0 0 1 HBP—Cavalli 2 (Melendez,Melendez).

WP—Beeter.

ABS Challenge—Semien (Strike-Confirmed); García (Strike-Confirmed).

Umpires—Home, Chris Segal; First, Todd Tichenor; Second, Clint Vondrak; Third, John Bacon.

T—2:34. A—17,291 (41,376).

Miami ab r h bi ab r h bi 3 1 2 2 Edwards 2b 4 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 Hicks dh-c 4 0 0 0 5 2 2 3 Lopez ss 4 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 Stowers lf-rf 4 2 2 2 4 1 1 0 Marsee cf 4 0 0 0 4 2 2 0 Morel 1b 3 0 1 0 4 0 0 0 Caissie rf 2 1 1 1 3 2 3 2 Herná. ph-lf 2 0 1 0 1 0 1 2 Mack c 1 0 0 0 3 1 1 0 Gibson p-p 0 0 0 0 3 0 1 0 Ruiz ph 1 0 0 0 Fairbanks p 0 0 0 0 Sanoja 3b 3 0 0 0 Totals 36 913 9 Totals 32 3 6 3 Atlanta 210 021 021 — 9 Miami 001 100 100 — 3 DP—Atlanta 1, Miami 1. LOB—Atlanta 4, Miami 4. 2B—Yastrzemski (7), Smith (4).

HR—Harris 2 (11), Yastrzemski (3), Caissie (4), Stowers 2 (3). SB—Kim (1). S—Tromp (1).

IP H R ER BB SO Atlanta 3 2 9 Strider W,2-0 61⁄3 4 3 2 ⁄3 1 0 0 0 1 Lee H,8 Suarez 1 0 0 0 0 1 Dodd 1 1 0 0 0 2 Miami Alcantara L,3-3 6 9 6 6 0 3 Gibson 2 3 2 2 1 4 Fairbanks 1 1 1 1 0 2 HBP—Gibson 2 (White,Albies).

ABS Challenge—Strider (Ball-Confirmed); Gibson (Ball-Overturned to Strike); Dodd (Ball-Confirmed).

Umpires—Home, Austin Jones; First, Lance Barrett; Second, Jonathan Parra; Third, Mike Estabrook.

T—2:45. A—8,834 (37,446).

Acuña rf White rf Harris cf Olson 1b Albies 2b Smith dh Riley 3b Yastrzem. lf Dubón ph-lf Kim ss Tromp c

THIS DATE IN BASEBALL May 22 1933 — Joe Sewell of the New York Yankees struck out for the first time this season, during a 3-0 win over Cleveland.

Sewell would strike out only three more times in 524 at-bats.

1942 — Ted Williams is sworn into the U.S. Navy, but will remain with the Red Sox until he is called for active duty.

1957 — The Boston Red Sox hit four home runs in the sixth inning of an 11-0 win over Cleveland. Gene Mauch, Ted Williams, Dick Gernert and Frank Malzone connected. All the homers came on the first 16 pitches from Cal McLish.

1958 — Ted Williams hits his 16th career grand slam to provide the Red Sox with the margin in an 8-5 win over the A’s.

Ted’s 4th-inning blast, off Jack Urban, ties him with Babe Ruth for second place on the career slam list.

1959 — Baltimore’s Hoyt Wilhelm pitched a one-hitter against the New York Yankees for a 5-0 win. Jerry Lumpe’s single in the eighth spoiled the no-hit bid.

1963 — Mickey Mantle hit a pitch from Kansas City’s Bill Fischer off the rightfield facade at Yankee Stadium in an 8-7 victory over the A’s.

1968 — Willie Stargell of the Pittsburgh Pirates hit three home runs, a double and a single in a 13-6 victory over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Stargell’s double just missed going out, as it bounced off the railing of the left-field bleachers.

1976 — St. Louis’ Reggie Smith hit three home runs — two right-handed and one left-handed — and drove in five runs in a 7-6 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.

Smith’s third homer came with two outs

in the ninth and broke a 6-6 tie.

1977 — Boston and Milwaukee hit a combined 11 home runs in a 14-10 Red Sox victory at Fenway Park, tying a major league record. The Red Sox connected for six and the Brewers hit five in the first game of a doubleheader.

1983 — Cliff Johnson of the Toronto Blue Jays hit his 18th career pinch homer. The homer, off Baltimore’s Tippy Martinez, tied Johnson with Jerry Lynch on the career pinch home run list.

1990 — Andre Dawson sets a major-league record when he is intentionally walked five times during a 16-inning, 2-1 Cubs win over the Reds.

1998 — The Mets acquire catcher Mike Piazza from the Marlins in exchange for OF Preston Wilson, P Ed Yarnall and a player to be named. Piazza has barely spent a week with Florida, following a trade from the Dodgers.

1998 — Brian Cox went 6-for-6, including a grand slam in a 10-run third inning, as Florida State rolled past Delaware 27-6 in the NCAA Atlantic II Regional. Freshman Matt Diaz hit three home runs for the Seminoles.

2000 — Milwaukee beat Houston in the first game of a doubleheader, 10-9, coming back from a 9-2 deficit to tie the score with seven runs in the bottom half of the ninth inning. The Brewers won the game in the 10th on a home run by Jose Hernandez.

2001 — The Twins score 8 runs in the 3rd inning to give Brad Radke an 8 - 0 lead, then hold on to edge the Mariners, 12-11. The M’s will use the momentum to win their next 15 and set a franchise record.

THAT’S A WRAP!

AUTHORS ROW

The Live After Five free outdoor concert series will finish its spring season with a show by the Rouge Krewe party band, which brings high-energy favorites, dance hits and crowd fun to each performance. The music will run from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday at Rhorer Plaza downtown. downtownbr.org/live-after-five/.

Louisiana writers will be selling their books from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Jones Creek Branch Library. The Red River Bank ice cream truck and the LifeShare Blood Center van will participate in the event. Also, take in a presentation on the library’s local author resources at 2:30 p.m. ebrpl.com.

PROVIDED PHOTO

SERVING UP SOUL

The ninth annual Baton Rouge Soul Food Festival will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Saturday and Sunday at the Main Library at Goodwood. It’s a free, family-friendly event with varied live music, a vendor village, cooking contests and a mustard greens and cornbread eating contest. hitcitydigital. wixsite.com/brsoulfoodfest.

THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M

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FAIRS AND FESTIVALS

Make the most of holiday’s long weekend

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Staff report With the extended Memorial Day weekend, there’s more time to take in the last of Louisiana’s fairs and festivals for spring.

Here are the details on eight of them, from celebrating the watermelon in DeRidder to a zydeco bash in Lafayette:

FRIDAY-SATURDAY

BEAUREGARD WATERMELON FESTIVAL: Beauregard Parish Fairgrounds, 504 West Drive, DeRidder. The community event is going patriotic to celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday, pausing to honor the brave men and women whose sacrifice made freedom possible. Goldstar Amusement will offer rides, games and other midway favorites. Also look for live entertainment and contests. beauregardwatermelonfestival.com.

From ‘Star Wars’ to ‘The Dog Stars,’ here are 29 movies hitting U.S. theaters this summer

T

BY JOHN WIRT | Contributing writer

he summer movie season opens big on Friday with “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu.”

The coming weeks and months will bring new films from A-list directors Steven Spielberg (“Disclosure Day”) and Christopher Nolan (“The Odyssey”); a “Scary Movie” sequel; a handful of genuinely scary movies; the fifth “Toy Story”; and a live-action remake of Disney’s animated hit “Moana.”

Many films opening from Friday through late summer follow. Opening dates may change.

FRIDAY-SUNDAY

JAMBALAYA FESTIVAL: LamarDixon Expo Center, 9039 S. St. Landry Ave., Gonzales. Carnival rides, games, live music, jambalaya cook-off, food vendors, and arts and crafts. jambalayafestival.net.

GREEK FESTIVAL: Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 1200 Allen Toussaint Blvd., New Orleans. Walk/run, guided tours of the cathedral, performances by the Hellenic Dancers, live Greek music, Athenian Playground for kids, food and drink. https:// www.gfno.com/.

MUDBUG MADNESS FESTIVAL: Festival Plaza, 101 Crockett St., Shreveport. Thirty bands set to play country, pop, blues and zydeco on three stages; food, art/ craft vendors, children’s area, crawfish eating contests, boiled crawfish, beverages. https:// www.mudbugmadness.com/.

FRIDAY

“PASSENGER”: A demon hitches a ride with a young couple who witnessed a deadly highway accident. Starring Jacob Scipio, Lou Llobell and Melissa Leo. “STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU”: Pedro Pascal stars as Din Djarin, the Mandalorian bounty hunter who, with his apprentice, Grogu, battles Imperial warlords hellbent on destroying the New Republic. Sigourney Weaver and Jeremy Allen White co-star.

MAY 29

“BACKROOMS”: A strange doorway appears in the basement of a furniture store. With Chiwetel Ejiofor (“12 Years a Slave”), New Orleans native Mark Duplass, Renate Reinsve, Finn Bennett and Lukita Maxwell.

“PRESSURE”: Set in the 72 hours before D-Day, “Pressure” focuses on Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower (Brendan Fraser) and Capt. James Stagg (Andrew Scott) as they decide if the time is right to launch the largest invasion-by-sea in history — or risk defeat in Europe by Nazi Germany and its fascist allies.

“THE BREADWINNER”: In his first feature film, comedian Nate Bargatze plays a salesman and father whose supremely organized spouse (Mandy Moore) takes an extended business trip, leaving their home in chaos.

JUNE 5

“MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE”: After Prince Adam (Nicholas Galitzine) obtains the Sword of Power, he returns to his native planet, Eternia,

ä See MOVIES, page 2D

FRIDAY-SUNDAY, MAY 31

CAJUN HEARTLAND STATE FAIR: 444 Cajundome Blvd., Lafayette.

This kickoff to summer features rides, food, craft vendors, free attractions and family-oriented games. Admission is $5 SundayThursday and before 7 p.m.

Friday- Saturday, $10 after 7 p.m.

Friday-Saturday. cajundome.com.

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SATURDAY

LUNCHBOX COMEDY FESTIVAL IV: 10 a.m.-10 p.m., Cabin & Courtyard Events, Gonzales. Event will feature 25-plus comedians, 20-plus vendors, four full comedy shows, live band, reptile petting zoo and hot dog eating competition. All-day pass, $25; VIP pass, $40. eventbrite.com.

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SATURDAY-SUNDAY

BATON ROUGE SOUL FOOD FESTIVAL: 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Main Library at Goodwood, 7711 Goodwood Blvd. Featuring blues, soul, R&B, gospel and Christian music, along with a vendors’ village, a judged soul food cooking contest, and new this year — a mustard greens and cornbread eating competition. Free. https:// hitcitydigital.wixsite.com/brsoulfoodfest.

ZYDECO EXTRAVAGANZA: Noon, Blackham Coliseum, 2230 Johnston St., Lafayette. Featuring the crowd-favorite amateur accordion contest, authentic Creole food and art vendors. The music lineup includes Chris Ardoin, Keith Frank, Tucka, Step Rideau, Rusty Metoyer, Leon Chavis, Jeffery & Koray Broussard, Mike Dopsie and DJ Troy D. $30 and up; free, kids 12 and younger. https://zydecoextra.com/.

La.’s Kix Brooks wins another ACM honor Ronnie Dunn, left, and Kix Brooks of Brooks & Dunn accept the award for duo of the year during the 61st annual Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday.

AP PHOTO By CHRIS PIZZELLO

Awards elude multi-nominated Lainey Wilson

home their 18th ACM Duo of the Year award on Sunday night in Las Vegas.

Shreveport native Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn, of Coleman, Texas, have had hits including “Neon Moon,” “Brand New Man,” “Cowgirls Don’t

BY JUDY BERGERON Cry” and more over 34 years Staff writer of performing together. In toVeteran country music art- tal, they’ve amassed 30 ACM ists Brooks & Dunn, the most- awards and 73 nominations. awarded duo in Academy of ä See AWARDS, page 3D Country Music history, took

2D ■ Friday, May 22, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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Son has issues around eating

PROVIDED PHOTO By MELINDA SUE GORDON/UNIVERSAL PICTURES

Matt Damon is Odysseus in ‘The Odyssey,’ written, produced and directed by Christopher Nolan.

MOVIES

Continued from page 1D to save his family and world.

“POWER BALLAD”: Rick (Paul Rudd), a professional wedding singer, and Danny (Nick Jonas), a faded boy-band star, become friends after they meet at a jam session.

Jealousy ensues when Danny gets a hit with a song written

by Rick.

“SCARY MOVIE”: Original “Scary Movie” stars Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Anna Faris and Regina Hall are mock-terrorized by masked murderer Ghostface.

JUNE 12

“DISCLOSURE DAY”: Steven Spielberg directs an alien-invasion thriller starring Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, Colin Firth and Eve Hewson.

JUNE 19

“THE DEATH OF ROBIN HOOD”: Suffering from physical and mental wounds, Robin Hood gets a chance for salvation thanks to a mysterious woman. Hugh Jackman, Jodie Comer and Bill Skarsgård lead the cast.

“TOY STORY 5”: Woody the cowboy, Buzz Lightyear and the other toys confront a new nemesis. Lilypad, a frogshaped smart tablet, is determined to sever the toys from their child, Bonnie. Featuring the voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack and Greta Lee and music of Randy Newman.

“GIRLS LIKE US”: A coming-ofage drama based on writerdirector Hayley Kiyoko’s hit song and bestselling novel.

JUNE 26

“JACKASS BEST AND LAST”: Johnny Knoxville leads his gang of fools in more silly stunts. It’s promised to be the final “Jackass” movie.

“SUPERGIRL: WOMAN OF TOMORROW”: Milly Alcock is the new Supergirl, a reluctant heroine who, responding to a merciless threat, embarks on an interstellar quest for justice.

JULY 1

“MINIONS & MONSTERS”: The diminutive co-stars of four “Despicable Me” movies conquer Hollywood and become movie stars before losing everything and unleashing monsters. Voices by Allison Janney, Christoph Waltz, Jeff Bridges, Jesse Eisenberg, Zoey Deutch, Bobby Moynihan, Phil LaMarr, Trey Parker and Pierre Coffin.

JULY 3

“THE INVITE”: Oliva Wilde directs and co-stars in a comedy-drama about a dinner party that takes unexpected turns. Penélope Cruz and

Dear Harriette: My son hides making fun of his dad for eating too much when he his food intake, and he’s been this way for years. I’m indulges a second serving, even though we all not sure if it stems know my son will from him feeling be back later to do like we used to baby the same. My son is him, but he hates not and hasn’t ever when we offer him been overweight, so food, tell him to I can’t, for the life of pack a to-go plate Harriette me, figure out why when he’s leaving Cole he does this. And, as our place or anyou can see, it’s not SENSE AND nounce that the food SENSITIVITy his favorite topic of is ready. He won’t conversation. Any eat when we tell him advice? — Secret Eater to, but once everyone is Dear Secret Eater: Select gone, he’ll come around and eat hefty portions. We used a time that you two are together and it’s not near to poke fun at how much a meal. Tell your son you food he’d take until we have a sensitive topic you realized it was a sore spot want to discuss with him. for him. This all started Ask for his blessing to with his vegan phase in proceed, and then be direct his late teens, which was with him. Point out that around the time when my you have noticed that he steaks and bacon would has an unusual relationship disappear overnight. He’s with food, at least around grown up now and still lies the family. Describe what or sneaks around about food. He’ll even go as far as you have observed, and

ask if you or the family has done something to make him feel ashamed about his eating. Inquire as to why he feels uncomfortable with the topic of food, at least around you. See if he will open up. It sounds like your son would benefit from speaking with a therapist about his food issues.

Send questions to askharriette@ harriettecole.com.

HOME-DELIVERED

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PROVIDED PHOTO FROM SONy PICTURES

Tom Holland stars as Spider-Man in ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day.’ Seth Rogen co-star. Limited opening.

“YOUNG WASHINGTON”: William Franklyn-Miller portrays George Washington at the beginning of his military career.

Mary-Louise Parker, Kelsey Grammer and Ben Kingsley co-star.

JULY 10

“EVIL DEAD BURN”: The fifth “Evil Dead” movie sticks to the 1981 original’s horror blueprint. After a woman’s husband dies, she seeks comfort with her in-laws at an isolated family retreat.

JULY 17

“MOANA”: Disney adapts another of its animated hits to live-action. Starring Catherine Laga’aia as Polynesian heroine Moana and Dwayne Johnson as the shape-shifting Maui. Directed by Thomas Kail of “Hamilton” fame.

Songs by “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda.

“THE ODYSSEY”: Christopher Nolan (“Oppenheimer,” “The Dark Knight,” “Interstellar”) depicts Odysseus’ voyage home from the Trojan War in the IMAX format. The blockbuster cast features Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya and Charlize Theron.

JULY 31

“SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY”: After erasing himself from the memories of everyone he loves, Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man, is alone in New York City. Fighting crime full-time in a city that has forgotten him, he faces a vexing new crime wave. Tom Holland, Zendaya, Sadie Sink and Mark Ruffalo star.

AUG. 7

“ONE NIGHT ONLY”: In this high-concept romantic comedy, Monica Barbaro (“A Complete Unknown,” “Top Gun: Maverick”) and Callum Turner (“Masters of the Air,” “Fantastic Beasts”) portray two people looking for love in New York City on the least likely night to find it. With Maya Hawke, Julia Fox, Molly

Ringwald and Levar Burton.

AUG. 14

“PAW PATROL: THE DINO MOVIE”: The PAW Patrol pups get shipwrecked on an island of dinosaurs. Making matters worse, PAW Patrol enemy Mayor Humdinger begins mining the island, sparking a volcanic eruption.

“THE END OF OAK STREET”: A cosmic event transports a family’s 1980s neighborhood on Earth to an unknown place.

Starring Anne Hathaway, Ewan McGregor and P.J. Byrne.

AUG. 21

“INSIDIOUS: OUT OF THE FURTHER”: Gemma, a young mother raising a daughter in the house she grew up in, learns that she can travel into a purgatory for lost souls and open a portal for demons.

“MUTINY”: Jason Statham’s character in the action-thriller “Mutiny,” a good guy who’s been framed for a crime, uncovers human trafficking on a cargo ship.

“COYOTE VS. ACME”: An animated/live-action hybrid movie, “Coyote vs. Acme” pits Looney Tunes character Wile E. Coyote in a suit against the Acme Corp., whose products always malfunction when he pursues Road Runner. Will Forte and John Cena co-star.

“FINDING EMILY”: A lovestruck musician gets the wrong number for his dream girl. He enlists a psychology student to find her and, together, they inspire a campus-wide frenzy that tries their own hearts and ambitions. Starring Angourie Rice, Spike Fearn and Minnie Driver.

“THE DOG STARS”: After a pandemic wipes out most of the humans on Earth, survivors must evade murderous scavengers known as Reapers. Ridley Scott (“Gladiator,” “Blade Runner”) directs a stellar cast featuring Jacob Elordi, Margaret Qualley, Josh Brolin and Guy Pearce.

Email John Wirt at j_wirt@ msn.com.

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The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Friday, May 22, 2026 ■ 3D

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So many questions them to. Some people offer Dear Miss Manners: I was a right away, but it still seems single mom in my 40s with a preteen child. After eight awkward.

How do I address years of not dating, this without comI met a man through my CB radio coming off as rude? I don’t include elderly munity whom I took guests on this issue. a good liking to.

Gentle reader: Why? We spent eight Because they keep months getting to Judith their shoes cleaner? know each other Martin No, more likely beand he never hinted MISS that he was homecause keeping one’s MANNERS shoes on is safer and less, nor that he had more dignified — learning disabilities.

He lived across the country conditions that non-elderly people appreciate as well. and never asked me for Miss Manners therefore anything. encourages you to invest I decided I would like to in good carpet- and floorshare my life with him. He cleaners and take your literally rode an adult tricycle 1,500 miles to me and chances with your guests — whose comfort and safety married me before even should be more important coming in the house. than your floors. She is I’m extremely happy. It’s been five months and we’re aware, however, that this doing well, but when others is an unpopular opinion, so if you must, she will allow hear of our meeting, they act confused. How should I you to put out slippers and bootees for encouragement react?

— as long as that encourGentle reader: If you feel like answering any clarifyagement is not verbalized.

Dear Miss Manners: You ing questions (Miss Manners has a few herself), you advised a reader that not may, of course. But it is not even the weather is a safe conversation topic nowaa requirement.

If others have your best days, since it may get into interests at heart and see climate change. And asking that you are happy, they about accents or last names should be happy, too. Now can be fraught, since it may about that tricycle … be taken as — or may really Dear Miss Manners: We be — a form of othering. bought a house with new (“You’re not from here, are floors and new carpet. It you?”) seems awkward to ask Can you advise someone guests to take their shoes like me, who has training in off, but I would really like linguistics and who genu-

inely enjoys hearing a variety of accents and names?

I have no trouble asking native speakers of English, “Where did you grow up?

I noticed how you pronounced (word).” But with foreign accents — many of which I can place, but not all — it’s different and risks being off-putting.

Gentle reader: It will come as a shock to you, but it is not the job of your acquaintances to supplement your linguistics education. Miss Manners finds it amusing that she repeatedly gets asked this question by people whose reasoning is that they really want to know.

Oh, well, in that case …

Nevertheless, she has recently heard a decent compromise with the question, “Where do you call home?” This leaves it up to the recipient to determine whether they want to cite their current home or their birthplace, if those are different. But Miss Manners issues the condition that there be no follow-up questions if you get an unexpected answer.

TODAY IN HISTORY

By The Associated Press Today is Friday, May 22, the 142nd day of 2026.

There are 223 days left in the year.

Today in history: On May 22, 1960, the strongest earthquake recorded struck southern Chile. The magnitude 9.5 quake claimed 1,655 lives, left 2 million homeless and triggered a tsunami responsible for over 230 additional deaths in Hawaii, Japan and the Philippines.

Also on this date: In 1939, the foreign ministers of Germany and Italy, Joachim von Ribbentrop and Galeazzo Ciano, signed a “Pact of Steel” committing their two countries to a military and political alliance.

In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson, speaking at the University of Michigan, outlined the goals of his “Great Society,” saying that it “rests on abundance

and liberty for all” and “demands an end to poverty and racial injustice.”

In 1969, the lunar module of Apollo 10, with Thomas P. Stafford and Eugene Cernan aboard, flew within nine miles of the moon’s surface in a “dress rehearsal” for the first lunar landing.

In 1985, U.S. sailor Michael L. Walker was arrested aboard the aircraft carrier Nimitz, two days after his father, John A. Walker Jr., was apprehended by the FBI; both were later convicted of spying for the Soviet Union. (Michael Walker served 15 years in prison and was released in 2000; John Walker Jr. died in prison in 2014.)

In 1992, after a reign lasting nearly 30 years, Johnny Carson hosted his final episode of NBC’s “Tonight Show.” (Jay Leno took over as host three days later.)

In 2011, a massive EF5 tornado struck Joplin,

Missouri, with winds up to 250 mph, killing at least 159 people and destroying about 8,000 homes and businesses.

In 2017, a suicide bomber set off an improvised explosive device that killed 22 people and injured over 1,000 following an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England.

Today’s birthdays: Actor-filmmaker Richard Benjamin is 88. Songwriter Bernie Taupin is 76. Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska is 69. Singer Morrissey is 67. Singer Johnny Gill (New Edition) is 60.

Actor Brooke Smith is 59.

Model Naomi Campbell is 56. Actor Sean Gunn is 52.

Actor Ginnifer Goodwin is 48. Actor Maggie Q is 47.

Olympic speed skating gold medalist Apolo Anton Ohno is 44. Tennis player Novak Djokovic is 39. Actor Judah Lewis is 25. Actor Peyton Elizabeth Lee is 22.

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

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CHRIS PIZZELLO

Lainey Wilson performs during the 61st annual Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday.

AWARDS

Continued from page 1D Although fellow Louisiana artist Lainey Wilson went into the 61st ACM Awards ceremony with six nominations, including Entertainer of the Year, she left empty-handed, bested for the top honor by singer and former pro bull rider Cody Johnson (“I’m Gonna Love You,” “The Fall,” “’Til You Can’t”). The big win-

ner of the night, Ella Langley, beat out Wilson in four other categories.

Newlywed Wilson turned 34 on Tuesday, did take the stage for a high-energy, flashy performance of current hit “I Can’t Sit Still.”

Her black, body-hugging ensemble, bedecked with silver buckles and fringe, popped against her backup dancers’ all-white attire.

News broke last week that Wilson and longtime boyfriend Devlin “Duck” Hodges, a former NFL

quarterback, had tied the knot on Mother’s Day at the foot of a waterfall in The Ruskin Cave, Dickson, Tennessee.

Wilson, a native of Baskin, wore a custom Oscar de la Renta gown with Japanese cherry blossom appliques.

Both wore cowboy boots custom-made for the occasion. New Orleans’ Rebirth Jazz Band provided music.

Email Judy Bergeron at jbergeron@theadvocate. com.

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4D ■ Friday, May 22, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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AROUND BATON ROUGE FRIDAY

SHADES OF MEN LIVE: 8 p.m., Southern Rhythm, Denham Springs. An all-male revue. $19.70 and up. eventbrite. com.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY

EVENING SKY VIEWING: 8:30 p.m.-10 p.m., BREC Highland Road Park Observatory, 13800 Highland Road. See the majesty of the night sky in these public viewings for those 6 and up. hrpo.lsu.edu/ events.

SATURDAY PROVIDED PHOTO By ALySSE GAFKJEN

Alt-country rock band Old 97’s blends rootsy rock, power-pop and Texas swagger. Catch their show at 9 p.m. Wednesday at The Texas Club. Tickets are $38.15 and up.

SHOWS TO WATCH — BATON ROUGE AREA FRIDAY

FLORIDA STREETBLOWHARDS: Downtown busking, Starbucks, 11:30 a.m.

KILEY MCDONNEL: The Colonel’s Club, 5 p.m.

ROUGE KREWE: Live After Five, Rhorer Plaza, 5 p.m.

CHRIS OCMAND: Agile Brewing, 5 p.m.

MATT HOLT: City Cafe, 5:30 p.m.

JAMBALAYA FESTIVAL: Lamar-Dixon Expo Center, Gonzales, 5:30 p.m.

ROCK IT: Papi’s Fajita Factory, Watson, 6 p.m.

MARK BABIN: Galvez Seafood, Prairieville, 6 p.m.

BLOCKER HARVISON: BLDG 5, 6 p.m.

SOUTH OF CENTRAL: Blue Iguana, 6 p.m.

KAITLYN WALLACE: Agave Blue, Gonzales, 6 p.m.

ERIC BASKIN: Sullivan’s Steakhouse, 6 p.m.

THE LONGNECK SOCIETY: El Paso, Denham Springs, 6 p.m.

DRAMA KINGS: T’Quilas, Denham Springs, 6 p.m.

DERRICK LEMON: Le Chien Brewing Co., Denham Springs, 6:30 p.m.

RHODES, MAURER & FRIENDS: On The Half Shell, Prairieville, 7 p.m.

TAYLOR RAE: Bin 77, 7 p.m.

BEN BELL & THE STARDUST BOYS: Curbside Burgers, 7 p.m.

THE LEE SERIO BAND: Phil Brady’s, 7:30 p.m.

DUSTIN LEE GUEDRY: Frozen Assets Daiquiris, Gonzales, 8 p.m.

KARIN DANGER: The Colonel’s Club, 8 p.m.

AFTER 8: The Edge Bar at L’Auberge, 9 p.m.

THE DUPONT BROTHERS: The Vineyard, 9 p.m.

REGENERATION: Coop’s on 621, Gonzales, 9 p.m.

IAN WEBSTER & PAT-E: Fat Cat Saloon, Prairieville, 9 p.m.

BLUE CRAB REDEMPTION/ SOUTHLAND: The Texas Club, 9 p.m.

SATURDAY

JAMBALAYA FESTIVAL: Lamar-Dixon Expo Center, Gonzales, 10 a.m.

JOSH MARTIN: Leola’s Café, 11 a.m.

BATON ROUGE SOUL FOOD FESTIVAL: Main Library at Goodwood, 11 a.m.

RUSTY YATES: The Colonel’s Club, 5 p.m.

IAN WEBSTER DUO: Sullivan’s Steakhouse, 5:30 p.m.

EDDIE SMITH: El Paso, Denham Springs, 6 p.m.

DON POURCIAU & KONSPIRACY: La Carreta, Denham Springs, 6 p.m.

DRAMA KINGS: Victoria’s

Mexican, Denham Springs, 6 p.m.

AMEAL CAMERON: BLDG 5, 6 p.m.

TAYLOR NAUTA: Le Chien Brewing Co., Denham Springs, 6:30 p.m.

FLORIDA STREET BLOWHARDS: Curbside Burgers, 7 p.m.

THE PADLOCKS: On The Half Shell, Prairieville, 7 p.m.

JENNA & DON: Bin 77, 7 p.m.

MJ & THE REDEEMERS: Backstreet Lounge, 8 p.m.

BRIAN & THE BANDITS: TNT Lounge, 8 p.m.

THE MUDKATZ: Cousins’ Bar, Port Allen, 9 p.m.

THE DRUNK UNCLES: Fat Cat Saloon, Prairieville, 9 p.m.

SUNDAY

JAMBALAYA FESTIVAL: Lamar-Dixon Expo Center, Gonzales, 10 a.m.

CHRIS ALLEN DUO: On The Half Shell, Prairieville, 11 a.m.

CANE FEVER: Leola’s Café, 11 a.m.

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

BATON ROUGE SOUL FOOD FESTIVAL: Main Library at Goodwood, 11 a.m.

JAZZ BRUNCH: Red Stick Social, noon ERIC BASKIN: Watermark Hotel, 1 p.m.

JESSE RICE: Buddy’s Backyard, 3 p.m.

FOSSIL FUEL: Beauvoir Park, 5 p.m.

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

JEFF BAJON PROJECT: Pizza Byronz, 5:30 p.m.

LORI ST. GEORGE: The Edge Bar at L’Auberge, 6:30 p.m.

OPEN MIC JAM: Fat Cat Saloon, Prairieville, 7 p.m.

MONDAY

ERIC STELLY: Superior GrillMidCity, 6 p.m.

TUESDAY

KATIE KENNEY: Superior GrillMidCity, 6 p.m.

WEDNESDAY

2 DOMESTIC 1 IMPORT: BLDG 5, 5:30 p.m.

STONEWALL BROUSSARD: Galvez Seafood, Prairieville, 5:30 p.m.

GARRETT REMSON DUO: Superior Grill-MidCity, 6 p.m.

BRENT ARMSTRONG: Danny’s Dive Bar, 6 p.m.

LSU JAZZ JAM: Classic Vinyls, 6 p.m.

JOSH MARTIN: Bin 77, 6:30 p.m.

ERIC LEGER: On The Half Shell, Prairieville, 6:30 p.m.

SONGWRITERS OPEN MIC W/ HEATH RANSONNET: Coop’s on 621, Gonzales, 7 p.m.

ANDY PIZZO TRIO: Hayride

Scandal, 7:30 p.m.

BR SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: Louisiana Art & Science Museum, 7:30 p.m.

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

OLD 97’S WITH CALEB CAUDLE: The Texas Club, 9 p.m.

THURSDAY

PETER SIMON: BLDG 5, 5:30 p.m.

CHRIS OCMAND: Luna Cocina, 6 p.m.

DOROTHY LEBLANC: La Divina Italian Cafe, 6 p.m.

CAITLYN RENEE: Thai Kitchen, 6 p.m.

KYBALION: El Paso, 6 p.m.

BRANDON NICHOLSON: Superior Grill-MidCity, 6 p.m.

CAM PYLE: Bin 77, 6:30 p.m.

ELIZABETH SHAR: On The Half Shell, Prairieville, 6:30 p.m.

TUNES À LA MODE TRIO: The Brakes Bar, 7 pm.

TET DUR: Swamp Chicken Daiquiris, St. Amant, 7 p.m.

TUNES À LA MODE TRIO: The Brakes Bar, 7 p.m.

BR SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: Louisiana Art & Science Museum, 7:30 p.m.

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

CHRIS LEBLANC DUO: The Station, 8 p.m.

BLUES JAM: Phil Brady’s, 9 p.m.

OUTLYING FRIDAY

THE ROUX TONES: Bayou Sara Brewing, St. Francisville, 6:30 p.m.

IRIS CALLEGAN: El Mejor, St. Francisville, 6:30 p.m.

SATURDAY

LA SOUTHBOUND: El Mejor, St. Francisville, 6:30 p.m.

MARK CHESNUTT & CHRIS CAGLE: Mári Showroom at Paragon Casino, Marksville, 7:30 p.m.

WILL WESLEY: The Red, White & Brew, Hammond, 8 p.m.

SUNDAY

LUCY YOES: Bayou Sara Brewing, St. Francisville, 1 p.m.

THURSDAY

THE PADLOCKS: El Mejor, St. Francisville, 6:30 p.m.

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

Transform Your Windows.

Transform Your Space.

• Family-Owned • Female-Led • Community Trusted We provide high-quality window coverings and exceptional service.

RED STICK FARMERS MARKET: 8 a.m.-noon, Fifth and Main streets, downtown. Farmfresh produce and goods. breada.org.

FAMILY-HOUR STARGAZING: 10 a.m., Irene W. Pennington Planetarium at the Louisiana Art & Science Museum, 100 S. River Road. Learn about the stars and constellations in the local nighttime sky, followed by an all-ages show. lasm.org.

GREATER BATON ROUGE MODEL RAILROADERS: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Republic of West Florida Historical Museum, 3406 College St., Jackson.

Electric trains of all sizes will be running on five different layouts. Free admission and parking.

TUESDAY

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

BECOMING LOUISIANA: THE ACADIANS: 5:30 p.m., reception; 6:30 p.m., lecture, Louisiana State Archives, 3851 Essen Lane. The Friends of the Louisiana State Archives and the Friends of the Old State Capitol present a lecture focused on the Acadians, given by Warren Perrin. Free.

Reservations at zeffy.com.

BATON ROUGE CHESS CLUB: 6 p.m.-8 p.m., La Divina Italian Cafe, 3535 Perkins Road, Unit 360. A chance to play and learn; all levels welcome.

Free.

CRAWFISH TALK: 6:30 p.m.8 p.m., LSU Hilltop Arboretum, 11855 Highland Road. Author/ bandleader Sam Irwin will speak on his book “Louisiana Crawfish: A Succulent History of the Cajun Crustacean.”

WEDNESDAY

RED STICK FARMERS MARKET: 9 a.m.-noon, ExxonMobil YMCA, 7711 Howell Blvd.

Farm-fresh produce, goods and more. www.facebook. com/redstickfarmersmarket.

MICHALOPOULOS: THE ART OF CELEBRATION + ART EXHIBIT, RECEPTION & Q&A: 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m., Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St. Screening of art documentary capturing the evolution of James Michalopoulos’ artistic vision and the profound impact his work has had on Louisiana’s cultural landscape. $12.50. manshiptheatre.org.

THURSDAY

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

OUTDOOR COMMUNITY YOGA: 6 p.m.-7 p.m., pavilion by the pond, LSU Hilltop Arboretum, 11855 Highland Road. Drop-in; no registration required; bring your own mat.

Free, but donations welcome. www.lsu.edu/hilltop.

GROWING MEDIUM AND SOILS AND BEES: 6:30 p.m., Bluebonnet Branch Library, 9200

STAFF PHOTO By ROBIN MILLER

Marc Chagall’s lithograph, ‘Wedding Feast in the Shrine of the Nymphs,’ is No. 40 in a folio of 42 lithographs he created to illustrate Greek novelist Longus’ story ‘Dapnis and Chloe.’ The piece, from the Collection of the West Park Museum, is featured in the LSU Museum of Art’s exhibit, ‘Daphnis and Chloe and Other Lovers.’ This is the final weekend to view the exhibit.

Bluebonnet Blvd. Program presented by EBR Master Gardeners. Free.

WEEKLY SOCIAL BIKE RIDE: 7 p.m., Geaux Ride, 521 N. Third St., Suite A. Free. fareharbor.com.

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

ONGOING

ART GUILD OF LOUISIANA: Independence Park Theatre, 7800 Independence Blvd.

“Watercolor Basics — Waterscapes (Beach, Bayou, and Flowing Water), May 23 and May 30. Classes are held at AGL Park Studio, 2490 Silverest Ave. Text workshop coordinator Barbara Andrepont at (225) 773-8020 or artguildlouisiana.org. “Larry Downs — Acrylic Pouring: Color, Motion, and Creative Surprise,” 3 p.m.-6 p.m., June 4-5, maximum of 14 participants. Contact workshop coordinator Sheila Riso at (225) 216-0826.

BATON ROUGE GALLERY CENTER FOR CONTEMPORARY ART: 1515 Dalrymple Drive. Exhibits by Jeremiah Ariaz, Justin Tyler Bryant and Kristine Thompson, through Sunday. Hours: noon-6 p.m.

Tuesday-Sunday. batonrougegallery.org.

CAPITOL PARK MUSEUM: 660 N. Fourth St. “Grounds for Greatness: Louisiana and the Nation,” “The Louisiana Experience: Discovering the Soul of America,” “African American History,” “Music and Musicians” and “Mardi Gras,” permanent exhibits.

(225) 342-5428 or louisianastatemuseum.org.

CARY SAURAGE COMMUNITY ARTS CENTER SHELL GALLERY: 233 St. Ferdinand St. “A Refugee’s Origin by K.T.Ho: A Mixed-Media Exhibition Exploring Vietnamese Diaspora, Colonial Legacy, and Survival,” through May 29. Hours are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. artsbr.org.

THE GALLERY AT MANSHIP: 100 Lafayette St. “Brandon Lewis — When All God’s Children Get Together.” Hours are 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday, 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday.

LOUISIANA ART & SCIENCE MUSEUM: 100 S. River Road.

“Then, And Now, And Always: The Artwork of Nick Bustamante,” through July 19, SoupCon Gallery; “Pinpointing the Stars,” through Aug. 1; “Crossroads & Connections: A Century of the Railway in

Compiled by Judy Bergeron. Have an open-to-the-public event you’d like to promote? Email details to red@theadvocate.com.

Deadline is 5 p.m. Friday for the following Friday’s paper.

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Baton Rouge,” through Oct. 1; “Going Places: Transportation Toys of the Past,” through July 6, and “Shelf Queens: Model Train Masterpieces,” also through July 6. (225) 3445272 or lasm.org.

LSU MUSEUM OF ART: Shaw Center for the Arts, 100 Lafayette St. “Daphnis and Chloe and Other Lovers: Lithographs by Marc Chagall,” through Sunday. (225) 389-7200 or lsumoa.org.

LSU TEXTILE & COSTUME MUSEUM: Human Ecology Building, Tower Drive, LSU campus. “Quilts & Fashion,” exploring the enduring dialogue between quilt making and dress, through Jan. 15, 2027. (225) 578-5992 or email textile@lsu.edu.

MAGNOLIA MOUND MUSEUM + HISTORIC SITE: 2161 Nicholson Drive. Guided and selfguided tours. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. MondaySaturday and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. brec.org/facility/MagnoliaMound.

MANSHIP THEATRE JONES WALKER FOYER: 100 Lafayette St. “Look up: A Philosophy for Birding and Life” by Gail Suberbielle. Free and open during regular Shaw Center building hours unless there is a private event.

OLD GOVERNOR’S MANSION: 502 North Blvd. Open for tours. Hours are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday. Free admission. oldgovernorsmansion.com.

OLD STATE CAPITOL: 100 North Blvd. “Bought for a Song: A Young Nation Expands,” display of the Louisiana Purchase, through July 11. “Japanese War Brides: Across A Wide Divide,” through June 13. “A More Perfect Union: Reconstruction’s Legacy in Louisiana,” permanent exhibit.

Free. Hours: 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Tuesday-Saturday, plus Free First Sunday. louisianaoldstatecapitol.org.

USS KIDD VETERANS MUSEUM: 305 S. River Road. Displays of a variety of artifacts that celebrate veteran and naval military history. Note: Vessel is in Houma for dry dock repairs. usskidd.com.

WEST BATON ROUGE MUSEUM: 845 N. Jefferson Ave., Port Allen. “Finding Alice: Artists Exploring Wonderland,” through Sunday. (225) 336-2422 or westbatonrougemuseum.org.

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Friday, May 22, 2026 ■ 5D

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FrAnK And erneSt

bIG nAte

zItS

zodIAC GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Structure your time and schedule around what matters most to you. Consider hosting an event or opening your doors to people you like to hang out with or haven't seen for some time. cAncER (June 21-July 22) Consider every angle and, most of all, be honest with yourself regarding what's possible and what isn't. Fact-check, talk to experts and avoid taking on too much debt or responsibilities.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Pay attention to detail. Choose a creative or helpful path. Approach specialists to discover resources that you can draw from to ensure that whatever you do is done with good intentions.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Pace yourself; spontaneity will get you in trouble. Put your energy into research, looking for flaws and paying attention to what's happening around you.

LIBRA (sept. 23-Oct. 23) An unexpected change will breathe new life into your plans. Conversations will lead to something concrete, so pick up the phone and make things happen. scORPIO (Oct. 24-nov. 22) Put more effort into nurturing meaningful relationships.

Conversations and kind gestures will help you gain access to helpful information. Don't buy into something you cannot afford. sAGITTARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Step into the spotlight and share your thoughts. A chance to make improvements to yourself, your home and the relationships

that matter most to you will pay off.

Rearranging your space will spark your imagination. cAPRIcORn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Stick close to home to take care of family matters.

Get your place ready for any upcoming events you want to host or to make your life more comfortable and convenient.

Refuse to let someone's insinuations get to you.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Don't push yourself physically or take on a no-win situation. Happiness will come from spending time with loved ones and taking care of financial matters that add to a stable and stress-free environment.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Stay out of questionable conversations with people who are manipulative or trying to redirect your beliefs. Pay more attention to your needs and what makes you happy.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Listen, nurture meaningful relationships and take care of domestic issues promptly. A change to how you earn your living or how you handle your investments will help you overcome debt.

TAuRus (April 20-May 20) Use your energy wisely. Take care of unfinished business instead of stressing over what you've left undone. Completion is the key to being able to move forward. Use your voice to attract interest.

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: W EQuALs y

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

SherMAn’S LAGoon FAMILY CIrCUS

dooneSbUrY

6D ■ Friday, May 22, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The 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 Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Friday, May 22, 2026 ■ 7D

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B.C.

Bridge

By PHILLIP ALDER This week, we have been studying strong jump shifts. To check that you have the idea, look at today’s South hand.

North opens one heart and East passes.

What should South bid?

While you decide, I have said that a strong jump shift should promise 13-16 high-card points. In the days of yore, responder needed 17-19 high-card points.

As I explained three days ago, this was not best. But if responder has a two-suiter, by the time he adds shortage points, his hand will probably be worth 17-19 support points: high-card plus shortage points.

In this deal, though, South must respond one spade, not two spades.

Don’t make a strong jump shift with a two-suiter unless partner opened in one of your suits.

A sensible sequence is one heart – one spade – three spades – four no-trump – five diamonds – five no-trump – six hearts – six spades. It is difficult to bid seven no-trump (the best contract) or seven spades with confidence when a king is missing.

However, let’s assume that West leads the club jack against seven spades. How should South plan the play?

Declarer has 13 top tricks: five spades, five hearts, one diamond and two clubs.

So, he does not need to risk the diamond

garfield

Pearls Before swiNe

hagar the horriBle

finesse. He should win trick one in his hand with the club ace, draw trumps (leaving the ace or king in the dummy as an entry), unblock the heart ace and king, cross to dummy with a trump, and cash those lovely winners (the heart Q-J10 and club king), discarding his four diamond losers. © 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 — IMITATED: IM-ih-tay-ted: Followed as a pattern, model or

Bizarro

marmaduKe

example.

Average mark 26 words Time limit 40 minutes Can you find 35 or more words in IMITATED? yEsTERDAy’s WORD — sEAGOInG sage sane sang sign signage sine sing singe snag soigne sone

song easing egis aegis ageing aging agog agonies anise gage gain

gang genoa goes going gone gong noes noise nose

loCKhorNs hidato Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

today’s thought “And he said to them, Why are you fearful, O you of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marveled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!” Matthew 8:26-27 Let Jesus calm the storms in your life. G.E. Dean

8D ■ Friday, May 22, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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classifieds.theadvocate.com Search Search& &Place PlaceAds AdsOnline Onlineatatclassifieds.theadvocate.com classifieds.theadvocate.com* Call * Call -Friday Us Monday-Friday 8AM-5PM at 225-383-0111 8AM-5PM at 225-383-0111 ANYONE knowing the whereabouts of KENTRELL CAMPBELL contact Ethel Clay, Attorney at Law, (225) 906-0435.

188465-May 21-23, 3t $85

Announcements ANYONE knowing the whereabouts of ELBA LEAL contact Ethel Clay, Attorney at Law, (225) 906-0435.

188463-May 21-23, 3t $73

ANYONE knowing the whereabouts of WHITNEY NIXON contact Ethel Clay, Attorney at Law, (225) 9060435.

188460-May 21-23, 3t $85

The Classified/Public Notice Department will be closed on

MONDAY ONDAY,, MAY 25TH 25T

MACHINERY/TOOLS Robo Saw $60.00 225-241-0344 MISC FOR SALE Sheared French Rabbit Coat, 40” long Collar, 2 large buttons, cover with fur $800. 225-341-6462

Employment EDUCATION EDUCATION NOTICE OF VACANCY Applications are being accepted for the following position(s): Secondary Principal LOCATION: White Castle High School STARTING SALARY $106,987 - $115,375 Range based on teacher salary plus Factor 1.525

in observance of

Supervisor of Federal Programs LOCATION: Central Office STARTING SALARY $112,616 - $121,916 Range based on teacher salary plus Factor 1.55

And will be observing the following Early Deadline:

APPLICATION PROCEDURE Anyone interested in being considered for this position should submit an ap‐ plication @www.ipsb.net JOIN OUR TEAM

Memorial Day

Deadline: Thursday May 21 @ 3pm

Run Date Tuesday May 26 Wednesday May 27

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

The Classified Advertising Department will be closed on

MONDAY ONDAY,, MAY 25TH 25T

WEST BATON ROUGE PARISH PUBLIC SCHOOLS West Baton Rouge Public Schools is soliciting applications for future em‐ ployment of certified special education teachers. View vacant positions as well as positions being filled by retired teachers on the school district's web‐ site: www.wbrschools.net

Merchandise CEMETERY PLOTS Azalea Rest Cem. 2 Plots. Lot 86 Spc 2 & 3, Sec 1. $2500 ttl. Owner pays transfer fees. 225-278-9931

DEADLINE FOR APPLYING Until filled or May 22, 2026

CEMETERY PLOTS Greenoaks Mem. Cem. Plot, Rose Garden Area, $3k Call 318-229-6949

All IPSB employees must pass a criminal records check.

The Iberville Parish School System is an Equal Opportunity Employer

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Public Notices

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

PUBLIC NOTICE --ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS Avoyelles Parish Airport Authority (herein re‐ ferred to as the "Owner") hereby solicits sealed bids for Marksville Mu‐ nicipal Airport – Hangar Development project de‐ scribed as follows: STATEMENT OF WORK: Erection of a pre-engi‐ neered metal hangar with a single panel hy‐ draulic hangar door on a concrete slab founda‐ tion. Hangar to include connections to existing water and sewer on the Airport property, as well as electrical wiring for the lighting, hydraulic power lift hangar door, and outlets. Also in‐ cluded is a concrete apron in front of the new hangar. Fill, grading, and seeding will be required on shoulders of the new pavements.

Sealed Bids shall be ad‐ dressed to the Avoyelles Parish Airport Authority, and delivered to 312 N. Main Street, Courthouse Bldg., Marksville, LA 71351 not later than 2:00p.m., on June 4, 2026.

Any bid received after the specified time and date will not be consid‐ ered.

The sealed bids will be publicly opened and read aloud at 2:00 p.m. on June 4, 2026 at the Avoyelles Parish Police Jury Office located at 312 N. Main Street, Court‐ house Bldg., Marksville, LA 71351.

A Non-Mandatory / PREBID CONFERENCE WILL BE HELD: TIME & DATE: 10:00 a.m. on May 21, 2026 LOCATION: Marksville Municipal Airport 307 Runway Road Mansura, LA 71350 Attendance at the PreBid Conference is not mandatory in order to bid on the project; how‐ ever, bidders are encour‐ aged to attend. It is the responsibility of all po‐ tential bidders to visit the job site to assess the location and conditions prior to bidding.

The Instructions to Bid‐ ders, Bid Form, Contract, Plans, Specifications, and Forms of Bid Bond, Performance Bond and Payment Bond, and other bidding documents may be examined at the office of the Engineer for the contract; Digital Engi‐ neering & Imaging, Inc. located at 527 W. Es‐ planade Ave, Kenner, LA 70065; (504-468-6129).

Copies shall be obtained at the Engineer’s office upon payment of a de‐ posit of $120.00. This de‐ posit will be refunded upon request in accor‐ dance with R.S. 38:2212.

Electronic (pdf) versions of the plans and specs can be requested from the Engineer by emailing gbabin@deii.net.

Contractors submitting bids shall be licensed under LA R.S. 37:21502164, Building Construc‐ tion. The bidder shall show his license number on the bid and on the sealed envelope submit‐ ting the bid.

The signature on the bid must be that of an autho‐ rized representative of the corporation, partner‐ ship or other legal entity, as defined by Louisiana Public Bid Law Revised Statute 38:2212.A.(1)(c) which dictates parties authorized to submit bids for public contracts.

All required Certificates of Liability Insurance shall list the “Owner” as

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

“additionally insured”.

The Owner reserves the right to reject any and all bids for just cause; such actions will be in accor‐ dance with Title 38 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes. In accordance with R.S. 38:2212 (A)(1) (b), the provisions and requirements stated in the Bidding Documents shall not be waived by any entity.

In accordance with R.S. 38:2212 (A)(1)(b), the pro‐ visions and requirements stated in the Bidding Documents shall not be waived by any entity.

The requirements of 49 CFR part 26 apply to this contract. It is the policy of the Avoyelles Parish Airport Authority to prac‐ tice nondiscrimination based on race, color, sex, or national origin in the award or performance of this contract. The Owner encourages participation by all firms qualifying under this solicitation re‐ gardless of business size or ownership.

The proposed contract is subject to the Buy Ameri‐ can provision under 49 USC § 50101.

The successful bidder will be required to sub‐ mit Certifications regard‐ ing Foreign Trade Restric‐ tions under 49 CFR part 30, Government Wide De‐ barment and Suspension as per 2 CFR part 180 and Non-segregated Facilities as per 41 CFR § 60-1.8.

Attention to Bidders is particularly called to the requirements as to con‐ ditions of employment to be observed and mini‐ mum wage rates to be paid under the Davis Bacon Act Requirements.

All applicable Federal, State, Local laws, ordi‐ nances, and the rules and regulations of all au‐ thorities having jurisdic‐ tion over construction of the project shall apply to the contract throughout.

Notice is hereby given that the project is funded through Federal and State Grants which funds will not be available at the time of bidding. The Owner may reject all bids and cancel this solicita‐ tion should adequate funding not be secured within 30 days after bid opening. The time limits stipulated in LA. R.S. 38:2215(D) do not apply based upon the statutory exception that “the con‐ tract is to be financed in whole or in part by fed‐ eral or other funds which will not be readily avail‐ able at the time bids are opened.”

Each Bidder must de‐ posit with his/her bid, security in the amount of at least five percent (5%) of the total bid price, provided on the specified form and subject to the conditions provided in the Information for Bid‐ ders. Sureties used for obtaining bonds must appear as acceptable on the U. S. Department of Treasury Circular 570.

OWNER Avoyelles Parish Airport Authority BY: Rene’ Borrel, P.E., Chairman PUBLICATION/DATES: Friday May 8, 2026 Friday May 15, 2026 Friday May 22, 2026 186303-may 8-15-22-3t $1,978 PUBLIC NOTICE --ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS Avoyelles Parish Airport Authority (herein re‐ ferred to as the "Owner") hereby solicits sealed bids for Marksville Mu‐ nicipal Airport – Hangar Apron project described as follows:

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

STATEMENT OF WORK: Construction of a new 9,000 square foot aircraft apron. The project con‐ sists of earthwork, in‐ stalling drainage struc‐ tures, aggregate base, and concrete paving.

Sealed Bids shall be ad‐ dressed to the Avoyelles Parish Airport Authority, and delivered to 312 N. Main Street, Courthouse Bldg., Marksville, LA 71351 not later than 2:00p.m., on June 4, 2026.

Any bid received after the specified time and date will not be consid‐ ered.

The sealed bids will be publicly opened and read aloud at 2:00 p.m. on June 4, 2026 at the Avoyelles Parish Police Jury Office located at 312 N. Main Street, Court‐ house Bldg., Marksville, LA 71351.

A Non-Mandatory / PREBID CONFERENCE WILL BE HELD: TIME & DATE: 10:00 a.m. on May 21, 2026 LOCATION: Marksville Municipal Airport 307 Runway Road Mansura, LA 71350 Attendance at the PreBid Conference is not mandatory in order to bid on the project; how‐ ever, bidders are encour‐ aged to attend. It is the responsibility of all po‐ tential bidders to visit the job site to assess the location and conditions prior to bidding.

The Instructions to Bid‐ ders, Bid Form, Contract, Plans, Specifications, and Forms of Bid Bond, Performance Bond and Payment Bond, and other bidding documents may be examined at the office of the Engineer for the contract; Digital Engi‐ neering & Imaging, Inc. located at 527 W. Es‐ planade Ave, Kenner, LA 70065; (504-468-6129).

Copies shall be obtained at the Engineer’s office upon payment of a de‐ posit of $120.00. This de‐ posit will be refunded upon request in accor‐ dance with R.S. 38:2212.

Electronic (pdf) versions of the plans and specs can be requested from the Engineer by emailing gbabin@deii.net.

CATS RAGAMUFFIN & RAGDOLL KITTENS www.CatsByFrancy.com/kittens $1500up! Reg. Shots & Guaranty 337-230-3150

CLASSIFIEDS

WORK Public Notices Bids/Proposals p this contract. The Owner encourages participation by all firms qualifying under this solicitation re‐ gardless of business size or ownership.

The proposed contract is subject to the Buy Ameri‐ can provision under 49 USC § 50101.

The successful bidder will be required to sub‐ mit Certifications regard‐ ing Foreign Trade Restric‐ tions under 49 CFR part 30, Government Wide De‐ barment and Suspension as per 2 CFR part 180 and Non-segregated Facilities as per 41 CFR § 60-1.8.

Attention to Bidders is particularly called to the requirements as to con‐ ditions of employment to be observed and mini‐ mum wage rates to be paid under the Davis Bacon Act Requirements.

All applicable Federal, State, Local laws, ordi‐ nances, and the rules and regulations of all au‐ thorities having jurisdic‐ tion over construction of the project shall apply to the contract throughout.

Notice is hereby given that the project is funded through Federal and State Grants which funds will not be available at the time of bidding. The Owner may reject all bids and cancel this solicita‐ tion should adequate funding not be secured within 30 days after bid opening. The time limits stipulated in LA. R.S. 38:2215(D) do not apply based upon the statutory exception that “the con‐ tract is to be financed in whole or in part by fed‐ eral or other funds which will not be readily avail‐ able at the time bids are opened.”

Each Bidder must de‐ posit with his/her bid, security in the amount of at least five percent (5%) of the total bid price, provided on the specified form and subject to the conditions provided in the Information for Bid‐ ders. Sureties used for obtaining bonds must appear as acceptable on the U. S. Department of Treasury Circular 570.

OWNER Avoyelles Parish Airport Authority BY: Rene’ Borrel, P.E., Chairman

The signature on the bid must be that of an autho‐ rized representative of the corporation, partner‐ ship or other legal entity, as defined by Louisiana Public Bid Law Revised Statute 38:2212.A.(1)(c) which dictates parties authorized to submit bids for public contracts.

All required Certificates of Liability Insurance shall list the “Owner” as “additionally insured”.

PUBLIC NOTICE ---

In accordance with R.S. 38:2212 (A)(1)(b), the pro‐ visions and requirements stated in the Bidding Documents shall not be waived by any entity.

The requirements of 49 CFR part 26 apply to this contract. It is the policy of the Avoyelles Parish Airport Authority to prac‐ tice nondiscrimination based on race, color, sex, or national origin in the award or performance of h hi

PUBLICATION/DATES: Friday May 8, 2026 Friday May 15, 2026 Friday May 22, 2026 186305-MAY 8-15-22-3T $1,902

ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS City of Port Allen (herein referred to as the "Owner") hereby solicits sealed bids for the FY 2025 LCDBG SEWER SYS‐ TEM REHABILITATION & IMPROVEMENTS project described as follows: STATEMENT OF WORK: Performing Sanitary Sewer System Evaluation & Survey & Subsequent Repairs to Gravity Lines, Manholes & Appurte‐ nances.

PEC Project No. 11818.05 Sealed Bids shall be ad‐ dressed to the City of Port Allen, and delivered to the City Hall located at 375 Court Street, Port Allen, LA 70767 not later than 2 p.m., on the 23 day of June, 2026. Any bid re‐ ceived after the specified time and date will not be considered. The sealed bids will be publicly opened and read aloud at 2 p.m. on the 23 day of June, 2026, at the City Hall located at 375 Court Street, Port Allen, LA 70767.

Complete Bid Docu‐ ments, Instructions to Bidders, Bid Form, Con‐

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Public Notices Bids/Proposals

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

tract, Plans, Specifica‐ tions, and Forms of the Bid Bond, Performance Bond and Payment Bond, and other bidding docu‐ ments may be down‐ loaded from the Profes‐ sional Engineering Con‐ sultants (PEC) Plan Room as hosted by Central Bid‐ ding https://www.cen tralbidding.com (subject to fees and conditions).

For any questions re‐ garding the website call Central Bidding at 225810-4814.

Prospective Bidders are solely re‐ sponsible for obtaining the most up-to-date bid‐ ding Documents from the designated website. Bids will not be accepted through the online bid‐ ding portal. Bids will be received by mail and/or hand delivery to the loca‐ tion as stated above.

SHOULD NOTE THE RE‐ QUIRED ATTACHMENTS AND CERTIFICATIONS TO BE EXECUTED AND SUB‐ MITTED WITH THE BID PROPOSAL. ALSO, MI‐ NORITY, FEMALE OWNED AND SECTION 3 (PARISH/LOCAL) CON‐ TRACTING FIRMS ARE EN‐ COURAGED TO SUBMIT BIDS.

Complete Bid Documents may also be examined by emailing yrodriguez@for teandtablada.com or at the Office of the Engineer for the contract; Profes‐ sional Engineering Con‐ sultants Corp. located at 9107 Interline Ave., Baton Rouge, La 70809; (225927-9321). Hard copies may be obtained at this office upon payment of a deposit of $150.00. This deposit will be refunded upon request in accor‐ dance with R.S. 38:2212.

Contractors submitting bids shall be licensed under LA R.S. 37:21502164, Municipal and Pub‐ lic Works. The bidder shall show his license number on the bid and on the sealed envelope submitting the bid.

Each bidder must have an active Unique Entity ID (UEI) SAM number, as verified on www.sam. gov, prior to the begin‐ ning of construction. See Section 00900-Special Conditions for additional instructions.

The Owner reserves the right to reject any and all bids for just cause; such actions will be in accor‐ dance with Title 38 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes.

In accordance with R.S. 38:2212 (A)(1)(b), the pro‐ visions and requirements stated in the Bidding Documents shall not be waived by any entity.

Each Bidder must de‐ posit with his/her bid, security in the amount of at least five percent (5%) of the total bid price, provided on the specified form and subject to the conditions provided in the Information for Bid‐ ders. Sureties used for obtaining bonds must appear as acceptable on the U. S. Department of Treasury Circular 570.

No bidder may withdraw his/her bid within fortyfive (45) days after the actual date of the open‐ ing thereof.

The Contractor shall begin mobilization and procurement of materi‐ als within fourteen (14) working days of the re‐ ceipt of the Notice to Proceed.

The Attention of Bidders is called particularly to the requirements for conditions of employ‐ ment to be observed and minimum wage rates to be paid under the Con‐ tract, Section 3 Employ‐ ment Opportunities, Build America Buy Amer‐ ica (BABA), Segregated Facilities, Executive Order 11246, Public Law 17758, and all applicable laws and regulations of the Federal government and State of Louisiana and bonding and insur‐ ance requirements.

Any person with disabili‐ ties requiring special ac‐ commodations must contact the City of Port Allen no later than seven (7) days prior to bid opening.

IN PARTICULAR, BIDDERS

OWNER City of Port Allen BY: Mayor Terecita Pattan

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ALL BID SPECIFICATIONS AND ADDENDA CAN BE OBTAINED BY ACCESSING THE LA STATE PROCURE‐ MENT WEBSITE https://wwwcfprd.doa. louisiana.gov/osp/lapac/ pubMain.cfm.

(Search by bid # 50016-10353) We highly recommend registering your com‐ pany with Louisiana State Procure‐ ment/LAPAC Mandatory Pre-Bid Con‐ ference & Site Visit: May 28, 2026, at 10:30 AM Conference & Site Visit Location: Physical Plant Building (Southern Uni‐ versity Campus) Physical Plant Department Benjamin H. Kraft Building-515 James L. Hunt Street Southern University Campus Baton Rouge, LA 70813 Site Telephone Nos. 225-771-4741 or 225-771-6241 Participants shall be in attendance by 10:30 a.m. and sign sheet provided by the Purchasing De‐ partment.

Bidders must visit the site and be familiar with the local conditions under which the work is

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225-933-7560

DOMESTIC TRUCKS 2009 Toyota Tundra, needs transmis‐ sion $3700. 225-202-2177 Ask for Ms. B

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

to be performed. No ad‐ ditional compensation will be granted because of unusual difficulties, which may be encoun‐ tered in the execution of any portion of the work.

shall be written by a surety or insurance com‐ pany that is currently li‐ censed or authorized to do business in the State of Louisiana. The bond must be received within twelve (12) working days from the date of notifica‐ tion.

Inquiries will be ac‐ cepted until June 4, 2026, by 5:00 PM. Inquiries shall be submitted to Linda Antoine at lin‐ da_antoine@subr.edu

Any person requiring special accommodation should notify the Pur‐ chasing Office of the type(s) of accommoda‐ tion required not less than seven (7) days be‐ fore the bid opening date. Additional contact is Henry Thurman, South‐ ern University Safety De‐ partment at henry_thur‐ man@subr.edu or 225771-4741

Bidders are solely re‐ sponsible for ensuring timely delivery of their bids. The Southern Uni‐ versity Purchasing De‐ partment is not responsi‐ ble for any delays caused by bidders’ chosen means of delivery. Failure to meet the bid deadline submittal date and time shall result in rejection of bid.

AREA 5 1BR $550, 2BR $650 Tigerland. $500 Deposit. 225-475-1737

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

188433 May 22, 29, June 5, 2026 3t $241.45

Alternative submittal: Electronic submittal: Use link to submit bid online: http://www.sus.edu/bid certification

AREA 5 1 & 2 BR Apts, W/D, C A/H, Starting at $850/mo Deps vary 225-315-0930

CLASSIFIEDS WORK

Vendors are responsible for checking addenda posted on LAPAC

MAIL, HAND-DELIVER OR ELECTRONIC SUBMITTAL TO PURCHASING DEPARTMENT NO LATER THAN 10:30 AM-ON JUNE 17, 2026

Move In Ready!

3017 Chippewa St. 5159 Frey St. Both Properties 3BR 1BA Rent $800/mo, $300/dep 225-357-6436

Automotive

Friday, May 22, 2026 Friday, May 29, 2026 Friday, June 5, 2026

Sealed bids will be re‐ ceived by Southern Uni‐ versity, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in the Pur‐ chasing Department, 8100 James L. Prestage Drive, PO Box 9543, J. S. Clark Administration Building Annex, South Entrance, First Floor East, Baton Rouge, LA 70813.

Bids will be opened and read aloud in a public meeting in the Southern University Purchasing Department.

AREA 3 5135 & 5137 Fairfield (Duplex) 1BR/1BA, Rent $500, Dep $300 Updated 225-357-6436

AREA 1 2BR/2BA Remodeled Apts. Available.

Sec 8 wlc. $875 Baker. 225-413-7611

PUBLICATION/DATES: The Advocate

ADVERTISEMENT REQUEST FOR BID BID #50016-10353 DOMESTIC WATER HEATER BOILERS (REMOVE OLD AND REPLACE WITH NEW) U. S. JONES HALL DORMITORY SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY AND A&M COLLEGE BATON ROUGE CAMPUS BID OPENING DATE AND TIME: JUNE 17, 2026 @ 10:30 AM

AREA 3 3060 N. Acadian Thrwy 1BR/1BA $500/mth $300Dep Water/Sewer Paid 225-357-6436

AREA 5 655 North St. Subsidized eff Apts cpabr.org 225-383-5551.

TDD/TTY /711RELAY

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Responses to inquiries will be posted on LAPACLA State Procurement website on June 10, 2026, by 5:00 PM

PUBLIC NOTICE ---

AREA 2 3BR 2BA, 16x80 Mobile Home in Central School District on 1 acre treed lot, $600 dep, $1100/mth rent.

Large storage bldg, Lawn Service Included. 225-603-4395

AREA 3

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Contractors submitting bids shall be licensed under LA R.S. 37:21502164, Highway, Street and Bridge Construction or Building Construction.

The bidder shall show his license number on the bid and on the sealed en‐ velope submitting the bid.

The Owner reserves the right to reject any and all bids for just cause; such actions will be in accor‐ dance with Title 38 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes. In accordance with R.S. 38:2212 (A)(1) (b), the provisions and requirements stated in the Bidding Documents shall not be waived by any entity.

Baton Rouge Real Estate For Sale

PLACE YOUR PET SERVICES INFORMATION IN THE PET SERVICES DIRECTORY TODAY! • IT IS FAST AND EASY! • CALL 225-383-0111

And will be observing the following Early Deadline:

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

MUSIC INSTRUMENTS Recording studio desk. Keyboard case. Uprt piano 225-202-2177 Ms. B

PETS • SUPPLIES • SERVICES • OBITUARIES • LOST & FOUND

Memorial Day

Run Date Tuesday May 26 Wednesday May 27

MISC FOR SALE Two 38” Tall Cement Cranes Each Crane $50 225-752-7273

Pets / Pet Services Directory

in observance of

Deadline: Thursday May 21 @ 3pm

MISC FOR SALE SMALL SOLID BLACK THROW PILLOWS MANY AVAILABLE! EACH $5 225-752-7273

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5% Security All bids must be accom‐ panied by bid security equal to five (5%) per‐ cent of the sum of the base bid and all alter‐ nates if applicable and must be in the form of a certified/official check, cashier’s check or bid bond, made payable to Southern University and A & M College. Surety represents that it is listed on the current U.S. Department of the Trea‐ sury Financial Manage‐ ment Service list of ap‐ proved bonding compa‐ nies and that is listed thereon as approved for amount equal to or greater than the amount for which it obligates it‐ self in this instrument.

No bid bond indicating an obligation of less than five percent (5%) by any method is acceptable.

Performance & Payment Bond Successful Proposer shall be required to fur‐ nish a performance (surety) bond.

The amount will be deter‐ mined during contract negotiations for the pe‐ riod the contract is in ef‐ fect. The Bond should be made payable to South‐ ern University. Any per‐ formance bond furnished shall be written by a surety or insurance com‐ pany currently on the U.S. Department of the Treasury Financial Man‐ agement Service list of approved bonding com‐ panies which is pub‐ lished annually in the Federal Register, or by a Louisiana domiciled in‐ surance company with at least an A-:VI rating or higher in the latest print‐ ing of the A.M. Best's Key Rating Guide or by an in‐ surance company that is either domiciled in Louisiana or owned by Louisiana residents and is licensed to write surety bonds.

No surety or insurance company shall write a performance bond which is in excess of the amount indicated as ap‐ proved by the U.S. De‐ partment of the Treasury Financial Management Service list or by a Louisiana domiciled in‐ surance company with an A-:VI rating by A.M. Best up to a limit of 10 percent of policyholders' surplus as shown by A.M. Best; companies autho‐ rized by this Paragraph who are not on the trea‐ sury list shall not write a performance bond when the penalty exceeds 15 percent of its capital and surplus, such capital and surplus being the amount by which the company's assets ex‐ ceed its liabilities as re‐ flected by the most re‐ cent financial state‐ ments filed by the com‐ pany with the Depart‐ ment of Insurance.

In addition, any perfor‐ mance bond furnished

Bidders shall include the following envelopes of choice: company’s name, address, Louisiana con‐ tractor’s license number, bid number, bid opening date and time.

Bids may be withdrawn by written, telegraphic fax notice or email and received at the address or email address desig‐ nated in the Invitation to Bid prior to the time set for bid opening, as recorded by date stamp at the Purchasing Office.

Bids received after clos‐ ing time will be returned unopened. Evidence of authority to submit the bid shall be required in accordance with R.S. 38:2212(a)(1)(c) and/or R.S. 39:1594(c)(2)(d).

The Southern University System is a participant in the Louisiana for the Small Entrepreneurships Program (the Hudson Ini‐ tiative) and the Louisiana Initiative for Veterans and Service-Connected Disabled VeteransOwned Business Small Entrepreneurships. Bid‐ ders are encouraged to consider participation. A list of certified vendors and additional informa‐ tion can be obtained http:// from website www.ledsmallbiz.com.

Potential participants may also register at this website.

Any questions concern‐ ing bid documents, please contact Mary Jane Spruel, Assistant Di‐ rector of Purchasing at (225) 771-2800 or email to maryjane_spruel@subr. edu and the Architect Firm.

No bid may be with‐ drawn for a period of forty-five (45) days after receipt of bids, except under the provisions of LA. R.S. 38:2214. Bidder is required to comply with provisions and require‐ ments of LA R.S. 38:2212(B)(5).

The University reserves the right to reject all bids and to waive any infor‐ malities incidental thereto.

Bids shall be accepted from Contractors who are licensed under LA. R.S. 37:2150-2192 for the classification of 72000000 Building & Construction, 721000000 Building Con‐ struction, Support, Main‐ tenance & Repair Service.

72102300 Plumbing and Heating and Air Condi‐ tioning. Boilers.

SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY & A&M COLLEGE AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER Linda A. Antoine, Director of Purchasing DATES ADVERTISED 5/15/226 & 5/22/26 187601-may 15-22-2t $205.32

PUBLIC NOTICE ---

Attn: Food Service Management Companies Helix Network of Educa‐ tional Choices is requesting food service management proposals for the 2026-2027 school year.

Vendors may submit pro‐ posals to: Helix Network of Educational Choices 2000 Tulane Ave., Suite 301, New Orleans, LA 70112 Helix Network of Educa‐ tional Choices reserves the right to accept or re‐ ject any and/or all pro‐ posals or to accept the l h i fi d i

NEWS 24/7 ON

Public Notices Bids/Proposals p p proposal that it finds, in its sole discretion, to be in the best interest of the school.

A mandatory pre-bid meeting is scheduled for Thursday, June 4 at 8:30 am 339 Florida St, Baton Rouge, LA 70801.

All proposals must be submitted no later than on Monday, June 15, 2025 at 8:30 am. Proposals shall be delivered in a sealed envelope and ad‐ dressed to: Helix Net‐ work of Educational Choices Inc., c/o 2000 Tulane Av‐ enue, Suite 301, New Or‐ leans, LA 70112. The pro‐ posals must be clearly marked: Request for Pro‐ posal - Food Service Management Proposal, with Helix Network of Ed‐ ucational Choices name and address.

Official Bid Documents are available at Central Bidding at https://www. centralauctionhouse. com/SignIn?redirect=/ Category/10877/ SchoolFood Solutions.

Electronic Bids may be submitted at Central Bid‐ ding through the same link. For questions re‐ lated to the electronic bidding process, please call Central Bidding at 225-810-4814.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

188382 May 21, 22, 2t $429.08

PUBLIC NOTICE INVITATION FOR PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING SERVICES The City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge invites qualified engineering firms to sub‐ mit a Statement of Quali‐ fications for the follow‐ ing project: Bayou Manchac Restoration and Ward Creek Realignment Project (Louisiana Watershed Initiative) Project No. 26-DR-US-0024 R F Q No. 26-ES-DTD-005 Estimated Project Cost: $29,891,960.00 Engineering Fee to Be Negotiated Statements of Qualifica‐ tions for this project shall be submitted on USB Drive, not paper copies. The selection meeting will be held via (Web access).

Statements of Qualifica‐ tions shall be prepared as pdf files on City-Parish Standard Form CPES (DATED: REV. 03/12/20).

Interested firms should register and download an electronic copy of the official Request for Quali‐ fications (RFQ) package from the City-Parish Web Site https://brprojects. com/. Those firms that have obtained the official RFQ package for this pro‐ ject from the web site will receive notice of changes in RFQ Addenda and information issued by the City-Parish Engi‐ neer and Surveyor Selec‐ tion Board. The firm se‐ lected for this project will be required to exe‐ cute the City-Parish's standard contract for En‐ gineering Services. Any questions or problems related to the download of the RFQ package should be directed by email to Mr. Daniel Rosenquist, P.E., via email to drosenquist@ brla.gov.

One USB drive with pdf files of the Statement of Qualifications (Standard Form CPES) shall be de‐ livered to the Chief De‐ sign and Construction Engineer, Public Works and Planning Center 1100 Laurel Street, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70802.

Statements of Qualifica‐ tions for this project will be accepted until 4:00 PM, Local Time, June

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Friday, May 22, 2026 ■ 9D

lll

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10D ■ Friday, May 22, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate Public Notices Bids/Proposals

18th, 2026.

Statements of Qualifica‐ tions that have not been received by the above aforementioned date and time will be rejected. Ad‐ ditionally, failure to sub‐ mit all of the information on Standard Form CPES (DATED: REV. 03/12/20) shall be considered nonresponsive and may re‐ sult in the Qualification Statement being re‐ jected.

Engineering and Land Surveying firms must be the registered with Louisiana State Board of Registration for Profes‐ sional Engineers and Land Surveyors, in accor‐ dance with LA RS 37:689.

A copy of the current Certificate(s) of Registra‐ tion shall be attached to each Statement of Quali‐ fications (Standard Form CPES). Failure to be reg‐ istered in good standing with the aforementioned Board will result in the Qualification Statement being rejected.

The City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge has established a Socially and Economi‐ cally Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (SEDBE) program in ac‐ cordance with Revised Statute RS 33:2233.4. It is the policy of the Parish to ensure that Eligible Business Enterprises (EBE’s), certified in ac‐ cordance with the Parish program, have an equal opportunity to receive and participate in parish contracts. All Firms shall make good faith efforts to achieve a minimum EBE participation goal of 25% of the total value of the engineering contract.

The members of the En‐ gineer and Surveyor Se‐ lection Board request that all consultants, subconsultants, contractors, vendors or others in‐ volved with this project not contact any Board Member concerning this project during the selec‐ tion process period, which shall extend from the date of this notice until a selection is made.

The members of the En‐ gineer and Surveyor Se‐ lection Board request that the firms name their pdf files in a common format, PrimeName Pro‐ jectNameFirstWord.pdf to assist in their review process. For example, “Acme Engineers Nichol‐ son.pdf”.

The members of the En‐ gineer and Surveyor Se‐ lection Board also re‐ quest that the firms sub‐ mit revised Form CPES (DATED REV. 03/12/20) only, unless otherwise stated or required by the instructions. All un-au‐ thorized attachments or embellishments may be removed and discarded prior to distribution of statements to the Board Members.

Responses to this RFQ will be collected, com‐ piled, and delivered to Board members on or be‐ fore June 18th, 2026 so that they may review them and prepare for the selection meeting. The Selection Board will meet via the webinar confer‐ encing tool on July 9th, 2026 at 4:00 PM to select a firm, and two alter‐ nates, for the services advertised herein. To at‐ tend the meeting as an observer please register for the EBR Parish Engi‐ neer's Selection Board meeting at: https://attendee. gotowebinar.com/ register/128238945423542 5622 After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing infor‐ mation about joining the webinar. You can attend via phone using an Audio Connection at: United States (Toll Free): United 1-877-309-2071 States: 1-213-929-4231, Access Code: 345-816-605 The City-Parish Engineer and Surveyor Selection Board reserves the right to reject all submittals in response to this Request for Qualifications.

CITY OF BATON ROUGE AND PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE SID EDWARDS MAYOR-PRESIDENT FRED E. RAIFORD DIRECTOR OF TRANSPORTATION AND DRAINAGE 188412 May 22, 1t $108.60 PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE TO BIDDERS Sealed bids will be re‐ ceived at the Louisiana Tech University Office of Purchasing, P.O. Box 3157, 208 Keeny Circle, RM 408, Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, Louisiana 71272 until 2:00 P.M., June 17, 2026 at which time and place they will be publicly opened for the following: Bid Number 50012-654-26: Purchase of a Circulation Heater and Control Panel for Engineered Process Heating System Specifications and bid documents for the above may be obtained from the Director of Purchas‐ ing, Louisiana Tech Uni‐ versity, Ruston, Louisiana, phone 318257-4205 or purchasing@ latech.edu.

Evidence of authority to submit the bid shall be required in accordance with R.S. 38:2212 (B)(5) and/or R.S. 39:1594 (C)(4).

Any person requiring special accommodations shall notify Louisiana Tech University of the type(s) of accommoda‐ tions required not less than seven (7) days be‐ fore the bid opening.

188417-may 22-1t $14.34 PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE TO BIDDERS SP# 102 Sealed bids will be re‐ ceived by the Procure‐ ment Section of the Divi‐ sion of Administration, 1201 N. 3rd. St., 2nd.

Floor, Suite 2-160, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, at 10:00 A.M. for the follow‐ ing: RFx No. 3000026251, Rifle Optics - DPS, 6/2/26 RFx No. 3000026252, *Rebid* Maritime Equipment – LDWF, 6/2/26 RFx No. 3000026215, Mattresses & Box Springs – Statewide, 6/9/26 Bid proposal forms, in‐ formation and specifica‐ tions may be obtained by accessing the bid num‐ ber in LaPac at www.doa. la.gov/doa/osp/ or from the procurement section listed above. No bids will be received after the date and hour specified.

The right is reserved to reject any and all bids and to waive any infor‐ malities.

NEWS 24/7 ON

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

Amy Vincent Director of State Procurement FAX (225) 342-8688 188442 May 22, 1t $13.77 PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS The Louisiana Depart‐ ment of Conservation and Energy (C&E) has is‐ sued a Request for Quali‐ fications (RFQ) seeking Proposals (Statements of Qualifications) from qualified Project Man‐ agers to establish con‐ tracts for Part A: Pre-Site Restoration Services and Part B: Site Restoration Services (Construction Management at Risk) for the State of Louisiana.

These two packages in‐ the plugging, clude: abandonment, and reme‐ diation of orphaned wells and associated sites and facilities.

• Package 431-PA27-001 consists of sites found in C&E Monroe District, with an option for federal well sites located in the Lafayette District.

• Package 431-PA27-002 consists of sites found in C&E Shreveport District, with an option for federal well sites located in the Lafayette District.

A one-time Mandatory Meeting will be held on Monday, June 15, 2026 at 12:00 P.M in the LeBelle Room in the LaSalle Building, Baton Rouge.

Only those contractors attending the mandatory meeting will be allowed to submit bids.

Proposals are due June 26, 2026 by 12:00 P.M. and should be submitted to the Oilfield Site Restora‐ tion Program, Office of the Secretary, Louisiana Department of Conserva‐ tion and Energy, c/o Roby Fulkerson consistent with the requirements set forth in the RFQ, which may be accessed online at https://www. dce.louisiana.gov/page/ iija-orphaned-wellprojects or by writing to Katie Vance with the Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy, Office of Management and Finance, 617 North 3rd Street, 12th Floor, Baton Rouge, LA 70802 or by e-mail at katie. vance2@la.gov.

188413-may 22-29-jun 1219-4t $116.64 PUBLIC NOTICE --The Louisiana Office of State Parks is requesting proposals for a Public, Private Partnership pro‐ ject to operate certain components of Poverty Point State Park and Black Bear Golf Course.

For more information go to OpportunitiesinLouisia na .com 186440-may 4-22-19t $87.78 PUBLIC NOTICE --To be published three times Legal- May 8th, 15th, 22nd, 2026 THE ADVOCATE BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS The City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge will receive elec‐ tronic or paper bids for the construction of the following project: GOODWOOD BLVD SIDEWALKS & BIKE PATHS (Airline Hwy. – Sharp Road) CITY-PARISH PROJECT NO. 24-EN-HC-0002 PROJECT DESCRIPTION: PCC sidewalks, ADA ramps, striping and sig‐ nage, driveways, brick walks and drives, and re‐ lated items of work.

There will be no pre-bid conference Electronic or sealed bids will be received until 2:00 p.m. Local Time, THURS‐ DAY, JUNE 4nd, 2026 by the Purchasing Division, Room 826, City Hall, 222 Saint Louis Street, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70802.

No bids will be received after 2:00 p.m. on the same day and date.

Bid Openings can be in person or via teleconfer‐ ence.

Teleconference Call-in Information Join by phone +1-408-418-9388 United States Toll Access code: 263 373 080 (followed by the # but‐ ton) Alternate numbers to call if number above is not available, which may occur due to network traffic (use the same Ac‐ cess Code, followed by the # button): United States Toll (Boston) +1-617-315-0704 United States Toll (Chicago) +1-312-5358110 United States Toll (Dal‐ las) +1-469-210-7159 United States Toll (Den‐ ver) +1-720-650-7664 United States Toll (Jack‐ sonville) +1-904-900-2303 United States Toll (Los Angeles) +1-213-306-3065 Electronic bids and elec‐ tronic bid bonds for the solicitation will be down‐ loaded by the City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge, Pur‐ chasing Division.

Beginning as soon as feasible after the bid closing time all elec‐ tronic bids will be down‐ loaded and publicly read aloud along with all paper bids received, if any, in 806 of City Hall immediately after the 2:00 p.m. bid closing.

Bids, amendments to bids, or request for with‐ drawal of quotations, re‐ ceived after time speci‐ fied for bid opening shall not be considered for any cause whatsoever.

Bids shall be firm for a period of sixty (60) days from the date of the opening of bids and no bid shall be withdrawn for any reason during this period of time ex‐ cept as allowed per R.S. 38:2214.C.

Official Bid Documents are available at Central Bidding (www.central bidding.com). Electronic Bids may be submitted at Central Bidding (www. centralbidding.com). For questions related to the electronic bidding process, please call Cen‐ tral Bidding at 225-8104814. Paper copies of the plans, specifications and contract documents are on file and may be ob‐ tained from the Public Works and Planning Cen‐ ter located at 1100 Laurel St., Engineering Division, Room 137 or Post Office Box 1471, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70821, upon payment of Ten Dollars ($10.00). (Make checks payable to the City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge.)

Fees for plans, specifica‐ tions and contract docu‐ ments are to cover the cost of reproduction and are non-refundable in ac‐ cordance with Louisiana Revised Statutes.

lll

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

A Certified Check or Cashier's Check, payable to the Parish of East Baton Rouge or a satis‐ factory Bid Bond exe‐ cuted by the Bidder and an acceptable surety, in an amount equal to five percent (5%) of the total bid, shall be submitted with each bid.

Bids shall be received electronically via www. centralbidding.com or on solicitation bid forms furnished by the City of Baton Rouge and Parish East Baton Rouge, and only those bids shall be received by the CityParish which is submit‐ ted by those Contractors in whose names the so‐ licitation bid forms and/or specifications were issued. In no event shall paper solicitation forms be issued later than twenty-four (24) hours prior to the hour and date set for receiv‐ ing proposals.

The City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge has established a Socially and Economi‐ cally Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (SEDBE) program in ac‐ cordance with Revised Statute RS 33:2233.4. It is the policy of the Parish to ensure that Eligible Business Enterprises EBE’s, certified in accor‐ dance with the Parish program, have an equal opportunity to receive and participate in parish contracts.

For this project the EBR Parish Purchasing office has directed a review of the scope of work and has established a mini‐ mum EBE goal of 14% of the contract amount. All Bidders shall achieve this goal or demonstrate good faith efforts to achieve the goal. Good faith efforts include meeting this EBE goal or providing documentation demonstrating that the Bidder made sufficient good faith efforts in at‐ tempting to meet this goal. Only EBE firms cer‐ tified under the Parish SEDBE Certification Pro‐ gram at the time of sub‐ mittal of the bid will count toward this EBE goal. To be considered responsive, the apparent low bidder must submit EBE Forms 1, 1A, and 2, and Letters of EBE Certi‐ fication, as appropriate within 10 days after bid opening All Contractors bidding on this work shall com‐ ply with all provisions of the State Licensing Law for Contractors, R.S. 37:2150-2163, as amended, for all public contracts. It shall also be the responsibility of the General Contractor to as‐ sure that all subcontrac‐ tors comply with this law. If required for bid‐ ding, Contractors must hold an active license is‐ sued by the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors in the classi‐ HIGHWAY, fication of STREET AND BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION, and must show their license number on the face of the bid envelope and the Uniform Public Works Bid Form.

In accordance with La. R.S. 38:2214 (B) the City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge reserves the right to reject any and all bids for just cause. In accor‐ dance with La. R.S. 38:2212 (A)(1)(b), the pro‐ visions and requirements of this Section, those stated in the advertise‐ ment for bids, and those required on the bid form, shall not be considered as informalities and shall not be waived by any public entity.

For additional informa‐ tion please contact George Chike, P.E., Pro‐ ject Manager at gchike@ brla.gov or Nick Prud‐ homme, Project Manager Nick.Prudhomme@ at stantec.com.

186784-may 8-15-22-3t $327.34 PUBLIC NOTICE --VOUCHER #2026-01-4610 BIDS TO BE OPENED 06/22/26 NOTICE TO PROPOSERS Notice is hereby given that sealed proposals will be received by City of Baton Rouge and the Parish of East Baton Rouge until June 22, 2026 at 2:00 PM CST in Pur‐ chasing Division, Room 826 of City Hall, 222 Saint Louis Street, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70802 for: CITY PARISH THIRD PARTY CLAIMS ADMINIS‐ TRATOR Copies of the Request for Proposal may be ob‐ tained from LaPAC (https://wwwcfprd.doa. louisiana.gov/osp/lapac/ dspBid.cfm?search=dep artment&term=102), Central Bidding (http:// www.centralauctionh ouse.com) or by email re‐ quest to Email: 4610HRthirdpar‐ tadmin@brla.gov *Note: The City-Parish has elected to use LaPAC, the state’s online electronic bid posting and Central Bidding noti‐ fication system, in addi‐ tion to its standard means of advertising this requirement. LaPAC is resident on State Pur‐ chasing’s website at https://wwwcfprd.doa. louisiana.gov/osp/lapac/ pubmain.cfm and is available for vendor selfenrollment. NOTE: This RFP is not available to submit online via Central Bidding; submissions MUST be mailed or hand delivered to the address mentioned in the RFP. In that LaPAC and Central Bidding provides an im‐ mediate email notifica‐ tion to subscribing bid‐ ders that a solicitation and any subsequent ad‐ denda have been let and posted, notice and re‐ ceipt thereof is consid‐ ered formally given as of their respective dates of posting. Though not re‐ quired if receiving solici‐ tation and addenda no‐ tices from LaPAC and Central Bidding the CityParish will email ad‐ denda to all vendors con‐ tacting our office and re‐ questing to be put on our office Vendor Listing for this solicitation.

The deadline for receiv‐ ing written inquiries is June 5, 2026 at 5:00 PM CST. Proposals received after the above specified time will not be considered.

The right to reject any and all proposals and to waive irregularities and informalities is reserved.

All questions concerning the Solicitation and Con‐ tract Documents MUST be received in accor‐ dance with the Schedule of Events cited in the So‐ licitation documents.

Though not required if receiving solicitation and addenda notices from LaPAC, the City of Baton Rouge, Parish of East Baton Rouge will email or mail addenda to all ven‐ dors contacting our of‐ fi d i b

CLASSIFIEDS WORK

Public Notices Bids/Proposals g fice and requesting to be put on our office Vendor Listing for this solicita‐ tion.

187633-may 15-22-29-3t $123.45

PUBLIC NOTICE --VOUCHER #2026-06-0910_ BIDS TO BE OPENED: June 25, 2026 @ 2:00 PM CST NOTICE TO PROPOSERS Notice is hereby given that sealed proposals will be received by City of Baton Rouge and the Parish of East Baton Rouge until June 25, 2026 at 2:00 PM local time in Room 826 of City Hall, 222 Saint Louis Street, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70802 for: RFP SOLICITATION NO. 2026-06-0910 – Floor Care for the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport A mandatory pre-pro‐ posal conference and job site visit will be held in person on June 9, 2026 at 9:00 AM. The mandatory pre-proposal conference and job site visit will be held at the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport, 1st Floor Conference Room, 9430 Jackie Cochran Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70807 . A company repre‐ sentative must be in at‐ tendance at the pre-pro‐ posal meeting and job site visit to receive an award for this project.

Copies of the Request for Proposal may be ob‐ tained from LaPAC (https://wwwcfprd.doa. louisiana.gov/osp/lapac/ dspBid.cfm?search=dep artment&term=102), Central Bidding (http:// www.centralauctionh ouse.com) or by email re‐ quest to: 0910BRAirport‐ Flooring@brla.gov. *Note: The City-Parish has elected to use LaPAC, the state’s online electronic bid posting and Central Bidding noti‐ fication system, in addi‐ tion to its standard means of advertising this requirement. LaPAC is resident on State Pur‐ chasing’s website at https://wwwcfprd.doa. louisiana.gov/osp/lapac/ pubmain.cfm and is available for vendor selfenrollment. NOTE: This RFP is not available to submit online via Central Bidding; submissions MUST be mailed or hand delivered to the address mentioned in the RFP. In that LaPAC and Central Bidding provides an im‐ mediate e-mail notifica‐ tion to subscribing bid‐ ders that a solicitation and any subsequent ad‐ denda have been let and posted, notice and re‐ ceipt thereof is consid‐ ered formally given as of their respective dates of posting. Though not re‐ quired if receiving solici‐ tation and addenda no‐ tices from LaPAC and Central Bidding the CityParish will email ad‐ denda to all vendors con‐ tacting our office and re‐ questing to be put on our office Vendor Listing for this solicitation.

The deadline for receiv‐ ing written inquiries is June 11, 2026 at 5:00 PM CST. Proposals received after the above specified time will not be considered.

The right to reject any and all proposals and to waive irregularities and informalities is reserved.

The City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge has established a Socially and Economi‐ cally Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (SEDBE) program in ac‐ cordance with Revised Statute RS 33:2233.4. It is the policy of the Parish to ensure that Eligible Business Enterprises EBE’s, certified in accor‐ dance with the Parish program, have an equal opportunity to receive and participate in parish contracts.

For this project the EBR Parish Purchasing office has directed a review of the scope of work and participation is strongly encouraged but not re‐ quired.

The City-Parish is an equal opportunity em‐ ployer and encourages the participation of Dis‐ advantaged Business En‐ terprises (DBE) in all of its projects.

Pro‐ posers/Prospective Con‐ tractors are strongly en‐ couraged to make posi‐ tive efforts to utilize mi‐ nority subcontractors for a portion of this project.

Proposers are requested to include in their pro‐ posal a description of plans for minority partic‐ ipation under this Con‐ tract as suppliers or sub‐ contractors.

All questions concerning the Solicitation and Con‐ tract Documents MUST be received in accor‐ dance with the Schedule of Events cited in section 1.3 of the Solicitation documents and as further defined in section 1.7.2 Proposer In‐ quiry Period of the same document.

Though not required if receiving solicitation and addenda notices from LaPAC, the City of Baton Rouge, Parish of East Baton Rouge will e-mail or mail addenda to all vendors contacting our office and requesting to be put on our office Ven‐ dor Listing for this solici‐ tation.

187672 May 15, 22, 29, 2026 3t $199.26

Public Notices Conservation

PUBLIC NOTICE ---4ELM GROVE AND SLIGO FIELDS 26-213 and 26-214 LEGAL NOTICE STATE OF LOUISIANA, DE‐ PARTMENT OF CONSER‐ VATION AND ENERGY, BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA. In accordance with the laws of the State of Louisiana, and with par‐ ticular reference to the provisions of Title 30 of Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, a public hearing will be held in the Hearing Room, 1st Floor, LaSalle Building, 617 North 3rd Street, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, at 9:00 a.m. on TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2026, upon the application of ENSIGHT IV ENERGY MANAGE‐ MENT, LLC. At such hearing the De‐ partment of Conserva‐ tion and Energy will con‐ sider evidence relative to the issuance of Orders pertaining to the follow‐ ing matters relating to the Haynesville Zone, Reservoir A, in the Elm Grove and Sligo Fields, Webster Parish, Louisiana.

1. To authorize EnSight to drill, designate and uti‐ lize four cross unit hori‐ zontal wells, to serve as alternate unit wells for HA RA SU88, in the Elm Grove Field, and HA RA SU78, in the Sligo Field, at h l i d i h

Public Notices Conservation g the locations and in the general manner shown on the plat submitted with the application, or at any legal locations within such units, in ex‐ ception to the spacing provisions of Office of Permitting and Compli‐ ance Order No. 361-L, Elm Grove Field, effective July 29, 2008 and Order No. 8N, Sligo Field, effective September 30, 2008, pro‐ vided that said cross unit horizontal wells will be perforated no closer than 330’ from any unit boundary, other than the common boundary be‐ tween the affected units, except as requested in Paragraph 2 below.

2. To grant Applicant an exception to the well spacing provisions of Order Nos. 361-L and 8-N to allow the first and last perforation point or take point in the proposed cross unit horizontal wells to be located no closer than 100’ from the north and south unit lines and no closer than 200’ to any well in a com‐ petitive unit completed in, drilling to, or for which a permit has been granted to drill to the Haynesville Zone, Reser‐ voir A (Statewide Order No. 29-S).

3. To find that the pro‐ posed horizontal wells are necessary to effi‐ ciently and economically drain a portion of the Haynesville Zone under‐ lying the units on which they are proposed to be drilled which cannot be efficiently and economi‐ cally drained by any ex‐ isting well in such units, will prevent waste, avoid the drilling of unneces‐ sary wells, protect cor‐ relative rights and pro‐ mote the full and effi‐ cient development of the natural resources of this state.

4. To provide that if the horizontal portion of a well is cased and ce‐ mented back above the top of the Haynesville Zone, Reservoir A, the distance to any unit boundary and offset well(s) will be calculated based on the distance to the nearest perforation in the well and not on the penetration point or ter‐ minus of the well in the Haynesville Zone, Reser‐ voir A. 5. To provide that pro‐ duction from the pro‐ posed wells shall be sep‐ arated and metered indi‐ vidually and that this in‐ formation shall be re‐ ported in the manner prescribed by the Secre‐ tary of the Department of Conservation and Energy.

6. To provide that the unit allowable for each of the units to be served by the proposed wells may be produced from the unit well, from any alternate unit well, or from any combination of such wells serving the unit, at the discretion of the op‐ erators.

7. To provide that pro‐ duction from a cross unit horizontal well shall be allocated to each unit penetrated by the well in the same proportion as the perforated length of the lateral in each such unit bears to the total length of the perforated lateral as determined by an “as drilled” survey performed after the well has been drilled and completed, provided that unit production shall continue to be shared on a surface acre basis.

8. To approve an excep‐ tion to the Department of Conservation and Energy policy with respect to a single operator per unit to allow Comstock Oil & Gas-LA, LLC (“Com‐ stock”) to operate its HA RA SU78;Kenner 21-16 HZ No. 1 Well (SN 252550) and to allow Applicant to operate the cross unit horizontal wells pro‐ posed herein.

9. Except insofar as set forth above, to confirm and continue in full force and effect the provisions of Order Nos. 361-L, ef‐ fective July 29, 2008, and 8-N, effective September 30, 2008, as amended and supplemented by the 361-L and the 8-N Series of Orders, the units cre‐ ated thereby, and of all applicable Statewide Or‐ ders.

10. To consider such other matters as may be pertinent.

The Haynesville Zone, Reservoir A, in the Elm Grove Field, was defined in Order No. 361-L, effec‐ tive July 29, 2008.

The Haynesville Zone, Reservoir A, in the Sligo Field, was defined in Order No. 8-N, effective September 30, 2008.

A plat is available for in‐ spection in the Depart‐ ment of Conservation and Energy in Baton Rouge and Shreveport, Louisiana. http://dnr.louisiana.gov/ conshearings All parties having inter‐ est therein shall take no‐ tice thereof.

BY ORDER OF: DUSTIN H. DAVIDSON, SECRETARY DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND EN‐ ERGY Baton Rouge, 5/19/26;5/22/26 S lck

LA

IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT, IF YOU NEED ASSISTANCE AT THE HEARING, PLEASE CON‐ TACT THE DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND ENERGY AT P.O. BOX 94275, BATON ROUGE, LA 70804-9275 IN WRITING WITHIN TEN (10) WORK‐ ING DAYS OF THE HEAR‐ ING DATE. 188492 May 22, 1t $95.36 PUBLIC NOTICE ---5GREENWOOD-WASKOM AND SHREVEPORT FIELDS 26-215 and 26-216 LEGAL NOTICE STATE OF LOUISIANA, DE‐ PARTMENT OF CONSER‐ VATION AND ENERGY, BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA. In accordance with the laws of the State of Louisiana, and with par‐ ticular reference to the provisions of Title 30 of Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, a public hearing will be held in the Hearing Room, 1st Floor, LaSalle Building, 617 North 3rd Street, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, at 9:00 a.m. on TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2026, upon the application of APEX NAT‐ URAL GAS, LLC. At such hearing the De‐ partment of Conserva‐ tion and Energy will con‐ sider evidence relative to the issuance of Orders pertaining to the follow‐ ing matters relating to the Haynesville Zone, Reservoir A, in the Green‐ wood-Waskom and Shreveport Fields, Caddo Parish, Louisiana.

1. To permit Applicant to drill, designate and uti‐ lize two cross unit hori‐ zontal wells, both of which to serve as alter‐ nate unit wells for HA RA SU136 and HA RA SUA, with such wells to be at the locations and in the general manner shown on the plat submitted with the application, in exception to the spacing provisions of the 270-MM and 13-L Series of Office of Permitting and Com‐ pliance Orders, and in accordance with LAC 43:XIX.4307 et seq.

(Statewide Order No. 29S).

2. To specifically find that the proposed cross unit horizontal wells for HA RA SU136 and HA RA SUA are reasonable and in the interest of conservation and necessary to effi‐ i l d i ll

Public Notices Conservation y ciently and economically drain a portion of the Haynesville Zone, Reser‐ voir A, underlying said units, which cannot be efficiently and economi‐ cally drained by any ex‐ isting well within such units, including portions of the participating units that are contained within 330’ of either side of the common unit boundary between said units.

3. To provide that with re‐ spect to horizontal wells drilled to the Haynesville Zone, Reservoir A, within or to serve HA RA SU136 and HA RA SUA, where the horizontal portion of the well is cased and ce‐ mented back above the top of the Haynesville Zone, Reservoir A, the distance to any unit boundary and offset well(s) should be calcu‐ lated based on the dis‐ tance to the nearest per‐ foration in the well and not based on the pene‐ tration point or terminus.

4. To confirm Applicant as the operator of HA RA SU136 and HA RA SUA. 5. To permit the operator to produce the allowable for each unit from the re‐ spective unit well, substi‐ tute unit well, any alter‐ nate unit well, or from any combination thereof, at its discretion.

6. To provide that unit production from the pro‐ posed cross unit horizon‐ tal wells should be allo‐ cated to each unit in the same proportion as the perforated length of the lateral in each such unit bears to the total length of the perforated lateral, as determined by an “asdrilled” survey per‐ formed after such cross unit horizontal wells are drilled and completed.

7. To provide that pro‐ duction from the pro‐ posed cross unit horizon‐ tal wells should be sepa‐ rated and metered indi‐ vidually, and this infor‐ mation should be re‐ ported in the manner prescribed by the Office of Permitting and Com‐ pliance.

8. To continue in force and effect, except to the extent contrary herewith, the pertinent provisions of Order No. 270-MM, ef‐ fective June 19, 2007, and Order No. 13-L, effective April 28, 2009, as amended and supple‐ mented by the 270-MM and 13-L Series of Orders, respectively, and all ap‐ plicable Statewide Or‐ ders.

9. To consider such other matters as may be perti‐ nent.

The Haynesville Zone, Reservoir A, in the Green‐ wood-Waskom Field, was originally defined in Order No. 270-MM, effec‐ tive June 19, 2007, and was redefined insofar as HA R SU136 is concerned in Order No. 270-MM-98, effective August 25, 2020.

The Haynesville Zone, Reservoir A, in the Shreveport Field, was de‐ fined in Order No. 13-L, effective April 28, 2009.

A plat is available for in‐ spection in the Depart‐ ment of Conservation and Energy in Baton Rouge and Shreveport, Louisiana. http://dnr.louisiana.gov/ conshearings All parties having inter‐ est therein shall take no‐ tice thereof.

BY ORDER OF: DUSTIN H. DAVIDSON, SECRETARY DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND EN‐ ERGY Baton Rouge, 5/19/26;5/22/26 S lck

LA

IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT, IF YOU NEED ASSISTANCE, PLEASE CONTACT THE DEPARTMENT OF CON‐ SERVATION AND ENERGY AT P.O. BOX 94275, BATON ROUGE, LA 70804-9275 IN WRITING WITHIN TEN (10) WORKING DAYS OF THE HEARING DATE. 188493 May 22, 1t $83.93 PUBLIC NOTICE ---6MASTERS CREEK FIELD 26-217 LEGAL NOTICE STATE OF LOUISIANA, DE‐ PARTMENT OF CONSER‐ VATION AND ENERGY, BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA. In accordance with the laws of the State of Louisiana, and with par‐ ticular reference to the provisions of Title 30 of Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, a public hearing will be held in the Hearing Room, 1st Floor, LaSalle Building, 617 North 3rd Street, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, at 9:00 a.m. on TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2026, upon the application of WAGNER OIL LOUISIANA. At such hearing the De‐ partment of Conserva‐ tion and Energy will con‐ sider evidence relative to the issuance of Orders pertaining to the follow‐ ing matters relating to the Wilcox Zone, Reser‐ voir A, in the Masters Creek Field, Rapides Parish, Louisiana.

1. To revise the existing drilling and production unit for the Wilcox Zone, Reservoir A, Sand Unit A, created by Office of Per‐ mitting and Compliance Order No. 1386-E, effec‐ tive September 3, 2025, its geographic confines as shown on the plat submitted with the appli‐ cation.

2. To force pool and inte‐ grate all separately owned tracts, mineral leases and other prop‐ erty interests within the geographic confines of the proposed revised unit, with each tract sharing in unit produc‐ tion on a surface acreage basis of participation.

3. The current unit well for the WX RA SUA is not capable of producing unitized hydrocarbons in paying quantities from the said Unit thus, Wag‐ ner Oil is requesting that it be authorized to drill, designate and utilize the proposed Wagner Oil Louisiana-Reyes 36 No. 1 Well, with proposed sur‐ face and bottomhole lo‐ cations, as shown on the plat submitted with the application, as a substi‐ tute unit well for the pro‐ posed revised WX RA SUA or at any other legal location within the con‐ fines of the proposed re‐ vised WX RA SUA. 4. To confirm Wagner Oil Louisiana as the unit op‐ erator for the proposed revised Wilcox Zone, Reservoir A, Sand Unit A and the proposed substi‐ tute unit well for such unit.

5. Except to the extent contrary with the re‐ quests set forth herein, to confirm and continue in effect the provisions of Order No. 1386-E, effec‐ tive September 3, 2025, and any applicable Statewide Orders.

6. To provide that the Secretary of the Depart‐ ment of Conservation and Energy should be au‐ thorized to reclassify the reservoir by supplemen‐ tal order without the necessary of a public hearing if the producing characteristics of the reservoir change and evi‐ dence to justify such re‐ classification is submit‐ ted to and accepted by the Secretary of the De‐ partment of Conserva‐ tion and Energy.

7. To consider such other matters as may be perti‐ nent.

The Wilcox Zone, Reser‐ voir A was defined in Order No. 1386-E, effec‐ tive September 3, 2025.

A plat is available for in‐ i i h

Public Notices Conservation p spection in the Depart‐ ment of Conservation and Energy in Baton Rouge and Monroe, Louisiana. http://dnr.louisiana.gov/ conshearings All parties having inter‐ est therein shall take no‐ tice thereof.

BY ORDER OF: DUSTIN H. DAVIDSON, SECRETARY DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND EN‐ ERGY Baton Rouge, LA 5/19/26;5/22/26 M lck IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT, IF YOU NEED ASSISTANCE, PLEASE CONTACT THE DEPARTMENT OF CON‐ SERVATION AND ENERGY AT P.O. BOX 94275, BATON ROUGE, LA 70804-9275 IN WRITING WITHIN TEN (10) WORKING DAYS OF THE HEARING DATE. 188494 May 22, 1t $71.07 PUBLIC NOTICE ---7WEST CHENEYVILLE FIELD 26-218 LEGAL NOTICE STATE OF LOUISIANA, DE‐ PARTMENT OF CONSER‐ VATION AND ENERGY, BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA. In accordance with the laws of the State of Louisiana, and with par‐ ticular reference to the provisions of Title 30 of Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, a public hearing will be held in the Hearing Room, 1st Floor, LaSalle Building, 617 North 3rd Street, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, at 9:00 a.m. on TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2026, upon the application of WAGNER OIL LOUISIANA. At such hearing the De‐ partment of Conserva‐ tion and Energy will con‐ sider evidence relative to the issuance of Orders pertaining to the follow‐ ing matters relating to the Wilcox Zone, Reser‐ voir A, in the West Ch‐ eneyville Field, Evange‐ line and Rapides Parishes, Louisiana.

1. To authorize and per‐ mit the Applicant to drill, designate and utilize the proposed Wagner Oil Louisiana-Crowell 17 Well No. 2, as an alternate unit well for WX RA SUA, at the location and in the general manner shown on the plat submitted with the application, and made a part hereof, or at any other legal location with said unit.

2. To explicitly find that the proposed alternate unit well is in the interest of conservation and is necessary to drain a por‐ tion of the Wilcox Zone, Reservoir A, which can‐ not be efficiently and economically drained by any existing well in such unit, the proposed alter‐ nate unit well will permit the efficient, effective and economic recovery of hydrocarbons underly‐ ing said unit, will not cre‐ ate any inequitable ad‐ vantages to any party in‐ volved, will enable the applicant, Wagner Oil Louisiana, to protect the correlative rights of all parties owning an inter‐ est in the affected unit and will not cause waste, but instead will maxi‐ mize the reservoir’s ulti‐ mate recovery.

3. To provide that the unit operator of the WX RA SUA may produce the unit allowable from the unit well, any alternate unit well, or from any combination thereof, at its discretion.

4. To confirm Wagner Oil Louisiana as the operator of the WX RA SUA and to confirm Wagner Oil Louisiana as the operator of the proposed alter‐ nate unit well.

5. To provide that, except to the extent contrary with the requests set forth herein, the perti‐ nent provisions of Office of Permitting and Com‐ pliance Order No. 1415-B, effective September 3, 2025, the unit created thereby shall continue in full force and effect and all pertinent provisions of any applicable Statewide Orders.

6. To consider such other matters as may be perti‐ nent.

The Wilcox Zone, Reser‐ voir A was previously de‐ fined in Order No. 1415-B, effective September 3,

Public Notices Conservation

2025.

A plat is available for in‐ spection in the Depart‐ ment of Conservation and Energy in Baton Rouge and Monroe, Louisiana. http://dnr.louisiana.gov/ conshearings All parties having inter‐ est therein shall take no‐ tice thereof.

BY ORDER OF: DUSTIN H. DAVIDSON, SECRETARY DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND ENERGY Baton Rouge, LA 5/19/26;5/22/26 M lck IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT, IF YOU NEED ASSISTANCE, PLEASE CONTACT THE DEPARTMENT OF CON‐ SERVATION AND ENERGY AT P.O. BOX 94275, BATON ROUGE, LA 70804-9275 IN WRITING WITHIN FIVE (5) WORKING DAYS OF THE HEARING DATE. 188495 May 22, 1t $69.35

Legal Notices

PUBLIC NOTICE --Public Hearings will be held at Zachary City Hall 4700 Main St. during a regular meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission meetingMonday, June 01, 2026 – 6:00 pm and the City Council meeting – Tues‐ day, June 09, 2026 – 6:30 pm for the purpose indi‐ cated:

Waiver Request 20483 Plank Rd. PUBLISH: Friday, May 22nd of year 2026 188420-may 22-1t $33.14 PUBLIC NOTICE --Public Hearings will be held at Zachary City Hall 4700 Main St. during a regular meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission meetingMonday, June 01, 2026 – 6:00 pm and the City Council meeting – Tues‐ day, June 23, 2026 – 6:30 pm for the purpose indi‐ cated:

Legal Notices

PUBLIC NOTICE --Ziggy's Arts Adventure Season 2, a TV show, pro‐ duced by Beyond the Garage Productions, began principal photog‐ raphy 4/17/2023 and con‐ cluded its principal pho‐ tography 5/25/2023. For any questions or con‐ cerns, please contact the production company at ziggysartsadventure@ gmail.com or 225-9211958. Any Creditor claims may also be made to the contact information listed.

186704 May 8, 15, 22, 3t $169.74

Public Notices Meet/Hear/Min

PUBLIC NOTICE --Public Hearings On East Baton Rouge Parish School System's PROPOSED 2026-2027 GENERAL FUND AND PROPOSED SPECIAL REVENUE FUND BUDGETS Public Hearing Pursuant to the Provisions of La. R.S. 39:1306-1308 and La. R.S. 17:88(A) Public Hearings will be held before the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board: Thursday, June 4, 2026, 4:30 P.M. Public Hearing/Board Workshop Central Office Board Room 1050 South Foster Drive Baton Rouge, Louisiana Thursday, June 11, 2026, 4:30 P.M. Public Hearing/Board Meeting for Adoption of Budget Central Office Board Room 1050 South Foster Drive Baton Rouge, Louisiana The Budget document is available for public in‐ spection on May 25, 2026 online at https://ebr-schools. community.highbond. com/portal/ or at 1050 S. Foster Drive, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 187765 May 22, 1t $91.90

Public Notices Sex Offenders

Petition of Deannexation 8465 Zachary-Deerford Road, Zachary, La 70791 Tract A-1-A of the J.M. King, Jr. Tract, T5S R1E Sect 37 PUBLISH: Friday, May 22nd of year 2026 188422-may 22-1t $34.49 PUBLIC NOTICE The City of Central Board of Adjustment will hold a public hearing on Thurs‐ day, May 28, 2026, at 5:00 pm at the Central Com‐ munity School System School Board Office at 11576 Sullivan Road, Cen‐ tral, LA 70818, to consider the following: V-26-0005: Variance at 11702 Littlefield Avenue.

Request to allow an ac‐ cessory building closer than ten feet to a resi‐ dential structure (App. 1, Sec. 3.3.C.2) on Lot 83, Plantation Way Subdivi‐ sion, in the R-1 (SingleFamily Residence) zoning district.

(Appli‐ cant/Owner: Danny Well‐ man) 187217 May 12, 17, 22, 3t $52.45 PUBLIC NOTICE --The Louisiana Office of the State Museum is re‐ questing proposals for a Public-Private Partner‐ ship project to design, build, furnish, operate, and maintain an in‐ door/outdoor café at the New Orleans Jazz Mu‐ seum. For more informa‐ tion go to opportuni‐ tiesinlouisiana.com.

188286-MAY 21-JUN 16 $139

I, TORIANO JERMAINE SIMS AKA JERMAINE SIMS AKA JERMAN SIMS, have been convicted of 14:43.1 Sexual Battery. Date Convicted: 03/22/1999.

My Address is: 3112 Mission Dr Apt# 109 Baton Rouge, LA 70805 Race: BLACK Sex: MALE Date of Birth: 5/23/1974 Height: 6' Weight: 195 Hair Color: BLACK Eye Color: BROWN Scars/Tattoos: Louisiana 188368, MAY 22-23 $250.00

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