The Acadiana Advocate 05-28-2026 by The Advocate

MITT THE ROAD

Historic Grand Isle hotel to get new life

Nonprofit raises money for Oleander transformation

BY LARA NICHOLSON Staff writer

‘Still

not feeling safe’

Mall of Louisiana traffic down after fatal shooting, workers say

BY IANNE SALVOSA Staff writer

Mothers pushed strollers through the Blue Zoo Aquarium at the Mall of Louisiana early on the afternoon of April 23, cruising their children through the dark rooms, illuminated by the lights of tanks filled with aquatic creatures. Around 1:23 p.m., two groups opened fire following an altercation in the mall food court upstairs, killing one teen from Lafayette and injuring five, sparking a chaotic scene as shoppers fled to safety Blue Zoo Aquarium manager Garrett Callender recalls his staff ushering all guests out of the aquarium within a minute. Ever since the tragedy, the aquarium has not been the same, he said, with revenue this quarter down more than half from the previous one.

UL baseball players board buses Wednesday headed to the Starkville Regional hosted by No. 14 national seed Mississippi State. It’s the 20th NCAA regional appearance for the Cajuns, including four in the past ﬁve seasons. Their ﬁrst game is at 6 p.m. Friday against the Cincinnati Bearcats.

“Many people are still not feeling safe,” Callender said. The mall — more than a million square feet of space for retail, food and services galore — is usually humming with the shuffle of shoppers. But attendance since the shooting has been sparse: 17 mall employees contacted said traffic has fallen, by double digits for some stores, as the community continues to reel from the tragedy A dozen other mall employees either declined to comment or deferred comment to their corporate office in fear of retribution from their employer or company policy restricting employee communication with the press.

BY SAM KARLIN Staff writer

Louisiana will dole out a record 3,000 grants to help homeowners put fortiﬁed roofs on their homes in the coming weeks, after elected ofﬁcials agreed on a bill that injects $50 million into the program. Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple said Wednesday his office will open up a lottery for the next batch of grants from Monday to June 19. Until now, the program has seen far more demand than supply, with only about 20% of people who

UL baseball coach Matt Deggs heads to the bus while players load up for their trip to the NCAA baseball regional.

STAFF PHOTOS By BRAD KEMP

Gloves wait to be loaded onto the bus for the University of Louisiana at Lafayette baseball team’s trip to the NCAA baseball regional in Starkville, Miss., at M.L. Tigue Moore Field at Russo Park in Lafayette on Wednesday.

BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

Puerto Rico announces erosion emergency

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico Puerto Rico’s governor announced a state of emergency Wednesday to ﬁght a surge in coastal erosion along the U.S. territory’s north coast.

Gov Jenniffer González said the executive order would allow her administration to accelerate projects to protect natural resources and vulnerable coastal communities. The government said in a statement that rising sea levels, storm surges and other factors have intensified coastal erosion in Puerto Rico.

González pledged to help northern towns including Loiza, where people have been evacuated and chunks of asphalt from coastal roads have tumbled into the ocean following heavy swells.

The order was signed just days before the start of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov 30.

The cost of the projects has not yet been determined.

SpaceX’s rockets grounded after test CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX Starship launches are on hold pending an investigation into last week’s test ﬂight.

The Federal Aviation Administration announced Wednesday that the hourlong spaceflight resulted in a mishap based on the performance of the mega rocket’s ﬁrst-stage booster Minutes after Starship blasted off from Texas on Friday, the booster separated as normal but engines conked out as it made its way back to Earth. Instead of a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico, the booster came in hard. There were no reports of injury or property damage, according to the FAA, which will oversee the company’s investigation.

The spacecraft continued around the world, releasing 20 mock satellites before ending the mission as planned with a ﬁery splashdown in the Indian Ocean.

The 407-foot rocket is SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s biggest and most powerful Starship yet, designed to carry crews to Mars NASA is looking for it to land astronauts on the moon as soon as 2028 and help build a lunar base.

Teen charged with killing stepsister remains free

MIAMI A federal judge on Wednesday allowed a teenager charged with sexually assaulting and killing his 18-year-old stepsister, Anna Kepner, on a Carnival Cruise ship to remain free for now as the judge considers arguments following a hearing in Miami.

Timothy Hudson was initially arrested and charged as a juvenile, and U.S. Magistrate Judge Edwin Torres ruled in February that the 16-year-old could live with an uncle and be electronically monitored. But after the case was transferred to adult court, prosecutors wanted Hudson in custody

Minors are rarely prosecuted in federal court, and this case landed there because Kepner apparently died in international waters, outside any state’s jurisdiction. The judge ended Wednesday morning’s hearing without making a final decision, saying he wanted to speak with the U.S. Marshals Service about the logistics of detaining Hudson in central Florida, closer to his family rather than South Florida, where the trial is taking place. It’s unknown when Torres will announce his decision. In the meantime, Hudson walked out of the courthouse after the hearing, rather than being immediately taken into custody Hudson has pleaded not guilty to charges of ﬁrst-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse. His federal public defenders have declined to comment on the charges Kepner, had been traveling on the Carnival Horizon ship in November with her family, including Hudson. Before the ship was scheduled to return to Florida, her body was found concealed under a bed in a room she was sharing with Hudson and another teen, a criminal complaint said.

Trump sets Ebola response policy

Americans exposed while abroad to be sent to Kenya

BY ALI SWENSON and MIKE STOBBE Associated Press

NEW YORK President Donald Trump’s administration is planning to send Americans who are exposed to Ebola while abroad to a new facility in Kenya instead of ﬂying them to the United States, an administration ofﬁcial said Wednesday

The quarantine and treatment center being set up by the Departments of Defense, State and Health and Human Services will be designed for Ebola patients who need to get out of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and receive care quickly, said the ofﬁcial, who insisted on anonymity to share the Republican administration’s plans. The person said the plan would help patients avoid an hourslong medical evacuation to the U.S.

It was unclear where in Kenya the new facility will be built or whether the Kenyan government has signed off on the plan.

The ofﬁcial said the facility will be able to care for the full spectrum of Ebola, a rare but severe disease that is often fatal in people. But the ofﬁcial said people may be transported elsewhere for more advanced care as appropriate.

Kenya’s health minister conﬁrmed ofﬁcials there were talking with the U.S. about “preparedness and response mechanisms for Ebola” but didn’t address whether the country would establish a treatment facility for Americans.

“Any arrangements regarding international health cooperation will be guided by Kenya’s national laws, public health regulations, biosafety and biosecurity standards, and the government’s responsibility to safeguard the health and welfare of Kenyans,” Health Minister Aden Duale said in a statement.

For decades, medical experts have suggested moving patients suffering from Ebola and similar

illnesses as little as possible in case their condition worsens, said Dr. Ali Khan, the public health college dean at the University of Nebraska Medical Center But, he added, the quality of care must be equivalent to what someone would receive in American facilities.

“You’ve got to make sure the patient gets the best quality care, and you need to ensure excellent infection control,” said Khan, who earlier in his career led international responses to Ebola and other outbreaks for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dr Craig Spencer, a public health professor and emergency medicine doctor at Brown University who survived Ebola in 2014, said he doesn’t expect the facility in Kenya to provide the same quality of care that dedicated facilities in the United States do. He said refusing to consider bringing American Ebola patients home for treatment is “a moral abdication of

Uganda closes border with Congo as precaution

Suspected cases of rare strain of Ebola surging

BY RODNEY MUHUMUZA Associated Press

KAMPALA, Uganda Uganda on Wednesday ordered the closure of its border with Congo, where suspected cases of a rare type of Ebola are surging, and as cases have been conﬁrmed at home after Ugandan health workers were exposed to the disease from Congolese patients.

The measure, which goes against the guidance by the World Health Organization, underscores growing fears of contagion in East Africa from Bundibugyo, a rare type of the Ebola virus that is behind this outbreak and that has no approved medicines or vaccines.

Like Congo, Uganda has faced Ebola outbreaks in the past. A local Ugandan task force made the decision on the border closure. The Ugandan health workers were exposed to the virus by Congolese patients who had crossed the border before the outbreak was declared in eastern Congo on May 15.

Border crossings will be authorized only in emergency cases, including for the outbreak response, cargo or security reasons, Dr. Diana Atwine of the Ugandan Ministry of Health, told journalists. Anyone entering from Congo under emergency circumstances will be taken into mandatory isolation for 21 days.

Divers

ﬁnd

Two are still missing in Laos

BY JINTAMAS SAKSORNCHAI Associated Press

BANGKOK Five villagers who became trapped in a ﬂooded cave in central Laos more than a week ago have been found alive by divers who discovered them sitting on a rock in the darkness, rescuers said Wednesday but two others are still missing.

The seven villagers entered the cave in Xaisomboun province on May 19, but heavy rain triggered ﬂash ﬂooding that blocked

Tracing and isolating Ebola contacts is seen as key to stopping the spread of the disease, which usually manifests as hemorrhagic fever The virus is spread through close contact with sick or deceased patients’ bodily ﬂuids. Experts say healthcare workers and family members caring for patients face the highest risk.

The number of suspected cases in eastern Congo is nearing 1,000, with at least 220 suspected deaths. Congo’s health ministry on Tuesday said 101 cases have been conﬁrmed, and they are looking into over 3,000 possible contacts

On Wednesday, Congolese authorities said that the ﬁrst person who recovered from the Bundibugyo virus has been released home from a treatment center in Rwampara, one of the towns in eastern Congo at the heart of the outbreak.

WHO has discouraged border closures with Congo while acknowledging that neighboring countries are at high risk of contagion. The U.N. health agency has declared this outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.

Closures “push the movement of people and goods to informal border crossings that are not monitored, thus increasing the chances of the spread of disease,” the agency said.

The Uganda-Congo border is several hundred miles long and crossed by numerous footpaths beyond formal border posts. Many people come and go in the course of a day to visit families or to trade.

5 villagers alive in cave

the exit, according to Lao and Thai rescue teams involved in the operation.

Thai rescuer Chakkit Taengtang posted video of himself in the cave saying divers were delivering food and water to the ﬁve and planning to extract them as soon as possible.

All of the villagers are men, according to a Facebook post by the Lao group Rescue Volunteer for People. “I’m still shaking. Our team made it happen,” Bounkham Luanglath, a member of the Lao rescue team, said in a voice message to The Associated Press He said the search for the missing would con-

tinue.

A video posted by the rescue group appeared to show the moment divers emerged from the water and discovered the trapped men. In the footage, the men are wearing headlamps and sitting on a rock surrounded by ﬂoodwater

Other videos showed rescuers inside and outside the cave cheering, jumping and hugging each other in joy after the discovery Another villager who went into the cave with the seven was able to escape when the ﬂooding began, and he raised the alarm about the trapped men.

what this country owes its own.” Officials have been expanding the number of U.S. airports where CDC staffers are screening and monitoring incoming passengers from outbreak countries. Enhanced screenings began last week at Washington Dulles International Airport and Hartsﬁeld-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. CDC staff began screenings at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston this week, and are being dispatched to start screenings Friday at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport.

The CDC’s acting director, Jay Bhattacharya, sent an email Monday to CDC employees asking for volunteers from across the agency to work the screening stations. CDC veterans say it’s not unusual to see a call for volunteers for stafﬁng major epidemic responses.

The government also has temporarily banned the entry of people without U.S. passports, as well as U.S. green-card holders, who have visited Congo Uganda or South Sudan in the last 21 days.

Congress members visit N.J. immigration detention center

Advocates say immigrants are on a hunger strike

BY TED SHAFFREY and PHILIP MARCELO

The Associated Press

NEWARK, N.J Democratic members of Congress visited a federal immigration detention center in New Jersey on Wednesday, where protesters have been demonstrating in recent days and asserting that detainees are on a hunger strike.

U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat, a Manhattan Democrat, said after touring Delaney Hall in Newark that detainees were refusing to eat over what he described as “inhumane” conditions.

“We will shut this center down. We will shut it down,” he vowed after the roughly hourlong visit.

U.S. Reps. Jerry Nadler and Dan Goldman, also Manhattan Democrats,

later spoke with protesters and family members of detainees demonstrating outside the facility’s security gate.

“We want to make sure the conditions here are going to be dealt with,” said Goldman, shortly before the two lawmakers entered the facility

More than 50 people held signs saying “Stop Family Separation” and chanted “Free Them All” and other slogans.

Some shouted directly at the armed and helmetwearing Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers standing outside, calling them “cowards” and “idiots.”

The protests began Friday and have been tense at times.

On Monday U.S. Sen. Andy Kim, a New Jersey Democrat, said he was pepper-sprayed as he and New Jersey Gov Mikie Sherrill led a delegation of Democratic officials who tried to visit detainees but were denied entry

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ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MOSES SAWASAWA

A Muslim man washes his hands as a precaution against Ebola before attending the Eid al-Adha prayers at Sayo Muhamed School in Bunia, Congo, on Wednesday.

ZelenskyyasksTrump formoreair defensehelp

in the Middle East —speciﬁcally the Gulf Arab region —strengthen air defenses.Theyhavealso helpedatAmerican military bases in theMideast, theletter says.

By The Associated Press

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has written to U.S. President Donald Trump and Congressasking for more American-made air defense ammunition to counter intensifying Russian ballisticmissile attacks, Kyiv said Wednesday

Meanwhile, Russianlawmakers have backed adraft bill to havebank employees join the fight against Ukraine’slong-range drones that strike deep inside Russia —with trained bank staff shooting down the unmanned aircraft. The steps came aftera recent escalation in aerial attacks by both sides in the more than four-year war that followed Russia’sall-out invasion of itsneighbor.Neither side has been able to make much progress on the 780-mile front line. Also on Wednesday,Anne Keast-Butler, head of U.K.’sintelligence agency GCHQ, asserted that Russian President Vladimir “Putin is going backwards on the battlefield.” New data shows that “almost half amillion Russian soldiers have now beenkilled since the conflict began,” she added. Ukraine haspoundedRussian targets, especially oil facilities and manufacturing plants, with its domestically produceddrones. At the same time, the Russian military has intensified its aerial attacks, firingalmost 90 missiles as well as hundreds of dronesat Kyiv last weekend in an effort to overwhelm air defenses.

ButUkraine cannot yet produce its own anti-missile defense systems, Zelenskyy said, and for that relies “almostexclusively on theUnited States.”

“For us —for anation ﬁghting for its survival —there is hardly anything more painful to see than Patriotbatteries withnomissiles loaded,” Zelenskyy wrote. Deliveries, he says, are “no longer keeping up with the reality of thethreatweface.”

U.S. will need yearstoreplenish stockpiles of advanced weapons

Analysis findsdepletion possibly openswindow

of vulnerability

Kyiv hasrequested Patriotmissiles ASSOCIATEDPRESS

Washington did notimmediately comment on the letter

The U.S. weapons that European nationsand Canada buy to donate to Ukraine areavital component of the country’sair defenses but only afew NATO allies areinvestingsigniﬁcantsumsinthe arrangement, alliance ofﬁcials say Bankemployees to join fight

In Russia, an ambitious plan approved by the country’slower house of parliament on Tuesday envisagesbanks installing electronic jamming systems on their premises whileselected employees would be trained to shoot downincoming drones.

And with banks in almost every town,their incorporationinto Russia’sair defenses could help expand its cover

The bill, which state news agency Interfax said was first presentedlast August andlater expanded in scope, must still be approved by the upper house Federation Council and signed by Putin before coming into force.

More Patriotdefensesystems

TheUkrainianleaderurged Trump and Congress in aletter, which was obtained by TheAssociated Press, to supply more Patriot PAC-3 missiles and other air defense systems, warningthat deliveries to Ukraine are falling dangerously short as theIran war diverts U.S. stocks.

Ukraine has raised its droneinterception rate to more than 90%, the letter says, and Ukrainian specialistshave helped countries

Russiaisﬁnding it hard to protect its large land mass from agrowingnumberofattacks by increasingly sophisticated Ukrainian long-range drones.

Smaller drones arealsoholding backRussian troops alongthe front line,Western analysts and ofﬁcials say

As the intensity anddepth of Ukrainian drone attackshave increased, Russianauthorities have encouraged businessestocontribute to protective measures against aerial strikes.

BY BEN FINLEY Associated Press

WASHINGTON U.S. military contractors need at least three years to replenishstockpilesofthree key weaponssystems used heavily in theIran war,according to an analysis released Wednesday,adding to concerns thatAmerican forces would have limitedfirepowerin any future conﬂict with China.

The weapons systems are Tomahawk cruise missiles, whichare used to strike targets deep inside enemy territory,and Patriot and THAAD interceptorsthat defend against incomingmissiles and drones.

“The United States has enough munitions for anyplausiblescenario in the Iran war, but the depleted inventories have created a window of vulnerability for apotential Western Paciﬁc conﬂict,” the Center for Strategic and International Studies saidinits new report, provided to The Associated Press. “The time needed to rebuild those inventories has thus become amajor concern.”

China has astated goal of ensuring its military is capable of taking Taiwan by force if necessary by 2027,which experts seeasmore aspirational than aharddeadline. But ChinesePresident Xi Jinping warned this month that if Washingtonmishandles its relations with the self-governing island, theU.S andChina could end up clashing or even in open conﬂict.

Production takestime

The analysis by the Washington think tank factors in the Republican Trump administration’shistoric $1.5trillion defense budget proposalfor 2027, whichsigniﬁcantly accelerates spending on high-end munitions that began under the Democratic Bidenadministration. Whilethere’s bipartisan agreement in Congresstoboostinventories, “the problemtoday isn’t money;it’stime,” the report said.

SecretaryofDefense and Comptroller

Hurst III, from left, DefenseSecretaryPete Hegseth and Chairman of the JointChiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine arrivetotestify at aSenate Appropriations subcommittee on defense hearing on the budget request for the Department of Defense on May12inWashington.

“It takes time to expand production capacity and to build these complex systems,” the report said, adding that the windowofvulnerabilitywill last “for several years until inventories return to their previous levels andanother several years before they get to the levels that war planners desire.”

Although munitions inventories are classiﬁed,CSIS said sufﬁcient public information exists in Pentagonbudget materials to estimate productiontimelines.

PresidentDonaldTrump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have insisted the U.S. is capable of fighting any war.They have pushed defense contractors to speed up munitions production, withHegseth tellinglawmakers last month that military spending under Trump will help manufacturers double or even triple their capacities.

During Trump’sCabinet meeting Wednesday,Hegseth laudedthe president’sefforts to expand the nation’sdefense manufacturing sector,with private contractors investing in newplants andproduction lines “so that we’re getting weapons faster than ever.”

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in astatement that the military “has everything it needs to execute at the time and place of

the President’schoosing.”

“Wehaveexecuted multiple successful operations across combatant commands while ensuring the U.S. military possesses adeep arsenal of capabilitiestoprotect our people andour interests,” Parnellsaid.

Howlongitwilltaketorebuild

The U.S. ﬁred 1,000-plus Tomahawkmissiles at Iran, and it could take until late 2030 to fully replenish the prewar inventory,CSISestimates show Fewerthan200 Tomahawks are made ayearbecause of smallorders in the past, the report says. However,manufacturer Raytheon hasa goal of ramping up capacity to morethan 1,000 per year RTX, Raytheon’sparent company,declined to comment on the CSIS ﬁndings because it had notyet seen thereport.But RTX pointed to investments of several billion dollars to boost production, including expanding facilitiesin Alabamaand Arizona.

For in-demand air defense systems, replacing as many as 290 THAAD, or TerminalHigh Altitude Area Defense, interceptors that shotdownincoming Iraniandrones andmissilescouldtakeuntil the end of 2029, CSIS estimates. Replenishing more than 1,000 Patriotinterceptors shouldwrap up in mid-2029.

Louisianaredistricting effort in home stretch

GOPleaders ‘close’ on adealasprotests continue

BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer

Republican leaders in the Louisiana House and Senate say they are nearing aﬁnal deal on anew congressional map as the lower chamber is set to take avoteThursday that would bringthe proposal near thelegislative ﬁnish line.

Senate President Cameron Henry said the two chambers are “very close” to an agreement after several key GOP players in the redistricting effort met early Wednesday afternoon to discuss the plan. He andothers said the map will likely look similar to an initialversion approved by the Senate two weeks ago.

Lawmakers who have been working on the map have reached “a compromise that, Ithink, will make everybody as comfortable as they’re gonna be and follows all the rules and regulations of redistricting,” Henry said.

But even as Republicans appeared close to adeal, Democrats continued

HOTEL

Continued from page1A

artists, avisitor center, museum space and community gathering areas.

“Today would not have been possible without the generosity and support of so many people who believe in preserving the history andspirit of GrandIsle,”Restore Grand Isle President Ronnie Sampey said in anews release.

Hotelhistory

The Oleander Hotel, commissioned by Grand Isle resident John Ludwig, opened in 1929 with 30 rooms and alarge porch overlookingthe Gulf of Mexico’s waters. It was billed at the time by the New Orleans Item as “the most desirable stopping placefor people desirous of the best,” with prices of about $3 per day to rent aroom in the 1930s and ’40s. During its heyday, the Oleander attracted some of the most powerful people in Louisiana, like Gov Huey P. Long, while providing locals with asnazzy eatery between ﬁshing trips.

to protest the new congressional map, which will eliminate one of two majority-Black voting districts that favor Democratic candidates andadd adistrict that favors Republicans.

Arecent U.S. Supreme Court decision weakening the federal Voting Rights Actthat led to redistricting in Louisiana represents “the most signiﬁcant attempt” to reduce Black and Democratic congressional representation in the South in ageneration, Rep. Kyle Green, chair of the House Democratic Caucus, said at a Wednesday news conference alongside Democratic leaders from other Southern states.

Republicansget on same page

Sen. Jay Morris, the sponsor of the maplegislation, andstate Rep. Beau Beaullieu, chair ofthe House committee that handles redistricting, agreed that adeal was imminent

“We’re prettyclose to an agreement,” Beaullieu said. “Conceptually,we’ve gotten to aplace where we think we can get it outofboth bodies.”

Beaullieu, Morris and Henry all expressed optimism about the prospect of adeal, but they also cautioned that any plans remained tentative.

“It’snot over till it’sover, and things are always subjectto change,”Morris said.

Senate Republicans wereset to meet Wednesday evening to review the proposedmap,aswere House Republicans on Thursday morning.

Last week, aHouse committeealtered the initialversion of themap approved by the Senate. Districts in southeast Louisiana andanchored in New Orleans remained intact. But the committeemade signiﬁcant changes to district lines in the BatonRouge and Acadiana regions, as well as Calcasieu Parishand some parishes in north Louisiana.

Some of those changes irkedsenators.

“Wehavetotalk to members and make sure that we have the votes,” Beaullieu said of the latest agreement. “We’re not gonna makeeverybody happy.It’simpossible to make everybody happy.”

Henry,Morrisand Beaullieuwere allatthe Wednesday afternoon meeting about the proposed map So were Sen.Caleb Kleinpeter,chair of theSenate redistricting committee, House Speaker Phillip DeVillier andRep.Dixon McMakin,R-Baton Rouge, who sponsored the House amendments.

The House is set to take up the re-

districting bill on Thursday andput it to avote. Should it pass, the Senate will need to sign off on it

Henrysaid he’shopeful the Senate will be able to agree to the plan without the need forfurther negotiations in aclosed-door “conference committee.” If that’sthe case, theSenate’ssign-off could happen as early as Thursdayafternoon or Friday, he said.

Thelegislation, Senate Bill 121, wouldthengotoGov.JeffLandry for his signature.

The legislative session is scheduled to end Monday

Democratsprotest

Meanwhile, Louisiana Democrats continued to protest theGOP map, holding anews conference Wednesday at the State Capitol alongside prominent Democrats from other Southern states.

Rep.Gene Wu,chair of the Texas HouseDemocratic Caucus, said Louisiana’sRepublican redistricting effort reﬂects broader concerns with theGOP agenda, like affordability, underfunding of schoolsand ahealthcare system that’sbroken

“If you’re thinking that this is just about Democrats, or you’re thinking this is just about the Black community, you’re wrong,” Wu said. “Redis-

tricting, gerrymandering —this is howthey steal the American dream from you. This is how they steal your democracy.”

Wu called on voters to get involved in thepolitical process.

“Gotellyour state legislators, ‘We want ourdemocracy back. We want this country back from the king. We want it back from the orange king,’” he said, apparently referencing President Donald Trump

Georgia Democratic Minority Leader Carolyn Hugleyalso spoke, along with Mississippi state Rep. Zakiya Summers.

“The vote is still our most powerful weapon,” saidHugley. “It’syour protest.It’syourright.It’syour weapon.It’syour power.”

State Rep. Edmond Jordan, a Baton Rouge Democrat and chair of the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus, said Democrats are ready to bring alawsuit over any map passed by the Louisiana Legislature.

“Our motto has always been over the last fewyears, whatwecan’t win through legislation, we’ll win through litigation,” Jordan said. “Andsoweare prepared to do that. We’regoing to continue to ﬁght for theAfrican Americansofnot only of this state but throughout the whole country.”

built ahotel,according to the Preservation Resource Center

Four yearsafterthe Oleander opened itsdoors, State Route No. 78 opened to drivers,marking the ﬁrst and only entryway by car in and out of the town. Before that road, Grand Isle was only accessible by ferry

TheOleander is the only survivor out of 17 hotels and resorts thatonce dotted the island, which hasbeen hitrepeatedly by the most severe storms in Louisiana history

It’s unknown exactly when the hotel shut down, but best guesses are that itwas sometime in the mid-1990s. Now the building’syellowpainthas faded and chipped, its windows are brokenand boarded up, and itsinsides covered in debris anddecay

But while much of the building appears to be in disrepair,engineering reports have indicated the structure of the building is still intact,aswell as some original ﬁxtureslike toiletsand bathtubs.

Restorationefforts

It’srumored that the hotel played apivotal role in the state’s highway system as well. Joseph Augustin, aformer co-owner of the hotel, once told aresearchinggraduate student that Long had told Ludwig he’d build the town aroad if they

ROOF GRANT

Continued from page1A

Landry agreed on House Bill 1187 by Rep. Paul Sawyer,R-Baton Rouge, which will allow the Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corp. to send excess funds from Hurricane Katrina-eraemergency bonds to the fortiﬁed roof program. The move is expected to net $50 million for the program, on top of $30 millioninannual dedicated funding.

Landry signedthe bill at anews conference Wednesday at theState Capitol.

“People want to protect their homes,” he said. “Louisianans are hungry for solutions that will actually work and drive down their insurance costs.”

The new lottery roundinmidJune represents the ﬁrst3,000 of 8,000 grants the state will be able to fund this year.The Insurance Department is also expanding the

Restore GrandIsle, run by Sampey and ElsieDavid, according to business ﬁlings, launched in 2023 in the wake of Hurricane Ida’sdevastationasaneffort to purchase and renovate thebuilding, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places last year

“The Oleander Hotel serves as a unique andpreserved snapshot of itstime, speciﬁc to Louisiana Gulf

Coast architecture.Itillustrates both thechallenges posed by nat-

uralforcesand thecommunity’s adaptive responses,highlighting

the evolution of coastal vernacularpractices on Grand Isle,” the nomination packet read. It has since received about $405,000 fromvarious donors, aquarter of which came from oneanonymous donor. Another $57,000 came from Jefferson Parish Council memberfor District 1Timothy Kerner Jr.’sofﬁce; $50,000 each fromthe Karen B. YohFoundation and Gary Chouest; and $25,000 each from Todd Graves and the Patrick F. TaylorFoundation. About $68,000 camefrom smaller individual contributions, including through fundraising events like crawﬁshboils.

Restore GrandIsleestimates it will costanestimated$2million to complete the work at the Oleander,according to thePreservation Resource Center.State officials have previously said they’ll raise fundsatthe Legislaturetoassist the project once the building is acquired.

“Places like the OleanderHotel play an important roleinthe history of ourtown,”saidGrand Isle MayorDavidCamardelle.“This project helps ensure the Oleander continuestobepartofour future as well. Restoring this historicproperty will create aplace where residents andvisitors can celebrate the culture, history and resilienceofGrand Isle for generations to come.”

RestoreGrand Isle also partakes in other community preservationand conservation efforts like tree plantings, iris flower plantings andcleanup days. Email Lara Nicholsonat lnicholson@theadvocate.com.

eligibility criteria to include more parishes, notjustthose closestto thecoast. Parishes newly eligible to participate include Lafayette, Acadia

andJefferson Davis.Homeowners who had previously been excluded are also now eligible in Ascension, Calcasieu, Iberia, Livingston, St Martin, St. Tammany,Tangipahoa

and Vermilion parishes.

Fortifiedroofs have emerged as abipartisan solution to the state’s homeowners’ insurance crisis, which has driven premiumstounsustainable levels forthousands of Louisianans. Around the nation, climatechange and inflation have caused aspike in insurance rates, particularly in places where wildfires,hurricanes and other types of severe weather are worsening. “Risk is why we paysomuch money,”Sawyersaidatthe news conference.“This bill represents managingrisk and promoting resiliency.” The2020 and2021 hurricaneseasonsratcheted up crisis here, as a dozen insurers went belly up and tens of thousands of Louisianans wereforced onto therolls of Citizens, theinsurer of last resort.

Elected leaders have searched for ways to getmore money into the fortiﬁed roof grant program. Louisianans have proved eager to fortify their homes: Nearly 5,000 have putnew roofsonthrough

the grant program,which gives homeowners $10,000 each. In total,13,000 people have put fortiﬁed roofsontheir homesinLouisiana, meaning most people are doing it on their own dime.

Landry earlierthis year asked theLouisiana Workers’Compensation Corp.touse someofits money to fund the program,but the idea didn’tgoanywhere. Instead, Templeand legislativeleaders landed on Sawyer’sbill. The legislationtargets money that Citizens raised by assessing policyholders afee, part of a20year effort to raise money to pay off emergency bonds needed to pay claimsafter hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Having raised enough moneyto payoff thebonds,Citizens ﬁnally canceledthe surcharge last year. Butittook months for insurers to stop collecting the money,leaving Citizens with $64 million in excess funds. Citizens is expected to send $50 million of that to the fortiﬁed program

STAFF PHOTO By BRETTDUKE

Aphotographshows HueyP.Long in front of theOleander Hotel in Grand Isle.

Well, once again todaythere is amarginal riskofexcessiverainfall that could lead to flash floodinginthe forecast. With saturated ground in many parts of southwest Louisiana, there is ageneral flood risk as well, especially with somescattered stormshaving the potential for high rainrates dropping another 1to2.5 inchesofrain today.Besides rainand thunderstorms,expect apartlycloudy, warm and

thisafternoon will risetothe mid-80s and

Mass shootings at retail centers tend to decrease revenues, customer shopping time and trafﬁc at stores within a1.25-mile radius from theincident, according to a 2025 study on the retail impact of such shootings. The ripple effects from April’sshooting extend beyond retail: In response, the state Legislature passed abill this session to expand the definition of first-degree murder,potentially making more people eligible for the death penalty

The mall, considered tobeasuperregional shopping center due to its size, has fared relatively well compared to other shopping centers since it opened in the 1990s. It has survived the fall of brick-and-mortar retail across the country in the past decade thanks to trendy spots like Zara and experiential tenants like Dick’s House of Sports, though some local real estate experts heed caution concerning the mall’sfuture due to vacancies surrounding its campus.

Lately,customers who do return seem jumpy,said Charita Antoine, manager of clothing store New Square. Business hassuffered in the past month since many people areafraid to go to themall, she said.

“Most of them who come in are rushing,” Antoine said.

Theshooting

The April 23 shooting took the life of 17-year-old MarthaOdom, astudent at AscensionEpiscopal School in Lafayette, who was remembered as “a lighttoeveryone around her.” Donnie Guillory, 43, was shot three times during the shooting. He is recoveringand returning to his activities, including Special Olympics events and shopping at GameStop at the mall.

Theinvestigationof theshooting is ongoing. Last week, Baton Rouge police announced that they have identiﬁed an individual who appeared in asurveillance video during the time of the shooting and is wanted for questioning.

Police arrested 17-year-old Markel Lee the day after theshootingwhen Lee turned himself in He facescharges including illegal use of aweapon, attempted ﬁrstdegree murder and first-degree murder

Security updates

More securityguards and police officers began patrolling the mall following the shooting, according to spokespeopleatthe Baton Rouge Police Department and GGP,the retail arm of ChicagobasedBrookfieldCorp., which owns themall. They declined to specify theexactnumber of guards and officers and declined to share other security updates to prevent compromising theefficacyoftheirwork.

The mall’scurfew policy,which requirescustomersyounger than 18 to haveachaperone 21 or older after 4p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays,isstill in effect after its enactment inJune 2024 as aproactive measure. Somestaff members, including Callender,said they feel like security has gone back to thepreshooting level after alarge uptick in presence immediately after the tragedy. Others aren’tconvinced that the mall is completely safe despite thesecurityupdate dueto therandom nature of theApril 23 shooting. “It might happen again, you neverknow,”said Jamie Johnson, asales associatefor EssenceFragrances.

Sarah Forest, manager of Sake Japan and Sake Sushi NRamen, said she joined thestaff about two weeks after the shooting.After

seeingcrime allaroundthe state, shedoesn’tthinkthe mall should be seen as adangerous place.

“The streetsofBaton Rouge aren’t safer than theMallofLouisiana,” she said.

Mall traffic

While trafﬁc hasslowed at the mall, it hasn’tceased. Shoppers have milledaround the mall’s grounds sincethe Saturdayafter theshooting.

The mall does not release trafﬁc data, per Brookﬁeld Corp. policy

Michael McKee, a24-year-old LSU student, returned to the mall on May 21 for the ﬁrst time since the shooting to get his phone ﬁxed at theApple store.The violence wasn’t what deterred him from coming back —hedoesn’t have much reason to be at themall since he feelsits popularity has dwindled, he said.

While waiting for his phone repair,McKee ate lunch at the food court, whichhesaidmadehim feel alittle uneasy due to it being the site of the shooting. While he is comfortablereturning to the mall, he saidthe violence adds to the“unrest” thatalready existedin Baton Rouge.

“It doesn’thelp that our city isn’t thesafest place,” McKee said.

Somestores have seen an uptick in salestiedtoholidaysand other annual celebrations.

An employee at Lush, who de-

Diners sitFriday at the Mallof Louisiana food court. Mall employees saytrafficis down following the April23 shooting as some customers are afraidtoreturn, but some stores have seen upticks tied to holidaysand graduation season.

STAFFPHOTO By IANNE SALVOSA

clined to share their name due to fear of retribution from their employer,saidtrafﬁc at thebath products store started to pick up around Mother’sDay Chelsey Cook, ashoe stylist at SteveMadden, said graduation andprom season have attracted shoppers back to the store as they look for shoes to match their outﬁts. The shooting has been “heartbreaking” for the mall, she said, but shehopes that afew more months of calmatthe shopping center will assure shoppers it is safe to come back.

William Bourgeois, an employee at Charleys Cheesesteaks, said he hasstartedtosee trafﬁc pick back up after an initial setback.

“Should be better with the kids being outofschool,”Bourgeois said.

Tenant protocol

Large retailers typically have their own safety protocols for employees during active shooter situations, and somemanagers saidthey recallmall management holding a brieﬁng on active shooter protocol the week of theshooting

Formost stores in themaininterior of the mall, employees pull down the gate at thefrontofthe store, hide in asafe space andexit thestoreif possible. The open-airportion of the mall outside its front entrance has asimilarprotocol to lock its doors hide and exit if it is safe.

Jeans retailer True Religion was one of the fewstores that successfully pulled down theirgates on April 23, manager Ronald Norwood said, since the store’sgate is manually operated, while others are automated.

Kiosks spread throughout the mall, selling items like phone cases and fragrances, are in the open, so the employee protocol is to run to safety,said Shahab Uddin, who runs the Jewelry World kiosk just outside the food court.

Leaving his inventory behind madehim abit nervous, but safety must come ﬁrst, he said. Stanton Hargrave, amanager at Zara, said the shooting activated his fight-or-flight instinctashe usheredguests to the back of the storetowaituntil it wassafeto evacuate.

KelseyCaldwell, anothermanager at Zara, said the responsibility of mallemployees to protect their shoppers by leading them to asafe space feels natural.

“We’re all human beings by the end of the day,” Caldwell said. “If Ineed to do something, Iwill do it.

Employee impact

While Mall of Louisiana customers can opt to satiate their shopping needs online or at other shopping centers, the level of fear remainsfor some staffmembers whohave to be there regularly

Many mall employees frequent the food court on their breaks, but somehave not returned to the site since the shooting, Norwood said.

“There’sclear apprehension among employees,” he said.

YanSun, amanager at DosBros, said experiencing the shooting has put her on edge.

“Loud noises can be frightening,” she saidthrough Google Translate. Mall management andcorporate ofﬁces of someretailers brought in counselors following the shooting, which manystaffers said was helpful for processing the traumatic event.

Uchenna Okoroma, manager of Journeys Kidz, saidshe appreciates mallmanagement’sefforts to remember the lifetaken on April 23 andensuringemployees had mental health professionals to speak with. She hasworked at the mallfor ﬁve years and has formed bonds with other employees in and outofher store, acommunityshe saidishelping them get through the emotional impact.

“There’sstill something to smile about,” she said.

MALL

Continued from page1A

MC Bank to open RiverRanch location

Former IberiaBank leadersjointeam

BY ADAM DAIGLE Acadiana business editor

MC Bank, now under the leadership of longtime former IberiaBank CEO Daryl Byrd, will increase its presence in Lafayette and plans to open aRiver Ranchlocation.

Bank ofﬁcials announced Wednesday morning what they described as alongtermcommitmenttothe city and Acadiana and named several former IberiaBank leaders to leadership positions.

Bill Fenstermaker,chairman andCEO of C.H.Fenstermaker &Associates andformerboard chairfor IberiaBank, was namedto the board. Others named

to the team include former Acadiana market President Pat Trahan, former business banking group manager Brandon Boudreaux and Mike Pelletier as seniorvice president and chiefhuman resources ofﬁcer

Hayes Berthelot, most recently vice president with First Horizon, will be Acadiana market president.

“The strengthofany bank startswith its people,” Byrd

said.

“Wehave assembled an exceptional team in Acadiana —bankerswho are deeply connected to themarket, understand their clients and are committedtolong-term relationships.”

Other appointments include Jason Kennemer as commercial relationship manager and Lincoln Narcisse as businessdevelopmentmanager

The Acadiana expansion is part of the bank’sbroader growth strategy after its merger and capital raise that brought in morethan $225 million from over 550 investors.

MC Bank wants to expand its presence across key southeastern markets while maintaining the relationship-drivenapproach that hasdefinedthe bank formore than 70 years, of-

of Louisiana

Lafayette

The UniversityofLouisiana at Lafayette baseball team leaves Lafayettefor the NCAAbaseball regional in Starkville, Miss.

CAJUNS READy TO ROLL

Moncus Park’s summer schedule released

Dancelessons,food trucks andmorewill be available

BYJA’KORI MADISON Staff writer

MoncusPark announced itsfull summer season of free events and programming, runningfrom Junethrough August.

Theseasonincludesfournights of livemusicatthe new Sunset Sessions concert series, aFather’sDay family pop-up, National Food Truck Day and more than 50 weekly programs —all free to attend “Lafayette has aculture worth celebrating, and ourcommunity deserves areal place to come together anddothat,” said JP Mac-

Fadyen, executive director of Moncus Park. “Whether it is twostepping on aThursdaynight, ﬁshing withyour dad on Father’s Day or just showing up for awalk on aWednesday morning.”

The park is alsodebuting two major additions, including an expandedparking lotthatwill bring signiﬁcantly more parking.

“Wewant this parktobethat place for every person in Acadi-

ana,” MacFadyen said. Before the summerevents, there is the ritual that anchors everySaturday morning in Acadiana. The Lafayette Farmers and ArtisansMarketbrings together local farmers, artisans and craftspeople from 8a.m.to noon,with fresh produce, handmade goods, unique crafts and a

ficials said. MC Bank has signed aletter of intent for its office in River Ranch. It also has locations at 115 Verot School Road and 2480 Youngsville Highway in Youngsville and still owns land next to Dave &Buster’sthatwas previously announced as the site of amultistory office. Email Adam Daigle at adaigle@theadvocate.com.

BYJA’KORI MADISON

Staff writer

ALafayette Parish teen hasbeen arrested on asecond-degree murdercount in thefatal shooting of another teenager earlier this year, according to theLafayette Parish Sheriff’sOfﬁce.

Keenan Charles, 17, wasbooked Tuesday into the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center in the death of Wykiel Provost. Sheriff’s deputies originally responded just after 1:30 p.m. April 19 to the100 block of SweetbriarStreet, where they found a17-year-old malesufferingfroma gunshot wound.

The victim was transported to a hospital in critical condition. Authorities conﬁrmed April 21 that theteen haddiedfromhis injuries.

The investigation remains ongoing.

Juvenile critically injured in St. LandryATV crash

Ajuvenile is in critical condition afteranATV crashinSt. Landry Parish, authorities said.

The crash occurred Tuesdayevening when ajuvenile underthe age of 17 enteredLenoraRoad from aprivate drive and the ATVwas struck by acar,according to SheriffBobby J. Guidroz.

Thejuvenile suffered serious injuries andwas airlifted to aBaton Rouge-area hospital fortreatment.Authorities said thereisno suspected impairment on thepart of the automobile driver

“Wehave provided, only recently,the laws regarding the operation of off-road vehicles.Operators must be licensed and should attend training, suchasthe upcoming event hosted by Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries,” Guidroz said. “Improper or unsafe operationwill ultimately lead to injury or worse.”

The crash remains under investigation, according to the Sheriff’s Ofﬁce.

1dead, anotherinjured in Opelousas shooting

The Opelousas Police Departmentiscontinuing to investigate a shooting that left onepersondead and another critically injured. Policesaidthe shooting happenedTuesday evening in the400 block of West Bellevue Street. According to investigators, two male victims were injured in the incident. One of the victims later died from his injuries. The second victim remainsincriticalcondition. Policehavenot released the identitiesofthe victims or any information about possible suspects. Authorities said the investigationremains active as detectives continue gathering evidence and interviewing witnesses. Anyone with informationregarding this shooting is urged to contact theOpelousas PoliceDepartment at (337) 948-2500 or St. Landry ParishCrime Stoppers at (337) 948-TIPS. All calls can

mainanonymous.

STAFF PHOTOSByBRAD KEMP

University

baseball players load the busWednesday at M.L.

at Russo Park in Lafayette.

In 2026, reliable and fast internetisalmost as important to daily life as electricity and water. It’show we shop, entertain ourselves,work,access healthcare and do so much more Anycommunity withoutitisdoomed to struggle to attract new residents orkeep the ones it has That’s the situation thattiny Lake Providence, population about 3,500 in EastCarrollParish, ﬁnds itself in.

For years, town residents have wanted good internet service. Alocal activist group, Delta Interfaith, had madethe call acentralpart of its platform.And within the lastcoupleofyears, it seemed as if they might have ﬁnally gottentheir wish.

AMissouri-based company calledConexon had agreed to lay fiber throughout EastCarroll Parish, including in LakeProvidence,paidfor in part by federal and state grants. As ofjust afew months ago, much of that work hadbeen completed: Fiber had been installedright up to the edgeoftown. But then it stopped. Multiple reasons, including aTrump administration rewrite ofprogram rules andafight between Conexon andLouisiana’s broadband office, were to blame Months later,residents arestill waiting.

“We’re furious,” alocal organizerfromLake Providence told this newspaper’sJennaRoss. “We’refed up.”

So arewe.

Theﬁrstsigns of trouble came after theTrump administration madechanges to thefederal roadband Equity Access and Deployment Program, or BEAD, program. It wascreatedunderthe Biden administration’s bipartisan infrastructure law tospeed the rollout of broadband to ruralareas. But critics argued the program was moving tooslowly

The Trump administration vowed to change that by shifting its focus awayfrominstalling cheaper,more reliableand fasterﬁberinternet and instead allowing satellite internetcompanies, like Elon Musk’sSpaceX, which operates Starlink, to get the grants. But satellite is already available in East Carroll

Compounding the federal change is an ongoing dispute between ConexonCEO Jonathan Chambersand the Louisiana OfficeofBroadbandDevelopment andConnectivity.Chambers contends that the state office owes his company millions of dollars for work already completed.Veneeth Iyengar,the lead state official, says thecompany still must comply with aseries of checks to ensure itsworkfollows federal andstate rules Littleofthatmatters to local residents, and none of it is their fault. As one resident told Ross, “We’re the community thatgets caught in the middle.”

They’re justiﬁed to feel that way.Ofcourse, companiesshould be fairly paid for theworkand investment theypourintoour communities. And we understand the need to ensure that public money is spent transparently and towardthe objective for which it was allocated.

We urge Conexon and state ofﬁcials to resolve this dispute and get the ﬁberinto Lake Providence with alldue haste. Evenmoreimportantly we urge each side to learn from this example so that such delays arenot repeated elsewhere. No othercommunity should end up caught in the middle.

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE AREOUR

GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name, occupation and/or title and the writer’scity of residence

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

TO SEND US A LETTER, SCANHERE

My grandmother had aphrase she used when she watched somebody move toofast. Not when theywereeager. Not when they wereexcited. When theywereguilty. She’d narrow her eyes andsay,“Up to no good.”

The Supreme Court handed down its decision in Louisiana v. Callais on aWednesday.ByThursday —before the ruling was even certiﬁed— Gov Jeff Landryhad suspendedLouisiana’s House primaryelections so theLegislature could redraw thecongressional map. As U.S. Rep. Troy Carter pointed out,mail ballots werealready out,early voting was settobegin that Saturday, and soldiers overseas had already cast votes thatwouldn’tcount.

Aday.Landrygave it aday

The storm may be over,but for Louisiana residents, theﬁnancial damage keeps coming every single month

Since theLouisiana Public Service Commission approved hurricane and storm damage recovery fees, my monthly electric bill has spiked noticeably and consistently.What was presented as asmall addition has compounded into asigniﬁcant ﬁnancial burden that disrupts my household budget month after month.Idid not cause thestormdamage. Idid not makethe infrastructure decisions that left our grid vulnerable. YetIamthe one absorbing thecost.

The timingcould not be worse. Louisiana residentsare already battling rising gas prices, inﬂation and in-

The rapid growthofdatacentersin Louisiana should concern all residents. While these facilities maycreate shortterm economic opportunities,they also consume enormous amounts of water and electricity. Some datacentersuse millions of gallons of water daily to cool servers and rank among the largestindustrial users of electricity. As energy demand risesand datacenters continue to be approved at arapid pace,will Louisiana have adequate resources now and in the futuretomeet the needs of its citizens?

Utilitycompanies receive state tax incentives to support theseprojects, but when, how often and by what means arethe results of public oversight

Youdon’tmove that fast on aprocess you believe in. Youdon’tsuspend an active election unlessyou already know what map you want andyou already know the public won’tlike how you got it. The speed is the tell. If this wereabout fair representation, there would be hearings. There would be public input.There would be the slow, patient,grindingwork of democracy thatdoesn’tmake the cable news. Instead, we got an executive order and athank-you note for moving quickly My grandmother wouldn’tneed alaw degree to read this one. She’d read it from the porch. She’d read it from the speed alone. Up to no good.

DAVID W. HOOVER NewOrleans

creased living costs across the board. Layeringstormrecovery fees onto already strained household budgets is pushing families like mine dangerously close to the ﬁnancial edge.

Iurge thecommission to take immediateaction: cap the duration of storm recovery fees withaclear end date; introduce income-based exemptions for low-income households; increase transparency around how collected fees are being utilized; and accelerate infrastructure improvements to prevent future storm-related cost transfers onto consumers.

Louisianans have weathered enough. We should not be endlessly billed forit.

LESLIE TAYLOR Baton Rouge

sharedwith the public? Could the increased utilitydemands from these facilities place agreater ﬁnancial burden on Louisiana residents than the beneﬁts these projectspromise?

If demand continues to rise while resources remain limited, will the needs of datacenterstake priority over those of Louisiana citizens and at what cost? Consumers should carefully review their utilitybills. Detailed charges may reveal hidden fees, meter-reading mistakes or billing errors. Understanding energy use patterns can also help households reduce waste and develop moreefﬁcient habits.

LORETTADILAURA

Baton Rouge

Gerrymandering is wrong. It does not matter what political party you belong to, what race you are, what gender you are or any other aspect you consider important. Gerrymandering is atool of segregation and voter nulliﬁcation. Gerrymandering guarantees voter disenfranchisement. Eventually,gerrymandering promotes extremism. Why would any politician listen to anyone but those people whoguarantee his election?

The determination of the boundaries of aU.S. House of Representatives district should be accomplished using geography and math, not the desire forthe attainment or maintaining political power

Step one is the determination of the population center foreach prospective representative district. The population forcongressional districts averaged about 760,000 in 2020.

For example, that meansAlexandria, Baton Rouge, Lake Charles, Monroe, NewOrleans and Shreveport would be the population centers forthe state of Louisiana (sorry Lafayette).

Step twowould be the simultaneous expansion of district boundaries in a360-degree direction from each population center until they meet another district boundary or state line. This will result in somedistricts exceeding and others not meeting the 760,000 population goal. Step three involves the simultaneous expansion and/or contraction of district boundaries until the 760,000 population average is attained foreach district. This would result in amore diverse electorate foreach district.

Using geography and math, representatives would have to listen to and consider the concerns of a broader base of the electorate. The determination of the boundaries of the U.S. House of Representatives districts based on geography and mathwould not eliminate extremism,but it should help in limiting it. Politicians should not be involved in this process. They would only screw it up and disclose their racism and authoritarianism.

WILLIAM BENDER

Baton Rouge

AMERICA250

Theriver that forged anation

Few places tell thestory of America quite like Louisiana —where ourpeople, ourcommerce and our waters have helped to shape anation nowapproaching its250thbirthday. Andnoplace carries thatstory morepowerfullythanthe Mississippi River,ariver system thatconnects 31 U.S. states andtwo Canadian provincesthrough awatershed that drains roughly 41%ofthe continental United States. This means rainfall, commerce, agriculture, energyand industry from nearly half of the nation ultimately ﬂows through this interconnected waternetwork.

From the earliest daysofour republic, America has been deﬁned by itsmaritime might. Our prosperityhas longdependedon the Mississippi River and theports it sustains —from the Port of Baton Rouge to thePort of New Orleans —gatewaysthrough which the agricultural and industrial strength of the American heartlandreaches the world. The vessels travelingthese waters aremorethan shipsofcommerce. They carry thelifebloodofthe nation’seconomy.Grain, energy, steel,chemicals and goods produced across the interiorofNorth America all movethrough this corridor. TheMississippi River is not simply aLouisianastory; it is an American story

United States. New Orleanshas long played adefining role in America’smilitary and maritime history —from thepivotal Battle of New Orleans in 1815, which helped cement the young nation’sconfidence and sovereignty, to theproduction of Higgins boats during World WarII, innovations manufactured in New Orleans that helped Allied forces change the course of history on thebeaches of Normandy and throughout thePacific.

ON THECALENDAR

Thereare several events around Louisiana to celebrate the 250thanniversaryofthe adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Hereisa list of somegoing on now. For afull list, go to america250la.org

This city has always mattered to the American storybecause it has always connected America to theworld. Explorers and immigrants arrived here seeking opportunity.Entrepreneursbuilt fortunes here. Musicians transformed global culture here. Generations have stood along these riverbanks in awe of a city shaped by themovementofpeople and ideas from every corner of the globe.

Andthat spirit remains alive today

For centuries, it transported music, language, traditions, cuisine andideas that helped shapeone of the world’struly great cultural cities.

Thestory of New Orleans begins with water with the Mississippi River connecting thecenter of acontinent to thewider world. Along theseriverbanks, cultures collided andconverged,producing somethingentirely original andunmistakably American.

Mark Twain famously called theMississippi “the body of the nation,”immortalizing its spirit through the adventures of TomSawyer and Huck Finn. Generations later,the riverremains exactly that: a living symbol of themovement,ambition,resilience anddiversity that deﬁne theUnitedStatesitself. In many ways, New Orleansexists because of this riverfront. It made thecitya gatewayto the world, acenter of trade, acrossroads of cultures andaplace of constantreinvention while remaining deeply rootedinhistory.

For more than 300 years, New Orleans has stood as aglobal port of call. And this week, as Sail 250 arrives along our riverfront, it is ﬁttingthatNew Orleans is among theﬁrst cities in Americachosen to help commemorateour nation’s250thanniversary

To welcome theUnited States Navy,the United States Coast Guard andinternational maritime partners to the banks of the MississippiRiver is a tremendous honor But it is alsoareminder of something larger: Americawould not be thenation it is todaywithout New Orleans, without this riverfront andwithout theMississippi River system thathelped build the commerce,culture andstrategicstrength of the

Sail 250 New Orleanswill feel unlike celebrations anywhere else in thecountry.Itwill look different, sound different and tastedifferent —because only New Orleanscould welcomethe world in this way From Louisianaseafood and live music to unforgettable experiences along our historic riverfront, this week will create lasting memories for families, visitors, crewmembers and military guests alike. With thousands of crewmembers visiting our city, Sail 250 representsmore than acelebration of maritime history

It is another opportunity to showcase the very best of New Orleanstothe world and to demonstratewhat we already know: We are one of the world’sgreat gathering places —resilient, authentic, welcoming and deeply connected to the industries and culture that continue to move America forward. Events of this magnitude happen because of extraordinary community partnerships, political leadership and public support.

As America approaches its 250th birthday,New Orleansstands as areminder of what has always made this country exceptional: our openness to the world, our ability to blend cultures intosomething new,and our enduring belief that commerce, creativity,freedom,and opportunity can ﬂow together just like thewaters of theMississippi River itself.

In aworld that too often feels divided, New Orleans reminds us that culture still connects us. Music still unites us. Food still brings us to the same table. Andjoy still matters.

New Orleansisa city where history still breathes. Where culture still evolves. Andwhere people from every corner of theworld still gather along the banks of the Mississippi River —the great waterway that helped build America and continues to carry its story forward.

Walt Leger is president and CEO of New Orleans & Company

n Sail 250 at the NewOrleans Riverfront offers visitors achance to seethe largest flotilla of tall ships everassembled in the Mississippi and participate in festivitiesdesignedtoentertain and educate audiencesabout the historyofthe U.S. May28to June 1. Go to www.sail250neworleans.com formore details

n The Louisiana State Museum at the Cabildo, 701 ChartresSt.,New Orleans, is featuring the exhibit, “Gálvez and Louisiana in theAmericanRevolution,” which explores the life of Spanish Gov. Bernardo de Gálvez and the diverse people of Louisiana who fought forAmerican independence.Through May15, 2027. louisianastatemuseum.org

n Louisiana’sOld State Capitol, 100 NorthBlvd., Baton Rouge, is featuring the exhibit,“Bought fora Song: Ayoung Nation Expands,”whose only artifact is the French exchangecopyofthe convention between the Republic of France and theUnited States that finalizedthe Louisiana Purchase.Through July 11. louisianaoldstatecapitol.org

n The Historic NewOrleans Collection, 520 Royal St., NewOrleans, is featuring the exhibit,“American Revolution: The Augmented Exhibition,”where visitors can immerse themselvesin3Dinteractive reconstructions of keymoments in Americanhistory. Through Jan. 17. hnoc.org

ABOUTTHE SERIES

Throughout the year,the Opinion pages are featuring columns and conversations from historians, scholars, politicians and others about what this 250thanniversaryofAmerica means.To read previous pieces, go to the Opinion section of our website.

PROVIDED PHOTOFROMSAIL 250

ARALibertad is a340-foot, three-masted, steel-hulled tall ship based in Buenos Aires. Builtin1963, it carries 28,545 square feet of sail and acrewofofficers, sailors and cadets.

N.O. judge spars over ankle-monitoring violations

BY JOHN SIMERMAN Staff writer

When a police SWAT team found two teens last week holed up in an attic with a gun in the Desire neighborhood, each was wearing an electronic monitor

The one strapped to 19-year-old Ja’Maarion Banks, to enforce a judge’s order for home incarceration, had pinged dozens of possible violations since March, according to the provider. That included it pinging earlier this month when police allege he led a group of teens on an Uber carjacking spree.

The incident has sparked a caustic exchange between the monitor’s provider, ASAP Release, and Criminal District Judge Tracey Flemings-Davillier over the lapse in oversight, while raising fresh questions about what it means to be monitored in New Orleans.

To Matt Dennis, the company’s outspoken CEO, Flemings-Davillier is falling down on the job.

“Why is she the only judge who doesn’t know how to read a report?” he said. “This kid is running the streets. She could have corrected him.”

But the judge sounded off in court Tuesday as she accused ASAP, the dominant provider of electronic monitors for adult defendants in New Orleans, of “lazy work” that fails to keep accurate tabs on suspects who pay a few hundred dollars monthly to wear a monitor

She accused the outﬁt of collecting “a big chunk of money just to autogenerate locations of a client without any further information to the court.”

Troubles with electronic monitoring in New Orleans

EVENTS

Continued from page 1B

weekly Cajun jam. Free to attend all summer long.

Other events include: Sunset Sessions

Thursday nights in Lafayette just got a whole lot better Sunset Sessions is a new outdoor concert series bringing four consecutive Thursday evenings of live music, food trucks, cold drinks and professional dance instruction under the trees at the Doerle Pavilion and b1BANK Backyard. Every night kicks off with free dance lessons by Britlyn Delahoussaye from 5:15 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. No experience needed. Live music runs from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Admission is free; parking is $10.

n June 4: Latin Night featuring La Tran-K Band

n June 11: Cajun Night featuring Chère Élise n June 18: Zydeco Night featuring Curley Taylor and Zydeco Trouble n June 25: Country Night featuring Dyer County Father’s Day Pop-up

Looking for the perfect way to spend Father’s Day?

Come spend it at the park

BLOTTER

Continued from page 1B

Woman shot during sale; teen arrested

A Lafayette teen has been arrested after a woman was shot during a meeting to sell personal property.

Alvin James Harris, 18, of Lafayette, was booked into the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center on one count of attempted ﬁrst-degree murder in the incident.

According to the Lafayette Police Department, officers responded Tuesday at 4:48 p.m. to a hospital in reference to a female victim suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Officers later determined the shooting occurred in the 200 block of Mercer Lane in Lafayette. The victim and her boyfriend were attempting to sell an item to the suspect, police said. During the ex-

have cropped up since well before the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce gave up running the operation a decade ago in a dispute with the city over funding, leaving it to private operators.

The controversy involving Banks centers on ASAP Release and Dennis, a bail bond veteran who helped push new state regulations and reporting requirements on an industry that has long operated in the wild.

Dennis hasn’t shied from calling out judges for failing to address warnings when violence ensues. Last week, he claimed Flemings-Davillier had let sit almost 50 violation reports since March about Banks, who awaits trial on a charge of illegal possession of stolen things tied to vehicle break-ins.

The judge in February set his bail at $10,000 and ordered Banks on 24/7 electronic monitoring and home incarceration, with the lone exception that he “must attend school.”

Police say Banks’ extracurricular activities included hailing Uber drivers, then stealing their vehicles.

The system helped police tie Banks to the carjacking scheme before his arrest, Dennis said. Banks, who turned 19 last month, appeared at least once in Flemings-Davillier’s Section B courtroom since his purported violations began, for a May 15 hearing that was continued, according to online court records. He was rebooked last Thursday on a dozen new felony counts, accusing him of armed robbery, carjacking and contributing to the delinquency of a minor Bail in that case was set at $600,000. Prosecutors have asked Flemings-Davillier to revoke his earlier bail based

A free family pop-up from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. will feature food trucks, yard games and a live fly-fishing demonstration at Lake Reaux from Acadiana Flyrodders. The demonstration runs from 11 a.m. to noon. Fly rods will be available to try, and the Flyrodders team will walk through casting, fishing and fly tying for all ages and skill levels. Food trucks will be on-site with food, drinks and treats No registration required

National Food Truck Day

Presented by NFP National Food Truck Day at Moncus Park, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. June 26, is one of the biggest free days of the summer. More than a dozen local food trucks will be set up and serving all day long, with free yard games for the whole family, face painting and a full afternoon of fun.

At 4 p.m., the full bar opens with cocktails, cold beer wine and punch From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Q Major and Dwight James and The Royals take the stage at the Doerle Pavilion for a live sunset concert.

Parking is $2 per hour from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., then a ﬂat $10 per vehicle for the concert and bar hours All parking proceeds benefit

change, he brandished a ﬁrearm and ﬁred at the victim and her boyfriend, police said.

Officers later identified the suspect as Harris. He was apprehended in the 300 block of North Buchanan Street by the Police Department’s TNT and SWAT teams. The victim was listed in stable condition with injuries that were not lifethreatening New Iberia residents arrested in scheme

Four New Iberia residents have been arrested, accused of roles in an automobile insurance fraud scheme.

Rayshonte Oppenheimer, 29; Briannie Butler, 32; Passion Keal, 24; and Quandalyn Bernard, 33, all of New Iberia, were arrested by the Louisiana State Police Insurance Fraud/Auto Theft Unit, according to a news release from the Louisiana State Po-

on the new allegations. She set a July 7 hearing date.

‘A lack of doing the work’

On Tuesday, Banks stood silently in orange jail scrubs with a public defender as Flemings-Davillier unloaded on ASAP, after she accused Dennis of promoting a “blatant misconception that the court has not addressed certain issues in an appropriate manner.”

Saying judicial ethics barred her from discussing details of Banks’ case, she portrayed ASAP as a dubious value for the $8 per day it charges defendants, plus a startup fee of more than $300.

She then highlighted addresses flagged by ASAP in its notices about Banks that she said were either close by his home, around his mother’s house, or near the agency on Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard where he went for his GED.

“These are examples of an absence or lack of investigation, and a lack of doing the work they need to be doing,” Flemings-Davillier said.

Dennis said ASAP sends out 15,000 violation reports annually, but the judge called the information contained in them sketchy and the company’s notification process slipshod.

“Calling parents, guardians schools this is what the monitoring company is obligated to do in exchange for their for-proﬁt business,” she said. “Actual information to the court, so the court can act on that information.”

Flemings-Davillier echoed criticism contained in a letter Friday to a TimesPicayune reporter that was signed by Rob Kazik, the court’s judicial administrator “ASAP reports include

Moncus Park Admission is free. More at moncuspark. org/foodtruckday

Community pop-ups

n Book Club with The Book Rack of Acadiana meets at 6 p.m. June 9, July 14 and Aug. 11 for a free monthly in-person discussion for all ages. This summer’s reading list spans dystopian fiction, cozy science fiction and nonfiction, so there is something for every kind of reader Books are available at The Book Rack of Acadiana, 2476 W. Congress St., local bookstores or your local library n Art in the Park with Scrappie Studio is at 6 p.m. June 16, July 28 and Aug. 18. Every month brings a different free hands-on art experience for all ages, led by the team at Scrappie Studio, 2116 Johnston St., Lafayette. Free summer programs

All programs are free to attend. Parking is $2 per hour Tuesday through Sunday with every Monday free.

The Fit for All Series, presented by Louisiana Orthopaedic Specialists and Orthopedic Urgent Care, is the backbone of summer wellness at Moncus Park.

n Yoga in the Park meets every Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the First Horizon Amphi-

lice.

The investigation began after a criminal referral from Timber Creek Insurance Services and the Louisiana Department of Insurance Fraud Division regarding allegations of fraudulent insurance claims involving the four

The investigation determined the suspects made false statements during the insurance claims process following a 2025 crash involving a Pelican Waste & Debris garbage truck, according to the release.

Had the claims been successful, the suspects could have collectively received approximately $4 million in compensation.

Between April 30 and May 1, investigators obtained arrest warrants for all four suspects on counts of automobile insurance fraud, a felony The suspects were later apprehended or turned themselves in and booked into the Iberia Parish Jail.

locations that are not accurate; and ASAP fails to provide any details regarding the alleged violations and what, if any, research is conducted to verify the listed locations that are reported as violations,” it states.

The letter added that neither the court nor District Attorney Jason Williams’ ofﬁce had received “any reports of violations on either May 8 or May 9, 2026” for Banks, a period during which he and other teens are accused of carjacking Uber drivers.

Dennis, however, provided copies of emails sent to an address tied to the judge’s court section, citing violations for Banks on May 8 and May 9. Each notice was sent the day after the alleged violations, according to ASAP’s records.

Williams’ office said in a statement that its prosecutors take compliance seriously and said a review found “no emails, alerts, or notiﬁcations from ASAP concerning the alleged monitoring violations” attributed to Banks.

“Any claim suggesting this ofﬁce ignored notiﬁcations is unsupported by the documented record presently available to us,” the statement said.

Conflicting statements

State law requires firms like ASAP to report suspected violations within 30 minutes to the bail agent, relevant law enforcement agency, prosecutor’s ofﬁce and court. Dennis said his auditors investigate every alarm, reviewing “dots” on a map and the conditions of a defendant’s release before sending off a violation report.

“What more does she want from me? Does she want me to go there and just measure them all?” Dennis said. “She

theater Bring your own mat. No registration required. Whether you are a seasoned yogi or just looking for a midweek reset outdoors, this is the place. Instructors rotate throughout the summer; check moncuspark.org/ programs.

n Tai Chi, led by Neil Gresham, is July 23 and Aug. 27 at 6 p.m. This gentle, low-impact practice focuses on balance, hip mobility posture and deep breathing through smooth, ﬂowing movements. All ages and ﬁtness levels welcome n Pilates at the Park with Club Pilates South Lafayette is Aug. 24 at 6 p.m. at the First Horizon Amphitheater Free, no equipment needed, all levels welcome.

n Sound Bath with Ann Kergan is June 15 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the new Kergan Meditation Garden. The session uses sound frequencies, gentle vibrations and mindful stillness to quiet the mind, release stress and restore balance to the body

n Mom Walks, presented by Lafayette Pediatric Dentistry and hosted in partnership with Acadiana Baby Steps, meet every Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. at the Veterans Memorial. This is a

can go look herself We all know the city She should open that email and she should say, ‘I need him to come in here.’”

Defendants are supposed to text ASAP when they leave home. If they don’t, Dennis said, a violation report goes out. “If he walks 100 feet away and stands on a corner, I don’t care that he’s close to his house. That’s a violation,” he said. “My obligation is to follow the court’s order to the letter.”

If someone cuts their ankle monitor or lets the power run down, a special enforcement team goes out, Dennis said, but not for suspected violations of home incarceration limits.

“I’ve had judges telling me, ‘I don’t want you doing that You have to tell me, and I decide,’” he said.

Even so, Dennis acknowledged a series of struggles ensuring his reports citing violations reach prosecutors in Williams’ ofﬁce, particularly those assigned to Flemings-Davillier’s court.

A top prosecutor last year shut off a “catch-all” email address at the District Attorney’s Ofﬁce where ASAP sent all its violations, balking at the volume. Prosecutors in Section B also began reporting in February that they weren’t receiving ASAP’s emails at another address, he said.

Dennis blamed a problem at the District Attorney’s Ofﬁce. He added that about two dozen prosecutors still have login access to his system.

ASAP doesn’t send the alerts to public defenders, who are “very anti-this stuff,” Dennis said. “They don’t want to look like they’re cooperating.”

A public defender for Banks, Catherine Kearney,

welcoming, low-key gathering for moms to walk, connect and spend time outside together Come as you are.

n Kids Fitness with KidStrong is June 8 and Sept. 7 at 9:30 a.m. at the Savoy Family Treehouse. This free pop-up is open to children from walking age to 11 and focuses on strength, confidence and movement through high-energy play No registration required.

Community Hour brings free monthly programs to the park all summer:

n Family Game Night is July 2 and Aug. 6 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m Come out for chess, checkers, Connect 4, Jenga and cornhole in the open greenspace. No registration required.

n Trivia Night with Pigeon Post Trivia is July 9, with a U.S. history theme in honor of America’s 250th anniversary, and Aug. 13, with a Disney theme. Both run 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

n Language Cafe meets monthly at 6 p.m. at the park Each session highlights a different culture, led by international students and local cultural organizations June 18 celebrates Creole culture and language and will be held at the Doer-

said in court Tuesday that ASAP’s reports “leave us sorting through, trying to ﬁgure out what exactly are the violations and makes it very difficult for us to address them with our clients.”

Rafael Goyeneche, president of the Metropolitan Crime Commission, called it a “missed opportunity,” saying defense counsel should receive those notices directly to head off trouble. Goyeneche said the ASAP system has proven itself in helping law enforcement place a suspect at a crime scene. But after Tuesday’s court event, he questioned if it provided “actionable” information for revoking a bond.

‘Our thing is bulletproof’ In Dennis’ view, the criticism is evidence of bad blood on the bench over the new regulations he pushed in the Legislature. Dennis pointed to a new requirement that forces judges to jail people after “a third ﬁnding of noncompliance by the court.”

“That’s why they’re mad at us, because we actually did all of this in a box. We forced them into this process,” Dennis said. “They don’t like the fact that the ‘his fault, her fault’ is over.” Banks is among 14 defendants on ASAP monitors in Section B according to Dennis. Dennis argued that the criticism threatens to sow false doubt in a system he said is accurate within 14 feet.

“Our thing is bulletproof,” he said. “If what she says is true, there’s not a good criminal case in the courthouse that has anything to do with my program.”

Staff writer Matt Bruce contributed to this story

le Pavilion as part of Sunset Sessions; note that the $10 parking fundraiser will be in effect that evening. July 16 celebrates South Asian Heritage Month. Aug. 20 celebrates African languages and culture.

n Pack Walks presented by Camp Bow Wow Lafayette, take place on the second Monday of each month from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Each walk has a theme: June 8 is “Bloom in June,” July 13 is “Sparks Fly” and Aug. 10 is “Pups and Passports.” All pups welcome.

START BL G

Wade content with LSU’s position

BY SCOTT RABALAIS Staff writer

MIRAMAR BEACH,Fla. Recently released NCAA eligibilityguidelinesaimed at restricting the inﬂux of international and previously professional basketball players could have amajor effect on returning LSU men’s basketball coach Will Wade’s2026-27 roster. If Wade is overly concerned about it,he isn’tletting it show “Wefeel very comfortableinour position,” Wade said with asmile Wednesday as he prepared to head home from the Southeastern Conference spring meeting here at the Sandestin Hilton.

Wade, whoreturned to LSUinMarch after aprevious stint from 2017-22, gave little elaboration, though he did add: “We’ve got a jobtodo. Abig taskahead of us. We’vegot to get it done.”

Potentially in question is the eligibility of ﬁve of LSU’s nine newcomers. They include: Brice Dessert: A6-foot-11, 23-year-old center from France, Dessert plays forAnadolu Efes in the Turkish League. Saliou Niang: A6-6, 22-year-old wing player

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

UL assistant coach Seth Thibodeauxknewabout Blaze Rodriguez.

He had recruited thePope John Paul II shortstopand knew he had special defensive skills.Thibodeauxalso knew Rodriguez had been committed to Mississippi Gulf Coast Junior College for abouta year But afriend on the Pope John Paul II coaching staff and former Nicholls player Jacques Joberttold Thibodeaux, the former head coach at Nicholls, that Rodriguez was a Division Ishortstop.

“I knew defensively he wasona differentlevel,no question,” Thibodeaux said. “I wasonlyhesitant because Ididn’tknow whether he wouldbeabletohelp us offensively his freshmanyear.”

The Cajuns sure are happy theydecided to offer Rodriguez,who is nowbattingleadoff as the everyday short-

stop heading into the Starkville Regional this weekend, starting at 6p.m. Friday against Cincinnati.

“I was understanding,” Rodriguez said of not being heavily recruited. “I mean, Iknew Iwas undersized, smaller.” When Thibodeaux called him withanoffer in June, Rodriguez “committed on thespot.”

“I was just taking it oneday at atimeand just enjoying my timehere,”Rodriguez said. “It’sbaseball. It’s the same game. I’ve always had adecent glove, andI guess it just ﬁnally starting to showcase the best of its ability up here.”

Thibodeauxsaidthatmidway through the fall, Rodriguez’sglovewas so effectivethat“it gottothe point where coach (Matt Deggs) didn’tcare about the offense anymore. It was like, ‘This kid is going to take away too many runs. He’s got to startfor us.’ So yeah,werecognized early in the fall he was going to be our guy.”

Torina says LSUsoftballtrendingup

BY JIM KLEINPETER

Contributing writer

LSU’sdefeat in the Tuscaloosa Super Regional was amicrocosm of their season

After being shackled offensively in the first game, the Tigers rebounded with a much better effortbut stillcould not overcome the No. 1national seed Alabama that scored 7-0 and 4-1 wins last weekend

The Tigers started the season slowly but came on strong at the end. They dominated this season’sregional at TigerParkwhere they’d lost twice to No. 4seed Southeastern Louisiana the year before.

Coach Beth Torina believes her program is trending up.

“I’m incredibly proudof this team,” Torina said. “I’m glad Igot this week with them Iwould like to have had another week. They showed aton of growth throughout the season, and I’m excited aboutwhat’s in front of them.

“I still think last year’steam was kind of flukey;weplayedbad for one day. This team grew aton, they finished strong.We’d like to continue to play on, but we’ve got to keepgrowing and continuetofind ways to do that.” Torina is trying to get the program back to the Women’sCollege World Series, where it hasn’tbeen since 2017. But the program is in

the College Football Playoff, would prohibit coaches from leaving their schools foranother coaching position before the season ends, or forschools to makesuch ahire. The act is obviously along way from becoming law,especially with all of Congress and one-third of the U.S. Senate facing impactful midterm elections in November But it begs an interesting question: If the act had been law this past season, would Kifﬁnhave been able to coach Ole Miss in the CFP before taking —oreven entering into negotiations —the LSU job?

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Ragin’ Cajuns shortstop Blaze Rodriguez throws to first base during agameagainst UL-Monroe on March 28 at Russo Park. Rodriguez has a.974 fielding percentagethis season. STAFF FILEPHOTO By BRADKEMP

On TV

COLLEGE SOFTBALL(WCWS)

11 a.m.Mississippi State vs.Texas Tech ESPN

1:30 p.m. Tennessee vs.Texas ESPN

6p.m. UCLA vs.Alabama ESPN2

8:30 p.m. Arkansas vs. Nebraska ESPN2 GOLF

6a.m.DPWorld Tour:Austrian Open Golf

COLLEGEBASEBALL

3p.m. PGATour:Schwab ChallengeGolf

11 p.m.LIV: Busan, South Korea FS1 MEN’S HOCKEY (IIHF)

9a.m. Canada vs. U.S. NHLN

1p.m. Swizerland vs. Sweden NHLN MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

Noon L.A.Angels at DetroitMLB

3p.m. Atlanta at Boston MLB

6p.m. Toronto at Baltimore MLB

Things to know as NCAAtourney gets startedFriday

BY ERIC OLSON AP sportswriter

The NCAA baseballtournamentopens Friday with play in 16 double-eliminationregionals.

Regional winners advance to best-of-three super regionals next week, and the final eight go to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, beginningJune12.

Who’shot

Alabama State (34-21) and The Citadel (35-24) each have won eight straight games entering regionals SWAC Tournament championAlabama State, which opens at Alabama as aNo. 4seed, turned nine double plays and averaged better than eight runs per game in the conference tournament. Miguel Oropeza drove in 13 runs over the past four games. The Citadel (35-24), which plays Oklahoma as aNo. 3 seed in Atlanta, knocked off regular-seasonchampion Mercertwice on its way to the Southern Conference title.The Bulldogs have won 17 of their past 20.

Who’snot

Boston College (36-21) has lost four in arow entering itsgame against Liberty as theNo. 2seedinAthens, Georgia. The Eagles have been outscored46-5 over those games —38-3 in three games against Georgia Tech and 8-2 by Miami in the ACC Tournament. Kentucky (31-21) has dropped three in arow and 11 of its past 16.

Still waiting East Carolina (36-22-1), which received the American’sautomatic bid by winning theconferencetournament, hasnever reached the College World Series in 35 previous NCAA Tournamentappearances, the longest streakofits kind.The Pirates are in an eighth straight regional and 10th in 11 years.

Florida State (38-17) has never won anational championship in 61 previous appearances.The Seminoles are aregional host for a record38thtimeand open against St. John’s(33-24).

Welcometothe party

Tarleton State (37-19) is the only ﬁrst-time participant, winning the Western Athletic ConferenceTournamenttoearn theNo. 3 seed in Austin, Texas. The Texans also won the WAC in 2024 but weren’teligible for NCAA championships because they were transitioning fromDivision II

Tarleton State, which opens against UC Santa Barbara (38-18), owns three wins over teams from power conferences.The Texans will be playing on the same field where they beat regionalhostTexasinMarch.

Toughest regional

The Lincoln Regional, hosted by Nebraska, appears tobethe toughest of the 16. Nebraska (42-15), the No. 13 national seed,won 40 regular-seasongames forthe ﬁrsttime since 2003 and will play in aregional at home for the ﬁrst time since 2008. The Huskers played ameaty nonconference schedule and posted wins over national seeds Auburn, FloridaState and Oregon.

Ole Miss (36-21), the No. 2regional seed, played the fourth-toughest schedule in the country and was inthe running to be ahost until two weeks ago. TheRebels lost 10oftheir past17and tied for ninth in the SEC. The Rebels open against No. 3regional seed Arizona State (37-19). The Sun Devilstied for third in the Big 12 and bring apowerful offense featuring conference player of the year Landon Hairsto(28 homers).

South Dakota State (2431), the bottom seed, opens againstNebraska.The Jackrabbits lost 5-4inLincoln in March.

No guarantees

Regional hostshaveadvanced to super regionals 66.3% of the time(276 of 416) since the tournament went to its current format in 1999. Last year,nine hosts won regionals

The fewest hosts to advance wereseven in 2007 and 2014 and eight in 2018.

Feelingadraft

Fourteen of the first 25 playersinthe mockdraft by MLB.com analystJonathan Mayoare in thetournament, includingthree of thetop ﬁve.

Heading the group are UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky (1), UC Santa Barbara RHP JacksonFlora (3), Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey (5), Georgia Tech outfielder Drew Burress (7), Texas A&M second baseman Chris Hacopian (8) and Arkansas catcher Ryder Helfrick (10).

Next areAlabamashortstop Justin Lebron(11), Florida RHP Liam Peterson (12), Virginia outﬁelder

A.J. Gracia(14),Kentucky shortstopTyler Bell (17), Coastal Carolina RHPCameron Flukey (18), Tennessee RHPTegan Kuhns (23),Arkansas LHP Hunter Dietz (24) and Virginiashortstop Eric Becker (25).

BashingBulldogs

Georgia leads the nation in home runs forthe secondstraightyear and is on pace to set its single-season record. The Bulldogs enter with149 in 58 games, two shyofthe 151 in 60 games in 2024. TheBulldogs are in their fourth straight season with at least100 homers SECplayerofthe year Daniel Jackson leads the Bulldogswith 27 and is among six players with double-digit homers. Whoisthisguy?

Thebestplayeryou’ve probably never heard of is Cincinnatiﬁrst baseman QuintonCoats. The6-foot3, 225-pound sophomore is tied for fourth nationally with 28 homers,isﬁfth with 78 RBIsand thirdinthe Big 12 with a.764 slugging percentage. He has four multihomer games and went hitless in just six of 57 games

Geographylesson California, Florida and Texas all have ﬁve teams in regionals, most among the 30 states represented in thetournament. Alabama, North Carolinaand Virginia all have four schools in regionals. Massachusetts,not knownasa bastion of college baseball, has three teamsin thetournament in Boston College, Holy Cross and Northeastern.

NBA PLAYOFFS

7:30 p.m.Oklahoma City at SanAntonio NBC MEN’S SOCCER

1:30 p.m.Ireland vs.Qatar FS2 TENNIS

1p.m.French Open TNT/TruTV WNBA

7p.m.Las VegasatDallas PRIME

9p.m.Indiana at GoldenState PRIME

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOByVASHAHUNT

Alabama starting pitcher JocelynBriski throws against Belmont during an NCAA regional game on May16inTuscaloosa, Ala.

Fullyloaded

No.1 seed Alabama, reigning champion Texaslead deep,talented fieldatWomen’s CollegeWorld Series

BY TIMWILLERT Associated Press

OKLAHOMACITY

Topoverallseed Alabama, reigning national champTexas, and Big TenConference champion Nebraska headline abalanced ﬁeldatthe Women’sCollege World Series. Alabama, with starpitcher Jocelyn Briski (22-3, 1.30 ERA), is capable of knocking offthe second-seeded Longhorns and six others, including newcomers ﬁfth-seeded Arkansasand unseeded Mississippi State.

The Crimson Tide (54-7) will open on Thursday against No. 8seed UCLA, whichboasts NCAA single-season home runleader MeganGrant andthe top scoring team in the nation. No. 4seed Nebraska, which is ranked ﬁrst in the latest ESPN.com/USA Softball poll, is making itsﬁrst series appearance since 2013. TheCornhuskers (51-6) have won26straight gamesand areled by USASoftball Collegiate Player of the Year Jordy Frahm.

Frahm led Oklahoma to anational title in 2023 as Jordy Bahl before transferring, then later getting married and changing hername. Herprevious team —eight-time nationalchampion Oklahoma —won’tbemaking the 26-mile drive to Oklahoma City’sDevon Park for the ﬁrst timesince2015.

The third-seeded Sooners, who won four of the past ﬁve nationaltitles, were eliminated by Southeastern Conference upstart Mississippi State in threegames at the Norman Super Regional.The Bulldogs (43-19) are coached by former Sooners All-American Samantha Ricketts, who played forcoach Patty Gasso at Oklahoma.

“This week right now has beenabout enjoying themoment afterobviously a historicsuper regional forusand also just being where our feet are,”Ricketts said. “Wewant our players to enjoy everystepofthis, being present,but then really using today to lock back in and knowing that we’re not done yet.”

Mississippi State will open with 2025 runner-up Texas Tech and ace NiJaree Canady.The Red Raiders (57-7), seeded No. 11 overall, took downsixth-seeded Floridaatthe Gainesville Super Regional and are looking to get back to the championship series. Canady,who wore down against Texas last year,now has help from pitcher KaitlynTerry,a transfer from UCLA.

Arkansas, the teamwith thetop regular-season RPI,makes itsDevon Field debut. The Razorbacks haven’treached the World Series, despite playing in super regionals in 2018, 2021, 2022and 2025. Coach Courtney Deifel’steam racked up 26 run-rule victoriesthis season, including ﬁve straight. The Razorbacks went undefeated in regional and super regional competition. Texas opens defense of its title Thursday against No. 7seed Tennessee and hard-throwingKarlyn Pickens, the No.1 overall pickinthe AUSLdraft.

The Volunteers(47-10) are making their 10th appearance in Oklahoma City and Pickens (15-7, 1.53 ERA and six saves) is among thereasons why,with 180 strikeouts in 1321/3 innings. But the Lady Vols can throw more than just Pickens at opponents. Sage Mardjetko (0.99 ERA) and Erin Numar(1.09 ERA) rank second and fourth, respectively

“They deﬁnitely have three pitchers that have shown they can beat anybody at any time, especially going through the SEC Tournament,”Texascoach Mike White said. “They’re dangerous. They’re well coached.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOByNICK SMITH UCLA senior Megan Grant leads the nation withanNCAA-record 40 home runs this season.

THURSDAY’S GAMES

Game1: TexasTech vs Mississippi State, 11 a.m.,ESPN

Game2: Texasvs. Tennessee,1:30 p.m., ESPN

Game3: Alabama vs.UCLA, 6p.m., ESPN2

Game4: Nebraska vs.Arkansas, 8:30 p.m.,ESPN2

The Longhorns counter with Teagan Kavan,the Most Outstanding Playerof last year’sWomen’sCollegeWorld Series. Kavan hasa25-5 record with a2.47 ERAand beat Alabamainthe SECtitle game. Katie Stewart leadsthe team with a.436average and 27 home runs.

Briski has 198 strikeouts in 1562/3 innings. She combined with teammateVic Moten to limit LSU to onerun andseven hits in twogames at theTuscaloosa Super Regional.

“I just think really themain goal here is to just go out and win one game at a time and win each game,” Briski said. “I’mjustexcited to take theﬁeld. It all starts (Thursday), and we’re just focusing on that game.”

The Tide staff will be tested right away

UCLA (52-8) features Grant, aUSA SoftballCollegiate Playerofthe Year ﬁnalist whohas 40 home runs, and Jordan Woolery,the 2026 BigTen Player of the Year who is on pacetobecomethe ﬁrst player in NCAA history to hit.500 with 30 or more homers and 100 or more RBIs in the same season.

“I think alot of the times me andJordan are talked about as aduo, but I’m happy to say that Ican ﬁnally talk about her individually becausewhatshe’sdone this year is simply incredible,” Grant said. “I mean, honestly,she’s justgoing out there and she’sbeing herself, and she’sbeing everything that we always knew that she could be.”

Alabamacoach welcomes support

Alabama coach TimMurphy invited fans of the Sooners to switch their allegiances for the next 10 days or so.

“First, to all the Oklahoma fans that are looking for ateam to cheer for,it’s right here,” Murphy told reportersduringmedia day interviews. “Wehavethe same color palette.AMA at the bottom. Youcan almost think it saysOklahoma, pretend it does. I’ll take those 10,000 fans cheering forus.”

WCWS hasabig talent pool

Texas Tech coach Gerry Glasco called the overalltalent level “unbelievable.”

“There’sliterally— Ithink anyone in the ﬁeld can win it,and Ijustdon’tsee anybody that’sgoing to be aclear-cutfavorite,” he said. “I think it’s going to be a warfromstart to ﬁnish. There’s just so many teamsthatare really good here.”

IN BRIEF FROM STAFFAND WIRE REPORTS

Saints sign LB Sirmon, sonoflinebackerscoach

The Saints signedlinebacker Jackson Sirmon—the sonof Saints linebackers coach Peter Sirmon.

Jackson Sirmon, 26, signedafter atwo-year stint with the New York Jets.The 6-foot-2, 240-pounder mostly spent time on thepractice squad, appearing in one game last season. Peter Sirmon joined the Saints last season when Kellen Moorehired him. He coached Jackson at Cal, where Peter served as thedefensive coordinator while Jackson wasa ﬁrst-team all-Pac-12 choice in 2022. Jackson Sirmon went undrafted in 2024. He played 18 specialteams snaps and recorded atackle in hiscareerdebut againstthe Carolina Panthers.

To make room for Sirmon, the Saints waived cornerback Jeremiah McClendon.

Major league players ask for expandedfreeagency

NEW YORK Baseball players ﬁred the opening salvo Wednesday in whatisexpected to be long and contentiouslabor negotiations, asking forexpanded free agency andsalary arbitration rights along with almost doubling the major league minimum and increasing the money high-revenue teams share with the less-wealthy clubs.

Aday before Major League Baseball is expected to make a salary cap proposal, the union outlined its initial economic proposals during abargaining session at the players’ association ofﬁce in Manhattan.Itincludedwhat it called a“competitive integrity tax”that would penalize teams dropping below apayroll ﬂoor and called for the luxury tax threshold to rise to $300 million next year

PackersRBJacobsreleased fromjail after Tuesday arrest GREEN BAY, Wis. Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs was released from aWisconsinjailon Wednesday while authorities further investigate allegations of domestic abuse. Jacobswas arrested Tuesday in Brown County on allegations of strangulation and suffocation and other offenses over the weekend. His lawyers said he denies wrongdoing. District Attorney David Lasee said it’stoo soon to make aformal charging decision.

Hobart/Lawrence Police Chief Michael Renkas said police respondedtoacomplaint aboutJacobs around 8:30 a.m. Saturday Jacobsisthe Packers’ topreturning rusher after running for 929 yards and13touchdowns in 2025.

Former NL MVP McCutchen designated forassignment

ARLINGTON,Texas Former NL MVP outfielder Andrew McCutchen was designated for assignment by the Texas RangersonWednesday,after he hit .192 in his 37 games. The 39-year-old McCutchen had joined the Rangers on aminorleague contract midwaythrough spring training andmadetheir opening-day roster for his 18th MLB season. He started only 15 games, nine as the designated hitter and six in the outfield. Texas signed infielder Nicky Lopez to amajor league contract. The31-year-oldLopez has played in 693big-league games over parts of eight seasons with five teams. Theleft-handed hitter wasdesignated forassignment by theChicago Cubs on Saturday McCutchen hadtwo doubles, one homer and five RBIswith Texas.

Sánchez setsPhillies’ scorelessinnings record

SAN DIEGO Philadelphia lefthanderCristopherSánchez extended his scorelessinnings streak to 442⁄3 innings on Wednesday to set the Phillies franchise record by passing Hall of Famer Grover Cleveland Alexander Sánchez reached themilestone by getting through the four full innings he needed to pass Alexander,who had a41-inning scoreless streak in 1911. There was aheart-stopping moment, though, as Manny Machado lifted aﬂyball to leftthat Edmundo Sosa caught just in front of the wall leading off the fourth. Sánchez struckout XanderBogaerts, Ramon Laureano doubled to left and then the lefty got Jackson Merrill to ground out to second base to set the record.

from Senegal, Niang has played in the EuroLeague. He was also the 58th overall pick of the 2025 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Michael Ruzic: A 7-0, 19-yearold forward/center from Croatia, Ruzic played for Jovenhut in Badalona, Spain. Marcio Santos: A 6-9, 23-yearold center/forward from Brazil, Santos plays for Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel and in the EuroLeague.

Also in question is LSU commitment RJ Luis. The 2025 Big East Player of the Year at St. John’s signed

CAJUNS

Continued from page 1C

Rodriguez has made seven errors in 62 games this season for a .974 ﬁelding percentage, but that only begins to tell the story

He makes difficult grounders look routine, relishes the opportunities to make spectacular plays and the angles he takes to get to balls are well beyond his years.

“I think coach Thib has made me 10 times the ﬁelder that I was in high school,” Rodriguez said. “I’ve always had a good glove, but when I got here, I think I kind of understood how everything needs to work as a whole and not separately.”

Playing on grass for the ﬁrst time last week in Montgomery, Alabama, Rodriguez charged the ball less and showed off his arm strength more than usual.

“Yeah, I haven’t been able to do that very much this season, so I was excited to let it rip a couple times,” Rodriguez said.

Thibodeaux said the main challenge of coaching Rodriguez is knowing when to tell him to slow down.

“He made one error in the fall and the next morning, he wanted ground balls at 7 o’clock in the morning,” Thibodeaux said. “I had to tell him he was being too reactionary and calm down, but he’s that serious about it.”

Hard work on his game is enjoyable for the 5-foot-10, 175-pounder from Slidell.

“He loves making plays and taking away hits, and so he likes practicing that,” Thibodeaux said. “He loves repetition. He loves to work at it. He’s got a broad vision of what he can do, and he wants to practice those big plays, too.

“It’s not just a boring thing for him. Like, he can’t get enough. He can’t stop.” Rodriguez is already doing things defensively that ﬁrst-round pick and UL AllAmerican Kyle DeBarge wasn’t doing until later in his career

“He understands things most freshmen or sophomores, or even juniors, don’t,” Thibodeaux said. “He does things that Kyle

LSU

Continued from page 1C

the midst of a transition that won’t come into focus until school opens in the fall

While Torina is in line to welcome back six of nine daily starters and two of her top three pitchers, the comings and goings of the transfer portal which is open for business June 8 — will have something to say about the roster composition. Last year, Torina signed five key players from the portal but also in the fold is a recruiting class that has been ranked in the top three in the nation at different times. The shift to the offense coached by assistant Bryce Neal, who just completed his second season in Baton Rouge, has begun to take hold.

“It’s the first recruiting class (Bryce) had his hands in,” Torina said. “Getting athletes that ﬁt his style is important. We are excited about the class. They were ranked No. 1 at the time we signed them. The group of freshmen we have coming

with LSU after having previously signed a two-way contract with the NBA’s Utah Jazz. He later played three exhibition games for the Boston Celtics. A 6-7 wing player, Luis also signed with Boston’s G-League affiliate the Maine Celtics but never played for that team and was waived because of an injury Luis may need to ﬁle a lawsuit to gain eligibility to play for the Tigers. We’ll let that play out,” he said. Under the NCAA’s new eligibility rules issued earlier this month, players who have “entered an agreement with, competed on or received compensation from

a team that participates in a league with minimum compensation that exceeds actual and necessary expenses” would not have their college eligibility reinstated.

According to Sports Illustrated, which obtained a document outlining the new NCAA rules, the document specifically mentions the NFL, NBA, MLB, WNBA and Premier League, though other top international basketball leagues also could become part of the same ruling.

Including Luis, LSU has nine prospective players on its 2026-27 roster Wade didn’t rule out the possibility of adding more.

“We may get another couple,” he said.

STARKVILLE REGIONAL SCHEDULE

Friday’s Games

Game 1 – Mississippi St (40-17) vs. Lipscomb (29-24), 1 p.m

Game 2 – Cincinnati (37-20) vs. UL (39-22), 6 p.m.

Saturday’s Games

Game 3 – Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2, 3 p.m

Game 4 – Winner of Game 1 vs.Winner of Game 2, 8 p.m

Sunday’s Games

Game 5 – Winner of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4 – 2 p.m

Game 6 – Winner of Game 5 vs.Winner of Game 4 – 7 p.m

Monday’s Game

Game 7 – If Necessary – Time TBD

couldn’t do until he was a junior That’s just understanding the game of baseball. Just a student of it. He’s married to it.”

The offensive production took longer to show up. After getting a pair of walkoff hits early in the season, Rodriguez’s batting average dipped as low as .219.

“I’m here to play some defense,” Rodriguez said. “The hitting’s a plus and I’ll ﬁgure that out eventually.”

Handling the expected failures at the plate is one of Rodriguez’s skills.

“He doesn’t take his offense onto the field,” Thibodeaux said “I mean, he could strike out with the bases loaded, it doesn’t matter. When he’s on defense, it’s all about defense. He moves on right away

“I have not really coached that before, especially as a freshman.”

These days, Rodriguez is more comfortable at the plate. Against Appalachian State in early May, Deggs put Rodriguez in the leadoff spot. It’s worked like a charm.

“That’s where I’m comfortable. I’ve hit there my whole life,” Rodriguez said “When he put me there, something in my brain just

in will be immediate difference-makers.”

The class includes catcher Samantha Alekman (El Dorado Hills, California), inﬁelder Giselle De Casas (Hayward California), pitcher Addie Rackley (Buford, Georgia), outfielder Adelynn Siegel (Shiner, Texas), pitcher Ayla Tuua (Murieta, California), catcher Karmen Vazquez (Hanford, California) and outfielder Sydnee Williams (Phoenix, Arizona). Tuua, the California Gatorade Player of the Year, and Rackley are two-way players; Williams is a center fielder who could step in with the loss of senior leadoff hitter Jalia Lassiter; and Vazquez is a left-handed hitter who could step in for senior Maci Bergeron

The freshmen will be hard-pressed to unseat multiple possible returners, including shortstop Kylee Edwards, who had 10 homers, 40 RBIs and a .341 batting average. Tori Edwards is also expected back after hitting a team-best 12 homers with 45 RBIs.

TheTigerssurvivedtheloss ofpitchingaceSydneyBerzon to the transfer portal last off-

There’s a lot to absorb about the proposed act and how much it does to cure some of college sports’ ills believe it or not, some of which Kifﬁn has nothing to do with — currently imperiling college athletics. But if it does get passed, the Lane Kifﬁn Rule is on its way to becoming imprinted in the sports lexicon.

In case you’re wondering, Kifﬁn was leaving here to ﬂy back to Baton Rouge along with men’s basketball coach Will Wade and women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey right about the time news of the bill was breaking.

There’s obviously a lot more in the bill than what pertains to job-hopping coaches. There are provisions to prevent the creation of a so-called “super league” of an elite group of power schools, limit fees for agents to 5% of player deals, permit the pooling of media rights, and allow the NCAA and College Sports Commission to enforce strict standards to prohibit third-party NIL deals. It also leaves open the possibility of collective bargaining for athletes, a highly controversial outcome that would allow athletes to be considered university employees.

“This bipartisan bill is designed to save the part of college sports that fans actually care about,” Cruz recently told Yahoo Sports.

Something tells me a lot of folks will focus on the part that they think will save college sports from Kifﬁn

In other news from the SEC spring meeting:

switched.”

Rodriguez was familiar with the role.

“I had a different job as a 9-hole hitter,” said Rodriguez, who is now batting .235 with nine doubles, 18 RBIs, 38 walks, 39 strikeouts, a .368 on-base percentage and 15 stolen bases. “It’s still my job to bunt sometimes, but also work the pitcher’s count I’m trying to see as many pitches as possible, trying to see the whole pitcher’s arsenal to give some good feedback to the team.”

Rodriguez is no longer a freshman with question marks, and he’s one of the few Cajuns ever to play at Dudy Noble Field in Starkville, Mississippi.

“The ﬁrst baseball camp I ever went to was at Mississippi State when I was in the eighth grade,” he said.

On Friday, it’ll be Rodriguez seeing the ﬁrst pitch of the game against Cincinnati.

“I’ll embrace it all on deck, for sure,” he said. “Then once that umpire tells me it’s time to roll, I’ll walk into the batter’s box and say it’s time to go.”

Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@theadvocate.com.

seasonbybringinginveterans CeceCelluraandPaytnMonticelli, the latter of which won’t be back. But Cellura teaming with Jayden Heavener would give LSU a seasoned twosome in the circle.

Torina is aware that some of the 2026 team will opt for the portal, but she likes the direction the program is trending. The schedule next season looks to be among the toughest ever with seven of the eight SEC opponents reaching this year’s super regionals and four of those playing in the Women’s College World Series this week. The SEC schedule for LSU will feature Kentucky, Tennessee, Florida, Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama and Georgia.

“We’re on the right track,” Torina said. “It’s a new age of college athletics We’re learning and growing, trying to put the program in the best possible position to win.

We’ve made a lot of changes and keep making changes that allow us to do that.

“We won’t return everyone, but nobody does that anymore. Oklahoma, UCLA, whoever you are, nobody lives in that world.”

6:30 p.m., with the game

being shown on a streaming basis on SECNetwork+

That means LSU’s ﬁrst three games of the Kifﬁn era will all start at 6:30 p.m. As previously announced, the Sept. 5 opener in Tiger Stadium against Clemson will be on ABC, as will its Sept. 19 game at Ole Miss.

According to the SEC, kickoff windows for remaining SEC-controlled games — which will include all nine remaining games on LSU’s schedule — will be announced June 10. Following a scheduling format that debuted in 2024, the windows are as follows: early (11 a.m.noon), afternoon (2:303:30 p.m.), night (5-7 p.m.) or ﬂex (afternoon or night).

CFP expansion: SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said Monday before the SEC meetings began that there would be no vote here on whether to support expansion of the College Football Playoff from 12 to 16, 24 or even 28 teams.

After a couple of days of discussions, LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry said that remains the case.

Football scheduling: The Southeastern Conference revealed more kickoff times and TV assignments Wednesday for early season games.

The only new LSUrelated information was on the Tigers’ Sept. 12 home game against Louisiana Tech. Kickoff will be at

“I’m still looking at all the pieces of the puzzle,” Ausberry said. “Figuring out what’s the best for LSU, ﬁrst of all, and then the conference. We want to make sure we get it right.”

The Big Ten, Big 12, ACC and Notre Dame are all uniﬁed in their support for a 24-game playoff. Sankey said Wednesday that the SEC continues to

support an expansion to only 16 games, at least for now

“We have not talked about our decision point,” Sankey said. “This is likely a fall decision. As we work to gather information to see if there is interest in an expanded playoff from media markets, we’ll try to plot out the calendar All of those need time for research and planning. There’s no need to rush to do this by, to pick a date, (SEC) media days.”

It’s expected that the college football conferences, led by the SEC and Big Ten, have to let ESPN know about their plans for the 2027-28 playoff by December

Anti-gambling education: In the wake of the NCAA denying reinstatement to Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby over his admission of extensive sports gambling, the SEC on Wednesday unveiled its plan for mandatory sports gambling education for athletes.

The league has produced an educational video, among other initiatives, that must be viewed by all SEC athletes before their start of competition for the 2026-27 athletic year Among those in attendance at a news conference to announce the SEC program was former LSU offensive

PROVIDED PHOTO By AJ HENDERSON

UL freshman shortstop Blaze Rodriguez has become a star with his unique defensive skills this season for the Ragin’ Cajuns.

Ceciliafootballcoaches more seasonedthisspring

BY MIKE COPPAGE

Contributing writer

Thedifference between this spring and 2025 was like night and day for Cecilia football coach Cody Champagne.

Last May,Champagne was making his debut as the Bulldogs head coach, andthe former offensive coordinator madedowith only a couple of holdovers fromDennis Skains’ previous coaching staff.

“Oh, man last year,itwas like, OK, there are only three of us left,” he said. “Let’sjust get through the spring.”

Champagne andhis assistants capped off this spring in much more comfortable fashionwith a scrimmage against Lakeshore, a program that the No. 13-seeded Bulldogs eliminated on the road in the 2025 playoffs in traditional highscoring Cecilia fashion (54-42).

“I thought it went well,” Champagne said. “Lakeshore had some kids out with their baseball team going to the semiﬁnals. Theyhad theirquarterback (Brody Loudermilk). We were able to push their defensive line aroundsome.”

The Bulldogs are experienced up-

front with three returning starters on the offensive line, headlined by 300-poundthree-yearstarter Ethan Journet. Receiver Ashton Rufﬁn, the youngerbrother of former Ceciliastar Ellis Stewart, landed his ﬁrst scholarship offer from Southern afterthe spring game.

“He’sgoing to be aproblem,” Champagne saidofRufﬁn, who hit agrowing spurt duringthe offseasonand is nowtaller than 6-foot-4.

Junior quarterback Layne Champagnewillthrow to Rufﬁnand fourstar LSU commitmentBraylon Calais, who is moving from running backtoreceiver andwill take some snaps at quarterback. Calais satout the scrimmage with aminor injury

“I thinkhe’shappy aboutthat,” Champagne said of the position move for Calais, whorushedfor more than 1,000 yardsineach of the past two seasons andstill will take some snaps at running back with Deondre Brisco, astarter last yearatH-Back.

On defense, someplayers who impressed during the spring were nose guard Chance Guidry,linebackers Kaleb Journetand BrandonLejeune, andsafety BJ Patt, whocomes from alongline of Bull-

dogs in his family tree.

Additional standouts includ returning starters in the secondary Demarcus Babineaux, Dakorey Living andFranky Frank. Babineaux is athree-year starter,while Frankhas been akey coginthe lineup sincehis freshmancampaign.

“I thought we got out there and did what we needed to do,”Champagne said. “Weput somekids in newpositionstosee if they could handle the pressure. Obviously,the actual season is adifferent animal, but the guys went out there and performed.”

Chase Narcisseand Amiri Noel are newfaces in the defensive backfield whom Champagne expects big things from. KennanBatiste is areturning starter on the defensive linewho is recovering from offseason surgery Cecilia will scrimmage Kaplan in the fall and thenwill face Lafayette High in thejamboree. St. Amant andCentral-BRhavebeen replaced on the regular-season schedule by Barbe and Teurlings Catholic. Carencro is anew addition to the district after dropping down from Class 5A.

Djokovic survives heat for4-set victory

BY ANDREW DAMPF AP sportswriter

PARIS Novak Djokovic placed ice packs around his neck and on top of his head during changeoverstokeepcoolamidthe Paris heat wave at the French Open on Wednesday. The39-year-old Djokovic was pushed by 74thranked French player Valentin Royer —who is 15 years younger than him formore than 31/2 hours before he reached the third round with a6-3, 6-2,6-7 (7), 6-3 victory For thefourth straight day of this year’s tournament,the temperature rose above90degrees “When you play athree-and-ahalf hour matchonclay,it’slong and very exhausting,” Djokovic said. “These days have been really,really very challenging for alot of players.”

The 24-timeGrand Slam champion wasted achancetoclose thematch outearlier when he misseda backhandlonginthe third-set tiebreaker,then required four more matchpoints in his ﬁnal service gamebefore aforehand from Royer landed in thenet to conclude alongrally Before arriving in Paris, Royer hadearnedonly onetour-level win across 11 tournaments he played this season Djokovic cametoRoland Garros with questions abouthis formafter getting beat in his only clay-court match before thetournament. He lost to Croatian qualiﬁerDino Prizmic at the Italian Open after two months outbecause of aright shoulder injury. But Djokovic is playing himself back intoformafter coming backfromaset down to beat Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, another Frenchman, in afirstround match that lasted nearly three hours.

Djokovic reached the third round in Paris for a21ststraight year.Heraised the Coupe des Mousquetaires trophy in 2016, 2021 and 2023. Up next forDjokovic is potentiallya biggertestagainst 19-year-old Brazilian Joao Fonseca, who came back from two sets downfor a3-6,4-6,6-3,6-1,

SCOREBOARD

Friday, June 5 x-Game 3—Teams, TBD,7 p.m. Pro tennis French Open results Wednesday At Stade Roland Garros Paris Purse: €28,900,000 Surface: Redclay Men’s Singles Second Round Alex de Minaur(8),Australia,def.Alexander Blockx, Belgium, walkover Jesper De Jong, Netherlands, def. Federico Cina, Italy, 6-3, 6-1, 6-3. Thiago Agustin Tirante,Argentina,def. AlejandroDavidovich Fokina(21),Spain,4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-1, 6-3 KarenKhachanov(13),Russia,def.Marco Trungelliti,Argentina, 7-6(5),5-7,6-1, 7-6 (4). Andrey Rublev (11),Russia, def. Camilo Ugo Carabelli,Argentina, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3, 7-6(5) Pablo Carreno Busta, Spain, def. Thanasi Kokkinakis, Australia,7-5,4-6,1-0, ret. Nuno Borges, Portugal, def. Miomir Kecmanovic, Serbia, 3-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-2. Jakub Mensik (26),Czechia,def.Mariano Navone, Argentina, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (11) Quentin Halys, France, def. Ugo Humbert (32),France, 6-4, 7-6(4),7-6 (8). NovakDjokovic (3), Serbia, def. Valentin Royer, France, 6-3, 6-2, 6-7(7),6-3. Rafael Jodar (27),Spain,def.James Duckworth, Australia,6-1,6-7 (5), 6-4, 7-5. Alex Michelsen, United States, def. Nishesh Basavareddy,UnitedStates, 7-6(5),6-3, 3-6, 6-3. Joao Fonseca(28),Brazil, def. Dino Prizmic, Croatia, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1, 6-2. TommyPaul (24),United States, def. Lorenzo Sonego, Italy, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. Alexander Zverev (2), Germany, def. Tomas Machac, Czechia, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2. Casper Ruud (15),Norway,def.Hamad Medjedovic, Serbia, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. Women’s Singles Second Round Belinda Bencic (11),Switzerland, def. Caty McNally,United States,6-4,6-0 TamaraKorpatsch,Germany, def. Wang Xinyu (32),China, 6-2, 2-6, 6-3. IgaSwiatek (3), Poland, def. SaraBejlek, Czechia, 6-2, 6-3. Peyton Stearns, United States, def. Daria Snigur, Ukraine,6-4,6-0 Viktorija Golubic, Switzerland, def.Alycia Parks, United States,6-2, 6-2. Elina Svitolina(7),Ukraine,def.Kaitlin Quevedo, Spain, 6-0, 6-4. Magda Linette, Poland, def. JelenaOstapenko(29),Latvia,6-2,2-6,6-2 Marie Bouzkova (27),Czechia,def.Francesca Jones, Britain, 6-0, 7-6 (3). Marta Kostyuk(15),Ukraine,def.KatieVolynets, United States,6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-3. Yuliia Starodubtseva, Ukraine,def.Elena Rybakina (2), Kazakhstan, 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (4). Wang Xiyu,China, def. Hailey Baptiste(26) United States, 5-4, ret. Jil Teichmann, Switzerland, def. Magdalena Frech, Poland, 7-5, 6-4. Sorana Cirstea (18),Romania, def.Eva Lys, Germany, 6-3, 6-0. Solana Sierra, Argentina, def. Jasmine Paolini (13),Italy, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. MirraAndreeva(8),Russia,def.Marina Bassols Ribera, Spain, 3-6, 6-1, 6-1. Karolina Muchova (10),Czechia,def. Kamilla Rakhimova,Russia,6-2,6-2 Men’s Doubles First Round John Peers, Australia,and Robert Galloway, United States, def. Reese Stalder, United States, and CleeveHarper, Canada,6-3,6-4.

6-2 victory over the 20-year-old Prizmic. Fonseca has been touted as afuture GrandSlamcontender.

Meanwhile, Jakub Mensik collapsed to the clay because of cramps and had atough time getting up afteredging Mariano Navone in aﬁfth-set tiebreaker Thatmatch lasted4 hours, 41 minutes.

Then in the next match on Court 6, HaileyBaptistewas forced to retire while facing a setpoint against Wang Xiyu afterlanding awkwardly on her left leg.

Djokovic suggested that French Open organizers should considermoving more matches later in theday andnight on days with extreme heat.

“With Grand Slamsitshouldn’t be an issue, because we have so many courts,” Djokovic said. “If you have certain days that you haveextreme heat andconditions, then maybe that’ssomething to consider.

In the night session, secondseeded AlexanderZverevbeat Tomas Machac 6-4, 6-2, 6-2. On thewomen’s side,No. 2seed Elena Rybakina, this year’s AustralianOpenwinner, was beaten by Ukrainianopponent Yuliia Starodubtseva 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(4). Also advancing were Ukrainians Elina Svitolina andMarta Kostyuk, who are coming off trophies at the Madrid Open andItalianOpen, respectively

The seventh-seeded Svitolina beat Kaitlin Quevedo 6-0, 6-4 to extend herwinning streak to eight matches. The 15th-seeded Kostyuk beat Katie Volynets 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-3 to extend her winning streak to 13 matches.

“I’m most pleased thatI didn’t cramp to deathordidn’tpass out during thismatch,” Kostyuksaid after her match, which lasted nearly three hours. “Itwas not easyfor everyone.”

Four-time champion and No. 3 seed Iga Swiatek improved her career record at Roland Garros to 42-3 by eliminating 35thrankedSaraBejlek 6-2, 6-3. Swiatekwon at Roland Garros in 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024. She next faces Magda Linette in the first all-Polish meeting at RolandGarrosinthe professional era (since 1968). Linette eliminated2017 championJelena Ostapenko 6-2, 2-6, 6-2.

Adam Pavlasek and PatrikRikl, Czechia, def. FinnReynolds and James Watt, New Zealand, 7-6(4),6-3 Evan King, United States, and AndreGoransson, Sweden,def. RafaelMatos andOrlando Luz(16),Brazil, 7-6(7),6-3 Robert Cash and JamesTracy (15),United States,def. Giovanni Mpetshi Perricardand Moise Kouame, France, 6-4, 1-6, 6-4. Diego Hidalgo, Ecuador, and Patrik Trhac, UnitedStates, def. Fernando Romboli, Brazil, andJohn-PatrickSmith, Australia,6-4,3-6,6-3 David Peland Sander Arends,Netherlands def. Kyrian Jacquetand Arthur Gea, France, 6-4, 6-3. Kevin Krawietz and TimPutz (6), Germany, def. Andrey Golubev and Aleksandr Nedovyesov, Kazakhstan, 7-5, 7-6(4) EdouardRoger-Vasselin,France, andHugo Nys(10),Monaco, def. Vit Kopriva,Czechia, and Filip Pieczonka, Poland, 2-6, 7-6 (5), 6-1. Vasil Kirkov,UnitedStates,and Bart Stevens,Netherlands,def.CorentinMoutet and Luca VanAssche, France, 7-6(2),5-7,6-4. LucasMiedlerand AlexanderErler (14), Austria, def. Ryan Seggerman, United States and RinkyHijikata, Australia,7-6 (4), 7-6 (4). Hendrik Jebens, Germany, and RayHo, Taiwan, def. Mac Kiger, United States,and Ignacio Buse, Peru, 7-5, 6-7(5),7-6 (7). Women’s Doubles First Round Gabriela Dabrowski, Canada, and Luisa Stefani (4), Brazil, def. Maia Lumsden, Britain and Isabelle Haverlag, Netherlands, 6-2, 6-0. Anhelina Kalininaand Dayana Yastremska, Ukraine,def.XuYifan and Xinyu Jiang (14), China, 6-1, 6-1. Nicole Melichar-Martinez, United States and Cristina Bucsa (6), Spain, def. Katarzyna Piter, Poland, and Renata Zarazua, Mexico 6-7(2),7-5,6-0 SaraErrani,Italy, and Lilli Tagger, Austria, def. SoﬁaKenin and Ashlyn Krueger, United States, 6-3, 6-2. ShukoAoyama, Japan, and En-Shuo Liang, Taiwan, def. Elisabetta Cocciaretto, Italy, and Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, Spain,6-2, 6-3. Maya Joint, Australia,and Hanne Vandewinkel, Belgium, def. JessikaPonchet and Leolia Jeanjean, France, 6-7(6),6-1,6-3 TaylorTownsend, UnitedStates, andKaterina Siniakova(1),Czechia, def. AntoniaRuzic and PetraMarcinko,Croatia, 6-1, 6-0. Vera Zvonareva,Russia, andLaura Siegemund (11),Germany, def. Ann Li, UnitedStates, and Clara Tauson, Denmark,6-3,6-7 (5), 6-3. Qianhui Tang, China, and Elena Pridankina, Russia, def. Linda Noskovaand Tereza Valentova,Czechia,6-3,4-6,6-1 Anastasia Zakharovaand Oksana Selekhmeteva, Russia, def. LeylahFernandez, Canada, and Diana Shnaider, Russia,6-3, 6-1. Emiliana Arango, Colombia, and IvaJovic, United States,def. Kimberly Birrelland Talia Gibson, Australia,6-3,6-2 UlrikkeEikeri, Norway,and QuinnGleason (15),UnitedStates,def.Hao-Ching Chan, Taiwan, and Ekaterina Alexandrova, Russia, 6-2, 6-4. Mixed Doubles Second Round Neal Skupski, Britain, and Desirae Krawczyk (4), United States, def. HarmonyTan and Gregoire Jacq, France, 6-2, 6-1. NikolaMektic, Croatia, and Asia Muhammad, United States,def.Amandine Hesse and SadioDoumbia,

STAFF FILEPHOTO By BRAD KEMP

Ceciliaheadcoach Cody Champagne and his coaching staff were alot more prepared to getmoreout of spring football this year

Djokovic

Chickpea Tabbouleh Saladpacked with protein

BY LINDAGASSENHEIMER

Tribune News Service (TNS)

For this simple salad dinner,I combined chickpeas with bulgurwheatfor ahearty yet refreshing taste. Bulgur is made from wholewheat kernels that have been steamed, dried andthencrushed, giving it atender texture and asubtle nutty flavor.Let the wheat sit alittle longer if it is not soft after 20 minutes. One key technique for boostingflavor is to crush freshscallions together with the bulgur,allowing the scallion juices to seep intothe grains andinfuse them with asavory aroma. Drained canned chickpeas addprotein, while cheddar cheese brings arich, tangy note. Ahandful of pistachio nuts finishes the dish with adelicate crunch, creating avegetarian mealfull of flavors and textures.

Chickpea TabboulehSalad

Yields 2servings. RecipeisbyLinda Gassenheimer

1/2

2cups washed, ready-to-eat

1. Place bulgurwheat in bowl with hot water and let sit20minutes.

2. While wheat is soaking, prepare remaining ingredients. Combine lemon juice and garlic in abowl.Stirinolive oil.

3. Drain bulgur andsqueeze outas much moisture as possible with your hands. Add the scallions and squeeze again so that the scallionjuices penetrate the wheat.

4. Add to olive oil mixture. Foldin cheddar cheese,chickpeas and pistachios. Add salt and pepper to taste Sprinkle mint on top.

5. Divide the lettucebetween two dinner plates. Divide the chickpea mixture in half and serve over thelettuce Nutrition info per serving: 530 calories (53 percent from fat), 31.5 gfat (6.7 gsaturated, 13.6 gmonounsaturated), 20 mg cholesterol,21.4 gprotein, 46.9 gcarbohydrates,13.1gﬁber, 311 mg sodium.

BY NICOLE HVIDSTEN

May is themonth when every fruit and vegetable sold anywhere is at its peak. It could be that theabundance of your farmers market has you invigorated about enjoying the season’sbounty,or you may simply ﬁnd theproduce in your grocery store to be plumpand alluring right now Whatever you can get your hands on, Isay enjoy it while you can. Oneofmyfavorite cold soups to make this time of year uses fresh peas. It’seven worthit, to me, to shell peas for it. If you cannot ﬁnd fresh peas, or if you are disinclined to shell fresh peas, frozen peas will work. Be sure to buy frozen baby peas,not the big ones, as they aren’tasgood for this soup. And be sure to fully defrost and drain them. Ilike to serve the soup in teacups as an appetizer.Infact, it would go well as astarter for Lemon Caper Shrimp. Besides produce, there is often an abundance of shrimpinthis season. Ithink this recipe is agood alternative to New OrleansBarbecued Shrimp. Don’tget me wrong, Ilove barbecue shrimp, but sometimes Iwant achange. This recipe can be madewith shells on, so no need to peel them, although this is up to preference. If you are having adinner party,

ä See SAVOR, page 6C

Whether to choose thick or thin stalks is amatter of personal pref erence, and how you intend to use it. Ican’tresist pencil-thin spears cooked on thegrill. But for these recipes, either will do. Take

Versatile asparagus is thevegetable you’ll want to include in everything while it’sinseason It is aperfect side dish,whether you’re grilling meat or baking a quiche. It can be an ingredient in quiche, too, or just add leftover asparagus to scrambled eggs if you’re in arush. It’sa naturalin pasta dishes, with alight cream sauce to hold things together,and can be the star of aspringtime soup. Tryyour hand at pickling, and extend its season even further; pickled asparagusisa natural charcuterie, and amust in ahomegrown bloody mary bar When shopping for asparagus, look for spears withtightly closed tips. To prepare,cookbook author Beth Dooley suggests snapping off and discarding the toughest part of the stalk and storing in the fridge likecut ﬂowers —inaglass of water and tented withaplastic bag. (Or wrapthe ends in adamp paper towel, then bag, and place in therefrigerator’scrisper.)

ä See ASPARAGUS, page 6C

TNS PHOTO

Chickpea Tabbouleh Salad is full of protein and flavor

The Minnesota Star Tribune (TNS)

Strawberry cakehas cooked strawberries inside and can be topped with freshones.

Freshpeas are best formaking cold pea soup.

By The Associated Press

Today is Thursday,May 28,the 148th day of 2026. There are 217 days left in the year

Todayinhistory:

On May 28, 1830, President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act, which forced nearly 50,000 Native Americans, primarily in the Southeastern U.S., to move to designated territories west of the Mississippi River Also on this date: In 1863, the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment, made up of free Black men,left

Boston to ﬁghtfor the Union in the Civil War. In 1892, theSierra Club was founded in San Francisco by naturalist JohnMuir. In 1918, American troops fought their ﬁrst majorbattle during World WarIastheylaunched an offensiveagainstthe Germanheld French village of Cantigny; theAmericanssucceeded in capturing thevillage. In 1959, the U.S.Army launched Able, arhesusmonkey,and Baker,asquirrel monkey,aboard aJupitermissile for asuborbital

TODAYINHISTORY

ﬂight which bothprimates survived.

In 1972, burglars working on behalf of the Nixon White House broke intothe Democratic National Committee headquartersinthe Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C., installing surveillance devices on telephones and taking photos of DNC documents. The ensuing scandal led to President Richard Nixon’sresignation in 1974.

In 1977, 165 people were killed when ﬁre raced through theBeverly Hills Supper Club in Southgate, Kentucky

Continued from page5C

it’snice to take the time to peel the shrimp for your guests. But family can enjoy the informal fun of licking their ﬁngers. And who can resista strawberry cake?This one has cooked strawberries inside and fresh ones on top. That pavé layer of strawberries is always that kind of surprise, as the cake releases from the pan, that makes me smile.

Youcan go Spartan and eat it as asnack right after it cools without any embellishments. Or you can put it on acake pedestal and add ﬂavoredmascarpone to the top. Anice thick layer.And then gild the lily by adding fresh sugared strawberries over the top.

Be sure to drain the strawberries, but keep that wonderful juice. Ilike to make asauce by heating a good strawberry preserve with the reserved strawberry juice and abit of Grand Marnier.Place the warm sauce in asmall pitcher on the table for everyone to serve themselves.

Grate orange zest over the top and serve in wedges. Let me know what you think! FreshPea Soup Makes 6-8 appetizer servings. 3tablespoons

In 1987, to the embarrassment of Soviet ofﬁcials, Mathias Rust, ateenage West German amateur pilot,landed aprivate plane near Moscow’sRed Square without authorization. (Rust washeld by the Sovietsuntilhewas pardoned and freed thefollowing year.)

In 2013, in oneofthe biggest money-laundering schemes in U.S. history,federal prosecutors charged seven peoplewith effectively runninganonline, underworld bank, saying Liberty Reserve handled$6billionfor drug dealers, child pornographers, iden-

ASPARAGUS

Continuedfrom page 5C

Asparagus, Baconand Parmesan Omelet Pie

Serves 6. Recipe is from “SouthernRoots” by Spring Council (Countryman, 2026).

Forthe filling:

1 1/2 pounds asparagus, trimmed 4thick slicesofbacon, diced 8eggs

1/4

1/2

termilk.

6. With an immersion blender (you can transfer in batches to afood processor,but theimmersion blender in more convenient)blend the ingredients together until they arehomogenous.You decide how muchtexture youwant the soup to have.

7. If you are goingto serve the soup cold,put into the refrigerator for 2hours or until chilled.Servewith parsley orchive garnish. If youwant toservethe soup warm, allow thesoup to stand for 1hour so that the ﬂavors canmeld. Reheat over alow heat untilhot Serve with parsley orchive garnish.

LemonCaper Shrimp

Serves4 to 6.

5tablespoonsunsaltedbutter

1/4 cup chopped capers(if using salt-cured capers, rinse and drain them first)

6cloves minced garlic Grated zest of 2lemons

3pounds unshelled freshshrimp Juice from 2lemons

1lemon, sliced thinlyand seeded 1/2 bottle drywhitewine

1teaspoon hot sauce with more forthe table

1tablespoon freshlyground black pepper

1bunch parsley,chopped 1. In alargeskillet, melt thebutter.Whenitbegins to sizzle, add thecapersand garlic. Stir and reducethe heattomakesure that you do not burn thegarlic.

2. Addthe lemon zest and theshrimp.Toss to ensure that thebutter mixture covers all of theshrimp.Keep tossing to ensurethatall of theshrimp cook. Do this for about3minutes

3. Addthe lemon juice, thelemon slices and the wine. Stir and simmer for 3 to 5minutes 4. Addthe hot sauce and toss again. Turn off heat. Add theground pepper. Let sit for 5minutes 5. When ready to serve, heat again, tossing the mixture. Dumpthe shrimp andthe sauce into aplatter Scatter with parsley.Serve with ageneroussupply of paper napkinsorcloth napkins. (You may wantto consider bibs.)

There should be plentyof extra hot sauce on thetable andextra lemon wedges, as well as warm French bread for soppingupthe sauce. Strawberry Cake Makes 1cake.

11/4

2largeeggs cracked into asmall bowl and beaten together with a fork 1/2 cup fruity olive oil

Zest of 1orange

1teaspoon vanilla 1/2 teaspoon rosewater

3/4 cup milk

1ormore pints of fresh strawberries, trimmed flat on the broad side For curing:

6tablespoons orangeliqueur

8ounces mascarpone

2tablespoons to 1/4 cup of wholefat plain yogurt Zest of 1lemon

1. Preheat the oven to 350 Fand coat the inside of an 8-inch cake pan with olive oil (if the pan is old, prepare aparchment paper round and oil it )

2. Sift thedry ingredients together into abowl. Add theeggs, olive oil, orange zest,vanilla, rosewater and milk.Stir vigorously until all of the ingredients come together into asmooth batter

3. Sprinkle thebottom of the pan evenly with the sugar.Place thewhole strawberries in concentric circles, with the pointed side up, until theentire surface of the pan is covered.

4. Pour the batter into theprepared pan and cook for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. If more time is needed, check again every 5minutes.

4. Removethe cooked cake from the oven and cool for 10 minutes. Runa knife around the edge of thepan and turn the pan onto awire rack. Flip the cake over so that it cools with the ﬂat side down.

5. When the cake is completely cool, brush the syrup on the top and sides using half of the syrup. Wrap in plastic ﬁlm and set aside in the refrigerator

6. Unwrap the cake and repeat again withthe remaining syrup right before serving. Place thecake on aserving platter.Bring to room temperature.

6. Mix the mascarpone with the yogurt to thin it to aspreadable, but still thick consistency.Sprinkle theorange zest over the strawberries. Spoon the mascarpone mixture over each slice of cake as you serve it

Liz Williamsisfounder of the Southern Food & Beverage Museum in New Orleans.Listento“Tipof the Tongue,” Liz’spodcast about food, drink and culture, wherever you hear podcasts. EmailLiz at lizwillia@gmail.com.

tity thievesand other criminals worldwide. Itsfounder, Arthur Budovsky,was later convicted in the scheme andsentenced to 20 years in prison

Today’sbirthdays: Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani is 82. Singer Gladys Knight is 82. Musician Billy Vera is 82. Musician John Fogerty (Creedence Clearwater Revival) is 81. Country singer-songwriter Phil Vassar is 64. Singer-actor Kylie Minogue is 58. Actor Justin Kirk is 57. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is 55.

a 1/8-inch-thickround andpress into a9-inch pie plate.Place in the refrigeratoruntil ready to use.

9. To assemble: Pour the ﬁlling mixture into the pie shell and bake for25to30minutes, or until it is puffy in the center Creamy Smoked Salmon,Asparagus andPeas

Serves4.From “Spinning Plates” by Anna Stanford(Hamlyn, 2025).

14 ouncespasta of your choice Forthe sauce: Finely gratedzest and juice of 1lemon

11/4 cups creme fraiche

1tablespoon olive oil

follows)

1. To makethe ﬁlling: Preheat the oven to 375 F.

2. Slice theasparagus 1-inch thick on the diagonal, leaving thetips whole.

3. Frythe bacon in amedium skillet on medium-high heat untilcrispy,3 to 5minutes, stirring occasionally.Drain on paper towels andset aside.

5. Beat the eggs andmilk together in a large bowl. Add the Parmesan cheese, asparagus, cooked bacon, parsley andbreadcrumbs. Stir to combine. Set aside.

6. To make the crust: In amedium bowl, whisk together the ﬂour and salt. Cutin the butter with apastry cutter until coarse crumbs form.Add the water andmix everything together to form asoftdough.

7. Gather thedough,press it into aball, andthenﬂatten it into adisc. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate foratleast 15 minutes or up to 2days.

8. When ready to prepare,removethe dough from the refrigerator.Lightly ﬂour awork surfaceand roll the dough out into

2leeks, trimmed, cleaned and chopped 9ouncesasparagus spears, woody ends removed, stems chopped, tips reserved

2 3 cup frozenpeas 51/2 ounces smoked salmon,cut into strips (seeNote) Salt and freshly ground black pepper Choppedfresh dill, forgarnish

1. Combine thelemon zest andjuice andthe cremefraiche in abowl andset aside

2. Cook the pasta in alarge pan of salted boiling water for8 to10 minutes,oraccording to the package instructions.

3. Meanwhile, heat aseparate pan until hot, then add the olive oil, leeks and asparagusstems.Cookona medium heat for 4minutes before adding the asparagustipsand frozen peas.Season with salt and pepper,and cook for an additional 4 minutes.

4. Add thesmoked salmon, stir,and removefrom heat.

5. Stir through the lemony creme fraiche adding aladleful (about 1/3 cup) of pastawater to loosen.

6. Drain the pasta. Add the pasta to the pan, toss together with thesauce and serve. Garnish with fresh dill. Note:You can replace thesmokedsalmon with ﬂakedcookedsalmonorhot smoked salmon.

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Lemon caper shrimp

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Participate in a learning experience or a day trip that leads to something or someone you find exciting. Approach people who can offer sage advice or a helping hand to get you to a place you want to be.

cAncER (June 21-July 22) Stop worrying, and start exploring the opportunities that are waiting to be discovered. A positive attitude will help you see situations from a different angle.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Reject anger; keeping busy will lead to self-satisfaction. Tie up loose ends, set boundaries and dance to your own beat. Life is too short to waste on no-win situations.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Less talk, more action, greater stabilization. Your actions should reflect what's right and best for you and those you love. Research, pay attention to detail and execute your plans flawlessly.

LIBRA (sept. 23-Oct. 23) Learn through experience Sign up for something that interests you or that will help you make a better decision. Information is golden when navigating your path forward. Avoid situations that put you at risk.

scORPIO (Oct. 24-nov. 22) Take the initiative to put your plans in motion. Taking physical action will be tough but rewarding. Kindness trumps aggressive behavior. Expand your awareness, knowledge and plans to meet your needs.

sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Rearrange your surroundings Realign your space to meet demands and to ensure the flow

is designed to make your life easier. Change will offer the boost you need to trust and believe in your abilities.

cAPRIcORn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Now is not the time to take a break, you're on the right track. Discipline, ingenuity, networking, and using your knowledge expertise and charm will carry you forward with grace and glory.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Mixed emotions will lead you down a slippery slope. Do your research, fight your own battles and choose to be honest, not angry, when dealing with unsavory situations.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) What you do counts. A change someone makes will not favor your interests. Don't feel bad; head in a different direction or try something that sparks your imagination.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Follow your instincts, and use discipline to make your dreams come true. Walk away from those asking for too much or trying to tempt you to participate in expensive entertainment.

tAuRus (April 20-May 20) You can jump for joy or let stubbornness set in and cause you grief. You have more going for you than you think, and allowing anyone to cost you peace of mind is on you.

Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

tODAy's cLuE: D EQuALs I

CeLebrItY CIpher

For better or For WorSe

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM SherMAn’S LAGoon

bIG nAte

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers1 to 9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s PuzzleAnswer

THe wiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS CurTiS

Bridge

By PHILLIP ALDER

Rupert Murdoch said, “The world is changing veryfast. Bigwill notbeat small anymore. It will be thefast beating the slow.”

Notnecessarily at the bridge table, though. Sometimes, for example,drawing trumps early will lose acontract And, of course, occasionally not drawing trumps soon enough can be fatal Which applies in this deal? South is in four spades, and West leads the heart king.

NoteNorth’sfour-spaderebid.Itpromisesatleastfour-cardsupportanddenies afirst-orsecond-roundcontrol.South is implying that he has (at least) nine winners when he openstwo clubs andrebids two spades. North hopes thathis trumps will provide a10th trick. (Yes, South’s hand is aminimum. Someexperts would rebid two no-trumptolimitthe hand. Butthat wouldnotworkwellhere,becauseNorth would surely pass, and the contract would fail.)

Given that the trumps are3-1, South has fivelosers: onespade, one heart, one diamond and twoclubs.The blacksuit losers are unavoidable, so declarer must ruff his low red-suit cards in the dummy.

Therightplayistowinthefirsttrick,to cash exactly one top trump, then to play offthe threetop diamonds, discarding dummy’s remainingheart. Next, South ruffs theheartseveninthe dummy, returnstohis hand witha trump,and ruffshisdiamondfive—missionaccomplished.

Note that if declarer begins with both of his top trumps, he will be stranded in the dummy after the first ruff. West can get in withhis club ace and draw dummy’slast trump, leaving South with afourth loser. ©2026 by NEA,Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

Each Wuzzle is awordriddlewhich creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON

Previous answers:

word game

InstRuctIOns: 1. Words must be of fourormore letters. 2. Words that acquire fourletters 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 wordsare not allowed tODAy’s WORD OFFEnsIVE: uh-FENT-siv: Rude or insulting.

Average mark 15 words

Timelimit 35 minutes

Can you find 26 or morewords in OFFENSIVE?

yEstERDAy’s WORD —WAyLAyInG

wail wain

away yawing yawl yawn lain lanai lawn layin laying ling lying inlay inly nail gaily gain gala gnaw

today’s thought “O generation of vipers, how can you, being evil, speakgood things? forout of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” Matthew12:34

wuzzles

loCKhorNs

Our wordswill reveal whatisinour hearts. G.E. Dean

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles

hidato mallard

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Robot with 20 legs can see in any direction

DURHAM, N.C. — A robot being developed at Duke University is almost ready to face the world, in any direction.

Instead of trying to copy symmetrical shapes from nature by building robots that look like people, dogs or insects, engineering professor Boyuan Chen and his team focused on uniformity in action, or what he calls “dynamic symmetry.”

The result was Argus The roly-poly robot named after a mythological many-eyed giant has depth-sensing cameras attached to 20 telescoping legs that radiate from a central core. With no front, back, top or bottom, it can see and move in any direction instantly.

“Instead of measuring how your legs are arranged around a different part of your body, we’re measuring how fast you can move in any direction,” Chen said. “Who said, you know, if you have a robot to help us in a most effective way, it has to look like us?”

In experiments, Argus has navigated sandy beaches and forest undergrowth, rolling over obstacles and stabilizing itself after being pushed It can climb between parallel brick walls by alternating bracing and thrusting motions with its legs. If one or more motor dies or a leg breaks, it continues to function.

“Watching Argus move is unlike watching any other robot we’ve worked with,” said Jiaxun Liu, a graduate student and co-author of a study about Argus published online Wednesday in the journal Science Robotics. “The ﬁrst time we saw it navigate among trees and rough terrain, even under heavy collisions, we knew this was something different.”

Meta lays off nearly 1,400 in Seattle area

Meta’s sweeping layoffs announced last month hit 1,395 employees in King County, per a recent state filing last week While Meta is headquartered in Menlo Park, California, the company maintains a significant presence in the Seattle area. Meta’s Puget Sound hub grew rapidly during the pandemic — reaching a local head count of 8,800 employees at some point — as the company focused its virtual reality efforts in the area. The layoffs affect 259 employees across two Seattle offices, 699 workers at a Bellevue office and 206 at a Redmond office, plus 231 remote workers statewide. Engineering and product manager roles were hit the hardest.

The tech giant let go of the employees on May 20, though their official separation date will be July 22, according to a worker adjustment and retraining notiﬁcation sent to the Washington State Employment Security Department on Friday. Their severance packages include 16 weeks of base pay, plus two additional weeks for every year of continuous service. Canada, Germany reach LNG deal

TORONTO Canada has reached a deal to export liqueﬁed natural gas to Germany from a planned Paciﬁc Coast terminal, an official familiar with the matter said Tuesday

The official confirmed Canada will sign the agreement with Germany’s SEFE group, which stands for Securing Energy for Europe, from the proposed KSI Lisims export facility on the coast of British Columbia. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak ahead of Wednesday’s announcement

The ofﬁcial said up to 1,1 million tons 1.1 million of liqueﬁed natural gas per year will be exported. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has set a goal to double non-U.S trade in a decade Oil- and gas-rich Canada exports almost all of energy oil and gas to the U.S. currently

THEADVOCATE.COM/news/business

U.S. stocks on the rise to more records

BY STAN CHOE AP business writer

NEW YORK — U.S. stocks inched to more records Wednesday after oil prices fell and eased the pressure on households and businesses worldwide.

The S&P 500 edged up by less than 0.1% and added to its all-time high set the day before.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 182 points, or 0.4%, and the Nasdaq composite gained 0.1% as both indexes also set records.

Stocks of companies with big fuel bills helped lead the way on hopes that lower oil prices will remove a big drag on their proﬁts. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings

climbed 6.1% and United Airlines rallied 6.3%. Delta Air Lines rose 3% and set an all-time high.

The price for a barrel of Brent crude oil fell 4.6% to $92.25 after the ceaseﬁre between the United States and Iran appeared to hold despite the U.S. military launching what it called “self-defense” strikes in southern Iran. A barrel of benchmark U.S. crude fell even more, 5.5%, to settle at $88.68 and is back to where it was in midApril on hopes that the United States and Iran can reach an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and allow oil tankers to exit the Persian Gulf for deliveries again.

Stocks have been able to run to records despite the painful inﬂa-

tion and uncertainty caused by high oil prices largely because companies have reported surprisingly strong profits for the start of 2026, and the forecast is for them to continue Bath & Body Works rallied 9.7%, and Abercrombie & Fitch climbed 8.9% after both reported bigger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. That’s even as U.S. consumers continue to say they’re feeling discouraged about the economy and inflation.

Lululemon Athletica rose 2.9% after reaching a deal with its founder, Chip Wilson, where it will add a former chief marketing ofﬁcer of ESPN and a former co-CEO of On to its board of directors.

On the losing side of Wall Street was Dick’s Sporting Goods, which dropped 6% despite delivering a proﬁt for the latest quarter that edged past expectations. Analysts pointed to how much proﬁt it wrung out of each $1 in revenue, which some called a bit weak.

Oil-and-gas stocks also sank, hurt by the dropping prices for crude. Exxon Mobil fell 1.3%, and Chevron slipped 1.3%. Halliburton dropped 3.6% to bring its gain for the year so far back toward 40%.

All told, the S&P 500 rose 1.24 to 7,520.36. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 182.60 points to 50,644.28, and the Nasdaq composite gained 18.55 to 26,674.73.

GAINING INDEPENDENCE

Independent bookstores are multiplying, but many people still think they’re dying

BY HILLEL ITALIE AP national writer

NEW YORK Allison Hill, CEO of the American Booksellers Association, is used to strangers expressing sympathy when they learn what she does for a living.

“It’s all so funny,” she says “When I tell them I run the trade association for independent stores, they’ll say, ‘It’s just so sad that they’re disappearing.’ I don’t think they’re really keeping track, or they just know about a store that closed or heard about one closing.”

The decline of physical bookstores remains so embedded in popular culture that the man dating Anne Hathaway’s character in “ The Devil Wears Prada 2 ” laments that bookstores are “getting downsized and consolidated.” But the decline actually ended years ago, and the latest numbers from the American Booksellers Association show independent stores expanding at a pace not seen this century

Membership in the ABA grew by more than 500 over the past year, to a total of 3,417 (at 3,783 locations), nearly triple what it was a decade ago and the highest level since the late 1990s. The surge included stores of various kinds — general interest shops like Hey Books! in San Diego; mobile stores like the Wandering Quills Bookshop in Westerville, Ohio; pop-up stores like Banyan Books in St Petersburg, Florida.

Many of the new members reﬂect the current boom in romance, fantasy and their hybrid, romantasy, whether the Spicy Librarian in Denver or the Flutter Romance Bookstore in Austin, Texas: “Where butterﬂies begin. And every story ends in happilyever-after,” according to its website.

Both a business and a calling

Independent bookselling, rarely a way to get rich, is a meeting ground for idealists — for young people with a sense of mission, retirees embarking on a new life or middleaged people no longer satisﬁed with their careers “I think people want to realign their lives with their values,” Hill says.

In Wentzville, Missouri, 55-year-old Kelley Hartnett is a marketing consultant and copywriter who had always wanted to run a bookstore.

Her husband’s concerns included competing against Amazon, but Hartnett went ahead and opened Double Dog Bookshop in 2025 as a mobile store. She rode about the area in a converted cargo trailer, joined by two Australian Cattle Dog mutts, and has since opened a storefront downtown.

“For me, Double Dog is about maybe 50% books and 50% community,” says Hartnett,

who hopes to ﬁnd a larger space that would make it easier for customers to gather and “just be.”

“People are craving connection, especially in-person connection,” she said. “People are over the internet and virtual meetings and algorithms. They’re not the same as having a human to human connection. It feels really healing.”

Hill can joke about the mistaken elegies for bookselling, while expressing concern that the state of independent stores is healthy but “precarious.” Costs are high, and schools and libraries face budget cuts that limit their purchases from local stores.

Is there room for indies and giants?

Independent owners also ﬁnd themselves worrying about a onetime competitor which itself had seemed endangered, Barnes & Noble.

The superstore chain was the dominant seller in the 1980s and 1990s, and was widely seen as the leading cause for hundreds — maybe thousands of independent stores shutting down. But by the 2010s, Barnes & Noble had been surpassed by Amazon. It began shutting down stores instead of open-

ing new ones and struggled for years to ﬁnd a new owner before the hedge fund Elliott Management Corp. bought it in 2019.

Under the leadership of CEO James Daunt, Barnes & Noble is expanding again, adding more than 100 stores over the past two years. In Chicago, the owner of the decade-old Volume Books has blamed a new Barnes & Noble for putting her out of business, while Hill added that “even a small decrease in sales can make or break a bookstore’s year in an industry with paper-thin margins.”

Daunt denies any intent to take business from independent sellers, saying it’s not in his “DNA.”

“I’m an independent seller myself,” he says, noting that he founded Daunt Books in London. Daunt says he has customers who shop at his store and the British chain Waterstones (where he’s also managing director) “I never thought of the market as ﬁnite.”

The owners of The Book Loft Oak Park, another Chicago-area store that opened last summer acknowledge some nerves about a nearby Barnes & Noble coming soon. But Heather Nelson and Sophie Schauer Eldred hope the stores ultimately compliment each other

“We’re hoping people whose curiosity is piqued by the new Barnes & Noble will walk down the street,” Schauer Eldred said, “and pop into our bookstore.”

Trump’s tariffs are pushing Mexico back toward low-value exports

BY GONZALO SOTO Bloomberg News (TNS)

U.S. tariffs pushed by President Donald Trump and supply-chain disruptions are eroding Mexico’s gains as a manufacturing hub, raising the risk that the country slips back into exporting lowervalue goods that create few jobs or investment opportunities. On the surface, Mexico’s exports are still breaking records, giving President Claudia Sheinbaum a headline number to tout as proof of economic resilience. Shipments surged nearly 33% from a year earlier in April to $72 billion, according to official data released Monday Imports climbed 24% to a record as well, but with a telling detail: intermediate goods used

in manufacturing and assembly made up nearly 80% of total imports in the ﬁrst four months of the year

“Mexico’s export profile has deteriorated significantly since last year,” said Gabriela Siller, director of economic analysis at Banco Base. “Mexican exports have become extremely reliant on inputs from Asia that are just assembled in Mexico.” The data suggest Mexico’s trade profile is shifting away from more lucrative industries built around highly integrated supply chains, such as its vast auto sector, and back toward lower-value goods that require simpler assembly, or none at all.

That marks a setback for Sheinbaum’s plan to move Mexico be-

yond its maquiladora model and toward higher-value exports to the U.S. The goal, outlined in her “Plan Mexico” economic blueprint, now faces even steeper challenges as a high-stakes review of the USMCA trade pact approaches.

“Mexican factories are essentially triangulating products. They receive high-value inputs and package them for shipment to the U.S.,” Siller said. “If the US strategy was to transform Mexico into a new, closer China, it’s succeeding.”

In fact, Mexico’s exports of light vehicles have stagnated as US tariffs and other barriers to trade with its northern neighbor — by far its top main export market — have increased. At the same time, exports of computer equipment spiked by

144% last year, doubling their share of the country’s total exports to almost 13%, largely due to lower trade barriers for those products in the U.S. plus strong demand from the AI-driven data center boom. But such triple-digit growth can mask where the Mexican economy would beneﬁt more.

While Mexico’s automotive industry employs 800,000 people, computer equipment assembly employs only 60,000, mainly in the northern part of the country where production is concentrated. Mining is another sector that underscores the trend of growth without adding value Metals exports rose 71% in April and by an even higher level during the ﬁrst four months of this year

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By RACHyEL P MAGAÑA

Co-owners Anika Omark, left, and Matthew Hein appear behind the counter at their bookstore, Hey Books!, in San Diego.

Hartnett