The Acadiana Advocate 06-03-2026

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Landry proposes school budget cut $168 million would fund stipend for teachers

BY PATRICK WALL and MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writers

Gov. Jeff Landry called for a nearly $170 million reduction in public school funding Tuesday to pay for $2,000 stipends for Louisiana teachers, who otherwise stood to lose the pay bump they have received the past few years instead of raises.

The proposed funding cut, which lawmakers must approve, comes after the Legislature passed a state budget

last week that did not include money for the temporary stipends. As a result, Landry said the money will have to come from the roughly $4 billion allocated for public schools, arguing that school and district leaders can weather the cut by reducing “the waste and the bureaucracy.”

“It is time for these school boards to tighten their belt,” Landry said at a news conference at the State Capitol, adding that the savings should go into “teachers’ checks.”

In an executive order Tuesday,

Landry said he was reducing state funding for K-12 education by $168 million in the coming school year, with the money instead going toward $2,000 stipends for teachers and $1,000 for other school support staff. State education officials estimated that the cut would lower school districts’ state aid by an average of 4% to 5%.

Landry said the money will come from funding for schools’ “noninstructional” expenses, adding that

STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Gov. Jeff Landry holds up the Louisiana Constitution while ä See SCHOOL, page 4A speaking during a news conference on Tuesday.

New laws target foreign seafood

La. boys basketball tournament returning to Cajundome Lafayette to host LHSAA championships

BY ERIC NARCISSE Staff writer

Merlin Schaefer holds up Gulf shrimp at Schaefer’s Seafood in Bucktown on Tuesday.

Legislation designed to support state shrimpers

BY JOSIE ABUGOV Staff writer

Louisiana will soon see tougher regulations on imported seafood with the passage of a slew of laws designed to support the state’s shrimpers, whose industry has struggled for decades to compete with cheap foreign imports.

The new legislation will impact state agencies, seafood retailers and processors. One law, recently signed by Gov. Jeff Landry, expands the authority of the Agriculture Department to destroy seafood that fails to meet the state’s testing requirements.

Another law requires retailers — such

“I really hope that it brings to light the importance of serving and consuming Louisiana seafood.”

REP. JESSICA DOMANGUE, R-Houma as restaurants and groceries — to keep invoices of their seafood purchases for six months. A third creates penalties for processors and distributors who mix local and imported seafood without labeling the product as such.

Rep. Jessica Domangue, R-Houma, authored six seafood-related bills this session, including those requiring invoices and expanding Agriculture Department

authority. Four of them have been signed by the governor.

“I really hope that it brings to light the importance of serving and consuming Louisiana seafood,” said Domangue, who comes from a long line of shrimpers in Terrebonne Parish. “We know we don’t have control of what happens with the federal government. We just want Louisiana grocers and restaurants to (buy local seafood).”

To urge more federal action on the issue, Domangue co-authored a resolution urging Congress to pass the American Seafood Competitiveness Act. That legislation would expand U.S. Department of Agriculture loans to commercial fishermen and seafood processors, essentially giving the industry access to

The Louisiana High School Athletic Association’s boys state basketball tournament will return to Lafayette and the Cajundome in March 2027 for the first time since 2022.

However, unlike four years ago, the Cajundome — for the first time since 2011 — will host semifinals and finals games for select and nonselect brackets.

“Moving Marsh Madness back to the Cajundome marks an exciting new chapter for our boys basketball state championships and reinforces our commitment to delivering a premier experience for student-athletes, schools and fans across Louisiana,” LHSAA Assistant Executive Director and Director of Basketball Karen Hoyt said in a release.

St. Thomas More boys basketball coach Danny Broussard was thrilled when he heard the news.

“I’ve been to the Top 28 when it was in Baton Rouge, Lafayette and Lake Charles,” he said. “Nothing against Burton Coliseum, it’s just that Lafayette is Lafayette. It’s the best location, and it has the best facility. It’s on I-49 and I-10 connector, so it is best for fans around the state.”

Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission President and CEO Ben Berthelot projects the economic

ä See SEAFOOD, page 6A

ä See BASKETBALL, page 4A

STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

Congress applauds end of ‘weaponization fund’

BY MARK BALLARD

Staff writer

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ALLISON ROBBERT

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche testifies before a House committee on Tuesday.

WEATHER HIGH 82 LOW 70 PAGE 8A

WASHINGTON — U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson said Tuesday afternoon that President Donald Trump agreed to drop his demands for $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund” to allow Republican leadership to shoulder through legislation to pay for deportations until

2030 without any restrictions on the federal officers carrying out immigration laws.

“I believe that it is off the table for consideration,” Johnson, R-Benton, told reporters about the fund after GOP leaders spent much of the day grappling with how to secure money for immigration enforcement in a way that Democrats cannot block. Democrats oppose

funding U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection without also adding some controls over the federal officers, such as wearing bodycams and badges and removing their masks.

A key hurdle was the proposed fund to set aside $1.776 billion to compensate people who felt they were targeted by

Business ...................10C Commentary ................2B Nation-World ................2A Classified .....................4B Deaths .........................4B Opinion ........................3B Comics-Puzzles .....7C-9C Living............................5C Sports ..........................1C

the Biden Department of Justice. A panel with five members, four of them appointed by the president, would decide who got paid and how much they would receive.

Johnson visited Trump on Monday in the White House to discuss the problems the fund, which critics saw as a way to

ä See CONGRESS, page 6A

101ST yEAR, NO. 338

2A ● Wednesday, June 3, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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FROM WIRE REPORTS

Police investigate man suspected of killing 6, self MUSCATINE, Iowa — Authorities in Iowa are investigating the fatal shootings of six people who they believe were killed by a relative who took his own life when confronted by police Monday.

Four people were found fatally shot when police were called Monday to a home in Muscatine, about 50 miles southeast of Cedar Rapids, Muscatine Police Chief Anthony Kies said during a news conference.

Officers later found the suspect, 52-year-old Ryan Willis McFarland, of Muscatine, on a trail in the city, Kies said.

“While talking to Ryan Willis McFarland, he took his own life,” the police chief said.

Two other men who also are believed to be relatives of McFarland were later found fatally shot elsewhere in the city, according to Kies. One man was found in his home and the other was discovered dead inside a business, he said.

Authorities have yet to release the names of the victims and any details about them.

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Pulte picked to replace Gabbard

said Senate Majority Leader John Democrats, Republicans say Trump’s choice seems unqualified Thune, a Republican from South

BY JOSH BOAK

Associated Press

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has tapped Bill Pulte, head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, to serve as acting director of national intelligence — elevating a real estate scion with no clear national security credentials to a key post as the U.S. remains at war with Iran.

Trump made the surprise announcement Tuesday on social media that Pulte would be replacing Tulsi Gabbard, the former Hawaii congresswoman who had served as the director of national intelligence. Trump said Pulte will keep his other positions even as he fills in for Gabbard, who resigned last month after revealing her husband’s cancer diagnosis.

The Republican president cited Pulte’s work at the FHFA and his

role as chair of the mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as indicating that his real estate work would overlap with the skills needed to coordinate 18 federal agencies tasked with aspects of foreign and domestic security.

“William has deep experience managing the most sensitive matters in America, the safety and soundness of the Markets,” Trump posted on Truth Social.

Trump’s choice to elevate Pulte, who would also continue in his post at FHFA, shows how the president is putting a greater priority on loyalty to him, even as the Iran war has damaged Trump politically going into November’s midterm elections and raised concerns about the quality of advice that aides are giving to a president who has rewarded flattery.

It’s unclear what national security expertise Pulte brings to bear

as the U.S. faces conflict in the Middle East, helps Ukraine defend itself against Russia’s assault and manages the emergence of artificial intelligence as a military tool.

But Pulte, who’s 38 years old, has been a frequent guest on Air Force One as Trump has traveled to Mara-Lago, his home and club in Palm Beach, Florida.

On one such flight, the housing finance director stood in a doorway as Trump discussed with reporters the ballroom he’s building at the White House and handed Trump a series of renderings of the project that the president held up.

Several Senate Republicans reacted skeptically to Pulte’s appointment, questioning whether the housing finance director has the experience necessary to oversee the intelligence agency.

“We don’t need a weaponized DNI. We need professionals there,”

U.S. sanctions Iran’s largest digital asset exchange, 3 others

Cambodia files notice for conciliation with Thailand PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Cambodia’s government has filed notice under a U.N. agreement on maritime law for compulsory conciliation of a sea border dispute with neighboring Thailand, Prime Minister Hun Manet said Tuesday.

At issue is territory claimed by both that is believed to contain large, exploitable amounts of natural gas and other hydrocarbons.

The decision to take the matter to the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, or UNCLOS, comes after Thailand last month terminated a 25-year-old memorandum of understanding with Cambodia meant to resolve overlapping maritime claims.

Thailand unilaterally revoked the agreement in May after relations between the countries worsened last year after major armed clashes over their land border.

Last year’s fighting with Cambodia spurred nationalistic fervor, putting political pressure on Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul to abrogate the pact.

In a live broadcast on TVK state television, Hun Manet said that his government had delivered formal notice to Thailand and to the U.N. secretarygeneral to begin compulsory conciliation proceedings under UNCLOS rules.

“Cambodia has never violated the sovereignty of other states,” he said.

It wasn’t immediately clear when the claim might be adjudicated.

Bangladesh’s Rahman elected U.N. leader UNITED NATIONS — Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman won a hotly contested race Tuesday to be the next president of the 193-member United Nations General Assembly.

In a secret-ballot vote, Rahman defeated Cyprus’ Ambassador Andreas Kakouris 99-91, with three countries not voting.

He will succeed Germany’s former Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, whose one-year term ends in September.

The presidency of the world body rotates by region and this year it was the Asia-Pacific region’s turn.

While the presidency of the General Assembly is largely ceremonial, it is also prestigious. It is the U.N. organ where countries large and small can speak, and is the scene of the only annual gathering of world leaders, in September.

The General Assembly controls the U.N. budget, adopts treaties, addresses global issues from poverty to corruption, and passes numerous resolutions that while not legally binding almost always reflect global opinion.

Rahman previously served as national security adviser in the interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, and as an ambassador.

Rahman told diplomats assembled in the General Assembly hall that its 81st session will open “at a historic crossroads” when “trust in our organization is being tested on multiple fronts.”

Dakota. “I’m trying to get more information about the current state of their thinking about that position. And, again, if he’s somebody they want in that position permanently, he’s got, as you all know, a lengthy road ahead of him.“ Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, who leads the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in response to questions about Pulte’s national security credentials: “I have no observations on the matter.”

Republican Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and John Cornyn of Texas, all of whom are leaving the chamber after this year’s elections, joined the chorus of wariness against Pulte.

“Doesn’t seem qualified,” Cassidy said.

“I don’t see any evidence of qualifications for that job,” said Cornyn, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

BY FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MOSES SAWASAWA

Arlette Basekawike prepares meals for Ebola patients at the Evangelical Medical Center in Bunia, Congo, on Monday.

Volunteers serve food in worrying Ebola outbreak Region already faces severe food crisis

BY JUSTIN KABUMBA and OPE ADETAYO Associated Press

BUNIA, Congo — For patients in an Ebola outbreak with no approved medicine or vaccine, there is little comfort. But Arlette Basekawike, a volunteer for the U.N. food agency, is doing her best.

Her hair covered by a pink bonnet, Basekawike prepares porridge, omelets and bread for breakfast in a shed outside the Evangelical Medical Center in Bunia, the heart of the outbreak in eastern Congo. Lunch and dinner might include fresh fish with fufu, made of mashed plantains, finished off by fruit. She feeds both patients and health workers.

“Even though the patients have this disease, they still feel better when they eat, and the doctors have the energy to treat the sick and give them medication,” Basekawike told The Associated Press as she prepared vegetables and potatoes with goat meat in a large pot. “I’m here for them like a parent, preparing food so they feel comfortable.”

Her contribution may appear like a simple task, but it has become a critical support for the remote region as it grapples with the rapidly spreading Bundibugyo virus, the rare species of Ebola confirmed in May. As of Tuesday, 321 cases including 48 deaths had been confirmed in the Central African nation’s three eastern provinces

of Ituri, North and South Kivu, according to the World Health Organization. WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier said the number of suspected cases has dropped to 116 from 906 last weekend as many were ruled out after investigation.

Neighboring Uganda’s has had 15 cases and one death confirmed, its health ministry said Tuesday. Uganda closed its border with Congo last week despite WHO guidance not to do so.

Before the outbreak, the region already faced one of the world’s most severe food crises, because of an ongoing conflict that has displaced millions of people as government forces fight rebels. The United Nations has warned that might complicate efforts to manage the spread of the virus among an already wary population.

“Ebola is an additional crisis on top of a crisis,” said Olivier Nkakudulu, who heads the World Food Program in Ituri province.

WFP is facing a critical choice as aid cuts by the U.S. and other major partners have disrupted operations in the vulnerable region. Efforts to contain the disease, which WHO has deemed a public health emergency of international concern, have been hampered.

Responders say they have ensured patients’ nutritional demands are met as “comfort food” takes on a more significant meaning.

“Today we need to increase the amount because the number of patients has gone up,” said Esther Bao, a nurse and one of the volunteers. She worried about patients who, because of their health situation, “don’t eat just any meal.”

Canada calls for 16-year renewal of U.S., Mexico free trade agreement

BY ROB GILLIES Associated Press

TORONTO — Canada is calling on the United States and Mexico to renew the free trade agreement among their three countries for another 16 years just as U.S. President Donald Trump revives talk of making Canada the 51st state.

Dominic LeBlanc, Canada’s minister for U.S. trade, sent a letter Tuesday to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer

and Mexico’s Economy Secretary Marcelo Ebrard conveying Canada’s recommendation. “The Agreement is highly beneficial to each of our countries and to the integrated North American economy,” LeBlanc wrote.

The letter comes ahead of the scheduled July review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, the latest iteration of a North American free-trade pact that has intertwined the economies of the United States, Mexico

and Canada since the early 1990s. It can either be subject to annual reviews going forward, or renewed for 16 years.

LeBlanc and Canada’s Chief Trade Negotiator Janice Charette were in Washington on Tuesday for a meeting with Greer. LeBlanc has said he believes the U.S. might want to have the trade agreement subject to annual reviews, and that the Trump administration might seek to cause uncertainly about the trade pact’s permanence.

WASHINGTON — As part of the Trump administration’s ongoing campaign to pressure Iran into a deal that would end an ongoing war with the U.S. and Israel, the U.S. placed sanctions on Iran’s largest digital asset exchange and three other exchanges, Tuesday.

Included in the sanctions are Iran’s largest digital assets firm Nobitex and its chair and co-founder, Amir Hossein Rad. Treasury says Nobitex has processed more than 50% of all Iranian digital asset income last year and supports Iran’s vast sanctions evasion network.

Treasury accuses Nobitex of moving assets and funds out of the country to shield regime wealth after the start of U.S. combat operations in Iran. A representative from Nobitex could not be reached through email.

U.S. officials maintain that Iran relies heavily on

cryptocurrency and other digital assets to evade sanctions. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said at the Reagan National Economic Forum this month, “We have seized about a billion dollars of their crypto.”

The Trump administration’s latest announcement is one of a variety of measures put in place to inflict economic pain on Iran. It has also imposed secondary economic sanctions on countries doing business with people, firms, and ships under Iranian control — including allies like the United Arab Emirates and competitors like China.

Banks have received warnings about handling Iranian money.

And last week, the U.S. imposed sanctions on Iran’s newly created Persian Gulf Strait Authority, which is an agency intended to control shipping through the narrow Strait of Hormuz.

Treasury calls the agency a “scheme to extort international shipping.”

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Trump disputes claims Iran Powerful militias in Iraq will start handing in has stopped communicating weapons to authorities Several reports say mediating talks have ceased

would split from his political Some factions to movement and integrate into surrender arms, others state institutions.

Under pressure from Washingoffer coordination ton, Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has been working to assert state with forces authority over weapons. Al-Zaidi,

BY JON GAMBRELL, SAMY MAGDY and NASSER KARIMI Associated Press

Associated Press

ISNA PHOTO By AMIRHOSEIN KHORGOOI

People gather on paddleboards as cargo and service vessels are anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, on Monday.

cial media post. “Where they lead, one never knows, but as I told Iran, ‘It’s time, one way or another, for you to make a Deal.”

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio did not address the reported cutoff in communications as he testified at a congressional hearing in Washington. Instead, he sounded an optimistic note about the nuclear dimension of the negotiations, while cautioning that there’s no guarantee of reaching “a deal that’s acceptable.”

Iran has been trying to increase pressure on Trump over negotiations on the Iran war ceasefire and loosening the Islamic Republic’s chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz and the oil, gas and other commodities that normally pass through it.

Trump then could potentially push Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to halt or slow the advance of his forces, which have moved deeper into Lebanon than at any time in over a quarter of a century.

The conflicts have increasingly become conjoined, as Iran insists that any potential truce in the war there must also quell the fighting Talks ‘going on continuously’ in Lebanon.

Israel and the U.S. maintain the Trump called reports of a cessation in talks “false and erroneous.” fighting in Lebanon is separate “The conversations between us from the Iran war talks. have been going on continuously, including four days ago, three Inflation takes an economic toll days ago, two days ago, one day Meanwhile, year-on-year inflaago and today,” Trump said in a so- tion in Iran reached a level in May

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unseen since World War II, underlining the economic pain average Iranians are facing. While the U.S. is eager to ease the Islamic Republic’s grip on the strait — through which a fifth of all traded oil and natural gas passed in peacetime — Iran faces economic challenges as its oil-backed economy remains under a U.S. naval blockade.

Economic pressure touched off nationwide protests in Iran in 2017 into 2018, when rising food prices sparked demonstrations that killed over 20 people and saw hundreds arrested. The next year, an increase in government-subsidized gasoline prices caused protests that saw over 300 people reportedly killed.

Then came the protests over the collapsing value of Iran’s currency, the rial, at the start of this year. They were the most intense demonstrations to shake the Islamic Republic since its 1979 revolution and the chaotic years that followed. Iran’s theocracy met January’s protests with a crackdown on demonstrators in January that killed over 7,000 people, according to activists’ estimates.

Now, even as hard-liners hold gun-handling workshops and organize marriages under the shadow of a ballistic missile to bolster spirits, experts note there could be new demonstrations if people find themselves priced out of feeding their families.

IRBIL, Iraq — Two of Iraq’s most powerful Iran-backed militias said on Tuesday they would begin handing in their weapons to the authorities, a major step in the new government’s effort to rein in militias that have long operated on their own even though they were nominally under state command.

One of the groups, Asaib Ahl al-Haq, said it had formed a committee to oversee the move, inventory its fighters, weapons and equipment, and coordinate with the commander-in-chief of Iraq’s armed forces. It cast the decision as a response to calls by Iraq’s top Shiite religious authority and the Iran-aligned Coordination Framework, the largest bloc in Parliament that dominates Iraqi politics.

The second group, the Imam Ali Brigades, made a similar announcement saying the time has come “to build a strong state with full sovereignty.” It added that its aim was now to have weapons only with the state and help boost state institutions.

The war in the Middle East, which the United States and Israel launched on Feb. 28 with strikes on Iran, has exposed the fragility of Iraq’s state institutions and their limited ability to restrain Iran-backed groups.

A parallel confrontation between Washington and the militias has deepened the crisis, with factions acting as an extension of Iran’s regional campaign and escalating attacks on U.S. assets in Iraq before a tenuous ceasefire deal was reached in April.

A week ago, influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr said his Saraya al-Salam militia, also known as the Peace Brigades,

a 40-year-old banker sworn in last month, has made a state monopoly on arms a centerpiece of his program.

The Trump administration has warned against having any Iraqi government influenced by Iranlinked factions and has tied defense cooperation and funding to efforts to curb them.

Many Iran-backed militias are funded through the Iraqi state budget and embedded within the security apparatus, although not under the government’s control.

This has drawn criticism from the U.S. and other countries that have borne the brunt of attacks by the militias and which say Baghdad has failed to take a tougher stance on armed groups.

Several armed factions aligned with Iraq’s Coordination Framework have taken a different stance on efforts to bring weapons under state control. Two important groups, Kataib Hezbollah and Harakat al-Nujaba, have rejected disarmament, tying the issue to Iraq’s sovereignty and the presence of foreign troops.

Kataib Hezbollah welcomed moves by other factions to place weapons under state authority but said its own armed activity will continue as part of what it describes as “resistance work.”

In a recent statement attributed to its Abu Mujahid al-Assaf social media channel, the group said it would offer to coordinate with the paramilitary Popular Mobilization Forces — a state-backed umbrella of mostly Shiite armed groups — rather than surrender its arms.

The Popular Mobilization Forces was formed in 2014 to fight the Sunni militant Islamic State group, which at the time had seized a wide swath of Iraqi territory. Many of its groups still keep their own command and ties to Iran.

SCAN

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran stopped communicating with mediators about extending a ceasefire in the war with the U.S. and Israel, two semiofficial Iranian news agencies reported Tuesday, but President Donald Trump disputed the claim and said talks were continuing.

The reports by CO ONFLICT the Fars and TasIN THE T nim news agenMIIDDLE cies, both believed to be close to Iran’s EAST AST paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, came as tensions flared in Israel’s separate but related fight against the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah in Lebanon.

A regional official involved in the mediation, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the talks, told The Associated Press that Iran had not communicated at all on Tuesday after saying that a ceasefire needed to be enforced in Lebanon for negotiations to continue.

In other developments, the U.S. military said it fired a missile to halt another oil tanker trying to reach an Iranian port in violation of the American blockade. It was the seventh ship stopped by the military while trying to run the blockade, U.S. Central Command said in a social media post.

The Botswana-flagged merchant vessel M/T Lexie was stopped by an aircraft firing a Hellfire missile into its engine room after the crew ignored repeated warnings over 24 hours, the post said.

BY STELLA MARTANY

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SCHOOL

Continued from page 1A “essential student services” such as school security, food services and transportation would not be affected.

“This order does not cut money from the classroom,” he said.

Two-thirds of the Legislature must approve the change for it to take effect. Lawmakers will have to mail in ballots since the legislative session ended Monday.

The proposed $168 million is about $30 million less than what the state spent on stipends last year, meaning that some educators who previously received the extra pay — including certified teachers who work as administrators — would lose it this year. Landry said Tuesday that the state has spent millions giving stipends to principals and assistant principals who “don’t deserve it.”

The looming cut alarmed school system leaders, who have pleaded for more state funding to account for the rising cost of fuel, insurance and other expenses. Now, instead of getting extra money to cover those costs, school districts will receive nearly $170 million less in state funding.

Sabrina Pence, CEO of FirstLine Schools, a network of four New Orleans charter schools, said the organization spent an additional $900,000 on employee health insurance this year due to rising prices. The proposed funding cut would likely force the network to let go of some personnel, including teachers and paraprofessionals, who she said have helped drive students’ recent academic gains.

“The solutions they keep going for rob Peter to pay Paul,” Pence said about state leaders.

Vermillion Parish schools Superintendent Thomas Byler said the plan creates uncertainty for school system leaders working to finalize staffing and budgets for the fall. Now they will have to look over their spending plans “with a fine-tooth comb,” he added.

“Some districts are going to be

BASKETBALL Continued from page 1A

impact for the area will be $4.1 million over a span of six days.

In addition, Berthelot projects $134,309 will be generated in local taxes with a direct economic impact of about $2.5 million.

“People are excited,” Berthelot said. “My phone has been blowing up. There’s obviously a lot of history there, a lot of pride in the event over the years that we hosted it here, and I think it really helped to

STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Gov. Jeff Landry speaks in front of a graph displaying the relationship between money spent and student enrollment during a news conference about teacher raises on Tuesday. able to handle this without any problem,” he said, but others “are going to take a severe hit on this.”

Landry has vowed to give permanent raises to Louisiana’s teachers, who earn about $16,000 less than the national average — but without raising taxes.

He first tried to pay for the raises by tapping into state education trust funds, but a constitutional amendment to do so failed last month at the ballot box. It was the second time voters rejected a proposal to foot the bill for the pay bumps by using the trust funds to pay off teacher retirement debt, with the annual savings going toward raises.

In the wake of May’s election, state leaders pivoted to finding money for teacher stipends within the school-funding formula. Pointing to public schools’ declining enrollment, Landry and legislative leaders have insisted that schools

should have state money left over to pay teachers more.

“There is no way we can’t find a permanent pay raise in those dollars,” Senate President Cameron Henry said last week.

School system leaders argue that they could pay teachers more if state funding had kept up with inflation and the rising cost of everything from property insurance to building materials. Some also pushed back on the suggestion that school administrators and other nonclassroom employees are expendable.

“I 100% agree that teachers are the front line,” Byler said, “but I think way more goes into the success our schools are seeing than people who aren’t in the system understand.”

Sharon Latten Clark, a state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education member who leads Sophie B. Wright High School in New Orleans, said school leaders want to pay teachers more — but

they also are contending with rising costs.

“I think it’s going to be challenging for schools,” she said about the proposed cut, “but we all do want to do the right thing for teachers.”

State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley told local school superintendents Tuesday that the education department will provide data showing how the governor’s order will affect their budgets.

“School system leaders and local school boards will have to make difficult choices in the days, weeks, and months ahead,” he said in the letter, adding that he would encourage local communities to show their school systems “grace and patience.”

set the standard of what it should be like to host an LHSAA event.”

In 2021, Berthelot said he wanted to use the state volleyball championships “to show the type of event they can put on in hopes of hosting (the state basketball tournament) in the future.”

Berthelot believes the success of the volleyball tournament as well as the area’s history with hosting the boys state basketball tournament were instrumental in helping secure the event this year.

“I think there was mutual interest between us and the LHSAA (to bring the event back to Lafay-

ette),” Berthelot said. “I think certainly having the volleyball state championships have helped to see what a major athletic event looks like in the Cajundome. It’d be hard to argue that the Cajundome is not the finest facility in the state when it comes to the ability to host this event.

“I believe the LHSAA has the opportunity to maximize the most ticket sales and the most revenue for their organization by having it in Lafayette. If you look at the attendance figures and the record attendance over the years, the majority of those were held in Lafayette.”

Northwest boys basketball coach Mark Cassimere, who played in the Top 28 in the Cajundome when the Raiders reached the state semifinals in 2004, was happy to hear the tourney was coming back to the Acadiana area.

“Welcome home!” Cassimere shouted. “I’m very excited that the tournament is coming back a little closer to home. I think having it in Lafayette is just more centralized for everybody. I like that it is closer to home, and hopefully we can have the whole city of Opelousas in there.”

Having more fans — most no-

‘Difficult choices’

XOXO e for the Ultimat

Dad!

Long-term solution Under the Louisiana Constitution, BESE develops the schoolfunding formula, known as the Minimum Foundation Program, which the Legislature must ap-

prove. Landry’s order directs the board and the state Department of Education to find parts of the formula to cut.

A BESE spokesperson said the board is reviewing Landry’s order “and has not made any decisions at this time.”

Ultimately, Landry also wants BESE to revise the formula to incorporate the stipends as permanent pay raises. On Monday, the Louisiana Legislature passed a resolution appointing a task force to come up with recommendations for how to do so.

In a statement, state Rep. Laurie Schlegel, R-Metairie, who chairs the House Education Committee, said she supports “the Governor’s plan to provide teachers with a stipend because I believe they deserve it.”

State Rep. Jack McFarland, RJonesboro, who as chair of the House Appropriations Committee plays a key role in deciding how to spend taxpayer dollars, said the formula dedicates a little over $1 billion to nonclassroom expenses.

It is unclear how much would be left if security, food and transportation costs were excluded from that number.

McFarland said he does not know whether Landry has the votes to cut $168 million from the education funding formula. There’s “a process that we will go through to determine if we believe those dollars are there,” he said.

But Landry could find support from lawmakers who have expressed frustration with the complexity of the school-funding formula and their lack of control over school spending.

McFarland said he reviewed school expenditure data on the state treasurer’s website and believes there is “a lot of questionable spending there,” while also noting that he does not know “how many millions of dollars that adds up to.”

“I don’t think it applies to all schools,” McFarland added. “Some of those schools I looked at are being more responsible with their spending.”

Staff writers Elyse Carmosino and Marie Fazio contributed reporting.

tably the student body — in attendance is something Broussard expects to increase with the event being in Lafayette.

“If we can get there, you’re going to be looking at some great crowds from the Cougar fans,” Broussard said. “But I’m excited for the city of Lafayette as well, because when it was here, we had a lot of fans that were just basketball fans in Lafayette who are going to go to the event whether we are there or not. It’s special.”

Email Eric Narcisse at enarcisse@theadvocate.com.

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SEAFOOD

Domangue said.

Another bill that would allow the fund to be used for the Agriculture Department to market and promote Louisiana seafood was signed into law, but there is no money allocated to it.

“We’re going to go back to the drawing board on that one next year,” Domangue said. “It will be a better time given it’s a fiscal session.”

Continued from page 1A government programs historically given to farmers.

Sens. Angus King, I-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, RAlaska, introduced the act in late March.

In Louisiana, the issue of imported seafood has been a recurring subject among lawmakers in recent years.

According to the Food and Drug Administration, 95% of the seafood consumed in the U.S. is imported from other countries, which can drive down prices for the domestic industry.

Adding to that, shrimpers and advocates have complained of restaurants mislabeling imported shrimp as local. As of last year, restaurants are required to clearly state the country of origin of the shrimp and crawfish that they’re selling, or else face thousands of dollars in fines.

‘Encourage proper testing’ Two of Domangue’s bills will give more authority to the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, which is responsible for testing imported seafood for antibiotics and harmful contaminants. Under the current system, the department inspects the seafood

CONGRESS

Continued from page 1A compensate MAGA allies, creates when trying to find enough votes with such narrow majorities in the House and Senate.

“I told him that it was a difficult prospect right now, given our vote tallies,” Johnson told reporters Tuesday.

A number of Republican senators opposed the idea.

U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, RBaton Rouge, is one.

“We shouldn’t care for that because it’s got poor oversight,” Cassidy said.

Cassidy said he did not like the possibility that participants in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol could get paid.

“So somebody beats up a police officer and would get money,” Cassidy said Tuesday.

He noted that one of the Jan. 6 defendants was pardoned by Trump for firing a gun and was arrested in October on charges of drugging, kidnapping and sexually assaulting a woman.

“I ain’t voting for that, and I think there’s a lot of other people who are really concerned about that,” Cassidy said.

Tying up budget strategy Using a once-rare procedure called reconciliation, additional money can be added to an annual spending plan with a simple majority of the House and Senate.

The Senate, which had planned to vote on the reconciliation bill Wednesday, does not have the support among Republicans to reach the 51 votes needed — largely because of Trump’s anti-weaponization fund,

Mixed up shrimp

technology company collecting shrimp samples at eateries across the South, documenting a pattern of shrimp fraud. Dave Williams, the commercial fisheries scientist who founded the company, said his team developed new technology that reveals whether shrimp of different geographic species are mixed in a single sample.

The commingling technology is an addition to the company’s rapid genetic test, which can help determine whether a restaurant is serving local catch or foreign imports.

“It gives us a grasp of how much imported DNA is present,” Williams said. “It gives a fairly accurate ratio.”

The Louisiana Shrimp Task Force, which reports to the state wildlife agency, previously hired Williams’ company to conduct the seafood genetic testing.

In one of the few seafood bills not led by Domangue, Rep. Timothy Kerner, RLafitte, authored the seafood mixing, or “commingling,” bill signed by Landry in May. In addition to labeling the country of origin of purchased seafood, processors and distributors can face STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE fines for selling “comminFresh Gulf shrimp rest on ice at Schaefer’s Seafood in Bucktown in New Orleans on Tuesday. gled” seafood while labeling it as domestic. but is required to bring in Health Department of any enue that the state takes in The commingling law will the Health Department to authority, Strain said, but from sports gambling to an take effect at the beginning seize the potentially harmful give the state more staffing “imported seafood safety of August. food. Under the new law, Act to inspect and remove poten- fund.” That bill did not pass This law also aligns Email Josie Abugov at 122, the Agriculture Depart- tially harmful seafood. this session, “leaving sports with the recent work of josie.abugov@theadvocate.

The other law requiring gambling where it is now,” SeaD Consulting, a food com. ment itself can “seize, hold, or destroy” any seafood that seafood retailers to keep fails to meet state regula- invoices of their purchases for six months will also help tions.

“It’s a more efficient the agency keep track of the method,” said Agriculture flow of products as it conCommissioner Mike Strain. ducts investigations, Strain “At the end of the day, all said. the things we’re doing is to Domangue had also sponencourage proper testing.” sored House Bill 109, which This will not strip the would have dedicated rev-

Yo

St ur ar M ts o He ve re

said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota.

Thune said keeping the bill’s language specifically limited to immigration enforcement funding not only would bring along wary Republicans, but limit the number of changes that opponents would try to add during the handful of votes by the full Senate — called “vote-a-rama” on Capitol Hill — that are required for reconciliation.

“Confining the bill to its original intent, which was a very narrowly focused reconciliation bill that just addresses the funding for (immigration enforcement), is the clearest path to ultimately getting a bill on the president’s desk,” Thune said.

The 100-seat Senate has 53 Republicans. If everyone shows up to vote and Democrats don’t waiver, Thune can lose only three Republicans, provided Vice President JD Vance is available to vote.

Trump backed the opponent of incumbent Republican Sen. John Cornyn, of Texas, who, like Cassidy, lost in the party primary. And incumbent Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, decided not to seek reelection.

But even Republican senators who have faithfully followed Trump’s dictates are raising questions about the fund that was part of a settlement in a lawsuit by the Trump family against the Internal Revenue Service.

After Johnson’s Monday meeting with Trump, the Department of Justice announced it is pausing creation of the fund until a court ruled on June 12 and the administration would

follow that ruling.

“Just saying we’re going to follow the order doesn’t tell me about their position on the weaponization fund,” Sen. John Kennedy, R-Madisonville, told reporters Monday. He likened the effort to include the fund with the reconciliation process “looks like a broken arm with the bone sticking out.”

After senators met to discuss reconciliation over lunch Tuesday, Kennedy said he and others would watch the testimony of acting Attorney General Todd Blanche before the House Appropriations Committee that was scheduled to begin a few hours later.

“We are not moving forward with the fund, period,” Blanche told the House Appropriations Committee “Ever?” asked Rep. Grace Meng, D-New York.

“Ever,” Blanche said.

“We’re not moving forward with the fund.”

Email Mark Ballard at mballard@theadvocate. com.

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Trump signs order that invites vetting of AI models

Mandate gives government 30 days to review systems

BY MATT O’BRIEN AP technology writer

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on oversight of artificial intelligence Tuesday, less than two weeks after postponing a White House ceremony over his concerns that a similar policy could dull America’s technological edge.

The order establishes a framework for the federal government to vet the national security risks of the most advanced AI systems for up to a month before their public release. Participation by AI developers would be voluntary, the order says.

“Advanced AI capabilities make our Nation stronger, but also introduce new national security considerations that require coordi-

nated action across executive departments and agencies,” the order says.

It was not immediately clear to what extent the order differed from the one Trump declined to sign on May 21.

The order says the government would have only 30 days to review an AI system, a shorter time frame than some in the industry were expecting. A longer time period might have been seen as too burdensome for a fastmoving and highly competitive industry.

Trump canceled an Oval Office event with tech industry executives last month because he did not like what he saw in the earlier version of the order’s text. “We’re leading China, we’re leading everybody, and I don’t want to do anything that’s going to

get in the way of that lead,” Trump told reporters at the time.

That directive was characterized as a voluntary collaboration with participating U.S.-based tech companies, including Anthropic, OpenAI and Google, which are sometimes described as “frontier labs” because they are building the most advanced AI systems. Several companies had been planning to have executives present at the May 21 signing event. Trump ended up signing it without any ceremony.

The White House said in a social media post Tuesday that the executive order “creates a process for frontier labs to voluntarily share cutting-edge cyber models in order to secure critical infrastructure and strengthen

Blue Origin says rocket explosion spared fuel tanks, key launch parts

BY MARCIA DUNN AP aerospace writer

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin said Tuesday that last week’s rocket explosion spared fuel tanks and some other critical parts of the launch pad.

Critical to NASA’s Artemis moon program, the company’s massive New Glenn rocket blew up during an engine-firing test at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. A lightning tower and the transporter-erector used to move and hoist the rocket were destroyed in the blast that sent shock waves across the state.

CEO Dave Limp said the methane, hydrogen and oxygen tanks look to be in good shape. The water tank is also fine and the support

tower that’s still standing can be repaired in place. A booster and other rocket parts housed nearby were not damaged.

Overall, this was “a bit of good news,” Limp said in an X update, adding: “We will fly again before the end of this year.”

The cause is still under investigation.

Just two days before the accident, NASA awarded a contract worth hundreds of millions of dollars to Blue Origin, choosing New Glenn rockets to launch a pair of rovers to the moon ahead of the arrival of the first Artemis moonwalkers who will drive them. New Glenn also is needed to launch the company’s Blue Moon lander that will be used to get astronauts to the lunar surface in

the coming years.

NASA is aiming for as early as 2028 for the first moon landing by astronauts since Apollo 17 in 1972.

The space agency will “do all we can” to get the pad back in action as soon as possible “while staying extremely focused on progressing the lander,” Administrator Jared Isaacman said via X. Blue Origin’s New Glenn line of reusable rockets — named after John Glenn, the first American in orbit — has launched only three times. It’s not nearly as big as SpaceX’s Starship that is making test flights to the fringes of space from Texas.

NASA has ordered up Starships, in addition to Blue Moon landers, to get Artemis astronauts to the lunar surface in the years ahead.

the government’s own cyber defenses. We are NOT conducting oversight of all new models, as that level of government overreach would have chilling effects on free speech and innovation.”

Juan Londoño, a policy analyst at the libertarianleaning Cato Institute, said the order is imperfect but “a step in the right direction to prepare the nation for the release of advanced AI systems.”

He applauded the White House’s characterization of the process as voluntary but said he was concerned about the vagueness of how the government, led by the director of the National Security Agency, will decide which AI models qualify for scrutiny, and how it will decide which “trusted partners” get early access to them.

Londoño said in an interview that giving so much

discretion to the NSA director was a “dangerous precedent” that could enable the government to “weaponize” the policy against companies it is clashing with, like Anthropic.

Plans for a new AI cybersecurity directive followed Anthropic’s April announcement of its most advanced AI model, called Claude Mythos, in the middle of the company’s legal fight with the Trump administration over a contract dispute with the Pentagon.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and outgoing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell soon after convened an urgent meeting with Wall Street CEOs, warning them about the risks posed by Mythos’ apparent ability to find cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the world’s software. Anthropic has limited access to Mythos to only a small group of trusted part-

ners, such as big tech companies and banks, though it said Tuesday it has expanded that group by another 150 organizations.

Anthropic called Trump’s new order “an important step in strengthening America’s leadership in AI” and said it looks forward to collaborating with the White House to support its implementation.

Its chief rival, ChatGPT maker OpenAI, also described the policy as an important step, as did Google.

“As AI capabilities continue to advance, we believe effective safety frameworks should continue to be developed through democratic institutions, informed by technical expertise and broad stakeholder input, to promote accountability and public trust,” said a statement from Chris Lehane, OpenAI’s chief global affairs officer.

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8A ● Wednesday, June 3, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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TODAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

MONDAY

Partly sunny, a t-storm; humid

A t-storm in the afternoon

A shower and t-storm; humid

Showers and a heavier t-storm

Humid with heavy thunderstorms

Humid; a few morning showers

HIGH

HIGH

HIGH

HIGH

LOW

82° 70°

LOW

80° 71°

LOW

83° 74°

Beaumont 85/73 Port Arthur 84/73

Baton Rouge 83/69

Lake Charles 83/71

New Orleans 83/76 Houma 82/74

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

0s

Hattiesburg 79/63

Alexandria 84/71

Lafayette 82/70

10s

20s

30s

40s

50s

HIGH

88° 75°

LOW

88° 76°

60s

70s

80s

90s 100s 110s

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

YESTERDAY

TODAY

READING 53 MAIN POLLUTANT Particulates

MAIN POLLUTANT Particulates

Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today

JUN 8

City

Austin Boston Dallas Fairbanks Honolulu Las Vegas Louisville Miami Nashville

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

HIGH

10:00p 4:23p 8:46a 12:05p 11:42a 10:59a 12:50p

6:06 a.m.

8:06 p.m.

11:09 p.m.

8:34 a.m.

NEW

FIRST

JUN 14

Hi

90 75 90 71 88 104 83 84 84

TODAY Lo

72 60 73 47 75 78 57 76 59

FULL

JUN 21

W

t pc t s pc s s t s

JUN 29

Hi

86 84 87 71 86 105 87 83 87

MODERATE

PRECIPITATION

89°/75° 89°/71° 82°/69° 101° in 2011 54° in 1903

TODAY’S TIDES Lake Pontchartrain (Tchefuncte River) Shell Beach South Point, Marsh Island Cypremort Point Grand Isle (Barataria Pass) Mississippi River (Southwest Pass) Wine Island

LAST

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

LOW

TEMPERATURE Jackson 82/65

Many 84/70

HIGH

Lafayette through 5 p.m. Tuesday

Longview 88/71

-0s

84° 76°

Monroe 87/70

Shreveport 88/72

-10s

LOW

After a marginal risk of excessive rainfall yesterday, the showers and thunderstorms will be back once again today. Expect a partly to mostly cloudy, warm and breezy day. Temperatures will rise to the mid- to upper 80s and there’s a moderate chance of rain and thunderstorms in the forecast today. Winds will be increasing out of the east over the next few days to 10 mph with gusts to 20 mph.

Rain chances for the rest of the week will likely remain at 40%, while temperatures will rise to the mid- to upper 80s.

THU. Lo

70 64 73 46 73 78 63 75 62

W

t s t pc sh s s t s

FT.

LOW

0.00” 0.29” 0.44” 26.83” 24.50”

FT.

HIGH

0.8 9:29a -0.1 1.7 2:39a -0.1 1.9 10:45p -0.2 2.0 2:07a 0.2 1.4 11:14p -0.1 1.7 9:35p -0.2 1.7 --- ---

SOURCE: LOUISIANA DEQ AND AIRNOW.GOV

FT.

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LOW

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FT.

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The solunar period schedule allows planning days so you will be fishing in good territory or hunting in good cover during those times. Major periods begin at the times shown and last for 1.5 to 2 hours. The minor periods are shorter.

MAJOR MINOR MAJOR MINOR

Today Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday

City

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

2:07a 3:02a 3:54a 4:45a 5:32a 6:16a 6:59a

Hi

83 82 84 107 78 83 82 71 84

8:20a 9:14a 10:06a 10:56a 11:43a 12:04a 12:47a

TODAY Lo

76 68 58 79 51 54 62 61 70

2:32p 8:44p 3:26p 9:38p 4:17p 10:29p 5:07p 11:18p 5:53p ---6:38p 12:27p 7:21p 1:10p

W

t c s s s s s pc c

GOOD

Hi

82 85 90 107 82 87 87 70 84

THU. Lo

76 68 66 80 59 63 66 63 71

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

W

t pc s s pc s pc pc s

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

FLOOD STAGE

34 48 48 35 27 22 17

TUE. 24-HOUR STAGE CHANGE

20.10 37.90 39.20 22.20 13.40 9.63 6.20

-0.16 +1.10 +1.10 +1.10 +1.00 +0.72 +0.54

40

35.52

+0.25

19

-1.38

-0.04

18 29 8

-0.20 11.76 1.86

+0.12 -0.41 -0.22

13 15

1.97 1.63

-0.15 -0.05

47 34 29 20 12 6

18.91 13.78 11.80 9.33 5.90 3.26

+0.76 +0.67 +0.63 +0.38 +0.50 +0.11

data as of 7 a.m. Tuesday

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

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W e d n e s d ay, J u n e 3, 2026

1Bn

Council OKs variance guidelines

BY JOEL THOMPSON Staff writer

Youngsville has introduced new guidelines for businesses seeking variances to the city’s ordinances that could increase the likelihood of requests being denied.

The city has seen controversy in recent months over the number of variances passed, with the new regulations being aimed at balancing the influence of prospective businesses and nearby residents with adjacent properties.

Any commercial business seeking a variance for a development with adjacent residential property is now required to collect signatures from each of the property owners, following an ordinance passed unanimously by the Youngsville City Council. The signatures, according to the ordinance, are to verify notifications and not an endorsement.

New regulations will also require the entity issuing the request to have a representative appear in person before the City Council. It also grants homeowner associations

YOUNGSVILLE

a right to veto variance requests from nearby businesses.

“The question has come up before, ‘Have the neighboring properties been notified?’” Youngsville Mayor Ken Ritter said. “Up until now there has not been a requirement that they do so. This creates that framework, so that there’s an expectation that the requestor initiates dialogue. They can then report to us on those conversations.”

The ordinance, Ritter noted, was drafted with direct feedback from council member Simone Champagne’s concerns about property variances she had expressed during a February meeting. Champagne had taken issue with the number of variances approved by the city.

“Every month it seems like we’re approving multiple variances,” she said. “I don’t like variances.

We have ordinances, and if they aren’t working, we need to change them. That makes more sense than

having to hear several variance requests every month.”

Further discussion of variances for business development came in April when the council shut down a request that would pave the way for an electrical substation near the Cypress Gardens subdivision.

A large number of residents spoke out against the project during that meeting.

“I’ve got real concerns with safety,” one resident said during a

ä See GUIDELINES, page 4B

Comeaux High facing closure again School Board resurrects plan

BY CLAIRE TAYLOR

Staff writer

The Lafayette Parish School Board hasn’t given up on its plan to close Comeaux High School and repurpose the campus as a career center.

On Tuesday, the board held a public hearing to get feedback from teachers, parents and students about the planned closure.

The board did not vote Tuesday to close the school. As per board policy, it was required to hold a public hearing before voting.

In March, with little notice to the public, the School Board voted to close Comeaux High at the end of the 2025-26 school year. A separate public hearing was not held prior to the vote, although people were allowed to speak at the meeting where the decision was made.

A parent, Suzanne LaJaunie, filed a lawsuit seeking to stop the school closure based in part on the fact that the board did not follow its own policies for closing schools, namely holding a public hearing first.

The School Board in April voted to rescind the March vote, intending to start the process again and within its policies. The board was stopped from further action by 15th Judicial District Court Judge Valerie Gotch-Garrett who said the board, in voting to rescind the closure vote, had violated her court orders to take no action until the lawsuit was settled.

An appeals court then ruled that the board was attempting to comply with the requests in LaJaunie’s lawsuit and ruled that the lawsuit was moot.

Assistant Superintendent Mark Rabalais said the administration plans to present to the board the same proposal the board approved in March: to take Comeaux High offline after the 2025-26 year and repurpose it to replace the W.D. Smith Career Center and Ed Sam alternative school.

Some parts of the campus, like the football stadium, will continue to be used, he said.

Current Comeaux High students will be rezoned and assigned to Acadiana High, Southside High or Lafayette High.

Closing Comeaux as a traditional high school will save about $2.1 million in staff reductions, Rabalais said.

Residents and some board members on Tuesday argued over the plan to close the current career center location on the north side of Lafayette and relocate it to Comeaux High on the south side.

The plan, Comeaux High graduate Cassandra Lagrange said, would overpopulate Southside and Acadiana high schools. Acadiana High, she said, is at 112% capacity and Southside is at 110% capacity before the Comeaux students are transferred.

Board member Kate Labue said the school system can’t continue to support Comeaux High with less than 600 students as it is running at a deficit. It is taking Minimum Foundation

ä See COMEAUX, page 4B

PHOTOS By ROBIN MAy

Cajun jammin’ ABOVE: The room is filled with musicians

and tourists at the Cajun music jam led

by Reggie Matte, third from right, and Cheryl Cormier, second from right, at Vermilionville on Saturday.

LEFT: Musicians of all ages join the group session.

Man jumps into bayou Lawmakers pass bill giving during police pursuit teachers paid parental leave 10 before stopping and Suspect arrested on Interstate fleeing into a nearby pond on foot, sheriff said. narcotics counts theDeputies later received reports

BY JA’KORI MADISON Staff writer

A man and woman were arrested in St. Martin Parish after deputies attempted to stop a wanted suspect, leading to a pursuit, a parishwide search and two dives into Bayou Teche.

The driver, identified by authorities as Brock Robin, 38, of Breaux Bridge, was wanted on an active warrant tied to multiple narcotics counts.

Sheriff Becket Breaux said deputies attempted to stop a vehicle shortly after 9:30 a.m. Monday in the 2000 block of Cecilia Senior High School Highway. The driver fled, prompting a pursuit.

During the initial pursuit, Robin crashed near a roundabout in Henderson but continued onto

that Robin was seen running along Anse Broussard Highway.

When officers located him at Anse Broussard Highway and Kathleen Drive, he jumped into Bayou Teche and swam across before escaping again, prompting a perimeter search.

About 5:30 p.m., deputies conducting surveillance at a residence in the 1000 block of Sosthene Guilbeau Road observed a vehicle leave the property. A traffic stop attempt at Grand Anse and Grand Point highways led to another pursuit, this time involving a driver identified as Corie Begnaud, 35, of St. Martinville, with Robin as a passenger.

During that pursuit, Robin exited the vehicle in the 4000 block of

ä See BAYOU, page 4B

school year after lawmakers endMeasure needs ed the legislative session without the bill, which requires funding to take effect funding the state to reimburse districts

BY ELYSE CARMOSINO

Staff writer

Louisiana lawmakers passed a bill to give public school employees a month and a half of fully paid parental leave, but educators won’t be able to take advantage of the new benefit this school year.

Jenkins The Senate voted 31-8 Sunday to approve Senate Bill 157, which requires school districts to give full and part-time employees six weeks of paid leave after they give birth, adopt or foster a child. Gov. Jeff Landry signed the legislation on Tuesday.

But the new policy almost certainly won’t take effect this

for the cost of hiring substitute teachers. Instead, its supporters will have to press for funding to cover the bill’s estimated $6 million annual cost when lawmakers reconvene next year.

“We knew it was going to be tough this session, just given current economics and the funds that were available,” said Sen. Samuel Jenkins, D-Shreveport, the bill’s author. Hopefully “there will be opportunities to shift some funding.”

Last month, economists lowered Louisiana’s revenue projections for next fiscal year by roughly $100 million, leading lawmakers to last-minute budget cuts. Landry on Tuesday called for a $170 million reduction in public school funding to pay for $2,000 stipends for teachers.

ä See LAWMAKERS, page 4B

2B ● Wednesday, June 3, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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

OUR VIEWS

Reduction in Medicaid rolls deserves further investigation Whether one believes that Louisiana having almost 200,000 fewer people on its Medicaid rolls compared to a year ago is a good thing depends largely on one’s perspective.

It could mean that more people are finding their way into jobs with better benefits, which would be good for them because statistically, people with good health insurance are more likely to take a more active role in their care, which leads to better outcomes.

It would also be good for the state, because it saves money.

Gov. Jeff Landry, Louisiana Department of Health Secretary Bruce Greenstein and their allies are in this camp.

“Anecdotally, we’ve heard from employers that they’re continuing to hire new employees who are now receiving health insurance, and we are not hearing of increased rates of uncompensated care occurring in Louisiana hospitals,” Greenstein said.

The “uncompensated care” Greenstein refers to would be necessary if more people were, instead of getting private insurance, just dropping health insurance altogether. That leads to more people seeking care only when conditions become acute and they are more likely to have worse health outcomes.

It also becomes more expensive for patients, their families and the state.

That’s what some fear is happening in Louisiana. The reduction, they note, includes 50,000 children who are no longer eligible for Medicaid within the state thanks to new rules.

“Even a short-term loss of health care exposes that family to potentially expensive costs — let’s say from a child breaking an arm on the playground — that could bankrupt them,” said Joan Alker, a Georgetown University health researcher.

These two narratives underlie the complexities of healthcare in America. Add in the fact that the Medicaid rolls grew dramatically after then-Gov. John Bel Edwards opted to expand the state’s offering under the Affordable Care Act, often known as Obamacare, and the questions only deepen.

The full effects of changes made to Medicaid will probably not be known for years. But that doesn’t mean that the state should not be making every effort to learn what they are.

Sen. Regina Barrow, D-Baton Rouge, has called for legislative hearings on the topic. Sen. Patrick McMath, R-Covington, has said that any hearings should be to “celebrate” the accomplishments.

We call for more robust data-gathering to find out how our Medicaid population has fared over the previous year. The relatively paltry number of new nonfarm jobs in the state over the same span seems to indicate a complex picture. Unemployment has edged up marginally as well.

Given the jumbled nature of these numbers, we urge state health and legislative leaders to work to develop clear yardsticks of progress. A healthy and thriving Louisiana population should be the ultimate measure of success or failure.

If the assertions by state leaders are borne out, we will celebrate with them. If they’re not, however, we hope they will be willing not just to admit that change is needed, but also to put ideology aside and make it happen.

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

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

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

TO SEND US A LETTER, SCAN HERE

YOUR VIEWS

Democracy depends on the public’s trust The growing public anger and confusion surrounding Louisiana’s redistricting fight should concern every citizen of this state, regardless of political party or ideology.

Recently, Louisianans have watched courts, legislators and the governor struggle over congressional maps, emergency authority and even the timing of elections after some citizens had already begun participating in the voting process.

While lawyers and political strategists debate procedure, many ordinary citizens are left asking a more basic question: Can the public still maintain confidence in the fairness and stability of our democratic system?

That question deserves deeper moral reflection from all of Louisiana’s civic institutions, including its editorial voices.

Editorial boards do more than report events. At their best, they help communities think through not only what is legal or politically possible, but also what is fair, responsible and healthy for democracy itself.

Over the years, this newspaper’s

editorial board has thoughtfully addressed taxes, constitutional amendments, public safety, higher education and government reform. Those editorials often ask readers to consider the long-term consequences of decisions affecting Louisiana’s future.

Should not that same civic seriousness apply when public trust in voting, representation and citizenship itself appears increasingly strained?

For many African-Americans, the present controversy is not simply about district lines or partisan advantage. It reflects a longstanding concern about whether their electoral voice will remain stable, protected and fully respected within Louisiana’s democratic process.

At moments like this, citizens benefit not only from legal analysis, but also from moral clarity. A newspaper’s institutional voice carries its greatest authority when conscience is applied consistently during times that test public confidence in democracy itself.

DORIS GRAY BROWN Baton Rouge

Plan to capture insurance policyholders’ personal data invades client privacy State Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple has embarked on a road to capture the nonpublic personal financial information of every policyholder in Louisiana who buys insurance in the surplus lines market. This includes individuals and small and medium-sized businesses that buy property and liability coverage from non-admitted companies through their insurance agent and broker.

The various purchasers whose insurance policy information (name, address, type of insurance, premium and policy expiration date) will be gathered include building contractors, commercial truckers, apartment owners, marina operators, jewelers, bar owners, architects, lawyers, real estate agents, employers who protect their employees’ international travel with kidnap/ransom insurance and so many more.

Ignoring the fact that Temple’s plan collides with the federal Right to Financial Privacy Act of 1978, it puts a whole lot of valuable information at

risk of breach. Wholesale gathering of this information not only puts policyholders at risk, it jeopardizes the value of every brokers’ and agents’ business.

When I was in the Legislature, there was a major battle between insurance agents and banks over owning insurance policy expiration dates. Why are the agents so willing to hand their expiration lists over to a clearinghouse and the Department of Insurance now?

Temple’s premise that he needs this data to make certain the brokers are properly remitting premium taxes is flawed. If he even looked at numbers generated by LDI and NAIC, he would understand that the brokers are reporting and remitting taxes on more premiums than the non-admitted insurers are reporting.

As a policyholder, I don’t trust this scheme. Agents and brokers shouldn’t trust it either.

SHIRLEY BOWLER Baton Rouge

Fee on hybrid cars is unfair I write about the $60 I must pay to the state of Louisiana for driving a hybrid vehicle.

Pursuant to Louisiana law, drivers of EVs must pay $110 to the state, and drivers of hybrids must pay $60. The rationale for this “fee” (it’s a tax) is this: Drivers of these vehicles are using the roads, but they aren’t paying gasoline taxes dedicated to road maintenance.

Relax. I’m not here to highlight the idiocy of public policy that discourages the efficient use of carbon fuels; in fact, I’m letting EV drivers make their own arguments. I’m restricting this complaint to the treatment of those who drive hybrids that use gas.

I drive a midsized Honda Accord Hybrid. It doesn’t plug in to charge a battery that powers the car. It is a “selfcharging” car. Gasoline is used as a generator to keep the battery charged.

This is supplemented by other energy captured during braking and coasting. I buy gasoline and pay the gas tax.

I don’t have to buy gas as often as a midsized gas-powered vehicle, but neither does the driver of a compact, fuel efficient, gasoline-only car. I pay gas tax plus a $60 fee. The driver of a gas-only Toyota Corolla that gets similar (or better) mileage pays only the gas tax. Stated another way, gas-electric hybrids and fuel-efficient gas vehicles are not meaningfully different in their road usage or impact, yet are taxed differently.

This could be easily rectified while still pursuing the public policy goal of polluting the air and heating up the planet.

The law should be amended to treat gas-battery hybrids the same as gas vehicles. Either remove the $60 fee or start charging it on fuel efficient gas-only cars as well. Obviously, I advocate the former remedy.

ANDY JOHNSON Baton Rouge

Trump’s request for taxpayer money contrasts with selfless words of JFK President Donald Trump asked Congress to appropriate nearly $1.8 billion for his supporters, including the participants in the Jan. 6, 2021, attempted insurrection at the Capitol.

Contrast this with the words of John F. Kennedy at his first and only presidential Inauguration: “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.“

ALEX CHAPMAN Ville Platte

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The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Wednesday, June 3, 2026 ● 3B

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COMMENTARY All this ‘talent’ breaks my brain You’re not crazy. Between artificial intelligence, bots, “astroturfed” comment sections and paid promotions masquerading as authentic social media content, almost nothing in our digitized world seems real or reliable.

New research and reporting confirm it’s worse than many anticipated.

Kathleen The music streaming Parker company Deezer says that more than 40% of its uploaded tracks are AI generated, according to a recent Washington Post article. This is four times more than in January 2025 and translates to 75,000 such songs uploaded daily.

Nary a long-suffering, guitar-pickin’ crooner in the bunch.

I recently spotted a neon sign in a Manhattan bistro that read: We’re all famous. Now what?

From the bunkers of our terminals and laptops, we’re all keyboard kings and queens, digital potentates with wide-ranging expertise. We’re authors, actors, poets, lawyers, scientists and columnists. The latter will enjoy job security as long as personality and voice are deemed essential to the craft, though my guess is this won’t be for much longer. Now what, indeed?

If a wannabe writer can engage a chatbot to write a novel, what’s the point of sweating out a plot or dragging characters kicking and screaming from one’s very human imagination? Why even bother when potential readers are too busy inventing their own fake fame?

The Post story offers a depressing look at the surge of AI-generated products, including more self-filed lawsuits, more scientific papers, more online content and more books. This democratization of fake “talent” is a by-product of the same internet that gave everyone a platform. We’ve seen how well that’s working out.

This brings us to fake news — though not in the way President Donald Trump would have us think. A report from Vulture cites a former executive who estimates that more than 90% of what’s online is advertising “in disguise.”

At its peak, the content distributor Floodify ran 65,000 dummy social media accounts to gin up interest in its clients, said Joe Lim, who founded the company.

The scale of deception is overwhelming. How are regular people supposed

but heavily favored to succeed George W. Bush, the Illinois senator provided a 2008 campaign assessment of some of the Pennsylvania voters who were resisting his appeal — an analysis that trailed him for his years in the White House: “It’s not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy toward people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.” n Hillary Clinton. One of the reasons she didn’t win the White House was her remarks in a speech at a 2016 LGBTQ fundraiser in New York: “You know, to just be grossly generalistic, you could put half of Trump’s supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables.”

So clearly was that Clinton’s view, and so searing was the way she expressed it, that supporters of Trump came to create campaign placards that described themselves as “deplorables.”

Now we come to Trump’s reaction last month when asked whether he might hurry to make peace with Iran as a way to ease the economic distress that has pushed average gasoline prices past the psychological red line of $4 a gallon. “I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation,” he said.

The remark’s presence in this assortment of presidential truth bombs was affirmed by Trump himself, in a conversation with Bret Baier of Fox News, when he said, “That’s a perfect statement. I’d make it again.”

As Reagan once said in a different context, aimed at President Jimmy Carter, there he goes again. Presidents say the darnedest things.

Paul Rivera, a little-known former Clinton White House aide and senior adviser to the losing 2004 John Kerry presidential campaign, became famous recently as the author of the Democratic National Committee’s disastrous analysis — the “autopsy” — of the party’s even more disastrous 2024 Kamala Harris campaign.

Widespread, instant criticism of the autopsy has focused on three areas: what is in it, what is not in it and how it was prepared. Other than Byron that, as they say — no problem.

York Start with how it was prepared.

Perhaps the most telling excerpt from the autopsy is the note printed in red that appears at the top of the first and every one of the report’s 192 pages: “Disclaimer: This document reflects the views of the author, not the DNC. The DNC was not provided with the underlying sourcing, interviews, or supporting data for many of the assertions contained herein and therefore cannot independently verify the claims presented.”

And that’s not all. Other parts of the autopsy contain other disclaimers. Under the heading “CONCLUSION” is the note, “This section was not provided by the author.” Under the headline “NOTES FOR THE READER” is the note, “This section was not completed.” And under the heading “SOURCES” is the note, “Sources, interview materials, and other evidence not provided.” At several points in the text where there are charts involving spending and other numerical data is the note, “Sourcing not provided, assume to be Federal Election Commission data.” In another part there is the note, “No evidence provided for many claims in this section.” And in yet another there was the note, “Several factual errors found within analysis.”

What a mess. These disclaimers run through the entire document. A reader’s first impression might be to wonder how the DNC could produce anything so unprofessional. A second thought might be: Maybe the party never wanted to know what went wrong in 2024. The mishandled, misbegotten and, until Thursday, unreleased autopsy was their way of claiming to have investigated the issue while also trying to make the story disappear.

Ken Martin, the DNC chairman who was elected in February 2025, when the party was still reeling from its defeat, has struggled to do the job. At the time Martin became chairman, many Democrats were in a how-could-we-have-lost-to-this-guyagain? frame of mind. But did they really want to know how badly President Joe Biden messed up the reelection question — especially when most of them had been fully on board? Did they really want to know just how bad a candidate Harris was?

Martin’s actions suggest the answer was no.

Martin gave the autopsy assignment “to a friend, Democratic consultant Paul Rivera,” according to a CNN report. But Rivera did not appear to treat the assignment as a high priority. He “volunteered to work on it part-time,” CNN continued, and then “waited several months to contact key officials with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ campaigns.”

As far as what is in the autopsy, some parts are jaw-dropping in what appears to be intentional cluelessness. Take the discussion of the June 27, 2024, debate between Biden and former President Donald Trump. It was the turning point of the campaign and, of course, a catastrophe for the then-81year-old Biden, whose cognitive decline became impossible to conceal. Here is what the autopsy says about it: “The debate obviously changed many things.

The dial-testing during the debate demonstrated the weakness of the president’s performance, and a post-debate survey was scrapped. The analytics team measured voter reaction and reported seeing little change. The fundamental need to earn votes from the target audiences remained, and there was no positive movement toward the campaign.

Post-debate, and about a week before the candidate switch, there were internal discussions about how to prepare a campaign for the vice president.”

In other passages, the autopsy blames Biden for not sufficiently praising, supporting and affirming Harris.

If Harris had any faults, the autopsy suggested, they were her loyalty and consistency. Because she was so loyal, the report said, Harris failed to distance herself from Biden, or, as the report says, “to find separation from the status quo.”

The autopsy should have been an opportunity to examine how the Democratic Party got itself into such a situation in 2024. Instead, the document is unfinished, sloppy and lacking in curiosity about almost everything.

There is a reason DNC Chair Martin resisted releasing the autopsy for so long. Many assumed Martin was hiding an explosive document that would reveal his party’s political malpractice. But that’s not the reason. The reason is there is a lot about 2024 that the Democratic Party’s leadership didn’t want to know. Releasing the incomplete and ill-considered autopsy would show the world that the party never made a serious effort to understand its failure.

Email David Shribman at dshribman@post-gazette.com.

Email Byron York at byork@ washingtonexaminer.com.

TNS PHOTO By SHALINA CHATLANI

With so much of what we see on the internet masquerading as authentic social media content, almost nothing in our digitized world seems real or reliable. to navigate galaxies of information in the face of such global cheating? Answer: Most can’t. Once a fake post goes viral, it becomes a credible “truth” and infects millions of people who believe, repeat and live by a lie. It’s not their fault.

Here’s a question for my fellow scrollers: How long before you realized that the dear old carpenter Ernesto, singing a heart-wrenching song about waiting by the door for his family’s return, was AI generated? My heart broke when I figured it out. But then I thought, oh, hell, it’s a lovely song and sentiment.

What’s the harm?

In short, it’s that we’ll fall for anything that bathes our brains with dopamine.

But what if the content is more serious than a sad song? How many clips and podcasts does it take to create a cohort of warriors in, say, the manosphere?

“Clipping” refers to pulling segments from performances, podcasts or other venues and collating them for mass consumption — a booming new industry for companies specializing in branding. Free-ranging fame-seekers have so flooded the digital zone that even people as wildly successful as Justin Bieber have surrendered to the fray. Someone hired a clipping service to distribute social-media-friendly clips of his Coachella performance, for example. The

result was an astronomical number of views, feeds, clicks and yet more fame.

The machines would seem to be winning, but there’s a bright side. Most of the books being written by AI are e-books that don’t sell as well as real books.

The increasing number of people using AI to file lawsuits poses a more daunting problem because it could clog the courts. And the media, by reporting on influencers and trends, helps make the unimportant seem important, thus exacerbating the problem of lucrative lying. Worse, it elevates bad actors who seem newsworthy but can use fame in harmful ways.

This seemingly unstoppable system of rewards and no punishment for unethical behavior in the giddy service of self-aggrandizement may predict the end of civilization as we know it. Or not. Certainly, no democratic republic can survive without a well-informed citizenry. We are anything but that already. In the course of amusing ourselves to death, as Neil Postman put it in his 1985 book of the same name, we are trading knowledge for entertainment at our terrible peril — and he’d seen nothing yet.

Email Kathleen Parker at kathleenparker@washpost.com.

Presidential candidates sometimes say the darnedest things out loud Yes, as many of us have wondered, there actually may be something in the water on the American campaign trail or in the White House.

It turns out it is a form of sodium thiopental, known to moviegoers and readers of crime novels as truth serum. The 20th century comedian Art Linkletter (1912-2010) was famous for his remark that “Kids say the darnedest things,” a phrase whose title became affixed to a popular CBS television show for David eight years. Political Shribman scientists and commentators may doubt its veracity but there is sufficient evidence to support the merit of its corollary: “Presidential candidates and U.S. chief executives say the truth, sometimes in the darnedest ways.”

The current occupant of the White House is a teetotaler whose preferred beverage is Diet Coke — a libation that contains neither the popular preservative sodium benzoate that is an ingredient in some other diet drinks nor, more significantly, the supposedly veracity-inducing sodium thiopental that has spurred scores of truth-serum fables. In the case of Donald Trump, truth serum seems to be administered by a plastic medicine dropper, and then only occasionally.

Trump’s gold-framed Presidential Walk of Fame doesn’t include medical screenings for sodium thiopental but if it did, there might be special gold frames for these figures: n Dwight D. Eisenhower. The 34th president was known for deliberately obfuscating his remarks, once telling press secretary Jim Haggerty that if

a sensitive question came up in a news conference, he would simply issue a sleep-inducing cloud of rhetoric that would confuse White House correspondents. But when reporters asked him to name a time Richard Nixon, then the Republican presidential nominee to succeed the former general, influenced the president’s judgment, answer was: “If you give me a week, I might think of one.” n Nixon himself. When British journalist David Frost asked the former president in 1977 about some of the Watergate episodes that led to his resignation as president, his answer was, “Well, when the president does it, that means that it is not illegal.” The statement seemed startling 48 years before the Supreme Court, in its ruling supporting presidential immunity from prosecution, largely affirmed this particular Nixon Doctrine. n Ronald Reagan. The onetime actor was especially comfortable in front of a radio microphone; he once was, after all, a personality on a Des Moines radio station where, working off telegraph accounts, he recreated Chicago Cubs baseball games for a huge Midwestern audience. As president he began a custom of Saturday radio broadcasts and, seven months after he told the nation that “we must and will engage the Soviets in a dialogue intended to reduce the risk of conflict and to make the world a safer place,” his unscripted off-air aside revealed another aspect of his view of U.S.-Soviet relations by quipping, “My fellow Americans, I’m pleased to tell you today that I’ve signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes.” n Barack Obama. Not yet president,

The autopsy: Did Democrats really want to know?

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

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use regulations: to protect the residents.”

The new changes could Continued from page 1B make it more difficult for potential developers to have public hearing on the pro- future variance requests apposed variance. “Fire haz- proved in instances where ards, noise pollution, light- nearby residents or HOAs ing issues, EMFs — there’s are staunchly opposed. a reason why we have land Youngsville city officials

lll

have argued that the change is necessary, however, to ensure quality of life in the community.

“This is a good amendment,” Champagne said.

“Making sure neighbors get notified is an important step in this process. They need to know what’s going on.”

LAWMAKERS Continued from page 1B

Louisiana has no statewide parental leave policy for teachers. Instead, it’s left up to individual districts, most of which don’t offer any paid time off for employees looking to start a family.

The new measure aims to give public school workers the same benefits as state employees, who have received fully paid parental leave since 2024. It would bring Louisiana in line with a growing number of states to offer the benefit to teachers, particularly in the South.

But to take effect, the Legislature needs to come up with money to reimburse school systems for the added costs.

D’Shay Oaks, president of the Louisiana Association of Educators, one of the state’s teachers unions, called the bill’s passage a “win.” But she warned that Louisiana, which has struggled with teacher shortages, may continue to see its number of educators drop if the law doesn’t take effect soon.

“If they don’t find funding, there may be more educators who delay starting a family,” she said, “or they may have to leave the profession altogether.”

Most school districts let employees take up to three months of unpaid leave, which is provided by federal law, but only after they’ve used all their sick days. In some instances, employees can request up to 30 days of extended medical leave at 65% pay, but many educators cannot get by on partial income.

Supporters of Jenkins’ bill, including the state’s teachers unions and public health advocates, say it will improve retention rates and

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cated him in the 100 block of Sidonia Drive, where he was found in a tree and taken into Continued from page 1B custody without further incident, authorities said.

Robin was arrested on mulPoydras Highway and again fled into a bayou on foot. tiple narcotics-related counts, With assistance from the including possession with inBreaux Bridge Police De- tent to distribute Schedule I, partment, deputies later lo- II, and IV controlled danger-

ous substances, possession of legend drugs without a prescription and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Begnaud was arrested on counts including aggravated flight from an officer, registration violations involving switched plates, and tail lamp violations.

held in Lafayette Memorial Park Cemetery.

Survivors include his beloved wife of 49 and a half years, Judy Chastant Placer; his children, Patrick Eloy Placer and his wife, Amanda, and Margaret "Maggie" Amparo Placer; two grandchildren Peyton Placer and Abigail Placer; two sisters, Maria Placer and Pilar Cruz Placer and her husband Miguel; sisters-in-law, Suzanne Placer, Marlaine Lafleur, Catherine Bordelon, Carol Magnon (Jason), Jeanie Chastant (Nicolle); brothers-in-law, John Chastant (Jody), Chris Chastant (Gabriel); and many nieces, nephews, relatives, and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Dr. Eloy L. Placer and Mrs. Amparo "Pelen" Perogordo Placer; his brother, J. Michael Placer; his in-laws, Mr. Curtis Chastant and Mrs. Margaret Haggerty Chastant; and brothers-inlaw, Therian Lafleur and Curtis Chastant, Jr. Eloy was born in San Antonio, Texas, and made his home in Lafayette, Louisiana, where he was a beloved resident for more than sixty years. A devoted husband, father, and grandfather, he dedicated his life to his family, his profession, and bringing joy to everyone fortunate enough to know him.

A graduate of Cathedral -Carmel High School's Class of 1970, Eloy continued his education at the University of Nevada, Reno, graduating in Political Science. He studied Basque history under his father and was very proud of his heritage. He enjoyed a distinguished career in the insurance industry, beginning in life insurance and claims before finding his passion in commercial insurance.

For many years, he was a valued member of the team at Stiel Insurance Agency, where he built lasting relationships with clients and colleagues alike.

A Certified Insurance Counselor for more than thirty years, he also earned the Certified Risk Management designation and was respected throughout the industry for his knowledge, professionalism, and dedication to serving others. He was an active member of numerous insurance organizations throughout his career.

While his professional accomplishments were many, Eloy was perhaps best known for his remarkable sense of humor.

Affectionately known as the "Jokin' Kajun," he won the 2000 Cajun Joke Telling Contest and was a frequent participant in Cajun Comic Relief events benefiting Goodwill Industries.

He firmly believed that laughter had the power to heal and unite people, often saying, "You can't be mad or sad when you're laughing." Whether sharing a joke, telling a story, or simply bringing a smile to someone's face, Eloy found great joy in making others feel good about themselves.

Family was the center of Eloy's life. He treasured every opportunity to be involved in the lives of his children, coaching their soccer and basketball teams, supporting their athletic pursuits, and creating memories that will be cherished for generations. A devoted supporter of youth sports, he was especially active in the STM athletic community, dedicating significant time and leadership in multiple roles. His greatest pride was being a loving husband, father, and grandfather, and he delighted in spending time with those he loved most.

An avid outdoorsman, Eloy enjoyed fishing, hunting, and spending time at the camp with family and friends.

He especially looked forward to the cherished "Third Wednesday" gatherings, where good food, card

games, and laughter were always on the menu. He also enjoyed sharing stories and embracing the simple pleasures of life.

A faithful parishioner of the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Lafayette, Eloy lived his life with a spirit of kindness, generosity, and gratitude. He will be remembered for his warm smile, quick wit, unwavering devotion to his family, and his unique gift for making the world a brighter place, one laugh at a time. His legacy of love, laughter, and friendship will continue to live on in the hearts of all who knew and loved him.

Pallbearers will be Chris Barras, Dale Trahan, Doug Blair, Expadie "Ex" Laperouse, III, Robert Michalk, Tom "Sweets" Aucoin, and Rich Lane.

Honorary Pallbearers will be John Chastant, Macky Aucoin, Richard Washington, Joe Placer, Dianne Wright, and Stiel Insurance Agency Colleagues.

The late Walter Boudreaux and Mose 'Moe' Rausch will be remembered as Posthumous Honorary Pallbearers.

The Placer family would like to thank Hospice of Acadiana for the loving care and attention over the years. To the nurses, bathers, social workers, and angels with Food with Love, we can never thank you enough.

To our wonderful and loving caregivers, especially Mary Ann Alfred, you have all become part of the Placer family.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in memory of Mr. Eloy J. Placer to Hospice of Acadiana - 337232-1234 - 2600 Johnston St. Suite 200 Lafayette, LA 70503 - https://hospiceaca diana.com/donate - OR Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist - 337-232-1322 914 St. John St., Lafayette, LA 70501 https://saintjohncathed r a l . o r g / m e m o r i a l-d o n a tions View the obituary and guestbook online at www.mourning.com Martin & Castille Funeral Home DOWNTOWN, 330 St. Landry Street, Lafayette, Louisiana 70506, 337-2342311

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

East Baton Rouge Parish teacher Erika Musgrove holds her son, Matthew, in 2025. Like other Louisiana teachers who lack paid parental leave, Musgrove had to cobble together sick time after giving birth. prevent teachers from forgoing paychecks when they have children.

But others were concerned about the expense to districts, with school board and superintendent groups saying it wasn’t feasible for school systems to shoulder the cost of paying teachers who are on leave, as well as their substitutes.

David Claxton, executive director of the Louisiana Association of School Superintendents, said school districts only offer employees partially paid medical leave because they also cover the cost of teachers’ replacements.

“We couldn’t afford to pay 100% of their salary and cover substitutes,” he said.

To ease that burden, the bill created the Paid Parental Leave for Educators Fund, which aims to reimburse districts for the amount they pay for substitutes. Claxton said the state stepping in financially made it easier for district leaders to get on board with the bill.

It remains to be seen whether the Legislature will

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tion did not look at other options, like moving some programs from the career center to Northside High School.

The community, Trahan said, is so passionate “because they feel like an injustice is being done.”

Arceneaux, Barbara Beadle

Public Notices

Acadiana Real Estate For Sale

and doesn’t have the capacity to accommodate them.

Continued from page 1B “We are a business like any other business,” Labue said.

Board member Amy TraFormula state funding away han, who represents the from other schools, she said. north area where the career The career center, she said, center is currently, said has a waiting list of students the board and administra-

Obituaries

put money into the fund.

After this year’s session wrapped up Monday, it’s unclear how long it could be until teachers see the benefit take effect.

Jenkins said he’s confident his colleagues will work with him next session, pointing out that paid parental leave aligns with many lawmakers’ family-centered values.

The new policy is “more than a benefit — you’re giving people an opportunity to bond with their family,” he said. “And like some of our neighboring states in the South, we’re trying to put resources behind our desire to see families grow.”

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COMEAUX

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

PUBLIC NOTICE --ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS Acadia Parish Police Jury (herein referred to as the "Owner") hereby solicits sealed bids for LeGros Memorial Airport, Run‐ way 4-22 Lighting and NAVAID Improvements project described as fol‐ lows: STATEMENT OF WORK: Removal of existing run‐ way and taxiway edge lighting, removal of exist‐ ing REILs, and installa‐ tion of new LED runway and taxiway edge light‐ ing and installation of new LED REILs. Also in‐ cluded is the removal and replacement of the airfield lighting controls.

Sealed Bids shall be ad‐ dressed to Acadia Parish Police Jury, and delivered to 505 Northeast Court Circle, Crowley, LA 70526 or submitted by elec‐ bid at www. tronic madereng.com not later than 10:00 a.m., on June 16, 2026. Any bid received after the specified time and date will not be con‐ sidered.

The sealed bids will be publicly opened and read aloud at 10:00 a.m., on June 16, 2026 at the Aca‐ dia Parish Police Jury lo‐ cated at 505 Northeast Court Circle, Crowley, LA 70526.

A Non-Mandatory / PREBID CONFERENCE WILL BE HELD: TIME & DATE: 10:00 a.m. on June 2, 2026 LOCATION: LeGros Memorial Airport Terminal Building Airport Road Estherwood, LA Attendance at the PreBid Conference is not mandatory in order to bid on the project; how‐ ever, bidders are encour‐ aged to attend. It is the responsibility of all po‐ tential bidders to visit the job site to assess the location and conditions prior to bidding.

The Instructions to Bid‐ ders, Bid Form, Contract, Specifications, Plans, and Forms of Bid Bond, Performance Bond and Payment Bond, and other bidding documents may be examined at the office of the Engineer for the contract; Mader Engi‐ neering, Inc. located at 1245 South College Road, Building 1, Lafayette, LA 70503; (337-989-8047).

Copies shall be obtained at the Engineer’s office (upon payment of a de‐ posit of $120.00) or may be downloaded from the Mader Engineering Plan h d b

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

g g Room as hosted by Cen‐ tral Bidding (subject to fees and conditions). The deposit will be refunded upon request in accor‐ dance with R.S. 38:2212, but Central Bidding fees are not refundable.

the project shall apply to the contract throughout.

Contractors submitting bids shall be licensed under LA R.S. 37:21502164, Building Construc‐ tion or Electrical. The bidder shall show his li‐ cense number on the bid and on the sealed enve‐ lope submitting the bid.

The signature on the bid must be that of an autho‐ rized representative of the corporation, partner‐ ship or other legal entity, as defined by Louisiana Public Bid Law Revised 38:2212.A.(1)(c) Statute which dictates parties authorized to submit bids for public contracts.

All required Certificates of Liability Insurance shall list the “Owner” as “additionally insured”.

The Owner reserves the right to reject any and all bids for just cause; such actions will be in accor‐ dance with Title 38 of the Revised Louisiana Statutes. In accordance with R.S. 38:2212 (A)(1) (b), the provisions and requirements stated in the Bidding Documents shall not be waived by any entity.

In accordance with R.S. 38:2212 (A)(1)(b), the pro‐ visions and requirements stated in the Bidding Documents shall not be waived by any entity.

The requirements of 49 CFR part 26 apply to this contract. It is the policy of the Acadia Parish Po‐ lice Jury to practice nondiscrimination based on race, color, sex, or na‐ tional origin in the award or performance of this contract. The Owner en‐ participation courages by all firms qualifying under this solicitation re‐ gardless of business size or ownership.

The proposed contract is subject to the Buy Ameri‐ can provision under 49 USC § 50101.

The successful bidder will be required to sub‐ mit Certifications regard‐ ing Foreign Trade Restric‐ tions under 49 CFR part 30, Government Wide De‐ barment and Suspension as per 2 CFR part 180 and Non-segregated Facilities as per 41 CFR § 60-1.8.

Attention to Bidders is particularly called to the requirements as to con‐ ditions of employment to be observed and mini‐ mum wage rates to be paid under the Davis Bacon Act Requirements.

All applicable Federal, State, Local laws, ordi‐ nances, and the rules and regulations of all au‐ thorities having jurisdic‐ tion over construction of

Notice is hereby given that the project is funded Federal and through State Grants which funds will not be available at the time of bidding. The Owner may reject all bids and cancel this solicita‐ tion should adequate funding not be secured within 30 days after bid opening. The time limits stipulated in LA. R.S. 38:2215(D) do not apply based upon the statutory exception that “the con‐ tract is to be financed in whole or in part by fed‐ eral or other funds which will not be readily avail‐ able at the time bids are opened.”

Each Bidder must de‐ posit with his/her bid, security in the amount of at least five percent (5%) of the total bid price, provided on the specified form and subject to the conditions provided in the Information for Bid‐ ders. Sureties used for obtaining bonds must appear as acceptable on the U. S. Department of Treasury Circular 570.

Barbara Beadle Arceneaux, 88, of Lafayette, passed away on May 18, 2026, while in hospice care.

Services will be held on June 5, 2026, at St. Mary Mother of the Church, located at 419 Doucet Road in Lafayette, beginning at 1:00 PM. A rosary will prayed at 2:00 PM, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 3:00 PM, officiated by Reverend Cedric Sonnier.

A Celebration of Life will follow, immediately after the Mass.

Barbara was preceded in death by her parents, Wesley E. Beadle Jr. and Bess B. Beadle; her infant son, Richard; her husband, Charles L. Arceneaux Sr.; and her nephew, Christopher S. Beadle.

She is survived by her brother, Wesley E. Beadle III, and his wife, Linda, and their son, Wesley E. Beadle IV, and his wife, Karen Beadle. She is also survived by her children: William "Biff" Arceneaux and his wife, Constance "Connie"; Charles "Chuck" Arceneaux Jr. and his wife, Tracy; and her daughter, Bess A. Trahan and her husband, Gerald "Jay" Trahan.

Her grandchildren include Leah Arceneaux, Paul Arceneaux, Charles "Chaz" Arceneaux III, Courtney A. Quintero and her husband, Michael Quintero, Chanel Arceneaux, Bess Trahan Stephenson and her husband, Kyle Stephenson, and Alexander Trahan. Her great-grandchildren include Alice Stephenson, Andrew Stephenson, and Ava Quintero.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Hospice of Acadiana, or the American Heart Association. Barbara bravely and selflessly donated her body to LSU Health Sciences Center for medical science and education to further future research and advancement.

Placer, Eloy J.

OWNER Acadia Parish Police Jury PUBLICATION/DATES: May 20, 2026 May 27, 2026 June 3, 2026 188076 May 20, 27, June 3, 2026 3t $1,947.94

Legal Notices

PUBLIC NOTICE --Notice is given that the 15th Judicial District Of‐ fice of the District Public Defender will hold a pub‐ lic hearing on Friday, June 12, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at 1010 Lafayette Suite 400, Street, Lafayette, LA, to consider adoption of its budget for the fiscal year July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2026. The proposed bud‐ get will be available for public inspection and comment at the Acadia, Vermilion, and Lafayette Parish office locations during regular business hours beginning June 9, 2026.

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Funeral services will be held on Thursday, June 4, 2026, at a 10:00 am Mass of Christian Burial in the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Lafayette for Eloy J. Placer, age 73, who passed away on Sunday, May 31, 2026, at his residence in Lafayette.

The family requests that visitation be observed in Martin & Castille's DOWNTOWN location on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm. A Rosary will be prayed on Wednesday evening at 6:00 pm in the funeral home.

The Very Reverend Chester Arceneaux, VF, will officiate the Mass and conduct the funeral services.

Concelebrant of the Mass will be Reverend Louis Richard. Interment will be

Puckett, Lisa Guidry

Lisa Guidry Puckett, 60, a native of Larose, LA and a resident of Youngsville, LA, passed away on Saturday, May 30, 2026.

Visitation will be from 9:30 am until 11:00 am on Monday, June 8, 2026 at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church, Larose, LA. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 am with burial to follow in the church cemetery.

She is survived by her husband, Robert "Bob" Puckett; mother, Shearon Guidry; sister, Karen Guidroz (Dwain) and brother, Michael Guidry (Laura), many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

She was preceded in death by her father, George Guidry, Jr. Lisa enjoyed crafting, cooking, and reading. She loved spending time with her family and friends and will be greatly missed.

Falgout Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

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W e d n e s d ay, J u n e 3, 2026

H

1Cn

Cajuns restore swagger after down ’25 late Sunday UL proves it can still State evening, two words to mind — compete in new era came mission accom-

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

UL third baseman Lee Amedee throws to first base to get an out against Mississippi State on Sunday in Starkville, Miss.

When the UL baseball program held its preseason news conference, seniors Andrew Herrmann and Lee Amedee said they were back to help restore the Ragin’ Cajuns to the level of success they had experienced in previous seasons after a disappointing 2025.

Several months later when observing the two emotionally and physically spent team leaders field questions after UL’s 19-5 loss to top-seeded Mississippi

plished.

Coach Matt Kevin Deggs, Herrmann and Amedee all Foote had to fight back tears after their restoration project ended in the Starkville Regional finals.

“You know, when everybody was walking in my office last year and quitting, they (Herrmann and Amedee) walked in and didn’t,” Deggs said. “There’s something to that. So, yeah, I’d

take a bullet for them. That’s just how I roll.”

Under their leadership, this team restored the program’s luster. UL produced an NCAA regional berth and 41 wins.

More importantly, the Cajuns scratched and clawed until the end.

“It’s all about the climb for me and it always has been,” Deggs said. “It’s always about the scrap.

It’s never the outcome or the final destination. We had a bunch of scrappers on this team, and they’re hard to let go of ... hard to let go of.

“We got dumped on our butts

N B A F I N A L S : K N I C K S A T S P U R S • 7: 3 0 P. M . W E D N E S D A y • A B C

PRIDE OF CHALMETTE

a year ago coming off three straight regionals and it hurt, it was personal. We had just the right collection of guys, the right dudes at the right spots at the right time. They showed up and they captured a lot of hearts and minds.”

The truth is the need for restoration campaigns after three or four years of success has been a routine in the UL program for the last four decades. It’s kind of the way for mid-majors these days.

But somehow, this bounce back seemed more important.

ä See FOOTE, page 3C

LSU BASEBALL

Portal fits to keep an eye on

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

The transfer portal has been a transformative tool for LSU coach Jay Johnson during his five seasons in charge of the Tigers.

But can LSU strike gold in the market again this summer, after a season in which the Tigers missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011?

Here are five names in the portal that LSU fans need to be aware of.

LHP Brody Trosclair

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By SUE OGROCKI

New york Knicks center Mitchell Robinson dunks during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers on May 25 in Cleveland. Robinson has played a key role off the bench this season as the Knicks reached the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999.

Everyone in town buzzing about Robinson, Knicks in NBA Finals

M

itchell Robinson was a man of few words that night eight years ago at the Sigur Civic Center in Chalmette.

Robinson, 20 years old at the time, had just heard his name called by the New York Knicks in the second round of the NBA draft.

The 7-foot Robinson may be tall, but his answers were short, just like they always had been whenever he got interviewed after one of his stellar performances playing for Chalmette High School.

When asked on draft night what he would bring to the Knicks, his answer was simple.

“Hopefully a ring,” he replied.

I remember my immediate thoughts.

“Of all the teams in the NBA, he’s going to New York City. I don’t know if a kid coming from a city of 22,000 people is going to be able to make it there, especially having to deal with the frenzy of the New York media.”

Boy, was I wrong.

Robinson, now the longest-tenured player on the Knicks roster, adjusted just fine.

Fast forward to 2026 and Robinson is just four wins away from getting that ring he talked about back in 2018. Robinson and the Knicks play the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals in a series that begins Wednesday night.

Robinson is a big reason they are in the Finals for the first time since 1999. He’s also

a big reason Butch Stockton’s phone won’t stop ringing.

Stockton was Robinson’s high school basketball coach.

Some of the phone calls are interview requests from media members. Others are just folks from Chalmette wanting to talk about Robinson.

“It’s the biggest thing going on in Chalmette right now,” Stockton said. “Just excitement for Chalmette and St. Bernard Parish. Everybody is excited for Mitchell and everyone is pulling for the Knicks right now because they are seeing one of their own.”

ä See ROBINSON, page 3C

NBA Finals has feel of something new Spurs, Knicks ready to make lasting memories

BY TIM REYNOLDS AP basketball writer

SAN ANTONIO — For a few hours Tuesday, the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks held practices on a floor that had the NBA Finals logo painted at midcourt.

They did interviews with the logo as a backdrop.

It might have seemed normal. It wasn’t.

This stage — the NBA Finals — is new to just about everyone on the Spurs and Knicks rosters, meaning very few players on eiASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JULIO CORTEZ ther side have any real idea of how the moment will seem Wednesday San Antonio Spurs forward Victor when the 80th title series in Wembanyama moves up the court night league history gets underway in against the Oklahoma City Thunder San Antonio. on May 26 in Oklahoma City.

They have two big things in com-

mon: It’s going to be new, and it took them all forever to get here.

“Falling in love with basketball happened really early on in my life,” San Antonio star Victor Wembanyama said. “I mean, I have pictures of myself with a basketball at an age where I was not even old enough to have memories.”

More memories will be made over the next four to seven games.

The Spurs are seeking their sixth title and first since 2014; the Knicks are seeking their third title and first since 1973.

Knicks guard Jalen Brunson — the MVP of the Eastern Conference finals — had nothing but the highest of praise to offer to Wembanyama, the MVP of the Western

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By SETH WENIG

New york Knicks guard Jalen Brunson reacts after a basket against the Cleveland Cavaliers on ä See FINALS, page 3C May 19 in New york.

Trosclair had a dominant freshman campaign at Northwestern State this spring, posting a 1.89 ERA in 38 innings while striking out 55 batters. He was also named the Southland Conference Freshman of the Year and became a first-team All-Southland Conference selection.

Since he entered the portal, there has been mutual interest between LSU and Trosclair, a Thibodaux native. Trosclair told The Advocate that he would visit LSU unofficially on Tuesday, with an official visit coming later.

The only question surrounding Trosclair is his health. The lefthander pitched only once after April 1 due to Tommy John surgery. But Trosclair told The Advocate he plans to begin throwing in October and be ready to pitch before the start of next season.

LSU already has lost one lefthanded pitcher to the portal (DJ Primeaux) and could lose another to the draft in Santiago Garcia. Adding Trosclair would go a long way in bolstering that part of the roster.

RHP Luke Neiswonger LSU has shown interest in Neiswonger, who told The Advocate that he expects to visit LSU in the near future.

Neiswonger’s numbers aren’t flattering. As a freshman, he posted a 5.34 ERA and allowed 34 hits in 32 innings. He also made only three appearances in conference play.

But LSU’s interest shouldn’t come as a surprise. Neiswonger generated a lot of swing and miss and kept his walk rate down, striking out more than 32% of the batters he faced and walking fewer than 7% of them.

His high ERA may have been a product of bad luck, as opponents had a .392 batting average on balls in play against him.

LSU likely will lose at least seven right-handed pitchers to the draft or transfer portal this summer. Neiswonger would help fill that gap.

OF Jake Souders Souders has visits lined up with Tennessee and Mississippi State, but don’t be surprised if

ä See LSU, page 3C

2C ● Wednesday, June 3, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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Russia-Ukraine clash set in Paris Kostyuk, Andreeva to meet in women’s semifinals

BY SAMUEL PETREQUIN

AP sportswriter

PARIS — Marta Kostyuk, the best player on clay this season and a vocal supporter of Ukraine amid the war with Russia, will play her first major semifinal at the French Open against a Russian.

Kostyuk won an intense allUkraine quarterfinal against Elina Svitolina 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 on Tuesday.

That set up Kostyuk against Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva, who thumped Romanian veteran Sorana Cirstea 6-0, 6-3.

In men’s play, 20-year-old Jakub Mensik ended the run of Brazil’s Joao Fonseca with a 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (3) victory.

“It was one of my best performances so far,” Mensik said.

The 19-year-old Fonseca beat 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic in five sets in the third round and then eliminated two-time runner-up Casper Ruud in the fourth round.

Mensik collapsed to the clay with cramps upon edging Mariano Navone in a fifth-set tiebreaker in the second round and also needed five sets to advance in the fourth round against Andrey Rublev.

For a place in Sunday’s final, Mensik will face second-seeded Alexander Zverev, the 2024 runner-up, who beat rising Spanish player Rafael Jodar 7-6 (3), 6-1, 6-3.

Kostyuk leads Andreeva 2-0 on the tour; the second win in the Madrid final a month ago. Kostyuk didn’t shake hands at the net, following protocol for Ukrainians with opponents from Russia and its ally Belarus since the war started four years ago.

“We had a very difficult night again in Ukraine, especially in Kyiv, so many people dead,” Kostyuk said. “I want to give this match to Ukrainian people and to their resilience. Slava Ukraini!

(Glory to Ukraine!)”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By AURELIEN MORISSARD

Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine reacts after winning a quarterfinal match against Elina Svitolina of Ukraine at the French Open in Paris on Tuesday.

Russia launched hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles against Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities overnight, killing at least 18 civilians and wounding more than 100 others, authorities said Tuesday.

“I texted my family if they were OK. This is pretty much all I can do,” Kostyuk said. “The biggest thing I can do is sit here and talk about it so more people can find out about it so they don’t get used to this terrible life.”

Svitolina said friends in Ukraine told her about the attacks just

hours before the match.

“Just very sad that we all have to really put up with this heaviness and pain every single day, and scared moments not knowing what’s going to bring the next day,” Svitolina said.

She will leave Roland Garros to look after the daughter she has with French tennis player Gael Monfils, but will be cheering on Kostyuk.

“Hopefully she can get the title,” Svitolina said. “It’s going to be massive for Ukraine.”

No. 7-seeded Svitolina got off to

a slow start but worked her way back, matching No. 15 Kostyuk’s power from the baseline. Kostyuk was better on the important points in the decider and improved her impressive 2026 record on clay to 17-0.

She’s the first Ukrainian woman to reach the semifinals at Roland Garros in the Open era since 1968.

Svitolina has reached the semis at the other three Grand Slams but failed for the sixth time to win a French Open quarterfinal.

Andreeva will appear in her second French Open semifinal, two years after the first. She was asked about the challenges of playing a Ukrainian in wartime.

“Well, for me it doesn’t matter who I play,” Andreeva said. “I really try to play against the ball that is coming at me. Usually it doesn’t matter to me who I’m playing against, so I’m trying to really focus on the game and on the game plan.”

Asked whether she found it frustrating to hear Russian opponents avoiding the issue, Kostyuk said she wished “there was some more clear stance on what’s going on.”

“Especially when your country is killing other people,” she added.

“I don’t know how you can sleep at night peacefully when you know that this is going on, and you have nothing to say about it.”

After a week of hot weather, rain arrived in Paris and play started and finished under the closed roof of Court Philippe-Chatrier. Competing in the quarterfinals for the first time in 17 years, Cirstea struggled to find her rhythm against her 19-year-old rival.

The 36-year-old veteran, playing the final season of her career, immediately dropped her serve. She didn’t hold serve or win a game until the first game of the second set. Andreeva’s deep, accurate groundstrokes and charges to the net took a toll on 18th-seeded Cirstea, whose attempt to come back was shortlived.

“I felt like it was one of my best matches so far this tournament,” Andreeva said. “Super happy to be back in semis.”

DiBetta connection lives on for Acadiana football

BY MIKE COPPAGE

HOUSTON — All-Star closer Josh Hader was reinstated from the 60day injured list Tuesday by Houston after sitting out all season, giving the Astros bullpen a major boost.

The left-hander had been out with left biceps tendinitis. He made nine minor league rehabilitation appearances to prepare for his return.

Hader, who is in his third season with the Astros, had a 2.05 ERA with 28 saves in 48 games last season. He was named to his sixth AllStar game last season.

In other moves on Tuesday, the Astros recalled outfielder Zach Cole from Triple-A Sugar Land and placed infielder Braden Shewmake on the 10-day injured list with a right adductor strain retroactive to Sunday.

Momcilovic commits to Kentucky after leaving draft

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Former Iowa State sharpshooter Milan Momcilovic has committed to Kentucky, giving coach Mark Pope one of the best players in the transfer portal.

Momcilovic announced his decision on Instagram on Monday, less than a week after pulling out of the NBA draft.

A 6-foot-8 forward, Momcilovic led the nation in 3-point shooting at 48.7% on 7.5 attempts per game last season and was fifth nationally in 3-pointers made. He made at least five 3-pointers in a game 10 times in 2025-26, including eight in a loss to Arizona in the Big 12 Tournament.

Momcilovic announced in April he planned to enter the transfer portal and test the NBA waters before pulling out just before the deadline.

Seahawks agree to 3-year extension with rusher Hall

SEATTLE — Outside linebacker Derick Hall has agreed to a three-year contract extension with the Seahawks, a league source confirmed to The Seattle Times on Tuesday morning, keeping a young player for the long haul at a position facing future uncertainty.

The deal is reported to be worth up to a base of $42 million and could earn Hall as much as $46.9 million and keeps him with the Seahawks through the 2029 season.

The contract includes a reported $21 million guaranteed. Contract details were first reported by ESPN and The NFL Network.

Hall is entering the final season of his rookie contract and due to make $1.993 million in 2026 on a four-year deal paying him up to $9.115 million overall.

Dolphins get receiver help with addition of Reagor

Contributing writer

The DiBetta-to-DiBetta connection at Acadiana High will resume this fall, which is bad news for opposing defenses.

Two years ago, quarterback Caden DiBetta and receiver Collin, his younger brother, set school passing/receiving records.

Now, junior Cohen DiBetta will be airing it out to Collin, who will be a senior. In the spring game against Madison Prep, the duo linked up with such precision that Collin landed a scholarship offer from Southern shortly afterward.

“Collin caught a long TD pass,” Acadiana coach Doug Dotson said. “He ate up the angles, and the Madison Prep kids are not slow at all.”

Dotson said Collin put on 10 pounds during a fantastic track and field season.

“I think it paid off,” he said, “watching those long runs.”

The Wreckin’ Rams still will rely heavily on the running attack in their veer offense, which will feature backs Syrian Joseph and Dashun Lightfoot, a heralded transfer from Franklin High in St. Mary Parish.

Holden Sam and Ashton Barras are additional running backs to watch, along with Brooklyn Lewis, a sophomore who draws comparisons to former Acadiana great Micah Eugene and can play both sides of the ball.

“We’ll need Collin on defense, too,” Dotson said. “He’s our leader and a ballhawk. Cohen did a good job. We feel like he can run the offense. He made some good pitches and a couple of good throws.”

Brandon Nezey, who has excellent size, moved from the defensive to offensive line. Isaias Avalos missed the spring game but “crushed the offseason,” said Dotson, who also mentioned offensive linemen Keddric Bour-

Astros closer Hader returns from 60-day IL

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Miami Dolphins signed Jalen Reagor on Tuesday to add another receiving option for new quarterback Malik Willis.

Reagor, selected 21st overall by Philadelphia in 2020, should bolster Miami’s thin receiving room, which lost stars Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle amid a roster overhaul under new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan.

Reagor caught 64 passes for 695 yards and three touchdowns in his first two pro seasons with the Eagles before being traded to the Vikings in 2022, where he carved more of a role as a punt returner with a loaded Minnesota receiving room that included star Justin Jefferson — who was selected one pick after Reagor in 2020.

NIshikori to conclude career at home at ’26 Japan Open

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD BOWIE

Acadiana receiver Collin DiBetta is expected to be a two-way performer for the Rams this fall. geois and Ethan Pittman.

“He’s a road grader,” Dotson said of Avalos. “When he blocks somebody, they can’t do anything about it.”

The defense, which was seniorheavy last year and led by Ohio State signee Darryus McKinley, returns end Joel Dorion and Ty Thomas, a speedster (10.6 seconds in 100 meters) in the secondary.

“We’ll have to lean on our offense to help our defense,” Dotson said. “With what we do, the offense is the defense’s best friend.

In this scheme, there are no quick three-and-outs. We want to take our time.”

Dotson liked what he saw from the defense against Madison Prep’s do-it-all quarterback Landon Johnson, who he said was the hottest player in Baton Rouge coming out of middle school.

“That’s a good football team,” he said of the Chargers. “It let us see what we need to work on.”

Tavion Gallien, a junior defensive back, is the younger brother of Travis Gallien, who had an exceptional senior year at receiver

while helping the Rams to the 3-5A district title.

“He’ll play cornerback and could line up some at receiver if he’s anything like his brother, which we think he is,” Dotson said of Gallien.

Receivers Gabe Decuir, Malik Gloston and Kacynn Ollison, who can also play running back, garnered praise from Dotson, as well as defensive back Makel Narcisse and linebacker Tylan Nolan.

Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@theadvocate.com.

PARIS — Former U.S. Open finalist Kei Nishikori will conclude his career at home when he plays in the Japan Open later this year.

The 36-year-old Nishikori has been given a wild card invitation by tournament organizers, the ATP Tour confirmed Tuesday.

The tournament in Tokyo will be held from Sept. 30 to Oct. 6.

By reaching No. 4, Nishikori was the highest-ranked Japanese man in the history of the ATP rankings.

Nishikori, having made his professional debut in 2007, also became the first Japanese man to advance to the final of a Grand Slam singles tournament at the 2014 U.S. Open.

He lost the title match in straight sets to Croatia’s Marin Cilic.

Nishikori also won a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics by beating Rafael Nadal.

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

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FINALS

FOOTE

Conference finals.

“Watching him as a player, it’s pretty unbelievable,” Brunson said Tuesday. “The things he’s able to do on both sides of the ball, people have never really seen before from a person of his size. So, it’s incredible to watch. He’s pretty incredible.”

The Spurs got to the NBA Finals by winning 62 games in the regular season, getting past Portland in Round 1, Minnesota in Round 2, then going the distance in a seven-game classic that ended the reign of Oklahoma City as NBA champions.

The Knicks got here on the strength of an 11-game playoff winning streak — the last three of Round 1 against Atlanta, then sweeping Philadelphia and Cleveland. And the winning margin over those 11 games is like none other in any 11-game stretch in the NBA’s 80-year history.

“It’s a great team,” Wembanyama said. “It’s a great team of experienced guys who are not here by chance, but by relentless effort over the years. Very different career paths for all of them.

They’re right where they’re supposed to be, in my opinion.”

The only players in this series who have started finals games in the past are Harrison Barnes (for Golden State) of the Spurs and

Last season felt like more than just a bad transition season to some fans.

There was a real fear the transferring frenzy powered by NIL had changed the path to success forever.

Was 2025 just a down year, or was it a sign the Cajuns could no longer compete in this new model of college baseball?

The Cajuns’ late-season surge in 2026 clearly showed the program is still viable. And watching Little Rock, Troy, Cal Poly and St. John’s reach the super regionals didn’t hurt, either.

Deggs was so encouraged by this season that he wasted no time setting lofty goals for next season.

“We have some really talented kids coming in, so if we can match what we’ve got position player wise on the bump ... I truly feel like this team will be knocking on the door of Omaha,” Deggs said.

“We’ll push to get there. I know I’m overconfident at times, I just am.

“It’s just me, but I don’t think starting next fall and making a goal to host is out of the realm of possibilities. I just don’t with this group.”

A decade ago, UL fans would be even more fired up after starting five freshmen and a sophomore in a regional finals game. The problem in 2026 is not knowing how many of those key young players will return.

“The bottom line is this, this is a brotherhood,” Deggs said. “If they decide that they want to be a part of that brotherhood and they want to bet on themselves if they want to be a big fish in a smaller pond ... that’s what it boils down to.

“That pond is very, very popular, and every scout in America knows about that little bitty small pond.

Continued from page 1C

Continued from page 1C

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ERIC GAy

New york Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns wears a cowboy hat during a workout on Tuesday in San Antonio. The NBA Finals starts Wednesday in San Antonio.

Knicks wing Mikal Bridges (for Phoenix). Barnes typically doesn’t start for San Antonio but Bridges typically does for the Knicks, and that means nine of the 10 starters in Game 1 will be in unfamiliar territory.

“When you can prepare the right way, when you do your routines, you treat it like a normal game, it allows you to be as normal as possible,” Brunson said.

There are ties that players have to NBA Finals past, even without playing in them. Spurs guard Dylan

LSU

Chris Ramirez, SS, Cal Baptist

Continued from page 1C LSU jumps into that mix soon. Souders and LSU have spoken, his adviser told The Advocate, and a visit to Baton Rouge is still in the cards.

The interest in Souders from across the Southeastern Conference is warranted.

He posted a 1.006 on-base plus slugging percentage this season and was a first-team All-Southern Conference selection.

With LSU likely losing its entire starting outfield, Souders is a strong plug-and-play option for the Tigers.

ROBINSON

Continued from page 1C It’s been more than 20 years since a player from a high school in the New Orleans area appeared in an NBA Finals. You have to go all the way back to 2003 when St. Augustine grad Kerry Kittles played for the then-New Jersey Nets against the Spurs to find a local star in the NBA Finals.

So it’s understandable why this is such a big deal.

“It don’t get no better than to be on the highest stage in basketball,” Stockton said.

“This is like playing in the Super Bowl in football. I can’t wait to see what happens.”

Stockton isn’t surprised by what already has happened.

Robinson, who moved from Florida to Chalmette for his junior year, was considered one of the best players in the country by the time he graduated in 2017.

One recruiting website had him ranked sixth nationally in the class, above future NBA stars such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Trae Young. Robinson was an easy choice for Metro Player of the Year by what was then The New Orleans Advocate after leading Chalmette to the Class 5A semifinals.

After his senior year at Chalmette, he took a year off to just train for the NBA. “I always felt he had the build and the talent,” Stockton said.

“He put a lot of work in.

He was always the first one in the gym and the last one to leave.”

Vicki Nuccio was one of the teachers at Chalmette and stays in touch with Robinson. She remembers those days when Robinson had to duck his head whenever he entered his classrooms.

“People thought he was going to do well, but I don’t think many people thought he would be where he is now,” Nuccio said. “It’s surreal seeing it. I can’t pull up my Facebook page without someone sharing something

Harper’s dad is Ron Harper, a five-time NBA champion as a player. Brunson’s father — Knicks assistant Rick Brunson — played for New York in the 1999 finals, and Knicks guard Jordan Clarkson got a bird’s-eye view of past Spurs championship parades. He grew up in San Antonio and his stepmother worked at a hotel that had a prime view of the parade route.

“Being able to take pictures and run up on players for autographs, I was definitely that kid,” said Clark-

Ramirez is a perfect replacement for Steven Milam at shortstop if he leaves for MLB. Ramirez, the WAC Player of the Year, was a star at Cal Baptist for two seasons, hitting .383 with a 1.016 OPS and 21 steals a year after winning the WAC Freshman of the Year award.

Like Milam, Ramirez is on the smaller side (5-foot-9, 170 pounds), but he was a defensive wizard at Cal Baptist, becoming a two-time All-WAC Defensive Team selection and winning the Defensive Player of the Year award this season.

son, whose father used to detail cars owned by some Spurs players. “Seeing this energy and seeing how alive the city comes when the Spurs are in the finals and winning championships, it’s a great experience.”

When it’s all over, a new champ will be crowned.

That team will be the NBA’s eighth different winning franchise in the last eight years — continuing a run like none other in league history. The Spurs are favored, and the Knicks don’t mind the underdog role.

Association Player of the Year as a sophomore, blasting 13 home runs with a 1.219 OPS and 36 stolen bases. He hit for more power as a sophomore than as a freshman — recording 24 more extra-base hits — and had 17 more walks than last year despite making the CAA All-Rookie Team the season prior.

Laskofski was the William & Mary shortstop this season, but he played third base as a freshman, meaning he could fill either role for the Tigers next year. LSU struggled to find a solution at third this season and won’t have Seth Dardar, Tanner Reaves, Trent Caraway or Brayden Simpson on next season’s roster.

Jamie Laskofski, SS, William & Mary

Email Koki Riley at koki.riley@ Laskofski was the Coastal Athletic theadvocate.com.

about him.”

There’s plenty to share about Robinson. It could be one of his blocked shots or rim-rattling dunks that gets Knicks diehard fan Spike Lee standing on his feet. Or it could be just fans capturing Robinson leaving Madison Square Garden driving one of his tricked-out, custom monster trucks.

“I need a damn ladder to get in there,” Stockton said with a laugh.

Robinson owns six of the trucks that he helps design.

Other than the fancy trucks and his 7-foot frame, you wouldn’t know Robinson was a key player for one of the NBA’s most storied franchises. He stays pretty low key.

“When you’re in the NBA, you obviously have the celebrity status,” Nuccio said.

“But he doesn’t care about any of that. Mitchell loves his daughter, his trucks and playing basketball. That’s it. So he does well with the fame.”

Guy McInnis is a former St. Bernard Parish president and also was an assistant coach for Chalmette during Robinson’s junior year. McInnis also is getting several phone calls and hearing all of the buzz around town as the NBA Finals approach.

“I’m excited, but I’m also nervous because I want him to play well and represent well,” McInnis said. “When you’re watching somebody from your school, it makes you proud.”

Robinson, despite breaking his right pinky finger and having surgery since the Eastern Conference finals ended, is expected to play. It’s not clear when or how the injury occurred.

“I don’t think anything could keep Mitch from playing in a finals,” Stockton said. “It’s once in a lifetime.”

The Knicks, seeking their first title since 1973, desperately need Robinson to play.

He gives them a physical presence to deal with 7-foot4 phenom Victor Wembanyama.

The Knicks and Spurs have played three times this season. The Knicks won the

two games that Robinson played in and lost the one Robinson didn’t play. In the NBA Cup championship game, the finale of the InSeason Tournament, Robinson recorded 15 rebounds on a night Wembanyama finished with 18 points and six rebounds.

The Knicks won the Cup championship 124-113. Now they have their eyes on an even bigger prize in a series that has several other ties to New Orleans.

Three of Robinson’s teammates (Jose Alvarado, Josh Hart and Trey Jemison) once played for the New Orleans Pelicans. Alvarado, a fan favorite in New Orleans, was traded to the Knicks in February.

The Spurs also have New Orleans connections. Reserve center Kelly Olynyk played for the Pelicans at the end of last season. San Antonio starting guard De’Aaron Fox was born in New Orleans but moved to Houston when he was 4 years old.

But the folks in Chalmette are rooting for the Knicks for one reason and one reason only. Chalmette is Mr. Robinson’s neighborhood.

He holds an annual camp there to give back to the kids.

“These kids, you can give them a dream, give them hope,” Robinson said at his camp in 2024.

Now he’s living his own dream, playing in the NBA Finals. Right after the finals, he’ll hold his camp again on June 25.

“He’s been doing great things here for a while,” Nuccio said. “Now the whole world gets to see him. The whole parish will be watching.”

That includes a coach whose phone just won’t stop ringing.

“I hope he gets that ring,” Stockton said. “They are going crazy up there in New York about the Knicks.”

They are doing the same thing 1,300 miles away in Chalmette.

Email Rod Walker at rwalker@theadvocate.com.

N O R T H A M ER I CA’S

If they want to bet on themselves — like Kyle DeBarge, Carson Roccaforte, LP Langevin, Julian Brock, C-Mo (Chase Morgan) and the rest of them.

DeBarge bet on himself.

He turned down 500 (thousand) and made 2.6 (million).”

It doesn’t take a seasoned scout to see how much talent Colt Brown has at catcher. The same can be said for Blaze Rodriguez at shortstop, Noah Lewis in center field and Sawyer Pruitt on the mound.

Josh Lim shined at times as well, as did pitchers Hayden Pearson late and Bryce Wilson early.

That doesn’t even include sophomores Mark Collins and Parker Smith.

“Well, it’s been incredible,” Deggs said of the underclassmen’s progress.

“You saw what these kids are capable of.”

What can’t happen is another recruiting class that doesn’t fit this mold.

“We train alpha leaders and it is not easy to play Cajun baseball,” Deggs said. “It’s demanding.

Those dudes have been up at 4 a.m. over 50 times this year. And they’ve been in the classroom a hundred times. They’re sick of hearing me talk. We grind and we tax them and we push, but we love them at the same time.”

The purpose of all of that is to prepare the team for the grueling road of postseason baseball.

“The more you sweat, the more you sweat in preparation,” Deggs said.

“Unless you bleed in battle — and these dudes are sold out on that — they will do absolutely whatever it takes. So they truly believe they’re going to win.

“That, to me, is more important than talent. It’s going to take you a long way, but when you can mix talent with a great culture, I think that can take you all the way.”

Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@theadvocate.com.

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4C ● Wednesday, June 3, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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UL assistant named Teurlings baseball coach

BY KEVIN FOOTE

Staff writer

Once the conversations began about UL assistant coach Zach LaFleur potentially filling the opening as the Teurlings Catholic baseball coach, the decision didn’t require a long, agonizing process.

Certainly, LaFleur has thoroughly enjoyed his six seasons on the Cajuns’ coaching staff under Matt Deggs.

But he also helped Teurlings Catholic to a state championship in 2012 as a student and knows all too well how good of a program he’s taking over.

“Yes, it happened pretty quickly,” LaFleur said. “Being a recruiting coordinator at a program like UL is about as high as you can get in college other than being a head coach, so it’s really an exciting move for me and my family to be a head coach, especially at a prominent program like Teurlings.”

Indeed, the Rebels reached the state semifinals this past season after winning back-to-back state titles in 2024-25 under coach Brooks Badeaux. Overall, the Rebels have won 10 state championships as a school.

Naturally, LaFleur has many fond memories of his days at Teurlings, which also aided him in making the decision to move there.

“Unbelievable memories — great coaches, just great people in general at Teurlings,” LaFLaFleur leur said. “That’s the most exciting thing. It feels like home with a lot of great people and tough blue-collar kids. I have nothing but great memories of that place and a ton of pride in the program’s tradition.

“Teurlings was instrumental in my career of getting me to the

junior college level and then to a great position at UL for so long.”

After Teurlings, LaFleur spent two seasons at LSU Eunice, where he helped the Bengals win the national championship as a freshman. In his sophomore season, he batted .414 with 19 doubles, seven home runs, 57 RBIs and led the nation with 63 stolen bases.

While at Teurlings, LaFleur was coached by Mike Thibodeaux, the brother of UL associate head coach Seth Thibodeaux.

In addition to the huge influence the Thibodeaux family has had on LaFleur’s baseball career, he also appreciates everything he’s learned serving under Matt Deggs at UL for the past six years.

“Coach Deggs is as good as it gets,” LaFleur said. “As far as just organization, running a program, doing things the right way. Then there’s stuff that I don’t know if he even gets enough credit for off the field in the community and in

the classroom.

“The team has had a GPA over a 3.0 for almost 10 years. As long as coach Deggs has been here, it’s been a 3.0. We’ve also led the country in community service, and then we perform on the field at a national level in most seasons.”

LaFleur has also learned from Deggs as a unique hitting coach.

“He shows you how to do it on and off the field — the hitting coach that he is and the head coach in general, just a baseball mind,” LaFleur said. “If you’re around him, you understand that pretty quickly, especially with hitters. I think he’s one of the best around, if not the best. He’s just creative and he’s not afraid to try things.”

LaFleur and the Cajuns enjoyed a great stretch drive to the 2026 season, which featured LaFleur replacing Deggs as the team’s third-base coach.

“A lot of fun,” LaFleur said.

“Coach Deggs has always instilled

confidence in me and he really didn’t even make it a big deal. He just said, ‘OK, I’m going to stay in the dugout and you go to third.’

“I loved being in action and luckily, we’ve been playing well offensively, so it’s been a lot of fun.”

While the two levels aren’t the same, LaFleur anticipates a quick adjustment period to high school baseball.

“Baseball is baseball, but college to high school. I’m sure there’s going to be an adjustment there,” LaFleur said. “I think the biggest adjustment is I don’t recruit on players. Who we have is who we have, but it’s a program that’s got great tradition with a ton of good players going through there.

“All my baseball philosophies and how I go about things from the pitching, defensive and hitting side aren’t going to change at all.”

Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@ theadvocate.com.

Heavener, Edwards among 5 LSU players to enter portal

BY JIM KLEINPETER Contributing writer

FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL BACIGALUPI

LSU pitcher Jayden Heavener delivers a pitch during warmups vs.

Ole Miss on April 18 at Tiger Park.

Heavener says she is entering the transfer portal.

Five LSU softball players, including two of the Tigers’ biggest names, have announced their intention to enter the transfer portal, which opens next Monday.

Left-handed pitcher Jayden Heavener and first baseman Tori Edwards plan to leave after their sophomore seasons in which they helped lead the Tigers to the super regionals.

Also planning to depart are utility player Maddox McKee, outfielder Destiny Harris and catcher Jada Phillips.

LSU coach Beth Torina declined to comment on the departures.

Heavener came to LSU as the nation’s No. 1 recruit in 2025 and started her career in spectacular fashion, throwing a five-inning perfect game against Charlotte with 13 strikeouts. She finished

her freshman season 13-5 with a 2.75 ERA and 152 strikeouts in 1192/3 innings.

This season, Heavener posted a 13-9 record with a 2.81 ERA and 128 strikeouts in 1391/3 innings. But Heavener struggled with her control. In two seasons, she walked 155 batters, hit 51 and threw 37 wild pitches.

“This hasn’t been an easy decision. I am extremely grateful for all the opportunities and friendships I made along the way,” Heavener posted on her X account. “Thank you for everyone who supported me through my journey here at LSU. Can’t wait to see what the future holds for me.”

Edwards, one of three team captains in 2026, was a preseason All-American who won SEC Freshman of the Year honors in 2025 after clubbing 18 homers and driving in 73 runs with a .383

average. Her numbers tailed off to 12 homers, 45 RBIs and a .284 average in 2026.

“I am extremely grateful for all of the friendships and opportunities that LSU has given me,” Edwards wrote on Instagram. “This experience has helped shape me in many ways. I’m really excited for what’s ahead and I have so much faith in God’s plan for this next chapter.”

McKee, Harris and Phillips played sparingly. McKee started 62 of 108 games in three seasons, including 37 starts last season while batting .284. Harris had 17 starts last season with two homers and 12 RBIs. Phillips played behind preseason All-American Maci Bergeron at catcher. She started seven games in two seasons.

LSU signed a seven-player recruiting class that has been ranked in the top three nationally.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU first baseman Tori Edwards records an out against Texas A&M on March 14 at Tiger Park.

SCOREBOARD Hole-in-one

Friday’s game

x-Game 3: Texas vs. Texas Tech, 7 p.m.

Austin Manvel Course: Santa Maria Hole: No. 5 Club used: 9 iron Witnesses: Cameron Kent, Jackson Greenwald

Odds NBA Wednesday

FAVORITE LINE O/U at SAN ANTONIO 4½ (218½)

UNDERDOG New York

MLB

American League FAVORITE LINE UNDERDOG LINE at TAMPA BAY -152 Detroit +128 at MINNESOTA -156 Chi. White Sox +130 at BOSTON -151 Baltimore +126 at N.Y YANKEES -160 Cleveland +134 National League FAVORITE LINE UNDERDOG LINE Miami -111 at WASHINGTON -108 at PHILADELPHIA -198 San Diego +164 at MILWAUKEE OFF San Francisco OFF LA Dodgers -195 at ARIZONA +162 Interleague FAVORITE LINE UNDERDOG LINE at SEATTLE -149 N.Y Mets +125 at CINCINNATI -139 Kansas City +117 at ATLANTA -145 Toronto +122 Texas -113 at ST. LOUIS -107 Athletics -123 at CHI. CUBS +104 Pittsburgh -153 at HOUSTON +129 at LA ANGELS -159 Colorado +134

Pro basketball (Best-of-7; x-if necessary)

San Antonio vs. New York

Wednesday: New York at S. Antonio, 7:30 p.m.

Friday: New York at San Antonio, 7:30 p.m.

Monday: San Antonio at New York, 7:30 p.m.

June 10: San Antonio at New York, 7:30 p.m. x-June 13: New York at San Antonio, TBA x-June 16: San Antonio at New York, TBA x-June 19: New York at San Antonio, TBA

WNBA Glance

EASTERN CONFERENCE

W 5 5 5 4 3 3 2

WESTERN CONFERENCE W 7 5 5 5 6 4 3 2

L 2 4 4 4 4 5 8 L 2 3 3 3 4 4 6 8

Pct .714 .556 .556 .500 .429 .375 .200 Pct .778 .625 .625 .625 .600 .500 .333 .200

GB — 1 1 1½ 2 2½ 4½ GB — 1 1½ 1½ 1½ 2½ 4½ 5½

Monday’s games

Dallas 79, Seattle 56 Minnesota 111, Phoenix 77

Tuesday’s games

Chicago at Washington, n Connecticut at Atlanta, n Las Vegas at Los Angeles, n Portland at Golden State, n

Wednesday’s games

Toronto at New York, 6:30 p.m.

Phoenix at Seattle, 9 p.m.

College softball NCAA Div. I World Series glance At Devon Park, Oklahoma City, Okla.

Double elimination; x-if necessary

Monday’s games

Game 11: No. 1 Texas 5, No. 2 Tennessee 2 Game 12: No. 1 Texas 4, No. 2 Tennessee 0 Game 13: No. 3 Texas Tech 5, No. 1 Alabama 4 Game 14: Texas Tech 2, Alabama 0

Championship Series (Best-of-3) Wednesday’s game

Game 1: Texas vs. Texas Tech, 7 p.m.

Thursday’s game

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

Carolina vs. Vegas

Tuesday: Vegas at Carolina, n Thursday: Vegas at Carolina, 7 p.m.

Saturday: Carolina at Vegas, 7 p.m.

June 9: Carolina at Vegas, 7 p.m. x-June 11: Vegas at Carolina, TBA x-June 14: Carolina at Vegas, TBA x-June 17: Vegas at Carolina, TBA

MLB glance American League Monday’s games

Detroit 10, Tampa Bay 9 Kansas City 9, Cincinnati 2 Minnesota 9, Chicago White Sox 6 Texas 2, St. Louis 1 Seattle 3, N.Y. Mets 2, 10 innings Colorado 9, L.A. Angels 8

Tuesday’s games

Detroit at Tampa Bay, n Baltimore at Boston, n Cleveland at N.Y. Yankees, n Kansas City at Cincinnati, n Toronto at Atlanta, n Chicago White Sox at Minnesota, n Texas at St. Louis, n Athletics at Chicago Cubs, n Pittsburgh at Houston, n Colorado at L.A. Angels, n N.Y. Mets at Seattle, n

Wednesday’s games

NBA Finals

Minnesota Dallas Las Vegas Golden State Portland Los Angeles Seattle Phoenix

NHL Finals

Pro baseball

Wednesday

Atlanta New York Toronto Indiana Washington Chicago Connecticut

Hockey

Game 2: Texas vs. Texas Tech, 7 p.m.

Detroit (Melton 1-0) at Tampa Bay (Martinez 5-1), 12:10 p.m.

Chicago White Sox (Fedde 0-5) at Minnesota (Bradley 5-1), 12:40 p.m.

N.Y. Mets (Peralta 3-4) at Seattle (Kirby 5-4), 2:40 p.m.

Baltimore (Bassitt 4-3) at Boston (Tolle 2-2), 5:45 p.m.

Cleveland (Williams 8-3) at N.Y. Yankees (Cole 1-0), 6:05 p.m.

Kansas City (Kolek 3-1) at Cincinnati (Burns 7-1), 6:10 p.m.

Toronto (Corbin 2-1) at Atlanta (Holmes 3-2), 6:15 p.m.

Texas (Gore 4-4) at St. Louis (Pallante 5-4), 6:45 p.m.

Athletics (Springs 3-6) at Chicago Cubs (Rea 5-3), 7:05 p.m.

Pittsburgh (Skenes 6-5) at Houston (Arrighetti 7-1), 7:10 p.m.

Colorado (Lorenzen 2-7) at L.A. Angels (Ureña 2-4), 8:38 p.m.

National League Monday’s games

righetti 7-1), 7:10 p.m.

Colorado (Lorenzen 2-7) at L.A. Angels (Ureña 2-4), 8:38 p.m.

L.A. Dodgers (Ohtani 5-2) at Arizona (Gallen 3-4), 8:40 p.m.

Game 3: Troy 15, Rider 7 Game 4: Florida 22, Miami 10

Super regionals

Sunday, May 31

Double elimination; x-if necessary

Athens Super Regional

College baseball

Game 5: Troy 9, Miami 6 Game 6: Troy 16, Florida 11

Monday, June 1

Saturday

Game 7: Troy 10, Florida 2

Hattiesburg Regional

Game 1: No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 1 Mississippi St., 10 a.m.

Sunday

NCAA Division I Regionals glance Double elimination; x-if necessary

Atlanta Regional Friday, May 29

Saturday, May 30

Game 2: Okahoma 8, The Citadel 3 Game 3: The Citadel 9, UIC 8 Game 4: Georgia Tech 9, Oklahoma 3

Sunday, May 31

Saturday, May 30

Sunda, May 31

Game 5: Oklahoma 8, The Citadel 3 Game 6: Oklahoma 15, Georgia Tech 8

Monday, June 1

Game 7: Oklahoma 8, Georgia Tech 7

Athens Regional Friday, May 29

Game 1: Liberty 4, Boston College 3

Saturday, May 30

Game 2: Georgia 18, LIU 2 Game 3: Boston College 8, LIU 4 Game 4: Georgia 6, Liberty 2

Sunday, May 31

Game 5: Liberty 8, Boston College 3 Game 6: Georgia 6, Liberty 1

Auburn Regional Friday, May 29

Game 1: Milwaukee 13, Auburn 8

Saturday, May 30

Game 2: UCF 9, NC State 3 Game 3: Auburn 17, NC State 13 Game 4: Milwaukee 13, UCF 6

Game 5: Jacksonville St. 7, Virginia 6 Game 6: Little Rock 6, Jacksonville St. 3

Saturday

Lawrence Regional Friday, May 29

Game 2: No. 1 Texas vs. No. 1 Oregon, 8 p.m. x-Game 3: No. 1 Texas vs. No. 1 Oregon, TBD

Game 5: Arkansas 10, Northeastern 9 Game 6: Kansas 13, Arkansas 10

Friday

Sunday, May 31

Chapel Hill Super Regional

Lincoln Regional Friday, May 29

Game 1: Nebraska 4, South Dakota St. 1 Game 2: Ole Miss 7, Arizona St. 6, 14 inn.

Saturday, May 30

Game 3: Arizona St. 17, South Dakota St. 0 Game 4: Ole Miss 6, Nebraska 3

Sunday, May 31

Game 5: Arizona State 11, Nebraska 8 Game 6: Ole Miss 5, Arizona St. 4

Saturday, May 30

Friday, May 29

Sunday, May 31

Game 5: UC Santa Barbara 9, Tarleton St. 5 Game 6: Texas 6, UC Santa Barbara 4

Chapel Hill Regional Friday, May 29

Game 1: East Carolina 7, Tennessee 3, 14 inn.

Game 2: North Carolina 8, VCU 0

San Diego at Philadelphia, n Miami at Washington, n Kansas City at Cincinnati, n Toronto at Atlanta, n San Francisco at Milwaukee, n Texas at St. Louis, n Athletics at Chicago Cubs, n Pittsburgh at Houston, n Colorado at L.A. Angels, n L.A. Dodgers at Arizona, n N.Y. Mets at Seattle, n

Game 3: VCU 5, Tennessee 4 Game 4: North Carolina 7, East Carolina 5

Sunday, May 31

Game 5: East Carolina 10, VCU 0 Game 6: North Carolina 9, East Carolina 3

College Station Regional

Game 1: Texas A&M 7, Lamar 5 Game 2: Texas St. 5, Southern Cal 4

Saturday, May 30

Game 3: Southern Cal 19, Lamar 6 Game 4: Texas A&M 17, Texas St. 2

Sunday, May 31

Game 3: UCLA 6, Virginia Tech 5 Game 4: Cal Poly 14, Saint Mary’s (Cal) 1 Game 5: Saint Mary’s (Cal) 6, UCLA 5 Game 6: Cal Poly 5, Saint Mary’s (Cal) 2

Morgantown Regional

Saturday, May 30

Game 3: Oregon St. 9, Yale 2 Game 4: Oregon 4, Washington St. 0

Sunday, May 31

Game 5: Oregon St. 10, Washington St. 1 Game 6: Oregon 4, Oregon St. 1

Game 5: West Virginia 0, Wake Forest 5 Game 6: West Virginia 11, Kentucky 9

Monday, June 1

Game 7: West Virginia 6, Kentucky 5

Starkville Regional Friday, May 29

Game 1: Mississippi St. 10, Lipscomb 1 Game 2: Cincinnati 12, UL 2

Saturday, May 30

Game 3: UL 10, Lipscomb 4 Game 4: Mississippi St. 10, Cincinnati 5

Sunday, May 31

Game 5: UL 8, Cincinnati 6 Game 6: Mississippi St. 19, UL 5

Tallahassee Regional

Game 1: St. John’s 6, Florida St. 5 Game 2: N. Illinois 12, Coastal Carolina 10 Game 4: St. John’s 21, N. Illinois 8

Sunday, May 31

Game 3: Florida St. 2, Coastal Carolina 1 Game 5: Florida St. 7, N. Illinois 4 Game 6: St. John’s 5, Florida St. 4

Tuscaloosa Regional Friday, May 29

Game 1: SC-Upstate 8, Oklahoma St. 5 Game 2: Alabama 21, Alabama St. 3

Saturday, May 30

Friday, May 29

Game 3: Oklahoma St. 7, Alabama St. 7, 11 inn.

Game 4: Alabama 7, SC-Upstate 5

Saturday, May 30

Game 5: Oklahoma St. 12, SC-Upstate 1 Game 6: Alabama 9, Oklahoma St. 7

Gainesville Regional Game 1: Florida 8, Rider 7 Game 2: Miami 10, Troy 5

Lawrence Super Regional Saturday

Game 1: No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 2 Oklahoma, 5 p.m.

Sunday

Game 2: No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 2 Oklahoma, 5 p.m. x-Game 3: No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 2 Oklahoma, TBD

Morgantown Super Regional Friday

Game 1: No. 1 West Virginia vs. No. 3 Cal Poly, 11 a.m.

Saturday

Friday

Sunday, May 31

Saturday, May 30

Game 1: Washington St. 3, Oregon St. 2 Game 2: Oregon 14, Yale 2

Game 2: No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 2 Southern California, 1 p.m. x-Game 3: No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 2 Southern California, TBD

Game 3: Wake Forest 12, Binghamton 3 Game 4: Kentucky 11, West Virginia 9

Saturday, May 30

Game 7: Southern Cal 7, Texas A&M 1

Friday, May 29

Saturday

Game 1: Kentucky 6, Wake Forest 5 Game 2: West Virginia 10, Binghamton 1

Friday, May 29

Eugene Regional

Game 1: No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 2 Southern California, 2 p.m.

Game 2: No. 1 West Virginia vs. No. 3 Cal Poly, 11 a.m. x-Game 3: No. 1 West Virginia vs. No. 3 Cal Poly, TBD

Friday, May 29

Game 5: Southern Cal 15, Texas St. 4 Game 6: Southern Cal 14, Texas A&M 3

Monday, June 1

Game 1: No. 1 Texas vs. No. 1 Oregon, 7 p.m.

Sunday

Game 7: Auburn 8, Milwaukee 3

Sunday, May 31

Austin Super Regional

Game 3: Northeastern 5, Missouri St. 1 Game 4: Kansas 5, Arkansas 3

Monday, June 1

Game 3: UC Santa Barbara 15, Holy Cross 1 Game 4: Texas 16, Tarleton St. 2

Game 2: No. 1 Auburn vs. No. 2 Ole Miss, 4 p.m. x-Game 3: No. 1 Auburn vs. No. 2 Ole Miss, TBD

Saturday, May 30

Game 1: Saint Mary’s (Cal) 3, UCLA 2 Game 2: Cal Poly 6, Virginia Tech 2

Saturday, May 30

Game 1: No. 1 Auburn vs. No. 2 Ole Miss, 7 p.m.

Saturday

Friday, May 29

Game 1: Texas 19, Holy Cross 1 Game 2: Tarleton St. 11, UC Santa Barbara 5

Friday

Game 1: Kansas 6 Northeastern 3 Game 2: Arkansas 9, Missouri St. 5

Los Angeles Regional

Friday, May 29

Miami (Meyer 5-0) at Washington (Alvarez 1-0), 12:05 p.m.

N.Y. Mets (Peralta 3-4) at Seattle (Kirby 5-4), 2:40 p.m.

San Diego (Buehler 3-3) at Philadelphia (Sánchez 6-2), 5:40 p.m.

Kansas City (Kolek 3-1) at Cincinnati (Burns 7-1), 6:10 p.m.

Toronto (Corbin 2-1) at Atlanta (Holmes 3-2), 6:15 p.m.

San Francisco (Webb 2-4) at Milwaukee (TBD), 6:40 p.m.

Texas (Gore 4-4) at St. Louis (Pallante 5-4), 6:45 p.m.

Athletics (Springs 3-6) at Chicago Cubs (Rea 5-3), 7:05 p.m.

Pittsburgh (Skenes 6-5) at Houston (Ar-

Auburn Super Regional

Game 5: Auburn 9, UCF 3 Game 6: Auburn 8, Milwaukee 1

Austin Regional

Game 2: No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 1 Mississippi St., 11 a.m. x-Game 3: No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 1 Mississippi St., TBD

Game 3: Virginia 15, Southern Miss 11, 10 innings Game 4: Little Rock 8, Jacksonville St. 6

Sunday, May 31

Saturday, May 30

Wednesday’s games

Game 1: Little Rock 7, Southern Miss 4 Game 2: Jacksonville St. 15, Virginia 7

Game 1: Georgia Tech 22, UIC 5

Miami 7, Washington 3 Kansas City 9, Cincinnati 2 Texas 2, St. Louis 1 Milwaukee 16, San Francisco 2 Arizona 4, L.A. Dodgers 1 Seattle 3, N.Y. Mets 2, 10 innings Colorado 9, L.A. Angels 8

Tuesday’s games

Friday, May 29

Sunday, May 31

Troy Super Regional

Game 1: No. 3 Troy vs. No. 4 Little Rock, 4 p.m.

Saturday

Game 2: No. 3 Troy vs. No. 4 Little Rock, 2 p.m. x-Game 3: No. 3 Troy vs. No. 4 Little Rock, TBD

Tuscaloosa Super Regional Saturday

Game 1: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 St. John’s, 8 p.m.

Sunday

Game 2: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 St. John’s, 2 p.m. x-Game 3: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 St. John’s, TBD

College World Series June 12-21/22 Omaha, Neb.

Tennis French Open results Tuesday At Stade Roland Garros, Paris Purse: €28,900,000 Surface: Red clay

Men’s Singles

Quarterfinals Alexander Zverev (2), Germany, def. Rafael Jodar (27), Spain, 7-6 (3), 6-1, 6-3.

Jakub Mensik (26), Czechia, def. Joao Fonseca (28), Brazil, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (3).

Women’s Singles

Quarterfinals Mirra Andreeva (8), Russia, def. Sorana Cirstea (18), Romania, 6-0, 6-3.

Marta Kostyuk (15), Ukraine, def. Elina Svitolina (7), Ukraine, 6-3, 2-6, 6-2.

LIVING

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

|

W e d n e s d ay, J u n e 3, 2026

5Cn

Lafayette spot known for authentic Italian pizza introduces pastries — with burgers to come

Is the magic number for easy yogurt chicken with Indian raita, coriander chutney and rotis

BY GRETCHEN McKAY

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (TNS) “The Great British Bake Off” contestant and author Chetna Makan’s latest cookbook aims to make Indian food more accessible by making a wide array of recipes really easy.

In “Chetna’s 5-Ingredient Indian: Delicious Recipes Made Easy” (Hamlyn, $33), the Jabalpur native delivers more than 90 recipes for fish, chicken, rice and vegetarian dishes along with simple breads, sweet and tangy chutneys, crunchy snacks and sweets.

Here’s the hook: Not countRecipes, ing the occasion2D al pinch of chili powder or spoonful of sugar, all require five or fewer ingredients. It’s proof positive that cooking a delicious Indian meal from scratch doesn’t have to be complicated or take hours in the kitchen!

To demonstrate just how easy it is to pull together a lovely meal in short order, I made a chicken dish that never fails to please; a single-ingredient bread; a spicy-tangy green chutney; and raita, a popular condiment made of thick yogurt mixed with grated raw cucumber. If you’re organized, the meal takes about a half hour, start to finish.

Indian spice blends traditionally are made with many different spices to create a variety of flavors and aromas, so they can be costly to make at home.

Thankfully, they’re also easy to find prepackaged in any Indian market or on Amazon.

PHOTOS By ROBIN MAy

Pastry chef Gina Sarrica lays out her homemade pastries for diners at Sarrica’s Little Italy Restaurant on May 23 in Lafayette.

ROLLING IN THE DOUGH

S

BY JOANNA BROWN

arrica’s Little Italy started with a passion for authenticity.

When Gina and Santi Sarrica moved to Lafayette from New York City three years ago, they hit the ground running. First, it was Neapolitan-style pizzas, sold out of their home using ingredients imported from Italy.

Sarrica’s Italian Pizza was quick to develop a following, even as they moved around town in search of more and more oven space — first a food truck down Johnston Street, followed by a brief stint in a downtown beer garden.

Sarrica’s Italian Pizza rebranded into Sarrica’s Little Italy in early 2025 with a move into their first true brick-and-mortar restaurant, at 3546 Ambassador Caffery Parkway — formerly occupied

by Tabouleh Lebanese Cuisine.

Over the past year, the Sarricas have fully moved into the space, transforming it into the kind of old-school, vibrant Italian restaurant that feels like a family dining room, with murals on the wall, candles everywhere, and a crowning portrait of Santi, Gina and their daughter, Esmeralda, in the center.

Yogurt Chicken Serves 4. Recipe is from “Chetna’s 5-Ingredient Indian”

by Chetna Makan.

9 ounces plain yogurt 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon chili powder 2 tablespoons tandoori masala spice mix 8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, each cut into 4 pieces Oil, for frying 4 onions, roughly chopped 2 tablespoons ginger and garlic paste 1. Put yogurt in a bowl with salt, chili powder and tandoori masala and mix well.

2. Add chicken pieces and turn to coat them well. Cover and leave to marinate for 1 hour or overnight in the refrigerator.

3. Heat 2-3 tablespoons oil in a large, deep frying pan, then add chopped onions. Cook over medium heat for 8-10 minutes until deeply golden.

4. Add ginger and garlic paste and cook for 1 more minute, then add marinated chicken along with its marinade and mix well.

5. Cover and cook over low heat for 15 minutes. Uncover pan and continue to cook over a high heat for 10 minutes.

6. Turn off heat and let it sit for a final 10 minutes before serving.

Staff writer

Sarrica’s Little Italy Restaurant held a tasting event May 23 as they will soon launch Panificio Sarrica, a bakery within the restaurant that will offer house-made Italian and Latin American pastries from early morning until sellout.

The move came with a menu expansion into the broader world of Italian cuisine, featuring classic dishes like osso buco over red wine risotto, and fettuccine with wild mushrooms and truffle oil (the menu also changes every couple of weeks). Gina Sarrica is the driving force behind the restaurant’s creative vision, according to Santi,

who said that she is constantly researching new menus.

“Since the very beginning, she actually taught me a lot about my own cuisine, about my own culture,” said Santi Sarrica, who is from Palermo, Sicily, while Gina is from Colombia. “A lot of times

ä See SARRICAS, page 6C

THE BEST THINGS WE ATE THIS WEEK

Find a new food obsession with our recent favorites A strawberry and mango soft serve margarita from Casa Maria in Baton Rouge

STAFF PHOTO

By ELLA RAy

Staff report

Soft serve margaritas

n Casa Maria, 7955 Bluebonnet

Blvd., Baton Rouge

Ever since the concept of soft serve margaritas appeared on my TikTok, I’ve been obsessed.

Casa Maria’s take on the drink did not disappoint.

I got a strawberry and mango swirl soft serve margarita with

sprinkles on top. The drink came with the option of a tajin rim and a straw encased in a fruit leather-like treat. The margarita tasted more like a sorbet ice cream than an alcoholic drink, which I loved as someone who dislikes the taste of alcohol.

Although it’s an adult drink, it filled me with childhood nostalgia of eating ice cream on a hot

ä See BEST, page 6C

6C ● Wednesday, June 3, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

lll

Warm water eases pain Pushy neighbor gets cold shoulder Dear Heloise: I learned of a way to mind. — Linda H., in Lincoln, Nebraska help with ankle pain. Actually, I Linda, if I were you, I think I’d have a lot of pain all over, but to prefer a roll of toilet paper that help my ankles a bit when taking was fresh from the package ina shower, I plug the drain stead of the bathroom for and let the warm/hot wareduced bacteria in my refrigerator. — Heloise ter go up and around my ankles. It does help quite Flea season advice a bit, and it doesn’t use up any additional water.

Dear Heloise: Flea season Any relief is good relief. is upon us, and I have Hints from some advice to give to Thanks for publishing Heloise your readers since I work your wonderful column.

— D.K., in Tiffin, Ohio with dogs all day everyD.K., I’m sorry to hear about day. Here are some facts everyyour ankles giving you so much one should know: n A female flea can and does discomfort, but I hope the warm water keeps helping with your lay well over 100,000 eggs in pain. If my readers know of any only a month. n Fleas carry both typhus and other remedies for ankle pain (or pain in general), please subtapeworms. Tapeworms can cause anemia in your dogs (and mit them to Heloise@Heloise. cats, too). com! — Heloise n Fleas cause tremendous Deviled eggs and more discomfort to an animal, causing them to constantly scratch and Dear Heloise: I usually prepare whine. deviled eggs for family gatherIf your dog or cat has fleas, be ings. Sometimes it’s too much to sure to bathe them frequently boil, peel and prepare the yolks and brush them daily. Brushing at one time. This past Easter, I will help remove the flea eggs, so boiled and peeled the eggs the do this outside if you can. Also, Saturday before. Then I put use a flea and tick collar. Your vet them in the refrigerator whole. will have flea prevention medicaOn Sunday after church and a couple of hours before dinner, tion. I don’t recommend over-theI finished preparing them. We counter anti-flea applications becouldn’t tell the difference. cause most of them don’t work or Another hint that I’ve been only work for a very short time. wanting to share is that I put a roll In addition, if you or anyone in of toilet paper in the refrigerator your home has itchy, red specks to eliminate odors. I’ve been doing on their legs, you may have fleas this for about a year, and it works. in your rugs and carpets. This If you start to smell an odor in the will require professional steam refrigerator, replace the roll and cleaning. A regular vacuum usuuse one from the bathroom. (No ally doesn’t have enough suction waste!) If you’re older like me, to pull out many fleas. — Kelly C., in make sure you tell your family Macon, Georgia why you are storing toilet paper in your refrigerator so that they Send a hint to heloise@heloise. don’t think you’re losing your com.

I have rebuffed her latest atDear Miss Manners: How should one respond when an acquaintance tempts to get together with vague asks, “Have I done someexcuses such as, “Maybe some other time” and “I’m thing to offend you?” actually quite busy right I have a neighbor with now.” So now she wants to whom I’ve tried to be know if she’s offended me friendly. Over the course in some way. of a few months, she’s I have no desire to purmade unpleasant remarks, Judith overstepped invitations to sue this friendship or “talk Martin things out.” I certainly my home and insistently MISS passed on information that don’t wish to return her MANNERS I knew to be false. rudeness with more rudeFor example, I had her ness on my part. and a few other women over for What’s a reasonable, yet firm, tea, and as I was welcoming them response? “Yes, actually, you into the house, she asked if she have offended me”? could show them the upstairs. I Gentle reader: That is a firm resaid that I’d prefer she not, but sponse, and possibly a reasonable she barreled past me up the stairs, one, given the circumstances. But saying she was sure it was fine.

Miss Manners will tell you what

you already know: It is not the response you want, because then you are going to have to explain how this woman offended you.

This will end with you giving tours of your bedroom suite to her visiting college roommates and their spouses and children.

What you want is a way to make her leave you alone, which can be accomplished with your best look of deep concern and the return question of, “What ever would make you say that?” Then appear not to be paying too much attention when she answers, in the hope that she will review her own actions.

Send questions to Miss Manners at her website, www. missmanners.com.

‘CHETNA’S 5-INGREDIENT INDIAN’ RECIPES

Coriander Chutney Makes about 1 cup. Recipe is from “Chetna’s 5-Ingredient Indian” by Chetna Makan.

1 ounce fresh coriander (cilantro), leaves and stalks ¼ ounce fresh mint leaves Juice of 1 lemon 2 tablespoons plain yogurt ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon sugar 2 green chiles, stems removed (and deseeded, if desired)

nice, soft rotis.

3. Divide rested dough into 12 portions. (I made 8 portions.) Use a rolling pin to roll out each one on a floured work surface into a thin disc 6 or 7 inches in diameter.

4. Heat a frying pan until hot.

Cook each roti on one side for a few seconds. Once you spot a few bubbles forming, turn it over.

After a few seconds, turn it back over and press gently with a spatula — this will help it to puff up.

5. Once it’s ready, brush with some ghee or melted butter, and serve.

1. In a food processor, blitz coriander, mint, lemon juice, yogurt and chiles along with ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon sugar.

Makes about 2 cups. Recipe 2. Don’t be tempted to add wa- is from “Chetna’s 5-Ingredient ter to this — let it blitz with just Indian” by Chetna Makan. the ingredients above to achieve 1 whole cucumber, grated the right consistency.

10½ ounces plain yogurt ½ teaspoon chili powder ½ teaspoon sugar ½ teaspoon ground cumin Makes 12. Recipe is from 1 green chile, thinly sliced “Chetna’s 5-Ingredient Indian”

by Chetna Makan.

1. Put the cucumber on a plate and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt.

10½ ounces chapatti flour, plus extra Let it sit for 15 minutes. for dusting 2. In a bowl, mix yogurt with 1. Put flour in a bowl and slowly chili powder, sugar and ground add 7-8 ounces of water (not all at cumin.

3. Squeeze the excess water once). You want to add a little and from the cucumber (I used a mix before adding more.

2. Once you have a nice soft clean dish towel), add the flesh to dough, knead for 1 minute, then the yogurt and mix well.

4. Sprinkle chile slices on top cover and let it rest for at least 1520 minutes. This is key to getting and serve.

Raita (Cucumber Yogurt)

Roti Flatbread

TODAY IN HISTORY

By The Associated Press Today is Wednesday, June 3, the 154th day of 2026. There are 211 days left in the year.

Today in history: On June 3, 1943, an altercation between U.S. Navy sailors and young Mexican Americans on the streets of Los Angeles led to several days of clashes known as the Zoot Suit Riots as White mobs attacked Mexican Americans across the city, injuring more than 150 people.

Also on this date: In 1844, the last confirmed specimens of the great auk, a flightless bird, were killed on Eldey island, near Iceland.

In 1888, the poem “Casey at the Bat” by Ernest Lawrence Thayer was first published in the San Francisco Daily Examiner.

In 1935, the French liner SS Normandie set a record on its maiden voyage, arriving in New York after crossing the Atlantic in just four days.

In 1937, Edward, The Duke of Windsor, who had abdicated the British throne, married American socialite Wallis Simpson in a private ceremony in Monts, France.

In 1965, during the Gemini 4,

spaceflight, astronaut Edward H. White became the first American to “walk” in space.

In 1989, Chinese army troops entered Beijing’s Tiananmen Square to begin a crackdown on student-led pro-democracy demonstrations, crushing their movement.

In 2016, former heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali, whose athletic feats and activism placed him among the most revered athletes of all time, died in Scottsdale, Arizona, at age 74.

In 2017, elite rock climber Alex Honnold became the first to climb solo to the top of the massive granite wall known as El Capitan in Yosemite National Park without ropes or safety gear.

Today’s birthdays: Former Cuban President Raúl Castro is 95.

Basketball Hall of Famer Billy Cunningham is 83. Golf Hall of Famer Hale Irwin is 81. Singer Suzi Quatro is 76. Singer Deniece Williams is 76. Former first lady Jill Biden is 75. Olympic gymnastics gold medalist Peter Vidmar is 65. Musician Kerry King (Slayer) is 62. Tennis player Rafael Nadal is 40. Singer Beabadoobee is 26. Actor Louis Partridge is 23.

Santi Sarrica and his daughter, Esmerelda, greet diners at Sarrica’s Little Italy Restaurant.

SARRICAS

Continued from page 5C when you live in a place, you don’t really appreciate what you have.”

Gina Sarrica is a bit more reserved than her husband, but is no less a whirlwind of activity, bringing out platter after platter of fresh pastries for a tasting event held recently at the restaurant. After three years of constant change and growth, she has spent the past year diving into the world of pastry in preparation for a new venture — Panificio Sarrica.

Very soon, Sarrica’s Little Italy will also be home to a bakery, Panificio Sarrica, that will offer housemade Italian and Latin American pastries from early morning until sellout. Santi Sarrica said that they plan to open the bakery in early June, and the May 23 tasting event featured the kind of transportive delicacies that looked, almost, too pretty to eat.

“This croissant has 200 to 500 layers, that we achieve with around 7 to 10 folds — you can taste it by the crunchiness, and the softness as well,” said Gina Sarrica, who

uses ingredients like cocoa and activated charcoal to create croissants that are expertly-laminated pieces of art. Her focaccia bread has a rich, textured crust over a pillowy dough, and there was a bow-shaped pastry filled with dulce de leche that provided a sweet nod to Gina Sarrica’s South American roots.

She trained under pastry chef Alejandro Guerra to prepare for the restaurant’s expansion into pastry, which involved weeks of intense focus, according to Santi Sarrica.

“When she does something, she’s got to be the best — and even when she gets to be the best, she’s like, ‘no, I can do more, I can do better, I can improve myself.’ This is our way of showing our love, our appreciation to the community,” he said. “It’s about making something that is worth, not just eating, but looking at and enjoying.”

Once Panificio Sarrica is open for business, the Sarricas plan to turn their attention to yet another project — transforming the restaurant’s outdoor patio into a Colombian burger joint.

Yes, this means that Sarrica’s Little Italy will soon feature Italian

PHOTO By ROBIN MAy

pizzas and entrees, with pastries in the morning, and burgers on the patio (which will be transformed with a vibrant street-dining energy).

Santi Sarrica said, “It’s gonna be completely different than the restaurant. Colorful, energetic, and whatever’s happening inside won’t be happening outside. She wants to incorporate the Italian culture with, of course, a Colombian culture, which also has a very big culinary scene. And they love hamburgers.”

“We’re excited, but we’re also scared, because we already have no life,” he said. “We haven’t stopped for a second. She especially is always researching, putting things together, elevating. We never know what’s coming out of it, but every time it’s been a success.”

Sarrica’s Little Italy is located at 3546 Ambassador Caffery Pkwy., Suite A, and they are currently open during lunch and dinner hours from Wednesday to Friday.

Saturday service is 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday is 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and they are closed on Monday and Tuesday.

Email Joanna Brown at joanna. brown@theadvocate.com.

BEST

Continued from page 5C Louisiana day.

The sweet, fruity drink is a fun balance to chips and salsa — and a new favorite for girls night.

— Ella Ray, digital audience editor

Spicy tuna tacos

n Soji Modern Asian, 5050 Govern-

ment St., Baton Rouge

To me, the best part about Night Market BTR is the food, and these tacos confirm that.

The dish from Soji was served with two tacos filled with wasabi guacamole, spicy tuna mix and mango ponzu pico. Each bite was refreshing, which felt priceless in the early evening’s blazing hot sun. I paired it with some boba and sat in the grass with my friends, all of us enjoying our food and watching the scenery.

I checked online, and it looks like these tacos are currently on the menu at Soji. Good, because they worth ordering again.

— Maddie Scott, features reporter

Chicken sandwich

n Spoonbill Watering Hole, 900 Jef-

ferson St., Lafayette

Last Saturday, I spent a busy and fun day doing all of the things in downtown Lafayette, including eating, shopping and dancing. As the sun started to

Spicy tuna tacos from Soji Modern Asian dip, I wanted to find a spot at a bar for a meal and some people watching, and that’s exactly what Spoonbill provided.

They make an amazing Sidecar that was perfect to sip on in the humid evening, and my chicken sandwich (with a side of deliciously crispy french fries) hit the spot in every aspect. The chicken was hot and juicy, the coleslaw provided a fresh, tangy crunch, and there’s nothing better than tucking into a fried chicken thigh on a potato roll after a long day.

If you’re in the neighborhood and looking for a place to relax — or keep the party going — Spoonbill, in the old Conoco station downtown, is a great option.

— Joanna Brown, reporter

STAFF PHOTO By MADDIE SCOTT

STAFF PHOTO By JOANNA BROWN

A chicken sandwich dressed with coleslaw and Cholula hot sauce, with french fries and a Sidecar from Spoonbill Watering Hole in Lafayette

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Wednesday, June 3, 2026 ● 7C

lll

FrAnK And erneSt

bIG nAte

zItS

zodIAC GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Assess and follow through. Don't leave what's important to you in someone else's hands. Put pressure where pressure is due, and don't be afraid to move forward alone if necessary. cAncER (June 21-July 22) Your vision may be expansive, but when it comes to enforcing modifications, practicality will be necessary. Base the changes you want to implement on the result, and filter out steps that are financially taxing.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Dedicate your time to learning, new experiences and committing to a path that motivates you.

Don't let frustration set in when directing your energy is what's necessary.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Plan to socialize, network, or market and promote something you want to pursue. The feedback you get will be more reactive than suggestive. Putting your energy into what you feel most passionate about will pay off.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Discipline and hard work will change how you think, live and use your attributes. Choosing to do something you enjoy and turning it into additional income is within reach.

ScORPIO (Oct. 24-nov. 22) Thoughts followed by actions will give you something to celebrate. Your insight and directness will be appreciated, along with your compassion for those you love.

SAGITTARIuS (nov. 23-Dec. 21) A diversion or change of scenery will help you gain a unique perspective regarding your options. Make sure your budget can

live up to your demands before you get started. cAPRIcORn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Don't share unverified information. Ask questions, be observant and base your decisions on facts, figures and having enough time to warrant moving forward with your plans.

AQuARIuS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) If you stay tuned in to what you are trying to achieve, you will accomplish more. Home improvements will give you a new lease on life and help you put a legitimate plan in place that encourages both emotional and financial strength.

PIScES (Feb. 20-March 20) Spend less time talking and more time designing and defining how you want your space to accommodate your plans and needs.

Focus on things that encourage you to thrive. Romance is on the rise.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Take a back seat, observe, reflect and delineate your thoughts once you have a grasp on what's unfolding around you. Trust your instincts, and be wary of what others say and do.

TAuRuS (April 20-May 20) A change will energize you. Updating your space or moving to a location that inspires you to bring about positive personal changes will get you moving in the right direction.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2026 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

For better or For WorSe WonderWord

peAnUtS

SALLY Forth

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

TODAy'S cLuE: X EQuALS R

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

SherMAn’S LAGoon FAMILY CIrCUS

dooneSbUrY

8C ● Wednesday, June 3, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

CurTiS

Hi and LoiS

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Sudoku InstructIons: Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers.

The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

BaBY BLueS

BLondie

THe wiZard oF id

nea CroSSwordS

La TimeS CroSSword

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Wednesday, June 3, 2026 ● 9C

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B.C.

Bridge

By PHILLIP ALDER Paul Valery, a French poet, essayist and philosopher who died in 1945, said, “Every thought is an exception to the general rule that people don’t think.”

Perhaps the primary reason that bridge has remained so popular is that there always seem to be exceptions to the “rules” of the game.

When taking a finesse you wish to repeat, often you lead the lowest card that can hold the trick if the finesse is winning. Then you can immediately repeat it. But that is not always the case.

In this deal, South is in four spades. West leads a low diamond. East takes the trick with his 10 and returns a low diamond.

After ruffing, how should declarer continue?

South might have immediately overcalled four spades, but wondered about a slam. West made a negative double, promising four hearts. East’s double was for takeout; it was a tad aggressive, but the singleton spade improved his hand’s value.

South must hold his losers to one in each side suit. Since West has a club honor, this requires taking two club finesses and leading toward the heart king. So, declarer seems to need three dummy entries, but he has only two: the spade jack and ace. However, he can do it if he is thoughtful.

garfield

Pearls Before swiNe

hagar the horriBle

South draws trumps ending in the dummy. Then comes the key play: He must lead the club two and play his jack.

West wins and leads another diamond.

Declarer ruffs, crosses to dummy with a spade, and runs the club nine. Still in the dummy, he can then lead a heart up to his king — mission accomplished. © 2026 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

wuzzles Each Wuzzle is a word riddle which creates a disguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD = GOOD AFTERNOON

PiCKles

Previous answers:

mallard fillmore

word game InSTRucTIOnS: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3.

Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

TODAy’S WORD — MyTHIcAL: MITH-ih-kul: Existing only in the imagination.

Bizarro

marmaduKe

Average mark 24 words Time limit 40 minutes Can you find 35 or more words in MYTHICAL? yESTERDAy’S WORD — ScAFFOLD scad scald scoff scold soda sofa sold calf clad clod

coal coda cola cold also foal focal fold offal load

loaf doff

loCKhorNs hidato Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

today’s thought “Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth you are the Son of God.” Matthew 14:33

We too much recognize that Jesus is the Son of God and Savior of the world. G.E. Dean

10C ● Wednesday, June 3, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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

DOW 51,307.79 228.91 0.45%

NASDAQ 27,093.90 7.09 0.03%

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Trump changes steel, aluminum, copper tariffs

NEW YORK — President Donald Trump on Monday adjusted tariffs on some steel, aluminum and copper imports, lowering some tariffs on farming equipment and extending the lower rate to other equipment.

In an executive order, Trump lowered tariffs on agricultural equipment, including combines and harvesters, and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, to 15% from 25%.

He expanded the existing category of industrial equipment that is subject to a 15% tariff to include mobile industrial equipment like bulldozers and forklifts — when they’re imported from countries that have a trade deal with the U.S. The order says countries that use at least 85% melted and poured or smelted and cast steel or aluminum by weight could qualify for a lower 10% duty rate, in an effort to encourage companies in other countries to use U.S. metals.

The changes go into effect Monday. They are temporary and set to expire at the end of 2027.

“In my judgment, this temporary modification appropriately accounts for these products’ roles in productive economic activity in the United States,” Trump said in his order.

S&P 500 7,609.78 9.82 0.13%

EURO 1.1631 -0.0003 -0.03%

CRUDE OIL 93.76 1.60 1.74%

GOLD 4,489.10 13.90 0.31%

6-MO T-BILLS 3.77 -0.01 -0.26%

30-YR T-BONDS 4.97 -0.0 -0.1%

Wall Street inches to more records

BY STAN CHOE

AP business writer NEW YORK — The U.S. stock market inched to more records Tuesday as winners of the artificial-intelligence boom kept driving higher.

The S&P 500 rose 0.1% after drifting between small gains and losses through the day. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 228 points, or 0.4%, and the Nasdaq composite edged up by less than 0.1%. All three set all-time highs.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise helped lead the market, and its stock soared 19.5% after it reported a profit for the latest quarter that blew past analysts’ expectations. It credited demand from customers

building their artificial-intelligence capabilities.

Marvell Technology leaped 32.5% for its best day since its stock began trading in 2000 after Nvidia’s CEO, Jensen Huang, suggested at a conference in Taiwan that Marvell could be “the next trillion-dollar company.” The last company to enter the expanding club of behemoths was Micron Technology, which is likewise riding the AI wave. Nvidia, which slipped 0.7%, has seen its total value top $5 trillion.

Generac climbed 5.7% after saying it signed a deal to provide backup power generators to an unnamed “leading hyperscale data center operator.”

Such “hyperscalers” are spending tremendous amounts of money to build huge AI data centers, which are powering what proponents believe is the next great revolution for the global economy.

Alphabet is one of those hyperscalers, and the parent company of Google said it’s raising $80 billion in cash to help pay for its investments by selling shares of its stock. It’s planning to spend as much as $190 billion on equipment and other investments this year.

That’s more than all the stock of The Walt Disney Co. is worth, and Alphabet is forecasting its spending on investments next year will “significantly increase.”

Such huge sums raise the ques-

tion about whether AI can produce the profits and productivity necessary to make all the investment worth it. Critics have already been talking about the possibility of a bubble in AI investment, and Alphabet’s stock fell 3.9%. It was one of the heaviest weights on the S&P 500.

All told, the S&P 500 rose 9.82 points to 7,609.78. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 228.91 to 51,307.79, and the Nasdaq composite inched up 7.09 to 27,093.90.

Analysts have been saying the broad U.S. stock market may be set for a slowdown following an unrelenting streak of nine straight winning weeks for the S&P 500, its longest since 2023.

General Mills agrees to sell Häagen-Dazs shops HONG KONG — General Mills is selling its Häagen-Dazs icecream shops in mainland China to an investor group that includes Chinese tea brand Ningji.

Minneapolis-based General Mills said in a statement late Monday that the deal will allow the buyers to exclusively sell the Häagen-Dazs brand in ice cream shops and gifting businesses across mainland China.

General Mills will continue to sell Häagen-Dazs ice cream to Chinese retail and food service operations.

Financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. The deal is expected to close by the end of this year.

General Mills didn’t immediately respond Tuesday when asked how many Häagen-Dazs stores it has in China. In its latest annual report, General Mills said it operated 332 ice cream parlors worldwide.

Ningji operates around 3,000 retail tea outlets in China. It opened its chain of stores in 2021 and has received funding from ByteDance, the Beijing-headquartered creator of TikTok, and Shunwei Capital.

Southwest Airlines shakes up leadership Southwest Airlines is shaking up its leadership as the Dallas-based carrier continues evaluating further changes to its business operation, such as the addition of lounges and long-haul international flights.

Andrew Watterson, Southwest’s chief operating officer who had led the airline’s commercial unit, is now focused entirely on operations, the airline announced last week. Southwest elevated operations executive Justin Jones to chief commercial officer reporting directly to CEO Bob Jordan. Southwest also said that it’s refining its customers and people division, with chief customer and brand officer Tony Roach now reporting to Jordan and chief people officer Elizabeth Bryant reporting to Roach.

Southwest, which is based at Dallas Love Field, touted the changes as a way to increase focus on operational and commercial performance, strengthen its commercial strategy and roll out a more connected experience for its employees and customers.

“These changes position us to move forward with greater clarity, stronger execution, and deeper connection across our company,” Jordan said in a statement.

The leadership shake-up comes just over a month since the airline reported record firstquarter operating revenue of $7.2 billion and net income of $227 million.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By ANDRE PENNER

A farm employee processes coffee berries at Boa Esperanca farm in Braganca Paulista, Brazil, in August.

Trump administration proposes 25% tariffs on imports from Brazil

BY PAUL WISEMAN and MAURICIO SAVARESE Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration proposed 25% tariffs on imports from Brazil, charging that the world’s 10th-biggest economy engages in trade practices that are “unreasonable” and that “burden or restrict U.S. commerce.”

Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said he received the decision “with indignation.” He also blamed the decision by the U.S. administration on his rival in October’s elections, Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, who visited Washington last week. The senator is the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, once nicknamed “the Trump of the Tropics” by his allies.

The announcement late Monday came after an investigation by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, charging Brazil with lax anti-corruption enforcement and unfair tariffs of its own, among other things.

The U.S. has had a goods trade surplus with Brazil for years.

U.S Trade Representative Jamieson Greer

said that he and President Donald Trump had “constructive” meetings with Lula and other Brazilian officials. But he said that “we continue to have substantial differences in resolving the issues identified in this investigation.”

Lula on Tuesday cited other reasons for the punishing tariff proposal. For the first time he named an American official as a hurdle to his relations with Trump and once again he threatened to retaliate.

“I spoke to President Trump for three hours, and that Marco Rubio guy, the head of the State Department, he is anti-Latin American,” Lula said. “He is a deadly enemy of Cuba, a deadly enemy of many Latin American countries. I already told Trump that he does not like Brazil.”

The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond a request for comment from The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Brazil’s government said in a statement that its dialogue with American counterparts, which includes “personal involvement of Presidents Lula and Trump,” is being ”sabotaged by merely electoral and family

matters” of the Bolsonaros.

It added that it hopes “the recommendations do not become effective tariffs.”

“But we stress we will adopt every measure that is capable of reducing the damage that might be caused to the national economy, to the jobs and the income of Brazilians,” the country’s government said.

Last year, Trump had slapped Brazil with a 50% tariff, mainly to protest its prosecution of Jair Bolsonaro for trying to overturn his electoral defeat in 2022. His relationship with Lula seemed to have improved early May, when the Brazilian visited the White House.

But last week, the Trump administration designated two Brazilian gangs as terrorist organizations, after Sen. Bolsonaro’s visit.

Lula opposes the designation, which analysts say could bolster his political rival.

Greer’s office has scheduled a public hearing July 6 on the proposed tariffs.

Trade lawyer Ryan Majerus, a partner at King & Spalding, noted said that the administration’s plan excludes more than half of U.S. imports from Brazil, including aircraft and key minerals.

New York sues over deal to end offshore wind project

BY JENNIFER MCDERMOTT

Associated Press

New York’s attorney general sued the Trump administration Tuesday over one of its deals to end an offshore wind project.

Under a deal made public in March, French company TotalEnergies is getting $1 billion — essentially a refund of its leases for offshore wind projects off New York and North Carolina — if it invests the money in fossil fuel projects instead.

State attorneys general from Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Vermont joined New York in challenging the cancellation of the lease off New York, the larger of

the two projects and the bulk of the payout. They say it will harm their states’ economies, energy grids and climate goals.

“This administration cooked up a sham deal to pay a foreign energy company hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to abandon offshore wind and invest in oil and gas instead,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement. “We are fighting back to stop this illegal agreement that threatens to erase over a thousand union jobs and cheat millions of New Yorkers out of clean, affordable energy.”

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she and James will continue to aggressively fight back against President Donald Trump’s “overt and never-ending hostility toward

offshore wind.” Trump, who often talks about his hatred of wind power, has said his goal is to not let any “windmills” be built.

The complaint filed in District Court for the District of Columbia names administration officials, including Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, as defendants, and argues that they canceled the lease without following proper procedures. The states are asking a federal judge to vacate the lease cancellation and settlement agreement with TotalEnergies’ subsidiary, Attentive Energy.

Separately, a coalition of renewable energy groups filed a complaint in District Court in Oregon on Sunday over Pentagon officials not completing national security reviews

for new onshore wind farms on private lands. They say this inaction has brought a total halt to all wind project development. The Pentagon has said its siting clearinghouse is actively evaluating land-based wind energy projects and it’s a complex, time-consuming process.

In response to the lawsuit, the Interior Department said Tuesday the only thing blatantly unlawful was the process by which these leases were negotiated and imposed under the Biden administration, funneling taxpayer dollars into unreliable, unaffordable energy projects. A spokesperson said the lease buybacks were voluntary agreements that no one was forced to sign, which were reviewed and approved by the Department of Justice.