For decades, Gene Martin and his family kept the 20 acres just west of the Interstate 49 exit in Carencro mowed and manicured while commercial development sprung up all around it.
But even before Martin’s death in 2024, the unsolicited offers to buy the land came Now, with his three daughters overseeing the property, the offers are more frequent Investors want to buy the highly visible property for commercial development in a city that since 2020 is the fastest-growing in Louisiana.
“We’ve had a lot of interest from people out of town,” said Melanie Martin LeBlanc, Martin’s middle daughter “I know some guy I can’t remember his name, there’s been so many — out of New Orleans kept calling for a little while He said they were interested, but we’re not interested in selling.”
ä See CARENCRO, page 5A
N.O. courts became flash point in legislative session
BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer
Gov Jeff Landry’s opening address to the state Legislature three months ago took an emotional turn when he looked
Jacob would be alive today, Landry told the hushed crowd, if a delinquent teenager had been at home, unable to leave without an ankle monitor betraying his departure. Instead, Landry said, “incompetent” juvenile court judges in New Orleans had stopped tracking the teenager, and he killed Jacob, a visiting bagel shop owner outside the French Quarter one evening In his remarks, the governor then moved beyond juvenile court judges to indict the entire judicial system in New
Orleans. “I strongly urge this Legislature to implement rigorous judicial reform, as justice delayed, denied, or neglected is no justice at all,” he told legislators, the Carter family and others in the House chamber
By the time the regular legislative session ended June 1, Landry had gone farther than anyone anticipated against New Orleans. Thanks to his push, the Republican-controlled Legis-
Landry worked behind the scenes on bills aimed at city, insiders say ä See SESSION, page 4A
Ranchers urged to prepare for deadly parasite
BY JOEL THOMPSON Staff writer
Louisiana agriculture officials and veterinarians are urging cattle producers to closely monitor their herds after a deadly livestock parasite was discovered in the United States for the first time in decades.
The New World screwworm fly, which infects many warm-blooded animals including cattle, was detected last week in a 3-week-old calf in La Plata, Texas, near the Rio Grande valley The parasite was eradicated from the United States in the 1950s but has steadily spread north through Mexico and Central America in recent years.
Christine Navarre, a veterinarian with the LSU AgCenter and coordinator for the Louisiana Beef Quality Assurance Program, said it is crucial for Louisiana cattle ranchers to be proactive in protecting their herds from the invasive parasite.
“Controlling a pest like the New World screwworm is complex and challenging, particularly given how easily it can spread,” Navarre said. “It’s particularly difficult in remote locations with wildlife movements.”
ExxonMobil grant aids program for eighth graders; some call curriculum propaganda ä See PARASITE,
BY DAVID J MITCHELL Staff writer
A group of eighth graders in Heath Juneau’s science class were on their second attempt at an unusual experiment: injecting liquid carbon dioxide deep underground — or at least a classroom model of that process.
“Coach Juneau, can we get our CO2?” Ava Bourg, 14, asked.
Her group’s first try sprung a leak of the representative CO2, which was in reality orange vegetable oil. But Bourg and her classmates were ready to try again after Trenton Nash’s careful handiwork using Play-Doh to try to plug it.
In the waning days of the recently ended school year, the Dutchtown Middle School students in Ascension Parish were finishing a four-day lesson about climate change, carbon
Landry
STAFF PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK
Melanie Martin LeBlanc, left, is pictured with her father, Gene Martin, along with her sisters, from left, Sara Martin Angelle and Andrea Martin Riche.
Lawsuit seeks to stop
White House UFC fight
NEW YORK A federal lawsuit seeks to halt the upcoming UFC fight card on the White House South Lawn in a mixed martial arts show timed for President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday and part of the celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary.
The filing Saturday by the Public Integrity Project on behalf of two Virginia residents contends the Trump administration’s authorization of the June 14 event was unlawful. The lawsuit says such approval violated National Park Service regulations prohibiting sporting events on federal parklands, Congress did not consent to the towering arch overlooking the event space and no environmental review was conducted before the construction.
“This is fundamentally a private, commercial, corrupt use of our most sacred national monuments for private gain,” said Brendan Ballou, a lawyer for the plaintiffs “And that is what is motivating this lawsuit.”
The White House said in a statement that the legal challenge was “an obstructionist, baseless, and dilatory” attempt to prevent Trump from hosting the fight and that the event was “no different than the various other White House-hosted events on the South Lawn and properly permitted events on the Ellipse and National Mall throughout the year.”
UFC did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday Crews are erecting an octagonshaped cage on the South Lawn. Trump has said the finished UFC project will feature “a 5,000-seat arena right outside the front door of the White House.”
Starmer hosts Zelenskyy, Macron, Merz in London LONDON Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy insisted Sunday that Europe must play a key role in any negotiations to end the war with Russia as he arrived for talks in London with staunch European allies in the wake of a Russian drone strike that killed three people
Ahead of the meeting hosted by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Zelenskyy said the talks would focus on further efforts to help Ukraine’s war effort, including air defense.
“Europe must be part of the negotiations and must be strong,” he said on X.
Also present at the meeting at 10 Downing Street were French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Macron and Merz left after a couple of hours of discussions, leaving Starmer to continue talks with Zelenskyy
The U.K., France and Germany, the so-called E3 group of European nations, have been prominent backers of Ukraine following Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. The U.K. and France lead the “coalition of the willing” initiative to provide security guarantees for Ukraine as part of a peace process.
Man killed in another Australian shark attack
MELBOURNE, Australia A spearfisher was killed on Saturday in Australia’s third fatal shark attack in four weeks, police said. The 35-year-old man was spearfishing with family off Michaelmas Island near the port city of Albany in Western Australia state when he was attacked before noon, a police statement said.
The man was brought by boat to Albany where paramedics were waiting but he could not be revived, police said. Authorities suspect a 15-foot white shark was responsible
The spate of three fatalities is extraordinary in a nation that has averaged around three shark deaths a year in recent decades.
The last fatality was on May 24 when 39-year-old spearfisher Michael Jensz suffered unsurvivable head injuries in an attack on the Great Barrier Reef off Australia’s northeast coast. Bull sharks had been seen in the vicinity
A week earlier, on May 16, a 13-foot white shark fatally mauled 38-year-old spearfisher Steve Mattabonni northwest of Albany near Rottnest Island.
Iran launches missiles at Israel
Bombardment is first such attack since fragile ceasefire
BY KAREEM CHEHAYEB, HASSAN AMMAR, SAMY MAGDY and MELANIE LIDMAN Associated Press
JERUSALEM Israel said
Sunday that Iran launched missiles at it in the first such bombardment since a fragile ceasefire took effect in early April, complicating mediation efforts for a deal to end the war
Iran’s state broadcaster confirmed the launches.
Tehran had warned of retaliation after Israel struck Beirut’s southern suburbs without warning earlier Sunday in defiance of Washington’s request days ago to stand down. Israel called it retaliation for the Iranianbacked Hezbollah firing at northern Israel earlier in the day
“Should these acts of aggression be repeated, the responses will be broader in scope and will encompass all American and Zionist targets throughout the region,” Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said in a statement that also referenced attacks on Iran’s coast and vessels around the Strait of Hormuz.
Israel’s military said it intercepted the missiles, and less than an hour later it said people could leave
A projectile streaks through
attack.
shelters but stay near them.
Sirens sounded in several areas of the country Multiple explosions were heard in northern Israel.
“Iran has made a grave mistake,” Israel military spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said.
Iran had warned that an attack on Beirut would renew full-scale war across the Mideast, even as Pakistan tries to restart talks between Tehran and Washington.
“U.S. forces across the Middle East remain vigilant and ready,” the U.S. Central Command posted on X shortly before the missile launches.
Israel’s attack on Beirut
came a few days after the Lebanese and Israeli governments agreed to a ceasefire in U.S.-hosted talks, though Hezbollah rejected the deal. The strike on a residential building killed two people and wounded 20, Lebanon’s health ministry said.
Israel’s strikes and ground invasion in Lebanon in pursuit of Hezbollah, and the militant group’s resistance to disarming, have complicated an overall deal to end the war in the Middle East. Iran says any deal must include an end to fighting in Lebanon.
After Iran’s launches, President Donald Trump told a Fox News Channel
reporter that he wanted the Iranians to stop firing missiles and return to the negotiating table. He also said that Israel’s strikes earlier Sunday were not coordinated with the U.S. and “I’m not happy about it.” Israel on Monday had announced it would strike the southern suburbs of Lebanon’s capital, but urgent talks via Washington halted that on the condition that Hezbollah stop targeting Israeli border towns.
Hezbollah, which claimed responsibility for firing at Israel earlier Sunday, wants the direct talks between Lebanon and Israel to end. Instead it supports Iran’s stance that an overall
ceasefire deal between Tehran and Washington include the situation in Lebanon.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces elections later this year, wants to press ahead with Israel’s offensive until he believes Hezbollah no longer poses a threat.
Trump in an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” that aired earlier Sunday said he would like to see a “more surgical attack on Hezbollah.” He also said he was “not demanding” that Lebanon be part of an overall ceasefire deal in the Iran war Mediation efforts on that larger deal continued Sunday as Pakistan’s interior minister visited Iran to talk with officials and Egypt said its foreign minister and his Qatari counterpart discussed “proposed elements” of a potential agreement, with no details.
Meanwhile, Iran continued to assert its grip on the Strait of Hormuz and the U.S. continued its blockade of Iranian ports, with shipments of oil, natural gas and fertilizer affected and the global economy in pain. Iran since the ceasefire took effect has launched missiles and drones at Gulf nations and said it was targeting the U.S. military presence. After its launches against Israel, Iraq’s Civil Aviation Authority announced that the country’s airspace would close for 72 hours and Syria’s aviation authority announced a 12hour airspace closure.
Attacker opens fire in central Israel, killing 1
Authorities say 5 wounded
BY MELANIE LIDMAN Associated Press
TEL AVIV, Israel A Palestin-
ian man with Israeli citizenship went on a shooting rampage in several towns in central Israel on Sunday, killing a reservist and wounding five other people, according to Israeli police and the military
The attacker was killed by police.
The attack came at a time of heightened tensions following a spate of Israeli settler attacks, and the deadly shooting of a Palestinian baby over the weekend, in the nearby West Bank. Police identified the attacker as a resident of the Arab town of Taybeh in his 20s, but his precise motives weren’t immediately known.
The attack began with a shooting Sunday morning at a gas station near the town of Kokhav Yair, located on the Israeli side of the boundary with the
Israeli security forces and
respond
occupied West Bank. Several other shootings were reported in two nearby Israeli towns and close to the Israeli settlement of Salit, inside the West Bank.
Police initially feared a series of coordinated attacks, but eventually determined that a gunman and an accomplice who may have served as his driver were involved. The suspected accomplice was arrested later after he tried to stab police with a glass bottle.
Israel’s military said
to the
that a 55-year-old reservist was killed near Tzur Natan. The Magen David Adom rescue service said that five other people were wounded, two severely Fears of a widespread attack prompted authorities to order residents to stay at home, and children in the area were kept in lockdown at school for at least three hours.
“Since Oct. 7, the scenario we were expecting was terrorists crossing into our towns from over the boundary I don’t think
Police seek suspects in Ohio shooting that wounded 12
BY JAIMIE DING and THOMAS PEIPERT Associated Press
A search in Ohio for suspects who opened fire near a busy street festival stretched into Sunday after 12 people were wounded in the weekend shooting that sent crowds scrambling for cover in a historic Toledo neighborhood. Each of the dozen victims who authorities say ranged from teenagers to people in their 60s — were in stable condition, the Toledo Police Department said Sunday. No arrests have been made and authorities have not identified any potential suspects. The gunfire erupted Saturday near the Old West
End Festival, a popular annual summer gathering along streets dotted with Victorian homes. Videos posted to social media showed people running at the sound of gunfire and medics tending to the wounded in a park filled with event tents and food trucks.
Toledo Deputy Police Chief Joe Heffernan has said it appeared that at least two people fired weapons and were “probably shooting at each other.”
As the search for the shooters wore on, Lucas County Prosecutor Julia Bates vowed “justice will be swift and strong.”
“Those who were frightened, traumatized or harmed by this violence will remain at the fore-
front of our efforts. I’ve felt outrage before, but this is personal,” Bates said in a statement. “This is my home. These are my friends and neighbors. It is not OK.”
In a brief update posted to social media Sunday, Toledo police said investigators were continuing to make progress and were following multiple leads. Authorities have urged festivalgoers to come forward with any photos or videos that might have caught a glimpse of the suspects.
Hundreds of people were at the festival, an annual two-day celebration in Toledo’s historic district featuring live music, food vendors, home tours and shopping.
that anyone imagined that we would discover the attackers were Israeli citizens,” Oshrit Gani Gonen, the regional council head, told Israeli media, referring to the Hamasled attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that sparked the war in Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the security forces who killed the attacker, while Israel’s hardline public security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir who oversees the police force, released a video of himself standing next to what ap-
peared to be a blurred image of the dead gunman.
“This is the end of every terrorist, this is how it should look,” said Ben-Gvir who recently led an effort to pass a new law that seeks to impose the death penalty on Palestinian attackers. That law faces legal challenges. Ben-Gvir has come under sharp condemnation from other Israeli leaders for making contentious videos, such as his treatment of flotilla activists who were detained after attempting to break the maritime blockade to Gaza.
the sky Sunday over central Israel during an Iranian missile
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ARIEL SCHALIT
ZAKA rescue service volunteers
Sunday
scene of a shooting near Tzur yitzhak, Israel.
Trump dismisses idea that Iran betrays ‘no new wars’ message
BY MICHELLE L. PRICE Associated Press
BRIDGEWATER, N.J President Don-
ald Trump is dismissing the idea that launching the war with Iran this year betrayed his refrain of “No new wars” that he made repeatedly as he campaigned again for the White House.
Trump, in an interview that aired Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” said he “didn’t guarantee” there would be no wars if he were back in office
“First of all I didn’t guarantee no war Why would I have built the strongest military in the world?” Trump said.
Trump also defended plans for a now-scrapped $1.8 billion fund that would have compensated allies of the Republican president and he repeated his baseless claims of mass fraud in California’s drawn-out vote count from Tuesday’s primary He ended the interview abruptly when he became frustrated with pushback from NBC’s Kristen Welker
Iran ‘is not an endless war’
In his 2024 campaign, Trump repeatedly cast his Democratic opponents as warmongers and said he was a president who started “no new wars” and would bring an era of peace.
But Trump said in the NBC interview, taped Friday in Wisconsin, that as a candidate, “I didn’t promise anything.”
“I don’t like these endless wars. This is not an endless war We’ve been doing this for three months,” he said of the war with Iran, which began Feb. 28.
Trump said he was “doing the world a service” and “doing our country a service” because he had to stop Iran from having a nuclear weapon. But elsewhere in the interview, Trump repeated a contradictory message where he said U.S. strikes last year “obliterated” Iranian nuclear sites.
He also defended his decision in his first term to withdraw from Democratic President Barack Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran, an agreement he has heavily criticized, without negotiating the “better deal” he has promised to reach.
“It takes years to do these things,” Trump said.
Claims fraud in California vote California’s notoriously prolonged vote count has been a magnet for election conspiracy theories, and Trump since Tuesday’s election has claimed without evidence that Democrats are rigging the election. The Trump-appointed top federal prosecutor in Los Angeles said Friday that his office had opened “multiple election fraud inves-
Former GOP
Oregon lawmaker resigned after sexual harassment scandal
By The Associated Press
PORTLAND, Ore.
— Former Sen. Bob Packwood, a moderate Oregon Republican whose reputation as a champion of abortion and women’s rights was spoiled at the end of his career by allegations of sexual harassment, has died. He was 93.
Packwood’s death on Saturday was announced in an obituary sent to media outlets by his family The release didn’t include additional details.
Packwood was a political scrapper who first refused to quit the chamber in which he had served for 27 years, saying he didn’t want to be remembered only for that controversy Before the #MeToo era,
tigations.”
Late-tallied Democratic-leaning mail ballots have eaten into the vote totals for Trump’s preferred candidates for governor and Los Angeles
mayor While Trump has often said that changes to vote totals as late ballots are counted are a sign of fraud, they are merely a reflection of a slow votecounting process.
Trump in the interview kept claiming that it was a sign of “cheating” and “a rigged election,” and grew increasingly frustrated as Welker pressed him for evidence to support that.
“All I have to do is look. All I have to do is look,” Trump said.
“But that’s not evidence,” Welker responded.
“And I listen. And I listen to people. And let’s see what happens,” Trump replied.
‘Anti-weaponization’ fund
Trump defended plans that his Department of Justice said it has now abandoned to create a $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” as part of a settlement to resolve Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Wednesday that the department was scrapping the plan. That announcement came after the plan was paused by a judge and after both Democrats and some Republicans said they were concerned about the fund’s lack of oversight and the possibility of payouts being made to participants in the Jan 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol.
Trump told NBC he thought the fund was “a great idea” and that he would be
“disappointed” if it were not approved.
When asked if he thought people who attacked police officers on Jan. 6 should get a payout, Trump said, “I wouldn’t be inclined to say so, but I have to see it.” He then began making unfounded and false claims about the riot and those who stormed the Capitol. Trump granted a sweeping pardon on his first day back in office in January 2025 to the more than 1,500 people prosecuted over Jan. 6.
Rain interruptions, an abrupt end
The NBC interview was conducted in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, before Trump was set to speak at a roundtable event with farmers. The interview was repeatedly interrupted as waves of heavy rain fell on the metal roof of the barn where the taping took place, making it difficult at times to hear
At the end, Welker pressed Trump on the settlement fund and his claims about the California election. Trump raised his voice and began calling Welker and the media “crooked,” attacking her credibility and complaining about what he called “the fake, dirty press.”
As Welker tried to switch subjects, Trump continued on and there was cross talk between the two. Trump ended the interview, saying said, “Let’s call it quits.” He took off his microphone, telling Welker, “Thank you, darling Have a good time.” He said he had given the interview enough time, stood up and walked away Welker said during the broadcast that she spoke to Trump on Saturday and he agreed the rain had caused complications and said he would do another interview in the future.
Sen. Bob Packwood dies at 93
Packwood stood out as an example of private behavior undermining a man’s public image He had been praised by Planned Parenthood and others. The great-grandson of a member of the 1857 Oregon Constitutional Convention, Packwood established himself as a social moderate and fiscal conservative who often voted across party lines. He considered running for president in 1980
Elected to the Senate in 1968, Packwood was best known as the leading Republican advocate of abortion rights and was widely admired by women’s groups throughout the country until the Senate Ethics Committee launched an investigation into the allegations of sexual and official misconduct in 1993
Nigerian army
BY DYEPKAZAH SHIBAYAN Associated Press
ABUJA, Nigeria The Nigerian army said Sunday it freed 360 people abducted by Boko Haram in southern Borno, in the northeastern part of the country The operation, according to the army’s statement, was conducted in the Mandara mountains which form a part of the militant group’s stronghold. It resulted in the release of several people, including children, who had been abducted across differ-
ent communities in Borno. Two infants “succumbed to exhaustion” due to the challenging mountainous terrain and the hardship they endured during their prolonged captivity an army spokesperson, Haruna Sani, said. “The remaining rescued abductees were successfully evacuated to safe locations for medical care and humanitarian support, marking a major operational success and a significant setback for the terrorist group,” Sani said.
More than two dozen women, former employees and acquaintances, accused him of making unwanted or uninvited sexual advances.
The allegations remained the target of an ethics probe that widened to include other alleged acts of official misconduct. He resigned in September 1995, then went to start a lucrative lobbying business in Washington.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, who replaced Packwood in 1996, said while he should be praised for his record on abortion rights and tax reform, how he treated women overshadows it all.
“His horrible history as documented in his own diaries will forever overshadow that public record. Simply put, historians’ first line about Bob Packwood must include those women who he abused and assaulted for years and years,” Wyden said in a statement.
As chair and then ranking Republican on the Senate Fi-
nance Committee, Packwood was a master of cutting deals and forging compromises needed to pass tax legislation through Congress. He was most proud of the lead role he played in a sweeping tax reform of 1986 that lowered the top income tax bracket and eliminated many itemized deductions.
Over his career, he was described as a blunt, independent, outspoken politician who was a maverick, boat-rocker, loose cannon, skilled partisan, and, above all, political survivor
“I think they probably all ring true,” Packwood told The Associated Press in December 1992.
Nigeria faces a complex security crisis, especially in the north where a more than decade-long insurgency and the activities of armed groups that carry out kidnappings for ransom and illegal mining have heightened the country’s security challenges. Among the most prominent Islamic militant groups are Boko Haram and its breakaway faction, which is affiliated with the Islamic State group and known as Islamic State West Africa Province.
Pope draws 1.2M to Mass in Spain
Leo challenges Europe to acknowledge its Christian roots
BY NICOLE WINFIELD and SUMAN NAISHADHAM Associated Press
MADRID Pope Leo XIV
challenged Europe to acknowledge Christianity’s contributions to its cultural identity Sunday, as he presided over a Mass in Madrid attended by more than a million people and honored Spain’s centuries-old traditions of religious devotion and culture.
Leo celebrated Spain’s Christian roots and culture with the huge morning Mass in downtown Madrid and an evening spectacle that featured flamenco dancers, classical guitar and a moving meditation by Spanish actor Antonio Banderas on art, faith and beauty
In his remarks, Leo challenged Europe to consider what the continent’s identity would be without the influence of Christianity He cited its art, culture and the role played by Christians — “motivated by their faith” — to build its schools, hospitals and other institutions.
“Is it seriously possible to believe that Europe — which we deeply love would be the same without the influence of faith?” Leo asked, in demanding that religious expression be allowed to keep its place in the public sphere.
Leo, who arrived in Spain on Saturday at the start of his weeklong visit, has been keen to highlight the long tradition of Christian culture and devotion here to encourage especially young generations to find their faith. It’s a tall order in a once-staunchly Catholic country where religious observance has largely been on the wane.
Sunday fell on the Catholic Corpus Domini feast day which often features processions of faithful through towns and cities led by a priest carrying the Eucharist. In Spain, as in other predominantly Catholic countries, the processions often feature elaborate flo-
ral carpets arranged along the route.
During Sunday’s Mass, Leo said that the floral carpets express the “spiritual sentiments of this country” through “altars erected in the streets.”
“This is not an exhibition, a remnant of folklore or a simple display of beauty,” he said. “It is a profession of faith in the presence of the risen Lord, who is alive and continues to walk among us.”
He said that the continued observance of such devotional practices points to what Spain can and should be for the world.
“Herein lies the task of Spain today and in the future: to ensure that the religiosity which has shaped and defined this country for centuries is not a museum of the past to be visited, but a school of faith from which to draw even today,” he said. At the end of the Mass, Leo carried a gilded monstrance, or container, holding a Eucharistic host and walked over some of the 16 floral carpets that decorated the less than half-mile procession route, as children dropped additional petals before him and the crowd tossed petals from behind the barricades.
Leo’s visit to the country of 50 million has drawn huge crowds, with a vigil service Saturday night. drawing an estimated 600,000 young Spaniards. They knelt for several minutes in silent prayer alongside Leo, suggesting that there is indeed interest in the faith among young people, despite Spain’s heavily secularized society On Sunday, their numbers doubled: Organizers said that 1.2 million people had turned out on a brilliant spring morning for Leo’s Mass at Madrid’s iconic Plaza de Cibeles and surrounding streets, with more trying to get in.
“It’s spectacular,” said Julián Tapiador, a consultant who came to the Mass. “I’m so proud that the pope is in Spain after 15 years. Hopefully he comes again and we can all see him again.” Octavio Puche, a retiree, thanked Leo for making the trip.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MARK SCHIEFELBEIN
President Donald Trump speaks Friday at Custer Farms in Chippewa Falls, Wis.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ALESSANDRA TARANTINO Pope Leo XIV arrives Sunday to preside over a Mass marking the Catholic feast of Corpus Christi in Plaza de Cibeles in Madrid.
Packwood
lature eliminated nine judgeships in New Orleans, eliminated funding for 10 assistant district attorneys and prevented Calvin Duncan from becoming the Orleans Parish clerk of criminal district court by erasing his job four days before he took office.
“The tide has turned against New Orleans politically It’s pretty drastic,” said Bernie Pinsonat, a veteran political consultant and pollster in Baton Rouge. “In the past, there’s always been a segment of the Legislature that felt the further you get away from New Orleans, the less you care about it. What’s changed is that there are so many Republicans — they have two-thirds control of the House and Senate — and there aren’t many White Democrats to protect the city.”
Landry’s moves represented a remarkable shift for a governor who has been saying since he took office 30 months ago that he is trying to lift up the city Landry bulked up policing in New Orleans by making Troop NOLA a permanent presence and authorized infrastructure improvements to the city in advance of the 2025 Super Bowl.
“No governor has spent more time in the city of New Orleans than myself,” Landry told WBOKAM listeners in November “I’m working to try to make the city of New Orleans a better, more hospitable place so we can attract people and businesses and folks can feel safe in that city.”
Some political analysts believe that Landry is attacking New Orleans, a Democratic stronghold, to play to his Republican base in advance of his 2027 reelection campaign. Polls indicate that Landry has lost enough popularity to be vulnerable.
Several Republicans said Landry has simply grown frustrated with a legal system that he believes favors criminals at the expense of crime victims.
“His pushing these bills sends a shock wave through the judiciary system in New Orleans — and elsewhere,” said Senate President Cameron Henry, R-Metairie “He expects a greater sense of urgency.”
Landry did not respond to a request for an interview
“Everyone knows the inefficien-
CURRICULUM
Continued from page 1A
dioxide, and carbon capture and sequestration. About 1,700 eighth graders in nine Ascension Parish middle schools received these lessons through a curriculum developed by Rice University’s Tapia Center It was another sign of industry’s attempts to improve understanding and acceptance of the new technology, which supporters view as vital to Louisiana’s economic future. Not everyone is convinced Critics point to ExxonMobil’s funding for the school program while arguing that it downplays controversy surrounding carbon capture They view it as seeking to instill an industry point-of-view Known as CCS, the technology cuts climate-warming CO2 emissions by permanently injecting them underground in a near-liquid state. Enticed by federal tax credits and facing market pressures to reduce carbon intensity oil, gas and petrochemical industries are pushing to introduce the technology to Louisiana.
Though LSU scientists and industry advocates say the technology behind CCS is safe and welltried through years of oil field use, the push has drawn opposition from environmental groups as well as conservatives who question the need and the effects.
The Tapia Center has been putting on CCS lessons for four years in Texas, Mississippi, Tennessee and Louisiana. Southern University has had summer camps for the previous three years, and pilot projects went on last year in individual Ascension and East Baton Rouge parish schools, according to ExxonMobil literature.
The large-scale Ascension Parish program was aided with a $51,000 professional development grant from the ExxonMobil Foundation to the Tapia Center that included material expenses, company officials said. ExxonMobil is a proponent of the technology, which would benefit its operations in Louisiana and elsewhere. The company also owns a key CO2 delivery pipeline across southern Louisiana, western Mississippi and southeastern Texas that other companies may use to reach distant injection sites.
cies of these offices when compared to the rest of the state,” the governor said in a statement.
After his very public opening speech to legislators, Landry worked behind the scenes to pressure and cajole Republican legislators to pass the legislation aimed at New Orleans.
On March 18, he met at the Governor’s Mansion with three Democratic New Orleans senators — Jimmy Harris, Royce Duplessis and Gary Carter — to lay out his plans. They objected, saying that the governor was singling out New Orleans and that crime had dropped sharply in the city in recent years
Landry moved forward anyway
Why Landry picked Morris
Four bills targeted New Orleans.
Two bills eliminating nine judgeships and a third bill abolishing Duncan’s job were sponsored by Sen. Jay Morris, R-Monroe.
The fourth bill, sponsored by Rep. Peter Egan, R-Covington, took away 10 assistant district attorney positions from the office of Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams, as part of a lastminute deal to give more of those positions to East Baton Rouge and St. Tammany and Washington parishes.
This account is based on interviews with 21 state legislators and others involved in the four pieces of legislation Morris, 68, has been something of a renegade Republican during his 15 years in the Legislature. In 2019, the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry and the Louisiana Chemical Association tried to defeat Morris, then a House member, when he ran for the state Senate. Morris had sponsored legislation to take away corporate tax breaks when legislators were trying to plug a budget gap.
Morris has not been on Landry’s legislative team, but the governor turned to him to sponsor the three New Orleans bills because Morris represents an area distant from New Orleans, chairs one of the Senate judiciary committees and is willing to take political heat.
Morris demonstrated that during the 2026 regular session by sponsoring redistricting legislation that is turning the district of U.S. Rep. Cleo Fields, a Black Democrat from Baton Rouge, into one that favors a Republican. Hundreds of people went to the Capitol to object to Morris’ bill.
Morris was receptive to sponsoring Landry’s New Orleans-related bills because he had concluded, while performing his oversight role in chairing his committee that Jason Williams had not been tough enough on criminals. Morris had already sponsored a constitutional amendment approved by voters in 2024 that made it easier to investigate complaints against judges.
Like other Republicans, Morris thought New Orleans’ judiciary was ripe for downsizing to match the city’s population loss.
Morris told colleagues he also had a personal reason for wanting to crack down on New Orleans. His daughter had been mugged years earlier in the city one afternoon while walking her dog.
Morris’ Senate Bill 256 would abolish the job to which Duncan had been overwhelmingly elected in November by giving its responsibilities to the Civil District Court clerk.
During his campaign, Duncan had become a cause célèbre of liberals nationwide because he studied law while serving a life sentence at Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola before winning his release and having his conviction vacated.
After Hurricane Katrina, state lawmakers required New Orleans to merge its seven assessor offices into one and to merge its civil and criminal sheriff offices — but only after allowing the current officeholders to serve out their terms.
In Duncan’s case, lawmakers moved swiftly enough for Landry to sign the legislation on April 30 Duncan was scheduled to take office on May 4. On April 30, Landry told WBOKAM that he wasn’t trying to keep Duncan from elective office.
Going after judges
In the meantime, Morris and Landry were pushing Senate Bill 197. In its original form, it would have eliminated four of New Orleans’ 4th Circuit Court of Appeal judgeships.
Facing pushback from judges and New Orleans legislators, Morris and Landry agreed to cut only two of the judgeships.
The legislation needed a twothirds vote. It received the bare minimum of 26 votes in the Senate and then moved to the House for consideration.
Over a two-week period, the House was scheduled to take up SB197 four different times, but
Landry and his legislative aides pulled the bill back each time because they lacked the 70 votes needed.
SB197 finally passed on May 27 with exactly 70 votes.
Two legislators involved with passage of the legislation said Landry had to agree to spending projects in the districts of several House members to secure their votes, a longtime practice of governors to pass legislation.
Morris and Landry were also pushing Senate Bill 217. In its initial form, it would have eliminated two of Orleans Parish’s 14 civil district court judgeships, one of the seven Municipal and Traffic Court judgeships and one of the four Juvenile Court judgeships.
Harris, who has a close relationship with Senate President Henry, told Henry that getting rid of civil district court judges made no sense, given the governor’s focus on crime, because those judges don’t handle criminal cases. Henry agreed and got Landry to save those positions on April 13 when the governor met in his office at the Capitol with the Senate Democratic Caucus.
But by then, SB217 also called for eliminating three criminal district court judges. By the time it won final passage on June 1, the session’s final day, it erased those three positions, two Municipal and Traffic Court judges, and two Juvenile Court judges.
DAs also targeted
The fourth piece of legislation, House Bill 719 by Egan, began as an effort to provide 60 new “warrants,” which are worth $50,000 apiece and can be used to hire new assistant district attorneys or supplement the pay of the existing government lawyers.
Egan, 76, still speaks with an accent reflecting his upbringing in Ireland. He moved to Louisiana in 1971 to become a Catholic priest in Jefferson Parish, serving at two churches for eight years before leaving the priesthood, getting married, having four children and getting into the home health and hospice industry
Egan sponsored HB719 because he especially wanted to add new positions to the 19th Judicial District Court (East Baton Rouge) and the 22nd Judicial District Court (St. Tammany and Washington parishes). Both areas had gained population in recent years.
But district attorneys in both
The oil giant has also been a financial benefactor of the Tapia Center, having provided seed money to develop the curriculum and $100,000 in scholarships annually for students to attend the center’s STEM summer camps, according to the center and ExxonMobil.
Paul Hand, the center’s executive director and creator of the CCS curriculum, said though ExxonMobil provided financial support, the scientific judgments behind the curriculum are his and his staff’s alone. He said the curriculum from the independent center takes no position on the debate surrounding the technology
The ExxonMobil dollars helped pay for center staff who spent about a year working through trial and error to find the right demonstration materials What’s resulted from that work, he explained, allows students to see what the underground reservoir would be like through relatable items and face “STEM challenges that are directly related to the lives of our students,” tied to Louisiana academic standards.
“And CCS is something that is happening today. It’s happening over the next few decades, and our students should know about it, and we want to show it to them in a hands-on way,” he said.
In various materials about programs like the Ascension one, ExxonMobil officials say their support of CCS and other STEM-related curricula with hands-on components is a positive example of education, industry and communities working together The programs help make science relevant for
students and inspire them to seek a future in scientific and technologyrelated fields, the officials say Impact on the environment
The students use a plastic cup, partially filled with pasta or pinto beans and green water, as their underground reservoir This cup is pierced by two straws meant to represent underground wells and sealed off at the top by a layer of Play-Doh. Students learn what the differences in rock porosity mean for storage.
During teacher training sessions at LSU in early February — months before the classroom lessons rolled out Ascension school officials and some teachers said their district should provide information about subjects students might encounter and tie them to Louisiana’s science standards.
“Our standard is about how humans impact the environment, so that’s what we’re exploring with this partnership, both positive and negative,” said Erin Babin, middle school science supervisor for Ascension.
She said her school leadership never considered not exposing students to the information, but believes in sticking to the science: “We talk about controversial things. We talk about AI. We talk about carbon capture. We talk about evolution, you know what I mean?’
In the lessons, Juneau’s students learned about the natural and human sources of CO2 emissions, the threat of climate change, and the role renewable power and CCS can play in cutting emissions.
judicial districts had failed to win the approval of local voters to agree to tax increases that would fund additional prosecutors. Now they had turned to the state. After the House agreed to the 60 new warrants, the Senate Finance Committee approved an amendment that redistributed the warrants among district attorney’s offices throughout the state, at the expense of the 19th and 22nd judicial districts. Furious, Egan threatened to the district attorneys association that he would kill the bill as a result.
Sen. Patrick McMath, R-Covington and Collin Sims, the district attorney for the 22nd district, spoke to Landry to ask for more warrants for their area. The governor proposed taking away 29 warrants from Williams’ office. Sen. Harris was livid when he learned this from Henry, whose Metairie-based district also includes Uptown New Orleans. They negotiated the loss of warrants for Williams down to 10.
Sen. Mike Reese, R-Leesville, presented an amendment the next day, on May 28 — just three days before the session ended to carry out the change The Senate approved the plan without discussion. Egan accepted the hijacking of his bill because it added more warrants for the 19th and 22nd judicial districts.
District Attorney Hillar Moore will go from 55 warrants to 71 for the 19th Judicial District, while Sims will go from 30 to 44 for the 22nd.
Williams never had a public forum to challenge the loss of 10 warrants, equal to $500,000 from his budget. Events moved so quickly that New Orleans legislators didn’t know that a report by the district attorneys association called for Williams to lose only three warrants.
Rep. Aimee Freeman, D-New Orleans, saw the reduction as yet another attack on New Orleans and sharply questioned Egan when he presented the bill for final passage on May 31, the penultimate day of the session.
Rep. Mandie Landry, D-New Orleans, railed against the bill. “Literally, the only people you’re hurting in Orleans are crime victims by this,” she said and then broadened her comments to the Morris bills as well. “There’s this irrational desire by some people in this building to stick it to New Orleans.”
Science teacher
Heath Juneau helps explain the model to students Caroline Raffray, right, and Nova Berthelot, left, at Dutchtown Middle School during a lesson on carbon capture technology on May 14.
STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS
They also learned about the geology tied to carbon storage and some potential downsides of different CO2 mitigation methods: windmills can kill birds; CCS isn’t suited for every geology, though it is on the Gulf Coast, the lesson says.
A teacher of 23 years who is also a soccer coach, Juneau taught the Tapia curriculum to 97 students in all. He said the lessons reinforced things they have already learned about the carbon cycle, global warming and states of matter
“I think the science is solid with it,” he said. He said he would use the lesson next year if he had more materials.
‘Complete and utter lie’
Some environmental and community groups who oppose CCS as an effective way to address climate change criticized the Tapia lessons because they say they appear to promote the technology These groups also suggested the curriculum doesn’t delve deeply enough into the technological questions they contend still surround the injection practice.
Concerns center around whether CO2 injection will work as advertised after a federal model project had underground leaks. Criticism has also come from rural residents worried about land rights, new delivery pipelines, the safety of underground aquifers and the cost to U.S. taxpayers.
Other opponents reject the curriculum entirely because they do not accept the overwhelming science surrounding man-made climate change.
Caitlion Hunter research and policy director of the Rise St. James community advocacy group, argued that the use of everyday materials underplays the risks, from pipeline corrosion to the consequences of a high-pressure CO2 leak.
“Students exposed to this Exxonfunded curriculum are being misled, plain and simple,” she charged.
Hand said those kinds of questions are beyond the level of an eighth grade class focused on the basic science of the states of matter, climate change and rock porosity
Mark T. Guillory, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel from Rapides Parish and one of the founders of Save My Louisiana which strongly opposes carbon capture, took a harsher line.
He called the program “outrageous indoctrination and propaganda,” and criticized teaching the “complete and utter lie” of manmade climate change. He also said the curriculum ignored the potential dangers of CCS.
“The real question is, why is industry producing or financing the production of curricula for public schools?” he asked
The two varying sets of criticisms illustrate the complex debate over carbon capture playing out across Louisiana.
Play-Doh and green brine
Back at Dutchtown Middle School, after Nash was done with the Play-Doh, he, Bourg and the others got their second batch of pretend liquid CO2 from Juneau
Classmate Miriam Miles began pouring the orange oil down a thick, plastic straw
At first, no leaks. Eventually, though, some orange oil started to appear on the purple Play-Doh around the two straws, but a far smaller amount And plenty of green brine was also moving up from the reservoir and out of the second straw, as planned, and far more than in the first attempt.
Juneau reminded the group that the difference is to be expected because of the spiral pasta’s greater porosity
The students recorded their results. Soon, it would be time for lunch.
Before the work had begun on the final demonstrations, Juneau had offered his class a little grace. It proved correct.
“We’re going to make mistakes. Y’all never done this before. Hopefully, we do better between the second and first trial,” he said.
Walk-On’sopening next monthinCarencro
BY DEAN BOUDREAUX
Contributing Writer
Tony Caballero has been with the Walk-On’sSports Bistreaux brand since 2008. He opened the Lafayette location in 2011 as general managerasaproving ground for expanding beyond Baton Rouge. Now as afranchisee and owner of the Lafayette location, he says the Carencro location that will open this summer along Interstate 49 is the next step. The market data —Carencro’spopulation has grown over 40%
since 2020 —was akey factor
“Carencrowas alreadyin our sights as earlyas2012,” Caballero said. “When we were able to reacquire Lafayette, we knew rightaway that this amazingcity just northofuswas anatural fit. Youwant to get in early and grow with the town rather than showing upafter it has alreadytaken off.”
Construction has been heavy for months atthe Carencrolocation since it was announced last summer Plans are for it to open the third or fourth week of July,
Caballero said, andemploy about 100. At 5,300 square feet, thelocation will be thecompany’s new prototype at about half the size of atypical WalkOn’s.It’saleaner and more efficient model with improvementsinkitchen technology that reduce theneed for prep space and staff.
Caballerohired ageneral manager months ago and had her jointhe Carencro BusinessAssociation board. The restaurant has also created asignature drink —“Charlotte’sAngels” —namedafter the city’s
CARENCRO
Continued from page 1A
Interest in the property has the mayor and otherofficials there optimisticabout thenext phase of growthin acity that grew like no other in Louisiana. According to census data releasedlast month, Carencro’spopulation swelled by 41.7% between July 1, 2020, and July 1, 2025, growing by nearly 4,000 residentstoa population of 13,224. Already home to astrong retailbasethat straddlesthe I-49 exit, Carencro is becominglessaquietsuburbofLafayette and more avibrant smallcity. Home starts during that five-year span outpaced Youngsville and Broussard, and itsmedian household income jumped by over 60% between 2019 and 2024, census data shows.
City leaders, said Mayor Charlotte Stemmans Clavier,are investing in infrastructure to manage that growth, which is expected to continue. Since she took office in 2022, the number of homes under development has hovered around 1,500.
“I am not the biggest proponent of growth —Igrew up in asmall town that was absolutely agreat place to grow up,” she said. “I didn’t want it to change much,but growth is happeningand there’snothingI can do aboutit. We aremakingevery effort to make sure we do it correctly.”
The Martin propertycould be away to facilitate that growth. The city,with its small sportscomplex, could use ahotel and more food options. Alocal quick-serve restaurant is in negotiations to build next to the post office, but the remainder of the lot is ablank slate.
LeBlanc and her sisters want to partner with adeveloper on the site and be involvedinwhatever gets built there.They are teaming with Sal Crifasi and Capstone Investment Partners
PARASITE
Continued from page1A
Navarre said cattleshould be inspecteddaily,oras frequently as possible, so wounds can be treated promptly before they become susceptible to infestation. Signs of infection include wounds with afoul odor or bloody drainage,reduced appetite andweight loss, the presence of maggots and animals isolating themselves from the herd
The discovery in Texas has also drawn the attention of Louisiana Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain, who warned that theparasite could have economicconsequencesifitspreads
“We’re going to do whatever we need to do to stop it Because, if we don’tstop it, we’ll have asignificant and long-term impact on the cost and affordability of beef,” Strain said Friday in apodcast.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott responded to last week’s discovery by expandinga statewide disaster declaration to increase personnel and resources dedicated to containing the outbreak
The strategy being employed by the USDA and Texas officials includesthe release of sterile screw-
to find apartner
“Evenbeforemydad passed away,weknew we wanted to do something,” LeBlanc said. “There’stremendous potential for any future development at this point. We wanttoexplore opportunities that would allow the property to flourish and also besomething good for Carencro.”
Moving to Carencro
The cost of anewly built home has been abig reason whypeople are moving to Carencro, said Jim Keaty, owner of Keaty Real Estate.
Many ofthe areaswhere houses arebeing built are classified as rural anddonot require adown payment, and builders offerlower interest rates andgenerous promotionstofacilitate a sale. Buyerscan easilyown anew homewith amortgage that’soften less than what they were paying in rent, he said.
In the70520 ZIPcode, which covers most of Carencro’s city limits,the median sale pricefor ahome has been $216,000 or lesssince 2022,well belowthe $245,000 median for Lafayette Parish, according todatafrom Bill Bacque with MarketScope Consulting.
Builders DSLD and DR Horton have been active in Carencro for some time
“I know there’smore developments they have slated,” Keatysaid. “I’vepresented propertiestothem that Iwas thinking would be great properties, butthey’re turning them downbecause they havesomuch product comingonlineinthatarea.”
Thegrowthhas changed the city’sdemographics abit,pushingthe median householdincomeupto $63,401, which is almost identical to that of Lafayette Parish as awhole.
That hasyet to,however, push up spending the city Total retail sales grew 38.5% between 2020and 2025,but other municipalities had bigger hikes while sales across the parish rose 43.7%,
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By ISABEL MATEOS Alfredo Chavez, acattle rancher and livestock technician,shows aNew Worldscrewwormlarva removedfrom acow at his ranch in Cintalapa, Chiapas, Mexico.
worm flies to reduce reproduction rates, as well as the creation of a12.5-mile quarantinezone around the infected calf.
In Texasalone, the largest cattle-producingstate in the United States, a1976 outbreakof New World screwworm cost the 2024 equivalent of $1.8 billion in total economic loss, with $732 millionofthathitting producers in asingle year.That is morethanthe entirety of Louisiana’s$640 million cattle industry,accordingto 2023 LSUAgCenter data. Screwworm is theparasitic larva of the screwworm
mayor,Charlotte Stemmans Clavier
Yetthe opening, Caballerosaid, is about more thansquare footage or seat counts. He describedthe Acadiana region as aplace with adistinctenergy and identity thatmirrors what he looks for in amarket.
“That entire Acadiana region —fromthe work ethic to thesmiles to theway of life —it’sjust ahappy place that energizes you,”hesaid. “Theyhave thatunderdog mentality every single day. Theyknowwhattheywant and they go get it.”
Wherethe newhomes were built
Here’s abreakdown of wherenew homeswerebuilt between 2020 and2025inLafayette Parish:
according to data from the Lafayette EconomicDevelopment Authority
To handle thatresidential surge,cityofficials have in recent years invested in infrastructure alongwith drainage, streets and parks, Clavier said. Among those projects is a$47 million sewer plant thatwill more than double the city’scapacity with the opportunity forexpansion. City Hall will also be renovated.
City officials also used American Rescue Plan Act funding to begin replacing old cast-iron water lines, someofwhich are over 100 years old that can sometimes send brown waterinto homes, she said.
“At the first meeting with engineers, they had asample of the pipe and they told me not to touch it,” Clavier said. “Of course, I’mgoing to touch it. The rust on theinside was sticky,and I had to washmyhands three times to get it off.”
Now the city is hoping to attract more retail.One report done by Alabama-based RetailStrategies revealed Carencro could use more bars,medical outletsand hotels.
Construction of thesecond phase of the CenterSquare shopping center will begin soon,and theWalk-On’s next to it will open in July. Retail vacancies in Carencro are hard to find, said Clinton Shepard, acommercialreal estate agent with Lee& Associates.
“I get alot of people who are like, ‘Why don’tyou get ahotel?’”Clavier said. “You just want ahotel if you’ve got family and friends or have awedding. Youend up going allthe waytoOpelousasorintoLafayette (to stay).”
LafayetteParishisgrowing
All of Lafayette Parish, as well as the townofMaurice in neighboring Vermilion Parish, has growninthat five-year span, putting the area at odds with every other metro area in the state
that is shedding people, data shows.
Theparish gainedjust under 16,000 people in that span, outpacing St. TammanyParish forthe biggest gain in the state. Homes salessofar this year arestrongand ahead of last year’space, and the numberofluxuryhome sales haspushed theaverage sale pricetoover$300,000, Bacque’sdata shows.
“I don’tget as many people moving out as Iused to,” said RobbieBreauxwith Real Broker.“We see so manywho are filling in from other industries. Iused to see oil field like one (out of) everyfive (homes). Nowit’s oneinevery 25. You’ve got morekids graduating from high school andcollege, and it seems alot of them arestaying here —which is nice.”
Lafayette Parish also added nearly 20,000 jobs during that five-year span, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Thebiggest gains were healthcare and education (4,966) and leisure and hospitality (4,485). Manufacturing jobs also grew by 33%. Only jobs in oil and gas extraction declined.
Lafayette Parish, which at 203 square miles is the thirdsmallest in the state, has a high qualityoflife factor that is luring new residents, LEDA President andCEO Mandi Mitchellsaid. The growth will continue in the coming year andlikelycontinue in Carencro. “The northern part of the parish, there’s opportunity there,” Mitchell said. “There are still parcels of land available forresidential and commercial development. There’s stillland available (in the south), but we’re at a point now where the municipalitiesinthe northern part of the parish are working hard to attract more retail androoftops, andit’sgoing to feed itself.”
Email Adam Daigle at adaigle@theadvocate.com.
fly and is atype of blowfly that can invade thetissues of any warm-blooded animal,including humans. The parasiteenters animals skin, causing severe damage and lesions that can be fatal. Infected animalsare a serious threat to herds. There are two typesof screwworms: OldWorld and New World.
The Old World screwworm larvae dine on the living flesh of warm-blooded animalsand are generally not found in theWestern Hemisphere.
New World screwworm also feedsonthe fleshofliving warm-blooded animals but is found in the Western Hemisphere. Theflies lay up to 3,000 eggs throughout their two- to three-week life on theoutside of open wounds andmucousmembranes of animals,Buenger said. The larvaethenburrow into the flesh andfeed before turning intopupae, dropping to theground to mature and start the cycle again. If the animal goes untreated, the resultscan be fatal. The discoveryhas heightened concernsamong livestock producers across the Gulf Southasthe parasite moves closer to Louisiana.
WhileLouisiana’s cattle industry is notaslarge as in Texasand other Western
states, it doesboast many historic cattle ranches across regions of the state such as Acadiana thathave operated for generations.
“It’simportant that we re-
port anything like fly larva in livestock or pets quickly andtreat anyinfestedanimal appropriatelytoprevent spread,” Navarre said. She also highlighted the
importance of insect repellentsand closelymonitoringnewborncalves and postpartum mothers, which areparticularlyvulnerable to infection.
STAFF PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK
Newhomes are under construction in the Stable View subdivision near Carencro on Tuesday.
STAFFPHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK AWalk-On’sSports Bistreaux is under construction on TuesdayinCarencro.
Staffgraphic
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Famous Acadiana cafeteriareopens
BY JOANNA BROWN Staff writer
Victor’sCafeteria hasbeen closed for the past two years, and every time Ifound myselfinNew Iberia, Ikept hearingpeople talk about it. In the 55 years Victor’swas open, it was aregular breakfast meeting spot for local business owners, community leaders,French tables, veterans groups andmore. Every day of the week, someone was there was soon as the doors
opened to grab atable. It was even afavorite local haunt for fictional detective Dave Robicheaux the gritty protagonist created by crime writer James Lee Burke.
When Victor’s Cafeteria closed in May2024, people mourned the endofanera,telling me about thecommunity that thrivedthere forlocalsand visitors alive. That communityproved to be intact this week whenVictor’sCafeteria reopened on June 3— same place, same ownership, and the same hearty,simple breakfastfood
madewith love and skill. Everytable was full on their third morning open, but orders moved quickly as folks made their selections down the line. Iwent with the #1 for $10.75, which came with two eggs cooked anystyle, andanarray of choices —gritsor smotheredpotatoes, twobiscuits or two pieces of toast,and your selection of sausage patty,sausage links,bacon or ham. Between a friend and myself, we were able to try almost everything, with the addition of hot cakes.
Thesausage links were juicyand bursting withsavoryflavor,while the ham was perfectlythick cut, fried and ready to slide between abiscuit (whichwas hot, tender and buttery). Speaking of butter pools of it steamedinthe grits, which were exactly the kind I like:simple, old-fashioned, stickto-your-ribs without being loaded with garnishments. The grits weremychoice over the smothered potatoes,but Iwas thrilledtoget the chance to try both sides, because the smothered
potatoes may be Victor’s standoutbreakfast creation —picture creamypotatoes, loaded and smothered down with vegetables, chives and seasoning. It was like thebest kind of breakfast potato salad,and paired really well with arunny egg. Other menu itemsinclude shrimpand grits, Belgian waffles, oatmeal, hotcakes or French toast, andbiscuitswitha country-style white gravy.Asorders streamed
Smooth ride
Longtime economic developmentdirectordies
office, died Thursday Rodier was first hired in 2013 after six years with the Louisiana Workforce Commissionand Louisiana Economic Development and dedicated his efforts at moving St. Landry Parish forward, officials said. “He championed initiatives that strengthenedin-
frastructure, encouraged investment, supported localbusinessesand elevated the quality of lifefor re si den ts throughout th ep arish,” the announcement read. Under his leadership, St.Landry Parish experienced significant growth along the Interstate 49 corridor,expanded economic opportunities and developed innovative structures that became recognized throughout Louisiana as models for effective economic development Before entering public service, Rodier worked in executive positions in private industry and real estate development and spenttime in theAir Force, where he managed operationssupporting senior military leaders, dignitaries andpresidential missions.
BY KRISTIN ASKELSON Staff writer
Prime Time Head Start will host job fairsinLafayette and Iberia parishes this week as it prepares for the2026-27 school year The job fairs will be held Friday at the following locations: n Lafayette Parish:8
ABOVE: Designer CarlyViatorCourville, left, andowner Ben Trant celebrate at the TrainWreck InnB&B in Grand Coteau. RIGHT: ArloNaquin-Schulze, from left,Finn NaquinSchulze and John Wyatt Trant enjoy climbing on atraincar
PHOTOSByROBIN MAy
The Train Wreck Inn inGrand Coteau celebrates its secondanniversary on Saturday
Rodier
See CAFETERIA, page 4B
YOUR VIEWS
WorldWar II warned us aboutfascism
Arecent letter penned by Billy Arcement explains what he considers the oxymoronic nature of theterm “Democratic Socialist” (“Democracy and socialism are not compatible,” May 7.) He accused the Democrats of being devious and using sleight-of-hand. He goesonto saythat one cannot believein both socialism and democracy —only one canexist.
Sitting across the aisle from Arcement, Iwould use asimilarargument about fascism and democracy Since aRepublican returned to the White House in 2025 and with majorities in both the House and Senate, fascism has been on full display —no“sleight-of-hand” about it. Numerous executive orders, starting awar with Iran without approval of Congress, demolition of the East Wing of the White House without prior approval, ignoring the right the Constitution gives to Congress to control tariffs are just afew examples of the exercises of the authoritarian arm of fascismwehave seen So far democracy,though bruised andbattered, is still hanging on. But will it continue to win the day?
As avolunteer at the National WWII Museum, Iamreminded weekly of how the events leading up to and during World WarIIare being repeated heretoday in America.Unfortunately,ittook aworld war and almost half amillion American lives to prove fascism and democracy cannot coexist.
Today Americans must choose fascism or democracy.Whichwill it be?
NELL AUCOIN NAQUIN Baton
Rouge
GOPpoliticians are sacrificing everything fortheir party
It has never been more obvious Donald Trump, Steve Scalise, Mike Johnson, Jeff Landry and Liz Murrill are willing to sacrifice everything, including state and country,for their party To them, Republican domination takes priority over democracy,the rule of law or even common sense Ihave been aRepublican since 1971. Iwill continue to be one,despite my embarrassment, if only because Ihope Ican bring some small amount of sanity to my party Unfortunately,too manyfellow Republicans continue to followin lockstep their president, right off the democratic cliff.
WIL KNIPMEYER NewOrleans
The unincorporated Vermilion Parish community of Pecan Island,witha population of about 100 peoplealong Louisiana Highway82, is believedtobeapotential location for the construction of a massive SpaceX spaceport.
If spacecompany comestoLa., it should have astake in coast
The potential purchase of Exxon lands in VermilionParish by aspace exploration company providesanopportunitytocorrect the errors of centuries of mismanagement.
Foreons, thedrainage of 38 states and parts of Canada came unrestricted to Louisiana’s coastal zone, quickly building land; but in the past century,wehave built numerous dams throughout the Mississippi watershed —for navigation, irrigation and energy generation.
All of these impoundments have stymied the flowofsediment and detritus material —having an enormous negative impact on our wetlands and fisheries throughout the Gulf.
Along with this, the1927 flood of SouthLouisiana demanded that we protect lands with a massive levee system.The situation has been further complicated by poorly designed roads
and navigation canals across wetlands, which
disrupt thenorth-south hydrological flow
The restoration of the tidalexchange in the marshes is critical totheir recovery andison us as astate to address throughour coastal restoration plans.
We could begin by takingout the damsinthe wildlife reserves. Also, existing roadways could be elevated at critical pointswhile new roads should be required to allow fortidal exchange. Restoring the hydrological flow to our wetlands is key to their survival. It should be taken into consideration by anyone whohas astake in South Louisiana, be they aduck hunting club or aglobal gazillionaire looking to launch space ships.
HAROLD SCHOEFFLER Lafayette
Displayedincontext,Confederate statuescould help us move past ashamefulera of ourhistory
In response to State Rep. Mike Bayham’s proposal for the Confederate statues: Many people never had theopportunityto study the history of these monuments(none of us did, as the facts were not in our history books).
Thesestatues and other memorials to the Confederacy were erected in the post-Reconstruction era, concurrent with the reemergence of Whitesupremacy as the dominant political narrative and power structure in the old Confederate states. It was atime when laws werepassed denying voting rights to former slaves, establishing “separate but equal”aslegal doctrine and putting into place laws that discriminated against former slaves in everyaspectofcommerceand employment. Thestatues were erected as asymbol of the reemergenceof
White power andintendedtoconvey symbolically this fact.
Onesolution is to establish aGardenofReconciliation where the statues can be placed as partofaneducational effort to educateand informcitizens and visitorsastothe true nature of whythesestatues were erected. Then perhaps we can finally move past this shameful period of our history
Onenote: Robert E. Lee wasquite explicit that no statues or memorials were to be erected to memorialize the Confederacy “I think it wiser nottokeep open the soresof war,” he wrote, “but to follow the example of those nations who endeavoredtoobliterate the marks of civil strife, and to commit to oblivion thefeelings it engendered.”
PHILIP FRADY NewOrleans
Congressional maps
On May 8, Louisiana legislators began debating new congressional maps for the first time since the Supreme Court of the United States issued its decision in Louisiana v. Callais. The Court mayhave gutted the Voting Rights Act of 1965, but it did not give Louisiana permission to abandon fairness or democracy
Maps are not abstract political exercises; they determine whether communitiesare kept whole or carved apart, whether neighborhoods can advocate for their shared needs and whetherBlack voters, who make up roughly one-third of Louisiana’spopulation, can meaningfully participate in decisions affecting their families and futures. Louisiana knows the consequences whenpower is used to exclude. From Plessy v. Ferguson to generations of voter suppression and the Civil Rights movement, our history has taught us what happens when representation is denied, but it has also taught us what courage looks like. The 14th and 15th Amendments (the “Love Amendments”) promised equal protection and voting rights after slavery and civil war,and those promises still matter today Lawmakers can treat Callais as alicense to weakenrepresentation further,orthey can recognize that democracy requires integrity restraint and fairness, even when courts step back.
The people of Louisiana are watching. Our elders who survived Jim Crow and witnessed the struggle are watching. Young people inheriting this democracy are watching. History will recall and long rememberwhat happens next.
ALANAH ODOMS executivedirector,ACLU Louisiana
they should pay
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Educatorsshoulduse alltools,evenAI, to combat cheating
In respectfulresponse to Madison Weidert’s opinion,I must statethat in 2000, Iand a groupofeducators worked on agrantfor the Louisiana Virtual School. We researched best practices forboth students and teachers.Due to limited space thegrant allowed the schools to select students who met requirements for participation.The first groupofstudents were in honors/GT programs. Riverside Academy was one of the first schools to participate in the onlinelearningresearch. Students 26 years ago were very adept at internetusage.Asthe fine arts/advanced art teacher, Ihad to design classes that included research and creative ways to communicatethrough the arts. There werestudents, pressed to succeed in every endeavor,who very much used websites to plagiarize their projects. Assignmentswere giveninwhich students would design Power-
Point presentations. Several times Iwas amazed how these bright,advanced gifted andtalented students copied and pasted an entire website on one slide.Those were easy to flag as plagiarism. Then there werethose who copied and pasted entireparagraphs,rearranging them to cover their tracks.The developers of the software we wereusing at the time, Blackboard, recognized the need for plagiarism software. Iwas able to use thesame technology to seek out plagiarized work. Twenty-six years ago, and humans do not alter their behavior.Studentswill cheat, manytrying to meet thepressures of competition. It is the responsibilityofboth parents and teachers to correct it. Humans have, and seemingly always will, cheat, regardless of age.
SANDRA H. EVANS Baton Rouge
I’mone of the independent voters whohad to declare ateam to vote on the party candidates in the recent primaries. Iamnot against closed primaries. Iamagainst taxpayers footing the bill forparty primaries. That should be aprivate affair paid forwith party money We have too manyelections in Louisiana. Consolidate them.Never mind that we need aworkable constitution to eliminate local issues having to take the form of amendments to be voted on by people uninvolved in the issue every four months when we have another election.
Let the political parties work out their own processes to choose their candidate. Then, we vote.
PHILLIP WILLIAMS Covington
STAFF FILEPHOTO By STEPHANIE RIEGEL
STAFFFILE PHOTOByByJILL PICKETT
An election worker explains a declaration form to avoter on May 16 at C.E. Byrd High School in Shreveport.
King Donald, meet King Pyrrhus
In 279 B.C., King PyrrhusofEpirus defeatedaRoman legion at theBattle of Asculum. But that conflict cost so many casualties that his forces were left weak and vulnerable, leadingthe monarch to lament, “Onemore such victoryand weare completely done for!”
lion fund that would reward his supporters while shielding himself and hisfamily from tax audits, potentially saving them $100 million in penalties.
The phrase “Pyrrhic victory” has survived for more than 2,300 years because it so aptly describes adriven butdeluded leader who picks the wrong fight. Now it applies to President Donald Trump, who engineeredsuccessfulprimary challenges against two Republican senatorsthat he accuses of disloyalty: John Cornyn, R-Texas; andBill Cassidy,R-Baton Rouge.
As aresult of his triumph,Trump has weakened his own influence over theSenate, where Republicanshold a narrow three-vote margin.
“After the president helped endthe careers of two of theirown, manyin theSenate GOP feel he’sbroken their political contract,” writes thewebsite Puck. “Now,instead of constantly bowing to the executive branch, they’re agitating to fight, or at least stand up for themselves.”
“GOP aides characterized themood as one of raw fury at PresidentTrump over how he has treated senators,” reports The Wall Street Journal.
“They see Trump’sbehaviors as potentially paralyzing most action in the Republican-led Congress for the rest of theyear and bruising the party’s efforts to hang on to the Senateinthe midterm elections.”
That “raw fury” was seriously in-
flamed by another Trump “victory”: hiscynical scheme to create a$1.8 bil-
“No onethinksthis is awinning issue, even those in safe Republican House andSenate seats that don’tusually have to worry about an election,” aGOP strategist told Reuters. “Even those folkswant no part of this.”
Thebacklash was so fierce that Trump— who hates to admit defeat or back down on anything —reluctantly gave up. ActingAttorney General Todd Blanchetold acongressional hearing,“We arenot moving forward with the fund. Period.” Suspicion of Trump’smotives and machinations runs so high that Rep. Grace Meng, of New York, felt compelled to ask, “Not movingforward ever?” Blanche answered:“Correct.”
The president’ssleazy tax avoidance deal apparently remains on thebooks, although afederal judge in Florida has opened an investigation,sayingthe settlement“raises profoundquestions about the parties’ candor toward the Court and manipulation of the judicial system ” So while some uncertainty lingers, this political paradox is increasingly clear.Trump remains highly popular among hardcore MAGA loyalists who vote in Republican primaries. But thoseloyalists are not enough to win general elections, and as Trump’spoll numbers continue to slide, his critics aremore emboldened to act on their rising resentment.
In thelatest survey by The Economist, Trump’sfavorable rating plummetedto34%, the lowest score during either of his terms. Fully 63% say the economyisgetting worse under his stewardship, with only 13% seeing an improvement.
Pollingbythe nonpartisan political group Third Wayreveals where that decline is coming from.Ayear ago, “moderate and liberal Republicans,” who might have voted for Trumpbut never joined MAGA Nation, thought thecountry was headed in the“right direction” by a39-point margin. Now thatedge has shrunk to 11 points.
This shift can be explained by a common complaint from disillusioned Trumpsupporters: “This is not what I voted for ”
The president has clearly broken twopromises that he made repeatedly during the campaign: lowering prices and ending wars. But theself-dealing plot to enrich his supporters, and his family,symbolizes alarger discontent —agrowing belief that Trump is simply not focused on the problems ordinary Americans care most about:their own families and their own budgets.
In fact, he candidly admits his own indifference, tellingreporters “I don’t thinkabout Americans’ financial situation” in avideo clip that is already featured in Democratic attack ads
Instead, what he does seem to be thinking about are three very personal goals: rewarding his friends, punishing his enemies and burnishing his legacy
He’smore concerned with putting his face on a$250 bill than putting money in voters’ pockets. More focused on renaming theKennedy Centerand remodeling the White House than restoring prosperity.More driven by revenge and grievance than consensus or compromise.
Buthis small victories are coming at ahigh cost. King Donald, meet King Pyrrhus
Email Steven V. Roberts at stevecokie@gmail.com
Sea-levelrisethreatens
Three things you maynot know about me: Iam abig woman, 6foot 2inches in my stocking feet
My laugh is loud, if not to say piercing. And Inever apologize to furniture.
That’swhy Iidentified so strongly with Auntie Marsha, the hero from “The Serpent in the Grove,” one of five regional winners of the 2026 Commonwealth Short Story Prize.
Change’s Sixth Assessment Report projectsglobalmean sea-level rise of less thanone meter by 2100. While those numbers are serious, they are afar cry away from the“inevitable” projections the paper treats as fait accompli.
Arecent study makes dramatic claims about our city and state, but the sciencedoes not back them up The paper published last month in Nature Sustainability madeheadlines with adire verdict about ourcityand state: “In paleo-climate terms, New Orleans is gone.” The study claims coastal Louisiana has already crossed a “point of no return,” and that some of our state’slargest cities Baton Rouge, Lafayette and New Orleans —will eventually become waterfront property as the Gulf encircles us. As aNew Orleanian andaneconomist who studies these kindsof claims for aliving, Iwanttooffer some pushback and reasonsfor optimism. This is not to deny that coastal Louisiana faces serious challenges, but bad science leads to bad policy, and our city deserves better than both.
The paper projects 3to 7meters (roughly 10 to 23 feet) of sea-level rise, pushing the shorelinemorethan 60 miles inland. That is an extremely wide range, and it corresponds to scenarios that even the most pessimistic projections cannot support. The Intergovernmental PanelonClimate
Thesedramatic numbers come from the Last Interglacial period (roughly 125,000 yearsago) when global sea levels were 5to9metershigher than today. Becausecurrent temperatures are approaching comparable levels, they assume we face the same outcome. But this ignoresthe rateof change. The icesheet collapse unfolded over thousands of years.Applying that endpoint to near-term policy decisions is afar step.
Critically,the paper’sauthors acknowledge they have no timeline for when theirprojections would materialize. Remarkably,they frame this as a“strategic advantage,” arguing Louisiana shouldbegin managed depopulationnow.Inessence, they want the uprooting of morethan amillion people basedonprojections theycannotattach adate to.
The authorsshow net outmigration along Louisiana’scoast, and net in-migrationfor Florida’scoastas evidence of climate retreat. However, underthose same3-to-7-meter projections, Florida’scoastwould sufferthe samefate.There are plenty of reasons
morepeople aremoving to Florida and leaving Louisiana, but if people were moving for climate retreat,the coast of Florida would not make sense. Perhaps mostfrustrating is that the authorstreat New Orleanians and coastalLouisianans as chesspieces to be relocated and implies thatany preventive measures are alostcause. But real solutions exist. The Dutch have battled theNorth Sea for centuries, but thesame projection from the authorsmeans that Amsterdam should be abandoned. Right here at home, companies like GlassHalf Full areturning recycled glass intosand to help rebuild our coastlines.There areinnovative, community-based approaches that deserve investment and attention Louisiana’s coast is not without problems. Subsidence and wetland loss are both important issues to take seriously.Solutions like restoration, smarterinfrastructure investment and honestcost-benefit analysis are crucial, instead of surrenderdressed up as science. New Orleans has survived floods, hurricanes and agreat deal else. Giving up on this cityand south Louisiana is not arealistic strategy
Justin Callais is chief economist at the Archbridge Institute and aNew Orleans resident
“Big in the wayofwomen who never apologize to furniture,” the story tells us, “she had alaugh that shook dust from joists and avoice that could soften to coax achild from aledge.” I’m joking, of course. No one could possibly recognize themselves in this rococo garble. It reads as if the author had consumed abunch of novels and perhaps the Encyclopaedia Britannica, but somehow never interacted with humans in the real world.
Which maybethe truth.
While the author’snameislisted as Jamir Nazir, Pangram,anartificial intelligence detector with strong external validation, suggested the story was 100% AI-authored. When science fictionauthor James Yu ran the other stories through Pangram, he found that two of them also cameback as likely AI-written —wholly or substantially.They contain similarly almost-coherent metaphors.
The CommonwealthFoundation, which oversees theshort story competition, seemstobestanding by the prizewinners. Kelsey Piperhas an excellent essay explaining why“the agewhen youcan run aliterary magazine on trust is over.You can either decide AI submissionsare fine, or you can filter forthem.” Piper is right, and since Icannot improve on her conclusion, let me instead ask: Why should we care whether authors are carbon-based, ratherthansilicon?
Many writers and readers will assumethe answer is obvious. But if Pangram is correct, Commonwealth’sjudges, who were selected for their “expertise, passion for the literary community andstrong backgrounds in writing,” awarded amajority of their prizes to machine-written prose. If that’sthe case, presumably these certified experts rejected some human-written stories in favor of “AI slop” —asdid the many NewYork Timesreaders who preferredAI snippets to excerpts from award-winning writers in arecent blind test.
This suggests that many AI critics have it backward. If the proliferation of AI writing is aproblem, it’snot because it’sterrible slop unfit for human consumption; it’saproblem because in some specific ways, it’stoo good. It is the literary equivalent of fast food: convenient, cheap, hyper-consistent and relentlessly optimized to tickle our pleasure centers. Sure, AI produces some crazy metaphors and weird hallucinations, because the models have all of our text and none of our context. On the otherhand, AI is really good at optimizing for readability,both stylistically and structurally.AIfictiontends to be smoother,tighter and psychologically simplerthan its human-written counterparts, explicitly stating themes, constructing “single-track narratives with fewer loose ends” and portraying fewer morally ambiguous characters.
This describes the three AI-flagged storiesbut not the two identified as human-written. It also describes whatalot of people want from their fiction—possibly even some who pride themselves on their literary sophistication. After all, AI didn’tevolve this style by accident; it writes that waybecause that’swhathumanreaders rewarded. If so, one might argue that’s not aproblem for anyone except (she said nervously) professional writers. What’swrong with AI giving readers what they want?
Because as with fast food, what people want now isn’tnecessarily good for them in the long run. It would be badifnew reading materialmostly came from the same handful of models —akind of intellectual monocropping, if you will.
Those who are familiar with the Irish famine know why monocropping is dangerous: The populationof the island of Ireland still hasn’tfully rebounded from the potato blight that started in 1845and wipedout its staple crop, killing more than 1millionpeople and forcing as many as 2million to emigrate.
I’m not suggesting AI writing will result in mass death. I’m saying that just as it’sbettertocultivate avariety of crops than to rely on one highly productive species, it’sbetter to cultivate arange of ideas from different sources. When you go all in on onebig thing, you create asingle point of failure Intellectual monocropping is not solely an AI problem, of course (see the recent headlong institutional rush into social justice politics). However,despite the best efforts of totalitarian movements, humanity has always maintained ahealthy reserve of idiosyncratic thinkers. It would be ashame to lose that by ceding too muchofour cognitive work to machines, whichhave been trained on the same broadcorpus of human texts and tweaked to conform to the same narrow set of legal rules and culturalnorms.
That’sthe problem with AI fiction; when you’re taking aweighted average of prior humanwriting, without the leavening addition of personal experience, it’seasy to get something acceptable and hard to get something unforgettable. So, Ifear aworld where AI dominates fiction, think pieces and doctoral dissertations. We don’tneed human writers because AI offers us too many wild metaphors. We need human writers because AI provides too few wild ideas.
Steve Roberts
STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER
away of life along the bayou near Campo’s Marina in Shell Beach,thoughthe Campofamily also fearsone of the state’s ambitious projects toaddress it could put them out of business.
ega McArdle M n
Justin Callais GUEST COLUMNIST
National WWII Museum honors Rosiethe Riveters
BY VIOLET BUCARO Staff writer
The heads of thefactory toldDelphine Klaputto guard the aircraft blueprints with her life. Whenever she needed to bring them out, which was often as aleader of ateam of men building planes to be sent overseas, she kept them close so they wouldn’t be lost or seen by someone who shouldn’tknow about them. There was awar on, after all. It was afar cry from her life growing up in a Pennsylvania coal mining town, andshe remembers walking through GlennL Martin Aircraft factoryin Baltimoreasking herself, “Whatdid Iget myself into?” Klaput, 101, worked at the aircraft factory during the last years of World WarII. From 1944to1945, shewas one of the millions of young women who took jobs in the factories that builtthe planes andtanks and ships and trucksthat helped the U.S. and its allies win the war America’smassive manufacturing capabilitycame to be known as the Arsenal of Democracy.Itwas powered by women like Klaput, who later came to be associated with the wartime icon known as Rosie the Riveter
TheRosie the Riveter propagandaposter, created by J. Howard Miller in 1943,depicts awoman with rolled-up sleeves, red lipstick and apumped fist, with the emblematic motto “WeCan Do It.” It was madetomotivate women in the labor force.
Lastweek, Klaput was among more than 30 “Rosie the Riveters”who traveledtoNew Orleans to attend The American Spirit Awards at TheNational WWII Museum, where they are honorees. The awards aregiven to people whoreflectthe spirit and contribution of the men and women who served in the war.Former Saints football player Steve Gleason and American composer John Williams were also recognized at the awards ceremony this weekend.
Adifficult time
Over 16 million Americans served in the armed forces in WorldWar II, and approximately 6 million womenfilled jobs on the homefront historically reserved formen. Due to the Depression from 1929 to 1939, many women whoworked in the wareffort came from poor families. Whenthey got jobs, they sent most of the money to families back home Francesca Masters, 104, another honoree in New Orleans, said she made $1 an hour and like Klaput sent nearly all her money back to her family.
Masters worked on the airplane wingofthe B-24 Liberator,operating heavy machinery in thebomber plant in Ypsilanti,Michigan. Shefeltproud to be working a“man’s job,”she said, andthatit“felt like adifferent world” in the fac-
CAFETERIA
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out to tables, Imentally made my next selection, which will be shrimp and grits. Victor’sCafeteriaisa 30-minutedrive from Lafayette, and Idefinitely plan to make the drive again soon There aren’tmany spots like it left anymore proudly rooted, with décor that speakstothe building’s history: old photos, George
Rodrigue prints,newspapercuttings and asign that says “Dave Robicheauxeats here.” Butnoplace cansurvive on nostalgiaalone. If you’re abreakfast lover it is indeed worth the trip— whether it’syour first visit, or agrand return. Victor’sCafeteria is open seven days aweek at 109 W. Main St., New Iberia, from 6:30 to 11 a.m.
Email Joanna Brown at joanna.brown@ theadvocate.com
tory
PeterCrean,vice president of education and access at the museum, said that so often the meninuniform arerecognized, but in reality,the wartouched everyfamily, everywoman.
“It was thewomen that werestepping into the breach on the homefront,” Crean said.
American industrial needs went into hyperdrive, and if womenwere refused entry for production roles,itwould’ve taken over5million menout of uniform. He said it would have been much harder to build 2,700Liberty ships and 100 aircraft carriers and ultimately,towin the war Women welded, carried rivet guns and steppedinto administrative roles. Before, it was unheard of to apply forthosejobs. Crean said not only did the women help win the war,but the countrywas fundamentally different because of their
example
“The opportunities for my mother,mywife and my daughters would be very different,” he said. “That door never really closed.”
Mastersremembersthe scale of effort, and the small details. Overwhelmingly largemachines surrounded her in the Willow Run Bomber Plant, the largest warfactory in the world during World WarII, built by theFord Motor Company.Itwas spotless, she said,except when men wouldspittheir chewing tobacco on the floor
Her parents were Italian immigrants, and her father wasahorticulturist for afruit market. Twoof her sisters worked at the plantwhile hertwo brothers foughtinthe war.
Frequently, herfamily wouldget letters in the mail from herbrothers. A few weeksbefore thewar ended, shecame home and
sawplants had beenthrown out on her family’sback porch.
She said she justknew something had happened to one of herbrothers,Salvatore, and the telegram confirmed it. He had been killed in the Battle of the Bulge.
As they waited fornews from overseas,the women had to find waystostaymotivatedbackhome.Virginia Rusch, 99, from Detroit, said shehad always wanted to work. She wanted to buy new clothes.When shewas 15, shedropped out of high school and told Republic Aircraft Products that she was 17 to get hired. She builtairplane nose cones and propellersatthe assembly line from 1942 to 1944. Each day she’d solder acone, place it in abin and repeat.
She said if she could talk to her younger self, she’d say,“Ihad good intentions in life. Iwanted to succeed, which Ididn’tdobadly,” she
said.“Idid pretty good for apersonthat didn’t graduate from high school.”
Whoare theRosies?
As they talked about their experiences together at the museum Thursday,the three women said that until recently they didn’tthink of themselves as “Rosie the Riveters” who fought on the homefront.
From2013 to 2017, Rusch’sdaughter,Lisa Brown,would dressup as Rosie at Willow Run to raise funds to repair the plant, but shehad no idea her mother was considered aRosie until she learned abouther part of thewar effort.
“I would say the last five years there’sbeen apush for the recognition for Rosies,” said Brown. “But in thefirst fewyears, it was very hard forthembecause they truly didn’tthink they had done anything special.”
Ruschwould tell her daughter that shequit school and gotajob becauseitwas what sheneeded to do to help the effort.
“Itwas our duty,” Masters chimed in.
The passing decades have meant fewer and fewer Rosies arestill alive. But the ones that aresay they try to stay involved in associations around the nation and celebrate one another
“No matterwhere you go, if there’saRosie, you’re gonna see this,” Klaput said, extending her hands toward the other women
“They have to hold hands,” Klaput said. She reached for Rusch’s hand, andRusch reached for Masters’ hand. “Wecan do it,” Klaput said.
terprises TheLafayette Parish School System reserves the righttorejectany and allproposals andto waive anyinformalities or irregularities in thepro‐posalsreceived, when suchactionisdeemed to beinthe best interest of the School System ceived afterthe Submis‐sionDeadlinewillnot be considered. NO qualifica‐tions statements
STAFFPHOTO By ENAN CHEDIAK
Delphine Klaput points to aphotographofherself on acanvasatThe
in NewOrleans on Friday.
ON A MISSION
BY BRIANMAHONEY
AP basketball writer
NEW YORK Madison Square Garden has seen just about everything in sports and entertainment,from the first Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazierfight to the first Wrestlemania It just hasn’tseen much of the NBA Finals.
The New York Knicks have brought the finals back to their home court for the firsttimesince 1999 andcan make sure they don’tleave again this year.Fans are spending astonishingly high prices for ticketsand the potential to witness acelebration more than five decades in the making.
With a2-0 leadover Victor Wembanyama andthe San Antonio Spurs, theKnicks are halfwaytotheir first championship since 1973. They arethe biggestthing in the Big Apple, and it seems everyoneiscaught up in the hoopla except theKnicks themselves
Lafayettenativeison aquest to runin 100halfmarathons
Love of running got Pam andher husband Wayne “Bubba” Begnaudcompeting in half marathons all across theUnited States. Love has kept her going— on herown. Severalyears ago, the Lafayette couple set agoal: they would compete in 50 half marathons in all50 states.
“I know the fanbase is really excited, as theyshould be,” captainJalen Brunson said. “Butasateam, us inside the locker room, we have morework to do.” Game 3isMonday,withPresident Donald Trump in the building. Whether they’veplayed in the arena or satway up in the cheap seats—not that there is such athing this time, with tickets reselling for more than $10,000 —people know this night will be different.
“I thinkit’sgoing to be through theroof,” Spurs guard DylanHarper said. “I thinkit’sgoing to be everything that I’ve kind of seen or dreamed of times 10.” It will be thefirst NBAFinals game at Madison Square Garden since June 25, 1999, which ended with the Knicks watching the Spurscelebrate their first championship after winning Game 5. Thatseries, andone in 1994, werethe only finals games
lock step as they crossed the past ish lines together
“We’ve done Mount Rainier,Mo Rushmore, Yellowstone, Grand Te Pam said. “If Bubba was close to famoussportsfield, he would wan see it.”
Ahalf marathon this past Oct. 1 Des Moines, Iowa, marked their 4 state. That left just Hawaii and N braska to be checked off their list
Legacy Bowl
BY RODWALKER Staff writer
After afive-year run in New Orleans, the Allstate HBCU Legacy Bowl hasfound a new home. The Legacy Bowl, apostseason college football all-stargame fordraft-eligible players from Historically Black Colleges and Universities, is relocating to Atlanta. Doug Williams,the legendaryGrambling quarterbackand SuperBowlXXIIMostValuable Player,helped start the game in 2022. “Atlanta represents tremendous growth and opportunity for the Allstate HBCU Legacy Bowl and the young people we serve,” Williams said in astatement released on Friday. “Webelieve this next chapter will elevate the experience forour students, fans, partners, andNFL scouts while continuing to honor the proudtraditions and lasting impact of HBCU football.” The game was played at Tulane’sYulman Stadium forthe first five years. The2027 gamewill be playedonFeb. 27 at Center Parc Stadium in Atlanta and will air live on the NFLNetwork. Williams started the game with James “Shack” Harris, also aformer NFLquarterback whoplayed at Grambling.
Team USA guard Mikaylah Williams looks to takeashot during aquarterfinal game on Saturday in the FIBA 3x3 WorldCup. Williams scored the game-winning shot in Sunday’s winoverAustralia.
REED DARCEY ffwriter
LSU women’sbasketball starsMikaylah lliams and MiLaysiaFulwileyhelped amUSA
Unfortunately,Des Moines was end of their racing journey togeth
Scott Rabalais
“We’d donehalf marathons in Louisianaand Texas,” Pam said. “Bubbastarted about 10 years agoand I joined in aboutfive years ago.
“Wewere running in the LittleRock marathonand IsaidI’d seenpeople who’drun in all 50 states. It blossomedfrom there.”
“Looking back,” Pam said, her voice Begnaudrunsto keep
At first,Bubba, able to maintain afaster pace, would run ahead, complete his 13.1 miles and come back to find Pamsothey could cross the finish linetogether.Eventually,his bad knees and her pace found a
On Nov.6,asthey were prepari to run in Lincoln, Nebraska, Bubb Begnaud died in his sleep at 66. A autopsy eventually revealed he diedofventricular fibrillation, a deadlycondition when the heart stops pumping blood normally
“He was an organ donor in Nebraska andLouisiana,” Pam said. “It took two weeks to get his body back. Iwanted an autopsy.Noone could tell me (at first) what happened to my very healthy husban aboutamonth.
PROVIDED PHOTOByLSU ATHLETICS
Pam and Bubba Begnaud run a half marathon on Oct 19 in Des
Zverev wins French Open for first Slam
BY ANDREW DAMPF Associated Press
PARIS Alexander Zverev is no longer one of the best players never to win a major title.
He’s finally a Grand Slam champion. In his fourth major final, Zverev beat Flavio Cobolli 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-1 for the French Open title on Sunday It was a unique opportunity for Zverev without Jannik Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz across the net and the third-ranked German took full advantage on the red clay of Roland Garros.
When Cobolli missed an overhand on the second championship point after more than four hours of the five-set encounter, Zverev dropped on his back to the clay and covered his face with his hands as he began sobbing. When he got up, with his shirt and arms covered in clay, Zverev put his hands back on his face before he lifted both arms in celebration.
When Zverev was handed the Coupe des Mousquetaires trophy, he lifted it with both hands and let out a liberating roar
“This court is so special to me in so many ways. I’ve had the best moments of my life on this court; I had the worst moment of my life on these courts,” Zverev said, referring to when he was injured and pushed off on a wheelchair during a semifinal against Rafael Nadal in 2022.
“I was laying in that corner over there four years ago with seven broken ligaments and two fractured bones,” Zverev said. “I lost a Grand Slam final here two years ago but now finally it’s a happy end.”
Zverev has now joined an elite group of players that captured their first major in their fourth final: Eight-time major champion Andre Agassi, 2001 Wimbledon winner Goran Ivanisevic and 2020 U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem.
No Sinner or Alcaraz
Zverev had been an overwhelming favorite for the title ever since the top-ranked Sinner struggled in the first week’s heat wave and wasted a two-set and 5-1 lead against Juan Manuel Cerundolo in the second round. A day later, 24time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic was also eliminated. Alcaraz, the two-time reigning
champion, withdrew before the tournament with an injured right wrist.
It was Zverev’s second French Open final, having wasted a lead of two sets to one against Alcaraz in the 2024 championship match.
Zverev had an even bigger advantage two sets to none in the 2020 U.S. Open final and lost that one, too, to Thiem He was also beaten in straight sets by Sinner in the 2025 Australian Open final
It was the 25th title of Zverev’s career
Cobolli’s first Slam final
The 14th-ranked Cobolli had never been past a Grand Slam quarterfinal until this week. He was attempting to become the first Italian man to raise the singles trophy at Roland Garros since Adriano Panatta 50 years ago.
Cobolli comes from the same tennis club in Rome as Panatta did, and Panatta was asked by tournament organizers to present the trophy to the champion to celebrate the anniversary of his 1976 triumph. The honors, however, went to Zverev
Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva won the women’s singles trophy on Saturday.
Zverev took control early on
The match was played in perfect conditions, and Zverev’s game was almost flawless at the start.
Zverev broke Cobolli’s serve in a long opening game when Cobolli shanked a forehand into the first row of the stands. The break came after Zverev had a bit of luck when a backhand return hit the net but dribbled over on game point for Cobolli. A group of women in the stands held up letters to form Zverev’s nickname: “Sascha.”
Cobolli likes to stand way over near the corner of the court and hit big kick serves out wide into the ad court. Zverev knew what was coming and returned one such kick serve early in the first set with a backhand that he wrapped around the outside of the net post. Cobolli ended up winning the point, but it was a message from Zverev that he knew how to handle his opponent’s tactics.
The next time Zverev hit a wrap-around-the-net-post return, Cobolli couldn’t handle it and
Zverev won the point.
Cobolli’s supporters in his box were all dressed in blue, the color of Italy’s national teams, and as Cobolli worked his way back into the match, there were chants of “Ole, Ole, Ole; Flavio, Flavio.”
After Zverev held for a 6-5 lead in the fourth, he had his upper right leg treated by a trainer
Then Zverev wasted a 3-1 lead in the tiebreaker which Cobolli concluded with a forehand winner up the line that produced a roar from the crowd.
But Cobolli appeared to run out of energy in the fifth, running down a drop shot only for Zverev to then pass him up the line for a 3-0 lead and a double break.
Abuse allegations
Moments after Zverev’s previous Grand Slam final in Australia in 2025, a person in the stadium yelled out the names of two of his ex-girlfriends who accused him of physical abuse.
One case was resolved following an agreement between German prosecutors, lawyers for Zverev and his former partner The ATP Tour investigated another case and concluded there was insufficient evidence.
Poston loses 4-shot lead but rallies to win Memorial
BY DOUG FERGUSON Associated Press
DUBLIN, Ohio
J.T Poston built a four-shot lead Sunday morning in the rain-delayed Memorial and won the biggest tournament of his career It just turned out to be a lot more work than he would have imagined.
Poston, who lost his lead after 12 holes, made a 7-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to salvage an even-par 72 and force a playoff with Ryan Gerard, and then won on the second extra hole when Gerard missed a 6-foot par putt Gerard made a 40-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole to briefly take the lead, closed with a 68 and didn’t really make a mistake over the final four hours until the final putt. So ended the longest day for both of them — 33 holes, including 13 in the morning to complete the third round and two playoff holes. But what a payoff for Poston in so many ways. He had not finished in the top 20 in his previous 13 tournaments this year And then he delivered the goods and celebrated with a handshake with tournament host Jack Nicklaus.
“A lot of holes, a lot of grit,”
Poston said. “Obviously didn’t play my best first 12, 13 holes, but I told myself I knew I was going to shake Jack’s hand walking off 18, and I wanted to be proud of that handshake regardless of how it turned out. So I’m thrilled it happened this way.” The perks went beyond the $4 million prize. Poston earned a spot in the next three majors with one great week — high enough in the world ranking to avoid a 36hole qualifier Monday for the U.S. Open, the one British Open spot
available this week, and a return to the Masters. They finished at 12-under 276 after Poston and Gerard pulled away from what had been a fiveway tie for the lead with an hour to go in the tournament. Tommy Fleetwood drilled a fairway metal to 5 feet for eagle on the par-5 15th. Wyndham Clark made a late surge. Sam Burns was never too far behind All of them were at 11 under heading to the final few holes. Clark, who made birdie on the 16th to reach 11 under, closed with two pars for a 67. He wound up alone in third, one shot out of the playoff.
Fleetwood hit into the rough with his first three shots on the 17th and had to scramble for bogey He shot 68. Burns also missed the 17th fairway and his next shot tumbled back down the rough and settled on the bridge over a small creek. He hit that to 40 feet, and his long par putt peeked into the cup and somehow stayed out. A 10-foot birdie putt on the 18th narrowly missed. He shot 69 and tie for fourth with Fleetwood. Scottie Scheffler, trying to join Tiger Woods with a third straight victory at the Memorial, was never in the mix for so much of the week. He closed with a 71
and tied for 12th, but felt he did enough right over the weekend that his game was headed in the right direction. His next stop is the U.S. Open, where a victory would give him the career Grand Slam. Rory McIlroy is now 0 for 14 at the Memorial He birdied his first three holes before getting caught in dense rough that slowed his momentum. He shot 68 and tied for 12th. Two storm stoppages Saturday led to the marathon Sunday Poston did some of his best work in the morning, running off three straight birdies on the back nine for a 69 for a four-shot lead.
Pole vaulter Duplantis has first loss in three years
STOCKHOLM, Sweden Swedish star Mondo Duplantis fell to his first loss in the pole vault since 2023 at his home Diamond League event in Stockholm on Sunday
The former LSU standout and Lafayette native cleared 5.80 meters 0.51 lower than his latest world record — but failed twice at 6.00 and once at 6.05. Kurtis Marschall of Australia won with a vault of 5.90. It was Duplantis’ first outdoor event of the year
“I felt a bit unfocused today,” Duplantis said in quotes on olympics.com, “and I really did not want to lose here in front of my family and fans.
“I have not lost in three years, but hats off to Kurtis today who beat me fair and square and I have no excuses.”
Fan-favorite broadcaster, former Bull King dies at 59
CHICAGO Stacey King, who played on three consecutive NBA championship teams with the Chicago Bulls from 1991-93 before returning to the organization as an Emmy-winning, fan-favorite broadcaster, has died. He was 59. The Bulls announced that King died Sunday and said they were notified by a family member No other details were available.
King began his NBA playing career with the Bulls, who selected the 6-foot-11 forward/center out of Oklahoma with the sixth overall pick in the 1989 draft He averaged 6.6 points and 3.3 rebounds over his five seasons with the Bulls. He also played for Minnesota, Miami, Boston and Dallas. As a broadcaster, King spent more than two decades as a commentator on Bulls games.
McDavid ties Gretzky with fifth Lindsay Award honor NEW YORK Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers has won the Ted Lindsay Award as the NHL’s most outstanding player as voted by his peers. The league and the Players’ Association announced the honor Sunday This is the fifth time McDavid has won it, tying Wayne Gretzky for the most in league history for the trophy, which used to be named for Lester B. Pearson. McDavid, 29, led all scorers this past season with 90 assists and 138 points. San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini and Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov were second and third in voting by members of the NHLPA
McDavid is also a Hart Trophy finalist for league MVP
Hatton holds on to win his second LIV Golf title
SOTOGRANDE,Spain Tyrrell Hatton had two late birdies to hold off Jon Rahm and close with a 1-under 71, giving him a two-shot victory in LIV Golf Andalucia for his second title in the league. Hatton’s other victory came in 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee. Rahm closed with a 67 to finish alone in second and keep his place atop the points standings on LIV Golf, which now is off for nearly two months. Abraham Ancer (68) finished third, while Sergio Garcia played the back nine with one bogey and no birdies for a 70 to finish fourth.
Joaquin Niemann stayed third in the points standings to earn a spot in the British Open Thomas Detry had three early bogeys and never recovered, closing with a 74.
Texas Tech’s appeal for Sorsby reportedly denied Texas Tech’s appeal to the NCAA to have Brendan Sorsby’s eligibility reinstated has been denied, in a ruling that is separate from the transfer quarterback’s lawsuit against that same governing body
A person with knowledge of the NCAA’s decision told The Associated Press on Friday night that the NCAA for the second time denied Texas Tech’s petition to restore the quarterback’s eligibility He was ruled ineligible after he acknowledged gambling on sports, including on his own team while at Indiana. That came while the NCAA and Sorsby were still waiting for a ruling from a Texas judge after the quarterback filed a lawsuit May 18 seeking a temporary injunction against the NCAA in hopes of playing this season for the Red Raiders.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CHRISTOPHE ENA
Alexander Zverev hugs the trophy after winning the men’s final match against Flavio Cobolli on Sunday at the French Open in Paris.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By SUE OGROCKI
J.T. Poston shakes hands with golf legend Jack Nicklaus after winning the Memorial on Sunday in Dublin, Ohio.
NASCAR race at Michigan stopped for crash
The Associated Press
BROOKLYN, Mich. The NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway was stopped with 51 laps remaining Sunday to repair a damaged SAFER barrier after a hard crash involving Christopher Bell and Chase Elliott.
During a restart on the 148th lap, the drivers were running side by side for second Elliott’s No. 9 Chevrolet bobbled and skidded up the track into Bell’s No. 20 Toyota, which shot into the outside wall at the 2-mile oval where speeds top 200 mph.
The impact with Bell’s Camry severely deformed the SAFER barrier, which is comprised of steel and foam to absorb energy in wrecks.
Both drivers climbed from their cars and walked to an ambulance for a trip to the track’s infield care
center Elliott patted Bell on the shoulder and apologized for the wreck before they entered the ambulance.
“I’m fine; it was totally my fault,” Elliott said “I feel really bad for Bell, just taking him out. I was trying to run on the bottom and make use of our fresh tires and at least get to second and hopefully stay side by side with him. I got in there and got free and thought I was going to spin and was committing to spin out, and as soon as I started to commit to spinning, it just hooked up and hooked a right Unfortunately, it sent Christopher into the wall super hard, and then me shortly there behind.
“Just racing really hard. I felt like that was kind of a turning point in the race. We needed to make something happen. I stepped over the line again and paid for it.
I just told him I’m sorry Obviously, it was not on purpose.”
William Byron was leading the race when the red flag was displayed at 5:51 p.m. ET for track workers to fix the damaged section of the barrier Daniel Suarez was in second, followed by Ross Chastain, Carson Hocevar and Kyle Larson.
Rough rookie season
A nightmarish debut season in the Cup Series continued for Connor Zilisch, who crashed twice in the first eight laps and finished last in the 37-car field. The Trackhouse Racing driver has finished outside the top 30 the past three races and is still seeking the first top 10 of his rookie campaign.
“I was really loose, but it’s just unfortunate,” Zilisch said. “Another short race for us. We’ll go try and get them at Pocono next week.”
No bags, no watch parties with Trump attending Game 3
Press
YORK
New York Knicks are warning fans to bring as little as possible to Game 3 of the NBA Finals and encouraging them to arrive at least two hours before tipoff as part of enhanced security measures with President Donald Trump attending the game. The Knicks said Saturday that a strict no-bag policy would be in place and there would be “TSAstyle screening procedures” for fans when they enter Madison Square Garden for the game that is scheduled to begin just after 7:40 p.m.
Trump is a longtime Knicks fan who confirmed Friday that he would attend the first NBA Finals game in New York since 1999. He already has attended a number of major sporting events in his second term, including the 2025 Super Bowl, Daytona 500 and Ryder Cup.
The Knicks said there would be no storage at MSG for prohibited items brought to the arena. Trump’s visit also scuttled a Game 3 watch party outside MSG. The New York Police De-
partment said in a statement Sunday the decision was made in
coordination with the Secret Service.
“There will be no watch parties outside of Madison Square Garden for Game 3 only,” the statement said. “This was done fully in coordination with the Secret Service because of the presidential visit. We expect watch parties at Madison Square Garden to resume for Game 4.”
Such parties, where thousands of fans pack in to watch the game on a big screen, have been a point of contention for the city’s police department, even without the complication of a presidential visit.
More than two-dozen people were arrested as Friday’s watch party spilled into the streets surrounding the Garden after the Knicks beat the Spurs in San Antonio. One woman was accused of punching a police officer in the face, the NYPD said.
Heading into the NBA Finals, the city had moved to cancel watch parties outside the arena altogether because of rowdy behavior at unofficial gatherings,
SCOREBOARD
S. Soderberg
M. Steinlechner
$112,690 67-66-70-73—276 -8
$112,690 67-69-69-71—276 -8
Julien Guerrier
$65,104 65-69-72-71—277 7 Danny Willett
$65,104 71-67-70-69—277 -7
$53,030 71-70-67-70—278 6
Washington (Mikolas 1-5) at San Francisco (Webb 3-4), 8:45 p.m. Milwaukee (Harrison 7-1) at Athletics (Springs 3-6), 9:05 p.m.
Tennis
French Open Results
Sunday At Stade Roland Garros
Paris Purse: €28,900,000 Surface: Red clay Results Sunday from French Open at Stade Roland Garros (seedings in parentheses): Men’s Singles Championship Alexander Zverev (2), Germany, def. Flavio Cobolli (10), Italy, 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-1. Women’s Doubles Championship Taylor Townsend, United States, and Katerina Siniakova (1), Czechia, def. Aleksandra Krunic, Serbia, and Anna Danilina (2) Kazakhstan, 6-2, 7-5.
Golf
American Family Insurance
Championship
Sunday At TPC Wisconsin Madison, Wis. Purse: $3 million Yardage: 7,031; Par: 71 Final Round
D.Clarke/B.Crane 62-54-67—183 30
B.Gay/R.Sabbatini 60-60-64—184 -29
G.McNeill/K.Perry 64-58-62—184 -29
G.Chalmers/C.Percy 61-58-66—185 28
F.Jacobson/S.Kjeldsen 59-62-65—186 -27
R.Green/M.Hensby 60-62-64—186 27
S.Cink/Z.Johnson 65-58-63—186 27
S.Parel/P.Stankowski 62-59-65—186 -27
T.Gainey/T.Ridings 63-58-65—186 27
D.Barron/D.Pride 63-58-66—187 26
J.Caron/B.Quigley 62-58-67—187 -26
S.Alker/B.Langer 61-61-65—187 26
A.Cejka/T.O’Neal 63-57-68—188 -25
K.Tanigawa/M.Weir 65-60-63—188 -25
W.Austin/V.Taylor 64-60-64—188 25
R.Goosen/B.Van Pelt 64-60-65—189 -24
S.Stricker/M.Tiziani 65-61-63—189 24
H.Frazar/T.Petrovic 62-61-67—190 23
H.Slocum/B.Weekley 66-56-68—190 -23
M.Allen/J.Daly 63-60-67—190 23
S.Allan/D.Bransdon 65-59-66—190 23
B.Andrade/J.Maggert 62-63-66—191 -22
S.Bertsch/E.Els 63-60-68—191 22
J.Durant/K.Sutherland 65-59-68—192 -21
S.Flesch/P.Goydos 64-62-67—193 -20
D.Duval/M.Gogel 65-61-68—194 19
J.Kelly/J.Leonard 67-60-67—194 -19
S.Appleby/M.Wright 62-62-70—194 19
T.Pernice/V.Singh 66-61-67—194 19
B.Jobe/S.McCarron 68-63-64—195 -18
C.Wi/Y.Yang 65-64-66—195 18
C.Campbell/R.Pampling 66-66-64—196 17
M.Jimenez/J.Olazabal 64-64-68—196 -17
A.Cabrera/R.Gonzalez 64-62-72—198 15
F.Funk/G.Sauers 64-67-68—199 -14
K.Duke/T.Lehman 69-63-68—200 -13
D.Love III/S.Verplank 68-65-68—201 12
L.Janzen/R.Mediate 69-67-70—206 -7
Yanhan Zhou
Sami Valimaki
Nacho Elvira
$47,349 70-68-72-69—279 5
$40,799 73-69-68-70—280 -4
J. Trey Schaper
$40,799 70-71-70-69—280 4 Richard Sterne
$40,799 69-72-69-70—280 4
Ma. Armitage $32,096 71-66-67-77—281 -3
M. Helligkilde
$32,096 71-69-72-69—281 3 Calum Hill $32,096 68-70-69-74—281 -3
Daniel Hillier
$32,096 70-65-73-73—281 -3
James Mrrisn $32,096 71-70-69-71—281 3
David Ravetto
P. Ereno Perez
$32,096 72-67-71-71—281 -3
$32,096 73-68-70-70—281 3
Ross Fisher $25,332 71-67-74-70—282 2
J. Gumbrg
$25,332 68-68-70-76—282 -2
Angel Hidalgo $25,332 72-69-69-72—282 2 Scott Jamiesn $25,332 72-68-72-70—282 2
N. Norgrd Mllr $25,332 71-67-70-74—282 -2
B. Thmpsn $25,332 69-69-69-75—282 2
B. Wiesberger $25,332 69-71-72-70—282 -2
Michael Hollick $21,425 69-72-70-72—283 -1
K. Kobori $21,425 71-68-69-75—283 1
G. Migliozzi $21,425 70-68-71-74—283 -1
Callum Tarren $21,425 69-66-76-72—283 1 Andreas Halvorsn $17,91470-70-74-70—284 E Yuto Katsurgwa $17,914 69-66-70-79—284 E Matteo Manssro $17,914 73-69-71-71—284 E F. Molinari $17,914 69-69-70-76—284 E Ryan Peake $17,914 70-69-72-73—284 E Marcel Siem $17,914 67-72-77-68—284 E Cameron Adam $14,441 69-70-74-72—285 +1
K. Aphibarnrat $14,441 75-67-72-71—285 +1 Davis Bryant $14,441 70-69-73-73—285 +1 Jens Dantorp $14,441 72-70-68-75—285 +1 Ricardo Gouveia $14,441 71-71-74-69—285 +1 Hunter Logan $14,441 71-65-73-76—285 +1 the Memorial Tournament Sunday At Muirfield Village Golf Club Dublin, Ohio Purse: $20 million Yardage: 7,569; Par: 72 Final Round (x-won on second playoff hole) x-J.T. Poston70-65-69-72—276 -12 Ryan Gerard 67-69-72-68—276 12 Wyndham Clark
-11
-10 Tommy Fleetwood
-8 Kristoffer Reitan
but later reversed itself and granted a permit for Game 1 last Wednesday Matt McCool, special agent in charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s New York field office, said he understood that with the Knicks on a historic run there would be some disappointment from fans.
“At the same time, our responsibility is to ensure the highest level of public safety,” he said. “After careful coordination and assessment, the Secret Service and the NYPD jointly determined that outdoor watch parties could not be accommodated in the immediate vicinity of Madison Square Garden due to the security requirements associated with an event of this scale and the need to maintain a secure environment for protective operations.”
Team-sanctioned watch parties will go on at Wollman Rink in Central Park and Brooklyn Bowl, the Knicks website said. Both events required advanced registration and were already at capacity as of Sunday afternoon.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By PAUL SANCyA
Chase Elliott drives during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Michigan International Speedwa yon Sunday in Brooklyn, Mich.
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By KATHy WILLENS
Donald Trump, right, talks to an unidentified man from the stands at Madison Square Garden during the New york Knicks game against the Dallas Mavericks on Jan. 11, 2006, in New york.
LSU football gets two commitments
Defensive end Green, running back Lacey set to join Tigers in 2027
BY REED DARCEY Staff writer
LSU football added two verbal commitments to its 2027 freshman class on Sunday — one from a four-star Georgia edge rusher and one from a three-star Texas running back.
KJ Green, the defensive end, is one of the 75 best players in his class, according to 247Sports composite rankings. Brennen Lacey, the tailback, is one of the nation’s top 650 prospects.
Both recruits now join an LSU recruiting class that so far features six total players. Three of them are top-100 recruits: fivestar tight end Ahmad Hudson (Ruston), Green and four-star quarterback Peyton Houston (Shreveport).
Green and Lacey announced
their intentions to sign with the Tigers three days after coach Lane Kiffin and his staff lost a pledge from defensive end Jaiden Bryant, a five-star recruit who’s now committed to Miami. LSU has six more months to fill out the rest of its 2027 signing class before the early signing window opens in December One of Kiffin’s top priorities is a push he and his staff are making to flip
Brother Martin wide receiver Easton Royal, a top-10 national prospect who’s currently committed to Texas. In May, Kiffin hired former LSU head coach Ed Orgeron as a special assistant to recruiting and defense. He’s begun recruiting players on the series of official visits the Tigers have hosted across the last weekend of May and the first weekend of June. Green told Rivals that he was choosing LSU over Georgia, South Carolina and Oregon. Email Reed Darcey at reed. darcey@theadvocate.com.
STAFF FILE PHOTO By SCOTT
Gaither’s Quinton Williams fakes a handoff to Latrell Collier during the first half of the HBCU Legacy Bowl on Feb 24, 2024, at yulman Stadium.
LEGACY
Continued from page 1C
The purpose of the game is to give more players from HBCUs a chance to showcase their skills in front of NFL scouts The number of players from HBCUs has declined drastically since the days when Williams and Harris played There were no players from HBCUs drafted in April. Carson Vinson, an offensive tackle from Alabama A&M, was selected in the fifth round of the 2025 draft by the Baltimore Ravens.
“Everybody doesn’t get the opportunity that I had,” Williams said back in 2021 when the game was first announced. “We understand why that is. It’s because of what has transpired over the years from a recruiting standpoint, where most people think all the top players go to Power Five schools. Let’s be honest: It’s true. But I still think there are some diamonds that are being missed.”
The game’s goal is to make sure those diamonds continue to be found. Pro coaches get to attend practices the week leading
Continued from page 1C
games it’s played since May 1. Before they opened play in the World Cup, Williams and Fulwiley helped USA Basketball win back-to-back titles on the Women’s Series circuit for the first time since it joined the event in 2019. Williams led the U.S. in scoring at both stops, while Fulwiley blocked a team-high 10 shots. In the World Cup, Williams collected a team-high 46 points across seven contests. On Sunday, she hit not one, but two gamewinners one to beat Azerbaijan in the semifinals and another to steal the gold from Australia in the final. The Aussies led 20-19 with 40 seconds left to play when the Bossier City product decided to pull up from 2-point range to steal the win. In 3×3 basketball, the first team to 21 points wins the game.
FINALS
played at MSG since the Knicks won the 1973 title. They were rarely close again until this 13game winning streak, the secondlongest by any team in the playoffs, with the atmosphere around the city seemingly becoming more raucous with each victory
“Fans have earned the right and deserve the right to see fi nals basketball be played here at Madison Square Garden,” Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns said.
“For this to be the first game in a long time that they have seen finals basketball, it’s up to us to bring it, give them something to cheer for give them something to get loud for and also give them something to believe in.”
Wembanyama, Brunson and the rest of the players will be only part of the scene Monday sharing it with the first sitting president to attend an NBA Finals game and the celebrity fans who surround the court. Some of them were already there Sunday for practices, with Knicks coach Mike Brown finally getting to meet actor Ben Stiller then having his news conference extended when rapper Fat Joe insisted on a chance to speak from the back.
Wembanyama got to show his stuff at MSG in his second season, when the Spurs were given the leadoff game on the NBA’s marquee Christmas schedule and he scored 42 points. Opportunities like that, which the Spurs increasingly have been treated to since drafting the 7-foot-4 phenom from France, could help them with what they will face Monday
“This arena’s like no other The added circumstances will be on top of that,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “We’ve been fortunate to play some games in this arena recently that have been, again, not finals, but a Christmas game. Again, I just think added attention around Victor and being in this arena a
few times, we’ve experienced that. I would expect tomorrow will be more than that.”
TheKnickshavebeensodominant during this run that they haven’t gotten to see MSG much They have played only four home games since May 4, when they opened the second round of the playoffs. So, even the home team struggles to put into words exactly what Monday will look and sound like
“I’ve seen a lot of crazy atmospheres,” guard Deuce McBride said. “I don’t think I’m going to know what to expect, but I’m just proud to be here, I’m so blessed to play here and I know the fans are going to bring it and we’re going to do everything we can.”
The arena that shook when Willis Reed walked onto the court for Game 7 in 1970 will be rocking again Monday The current MSG had opened just a couple of years earlier and the previous one nev-
er even saw the NBA Finals. The Knicks made it three straight years from 1951-53, but those games were played at the 69th Regiment Armory on Lexington Avenue because the Garden was hosting the circus.
Game 3 kicks off a massive sports week in the New York region, with a World Cup game scheduled for Saturday in nearby East Rutherford, New Jersey, which will host the final. Knicks forward Josh Hart had signed on in an ambassador role for the local World Cup committee, but knows the Knicks have put even the world’s biggest sporting event on the back burner for the moment. “I love football, man, so obviously a little bummed I can’t go to some of those matches, but I have something a little more interesting right now going on in my life,” Hart said. “It also adds to the energy of the city.”
up to the game, similar to what happens at the Senior Bowl. The week also featured a combine for players at the New Orleans Saints’ practice facility
“This type of exposure will at least make sure teams get a chance to see the athletic ability and watch them compete against each other,” Harris said. “The teams can work them out and see them up close and personal It’s all about the opportunity.”
The game includes a career fair that gives students from HBCUs a chance to find jobs in various areas. Students from the local university Xavier Dillard and UNO — were frequent attendees at the event Now the event moves to Atlanta, a city that calls HBCUs like Morehouse, Spelman and Clark and Morris Brown home.
“Atlanta’s national visibility, strong corporate community, thriving HBCU alumni base, and world-class event infrastructure make it an ideal destination for the game and its surrounding week of programming,” Legacy Bowl officials said in a statement.
Email Rod Walker at rwalker@ theadvocate.com
Before Williams drained the clincher, she had missed all four long-range shots she tried in the gold-medal game.
“Kudos to my teammates for believing in me to hit that shot,” Williams said. “I think, at that point of the game, I just wanted to get it over I know we needed a good bucket. We weren’t going into overtime, so I did what I had to do.”
USA Basketball has now won gold four times at the 3×3 World Cup since its inception in 2012.
LSU center Kate Koval also appeared in the event for the Ukrainian team, which lost to Australia in the quarterfinals. She tallied 12 points, 23 rebounds and six blocks across the five games she played.
Williams, Fulwiley and Koval are all set to return to LSU for the 2026-27 season, the sixth year of Kim Mulkey’s tenure as head coach
Email Reed Darcey at reed. darcey@theadvocate.com.
Pam Begnaud, holding a photo, celebrates after running
friends on May 11 in South Sioux City, Neb
RABALAIS
Continued from page 1C
quavering, “I’m so grateful what we were able to accomplish and the time we were able to spend together.”
The question soon became how Pam, who retired from her job as a radio station market manager in Lafayette for Townsquare Media at the end of 2024, would spend her time. How she would find something to fill her days, and that unfillable void, in her life.
“When I came back, I wanted to quit running,” Pam said. “I was done.”
Still, plans had already been made for Pam and Bubba to run in Hawaii, their 49th state, in January
After much thought, Pam decided to go. To complete another important milepost on their quest.
Accompanied by two of their three children, Jaden and Anais, Pam made the solemn but determined trip across the Pacific On Jan. 18, she ran the Maui Oceanfront Marathon.
Race organizers awarded a medal, posthumously, to Bubba.
“They said he finished his race,” Pam said. That still left one race to go to complete the 50. One in Nebraska. Pam couldn’t bring herself to go back to Lincoln, where Bubba died, so she found another event.
On May 11, Pam ran in South Sioux City Nebraska, surrounded by the racing friends she and
Bubba made through all their trips around the country
Would this be the end of Pam’s running journey? She decided it was not. Soon, Begnaud set off on a quest to complete 100 half marathons through a racing company she and Bubba worked with called Mainly Marathons.
Runners who reach the 100-event mark get recognized as being part of the 50-state marathon half-marathon club.
“I know this is what he would want me to do,” Begnaud said. “To keep busy
I’m not sitting on a sofa crying 24/7.
I’ve talked to other widows who said they’re no better off than when their husband died. I couldn’t do that.” Pam is currently in the midst of her race to 100, taking on back-toback racing series in the northeast, a total of 11 races in 11 days. She started Wednesday in Bear, Delaware, then ran through Maryland, Pennsylvania and New Jersey Sunday found Begnaud running in Montgomery, New York. If all goes as scheduled, after events this week in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire, Begnaud will run her 100th race this coming Saturday in Sanford, Maine
She runs alone now, but then again, not really Not with all the running friends Pam and Bubba made over the years. Not with all the memories.
“They’re like a family,” Pam said earlier this week. “I went to packet pickup today and everyone knew I lost my husband. That he was a runner They’re kind, like-minded people.”
“No doubt” Bubba would want Pam to keep going, she said. She’s living his favorite phrase: “I got it.”
“I know this is what he would want me to do. To keep busy I’m not sitting on a sofa crying 24/7.”
PAM BEGNAUD
“It’s pretty much rinse and repeat,” Begnaud said. “Run, take a shower, grab your luggage, drive to the next state. It’s ‘Groundhog Day’ every day.”
“That’s the only reason I’m doing it,” Begnaud said. “To honor him. I know he’s watching.” If her words remind you a bit of “Forrest Gump,” you’d be right.
Once in a race near the Four Corners of Arizona Colorado, New Mexico and Utah, Pam and Bubba trekked down a highway traveled by Tom Hanks’ character in the famous movie as he thinks of his beloved Jenny
“I know this is where I feel closest to him,” Pam said.
After Maine, what’s next? Begnaud hasn’t decided, just that she plans to keep running.
For herself. For Bubba.
“He’s still running right beside Pam,” David Clark, a fellow runner, said at a gathering back in January in Hawaii.
Love doesn’t have to end with the grave. It certainly doesn’t end at the finish line of a race
THRELKELD
PROVIDED PHOTO
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ROSS D FRANKLIN
The San Antonio Spurs team practices before Game 3 of the NBA Finals against the New york Knicks on Sunday at Madison Square Garden in New york.
PROVIDED ANDPUBLIC DOMAIN IMAGES
Martin Duralde, aFrench-borncommandantfor theSpanish post of Opelousas, documented the Attakapas Indians’ legendofthe mastodon and carrion crows in aletter to Indian Agent John Sibley. Sibleysentthe lettertothe American Philosophical Society,which publisheditin1809.
IN1802, Spanish commandant Martin Duraldeshared the story of adead elephant carcass swarmed by vultures in southwest Louisiana with Indian agent John Sibley, whopassedit on to theAmericanPhilosophical Society
Thesociety publishedthe story in 1809 and has since been associatedwith the city of Carencro
Duralde, meanwhile, was anativeofFrance whowas serving as commandant of the Spanish postofOpelousas preceding the Louisiana Purchase. TheAttakapas Indian tribe also lived in the area, andDuralde spent timelearning itslanguage. And it wasthrough the Attakapas that Duralde learned the elephant story.Tribal membersdescribed thecarcassasenormous —sobig that it attracted ahorde of carrion crows, the black scavenger birds that feastondead animals’ decaying flesh.
Peonies are on display at Nichols Arboretum’sW.E. Upjohn Peony Garden on May 30 in AnnArbor, Mich
From ribs to brisketand beyond, American barbecue is adelicious part of U.S. tradition
BY DEEPTI HAJELA Associated Press
Warning: Reading thiscould makeyou hungry
That’sbecause we’retalking aboutbarbecue— the “low and slow” cooking method that’sa hallmark of American culture. Obviously,meat cooked over heatcan be found in great-tastingforms all over theworld— roasted, baked, grilled, allthe ways.Manyofthem are regulars on the American plate. But there’s something about the way barbecue developed in the U.S., cuts of meat madefalling-offthe-bone tenderthrough hours of cooking over indirect heat or smoke at lower temperatures, often with asauce used as a marinade or forbasting or perhaps amix of dry spices. See: Ribs. Brisket. Porkshoulder. (You’re hungry,aren’tyou. Told you.)
The roots of what’sbecome American barbecue go back before the U.S. officially even becameacountry,saysRobert F. Moss, contributing barbecue editor for Southern Living magazine and author of “Barbecue, The History of American Institution.”
It’samix of influences, he says, starting between theindigenous peoples already here with their owncooking methods, thecolonists who came from Europewithlivestock new to the Americas and the enslaved Africans with their own cultures and traditions forcibly brought over and put to work.
“A lot of visitors to the United States. called outbarbecue as being aparticularAmerican kind of thing,” Moss says. “From the very beginning, it was something distinctive to the Americas and something that Europeansrecognized as being something different than the waythey cooked meat.”
The development of what we think of as barbecuetoday had other influences over the centuries, like commercial refrigeration of the late 19th century and the subsequent popularity of the in-homeversion in the early decades of the 20th, which allowed people to buy and store cuts of meat in ways impossible in colonial times.
Anotherhallmark of American barbecue culture is how regionalitis, with different sauces and cookingtechniques in NorthCarolina vs Memphis vs Texas vs Georgia. Moss says that developed in the early part of the 20th century Alocal cook might start arestaurant and teach barbecue to hisemployees, whothen went out on their own. “You can literally map out these barbecue mentors who sort of spun out all these other cooks, and you can seehow theirstyle sort of was handeddownfromone generation to the next,” Moss says. “And that’swhere you start seeing all the things we think of as the iconic.”
AP PHOTO By DARIO LOPEZ-MILLS
Aplate of ribs and sausagewith twosides is servedatthe Little Miss BBQ in PhoenixonMay 19.
AP PHOTO By MIKE HOUSEHOLDER
No single test will assure hearthealth
Dear Doctors: Ihad acarotid ultrasound that shows 0% stenosis on both the right and left sides. Does that mean no plaque was seen? Also, is there any gold-standard test for heart health, such as the carotid ultrasound Ihad?
Dear Reader: At this time, there is no single test or tool that can assess heart health. This is because the cardiovascular system is complex and many factors can affect it. We’re talking not only about the heart muscle itself, but also the blood vessels that serve it. Other variables include blood pressure, age, weight, body fat percentage and blood lipid levels. The presence of visceral fat, metabolic health, lifestyle, stress and genetic risk also play important roles.
CURIOUS
Continued from page5C
carencro.
The birds are the namesakefor Bayou Carencro, and its subsequent city
Is it true?
So, did Duralde believe it? Or did it matter?
Dee Jeffers would like to know
“I grew up in Branch, and Carencro was only about 25 miles away,” the Baton Rouge reader said. “I know the name, ‘Carencro, comes from the French word for vultures, but I’ve heardstories over the years about the city’sname being connected to adead mastodon. Is it true?”
Jeffers is right. Historians and folklorists have interpreted the description of the large creature as being amastodon, which would make more sense than an elephant. Elephants are in no way native to Louisiana, but Mastodon remains have been discovered in the southern part of the state through the years.
Mastodons didn’tgo extinct until 10,000 years ago, meaning they coexisted with humans. But these were humans that would have predated the Attakapas. Even Duralde pointed this out in alater report
“Duralde later wrote a more detailed letter describing the discovery of the remains, which was published in the Transactions of the American Philosophical Society in 1809, but he only briefly alluded to the Atakapa legend,” the Encyclopaediaof Cryptozoology states in its “American Elephant” entry.
“According to Duralde,the bones had been discovered shortly after 1760.”
The encyclopedia continues, pointing out that “’Fatherofpalaeontology’ Georges Cuvier (1769–1832) also discovered more mastodon remains near Carencro during his tour of the United Statesin1804. Cuvier referred to the discovery and the mastodon tradition as ‘curious and interesting.’”
The story of amastodon in the area is plausible, though not during the Attakapas’ time. But what
PEONIES
Continued from page5C
features one of the largest collections of historic —pre1950 —herbaceous peonies in North America and likely the world.
Dr.Elizabeth Ko
Dr.Eve Glazier ASK THE DOCTORS
That said,acombination of scans andtests can be used to create acomprehensive profile of cardiovascular risk. This refers to theprobability someonewill have an event that damages the heart muscle,which we call a heart attack.Ifpoor blood flow is detected, then treatment options might include angioplasty, stent or bypass surgery.Unstable an-
gina is thecondition of reduced blood flow to theheart with physical symptoms, including sudden chest pain and dizziness, but that hasn’tcaused aheart attack yet. The carotid ultrasound you had measures thethickness of thewalls of the blood vessels in the neck that supply blood to thebrain. The images also show whether plaque is present and how much thereis. Greater amounts of plaque correlate to moresevere risk of disease. Your 0% reading means there is no measurable narrowing of the vessels. It is still possible there may be someplaque, but not enough to narrow theartery Theresult of your carotidultrasound is quite reassuring. However,itisimportanttounderstand
aboutthe carrion crows?
Whywerethe birdsthere?
Author Clare D’Artois Leeper,inher book “Louisiana Place Names: Popular, Unusual, and Forgotten Stories ofTowns, Cities, Plantations, Bayous, and Even Some Cemeteries,” simply states that thebayou and settlement “probably owes its name to thefact that vast numbers of buzzards often gathered in that vicinity.”
AuthorBuddy Stall, in his book, “Louisiana Potpourri,” concurs, stating that“Carencro is the French designation for the turkeybuzzard. Thearea was inundated with turkey buzzards, hence thename Carencro.”’
However,neither author examines thereason forthe gatheringofcarrion crows. This is where yet another Native American legend enters thestory,thistime crediting thename to a “fish die-off” on the bayou. This makes more sense than amastodon carcass. Still, the mastodon makes for better folklore. And as for theStall’sreference to turkey buzzards, there’san explanation for that,too. In some accounts, the birds werecalled “carencro tête rouge,” or red-headed buzzard.Either way,they
were atype of vulture.
Clare D’Artois Leeper,in her book, states that amove was made in the late 1800s to change the town’sname.
“Because the name Carencro does not have aparticularly pleasing aura, an effort was made to change it in 1874,” she writes. “Pierre Cormier donated ground for achurch to replace the chapel on thecondition that the name Carencro, which he deemed offensive, be changed to St. Pierre in honor of his patron saint.” Cormier was aprominent planter in the area and quiteactive in the Catholic church.
“The villagers agreed but soon drifted back to thefamiliar appellation which the town still bears,”Leeper writes.
That happened on July 6, 1905, when the town was formerly incorporated.
Andthe cityhas borne the nameofthe carrion crow since.
Do you have aquestion about something in Louisiana that’s got you curious? Email your questionto curiouslouisiana@ theadvocate.com. Include your name, phone number and thecitywhere you live.
“There’sbeen along fascination with this plant, because, when it’speak, it’s so outthere. It’s such abig show,” said Doug Conley horticulture lead of Nichols Arboretum, known locally as The Arb. “And our collection is overwhelming. When you see this garden at peak bloom, there’snothing like it. You’re captivated by it.” The peony watch is aspectator sport with so many visitors arrivingatThe Arb each spring to behold the garden plant that they have to be bused in. The W.E. Upjohn Peony Garden contains hundreds of historic cultivated varieties from the19thand early 20th centuries, representingAmerican,Canadian and European peonies of the era. At peak bloom, thegarden typicallyfeatures tens of thousands of flowers. Thegardenisfreetovisit
andopenfrom sunrise to sunset. For those drawn to the peony’sscent,it’sbest to show up early in the morning or late in the evening, when the fragrances are thebest. “Itisrestorative forall of us,I think, to come outinto natureand be surrounded by joy, beauty,” Conley said. “It’s adelightful place for people to just come and gather and be.”
that it cannotcapture allaspects of cardiovascularrisk. Other tests to assess the arteriesofthe heart, as well as heartfunctionat rest andunderstress, areneeded Tests thatevaluate heartfunction include an echocardiogram. It uses sound waves to provide moving, real-time imagesofthe heart. A stress echocardiogramtakes images of the heartbeforeand after exercise. Nuclear medicine scans can also be useful. These use radioactiveisotopestosee the flowof blood through the heart. Theycan identify areas of reduced blood flow,particularly during stress. Many more cardiologists are now ordering coronary artery calcium scans, also referred to as CAC tests. This test uses X-rays to look for the presence of calci-
fied plaque in the coronary arteries. Also useful is the computed tomography angiogram, or CTA. It uses X-rays, contrast dye and computer processing to create detailed images of the blood vessels in the heart.
Not everyone needs each of these tests to assess heart health.Decisionsabout theiruse should be made based on your own medical history andgeneral health. These decisions shouldalways be made in consultation withyourdoctors.
Sendyour questions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla. edu, or write: Ask theDoctors c/oUCLA HealthSciences Media Relations, 10880 Wilshire Blvd.,Suite1450, Los Angeles, CA, 90024.
By The Associated Press
Today is Monday June 8, the 159th day of 2026. There are 206 days left in the year
Todayinhistory: On June 8, 2023, Donald Trumpwas indicted by a grand jury in Miamion37 felony counts related to thealleged mishandling of classified documents that had been moved to Mara-Lago, Trump’sFlorida home. (The case was abandoned following Trump’s November 2024 presidential election victory.)
Also on this date:
In 1789, in an address to theU.S. House of Representatives, James Madison proposed amending the Constitution to include a Bill of Rights.
In 1966, amerger was announced between the National Football League and the American Football League, to takeeffect in 1970.
In 1967, during theArabIsraeli Six-Day War, 34 American crew members were killed and 170 were wounded when Israel at-
tacked the USSLiberty, an intelligence-gathering ship, in the Mediterranean Sea. (Israel later said the Liberty had been mistaken foranEgyptian vessel.)
In 1968, U.S. authorities announced the capture in London of James Earl Ray, the suspected assassin of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr
In 1978, ajury in Clark County,Nevada, ruled the so-called “Mormon Will,” purportedly written by the late billionaire Howard Hughes, was aforgery
In 1995, U.S. Marines rescued Air Force Capt. Scott O’Grady,whose F16C fighter jet had been shot downbyBosnian Serbs on June 2.
In 2009, North Korea’s highest court sentenced American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee to 12 years’ hard labor for trespassing and “hostile acts.” (The women were pardoned in early August 2009 after atrip to Pyongyang by former President Bill Clinton.)
In 2017, former FBI Director James Comey,
testifying before Congress, asserted that President Donald Trumpfired him to interfere with Comey’sinvestigation of Russia’sties to the Trumpcampaign. In 2021, Ratko Mladic, the military chief known as the “Butcher of Bosnia” whowas convicted of war crimes committed during the Balkan nation’s199295 war,lost his final legal battle when U.N. judges rejected his appeal and affirmed his lifesentence. Today’sbirthdays: Singer Nancy Sinatra is 86. Musician Boz Scaggs is 82. Pianist Emanuel Ax is 77. Actor Sonia Braga is 76. Actor Kathy Baker is 76. Computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee is 71. Actor Griffin Dunne is 71. Actordirector Keenen Ivory Wayans is
STAFF FILE PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK
BayouCarencro as it appears today along the border between Lafayette andSt. Landry parishes.
Nicole Calvin crouches down to look at peonies on displayatNichols Arboretum’sW.E. Upjohn PeonyGarden in Ann Arbor,Mich.
AP PHOTO By MIKE HOUSEHOLDER
GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Alittle hustle will payoff whendealing with tracking someoneorsomething.Determination willwin in the end, so put your best foot forward and maneuver your way to the finish line
CANCER (June 21-July 22) Refusetoletanyone put you on the defensive when it's time to concentrate on doing andbeing yourbest.Walkawayfromthoseseeking control, pressure tactics andemotional manipulators.
LEO (July 23-Aug.22) Be careful what you signupfor.Beingtoogenerouswithyour time,money or skills will invite others to take advantageofyou. Choosetobe unique, and you'll outmaneuver anyone who wants to compete with you.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Ease your way forward. Pay attention to instructions, and be sure to do your bestbysticking to proper protocol. Consider what others might be going through before you criticize or try to redirect them.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Achange will spark your imagination and encourage creative endeavors and so much more. Take the high road, and put your best assets to work for you.
SCORPIO (Oct.24-Nov. 22) Take pridein what you do, and find pleasure in the accolades that come your way. Don't waste time and energy on those trying to tamper with your emotions or tempt youtodothings that aren't in your best interest.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec.21) Payattention to details, pricetags and hidden costs.
Partnerships or joint ventures require honest communication and compromise. Explore what'spossible and how to use your skills optimally.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) You'll be torn between what you must do and what you want to do. Consider lesstalk andmore action, and you'll discover you can fit more into your day than you expect AQUARIUS (Jan.20-Feb.19) Don'tlet anxietyset in whenaction is theanswer. Gather information and choosethe path thatoffers whatyou longfor most. It's time to let go of the past.
PISCES(Feb.20-March 20) Keep busywith plansorphysicaloreducationalimprovements thathelpyou letgoofthe past and embrace people, places andprojects that you findstimulating and encourage personal growth and financial gains.
ARIES (March 21-April 19) Honesty, integrity and discipline will help you avoid conflict andinterference. Go aboutyour business, do the best job possible and have apositive attitude. Let go of what you cannot control.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Keep moving. Taking care of unfinished business will free you up to do as you please. An opportunity to makedomestic changes that add to your comfort or to make your space more functional will offer peace of mind.
Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, pastand present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.
TODAy'S CLUE: NEQUALSO
CeLebrItY CIpher
better or For WorSe
bIG nAte SALLYForth
beetLe bAILeY Mother GooSe And GrIMM
Sudoku
InstructIons: Sudokuis anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1to9 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.
Saturday’s Puzzle Answer
THewiZard oF id
BLondie
BaBY BLueS
Hi and LoiS
CurTiS
Bridge
BY PHILLIP ALDER
Joyce Brothers, apsychologist and newspapercolumnist,wastheonlywoman to win the top prize in “The $64,000 Question.” Shesaid, “A philosopher is a person who doesn’t carewhich sidehis bread is buttered on; he knows he eats both sides anyway.”
Abridge player, though, shouldtreat every deal with care. In this one, after West leads the heart queen againstfour spades,how wouldacareless declarer play, and what would acareful declarer do differently?
North’s response was the Jacoby Forcing Raise, promising four or more spades and the values for at least game. South rebid four spades becausehehad aminimum opening bid with no side-suit singleton or void. North had no reason to bid higher. Theopening lead marksEastwith the heartace. So declarer shouldplay low from the board at tricks one and two. However, it is to no avail. The defenders take three heart tricks, then East shifts to the diamond king. South wins the trick with dummy’sace and draws trumps,noting the unfriendly 4-0 break. Now he must take four club tricks so that he can discard hisdiamond loser. The careless declarer cashes hisclub kingandplayslowtodummy’sace,going down with this line of play.
The more thoughtful declarer plays low to dummy’s ace, then returns aclub to hisking. Whenhesees Eastdiscard, South knowstofinesse dummy’s10on the third round.
