The Advocate 03-27-2026

LSU,

The prodigal son returns. Will Wade is once again the LSU men’s basketball coach after being fired four years ago.

It’s unconventional, to say the least. It’s unprecedented, at least at LSU. You could even say it’s unseemly, especially since he’s leaving NC State after one brief season on Tobacco Road.

No matter, at least for this man and this school. The heart wants what it wants. LSU

ä More on Will Wade’s return to LSU in Sports. PAGE 1C

never fell out of love with Wade. He clearly never fell out of love with LSU and Louisiana, even after he was sent packing in 2022 following a very public recruiting scandal.

“This was not an easy decision,” Wade posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account. “But the opportunity to return to Louisiana State University is deeply personal. It’s a chance to go home — to a place that means a great deal to me and my family.”

Even in the transfer portal era, with coaches and players jumping ship annually, I frankly never thought this day would come. It certainly would not have come if William Tate was still LSU’s president and Scott Woodward was still LSU’s athletic director. Still, you never say never. Wade didn’t. He never bad-mouthed LSU. He admitted he made mistakes — when they’re caught on an FBI wiretap, it’s hard to say otherwise. And he always had as soft a spot in his heart for this place as it did

See WADE, page 6A

Trump says he’ll sign order to pay TSA

BY LISA MASCARO and KEVIN FREKING Associated Press

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Thursday he would sign an emergency order instructing the Homeland Security secretary to immediately pay Transportation Security Administration agents as Congress struggles to reach a deal to end the budget impasse that has jammed airports and left workers without paychecks.

Trump announced his decision in a social media post saying he wanted to quickly stop the “Chaos at the Airports.” “It is not an easy thing to do, but I am going to do it!” the president posted.

With pressure mounting, the White House had floated the extraordinary move of invoking a national emergency to pay TSA workers while senators reviewed a “last and final” offer to end the funding impasse that has jammed airports and disrupted travel.

Democrats have been refusing to fund the Department of Homeland Security as they demand changes to rein in President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement operations. Trump during an event at the White House warned he would step in if Congress failed to act. The Senate came to a standstill and senators, ready to leave town for their own spring break, prepared to stay all night to reach a deal.

ä See TRUMP, page 8A

BR expands penalties for street racing

Those who promote races could face jail time

BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER Staff writer

Baton Rouge has expanded its crackdown against street racing to include fines and possible jail time for spectators, organizers and people who promote the races online, not just drivers.

The Metro Council unanimously agreed to the change Wednesday. Officials say street racing has declined in recent years but remains a problem.

“People livestreaming, people promoting and posting on social media … They could go to jail,” said council member Rowdy Gaudet. Gaudet sponsored the amendment alongside Baton Rouge Police Chief TJ Morse. They say penalizing people who livestream and promote the events online could help eradicate street racing.

“Incorporating them as participants, even if they’re not physically on-site, that’s a big part of this,” Gaudet said. Previously, the local ordinance mainly targeted

BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER Staff writer

Baton Rouge City Hall was hit with a subpoena this week by criminal investigators seeking information about a contract for an event where a man facing a murder charge taught kids about gun safety, sources said. The subpoena, served Wednesday afternoon, demands records related to contractor Roderick Shannon, according to sources with direct knowledge of the investigation.

Last month, The Advocate reported that, in 2022, Shannon billed the city for the event involving Marvin Payne, who at the time was awaiting

page 7A

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD Transportation Security Administration employees screen travelers at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport on Monday.

Scott Rabalais

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Will Wade flashes the LSU ‘L’ while leaving the Baton Rouge Metro Airport on Thursday.

BRIEFS

Education headquarters will relocate in D.C.

WASHINGTON — The Education Department will relocate from its headquarters to a smaller Washington office as part of the Trump administration’s dismantling of the agency, officials said Thursday.

The agency has seen its ranks thinned by mass layoffs since President Donald Trump took office and its headquarters building has been 70% vacant, the Education Department said. In its place, the Energy Department will assume the lease in the building.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon hailed it as a milestone in the administration’s efforts to shutter the agency, which Trump ordered to close a year ago this month.

The relocation to another office space in Washington is planned for August.

Administration officials said the move would save taxpayers money by eliminating wasted space and avoiding the need for maintenance needed on the Energy Department’s current headquarters building.

SeaWorld’s parent sued over wheeled-walker ban

ORLANDO, Fla. — The Department of Justice on Thursday sued the parent company of the SeaWorld and Busch Gardens theme parks, claiming that a ban on wheeled walkers with seats at its parks violates civil rights law by discriminating against people with disabilities.

The Department’s Civil Rights Division asked for a jury trial in Orlando to determine if United Parks & Resorts violated the Americans with Disabilities Act. The complaint said the company needs to change the parks’ policies for the wheeled walkers, known as rollators, and also sought an award of damages for visitors who haven’t been allowed to use them since the ban was implemented last November in at least three parks in Orlando and Tampa.

The DOJ complaint said that several visitors with wheeled walkers, including two veterans with mobility disabilities, were stopped at security and prevented from bringing them inside the park.

U.S. eases sanctions on Belarus to help farmers

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Thursday announced it had eased restrictions on a group of Belarus-linked financial and potash companies in the latest sign of improving ties between the country’s autocratic leader, Alexander Lukashenko, and Washington.

The war with Iran has largely stopped the export of nitrogen fertilizers manufactured in the Persian Gulf and limited farmers’ access to key fertilizer ingredients. The skyrocketing cost of fertilizer has left some U.S. farmers unable to obtain it.

President Donald Trump said during a Cabinet meeting Thursday that he plans to roll out a “variety” of policies “to support American farmers” as his administration wages war.

Earlier this month, Lukashenko met with Trump’s special envoy for Belarus, John Coale, in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, and ordered the release of 250 political prisoners as part of a deal with Washington.

Coale told reporters at the time that the U.S. would lift sanctions imposed on two Belarusian state banks and the Finance Ministry and would remove the top Belarusian producers of potash, a type of fertilizer, from the sanctions list.

Judge weighs Maduro’s legal costs

Administration barred Venezuela from paying

BY MICHAEL R. SISAK, JENNIFER PELTZ and REGINA GARCIA CANO Associated Press

NEW YORK — A U.S. judge pressed the Trump administration Thursday about its basis for barring Venezuela’s government from paying former President Nicolás Maduro’s legal fees in the drug trafficking case that has put him behind bars in New York.

As Maduro and Cilia Flores, his wife and co-defendant, looked on in beige jail uniforms, his lawyers argued that the U.S. is violating the deposed leader’s constitutional rights by blocking Venezuelan government money from being used for the couple’s legal costs.

The U.S. government hasn’t let the funds flow because of sanctions against the South American

country.

Judge Alvin Hellerstein questioned why the prosecution’s argument still stands, now that U.S. and Venezuelan relations have warmed. Since Maduro’s capture by U.S. military forces in January, Venezuela and the U.S. have reestablished diplomatic relations, Washington has eased economic sanctions on Venezuela’s crucial oil industry, and the U.S. has dispatched a chargé d’affaires to Caracas.

“We have changed the situation in Venezuela,” Hellerstein observed, suggesting that the argument for continuing to block the defense funds has changed with it: “The current paramount goal and need and constitutional right is the right to defense.”

He didn’t issue a ruling, however, nor say when he will.

As supporters and opponents rallied outside, Maduro and Flores made their first court appearance since a January arraignment at

which he declared: “I am not guilty. I am a decent man, the constitutional president of my country.” Flores has also pleaded not guilty.

A 25-page indictment accused Maduro and others of working with drug cartels and members of the military to facilitate the shipment of thousands of tons of cocaine into the U.S. He and Flores also are accused of ordering kidnappings, beatings and murders of those who owed them drug money or undermined their trafficking operation. If convicted, they face life in prison.

Maduro and Flores remain jailed in Brooklyn, and neither has asked to be released on bail. Hellerstein has yet to set a trial date.

Rallies held before court hearing

In a noisy scene outside the Manhattan courthouse, contrasting groups of demonstrators chanted, blew horns and beat drums and cowbells. Among Maduro critics,

Cherry blossoms send burst of pink into D.C.

BY MEG KINNARD Associated Press

It’s finally peak bloom for the airy pink cherry blossoms in Washington, a welcome sign of spring in a city of concrete and granite continuously weighed down by the necessary heft of the nation’s decision-making.

The thousands of blooming cherry trees that adorn the nation’s capital have burst into ephemeral blossoms, the arrival of which marks the unofficial beginning of Washington’s tourist season. It’s a fleeting window, though, with the delicate blooms at the mercy of weather shifts.

According to the National Park Service, which cares for the 3,500 cherry trees across the city, peak bloom date is defined as the day on which 70% of the Yoshino Cherry blossoms are open. This year, it’s right on time, typically happening between the last week of March and the first week of April, although it’s happened as early as March 15 and as late as April 18.

Aside from the bloom of the flowering trees themselves, there’s also the fourweek National Cherry Blossom Festival, which began March 20 and runs through April 12 and includes musical performances, Japanese cultural events and a fireworks display.

Last year, according to festival organizers, more than 1.6 million people from across the world attended festival events, and a bloom cam garnered more than 2.3 million views.

According to the park service, the Yoshino trees typically bloom for several days, and it’s best if the weather is cool and calm during that time.

Even one rainy or windy day can bring a swift end to the ephemeral light pink

glow along the Tidal Basin and other sites throughout the city, jettisoning the petals altogether.

It’s good that there wasn’t a late frost, though, because that could have stopped the trees from even blooming at all.

History of the cherry blossoms

The cherry blossoms date back to a 1912 gift of 3,000 trees from the mayor of Tokyo, and the Japanese government remains involved in their care and in the annual festival celebrations.

In 2024, Fumito Miyake, minister for public affairs at the Japanese Embassy, said his government’s decision to contribute an additional 250 trees would be a “birthday present” in advance of this summer’s celebration for the 250th anniversary of American independence.

Again this year, visitors are contending with a somewhat restricted blossom appreciation area at the Tidal Basin, home to the highest concentration of the trees. With the National Park Service still in the midst of a three-year renovation project to shore up the basin’s aging seawall in time for this summer’s anniversary, parts of the basin are fenced off.

More than 100 of the trees had to be cut down as part of that project and will be replanted.

What about Stumpy?

Devotees of Stumpy — the gnarled tree that became an internet celebrity — will not be able to visit the icon in person. Stumpy was one of the trees cleared for the renovations, but Stumpy clones live on, waiting to be planted when the work is done.

Last year, organizers added an event to honor the city’s most famous tree — a memorial pedal-boat race.

Treasury to put Trump’s signature on

BY FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Treasury Department plans to put President Donald Trump’s signature on all new U.S. paper currency, the agency announced Thursday. The move would be a first for a sitting president, since traditionally, U.S. paper currency carries the signatures of the Treasury Secretary and the Treasurer, not the

president. The news was first reported by Vanity Fair. It’s the latest instance of Trump putting his name and likeness on American cultural institutions, following his renaming of the U.S. Institute of Peace, the Kennedy Center performing arts venue and a new class of battleships, among other tributes.

And the plans come in tandem with an ongoing ef-

paper currency

fort to get Trump’s face on a coin. Earlier this month, a federal arts commission approved the final design for a 24-karat gold commemorative coin bearing Trump’s image to help celebrate America’s 250th birthday on July 4. Treasury says the plan to include Trump’s signature on all new paper currency is intended to honor the nation’s 250th birthday, and that Treasury Secretary Scott Bes-

sent’s signature would also appear on the currency.

Bessent said in a statement that “there is no more powerful way to recognize the historic achievements of our great country” than with U.S dollar bills bearing Trump’s name.

U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach said in a statement that printing Trump’s signature on the American currency “is not only appropriate, but also well deserved.”

one person waved a sign reading “Maduro rot in prison.” On the other side of a metal barrier, people held signs reading “Free President Maduro.”

In Caracas, hundreds of people gathered at a plaza, including ruling party supporters, state employees and civilian militia members. Maduro, 63, and Flores, 69, continue to enjoy some support in Venezuela, with murals and billboards across Caracas demanding their return. But while Maduro’s ruling party remains in power, he has slowly been erased from the government of Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s acting president. Rodríguez has replaced senior officials including Maduro’s faithful defense minister and attorney general. She has reorganized agencies, appointed ambassadors and eliminated tenets of the selfproclaimed socialist movement that has ruled Venezuela for more than two decades.

Oscars relocating to downtown L.A.

BY ANDREW DALTON Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — The Oscars are leaving Hollywood.

In 2029, the year the telecast moves from ABC to YouTube, the ceremony itself will move from its longtime home at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood to downtown Los Angeles and the Peacock Theater, 9 miles away. The Academy announced Thursday that it has reached a 10year agreement with AEG, which operates the L.A. Live complex where the Peacock Theater sits.

It’s a surprising move, given that the Dolby was developed by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences itself, expressly as a home for the Oscars.

The ceremony has been held there since 2002 and has provided an especially steady home for the Oscars, which have never stayed in a single venue for such a long stretch.

The awards bounced between various L.A. hotels in its early years, before moving up to theaters in the mid-1940s.

The downtown Dorothy

Chandler Pavilion, a fine arts facility that is home to the L.A. Opera, became heavily identified with the Oscars when it hosted the ceremony from 1968 to 1986. The ceremony then alternated between the Chandler and the Shrine Auditorium, next to the University of Southern California, until the longterm move to Hollywood.

The Dolby will continue to host the show as it airs in its final years on ABC, concluding with the 100th Academy Awards in 2028. The Peacock Theater is next to the Crypto.com Arena, home to the Los Angeles Lakers and Kings. The theater has hosted the Emmy Awards nearly every year since 2008 and, in recent years, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies.

The academy says in its announcement that, under its agreement, AEG will make major upgrades to the theater and its tech setup, and will “collaborate closely with the Academy to incorporate bespoke design elements needed to accommodate the Oscars ceremony.”

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ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO BY TOM BRENNER Visitors embrace while standing among the cherry blossom trees along the Tidal Basin on the National Mall on Thursday in Washington. The Washington Monument stands in the background.

CONFLICT IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Trump projects confidence, but exit plan murky

BY KEVIN RECTOR and ANA CEBALLOS Los Angeles Times (TNS)

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday continued projecting confidence in the U.S. war effort in Iran, suggesting online and during a high-level Cabinet meeting that Iran has been “obliterated,” that its leaders were “begging” for a deal, and that the U.S. is “roaming free” over Iran and “NEEDS NOTHING” from its European allies.

He also again delayed threatened U.S. attacks on Iranian power plants, based on talks that he said were going “very well.”

Trump’s description of the war as all but finished — he actually said “we’ve won” — stood in contrast to the facts on the ground, where Iran continued to launch attacks and threaten oil tanker traffic in the vital Strait of Hormuz, and the U.S. continued sending troops and warships to what is already the largest American military buildup in the Middle East in decades.

The president’s framing of the conflict also contrasted with that of Iranian officials, who have remained publicly defiant, downplayed negotiations and rejected several of his conditions for ending the war — as Trump has acknowledged, accusing them of saying one thing in private and another in public.

“They better get serious soon, before it is too late,” the president wrote on social media, “because once that happens, there is NO TURNING BACK, and it won’t be pretty.”

“They are begging to make a deal, not me,” Trump reiterated later Thursday, while hosting his first Cabinet meeting since the war began. “Anybody that sees what is happening understands why they are begging to make a deal.”

The president asserted that Iran’s military capabili-

ties have been destroyed, and that the American mission is “ahead of schedule.”

He said American forces were operating without opposition over Iran.

He said that Iranian officials had requested he hold off on power plant attacks threatened for Friday as talks continued, and that he had agreed to wait 10 more days, until April 6.

Trump’s outward confidence, a defining feature of the war consistently echoed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other administration loyalists, continued despite growing concerns this week in Congress — and not only from Democrats.

War briefing reactions

Several Republicans emerged from a classified war briefing Wednesday clearly frustrated with the administration for not providing a clearer picture of the path out of the now monthlong war, or clear answers on whether it planned to deploy ground troops.

“We’re just not getting enough answers,” said Rep.

Mike Rogers, R-Ala., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.

“I can see why he might have said that,” said Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Democrats have hammered the president over the war’s massive budget and death toll.

“Thirteen American lives lost and tens of billions of taxpayer dollars spent in just three weeks since Donald Trump plunged us into war without congressional authorization. There is still no plan, no clear justification, and no end in sight,” Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., said. “Americans called for lower prices, not endless wars.”

For weeks, Trump, Hegseth and other war leaders have focused on U.S. wins in the conflict — tallying up Iran’s sunken ships and grounded planes, assassinated leaders and undermined missile capabilities. In recent days, Trump has suggested that, because of those wins, Iran is buckling. He has said the U.S. is push-

Judge blocks Pentagon from branding AI firm Anthropic a supply chain risk

BY MATT O’BRIEN and MICHAEL LIEDTKE AP technology writers

SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge has ruled in favor of artificial intelligence company Anthropic in temporarily blocking the Pentagon from labeling the company as a supply chain risk.

U.S. District Judge Rita Lin on Thursday said she was also blocking enforcement of President Donald Trump’s social media directive ordering all federal agencies to stop using Anthropic and its chatbot Claude.

Lin said the “broad punitive measures” taken against the AI company by

the Trump administration and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared arbitrary, capricious and could “cripple Anthropic,” particularly Hegseth’s use of a rare military authority that’s previously been directed at foreign adversaries.

“Nothing in the governing statute supports the Orwellian notion that an American company may be branded a potential adversary and saboteur of the U.S. for expressing disagreement with the government,” Lin wrote. Lin’s ruling followed a 90-minute hearing in San Francisco federal court on Tuesday at which Lin questioned why the Trump administration took the

extraordinary step of punishing Anthropic after negotiations over a defense contract went sour over the company’s attempt to prevent its AI technology from being deployed in fully autonomous weapons or surveillance of Americans.

Anthropic had asked Lin to issue an emergency order to remove a stigma that the company alleges was unjustifiably applied as part of an “unlawful campaign of retaliation” that provoked the San Francisco-based company to sue the Trump administration earlier this month. The Pentagon had argued that it should be able to use Claude in any way it deems lawful.

The head of U.S. Central Command, Adm. Brad Cooper, praised Tangsiri’s killing. He said U.S. strikes would continue, and called on Iranian fighters to “immediately abandon their post and return home to avoid further risk of unnecessary injury or death.”

Meanwhile, death, destruction and environmental and economic damage from the war spread far beyond Iran, where officials recently raised their estimated death toll to nearly 2,000.

Israel was fighting off a barrage of incoming missiles Thursday, with booms heard in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and an impact reported in the central town of Kafr Qassem.

mediaries — has contributed to the tensions and the reluctance of allies to get involved, with some citing frustrations similar to those of congressional Republicans.

Many allies have largely stayed out of the conflict despite Trump vacillating between demanding their help and insisting it isn’t necessary.

In one of his social media posts Thursday morning, Trump blasted allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, for having “DONE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO HELP” in the conflict, and said the U.S. would “never forget.”

ing a 15-point plan that will forever block Iran from developing a nuclear weapon or threatening the U.S. or its allies. And he and others in his administration have accused the media of ignoring battlefield wins to harp on losses instead.

Israel continues airstrikes Israel, America’s major partner in the conflict, has projected similar confidence while showing no signs of slowing its attacks on Iran.

On Thursday it announced that it had killed several senior Iranian naval commanders, including Commodore Alireza Tangsiri, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ navy. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the deaths should send a “clear message” that Israel will continue to hunt down top Iranian military officials. Iran did not immediately acknowledge Tangsiri’s death.

Israel was also continuing its offensive against the militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon, where the death toll had risen to 1,116, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said Thursday.

Thousands of additional U.S. troops are on their way to the region, even as many of the tens of thousands already stationed there have had to move into hotels and other temporary housing — diminishing their warfighting capabilities — after being displaced by ongoing Iranian attacks that have left the 13 regional military bases they call home “all but uninhabitable,” The New York Times reported.

Russia, emboldened by the Iran war, which has drawn resources away from Ukraine and led the U.S. to ease sanctions on Russian oil, has launched a renewed offensive against Ukraine.

Trump blasts NATO allies

The huge gap between U.S. and Iranian messaging about the war and their negotiations to end it — which foreign officials have said are occurring through inter-

Asked during his Cabinet meeting about his desire to end the war soon, Trump said he was “the opposite of desperate” — “I don’t care,” he said — and that there “are other targets that we want to hit before we leave.”

Trump said that when the “right deal” is made with Iran, the Strait of Hormuz will reopen — while insisting that Iran no longer has any “mine droppers” that would threaten merchant vessels passing through the key oil route.

Trump has declined to say whom Washington is negotiating with in Iran but described them as “very smart,” “not fools,” and “very lousy fighters, but great negotiators.”

He also said he knows they are “the right people” for the U.S. to be dealing with because they had given him a “present” by allowing a total of 10 boats of oil to travel through the strait this week. He did not provide details.

Asked whether he intended to send U.S. troops into Iran to take its enriched uranium, he called it a “ridiculous question” that he wouldn’t answer.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO BY ALEX BRANDON

President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting Thursday at the White House in Washington.

Iran formalizing grip on Strait of Hormuz with ‘toll booth’

BY DAVID McHUGH and JON GAMBRELL Associated Press

FRANKFURT, Germany — Iran appears

to be setting itself up as the gatekeeper for the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important artery for oil shipments. The move could cement Tehran’s de facto chokehold over the crucial waterway and formalize its ability to keep its own oil flowing to China.

Iranian communications to the United Nations maritime authority and the experience of ships transiting the strait suggest the creation of something akin to a “toll booth.”

Ships must enter Iranian waters and be vetted by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. Traffic through the strait has fallen by 90% since the start of the Iran war, sending global oil prices skyrocketing and inflicting alarming shortages on the Asian nations that get their oil from Persian Gulf countries via the strait.

Only about 150 vessels, including tankers and container ships, have transited since March 1, according to Lloyd’s List Intelligence shipping information firm. That’s a

little more than one day’s normal traffic before the war.

Iran’s Kharg Island terminal loaded 1.6 million barrels in March — largely unchanged from prewar monthly loading totals, according to data and analytic firm Kpler. Most of the customers are small, private refineries in China that don’t care about U.S. sanctions.

A majority of the ships that have made it through in recent weeks headed east, out of the Gulf; Iranaffiliated ships accounted for 24% of transits, Greece 18%, and China 10% counted by ownership or flag registration. Yet on closer examination, vessels connected to Iran accounted for 60% of transits during the first part of the war and in the last few days, some 90%.

About half of the vessels turn off radio identification systems that show their location before going through, and reappear on the other side in the Gulf of Oman. There’s a reason for their reluctance and caution. At least 18 ships have been hit and at least seven crew members have been killed, according to the U.N.’s International Maritime Organization, which tracks maritime security. It did not specify which

nation attacked the vessels.

Tolls are paid in China’s currency

“Iran’s IRGC has imposed a de facto ‘toll booth’ regime in the Strait of Hormuz,” says shipping information firm Lloyd’s List Intelligence.

Normally ships use a two-lane shipping channel in the middle of the strait. But increasingly, vessels are taking a different route, to the north around Larak Island, placing them in Iran’s territorial waters and closer to the Iranian coastline.

Entities that want their vessels to safely pass through must submit their details to what Lloyd’s List Intelligence refers to as “approved intermediaries” of the Revolutionary Guard, including the cargo, owners, destination and a complete crew list.

Approved vessels receive a code and are escorted by an IRGC vessel. Oil is prioritized and vessels are subject to “geopolitical vetting,” Lloyd’s said.

“While not all ships are paying a direct toll, at least two vessels have and the payment is settled in yuan,” Lloyd’s List said, referring to the Chinese currency.

Some ships appear to have been allowed through following diplomatic pressure. Two Indian vessels loaded with liquid petroleum gas have been able to pass, according to Lloyd’s.

Setting up a permanent system

On Tuesday, the IMO received a letter from the Iranian government saying it “had implemented a set of precautionary measures aimed at preserving maritime safety and security.” The letter claimed Iran was acting within the principles of international law.

Iran’s parliament appears to be working on a bill to formalize fees for some ships in the Strait of Hormuz, local media reported.

The Fars and Tasnim news agencies, both close to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, quoted lawmaker Mohammadreza Rezaei Kouchi saying “parliament is pursuing a plan to formally codify Iran’s sovereignty, control and oversight over the Strait of Hormuz, while also creating a source of revenue through the collection of fees.”

The IMO has condemned the attacks on vessels and called for an internationally coordinated ap-

proach to secure passage through the strait that respects freedom of navigation.

May violate international law

Article 19 of the U.N.’s Law of the Sea Treaty states that countries must allow “innocent passage” of peaceful, law-abiding vessels in their territorial waters.

“There’s no provision in international law anywhere to set up a toll booth and shake down shipping. … This is Iran using the element that they have right now, which is control of the Strait of Hormuz,” said Sal Mercogliano, a maritime historian at Campbell University in North Carolina.

The secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Jasem Mohamed al-Budaiwi, said Iran’s collection of fees for passage is “an aggression and a violation of the United Nations agreement on the law of the sea.”

Such payments likely run afoul of American and European sanctions on the Guard, a key power center within Iran that controls its ballistic missile arsenal and was key in suppressing nationwide protests in January.

Oil spill spread hundreds of miles, polluted Mexican reserves

BY FABIOLA SÁNCHEZ

Associated Press

MEXICO CITY — An oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in early March spread more than 373 miles, including to seven nature reserves, and originated from a vessel yet to be identified and two “natural seepages,” Mexican authorities announced Thursday.

Authorities, however, ruled out the possibility of severe environmental damage from the spill off coast of the eastern state of Veracruz. The release of the preliminary findings came after weeks of controversy surrounding the lack of transparency in the case.

Navy secretary Admiral Raymundo Morales said satellite image analysis and inspections of the area identi-

that port; and another natural seepage located in the Bay of Campeche.

Morales said at a press conference that the vessel has not yet been identified because, as of early March, there were 13 ships sailing in the area that had not yet been inspected.

He also admitted that the source of the spill “remains active,” and that one of the main sources is estimated to be the “natural seeps in Cantarell, in the Bay of Campeche.”

“These oil seeps have a constant, natural emission; however, there has been a greater flow of contaminants in the last month,” he said.

Pantepec River.

In the March spill, Morales reported that the oil covered an area of about 373 miles, including 125 miles of coastline in the southern states of Veracruz and Tabasco. To date, “430 tons of hydrocarbons” have been collected.

Secretary of the Environment Alicia Bárcena reported that the spill affected seven protected natural reserves in the states of Veracruz and Tabasco, but insisted that “we have not detected severe environmental damage.”

bons have been collected in the Los Tuxtlas Biosphere Reserve, the Veracruz Reef System National Park, the Lechuguillas Sanctuary, the Totonacapan Beaches Sanctuary, the Lobos Tuxpan Reef System Flora and Fauna Protection Area, and south of the Rancho Nuevo Beach Sanctuary in the state of Veracruz. Cleanup efforts were also carried out in the Centla Wetlands Biosphere Reserve in the state of Tabasco.

fied three sources of the spill: a vessel anchored off the coast of the port city of Coatzacoalcos, in the eastern state

of Veracruz; a geological site where crude oil naturally seeps, known as a “chapopotera,” located 5 miles from

Five months earlier, heavy rains and flooding caused a pipeline rupture and a spill, also in Veracruz, that extended for 5 miles along the

Environmental authorities have identified six species, including sea turtles, birds and fish, that were contaminated by the spill.

The National Commission of Natural Protected Areas reported Wednesday in a statement that hydrocar-

The international organization Oceana, dedicated to ocean conservation, said this week in a statement that, according to reports from communities belonging to the Gulf of Mexico Reef Corridor Network, the spill killed sea turtles, a manatee and various fish species, and damaged 17 reefs.

Brother, sister charged after explosive device found outside Air Force base

BY DAVID FISCHER Associated Press

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A man who fled to China after leaving an explosive device outside MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa has been indicted along with his sister in Florida on federal charges, and their mother has been detained pending deportation for overstaying her visa, a federal prosecutor said Thursday. Alen Zheng, 20, and Ann Mary Zheng, 27, were charged Wednesday in separate federal indictments. The sister was arrested upon her return from China, where she had flown with her brother after the threat. Both have U.S. citizenship, U.S. Attorney Gregory Kehoe said during a news conference. The device didn’t detonate, but “could have potentially

been very deadly,” Kehoe said. Alen Zheng faces 40 years in prison if convicted of attempting to damage government property and unlawfully making and possessing the explosive device. Ann Mary Zheng faces 30 years if found guilty of witness tampering and being an accessory after the fact to the crime, by allegedly selling the car he used to drop off the package, Kehoe said. The suspicious package went undiscovered for nearly a week, but the investigation developed very quickly after it was found on March 16, Kehoe said.

Agents determined that Alen Zheng actually planted the device on March 10 and made a 911 call minutes later saying there was a bomb at the base, he said. Then he and his sister sold their

Mercedes-Benz SUV, bought tickets to China, and were gone by March 12. Air Force personnel had searched the sprawling base without discovering the device initially. When it was found outside the visitors center, investigators kicked into high gear. They used phone data to connect the 911 call to Alen Zheng, and spotted the SUV on surveillance video. By the time they reached CarMax, the car had been vacuumed and cleaned, but they were still able to find evidence including residue matching the explosive, Kehoe said. Kehoe said he’s not sure if the siblings also have Chinese citizenship. He said they have no immediate evidence that Alen Zheng was working on behalf of the Chinese government or any other country.

California rushes bill to rename Cesar Chavez Day

Sexual abuse allegations against labor icon causing changes

BY TRÂN NGUYEN Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California lawmakers voted Thursday to rename Cesar Chavez Day as Farmworkers Day in an effort to reconcile the Latino labor icon’s legacy with explosive sexual abuse allegations before the state holiday on March 31.

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to quickly sign the bill.

The change comes after allegations became public last week that Chavez had sexually abused girls and women during his days building a major farmworker labor rights movement in the 1960s in California’s agricultural heartland. Among those who accused him was Dolores Huerta, who co-led the movement that eventually became the United Farm Workers.

The state’s effort to rename the holiday is part of a wave of other moves to alter memorials honoring the man who, in the 1960s and 1970s, helped secure better wages and working conditions for farmworkers and had been admired by many Democratic leaders. The swift and sweeping effort to erase Chavez’s name from public life was previously unthinkable, as his status had only grown more iconic since his death in 1993.

Republican Sen. Suzette Valladares said Thursday that her family built a life in California by working the fields and that the movement brought together workers from different backgrounds.

“This is not about one person. This is not about one narrative,” she said. “It’s about honoring generations of sacrifice, of resilience and hope.”

Senate President Pro Tempore Monique Limon said honoring farmworkers is especially important in the face of a series of federal raids across the state last year. A worker in her district died after being chased by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent last summer, Limon said.

“His death is a reminder of how much farmworkers risk every day to put food on our table,” she said before the vote. “Our farmworkers remind us that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.”

California was the first state to designate Chavez’s birthday, March 31, as a holiday to honor the civil rights leader nearly 30 years ago. The Legislature then, in 2000, passed a bill to make it an official paid day off for state employees and require that students learn about his legacy and his role in the labor movement in California. The legislation passed Thursday didn’t address the curriculum requirement. State leaders said they’re in conversation with school officials to adjust lesson plans. The California bill also passed in the Assembly with

bipartisan support Monday.

“We cannot ignore wrongdoing and we should not continue to celebrate a single person when the movement itself is so much bigger,”

Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry said before the vote Monday.

Since the allegations came to light, California State University-Fresno has covered up Chavez’s statue on campus, while cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles and Sacramento have taken steps to erase his name from public landmarks. Some advocated for Huerta’s name to replace Chavez’s, and several states already said they won’t observe the day.

As his birthday approaches, cities across the country have remade or canceled annual celebrations to honor him. In Tucson last weekend, the annual Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta March and Rally were scaled back and rebranded. There was no march or car show, and it was billed instead as the Comunidad y Labor Unity Fair to focus more broadly on labor rights without mentioning Chavez.

In Grand Junction, Colorado, the organizers of the annual event in Mesa County had already printed flyers and T-shirts, all bearing Chavez’s name. There has been a flurry of social media posts in recent days to let people know the event will go on Saturday as the Sí, Se Puede Celebration instead.

In El Paso, Texas, March 31 will be celebrated as Community and Labor Heritage Day.

Woman recounts Pretti’s death as lawyers plan class-action suit

BY STEVE KARNOWSKI Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS

— A Minneapolis woman who confronted federal immigration officers alongside Alex Pretti in January was among a group of potential litigants who spoke out Thursday about alleged excessive force against people protesting or monitoring the enforcement surge in Minnesota.

Georgia Savageford, who introduced herself as Wynnie at a news conference, said she was inside an officer’s vehicle when she saw federal agents shoot Pretti.

“That day has changed me forever,” she said. “The trauma will haunt me for the rest of my life, and I will never be the same.”

Savageford said she had been legally observing the actions of federal officers in Minneapolis ever since the shooting death of Renee Good by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer on Jan. 7. She said she was doing so again on the morning of Jan. 24 when an agent pushed her twice and caused her to fall.

“As I was going down, three agents proceeded to tackle me and drag me facedown into the middle of the

street. They knelt on my back, twisted my arms and my legs to the ground, and handcuffed me. The cuffs were so tight I lost feeling in my hands, which resulted in temporary nerve damage,” she recounted.

Officials with the Department of Homeland Security and ICE did not immediately respond Thursday to emails seeking comment. Minnesota officials sued the Trump administration on Tuesday for access to evidence they say they need to independently investigate the killings.

Savageford said Pretti recorded video of her arrest and yelled at agents to leave her alone.

She said the officers put her in the back of a vehicle, from which she saw agents shoot and kill Pretti on the other side of the street.

“At that moment, I thought I was going to die too. I pleaded with the agents to understand why another life was taken, and to not take mine,” she said.

She added that they told her to shut up and to stop being hysterical. She said they then took her to an ICE holding facility where she was held for 12 hours in a cold cell without ready access to food, water or the bathroom

until she was released without being charged.

“I did not know him, but I knew he had my back,” she said of Pretti. “I know the kind of heart he had. One that loves and protects without limits.”

Savageford shared her story at a news conference where civil rights attorney John Burris, of Oakland, California, and other lawyers laid out how they’re paving the way for potential classaction lawsuits over alleged excessive force used against protesters and monitors.

Burris, who specializes in police misconduct, helped win an $11 million settlement against the Oakland Police Department in 2003, and helped win a civil jury verdict of $3.8 million for the late motorist Rodney King, who was beaten by Los Angeles police officers in 1991.

He said he and his colleagues have filed complaints with federal agencies involved in the Minnesota enforcement surge on behalf of 10 people, including Savageford, as the first step in a process that’s likely to lead to a larger class-action lawsuit.

“Put the government on notice that we’re here,” Burris said.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO BY JAE C. HONG

A worker covers a mural by Emigdio Vasquez depicting Cesar Chavez at Santa Ana College in Santa Ana, Calif., on March 19.

for him.

Four years can be a long time. In that time, circumstances at LSU changed enormously. LSU almost simultaneously brought in Wade Rousse to be its new president — he was, of course, Wade’s boss in his two seasons at McNeese State — and hired Verge Ausberry to be the athletic director. Their hiring of Lane Kiffin now almost seems a quaint and distant memory.

Speaking of the McNeese connection, before officially announcing Wade was its hire, LSU publicized its hiring of former McNeese athletic director Heath Schroyer to be its (long title, bear with me) senior deputy director of athletics/executive director of external relations for the LSU system.

In the context of LSU basketball, Schroyer will oversee the sport. What that means exactly for Ausberry is slightly unclear, but Schroyer’s role sounds quite similar to Ausberry’s when he was Woodward’s chief consigliere.

Legions of LSU basketball fans who carried a torch for Wade while he was away are obviously delighted today.

Though I think many of them probably have a romanticized vision of the first Wade era at LSU, he definitely had success: an average of 21 victories per year, with one SEC regular-season title, three NCAA appearances plus the NIT his first season. His 2019-20 LSU team would have earned an NCAA bid (they were 21-10 and tied for second in the SEC) but the pandemic canceled the postseason.

In some respects, LSU basketball is for many LSU fans the bridge between football and baseball. Wade has shown he can build a mighty entertaining bridge in that gap. Two-hundred and sixty-six wins in 12 seasons total, zero losing seasons and eight NCAA appearances in his last nine non-COVID campaigns between VCU, LSU, McNeese and NC State.

That said, LSU is now 20 years removed from its most recent Final Four appearance and is on its fourth (or fifth, depending on how

you look at it) coach since then. Can Wade move what traditionally has been a rags-or-riches program closer to that lofty goal?

That remains to be seen, but there’s no question it will be riveting to watch. A few words must be said about Matt McMahon, LSU’s now former coach. McMahon was dealt a tough hand at LSU: a literally empty roster after Wade’s firing plus a litany of injuries to key play -

ers. In the end, though, you are what your record says you are. McMahon was 60-70 in four seasons, but only 17-55 in the SEC, 18-59 if you count his 1-4 mark in the SEC tournament. Forty of those SEC losses were by double digits. He doesn’t have the worst record in LSU basketball history, but unfortunately, it’s among the worst. Most Power Four schools would have fired him. That said, McMahon deserved

a more respectful exit than he got. We can debate his chops as a coach on the major college level (he won big at Murray State before taking the LSU job), but McMahon is by all accounts a decent human being whose four years here were without a hint of scandal. Wade put out the above statement that he was returning before LSU said it was letting McMahon go. LSU could have taken a day to announce Matt’s firing before the Wade news became

official.

Of course, these transitions are almost always messy affairs. In the end, LSU needed to make a change, got THE man it wanted to be its coach, and now moves forward.

I’m betting that McMahon finds another job and prospers. I’m betting even bigger that LSU and Wade do as well.

Email Scott Rabalais at srabalais@theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTO BY MICHAEL JOHNSON

Will Wade is greeted by a crowd of LSU officials and others as he arrives aboard a private jet Thursday at the Baton Rouge Metro Airport.

drivers. But now, spectators, organizers and social media promoters could be fined $1,000 and, in some cases, receive up to 90 days in jail for participating in street racing activity.

The ordinance now also spells out what happens with the money from those fines, putting them into a fund specifically set aside to help Baton Rouge police investigate street racing events, which can prove costly, officials say.

“Most of these events are located by intelligence that are looking at social media to understand when and where these events are going to happen,” said Deputy Chief of Police Neal Noel.

“The technology they use to do that is a cost.”

Noel said the most severe incidents can involve 50 to 100 vehicles, blocking roadways and intersections.

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trial on a murder charge.

Prosecutors later dropped that case, saying they were unable to locate a key witness. Payne has faced multiple weapons charges over the past eight years and is now awaiting trial on allegations he operated a drug manufacturing operation.

The subpoena comes as state Attorney General Liz Murrill continues investigating former Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome’s Safe, Hopeful, Healthy BR program — part of the Healthy City Initiative — in a probe that has already led to two indictments, including one against a former top mayoral aide.

Last month, Courtney Scott, a former assistant chief administrative officer to Broome who oversaw the Safe, Hopeful, Healthy program for the Mayor’s Office, was charged with bribery, contract fraud, money laundering and other counts.

Prosecutors say Scott received nearly $200,000 in kickbacks from contractor Veronica Mathis, who was paid more than $738,000 in taxpayer funds through the program. Mathis was also indicted.

Gun safety event, D.C. trip

Records show that Payne — who also goes by “Madd Marvin” — spoke to children about violence and gun safety just weeks after bonding out of jail on a second-degree murder charge. One of the conditions of his release was wearing an ankle monitor.

Deputies had identified him as a member of a Zion City gang called the “5400 Boys” and accused him and his brother of fatally shooting one man and injuring another in 2021.

Records show that Shannon received at least five monthly payments of $3,041.66 from the city-parish for violence-prevention

While enforcement efforts that ramped up in 2022 have led to a decline, he said more proactive measures are still needed — something the

new ordinance is intended to address.

“The main thing is trying to understand when and where it’s going to happen,”

Noel said. “Because it hap-

through social media, and it moves in a second.”

Among the changes, businesses can now lose their

occupancy permits if they “knowingly facilitate” racing. Prosecutors may now also request that driver’s licenses be suspended, and vehicles can be impounded for longer.

A prior version of the ordinance set 14 days as the impound time, the maximum a locality could do so by state law. But now, the ordinance allows a car to be impounded for as long as the state allows, which could go up to at least 30 days if a bill by state Rep. Dixon McMakin, R-Baton Rouge, passes this legislative session.

“The reality of it, if the car is impounded for three days, five days, even up to 14 days, it’s not a real detriment to these guys,” Gaudet said. “They’ll be without their souped-up car for a bit and they’re fine … but if they’d be without that car for 30 days, law enforcement believes that would be a real deterrent.”

The ordinance exempts journalists reporting on or

investigating racing from penalization, as well as any activity on legal racetracks. But it also expands where the law applies to private roads and parking lots, allowing police to enforce the law in such areas with property owner consent. And while Gaudet and Noel understood some council members’ concern over expanding the definition of a “participant,” they assured that the ordinance language is only targeting those taking part in race events or hindering police efforts.

“Across the country, you’ve seen the videos of officers’ cars being mobbed,” Noel said. “If the spectator is there by accident, that’s not something we’re looking at. We’re looking at people throwing something at police cars, getting in the way and interfering with officers making an arrest, letting people taken into custody out of units, that’s the kind of people we’re targeting as a spectator.”

work. A July 2022 invoice lists the “Madd Marvin Gun Safety” event as part of his work.

Attempts to reach Shannon on Thursday were unsuccessful.

Reached Thursday, Payne said he did not receive any of the money and had volunteered his time.

Scott, the mayoral aide, signed the invoice that included the event, as well as the others Shannon submitted, according to documents obtained by The Advocate in a public records request. The records show that in October 2022, a few months after the gun-safety event, Shannon attended a conference in Washington, D.C., at taxpayer expense.

According to notes from the trip, Shannon and about a dozen others involved with the Safe, Hopeful, Healthy program attended the “Washington D.C. Peer

Exchange” event related to violence prevention.

It is unclear who wrote the notes, but they appear to discuss an effort to train Payne as a violence-intervention specialist. The conference took place while he was still facing prosecution on the murder charge.

“How do we get Marvin trained?” the unnamed note-taker wrote before jotting down “Status of indictment?”

The notes also mention getting “letters of recommendation, engagement, work support etc.” for Payne, and ask “How do we bring him in as a Baton Rouge Community Street Team member?” and “How do you know if he fully transitioned?”

Moore’s office dropped the murder charge against Payne about two years after the gun safety event in Baton Rouge and the trip to Washington.

pens

STAFF FILE PHOTO BY JAVIER GALLEGOS

Legislation would create new state nutrition office

Focus would be on diet and exercise

BY EMILY WOODRUFF Staff writer

State lawmakers have moved forward with a bill that would create a new Office of Health and Nutrition within the Louisiana Department of Health, part of a bigger push to focus on diet and exercise to move the needle on the state’s poor health metrics.

The proposal, Senate Bill 219 by state Sen. Patrick McMath, R-Covington, cleared the Health and Welfare Committee on Wednesday without objection.

The bill would create a new office under the direct supervision of the health secretary and led by an executive director, with authority to coordinate programs that already exist across the department.

ing a broader shift toward prevention-focused health policy that aligns with the “Make America Healthy Again” movement championed by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. under President Donald Trump’s administration.

That includes the Bureau of Chronic Disease and Public Health Access and the Bureau of Nutrition Services, which oversee initiatives tied to diabetes prevention and management, oral health, asthma control, cardiovascular disease, tobacco cessation, healthy aging and school-based health environments.

The Women, Infants and Children nutrition program, or WIC, would shift into the office, along with the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, a 15-member group that includes physicians, educators, trainers and other health professionals aiming to improve physical activity.

State health officials testifying on Wednesday said that the plan does not create new costs but instead allows them to shift funding and staff.

disease and cognitive decline, requiring coordination with other state offices to reduce risk.

Advocates and researchers told lawmakers that diet, exercise and chronic disease management play a big role in the risk of brain degenerative diseases in later life.

Addressing them could help Louisianans live a better quality of life for longer.

“Enough is enough,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., as he announced he had given the final offer to the Democrats. Thune did not disclose details of the new framework, but he said that it picked up on what had been the Republican offer over the weekend, before talks with the White House and Democrats had broken off. “Hopefully … there will be some finality in this real soon,” Thune said.

The shutdown of funding for DHS, now in its 41st day, has resulted in travel disruptions, missed paychecks and even warnings of airport closures. TSA workers are coming up on their second missed paycheck Friday, with thousands refusing to show up for work.

Multiple airports are experiencing greater than 40% callout rates of TSA workers and nearly 500 of its nearly 50,000 transportation security officers have now quit during the shutdown. Nationwide on Wednesday, more than 11% of the TSA employees on the schedule missed work, according to DHS. That is more than 3,120 callouts.

Trump, who has largely left the issue to Congress to resolve, threatened to send the National Guard to airports, in addition his deployment of ICE agents who are now checking travelers IDs — a development drawing concerns.

The White House is considering a menu of options, including declaring a national emergency to pay the TSA workers, a move that would be a politically fraught and almost certain to face legal challenges.

“They need to end this shutdown immediately or we’ll have to take drastic

“We’ve never put together the cause and effect of food policy with our chronic disease prevention and treatment policy,” said LDH Secretary Bruce Greenstein. “To bring what was once buried in bureaucracy up to

measures,” Trump said Thursday during a Cabinet meeting at the White House.

At George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Melissa Gates said she would not make her flight to Baton Rouge, after waiting more than 21/2 hours and still not reaching the security checkpoint. She said no other flights were available until Friday.

“I should have just driven, right?” Gates said. “Five hours would have been hilarious next to this.”

Senators retreated to privately discuss the latest offer as a core group of more than 10 senators, Democrats and Republicans, worked to hammer out the details.

“I think we all realize we’re not going anywhere until this is done,” said Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va. Democrats argue the GOP proposals have not gone far enough at putting guardrails on officers from ICE, Customs and Border Protection and other federal agencies who are engaged in the immigration sweeps, particularly after the deaths of two Americans protesting the actions in Minneapolis. They want federal agents to wear identification, remove their face masks and refrain from conducting raids around schools, churches or other sensitive places.

Republicans said after a private lunch meeting that there were other options than invoking the national emergency.

“The president may well decide that, but I don’t know,” said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, the chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee, who said there was funding else where that can be legally used to pay TSA as well as the Coast Guard.

the top to really put a focus on it — that’s what this is about.”

The office would coordinate efforts related to nutrition, health care access, chronic disease prevention and physical fitness, reflect-

The bill would also move the state’s “Well Spot” designation program, which recognizes workplaces and community spaces that meet wellness benchmarks, into the new office.

a deal, including on several items Democrats had been demanding, such as the IDs and limits on raids at sensitive places.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said they needed to see real changes. “We’ve been talking about ICE reforms from Day 1,” he said.

Any deal will almost certainly need to involve a compromise as lawmakers on the left and right flanks revolt. Conservative Republicans have panned their own GOP proposals, demanding full funding for immigration operations and skeptical of the promise from leaders that they would address Trump’s proof-of-citizenship voting bill in a subsequent legislative package.

“This is a dire situation,” the acting TSA administrator, Ha Nguyen McNeill, testified at a House hearing Wednesday.

She described the multiple hardships facing unpaid TSA workers — piling up bills and eviction notices, even plasma donations to make ends meet — and warned of potential airport closures if more employees refuse to come to work.

“At this point, we have to look at all options on the table,” she said.

McNeil also said TSA officers working at the nation’s airports have experienced a more than 500% increase in the frequency of assaults since the shutdown began.

“This is unacceptable,” McNeill said.

Louisiana continues to face some of the highest rates of chronic disease in the country, ranking fourth among states. Lawmakers cited high rates of obesity and Type 2 diabetes as major drivers of health care costs and poor outcomes.

Lawmakers also added an amendment tying the new office’s work to Alzheimer’s

“We’re not talking about forcing someone to get on a treadmill for three hours a day and eat tofu at every meal,” said Owen Carmichael, a professor at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center. “You go to a pretty good place with your diet by sitting down to a plate of Louisiana-grown brown rice, Louisiana-raised grilled shrimp and a couple of Louisiana-grown satsumas. This is really achievable for seniors in our state.”

Over the weekend, talks with the White House, including with border czar Tom Homan, appeared to be making progress toward

Gas utility pipes separated before Miss. explosions

By The Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss. — Separate natural gas explosions in January 2024 that destroyed two homes in Jackson, Mississippi, resulted from underground pipes pulling loose from their fittings as spongy clay soil expanded and contracted with rainfall, according to a federal report released Thursday.

The first explosion killed Clara Barbour, 82.

The National Transportation Safety Board found that the natural gas utility in the city, Dallas-based Atmos Energy Corp., had detected the leaks before the explosions, but didn’t evaluate them as severe enough for quick repair. The board also found that Atmos didn’t do enough to assess risks and make repairs to its pipeline system and didn’t do enough to educate the public or emergency officials about how to respond to natural gas leaks.

It urged regulators to take a closer look at the company.

“Atmos has had significant safety shortfalls in recent years,” the board wrote “Thus, Atmos’s multistate operations require broader oversight.”

Company spokesperson Bobby Morgan said safety remains “our highest priority.”

“We will work diligently in the coming days and weeks to evaluate the findings as part of our ongoing safety efforts to further our vision to be the safest provider of natural gas services,” Morgan said in a statement.

The company distributes natural gas in Colorado, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.

One explosion and fire in south Jackson on Jan. 24 killed the elderly woman Barbour and slightly injured her husband, Johnny Barbour. Three days later

expands in wet weather and contracts in times of drought. Besides causing building foundations to crack and roadways to heave, the expansion and contraction can cause pipes to disconnect, and the pipe couplings that an Atmos predecessor installed are not resistant to pulling out, the board found. Investigators recommended that Atmos find and replace all those couplings.

company re-evaluated leaks in Jackson following the explosion and found others that were more serious than initially reported.

and three-quarters of a mile away, another explosion leveled one home and burned a neighboring home. No one was injured there. Investigators found that in both cases, gas pipes feeding the homes had pulled loose

from their couplings as soil expanded and contracted, allowing dangerous levels of gas to build up, setting the stage for the explosions.

Much of the Jackson area is built atop a soil layer known as Yazoo clay that

The leak at the Barbour home had been detected Nov. 17, 2023, after the homeowner smelled an odor compound that is inserted into methane gas. An Atmos technician declared the leak nonhazardous, meaning Atmos might not repair it for a year or more. The leak at the second home was detected Dec. 1, but Atmos evaluated it as even less hazardous, scheduling it for repair within three years.

The report indicates the

The safety board faulted Atmos for not doing more to identify threats posed by expansive soils, noting regulators had been warning about the issue since 2008 and that the NTSB identified expansive soils as a factor in a 2018 Atmos explosion in Dallas that killed one and injured four.

Investigators said Atmos had different safety procedures in different states and that if stricter state rules in Kansas had been followed in Mississippi, the explosions could have been prevented.

“Atmos’s siloed state operations, including leak monitoring procedures that differed by state, demonstrate that Atmos has not applied lessons learned in one state to the other states it operates in,” the board wrote.

Doors were propped open at mother’s home, Savannah Guthrie recounts

By The Associated Press

The back doors of Nancy Guthrie’s Arizona home were found propped open and her phone and purse were still at the home when the 84-year-old disappeared, daughter Savannah Guthrie said in an interview that aired Thursday on NBC’s “Today,” her first since her mother’s apparent abduction. Given the tremendous pain their mother suffered from, Savannah Guthrie said she and her siblings

knew it wasn’t a case of a person wandering off. Then there were the propped doors, blood on the front doorstep and a camera yanked off.

“So we were saying, ‘This is not OK,’ ” Guthrie said. “‘Something is very wrong here.”

Her brother immediately realized that their mother had been kidnapped for ransom.

“I said, ‘What?’ And then, I mean, it sounds so, like, how dumb could I be? But I just, I didn’t want to be-

lieve. I just said, ‘Do you think because of me?’ ” Guthrie recounted, choking up and wiping away tears. “He said, ‘I’m sorry, sweetie, but, yeah, maybe.’ ” Nancy Guthrie was reported missing on Feb. 1. Authorities believe the 84-year-old was kidnapped, abducted or otherwise taken against her will. The FBI released surveillance videos of a masked man who was outside Guthrie’s front door in Tucson on the night she vanished. The Guth-

LaGuardia runway reopens days after crash

BY PHILIP MARCELO and ROB GILLIES Associated Press

NEW YORK — The runway where two pilots died in a collision between a jet and a fire truck reopened Thursday morning at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, which had been operating at limited capacity all week as investigators examined the wreckage and work crews cleaned up debris.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said the tarmac resumed operations at around 10 a.m. after the runway and its associated infrastructure were “repaired, inspected, and confirmed” to meet Federal Aviation Administration regulations for safe operation.

The agency, which oversees the region’s airports, said reopening the second of two runways at LaGuardia, one of the busiest airports in the nation, will help “restore

full operational capacity.”

LaGuardia continues to register the most delays and cancellations among airports in the country with more than 300 canceled in the last 24 hours, according to Flight Aware, a flight tracking website. The bodies of the two Air Canada pilots, meanwhile, were being repatriated to Canada.

The remains of the first officer, Mackenzie Gunther, arrived Thursday at Ottawa International Airport. Capt. Antoine Forest’s body was being flow to Montréal Trudeau International Airport, according to The Air Line Pilots Association.

Forest’s death has sparked an outpouring of sympathy in his hometown of Coteaudu-Lac, Quebec, southwest of Montreal. Gunther, 30, and Forest, 24, died when their Air Canada plane collided with a fire truck after landing at the airport.

The destroyed Air Canada plane and the fire truck were towed from the crash site Wednesday as the National Transportation Safety Board continues its investigation.

The agency said Thursday that the truck has been placed in an undisclosed, secure location and deferred to questions about the status of the plane to Air Canada, which didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

The airline has said the plane would be placed in a hangar and that it would soon begin the process of reuniting passengers with their baggage and personal belongings.

The crash happened late Sunday night as an Air Canada regional jet arriving from Montreal and carrying 76 people struck an airport fire truck that had initially been cleared to cross the runway to respond to a separate incident aboard another plane.

rie family has offered a $1 million reward for information leading to the recovery of their mother.

The longtime “Today” show coanchor said in the interview that they don’t know that their mother was taken because of her, but acknowledged that it would make sense.

“Which is too much to bear, to think that I brought this to her bedside, that it’s because of me. And I just say, ‘I’m so sorry, Mommy.

I’m so sorry,’ ” Guthrie said. “If it is me, I’m so sorry.”

Some of the purported ransom notes were fake, Savannah Guthrie said, but she believed the two notes that she and her siblings responded to were real. But the circumstances were surreal.

“How is it possible that we are having to make a video speaking to a kidnapper who took an 84-yearold woman in the dead of night, in her pajamas, with no shoes, without her medicine?” Savannah Guthrie asked.

MISSISSIPPI TODAY FILE PHOTO BY VICKIE D. KING Yellow tape blocks a damaged house in Jackson, Miss., Feb. 21, 2024, after it was damaged by a natural gas explosion Jan. 24, 2024.

BREC advances plans to sell eight parks Residents

pack meeting to strongly oppose move

BY CHRISTOPHER CARTWRIGHT

Staff writer

Baton Rouge’s parks agency is moving forward with plans to sell eight parks in north Baton Rouge, despite opposition from area residents.

A packed BREC meeting that had attendees spill into an overflow room saw the commission vote yes on the plans to put the parks up for

sale, while residents strongly opposed the move.

The commission declared all eight parks obsolete and introduced ordinances to sell those properties, with final hearings set for April 23. However, the meeting led to at least one likely compromise, with members of a local church discussing entering into a cooperative endeavor agreement to help save one of the sites.

Opposing the sale of Belfair Park, resident Dezell Haynes said the park provides an important area for community building with youth.

“If the park is unused, invest in it,” she said. “Don’t remove it, because once it’s gone, you’re not just removing land. You’re removing an opportunity.”

Residents opposed the sales of Belfair, Blueberry Street, Fortune

Addition, Wenonah Street, Dover Street, Lanier Drive and Sharon Hills Outparcel parks, while no one submitted comments for Alexander Street Park.

No members of the public spoke in support of the plans.

Commission Chair Michael Polito asked that all of the parks voted on Thursday be discussed at public meetings before the final hearing and vote. Superintendent Janet Simmons said two meetings are currently scheduled: the first at Howell Park at 5:30 p.m. on March

31 and the second at Charles R. Kelly Community Center at 6

on April 2.

Officials also reiterated that proceeds from any sales will be set aside in a separate fund and that the money will be available only for BREC in that area of the city.

During Thursday evening’s meeting, the commission also approved a $100,000 contract with a company to analyze BREC’s participation in the City-Parish

ä See PARKS, page 2B

RISE AND SIGN

In La. court, details emerge on ‘third country’ deportations

Five-hour hearing held on due process

BY JAMES FINN Staff writer

A federal judge in Baton Rouge on Wednesday questioned whether federal agents violated an Ethiopian man’s due process rights when they tried to deport him to the African nation of Eswatini in early March, after the judge had previously ordered him freed from immigration detention at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola.

As the hearing began, immigration attorneys for Ibrahim Mohammed, 43, told U.S. District Judge John deGravelles that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents had informed their client hours earlier that they were shifting gears. Instead of Eswatini, Mohammed — who entered the U.S. legally in 2014 and earned asylum, but was later imprisoned in Maryland for child sexual abuse — would be going to a different, but similarly tiny,

ä See HEARING, page 2B

Louisiana considers psychedelic research

Lawmakers propose bill to use opioid settlement money

BY EMILY WOODRUFF Staff writer

Louisiana lawmakers are ad vancing a proposal that would allow opioid settlement dollars to be used to fund clinical research into psychedelic-assisted therapy, unlocking a new avenue for clinical trial research and access to plant-derived drugs that have typically only been available outside the U.S. Senate Bill 43, sponsored by state Sen. Patrick McMath, RCovington, would create the Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Program within the Louisiana

Department of Health to support studies using substances such as psilocybin and

The bill would also allow parishes to use opioid settlement funds to enroll eligible residents in those studies. Louisiana is set to receive roughly $600 million through 2038 from pharmaceutical companies for their role in the opioid crisis.

A state agreement stipulates the funds must be used for evidence-based, forward-looking strategies, programming, and services aimed at addressing substance use disorders.

McMath pointed out during a Wednesday committee hearing that much of the settlement mon-

ey is untouched.

2026

“The vast majority of those funds have yet to be spent,” McMath said. “There’s an avenue here that we could create to utilize unspent opioid funds — and obviously the state’s going to continue to receive more funding — to put that to good use in this type of psychedelic-assisted treatment.”

The treatments would not be legalized for general use. The clinical trials would require authorization by the Food and Drug Administration, and the bill requires that any administration of psychedelic substances occur in controlled clinical settings under federal and state oversight, including FDA investigational drug approval, DEA Schedule I research registration and institutional review board approval. Patients would be identified through Louisiana’s human service districts and authorities, and would receive structured

ä See BILL, page 8B

A state audit released last year showed that only about $8.6 million of almost $100 million distributed had been used by less than a third of parishes as of late 2024. Under the proposal, the program would partner with academic health centers to conduct clinical studies on psychedelic-assisted therapy for opioid use disorder, co-occurring substance use disorders and treatment-resistant mental health conditions.

Another officer arrested at Elayn Hunt Correctional Center Cadet faces malfeasance count

BY ELLYN COUVILLION Staff writer

An officer with the Elayn Hunt Correctional Center in Iberville Parish was arrested Wednesday, according to the state Depart -

ment of Corrections. This week’s arrest makes the 10th arrest of an Elayn Hunt employee this year. Eight of those arrested were officers at the prison and two were nurses. Trenda Parker, a cadet, was arrested by Iberville Parish Sheriff’s deputies and booked into parish prison on a count of malfeasance in office, according to a department news release. Parker, who had worked at Elayn Hunt since November 2025, is no longer employed there, according to the department. The investigation into her case is ongoing. State officials have named a new warden at Elayn Hunt Correctional Center in early February, with Travis Day taking

over the St. Gabriel facility. He replaced Keithe Turner, who ran the prison for eight months. At the same time as the leadership changes nearly eight weeks ago, a Louisiana State Police investigation has helped prison officials crack down on contraband, and the prison has implemented new visitor search procedures.

STAFF PHOTO BY JOHN BALLANCE

Workers install the finishing touches on a billboard off Rieger Road.

p.m.

LAPLACE

Four teens arrested in BR man’s homicide

Suspects planned to rob drug dealer, police say

BY MICHELLE HUNTER Staff writer

Authorities say four teens from Jefferson Parish, intent on robbing a suspected drug dealer, changed sites several times before directing their target to a random street in a LaPlace neighborhood where they shot and killed him as he sat waiting in his vehicle.

St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested Cameron Harvey, 19, of Westwego;

cousins Bryson Jason, 17, and JaJaun Jason, 18, both of Harvey; and Roal Phillips, 19, of Marrero, in the March 13 homicide, said Sheriff Mike Tregre.

All four were booked with seconddegree murder and armed robbery in the death of 27-year-old Jackie Dempsey Jr., of Baton Rouge, authorities said.

“The suspects and the victim, they had no ties to St. John Parish at all,” Tregre said.

The shooting was reported at about 9:35 p.m. in LaPlace’s Cambridge neighborhood. Deputies dispatched to the scene found Dempsey dead of a single gunshot wound in the driver’s seat of a vehicle parked near Williamsburg and

Bedford drives, authorities said. Detectives realized early on that Dempsey’s death had been a targeted attack. But investigators at first weren’t sure why he would have been in LaPlace. “He has no history in the parish,” Tregre said. “We talked to his family, and they don’t recall him ever being in St. John.”

Detectives identified a vehicle and then began identifying their suspects, all Jefferson Parish residents. Investigators eventually determined that Dempsey and the suspects had planned to meet that night for a drug deal, Tregre said. Dempsey sold promethazine, a prescription antihistamine that is often abused, according to authori-

ties. But Harvey, the Jasons and Phillips had no intention of paying. They planned to rob Dempsey, according to authorities.

On the night of the homicide, the suspects at first planned to meet Dempsey in New Orleans for the drug deal, Tregre said. But then they changed the location to Kenner.

As Dempsey continued driving east from Baton Rouge, the suspects were driving west to meet up. They found themselves in LaPlace, driving until they selected the Williamsburg and Bedford drive location for the holdup, according to authorities.

“We could tell from cameras that both parties appeared to be unfa-

miliar with the area,” Tregre said. “They guided him in after choosing the spot, ran up on him and shot and killed him.”

After identifying the suspects, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office investigators worked with St. John detectives, sharing information and conducting surveillance to help with the case, Tregre said. Harvey was arrested Wednesday in Jefferson Parish. The Jasons were arrested March 18 in Jefferson Parish, and Phillips was taken into custody March 20 in New Orleans.

Bail for Bryson Jason, JaJuan Jason and Phillips was set at $205,000. Bond has not yet been set for Harvey.

Elon Musk’s company eyes N.O. Convention Center for tunnel

Exact route for underground corridor still in flux, officials say

BY BLAKE PATERSON and JONAH MEADOWS Staff writers

Elon Musk’s tunnel company is exploring whether it’s feasible to construct an underground corridor in New Orleans connecting the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center with parts of downtown, though local officials say an exact route is still in flux.

The Boring Company, a spinoff of Musk’s SpaceX, surprised many when it announced on Tuesday that New Orleans was one of three cities to win its Tunnel Vision Challenge. The competition, which launched in January, sought pitches for the “best 1-mile tunnel.” Dallas and Baltimore were also selected.

The company said it would cover the cost of a “rigorous diligence process” and construction of the so-called “NOLA Loop” — if it’s determined to be feasible.

Convention Center officials

PARKS

Continued from page 1B

Employees Retirement System and identify possible alternatives.

The organization also approved BREC to procure a contractor to conduct a study of marketable park assets, including partnerships and facility naming rights.

Part of larger plan

The potential sales are part of a larger plan to reduce BREC’s land portfolio, which officials say will better prioritize the system’s resources.

HEARING

Continued from page 1B

African country, the ICE agents told him: Equatorial Guinea.

The five-hour hearing offered a rare glimpse into the U.S. State Department and Department of Homeland Security’s maneuvering to arrange “third country” deportation agreements with the two African nations.

The practice of sending deportees to places other than their nations of origin made headlines last year when hundreds of Venezuelans were sent to a notorious prison in El Salvador. But the use of third countries has since remained a plank of the aggressive deportation strategy being pursued by President Donald Trump’s administration, with DHS increasingly turning to small, remote countries as partners.

Some foreign governments have inked lucrative deals.

“The court knew nothing about Eswatini prior to this hearing. I had to look it up,” deGravelles told attorneys from the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Baton Rouge. “I know less about Equatorial Guinea than I do about Eswatini. This court has had all of two minutes to consider that. I am not going to be ruling on this today, I promise you.”

In limbo

Mohammed and his attorneys, of the National Immigration Project and Rights Behind Bars groups, described him living in a limbo faced by many immigrant detainees from

met with the company’s project managers at a private breakfast Wednesday at the Four Seasons Hotel, where board President Russ Allen pitched the company on connecting the facility. The meeting, hosted by developer Paul Flower, also included Convention Center CEO Jim Cook.

Flower, in an interview, said he also met with the company two weeks ago and provided them with geotechnical information “as a gift,” noting that he isn’t under contract but thinks the project is something New Orleans “ought to at least look into.”

The company presented several potential routes for the underground tunnel, though Flower said “everything at this particular point is real up in the air.”

“There’s just a myriad of issues that have to be worked through,” he said. “There’s a lot of bridges to cross here.”

Convention Center’s pitch

In an interview, Allen said he pitched the company on connecting the Convention Center with the Superdome, Ochsner Medical Center in Jefferson and Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in Kenner.

“There is real need for better

In a letter last week, Polito wrote that BREC is considering selling more than 50 parks spanning the districts for Metro Council members Brandon Noel, Anthony Kenney, Aaron Moak, Darryl Hurst, Cleve Dunn Jr., Twahna P. Harris, Dwight Hudson and Carolyn Coleman.

These districts encompass the entire region above Florida Boulevard, including north Baton Rouge and the cities of Central, Baker and Zachary. However, they also include parts of downtown, Mid City and the western portion of the city of St. George.

The debate comes less than a year after power on the commis-

countries where the U.S. does not frequently deport people.

Mohammed, a member of the minority Amhara ethnic group, has been in and out of ICE custody since 2023, when he was released from a Maryland state prison. ICE swiftly rearrested him on a final removal order a judge issued due to his criminal history, but the agency granted him supervised release in 2024. They described him as nonviolent, said he presented no flight risk and came from a country without a viable route for deportation, court records show.

Mohammed was detained again last year under what a Maryland ICE official described Wednesday as a targeted effort to deport sex offenders.

He was freed again on a Feb. 6 order from deGravelles, in which the judge noted officials’ prior determination that he did not pose a threat if approved for supervised release. DeGravelles chided ICE in the order for claiming an attempt to swiftly deport Mohammed even as he languished in custody at Angola’s “Louisiana Lockup.”

On March 10, his attorneys got a 20-second call from an ICE facility in Arizona. ICE had once again detained Mohammed and had booked a flight to deport him to Eswatini, his attorneys said.

DeGravelles granted a temporary restraining order and called the hearing to weigh whether Mohammed’s due process rights were violated.

Secretive program

DeGravelles on Wednesday also

transportation options to and from the Convention Center,” Allen said.

Another possible route, Allen said, would start at the River District and include stops at Mardi Gras World, the Convention Center, the proposed Omni hotel and the Hilton and Four Seasons hotels.

The Boring Company proposed a route under Decatur Street in the French Quarter, though Allen advised them to drop the idea.

Allen said company officials assured him they wouldn’t seek public funds and that the construction footprint would be “minimal.”

“The thing I kept hearing that I liked was that there would be no cost to the city or state,” he said.

Geography issues?

Allen said the company didn’t seem fazed by the geographic limitations in New Orleans, which has a historically high water table and sits on soil deposited from the Mississippi River.

“They were extremely confident that the water table was not a problem,” Allen said.

Evan Conravey, owner of Mandeville-based Subterranean Construction, said building a tunnel in New Orleans “would be an adventure, for sure.”

Conravey, a specialist in under-

sion shifted with the passage of a law that gave the areas outside city limits more seats on the board. The commission’s demographics also changed, shifting from six Black commissioners and three White ones to two Black commissioners and seven White ones. All parks were evaluated under several criteria, including if there are similar parks nearby and how much the site is used. Brett Wallace, the assistant director of planning and development at BREC, said Thursday that BREC contracted with a cellphone analytics site to approximate site use. That drew some criticism from attendees as unreliable, although Wallace acknowl-

questioned ICE and the Justice Department attorneys about concerns that sending Mohammed to Eswatini or Equatorial Guinea could lead to him being sent back to Ethiopia, where the U.S. government has determined he would likely be tortured.

Only a few dozen people have been deported to Eswatini and Equatorial Guinea under the current Trump administration. The countries are among at least seven African nations to strike secretive deals with the administration, drawing condemnation from rights groups and immigration attorneys over concerns about detention conditions under the nations’ authoritarian leadership.

During his latest detention, Mohammed testified through an interpreter, ICE agents did not mention Eswatini or provide him with documents they were required to serve him confirming the agency’s plan to deport him there.

Mohammed first learned he faced deportation to Eswatini in a courtordered call with his attorneys.

“I’m really afraid of going there,” he said, noting reports that immigration detainees have been jailed upon arrival there.

The Department of Homeland Security says it uses third country agreements to deport dangerous criminals — a group of which it considers Mohammed a part, according to a February DHS press release lambasting deGravelles’ initial order for Mohammed’s release.

“Judge John deGravelles, appointed by Barack Obama, released four violent criminals back onto

ground construction, said areas along the river would be most suitable for tunneling, and much of the city’s utility infrastructure is located at a shallow enough depth that it would not have to be relocated in order to bore a tunnel.

Headquartered in Hawthorne, California, The Boring Company was spun out of SpaceX in 2018 with the promise of high-speed, low-cost tunnels for transportation and utilities.

So far, the company has dug more than 10 miles of tunnels in Las Vegas, about 4 miles of which are operational. The company eventually hopes to have a 68-mile underground network in Las Vegas capable of moving 90,000 passengers around in Tesla vehicles every hour.

Construction is also underway in Nashville, Tenn., where the privately funded Music City Loop promises to reduce the time it takes to get from downtown to the airport to about 8 minutes.

The challenge

There were nearly 500 entries to the challenge, which allowed individuals, businesses or governments to propose tunnels and provide their benefit and rationale.

Submissions were judged based

edged it was an imperfect system.

“Yes, it is limited, but it is the best that we have,” he said. “So it’s what we utilize as best as we can. That doesn’t mean that it’s absolutely perfect; that doesn’t mean that it’s totally flawed.”

Possible agreement with church

Local officials have opposed the plans, with Metro Council member Darryl Hurst and East Baton Rouge Parish School Board member Dadrius Lanus speaking against the sales last week. District 6 Metro Council member Cleve Dunn Jr. opposed selling Blueberry Street Park on Thursday and advocated a cooperative endeavor agreement

American communities, and unfortunately, the ramifications will only be the continued rape, murder, assault, and robbery of more American victims,” said then-Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin in a statement. “Releasing these monsters is inexcusably reckless.” DeGravelles from the bench on Wednesday said politics played no role in his jurisprudence.

‘Unusual sort of witness’ Vernon L. Liggins, a senior ICE official in Maryland who signed paperwork approving Mohammed’s deportation to Eswatini, said State Department officials told ICE in early March that Eswatini had agreed to take him. Liggins signed the papers “because he has a final order of removal and is a convicted sex offender,” he testified Wednesday over Zoom.

Liggins acknowledged that Mohammed would face torture if returned to Ethiopia. Asked about press reports that third countries, including Eswatini, have repatriated some deportees to their home nations, Liggins said he was unaware of particulars of the State Department’s deal.

ICE agents arrested Mohammed and flew him March 9 to Arizona after he was jailed in Maryland for violating parole. His attorneys said the violations stemmed from him being unable to check in with his parole officer while in immigration detention at Angola.

An ICE deportation officer, Jose Gonzalez, repeatedly testified that he tried to serve Mohammed paperwork detailing the govern-

on their usefulness, their level of “stakeholder engagement” and their technical, economic and regulatory feasibility, according to the company.

Baltimore, one of the other three cities to be offered a free tunnel from The Boring Company, withdrew from the competition Wednesday. The Baltimore Ravens, which applied for the “Ravens Loop,” told local media they pulled out after further discussion with “public partners.”

It’s unclear how New Orleans came across The Boring Company’s radar or who submitted the city’s application. The company did not respond to a request for comment.

Flower said company representatives he met with “mentioned that people in the organization know about New Orleans” and “pushed for it” and that “some of the people around Elon Musk are familiar” with the city. He didn’t get the names of those people.

“They’re interested in cities that are unique,” Flower said. “And certainly, New Orleans is unique.”

Mayor Helena Moreno, in a statement Tuesday, cited the project as an example of a new excitement among those considering investments in New Orleans.

to save it.

Belfair Street Park received numerous comments, and members of the nearby Kingdom Well Church said they wanted to enter into a cooperative endeavor agreement to run the site. Zachary Mayor David McDavid and St. George Mayor Dustin Yates praised the possible initiative, with Yates suggesting he may visit the church as well.

“I would love to come visit with you and worship with y’all; see the things that you all are doing in that community,” he said. “There is nothing that would make me happier than an agreement with a community-based organization that’s invested in that community.”

ment’s intent to deport him, but that Mohammed “refused to engage with me.” Gonzalez acknowledged he had not given Mohammed copies of the documents and said he could not recall most details of their conversation.

DeGravelles called the agent an “unusual sort of witness.”

Now, Mohammed is being held in the ICE-contracted River Correctional Center in Ferriday pending the new litigation. ICE agents told him he would be deported to Equatorial Guinea minutes before making the four-hour drive to Baton Rouge for Wednesday’s hearing, he testified.

The Justice Department attorneys did not provide reasons for why the government has pivoted to trying to deport Mohammed to Equatorial Guinea rather than Eswatini.

A ruling from deGravelles is pending.

Email James Finn at jfinn@ theadvocate.com.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25, 2026 PICK 3: 4-3-7

BUSINESS

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

CEO apologizes for inability to speak French

TORONTO — The chief executive of Air Canada apologized Thursday for his inability to express himself in French after politicians called for his resignation for his English-only message of condolence after Sunday’s deadly crash in New York.

“I am deeply saddened that my inability to speak French has diverted attention from the profound grief of the families and the great resilience of Air Canada’s employees, who have demonstrated outstanding professionalism despite the events of the past few days,” Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau said in a statement.

“Despite many lessons over several years, unfortunately, I am still unable to express myself adequately in French. I sincerely apologize for this, but I am continuing my efforts to improve.” Rousseau delivered his original condolence video message in English, with French subtitles. The Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages has received hundreds of complaints about Rousseau’s video.

U.S. inflation projected to reach 4.2% this year

The Iran war’s disruption of oil exports from the Middle East will substantially boost consumer prices while also slowing growth in the United States and many other developed countries, the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said Thursday.

The OECD expects U.S. inflation to jump to an annual average of 4.2% this year, from about 2.6% in 2025. The increase will mainly be driven by spiking gas costs, but fertilizer exports have also been interrupted and could raise food prices in coming months, the OECD said.

Growth is expected to slip to 2% this year from 2.1% in 2025, then decline further next year to 1.7%. In 20 of the largest countries, referred to as the Group of 20, which includes Japan, Europe, and large emerging economies such as Brazil, inflation is forecast to rise to 4% from 3.4%.

Meta lays off hundreds amid fizzled plans

Meta laid off hundreds of employees Wednesday, about two months after a sweeping workforce reduction at the company.

A Meta spokesperson confirmed media reports that the Menlo Park, Calif.-based tech giant’s latest cuts hit several divisions, including the company’s flagship platform Facebook, recruiting, sales and Reality Labs, Meta’s virtual reality division.

The Reality Labs cuts, coupled with Meta’s plans to pull back on development for its immersive world app, signal a final call for those hanging out in the metaverse. During the pandemic, CEO Mark Zuckerberg went all in on the vision of a virtual world running parallel with the real world. Renaming his company from Facebook to Meta, Zuckerberg envisioned everyday users and businesses spending time as their virtual reality counterparts.

In total, Meta announced it was cutting about 10% of its 15,000-employee Reality Labs division, the organization responsible for developing the products and software behind Zuckerberg’s metaverse ambitions.

USPS seeks a temporary charge to offset costs

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Postal Service is seeking a temporary 8% charge on certain popular products to help blunt the impact of rising transportation costs.

USPS filed notice on Wednesday with the Postal Regulatory Commission seeking the price increase, which would take effect on April 26 and remain in place until Jan. 17, pending final approval. If approved, the price increase would affect Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, USPS Ground Advantage, and Parcel Select. No other products or services would be affected, including first-class stamps, the agency said.

Wall Street has worst day of year

Nasdaq sinks 10% below record high

BY STAN CHOE Associated Press

NEW YORK — Stocks fell sharply Thursday, and oil prices rose as doubt took over again from hope on Wall Street about a possible end to the war with Iran.

The S&P 500 slumped 1.7% for its worst day since January and is back on track for a fifth straight losing week. That stretches back to before the Iran war began, and it would be the longest such losing streak in nearly four years.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 469 points, or 1%, and the Nasdaq composite sank 2.4% to fall more than 10% below its all-

time high set early this year. That’s a steep enough drop that professional investors have a name for it: a “correction.”

Stock markets likewise tumbled across much of Asia and Europe. They’re the latest flip-flops for financial markets in a week that began with big hopes after President Donald Trump said productive talks had taken place about ending the war. But Iran denied direct talks were underway and then dismissed a U.S. proposal for a ceasefire that was delivered via Pakistan.

On Thursday, the fighting continued, and thousands more U.S. troops neared the region. Iran, meanwhile, tightened its grip on the crucial Strait of Hormuz.

The price for a barrel of Brent crude oil climbed 4.8% to settle

White House spokesman denies report of concerns from Treasury

BY HADRIANA LOWENKRON, SALEHA MOHSIN and ERIC MARTIN Bloomberg News (TNS)

WASHINGTON — Trump administration offi-

cials are examining what a potential spike in oil prices as high as $200 a barrel would mean for the economy, according to people familiar with the matter, a sign senior officials are studying the possible fallout from extreme scenarios for the Iran war.

Modeling of how damaging a bigger jump in oil prices could be to growth prospects is part of regular assessment done during times of strain and is not a prediction, according to the people, who asked not to be identified commenting on matters that aren’t public. The effort is aimed at making sure the administration is prepared for all contingencies, including a prolonged conflict, they said.

Even before the war began, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent expressed concern that the conflict would boost oil prices and damage economic growth, the people said. Senior Treasury officials have communicated worries to the White House about swings in oil and gasoline prices for several weeks, some of the people said.

White House spokesman Kush Desai called that account “false,” saying, “While the administration is always evaluating various pricing scenarios and economic impacts, officials are not examining the possibility of oil reaching $200 per barrel and Secretary Bessent has not been ‘worried’ about the short-term disruptions from Operation Epic Fury.”

Bessent, he said, has repeatedly “conveyed both his and the administration’s continued confidence in the long-term trajectory of the American economy and global energy markets.”

Oil prices have jumped since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, with West Texas Intermediate up about 30% at $95 a barrel. Brent crude is up almost 40% over the same period, trading around $102.

The White House said Wednesday that diplomatic efforts to end the war are still underway despite Iran’s public rejection

BY MATT OTT Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The number of Americans applying for jobless aid inched up last week as employers continue to retain workers despite a labor market that has weakened considerably in the past year.

U.S. applications for jobless aid for the week ending March 21 rose by 5,000 to 210,000 from the previous week’s 205,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s right in line with the 210,000 new filings analysts surveyed by the data firm FactSet were expecting. Filings for unemployment benefits are considered representative of U.S. layoffs and are close to a real-time indicator of the health of the job market. While weekly layoffs have remained in a healthy range mostly between 200,000 and 250,000 for the past few years, a number of highprofile companies have announced job cuts recently, including Morgan

at $101.89 as hopes dimmed for a potential return to normal for the strait. That’s up from roughly $70 before the war began. Benchmark U.S. crude rose 4.6% to $94.48 per barrel.

“They better get serious soon, before it is too late,” Trump said on his social media network Thursday morning about Iran’s negotiators, “because once that happens, there is NO TURNING BACK, and it won’t be pretty!”

Just minutes after Wall Street finished its trading for the day, Trump softened his talk a bit. He said he was delaying his threat to “obliterate” Iranian power plants to April 6, allowing more time for talks.

“Talks are ongoing and, despite erroneous statements to the contrary by the Fake News Media, and

others, they are going very well.”

After that, oil prices trimmed some of their gains, and Brent crude fell back toward $100 per barrel. Treasury yields also pared their big jumps in the bond market.

On Wall Street, tech stocks were the heaviest weights on the market.

Meta Platforms fell 8%, and Alphabet sank 3.4% after each had held relatively steady the day before, when a jury found Instagram and YouTube liable in a landmark social-media addiction trial.

Other Big Tech stocks also fell, including drops of 4.2% for Nvidia and 2% for Amazon. Apple was an outlier and inched up 0.1%.

Commercial Metals fell 4.7% after the maker of steel rebar and other products reported a weaker profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected.

of President Donald Trump’s push for talks and threatened further military action if no agreement is reached.

The administration planned for the military campaign to last four to six weeks, the White House has said. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said March 12 that a spike to $200 a barrel is “unlikely.”

Crude at $200 would be an enormous shock to the world economy. In inflation-adjusted terms, the price has hit that level only once in the last half-century — in 2008 just before the global financial crisis.

Even at lower levels, Bloomberg Economics forecasts that oil at $170 per barrel for a few months would push inflation higher for the U.S. and Europe and cut economic growth.

Trump has said he’s not concerned about rising energy costs, even suggesting they’re beneficial to the U.S., and predicted that oil prices will drop sharply once the war ends.

But the near-shutdown of shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries as much as a fifth of global oil and gas exports, has already hit economies around the world.

European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde said last week that the hostilities have stoked inflationary risks. Peers in Frankfurt, London and Japan are priming for interest rate hikes as soon as next month.

In the U.S., the most visible impact has been a 30% increase in retail gasoline prices, wiping away declines over the last year that Trump had touted as a key economic achievement.

The outlook for U.S. monetary policy is also increasingly muddled as the Federal Reserve watches for the impact of higher oil prices on inflation. Last week, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said that it was too soon to gauge the effects of a surge in oil prices on the U.S. economy.

Stanley, Block, UPS and Amazon.

Earlier this month, the Labor Department reported that U.S. employers unexpectedly cut 92,000 jobs in February, a sign that the labor market remains under strain. Revisions also slashed 69,000 jobs from December and January pay-

rolls, nudging the unemployment rate up to 4.4%. The surprisingly weak employment picture in February adds to the economic uncertainty over the war with Iran, which has caused oil prices to surge more than 40% and saddled business and consum-

ers with higher costs.

This comes at a time when inflation was already relatively high in the U.S.

The Commerce Department recently reported that the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge rose 2.8% in January compared with a year earlier. That’s above the Fed’s 2% target and the latest sign that prices were persistently elevated even before the Iran war caused spikes in oil and gas costs. That persistent inflation, combined with the uncertainties brought on by the conflict in the Middle East, led the Fed to leave its benchmark lending rate alone at its last meeting. Central bank officials voted to raise the rate three times to close 2025 out of concern for a weakening job market. The U.S. job market appears stuck in what economists call a “low-hire, low-fire” state that has kept the unemployment rate historically low, but has left those out of work struggling to find a new job.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO BY GODOFREDO A. VÁSQUEZ

Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday. Retail gasoline prices have

of the Strait of Hormuz.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO BY LM OTERO

sign sits

side of the road in Garland, Texas, on Monday. Filings for jobless aid rose to 210,000 from last week.

E.M."Ned"ClarkSr. passedawayonMarch16, 2026,attheageof92.A formalandrespectfulremembranceisofferedfora devoted,accomplished, andcivic-mindedman whoselifereflectedsteady leadership,generousservice,andenduringlovefor family,friends,LSUandthe BatonRougecommunity. AnativeofBatonRouge, NedattendedBatonRouge HighSchool,Darlington PreparatorySchool,LSU, andBankingSchoolofthe South.Nedgraduatedfrom LouisianaStateUniversity in1955andisaformerU.S. AirForcecaptain.Whileat LSU,NedwasastarforwardfortheTigersand helpedleadthemtotheir firstFinalFourin1953,and alsoplayedforLSUbaseball.Hewasawardedthe 2010SECBasketballLegendsAward.

Ned'scareerinbanking spannedover55yearsand includedthelaunchingof twobanks.Nedplayedan activeroleinnumerous civic,professionaland charitableorganizations, servinginvariouscapacitiesontheboardsofUnitedGivers,JuniorAchievementofGreaterBaton Rouge,theYMCA,LSUNationalLClub,TheRotary Club,UnitedWay,Baton RougeGeneral,St.James Place,St.JamesChurch, BatonRougeFoodBank, BoyScoutsandTheCancer Services,amongothers. Hisaccoladesincludethe BatonRougeVolunteerActivistAwardandTheBaton RougeBrotherhoodand SisterhoodAwardofthe NCCJ,amongothers. Nedissurvivedbyhis wifeof69years,Laura O'LenicClark;daughters, BryanClarkFox(Ray)and ChrissieClarkOlsson (Don);son,EMNedClark, Jr.(Stacey);grandchildren, HarrisonFox(Megan), HaydenFox,BryanOlsson, ClarkOlsson,CollynClark Stramwasser(Cristian), MatthewClark(Caroline) andCamilleClarkTheriot (Henri);andgreat-grandchildren,TessaClark,SophieStramwasser,Preston Stramwasser,DukeClark, MillieFoxandFrankieFox. Hewasprecededin deathbyhisparents, WillardCurtisClarkand SallySwainClark,andhis sister,NancyClarkWait. PallbearerswillbeHarrisonFox,MatthewClark, HaydenFox,BryanOlsson, ClarkOlssonandJohnO'

LouisianaStateUniversity in1955andisaformerU.S. AirForcecaptain.Whileat LSU,NedwasastarforwardfortheTigersand helpedleadthemtotheir firstFinalFourin1953,and alsoplayedforLSUbaseball.Hewasawardedthe 2010SECBasketballLegendsAward.

Ned'scareerinbanking spannedover55yearsand includedthelaunchingof twobanks.Nedplayedan activeroleinnumerous civic,professionaland charitableorganizations, servinginvariouscapacitiesontheboardsofUnitedGivers,JuniorAchievementofGreaterBaton Rouge,theYMCA,LSUNationalLClub,TheRotary Club,UnitedWay,Baton RougeGeneral,St.James Place,St.JamesChurch, BatonRougeFoodBank, BoyScoutsandTheCancer Services,amongothers. Hisaccoladesincludethe BatonRougeVolunteerActivistAwardandTheBaton RougeBrotherhoodand SisterhoodAwardofthe NCCJ,amongothers.

Nedissurvivedbyhis wifeof69years,Laura O'LenicClark;daughters, BryanClarkFox(Ray)and ChrissieClarkOlsson (Don);son,EMNedClark, Jr.(Stacey);grandchildren, HarrisonFox(Megan), HaydenFox,BryanOlsson, ClarkOlsson,CollynClark Stramwasser(Cristian), MatthewClark(Caroline) andCamilleClarkTheriot (Henri);andgreat-grandchildren,TessaClark,SophieStramwasser,Preston Stramwasser,DukeClark, MillieFoxandFrankieFox.

Hewasprecededin deathbyhisparents, WillardCurtisClarkand SallySwainClark,andhis sister,NancyClarkWait.

PallbearerswillbeHarrisonFox,MatthewClark, HaydenFox,BryanOlsson, ClarkOlssonandJohnO' Hearin.HonorarypallbearersareDickHearinand RobertPettit,Jr.

Avisitationwillbeheld onFriday,March27that RabenhorstFuneralHome onGovernmentSt.from5 PMto8PM.Visitationwill resumeonSaturday, March28thatSt.James EpiscopalChurchfrom12 PMuntiltheFuneralServiceat1:30PM.Burialwill followatGreenoaks MemorialPark.

InmemoryofNed, pleaseconsidergivingto someofhisfavoriteOrganizationsincludingHospiceofBatonRouge,Baton RougeFoodBank,St. JamesEpiscopalChurchor CancerServicesofBaton Rouge.Thefamilyisdeeply gratefulforhiscaregivers DonnieBatiste,Beverly Helm,ShaneikaFinley, ShondellGainesandCarolynClark.Specialthanks toLatrieciaAndersonand DebbieSparacellofrom HospiceofBatonRouge.

(Don);son,EMNedClark, Jr.(Stacey);grandchildren, HarrisonFox(Megan), HaydenFox,BryanOlsson, ClarkOlsson,CollynClark Stramwasser(Cristian), MatthewClark(Caroline) andCamilleClarkTheriot (Henri);andgreat-grandchildren,TessaClark,SophieStramwasser,Preston Stramwasser,DukeClark, MillieFoxandFrankieFox. Hewasprecededin deathbyhisparents, WillardCurtisClarkand SallySwainClark,andhis sister,NancyClarkWait. PallbearerswillbeHarrisonFox,MatthewClark, HaydenFox,BryanOlsson, ClarkOlssonandJohnO' Hearin.HonorarypallbearersareDickHearinand RobertPettit,Jr. Avisitationwillbeheld onFriday,March27that RabenhorstFuneralHome onGovernmentSt.from5 PMto8PM.Visitationwill resumeonSaturday, March28thatSt.James EpiscopalChurchfrom12 PMuntiltheFuneralServiceat1:30PM.Burialwill followatGreenoaks MemorialPark. InmemoryofNed, pleaseconsidergivingto someofhisfavoriteOrganizationsincludingHospiceofBatonRouge,Baton RougeFoodBank,St. JamesEpiscopalChurchor CancerServicesofBaton Rouge.Thefamilyisdeeply gratefulforhiscaregivers DonnieBatiste,Beverly Helm,ShaneikaFinley, ShondellGainesandCarolynClark.Specialthanks toLatrieciaAndersonand DebbieSparacellofrom HospiceofBatonRouge.

piceofBatonRouge,Baton RougeFoodBank,St. JamesEpiscopalChurchor CancerServicesofBaton Rouge.Thefamilyisdeeply gratefulforhiscaregivers DonnieBatiste,Beverly Helm,ShaneikaFinley, ShondellGainesandCarolynClark.Specialthanks toLatrieciaAndersonand DebbieSparacellofrom HospiceofBatonRouge.

Couvillon,Harold Anthony'Hink'

Harold"Hink"Anthony CouvillonwasborninBatonRouge,onMarch16, 1932.Heleftthisearthfor heavenonMarch22,2026. Harold,affectionately knownasHink,wasthe3rd childof11children,bornto LucilleJeanLandryand DudleyJosephCouvillon, Sr.Hewasagraduateof CatholicHighSchooland LSU.Hinkservedinthe UnitedStatesArmyand thenattendedLSUonthe "GIbill."Oneofhisfondestmemoriesinthemilitarywasplayingonasoftballteaminhissparetime. Hinkwasstationedinan artillerygroup,nearWashington,DC.duringhis2 yearsofservicetohis country. AtLSUhewasanoutstandingaccountingstudent.Afterhisgraduation, heworkedinDenver,Colorado,thenpassedupa jobinIdaho,becausehe felttheLordwascalling himtoreturntoLouisiana. Notlongafterhisreturnto Louisiana,hisfatherdied ofaheartattack,leaving hismotherawidowwith heryoungestchildonly14 yearsold.Hinkbecame headofthehousehold,and heranaharmonioushome assistinghismother. Hink'ssurvivingsiblings areJimmy(Audrey), Lawrence(Janet),MargaretBell,Rev.Brother LouisCouvillon,SC,and Carole(Ronnie)Ackman. Hink'sdeceasedsiblings andtheirspousesare BrotherElliotCouvillon,SC, Maybelle(Alvin)Navarre, David(Peggy),Pat,Tommy (Dee)andHerbBell. Haroldhad4great loves:hisSt.Patrick Churchcommunity;hisextendedfamilyincluding siblings,nieces,nephews, cousins,andfriends;BASEBALL,especiallytheYankees;andanimals-cats anddogs.HewasamemberatSt.AnthonyofPaduaChurchfor52yearsand St.Patrickfor42years. Overtheyearsatthese parishes,heservedasa

heavenonMarch22,2026. Harold,affectionately knownasHink,wasthe3rd childof11children,bornto LucilleJeanLandryand DudleyJosephCouvillon, Sr.Hewasagraduateof CatholicHighSchooland LSU.Hinkservedinthe UnitedStatesArmyand thenattendedLSUonthe "GIbill."Oneofhisfondestmemoriesinthemilitarywasplayingonasoftballteaminhissparetime. Hinkwasstationedinan artillerygroup,nearWashington,DC.duringhis2 yearsofservicetohis country. AtLSUhewasanoutstandingaccountingstudent.Afterhisgraduation, heworkedinDenver,Colorado,thenpassedupa jobinIdaho,becausehe felttheLordwascalling himtoreturntoLouisiana. Notlongafterhisreturnto Louisiana,hisfatherdied ofaheartattack,leaving hismotherawidowwith heryoungestchildonly14 yearsold.Hinkbecame headofthehousehold,and heranaharmonioushome assistinghismother. Hink'ssurvivingsiblings areJimmy(Audrey), Lawrence(Janet),MargaretBell,Rev.Brother LouisCouvillon,SC,and Carole(Ronnie)Ackman.

Hink'sdeceasedsiblings andtheirspousesare BrotherElliotCouvillon,SC, Maybelle(Alvin)Navarre, David(Peggy),Pat,Tommy (Dee)andHerbBell. Haroldhad4great loves:hisSt.Patrick Churchcommunity;hisextendedfamilyincluding siblings,nieces,nephews, cousins,andfriends;BASEBALL,especiallytheYankees;andanimals-cats anddogs.HewasamemberatSt.AnthonyofPaduaChurchfor52yearsand St.Patrickfor42years. Overtheyearsatthese parishes,heservedasa reader,volunteeraccountant,tabulator,prisonminister,BlueArmymember, LegionofMarymember, weeklyEucharisticadorer, andRosaryLeader.HeattendedManresaretreats fordecadesandenjoyed Biblestudiesandother churchevents.HewasactiveintheRespectLife movementandbelievedin a"seamlessgarment"for" pro-life"-fromconception throughanaturaldeath, andhewasagainstcapital punishment.Hinkwasa runnerandinearlierdays bowled.Helovedthecats anddogswhowouldshow upathisdoor.Hewould adoptthem,andthepets ruledhishome.Heloved hisneighbors.Thefamilyis thankfultoallofhiscaregivers,especiallyhissister Caroleandherhusband Ronniewhowerenext doorneighborsandgraciouslyandunwaveringly caredforhimforover40 years.Alsodedicatedto hiscarewerehisniece Denise,hisnephew Stephen,nieceGerianne,a registerednurse,his nephewandgodsonAndrew,hissisterMargaret, whohelpedwiththeupkeepandrenovationofhis home,andhisbrother Lawrenceandhiswife Janet.Hinkwasasubstitutefatherforhisyounger siblings,especiallyCarole. HisbrotherLouiswhoisan ordainedBrotheroftheSacredHeartcounseledhim VisitationatSt.Patrick Churchwillbeginat9am onSaturday,March28, 2026,followedbythe rosaryat9:20,reflecting hisloveofMotherMary. TheMassofChristianBurialwillfollowat10am.Areceptionforfamilyand friendsfollowsMassatthe St.PatrickParishHalland allareinvitedtoattend.Inurnmentwillbeheldata laterdateandtimetobe determinedatGreenoaks MemorialParknearmany familymembersalreadyat rest.Mayherestinpeace.

keepandrenovationofhis home,andhisbrother Lawrenceandhiswife Janet.Hinkwasasubstitutefatherforhisyounger siblings,especiallyCarole. HisbrotherLouiswhoisan ordainedBrotheroftheSacredHeartcounseledhim spiritually. VisitationatSt.Patrick Churchwillbeginat9am onSaturday,March28, 2026,followedbythe rosaryat9:20,reflecting hisloveofMotherMary. TheMassofChristianBurialwillfollowat10am.Areceptionforfamilyand friendsfollowsMassatthe St.PatrickParishHalland allareinvitedtoattend.Inurnmentwillbeheldata laterdateandtimetobe determinedatGreenoaks MemorialParknearmany familymembersalreadyat rest.Mayherestinpeace.

Campbell, James Midway Cemetery in Meadville, MS at 11am.

ClarkSr.,E.M.'Ned'

LouisCouvillon,SC,and Carole(Ronnie)Ackman. Hink'sdeceasedsiblings andtheirspousesare BrotherElliotCouvillon,SC, Maybelle(Alvin)Navarre, David(Peggy),Pat,Tommy (Dee)andHerbBell.

Haroldhad4great loves:hisSt.Patrick Churchcommunity;hisextendedfamilyincluding siblings,nieces,nephews, cousins,andfriends;BASEBALL,especiallytheYankees;andanimals-cats anddogs.HewasamemberatSt.AnthonyofPaduaChurchfor52yearsand St.Patrickfor42years. Overtheyearsatthese parishes,heservedasa reader,volunteeraccountant,tabulator,prisonminister,BlueArmymember, LegionofMarymember, weeklyEucharisticadorer, andRosaryLeader.HeattendedManresaretreats fordecadesandenjoyed Biblestudiesandother churchevents.HewasactiveintheRespectLife movementandbelievedin a"seamlessgarment"for" pro-life"-fromconception throughanaturaldeath, andhewasagainstcapital punishment.Hinkwasa runnerandinearlierdays bowled.Helovedthecats anddogswhowouldshow upathisdoor.Hewould adoptthem,andthepets ruledhishome.Heloved hisneighbors.Thefamilyis thankfultoallofhiscaregivers,especiallyhissister Caroleandherhusband Ronniewhowerenext doorneighborsandgraciouslyandunwaveringly caredforhimforover40 years.Alsodedicatedto hiscarewerehisniece Denise,hisnephew Stephen,nieceGerianne,a registerednurse,his nephewandgodsonAndrew,hissisterMargaret, whohelpedwiththeupkeepandrenovationofhis home,andhisbrother Lawrenceandhiswife Janet.Hinkwasasubstitutefatherforhisyounger siblings,especiallyCarole. HisbrotherLouiswhoisan ordainedBrotheroftheSacredHeartcounseledhim spiritually. VisitationatSt.Patrick Churchwillbeginat9am onSaturday,March28, 2026,followedbythe rosaryat9:20,reflecting hisloveofMotherMary. TheMassofChristianBurialwillfollowat10am.Areceptionforfamilyand friendsfollowsMassatthe St.PatrickParishHalland allareinvitedtoattend.Inurnmentwillbeheldata laterdateandtimetobe determinedatGreenoaks MemorialParknearmany familymembersalreadyat rest.Mayherestinpeace.

Gibson,WillieMarie

Gibson,WillieMarie Enteredintoeternalrest atherresidenceinBaton Rouge(AlsenCommunity) onMarch21,2026.Shewas an82-yearoldnativeand residentofBatonRouge, Louisiana.Viewingat MountBethelBaptist ChurchonSaturday,March 28,2026at9:00amuntil CelebrationofLifeService at11:00amconductedby PastorTimothySmith;intermentatSouthern MemorialGardens.Survivorsincludehersons,EricandGregoryGibson(Michelle);siblings, JoyceRogers(Charles), ReginaMcClure,EddieSingletonandBettyAnderson; precededindeathbyher husband,parents;two children;andsixsiblings. Arrangementsentrustedto Miller&DaughterMortuary.

JohnnyLeeJacksonJr. ofBatonRouge,Louisiana, transitionedonMarch13, 2026.HewasborntoJohnnyJacksonSr.andLillie JonesJacksononDecember11,1942.Thefamilyask thatyoukeeptheminyour prayersduringthistime.A funeralservicewillbeheld from9:00AMto12:30PM on2026-03-28atNewLight MissionaryBaptist,650 BlountRd.

Johnson,BrendaHarris

BrendaHarrisJohnson wasbornonApril2,1951. ShepassedawaypeacefullyonMarch18,2026,atthe ageof74.Shewasthesecondbornchildofthelate GloriaCoatsHarrisand RobertD.Harris. Sheleavestocontinue herlegacy:threedaughters, Dawn Matthews(Leroy),Marva Harris,bothofLoganville, GA;AshleyCarter(Darrell) ofZachary,LA;seven grandchildren,DeMarcus Matthews,DeCobie Matthews,MayaGloria LampkinandAlexiya Matthews,allofLoganville,GA.;Christopher Pittman,Jr.,DaijahCarter andAddysonCarter,allof BatonRouge,LA;anda hostofotherrelatives.

Precededindeathby hermother,father,sister, RitaH.Payne,brother, Reginald"Bean"Harris.

Services: Saturday,March28,2026 IsraeliteMissionary BaptistChurch 1841ThomasDelpit Drive BatonRouge,Louisiana Visitation:10:00am Funeral:11:00am

AliceMarieJonesFord, affectionatelyknownas "MamaAlice,"departed thislifepeacefullyon Thursday,March19,2026. AnativeofBatonRouge, Louisiana,shewasbornon May25,1949,tothelateAlbertandDorothyJones, andherlifebecameatestamenttofaith,love,and unwaveringstrength. Alicewasadevotedsister,cherishedbyhersiblingsPatriciaMoore(Marvin),CynthiaLenior,Debra Dagan(Don),LarryJones, andSharonCarrol (Dwayne).ShewasprecededindeathbyJames Jones,AlbertJones, JeromeJones,MonaFaye Jones,andConnieJean Jones,whosememories shehelddear. Awomanofdiligence andpurpose,Alicededicated30yearsofserviceto BullSouthbeforeretiring. Hercommitmenttoexcellencebeganearly—she wasaproudgraduateof ScotlandvilleHighSchool, Classof1967,andlater earnedherbachelor'sdegreeinSecondaryEducationfromSouthernUniversity. Aboveall,Alice'sgreatestpridewasherfamily. Sheleavesbehindalegacy oflovethroughhertwo sons,AnthonyRaymond andBrianKeithJones,and heradoredgrandchildren: TrevanJones,Sydnei Alexander,AnthonyJones JrandRiannAliceJones. Herwarmthextended beyondherimmediate family,embracingavast circleofnieces,nephews, cousins,andfriendswho willforevercherishher laughter,wisdom,andgenerousspirit. MamaAlice'slifewasa livingprayer—herkindness aquietforce,herpresence asanctuary.Thoughshe hasleftoursight,herlove remainswovenintoevery lifeshetouched. Serviceswillbeheld Saturday,March28th,2026, at11amatLittleRockBaptistChurch401EastAvenueChurchSlaughter, Louisiana70777Reverend MarvinMoore,Sr,Pastor. Servicesareentrusted toDesselleFuneralHome 263EddieRobinsonSr.Dr. BatonRouge,La.70802

Serviceswillbeheld Saturday,March28th,2026, at11amatLittleRockBaptistChurch401EastAvenueChurchSlaughter, Louisiana70777Reverend MarvinMoore,Sr,Pastor. Servicesareentrusted toDesselleFuneralHome 263EddieRobinsonSr.Dr. BatonRouge,La.70802

King,BettyDavis

Betty,bornonFebruary 3,1952,wasthecherished firstchildofKingand SylviaDavisofEastFelicianaParish.Herdeep faithguidedherthroughoutherlife,startingfrom herearlybaptismandcontinuinguntilherfinalmomentsonearth.

BettyDavis-KingdepartedthisworldonMarch19, 2026,atBatonRougeGeneralMedicalCenter,surroundedbyherbeloved family,exactlyasshe wouldhavewished.

Bettyleavestocherish manylovingandunforgettablememories:Aloving, devotedhusband,Charles EarlKing;alovingson Adrian(Karen)King,of Lafayette,La.;threedevoteddaughters,Towanda (Ronald)TaylorandKeashu KingofJackson,La.and Ashley(Terry)Armstrong ofDenhamSprings,La.; twograndsons,Charleston (Tarrah)TaylorofBaton Rouge,La.;JohnCharles KingofDallas,Tx.;four granddaughters,Peyton KingofLafayette,La.;AdrienneKingofJackson,La., whomshehelpedtorear; AshlynnTaylorofShreveport,La.andJacelynArmstrongofDenhamSprings, La.;onegreat-granddaughter;ChloeTaylor;twosisters,Gladys(JohnnyRay) DixonandSylviaDavisDixonofJacksonLa.;three brothers;Ned(Idella) DavisofClinton,La.;Ali AbdulHakim/EmmitRay Davis(AminaMuhammad) ofBatonRouge,La.;AbrahamDavisofJackson,La.; sevensisters-in-law,Betty MatthewsandEdna RichardsonofZachary,La.; GloriaKingandRubyKing ofJackson,La.;Betty DavisofBaker,Louisiana;, DorethaDavisandVinnie DavisofBatonRouge, Louisiana;threebrothersin-law,Richard(Patricia) KingofJacksonLa.,Robert (Catherine)KingofSlaughter,La.,andSidney (Stephanie)Kingof Zachary,La.;agodson, Kenny(Reon)Sandersof Gonzales,La.;agoddaughter,TaylaReeseHollinsof JacksonLa.;fourgenerationsofniecesand nephewsalongwithahost ofotherrelativesanddear friends.

Viewingandservices willbeheldonSaturday, March28,2026from9:00 AMto1:00PMatTheEast FelicianaSTEAMAcademy inClinton,Louisiana.

Thomas"Mike"Michael Martin,78,ofPrairieville, Louisiana,passedaway February13,2026. BornOctober21,1947,in Sterling,Illinois,Mike movedtoLouisianain1971 withhisbelovedwife,DianeLynnMartin(Olson), whoprecededhimin death.

Mikeproudlyservedin theUnitedStatesArmy from1968to1971,includingserviceinVietnam.He receivedtheNationalDefenseServiceMedal,VietnamServiceMedalwith fourBronzeServiceStars, andVietnamCampaign Medalwith60Device.

Heworkedasastockbrokerbeforebuildinga careerinthetransportationindustry,mostrecentlywithL&BTransport, wherehevaluedhiswork family.

ofBatonRouge,Louisiana, transitionedonMarch13, 2026.HewasborntoJohnnyJacksonSr.andLillie JonesJacksononDecember11,1942.Thefamilyask thatyoukeeptheminyour prayersduringthistime.A funeralservicewillbeheld from9:00AMto12:30PM on2026-03-28atNewLight MissionaryBaptist,650 BlountRd. When you need the

Mikelovedsports,especiallyNotreDame,LSU,the NewOrleansSaints,the GreenBayPackers,and theChicagoCubs.

Heissurvivedbyhis daughter,AmberLynn Douglas,andgranddaughter,EmmaMcKenzieDouglas. Hewasprecededin deathbyhiswife,Diane, andhisparents,William "Bill"MartinandConstance"Connie"Martin. Visitationwillbeheld

careerinthetransportationindustry,mostrecentlywithL&BTransport, wherehevaluedhiswork family. Mikelovedsports,especiallyNotreDame,LSU,the NewOrleansSaints,the GreenBayPackers,and theChicagoCubs. Heissurvivedbyhis daughter,AmberLynn Douglas,andgranddaughter,EmmaMcKenzieDouglas. Hewasprecededin deathbyhiswife,Diane, andhisparents,William "Bill"MartinandConstance"Connie"Martin. Visitationwillbeheld Saturday,March28,2026, from9:00-11:00a.m.,followedbyaCelebrationof Lifeat11:00a.m.,atRabenhorstFuneralHome,825 GovernmentSt.,Baton Rouge,LA70802. ThelasttwoyearswithoutDianewerethehardest ofhislife.Wefindcomfort knowingtheyarereunited.

JohnMartelNorwood, 77,longtimeprofessorat theUniversityofArkansas atFayetteville,passed awayonFebruary15,2026, inNewOrleans.Hedied fromcomplicationsfrom dementia.Hewasbornon January11,1949toColvin GambleNorwood,Sr. ("Pete")andDorothyElise PecotNorwood("Dot") andraisedinFranklin, Louisianawithhissiblings CarolAnnCramKilburn andColvinGamble Norwood,Jr.("Woody"). Johngraduatedfrom HansonMemorialHigh Schoolin1966atthetopof hisclass.Hewasawarded aBachelorofArtsdegree in1970fromLSUinBaton RougeandJurisDoctordegreefromTulaneLaw Schoolin1973.In1977John returnedtoLSUtoearnhis MBA. Afewmonthsbeforehe wastograduatefromlaw school,henoticedapostingfromNortheast LouisianaUniversityin Monroe(NLU)seekingarecentJDtoteachbusiness law.Heappliedforandgot thejob,beginningacareer thatbroughthimimmense personalsatisfactionas wellashighmarksfrom hisstudents.

In1981Johnaccepteda positionteachingbusiness lawintheBusinessSchool attheUniversityof Arkansas,whereheplayed apivotalroleindeveloping theHonorsprogramand mentoringstudents.Many studentshaveexpressed theirgratitude,acknowledginghisguidanceand influenceontheircareers. Thewinnerofseveral teachingawardsoverthe years,Johnlovedhisprofession,approachingit fromthestartwithenthusiasmanddedication.John retiredin2021after40 yearsattheUniversityof Arkansas. Burialwillbeprivatein thefamilycemeteryin Franklin. Colleagues,students andfriendsareinvitedto attendaCelebrationofLife inhonorofProfessorJohn Norwood.Thiseventwill beheldApril17,2026,in Fayettevilleat2:30pmin theReynoldsCenter AuditoriumattheWalton CollegeofBusinessonthe UniversityofArkansas campus.

yearsattheUniversityof Arkansas. Burialwillbeprivatein thefamilycemeteryin Franklin. Colleagues,students andfriendsareinvitedto attendaCelebrationofLife inhonorofProfessorJohn Norwood.Thiseventwill beheldApril17,2026,in Fayettevilleat2:30pmin theReynoldsCenter AuditoriumattheWalton CollegeofBusinessonthe UniversityofArkansas campus.

Simmons,JudithPayne JudithPayneSimmons, age77,passedawayon March23,2026,ather home. Shewasalong-term residentofLouisianaand earnedadegreeinSpanish atLSU.Shethendevoted nearly40yearsofservice toExxonChemicalPlant. ThosewhoknewJudith willalsorememberherfor thelightshebroughtinto everydaymoments—she alwayshadajoketotell, offeringcomfortandconnection. Judithissurvivedbyher daughter,StacyNugent (Ramey);herson,Chad Simmons;hergranddaughter,PacianNugent;hersister,VickiTaylor(Kenny); andherbrothers,Gregson Payne(Patty)andDouglas Payne(Andrea). Avisitationwillbeheld atRabenhorstFuneral HomeonGovernmentSt. onFriday,March27,2026, from10:30a.m.to12:30 p.m.Burialwillfollowat GreenoaksMemorialPark.

JosephTatneySrdepartedthislifeonMarch 16,2026,attheageof71. HewasbornSeptember21, 1954,inWhiteCastle Louisiana,toEarnestand RosemaryTatney. Joewasmarried,August 12,2000,toMarianC.Garrett.Thetwoweremarried for25years.Joewas blessedwith2children JosephTatneyJr(deceased)andChloeTatney Lemelle.Healsohasa StepsonDerekGarrettand fivegrandchildren. Survivorsinclude:his wife,MarianTatney; daughter,Chloe(Kevin) Lemelle;stepson,Derek Garrett;daughter-in-law, LemekiaWilliams.Five grandchildren:Malachi Matthews,MonteRussell, NaomiTatney,Bronxand BostonLemelle.ThreeSisters:StellaWilliams,Gloria Williams,Olevia(Walter) Matthews.Ahostof nieces,nephews,andextendedfamilyandfriends. Hewasprecededin deathbyhisson,Joseph TatneyJr.,hisparentsand twobrothers.Avisitation willbeheldfrom6:00PM to8:00PMon03/27/26at St.PeterBaptistChurch, 58116CourtSt.Funeral serviceswillbeheldat 10:00AMon03/28/26atSt. PeterBaptistChurch.

deathbyhisson,Joseph TatneyJr.,hisparentsand twobrothers.Avisitation willbeheldfrom6:00PM to8:00PMon03/27/26at St.PeterBaptistChurch, 58116CourtSt.Funeral serviceswillbeheldat 10:00AMon03/28/26atSt. PeterBaptistChurch. Winfred,Dorothy

Winfred,DorothyLouise Davis

Enteredintoeternalrest onMarch18,2026.Shewas a96-yearoldnativeof St.Francisville,Louisiana andaresidentofBaton Rouge,Louisiana.Viewing atAftonVillaBaptist Church,Rev.LionelDavis, pastor,onSaturday,March 28,2026at9:00amuntil CelebrationofLifeService at11:00amofficiatedby Rev.MelissaDunn-Davis; intermentatchurchcemetery.Survivorsincludeher children,AndrewDavis,Sr. andMaryDavisWinfield; grandchildren,ZacharyD. Winfield,Jr.Michelle Wilson(Roscoe),Andrew Davis,Jr.;fourgreatgrandchildren;fivegreat-greatgrandchildren;otherrelativesandfriends;preceded indeathbyherhusband, HerbertLeeWinfred;parents,JamesLandSarah SmithDavis;siblings, MatthewsandShirley DavisandFannieD. Holmes;grandson,Kenny RayDavis;nieces,MargaretVessel,Delores Hampton,andGwendolyn H.Adams;nephew,Jerry Holmes,Sr.;andbonusson McMorrisA.Whitfield.Arrangementsentrustedto Miller&DaughterMortuary.

Wherever you read the

Norwood,JohnMartel

Tatney,Joseph

Jones-Ford,AliceMarie

Martin,Thomas Michael'Mike'

OPINION

When it comes to cancer, preventive care is essential

At 47 years old, my world as I knew it was completely flipped upside down.

The words “you have breast cancer” suddenly touched every part of my life. I had to step away from a statewide race for state treasurer, my family and I faced difficult and uncertain days, and I was forced to quickly reprioritize what mattered most. I spent the next five months undergoing chemotherapy treatment, determined to fight and hopeful for the future. Now, almost 10 years later, I am proud to say I am cancer-free.

My cancer journey taught me many lessons, one of which is that cancer does not discriminate. It

does not care if you are a parent, if your career is gaining momentum or if you feel healthier than ever. That is why educating yourself about symptoms and staying current on recommended screenings is so important. As we observe National Colorectal Cancer Month in March, I encourage everyone to prioritize their health, starting with scheduling your routine cancer screenings.

When we think of a healthy lifestyle, regular exercise, nutritious food and adequate sleep often come to mind. While these habits are essential, preventive care, including regular cancer screenings, is just as critical to

long-term health. Unfortunately, the reality is that many Americans are not up to date on their recommended cancer screenings. A MedStar Health survey found that 60% of women aged 40 and over are not following the American College of Radiology’s recommendation for annual mammograms if they are at average risk.

More than 50 million people, 1 out 3 eligible Americans, are not up to date on their colorectal cancer screenings, often due to the discomfort of traditional screening methods. More importantly, here at home, Louisiana ranks third in the nation for colorectal cancer incidence, and it is the second leading cause of cancerrelated deaths.

For a stronger workforce in La., reform in Legislature is needed

Louisiana’s recent tax reforms have improved the state’s competitiveness, but lasting economic growth will stall without a stronger workforce. That is why enacting policies to help businesses meet their workforce needs must start now. Across industries, employers continue to report difficulty finding workers with the skills required for their jobs. At the same time, many Louisianans struggle to connect with opportunities that offer good-paying jobs and long-term career paths.

This disconnect is the reason Public Affairs Research Council and Leaders for a Better Louisiana are joining forces to call for the state’s renewed and sustained focus on workforce development, particularly in the ongoing legislative session. This is not simply a labor shortage. It is a persistent mismatch between the needs of businesses and the preparation, awareness and mobility of our workforce.

I understand the hesitation. Life gets busy, and preventive care often falls to the bottom of the list. Screenings may feel inconvenient, uncomfortable and even gross, but they are far less disruptive than a late-stage diagnosis.

As a cancer survivor, I can say with certainty that a cancer diagnosis is far more challenging than any screening. And with the introduction of less invasive technologies, completing recommended cancer screenings is becoming more accessible than ever. We know it is highly treatable when caught early.

National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and other awareness months exist to re-

PROVIDED PHOTO

An instructor at Nunez Community College in Chalmette demonstrates safety techniques for students in its wind energy technology program.

dents make informed decisions about education and training pathways. Clearer workforce signals can help institutions align programs with high-demand fields. Stronger partnerships among business, higher education and workforce agencies can accelerate the transition from classroom to career.

If Louisiana wants to fully capitalize on its economic reforms, infrastructure investments and emerging industries, we must strengthen the systems that connect education and training to the needs of employers.

The challenge is visible in the data.

Louisiana’s labor force participation rate hovers around 58% — 43rd worst among states and several points below the national average. That gap represents over 100,000 working-age adults who are neither working nor actively seeking work. Even modest improvements would translate into significant gains for families, businesses and the state’s economy.

At the same time, the state reports roughly 124,000 jobs open statewide, compared with about 88,000 individuals actively seeking employment. This imbalance reflects issues involving workforce solutions for employers, skills relevance and alignment in education and the ability of individuals to navigate from education or training into the available jobs.

These pressures are unfolding at a pivotal moment for Louisiana’s economy.

The state has seen significant jobs announcements and capital investment in recent years across manufacturing, energy, technology and other sectors. While these projects create opportunity, these announcements alone do not guarantee broad-based prosperity. Without a workforce prepared at the necessary scale with the right skills or employers able to address their talent shortages, Louisiana risks constraining growth and limiting the benefits of that investment.

This is not a failure of workers or employers: It is a systems challenge.

Louisiana’s workforce development, education and economic development efforts often don’t operate in alignment. Students struggle to understand how academic choices connect to careers. Employers struggle to find training partners responsive to rapidly changing skill needs. Workforce programs are difficult to navigate, fragmented across agencies and inconsistent in their coordination.

Improving outcomes requires strengthening these connections. Better career counseling can help stu-

Louisiana already has examples of progress to build upon.

The M.J. Foster Promise Program is funding working-age adults to earn credentials in high-demand fields. Industry partnerships, apprenticeships and technical training programs are expanding in key sectors. Regional collaborations are demonstrating how employers and educators can work together to meet workforce needs. These efforts show that targeted investments and intentional alignment can produce real results.

But isolated successes are not enough. Louisiana must scale what works and remove barriers that limit participation.

That means simplifying how individuals access education and training, strengthening coordination across agencies and institutions, improving transparency around outcomes and ensuring accountability for results. Workforce development should function as an integrated strategy, not a collection of disconnected programs.

The stakes extend beyond economic development. Workforce policy is also economic mobility policy. When Louisianans can access training that leads to stable, well-paying careers, families benefit. Communities benefit. Employers benefit. The state benefits. Conversely, when individuals remain disconnected from opportunity, the consequences are felt in lower incomes, reduced growth and widening inequality. Louisiana has meaningful economic opportunity ahead. The question is whether the state can connect its people to that growth at the scale required. Workforce development is the bridge between economic development and shared prosperity for Louisiana families. We believe that workforce reform is one of the urgent issues Louisiana leaders must address during the 2026 legislative session.

Steven Procopio is president of the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana. Barry Erwin is the chief policy officer of Leaders for a Better Louisiana.

mind us that early detection saves lives. Awareness alone is not enough; action is what makes the difference.

Take time to learn which cancer screenings are recommended for your age and risk level. Talk with your physician about your testing options.

Give yourself the best possible chance against cancer by prioritizing early and timely cancer screenings. Your health matters. Take action to protect it.

Julie Stokes is founder of Ellevate Louisiana and Survivor’s Cancer Action Network and a former member of the Louisiana House of Representatives.

Universal pre-K4 gives kids chances that they deserve

As a career educator and now a superintendent, I’ve spent my career witnessing firsthand the transformative power of education. But one lesson stands out above all: The earlier we engage children in structured learning, the stronger their foundation for lifelong success.

Research consistently shows that children who attend high-quality preK programs get a meaningful head start in learning. A multistate study by the National Institute for Early Education Research found that children who participated in pre-K entered kindergarten with stronger language, literacy and math skills.

Through play and meaningful interactions, early learning environments help children build these essential skills while developing confidence and enthusiasm for school. Most importantly, these programs help children feel confident and ready to participate in school, socially and academically.

During the 2023-2024 school year, nearly 19,515 Louisiana children were enrolled in publicly funded pre-K programs. That’s a great start, but far too many families still face barriers to access. By expanding pre-K4, we are making sure that every 4-year-old in our community has the chance to start school with confidence and excitement about learning.

Studies show that children from lower-income families and those learning English as a second language often see some of the biggest benefits from pre-K, which means expanding access is not just a good idea, it’s the right thing to do.

In St. Charles Parish Public Schools, thanks to the school board’s foresight and commitment, pre-K4 enrollment is now open to every child in the parish. Classrooms are led by certified educators who understand just how important these early years are. Children learn how to fol-

low routines, manage their emotions and work positively with peers and adults, skills that support healthy social and emotional growth. Alongside academic learning, students build confidence, independence and a love of learning, all of which make the transition to kindergarten smoother and more successful.

Even long-term research confirms the lasting impact of high-quality pre-K. A 20year study by Georgetown University followed children who attended Tulsa’s universal pre-K program and found that the benefits extend far past kindergarten. Students were more likely to stay on track academically through high school, take advanced courses, graduate on time and enroll in college. Studies like this reaffirm what we see in our classrooms every day: Early learning shapes children’s futures, equipping them with the skills and habits they need to thrive throughout school and into adulthood. Every child deserves a jumpstart on learning, and every family deserves the support to make that possible. Programs like pre-K4 are more than just a head start in academics; they’re an investment in our children, our families and our entire community. I can’t overstate how important these early opportunities are. When children develop confidence, independence and a love of learning early on, those traits stay with them throughout their educational journey. I am so grateful to our families, educators and community partners who continue to make our schools a place where children can discover who they are and what they can achieve. Together, we can ensure that every child starts their educational journey with the support, confidence and opportunities they deserve.

Ken Oertling is superintendent of St. Charles Parish schools.

Ken Oertling GUEST COLUMNIST

COMMENTARY

Residents look on and take pictures as flames and smoke rise from an oil storage facility struck as attacks hit

military campaign in Tehran, Iran, on March 7.

ISSUE OF THE WEEK IRAN WAR

As the war in Iran drags on, polls show the American public is growing more skeptical of its aims. President Donald Trump has tried to reassure the country that the U.S. is winning and the war will be over soon. This week, he said that talks have begun with Iran to reach a deal, but Iranians have denied that there are any negotiations under way. What is the political fallout for the president and the Republican Party if the war doesn’t end quickly? Here are two perspectives:

To quiet all the critics, Trump needs short war

How many times has President Donald Trump said that the war in Iran, now entering its fourth week, will be brief? Many. I asked Grok for 20 examples of Trump promising a short war, and got a list very quickly. Here are a few:

“This war will be over very soon.”

“I think you’ll see it’s going to be a short-term excursion.”

“We’re getting very close to finishing ... it is going to be ended soon.”

“We’re way ahead of schedule ... it won’t be much longer.”

“We projected four to five weeks ... but we’re substantially ahead of schedule.”

“It’s going to be ended soon ... we’re getting very close.”

No president wants to promise the public years of war. But why has Trump pledged brevity so early and so often, beginning almost the moment the war began? After all, polls from the first U.S.Israeli attack on Iran showed that, while there was significant public opposition to the war, support among Trump’s supporters was high. It has stayed that way.

The fear, of course, was that voters would take Trump’s campaign vow not to take the nation to war — “I’m not going to start a war, I’m going to stop wars,” he promised on the night of his comeback win in November 2024 — and apply it to the situation in Iran. But so far at least, Trump’s supporters have stuck with him on the new war.

Of course, campaign Trump vowed even more often to stay out of what he called endless wars. But endless clearly means endless, or at least protracted, conflicts. Trump obviously feels he can use the military for quick strikes, like the June 2025 bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities or the January 2026 operation in Venezuela. They were brief and effective uses of U.S. military power, and are in no sense endless engagements.

The political problem for Trump is that at some point, a brief and effective use of U.S. military power becomes something more than that. Yes, a conflict would have to go on for a long time before it qualifies as endless. But at the moment, Trump is deeply worried about the war’s economic effects; a war does not have to be endless to do a lot of damage to the

U.S. and world economies. In addition, Trump has to worry about that point at which the Iran war takes its place as a major, largescale war —- not a quick hit but Gulf War III, after wars in the region pursued by President George H.W. Bush in 1991 and President George W. Bush in 2003. Trump surely would not like to be in those presidents’ company as a Persian Gulf warrior. Neither would Vice President JD Vance, a vehement critic of Iraq-style wars and Trump’s possible 2028 successor. At a midterm campaign appearance in Michigan last week, Vance quoted Trump to stress that the war-related energy price increases will be a “temporary blip.” And Vance added: “Nobody likes war, right? And I guarantee you the president of the United States is not interested in getting us in the kind of long-term quagmires that we’ve seen in years past.”

There is concern in those words. This war, even now, will have consequences. After joining Israel in such a broadbased attack, U.S. forces cannot just disappear. For example, a new op-ed in the Wall Street Journal by two veteran foreign policy analysts notes, “If Trump wins this war politically and militarily, victory will entail new burdens. The security of the Persian Gulf will be America’s responsibility ... American destroyers circulating permanently in the Gulf is a likely future.”

That’s not the kind of thing the Trump political base will be delighted to hear, even if they approve of the war’s first days. The needle Trump needs to thread is to minimize those “new burdens” so that he can say to his supporters that U.S. forces got in quickly, fixed the problem, and got out quickly. Whether that is plausible or not is another question.

Until then, Trump continues to promise a quick war. How many defenders of the war have answered critics by saying, “Hold on, it’s only been a week,” or two weeks, or three weeks? Indeed, it hasn’t been long. But it’s been long enough for the White House to be worried.

Email Byron York at byork@washingtonexaminer.com.

Iran not the jaunt White House is trying to sell

Here we go again.

What else can one say to the stream of misinformation and disinformation flowing out of the White House and Pentagon since the war with Iran broke out?

We have grown wearily familiar with President Donald Trump’s cavalier relationship with the facts. Combine that with his tendency to snatch words out of the air, appropriately or not, and you come up with a jumble of head-scratchers.

might be draft bait.

A leading example is his repeated oddball description of the Iran war as an “excursion,” which caused brows to furrow and eyeballs to roll in newsrooms around the planet. Excursion? Does the president know the true meaning of the word?

Ten days into the war, Trump summed up the situation this way to reporters: “We took a little excursion because we felt we had to do that to get rid of some evil. And I think you’ll see it’s going to be a short-term excursion. How good is our military, right? Amazing. How good? Short term. Short term.”

Right. The war had already killed a halfdozen American troops and injured about 150.

Then there’s the Tomahawk missile that flattened an Iranian elementary school, killing at least 175 civilians, most of them children.

This is some excursion.

Predictably, the war has shaken up the already unstable Middle East and driven oil prices skyward. Some industry experts are calling it the largest oil shock in history. But Trump dismissed that as something he’d already thought of.

“We figured oil prices would go up, which they will. They’ll also come down,” he said on March 7. “They’ll come down very fast.” Brent crude traded above $100 a barrel in recent days, and some observers see it surging much higher if the war starts spiraling.

As I write this, the Iranian military isn’t quite ready for the excursion to be over.

The growing war concerns caused me to flash back to an earlier era, when an excursion in Southeast Asia to help a friend with their colonial problems became the Vietnam War.

I remember it vividly because I happened to be in college and of age for conscription. We used to say on campus, nothing concentrates the mind like the realization that you

If you’re too young to remember, take it from me. Furor over the draft became a leading reason why Americans have not had a draft since then.

Other reminders of the Vietnam era are all the hazy spitball takes on just what the nature and duration of our commitment is.

Asked in early March how long this excursion might take, the president offered that it could take four to five weeks. Days later, he bragged that Iran had better watch out because the U.S. had “virtually unlimited supply” of munitions and that it could fight a war “forever.”

Later, he put aside his initial four-to-fiveweek estimate and declared, “whatever it takes.”

Trump and Co. have also been mendacious. Trump claimed that Iran had bombed the elementary school. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell blamed Iran for using the school as a “human shield” for its missile and drone launchers.

But as the New York Times reported, an ongoing military investigation suggests the Feb. 28 airstrike on the school “was the result of a targeting mistake by the U.S. military, which was conducting strikes on an adjacent Iranian base.”

Officers at U.S. Central Command apparently “created the target coordinates for the strike using outdated data provided by the Defense Intelligence Agency.”

In other words, as many of my fellow veterans (Yes, Uncle Sam’s draft finally got me) understand all too well, the tragedy stemmed from a bad old-fashioned SNAFU. “Situation Normal, All Fouled Up,” as we would say in the linguistically cleaned-up version. That’s what happens when you go on an excursion with gunboats and cruise missiles. Some folks get caught up in the glory, others marvel at the flash-bang technologies. But, as much as the weapons of war may change, they tend to slaughter a lot of innocents along with enemy combatants.

What Trump is presenting as a little excursion is, for Iran, an existential struggle. Whatever one thinks of the U.S.’s capability to take out the mullahs and their military, they seem to have the power to take a great deal down with them.

Email Clarence Page at clarence47page@ gmail.com.

Byron York Clarence Page

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO BY ALIREZA SOTAKBAR

the city during the U.S.–Israeli

A Dense Fog Advisory is in effect for our area until 9 a.m. because fog is reducing visibility in some parts of Southeast Louisiana to 1/4 mile or less. Otherwise, the cloudy skies we have this morning will give way to mostly sunny and warm conditions this afternoon. Temperatures this afternoon will remain well above average, rising to the mid-80s. Humidity will be high with calm morning winds, which will increase in the evening. Rain chances will remain at zero, and a Fire Weather Watch will go into effect Saturday.

Master P leaves University of New Orleans basketball role

BY MARIE FAZIO

Staff writer

Just one year after the Univer sity of New Orleans made waves by bringing on hip-hop legend and New Orleans native Percy “Master P” Miller to support the university’s then-struggling basketball team, the high-profile partnership has ended, university officials said.

UNO President Kathy Johnson confirmed Wednesday that Miller is no longer serving in his former “unpaid, volunteer advisory” role as president of basketball opera tions and assistant coach. Johnson declined to offer specifics on Mill er’s departure, but said the univer sity “periodically evaluates roles and external relationships” to make sure they align with the school’s pri orities.

UNO’s partnership with the rap mogul was a boon for the university and its basketball team, which was in a slump before Miller’s arrival in February 2025 and had several players reportedly involved in a

sports betting scandal. The team, and basketball knowledge to building and growing this program with

intention and care,” he wrote, add-

prepared or signed a contract.

A rapper who rose to fame in the

the last several decades.

1990s and founded the independent hip-hop label No Limit Records, Miller played for the University of Houston and made two NBA training camp rosters. He also coached youth basketball.

“This is bigger than basketball,” Miller said at a news conference last year about his unpaid position.

“This is my heart, this is what I love doing, and I love now that people call me Coach P.”

Miller’s three sons play Division I basketball. His son Hercy Miller transferred to UNO’s team earlier this year from Southern Utah Uni-

As president of basketball operations, Miller took on some of the responsibilities of a general manager, helping recruit, coach and oversee “name, image and likeness” payments to athletes. Miller attempted to boost investment in the program, and UNO recently renovated the basketball team’s locker room and practice gym and put a new jumbotron at the Lakefront Arena.

The team finished this season

with a 15-18 record, moving to fifth place in the Southland Conference up from last place the previous season.

“As I reflect on everything that was given — time, effort, resources, and heart — I can honestly say I am not looking for a thank you, awards or any recognition,” Miller said in the statement Thursday, adding that his goal was to give back to the community and develop future leaders.

Miller also served on the committee that is helping advise UNO as it shifts from the University of Louisiana system to the LSU system, which will officially happen July 1. He attended the committee’s public meetings last year, where LSU officials praised his efforts to support the basketball team, including buying players alarm clocks.

“I pray for nothing but great things for our students as LSU takes over July 1st and the university officially transitions into LSU New Orleans,” Miller’s statement said.

lation to make it easier to study and distribute in clinical trials.

Continued from page 1B

psychotherapy before and after administration of the drug.

Details of how much settlement money could go to patients and centers involved in the program are still being worked out, McMath said.

Ibogaine and psilocybin

The bill focuses on two psychedelic substances — ibogaine and psilocybin — that are drawing attention in the medical field but have typically not been widely studied because of tight federal controls on illegal substances.

Psilocybin — the active psychedelic in what are sometimes called “‘shrooms” or “magic mushrooms” — is a compound found in certain mushrooms.

People who eat it can experience altered perception and potentially intense emotions. It has been studied for its potential to treat depression, anxiety and substance use disorders in controlled therapeutic settings. At least three states offer legal psilocybin therapy, and many others have recently passed legis-

Ibogaine is derived from a plant found in central Africa where it has historically been used in spiritual rituals. In the immediate hours after taking the pill, symptoms like visions, vomiting and loss of muscle coordination are common. It has been studied for its potential to interrupt addiction, particularly opioid dependence, and traumatic brain injury.

Both substances are currently classified as Schedule I drugs under the federal Controlled Substances Act — the same category as drugs like heroin — meaning they are considered to have no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.

That classification makes them illegal for general use and limits research to tightly regulated clinical trials approved by federal agencies.

In small studies, ibogaine has been shown to help roughly onethird to two-thirds of patients get sober with just a single dose. But it has not been rigorously studied in clinical trials using control groups that receive a placebo. It also comes with risks to the heart that have at times led to death over

Early clinical trials suggest psilocybin may help reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety and substance use disorders when combined with therapy, and improve mood by altering brain activity and promoting new neural connections, though researchers say more large-scale studies are needed.

At LSU Health Shreveport, researchers are currently studying psilocybin as a possible treatment for methamphetamine addiction.

‘Life-altering’ effects

Several veterans testified in support of the bill on Wednesday, describing the treatments as transformative for conditions like traumatic brain injury and posttraumatic stress.

Retired Louisiana National Guard Maj. Gen. Glenn Curtis told lawmakers he spent nearly two decades sending troops to Iraq and Afghanistan. Many returned with lasting mental health challenges, Curtis included.

“We tried, but we fell very short,” Curtis said of traditional treatments for PTSD and traumatic brain injury. Veterans entered what he called a “death spiral” as

they struggled with family issues, substance use and reintegration.

Curtis and his son traveled to Mexico for ibogaine treatment.

“It was life-altering,” he said, describing the experience as “like flipping a light switch on.”

His son, Nick Curtis, told lawmakers he turned to ibogaine after suffering two traumatic brain injuries that left him with memory loss, impaired speech and an inability to work.

“I was at the end of my rope,” he said, crediting ibogaine with a return to function. “My wife has a husband, my kids have a father again.”

Supporters said the treatments could be an alternative for patients who have not responded to existing care, particularly in a state with some of the highest overdose deaths in the nation.

“In my opinion, there are no other treatments on the horizon more potentially transformative for psychiatric care than these medicines, when safely given in clinical and research settings and when this appropriate science is done,” said Dr. Jeffrey Rouse, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Tulane University and former coroner of Orleans Parish.

Funding questions

A legislative fiscal analysis estimates the program would cost the state about $110,433 in its first year, with total costs projected at roughly $707,000 over five years. Committee amendments expanded the bill to allow academic health centers to partner with pharmaceutical or biotechnology companies to develop ibogaine as a potential FDA-approved medication, including outlining how any intellectual property revenue would be shared with the state. “What we’re really trying to do here is make sure that we ease the restrictions on the access in Louisiana so that these people don’t have to go down to Tijuana,” McMath said. “And that Louisiana takes part in the development of an FDA-approved drug, so that this becomes accepted nationwide, not just in a clinical trial setting.”

The bill sailed through committee without objections and now scheduled for a floor vote on March 30.

If approved, the program would take effect Aug. 1, 2026.

Email Emily Woodruff at ewoodruff@theadvocate.com.

Johnson’s rocky summer under Lawson helped ignite her strong leadership skills

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Over the summer, when she was playing on a USA Basketball team, Flau’jae Johnson jotted down notes in a journal. Some of them were about basketball. She diagrammed a few of coach Kara Lawson’s plays, for example. But others took on a more personal tone. They were about Johnson’s goals and ambitions. About where she was in her career and where she wanted to go. About how she had hit a bit of a roadblock when she couldn’t crack Law-

Wade-LSU reunion should come as a surprise to no one

Will Wade is not from Louisiana. He was born in Nashville, Tennessee, and spent the bulk of his life in Southern Appalachia: Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia. But like a lot of us, he’s become a Louisianan.

He said as much Thursday when he described his decision to leave N.C. State after one year to return to LSU as “deeply personal.”

“It’s a chance to go home — to a place that means a great deal to me and my family,” he wrote in a statement posted on his social media only hours after the news broke that he was taking the LSU head coaching job for a second time. The seven years Wade spent during coaching stints at LSU and McNeese were impactful for him and his wife, Lauren. They embraced the culture and the people. They formed enduring bonds with several close friends. Their only child, Caroline, was born in Baton Rouge.

Wade’s Louisiana ties and roots were made abundantly clear to me when I visited Lake Charles two years ago to report on his stunning resurrection of McNeese basketball.

Wade spoke at length about the culture he’d grown to love and the people he’d become close to during his five-year stint in Baton Rouge. He sounded a lot like Sean Payton, who’d waxed in similarly nostalgic fashion about New Orleans when I visited him at Broncos training camp in Denver,

ä See DUNCAN, page 2C

‘What can I do to be better?’ SPORTS

son’s rotation — and how she was confronting that humbling experience ahead of her senior season.

“I didn’t lose my confidence,” Johnson said. “I more so just found more things to get better at.” Johnson knows what she wrote down because she recently looked back at those notes, not long before the LSU women’s basketball team ä LSU vs: Duke 9 P.M.

In unprecedented move, LSU lures formerly fired coach back to basketball program, fires McMahon

WADE RETURNS

on Thursday

BY TOYLOY BROWN and SCOTT RABALAIS Staff writers

A new but familiar name will be LSU’s next men’s basketball coach.

The university is firing Matt McMahon and signing North Carolina State’s Will Wade to a seven-year, $30 million contract, according to a copy of his term sheet obtained by The Advocate.

“It’s signed, sealed and delivered,” said a high-level LSU source who asked to remain anonymous before the school’s official announcement.

Wade arrived in Baton Rouge from Raleigh, North Carolina, at 6:40 p.m. on Thursday. He was welcomed with fanfare from LSU board members, administration and friends.

The Tigers’ new coach released a statement before landing, thanking NC State’s athletic director, Boo Corrigan, and the rest of the athletic administration. He also provided a bit of insight into his move to LSU.

“This was not an easy decision, because of how much respect and appreciation I have for this program and this university,” Wade said. “But the opportunity to return to Louisiana State University is deeply personal. It’s a chance to go home — to a place that means a great deal to me and my family.”

NC State’s athletic director addressed reporters Thursday and said LSU paid $4 million for Wade’s buyout. The number was agreed upon, as it was originally $5 million. That price tag would have dropped to $3 million if LSU

ä See WADE, page 3C

Jeff Duncan

STAFF PHOTO BY MICHAEL JOHNSON

Will Wade, second from left, poses for a photo with members of the LSU board of directors after his arrival from Raleigh, N.C.,

at the BTR Jet Center in Baton Rouge.

STAFF PHOTO BY MICHAEL JOHNSON

Will Wade walks into the airport terminal after arriving from Raleigh, N.C., on Thursday at the BTR Jet Center in Baton Rouge.

ä See LSU, page 3C

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Casan Evans LSU Baseball, Pitcher

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Whit Weeks ‘just trying to get healthy’

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

Whit Weeks had a busy winter.

First, the junior linebacker played a part in convincing Lane Kiffin to come to LSU. Then he decided to forgo the NFL Draft and return to school for his senior season to play for Kiffin, his girlfriend’s dad. And that was all before January, when he stuck around Baton Rouge during winter break to recruit players in the transfer portal to play with the Tigers.

On top of all that, he was recovering from a broken ankle that limited him to just three games over the second half of last season.

“I was pretty messed up,” Weeks said. “… It was definitely a grind to get out there at the end of last season.”

Weeks’ schedule has slowed down since then. His only focus currently is getting healthy as he continues to recover from his ankle injury. The ailment has kept Weeks off the field since LSU football spring practices began on Tuesday.

“Just trying to get healthy right now. I‘ve been grinding in the weight room,” Weeks said. “I don’t like not being out there with the guys, but the number one goal for me right now is just to get healthy.”

Weeks suffered his injury in Week 5 against Ole Miss. It was a different break to the same ankle he injured against Baylor in the Texas Bowl at the end of his sophomore season. His injury, the one he suffered against the Rebels, improved to the point where he could play on it through the final two games of last year.

The only reason, he said, he played against Western Kentucky — LSU’s second-to-last game of the year — was so he could be on the field with his brothers, West and Zach.

“I was like, ‘This is the only opportunity we’ll get in our life,’ ” Weeks said. “I’m like, ‘I’m not going to remember the pain.’ I just remember how fun it was being out there with them.”

Weeks says he didn’t stop feeling pain in his ankle until the end of the winter. He’s since been cleared to run and will start testing his ability to move side to side

from page 1C

Colorado, in 2024.

Lake Charles’ proximity to Baton Rouge was one of the main reasons he took the McNeese job in the first place. It helped ease the transition for him and his family after a year out of coaching.

McNeese was the perfect lowkey, low-profile place for him to rebuild his image, career and life from the ashes of his LSU immolation.

“It was tough,” Wade said of the dismissal from LSU. “But looking back, it was probably very good for me. I probably needed to be checked a little. It gave me perspective on some things that I’d maybe lost some perspective on.”

Added then-McNeese athletic director Heath Schroyer: “Quite frankly, Will Wade himself needed to be rebuilt, rebranded, needed a rebirth. And I think that the timing was perfect for all of it.”

It didn’t hurt matters that Wade had become a cult hero during his time at LSU. In a state that embraces rogues and rebels, Wade was hailed by the revolutionary segment of the population. To them, he was “ultimate gangsta,” an iconoclast who defied convention and restored respectability to LSU basketball. That he did so while running afoul of NCAA rules only en-

by the end of this week. He hopes to join the team on the field by the end of the spring.

“I’m almost back,” Weeks said.

“I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

But before he could determine his timeline to return to the field, Weeks had to decide on his future at LSU first. Despite his injury last season and helping lure Kiffin to Baton Rouge, he had a chance to forgo his senior year and declare for the NFL Draft.

A strong junior season could have made him a first or secondround pick. But after the way it ended, he wanted a chance to finish off his tenure in Baton Rouge the right way.

That, combined with defensive coordinator Blake Baker turning down the head coaching job at Tulane and remaining at LSU, was why Weeks came back for his senior year. Weeks said that he probably wouldn’t have returned if Baker hadn’t come back for a third season as the Tigers’ defensive coordinator.

“There was just one moment I was driving in my truck and it hit me,” Weeks said. “I was like, ‘I can’t leave this place yet. I’ve got too much left to prove here.’

The beginning years of my career have not really gone how I wanted them to go, and I can’t go out like that.

“I told my dad, I was like, ‘I’m coming back,’ and he’s like, ‘That’s the best decision.’ And I was just so excited. It felt like the biggest weight off my shoulders.”

After committing to return to LSU, the next step for Weeks was to get others to join him. He had already helped convince Kiffin to spurn Ole Miss for LSU, “I did my part,” Weeks said. He and Kiffin just needed to rebuild the roster around them. Multiple starters had either run out of eligibility or were heading to the NFL, and 34 players eventually left the program and entered the transfer portal.

While Kiffin and his staff were landing visits and shaping the roster, Weeks made his pitch to transfers as to why they should come to LSU.

“I was going from Supperclub to Stab’s for 14 straight days,” Weeks said, referencing the two wellknown Baton Rouge restaurants.

“I had to tell them to quit cooking my steak in butter. I was eating steak every single night.”

One of his responsibilities as a

deared him more to the cultists. Wade’s return to LSU should surprise no one. It was a fait accompli the day Scott Woodward was forced out as AD five months ago. In fact, I was told by an LSU insider in the days after Woodward’s ouster that the Wade hiring would eventually happen — the only variable was time. LSU is on an unprecedented spending bender. The school has spent or committed to spend more than $250 million since late October on coaches’ contracts, buyouts and roster payroll. In the wake of the Brian Kelly debacle, LSU has sent a message to the rest of college sports. It’s

not pulling back. It’s doubling down. The Wade Gambit is the latest example of this bold, unapologetic makeover.

Wade will now take the reins of a program that’s made only five NCAA Tournament appearances in the past two decades. The SEC is a different beast than the conference Wade left four years ago. Since then, Todd Golden, Chris Beard, Mike White and Mark Byington have been hired at Florida, Ole Miss, Georgia and Vanderbilt, respectively. They join John Calipari, Rick Barnes, Nate Oats, Mark Pope, Bucky McMillan and Porter Moser to give the SEC the deep-

Duke guard Foster to make return against St. John’s WASHINGTON — Duke coach Jon Scheyer said point guard Caleb Foster will try to play in Friday night’s Sweet 16 matchup against St. John’s.

Foster broke his right foot in Duke’s regular-season finale and missed the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament for the topseeded Blue Devils. He was on the court Thursday during the portion of practice open to reporters, but that largely consisted of stretching and a bit of shooting. It was hard to tell how mobile Foster might be. Foster is averaging 8.5 points per game this season. He’s made 30 starts.

The short-handed Blue Devils struggled in their NCAA Tournament opener against Siena, and it took some time for them to pull away from TCU as well.

recruiter was to understand the character and makeup of each transfer during their visit before relaying his thoughts to the coaching staff.

“Just getting to meet the guys and understanding what they’re about … really learning who they are before they get on campus,” Weeks said, “so then I can go back to the coaches and be like, ‘Yeah, this is a dude that we really need to go after. Or maybe this is a guy who, if he wants to come, tell him to come. If not, we’ll be all right.’ ”

The winter following his sophomore season, he and then-quarterback Garrett Nussmeier led the recruiting charge as LSU got aggressive in the transfer portal. But with Nussmeier off to the NFL, Weeks was mostly alone in January as LSU was conducting visits with transfers.

His capabilities as a recruiter stood out to Boise State transfer Ty Benefield and Colorado transfer Jordan Seaton. Benefield was one of the top safeties in the portal, while Seaton was the top offensive lineman to transfer this past winter.

“Right off the bat, meeting him, I was like ‘This is a good dude right here,” Benefield said. “… He didn’t have no pitch, he was just being himself, being real. And that’s the best pitch that you can have.”

Seaton met with Weeks, Arizona State transfer quarterback Sam Leavitt and others on his visit to Baton Rouge. They went to both Supperclub and Stab’s.

“We had dinner,” Seaton said. “And we were stuffing our faces (with) a free tab.”

Weeks has a lot riding on next season. His junior year didn’t go as planned, given the injury and LSU’s subpar 7-6 campaign. But now, he has his defensive coordinator back, is playing for a new coach on a strong roster he helped put together.

It’s no wonder he’s so eager to return to the field.

“I’m looking forward to camp,” Weeks said. “Hopefully, I’ll be able to get back out there at the end of spring.”

Email Koki Riley at koki.riley@ theadvocate.com. For more LSU sports updates, sign up for our newsletter at theadvocate.com/ lsunewsletter

est roster of coaching talent in college basketball. SEC basketball has become every bit as cutthroat as SEC football. Maybe even more so.

To succeed, Wade will need to exhaust the $12 million roster budget he’s reportedly been promised at LSU. And he’ll need to maximize the analytical wizardry he’s embraced to build cohesive, winning teams in the portal era.

But no one should doubt his ability to get the job done.

He took an LSU program that went 10-21 and had it atop the SEC and in the regional semifinals of the NCAA Tournament two years later. McNeese won 11 games in each of the two seasons before he arrived. The Cowboys went 30-4 and 28-7 with backto-back NCAA Tournaments in Wade’s two seasons.

If we’ve learned anything about Wade during his tenure in Louisiana, it’s that he is not intimidated by a daunting challenge. His resume suggests he will have LSU on the right track in the very near future.

Seeing how LSU has operated the past five months, it makes sense that school officials would want Wade back.

Knowing how Wade feels about the school and state, it makes even more sense that he’d want to return. It should surprise no one they got it done.

Gibbs Racing alleges Spire cheated with stolen data

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Joe Gibbs Racing accused rival NASCAR team Spire Motorsports of cheating by hiring its former competition director and using stolen intellectual property to improve its organization. The accusation was made in federal court Thursday in JGR’s pursuit to prevent Chris Gabehart from working for Spire. The racing organization founded by NFL Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs is suing Gabehart and Spire in the Western District of North Carolina alleging Gabehart illegally took JGR data to Spire to make himself a more valuable employee.

Tom Melsheimer, attorney for JGR, alleged Thursday that Spire was motivated to improve after scoring just one Cup Series victory since its 2018 inception.

Rams receiver Nacua sued for antisemitic remark

LOS ANGELES — Star Los Angeles Rams receiver Puka Nacua has been sued for assault and battery by a woman who says he made an antisemitic statement and bit her on the shoulder on New Year’s Eve. The civil lawsuit was filed this week in Los Angeles, according to TMZ. The suit also cites gender violence and negligence.

Plaintiff Madison Atiabi and her attorney, Joseph Kar, claim Nacua made an antisemitic exclamation that emotionally distressed her when they were together in Century City. She says Nacua bit her and left teeth marks on her shoulder when they were in a van together later in the night.

Nacua’s attorney, Levi McCathern, has already strongly denied Nacua made any antisemitic statements.

Transgender women are banned from 2028 Olympics

LOS ANGELES — Transgender women athletes will be excluded from the Olympics beginning with the 2028 Los Angeles Games after the International Olympic Committee implemented a new eligibility policy on Thursday.

Eligibility for women’s competition will be determined by a onetime, mandatory genetics test, according to the IOC. The test requires screening through saliva, a cheek swab or a blood sample. No woman who transitioned from being born male competed at the 2024 Paris Games, and it is unclear if any transgender women currently compete at an Olympic level.

The eligibility policy approved by the IOC is not retroactive and does not apply to recreational sports programs.

Falcons sign running backs

Robinson and Goodson

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Atlanta Falcons signed running back Brian Robinson Jr. on Thursday, giving starter Bijan Robinson a new backup. The Falcons added more depth at running back by also signing Tyler Goodson.

The depth at the position was lost after losing former backup Tyler Allgeier. Robinson started 37 games in three seasons with Washington, rushing for more than 700 yards each season. He ran for 15 touchdowns in the three seasons with Washington. Robinson also has 73 receptions for 612 yards and five touchdowns in his career.

Goodson, a native of Suwanee, Georgia, has rushed for 264 yards with one touchdown in three seasons with Indianapolis.

STAFF FILE PHOTO BY BRETT DUKE McNeese coach Will Wade makes his way into the locker room during halftime of a game against UNO on March 6, 2024, at Lakefront Arena. Wade was hired by LSU on Thursday.

STAFF PHOTO BY MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU linebacker Zach Weeks, left, compares his brother Wes Weeks’ time in the shuttle drill with his brother and fellow linebacker Whit Weeks, right, at LSU’s pro day on Monday.

flew out to the West Coast to face Lawson’s Duke program in the Sweet 16. That game, which tips off at 9 p.m. Friday on ESPN, will give the star LSU senior a second and final chance to show Lawson that she perhaps should’ve seen a bit more run last July at the 2025 FIBA AmeriCup in Chile. Her first opportunity came in December, when the No. 2-seeded Tigers (29-5) beat Duke in Durham, North Carolina.

Over the summer, Johnson expected to play some kind of oncourt role with Team USA. After all, she had led LSU to the Elite Eight in back-to-back years. She was one of the top players in the SEC. She was an All-American, too. Surely she’d have an opportunity to help her country win a gold medal. But then Lawson decided to leave Johnson on the bench for her group’s two most critical games, choosing instead to put other star guards such as Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo, TCU’s Olivia Miles, Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes and UCLA’s Gianna Kneepkens into her rotation — all ahead of Johnson.

around, Johnson turned in one of the best performances of her senior year. She tallied a game-high 18 points after hitting seven of her 11 field goals and three of her four 3-point tries. When she drained one of those long-range looks late in the fourth quarter, she chirped at Lawson on her way back down the floor.

Johnson posted on social media after the game that she was “fired up in the moment” but that she has “nothing but the utmost respect” for Lawson, who she called “a legend.” The next day, she also released a short documentary on her YouTube channel that contained behind-thescenes footage of her sobbing in her hotel room in Chile.

“She’s never really wanted to embrace being a leader. She just kind of wants to do good and be a good player and a good person. And sometimes you have to be a leader. And I think she’s embraced it this year.”

KIM MULKEY, LSU coach, on Flau’jae Johnson

Coach Kim Mulkey said in December that she had to rebuild Johnson’s confidence once she left Chile and returned to LSU. Johnson, she said, had the Tigers’ game against the Blue Devils (268) “circled.”

And when that matchup rolled

Lawson declined to answer a question Thursday about coaching Johnson over the summer. She instead directed reporters to the comments she offered in December, when she said that her experience with the national team was “a good one.”

“Not just coaching Flau’jae but coaching all the players,” Lawson said. “All 12 players. Putting a team together and practicing within 10 days and then going to play a tournament. And our college players did an incredible job playing against teams that had pro players on (them) and were able to win the gold. So just really proud of that group.”

Mulkey said Thursday that she answered honestly when she was asked in December about Johnson’s experience with Team USA. She understood Lawson’s dilemma. She said then that players on

uber-talented teams aren’t going to “always be happy and content.”

Someone usually has to sacrifice something.

“I don’t even know if Flau’jae even thinks about it anymore,” Mulkey said. “We certainly haven’t talked about it. We didn’t talk about it before we played Duke. I was just asked that question after the game.”

Since then, Johnson has figured out a way to help Mikaylah Williams lead LSU back to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. She almost willed the Tigers to an elusive win over South Carolina on Feb. 14. Then, five days later, she teamed up with MiLaysia Fulwiley to lead LSU to a come-from-behind win over Ole Miss — a victory that helped the Tigers solidify their NCAA Tournament seeding.

When those games arrived, Johnson scored 20 points in a first-round win over No. 15 seed Jacksonville, then added 24 in a second-round bludgeoning of No. 7 seed Texas Tech. That game was the last one she’ll play in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, and she made it a memorable night.

Mulkey said Johnson has also used the time to improve as a leader. She’s more vocal now than she was before she played for Team USA last summer.

Natural growth can explain part of that development.

That humbling summer she spent with Lawson on Team USA may have been a factor as well.

“She’s never really wanted to embrace being a leader,” Mulkey said. “She just kind of wants to do good and be a good player and a good person. And sometimes you have to be a leader. And I think she’s embraced it this year.

Said Johnson: “That’s how you got to think about it, in that aspect. What can I do to be better?”

Email Reed Darcey at reed. darcey@theadvocate.com

WADE

Continued from page 1C

had hired Wade after April 1. LSU still has to pay McMahon roughly $8 million for his buyout.

Wade is returning to Baton Rouge after leading LSU (201722) to three NCAA Tournament appearances in five seasons, with an overall record of 105-51 and a Southeastern Conference record of 56-33.

LSU is also hiring McNeese State athletic director Heath Schroyer as senior deputy athletic director and executive director of external relations for the LSU System, LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry announced.

Schroyer’s hire was viewed as an important step to lure Wade back to Baton Rouge, according to multiple sources. After Wade was fired for cause by LSU in spring 2022 because of multiple allegations of NCAA Level I violations, Schroyer

hired him as the Cowboys’ coach a year later.

Schroyer took over the McNeese State athletic department in 2021 following a three-year run as the program’s men’s basketball coach.

“When Verge Ausberry shared his vision for LSU athletics with me, I knew I wanted to be part of this team,” Schroyer said in a statement. “Verge is a leader that I respect, and I am excited to work alongside him. My experience and commitment to collegiate athletics have prepared me for this amazing opportunity, and I can’t wait to get to work at LSU.”

Since Wade’s departure, LSU hasn’t won at least 20 games or made an NCAA Tournament appearance. In the past four seasons under coach McMahon, the Tigers were ranked in the bottom two of the SEC three times.

Wade was fired on March 12, 2022, which was four days after the university received a detailed 17-page notice of allegations from the NCAA.

The notice of allegations outlined 11 violations, including eight Level I violations — seven of which solely pertain to men’s basketball. Wade was tied to six of the seven allegations within the men’s basketball program. Then-associate head coach, Bill Armstrong, who was also fired, was accused of one Level I violation and one Level II violation. These violations included prohibited cash payments to recruits and a failure to cooperate with the investigation. One of the wrongful recruiting actions by Wade, the NCAA found, was paying money to an unnamed former fiancée of an LSU athlete in exchange for her silence regarding the payments to players.

LSU guard Bourrage in concussion protocol

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Coach Kim Mulkey said Thursday that LSU women’s basketball guard Divine Bourrage will not play Friday against Duke in the Sweet 16 because she’s in concussion protocol.

Bourrage, a freshman, took a hard fall in the waning minutes of the No. 2-seeded Tigers’ firstround NCAA Tournament win over Jacksonville last Friday. She was fouled at the 3:45 mark of the fourth and shaken up, but she took both of her free throws, played the rest of the contest and reported symptoms to trainers the next day.

“Remember the last game she hit her head really bad?” Mulkey said. “She stayed in the game, and I think she scored a free throw, and then the next day she came to practice with a headache, and it never got better.

“So she’s in concussion protocol.”

Bourrage was ruled out on the availability report LSU released before its second-round win over

Wade was first suspended at the end of the 2018-19 season after Yahoo Sports detailed a wiretapped conversation between him and now-convicted middleman Christian Dawkins, regarding making a “strong-a** offer” he made in the recruitment of former LSU guard and Baton Rouge native Javonte Smart in 2017.

Former LSU President William F. Tate IV and former athletic director Scott Woodward said in a joint statement that the move to “terminate coach Wade and coach Armstrong is not an acknowledgement of agreement with any of the allegations.”

“We can no longer subject our university, department of athletics, and — most importantly — our student-athletes, to this taxing and already-lengthy process without taking action,” they wrote. “Our responsibility to protect and promote the integrity and well-being of our entire institution and our student-athletes will always be paramount.”

No. 7 seed Texas Tech on Sunday. That night, she was not on the bench during the game or in the locker room after it.

In 2024, Bourrage became one of the four high-profile recruits who signed to the Tigers’ topranked 2025 freshman class. ESPN said she was the 24th-best prospect in the country. Three of those four recruits have carved out consistent minutes inside coach Kim Mulkey’s rotation this season: ZaKiyah Johnson, Grace Knox and Bella Hines. Bourrage, a 5-foot-10 point guard from Iowa, has rotated onto the floor during blowout games, usually behind sophomore Jada Richard and junior MiLaysia Fulwiley. She’s appeared in 24 of the 34 contests the Tigers (29-5) have played. Bourrage played six minutes in LSU’s SEC Tournament quarterfinal win over Oklahoma on March 6, and she logged 10 in its NCAA Tournament win over the No.-15 seeded Dolphins last Friday. Mulkey said that Bourrage did not travel with the team to Sacramento, California.

Wade was ultimately given a twoyear show-cause penalty and a 10game suspension for three Level I violations in June 2023 ahead of his first season with McNeese. LSU’s punishment included a reduction in scholarships by one over during the 2023-24 season and by one over the 2024-25 season.

In Wade’s lone season at NC State, the Wolfpack were 20-14 and 10-8 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. It was seventh in the 18-team ACC and was a No. 11 seed in the NCAA Tournament, losing 68-66 in the First Four.

This past season, LSU (15-17, 3-15 SEC) finished last in the SEC. McMahon ends his tenure with a 60-70 overall record. His best season with LSU was his second, finishing 17-16 overall and 9-9 in the SEC, tied for eighth in the standings, during the 2023-24 season. In the three other years combined, the Tigers won seven total conference games. McMahon’s record against SEC teams was 17-55, plus 1-4 in the SEC Tournament.

McMahon Schroyer

STAFF PHOTO BY MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU guard Flau’jae Johnson drives past Jacksonville forward Mariah Knight in the second half of a first-round NCAA Tournament game on Friday at the PMAC.

STAFF FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU guard Divine Bourrage looks to finish a layup against Florida forward Me’Arah O’Neal on Jan. 26 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

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Mikaylah Williams, LSU Guard

LSU’s infield continues to struggle

Johnson still has several solutions at his disposal

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

There has been no shortage of mysteries as it relates to LSU baseball this season.

But for coach Jay Johnson, perhaps no riddle has puzzled him more than the Tigers’ infield, a group that has struggled on both sides of the ball for most of this year.

Some drop-off, especially on defense, was expected after LSU lost starters at first, second and third base from its national championship team.

However, only one LSU infielder — sophomore John Pearson — enters this weekend’s three-game series with Kentucky, which begins on Friday at Alex Box Stadium (6:30 p.m., SEC Network+), with a slugging percentage over .530. The lone infielder with more than five home runs is senior Zach Yorke.

“Hopefully, they’re tired of losing (and) tired of not coming through and just making a decision to compete in the moment,” Johnson said when asked about the struggles of his offense as a whole. “They know what they’re doing, and they’re good hitters. They just need to commit to it.”

LSU’s expected starters on the infield heading into the season were Oregon State transfer Trent Caraway at third base, junior Steven Milam — the lone returning starter — at shortstop, Kansas State transfer Seth Dardar or High Point transfer Brayden Simpson at second base and Yorke, who transferred from Grand Canyon, at first.

But, in one way or another, each player has not lived up to expectations, forcing Johnson to find alternative solutions except for Milam, whose defense has helped keep LSU in games.

Caraway has been in the lineup

more time there if Johnson isn’t comfortable playing Yorke every day and wants to keep the designated hitter spot open.

“(Serna’s) our next most impactful player on the team right now, outside of Jake Brown,” Johnson said. “So we’ve got to get him up to bat often.”

Besides Serna, the other freshman who has earned time on the field as a result of the struggling transfers is Jack Ruckert, who has mostly played as a defensive replacement at second base. But he’s had trouble capitalizing on his opportunities.

He’s committed three errors, the third of which came in the eighth inning on Saturday and ended up costing LSU the series against Oklahoma.

If Johnson doesn’t want to play Ruckert at the end of games, there are two freshmen and one more veteran he can turn to on the infield.

ä Kentucky at LSU, 6:30 P.M. FRIDAY, SECN+

relatively consistently, but Johnson has shifted him to second base to allow Pearson to start at third.

He hasn’t made many mistakes defensively, but Caraway didn’t start in LSU’s series finale with Vanderbilt or against Grambling last week in part because of his struggles at the plate — he only has two home runs and a .426 slugging percentage.

Dardar and Simpson were expected to provide versatility and veteran presence to the lineup while competing for playing time at second base. But neither transfer started last weekend. Dardar’s batting average is down to .220, and he has four hits in his last 18 games. Simpson has struck out 13 times in 24 at-bats.

“It’s really just (about) putting the ball in play (for him),” Johnson said regarding Simpson. “I love how he competes, too. It’s a weird dynamic because the strikeout numbers are high, but I feel like he’s super engaged in competing. And he’s been a great teammate.”

Yorke had a big game on Tuesday after he blasted a pair of home runs, but his struggles up until then have arguably plagued LSU the most at the plate.

He struck out four times, including three times looking, on Friday against Oklahoma before getting benched for Saturday’s game. Between Feb. 27 and last weekend, he had two extra-base hits. Before Tuesday, he hadn’t homered since LSU’s first loss of the year against McNeese State.

Caraway, Yorke, Dardar and Simpson’s struggles have sent Johnson scrambling for answers on the infield, and it wasn’t until recently that he found some solutions in Pearson and freshman Omar Serna.

Pearson homered on Thursday and drove in two runs on Tuesday. Serna has been one of LSU’s best hitters for the past two weeks, with at least one hit in each of the last eight games he’s appeared in, including three extra-base hits.

Serna is a catcher by trade, but he’s been added to the infield mix after Johnson decided to start him at first base on Saturday. That was his first start at the position with LSU, but he may end up earning

LSU basketball’s Reed, Zipper to enter NCAA transfer portal

BY TOYLOY BROWN III

Staff writer

Not long after Will Wade announced that he’ll return to coach LSU basketball on Thursday, two LSU players announced their intentions to enter the transfer portal. Forward Jalen Reed and guard Ron Zipper will enter the portal, according to On3 and 247Sports, respectively.

In Reed’s case, the redshirt junior is reportedly still open to returning to the Tigers. The 6-foot10 big was the first recruit that now-fired coach Matt McMahon brought to the program in the 2022 recruiting class.

Reed suffered a season-ending left Achilles tendon injury in the sixth game of this season. He aver-

aged 11 points on 60.6% shooting and 6.0 rebounds in the first five games.

During his true junior year in 2024-25, he suffered a seasonending ACL tear during the eighth game of the season. He was averaging 12.4 points on 59.6% shooting and 7.4 rebounds in seven games before going down. Those figures would’ve made him the team’s second-leading scorer and leading rebounder that season.

The 23-year-old Zipper came to LSU as a freshman last May. Before arriving in Baton Rouge, he played professionally in Israel.

The 6-5 guard only appeared in nine games in his only season at LSU. Zipper was unable to earn a consistent spot in the rotation, playing 33 total minutes and making 5 of 14 field goals. His best

game was a seven-point outing in a 24-point loss to Texas Tech.

The first player for LSU who shared the intention to enter the portal was top player Dedan Thomas Jr.; his dad, Dedan Thomas Sr., told The Advocate on Wednesday.

The junior point guard played 16 games in his lone season with the Tigers, averaging 15.3 points and a team-leading 6.5 assists. He played only three SEC games before having season-ending foot surgery in February.

Thomas, who transferred to LSU from UNLV, injured his left foot on Jan. 2, the day before the Southeastern Conference opener, and reaggravated it on Jan. 28 in a 14-point home loss to Mississippi State.

The transfer portal window officially opens on April 7.

Fifth-year senior Tanner Reaves is one of the few infielders returning from last season, but he has struggled to earn consistent playing time and only has one extrabase hit this season.

Freshmen Ethan Clauss and William Patrick have five combined at-bats, but Clauss played second base in the ninth inning on Saturday, and LSU is moving Patrick, an outfielder, to the infield in hopes of potentially getting him on the field more.

Patrick was a top-90 prospect in the MLB Draft, according to The Athletic and MLB.com.

“He’s an athletic player. I just want to get him more involved,” Johnson said. “We’ve got to get more athleticism into what we’re doing, so we’re not stuck when guys don’t have a good approach at the plate or are struggling because baseball is difficult. I’m just trying to be creative with that.”

Maybe the emergence of Pearson and Serna is the solution to LSU’s infield woes at the plate, or perhaps Dardar, Simpson, Yorke or Caraway turn things around and lengthen a Tigers lineup that desperately needs more consistent contributors.

ON DECK

WHO: Kentucky (20-4, 4-2 SEC) at LSU (17-9, 2-4)

WHEN: 6:30 p.m. Friday

WHERE: Alex Box Stadium ONLINE/TV: SEC Network+

RADIO: WDGL-FM, 98.1 (Baton Rouge); WWL-AM, 870 (New Orleans); KLWB-FM, 103.7 (Lafayette)

RANKINGS: Kentucky is No. 19 in D1Baseball’s rankings; LSU is not ranked PROBABLE STARTERS: LSU — RHP Casan Evans (2-0, 4.80 ERA); Kentucky — RHP Jaxon Jelkin (5-0, 2.94 ERA)

PREGAME UPDATES: theadvocate. com/lsu ON X (FORMERLY TWITTER): @ KokiRiley

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Evans had his best outing as a Tiger last week, tossing 15 strikeouts in 72/3 shutout innings against Oklahoma. He has 50 strikeouts in 30 innings despite holding a suboptimal ERA. The Wildcats lost their last series to Ole Miss on the road, but beat Murray State in seven innings on Tuesday and swept Alabama on the opening weekend of SEC play.

But whatever decisions Johnson makes to fill out his infield around Milam moving forward, he has to find permanent solutions to LSU’s headaches. With a 2-4 mark in the SEC and a 9-9 record since its return from the Jax College Baseball Classic, the infield must turn things around quickly for LSU to reach its lofty goals.

“We haven’t played very good, and we’re all responsible for that,” Johnson said. “And so, I’m not going anywhere. I’m not, I’m going to be here forever. I’m not quitting on the team. I’m not quitting on the players, and I’m going to help them at every turn.”

Surging LSU softball to host No. 5 Sooners

Tigers bracing for softball powerhouse

BY JIM KLEINPETER

Contributing writer

The LSU softball showed signs of improvement in the past week, and with No. 5 Oklahoma coming to Tiger Park for a three-game series the Tigers might need to accelerate their momentum.

The nation’s most successful program brings a powerful offense that leads the nation in scoring, home runs and batting average by a wide margin. The Sooners pitching has been overshadowed, carrying a 2.71 ERA.

“Tiger Park is going to be electric,” said first baseman Tori Edwards, who has been surging of late. “These are the games I came to the SEC to play. I’m looking forward to it. We’re going to play LSU softball and compete the best we can.”

The first game is set for 6 p.m. Friday (SECN+) with the next two at 11 a.m. Saturday (SECN) and 11 a.m. Sunday (ESPN).

The No. 20 Tigers (22-10, 3-6) started 1-5 in league play with three of those losses after holding a lead. They bounced back by winning two of three at South Carolina and nearly getting a sweep with only an extrainning loss preventing it. LSU came back with a sharp and aggressive performance in a 9-0 win over Louisiana Tech on Tuesday.

“We’re finding a way to make it impactful, keeping strategy as simple as possible but keep going out with the best information and scouting we’ve got,” said Edwards, who had a tworun homer and a run-scoring single against Tech.

Edwards also had a timely two-run double in the sixth inning Sunday against South Carolina that gave the Tigers the series win.

“Keep pushing and not get too high or too low,” she said. “Consistency is what we’re pushing for at the end of the day. The SEC is tough; there are going to

be highs and lows. As long as we give it our all, that’s what we’re happy about.”

Shortstop Kylee Edwards (no relation) has spurred LSU’s offensive surge, batting .440 over the past nine games with eight RBIs. She hit her fourth homer against Louisiana Tech. Tori Edwards and Jalia Lassiter also homered among LSU’s eight hits.

“I was a little worried about looking past this game (Louisiana Tech) because everybody is excited to host (the Sooners),” said coach Beth Torina, who picked up her 600th victory at LSU in the Tech win. “It’s the first time we’re playing them in SEC play and all the things that go with that. I was glad we showed up and played one of our best games of the year.

“We’ll get to work on them this week and try to give them our best game.”

Torina’s pitching staff is also falling into place. Torina shook up the pitching order and got complete-game winning efforts from Cece Cellura and Jayden Heavener last weekend. Each allowed one run with Heavener firing a two-hitter.

The pitching staff faces its biggest challenge against a Sooners offense that has 129 home runs and a .442 team batting average. Oklahoma (32-2, 6-0) is tied with Texas for first in the conference and has won 21 consecutive games. Twenty-five of their wins have come via the mercy rule. Kendall Wells leads the team with 25 home runs, one of six players in double figures. Wells’ .396 batting average is ninth on the roster.

Oklahoma has a strong pitching staff, which includes former LSU ace Sydney Berzon, who transferred for her senior season. The Sooners’ ace is Audry Lowry who is 15-1 with a 2.08 ERA. Opponents are batting .195 against her. She has pitched 67 innings with 52 strikeouts. Berzon has a 4-1 mark with a 2.47 ERA in 34 innings.

STAFF PHOTO BY MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU infielder Brayden Simpson walks to the batting cage before the game against Oklahoma on Saturday at Alex Box Stadium.

STAFF FILE PHOTO BY HILARY SCHEINUK

LSU guard Ron Zipper drives the ball down the court after the recovery from LSU guard Rashad King against Southeastern on Dec. 19 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

Koki Riley

Walker’s Montgomery living up to the hype

BY JACKSON REYES Staff writer

Four years ago, then-Brusly baseball coach Mike Forbes saw Walker High’s Braylen Montgomery for the first time.

Montgomery was a freshman at the time, but the 6-foot-5 outfielder could’ve easily been mistaken for a college player.

“I was like, ‘goodness gracious,’ ” Forbes said. “This guy’s got it.”

When Forbes was hired at Walker in May of 2024, one player that came to mind was Montgomery. Montgomery has lived up to the hype, becoming the state’s topranked player, earning a perfect 10 grade from Perfect Game. He’s signed to play at Oklahoma next year and helped lead the Wildcats to an 18-7 record.

This season, the chiseled 213-pounder is batting .357 with 21 RBIs, two home runs, six triples and five doubles.

“If I’m buying a toolbox,” Forbes said, “I’m buying Braylen Montgomery.”

Montgomery’s rise Montgomery began playing baseball at 5 years old, but never saw himself playing the sport longterm. The simple things drove him to the diamond: a chance to compete and play outside in the sun.

Montgomery tried basketball and football, but there was just something about that little white ball that drove him back to baseball. He grew physically and honed his skills, and around age 11 was when his first major setback only made him fall deeper in love with the sport. Montgomery broke his arm playing football. He struggled at the plate that year, but that only motivated him even more.

“It just made me fall in love even more because I had to go in there to grind to get back to where I was before,” he said.

Repetition and dedication defined Montgomery as he blos -

somed into a player who could take any pitcher deep. Once he reached high school, Montgomery was grabbing the attention of colleges around the state.

Montgomery’s motivation

For several years, Montgomery was the biggest kid on the field. In his sophomore year, the size and talent around him began to catch up.

He travelled around the country, playing in showcase events with the nation’s top prospects.

The playing field was leveled, but Montgomery relished that opportunity to show he belonged.

“It was a great feeling,” he said. “I knew that most of those guys were as good as me or even better than me. I could learn things from them, and they could learn things from me.”

As he continued to improve, more colleges began to take notice. He described the recruiting process as nerve-wracking.

From calls from morning to midnight, he heard from coaches around the nation. Montgomery fielded phone calls and took visits, but in the end, his heart was set on staying in the South.

“I always knew I wanted to play in the SEC,” he said. “I just had to figure out where I would land.”

When Oklahoma came calling, Montgomery didn’t think twice. He committed on Nov. 16, 2024, and signed on Feb. 4.

Big-time talent

Montgomery has put up solid numbers at the plate, but Forbes said his legs are his Xfactor.

“The ability to beat out an infield single, the ability to stretch a double into a triple,” Forbes said. “It really does change the things that we can do offensively.”

The Walker coaching staff timed how long it took Montgomery, who has been clocked at 6.35 seconds in the 60-yard dash, to go from home to third base on one of his triples.

“We looked up the average triple speed of an MLB player, and it wasn’t even close,” Forbes said. “It was way faster. His wheels allow him to do extra special things.”

Forbes struggled to name another player he’s coached in 14 years with Montgomery’s talent.

“From just a talent standpoint, that’s a once-in-a-lifetime kind of a player for a coach,” he said. “I wish I could have had more time with him, but I’m excited that God has blessed me to have two years with him.”

Mental game

Even the best players go through slumps, and Montgomery hasn’t been immune to them. He started the year slow, something Forbes attributed to external pressure.

“Every batting practice before the game, we had 15 or 20 guys here just with eyes on him,” Forbes said. “That can play some tricks with you in your head.”

The senior may look like a bigleaguer, but Forbes emphasized that he’s still only 18. Montgomery has leaned on his teammates, which include five college signees, to get through the tough stretches.

“He doesn’t feel the weight of the team on his shoulders,” Forbes said. “He knows that where he falls short, others will pick him up.”

The talent around him has allowed him to unlock his potential as the postseason looms. The No. 1-ranking next to his name can be daunting, but Montgomery said he isn’t concerned.

He stays loose, joking with teammates or watching one of his favorite shows, “One Piece,” before games.

Montgomery’s talent and size thrust him into the spotlight. He knows that won’t always be the case, especially in the SEC, but he just wants to stay consistent.

“If I stay consistent for whatever I do,” he said, “then I’ll just get to where I need to be, and it’ll happen way faster than what you think.”

Walker rallies to edge St. Amant

BY JACKSON REYES Staff writer

Walker High School chipped away all game long during Thursday’s District 5-5aA game against St. Amant in Walker. The visiting Gators jumped out to a 6-2 lead after two innings before Wildcats cut the deficit to one run after five innings and finally overtook St. Amant 9-8 after a two-run sixth.

After a scoreless top of the sixth and trailing 8-7, Wildcats center fielder Oaklee Bailey stepped to the plate to lead off the bottom half. She got a pitch she liked and sent it over the right-field fence to tie the game.

Two walks and a single loaded the bases with one out. Mckenna Thibodeaux then took a pitch to the helmet as the winning run trotted home.

“I’m proud of their fight,” Wildcats coach Hali Westmoreland said. “They told themselves, ‘We’re going to keep pushing, and we’re going to win this ballgame.’ “ Walker shut down St. Amant in the final inning. Bailey finished with two home runs and three RBIs. St. Amant scored three runs in the top of the first. Walker’s Harlee Usry then smashed a home run to center field in the bottom half of the first to cut the deficit to 3-1. Walker pitcher Alexis Pitre left in the middle of the first after allowing two early runs.

The Gators scored three more runs in the second. A wild pitch scored the first run. Devin Tanner

then smacked a two-run to center field to make it 6-1.

After Walker (17-3) scored a run off a single in the same inning, the Wildcats did more damage in the bottom of the third. With the bases loaded, Alexis Pitre hit a two-run double into the gap to make it 6-4. Walker scored one more run on a sacrifice fly. Tanner hit another double in the ensuing inning for her third RBI of the game. Three straight singles scored another run to give the visiting Gators an 8-5 advantage.

Bailey made it a one-run game in the bottom of the fourth with a two-run homer smacked over the left-field fence.

Pitre went back on the mound to start the fifth. After a rocky start to the outing, she shut down St. Amant for the final three innings.

The Wildcats took advantage and scored two runs in the sixth off Bailey’s second home run and a basesloaded hit-by-pitch to go in front.

“It was amazing,” Bailey said on her tying home run. “Everything shifted. Everybody was happy, excited, ready to win the ball game.”

St. Amant (18-5) put runners on second and third with one out in the top of the seventh, but Pitre forced a pop-up for the second out. She struck out Tanner to help Walker complete the comeback.

“Alexis is a fighter, and she wants to be great,” Westmoreland said. “When things aren’t really going her way, she’s going to figure out a way to be successful, not only for herself, but also this team.”

Thrive Academy hires White as basketball coach

BY JACKSON REYES Staff writer

Brandon White built a powerhouse coaching the Liberty boys basketball program.

He led the Patriots to four state tournament appearances during his nine years, including a state championship in 2024, but stepped down before the 2025 season.

After he took a year off from coaching, he’s ready to build another program. Thrive Academy hired White to be the school’s coach on Wednesday.

“Whenever the Thrive opportunity presented itself, I just thought it would be something to go in and help build the program from the ground up,” White said. Thrive Academy, a state-funded public boarding school, finished last year 7-16, but athletic director Devon Breaux said he hopes to build the school into a national program in basketball. The Bulldogs compete at the Class 1A level.

During his nine years at Liberty, White sent 21 players to play collegiately. Development is a key core of White’s coaching philosophy, and he said he’s less worried about championships and more focused on getting players to college.

“I have a strong passion for helping young men reach the next level,” White said. “If you take care of the small things, you’re doing things the right way, then

winning will take care of itself.”

Breaux already had a relationship with White, and it just started with a conversation. Both Breaux and White were aligned on prioritizing development, which played a key role in his hiring.

“I’m looking forward to seeing if we can make a difference and make a change,” Breaux said. “A guy like that, he comes in, and he changes the whole dynamic of the school itself.”

With his history of on-court success and developing studentathletes, Breaux said White can make an immediate impact.

“He’s a win-now guy,” Breaux said. “I think it’ll be a quick turnaround and I think long-term, in my opinion, I think we’ll win a few state championships. I don’t think it will take long.”

The former Class 5A coach of the year looked at other opportunities, but he said Thrive Academy stood out.

“It just seemed more genuine,” he said. “Being that it’s a boarding school, we just have a vision to create a national program.”

That goal to put Thrive Academy on the map is part of his longterm goal with the Bulldogs.

“My vision with everyzthing is to really help brand the state of Louisiana, not only just as a football state,” White said, “but show people across the country that Louisiana basketball is just as good.”

PREP REPORT

BY WILLIAM WEATHERS Contributing writer

Parkview Baptist softball coach

Ashlee Ducote charted her team’s offensive approach against Central Private pitcher Bree Crawford.

After three innings in a scoreless nondistrict matchup, the Eagles’ performance was more to her liking, with 11 runs on 11 hits — including a pair of home runs — in a 11-0 mercy-rule victory Thursday after six innings at Central Private.

“I kept notes to see when we would start making adjustments,” Ducote said. “In the fourth, we kind of opened it up and you could tell it decelerated their energy a little bit.”

Parkview Baptist, the No. 2 team in the Division III select power rankings, had 12 hits with five of those for extra bases. The Eagles (22-2) scored four times in the fourth, and after a two-run fifth, put the game away with a five-run sixth with Emmarie Lacy hitting her team-high eighth homer.

“She came out hot,” Central Private coach Gracie Jones said of Crawford. “She was on top the first three innings. They made adjustments and barreled up the ball and that’s going to happen sometimes.”

Without a district to play in Central Private (15-3), the No. 5 team in the Division IV power rankings, faces a challenging schedule to better prepare for postseason play.

Crawford kept her team close with one-hit ball over three innings. She struck out four and didn’t walk anybody until the final three innings.

Eighth grader Aimee Gawlik, the game’s winning pitcher, provided Parkview Baptist with its first opportunity to exhale with a three-run homer — her fifth of the season — to straight-away center for a 4-0 lead.

“Obviously, our at-bats started to build off each other and the confidence,” Gawlik said. “As a team, you’ve got to pick each other up if other people mess up. You can’t always make it about yourself. You have to finish the game out.” Parkview made it 6-0 on Addie

Young’s sharp single and two-base error in the outfield. Lily Hammonds added a sacrifice fly to center and scored Young.

“I was very proud of their adjustments,” said Ducote, whose team hosts Walker at 4 p.m. Friday. “That’s what we talk about with hitting, especially when you’re up against a good pitcher that’s going to spot the ball and not walk you.”

The Eagles scored five times on four hits in the sixth with a basesloaded triple from Young. Jalayah Slaughter followed with an RBIgroundout and a two-out solo homer from Lacy, who had a team-high three hits.

Gawlik (9-1) lowered her ERA to 0.64 with a four-hit shutout. She threw 52 of 75 pitches for strikes, didn’t walk a batter and fanned eight.

“I go into the circle trying to strike everybody out, trying to throw as hard as I can and using everything I’ve got,” Gawlik said. “I give it all for my team. I have a defense behind me and I’m always thankful for them. We’re just a great team all together.”

Boys golf at Copper Mill Par 72 Team leaders — 1, Parkview Baptist 319; 2, Brusly 333; 3, Denham Springs 366; 4, Live Oak 397 Medalists — 1. David Gary, Parkview Baptist, 74. 2. Copper Albright, Parkview Baptist, 76. 3. Brooks Holly, Brusly, 77. Girls golf at Beaver Creek Team leaders — 1, Zachary 94; 2, Walker 102; 3, West Feliciana 193 Medalists — 1. Ella Nugent, Zachary, 40; 2, Peyton Airhart, West Feliciana, 46; 3, Reese Johnson, Walker, 50. Girls tennis

University 4, Dunham 1 Singles Lauren Longmire, University def. Bella Dupont 6-0,6-0 Emily Shearer, University def. Campbell Banks 6-1,6-0 Doubles Elizabeth Ortiz/Josephine Johnston, Dunham def Norah Woods/Jane Elise Crawford 6-3,6-2 Allison Gardner/Katelyn Dickerson, University def Kate Adams/Bailey Adams 6-3,7-5 Peyton Breard/Laylah Hardy, University def. Bella Temple/Ivanna Bonkachi 6-1,6-1

STAFF FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL JOHNSON

Walker outfielder Braylen Montgomery races home to score against Thibodaux on April 19 in Walker.

TRAVIS ON TOUR

Louisiana country artist James Dupré and country superstar Randy Travis’ band will perform Travis’ greatest hits in concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the River Center Theatre for Performing Arts as part of the “Randy Travis: More Life Tour.” Travis will make a special appearance. Tickets are $60.70 and up. raisingcanesrivercenter.com.

THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND

LeAnn Rimes to sing at Manship gala

BY JUDY BERGERON Staff writer

Tickets are now on sale to the general public for the Manship Theatre’s Red Carpet Gala featuring country singer-songwriter LeAnn Rimes on April 16. Prior to Monday, the tickets had only been available to Manship Theatre members and sponsors.

“The Manship Theatre Red Carpet Gala is our annual fundraiser that supports the theatre’s mission to enrich the lives of audiences of all ages by presenting world-renowned performers on our stage,” a news release states.

LeAnn Rimes can be seen as Dixie in the ABC freshman drama series ‘9-1-1: Nashville.’

Mississippi native Rimes, 43, grew up in Texas and gained fame at the age of 14 with her top 10 Billboard hit, “Blue.” She became the youngest winner of the Grammy Awards for Best New Artist and Best Female Country Vocal Performance in 1997. She crossed into other genres, including contemporary Christian and pop, with hits such as “How Do I Live,” “I Need You” and “Can’t Fight the Moonlight.” Rimes has had several TV roles, the latest as Dixie Bennings in ABC’s “9-1-1: Nashville.”

The all-inclusive gala from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. offers a meal by Mansurs on the Boulevard and drinks throughout the evening, followed by an intimate performance with Rimes. Tickets start at $250 at manshiptheatre.org. Those interested in sponsoring the gala can email sponsor@manshiptheatre.org.

and to enter the contest, go to ebrpl.co/ advocatecookiecontest.

A DAY OF UNITY

Although originally an Indian festival, Holi Festival of Baton Rouge will bring together people from many different cultures and backgrounds in the community from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Repentance Park downtown. The event features colors, harmony, friendship and love. holifestivalbr.com.

MEET THE BIG RABBIT

The Easter Bunny himself will be a special guest at the Easter Egg Roll from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at Louisiana’s Old State Capitol. Families can race for eggs, roll across the lawn and celebrate spring. Admission is free, but families should register at louisianaoldstatecapitol.org.

BY JOHN WIRT | Contributing writer

hen Zach Bryan performs the first “Death Valley Live” concert Saturday at LSU’s Tiger Stadium, he’ll become one-third of an elite trio of stars who single-handedly headlined a massive musical event at the college football landmark. Garth Brooks appeared at the sold-out stadium in 2022, performing for 102,000 fans. The audience eruption he ignited with his 1994 hit, “Callin’ Baton Rouge,” produced a small earthquake that registered on a seismograph in LSU’s geosciences department. Taylor Swift twice preceded Brooks at Tiger Stadium, appearing there in 2010 and 2015. Just 20 years old during her first appearance there for Bayou Country Superfest, the soon-to-be-a-superstar Swift returned in 2015 for the first stadium-headlining show of her career in Death Valley. Bryan, who turns 29 years old on April 2, has been a stadium attraction for two years, and most of the dates on his international “With Heaven on Tour” schedule also are at stadiums. His previous stadium appearances include a 2024 show at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.

ä See BRYAN, page 3D

James Dupré

Randy Travis

PROVIDED PHOTO BY ART STREIBER/DISNEY

STAFF FILE PHOTO BY CHRIS GRANGER

Zach Bryan performs at the Caesar’s Superdome in New Orleans on July 25, 2024.

The Queen Baton Rouge kicks off comedy series

Staff report

The Queen Baton Rouge is bringing on the comedy this spring and summer with a new stand-up series of three live performances. The new series is in partnership with New Orleans-based Laugh Life Comedy entertainment agency. Each show offers a unique style, ranging from nationally touring stand-up to high-energy relationship comedy and regional crowd favorites, according to a news release. The lineup includes: n “Couples Therapy: A Relationship Themed Comedy Show” on March 26 and fea-

turing viral comedian Jesse Peyton and Kenny Webster of the Walton & Johnson radio show. “Couples Therapy” mixes traditional stand-up with interactive audience participation. Guests may submit relationship questions for the comedians, creating a conversational and unscripted format.

n Tim Shropshire on June 26. Shropshire is a nationally touring comedian, writer and digital creator known for clean material. He performs at venues across the country and has generated 250 million-plus views on social media. n “Ms. Renee Live: One

Night Only Tour II” on July 18. Also known as “Hollywood GenGen,” she’s a touring comedian and social media personality with millions of followers. Her stand-up draws from character-driven storytelling and real-life experiences.

“We are bringing live comedy to The Queen because a great night out should include a few big laughs,” said Bruce Woods, The Queen’s general manager.

All three shows will take place inside 1717 Kitchen + Cocktails, the property’s signature restaurant and entertainment venue.

General admission tickets range from $15 to $25, with table seating priced up to $35 per person. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www. TheQueenBR.com.

SATURDAY

Denham Springs, 6 p.m. EDDIE SMITH: T’Quilas, Zachary,

6 p.m. FLOYD BROWN BAND FEATURING JODY

El Paso, Denham Springs,

6:30 p.m.

MELISSA SINGS: Le Chien Brewing Co., Denham Springs, 6:30 p.m.

CAM PYLE: 18 Steak at L’Auberge, 7 p.m.

KAITLYN WALLACE: On The Half Shell, Prairieville, 7 p.m.

FEW BLUE: Court To Table, 7 p.m.

JAMES DUPRÉ/RANDY TRAVIS: River Center Theatre for Performing Arts, 7:30 p.m.

THE BAND LOUISI-

ANA: Icehouse Tap Room, 8 p.m.

RHETT GUILLOT: Riverbend Terrace II at L’Auberge, 8 p.m.

TAYLOR RAE: O’Hara’s Irish Pub, 8 p.m.

HENRY TURNER JR. & ALL-STARS: Henry Turner Jr.’s Listening Room, 8 p.m.

JOEL COOPER ROCK SHOW: Fat Cat Saloon, Prairieville, 9 p.m.

PARISH COUNTY LINE: The Edge Bar at L’Auberge, 9 p.m.

SAM FORSHEY BLUES BAND: Coop’s on 621, Gonzales, 9 p.m.

JOVIN WEBB: The Vineyard, 9 p.m.

FLORIDA STREET BLOWHARDS: 344 W. Ardenwood Drive, 5 p.m.

RUSTY YATES: The Colonel’s Club, 5 p.m.

IAN WEBSTER DUO: Sullivan’s Steakhouse, 5:30 p.m.

BRIAN RITTENHOUSE: T’Quilas, Denham Springs, 6 p.m.

MIKE HOGAN: BLDG 5, 6 p.m.

KAITLYN WALLACE: T’Quilas, Zachary, 6 p.m.

RODNEY BOYD: El Paso, Denham Springs, 6:30 p.m.

DERRICK LEMON: Le Chien Brewing Co., Denham Springs, 6:30 p.m.

CHRIS OCMAND: 18 Steak at L’Auberge, 7 p.m.

ZACH BRYAN/ CAAMP/JR CARROLL: LSU’s Tiger Stadium, 7 p.m. DON POURCIAU & KONSPIRACY: Backstreet Lounge, 8 p.m.

BRENT ARMSTRONG: Riverbend Terrace II at L’Auberge, 8 p.m.

ACOUSTIC SATURDAYS W/HENRY TURNER AND SPECIAL GUEST DIXIE ROSE: Henry Turner Jr.’s Listening Room, 8 p.m.

KENDALL SHAFFER BAND: Fat Cat Saloon, Prairieville, 9 p.m.

WHISKEY BENT: Swamp Chicken Daiquiris, St. Amant, 9 p.m.

DAMON KING & BO

JAMISON: The Vineyard, 9 p.m. TNT: Churchill’s, 9 p.m.

SUNDAY

ERIC BASKIN: Watermark Hotel, 10 a.m.

JUSTIN BURDETTE TRIO: Superior GrillMidCity, 11 a.m.

TAYLOR RAE DUO: On The Half Shell, Prairieville, 11 a.m.

ERIC GAUTREAUX: Red Stick Social, noon

SONGWRITER SUNDAYS: La Divina Italian Cafe, 5 p.m. KENNY NEAL: The Edge Bar at L’Auberge, 6:30 p.m.

OPEN MIC JAM: Fat Cat Saloon, Prairieville, 7 p.m.

MONDAY

EDDIE SMITH BAND: Sammy’s Grill, Prairieville, 6 p.m.

JEFF BAJON PROJECT: Superior Grill-MidCity, 6 p.m.

TUESDAY

RUSTY YATES: The Colonel’s Club, 5 p.m.

TREY MORGAN: Superior Grill-MidCity, 6 p.m.

EDDIE SMITH: On The Half Shell, Prairieville, 6:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY

RHETT GUILLOT: BLDG 5, 5:30 p.m.

BRITTANY JENKINS: Galvez Seafood, Prai-

rieville, 5:30 p.m.

LSU JAZZ JAM: Classic Vinyls, 6 p.m.

SONGWRITERS OPEN MIC: Le Chien Brewing Co., Denham Springs, 6:30 p.m.

KIRK HOLDER: Bin 77, 6:30 p.m.

SONGWRITERS OPEN MIC W/HEATH

RANSONNET: Coop’s on 621, Gonzales, 7 p.m.

ANDY PIZZO TRIO: Hayride Scandal, 7:30 p.m.

OPEN MIC JAM: O’Hara’s Irish Pub, 8 p.m.

THURSDAY

PHIL CHANDLER: BLDG 5, 5:30 p.m.

BUBBA PLAUCHÉ: Backstreet Lounge, 6 p.m.

KYBALION: El Paso, 6 p.m.

ERIC SCHMITT: La Divina Italian Cafe, 6 p.m.

NA NA SHA: Perkins Rowe, 6 p.m.

HENRY TURNER JR. & ALL-STARS: Henry Turner Jr.’s Listening Room, 8 p.m.

BLUES JAM: Phil Brady’s, 9 p.m. OUTLYING

FRIDAY

KENDALL SHAFFER

DUO: Big J’s Side Porch, Clinton, 6 p.m.

RIVER CITY ALL STARS: El Mejor, St. Francisville, 6:30 p.m.

SATURDAY

BLIND AMBITION 2.0: El Mejor, St. Francisville, 6:30 p.m.

Compiled by Marchaund Jones. Want your venue’s music listed? Email info/photos to showstowatch@ theadvocate.com. The deadline is noon FRIDAY for the following Friday’s paper.

By The Associated Press

Today is Friday, March 27, the 86th day of 2026. There are 279 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On March 27, 2022, Will Smith slapped presenter Chris Rock onstage at the 94th Academy Awards ceremony; Smith won the Oscar for best actor just minutes later. (Smith later resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and received a 10-year ban from the Oscars.)

Also on this date:

In 1794, Congress approved the “Act to provide a Naval Armament” of six armed ships, which provided the foundation of the permanent U.S. Navy.

In 1964, Alaska was hit by a magnitude 9.2 earthquake (still the strongest on record in North America) and tsunamis

TODAY IN HISTORY

that together claimed over 130 lives.

In 1968, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the first man to orbit the Earth in 1961, died when his MiG15 jet crashed during a routine training flight near Moscow; he was 34.

In 1973, “The Godfather” won the Academy Award for best picture of 1972, but its star, Marlon Brando, refused to accept his Oscar for best actor and, in what would become one of the Oscars’ most famous moments, sent in his place actor and activist Sacheen Littlefeather, who spoke out about the depiction of Native Americans in Hollywood.

In 1975, construction began on the Trans-Alaska Pipeline; the 800-mile pipeline was completed just over two years later.

In 2016, an Easter Sunday bombing attack at a park in Lahore, Pakistan,

killed at least 69 people and wounded hundreds more. Authorities said a militant group claimed responsibility and deliberately targeted the Christian community.

In 2023, a former student shot through the doors of the private Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, killing three children and three adults in an elaborately planned mass shooting at the Christian school. Two responding officers shot and killed the 28-year-old attacker.

Today’s birthdays: Actor Michael York is 84. Film director Quentin Tarantino is 63. Singer Mariah Carey is 57. Actor Pauley Perrette is 57. Actor Nathan Fillion is 55. Singer Fergie is 51. Former MLB catcher Buster Posey is 39. Singer Jessie J is 38. Rapper Lisa is 29. Actor-singer Halle Bailey is 26. Model Amelie Zilber is 24.

SHOWS TO WATCH — BATON ROUGE AREA

PROVIDED PHOTO FROM KROMEART.COM Parish County Line plays The Edge Bar at L’Auberge at 9 p.m. Friday.

A singer-songwriter from the small town of Oologah, Oklahoma, Bryan has sold millions of albums and singles since he independently released his album debut in 2019. In January, his latest album, “With Heaven on Top,” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, repeating the chart-topping popularity of his self-titled 2023 album.

In 2015, while serving in the U.S. Navy, Bryan began posting videos of himself performing his songs on YouTube. He’d been writing songs since he was 14.

“We started making these dumb songs up, me and my buddies sitting around,” he told The Oklahoman newspaper. “I never really expected to be a musician, ever, but I always wanted to write songs. That’s what I wanted to do: I wanted to be a songwriter.”

Bryan followed a family tradition by enlisting in the U.S. Navy at 17. During his seven-year hitch, he wrote songs in his spare time, building the stockpile of material that appeared on his early indie recordings.

Bryan credits a Navy cohort for encouraging him to pursue music. He recalled that advice in an interview with the Apple Music program Today’s Country Radio: “He was like, ‘Dude, you have to do this. If you don’t do this, millions of people who strive every day to do this are going to be disappointed that you wasted this chance.’ ”

In April 2021, Bryan made his Grand Ole Opry debut, taking that famous country music stage while still in the Navy. That year saw him honorably discharged, signing with Warner Bros. Records, and launching his “Ain’t for Tamin’ ” tour.

Warner Bros. Records released Bryan’s major album debut, “American Heartbreak,” in May 2022. It achieved a No. 5 debut on the Billboard 200. The single

KNOW

Continued from page 1D

Friday. Spaces are $250 for the weekend. Specific spaces are not reserved.

n Day-of-concert paid parking will be limited due to baseball and softball events. Lots available for event day sales will be marked with signage indicating pricing. Follow the direction of officers and personnel when parking.

n The following lots and their opening times are: Lots 408, 409 and 411, 5 p.m.; all other event day lots will open at noon unless otherwise noted.

n Free parking is available in the levee lots, Hayfield lot, lots located east of Highland Road (Parker Coliseum), and lots north of campus near Spruce Hall.

n Free ADA parking with a shuttle is available in Lot 406 off of Skip Bertman Drive. After the concert, the shuttle will pick up in front of Nicholson Gateway.

n Pre-paid lots will open at

PROVIDED PHOTO

After opening for Zach Bryan’s stadium shows in March and April, folk-rock band Caamp will join Mumford & Sons for the British folk-rock group’s ‘Prizefighter European Tour’ in July.

“Something in the Orange” hit No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs and Hot Rock & Alternative charts, as well as charting 66 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 10.

More hits followed, including Bryan’s self-titled fourth album’s No. 1 Billboard 200 chart position; a No. 1 duet with Kacey Musgraves, “I Remember Everything”; and this year’s chart-topping “Heaven on the Top.”

A prolific songwriter, Bryan sees writing songs as his foundation.

“Songwriting is such a massive part of this,” he has said. “If you’re missing out on it, what the hell are you doing? You’re just performing. You’re an actor.”

In 2022, Bryan gave one of his rare interviews to The New York Times. He told the newspaper that he didn’t want to be pegged a country act.

“I think people understand that I’m not that,” he said. “I want to be in that Springsteen, Kings of Leon, Ed Sheeran atthe-very-beginning space.”

Speaking of his then rising fame, Bryan assumed humble stance. “People feel entitled to be famous and rich,” he said. “I’m like, ‘dude, you could be digging ditches, bro’.”

Caamp

A popular folk-rock band from Athens, Ohio, Caamp

noon on Saturday. Pre-paid passes range from $40-$50 per vehicle, and there will be a limit of two passes per account. Paid ADA spaces are also available.

WHAT YOU CAN BRING

n Clear bags and backpacks only, no larger than 12 inches by 6 inches by 12 inches

n Plastic zip-top bag

n Small clutch purse n Seat cushion n Medical items n Water bottle n Empty drink containers

WHAT YOU CAN’T BRING

n Outside food or beverages

n Ice chests or cameras

n Video cameras, selfie sticks or tripods

n Oversized chair backs or large items

n Noisemakers n Bikes, skateboards or scooters

n Umbrellas n Weapons n Inflatables n Animals (except service animals)

n Flags, signs or banners

is opening for Zach Bryan’s stadium shows in March and April before joining Mumford & Sons for the British folk-rock group’s “Prizefighter European Tour” in July.

Caamp released its fifth album, “Copper Changes Color,” last year. Garden & Gun magazine praised the album’s “Strokes-like strut, all clanging electric guitars at a punchy clip” and “trademark folk and delicate banjo beneath (Taylor) Meier’s distinctive baritone.”

“Copper Changes Color” debuted at No. 1 on the Americana/Folk Albums chart, and the single “Mistakes” became Caamp’s fifth Adult Alternative Airplay No. 1 song.

JR Carroll

The keyboardist in fellow Oklahoman Zach Bryan’s band for the past two years, JR Carroll released his debut album, “Dark Cloud,” in late 2024.

“I’m not trying to market myself to a wider audience,” he told Rolling Stone magazine. “I am happy where I’m at. I’m respected by the people who I wanted to be respected by when I started this. If it grows, that’s great, and I will be a good steward of whatever becomes of that, but I already have a job that keeps me busy all year.”

Email John Wirt at j_wirt@ msn.com.

n Illegal drugs

RESTROOM LOCATIONS

n A restroom trailer, satellite restrooms and portable restrooms will be located throughout the concert and parking areas.

CONCESSION LOCATIONS

n East Stadium lower, middle, top and upper deck levels

n South Stadium lower, top and upper deck levels

n West Stadium lower, middle, top and upper deck levels

ALSO WORTH NOTING

n Will call windows open at 2 p.m. at the LSU Athletics Ticket Office (first floor of the LSU Athletics Administration Building)

n Gates open at 5 p.m.

Fans will pass through metal detectors prior to entry.

n The sale of alcoholic beverages will end at 10:30 p.m.

n LSU is a tobacco-free campus (no smoking or vaping)

All information provided by lsusports.net.

Dear Miss Manners: We have a recurring monthly dinner date with another couple at restaurants mutually agreed on. She is a vegan zealot, and this was not a problem until she converted her husband, who previously considered deli meat eaten over the sink to be a delicacy. Problem is, he is a vegan in theory only, as the only vegan foods he likes are Impossible Burgers or plain rice. We prefer to eat healthy, with zero tolerance for junk food, and this significantly limits where we can eat, or would want to. To make matters worse, she has started a tradition of baking a vegan cake whenever one of us has a birthday, and sending a full cake home as an added bonus. Like some vegans, she

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

likes to throw the vegan kitchen sink into the recipe — high on sweets and dairy fat substitutes — not healthy, not delicious, not to our taste. And then on top, an overgenerous scoop of nondairy ice cream. And each year, we take a bite and say “Thank you, this is delicious.” We soldier through and eat the oversized portion — more dessert than we’d ever consider eating in real life, even if it were delicious — and take the cake home.

We then promptly deliver the cake to a neighbor who will eat any high-fat, high-calorie food that we hand to him. He feeds on it for a few days, and we return the plate to the vegans, thanking them again for their generosity. Once again, my birth-

day is imminent, and I’m thinking, sadly, that the only certainties in life are death, taxes and a semiannual oversized slab of this terrible vegan cake. What should I do?

Gentle reader: Nothing. Why ruin the good scheme you have going with the neighbor? With it, everyone wins and no one gets hurt or insulted. Although Miss Manners does recommend, out of courtesy to the neighbor who is rescuing you, you refrain from comparing his efforts to that of a farm animal.

Send questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners. com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail. com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

FRIDAY SENSORY BUNNY EVENT: 6 p.m.-

8 p.m., Zachary Community Park, 20055 Old Scenic Highway. Hosted by BREC Adaptive for adults and children of all ages with intellectual, developmental or sensory processing disorders. Photos with the Easter Bunny and other festive fun. Register online at https://www. brec.org/communityevents.

BUTTERR & FRIENDS: AN IMPROV

COLLIDER SHOW: 7:30 p.m., Manship Theatre’s Hartley/Vey Studio Theatre, 235 North Blvd. A ‘90s throw-down of heartfelt hilarity, transforming real-life stories into unscripted, laugh-out-loud scenes. $14. manshiptheatre.org.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY

EVENING SKY VIEWING: 8:30 p.m.-

10 p.m., BREC Highland Road Park Observatory, 13800 Highland Road. See the majesty of the night sky in these public viewings for those 6 and up. hrpo.lsu.edu/events.

SATURDAY

SPRING GARDEN FEST: 8 a.m.-2 p.m., LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens, 4560 Essen Lane. Plant sales from Botanic Gardens and EBR Master Gardeners, vendors and horticulture organizations. Free. https://www. lsu.edu/botanic-gardens/. RED STICK FARMERS MARKET: 8 a.m.-noon, Fifth and Main streets, downtown. Farm-fresh produce, goods, cooking demonstrations. breada.org.

YMCA CORPORATE CUP 5K: 9 a.m.-

12:30 p.m., downtown Baton Rouge.

A day of wellness, team spirit and community! Open to individuals and corporate teams. $45. runsignup. com. CAR & BIKE SHOW AND GARAGE

SALE: 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Walker Baptist Church, 10696 Florida Blvd., Walker. Awards in several categories; $25 to register. All proceeds go toward funding summer camp for children and youth. (225) 665-8368.

NEIGHBORHOOD EGG HUNTS:

10 a.m.-noon, Alsen Park; 1 p.m.-

3 p.m., Baker Park and Zachary Community Park. For all ages and featuring Easter-themed games, activities, egg hunt, snowballs, inflatables and crafts. Free. brec.org/ communityevents.

FAMILY-HOUR STARGAZING: 10 a.m.,

Irene W. Pennington Planetarium at the Louisiana Art & Science Museum, 100 S. River Road. Learn about the stars and constellations in the local nighttime sky, followed by an all-ages show. lasm.org.

FOOD TRUCK FESTIVAL: 10 a.m.2 p.m., 115 Mattie St., Antique Village, Denham Springs. Food, treats and shopping. Sponsored by Denham Springs Main Street.

GREATER BATON ROUGE MODEL

RAILROADERS: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Republic of West Florida Historical Museum, 3406 College St., Jackson. Electric trains of all sizes will be running on five different layouts. Free admission and parking.

REFINING FIRE WOMEN’S CONFER-

ENCE: 11 a.m., City Club of Baton Rouge, North Blvd. A morning of inspiration and leadership with guest speaker Bern Nadette Stanis, actress (Thelma of “Good Times”), speaker and author. $103.22. eventbrite.com.

TIGERS IN THE GALLERIES: STU-

DENT-LED TOUR: 2 p.m.-3 p.m., LSU Museum of Art, 100 Lafayette St. Take a closer look at the exhibition, “AI: Artistic Interpretations, Studio Art Quilt Associates.” Each student has selected an artwork on view, conducted research, and designed a conversation-based experience. Free. lsumoa.org.

HOUSTON BALLET II: 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St. Performance by the second company of Houston Ballet, America’s fourth-largest ballet company. $46 and up. manshiptheatre.org.

MOUNTAIN DULCIMER PERFORMER

BING FUTCH: 2:30 p.m., Shadowbrook Clubhouse, 2601 Shadowbrook Drive. Presented by the Lagniappe Dulcimer Society, Futch’s music performance is high-energy as he dips into rock, pop, Delta blues and old-time music. Free. WE ARE HERE: A GATHERING OF

POETS: 4 p.m.-8 p.m., Main Library at Goodwood, 7711 Goodwood Blvd. Live music by Favorite Friend with Raudol Palacios; free food provided by Friends of the Library; spontaneous acts of poetry; appearances by Adam Clay and other local poets; poetry café; facepainting and balloons for the kids; karaoke; community organizations; and a peek at the poetry anthology filled with poems submitted by members of the community. For more information and to submit a poem for the community anthology, visit ebrpl.co/onebook.

SUNDAY

EASTER IN THE PARK: noon-4 p.m., Sidney Hutchinson Park, 30397 La. 1029, Walker. Egg hunt with 10,000+ Easter eggs, Red Barn Petting Zoo, free photos with the Easter Bunny, food trucks, local vendor market, children’s village and DJ. Free.

TUESDAY

BATON ROUGE CHESS CLUB: 6 p.m.-

8 p.m., La Divina Italian Cafe, 3535 Perkins Road, Unit 360. A chance to play and learn; all levels welcome. Free.

WEDNESDAY

“BIG BANG THEORY” TRIVIA NIGHT:

7 p.m., Loft18, 4580 Constitution Ave. Test your knowledge on everything from Sheldon’s quirks and Leonard’s love life to Howard’s one-liners and Raj’s unforgettable moments.

Sign up at http://tinyurl.com/BatonRougeTable.

THURSDAY RED STICK FARMERS MARKET:

8 a.m.-noon, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, 6400 Perkins Road. Farm-fresh produce, goods and more. facebook.com/redstickfarmersmarket.

OUTDOOR COMMUNITY YOGA: 6 p.m.-7 p.m., pavilion by the pond, LSU Hilltop Arboretum, 11855 Highland Road. Drop-in; no registration required; bring your own mat. Free, but donations welcome. www.lsu. edu/hilltop.

WEEKLY SOCIAL BIKE RIDE: 7 p.m., Geaux Ride, 521 N. Third St., Suite A. Free. fareharbor.com.

ONGOING

CAPITOL PARK MUSEUM: 660 N. Fourth St. “Grounds for Greatness: Louisiana and the Nation,” “The Louisiana Experience: Discovering the Soul of America,” “African American History,” “Music and Musicians” and “Mardi Gras,” permanent exhibits. (225) 342-5428 or louisianastatemuseum.org.

MANSHIP THEATRE JONES WALKER

FOYER: 100 Lafayette St. “Look up: A Philosophy for Birding and Life” by Gail Suberbielle. Free and open during regular Shaw Center building hours unless there is a private event.

MAGNOLIA MOUND MUSEUM + HISTORIC SITE: 2161 Nicholson Drive. Guided and self-guided tours. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. MondaySaturday and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. brec.org/facility/MagnoliaMound.

OLD GOVERNOR’S MANSION: 502 North Blvd. Open for tours. Hours are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. MondayFriday. Free admission. oldgovernorsmansion.com.

OLD STATE CAPITOL: 100 North Blvd. “Japanese War Brides: Across A Wide Divide,” through June 13. “A

USS

CARY SAURAGE COMMUNITY ARTS CENTER SHELL GALLERY: 233 St. Ferdinand St. “Dennisparkercelloetc,” exhibit of cellist Dennis Parker’s transformations of musical instruments into sculptural works, through April 17. Hours are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. artsbr. org. THE GALLERY AT MANSHIP: 100 Lafayette St. “Brandon Lewis — When All God’s Children Get Together.” Hours are 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday, 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. LOUISIANA ART & SCIENCE MUSEUM: 100 S. River Road. “Then, And Now, And Always: The Artwork of Nick Bustamante,” through July 19, SoupCon Gallery; “Pinpointing the Stars,” through Aug. 1; “Crossroads & Connections: A Century of the Railway in Baton Rouge,” through Oct. 1; “Going Places: Transportation Toys of the Past,” through July 6, and “Shelf Queens: Model Train Masterpieces,” also through July 6. (225) 344-5272 or lasm.org. LSU MUSEUM OF ART: Shaw Center for the Arts, 100 Lafayette St. “Daphnis and Chloe and Other Lovers: Lithographs by Marc Chagall,” through May 24. “AI: Artistic Interpretations, Studio Art Quilt Associates,” through May 10. (225) 389-7200 or lsumoa.org.

4. (225) 336-2422 or westbatonrougemuseum.org.

Compiled by Judy Bergeron. Have an open-to-the-public event you’d like to promote? Email details to red@ theadvocate.com. Deadline is 5 p.m. Friday for the following Friday’s paper.

PROVIDED PHOTO BY MICHAEL YARISH/CBS

(Amy)

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Divvy up your time according to importance first and preference second. A professional change will encourage greater socialization and encounters with those who enrich your life.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Change begins with you. Consider what makes life easier for you and start by altering your routine and surroundings. Fine-tune your life to ensure that you excel.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Initiate an exciting project. Call an old friend and catch up, attend a reunion or sign up for something that can enrich your mind, body or soul. Refuse to let what others do or say stand in your way.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Avoid situations and people that make you feel vulnerable. Look for the good and the positive in everyone and follow your heart. Make your intentions and your feelings clear and explore what's possible.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Do whatever it takes to reach your dreams. Doing some research or making plans with someone you want to get to know better will lift your spirits and give you hope. Take advantage of an opportunity.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Use your skills, experience, fortitude and a proactive approach, and rewards will follow. Raise your awareness, and you'll find the happiness that comes from doing something that benefits others.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Stick close to home and unwind and reconsider your

priorities. The drive to combine the old with the new will help you piece together a timely and doable plan.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Think big, muster up some energy and take physical action to ensure you reach your goal. Someone will push an emotional button. Don't ignore the message you receive.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Focus on home and the people and pastimes that bring you joy. An investment or purchase may pique your interest, but you should be wary. Your best return will come from home improvements that save you money.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Keep your eye on what's happening around you. Someone will get in your way or lead you astray if you give them the chance. You can have fun if you don't overdo it and know when to stop.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) You are in a better position than you realize. A healthy lifestyle change will motivate you to update your look, express your feelings and follow your dreams.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Sign up for something you enjoy doing and explore the possibilities. Size up situations quickly and move on until you connect with someone who feels like a good fit.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2026 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews

FAMILY CIrCUS

McMeel Syndication

zodIAC

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

TODAy'S CLUE: H EQUALS V

CeLebrItY CIpher

For better or For WorSe

SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM SherMAn’S LAGoon

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

nea CroSSwordS La TimeS CroSSword

THe wiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS

BY PHILLIP ALDER

Denis Waitley, a motivational speaker and author, said, “The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don’t define them ... or even seriously consider them as believable or achievable. Winners can tell you where they are going, what they plan to do along the way, and who will be sharing the adventure with them.”

A bridge player knows his goal, but unless he counts winners and losers, he will often not reach it, and partner would then be sharing the failure with him.

In this deal, South reaches seven spades. After West leads the diamond queen, what should declarer do?

Although South had only 16 high-card points, he had so many playing tricks that he was right to jump-rebid two spades, which guaranteed at least five clubs (his first-bid suit) and was game-forcing.

North then used two doses of Roman Key Card Blackwood, learning first that his partner had three key cards (two aces and the spade king, or three aces), and second that he had the spade queen and club king.

South starts with only nine top tricks: four spades, two hearts, one diamond and two clubs. He needs to establish his club suit, which will generate extra club winners and more trump tricks with ruffs in the dummy. And usually in this situation, it is right to play on the side-suit first. Declarer wins with dummy’s diamond ace, plays a club to his ace, ruffs a club low on the board, returns to his hand with a trump, ruffs another club with the spade jack, draws trumps, and claims. © 2026 by NEA, Inc., dist.

By Andrews McMeel Syndication

Each Wuzzle is a word riddle which creates a disguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD = GOOD AFTERNOON

Previous answers:

InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

toDAY’s WoRD — BIBELots: BEE-bih-loze: Trinkets.

Average mark 29 words

Time limit 45 minutes

Can you find 37 or more words in BIBELOTS?

YEstERDAY’s WoRD — PAssWoRD

Puzzle Answer today’s thought

“Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write to you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write to you, and exhort you that you should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered to the saints.” Jude 1:3

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles

hidato

mallard fillmore