ABOVE: Bennett Coney and his sister Charlotte Coneylead the procession Fridayalong North Fourth Street to the 14th station during the annual Wayofthe Cross hosted by theCatholic Charitiesof the DioceseofBaton Rouge, along with the St. Joseph Cathedral.
RIGHT: Bishop Michael Duca welcomes everyone to theannual Wayofthe Cross atSt. Joseph Cathedral on Friday.
Cassidy, Fleming continue to criticize herpolicies
BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer
How does U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow square endorsing diversity,equity and inclusion policies as acollege presidential applicant in 2020 and her subsequent anti-DEI voting record in Congress?
That’sthe question that confronted Letlow Friday in the face of continuing attacks from the man she is trying to
unseat, U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy,for her calls to expandDEI to hire morewomen andracial minorities on the faculty when she was applying in 2020 to be the next president of the Universityof Louisiana-Monroe. In news releases and avideo on Thursdayand Friday,Cassidy pointed to her comments to challenge her conservative credentials. “Julia is aliberal,” heconcluded. State Treasurer John Fleming, the
ä See ATTACKS, page 4A
Lawmakerswantlower prices, butsay industry is blocking them
BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer
As Louisiana lawmakers search for waysto lower drug prices forpatients, they say their efforts to figure outwhat’scausing the problemare running into roadblocks from big players in the health care sector
State Sen. Adam Bass, R-Bossier City, said even after holding meetings over the past several months on the topic,drug manufacturers and pharmacy benefits managers still haven’tprovided important information about how drug prices are determined.
“Neither industry has been completelyforthcoming,” said Bass, whoisspearheading the effort.
Now he and other lawmakers are pushing for legislationthat wouldforce those businesses to turn over internal information they say will help determinewhy drug costs are rising.
“What I’m trying to getto is alower cost fordrugs for theconsumer.I think both drug manufacturers and pharmacy benefit managershave culpability.”
SEN.ADAM BASS R-Bossier City
Twobills, oneaimedat drug manufacturersand another at pharmacy benefit managers, advanced outofa Senate committee Wednesday
“What I’m trying to get to is alower cost for drugs for the consumer,” Bass said in an interview.“Ithink both drug manufacturersand pharmacy benefit managers have culpability.”
But each side is pushing back and pointing fingers, saying the other is ultimately responsible forthe prices consumers pay
Arepresentative of PhRMA, anationaltrade group representing the pharmaceutical industry, said Wednesday the bill targeting them “will do nothing to lower costs forpatients” and “fails to address the core issues of patient affordability.”
Lawmakersshould instead focuson“bringing accountability to insurers and PBMs.” PCMA, atrade group representing thecountry’slargest pharmacy benefit managers, said in astatement that the bill targeting their industry is a“bailout forBig Pharma.”
ä See DRUG, page 5A
BY SAM MEDNICK,KONSTANTIN TOROPINand SEUNG MINKIM Associated Press
WASHINGTON Iran shot down two
U.S. militaryplanes in separate attacks Friday, with oneservice member rescued and at least one missing, in adramatic escalation sincethe war began nearly five weeks ago. It was thefirst time U.S. aircraft have been downed in the conflict and camejust twodays after President Donald Trumpsaid in anational address thatthe U.S. has“beaten and
completely decimated Iran” and was “going to finish the job, and we’re going to finish it very fast.”
One fighter jet wasshot down in Iran, officials said. AU.S. crew member from that plane wasrescued, but asecond wasmissing, and aU.S military search-and-rescue operation wasunderway Neither the White House nor Pentagon released public information about the downed planes. In abrief telephone interview with NBC News, Trumpdeclined to discuss thesearchand-rescue efforts but said what happened would not affect negotiations with Iran. 2U.S.aircraftdowned
ä See AIRCRAFT, page 4A
5.8 quake rattles
Afghanistan, Pakistan
KABUL, Afghanistan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.8 rattled parts of northern and eastern Afghanistan and western Pakistan late Friday, killing at least eight people in Afghanistan, authorities said.
The region is highly seismically active. Friday’s earthquake had an epicenter in the Hindu Kush mountain range, about 90 miles east of the Afghan city of Kunduz, according to the Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Center and the U.S. Geological Survey
Hafizullah Basharat, a spokesman for the Kabul governor said eight people were killed and a child was injured when a house collapsed on the outskirts of the capital. He said all were members of the same family Kabul is roughly 180 miles southwest of the epicenter There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries from areas closer to the epicenter The area is remote, and it can often take several hours before local authorities can relay information back to Kabul. With the epicenter at a depth of over 180 kilometers, the quake jolted a wide swath of Afghanistan and Pakistan. In Pakistan, it was felt in the cities and towns of Islamabad, Peshawar, Chitral, Swat and Shangla, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries in Pakistan. Sweden stops tanker suspected of oil spill
FRANKFURT, Germany The Swedish Coast Guard said Friday it has boarded a tanker suspected of causing a 8-mile oil spill on the Baltic Sea, adding that the vessel is under European Union sanctions aimed at the “shadow fleet” transporting Russian oil. The spill was detected early Thursday east of Gotland island, and investigators identified the Flora 1 as the suspected source.
The Coast Guard boarded the vessel early Friday and took it and its 24-member crew to anchorage near Ysted in southern Sweden.
“We act when we detect emissions. This is a result of our enhanced maritime surveillance that we are conducting as a result of the deteriorating security situation in the Baltic Sea region,” Daniel Stenling, deputy chief of operations, said in a statement. There were no immediate details on what caused the spill
It was unclear under what country’s flag the vessel was traveling and its destination was unclear, the Coast Guard said. It departed the Russian port of Primorsk, where a major Russian oil export terminal is located, on Tuesday according to the MarineTraffic maritime data company
The EU had sanctioned the vessel, meaning transactions involving it are forbidden, for carrying Russian oil while “practicing irregular and high-risk shipping practices.” Unsafe practices can include turning off its automatic tracking system to hide where a vessel is going N.J. state troopers rescue bear cub
UNIONTOWNSHIP,N.J State police troopers came to the rescue of a bear cub found in a ditch along the side of a major interstate highway in northern New Jersey Troopers from the Perryville station responded shortly before 1:40 p.m. Wednesday to milepost 12.2 on I-78 eastbound in Union Township. The animal was by itself, officials said The bear was soon safely secured and taken back to the state police barracks, where it was later turned over to staffers with the state’s Environmental Protection Department, who were caring for the animal.
It’s not clear how the cub ended up in the ditch or how long it had been there before it was spotted. Details on the bear’s condition were not available Friday
BY MILEXSY DURÁN and ANDREA RODRÍGUEZ Associated Press
HAVANA Katia Arias buzzed with hope on Friday morning as she gathered at the gates of a prison on the outskirts of Havana, waiting with other families for their loved ones to be freed in one of the biggest prison releases by the Cuban government in years.
When her 20-year-old son Emilio Alejandro Leyva walked out of the doors of the detention facility with dozens of other prisoners, bags and a small release document in hand, she wrapped her arms around her son, who was detained for a robbery, for the first time in years.
“It has been so difficult, but today God has given me so much joy,” said Arias, 43, breaking down in tears. “Today, I feel so happy. This is how all mothers who will have their children released today
should feel.”
The outpouring of joy from families comes the day after Cuba’s government said it was going to release 2,010 prisoners in what it said was “humanitarian gestures” ahead of Holy Week; it wasn’t immediately clear how many were released on Friday
The release comes as the Cuban government navigates extreme pressure and a crippling oil blockade by the Trump administration, which has openly expressed the desire for regime change and the release of those arrested for protesting.
It was unclear whether any of the prisoners released Friday are among the 1,214 people activist groups say are imprisoned for political reasons in Cuba. The government denies holding political prisoners.
On Friday, detainees in the La Lima prison on the rural outskirts
of Havana said they were woken up at 6 a.m. and heard their names called out. Hours later they were walking into the arms of loved ones awaiting them in front of blue prison gates. The majority of prisoners interviewed Friday by The Associated Press were not serving time for political charges, though it’s uncertain how many of those released were protesters — often charged with public disorder, contempt or terrorism. Many of the more than one thousand people the activist organization Prisoners Defended has registered as detained for political reasons were protesters from the 2021 mass demonstrations on the island, which were met with widespread arrests by the government. Sporadic protests have broken out in recent months as the island sinks into a deeper crisis. In one March incident, protesters burned the headquarters of the communist party in central Cuba, leading to five arrests. The lack of information over re-
BY BASSEM MROUE Associated Press
BEIRUT When the Israel-Hezbollah war broke out in early March, Hussein Shuman fled the heavy bombardment of the southern suburbs of Beirut, but he didn’t bother trying to rent an apartment elsewhere. In areas deemed “safe” because the Lebanese militant group has no presence, he feels that Shiite Muslims like him are not welcome. Residents regard them with suspicion as potential Hezbollah members, and landlords charge exorbitant prices to rent to displaced families.
Instead, the 35-year-old, who works at a perfume company, headed to central Beirut where he set up a small tent where he has been staying, along with his wife, 7-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter Shuman even rejected an offer from a friend who invited him to bring his family to the Christian mountain town of Zgharta. He preferred to remain in his tent, even though it has flooded twice in the past two weeks.
“By staying here I have my dignity and respect,” Shuman said, sitting on a chair near his tent as a barber gave him an openair haircut. “We will not stay in a place where we are going to be humiliated.”
In a country full of suspicion, the more than 1 million people — most of them Shiite displaced as a result of Israel’s
evacuation orders and airstrikes have limited options.
Some landlords in Christian areas refuse to rent to Shiites. Others demand inflated rents and deposits that few can afford. Fatima Zahra, 42, from Beirut’s southern suburbs, said she and her sister sold their finest jewelry to pay the $5,000 the landlord charged up front for two months’ rent
In some Beirut neighborhoods, displaced people who can afford to pay high rents are only allowed to take the apartment after landlords inform the security agencies to check on whether the family has any links to Hezbollah.
Sectarian tensions are a sensitive issue in Lebanon because the country fought a 15-year civil war ending in 1990 that largely broke down along sectarian lines.
Social frictions have worsened since Israel’s targeted airstrikes killed Hezbollah officials or members of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in predominantly Christian, Sunni and Druze areas, raising fears among the hosts that Hezbollah members are mingling within the civilian population.
The Lebanese are deeply divided over Hezbollah’s wars with Israel, with many in the small nation blaming the Iranbacked group for dragging the country into a deadly conflict that has so far left more than 1,300 people dead and over 4,000 wounded. Hezbollah fired missiles into Israel two days after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, triggering the ongoing Middle East war
Descendants of Choctaw code talkers gather for marker
BY DAVID MORENO Fort Worth Report
Nuchi Nashoba grew up looking at a photograph of her great-grandfather Ben Carterby inside her grandmother’s Oklahoma home. But, she didn’t know much about the man in the frame other than that he was a World War I veteran.
It wasn’t until 1989 — when Nashoba was in her late 20s — that she learned a deep secret about her ancestor Carterby was one of the
Choctaw code talkers — a group of 19 Native American soldiers who used their language to transmit encrypted messages to the Allies during campaigns in northern France. The soldiers were sworn to secrecy and hid details of their service from families for decades. Over the past 20 years, Nashoba has led advocacy efforts to spotlight the group’s hidden legacy as president of the Choctaw Code Talkers Association. Now the soldiers’ contributions are recognized in
Fort Worth through a new plaque at the city’s Veterans Memorial Park.
The Choctaw Code Talker Historical Marker was unveiled during an April 1 ceremony hosted by the Oklahoma tribe, the Texas Historical Commission and the city’s parks and recreation department. Several descendants of the Native soldiers attended.
“Seeing the marker really brings me a lot of joy,” Nashoba said. “This is what preserves the history for generations to come.”
leases on Friday fueled frustration among human rights and opposition groups, who said the releases were a good sign, but fell short of real change.
“The government presents it as a humanitarian gesture toward prisoners, not as the release of political prisoners,” said Manuel Cuesta Morúa, leader of the Council for Democratic Transition in Cuba, the island’s main opposition platform. “By doing so, it mixes things up to avoid giving the impression that it recognizes political imprisonment in Cuba.”
The group has demanded a government amnesty law and says that people who were previously freed are often placed under house arrest or live under conditions where they can’t speak freely
The nongovernmental organization Justicia 11J wrote in a statement Friday that no partial release can be considered progress “as long as the criminalization of the exercise of fundamental rights persists.”
Pontiff is first to do so
BY COLLEEN BARRY and TRISHA THOMAS Associated Press
ROME Pope Leo XIV lifted a wooden cross and held it aloft from his waist at the start of the 14 stations of the Way of the Cross at the Colosseum on his first Good Friday as pontiff, marking the first time in decades that a pope has set out to carry the cross to every station.
“I think it will be an important sign because of what the pope represents a spiritual leader in the world today, and for this voice, that everyone wants to hear, that says Christ still suffers,” Leo told reporters this week outside of the papal retreat at Castel Gandolfo. “I carry all of this suffering in my prayer.”
Inside the Colosseum, Leo began the procession flanked by two young people holding torches, and
followed by clergy At the first station, marking the moment Jesus was condemned to death, the meditation prepared especially for Leo’s first Good Friday underlined that those with authority will have to answer to God for how they exercise their power “The power to judge; the power to start or end a war; the power to instill violence or peace; the power to fuel the desire for revenge, or for reconciliation,” read the meditation written by Rev Francesco Patton, who was custodian of the Holy Land 2016-25, charged, among other things, with looking after sacred sites.
Thousands gathered outside the pagan monument, where the procession continued, following the stations as they were recited over loudspeakers.
They included Sister Pelenatita Kieoma Finau from Samoa and a member of the Missionary Sisters of the Society of Mary
8-5
BY STEVE PEOPLES AP national politics writer
NEW YORK This is not the run-up to the midterm elections that Republicans wanted.
Ayear and ahalf after winning the White Houseby promising to lower costs and end wars, Donald Trump is awartime president overseeing surging energy costs and an escalating overseas conflict.
The war in Iran was largely unpopular even before an American fighter jet was shot down in Iran, adevelopment that dominated headlines on Friday and contradicted Trump’sclaim that Tehran’smilitary capabilities have been all but destroyed. One crewmember has been rescued.
Earlier in the week, the Republican president offered little clarity to anation eager for answers during aprimetime address from the White House, his first since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran more than amonth ago, simultaneously suggesting that the war was ending and expanding.
“Thanks to the progress we’ve made, Ican say tonight that we are on track to complete all of America’s military objectives shortly, very shortly,” Trump said.
“We’re going to hitthemextremely hard over the next twotothree weeks.”
Trump’scomments come roughly six months before voters across the nation begin to cast ballots in elections that will decide control of Congress and key governorships forTrump’sfinal two years in office. For now, Republicans, who control all branches of government in Washington, are bracing for apainful political backlash
“You’re looking at an ugly November,” warned veteran Republican pollster Neil Newhouse. “At apoint in time
when we need every break possible to hold the House and Senate, our edge isbeingchipped away.”
Evolving politicallandscape
It’shard to overstate how dramaticallythe political landscapehas shifted.
At this time last year, manyRepublican leaders believed there was apath to preserve their narrow House majority andeasily hold the Senate. Now they privately concedethat the House is all but lost and Democrats have arealistic shot at taking the Senate.
Republicans are also struggling to coalesce around aclear midterm message on Iran.
The Republican National Committeehas largely avoided the warintalking points issued to surrogates over thelast month. The leadersofthe party’scampaign committees responsiblefor the House and Senate declined interview requests. Many vulnerable Republicancandidatessidestep the issue, unwilling to defendor challenge Trumppublicly
Thepresident remains deeply popular with Republican voters, and he has vocal supporters like Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.
“That was the best speech Icould’ve hoped for,” he wrote on social media after Trump’saddress on Wednesday evening. Grahamsaid Trump“gave the American people aclear and coherent pathway forward.”
Trump made little effort to sell the conflicttoAmericansbefore theinitial attack. Five weeks later,atleast 13 U.S. service members have been killed and hundreds more injured. Thousands moretroops have converged on theregion,and thePentagon requested $200 billion in new funding.
The Strait of Hormuz, a keypassage fora fifth of the world’soil, remains closed. The average pricefor agal-
lon of gasoline in theU.S. was $4.08 on Thursday,according to AAA, almost afulldollar higher thanonPresident Joe Biden’slastday in office.
On Wednesday,Trump insisted that gasprices would fall quickly once thewar concludedbut offered no solution for reopening the Strait of Hormuz.Instead, he invited skeptical U.S. allies to do it themselves.
He insistedthatthe war would be worth it.
“This is atrue investment in your grandchildrenand your grandchildren’sfuture,” Trump said. “When it’s allover,the United States will be safer,stronger,more prosperous and greater than it has ever been before.”
Former Rep. Marjorie TaylorGreene, aGeorgia Republican whowas once among Trump’smost vocal allies in Congress, lashed out against his Iran policy
“I wanted so much for PresidentTrump to put AmericaFirst.That’swhat Ibelieved he would do. All Iheard from his speechtonight was WARWAR WAR,” shewrote on social media. “Nothing to lower thecost of living for Americans.”
About 6in10U.S. adults say theU.S. military action in Iran has“gone toofar,” according to AP-NORC polling from March. Roughly a third approve of howhe’s handling Iran overall.
Thepossibility of sending U.S. forces intoIran also appears politically unpalatable.
About6 in 10 adults are “strongly” or “somewhat” opposedtodeploying U.S troops on the ground to fight Iran. That includes about half of Republicans. Only about 1in10favor deploying troops.
At thesame time, Trump’s approval ratings have remainedconsistently weak
About 4in10Americans approve of how he’shandling the presidency, roughly in line with how it’s been throughout his second term
WhiteHouse asking for$1.5T
BY LISA MASCARO and KEVIN FREKING Associated Press
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump has proposed boosting defense spending to $1.5 trillion in his 2027 budget released Friday the largest such request in decades, reflecting his emphasisonU.S. military investments over domestic programs
The sizable increase for the Pentagon, some 44%, had been telegraphed by the Republicanpresident even before the the U.S.-led war against Iran. The president’s plan would also reduce spending on non-defense programs by 10%.
“President Trump promised to reinvest in America’s national security infrastructure, to make sure our nation is safe in adangerous world,” wroteBudget Director Russell Vought. The president’sannual
budget is considereda reflection of theadministration’svalues and does not carrythe force of law. The massive documenttypically highlights an administration’spriorities, but Congress, whichhandlesfederal spending issues, is freeto reject it andoften does.
This year’sWhite House document is intendedtoprovide aroadmap from the president to Congressaslawmakers build their own budgets and annual appropriations bills to keep the government funded. Vought spoke to House GOP lawmakers on aprivatecall Thursday
Trump, speaking ahead of an address to thenation this week about theIranwar, signaled the military is his priority,setting up aclash ahead in Congress
“We’re fightingwars. We can’ttake care of day care,” Trump said at aprivate White Houseevent Wednesday.
“It’s not possible forusto takecare of day care, Medicaid,Medicare —all these individual things,” he said. “They can do it on astate basis.You
can’tdoitonafederal.
Among the priorities the WhiteHouse called for:
n Supporting theTrump administration’simmigration enforcement and deportation operations by eliminating aspects of arefugee resettlementaid program, maintaining Immigration andCustoms Enforcement funds at current year levels anddrawing on last’syear’s increases for theDepartment of Homeland Security funds to continue opening detention facilities, including100,000 beds foradults and 30,000 for families.
n A13% increase in funding for the Department of Justice to focus on violent criminals and the president’s promise to stop what theWhiteHouse calls migrant crime.
n A$10 billion fund within the National Park Service for“construction andbeautification”projects in Washington, D.C.
n A$481 millionincrease in funding to enhance aviation safety and support an air traffic controller hiring surge.
NASA releases crew’s photos
BY MARCIA DUNN AP aerospace writer
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. The ArtemisIIastronauts have captured our blue planet’s brilliantbeautyasthey zoom evercloser to the moon
NASAreleased thecrew’s first downlinked images Friday,11/2 daysinto the first astronautmoonshotin morethan half acentury
The first photo taken by commanderReidWiseman shows acurved slice of Earth in oneofthe capsule’swindows. The second shows the entire globe with theoceans topped by swirling white tendrils of clouds. Agreen aurora even glows, according to NASA.
“It’sgreat to think that withthe exception of our four friends, allofusare representedinthis image,” said NASA’s Lakiesha Hawkins,anexploration systems leader.She added themission was going well.
As of late Friday afternoon,Wiseman andhis crew were more than 110,000 miles from Earth and were quickly gaining on the moon with another
150,000 milestogo. They should reach their destination on Monday
The three Americans and oneCanadianwill swing around the moon in their Orion capsule, hang aUturn and then head straight back homewithout stopping. They fired Orion’s main engine Thursday night that set them on their course.
“It wasthe most spectacular moment, and it paused all four of us in our tracks,” Wiseman said in aTVinterview They’re thefirst lunar travelers since Apollo 17 in 1972.
“No, not at all. No, it’s war,” he said. Separately, Iranian state media said a U.S. A-10 attack aircraft crashed in the Persian Gulf after being struck by Iranian defense forces
A U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive military situation said earlier that it was not clear if the aircraft crashed or was shot down or whether Iran was involved. Neither the status of the crew nor exactly where it went down was immediately known.
Those incidents came as Iran fired on targets across the Middle East on Friday, keeping the pressure on Israel and its Gulf Arab neighbors despite U.S. and Israeli insistence that Iran’s military capabilities have been all but destroyed.
Neither the White House nor the Pentagon released public information about the downed planes. But the Pentagon notified the House Armed Services Committee that the status of a second service member from the fighter jet was not known.
In an email from the Pentagon obtained by The Associated Press, meanwhile, the military said it received notification of “an aircraft being shot down” in the Middle East, without providing more details Iran’s attacks on Gulf energy infrastructure and its tight grip on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas transits in peacetime, have roiled stock markets, sent oil prices skyrocketing, and threatened to raise the cost of many ba-
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other major Republican candidate in the race, has piled on with criticisms of Letlow
“DEI is a Marxist concept that says everybody has to have equal outcomes regardless of their abilities or regardless of how hard they work or study,” Fleming said in an interview “Socialism or Marxism has never worked in any country.”
So far, Letlow has noted that she has expressed strong opposition to DEI programs since she was elected to the House in 2021. She also noted that Cassidy supported bills passed by Congress that included DEI programs.
On Friday, The TimesPicayune | The Advocate requested an interview with Letlow to ask her to explain how she could call for creating a “division” of DEI at UL-Monroe and then oppose those programs after joining the House the following year “Early on, DEI was presented in higher education as a way to encourage people to achieve the American dream,” the campaign responded in a statement from Letlow “But I quickly witnessed firsthand what it really was: another tool the radical left hijacked to divide people, push indoctrination, and build a system that holds people down instead of lifting them up.”
The wrangling over DEI is taking place six weeks be-
sic goods, including food.
Before word of the rescue, social media footage showed American drones, aircraft and helicopters flying over the mountainous region where a TV channel affiliated with Iranian state television said earlier that at least one pilot bailed out of the fighter jet.
An anchor urged residents to hand over any “enemy pilot” to police and promised a reward.
It was the first time the U.S has lost aircraft in Iranian territory during the conflict and could mark a new level of pressure on the U.S. military Throughout the war, Iran has made a series of claims about shooting down piloted enemy aircraft that turned out not to be true. Friday was the first time that
fore the May 16 Republican primary where Republicans and no-party voters will choose among Fleming, Cassidy, Letlow and Mark Spencer, a political unknown, to be their next senator
The party’s leadership is clear on DEI.
President Donald Trump, from the day he returned to office, has sought to root out DEI policies at the nation’s universities.
Gov Jeff Landry wrote the U.S. Department of Education on Feb. 23 that “harmful diversity, equity and inclusion policies have no place in Louisiana.”
This backdrop explains why Cassidy began slamming Letlow on DEI immediately after Fox News on Wednesday aired a report that contained video of her promoting the benefits of DEI when she was one of six semifinalists to be ULMonroe’s next president in August 2020.
“I think it exposes her true colors,” Cassidy said in a video recorded on Thursday Letlow, who has a doctorate from the University of South Florida, was the university’s executive assistant to the president for external affairs and community outreach at the time. Her comments came three months after a police officer in Minneapolis choked George Floyd to death, spurring a leftward move nationally in favor of DEI and so-called “woke” policies.
‘Progressive leader’
During the interview, Letlow called herself “a strong
Iran went on television urging the public to look for a downed pilot.
Iranian state media said in a post on the social platform X that the military shot down a U.S. F15E Strike Eagle. The aircraft is a variation of the Air Force fighter jet that carries a pilot and weapons system officer
Alan Diehl, a former investigator for the Air Force Safety Center, said the Strike Eagle has an emergency locator beacon in a survival kit that can be set to activate automatically or manually
News about the downed planes came after Iran attacked Kuwait’s
Mina al-Ahmadi oil refinery The state-run Kuwait Petroleum Corp. said firefighters were working to control several blazes.
Kuwait also said an Iranian at-
and progressive leader” and said UL-Monroe’s next president needed to provide powerful support for DEI because the university didn’t have enough women and women of color on the faculty
“We have 8% African American faculty women on this campus,” she said. “That is not enough. That does not reflect our student population.”
She added, “We don’t have enough women at the top. We don’t have enough women of color at the top. I would be committed to that I believe the president needs to have diversity on their senior council, just like you said. You avoid groupthink when you have more diverse voices at the table.”
Pearson Cross, a political-science professor at UL-Monroe, said central to Cassidy’s efforts is an attempt to neutralize or wrestle away from Letlow her chief campaign calling card: Trump’s endorsement of her on Jan. 17.
“Given the strident antiDEI efforts by Trump and Landry, being a supporter of DEI makes it seem like you’re terribly out of step,” Cross said “That’s a point the Cassidy campaign is making. It’s evidence that Letlow is not one of us.”
Ed Chervenak, a UNO political science professor, said Cassidy’s tactics are clear
“He wants to reassure conservative voters that he’s the conservative candidate in the race, not Letlow,”
Chervenak said.
tack caused “material damage” to a desalination plant. Such plants are responsible for most of the drinking water for Gulf states, and they have become a major target in the war
Also sirens sounded in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia said it destroyed several Iranian drones, and Israel reported incoming missiles.
Authorities in the United Arab Emirates shut down a gas field after a missile interception reportedly rained debris on it and started a fire.
Activists reported strikes around Tehran and the central city of Isfahan, but it was not immediately clear what was hit.
In Lebanon, where Israel has launched a ground invasion in its fight with the pro-Iranian Hezbol-
Undermine narrative
The Letlow campaign is seeking to undermine that narrative by reminding voters that Cassidy voted to convict Trump on impeachment charges after the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol, and by noting that Cassidy, in August 2023 said Trump should drop out of the presidential race because he was facing criminal charges from four
lah militant group, an Israeli drone strike on worshippers leaving Friday prayers near Beirut killed two people, according to the state-run National News Agency
More than 1,900 people have been killed in Iran since the war began on Feb. 28 with U.S. and Israeli strikes. In a review released Friday the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, a U.S.-based group, said it found that civilian casualties were clustered around strikes on security and state-linked sites “rather than indiscriminate bombardment” of urban areas. More than two dozen people have died in Gulf states and the occupied West Bank, 19 have been reported dead in Israel and 13 U.S. service members have been killed. More than 1,300 people have been killed and more than 1 million displaced in Lebanon. Ten Israeli soldiers have also died there. World leaders, meanwhile, have struggled to end Iran’s stranglehold on the waterway, which has had far-reaching consequences for the global economy and has proved to be its greatest strategic advantage in the war
The U.N. Security Council was expected to take up the matter Saturday Trump has vacillated on America’s role in the strait, alternately threatening Iran if it does not open the strait and telling other nations to “go get your own oil.” On Friday he said in a post on social media that, “With a little more time, we can easily OPEN THE HORMUZ STRAIT, TAKE THE OIL, & MAKE A FORTUNE.”
Spot prices of Brent crude, the international standard, were around $109, up more than 50% since the start of the war when Iran began restricting traffic through the strait.
indictments. (Trump was convicted by a jury in New York City in May 2024 of paying hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels to hide a sex scandal that threatened to derail his 2016 presidential campaign.)
The Letlow campaign is also zeroing in on several bills where Cassidy joined some Republicans in voting with Democrats to pass bills when President Joe Biden was in office. Tucked into these sprawling bills were
measures that promoted DEI.
“Cassidy,” Letlow said in her statement, “voted with Democrats to fund and expand the DEI machine. So the contrast in this race is simple: I fought it, and he helped bankroll it.”
There are three candidates in the May 16 Democratic primary They are Nick Albares, Jamie Davis and Gary Crockett. None currently holds elected office.
Zelenskyyopento potentialEastertruce
BY VOLODYMYR YURCHUK Associated Press
KYIV,Ukraine Russian strikes killed at least eight people across Ukraine on Friday,including in a “massive” missile and drone attack near the capital, local authorities reported.
Ukrainian officials claim the Kremlin is changing its tactics to increase civilian suffering, shifting to daytime barrages and preparing to target more key infrastructure
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signaled Kyiv’sopenness to a potential Easter truce. The holiday is celebrated on April 12in Ukraine and Russia.
Zelenskyy also said that Ukraine is preparing for ashift in Russian aerial tactics, with intelligence indicating that future attacks will move beyond energy infrastructure.
Russia’sDefenseMinistry said
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Thetwo businesses play different rolesinthe prescription drug supply chain and have conflicting interests. Pharmaceutical companies manufacture drugs.
Pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, administer drug benefits on behalf of health plans and negotiate with manufacturers for lower prices. PBMsalso determine which drugs ahealth plan covers.
What wouldthe billsdo?
Senate Bill 387 targets PBMs and would allow the commissioner of the Louisiana Department of Insurance to do annual audits.
Those could include the amount of rebates PBMs get from drug manufacturers for offering their drugs to patients, how much PBMs reimburse pharmacies for the drugs they dispense, and historicaldata on the pharmacy claims they’ve handled.
The InsuranceDepartment would also be allowed to audit the books and records “of any entity ina pharmacy benefit manager’s corporate verticalstructure,” including affiliated pharmacies and insurance companies as well as businesses that purchase and distribute drugs.
“The regulator needs line of sight,” Bass said, adding that’s especially important when some of thedrug purchasingbusinesses are incorporated in other countries.
Senate Bill 401 deals with pharmaceutical companies. It would require drugmakers to disclose to Louisiana regulators costs for ato-bedetermined list of “critical” medicines. That includes production,research and development and marketing costs as well as the prices they charge buyers like wholesalers and pharma-
192 Ukrainian drones wereshot down overnightacross Russia and occupied Crimea.
“The Kyiv region is once again under amassive Russianmissile anddrone attack,” said Mykola Kalashnyk, head of the regional
military administration, in aTelegram post on Friday Kalashnyk said one person died and at least eight others were woundedinstrikes on three of Kyiv’ssatellitetowns —Bucha, Fastiv and Obukhiv.Earlier in the
week, residents of Bucha marked thefourthanniversary of atrocities committed in the townbyRussia’sinvading forces. Obukhiv resident Lesia Podoriako,37, told The Associated Press she was at work withher child when she learned her building had been struck.
“I found out about it through Telegramchannels. Then all my friends andacquaintances startedcalling me, telling me that our building wasattacked. Ihave no words. The main thing is that everyone is alive and healthy,” she said.
Anotherpersonwas killed in Ukraine’snorthern Sumy region after aRussian guided aerial bomb struck an apartment block, local Gov.Oleh Hryhorovreported. Authorities in the Kherson, Zhytomyr, Kharkiv and Donetsk regions also reported casualties from Friday’sattacks. Ukrainian officials highlighted what theysaid were increased daytimeattacks by Russia, whichthey said could lead to more civilian
deaths. For months, Moscow pummeled Ukraine with nighttime missile and drone strikes that could involve hundreds of drones at atime. Ukraine’sForeign Minister,Andrii Sybiha, said in apost on Xthat “almost half athousand drones and cruise missiles” attacked Ukraine overnight.
“This is how Moscow responds to Ukraine’s Easter ceasefire proposals —with brutal attacks,” Sybiha said. Zelenskyy on Thursday signaled Kyiv’scontinued openness to apotential truce on Easter,which falls next week according to the Julian calendar followed by Orthodox churches in Ukraine and Russia. Zelenskyy toldreportersthatthe proposalhad been communicated to Moscow through U.S. channels. He added that the Kremlin’sresponse remains unclear Zelenskyy has previously offered aceasefire for the Easter period but Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said earlier this week that Moscow wants alasting peace settlement, not atemporary truce.
cies.
Pharmaceutical companies would also have to notify regulatorswhenthe wholesale price of adrug increasesand explain why theprice went up.
Anew PrescriptionDrug Affordability Board would use that information to provide areport on drug prices it deems“excessively high.”
It wouldalso identify the top 25 drugs for each of three categories: costliest drugs in Louisiana,most frequently prescribeddrugs in thestate, and drugs with the highest year-over-year cost increases.
The board would also make policy recommendations on how to lower prices. The legislation is meantto determine if drugs are “too costly for our constituents” and,ifso, why that’s the case, said Sen.KirkTalbot, R-River Ridge, the bill sponsor PhRMA opposed the measure.
“Itisinsurers andtheir PBMs that decide whata patient is expected to pay,” said Charise Richard,senior directorofstate policy at PhRMA.
TargetingPBMs
Senate Bill 387 expands regulators’ ability to audit PBMs,but it alsogoesfurther,imposing stricter regulations for those businesses.
Among the most controversial: Pharmacy benefit managersinLouisiana would onlybeable to make money by chargingtheir clients a flat administrative feeorby earninga flat-feebonus from plans for reducing their prescriptiondrug costs.
PBMs wouldbeprohibited from generating income that’stied to the priceofa drug orhow muchitreduces the priceofadrug through rebates from drug manufacturers.
That provision drew pushback from the PBM trade group.
“PCMA supports efforts to bring transparency across the drug supply chain,” the
group said in astatement.
“SB387 goes much further by enacting unprecedented restrictions on PBM tools designed to force Big Pharma to lower their prices.”
Philip Christofanelli, a senior director forPCMA, warned lawmakers on Wednesday thatthere could be “grave” consequences from such achange and consumer drug prices would go up.
He said that currently, PBMsapproach prospective health plan clientswithan offer to save theplan money on itsprescriptiondrug benefit, anditthengets paid by theplan based on how much it saves.
He explained the logic: “It will not cost you anything up front because we can be paid outofthe savings that we secure.Thataligns the incentivesbythe PBMtoobtain as much savings as possible andthe employerorthe clienttoenjoythe benefit of those savings.”
Christofanelli said pharmaceutical companies have been pushing for flat-fee PBM policiesnationally “They will profit when they take away the incentives that we have to force them to lower prices,” he said.
In an interview,Bass, thebillsponsor,saidPBMs shouldberequiredtocharge aflat fee.
“Oftentimes their negotiationisnot aboutwhat’s the leastexpensive drug in aclass for theconsumer,” Bass said.“It’swhat has the largestrebate, so they can keep that rebate.”
BY OLIVIA TEES Staff writer
respond effectively and compassionately to situations involving individuals on the autism spectrum. The program includes stickers that can be placed on the rear window of a car or near the primary door of a house and an optional Autism Alert Database where families can register their address, alerting deputies that an individual
with special needs lives there.
“The program is about understanding and communication and building trust in our community with individuals with special needs,” said West Baton Rouge Sheriff Jeff Bergeron.
All of the sheriff’s deputies also completed a one-hour online course on autism spectrum disorder which provided specialized training for situations involving people with special needs. Bergeron said they compared their program with others in the country to learn what was most effective and the best way to get
everyone on board.
Moving forward, the WBRSO plans to implement ongoing education and more in-depth training to build a stronger foundation in specialized care.
“We recognize that our deputies encounter individuals with special needs autism, whether it be on traffic stops, calls for service or emergencies, and we want to make sure that the interactions are safe, respectful and informed,” Bergeron said.
When Bergeron started as sheriff nearly two years ago, one of his visions for the department was
to serve the special needs community with the compassion and patience they deserve, said Sgt. Landon Groger
Though it has been in the works for some time, they decided to start it in April, which is National Autism Awareness/Acceptance Month.
While this program is mainly focused on West Baton Rouge, Bergeron has brought it to the attention of surrounding departments and their leaders.
“Yes, we are initiating the program, but it’s not just for us. It’s for everybody,” Groger said.
ABOVE: Caden Brownell works at getting Easter lilies ready at Billy Heroman’s florist. Billy Heroman’s supplies Easter flowers to about nine local churches.
RIGHT: Luis Ivan Hernandez works at getting Easter lilies ready at Billy Heroman’s florist
By
Rapid genetic sampling done at random eateries
BY JOSIE ABUGOV Staff writer
The drive along U.S. 190 in Acadiana is a destination for those in search of authen-
BY ELLYN COUVILLION
tic Cajun cuisine, but new testing shows some of the seafood may not be locally sourced.
SeaD Consulting, the company using a rapid genetic test to identify shrimp species, is on a mission to help revitalize the state’s ailing coastal industry by shining a light on seafood mislabeling
ä See SHRIMP, page 2B
The newest batch of shrimp testing from a company sampling restaurants across the South found that half of the restaurants sampled along a stretch of 190 in Louisiana were serving imported shrimp, and that these establishments were mostly claiming to serve local catch.
Questions arise on state requirements when obtaining deal
BY CHRISTOPHER CARTWRIGHT Staff writer
In new lawsuits, advocacy groups say Louisiana Economic Development and others didn’t respect the state constitution when authorizing bonds and spending taxpayer money for industrial development in Ascension Parish.
Donaldsonville resident Harry Joseph Sr., Rural Roots Louisiana and Louisiana Bucket Brigade allege LED and the Louisiana Division of Administration didn’t follow constitutional requirements when obtaining a multimillion cooperative endeavor agreement with Hyundai, which plans to build a $5.8 billion steel mill near Donaldsonville.
In a separate lawsuit in St. John the Baptist Parish, the same plaintiffs claim the Port of South Louisiana failed to provide proper notice for $400 million in bonds connected to the development of a major dock at the RiverPlex MegaPark
in Ascension Parish. The suit was filed in the parish where the port organization is based.
Pam Spees, an attorney with the Center for Constitutional Rights, who represents the plaintiffs, said in a statement that it is “astonishing to see how casually state officials think they can dispense with hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars and decide to end a Louisiana community that has been there for generations.”
“Worse, so much of this has happened behind a veil of secrecy and nondisclosure agreements for the benefit of companies that will bring more pollution to the Parish,” she said. “The plaintiffs are having to bring these cases to get answers to serious questions about how all of this transpired.”
In a statement, LED Secretary Susan Bourgeois said the “state followed all laws and established processes in securing this project, and we are confident in the cooperative endeavor agreement.”
“These types of claims from organizations and individuals trying to halt progress in this state does not change the fact that this project went through appropriate
Narcotics found in ice cream machines, officials say
BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer
Representatives of the Homeland Security Task Force provided details Thursday on five drug busts around the state that took 335 pounds of methamphetamine, 253 pounds of cocaine and 25 pounds of fentanyl off the streets. The drug busts were conducted
Continued from page 1B
at restaurants. Louisiana shrimpers have for years struggled to compete against cheap foreign imports. The vast majority of seafood consumed in the U.S. is imported from other countries.
For their latest round of tests, team members at the company tested 24 eateries in March along 190 between St. Landry and Allen parishes, starting in Krotz Springs and ending in Kinder
“We were pretty surprised, because this area is known for its Cajun culture,” said Dave Williams, who leads the company “When you go there, you expect to eat crawfish and shrimp.”
The 50% authenticity rate in the area trails the New Orleans area where over 80% of randomly selected restaurants were serving local shrimp However, the results along U.S. 190 track with findings in areas farther from the coast, Williams said.
In Shreveport, for instance, the testers found that nearly 60% of restaurants sampled were falsely promoting their seafood.
“When imported shrimp is passed off as local catch, especially in communities like Eunice where seafood traditions run deep, it harms both consumers and the livelihoods of Louisiana shrimpers,” said Andrew Blanchard, head of the Loui-
between mid-February and midMarch in Lafayette, Calcasieu Parish, Shreveport, Alexandria and Breaux Bridge, where illegal drugs were found in ice cream machines.
The operations, according to U.S Attorney Zachary Keller of the Western District in Lafayette, led to the arrests of more than a dozen people.
Two drug cartels, Jalisco Nueva Generacion Cartel and the Gulf Cartel, Keller said, are among those bringing drugs into Louisiana. There are others, he added.
“This is not a surge,” Keller said.
“This is not a special operation.”
This he said, is what the Homeland Security Task Force is designed to do, root it out.”
One hundred kilograms of cocaine was discovered in a truck in Lafayette and 147 kilograms of methamphetamine were found in another, Steven Hofer, special agent in charge with the Drug Enforcement Agency said during a Tuesday morning news conference in Lafayette.
“That’s hundreds of thousands of
doses,” Hofer said. In the Shreveport area, federal prosecutors are pursuing charges against 10 people described as being part of transnational criminal organizations that allegedly trafficked large quantities of fentanyl, fentanyl analogues and methamphetamine through Houston to Shreveport. One person who bought and used drugs from Willie Baker, charged in the Shreveport case, has died, Keller said. Some of the arrests stemmed from investigations. Others from routine traffic stops by Louisiana
siana Shrimp Task Force. The Louisiana Shrimp Task Force, which reports to the state wildlife agency, hired the company to conduct the testing. The Acadiana shrimp testing coincides with efforts at the Louisiana Legislature to tighten regulations around imported seafood Last year, a new law took effect requiring establishments to clearly state the country of origin of the shrimp and crawfish that they’re selling, or face thousands of dollars in fines.
This year, state legislators are considering measures that would give the commissioner of agriculture and forestry the ability to seize imported seafood that fails to meet safety and testing standards. Other laws would help the agriculture department track the seafood supply chain and fund efforts to promote Louisiana seafood. Williams said that under the current landscape, enforcement of mislabeled seafood is subpar and that
there are still ways for establishments to avoid fessing up to selling foreign imports
Most of the restaurants found to be serving imported shrimp along U.S. 190 also claimed they were serving local shrimp. Some of this false advertising came from descriptions on the menu, Williams said, while in other cases, restaurant servers told the testers that they were selling local catch. Only three of the 12 restaurants selling imported
Continued from page 1B
channels,” she said. “It is both unfortunate and ironic this small audience continues to try and limit opportunities for the very same citizens they claim to champion.”
In a statement, Port of South Louisiana Spokesperson Micah Cormier said the claims in the lawsuit “are without merit.”
“The Port has fully complied with all applicable laws and long standing public notice requirements governing its actions,” he wrote. “The plaintiffs’ legal arguments rely on statutes that simply do not apply to the Port of South Louisiana, underscoring that this filing is not about transparency or process, but about delay.”
Details of public funds
The lawsuit against LED and the Division of Administration concerns a cooperative endeavor
agreement with Hyundai. According to the agreement, which was included with the filing, the state agreed to more than $200 million in incentives. These involved purchasing the land for the facility, infrastructure improvements and up to $100 million in reimbursements to the company for land improvements and other work
The complaint alleges the state was required to get approval for these expenditures from the State Bond Commission, but it failed to do so. According to the lawsuit, which was filed by Spees and attorney William Quigley in East Baton Rouge Parish, the commission had no records of an application for approval of the CEA.
“Neither the Division of Administration nor LED have produced any applications to or written approvals from the State Bond Commission in response to Plaintiffs’ public records requests,” the two wrote.
The Louisiana Constitution says that no “bonds or other obliga-
tions shall be issued or sold by the state, directly or through any state board, agency or commission, or by any political subdivision of the state, unless prior written approval of the bond commission is obtained.”
Quigley and Spees also detailed a Payments In Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) agreement between the Ascension Parish Industrial Development Board and Hyundai, in which the board will lease the land to Hyundai rather than Hyundai owning the property and paying taxes.
According to the complaint, Hyundai will pay $553 million in taxes over the 32-year agreement rather than the estimated $1.2 billion it would be assessed if Hyundai owned the site.
Allegedly failed to give notice
The lawsuit against the Port of South Louisiana follows slightly similar lines, arguing the port failed to provide proper notice of its plans to issue millions in bonds.
State Police and local law enforcement agents, including a bust with the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office, where 15 kilograms of cocaine was seized on Feb 12, said Matt Wright, special agent with Homeland Security Investigations. Two illegal immigrants and one U.S. citizen were arrested, he said. State troopers are on Louisiana’s highways and interstates every day, stopping motorists for traffic violations. They are trained to look beyond the traffic violation for things like drug trafficking, Louisiana State Police Superintendent Col. Robert Hodges said.
At the second Louisiana Shrimp Festival/Shrimp Aid in October 2025, SeaD Consulting presented testing to determine if shrimp is local or imported.
shrimp correctly identified the source of their products.
Sharon Sebastien, the owner of Sebastien’s West End Seafood in Opelousas, said her business takes pride in its local seafood. Even though Gulf shrimp can cost a few extra dollars per pound for buyers than an imported variety, Sebastien said, 90% of customers want the local option.
“There’s no comparison in the taste,” she said.
She said she does sell one kind of imported shrimp — an easy-peel shrimp but only because she hasn’t found anyone locally handling that product. EZ Peel shrimp include a slit along the back to make them easier to peel.
Sebastien keeps the imported version in a freezer separate from the local options, as she wants her
According to the complaint, in August the port’s Board of Commissioners approved “a resolution giving preliminary approval to the issuance of up to $400 million in revenue bonds and up to $40 million in bond anticipation notes.”
The bonds are intended to fund the creation of a dock connected to the RiverPlex MegaPark, the region where Hyundai and other companies want to build their plants.
The board published minutes of the meeting in L’Observateur, a local newspaper, but the complaint states it failed to publish notice in the state’s official journal, which is The Advocate. It also failed to publish the resolution in either paper
“The notice of the meeting minutes also did not comply with the constitutional requirement that the notice of a bond issuance ‘include a description of the bonds and the security therefor,’ ” the document states. “The notice as published did not mention what the $400 million in bonds and $40
customers to know that the entirety of her display box is “100% Gulf shrimp.”
“We pride ourselves on telling our customers exactly what we’re selling,” Sebastien said.
Below are the 12 restaurants along U.S. 190 found to be serving domestic shrimp SeaD declines to name the restaurants selling imported shrimp since doing so would let other restaurants mislabel their products, but not be randomly selected for the testing off the hook The company also notes that fraud can occur throughout the supply chain, meaning restaurants
Opelousas.
Email Josie Abugov at josie.abugov@theadvocate. com.
million in bond anticipation notes would be spent on, nor where.” In his statement, Port Spokesperson Cormier said that public notice “was provided in accordance with the law through the Port’s official journal, a trusted local newspaper that has served this community for generations.”
“That process exists to inform the people who live and work here,” he wrote. “It is not meant to satisfy legal theories developed in a Manhattan skyscraper by parties whose sole mission is to stop any form of economic development that breaks the chains of generational poverty for Louisiana families.”
2, 2026
Hill, Gloria Mount Gideon BaptistChurch, 2453 Hwy 952, Jackson, La at 11am
Jackson, Mattie
Greater MountGideonBaptist Church, 205AliceSt.,Baton Rouge,La. at 11am
Lefebvre, Emma Holy Family Catholic Church in Port Allenat1 p.m
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Martin &CastilleFuneralHomeSouthside, La FleurdeLis Chapel, 600 E. Farrel Road in Lafayette,at1 p.m Vessel,Augustan Sage Hill BaptistChurch, 7708Sage Hill Road,St. Francisville,Louisianaat 11am
Obituaries
Banker, Raymond 'Woody'
Raymond "Woody Banker, Sr., anative of Baton Rouge, LA and aresident of Prairieville, LA, passed awayathis home on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, at the age of 83. He worked in construction, where he was owner and manager of Graphite Repairs. He enjoyed hunting and fishing with his family and most importantly his wife. He was preceded in
death by his parents, Ernest Bankerand Arena E. Banker; brother, Kirby Cruse;and sister, Patsy Hoffman. He is survivedbyhis lovingwifeof63years, Inez Rivault Banker;sons, Ray W. Banker, Jr.and wife Tammy, Rick W. Banker and wifeTammy, Ron W. Bankerand wife Heather; grandchildren, KendallIngram and husband Andrew, Cody Bankerand wifeTaylor, Austin Banker and wifeMaddie, Whitney Verret and husband Dylan, Justin Banker, Katelyn Craven and husband John, Blake Banker,LaneBanker, Andrea Falconand husband Chad, and Kevin Cahill and wifeKatelyn; great grandchildren, Kirra, Andi and Keegan Ingram, CharleyVerret, Amelia Banker,Marissaand RaeganFalcon, Lylah, Avah, and SavannahCahill. Mary Feigle and husband Rick, Jesse Hux and husband Joe; along with many nieces and nephews and special cousin, Byrne Dean Hoffman.
Visitationwillbeheldat ResthavenFuneralHome, 11817Jefferson Hwy in Baton Rouge,onMonday, April 6, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. until Funeral Service at 11:00a.m. conducted by Deacon Randy Clement. Pallbearerswill be Cody Banker, JustinBanker, Blake Banker, Austin Banker, LaneBanker, AndrewIngram, Dylan Verret, and John Craven. Honorary pallbearers will be Paul D'agostino and Jeff Adams. SpecialthankstoDr. Richard Lieux. In lieuof flowers, donationscan be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Family and friends may
signthe online guestbook or leave apersonal note to thefamily at www.resthav enbatonrouge.com.
PeggyFleniken passed away, March 30, 2026. Relativesand friendsare invited to thechapel of Rabenhorst Funeral Home, 825 Government St.for avisitation on April 6, 2026, beginning at 10:00AMuntil a small serviceat12:00PM. A burialistofollow at Roselawn MemorialPark. For thefull obituary please see www.rabenhorst.com
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Wall Street closed but futures inch lower
U.S. futures were trading modestly lower early Friday following surprisingly strong jobs data from the federal government.
Equity markets are closed for Good Friday, but futures markets were trading into Friday morning, albeit quietly
Futures for S&P 500 dipped 0.3%, futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.2% and Nasdaq futures were down 0.4%.
American employers added a surprisingly strong 178,000 new jobs last month, rebounding from a dismal February that saw 133,000 job losses. The unemployment rate dipped to 4.3% from 4.4%.
Energy markets were closed Friday following big price surges the day before on fears that the Iran war will drag on longer than expected U.S. benchmark crude rose 11.4% to $111.54 a barrel on Thursday The price of Brent crude, the international standard, jumped 7.8% to $109.03 per barrel.
U.S. President Donald Trump late Wednesday vowed the U.S. will continue to attack Iran and failed to offer a clear timetable for ending the conflict in the Middle East
Amazon to surcharge third-party sellers
NEW YORK Amazon is slapping a 3.5% fuel and logistics surcharge on third-party sellers using its platform starting later this month amid a spike in fuel prices since the war in Iran started.
The temporary charge is effective April 17 for many of the sellers who use Amazon’s fulfillment services, the online behemoth confirmed to The Associated Press in an email Thursday.
“Elevated costs in fuel and logistics have increased the cost of operating across the industry,” Amazon said in the emailed statement.
The Seattle-based company said it has absorbed these increases so far but similar to other major carriers, when costs remain elevated, it implements temporary surcharges to partially recover these costs. It noted the charge is “meaningfully” lower than surcharges applied by other major carriers.
“We remain committed to our selling partners’ success and to maintaining broad selection and low prices for customers,” Amazon added.
Amazon’s fuel and logistics-related surcharge will apply to U.S and Canadian sellers using its Fulfillment by Amazon option. Starting May 2, the surcharge will take effect with sellers using the Buy with Prime and Multi-Channel Fulfillment options.
United Airlines raises checked bag fees
Most travelers flying with United Airlines will now pay $10 more to check their luggage beginning on Friday, as rising jet fuel costs driven by the war in the Middle East pushes another major U.S. carrier to increase fees.
Customers traveling in the United States, Mexico, Canada and Latin America will now pay $45 for their first piece of luggage and $55 for their second bag, according to United
“This is the first time in two years the airline has raised bag fees,” United said in a statement.
Some passengers will still receive a free first checked bag, including co-branded credit card holders, certain loyalty-tier members, active military personnel and travelers in premium cabins.
Customers who check bags less than 24 hours before departure will pay an additional $5. United joins JetBlue which raised checked baggage fees on Monday by up to $9 during peak travel periods, as the war in the Middle East continues to severely disrupt global oil supplies, particularly near the narrow Strait of Hormuz where a fifth of the world’s oil typically passes. That has caused crude prices to fluctuate wildly, which affects airlines’ operating costs because the fuel their aircraft rely on is refined from crude oil.
JetBlue said charging more for optional services used by select customers helps keep base fares competitive. Like United, it will continue offering a free first checked bag to some customers.
BY PAUL WISEMAN and ANNE D’INNOCENZIO AP business writers
WASHINGTON American employers added a surprisingly strong 178,000 new jobs last month, rebounding from a dismal February And the unemployment rate dipped to 4.3%.
The Labor Department reported Friday that hiring marked a turnaround from the loss of 133,000 jobs in February The job gains were about three times what economists had forecast. But uncertainty surrounding the war with Iran — and
its impact on energy prices is clouding the outlook for the labor market.
The unemployment rate was down from 4.4% in February That is partly because the labor force those working and looking for work — dropped by 396,000 in March so fewer people were competing for jobs. In fact, the percentage of people in the labor force dropped to 61.9% last month, the lowest since November 2021
Health care companies added 76,400 jobs last month, boosted by the return of 31,000 Kaiser Permanente employees to work after the end of a strike in February Factories added 15,000 jobs last month but have still shed jobs for 14 of the
last 16 months. Construction companies added 26,000 jobs, probably partly because of warmer weather last month.
Average hourly wages were up 0.2% from February Compared to March 2025, they were up 3.5% — the smallest gain since May 2021 and one consistent with the Federal Reserve’s 2% annual inflation target. Labor Department revisions shaved 7,000 jobs off combined January and February payrolls.
The U.S. job market has been in a slump over the past year Most economists say the impact of the war and higher energy prices was probably not fully reflected in the March jobs numbers.
Eggs for Easter cost much less in the U.S. than last year
BY DEE-ANN DURBIN AP business writer
U.S. egg prices have fallen 60% from last year’s record highs, making it easier for consumers to fill their Easter baskets and Passover Seder plates. Bird flu was to blame for elevated retail prices during the first five months of 2025, and the course of the highly contagious disease is a big reason why prices are much lower now. An outbreak forced farmers and commercial producers to slaughter entire broods of egg-laying hens, but ebbing cases in the second half of last year helped restore egg supplies, said Mark Jordan, the executive director of agricultural research firm LEAP Market Analytics.
The stubborn outbreak is still affecting U.S. poultry flocks, with the number of infected commercial flocks rising in March. But farmers have been rapidly replenishing flocks that died or had to be destroyed. Between July 2024 and July 2025, the number of egg-type chicks hatched in the U.S. rose 8%. It was the first sustained and substantial increase in the availability of specially-bred layer chicks since the bird flu outbreak began in 2022, Jordan said.
The Trump administration’s decision to import nearly 1 billion eggs last year also helped lower prices, Jordan said, although imports have since returned to more normal levels. The U.S. also exported fewer eggs last year to help boost domestic supplies
But what’s good for consumers isn’t necessarily good for farmers, who are finding it difficult to recoup their costs as egg prices plummet. They also may have to pay more for feed, including corn and soybean meal, because of the Iran war
“Farmers are no strangers to volatility It’s part of the business. But in recent months, many have been selling eggs at or below the cost of production,” said Emily Metz, the president and CEO of the America Egg Board, a trade group.
“The data is mostly backwardlooking, and likely does not incorporate any impact from the recent rise in energy prices, or other risks related to the war in Iran,” Thomas Simons, chief U.S. economist with the investment firm Jefferies, wrote in a commentary Diane Swonk, chief economist at the accounting firm KPMG, said that the economy is getting a lift from big tax refunds made possible by President Donald Trump’s 2025 tax cuts. “But those are now being eaten up by higher energy costs,” she said.
Last year employers added an average of just 9,700 jobs a month, the weakest hiring outside a recession since 2002.
BY THE NUMBERS
n $2.50 per dozen: Average U.S. price for a dozen eggs in February.
n $6.23 per dozen: Average U.S. price for a dozen eggs in March 2025, which was an all-time high.
n 315.8 million: Number of egg-laying hens in the U.S. as of March 1.That’s 8% higher than last year
n 45 million: Number of egglaying hens in Iowa, the top U.S. state for egg production.
n 205.7 million: Number of chickens and other birds in commercial and backyard flocks that died or were culled due to bird flu since February 2022.
n 5.22 million: Number of chickens and other birds that died or were culled because of bird flu in March 2026.That is more than double the number affected in March 2025.
n 657%: The percentage increase in U.S. imports of shell eggs in 2025 compared to the year before.
n $1.05: Average cost for farmers to produce a dozen eggs, not including labor and transportation, according to the American Egg Board. In late March, the national average wholesale price of eggs was $1.17 per dozen.
n 40,000: Number of real eggs that will be used for this year’s White House Easter Egg Roll.
BY MEGAN ULU-LANI BOYANTON
The Seattle Times (TNS)
Starbucks is extending its baristas the chance to earn $300 quarterly bonuses, on top of other changes meant to sweeten the retail employee experience. The Seattle-based coffee giant debuted its new incentive rewards program for hourly coffeehouse employees Thursday morning. The bonuses for baristas and shift supervisors will be based on performance. Employees could earn an extra $1,200 annually if their stores meet and exceed sales, operational and customer service goals, per the announcement. “This reward recognizes teams that work together to deliver ex-
cellence and is part of our commitment to shared success,” Chief Operating Officer Mike Grams and Chief Partner Officer Sara Kelly wrote in a letter to employees Thursday Starbucks said the program is “subject to collective bargaining as required by federal law” at the U.S. stores that belong to the union. Starbucks Workers United, the union representing thousands of baristas, said the news is “clearly a reaction to our organizing and demands for higher take-home pay for baristas.” Starbucks estimates 5% of U.S. stores are represented by the union. For nonunionized stores, the
change will take effect in July That month, employees will also begin receiving tips from additional ordering and payment methods, such as credit and debit cards for mobile order and pay At present, workers can only get tips in cash or through Starbucks card payments used at point of sale and for drive-thru orders. Starbucks estimates the combination of bonuses and tipping alternatives could boost earnings for employees by 5%-8%. However Workers United said: “It’s notable that these bonuses and tips will be largely out of baristas’ control, relying on customer tipping and store performance metrics as determined by Starbucks management.”
Other adjustments are part of the upcoming rollout. In August, the company will transition to weekly pay for all U.S. employees in response to feedback. Starbucks currently operates on a biweekly schedule. Starbucks will also begin hiring for a new position: coffeehouse coaches, described as “full-time members of management who, together with the coffeehouse leader, keep locations running smoothly” by the company It plans to fill 90% of retail leadership positions with internal candidates. The company projects that its average total pay and benefits equate to over $30 per hour for hourly employees when they work 20 hours or more each week.
Whatever happened to songs that benchmarkhistoryand cultural change? For years, songwriters andmusicians gave us refrains that defined eras, from stirringhymns to evocative folk ballads and pop songs. But recently, thesoundtrack of public life hasbeen oddly muffled Buffalo Springfield got it right: “There’s something happening here.Whatitis ain’texactly clear” Era-defining songs often emerged during war and crisis. “Yankee Doodle” mocked British insults against the colonies. Francis Scott Key gave us anational anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” which introduced sacred phrases —from “dawn’searly light” and “twilight’slast gleaming” to “broad stripes and bright stars,” “rocket’sred glare,” “land of the free” and “home of the brave.” The “Battle Hymn of the Republic” wasa riveting Civil Warpoem celebrating survival of the union andthe common thread of prayer.“Dixie” became the anthemfor theConfederacy;itlived on for decades in paradesand high school gymnasiums, buteventually fadedasa relic of thepast. GeorgeM.Cohan’s“Over There” wasa rallyingcry in the First World War. “Happy Days Are Here Again” offered Americans aray of hope during the GreatDepression “God Bless America,” writtenbyIrvingBerlin andfamously sung by Kate Smith, linked prayerwithloveof countryduring World WarII. “Praise theLordand Pass the Ammunition” was aphrase first used by aNavychaplain to reduce the monotony of sailors continuously passingammunition to gunners on the USS New Orleans
The civil rights movement supplied powerfulsongs, many of whichoriginated in African American churches. The best known included “WeShall Overcome,” “Lift Every Voice and Sing” andSam Cooke’s“AChangeisGonna Come.” The1960s birthed arich mixture of music basedon themes of societal change, relating to both therightsrevolution and theVietnam War. James Brown’s “SayItLoud— I’m Black and I’m Proud,” Bob Dylan’s“Blowin’inthe Wind” andPeteSeeger’s“Turn,Turn, Turn” are examples. Dion’s “Abraham, Martin and John” venerateddreams that were deferred by tragic assassinations
The Beatles’ “Revolution” warned us about thehigh cost of destruction and false prophets; theirhit “Blackbird” was about the long-delayed struggle forequality. Spanky and OurGang’s“GiveaDamn”focused onurban poverty. Popularsongs have made the case for genderequality, resilience and self-acceptance. ArethaFranklin’s“Respect,” Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way,”Helen Reddy’s“IAm Woman,” Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive,” Dolly Parton’s“9to5” andDiana Ross’ “I’m Coming Out” usedlyricstobreakstereotypes inways that wereentertaining andmotivating. After the tumult of the 1960s, Don McLean’seight-minute “American Pie” mourned the loss of national innocence. “Borninthe U.S.A.” was Bruce Springsteen’s odetoVietnam veterans. LeeGreenwood’s“God Bless the USA” caught thespirit of renewed patriotism during Ronald Reagan’spresidency Then came “WeAre the World” —aGrammy“record of the year”about poverty and hunger inAfrica that brought together the biggest names in music. Countryhits like Merle Haggard’s“Mama Tried” andToby Keith’s“Courtesyofthe Red, White and Blue”presented era-defining themes from patriotism and nationalism to rebellionand repentance.
Wikipedia lists 39 songs about Donald Trump. Demi Lovato’s “Commander in Chief,” released during thefinalweeks of the2020 election, was afull-throated attackonhis policies and values. “Fighter,” by Joe Kahn, portrayed Trump as an irrepressible leader who always “gets back up” even after an assassinationattempt.
To be sure, newer songs are taking on awide range of contemporary issues —preventable violence, abuse of power, digital anxiety and the implications ofAI. Jon Batiste’shighenergy “Freedom,” released in 2021, hasalreadybecomean anthemcelebrating Black lifeand culture. AndinJanuary, Springsteen’s“Streets of Minneapolis” becamethe foremost protestsongagainst the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
In time, new generations may elevate some of this decade’s songs to era-defining standards,muchasmygeneration did with the music of its own day Unfortunately,the gestation of landmark songs hasbecome increasingly difficult.
New music genres are more frequently looking inward than outward,and that works against creation of enduring anthems. While the digitalage has made musicmoreaccessible andimmediate,it’salsofragmentedaudiences,often alongpoliticaland ideological lines,disrupting appealsfor national unity and common purpose
As poet Heinrich Heine wrote, “Where wordsleaveoff, musicbegins.” Whatever the trends,let’shopemusic continuestocapture the temper of the times.
Ron Faucheux is anonpartisan politicalanalyst,pollster and writer based in Louisiana.
All theairline travelers are very frustrated with thedelays at the airport as they make their way through theTSA checkpoint
When considering theTSA screening, there are three specific activities. First,TSA personnel check your ID. Second, thetraveler walks through thebody scan. Both of these activities are usually completed very quickly
From my own experience, themajor delay is in screening thecarry-on items.
Ihave noticed when traveling that passengers are pushing thelimits of what is permitted for carry-on luggage. Each piece of luggage, purse
or briefcaseneeds to go through thescanning machine. This process takes the most time and delays the movementofthe line, causing significant delays. My recommendation is to require passengers to check luggage with the airline to speed up the screening of passengers. The airlines will need to control theamount of checked luggage to makesure there is sufficient space in the airplane’sstorage area. Iam old enough to remember when all luggage had to be checked with the airline.
BRIAN ALMON Metairie
In responsetothe recent letter by Michael Gallagher regarding the California motor-voter Law,Ithink it is important that the law be clarified, as it was misrepresented in the post The law does indeed allow voters to be automatically registered tovote when making atransaction at the DMV
However,it’simportanttonote that the participant must meet certain criteria. Youmust be aU.S. citizen, aresident of California, mentally competent and you must not be serving astate or federal prison term. Youmust indicatethat you are eligible, and individuals holding an AB 60 license are not eligible to participateinthe motor-voter program and are thereforenot eligible to vote.
In her recent television ads, U.S. Rep.Julia Letlow characterizes herself as a“Trumpconservative.”
While Iamnot aconservative, I am old enough to remember honorable men such as Ronald Reagan, John McCain and Orrin Hatch, who adhered to true conservative principles in their political lives.
Irarely agreed with them, but I
The AB60 license clearly states “Federal Limits Apply.” It is alicense issued to California residents who cannot provideproof of legal immigration status but meet certain requirements set by the California DMV. According to California public records, there have been zero noncitizens registered to vote. There are protocols in place to ensure these license holders are not enrolled in the voter registration program.They are not granted the right to vote. Ithink it’simportant that facts regarding this program be clarified, as this is exactly how misinformation is shared, heard, read andthen repeated by any willing believer
DEBBIEGRACE Baton Rouge
respected their consistent conservatism
On theother hand, from his imposition of excessive tariffs to his militarization of our city streets, his dissing of NATO and threats to thesovereignty of Greenland, and far beyond, President Donald Trumphas taken the beliefsofthese men,flung them to the ground and
Thank you, thank you, to George Will forthe truth he wrote about immigrants in his column on March 25.
Ican even hear my dead husband thanking him,one whorefused to read his column. Thank you! He has strengthened my faith that there are conservatives who actually speak the truth. My only wish is that all Americans could see and read it.
Yes, we should be valuing these people whohave graced our shores instead of arresting them.Finally,someone has done the research that proves that they are giving morethan they are receiving, that they are helping us morethan they are harming us. But Iguess that old saying is true —nothing happens until it happens to you. So happy Will’smissing Jose caused him to do the research that he shared.
The only part of his column I disagree with is that he blamed President Joe Biden forthe great number that came into the country during his tenure. He should put the blamewhere it belongs —onour Congress. There is aneed foranimmigration policy that Congress refuses to create.
But Iamreally happy there isn’tone being created now.Can you imagine one created by this Congress?
MERLE T. HARRIS NewOrleans
stomped on them.
Ihave yet to hear Letlow challenge any of the aforementioned actions of Trumporany of his other harebrained ideas. So, Irequest that in the future, your newspaper identifyLetlow as what she truly is: a Trumper,and only aTrumper
PETE WILLIAMS Metairie
Everybody
BY SCOTT RABALAIS Staff writer
If there was one negative thought that crept into LSU coach Jay Clark’s mind Thursday night as his Tigers were nailing routine after routine in their NCAA gymnastics regional semifinal, it might have been this: Save a little for Saturday LSU thundered past its competition and into the NCAA Baton Rouge regional final at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center with a stellar score of 198.375, the Tigers’ best mark this season, best-ever score in an NCAA regional and the
program’s fourth-best score of all time
“I don’t care about score,” Clark said after the meet Allow him to expand.
“I do believe it was our best performance (this season),” Clark said. “But our score doesn’t mean anything.
“We have to duplicate it Saturday Everyone is hungry for the same thing. This was just step one.”
The big video scoreboards are indeed wiped clean going into Saturday The fact that LSU practically lapped the second-place team in its session Clemson at 196.800 — and was more than a full point ahead of Stanford’s first-place score of 197.175 in Thursday’s first session doesn’t count for anything.
LSU, Clemson, Stanford and Michigan — which also advanced Thursday afternoon with Stanford — are all starting at zero when the final begins at 5 p.m. The top two teams from this meet are the two that will advance to the eight-team NCAA championships on April 16 and 18 in Fort Worth, Texas.
If LSU wants to make it to nationals for the fourth straight year and 35th time overall, the Tigers must finish first or second. The same for the other three teams on the floor Saturday That said, based on how they performed Thursday should have the Tigers in their best possible headspace, to Clark’s way of thinking.
“They ought to be superbly confident going into Saturday,” he said. No one has a reason to be more confident than LSU sophomore
BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer
BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer
The first year of defensive coordinator Brandon Staley’s scheme unlocked some of the New Orleans Saints edge defenders. Chase Young had a career year despite missing the first five games with a calf injury Cam Jordan turned back the clock by posting his first double-digit sack campaign since 2021. Carl Granderson exceeded his 2024 sack total despite playing 170 fewer pass-rush snaps. All of those players had been 4-3 defensive ends before Staley arrived, but all delivered quality snaps as standup edge rushers in Staley’s 3-4 scheme. Now the question is, what could Staley draw up ä NFL Draft Round 1, 7 P.M.APRIL 23,ESPN
BY EDDIE PELLS
BY AARON BEARD AP Basketball Writer
INDIANAPOLIS Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said Friday he’s remaining with the Wildcats after being mentioned as a potential candidate to fill the coaching vacancy at blueblood program North Carolina.
“I’m happy to announce I’m staying at Arizona,” Lloyd said during his pre-practice news conference at the Final Four. “We’ve been able to get some things done the past couple days.”
The school also announced it had reached an extension with Lloyd through the 2030-31 season, though it didn’t release financial terms. Lloyd had previously been under contract through the 2029-30 season worth an average of nearly $5.5 million in base and supplemental pay for the coming seasons, along with a buyout that dropped from $11 million to $9 million on Wednesday Lloyd, 51, had been considered a top potential target for the Tar Heels, who fired Hubert Davis on March 24 after five seasons. He had deflected questions about the UNC opening as the Wildcats (362) kept advancing in the NCAA Tournament to their first Final Four since 2001 including as recently as Thursday in Indianapolis Lloyd praised UNC as “a firstclass organization” and said he appreciated “the way they’ve handled this.”
“Arizona basketball, you guys know what it means to me, and when I say it’s a special place, that always comes from the bottom of my heart,” Lloyd said.
“I didn’t want to make this entire Final Four about that because I’m just a small part of something much bigger. But on that same note, I’d also like to let you know that North Carolina is an amazing place. I mean, it’s a 1 of 1. It’s an honor to even be considered for that job.”
Lloyd’s comments came a day before the Wildcats were set to face Michigan in Saturday night’s national semifinals in a matchup of the two No. 1 seeds in Indianapolis.
Wolverines coach Dusty May has also been mentioned as a possible UNC candidate, but said Friday he’ll “never respond to any job speculation.”
“I think it’s well documented how happy I am at Michigan,” May said. “Obviously my private life, my personal life, my family, their happiness is very important. Yeah, I love it at Michigan, but you’ll never hear me comment on any other job unless Michigan lets me go and then I’ll comment on every job.”
Western Kentucky head coach Rick Stansbury reacts to
Atlantic on Jan. 28, 2023, in Boca
Stansbury previously coached Miss. State for 14 seasons
BY TOYLOY BROWN III Staff writer
Will Wade has made his first coaching staff decision since returning to LSU. He is adding former Mississippi State head coach Rick Stansbury as his associate head coach, according to CBS Sports. He most recently was an assistant on Penny Hardaway’s staff at Memphis from 2023-25.
Previous LSU associate head coach David Patrick will not be retained. He will have the same position at Arizona State, he told The Advocate Stansbury, 66, has a wealth of experience in the Southeastern Conference. He coached at Mississippi State for 14 seasons starting in 1998. He is the alltime winningest coach in the program’s history, accumulating a 293-166 record. In 2004, he was The Associated Press SEC Coach
of the Year
His 293 wins with the Bulldogs rank 11th in SEC men’s basketball history Stansbury led the Bulldogs to six NCAA Tournament appearances and 10 seasons of at least 20 wins. They won the SEC Tournament twice (2002 and 2009) and an SEC regular-season title in 2004.
Wade is in the early stages of formulating his team and staff since returning to LSU after being fired in 2022. He said at his introductory news conference on Monday that he’ll have a few assistant coaches hired by next week ahead of the transfer portal window opening on Tuesday, and he doesn’t plan on having a large coaching staff.
“Staffs have gotten so big now,” he said. “We’re not going to have the biggest staff in the world. I don’t want to have 100 people running around and walking on top of each other. But we’re going to have our shell recruiting staff in place here in hopefully by the first of next week.”
Stansbury also was the head coach at Western Kentucky (2016-23). He led that program to
a 139-89 record overall and one Conference USA regular-season title (2021). WKU didn’t reach the NCAA Tournament during Stansbury’s tenure. He also was an assistant at Texas A&M (2014-16).
Patrick leaves LSU after six seasons across two stints. He was on former coach Matt McMahon’s staff for the past two years, and his first time coaching in Baton Rouge was from 2012-16 under coach Johnny Jones With his move to Arizona State, he’ll reunite with coach Randy Bennett, for whom he was an assistant coach from 2006-10 at Saint Mary’s.
The Melbourne, Australia, native was instrumental in bringing Australian prospects to LSU. He recruited Ben Simmons to the Tigers in 2015, and during the 2025 offseason, he recruited Portland transfer and Australian guard Max Mackinnon, who led the team in scoring (15.7).
Patrick joins Jalen CourtneyWilliams as another assistant coach from last season who won’t remain at LSU. Courtney-Williams will join the staff of Butler in the Big East.
BY SCOTT RABALAIS Staff writer
When Greer Rowell was barely a toddler, his dad Brian would have to sneak out of the house to go play golf.
“If he saw me leaving,” Brian Rowell said, “he’d throw a fit and I’d have to take him.”
On Sunday, Greer Rowell is the one taking his dad, his mom Britney and their entire family from their home in Broussard to Augusta National Golf Club to watch him play golf That’s where the 9-year-old will compete in the annual Drive, Chip & Putt national finals on the eve of Masters week Brian Rowell, a former professional golfer, attended the Masters back in the 1990s when he was in college.
“I said I wouldn’t go back until I played in it,” said Rowell, who played on mini tours alongside Lafayette native Ted Scott, Scottie Scheffler’s caddie “But this is the next best thing.”
A total of 80 finalists — 40 boys and 40 girls — will compete in four age groups on each side from ages 7-15. They will hit drives on the practice facility otherwise reserved for Masters competitors, chip on a nearby practice green and putt on Augusta National’s 18th green.
PHOTO PROVIDED
Greer Rowell of Broussard is all smiles after qualifying for the 2026 Drive, Chip & Putt national finals last year in a regional in Frisco, Texas.
“Chipping,” Greer said, “is my best thing.”
Greer is making a bit of history with his appearance in the event. He is the first boy ever from Louisiana to qualify and also the youngest participant from the state. The previous four participants, most recently Evelynn Artieta of Denham Springs in 2024, were all in the girls’ competition, ranging in ages from 10-15. It’s a long road to get to Augusta for Sunday’s finalists. Greer started with a local qualifier at TPC Louisiana in Avondale, then went to Mississippi for a
sub-regional and finally a regional qualifier in Frisco, Texas. Only the winner in each age group at the regional level moved on to Augusta “Over 20,000 kids competed,” Brian Rowell said, “and he’s one of the 80.” The Rowells play out of Le Triomphe Golf & Country Club just south of Lafayette, where there’s a watch party planned for Greer on Sunday morning. The Drive, Chip & Putt finals will be televised on the Golf Channel starting at 7 a.m. Live leaderboards are available at DriveChipandPutt.com.
Four players hit homers for LSU softball in win
The No. 20 LSU softball team erased a three-run deficit in the first inning to rout Missouri 16-4 on Friday in Columbia, Missouri. Missouri (20-20, 4-7 SEC) scored three runs off of LSU starter Cece Cellura in the first inning, but LSU (25-12, 6-8) scored at least one run in the next six innings.
Jalia Lassiter Kylee Edwards, Alix Franklin and Tori Edwards all homered for LSU. Sierra Daniel and Kylee Edwards each had four hits to pace LSU’s 15-hit attack Lassiter Daniel and Tori Edwards scored three runs apiece. Cellura settled down after the first inning to pick up the complete-game victory She allowed five hits, four earned runs, two walks and struck out two during her seven innings of work.
Lakers’ Doncic to miss rest of regular season
LOS ANGELES Luka Doncic will miss the rest of the Los Angeles Lakers’ regular season with a Grade 2 strain of his left hamstring, the team announced Friday Doncic is the NBA’s top scorer and the driving force behind the Lakers’ surge into the third spot in the Western Conference standings, but he injured his leg during Los Angeles’ blowout loss to Oklahoma City on Thursday An MRI exam revealed the severity of the strain.
Grade 2 hamstring strains sometimes require several weeks of recovery, but Doncic also has prior experience with hamstring issues. He missed four games right before the All-Star break with another left hamstring strain, but returned to the lineup after the break.
Edge rusher Walker, Jaguars agree to 4-year, $110M deal
Edge rusher Travon Walker and the Jacksonville Jaguars agreed Friday on a four-year $110 million contract extension, his representatives said.
Elite Loyalty Sports said the deal includes $50 million fully guaranteed at signing and up to $77 million in potential guarantees.
Walker, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, is entering the fifth and final year of his rookie contract and had been scheduled to make $15 million guaranteed in 2026. Walker has 27½ sacks over four seasons. He has 200 tackles including 36 for a loss, while playing in 63 games. He has yet to make a Pro Bowl and selecting him ahead of Detroit star Aidan Hutchinson appears to be a glaring mistake for the franchise.
TCU, coach Dykes agree to contract extension
FORT WORTH, Texas TCU and coach Sonny Dykes have agreed to a contract extension after back-to-back 9-4 seasons, the school said Friday The private Big 12 school does not disclose contract terms, but his previously extended deal went through the 2028 season. This multiyear agreement would take Dykes at least a couple of years past that. Dykes is 36-17 in his four seasons with the Horned Frogs, who set a school record for wins while going 13-2 and making the four-team College Football Playoff at the end of his 2022 debut season after replacing longtime coach Gary Patterson. Dykes originally got a six-year contract, which was extended after that first season when they finished No. 3 in the final AP Top 25 college football poll.
Cubs pitcher Horton exits against Guardians CLEVELAND Chicago Cubs pitcher Cade Horton was taken out of Friday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians due to right forearm discomfort.
The right-hander looked toward the Cubs’ dugout after throwing a 93.8 mph fastball to Bo Naylor low in the strike zone for a called strike. Manager Craig Counsell and a trainer came out and talked to Horton briefly before he came out of the game. Horton threw 17 pitches, including eight strikes. He retired the Guardians in order in the first and walked Kyle Manzardo to lead off the second.
Horton, the eighth overall pick in the 2022 amateur draft, did not pitch in the postseason for the Cubs last season due to a right
fracture.
BY MICHAEL MAROT Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS Illinois
coach Brad Underwood doesn’tneed any reminders about what happened the past two times his team facedUConn.
He can just plug in the game tapes, rewind them andwatch them again. Back in November,the Huskies led wire-to-wire in a74-61 victory.Two years ago in the Elite Eight, UConn used a30-0run en route to a77-52 victory on the way to asecond straight national championship.
There’snothing the Fighting Illini can do to change those results now,but they do believe they can change the course of this series Saturday when they face UConnintheir first Final Four clash in more than two decades.
“I’ve said all along,you justhave to keep knocking on the door and our opportunities were going to come, Underwood said in Indianapolis when asked about the impact of the 2024 postseason loss.“We learned alot from that game. I thoughtthatteamwas a Final Four team that just happened to play adamn good basketball team in the Elite Eight, so we didn’tget there. But Ithink we grew from that from the standpoint of understanding how hard it is, what that looks like.”
Underwood tookthoselessons, revised his plan and started plotting how to get the Fighting Illini (28-8) to theirfirstFinal Four since 2005.
Now,after 39 seasons in the coaching ranks,Under-
PHOTO By ABBIE PARR
AP
Illinois coach Brad Underwood wavesduring practiceFridayahead of a national semifinal NCAA Tournament game against UConninIndianapolis
wood has finally made it here in March Madness for the first time ForIllinois, it’sa newexperience, too. TheIllini last reached the national semifinals during their 2005 runner-up finish. The obstacle again will be getting past UConn (33-5). But this looks like avery different matchup thanthis season’sprevious meeting with two more physical, more balanced and more experienced teams squaring off.
Huskies coach DanHurley has built his reputation on tough players eager to the dirtywork, and this group is more of thesame.
Center Tarris Reed earned the East Region’sMost Outstanding Playeraward by scoring 21.7 points and
ä MEN’SFINAL FOUR No. 3Illinois vs. No. 2UConn, 5:09 P.M.SATURDAy,TBS
grabbing 13.5 rebounds in tourney wins over Furman, UCLA, Michigan State and Duke— including 31 points and 27 rebounds in Round 1.
Huskies forwardAlex Karaban already holds school records for most games played(149), most wins (125),most starts (148) andmost3-pointers (288) and nowneedstwo more tourney wins to push his MarchMadness career mark to 19-1.Thatwould sendhim pastHurley’s brother,Bobby,for second all-time in NCAA tourney wins.
“Defenseand rebounding, that’sreally been our calling card,”Karaban said as he chases arare third title.
“Everytime we’vehad success or won championships, that’swhat our calling card has been.”
And, of course, UConn would not be playing at Lucas OilStadiumwithout a remarkable 19-point rally and Brayton Mullins’ miraculous35-foot 3-pointer to beat top-seeded Duke 73-72 lastSunday Mullins is now playing just 37 minutesaway from his hometown of Greenfield, Indiana. Hurley, too, is chasing milestones.
He needsone victory for careerwin No.350, twofor his 200thwin at UConn, giving him his third national title in fouryears andthe Huskies their seventh crown since 1999.
Just don’tbefooled by what happenedinNovember
BY EDDIE PELLS Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS More than 24 hours before thefirst shot flew at aFinal Four that really feelslike afiveteam affair,Arizona already had awin.
The Wildcats kept their coach frombolting to that fifth team —North Carolina.
Tommy Lloyd dropped the news of the contract extension that will keep himinTucsonthrough 2031 at Friday’snews conference in advance of atitanic matchup against Michigan
Themeandering coaching search at oneofthe country’smost storied programshas shared headlineswithSaturday’smuchanticipated national semifinalthat happens to feature two of Carolina’sreported coaching targets.
Like Lloyd, Michigan coach Dusty May has spent most of thistournament batting down speculation that he might be the replacement for Hubert Davis, who was fired after the TarHeels blew a19-point lead in aloss to VCUinthe first round last month
Notsurprisingly,May was asked about it again the day before thebig game.
“Yeah,IloveitatMichigan, but you’ll never hear me comment on any other job unlessMichigan letsme go, andthen I’ll comment on every job,” he said. It’s no big surprise that these coaches are among thehottest commodities in hoops. Just look at the teams they brought to Indy Thereare no fewer than nine potential NBA stars
Arizona in Indianapolis
ä MEN’S FINAL FOUR No.1 Michigan vs. No. 1 Arizona, 7:49 P.M.SATURDAy,TBS
sprinkled across the two rosters.
“It’s the FinalFourfor a reason. It’sthe best teams, the best four,” Arizona freshman Brayden Burriessaid. “UConn, Illinois, they’re great teams. If we do winSaturday, we know we have agreat shot at it But no, we’re not thinking about that now.”
Depending on which mock draft youcheck, Arizona’stop NBApick will either be Koa Peat (14 points, 5.5 rebounds) or Burries, a 16-point-a-game, McDonalds All-American who is shooting 68% fromthe 3-point line in the tourney It’sastriking stat fora team that attempted the third-lowest percentage of 3s in the country,ifonly because of all the tall talent it has across the court.
“We’re doubling down on what we’re good at, and
we’re believing in coach Lloyd,” said Arizona guard Jaden Bradley,,asenior whohas spentthree years in Tucson after transferring from Alabama. “I like to get in the paint and get fouled. And when teams take that away,we’re capable from3and we can knock those down, as well.” Michigan’sbest NBA prospect is Yaxel Lendeborg, whohas scored 25, 23 and27inthree straight blowout wins. Lendeborg came to Michigan last offseason from UAB. Michigan’sfour top scorers—Lendeborg, Morez Johnson, Aday Mara and Elliot Cadeau —played at different colleges last season. As this FinalFour is showing, it’s notjustthe players whoseevery move is under amicroscope.
“I didn’twanttomake this entire Final Four about that (contract extension)because I’mjust asmall part of something much bigger,” Lloyd said.
BY DOUG FEINBERG Associated Press
PHOENIX Ta’Niya Latson
scored 16 points, Agot Makeer added 14 and South Carolina played stifling defense to beat UConn 62-48 on Friday night, endingthe Huskies’ 54-game winning streak and advancing to the women’sNCAA Tournament championship game. The Gamecocks will face the winner of the Texas-UCLA semifinal on Sunday for the title. South Carolina (36-3) will be looking to win its fourth
national championship. Their other three have come in the past decade. UConn (38-1) entered the FinalFour undefeated forthe ninthtime in school history andfor the third straight time leftwithout atitle. The Huskiesalsolostinthe 2017and 2018 national semifinals. This was the fewest points UConn had scored since putting up 49 points in anational championship game loss to the Gamecocks in 2022.
“Coach was pretty mad goingintothe half,” Latson said
of coach Dawn Staley.“She was yelling ‘Meet the moment! Meet the moment!’ We couldn’t be scared to play on this stage, especially against UConn. I mean, they were undefeated.”
The Huskies and Gamecocks played last season for the title and UConn came away with an 82-59 routfor the school’s12th national championship. UConn also beat South Carolinahandily during the2024-25 regular season
The teams came into the game as thesecond- and thirdleading scoring teams in the
nation, bothaveraging over 87 points per game. This wasadefensive battle. Leading 46-44 afew minutes into thethird quarter, South Carolina scored five straight points, capped by Makeer’s 3-pointer to extend the advantagetoseven.
Sarah Strong hit a3-pointer to get theHuskies back within 51-47 with4:39 left. The Huskies didn’t score againuntil Stronghit afree throw with 30.8 seconds left,after South Carolina hadscored 11 straight points.
get drafted, the way aplayer might if he was looking to go to theNBA. The topic is still so fresh that the NCAA announced just this week it was considering changing rules to bar athletes who enterand stay in apro sports draft fromcoming back and competingincollege,as happened in twoinstances earlier this season.
All of that is further jumbled by the fact that many of these players probably will make more in college than they would at their “pro” jobs —whether it be basketball, finance or coaching —thanks to the influxofname, image andlikeness payments that permeate college sports.
“The way Iwould describe it is it’samiddle ground, between what collegeathleticsused to be about, which was not paying, to now, where you’re paying student-athletes,” Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel said. “But in away, we’ve always paidstudent-athletes. We’ve given them ascholarship. We’ve given themsomething of value. Now,the only difference is, we’re adding cash to that for their name,image,likeness.”
That cash has widenedthe recruitingpipelinetoEurope and otherpoints overseas. Nobody has exploited it better thisseason than theIllini,whose “BalkanBloc” —including twins Tomislav and ZvonimirIvisic and DavidMirkovic —accounts for 36% of both their scoring and minutes.
Illinois’ key recruiter in Europe, Geoff Alexander, explained thata European “pro”who comes to the U.S.for college is something much different thanaplayer with NBA experience.
“In Europe and around the world, they don’thavehigh school basketball,”Alexandersaid. “Theygoto these clubs as youths andfind their path. That’s like theirhigh school. So anyone who wantstopigeonhole these guys into allthis discussion aboutcollege eligibility, it’s apples andoranges.”
The eligibilitydiscussion concerns an NCAA proposalthatcame out this week to tweak the rules about who can play and who can’t. It was partly areaction to two players, Alabama’sCharles Bediako andBaylor’sJames Nnaji, who each played in collegethisseason
after entering the 2023 NBA Draft. Bediako’scase drew headlines because he actually played three yearsinthe NBA’s developmental GLeague. He sued the NCAA afteritdenied Alabama’s requestto allowhim to return to college this season, arguing he remained within his five-year eligibility window One judge issueda temporary-restraining order that allowed Bediako to play.That lasted fivegames until new rulings barred him again. Looming next could be the case of 22-year-old Amari Bailey,aformer UCLA star who played 10 games in the NBA with the Charlotte Hornets.Hehas hireda lawyerand is seeking areturn, telling ESPN, “Right now,I’d be asenior in college. I’m not trying to be 27 years oldplaying college athletics.” Neither are the European trans-
plants, though many certainly do play against players 27 and older in the overseas leagues before they arrive in the U.S. college system.
“Ifyou’veplayedinthe EuroLeague, you are not afreshman,” Michigan coach Dusty Maysaid, in reference to Arizona freshman IvanKharchenkov, who hasplayed at different levels fora club team in Munich since he was 12 and could end up in the NBA soon.
Another Arizona starter,Motiejus Krivas, is from Lithuania. Illinois coach BradUnderwood acknowledges that no matter where the players comefrom, the business model of college sports has changed.
“I’d argue that in today’s world, allthese kids arefinding opportunities that allow them to receive compensation,” he said.
Pittsburgh rookie shortstopdoubles during his firstat-bat in majorleagues
BY WILL GRAVES AP sportswriter
PITTSBURGH Konnor Griffin enduredplentyofemotionswhen the 19-year-oldshortstoplearned the Pittsburgh Pirateswere callinghim up to themajors just a week into the season.
Shock was not one of them.
“I’m ready for this,” Griffin said Friday,just hours before making hismajor-league debut against Baltimore at PNC Park. He certainly looked ready,delivering an RBI double off Baltimore’sKyle Bradish in his first at-bat to help the Pirates to a5-4 victory
ThePirates arebetting more big moments are on the wayafter making Griffin the first position player to arrive in the majors before his20th birthdaysince Juan Soto did it with Washingtonin 2018.
Just 628 days after Pittsburgh selected him with the ninth pick in the2024amateur draft, the athleticand mustachioed6-foot-3 Griffin found aNo. 6jerseyhanging in his locker at PNC Park and
his name penciled in the seventh spotinthe lineup against the Orioles
On the surface, it seemsfast
The reality is thatGriffin checked every box quickly while sprintingthrough the Pirates’ system
Thefinalsteps came over the last week when he hit .438 in ahandful of games for Triple-A Indianapolis.
Pittsburgh manager Don Kelly felt Griffin was “pressing” near the end of spring training, when he smashedthree homers but alsohit just .171. The club made Griffin one ofthe last cuts before the opening-day roster wasset
Yetrather than sulk,heheaded to Triple-A,made acouple of adjustments andsaw immediate results.
“Hejust went right down and hit his stride and was able toreset in acoupleofdays,” Kelly said. “Which again, for anybody, is really impressive, especially fora 19-year-old kid whosehopes anddreams were to make the big leagues.”
Griffin racedthrough thelower levels of the minors lastyear, hitting 21 homers, driving in 94 runs and stealing 65 baseswhile showcasingthe range to play one of the game’smostdemanding defensive positions.
Yetit’snot justthe tangible onfield things that won the organization over.Griffin has long carriedhimself withthe maturity of
LSU 7, Tennessee5
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call abalanced attack player that can take advantage of situations (where) their bats are no different, whether there’snobody on base or there is somebody on base. And Derek fitsthat. He’sthe perfectexample of abalanced attack player.” Up until the eighth, LSUhad been lifeless.Volunteers righthanded starter Landon Mack retired 14 consecutive batters from the third inning until theend of theseventh,when he exited for left-hander BrandonArvidson, who started the eighth.
But Arvidson struggled, loading the bases with three consecutive walks. Aline out and a strikeout nearly got Tennessee out of the jam, but then Curiel left the yard against right-hander Bo Rhudy.The slam was Curiel’ssecond in as many days and the third consecutive game he’s homered in.
“(Rhudy) has aride (fastball), meaning the ball carries upwards,” Curiel said. “I’m always trying to hit aline drive, alow line drive, but with aguy with aride heater —especiallyatasmaller ballpark likethis —Iwas actually trying to hit aflyballbecause I knew his fastball was probably going to get alittle bit abovemy barrel, and that’skind of whatI wanted.
“I wanted to see the ball deep Ididn’twant to be out in front of it. And Iwanted to hit abackside homer,and that’swhat Idid.”
Junior Jake Brown’ssolo homer in the third inning was the Tigers’ last hit before theCuriel blast. LSU also loaded thebases with two outs in the second but squandered the opportunity after Stanfield poppedout to the shortstop.
TheTigers’ troublesagainst Mack, who had 10 strikeouts, reminded Johnson why he wanted the Rutgers transfer out of the
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someonefar older.Hemarried his high school sweetheart,Dendy, over the winter.And shewas the first one he toldafter Indianapolis manager Eric Pattersoncalled Griffin to his hotel room in Columbus early Thursday to tell him he was heading to TheShow.
The next 24 hours were ablur Finally,just after noon Friday, Griffinwas able to relax. He trotted outtoshortstop andtook grounders.
“Today is the first day of carving out alegacy that Iwant to build,” he said. “And I’m readyto do that andtry to be right up there with those top guys.”
Griffinisthe latestina string of high-profile arrivals in Pittsburgh, from reigning NL Cy Young Awardwinner Paul Skenes to rookie right-hander Bubba Chandler to catcher Henry Davis.
The future that’sbeen talked about since general manager Ben Cherington was hired in late 2019 is finally arriving. And perhaps it’stelling of how far the club hascome that Griffin is joining a rosterthathas undergone asignificant upgrade in recent months with theadditions of All-Star second baseman Brandon Lowe, All-Star first baseman/outfielder Ryan O’Hearn andveteran designated hitter Marcell Ozuna.
“This team is loaded,”Griffin said. “I get to come in here and just be apiece of this puzzle.”
LSU junior infielder Trent Caraway has an illnessand senior infielder Brayden Simpson is dealingwith ahand injury,which is whythey weren’t available Fridaynight against Tennessee, LSU coachJay Johnson said.
Both players were ruled out on the SEC availability reportbefore the game.Carawaymade the trip to Knoxville butwas not at the ballpark. Simpson did not join the team on the flight to Tennessee Johnson hopesthat Carawayis available to playatsome point in the series
TheAssociated Press SAN ANTONIO Robert MacIntyre added the Valero Texas Open this year to be sharp for theMasters,and he looked every bitofthatFridaywithfour birdies in his last five holes for an 8-under 64 and afour-shot lead over Ryder Cup teammate Ludvig Aberg. MacIntyrefeltcomfortable with his swing from start, taking advantage of aback nine that included ahybrid that rolled out to 8feet for eagle on the par-5 14th. What made the difference was his finish, with all four of theScot’sbirdies from 10 feet or closer He was in the same group as Aberg, whose 67 included holing out with awedge from 120 yards for eagle on the par-4 sixth. The Swede’sonly disappointing was missing the fairway on his final hole at No. 9and three-putting from 100 feet.
MacIntyre, aformer McNeese State golfer, was at 14-under 130.
“I didn’tplay last year,just went straight into Augusta. This was an adjustment for that reason,” MacIntyre said. “I wanted to be sharp —orsharper —going intoAugusta.”
The Texas Open is the last chance for so many others to get into the Masters with awin, thoughMacIntyre is starting to make those odds seem alittle bit longer Tony Finau, who hasn’tmissed the Masters since 2017, was one shot out of the lead going into the second round when he had three bogeys in six holes at the start. He had to rally for a69, which included a35-foot eagle putt on the par-5 18th. That put him five shots behind, along with Kevin Roy,Bud Cauley and Thorbjorn Olesen.
“It was nice to make an eagle on the last,” Finau said. “I hit a really good drive, pushedmy second shot alittle, got lucky, covered the water and was able to rollthat one in. Sometimes those are the small little breaks that you need to be towards the top of the leaderboard.”
MarkHubbard,who ledafter 18 holes with a65, followed that with a77tomake the cut on the number at 2-under 142. He went from oneshot ahead to 12 shots behind.
Aberg said he has moved on from his rough back nine that cost him at The Players Championship two weeks ago. He has another chance over the final 36 holes at the TPC San Antonio, and that’sall that mattered to him.
“I feelgreat.IfeellikeI’ve been playing good golf,” Aberg said. “For me, golf is about putting yourself in situations where you can win tournaments. Ifeel like Ihaven’treally done that very well the last 12 months or so, but starting to see it now which has been really nice. So I’m looking forward to one more shot at it this week.”
MacIntyre is trying to become the third straight left-handed player to win the Texas Open, following Brian Harman last year and Akshay Bhatia in 2024.
transfer portal this past summer.
“They beat us forhim,” Johnson said. “He came on avisit during the super regional,and we have aprettygoodrecord of landing commitsinvisitstothe super regionals at Alex Box, but we didn’t get this one.”
LSU sophomore right-hander CasanEvans threw theball better than he didaweek ago, allowing threeearned runs in 52/3 innings.
He gave up asolohomer in the third inning and left acurveball up in the zone in thefourththat Reese Chapmandeposited over theright-center wallfor atworun shot Evansalsoshowed much better control, walking only two batters.
He exited thegame with LSU trailing 3-1.
“It’sacool place to play at, but they make it tough when they pack the stands and everybody feelslikethey’reright on topof you,” Evans said. “But they put some good swings on the ball, credit to them. They’re areally good team.” Afterthe Tigers gave up arun
“I don’tknowifit’sfood poisoning or something …he wasn’table to practice yesterday, and he wasn’table to come to the game tonight,”Johnson said. “Trainers have been doing agood jobwith him, tryingtokeep him hydrated, makingsure he has his medicine, but he didn’t feel good enough to come.”
KokiRiley
in theseventh inning on three walks and asingle, Johnson turned to redshirt sophomore right-hander Deven Sheerin after they took a6-4 lead. Sheerin tossed two inningstocloseout thegame; theonlyrun he surrendered was asolohomer in the ninth. “I don’tthinkitwas (choosing) Deven over (Zac Cowan), because we’re going to need both of them throughout the course of the series,”Johnson said. “I likedittonight basedon somethings we’d seen early in the game.” LSU and Tennessee face off again Saturday.The first pitch is set for 5p.m., and the game will be available to watch on ESPN2.
Kailin Chio She addedanother brilliant chapter Thursday to heramazing story this season.She bookended her nightwith perfect 10sonvault andfloor to give her 11 10.0 scores this season and 12 for her career.She also won the regional all-around title(39.825) and shared first place on uneven bars with teammates Ashley Cowan and Konnor McClain (9.95).
Chio now has 37 individual wins and60for her career, just twoback of LSU greats Ashleigh Gnat andJennifer Wood in ninth place in school history
“Kailin,”teammateAmari Drayton said, “is adifferent breed.”
Drayton also played abig part in LSU’ssuperb night, posting two of the Tigers’ eight scores of 9.95 or better (beam,floor). Only one of LSU’s24scores dipped below 9.85 and theTigers did nothave to count it. The Tigers aren’tthe only team thatcan count great scores from Thursday. Stanford’sAna Barbosu andAlana Walkertiedfor first on floor in thefirst session (9.95), and teammate Taralyn Nguyenwas first on
BY WILLIAM WEATHERS
Contributing writer
Zachary starting pitcher Noah
Sullivan feared the worst when Broncos coach Jacob Fishercame out of the dugout for amound visit.
The Broncos were clinging toa one-run lead when Sullivan issued atwo-out walk in the bottom of the seventh of Thursday’s District 4-5A contest at Central.
Sullivan was in good shape, havingthrown only 89 pitches when he walked his second batter of the game, bringing up the goahead run to the plate in third baseman Houston Miley Fisher exhibited complete confidence in his ace right-hander and allowed Sullivan to finish the game. His 2-2 offering was hit to the right of the mound, which Sullivan gloved and sprinted across forthe unassisted putout for a1-0 victory.
“The first thing Isaid was not to take me out,” Sullivan said to Fisher.“He said Iwasn’tcomingout.I wanted to stay in and do it for my teammates.”
Sullivan (7-1) finished with aonehit shutout, his second shutout and fifth completegame of the season, to help Zachary,the No. 2team in the Division Inonselect power ratings, extend its winning streak to 11 games.
The Broncos (24-5 overall, 5-0 District 4-5A) continue to lead the district and will welcome Central (20-8, 5-2) in the second game of their series at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday
“That’swho he’sbeen all year,” Fisher said. “He’sbeen our guy all year.Hecame out in agood environment. We started late, and it doesn’t affecthim.Weknow what we’re going to get, and we go behind him.” Sullivan was in control throughoutthe game, which was delayed 90 minutes by lightning. He retired 16 of 17 batters from the second to seventh inning when he walked Aaron Keller with two outs. He went 2-2 against Miley,who had the only hit off of him in the second inning, before getting the one-hop
ZacharypitcherNoah Sullivan, shownlast
pitched acompletegameagainst Central on
grounder to end the game.
“I likebeing unpredictable,” Sullivan said. “I don’treally have a routine. Isit tight, and Idon’tneed acertain amount of time. When I’m ready,I’m ready.”
Central had onlytwo runners in scoring positioninthe game. Miley wound up onsecondfollowing hissingle and stolenbase, butthe Wildcats ended the inning on a strikeout
The Wildcats gota runner to third basewith one out in the fifth. Mileywas hitbyapitch, moved up abaseona grounder andstole third, but was left stranded by a groundout and strikeout Sullivan, whothrew 56 of 94 pitches for strikes, ended four straight innings withstrikeouts and wound up with sixfor thegame.
Central’sPeyton Walls faced the minimumbatters throughthree innings, overcoming apair of infield singles, to keep the game scoreless.
He picked off BradenSanders at first base in the first inning, and after Tyler Wilson reached on an infield single in the second, Walls delivered adouble-play grounder to close the inning. Shortstop Cooper Sullivan threw to second baseman Aaron Keller, whothen made the turn to first baseman BradyWiles.
BY AARON BEARD
Associated Press
CameronBoozer was at the center of everything forDuke this season.
The6-foot-9,250-pound forward provedtough enoughtoscore through physical play.Rangy enough to space the floor and shoot from outside. Deft enough as apasser to findteammates, whether against constant double teams coming forhim as thetop nameonevery scouting report or while running the entire offense from up top.
“You just want to affect winning in whatever way you can,” Boozer said.
Walls allowed five hitsin61/3 innings, walkedthreeand struck out four.Reliever Tripp Artieta worked out of abases-loaded jam in the seventh. Zacharytook a1-0 lead in the fourth on Sanders’ leadoff single to center.Hemoved to second on Kam Bailey’s sacrifice bunt, to third on Madden McClure’s groundout andscored on Collins’ single up themiddle on an 0-2 pitch.
“He trusts his teammates,he truststhe coaching staff,” Fisher said. “He just goes outthere and does his thing.”
The high-end NBA prospect did that allseason for ateam that won 35 games, reached No. 1inthe AP Top25poll, claimed the top overallseed forMarchMadnessand reached theNCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight. Now he’sThe Associated Press men’s college basketball national player of theyear, only the fifth freshman to earn thehonor and the second in arow for aDuke program that keeps adding to the longest list of winners in the country
“Itjustgoes to showmoreabout what ourteamhas done,justbecause Ithink that really helps awards like this, having great team success,” Boozer told the AP.“It’sreally just not me.” Boozer,named unanimous firstteam AP all-American last month, received 59 of 61 votes from AP
Top25voters in results released Friday. BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa,another potentialtop NBApick, received the other two votes after averaging anationalbest 25.5 points per game. Boozer,son of Duke and longtime NBA player CarlosBoozer, averaged 22.5 points (ninth in Division I) and 10.2 rebounds (12th) while finishing tiedfor thenational lead with 22 double-doubles. He also averaged 4.1 assists while posting efficient shooting numbers at 55.6% overall and 39.1% from 3-point range. He joins fellow Blue Devils star Cooper Flagg (2025), another Duke playerinZionWilliamson (2019), Kentucky’sAnthony Davis(2012) and Texas star Kevin Durant (2007) as freshmen to win the AP award. Each went No.1or No.2inthe NBAdraftthat year
“I’m very grateful just that I’m even in those (NBA) conversations,” Boozer said. “I think alot of people dream of being where I am. Sometimes you’ve got to take astepback andjust remember that once upon atime, you were akid dreaming to be here.SoI think it’svery special.” His coaches think the same of him “We’vebeen fortunate enough thelasttwo yearstohavetwo of the best freshmen to ever play in college basketball back to back,” Duke associate head coach and former Blue Devils player Chris Carrawell said. “And Cam is right up there.”
Constantly connectedbut rarely seen?
Here’s howto fix that.
If you’ve ever been midsentence with ateenager and watched their eyesdrift back to their phone, you already know this: Being ignored is a special kind of irritation.
It’snot just annoying. It’s personal. And yet, most of us are doing some version of that to each other all day long. We live in atime wherewe are constantly connectedbut, strangely,not always seen We scroll past each other’s lives, like and heart certain moments, and keep moving Meanwhile,something quieter is happening underneath all thenoise —people are wondering if they matter Recently,Iwas reminded of this while thinking aboutasimple idea from anovel Iread for theLouisiana Inspired Book Club, “Theo of Golden,” by Allen Levi. Aman moves into a small town and begins giving people portraits of themselves thatwere created by alocal artist —literally handing them an image and saying, in effect, “I see you.” No speeches. No agenda. Just attention. And it changes people. This shouldn’tsurprise us, but it does.
It’sbecause we tend to believe people change through big moments—major decisions, emotional breakthroughs and dramaticconversations. But more often, people change through something much smaller and much more consistent: being noticed.
In my counseling office, I’ve sat with alot of teenagers who don’ttalk much at first. Parents sometimes worry: “He won’t open up.” Teacherssay: “She’s disengaged.” What I’ve learned is that most of them are not unwilling to talk. They’re just unconvinced anyone is really listening.
There’sadifference.
The turning point is rarely some brilliant insight Ioffer It’sactuallymuch simpler.It’s when they begin to feel like I’m actually paying attention —not justwaiting for my turn to speak, not trying to fix them, but genuinelyinterested in their world.
Once that happens, things start to move. And it’snot just teenagers. Adults are carrying the same quiet need. The dad at theball field. The mom in the carpool line. The co-worker who seems alittle off lately.The neighbor you wave to buthaven’treally talked to in years.
Artistic Director Michael Borowitz, left, conducts Joshua Dennis, center,and Teresa Perrotta in asinging rehearsal in the Manship Theatre’sStudio Theatre priortothe company’sApril11performance of ‘MadamaButterfly.
OperaLouisiane will stagethe storyofButterfly andPinkerton andtheir expected
BY ROBIN MILLER Staff writer
Madama Butterfly’s silk kimono awaits in the LSU College of Music and Dramatic Arts’ costume shop,but TeresaPerrotta has yet to try it on, much less think aboutit.
She’sbeen too busy rehearsingfor theleading role for Opera Louisiane’sproduction of GiacomoPuccini’s grand opera abouta young Japanese girlwho gives her heart to an American naval officer The curtainwill open at 7p.m. April 11 in Raising Cane’sPerforming Arts Theater,240 St. Louis St. And that’swhenaBaton Rouge audience will witness this story that so manyopera lovers knowand love yet dreadthe ending. Evennonopera-goers know that “MadamaButterfly” is hopelessin the end.
OperaLouisiane Artistic Director Michael Borowitz, left, talks withTeresa Perrotta during abreak in rehearsal.
Nota spoiler Her plight hasbeen discussed in movies, songs, even TV shows, as has the story of herAmerican soldierhusband, aman audiences love to hate. His name is Pinkerton, and he’s playedbyJoshua Dennis, who is working on his part
ä See ‘BUTTERFLY’, page 2D
Staff report
BREC’s LibertyLagoonWaterpark will open its 2026 season on May23. Thepark, undernew management, features refreshed attractions and boasts arenewed focus on safety and the overall guest experience.
“We’re excited to turn the page and welcome thecommunity back to Liberty Lagoon,” said JanetSimmons, BREC interimsuperintendent.
‘MADAMA BUTTERFLY’
OperaLouisiane’s production of Giacomo Puccini’sgrand opera WHEN: 7p.m.April 11.
WHERE: Raising Cane’s RiverCenter PerformingArts Theater,240 St Louis St
ADMISSION: $51.51-$151.51. Visitoperalouisiane. com.
By The Associated Press
Today is Saturday, April 4, the 94th day of 2026. There are 271 days left in the year
Todayinhistory:
On April 4, 1968, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., 39, was shot and killed while standing on abalcony at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. King’sdeath triggered awave of unrest in cities acrossthe United States that killed 43 people and injured more than 3,000. Also on this date: In 1841, President William Henry Harrison succumbed to pneumonia one month after his inauguration, becoming the first U.S. chief executive to die in office; Harrison’svice president, John Tyler,was sworn in as president two days later In 1949, 12 nations, including the United States, signed the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington, D.C., establishing NATO. In 1973, the twin towers of New York’sWorld Trade Center were officially dedicated.
In 1975, Bill Gatesand Paul Allen founded Microsoft in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
In 1991, Republican Sen. John Heinz of Pennsylvania and six other people, including two children, were killed when ahelicopter collided with Heinz’splane over aschoolyard in Merion,
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Every one of them has astory you can’tsee from the outside.
We don’tneed to turn every conversation into adeep therapy session. That’snot the point. But we might consider slowing down just enough to look people in the eye,ask one more question and actually hear the answer That alone is more powerful than we think. When people feel seen,
Pennsylvania In 2012, afederaljudge sentenced five formerNew Orleans policeofficers to prisonfor thedeadlyDanziger Bridge shootings in the chaotic days following Hurricane Katrina. (The verdicts in the casewere laterset asideby the judge, who citedprosecutorial misconduct; the officers pleadedguilty in 2016 to reducedcharges.) In 2023, DonaldTrump surrendered at aManhattan courthouse and pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from hush-money payments made on his behalf during his 2016 campaign to bury allegations thathe had extramarital sexual encounters. He was convicted in May2024 on all 34 counts but didn’treceive any punishmentand is nowappealing the verdict.
Today’sbvirthdays: Recording executive Clive Davis is 94. Golf Hall of Famer JoAnne Carner is 87. Actor Craig T. Nelsonis82. ActorChristine Lahti is 76. Football Hall of Famer JohnHannahis75. TV writer-producerDavid E. Kelleyis 70.TVhost-comic Graham Nortonis63. ActorDavid Cross is 62.Actor Robert Downey Jr.is61. Singer Jill Scottis54. Magician DavidBlaine is 53.Baseball Hall ofFamer Scott Rolenis51. Hockey Hallof FamerRoberto Luongo is 47. ActorNatashaLyonne is 47. Actor-comedian Eric André is 43.Actor-singer Jamie Lynn Spears is 35.
they tend to settle down abit. They open up. They take abreath. They remember,even if just fora moment,thatthey’renot invisible. In aculture that is constantly pulling our attention everywhere else, that might be oneofthe simplest, yet most meaningful things we can offer each other
Youdon’tneed agrand plan. Youdon’tneed the perfectwords. Youdon’t need to fixanyone’slife. Youjust have to notice them —and stick around long enough to let them know youdid
MADDIE
Modern Asian Cuisine will open inside ofthe former SouthernPearlOyster House at 9460 Perkins Road.
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alongside Perrotta in aMonday morning sing-through two weeksbeforethe performance. They standsideby-side in theManship Theatre’sStudio Theatre inside the ShawCenter for the Arts. Perrotta’ssoprano notes weave withDennis’ tenorascompanyartistic director Michael Borowitz conducts.
“This is my first time singing this part,” Perrotta said. Andit’sDennis’first time portraying Pinkerton, a character he’sconcluded is misunderstood.
“Whenyou play acharacter,you have to understand them, and you have to find a waytolikethem,”hesaid.
“And what I’vecome to realize about Pinkerton is he’s young, and Idon’tthink he’s malicious—he’signorant.”
What’s thepopular modern term for this? Young and dumb? That’s it. Misunderstood?
naive girl, but Idon’tthink that’strue,” Perrotta said. “She maybeyoung, but she’s liveda lotoflife up to the time she meets Pinkerton. She’salso had to workher whole life, so Ithink she may be naive in that she doesn’t know about the world, but she’snot dumb.And she knowswhat she needs to do to survive, and it’sabout survival of what she’sgetting outofthe situation. So, it’snot just, ‘Hey,this young girl follows this manand just waits for him.’ There’s so muchmore to her.”
Perrotta madeher Metropolitan Opera debut last season as First Lady in Mozart’s “The Magic Flute.” Dennis also has performed with the Metropolitan Opera, as well as the WashingtonNational Opera.
theNew Orleans Opera.
ParisOpera costumes
The costumes originally belonged to the Paris Opera, which gave them to the Castleton Festival in Virginia. Castleton hasnever loaned outthe costumes until now becausethe festival hasa workingrelationshipwith Opera Louisiane Executive Director Paul Groves.
“I’ve worked in their vocal immersion program,” he said. “I drove up to Virginia and picked them up.” He lifts“Madama Butterfly’s” first-act kimono fromthe rack. Describing it as exquisite would be an understatement. The garmentismade of silk, and its threadwork is intricate. Thisiswhat Perrotta will be wearing on the River Center Stage.
to open June 1ofthisyear, Stacy Zheng said. The new restaurant comes after the opening of the Zheng’sMid City location of Daruma Ramen in February at 3669 Government St. in Baton Rouge. The spot is the second location of the ramen restaurant, the first being in Prairieville.
Pinkerton was young when he entered the U.S. Navy in 1904, the year thestorytakes place and the year Puccini’s opera premiered.Pinkerton arrives in Nagasaki, Japan, where he rents ahouse on ahill for him and his soonto-be 15-year-old wife CioCio-San,which translates to “Butterfly” in English.
“And we know,men’s brains don’treally start developing until 25-ish,”he said. “That’swhen theystart takingona real understandingoftheir consequences. So, Ithink he’sjust alittle too young to understand his consequences, and when we last see him, it’sa few years later andhegets it. And he realizes he’sintoo deep.”
So, he runs —hehides from the young woman to whom he supposedly pledged his love and from their son she birthedwhile he was away.Pinkerton knows nothing of the child until he returns to Japan with his American wife.
“Madama Butterfly” marks the duo’sfirst time performing with Opera Louisiane, and though it’salso director Josh Shaw’s first time working with thecompany,he’swell familiar with Louisiana, itself
Shawwas born in Natchitoches and has family in Gonzales. These days, he lives in Los Angeles, where he works as founding artistic director and CEO of the Pacific Opera Project. He’s directed quite afew productions of “MadamaButterfly” and even collaborated on a project that translated the lyrics into both English and Japanese.
“I know it’sjust beautiful,” she said. “I can’t wait to see it.”
And she will, but first there are parts to rehearse. Their voices play out the first act with Butterfly pouring out her love and Pinkerton also getting caught up in the moment.
The couple is also openingZuma Revolving Sushi Bar at 4914 Government St. in Baton Rouge. It will serve all-you-can-eat meals and individual rolls.
ForPinkerton, the marriage is one of convenience while he’sinJapan. He intends to leaveButterfly once he finds aproper American wife.
But again,Dennistheorizes that Pinkerton’sscheme is due to his immaturity.
She’snot delusional
ButPerrotta senses something different in Butterfly’s youth. The young mother is hopeful but not delusional.
“People see her as this
“The American characters sang in English, and the Japanese characters sang in Japanese,” he said.
But libretto in Opera Louisiane’sproduction will be performed in Puccini’sintended Italianonsets providedby
Listeners in the room may not understand the words, but they definitely feel the vibe.Some of them may even hope thatPinkerton means it this time around —thatheloves her and will always stand by her side. But notall stories are guaranteed happy endings, and if this story endedwith the couple walking together in the sunset, “MadamaButterfly” wouldn’tbe, well, “MadamaButterfly.”
EmailRobin Miller at romiller@theadvocate.com.
ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Focus less on what others are up to and more on what you can achieve behind closed doors. Secrecy will ensure less interference, encouraging you to finish what you start.
tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Demonstrations may backfire if you are too aggressive. A little charm will go a long way if you want to get ahead Be open and complimentary and go directly to the source, and progress will occur.
GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Keep an open mind and be quick to help others. The best solutions result when you work alongside those in need instead of doing things for them.
cAncER (June 21-July 22) Take part in community or work-related events that help you understand your associates better. Mixing business with pleasure will offer insight into how you can be more efficient and effective in life.
LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) If you are impatient or pursue emotional talks with someone close to you, situations are likely to turn sour. Your best path forward is to fulfill your promises without making a big deal out of it.
VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Don't put yourself in a vulnerable position regarding crowds and the potential risk of illness or injury. Personal relationships are on the rise, and romance is in the stars.
LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Deep-six the bells and whistles, and navigate your way toward a healthier and more profitable lifestyle. It's all the add-ons that
are holding you back and causing debt stress.
scoRPIo (oct 24-nov 22) Jump in, do your part and connect with people who share your beliefs. Set yourself up for success, and you'll gain followers and mark a path forward that leads to partnerships and a positive lifestyle change.
sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Honor your promises, finish what you start and let your actions speak for you. Think twice and choose to do something nice. Don't be tempted by gimmicks offering impossible results.
cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Trust your instincts. Be a leader, not a follower; concentrate on home, family, love and personal satisfaction. Take the initiative to embrace the lifestyle that makes you happy.
AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Take precautions when in crowded situations. You'll accomplish the most if you focus on home improvements or establishing space to make your chores and projects easier to carry out PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Sit tight, watch and examine what unfolds around you. Knowledge will help you deal with whatever situation you face. Social events will change your perspective regarding your next move.
The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2026 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication
InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placingpuzzle based on a9x9 grid with severalgivennumbers. Theobject is to place thenumbers1to9inthe emptysquares so that each row, each column andeach3x3 boxcontainsthe same number only once.The difficulty levelofthe Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday
Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer
Bridge
By PHILLIP ALDER
Sam Levenson, a humorist and author who died in 1980, said, “It’s so simple to be wise. Just think of something stupid to say, then say the opposite.” That seems to recommend an unnecessary step. Why not just think of something wise? Let’s try to find the simple line to make six hearts in today’s deal after West leads the spade queen to South’s ace. What should declarer do?
Note North’s two-heart rebid. This is preferabletooneno-trumpwithnospade stopper. Those three strong hearts will usually be as good as four low. Then South immediately wonders about a slam, but is nervous about two immediate club losers. He rebids two spades, knowing his partner will treat this as a game-try. And when North continues with two no-trump, guaranteeing at least one club stopper, South jumps to what he hopes he can make.
Declarer has two losers, one in each black suit He might play to establish dummy’s diamond suit, but that would failhere.Themuchsimplerlineistogain an extra trick by ruffing a loser in the shorter trump hand.
At trick two, South leads a club. Let’s suppose East takes dummy’s queen with his ace and returns his second spade.
Declarer wins with his king, plays a club to dummy s king, takes the heart
ace, leads the heart seven to his queen, and cashes the club jack, discarding dummy’s remaining spade. Then South ruffs his last spade with dummy’s heart king, returns to his hand with a diamond, draws trumps, and claims 12 tricks: two spades, five hearts, two diamonds, two clubs and that spade ruff.
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:
word game
InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of four or
Average
today’s thought “He, that being often reproved hardens his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.”
Proverbs 29:1
Anyone knowingthe whereabouts of anyheirs of Joshua Gerard Sam please contactattorney Larry McAlpine at (225)317-1956.
183206-Apr4-6,3t $85
Anyone knowingthe whereabouts of AUSTIN CATOIR please contact Attorney Allison B. Costanza,225664-4335 acostanzalaw@gmail.com.
183028-April4-6,3t $85
Anyone knowingthe whereabouts of MiracleJosephand ClydeR Joseph Jr please contactAtty Benjamin Beychokat(225) 906-0050. 183134-Apr4-6,3t $85
Anyone knowingthe whereabouts of Pearlie Richardson Baldwin, Pearl DavisGilm MarieRichardsonLee, Willie Davis, JuliusDavis,MaryL DavisTurner, Juliette DavisTurner, Thelma DavisHolmes, Rose Richardson Forward, Willie Richardson &Emma Jean Richardson Shepherd please contactAtty.BenjaminBeychok at (225) 906-0050. 183131-Apr4-6,3t $169
Kaur 183913-Apr4,1t $118.90
Please be advisedthatDeonSumer Guidry,Esq.has been appointedto representDonaldFergusoninthe matterofKatherine Heck &Scott Bakervs. JenniferWoodman& Donald Ferguson Docket #F-241,664 Div. Dofthe Family CourtinEast BatonRouge,Louisiana.Ifyou have anyinformation regardingthe whereaboutsofDonaldFerguson, please contactMrs.Guidryat(225) 363-8300 or legal@deonsumerguidry.com. 183209-Apr4-6,3t $193
ordinances andregula‐tionsofthe City of Cen‐tral,including any amendmentthereto Section4:Severability. If anysection,subsec‐tion,sentence, clause or provisionofthisOrdi‐nanceisdeclaredby a courtofcompetent juris‐dictiontobeinvalid, such declarationofinva‐lidity shallnot affect the validity of theOrdinance as awhole,orparts thereof, otherthanthe part declared invalid. The remainderofthe Ordi‐nanceshall notbeaf‐fected by thedeclaration of invalidity andshall re‐main in forceand effect Section5:Effective Date.ThisOrdinance shallbeeffective upon publication. Introduced before the CouncilonNovember25, 2025 Notice of public hearing waspublished in TheAd‐vocate on the20th dayof November,2025. This Ordinancehaving been submittedto a vote;the vote thereon wasasfollows: For: Fralick, Lavergne McKinney,Myerand Roy Against: Lazaroeand Wells Absent:None Abstained/Recused: None
Adoptedthis24thday of February 2026. Signed the27thday of February 2026. s/Mark Miley, City Clerk Deliveredtothe Mayor on the3rd dayofMarch 2026 Approved: s/Wade Evans, Mayor Received from theMayor on the3rd dayofMarch 2026. 183108 April4,1t $75.85
PUBLIC NOTICE TheCityofCentral Plan‐ning &ZoningCommis‐sionswillholdpublic hearings on Thursday April23, 2026, at 6:00 pm at CentralCityHall, 11530 Sullivan Road,Central,LA 70818, to consider the following: Planning Commission S-26-0004: Subdivisionat 17712 Hooper Road Re‐questfor aprelimi‐nary/finalplattosubdi‐vide onelot (12-B, Eliza Carl WhiteTract)into two. Comprising 3.350 acresinthe R/A (Rural/Agricultural) zon‐ingdistrict. (Applicant: Ally Harris,onbehalfof Vickie Tunnard) S-26-0008: Subdivisionat 9726 Arleen Avenue Re‐questfor aprelimi‐nary/finalplattosubdi‐vide onelot (6,Fiesta HomesSubdivision)into two. Comprising 2.424 acresinthe R-1(SingleFamily Residence) zoning district.(Applicant: Ear‐lesand Associates LLC, on behalf of Rhonda McKey) Zoning Commission CU-26-0001: Conditional UsePermitat14362 Greenwell SpringsRoad. Requestfor aconditional usepermittoconstruct a newself-service storage facilityona portionof LotG,E.BuhlerProperty. Comprising 2.007 acresin theB-4 (General Com‐mercial/Business)/Corri‐dorOverlay zoning dis‐trict. (Applicant:Annie ill b h lf f PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given that theFifth Ward Con‐solidatedGravity Drainage District No.1 hasappliedfor a401 WaterQuality Certifica‐tion to dredge aportion of an unnamedtributary
of Environ‐mental Services for a WaterQuality Certifica‐tion in accordance with statutoryauthority con‐tained in theLAC 33:IX.1507.A-Eand provi‐sionsofSection 40 Iof theClean WaterAct Commentsconcerning this applicationcan be filedwiththe WaterPer‐mits Division within ten days of this notice by ref‐erencing WQC260303-01, Al 90270 to thefollowing address: LouisianaDepartmentof EnvironmentalQuality WaterPermits Division P.O. Box4313 BatonRouge,LA
Tract.
4.9acres in theR/A (Rural/Agricultural)/Cor‐ridorOverlay zoning dis‐trict. (Applicant/Owner: Newsom SolutionsLLC) Z-26-0001: Rezoning at 7510 and7520 Droze Road Requesttorezone Tract1,BeatriceWright Tract, from R-1(SingleFamily Residence) to R/A (Rural/Agricultural) zon‐ingdistrict. Comprising 3.5acres.(Appli‐cant/Owner:Stone Farms LLC) 183215 April4,8,14, 3t $112.09
Street, Room 1078, Baton Rouge, LA or on theOPC webpageat: https:// denr.louisiana.gov/page/ public-notices Copies areavailable,costs apply. Writtencomments aresolicited from the public andmustbere‐ceived within 10 days of thedateofthisnotice. Comments must be up‐loaded directly to our electronic record throughthe OPCweb‐page or mailed to:OPC Administrator, Kyle Balkum,P.O Box44487, BatonRouge,LA708044487. Allcommentsmust containthe appropriate CUPnumberand the commenter'sfullname andcontact information. Beloware thereferenced application(s):* CUPNUMBER: P20201064 (Extended) Name:Roy Bailey Construction,Inc c/oEncoreEnvironmen‐tal& Safety 1190 Lahaye Road Mamou, La 70554 Attn:JohnLahayeLoca‐tion:Cameron Parish,LA; Lat. 29-47-7.20N /Long -93-12-19.02W;See plats foradditionalcoordi‐nates; Section4 T15S R08W;Section 5T15S R08W;Louisiana Highway 82, Cameron, 70631 De‐scription: Proposal to uti‐lize twoexistingborrow pits as disposal sitesfor debris from Hurricane Lauraand Hurricane Delta. Approximately 230,000 cy of vegetative debris will be hauled in to be used as fill, andap‐proximately56,900 cy of soil will be hauled in and placed on topofthe de‐bris.Approximately19 acresofuplandhabitat andnon-vegetated waterbottoms will be impacted by thepro‐posedactivities. 183115 April4,1t $22.91
SHERIFF'SSALE Suit No:(17) 758133 WELLSFARGO BANK N.A. vs CLAUDE WHITE (CLAUDE WHITE, JR.(AKA CLAUDE WHITE) BatonRouge,LA 19thJudicialDistrict Parish of East Baton RougeState of Louisiana Aeling under and by virtue of Writ of Seizure and Sale issued outof thehonorable court aforesaid, in theabove entitled and numbered cause, dated, February 25, 2025 and to me di‐rected,I didseize and will,beginning at 10:00 o'clocka.m.onMay 06, 2026, viaanonlineauc‐tion site at www bid4assets.com/EBR SOsheriffsales,offerfor sale at public auction the followingdescribed mortgagedpropertybe‐longingto: CLAUDE WHITE(CLAUDE WHITE, JR.(AKACLAUDE WHITE) That certainlot or parcel of ground,togetherwith allbuildings.component partsand improvements thereon, and with allof therights, ways, privi‐leges, servitudes.appur‐tenances and advan‐tagesthereuntobelong‐ingorinanywise apper‐taining. situated in that subdivisionofthe Parish of Eru.1Baton
