The Advocate 05-08-2026

REDEFINING DOWNTOWN

Aerospace firm eyes location in Louisiana

BY ADAM DAIGLEand STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writers

Aspace exploration company is negotiating to buy alarge amountofcoastal land in southwest Louisiana, astate lawmakerconfirmed Thursday State Sen. Bob Hensgens, R-Abbeville,saidhe knowsoftwo companies —hedid not reveal if it is ElonMusk-owned SpaceX or Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin —that have reached out to landowners in coastal Vermilion and Cameron parishes about a possible acquisition. “I know both companies are trying to find property in southwest Louisiana,”Hensgens said. “I know from people in the parishes that the companies have madeoutreach in the area.”

Theconfirmation comesahead of ahearing next week on the final piece of legislation in an incentive packagedesignedtoattractaerospace companies to Louisiana. The bills would offer tax incentiveswhile limiting certainlawsuits and exempting somerecords from public disclosure. AlegislativecommitteeonMondaywilltakeup the final piece of the aerospace incentive package. Thebill, by Rep. Jack McFarland,R-Jonesboro, would shield aerospace companies from lawsuits

ä See SPACE, page 6A

BY IANNE SALVOSA Staff writer

With anew youth sportscomplex, housing with river views and awaterside promenade, the Mississippi riverfront will come alive in the third iteration of amasterplanfor downtownBaton Rouge.

Plan Baton Rouge III sets a roadmap to attract new residents, students, businesses and visitors downtown, with an emphasis on developing the riverfront with entertainment and public spaces. The 80 recommendations in theplan willbe

implemented over the next decade.

The past two downtown master plans led to $3 billion in public and private investment, resulting in the

emergence of notable downtown attractions,including theShaw Centerfor theArts, therehabilitation of the Capitol House Hotelinto the Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center andRhorer Plaza. Plan Baton Rouge III focuses on improving thequality of life and infrastructure to support tourism andresidential development.

“The plan really lookstoposition downtown more as acentral neighborhood districtand lessasjust anotion of acentral business district,”

BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump’stask force to recommendchanges to FEMA approved areport Thursday that would not dismantle the disaster response agency —assomeinthe administration wanted —but would transfer many current federal tasks to the states, privatize

Charitygamefor lawmakersa flashpoint in redistrictingfight

BlackDemocrats boycottevent to show displeasurefor mapplan

BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer

annual basketball game between the House andSen-

ate that is played for charity But when legislators played the game Wednesdaynight,Black

Democrats stayed away,toregistertheir displeasure with the escalating battle over redistrictingthat could lead Republicanstoeliminate oneorboth majority-Black congressional seats in Louisiana. The Democrats’ moveinturn

many House Republicans —all of whom areWhite— and sparked talk of apossible retaliation by

The developments this week illustrate howthe U.S. Supreme Court’sdecision last week to throw out Louisiana’scongressional map could inflameand further polarize racial andpartisan politicsinthe

the Black

ä See FIGHT, page 5A

STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

Ex-deputy found guilty in shooting of Black man

COLUMBUS, Ohio A former sheriff’s deputy was found guilty of reckless homicide at trial Thursday for shooting a Black man who was bringing sandwiches to his grandmother’s house.

The killing of Casey Goodson Jr by Jason Meade in December 2020 had provoked outrage in Ohio.

Trial jurors said they couldn’t agree on the more serious charge of murder, so the judge declared a mistrial on that count.

Meade, who is White, said his shooting of Goodson five times in the back and once in the side — was justified because he saw the 23-year-old holding a gun and turning toward him in the doorway of the house in Columbus. But no one else testified that they saw Goodson holding the gun he was licensed to carry and no cameras recorded the shooting.

This was Meade’s second murder trial, after the first ended in a mistrial two years ago. He is now the second White law enforcement officer to be convicted in the killing of a Black man in the state since the 2020 killing of a Black man, George Floyd, sparked national protests. During the earlier proceeding, Meade testified that he pursued Goodson after the man waved a gun at him as they passed each other in their vehicles. According to his family and prosecutors, Goodson was holding a bag of Subway sandwiches in one hand and his keys in the other, and was listening to music through earbuds when he was killed. Prosecutors also said that evidence suggests the gun wasn’t in his hands, but in a flimsy holder under his belt, and that it was found under his body its safety mechanism still engaged, as Goodson laid mortally wounded on the kitchen floor of his grandmother’s house.

Meade, now 47, retired from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department in 2021. He’s also a Baptist pastor His defense attorney cited Meade’s oral and written accounts of what happened, and said the shooting was justified.

Colorado demonstration firebomber sentenced

BOULDER, Colo. — A man was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty Thursday to killing one person and injuring a dozen others in a 2025 firebombing attack on a demonstration in Boulder, Colorado, in support of Israeli hostages in Gaza.

Speaking to the court through an interpreter, Mohamed Sabry Soliman apologized to the victims and said, “If I went back, I would not have done this, as this is not according to the teaching of Islam What I did came out of myself and only myself.” He has meanwhile pleaded not guilty to federal hate crime charges for the attack last June. Prosecutors are weighing whether to seek the death penalty in the federal case, according to his attorneys.

Soliman is an Egypt national who federal authorities say was living in the U.S. illegally Investigators allege he planned the attack for a year and was driven by a desire “to kill all Zionist people.”

Despite Soliman’s claims he doesn’t hate people who practice the Jewish faith, Judge Nancy Salomone concluded Soliman targeted the victims because they were Jewish.

Plan to paint Eisenhower building may cost $7.5M

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s proposal to put a coat of white paint on the exterior of a 19th-century historic landmark building next to the White House could cost at least $7.5 million, a White House official involved in the project said Thursday Ryan Erb, the construction operations and facilities manager in the White House Office of Administration, which is spearheading the proposal, discussed details with members of the National Capital Planning Commission as the federal agency opened its review process.

The commission did not approve the project on Thursday, instead directing the White House to provide additional information to the agency at a future date.

The proposed painting of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building is one piece of a broader plan the president has said will make Washington more beautiful.

U.S. says it intercepted attacks on ships

Officials say Iran targeted 3 Navy vessels in strait, U.S. hit ‘facilities responsible’

BY ADAM SCHRECK, DAVID MCHUGH and RUSS BYNUM Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates

The U.S. military said it intercepted Iranian attacks Thursday on three Navy ships in the Strait of Hormuz and “targeted Iranian military facilities responsible for attacking U.S. forces,” highlighting the fragility of the month-old ceasefire between the two countries.

U.S. Central Command said in a social media post that U.S. forces intercepted “unprovoked Iranian attacks” and responded with self-defense strikes.

The U.S military said no ships were hit. It said it doesn’t seek escalation but “remains positioned and ready to protect American forces.”

Meanwhile, Iranian state media said the country’s armed forces exchanged fire with “the enemy” on Qeshm Island in the strait It is the largest Iranian island in the Persian Gulf, home to about 150,000 people. It also houses a water desalination plant.

Iranian state media also reported loud noises and defensive fire in western Tehran. In southern Iran, explosions were heard near Bandar Abbas, semiofficial Iranian news agencies Fars and Tasnim said. The reports did not identify the source of the blasts.

Earlier in the day, a shipping data company report-

ed that Iran has created a government agency to vet and tax vessels seeking passage through the crucial Strait of Hormuz.

The Iranian effort to formalize control over the channel raised new concerns about international shipping, with hundreds of commercial vessels bottled up in the Persian Gulf and unable to reach the open sea. Still, hope that the twomonth conflict could soon be over buoyed international markets.

The ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran has largely held since April 8 In-person talks between the two countries, hosted by Pakistan last month, failed to reach an agreement to end the war that began Feb. 28 when the U.S. and Israel launched strikes against Iran.

Earlier Thursday, Tehran said it was examining the latest U.S. proposals for ending the war

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said the Islamic Republic was reviewing messages from Pakistan, which is mediating peace negotiations, but Iran “has not yet reached a conclusion, and no response has been given to the U.S. side,” Iranian state TV reported.

At the Vatican, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed Middle East peace efforts with Pope Leo XIV, whose opposition to the Iran war has led to open sparring with President Donald Trump. The Trump administration has sent mixed messages on its strategy to end the war. The tenuous ceasefire and previous declarations that military operations were over have given way to new threats of bombing if Tehran does not accept a deal that allows for resumption of oil and natural gas shipments disrupted by the conflict

Trump reiterated those after Thursday’s exchange of fire.

“Just like we knocked them out again today, we’ll knock them out a lot harder, and a lot more violently, in the future, if they don’t get their Deal signed FAST!”

Trump said in a social media post.

Earlier this week, Trump suspended an attempt by the U.S. military to open a safe passage for commercial ships through the strait, saying the pause would allow more time to reach a peace agreement.

An official in Saudi Arabia said Thursday that the key U.S. ally refused to support Trump’s effort to reopen the strait by force.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar spoke by phone Thursday with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said.

“We expect an agreement sooner rather than later,”

Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said. “We hope the parties will reach a peaceful and sustainable solution that will contribute not only to peace in our region but to international peace as well.”

He declined to give a timeline.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, speaking in televised remarks, said Islamabad remained in “continuous contact with Iran and the United States, day and night, to stop the war and extend the ceasefire.”

Meanwhile, direct talks between Israel and Lebanon were scheduled to resume next week in Washington, according to a U.S. official speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss plans for the closed-door meetings. The official said talks will be held May 14 and 15.

The report by shipping data firm Lloyd’s List Intelligence that Iran has established a new government agency to approve transit and collect tolls from shipping in the strait raised concerns over the freedom of navigation on which global trade depends. The agency, called the Persian Gulf Strait Authority, is “positioning itself as the only valid authority to grant permission to ships transiting the strait,” Lloyd’s reported in an online briefing Thursday Lloyd’s said the authority had emailed it an application form for ships seeking passage.

Iran has effectively closed the strait, a vital waterway for the shipment of oil, gas, fertilizer and other petroleum products, while the U.S. is blockading Iranian ports. The disruptions have sent fuel prices skyrocketing and rattled the global economy

Court rules against Trump’s new global tariffs

By The Associated Press

WASHINGTON A federal court ruled Thursday against the new global tariffs that President Donald Trump imposed after a stinging loss at the Supreme Court.

A split three-judge panel of the Court of International Trade in New York found the 10% global tariffs were illegal after small businesses sued.

The court ruled 2-1 that Trump overstepped the tariff power that Congress had allowed the president

under the law The tariffs are “invalid” and “unauthorized by law,” the majority wrote.

The third judge on the panel found the law allows the president more leeway on tariffs.

If the administration appeals Thursday’s decision, as expected, it would first turn to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, based in Washington, and then, potentially, the Supreme Court

At issue are temporary 10% worldwide tariffs the Trump administration im-

posed after the Supreme Court in February struck down even broader doubledigit tariffs the president had imposed last year on almost every country on Earth. The new tariffs, invoked under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, were set to expire July 24.

The court’s decision directly blocked the collection of tariffs from three plaintiffs the state of Washington and two businesses, spice company Burlap & Barrel and toy company Basic Fun! “It’s not clear’’ whether other

Officials tracking dozens who left cruise ship amid outbreak

BY MOLLY QUELL, SUMAN NAISHADHAM, ISABEL DEBRE and GERALD IMRAY Associated Press

MADRID Health authorities across four continents Thursday were tracking down and monitoring passengers who disembarked a hantavirus-stricken cruise ship before its deadly outbreak was detected, and trying to trace others who may have come into contact with them since then.

In Argentina a team of investigators has yet to leave for the southern town where they suspect the outbreak originated, officials from the country’s Health Ministry told The Associated Press on Thursday The Argentine investigators suspect a Dutch couple may have contracted the virus while on a bird-watching trip before they boarded the cruise ship.

On April 24, nearly two weeks after the first passenger had died on board, more than two dozen people from at least 12 different countries left the ship without contact tracing, the ship’s operator and Dutch officials said Thursday Three passengers have died in the outbreak a Dutch couple and a German national — and several others are sick. Symptoms usually show between one and eight weeks after exposure.

None of the remaining passengers or crew on the ship are currently symptomatic, the Netherlands-based Oceanwide Expeditions cruise ship company said Thursday.

evacuate patients from the MV

cruise ship into an ambulance on Wednesday at a port in

The World Health Organization says the risk to the wider public is low. Hantavirus is usually spread by the inhalation of contaminated rodent droppings and isn’t easily transmitted between people. “We believe this will be a limited outbreak if the public health measures are implemented and solidarity is shown across all countries,” said Dr Abdirahman Mahamud, the WHO’s alert and response director on Thursday Three people, including the ship’s doctor, were evacuated Wednesday while the ship was near the West African island country of Cape Verde and taken to specialized hospitals in Europe for treatment.

businesses would have to continue to pay the tariffs, said Jeffrey Schwab, director of litigation at the libertarian Liberty Justice Center which represented the two companies.

“We fought back today and we won, and we’re extremely

excited,” Jay Foreman, CEO of Basic Fun!, told reporters Thursday The ruling marked another legal setback for the Trump administration which has attempted to shield the U.S. economy behind a wall of import taxes.

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ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By VAHID SALEMI

A man waves an Iranian flag during a pro-government campaign on Wednesday under a billboard with a graphic showing the Strait of Hormuz and President Donald Trump with sewn lips in downtown Tehran, Iran.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MISPER APAWU Health workers in protective gear

Hondius

Praia, Cape Verde.

Tennesseeenactsnew Housemap

Plan carves up majority-Black districtin Memphis

BY TRAVIS LOLLER, KIM CHANDLER, JEFFREY COLLINS and DAVIDA.LIEB Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. Amid raucous protests Thursday,Republicans in Tennessee enacted anew U.S. House map that carves up amajorityBlack districtinMemphis, reshaping it to the GOP’sadvantage as part of President Donald Trump’sstrategy to hold on to aslim majority in the November midterm elections.

The final Senate vote unfolded as demonstrators chanted loudlyinthe galleries and hallways. Democratic state Sen. Charlane Oliver stood on her desk in the Senate chamber,holding abanner denouncing the redistricting as a“Jim Crow” effort, then clapping and dancing. Other Democratic senators linked arms in the front of the chamber.Republican leadership quickly adjourned thespecialsession,sending thenew map on to Republican Gov.Bill Lee, who promptly signed it into law

Protesters in the galleries also had disruptedthe Republican-led House as it voted for the new map —yelling, chanting and blowing air horns. In the hallways, other shouting protesterswere held back by Tennessee state troopers.

Tennessee is thefirst state to pass newcongressional districts since aU.S. Supreme Court ruling last week significantly weakened federal Voting Rights Act protections for minorities. But more Southern states could follow.Republicans in Louisiana, Alabama and South Carolina also have taken steps toward redistricting.

More legal challenges are expected.

The Supreme Court ruled that Louisiana relied too heavily on race when creating asecond Black-majority Housedistrictasitattempted to comply with federal law.The high court’sdecision altered adecades-old understanding of the law,giving Republicans grounds to try to eliminate majority-Black districts that have elected Democrats.

Louisiana has postponed its congressional primary to give state lawmakers time to craft anew Housemap. Legislation awaiting afinal vote FridayinAlabama also would upend the state’s congressional primaries if courts allow changes to its U.S. Housedistricts. In South Carolina, meanwhile, Republican state House members released aproposed new congressional mapdesigned to give them acleansweepof the seats. The states are the latest to join an already fierce national redistrictingbattle. Tennessee is the ninth state to redraw its congressional

districtssince Trump proddedTexas Republicans to do so last year.Fromthat spate of redistricting, Republicansthink theycould gain as many as 14seatswhile Democrats thinkthey could gain up to 10. But some competitiveraces meanthe parties may notget everything they sought in the November elections.

Tennesseeeffort

As afirststeptoadopting newHousedistricts,Tennesseelawmakersgavefinal approvalThursdaytolegislation —quickly signedinto lawbyLee —thatrepealed a state lawprohibiting mid-decaderedistricting.Another new law will reopen candidate qualifying until May 15 to allowtimefor new people to enter the U.S. Houseprimariesand existing candidates to switchdistricts or dropout.

The new Housemap breaks up Tennessee’s lone Democratic-held district, centered on the majorityBlack city of Memphis, creatinga rippleeffect of alterations to districts throughout thewestern and central parts of the state. The geographically compact9th District thatincludes Memphis currently represented by SteveCohen, whoisWhite —will nowstretch acouple hundred mileseastward before reaching northtoward the Nashville suburbs.

UnlikeinLouisiana— where lawmakers had crafted asecond majority-Black districttotry to complywith theVoting RightsAct Memphishas long been the base ofits own congressional district.

RepublicanHouse Speaker Cameron Sexton saidthe new districtswere drawn based onpopulationand politics, not racial data

ButDemocrats dismissed such assertions.

“These maps areracist toolsofWhite supremacy at the behest of the mostpowerfulWhite supremacist in the United States of America, DonaldJ.Trump,” said state Rep. Justin Pearson,a Black Democrat from Memphis whoisrunning forthe U.S. House.

Republican stateSen. John Stevens defended the new districts he sponsored by noting that DemocratsinIllinois, Massachusetts and

other states also had drawn congressionaldistricts to their advantage.

“This bill represents Tennessee’s attempt to maximize our partisan advantage,” he said.

It does so at the expenseof both Memphisresidents and democracy,said Sen. London Lamar,aDemocrat from Memphis.

“You cannot take amajority-Black city,fracture its voting power and then tell us race has nothing to do with it,” she said.

Democratsnoted that the state Supreme Court in April 2022 rejected achallenge to the current congressionalmap,finding it wastoo closetothe election to make changes. This year,there’s even less time before the Aug. 6primary,raising the potentialofconfusionfor both candidates and voters, Democrats said.

Alabama

Audience memberswatching an Alabama legislative committeeThursday erupted in shouts of “shame” after Republican lawmakers advanced legislation to authorizespecial primariesif the state can put anew congressional mapinplace for theNovember midterms.

Alabama has asked federal judges to lift an order requiring thestate to have a second district where Black voters are the majority or close to it. That district gave rise to theelectionofRep. Shomari Figures, aBlack Democrat, in 2024.

Republicans instead want to put in place amap lawmakers drewin2023 which was rejected by afederal court —thatcould allow themtoreclaim Figures district. Black residents currently make up about48% of thedistrict’svoting-age population. That would drop to about 39% under the2023 map. Republicans hope the federal courts will seethe case differently in thewake of theSupreme Court’sLouisiana decision.

If acourtgrantsAlabama’s request,the legislation under consideration would ignore theMay 19 primary resultsfor congressionalseats and direct the governorto schedule anew primary under thereviseddistricts TheHouse passedthe legislation on aparty-line vote

Source says U.S. not lookingatimminent

BY MATTHEW LEE AP diplomatic writer

WASHINGTON The United States is not looking at imminent militaryaction againstHavanadespite

President Donald Trump’s repeatedthreats that “Cuba is next”and that American warships deployedinthe Middle East forthe Iranconflictcould return by wayofthe island, U.S. officials say.

Wednesday. AfinalSenate voteisexpected Friday

Addressing aSenate committee on Thursday,Figures saidhis concernisn’tfor himself but for the people whofought for decades “to have avoice in what governmentlooks like.”

SouthCarolina

Aproposed newU.S. House map was distributed Thursday on theSouth CarolinaHouse floor,where members huddled around desks to review it

The proposal would take Democratic U.S. Rep.Jim Clyburn out of the 6thDistricthehas represented since 1992. His districtcurrentlyismade up of nearly 50% Black votersand provided agreater than60% vote for Democrat Kamala Harris in 2024 presidential election.The proposalwould split it into fourdifferent districts.

Theproposed mapalso would split theDemocratic stronghold of Columbia and itsreddersuburbs intofour different districts.

The South Carolina House on Wednesday approved a resolution giving lawmakers permissiontoreturnafter the May14end of their regular work to continue consideration of aredistricting plan. But that also would require atwo-thirds voteof theSenate.

The state’s primary elections are June 9. Chandler reported from Montgomery,Alabama; Collins from Columbia, South Carolina; and Lieb from Jefferson City, Missouri. Associated Press reporter Kristin M. Hall contributed.

The officials involvedin preliminary discussions withCubanauthorities also told The Associated Press that they are not optimisticthe communist government will accept an offer for tens of millions of dollars in humanitarian aid, two yearsoffreeStarlink internetaccessfor all Cubans, agricultural assistance andinfrastructure support.

But they say Cuba has not yet outright refused the offer,which comes with conditionsthatthe government haslongresisted,evenafter the Trumpadministration imposednew sanctions ThursdayonHavana.

The officials, who spoke on conditionofanonymity to discuss the private talks, say there is still time forthe government to accept. Theycautioned, though, that Trumpcould change hismindatany time andthatmilitary options arestill on the table

The Treasury andState departments announced those sanctions after Trumpsigned an executive orderlastweek expanding the administration’sauthoritytoimpose penalties on Cuba

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez described the measures as “collective punishment” and denounced the U.S. government’s“genocidal intent against Cuba.”

“These actions rely on the assumption that the United States can impose its will on the world while threateningforeign citizens and businesses with illegitimate coercion,” Rodríguezwrote on X. Shortly aftersigning the order Friday,Trumpgave aspeechmentioning that “Cuba’s gotproblems” and

suggesting that amilitary show of force there may be in the offing. He saidone of theU.S aircraft carriers on its way back from the Middle East could “come in, stop about100 yardsoffshore, andthey’ll say: ‘Thank you very much. We give up.’” One official involved in thediscussions said the new sanctions authority was intended, however,to make clear to the Cubans that the Trump administration’simmediategoal is “not regime change, but changing the regime’s failed policies.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants who haslong taken ahard line against Cuba’s leadership, has said repeatedly that the country’sgovernment has failed. He said this week that Cuba’seconomic model doesn’tworkand those in power“can’t fix it.” “Andthe reason that they can’tfixitisnot just because they’re communist. That’sbad enough,” he told reporters Tuesday at the White House.“But they’reincompetentcommunists. The only thing worse thana communist is an incompetent one. Rubio is visiting Rome and Vatican City,meeting Pope Leo XIV on Thursday in part to discuss Cuba, where the Catholic Church hassignificantinfluence. One U.S. official said it is an open question as to whether Cuba’stop leadership is willing to meet U.S. conditions, whichinclude the release of political prisoners, an end to political andreligious repression, and an opening to American private sector investment. At the same time,the official saidthe door has not closed to dialogue that could help both countries given Cuba’sproximity to theU.S.The United States sees anational security threat in whatthe official called increasing influence on the island by China and Russia, including intelligence and logistics cooperation. Cuban officials are adamant, though, that its internal governance is not up fornegotiation.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GEORGEWALKER IV

Awoman protests Thursdayoutsidethe House chamber in Nashville, Tenn., before aspecial session of thestate Legislature to redrawcongressional voting maps.

said Josh Brooks, aprincipal at Sasaki, theinternational design firm that led development of theplan.

The plan sets an ambitious goal to nearlytriple thenumberof downtown residents —currently at about 3,800 —tomorethan 10,000residents overthe next decade. Some of the potential residents the plan will trytoreach are college students and state workers,who could benefit fromliving near their offices and universities.

If all recommendationsofthe plan are brought to fruition, it would represent more than$1.7 billion in investment, bringing in a combined $37 million in sales and property tax revenue andcreating about 5,500 jobs.

The plan will be released to the public at aspecial Downtown Development District meeting on Tuesday at 8a.m. in the Baton Rouge Area Foundation offices, 451 Florida St. The roadmap will need approvals from theEast Baton Rouge Parish Planning Commission and Metro Council Zoning before formal adoption into FuturEBR, the parish’scomprehensive plan.

Spearheaded by BRAF andSasaki, the plan is the resultofnearly a year’sworth of public meetings to fieldcommunity input for the plan, costing about $1 million.

“All boats can rise if we invest, and the first two planstaught us that when we invest, more investment follows and we canfollow through,” said Chris Meyer,president and CEO of BRAF.

‘A newfront porch’

Akey principle of the plan is to developmore than 2miles of the riverfront, which the document refers to as downtown’s“front porch.”

It offers anumber of ideas for riverfront developments, including asports and entertainment complex on the riverfront that could host youth sports events and arestaurant that could overlook the water

Using parking lots and public land near the river, the plan also suggests housing along the riverfront.

Brookssaidthereareelevated,dry areas on the riverside of the Mississippi River levee thathavepotential

fordevelopmentand can avoid seasonal water fluctuation. New pedes-

trianand bike bridges will also provide apath to the riverfront.

“For so long, Baton Rouge has really not invested in the riverfront in away that Ithink alot of peer citieshave done, andsoI think therecommendations that are outlined in the riverfront portion of the plan are really critical to ensuringthat therecontinues to be success andinterest in downtown,” he said.

Diversifyingdowntown businesses is another key principle, through initiatives including addingretailtothe Raising Cane’s RiverCenter redevelopment, a transformationofthe river-adjacentvenuetoinclude ahotel to support eventsand conventions. The plan suggests to support local businesses on Main and Third streetswith pop-ups and events and investinmixed-use housing on Government Street to create more of aneighborhood feeling. Retail has been astruggle for downtown, prompting the DDD to commission astudy on how to draw businesses and shoppers, due to limited parking and high rent

To emphasize Baton Rouge’s

culture,the planrecommends expanding the Live After 5concert series, creating an arts district and increasing signage detailing cultural facts. The plan’slast key principle is connectivity, which it plans to achievethrough widened sidewalks in “prioritycorridors,” building adowntown transit hub and completing the Downtown Greenway,a set of pedestrian and bike paths. The plan alsoprovided more indepthdevelopment plans forfive areasarounddowntown to help with early implementation, including the north riverfront near The Queen casino,South Boulevard where it meets St. Ferdinand Street, downtown east around Spanish Town Park, Laurel Street near its intersection with RiverRoad and riverfront southnear the USS Kidd. The north riverfront model suggestsrelocating the USS Kidd andbuilding anew veterans museum near The Queen to connect it with thesports andentertainment center planned for thearea.

Financingthe plan

To set the plan in motion,one of the early goalsistoestablish aRiverfront Incentive Overlay District,

adesignated area that will provide financial incentives for development. It also suggests the creation of ariverfront tax increment financing district, where developers use loans to fund aproject and repay it with salestaxes collected in the district. Improvements detailed in the plan will be funded by amix of public and private dollars. Some suggested developments concern public land,whichwill require taxpayerdollars, andphilanthropic dollars can fund the project. Eric Dexter,vicepresident of civic leadershipinitiatives forBRAF, said businesses may want to invest in the plan because they may want to relocate downtownorattract employees whocould live there.

Underconstruction

Key tenets of the plan, like connecting downtown with the universities and fortifying the riverfront’sofferings, are already underway Southern University’sVRJags program, which allows students to develop virtual reality technology, will have adowntown hub at Nexus Louisiana’snew headquarters at 440 on Third. The business incuba-

tor is moving closer to LSU, Southern and other players downtown.

Astartup incubator focusing on carbon management will set up shoponNicholson Drive, positioned between downtown innovation groups like IBM and Louisiana Innovation andLSU. To further link both universities with downtown, the HiltonBaton Rouge Capitol Center will be renovated into aSports Illustrated Resort to serve as the go-to lodge forfans. Adesign firm recommended the Raising Cane’sRiver Center redevelopmentincludea350-room hoteland an updatedballroom to support events and conventions. Dexter said he hopesthe third downtown masterplanhas the sameimpact as the first two.

“When you look at the consolidation of our Capitol Park, our state offices,whenyou look at the Hilton Hotel and the Watermark, and you look at Hotel Indigo and the green spaces and Rohrer Plaza and Galvez Plaza, alot of the spaces that we frequent on adaily basis, whether it’sfor concerts and festivals or in our business meetings, are the result of planning efforts that have taken place over the last twodecades,” Dexter said.

STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

An emptylot and aparking lot on either side of Laurel Street takeupspace along the riverfront in downtown Baton Rouge.

Senate to unveil congressional map next week

BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer

The big question in Baton Rouge at the State Capitol is: Will the Louisiana Legislature eliminate just one majority-Black congressional district that favors Democrats? Or will they get rid of both and try to ensure that Republicans win all six of Louisiana’s House seats in this year’s midterm elections?

Key leaders in the Senate said Thursday they haven’t answered those questions yet and don’t expect to publicly unveil a proposed new congressional map until next Wednesday But House Speaker Phillip DeVillier, R-Eunice, said he hopes senators will consider a version of the map that state lawmakers originally passed in 2022 but later discarded in the face of court challenges.

ThatmaphadfivemajorityWhite Republican districts, and one majority-Black district, which includes parts of East Baton Rouge and Orleans parishes and elected U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, a New Orleans Democrat.

“I think that the map we passed last time — the 5-1 map was a good map,” DeVillier said. He noted lawmakers settled on it after traveling around the state to gather

Continued from page 1A

state. The court ruled that states cannot use race as a factor in drawing district lines.

White Republicans hold four of Louisiana’s congressional seats, while Black Democrats hold the other two. Republican lawmakers say they want to pass a map in the coming days that would eliminate the seat held by either U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, of New Orleans, or U.S. Rep Cleo Fields, of Baton Rouge or both.

President Donald Trump is pressuring Republican-controlled legislatures across the country to redraw maps to create more GOP seats as midterm elections approach in the fall.

Carter and Fields have decried the Supreme Court ruling repeatedly in interviews and in public forums

Looking for a way to express their displeasure — and perhaps with few options available Black House Democrats met Tuesday night at the Capitol and decided to skip the game.

Two Black members who spoke on condition of anonymity said the meeting got heated at times as they debated whether staying away was the best tactic.

In the end, the Black Democrats said, they didn’t feel like they could have fun on the basketball court when their Republican colleagues are planning to take such pointed moves against

public testimony and hear from constituents.

“We’ve done a lot of work on that map already,” he said.

“So I’m hopeful that the Senate looks at that, and we’ll see what they come up with.”

Proposals for the maps will start the legislative process in the Senate and get an initial vetting in the Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee, which is holding a hearing at 9 a.m. Friday for public testimony.

Senate President Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, said the committee will take that input and work on the maps over the weekend. He hopes “rough drafts” of map proposals will be ready for review by members of the Senate on Monday or Tuesday, ahead of their public unveiling in committee Wednesday

Some at the Capitol speculate that the Legislature will ultimately pass a map with five majority-White districts that favor Republicans and one majority-Black district that favors a Democrat and that draws on population centers in both Baton Rouge and New Orleans like the map DeVillier mentioned.

Some Republicans say including one Democratic district ensures left-leaning voters don’t get sorted into GOP districts and weaken incumbents’ chances of reelection.

At the same time, last week’s U.S. Supreme Court

Democrats.

“While we sincerely appreciate the efforts of Rep (John) Illg and everyone who helped organize and sponsor last night’s charity event, we are now confronted with the very real prospect of our colleagues advancing a congressional map that would eliminate — or drastically diminish — minority representation in Louisiana’s congressional delegation for partisan political gain,” Rep. Kyle Green of Marrero, who chairs the House Democratic Caucus, said in a text on Thursday “Given the gravity of that movement, members believed it was more important to convene and discuss our path forward in the congressional redistricting process and how best to protect fair and meaningful representation for the people of Louisiana.”

The game builds camaraderie among legislators and, with the help of the New Orleans Pelicans, raises money to refurbish a basketball court in the district of one legislator each year Illg, R-Harahan, organizes the game. The Senate won this year’s game, 56-43. In general, Republican and Democratic legislators express a personal warmth and willingness to work with members of the other party in ways that seem absent in Washington. They join to sing “Happy Birthday” regularly on the House floor for colleagues and their families, and they sit together at crawfish boils during nightly receptions.

Black Democrats said they are also unhappy with

ruling that requires Legislatures to disregard racial considerations when drawing district lines — coupled with President Donald Trump’s nationwide push to use redistricting to guarantee more Republican seats in Congress — is prompting speculation that Louisiana may pass a map that has six Republican districts.

But Henry said it’s too early to say either way whether lawmakers will approve so-called 5-1 or 6-0 maps. There are a lot of ideas, but no definitive plans he said Thursday

“Drawing these maps isn’t a very simple process,” Henry said. “We’ll probably have multiple iterations of a 5-1 map, and multiple iterations of a 6-0 map.”

DeVillier said that, while he wants lawmakers to consider Louisiana’s previous 5-1 map, ultimately he wants the Legislature to pass one that is “fair and defensible.”

Both legislative leaders batted down the idea that Trump was influencing redistricting in Louisiana.

“I haven’t had a single conversation with anyone from Trump through his administration,” DeVillier said.

Said Henry: “I haven’t heard a word from the White House.”

He added: “Until I get a feel of where members are, and an actual map that we

how Gov Jeff Landry and Republican legislators voted to eliminate the position of Calvin Duncan, a Black man who was supposed to become the clerk of criminal district court in Orleans Parish on Monday Lawyers for the state and for Duncan are battling in court over whether he can hold the job.

Black Democrats are also expressing unease that their Republican colleagues may soon begin trying to eliminate their seats since the Supreme Court ruling appears to apply to the state House and Senate districts as well.

Illg, who serves as a bridge between Republicans and Democrats, said he learned on the House floor Wednesday afternoon that Black Democrats were planning to miss the game. None of them gave him a heads-up.

“I’m sorry they chose not to participate,” Illg said, adding, “We raised a lot of money.”

But Illg couldn’t hide his disappointment.

“They made a political statement about a charity event,” he said.

Rep. Jack McFarland, a Republican from Jonesboro who chairs the Appropriations Committee, said he didn’t fully understand the Black Democrats’ move, saying lawmakers are moving to redraw the congressional boundaries because of a Supreme Court ruling.

House Speaker Phillip DeVillier, R-Eunice, met Thursday with Green and Rep. Edmond Jordan, D-Baton Rouge, who chairs the Legislative Black Caucus, to discuss redistricting.

think members will support, it’s kind of hard to guess on the hypotheticals of redistricting.”

Sen. Caleb Kleinpeter RPort Allen, who chairs the committee that handles redistricting, said Thursday discussions were still underway “I don’t think there’s a map out there that is drawn that everybody’s OK with,” he said.

And he noted there are risks to drawing a map with six districts that lean Republican.

“You can draw a strong 5-1 and be safe, or you can draw a 6-0 that waters down your Republican districts so much that you could possibly have two Democrats or a Democrat and a moderate,” he said.

Meanwhile, Louisiana’s Black Democrats in both the Legislature and Congress have continued to demand that state lawmakers pass a plan that keeps two majority-Black districts.

Among them are Carter and U.S. Rep. Cleo Fields, DBaton Rouge, who emphasized the point to Times-Picayune columnist and WBOK radio host Will Sutton on Thursday morning.

“We don’t have to settle for one. We can have two,” Carter said. “All you have to do is use the fundamental principles of reapportionment.”

Carter warned that discus-

Green said he appreciated that DeVillier keeps an open dialogue with them.

“The speaker and I have been very deliberate in trying to make sure we maintain a respectful level of decorum as we debate contentious issues,” Green said.

Rep. Beau Beaullieu, a Republican from New Iberia who chairs the House and Governmental Affairs Committee, welcomed their efforts.

“Cooler heads have to prevail,” he said.

sions about creating just one Black district are an attempt to sow discord between the two congressmen.

“That’s what everybody wants to do: They’re trying to pit us against each other,”

Carter said. “Everyone’s trying to create this us-againstthem scenario.”

Fields echoed that point, and he panned the idea of packing Black voters into a single voting district.

“Why put two of the heavi-

est African American populations in the same district?” Fields asked. “I just think that’s putting all Black voters in one place so that you would have the luxury of creating other districts that are much more White.”

If that is the eventual outcome, Fields said he has “no desire of running for Congress against another African American congressman.”

“I don’t feel good about that,” he said.

related to harm or damages their rockets cause to people and properties.

Several legislators have signed nondisclosure agreements at the requestofGov Jeff Landry’sadministration precluding them from discussing specifics about the bills or apotential aerospace company.Hensgens is the first elected official to go on record confirming it.

He said he did not sign the NDA because he did not believe it was fair to his constituents.

If the deal happens,it would bring billions in revenue to the parish along with about $100 million for coastal restoration, Hensgens said.

Hensgenssaid he does not have firsthand knowledge of how much property the aerospace company or companies are looking to acquire. But he said at least one company is in talks with largelandowners in the area.

The largest landowner in Vermilion Parish is the Exxon Corporation, which owns 136,000 acres, or 212 squaremiles— roughlythe size of Chicago of mostly swampland and marsh along thecoast. Apopular spot for local sportsmen andhunting and fishing camps, the land is managed by the Abbeville-based Vermilion Corp.,which subleases the land to hunters.

The board chair of Vermilion Corp., New Iberia attorney Porteous Burke, did not respond to multiple requests seeking comment.

Continued frompage1A

in the form of grants rather than reimbursements

“Federalassistance should only be reserved for truly significant events that exceed state, local, tribal, territorial capacity andcapability,” said Michael Whatley,a member of the President’s

thestate.”

Exxonhas owned the land since the late 1950s. In 2022, thecompany announced it would pursue acarbon capture sequestration facility on the property.Company officials at the time did not anticipate theneed to terminate existingleases for the project

The project received approval from the Environmental Protection Agency in mid-2023 and was submitted for approval by the Louisiana Department of Energy andNaturalResources in February 2024. But the project never received administrative approval and sat in limbo for two years before being withdrawnonFeb. 20 of this year,adepartment official confirmed. Exxon neither announced the withdrawal nor offered updates after releasing plans for theproject in 2024. It is unclear whether the withdrawal is related to the reported negotiations with the aerospace company Aspokesperson for Exxon confirmed the company withdrew the permit applicationinFebruaryand said it will “continue assessing its (the property’s) competitiveness aspartofour portfolioofstorage sitesacross

to thestate andlet thestate manage this program by providing the resources and an architecturethat will ensure thatpriorities are naturally aligned and that some of the complexities of the environmental review and some of theother reviews are done locally,” Fentonsaid.

For individual assistance, the council recommends consolidating the various programs into aless complex,

Officials with Louisiana Economic Development have declined to comment on apotential deal. But when thelegislative incentive package was introduced last month, LEDSecretary Susan Bourgeoissaid, “Since the beginning of Gov.Jeff Landry’s administration, every effortand initiative out of this department has been centered aroundpositioning Louisiana to compete and win. These measures putLouisiana on equal footing with ourpeer Southern statesand create pathways foropportunities forour people.”

Speculationgrows

In recent days, speculationabout apotential deal has been thesubject of local real estate blogs and coffee shopchatter in the Acadiana area and has also found its way ontointernet message boardsthatmonitorSpaceX, Musk and aerospace companies.

In the tiny town of Pecan Island, whichhas afulltime population of about 100 people in raised fishing camps along atwo-lane highway, gas station clerks and grocery shop owners say everyonehas astory about SpaceX coming to the community, though no onehas any specifics.

“It’s all anyone is talking about,” saidVicky HarringtonatMarsha’s Corner Store,about 15 milesnorth of PecanIsland.

“We’ve all heardthe rumors butwe don’tknow who tobelieve.”

Fuelingthe speculative fire was aland sale in Pecan Island filed May 1inthe Vermilion Parish courthouse.

Fenton said. Panelists doubled down on Risk Rating 2.0, which raised flood insurancepremiums for manyinLouisiana. The process better aligns policy pricing with the property’s risk for flooding.

Fenton said perhaps some accommodation couldbe added to buy out frequently flooded properties.

“Wesought the input from everyone. It wasn’t based

Recordsshow aBrownsville, Texas, resident who lists SpaceX as his employer on LinkedIn purchased a14acre tract along Front Ridge Road that liesjust south of Pecan Island Food Store. No evidencehas emerged publicly connecting the purchase to the larger negotiations.The deal had been pending since March, asource indicated.

The employee did not respond to arequest for comment. Theseller,Anthony Fontenot, of Youngsville, said he nevermet the buyer and was unaware of his plans for theproperty.

“Maybe people are speculatingalready,”Fontenot said.

Several police jurors in Cameron and Vermilion parishes reached Thursday saidthey had not signed confidentiality agreements andwere in the dark about apotential deal.

“But Ihopesomething comes,” said Vermilion Parish Police Juror Dexter Callahan. “Weneed something

in this part of the state to generate jobs and activity.”

Ideallocation?

Thepotential location in Vermilion Parish could be an ideal one for SpaceX between its Brownsville, Texas, headquarters and Cape Canaveral, Florida, according to Lafayette real estate broker Jim Keaty,who has been monitoring andblogging about local developments. The company’srockets are too large to be transported by rail and would have to be shipped by barge.

The Freshwater Bayou Lock provides direct, deepwater access to the Gulf of Mexico for SpaceX’s autonomous drone-ship recoveryvessels,Keatysaid.

The nearby Port of Iberia has more than 100 marine fabrication yards already equipped to build launch mounts, modify barges and supply offshore-grade steel.

Keaty said the location could support activities such as manufacturing Starships, testing itsRaptor en-

gines andloading completed rockets on barges bound for Florida. The development could also erasealarge portion of huntingand fishing land that has been used for generations.

“Nobody knows howall of this is going to shakeout and to what impact,” said Brennan Billeaud, whose campis just south of Pecan Island.

“Wehaveacamp downthere, andfrom apersonal standpoint, that’salways kind of been ourhappy place.” Said Billy Broussard, a one-time commissioner for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries:

“Hunting has existed sideby-side with the oil and gas industry for decades now

The rumormill hasgone wildwith speculation about what this could mean. The truth is we just don’tknow enough to say whether this would be good or bad forPecan Island.”

Staff writer Joel Thompson contributed to this report.

Hamassaysson of negotiator killed in Israelistrike

BY WAFAA SHURAFA and TOQA EZZIDIN Associated Press

DEIRAL-BALAH,Gaza Strip The son of Hamas’ lead negotiator died afterbeing wounded by an Israeli strike on Gaza, the militant group said Thursday,asanother Israeli strike killed three Hamas security forces, according to local officials. Israel meanwhilesaid it killed three Hezbollah

N.Y. moves to tax

luxury 2nd homes

in NYC

BY ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE Associated Press

NEW YORK People who buy

luxurious second homes in New York City,but live most of the year elsewhere, would have to payanew taxonthe properties under atentative agreement—aninitiative to appease Mayor Zohran Mamdani and liberal voters who launched him into office with chants of “tax the rich. But the deal, part of a sprawling budget plan announced Thursday by Gov Kathy Hochul, would stop short of amajor priority for the mayor: abroad tax increase on the state’swealthiest residents.

The proposed tax on multimillion-dollar second homes, known as pied-àterres, comes as Democrats are trying to address voter concerns about affordability ahead of this year’smidterm elections withoutalienating the business community Critics, including prominent business leaders, Republicans, and some moder-

militants in astrike on the southern suburbs of Beirut theday before. Hamas negotiatorKhalil al-Hayya’s32-year-oldson, Azzam, was wounded by astrikeinGazaCityon Wednesday that killed another person and wounded several others.The Israeli military has not commented on thestrike. Theolder alHayya is based abroad Israelhas continued to carry out regular strikes

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO Newyork Gov.Kathy Hochul and NewyorkCity Mayor Zohran Mamdani arrivetoa news conference on April 27 in the StatenIsland borough of Newyork.

ate Democrats, have warned that slapping new taxes on rich people who maintain apartments and town houses in New York, but don’t consider it their primary home,will just lead the very wealthy to abandonthe city Thedetails of the proposal are not yet finalized, but Hochul saiditwouldapply to homesworthover $5 million It wouldonly apply to second homesinNew York City, not otherstate playgrounds for therich, like Long Island’s mansion-dottedHamptons Hochul estimated the tax would bringinatleast$500 million for the city annually

Afterthe governor’s announcement,the state’s legislative leaders warned that much was still left to be negotiated. “Thereisnobudget deal,” saidCarl Heastie, Democratic speaker of the stateAssembly, adding that muchof the financialbackbone of the budget had yet to be decided.

againstwhat it says are militanttargets —also killing civilians —since aU.S.brokeredceasefire halted major military operations in October. That agreement also led to the release of the remaininghostages taken in Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack that sparked thewar Key stipulations of the agreement remain unmet, including the disarmament of Hamas, the deployment of an international stabi-

lization force and Israel’s withdrawal from thehalf of the territory itstroops still control. Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violations.

Hamas accused Israel of trying to pressure negotiators through targetedkillings. It was not clearifthe younger al-Hayya was the target of the strike.

In comments to Al Jazeera after his sonwas wounded, Al-Hayya said that if his son

Southern PovertyLaw Center leader pleads notguiltyfor group

Organization accusedof donor fraud

BY SAFIYAHRIDDLE Associated Press

MONTGOMERY, Ala. The leader of theSouthern Poverty Law Center pleaded not guilty Thursday on behalf of theorganization to charges thatthe civil rights group defrauded donors by failing to disclose that money would be paid to informantsinside extremist groups.

The group’sinterim presidentand CEO,Bryan Fair, appeared in federal court in Montgomery representing the SPLC on charges of money laundering conspiracy,wirefraud andfalse statements to a bank.

Agrand jury indictment was filedApril 21 by the U.S.JusticeDepartment. The charges areanextraordinarystrike against the Alabama-based organization, which works to combat discrimination andracism particularly in Alabama, Florida, Georgia,

Louisiana and Mississippi. The SPLC has denied wrongdoing. No individuals are charged in the case. The trial is set to begin in October

The group has drawn criticismfrom conservatives including FBI DirectorKashPatel,especially after it includedCharlie Kirk’sTurning Point USA in areport about“hate and extremism.” Kirk was killed during aUtahcollege appearance in 2025.

The Justice Department accuses the organization of defrauding donors by using theirmoney to fund the same extremism it says it fights. At least $3 millionwent to informants affiliated withthe Ku Klux Klan,the Aryan Nations, the National SocialistParty of America and other groups between 2014and 2023, theindictment says. Fair has said the payments went to confidentialinformantstomonitor threats of violencefrom theextremist groups. The information gathered helped save lives, he said, and was frequently shared with the FBI.

wastargeted, “it would be an honor to me,tohim, and to all Palestinians.”

When asked about disarming, al-Hayya said Hamas would be ready to discuss the secondphase of the ceasefire agreement only after Israel fulfills the first phase, which includes acessation of hostilities and a surge in humanitarian aid.

Israeli strikes have killed several top Hamas leaders andtheir family members

over the years. Another son of al-Hayya, Hammam,was killedinanIsraelistrike on Hamas leaders in Qatar in September Al-Hayya’sdaughter Tasnim, speaking at Shifa Hospital in Gaza, said her father’shand would not be forced by thedeathsofhis children. “Weare like allour people. Everyone has suffered and everyone hassacrificed. We are one of them,” she said.

Thesearchcontinues fora pieceofLouisiana history. Followingthe recentinvestigation into thedisappearance of theancient cypressboard donatedtothe StateCapitol decades ago, theStebbinsfamilyisdoublingtheir efforts to bringithome.

Thefamilyisnow offeringa $10,000 reward for informationthatresults in the recovery of theboard

Detailsofthe disappearance: Theboard waslastseenatClaySchexnayder’s district office in Gonzales when he left office in January2024.

Do youhaveinformation regardingits whereabouts? We areseeking thesafe return of this irreplaceable piece of ourstate’s heritage.Yourtip couldbethe keyto restoringafamilylegacyand apiece of ourstate’s heritage

HOWTOHELP

If youhaveany informationregardingthe CypressBoard, please contact: Crimestoppers Phone: 225-344-STOP(7867)

Data released on 2022 China planecrash

Information suggests cockpit struggle, fuel tampering

BY JOSH FUNK AP transportation writer

Newly released data suggeststhatsomeoneintentionally cut off the fuelto both engines of aChina Eastern Airlines jet and therewas astruggle over the controls before the plane slammed into amountain in 2022, killing all 132 people aboard.

In response to apublic records request, the National Transportation Safety Board released areport recently on what the Boeing 737-800’s flight data recorder revealed. The NTSB became involved in the Chinese investigation because the plane and engines were made by American companies and theU.S. investigatorsare regarded as the world’sleading experts on analyzing black boxes after acrash.

Aviation safety experts agree that the data shows both engines stopped and someone sent the plane into anose-dive and a360-degree roll,but it does notconclusively show exactly what happened because the Civil Aviation Administrationof China has yet to release its final report than four years later.International standards call for investigators to strive to release their report by roughly ayear after acrash.

The NTSB report is dated July 1, 2022. It was released May 1, but the first news stories on it only showed up

this week.

By designthe fuel levers in a737 cannot be easily bumped orshut off inadvertently —someone hastopull them outto release them before they will move.John Cox, CEO of Safety OperatingSystems,saidthe levers lock intoplace, so it’slikely thatsomeone deliberately moved them both to the cutoffposition.

Thedataended whilethe plane wasstill at 26,000 feet of altitudeafter theflight recorder and all the plane’shydraulic systems lost power, but the report of the12minutesbefore that suggests what happened.

The cockpit voice recorder,which continued working because it had abattery backup, couldalso help shed light, but the NTSB did not release atranscript of what it found on thoserecordings.

It is up to Chinese authorities to release those details.

JeffGuzzetti, who formerly investigated crashes for the NTSB and the Federal Aviation Administration, said the flight data suggests astruggle and the crash could have been apilot suicide. There have been a number previousinstances of that, includingaGermanwings flight that crashed into the French alpsin2015, killing everyone aboard.

“Typicallywhen you want to rollanairplane, it’s a smooth movement of the controlwheel in onedirection.But here you have it moving back and forth,back and forth, as if someoneis trying to counter the initial movement of the roll,” Guzzetti said. “Soit’snot conclusive, butitsurehas the earmarks of astruggle in thecockpit.”

By XINHUANEWS AGENCy

FILEPHOTO PROVIDED

Search and rescue workers search through debris at the China Eastern flight crash site in Tengxian County in southernChina’sGuangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on March 24, 2022.

Thedetails aboutthis crash will renew longstanding industry concerns about how to ensure pilots’ mental health.

Many are reluctant to come forward and seek help for fear theycould losetheir medical certification and be grounded. Getting recertifiedcan takemonthsorlonger during which agrounded pilot is notgettingpaid. Meanwhile some countries prohibit pilotsfrom taking common psychiatric medicines suchasantidepressants.

“Clearly pilots—and very understandably so —are oftentimes reluctant to come forward, knowing thattoget recertified after having gone through amental health evaluation, it canbevery arduous andverylengthy,” Cox said.

Guzzetti saidthe co-pilot of an Egypt Air planethat crashed in 1999 is believed to have deliberately sent it into theocean off New York. In 2023, in an incident that did notend in acrash, an off-dutypilot who took psychedelic mushrooms days beforehand tried to cut the engines of aHorizon Air flight while riding off-duty in the cockpit. The jet was flying from Kunming in the southwest to Guangzhou, near Hong Kong,whenitwentintoa nose-dive at about29,000 feet, appeared to recover but then slammed into the mountain.The crash left a 65-footcrater and set the

forest on fire.

Thecrew reported no problemsbefore losing contact with air trafficcontrol.

Chinese investigators said no abnormalities werefound among the plane or crew or with outside elements such as bad weather Cox alsosaid the newreportfrom theNTSB does not indicate any problem with theplane.

BY ANNA-CATHERINE BRIGIDA Associated Press

MEXICO CITY Salvadoran investigative outlet El Faro announced Thursday that its members’ assets, including abank account and property,were frozen, in what it denounced as an escalation of political persecutionfor its work exposing corruption in the government of President Nayib Bukele.

“It’sanother level of attack against us with aclear purpose,” El Faro Director Carlos Dada said in a news conference Thursday “These arenot fiscal measures. They are political measurestrying to silence us.”

El Faro haspublicly sparred with Bukele over its investigations into corruptionduring his administration, including revelations

Bus ambush suspect had ankle monitor

Teen was out on bail after assault charge, officials say

BY OLIVIA TEES Staff writer

The teen arrested for allegedly ambushing a high school student getting off a school bus on Tuesday afternoon was out on bail for aggravated assault on a dating partner. He was arrested on April 29. Xavier Williams, 18, made his

first court appearance on Wednesday in connection with the Tuesday shooting, where the judge decided not to set bail until another hearing on Friday He had been out on bail and had an ankle monitor from the previous arrest, according to arrest records. East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore said he will

subpoena records from DTS Monitoring, which was tracking Williams.

“We anticipate filing at least five new subpoenas this week from that company,” Moore said. Williams allegedly tried to hit his girlfriend of two months while at his uncle’s house in Baker on April 23. The East Baton Rouge Parish

Sheriff’s Office was dispatched at 7 p.m. in response to shots being fired. Dispatch told deputies that a man was allegedly chasing a female trying to shoot her, according to the arrest warrant. On April 29 at 2:20 p.m., the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force surrounded 5768 Oakwood Dr where Williams was arrested without incident.

He bailed out of prison on May 1 and was arrested again Tuesday

evening, just days later Williams and his two cousins allegedly drove to where the Northeast High School student was getting off a school bus and shot him. They fled the scene and were stopped by police shortly after and arrested. Cameron Williams,

LOOKING AT THE DIG PICTURE

Reliable Plumbing worker Victor Maldonado, left, operates an excavator to unearth a sewage line that needs to be replaced while David Manuel monitors the line outside of a Garden District house on Tuesday

Oversight committee cites court candidate

BY JOHN SIMERMAN Staff writer

BY QUINN COFFMAN Staff writer

A campaign watchdog committee under the Louisiana Supreme Court says a candidate for the high court, 22nd Judicial District Judge William Burris, violated judicial ethics by knowingly telling a falsehood about

volving Smitty’s Supply

Burris said that Edwards had “received a loan from Smitty’s Supply” a few years before she ruled on a workers’ compensation case involving the Tangipahoa Parish industrial firm.

his campaign rival at a forum last month in Baton Rouge. The Louisiana Judicial Campaign Oversight Committee said Thursday that Burris overstepped at an April 20 forum sponsored by the Baton Rouge Press Club, when he alleged a conflict by 1st Circuit Court of Appeal Judge Blair Downing Edwards in ruling over a matter in-

“Judge Edwards did not receive a loan from Smitty’s Supply,” the committee found.

“Judge Edwards granted a mortgage to Big 4 Investments. Big 4 Investments is a separate entity from Smitty’s Supply The Committee finds that the statement made by Judge Burris was false.”

Smitty’s chemical plant in Roseland was the scene of an explosion and fire last year that devastated the area. Burris and Edwards are vying for Republican-only votes in a closed-party race to decide a dis-

Judge knowingly told falsehood about rival, it finds ä See CANDIDATE, page 2B

State Police arrest former Elayn Hunt sergeant

STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Burris Edwards

Former NOPD officermournsslain son

25-year-old was shot in N.O. East

BY MISSY WILKINSON

Staff writer

As aU.S. Army veteran with more than three decades in law enforcement, Shawn Dent is no stranger to violence. He estimates he has worked more than 60 active homicide scenes during his career as an officer,first with the New Orleans Police Department and now with the Cincinnati Police Department.

None of that experience could prepare him for the pain of losing his son to murder early Saturday morning.

“I have investigated at least

two homicides on West Lavern (Street), and Inever,everimagined my sonwouldend up dead on thoseverystreets,” Dent said. “Nothing can prepareyou for the loss.”

Nicholas Dent, 25, was fatally shot about4:23a.m.near Erin Driveand BeauStreet, according to the NOPD. Shawn Dent said his son had just ended alate-night shift at Voodoo Chicken &Daiquiris, where he worked as aserver andbartender, andwas giving a friend and another person aride to New Orleans East.

“From what Ihear,they attempted to rob him and fired ashot that struck my son,” Shawn Dent said.

Nicholas Dent waspronounced dead at the scene. New Orleans police have not announced any ar-

rests, persons of interest or other updates.

Nicholas Dent was born on May 6, 2000, in New Orleans,where both hisparentsworked as policeofficersinthe 7th District.

“Always smiling,”hequickly became his grandmother’s favorite in alarge, tight-knit family,Shawn Dent said.

“She took care of himasababy boy.Instead of childcare, he would go to her until he was old enough to startkindergarten,”Shawn Dent said.

In 2006, the Dent family moved to Cincinnatiinthe wake of Hurricane Katrina’sdevastation, thinking the move would be temporary There, Nicholas Dent attended WintonWoodsMiddle School and High School, where he was an

honor student. After graduating, Nicholas Dent wanted to move back to New Orleans and help take care of his grandmother,just as she had cared for him as achild. Shawn Dent said that gave him pause.

“I feltvery nervous about him moving back,” Shawn Dent said. “Being apoliceman in NewOrleans, Iknow there were some challenges as farasviolence.”

But Nicholas Dent seemed happy to be living with his grandmother in St. Roch,surroundedby friends andfamily members close to his age. When his father visited, Nicholas Dent “finally wanted to be around his dad,” Shawn Dent said.

“I loved it,” ShawnDent said. “I finally got that quality time.”

Documentaryscreening at LSUStorytellersLab

Staff report

Experience an evening of storytelling at the fifth annual documentary screeningofLSU’sStorytellers Lab. The screening will begin at 5:30 p.m. on Friday at the Journalism Building (Holliday Forum) on LSU’scampus.

TwoBR weekend events rescheduled forweather

BY MADDIE SCOTT Staff writer

Twoevents slated forthis weekend, Hot Art Cool Nights and Night Market BTR, have been rescheduled due to weather,according to announcements from organizers.

The free arts and music festival, Hot Art Cool Nights, will nowbe on May15instead of Saturday, from 6p.m.to10p.m., Mid-City Merchants announced Thursday morning. Thefestival’slocation will span from Jefferson Highway at Goodwood Boulevard to the intersection of Government Street and 14th Street.

CANDIDATE

Continued from page 1B

trict that has been redrawn more conservative.

Burris’ comments came toward the end of the forum lastmonth.

“Let’slook at the fact that Smitty’smade aloantomyopponent forhundreds of thousands of dollars, mortgage on her house, and then afew years later appears

ARREST

Continued from page1B

Devon Johnson and Cpl. Jermaine Javius said they observed him running ared light at the intersection of North Acadian Thruway and Mohican Street.

When stopped,officers saw marijuana sitting on the passenger seat and ahandgun under the driver’sseat, according to an affidavit for Pugh’sarrest.

They detained Pugh, placing him in handcuffs in the back of amarkedcruiser Throughoutthe arrest, Pugh teased and joked withthe officers,and canbeheard saying, “I know you won’t punch on me, but Iwant you to punch on me.” Pugh’sDodge Charger

SUSPECT

Continued from page1B

attempted second-degree murder.They were booked into East BatonRouge Parish prison and have a $100,000 bail set. All three told the judge on Wednesday that they are in school, andthatCameron Williams is afreshmanat LSU.

Several ankle-monitoring companies have come under fire for failing to report alarge number of violations to prosecutors. Mooreissued asubpoena against Magnolia Monitoring and Homebound Monitoringearlier this week. However,the company that was monitoring Williams is not one of the companies with suspected violations.

Five student short films will be screened,along with “Beli4ve: TheDevontéGraham Story,” which is dedicated to afamily’s journey to andbeyond the NBA.

This event highlights the work of Manship School graduatestudents, particularly the MC3334 class, and celebrates storytelling that reflects culture, community andreal-life impact. Asha Winfield,directorofthe Storytellers Lab, will bepresent with participating student filmmakers.

The documentaryshortshigh-

before her at the1st Circuit,” he said. “I’m going to give youa real surprising outcome. Smitty’s won.”

Edwards praised the committee’sdecision as avindication.

“I’msatisfiedthey’ve at least acknowledged he’snot tellingthe truth,” she said.

She acknowledges amortgage from Big 4Investments that she paid off in 2015 but denied any conflict.

“If you’regoing to try to wina campaign based on lies andthat’s

was searched, and police found roughly21grams of marijuana on thepassenger floorboard, four unknown pills in the centercup holder,a handgun, $374 in cash and baggies.

While detained, acall rang throughthe car’s speakers, and Johnson answered the phone Awoman’svoicecan be heard, asking, “Hi,are you at thespot?” Johnsonasked thewoman what she was tryingtoget.

light Louisiana’slove, music, memory,dance and community.

The event is free and open to the public. The Storytellers Lab, launched in January 2022 and led by Dr Asha Winfield, is ahub for communication and community-centered research that explores how identity, culture andsocietyare shaped andsharedthroughmedia, family and regional stories.

the way you want to get it, it’sunprofessional,” Edwardssaid. “And he’sajudge. Ithink judicial transparency and accountabilitystarts with us.”

Burris, however,arguedthatthe committee was splitting hairs. His campaigncited overlapbetween ownership of Smitty’sand the company that provided Edwards amortgage loan, citing astakefor Edgard SmithIII in both.

Had Burris said the owner of Smitty’smade the loan to Ed-

“I was gonna getsomethingfor $20,” she said.

Johnson and Javius then ask her if she’sinterested in a“seven” or a“three-five,” referring to the numberof gramsmarijuana is sold in.

“What’s theseven is? It’s a mid?” thewoman asked.

“I mean it’sdecent;it’ll get you by,” Javius said intothe speaker phone.

The woman thenagrees to buy 7gramsfor $20, and inquires about paying via CashApp. Shesaidshe’llbe

Through collaborative,artsbased and qualitative methods, the labpartners withlocal communities to create,interrogate and examine narrativesinmedia and everydaylife. The Lab’smission is to empower intergenerational storytelling by centering the lived experiencesofeveryone from theaging to the youth.

For more information, visit thestorytellerslablsu.com.

wards and notthe company itself, therewould be no violation, they argued.

“I’m glad we’re finally talking about Judge Edwards’ relationship with the Smittys in conjunction to herjudicialrecord,” Burris said in astatement.

Burrishas servedasa state judge in Washington Parish since 2018. Edwards rose to the appeals court after serving as astate juvenile court judge since 2008. The primary is May 16.

at ameetingspotonElm Street

Pugh was booked on a count each of possession with intent to distribute marijuana, possessionwith intent to distribute aSchedule II substance, possession of afirearm by afelon,illegal carrying of afirearm with controlled dangerous substances, and running a red light

Despitethe arrest,Pugh laughed along with officers when theytold him they’d

“For the first time ever,we’re rescheduling HotArt Cool Nights due to weather,” the post wrote. “While we hate to shift plans, keepingour community, artists and merchants safe is always the priority.”

The fourth annual Night Market BTR, whichcelebrates Asian American heritage with food, music and other performances, will now commence on May 30 from 4p.m.to10p.m., thefestivalannounced Wednesday night. It was previously set forSaturday

“Due to severe weatherforecasted this weekend, we have made thedifficult decision to postpone NightMarketBTR 2026,” thesocial media post said. “The safety of our community,vendors, performers, and team comes first.”

There will not be ticket refunds, thepostsaid, andall presale and VIPtickets already purchased can be used on May 30. There are still presale tickets available for purchase online.

spokenwith his customer.

“Man, y’know how long Elm Street is? Y’allain’t gonna find me,man,” Pugh said.

Baton Rouge PoliceChief Thomas Morse said in a statementthe interaction showsahuman side of policing and gets the public familiarwith some of the featured BRPD officers.

“A lotofpeople talk about that they would like to do a ride-along with police. This show gets you as close to

that as you can, but from the comfort and safety of your home,” Morse said. “You can turn on the news andsee thenegative things going on inside the city,but you can turn on OPL and see the dedicated menand women of the BatonRouge Police Department dealing with those issues.” The exchange wasbroadcastonthe April 25 episode of “On Patrol: Live,” “Street Takeover.” The showcan be streamedonthe Reelz app.

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Jobless claims rise but remain historically low WASHINGTON U.S.joblessclaim applications rose last week but remain at historically low levels despite elevated inflation and other economic headwinds.

The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits in the week ending May 2 rose by 10,000 to 200,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday That’s fewer than the 205,000 new applications analysts surveyed by the data firm FactSet were expecting.

The previous week’s new claims figure, which was the fewest since 1969 was revised up by 1,000 to 190,000. Weekly filings for unemployment benefits are considered a proxy for U.S layoffs and are close to a real-time indicator of the health of the job market.

Long-term mortgage rate bounce back

The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate rose again this week reflecting ongoing bond market volatility as surging oil prices due to the war with Iran heighten inflation worries.

The benchmark 30-year fixed rate mortgage rate rose to 6.37% from 6.3% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday That’s still down from one year ago, when the rate averaged 6.76%. This is the second straight weekly increase, bringing the average rate back to where it was four weeks ago.

Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, popular with homeowners refinancing their home loans, also moved higher this week. That average rate rose to 5.72% from 5.64% last week. A year ago, it was at 5.89%, Freddie Mac said. Mortgage rates are influenced by several factors, from the Federal Reserve’s interest rate policy decisions to bond market investors’ expectations for the economy and inflation.

The average rate on a 30-year home loan echoes the trajectory of U.S. 10-year Treasury bond yields, which lenders use as a guide to pricing home loans.

The 10-year Treasury yield was at 4.37% in midday trading Thursday on the bond market

The yield was at just 3.97% in late February, before the war with Iran broke out.

When mortgage rates rise, they can add hundreds of dollars a month in costs for home shoppers, limiting what they can afford to buy

As recently as late February, the average rate on a 30-year mortgage had slipped just under 6% for the first time since late 2022. It’s hasn’t fallen below that threshold since.

Last month, the number of homes for sale rose 4.6% from a year earlier, as properties took longer to sell, according to Realtor.com.

Gas prices could affect McDonald’s spring sales

McDonald’s posted betterthan-expected sales in the first quarter but said high gas prices and consumer anxiety over the Iran war could dent sales this spring.

The average price of a gallon of gas in the U.S. was $4.55 on Thursday, according to AAA That was 44% higher than a year ago.

McDonald’s Chairman and CEO Chris Kempczinski said the company has been making progress bringing lowerincome customers back into its stores with value meals. But fast food visits by customers with household incomes of $45,000 or less are still declining overall, and the spike in gas prices won’t help, he said.

“Clearly, when you have elevated gas prices... that is going to disproportionately impact low-income consumers. And so we expect the pressures there are going to continue,” Kempczinski said Thursday during a conference call with investors.

McDonald’s said same-store sales, or sales at locations open at least a year, fell in the U.S. and some international markets in April.

Trump gives deadline for trade deal

President says EU has until July 4 to approve last year’s framework

BY JOSH BOAK Associated Press

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said in a Thursday social media post that goods from the European Union would face higher tariff rates if the 27-member bloc

fails to approve last year’s trade framework by July 4. The announcement appeared to be a deadline extension after the president said last Friday that EU autos would face a higher 25% tariff starting this week. Trump made the updated announcement after what he described as a “great call” with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Still, the U.S. president was displeased that the European Parliament had yet to finalize the trade

arrangement reached last year which was further complicated in February by the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that Trump lacked the legal authority to declare an economic emergency to impose the initial tariffs used to pressure the EU into talks.

“A promise was made that the EU would deliver their side of the Deal and, as per Agreement, cut their Tariffs to ZERO!” Trump posted “I agreed to give her until our Country’s 250th Birthday or

unfortunately their Tariffs would immediately jump to much higher levels.”

It was unclear from the post whether Trump was implying that the tariff rates would jump on all EU goods or the increase would only apply to autos.

His latest statement indicates he might be backing away from his earlier threat on EU autos by giving the European Parliament several more weeks to approve the agreement.

Gas price spike hits lower-income Americans hardest

Research shows gaps in spending worsening ‘K-shaped economy’

BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP economics writer

WASHINGTON Lower-income Americans sharply reduced their gas consumption in the month following the Iran war, yet spiking prices still forced them to spend more at the pump, worsening the economy’s economic disparities, new research released Wednesday showed.

Higher-income households, meanwhile, ratcheted up their spending on gas while barely reducing their consumption, according to a report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Middle-income households fell in-between.

The gaps between how each group reacted were larger than in 2022, when a similar gas-price shock occurred after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the report found. Higherincome households cut back more on their gas consumption four years ago than in March, while poorer households likely benefited more from government stimulus programs in 2022. Wealthier households have seen significant increases in the value of their stock and real estate holdings since then as well.

The figures suggest the gas-price surge has worsened what many economists call the “K-shaped economy.” The K-shape label refers to upper-income Americans continuing to do well while lower-income households fall behind. The disparate outcomes can help explain the generally gloomy attitude most Americans have toward the economy even as headline figures, such as the unemployment rate and economic growth, remain mostly solid.

“We find that households had very different experiences with gasoline spending,” researchers at the New York Fed wrote. “With the sharp increases in gasoline prices in March, a K-shaped pattern in gasoline consumption emerged showing faster consumption growth for high income households relative to lowincome households.”

The Iran war began Feb 28, and by the end of March gas prices had risen about 25%, according to govern-

ment consumer price data. Overall gas consumption, according to the New York Fed, fell 3% that month. As of Tuesday, gas prices have leapt 50% since the war began.

Poorer households, defined as those earning less than $40,000, cut their gas consumption by 7%, the report found, but still spent 12% more on gas in March. Higher-income households, defined as those earning $125,000 a year or above, lifted their spending on gas 19% in March, while reducing their overall consumption of gas just 1%. The report didn’t specify the middle-income figures.

The figures suggest lower-income Americans have cut back on driving, perhaps by carpooling, taking public transportation, or combining errands into fewer trips, while richer Americans have had to make few, if any, changes

The New York Fed report estimates that total spending at gas stations jumped 15% in March from the previous month. If sustained, that extra spending on gas will siphon money away from other areas, reducing overall inflation-adjusted spending and slowing the economy So far, there are only limited signs that is happening. Americans do spend less on gas than in previous decades as cars have become more efficient

Consumer spending, adjusted for price changes, ticked up 0.2% in March, slightly below February’s 0.3% gain, the government said last week. Still, there is evidence that for many lower-income people, the spike in gas prices is a big drag on their finances. A separate report from the Bank of America Institute, released last week, found that among the poorest one-third of households, one-tenth now spend 10% of their incomes on gas. The figure is far above the average for higher-income households, who spend just 2.7% of their incomes on gas.

Data from the institute, which compiles reports from the anonymous accounts of its customers, also showed that more expensive gas has pulled some spending away from discretionary items, defined as those outside groceries, gas, and utilities. The annual growth in poorer households’ discretionary spending slowed in March from February, while it rose for middle- and upperincome households.

U.S. stocks fall from their records as oil prices yo-yo

BY STAN CHOE AP business writer

NEW YORK U.S. stocks fell from their records Thursday after oil prices yo-yoed as Wall Street waits to see whether its hopes for a deal to end the Iran war are warranted or just wishful.

The price for a barrel of Brent crude oil settled at $100.06, down 1.2%, and continued its decline from more than $115 early this week. But it swung sharply before getting there, as Iran said it was reviewing the latest U.S. proposals on ending their war

The hope is that an end to the war will reopen the Strait of Hormuz and allow oil tankers trapped in the Persian Gulf to deliver crude again to customers. Oil and gasoline are still much more expensive than they were before the war began because of the strait’s closure.

Brent’s price briefly fell near $96 per barrel Thursday after a spokesperson for Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said, “We expect an agreement sooner rather than later.” Pakistan has been mediating talks between the United States and Iran. But Brent later erased much of that drop and briefly topped $102, which in turn sent stocks lower on Wall Street.

The S&P 500 fell 0.4% from its all-time high set the day before. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 313 points, or 0.6%, and the Nasdaq composite slipped 0.1% from its own record.

Wall Street saw even sharper swings earlier in the war when hopes rallied for a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, only to get quickly dashed. That could happen again. And Iran has created a government agency to vet and tax vessels seeking passage through the strait, a shipping data company reported Thursday a move that could add to costs for fuel.

Despite all the uncertainties about the war, a powerful parade of U.S. companies reporting even bigger profits for the start of the year than analysts expected has helped support the U.S. stock market. Stock prices tend to follow the path of corporate profits over the long term.

Datadog leapt 31.3% to help lead the U.S. market after the monitoring and security platform for cloud applications topped analysts’ expectations for profit in the latest quarter Albemarle rose 3% after the lithium products and specialty chemicals company likewise delivered better-than-expected results. Taser maker Axon Enterprise rallied 10.6% after raising its forecast for revenue this year in part because of big growth for its counter-drone products. On the losing end of Wall Street was Whirlpool, which tumbled 11.9% after reporting much weaker results than analysts expected. It’s instituting the largest price increases in a decade for its major appliances in North America, while accelerating cuts to its costs, as it contends with weaker confidence among U.S. consumers.

Shake Shack dropped 28.3% after its results for the latest quarter fell well below analysts’ expectations. In the bond market, Treasury yields rose after oil prices pared their drops. The yield on the 10-year Treasury climbed to 4.38% from 4.36% late Wednesday Higher yields can raise rates for mortgages and other kinds of loans going to U.S. households and businesses, which in turn can slow the economy Higher yields also tend to push downward on prices for stocks and other kinds of investments.

The 10-year Treasury yield was at just 3.97% before the war

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By DAVID ZALUBOWSKI

The per-gallon prices for regular unleaded and diesel fuel are displayed on a sign outside a Murphy Express gasoline station on April 28 in Centennial, Colo. New research shows spikes in gas prices

Church 445 MarquetteAvenue,at2 p.m

Pealer,James Hall'sCelebration Center at noon.

Robinson, Melvin ShilohMissionaryBaptistChurchat 11am

Roussel, Sean St.JosephCatholic Church,2130 RectorySt.,Paulina, LAat 11am

Sanders,Mary

St.John theBaptistCatholic Church

402 S. Kirkland Street in Brusly,at

10:30 a.m.

Simmons,Becky

UnifiedJewishCongregationof Baton Rouge,3354KleinertAvenue,at

11 a.m.

Tullier,Adriane

St.JosephCathedral,401 Main St BatonRouge,LAat10am.

Tyler, Joe Greenoaks FuneralHome, 9595 FloridaBoulevard, at 11 a.m.

Obituaries

Franklin, Rosa Lee Rosa Lee Franklin passed awaypeacefully April 28, 2026. Abeloved sister, aunt, and friend, Rosie, as she was affectionately called,will be remembered for her beautiful spirit, strength, and generosity. She worked as an executive secretary for over 30 years in the East Baton Rouge Parish School System and was devoted to helping and caring for others. She is survived by her sisters, brother-in-law, nieces, nephews, and extended family. Acelebration of life will be held at Greater Mount Carmel Baptist Church on Saturday May 9, 2026, at 11am with aviewing at 10am. Rosie's kindness, laughter, and love will always be remembered by those she touched.

Gammill, Shelia Marie 'Tutter'

Shelia Marie Gammill, 80, "Tutter", aresident of Pride, LA, died on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. There will be avisitation on Saturday, May9,2026 at the Zachary UnitedMethodist Church, from 9:00 am until memorial services at 11:00am, conducted by Rev. Austin Rinehart. Sheis survived by her daughter, Brigitte Firmin and hus-

band Roy; one son,William "Billy" Tircuit ;one brother,Edsel Bean andwife Marilyn of Slaughter;three grandchildren: Megan Fleming(Kramer Pickett) Randi Lorio(Danny) and Samantha Holmes(Dustin) six great-grandchildren: RohenYoung, Parker Young, Kayden Pickett, AubreyLorio, JaseLorio, and Raylon Holmes. She was precededindeath by her brother, Lester Odom Bean II,son-in-lawKeith Fleming, and manyloved ones. Hergreatestjoy in life was taking care of her treasuredgrand daughter and great-grandkids. Just as she helped Brigitte with Megan, she spent her last years helping Megan with her children. She loved nothing more than her family. She spent herlifeloving them and making us alllaugh.

Guglielmo Sr., Carey Joseph CareyJoseph Guglielmo, Sr.was bornJanuary 4, 1938,and passedpeacefully in hishomeinBaton Rouge, Louisiana on May4 2026.A devotedfather, husband,son, brotherand beloved grandfather and great grandfather, he will be rememberedfor being a gentleman of fine character and integrity Careygraduated from CatholicHigh School in Baton Rouge in 1956 with honors and is aproud memberofthe Grizzly Greats. He attended Louisiana State University on an athletic scholarship where he playedboth basketball and baseball, making allSEC in baseballin 1960,and lettered in both sports. He was amember of Lambda Chi Alphafraternity. While at LSU,he was inducted as amember in the prestigious national leadership honor society, Omicron Delta Kappa Honors Society, was honored with the President'sMedal forROTC, and was amongst "Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities". Following undergraduate,hepursued alaw degree from LSU Law School where he was president of his lawschool fraternity,winnerofthe distinguishedRobert L. Tullis MootCourt Competition and served as Chairman of the MootCourt Board. Careywas proudofhis militaryservice, servingin theUSArmyMilitary Police from 1963-1965 and was honorably discharged with the rank of Captain. Carey began practicing lawinthe fall of 1965 with Kantrow, Spaht &Kleinpeter, laterbecomingpartner.Heeventually was founding partner of Guglielmo, Marks, Schutte, Terhoeve, &Love, where he practiced untilhis retirement. He taughtasan

adjunct professor for insurance lawcoursesand trial coursesatLSU Law School. He was licensed to practiceinfederal,state and local courts.Heserved on theBoardofDirectors of theLouisianaStateBar Associationand was president of the Baton Rouge Bar Association. He spoke at multiple national seminars on insurance law. He was preceded in death by his lovely and devotedwife,Elizabeth"Betsy" Hall Guglielmo,aswell as hisparents, Dudleyand Nellie Guglielmo,and his sister, LucilleRoy.Heis survivedbyhis children and their spouses Nell Guglielmo Patrick and Kirk "Patrick"Patrick III, Carey JosephGuglielmo Jr and Ashley Jones Guglielmo and DorisGuglielmo Cather and James "Ham" Cather, Sr as wellashis 8 grandchildrenElizabeth "Betsy"Patrick Pharis (John), TapperJoseph Patrick (Wallace), Mary Frances Patrick (Ricky), Tyree TheriotPatrick, Carey JosephGuglielmo III "Tripp", Anne Scott Guglielmo,James Hamilton Cather Jr., and William Joffrion Cather; and five great grandchildren, John Patrick Pharis, Mary Helen Pharis, Margaret James Pharis, Anne Wallace Patrick, and Lawrence JosephPatrick, alongwith his brother, Dudley Guglielmo, and many family members.

The family wouldliketo recognize thelovingcaregivers, Linda Rankin, Chimica O'Conner, Ursula Pinkney, Kathleen Anderson, Linda Kelley and Elsie Plainaswellashis Hospice of BatonRougenurse and assistant, Debbie Sparacello and Cora Wise who providedloving care. We willbeeternally grateful forthe kindness, love, and careyou providedto "Mr. C" which allowed him to remain at home.

Visitationwillbeheldat Our LadyofMercy Church, 445 MarquetteAvenue,BatonRouge,LAonTuesday, May 12 beginning at 9a.m., until aMass of Christian burial at 10 a.m. In lieu of flowers, friends may honor Carey Guglielmo, Sr. withgifts/ donations to Hospice of Baton Rouge,Catholic High School, theLSU Law School, theLSU Athletic FoundationorOur Lady of Mercy Church.

AngelaScotHixon, 57, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, with her family by her side. Scotwas born on February 2, 1969, in Augusta, Georgia. Scotissurvivedbyher husband, Dr. Rufus Lester "Les" Hixon, III; three daughters, Katherine "Kate" Elaine Hixon Savoy (Tyler), Caroline Hixon Leggio(Brandon), and Anna ScotHixon (Aaron); four grandchildren, Tyler Joseph"TJ"Savoy,Elaine ScotLeggio,Beau Ray Daniels, and Scottie Evelyn Daniels; mother,Martha Hickman Ostendorff of Augusta, Georgia;father, David Alan Ostendorff,Sr. (Judy) of Greenville, South Carolina; brother, David Alan Ostendorff,Jr. (Stacy); nephew Dylan, and niece ElizabethofAugusta, Georgia.

Visiting hours willbe held at Resthaven Funeral Home on Saturday, May 9, 2026, from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. Allare welcome to attend services at 3:00 pm and theburialfollowing.In lieu of flowers,pleasesend donations to theLouisiana PediatricCardiology Foundation(LPCF)

Family and friends may view theextended obitu-

ary, sign theonline guestbook, or leave anote to the familyatwww.resthavenb atonrouge.com

Landry, TommieLee

Tommie LeeLandry, 79, of Baton Rouge,Louisiana, passed away on May1 2026. Born on February 11, 1947, in Rosedale, Louisiana, Tommie willbe remembered with deep respect and enduring affection by all whoknewher Tommie Leefound steady joyinthe simple meaningfulworkofcreatingwith herhands. She lovedtocrochetfor friends andfamily, offeringeach pieceasa quietexpression of care.Just as faithfully, she wasalways willingto teach thecrafttoanyone eagertolearn, sharing her time and knowledgewith patienceand generosity.

Sheissurvivedbyher twodaughters, CrystalOtt Cooperand JoyOtt Reynolds; herson,JoelOtt; hersister,Mary Reine; and herbrother,Wayne Landry. Shealso leaves behind10 grandchildrenand four

great-grandchildren who will cherish hermemory Tommie Leewas precededindeathbyher parents, Thomas Edward Landryand Lela MayKing; hersisters, Sadie MaeElridgeand Ruth Jarreau; her brothers, Royand Alton Landry; andher grandson DylanOtt. Tommie Leestruggled throughout herlifewith herown mental health at a time when resources were notreadilyavailable. Because of this, she became astrongadvocate, encouraginganyoneinneedto seekhelp andsupport Thefamilyrequest donations be made in Tommie Lee's name to The Bridge Center for Hope https://brbridge.org/donat e/,and TheWomen's CommunityRehabilitation Center. https://www.wcrcbr.or g/donations.

Hixon, Angela Scot

McCalister,Josephine Smith 'Georgia Mae'

On April 27, 2026, JosephineSmith McCalistertransitionedfromthis life to eternity. Josephine

was born on February 6, 1928 in Amite, Louisiana,to Reverend Eugene Frank and Albertha White Smith. She is survived by her children Bertha Howard, Herbert Green, Viola Breaux and Richard McCalister, 15 grandchildren, and 56 great-grandchildren.

Viewing -05/08/2026

from 5:00 to 7:00 PM at Richardson Funeral Home 11816 Jackson Street, Clinton, La. Funeral -05/09/2026 at 11:00AMatThe STEAM Academy, 9414 Plank Road, Clinton, La.

McClay, Tyrone G. 'Tootie'

Aviewing will be held on Friday, May 8, 2026 from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm at Hall Davis &Sons Funeral Services, 58790 Iron Farm Road Plaquemine, LA 70764 followed by aviewing on Saturday,May 9, 2026 from 9:00 am to 11:00 am at Macedonia Baptist Church located at 58210 PlaquemineStreet,

Anative and resident of Donaldsonville passed away on Monday, April 27, 2026 at the age of 83. Visiting 4-6pm, Friday, May 8at Demby &Son Funeral Home, Donaldsonville. Visitation continues 9am, Saturday, May9 at St.Catherine of Sienna Catholic Church, Donaldsonville until Mass of Christian Burial at 11am. Recitation of Rosary at 10am. Interment in Ascension Catholic

Cemetery. Please visit www.dembyandson.com to signthe guestbook.

Pullen,Irish Irish Pullen, 79, of Baton Rouge, passedawayMay 5, 2026.Born in Melville, he was aproud U.S. Navy veteran who served during the VietnamWar.Irish enjoyedfishing, spending time in nature, reading novels, and working on creative home projects. He was also awriter of short storiesand was known for his dry sense of humor and uniqueperspective on life. He is survivedbyhis favorite son,Brandon Pullen, and his sister, Debbie Gordon. He was precededin death by his wife, Pam Pullen; his parents, Neva and Wade Pullen; and his brother,Jim Pullen. The visitation willbeheldatNiland's Funeral Home in Livonia, La on Tuesday, May 12, 2026from 9:00 am until thereligiousservice begins at 10:30am. The burial willimmediately follow in St. Francis Cabrini CatholicChurchCemetery

Samkutty, Ezhamkulam Chacko

Dr. Ezhamkulam

Samkutty (June 1, 1949May5,2026)

Dr. Ezhamkulam

Samkutty was adedicated English professor,evangelist, novelist, and songlyricist. His life was definedby an unwavering devotion to the gospelofChrist, and he blessed and influenced many people in the South Indiancommunity with his ministry

His novel, PalamThettiya Theevandi (The Derailed Train), wasa seminal work of the Keralite Pentecostal literary cannon, reaching hundreds of thousands of readers all across the world.The novel was awarded Best Novel" at the WorldMalayalee Conventionin1993. He was also an avid songwriter, composing albums such as Viduthalin Ganangal,and many of his songs are stillsung in churchesaround the

globe. The funeral willbeheld at Hebron IPCChurch, in Houston, TX, at 9:00 am. The burialwilltake place afterwardsatSouth Park FuneralHomeinPearland, TX.

Simmons, Becky Lynn

The deathofBeckyLynn Simmons, known to many as The DoodleLady, leaves our world aless kind, generous, and loving place Becky, eldest daughter of thelate JosephS and Betty Moyse Simmons, left us Wednesday, April29, 2026 comfortably in her home surrounded by dedicated friends and family and her belovedpuppy, Tito.Becky's spiritwillsurviveand thrive in our communityas others calm anxious patients, comfort grieving parents, support spiritual growth, overcome depression,reach out to theoutsider, and shower love and kindness.Her loving son, L. Prentiss Cutshaw, his wife Rachel and threegrandchildren, William, Curry, and Sarah BethCutshaw survive her, as do her sister, Jean and her husband Will Wilcox, and her brother Joeand his wife Tricia Day, and numerous friends and family.Infulfilling her wishes, Becky's mortalremains shallsoonbetransformed intoliveoaks and gardens as acontinuation of hertireless workto make this abetter place We ask that youjoinusin celebrating her remarkable life at amemorial service on Friday, May 8withvisitation starting at 10 a.m., serviceat11a.m. and areception to follow at the Unified Jewish Congregation of BatonRouge, 3354 Kleinert Avenue,Baton Rouge. We extend heartfelt thanksamong her extended circle of care: Mark, Camille, Pinnacle Hospice, Home Instead, Decision Critical and others. We ask that youhug your loved onesand tell them of your love;dosomething kind for astranger every day; and should youdesire, donate

to acherished charityin her honor. Withthat, Becky's love willliveon.

Stuart,Justin Chenault'Juice'

Our belovedbrother, Justin Chenault Stuart, found peace in God's handsonMay 6, 2026, at theage of 71. He was born April7,1955, in Shreveport, LA,but was aresident of Baton Rouge

He was preceded in death by his parents, John A. Stuart,Sr. and Elizabeth "Betty"HatfieldStuart and brother-in-law, John D. Ritter. We are sure he was calledhome to be withour mother on Mother's Day. "Happy Mother's Day Mom!"

Justin was acherished member of our family and is survivedbyhis twosis-

ters, Elizabeth StuartRitter, Lydia StuartMangelli (Louis), his4 brothers, John A. Stuart,Jr. (Winnie), ChristopherN.Stuart (Stacey), Harry E. Stuart, Stan H. Stuart (Tanya) and hiseighteennieces and nephewsand theirchildren whoheloved dearly. Justinnever met a stranger andalways wanted to know what high school they attended, so he couldmake aconnection with them.Heloved everythingLSU,especially baseball. He spent years at Alex Box Stadiumwith friends cheering for the Tigers. Hisgreatest joy was goingtothe Baton Rouge FireStations, especiallyStations10and 12. He wassoloved by these men,thattheygave hima retirement party at Station 12 anda plaque. Hisbest friendwas District Chief Jimmy Roy. Aspecial thank you goestoJimmy forthe attention andlove he gave Justin. We willbeforever grateful to him andall the fireman whocalled him "Juice."

We wanttothank Arka andAngela for theexcellent care and love they extended to Justin. Also, thanks to DoctorsLeo Blaize andGerald Miletello,

Landmark of Baton Rouge andLife

SourceServicesof Baton Rouge whoprovided personal care

Pallbearers are his nephews, Scott A. Ritter, Robert P. Ritter, John A. Stuart, III,ChristopherN Stuart, Jr., Louis V. Mangelli,Anthony M. Stuart Nicholas H. Stuart andBenjaminJ.Stuart Visitation willbeat Rabenhorst, Government St,onSaturday May9, 2026, from 11:30am -1pm, with Service at 1pm, Intermenttofollow at Roselawn Memorial Park. Thank you Father Jeff Bayhi

Plaisance, Joyce J.

OPINION

Newboard on prescriptionscould hamper patientaccess

As aLouisiana residentand longtime patient advocate, Iunderstand the frustration many families feel when we look at our pharmacy receipt. Affordability is an important arm of defining access. Unfortunately Louisiana Senate Bill 401, which would create aso-called “Prescription Drug Affordability Board” (PDAB), risks doing real harm to patients while failing to address the true drivers of high drug costs.

SB401 is being sold as asolution, but experience from other states tells avery different story. Eleven states have already established PDABs. Not one hassaved patients or states money.Instead, these boards haveconsumed millions of taxpayer dollarsthrough staffing costs, consultants and litigation, while producingno measurable relief at the pharmacy counter.Indeed, nothing in these bills or SB401 would save patients or states money

Worse, this bill is structurally flawed in waysthat directly threaten patient access. The bill excludes patientrepresentation entirely,repeating a familiarand harmful pattern in healthcare: decisions made about patientswithout consulting patients. You cannot improve accessfor people living withserious or chronicconditions while shuttingthemout of the process. The legislation relies on an overly simplistic view of “cost” by focusingonwholesale acquisitioncost (WAC), alist price that doesnot reflect what insurers, pharmacybenefit managers (PBMs) or government programs actually pay. Indeed, WACis ametric that the Federal Trade Commission has alreadyfoundPBMs abuse and manipulate. This approach unfairly targets innovative medicines that servesmallerpopulations, such as patients with HIV, hepatitis C, cystic fibrosis,cancer and rare

diseases, while ignoring real cost drivers such as pharmacy benefit manager practices, abusive prior authorization and benefit designs thatpush costsonto patients. We have seen this movie before. In other states,PDABs follow a clear pathtoward“upper payment limits,” thus imposing price controls thatdon’taccount for their effectsonsupply chains. These policies reduce reimbursement to pharmacies,harmrebate retentionfor the state’sMedicaid program and will ultimately make it harder for patientstoget medications we need. That is why New Hampshire disbanded its PDAB, Vermont abandoned the idea of implementing aPDABand even Oregon’sboardhas openly questioned whether it should continue at all. In fact, among Oregonand Ohio’s only formal recommendations, PBM reform is at thetop of the list, and we already have numerous bills this sessiontoaddress this very issue. SB401 is not one of those

There is also abroader concern

Bill Cassidyisdoing hisjob by demandingcompetence

As aphysician and formerU.S. surgeon general, Ihave alwaysbelievedthat health should never be partisan.Thatconvictionis precisely why Iamreluctant to speak out during the heat of apolitical campaign. YetI do so now because Ifear America is drifting toward adangerous precedent: one in which competence and merit no longer determine who holdscritical government roles, and where the Senate may abdicate its constitutional duty to protect American families As President DonaldTrump’sfirst (and so far only confirmed) surgeon general, Isaw dailyhow muchour nation’shealth depends on having qualified, science-driven leaders. Each day, we make decisions that touch every American household.

about how these types of policies areimplemented over time. In other states, affordability boards have relied on cost-focused frameworks that can undervalue treatments for people living with disabilities or chronic conditions. Some of these approaches are similartometrics like the “Quality-Adjusted Life Year,” whichassigns less value to treatments for those populations in order to deny coverage of those medications because “it’snot worth it.” Federal law rightly limits the use of these measures in federal programs, but SB401 specifically seeks to import these discriminatory metrics by looking at countries that use them. At atime when Louisianapatients are already facing pharmacy closures and increasingly restrictive insurance practices, SB401 moves our state in thewrongdirection. When reimbursementisartificially constrained, or uncertainty is introduced intothe supply chain, it results in delayedtreatment, narrower formularies andfewer pharmacies able or willing to stock

critical medicines.For people living withHIV,hepatitis, cancer or rare and complexconditions, even short disruptions have lifelong consequences. Any policythatrisks creating those barriers cannot credibly claimtoput patients first. Louisiana lawmakers have already identified and are working toward meaningful reform involving PBM accountability, benefit design reform focused on protecting patients and transparency —areas that actually reflect how medications are paid for and accessed. SB401 does none of that. Patients in Louisiana do not need to repeat the failed and costly experiments of other states. We need policies that expand access, protect patients and focus on the real barriers standing between the people and our care. SB401 fails that test. For the sake of patients, it should be rejected.

Jen Laws is president and CEO of theCommunity Access National Network (CANN) and is basedinSlidell.

Sheriffsneedclear rules to fight crypto crime

And that is precisely whyIrespectSen. Bill Cassidy’sthoughtful approach. As aphysician and chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, he has shown thekindofresponsible oversightthe Senate’s constitutional “advice and consent” role requires.His reluctance,and thatofotherHELP Committeemembers, to advancethe nomination of Casey Means as surgeon generalwas notanobstruction. It was prudent vetting that ultimately contributed to the nominationbeing withdrawn.

Means did not complete herresidency training,nor does she hold an active medical license. When pressed under oathather confirmation hearing, sherepeatedlydemurred on supporting measles vaccines— in the midstof aworst-in-decades nationalmeaslesoutbreak. These are foundational requirements for arole that relies on credibility and the public’strust that its occupant can function as an actualdoctor, much less serve as the nation’sdoctor America is already paying the price for weakeningthat standard, asvaccine-preventable diseases are roaringback. Louisiana data show MMRvaccination ratesamong kindergartnersfellfrom96% in the 2020-21 school year to 91.65% in the 2024-25schoolyear,well below the 95% thresholdneededfor community protection. Nationally,the Centers for Disease Control andPrevention reports 2,288 confirmed measles cases in 2025,with major outbreaks in South Carolina, Texasand Utah. Already in 2026, the UnitedStates has recorded 1,792 cases through late April, putting us on track to far exceed last year’stotal. Even afew cases can trigger expensive, disruptive responses: contacttracing, quarantines, school exclusions and medicalcare. Exposed children whoare notfully vaccinated may miss up to 21 days of class. Those who contract measles mustisolate for four days afterthe rash appears. The classroomtime lost, the family stress,the community disruption —these are real costs measured in missed learning, lost wages and preventable illness

The financial toll is equally stark. One recent measles outbreak in South Carolina, nearly

1,000 cases withjust 20 hospitalizations, carried an estimated public-health response cost of $35.5million, roughly 6.7% of thestate’s entire public healthbudget.Vaccinating that samepopulation would have cost between $66,000 and $134,000. In plain terms, everydollar spent on prevention could have saved morethan $500. Those numbers translate into higher taxes, strainedhospitals and, mostheartbreakingly,suffering thatfamilies should neverhave to endure. For morethan twocenturies,the Senate has served as acrucialcheck, insisting thatthe surgeon general be a licensed physician capable of practicing medicine and credibly guiding the nation’spublic healthefforts. Arecent statement from theHELP Committee underscores that while Cassidy has taken muchofthe public criticism, others clearly and rightly shared concerns about Means’ qualifications. When senators on the HELPCommittee demand minimum standards of competence andan unequivocal, evidence-based commitment to longstanding childhood vaccines, they protect everyLouisiana child, Democrat, Republican or independent

The reality is that theadvise and consent processworked as designed: The committee exercised independent judgment,Means lackedthe necessary qualifications and support and theWhiteHousewithdrew the nomination. This is precisely how theConstitution saysthe Senateissupposed tofunction —not as arubber stamp but as asafeguard.

Fortunately,wehave now seen positive movement with morequalified nominees. Erica Schwartz,aformer deputy surgeongeneral with extensive public health experience, has been nominated to lead the CDC. And Nicole Saphier, apracticing radiologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center with clinicalexpertise and clear credentials,has been named as thenew surgeon general nominee. After earlier missteps,these new appointees are being met withexcitement —and appreciationfor Trump —asboth better meet the standards of competence and experienceour nation’shealth leadership demands.

Iapplaud theHELPCommittee’seffortsand hope Cassidy and his colleagues continue their diligent vetting. With nominees like Schwartz and Saphier, they can now appropriately advise and, in due course, likely consent to strong appointments that strengthenpublic health.

Senators who demand competence and stand firmly for childhood vaccines are simply fulfilling theirsolemn constitutionalduty to protect American children and families. We shouldall applaud them for doing so.

Jerome Adams was U.S. surgeon generalfrom 2017-2021. He is currently adistinguished professor at Purdue University.

In St.Charles Parish and across Louisiana, sheriffs pride themselves on knowing our communities. We know our neighborsand our streets. And increasingly,weknow the devastation that follows when residents lose theirlife savings to ascam thatbegan with aphone call, atext or an online message What has changed is not criminal intent. Scammers have existed for centuries. Whathas changed is the speed, scale and sophistication of their tools. Cryptocurrencyhas become afavored weapon, allowing criminals to move money instantly,anonymously and across borders with little oversight. Our department has warnedresidents about an overwhelming surge in scams from romance fraud and impersonation schemes to complex cryptocurrency cons thatare nearly impossible to trace. These crimes are not isolated. They victimize families, seniors and small businesses across Louisiana. We have seen theconsequences firsthand. Cybercriminals exploited digital transaction systems to steal more than $1 million from our own parish. Around the state,scammersincreasingly direct victims —far too oftenseniors in our communities —towithdraw cash and deposit it intocryptocurrency ATMs. In seconds,their money is converted into digital assets that vanish beyond recovery. The playbook is familiar.Avictim receives an urgent call fromsomeone posing as agovernment official, bank representative or even lawenforcement.The victim is told there is aproblem, suchasanoutstanding warrant, an unpaid bill or acompromisedaccount, and instructed to “fix” it by sending money through acrypto wallet or ATM. Once thetransaction is made, the money is gone. We arealso seeing the rise of “pig butchering” schemes: long-term fraud operations in which criminals build trust over weeks or months before luring victims intofake cryptocurrency investments. These scamscombine emotional manipulationwith financial deception, leaving victims financially ruinedand deeply shaken. As sheriffs, we are responding. We areeducating thepublic, coordinating withfederal partners and pursuing criminals wherever the evidence leads. But we face afundamental challenge: Theregulatoryframework governing digital assetsisinconsistent and incomplete. Traditional banks operate under clear Bank Secrecy Act(BSA) and Anti–Mon-

ey Laundering (AML) requirements. They must know their customers, monitor transactions and report suspicious activity.Those rules give law enforcement the transparency needed to track illicit funds and hold criminals accountable. In the digital asset ecosystem, however,those same standards do not apply uniformly.Criminals know this, and they exploit it. Cryptocurrency transactions are fast, borderless and often pseudonymous. When bad actors can move money across jurisdictions in seconds through lightly regulated platforms, it creates adangerous imbalance between criminals and law enforcement.

That is why Congress must act. Louisiana is fortunate to have strong leadership in Washington, including U.S. Sens. Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy and Speaker Mike Johnson. We need them to lead on this issue.

The goal should be straightforward: Create alevel regulatory playing field that allows law enforcement to prevent, detect and prosecute financial crime. Any legislation creating the market structure for new currencies should include these provisions. We also need rules to enable law enforcement to trace funds and quickly obtain information about accounts, account holders and transactions —and, whenlaw enforcement agents have probable cause to link an account to acrime, seize the contents of an account.

If aplatform moves money,itshould follow consistent BSA and AML standards, whether it is atraditional bank or adigital asset company.That means robust customer identification, transaction monitoring and suspicious activity reporting across the board. It means closing loopholes that criminals exploit. And it means ensuring law enforcement has timely access to the information needed to do our jobs.

Congress must also provide clear authority and resources for state and local law enforcement. Sheriffs’ offices are navigating apatchwork of regulations, unclear jurisdictional lines and rapidly evolving technology,all while criminals operate globally with impunity.That imbalance is not sustainable. The people of Louisiana deserve better We are not asking Congress to slow technology down. We are asking it to catch up.

Greg Champagne is sheriff of St Charles Parish.

COMMENTARY

BEHIND THE HEADLINES AFTERTHE CALLAIS DECISION

Falloutfromlandmarkcase will be felt fora long time

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court issued what will surely be alandmark ruling in the case of Louisiana v. Callais,in which it declared the state’scurrent congressional district map unconstitutionaland vastly limited the scope of the Voting Rights Act’sSection 2. Columnists Stephanie Grace,QuinHillyer and Will Sutton recently discussed what it means and what comes next

Grace: So what was everyone’s initial reaction to theCallais decision?

Sutton: Ithink the absolutely worst-case scenario would have been for them to say,“To hell with the Voting Rights Act, we’re throwing this out.” Ithinkthis is the next worst-casescenario. It’s like saying, “Here are the guidelines for your workplace and here’syour workers’ bill of rights, except we’re going to takeaway the list so there’s nothing that is really in your favor.”

This has been somethingthat hasbeen relied on for decades, and we’ve made so much progress, and the progress isn’tjust for Cleo Fields or Louisianaor Black people. And now we’re taking away theresources and tools that don’tguarantee anythingexcept to see whether districts can stand atest that gives people an opportunity for representation.

Hillyer: As alongtime opponent of the formula from an earlier case known as Gingles,Ishould be very happy with this decision becauseitdid say that Section 2 still stands. The problem isthat the reasoning was not necessarily internally consistent. Iliked the immediate result and theimmediate top-line explanation, butthen when Iread closer,the reasoning didn’tseem to hold up and kepta situationwhere there is going to be alot more litigation andtrying to decipher the meaning

Grace: Whatdid you like about the top-line reasoning?

Hillyer: Thatitdoesn’trequire proportionalrepresentation, but that —and they made it very clear —itdoes allow race to be taken into account when there is obvious discriminatory intent.

Grace: Ihave so many reactions to this decision, and Ifeel like there are alot of things that kind of lead to the same place, andthat is areal potential loss of trustin elections.

One is the timing. We maynever know why the Supreme Court decided to issue this decision just in time for Louisiana to change its election, but that is what happened, andnow we’reinthe middle of litigation over the fact that people have started voting in an election that’scalled off. That’s upsetting.

There’salso areality check element to it. The Supreme Court essentially said that states can gerrymander based on partisanship. We alreadyhad this zero-sum constant fight, even in mid-decade, over redistrictingfor partisan advantage. Andthis just kind of lays out that that’swhere we are aroundthe country,that if you’re notinthe majorityyou don’thave aright to representation. Ithink it’sadestructivemessage, and peopleare goingtolose confidence in electionsand in government,and alsointhe ability to work together

What is representation?

Hillyer: Let me just sayitdepends on how you definerepresentation. AndIthink conservatives define it differently than some liberals. Butthe second thing is, Ithink in the longrun what’sgoing to come outofthis, assuming that it doesn’tget endlessly bogged down in litigation, is that it is goingtopush both sides to moderate, because themore that districts are notchosenbyrace, the more they’re closer to 50/50. And when they’re closer to 50/50, suddenlyyou’re goingtohave Republicans having to actually pay attention to Democratic voters and payattention to Black voters in order not to lose close elections.

Grace: That goes to one of the dirtysecrets about thevoting rights era. We haveanexample aroundNew Orleans. Steve Scalise hasavery safe Republican district. He does not have to think aboutDemocrats. Troy Carter has avery safe Democratic district. He does not have to think about Republicans. Oneexistsbecause the other exists, becausevoters have been divided that way Idowant to takeyou up on defining representation.Inthis context, Idon’tmean that if you are aBlack person, you are represented by aBlack person. Imean that your pointofview is representedingovernment

Hillyer: In the short run, you’re goingtohave allkinds of people running to take advantage of what they thinkthe decision means.And they’regoing to probably misinterpret it in their own favor.But in the long run, Ithink it’sgoingtoincrease the ability to be heard forthe veryreason you just talked about, because if the district is 54/46 rather than 70/30, then theguy who’s on the 54 side is going to have to pay alot more attention to the46.

Sutton: Ithink one of the things that gets lost in conversations like this is that Black people, for the most part, vote for White people andBlack people and other people.And in so many places,

Whitepeople do not vote for

Black people. This really is more of aSouthern issue. We might go to thesame events, cheer for thesame teams, enjoy the same church service, but when we go in the voter booth, it’s something totally different.

So Isay that to address Quin’s point about representation. It is not true withopportunity districts with theVoting RightsAct’sSection 2that it meansBlack people always elect Black people.

Hillyer: There are anumber of Black Republicans in theSouth representing very strongly majority Whitedistricts. There is Wesley Hunt in Texas. There is Byron Donalds in Florida. There is TimScott from South Carolina, who, before he was asenator,got elected in avery White Republican district, defeating the sons of two former White governors. Ithink that the more we concentrate on race, the more we deter developmentslike this, where people are voting not because of race but on completely different grounds, better grounds, than that.

Grace: We haven’thad examples of that in Louisiana.

Hillyer: Butthe point is that it’s just not true across the South.

Drawingnew districts

Grace: Let’stalk about the redistrictingfight that is about to take place. What do we think is going to happen in terms of how many majority White seats the Legislature will draw?

Hillyer: Well, let me first say that I don’tthink that they should be doing this at all. Ithink that because theSupremeCourt came out with thedecision so late, after votes had already started tobecast, that the balance of rights being offended goes in favor of the current districts. They should have gone ahead withthese districts for this election and changed it for thenext election cycle. Ithink thatthis redrawing of districts when votes have already been cast is unfair to everybody involved.

Sutton: Yeah, Iagree.

Grace: Me too. Andit’sjust one thingatthis momentthat Iworry contributes to distrust in the electoral process. There’salso the Calvin Duncan situation, where thegovernor and Legislature basically nullified an election in New Orleansfor clerk of criminal court. There’sthe change toparty primaries, so voters’ choices are restricted in waysthey’re not used to. There’sa lot going on right now

Butgiven that lawmakers are poised to do this thingthat none of us thinkthey should be doing, what’sgoing to happen?

Sutton: I’m hoping that there will be enough conversations after hours and over dinner and lunch that they slow it down, and say,

“Let’s take our time to do agood job,toessentially pursue what Gov.Landry has said recently, which is to do it right.” Ithink Idisagree with him on what right would look like, but I agree with the concept of stopping thesituation of doing this over and over and over again.

Grace: Do you really think that’s within the realm of possibility?

Sutton: Iamhoping, and I’ll even go so far as to say aprayer

Hillyer: Idon’tthink that’sapossibility. As much as Idisagree with therush to change the districts, I thinkthat thegovernor and most Republicans in the Legislature are determined to do it. The question is how.And Ithink it would be bothfairer and wiser to make sure that they have districts as compact and as sensible as possible, rather than ones that overwhelmingly tilt the scales in a partisan direction.

Grace: So does that mean five Republican districts and one Democratic district, as opposed to trying to get them all Republican?

Hillyer: It meansavoiding these crazy shaped districts that are clearly designed only to do incumbent protection, or conversely,only to disadvantage people, including other Republicans they don’tlike.

What happened this last time was an abominable, intentional job of goingafter Garret Graves because he had displeased the powers that be, namely Gov Landry.They could have done a second Black majority district without creating this crazy district that looked like E.T.being chased by apterodactyl.

Not that they want to, but they could do asecond Black majority district that would look normal and have actual communities of interest, rather than trying to shoehorn people together from 250 miles apart.

Grace: They did target Graves, absolutely.They also wanted to protect Mike Johnson, the speaker of the House. And Ithink that’s why we will not see somescenarios people are talking about now, one being an attempt to draw six RepublicanorWhite majority districts,and the other giving Cleo Fieldsa seat, as opposed to Troy Carter,because Fields is close to Landry

The problem is that you’ve got abig chunk of Democratic voters, majority Black but not only Black,inNew Orleans in Carter’s current district. If you divide them up, you’re putting them in Republican districts, which makes it harder forthose Republicans to have an easy ride. Idon’t thinkthey wantthat.

Something else we need to talk about is Congress —the fact that there is alarge and powerful Congressional Black Caucus that’sthreatened.That could really change what our government looks like.

Sutton: Well, this is true of people in Congress generally,but some morethan others, where you’re elected to represent adistrict but people in other parts of the country feel like you’re their second representative because of the issues that are important to you, because of the lived experiences that you have.

When it comes to something like the Congressional Black Caucus, from the time it wasjust a handful of people to now,where it’sdozens of people, members represent farmore than their districts. Bennie Thompson was born, raised, lives in, will never leave Mississippi, and people everywhere —and Black people in particular —see him as another representative forthem

One of the things that happens when you have tenure, as Troy Carter has developed, he’snow moved up the ranks in Congressional Black Caucus leadership because there’sthis persona that he has outside of Louisiana. It’s likely he’ll be the CBC chair with aDemocratic House. And Cleo Fields has that persona. Awhole bunch of prominent people were at Jesse Jackson’sfuneral, and they did not all get their names called. Fields’ namegot called in Chicago.

So that’sadifferent kind of representation that Ithink people don’tthink about.

Asilverlining?

Hillyer: Let me makeaprediction that’sgoing to go against the conventional wisdom:That in the short term,there will probably be about five fewerBlack Democratic representatives from the South, but that when the smoke clears after the next census and the first elections after that, there will be just as many, if not more, Black representatives in Congress. One reason Iamless bothered by this decision is because Ireally believe that within about eight years, things will balance out, and then there will not be fewerBlack representatives.

Sutton: Iwish Iwere that hopeful. I’mnot right now

Grace: This is kind of related, but we’ve had this intense polarization. There are so fewmoderates, there are so fewswing districts in the country.Now,this could lead to what somethink will happen in Texas, where they tried to create moreRepublican districts because Donald Trumpasked them to, but in doing so, they created districts that are less completely Republican. So maybe this could lead to moremoderation in Congress.

Hillyer: Ithink you will get more moderate Whites and moremoderate Blacks, moremoderate Republicans and moremoderate Democrats in the intermediate term because of this decision. Grace: That would be the bestcase scenario.

Stephanie Grace Quin Hillyer Will Sutton

to upper 70s this afternoon, and upper 70s to low80s tomorrowasshowers, thunderstorms and the risk of floodingreturn.

SurvivorsofMississippi tornadoesdescribenight

Residentscrawled underfurniture to withstandstorms

BY JACK BROOK, R.J.RICO and KATHY MCCORMACK Associated Press

BOGUE CHITTO, Miss. Anunciata Schwebel could only watch in horror on FaceTime whileher friendand tenant slunk into abathtub to take cover from one of several tornadoes that slammed into Mississippi just aftersunset Wednesday. Her friend screamed that the windows were breaking. Schwebel could see on her screen thedevastation to the cluster of cottages she owned in thetown of Purvis —walls and roofs ripped away,her tenants huddled in their bathrooms.

“Wecouldsee alineof people sitting in their tubs,” Schwebel said Thursday.“We thought people were dead.” Yet, for asecond time in less than amonth,a big burst of tornadoes caused no deaths. Authorities estimatedthat500 homes were damaged across five counties Wednesday and said at least 17 peoplewere injured. The powerful storms spawned at least three tornadoes across the bottom half of Mississippi that could be seen on weather radar, meteorologists said, possibly more.

Tornado flippedhome

Survivors told storiesof crawlingunder furniture while winds tore off the roof andofhidinginacloset, holding on to achild. At Coaltown Baptist Church in Purvis,members hunkered down in ahallway,singing and praying until the storm passed.

Adozen people were hurt at atrailerpark in the small community of Bogue Chitto, in rural Lincoln County,said

Scott Simmons,aspokesperson for the Mississippi EmergencyManagement Agency

Most of the two dozen homeswere flattened into heaps of splintered boards and twisted metal.People picked through the debris Thursday morning under cloudy skies as achainsaw buzzed in thebackground.

Krystal Miller andsix others —including babies as young as 4weeksold grabbed aBible andsheltered in their hallway when thetornado sent theirhome cartwheeling through the air.

“Wejustflipped, and it threw us all out,” shesaid. “It scattered everybodyout Ican’tfind theBible.”

Her young son was in the hospital for monitoring and another child was injured in theface, she said.

“The trailer is in piecesbut we made it out,” Miller said. “I’m feeling grateful.”

Max Mahaffey waswith his 59-year-old grandmother and watching TikTok videos on hisphone when they realized the tornado was bearing down. Theyran to thebathroom, but when the roof was tornoff,theycrawledtothe living room andhid undera couch, he said.

“You heardscreaming, glass breaking, hornshonk-

ing —everything,” said the15-year-old.

Survivorsgrateful

Dmell Burnesdidn’trealize his home was in the tornado’s pathuntil seconds before it struck. The house shook as he coveredhis 11-year-old daughter in his arms, but the frame inside the closetwhere theyprotected themselves held even as the home’swalls and roof cameapart.

“It was one of the most scariest moments of my life. Me and my daughterwere praying,”Burnessaid while standing on what was left from his trailer.“We’re just grateful to be alive.”

Residents dugout jackets, school backpacks, Bibles and awatch —whatever was salvageable.

Astorm chaser walking through the debris early Thursday heard ameow but feared the worst when the cries stopped after afew minutes of searching.But after picking through insulation, Ashton Lemley found atiny kitten, hiding between two wooden posts.

“I’ve been in these situations so many times,” he said. “I don’ttry

tional.

MSU guard Ugochukwu commits to LSU

BY TOYLOY BROWN III

Staff writer

LSU continues to gradually add players to its roster for the 202627 season.

Will Wade added Michigan State Divine Ugochukwu from the transfer portal on Thursday; the player announced his commitment on social media.

The 6-foot-3, 195-pound point guard averaged 5.1 points, 1.5 assists and 0.7 turnovers in 16.1 minutes per game as a sophomore for Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame coach Tom Izzo. He also shot 50.6% from the field, 44.2% from the 3-point line on two attempts and 55.6% from the free-throw line on 0.8 attempts per game. Ugochukwu, a Sugar Land, Texas, native, spent one season at Michigan State and his freshman year at Miami. The Tigers’ latest transfer is the third addi-

tion to the team and the second commitment from the portal. He joins 23-year-old Brazilian center Marcio Santos and Kentucky transfer Mo Dioubate. In 37 EuroLeague games for Maccabi Tel Aviv, Santos, a 6-9, 250-pound center is averaging 6.9 points, 1.9 rebounds and is shooting 40% from the 3-point line on 1.6 attempts. Dioubate, a 6-7 forward, averaged 8.8 points and 5.5 rebounds in 21.6 minutes per game as a junior He played the first two years of his career at Alabama. He was the first player to commit on April 20.

Ugochukwu only played 22 games at Michigan State after suffering a foot injury His best game was a 23-point outing in a 76-72 win over conference foe Penn State. He also had three steals in 27 minutes played.

Wade said Tuesday on the CBS Sports “Inside College Basketball

Only seven of 32 round-of-64 games this year were decided by single digits compared to 11 for the men.

Now” podcast that he has several players committed who aren’t known publicly yet. He also said that he will focus on using many of LSU’s resources on the top half of the roster

“So one thing I’m focusing on here is we’re really going to pay seven or eight guys at LSU this year,” he said. “We’ll fill out the back half of the roster with some guys who could help us in a pinch. But we want to put our resources into those main guys.” Of the eight or nine rotation players whom Wade expects to rely on, he said LSU has “all but one spot filled.” He said that rushing to make player decisions is how you make mistakes, and that this year’s portal class wasn’t as strong as 2025. Outside of the three players he’s added, Wade has made progress building his coaching staff. The program first announced Rick Stansbury as the associate

ferences in the NCAA objected to the proposal, though it’s no secret the power leagues have been pushing this the hardest.

head coach and Johnny Jones as the assistant head coach. That was followed by the hire of former Georgia Tech head coach and NBA player Damon Stoudamire, who will be an assistant coach. Vernon Hamilton, a former NC State assistant and LSU director of player development under Wade, was the latest assistant hired. Stansbury and Jones possess a wealth of experience leading programs, including in the Southeastern Conference. Stansbury, 66, is the all-time winningest coach at Mississippi State, leading the program for 14 seasons starting in 1998. He had a 293-166 record with the Bulldogs. Jones, 65, is a former LSU player, assistant coach and head coach at his alma mater He led the program from 201217, with a 90-72 record and an NCAA Tournament berth in 2014.

Herbert leads LIV Golf Virginia with a 64

Va. — Lucas Herbert had seven birdies to go along with an eagle leading to an 8-under 64 at Trump National and a two-shot lead in LIV Golf Virginia on Thursday Marc Leishman of Australia, who lives in Virginia, shot a 66 and was tied for second along with Tyrrell Hatton, Sergio Garcia and Sebastian Munoz. Herbert was feeling sick earlier in the week and only played nine holes on a course he had never seen He figures that might have helped him not trying anything bold, instead listening to his caddie and trying to follow directions.

Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau, each with two wins this year on LIV Golf, each shot 69 and were five shots behind.

Knicks forward Anunoby questionable for Game 3

NEW YORK OG Anunoby has a strained right hamstring, but the New York Knicks forward appears to have avoided a serious injury after leaving late in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Anunoby will be listed as questionable to play in Game 3 at Philadelphia on Friday, a person with knowledge of the details told The Associated Press on Thursday Anunoby will be considered dayto-day

Anunoby was having another strong game on Wednesday before appearing to suffer a leg injury and motioning to come out of the game. He went to the locker room and did not return to the bench before the end of the Knicks’ 108-102 victory that gave them a 2-0 lead.

U.S. midfielder sprains ankle ahead of World Cup MADRID United States midfielder Johnny Cardoso has sprained his right ankle five weeks before the World Cup, his club Atlético Madrid said on Thursday Atlético said Cardoso was hurt in practice and suffered what the club called a “high-grade sprain in his right ankle” and will undergo rehab. La Liga has four rounds or regular-season play left and Atlético is eyeing a top-four finish.

The U.S. opens its World Cup campaign on June 13 against Paraguay in Inglewood, California. It will then also play Australia and Turkey in Group D.

The 24-year-old looked poised to make the World Cup roster and possibly be a starter Now it seems unlikely he will heal in time to make the roster which will be announced on May 26.

USA Basketball names Women’s WC assistants

Nate Tibbetts, Natalie Nakase and Stephanie White will assist Kara Lawson coaching the U.S. women’s basketball team at the FIBA Women’s World Cup in September The trio of WNBA coaches was on staff for the World Cup qualifying tournament in March.

bankrolled by around $300 million in extra funding courtesy of new sponsorship opportunities for beer, wine, spirits and hard seltzer that includes more advertising space on CBS, TNT and other partners whose $8.8 billion deal runs through 2032.

The NCAA said it will distribute more than $131 million of the new revenue to schools that make the tournament.

‘Impact on everyone’

Six of the new slots will be atlarge selections and most are expected to go to teams from the power conferences that were already commanding the lion’s share of entries in the bracket.

Two years ago, the Southeastern Conference placed a record 14 teams in the men’s bracket. Last season, the Big Ten had nine.

In an interview earlier this week, UConn women’s coach Geno Auriemma spelled out the bottom line.

“This is strictly a money grab for the Power Four conferences to get teams that finished 6-10 in their conference to get into the tournament,” he said.

He also questioned the need to expand the women’s bracket.

The move is a sign of the times, which includes massive expansion — the Atlantic Coast Conference, for instance, has grown from nine to 17 teams since 1996 — and the reality that mid-major schools with talented players will often see them plucked away by programs with bigger budgets and the ability to pay them through revenue sharing. The rich get richer Cinderella? There will still be room for those stirring runs in the tournaments, though not a single mid-major advanced past the first weekend of either tournament the last two seasons.

This is not a huge concern of the decision-makers anymore, who will point to TV ratings that traditionally spell out fans’ preference for watching the likes of Duke and North Carolina over St. Peter’s and San Diego State, especially once the Sweet 16 starts.

“The impact on everyone was considered,” said Keith Gill, the men’s tournament chairman. “We actually think it’s, overall, going to be positive. And we think that’s for folks at the autonomy level (Power Four) and folks that are non-autonomy.”

Big conferences pushed hardest

Gavitt said none of the 32 con-

Those schools don’t want to see promising teams left out of what remains the best postseason in college sports, especially in favor of lesser conference champions who earn automatic bids.

“You’ve got some really, really good teams who are going to end up in that 9, 10, 11 (seed) category that I think should be moved” into the 64-team bracket, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said last year in discussing how he favored expansion.

The new beer and wine money will add to what the NCAA can distribute in “units” that are earned for placing teams in the bracket and then for every round those teams advance. Last year, that amounted to about $350,000 per unit for the men’s tournament. Some of that extra money will go to the small guys, too. This gives all the 16 seeds (and some 15s) a chance to play an evenly matched game in the play-in round, then maybe win that game and the extra “unit” that comes with it.

“Also, as we continue to grow our basketball profile, additional at-large spots positions” are possible, Big Sky Conference commissioner Tom Wistrcill said.

Leaders in the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC have all acknowledged that smaller programs help make March Madness what it is, all the while steadily expanding their own power in NCAA decision-making. That brings with it the tacit threat that they could split off and fracture the single thing the NCAA does best — the basketball tournament. This move might forestall that. What it isn’t expected to do is drastically change the TV element, at least not beyond the advertising component. Gavitt said the new games will likely be part of tripleheaders on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The NCAA will find a site to join the traditional First Four host, Dayton, Ohio, for some of the games. Then, come Thursday, there will be 64 teams in a bracket and a tournament that looks comfortingly familiar: three weeks of hoops capped off by the Final Four Gavitt said it was impossible to predict what might come after the current TV deal expires but that 76 teams is “maxing out the opportunity here.” “Anything’s possible, I guess, in 2032 or beyond,” he said. “But I can say with confidence that this is the format that will be in place through 2032, and, we think, for a long time after that.”

The U.S has won the past four World Cup titles and will try to make it five in a row in Berlin. The team will be selected this summer and could feature young stars Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers, along with four-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson.

Tibbetts is in his third season as head coach of the Phoenix Mercury while Nakase is in her second year with the Golden State Valkyries. White is in her second year in charge of the Indiana Fever

Ex-Gamecocks QB Garcia reveals cancer diagnosis

Former South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia announced on social media that he has been diagnosed with Stage 4 colorectal cancer

“Wasn’t overly excited to share this news but it is what it is,” Garcia wrote on his Facebook page. “We have a great team of doctors and staff that’s confident we can beat this! It’s the only option.” Garcia, 38, shared the news to raise awareness about the cancer

“If there’s one lesson to be learned, get checked and don’t be afraid to visit the doctors’ office when you don’t feel 100%,” Garcia wrote. “We got this and I appreciate all yall!” As of Thursday, Garcia was close to reaching his goal of $150,000 through a GoFundMe page created by his wife Maria Garcia.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By AL GOLDIS

Michigan State guard Divine

Ugochukwu goes up for a layup against Indiana forward Reed Bailey on Jan. 13 in East Lansing, Mich

Continued from page1C WHO: LSU(29-21, 9-15 SEC) at Georgia (38-11, 18-6)

“Their pitcher was talking to our dugout and doing all this different type of stuff,”Brown said in an exclusive interview with The Advocate. “… Iguess I saidsome stuff that the umpire didn’tthink that Ishould have said.” Getting tossed from agame isn’t anormal occurrence for Brown. He wouldn’thave said what he said if he were still playing. But the moment still showed howhewould stopatnothing to support his teammates.

“I try to help out anyway that I can,” Brown said. “And Ithought that was the way Icould help the team.” Brown will continuetrying to help his team from the dugout this weekend in Athens, Georgia,asLSU travels to take onthe Bulldogsfor athree-gameseries beginning on Friday(5p.m., SEC Network+).

That’swhere he’ll continue his efforts as aleader for his teammates, even if he can’tjoin them on the field “Jake has beenaleader since he was nine yearsold on abaseball team,” Chance Brown, Jake’s father,said. “It’ssomething that he’salways embraced.”

Over the first three months of the season, Brown was arguably LSU’sbest hitter.He hada career-best 1.047 on-base plus slugging percentage, 16 home runs and a.309 batting average before he broke his hand fouling offapitchinthe sixthinningof LSU’sseries finale with Texas A&M.

The injury —abroken hamate bone —will likely keephim out for the rest of the season, even if Brown hasn’truled out areturn.

“It’sgoing to dependonhow I’m feeling, how the team’s doing,” Brown said. “There’sa lot of variables, but I’m just trying to take it one day at atime.”

For him to come back, LSU would almost certainly have to make the NCAA Tournament, along shot made slightly more possible when the Tigers swept South Carolina over the weekend. Their path to the tourney won’t be easy.They face No. 5Georgia andNo. 21 Florida to finish the regular season, but their young and ascending offense has provided some hope for ateam that has already lost Brown and junior right-handed starter Cooper Moore to injuries.

Since his injury,Brown has been impressedbyfour freshmen who have filled his void.

“I think coach (Johnson) said it best. There’sreally no teacher like playing time,” Brown said. “Now that those guys are out there, and they’re starting to getcomfortable playing on a big stage like this,you can see they’re performing well.

“(Patrick) is doing really good. He’smade some great playsin the outfield.JackRuckert’s hitting the ball all over the field, andhe’splaying great defense. I mean, Mason and Omar (Serna), those guys have been doing it for alittle bit longer.But obviously, theirproduction is even still getting better just as the season goes on. Imean, that’sa totalof four guys just right there that are going to be really good for the Tigers.” Brown has been there to support the freshmen every step of theway.That’sbeenespecially true with Patrick, who filled Brown’sspot in rightfieldafter the injury Patrick only has six hits in 25 at-bats against SEC competition, but he’splayed solid defense while flashing his supreme athleticism all over the field. Last summer,hewas atop-90player in the MLB Draft, according to MLB.com and The Athletic’s draft rankings. When Patrick initially took his role,Brown joked to him that he had big shoes to fill.

“We’re really goodfriends,just

WHEN: 5p.m. Friday

WHERE: FoleyField,Athens, Ga.

ONLINE/TV: SEC Network+

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

RANKINGS: Georgia is No. 5in

D1Baseball’stop-25 rankings

PROBABLESTARTERS: LSU —RHP

William Schmidt (5-4, 3.90 ERA); Georgia —JoeyVolchko(7-2, 3.63 ERA)

PREGAMEUPDATES: theadvocate. com/lsu

ON X: @KokiRiley

WHATTOWATCH FOR: Schmidt

gave up just one earned runin sixinnings last weekend against South Carolina. It was his longest outing in SEC play. Volchkotossed sixscoreless innings aweek ago against Missouri. He gave up four earned runs in 52/3innings the week prior against OleMiss. KokRiley

both of us being from Louisiana,”Brown said.“And so Ijust told him, ‘Dude, you’re in the same spot that Iwas my freshmanyear.You’vedreamed about this your wholelife. There’s no reason you shouldn’tjust go out there with freedom and peace of mind and just go out thereand compete.’ And he’s done areally good job of that

“I tell him all the time, he’s probablythe best athletethat I’ve ever played with.”

Brown hadhamate surgery on April22. Since then, the stitches have been removed from his hand, and he’sslowlybegun to increase the strength in it. His pain fluctuates, but when he spoke with The Advocate on Tuesday,hewas able to lightly liftweightswith it that day

The injury has provided him anew perspectiveonwhatDaniel Dickinsonaccomplished last season, when the secondbaseman played with abroken hamate bone throughout LSU’srun in the NCAATournament.

“I’ve got to be honestwith you, Idon’tknowhow he did it,” Brown said. “Because, like I said, Icould barely grip thebat for one at-bat after it happened.”

Dickinson fought and clawed his way to stay on the field and helped LSU win anational championship. He left theprogram as achampion, alegacy Brown also shares as amember of the2025 team.But for Brown, winning a title hasbeen far from the only thing he’sgained from histime in Baton Rouge

“It’s really meant the world (playingfor LSU). I’ve kind of been able to do it all here,” Brown said.“My freshman year, we got bounced from aregional. Last year,wewere fortunate enough to go and win anational championship. And then this year,I got to step up andbea leader for these young guys, use my experience to help them.”

This season hasn’tgone to plan for Brown or LSU. He’stechnicallyeligible to return next year,but he’llalmost certainly take his talents to MLB instead. Brown,according to MLB.com, is atop-45 prospectinthis summer’sdraft.

Thatmeans areturn from injurywouldlikely take place in professionalbaseball. Buteven if he neversteps on the field in the purple and gold again, Brown will end his LSU career without any regrets. Akid from Sulphur was able to live out his dream.

“I wouldn’ttrade it for anything,” Brown said.“Iwanted to come heremywholelife, and it’sreally been adream come true, and I’m really thankful for that.”

LSUright-handpitcher Evans questionable againstGeorgia

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

ATHENS,Ga. LSU sophomore righthanded pitcher Casan Evans has been listed as questionable on Thursday’sinitial SEC availability report. Evans, theTigers’ usualFriday starter,has missed the past two weeks after experiencing arm discomfort beforehis scheduled start againstMississippi State on April 24. He is notscheduled to start this weekendagainst Georgia,but he didthrow abullpen session for thefirst time since his injury on Wednesday,according to LSU

coach Jay Johnson.

“The evaluation is probablytomorrow,” JohnsonsaidonWednesday, “how he feels after the bullpen today.”

Notably,freshman catcher Omar Serna wasnot listed on LSU’s availability report for Thursday, indicating that he’ll be available to play this weekend.

Serna satout Tuesday’sgame against Tulane due to aback injury that he’sbeen dealing with for aweek.

“For the last seven days, he tolerateditprettygood, slugging like 3,000 or whatever,” Johnson said.

“I’m proud of him.That’salot of

toughness to show to play through that.”

Also listed on Thursday’savailability report as questionable for the weekend were senior left fielder Chris Stanfieldand senior first baseman Zach Yorke Stanfield has dealt with ahamstring injury that has kept him out since April 25. Yorke suffered a lower-leg injury against Southeastern and hasn’treturned to the field since then.

LSU begins its series with Georgia in Athens on Friday.First pitch is scheduled for5 p.m.,and the game will be availabletostream on SEC Network+.

Lowe,Kellersolid as Piratestake series with winoverDiamondbacks

BY JACK THOMPSON Associated Press

PHOENIX Brandon Lowe had three hits, including his 10th homer,and Joey Bart also went deep to back Mitch Keller,and thePittsburgh Pirates beat theArizona Diamondbacks 4-2 Thursday

Keller (4-1) went six-plus innings, retiring 10 straight between Corbin Carroll’ssolo home run in the third and Ildemaro Vargas’ single leading off the seventh. That hit ended Keller’s day after 84 pitches. He gave up four hits and two runs, walked twoand struck out four

Ryan O’Hearn and Spencer Horwitz deliveredtwo-out RBI singles in thefifthinning to put Pittsburgh ahead 3-2. The Pirates wontwo of threeinthe series.

GregorySoto retiredthe side in order theninth forhis third save.

Arizona starter Zac Gallen (1-3) pitched sixinnings,allowingsix hitsand four runs, walking two and striking out five.

For the second straight game, Lowe homered in the first inning. This time, it wasa 436-foot drive into the right-field seats. On Wednesday,Lowe’shomer against Michael Soroka was all NL Cy

Young winner Paul Skenes needed as Pittsburgh won 1-0.

TheDiamondbacksalsoscored in thefirst againstKeller, who was battling control issues early Geraldo Perdomo walked, moved up on an infield outand scored on Adrian Del Castillo’stwo-out single.

Bart hit his second homer,aline drive into the left-field stands, in the sixth.

Pirates center fielder Jake Mangum was alate scratch with left hamstring discomfort, the Pirates said. Billy Cook replaced him and was hitless in four at-bats.

NCAA approves robotump in SECtourney

By The Associated Press

The robot umpireiscoming to college baseball, at least on an experimental basis.

The NCAA Baseball Rules Committee on Mondayapprovedthe Southeastern Conference’srequesttoimplement achallenge system for balls and strikes for each game of the 2026 SECTournament. It will be similartothe system used in Major League Baseball. Teams can challenge an umpire’s strikeorballcall viaanautomated ball tracking system thatmonitors theexact location of each pitch,

relative to the specific batter’s zone.

“The introduction of this challenge system at theSEC Tournamentreflects our continued commitmenttoinnovation,” CommissionerGreg Sankey said. “This addition represents acontinued step forward forour game,alignsmore closely with the professional level andsupports the development of ourstudent-athletes as they prepare for success at the next level.”

Each team will have three challenges to start the game If achallenge is successful, theteam will retain the chal-

lenge. If the originalcallis confirmed, the team will lose the challenge. Upon achallenge, the pitch location will be compared against the electronic strike zone. The result will then be displayedonthe stadium videoboard and broadcast.

TheSEC baseball tournamentwill be played May 19-24 in Hoover,Alabama. The Automatic Ball-Strike system would be allowed forother conference tournaments if aconference wanted to use it and followed the same protocols as the SEC.

STAFF FILE PHOTOByHILARy SCHEINUK

LSU starting pitcher CasanEvans throws against Milwaukee on Feb.13atAlex Box Stadium. The Tigers are hoping to getEvans back for the Georgia series, whichstarts Friday.

Casan Evans LSU Baseball, Pitcher

ERICGAy

ASSOCIATED

San Antonio

Spursforward Victor Wembanyama,right, and forward Keldon Johnson, second from right,reacttoa play during asecondroundseriesGame 2against the Minnesota Timberwolves in San Antonio on Wednesday.

Wemby, Spurseven series at oneapiece vs.Timberwolves

BY RAUL DOMINGUEZ Associated Press

SAN ANTONIO Whether it’schess, adrawing contestortable tennis, San Antonio Spurs All-Star Victor Wembanyama hates to lose. Aloss in Game 1ofthe Western Conference semifinals to the Minnesota Timberwolvesonlymagnified that loathing.

Wembanyama responded by setting asuffocating toneasSan Antonio handed Minnesota its largest postseason loss in franchise history,beating the Timberwolves 133-95 on Wednesday night to even theirseries at one game apiece.

Despite posting 11 points, 15 rebounds and setting an NBA postseason record with 12 blocks, Wembanyama shouldered much of the blame for the Spurs’ 104102 loss to the Timberwolves on Monday in Game 1.

The 7-foot-4 All-Star knew he needed to do more,especiallyoffensively Wasthere someanger andfrustration and adesire to get back on the court for Game 2? Absolutely “There always is,” Wembanyama said. “In the playoffs, magnify that.”

What resulted was what Minnesota coach Chris Finch said was apunking before araucous sellout crowd.

The Timberwolves were held to 35 points in the first half while shooting 7for 24 from the field and 2for 15 on 3-pointers. Minnesota closed the game shooting 40% from the field, 30% on 3-pointers while committing 22 turnovers. SanAntonio had a58-36 scoring advantage in the paint, a55-43 rebounding advantage and had nine blocked shots compared to two for Minnesota.

“Wegot beat in every way possible, it’sassimple as that,” Timberwolves forwardJulius Randle said. “There’snot really much to say from this game. They outhustled us,out-physicaled us, executed, played better defensively,moreenergy. They just beat us in every way in this game. We’ve got to come back in thenextgameand be better.” Game 3isFridayinMinneapolis followed by Game 4onSunday at the Target Center.

The Spurs andTimberwolves

DUNCAN

Continued from page1C

Kamara, after all, is one of the most accomplishedand popular players in franchise history. He deserves to be treated withrespect after everything he’s done for the organization and in the community.Head coachKellen Moore and general manager Mickey Loomis know this better than anyone. Nevertheless, the reality is Kamara is no longer the player he once was. He’sentering his 10th season and will turn 31 in July,making him one of the oldest backs in the league. And the years and miles are starting to show. Injuries have preventedKamara from finishing each of the past two seasons, and his production declined dramatically ayear ago, when he recorded career lows in rushing yards (471), yardsper carry (3.6), receptions (33), receiving yards (186) and touchdowns (one). The advanced metrics were even worse. His rushing success rate of 32.06% ranked 63rd out of 65

Cunningham’s double-double liftsPistons over Cavaliers

BY LARRYLAGE AP sportswriter

DETROIT Cade Cunninghamhad 25 points and10assists, Tobias Harris scored 21 points and the Detroit Pistons beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 107-97 on Thursday night to takea2-0 lead in their second-round series.

Game 3isSaturday in Cleveland, where the Cavswere 4-0 in the first round against Toronto.

The top-seeded Pistons have won five straight games sinceOrlando put them on thebrink of elimination in the first round.

Donovan Mitchell scored 31 points andJarrett Allen had22 pointsand seven rebounds, bouncing back from apoor performance in Game 1for thefourth-seeded Cavs.

ä SpursatTimberwolves, 8:30P.M.FRIDAy,ESPN

wentdeep into theirbenches Wednesday with 10 minutes remaining in the game with only the marginofdefeat undecided.

SanAntonio’s38-point victory

toppled Minnesota’sprevious largest postseason defeat of 30 points to theLos Angeles Lakers on April 29, 2003.

“I know this team’scapable of doingall of this,” Wembanyama said. “Tobehonest,I’m expecting this kind ofresponse from myself, from my teammates. So, I’mnot surprised by any means and I’m just going tokeep working so we approach more games like we didtonight.

After blowing anine-point lead in the fourth quarterMonday, Wembanyama and De’AaronFox both took accountabilityfor the two-point loss WembanyamaandFoxcombined for only 21 points in Game 1. The All-Star duo was acombined 0for 12 on 3-pointers with Wembanyama missing eight.

“Theyacknowledgedit, them being the leaders on our team,” Spurs guard Stephon Castle said. “Comingout of Game 1, Imean, it’sgoing to happen. You’re going to have bad shootingnights, but I mean, we have nothing but confidence in those two.So, Iexpect them to play well the rest of the series like theydid tonight.”

Wembanyamaset the tone early in Game 2, scoring seven points on 3-for-4shooting.

The Spurs missed their first three shots, but Wembanyama followed the third attemptbyflying through the lane and throwing down aright-handed dunk to open the scoring.

Wembanyama had14points andninerebounds in thefirst half while leading adefensive effort thatlimited Minnesota to 35 points,the fewest points by aSan Antonio opponent in thefirst half of aplayoff game since Memphis had 31 in 2013.

“I just think werespond well to adversity,” Castle said. “I think we’ve done thatall year.Imean, Idon’tthink we were too shell shocked coming out of Game 1. I think we knew whywelostGame 1and we addressed it right away And Ifeel likethat’swhatcarried us through tonight.”

backs with50ormoreattempts last season. His 18.7attemptsper brokentackle werewell worse than the league average of 16.4. He rankedlastamong 49 backs with an averageof1.4 yards after contact per rush and53rdof58 backsinelusiveness, aPro Football Focus proprietary metric that measures the success and impact of arunnerwith the ball independent of the blocking. He hasmanaged to produceone runofmorethan20yards in the last three seasons. By comparison, Audric Estimé, whojoined the team in Week 10 of last season, produced alonger run(32 yards)in46attemptsthan Kamarahas produced in 1,002 attempts overthe last five seasons. (Tobefair,Kamarahas produced two 50-plus-yard receptions duringthat span.) If that weren’tenough, the Saints wereforced to replace Kamara with rookie Devin Neal in key passingsituations last season because the veteran’spassprotection was so poor.Heallowed six sacksinonly 48pass-blocking reps, ranking 59thout of 60 backs If Kamaraweremaking the league minimum, his performance

James Harden, though, missed 10 of 13 shots and was limited to 10 points.Harden hadfourturnovers, including onewith33seconds left when the Cavs trailed by just six. Cleveland’sMax Strus scored just three pointsafter he had 19 in

theseries opener Detroit’sDuncan Robinson had 17 points, making 5of93-pointers, and

SAINTS

camp, and while the team downplayedthe significance of that, Banks then spent his entire rookie season at left tackle.

The positional questions aren’tas substantialinthis year’sclass, but this week’srookie camp should offer someinsight aboutwhatistocome.

Take Christen Miller,for example.The Saints spoke abouthis versatility after selecting himinthe second round of last month’sdraft, andthatmakes sense considering his usage in college.

At Georgia, Miller playedalmost athird of his career snaps as anose tackle, but he also lined up as a2i(inside shoulder of the guard) and a5-technique (outside shoulder of the offensive tackle). Hisbest trait as aplayer is his ability to defend therun, and New Orleans maywanttotake itslongest look at him as anose, but it will be worth watchinghow much he moves around theline.

The samethought applies toreceivers Jordyn Tyson and Bryce Lance, for different reasons. One of Tyson’s appealing traits is his ability to line up anywhere in the formation, and that should continue to be thecase in the NFL. Lance hasamore limitedprofile as an outside receiver,but maybe the Saintswill see how he can move across the formation.

Finally,while it would be asurprisetosee either of them compete fora starting role, it will be interestingtosee if Day3 picks Lorenzo Stylesand TJ Hall take anysnaps as aslot defender. New Orleans does not have aclearly defined starterinthat role after Alontae Taylor’sdeparture in free agency Hiddengems?

It will be next to impossible to geta good read on which of the undrafted rookie free agents might make acase for the roster basedoff rookiecamp alone, but it’snever tooearly to make a guess for who could be thenext CarlGranderson, Juwan Johnson or Rashid Shaheed. Here are acouple to keep in

mind: Offensive tackle AlanHerron signed acontract that included almost $300,000 guaranteed which simply meansNew Orleans really wanted to get him into the building to get alonger look at him Former Central Michigan edge rusherMichael Heldmanisanother popular pick to stickatthis stage. Heldman, whorackedup 101/2 sacks and 161/2 tackles for loss forthe Chippewas last season. He’llneed to prove he can hold up against NFL talent,which he won’tbeable to do until training camp, butthe size and measurables arethere

An extended stay?

Rookie camp isn’tjust about the guys who have already signed contracts. New Orleans invited sev-

would be easier to stomach. But he was among the top 10 highest-paid backs in theleague. In aproduction-based league like the NFL, Kamara hadthe kind of year that earnsyou apink slip, especially at age30. But the Saints are notmost NFL teams. Theyare loyal —some would saytoafault —espe-

cially to core players like Kamara. “Welove Alvin,” Moore said earlier this spring. “He means the world to all of us. Again, this is afull offseason process. Certainly,wefeel like, ‘Hey,he’sin thatroom.’ Youcan findroles for all those different guys. We’ll go through the whole offseason

eral undrafted rookies to attend on atryout basis, as well as afew established veterans. That can turn into ajob. Just last season, the Saints signed veterans Terrell Burgess andDonovan Peoples-Jones following arookie camp tryout, and Burgess ended up playing in 16 games last season. New Orleanswas also impressed enough with tryout quarterback Hunter Dekkers to sign him to the 90-man roster fortraining camp. Among the veterantryout playersthis year: Former Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo, former Buccaneers quarterback Kyle Trask and former Chargers quarterback Easton Stick.

Email Luke Johnsonat ljohnson@theadvocate.com.

process and continue to grow and develop this team.”

Still, while team officials have said all the right things publicly about Kamara,their actions have spoken louder.First, they restructured his contract in away that will soften the blow if they elect to cut or trade him later this offseason. Then, they signed veteran running back Travis Etienne to a four-year deal worth $11.8 million per year in free agency

The contract tells you exactly who the Saints view as their lead back. At this point, the Saints appear willing to give Kamara amulligan for his subpar season and keep him on the roster for at least one more year to share backfield duties with Etienne.And that would be somewhat unprecedented. The club moved on from Deuce McAllister and Pierre Thomas immediately after they turned 30. They cut ties with Reggie Bush, Ricky Williams, George Rogers and Chuck Muncie earlier than that. Considering his age and declining production, Kamara is being rewarded with an extra year —a bonus for services rendered. Iwouldn’tcall that “mistreatment.” I’d call it lagniappe.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Saints running back Alvin Kamara puts on his helmet before

of agameagainst the Atlanta Falcons on Nov. 10 at

Caesars Superdome.

PRESS PHOTO By

Daniss Jenkins cameoff the bench to score 14 points, his third straight gameindouble figures.

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOByDUANE BURLESON

Detroit Pistons guard CadeCunningham takes ashot against Cleveland Cavaliers guard DonovanMitchell during the first half in Game 2ofa second-round series on ThursdayinDetroit.

HALFWAYTOHALLOWEEN

The spooktacular annual Black and Orange Bash runs from 7p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday at the Main LibraryatGoodwood. The event servesasthe official announcement partyfor the 2026 Fifolet Halloween Festival in October Food, cash bar, music and more. $40,adults; $15, children. 1031consortium.com

ARTS PLUS CULTURE

Hot ArtCool Nights takes over Mid City from 6p.m.to10p.m.Friday. From Jefferson HighwayatGoodwood Boulevard to the intersection of Government and 14th streets, check out open houses, refreshments and music at galleries and other businesses. Free. midcitymerchantsbr.org

FRIDAY

CJ Solar’s relaunch tour is stopping in BR

Twoother Louisiana artistsrelease tunes

BY JUDYBERGERON Staff writer

Baton Rouge native andveter-

an Nashvillesinger-songwriter

CJ Solar, relaunching his artist careerasCJSolar &the Old Souls, is bringing his new music home foraFriday concert at the Manship Theatre.

Longtime collaborator Rick Huckaby will open the 7:30 p.m show with his bluesband Big Shoes.Singer-songwriterHuckaby has written hits for Thomas Rhett(“BeerWith Jesus”), Trace Adkins (“Muddy Water”), Tracy Lawrence and others.

“BlackLabelBlues,” thelead singleand titletrack from Solar’sforthcoming album, was released April 17. The second single, “Dizzy,” drops on Friday.

“The reinvention marks acreative resurgencefor Solar,who has spent the past several years rediscovering hisartistic voice, deepening his connection to the musicthat shaped him andleaning into his Baton Rouge roots,” according toa news release.

As asongwriter,Solar,33, earnedmultiple hits on country radio including Morgan Wallen’sfirst No. 1single, “Up Down,” andJamesonRodgers’ “SomeGirls.” He’s also had songsrecorded by Jason Aldean, Justin Mooreand Jerrod Niemann, among others. As an artist, MusicRowMagazine named him“Independent Artist of the Year” in 2019.

THEROOT OF IT ALL

Dirk Powell is Acadiana’smusical Renaissanceman

BY JOHN WIRT Contributing writer

INmusic, Dirk Powell does just about anythingthat can be done.

He’samulti-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter. He’saproducer and recording engineer.He’sa valued sideman on the stage and in the studio.

Amember of rootsmusic star RhiannonGiddens’ band since 2015, Powell performed alongside Joan Baez for adecade, until the folk music starstopped touring in 2019. His other performance and/ or recording work includesEric Clapton,the Raconteurs, Loretta Lynn, Linda Ronstadt and Irma Thomas’ Grammy-winning,re-

corded-in-Acadiana,postHurricane Katrinaalbum, “After theRain.” Speaking lastweek after aflurry of festivalseason gigs, Powell talked about his new solo album,his musicalfamilyand collaborations withGiddens, the Grammy winner and MacArthur Fellowship grant recipient Powell’s concert dates withGiddens this year include Lafayette’sFestivalInternational, the New OrleansJazz andHeritageFestival andonFriday, oneofthisnation’spremiere performing arts venues, Carnegie Hall in New York City.

“Rhiannon wants to celebrate the music of the people of this country, which is such an amazing thing.”

Dubbedthe Old-Time Revue, the Carnegie Hall concert’s12musicians include Giddens’ former Carolina Chocolate Drops bandmates Leyla McCalla andJustin Robinson,Italianmulti-instrumentalist Francesco Turrisi and Powell’sdaughter Amelia. Amelia Powell, a24-year-old singer and guitarist, joined Giddens’ band last year.She first performed with herfather at 12. They’ve

At Carnegie Hall, Powell said,

ä See POWELL, page 2D

Flim posters for the SouthernScreen Film Festival are displayed in November 2023 at the Acadiana Center for the Arts in Lafayette. This year’s festival is Nov. 19-22.

“I’ve found Isurround myself with alot of oldsoulsand folks thatshare an appreciation for the classics,sothe band name came pretty naturally. Ialso wanted to give anod to the years we’ve spenttogetherasabandalready,” Solar says in the release. “‘Black Label Blues’ encapsulates everything Ilove about this new project, from the bluesyguitar riffs to the soulful background vocals. …Ithink it’sa great intro to what this whole recordisgoing to feel like, so I’m excited it’sthe first one rolling off thelot.” The album melds swampy soul, blues-drenched guitar work and Nashvillestorytelling. Influences reminiscent of Southern rockicons and roots-driven storytellers like ä See FILM FEST, page 3D

ä See MUSIC, page 2D

Entriessoughtfor Southern Screen Fest in Lafayette

Solar is bringing his new music home in aFridayconcert at the Manship Theatre. Staff report The 2026 Southern Screen Festivalwill takeplace Nov. 1922 in Lafayette, and film submissions are now being accepted. “Celebrating itscontinued growth as ahub for independent storytelling, Southern Screen remains anon-competitive festival dedicated to fosteringcreativeexpression, collaboration,and culturalexchange,”anews releasestates. For the 16th year,filmmakers from around the world are invited to submit documentary and narrative feature-length films, short films, animations, music videos, student films and more. Submission fees are $10 forshort films under

PROVIDED PHOTO

DirkPowell, right, has been amember of roots music

starRhiannon Giddens’ band since2015.

PROVIDED PHOTO

CJ

performed ever since then, but the frequency of those appearances grew in the past three years. This year, the duo appeared at both Festival International and Jazz Fest.

At Giddens’ Old-Time Revue concert at Carnegie Hall, Powell will play guitar, banjo, fiddle,Cajun accordion and sing. Rhythmguitar is Amelia Powell’sforte.

“Not everybody can generate the groove the way Amelia does,” Dirk Powell said. “She’sgot that magical feel for old-time and Cajun music. It glues everything together,elevates everything, excites everything. Rhiannon recognized that.”

In another of his many roles, solo artist, Powell released his latest album, “Wake,” in April.Giddens is aguest on the album, as are his daughters, Amelia and Sophie Powell.Having his daughters singing on the album, Powell said, “means alot to me, because alot of what Ising about is tied to things Ishare with them.”

The Powell sisters are members of afamous Cajun music family.Their mother is singer-guitaristChristine Balfa. Dewey Balfa, the revered Cajun fiddler who performed with his brothersin the Balfa Brothers band, is their grandfather Powell began work on his beautifully contemplative “Wake” albumin2020.

“Some of this recording started when COVID-19 first hit,” he said. “It wasan introspective time. Some of the songscame out of that moment, like ‘Red Bird Road,’ which is about feeling nature, something we’d been missing. When COVID happened, suddenly,wewere not traveling. We werestaying home, returning to the

MUSIC

Continued from page1D

Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Allman Brothers and Tedeschi Trucks Band arewoven throughout the project, the releasestates.

To celebrate theforthcoming album, Solar has partnered with Sugarfield Distillery in Gonzales to craft aspecial Black Label Blues bourbon, finished in orange liquor barrels. Solar will host an on-site bottle signing at Sugarfield, 481 W. Eastbank St., at noon Saturday For more information, visit cjsolar.com.

Othernew La.-tied music

Carencro soul singer Marc Broussard releasedhis new studio album, “Chance Worth Taking,” on April 18.

It’sBroussard’s first fullalbumof original bluessoul songs.

naturalworld.”

Making music in families is atraditioninLouisiana as well as the state Powell hasdeep rootsin, Kentucky.

Born in Ohio thoughhewas, hisfamily’s Kentucky history stretches back 200 years.

Hisgrandfather, James Clarence Hay,playedoldtime Appalachian Mountain music with banjo, fiddle and guitar, mostly in informal social gatherings. “I learned at his feet,” Powell recalled. “Iwould go visit him by myself.We were close. He was kind of my hero, andthatwas a real special thing for him, to know that Iidolized himin that way.”

Despite havingtoboard a bus at 3a.m.last week for a show in Houston, Powellfeels lucky to have somethinghis grandfather never had —a long and thriving career as a professional musician. “I’m grateful,”hesaid.

Coinciding with the album launch, Broussard also dropped thelatest single and video for the fiery track, “You’ll Be Sorry,” featuring Joe Bonamassa and JoshSmith

“Though ‘Chance Worth Taking’marks astylistic pivot, it remains unmistakably Broussard,” according to anews release. “Hissignature ‘bayou soul’ vocal,equal parts grit andgrace,anchors the album, tying together blistering guitar work, brawny shuffles, pleading soul-blues, horn-driven blues-rock and Mardi Gras —infused funk.”

Shreveport’s platinum-selling, six-time Grammy-nomi-

Powell’scollaborations with Giddens are among the most rewarding in his career.Theyco-producedher 2017 soloalbum,“Freedom Highway,” as well as 2019’s Grammy-nominated “Songs of Our Native Daughters,” Giddens’ project with Allison Russell, Amythyst Kiah and New Orleans musician Leyla McCalla. Both albums were recorded at Powell’s Cypress House studio in Breaux Bridge.

Powell andGiddens also write songs together “Somehow we tune into the same wavelength,”he said. “It could be lyrics,melody,chords. Either one of us could step intothosezones. I’ve never experienced anything likeit. She’ll start singing, I’llstart playing and, suddenly we’llhavea song It’sreally special.”

Email John Wirt at j_wirt@ msn.com.

nated guitarist KennyWayne Shepherd recently released “One Foot on the Path.”

It’s part of his newly recorded “Ledbetter Heights (The30th Anniversary Sessions).”

“One Foot on the Path” was originally featured on Shepherd’s1995 debut. At just 16, Shepherd recorded “Ledbetter Heights” while still in high school, splitting histimebetween classesin Louisiana and sessions in Memphis,according to a news release.

“This is thealbum that put me on the map, and Istill enjoy listening to it because my goal hasalwaysbeen to make musicIwanttolistento,”Shepherdsaysin the release. “Unfiltered and straight from theheart.”

Shepherd’s“Ledbetter Heights 30th Anniversary Tour” is ongoing. Thetour stops in Louisiana on June 13 for aconcert at Paradise Theater at Margaritaville Resort Casino in Bossier City For moreinformation, visit kennywayneshepherd. net/tour

Email Judy Bergeron at jbergeron@theadvocate. com.

By The Associated Press

Today is Friday, May 8, the128th day of 2026. There are 237 days left in the year

Todayinhistory: On May8,1945, President Harry S. Truman announced in aradio address thatNaziGermany’sforces had surrendered, stating that“the flags of freedom fly all over Europe” on V-E (Victory in Europe) Day

Also on this date:

In 1541, Spanish explorer Hernando de Sotoreached theMississippi River,the first recorded European to do so.

In 1846, U.S. forces led by Gen. Zachary Taylor defeated Mexican forces near modern-day Brownsville, Texas, in thefirst major battle of theMexican American War.

In 1886, thefirst serving of Coca-Cola, which contained cocaine, was sold

at apharmacy in Atlanta, Georgia. (The drink became fully cocaine-free in 1929.)

In 1973, members of the American Indian Movementand the Oglala Lakota tribe, whohad occupied the South Dakota hamlet of Wounded Knee for10 weeks, surrendered to federal authorities. In 1978, David R. Berkowitz pleaded guilty in aBrooklyn courtroom to murder,attempted murder and assault in connection with the “Son of Sam” shootings that claimed six lives and terrified New Yorkers. (Berkowitz was sentenced to six consecutive lifeprison terms.) In 2020, U.S. unemploymentsurged to 14.7%, a level last seen when the country wasinthe throes of the Great Depression; the government reported that morethan 20 million Americans had lost their

jobs in April amid the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. In 2025, apapal conclave chose Robert Prevost as the first U.S.-born pope, making the 69-year-old cardinal the 267th pontiffof the Catholic Church after the death of Pope Francis on April 21 of that year Today’sbirthdays: Biologist/ TV presenter David Attenborough is

PROVIDED PHOTO

KennyWayne Shepherd performs at the Brown County Music Center in Nashville, Ind., on July 27, 2024.

Broussard

PROVIDED PHOTO

The duo of Amelia and Dirk Powell appeared at both Festival International and Jazz Fest this year

FRIDAY

THE RUMBLE/N’TUNE: LiveAf-

ter Five, Rhorer Plaza, 5p.m

MATT SMITH: Agile Brewing,

5:30 p.m.

2DOMESTIC 1IMPORT: MJ’s

Cafe, 6p.m.

ERIC BASKIN: Sullivan’s Steakhouse, 6p.m.

CHRIS OCMAND: BLDG 5, 6p.m.

SUBFLUENCE: Electric Depot, 6p.m.

ACOUSTICRATS: Spoke&Hub

6p.m. CLAYTON SHILLING: Le Chien Brewing Co., Denham Springs, 6:30 p.m. CHRIS LEBLANC: Bin 77,7 p.m.

AC &THE PROMISED: CourtTo Table, 7p.m THE LONGNECK SOCIETY: On The Half Shell, Prairieville, 7p.m. CJ SOLAR &THE OLDSOULS +RICK HUCKABY: Manship Theatre, 7:30 p.m.

HENRYTURNER JR. &ALLSTARS: Henry Turner Jr.’s Listening Room,8 p.m. JOVIN WEBB: RedStick Social, 8p.m.

&SOUTHERN ACCENT: Phil Brady’s, 8:30 p.m. JOEL COOPER ROCK SHOW: FatCat Saloon, Prairieville, 9p.m. MARTY RAYBON/CHASE TYLER BAND: The TexasClub, 9p.m.

The Edge Bar at L’Auberge, 9p.m.

SATURDAY

DUSTIN LEE GUEDRY: Fred’s on the River, Prairieville, 1p.m.

THE LEE SERIOBAND: Catholic Men’s Club Crawfish Boil, St. Jean Vianney,3 p.m. (opento public)

IAN WEBSTER DUO: Sullivan’s Steakhouse, 5:30 p.m.

DUSTIN LEE GUEDRY: Le Chien Brewing Co., DenhamSprings, 6:30 p.m.

CYNDER ROAD DUO: Bin 77

7p.m.

SHAYCHIK: On The Half Shell, Prairieville, 7p.m.

“THE SONGS SHESINGS: A JOYFUL JAZZ TRIBUTE TO THE WOMEN WHO RAISED US”: ASHLEY ORLANDO: Manship Theatre, 7:30 p.m.

ACOUSTIC SATURDAYSW/ HENRYTURNER, DIXIE ROSE AND UNCLE CHESS: Henry Turner Jr.’s Listening Room, 8p.m

PARADE GROUND JUNKIES: O’Hara’s IrishPub, 9p.m.

FLOW TRIBE: The Edge Bar at L’Auberge, 9p.m.

REGENERATION: FatCat Saloon, Prairieville, 9p.m.

SUNDAY

PROVIDED PHOTO By ANTHONyLADD

Veterancountry singer Marty Raybon(Shenandoah) will play

The TexasClub at 9p.m. Friday. Chase Tyler Band shares the bill. Doors open at7:30p.m.and tickets startat$38.70.

ERIC BASKIN: Watermark Hotel, 10 a.m. CHRIS LEBLANC: Tallulah Crafted Food &Wine Bar, 11 a.m. KIRK HOLDER: On The Half Shell, Prairieville, 11a.m.

FILM FEST

Continued from page1D

25minutes and $20 for feature films 60-120 minutes through Aug. 1. Student submissions arefree.

In addition to film screenings, Southern Screenoffers educational programming, industry panels and networking opportunities, all infused with the region’ssignature Southern hospitality.

“The festival has built arep-

JUSTIN BURDETTE TRIO: Superior Grill-MidCity,11a.m

CHRISALLEN: Bin 77, 11 a.m.

JAZZ BRUNCH: RedStick Social, noon 3RD STREET BAND: Fred’s on theRiver,Prairieville,3 p.m.

SONGWRITER SUNDAYS: La Divina Italian Cafe, 5p.m. OPEN MIC JAM: FatCat Saloon, Prairieville, 7p.m.

MONDAY

MICAH LIPSMEYER DUO: Superior Grill-MidCity,6 p.m

TUESDAY

FLORIDASTREETBLOWHARDS’YOUNG GUNS AT MUSIC CLUB OF BATON ROUGE: First UnitedMethodistChurch, 10:30 a.m DEVIN MCCARTY: Bin 77, 5:30 p.m

KIRK HOLDER: Superior GrillMidCity,6 p.m

EDDIE SMITH: On The Half Shell, Prairieville, 6:30p.m.

WEDNESDAY

RHETT ANTHONY: Superior Grill-MidCity,6 p.m BRENT ARMSTRONG: Danny’s DiveBar &Grill, 6p.m.

LSU JAZZ JAM: ClassicVinyls, 6p.m.

PHILCHANDLER: On The Half Shell, Prairieville, 6:30p.m.

KIRK HOLDER: Bin 77, 6:30 p.m

SONGWRITERS OPENMIC W/ HEATHRANSONNET: Coop’s on 621, Gonzales, 7p.m

ANDYPIZZOTRIO: Hayride Scandal, 7:30p.m.

RIVER CITY JAZZ MASTERS: VINCENT HERRING: Manship Theatre, 7:30p.m.

MACSATURN: Chelsea’s Live 8p.m.

OPEN MIC JAM: O’Hara’s Irish Pub, 8p.m.

utation for connectingemergingvoices with established industry professionals, creating meaningful dialogue and opportunities for growth,” the release also states. The 2025 festival, marking theorganization’s15th anniversary,welcomed audiences to the downtownarea for four days of screenings, panelsand events. Highlights included: n Discussions such as “Film+Brand: HowEntertainment CanAdvance the World” and “From the Bay-

THURSDAY

CHRIS OCMAND: Lagniappe, 6p.m

KYBALION: El Paso, 6p.m

JOEL NEELY: Blue Iguana, 6p.m

NEIL WERRIES: La Divina Italian Cafe, 6p.m

WALT WHITAKER: Backstreet Lounge, 6p.m

RACHAEL HALLACK &ERIC

CANTRELLE: Superior GrillMidCity, 6p.m

SHANE MADERE: Bin 77, 6:30 p.m.

TAYLOR NAUTA: On The Half Shell, Prairieville, 6:30 p.m.

TREY MORGAN: Fred’sonthe River, Prairieville, 7p.m

BATONROUGE SYMPHONY

ORCHESTRA: MAHLER’SFIFTH

SYMPHONY: River Center Theatrefor Performing Arts, 7:30 p.m.

LIVE FROM LAUREL CANYON: JAMES AND JONI: Manship Theatre, 7:30 p.m.

HENRY TURNER JR. &ALL-

STARS WITH SPECIAL GUEST

DAVID HANSON: Henry Turner Jr.’s Listening Room, 8p.m

BLUES JAM: Phil Brady’s, 9p.m

OUTLYING

FRIDAY

DUSTIN LEE GUEDRY: Big J’s SidePorch, Clinton, 6p.m

SATURDAY

TODD LEBLANC BAND: El Mejor, St.Francisville, 6:30 p.m.

Compiled by Marchaund Jones. Want your venue’s musiclisted? Email info/ photos to showstowatch@ theadvocate.com. The deadline is noon FRIDAY for the following Friday’s paper

ou to the Big Screen”

n Aslate of films ranging from acclaimed documentaries to narrativefeatures and locally produced shorts Festivalattendees can access programmingthrough avariety of pass options, including general,industry, student,screening, sessions and virtual passes, ensuring accessibility for both in-person and remoteaudiences. Formoreinformation about submissions or to submit afilm, visit SouthernScreen.org/Submit

Refreshing baby wipesand

Dear Heloise: Iuse baby wipes frequently,and I have one package in each of our two bathrooms. After awhile, Ifound that the top sheets would be dry,while thebottom sheets would be swimming in liquid. Now when Iuse thebathroom, Iflip the package. Some packages are flat and get flipped over,while some packages are taller and need to be rotated. Butthis way,there are no dry or awash sheets anymore! My second hint is about thepill bottles that my pharmacy gives me; the topscan be switched out from achildproof top to ascrew top. Ifeel better when some pills come with thechildproof top,but I keep somewith ascrew top.Iuse agreen pill bottle that was originally for dog

medicine formymost important pills, and it has a childproof top. My third hint is my husband figured out that my eye drop dispenser, which is small, fits nicely in asmall pill bottle and stays clean. —Andi, in Gardiner, New York

Laundering towels

Dear Heloise: How often do you recommendlaundering bath towels? Ifeel like they are absorbing clean water,and we drape them over the railing to dry afterward. Ithought once aweek is OK,but my husband thinks this isn’toften enough. —Mrs.W.,inNew Milford, Connecticut Mrs. W.,how often you need to launder your towels depends on anumber of factors —how many people use the towels, if

the towels always smell fresh when you use them, if anyone with acold or flu is using them,and other personal preferences. I’m assuming that you use your towels every day,in which case Irecommend at least twice aweek. Personally,I don’tset aschedule to washmy towels. Iwash them when Ifeel like they need it, which is twoorthree times aweek. Ihave aneighbor whochanges her towels every day,which might be excessive to some, but to her,it’show things are done. If your husband thinks once aweek isn’toften enough, he can always grab afresh towel before he showers/bathes and place the other one in the laundry basket. —Heloise Sendahinttoheloise@ heloise.com.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY

EVENING SKY VIEWING:

8:30 p.m.-10 p.m., BRECHighland Road Park Observatory 13800 Highland Road. See the majesty of the night sky in these publicviewings for those 6and up.hrpo.lsu.edu/ events.

FRIDAY-SUNDAY

“RUN FORYOUR WIFE”:

7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 2p.m. Sunday, Sullivan Theater, 8849 Sullivan Road, Central. Production of Ray Cooney’s farcical comedy $33.50, adults; $28.50,students. sullivantheater.com

SATURDAY

ANNUAL SPRING PLANT

SOCIETY JAMBOREE: 8a.m

noon, 12655 S. Harrell’s Ferry Road. Sales/trades/displays by:Baton Rouge Bromeliad Society,Baton Rouge Orchid Society,Baton Rouge Aroid Group, Baton Rouge Succulent Society, Louisiana Branch of American Begonia Society,Louisiana Fern Group, Baton Rouge Bonsai Society Louisiana CarnivorousPlant Group, Baton Rouge Herb Society,Baton RougeBotanical Garden, Baton Rouge Rose Society,Red Stick Hibiscus Association. (225) 405-0762. RED STICK FARMERS MARKET: 8a.m.-noon, Fifth and Main streets, downtown.Farmfresh produce and goods. breada.org.

“A LOUISIANA

at the Louisiana Art &Science Museum, 100 S. River Road. Learn about the stars and constellations in the localnighttimesky followedbyanall-ages show lasm.org.

BATONROUGE MODEL RAILROADERS: 10 a.m. to 2p.m., Republic of West Florida Historical Museum, 3406 CollegeSt., Jackson. Electric trains of all sizes will be running on fivedifferent layouts. Free admission and parking.

BELLYDANCE DAY: 6p.m.-7:45 p.m., Louisiana Art &Science Museum, 100 S. River Road. Afusion of dance and astronomyas performers useavariety of belly dance stylestotellthe story of time —fromthe BigBangtothe

distantfuture. $30. lasm.org. ARTIST TALK WITH BRANDON V. LEWIS: 6p.m.-7 p.m.,GalleryatManship, 100 Lafayette St.Inconjunctionwith current exhibit, “When All God’s Children Get Together.”Free. manshiptheatre.org

SUNDAY

SENSORYSECOND SUNDAY:

3p.m.-5 p.m.,Louisiana Art& Science Museum, 100 S. River Road. Dimmed lights, lowvolumemusic, designated quiet areas, headphones and sensory tools areavailable. Due to limited space, preregistrationrecommended at tinyurl.com/LASMSensorySunday.lasm.org.

TUESDAY

RED STICK FARMERS MARKET:

3p.m.-6 p.m.,Main Library at Goodwood, 7711 Goodwood Blvd. Farm-fresh produce, goods, cooking demonstrations. breada.org.

LOVE LP EXPO: 4p.m.-7 p.m., SumaHall Community Center, off I-12atSatsuma exit. Livingston Parish Chamber’s Expo and JobFair with more than 70 vendors. Free.

BATONROUGE CHESS CLUB:

6p.m.-8 p.m.,LaDivina Italian Cafe, 3535 Perkins Road, Unit 360. Achance to playand learn; all levels welcome. Free.

WEDNESDAY

RED STICK FARMERS MARKET: 9a.m.-noon,ExxonMobil YMCA, 7711 Howell Blvd. Farm-fresh produce, goods and more. www.facebook. com/redstickfarmersmarket.

THURSDAY

RED STICK FARMERS MARKET: 8a.m.-noon,Pennington Biomedical Research Center, 6400 Perkins Road. Farm-fresh produce, goods and more. facebook.com/redstickfarmersmarket.

OUTDOOR COMMUNITY

YOGA: 6p.m.-7 p.m.,pavilionbythe pond, LSU Hilltop Arboretum, 11855 Highland Road. Drop-in; no registration required; bring your ownmat. Free, but donations welcome. www.lsu.edu/hilltop.

WEEKLY SOCIAL BIKERIDE: 7p.m GeauxRide, 521 N. ThirdSt.,Suite A. Free. fareharbor.com.

KARAOKE,TRIVIA, BINGO AND MORE: 8p.m.-11 p.m. BrickyardSouth Bar +Patio, 174 SouthBlvd. Presented by BarFly Entertainment. Free to play. https://www.facebook com/brickyardsouth.

ONGOING

ARTGUILD OF LOUISIANA: Independence Park Theatre,

7800 Independence Blvd.

“PictureDay”for upcoming “International River Road Show”; thosewishing to submit paintings must do so by Monday. “Watercolor Basics —Waterscapes (Beach,Bayou, and Flowing Water),” May23and May30. Text workshop coordinator BarbaraAndrepont at (225) 773-8020 or artguildlouisiana.

org.

BATONROUGE GALLERY CENTER FORCONTEMPORARYART: 1515 Dalrymple Drive.ExhibitsbyJeremiah Ariaz, Justin TylerBryant and Kristine Thompson, through May24. Hours:noon-6 p.m Tuesday-Sunday.batonrougegallery.org.

CAPITOL PARK MUSEUM: 660 N. FourthSt. “Groundsfor Greatness: Louisiana and theNation,” “The Louisiana Experience:Discovering the SoulofAmerica,” “African American History,” “Music and Musicians” and “Mardi Gras,” permanent exhibits. (225) 342-5428 or louisianastatemuseum.org.

CARY SAURAGE COMMUNITY ARTS CENTER SHELL GALLERY: 233 St. Ferdinand St. “A Refugee’s Origin by K.T.Ho:A Mixed-MediaExhibition Exploring Vietnamese Diaspora, Colonial Legacy,and Survival,” through May29. Hours arefrom9 a.m. to 4p.m. weekdays and from 10 a.m. to 2p.m. Saturday.artsbr.org. THE GALLERYATMANSHIP: 100 Lafayette St. “Brandon Lewis —WhenAll God’s ChildrenGet Together.” Hours are9 a.m.-4 p.m.Monday 9a.m.-10 p.m.Tuesday-Thursday, 9a.m.-11 p.m.Friday 10 a.m.-11 p.m.Saturday, and 11 a.m.-5 p.m.Sunday

LOUISIANAART &SCIENCE

MUSEUM: 100 S. River Road. “Then, And Now, And Always: The Artwork of Nick Bustamante,” through July 19, SoupCon Gallery; “Pinpointing theStars,” through Aug. 1; “Crossroads&Connections: ACentury of theRailway in Baton Rouge,” through Oct. 1; “Going Places: Transportation Toys of thePast,” through July 6, and “Shelf Queens: Model Train Masterpieces,” also through July 6. (225) 3445272 or lasm.org.

LSU MUSEUM OF ART: Shaw Center for theArts, 100 Lafayette St. “AI: ArtisticInterpretations,StudioArt Quilt Associates,” through Sunday “Daphnis and Chloe and

Other Lovers:Lithographs by MarcChagall,”through May 24. (225) 389-7200 or lsumoa. org.

MANSHIP THEATRE JONES

WALKERFOYER: 100 Lafayette St. “Look up:APhilosophy for Birding and Life” by Gail Suberbielle.Freeand open during regular Shaw Center building hours unless thereis aprivate event. LSU TEXTILE &COSTUME MUSEUM: Human Ecology Building, TowerDrive, LSU campus. “Stitches in Time: Quilts & Fashion,”exploring theenduring dialogue between quilt making and dress, through Jan. 15, 2027. (225) 578-5992 or email textile@lsu.edu

MAGNOLIA MOUNDMUSEUM +HISTORIC SITE: 2161 Nicholson Drive.Guided and selfguided tours.Hours arefrom 10 a.m. to 4p.m. MondaySaturday and from 1p.m. to 4p.m. Sunday.brec.org/facility/MagnoliaMound OLD GOVERNOR’SMANSION: 502 NorthBlvd. Open for tours.Hours arefrom9 a.m. to 4p.m. Monday-Friday.Free admission. oldgovernorsmansion.com. OLD STATECAPITOL: 100 NorthBlvd. “Bought for aSong: AYoung Nation Expands,” display of the Louisiana Purchase, through July 11. “Japanese WarBrides: Across AWideDivide,” through June 13. “A MorePerfect Union: Reconstruction’s Legacy in Louisiana,”permanent exhibit.Free. Hours: 10 a.m.-3 p.m.Tuesday-Saturday, plus Free FirstSunday louisianaoldstatecapitol.org. USS KIDD VETERANS MUSEUM: 305 S. River Road. Dis-

tAuRus (April 20-May 20) A personal opportunity is within reach. Changes to your living arrangements, home environment, location or how you feel about someoneclosetoyouwillreflecthowyou move forward.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Your ability to think definitively will help you zigzag your way forward. You'll thrive under pressure and outmaneuver anyone who tries to challenge you.

cAncER (June 21-July 22) Gather information, and specify what you want and expect from others. Your ability to negotiate will help you turn a negative situation into a positive event.

LEo (July 23-Aug 22) Refuse to let stubbornness stand between you and what you want. Choose to meet in the middle andtoputothersatease.Letyouractions lead the way. Focus on greater unity and make fewer demands.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Trust in your ability to do the research and to come up with a realistic plan before you give someoneelsethereins.Learnfromexperience, and dedicate your time to being diverse.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Simplify your routine and concentrate on what you enjoy doing most. It's time to make life choices that put your mind at ease and offer the benefits that are most important to you.

scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Keep your thoughts and emotions to yourself. Pay attention to how others respond, and dis-

tance yourself from those looking for an argument. Discipline and originality will give depth to your aspirations.

sAGIttARIus (nov 23-Dec. 21) Follow through with your intentions, and you'll get the boost you need to bring about positive change. A job change can offer relief from a situation that is holding you back.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) An opportunity to change the dynamics of your relationships with those close to you will help you put the past behind you. Refuse to let ego and emotional anger seep into conversations.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) When confusion sets in, discipline and ingenuity will come in handy. Reflect and establish what's most important and what's necessary to reach your destination.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Explore and expand your interests, friendships and skills. Refuse to let the changes going on around you push you in a direction that doesn't fit your lifestyle.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Look for a creative outlet, and use your imagination to help those who may have lost their focus or direction. How you relate to others will change how they perceive you.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2026 by NEA Inc. dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

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

toDAy's cLuE: V EQuALs c

FAMILY CIrCUS

CeLebrItY CIpher

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudokuis anumber-placingpuzzle basedona9x9 grid with severalgiven numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1to9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column andeach3x3 boxcontainsthe same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’sPuzzleAnswer

nea CroSSwordS La TimeS CroSSword

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By PHILLIP ALDER

GeorgeSaunders, whoisa professor at Syracuse University and has won the National Magazine Award for fiction four times, said, “I’malways awareof writing around thingsIcan’t do, and I’ve come to think that that’s actually what ‘style’is—anavoidanceofyourdeficiencies.”

Apublisher once told me alwaysto write aboutthings that Iknow. He and Saunders areclearly in agreement

Overthelastthreedays,wehavelooked at the overcalls that vary in meaning when made in the fourth seat instead of the second seat. Aone-no-trump overcall is weak, not strong; asingle jump overcall in asuit is intermediate, notweak; anda two-no-trump overcall is natural, not unusual—asintoday’s deal.

South’sbalancingjumptotwono-trump showed abalanced hand withsome 20-21 points (orslightly fewer points with a good six-cardminor). North might have advanced with three clubs,Stayman,to look for a4-4 spade fit

After West leads the heart queen, how shouldSouth plan the play?

Declarer hassix top tricks: two hearts, two diamonds andtwo clubs. If South immediately concedes aclub, West will clear hearts and defeat the contract when in with the spade ace.

As West is marked withthe spade ace from his opening bid, South should start

wuzzles

withalow spade from his hand. If West goes in with the ace, declarer has nine tricks via three spades, twohearts, two diamonds and two clubs. If Westducks, Southwinswithdummy’sspadekingand switches to clubs. This time, he takes one spade, two hearts, two diamonds and four clubs

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

Previousanswers:

word game

InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire fourletters by the addition of “s,” suchas“bats” or “dies,” are notallowed.3

Additional words made by adding a“d” or an “s”may notbeused. 4. Proper nouns, slangwords, or vulgar or sexually explicitwords are notallowed

toDAy’s WoRD DuctILE: DUK-tul: Easily led or influenced.

Average mark 23 words

Time limit 40 minutes

Can you find34ormore words in DUCTILE?

yEstERDAy’s WoRD —BAttLED

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar thehorriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles