Board indefinitely postpones action on Northeast Regional branch
BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer
The Lafayette Public Library Board of Control sparked outrage and disappointment among some residents and a Parish Council member when it voted Monday to indefinitely delay selecting a design option for the proposed Northeast Regional Library, which would serve a largely Black com-
formation is obtained about the proposal or add it to the regular monthly agenda, Judge said.
The library director said the system has enough money in reserve to cover the $5 million.
The long-discussed library would serve a socioeconomically challenged area of the parish cut off geographically from other libraries by major roadways.
The board president may call a special meeting after more in-
munity Parish Council member A.B. Rubin accused board member Robert Judge of trying to kill the library which has been on the table since funding was approved in 2019. After the vote, a member of the community who had volunteered on committees to make recommendations for the new library approached the seated board members and ripped up their paper nameplates while yelling and cursing. Judge, who was appointed by the Parish Council to the unpaid position, prompted the reactions at Monday evening’s meeting when he made an unexpected motion indefinitely to postpone action on a recommendation by a committee to build a 20,500-square-foot library that would cost about $5 million more than the $8 million budgeted by the former Lafayette City-Parish Council in 2019.
Work begins on new behavioral health hospital
BY ALENA MASCHKE Staff writer
A project that has been a long time in the making, a new behavioral health hospital that will be the largest in the region, has broken ground, Ochsner Lafayette General and Oceans Healthcare announced Monday
The 100-bed hospital, which will offer inpatient services for adolescents, adults and geriatric patients, and outpatient treatment options for those experiencing mental health challenges and co-occurring substance use disorders, was
first announced in 2022. Now the partners behind the project announced that construction was already underway on Youngsville Highway, near the corner of Pinhook Road Oceans already operates a smaller behavioral health hospital offering inpatient and outpatient treatment nearby in Broussard. The new facility will operate on a combined license with the existing hospital in Broussard, adding 60 new beds. Construction is scheduled to be completed in early 2026
The term “indefinitely” is insulting, said Mary Lib Guercio, who served on the committee. It plays to residents’ fears that there will be no action, she said, calling the board’s decision a breach of trust.
“The Northeast Library is needed to help lift these people up. To give them hope, a place to gather safely,” Guercio said.
Doctors push back against vaccine rollback
Policy shift draws criticism from Cassidy, health officials
BY EMILY WOODRUFF Staff writer
Days after Louisiana’s top health official ordered to an end to mass vaccination efforts and promotions in the state, Louisiana doctors, New Orleans health officials and U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, are defending immunizations as a necessary medical intervention and say the decision comes with serious risks.
A group of nine medical organizations representing thousands of Louisiana doctors said in a statement Monday that vaccines “should not be politicized.” The head of the New Orleans Health Department, meanwhile, said the city would continue its own vaccine promotion and distribution efforts, despite the state’s decision to withdraw its support.
“We are looking to alternative ways to find resources so that we can fill the gap left by the state not supporting mass vaccination events as they have in the past,” said Dr Jennifer Avegno.
And Cassidy, a gastroenterologist, said the policy “ignores the reality of people’s lives.”
The comments come after Dr Ralph Abraham, Louisiana’s surgeon general, warned state employees in a memo to refrain from recommending that people “receive any and all vaccines” and instead to provide data about the
ä See VACCINE, page 4A
Mexican border arrests drop 39% in January
WASHINGTON Arrests for illegal border crossings from Mexico plummeted 39% in January from a month earlier authorities said Tuesday, an early gauge of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
The Border Patrol made 21,593 arrests during the month, down from 47,316 in December and the lowest mark since May 2020 near the peak of the COVID-19 epidemic, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
“Call it the Trump Effect,” the White House said in a statement Border arrests fell sharply well before Trump took office from an all-time high of 250,000 in December 2023. Mexican authorities increased enforcement within their own borders and then-President Joe Biden introduced severe asylum restrictions in June.
Arrests sank even further after Trump was sworn in on Jan. 20 and issued a slew of orders on immigration, including one to suspend asylum on grounds that the United States is under “invasion” at the southern border Border czar Tom Homan said Monday that there were 229 border arrests in a 24-hour period, the lowest he remembered since becoming a Border Patrol agent in 1984. Homeland Security Department officials say they want to drive that to zero.
Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks said Friday in Edinburg, Texas, that he will “not be satisfied that our border is secure until we have operational control of our border, which means anyone that crosses illegally is apprehended or no one crosses.”
Homeland Security said Tuesday that it launched a multimillion-dollar video ad campaign in the U.S. and internationally that features Secretary Kristi Noem warning people to leave or not to come. “If you are here illegally, we will find you and deport you. You will never return,” she said in the video.
Kids found ‘abandoned’ for years in Mich. home
DETROIT Donations of clothes and money are pouring in for three children who were “basically abandoned” by their mother for years, living alone in a suburban Detroit home among trash and feces, a sheriff said Tuesday “You wouldn’t do this to an animal let alone your child,” Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard said.
Bouchard said the mother would occasionally leave food on the porch at the Pontiac home but lived elsewhere and had little contact with the children, a 15-year-old boy and two girls, ages 13 and 12. She’s now in jail while prosecutors consider filing charges.
Police found the children Friday after a landlord said the mother was behind in paying rent and wondered if there was a problem at the house. The scene was so extreme that investigators wore hazmat suits.
“Trash was piled in some places three and four foot high. Everything was covered with feces and trash,” Bouchard said. “The toilet had become nonfunctional That’s the kind of situation these poor kids had been living in for years, not just hours or days — for years.”
The boy indicated that he had left the house only two times, “once because he wanted to feel the grass, which by itself is heartbreaking,” the sheriff said.
Bouchard said they were “basically abandoned” and afraid to leave He said the children might have been living alone for more than four years. Bouchard said the mother and a delivery businesses would drop off food, though drivers apparently were not aware there were children inside.
Rebels advance on third city in Congo
BY WILSON MCMAKIN Associated Press
DAKAR, Senegal Rwanda-backed rebels appeared to be heading toward a third major city in eastern Congo, residents said Tuesday, as international pressure rose over the M23’s expansion in a mineral-rich region that’s critical for global technology
The M23 rebels on Tuesday attacked all the main Congolese army positions on the road to Butembo, a city of 150,000 people, and the situation was rapidly deteriorating, said Auguste Kombi, a civil society leader in Kitsombiro, a town along the road.
“We’re afraid that the enemy will advance to Butembo,” Kombi said.
Butembo is about 130 miles north of Goma, the city of over 2 million people that the M23 rebels seized last month as about 3,000 people were killed.
The advance on Butembo means the rebels are spanning out both north and south of Goma. The rebels this week seized another provincial capital to Goma’s south, Bukavu, near Burundi. The region is rich in gold and coltan, a key mineral for the production of capacitors used in most consumer electronics such as laptops and smartphones.
Also Tuesday, the M23 captured the town of Kamanyola, about 15 miles south of Bukavu, after they overcame resistance from the Congolese army in the evening, said Steve Mubalama, a civil society representative in the town Mubalama expressed fears that the M23 rebels would advance a further 45 miles to the south to take the strategic city of Uvira. The M23 is the most prominent of more than 100 armed groups vy-
Sudanese
ing for control of eastern Congo’s trillions of dollars in mineral wealth. The rebels are supported by about 4,000 troops from neighboring Rwanda, according to U.N. experts, and at times have vowed to march as far as Congo’s capital, Kinshasa, over 1,000 miles away
“We’re worried because we’re in danger of experiencing a situation similar to that in Goma, with the loss of human lives,” said Kambale Nyuliro, a Kitsombiro civil servant He told the AP that Lubero town, on the way to Butembo, was surrounded on three sides by M23 fighters but still under Congolese army control.
“Since the fighting began, the enemy has only advanced,” he said.
Analysts have said the rebels are eyeing political power, unlike their brief capture of Goma, a major security and humanitarian hub, in 2012.
The rebel-appointed mayor of Goma said Tuesday they would carry out a census, in a sign of their intention to maintain control of the city. And ferry service resumed between Goma and Bukavu, the only way to travel between them for now Rwanda has accused Congo of enlisting ethnic Hutu fighters responsible for the 1994 genocide in Rwanda of minority Tutsis and moderate Hutus. M23 says it’s fighting to protect Tutsis and Congolese of Rwandan origin from discrimination and wants to transform Congo from a failed state to a modern one. Analysts have called those pretexts for Rwanda’s involvement
On Tuesday, the U.K. Foreign Office summoned the Rwandan ambassador in London and in a statement condemned the rebel gains, calling them “an unacceptable violation of (Congo’s) sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
paramilitary attacks leave hundreds of civilians dead
BY FATMA KHALED Associated Press
CAIRO — Attacks by Su-
dan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Force have killed hundreds of civilians, including infants, in White Nile state, Sudanese officials and rights groups said Tuesday.
Sudan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the paramilitary group targeted civilians in the past few days in villages in the al-Gitaina area after they were “overwhelmed by its devastating defeat” by the Sudanese army. The statement put the death toll at 433, while the Preliminary Committee of Sudan Doctors’ Trade Union put that figure at 300.
Emergency Lawyers, a rights group tracking violence against civilians said in a statement Tuesday morning that more than 200 people, including women and children, were killed in RSF attacks and hundreds of others were injured over the past three days.
“The attacks included executions, kidnapping, forced disappearance, looting, and shooting those trying to escape,” the group said.
Minister of Culture and Information Khalid Ali Aleisir said on Facebook that recent attacks by the RSF in Al-Kadaris and Al-
Khalwat villages in White Nile state are the latest “systematic violence against defenseless civilians.”
The Sudanese military said Saturday it had advanced in White Nile and “liberated more cities and villages,” cutting crucial supply routes to the RSF, a rival group it has battled for control of the country since April 2023.
The war in Sudan has killed more than 24,000 people and driven over 14 million people — about 30% of the population — from their homes, according to the United Nations.
An estimated 3.2 million Sudanese have escaped to neighboring countries.
The U.N. on Tuesday said that throughout 2024, its human rights office documented more than 4,200 civilian killings, adding that the total number is likely much higher
The U.N Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs appealed on Monday for $6 billion for its 2025 humanitarian response in Sudan, to help about 21 million people in the country and the millions who fled the war abroad.
“This is a humanitarian crisis that is truly unprecedented in its scale and gravity,” said UN aid chief Tom Fletcher in a statement, “and it demands a
Arctic air sweeping over Plains shatters record temperatures
BY JACK DURA Associated Press
BISMARCK, N.D — More than 95 million people are facing gripping cold Tuesday as a polar vortex sends temperatures plunging to record levels, closing schools, bursting pipes and forcing communities to set up more temporary shelters for the homeless.
“Some of the coldest temperatures of the entire winter season right now across the central United States,” said Andrew Orrison, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
The harsh cold descended on the nation’s midsection Monday on the heels of weekend storms that pummeled the Eastern U.S. killing at least 17 people. Some areas in the Midwest have wind chills as cold as -50 to -60 degrees, Orrison said.
It is so dangerous that hundreds of public school districts canceled classes or switched to online learning Tuesday in Oklahoma, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Kansas and Missouri. And in Kansas City, Kansas, dozens of tents were set up in one building to house the homeless.
The biggest batch of record-setting cold temperatures are likely to hit early Thursday and Friday, Orrison said. But North Dakota already felt more like
the North Pole on Tuesday as Bismarck hit minus 39, breaking the record of minus 37 set in 1910 for the same date.
Stephanie Hatzenbuhler’s family has been contending with the cold in many ways on their farm and ranch west of Mandan, North Dakota, from their calving operation, to vehicles and equipment starting, to their coal-fired furnace keeping up.
“There’s always something new to learn and something new to experience. It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve done this, so you have to adapt,” said Hatzenbuhler, who called the cold spell “the Siberian experience.”
Conditions were rapidly deteriorating across northeast, east and central Oklahoma as residents in these parts of the state were dealing with freezing rain, ice and snow, according to the National Weather Service.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol said U.S. Highway 75 between Tulsa and Okmulgee was shut down in both directions because of the amount of vehicles and semi-tractor trailers that were stuck on the road due to ice.
“Our troopers are working to get salt and sand trucks to the area to treat the roads but it is extremely slick in that area,” the Oklahoma Highway Patrol said in post on X.
response unprecedented in scale and intent.”
Meanwhile, Norway’s Minister of International Development Åsmund Aukrust denounced the escalation in violence and attacks against civilians.
“I am deeply concerned about the sharp increase in civilian deaths caused by the intensified conflict in Sudan. I am also shocked by reports of indiscriminate attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure. Any such attacks must stop immediately,” Aukrust said in a statement published on the web portal for the Norwegian Government
The developments on the ground have given the military the upper hand in the war as the paramilitary suffered multiple blows, including losing control of the city of Wad Medani, the capital of Gezira province, and other areas in the province. The Sudanese military also regained control of the country’s largest oil refinery
The RSF appears to have lost control of the Greater Khartoum area and the cities of Omdurman and Khartoum Bahri.
The war has shown no end in sight despite international mediation attempts, including a U.S. assessment that the RSF and its proxies are committing genocide.
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ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JANVIER BARHAHIGA
People board the first boat leaving Bukavu heading to Goma on Lake Kivu since the eastern Congo city was taken by M23 rebels Tuesday.
Russia, U.S. agree to work toward ending Ukraine war
BY MATTHEW LEE and DASHA LITVINOVA Associated Press
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia Russia and the U.S agreed Tuesday to start working toward ending the war in Ukraine and improving their diplomatic and economic ties, the two countries’ top diplomats said after talks that reflected an extraordinary about-face in U.S. foreign policy under President Donald Trump.
In an interview with The Associated Press after the meeting, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the two sides agreed broadly to pursue three goals: to restore staffing at their respective embassies in Washington and Moscow, to create a high-level team to support Ukraine peace talks and to explore closer relations and economic cooperation.
He stressed, however, that the talks — which were at-
tended by his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, and other senior Russian and U.S. officials — marked the beginning of a conversation, and more work needs to be done.
Lavrov echoed Rubio’s remarks and told reporters that “the conversation was very useful.”
“We not only listened, but also heard each other,” he said.
Trump’s national security adviser, Michael Waltz, and special Mideast envoy Steven Witkoff joined Rubio at the table, along with Lavrov and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov.
No Ukrainian officials were present at the meeting, which came as the beleaguered country is slowly but steadily losing ground against more numerous Russian troops in a grinding war that began nearly three years ago
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country would not accept any outcome from the talks since Kyiv didn’t take part, and he postponed his own trip to the kingdom scheduled for Wednesday
European allies have also expressed concerns that they are being sidelined.
Improving relations
Ties between Russia and the U.S have fallen to their lowest level in decades in recent years — a rift that has been widening ever since Russia illegally annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and only worsened after Moscow’s full-scale invasion.
The U.S., along with European nations, imposed a raft of sanctions on Russia in an effort to damage its economy And embassies in Washington and Moscow have been hit hard by expulsions of large numbers of
Republicans consider cuts and work requirements for Medicaid
BY AMANDA SEITZ, ANDREW DEMILLO and KEVIN FREKING Associated Press
WASHINGTON Republicans are weighing billions of dollars in cuts to Medicaid, threatening health care coverage for some of the 80 million U.S. adults and children enrolled in the safety net program. Millions more Americans signed up for taxpayer-funded health care coverage like Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act’s marketplace during the Biden administration, a shift lauded by Democrats as a success
But Republicans, who are looking to slash federal spending and offer lucrative tax cuts to corporations and wealthier Americans, now see a big target ripe for trimming. The $880 billion Medicaid program is financed mostly by federal taxpayers, who pick up as much as 80% of the tab in some states. And states, too, have said they’re having trouble financing years of growth and sicker patients who enrolled in Medicaid
To whittle down the budget, the GOP-controlled Congress is eyeing work requirements for Medicaid It’s also considering paying a shrunken, fixed rate to states. All told, over the next decade, Republican lawmakers could try to siphon billions of dollars from the nearly-free health care coverage offered to the poorest Americans.
Weeks before Congress began debating those changes, Republican governors in Arkansas, Ohio and South Dakota were making moves to implement Medicaid work rules of their own, likely to be approved by President Donald Trump’s administration. And other cuts could be on the way Already on Friday,
the Republican administration announced it would shrink the Affordable Care Act’s navigator program annual budget by 90% to $10 million. Navigators are stationed throughout the country to help people enroll in ACA and Medicaid coverage and are credited with boosting the programs’ enrollment in recent years. What GOP is proposing Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana has floated the idea of tying work to Medicaid.
“It’s common sense,” Johnson said “Little things like that make a big difference not only in the budgeting process but in the morale of the people. You know, work is good for you. You find dignity in work.”
But about 92% of Medicaid enrollees are already working, attending school or caregiving, according to an analysis by KFF, a health policy research firm. Republicans have suggested a work requirement similar to the conditions for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly called food stamps. Those ages 16 to 59 must work or volunteer at least
80 hours a month if they are not in school, caring for a child under age 6, disabled, pregnant or homeless. On average, a SNAP enrollee’s monthly household income is $852, and the enrollee typically receives $239 in benefits.
During a GOP House retreat last month at Trump’s golf resort in Doral, Florida, Republicans said the requirement could motivate people to find employment — maybe even a job that comes with health insurance.
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., said the spending cuts should not be “on the back of the poor and needy” but instead target those who shouldn’t be getting the benefit.
Why should somebody literally sit on the beach and surf, buy their sandwiches from the food truck with their food stamps and then pick up low-cost housing and so on, while writing a book,” Issa said, noting that he was describing a constituent from more than a decade ago. Other cuts on the table include a proposal to change the federal government’s reimbursement to a per-person limit.
diplomats, as well as other restrictions.
Rubio said Tuesday that ending the war in Ukraine could “unlock the door” for “incredible opportunities that exist to partner with the Russians geopolitically on issues of common interest and, frankly, economically on issues that hopefully will be good for the world and also improve our relations in the long term.”
His comments were further evidence of the remarkable U.S. reversal on Russia after years in which Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden, led international efforts to isolate Moscow Tuesday’s meeting was meant to pave the way for a summit between Trump and Putin. After the talks ended, Ushakov and Waltz said no date has been set yet for that summit. Ushakov told Russian television that a meeting was “unlikely” to take
place next week, while Waltz said he thought it could be arranged in the coming weeks.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Lavrov mentioned the same three goals as Rubio and said that Washington and Moscow agreed to appoint representatives to carry out “regular consultations” on Ukraine.
“I have reason to believe that the American side has started to better understand our position” the Russian foreign minister said.
Witkoff said the meeting was “positive, upbeat, constructive. Everybody was there to get to the right outcome.”
The meeting marked the most extensive contact between the two countries since Moscow’s Feb. 24, 2022, invasion. Lavrov and then-U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken talked briefly on the sidelines of a G-20 meeting in India nearly two
years ago, but tensions remained high.
Concerns from allies
The recent U.S. diplomatic blitz on the war has sent Ukraine and key allies scrambling to ensure a seat at the table amid concerns that Washington and Moscow could press ahead with a deal that won’t be favorable to them. Kyiv’s absence at Tuesday’s talks rankled many Ukrainians, and France called an emergency meeting of European Union countries and the U.K. on Monday to discuss the war Kyiv’s participation in such talks was a bedrock of U.S. policy under Biden.
U.S. State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said the talks were aimed at determining how serious the Russians are about achieving peace and whether detailed negotiations can start.
Trump to sign new executive orders while joint interview airs
BY DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Donald Trump on Tuesday was set to sign new executive orders from his Florida home while his first joint TV interview with adviser Elon Musk airs in prime time.
Trump’s Florida home will also be the setting for an awards program by a conservative group led by Mike Flynn, who briefly served as national security adviser in the Republican president’s first term.
Trump was spending part of Tuesday at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida.
The White House had no immediate comment on the executive actions Trump
was signing later Tuesday at Mar-a-Lago, his private club and residence in Palm Beach. In the first weeks of Trump’s second term, he has used executive orders — signed statements about how the president wants the federal government to be managed to address issues including border security, the environment and transgender rights, among others. The White House said the event will be opened for press coverage, after initially saying it would not be allowed.
Trump and Musk, head of the new Department of Government Efficiency, gave their first joint interview to Sean Hannity of Fox News Channel. The interview was taped on Friday at the White
House and is set to air as Musk leads Trump’s effort to cut federal spending and slash the federal workforce. Musk has drawn criticism from Democrats in Congress and others for the methods he and his team at DOGE are using to cut spending, including foreign aid, and eliminate jobs across the bureaucracy
The Fox News interview also follows Musk’s appearance with Trump in the Oval Office last week, when both defended Musk’s approach to federal cost-cutting. In an excerpt from the interview that Fox News released on Sunday, Musk said he “used to be adored by the left” but “less so these days” because of the work he’s doing at Trump’s direction.
VACCINE
reduced health risks that result from being vaccinated.
The memo emphasized personal choice and said “conversations about specific vaccines, and whether or not a vaccine is right for a specific person, are best had with the individual’s health care providers.” Louisiana Department of Health officials did not respond to requests for comment
The directive underscores a widening rift between politics and medical expertise, both in Louisiana and nationwide. The announcement came the same day vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was confirmed to lead the U.S Department of Health and Human Services, amplifying concerns about the future of public health policy
The state Health Department is powered by federal funds, with the U.S. government providing around 70% of its $19.8 billion budget State health officials did not respond to questions about how much of the department’s funding goes to vaccination programs.
Last year, the federal government budgeted $682 million for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Immunization Program, which is also known as Section 317. This program supports state and local vaccine clinics, education and epidemic prevention. The CDC did not answer questions about how much of that funding goes to Louisiana.
Louisiana has a history of provid-
HOSPITAL
Continued from page 1A
with an opening later that year.
The new facility marks a $22 million investment between the two partners to expand a current Oceans facility with 40 beds
A recent assessment of the community’s health needs once again identified mental health as a significant concern, but access to treatment resources remains limited, Ochsner Lafayette General CEO Patrick W. Gandy Jr pointed out.
“At the top of that list over our past few Community Health Needs Assessments has always been be-
ing free vaccinations statewide.
During the pandemic, the state set up mass vaccination clinics that reached thousands In 2019, before the COVID-19 crisis, the state provided around 3,500 flu shots to residents.
Abraham’s memo, released Thursday, suggested those sorts of clinics won’t be held again. State health officials also did not respond to requests for more information.
The about-face sparked fierce backlash from Louisiana’s medical community this week. Cassidy said in a statement that he ran largescale immunization programs as a physician to help busy parents get their children vaccinated.
Advertising the benefits of vaccines and connecting parents to
havioral health services, and quite frankly, we had not really moved the needle on improving access,”
Gandy said. “This will do that for our adult population as well as our adolescent population, and will be very meaningful for Acadiana.” Louisiana faces a shortage of mental health professionals, with approximately 3.4 million of the state’s residents living in areas that lack adequate mental health options, according to Mental Health America. In Acadiana, especially for young patients, there are few options for inpatient treatment, often leading to children and adolescents in crisis being shipped far away from home for treatment
them improves the health of children.
“Removing these resources for parents is not a stand for parents’ rights,” Cassidy said “It prevents making health care more convenient and available for people who are very busy.”
Cassidy voted to confirm Kennedy, a vaccine critic, last week, after he said he extracted promises from the Trump administration that officials would not change vaccine policy without approval from the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions which Cassidy leads.
In an open letter to Louisiana patients Monday, nine medical associations called vaccines “one of the most significant medical innova-
“We’ve had multiple situations where placement for adolescent patients that have come in through our emergency departments has really been difficult, and we want to be able to keep those patients here locally, if at all possible,” Gandy said. The new facility will include at least 20 adolescent beds, according to Oceans Healthcare CEO Stuart Archer
Another population Archer hopes the new facility can help serve better than the existing health infrastructure in Acadiana is those suffering from severe mental illness, who often end up in the criminal justice system, which isn’t designed to address their needs.
tions of our time,” an “invaluable thread in the fabric of our society.”
The letter was signed by the Louisiana State Medical Society; the Louisiana Academy of Family Physicians; the Louisiana chapters of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Emergency Physicians, the American College of Physicians and the American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecologists; the Louisiana Society of Addiction Medicine; MedicineLouisiana; and the Radiological Society of Louisiana.
The Louisiana State Medical Society alone represents 4,000 physicians in the state. The Louisiana Academy of Family Physicians has 1,600 members.
Avegno said New Orleans leaders have worked “very closely” with the state in past years to provide vaccines. The state receives federal funding for immunizations and typically has a large supply
The two agencies have distributed about 8,100 vaccines together since 2020, according to the New Orleans Health Department.
“(LDH) would bring the vaccines, but we would have our staff there to publicize and to help give vaccinations,” Avegno said. “So we could reach a lot more people.”
The city plans to increase its communications about vaccines because the state’s directive has likely caused confusion about whether they are available at all, Avegno said. Louisiana residents with Medicare, Medicaid or private insurance can still get vaccinations, usually at no cost, at pharmacies and health care providers.
The health department will also
Oceans has been in communication with local law enforcement to figure out how behavioral health care providers in general and the new facility specifically can address this issue, he noted.
“We’re giving the community a better offramp from that perspective and from a crisis perspective,” Archer said.
But even for those with less severe behavioral health needs and patients with concurring medical diagnoses, the partnership with Ochsner, which operates a network of primary care, family medicine and specialty care clinics across the region, will provide additional points of access for patients seeking behavioral health
ask the New Orleans City Council for more funding, Avegno said.
Last week, Avegno, also an emergency room physician, pointed the council to Louisiana’s high flu rates this year and an outbreak of measles in Texas, where 58 people have been infected, most of whom were unvaccinated. Thirteen have been hospitalized.
“This is not the time to be causing confusion and removing access to lifesaving treatment,” she said at a council meeting Thursday “This is the time to better understand how we can promote access for all.”
After her testimony the City Council adopted a resolution supporting the health department’s efforts to continue vaccination campaigns. The resolution, which passed unanimously is a statement of support that has no force of law
“We couldn’t just sit back and not say anything on this issue,” said City Council Vice President Helena Moreno, who is running for New Orleans mayor Other local doctors, who remember overflowing hospitals during the coronavirus pandemic and who see high census levels during respiratory illness season, also blasted the state’s decision.
“It becomes a tremendous burden on the health care system,” said Dr MarkAlain Dery, an infectious disease specialist in New Orleans. “Why are we taking away tools of public health practitioners that will make life better for people?”
Email Emily Woodruff at ewoodruff@theadvocate.com.
care, he added.
“No one works harder to get the care they need than a behavioral health patient. We ask them to make a very complicated journey at times,” Archer said. “Through these partnerships, we’re able to better integrate all these worlds into one and give these patients and their families a more seamless experience.”
Oceans and Ochsner already partnered on a similar project with the Louisiana Behavioral Health in Shreveport in 2021, which includes an 89-bed inpatient unit and serves all age groups.
Email Alena Maschke at alena. maschke@theadvocate.com.
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By J SCOTT APPLEWHITE
U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, has criticized Louisiana’s decision to end mass vaccination efforts and promotions.
Rubin addressed Judge in scathing comments about how Judge has repeatedly tried to delay or kill the Northeast Regional Library pushing several times to lease space rather than build a library despite recommendations by a committee and a vote of the board to build the library and action by the Parish Council telling them to buy land on which to build the library
“You’ve been trying to delay this project to almost stopping it at every chance that you can get, and I’m sick and tired of it,” Rubin told Judge. “You’re like cancer that keeps spreading,” he said, and it appears other Library Board members are afraid to oppose Judge.
“It’s not fair to the public,” Rubin said. “The library is for everybody It’s not just for a religious cult or whatever It’s for everybody. Every race, every sex.”
After the meeting, Rubin told Judge that in council action, delaying something indefinitely means it probably will never return for a vote Judge said under Robert’s Rules of Order, he made the correct motion to delay action indefinitely
However, Robert’s Rules of Order states that a motion to indefinitely delay action “is used to kill a motion. When passed, the motion cannot be reintroduced at that meeting. It may be brought up again at a later date.”
nameplates, struggling with Judge over his nameplate while yelling No off-duty police were on site, so Lafayette police were called and arrived after Ross left.
Kelly suggested charges might be pursued.
“I came here tonight thinking I had come to celebrate finally economic development that’s going to enhance the whole parish,” said Phyllis Coleman Mouton, a lifelong northside resident.
“And what I see is a dissension, led by two people.” Board members throughout the discussion mentioned population, finances, data and research, resident Melanie Champagne said.
“I
The library system has the money to build the larger library, Gillane said The library system has a $34 million fund balance, Gillane said in an interview Friday, of which about $17 million already is dedicated to capital projects such as renovations to the North Regional and South Regional libraries and replacing elevators in the main library
Some of the remaining money in the fund balance may be used for the Northeast Regional Library, Gillane said, but some must be held in reserve for things like roof repairs because the library system is selfinsured.
A board-appointed committee on Thursday voted unanimously to recommend the board approve the 20,500 square-foot option that would accommodate all the services and amenities the community said it wants during a round of surveys and meetings. At the request of that committee’s chair, Library Board member Ella Arsement, Library Director Danny Gillane presented the board on Monday with comparisons of the proposed 20,500-square-foot option and a 17,500-square-foot option.
At one time the library system had about a $40 million fund balance, but the City-Parish Council under then-Mayor-President Joel Robideaux and with a vote of the public used $8 million for drainage and $2 million for other services of the city and parish.
Board member Allan Moore on Monday said he wanted more information on utilization of the libraries and the services each provides before agreeing to spend millions more on the larger option recommended by the committee.
The board voted 5-2 to indefinitely delay action.
Judge, Moore, Arsement, Eriq Baquet and Erasto Padron Jr voted for the delay Board President Daniel Kelly and Rena Bradley voted against the delay
“I truly want to rip every single one of you into shreds right now,” northside said resident Nureaka Ross, who served on the first of two committees studying the
library “You’re trying to delay this, and we all know your motive here.
Ross approached the seated Library Board mem-
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Carnegie evaluation places university among tops in nation
Staff report
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette has again earned the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education’s prestigious R1 designation, which is evaluated every three years.
R1 status places the university among the nation’s top tier of public and private research institutions, those with “very high
World cultures festival releases lineup
Festival International scheduled for April 23-27
BY JOANNA BROWN Staff writer
In 65 days, Lafayette will host performers from around the world in a global celebration of international Francophone and Louisiana culture. Last weekend, the Festival International de Louisiane team dropped a lineup of more than 60 bands who will take to downtown stages in late April for one of Lafayette’s premiere music events.
This year those stages will showcase exciting musicians from countries around the world, such as Ukraine, Jamaica, France, Mexico and Ireland. These global musicians will be joined by Louisiana players beloved by local Cajun and Creole fans, like T’Monde, Zachary Richard and Keith Frank and the Soileau Zydeco Band
The 39th annual Festival International de Louisiane will take place April 23-27 in downtown Lafayette
In addition to the music, this Festival will feature artwork and merchandising inspired by the work of Patrick Henry, a Jamaican-born New Orleans artist selected as the official 2025 visual artist for Festival International Henry created a piece of art using his signature trompe l’œil style to show children playing and dancing in the street, looking up at Belgian stilt walkers looming above them as the activities and colors of festival swirl all around. Here is the full lineup of bands for Festival International 2025:
n Black Uhuru (Jamaica)
n Yágody (Ukraine)
n Zachary Richard (Louisiana)
n Red Baraat (India/U.S.)
n Dobet Gnahoré (Ivory Coast)
n Salebarbes (Canada)
n Mucca Pazza (U.S.)
n Bingo Avec Johanne ft. Belinda & Kev Kevin (Canada)
n Etran de L’Aïr (Niger)
n Grupo Fantasma (Mexico/U.S.)
n Zar Electrik (France/Morocco)
n Shavit (Canada)
n Baie (Canada)
n CJ Chenier & His Red Hot
research spending and doctorate production,” according to a recent report from Carnegie. The American Council of Education produces the Carnegie Classification
About 5%, or 187, of the nation’s colleges and universities have R1 status, which is synonymous with academic excellence, research, innovation and global impact, according to a statement from the
university The only other universities in Louisiana who are R1 are LSU and Tulane
It’s an honor the university netted in 2022 and held a celebration to honor the designation.
To earn the designation, institutions must spend at least $50 million on research and development and award at least 70 research doctorate degrees. UL’s research expenditures were more than
$225 million, and it awarded 85 doctorates.
“Earning our place among the country’s top research universities once again is a testament to our faculty, staff and student researchers whose scholarship and innovation draws national and international attention to our university,” UL
President Joseph Savoie said in a statement.
Ramesh Kolluru, the university’s vice president for research, innovation and economic development, said the benefits of R1 status extend beyond research labs and classrooms.
The designation, university officials said, helps attracts exemplary faculty members, researchers and students. It also paves the way for new degrees and programs, offers added heft to graduates’ degrees, bolsters
NEXT GEN
TOP: App creators, from left, Jayce Lazard, Julius Ballard, Mason Oliver and Jordyn Lyons present their app Stay Clean during the CGI Congressional App Challenge Award Reception held Monday at CGI’s office in Lafayette. Students from all over Lafayette assisted by their mentors created apps to compete in a national competition. RIGHT: Sai Murugan explains her app Disaster Defenders.
Barricades going up Mardi Gras festivities
City workers to begin placement Thursday and Friday
BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer
themselves for the inevitable barricades.
City workers will begin placing barricades along the nearly 4-mile-long parade route Thursday and Friday, reducing some roadways like Johnston Street to two lanes, so motorists may want to avoid those areas until after Mardi Gras.
Lafayette’s Mardi Gras festivities hit the streets this weekend with the first parades of the season and that means motorists should brace
All Lafayette parades except the Krewe de Canailles on Friday and the Children’s Parade on March 1 start at Pontiace
Point — the intersection of Jefferson Boulevard and Surrey Street — travel down Jefferson Boulevard, cross Evangeline Thruway turn right onto Chestnut, turn left onto Third Street, turn left onto Congress Street, left onto Lafayette Street at the main library, pass the federal courthouse, then turn left onto Vermilion Street, pass Parc Sans Souci. The parades then turn right onto Johnston Street, cross
University Avenue, turn right onto College Road at Albertson’s shopping center and end at Cajun Field at Reinhardt Drive. The Krewe des Canailles parade starting at 7 p.m. Friday is a walking parade downtown along an abbreviated route without barricades.
Barricades along the main parade route will remain in place
ä See BARRICADES, page 2B ä See LINEUP, page 2B ä See PRESTIGE, page 3B
PHOTOS By ROBIN MAy
BY DESIREE STENNETT Staff writer
In many ways, the Viet My Supermarket in New Orleans East is the same as it has always been.
The shelves are stocked. The handwritten signs identifying products and prices are still there, some in English and some in Vietnamese. Customers still cycle through to buy fresh produce, meat, dry goods and other household staples, just as they have for decades.
But now, Nhu Vu stands behind the cash register in the spot where her mom Thanh Vu, who was killed
PRESTIGE
Continued from page 1B
partnerships with industry seeking established sources of intellectual capital, can influence policymakers and lawmakers and inspires philanthropy
An ongoing focus on many of those areas will be guided by UL’s Vision 2030 Research Engines, a component of the university’s strategic plan that is focused on increasing research expenditures and scholarly productivity across all disciplines.
in a New Year’s Eve armed robbery, had spent more than 30 years. And instead of trading jokes with her mom, Nhu Vu said longtime customers now share memories of her “We feel the love,” Vu said as she stood in an aisle of her family’s store Tuesday afternoon “The people here are great. They have all helped us That’s what we needed though. We need the closeness right now, since the person who was one of the most important in our lives is gone.”
Thanh Vu was shot just after 6 p.m on Dec. 31 and died days later. New Orleans police arrested three suspects: Nathanial Carpenter, 24; Anjanau “Henny” Davis, 25; and Adrian Harris, 27 Carpenter confessed to the killing, according to documents the New Orleans
Police Department filed in Criminal District Court. He told police that the robbery went awry and that he accidentally shot Vu when she grabbed his gun.
He and Davis, who police say went inside the store together, are facing seconddegree murder charges. Harris, who is accused of driving the getaway car was arrested on one count of principal to second-degree murder in the crime.
Reopening the store last month ahead of the Vietnamese New Year festivities was a tough decision, said Mai Vu, another of Thanh Vu’s six children. But it was important to them to maintain the sense of community that her mother spent decades fostering.
“The community needed us to come back,” she said.
“Vision 2030 Research Engines helps to drive workforce development, economic development and human development outcomes across all of Louisiana and beyond,” Kolluru said. “So going forward, retaining our R1 status will rely on the same continued focus on excellence that has gotten us to this point. And that in no small part will include by strengthening, investing into, sup-
University of Louisiana at Lafayette President Joseph Savoie speaks during a celebration to mark UL’s R1 research classification on campus in Lafayette in 2022.
porting and growing our doctoral capacity, students and programs.”
“A lot of people depend on us for their essentials. Not only regular people, but businesses come to us to purchase their essentials. Without us being open, they would have to go elsewhere.”
Mary Nguyen, a longtime Viet My customer who has known Thanh Vu since they were schoolchildren in Vietnam decades ago, has been back to shop several times since the store reopened.
She said it’s been “healing” for the community to see the store operational. But the family’s grief is undeniable.
“The store feels OK, but the family members are still full of sorrow,” she said.
“There’s still sadness. I told her husband to try to continue to work. Don’t stay back. I know you miss her so much, but you keep going. If not, it will make you sick.”
Mai Vu also said she aches for her father, who is managing the store with her sister’s help six weeks after her mother’s death.
“He’s sad,” she said. “They spent every day together — going to work together, driving to work, being at work. For him, going to the store without my mom is definitely different. Most days, it makes him sad to be at the business.”
Before the deadly robbery, Nhu Vu said she had talked to her mom about coming home to run the store so that her mom could take a few months off for vacation.
She was supposed to work alongside her mother, learning to run the register, price goods and purchase inventory She said she did not plan to learn to butcher meat.
“That’s the one thing I will not do,” Nhu Vu said in a mo-
ment of levity But she never got the chance. Instead, she’s figuring it all out on the spot. Often, when she’s not sure how to price an item or make some other business decision, she finds herself asking, “Would my mom do it this way?” So far, the business is still humming. As prices need updating or products need to move, Nhu Vu makes new handwritten signs for customers. She keeps her mom’s old handwritten ones for herself. Now, the Vu family is just waiting for justice. Nhu Vu said she’s grateful that police were able to find the suspects accused of killing her mother “I believe that life in prison is what they deserve, because they took away a life,” she said.
STAFF FILE PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK
OPINION
Federal freeze casts cloud over La. clean energy investment
Certainly, we in Louisiana have known the vicissitudes of the oil and gas industry over the decades. Cycles of boom and bust, of millions made and millions lost, are so woven into our history that talk of the 1980s oil bust can still evoke nightmares. It was after that shock that the state began talking seriously about the need to diversify its energy economy But it is only recently that it has actually seen a window to make that happen in a significant way
And that’s because of new industries that, like oil and gas, rely on technical expertise and the unique resources of our state. Renewable energy projects — wind and solar — have found fertile ground in the prairies and marshes of Louisiana. In 2023, Arizona-based First Solar began building a $1.1 billion facility to manufacture solar panels in New Iberia. Last year at the Port of New Orleans, Houma shipbuilder Edison Chouest christened the first American-made service operations vehicle for offshore wind. And there are dozens of other potential investments around clean energy statewide: Factories for making batteries for electric vehicles and numerous carbon capture projects are on the drawing board.
The Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law aimed to spur these budding industries, especially in places in Louisiana. However, all that promise has been thrown into doubt by the Trump administration’s recent moves to halt funding for clean energy projects.
We feel this is misguided for several reasons, but first and foremost, because it is a selfinflicted wound.
Just as we did when the Biden administration arbitrarily decided to halt permitting for new liquefied natural gas exports, we must question why the current administration would throw projects that are creating the jobs of the future in America into such uncertainty The price of oil, as we well know here, is affected by many factors, often in countries half a world away and out of our control. Our clean energy future depends only on our ability to invest and develop it.
Especially in Louisiana, where we are desperate for industries that support high-paying jobs to keep our young people here, this is a terrible blow We have embraced an “all-ofthe-above” energy strategy, and clean energy doesn’t threaten oil and gas jobs, which are dwindling anyway due to more efficient processes. In fact, many petrochemical companies have invested in carbon capture projects for their own future.
While the funding freeze may be prompted by an urge to reduce waste in government or suspicion of anything related to climate change, and while there may be questions about the impact of some wind and solar projects, that’s no justification for toying with Louisiana companies and jobs.
We hope our elected leaders will stand up and not let ideology kill innovation that could greatly benefit our state. And we hope Louisiana oil and gas industry leaders will unite in supporting clean energy They most of all, should understand what it means when an industry’s fortunes change overnight
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE ARE OUR GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name, occupation and/or title and the writer’s city of residence The Advocate | The Times-Picayune require a street address and phone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.O Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@ theadvocate.com. TO SEND US A
Decimation of USAID will have untold negative consequences
As a political scientist who focuses on international economics and politics, I must point out the tremendous damage that the federal administration’s actions toward the U.S. Agency for International Development will do to the U.S. and the global community Foreign aid has been an important tool of U.S. foreign policy since the Marshall Plan at the end of World War II. It was used to support democracies as they painfully rebuilt following the conflict and was an important check on the spread of alternative ideologies. Assistance would continue to be used as a policy tool through the Cold War for much the same purpose. In the years since, aid has been used to foster economic development, spread and support democracy and civil society and provide relief to those affected by conflict and disaster More recently, it has been an indispensable tool in opposing Chinese attempts to increase their influence through their Belt and Road Initiative. In short, at less
than 1% of the annual federal budget, on average, it provides tremendous value in burnishing the United States’ image globally and increasing its soft power Halting all aid programs and demonizing the agency is an unforced error that will have long-term ramifications. Individuals will suffer for lack of support and the country’s reputation will be significantly damaged, causing us to cede power to states like Russia and China, with whom we compete for global influence. The enormous downsides and arguably illegal impoundment of USAID funds should lead us to ask: Why is the administration sending us hurtling toward a constitutional crisis on the separation of powers and checks on the authority of the executive branch? Perhaps insight could be found by contemplating the following question: How would we describe these events if we saw them happening in another country?
DANIEL TIRONE Baton Rouge
Nothing new about geographical name changes
Regarding Will Sutton’s column Jan. 29, I find it ironic to be upset with the renaming efforts for the Gulf of ??? and Mount ??? in Alaska.
Renaming has gone on forever In fact, I still have, in my keepsake scrapbook, schoolwork from my elementary years with maps of southeast Asia, eastern Europe and Africa where some country names are no longer Even in our United States, we have pre-1776 records defining what’s presently a state as a British
colony More recently, geographical landmarks with names of Confederate generals have been changed, such as several army bases and even our own Lee Circle in New Orleans.
Although I am not a fan of changing Denali or the Gulf’s names, I am keenly aware changing is often used as a political tool to satisfy the political base of powerful leaders. At least the process does not raise taxes.
KENNETH MUSICK Baton Rouge
In the past I’ve written about the Canal and Rampart Street intersection. This time is no different. Recently, I saw a huge banner wrapped around the empty lot’s perimeter where the tragic Hard Rock Hotel once stood. The banner in large letters and bright colors read, “New Orleans Super Bowl LIX.” Because of the location of that banner instead of feeling jubilant and happy about the Super Bowl and what it means to New Orleans, I felt a sense of anger coupled with disrespect.
How could anyone in good conscience put a celebratory banner advertising and promoting an exciting occasion when lives were tragically lost at the banner’s site? It was a slap in the face to the families and especially to those whose remains remained in what was left of the compromised and collapsed structure. It’s a bad look to those of us who know and respect the history and its meaning to the intersection.
LINDA DOUGLAS
New Orleans
Trump not focused on campaign promises A Canadian longing to celebrate in N.O
Our governor, state and U.S. representatives and senators should take note: Your constituents have noticed that since Jan. 20 promises have not been kept. Egg prices have not come down. The war is still happening in Ukraine. There’s no sign of any bills to lower middle class taxes. Voters are watching what is happening in Washington. We see how many of our Louisiana elected officials step in line with the cruel agenda, and how many of them are owned by billionaires. We will not be distracted by the flurry of executive orders and lies that they are making American safe.
DENISE PADDOCK New Orleans
We have been planning a vacation to New Orleans for six years, but then COVID happened. Then the border from Canada was closed. Then we had a death in the family We finally rebooked (for the ninth time) a trip in May and paid for it on Dec. 31 Then the Bourbon Street attack happened. But nothing is going to stop us. Not a punishing exchange rate. Not a 97-year-old mother convinced that we are going to a war zone. Not a tenuous political situation. (No sir we do not want to be your 51st state.) Not anything. New Orleans is strong, and we are going to celebrate it! Finally
JANET POLE London, Ontario, Canada
Musk’s hand gesture taken out of context
Banner should not have been hung at tragic location A recent editorial cartoon poked fun at Elon Musk for his awkward attempt at a “from the heart” gesture at a President Donald Trump inauguration event. It is common knowledge that anyone remotely associated with Trump is fair game for your left-leaning editorialist, but to label Musk as a Nazi based on a split-second innocent hand gesture is going too far even by your publication’s standards. If a hand raised in the air is a definite sign that someone is a Nazi sympathizer, be prepared because the city of New Orleans is about to be invaded by a million Nazis begging for beads and trinkets from passing Mardi Gras floats!
DAVID PALMISANO Marrero
A chilling implication from JD Vance on rulings from judges
When disaster strikes, Trump blames DEI first
Anyone who doubts that President Donald Trump wants to rule like a strongman should pay attention to the chilling pronouncement made by Vice President JD Vance on a recent Sunday: “Judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power.” Acting in its constitutional role, the federal judiciary has slowed the blitzkrieg launched by Trump and his field marshal, billionaire Elon Musk, against the federal government and the law One of the latest roadblocks was erected in the early hours of last Saturday morning when U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer ordered that Musk and his U.S. DOGE Service vandals be locked out of the Treasury Department’s vital payment systems, which are full of sensitive data.
The volatile Musk, predictably, raged on his social media platform X that Engelmayer was “a corrupt judge protecting corruption” and “needs to be impeached NOW!” But Vance’s post on X, though calmer in tone, was far more menacing — because it fundamentally challenges the Constitution’s system of checks and balances.
I need to quote Vance in full: “If a judge tried to tell a general how to conduct a military operation, that would be illegal. If a judge tried to command the attorney general in how to use her discretion as a prosecutor, that’s also illegal. Judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power.”
There are two possibilities here. Vance might just be blowing off steam. Or he might be presaging an attempt by the administration to take the unthinkable step of defying federal court orders which would create an existential constitutional crisis. Federal judges have temporarily blocked several of Trump’s sweeping executive orders and stalled Musk’s pillaging of some federal agencies, pending further judicial consideration. The president has been stopped from
unilaterally ending birthright citizenship, which is guaranteed by the 14th Amendment; freezing up to $3 trillion in domestic spending that was authorized by Congress, to which the Constitution gives the power of the purse; purging the U.S. Agency for International Development and immediately putting its 2,200 employees on leave; imposing an impossibly tight deadline for a questionable “deferred resignation” offer to most civilian federal workers; and enacting other radical measures. These rulings have been made by judges appointed by Democratic and Republican presidents — including by Trump himself during his first term. They are fulfilling their duty according to the Constitution and the landmarkof-all-landmarks Supreme Court ruling Marbury v. Madison, which in 1803 established the principle of judicial review When a federal judge issues a ruling the president does not like, the president can appeal to a higher court Ultimately the dispute might reach the Supreme Court, which makes a decision by which all parties, including the president, must then abide.
Vance, who is a graduate of Yale Law School, obviously knows all of this He also knows that the examples he cites are specious. No, federal judges do not review a general’s battle plans — but five civilian judges do sit as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, which has appellate jurisdiction for the military court system. No, federal
judges do not usurp the attorney general’s discretion — but Judge Aileen M. Cannon, a Trump appointee, did rule that former attorney general Merrick Garland acted improperly when he appointed Jack Smith to prosecute the classified documents case against Trump.
It is safe to say that every president has been frustrated by some decision made by some federal judge. If Trump is more exasperated than most “No judge should frankly be allowed to make that kind of a decision. It’s a disgrace,” he said of Engelmayer’s ruling — that is because he is claiming a vast and un-American expansion of executive power
The Founders expected each branch of government to defend its prerogatives.
The Republican majorities in the House and Senate have shown no willingness to challenge Trump as he ignores laws and withholds expenditures mandated by Congress. The judiciary, by contrast, is doing its job. But judges have no way to enforce their decisions. Implicit in Vance’s words is a threat to simply ignore rulings about matters the administration believes judges “aren’t allowed to control.”
Amid his vice-presidential duties, Vance somehow finds the time to fight culture-war battles on X, often hurling juvenile insults. For example, he responded to a critique from Rory Stewart, a British academic and former cabinet secretary who has taught at Harvard University and is now a professor at Yale, by posting that Stewart “has an IQ of 110 and thinks he has an IQ of 130.” In another spat, Vance told Rep Ro Khanna, D-California, to “grow up” and called him “whiny.”
Actually, Vance’s post about disobeying judicial review is the very definition of “whiny.” But it also sounds like a grave threat to the absolute, inviolable principle that a president is not a king.
Eugene Robinson is on X, @Eugene_ Robinson.
It’s too late for progressives to be careful what they wish
Progressives have the presidency they have long desired, but a president they abhor James Madison warned them: “Enlightened statesmen will not always be at the helm” (Federalist No. 10)
Theodore Roosevelt’s “stewardship” theory of the presidency was that presidents may do anything they are not explicitly forbidden to do. Woodrow Wilson considered the separation of powers a dangerous anachronism impeding enlightened presidents (e.g., him). He postulated a presidential duty of “interpretation”: discovering what the masses would want if they were sensible, like him. Wilson’s former assistant secretary of the Navy Franklin D. Roosevelt, used radio to enable the presidency to mold opinion. Lyndon B. Johnson, who became an FDR-loyalist in Congress in 1937, commanded a large and obedient congressional majority (1965-1966) as no subsequent president has.
Progressives’ indiscriminate hysteria is helping Trump. Does the Constitution or democracy or something require the U.S. Agency for International Development to remain forever as it always has been — ill-focused and inadequately supervised?
The first sentence of the first paragraph of the lead story in a recent Sunday Washington Post reported Elon Musk’s “vision” of a “dramatically smaller” government. If so, of his many “visions,” his one about making humanity an “interplanetary species” (Mars, here we come) is not his least realistic.
Four years from now, the government will be larger than it is today Here is today’s government, about which Musk evidently knows as little as he knows about politics: Thirty-six percent of the budget is Social Security and Medicare, which Trump says are untouchable. Unless the population instantly (and miraculously) stops aging, spending on both programs will grow a lot in four years.
Donald Trump’s rampant (for the moment) presidency is an institutional consequence of progressivism. Progressives, who spent recent years trying to delegitimize the Supreme Court and other federal courts, suddenly understand that courts stand between Trump and the fulfillment of his least lawful whims. Including his disobeying Congress’s unfortunate, but detailed and lawful, ban of TikTok.
Politico recently published a wellreported story that partially refuted its headline, which was: “As Trump steamrolls Washington, courts flex their power to slow him down.” Steamrollers are not what they used to be, given that at least 10 federal judges have impeded him regarding birthright citizenship spending freezes, the dismissal of federal workers and the structure of some agencies.
LETTERS TO THE
Twelve percent of the budget funds defense, which Trump wants to increase. Fourteen percent is for debt service, which now costs more than defense. It is not optional and will be higher in 2029 because the debt will be at least $7 trillion larger than it now is.
Democrats should more carefully pick the hills they are willing to die on. The country is heartily sick of illegal racial discrimination and unconstitutional compelled speech that is the diversity, equity and inclusion industry (which, per a Goldwater Institute report, costs $1.8 billion in education alone every four years). Corporate America adopted DEI programs pellmell following the moral panic after the murder of George Floyd. Corporations are jettisoning DEI not to placate Trump but to avoid the nuisance and
litigation DEI entails. (A theory: Woke college graduates, with degrees in gender studies or similar intellectual culde-sacs, dislike business but acquire MBAs so they can join corporate human resources departments and continue grinding their ideological axes.) Considerable employment churning is a constant and generally wholesome consequence of economic dynamism. On average, more than 1.5 million private sector workers are laid off per month. Few Americans are sad that eternal job security is not an ironclad entitlement for 3 million federal civilian employees. And about the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, without which America prospered during its first 235 years: Is it really wrong to favor extinction of this anti-constitutional contraption that can “declare,” without congressional guidance, what business practices are “abusive”? Unlike any entity created by Congress since 1789, the CFPB is untethered from oversight: Its funding, determined unilaterally by its director, comes not from Congress but from the Federal Reserve.
There is a perennial progressive lament that the Constitution’s framers — with their annoying separation of powers and a pesky because independent, judiciary — made swift, radical zigs and zags by government too hard. Too bad. A prediction: On Jan. 20, 2029, whomever is inaugurated on the West Front of Congress’s building will inherit a presidency more circumscribed than today’s. Courts, especially the one across First Street NE from the Capitol, will have done their duty regarding presidential overreaching. And Congress, provoked by the same, will have begun to flex its atrophied muscles. Email George Will at georgewill@washpost.com.
As the investigation into the air disaster in Washington was still getting underway President Donald Trump didn’t bother to wait for actual evidence to figure out what was to blame: “DEI.”
That’s shorthand, in case you haven’t heard, for diversity, equity and inclusion programs, a controversial hiring practice that has become a one-size-fitsall bludgeon for the president and his allies to use against Democrats — even when facts don’t support them.
Clarence Page
Such partisan eagerness to demonize DEI for every disaster reminds me of the liberal critics whom former United Nations ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick, a Ronald Reagan appointee, labeled the “blame America first” crowd for their habitual response to foreign policy challenges. Now Trump, with his notoriously casual regard for inconvenient facts, habitually responds to disasters by blaming DEI first.
We saw that as wildfires recently burned through the hills of Los Angeles and internet trolls blamed DEI, apparently because Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is Black and the city’s fire chief Kristin Crowley, a 22-year veteran of the department, is the first woman and openly queer person to lead it.
Among the trolls beating that bogus drum was Trump’s billionaire buddy Elon Musk who shared screenshots of the fires and wild accusations like “DEI means people DIE.”
Similarly, waves of trolls blamed the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key bridge on “Baltimore’s DEI mayor,” Mayor Brandon Scott, who happens to be Black, as soon as he appeared on TV to update the public.
The X account of something called the Young Conservative Federation posted a picture of a Black woman, Karenthia Barber who served as a port commissioner Her bio listed her experience in DEI audits and consulting.
That led Phil Lyman, a Republican and gubernatorial candidate in faraway Utah, to chime in with an attack on Maryland’s Gov. Wes Moore, who also, yes, happens to be Black. Lyman wrote on X: “This is what happens when you have Governors who prioritize diversity over the well-being and security of citizens.”
The allegation might have risen above ignorant innuendo if Lyman had tried to show any evidence that the governor, the mayor or the port commissioner had anything to do with the container ship striking the bridge.
But that’s the exciting life DEI has taken on in the MAGA imagination. It’s no longer merely a set of principles in the realm of hiring and workplace relations. It now elects “diverse” agents of destruction into government.
In another twist to the craziness, a trans woman wrongly named as one of the pilots in the recent deadly air collision urged the public to spread the word on how fake this news really was.
“Some craziness has happened on the internet and I’m being named as one of the pilots of the DC crash,” posted Jo Ellis, a Chief Warrant Officer 2 who is a UH60 Black Hawk pilot for the Virginia National Guard. “It’s insulting to the victims and families of those lost and they deserve better than this BS from the bots and trolls of the internet.”
I remember how diversity policies began in the 1960s when the racially inflamed violence and politics of the decade spread to ranks of the military I had been drafted, and I witnessed some of the tensions firsthand, as well as a services-wide effort to weed out racial discrimination.
Anti-discrimination efforts resulted in some excellent promotions in the U.S. armed forces. Many excellent African Americans and others who had been turned down for promotions got a second look. One of them was Colin Powell, who would later rise to become chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and beyond, and served as the first Black secretary of state.
But that’s not to say that I don’t have questions about DEI policies, just as many other practically minded people on the right and the left, or in between.
It’s no simple matter to fight discrimination against women and minorities without swinging too far into the “reverse discrimination” that creates unfair outcomes as well.
The Trump administration is correct to eliminate any program that gives an unfair advantage to one group at the expense of another Merit matters. Or at least it should.
But, as Team Trump rolls in with its reforms, it must be cautious about dumping programs that undermine the value of merit while also protecting legitimate policies that offer protection against unfair discrimination and that open doors to opportunity
To do that, takes more than slogans. DEI may seem like a pain, but everyone wants fairness.
That’s a goal worth working for Even when we fall short, that means we should reach higher Email Clarence Page at cpage47@gmail.com.
Eugene Robinson
George Will
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO
Vice President JD Vance
SPORTS
UL rallies to avoid upset vs. Texas Southern
Big seventh inning lifts Cajuns past Tigers
BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer
It was the opposite of a thing of beauty But for the UL Ragin’ Cajuns, it beat the alternative.
Trailing by as many as seven runs, the Cajuns rallied for seven runs in the seventh to help pull out a 14-11 win over Texas Southern on Tuesday at Russo Park
The Cajuns improved to 2-2 with the win while the Tigers dropped to 1-3. The game was moved up three hours to a 3 p.m. start in hopes of beating the rain.
UL next will begin a three-game series against Nebraska at 6 p.m.
Friday Tuesday’s game couldn’t have started out much worse for the UL pitching staff.
True freshman starter Parker Smith lasted just six batters. Jaden Jones got an RBI single and then Evan Joubert smashed a three-run home run in the first inning for the Tigers.
After the Cajuns scratched across a run on Caleb Stelly’s runscoring single in the bottom of the first, the Tigers put up four more runs in the top of the second.
Daylon Carleton got an RBI single, Jaden Flores hit a two-run
Pels remain committed to build the franchise around enigmatic star
BY ROD WALKER Staff writer
If it was up to Zion Williamson, he’d be playing in back-to-back games these days.
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And he would play more than 281/2 minutes in a game, which he hasn’t done since returning from a lengthy hamstring injury this season. But that decision doesn’t belong to Williamson.
It belongs to Daniel Bove, the director of performance and sports science for the Pelicans who sits courtside each game with an iPad that monitors Williamson’s load management every second he’s on the floor
“He can tell when Zion’s load is spiking,” said David Griffin, the Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations. “And he can tell when he needs to be shut down And we’ve got the ability to really monitor his progress, and he’s showing incredible progress daily in terms of how high his floor is rising.”
Is Williamson getting closer to playing more minutes?
“I feel like I should definitely get up to 30 minutes post All-Star break,” Williamson said last week. “But like I said, whatever the team decides to do, I support it. We are going to work smart.” Working smart, as coach Willie Green has pointed out time and time again since Williamson returned, means looking more at the “big picture.” For the Pelicans, that big picture includes Williamson. Not just this year but for years ahead.
Despite all the frustration that has come since Williamson’s New Orleans arrival in 2019 — frustration for the front office, fan base and even Williamson himself he will remain the cornerstone Griffin builds around. Understandably, the risk of seeing a player of Williamson’s caliber flourish elsewhere is one the Pelicans aren’t willing to take.
“If you take just his body of work this year, what he’s done for us when he’s been healthy he’s taking steps every day and he’s grown by leaps and
BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer
There would be no massive upset at Alex Box Stadium this time around.
On Tuesday, Southern’s first matchup against LSU since its stunning victory at The Box a season ago, the Tigers crushed the Jaguars 13-1 in a game shortened to seven innings because of the mercy rule.
An eight-run fourth inning allowed LSU to separate from Southern.
“I don’t know anybody that prepares to lose,” Southern coach Chris Crenshaw said. “I thought we had a good chance to come in here and play a good game.”
With LSU ahead 3-0, Utah Valley State transfer Daniel Dickinson started the scoring in the big fourth inning with a two-run single with the bases loaded, chasing Auburn transfer Chris Stanfield and freshman Derek Curiel home.
Junior Ethan Frey then blasted a three-run home run over the left-field stands, giving the Tigers an 8-0 lead. A run-scoring triple from sophomore Steven Milam and a tworun single from Curiel later in the fourth handed the Tigers an 11-0 advantage.
“I saw something that I don’t know that I’ve ever seen before,” LSU coach Jay Johnson said. “We had 18 quality atbats in a row at one point. And regardless of score, competition (or) day, in baseball, that’s
double, and Miguel Morales drew a bases-loaded walk. UL scored three runs in the second without the benefit of a hit to stay within shouting distance at 8-4. The Tigers’ bats weren’t done, adding two runs on UL’s first error of the game and then Carleton’s RBI double. By the end of the third inning, there were a combined 14 walks — eight by the Cajuns staff and six from Texas Southern starter Justin Mayes. The game finished with a combined 19 walks, three hit batsmen and three passed balls.
LSU 13, SOUTHERN 1, 7 INNINGS
JR Tollett took over in the fourth for UL, and Texas Southern got doubles from Flores — who finished 4-for-5 with two RBIs — and Bryce Hughes for an 11-4
Tigers
really hard to do.”
All eight runs were charged to Southern freshman righthanded reliever Caiden Stewart. Redshirt junior right-hander Jeremiah Newman replaced Stewart and surrendered one run and one hit in 12/3 innings.
“I think we had one pitcher go out and have a 1-2-3 inning
one time today,” Crenshaw said. “So when you go out there and you do that one time, that means a lot of pressure on the defense.”
Starting on the mound for Southern was sophomore lefthander Genesis Prosper He wasn’t flawless, but he kept the Jaguars (2-2) within strik-
ing distance, surrendering only three runs on eight hits in three innings of work. In the first inning, he allowed a run-scoring single to Curiel and committed a balk that granted another runner to come home. Prosper also gave up a sacrifice fly in the third inning that allowed Dickinson to score.
“I respect Chris a lot,” said Johnson, referring to Crenshaw “I think he recruits well. They played well in Houston this weekend. (I) watched all three games, and I expect them to have a good year.”
The LSU starter on Tuesday was left-handed junior-college transfer Conner Ware. In his first appearance for the Tigers (4-0), he walked only one batter and didn’t allow a hit in three innings. Wofford right-handed pitching transfer Zac Cowan relieved Ware and allowed an unearned run and two hits in three innings. Redshirt junior right-hander Kade Woods closed out the win in the seventh inning.
“Pitching is all about variability,” Ware said. “Adding, subtracting, kind of moving the ball where you want it to.” Southern didn’t record its first hit until the sixth inning. The Jaguars’ only run came in that
STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER Pelicans forward Zion Williamson dunks against the Sacramento Kings on Feb 12 at the Smoothie King Center
STAFF PHOTOS By HILARy SCHEINUK
center fielder Chris Stanfield, left, greets left fielder Derek Curiel at home plate after both scored in the fourth inning on a bases-loaded single by Daniel Dickinson against Southern on Tuesday afternoon at Alex Box Stadium.
Saints add more offensive coaches
BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer
The New Orleans Saints nearly have assembled their entire offensive coaching staff, and the final major piece could be in place soon. On Tuesday, the Saints added running backs coach Joel Thomas — who had previously spent nearly a decade with the organization in the same role — as well as quarterbacks coach Scott Tolzien.
New Orleans is also closing in on a deal with Philadelphia Eagles quarterbacks coach Doug Nussmeier, according to a Josina Anderson report, with the two sides spending the day finalizing an agreement for Nussmeier to become the offensive coordinator on Kellen Moore’s initial staff. He has been tied to Moore throughout the process, and if he does land in New Orleans, Nussmeier will have worked under Moore with each of his last four teams.
Nussmeier would be the final major piece of Moore’s offensive staff, joining Thomas, Tolzien, and recent hires in wide receivers coach Keith Williams (a holdover from last year’s staff), tight ends coach Chase Haslett and offensive line coach Brendan Nugent All but Williams and Thomas had worked under Moore previously Though New Orleans has filled all of its positional assistant roles, the team still likely will make several other hires for lower level assis-
Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus responds to questions during a news conference at the team’s headquarters in Frisco, Texas, on Tuesday.
PHOTO By TONy GUTIERREZ
tant and quality control positions.
The Saints also have been tied to Philadelphia assistant offensive line coach T.J. Paganetti, according to a NewOrleans.football report, to serve as a run-game coordinator Though Thomas never has worked with Moore previously, he has plenty of recent connections to the organization Thomas was with the franchise as the running backs coach from 2015-23. He left
New Orleans last year to join the New York Giants. Thomas is highly regarded around the NFL and recently served as an offensive coordinator during the Senior Bowl. He has a strong relationship with several players on the current roster, including Alvin Kamara. Tolzien was a coaching assistant under Moore with the Cowboys from 2020-22.
Eberflus returns with Cowboys
BY SCHUYLER DIXON AP pro football writer
FRISCO, Texas New Dallas defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus never really stopped to consider a year away from coaching after getting fired by the Chicago Bears. Not that his wife, Kelly, would have let him.
“She said she wanted me to go to work now,” Eberflus said Tuesday in his first meeting with reporters since getting hired by the Cowboys. “And I did, too.”
The 57-year-old Eberflus is back where his career took off.
He had a seven-year stint on the Dallas defensive staff — from 2011-17 — that led to the defensive coordinator’s job with Indianapolis.
Four years later, Eberflus took over the Bears, getting fired 12 games into his third season, the day after his poor clock management in the final seconds cost Chicago in a sixth consecutive loss. He was 14-32 with Chicago.
“I was excited after a couple of days, a couple of weeks, taking that break,” Eberflus said “I was excited about looking at different opportunities, and this was the best opportunity that I felt was really cool for me to come back to Dallas. I have a lot of familiar faces here, starting from the top all the way to everybody in the building.”
A first-time NFL head coach with the Bears, Eberflus is now under someone in the same situation, with longtime assistant Brian Schottenheimer taking over for Mike McCarthy
The Cowboys and McCarthy parted ways after five more seasons of Dallas not getting as far
as an NFC championship game. The drought goes all the way back to the 1995 season, when the storied franchise won its fifth Super Bowl.
Eberflus lived it. The Dallas defense couldn’t get a stop late in a divisional playoff loss at Green Bay during the 2014 season, and gave up an improbable — and decisive — third-down completion to Aaron Rodgers in the final seconds of another divisional loss to the Packers, this time at home, when the Cowboys were the NFC’s top seed in 2016. Now he’ll try to help Schottenheimer end it.
“The first couple meetings I had with him, I said, ‘I’m here for you,’” Eberflus said. “I want to really just do a good job of bouncing ideas off of (him), experiences that I had and just working together to be able to utilize me. Because I do have the experience of being a head coach for him and to make his job easier.”
Eberflus has four assistants from last season’s Chicago staff in defensive passing game coordinator Andre Curtis, linebackers coach Dave Borgonzi, secondary/ cornerbacks coach David Overstreet II and defensive line assistant Bryan Bing Darian Thompson, a former Dallas player is the only holdover on the defensive staff.
He is helping Overstreet in the secondary after working with linebackers his first two seasons.
The other newcomers are defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton and young assistants J.J. Clark and Tanzel Smart.
The only returning member of the offensive staff is Lunda Wells, who will coach tight ends after
having that role for all five of McCarthy’s seasons.
“It’s good,” Wells said. “Just make sure you get the names right.”
Schottenheimer was the offensive coordinator the past two seasons with McCarthy calling plays, and the arrangement will be the same with Schottenheimer’s replacement, Klayton Adams.
The offensive line coach for the Arizona Cardinals the past two seasons, Adams was on the Colts’ staff with Eberflus. His first priority in his first year as a coordinator is helping improve one of the league’s worst rushing offenses
The question of whether he’d eventually like to be a play-caller can come later
“At the end of the day, our job when we’re putting things on the call sheet is to be problem-solvers,” Adams said. “That’s the part that I’m really looking forward to focusing on. It’s also a leadership position within a great organization.” Wells and pass game specialist Ken Dorsey are the most experienced coaches on the offensive staff. Dorsey has had a rough couple of years, getting fired midseason as offensive coordinator in Buffalo in 2023 and again after this past season from the same job in Cleveland.
“We’ve got to be able to win football games, and when you don’t then there’s always those possibilities of things happening,” Dorsey said. “In life, you’re going to get knocked down. You’re going to get punched in the gut. It’s how you get back up and keep swinging, keep fighting.” Eberflus can relate and now they’re on a staff together
Chio wins SEC freshman gymnast award for 5th time
Maybe they should just call it the Kailin Chio award.
The LSU gymnast was named Southeastern Conference freshman of the week Tuesday for the third straight week and fifth time in seven weeks overall.
Chio helped lead the now No. 3 Tigers to Friday’s 198.050-197.675 victory over No. 1 Oklahoma, winning the all-around title with a career-high 39.725.
The Henderson, Nevada, native posted a score of 9.90 or better in every rotation, including a careerhigh 9.95 on floor sharing first place in that event.
Chio leads the nation on vault with an NQS average of 9.930, is eighth on beam (9.895) and ninth in all-around (39.435).
LSU is on the road at 6 p.m. Friday against No. 9 Kentucky
NFL rescinds Mixon’s $25,000 fine after appeal
Dallas elevated Tolzien to its quarterbacks coach job in 2023 — taking the spot formerly held by Nussmeier who joined Moore’s staff with the Los Angeles Chargers. Tolzien had spent his entire NFL coaching career with the Cowboys to this point. Like Moore, Tolzien is a former player, appearing in 10 games as a quarterback with the Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts.
Panthers bring back QB Dalton
MIKE KAYE
The Charlotte Observer
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Andy Dalton isn’t going anywhere.
The Carolina Panthers announced Tuesday that the team reached an agreement with the veteran quarterback on a new two-year contract. Dalton was set to test free agency on March 12 prior to the agreement.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the deal is worth a base value of $8 million. Per the report Dalton is guaranteed $6 million at signing with a max earning potential of $10 million.
The well-traveled signal-caller spent the past two seasons in Charlotte, mostly serving as a sounding board and backup to starting QB Bryce Young. While Young was briefly benched for Dalton last season, a minor car accident which injured Dalton’s right thumb on his throwing hand — essentially ended Dalton’s run as the Panthers’ starting quarterback after just five games (1-4 record).
But Dalton, despite the unusual 2024 season, has retained his strong relationship with both Young and head coach Dave Canales. Following the season finale against the Atlanta Falcons, Dalton, 37, made it clear that he would like to stay with Carolina, as his family has enjoyed the area and he liked the direction the franchise was headed.
Dalton has thrown for 1,350 passing yards, nine touchdowns and six interceptions in nine games (six starts) for the Panthers over the past two years. Entering his 15th season, Dalton has thrown for 39,500 yards, 253 touchdowns and 150 interceptions in his career
While he spent his first nine seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, Dalton has also played for the Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints. Besides the Bengals, the Panthers are the only team that Dalton has played for longer than one season. With Dalton coming back, the Panthers have a three-man QB depth chart under contract. Along with Young and Dalton, second-year QB Jack Plummer is also on the roster
The NFL has rescinded a $25,000 fine Houston’s Joe Mixon received for comments about officiating in the Texans’ loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round of the playoffs after an appeal by the running back. Mixon was given the fine for his comments following the 23-14 loss where Houston’s defense was penalized twice for hits on quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Appeals officer Chris Palmer said in a letter to Mixon, which was obtained by ESPN.com, that during the hearing process on Jan. 30 he found that Mixon “did not necessarily publicly criticize the officials.” Palmer said in his letter to Mixon that the “integrity of the game and its officials is the responsibility of everyone involved in the NFL.”
Ravens’ Cleveland arrested on a DUI charge
ATLANTA NFL player Ben Cleveland of the Baltimore Ravens has been charged with drunken driving in Georgia on Tuesday Cleveland, who previously played for the University of Georgia, was pulled over by a sheriff’s deputy near Milledgeville, Georgia, last Wednesday, the incident report shows.
After Cleveland was stopped, he told the deputy he had been at a local country club and had consumed about three to four beers, but none in the previous two hours. He agreed to a blood alcohol test and registered 0.178, which is over the legal limit in Georgia, the report states. Cleveland was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, and failing to stay in his lane.
Turner agrees to $6 million, 1-year contract with Cubs MESA, Ariz. — Justin Turner has agreed to a $6 million, one-year deal with the Chicago Cubs, according to a person with direct knowledge of the situation, giving the team additional infield depth. Turner can earn an additional $2.5 million in bonuses. The addition of Turner would give the team some security at third base should Matt Shaw need more seasoning in the minors. The 23-year-old Shaw has been slowed by a left oblique issue in spring training.
The 40-year-old Turner also could back up Michael Busch at first base and go into the lineup at designated hitter Turner played for Toronto and Seattle last year batting .259 with 11 homers, 55 RBIs and a .354 on-base percentage in 139 games.
Djokovic loses in straight sets to Berrettini in Doha DOHA,Qatar Novak Djokovic was upset by Matteo Berrettini 7-6 (4), 6-2 on Tuesday at the Qatar Open in the Serb’s first match since exiting the Australian Open with a hamstring injury though he didn’t have “any pain or discomfort.”
The 37-year-old Djokovic, ranked No. 7, lost to the Italian for the first time in five career matches and will have to wait to join Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103) as the only players in the ATP Tour’s 100-win club. The 24-time Grand Slam champion reached the Australian
AP
STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER
New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara runs a drill as assistant coach Joel Thomas looks on during a minicamp practice at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center on June 13, 2023.
BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer
Two down, four to go.
The goal for the UL women’s basketball team is to finish the season on a six-game winning streak and hope for a little help.
The desired result is to earn a No. 4 seed in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. The next step is a 5 p.m. Wednesday game at Texas State.
“We don’t talk about the seed, but we talk about how each win you can move us up,” UL coach Garry Brodhead said. “When we got to the last six games, we thought we could win every game and I think that’s their attitude, too. But they
ZION
Continued from page 1C
bounds both on the court and off,” Griffin said. “I think the player he is now is better than he’s ever been. He’s playing at a historic level in terms of efficiency per minute.”
Williamson is averaging 24.4 points per game this season. His rebounding numbers (7.4 per game) are the highest of his career His assists (five per game) are tied for the best of his career And his presence on defense has bene better than ever But it’s the numbers in the “games played” column that often leave the fans either scratching or shaking their heads.
Williamson has played in just 18 of the 55 games this season. Even more discouraging for season-ticket holders is that he’s played just six times in the Smoothie King Center
“I don’t believe he’ll always have those types of restrictions,” Griffin said.
“I do think that a great deal is tied to his past injury history and the nature of his specific injury Hamstrings are the most prevalent in terms of recurrence of the injury It’s one of the most dangerous injuries to have, particularly when you’re anatomically built the way Z is.”
Williamson’s injuries, along with all the others the team has endured, have made for a trying season. If you add up all the missed time by players because of injuries and illnesses this season, it equates to 230 missed games.
It’s the reason the Pelicans are just 13-42 at the All-Star break and at the bottom of the Western Conference standings heading into Friday’s road game against the Dallas Mavericks.
It’s a complete 180 from last season when the Pelicans were headed to 49 wins, the second-most in franchise history. The results have changed. And so has the locker room. Brandon Ingram, the other half of the Pelicans’ 1-2 punch, was traded to the Toronto Raptors at the trade deadline. Williamson and Ingram both arrived in New Orleans in 2019 — Williamson as the first overall pick and Ingram as part of
know that every time we win a game it puts us in a situation where we could move up.”
UL (12-12, 8-6 SBC) is in sixth place only one game behind Coastal Carolina and Appalachian State who are tied at 9-5 for fourth place.
UL lost to both of those teams on the road, so the Cajuns would need both to go 2-2 or worse down the stretch.
First, the Cajuns must complete the sweep of Texas State (10-15, 4-10) after defeating the Bobcats 71-54 last week in Lafayette. Saniya Burks hurt UL with her 4-of-8 shooting from 3-point land in that game, but the Cajuns outscored Texas State 25-13 in the fourth quarter to pull away
the Anthony Davis trade.
“Walking in the locker room and not seeing his number was definitely different,” Williamson said. “It’s different, and one of those small reminders about the reality of the league I’m in Year 6 and there’s nobody player-wise (from when I arrived) that’s here anymore. It’s a reminder that things have changed.”
Williamson and Ingram were supposed to be the duo to lead the Pelicans to new heights. But they rarely played together More times than not, when one was healthy, the other one wasn’t.
“I think there were certainly diminishing returns to having your two best players make the amount of money they do when they only played 34% of their games together,” Griffin said. “I think that was challenging and that wasn’t all on Zion.”
Some of Williamson’s absences were all on him, though. Particularly the one in January when he was suspended one game by the team for being late for a team flight But even that moment is one Griffin said Williamson has learned from.
“People mature at different rates in the league,” Griffin said. “Sometimes that maturity looks like a brushfire and sometimes it looks like a forest fire. I think he’s reaching forestfire status now And that’s exciting.”
Williamson looks to be in the best shape of his life, despite the iPad limiting his minutes. It’s shown up especially on the defensive end.
“As Zion continues to seize the opportunity he has now to be more focal in what we’re doing, I think a lot will reveal itself,” Griffin said. “What does he need when he’s this version of Zion Williamson? Because this is the best version he’s ever been in terms of his ability to platy both sides of the ball.
“We’ll learn a lot about what he needs with him, and our fans will certainly get to see it. And I’m excited to see the growth he’s made. He’s really earned the opportunity to seize the moment, and I think he will.”
Email Rod Walker at rwalker@theadvocate.com.
“They play a lot better at home, too,” Brodhead said of Texas State. “It’s tough to win over there. In the past, it’s been tough. It’s trying to take care of the ball. They try to put pressure on us. Those live-ball turnovers don’t give us a chance to guard.”
UL forced 20 turnovers in the first meeting while only turning it over eight times. That was the difference in the game with a 25-4 edge in points off of turnovers.
The steady ballhandling and play of Tamiah Robinson and Nubia Benedith — who had 18 and 17
points in the win were a boon
The Cajuns have put a recent emphasis on penetrating and have gone away from relying on the 3-point shot.
“We’ve been scoring a lot of points in the paint with those laneline drives, and that’s our team, I think,” Brodhead said. “Offensively, we’re trying to get into the lane and pitch out. We‘re getting better at it. We’re getting more assists from our team.”
The UL staff still is encouraging 3-point shots from Erica Lafayette, the Cajuns’ only double-figure scorer at 15.3 points per game. She shoots 44.8% from behind the arc.
“You always want those better shooters to get those shots, and
that’s what we’ve been doing,” Brodhead said. “We’re getting more comfortable in our offense, and our defense is going to be what it is.
“Most everybody is bought in. It was a really good week. I thought we shot the ball well.”
UL still is laying without Jaylyn James, but Kamryn Jones (8.5 pts, 4.8 rebs) and Skylah Travis (4.5 pts, 5.4 rebs) have contributed heavily with their inside presence in recent wins.
“We’re still building on it,” Brodhead said. “Hopefully, we can keep everybody healthy That’s the key.”
Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@ theadvocate.com.
LSU
Continued from page 1C
frame, after a passed ball allowed freshman Beny Bikar to score from third base.
Bikar and Cardell Thibodaux had Southern’s only hits — a single and a double, respectively in the sixth.
“They were ahead of all of the hitters (in the count) the majority of the time, so we never got anybody on base,” Crenshaw said. “We couldn’t create offense.”
Four Tigers had multihit days, including Curiel, Frey, Stanfield and Milam. Curiel and Frey had three hits apiece, and Frey’s home run was his first at LSU.
“It’s kind of everything you dream of, especially as an in-state kid,” Frey said regarding his home run. “It’s never been in my mind, really So it’s not something I’ve been trying to chase or anything but it feels pretty good.”
LSU plays its first road game of the year on Wednesday at Nicholls State. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. and the game can be streamed on ESPN+.
Southern faces Jackson State in its first game at the Andre Dawson Classic in Vero Beach, Florida, on Friday First pitch is set for 11 a.m.
Email Koki Riley at Koki.Riley@ theadvocate.com.
CAJUNS
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making their collegiate debuts combined to give up eight runs in 12/3 innings.
Maddox Mandino collected UL’s first home of the season, a solo shot with one out in the fourth to make it 11-5.
Tollett stabilized things for the Cajuns, giving up only one run on two hits with no walks and five strikeouts in a career-high four innings and 57 pitches of relief to get the win. The UL comeback happened in earnest in the bottom of the seventh.
Stelly, who finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs, began the seven-run inning with a single through the left side. Two walks later, Conor Higgs singled in a run before Drew Markle walked with the bases loaded.
Higgs entered the game looking for his first hit on the season and left 3-for-4 with an RBI.
Connor Cuff then produced a two-run single to right, and Lee Amedee’s RBI double got UL within a run. Mandino hit into a double play but still tied it, and a wild pitch gave UL a 12-11 lead going into the eighth.
Luke Yuhasz added an RBI double in the eighth for the Cajuns. Matthew Holzhammer pitched two scoreless innings, allowing one hit with two strikeouts for his first save of the season. Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@theadvocate.com.
STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK
Southern right fielder Kameron Byrd makes a running catch near the warning track on Tuesday at Alex Box Stadium.
LIVING
Jefferson Highway spot names po-boy of the month
Bon vi·vant /noun/ a sociable person who has cultivated and refined tastes, especially with respect to food and drink. In the know Jed’s Local, 672 Jefferson Highway, in Baton Rouge has debuted the February po-boy of the month. For every order of
of Baton Rouge.
PROVIDED PHOTO
Jed’s Local, 672 Jefferson Highway, in Baton Rouge debuts its softshell crab po-boy for its February spotlight.
Food trucks at Oak Grove: 10 a.m. to
7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Food Trucks at Oak Grove, 17198 Old Jefferson Highway, Prairieville Cousin’s Maine Lobster is back at Oak Grove. We recommend going early to get the famous Cousin’s Maine Lobster from “Shark Tank,” as some people have waited four hours for a lobster roll.
Did you know that Pho 97, 15540 George O’Neal Road, in Baton Rouge offers catering? The menu includes chicken wings, egg rolls, fried rice and more. All about king cake
King-cake tasting: 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday at Mustard Seed Creamery, 111 N. Range Ave., Denham Springs Sample from some of Denham Spring’s best bakeries. Tickets are $15 per person, available at www.zeffy.com/ticketing/kingcake-tasting-party King cake craze: 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at Louisiana Culinary Institute, 10550 Airline Highway, Baton Rouge
Master the art of king cakemaking with chef Chris Nicosia while baking a traditional Louisiana king cake and a French galette de rois. Class participants will learn the techniques behind both doughs, how to achieve the perfect balance of flavor and texture, and the traditional fillings that make each cake special. Plus, Nicosia will explain the history and cultural significance of the festive treats. By the end of the class, you’ll have not one, but two delicious cakes to take home.
Tickets are $150 per person at lci.edu/store or (225) 769-8820. Mark your calendar
225Fest: March 1-2 at BREC Fairgrounds, 16072 Airline Highway, Baton Rouge For the third year 225Fest is bringing live performances, inspiring panel stages, cooking demonstrations, an art walk, health fair, food trucks and more. Register for the event at 225fest. com.
If you have an upcoming food event or a kitchen question, email lauren.cheramie@ theadvocate.com. Cheers!
Making bubbles
Popular Asian street food items round out the menu at second Acadiana location of boba tea spot
BY JOANNA BROWN
same time, creating a unique experience that has taken Acadiana by storm. In the past five years, a number of quick-service drinks businesses that offer bubble teas have opened in the area, and restaurateur
ä See BUBBLES, page 6C
A spicy Cheetos corndog topped with spicy mayo and a creme brulee brown sugar tea are among the menu items.
Garlic shrimp is on the menu at Pamplona
in
STAFF PHOTOS By LESLIE WESTBROOK
Customers Danielle Breaux, left, and Anh Duchamp enjoy their teas recently at Boba Haus in youngsville.
Boba Haus owner Vu Vu works makes a banh mi sandwich.
Lauren Cheramie BON VIVANT
Grandma scouts the house for valuables
Judith Martin MISS MANNERS
Dear Miss Manners: I have a communication issue with my nieces and nephews, who are about to be collegeage. They are my brother-in-law’s kids. Their grandmother (my partner’s mother) feeds them an inventory of our possessions, encouraging them to ask us for these items. She has suggested that the nieces and nephews beg for my jewelry and musical instruments while I’m still using and enjoying them. For example, the kids asked for my jewelry and made it clear they wanted GOLD, so I told them I only have costume
BUBBLES
Continued from page 5C
Vu Vu was quick to notice two markets in the region that he felt would be a good match for the niche business He opened Boba Haus Milktea in New Iberia first, just under a year ago. Vdu said New Iberia had a good, sometimes overlooked population that could support the business, and he has been “blessed with support” in Boba Haus’ first year On Jan. 31, Vu presided over Boba Haus’ grand opening at 209 Centre Sarcelle Blvd., Suite 101, in Youngsville. He said he selected Youngsville for the business’s second location because it’s a developing community and closer to his home in Lafayette. Vu, who is Vietnamese, said he also wanted to bring something new for
jewelry and some plated gold. They said “Ewww!” and ran back to tell Grandma, “She only has PLATED gold! Ugghhhh.”
Her son and I are a childless couple, which seems to have invited this “finders-keepers” attitude of hers. She assumes that these items will be available to anyone, since we don’t have kids. (I have siblings on my side of the family, but she doesn’t know them.)
Maybe I should tell the kids I pawned the instruments. Is there a good way to teach discretion to teens in a situation like this?
The larger issue is that they are too willing to act on Grandma’s lower instincts to grab valuables from the less-favored couple and hand resources to the
the Youngsville community with a menu that includes banh mi sandwiches and brightly dressed Korean corn dogs filled with sausage or mozzarella or both.
The spicy Cheetos-dusted mozzarella dog, deep-fried and finished with a drizzle of spicy mayo and extra Cheetos dust, was a flavorful counterpart to a sweet, creamy drink like Boba Haus’ signature Creme Brulee Brown Sugar milk tea.
The Korean corn dogs can also be ordered with the Blue Heat” flavor of crushed Takis chips.
One opening day customer, Anh Duchamp, was especially excited to try the grilled pork banh mi sandwich, saying she usually has to drive to her mother’s house in New Iberia for an authentic banh mi experience.
The Boba Haus grilled pork banh mi comes with strips of pork grilled with
“golden children” of the family
Gentle reader: Whether Grandma is the scout on these would-be heists strikes Miss Manners as beside the point: A 17-year-old is old enough to know that demanding that someone hand over their jewelry is not something polite people do (except in watch repair shops).
Trying to convince these teens that the goods are not worth stealing seems tantamount to giving up. Better to look slightly scandalized at the next request, and say, with a slightly patronizing smile, “Well, I’m still playing this guitar; surely you are not looking forward to my death.”
If the grandmother brings it up directly, you can say, “I’m sure you’ll leave them well provided
lemon grass, cilantro, cu-
cumbers, pickled carrots, daikon radishes and jalapeños.
According to Duchamp, Boba Haus is bringing exciting new options to Youngsville’s culinary scene.
“I am Vietnamese, and I used to go to the New Iberia location when I would go visit my mom and eat banh mi,” she said.
Now, there’s a much closer location located just behind her Youngsville home. And while there’s no comparing with her mother’s traditional banh mi, she said the Boba Haus version was “crispy, authentic and flavorful.”
Duchamp also gave the lavender lemonade tea a rave review, which comes with the addition of lychee jelly instead of brown sugar tapioca beads.
Email Joanna Brown at joanna.brown@ theadvocate.com.
Continued from page 5C
At Pamplona, I didn’t get a picture of everything, but we ordered the jamon-wrapped dates with Gorgonzola cheese; garlic shrimp; Castilian mushrooms in butter, garlic, herbs and bone broth; mac-n-smoked Gouda with bacon and Manchego; duck fat fries (a must) with garlic, parsley, spicy aioli and ketchup; and fried calamari served with jalapeño aioli. Everything on the menu is a winner Keep an eye out for the restaurant’s rotating food and drink specials.
— Lauren Cheramie, features coordinator Banh uot from Pho Cafe n Pho Cafe 3851 S. Sherwood Forest Blvd., Baton Rouge
The first time I went to Pho Cafe, the restaurant was out of the steamed rice crepes, so I knew I had to go back and try it. The dish did not disappoint. I got the combination: Viet ham, pork and shrimp, which is served with shredded cucumbers, lettuce, bean sprouts and cilantro. The tangy fish sauce perfectly complemented the meat, and the variety worked well together.
In my humble opinion, Viet ham is far superior to the ham I’ve had. It’s an extremely filling and satis-
fying meal. Serena Puang features writer King cake egg rolls from Roul’s Deli n Roul’s Deli, 3327 Highland Road, 5230 Plank Road and 1210 O’Neal Lane, Baton Rouge
I know that a lot of people don’t like king cake “gimmicks.” Some people just like to remain traditional, and I respect that.
for, so they shouldn’t be told to expect anything from me.”
Dear Miss Manners: I am a friendly, but introverted, person. I enjoy the company of others in very small doses.
After living in the woods for well over a decade, I agreed to move to a suburban community to nurture my husband’s extrovert nature. The houses are very close together, so there is no real privacy when outside.
I am happy to meet new people and develop friendships, but I would like to politely establish boundaries. For example, I don’t want to be expected to chat with my neighbors over the backyard fence. I would like to keep that space for myself. Do you have any advice on how
I may tactfully set boundaries without turning people off? I don’t want to say anything that may close doors for my husband, but I also want some space to recharge without hiding in my basement.
Gentle reader: Raise the fence, and lower your gaze when passing it. If you get caught, look distracted, apologize, and say pleasantly that you are so sorry you cannot stop to talk.
Send questions to Miss Manners at her website, www missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.
Breaking up with the hairstylist
Dear Harriette: I’ve been going to the same hairstylist for years, and while she’s always been kind and reliable, I’ve started to feel like her work just isn’t what I want anymore. The haircuts and color never turn out quite right, and I find myself walking out of appointments feeling disappointed more often than not. I know I should probably just move on and find someone new, but there’s one big problem: She goes to my church. It’s not like I can just disappear and hope she doesn’t notice. I see her almost every Sunday, and I know she’ll eventually ask why I haven’t been booking appointments. I don’t want to lie, but I also don’t want to hurt her feelings or make things awkward between us. She’s a genuinely nice person and I respect her, but at the end of the day, I’m paying for a service that I no longer feel good about. How do I gracefully “break up” with my hairstylist without cre-
ating tension between us in what’s supposed to be a place of worship? — Awkward
Dear Awkward: Your relationship with your hairstylist is often one of the most intimate ones that you have. They get to know you, and vice versa. You often share private details about your life, and, after all, they are touching your head. When that bond goes sour, for whatever reason, it can be hard to part ways. If you can muster up the courage, tell her directly that you haven’t been pleased with your hair for a while, and you are going to try another stylist. Assure her that it’s not personal, but this is your decision. Then, when you see her in church, greet her warmly
Dear Harriette: I need advice on how to set boundaries with my neighbor She constantly asks me for favors, including giving her rides, picking up things from the store, watching her pets when she goes out of town and helping her with small errands. At first, I didn’t mind because I believe in being a good neighbor, but over time, I’ve realized that this has become a one-sided relationship. She never
TODAY IN HISTORY
for nearly four months.
offers to return the favor or help me when I need something, and she doesn’t even seem to acknowledge how much she asks of me. The problem is, I don’t want to create any awkwardness or bad blood. We live right next to each other, and I know I’ll still have to see her regularly I also worry that if I start saying no, she’ll act offended or make me feel guilty She is an older woman, so I don’t want to be rude, but I also don’t want to keep going out of my way for someone who clearly sees me as a convenient helper rather than an equal neighbor How can I politely — but firmly — set boundaries? — Drawing the Line Dear Drawing The Line: If you
Still, it’s fun to try new things.
The king cake egg rolls from Roul’s are made with cinnamon roll pieces, strawberries and cheesecake. The pieces are rolled together then fried and dropped in a cinnamonsugar mix and coated with cream cheese icing.
The result is a doughy, uber-sweet treat that I only needed one bite of. Lauren Cheramie, features coordinator
By The Associated Press
Today is Wednesday, Feb. 19, the 50th day of 2025. There are 315 days left in the year Today in history
On Feb. 19, 1942, during World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which paved the way for the internment of 125,000 people of Japanese ancestry, including U.S.born citizens.
On this date: In 1473, astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus was born in Torun, Poland.
In 1847, the first rescuers reached members of the Donner Party, who had been snowbound in the Sierra Nevada mountains near the California-Nevada border
In 1878, inventor Thomas Edison was issued a patent for the phonograph.
In 1945, Operation Detachment began during World War II as the first wave of U.S. Marines landed at Iwo Jima, where they commenced a successful monthlong battle to seize control of the island from Japanese forces.
In 1976, President Gerald R. Ford, calling the issuing of the 1942 internment order for people of Japanese ancestry “a sad day in American history,” signed a proclamation formally confirming its termination.
In 2003, an Iranian military plane carrying members of the elite Revolutionary Guards crashed in southeastern Iran, killing all
275 people on board. In 2008, an ailing Fidel Castro resigned the Cuban presidency after nearly a half-century in power; his brother Raúl was later named to succeed him. Today’s birthdays: Singer Smokey Robinson is 85. Rock musician Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath) is 77. Author Amy Tan is 73. Actor Jeff Daniels is 70. Actor Ray Winstone is 68. Actor Leslie David Baker is 67. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is 66. Tennis Hall of Famer Hana Mandlíková is 63. Singer Seal is 62. Actor Benicio Del Toro is 58. Author-cartoonist Jeff Kinney is 54. NBA center Nikola Jokic is 30. Singersongwriter Chappell Roan is 27. Actor Millie Bobby Brown is 21.
Harriette Cole SENSE AND SENSITIVITy
STAFF PHOTO By LAUREN CHERAMIE King cake egg rolls from Roul’s Deli
STAFF PHOTO By SERENA PUANG
Combo steamed rice crepes at Pho Cafe are served with Viet ham, pork, and shrimp.
AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Stick close to home. Go over personal documents and update anything that needs it. Aim to replenish instead of going for broke Put your health and financial wellbeing first.
PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Pay attention to what things cost and think about where your energy will have the most impact. Use all your resources and put your experience to work for you. A positive change will give you the boost you need.
ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Work toward your goal and resist interruptions. The less you let others know about you or your plans, the easier it will be to meet your deadlines. Refuse to let temptation eat away at your psyche.
TAuRus (April 20-May 20) Turn your surroundings into your place of refuge Do whatever it takes to make your place more comfortable and convenient. Don't underestimate your ability to bring people closer together.
GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Rethink your strategy and adjust your plans to suit your needs and budget. Say no to temptation and trouble. Make a healthy lifestyle your mission, and you'll find the path that leads to a brighter future.
cAncER (June 21-July 22) Consider what makes you happy and follow that path. You are responsible for doing what brings you joy. Networking and social events will positively affect how you move forward.
LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Sit tight, be observant and consider every alternative Time is on your side, regardless of what anyone tells you. It's best not to indulge in anything; be moderate and prudent.
VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) You are heading in the right direction; don't let anyone convince you otherwise. Communicating with like-minded people will encourage new beginnings.
LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Embrace life, broaden your mind, enhance possibilities and learn new skills. Life is yours to discover; stop postponing and start doing.
scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Recognize that you are in the driver's seat; forge ahead and make things happen. Your power is in your passion. Change begins with you, and following your heart will help you manifest your dreams.
sAGITTARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Reconsider how realistic your plans are before you head down a path that can cause mental or financial duress. You should take time out for recreational activities.
cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) It's all about what and who you know and how to persuade others. Put your energy into running an efficient home and letting go of what's holding you back. Let go of what's weighing you down.
zodIAC Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.
ToDAy's cLuE: V EQuALs T
CeLebrItY CIpher
better or For WorSe
SALLY Forth
beetLe bAILeY
Mother GooSe And GrIMM
LAGoon
bIG nAte
nea CroSSwordS
Sudoku
InstructIons: Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.
Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer
THe wiZard oF id
BLondie
BaBY BLueS
Hi and LoiS
CurTiS
By PHILLIP ALDER
Voltaire, whose real name was Francois-Marie Arouet, said, “Chance is a word void of sense; nothing can exist without a cause.”
You have chances in bridge that are not void of sense if you have analyzed the available data. In this deal, though, it is knowledge of a void that gives you a chance to make a tough contract.
South is in six spades. West leads the heart jack. How should declarer proceed?
East opened three clubs to show a respectable seven-card suit and limited high-card values. True, because there is no weak two-bid in clubs, sometimes a playerwillopenthreeclubswithastrong six-card suit. But in this instance, if West had had a club, he would have led it.
North’sraisetofivespadeswasaggressive, but without it, South would not have had a story with which to bore dinner companions for weeks.
Declarer will initially think that if the diamond finesse works, he will take seven spades, two hearts, two diamonds and a diamond ruff in the dummy. But what chance has that finesse?
It is surely zero. Assuming West’s lead ishonest,Eastismarkedwithninepoints in hearts and clubs. With the diamond king as well, he would have opened one club, not three. There is one winning line.
rounds of
and
ToDAy’s
Average
South ruffs the first trick, draws two
trumps ending on the board,
cashes the top hearts, discarding his diamond ace and queen! Then he ruffs a heart, removes West’s last trump, and leads his remaining diamond. West must let declarer into the dummy. South takes seven spades,
marmaduKe
Bizarro
hagar the horriBle
Pearls Before swiNe
garfield
B.C.
PiCKles
BRIEFS
Wall Street hits record on S&P 500 gain
U.S. stocks crept to a record as the S&P 500 nudged higher after a quiet Tuesday of trading.
The main measure of Wall Street’s health rose to finish just above its all-time closing high set last month. Most of the stocks within the index rose, as it danced around the milestone through the day
The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq composite were both up slightly
Entergy helped lead the way after rallying 6%. The electric company, which serves customers in Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi and Texas, reported stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected That helped offset a 5.5% drop for Conagra Brands, which lowered its forecasts for upcoming profit and other financial measures. The food company said supply issues have hurt two of its product lines: frozen meals containing chicken and frozen vegetables. It also said shifting values of foreign currencies are hurting its profits.
Meta Platforms weighed on the market after falling 2.8% It was the first drop for the parent of Facebook and Instagram since Jan. 16, and it had leapt more than 20% over that 20-day winning streak.
U.S. stocks have climbed back to record heights thank in large part to stronger-than-expected profit reports, even after big disruptions recently seemed set to derail Wall Street’s long, upward trend that began in 2022.
Hanging over everything has been the threat of a punishing global trade war following President Donald Trump’s announcements of tariffs. But Wall Street has been taking such actions increasingly in stride, believing they are merely tools for negotiations and that they’ll ultimately prove to be less painful for markets and the economy than they may seem initially KFC moving corporate office to Texas
Kentucky Fried Chicken is being uprooted from its ancestral home state in a shake-up that will relocate its U.S. corporate office to Texas, the chain’s parent company said Tuesday The KFC chain — launched by Colonel Harland Sanders and his secret blend of 11 herbs and spices — will be based in Plano, Texas, and about 100 KFC corporate employees will be relocated in the next six months, said Yum Brands, which owns KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut.
Moving the corporate office from Louisville brought a swift response from the city’s mayor. “I am disappointed to learn that Yum Brands will move its KFC employees to Texas — especially since the brand was born here and is synonymous with Kentucky,” Mayor Craig Greenberg said in a statement. Yum said the move is part of its broader plans to designate two brand headquarters in the U.S. — in Plano and Irvine, California. KFC and Pizza Hut will be headquartered in Plano, while Taco Bell and Habit Burger & Grill will remain based in Irvine, it said.
H&E receives purchase
BY TIMOTHY BOONE Business editor
Baton Rouge-based H&E Equipment Services, which announced last month it had reached a $4.8 billion deal to be purchased by United Rentals, said it has received a nearly $5.3 billion offer from Herc Rentals
Herc is offering to purchase H&E with a combination of cash and stock that comes to about $104.59 a share. That’s more than the $92 United Rentals said it would pay per share of H&E.
When H&E announced the United Rentals deal on Jan. 14, the company said it had a 35-day “go shop”
period to negotiate a better offer. That period ended Monday Florida-based Herc has 440 locations in the U.S. and Canada. It has 16 locations in south Louisiana.
H&E said it plans to enter into a merger agreement with Herc on Wednesday, after it satisfies requirements under the United Rentals agreement. That includes paying a $63.5 million termination fee, which Herc said it will cover the cost of.
The deal is set to close in the middle of the year, although H&E noted in a news release there are no assurances the Herc deal will happen. H&E, founded in 1961, is the fifth largest rental equipment compa-
nies in the U.S., with more than 160 branches in 31 states. Its rental fleet is valued at $2.9 billion. While both companies have a strong concentration of locations in the South, Herc has a major presence in New England, the upper Midwest and Pacific Northwest.
H&E has a heavy concentration in Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and Idaho.
H&E is a general rental business, while Herc specializes in products for areas such as power generation, pump, HVAC and floor care. In recent years, H&E has taken aggressive measures, selling off its crane business in 2021 and its earthmoving distributorships in 2022 to concentrate on equipment rental. H&E also
Eggs challenge small businesses
Shortages and price hikes impacting all from farms to bakeries
BY MAE ANDERSON AP business writer
NEW YORK Small-business owners that rely on eggs for their products are facing sticker shock because the usually reliable staple is in short supply
Avian flu is forcing farmers to slaughter millions of chickens a month, causing U.S egg prices to skyrocket. The average price of a dozen Grade A eggs in U.S. cities reached $4.95 in January, eclipsing the previous record of $4.82 set two years earlier and more than double the low of $2.04 that was recorded in August 2023. The Agriculture Department predicts prices will soar another 20% this year
Most owners are taking the increase in stride, looking at it as just one of many hurdles they constantly face. But if the problem persists, they could be forced to raise prices or adjust their products.
Liz Berman is the owner of The Sleepy Baker in Natick Massachusetts She specializes in custom, from-scratch cakes but also sells cupcakes, cookies, pies and other baked goods.
Eggs are just one of the baking ingredients experiencing price shocks. Items such as cocoa powder and butter have gone up as well. And price isn’t the only issue.
“It’s not just the cost of eggs, right? It’s also just the availability,” she said. She prefers to buy medium-sized white-shelled eggs, buying a box with 18 dozen eggs, but two weeks ago those were unavailable, so
BY FABIANO MAISONNAVE Associated Press
BRASILIA, Brazil Brazil’s government on Tuesday approved joining OPEC+, a group of major oilexporting nations, signaling the country’s evolution into a major oil state just nine months ahead of hosting the United Nations’ annual climate summit.
The National Council for Energy Policy’s approval came in response to an official invitation in 2023. The group includes the 12 members of OPEC, the longstanding group set
she had to buy brown eggs in individual cartons of 12.
“It sounds kind of silly but when I’m the sole proprietor and I have a huge volume of work, to have to take a dozen eggs out of my walk-in at a time as opposed to a flat of eggs, it’s just it’s a pain,” Berman said.
She doesn’t think prices will ease anytime soon. Cocoa powder prices have been elevated for years.
“I think ultimately I’m going to have to increase my prices, which is hard because that’s going to mean that there’s a category of customer that won’t order from me anymore,” Berman said.
up to coordinate oil production to stabilize markets, plus 10 more significant oil-producing nations with Russia by far the largest.
Though non-OPEC members agree to cooperate with OPEC nations, Brazil won’t have any binding obligation such as production cuts, Mines and Energy Minister Alexandre Silveira said at a news conference. The participation will be limited to the Charter of Cooperation, a permanent forum for OPEC and OPEC+ countries to discuss industry-related issues. The South American country will not partici-
At Daisies, a pasta restaurant in Chicago, chef/partner Joe Frillman and chef/partner Leigh Omilinsky haven’t raised prices but are thinking of adjusting menu items. Omilinsky said she is thinking of adding more vegan and egg-free desserts to the menu and has been working more with flaxseeds. She said the shortage has made her more conscious of the ingredients she is using and wasting less.
“You know, if we need egg yolks we are absolutely saving those whites,” she said.
Depending on how long the egg shortage lasts, they could adjust menu items too, Frillman said.
pate in decisions. Silveira called the charter merely “a forum for discussing strategies among oil-producing countries. We should not be ashamed of being oil producers. Brazil needs to grow, develop and create income and jobs.”
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva began his third term in 2023 touting himself as an environmental defender and has worked to reduce deforestation in the Amazon rainforest and to protect Indigenous rights.
But he has also argued that new oil revenues could finance a transition to green energy
In recent weeks, he has pressed the country’s environmental regulator to approve exploratory drilling near the mouth of the Amazon River, one of the most biodiverse regions of the world.
Brazil is the world’s seventhlargest oil producer, with about 4.3 million barrels daily, or 4% of the world´s output, according to Energy Information Administration, a U.S. government agency In 2024, crude oil became the country´s top export product, accounting for 13.3% of Brazil’s foreign sales, surpassing soy
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GEORGE WALKER IV
The price is displayed Feb 12 on the edge of an empty shelf used to display eggs at a grocery store in Nashville, Tenn.
