The Acadiana Advocate 02-20-2025

LAFAYETTE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD

Possible layoffs, magnet changes on the agenda

Leaders to weigh issues related to district’s finances

BY ASHLEY WHITE Staff writer

The Lafayette Parish School Board has a packed February agenda that includes deciding whether to allow the superintendent to implement layoffs, removing the JROTC program from Acadiana High and making changes to magnet academy procedures.

The board meets Thursday to vote on actions relating to the district’s finances, staffing, facilities and policies. Many of the items the board will consider — possible layoffs, staff reorganization — relate to the district’s finances.

The board can vote to take action on all the items at once or pull specific items for individual votes The public will have a chance to comment on whether they agree with the recommended staff action Declining enrollment, rising insurance costs, the end of federal aid and students choosing charter schools have all played a part in a creating a $38 million budget shortfall at the district

a hiring freeze. He told The Current one way to cut costs is layoffs, starting with uncertified teachers.

The board will vote Thursday night whether to allow Touchet to implement a reduction in force “if necessary.”

It also will vote on changes to some jobs, including qualifications and descriptions. The changes, if approved, would create an annual net savings of $1.5 million, according to a note on the board agenda.

Lewis removed as PSC vice chair

Move comes after coarse criticism of Gov. Jeff Landry

BY MATTHEW ALBRIGHT Staff writer

The state Public Service Commission on Wednesday removed commissioner Davante Lewis as its vice chairman after he called Gov Jeff Landry an “a**hole” on social media.

On a 3-2 vote, the commission chose to replace Lewis with Commissioner Eric Skrmetta in that role on the board.

The vote followed public comment from a line of people arguing the move violated Lewis’ right to free speech.

Sharon White, a retired state employee from Ascension Parish, said she was “just in disbelief at this point that you’re willing to remove an official because of their freedom of speech.”

“To me, to be honest with you, this is straight-up racism,” she said.

Lewis is the commission’s only Black member

On the social media app X, Lewis responded last week to a post from Landry’s account showing a picture of Rachel Levine, who was assistant secretary of health in the Biden administration, next

See LEWIS, page 4A

Some Trump policies creating uncertainty for Louisiana CEOs

Business leaders remain largely supportive of president

The School Board considered a proposal from a hired strategic planner that would have seen several schools closed or consolidated. If the board had accepted all of the recommendations, it could have saved about $4 million in the first year and $8 million annually after four years, the planner said. Instead the board voted against most of the recommendations and its annual cost savings will be about $500,000. The next day, Superintendent Francis Touchet Jr. announced

The board also will vote whether to accept funding for two of its schools. The Pugh Family Foundation and other unnamed community philanthropic partners are donating $1.9 million to roll out the Accelerating Campus Excellence model at Alice Boucher Elementary The model has shown early academic success at J.W Faulk and Dr. Raphael Baranco elementary schools.

BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer

State legislators also set aside $83,000 for Northside High School, though did not specify for what that money may be used.

District staff is asking the board to vote to discontinue the Army ROTC program at Acadiana High

Touchet Jr to implement a reduction in force ‘if necessary. ä See AGENDA, page 4A

Assaults drop significantly

BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writer

Louisiana’s state-run youth detention centers have reported significant decreases in assaults, something officials attribute to a new detention facility for particularly at-risk youth and enhanced therapeutic approaches in the juvenile prison system.

In the juvenile justice system, a therapeutic model focuses on rehabilitation over punishment.

Overall, between 2023 and 2024, the system saw a 41% decrease in youth-on-staff assaults and threats of assault, from 249 to 145, officials reported during a January meeting of the Senate Women and Children’s Committee. Meanwhile, there was a 20% decrease in youth-on-youth assaults and threats thereof, from 1,046 to 831. The news comes after a difficult couple of years in which escapes and prison brawls frequently made headlines. The statistics, which do not reflect youth assaults that take place in local jails, are based on code of conduct data, Deron Patin, deputy assistant secretary of the Office of Juvenile Justice, told legislators. When youth violate the system’s

In his first month in office, President Donald Trump has enacted a series of executive orders aimed at fundamentally changing some of the nation’s foreign, domestic and economic policies. Business leaders in Louisiana, a deep red state that Trump carried with 60% of the vote, say the changes have created a sense of uncertainty, making it hard to predict what the world will look like in six weeks, let alone six years. In more than a dozen interviews over the past week, CEOs and executives at many of the state’s largest companies and financial institutions said that they expect some investments to be delayed and are concerned about the potential for scuttled projects. But they largely remain supportive of the new administration.

See POLICIES, page 5A

youth detention centers

code of conduct, the state keeps a record of it, he added. The data does not distinguish between actual assaults and threats of assault.

Officials said that opening a longanticipated new facility, the Swanson Center for Youth in Monroe, in May was a driving force behind the change. It has far better security than the older campus there, according to the OJJ.

The facility has 72 beds and

individual rooms for youths, and officials have long said that opening it would lower violence in the prison system by holding teens who were at the highest risk of committing assault. There is a second location of the Swanson Center, in Columbia, which also houses youth in secure care.

See ASSAULTS, page 4A

Google to pay $340M to settle tax evasion case

MILAN Italian prosecutors said Wednesday they will seek to drop a tax evasion investigation against Google after the tech giant agreed to pay a $340 million settlement.

Milan prosecutors had opened an investigation against Google for failure to pay taxes on earnings in Italy from 2015-2019.

The investigation focused on revenues from the sale of advertising, and cited the presence of servers and other infrastructure in Italy

Google acknowledged the settlement in statement, saying it resolves “a tax audit without litigation.” Tech giant Google previously paid over $1 billion to French authorities to settle a yearslong dispute over allegations of tax fraud.

Ship to become world’s largest artificial reef

The historic, aging ocean liner that a Florida county plans to turn into the world’s largest artificial reef departed from south Philadelphia’s Delaware River waterfront on Wednesday, marking the opening segment of its final voyage.

The SS United States, a 1,000foot vessel that shattered the transatlantic speed record on its maiden voyage in 1952, is being towed to Mobile, Alabama, for planned prep work before officials eventually sink it off Florida’s Gulf Coast.

The move comes about four months after the conservancy that oversees the ship and its landlord resolved a years-old rent dispute. Officials initially planned to move the vessel last November, but that was delayed due to concerns from the U.S. Coast Guard that the ship wasn’t stable enough to make the trip.

Officials in Okaloosa County on Florida’s coastal Panhandle hope it will become a barnacleencrusted standout among the county’s more than 500 artificial reefs and a signature diving attraction that could generate millions of dollars annually in local tourism spending for scuba shops, charter fishing boats and hotels.

Officials have said the deal to buy the ship could eventually cost more than $10 million. The lengthy process of cleaning, transporting and sinking the vessel is expected to take at least one-and-a-half years.

Mexico requested U.S. surveillance flights

MEXICO CITY Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum said Wednesday that surveillance drone flights by the U.S. government over Mexico are occurring in collaboration with and at the request of her government.

They come as U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has increased pressure on Mexico to do more to stop the production of the synthetic opioid fentanyl that is smuggled north to the United States.

Earlier this month, Trump threatened, then postponed 25% tariffs on Mexican imports that he said were meant to push Mexico to take more action against its drug cartels. Trump also ordered on his first day in office the designation of some of Mexico’s drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. Those designations will be published in Thursday’s edition of the Federal Register, according to a notice Wednesday.

Mexico responded to the tariff threat by sending 10,000 National Guard troops to the northern border

The drone flights were reported Tuesday by the New York Times as a Central Intelligence Agency program aimed at locating fentanyl labs in northwestern Mexico The flights follow U.S military statements that it had increased surveillance capabilities along the countries’ shared border The CIA declined to comment in response to questions about the drone flights.

Mexico’s Defense Secretary Ricardo Trevilla addressed the flights by U.S. military planes last week, saying that they had not entered Mexican airspace, but that he couldn’t rule out they were spying because he didn’t know what they were doing. Sheinbaum on Wednesday presented a more detailed explanation.

U.S.-Ukraine relations sour over Russia war

BY HANNA ARHIROVA and JUSTIN SPIKE Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine Relations between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. President Donald Trump deteriorated rapidly Wednesday as Zelenskyy said Trump was living in a Russian-made “disinformation space” and Trump called Zelenskyy “a dictator without elections” in comments that were sure to complicate efforts to end the war

Zelenskyy also said he would like Trump’s team “to be more truthful” as he offered his first response to a series of striking claims that Trump made a day earlier, including falsely suggesting that Kyiv was to blame for the war, which enters its fourth year next week.

The comments were a staggering back-and-forth between leaders of two countries that have been staunch allies in recent years under Trump’s predecessor

While former President Joe Biden was in the White House, the U.S. provided crucial military equipment to Kyiv to fend off the invasion and used its political weight to defend Ukraine and isolate Russia on the world stage.

The Trump administration has started charting a new course, reaching out to Russia and pushing for a peace deal. Senior officials from both countries held talks Tuesday to discuss improving ties, negotiating an end to the war and potentially preparing a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin after years of frosty relations.

Trump lashed out at Zelenskyy in a so-

cial media post that apparently referred to the fact that Ukraine has delayed elections because of the invasion and the subsequent imposition of martial law in accordance with the Ukrainian Constitution. Trump suggested Ukraine ought to hold elections.

Trump also called Zelenskyy “a modestly successful comedian” who “talked the United States of America into spending $350 Billion Dollars, to go into a War that couldn’t be won, that never had to start, but a War that he, without the U.S. and ‘TRUMP,’ will never be able to settle.”

The president went on to say that the only thing Zelenskyy “was good at was playing Biden ‘like a fiddle.’ ” He advised Zelenskyy to “move fast or he is not going to have a Country left.”

Meanwhile, Putin said he would like to meet with Trump.

Russia’s army crossed the border on Feb. 24, 2022, in an all-out invasion that Putin sought to justify by falsely asserting that it was needed to protect civilians in eastern Ukraine He also accused the U.S. and its allies of ignoring Russia’s demand to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO and to offer Moscow security guarantees Ukraine and its allies denounced the assault as an unprovoked act of aggression

“I would like to have a meeting, but it needs to be prepared so that it brings results,” Putin said Wednesday in televised remarks. He added that he would be “pleased” to meet Trump but noted that Trump has acknowledged that a Ukrainian settlement could take longer than he initially hoped.

Pakistan steps up arrests of Afghans without papers

BY MUNIR AHMED Associated Press

ISLAMABAD — Authorities have stepped up arrests of Afghan citizens in Pakistan’s capital and a nearby city in an effort that the Afghan Embassy in Islamabad described on Wednesday as a push to force the expulsion of all Afghan refugees from the country Pakistan’s foreign ministry promptly dismissed the allegation, saying that the authorities were only trying to facilitate conditions for the swift return of Afghans to their home country Pakistan has long threatened to deport Afghans living in the country illegally

Separately, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif last month approved a March 31 deadline to deport those awaiting relocation to third countries unless their cases are swiftly processed by the governments that have agreed to take them, according to a document obtained by The Associated Press.

More than 800,000 Afghans have returned home or have been expelled by force from Pakistan since 2023, according to the International Organization for Migration, a U.N. agency that tracks migra-

tions.

In a strongly worded statement on Wednesday, the Afghan Embassy which represents the Taliban-run government of Afghanistan criticized “the short timeframe” given by the authorities in Islamabad and “the unilateral nature of Pakistan’s decision.”

Afghans in Islamabad and the nearby garrison city of Rawalpindi have been subjected to arrests, searches, and orders from police to leave the two cities and relocate to other parts of Pakistan, the embassy said.

It further claimed that for all Afghans, “expulsion is imminent” — something the embassy said Pakistani authorities had

Palestinian families flee homes as Israel confronts militants

BY ISABEL DEBRE Associated Press

FAR’A REFUGEE CAMP, West Bank By car and on foot, through muddy olive groves and snipers’ sight lines, tens of thousands of Palestinians in recent weeks have fled Israeli military operations across the northern West Bank — the largest displacement in the occupied territory since the 1967 Mideast war After announcing a widespread crackdown against West Bank militants on Jan. 21 — just two days after its ceasefire deal with Hamas in Gaza — Israeli forces descended on the restive city of Jenin, as they have dozens of times since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

But unlike past operations, Israeli forces then pushed deeper and more forcefully into several other nearby towns, including Tulkarem, Far’a and Nur Shams, scattering families and stirring bitter memories of the 1948 war over Israel’s creation.

During that war, 700,000 Palestinians fled or were forced from their homes in what is now Israel. That Nakba, or “catastrophe,” as Palestinians call it, gave rise to the crowded West Bank towns now under assault and still known as refugee camps.

“This is our nakba,” said Abed Sabagh, 53, who bundled his seven children into the car on Feb 9 as sound bombs blared in Nur Shams camp, where he was born to parents who fled the 1948 war

Humanitarian officials say they haven’t seen such displacement in the West Bank since the 1967 Mideast war, when Israel captured the territory west of the Jordan River, along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, displacing another 300,000 Palestinians.

“This is unprecedented When you add to this the destruction of infrastructure, we’re reaching a point where the camps are becoming uninhabitable,”

said Roland Friedrich, director of West Bank affairs for the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency More than 40,100 Palestinians have fled their homes in the ongoing military operation, according to the agency Experts say that Israel’s tactics in the West Bank are becoming almost indistinguishable from those deployed in Gaza. Already President Donald Trump’s plan for the mass transfer of Palestinians out of Gaza has emboldened Israel’s farright to renew calls for annexation of the West Bank.

“The idea of ‘cleansing’ the land of Palestinians is more popular today than ever before,” said Yagil Levy, a professor and head of the Institute for the Study of Civil-Military Relations at Israel’s Open University The Israeli army denies issuing evacuation orders in the West Bank. It said troops secure passages for those wanting to leave on their own accord. Over a dozen displaced Palestinians interviewed in the last week said they did not flee their homes out of fear, but on the orders of Israeli security forces. Associated Press journalists in the Nur Shams camp also heard Israeli soldiers shouting through mosque megaphones, ordering people to leave.

Some displaced families said soldiers were polite, knocking on doors and assuring them they could return when the army left. Others said they were ruthless, ransacking rooms, waving rifles and hustling residents out of their homes despite pleas for more time.

“I was sobbing, asking them, ‘Why do you want me to leave my house?’ My baby is upstairs, just let me get my baby please,’ ” Ayat Abdullah, 30, recalled from a shelter for displaced people in the village of Kafr al-Labd “They gave us seven minutes. I brought my children, thank God. Nothing else.”

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not communicated to Kabul “ through any formal correspondence.”

More than half a million Afghans who fled the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021 have been living without papers in Pakistan, thousands of them waiting for resettlement in the United States and elsewhere.

There are also some 1.45 million Afghan refugees, registered with the U.N. refugee agency, most of whom fled during the 1979-1989 Soviet occupation of their country Last July Pakistan extended the stay of refugees registered with the UNHCR until June 2025, saying they will not be arrested or deported at least until the extension expires.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By AMATTHIAS SCHRADER

From right, U.S. Special Envoy Keith Kellogg, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio meet with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, on Friday.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By ANJUM NAVEED Afghan refugees hold placards during their meeting to discuss the situation after President Donald Trump paused the U.S refugee programs, in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Jan. 24.

Trump seeks control of federal regulators with executive order

BY JOSH BOAK Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump is moving to give the White House direct control of independent federal regulators such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commission.

The executive order that Trump signed Tuesday gives the president more power to shape the oversight of the financial system and lay out criteria for transportation safety, basic consumer protections and wireless, broadcast, satellite and broadband communications.

It is part of a broader push by the Trump administration to assert greater authority over the government, possibly limiting the spending of congressionally approved funds in ways that could set up lawsuits and lead courts to weigh in.

Past administrations saw public benefit in having regulators that could operate in the long-term interests of the country without the daily machinations of politics. Presidents could exercise informal control by whom they appointed to lead the agencies without necessarily requiring those agencies to submit strategic plans to the White House and lose access to funding initiatives as the order lays out.

But the Trump White House maintains that independent regulators could undermine the president’s agenda and the will of the

voting public.

“For the Federal Government to be truly accountable to the American people, officials who wield vast executive power must be supervised and controlled by the people’s elected President,” said the order signed by Trump.

The move generated criticism that it could ultimately lead to abuses by the Trump administration.

“This action will serve only to politicize and corrupt independent agencies, which will now be subject to the political whims of those in power,” said Alexandra Reeve Givens, CEO of the nonprofit Center for Democracy & Technology “For a century, these agencies have been independent for a reason — Congress needs these experts to interpret the laws it passes, and to initiate investigations and enforce those laws without political favoritism.”

Independent agencies go back to 1887 with the cre-

ation of the Interstate Commerce Commission, which initially existed to deal with railroad monopolies and the rates they charged. Multiple other regulators were built on this format and operated through presidential appointments and congressional oversight.

Roger Nober, a professor at George Washington University and director of the GW Regulator Studies Center, called the order “very significant.” The rule goes beyond existing requirements that regulations with an economic impact of more than $100 million or more go through a review by the White House Office of Management and Budget.

“The intent of this is to significantly scale back the independence of independent regulatory agencies,” said Nober, who was previously chair of the U.S. Surface Transportation Board, an independent regulator, during George W. Bush’s presidency

Kennedy says panel to examine childhood vaccine schedule

BY AMANDA SEITZ Associated Press

WASHINGTON — To earn the vote he needed to become the nation’s top health official, Robert F. Kennedy Jr made a special promise to a U.S. senator: He would not change the nation’s current vaccination schedule.

But on Tuesday, speaking for the first time to thousands of U.S. Health and Human Services agency employees, he vowed to investigate the childhood vaccine schedule that prevents measles, polio andotherdangerousdiseases.

“Nothing is going to be off-limits,” Kennedy said, adding that pesticides, food additives microplastics, antidepressants and the electromagnetic waves emitted by cellphones and microwaves also would be studied.

Kennedy’s remarks, which circulated on social media, were delivered during a welcome ceremony for the new health secretary at the agency’s headquarters in Washington as a measles outbreak among mostly unvaccinated people raged in West Texas. The event was held after a weekend of mass firings of thousands of HHS employees More dismissals are expected.

In his comments Tuesday, Kennedy promised that a

new “Make America Healthy Again” commission would investigate vaccines, pesticides and antidepressants to see if they have contributed to a rise in chronic illnesses such as diabetes and obesity that have plagued the American public The commission was formed last week in an executive order by Donald Trump immediately after Kennedy was sworn in as the president’s new health secretary That directive said the commission will be made up of cabinet members and other officials from the administration and will develop a strategy around children’s health within the next six months.

Kennedy said it will investigate issues, including childhood vaccinations, that “were formally taboo or insufficiently scrutinized.”

While Kennedy did not directly call for changes to the vaccination schedule on Tuesday, his plan to investigate it raises questions about his commitment to Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Baton Rouge physician who harbored deep misgivings over the health secretary’s anti-vaccine advocacy Cassidy ultimately voted to send Kennedy’s nomination to the Senate floor after he said Kennedy gave him assurances that he would not alter the federal vaccine schedule.

“On this topic, the science is good, the science is credible,” Cassidy said during a Senate floor speech earlier this month explaining his vote. “Vaccines save lives. They are safe.”

Rigorous studies of thousands of people followed by decades of real-world use have proven that the vaccines approved by the Food and Drug Administration for both children and adults safely and effectively prevent diseases.

Cassidy said during his Senate speech last month that Kennedy had made a number of promises that stemmed from “intense conversations” to garner his support Specifically Cassidy said Kennedy would “maintain the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ recommendations without changes.”

Those recommendations are what pediatricians around the country use to decide the safest and most effective ages at which to offer vaccinations to children. The committee meets every year to review the latest data on both old and new vaccines to ensure there are no red flags for safety or other issues before publishing its annual schedule.

EU envoys approve more sanctions against Russia to mark third anniversary of war

BY LORNE COOK Associated Press

Trump throws Senate GOP budget bill in turmoil

BY LISA MASCARO and KEVIN FREKING Associated Press

WASHINGTON No sooner had Senate Republicans voted to begin work on $340 billion budget bill focused on funding the White House’s mass deportations and border security agenda than President Donald Trump threw it into turmoil.

Trump on Wednesday criticized the approach from the Senate Budget Committee chairman, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and sided with the House GOP’s broader, if politically difficult, plan that includes $4.5 trillion in tax cuts and other priorities. Senators wanted to address those later, in a second package.

Vice President JD Vance was on his way to Capitol Hill to confer privately with Republican senators.

“Unlike the Lindsey Graham version of the very important Legislation currently being discussed, the House Resolution implements my FULL America First Agenda, EVERYTHING, not just parts of it!” Trump posted on social media.

Trump wants the House’s version passed as a way to “kickstart” the process and “move all of our priorities to the concept of, ‘ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL.’”

The Senate’s Republican leadership is scrambling after being blindsided by the post.

“As they say, I did not see that one coming,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. Thune had engineered the two-bill approach as a way to deliver an early victory for the White House and had pushed the Senate forward while the House is away on recess this week, saying it was time to act. Thune was meeting privately in his of-

fice with Graham. “We’re planning to proceed, but obviously we are interested in, and hoping to hear with more clarity where the White House is coming from,” Thune said. The sudden turn of events means more upheaval in the difficult budget process.

Republicans have majority control of the House and Senate, but face big hurdles in trying to put the president’s agenda into law as Democrats prepare to counter the onslaught of actions from the White House.

Late Tuesday, Republicans had pushed ahead on the scaled-back budget bill, on a party-line vote, 50-47, in what was supposed to be the first step in unlocking Trump’s campaign promises — tax cuts, energy production and border controls and dominating the agenda on Capitol Hill.

But it also comes as the administration’s Department of Government Efficiency effort is slashing costs across government departments, leaving a trail of fired federal workers and dismantling programs on which many Americans depend. Democrats, having floundered amid the initial upheaval coming from the White House, have emerged galvanized as they try to warn the public about what is at stake.

“These bills that they have have one purpose — and that is they’re trying to give a tax break to their billionaire buddies and have you, the average American person, pay for it,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York told The Associated Press.

Schumer convened a private call over the weekend with Democratic senators and agreed on a strategy to challenge Republicans for prioritizing tax cuts that primarily flow to the

wealthy at the expense of program and service reductions in health care, scientific research, veterans services and elsewhere.

“This is going to be a long, drawn-out fight,” Schumer said.

The Senate’s budget process begins this week, with an initial 50 hours of debate followed by an expected all-night session with lots of attempts to amend the package.

The Republican package would allow $175 billion to be spent on border security, including money for mass deportation operations and building the U.S.-Mexico border wall, in addition to a $150 billion boost to the Pentagon and $20 billion for the Coast Guard.

Republicans are determined to push ahead after Trump border czar Tom Homan and top aide Stephen Miller told senators privately last week that they are running short of cash to accomplish the president’s immigration priorities.

Trump met with Republican senators last month, expressing no preference for one bill or two, but just that Congress “get the result.”

The Senate Budget Committee said its package would cost about $85.5 billion a year, for four years of Trump’s presidency, paid for with new reductions and revenues elsewhere that other committees will draw up.

Eyeing ways to pay for it, Republican senators are considering a rollback of the Biden administration’s methane emissions fee, which was approved by Democrats as part of climate change strategies in the Inflation Reduction Act, and hoping to draw new revenue from energy leases as they aim to spur domestic energy production.

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EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, whose services drafted some of the measures for consideration, welcomed their prospective adoption by the 27-nation bloc’s ambassadors. “The EU is clamping down even harder on circumvention by targeting more vessels in Putin’s shadow fleet and imposing new import and export bans. We are committed to keep up the pressure on the Kremlin,” she said in a social media post.

BRUSSELS European Union envoys have approved a new raft of sanctions against Russia, with the measures set to enter into force next week on the third anniversary of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a top EU official and diplomats confirmed on Wednesday The move comes with the Europeans sidelined from U.S.-led talks to end the war The EU has slapped several rounds of sanctions on Russia since President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops into Ukraine in Feb 24, 2022. More than 2,300 officials and entities — usually government agencies, banks and organizations have been hit. The diplomats confirmed approval of the sanctions — the 16th package of measures including travel bans, asset freezes and trade restrictions — on condition that they not be named The measures are still not entirely finalized until EU foreign ministers endorse them on Monday, allowing them to enter force. Among the latest sanctions are measures targeting Russia’s so-called “ shadow fleet” of ships that it exploits to skirt restrictions on transporting oil and gas, or to carry stolen Ukrainian grain. Some 70 vessels believed to be part of the shadow fleet will be added to more than 50 already listed.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO

President Donald Trump speaks at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., on Tuesday.

AGENDA

beginning in the fall because the district is not able to hire qualified Army personnel. Comeaux High School currently has an ROTC program.

The board will also consider whether to accept changes to the magnet academy procedures.

The proposed changes include some changes to entry criteria, including that students must actively participate in academy requirements or lose their lottery spot; not have certain discipline infractions; and meet high school academic requirements, where applicable.

It also lays out academic expectations that students in grades 3-5 maintain a C or better in required academy courses.

Students in grades 6-12 maintain and finish with an overall C or better GPA in all courses as well as maintain a C or better in all academy courses and enroll in an academy elective.

The board will vote on closing out some construction projects and funding others

It will be asked to close out:

n A $400,000 window panel replacement project at Paul Breaux Middle that is no longer necessary “due to the district optimization plan directives”

n A $738,000 project to build a carpenter’s shop at Comeaux High because of drainage issues for the proposed location and low enrollment n A $116,000 sewer project and a $253,000 electrical project at L.J. Alleman Middle because the site is set to receive a new wing making them obsolete If approved, that money will be returned to the district’s selffunded construction fund for other projects.

The board will vote on whether to fund projects using $800,000 originally set aside to create a Lafayette High baseball and softball facility at Neyland Park, $1.5 million originally set aside and not needed for a new Prairie Elementary, and the $1 million from the district’s contingency fund

ASSAULTS

Continued from page 1A

“I’m kind of astounded by the change in the numbers,” state Sen Beth Mizell, R-Franklinton, told OJJ officials during last month’s meeting.

Mizell asked Patin if the change only had to do with having individual rooms for youth.

Patin said a transition to a therapeutic model has played a role.

The state has been touting a

LEWIS

Continued from page 1A

to a picture of Robert F. Kennedy Jr President Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

“Major upgrade in the @ HHSgov Secretary department,” Landry posted. “Lots of work to be done, and excited for @RobertKennedyJr to get started. Let’s Make America Healthy Again!” Lewis fired back: “This tweet shows that conservatism right now is only about cruelty and chaos. They will find away to be cruel to someone just bc they can ” He continued: “What a completely (sic) asshole you are, @LAGovJeffLandry.” Levine is a transgender woman, and critics accused Landry of mocking her because of her gender identity After the tweet, PSC board chair Mike Francis added an item to the commission’s Wednesday agenda to replace Lewis with Skrmetta. Like the chair, the vice chair is elected by the commission’s members. He or she presides over PSC meetings when the chair is absent, managing public

The requested projects are: n $2 million to demolish S.J. Montgomery Elementary and install fencing around the property to prepare for Lafayette High softball and baseball fields n $200,000 for district optimization moving expenses n $70,000 to replace the Ernest Gallet Elementary cafeteria floor n $27,500 to remove and prune pine trees around Katharine Drexel Elementary’s playground n $35,000 to pressure wash, caulk and repair the stucco at Bil-

therapeutic model for years, yet it often has struggled to pay for the staff and other resources needed to implement that model.

Still, Patin said, the agency has made strides toward improving it, especially in the past several years. The system now evaluates youths’ needs and risk factors, and it also requires additional training for staff, he said.

The OJJ also trains staff to use a therapeutic trust-building model with youth, and it has hired a director of education, Patin added.

Since then, “we have seen the school performance across the state blossom,” according to Patin. But some legislators were skeptical that, in the long term, the state will be able to hold to its promises of a therapeutic model.

“Louisiana has adopted a model that it has not funded. In doing so it has overexposed our children to the risk of harm, and also our staff,” said state Sen. Katrina Jackson-Andrews, D-Monroe. “If we’re not going to fund it, we need to find another model.”

Over the years, she has found that circumstances in youth detention facilities to be “transient,” she said.

Kenny Loftin, who heads OJJ, has supported the therapeutic model, though he has acknowledged the agency faces challenges, especially when it comes to staffing.

“Child psychologists and psychiatrists, which we desperately need, are very expensive,” he told the committee, adding that the department plans to request money for social workers.

Meanwhile, the state has taken a harsher approach toward juvenile justice under Gov Jeff Landry Last year it passed bills to send 17-year-olds to the adult system and implement tougher sentences for juveniles. Legislators also placed a constitutional amendment on the March ballot that would allow them to more easily add to the list of crimes for which younger teens could go to adult prisons. That amendment, Amendment 3, will be on the ballot during Louisiana’s March 29 election.

comment, calling votes on agenda items and otherwise overseeing proceedings.

During the public comment, a string of speakers urged the commission not to remove Lewis from the position, arguing it would violate his right to free speech

“I am not his mama And Mr Chairman, you are not his daddy,” said Melissa Flournoy, a former state legislator and chair of the advocacy group 10,000 Women Louisiana. “If you have an issue, you need to address it in a professional manner with Mr Lewis on a professional basis.”

Some speakers suggested that Landry had pushed the commission to punish Lewis, something Francis denied.

“I haven’t spoken to Gov Landry since the election,” he said. “This is a decision that I felt like I had to make as chairman.”

Francis, Skrmetta and Commissioner Jean-Paul P. Coussan voted for the change. Lewis and Commissioner Foster Campbell voted against it. Campbell said it would be unfair to punish Lewis because others had taken inappropriate actions as well He said he recalled one time when he was giving a speech and Francis, who was in the

crowd, held up a sign saying “Bulls***.”

“I don’t think anybody needs to be preaching today,” Campbell said.

Before the vote, Lewis refused to apologize, saying Francis had allowed others to be rude to him during public meetings in the past.

“I’m not going to sit here and hold myself to a standard that you won’t hold yourself to,” he said. “I guess if you’re young, if you’re Black, if you’re outspoken, you gotta do whatever the White man tells you to do.”

After the meeting, Lewis posted on X a screenshot of a text message exchange in which he said Francis himself called him an asshole.

The PSC’s move follows a controversy at LSU over the past month regarding a law school professor who was removed from the classroom after using vulgar language to criticize Landry

Professor Ken Levy was recorded saying “f*** the governor” and “I can’t believe that f***** won” about the election of President Donald Trump LSU suspended him, saying it had received comments from students that the comments were inappropriate and intimidating.

Levy sued LSU, arguing the university had violated his rights to free speech and due process. LSU argued Levy violated its rules for professional conduct by pro-

fessors. After a seesaw legal battle, an appeals court allowed LSU to keep Levy out of the classroom while his case plays out. LSU President William F.

Tate testified from the stand that it was his decision to suspend Levy, and said he “never talked to the governor” about it.

On one hand, some executives who agreed to discuss Trump’s moves said they welcomed his commitment to loosening federal regulations and lowering taxes which they believe will benefit their companies and the economy

On the other, they said they are concerned about the threat of widespread tariffs and the impact that upending global trading networks will have on the supply chain and inflation.

“Business leaders look for stability, and we lack stability today,” said longtime Republican Dennis Stine, CEO of Sulfur-based Stine Lumber which sells building materials to wholesale and retail customers. “We’re going to have chaos for four years, and we just have to prepare for that.”

Trump’s most ardent supporters in the state say it’s too soon to tell how it will all shake out, and they are cautioning fellow executives many of whom voted for Trump, to withhold judgment, for now

“There will be some pain before the reward. Not everyone will be happy,” said Boysie Bollinger the former CEO of Bollinger Shipyards and one of Trump’s biggest GOP donors in the state. “The question is, where do we end up?” Tariffs and trade

Among Louisiana and national business leaders, the greatest concern for now is centered on Trump’s threats to impose widespread tariffs. In late January, the president announced plans to impose 25% tariffs on imports

larly the rollback of funding for renewable energy projects.

$45 billion in clean energy over the past five years solar farms, EV battery plants, carbon capture facilities and cleaner burning hydrogen and ammonia plants. The state has also established itself as hub for the infrastructure that supports offshore wind turbines in the Atlantic Ocean.

Now, some of those projects are in peril.

“I think it is serious if they start paralyzing payments that have already been approved because people have made investment decisions based on that,” said Chris Kinsey, CEO of Kinsey Interests, a Shreveport holding company that develops and invests in energy infrastructure.

from Since then, however, he has threatened reciprocal tariffs on every American trading partner in the world.

Many economists have said the move could drive up inflation.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which has been broadly supportive of much of Trump’s economic agenda, has also come out against moves that could ignite a trade war, warning it will “raise prices for American families and upend American supply chains.”

Laitram CEO Jay Lapeyre, whose Harahan-based manufacturing company does business around the globe, said it’s “inevitable that the arms race in tariffs will not go well,” and predicted that if Trump goes through with the tariffs as threatened, it will be harder for Laitram to get some of

the components it uses in its factories.

“If you impose tariffs on steel and aluminum, you may create a few jobs in those industries,” said Lapeyre, a free trade advocate. “But it is going to be tiny relative to the incremental cost for any business looking to invest here.”

Others are not completely opposed to tariffs but are concerned they could be imposed too broadly Civic leader Gregory Rusovich, who ran Transocean Shipping until selling the company to Kuwaitibased PWC in 2005, said he supports tariffs that are targeted on adversaries “for national security purposes,” though he doesn’t like them imposed across the board.

Stephen Toups, CEO of Baton Rouge-based Turner Industries, a $3 billion industrial services company, said if tariffs are broadly imposed, it’s almost inevitable that they will drive up prices and impact new investment in the state and beyond.

“I keep hearing about all these deals being put on hold,” said Toups, who did not know of any specific projects that have been paused. “If someone puts a huge tariff on a particular item, that has got to factor into the conversation about whether a plant gets built or not.”

Maybe they’re safe?

In a state where the energy sector generates more than $54 billion annually, executives are also paying close attention to the future of Trump’s energy policy, particu-

Lobbyists who represent business interests in Washington say while corporate executives are careful not to openly criticize the new administration in a politically charged climate, they are working behind the scenes to let congressional leaders know that killing major projects midstream will hurt voters in their districts back home.

Gulf Marine CEO Shane Guidry, a Trump supporter and close adviser of Republican Gov Jeff Landry, said he’s hearing that large companies will “sit back” for much of this year and have their capital ready to deploy when they have a better picture of the global economic outlook.

“I am concerned this year will be a little challenging,” said Guidry, whose 42-vessel fleet supports oil and gas companies around the world. “Things were looking good. Now people are going to wait and see.”

Tim Barfield, whose Baton Rouge infrastructure consulting firm CSRS represents international investors trying to develop clean energy projects in Louisiana, said some of his clients have yet to make final investment decisions because they are concerned about changes to regulations and future funding.

“But the comfort I have gotten is that a lot of these clean energy projects benefit red states, so maybe they’re safe,” Barfield said. Sitting back and waiting

For now the uncertainty is what has business executives most on edge. Hancock Whitney Senior Regional President Robert Schneckenberger said he’s hearing from clients every day who are unsure whether to move forward with expansions and new construction.

“People were anticipating that less regulation would unleash business activity,” Schneckenberger said. “With all the uncertainty over tariffs, the less inclined people are to make long-term investments.”

The result will be a slow down in activity that will impact local companies, some predict. Harvey

While business leaders have very real concerns about some of the changes they’ve seen, several applauded Trump’s promise to lower taxes and his early orders green-lighting liquefied natural gas projects, several of which are in development off the coast of Louisiana.

And while some deals are on hold, others may get fast-tracked, due to a sense of urgency created from the chaos in Washington.

CSRS is working with a company that manufactures EV batteries and was considering an investment in the U.S. because of incentives under the Biden administration.

Landis Construction CEO Anne Teague Landis said construction projects that are partially funded with federal money or incentives are also in a rush to break ground because of the uncertainty, which is a good problem in the short run.

“That comes with the caveat of assuming they can get the federal money in hand sooner rather than later,” she said.

Email Stephanie Riegel at stephanie.riegel@theadvocate. com.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

Laitram CEO Jay Lapeyre said it’s ‘inevitable that the arms race in tariffs will not go well.’ Barfield

STAFF FILE PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER Shane Guidry, of Harvey Gulf Marine, said he is hearing large companies will sit back for much of this year

STAFF FILE PHOTO

Landis

East Coast hit with another storm as temperatures plunge

BY BEN FINLEY and JOHN RABY Associated Press

NORFOLK, Va. — The latest in a long line of storms took direct aim at the East Coast on Wednesday, threatening to dump heavy snow and some ice across several states on winter-weary residents.

A storm that dropped snow in the Midwest spread across the Tennessee and Ohio Valleys, bringing more misery to some places just starting to clean up from deadly weekend floods. Up to 10 inches of snow was possible through Thursday night along the Atlantic Coast in Virginia and significant ice accumulations were forecast in eastern North Carolina, the National Weather Service said.

As thick snowflakes pelted Norfolk, Virginia, a line of shoppers snaked deep into a Harris Teeter grocery store,

past loaves of bread and almost to the egg cooler In the parking lot of a Total Wine store, college students in fraternity sweatshirts lugged a keg of beer to their car But on the sidewalks of the city’s historic Ghent neighborhood, there was an eerie quiet. A white-haired shih tzu named Sasha tramped delicately in newly fallen snow Wednesday afternoon.

“This is a little weird for her,” said her owner, Lotfi Hamdi, who manages a local grocery store and works as a freelance language interpreter Sasha isn’t alone in feeling out of sorts. The snow forecast for this city of 230,000 people on the Chesapeake Bay isn’t likely to break records. But the winter months sometimes pass with barely a dusting. Schools, universities and many businesses closed Wednesday throughout the

Hampton Roads region and could remain shuttered into the weekend. The Norfolk Naval Shipyard reduced its operations.

“I love the snow but it looks like this is a bit too much for us,” said Hamdi, already stocked up on milk and bread.

“If it’s more than five inches, I think that’s a bit risky for us. Luckily I’m off for the next couple of days, which is just a beautiful coincidence.”

Virginia State Police reported 53 accidents by late Wednesday morning. Accidents also closed portions of Interstate 95 and I-85 near Raleigh, North Carolina.

Elsewhere, a polar vortex sent temperatures plunging from Montana to southern Texas. The biggest batch of record cold temperatures are expected early Thursday and Friday said weather service meteorologist Andrew Orrison.

Measles outbreak hits New Mexico

BY DEVI SHASTRI and MORGAN LEE Associated Press

The measles outbreak in rural West Texas has grown to 58 cases as of Tuesday, and eight people in neighboring eastern New Mexico also have been diagnosed with measles New Mexico health department spokesman Robert Nott said Tuesday that the agency hadn’t “identified any direct contact” between cases in its state and cases in Texas.

Measles is a highly contagious disease. Here’s what you should know about how to protect yourself against measles, as well as what’s happening in Texas and New Mexico.

The West Texas cases are concentrated in Gaines County, which has 45 infections. Terry County to the north has nine confirmed cas-

es, while Lubbock and Lynn counties have a case each and Yoakum County has two. The Texas Department of State Health Services said Monday that 13 people are hospitalized with measles. State health officials say this outbreak is Texas’ largest in nearly 30 years. Health department spokeswoman Lara Anton said last week that cases have been concentrated in a “close-knit, undervaccinated” Mennonite community — especially among families who attend small private religious schools or are homeschooled.

The New Mexico cases are in Lea County, which borders Gaines County in Texas. The cases include a family of five that’s in isolation, the state health department said Tuesday, but none of those infected have needed to be hospitalized. Six people who have measles are not vacci-

nated, officials said.

New Mexico officials also said people may have been exposed at a grocery store, an elementary school, a church, Nor-Lea Hospital and a Walgreens in Hobbs.

Measles is a respiratory virus that can survive in the air for up to two hours Up to 9 out of 10 people who are susceptible will get the virus if exposed, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Most kids will recover from the measles if they get it, but infection can lead to dangerous complications like pneumonia, blindness, brain swelling and death. Is the vaccine safe?

Court backs vote against gas station

City Council had denied Four Corners proposal

BY ADAM DAIGLE Acadiana business editor

A state appeals court has thrown out a 15th Judicial District court ruling over whether a convenience store that sells fuel should be allowed to open at the Four Corners area of Lafayette

The decision, handed down from the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal, reversed Judge Marilyn Castle’s previous ruling, which tossed out the Lafayette City Council’s decision to deny Glomax LLC a plat approval for a property at 1927 W. University Ave. The ruling from judges Gary J.

Ortego, Ledricka J. Thierry and Wilbur L. Stiles reinstated the council’s decision to deny Glomax’s request. The council voted against the company’s request with a large group of residents opposed to the measure in attendance.

The ruling indicated that, while decisions from the council as well

as the city Planning Commission weeks earlier may have been based on vehement opposition from the public, it does not make them “arbitrary and capricious.”

One concern about the potential convenience store from nearby residents was traffic — a concern that “clearly would have been exacerbated” if the measure was approved, the ruling indicated. It cited similar rulings that sided with municipal or parish governing bodies and how legitimate public concerns were enough to deny similar requests. Glomax’s attorneys have since filed an appeal with the Louisiana Supreme Court.

‘His legacy will continue’

Clients Elvis Brooks, left, and his sister, Earline Brooks Colbert, speak with Executive Director Jee Park, right, during Innocence Project New Orleans’ fifth annual Stand for Justice Acadiana celebration at the Downtown Convention Center in Lafayette on Tuesday.

Lafayette officials attend Innocence Project event honoring the late Judge Jules Edwards III

BY JOANNA BROWN | Staff writer

Signs around the room told the story of Louisiana residents who spent decades in prison, serving sentences for crimes they did not commit.

For some, physical evidence exonerating them of heinous crimes was never tested. For others, corrupt investigations reliant on noncredible witnesses led to life sentences, with no possibility for parole.

Innocence Project New Orleans was founded in 2001 to review cases of Louisiana prisoners with life convictions, but who may have been wrongly convicted. IPNO lawyers step in to review evidence and represent clients in pursuing exoneration They also represent clients who may have been subjected to grossly excessive punishment for crimes, particularly in cases where the individual received ineffective counsel.

On Tuesday, IPNO hosted the fifth annual Stand for Justice Acadiana event, a fundraiser where supporters can learn the stories of people whose lives have been impacted by IPNO, and honor someone whose work has been

JA’KORI MADISON | Staff writer

Nebu Nezey sings the opening song at Innocence Project New Orleans’ fifth annual Stand for Justice Acadiana celebration on Tuesday.

instrumental in furthering IPNO’s goals in the area. This year the organization paid homage to the late Judge Jules Edwards III. Before his death on Oct. 15, just a

year and a half after being elected as a Lafayette city court judge, Edwards was a dedicated force for rehabilitation from the bench. He created programs designed to reduce recidivism and create second chances for offenders, with the goal of strengthening individuals and communities.

The 2025 Justice Award was given Edwards’ family thanks for his lifetim of service on behalf people in the criminal legal system.

“Judge Edwards set the bar for what justice is supposed look like, what it’s fair, impartial way of judging people,” said Louisiana Sen. Gerald Boudreaux, D-Lafayette, who attended Tuesday night’s event.

“Judge Edwards spent his life making sure that justice was actually blind, and not predetermined based on who individuals are. It’s incumbent on each and every one of us to remind people

Glomax’s request dates back over two years, when it requested combining multiple lots at the

ä

Workforce attaining education goal

One Acadiana expects to reach target

BY ADAM DAIGLE Acadiana business editor

One Acadiana is expected to reach its goal of 55% of working-age adults with some type of post-secondary attainment by 2025 in Lafayette Parish, officials announced Thursday

Recent census data shows that 54% of the parish’s adult workforce had either a post-secondary degree, certificate or other high-value credential in 2023, putting the parish on the path to reach 55% when the 2025 data is released in 2027. The 55 by 25 campaign, which One Acadiana launched in 2019, will likely fall short in the neighboring parishes, officials said. The post-secondary attainment rate in Acadiana’s more rural parishes is trailing Lafayette Parish. In rural parishes that rate ranges from a high of 37.4% in Vermilion Parish to a low of 31.4% in St. Mary Parish.

“We are incredibly proud of the progress made in strengthening Acadiana’s workforce through the 55 by 25 initiative,” One Acadiana president and CEO Troy Wayman said “Leveraging strong partnerships across key industry sectors and our region’s educational institutions have resulted in a meaningful step forward. A fundamental commitment to education will remain a top priority as we continue working to increase Acadiana’s economic competitiveness.” Next month the agency will announce One Acadiana ConnectEd, which will leverage its role in the workforce ecosystem as a connector of business and education. It will include the industry roundtable series, linking educators with industry and promoting career-connected learning. The organization’s ongoing efforts will align with the Louisiana Board of Regents’ statewide goal of 60% postsecondary attainment by 2030.

Email Adam Daigle at adaigle@ theadvocate.com.

BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL Staff writer

STAFF PHOTOS By BRAD BOWIE

Significant public concern should attend the news that state regulators are allowing Mosaic Fertilizer in St. James Parish to expand its already-massive mound of slightly radioactive gypsum near marshes, neighborhoods and the Mississippi River The huge gypsum pile for now seems well designed and maintained. But this is Louisiana, where hurricanes rage, the water table is high and soils tend to be soft. The dangers of a leach or breach are obvious.

At some point, the dangers of processing the phosphate rock, from which phosphogypsum is a byproduct, will vastly outweigh the benefits Better an industrial plant shutdown and the loss of hundreds of jobs than a colossal release of contaminated material — radioactive and dangerously acidic that could harm the health of hundreds of thousands while killing plants and wildlife.

The point at which that stark choice presents itself hasn’t been reached yet, but public vigilance and regulatory aggressiveness are essential.

Mosaic’s plant crushes phosphate rock to make a fertilizer that substantially improves agricultural output nationwide. But for every pound of usable product, it leaves five pounds of waste.

The question of how to handle gypsum waste lends itself to no answers that are either easy or good.

After years of back-and-forth, the Environmental Protection Agency in 2020 approved gypsum’s use in road-construction projects, deciding that it “will be at least as protective of human health, in the short-and long-term, as stacking.”

The EPA under the Biden administration, however, quickly rescinded the approval, as environmentalists fear that roadway wear-and-tear or natural disasters could lead to radioactive materials escaping into groundwater

Meanwhile, the pile in St. James Parish kept growing. Even though it had begun shifting in 2018 due to a weak zone in the underlying soils supporting it, the pile right now is about 200 feet high — already 40 feet taller than Louisiana’s Avery Island, the highest natural spot on the Gulf Coast — and is projected to cover a whopping 1,300 acres with hundreds of millions of cubic yards of waste.

The latest approval would allow a new pile 160 feet high that also would serve as a buttress to stabilize the existing pile. Mosaic eventually wants that existing pile to reach as high as 310 feet.

The company, to its credit, continues to try to find other uses for the product Although the EPA continues to ban gypsum’s widespread use on public roads, it is allowing Mosaic to test it on a “small-scale road pilot project on private land in Florida.” Still, that’s a long way from an imminent solution.

State officials should not allow the pile to grow indefinitely Frequent inspections should continue and unless redoubled efforts are successful in finding other safe uses, the state should give Mosaic some sort of “stop-piling” deadline, even if it means the facility eventually would need to shutter

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.

OPINION

I am deeply concerned about our current political climate and the vitriol and division being sown not only at a national level, but also a state level. As a population, we have been goaded into a culture war that benefits only would-be oligarchs and their sycophants. Because we have been adequately distracted by tearing each other down, we have not noticed these same would-be oligarchs blatantly encroaching on our freedoms. Since the Trump administration took office, scores of executive orders have been put into place. These are largely, as predicted, designed to deepen divisions in our country and further marginalize people who have traditionally already been marginalized. There is no place in public policy for anti-woman, anti-gay/trans, anti-minority or anti-diversity law Aside from further suppressing these populations, President Donald Trump has also taken steps to block access to important public health information. As a practicing physician, CDC

guidelines play an important role in my practice, but these were quietly removed from the CDC website in the middle of the night. The American people work hard every day to provide for their families and support their communities. It is the responsibility of our elected officials to ensure we are provided with the freedoms and rights enshrined in our Constitution. An intelligent person can see that the current Trump administration is attempting to strip the rights of all Americans, one group at a time, and to turn our country into a personal piggy bank. An empathetic person must also see that the confusion, hate, disinformation and divisive tactics being used are damaging to the population. I implore every person in a position of power to stand up to the Trump administration and keep in mind the citizens of this country History and the world are watching.

JO BARRIOS Baton Rouge

Jimmy Carter was an exemplar of civility

Years ago, I lived in Atlanta and suffered through many years of horrible Braves baseball.

Finally, the Braves turned a corner and began to make the World Series. I was lucky enough to attend several Series games over the years.

Outside Fulton County Stadium, there were many fan interactive exhibits. While enjoying the atmosphere, I saw President Jimmy Carter walking by. I yelled, “President Carter,” and

TO SEND US A LETTER, SCAN HERE

So the archbishop has fired the leaders of Second Harvest Food Bank allegedly for not contributing $16 million toward settling clergy sex abuse claims. Wow, are you kidding me? I find it absolutely abhorrent that the archdiocese has the audacity to do this against the food bank that is one of the best charities anywhere.

raised my hand and walked toward him. He stopped, saw me and took a step forward. As I approached and extended my hand, he extended his.

After introducing myself, we talked for three or four minutes.

As we parted company he smiled and said, “Nice meeting you,” and waved goodbye. His simple civility gave me wonderful lifelong memories.

TOM LEWIS Baton Rouge

The act of firing these individuals is disgusting and disrespectful to the fine people on this nonprofit board — as if the archdiocese needs more negative press. This decision should be reversed, and they should be reinstated. Second Harvest does great work.

MIKE AVOCATO Lacombe

I have enjoyed driving a BMW i3 electric vehicle for more than six years. My “range anxiety” quickly disappeared, and I have never had a problem. We usually run the AC. The heated seats and heater rarely During the “Bayou Blizzard,” power did not diminish.

My electric “fuel” costs around $.022 per mile. To compare: For an internal combustion engine vehicle getting 30 miles per gallon with gas at $3 per gallon, it costs 10 cents per mile. Other than buying new tires, my other costs are minimal. No oil or transmission fluid. We chose to install a convenient level 2 home charger which cost $700 six years ago. Many cost less now The only time we evacuated for a hurricane, every gas station we passed was out of gas for our internal combustion SUV Nothing is perfect.

Each year I am glad to contribute $110 for the state of Louisiana road tax which I pay with my state income tax returns. With oil companies everincreasing record profits, maybe the oil companies should pay for our roads instead of charging consumers a gas tax of $0.2093 per gallon. In 2018, the 2017 BMW i3 cost $29,400 ($31,000 with tax title, license and after the generous tax credits available in 2018). In 2024, Carvana paid $15,500 to buy the 2017 i3. We bought a 2021 i3 for $24,750, with no tax credits. EVs are not for everyone, but my EV may be the most fun vehicle I have experienced over a lifetime as a car lover, starting with muscle cars of the ‘60s. It is unquestionably the most economical Although we were not eligible for vehicle credits in 2024, many buyers are. Check the site rewiringamerica.org to determine available federal tax credits, as they may disappear soon.

JAN DAVIS

Solving the property insurance crisis by creating self-insurance groups is perfect if well done. To say it’s a new idea is not true. Thirty years ago, the majority of school districts in Louisiana were pooled under an entity called NASBAT, the National Association School Business Administrators Trust. I was its regional insurance managing agent for Louisiana and Texas.

SAM GALLO Baton Rouge

Metairie

ON THE RECORD WITH STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION CADE BRUMLEy

‘Every kid deserves an education that fits for them’

Louisiana Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley has seen a lot of things in his four-plus years in office: two governors, a pandemic, several hurricanes and storms, a blitz in school-related reforms and the recent rise in national rankings for Louisiana’s schools.

Columnist Faimon Roberts and Deputy

Editor Arnessa Garrett sat down to talk to him about everything facing education today This conversation has been edited for length and clarity

Faimon Roberts: Let’s start with the good news. The Nation’s Report Card shows Louisiana made major gains, at least in terms of our ranking compared to other states. What factor is most responsible for these gains?

Cade Brumley: My first acknowledgment goes to the hardworking teachers of the state of Louisiana. I think it’s important to recognize them. And beyond that, I would say that we have endeavored to narrow the scope of what an elementary school is supposed to do and focus on teaching children to read and do math, and we’ve built a suite of policies that do just that. Roberts: What is outside that scope?

Brumley: To me, a school is ordained to teach academic content. It’s not established to be the parent or the nurse or the social worker And so, if we can focus on academic content, teaching kids to read and do math, love and appreciate their country in elementary schools, I think that sets them up for K-12 success. Arnessa Garrett: Why do you think the math scores have not budged as much as reading?

Brumley: Across the country, from fourth to eighth grade, student outcomes decline in math So the longer the child is in school, the lower the outcomes across the entire country And we’re not immune to that Louisiana. We’re going to be the first state to flip that. And so, we’ve begun a process of mirroring math policy in the same way that we did reading policy

Teacher pay

Garrett: The other good news we have had is on hiring and retention of teachers. That has long been a problem in our state. Again, what moved the needle in that?

Brumley: Outside of the parent, there’s nothing more important to a child’s academic success than a teacher So we have tried to increase the supply of teachers, both through new and innovative pathways to the profession, but also our “Let Teachers Teach” work that is reducing trainings, removing onerous bureaucracy, focusing on eliminating classroom disruptions so that more teachers are willing to stay in the profession, and that’s what we’re seeing.

Roberts: Would you be supportive of more and more permanent increases in teacher pay?

Brumley: I am a champion of higher teacher pay I have consistently advocated for higher teacher pay, and I think that you have to lift the base pay for every teacher but also provide opportunities for merit pay, additional pay for hard-to-staff areas like high school science, math, K-12 special education and additional compensation for teachers that are teaching in communities that are more difficult to staff. Roberts: So let’s talk for a minute

about school performance scores, which this year, broadly, were up across the board. But tougher standards are coming. Why do we need the tougher standards?

Brumley: I think the present system has grown stale, and a lever we have as state government is an accountability system. An accountability system should be designed to be honest with the public about school quality, and it should also incentivize the activities that the state believes are important within a public school.

Roberts: What role do you think career and technical education needs to play in Louisiana public education?

Brumley: The previous system basically rewarded enormous amounts of points for simply walking across the stage. What we’re asking in terms of this is true career and technical education, where students are graduating with a credential of value. If you pull the most commonly earned credentials in the state of Louisiana over the last decade, they are low-level credentials: ‘Congratulations, you’re going into a job and a life of poverty.’ That’s what we’re trying to change. And so, our expectation is that if a school wants to show up well, students have to have college preparation, career preparation, high-value career preparation or a designation of going into the service.

I think Louisiana is uniquely positioned to meet the moment and meet the opportunity and obligation of transforming the high school experience. And that’s where I get pushback. I am demanding a re-imagined high school experience where students are truly ready for college or ready for a high-wage career, as opposed to just walking students across the stage with a diploma. I want them to walk across the stage with a diploma that has value.

School choice

Garrett: So let’s talk about education savings accounts. On March 1, parents can start applying. What are you expecting the demand will be? A lot of public school systems are very nervous.

Brumley: One either believes in educational freedom or they don’t. And I do. And I’ve been pretty clear on this for a long time, that while the overwhelming majority

of families select their neighborhood school, and that’s good, we need to have other options, like high-quality public charters. We need to protect the independence from government of home schoolers and their families.

Roberts: What do you expect the impact of the ESAs to be on the districts themselves?

Brumley: I think that competition will lift all the boats, and I think that responsive systems will use this as an opportunity to keep getting better, and a satisfied parent is not going to leave their school.

Garrett: But overall enrollment in the public schools in the state is down. So what do you attribute that to?

Brumley: First of all, Louisiana is the only state in the South that has seen population loss over the last decade. There is a Southern renaissance taking place of which Louisiana has previously not been a part. Over a 10-year period, the loss of students in the public system is around 5%. The loss of students in the private system is about 11%, so what that suggests to me is, while schools have to get better, it’s an economic issue. Families are leaving the state, or because the job market isn’t strong enough, families are no longer able to participate in private education. So it’s important that economic policies improve, that insurance rates go down, that health care is more accessible. And if we want Louisiana to experience that renaissance, these issues across all these sectors have to improve.

Roberts: Earlier this year, your name was floated in some publications as a potential nominee for federal secretary of education. What do you think the role of the federal government in education should be?

Brumley: I’ve always said education is best as a local enterprise, and count me in the number that believes the Department of Education should not exist. But at the same time, if that is true, states have to lead. States have to ensure that children get a highquality education.

Garrett: Another group of students that have specific concerns are students with special needs. And as you know, the Legislative Auditor criticized the way the state oversees those programs. What changes are you making? What can you tell those parents?

Brumley: So many of the special education policies had not been updated in 20 years, and we commissioned independent reviews of this. We worked with the Legislative Auditor, and we’ve made a number of shifts so that families are able to access support in a meaningful way For instance, we placed the state’s first-ever special education ombudsman where a family can call and get support. I’ve gone in and placed a special master in the EBR school system because of concerning activities, patterns of activities related to special education. If you look at the Nation’s Report Card, special education students in Louisiana outperformed the national average. So I think a combination of working with other agencies and families and educators has prompted the improvements, and I think it’s important, because every kid deserves an education that fits for them.

Roberts: The Ten Commandments bill has been much in the news, obviously What effect, if any, do you think the law is going to have on districts, on teachers and on students?

Brumley: So the Legislature overwhelmingly passed this bill, and I was present when the governor enthusiastically signed this bill. I agree with the governor and the attorney general that the Ten Commandments have played a role in the development of the country I agree that they’re good laws to live by, and we’ll see how it plays out in the court system, but we feel confident in our position.

Pandemic decisions

Roberts: You took this job when the pandemic was still very much an [ongoing concern]. What special challenges did you have then, and how did those effects linger in your job now?

Brumley: We’ve had the opportunity to lead through an unprecedented time in American history We faced a global pandemic, multiple catastrophic hurricanes, ice storms, social unrest, terrorism, and I believe that through all of those moments, my agency has been there for educators, families and students, and there certainly was not a playbook for leading through a global pandemic. I pushed to keep schools open. I pushed to end the unnecessary quarantine of children. I pushed

for vaccines to be voluntary based on the desires of a parent, and we pushed for academic outcomes to improve through that process. And I think that history will tell us that the decisions made in Louisiana relative to education through the pandemic were the right ones.

Political climate

Garrett: So you’ve worked through a number of different administrations in this job. Tell us what’s changed since we’ve gotten a new governor

Brumley: I’m really excited about this moment that we have, because you have a situation where you have a governor, a state Legislature, a state board of education and Louisiana Department of Education that are all aligned on what we’re trying to accomplish. And this year has been the first year that we’ve had that. That was not the case for the previous term. You had a Democrat governor, you had a Republican-controlled Legislature and you had a BESE split along party lines, and that fractured government made for complex navigation, whereas today you have a unique moment of alignment between multiple branches of government.

Garrett: So there’s no one stat that you are looking to move?

Brumley: We have to continue to expand freedom for families. I want more options for families. I want greater proficiency rates in academic content. I want higher graduation rates with diplomas of value, and I want the education system to be a catalyst for economic revival in the state of Louisiana.

Roberts: How do you take that increased freedom into [rural] parishes?

Brumley: I believe in the market. And I believe that the market will meet the demand. I don’t sit in an ivory tower and do this job. I’m a product of rural education. I led a rural system, but also led the largest, most urban school system in the state of Louisiana. So when I have conversations with individuals I can relate to what those challenges are. Heck, I can go drive the school bus, so I understand the system. Garrett: You can really drive a school bus?

Brumley: I can parallel park a school bus. I should take all the kids to school.

STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

Louisiana Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley at the department’s headquarters in Baton Rouge.

Arnessa Garrett Faimon Roberts

Williams ‘fantastic’ for LSU despite lack of time

BY TOYLOY BROWN III Staff writer

Mike Williams was ready to let if fly from anywhere.

The LSU men’s basketball guard showcased his deep range on his first 3-point attempt against South Carolina on Tuesday night. The sophomore jab-stepped his defender who was hit by a ball screen, rose from 28 feet and drained the long-range shot.

“It’s normal,” Williams said. “That’s me.

That’s who I am.”

Williams’ outside shot was one of several aspects that allowed LSU to outplay South Carolina 81-67 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center The Tigers have won back-toback games after dropping seven consecutive during Southeastern Conference play

LSU (14-12, 3-10 SEC) has risen from ranked 81st to 76th on KenPom as of Tuesday after having its first double-digit win since Dec. 29. Those are the effects of an offense that had a 50% field-goal percentage, 45.2% 3-point percentage and 13 made 3s — all highs in conference play

Williams’ play had a lot to do with his team’s success against the Gamecocks (1017, 0-13). He had a season-high 13 points on 4-of-5 shooting and one turnover in 14 minutes. He was the team’s second-leading scorer, and his three 3-pointers were a teamhigh.

This positive showing is a stark contrast to his overall season, where he is scoring 3.3 points on 32.7% from the field and playing 8.1 minutes per game. Nine times he did not enter a game this season when he was active. As a freshman, he started 22 games and

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

One afternoon in September, Sa’Myah Smith sat on a folding chair, rubbed her surgically repaired knee and encouraged more than two dozen middle-school students to set goals.

A new season was only a few weeks away, but here was the LSU women’s basketball forward visiting a small, dark gym at Glasgow Middle School, only about 10 months into her recovery from suffering an injury that cut a promising sophomore year short Smith had decided to start a mentorship program, and this stop was her first.

“Keep reminding yourself why you’re doing it,” she told the kids. That advice lifted Smith through the recovery process from the second major knee injury of her career, the

CFP seeding in crosshairs of SEC, Big Ten leaders

BY SCOTT RABALAIS Staff writer

Commissioners from the Southeastern Conference and Big Ten revealed little Wednesday of the agenda they have for the College Football Playoff going forward after meeting in New Orleans, other than they want an end to the automatic byes received by the top four conference champions in this past season’s expanded 12-team playoff. That proposal is expected to be met with opposition by representatives of the eight other conferences and Notre Dame, which with the SEC and Big Ten make up the CFP Management Committee. That group holds its meeting Tuesday in Dallas.

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey and Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti wrapped up talks that began Sunday at the Windsor Court Hotel with their leagues’ athletic directors and football coaches. While both men stopped short of calling the meeting an “alignment” of the two conferences, their discussions

are expected to establish an agenda for how college athletics’ two most powerful conferences want football and other sports to be governed.

Neither Sankey nor Petitti was willing to spell out his wishes for how the CFP will be structured in the future beyond their joint support for going to straight seeding for the playoff based on the selection committee’s rankings.

“That’s something we owe our colleagues first,” said Sankey, referring to the upcoming meeting in Dallas. “I think I’ve been consistent in that observation.”

However, reports widely have circulated that the two leagues support an expansion of the CFP to 14 or 16 teams, with at least four guaranteed bids for both leagues. One popular model reserves only two guaranteed bids for the Big 12 and ACC, one for the highest-ranked Group of Five conference champion and one for Notre Dame, provided the

ä See CFP, page 3C

ACL, MCL and meniscus tears that shelved her for all but seven games of the 2023-24 season. This year — and the role she’s now filling for the No. 7 Tigers served as the light at the end of that long, dark tunnel that divided her from the game.

“That’s my life,” Smith said Wednesday “That’s the thing that I love to do. I do it every single day I work my butt off. Just being away from that, it was hard.”

It’s easy to forget what that injury derailed. Before her true sophomore season ended, Smith had posted two 20-point games, two 10-rebound games and two threeblock games. She had even started three of the seven contests next to Angel Reese and ahead of Aneesah Morrow, who’s now on pace to finish an illustrious career with the third-most rebounds in NCAA Division I history

Then Smith had to start over

TE most complete performance of a win over Marshall on Saturcoach Derrick Zimmerman was the rematch with Troy After all, it was the disappointment from a loss to Troy three days earlier that sparked the extra energy exhibited in handling the Thunon Saturday 79-68. orward to it,” said Zimmerman, Cajuns (9-18, 6-8 Sun Belt) will play 10-4) again at 6 p.m. Thursday in just told the guys that we’ll happens. We’ll be ready, we’ll be Zimmerman is determined his team will

LSU post player Smith reestablishing presence after knee injury

STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK LSU guard Mike Williams celebrates a 3-pointer against South Carolina on Tuesday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center

ä See WILLIAMS, page 3C

ä See LSU, page 3C

GEORGIA AT LSU 8 P.M. THURSDAy • SECN

LSU forward Sa’Myah Smith soars to the hoop against Auburn forward Taylen Collins in the fourth quarter of their game on Jan. 5 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Blue Gators come up short in final

Newman tops Ascension Episcopal in state championship

BY ERIC NARCISSE Staff writer

Ascension Episcopal was adamant it wouldn’t be satisfied just making it to the boys soccer state final for the first time in school history

The Blue Gators wanted to win it all. But it wasn’t to be as they fell 3-1 to Newman in the Division IV championship game Tuesday night at Strawberry Stadium in Hammond.

“We are really proud of the boys,” assistant coach Ricardo Calliman said.

“We went out there and were able to compete. I’m happy that we stayed true to our philosophy We were confident and that confidence never wavered.”

Calliman and the second-seeded Blue Gators (18-4-2) knew they would have their hands full against the top-seeded Greenies, a state semifinalist the past two seasons and going for their 11th state title.

Considering the Greenies hadn’t allowed more than one goal in a game all season, the Blue Gators knew they didn’t want to fall behind early

But that’s exactly what happened as Cole Spady, named the Most Outstanding Player, put Newman (23-0-1) ahead 2-0 in the first half with his 43rd and 44th

goals of the season.

“In the first 15 to 20 minutes of the game, I thought we were the better team,” Calliman said. “We were applying constant pressure, but at some point we got a little tired. They scored off our mistakes.”

The Blue Gators cut the deficit in half when Hayes Trotter scored on a penalty kick to pull AES to within 2-1. Trotter’s goal was only the ninth goal allowed

this season by Newman, which had 15 shutouts. “At halftime, we felt we could still do it,” Calliman said. “Hayes’ penalty kick changed everything for us. Going down 2-0 early put us in a tough spot, but getting that goal before halftime really picked us up.”

But that’s as close as it got as Newman’s Amar Walia added an insurance goal in the second half for a 3-1 lead.

The outcome won’t deter the Blue Gators, who seemed primed to make another title run next season.

“The message after the game to the kids was that we are going to be back,” Calliman said “We told them that we are going to be back here next year but with a different outcome. I have full confidence that we are going to be in the same position next year.”

Eight sounds great for St. Thomas More girls

Cougars can extend title streak with win on Thursday

BY ERIC NARCISSE Staff writer

St. Thomas More girls soccer program has won seven straight state titles. With a win over second-seeded St. Scholastica in the Division II state final, the No. 1 Cougars can extend that streak to eight.

“We have worked hard all year for this moment and here we are,” first-year coach Katie Breaux said of the match slated for 7 p.m. Thursday at Strawberry Stadium in Hammond. “I feel like we are ready to play. Hopefully we peak (Thursday) in the state championship game and win it.”

The Cougars (19-2-5) haven’t allowed a goal in the playoffs and

Teurlings

BY ERIC NARCISSE Staff writer

have posted seven consecutive shutouts. The last time STM allowed a goal was mid-January when they defeated Dominican 2-1.

“I just want us to come out of the gate like we did in the semifinal match,” said Breaux, whose team blanked No. 5 Central Lafourche 4-0.

“I don’t want us to wait and settle into the game. I want us to come out, put our foot on the gas and just keep going.”

The game will mark the second time this season St. Thomas More, which is making its ninth straight state final appearance, has played St. Scholastica.

The two teams played to a scoreless draw in early January at the

Teurlings Catholic tournament.

Breaux said both teams have grown since.

“We are both better than we were then,” Breaux said.

“There are a few things that we have been working on. St Scholas-

tica attacks well, and they attack with numbers. They don’t attack with just one player They make good runs, so hopefully our defense can take care of that.” Breaux said winning an eighth

consecutive championship would mean a lot

“It would mean a lot, especially to these seniors,” Breaux said.

“These seniors don’t know anything different.”

looks to put finishing touch on perfect season

Teurlings Catholic’s Stephen Devine knows there’s no way to downplay a state championship game as just another game. While he embraces the pressure that comes with playing for a state title, Devine hopes his Rebels don’t attempt to be something they are not just because it is the state final.

Considering how dominant they’ve been this season, there’s no need for the Rebels to do anything differently The top-seeded Rebels are 23-0 and considered one of the state’s most dominant teams. The Rebels will look to win the Division II state championship when they face No. 2 Holy Cross at 5 p.m. Thursday at Strawberry Stadium in Hammond.

“We have to continue to play Teurlings soccer and put our style of play on display,” Devine said. “We’re not at home, but we have played on turf, and we have

played in a similar size stadium. In the end, we just need to go out there and be ourselves.”

Holy Cross, the reigning Division II state champion, will be a tough final test.

“I know that Holy Cross has been there before,” Devine said.

“They’ve won a state championship and they’ve lost a state championship. The one thing I feel like they have on us is the experience of having played in a state championship game. But we can’t let that affect us during the game.”

Devine said the Tigers of New Orleans (21-1-3) are known for their attacking style.

“Holy Cross is pretty organized, and they are aggressive with their play,” Devine said. “They have some key players throughout all of the spots on the field. The game is going to come down to can our key players be better than their key players.”

Teurlings is led by senior Charlie Mader, the Rebels’ All-Metro

kicker in football and scoring leader While teams may focus on stopping Mader, Devine knows the other Rebels — namely Carson Dwyer Eden Schlabach, Luke Brown and Luke Breaux — are also capable of scoring.

“Charlie is pretty dangerous,” Devine said. “People know him, but we have three or four other guys that can be just as dangerous.”

The Rebels have been equally sensational on defense, especially in the postseason as they’ve outscored their opponents 25-0.

“Defensively, we have guys who are willing to sacrifice anything and everything to not let the ball get to the back of the net,” Devine said. “Our backline, goalkeeper and midfielders have been huge for us. We understand that we don’t defend with four players and our keeper We defend as a team.” Devine knows the Rebels won’t be content with just making it to the final.

LSU vs. Nicholls baseball games get rescheduled

LSU baseball’s matchups against Nicholls State have been rescheduled to Monday at Alex Box Stadium and April 8 in Thibodaux, LSU announced Wednesday Monday’s game and the rematch on April 8 are set to begin at 6 p.m. The Tigers were supposed to face Nicholls on the road Wednesday but the game was moved “due to extremely cold and inclement weather in south Louisiana.” Nicholls’ trip to Alex Box Stadium originally was scheduled for April 8. With that game now being on Monday ticket-holders planning on attending must show their Game 23 tickets to be admitted into the stadium. LSU owns a 4-0 record after sweeping Purdue Fort Wayne on opening weekend and taking down Southern on Tuesday Nicholls is 2-2.

LSU running back Holly’s trial date set in shooting

A trial date has been set for LSU running back Trey Holly, a significant development in his case after he was charged in connection with a shooting last year in Union Parish. Holly’s trial will begin July 7 in Farmerville, his attorney Mike Small told The Advocate after a hearing Wednesday He faces one felony count of illegal use of a weapon or dangerous instrumentality Holly and two others were arrested after a shooting took place Feb. 9, 2024, at the Union Villa Apartments in Farmerville. Two people were injured by gunshot wounds. Holly now a redshirt sophomore, has been indefinitely suspended from the team since his arrest in accordance with departmental policies, LSU said.

Eagles promote Patullo to OC to replace Moore

PHILADELPHIA The Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles have promoted Kevin Patullo to offensive coordinator following the departure of Kellen Moore, the team announced Wednesday Patullo joined the Eagles’ staff as passing game coordinator in 2021 when coach Nick Sirianni was hired, and he became associate head coach in 2023.

Patullo takes over an offense that was second in the NFL in rushing under Moore, who was hired as the head coach of the New Orleans Saints two days after the Eagles beat Kansas City in the Super Bowl.

Patullo’s first job in the NFL was as an offensive assistant and quality control coach with the Chiefs in 2007.

Williams gets wild-card entry for Indian Wells

INDIAN WELLS, Calif Venus Williams received a wild-card entry Wednesday for the BNP Paribas Open, which would make next month’s tournament in Indian Wells, California, the seven-time Grand Slam singles champion’s first event in nearly a full year The 44-year-old Williams hasn’t competed anywhere on tour since a first-round loss at the Miami Open on March 19, 2024. That was less than two weeks after she lost her opening match at Indian Wells. Her first appearance at Indian Wells came in 1994. Williams won five titles at Wimbledon and two at the U.S. Open in singles, along with 14 Grand Slam doubles titles with her younger sister, Serena. The BNP Paribas Open runs from March 2-16.

Soccer

LHSAA Tournament At Southeastern Louisiana’s Strawberry Stadium-Hammond Tuesday Division IV

Boys: No. 1 Newman 3, No. 2 Ascension Episcopal 1 Girls: No. 2 Newman 7, No. 1 Loyola 0 Wednesday Division III Boys: No. 2 U-High 1 vs. No. 1 Loyola 0 Girls: No. 3 University (17-2-4) vs. No. 1 Parkview Baptist (21-3-0), n Thursday Division II

Boys: No. 2 Holy Cross (21-1-3) vs. No. 1 Teurlings Catholic (23-0-0), 5 p.m. Girls: No. 2 St. Scholastica (15-4-6) vs. No. 1

St. Thomas More (19-2-5), 7:30 p.m.

Saturday Division I

Boys: No. 6 St. Paul’s (21-5-3) vs. No. 4 Catholic-BR (16-3-3), 5 p.m.

Girls: No. 4 Mount Carmel (22-4-3) vs. No. 2 Byrd (19-3-4), 7:30 p.m.

“There’s no complacency with this group,” Devine said. “If someone on the team displays complacency their teammates are going to hold them accountable. They understand what the job is, and the job isn’t done.”

Email Eric Narcisse at enarcisse@theadvocate.com.

Chargers to play 2025 season opener in Brazil

LOS ANGELES The Los Angeles Chargers will play their 2025 season opener in Brazil, making the franchise the first to play on five continents, the NFL announced Wednesday The Chargers’ opponent is expected to be announced in May, when the NFL’s regularseason schedule is released. The Chargers will be the home team for the Friday, Sept. 5 game at Neo Quimica Arena in São Paulo. The venue hosted a Week 1 matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers last season in the first NFL game in South America. Led by quarterback Justin Herbert, the Chargers finished 11-6 in 2024 in their first season under coach Jim Harbaugh before losing 32-12 to Houston in the

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Ascension Episcopal left wing Gian Llopis, left, gets a foot on the ball in the zone as Newman’s Rowan Dravid defends in the first half of their Division IV state championship game on Tuesday at Strawberry Stadium in Hammond.

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

St. Thomas More coach Katie Breaux has the Cougars in position to continue the program’s incredible state championship run.

Fighting Irish are ranked high enough.

Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter told reporters, “I think there will be expansion.”

Any changes to the CFP for the 2025-26 cycle ending with January’s national championship game in Miami require unanimous approval from all members of the CFP Management Committee. Beyond that, a memorandum reportedly exists granting the SEC and Big Ten the right to impose changes over the CFP format beginning in 2026, when a new six-year contract with ESPN is scheduled to begin.

“The process going forward if we decide to make changes contemplates that the structure of that is led by the SEC and the Big Ten,” Petitti said. “It requires us to get a consensus to make a meaningful recommendation, if any to our colleagues in other leagues. It also requires us to get their input on whatever it is we’re thinking about.

No. 4 Arizona State (Big 12). ACC champion Clemson was seeded 12th. However, the top four teams in the final CFP rankings were Oregon and Georgia, followed by SEC runner-up Texas and Big Ten runner-up Penn State. Texas and Penn State hosted first-round, oncampus games while Georgia and Oregon started in the Sugar and Rose bowls, respectively

“I’m prepared to vote for seeding change, but it has to be unanimous. Decisions will be made by everyone, not dictated by us.”

An expanded playoff guaranteeing a specific number of CFP bids for the SEC could persuade the league’s membership to expand from eight to nine conference games The SEC adopted a modified eight-game format for the 2024 and 2025 seasons with the addition of Texas and Oklahoma, one that eliminated divisional play LSU athletic director Scott Woodward, a longtime proponent of a nine-game SEC slate, acknowledged that a decision on the nine-game schedule hinges on CFP expansion.

GREG SANKEy SEC commissioner

“We’re progressing, but we haven’t reached a final decision,” Woodward said. “A lot will be determined by the CFP.”

Saints make move to improve health

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

The New Orleans Saints were one of the most injured teams in the NFL last season, and they are making changes to their sports science staff in an attempt to get healthier

The Saints have hired Ted Rath as the team’s director of sports science, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed. Rath’s title previously belonged to Matt Rhea who had been with the Saints since 2022.

Last season, the Saints saw numerous starters and key contributors lost for extended stretches because of injuries. Specifically, softtissue injuries such as hamstring and groin issues were a problem.

“Those are the things that you immediately think, well, there’s things you can do to prevent that,” Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said at the end of the season. “I think that’s probably the first place we start. Those are things we have to really look at hard and say, ‘Hey, how can we do a better job keeping our guys on the field?’ ”

Cap jump

For the second straight year, the NFL’s salary cap came in higher than expected.

“By definition, we need to get to a consensus among the two leagues (SEC and Big Ten). That’s the beginning of that process.”

Regarding playoff seeding, Sankey said: “I’m prepared to vote for seeding change, but it has to be unanimous.”

The 12-team CFP expanded this past season from four teams for the first 10 years of its existence, called for four conference winners to receive a bye. Those ended up being No. 1 Oregon (Big Ten), No. 2 Georgia (SEC), No. 3 Boise State (Mountain West) and

SEC and Big Ten representatives also discussed the pending House settlement that is expected to lead to revenue sharing with athletes, as well as the future structure of NCAA governance Petitti stressed that while the two leagues are leading discussions about these issues, it remains a collaborative process across college athletics.

“Decisions will be made by everyone,” Sankey said, “not dictated by us.”

For more LSU sports updates, sign up for our newsletter at theadvocate.com/lsunewsletter

Continued from page 1C

do a better job of matching the Trojans’ physicality and intensity this time around. One game before the Cajuns’ best performance under Zimmerman’s leadership, UL played its worst game in the 74-56 home loss to Troy

The Trojans outrebounded the Cajuns 42-20 and were never threatened. Thomas Dowd led the Trojans with 19 points and 12 rebounds, followed by Myles Rigsby with 19 points.

UL got another good effort from Mostapha El Moutaouakkil with 19 points, while Jeremiah Evans got to 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting in just 14 minutes. Zimmerman told his team the effort was “unacceptable” against Troy and the Cajuns responded like they got the message loud and clear in practice Friday and against Marshall in Saturday’s win.

Now it’s a matter of transferring that intensity to Thursday’s rematch.

“We went back and watched the tape again and we watched it again (Monday) before practice,” Zimmerman said of the Troy footage. “I told the kids that I’ve watched the tape six times, and I wish I could change what I keep seeing on it, but I can’t.

“The only thing we can do about it is correct the mistakes we made from the last time we played them. We have to play with more energy and effort for a consistent 40 minutes. I can live with the mistakes if we’re playing hard and playing the right way.”

The tape review showed the UL coaching staff that Troy “pushed us around a little bit,” which was evident largely because of the 17 offensive rebounds UL allowed in the game.

“We didn’t handle that well,” Zimmerman said. “We kind of let

our emotions get the best of us.

“I counted over 30 blown defensive assignments just in the first half. That’s a lot. That’s normally for a game. All the things are very correctable, so I’m expecting us to have a great effort.”

In the first contest, both teams were called for 18 fouls, which didn’t seem to make sense from UL’s perspective because the Trojans were clearly the more physical team.

“The only thing we can do is control what we can control,” Zimmerman said. “The referees, they call it, they call it. They don’t, they don’t. Troy is known as the most physical team just by how they play

“I just told our guys, we just have to match their level of intensity If they’re not going to call it on one end, go do the same thing on the other end. They might not call it then.”

On Saturday against Marshall, Christian Wright joined El Moutaouakkil with at least 20 points.

“We started all three (guards Wright, Kentrell Garnett and Mike Thomas),” Zimmerman said. “All three are great ballhandlers and great decision-makers, so it gave us a different dynamic. It gave us more speed and better decision-making. So it’s something we’ll probably look more into doing.”

El Moutaouakkil’s 23 points included a jump shot that UL’s leading scorer hadn’t been relying on much earlier

“Mo is a guy who is always working on his game,” Zimmerman said. “Sometimes I have to tell him, ‘Hey, stop thinking about it so much’ — just play and let it come to you, relax. If you get a jump shot, shoot it

“He’s put in the time on his jump shot. It does open up a lot of things for us by him being able to make a jump shot It’ll open up his drive to the basket.”

Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@theadvocate.com.

Rath joins the Saints after spending four seasons (2020-23) as the director of sports performance for the Philadelphia Eagles. He did not, however, overlap with new Saints coach Kellen Moore, who served as the Eagles offensive coordinator this past season.

Rath, 41, also has been a strength and conditioning coach with the Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Rams. With the Rams, he was known as Sean McVay‘s “get back” coach, responsible for pulling McVay out of the way when he got too close to the referees or game action.

In 2019, Rath was found not guilty on three counts of misdemeanor sexual battery after he was arrested on Jan. 15. He was accused of touching a woman inappropriately while she was sleeping in June 2018, according to the Ventura County Star

After his acquittal, Rath was reinstated from a leave of absence and was not disciplined by the NFL.

WILLIAMS

Continued from page 1C

averaged 7.2 points in 19.5 minutes. Williams has remained evenkeel during the inconsistencies of his second season. He credits his work behind the scenes and his teammates for helping him remain ready when coach Matt McMahon calls his name.

“Not getting the time you want on the floor, you know, you might not be getting any reps, so practice in the gym is the biggest thing and keeping confidence high,” Williams said. “These guys do a good job keeping my confidence high no

LSU

Continued from page 1C

The injury knocked her career off its upward trajectory, sending it down a long, arduous path of recovery instead.

Smith had been down that road before: In high school, she tore the ACL and meniscus in her left knee. But this injury came with a fresh set of challenges, ones that took the form of extra competition — both internally and externally

While Smith rehabbed her knee, LSU scooped up 6-foot-5 forward Jersey Wolfenbarger from the transfer portal, and the Southeastern Conference added Oklahoma and Texas, two teams with rugged front courts. Because they lost Reese to the WNBA, the Tigers needed to make sure they could throw out enough size and length to compete for rebounds at the top of a tougher league

Only recently did Smith earn back those responsibilities and her role as the lead center possibly for good.

Ahead of the Tigers’ home game against Georgia on Thursday (8 p.m., SEC Network), the redshirt sophomore has started each of the last eight games she’s played. On Sunday in a loss to Texas, Smith helped LSU defend 6-4 Taylor Jones and 6-6 Kyla Oldacre for 36 minutes, enough to tie her career-high.

“She battled,” LSU coach Kim Mulkey said. “She blocked shots. She didn’t have a lot of the bulk, but buddy, she battled in there.”

In the seven games LSU played from Dec. 15 to Jan. 9, the thin, wiry 6-2 Smith saw the floor for three fewer minutes per night than Wolfenbarger, the starting center for each of those contests. Then something changed.

Mulkey put Smith back into the starting lineup before the Tigers

Galiano stays

The Saints are finalizing a deal with Phil Galiano to make him the team’s next special teams coordinator, a source with knowledge of the situation said.

The deal would give Galiano a formal promotion, as he has been with the Saints since 2019, working as an assistant special teams coach. But with Darren Rizzi leaving to accept a job with the Denver Broncos, New Orleans had a vacancy at the coordinator level. Moore opted to fill the role internally

Galiano is the second known member from last year’s coaching staff to stick around under Moore. New Orleans also has retained wide receivers coach Keith Williams Last year, Galiano got the opportunity to oversee the Saints’ special teams after Rizzi was promoted to interim head coach. In that eight-game stretch, the unit had several blocked field goals.

matter if I’m playing or not.”

McMahon praised Williams’ play on offense and defense.

“I’m really proud of him,” the third-year coach said “He’s had a challenging year, disjointed at times But, you know, I think he’s been really good for us here of late. He’s practiced at a high level.

I think he’s invested time in the gym.

“Defensively he’s gotten a lot better and has been really active on that end of the floor So the fourguard lineup, with him a part of that, spacing helps him as well. Thought he was fantastic tonight.”

When Williams holds up on defense, he’s able to stay on the court longer and benefit the offense, which has been starving for shoot-

The league informed teams Wednesday that the salary cap next year is expected to fall between $277.5 million and $281.5 million, a significant jump from last year’s $255.4 million. The increase is a benefit particularly for a team like the Saints, who were projected to be more than $50 million over the cap and have to become cap compliant by the start of the new league year next month. Previous estimates had next year’s figure around $272 million.

The NFL’s salary cap has increased by more than $53 million over the last two seasons. Last year’s spike saw an unprecedented increase of $30 million, which the league said was the result of “full repayment of all amounts advanced by the clubs and deferred by players during the Covid pandemic” and an “extraordinary increase in media revenue.”

The Saints are facing several major decisions this offseason as they look to navigate the cap. Among them, the team has to decide what to do with starting quarterback Derek Carr — whose release would carry a $50 million dead-cap hit but would go a long way toward reshaping their books for 2026. Staff writer Luke Johnson contributed to this report

Email Matthew Paras at matt. paras@theadvocate.com

ers. Even after the South Carolina game, the Tigers are 10th in 3-point shooting in SEC play (30.8%). They are 298th in the country in 3-point shooting percentage for the season (31.7%).

Improved outside shooting thanks to Williams and guards such as Vyctorius Miller, who made his second start of the season, elevate LSU’s ability to create open shots from all levels. That development is LSU’s wild card. It’ll remain just that until the Tigers prove their consistency starting at 8 p.m. Saturday when they play No. 2 Florida at the PMAC.

Email Toyloy Brown III at toyloy.brown@theadvocate.com

beat Vanderbilt on Jan. 13, a move that has stuck in the eight games since. Smith now has seen more than twice as much run as Wolfenbarger has across the last seven games they’ve both played. Smith still isn’t scoring much — just 3.4 points per game on 38% shooting since Jan. 13. But she has corralled 17 rebounds and blocked five shots across LSU’s last two matchups, a close win over No 15 Tennessee and a tight loss to the No. 2 Longhorns.

“I thought Sa’Myah was excellent today,” Mulkey said after LSU beat the Lady Vols. “I thought she grew up. She got a deflection early in the game. She was altering shots. She didn’t just get pushed and shoved around. She could have played probably in some of those minutes that I gave the small lineup because I just thought she grew up today.” Almost two months earlier, after a Nov 15 win over Murray State, Mulkey took a different tone, saying Smith has “got to get back to being the Sa’Myah of old.” She was still worrying about her knee, still trying to rediscover her lateral quickness and still committing too

many fouls, Mulkey said.

LSU senior reserve Amani Bartlett wound up making her first career start over Smith three days later in a game against Troy, a decision Mulkey said she based on “focusing and paying attention in practice.” Smith still tallied nine points and eight rebounds in 16 minutes of action that night, then started the Tigers’ next six contests before ceding the job to Wolfenbarger for almost an entire month.

“I didn’t really want to put too much pressure on myself,” Smith said, “because I know I still had to deal with that, the injury and coming back, but I still had big goals. Still wanted to do what I can for this team.”

Smith’s role is now on more solid footing, and her knee is strong enough to handle heavy minutes in intense, physical games.

Yet she’s still making sure to remind herself, as she told those middle schoolers in September, that she wants to accomplish more.

“The goal,” Smith said, “is definitely to get back to being the explosive, aggressive player that I am.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By GEORGE WALKER IV

Big Ten Conference commissioner Tony Petitti, left, and Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey, right, hold a news conference after the two conferences held meetings on Oct 10 in Nashville, Tenn.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU forward Sa’Myah Smith grabs the ball after being fouled in the first quarter of a game against UL on Dec. 15 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center

Southside claims key district win against Carencro

Sharks looking to improve power ranking in playoffs

BY NEAL MCCLELLAND

Contributing writer

Heading into the final week of the regular season, Southside High School was hanging around the top 10 in the LHSAA’s Division

I basketball power rankings with a shot of getting into top eight and securing two home playoff games

All the Sharks needed to do was win their final two games, get a little help and get ready for the playoffs.

On Tuesday night, the Sharks got one of those wins but it was anything but easy against Carencro — a team also looking to solidify its playoff chances.

Carencro (9-11, 2-4) pulled within two points in the second half a couple of times but Southside held on for a 35-28 District 3-5A win.

Southside (17-12, 4-2) came out hot with two 3-pointers in the final minute of the first quarter to take a 14-7 lead entering the second quarter but scored just two points over the next quarter and a half of play

“I have to do a better job of getting them focused and locked in,”

Southside coach Todd Russ said.

“We didn’t have our greatest night tonight and Carencro had a lot to do with that. I like where we are, but we have some stuff to clean up before the playoffs.”

One thing Southside will have to work on is finding ways to end

“I have to do a better job of getting them focused and locked in. We didn’t have our greatest night tonight and Carencro had a lot to do with that. I like where we are, but we have some stuff to clean up before the playoffs.”

TODD RUSS Southside coach

scoring droughts.

“I felt tonight that Carencro was tougher at times and we let some stuff get away from us,” Russ said. “We didn’t play our best and Carencro had a lot to do with that but we showed some resiliency down the stretch that allowed us to pull this off.”

Southside senior shooting guard Jaydon Norbert agreed with Russ.

“Tonight was a hard night for us,” said Norbert, one of four seniors honored during senior night activities “For the seniors, this game matters. It was a low-scoring defensive game, but it was one we needed.”

Norbert said he knew scoring might be tough.

“We scouted them before the game and they scored 40 points in the game before we played them,”

he said. “(Defense) was our main priority going into the game; we had to stop them.”

Southside’s defense, a trademark of a Russ-coached team, got the job done.

“We grind it out and we play play defense,” Russ said. “We believe that defense is going to win the game for us. Our team is built on toughness and we showed a little bit of that tonight.”

SCOREBOARD

softball Tuesday’s games UL-Monroe 9, Jackson State 1 Louisiana Tech 9, Northwestern State 1 Wednesday’s games Nicholls 10, Alcorn 2 Nicholls 17, Alcorn 1 Southeastern at South Alabama, n Thursday’s games Louisiana Tech vs. East Tennessee State, 10 a.m. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at Southern, 1 p.m.

Louisiana Tech vs. Ole Miss, 4 p.m. Stephen F. Austin at UL-Monroe, 5 p.m. Friday’s games Northwestern State vs. Yale, 9 a.m. Nicholls vs. Penn State (Baton Rouge), 10:30 a.m. Louisiana Tech vs. Auburn (Madison, Ala.), 1 p.m. Nicholls vs. Southern Miss (Baton Rouge) 1 p.m. Northwestern State vs. North Texas (Arlington, Texas), 2 p.m. Southeastern at Florida State, 2 p.m. Penn State at LSU, 3:30 p.m.

Stephen F. Austin at UL-Monroe, 4 p.m.

Houston at McNeese, 4 p.m.

1, Delco 2;

RAY: Griffin 3,

1, Deats 2,

2, Bourque 1, Babineaux 1, Charbonnet 1. Total Fouls: RAY 9, STM 7. David Thibodaux 62, Comeaux 41 DAVID THIBODAUX (62) Kortlan Williams 8, JaNathan Dalcourt 17, Pernell Johnson 15, Sean Hicks 7, Bryston Sledge 13. COMEAUX (41) Charles Lee 4, Khali Johnson 7, Jeremiah Draylon 6, Terrance Roy 5, Jasontre Ceaser 4, Brayden Broussard 12. David Thibodaux10171815—62

Southeastern at Florida State, 4:30 p.m Southern Miss at LSU, 6 p.m.

Houston Christian at UL-Monroe, 6:30 p.m

Kansas City at McNeese, 7 p.m.

College baseball

Tuesday’s games

LSU 13, Southern 1 UL 14, Texas Southern 11

McNeese State at Texas A&M, ccd

Omaha 5, Nicholls 2 UL-Monroe 17, Grambling 2 UNO at Tulane, ppd Wednesday’s games

Tulane 5, Southeastern 3 Northwestern State at UL-Monroe, ppd LSU at Nicholls, ppd

Thursday’s games None scheduled.

Friday’s games

Southern vs. Jackson State, 11 a.m.

Alcorn at Southeastern, 1 p.m.

Omaha at LSU, 4 p.m.

Grambling vs. Alabama State, 4 p.m.

Louisiana Tech at Southern Miss, 6 p.m. Oakland at McNeese State, 6 p.m.

Nebraska at UL, 6 p.m.

State at Troy, 6 p.m. Houston Christian at UL-Monroe, 6 p.m.

Boston College at UNO, 6:30 p.m. Little Rock at Nicholls, 6:30 p.m.

Loyola Marymount at Tulane,

Heading into the final week of the regular season, Southside High School was hanging around the top 10 in the LHSAA’s Division I basketball power rankings with a shot of getting into the top eight and securing two home playoff games.

PHOTO By ROBIN MAy

I’ve still never been to Cuba, but I often find myself craving the food.

A Lafayette restaurant called Cafe Habana City holds the lion’s share of responsibility for my extreme love of Cuban food — one dish in particular On the menu, it’s called Parilla de Pollo, made with thin cutlets of chicken breast pounded flat, marinated in what’s called a mojo sauce. I always order the dish served with white rice, black beans and maduritos

When Susan Jones a Baton Rouge massage therapist, shared her Cuban mother’s recipe for something very similar to what Cafe Habana serves, I felt like I had struck gold.

“My mom had chicken marinating in the refrigerator always. It was a part of our lives,” Jones said.

Of course, as with most recipes along these lines, she had to do some thinking on proportions. Initially in a quest for exact measurements, we compared her notes and memory with other recipes. She went back and forth on whether or not I should include orange juice

“Growing up in Miami, my mom would send me over the fence to the neighbor’s backyard to pick a bitter orange from their tree of course, they knew we did that,” Jones said. “But I don’t know what the difference is between bitter oranges and what grows here in Louisiana except that bitter oranges are not sweet.”

GARDEN PARTY

BY APRIL HAMILTON Contributing writer

After getting my fill of luxurious chocolates in February, I look ahead to National Nutrition Month which spans the 31 days of March. Fortunately, the indulgence of Mardi Gras season wanes just days after the month begins, providing the perfect opportunity for a Lenten challenge.

I plan to embrace my inner vegetable lover with a mindful pledge to vary my veggies, an eating style I call “garden party.”

Research shows that consuming 30 different plant foods weekly fuels us with a spectrum of vitamins and minerals while also being good for our gut microbiome — a hot topic that seems to appear on every health page. If it sounds more like a task than a good, tasty time, fret not. Spring brings an abundance of vibrant produce to the markets and neighbors’ gardens.

Forage and feast. There is no limit to the combinations.

First source. Then, prep. Stroll a local farmer’s market, a favorite produce section, or co-op backyard harvesting with a neighbor and gather up the goods. Repeat weekly

BY BETH DOOLEY

Perhaps it was the “exotic” name — turkey tetrazzini — as well as its ease of preparation that made it my mom’s signature casserole. The recipe is said to be named for Luisa Tetrazzini, an Italian opera star at the turn of the 20th century Who created it is widely disputed, with stories crediting chefs in New York City and San Francisco. The dish certainly sounds more interesting than its humble assemblage of leftover turkey, noodles and cheese. It was what Mom brought to

Jan Risher

STAFF PHOTOS

JAVIER GALLEGOS

STAFF PHOTO By JAN RISHER

Jan Risher cooked a Cuban feast of bistec de pollo en palomilla, white rice, black beans and maduritos (fried overripe plantains).

GARDEN

Pro tip: Shop with a friend and share the chopping duties to cut prep time in half or engage the kids to create memorable conversations in the kitchen. Fill the fridge with containers of halved Brussels sprouts, florets of broccoli and cauliflower, julienned carrots, diced bell peppers, sliced celery, chopped onion and rinsed and spun lettuce to create a kaleidoscope of color and the Holy Trinity. This up-front investment pays dividends when cooking time rolls around Vegetables can be spun into pure gold whether displayed raw in an artful collage or roasted, steamed,

CUBAN

I ended up using nonbitter orange juice and lots of orange zest in mine. After I started making the marinade we discussed, she sent me a message saying I could go one of two routes one of which is super simple. I had already started making the more involved version, but next time I’ll try her simple ver-

sauteed or grilled with a kiss of smoke

At my house, every grilling occasion includes the contents of the produce drawer. The extras encore in quesadillas fried rice egg scrambles, salads, soups, pizzas or pasta sauces. The sky is truly the limit

My next best tip is to stash vegetable scraps in the freezer to make vegetable stock to preserve the bounty for future enjoyment. Over time, fill a gallon freezer bag with onion and carrot peels, celery tops and trimmings, garlic, mushroom and herb stems to cook in a gallon of water with bay leaves and a few peppercorns. An hour on the stove equals three quarts or so of an incomparable soup starter and contributes to

sion: a combination of lime juice, lime zest, garlic powder onion powder and salt.

“My mom would slice them really thin,” Jones said. “Out of one chicken breast, she probably got three steaks.” I mistakenly bought chicken breast tenderloins (smaller pieces of the breast). Still, I was able to cut them in half one time, which worked fine.

I decided to go all out and make the chicken, white rice (cooked in chicken broth),

Bistec de pollo en palomilla

1

1/2

1/4

1

1. Using a knife, slice through the chicken breast to make thinner cutlets. (I accidentally bought breast tenderloins and was only able to slice through them once. For a whole breast, you can usually slice through into three pieces.) Using a mallet or rolling pin, pound chicken breasts thin.

2. Place chicken in a container that will be used for marinating in refrigerator

3 Mix the rest of the ingredients EXCEPT the sliced onion together in food processor and pulse until cilantro is fine and the mixture is blended well.

4 Reserve about 1/4 cup of the marinade Pour the rest of it over the chicken in a sealable container. Place in refrigerator.

5 Using a mandolin or knife, slice onion thin. Place on top of chicken in container in fridge and marinate for at least four hours.

6. In a skillet (we used a nonstick one),

the 30-plant goal. For a fun form of motivation, chart the veggie progress and create a friendly competition. If 30 seems unattainable, think of each meal as a canvas to showcase a shower of herbs, nuts and seeds. And remember that dark chocolate is rich in antioxidants and counts in the plant category.

Lemon vinaigrette

Zest and juice of 2 lemons to make 1 3 cup

3 cup olive oil 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Add the lemon zest and juice to a narrow-bottomed bowl and whisk in the olive oil in a thin stream to help emulsify the dressing. Season with salt and pepper and dress the orzo salad.

black beans and fried overripe plantains, similar to Cafe Habana’s maduritos.

The end result was a meal that will become part of my family’s permanent rotation.

The only thing I’ll do differently next time is make extra marinade to be saved for the table so that I’ll have enough to pour that deliciousness over my plate once I’m ready to eat.

Buen provecho!

Email Jan Risher at jan. risher@theadvocate.com.

onions for a Cuban feast.

cook the individual pieces of chicken about 2-3 minutes on each side.

7. In a separate skillet while chicken is cooking, caramelize the marinated onions.

8 Once chicken and onions are cooked, top the chicken with the onions and serve with white rice, black beans and maduritos.

spaghetti, use rice, etc. All you really need is a baking dish. Hot dish, done!

Turkey Tetrazzini

Serves 4-6 and is easily doubled. From Beth Dooley A winter classic, this hot dish is perfect for meal train assignments, potlucks and informal gatherings. It can be made a day ahead and heated right before serving. While the recipe calls for turkey, leftover chicken (especially rotisserie chicken) works beautifully, too.

1. Preheat the oven to 375

4.

By The Associated Press

Today is Thursday, Feb. 20, the 51st day of 2025. There are 314 days left in the year Today in history

On Feb. 20, 1962, astronaut John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth as he flew aboard Project Mercury’s Friendship 7 spacecraft, which circled the globe three times in a flight lasting 4 hours, 55 minutes and 23 seconds before splashing down safely in the Atlantic Ocean about 200 miles northwest of Puerto Rico

On this date:

In 1792, President George Washington signed an act creating the United States Post Office Department, the predecessor of the U.S. Postal Service.

In 1862, William Wallace Lincoln, the 11-year-old son of President Abraham Lincoln and first lady Mary Todd Lincoln, died at the White House from what was believed to be typhoid fever

TODAY IN HISTORY

In 1905, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Jacobson v. Massachusetts, upheld, 7-2, compulsory vaccination laws intended to protect the public’s health.

In 1907, President Theodore Roosevelt signed an immigration act which excluded “idiots, imbeciles, feebleminded persons, epileptics, insane persons,” among others, from being admitted to the United States.

In 1939, more than 20,000 people attended rally held by the German American Bund, a pro-Nazi organization, at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

In 1965, America’s Ranger 8 spacecraft crashed into the moon’s surface, as planned, after sending back thousands of pictures of the lunar surface.

In 1998, American Tara Lipinski became the youngest-ever Olympic figure skating gold medalist when she won the ladies’ title at the Nagano Olympic Winter Games; American Michelle Kwan won the silver In 2003, a fire

STAFF PHOTOS By JAN RISHER

Cooking thin, marinated chicken cutlets with caramelized

Fried overripe plantains are simultaneously sweet, mushy and crunchy

STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Garden Party vegetable medley

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Exercise your body, mind and soul in ways that are exhilarating. Nothing happens without effort; do your part to ensure you manifest the life you desire.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Share a special moment with someone who can bring you joy or help you explore new possibilities. Refuse to let anger ruin your plans or get in the way of something that can help you

tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Refuse to let uncertainty leave you bewildered. Hiding out won't help you get ahead. Wrap your head around your options and pick a path Discover what's possible.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Say no to anyone complicating your life, and focus on what's important. Put what you hear in context with what you want to do and try to simplify your life. Proceed calmly but with determination.

cAncER (June 21-July 22) Size up your current situation, prospects and desires. It's time to take a chance and explore new possibilities. You may not welcome change, but to experience what life can offer, you must step outside your comfort zone.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Promoting something you are working toward prematurely will be met with criticism and potential loss. Take one step at a time.

Focus on personal growth and gain, and finish what you start.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Walk away from temptation or anyone trying to

WonderWord

push you. A well-thought-out plan is the only way to implement desirable change. Put relationships first, show concern and be sensitive to the needs of loved ones

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Someone who excites you will grab your attention. A new adventure will spark your imagination and encourage you to change your direction, surroundings or pastimes

scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) You're in the driver's seat; refuse to stop, because attention will be necessary to reach your destination. Keep tabs on how much things cost and consider with whom you want to share life. A project will require dedication.

sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Observation will pay off. Don't give away your secrets. Allowing others to steal your thunder or exploit your naivety will set you back and lower your self-esteem

cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) You're on the right track; focus on your goal. Forming good relationships with helpful people will encourage opportunities. Give yourself a chance to rejuvenate.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Fix your surroundings, but don't go over budget. Put your energy to good use, and you'll get what you want at a price you can afford. Trust your instincts

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2025 by NEA, Inc., dist By Andrews McMeel Syndication

FAMILY CIrCUS

CeLebrItY CIpher For better or For WorSe

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

SherMAn’S LAGoon

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

THe wiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS

By PHILLIP ALDER Bridge

RobertDuvallsaid,“Youjustcan’ttake a crash course to be a tango dancer in a movie.”

You can’t take a crash course to be an expertdeclarerinbridge.However,here is a chance to dance around a three-notrump deal. What should South do after West leads the heart jack?

Despite having only 20 high-card points, South’s hand is nearly strong enough to open two clubs and rebid two no-trump. All those aces and kings, along with the good five-card suit, make that hand worth some 22 points. (A two-notrump opening typically contains either three aces and one king or two aces and three kings. As this hand has two aces and four kings, it is over average.)

South starts with seven top tricks: three hearts, two diamonds and two clubs. Most days, he will get three more winners from clubs for an overtrick But it would be a good idea to sacrifice the potential extra trick to avoid crashing like the original declarer. He won the first trick and immediately took his two top clubs. When the queen did not drop, South continued with a third club. Now Eastdidwell,shiftingtothespadequeen. Whatever declarer did, he had to lose five spade tricks and go down two.

Sincethecontractisindangerofcrashing only if East gains the lead, South should have taken the first trick on the board and played a

Even if it lost to the

Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

BUSINESS

Barnes & Noble to open in Towne Center

Barnes & Noble has signed a lease to open a bookstore in Towne Center at Cedar Lodge, which will replace its longtime Citiplace location in Baton Rouge.

The chain will take up spaces in Towne Center that had formerly been occupied by Morgan Claire Boutique and Pigtails & Crewcuts, said Doris Volentine, the property manager for the mixed-use center

Volentine said she suspects the store will open by the end of the year

This will be the second store Barnes & Noble has opened locally in the past two years. In July, the chain opened a store in Denham Springs at the Juban Crossing shopping center

The chain has been on a winning streak since 2019, when Barnes & Noble started to focus back on books, by promoting staff recommendations and a selection curated to meet community interests.

Barnes & Noble has operated a store in the Citiplace shopping center for nearly 30 years. But that 34,325-square-foot building is available for sale or lease.

S&P adds to record; Wall Street drifts higher

The S&P 500 added to its record as U.S. stock indexes drifted through a quiet Wednesday on Wall Street.

The S&P 500 rose after setting an all-time high the day before. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq composite both inched up.

Microsoft was the strongest force pushing the S&P 500 upward. It rose 1.3% after saying it had developed what it calls the world’s first “quantum processing unit,” which could lead to the development of much more powerful computers.

New iPhone costs more than old low-end model

Apple has released a sleeker and more expensive version of its lowest-priced iPhone in an attempt to widen the audience for a bundle of artificial intelligence technology that the company has been hoping will revive demand for its most profitable product lineup.

The iPhone 16e unveiled Wednesday is the fourth generation of a model that’s sold at a dramatically lower price than the iPhone’s standard and premium models. The previous bargain-bin models were called the iPhone SE, with the last version coming out in 2022.

Like the higher-priced iPhone 16 lineup unveiled last September the iPhone 16e includes the souped-up computer chip needed to process an array of AI features that automatically summarize text, audio and create onthe-fly emojis while smartening up the device’s virtual assistant, Siri. It will also have a more powerful battery and camera. All those upgrades will translate into a higher starting price for an iPhone 16e at $600, a 40% increase from $430 for the last iPhone SE. But iPhone 16e will be more affordable than the cheapest standard iPhone 16 at $800. The new phone will be available in stores Feb. 28, but can be preordered beginning Friday

Angler advocate moves

BY DAVID J MITCHELL Staff writer

The longtime head of one of Louisiana’s premier advocacy organizations for recreational fisheries and coastal conservation will be leaving to become the primary voice of the state’s chemical industry

the Louisiana way of life.”

David Cresson, who leads the Coastal Conservation Association of Louisiana, has been named president and chief executive officer of the Louisiana Chemical Association and its sister organization, the Louisiana Chemical Industry Alliance, according to the groups.

“LCA and LCIA have a rich history, and these organizations are essential to the success of so many valuable industries in Louisiana,” Cresson said in a statement. “We aim to build on that legacy while identifying new opportunities to promote and advocate for the workforce and businesses that are so critical to our communities and

Cresson, 53, a Metairie native who has lived in Baton Rouge for years, has worked for CCA of Louisiana for 17 years. When Cresson takes the job at LCA on March 24, he will succeed Greg Bowser He has worked at LCA for 34 years and has been its face for nine years as president and CEO. According to an LCA statement, he is expected to stay on through the end of the year to help with the transition.

The fisheries and chemical industry groups are familiar voices at the State Capitol in shaping government policy but have significantly different areas of interest.

CCA has advocated for policies to protect sport fisheries and conserve the state’s coast. Under Cresson’s leadership, the group has promoted reef building, redfish stock enhancement and other conservation efforts, according to the nonprofit. It also successfully advocated in 2023 and 2024 for expanded limits on nearshore commercial fishing of menhaden, a food source for redfish and other sport fish species. LCA represents 70 chemical

manufacturing companies in the state and LCIA represents more than 600 companies that supply products and services to the chemical and manufacturing sector, according to the groups.

The chemical industry directly employs 29,000 people in Louisiana in high-wage jobs, spurs eight indirect jobs for every job in the industry and contributes hundreds of millions of dollars to the state treasury and to public schools, sheriff’s offices and other local governments, according to the groups.

Despite this impact, the industry often finds itself at odds with groups focused on conserving the environment and protecting public health due to their members’ pollution impact on air and water

Along with other business organizations, the groups are often enmeshed in tax and other significant state policy decisions because of their widespread reach across the state.

When asked in an interview about leading two organizations as different as the fisheries and industry groups, Cresson said they actually have plenty of overlap.

Saying they both represent leg-

acy industries that are culturally and economically important to the state, he pointed out that members of CCA often work in the chemical industry and that industry has helped CCA through the years in its conservation efforts.

Cresson, who worked on Gov Jeff Landry’s transition team and is no stranger to giving congressional and legislative testimony said he looks forward to meeting with community members, political leaders and others to make the chemical industry’s case.

He added that he believes he will be working in an environment, both at the state and federal level, that is supportive of the business community. He said he plans to take an active role at the Capitol in advocating for the industry

Danny Cedotal, LCA’s board chairman and vice president of Shintech Louisiana, called Cresson “a strong and proven leader,” as LCA officials noted Cresson’s work managing a board of more than 200 members across the state

David J. Mitchell can be reached at dmitchell@ theadvocate.com.

Unions seek shipbuilding boost

Labor leaders call on Trump to act against increasing Chinese dominance

BY JOSH BOAK Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The heads of four major labor unions on Wednesday called on President Donald Trump to boost American shipbuilding and enforce tariffs and other “strong penalties” against China for its increasing dominance in that sphere.

The presidents of the United Steelworkers, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, International Brotherhood of Boilermakers and International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers argue that China’s efforts have hurt American workers and national security.

In the letter obtained by The Associated Press, they urged Trump to “impose tough penalties against vessels built according to the plans, policies, and actions of the Chinese Communist Party and to adopt complementary policies that rebuild America’s shipbuilding capacity and workforce.”

Last year under President Joe Biden, the unions filed a petition seeking to address China’s shipbuilding under Section 301 of the 1974 U.S. Trade Act, hoping to start a process by which tariffs and other measures could be enacted.

The letter notes China manufactured more than 1,000 oceangoing vessels in 2023, while the United States made fewer than 10 ships. It adds that the Chinese shipbuilding industry received more than $100 billion in government support from 2010 to 2018, such that Chinese shipyards accounted for the majority of worldwide orders last year

“As a shipyard worker myself, out of Bath Iron Works in Maine, I have seen firsthand the crippling impacts of China’s predatory actions on our domestic shipbuilding industry,” Brian Bryant, the machinists and aerospace workers union president, said in a separate statement.

“For decades, we’ve seen everything from

layoffs to shipyard closures to atrophy of our domestic shipbuilding industrial base.

Trump has made control of the Panama Canal and resetting the global terms of trade with tariffs a key priority But many of his concerns have been directed at U.S. allies such as Canada Mexico and the European Union, while he has imposed an additional 10% tariff on imports from China due to its role in making the opioid fentanyl.

The White House has said it is considering all available options to push back against China’s practices in the maritime, logistics and shipbuilding sectors.

In January, Trump floated the possibility

of more shipbuilding in an interview with Hugh Hewitt, the conservative radio talk show host.

“We don’t build ships anymore,” Trump said. “We want to get that started And maybe we’ll use allies, also, in terms of building ships. We might have to.”

In a Fox News Channel interview that aired Tuesday night, Trump noted the decline in American shipbuilding and indicated he wanted that to change.

“We don’t build the way we used to build. Yeah, we used to build like a ship a day, and now to build a ship is like a big deal,” he said. “And we’re going to get this country back on track.”

A worker takes part in shipbuilding work at Bollinger Shipyard in Lockport

Cresson