POPE FRANCIS IN CRITICAL CONDITION
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Property owners appearing in court for noncompliance
BY MEGAN WYATT | Staff writer
Patti Rood admits that she continued to list her Harrell Drive property for short stays on Airbnb despite Lafayette’s ban on short-term rentals in residential neighborhoods like Broadmoor Rood and others in the local real estate scene say they felt like the city ordinance, which went into effect in October, was unfair and would be nearly impossible to enforce.
“There’s tons of people still doing it because they feel it’s against their constitutional rights,” Rood said. “We were the same way We were still going to do it.”
That changed a few weeks ago when Rood received a violation notice from Lafayette Consolidated Government’s Department of Community Development and Planning. Rood said she
ä See RENTALS, page 10A
Workers in the state brace for more cuts
BY BLAKE PATERSON | Staff writer
Chante Powell struggled to choose among several job offers last year as she looked for the next step in her career In December, she settled on a new position as an auditor at the National Finance Center that would let her return to her native Louisiana.
The little-known federal agency, headquartered in New Orleans, processes payroll for nearly 700,000 federal workers. Powell’s job was to review financial statements and root out waste, fraud and abuse.
That is, until Valentine’s Day, when she was called into a conference room and handed a letter
“The Agency finds, based on your performance, that you have not
ä See LAYOFFS, page 10A
ABOVE: Riders celebrate as the Krewe of Rio Mardi Gras parade rolls in Lafayette on Saturday.
LEFT: The Krewe of Rio Mardi Gras parade tosses throws on Saturday.
PHOTOS By BRAD BOWIE
1 dead, 3 wounded in France knife attack
PARIS A passerby was stabbed to death and three police officers injured Saturday near a crowded market in eastern France An Algerian man identified as an Islamic extremist with a schizophrenic profile was detained in the attack, the interior minister said.
France’s national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office took over the investigation. The attack happened in the city of Mulhouse, located in a region that borders Germany and Switzerland.
Macron said the government has “complete determination” to respond to the attack, which he blamed on “Islamist terrorism.”
France has been on high alert for extremist threats
The victim was a 69-year-old Portuguese man, the anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office said. The three injured included a parking control officer stabbed in the aorta and torso who remained hospitalized, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau told reporters at the scene. The other two sustained lighter injuries.
A 37-year-old Algerian man was arrested, prosecutors said. He said “Allahu akbar,” “God is great” in Arabic, during the attack, and was armed with a knife and screwdriver, Retailleau said. The suspect arrived in France without papers in 2014 and was arrested and convicted of glorifying terrorism in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, Retailleau said. Police experts had “detected a schizophrenic profile” in the suspect, he added.
Cholera kills 58, sickens about 1,300 in Sudan
CAIRO A cholera outbreak in a southern Sudanese city killed nearly 60 people and sickened about 1,300 others over the last three days, health authorities said Saturday.
The outbreak in the southern city of Kosti was blamed mainly on contaminated drinking water after the city’s water supply facility was knocked out during an attack by a notorious paramilitary group, the health ministry said. The group has been fighting the country’s military for about two years.
The ministry said in a statement the disease killed 58 people and sickened 1,293 others between Thursday and Saturday in Kosti, 261 miles south of the capital, Khartoum.
The ministry said it has taken a series of measures to fight the outbreak, including launching a vaccination campaign against cholera in the city, which lies on the west bank of the White Nile River, opposite Rabak, the capital of White Nile province.
The ministry said it also expanded the capacity of an isolation center in cooperation with the United Nations and other international medical groups. Doctors without Borders said its cholera treatment center in the Kosti hospital has been overwhelmed, prompting health authorities to use adult and pediatric emergency rooms to provide additional space to treat stricken patients.
Mall roof collapse in Peru leaves 6 dead LIMA, Peru The collapse of a food court roof at a shopping mall in northwestern Peru killed six people and left at least 78 others injured, the defense minister said Saturday.
The heavy iron roof at the Real Plaza Trujillo shopping mall, a city in the La Libertad region, fell Friday night on dozens of people who were at the site.
Defense Minister Walter Astudillo said at a news conference that according to the information provided by local firefighters in La Libertad, five people died on site and a sixth at a hospital after the collapse. Astudillo also said that 30 injured people have already been discharged and 48 remain hospitalized Three remained in critical condition. The minister expressed his condolences to the victims’ families.
Luis Roncal, head of the local fire department, confirmed that they “did not find any signs of life” as they monitored with rescue dogs, but that the search for survivors would continue.
BY WAFAA SHURAFA, MOHAMMED JAHJOUH and MELANIE LIDMAN Associated Press
TELAVIV,Israel Israel delayed the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners without explanation Saturday after Hamas released the last six living hostages expected under the ceasefire ‘s first phase, with a week remaining in the initial stage.
Freed were three Israeli men seized from the Nova music festival and another taken while visiting family in southern Israel during the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the 16-month war in Gaza. The two others were held for a decade after entering Gaza on their own.
Five were handed over in staged ceremonies that the Red Cross, U.N. and Israel have condemned as cruel and disrespectful, escorted by masked, armed Hamas fighters in front of hundreds of Palestinians.
Omer Wenkert, Omer Shem Tov and Eliya Cohen were posed alongside Hamas fighters. A beaming Shem Tov, acting under duress, kissed two militants on the head and blew kisses to the crowd.
They wore fake army uniforms, though they were not soldiers when abducted.
Cohen’s family and friends in Israel chanted “Eliya! Eliya! Eliya!” and cheered.
“You’re heroes,” Shem Tov told his parents as they later embraced, laughing and crying “You have no idea how much I dreamt of you.” His father, Malki Shem Tov, told public broadcaster Kan his son was held alone after the first 50 days and lost 37 pounds.
Earlier Saturday, Tal Shoham, 40, and Avera Mengistu, 38, were freed. Mengistu, an Ethiopian-Israeli, entered Gaza in 2014. His family told Israeli media he has struggled with mental health issues. The Israeli-Austrian Shoham was taken from Kibbutz Be’eri. His wife and two children were freed in a 2023 exchange.
Later, Israel’s military said Hisham Al-Sayed, 36, was released. The Bedouin Israeli entered Gaza in 2015. His family has told Israeli media he was previously diagnosed with schizophrenia.
The release of over 600 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel the largest one-day prisoner release in the ceasefire’s first phase — did not occur just after the hostage releases as expected.
Israel’s government didn’t respond to questions. Hamas accused Israel of violating the ceasefire deal, with spokesperson Abdel Latif AlQanou accusing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanya-
hu of “deliberately stalling.”
The hostage release followed a heart-rending dispute when Hamas on Thursday handed over the wrong body for Shiri Bibas, an Israeli mother abducted with her two young boys. The remains were determined to be those of a Palestinian woman. Netanyahu vowed revenge for “a cruel and malicious violation.” Hamas suggested it was a mistake. Israeli forensic authorities confirmed a body handed over on Friday was Bibas.
Dr Chen Kugel, head of the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, said they found no evidence Bibas and her children were killed in an Israeli airstrike, as Hamas has claimed. Kugel did not give a cause. Hamas denied the Israeli military claim, based on forensic evidence and unspecified “intelligence,” that its militants killed the children “with their bare hands,” calling it a lie aimed at justifying Israeli military actions against civilians in Gaza.
The ceasefire deal has paused the deadliest and most devastating fighting ever between Israel and Hamas, but there are fears the war will resume. Hamas has said it will release four bodies next week, completing the truce’s first phase. After that, Hamas will hold over 60 hostages — about half believed to be alive.
By The Associated Press
Preparations are un-
derway for a face-to-face meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russia’s deputy foreign minister said Saturday It marked a clear departure from Western efforts to isolate Moscow over its war in Ukraine.
Speaking to Russian state media, Sergei Ryabkov said a possible Putin-Trump summit could involve broad talks on global issues, not just the war in Ukraine.
could meet within the next two weeks to pave the way for further talks among senior officials.
“The question is about starting to move toward normalizing relations between our countries, finding ways to resolve the most acute and potentially very, very dangerous situations, of which there are many, Ukraine among them,” he said.
But he said efforts to organize such a meeting are at an early stage, and that making it happen will require “the most intensive preparatory work.”
Ryabkov added that U.S. and Russian envoys
Russian and U.S. representatives meeting in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday agreed to start working toward ending the war in Ukraine and improving their diplomatic and economic ties, an extraordinary about-face in U.S. foreign policy under Trump. Senior U.S. officials have suggested Ukraine will have to give up its goals of joining NATO and retaining the 20% of its territory seized by Russia. After the meeting, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told The Associated Press the two sides agreed broadly to pursue three goals: to restore staffing at their respective embassies; to create a high-level team to support Ukraine peace talks; and to explore closer relations and economic cooperation.
He stressed, however, that the talks, which were attended by his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov and other senior Russian and U.S. official,
BY MARK SCOLFORO Associated Press
YORK, Pa. — A man armed with a pistol and carrying zip ties entered a Pennsylvania hospital’s intensive care unit on Saturday and took staff members hostage before he was killed by police in a shootout that also left an officer dead, authorities said.
Three staffers at UPMC Memorial Hospital, including a doctor, a nurse and a custodian, and two other officers were shot and wounded in the attack, York County District Attorney Tim Barker said. A fourth staff member was injured during a fall.
Gunfire erupted after officers went to engage the shooter, who Barker identified as Diogenes Archangel-Ortiz, 49. He said Archangel-Ortiz was holding at gunpoint a female staff member who had her hands tied with zip ties when police opened fire.
“This is a huge loss to our community,” Barker said at a news conference following the shooting. “It is absolutely clear, and beyond any and all doubt, that the officers were justified in taking their action using deadly force.” Barker added that while the investigation is in its early stages, it appears Archangel-Ortiz had previous contact with the hospital’s ICU earlier in the week for “a medical purpose involving another individual” and that he intentionally targeted the workers there.
The officer who died in the shooting was identified as Andrew Duarte of the West York Borough Police Department.
“We all have broken hearts and are grieving at his loss,” West York Borough Manager Shawn Mauck told The Associated Press.
Duarte was a law enforcement veteran who joined the West York Borough Police Department in 2022 after five years with the Denver Police Department in Colorado, according to his LinkedIn profile. He described receiving a “hero award” in 2021 from Mothers Against Drunk Driving for his work in impaired driving enforcement for the state of Colorado.
“I have a type A personality and like to succeed in all that I do,” his LinkedIn profile said. Pennsylvania Gov Josh Shapiro described the attack on police and health care workers as “the act of a coward.”
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marked the beginning of a conversation, and more work needs to be done. Lavrov, for his part, hailed the meeting as “very useful.”
No Ukrainian officials were present at the Saudi meeting, which came as their beleaguered country is slowly but steadily losing ground against more numerous Russian troops, nearly three years after Moscow launched an allout invasion of its smaller neighbor Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country would not accept any outcome from the talks since Kyiv didn’t take part, and he postponed his own trip to Saudi Arabia scheduled for last Wednesday European allies have also expressed concerns that they are being sidelined.
Trump on Friday appeared to walk back his earlier comments that falsely blamed Kyiv for starting the war but insisted that Zelenskyy and former President Joe Biden should have done more to come to terms with Putin. “Russia attacked, but they shouldn’t have let him attack,” he said during a radio interview with Brian Kilmeade of Fox News, referring to the Russian leader
Pontiff suffered prolonged asthmatic respiratory crisis
BY NICOLE WINFIELD and SILVIA STELLACCI Associated Press
ROME Pope Francis was in critical condition Saturday after he suffered a prolonged asthmatic respiratory crisis while being treated for pneumonia and a complex lung infection, the Vatican said.
The 88-year-old pope, who remains conscious, received “high flows” of oxygen to help him breathe. He also received blood transfusions after tests showed low counts of platelets, which are needed for clotting, the Vatican said in a late update.
“The Holy Father’s condition continues to be critical, therefore, as explained yesterday (Friday), the pope is not out of danger,” the statement said. It was the first time “critical” had been used in a written statement to describe Francis’ condition since he was hospitalized Feb. 14.
The statement also said that the pontiff “continues to be alert and spent the day in an armchair although in more pain than yesterday ” Doctors declined to offer a prognosis, saying it was “reserved.”
Doctors have said Francis’ condition is touch-and-go,
given his age, fragility and preexisting lung disease.
They have warned that the main threat facing Francis would be the onset of sepsis, a serious infection of the blood that can occur as a complication of pneumonia.
As of Friday, there was no evidence of any sepsis, and Francis was responding to the various drugs he is taking, the pope’s medical team said in their first in-depth update on the pope’s condition.
Saturday’s blood tests showed that he had developed a low platelet count, a condition called platelopenia or thrombocytopenia. Platelets are cell-like fragments that circulate in the blood that help form blood clots to stop bleeding or help wounds heal Low platelet counts can be caused by a number of things, including side effects from medicines or infections, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health
Francis, who has chronic lung disease and is prone to bronchitis in winter, was admitted to Gemelli hospital on Feb. 14 after a weeklong bout of bronchitis worsened.
Doctors first diagnosed the complex viral, bacterial and fungal respiratory tract infection and then the onset of pneumonia in both lungs. They prescribed “absolute rest” and a combination of cortisone and antibiotics, along with supplemental oxygen when he needs it Saturday’s update marked the first time the Vatican has re-
ferred to Francis suffering an “asthmatic respiratory crisis of prolonged magnitude, which also required the application of oxygen at high flows.”
Dr Sergio Alfieri, the head of medicine and surgery at Rome’s Gemelli hospital, said Friday the biggest threat facing Francis was that some of the germs that are currently located in his respiratory system pass into the bloodstream causing sepsis. Sepsis can lead to organ failure and death.
“Sepsis, with his respiratory problems and his age, would be really difficult to get out of,” Alfieri told a
news conference Friday at Gemelli. “The English say ‘knock on wood,’ we say ‘touch iron.’ Everyone touch what they want,” he said as he tapped the microphone.
“But this is the real risk in these cases: that these germs pass to the bloodstream.”
“He knows he’s in danger,” Alfieri added. “And he told us to convey that.” Meanwhile, the Vatican hierarchy went on the defensive to tamp down rumors and speculation that Francis might decide to resign. There is no provision in canon law for what to do if a pope becomes incapaci-
tated. Francis has said that he has written a letter of resignation that would be invoked if he were medically incapable of making such a decision. The pope remains fully conscious, alert, eating and working.
The Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, gave a rare interview to Corriere della Sera to respond to speculation and rumors about a possible resignation. It came after the Vatican issued an unusual and official denial of an Italian media report that said Parolin and the pope’s chief canonist had visited Francis in the hospital in secret.
Given the canonical requirements to make a resignation legitimate, the implications of such a meeting were significant, but the Vatican flat-out denied that any such meeting occurred.
Parolin said such speculation seemed “useless” when what really mattered was the health of Francis, his recovery and return to the Vatican. “On the other hand, I think it is quite normal that in these situations uncontrolled rumors can spread or some misplaced comment is uttered. It is certainly not the first time it has happened,” Parolin was quoted as saying. “However, I don’t think there is any particular movement, and so far I haven’t heard anything like that.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Saturday that President Donald Trump had been briefed on the pope’s condition and was working on his own statement that will be released later “We’re praying for the pope,” Leavitt said. Leavitt is one of three administration officials who face a lawsuit from The Associated Press on first- and fifth-amendment grounds. The AP says Leavitt and two others are punishing the news agency for editorial decisions they oppose. The White House says the AP is not following an executive order to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.
BY TARA COPP and LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump abruptly fired Air Force Gen. CQ Brown Jr as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Friday, sidelining a history-making fighter pilot and respected officer as part of a campaign led by his defense secretary to rid the military of leaders who support diversity and equity in the ranks.
The ouster of Brown, only the second Black general to serve as chairman, is sure to send shock waves through the Pentagon His 16 months in the job had been consumed with the war in Ukraine and the expanded conflict in the Middle East.
the police killing of George Floyd had made him fodder for the administration’s wars against “wokeism” in the military His ouster is the latest upheaval at the Pentagon, which plans to cut 5,400 civilian probationary workers starting next week and identify $50 billion in programs that could be cut next year to redirect those savings to fund Trump’s priorities.
“I want to thank General Charles ‘CQ’ Brown for his over 40 years of service to our country, including as our current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He is a fine gentleman and an outstanding leader, and I wish a great future for him and his family,” Trump posted on social media. Brown’s public support of Black Lives Matter after
Trump said he’s nominating retired Air Force Lt. Gen Dan “Razin” Caine to be the next chairman. Caine is a career F-16 pilot who served on active duty and in the National Guard, and was most recently the associate director for military affairs at the CIA, according to his military biography Caine’s military service includes combat roles in Iraq, special operations postings and positions inside some of the Pentagon’s most classified special access programs. However, he has not had key assignments identified in law as prerequisites for the job, including serving as either the vice chairman, a combatant commander or a service chief. That requirement could be waived if the
“president determines such action is necessary in the national interest.”
More Pentagon firings Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in a statement praising both Caine and Brown, announced the firings of two additional senior officers: Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti and Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. Jim Slife. Franchetti becomes the second top female military officer to be fired by the Trump administration. Trump fired Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan just a day after he was sworn in.
A surface warfare officer, Franchetti has commanded at all levels, heading U.S. 6th Fleet and U.S. Naval Forces Korea. She was the second woman ever to be promoted to four-star admiral, and she did multiple deployments, including as commander of a naval destroyer and two stints as aircraft carrier strike group commander Slife led Air Force Special Operations Command prior to becoming the service’s vice chief of staff and had deployed to the Middle East and Afghanistan. He told The Associated Press on Friday: “The President and Secretary of De-
fense deserve to have generals they trust and the force deserves to have generals who have credibility with our elected and appointed officials. While I’m disappointed
to leave under these circumstances, I wouldn’t want the outcome to be any different.” Trump has asserted his executive authority in a much stronger way in his second term, removing most officials from the Biden administration even though many of those positions are meant to carry over from one administration to the next.
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By The Associated Press
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.
— A
shooting at a U.S. Air Force base in New Mexico early Saturday left one airman dead and another wounded, military officials said, adding that it was not an act of
terrorism or an attack by an outsider
A statement from Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque said security forces responded to a shooting near one of the entrances to the base at about 2 a.m. One airman died at the scene,
and the other was taken to a hospital with a gunshot wound to a hand and later discharged, the statement said.
An update in the afternoon said the shooting occurred following “an off-base pursuit.” There was no threat to
BY STEVE PEOPLES
AP national political writer
NEW YORK
Hundreds of thousands of federal workers have little more than 48 hours to explain what they accomplished over the last week as part of billionaire Elon Musk’s crusade to slash what he describes as “waste everywhere” in the federal government.
Musk, who serves as President Donald Trump’s costcutting chief, teased the extraordinary request on his social media network on Saturday
“Consistent with President @realDonaldTrump’s instructions, all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week,” Musk posted on X, which he owns. “Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.”
Shortly afterward, federal employees received a threeline email with this instruction: “Please reply to this email with approx 5 bullets of what you accomplished last week and cc your manager.”
The deadline to respond is Monday at 11:59 p.m.
Thousands of government employees have already been forced out of the federal workforce either by being fired or offered a buyout — during the first month of Trump’s administration as the White House and Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency fire both new and career workers, tell agency leaders to plan for “large-scale reduc-
JOSE LUIS MAGANA
Elon Musk hold a chain saw Thursday as he arrives to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in Oxon Hill, Md.
tions in force” and freeze trillions of dollars in federal grant funds
There is no official figure available for the total firings or layoffs so far, but The Associated Press has tallied hundreds of thousands of workers who are being affected. Many work outside of Washington. The cuts include thousands at the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Defense, Health and Human Services, the Internal Revenue Service and the National Parks Service, among others.
AFGE President Everett Kelley quickly condemned the ultimatum as an example of Trump and Musk’s “utter disdain for federal employees and the critical services they provide to the American people.”
“It is cruel and disrespectful to hundreds of thousands of veterans who are wearing their second uniform in the civil service to be forced to justify their job duties to
this out-of-touch, privileged, unelected billionaire who has never performed one single hour of honest public service in his life,” Kelley said. “AFGE will challenge any unlawful terminations of our members and federal employees across the country.”
Musk on Friday celebrated his new role at a gathering of conservatives by waving a giant chain saw in the air He called it “the chain saw for bureaucracy” and said, “Waste is pretty much everywhere” in the federal government McLaurine Pinover, a spokesperson at the Office of Personnel Management, confirmed Musk’s directive and said that individual agencies would “determine any next steps.” What happens if an employee is on leave or vacation? Again, she said individual agencies would determine how to proceed.
BY DYLAN LOVAN Associated Press
LOUISVILLE, Ky. Witnesses described a chaotic scene in which three people were shot and killed outside of a Kentucky driver’s license office, including one man shot multiple times by masked assailants.
The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office issued a statement late Friday identifying the victims from earlier in the day as ranging in age from 18 to 33 years old. Officers who responded around noon Friday found one man dead at the scene and two wounded women, who later died after being taken to a hospital, according to Louisville Metro Police Department. The coroner’s statement said that the man, 18-yearold Leslye M. Harbin Jr., died of multiple gunshot wounds at the scene, while the two women, 33-year-old Antwanette Chillers and 29-year-old Raysa Pacios Valdes, each died of a gun-
shot wound at a hospital. Authorities have not said whether the victims knew each other or knew whoever was responsible for the shooting Witnesses said the chaos unfolded at the busy office, which had a line out the door Jalen Eddings told WHAS-TV that he had gone to the office but went back to his car to wait out the long line when the shooting unfolded nearby He said two masked men shot the man multiple times, including as he lay on the ground, before they ran off. He said he didn’t see them fire at the women.
“Like I was just in shock, I couldn’t believe it, it was like something off of a movie,” Eddings said Numerous police responded to the shooting at a state Driver Licensing Office on the southern outskirts of Louisville. Police evidence markers were set on the ground around an area about 20 feet (about six meters) from the entrance to the
building Friday afternoon.
Police Maj. Donald Boeckman said Friday that the shooter left in a vehicle. Boeckman did not have a description of the vehicle and said investigators were still reviewing surveillance video.
“It’s absolutely a tragedy, and I’m surprised there wasn’t more people injured,” Boeckman said.
Aaron Ellis, a spokesman for the police department, said in an email Saturday that the department had no further updates to share about the search for suspects.
Kentucky Gov Andy Beshear posted a statement on social media calling the shooting “a senseless act of violence.”
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, which operates the license office, said in a news release that security at the office locked down the building quickly after the shooting and that none of its employees were harmed.
the public, it said.
The Air Force released few other details and did not immediately say whether anyone was in custody A spokesperson declined to say whether the shooter or
shooters also were airmen.
The names of the airmen who were shot were not immediately released.
The Air Force Office of Special Investigations was leading the probe.
FBI investigators were also at the scene being helped by Albuquerque police, said Gilbert Gallegos, a police spokesperson. Police were not searching for any suspects, he added.
By Amanda McElfresh| amcelfresh@theadvocate.com
TheBerkenhomeinLakeArthurisfilled with love andactivity. Although theoldestofthe six Berkenchildrenhavemovedout,theentirefamily is together oftenfor celebrations,meals and activities.Inthe midstofitall is theyoungest, Faith, whowillturn10years oldthisOctober
“She is so loving andaffectionateand funny andwitty,” said Faith’smom,KaylaBerken. “She lovesriceand gravyand gardeningwithher dad. Shelikes to play thepiano.She’s just funand wonderfultobearound.”
But, nearly adecadeago,there were serious doubtsaboutFaith’ssurvival.Bornatjust24weeks old, shespent 333 days in theNeonatalIntensive CareUnit(NICU)atOurLadyofLourdesWomen’s &Children’sHospitalinLafayette,fighting for everymilestone anddefying theoddsstacked againsther
“Itwasveryscary.Sheweighedonepoundand 10ounces.Herskinwasverytranslucentandher eyeswereshut.Shewasonaventilator.Sinceallof ourbabiesbeforeherhadbeenbornatfullterm,it wasnotsomethingwehadeverwitnessedbefore, Berken said.“Thedoctors were honest with us that herchances were pretty slim at onepoint But, they were goingtofightfor her. Faithsteadily improved as hersmall body continuedtodevelop.Berkenhomeschooledher otherchildrenduringthe daywhile herhusband Jasonwas at work,thenspent nights with Faith in theNICU. On Sundays, Faith’ssiblingswould visit.Becauseofthe length of Faith’sNICUstay, thedoctors andnursesatWomen’s &Children’s notonlywatched Faithgrow, but also bonded with theother Berken children
“Theybasically watchedour entire family grow over ayear,”Berkensaid. “Theyhelpedthe kidsembracetheNICU,whichwassoimportant becauseit’sascary placeand ourkidswerevery awarethatFaithmaynotcomehome.Thedoctors andnurses were always theretoexplain things to thekidsontheir levelsothattheywouldn’t be afraid.I’mverygratefulforalotofthings,butthe relationshipstheyformedwithour family is at thetop of thelist.”
Dr.Amy Zeringue,aneonatologist andNICU MedicalDirectoratOurLadyofLourdesWomen’s &Children’sHospitalwhowaspartofFaith’scare team,saidthephilosophyoffamily-centeredcare isembeddedintotheworkthattakesplaceinthe NICU each day.
“That’sa mindsetand agoalthatwehave in this unit becauseweknowthatbabieswho have alot of family supportdowell, notjust in theNICU, but aftertheygohome,”Dr. Zeringue said.“When youloveyourjob andyou want to come to work everyday,thatleads to thesegreat relationships. It’s notjust thetechnology that helpsthese babies survive. It’s also theloveand servicetothe families.”
Becausethe Berken family learnedsomuch aboutcaringfor Faithfromthe NICU team,they were prepared when shewas finallyabletogo home.Atthe time,she wasstill on aventilator andfeedingtube,andneededseveralmedications each day. Hersiblingsimmediately jumped into action,learningabouteverythingfrommedicine dosagestooxygensettings.
Dr.Zeringuesaidthat, like many premature babies,Faithalwayshadaresiliencyandfighting spirit,two qualitiesthatcan play akey role in future growth anddevelopment
“Wealwaystendtosee thesebig personalities intheselittlebodiesintheNICU,”shesaid.“Faith wasdefinitely like that from thefirst day, and we seeitalot.It’sactuallya really positive sign, becausethat’swhattheyneedtosurvive and thrive as they getolder.”
InadditiontoFaith’slivelypersonality,Berken believesherfamily’sdeepspiritualityplayedarole inherdaughter’srecovery.Theyprayedwithdoctors before Faith’sproceduresand made it apoint to conductthemselvesina waythatthe hospital staff –fromfoodservice workersand janitors to nursepractitioners andexecutive leaders– saw Godwithin them.Therefore,itwas only fitting that theBerkens choose aBiblicalnamefor their youngest child. Berken haddecided on Samuel during herpregnancy,whenavivid dreamled hertobelieve shewas having aboy.After alittle girl wasborn, they decidedonHannah. But, the term “faith”keptcomingupinconversationand embroideredonablanket in Berken’s room Ultimately,thechildwasnamedHannahFaith, although herfamilycalls herexclusively by her middle name
“MyhusbandandIwerereallyfocusedonaname thatglorifiesGod,”Berkensaid.“Istillremember seeing thescripture on that blanketthattalks aboutfaithisbelievinginsomethingyoucan’tsee. Wehadbeentalkingabouthernameforawhileat that point, andthatwas confirmation to us that theLordwas approvingthe name we wanted.” AlthoughFaithisnownineyearsold,herbody is aboutage sixinterms of development, Berken said.Shestillisintherapyandhassomeissueswith herhipsand eyes.But,overall,she hasexceeded allexpectations. Hernew favorite activities are playingvolleyballinthe backyard andpreparing to be an aunt for thefirsttime.
“We’reexpectingourfirstgrandbaby,andFaith issoexcited,”Berkensaid.“She’salwaysbeenthe youngestinthefamily,sothiswillbeherfirsttime seeing what it’s like to be abig sister.She keeps talkingabout wantingtoplaywiththe baby.It’s goingtobereallyspecial to seethemtogether.
WhileFaith’s time in theNICUwas several yearsago,herbondswiththeteamatWomen’s& Children’sremainsstrong.Shehasbecomeabitof ahospitalspokesperson,promotingtheOurLady ofLourdesFoundationTickettoDriveJeepMazda Giveawayanditsongoingexpansionproject.The heartofthatprojectisanewNICU,completewith privatefamilysuitesthatwillallowmultiplefamily memberstostayclose to theirbabies.
“ThisexpansionoftheNICUwillgivefamilies aprivate bedthatwilllet them stay overnight, increase theirbonding time andfeelmorelike a nursery,”Dr. Zeringue said.“I’mreallylooking forward to usingthisasaway to increase our commitment to family-centeredcare.
There’sagoodchanceFaithandherfamilywill be rightthere as theproject progresses.Berken said they areall stillclose to many of thedoctors andnurseswhotreatedFaithduringherfirstyear of life,staying in frequent contactand sharing milestonemoments with oneanother
“When Isee her, Isee alot of joy,”Dr. Zeringue said.“That givesushopeand determinationto keep pushingourselves to be ourbestfor each baby we care for. When yousee achild like Faith doingsowell,itmakesallofthehardworkworth it.Itruly believeshe will be athrivingadult who provides servicetoher community.
The KreweofXanadu, Lafayette’s largest all-women’s krewe, celebratesits 35th anniversary with it’s Tableau and Ball beingheldon Friday, February 28 at 8pm at the LafayetteCajundome Convention Center.This year’s theme is “Xanadu in the City.” Reigning overthis year’s festivitiesare Queen XanaduXXXVGail Wilt and King Xanadu XXXVGlenn Armentor.
Gail Wilt joined the KreweofXanadu in 2005 and wasamember of the courts for2012’s“Xanadu’s Xquisite Jewels” &2023’s“Lights on Xanadu.”Originally from Ohio,she movedtoLafayetteover30years agowithher husband, Stephen Wilt,M.D.Theyhavetwo children, Kelly Steimel &Benjamin Wilt,& four grandchildren.Mrs.Wilt has volunteered with severalareaorganizations,includingthe Lafayette CommunityHealthcareClinic, the LafayetteParish Medical Alliance, the Acadiana SymphonyOrchestra, Friends of Music, &St. John the Evangelist Cathedral. Aloverofall thingsMardi Gras,she served as KreweofVictoria’s Queen Victoria X& is acurrentmember of New Orleans’ KreweofCork.
Glenn Armentorispresident of The Glenn ArmentorLaw Corporation in Lafayettewhere he has practicedsincegraduating from the LSU Paul M. Hebert LawCenterin1977.Heisthe past presidentof the LafayetteBar Association &the LouisianaAssociationfor Justice. Aproud LSU fan, he currently servesonLSU BoardofSupervisors Mr.Armentorestablishedthe Pay-It-Forward Scholarship Program
whichawardscollegescholarships to hardworking, at-risk high school students,empowering them to pursue higher education&reshape their lives.Heisastaunch advocatefor domestic violence survivors through his support of Faith House. He alsoproudlyservesasalieutenant in the Mystick KreweofLouisianians.Mr. Armentor&his wife Danahavetwo children
Established in 1990,the KreweofXanadu is based on the GreekGod Zeus,the GoddessofMemoriesMnemosyne, and their daughters, the nine Muses.The Muses were all lovely,graceful,and amusing. Each wasgifted withaparticular talentand couldbanish all grief and sorrow
AmyBrunet, our GoddessMnemosyne, serves as this year’s Ball Captain. Thisyear’s muses are:
•Chanda Trahan, Polyhymnia,Goddess of Sacred Song
•Amy Bodin,Euterpe, GoddessofMusic
•KaraMiller,Urania,GoddessofAstrology
•Katie Bergeron-Bacqué, Calliope, Goddess of Epic Poetry
•Michelle Landry,Erato,GoddessofLove Poetry
•RegineDade, Terpsichore,Goddess of Dance
•Angela Rosteet, Clio,GoddessofHistory
•Joy Scallan,Melpomene, Goddess of Tragedy
•Annie Bacon,Thalia,GoddessofComedy
million to $25 million annually on advertising statewide.
ing free speech protected by the First Amendment.
showmanship — that will play out on a public stage.
On Jan. 1, McKernan launched a blitz that features him in TV ads and on giant billboards in New Orleans, all to prompt people injured in car accidents in the metro area to hire his firm.
McKernan says he’ll grab a good-sized chunk of the business in New Orleans because he has succeeded in every other market in Louisiana.
“The phones are ringing. People are hiring us. So it looks promising,” McKernan said during a lengthy interview. “There’s room for another guy to come alongside.”
It won’t happen, Bart says.
He’s confident McKernan will become only the latest out-of-town law firm that makes a splash in New Orleans but ends up failing to knock him off his perch
“I’m not blasé about it,” Bart said. “We’re watching what he does very carefully But my recognition and brand after being in the marketplace for decades is so strong in New Orleans that I haven’t seen any effect.”
The billboard wars heat up Just to be sure, Bart has plastered his face on 10 to 20 more billboards in New Orleans and upped his TV advertising.
During a two-hour stretch during “The Today Show” on Tuesday morning, Bart accounted for seven of the 21 ads by personal injury law firms, while McKernan had four
The Womac Law Firm and Daly & Black also ran four, while Dudley DeBosier accounted for three.
Bart said 40 to 50 law firms advertise on TV and billboards in New Orleans. He has a TV set in his office that he keeps on throughout the day so he can track the ads.
“It’s a fiercely competitive market,” he said.
Both attorneys agree that McKernan’s entry into New Orleans won’t lead to more lawsuits there because the market is already saturated For McKernan to succeed, then, he will have to take cases from Bart and the other personal injury law firms in New Orleans.
Bart and McKernan both estimate that they spend $20
The two men are friendly, but Bart nurses a complaint against the upstart McKernan.
“He pretty much imitates whatever I do,” Bart said, saying that McKernan copies Bart’s yellow and red color scheme on his billboards. “Drive down Causeway Boulevard (in Metairie). If you look at his billboard and you look at my billboard, they really look identical until you get close. It has resulted in me getting more business because people look at it, and they think it’s one of my ads.”
Bart also takes issue with McKernan’s statement that he might have the biggest personal injury law firm in Louisiana.
“He is not even close to being the largest injury firm,” said Bart. “You can simply verify this for yourself. Go online, look at his website and count the number of lawyers he has.”
Measuring it that way is difficult because Bart has attorneys who work for him in Mississippi and Alabama. But he said he has 70 to 75 lawyers in Louisiana, all based in New Orleans, while McKernan said he has 60 lawyers in 13 different offices throughout Louisiana.
Personal injury lawyers speaking privately said they believe Dudley DeBosier is currently the second-biggest firm in New Orleans after Bart’s.
Steve DeBosier, whose firm is based in Baton Rouge but has operated for years in New Orleans, also expresses confidence that McKernan’s entry won’t hurt him.
“If you call me in six months, I think I’d tell you it didn’t make a difference,” he said.
How ads became common
For decades and decades, lawyers were prohibited from advertising their services. Doing so would have been seen as grubby.
A landmark 1978 Supreme Court decision opened the door
Bart rushed through it in 1980, only two years after graduating from Loyola Law School.
He remains proud that he was the first lawyer to begin advertising on TV in Louisiana, and afterward, fended off efforts by staid lawyers to knock him off the air
Bart argued successfully that he was simply practic-
Now both McKernan and Bart have become household names through their constant advertising. Many people can recite the lawyers’ phone numbers by heart.
While McKernan and Bart have built their practice around their personal brands, don’t expect them to personally handle cases. Staff attorneys do most of the work, and when their clients win money, it’s almost always through a settlement because few cases go to trial The lawyers work on a high-risk, high-reward contingency basis, meaning the law firm gets paid only if it wins the case. That’s generally 33% to 40% of the settlement or verdict.
McKernan acknowledges he hasn’t appeared in court for years, while Bart said he was in Jefferson Parish and federal courtrooms recently
Each man serves as his firm’s chief executive officer, overseeing dozens of attorneys, marketing people and others.
Asked to describe his role, McKernan said, “I get involved in cases in terms of strategy — what should we do next? Do we want to spend the money financing this case because these are the potential problems with the case? Is there a potential problem with this case? I’m always involved with problem-solving.”
Asked to describe his role, Bart said, “I have my fingers in everything. I kind of micromanage. All management issues come to me. I do the marketing. All the creatives flow from me.”
Bart said he also heads the section of his firm that handles big lawsuits that blame injuries or deaths on mismanagement or defective products.
He said his firm is representing the families of five of the 14 people killed in the Jan 1 attack on Bourbon Street and 25 people who were injured.
The brief that his law firm filed in the case, Bart said, “reads like a novel But it’s nonfiction.”
Different personalities
The two men offer a study in contrasts.
Bart, 72, was raised in New Orleans and began his law firm with just a secretary
He operates from the 24th floor of the Pan-American
Building in the Central Business District, with a sweeping view of the New Orleans skyline and the Mississippi River
Bart is Jewish and donates money to help elect candidates who are pro-Israel.
McKernan grew up in Baton Rouge and worked at the law firm of his father Jerry before taking it over and expanding it.
His office in Baton Rouge overlooks Interstate 10.
Soft-spoken in private, McKernan said his Christian faith underlies his work. He said that one morning, while going through a difficult time years ago, he spied a cleaning product in the shower with the word “purpose.”
He took that as a message from God and said to himself about his law firm, “If this gets successful and big, I can advance the Gospel, I can show people that lawyers can be different especially personal injury lawyers who are seen as ambulance chasers. We can do good for people.”
McKernan gives every client a Bible after their case is resolved.
They also get the chance to pick out something from what he calls the “swag room” in his office: a T-shirt, a baseball hat, a mug, a robe all emblazoned with the letter G.
Both men are known as generous philanthropists, with McKernan contributing money for school scholarships and breast cancer and diabetes awareness programs. Bart recently gave $1 million to Second Harvest, which feeds the hungry in New Orleans.
To be sure, the charitable giving reinforces their brand.
The McKernan web pages that highlight the causes he supports also include a form headed by: “Injured? Get Free Consult Now!”
Alongside news of Bart’s generous giving is a photo of him embedded in an online form that says “Accept no imitation. Work with the best personal injury lawyers.”
Both men speak well of each other, saying they are friends.
Bart said McKernan called him two years ago to see if Bart wanted to join him in giving $100,000 to help elect then-Attorney General Jeff Landry, the Republican candidate for governor Bart said he didn’t feel comfortable doing so because his
whole family favors abortion rights, unlike the fiercely anti-abortion Landry
Both men are intense competitors.
McKernan said he wasn’t content when he was younger to run a 10K race. He had to run the 100K race.
Bart said that he worked seven days a week to build his firm.
McKernan’s law firm owns a Bombardier Challenger 300 private jet, while Bart said he has access to a charter jet that flies him to his vacation home in Aspen, Colorado.
The competitive streak explains why McKernan, at 58, is spending heavily to try to muscle his way into New Orleans. Why take on Bart in New Orleans?
“The challenge is there,” McKernan, picking up a piece of fried shrimp off his plate at a Baton Rouge seafood restaurant. “Sometimes, someone looks at a mountain — you want to climb it because it’s there. We want to give a different choice to New Orleans.”
“I always had my eye on New Orleans,” he added. “It’s the crown jewel of the state. I can’t say I’m Louisiana’s lawyer without being in New Orleans.”
McKernan said he is starting slowly, with two lawyers in a leased office in Metairie.
“The plan would be to buy a permanent structure in a highly visible central location,” McKernan said. “We just have to make sure that the people of New Orleans like us and receive us and want us to help them. That just takes time.”
McKernan said he will need three to five years. In the meantime, Bart said he relishes this latest test.
A few years ago, Bart said, a Florida-based law firm jumped into the New Orleans market, seeking to stand out with ads on pink billboards and pink-painted public buses that told anyone who was injured to dial “411-PAIN.”
They flamed out, he said. Lerner & Rowe, an Arizona-based firm, advertised heavily beginning in 2017 after partnering with New Orleans attorney Mike Brandner.
That gambit failed badly, with both law firms suing each other “It motivates me when Gordon McKernan comes in, not in a bad way, but in a good way,” Bart said. “It’s like, ‘OK, fine, here’s the new kid on the block who wants to challenge me.’ It gets the creative juices flowing.”
Email Tyler Bridges at tbridges@theadvocate. com.
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BY POET WOLFE Staff writer
Standing near shelves stacked with homemade dog treats shaped like doughnuts and cookies, Roxanne DeNicola reflected on how her pet boutique came to life in 2018.
“It all started from scratch,” she said, her magenta lips curling into a warm smile.
Cafe BoneJour, DeNicola’s store in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, was the first of many developments to pop up in the waterside town’s Depot District after much of it was purchased by a New Orleans developer 7 years ago. The colorful row of buildings, once home to many of the city’s iconic bars and restaurants, was ravaged by Hurricane Katrina.
Through the years, stores opened in the Depot District, attempting to reincarnate the hub to what it once was before the storm. But most of them came and went, opening for short periods of time and then closing up shop.
But the vibe is different now, business owners and city officials said this week.
On a drizzly Wednesday afternoon, a bartender inside TBT Depot Deli made bloody marys in togo cups while others sat and had a late lunch Just down the way at Uncle Joe’s Pizza and Wings, families filled a few tables before the dinner rush.
“It’s all changed,” said Jim MacPhaille, the businessman behind the Depot District.
MacPhaille bought and fully renovated nine of the 12 properties that make up the row of mixed-use development in 2018 After an un-
relenting cycle of installing new roofs, rewiring and replumbing, he sought out new tenants. Today, the multimillion-dollar investment is an eclectic mix of restaurants, a wine bar and a specialty spirit store, fitness centers and vacation rentals.
“It’s got a vibe of almost like Freret Street,” MacPhaille said, referencing the popular thoroughfare in Uptown New Orleans.
The Depot District already attracts crowds of foodies, drinkers and fitness gurus alike. Some business owners are expecting the
area to get higher foot traffic when Amtrak passenger service from New Orleans to Mobile returns in June, with a stop in Bay St. Louis. Others have their doubts.
Business owners torn
DeNicola is used to a regular flow of health-conscious customers coming into Cafe BoneJour and purchasing organic treats for their pets. But when asked if passenger service could heighten customer flow at her store and others in the Depot District, she shrugged. Downtown Bay St. Louis tends
to attract more residents and tour-
ists, DeNicola said, because of Second Saturday — its bimonthly art walk and its substantial number of stores specializing in antiques, fashion and food. The art colony is also a seaside retreat for New Orleanians wanting an escape from city life.
“There’s always things going on downtown,” DeNicola said, “And they can be busy, busy, busy, busy And we don’t see any of that.”
She isn’t completely doubtful, though, noting that the train station being directly across from the Depot District works in her store’s favor Scott Sutherland, the owner of TBT Butcher Shop and Seafood Market and Depot Deli, expects travelers to “see the charm” in the area.
He chose the location for his two businesses because of the return of Amtrak passenger service and, like DeNicola, he found downtown far too crowded.
“I think (the Depot District) has a lot of potential for exposure for
new folks that may not have come by or realized this was here,” Sutherland added.
Amtrak’s potential impact
In 1996, Gulf Coast Limited — an Amtrak-operated train service that no longer exists offered passengers a scenic excursion between New Orleans and Mobile. Like the up-and-coming route, there were stops scattered throughout Mississippi: Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi and Pascagoula. The service came to an end less than a year later
The state funding for the single train was limited, only lasting nine months, according to Kay Kell, the Mississippi commissioner of the Southern Rail Commission. And the growth it brought to local economies was minute, though “activity in the Depot (District) area picked up,” Kell recalled.
When asked if the new Amtrak passenger service will attract more crowds to the Depot District, Kell said she “definitely thinks it will,” considering two trains will be rolling through, rather than just one, and the station’s location.
“If you travel anywhere by train, when you get off, you’re looking around at what’s right there,” she added.
Tish Williams, the executive director of the Hancock County Chamber of Commerce, noted that Amtrak will attract New Orleans visitors to Bay St. Louis, while expanding its market as well.
“I think it’s going to give us the opportunity to attract that international market that’s already going to New Orleans,” Williams said. “They just don’t know about us, and they don’t have a public transit way to get here.”
A study by the University of Southern Mississippi found that connecting New Orleans to Mobile could annually provide between $24 million and $485 million in benefit to Mississippi’s economy Nationwide, Amtrak says its services and passengers generate $8 billion in economic benefit.
Email Poet Wolfe at poet.wolfe @theadvocate.com.
BY WILL WEISSERT and ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON Associated Press
OXON HILL, Md. — President Donald Trump said Saturday that “nobody has ever seen anything” like his administration’s sweeping effort to fire thousands of federal employees and shrink the size of government, congratulating himself for “dominating” Washington and sending bureaucrats “packing.”
Addressing an adoring crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference in suburban Washington, Trump promised, “We’re going to forge a new and lasting political majority that will drive American politics for generations to come.”
The president has spent the opening weeks of his administration arguing that voters in November gave him a mandate to overhaul government while cracking down on the U.S.-Mexico border and to extend tax cuts that were the signature policy of his first administration.
Trump clicked easily back into campaign mode during a speech that lasted more than an hour, predicting that the GOP will continue to win and defy history which has shown that a president’s party typically struggles during midterm congressional elections. He insisted of Republicans, “I don’t think we’ve been at this level, maybe ever.”
“Nobody’s ever seen anything like this, and nobody’s ever seen four weeks like we had,” Trump said, likening his new administration’s opening month to being on a roll through the first four holes of a round of golf, which he said gave him confidence for the fifth.
Trump has empowered Elon Musk to help carry out
Hill, Md.
the firings, and the billionaire vowed Saturday that more might be coming.
“Consistent with President @realDonaldTrump’s instructions, all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week,” Musk posted on X, which he owns. “Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.”
Trump also repeatedly said Saturday that he’d carry out harder-line immigration policies. But those efforts have largely been overshadowed by his administration’s mass federal firings. He announced that one agency that had been significantly reduced, the U.S. Agency for International Development, would have its Washington office taken over by Customs and Border Protection officials.
“The agency’s name has been removed from its former building,” he said.
The president also repeated his previous promises that his administration will scrutinize the country’s gold depository at Fort Knox.
“Would anybody like to join us,” he said to cheers from
the crowd. “We want to see if the gold is still there.”
But Trump also devoted large chunks of his address reliving last year’s presidential race, jeering at former President Joe Biden and mispronouncing the first name of former Vice President Kamala Harris — his Election Day opponent — gleefully proclaiming, “I haven’t said that name in a while.”
He even mentioned Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who ran for president in 2020.
The president said immigration and border policy under Biden made him angry “I couldn’t stand it,”
Trump said, before cautioning himself, “Donald, don’t get angry.” He went on to use an expletive to describe how he thinks of Biden’s handling of border security, despite noting that evangelical conservatives have urged him not to use foul language.
Trump had kinder words for Chinese President Xi Jinping, saying “I happen to like” him, while adding, “we’ve been treated very unfairly by China and many other countries.”
BY BERNARD CONDON Associated Press
NEW YORK Elon Musk’s cost-cutting team is eliminating jobs at the vehicle safety agency that oversees Tesla and has launched investigations into deadly crashes involving his company’s cars.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has cut a “modest” amount of positions, according to a statement from the
agency Musk has accused NHTSA of holding back progress on self-driving technology with its investigations and recalls. Asked about whether the cuts would impact any probes into Tesla, the agency referred to its statement that says it will “enforce the law on all manufacturers of motor vehicles and equipment.”
The job cuts at NHTSA enacted by Musk’s advisory
group on shrinking the federal government, the Department of Government Efficiency, was earlier reported by The Washington Post
In addition to investigations into Tesla’s partially automated vehicles, NHTSA has mandated that Tesla and other automakers using selfdriving technology report crash data on vehicles, a requirement that Tesla has criticized and that watchdogs fear could be eliminated.
Landry supports NHL team in N.O
Gov Jeff Landry said Thursday he supports an NHL hockey team coming to New Orleans.
“It’s time Louisiana has an @NHL Team,” Landry said on the social media site X. “The economic impact would be substantial and having the Stanley Cup in the Big Easy would be a win for all!”
Landry highlighted an article from a website, The Score. It cited a report by ESPN’s Kevin Weekes about a meeting Wednesday at NHL headquarters in New York between league staff and a group interested in bringing a team to New Orleans.
The report did not identify who was part of that group.
The president of the company that manages the Smoothie King Center and other entertainment in venues, said Wednesday that he has not been contacted about an NHL team.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has not publicly committed to expanding the league.
New Orleans once had a minor-league hockey team, the New Orleans Brass, that played in the Smoothie King Center from 1997-2002.
Louisiana currently has two minor-league teams, the Baton Rouge Zydeco and the Monroe Moccasins, which are in their second and first seasons, respectively LMOGA names new top lobbyist
The Louisiana Mid-
Continent Oil and Gas Association, the influential group that represents the state’s oil and gas industry, has named James Lee as its Executive Director of Government Affairs. Lee will “spearhead legislative engagement at both the state and national levels,” the association said in a news release.
Lee is formerly the legislative liaison for the Louisiana Department of Revenue He worked on the gubernatorial campaigns of Gov Jeff Landry’s and Richard Nelson and the Congressional campaign for Garret Graves, among others.
“James knows how Louisiana government works, and I am confident he will levy his experience and influence to do great things for LMOGA and Louisiana Energy,” Tommy Faucheux, the organization’s president, said in the release.
An LSU graduate, James is also an alumnus of the Charles Koch Institute and the Pelican Leadership Academy He is a former chairman of Louisiana Young Republicans and former state director of Americans for Prosperity
Housing Corporation chair is named Wendy Gentry, who has served on the board of the Louisiana Housing Corporation since last April, is the agency’s new chair man, Gov Jeff Landry an nounced in a news release
Friday
ABC’s “This Week”: Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I.; Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y.; retired Gen. George Casey, former Army chief of staff.
NBC’s “Meet the Press”: Sens. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., and Cory Booker, D-N.J. CNN’s “State of the Union”:
Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East; Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, DN.Y CBS’ “Face the Nation”: Witkoff; Sens. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., and John Curtis, R-Utah; Gov Kathy Ho-
chul, D-N.Y.; Scott Gottlieb, former Food and Drug Administration commissioner “Fox News Sunday”: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth; Reps. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Jim Himes, D-Conn.
The Associated Press
tate holding companies, which provides her with widespread and in-depth knowledge of real estate acquisitions and management,” the release said.
“In addition to her involvement in the real estate and rental housing market, Mrs. Gentry is a partner and CFO of a local finance company and oversees all accounting activities.”
LHC is the agency that administers federal and state funds for affordable housing and home energy efficiency projects, as well as leading efforts to find housing for people after disasters.
“Wendy has served LHC for nearly a year where she has brought new ideas and innovation to the corporation,” Landry said in the release.
“I am confident that in her new role as Chair, she will help streamline the agency in a way that best serves the people of our State.”
Gentry lives in Calhoun, a town west of Monroe.
Mark Ballard is on vacation
“Mrs. Gentry’s extensive professional career includes managing and directing three real es-
instructed her property manager to list the house at 314 Harrell Drive for midto long-term stays of more than 30 days to comply with the city ordinance. She said her property manager later apologized for not properly changing the listing Rood and her husband, Chris, appeared before a judge last week in LCG’s Administrative Adjudication Bureau court for failing to be in compliance. Kathy Trahan, LCG’s compliance manager, shared evidence that the Harrell Drive property was listed on Airbnb for short-term stays on Dec. 27. City attorney Paul Escott pulled up the property on Airbnb to show Judge Stuart Bowie that the house was still available for short-term stays as of the Wednesday morning hearing.
The judge did not issue a fine or otherwise penalize the Roods. Instead, he told the couple to come into compliance before a followup hearing next month Two similar short-term rental violation cases heard that day had the same outcome
The Roods aren’t worried about the next hearing. Instead, they’re putting the Harrell Drive property, which they’ve operated as a short-term rental for about three years, up for sale.
“It’s sad because we have the nicest house on the street,” Chris Rood said.
sometimes coming in the form of property photos with frequently changing vehicles that have out-of-state license plates. Luke’s team tries to find the property in question on short-term rental websites and book a reservation for a night or two. If successful, LCG will send a warning letter ordering the property owner to come into compliance If that doesn’t work, the property owners are taken to LCG’s administrative adjudication bureau. The judge typically gives property owners another chance to come into compliance before fines are issued.
It’s been four months since Lafayette’s short-term rental ban went into effect, and property owners are starting to see enforcement actions by the city-parish government. Enforcement hasn’t been easy according to Community Development and Planning Director Tammy Luke.
“It is very hard to track for the fact that there’s so many
“I don’t understand why they’re saying it hurts. If they would have taken down the sober-living houses with it, I would have understood.”
Continued from page 1A
demonstrated further Agency lic Powell, yet evaluation, doo “I to this,” caus Pow of have weeks effort Tr dra and Tr ordered federal agencies who live or work in the state have said they lost their job in recent days. That includes workers
platforms that it’s really quite hard to look at,” Luke said. “You can’t search by an address either so we are just kind of doing the best we can.”
Some short-term rental properties can continue operating under the new law, including those located in downtown, mixed-use or commercial districts. Owners of those properties must register for a $100 permit and renew it each year Just 68 properties regis-
Scalise’s office did not respond to a request for comment. Neither did any of Louisiana’s other federal
tered for a short-term rental permit with LCG by the Jan. 31 deadline, and one of those properties failed to receive a permit because it was located in a residential neighborhood.
Luke said her team does not have an estimate on how many short-term rental properties — legal or illegal exist in the city limits. It’s likely well above the number that are permitted.
A 2023 analysis by The Current estimated that
out him, the forest wouldn’t be able to maintain its status as one of the top lumber producers in the country
about 380 properties were being used for short-term rentals in the city About 150 of those properties were located in single-family residential zones, according to the analysis. Short-term rentals accounted for less than 1% of the city’s 60,000 homes. Enforcement has been almost entirely complaintdriven.
Complaints have come from council members, neighbors and the public,
dollar spent goes to serve the people, not the bureaucracy,” the statement read. The fear of layoffs spurred
Residents of the Saints Streets and Oaklawn neighborhoods, represented by council member Andy Naquin, have been especially vocal against short-term rentals. Naquin introduced the 2023 ordinance that went into effect in October “Problems arose in residential single-family,” Naquin said. “I’m sure there are problems elsewhere, but there were problems that the neighbors were consistently complaining about short-term rentals and the effect it has on the neighborhoods.”
The Roods own more than 500 properties across the country The Harrell Drive home was the only shortterm rental they operate in the city of Lafayette. Despite listing the property for sale, they still hope to see the ordinance challenged. “Does it help more than it harms?” Chris Rood asked. “That’s the key I don’t see how it helps more than it harms.”
“All I know is we’ve got an impending conflict with China and Russia that will be a naval fight, and while
Parents worry about overhaul of Education Department
BY HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH, COLLIN BINKLEY and ANNIE MA Associated Press
WASHINGTON It was obvious to Christine Smith Olsey that her son was not doing well at school, despite educators telling her to leave it to the experts. The second-grade student stumbled over words, and other kids teased him so much he started to call himself “an idiot.”
Though her son had been receiving speech and occupational therapy, Smith Olsey said his Denver charter school resisted her requests for additional academic support. She filed a complaint with the state and then in September the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights.
In January, her son’s case came to a halt.
“I have to postpone meetings with you to discuss the case,” a department mediator wrote to her on Jan. 23, three days after President Donald Trump’s inauguration. “I am sorry for the inconvenience. I will be in touch as I am able.”
As Trump began to reshape the Education Department investigations and mediations around disability rights issues came to a standstill.
Standing up for children with disabilities has been a primary role of the department’s civil rights office, which enforces protections guaranteed under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Historically, most complaints to the department have involved disability discrimination — parents saying their disabled child is not receiving accommodations they need to learn, which schools must provide under federal law
It’s not unusual for new presidential administrations to freeze
an individualized education program for a developmental delay
This month, the school agreed her son needs extra academic help, but she is seeking compensatory services to make up for time he went without adequate support. She also is seeking reimbursement for money she spent out of pocket on therapy, tutoring and testing.
When families believe their child is not receiving adequate services for their disability, filing a complaint with the Education Department is one way of prompting districts to provide additional help. Parents may also file a complaint with state agencies or pursue litigation Referee of disability rights cases
Services could take over that work. Families outraged and adrift
In the fall, DarNisha Hardaway was relieved when an Education Department mediator found her son’s school needed to reevaluate him and provide tutoring. She had filed a complaint with the department after a series of suspensions that she said stemmed from her son being overwhelmed and not getting enough academic help. The 12-yearold has an intellectual disability, autism and epilepsy
The Education Department, Hardaway said, “made the school system do what they’re supposed to do.”
cases while they adjust priorities, but exceptions typically are made for urgent situations, such as a child’s immediate learning situation. The freeze on pending cases and Trump’s calls to dismantle the department altogether left many parents worrying about the federal government’s commitment to disabled students’ rights.
In the first weeks of the Trump administration, the Education Department has launched investigations of complaints involving antisemitism and transgender athletes allowed to compete in women’s sports, delivering on Trump’s vow to use federal funding as leverage to assail perceived “wokeness” in schools.
It’s worrisome the administration has said so little about responding to complaints from families of students with disabilities, said Catherine Lhamon, who led the Office for Civil Rights under former presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama.
“If it is not aggressively engaged in protecting those rights, the office is not doing its job,” Lhamon said in
an interview
An Education Department spokesperson said the Office for Civil Rights ended the pause on its review of disability complaints Thursday, after The Associated Press asked for comment on the findings of reporting for this story
The Trump administration lifted its pause on disability cases sooner than the Biden administration did in its first months in office, spokesperson Julie Hartman said.
Progress stalled
The freeze had upended progress for families like Smith Olsey’s, whose children’s special education services may hinge on the outcomes of the department’s dispute resolution process.
“It’s a scary time right now to be a parent of special needs kiddos,” Smith Olsey said.
Her son has been diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism, dyslexia and dyscalculia, a learning disorder caused by differences in parts of the brain involved with numbers and calculations. Since preschool, he has had
Between 2021 and 2024, the department’s Office for Civil Rights received 27,620 complaints related to disability rights. The office is required to process all complaints it fields, but politics can play a role in setting priorities and choosing which cases to pursue.
Typically, more than half of the complaints to the department have involved disability discrimination, but last year accusations of sex discrimination surged to account for a majority of them, according to an annual report. Disability discrimination accounted for 37%, while discrimination over race or national origin accounted for 19%.
In recent years, the office has seen a significant decline in its staffing, even as the number of cases it must look into has increased.
Parents and advocates say they are concerned about the future of the department’s oversight role as Trump and his nominee for education secretary, Linda McMahon, outline a vision for a dramatically reduced footprint for the agency
At her confirmation hearing, Democrats pressed McMahon on whether she would support the department’s enforcement role in disability rights. She suggested the Department of Health and Human
WE’RE ASKING EXPERTS ACROSS THE STATE HOW TO TACKLE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES FACING LOUISIANA SCHOOLS.
If the school district broke the mediation agreement, she was told to contact the Office for Civil Rights again This month, after her son had an outburst in class, his suburban Detroit school told her he would need to learn online for the rest of the year — a ruling Hardaway saw as a violation of his disability accommodations. On Tuesday, an Office for Civil Rights representative told her they could not respond with any substantive information
Every day she waits, her son learns in front of a computer “He can’t learn online, and DarNisha is not a teacher,” said Marcie Lipsitt, who is working with the family “The OCR is just closed for business, and I’m outraged.”
Complaints about racial discrimination in schools are also pending.
Tylisa Guyton of Taylor, Michigan, filed a complaint with the Office for Civil Rights on Jan. 20 over her 16-year-old son’s repeated suspensions from a suburban Detroit school district, alleging a White administrator has been targeting him The teen has been out of school since Dec. 4 with the latest suspension, and she has heard nothing about when he might be allowed to return. Since missing so much school, she doubts he will be able to graduate on time. “I just feel lost,” she said.
BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL Staff writer
Mackenzie Kleinpeter logged into work Friday, thinking her job as a wildlife biologist and oil and gas specialist at the Southwest
Prolonged case
‘travesty of the justice system,’ Greene’s mother says
BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer
The family of a Black motorist beaten to death by Louisiana state troopers has reopened its federal civil rights lawsuit against the state agency and several officers involved.
Proceedings in the federal complaint, originally filed in May 2020, had been stalled for two years as a criminal investigation into the officers’ use of force against Ronald Greene played out. But in a report last month, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that prosecutors won’t bring federal charges against the officers present. Video captured officers beating and using a Taser on Greene after a high-speed chase near Monroe.
Tayla Greene, Ronald’s daughter, petitioned for the stay to be lifted Monday, and Magistrate Judge Kayla McClusky signed an order Thursday putting the civil case back on track, U.S Western District Court of Louisiana records show
“It’s criminal activity by all those complicit in this,” Mona Hardin, Ronald Greene’s mother, maintained Friday “People say you don’t want to step on any toes, you don’t want to do this and that. But we’ve done everything according to all procedures and we kept with protocol.
“Its vital, because if this isn’t done as it should be — I’ve always said that Louisiana needs to right this wrong. Just fix this. It’s lies, it’s cover up. And the killing of my Ronnie has been condoned, for the fact that we’re going into six years.”
Five troopers and a Union Parish deputy are named as defendants in the lawsuit, which alleges officers brutalized Ronald Greene the night of May 10, 2019. In late 2022, Judge McClusky set a July 17, 2024, trial date But two months after the scheduling order, defense attorneys requested a stay until criminal charges against the officers were resolved.
ä See LAWSUIT, page 2B
Louisiana National Wildlife Refuges Complex was safe from recent federal layoffs. She had heard about the thousands of terminations of probationary employees at the U.S. Forest Service and the rumors that
the National Park Service was next. Also in the back of her mind was the strange email earlier in the week offering her a buyout for her job. She wasn’t even sure if the offer was real.
Then her supervisor called her and asked if she received an invitation to a online meeting.
“I was like, ‘No, what’s happening?’ I checked my email that morning, and there was no meeting, and by 11:50, it said there was a meeting at noon,” Kleinpeter said, “It was a Zoom call where you couldn’t interact, and they were like, ‘Sorry Unfortunately, you’re all fired.’” Three others and her were part of around 400 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service probationary employees who were let go in President Donald Trump’s efforts to cut back federal government spending. She could not wrap her mind around the decision, she said, as she handed her keys over to her
TOP: Snake charmer
Katherine Schoeffler, left, participates in the Krewepion’s Canaille Circus krewe during the Krewe De Canailles parade as it rolled through downtown Lafayette on Friday LEFT: Members of the Subkrewe DWA hand out homemade treats.
Crimes happened in Lafayette Parish
BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer
A Carencro man was convicted Thursday of second-degree murder in connection with a
2020 shooting at Lafayette convenience store Kendell Ledet, 21, of Carencro, was convicted by a Lafayette Parish jury in a trial that began Tuesday before Judge Krystian Earles. The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Lance Beal Damian George, accord-
ing to evidence and testimony stopped at the Big Boy store on North University Avenue around 10:37 p.m. Sept. 19, 2020. Ledet reportedly saw George and waited for him to exit the store, then shot him six times with a .40-caliber pistol, according to a news release from the office of 15th Judicial District Attorney
Don Landry Ledet was arrested in East Baton Rouge Parish on Sept. 23, 2020, by the U.S. Marshal’s Violent Offender Task Force. During the trial, Lafayette police detective Chard Parker
Continued from page 1B
BY CLAIRE Staff writer
books they have to read in a day to accomplish the goal.
Library board vice president Becky Morgan initially pro d the review of the 30,000 young adult books, in response to months and months of community outcry from various pockets of the parish. The intention is the ongoing review will give the libraries a chance to prevent certain objectionable books from children and to ease residents.
Dakota DeMoss was one of the first troopers who arrived to the scene of Greene’s beating and death. Leaked video from his body camera showed trooper s repeat edly shocking and pummelGreene. The Associess first publideo of the beating 2021, sparking outcry and suspia long-running within State Footage of the deadly sent shock waves the state and benational news that prompted legislative and federal inns into the State with DeMoss, Parish sheriff’s Christo pher and retired Master Trooper Kory York, Capt. John Peters, Lt. John Clary and Sgt. Floyd McElroy also remain as defendants in the civil case In December 2022, five officers were indicted in
Continued from page 1B
state court on felonies that included negligent homicide and malfeasance in office. Those cases faltered, and prosecutors in the 3rd Judicial District dismissed the most serious charges against many of the officers.
Master Trooper Chris Hollingsworth, the officer accused of the most violent behavior, died in a single-car crash in September 2020, hours he was told he was being fired over his role in the Greene case, according to AP reports. York, who originally faced a negligent homicide charge and eight counts of malfeasance, pleaded no contest to misdemeanor battery in October 2024. Harpin, the Union Parish deputy who arrived to the scene as troopers were struggling with Greene, pleaded no contest to misdemeanor simple battery last month. Authorities alleged he pepper-sprayed Greene while the man was handcuffed. Harpin had a sixmonth jail stint deferred and was sentenced to probation, according to news reports.
State and federal authorities have said there was not enough evidence to prove the officers’ guilt in Greene’s killing beyond a reasonable doubt.
Greene was 49 when he died. His mother called the legal twists and turns in the aftermath a “travesty of the justice system” that have amounted to his killing being swept under the rug. condoned killing of another Black man. This screams, if nothing else, that killer cops are above the law,” been such a horrible, horrific roller coaster It’s impacted my family We’re a close-knit family and it’s devastating. Ronnie was such a huge force, a big brother to my other children. And I’m crushed that no one cares when these injustices aren’t dealt with.
“It’s deeper than those that were stolen from us. It rips a family apart, and the system needs to be responsible.”
Email Matt Bruce at matt.bruce@theadvocate. com.
tacked him, stabbing him 13 times, according to testimony from a forensic pathologist.
sec deemed sexually explicit to the adult side in each of the five library branches. Young adult is a category of books geared toward youths 13 and older Each book is being reviewed to make sure it complies with the Louisiana law that defines minors’ access to sexually explicit materials. The law outlines several examples of what qualifies as sexually ex-
books to see if they meet the state’s definition of sexually explicit material. Those that do are catalogued for the adult section of the local libraries.
Gray said it’s too early to tell if staff will have to work extra hours to complete the review, but it seems extremely likely given the “sheer volume” of work to do. The librarians don’t have a set number of
fer Holden, an outparish resident about book content children can read at local libraries, said rther actions need to be taken, like making the classifications for young adult and teen books more strict.
Mary Loofbourrow, another parish resident, disagreed, saying parents can restrict books for their children themselves rather than spend time and money for the parish librarians to do it.
“How much time and labor is this entailing, and for what reason?” she said.
At the Feb. 18 library board meeting, Parish President Randy Delatte and the library board passed a resolution to recognize the library staff’s hard work for the massive book review
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supervisor Her position, which she started in August, came at no expense to the taxpayers; the funding came through oil and gas company
fines and fees.
“There was no thought put into it,” Kleinpeter said “They just cut everyone they could because probationary employees can be fired for any reason.”
for
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But her real worry lies in how and if oil and gas companies dotted across the 200,000 acres, which encompasses the Lacassine, Sabine and Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge, will be appropriately monitored. Now that she’s gone, it’s up to the manager, who she said lacks her specialized training, to help keep the industry in line.
dai-
and crawfish,” Louvierre said. The building, which became available when the franchisee for that location closed it along with another in Lafayette in December,isdoublethe size of their old building. Louvierre said they may expand the menu to include aseafood market located at the entrance of the business
“And she hardly has time to do anything except have the refuge function. There’s gonna be a lot less eyes on the ground there dealing with those oil and gas com-
“Weare trying ourhardest to get open as soon as we can,” Louvierre said. “Wemiss interacting with our customers in the public, and we are just excited to get back up and running as soon as we can.” Other businesses have opened in the four-unit business center
for profit, and so they do damage to the refuges.”
ll rehire but not until the federal hiring freeze is lifted.
testified that he and other detectives obtained surveillance footage of the shooting and Instagram photos of Ledet that allegedly implicated him.
Sentencing will follow a presentence investigation. Ledet faces a mandatory sentence of life at hard labor.
In another case, Cody Guccione, 33, of Lafayette, was convicted Feb. 14 in connection with the second-degree murder of Leo Jack at a South College Road apartment complex.
According to a news release, Jack was at home just before 6 p.m Feb. 3, 2021, when Guccione knocked on his door. When Jack opened the door to his friend of three years, Guccione allegedly at-
Guccione then dragged Jack into a bedroom closet and tried to clean the bloody floor, the news release states.
Testimony revealed Guccione changed into clothes from the victim’s closet and left the apartment carrying a trash can.
Assistant District Attorney Andi Lex prosecuted the case before 15th Judicial District Judge Michelle Billeaud.
Sentencing is set for March 11. Guccione faces a mandatory life sentence at hard labor
A neighbor testified that they heard a violent fight taking place in the apartment just before 6 p.m
Detectives obtained surveillance footage of Guccione arriving at the apartment just before
6 p.m., the release states, and leaving wearing the victim’s clothes, including a distinctive pair of shoes. Video also shows Guccione returning to the apartment a few hours later and ripping the doorbell camera from the door frame.
Email Claire Taylor at ctaylor@theadvocate. com.
which owner Vincent Starwood opened bought last summer and has since worked to put back into commerce. Abody contour shop and a laundromat will openinthe development,which wasthe former Hanger Prosthetics& Orthotics. It already houses asmall grocerystore,called Starwood Marketplace, and a beauty salon/barbershop.
Kleinpeter reached out to U.S. Rep Clay Higgins to voice her concern over the layoff, she said. He responded by stating that the federal government “must find ways to do more with less,” and that he was confident that seven employees could manage the vast refuge. The Acadiana Advocate reached out to Higgins, U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy but did not receive immediate responses. The Southwest Louisiana National Wildlife Refuges Complex and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refused to comment.
Kleinpeter said she used her position to bring back programming for children and community members, which had disappeared over the years. As of Feb. 15, all scheduled events and programs have been canceled.
“Everywhere yougo, you gotta get on the road and go to the otherside of town to get anything you need,” Starwood said. “And Isaid I’ll put asmallgrocerystore there to help the community out. It was just heartbreaking when Isee these older folksget on the bus to go all the way on the other side of town just to get groceries because everything on our side of town seems to notbe important.” Starwood said he used his own moneytobuy the abandoned office, which lies in an “opportunity zone.” He used most of his military money to help get his
The cuts come after years of a shrinking workforce throughout the refuges. The complex used to have more than 30 people on staff. When Kleinpeter arrived, she said there were 12 people, and now it is down to seven. People would leave, and the budget would shrink, making it so they
“Now, none of those kids will ever learn anything about the environment around here. They’ll never grow up caring about the refuges and when they get older, they still won’t,” Kleinpeter said.
Kleinpeter is calling on residents to reach out to their representatives to voice their concerns.
“I called everyresourcein Lafayette to help me, even with thiscoronavirus,” he said. “The government claimed to have all these resourcesfor smallbusinesses, but we couldn’tseem to find adollar of it.” Other developments along the Thruway include: n Baton Rouge attorneys Harry DanielsIII andChristopher Washington bought property at 718 NW Evangeline Thruway and later at 800 NW Evangeline Thruway.Attempts to reach them were unsuccessful.Work beganearlier last month on the first property n Theformer car dealership at 1406 NE Evangeline Thruway is under contract, according to the statecom-
“The more of us complain, the more they can’t just skirt it under the rug,” Kleinpeter said, “Somebody has to be a voice for our region, or they won’t care.”
Email Stephen Marcantel at stephen.marcantel@ theadvocate.com.
Morrell vows to maintain on-site requirement
BY BEN MYERS Staff writer
An obscure zoning board has struck down a requirement that New Orleans hotels have staff on-site at all times, sending officials into a scramble to counter what critics have cast as a workaround for the short-term rental industry.
The Board of Zoning Adjustments, a sevenmember body that decides zoning appeals, on Monday ruled that a city policy requiring 24/7 staffing at hotels didn’t jibe with local ordinances, which don’t spell out when staff must be available.
The ruling could provide relief to operators of small guesthouses that have hotel licenses but can’t afford round-the-clock staffing.
But some City Council members and neighborhood advocates worry the change will lead to layoffs at larger hotels, leave few protections for guests and notably shortcut the city’s temporary ban on commercial short-term rentals.
“This will not stand and become what’s allowed in the city, but it creates un-
necessary confusion,” said council President JP Morrell.
At Morrell’s request, the city’s Department of Safety and Permits on Friday issued new guidance that, if upheld, would effectively undo the zoning board’s decision. Whether that happens remains to be seen, since zoning board decisions are final and typically require a lawsuit to change.
If all else fails, Morrell said the council will undergo the “messier” process of amending the city’s zoning ordinance, which could involve heated debate and take months.
“This idea that something could be called a hotel with no staff is some bizarre Jetsons, Elon Musk, AI interpretation of what a hotel would be,” Morrell said. “It’s very disconcerting that someone would ever think the city of New Orleans would allow for that.”
Land use consultant Zach Smith, a former Safety and Permits director who pursued the appeal that resulted in the zoning board’s decision, said the department is attempting to upend zoning law, which he said is “illegal, improper and unfair.”
“It’s going to probably get thrown out in litigation, which is going to be a waste of everybody’s
time and taxpayer money. But more importantly, they’re going to leave glaring holes,” Smith said.
Until now, hotels have needed to maintain staff on-site “at all hours,” but that requirement isn’t spelled out in local ordinances. It is instead contained in an earlier Safety and Permits memo, from 2018. The department occasionally issues such guidance — as it did on Friday — to clarify ambiguities in the zoning law.
The zoning board on Monday ruled the old memo is no longer valid because the council in 2019 amended the law to define hotels as establishments that have staffing to assist with guests checking in and out The definition doesn’t say when staff must be present, or whether they can provide assistance remotely
Smith, as permitting director, authored the 2018 memo, but now wants to undo it, citing the council’s 2019 law Smaller properties, such as those with fewer than eight bedrooms, often can’t afford to pay for 24/7 staffing, he said.
He said the council should get to work on a new zoning law amendment to better define what hotels are.
“The council is the land
use god. The council is chartered with responsibility for coming up with text amendments and definitions. They should not be relying on the administration to come up and backfill words,” Smith said.
Morrell said Smith is making a nonsensical technical argument “to try and create a whole new type of hotel.”
“Hotels as we understand them, using common sense, are commercial businesses that are staffed, that have someone to receive potential customers,” Morrell said. “If the city were going to endorse anything that bizarre, we would have done that in writing and changed the definition of a hotel.”
Hoteliers contacted for this story said they weren’t ready to weigh in on the zoning board’s decision.
The zoning board ruling followed an appeal by the owner of a six-room guesthouse in the French Quarter whose application for a hotel license was held up, in part, by a Safety and Permits request for a staffing plan.
Several people who live near the Barracks Street properties opposed the decision, saying the lack of staffing would be a safety risk for both guests and neighbors.
“If there’s a fire, who’s
going to report it first? The person on staff,” said Erin Holmes, executive director of Vieux Carre Property Owners, Residents and Associates. “It’s removing that human element of responsibility.”
The guesthouse operator listed in appeal filings, Lynne Lightfoot, did not respond to messages. Lack of on-site personnel is a common complaint about commercial shortterm rentals, especially larger properties that function like boutique hotel suites. The council in 2023 froze new applications for short-term rentals in commercial zones, and directed the Planning Commission to study ways to regulate them. A consultant has been hired for that study, which is expected to be finished this fall, according to Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s administration.
Holmes said the zoning board’s decision effectively negates the ban.
“What we have now is a situation where all hotels can be operated as commercial short-term rentals, without people on site, without any oversight. This is really problematic in New Orleans,” Holmes said.
Email Ben Myers at bmyers@theadvocate. com.
attendance has taken toll on financial health
BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer
In the five years since Archbishop Gregory Aymond placed the New Orleans archdiocese under federal bankruptcy protection, the church has closed or consolidated 11 of its more than 100 parishes and sold off at least $15 million in real estate including a Howard Avenue office tower and a former school on Freret Street
Aymond is also in the process of shedding Christopher Homes, a charity that provides housing to low-income seniors, and indicated earlier this month that he may part ways with Second Harvest of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana, the food bank that’s been embroiled in controversy since he fired its CEO.
The sales and reorganizations have taken place as church officials prepare for another set of high-level mediations with representatives for the hundreds of clergy abuse survivors who have made claims against the church.
Attorneys and church officials haven’t indicated when, or even if, the archdiocese will successfully close its bankruptcy case by coming to an agreement on a financial settlement with those survivors. But recent moves by Aymond have made one thing clear: The church that emerges will look very different from the one that existed just a few years ago.
“All of this is in an effort to create a more sustainable and efficient archdiocese for the future that carries less liability and bureaucracy so that our focus may be on sharing the faith and bringing the gospel to the community,”
Aymond wrote in a letter to the city’s 500,000 Roman Catholics on Feb. 13, of his efforts to separate from several church charities. In a statement Saturday, the archdiocese said “steps were taken to reduce expenses and staff to become a smaller, more fiscally responsible and efficient” administration prior to filing for bankruptcy
That process will continue “to ensure that deci-
church’s parishes remain vibrant and well attended. And it continues to oversee dozens of schools that educate more than 30,000 children across the metro area. But insurance and other costs have risen sharply in recent years, while the bankruptcy and the possibility of a ninefigure settlement has laid bare the financial challenges Aymond faces
sions regarding the future relationships between the archdiocese and its agencies are in the best interest of all ...”
Aymond’s recent letter acknowledging the transformation of the local church came in response to criticism in recent weeks from former members of the Second Harvest board of directors. In public statements and advertisements they’ve asked the archbishop to divest himself from the organization.
Second Harvest was founded by the church more than 40 years ago and operated under the archdiocese affiliate Catholic Charities until 2011, when it separated itself. However, Aymond has remained the food bank’s sole “corporate member” and recently fired its CEO Nathalie Jayroe and removed her top board leaders over a disagreement related to the bankruptcy and Second Harvest funds. The archbishop’s moves spawned a backlash among prominent donors, who threatened to withhold funds to the food bank.
Aymond, who has since replaced Jayroe with Jon Toups, a businessman and former administrator with the Diocese of HoumaThibodeaux, responded with the letter earlier this month saying that “conversations around the future of Second Harvest’s relationship to the Archdiocese of New Orleans and the terms of a formal separation are ongoing.”
He did not offer specifics about what that might look like or whether it would occur before a settlement in the bankruptcy is reached.
In the same letter, Aymond said he was having similar conversations about separating the
church from Christopher Homes, which operates 21 apartment complexes for low-income seniors.
In November, the archdiocese turned over management of the complexes to Providence Community Housing, a local nonprofit that develops affordable housing and has owned six of the 21 Christopher Homes complexes since purchasing them from the archdiocese more than a decade ago.
Providence CEO Terri North said her organization would be interested in purchasing the other complexes, though she said the church has not had any discussions with her about it. Though the church could sell the properties to a private investor, as a practical matter it’s easier said than done
“It’s very complicated because all these properties have large HUD mortgages and a lot of regulatory agreements,” North said. “It’s not that you can’t undo those things, but it’s not straightforward. You can’t just come in and throw people out on the street.The scaling back of the archdiocese’s reach through food banks, retirement homes and other ministries underscores how the local church has changed in recent decades.
In 1950, New Orleans had nearly 160 parishes, 30% more than today and its cultural influence extended over a vast array of schools and charitable organizations in one of the nation’s oldest predominantly Catholic cities. But shifting demographics, a shrinking and aging population, and declining Mass attendance and participation in the sacraments has taken a toll on its financial health and sustainability
To be sure, some of the
The archdiocese is following a familiar playbook in shedding its assets ahead of a bankruptcy settlement, according to Marie T. Reilly, a law professor at Penn State University and expert in church bankruptcy cases.
But even if the New Orleans archdiocese weren’t embroiled in the bankruptcy process, which has cost nearly $43 million in legal fees to date, Reilly said that longer-running trends, present across the U.S., concerning the church’s role in the community and declining attendance would likely be reducing its size and scope
“Catholic dioceses have closed parishes and sold real estate and other assets over the last decade in part because of declining church attendance, fewer priests, declining school enrollment, increased operating costs, and general demographic shifts from church-dense urban areas to suburban areas,” Reilly said. “Dioceses in bankruptcy have these problems plus the cost of sex abuse liability.”
In late 2023, the church consolidated 11 parishes into five new ones. Two others were absorbed into existing parishes. All had been struggling financially amid rising costs of operation and dwindling attendance. In an interview last year, Aymond said a smaller wave of closures would be likely in the months to come, though, so far that hasn’t happened.
“The funerals outweigh the baptisms and confirmations and marriages,” he said at the time. “We cannot afford that in terms of the viability of the community and we also cannot afford it financially.”
In addition to the parish consolidations, the church is stepping back from other areas as well. It got out of another business that serves older residents — nursing homes and hospice care — two years ago when it sold its Notre Dame Health System to
northshore-based CommCare. The deal shifted more than 800 beds and apartment units in the New Orleans metro area away from the local church, which first began offering older adults housing in 1977, when Archbishop Philip Hannan founded Chateau de Notre Dame. Given the rising costs and complexities of health care, officials said at the time it made sense to sell the four facilities to a larger system that could invest in upgraded services and facilities.
The church has also sold off a small portion of its vast real estate portfolio, which has an insured replacement value of more than $2 billion. Since 2021, it has sold former schools, community centers, office buildings and vacant lots, totaling more than $15 million. Several other potential sales are in the works.
But selling church real estate isn’t as easy as it sounds. For one thing, the archdiocese says it can only sell up to $20 million worth of real estate under the terms of a 2017 agreement with bondholders. Though that deal could be renegotiated, neither side has indicated a willingness to do that, according to court documents.
Also, just because a vacant church building or shuttered former school is listed for sale doesn’t mean there’s a buyer willing to pay top dollar for it. After Katrina, the archdiocese closed 27 churches. In the nearly two decades since, only 15 have been sold. Of those, just five fetched $1 million or more.
Email Stephanie Riegel at stephanie.riegel@ theadvocate.com.
Louisiana has long been a law-and-order state
That’s not likely to change.
But for such a philosophy to persist, it rests upon the integrity of those who prosecute accused criminals and the system that oversees those prosecutors.
An examination of the state’s recent history of disciplining prosecutors, however, reveals some troubling statistics
Despite a raft of exonerations in recent years including some folks who lost decades of their lives in prison only to have their convictions overturned due to prosecutorial lapses — not a single prosecutor has been disciplined for failing to turn over exculpatory evidence since 2005.
That strikes us as a statistical improbability that strains credulity
We understand prosecutors have a tough and important job. But for them to retain our trust, they must be not just fair and honest but zealous in adhering to the constitutionally protected rights of defendants.
That means turning over any evidence that could point to the innocence of the accused to the defense. It’s what is known in legal circles as “Brady material” after the 1963 Supreme Court case that made a prosecutor’s responsibility clear
Many of the recent exonerations have hinged upon prosecutors not turning over Brady material to defendants.
A key weakness lies in how Louisiana’s system addresses such complaints. An agency known as the Office of Disciplinary Counsel is charged with investigating allegations against attorneys If it finds they have merit it can file misconduct charges. Those charges are heard by a disciplinary board that makes disciplinary recommendations to the Supreme Court, which determines if any punishment is warranted.
The high court last sanctioned a prosecutor for withholding evidence in 2005.
Part of the reason sanctions are so rare is certainly the high bar that must be cleared to prove misconduct.
“You have to prove the prosecutor knew the evidence was exculpatory and didn’t turn it over knowing that,” Loyola law professor Dane Ciolino told reporter John Simerman “It’s not an offense of negligence.”
In some cases, so much time has passed that it can be difficult to prove misconduct, Ciolino noted.
In addition, in 2017, the state Supreme Court issued a decision that said prosecutors couldn’t be disciplined unless the court determined that the evidence was likely to tip the verdict.
Juries can be unpredictable. It’s impossible for anyone, even an experienced judge, to know how much a particular piece of evidence would have influenced their deliberations.
We know that there are many aggressive, hard-working and fair prosecutors in Louisiana’s courtrooms. And that, by and large, they are careful to make sure that their Brady obligations are met when working a case against a defendant.
But the inability — or reluctance — to punish those whose zeal pushes them into unethical territory risks tainting those good ones.
That’s why, given their sacred and important duty we think prosecutors should be held to a high standard of ethical conduct
We urge state leaders, especially those responsible for oversight of the legal system, to take steps to make sure those who trample the rights of defendants face real consequences
Fentanyl presents America with a terrible dilemma.
More than 74,000 Americans died in 2023 after taking fentanyl or other drugs with fentanyl mixed in. There is no proven blueprint for stopping the scourge. We’ve spent over half a century trying to address the problem.
As drugs go, fentanyl is fairly unique. It is easy to bring into the country because it’s trafficked in such small quantities. It’s not like marijuana, which takes up some space. Fentanyl is both profitable and lethal in tiny amounts. The drug the size of a pencil tip can be fatal.
Fentanyl is a synthetic drug made from a combination of chemicals. China is the main supplier of the precursor chemicals used to make it, with India a rising source. (A precursor chemical is a substance that can be used to synthesize another chemical.) Labs in Mexico put the chemicals together into the finished product.
Fentanyl enters the country hidden in candy wrappers, toys, cellphones, coat linings. The size of the epidemic reminds us
that you that even the deadliest ingredients won’t stop Americans from taking drugs. As a weapon in Donald Trump’s tariff threats, fentanyl is a largely phony rap tossed against our biggest trading partners. Asking Mexico and Canada to help stop the trafficking of people over the border makes sense. For reasons stated, fentanyl is another case.
It’s true that most of the fentanyl entering the U.S. comes from Mexico. But as noted, its small shipment size makes interdicting most of it close to impossible.
In addition to Americans returning to the U.S., the drug is often hidden in truck tires or legitimate commercial goods. Toolboxes are a common container In the case of Canada, threats over fentanyl are nothing less than diplomatic abuse. Less than 1% of fentanyl seized entering this country came over the northern border In the first 10 months of 2024, Canada seized almost 11 pounds of fentanyl coming from the U.S. And a lot of it comes from neither
country, entering American ports on ships. As a final complication, fentanyl was legally used by doctors as a pain reliever in the 1960s.
If fentanyl is the big issue in trade wars, why would Trump put a 25% tariff on Canada, responsible for almost none of it but only 10% on China, which provides most of the ingredients?
China responded that its drug laws are the toughest in the world.
“The U.S. needs to view and solve its own fentanyl issue,” it said.
Canada and Mexico could put 100,000 more border inspectors on the job, and you still won’t stop fentanyl from entering. Are border guards going to take every laptop apart?
China is right. Only the U.S. can address its fentanyl problem. Our government could build a large network of drug rehab centers. That requires public dollars, and it appears that the current leadership is determined to cut health care spending, not add to it. Meanwhile, how much easier to export blame.
Froma Harrop is on X, @FromaHarrop. Email her at fharrop@gmail.com.
Many of you are prompted to write in when you have experiences that can shed light on an issue in the news.
It makes sense that those who have up-close knowledge of how something works want to clarify any misperceptions that others may have. Experience matters It’s easy these days for everyone to be a critic without having all the facts, to advocate for tearing down institutions without any real idea of what they do.
Our audience is varied — we get engineers and scientists as well as teachers and entrepreneurs who write in to us. And many of you have specialized areas of knowledge and expertise. Information from the inside of an issue often gives me a different perspective or raises issues I would have never thought of.
We also seek out those with experience, especially in state government, to delve into a topic.
Last week, we published an inter-
view with state Education Superintendent Cade Brumley Brumley’s experience in K-12 education in Louisiana goes very deep. He rose through the ranks, starting as a teacher in a rural district. In fact, Brumley told us he can even drive a school bus. And talking to him, I definitely got the feeling he’s spent a lifetime thinking about how to make education better It is good to know Louisiana has people like that in positions where they have the power to affect the lives of so many, whether you agree or disagree with his positions.
At the start of the year we gave you our first Town Square topic of the year: If you could make a New Year’s resolution for the state of Louisiana, what would it be? There’s still a little more time to respond. Send your ideas to letters@theadvocate.com.
Turning to our letters inbox, we received 92 letters to the editor in the week from Jan. 30 to Feb. 6. It was a
busy week with lots of news. National politics, especially the flurry of executive orders by President Donald Trump, was at the top of the list of your concerns, accounting for 22 letters. Then there was also a large number of letters about the confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr to be Secretary of Health and Human Services. Ten of you wrote in to tell us how you felt about that. Nine letters commented on the controversy surrounding the firings of leaders at Second Harvest Food Bank. Four letters commented on the Super Bowl. We expect that as there is much activity around the downsizing of the federal government, we may have readers who are affected. If so, we would love to hear your perspective. Maybe you can tell us something about how the government works that we didn’t realize.
Arnessa Garrett is Deputy Editor | Opinion Page Editor. Email her at arnessa.garrett@theadvocate.com.
Even conservatives should recognize that the federal government, in certain circumstances, has an important role in basic scientific research.
When millions and millions of cubic feet of radioactive and toxically acidic gypsum sit adjacent to a marsh, three-quarters of a mile from the Mississippi River, that’s exactly such a circumstance.
This newspaper editorialized last week about the gypsum conundrum. This is a case when a company making a product that helps feed millions produces waste materials that, alas, are worrisome enough that the government rightly regulates its storage and use. On the other hand, because those necessary government regulations are so burdensome, the profit motive alone can’t make it cost-effective for the private company to pay for research into alternative uses of the waste.
Quin Hillyer
Six years ago, the pile started shifting, threatening a collapse that could have released hazardous materials — not just radioactive, but dangerously acidic — into the surrounding marshes and neighborhoods. In Florida, a similar facility experienced breaches that caused the release of 200 million gallons of wastewater into Tampa Bay Louisiana has a high water table anyway, and of course, we’re in Hurricane Alley No matter how careful Mosaic is in trying to stabilize and neutralize its gypsum piles, the potential for disaster is obvious.
Nobody wants to shut down the company, Mosaic Fertilizer: Its phosphorous fertilizer helps boost crop yields all over the world, while the company supports jobs for many hundreds in St. James Parish But the (mildly) radioactive gypsum sits in a pile that reaches 200 feet high, spreading over more than 1,000 acres. Mosiac hopes to eventually raise the pile to 310 feet Inside those piles are 300 acres worth of well-lined lakes collecting toxic water runoff.
Indeed, without the government’s oversight, the disaster already would have happened back in 1987. The Freeport McMoRan mining company, which then owned the plant, was just weeks away — without objection from the Environmental Protection Agency from dumping the radioactive gypsum directly into the Mississippi River which, of course, is the source of drinking water for everybody downstream. It became a cause célèbre. Republican Rep. Bob Livingston, of Metairie, who was running for governor at the time, quickly jumped in to try to get Congress to put a temporary hold on the dumping. Democratic Rep. Billy Tauzin, of Chackbay, also then running for governor, soon provided assistance They succeeded in putting a
hold on the plan. New Orleans and state officials later followed to block the dumping long-term with their own legislative and regulatory tools.
Freeport President Jim Bob Moffett eventually was mollified by the idea of using the waste material for road-building. Freeport also provided millions of dollars to LSU to research other possible ideas for the waste. Alas environmentalists blocked the road-building efforts, arguing that roads, too, could be made unstable and leach contaminated gypsum via the wear of traffic or through washouts and the like. More than 30 years later, the radioactive gypsum still isn’t used for highway construction. Meanwhile, the LSU research didn’t provide enough workable ideas, leaving the massive, lined and reinforced piles as the only current option. Mosaic this year secured permission to build another pile 160 feet high next to the existing pile.
In 2021, five academicians led by Natalie Nelson of North Carolina State University authored a paper called “Hazardous Spills at Retired Fertilizer Manufacturing Plants Will Continue to Occur in the Absence of Scientific Innovation and Regulatory Enforcement.” They acknowledged that “the current global food system relies heavily on phosphorus mining and fertilizer production, and the rewards of phosphorus fertilizer inputs are experienced immediately through increased crop yields.”
But they warned that “the societal and environmental threats of a catastrophic failure remain real at dozens of phosphorus plants across the U.S.” Still, they insist that “various chemical, physical, and thermal treatment processes could be developed to remediate phosphogypsum to meet EPA radioactivity requirements, permitting its use in construction and agricultural sectors with lower risk.”
Here’s a situation where a public good nationwide — better crop yields — causes a threat to the very communities sponsoring the good. This isn’t just about profits for Mosaic; it’s about legitimate competing priorities on a macro scale. In sum, it is inherently a matter involving public policy and one which only the national and state governments might have the money, through research, to solve.
The state of Louisiana and the federal government both should make such research a priority That’s why a blunderbuss approach (rather than carefully targeted efforts) at cutting government research and grants, such as the one employed by billionaire Elon Musk and his misnamed Department of Governmental Efficiency is dangerous. It risks throwing the public safety baby into the gypsum-infused river water There’s nothing conservative about that. Email Quin Hillyer at quin.hillyer@ theadvocate.com
For the first few weeks of the new Trump administration, a lot of people were hanging on the words of one Louisiana U.S. senator, Bill Cassidy as he publicly struggled over whether, as a physician, he could bring himself to support someone with little knowledge of federal health care programs and deep skepticism toward proven lifesaving vaccines to run the Department of Health and Human Services. (Spoiler alert: Cassidy could and did provide the decisive vote to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation).
The opposite was true of Cassidy’s junior colleague from the state. U.S. Sen. John Kennedy no relation to the legendary Democratic clan from which RFK Jr descends — always has plenty to say, but aside from some colorful and often blithely offensive word choices, it’s rarely interesting Unlike Cassidy, who has a track record of at least occasionally staking out his independence from the Republican Party and its newly returned president, Kennedy is utterly predictable in defending everything Donald Trump says and does, no matter
how dangerous or outrageous
So it was actually pretty interesting last week to hear Kennedy step out of line, if only briefly
The subject matter was an incredibly important one, American policy toward Ukraine and Russia
Trump has bashed Ukrainian
president Volodymyr Zelenskyy,
going so far as to call him a dictator and blaming him for getting his country invaded by its aggressively hostile neighbor He’s parroted Russian conditions for ending the war, sent top administration officials to open peace talks with Russia without Ukraine or
our European allies, and insisted that Russia wants to “to stop the savage barbarianism” it started.
He’s making plans to meet with Vladimir Putin and talking about welcoming his country back into the world community
Trump’s respect for strongmen in general and Putin particular has alarmed many who worry about maintaining our country’s leadership in the world, and its defense of both territorial sovereignty and democratic values.
But not many Republicans currently in office are speaking out.
So I’ll give Kennedy credit for this: Last week, in a roundabout way that was definitely designed not to directly criticize Trump, he did.
“To the extent that the White House said that Ukraine started the war I disagree,” Kennedy said. “I think Vladimir Putin started the war I also believe, through bitter experience, that Vladimir Putin is a gangster I trust this guy like I trust gas station sushi.”
Speaking with reporters, he said that “Vladmir Putin has a black heart. He clearly has Stalin’s taste for blood” and is “an evil man.”
That’s some welcome actual straight talk from a guy who’s prone to cloaking naked political attacks in the language of plainspoken truth-telling. He did so in
the very same conversation with journalists, in which he labeled the committed government workers losing their jobs and the vital programs being undermined as part of Trump and Elon Musk’s DOGE initiative as mere “bureaucrats” and “spending porn.”
He also made it clear he’d only go so far in addressing Trump’s shocking reorientation of American foreign policy Asked in follow-up whether he thinks it’s a mistake to normalize relations with Russia, he responded by saying he rejects the question’s premise.
So, to borrow a phrase from that other John Kennedy we’re not exactly talking profile in courage material here.
But it’s something.
Or it could be, if Kennedy decides to really stand up to the administration when it’s time for Congress to do its job and vote — and maybe even rally his colleagues, many of whom surely agree with him even if they’re not saying so. Because one thing we don’t need is another senator who talks a good game but, at crunch time, backs off.
We’ve already got Bill Cassidy for that.
Email Stephanie Grace at sgrace@theadvocate.com.
Anyone who knows me knows that I’m not the foul-mouthed, cussing type. It makes me want to holler when some of you can’t say more than two or three sentences without including a four-letter word. Actually it’s the five-letter “b” word that especially galls me because it references women who I prefer to call by a five-letter “q” word that means royalty And don’t get me started about people using the “n” word. There are quite a number of words — and even abbreviations that you won’t catch me using. Well, not on the regular in any given day, week, month or year Certainly there have been those moments in the many decades of my life when I stunned myself when one somehow crossed my lips in a moment of losing-it anger I think it was some level of anger that caused Louisiana Public Service Commissioner Davante Lewis to call out the governor on social media, using the “a” word that is a synonym for but-
thole. For that offense, Lewis on Wednesday lost his commission role as vice chair Frankly, there are a few perks, but it’s not even a ceremonial job. There are no clear duties and responsibilities — except one: If for some reason the chair is unable to do the job, the vice chair steps up. That’s happened only twice in recent years. Once when former GOP congressman Clyde Holloway was serving as commission chair when he died in October 2016. The vice chair served as chair for a few weeks. Another time when a commission chair moved to another state. Lewis was vice chair when the Wednesday meeting started at 9:12 a.m. He was not vice chair when the meeting ended at 12:21 p.m.
There wasn’t a lot of notice. The Wednesday agenda was distributed on Feb. 10, about two weeks ago. A supplemental agenda, including an item to remove Lewis as vice chair, was added Friday and posted online Monday Lewis
posted his comment in response to an unnecessary post from Landry about Robert F. Kennedy Jr being confirmed for his role as health and human services secretary Lewis told me that he had a scheduled meeting with commission chair Mike Francis on Friday but the chair canceled it an hour before it was scheduled to start.
There’s no part of the Louisiana Constituton, state law or board policy that says members can’t cuss.
There’s no part of the constitution, state law or board policy that regulates board functions such as electing leaders.
In a Jan. 15 X post, Lewis proudly announced that he had been reelected commission vice chair He didn’t say that it was a unanimous vote. He didn’t say that he and the other commissioners unanimously reelected Francis, a Republican, as chair
In a Wednesday X post, Lewis, a Democrat, denounced the Republican Party as “full of hypocrites” after a majority of his colleagues voted to withdraw the vice chair honor with a nonunanimous vote,
3-2.
To be fair, Lewis didn’t simply use that word to criticize Landry On Feb, 13, the governor supported the confirmation of Kennedy as the nation’s health and human services secretary, calling him a “major upgrade” from Dr Rachel Levine, a trans woman pediatrician who is the first female fourstar admiral in the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. Oh, and she wasn’t our health and human services secretary She was an assistant health and human services secretary Lewis posted his Landry comment the same day According to Lewis, that day Francis sent him a text using the same word. Take Commissioner Eric Skrmetta’s November public comment when Lewis was asking for his respect as a duly elected public official and commission colleague. Skrmetta’s response: “Not a chance.” Skrmetta got the vice chair job Wednesday When he delivered his “Seven Words You Can’t Say on TV” monologue in 1972, comedian
George Carlin said “Be careful with words. I like to think that the same words that hurt can heal. It’s a matter of how you pick them.”
I like to think we should be careful with our words and not use obviously offensive words or even non-offensive words strung together to be offensive.
It’s one thing for a majority of the nation’s voters to elect as president someone who is so vulgar that he regularly spews foul language. It’s another for Republicans to go low, low, low with him. It’s another thing for a Democrat to get in the mud and aim to outdo the cussing GOP leader of the country and nasty GOP colleagues. Lewis and supporters said his Landry comment had free speech protection. What about free decency?
Landry was wrong. Lewis was wrong. Francis was wrong. Skrmetta was wrong. The commission demotion was wrong. Enough said.
Email Will Sutton at wsutton@ theadvocate.com.
BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer
The Houston Cougars softball team came in with a reputation of playing wild games
The UL Ragin’ Cajuns weren’t able to change that, but coach Alyson Habetz’s club survived the craziness
In a game stuffed with full counts, UL designated player Laney Credeur hit a game-winning single up the middle for a dramatic 8-7 comeback win over the Cougars on Saturday at Lamson Park on a 3-2 pitch. Credeur’s heroics capped a two-run bottom of the seventh for the Cajuns, who improved to 7-4 with the win
The Cajuns carried the momentum into a 9-2 victory over Kansas City in the nightcap to improve to 8-4. UL is scheduled to play Houston in a 1 p.m. doubleheader Sunday
A three-run home run from Emily Smith and a solo shot from Sam Roe sparked the victory in the nightcap.
In the opener, Mia Liscano got the Cajuns going in the seventh with an infield single ahead of Maddie Hayden’s sacrifice bunt. After Kayla Falterman and Smith walked to load the bases, Cecilia Vasquez’s groundball
They called it “Go fever” the headlong rush by the U.S. in its Cold War space race with the then-Soviet Union to get to the moon before 1970 — to deliver on the deadline set by America’s martyred president, John F. Kennedy. College athletics has been caught up in its own version of “Go fever” over the past three or four years. Conferences have been ripped apart. Decadeslong rivalries have been dismantled The authoritarian hand of the NCAA, which once banned schools from paying for student-athletes’ snacks and strong-armed LSU into cutting loose former men’s basketball coach Will Wade for shenanigans that are now mostly legal, has retreated like a melting glacier. Stepping into the void are the Southeastern Conference and Big Ten. College sports’ two most powerful conferences, perhaps soon to be the only two major conferences, are telling the rest of major college athletics how they want things run. Or else. Wednesday at New Orleans’ Windsor Court Hotel, SEC and Big Ten commissioners, athletic directors, football coaches and lawyers (oh yes, there were lawyers)
BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer
After a rough first five games of the season, the UL Ragin’ Cajuns were in need of an uplifting performance.
Pitchers Blake McGehee and Dylan Theut provided that and then some to lead the Ragin’ Cajuns to a 4-1 win over No. 23-ranked Nebraska in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader at Russo Park.
McGehee erased the bad taste of a subpar first outing with a gem. The junior right-hander pitched five shutout innings, allowing two hits while walking none and striking out seven on 75 pitches.
That was followed by the senior southpaw Theut throwing the final four innings for his first save of the season. Theut allowed one run on two hits with no walks and six strikeouts in four innings.
Combined, that’s 13 strikeouts and no walks in the game for UL pitching.
The win improved UL to 3-3 on the season while the Cornhuskers dropped to 3-3.
The momentum from Saturday’s first game carried over into the rubber game with the Cajuns capturing the series after a 10-2 victory over Nebraska.
BY REED DARCEY Staff writer
Kim Mulkey, the LSU women’s basketball team and their next opponent have a history Remember the Virginia Tech team that the Tigers defeated in the 2023 Final Four? Kenny Brooks, the coach of those Hokies, is in his first season at Kentucky, the program he’s now building with an assist from point guard Georgia Amoore. “Never heard of ‘em,” Mulkey said Thursday with a smile and a wink. “No, you know what I think of Kenny Brooks. I mean, I just love that guy.” Mulkey and Brooks haven’t shared a conference until this season, yet their teams met four times in the previous nine years,
including twice in the NCAA Tournament. Mulkey’s teams have taken all four matchups, starting with her 2015-16 Baylor team’s regular-season meeting with Brooks’ James Madison squad. The next season, Brooks took the job at Virginia Tech and began slowly building the Hokies into a national title contender They earned three bids to the WNIT then collided with Mulkey’s Baylor team in the second round of their first trip to the NCAA Tournament under Brooks. The Bears won that 2021 matchup 90-48 and advanced to the Elite Eight, where they lost to UConn. LSU lured Mulkey away from Baylor a few weeks later
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Cavaliers big man Allen injures hand vs. Knicks
The Cleveland Cavaliers’ latest blowout victory included an unexpected bump.
Center Jarrett Allen hurt his right hand at some point in the first half of Cleveland’s 142-105 rout of the New York Knicks on Friday night, an injury that could leave the NBA’s top team without one of its key players. Allen was set to undergo an MRI on Saturday, an off day for the team. The Cavs, who improved to a league-best 46-10 with their most-lopsided win ever over New York host the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday Allen played just a few minutes in the second half before the Cavs announced he would not return.
Fresno St. players held out amid gambling probe
BY TOYLOY BROWN III Staff writer
The Pete Maravich Assembly Center was as raucous as it has been all season. LSU men’s basketball was leading by six points against the second-ranked team in the country at halftime, but the Tigers were unable to maintain that level of energy during a poor second half in their quest for a third straight victory
The end result was a 79-65 loss to No. 2 Florida on Saturday at the PMAC.
Robert Miller had a career-high 19 points and 10 rebounds for LSU (14-13, 3-11 SEC). Curtis Givens had 11 points and four assists, but LSU leading scorer Cam Carter accounted for just seven points on 3-of-13 shooting.
LSU used the same four-guard lineup as last game, which included freshman guards Vyctorius Miller and Givens against Florida (24-3, 11-3).
LSU was tense on offense to start as Daimion Collins made the only two field goals for the Tigers during nearly the first eight minutes of the game. The rut LSU was in on offense allowed Florida to steadily find good looks inside the paint and on the perimeter
Robert Miller was the second LSU player to score, making a 3-pointer with 12:11 left in the first half.
Florida especially was alert defending Carter, who started 1 of 4 from the floor and was being run off of the 3-point line. The Tigers were forced to create offense late in the shot clock and were shooting over strong contests on most possessions.
LSU’s fortunes were altered thanks to the final seven minutes of the first half. Its defense began to create easy offense right after
PHOTO By PATRICK DENNIS
Cam Carter of LSU scores on a reverse layup as Thomas Haugh of Florida defends in the first half Saturday in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center LSU led 37-31 at the half before falling 79-65.
Robert Miller made a pair of free throws to cut the Tigers’ deficit to eight with five minutes.
On LSU’s following defensive play, Carter aggressively jumped a passing lane to get a steal. He dished it to Dji Bailey, who threw a cross-court pass to Mike Williams in the left corner The soph-
omore pump-faked a defender into the air and sidestepped into a 3-pointer, making it a five-point game with 4:58 left. With four minutes left in the half, Givens passed the ball to Robert Miller on a pick-and-roll, and the 6-foot-10 big man threw down a one-hand dunk to make
the score 29-26 with LSU trailing.
Miller then drained a pick-andpop 3-pointer to tie the game. Bailey gave LSU its first lead, drilling a right-wing 3-pointer for a 32-31 lead with 2:39 left in the half. The Tigers repeatedly forced Florida to pick up its dribble prematurely Florida was uncomfortable with LSU’s defensive activity, which helped LSU close the final seven minutes of the first half on a 22-2 run. The Tigers entered halftime leading 37-31. Miller had 12 points and made multiple 3-pointers for the first time in his career Florida regained the lead after Walter Clayton made a jumper for a 49-48 advantage with 12:16 remaining. The Gators did not relinquish it for the remainder of the game.
Thomas Haugh and Rueben Chinyelu imposed their will as 6-9 and 6-10 bigs, respectively They combined for 35 points and 23 rebounds for the Gators.
LSU also was looser with its ball security in the second half. After having only one turnover in the first half, it finished with seven and allowed 12 points of those miscues.
Florida went on a 15-3 run to take a 75-59 lead with 2:55 left in the game. LSU was outscored 4828 in the second half.
Jordan Sears of LSU scored his 2,000th career point after his first made shot of the game. Sears split his first four seasons between Gardner Webb and TennesseeMartin.
This was the fifth time in program history that LSU has faced a No. 1 (Auburn) and No. 2 team in the same season. The last time was in 2006 when LSU faced No. 1 Duke and No. 2 UConn.
LSU’s next game is against No. 6 Tennessee at 8 p.m Tuesday in the PMAC.
BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer
There wasn’t much drama heading into the ninth inning. LSU baseball trailed Omaha 5-0 in the first game of its doubleheader with the Mavericks on Saturday at Alex Box Stadium The Tigers had just one hit, a two-out single in the eighth inning from sophomore Ashton Larson But pinch-hitter and junior-college transfer Tanner Reaves and sophomore Jake Brown led off the inning with a single and a double, respectively, before junior-college transfer Blaise Priester walked to load the bases. Utah Valley State transfer Daniel Dickinson then shot a double down the left-field line that scored two runs. Suddenly, with nobody out, it was a ballgame.
LSU was able to put the gametying run at third base and the goahead run at first with one out. But Larson struck out and sophomore Steven Milam flew out to center field to end the comeback bid The 5-4 loss was LSU’s first of the year After Dickinson’s single, a walk from freshman Derek Curiel reloaded the bases for junior Jared Jones with nobody out Jones singled to score another run, cutting the LSU deficit to two before senior Josh Pearson hit a sacrifice
fly to center field that drove in the
fourth run of the inning.
Curiel advanced to third on a ball in the dirt, but Larson and Milam couldn’t get him home.
The Tigers’ furious comeback would have been unnecessary if it wasn’t for their anemic start at the plate.
LSU (5-1) couldn’t hit anything on the ground — let alone on a line — to begin the game. The Tigers flew out or popped out 11 times in the first four innings. At one point, seven consecutive hitters were retired on balls hit in the air
Omaha right-handed starter
Ben Weber threw only 36 of his 76 pitches for strikes, failed to record a strikeout and walked six batters in 32/3 innings Despite all of that, the Tigers stranded the bases loaded in the first and second innings, and failed to put another runner in scoring position until the ninth.
Their hitting struggles placed a lot of pressure on the LSU bullpen, a unit that had been up to the task through the first five games but struggled Saturday Texas transfer and right-hander
Grant Fontenot replaced righthander and UC San Diego transfer Anthony Eyanson in the seventh, but he hit both batters he faced. Dallas Baptist right-handed transfer Connor Benge — after recording a pair of outs on seven pitches Friday replaced Fontenot and
surrendered a run-scoring single and threw a wild pitch that allowed a second runner to score. Benge struck out the next two batters but then gave up a three-run home run to right fielder Jackson Trout. The blast handed Omaha (2-4) a 5-0 lead, and it was the first homer LSU has surrendered this year LSU starting pitcher Anthony Eyanson tossed six shutout innings while striking out seven and allowing just two hits on 93 pitches.
He walked two batters and surrendered a double in the first two innings. But after that, Eyanson allowed just two hits. His outing was the longest start from an LSU pitcher this season. Benge and Fontenot struggled in the seventh, but freshman lefthander Cooper Williams tossed a scoreless eighth and ninth inning. Williams and fellow freshmen William Schmidt, Casan
Fresno State suspended two of its top men’s basketball scorers and removed a third player from the team in the midst of a gambling investigation, according to a report.
ESPN.com reported Saturday that Jalen Weaver and Zaon Collins were “being withheld from team competition as it reviews an eligibility matter.” The third player, Mykell Robinson, has not played since Jan 11 and is no longer on the team.
Fresno State (5-23, 1-16 Mountain West) was trying to snap a nine-game losing streak on Saturday when it faced Air Force. The Bulldogs lost 72-69.
The Fresno Bee initially reported on the school’s internal investigation. School officials then contacted the NCAA, which is now conducting an investigation.
Potgieter maintains edge during PGA’s Mexico Open
Aldrich Potgieter has the lead going into the final round of the Mexico Open, despite a sloppy finish Saturday that made him settle for a 4-under 67 and a one-shot advantage over Brian Campbell at Vidanta Vallarta in the Mexico Open.
Potgieter, a 20-year-old from South Africa, started with a fourshot lead and held off one challenge early from Stephan Jaeger, who closed within one shot after six holes.
The next challenge came from Campbell, who at times was 50 yards shorter off the tee than Potgieter but made up for it with his putter, including a 60-foot birdie on the par-3 ninth.
Potgieter was leading by three shots with two holes left before running into trouble.
American Yin builds huge lead at LPGA Thailand
Angel Yin birdied three of her final four holes on the front nine to set up an 8-under 64 on Saturday to take a five-stroke lead into the final round of the LPGA Thailand tournament.
The American, 26, had a threeround total of 21-under 195 at Siam Country Club’s Pattaya Old Course.
Akie Iwai of Japan, who led after the first two rounds, shot 71 and dropped into second place She stumbled with her first bogey of the tournament on the ninth hole.
The event is the first stop of the LPGA’s Asian swing before the tour moves to Singapore and China over the next two weeks.
Yin’s best finish in four appearances at LPGA Thailand was a share of third in 2021.
Russian teen caps big tennis week with victory Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva beat Clara Tauson 7-6 (1), 6-1 in the Dubai Championships on Saturday to earn the biggest title of her career The victory will earn Andreeva her debut in the top 10 of the rankings next week — the first 17-yearold to achieve that since Nicole Vaidisova in 2007. It caps quite a week for Andreeva, who also had wins over 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova, five-time major champion Iga Swiatek and 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina to become the youngest player to defeat three major champions at a single event since Maria Sharapova at the 2004 WTA Finals. She also became the youngest player to reach the final of a WTA 1000 event.
Again, it was starting pitching leading the way with senior left-hander Andrew Herrmann standing out. In his first appearance of the season, Herrmann allowed just two runs on five hits, one walk and struck out nine over nine innings and 117 pitches.
Unlike the first game, the UL offense gave the staff more runs to work in the second game starting with a five-run second inning Getting some help from Nebraska errors, the Cajuns got an RBI double from Owen Galt and a Kasen Bellard sacrifice fly as well.
UL added three more runs in the fourth. Drew Markle’s run-scoring single got it going ahead of a sacrifice fly from Brooks Wright to make it 7-1. Caleb Stelly’s groundout chased home the third run In the first game, UL got on the board in the first inning. Wright walked, stole second and scored on Lee Amedee’s single.
Conor Higgs made it 2-0 with a solo home run with two outs in the fourth inning.
In the seventh, the Cajuns added two insurance runs for a 4-0 cushion. Higgs doubled and eventually scored on a wild pitch on a strikeout. Pinch-runner Mark Collins then scored the fourth run on another wild pitch.
Nebraska got on the board in the ninth when Devin Nunez singled and Dylan Carey doubled him home, but Theut responded with a strikeout to end it
Continued from page 1C
wrapped up meetings Little was revealed as to what was discussed regarding the College Football Playoff, other than that the two leagues want the CFP to do away with byes for the top four conference champions and go to straight seeding. That plan is likely to meet with a stone wall of opposition Tuesday when the CFP Management Committee, which includes the other eight conferences and Notre Dame, meets in Dallas. Any CFP changes for the 2025-26 cycle require unanimous consent. That means major changes for this playoff cycle such as seeding seem to have a Hail Mary’s chance of being enacted.
That stone wall is crumbling, however After this playoff cycle, a memorandum of understanding reportedly exists that will transfer control from the CFP Management Committee to the SEC and Big Ten.
The Big Two still will be required to consult with the other conferences and Notre Dame about changes, but we all know who’s in charge here. It’s like a family with two parents and three kids trying to decide where to go on vacation.
One child wants to go to Disney World. Another wants to go skiing. The third wants to go to the beach. The parents say, “We have heard you, but we’re going to New York for the plays and museums and a Yankees game.”
The encouraging sweep came after a subpar Friday night that saw the Cajuns fall 6-1 to the Huskers. The defense committed four errors, the offense never sent more than four batters to the plate in an inning and the pitching was not much better
The offense was 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and 0-for-
And that’s it.
The CFP is expected to expand from 12 teams in 2024-25 and 2025-26 to 14 or 16 teams by 2026-27. In that number, the SEC and Big Ten reportedly both want four guaranteed bids per conference, leaving two for the ACC, two for the Big 12, one for the Group of Five conferences and one for an at-large team or Notre Dame (in a 14-team scenario), provided the Irish are ranked high enough.
There’s a word for this: greed.
One can make the argument that SEC commissioner Greg Sankey and Big Ten commish Tony Petitti are looking out for their conferences and their membership, as they should.
But the SEC and Big Ten, with their 34 combined members, comprise only about a quarter of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). What is good for some is not good for all. Especially if, as has also been reported, SEC and Big Ten schools will get more revenue from the new five-year, $1.3 billion deal with ESPN to televise the CFP starting in 2026.
The rich in the SEC and Big Ten will get richer, and everyone else will have to live with the scraps. Tasty scraps we’re talking prime rib and fondant potatoes here — but scraps nonetheless
What does this all mean if you’re an LSU fan? You may bemoan the end of the OklahomaOklahoma State football rivalry because they’re in different leagues now You might shake your head with dismay when
13 with runners on base.
“We’re better than we’ve played and there aren’t any excuses — weather or whatnot,” UL coach Matt Deggs said after the Friday game. “We haven’t played our best baseball yet, but I still like the way we go about it. We’re playing hard and still behind each other.”
The results started turning the other way Saturday
imagining the ice floe that Oregon State and Washington State were left on when everyone else abandoned the Pac-12 for the Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC.
But for LSU, there was perhaps never a better decision in the school’s history than the one in 1932 when the Tigers left the old Southern Conference to help form the SEC. It may not be good for college football as a whole, but four automatic SEC bids would give LSU a shot at more CFP access. It certainly means more money It likely will lead to a nine-game SEC schedule, which removes one “rent-a-win” from the Tigers’ annual slate. In an increasingly stormy world of college athletics, it’s a snug harbor You think Florida State or Kansas State wouldn’t like to be in LSU’s cleats right now?
All that said, there has been too much change much too fast in college athletics. There is only one set of data on a 12-team CFP before expansion is apparently on the way Changes have been driven largely by fear of being left out of the big conference payday The face of college football, a national sport comprised of a patchwork of delightful regional factions, has been erased and redrawn.
Once “Go fever” has you in its grip, it’s hard to shake. The SEC and Big Ten aren’t even trying. They’re saying, “Go faster.”
For more LSU sports updates, sign up for our newsletter at theadvocate.com/lsunewsletter
Continued from page 1C
resulted
contest.
Things didn’t appear to be headed to a dramatic finish. Smith and Vasquez smashed back-to-back homers in the first inning for a 2-0 lead before UL left the bases loaded. UL played a Jordee Wilkins’ bloop hit into a triple with one out in the third, and she scored on Isabel Cintron’s RBI single to right to cut UL’s lead to 3-1. Houston, which dropped to 9-4 with the loss followed that tally with a five-run fourth inning, chasing Wheeler from the circle.
Gabby Rawls had a two-run double, and Maddie Hartley smashed a three-run homer to left for a 6-3 Houston lead.
BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer
The road frustrations continue for the UL women’s basketball team. After beating Texas State and UL-Monroe handily at home last week, the Ragin’ Cajuns played them on the road this week. UL lost at Texas State on Wednesday and then got outscored by 12 points over the final 6:02 Saturday to suffer a 62-58 loss to the Warhawks at FantEwing Coliseum. The Cajuns have lost six straight road games and are now 2-10 on the season away from the Cajundome. The loss dropped UL to 12-14 overall and 8-8 in Sun Belt play while UL-Monroe is now 11-16 and 7-9. The Cajuns led 28-23 at halftime and went on to lead the game for 24:45 overall. UL led 53-45 with 6:02 left after an Aasia Sam jump shot.
Very little went well for the Cajuns the rest of the way Laila Walker’s basket cut UL’s lead to 55-53 with 3:17 left. Kait-
lyn Manuel’s three-point play put UL-Monroe back in front at 56-55 with 2:39 left.
Erica Lafayette’s jumper with 2:06 left got the lead back for UL at 57-56, but the Cajuns wouldn’t lead again.
Sakyia White’s layup put the Warhawks back in front with 1:08 left, and Nya Valentine’s two free throws extended the lead to 60-57 with 16 seconds left.
The Cajuns failed to get off a potential game-tying 3-pointer afterward because of a turnover
Jakayla Johnson led UL-Monroe with 20 points, two rebounds and seven assists Manuel added 13 points and six boards. Ashlyn Jones tallied 13 points, three rebounds and three assists for the Cajuns. Tamiah Robinson added 13 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Lafayette was held to nine points on 4-of-10 shooting from the field.
UL finished the game shooting 38.5%. The Cajuns won the rebounding battle 41-30.
Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@theadvocate.com.
By the end of her second season in charge, the Tigers had reached the Final Four, earning themselves that clash with Virginia Tech, Brooks and Amoorein the semifinals.
Cajuns designated player Laney Credeur celebrates her walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh in UL’s 8-7 comeback victory over Houston on Saturday at Lamson Park.
The Cajuns responded with three runs in the bottom of the fourth. Falterman, Smith and Vasquez all singled to get to produce the first run. Roe’s groundout got another run home, and an error chased home the third run. Houston regained the lead on Makenna Mitchell’s leadoff homer to right in the fifth off of Noble. Neither team scored again until UL’s two-run rally in the bottom of the seventh. Vasquez finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs, and Smith was 3-for4 with an RBI against Houston.
Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@theadvocate.com.
In Dallas, Amoore, Elizabeth Kitley and four complementary players built a 12-point lead by the 5:40 mark of the third quarter before letting LSU storm back, win 79-72 and reach the national championship game for the first time in school history
The Tigers won the rematch at home in the SEC/ ACC Challenge the following season a few months before Brooks made the jump to Kentucky, which is now 10-3 in league play ahead of its top-15 matchup with LSU on Sunday (3 p.m., ESPN).
“Same system,” Mu lk ey s ai d.
“Same kind of players. A lot of those players are now with him at Kentucky.” The No. 14 Wildcats’ two leading scorers followed Brooks from Virginia Tech to Kentucky One of those players is Amoore, the fifthyear senior point guard who guided the Hokies to the Final Four in 2023. The Australia native never has scored more points, assisted more buckets or converted more of her field goals than she has this season. In fact, only one Division I player has a higher assist average than Amoore, who’s also scoring 19.0 points per game on 43% shooting. Amoore played under Brooks for three of his four matchups
with Mulkey In those contests, the veteran point guard scored 20 ppg, but she shot only 36% from the floor and 27% from 3-point range while assisting on an average of just three field goals. Now Amoore is running one of the most efficient offenses in the Southeastern Conference. Since the calendar flipped to 2025, only two SEC teams are converting either their total field goals or their 3-pointers at a higher rate than Kentucky, which is fighting for a top-four seed in the conference tournament a year after it dropped 12 of 16 league games.
“They’re having an outstanding season. See, that portal does wonders for you, doesn’t it? It can either help you or hurt you, and man, he’s just transformed that program in one year because of the portal, because of those kids coming there.”
“They’re having an outstanding season,” Mulkey said. “See, that portal does wonders for you, doesn’t it? It can either help you or hurt you, and man, he’s just transformed that program in one year because of the portal, because of those kids coming there.”
Aneesah Morrow is expected to return to the floor against Kentucky after she sat out LSU’s Thursday win over Georgia to rest a foot contusion.
The No. 7 Tigers will need her for each of the final three games of their regular season: road matchups with the Wildcats and No 18 Alabama and a home game against Ole Miss, which is slotted at No. 13 in the NCAA’s latest NET rankings. With a win over Kentucky, LSU would clinch a double bye in the SEC Tournament. Email Reed Darcey at reed. darcey@theadvocate.com. For
BY MIKE COPPAGE Contributing writer
During pregame festivities on senior night, the Lafayette High public address announcer said the Mighty Lions baseball team had dedicated the season to former player Quincy Duhon, who was killed in a 2024 barber shop shooting.
So, when Diego Duhon, the younger brother of Quincy, received a pass from senior point guard Kevon’te Landry, pivoted in the lane and made the gamewinning turnaround jumper in a 55-54 overtime win over Sulphur High, the Lions’ student section went wild and joined the team in a jubilant celebration.
“I thought he was going to go down and take the shot,” Duhon said of Landry, who finished with 26 points, “but he made eye contact with me.
“As soon as it left my hands, I knew it was going in. I love my teammates. We dedicated this to my brother It was a huge district championship game.”
The Lions (16-9, 6-1 District 3-5A) won six of their final seven regular-season games Sulphur (26-5, 6-1) had a 12-game winning streak snapped.
“It was a very important game, not so much as it being for the district championship but as it being for a home game,” said Lions coach Clifton Brown, whose team moved up from No. 17 to No 16 in the unofficial Division I select power ratings.
When the LHSAA releases the playoff pairings on Tuesday (Feb. 25), the Lions are now expected to host No. 17 Hammond instead of traveling to Tangipahoa Parish to face the Tornadoes (19-9).
Sprague Hebert added 12 points for the Lions, who have three seniors in Duhon, Landry and 6-foot5 forward Bobby Davis, who came off the bench and battled in the paint along with Hebert, a 6-4 junior
has to step up.
“Flip has been phenomenal. He is a phenomenal athlete and just a great person. He is a very unselfish person. He trusted his teammate.”
“Flip (Landry) has really stepped up his game. He’s the reason we’re at where we’re at right now.”
Landry, a 6-foot-4 senior, pulled the Lions within 54-53 on three free throws with 22 seconds left
“It would be unbelievable,” Brown said of getting a home game. “It’s really tough to win on the road compared to winning at home We’re definitely on a roll after losing five seniors from last year, when we were really good.
The Tors, who were led by Blaine Davey’s 18 points, missed two free throws with 15.3 seconds to go.
“We couldn’t have played a better game,” Brown said. “We got off to a great start, competed and never gave up. Once we got into overtime, they got the momentum. We missed some free throws early, but when it counted, Flip made three huge free throws.”
Austin Drew hit two 3-pointers to give the Lions a 6-0 lead in the first quarter, but the sophomore didn’t attempt another shot.
“(Sulphur) did a good job of taking him out of the game,” Brown said. “They were face-guarding him, and they made it difficult for him to get the ball. It was one of those things where somebody else
Kam’Ron Brown had five points for the Lions, who never trailed until overtime. Ian Malone scored 15 points for Sulphur, whose big man Carson Thibodaux (five points) fouled out in OT
“This may have been the most excited I’ve ever been in my whole entire life,” Duhon said. “I’m ready for a home playoff game. Let’s go!”
0-0 0-0 0. Totals 38-92 19-25 103. DALLAS (111) Thompson 4-11 0-0 12, Washington 8-17 5-8 24, Edwards 1-2 0-0 2, Exum 1-7 1-2 4, Irving 11-22 8-8 35, Marshall 5-8 4-5 15, Prosper 0-3 1-2 1, M.Brown 1-2 0-0 2, Christie 6-7 2-2 16, Dinwiddie 0-7 0-0 0. Totals 37-86 21-27 111. New Orleans22312921103 Dallas32243025—111 3-Point Goals—New Orleans 8-27 (Murphy III 4-8, McCollum 2-8, Alvarado 1-3, Hawkins 1-3, B.Brown 0-1, Matkovic 0-2, Olynyk 0-2), Dallas 16-44 (Irving 5-12, Thompson 4-7, Washington 3-8, Christie 2-3, Marshall 1-3, Exum 1-4, Edwards 0-1, Prosper 0-1, Dinwiddie 0-5). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—New Orleans 53 (Missi 10), Dallas 47 (Marshall 10) Assists—New Orleans 25 (Murphy III 6) Dallas 28 (Dinwiddie 7). Total Fouls—New Orleans 23, Dallas 18. A—20,125 (19,200) College basketball Men’s state schedule Friday’s games No games scheduled. Saturday’s games Arkansas State 95, UL-Monroe 70 Nicholls 93, Texas-Rio Grande Valley 84 Southeastern 83, East Texas A&M 65 McNeese 73, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 57 Southern 71, Grambling 64 Northwestern State at UNO, n Florida at LSU, n Louisiana Tech at Western Kentucky, n UL at Southern Miss, n Sunday’s games Tulane at Wichita State, 1 p.m. Women’s state schedule Friday’s games No games scheduled. Saturday’s games UTRGV 59, Nicholls 50 McNeese 69, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 60 Southeastern 75, Texas A&M-Commerce
BY ROBIN MILLER Staff writer
No buildings predating 1864 can be found in Alexandria. Most of the structures were incinerated in the wake of the Union Army withdrawal on May 13, 1864. The few buildings that survived were leveled in subsequent years, leaving Kent Plantation House as the city’s only intact centuries-old structure. However, that isn’t a contradiction about the city’s preCivil War structures, because Kent House stood on what was considered outside of town at that time. But that really wasn’t Leon Bergeron’s concern when he asked Curious Louisiana about the burning of Alexandria.
PROVIDED PHOTO By LIBRARy OF CONGRESS
Gen. A.J Smith was an associate and admirer of Gen. William T. Sherman, who was burning his way through Georgia during the Civil War. Smith is said to be a proponent of the burning of Alexandria.
Who made the call?
“I want to know who gave the order to burn the city,” the Alexandria resident said. “There’s been some historical dispute about that question, and I’d like to find out the answer.”
Some historians readily place responsibility on Gen. Nathaniel Banks, whose troops were occupying the city during the Union’s Red River Campaign. Others say he gave no such order. Before names can be named it’s important to know what led to the fire. That is, if there is a name.
“Most of the historians’ books I’ve read say Gen Banks gave the order, but through my research, I believe that isn’t true,” historian and author Michael D. Wynne said. “Now, being the commanding officer, he ultimately bears responsibility. But he didn’t give the order.” The fire was deliberate
Still, Wynne said, the fire was deliberate. He even emphasizes this rationale in the title of his 2022 book, “All Was Lost: The Deliberate Burning of Alexandria in 1864.”
The unleashing of hell in Alexandria was the Union Army’s final act in central Louisiana.
“Hell” was the soldiers’ words, and they had been through it after marching from New Orleans to Mansfield between March 10 and May 22, 1864. The Union’s goals were to capture Shreveport, the state’s ä See CURIOUS, page 6D
BY JOANNA BROWN Staff writer
Mardi Gras parades can be a marathon — and no one knows that better than the people who march the routes on foot, past streets full of joyful, king cakebuzzed, bead-loving Louisianans.
While float riders, pageant queens and other Carnival luminaries dispense throws from on high, waving down from above the fray, high school bands are right in the thick of it — marching, dancing, playing and bringing the highoctane energy that Mardi Gras is known for And while teenagers aren’t always known to welcome the early wake times required for parades, the bands prepared to march in the Carencro Mardi Gras parade on Saturday, Feb. 15, understood the assignment.
“We’re here to keep the energy up,” said Northside High School band captain Erin Joseph, warming up with her bandmates before the 11 a.m. kickoff time. “We try to keep it hype for everybody and show them a good experience. We’re letting other people see what we’re about and having fun, so they might be inspired to play instruments.”
“We can change the culture with music,” added Elijah Dugas, band captain and trombonist.
The biggest rock stars in any good parade might be the drum lines. A strong beat cuts through the noise generated by crowds and float-mounted speakers, letting spectators know that the party is about to arrive. Especially in smalltown Mardi Gras parades, nothing matches the feeling of dancing and clapping with your community,
while supporting fledging young musicians.
“Any time we play a straight beat, the crowd goes crazy,” said members of the Northside High drumline, when asked about the impact their section brings on parade days.
“We keep the heart of the band pumping. If we fall short, they fall short. As long as we pick up our
ä See BANDS, page 6D
Prancing Babycakes show
styles along the Spanish Town route.
BY JOY HOLDEN Staff writer
BY CATHERINE S COMEAUX
Contributing writer
Editor’s note: The writer and her family spent three summers exploring state, national and provincial parks, traveling by minivan from Louisiana to Alaska, to Nova Scotia, and all along the Mississippi River in between. This year, she turns her attention to Louisiana state parks to discover the natural beauty of the South less than a day’s drive from home.
Bayou Segnette State Park, situated on 600 acres of mingled marsh and swamplands, feels like a remote getaway though it’s only a short 30-minute drive south from New Orleans. As a destination in itself or a break from the goings-on in the Crescent City, the cypress trees and waterways of Bayou Segnette offer a welcome respite with opportunities for picnicking, boating, fishing and nature gazing.
The waterways within the state park offer an experience of the landscape typical of the Mississippi River delta: grassy marshlands and cypress tupelo swamps interconnected by bayous and inlets, and teeming with wildlife. The state park sits at the southern edge of Louisiana’s solid ground below which the terrain turns into a succession of lakes, bays and marshlands before it reaches the Gulf.
In his 2024 book, “The Great River,” Boyce Upholt tells the complex story of the Mississippi River and how man’s attempt to engineer its waters has had unintended consequences like the subsidence and erosion seen in this region where the coastline is constantly moving northward. Upholt invites readers to “see the beauty that persists despite our mistakes.”
cello Canal (an offshoot of Bayou Segnette).
fish are biting or simply enjoy the beauty of nature. Warmer temperatures bring out the water skiers (not recommended for all only the brave who understand the tenuous but typically peaceful relationship between humans and alligators). Paddlers use the boat launch as well and enjoy exploring the side channels of the bayous.
In addition to the floating cabins, overnight tent and RV campsites are available. The campgrounds are amenable to tent camping but set up for the RV camper; each site has a picnic table, fire ring, water and electrical hook-ups but no maintained tent pads.
The ground is soft in this region and rocks aren’t an issue, but tent campers might want to check for cypress knees before laying down their ground cover Campers have access to two shower houses where they will also find laundry facilities, a dishwashing sink and a small playground. All overnight guests at the state park have access to the swimming pool.
The “group camp” area, misleadingly designated by a tent symbol on the park map, is actually a large dormitory built in the style of a dogtrot with a wide, central open-air breezeway and ample porch space. The building has a commercial kitchen, is wheelchair-accessible and accommodates up to 80 overnight guests.
creating a vivid display for nature gazers twice a year in the fall when their needle-like leaves turn rust orange and again in the early spring when they push forth bright green, feathery new growth.
Check your schedule — plan for a weekend, a day or simply a picnic at Bayou Segnette State Park where you can enjoy the beauty of Louisiana in the wild space between the bayous and the Gulf.
Know before you go
n Closest grocery stores are in Westwego.
n Wheelchair-accessible and/or pet-friendly cabins are available.
n Due to its proximity to New Orleans, overnight accommodations are often booked up in advance for events like Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest.
n Four EV charging stations are located near picnic area.
n Persons 16 or older must have a saltwater fishing license in addition to a basic fishing license to fish in the state park. Visit the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries website at www.wlf. louisiana.gov for details.
n Bring your own boat/ canoe/kayak. Check nearby towns of Westwego and Marrero for possible rental opportunities.
n The wave pool has been closed since 2020 and remains closed.
Upcoming events
Bayou Segnette State Park is a good place to do so
Activities and amenities
Owing to its unique location between one of the largest rivers in North America and the Gulf, the
By Christopher Elliott
waters of the state park offer amazing fishing opportunities for both saltwater and freshwater catch like bass, redfish, catfish, trout and perch. A fish-cleaning station bedecks the back porch of each of the 16 floating cabins along Mar-
Overnight cabin guests can catch their supper, clean it and cook it without ever having to leave their cabin. The screened front porch makes a lovely place for a meal overlooking the water A boat landing with five launch points and a large parking area gives motor boaters easy access to explore the waterways, whether to find where the
Day visitors can take a short hike, go for a bike ride around the park, or get out on the water for a few hours. Located on the Mississippi Flyway, one of the most active migratory corridors in North America, the park is an excellent place for birding. The myriad cypress trees throughout the park are majestic year-round,
Third Saturdays: Dutch oven gathering with the WEGO Cookers (Louisiana Dutch Oven Society). All are invited to taste foods prepared in a Dutch oven over an open fire. April 12, 10 a.m. to noon: Love The Boot Week litter cleanup in partnership with Keep Louisiana Beautiful (sign up to volunteer at www lovetheboot.org).
Lufthansa didn’t live up to its reputation after flight experiences
Christopher Elliott
I am writing on behalf of myself and my travel companion about our recent, highly unsatisfactory experience with Lufthansa’s flight cancellation and rescheduling policies. Lufthansa canceled, then rebooked, then canceled or delayed our flights on both ends of our vacation.
Our outbound flight from New York to Delhi was delayed, and we missed our connecting flight to India. Lufthansa eventually rebooked us on another airline but offered us only a $15 meal voucher, which wasn’t enough to buy a meal in New York.We had a delay of almost 24 hours.
On our return flight, Lufthansa switched
By The Associated Press
Today is Sunday, Feb. 23, the 54th day of 2025. There are 311 days left in the year Today in history
On Feb. 23, 1945, during World War II, U.S. Marines on Iwo Jima captured Mount Suribachi, where they raised two American flags. (The second flag-raising was captured in an iconic photograph by Joe Rosenthal of The Associated Press.)
On this date: In 1836, the siege of the Alamo by Mexican troops began in San Antonio, Texas. In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt signed an agreement with Cuba to lease the area around Guantanamo Bay to the United States.
In 1942, the first shelling of the U.S. mainland during World War II occurred as a Japanese submarine fired on an oil refinery near Santa Barbara, California
In 1980, American Eric Heiden completed his sweep of the five men’s speed skating
planes and didn’t have room for us. Instead, they rebooked us on a flight through Frankfurt, and we experienced a six-hour delay. According to Lufthansa’s site, we are entitled to compensation if we arrive at our final destination with a delay of more than three hours. It also promises compensation if we’re denied boarding, which we were on our return flight.At a bare minimum, Lufthansa should refund the $322 in seat assignment fees we paid.
We could have flown much more cheaply on another airline but chose Lufthansa because of its reputation Can you help? — Emily Weir, Florence, Massachusetts Lufthansa clearly didn’t live up to its reputation on your flights to and from Delhi.
events at the Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, New York, by winning the men’s 10,000-meter race in world record time; Heiden was the first athlete to win five gold medals in a single Winter Olympics. In 2011, in a major policy reversal, the Obama administration said it would no longer defend the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act, a federal law banning recognition of same-sex marriage. In 2020, Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man, was fatally shot on a residential Georgia street; a White father and son had armed themselves and pursued him after seeing him running through their neighborhood. (Greg and Travis McMichael and neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan were convicted of murder, aggravated assault and other charges and were sentenced to life in prison.)
In 2021, golfer Tiger Woods was seriously injured when his SUV crashed into a median and rolled over several times on a steep road in suburban
Part of the problem is that it’s not immediately clear which airline consumer protections apply to your flight. It’s true, Lufthansa says it will compensate you for denied boarding and delays — but those are E.U. rules that apply only to tickets where the origination or destination is within the E.U.
On your flight from New York to Delhi, U.S. consumer protection laws apply And those say that if the airline can get you to your final destination, and if you accept the rebooked flight, it owes you nothing more. However, your seats well, that’s another story You paid for
a reserved seat on your flight and didn’t get it. You’re right: At a bare minimum, Lufthansa owes you a refund for those. Your case falls into a gray area when it comes to customer service. Clearly both of your flights didn’t go as you had hoped them to go, or as Lufthansa had intended. When that happens, your best bet is to negotiate a goodwill gesture then and there, and in real time. Ask for a hotel voucher, an extra meal voucher, frequent flyer points, or anything a representative is allowed to offer at the time. Because after your flights end, getting anything will be dif-
ficult, if not impossible. You can also reach out to one of the Lufthansa executives whose names I publish on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org. A short, polite email to them might get you the compensation you deserve. I contacted Lufthansa on your behalf. Without comment, the airline refunded you $61 — a disappointing conclusion to your case.
Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him on his site.
Los Angeles. In 2023, a federal judge handed singer R. Kelly a 20-year prison sentence for his convictions that include producing child sexual abuse materials and federal sex trafficking charges., but said he would serve nearly all of the sentence simultaneously with a 30-year sentence imposed a year earlier on racketeering charges Today’s birthdays: Football Hall of Famer Fred Biletnikoff is 82. Actor Patricia Richardson is 74. Singer Howard Jones is 70. Japanese Emperor Naruhito is 65. Actor Kristin Davis is 60. Business executive Michael Dell is 60. TV personality-business executive Daymond John is 56. Actor Niecy Nash is 55. Democratic Sen. Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland is 54. Country singer Steve Holy is 53. Actor Kelly Macdonald is 49. Rapper Residente, born René Juan Pérez Joglar, is 47. Actor Josh Gad is 44. Actor Emily Blunt is 42. Actor Aziz Ansari is 42. Actor Dakota Fanning is 31.
Dear Heloise: I read Allison’s letter regarding a Medicare scam that was correct until the last sentence: “Please tell people there is no new Medicare card.”
Correction: Medicare has sent new cards to certain beneficiaries! The accompanying letter stated: “Medicare takes steps to protect your identity and prevent fraud. We found an issue with your Medicare number To protect you, we’re giving you a new card with a new number.”
Since I had received a new card, I called Medicare and spoke to a representative who informed me that my original number had been part of a data breach; therefore, they issued me a new number that became effective on Jan. 13. I recommend that if anyone has a concern about receiving a new card, they should call Medicare or go to their website. Agnes M., North Hills, California Agnes, the person who wrote about the fraud was made to believe that everyone who receives Medicare now held an invalid card. They claimed they had to verify whether
she was the correct person by asking her to give them her card numbers. This was when she realized they were crooks. — Heloise Grapes instead of ice
Dear Heloise: I love fresh juice in the morning, especially over ice. The problem was that the ice would start to melt and water down the juice. A friend of mine suggested that I use frozen green grapes instead of ice, and it worked out perfectly I can also munch on the grapes after I drink the juice. I asked her where she got this great idea, and she said it was from reading your column. So, thank you for all of your clever hints! — Stacy M., Royal Oak, Michigan
Saving gift cards
Dear Heloise: I used to work for a company that gave employees gift cards at Christmas every year They were for a store that I don’t particularly care for, but a lot of people use the store for wedding and baby registries. So, I would just save these cards to use when I needed to buy a gift for these occasions. — Patricia Morse, via email Send a hint to heloise@heloise.com.
Engagement, Wedding and Anniversary announcements arepaid notices in TheAdvocate.Theyappear in Sunday’sAdvocate.Tosubmit an announcement, go to TheAdvocate’swebsiteat www.theadvocate.com,scroll down to the bottom of the page,look under ‘’Our Sites’’ and click on ‘’Celebrations’’.
Thedeadline is noon Monday. Formoreinformation call (225) 388-0738 or e-mail nuptials@theadvocate.com
Fillinger -Loos
With hearts full of love, Mary Katherine Loos and Mitchell Eric Fillinger,announce their marriage, Feb. 15 at St. James Episcopal Church, Baton Rouge. The Rev.Christopher Duncan officiated the ceremony,which was followed by areception at LSU’sLod Cook Alumni Center
Mary Katherine is the daughter of the late Katherine Marie Loos of Lafayette. Mitchell is the son of Mr.and Mrs. Keith Eric Fillinger,ofColumbus, Ohio. She is the granddaughter of the late Dr and Mrs. John Louis Loos of Baton Rouge. He is the grandson of Ms. Claudia Sue Price Johnson, Ms. Gail Ellen Fillinger and the late Mr.Keith Edward Fillinger, all of Columbus, Ohio.
She is agraduate of Episcopal School of Acadiana (2015)and LSU (2018) and earned her J.D. and D.C.L from LSU in 2021. She is an associate attorney in Commercial Litigation at Breazeale, Sachse &Wilson, L.L.P.inBaton Rouge.
He is agraduate of Benjamin Franklin High School (2015)and LSU (2019). He completed his M.S. at LSU (2021) and plans to graduate from LSU Law in May He plans to join Baker,Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell &Berkowitz, PC in Baton Rouge as an associate at-
torney Her attendants included her sister,Grace Helen Loos as Maid of Honor, Anna Paula Simon as Matron of Honor,and bridesmaids Diane Gremillion Evans, Grace Pecoraro Falterman, Emiley Elizabeth Dillon and Blythe Trivett Bull. His attendants included his brother,Jacob Price Fillinger,asBest Man, and groomsmen Thomas
Wayne Kuluz, Jr., Grady William Stewart, Robert Charles Mipro III, Jake Edward Steinhardt, and Brandon Scott Andrews, Jr.Leo Michael Aaron and Sean Richard McAuliffe served as ushers.
The couple met at LSU and look forward to building their lives together in Baton Rouge with support of families and friends.
Dear Miss Manners: I par-
ticipate in a regular online exercise class, in which all the clients are veterans — and mostly men. I am usually the only woman in the group. Participants generally sign on several minutes early to chitchat, and the host (a woman) greets everyone as she sees them. My irritation is that she greets all the men as “Mr.,” and me by my first name. Everyone’s screen names include both first and last names, and none are particularly difficult to pronounce, so I don’t understand the difference in addressing us. The participants are all older than she is, so it isn’t a matter of showing respect for elders.
I can imagine several possible reasons for this:
n She feels more chummy with me, as the only other woman present.
n She is unconsciously more respectful of the men.
n I’m not seen as a peer of the other veterans because I’m “only” a woman (something encountered quite a bit on active duty, sadly).
n There is some subconscious self-distancing at
‘Servant’ tickets
play when talking to men vs. women. She may not realize this can be off-putting, and might appreciate being told. Should I email her to let her know? Should I change my screen name to “Miss So-and-so” or even more snarkily, “Sergeant So-andso” as a not-so-subtle hint?
I’m conflicted about even asking this. Ironically one of my joys after retiring was to finally be called by my first name again.
Gentle reader: Ironic indeed. Miss Manners suggests a non-snarky reason that is not on your list: that this woman may not know which honorific you use (Miss, Ms. or Mrs.) and is afraid to guess. Listing your preferred honorific, or your rank, as your screen name would certainly make the point.
If she asks you about it or seems taken aback, you may helpfully say “I just noticed that you prefer to call people by their last names, so I wanted to alert you to mine.”
Dear Miss Manners: I live in downtown Houston and regularly walk through the underground network of tunnels to escape the heat between appointments. Most of the time, I notice people follow standard traffic rules: e.g., walking on the right side.
However, I sometimes see groups of businesspeople walking shoulder-toshoulder, as if they’re off to see the Wizard of Oz. It is reminiscent of teenagers navigating a school hallway
The way these groups block the path, a collision was inevitable, and it happened recently A woman clipped my shoulder, then loudly exclaimed, “Excuse you! Can’t you see we’re walking here?!”
Her entire group turned to look at me, as if I was at fault for simply existing in “their” world. Not knowing what else to say, I replied, “The tunnels are for everyone,” before walking away to my next appointment. As I left, I heard the woman yell, “RUDE!” What do you recommend I should have said or done in that situation?
Gentle reader: “I’m afraid there was just no way through.”
Miss Manners suggests you omit, “ and I need to see the Wizard,” however tempting it may be.
Send questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners. com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail. com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City MO 64106.
tickets-1224294400509.
At the Poydras Center
Tickets are on sale for the UL-Lafayette School of Performing Arts’ production of “The Servant of Two Masters,” opening March 13 in the Burke-Hawthorne Hall Theatre on campus in Lafayette. Tickets are $15-$20. Visit eventbrite.com/e/theservant-of-two-masters-
Meet the artists at the Poydras Center, 500 W. Main St., New Roads, which is currently sponsoring a duo art exhibition through March 31 of Louisiana artists Kellie Martin Smith and Olivia McNeely Pass. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. This exhibit, which is a collaboration between the Arts Council of Pointe Coupee and the Pointe Coupee Historical Society, marks the third year for these “Pop-Up Exhibits.” For more information, visit pointecoupeehistoricalsociety.com and artscouncilofpointecoupee.org.
Kris Wartelle Everyone knows The Mystic Krewe of Apollo invented Mardi Gras madness (sort of). They are the only krewe that brings a Las Vegas-style show to Acadiana with elaborate, over-thetop costumes. The outfits are sometimes so heavy, only the strongest shoulders can bear the weight of the mantle and headpieces.
This year, the krewe celebrated its Bal Masque XLVIII at the Cajundome Convention Center on Feb. 15. The theme for the ball was Inventions. Apollo royalty dressed as modern and past inventions such as the locomotive train, space travel and drones. Thousands packed the center to enjoy the show Guests got to experience the much-anticipated ball known for energetic celebrations, wild dance numbers and Apollo royalty’s famous parade floats In many ways, you could say the Krewe of Apollo has reinvented the carnival ball. We were lucky to be able to witness the revelry. We also love that this krewe always pays tribute to their past while paving the way for future celebrations. Apollo showed up loud and proud again this year, treating guests to a party like no other
For years, Apollo Krewe member Randy Lanza has graciously opened his home to host a celebration for friends attending The Mystic Krewe of Apollo’s Bal Masque.
The pre-ball party is a chance for guests to enjoy delicious bites and beverages before the big event. This year the krewe celebrated the Bal Masque XLVIII on Feb.15.
If you have ever been to the Apollo Ball, you know it takes a lot of energy to keep up with these guys. The dazzling show can take your breath away, as well as the all-night dancing. Lanza is an expert at preparing just the right dishes to provide his guests with plenty of fuel to sustain them. He also makes sure there is plenty of fun and fellowship to go around We love seeing how beautifully dressed everyone is and catching up with old friends. It is always a perfect event to get one in the mood for a night of spectacular Mardi Gras madness. We would like to thank Randy Lanza and all the Apollo Krewe members for inviting us to enjoy another fabulous Carnival tradition.
When it comes to Carnival season celebrations, most think of the elaborate formal balls hosted by local Mardi Gras krewes. However, the fun doesn’t stop there. The parties after are just as exciting when krewe members and guests trade long gowns and tuxedos for some more casual, laid-back fun.
The Krewe of Attakapas’ King Lacassine LVI and Queen Karakondye LVI held their annual Sunday celebration on Feb. 9 at the UL Alumni House and Gardens, the day after the ball and pageant.
The festive event included entertainment by the band Bag of Donuts. Known for their entertaining shows, Bag of Donuts delighted guests with their eclectic mix of music and energetic stage presence.
This year’s King Lacassine LVI, Bobby Bodin, celebrated alongside family and friends, while Queen Karakondye enjoyed her day as newly crowned royalty. As we have mentioned, The Mystic Krewe of Attakapas never reveals the queen’s identity, but we can say she represented the krewe spectacularly What did we love most about this event? After enjoying a day of perfect weather, fellowship and dancing, guests left with a special party favor reminiscent of the entertainment. You guessed it, a bag of donuts! The Krewe of Attakapas once again representing Mardi Gras madness at its best.
A special reception honoring 16th Judicial District Attorney
Bo Duhé was held Feb. 10 at the Carl Groh studios in New Iberia. Duhé has dedicated his career to public service in his role as the District Attorney for the 16th Judicial District Court in New Iberia. Local community leaders wanted to honor that commitment by commissioning Carl Groh, an award-winning artist, to paint his portrait. First National Bank Board Member Butler Bourgeois said the Board wanted to honor Duhé for his significant contributions as a member of the bank’s Board of Directors.
“The portrait was commissioned as a heartfelt gesture to express our deep appreciation for his dedication and service,” Bourgeois said. The well-known artist Carl Groh was chosen to paint the portrait because of his reputation, talent, and longstanding support of the bank and community Family and friends gathered at Groh’s studio to view the finished portrait for the first time. The exquisite piece will serve as a lasting reminder of the dedication, wisdom, and friendship Duhé has brought to St. Martin, Iberia and St. Mary Parishes, and the areas he serves.
PROVIDED PHOTO By FARRAGUTFUL
St. Francis Xavier Cathedral can be seen in present-day Alexandria.The church’s priest stood in front of the original building at this same location in 1864, declaring that Union soldiers would have to kill him in order to burn the church.The soldiers backed off, and the church was spared.
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capital at the time; destroy Gen. Robert Taylor’s Confederate forces in west Louisiana; organize pro-Union state governments throughout the region; and most importantly confiscate as much cotton as possible from plantations along the Red River Cotton was needed to supply the textile mills in the North, not to mention that the commanding general in charge had his sights on the White House.
“Banks was planning on running for president,” Wynne said.
If Banks was the “hero” that supplied the cotton to keep Northern mills in business, the theory is that his campaign backers would skyrocket.
Plans go awry
Banks was given 20,000 troops to move from New Orleans to Alexandria, while Brigadier Gen. A.J. Smith was coming down from Vicksburg with 15,000 more.
Meanwhile, Rear Adm. David Dixon Porter was to lead a fleet of ironclad gunboats up the Red River in support of Banks’ march into north Louisiana, the thought being that shutting off the Red River at Shreveport would isolate Texas from the Confederacy Banks’ troops were in disarray throughout the trek and were turned back at Mansfield by Gen. Robert Taylor’s smaller Confederate force. A battle at Pleasant Hill followed, and Banks retreated back to Alexandria, where the Red River’s water table was seasonally low
The Red River’s rapids were prominent at Alexandria at this time, which were difficult for most water vessels to navigate. Low water crossing was doubly difficult for heavy ironclad boats, so Col. Joseph Bailey of Wisconsin was called in to create a makeshift dam that would raise the water level just enough for the boats to cross
Construction of Bailey’s Dam
Tensions were high during the building of the dam and even higher as the final boat scraped the river bottom after crossing.
“The citizenry was concerned about the potential burning of the city,” Wynne said. “They knew about Atlanta and other cities that had burnt from newspaper accounts, and the relationship between the people and the Union troops had never been very good. The soldiers had basically taken all of their food, chickens, cows and crops and were confiscating the cotton for the mills up in the North.”
Not to mention that all of the trees had been chopped down on the Pineville side of the river, and the wooden buildings dismantled on Alexandria’s side were used to build what historically has become known as Bailey’s Dam.
An admirer of Gen. Sherman
The proverbial nail in Alexandria’s coffin was the presence of Smith, a close associate of Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman, who was burning his way through Georgia at the time.
“He admired Sherman and was a Sherman wannabe,” Wynne said of Smith.
Wynne’s research has taken him not only through history books but also court records,
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and encouragement found in practices and parades that keep her marching.
“We have an ever-evolving sisterhood,” said Mayard, “which is really the ground level to our group. We all celebrate each other, and it’s the ultimate girlhood of just really celebrating women.”
Although the Dancing Girls of Southdowns focus more on costume than choreography, the friendship and fellowship bonds are also the reason for sticking around.
Ky Burke, the captain of the Dancing Girls, has been with the group for 25 years, and she said the friendship is second to none.
“Each woman is a rock star in her own life,” Burke said. “Throughout the years, different women might need support of a community, and this group of women come together wholeheartedly to support and rally around one another.”
The Dancing Girls
newspaper accounts and government documents. His findings led to an interesting discovery about Banks’ character
Sure, the general had political aspirations, but when it came to military duty, Banks believed in proper protocol.
“There was this delicate balance between political and military sides,” Wynne said. “I would say he was 60% politician and 40% soldier, but he was still a proper military soldier, and he wanted to do things right. Lincoln was in the process of being reelected, and he knew the presidency would be wide open after that, because it was unlikely that Lincoln would run again.”
Banks was decent
But that didn’t mean Banks was bad
“I have done extensive research on Banks’ life,” he said.
“There were some real bad generals who used poor judgment and were morally questionable. But, Banks was a decent man. He got along with the people of Alexandria, but his troops didn’t.
And the people began hearing some of the soldiers talking about burning down the city.”
Banks also heard the rumors, so he issued a letter on May 13, 1864, ordering a Col. Gooding to station 500 men to guard the city against destruction The general was already on his way to New Orleans when the fire started.
“There’s no written order by A.J. Smith, but there are accounts that he encouraged soldiers to start the fire,” Wynne said. “They went from building to building starting fires.”
Churches saved, destroyed
The priest at St. Francis Xavier Cathedral stood in front of the church, telling soldiers if they were going to burn the church, they would have to kill him first.
The church was spared.
In the meantime, St. James Episcopal Church, which stood next to the river, was destroyed, but its silver sacristy set was saved and buried That same set is used in St. James’ current location today at the corner of Bolton Avenue and Murray Street.
“Eighty-five percent of the buildings were destroyed,” Wynne said. “And as the years passed, those that did survive were eventually torn down to make way for modern buildings.”
As for Kent Plantation House, its owners had pledged allegiance to the Union before the war The 1796 structure was moved two miles from its original location in 1964, preserved and is now open for tours.
“Historian Henry Robertson actually found the amnesty oath signed by the owner of Kent House in 1864,” Wynne said.
“That’s probably what saved it.”
But saved from whom? Did Smith give the order to burn upon Banks’ departure? That’s the general consensus.
“It was probably a verbal order,” Wynne said. “And there was no need for it. It was just done out of anger and hate, and for no other reason.”
Do you have a question about something in Louisiana that’s got you curious? Email your question to curiouslouisiana@ theadvocate.com Include your name, phone number and the city where you live.
is “Safari,” so the Dancing Girls decided to craft each costume as an animal Each ensemble must light up and include a headpiece.
Bizza Britton joined the Dancing Girls in 2019, and she said the organization is a “wonderful group of creative, eclectic and caring women” who love to dance and have fun.
Each year, the Dancing Girls select a charity and donate a portion of their dues to the chosen nonprofit. They always present the gift after Mardi Gras to the deserving cause In the past, they have donated to the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank, Glasgow Middle School cheerleaders, Baton Rouge Cancer Society, Youth Oasis, Life of a Single Mom and Brave Heart of Louisiana, Children in Need.
“If you like to dress up and dance in the streets, then this is completely a tribe of women to join,” Burke said.
The Prancing Babycakes
The Dancing Girls is the longestrunning women’s dance krewe in Baton Rouge. Belonging to the Southdowns Parade, the Dancing Girls started about three years after the parade started, around 1991. Burke has been captain of the dancing group for 10 years, and she was queen of the parade eight years ago. She said many of the queens of years past have been Dancing Girls as well.
For this dance group, the focus is less on choreography and more on creative costumes. The krewe learns one dance each year and in addition to marching in the parade, they also perform their routine at the Southdowns Ball.
Each member is responsible for creating their own original lightup costume.
Burke said costumes can be as elaborate as desired, but they must align with the theme of the parade. This year, the Southdowns theme
In 2008, the Prancing Babycakes started at the Baton Rouge Art Car Parade and expanded to Mardi Gras parades in 2009. Mayard joined one year later and has been a faithful member since.
The Prancing Babycakes is a diverse dance group when it comes to experience and age. Some members were professional dancers with dance studios and others had never taken a dance class before joining. Their oldest member is in her 60s, and their youngest member is in her 20s.
Heather Day, an event planner in Baton Rouge, was nervous and intimidated the first year she joined because she was not a dancer However, four different choreographers within the group arrange dances in different styles, and once the krewe learns the moves, they add their own flavor to the choreography
“What’s nice about our group is that it really is individualistic,” Mayard said. “Everybody kind of leans a little differently into the music that they like.”
She says the moves are more of
a guide to ensure that the women look cohesive on parade routes, but each Babycake can put their own style into the dance.
Signature krewe colors
The Babycakes coordinate their costumes each year by combining their signature krewe colors: red, black and white with silver or gold accents. Once again, individuality prevails among the dancers. Mayard said some girls put together an outfit from their closet while others will craft a look for months.
While Day joined the group more recently she had been longing to dance with the Babycakes for years.
When they first started doing parades, Day had two young daughters and a new event planning business She didn’t think she had time. Now, she says becoming a Babycake is one of the best things she has ever done for herself.
“I would see the girls along the route every year,” said Day, “and I’d run up and hug them and scream and yell and wish I was one of them. Finally, my kids got older, and I needed to cross this off my bucket list. It’s a goal to work for, learning four dances over two months, and I do it every year.” As for Mayard, she said she will keep dancing with the Babycakes as long as her body lets her The physical exertion is no joke.
Performing in three parades this year, the dancers not only are dancing consistently, but they are also hustling to keep up with a float or a truck. Mayard said she does cardio conditioning at the gym to prepare for the “physical feat.”
All the stress and soreness are worth it, though.
“We find that this is one of those pockets of adulthood where we can still instill joy,” said Mayard, “and you know, I think everyone’s really trying to find that positive light. This really fills that void for a lot of girls.”
Email Joy Holden at joy.holden@ theadvocate.com.
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pace, it’s going to work out,” said cymbal player and junior Jamar Skipper
After walking with bands from Northside High School, Carencro High School, JS Clark Leadership Academy and the Lafayette Renaissance Academy in Carencro, it’s clear that Lafayette-area marching bands are passionate about representing their schools and surrounding communities. The Carencro parade is a perfect microcosm of the area’s Mardi Gras celebrations, many of which happen in smaller communities that mix city and country traditions — such as wearing traditionally fringed Courir de Mardi Gras costumes, while running and leaping for throws instead of chickens. That energy was on excellent display as the bands progressed down the 3.5 mile route, from Carencro High School to the Carencro Community Center The crowds cheered as marching bands and dance lines from Opelousas to Lafayette played down West Butcher Switch and North University Avenue, an area lined by schools, homes, small businesses and the transcendent feel of a community doing something it loves — watching a parade together
According to Northside band leader Taylor Stansbury and her father band parent Anthony Stansbury, the marching bands gathered that day felt a responsibility to represent Lafayette’s northside communities well.
“The long walk is a challenge but the good part is representing
Members of the Northside High School marching band warm up before the
the crowd and the culture,” said senior Taylor Stansbury, who plays alto saxophone. Her father, Anthony, pulled a wagon full of supplies along the route as the kids kept a brisk pace in front. He said that he felt it was important for parade-goers to have an opportunity to support their schools — and for this parade, one marching band was fielding one of their very first classes of high school players. Lafayette Renaissance Charter High School began offering classes for high schoolers in 2022.
Located at 205 Vienne Lane, Lafayette, near Moore Park, student musicians from the small charter school looked confident preparing next to the larger band programs from Northside, Carencro and JS Clark high schools. According to LRCH band director Trevor Moosa, many community members
are not yet aware of the small high school just two miles down the road from Carencro High, and he hoped that his band would represent the school well on this cool, blustery parade day
As for his students, like all the marching bands gathered for the parade, their goal was simply to have fun with their friends, be confident, and play as they’ve practiced.
Michael Breaux, Jr., LRCH senior held a marching baritone next to his band mates as floats started to roll down the road and the energy began to ramp up around him. “I hope everyone has fun, everyone gets out here to see us show out, and we do our thing,” he said, taking off to the beats of Mardi Gras.
Email Joanna Brown at joanna. brown@theadvocate.com.
BY DEBRA BROUSSARD TAGHEHCHIAN
Contributing writer
Long before I had ever heard the word hangry, I had seen it many times. Hangry is defined as “bad-tempered or irritable because of hunger.”
So many times, my father would enter the house from having worked in the fields cutting grass, plowing, handling cattle, baling hay or any other task required of running a farm. If my mother was slightly late with lunch preparations, he would say, “Audrey, lunch isn’t ready yet? We always eat at noon!”
She was not at all bothered by him or his mood, as she knew that he was just hangry. Only good food could humor his bad mood.
My mother was an excellent home cook, and one of my father’s favorite meals of hers was meatball fricassee. He always loved it served over white rice with sweet peas and a side of cabbage slaw that was dressed simply with white vinegar, salt and pepper. A slice of white bread rounded out the meal. Often, when there was a heavy workload on the farm, day workers were hired to help. I so enjoyed making plates of food and bringing them out to the workers for their lunch. That tradition of plate lunches is still very strong in Louisiana and really started as a way to feed workers.
Today, local markets and gas stations offer various plate lunches. Depending on the place, each store has a designated menu item for the days of the week Mondays might be pork roast in gravy Tuesday might be meatball stew Wednesday could be hamburger steak with mashed potatoes, and Thursday, sausage in a gravy Fridays are reserved for seafood, and fried catfish is the usual favorite. Various sides are available as well.
Meatball recipes are near and dear to each family, and I have included the recipe that my mother and grandmother made. Chopped onions help to keep the meatballs moist, as does the addition of flour and milk — which create a sort of glue that holds in the moisture. Rolling the meatballs in flour before frying helps the meatballs form a crust. These meatballs are deep-fat fried and oh, so delicious They can be tossed into any gravy, such as this fricassee, or a nice tomato sauce. Quite frankly, they also make a great handheld snack. Go on. Get in the kitchen and get cookin’. Your hangry family awaits.
Serves 6 For the meatballs
1 pound 85-15 ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped medium dice
1 egg
3 tablespoons flour 3/4 cup flour (used to roll meatballs in just before frying)
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon red pepper
1 1/2 teaspoon salt vegetable oil for frying
1. Mix all ingredients except the 3/4 cup flour
2. Shape into 12 meatballs. Each meatball is 1/4 cup. Roll each meatball in the 3/4 cup of flour and set aside.
3. Heat 2 inches of oil over medium-high heat in a saucepan. When the oil has reached 350 degrees, or frying temperature, carefully add the meatballs to the oil, using a spatula if needed. Do not add too many meatballs at a time. Cook multiple batches if necessary Allow for enough space between each meatball.
4. Fry the meatballs for 2 minutes then turn them to the other side to cook thoroughly
5. Continue to cook and gently stir until meatballs are browned on all sides and have a crispy exterior
6. Remove from oil onto a paper towel-lined plate. Continue cooking until all meatballs are fried
For the fricassee gravy
1 large onion, chopped medium dice
2 stalks celery, chopped small dice
1/2 bell pepper chopped small dice
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 tablespoons prepared jarred roux
2 cups water 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon red cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
2 cups beef broth
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 Saute onions, celery and bell pepper in 3 tablespoons of oil until golden brown.
2. Add roux and allow to melt and mix with the sauteed vegetables. Once blended, using a whisk, add water 1/2 cup at a time.
3. Add salt, red pepper and granulated garlic. Bring to a slow boil over medium heat and cook for 30 minutes.
4. Add beef broth, 1/2 cup at a time as needed to get the desired thickness of the gravy and continue to cook for 15 minutes.
5. Add fried meatballs to the fricassee gravy and cook for another 15 minutes.
6. Add chopped parsley Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.
7. Serve over white rice or mashed potatoes
Dear Harriette: Despite my disapproval, my brother is dating one of my close friends. I don’t have anything negative to say about either of them individually but I just prefer not to cross those lines where my separate worlds intertwine. These types of scenarios make me fear ending up in the middle, and that is exactly what’s happened between my friend and brother They do not spare me any details; when they have trouble in paradise, I feel like I’m at the crossroads. One always comes to vent, and the other never fails to come to me with their concerns, asking for advice or asking if I know what the issue is. How do I set hard boundaries or get them both to date outside of my immediate circle? — Stuck in the Middle
makes me feel unheard and dismissed.
I am currently dating someone, and I don’t think he is the best person for me. I shared these sentiments with some close friends, and they started saying things like, “Girl, he hates you. Leave him,” “I don’t know what would possess you to stay” and “I would never be caught in a situation like that.” I already acknowledged that I think I need to step away from this relationship, so I didn’t understand all the intense negativity toward me as an individual. Is this supposed to toughen me up, or is it fair to say my friends were rude and insensitive? — Judgmental Friends
Dear Stuck In The Middle: Even if you attempted to require that your friends and family not date, it wouldn’t work, so save your breath What you can do is state clearly to them that you refuse to get involved in their relationship. To back up your position, change the subject, walk away or hang up the phone when they start sharing too much, including their side of any argument. Explain that you feel awkward and do not want to be in the middle. You love them both and will not take sides. If you continue to cut off the conversation before it gets started, they will get the message.
Dear Harriette: Do you think tough love is necessary? Sometimes I can be a bit hardheaded and often have to learn things the hard way especially with my love life. I realize that to people around me who love and care for me, that process is probably frustrating, but for me tough love never feels motivational. Instead, it
Dear Judgmental Friends: The comments you just shared are absolutely judgmental and unkind, but you should ask yourself why your friends would resort to such strong statements in expressing their concerns about you. Have you been in this situation before, where you knew you should leave and couldn’t do it? Their intensity may have something to do with your unwillingness to walk away when the moment called for it in the past. Assess your behavior and theirs Decide what you will do about this man. Finally, tell your friends that their harsh comments are more hurtful than helpful Ask them to be kinder, even if that means making no comments at all.
Dear Harriette: I’ve been dating someone for almost two months now Earlier this week, my date suggested going out to celebrate my 35th birthday. It’s been a while since I’ve celebrated my birthday with a woman
I’m involved with, and quite frankly, I was flattered.
My birthday came around, and my date took me to a fun restaurant with great
ambience and food. When the bill came, I didn’t reach for it because I assumed she was gifting me the experience. After a while of it sitting between the two of us, she asked if I was ready to go. I replied, “Yes.” She giggled and pushed the bill toward me and said, “Well, let’s close out.” So I did.
Since we started dating, I’ve always paid, but I thought my birthday would be an exception. I tried to tell her jokingly on the ride home that I thought she was going to take care of it this time, and she asked what would make me think that. The rest of the car ride was silent. As a man, I take joy in catering to my romantic partner, but when am I allowed to expect the same?
— Birthday Treatment
Dear Birthday Treatment: You were not wrong to believe that your date was going to pay for the birthday dinner Now you know you need to establish a bit of clarity. Yes, it will likely be an awkward conversation, but you can do it. Forget the jokes and tell her you have something serious you want to discuss with her Tell her how happy you were when she offered to take you out for your birthday; it touched you. Naturally, you expected that since it was her invitation, she was footing the bill. If she then says that you always pay the bill, you can acknowledge that and even say that you are somewhat old-fashioned, so you are accustomed to paying. However, if someone clearly invites you to do something, it is understood that they are paying for it unless it is otherwise stated. Further still, in a relationship which I would argue you two are in at two months — the expectation should not be that you pay for everything. Since you haven’t established that, now is the time.
‘Biography of a song’
BY JOHN WIRT
Contributing writer
A song loved by generations throughout the world, You Are My Sunshine” has special resonance in Louisiana.
Statewide affection for the love song-lament largely goes to the late Louisiana Gov Jimmie Davis.
A singer and recording artist be fore he entered politics Davis released his recording of “You Are My Sunshine” in 1940. The song defined his public persona, helping him sing his way to the governor’s mansion in 1944 and 1960.
Robert Mann’s 10th book, You Are My Sunshine: Jimmie Davis & the Biography of a Song,” wraps musicology and social and political history into 161 concise pages. Straightforward though “You Are My Sunshine” is on the surface, its deeper meaning and cloudy origin contain mysteries that may never be solved. Mann, the former Manship Chair in Journalism at LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communication, investigates the often-recorded song’s emergence in the 1930s, enduring popularity and political impact. The book’s extensive bibliography and notes show the depth of his research.
Mann’s conclusion that Davis almost certainly did not write “You Are My Sunshine” may be the biggest surprise. The singing governor’s shifting stories through the years about the song’s creation suggest the claim of authorship he maintained until his death in 2000 at 101 years old was fiction.
“None of it adds up,” Mann said a few weeks ago.
Chapter one, “Jimmie Davis Needed a Song,” cites an obscure Georgia singer and songwriter, Oliver Hood, as the likely true composer of “You Are My Sunshine.” In the 1930s and ’40s, Hood played for local radio broadcasts and performed with bands in Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina. Best known as a master of the mandolin, he didn’t record “You Are My Sunshine” in the 1930s or, more importantly, copyright it
“It was gratifying to tell Oliver’s story and to talk to his family members, who mourn over his lack of recognition,” Mann said. “Oliver didn’t live to see the
recognition that I give him in this book, and that others are giving him, for writing this song. I find that sad, but at least his grandchildren and great-grandchildren can have confirmation that, as close as we can come to it, he did write the song.”
Two duos from Georgia — the Pine Ridge Boys and the Rice Brothers — released recordings of “You Are My Sun-
shine” in 1939, before the Davis recording. Mann speculates that the future governor happened to hear the song and, knowing the value of a copyright, bought the rights to it from the financially distressed Paul Rice. Davis thereafter claimed ownership and authorship of “You Are My Sunshine.”
Universally perceived to be a sunny love song, Mann noticed the dark lyrics in its first verse: “The other night, dear, as I lay sleeping, I dreamed I held you in my arms. But when I woke, dear, I was mistaken, and I hung my head and cried.”
“People don’t hear the lyrics because the melody is so light and appealing,” Mann explained. “But the melody masks the heartbreak.”
The “You Are My Sunshine” interpretations that Mann especially likes include Bing Crosby’s exquisitely sung and arranged 1941 release; Ray Charles’ powerful 1962 reinvention; and the recording he finds the most moving of them all, Johnny Cash’s 1989 rendition.
“I am fascinated by the many interpretations of these simple lyrics and the emotions they evoke,” Mann said. “Ray Charles’ version sounds much more about unrequited love, with more hostility than any other recording.”
Myth-buster though Mann is, he knows that Davis and “You Are My Sunshine” are inseparable.
“For me, the story of the song is that it helped a politician create an image of wholesomeness and integrity that didn’t always match his real life,” he said. “Davis was a politician who presented himself as an entertainer He was among the first entertainers, and one of the most successful, to cross over to politics.”
The book began with Mann’s idea to write a 15,000-word volume for the LSU Press series “Louisiana True.” A suggestion from the publisher prompted Mann to expand the original focus on how “You Are My Sunshine” became Louisiana’s state song to a comprehensive “biography of a song.”
A guitar, banjo and ukulele player himself, Mann enjoyed his first foray into musicology
“I learned how to write about music through a historical and political context,” he said. “And writing about the music itself — the sound, the melody, the creative work, describing it and interpreting it — that was fun.”
Email John Wirt at j_wirt@msn.com.
We live in a loud world these days, as anyone who clicks on a TV or drops into social media is quickly reminded.
Given that reality, speaking clearly and quietly can seem like a radical act. That thought often came to mind during my week of evenings with “Partial Memoirs,” poet Catharine Savage Brosman’s latest work of prose. Brosman, a longtime professor of French at Tulane, now divides her retirement between Houston and New Orleans, a capstone to an eventful life shaped by strong convictions. But in her new memoir, as in her previous autobiographical writings, Brosman commands our attention precisely because — on the page, at least — she never raises her voice. The effect is bracing, a little windfall of sanity that readers accustomed to the latest exclamatory tweet or news bulletin might welcome.
Brosman is 90, so maybe the serenities of age have something to do with her reluctance to get carried away
PROVIDED PHOTO Poet Catharine Savage Brosman has written a new book, ‘Partial Memoirs.’
But in previous outings, such as her essay collection “The Shimmering Maya” and her many volumes of poems, a measure of equanimity has always informed Brosman’s style
The author describes her mother as “a nineteenth-century woman,” and Brosman’s literary gifts often evoke an earlier time, too The formality of her sentences sometimes makes me think of Henry James or Edith Wharton; it’s not too often, after all, that one sees “hence” or “shall” in a modern paragraph. If there’s anything else subversive in “Partial Memoirs,” it’s perhaps Brosman’s smiling insistence that modernity might be overrated. Explaining what pointed her toward a career teaching French, she lists the old, true things she loves about France, including “beautiful fields and vineyards, seacoasts and mountain scenes” and “one of the two greatest world literatures.”
Brosman defends the finer gifts of culture with spirit, citing Stendahl, Montaigne or T.S. Eliot as casually as hipper memoirists might name-drop movie stars.
“I am also,” she declares, “a terrible snob. I prefer intellect to obtuseness, learning to ignorance, about which I rage silently, refinement to vulgarity and elevated language to low, both in English and French.”
Her perspective might be elevated, but it’s not above the fray
Brosman writes descriptively of her Colorado childhood, two divorced husbands (one of whom she remarried) and her enduring affection for New Orleans, a love tested by Hurricane Katrina.
“The experience of driving from the nearly deserted city over the twin bridges to the West Bank and the sequel to that departure, a long exile, were terrible,” she writes.
There’s humor here, too.
Brosman recalls her husband Pat’s nickname for her, “funny animule,” hinting at her stubborn streak. Perhaps such doggedness has gotten Brosman this far This fall, University of Louisiana at Lafayette Press is publishing another collection of her poems.
“I was always eager to get away — not from, but to,” she writes.
Perhaps the chief pleasure of “Partial Memoirs” is that for all its retrospection, it gently points us ahead.
Email Danny Heitman at danny@dannyheitman.com.
a
Louisiana native opens the first brewery in the United Arab Emirates
BY RICH COLLINS Staff writer
Louisiana native Chad McGehee has loved living, working and raising his family in the United Arab Emirates. But soon after he arrived in the “middle of the Middle East,” he realized the place was missing one important thing: fresh craft beer
He decided to do something about it.
In 2018, McGehee resigned from his finance and operations job at IBM to learn the brewing business. His vision was to replicate in the UAE what brewers like Abita did in south Louisiana: Use local ingredients to create a brand that resonates with local drinkers. At the time, it was illegal to brew or distill alcoholic beverages in the country, but it wasn’t illegal to import them, so McGehee and his partner, Jeff Karns, kicked off the
venture called Side Hustle Brewing Co. — by making beer in the United States and flying or shipping it east. Then, in 2021, the UAE legalized brewing, and McGehee’s business model expanded. He and his restaurant partners spent three years planning the launch of Craft by Side Hustle, the nation’s first brewpub, which celebrated its grand ä See BREWERY, page 2E
A jazz band performs in front of a mural of Bourbon Street at Craft by Side Hustle in Abu Dhabi.
Meaux envisions connecting entrepreneurs to generate success
BY TIMOTHY BOONE Business editor
Chris Meaux made a name for himself a decade ago when his Lafayettebased food-delivery company Waitr became a startup darling. Now, he’s got a new venture that aims to use artificial intelligence and the expertise of local business leaders to help more founders achieve success.
QiMana Inc. is a collaboration between Meaux and former Baton Rouge Business Report Publisher Rolfe McCollister They’ve created an online platform called Solomon where successful business owners upload business advice and stories from their experience as entrepreneurs.
For a fee, QiMana subscribers can query the database of “luminaries” that then uses AI to provide personalized insights based on the collected expertise.
“What’s missing from the entrepreneurial ecosystem is an organized and systemized way for startup business owners to get the coaching they need to be successful,” Meaux said He noted that businesses that go through local accelerators, such as Launch Pad Ignition, Nexus Louisiana, The Idea Village or LSU Innovation, have a 20% higher likelihood of success.
QiMana came out of a conversation Meaux and McCollister had in 2019, when they talked about how they were regularly getting requests for help from fledgling entrepreneurs, but they didn’t have enough time to give advice. Originally, the thought was to develop an app, but Meaux said it needed to be something different if he was going to ask people to pay for it. Last summer, when Meaux was advising a mentee at Loyola University’s Wolf Pack LaunchU startup boot camp, he heard something from one of the other advisers that was a “light bulb moment.”
“He said the No. 1 rule is don’t share advice, share your experiences,” he said. “You give advice, people get defensive. But you share experiences, it shows how you tackled the same challenges.”
Specific advice
Solomon is different from large language model AI chatbots such as ChatGPT, because it taps into a specific knowledge base.
For example, Meaux said if you ask ChatGPT how to start a business, it will give you a step-by-step list of basic functions. But Solomon will discuss experiences, like how Meaux talked to 1,000 potential users and 100 restaurants to validate his idea for Waitr
The free FBI presentation on scams targeting seniors was supposed to take place at noon at the Geauga Family YMCA in suburban Cleveland on Presidents Day, before pickleball court time.
Such workshops are helpful in fighting the nation’s epidemic of financial fraud. In 2023, the FBI fielded more than 880,000 reports roughly 2,400 a day related to internet crimes that resulted in $12.5 billion in losses.
Who better to warn people than FBI agents on the front lines trying to track down the criminals increasingly using sophisticated schemes that are hard to detect?
While young and old are scammed, the losses by seniors have been financially tragic. In a recent series, I wrote about a Maryland woman who lost all her retirement savings close to $600,000 — in a government-imposter scam. A dozen other victims connected to the same India-based scammer had $2.9 million stolen in total.
Seniors generally make the most lucrative targets: Many have amassed great wealth through workplace retirement plans, traditional IRAs, home equity and other investments. Fidelity Investments reported that in the third quarter of last year the number of 401(k) millionaires hit an all-time high of 544,000, up 9.5% from the previous quarter
Ruben D. Henderson III and Brandi Clay were recently honored by Leadership Institute of Acadiana Henderson, associate director of undergraduate recruitment at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, was given the Distinguished Alumnus Leadership award, which goes to Leadership Lafayette alumni whose professional and civic contributions to the community correlate with the goals, mission and vision of the organization Clay, assistant principal at Grolee Elementary School in Opelousas was given the Ignite Leadership Award, which honors a Leadership Lafayette graduate who is blazing a trail for others by engaging in community leadership activities and achieving tangible results.
Casey Dickerson was named executive vice president and chief financial officer for First National Bank of Louisiana. Dickerson has 27 years of accounting experience, including 15 years specializing in bank accounting. He has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of
Continued from page 1E
2018, it was acquired by Texas billionaire Tilman Fertitta, who took Waitr public a few months later. In December 2018, it had more than 9,000 employees, including 400 in its Lafayette corporate offices.
But the business struggled following the acquisition of Bite Squad, a Minnesota-based delivery service, and Meaux left Waitr in 2019
The company changed its name to ASAP and tried to move into general delivery service, bringing customers everything from auto parts to sporting goods. But it never took. ASAP went out of business in March.
Right now, QiMana is signing up customers to be part of the beta test of the Solomon platform and lining up experts to fill out the knowledge base. The plan is to release select access to beta customers at the end of February and launch the service sometime in the first quarter When the service launches, Meaux said he hopes to have 25 to 50 “luminaries” as part of the program.
Entrepreneurs will pay $30 a month to have access. They can also book private counseling sessions with mentors for an additional fee. The service will pay the experts when their information is accessed, like how Spotify pays royalty fees to musicians when a subscriber listens to one of their songs, Meaux said.
“So this will incentivize not only education for the Solomon brain, but it will encourage luminaries to come back and provide additional information,” he said.
Meaux and McCollister have put
Meanwhile, the number of adults 60 and older who have been scammed out of $100,000 or more has more than tripled since 2020, according to the Federal Trade Commission’s 2024 report on elder fraud
However, two weeks before the Geauga Family Y’s Feb. 17 presentation, which was prominently publicized in its February newsletter, the FBI special agent who was supposed to conduct the presentation emailed a staff member, saying, “Outreach had been discontinued in compliance with an Executive Order that (was) recently signed.”
“Unfortunately, that is all the information I have at this time,” the agent wrote in the email, which was shared with me by Richard Batyko, senior vice president and chief marketing officer for the YMCA of Greater Cleveland.
A staffer posted a sign flagging the cancellation in bold letters. Underneath it noted that the federal government “no longer allows the FBI to do community outreach.”
A photo of the notice went viral,
Louisiana at Lafayette.
He is a certified public accountant and a chartered global management accountant.
He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Society of Louisiana Certified Public Accountants.
Stacey C. Bergeron was named executive director for the 1st Clubs for Kids Foundation. Bergeron, an instructor of marketing at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, has experience in leadership, marketing and strategy
The foundation provides youth with a hands-on introduction to golf, while instilling values such as integrity, perseverance, honesty, focus and etiquette.
Brandon Abdella has rejoined the staff at Baton Rouge-based Beau Box Commercial Real Estate. He is a commercial agent based in Lafayette and a graduate of Loyola University in New Orleans with a degree in business management.
Abdella interned with the company and worked two years with Beau Box until 2023.
in their own money to launch QiMa-
na. The process hasn’t been cheap, but Meaux said he hopes once the service launches, it will attract investors.
“We know how to scale this to do what we want,” he said.
AI across Louisiana
Meaux isn’t the only Louisiana tech veteran who is experimenting with AI.
In New Orleans, many familiar faces are applying AI technology to their areas of expertise in the hopes of bringing successful startups to market.
Patrick Comer, who sold his research tech company Lucid in 2021 for $1.1 billion, is using AI to fortify Gripnr, his 4-year-old Dungeons & Dragons platform. Brent McCrossen, managing director of Revelry StartUp Studio, is developing AI tools to speed up the process of launching a new venture.
The Nieux Co., led by Idea Village founder Tim Williamson, is building AI-powered tools to help build human connections
“Everybody is using AI to solve problems they had in the past and trying to build a business out of it,” Williamson said. “Coupled with knowledge of an industry, AI can be a powerful tool.”
Meaux has a lofty goal for QiMa-
na: He wants the service to improve the number of startups that stay in business.
“Even if we get 1 or 2% more of businesses to succeed, that would have an economic impact on our communities,” he said.
Staff writer Rich Collins contributed to this report.
Email Timothy Boone at tboone@ theadvocate.com.
amassing thousands of comments on social media platforms including Reddit and Instagram. The responses were biting, illustrating people’s frustration with President Donald Trump’s flurry of executive orders, which have caused confusion and chaos.
“The seminar has been updated to feature a presentation on how to purchase Trump cryptocurrency,” one Reddit user sarcastically wrote.
Another wrote: “You don’t want people knowing how to stop scammers, that’s America’s fastest growing industry.”
Was this cancellation related to Executive Order 14151, which mandates the elimination of “policies, programs, preferences, and activities” related to diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI?
Are seminars on scams now mixed up with Trump’s mission to rid the government of any efforts to help historically underserved or vulnerable communities?
“The session was to help senior citizens understand scams and how to avoid them,” Batyko wrote to me in an email. “We have thousands of senior citizen members for whom we regularly provide not just programming, but a safe place for them to socialize and attend to their well-being.
“An FBI session on scams fits perfectly with our well-being mission. So while this incident has got-
Issued Feb. 12-18
Commercial alterations
MEDICAL: 4801 Ambassador Caffery Parkway, description, build-out and sub-sterile renovation of secondfloor operating room; applicant, Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center; contractor; Kent Design Build; $1 million.
OFFICE: 1144 Coolidge St., Suite E, description, post-fire reconstruction; applicant and contractor, JBWM Enterprises; $113,286.
UTILITY: 1314 Walker Road, description, HVAC replacement for Lafayette Utility System administration building; applicant, ADG Engineering; contractor, Air Plus; $720,000.
MEDICAL: 917 Coolidge St., description, proposed renovation of existing business occupancy into
Continued from page 1E
opening last February
Inspired by McGehee’s south Louisiana roots, the brewpub serves fried shrimp po-boys, jambalaya, beignets and other Cajun and Creole dishes along with a dozen or more fresh brews. The combination has proved so successful that Craft was named the best “casual dining restaurant of the year” at the 2024 Time Out Abu Dhabi Restaurant Awards.
“I had a nice career traveling and getting paid well,” McGehee said. “I quit all that to make beer.” La. roots, a global career, beer
McGehee grew up near Thibodaux. After earning a business degree from LSU in 2005, he moved to New York to work for IBM. From there, his career took him to more than 20 countries.
In 2011, two days after their wedding in New Orleans, McGehee and his wife moved to the UAE, where she had landed a job as a schoolteacher He continued to work for IBM.
The 50-year-old country, home to the gleaming skylines of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, is a hub for energy transportation and tourism. The size of its economy is second only to Saudi Arabia among Arab nations.
Because of all that international business, nearly 90% of the people who live in the UAE are expatriates, many from beer-loving parts of the world. But there was no local brand to serve them until McGehee and his partners launched Side Hustle.
To do so, they joined forces with a craft brewer in Pennsylvania and, in early 2019, produced three new brews: Sandstorm double IPA, a wheat beer called Cloudy Wit a Chance and Wingman amber lager
The fresh beer created a buzz, literally and figuratively, but flying it into the UAE was too expensive to be sustainable. Using air freight, it cost about $7.50 to transport each can. That’s why, after a few flights, Side Hustle switched to shipping its products cold via ocean freight.
Regardless of how it got into the country, McGehee did everything he could to promote it once it was there.
In early 2020, Side Hustle orga-
ten undesired attention, we will not waver in our efforts to keep our seniors safe, healthy and secure.”
The FBI, for its part, tried to explain what happened.
“While the presentation was canceled, it was not due to an executive order but rather was a miscommunication to the organization,” Susan Licate, a public affairs officer for the Cleveland FBI, wrote in an email to me. “We look forward to a rescheduled date to share important scam awareness and fraud prevention tips with Geauga County seniors and interested members of the community.”
I was confused and shared with her what the FBI agent told the YMCA. What was the agent told exactly?
“Simply, a misunderstanding of an executive order led to the miscommunication,” was Licate’s response.
It’s not lost on me or others that a scam seminar was canceled at the same time that Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service has gained access to or is attempting to review sensitive personal data held by the Office of Personnel Management, the Treasury Department, the Education Department, the Social Security Administration and now the IRS.
We don’t know the full extent of what DOGE agents are doing with the information. Are they downloading it? Are they using personal
new one; applicant, Ritter Maher Architects; contractor, Benchmark Builders; $750,000.
New residential 2536 WILDERNESS TRAIL: no contractor listed, $408,960. 200 SHINNECOCK HILLS DRIVE: Luxury Home Builders, $488,520. 507 TRADITIONS DRIVE: Manuel Builders, $210,420. 406 FLORES COURT: Manuel Builders, $210,420. 119 LENOVA LANE: no contractor listed, $204,570. 111 LENOVA LANE: Manuel Builders, $210,420. 128 BRATTLE COURT: DSLD, $182,160. 200 APPLE WOOD CROSSING: LR Mitchell Construction & Develop-
nized the first craft beer festival in the region, but the timing was less than ideal.
“It was literally the day COVID hit,” McGehee said. “The country’s first case was in a hotel directly across the marina from us. We went into lockdown, but that event put us on the map with the government.”
Now, McGehee estimates the company imports about eight 40foot shipping containers annually That translates to about 350,000 cans of beer and hard seltzer
The products are available in stores and bars in and around Abu Dhabi, the UAE’s capital city
They are served by Etihad Airways, the UAE’s national airline, and distributed in several other countries, including the United States, in limited amounts.
McGehee said he and Karns have raised about $6 million including from four Louisiana investors — since launching the business. McGehee also is an investor himself in some Pelican State ventures, including GATR Coolers — owned by his brothers — and Baton Rouge-based Cypress Coast Brewing Co.
Making history
Side Hustle got lucky when the UAE government legalized brewing. McGehee said his experience as an importer put him in a prime position for a permit.
“My distributor friend and now business partner asked if I wanted to be the first to open a brewery,” he said. “As a startup, I try not to say no, so I was all in.”
He partnered with several experienced restaurateurs to create a new business called Craft by Side Hustle. They ultimately selected a site in the Galleria, one of Abu Dhabi’s luxurious shopping malls.
After a buildout of roughly 18 months, Craft celebrated its grand opening in February 2024. The 280-seat space features a hand-painted mural of Bourbon Street. The Louisiana theme continues on the menu, but with one key modification.
Craft chef Troy Payne, an Australian, has had to get creative with classic recipes because of the UAE’s restrictions on the use of pork. As a result, several Craft dishes feature house-smoked andouille sausage made from Wagyu beef and dry-aged duck.
“It has the right taste and tex-
computers that are vulnerable to highly skilled international hackers?
Every piece of information that is hacked or leaked, intentionally or accidentally puts more people at risk of being scammed.
If government workers are afraid of running afoul of Trump’s DEI executive order, where does that leave potential victims? Will they be able to conduct workshops in minority or diverse communities?
Scams are at record numbers.
Dollar losses are financially catastrophic for many victims. We are under siege from criminals with enough of our personal information to make their fraudulent schemes believable.
Every day, someone is scammed in America. Every workshop can make a difference.
I worked closely with the FBI on my fraud series, and those communications were critical in helping me understand how scams work. Many consumers will be harmed if the FBI’s community work is shut down, delayed or questioned because of Trump’s executive orders. And seniors, who often have the most money to lose, will be robbed of a secure retirement.
Email Michelle Singletary at michelle.singletary@washpost. com.
ment, $408,330. 146 BRATTLE COURT: DSLD $182,160. 117 ROSENSTIEL COURT: DSLD $120,420. 101 YORKTOWN COURT: DSLD, $120,420. 106 REDFERN ST.: GSL Homes, $314,740.
300 CASTLE VINE WAY: Krewe Construction & Development Group, $554,220. 104 SPRING MEADOWS DRIVE, BROUSSARD: AM Design, $216,030. 111 ABERCROMBIE WAY, BROUSSARD: Van Alan Homes, $544,597. 301 STOVER ST., YOUNGSVILLE: DSLD, $111,060. 117 HAMMOND BAY DRIVE, YOUNGSVILLE: DSLD, $129,731.
ture,” McGehee said “It’s a topselling item.”
During the 2024 Carnival season, Payne made his first king cake. This year, the restaurant plans to host a crawfish boil and use the leftovers to make étouffée.
Booze in the future
McGehee hopes to grow his beer brand internationally but the current uncertainty about tariffs and rising costs are creating challenges.
“Our beer is already very expensive,” he said. “It’s made in relatively small batches and shipped cold. We don’t want to go into Europe or get into all 50 states and compete with thousands of brands. We’d rather go to Jordan, Bahrain or Oman and compete with Heineken, Bud and basically nobody else.”
Separately, McGehee and Karns are playing the long game with another alcoholic beverage that they hope will pay off in the future.
Side Hustle’s parent company, called Balmaghie Beverage Group, has produced 35 barrels of whiskey at a distillery in Pennsylvania. The booze is aging now, and the first barrel is due to be opened in 2031.
McGehee said he named the beer business “Side Hustle” because it’s been a way to generate revenue while he waits to bring the whiskey to market.
“You have to make money somehow in the first 10 years, and it takes that long to get really good whiskey,” he said.
Late-night LSU games
In the meantime, McGehee will continue to raise his kids in a cosmopolitan country of 9.5 million people that he says somehow still has a small-town feel.
“It’s a running joke that we call Abu Dhabi ‘the village’ because everybody knows everybody, just like in Louisiana,” he said.
There’s one big difference from life back home, though: He has to watch LSU Tigers football games at 4 a.m.
“My wife asks me why I am waking up in the middle of the night to barbecue chicken, and I tell her that I have to. It’s part of who I am,” he said. “Plus, if somebody texts me the score, it’s going to ruin the game.”
Email Rich Collins at rich. collins@theadvocate.com.
BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer
Joseph Pappalardo Sr got his start in commercial real estate in the earl 1970s, blow-and-go years for a then growing New Orleans.
In the late 1980s, when oil prices plummeted and the market dried up, he diversified away from the broker age business and joined Latter & Blum owner Robert Merrick to create Latte & Blum Property Management, which quickly filled a niche tending to sudden ly empty office buildings and shopping centers.
In the decades that followed, Pappa lardo grew the management compan and eventually broke away from Latte & Blum though he kept the old nam until 2023, when the firm was rebranded as Rampart/Wurth Holding
Earlier this month, Pappalardo re turned to his roots, in a sense, when Rampart/Wurth purchased the com mercial brokerage business NAI/Latte & Blum|Compass from real estate gian Compass Compass acquired Latter Blum last spring. The deal makes Rampart/Wurth which Pappalardo runs with his son Joseph Pappalardo Jr and principal Michael Ricci, the largest-full service commercial real estate firm in the state, with more than 100 agents and 1,000 list ings.
In this week’s Talking Business, Pappalardo explains why he wanted to expand his firm’s footprint at a time when commercial real estate is being squeezed by stubborn inflation, interest rates and escalating insurance premiums.
Interview has been edited for length and clarity
Why did you want to buy NAI/Latter & Blum from Compass?
All of our competitors do brokerage as well as management, and while we were operating as a division of Latter & Blum, we didn’t have that capability nor did any brokerage profits or commissions go anywhere on our bottom line. Consequently, whenever I would bid a management assignment I couldn’t discount it because there weren’t any brokerage fees or leasing commissions earned I always felt I was at a disad-
vantage relative to my competitors but I didn’t want to go up against Latter & Blum because they were like a sister company
When did this deal come together? Was this in the works when Compass bought Latter & Blum last year?
No. But we heard that they might want to sell it late last summer and reached out to them in the early fall. It took about six months to come together
Who are your competitors now?
Corporate Realty, SRSA, Stirling, but they tend to do more office and retail.
We don’t have a lot of competition in the multifamily side, which is our specialty. Our plan is to continue to support the multifamily, expand that as much as we can and also expand our commercial portfolio. Are you looking to expand geographically?
Yes. We already work in Mississippi, Texas, Arkansas, Alabama and are licensed in Georgia and will be doing work there before too long. We want to continue to expand that footprint and we think we have an opportunity to bring our brokerage services to those markets
Isn’t that hard when you have a new name, Rampart/Wurth, that isn’t well known in other states?
The Latter & Blum name is strong but only really in New Orleans, not so much in other parts of the state. When we rebranded to Rampart/Wurth we didn’t lose one client or miss one beat. And now, the Rampart brand is starting to gain steam and become recognized. I don’t think we are going to have any difficulty on the brokerage side not having the NAI/Latter & Blum brand. In real estate, it’s relationships that matter and
in acquiring NAI/Latter & Blum, we’re getting some of the best agents in the state. For the past two years, everyone in the real estate sector has bemoaned the worsening insurance crisis, especially in this state, on top of higher inrest rates and persistent inflation Doesn’t this make it a risky time to be getting into commercial real estate?
No question these are issues, but we have noticed an improvement in market activity since the election, which is typical. More people are expressing an interest in acquiring properties or listing properties. Insurance is a crisis, but we are hopeful the rates are getting a little bit better and we have a pro-business governor who is trying to come up with policies to keep rates down. With housing prices making homeownership unaffordable for so many people, multifamily is in demand and yet there is no land to build in New leans and constant opposition to new multifamily developments in places like St.Tammany.Where do u see opportunity in that?
It is going to be hard for anybody to develop workforce, market-rate multifamily housing because of construcon costs and insurance costs, and New Orleans is an island. So, it would have to be on the northshore or beyond the spillway We are not Houston or Dallas, and it’s unfortunate because young people, if they cannot afford to buy a house, don’t have of options But that has also created a lot of demand for the multifamily properties out there. Last year the highest performing category for NAI/Latter & Blum was in multifamily, the sale of multifamily complexes.
What about retail? Does it have a future in the e-commerce era?
A lot of people are shopping online for convenience, but I think we have reached that point where people want to get back to seeing and touching and feeling rather than just buying online and hoping it fits. I think retail is going to recover to some degree. Online shopping is going to have a permanent effect on retail, but people will always want to see higher-end stuff, and they will always want the in-person shopping experience.
Email Stephanie Riegel at stephanie. riegel@theadvocate.com.
BY MARGARET DELANEY
Staff writer
Dixon Soileau clocks in a one-hour shift every week at critical care facilities, nursing homes, children’s hospitals and sometimes even airports to help keep patients calm and lower their heart rates.
After his shift, Dixon takes a long fiveto-six-hour nap to calm down his nervous system.
Dixon is a 9-year-old greyhound and whippet mix from New Orleans.
His owners Michael and Alison Soileau have been bringing him (and his siblings) to New Orleans area care centers for 20 years as part of the Visiting Pet Program.
“It fills our buckets as much as theirs,” Alison said.
Dixon’s brother, Griffin, is always by his side spreading joy at hospitals and homes as part of the Visiting Pet Program.
Some face potentially serious outcomes
BY ALENA MASCHKE Staff writer
An often overlooked health con-
The program, created in 1987, regulates the requirements needed for pets and owners to visit Louisiana’s most vulnerable.
Visiting Pet is the only animal assisted activity and therapy program in the Greater New Orleans Area Volunteers and their pet partners visit nursing homes, hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, special facilities for children and more.
Both Alison and Michael joined the program in 2005 with their whippets Sophia and Tyler — both dogs have since passed on “Within six months of getting married, we got our first whippet, and within that first year we got her in the program,” Michael said. “Then we had a second dog, Tyler We just loved it. That was our Saturday morning dates.”
Saturdays are normally quiet when
ä See WHIPPETS, page 2X
Yet the condition is extremely common — globally roughly 2 billion people are affected.
According to the National Institutes of Health, Black women are far more likely to experience low iron levels or anemia than other groups, with up to 20% being affected.
There are ways to combat low
cern, iron deficiency can have profound effects on a person’s daily life, leading to symptoms such as feeling weak and exhausted, or even experiencing heart palpitations.
iron and anemia, but awareness is the first necessary step.
Many patients don’t know that they’re iron deficient until they receive the results of a blood test, said Dr Cassandra Pillette, a physician with Ochsner St. Martin Hospital Community Health Clinic in Breaux Bridge.
The most common symptom is fatigue, but low iron levels can also lead to a condition called pica, a disorder in which patients develop an appetite for things not usually considered food, such as ice or mud.
If undiagnosed or untreated, iron deficiency can lead to more serious complications. The body needs
“Most are asymptomatic in the earliest stages, but as it persists and as it prolongs, then that’s when the symptom starts to manifest,” Pillette explained.
iron to make hemoglobin, which in turn is used to transport oxygen in the blood.
If less oxygen is being carried in the blood, the heart has to pump harder to deliver oxygen to the cells in the body, which can lead to irregular heartbeat or even heart failure.
Most iron deficiency is caused by
ä See IRON, page 3X
BY MARGARET DELANEY Staff writer
Stephania Cormier, originally from Church Point, discovered she had asthma in her early 20s. Her discovery of a respiratory illness catapulted Cormier’s work in respiratory illness and research.
Dr Cormier is now a professor and leading researcher at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge. Her current studies look at microscopic changes in the tissues of the lungs after various exposures during pregnancy, pollution affects in adult lungs and the impact of respiratory infections in infants.
Specifically Cormier studies that lasting impacts and immune response of Respiratory Syncytial Virus.
RSV is an infection of the lungs that is responsible for the hospitalization of 58,000 to 80,000 children under 5 years old each year in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Cormier received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Louisiana, her doctoral degree from the Louisiana State University Medical Center and her fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine at Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona. How important is studying RSV? What are the lasting impacts of these studies?
Severe RSV infection occurs within a certain window of early life, usually within about 0 to 6 months with a peak of infection at about 4 months old.
The focus of my research
is to understand why infants in particular are more susceptible to severe RSV than kids and adults Over the past 25 years, we’ve realized that the immune system is very different in infants. Their lungs are still developing, and it makes a perfect place to have a severe RSV infection
There are millions of infants that are hospitalized with RSV every year Of those infants, the percentage of infants that then go on to develop long-term airways disease is extremely high.
If you can prevent that infant from getting that first infection — that severe infection with RSV — and prevent the development of asthma, you can save, not only lives lost, but you can also save long term health impacts I study RSV because I want infants to breathe better, now and their entire life. The impact of not being able to breathe, especially if it’s not diagnosed properly, is going to impact a patient’s
STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER
Patient Poppy Winters, 4, and her mom, Ryliegh, are visited by dogs Griffin and Dixon on Dec 17 in Poppy’s room at Ochsner Children’s Hospital in New Orleans
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Michael, Alison, Dixon and Griffin visit the Ochsner Children’s Hospital in New Orleans.
Poppy Winters was a patient along the group’s parade through the hospital to lift up spirits. Winters, 4, had been in and out of the hospital since she was born at a very low birthweight.
At home, Poppy has a German shepherd, a cocker spaniel and a Catahoula-lab mix
“She misses her pups at home, she hasn’t seen them in a month,” Ryliegh Winters, Poppy’s mother, said. Poppy dressed up for the visit, dazzling the pair of whippets with a Jessie the cowgirl costume from “Toy Story.” Dixon and Griffin were impressed.
Dixon even compared tattoos Dixon had an ID number under his ear from his years training as a racing dog (Dixon never made headway in the races), and Poppy’s father had Poppy’s birthday tattooed on his leg.
“They’re so gentle,” Poppy said of Dixon and Griffin. That gentleness takes a lot of training, according to Alison and Michael.
Each animal and handler must meet a certain level of requirements before becoming a therapist dog
The animal and owner are evaluated every six months for temperament, stamina and social behavior, according to the Visiting Pet Program. As owners, Michael and Alison have learned to be
respectful and watchful of the patients and people they encounter.
Older patients need to interact with a steady and still animal as to not make them off balance, children tend to tug on ears and be intimidated by larger breeds and nurses and practitioners want big long hugs from the animals
All of these quirks and potential disturbances to the dog or animal are temperament tested during a biannual evaluation.
“I’ve learned to watch people’s faces and how they are engaging with the dog. Sometimes parents are petrified of dogs,” Michael said. “If anyone doesn’t look comfortable, we don’t push it.”
Emily Leonor, an 8-yearold who is into magic as of late, was also visited by Dixon and Griffin.
“She’s back to her old self,” said Grace Hill, a specialist at the hospital. “I know that means so much.” Hill is a child life assistant specialist at Ochsner Health and often guides the therapy dogs into hospital rooms on their visits. According to Hill, even five or 10 minutes with an animal can make a difference.
It’s not just patients that need a bit of pet therapy Dixon and Griffin were able to visit hospitals during the pandemic and bring comfort and much needed love to nurses, doctors and practitioners working during COVID.
“There were pictures of nurses falling to the floor for him and crying,” Allison said. “It was a much-needed serotonin rush for them.”
ability to perform in life.
It’s going to impact their ability to go do exercises. It’s going to impact their ability to play sports, and they may not even know why
It’s important for the kids. And I love the babies. I love working with the babies. I like trying to figure out why they are different when it comes to RSV It’s a challenge.
What are the long-term effects from contracting severe RSV at a young age?
If you get pneumonia from the RSV, there are many long term effects, including cardiovascular effects, respiratory effects — none of those go away After pneumonia, you’ve damaged the airways. The best you can hope for is that it stays stable. The damage to the lung and airways is like getting a cut on your arm. You get a scar Your lung is doing the same thing. Underneath that airway epithelium, what’s happening is you’re developing
scar tissue, and so the more repetitive injury you have to the lung, the worse the scar tissue and thicker the airway barrier becomes, and the worse the lung function becomes. And as that layer becomes stiffer, it’s harder to breathe. What new frontiers are you looking at for RSV studies?
We’ve figured out a lot of things, and right now our research is focused on one of the things that is important for the immune response. Our bodies protect us against RSV using a mucosal antibody, in mucus in our nasal or respiratory passages, is called IGA.
A lot of vaccines fail to produce IGA in infants. There is both clinical data and animal study data that shows that if you infect an infant or a young animal with RSV, then they don’t develop an IGA response. IGA, the antibody that fights RSV actually binds to the virus and prevent it from infecting yourself. If you don’t make IGA, you’re
missing a key antibody that prevents you from being infected. My lab is currently focused on trying to figure out why we don’t make IGA in infants.
One of the key things about IGA is that’s one of the, one of the main antibodies that comes across in the placenta and in breast milk.
If the mom has been exposed to RSV or been vaccinated, then that IGA antibody can come through the breast milk and actually protect the infant for a few months at least.
Over time, the IGA antibody is becoming less effective in the breast milk, because mom’s immunity is waning, so the infant stops being protected.
How can infants, kids “educate the immune system” to respond better to RSV?
For example, if you honestly you get infected without the things. So, right? So that’s how you educate the immune system. So
If you’re exposed to certain bacteria or viruses that are not horrible, not harmful, not going to make you overly sick, your immune system responds and says: “OK, this is how I’m supposed to do this.”
It’s a learning process. The immune system is constantly learning from all the exposures we have. Kids that grow up on farms, for example, are exposed to a lot of different things: bacteria in dirt, fungus in dirt, animals and more.
All of those things are actually protective against severe RSV (except for cats and dogs, I don’t know why).
There is a lot of data to
suggest that growing up in a rural farm or environment is protective against severe RSV Those early exposures are actually training your immune system to respond better
What are the differences between flu and RSV viruses? Flu and RSV have two distinct, different immune responses in the human body even though they are both RNA viruses. The main difference is that your immune system can develop a memory to fight the flu, even if the type of flu changes each season. Your immune system never develops a memory for RSV About 50% of infants can be reinfected with RSV two months after the initial infection. That’s shocking to me. I actually think, by figuring out why the immune system doesn’t recognize RSV, we might actually learn how to make all infant vaccines better
Babies get a lot of repeat boosters for vaccines because their immune system doesn’t know how to develop a strong memory of the infection — or how to fight it. That’s why we “boost” the vaccines to increase that memory and keep the baby’s memory of the immune response alive.
If we figure out why this immune memory is not happening with RSV, then maybe we can improve other vaccines and make them more effective (we don’t need that repetitive boosting in infants). That’s the broad-reaching goal for us.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity
BY MIKE STOBBE AP medical writer
NEW YORK Allison Burk’s teenage daughter struggled with uncontrolled emotions, a shrinking attention span and a growing tendency to procrastinate. A family doctor suggested ADHD testing, which led to an unexpected discovery: The teen had ADHD, and Burk did too.
During her daughter’s evaluation, Burk thought, “Wait a minute. This sounds familiar,” she recalled.
“I was able to piece together that this might be something I was experiencing,” said Burk, of Columbus, Ohio. She subsequently underwent her own testing and was diagnosed with ADHD at age 42.
More adults are being diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
Diagnoses have been rising for decades but seem to have accelerated in the last few years.
A recent study suggested that more than 15 million U.S. adults — roughly 1 in 17 have been diagnosed with ADHD. The condition always starts in childhood, but about half of adults with it are diagnosed when they are 18 or older
Some doctors say the number of people coming in for evaluation is skyrocketing.
“Just in our clinic, requests for assessments have doubled in the last two years,” said Justin Barterian, a psychologist based at Ohio State University
Here’s a look at the phenomenon, and how to know if you might have the condition.
ADHD symptoms
ADHD makes it hard for people to pay attention and control impulsive behaviors. It can be inherited, and is often treated with drugs, behavioral therapy, or both.
“It’s like there’s an engine in you and you feel like it’s always running, and you can’t turn it off except with medication,” said Judy Sandler, a 62-year-old Maine woman who was diagnosed in her 50s.
ADHD has been called the most commonly diagnosed mental health disorder in U.S. children, with more than 7 million kids diagnosed. Historically, it was thought to mainly affect boys (perhaps because boys with ADHD were seen as more disruptive in school) and to be something that kids grew out of.
But experts believe many people aren’t diagnosed as kids and live with symptoms into adulthood.
Adults with the condition talk about having trouble focusing on tasks, juggling responsibilities, and planning and managing their time. Some talk about not putting things away, and straining personal relationships with their restlessness, mood swings and impulsiveness.
Burk said she was grouped with talented and gifted students in grade school but didn’t complete college until her 30s because, “when I was 19, I hitchhiked across the country on a whim” and ended up a single mother in her early 20s She now works in marketing and media relations for Ohio State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.
Diagnoses rising Diagnoses have been climbing in both kids and adults, and the recent government report found adult ADHD was more common than earlier estimates.
“We haven’t had (federal) adult ADHD data in a long time,” said one of the study’s authors, Angelika Claussen of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
There were indicators of the rise, she added. Increasing demand for ADHD medication led to widespread shortages after the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020 A 2023 study showed the rise in prescriptions was particularly notable in adults — especially women. ADHD diagnoses and prescriptions were increasing before the pandemic, due partly to a change in general diagnostic criteria in 2013 that broadened the definition of ADHD and reduced the number of symptoms a
patient needed to have.
But case counts really seemed to jump in 2020, when schools were closed and many adults were forced to work from home.
“It’s very difficult to focus when you are home and you have kids,” Claussen said. “That may have exacerbated the symptoms for people who’d had mild ADHD but were able to cope” before the pandemic.
How ADHD is diagnosed
The last few years have seen growing cultural acceptance and curiosity about the condition, fueled by a proliferation of “I have ADHD” social media videos and online medical start-up companies offering 5-minute diagnostic quizzes.
Indeed, the long-held belief that ADHD was underdiagnosed in adults has given way to recent debates about whether it’s become overdiagnosed.
There’s no blood test or brain scan for ADHD. Experts say it is diagnosed when symptoms are severe enough to cause ongoing problems in more than one area of life, and when those symptoms can be traced to pre-adolescent childhood.
Ideally, a psychologist or psychiatrist diagnoses it by taking careful histories
from patients and from people who know them, experts say They also might ask patients to take tests designed to check their memory and ability to concentrate Doctors also must rule out anxiety, depression and other conditions that can have similar symptoms. But getting an appointment with a mental health professional can take months, and intensive ADHD evaluations can cost thousands of dollars. Many patients turn to family doctors or even online diagnostic quizzes, some of them connected to telehealth companies that prescribe medications.
“There is wide variability in this country in how people diagnose, how strict they are, and who they diagnose,” said Margaret Sibley, a University of Washington psychologist.
The American Professional Society of ADHD and Related Disorders is drafting a first national set of diagnosis and treatment guidelines for health professionals who treat adults, and expects to release them later this year
The goal is “to improve the accuracy of diagnoses in this country,” said Sibley, who is leading the work on the guidelines.
AsMardi Gras festivities wind down, it’s not unusualto crave aseasonofrejuvenation,anopportunity to recharge, reset and refresh. If you’re contemplatingwhat this might look like for your life, we encourage you to consider doing alittle self-experiment with us, onethat can transform how you feel, look and live.
This year marks the 10thannual Alcohol Free for 40 Challengepresented by Ochsner EatFit. The premise of thechallenge is simple yetimpactful: Abstain from alcohol for40days to gain abetterunderstanding of its impact and influence on your body and mind.
Over the past few years,the concept of ‘zero-proofing’ has gained momentum, from the ‘sober-curious’ crowdtothose who decide to forgoalcohol altogether. And there’sagrowing bodyofresearch to support thistrend Alcoholislinked to ahost of negative effects, including elevatedcancer risk, heightened anxiety, higher blood pressure and inflammation, which can wreak havoc on our gut health and more.
The challenge details
Fora sign-up fee of $49 (over $400 in value), you’ll receive comprehensive pre- and post-challengemetrics including laboratory tests, bodycomposition analysis, weight, blood pressure and before-and-after photos. These metrics are taken at boththe beginning and the end of the 40-day period, providing aclear picture of the changes your body experiences when
Afterthechallenge, notonlydidmyblood pressureimprove,but myskinhasneverlooked better.I’mhonestly amazedatthechanges.
–participantofaprevious AlcoholFreefor40Challenge
you hit pause on alcohol consumption Register at AlcoholFreeFor40.com by midnight on March 2nd to participate. On March 6th, OchsnerEat Fit will hostkick-off events in six cities across Louisiana,where participants can get their pre-challenge labs and metrics
to offer zero proof Eat Fitcocktails, our team hosts Mindful Mondaysto help participants start each week on a positive note.
What’s in it for you?
Joinusandseeforyourselfthe difference40dayscanmake.Formore detailsandtoregister,visit AlcoholFreeFor40.com. BROUGHT TO YO UB Y Molly Kimball RD,CSSD
Support everystep of the way We know change isn’t easy, so we don’texpect you to do it alone.Participants share resources, camaraderie andaccountability through the Alcohol Free for 40 Facebook group. In addition tocollaborating with local restaurants
Over the years, our team has observed firsthand the transformative impact this challenge has had on thousands of participants. They consistently reportbetter energy, improved sleep, greater productivity and enhanced mood –most notably, handling stress and anxiety markedly better. Within aweek, many notice brighter skin, clearer eyes and reduced cravings. By theend of the challenge, thechanges inwhole-bodywellness can be remarkable, includingimprovements in blood pressure, body composition andlab markers for inflammation, liver health cholesterol and more.
Understandingalcohol’s deeperimpactonmentalhealth
It’s paradoxical. Alcohol is often used as astress reliever, yet it exacerbates our body’s stress response, leading to increased anxiety over time. The Alcohol Free for 40 Challenge offers abreak from this cycle, providing clarity and reducing anxiety. Many participants discover they handle stress better and
MollyKimball,RD,CSSD,isaregistereddietitian withOchsnerHealthandfounderofOchsner’sEatFit nonprofitinitiative.Formorewellnesscontent,tuneinto Molly’spodcast,FUELEDWellness+Nutrition,andfollow @MollykimballRDand@EatFitOchsneronsocialmedia. Emailnutrition@ochsner.orgtoconnectwithMollyor scheduleaconsultwithherteam.
Asthma is a serious chronic disease that affects the lungs.Asthma can cause symptoms such as wheezing, difficulty breathing and coughing Louisiana ranks 27th nationally in reported cases of asthma in a lifetime, according to 2023 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
West Virginia reported the highest prevalence of asthma cases at 13.9% proceeded by Maine (12.9%), Rhode Island (12.2%), Massachusetts (11.9%) and Oregon (11.8%).
Louisiana reported in 2023 that 10.6% of the population reported having asthma in their lifetime, slightly higher than the national
average of 10.3%, according to America’s Health Rankings Mississippi had the lowest prevalence of asthma cases at 7.1% followed by Texas, Florida and Nebraska (all at 8.5%) and New Jersey (8.6%).
Common asthma triggers include tobacco smoke, dust mites, outdoor air pollution, pets and mold. Risk factors for asthma include allergies, childhood respiratory infections and family history of asthma. A person can be diagnosed with asthma at any point in their life.
feel anewfound sense of calm.
To replace old habits, we encourage finding new, healthy behaviors such as walking or joining afitness classand experimenting withdelicious zero-proof beverage options.
Why it’s worth atry
If you’ve ever wondered just how alcohol is impacting your health, this challenge is your chance to find out. It’s not about never drinking again; it’s about understanding your relationship with alcohol and making informed choices moving forward.
Sunday,March2: Deadlinetosignup
Thursday,March6: Kickoffeventswithpre-challenge metricsinNewOrleans,Baton Rouge,Lafayette,Covington,Monroe andShreveport
Thursday,April17: Wrap-upeventswithpost-challenge metrics
VisitAlcoholFreeFor40.comfor detailsabouteventlocations, timesandtoscheduleyourlabs.
Staff report
A global movement will make its way to Louisiana on Feb. 28 as the Louisiana Rare Disease Advisory Council will recognize Rare Disease Day The Council will join advocates, patients and families at 4 p.m Feb. 28, at the state Capitol, 900 N. 3rd St., Baton Rouge, to raise awareness and support for the rare disease community by sharing stories and initiatives designed to bring attention to the challenges
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heavy menstrual flow, the underlying causes of which can in some cases be treated, while the resulting iron deficiency can be addressed through changes in diet or iron supplements.
There are several factors that make Black women especially prone to iron deficiency Black women are more likely to develop uterine fibroids, which can cause more blood loss during menstruation and they tend to have more severe symptoms. A lack of access to nu-
faced by individuals living with rare diseases. The public is invited to attend.
Participants at the event can enter to win giveaway prizes, take part in a Mardi Gras parade, meet legislative officials and more.
“Rare Disease Day is more than a day — it’s a movement. It’s a time to celebrate the resilience of those living with rare diseases and to inspire progress in research, treatments and support systems within Louisiana,” said Lauren Williams, board mem-
tritious, iron-heavy foods poses another risk — Black Louisianans report significantly higher rates of food insecurity and are more likely to live in food deserts. Untreated iron deficiency can have generational effects as well, with women who are iron deficient during pregnancy being more likely to deliver prematurely and to give birth to babies with low birth weights, compounding an already glaring racial gap in maternal and child health outcomes. Meanwhile, Pillette points out, Black women may be less likely to seek or receive help.
ber of the Council, in a news release.
There are over 7,000 rare diseases that affect 300 million people globally Many rare diseases lack effective treatments or widespread recognition. The Louisiana Rare Disease Advisory Council is committed to changing that by advocating for research, supporting families and advocating for policy changes. For more information email rdaclouisiana@gmail. com.
“There are some issues locally with access to care and a stigma of patients having some mistrust for providers,” the physician said. “So there is a large number of patients who may be experiencing symptoms, who may not bring up their concerns to their providers.” Annual blood tests are a crucial way for identifying iron deficiency, she noted. “Try to see your provider at least annually, for your annual lab work to make sure that you have screening to ensure that we detect this, to prevent any time, any long term consequences,” she advises. “Iron deficiency anemia is treatable.” Email Alena Maschke at alena.maschke@ theadvocate.com.
The Louisiana Health section is focused on providing in-depth, personal accounts of health in the
This section looks at medical innovations, health discoveries, state and national health statistics and re-examining tried and true methods on ways to live well. Health
editions will also profile people who are advancing health for the state of Louisiana.
Do you have a health story? We want to hear from you. Email margaret.delaney@theadvocate.com to submit health questions, stories and more.
BY ROBERTA BURKHART
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (TNS)
It’s no secret that a good night’s sleep plays a vital role in mental and physical health and well-being. The way you feel during your waking hours depends greatly on how you are sleeping, say sleep experts.
A pattern of getting inadequate or unsatisfying sleep over time can raise the risk for chronic health problems and can affect how well we think, react, work, learn and get along with others.
According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, an estimated 50 to 70 million Americans have sleep disorders and one in three adults does not regularly get the recommended amount of uninterrupted sleep needed to protect their health.
Many factors play a role in preparing the body to fall asleep and wake up, according to the National Institutes of Health. Our internal “body clock” manages the sleep and waking cycles and runs on a 24-hour repeating rhythm, called the circadian rhythm.
This rhythm is controlled both by the amount of a sleep-inducing compound called adenosine in our system and cues in our environment, such as light and darkness. This is why sleep experts suggest keeping your bedroom dark during your preferred sleeping hours.
Sleep is also controlled by two main hormones, melatonin and cortisol, which our bodies release in a daily rhythm that is controlled by the body clock.
Exposure to bright artificial light — such as from television, computer and phone screens — late in the evening can disrupt this process, making it hard to fall asleep, explained Sanjay Patel, director of the UPMC Comprehensive Sleep Disorders Clinical Program and a professor of medicine and epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh.
Keeping our body clock and hormone levels more-or-less regulated are the best ways to consistently achieve good sleep, Patel said. He encouraged people with sleeping struggles to focus more on behavioral changes than seeking quick fixes, such as with over-the-counter sleep supplements like melatonin or by upping alcohol intake to feel drowsy
Patel said there’s not much clinical evidence that melatonin supplements work very well and that “a lot of the clinical trials of melatonin haven’t shown consistent evidence that it helps with insomnia.”
He did point out that the supplement isn’t particularly harmful either, except when “people start increasing and increasing the dose And in particular, we worry about the high doses that a lot of children are being given by their parents, where it really can cause problems,” he said Taking any more than 3 to 5 milligrams doesn’t increase the sedative effects, “and yet, we see people showing up to clinic all the time taking 20 milligrams.”
Sleeping potions
Many have suggested that warm milk, chamomile tea or tart cherry juice can induce a somniferous effect. While Patel said there’s no evidence they work, he did point out that they’re preferable to a nightcap.
“Alcohol is really bad for your sleep long term, for a number of reasons,” Patel said. First, alcohol can relax the throat muscles and can make sleep apnea and snoring worse for sufferers. Secondly, the body metabolizes alcohol rather quickly so its sedation effects do
not last throughout the night.
“So while it may put you to sleep, what happens is, three or four hours later, the alcohol has been metabolized, and now you will wake up from not having alcohol in your system,” he said.
Evening libations can also increase acid reflux and long-term drinking can cause “changes in your brain chemistry and is a big cause of insomnia,” he said. Heavy drinkers who suffer from insomnia will often increase their intake of alcohol in an effort to fall asleep, thus creating a dangerous cycle that could lead to alcohol use disorder
Cannabis is not much better, Patel said.
While a handful of pot users — specifically those who use it to treat anxiety — may see some sleep benefits, for the most part cannabis often does not help chronic insomnia and likely will make it worse.
“They actually see a lot of people whose sleep gets better when they stop using (cannabis),” Patel said. Instead of turning to sleep aids natural or otherwise — Patel said developing a bedtime routine that promotes relaxation and unwinding is a much better route to a good night’s rest
Whether it’s taking hot bath, reading a book, meditating or even tuning into the nightly news, the brain
will associate an oft-repeated bedtime ritual with the relaxation required to fall asleep, he explained.
You can watch television, but stay off social media, he said. “The algorithms on social media are designed to keep us engaged and end up contributing to people not closing their eyes until much later than they planned.”
Other common reasons that sleep can be unsatisfying or elusive are stress, worry and the simple fact that many people don’t give themselves enough time for rest.
“We see all the time that people plan to go to bed at a certain time, but then once they get into bed, they do other things and keep their mind active,” such as responding to emails, paying bills or scrolling on social platforms.
Aging influence
The rhythm and timing of the body clock changes with age, Patel said.
People need more sleep early in life when they’re growing and developing. For example, newborns may sleep more than 16 hours a day, and preschool-age children need to take naps.
In the teen years, the internal clock shifts so that they fall asleep later in the night, but then want to sleep in late. This is troublesome
for teens because “they need to be up for school at 6:30 a.m. and so that’s causing lots of problems,” Patel said.
Some school districts in the region, including Pittsburgh Public in 2023, have shifted to later start times with this in mind.
For adults, sleep during middle age can be tricky with young children in the home who disrupt parents’ sleeping patterns. This is also a time of life when stress and worry are heightened, he said.
Older adults tend to go to bed earlier and wake up earlier, but they’ve got their own unique challenges, Patel said.
“A lot of physical problems mean that people are often waking up more in the night as they age. They have to get up to go to the bathroom. They have chronic aches and pains that are waking them up. They’re often taking medications that have side effects that affect your sleep,” he said.
Ask for help
A bad night’s rest crosses over into being a chronic condition when it really starts to impact how you function during the day, Patel said. That’s when it might be time to talk to your doctor about what’s going on. A sleep specialist can help patients find remedies for everything from stress and acid reflux to sleep apnea.
“In general, if things are going on for more than three months, then we think of it as a chronic problem that’s unlikely to get better by itself,” Patel said.
The NIH also recommends several ways to achieve a better night’s rest:
n Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day
n Try to keep the same sleep schedule on weeknights and weekends.
n Use the hour before bed for quiet time, avoiding intense exercise and bright artificial light.
n Avoid heavy meals and alcohol within a few hours of bedtime.
n Avoid stimulants nicotine and caffeine.
n Spend time outside every day and be physically active.
n Keep your bedroom quiet, cool and dark.
n Take a hot bath or use relaxation techniques before bed.
By Amanda McElfresh amcelfresh@theadvocate.com
Thisstory is broughttoyou by OchsnerHealth.
Smoking continues to be amajorhealth problem in Louisiana, with about 33 percent of adults usingtobaccoproducts.Thatisamain reason whyLouisiana also has some of thenation’shighestrates of lung cancer and heart disease. But here’s amoreencouraging statistic: 30 percentof people whoenroll in Ochsner’s Smoking Cessation Program quit withinayear, and youcan, too.
“Wedoknowthatsmoking is tied to some of the most preventable illnesseswe seeinour clinic,”saidDr. Alexander Mulamula,a pulmonologist at Ochsner Health in BatonRouge. “Smoking affects every area of ourbody –our lungs, kidney, heart,brain, arteries.Also, secondhand smoking affects those around you. We shareall of these riskswith our patients.Sometimes they arehearing but themessage is not getting through to them.You have to look forthatteachable moment wheretheyare able to hear youwithout feeling like youare judging them.”
As part of its ongoing commitment to improving overallhealth in Louisiana, Ochsner Health is a leading provider of smoking cessation services.The OchsnerSmoking Cessation Program has anexcellent track recordofhelpingpeople kick thehabit.About 30 percent of its participants quit withinone year,which is more than triple the national average. Theprogram includes multiple group andindividual counseling sessions with certified tobacco treatmentspecialists,as well as medications such as Chantix when appropriate.Patientsmay be eligible to receivetreatment forfree or at areduced cost,depending on individual circumstances
Once the initial treatmentis complete, Ochsner Health counselorsfollowupwith patients at the three-, six- and12-month points to reviewtheir progress and discuss anyrelapses
Dr.AlexanderMulamula,apulmonologistat OchsnerHealthinBatonRouge
selor contacts them within 72 hourstodiscuss program details,treatment options andmore.
“A lot of peopledon’tknowwheretostart, whichiswherewecomein,”Costanza said “Ifsomeone is interested in the program, I always start by asking them whytheywant to quit.Somehavehealth concernsorwant to do it fortheir kids or grandkids. Some have become self-conscious about the smell. We findthatreason andbuildonit.
Dianne McAnelly had no intention of quitting smoking aftermorethan 60 years. She begansmoking as ateengrowing up in Virginia,when it wascommonfor kids to usecigaretteswhile hanging outbeforeand afterschool.Eventually,McAnelly’s habit became so ingrained that shewas smoking up to three-and-a-half packsaday
DianneMcAnellyofPrairievillestoppedsmokingaftermorethan60years thankstotheOchsnerSmokingCessationProgram.
seethe effecther smoking hadonloved ones.When herniecepassedawayand the family gathered at her brother’shouse,she couldsensehis disappointmentwhenhe sawher standing outsidewitha cigarette On another occasion, she waswith her son, visiting his girlfriend in the hospital. McAnelly noticedthathekept glancing at her sittingbehindhim,and shelater realized it wasbecausehecould hear herlabored breathinginthe quietroom. It wasn’tuntil McAnelly wasdiagnosed with chronic obstructivepulmonary disease, or COPD,and ablood disorderthat she thoughtseriously about quitting smoking. Herdoctorsreferredher to theOchsner Health program. McAnelly wasinitially skeptical,especially since smoking wassuchabig part of herdaily routine However, as she bonded with hercessation counselor,McAnelly began tothink more deeply about thepossibilityof quitting.
“When sheasked me whyI smoked, Icouldn’treally giveher areason,” McAnelly said.“She talked abouthow Iwould feel so much betterifI didn’t smoke. AfterIhad been in theprogram twoorthree weeks, IsaidI would try to go acoupleofhourswithouta cigarette.When Idid that,I decided to try to go afullday.I made it aday,and then Itold myself Icould do twodays. Before Iknewit, Ihad absolutelyno desiretosmoke.Itjust clicked.I didn’t miss them at all.”
“Nicotine is nondiscriminatory We seemen and womenfromevery walk of life,” said Travis Costanza an Ochsner Smoking Cessation Program counselor whoholds certification from theAmerican Heart Association. “Most people we seeeither hada recenthealth scarepersonally or have had afamily member affected by adiseaserelated to smoking We work individually with them becauseweknowthis is not easy When someone hasbeen smoking their entire adult life, they’renot going to quit tomorrow.Weemphasizethe importance of making lifelong changes. Costanza said thatwhen apatient is treatedatanOchsner Health location, they areasked if theyare asmoker. If they respond yes, their nameisreferredtothe SmokingCessation Program,and acoun-
TOP:DianneMcAnellyfeltedthisclutchpurse featuringirises,herfavoriteflower.
BOTTOM:DianneMcAnellyusesherhobbyoffelting tokeepherhandsoccupiedwithoutacigarette.She createsmanyitems,includingthesefallpumpkins.
“I couldn’tgotothe bathroom without acigarette.I couldn’tdrive acar or talk on the phone without acigarette,” McAnelly said.“Iabsolutelyhad to have acigarette or Icouldn’tdoany of thosenormal daily activities.”
Thereweretimes when McAnelly could
McAnelly didn’testablish an official quit date but knowsthatshe has not hada cigarette in at least three years. Today, she considersherself a complete nonsmoker.Her healthhas improvedsignificantly.Recenttests shownosignsofCOPD, anddaily taskssuchasclimbing thestairsinher homehavebecome easier
Costanza said many people experience physical improvementseven just afew hoursafter not having a cigarette. Theriskofheart attack and strokedecreases,and patients often report betterlung function andimprovedcirculation in ashort amount of time. In thelong term,patients who quit smoking have lowercancer risks, blood pressureand cholesterol. Costanzasaid patients with type 2diabetestend to seemajor improvements, since nicotine cancause severe harm to the pancreas McAnelly said her success would not have been possible withoutthe compassionate guidancefromher counselor as well as thesupport from Dr.Mulamula. In fact,she bonded deeply with her physician when she discoveredthatheraisessheep in his sparetime. Dr.Mulamula provided McAnelly with wool to support her hobbyoffelting,which helps keep her hands occupied andallows her to craft purses,decorations andother itemstogive to others.
“One of the most importantthingsI’ve learned as aphysician is that patients with habitual problems like using tobacco need alot of empathy. They need to feel that you understand wheretheyare coming from for
them to open up,” Dr.Mulamula said.“With Dianne’sbehavioralintervention through her felting hobby, she wasable to be avery successful nonsmoker.”
While continuingits work with patients likeMcAnelly,Ochsner Health is also expandingits smoking cessationprogram to
Whensomeonehasbeen smokingtheirentireadult life,they’renotgoing toquittomorrow Weemphasizethe importanceofmaking lifelongchanges.
TravisCostanza OchsnerSmokingCessation ProgramCounselor
reach ayoungerpopulation.Costanza said many teens andyoung adultsgravitate toward e-cigarettes, vape pens,Zyn pouches andother emerging products –sometimes alone, andsometimes in conjunctionwith traditionalcigarettes. In fact,about 14 percent of teens in Louisiana usevaping products,which is one of thehighest ratesinthe country. To educatethem aboutthe dangers of thoseproducts, Ochsner Healthcounselorshavespoken to approximately 50,000 Louisiana students overthe past three yearsand have launched apilot programto place 15 certified tobacco treatmentcounselorsinschoolsaroundNew Orleans
“Thereissometimesthisfalse narrative that vaping is safer, but it causes aton of health issuesamong teens,” Costanza said. “Vaping canlead to gastrointestinal issues or preventkids from being able to do mundane tasks. If kids aremoody,anxious, groggy or wired, thosecan be telltale signs of vaping.We’re still doing alot of education with families andschoolsabout these emerging productsand thedangers they present.”
Whether OchsnerHealth is working with adecades-long cigarettesmokeror a teen whoisexperimenting with nicotine forthe first time, Dr.Mulamulasaidthe philosophyisthe same andisbuilt ona foundation of compassion andempathy
“Maybe fiveto10percent of people can quit cold turkey.The rest need alot of help,” he said. “I always tell peoplethattheyare goingtofail, but failing is apart of success That’s whyyou need champions to walk with you, empathizewithyou andhelp you look at your triggers. It canstart as simply as goingtodifferentstoresorchangingthe times yousmoke.Thoselittlethingsbegin to change the reward systeminour brain andhelp us breakthatcycle.”
Visit www.ochsner.org/quit to learnmore about smokingcessation programsand schedule an appointmentwitha counselor
Catchingbeadsandotherfavorsthrown fromfloatsduringparadesisone ofthegreatpleasuresofMardiGras.Revelers, especiallythosenewtotheparadingscene, cangetcaughtupinthefunandlosetrackof thegoodiestossedintheirdirection.Avoideye injuriesandconcussionswiththesefourtips:
Keepyourheadonaswivelasfloatsgoby.Youcan’tdodgeorcatchanobject ifyoudon’tseeitcoming,sosetyourphoneasideandkeepaneyeoutfor flyingbeadsandtrinkets.
Beawareofyourlocationinrelationtothefloats.Keepinmindthatfloatriders maynothaveNFLquarterback-likeaccuracy.Sodon’tletyoureyebecomean unintendedtargetofamisguidedthrow.
Knowyoursurroundings.Thesteponthecurbbetweentheneutralgroundand thestreetcanbeatrippinghazard.Makesureyouareawareofthedifferent groundlevelsontheparaderoute.
Stayhydrated.Don’tforgettopackwaterinyourcoolerstostayhydratedon theparaderoute.Adultbeveragescanimpactthemechanismthatmaintains balancewithinthebrainandinnerear.Avoiddrinkingbeyondyourlimits. Wearshades.Ifthesunisout,theywillhelpblockdangerousUVrays.
Ifyousustainaheadinjuryataparade,alertthosecelebratingwithyouso theycankeeptrackofyouroverallmentalandphysicalstate.
MardiGrasbeadsarepartofthefestivetraditionandthefunofparades, buttheycanalsobedangerousforyoungchildren.Thesestrandsofplastic orglassbeadsposeachokingandstrangulationhazardfortheveryyoung. Theplasticonescanalsoexposechildrentolead,flameretardantsandother harmfulchemicals.
Followthese steps to protectyour child:
MardiGrasladdersaregreatwaysfor yourkidstoexperienceparades.
However,it’simportanttopracticesafety whenusingladdersonparaderoutes.
Severalcities have safety regulations in placerelating to ladders:
Placeladdersatleast6feetbackfromthecurb.
Don’ttieladderstogetherontheparaderoute.
Don’tleaveladdersonthecurborsidewalkovernight(they’llgetthrownaway).
Other safety tipsinclude:
Checkladdersforrepairstheymayneedbeforeheadingtotheparaderoute.
Pickalocationandarriveearlytosetupyourspot,butnottooearly.InNew Orleans,theyshouldbesetupnomorethanfourhoursbeforetheparaderolls.
Makesureladdersarelevelandstable.
Childrenintheladdershouldbewell-securedwithasturdybaracross thefrontandstraps.
Whenachildisintheladder,anadultshouldstandontheladder toensurestability.
Childrenshouldneverstandwhileinaparadeladder.
Designateasoberadulttowatchkidsatalltimes.
Immediatemedicalattentionshouldbesoughtforanychildwhofallsout ofaladder.
Whenbreakingdowntheladderandleavingtheroute,becarefulnotto accidentallyhitaparade-goerwiththeladder.
Don’tletchildrenputbeadsintheirmouth.
Washyourchildren’shandsafterhandling beads–especiallybeforeeating.
Keepbabywipesandhandsanitizernearbyfor easyhandcleaning.
Alwayscheckthethrowsthatchildrenreceiveat paradesbeforeallowingthemtoplaywiththem.
Agoodruleforparentstorememberisthat childrenyoungerthan3yearsoldshouldnotbeallowedtoplaywithanything thatfitsinsideatoiletpapertubeorhassmallpartsthatifseparatedwouldfit insidethetube.Suchitemsareachokinghazard.
RichfoodsareasmuchapartofMardiGrasasfloatsandCarnivalballs. Walkalongmostparaderoutesandyou’llfindpeopleconsumingfriedchicken, potatochips,minimuffulettasandotheritemsthatwill nevercrackanyone’ssuperfoodlist.
Forpeoplediagnosedwithhighbloodpressure, saltychickenwingsandchipswasheddownwith afewbeersorcocktailscanbeahealthproblem.If someoneforgetstotaketheirbloodpressurepills becausetheyarerunninglateforaparade,their bloodpressurewillrunevenhigher.Thesefactors combinedcanleadtoadangeroussituation.
It’sagoodideaforpeoplewithheartissuestopacksome healthiersnacksinsteadoftheseasonalfavorites.Theyshould alsotakethemedicinetheymayneedwiththemtotheparade.If someoneinyourgroupseemslethargicoroutofbreath,reachouttoa localfirstresponderontheparaderouteforassistance.
LESLIE WESTBROOK
BY QUINN COFFMAN Staff writer
When L.J. Gielen first saw the Grand Opera House of the South in 1973, it was a shadow of its former self.
There were tractor parts on the stage Lawn mowers and silver-barrel barbecue pits were sprawled on the floor A stack of old wooden coffins sat where seats once were. No lightbulbs illuminated the floor and no red curtain hung behind the stage.
As the upper level of a hardware store, the only way up to this forgotten opera house was on a freight elevator When the gate opened, one working light above the stage illuminated the dusty venue.
Still, Gielen says, he could see its majesty
“What is it?” Gielen said to Luby Pommier, the hardware store employee who had taken him to the forgotten place.
Pommier told him it was a theater, one that had operated in Crowley for the first decades of the 1900s.
Gielen recalled how Pommier said its stage was graced by the likes of Babe Ruth, Huey Long, Clark Gable, Italian tenor Enrico Caruso, and Madame de Vilchez-Blizzet of the Paris Opera. He described how wealthy patrons from New Orleans would pay to travel by train to Crowley, bringing their carriages, horses and servants in tow, just for shows at this opera house.
Gielen recalls telling Pommier that the place needed to be reopened and Pommier replying, “That’s why I brought you here to see it.”
Rebuilding the Grand
The Grand Opera House of the South, or simply “the Grand,” was opened in 1901 in downtown Crowley by David E. Lyons, a livery stable owner
and a deputy sheriff. Lyons had never been involved in show business before then. When his first newspaper ad looking for other investors failed, he built the opera house for $18,000 himself, alongside two carpenters, out of Louisiana cypress, oak and pine, with pressed-tin plates on the ceilings, and hand-painted angel medallions that hung in the booths.
The Grand would host vaudeville and minstrel shows, boxing matches and magic acts. Often, when a crowd of kids who couldn’t afford a ticket would form at the bottom of the opera’s stairs, the story goes that Lyons would wait until the show was about to begin and then let them all inside for free.
In 1999, Gielen, the owner of multiple convenience stores in the Crowley area, bought the property
The “beautiful little playhouse,” as the Crowley Daily Signal called it in a 1901 piece, had stood nearly 100 years
since it had hosted Harry Ward’s minstrels in its debut show to nearly 800 viewers
Over time, the opera house transitioned from live shows to movies and talkies of the 1920s and ’30s, before finally closing its doors in 1940. The 59 years that followed saw business after business fill the bottom level: a liquor hall, a pharmacy a mortuary, a bakery and the renovation of the whole floor to become a hardware store. By the late ’90s, the city of Crowley was eyeing the space, both to preserve it and to open government offices on the lower floor But the hardware store owner sold it to Gielen on the condition he would keep its employees, including Pommier, in work.
Giving back
Gielen’s sons asked why he’d take on the money pit, which was sure to cost more than it made even after renovations.
“Until you get over 50 you won’t understand,” he said, “It’s not always about making
money Sometimes you have to give back to the community.”
The family transitioned the Grand into a nonprofit, and secured state historical grants to preserve the opera house. Gielen’s daughter, Kim GielenFogleman, traveled to New York to learn the ins and outs of booking performers and operating a theatre.
“We just knew that it was up there, and we wanted to preserve it,” Gielen-Fogelman said, now the executive director of the nonprofit.
One of the Gielen’s commissioned architects told them these two-story theatres were common in the U.S. between the 1850s and 1930s, but that less than 3% were maintained and only 1% of that number could still be used for shows.
The balcony, where Black patrons were segregated to sit and where children squeezed in near the window frames, was still intact with its original railing. The rail around the old orchestra pit was also found in a back dressing room. Even the original sign reading “GRAND” now hangs in front of the opera again It was found under one of the balconies.
Other things had to be built from scratch: era appropriate seating (now with cushions), lights that would approximate the former shine — and removal of the entire aluminum façade.
“It was like putting a puzzle together from the moment we bought it,” Gielen-Fogelman said.
They knew the new curtain had to be “blood red,” to match a newspaper description from its opening night. A 1908 graduation photo showed the stairs’ details. Scratch-tests on walls helped discover what layers of paint laid underneath.
After years of planning, the renovation started in 2006 and was completed in 2008. The complete cost was near $4.5 million, with much of the expense going to reconditioning wood and refitting the building
When we adopted our daughter from China in 2001, my husband invited friends Michelle Foster and John Davenport, both originally from Iowa, to join us on the journey Foster and Davenport learned to speak and write Mandarin as adults. Though I didn’t know it at the time, their decision to join us was one of those stars-aligning moments of life. Their presence added depth and understanding to our experience. They facilitated significant connections we would have missed had they not been with us.
One afternoon in China, we visited our daughter’s orphanage. While there, we were lucky to meet several older girls who lived there. Foster spoke to the girls in Chinese. The girls spoke back in broken English. They were desperate to learn English, explaining that they saw it as a potential path out of the orphanage. They were too old to be adopted and without family connections, the chances of careers were few and far between.
Thanks to our American friends, who became our daughter’s godparents, the brief encounter with the older girls changed the trajectory of many lives — for the better, I believe.
The next year Foster invited me to go back to China with her to help set up an English program for the older girls. As I was getting ready to go on the trip, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette matched our family with two Chinese grad students in a community-international friendship program.
The young couple we were matched with were both working on their Ph.D.s. We had them over for meals. They offered us insights into Chinese culture. A month before I was going back to China, they were over for dinner We were discussing my trip and their 2-yearold son in China with their parents. They were trying to reunite with him but were afraid to leave the country with the major student visa issues of that time. They were so close to finishing their doctorates. Unfortunately all of their parents had been denied visas to come to the States.
Offhandedly, I said, “I wish I could bring him back for you.”
One of them said, “Would you?”
I said, “Of course, I would, but that’s impossible. Remember, I just brought a baby out of China last year? I know the complications and requirements.”
These were young parents who desperately wanted to be reunited with their first and only child
“But if we figured out a way, would you bring him?” the dad asked.
I assured him I would, but said again that I also knew it was simply not possible.
A week later, they called and said they may have found a way for me to bring their little boy back to Louisiana. At that point, I felt I was too far in to say anything except, “Great!”
And that is how I ended up bringing a 2-year-old boy from China to the USA, via Vancouver, Canada.
Two weeks before he and I were to make the big trip back across the ocean, I met him with his grandparents in Beijing. With my friend, who was with me at the time, translating they excitedly told us that they were teaching him English.
“Wonderful!” I said. “What words does he know? The answer was brief. He knew two English words: pumpkin and airplane.
filled with water after each rain.
Besides a handful of old guard businesses, the strip the Grand sat on was deserted and unwalkable.
$18 million in combined public and private investment.
to be up to modern standards.
The upper seating area’s ceilings were always too low for those standards, so instead of selling seats, the balcony area holds tables for the Opera’s ticket holders and corporate partners.
The Gielens refitted the entire lower floor into a wedding/event space, with a bar, ballroom and grand staircase to the opera level. Contributions from this level go in-part to covering the costs of the opera house, which the Gielens say cannot support itself on ticket sales.
Multiple state and federal grants supported the The Grand’s renovation, which put requirements on the Gielens to maintain the Grand as a historic site.
A return on the investment
When the Grand’s remodel started in 2006, the rest of Crowley’s main street was largely empty The old sidewalks were deep and cracked, and they
“After Walmart came into town they shut (Main Street) down. That’s what really killed it,” said Ed Habetz, a contractor who worked on the Grand’s remodel as well as much of the business space on Crowley’s strip
Led by former mayor Isabella de la Houssaye, Crowley embarked on a plan to remake their historic downtown something its residents would be happy to walk, shop and live upon.
“So if we are going to renovate a space, what do we need?” said Jill Habetz, former president of the Crowley Mainstreet Board, of what planning downtown’s revitalization was like “The Opera House is there, and we need a restaurant, a place to shop, etc.”
Businesses, spurred on by Main Street restoration grants at the state level, began to fill in where only boarded-up storefronts once sat.
Over the last 20 years Crowley has seen over 100 new businesses, 412 new jobs, and over
“We never dreamed it’d be more than the opera house,” Gielen-Fogelman said, before adding that a wedding they’re hosting that evening will bring in 375 people, “but it’s brought so much to our town, because people have to get gas, and they shop and they eat in our restaurants.”
A connection to the past
But, for Gielen and GielenFogelman, history was always the point.
Sparking the community’s memories of a space not only abandoned but largely forgotten was why they put so much of themselves into it When the Grand Opera House of the South first re-opened in 2008, the Gielens offered community tours.
“People came out of the woodwork who remembered when they were young and they came for silent movies,” Gielen-Fogelman said.
One older woman remembered watching a magic show as a kid at the original Grand. Standing among the seats she recalled how she’d been called
onto the stage and made to disappear while the other children gasped in shock.
Nowadays, driving around Court Circle and the Acadia Parish courthouse, visitors can see the Grand and the strip of mainstream it has helped bring up around it. Wedding parties are often seen outside. Brides throwing the bouquet. Cars going by honk in celebration. The Opera has moved away from hosting “seasons” since Covid, now visitors can come for events held year round, including a March 28 performance of The Great Dubois, a variety show featured in The Greatest Showman.
Gielen-Fogelman says that her favorite days are the kids’ showcases and school plays, where elementary students stream off of buses to see a show When she guides them up the stairs, she imagines that this is the same feeling Lyons had when he pulled back the velvet rope and let children sneak into the Grand for a performance.
Email Quinn Coffman at quinn.coffman@theadvocate. com.
Continued from page 2y
chòu.” They asked me to repeat it several times.
Finally, I asked, “What does ‘dà chòu’ mean?”
“It means ‘the big stinky,’” Michelle translated “If he says ‘dà chòu’, you need to get him to the bathroom fast.”
When the time came for me to head home, my friend had already left. I was on my own to meet the little boy and his grandparents at the airport. The agreement was that they would wait there until our plane took off to make sure I made it through security with him.
None of us could have known that the flight would be delayed five hours or that once we finally reached Vancouver, we would miss our connecting flight and I would have to take a 2-year-old boy who thought he was going to see his mama to an airport hotel to spend the night — unable to explain anything that was happening.
He was distraught — as was I, but as we were walking into the hotel, he saw a pumpkin and that seemed to make things better
The next day, we continued our journey We finally met his parents. They went on to finish their Ph.D.s and moved out of state. I’ve never seen them since. Three weeks ago, however, I got a LinkedIn request from a name that jarred my memory It was the little boy
Somehow in the 23 years since our grand adventure, he has grown up. He’s graduated college from one of the nation’s top schools and is now working in high tech.
He messaged to see if we could chat.
“All of my life, my parents have told me of the trip you and I took,” he said. “I wanted to hear about it from you.” We talked about him growing up in a Chinese household trying to figure out how to be American I told him about our daughter growing up in an American household
the
a
“Be
ness said, “Follow your
His
and
His
We talked for more than an hour this little boy who used to only be able to say “pumpkin” and “airplane” in English. The conversation was heartening. He thanked me for bringing him to his parents.
I thanked him for growing up well.
I asked him to use his powers for the good, and we promised to stay in touch. The whole exchange gave me a lot of hope about the world.
BY CHRISTOPHER DABE Staff writer
Brother Martin wrestler Noah
Confident was a high school freshman when he learned about Anthony Robles, a former college AllAmerican wrestler born with one leg and the subject of recent Prime Video movie “Unstoppable.”
Confident, also born with one leg, has drawn inspiration from Robles for how he created his own moves on the wrestling mat that led to his success as a national college champion.
Now a high school senior who placed third in Division I at the LHSAA state championships last season, the 17-year-old New Orleans native competed again at the state tournament in Bossier
City
How long have you been wrestling?
I’ve been wrestling since the beginning of ninth grade. People
used to say, “You should wrestle,” and I just gave it a shot.
Who encouraged you to wrestle?
The first person was (former Brother Martin coach) Andrew Nicola, and he brought up Anthony Robles. The second person that I remember was (Brother Martin senior and state champion wrestler) Richie Clementi, and I just had to give it a try because I was just trying out for different sports. I was going to do a bunch of different sports, but wrestling came first.
How has Anthony Robles’ influence had an impact on your life?
He inspired me. But not to wrestle because I feel like I wanted to try it anyway He inspired me to try new moves and get all the basics down on wrestling. I always thought I had to wrestle like everybody else. He inspired me to create my own way of wrestling.
What makes your way of wrestling differ-
ent?
My way of wrestling is different from other people because it’s less of a hand fight and it’s more shots and just slowing down my opponent to be at my pace. Overall, it’s just wrestling and doing the stuff I know how to do. I’m already low, so I don’t have to get low to get their legs. I just snatch and pull and try to get them down to the mat. How would you describe any advantages or disadvantages you may have as a wrestler with one leg?
I wouldn’t say there’s a lot of disadvantages besides trying to learn moves in different ways. As far as my wrestling career, I thought I was supposed to wrestle like everyone else. By the end of my junior year, I realized I could do my own way of wrestling. When people wrestle me for the first time, they are confused. They don’t know how to wrestle me. That’s a
big advantage. Anyone who has seen you wrestle can see the strength in your upper body Is that an advantage?
I do think that’s a big advantage just from being on crutches most of my life and building a strong upper body
Describe your high school career and the progress you’ve made.
Starting out, I wasn’t even worried about winning or losing. I just wanted to wrestle Then going into the next year, I just wanted to get better and learn more technique and everything. I wasn’t really thinking about tournaments. I just wanted to get better at wrestling.
Then in my junior year I really thought about going to state and having that goal set in mind.
Even though I didn’t (win the state championship), I’m still proud of myself for getting there.
What does it mean for you to be part of the Brother Martin wrestling team and
play such a prominent role in the starting lineup?
It really changed me as a whole person. I feel like wrestling has made me more open. When I was a kid, I always liked sports, but I was never a competitive person I always liked the idea of competing but never wanted to go through with it for the fact that I didn’t want to fail. Wrestling just made me open to how I wanted to feel and how I want to live my life.
Overall, it made me a better per-
Gathering trains
Christians to better welcome those in need
BY KATHRYN POST Contributing writer
Surrounded by the soaring ceilings and stained glass of Christ Community Church, the gathering looked like a typical worship service. Speakers taught and testified as the 100 or so attendees prayed and nodded along.
But the event, which took place in early January was aimed not at praise but at raising awareness among Christians about how their communities can better welcome and look out for those who suffer from mental illness. After an opening song, the group settled in for a panel and Q&A titled “It’s a Family Affair: Exploring the Intersection of Mental Health, Spirituality and Faith.”
It was hosted by the American Psychiatric Association in partnership with the Christian Mental Health Initiative and the church.
“I would love to see more of this in churches,” said Christian Mackey, a college student considering a mental health career “I think it was really helpful getting the combination of spirituality and mental health. There’s more than just prayer; there are other options available.”
Long a taboo topic in religious circles — whether clergy burning out on ministry or laypeople turning to faith communities for help mental health has become a topic too prevalent to avoid inside many faith communities, while local and national outside initiatives have recognized that houses of worship have a nearly unique ability to reach underserved communities.
One such latter enterprise is the Christian Mental Health Initiative, a nonprofit that takes free mental health trainings into churches, especially primarily Black churches like Christ Community At the January event, CMHI founder Dr Atasha Jordan, a psychiatrist at Cooper University Health Care in Camden, New Jersey, wore a top that said “JESUS + THERAPY.”
“Before I’m a doctor before being a nonprofit founder, I’m a daughter,” said Jordan, who stressed that community is an im-
portant value in mental health, as in faith. “I was born in Barbados. I’m a wife. I am a sister.”
Cheryssa Hislop, a second-year
medical student at the University of Pennsylvania and volunteer with CMHI, said: “Sometimes people embark on this journey of medicine and forget why they started, or forget where they came from. It’s just so inspiring to me that Dr Jordan clearly not only remembers where she came from, but tries to honor it by giving back.”
In her close-knit Christian family, mental health wasn’t a frequent topic of conversation, said Jordan, who faced mental health challenges while in college at Harvard University and, later, in medical school at the University of Pennsylvania. As her awareness of mental health grew, so did her understanding that Christianity and therapy could coexist.
The connection truly clicked, she said, on the first day of her psychiatry rotation as a medical student. At the Veterans Hospital in Philadelphia, Jordan watched as patients shared how the care they’d received inspired hope.
“That was a very spiritual moment for me,” said Jordan.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Jordan, still a medical resident, was invited by a Philadelphia church to speak about depression. She was struck by the number of people who attended, which laid bare the hunger in the church at large for informed discussions about mental health.
Around the same time, Jordan said, she received what she described as “a very clear word from God” to start CMHI “like it was downloaded” to her mind, she said.
“Mental illness is a real thing, like diabetes, like cancer or like high blood pressure, that can be treated and is not a derogatory term,” Jordan said about CMHI’s message. “We bring down the stigma, so that people can say ‘I’m a Christian and I can experience mental illness, and it says nothing about my faith if I reach out for support from a therapist or from a psychiatrist.’”
Her first step was to gather data to assess the needs of the local faith community With the help of a fellowship and $25,000 grant through the American Psychiatric Association Foundation and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Jordan conducted a pilot study on the use of mental health first aid — a type
of training that equips laypeople to recognize warning signs of mental illness, effectively intervene and provide access to professional help in Black churches across Philadelphia.
“We saw that there was a notable difference in the self-reported knowledge that folks had related to mental illness, and that there was also a change in their likelihood to refer others to mental health services,” said Jordan about the results of the program.
Data in hand, Jordan officially founded CMHI in 2022, bringing along the mental health first aid training as a core program CMHI now offers the trainings monthly and hosts an annual mental health symposium and seminars that educate Christians on topics such as bipolar disorder or minority maternal mental health.
Caroline Ezekwesili, a CMHI intern, said the first aid training helps attendees overcome the bystander effect, in which people fail to intervene in a crisis because they think someone else will.
Making this training accessible to faith communities is crucial, Ezekwesili said, because if some-
one is struggling with their mental health, “they’re likely to go to someone in their church.”
Bernita Mapp, a longtime Philadelphia resident and a Christian, has been grieving the deaths of her mom, two sisters and her son over the past five years. After first contacting CMHI two years ago, she attended one of its mental health first aid trainings in January Days after she received a call from a college acquaintance whose young son had been researching suicide online. Mapp’s training kicked in and she had a compassionate but frank conversation with the mother about suicide risk and next steps. Her involvement with CMHI, meanwhile, has also inspired her to join a grief support group.
“I am so excited and elated that God gave her this vision, and I really see that not only is it relevant and practical, but I believe that it’s definitely a movement that will be very instrumental,” Mapp said of Jordan. “It has really helped me heal and become whole again.” Jordan, who has extended CMHI’s work to churches in the Caribbean and West Africa
thanks to video links, juggles her roles as a nonprofit founder, psychiatrist and faculty member (at Rowan University). She also finds time to mentor her volunteers and interns, guiding them through challenges in the medical field.
“I didn’t come from a background where I was super exposed to people who look like me in medicine,” said Jada Jordan (no relation), a former CMHI intern and aspiring medical student “Dr Jordan has created a network where people can come and fellowship and really connect.”
Jordan said her attention to young people contributes to her goal of helping increase access to mental health services overall. But she is intent too on training the next generation of believing professionals who recognize how faith interacts with mental health That’s crucial, Jordan said, not for the sake of the faith, but for those many she’s encountered, she said, “who say they want a provider of faith.”
Email Joy Holden at joy.holden@ theadvocate.com.
BY CHELSEA SHANNON Staff writer
Large events often produce a significant amount of food waste However, over the Super Bowl LIX weekend, a national organization worked with Louisiana student volunteers to minimize the huge party’s environmental impact.
The Food Recovery Network diverted roughly 12,348 pounds of food from being wasted after two massive tailgate events in New Orleans, donating the equivalent of 10,290 meals in food to the New Orleans Mission. New Orleans Mission is an organization that helps to feed and house people who are facing {span} homelessness, addiction, abuse and other issues. Food Recovery Network worked with Tulane University and Louisiana State University student volunteers to collect food from The Players Tailgate hosted by Bullseye Event Group and Guy’s Fieri’s Flavortown Tailgate.
In addition to helping use the excess food to feed people in New Orleans, the organization’s executive director Regina Harmon said their food recovery efforts helped combat climate change.
“The impact of wasted and surplus food on our climate is undeniable, and we all see the effects,” Harmon said. “It’s important for us to shine a light on this issue in New Orleans, particularly a
that has seen too many
change-fueled tragedies.”
The
SUNDAY, FebrUArY 23, 2025
directions: Make a 2- to 7-letter word from the letters in each row. Add points of each word, using scoring directions at right. Finally, 7-letter words get 50-point bonus. “Blanks” used as any letter have no point value All the words are in the Official SCRABBLE® Players Dictionary, 5th Edition.
instructions: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.
todAY's Word — ABsorBed: ab-
SORB'D: Soaked up.
Average mark 49 words Time limit 60 minutes
Can you find 60 or more words in ABSORBED?
instructions: 1 - Each row and each column must contain the numbers 1 through 4 (easy) or 1 through 6 (challenging) without repeating 2 The numbers within the heavily outlined boxes, called cages, must combine using the given operation (in any order) to produce the target numbers in the top-left corners.
3 - Freebies: Fill in the single-box cages with the number in the top-left corner.
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 Conceptis Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.
directions: Complete the grid so that numbers 1–132 connect horizontally, vertically or diagonally
The values for North’s twospade bid are hard to find. Perhaps he thought his modest club fit entitled him to an aggressive bid. South was Tolga Ozbay, from Turkey, who drove to game expecting to find a better dummy. East won the opening heart lead with the ace and continued with the queen of hearts to declarer’s king Ozbay placed East with seven points in hearts and presumably the ace of spades for his opening bid. West had doubled on, at most, two minor suit queens. The contract would have no chance if West had all the missing clubs, or even queen10-third. Ozbay had to hope for a friendlier trump position. If he led a spade, East would take his ace and lead a third heart, almost certainlypromotingatrumptrick for West. Instead, Ozbay led the jackofclubsandranitwhenWest played low. This pinned East’s 10 and gave Ozbay a chance, but it was far from over. The diamond queen was still a problem.Hecouldruffadiamond in dummy, but he would not be able to get back to his hand without allowing a trump promotion for West. He cashed the ace of diamonds and then led the 10 of diamonds. West played low, as would most everyone, and Ozbay
discarded a heart from dummy. He discarded dummy’s remaining heart on the king of diamonds and ruffed his last diamond. He lefttheaceofclubsindummyand led a spade, but there was now no chance for West to get a trump promotion. Beautifully played!
Tannah Hirsch welcomes readers’ responses sent in care of this newspaper or to Tribune Content Agency inc., 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, Ny 14207. E-mail responses may be sent to gorenbridge@ aol.com. © 2025 Tribune Content Agency
Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
Take this Super Quiz to a Ph.D. Score 1 point for each correct answer on the Freshman
PISCES (Feb.
ARIES (March 21-April 19) Anger will stand between you and what you want It’s up to you to set the mood when faced with opposition. A positive attitude will overcome negativity.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Take a breather and rejuvenate. Rethink your strategy and observe how others handle similar situations. Make learning your path to letting go of whatever stands between you and your goal.
CANCER (June 21-July 22) Power forward with strength, courage and the willingness to embrace change. Refrain from letting your emotions tie you to the past Discuss the possibilities with someone you love.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20) A change will be a healthy start to your day. Plan an adventure, start a new project or engage in something that offers knowledge, insight and skills that will help you improve your prospects or lifestyle
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Take a watchand-wait position when asked to participate in something questionable. Pay attention to your personal and emotional well-being and do things that make you happy.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Be willing to make accommodations and put your energy into gaining ground. Getting out and sharing your thoughts, feelings and desires will attract attention.
LIBRA (Sept 23-Oct. 23) A window of opportunity will open if you apply time and effort to something you want to achieve. Someone you chat with while doing something
you enjoy will spark your imagination.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Get out explore and try doing things differently. Reach out to someone who can explain something that irks you or stops you from moving forward.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Opportunities flow when the planets align; recognize what works and let go of what doesn’t. Personal gain, better connections and lifestyle changes are all within reach if you can free up time. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Ask questions; find out where you stand. Achieving an understanding with people who affect your well-being will make your life easier and help you establish better choices. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Pay attention and be on guard. Opportunity is apparent, but you must do your due diligence to maximize what’s available. Trust yourself, and you’ll do good while feeling good.
The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2025 by NEA, inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication
1. Cross my heart 2. Hearts. 3. Purple Heart. 4. "My Heart Will Go On." 5. Queen of Hearts. 6. The pure in heart 7. Heart rate. 8. Heart to heart. 9. "Heart of Glass." 10. "Heart of Dixie." 11. "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee." 12. "Heart of the Ocean." 13 Change of heart 14. "Heart of Darkness." 15. "The Tell-Tale Heart."
SCORING: 24 to 30 points — congratulations, doctor; 18 to 23 points honors graduate; 13 to 17 points — you’re plenty smart, but no grind; 5 to 12 points — you really should
the books harder; 1 point to 4 points — enroll in remedial courses immediately; 0 points — who reads the questions to you?
Saturday's Cryptoquote: It wasn't love at first sight. It took a full five minutes. — Lucille Ball