Inmate dies ahead of scheduled execution
Christopher Sepulvado was convicted of 1992 murder
BY JOHN SIMERMAN and MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writers
of New Isle, roughly 40 miles farther inland “The first of next year I have no idea what I’m going to do.”
Tamplet’s relocation from Isle de Jean Charles in lower Terrebonne Parish was part of a first-of-its-kind government effort to help dozens of families move to higher ground from Louisiana’s disappearing coastline Many of those families are members of the state-recognized Jean Charles Choctaw Nation
The state hoped it would serve as a model for future relocation efforts, expected to become increasingly necessary as storms intensify and sea levels rise. But residents are finding that their new homes come with costs
Pope Francis in
BY NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press
ROME Pope Francis remains in critical condition and blood tests showed early kidney failure but he remains alert, responsive and attended Mass, the Vatican said, as the 88-year-old pontiff battles pneumonia and a complex lung infection.
In a late update, the Vatican said Francis hadn’t had any more respiratory crises since Saturday night but was still receiving high flows of supplemental oxygen.
Christopher Sepulvado, the 81-yearold death row prisoner who was scheduled to be executed on March 17 as Louisiana is set to resume executions after 15 years, is dead.
Sepulvado died overnight at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, according to both his attorneys and state officials. He’d remained on death row for more than 30 years.
His attorneys said doctors had recommended Sepulvado for hospice care days before DeSoto Parish District Attorney Charles Adams secured a judge’s signature this month on an execution warrant.
Sepulvado was the oldest of the 57 people on death row in Louisiana He was convicted in the 1992 murder of his 6-year-old stepson, Wesley Allen Mercer In a statement, his attorneys described a steep decline in Sepulvado’s health and cognition, from COPD to
ä See INMATE, page 7A
ally have to make it on their own, they say It may be a struggle due to their unique circumstances, and Tamplet is emblematic of the problem.
After contracting pneumonia in late 2023, which led to cascading health issues, he couldn’t afford his tax bill. His home was offered in a tax sale, and a Nebraskabased company bought a lien on the property last June.
If he can’t pay off the debt
ä See RELOCATION, page 4A
critical condition with early kidney failure
Some blood tests showed “initial, mild, kidney failure,” but doctors said it was under control.
“The complexity of the clinical picture, and the necessary wait for drug therapies to provide some feedback, dictate that the prognosis remains guarded,” Francis’ doctors concluded.
Prayers for Francis, meanwhile, poured in from around the world, from his native Argentina to the seat of Sunni Islam in Cairo to schoolchildren in Rome.
ä See POPE, page 7A
Pope Francis remains in critical condition and blood tests showed early kidney failure but he remains alert, responsive and attended Mass, the Vatican said, as the 88-year-old pontiff battles pneumonia and a complex lung infection.
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO
BY ALYSE PFEIL | Staff writer
greater control over more than 35,000 workers in the civil service system could be underway
Some argue a system that was originally designed to reward competency and merit over political connections is falling woefully short, instead keeping employees in their jobs regardless of their performance.
“We do not have a meritocracy, which is critical for providing a high level of service in an efficient and effective way,” said Sen. Jay Morris, RWest Monroe. “Civil servants work for the people of the state, and the people deserve a more efficient government.” Morris said he will likely bring back legislation that is similar to a proposal he championed last year to
Terrebonne Bay Staff map
Morganzato-the-Gulf levee
BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS
Congo’s leader wants to make unity government
KINSHASA, Congo Congo’s president says he is going to launch a unity government as violence spreads across the country’s east and pressure mounts over his handling of the crisis.
In some of his first statements since Rwandan-backed rebels captured major cities in eastern Congo, President Felix Tshisekedi told a meeting of the Sacred Union of the Nation ruling coalition on Saturday not to be distracted by internal quarrels.
“I lost the battle and not the war I must reach out to everyone including the opposition. There will be a government of national unity,” said Tshisekedi. He didn’t give more details on what that would entail or when it would happen.
M23 rebels — the most prominent of more than 100 armed groups vying for control and influence in eastern Congo — have swept through the region, seizing key cities and killing some 3,000 people. In a lightning three-week offensive, the M23 took control of eastern Congo’s main city Goma and seized the second largest city, Bukavu The rebels are supported by about 4,000 troops from neighboring Rwanda, according to U.N. experts, and at times have vowed to march as far as Congo’s capital, Kinshasa, over 1,000 miles away Rwanda has accused Congo of enlisting ethnic Hutu fighters responsible for the 1994 genocide in Rwanda of minority Tutsis and moderate Hutus.
Hurt workers stable after hospital hostage-taking
YORK Pa Workers at a Pennsylvania hospital who were injured during a shooting that left the gunman and a police officer dead were reported “medically stable” Sunday as the hospital remained closed to visitors, according to the hospital.
Investigators were still piecing together what happened a day after a man armed with a pistol and carrying zip ties headed straight to the intensive care unit at UPMC Memorial Hospital in York and took staff members hostage before he was killed by police in a shootout that also left an officer dead.
A doctor, a nurse, a custodian and two other police officers were shot and wounded in the attack at the central Pennsylvania hospital on Saturday, authorities said. A fourth hospital staffer was injured in a fall
UPMC officials said injured staff members were “progressing in their recovery” but visitors would not be allowed for the time being as the hospital beefed up medical campus security.
“We know that families and visitors are vital to helping patients heal, and we are working toward making visitation possible again,” the hospital said in a statement. Authorities have said little about the shooter’s motive.
Japan’s emperor marks birthday with message
TOKYO Japan’s Emperor Naruhito, marking his 65th birthday Sunday, stressed the importance of telling the tragedy of World War II to younger generations, pledging to contribute to efforts to promote the understanding of history and the determination for peace as the world this year observes the 80th anniversary of the war’s end.
“As the memory of the war fades today it is important that the tragic experiences and history are passed on to the generations who do not know the war,” Naruhito told a news conference in a prerecorded comments released Sunday
Those who went through the ordeals during and after the war grew have grown older and it is difficult for younger generations to hear their firsthand stories, Naruhito said.
Naruhito, accompanied by his wife, Empress Masako, their daughter Princess Aiko and some of his younger brother’s family, waved from the palace balcony at the cheering wellwishers. Later Sunday, he was to celebrate his birthday at a palace banquet.
The war was fought in the name of his grandfather thenEmperor Hirohito
Conservative opposition wins German election
Far-right party comes in 2nd with strongest post-WWII result
BY GEIR MOULSON Associated Press
BERLIN Germany’s conservative opposition leader Friedrich Merz won a lackluster victory in a national election Sunday, while Alternative for Germany nearly doubled its support, the strongest showing for a far-right party since World War II, projections showed.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz conceded defeat for his center-left Social Democrats after what he called “a bitter election result.” Projections for ARD and ZDF public television showed his party finishing in third place with its worst postwar result in a national parliamentary election Merz vowed to move quickly to put together a coalition government. But that’s likely to be a complicated task
The election took place seven months earlier than originally planned after Scholz’s unpopular coalition collapsed in November, three years into a term that was increasingly marred by infighting. There was widespread discontent and not much enthusiasm for any of the candidates.
The campaign was dominated by worries about the yearslong stagnation of Europe’s biggest economy and pressure to curb migration — something that caused friction after Merz pushed hard in recent weeks for a tougher
approach. It took place against a background of growing uncertainty over the future of Ukraine and Europe’s alliance with the United States.
Germany is the most populous country in the 27-nation European Union and a leading member of NATO. It has been Ukraine’s second-biggest weapons supplier, after the U.S. It will be central to shaping the continent’s response to the challenges of the coming years, including the Trump administration’s confrontational foreign and trade policy
The projections, based on exit polls and partial counting, put support for Merz’s Union bloc around 28.5% and the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany or AfD, about 20.5% — roughly double its
result from 2021.
They put support for Scholz’s Social Democrats at just over 16%, far lower than in the last election and below their previous all-time low of 20.5% from 2017. The environmentalist Greens, their remaining partners in the outgoing government, were on a little over 12%.
Out of three smaller parties, one — the hard-left Left Party strengthened its position, winning up to 9% of the vote after a remarkable comeback. Two other parties, the pro-business Free Democrats — who were the third party in the collapsed government — and the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance, hovered around the threshold of the 5% support needed to win seats.
Israel sends tanks into West Bank
Officials: Fleeing Palestinians can’t return
BY MAJDI MOHAMMED and TIA GOLDENBERG
Associated Press
JENIN, West Bank Israeli tanks moved into the occupied West Bank on Sunday for the first time in decades in what Palestinian authorities called a “dangerous escalation,” after the defense minister said troops will remain in parts of the territory for a year and tens of thousands of Palestinians who have fled cannot return.
Associated Press journalists saw several tanks move along unpaved tracks into Jenin, long a bastion of armed struggle against Israel.
Israel is deepening its crackdown on the Palestinian territory and has said it is determined to stamp out militancy amid a rise in attacks It launched the offensive in the northern West Bank on Jan. 21 — two days after the current ceasefire in Gaza took hold
— and has expanded it to nearby areas.
Palestinians view such raids as part of an effort to cement Israeli control over the territory, where 3 million Palestinians live under military rule. The deadly raids have caused destruction in urban areas.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military to “increase the intensity of the activity to thwart terrorism” in all refugee camps in the West Bank.
“We will not allow the return of residents, and we will not allow terrorism to return and grow,” he said.
Earlier, Katz said he had instructed the military to prepare for “an extended stay” in some of the West Bank’s urban refugee camps, from which he said about 40,000 Palestinians have fled, leaving them “emptied of residents.”
That figure was confirmed by the United Nations.
The camps are home to descendants of Palestinians who fled during wars with Israel decades ago. It was not clear how long
Palestinians would be prevented from returning. Katz said Israeli troops would stay “for the coming year.” Netanyahu said they would stay “as long as needed.”
Tanks were last deployed in the West Bank in 2002, when Israel fought a deadly Palestinian uprising.
The Palestinian foreign ministry called the Israeli moves “a dangerous escalation of the situation in the West Bank,” and urged the international community in a statement to intervene in what it termed Israel’s illegal “aggression.”
Zelenskyy says progress made on making rare minerals deal with U.S.
BY JUSTIN SPIKE and ILLIA NOVIKOV Associated Press
KYIV, Ukraine A contentious Trump administration proposal to give the U.S. $500 billion worth of profits from Ukraine’s rare earth minerals as compensation for its wartime assistance to Kyiv has been taken off the table, President Volodymyr
Zelenskyy said Sunday, indicating a more equitable deal is in the works.
Zelenskyy had earlier declined a U.S. draft agreement on exploitation of his country’s valuable minerals such as lithium used in the aerospace, defense and nuclear industries because it did
not contain security guarantees and came with the $500 billion price tag.
“The question of $500 billion is no longer there,” Zelenskyy told a news conference at a forum of government officials in Kyiv marking the three-year anniversary of Russia’s fullscale invasion of Ukraine.
The Ukrainian leader said considering aid as a debt to be repaid would be a “Pandora’s box” that would set a precedent requiring Kyiv to reimburse all its backers
“We do not recognize the debt,” Zelenskyy said. “It will not be in the final format of the agreement.”
No further details were given on the state of negotiations. Ukraine has
insisted on security guarantees that it needs to deter any potential Russian aggression in the future.
Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, said on CNN’s “State of the Union” that he expects a deal this week allowing the U.S. to play a greater role in exploiting Ukraine’s mineral resources.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the administration’s minerals plan was to create a U.S.-Ukraine partnership, calling it a “win-win.”
“We make money if the Ukrainian people make money,” Bessent told Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures” program.
Trump firing 1.6K USAID workers
Other employees being put on leave
BY ELLEN KNICKMEYER Associated Press
WASHINGTON The Trump administration said Sunday that it was placing all but a fraction of staffers at the U.S. Agency for International Development on leave worldwide and eliminating at least 1,600 U.S.based jobs.
The move was the latest and one of the biggest steps yet toward what President Donald Trump and cost-cutting ally Elon Musk say is their goal of gutting the six-decadeold aid and development agency in a broader campaign to slash the size of the federal government.
The move comes after a federal judge on Friday allowed the administration to move forward with its plan to pull thousands of USAID staffers off the job in the United States and around the world. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols rejected pleas in a lawsuit from employees to keep temporarily blocking the government’s plan.
“As of 11:59 p.m. EST on Sunday, February 23, 2025, all USAID direct hire personnel, with the exception of designated personnel responsible for mission-critical functions, core leadership and/or specially designated programs, will be placed on administrative leave globally,” according to the notices sent to USAID workers that were viewed by The Associated Press. At the same time, the agency said in the notices to staffers that it was beginning a reduction in force that would eliminate 2,000 U.S.-based jobs. A version of the notice posted later on USAID’s website put the number of positions to be eliminated lower, at 1,600.
The administration gave no explanation for the discrepancy USAID and the State Department did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.
The cuts mean many of the Washington-based staffers who are being placed on leave would soon have their positions eliminated.
The Trump appointee running USAID, deputy administrator Pete Marocco, has indicated he plans to keep about 600 mostly U.S.-based staffers on the job in the meantime, in part to arrange travel for USAID staffers and families abroad.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MARKUS SCHREIBER
Friedrich Merz, the candidate of the mainstream conservative Christian Democratic Union party gestures Sunday while addressing supporters at the party headquarters in Berlin after the German national election.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MAJDI MOHAMMED Israeli tanks move Sunday into the Palestinian city of Jenin in the occupied West Bank.
Key agencies tell workers to ignore Musk email
DOGE demanding federal employees justify jobs
BY STEVE PEOPLES, ERIC TUCKER and AMANDA SEITZ Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Key U.S agencies, including the FBI, State Department and the Pentagon have instructed their employees not to comply with cost-cutting chief Elon Musk’s latest demand that federal workers explain what they accomplished last week or risk losing their job.
The pushback from appointees of President Donald Trump marked a new level of chaos and confusion within the beleaguered federal workforce, just a month after Trump returned to the White House and quickly began fulfilling campaign promises to shrink the government.
Administration officials scrambled throughout the weekend to interpret Musk’s unusual mandate, which apparently has Trump’s backing despite some lawmakers arguing it is illegal. Unions want the administration to rescind the request and are threatening to sue
Some officials are resisting Others are encouraging their workers to comply At some agencies, there was conflicting guidance.
One message on Sunday morning from the Department of Health and Human Services, led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., instructed its roughly 80,000 employees to comply That was shortly after the acting general counsel, Sean Keveney, had instructed some not to. And by Sunday evening, agency leadership issued new instructions that employees should “pause activities” on the request until noon Monday
“I’ll be candid with you Having put in over 70 hours of work last week advancing Administration’s priorities, I was personally insulted to receive the below email,”
Keveney said in an email viewed by The Associated Press.
Keveney laid out security concerns and pointed out some of the work done by the agency’s employees may be protected by attorneyclient privilege: “I have received no assurances that there are appropriate protections in place to safeguard responses to this email.”
Musk’s team sent an email to federal employees on Saturday giving them roughly 48 hours to report five specific things they had accomplished last week. In a separate message on X, Musk said any employee who failed to respond by the deadline — set in the email as 11:59 p.m. EST Monday — would lose their job.
Democrats and even some Republicans were critical of Musk’s ultimatum, which came just hours after Trump encouraged him on so-
cial media to “get more aggressive” in reducing the size of the government through his Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, was among the members of Trump’s party who had concerns.
“If I could say one thing to Elon Musk, it’s like, please put a dose of compassion in this,” Curtis, whose state has 33,000 federal employees, said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “These are real people. These are real lives. These are mortgages. It’s a false narrative to say we have
to cut and you have to be cruel to do it as well.”
On ABC’s “This Week,” Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., questioned the legal basis the Trump administration would have for dismissing tens of thousands of workers for refusing to heed Musk’s latest demand. The email did not include the threat about workers losing their jobs.
For Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., there was no doubt: “The actions he’s taking are illegal,” he said on “Face the Nation.” Trump mocked the affected
workers in a meme Sunday on his social media network The post featured a cartoon character writing a list of accomplishments from the previous week led by, “Cried about Trump,” “Cried about Elon,” “Made it into the office for once,” and “Read some emails.”
Newly confirmed FBI Director Kash Patel, an outspoken Trump ally, instructed bureau employees to ignore Musk’s request, at least for now
“The FBI, through the Office of the Director, is in charge of all of our review processes, and will conduct reviews in accordance with FBI procedures,” Patel wrote in an email confirmed by the AP. “When and if further information is required, we will coordinate the responses. For now, please pause any responses.”
Ed Martin, the interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, sent his staff a message Sunday that may cause more confusion. Martin noted that he responded to Musk’s order
“Let me clarify: We will comply with this OPM request whether by replying or deciding not to reply,” Martin wrote in the email obtained by the AP, referring to the Office of Personnel Management.
“Please make a good faith effort to reply and list your activities (or not, as you prefer), and I will, as I mentioned, have your back regarding any confusion,” Martin continued. “We can do this.”
Leaders of France, Britain head to D.C. to meet with Trump
BY JILL LAWLESS and SYLVIE CORBET Associated Press
LONDON The leaders of France and Britain are making tag-team visits to Washington this week as Europe attempts to persuade President Donald Trump not to abandon Ukraine in pursuit of a peace deal in the threeyear-old war with Russia. There is an element of good cop, bad cop in efforts by U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron to salvage American support for Kyiv Starmer, reluctant to openly confront Trump, speaks of being a bridge between Europe and the U.S administration. Macron has more strongly criticized Trump’s recent statements that echo Russia’s narrative and Amer-
ican moves to negotiate with Moscow while sidelining Ukraine.
The two leaders spoke by phone on Sunday and said the U.K and Europe must “show united leadership in support of Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression,” Starmer’s office said. Both also stress that Ukraine’s voice and sovereignty must be at the center of any peace talks.
The French president warned Trump against appearing weak in the face of President Putin.”
“It’s not you, it’s not your trademark, it’s not in your interest,” said Macron, who is due at the White House on Monday, the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Starmer is set to follow on Thursday.
The trips come after Macron called a crisis meeting of European leaders in
Paris last week to discuss the continent’s next steps and after Trump on Friday claimed Macron and Starmer “haven’t done anything” over the past three years to end the war
The centrist French leader, known for his bold diplomatic moves, says he’ll seek to persuade Trump that American and European interests are the same, telling him: “If you let Russia take over Ukraine, it would be unstoppable.”
Starmer, a cautious centerleft politician, has avoided directly contradicting Trump or criticizing his actions. The U.K. joined the U.S. in refusing to sign a joint declaration at an artificial Intelligence summit hosted by Macron in Paris this month in what was seen as an attempt to curry favor with Washington.
But the prime minister has reaffirmed Britain’s sup-
port for Ukraine, rejecting Trump’s assertion that Zelenskyy is a “dictator” and the president’s suggestion that Kyiv started the war, which erupted when Russia invaded its neighbor on Feb. 24, 2022.
Starmer spoke to Zelenskyy on Saturday, expressing “the U.K.’s ironclad support for Ukraine and commitment to securing a just and enduring peace.” He said he would stress “safeguarding Ukraine’s sovereignty” when he speaks to Trump in Washington.
Some historians say the idea that Britain can be a transatlantic bridge is built on shaky foundations.
“The ‘special relationship’ has always been more important from the British end,” said Oxford University history professor Margaret MacMillan. “When it comes right down to it, great powers tend to do what suits them.”
She said the bottom line for Macron and Starmer “is they want the U.S. to stay involved in Europe. Whether they can achieve that is an-
other matter.”
Macron and Starmer will say in Washington that Ukraine must be at the table for negotiations on its future. They hope to get U.S. support for an emerging plan to have Europe deploy troops in a “reassurance force” to help guarantee Ukraine’s future security Starmer has stressed that the plan will only work if there is a U.S. “backstop,” likely in the form of American air power to deter Russia from attacking again.
By The Associated Press
WASHINGTON Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth insists President Donald Trump ’s abrupt firing of the nation’s senior military officer amid a wave of dismissals at the Pentagon wasn’t unusual, brushing aside outcry that the new administration is openly seeking to inject politics into the military He also suggested more firings could come.
“Nothing about this is unprecedented,” Hegseth told “Fox News Sunday” about Air Force Gen. CQ Brown Jr being removed Friday night as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “The president deserves to pick his key national security advisory team.”
Hegseth said “there are lots of presidents who made changes” citing former commanders in chief, including Franklin D. Roosevelt, George H.W Bush
and Barack Obama. Obama, Hegseth said, “fired or dismissed hundreds” of military officials.
Months into his first term, Obama removed Army Gen. David McKiernan from being commander of the U.S. forces in Afghanistan. However, Trump, while running for his second term, vowed to eradicate “woke” ideologies from the military and to swiftly dismiss many top leaders.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JOSE LUIS MAGANA
Elon Musk arrives to speak Thursday at the Conservative Political Action Conference at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in Oxon Hill, Md
within three years, including fees and interest, he could lose his house. He owes around $4,000 in back taxes
“If I can’t sell my truck, and I can’t bring my taxes up to date, at least for this year, the possibility is that next year, someone could take my house by paying the taxes,” said Tamplet. “Then where am I going to be?”
‘Probably struggling’
Tamplet, who is not a tribe member, is among 37 households who have moved to New Isle since the program began in 2016 Built with a $48 million federal grant, it was part of a landmark pilot program to help a community relocate due to natural hazards exacerbated by climate change.
Of the $48 million, just under $1.4 million remained as of October
Like much of coastal Louisiana, many lived on the island in homes their families had owned for generations, often paying nothing in property taxes thanks to state law exempting the first $75,000 in home value.
Tamplet also did not carry flood or home insurance; when something broke or was damaged in a storm, he and his neighbors fixed it themselves.
His new home is valued at more than $300,000 far above the roughly $55,000 value of his old house. The state built it and granted it to Tamplet for no cost. He’ll own it outright if he lives in it for five years. Others are facing similar difficulties. As the June deadline to pay property taxes approached last year, five households in New Isle were delinquent on their payments, according to parish tax records.
Utilities are also more expensive than they were on the island, Tamplet and his neighbors said.
“I’m not going to lie, most people are probably struggling right now,” said Erica Billiot, 42, who lives next door to Tamplet. “We’re struggling and we have two incomes. If we put aside all of our extra activities, we probably could afford it. But then we wouldn’t have a life.” Other costs will only grow in the coming years. Insurance bills loom large, as is the case for many Louisianans.
By 2026, when most New Isle residents will begin paying their own homeowners’ insurance, the state Office of Community Development estimates that the average policy there will be $4,078 Tamplet’s is estimated to be around $4,500.
“If it comes down to us making a choice about whether we’re going to eat or pay for insurance, I’m gonna eat,” said Chris Brunet, 59, sitting on the porch of his New Isle home. “I told them that from the get-go.” Next door, his neighbor’s home was already missing some of its wood paneling. It had been sheared off
last year during Hurricane Francine, Brunet said. It was a poignant reminder that, while New Isle isn’t eroding like Isle de Jean Charles, its homes aren’t necessarily out of harm’s way
A new player
Isle de Jean Charles was a haven for its residents before it lost much of its land to the combined effects of erosion, subsidence exacerbated by the digging of canals for oil and gas development, and climate changedriven sea level rise.
In the 1950s it stretched over 35 square miles, surrounded by marsh and coastal prairie. It now makes up less than a single square mile.
When the relocation effort kicked off in 2016 through a Barack Obamaera grant program, it garnered national attention.
The New York Times called Isle de Jean Charles residents the U.S.’s first “climate refugees.”
The project plan emphasized that it was a community relocation effort — that the goal was to move residents together The more people moved from the island to New Isle the better
All but three households have now left the island, according to Deme Naquin, chief of the Jean Charles Choctaw Nation. Most relocated to New Isle. By that standard, the state’s Office of Community Development, which led the project, considers the effort a success. They’re also aware that the relocation effort could fall apart if residents can’t afford their homes.
“We knew they were going to need assistance for some period of time,” said Pat Forbes, a former OCD executive director who spearheaded the project.
“If it was going to be sustainable, they would have to take on those costs themselves at some point.”
He emphasized that it was a pilot project, whose goal was to learn how to help people relocate effectively In Louisiana, around a fifth of all homes statewide — about 330,000 — are at risk of chronic flooding by 2045, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists. Nationally, homes that house 4.7 million people equivalent to the entire population of Louisiana — will likely flood repeatedly by the end of the century
“This was a project where we learned some best practices and some things that need improvement,” Forbes said.
Gina Campo, OCD’s current executive director, stressed that helping the most vulnerable would require “creative solutions,” which are being implemented at New Isle.
“Disaster recovery is no longer just fixing up someone’s house and moving on,” she said.
There are, however, limitations on federal housing funds under fair housing law For example, the agency has said that it can’t help residents pay property taxes.
Now, the state is seeking to transfer the last $1.4 million to a semi-governmental nonprofit regional organization called the South Central Planning and Development Commission (SCPDC). It would be freer to use the funds to help residents with costs, according to the organization’s CEO Kevin Belanger
To give those funds to the nonprofit, OCD needs federal approval, which it formally requested late last year SCPDC plans to use the funds to develop additional affordable housing at New Isle, in addition
to helping current residents with their costs of living.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has not yet approved the request, according to Campo. The federal agency did not respond to a request for comment.
And last week, The New York Times reported that the Trump administration plans to drastically reduce staff at the HUD office tasked with approving that request.
Belanger said his organization is committed to helping residents stay in their new homes. He will be looking for ways to generate new revenue at New Isle that could help offset costs like insurance and taxes.
“Their whole mission was to use this as a pilot, to show the world what best management practices could be
used to relocate people who are inundated by climate change,” Belanger said.
“The success of this is making sure that their way of life is still preserved while also giving them tools to be able to succeed in an area where they haven’t lived before.”
Some ideas for helping with residents’ bills have fallen through. There was, at one point, a proposal to build a solar farm, but funds ran dry before it could be built.
If HUD approves, Belanger’s organization will also be responsible for maintaining the New Isle homeowner’s association and enforcing its regulations, which include basic maintenance. If houses aren’t maintained, the HOA can perform repairs and bill the homeowner
“We don’t want it to be a hellhole,” Belanger said. He stressed that New Isle residents hadn’t been part of an HOA before and would need guidance from SCPDC to get it off the ground.
“Look, I know the concern and I’ve heard it: that they want to be in control of their own destiny,” Belanger said. “The only way they can do that is to show us they have the wherewithal to do that, by involving themselves in the HOA.”
Model program?
Even before the affordability concerns, the relocation effort had hit snags. In the view of the Jean Charles Choctaw Nation, the project was initially envisioned as a means to reunite their tribe. The state said that it could not legally forbid people who were not tribe members from living in New Isle, and emphasized that not everyone who lived on Isle de Jean Charles was a tribal member The tribe’s concerns echoed in formal public comments on the proposal to give the project to SCPDC To the tribe’s chief Deme Naquin, the project has been an ordeal that he wouldn’t wish on any other community “Tribal leaders knew affordability and sustainability were key factors” in the project’s success, he said. He added that the state had not come up with “a sound solution for long-term affordability.”
Tamplet feels that the state didn’t adequately take into account concerns he aired at public meetings about future affordability
“What happens when we have to move half a million people out of south Miami because of the flooding?”
Tamplet wonders. “What is it going to cost? $1.3 million per family unit? That’s a lot of money.”
Email Alex Lubben at alex.lubben@ theadvocate.com.
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•“Patients reported amean88.9% improvementinbackpainand better function No patientrequiredany invasive therapies(e.g. epidural injections, surgery).” -AmericanAcademy of Pain Management
•“We thus submit that decompression therapyshouldbeconsidered first, before thepatient undergoesasurgicalprocedure whichpermanently alters theanatomyand function of theaffectedlumbar spinesegment.” -Journal Of Neuroscience Research
•“86%ofthe 219patientswho completed thetherapy reported immediateresolution of symptoms.” -Orthopedic TechnologyReview
Ifirst came to LeBlancSpine Center with numbness in my arms andlegs. I wasalsoexperiencinglower back pain andneckpain.Ihad beensufferingwith this forover10years.Ihad previously triedone epidural injectioninmylower back andphysicaltherapy,anIwas stillsufferingwiththese symptoms Sincebeginning Spinal Decompression treatments,Ihavehad consistent improvement in my back condition, and Iamnow 70%improved! Iamlifting withoutpain,sleepingbetter, andI now have theability to walk withouttiring! Iwould highly recommendDr. LeBlanc andLeBlancSpine Center!
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•“Vertebralaxial (spinal) decompression wassuccessfulin71% of the778 cases”JournalofNeurologicalResearch
•“Good to excellentreliefin86% of patients with Herniateddiscs” - TheAmericanJournal of Pain Management
•“Decompression Therapyreporteda 76.5%withcompleteremission and19.6% with partialremission of pain anddisability” -Rio Grande Hospital,Department of Neurosurgery
At LeBlancSpine Center we utilizeadvanced, FDA-clearedtechnology that is proventoeffectively alleviatepain. It’s importanttonotethatnot everypatient is acandidate forSpinalDecompression,which is whyweprioritizea thorough individual assessment foreach person whowalks throughour doors. Ourhighsuccess rate in pain relief stems from ourcommitmenttoonlytakingon patients whom we confidently believewe canhelp.
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At LeBlancSpine Center,weare honest with ourpatientsand we give personalized attention andanalysistoeachcase. We trulyenjoy meetingwithpatientsto answer theirquestionsand to help find outifSpinalDecompression treatments couldbethe answer to theirpain.
Ihad beensufferingwithlower back pain sciaticpain,and numbness in my feet.I began Spinal Decompression treatments at LeBlancSpine Center andIamnow 80%improved! Ican nowstand andsit for longer periodswithout anypain,and Iam able to walk longerdistances.I am feeling so much better Thestaff here treats me excellent. Oneof thebestthingsabout my care at LeBlanc SpineCenteristhatI am showncareand concern. Iwould recommendLeBlancSpine Center andthe treatment- everyone here is so nice andithas been so helpful!
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Iwas sufferingwithlower back pain foryears anditwas gettingworse andworse.Itwas so painfulthatIcould notfunction. Icould not getout thebed withoutfalling to thefloor Ihad triedorthopedic doctors, medication scans, physical therapy- alltonoavail. IcametoLeBlancSpine Center,and I startedSpinalDecompression treatments in August andI nowfeel100%improved! I am nowsleepingbetter, drivingwithout pain, walkingfurther –all of theseactivitiesIcan nowdo, andIhaveenergythatIonlyhad when Iwas young. Iamtreated wonderfullybythe staffat LeBlancSpine Center.Theyare so polite andcaring. Dr.Scott andDr. Dana are unbelievably helpful. Thetreatment is not painful, andIenjoy themusicwhile Iamthere too! If askedtorecommend LeBlancSpine Center Iwould saythatIamconvinced that you will improve abig amount,ifnot 100% Decompressiontherapy is theway to go! RonnieHebert (Civil Engineer) hometown -Plaquemine, LA
gangrene in a leg that sent him to a New Orleans hospital for an operation last week to amputate it. They say that, instead of receiving hospice care, Sepulvado was returned to Angola to face execution, likely by nitrogen gas in a first for Louisiana.
Shawn Nolan, an attorney for Sepulvado, said in a statement that his death was a “sad comment” on the death penalty in Louisiana.
“The idea that the State was planning to strap this tiny frail, dying old man to a chair and force him to breathe toxic gas into his failing lungs is simply barbaric,” he said.
Gov Jeff Landry described Sepulvado’s spending more than 30 years on death row and never being executed — as a miscarriage of justice.
POPE
Continued from page 1A
In New York, Cardinal Timothy Dolan admitted what church leaders in Rome weren’t saying publicly: that the Catholic faithful were united “at the bedside of a dying father.”
“As our Holy Father Pope Francis is in very, very fragile health, and probably close to death,” Dolan said in his homily from the pulpit of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, though he later told reporters he hoped and prayed that Francis would “bounce back.”
Doctors have said Francis’ condition is touch-and-go, given his age, fragility and preexisting lung disease His condition has revived speculation about what might happen if he becomes unconscious or otherwise incapacitated, and whether he might resign.
Francis was supposed to celebrate Mass on Sunday morning in St. Peter’s Basilica and ordain deacons as part of the Vatican’s yearlong Holy Year commemoration.
The organizer of the Holy Year, Archbishop Rino Fisichella, celebrated the Mass in his place and offered a special prayer for Francis from the altar before delivering the homily the pope had prepared.
“Even though he is in a hospital bed we feel Pope Francis close to us We feel him present among us,” Fisichella told the hundreds of white-robed deacons.
A pre-written message that had been prepared for Francis to read Sunday, but he did not deliver said he was “confidently continuing my hospitalization at the Gemelli Hospital, carrying on with the necessary treatment; and rest is also part of the therapy!” The message asked for prayers for him — as he always asks — and noted the upcoming anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, “a painful and shameful occasion for the
“Mr Sepulvado killed his son 33 years ago in 1992. He was able to live to a ripe old age because of the failure of the justice system,” Landry said in a statement. “He can no longer escape his judgment day.”
The Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections released a statement Sunday morning confirming the death. They said he died of “natural causes” due to his preexisting conditions. They declined to comment when asked about the amputation
Derek Ellis, deputy corrections secretary, declined to confirm whether the state planned to use nitrogen gas to put Sepulvado to death. Ellis also declined to answer that question about the execution of another inmate, Jessie Hoffman, of St. Tammany Parish, scheduled for March 18.
A letter that Hoffman received from the state with his death warrant said his method of execution will be
whole of humanity ” Meanwhile in Francis’ native Argentina, Catholics prayed for the pope at the Buenos Aires cathedral and the city’s iconic obelisk was lit up “Francis, the city prays for you.”
In Cairo, the grand imam of Al-Azhar, the seat of Sunni learning who forged a close bond with Francis, wished him well.
“I pray to Allah to grant my dear brother, Pope Francis, a swift recovery and to bless him with good health and well-being so that he may continue his journey in serving humanity,” Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb wrote in a Facebook post.
The American Jewish Committee also offered prayers. “We stand together with our Catholic brothers and sisters during this challenging time,” the group wrote on X.
And schoolchildren from around Rome deluged the Gemelli hospital with getwell cards, while Italian bishops led rosary prayers and celebrated special Masses across Italy
Doctors have warned that the main threat facing Francis is sepsis, a serious infection of the blood that can occur as a complication of pneumonia. To date there has been no reference to any onset of sepsis in the medical updates provided by the Vatican, including on Sunday On Saturday, Francis developed a low platelet count, which remained low but stable Sunday Platelets are celllike 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.
Francis also developed anemia and, during blood transfusions Saturday was given hematin, a treatment designed to increase the level of hemoglobin in his blood, which in turn helps the blood carry more oxygen Doctors reported Sunday that the therapy had been beneficial.
nitrogen gas.
Brutal beating Sepulvado’s case stretches back more than 30 years, shortly after he married Mercer’s mother Court documents say Sepulvado beat the 6-year-old boy with the handle of a screwdriver and that the little boy’s body was immersed in scalding water
Medical examinations showed that 58% of the boy’s body was covered in seconddegree burns while his scalp separated from his skull due to hemorrhaging and bleeding. Sepulvado admitted at trial that he beat his stepson with a screwdriver, but said the boy accidentally fell into the tub. Mercer’s mother Yvonne Mercer Sepulvado, was also convicted of manslaughter in the case.
Attorney General Liz Murrill said in a statement Sunday that Christopher Sepulvado should have been executed long before his death by natural causes.
“Justice should have been
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
Francis has taken several recent decisions that suggest he was well aware that he was getting old and frail.
Last year, he revised the funeral rites that will be used after he dies, simplifying the rituals to emphasize his role as a mere bishop and allowing for burial outside the Vatican in keeping with his wishes. But the core elements of the rites remain, including the three key moments that must be observed between the death of a pope and his funeral: In his home, in St. Peter’s Basilica and in the place of burial
In December, Francis created 21 new cardinals. All but one were under age 80 and thus eligible to vote in a conclave to elect his successor Their additions brought the overall number of voting-age cardinals to 140, well over the 120 limit set by St John Paul II But several of the current electors are turning 80 this year, bringing the number down.
Earlier this month, once he was already sick, Francis decided to extend the five-year term of the current dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, 91, rather than make way for someone new As depicted in the film “Conclave,” the dean of the College of Cardinals plays an important role in the life of the Catholic hierarchy and is a crucial figure during the transition between one papacy and the next.
Francis also decided to extend the term of the vice dean, Argentine Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, 81.
delivered long ago for the heinous act of brutally beating then scalding to death a defenseless six year old boy,” she said. “The State failed to deliver it in his lifetime but Christopher Sepulvado now faces ultimate judgment before God in the hereafter.”
Christopher Sepulvado turned around his life in prison, his attorneys wrote in a 2023 clemency petition. They said he had a spiritual awakening at Angola, showed deep remorse for his actions and that he spent much of his time leading other inmates in prayer and seeking out educational opportunities. Other inmates shared stories of how Christopher Sepulvado had given them comfort and hope.
Christopher Sepulvado’s attorneys also said he grew up in extreme poverty, started drinking alcohol as a child to cope and developed mental health problems. They argued that he had evidence of untreated head
injuries that was not presented to the jury in his case.
Using nitrogen gas
Christopher Sepulvado’s death leaves one man with an execution date after Landry’s recent announcement that the state was ready after 15 years to resume killing and developed a protocol for using nitrogen gas. State lawmakers approved nitrogen hypoxia as an execution method last year, along with electrocution, which the state previously outlawed. The state had initially scheduled Christopher Sepulvado’s death back-to-back with Hoffman’s.
The state has denied a public records request from The Times-Picayune | The Advocate to release the new nitrogen gas protocol, which is expected to be similar to one for Alabama, the only state to use nitrogen gas in executions so far
The March 18 execution date remains for Hoffman
under a warrant signed by Judge Alan Zaunbrecher, of the 22nd Judicial District Court, at the request of District Attorney Collin Sims. Hoffman was sentenced to death for the 1996 execution-style killing of Mary “Molly” Elliott. Hoffman was accused of raping Elliott, a 28-year-old advertising executive, in a remote area of St. Tammany Parish before killing her Hoffman’s case, however, may be held up by a federal judge’s recent decision to reopen a long-running lawsuit that challenged the state’s execution methods. U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick of Louisiana’s Middle District agreed Friday to reopen the case after two executions had been scheduled. The Department of Public Safety and Corrections has said members of the media and significant family members of Hoffman will be allowed to witness the execution.
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Feelings on coastal restoration surveyed
Views across regions differ, but demand for action widespread
BY JOSIE ABUGOV Staff writer
Land in coastal Louisiana is disappearing at some of the highest rates in the world, and the state is investing billions of dollars into projects to address it.
But how do the communities living with this crisis feel about these efforts? What do people know about the projects’ impacts, especially years after they break
Hospital wins OK for parking garage
New helipad will be on top of five-story structure
BY WILLIE SWETT Staff writer
After “years of study,” St. Tammany Health System says it wants to improve parking safety and cut down helicopter transfer time by building a five-story garage off Tyler Street in Covington, complete with 403 parking spots, medical offices, a helipad and a sky bridge connecting the structure to the hospital.
The plan now has the backing of Covington’s Planning and Zoning Commission, which on Tuesday approved it.
The plan has frustrated some neighbors, who worry the garage will significantly increase traffic at the intersection of 11th Avenue and Tyler Street, which they say is already highly congested.
“I’m a fan of the hospital,” a neighbor, Matt Hardey, told the commission, but “this can be done with further discussion and planning.”
Jeff Schoen, a lawyer for the hospital, said the plan was the “result of years of study” that examined the growing hospital’s needs, parking safety and the time it takes to get a patient from a helicopter to the emergency room.
The garage would border Tyler and Harrison streets between 11th and 12th Avenue, replacing an existing 120-car parking lot and medical office building. The offices would be moved to the first floor of the new building. An existing urgent care facility on the site would remain untouched.
Two accidents involving hospital staff in recent years prompted the hospital to seek parking improvements in the area, said Chief Nursing Officer Kerry Milton.
“After both incidents, we set out to take a holistic approach to the safety of anyone who visits our main campus,” Milton said, adding that the hospital also improved crosswalks and lighting in the area.
Now, a parking garage for patients and staff is the hospital’s next safety improvement.
The new helipad would be a major upgrade on the current one, which sits on the ground level and is sometimes obstructed by vehicles, Schoen said. Travel time between the helipad and the hospital would be cut in half, he said, thanks to the garage’s sky bridge on the third floor, where patients and hospital staff alike could safely cross 11th Avenue.
But it is the garage’s proximity to 11th Avenue and Tyler Street that causes neighbors concern. Hardey
ground? Researchers at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette wanted to find out.
Professors Liz Skilton and Anna Osland had already studied how the decline in community engagement after restoration work begins has limited understanding of the long-term impact on coastal communities Their two new articles, published in different coastal journals in December and January, sought to address this gap.
“I think it ended up producing some really unique results that captured the experience of Louisiana’s coastal restoration projects,” Skilton said. “So we’re involved with them, we know about them, but maybe we don’t think about them in our everyday.”
Community knowledge and engagement is likely to become more important as the state faces severe funding shortages for coastal restoration in the years ahead.
While people live near some of these projects, much of the work requires a boat to access, Osland noted. Many residents hadn’t seen the completed restoration project in their backyard, even if they were engaged in its planning.
After traveling to projects across the state and conducting interviews with volunteer community members, the research team found that people in different areas of Louisiana hold vary-
ing views on land loss solutions, but there is “significant demand for action” in all coastal regions. They also found that people’s personal history — such as enduring devastating storms — shaped their views on restoration projects. While these studies looked at the perspectives of Louisianans who may lack scientific expertise, the professors said that the research has policy implications. Skilton and Osland are both researchers at the Kathleen Babineaux Blanco
READING AHEAD
St. Charles Parish revamping how kids learn to read
BY ELYSE CARMOSINO Staff writer
Inside a classroom in St. Charles Parish, a group of first graders sit around their teacher as she points to an easel with a large piece of paper titled “READING.” Under it, six steps lay out how to identify a word using its vowels and syllable type.
Today, the group is working on consonant blends, when two or three consonants appear next to one another in a word. The students start by reviewing
“S” blends, reciting the words wasp, crisp and clasp.
“We’ve got to say that blend to help us read the word correctly,” Toni Dugas, a reading intervention teacher at Norco Elementary School, tells her students.
To an untrained observer, it might have looked like a typical reading lesson. But in fact, it’s a big departure from how reading has been taught in many U.S. schools, where phonics instruction is kept to a minimum and students are encouraged to use context clues to read unfamiliar words.
In sharp contrast, the approach used in Dugas’ classroom is based on a body of research known as “the science of reading,” which teaches students to decipher words letter by letter and sound by sound.
N.O. man accused of holding woman hostage
BY MICHELLE HUNTER Staff writer
A New Orleans man was arrested on kidnapping and trafficking counts after authorities say he held hostage a woman he met on a fetish website and threatened to pimp her out if she didn’t pay him money Joshua Graves, 22, is accused of hitting and choking the woman, who finally managed to escape through a window, according to Capt Jason Rivarde, spokesperson for the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. The victim, a 37-year-old woman, told investigators she and Graves met on a sexual fetish website, according to authorities. They decided to meet in person, and Groves arranged for a car to bring her to his home on Louis Court in unincorporated Gretna on
Feb. 3, Rivarde said. The woman felt uneasy soon after arriving. But when she tried to leave, Groves forcefully stopped her, according to authorities, and tried to take her cellphone.
Groves told the woman he intended to “pimp her out,” forcing her to have sex with other people for money, Rivarde said.
When the woman tried again to leave, Groves became violent, hitting and choking her, according to authorities.
“They got into multiple physical altercations while she was trying to escape,” Rivarde said.
The woman suffered bruising on several parts of her body in the attack. Groves offered to release her if
This year, national data showed Louisiana led the country in fourth-grade reading gains on a closely watched test and outpaced other states in post-pandemic reading improvement. State education leaders credit the success to a series of laws and policy changes over the past four years that have pushed Louisiana schools to adopt practices rooted in the science of reading.
It’s an approach that’s gained traction throughout the U.S., with 40 states passing similar policies over the last few years.
St. Charles’ school system has been on the front lines of the shift, having spent years transitioning to methods informed by the science of reading that are meant
Attempt to give away U.S. 90 bridges fails
DOTD estimates replacement will cost $350 million
BY BOB WARREN Staff writer
Sometimes you can’t even give a bridge away When the state highway department offered a series of old, structurally unsound bridges along U.S. 90 near the Louisiana-Mississippi line to anyone able to find another use for them last August, there was guarded optimism that some takers might emerge. But, alas, the response was underwhelming. There was a little interest, Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development spokesperson Daniel Gitlin said. “However, nothing materialized and the bridges remain in place,” he wrote in an email Wednesday The DOTD was offering the bridges through its Historical Bridge Inventory program, which seeks qualified parties that are willing to take old bridges and use them somewhere else. There is even federal money that helps cover removal costs. There are five 1930s-era bridges that cross various branches of the Pearl River in the 3.3-mile stretch of U.S. 90
STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD
As Louisiana students make big strides in reading, state officials have credited schools’ embrace of the ‘science of reading.’ Schools in St. Charles Parish were early adopters of the new way to teach reading
Jury sides with former Mignon Faget employee
Woman fired after requesting maternity leave
BY GABRIELLA KILLETT Staff writer
A federal jury ruled on Friday that New Orleans jeweler Mignon Faget discriminated against a pregnant woman who requested family leave while employed by the company, according to court records.
The jury decided that Mignon Faget has to pay Shelby Webb Cox $100,000 in punitive damages along with back pay after firing her in February 2023, shortly after she requested maternity leave, the records showed.
The jury found that Mignon Faget interfered with her rights under the Family Medical Leave Act, and that her request for maternity leave and her pregnancy in
HOSPITAL
Continued from page 1B
described the intersection as a “bottleneck,” largely because it is where busy Tyler Street narrows from four lanes to two.
Hardey argued the city of Covington should require the hospital to add two right turning lanes to the intersection to ease the congestion that is caused by the hospital and nearby schools.
Schoen said a traffic study commissioned by the hospital showed right turning lanes were not necessary
He said the hospital expects peak traffic caused by the garage to come at the 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. shift changes — outside of rush hour times.
During a meeting interrupted at one point by chants of “not there,” the Planning and Zoning Commission voted 4-1, with one abstention, to approve the garage’s site plan and conditional use permit.
Commissioner Keith Villere, the single no vote, said he “thought there was a better location for this exact
BRIDGE
Continued from page 1B
that was closed in May 2022 after the DOTDD declared the bridges unsafe. Closing the highway, a link between Louisiana and Mississippi south of the busy Interstate 10, has prompted criticism from northshore elected officials as well as the motorists who used the highway to travel between the two states.
Since then, St. Tammany Parish elected officials have pushed the highway department to come up with ways to reopen the stretch of highway DOTD officials say they want to get the highway reopened, but that the estimated $350 million to replace the bridges just isn’t there.
The Historical Bridges Inventory program seeks to find an “adaptive reuse” for old bridges, such as museum pieces or even fishing piers, and provides federal money to help remove them It wouldn’t have been a lot of money in this case, but every little bit helps, Gitlin said last August. Gitlin, in the email, said the DOTD is working to find money for two projects: removing the old bridges and replacing them with new spans.
“However, DOTD has not solidified funding for either project,” he wrote.
general were motivating factors for the company when it fired her Mignon Faget denied the discrimination claims. In a statement after Friday’s verdict, the company said it does not think the evidence supported Cox’s claims. The company called its actions “lawful and appropriate” and said it will pursue an appeal. “For more than 55 years, Mignon Faget Ltd. — a woman-owned, woman-operated New Orleans business has championed the advancement and rights of women within our community and will continue that founding legacy,” the statement read Cox, with her attorney Allison Jones, brought the lawsuit against Mignon Faget in April 2024, a little over a year after the company fired her, stating that they wanted to “go in a different direction,” the complaint details.
Hired in October 2017 as a sales professional Cox was promoted to gallery manager in 2019 and then
facility.” But his colleague, Commissioner Cecil Hudson, who voted in favor of the plan, said the design laid out “critical services that are efficient.”
Hudson argued the new development would draw the state’s attention and increase the likelihood of future corridor improvements on Tyler Street, which the state owns. In 2017, the state Department of Transportation and Development completed an expansion of south Tyler street from two lanes to four up to 11th Avenue.
Commissioner Ruby Adams, who abstained, said that as a nurse it is important to have an easy route between a helipad and operating rooms. She said she had “too many questions” to approve the site plan and conditional use permit.
The commission’s decision is final, but can be appealed to the Covington City Council, which would need a two-thirds vote to override the commission’s vote, said Planning and Zoning Director Ellen Agee. Hardey said he has already filed an appeal.
But state Rep. Brian Glorioso, R-Slidell, said officials are working on a proposal that would seek federal funding through one of the components of the Joe Biden-era $1.2 trillion infrastructure act.
He said the state DOTD might submit a joint funding application with Mississippi in hopes of bolstering its efforts to win bridge replacement money The large bridge that spans the Pearl River straddles the state line.
“I think we have a really good chance to get a grant, especially with a joint application with another state,” he said Glorioso said he often hears complaints from constituents about the closed stretch of Highway 90.
“It’s a major inconvenience for a lot of people,” he said.
Northshore elected officials also contend reopening the highway should be a priority because it is used as an evacuation route and also helps take vehicles off of I-10 when that highway is closed Gitlin’s email said that DOTD understands the frustration and wants to reopen the highway as soon as possible.
“Abandoning the US 90 route is not being considered,” his statement said “We fully intend to replace these bridges and reopen the corridor when funding is made available.”
web manager in September 2021. In February 2023, she told the retail director that she was pregnant and inquired about the leave policies. Cox said she’d intended to return to work after giving birth, court documents show Cox was told her requests would be forwarded to the company’s bookkeeper A week later, Mignon Faget’s retail director and chief financial officer told her she was fired, effective immediately, according to court records.
Mignon Faget’s CFO allegedly offered Cox two weeks’ pay if she signed a severance agreement that released her of all claims for sex and pregnancy discrimination, as well as violations of the Family Medical Leave Act Cox declined the offer By March 2023, Cox had sent Mignon Faget a letter seeking a settlement. She then filed a charge of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which closed its investi-
READING
Continued from page 1B
to systematically teach students how to read words one sound or letter pattern at a time.
While the process was difficult, Norco staff and teachers say that their students have seen undeniable success, as demonstrated by rising test scores.
The old methods “served us really well at certain times in the past, but now we have more advanced research,” said Assistant Superintendent Erin Granier, who called the new approach “a game changer.” Now, “we know how kids learn to read.”
New way to teach reading
Until recently, St. Charles schools — like many across Louisiana and the country — taught students to read using a method called “balanced literacy,” where teachers give short lessons on reading skills, then students spend a lot of time reading on their own. If students come across a word they don’t recognize, they’re encouraged to guess the meaning using context clues or pictures a strategy called “cueing.”
“You might have a book that would say ‘The ball is red,’ but the picture would have a red ball, so the student wouldn’t even need to read ‘red’ or ‘ball,’” said Ada Webre, who oversees literacy coaches in St. Charles schools.
Balanced literacy has come under attack in recent years, with experts and educators saying it’s left many students without basic reading skills. In 2022, Louisiana lawmakers banned schools from teaching the cueing strategy
As balanced literacy fell out of favor alternative approaches based on the sci-
RESTORATION
Continued from page 1B
Public Policy Center at UL, and they collaborated with the coalition Restore the Mississippi River Delta to conduct this work.
“Our state does a fantastic job of getting engagement at the planning stage, at the preconstruction stage, but I think that the study really highlights that there are opportunities to continue to get that engagement from community members much farther down the line,” Osland said.
‘Grinning ear to ear’
Skilton, Osland and their research team of students trekked across Louisiana to eight key locations with impacts five years or older in ree coastal regions. They chose an array of sites ranging in impact, controversy and restoration method.
Some of the projects included:
n Pontchartrain Basin Biloxi Marsh Project
n Mardi Gras Pass Mississippi River diversion
n Wax Lake Outlet in the Atchafalaya Basin
n Calcasieu-Sabine marsh
gation and issued Cox a right-tosue notice.
Her lawsuit claims that Cox was “economically, physically and emotionally harmed” as a result of her termination.
In a statement after Friday’s verdict, Cox said she sued to “clear my employment record and to ensure that no woman or family would ever be treated by Mignon Faget, Ltd., or any other business, in such a despicable fashion.”
Cox said she was eight months’ pregnant at the time.
“What Mignon Faget, Ltd., did to me has taken a significant toll on me and my family It gives me great satisfaction that justice has now been achieved,” the statement read.
U.S. District Judge Lance Africk, who was nominated to the bench by former President George W. Bush, presided over the four-day trial. Staff writer John Simerman contributed to this story
ence of reading have been on the rise.
Based on research into how the brain develops the ability to read, students learn how to connect sounds to letters and about the different sounds produced by letter combinations, while also studying vocabulary and practicing reading aloud.
The sounds and skills are taught in order beginning with the component parts of words.
“It’s like building a house, building that foundation,” said Cheney Murray a longtime first grade teacher in St. Charles. “If a child doesn’t understand the ‘ch’ sound, when they get to a word that uses it, they can’t do anything.”
Louisiana began requiring schools to adopt practices based on the science of reading in 2021.
Teachers now must take intensive training courses and school districts need to provide teachers in grades K-3 with literacy coaches who can offer on-site training, demonstrate lessons and provide feedback. Schools now give a reading assessment to students in grades K-2 three times each year and, beginning this spring, third graders who don’t hit state targets on the assessments can be held back.
Unlike balanced literacy, the new approach is based on decades of research.
“It’s a collection of insights and principles based on replicable, peerreviewed evidence from studies that go back 40 years,” said Maryanne Wolf, a child-literacy researcher and advocate. As the new methods take hold in more schools, “there’s a good feeling that we’re really moving the dial, and the studies show that.”
Changes bring tears
Years before Louisiana
creation project
Before and after every site tour with a coastal expert, the researchers interviewed the recruited community members using a data collection process called a “history harvest,” a method often used for public history work.
Emma Willis, who was a public history graduate student enrolled in the course, visited a few of the sites, including two intended to protect New Orleans as well as the central region’s Wax Lake Outlet, which is seeing land growth in the Atchafalaya Basin. She recalled a big difference between the interviews that took place in these two regions.
“Coastal erosion is happening so rapidly, people had memories in places that aren’t there,” Willis said. “But the most moving part was being able to take people to places where we’re growing land People were grinning ear to ear at that.”
Different regions
Overall, the studies found that there were distinct regional attitudes on coastal projects. Willis was among the four graduate students engaged in coding to identify themes from the hun-
Continued from page 1B
someone paid him an unspecified amount of money, according to authorities He also took some of her jewelry.
The woman was inside Grove’s residence for about 90 minutes before she was able to scramble out of a window
She first reported the incident to Gretna police, who contacted the Sheriff’s Office once officers realized the altercation occurred in unincorporated Gretna, according to authorities. Groves was arrested Thursday on Behrman Highway in Terrytown. He was booked with aggravated kidnapping, human trafficking and armed robbery, authorities said.
Sheriff’s Office investigators believe it’s possible that Groves has similarly targeted other victims, Rivarde said.
Anyone with information about Groves or the case is asked to call Detective Peyton Wilkie with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office at (504) 364-5300.
Email Michelle Hunter at mhunter@theadvocate.com.
began to push for literacy reforms, teachers in St. Charles Parish sought ways to help their youngest students, whose reading scores had lagged.
District leaders knew something needed to change, but they also knew it wouldn’t be easy Some of their educators had been using the old methods to teach reading for decades.
“It was hard,” said Granier, the district’s assistant superintendent. “Lots of tears, lots of anger.”
Granier said she understood teachers’ reluctance to abandon a style of reading instruction that many had built their careers around.
“It becomes your belief system,” she said. “We took that away from teachers, and they didn’t have an identity anymore.”
But it didn’t take long for everyone to get on board when they began to see results, she added.
One person who embraced the new methods was Tiffany Webre, Ada Webre’s daughter, who is a second grade teacher at Norco Elementary On a recent morning, her students gathered on a rug in the center of the room, looking up at a smartboard that displayed a lowercase, upside down “e.”
“Remind me what sound this makes,” Tiffany Webre said to the class as she motioned to the board.
“Schwa,” the students responded.
After a short lesson where students called out words that use the “schwa” sound, the children split into pairs to do worksheet activities where they identified letter combinations needed to make different sounds. Depending on each pair’s skill level, some worksheets only included individual words while others featured phrases or full
dreds of conversations.
One of the first things she noticed was how large a role people’s experiences with storms affected their impressions of coastal projects. Participants from the eastern and western parts of the state spoke extensively about how hurricanes affected their communities.
Different experiences also led to different opinions on restoration, the studies found. On the eastern side of the state, participants focused on the levee system and held mixed views on diversions.
One community member criticized the salinity impacts of Mardi Gras Pass on fishing communities in Plaquemines Parish. Another said that “levees provide a certain level of security, but what happens is everything is fine until it is catastrophic.”
paragraphs.
An important part of the activity is getting students to read the words out loud, explained Principal Shannon Diodene.
“They’re reading to each other, and over the course of the year, they learn how to give feedback,” she said. “It’s really just building their fluency.” The reading assessments that Louisiana schools must give younger students throughout the year help identify the ones who are falling behind.
In St. Charles Parish, those students are pulled into a daily, half-hour-long reading “intervention” where a special instructor guides a small group through the day’s lesson, giving each student one-onone attention. When they return to the classroom, they’re able to jump back into the next lesson without interruption.
One teacher described it as a “well-oiled machine.” Before, “we were asking our most at-risk kids to learn two whole different processes of reading,” Ada Webre said. “What they taught in the classroom didn’t always match what they taught in intervention.”
The district’s yearslong shift to the new reading approach appears to be paying off. In 2023, 61% of the school’s third graders tested at benchmark or above on state literacy assessments. The following year, that number rose to 76%, and the latest midyear scores suggest the progress has continued.
“They’re able to read things that they’ve never been able to read before,” Granier said. “It’s just amazing.”
Email Elyse Carmosino at ecarmosino@theadvocate. com.
On the western side of the state, community members urged stronger coastal restoration measures in their region and “expressed wariness” over dredging ship channels for marsh creation. And along the central coast, community members seemed more optimistic, in large part due to the natural and man-made diversions that have resulted in the region’s land growth. Someone at the Atchafalaya Basin site exclaimed, “It’s building land, like amazing!” Still, all of the participants who were interviewed called for increased action to solve the coastal crisis, the studies say “While they may have differing opinions on the type of projects desired in their region, they see the need for coastal restoration projects throughout the state,” the researchers wrote. Email Josie Abugov at josie.abugov@ theadvocate.com.
Beck, Eva
Bolden, George
LaCoste, Brian
Maness, Hazel
Millar, John
Songy, Robert
Weatheroy Jr., Chester E Jefferson Garden of Memories
Beck, Eva
LaCoste, Brian
New Orleans
Boyd Family
Bolden, George
Heritage Funeral
Weatheroy Jr., Chester West Bank
Mothe
Maness, Hazel
West Leitz-Eagan
Songy, Robert
Obituaries
Beck, Eva Horridge
Eva “Evie” Horridge Beck passed away on Feb‐ruary 20, 2025 at the age of 65. She was the beloved wife of Charlie Beck Sr. for over 31 years. She was the devoted mother of Nicholas Giambrone Dr Nicole Giambrone (Gor‐don), Jonathan Giambrone (Tomy), Ashley Donaldson (Taylor) and Charlie Beck Jr. as well as her stepchil‐dren, Nicole Beck and Tarek Beck Sr (Avery). She will be dearly missed by her grandchildren: Nathan King, Connor Giambrone, Tarek Beck Jr Addison Gi‐ambrone, Avery Gi‐ambrone Elle Donaldson Beck Donaldson, and Axley Beck; her siblings: Gregory Horridge Sr. (Betty), the late Deborah Sherman (William), and Pamela Maratea (Merrill); her best friend, Pamela Diliberto (Henry); and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins Evie was born in New Orleans, LA to the late Eva Loubat Horridge and Arthur Cyril Horridge. She was a longtime resident of Metairie, LA. She enjoyed serving food to those in need at St Joseph’s Church Lantern Light Evie had a strong devotion to Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos. Her greatest joys in life were loving and spending time with her children and grandchildren She coura‐geously fought ovarian cancer for 16 years with the help of her amazing medical team whom she considered family: Dr Amelia Jernigan Dr Jen‐nifer Silinsky and Dr Rabia Cattie Relatives and friends are invited to at‐tend the Funeral Services at St Ann Church & Shrine 3601 Transcontinental Dr Metairie, LA 70006 on Tues‐day, February 25, 2025. Visi‐tation will begin at 10:30 am with a Mass starting at 12:00 noon Please dress casual and wear green in honor of her favorite color Interment will be in Garden of Memories Cemetery, 4900 Airline Dr. Metairie, LA 70001. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to St. Jude’s Children’s Re‐search Hospital at www stjude.org or to the Patient Assistance Network foun‐dation at www panfoun dation org where one can donate and designate to ovarian cancer in the name of Eva “Evie” Beck. Online condolences may be of‐fered at www gardeno fmemoriesmetairie com.
George F Bolden born on October 17, 1959, and died on February 6, 2025
George F. Bolden passed away at the age of 65 George is survived by his wife, Lisa S. Bolden, (2) children, Desmond Bolden and Ta’Niyah Augustine, (1) stepson, Tyrone B Smoth‐ers Jr., (5) grandchildren, (2) brothers, (4) sisters, (3) brothers-in-law and (4) sis‐ters-in-law Also survived by a host of other relatives and friends Preceded in death by his father, Clifton Bolden, mother, Iona Keys and a brother-in-law, Joseph P. Sampson. Family and friends are invited to attend the Celebration of Life Service on Wednesday, February 26, 2025, for 10:00 am at Corpus ChristiEpiphany Catholic Church, 2022 St Bernard Ave. New Orleans, LA 70116. Visita‐tion will begin at 9:00 a.m Fr. Henry Davis SSJ, offici‐ating. Interment will follow at Southeast LA Veterans Cemetery 34888 Gratham College Drive, Slidell, LA 70460. Guestbook Online: www anewtraditionbegins. com (504) 282-0600. Linear Brooks Boyd and Donavin D Boyd Owners/Funeral Di‐rectors.
Brian LaCoste was pro‐ceeded in death by his wife Betty Bouvier LaCoste and daughter Dawn Marie La‐Coste parents: Warren Joseph Sr and Leah Clare Kleinpeter LaCoste. Left behind to cherish his mem‐ories: Brian Keith LaCoste and wife Christine LaCoste (grandchildren) Brian La‐Coste Jr, Brittany and Brooke LaCoste, Ashley Vil‐lafuerte Followed by six siblings: Joyce Ware and husband William, Late Warren LaCoste Jr and wife Kay, Karl LaCoste and wife Tammy, Lee LaCoste and wife Kathy, Gary La‐Coste and wife Lynn, Linda Lutz and husband Don, fol‐lowed by numerous nephews, nieces and friends Brian LaCoste served as a veteran of the Navy Seabee’s since 1966 and served two tours in Vietnam, and served a tour in the South Pole, Antarc‐tica. He was a welder and pipe fitter by trade and re‐tired from the Local 30 Pipe fitters Brian LaCoste was very loving and always reached out to his family friends, and neighbors He was faithful in his walk and relationship with his Lord and Savior in Jesus Christ A Celebration of Life Ser‐vice will be held on Wednesday, February 26, 2025 for 12:00 pm at Gar‐den of Memories Funeral Home, 4900 Airline Drive, Metairie, LA 70001 Visita‐tion begins at 10:00 am. In‐terment will take place at Garden of Memories Ceme‐tery.
O. Maness, Jr. They had four children: Ann Johnson (Walter), Frank O Maness, III, Jane Breaud (David), and Mary Flettrich (David).
She was a loving and de‐voted wife and mother Hazel graduated from Gretna High School and Spencer Business College She retired from her secre‐tarial position at Jefferson Parish Department of Roads and Bridges a job she truly enjoyed. Hazel was an active member of the Gretna Theta Group, Gretna Golden Agers Soci‐ety, and St Joseph s Church in Gretna She was a great friend and will be missed by all Hazel was a special lady with a kind smile She enjoyed Louisiana cuisine—both cooking and eating— and never passed up a seafood boil. Hazel was preceded in death by her loving hus‐band, her parents, and her three brothers, Emile (Lois), Henry, Jr., (Elsie), and Rudy, (Kathy) She is survived by her four chil‐dren, her 9 grandchildren, Jay Jeffrey Jill Mandy Heather, Tommy, Meredith, Sarah Jo, and Kyle, and 11 great-grandchildren The family would like to thank Peaches, her care provider, the Heart of HospiceNurse Rosie and the St Joseph Eucharist Ministers (Susan) for all their care Family and friends are in‐vited to attend the Visita‐tion at Mothe Funeral Home, 2100 Westbank Ex‐pressway, Harvey, Louisiana on Tuesday Feb‐ruary 25, 2025 from 9 a.m until 11 a.m. A Funeral Mass will be held at the fu‐neral home on Tuesday at 11 a.m. Interment will be in Westlawn Memorial Park Cemetery Gretna Louisiana The family en‐courages you to share fond memories, thoughts and condolences online at www mothefunerals com.
Millar
Graveside service for Colonel John Sanders Millar, USA, Retired,78, of Tulsa, OK, formerly of NewOrleans, LA, will be held at 10:00 A.M. Monday, February 24, 2025, at Riverview Cemetery in Monroe, LA Colonel Millar was born January 9, 1947, in New Orleans, LA,and passed away on February 8, 2025, in Tulsa, OK. Colonel Millar was a graduate of Louisiana State University in Electrical Engineering and earned aMaster of Science in Electrical Engineering (MSEE). He was an Army Veteran of theVietnam War. Colonel Millar was a member of Tau BetaPiat Louisiana State University, Society of American Military Engineers, National Rifle Association, Tulsa Red Castle Gun Club, and the German American Society in Tulsa. Colonel Millar enjoyed literature, classical music, and the studyofforeign cultures. At various times in his life, he was an avid runner, photographer, pilot, hunter, fisherman, motorcyclist, cyclist, firearms enthusiast,and always an amateur chef.
Colonel Millar was preceded in deathbyhis parents, Innes Millar, Jr. and Mary Sanders Millar; and brothers, Innes Millar and David Stuart Millar. Survivors includehis niece, Minette Millar McGuire (John "Jay" Patrick McGuire III); and nephew, David Stuart Millar; great-uncle to two great- nieces and three great-nephews. Online registry/condolences: www.mulhearnfun eralhome.com
a man on one could depend. He was preceded in death by his loving wife of 35 years, Mary Phelan Mack Songy, his parents, Wallace Songy Jr. and Charlotte Kane Ba‐chemin Songy, and his brother Raymond Ba‐chemin Jr He is survived by his and Mrs. Songy’s only child, Marielle Louise Songy, who loved him be‐yond measure and whose life is irrevocably changed by his absence Mr Songy was a devoted son, hus‐band, father and friend and will be greatly missed by those who knew him. A Memorial Mass will be held at 11:00 a.m on Wednes‐day February 26, 2025 in the chapel of West‐side/Leitz-Eagan Funeral Home, 5101 Westbank Ex‐pressway Marrero Louisiana A visitation will begin at 9:00 a.m and con‐tinue until the service time Robert will be laid to rest following the Mass at Lakelawn Park Cemetery In lieu of flowers dona‐tions may be made to the CJD Foundation https://cjd foundation.org
In Loving Memory of Chester WeatheroyJr. (Poo), September 8, 1952February 18, 2025. It is with heavyhearts that we announce the passing of Chester Weatheroy Jr., affectionately known as "Poo," who earned his wingson Tuesday, February 18, 2025, at 2:45 PM at theVA Hospital. He was the beloved son of the late Chester WeatheroySr. and Louise Weatheroy. Chester was adevoted brother to the lateCleveland Quinn, the lateJerrlene Weatheroy, Garry Weatheroy, and Joann Weatheroy. Chester was a loving father to his late daughter, Pia Weatheroy, and Chester WeatheroyIII wife Ieasha Weatheroyand daughter Chastiva ElisabethWeatheroy. He was acherished uncle to Colette Martel and leaves behind ahost of nieces,
daughter Chastiva Elisabeth Weatheroy .He was acherished uncle to Colette Martel and leaves behind ahost of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends who were touched by hiswarmth, kindness, and unwavering spirit. At the age of 18, Chester bravely joined the United States Navy in 1974, dedicating hislife to serving his country with honor and distinction. After aproud military career, he retired at the age of 55. His service took himacross the world, eventually leading him to Singapore, where he resided for 20 years. It was there that he met the love of his life, Myrna Aguilando. They married on April 21, 2001, and shared 25 beautifulyears of marriage, marked by love, laughter, and enduring companionship. Chester's journey later brought him backtothe United States, from Singapore to California and finally to New Orleans, where he spent his final days surrounded by those who loved him. His wisdom, generosity, and humor left an indelible mark on everyonewho had the privilege of knowing him. ACelebration of Life will be held on Tuesday, February 25, 2025, at St. Maria Goretti Catholic Church, 7300 Crowder Blvd., New Orleans, LA. The viewing will take place from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM, followed by funeral services from 11:00 AM to 12:00 Noon. Chester will be laid to rest with military honors at the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Cemetery, 3488 Grantham College Drive, Slidell, LA, on Wednesday, February 26, 2025, at 11:00 AM Chester Weatheroy Jr.'s legacy of love, service, and dedication will live on in the hearts of his family, friends, andall who had
Bolden, George F.
Weatheroy Jr., Chester
'Evie'
USA Retired,
Colonel John Sanders
LaCoste, Brian
Libraries haven’t changed, except now they must fight misinformation
Greg Ardoin’s letter on Jan. 29 begs for a fact-based response. He claims that “several years ago,” the role of the public library began to change. This couldn’t be further from the truth. For decades, libraries have been vibrant community hubs that not only serve as repositories for books and other materials but also provide a diverse range of educational programming to community members. Further, libraries serve as important intermediaries in partnership with other community organizations; for example, being sites to serve free meals to children when schools aren’t in session This is true not only of our library system but of libraries all across the country He also made the dubious claim that “recently” one of the libraries in Lafayette installed EV charging stations with library funds One, the EV chargers were installed at the same time as the West Regional Library was constructed, all the way back in 2019. Two, the charging stations were donated by Tesla, and not paid for with library funds.
Perhaps if Dr Ardoin, who is on the board of trustees at John Paul the Great Academy a school founded by the ultra-conservative Heritage Foundation’s president Kevin Roberts, spent less time spreading false information about our award-winning public library system, it would return to being a noncontroversial place. Unfortunately, there is a small contingent in this parish, including Ardoin, who seem hellbent on keeping this controversy alive and demonizing hard-working librarians and community members who simply want to ensure the library is a welcoming place for everyone.
I’m confident Ardoin, as a medical professional, understands the importance of accuracy and objectivity If he has further questions about the amazing roles of libraries in our community, perhaps he should consult the nearest library branch for authoritative information instead of writing an unsubstantiated piece.
MELANIE BREVIS Lafayette
and the
city of
Advocate | The Times-Picayune require a street address and phone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.O Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@theadvocate.com. TO SEND US A LETTER, SCAN HERE
Sailors
We are weaker if we don’t embrace all who are willing to defend U.S.
At my law firm, we only hire the best and the brightest. The students who were at the top of their class, good writers and easy to work with. We treat them as valuable members of the team, because they are. And because if we don’t, they’ll leave to our detriment.
Twenty-five years ago, I served as an officer aboard the destroyer with the greatest percentage of women crewmembers in the U.S. Navy. I served with sailors who were Black, Brown, Jewish, Muslim, gay, trans and foreign nationals — people who were risking their lives serving in our military even though they were not yet citizens On Sept. 11, 2001, my warship and crew were in the Persian Gulf on one of the darkest days in our nation’s history And for 55 days thereafter we sat off the coast of Pakistan and
put ordnance downrange into Afghanistan. Lethal. Every single one of us. In 250 years, this nation has never had enough White Anglo-Saxon Protestant straight men to win a war Forced to rely on that small portion of our population, we’d quickly learn what it’s like to live with the boot of a foreign nation on our neck. Combat ineffective. If we want to remain the greatest nation in the history of history, it will take continuing to welcome every capable volunteer, handing them a rifle and putting them on the wall. And for those willing to serve, it is the very least we can do to make sure they feel included as valuable members of the team. As Americans.
RAYMOND WAID
New Orleans
RFK Jr. will usher in a new era in health care
The confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr as Secretary of Health and Human Services marks a pivotal moment for our nation’s health care system. His leadership, alongside the grassroots energy behind the “Make America Healthy Again” movement, offers a historic opportunity to address the root causes of chronic disease and restore trust in our public health institutions.
For decades, our health care system has been burdened by preventable chronic diseases conditions fueled by poor nutrition, sedentary lifestyles and environmental toxins.
Chronic diseases now account for nearly 90% of health care costs, yet the system remains reactive, prioritizing expensive treatments over prevention.
The outsized influence of the food and pharmaceutical industries in federal agencies is directly responsible for the proliferation of ultra-processed foods and an overreliance on medications. This has created a cycle in which unhealthy products drive disease and costly treatments sustain it, a “sickcare” model that prioritizes profits over prevention. For far too long, Big Pharma has deployed anti-competitive practices that
drive up drug prices — leaving Americans paying more and feeling worse.
Kennedy’s commitment to transparency and reform will break this cycle by promoting independent oversight and evidencebased policies. The path ahead is not merely about reforming institutions but empowering individuals with the tools they need to live healthier lives.
Louisiana knows firsthand the devastating impact of chronic disease, but we are also uniquely positioned to help fix the problem. We should all thank Sens. Cassidy and Kennedy for their historic vote to advance Kennedy’s confirmation.
As we prepare for the state legislative session, I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Louisiana Senate Health & Welfare committee to do our part at the state level to advance the Make America Healthy Again mandate. This moment is bigger than politics; it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to restore trust in our institutions and build a healthier future for our children and grandchildren.
PATRICK MCMATH state senator for District 11 Covington
Column tried to diminish Pope’s role in the world
I am not Catholic. Nevertheless, I take exception with views concerning Pope Francis expressed by Rich Lowry in his column published Jan. 31. The column strikes me as an attempt to diminish the pope and his role as a voice of moral authority and cast him as just another partisan player in U.S. politics. It also casts a shadow over the church as just another “failed” institution to be disregarded. Saul of Tarsus was dispatched to Damascus with his high priest’s OK to arrest Christians and bring them to Jerusalem for punishment Saul was known to be filled with a zeal to
stop the early Christian movement by imprisoning its followers to stop them from spreading their beliefs. While on the road a blinding light from heaven hit Saul. The light came with a divine voice saying “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” Saul was blinded for three days. After regaining his sight, Saul underwent a conversion and began preaching as a servant of Christ. Saul became known as Paul.
Perhaps Pope Francis has been “blinded by the light.” It appears to me that Rich Lowry has not.
PRESTON HOLTON New Orleans
Demonization of brave USAID workers disgraceful
Most of my 29 years in the U.S. Army were spent as a foreign area officer
During my time as an Army FAO, I was privileged to serve in U.S. embassies in Jordan (twice), Egypt, Lebanon and Iraq. In each of these dangerous locations, I proudly served alongside members of USAID who played an absolutely critical role in advancing our national interests.
The “soft” touch of USAID was the perfect companion to harder, more blunt, forms of military and intelligence assistance we provided to our friends and allies. By helping to mitigate poverty, improving health conditions and generally making the lives of very poor people livable, USAID reduced the potential for instability, strife and chaos. War is the handmaiden of poverty, disease and pestilence.
Significantly the brave Americans of USAID I served next to were exposed to the same types of dangers as myself and other members of the embassy staff. We often had bodyguards, traveled in armored cars, and, if we were lucky enough to be in a place where we could have our family with us, watched our children board bullet- and bomb-proof school buses together A few years before I arrived in Jordan, Laurence Foley, the supervisory executive officer of USAID/ Jordan, was assassinated by two alQaida hitmen as he exited his house. Despite these dangers and modest pay, the members of USAID, many of whom were former military, always did their best and served our country with dignity Now, these honorable Americans are being described by hatchet man Elon Musk as “evil,” a “nest of vipers” and a “criminal organization” while being unceremoniously shown the door How we allocate and administer foreign aid is a legitimate question, but I find the denigration of these Americans appalling and disgusting.
COL. AARON MERRILL, retired New Orleans
Dear Lord, help us all. As a longstanding financial contributor meager though my contributions may be, and a 10-year volunteer in the community kitchen at Second Harvest food bank, all I can say is, what now?
Those of us who serve are stymied as to why such foolishness would ever have been considered. What gain did the archdiocese foresee by firing the amazing staff at such a worthwhile organization? Did they think that donations would continue to flow as donors ponder whether or not their contributions are being used to feed the hungry or being used for other far, far less noble causes?
Shame on all who had any part in this fiasco. Reinstate the board members, take your licking and find other methods to solve your problems. Shame, shame, shame.
DARLENE GUICHARD LaPlace Firings at Second Harvest alienate donors, volunteers
aboard the USS Mahan stand on the ship’s bow, waiting to tie the ship to the wharf, while machine guns are mounted nearby — a standard security posture. The guided-missile destroyer arrived in New Orleans in 2014.
MARDI GRAS LOGISTICS
Getting to and from parades is an art form around here. It’s anticipated and planned out year after year like a beloved family tradition.The real pros take great pride in knowing how to manage the chaos without a dreaded parking ticket or worse getting TOWED!
So, what’s going on in this cartoon? you tell me Be witty, funny, crazy, absurd or snarky — just try to keep it clean.There’s no limit on the number of entries.
The winning punchline will be lettered into the word balloon and run on Lundi Gras, March 3, in our print editions and online. In addition, the winner will receive a signed print of the cartoon along with a cool winner’s T-shirt!
Some honorable mentions will also be listed.
To enter, email entries to cartooncontest@theadvocate.com.
DON’T FORGET! All entries must include your name, home address and phone number
Cell numbers are best.
The deadline for all entries is midnight, Feb 27.
Good luck, folks! —Walt
President Donald Trump’s current assault on the basic structure of democracy represents a far more serious threat than the occupation of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Four years ago, an angry mob, egged on by an aggrieved president who refused to admit defeat, tried to block the counting of electoral votes. That mob failed because stalwart defenders of the Constitution, led by Vice President Mike Pence, defied Trump and upheld the law
That was one day one moment, when the constitutional order was in jeopardy But when that threat was extinguished and Trump’s defeat was confirmed, the crisis ended. The present period is very different: Trump is not a defeated candidate but a victorious one, and he’s bent on retribution and revenge. His minions aren’t just breaking into one government building; in effect, they are storming dozens of buildings at once. And they aren’t just waving flags and shouting slogans. They’re firing employees, freezing operations and even shuttering some agencies completely
The peril that was averted four years ago has now arrived. Every day, the dangers to democracy are deepening. “We are in the midst of a constitutional crisis right now,” Erwin Chemerinsky, the law school dean at the University of California, Berkeley told The New York Times. “There have been so many unconstitutional and illegal actions in the first 18 days of the Trump presidency We never have seen anything like this.”
“A number of the new administration’s executive orders and other executive actions are in clear violation of laws enacted by Congress,” added Kate Shaw a law professor at the University of Pennsylvania. “The administration’s early moves also seem designed to demonstrate maximum contempt for core constitutional values — the separation of powers, the freedom of speech, equal justice under law.”
That separation of powers is at the heart of the American system, but the guardrails that might restrain Trump’s rampage have been severely weakened. His primary point man, Elon Musk, has never been elected or approved by the Senate. Both Trump and Musk own powerful social media platforms that enable them to speak, unfiltered and unhinged, directly to their supporters. And by using executive orders instead of legislation, they have kneecapped the Congress, ostensibly a coequal branch of government. That leaves the federal courts as the last line of defense, and on one day alone this week, five different judges issued restraining orders against five different administration initiatives. All represent a blatant attempt to evade and even eradicate the normal processes of democratic government.
“It has become ever more apparent that, to our president, the rule of law is but an impediment to his policy goals,” wrote District Judge John C. Coughenour, a Ronald Reagan appointee in Seattle, when he blocked Trump’s effort to end birthright citizenship. “The rule of law is, according to him, something to navigate around or simply ignore, whether that be for political or personal gain.”
President Donald Trump has ordered the Treasury Department to stop minting pennies to save money
It costs almost 4 cents to make one and as the president seeks to reduce federal spending, the penny is a good, if largely symbolic, target. The nickel is even more expensive. It costs nearly 14 cents to make. One doesn’t have to have studied Economics 101 to understand this is a complete waste of money and part of the inefficiency and overspending Trump is trying to expunge from government
The U.S. Mint began full-time production of the penny in 1792. Then, the coins were the size of today’s half-dollar and called “large cents.” The penny also became embedded in popular culture and its value endured until modern times. Older people will remember penny candy and slogans like “a penny for your thoughts” and “penny wise and pound foolish.” Songs about the penny inspired “Pennies from Heaven” and a road made famous by The Beatles, “Penny Lane.”
As for “a penny for your thoughts,” back then, thoughts and a penny were worth more than they are today
Just look at the misspending being revealed by DOGE and you’ll be shocked at the waste.
Though he never actually said it, Benjamin Franklin is often credited with “coining” the phrase “a penny saved is a penny earned.” He did, however, write in his “Poor Richard’s Almanac” (1737): “A penny saved is two pence clear.” The 1768 version of the Almanac revised the saying: “A penny saved is a penny got.” Other coinage attracted slogans of their own, including “nickel and dime you to death,” “not a dime’s worth of difference” and two bits (a quarter). There are dozens of slang words for money Like the penny many of these words (and coins) were created decades, even centuries ago, and have now outlived their usefulness. How many of us get frustrated fumbling for coins while we are paying for groceries or other retail shops while we hold up the line and frustrate those behind us? Even that experience is increasingly becoming old school. The best solution would be to stop
minting all coins. We are quickly transitioning to a cashless society Why not go all the way? If an item costs under 50 cents (including tax) round it off to the dollar below The same for anything costing more than 50 cents. Round it off to the higher dollar
A store near me has a machine that turns coins into a paper receipt that I can then use to apply to merchandise I wish to purchase. It’s fun to watch and hear the device swallow the coins and see the screen light up like a slot machine in Las Vegas as it counts the money As entertainment it provides a few seconds of diversion. It could serve as a transition to cashless purchasing Increasing numbers of us are using debit and crypto-currency cards to buy things. Collectors can gobble up the various existing coins and save for future generations. The savings that would come from abolishing coinage would be significant, along with avoiding the inconvenience of counting out change. It just makes sense (or cents).
Email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@ tribpub.com.
Trump’s palpable contempt for the law could lead to a major confrontation if he decides to defy any of those court orders, which he is fully capable of doing. Throughout his entire career Trump has denounced judges and prosecutors who try to hold him accountable for his actions, and he’s at it again. About one negative ruling, he fulminated: “No judge should, frankly, be allowed to make that kind of a decision. It’s a disgrace.” Musk called for the impeachment of a jurist who ruled against the administration, and Vice President JD Vance said, “Judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power.”
But they are allowed to curb executives who misuse that power That’s the whole point of the constitutional principle that not even a president is above the law “It is exceptionally myopic, hypocritical and dangerous,” Georgetown University law professor Stephen Vladeck said of the calls by Trump officials to defy court orders. “In our system, the way you object to a legal ruling you find objectionable is to appeal.” National Review editor Ramesh Ponnuru noted on CNN that Republicans have a “long history” of favoring powerful executives. “What is different now,” he warned, “is the level of aggressiveness from Trump, and the level of recklessness. They are spoiling for this fight. They are pushing the limits, in order to see how far they can go.”
On Jan. 6, Trump challenged those boundaries and was thwarted by his own vice president. Today his power is far greater, and so is the threat he poses. For now, only dedicated federal judges stand in his way
Email Steven Roberts at stevecokie@gmail.com.
Cal Thomas
Steve Roberts
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO
New Orleans Forecast
Second-half surge propels LSU past Kentucky
Williams, Johnson lift Tigers to overcome 16-point deficit at halftime
BY REED DARCEY Staff writer
The LSU women’s basketball team faced its largest halftime deficit of the season on Sunday in a road game against Kentucky
Then Mikaylah Williams spearheaded a second-half surge that propelled the No. 7 Tigers to a come-from-behind 65-58 win. Down the stretch of the fourth quarter,
Williams hit two important shots to put LSU ahead 62-58 with 50 seconds left in the game
The first one was a strong, driving finish over a 6-foot-7 defender, and the second was an open 3-pointer, a shot she calmly drained from the left wing against a late close out.
Williams scored 15 of her 24 points in the second half, helping the Tigers (27-2, 12-2 SEC) avoid what could’ve easily become their third loss of the season.
“You saw today,” coach Kim Mulkey said, “how much we rely on (Williams) and how good she is.”
Kentucky coach Kenny Brooks and point guard Georgia Amoore have a history with LSU. In 2023, they led Virginia Tech to a Final Four clash against the Tigers, who
erased a 12-point second-half deficit in that game to advance to the national championship for the first time in program history Brooks and Amoore are now at a different school, and they’ve already led the No. 14 Wildcats to their first 20-win season since 2019-2020. They entered their Sunday game against LSU with hopes of finishing the regular season as one of the
Biggest questions facing the Saints at NFL combine include Carr
BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer
If Kellen Moore needs to take a breath, it’ll have to wait.
In February alone, the New Orleans Saints’ newest coach won the Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles, took a new job and moved to New Orleans, returned to Philadelphia for a parade, and filled out the majority of his staff — including recent hires offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier and defensive coordinator Brandon Staley
Next up: The NFL Scouting Combine.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the biggest questions facing the Saints entering the event
Will a trade market emerge for Carr?
If the Saints want to move on from Derek Carr this offseason the most palatable option would be to trade the quarterback since that would provide the largest salary cap relief ($11 million).
But for that to happen, Carr would have to waive his no-trade clause and the Saints would have to determine whether there’d be an actual market available. The combine is a perfect place to put out feelers The frame-
BY KOKI RILEY
work for trades can begin there, such as when the Washington Commanders and Indianapolis Colts started talks over an eventual Carson Wentz deal in 2022. At last year’s combine, other teams reportedly left the event with the impression that the Saints would be open to dealing Marshon Lattimore. A trade ultimately didn’t happen that offseason, but New Orleans then shipped the cornerback in November to the Commanders.
ANALYSIS
ä Nicholls at LSU 6 P.M. MONDAy SECN+
How will Saints’ new staff impact scouting?
This was a topic last year when the Saints changed offensive schemes upon hiring Klint Kubiak, but it becomes even more relevant this time around upon hiring Moore and Staley
Staley’s arrival is arguably even more interesting because the coordinator might cause the Saints to finally change their long-standing
ä See SAINTS, page 5C
Pels rally to earn victory over Spurs
BY ROD WALKER Sports columnist
The San Antonio Spurs didn’t have their big man Sunday night and won’t have him for the rest of the season. The New Orleans Pelicans had theirs. Well, actually, they had four of them. And that was more than enough to overpower the Spurs on a night the Pelicans did it big.
First, there was the big lineup Pelicans coach Willie Green used for the second straight game. Then, there was the big second half. And there were the big minutes from the smallest guy on the court.
The Pelicans, who trailed by 17 points in the first half, roared back and delivered a fourth-quarter knockout punch for a convincing 114-96 victory at the Smoothie King Center
Zion Williamson led the way with 22 points and nine rebounds but had plenty of help.
Kelly Olynyk, acquired two weeks ago in the Brandon Ingram trade, recorded a double-double in his first home game as a Pelican. Olynyk finished with 14 points and a season-high 15 rebounds.
Rookie Karlo Matkovic came off the bench to score a season-high 19 points to go with his six rebounds.
Rookie Yves Missi recorded a seasonhigh 15 rebounds.
“Both of those guys are bright sports,” Green said about his two rookie big men.
“That’s what we want to see our young guys step on the floor and build some momentum.”
Jose Alvarado came off the bench and finished with 12 points, a career-high nine rebounds and eight assists.
“It was a total group effort,” Green said. “Those guys stepped on the floor collectively and they brought it.”
The Pelicans outscored the Spurs in the paint 58-34 and outrebounded them 69-46.
“Our defense was really solid tonight,” Green said. “Our emphasis all season has been finishing possessions. We had almost
New Orleans comes up big against San Antonio ä See PELICANS, page 2C
AP PHOTO By STEPHEN SPILLMAN
LSU guard Mikaylah Williams scored 15 of her 24 points in the second half against Kentucky on Sunday.
STAFF PHOTO By SCOTT THRELKELD Pelicans center Karlo Matkovic dunks the ball during the second half of a game against the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday at the Smoothie King Center
Campbell wins first PGA Tour title
The Associated Press
VALLARTA,Mexico — Brian Campbell cashed in on a huge break Sunday when his tee shot in a playoff bounced out of the trees and back into play, leading to a birdie on the second extra hole to win the Mexico Open over Aldrich Potgieter Campbell, who closed with a 1-under 70 at Vidanta Vallarta, won for the first time since he turned pro a decade ago and the timing could not have been better The victory sends him to the Masters, The Players Championship and the PGA Championship, along with five of the $20 million signature events left on the PGA Tour schedule.
“To be in this position is just so unreal,” the 31-year-old Campbell said after calmly holing a birdie putt just inside 4 feet on the 18th green for the win. “I can’t believe it, really.”
Good golf wasn’t enough. Campbell needed the break of a lifetime.
Campbell and Potgieter, who shot 71, each made birdie on the 18th in regulation and began the playoff with a par Returning to the par-5 closing hole for the third time — a big advantage for the 20-year-old South African with his power — Campbell hit low, hard fade toward the out-of-bounds stakes.
But it crashed into the trees and popped back out into the rough. He still was 94 yards behind Potgieter, but at least he had a shot. He hit fairway metal to 68 yards short, and hit a lob wedge that checked up just short of the hole.
“You’ve got to get those breaks sometimes,” Campbell said “Unfortunately I hit a really bad tee shot there, caught the tree, was able to keep it in play and get ourselves in a good position to get a wedge and keep the pressure on.
“I was just so happy that I was able to kind of stay in it to the end.”
Potgieter twice hit the 18th
fairway in the playoff and had a 6-iron for his second shot, and both times he made par The first time was a hard draw over the green. On the second playoff hole, he was posing over a shot on a perfect line until it came up a foot short and into a bunker
He blasted out some 6 feet by and missed the birdie putt to the left, setting up Campbell for a moment that once seemed so far away
He was winless in 186 starts on the Korn Ferry and PGA Tour combined, earning $1,487,830. His payoff Sunday was $1,260,000.
Potgieter started the final round with a one-shot lead, fell behind with two bogeys to end the front nine, caught up to Campbell with
a superb up-and-down on the par5 14th. They each made one bogey coming in and finished at 20-under 264.
Potgieter, who led the field in driving distance, failed to capitalize on the par-5 closing hole after hitting the fairway each time.
“Hopefully, my time will come soon,” said Potgieter, who won the 2022 British Amateur at age 17 and last year became the youngest to win on the Korn Ferry Tour
“Pressure is a big thing,” he said. “You can’t beat it. You just have to learn and adjust to it the next time.”
Isaiah Salinda finished with a bogey-free 65 to finish alone in third. Aaron Rai, at No. 29 in the world
the highest-ranked player in the field briefly shared the lead with an approach to 20 inches for eagle on the par-5 sixth. He was 1 over the rest of the way for a 67 and tied for fourth with Ben Griffin (67). Campbell said it was grit that helped him win, and that goes back further than Sunday He played his college golf at Illinois and was the low amateur in the 2015 U.S. Open at Chambers Bay He earned a PGA Tour card in 2017 and missed the cut 13 times in 20 starts. One of those was the Zurich Classic, where he received a penalty for slow play in a peculiar ruling because it also involved his partner, Miguel Angel Carballo
Yin wins the LPGA Thailand tournament
The Associated Press
PATTAYA, Thailand Angel Yin won for the second time on the LPGA Tour making birdie on the 18th hole Sunday for a 7-under 65 that was just enough to hold off hardcharging Akie Iwai of Japan in the Honda LPGA Thailand.
Yin started the final round on the Pattaya Old Course at Siam Country Club with a five-shot lead. She played bogey-free. She had four birdies on the last six holes And it was barely enough to capture the title.
“I wasn’t that comfortable because Akie shot 10 under the first day and this course is very gettable. So I just had to keep my head down,” Yin said.
Akie, who along with twin sister Chisato Akie are LPGA rookies this year, was dynamic to the very end when she made eagle on the par-5 closing hole to momentarily tie for the lead. Yin got her birdie to finish at 28-under 260.
There have been only six lower 72-hole scores in LPGA history,
PELICANS
Continued from page 1C
70 rebounds and that allows us to get out in transition and run our sets and execute offensively.”
It was the Pelicans’ second straight game with the starting lineup of CJ McCollum, Trey Murphy, Williamson, Olynyk and Yves Missi. That lineup, featuring the 7-foot Olynyk and the 6-foot-11 Missi, was too much for the Spurs. Especially since the Spurs were playing their third game without second-year phenom Victor Wembanyama, who has been shut down for the season after being diagnosed last week with a deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder
the
of
Angel
with Sei Young Kim holding the record of 257, set at the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic in 2018. Despite starting the final round with a five-stroke advantage, Yin faced relentless pressure from Iwai, who was playing on a spon-
“When you have a big lineup and I’m able to get downhill and dropping a pass off or throwing a lob, they can finish,” said Williamson.
“So now whoever is guarding me has to make a decision.”
The Pelicans outscored the Wemby-less Spurs 74-43 in the second half to erase a 53-40 halftime deficit. Murphy (15), McCollum (12), Jordan Hawkins (10) also scored in doubles figures for the Pels, who will host the Spurs (24-31) again Tuesday night.
“Not a great first half, but we kept our poise,” Green said. We missed some easy baskets, but then it started to turn for us.”
Email Rod Walker at rwalker@ theadvocate.com
during the
after
sor exemption. She charged up the leaderboard and momentarily shared the lead at 24 under after a birdie on the 12th hole. However, Yin, who last won at the 2023 Buick LPGA Shanghai, responded with three consecutive
birdies to regain control.
The 26-year-old is the fourth American to capture the LPGA Thailand title, joining Lilia Vu (2023), Jessica Korda (2018) and Lexi Thompson (2016).
Despite finishing second, Iwai made history of her own, firing a tournament-low round of 61. She carded 10 birdies and a closing eagle against a lone bogey to settle at 261.
World No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand was in third with a 66, finishing at 267. Defending champion Patty Tavatanakit and fellow Thai Moriya Jutanugarn shared fourth place at 269.
The event is the first stop of the LPGA’s Asia swing The tour moves to Singapore and China over the next two weeks.
This story has been corrected to show that Angel Yin did not set the LPGA scoring record. Sei Young Kim holds the record of 257, set at the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic in 2018. This story also corrects the spelling of Jeeno Thitikul’s last name.
Pelicans forward Zion Williamson scores against the San Antonio Spurs during the first half of their game Sunday at the Smoothie King Center
STAFF PHOTO By SCOTT THRELKELD
LSU earns silver medal at SEC meet in Georgia
The LSU swimming and diving team closed the SEC championships in impressive fashion Saturday with a silver medal on the boards, two new A cuts, four school records, and a diver of the meet honor inside the Gabrielsen Natatorium in Athens, Georgia. After six complete days, the LSU women and men finished in seventh place with 609 and 579 points, respectively 15 Tigers scored points for LSU leading to the final tally Carson Paul finished with a silver medal on the platform. Paul earned a score of 468.15, which ranks second in program history In the pool, LSU swimmers accomplished two new A cuts in the 100-free and the women’s 400-yard free relay
Sainz takes over as F1 drivers’ union director
MONACO Spanish driver Carlos Sainz has become a director at Formula One’s Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, which acts as a union for the grid’s stars.
The 30-year-old Williams driver will take the position vacated by Sebastian Vettel.
“I am passionate about my sport and think we drivers have a responsibility to do all we can to work with the stakeholders to forward the sport in many aspects,” Sainz said in a post on the GPDA’s Instagram account.
Last year, the GPDA challenged Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s leadership of the FIA by urging the Emirati to treat them like adults after Max Verstappen was ordered to perform community service for swearing in a press conference.
Shiffrin gets historic 100th World Cup race win
SESTRIERE, Italy Mikaela Shiffrin is 100% the best in skiing’s World Cup history book.
Shiffrin’s record-extending 100th career World Cup race win Sunday fulfilled a quest put on hold by a serious crash in November
Back to racing in her favored slalom event, Shiffrin kept and added to her first-run lead to finish 0.61 seconds ahead of Zrinka Ljutic. Shiffrin’s U.S. teammate Paula Moltzan was third, 0.64 back.
The 29-year-old Shiffrin also tied an all-time World Cup record for men and women, as her 155th career top-3 finish on the podium matched Swedish great Ingemar Stenmark.
“A lot of things had to go right in my direction for this to happen,” a tearful Shiffrin said minutes after the race.
Ovechkin nets 3, now 13 goals shy of NHL record
WASHINGTON Alex Ovechkin fired a perfect wrist shot past Calvin Pickard for his first goal of the game, scored from his office on the power play for his second and sailed a shot into an empty net from his own zone to complete the hat trick.
Scoring three goals in the Washington Capitals’ 7-3 rout of the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday put Ovechkin 13 away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s NHL career record of 894. Even after missing 16 games earlier this season because of a broken leg, the 39-year-old is on pace to pass Gretzky this spring.
If there are more games like the one against the Oilers, it’s a matter of when, not if, Ovechkin reaches 895 and beyond.
Kruyswijk claims first European Tour title
NAIROBI, Kenya Jacques Kruyswijk held on to win the Kenya Open on Sunday and lift his first European Tour title. The South African shot a 4-under 67 at Nairobi’s Muthaiga golf course to finish 18 under for the tournament and two strokes clear of second-place John Parry (68).
The 32-year-old Kruyswijk completed the weekend bogey free and carded four birdies in the final round.
Having started the day one shot ahead, Kruyswijk was overtaken by Parry within five holes, but back-to-back birdies on Nos. 6 and 7 saw him regain the lead.
“I’m happy that I can keep the trophy on African
rica,” Kruyswijk said.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By FERNANDO LLANO
Brian Campbell, of the United States, holds the championship trophy after the final round of the Mexico Open tournament on Sunday in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By KITTINUN RODSUPAN
yin
the U.S., holds
trophy
award ceremony
winning the LPGA Honda Thailand tournament on Sunday in Pattaya, southern Thailand.
Mt. Carmel fulfills its state title vision
Cubs find their stride in playoffs, win eighth championship
BY MIKE GEGENHEIMER
Contributing writer
In Stella Junius’ mind she was always a future state champion.
There was never a doubt it would happen eventually She was simply waiting for reality to inevitably catch up with her chosen title.
After Saturday night, Junius will never think of herself as a “future” state champion again as fourthseeded Mount Carmel defeated No. 2 C.E. Byrd 2-0 to claim the girls Division I state title in Hammond.
“Now I can say I am a state champion,” Junius said. “Before it was like, ‘I’m going to be a state champion.’ It’s so much different and it feels awesome.”
Junius was named the game’s Most Outstanding Player after her goal in the 22nd minute served as the de facto game winner The Cubs used a series of short passes to move through the Byrd defense until senior Hana Hammond found Ju-
nius with a through ball to set up a one-on-one with the Yellow Jackets goalkeeper that she promptly put into the net. After taking the lead, Mount Carmel dominated possession for much of the night. The Cubs held a 12-3 edge in total shots, including 7-3 in shots on goal. Mount Carmel added an insurance goal in the 56th minute when Lilah Grandbouche placed a perfect header off a Josephine Randol corner kick to make it 2-0. The Cubs’ defense did not allow a serious chance on goal in the second half to close out the win
“I think last week they realized they were a good team,” Mount Carmel coach Alexis Petrou said. “Knocking (St. Joseph’s) out and moving to the finals, I think they were like, ‘Wow we belong here.’ I’m just happy they realized that because this game is all about confidence.”
That semifinal game against top-seeded St. Jo-
seph’s — which Mount Carmel won 2-1 along with the quarterfinal against Northshore, Junius said, was key in preparing the Cubs for the pressure of a final. Junius compared those two games to a hurricane, which in turn made the final against Byrd feel more like a regular thunderstorm. Those two wins leading up to the final went a long way in sparking a much-needed confidence boost for a Mt. Carmel team that was coming off a rough patch at the end of the regular season. The Cubs went 3-4-3 over their final 10 games going into the playoffs
The victory also returns Mount Carmel to the top of girls soccer for the first time since 2021. This is their eighth title in school history “Toward the end of the season it was do or die,” Junius said. “And those last two games against Northshore and St. Joe’s were the hardest games ever Going into those it was all or nothing and we had to push.”
Bell wins Atlanta thriller, only leads in overtime
BY CHARLES ODUM AP sportswriter
HAMPTON,Ga.— Christopher Bell celebrated a droughtending victory for himself and Joe Gibbs Racing after a dramatic comeback in Atlanta.
Bell edged Carson Hocevar and Kyle Larson in overtime Sunday in another close NASCAR Cup Series finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway
Bell led only the final lap in his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and had a slight edge on the outside when the caution light came on in overtime following a wreck by Josh Berry
“That last lap of the race we were at our best,” Bell said.
It was the first victory for Joe Gibbs Racing since Bell’s win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on June 23, 2024.
“I am glad that we don’t have to hear about that,” Bell said. “‘Joe Gibbs Racing hasn’t won since June.’ That’s all I’ve heard. So I’m very happy to end that narrative.”
The 30-year-old Oklahoma driver has 10 career Cup victories, and he acknowledged Atlanta wasn’t the spot his team had circled to end the drought. Bell’s strength in his career has not been superspeedway style racing, but he pulled off the comeback after qualifying only 32nd and struggling most of the day to look like a serious contender Even Bell’s crew chief, Adam Stevens, wasn’t expecting the late comeback.
“I think I fell off the edge of my seat a couple of times, especially there what was it, maybe 10, 15 to go when we were up in the top three or four and then fell back outside the top 10,” Stevens said.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO
Christopher Bell celebrates after winning a NASCAR Cup Series race Sunday in Hampton, Ga. Bell came from behind after qualifying 32nd.
“I thought we were toast. But Bell just kept his head down and really dug deep all day.”
Austin Cindric led in his Team Penske Ford before he and William Byron, the Daytona 500 winner last week, wrecked with three laps remaining, setting up the overtime Hocevar faced criticism from Ryan Blaney and other drivers after the race for his aggressive style on the track.
“Yeah, I mean there’s some stuff I got to learn and clean up a little bit, but I feel like we put ourselves in the perfect opportunity to try and win a race,” Hocevar said after falling short in a bid for his first victory
“I’ve never had that opportunity really before, especially on a superspeedway.”
Kyle Busch finished seventh, ending his hopes of snapping a winless streak on the Cup Series.
Busch won the Atlanta Truck Series race Saturday but is still looking for his first Cup win since 2023 after having his NASCARrecord 19-year streak with at least one win end last year Larson failed to finish the last four and five of the last six Atlanta races and was involved in accidents in each of the six.
Larson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammates claimed the spotlight in NASCAR’s first two weeks. Chase Elliott won The Clash on Feb. 2 before Byron avoided late wrecks to win the Daytona 500. Larson’s string of bad luck ended Sunday after he qualified only 17th. Larson, the 2021 Cup champion, surged late to win the second stage.
“Came up a little bit short, but proud of the effort today by everybody on our HendrickCars. com Chevy,” Larson said. “Yeah, finally finished at Atlanta and finally got to run up front.”
Wrecks for Elliott, Suarez Elliott was in the top 10 when his Hendricks Motorsports Chevrolet hit the wall late in the second stage and then hit Brad Keselowski’s RFK Racing’s Ford, ending Keselowski’s race. Elliott finished 18th. Daniel Suarez, who edged Blaney and Kyle Busch in a thrilling three-wide finish in Atlanta’s 2024 February race, saw his hopes for a repeat win end when he was involved in a sevencar crash early in the third stage. Cole Custer, Ty Gibbs, Cody Ware, Noah Gragson and JJ Yaley also were involved.
Blaney was in contention before his late one-car spin caused a caution, but he rallied to finish fourth.
BY KEN SUGIURA Atlanta Journal-Constitution (TNS)
ATLANTA Our thanks go out today to the NHL for making it beyond clear to NBA and MLB poohbahs that they need to adopt a USA. vs. the World format for their slumberfest All-Star Games, and the sooner, the better
The NHL’s 4 Nations FaceOff, which was that league’s attempt to goose its own uninteresting All-Star Game and generated historic ratings, was all the template the NBA and MLB should need. In a smart pivot after various formats failed to capture fan interest, the NHL staged a four-team tourney featuring its top players representing the U.S., Canada, Finland and Sweden. When the U.S. and Canada met in the championship game on Thursday night in Boston, ESPN drew 9.3 million viewers Yes, the Alabama spring game probably does better ratings than that. And many factors outside the NHL’s control helped create extra interest.
But let’s put the event in context. Thursday’s game drew the highest audience of any hockey game in ESPN’s records. And it demolished the U.S. viewership totals of any recent NHL All-Star Games. According to the Sports Business Journal, the largest American viewership going back to the 2015 AllStar Game was 2.3 million. It
COMMENTARY
was 1.4 million in 2024 In other words, while it’s clearly not apples to apples, Thursday’s title game had four times the audience of the most-watched NHL All-Star Game of the previous nine. Outside of weeds, rabbits and slang my kids use that I don’t understand, four-fold growth in anything gets your attention. But to achieve that spike for this game, in an era when appetites for All-Star Games in all sports are dropping and causing owners to “crash out” – I think I used it right is almost unthinkable. For good measure, it’s worth pointing out that the 9.3 million ESPN audience for the U.S.-Canada final hasn’t been exceeded by an MLB All-Star Game since 2015 (according to Baseball Almanac) and by an NBA AllStar Game since 2003 (per Sports Media Watch).
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred would give his chief lackey’s right arm for 9.3 million viewers. Deducing that fans would be far more interested in a format in which the league’s stars represented their home nations rather than their conferences or some nonsense entity like Shaq’s OGs was not rocket science, or even introductory astronomy one of the classes I took in col-
lege to satisfy the natural science requirement All the evidence anyone needs can be found in this event called the Olympics. How many milliseconds of swimming do we watch between Olympiads, even by accident? And yet we become a nation of butterflyworshipping zealots every four years, pledging violence against anyone who dares to utter a single spoiling word about Katie Ledecky’s 400-meter freestyle before we can go home and watch it on tape delay Athletes competing for their countries is a story that’s just hard to resist.
If you saw the U.S.-Japan championship game in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, you surely remember the game-deciding at-bat between then-Angels teammates Shohei Ohtani (pitching for Japan) and Mike Trout (at the plate for the U.S.)
USA vs the World in the NBA or MLB wouldn’t be the Olympics, WBC or even the 4 Nations Face-Off. Those are multi-game events where drama can escalate. But any compelling moment that a USA-World game produced would still be better than virtually anything that a normal All-Star Game could generate because there’s nothing on the line in the latter That’s what fans want to watch a game that means something.
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
Mount Carmel forward Avery Albert left hugs midfielder Ellie Shall while celebrating their
2-0 win over C.E. Byrd in the Division I state championship on Saturday at Strawberry Stadium in Hammond.
Florida capitalized on LSU’s four-guard lineup
BY TOYLOY BROWN III
Staff writer
Two Florida 3-pointers ricocheted off the rim and both were retrieved by the offense.
The second offensive rebound was retrieved by 7-foot-1, 255-pound Micah Handlogten, who was unimpeded by LSU’s 6-foot-9 forward Daimion Collins and 6-5 guard Dji Bailey
While sandwiched by two LSU defenders, the backup center located his 6-9 open teammate Thomas Haugh who caught the pass and dunked it with two hands, giving Florida a 63-56 lead with 6:23 left in the game.
The Tigers’ inability to overcome No. 2 Florida’s size and physicality is ultimately why they lost 79-65 Saturday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center Double-digit losses are not what LSU (14-13, 3-11 SEC) wants late in the regular season as it aims to make the National Invitation Tournament.
Florida (24-3, 11-3) didn’t live up to its high standards on offense. It scored under 80 points for the sixth time, shooting 44% from the field and 32% from the 3-point line against LSU. The Gators’ threeplayer backcourt averages about 45 points combined per game. LSU limited the trio to 27 points.
The Gators found another way to win. They relied on their frontcourt to get second-chance opportunities and scored on first looks near the hoop. Florida’s two starting big men combined for 35
LSU’s Cam Carter tries to control the ball as Florida’s Denzel Aberdeen defends in the first half of their game Saturday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center Carter had his worst shooting game of the season with just seven points on 3-of-13 shooting from the field.
points on 15-of 23-shooting and 23 rebounds, 12 of them on offense. Florida’s dominance was assisted by LSU starting and primarily playing a four-guard lineup for the third straight game. With four players under 6-5 playing together, it left them vulnerable in the paint.
The reason LSU coach Matt McMahon played the four-guard look is because it has proven to be the best option for the team, which had won its two previous games.
During LSU’s seven-game losing streak, the two-forward lineup had severe scoring droughts because
STAFF PHOTO By SCOTT THRELKELD
Poor second half dooms Tulane at Wichita State
BY GUERRY SMITH
Contributing writer
The Tulane men’s basketball team spotted Wichita State the first eight points on Sunday but rebounded to take the lead by halftime.
The Green Wave was not as fortunate after starting the second half in the exact same stumbling fashion.
The Shockers began with a 12-0 run, hit their first seven shots and led the rest of the way, winning 78-67 in front of a crowd of 6,350 at Koch Arena in Wichita, Kansas.
Tulane (15-12, 9-5), which had won four of its last five, remains in fourth place in the American Athletic Conference but still has some work to do to assure a double bye to the quarterfinals in the league tournament.
Wichita State (17-10, 7-7) evened its conference record after a miserable 1-7 start. The white-hot Shockers have beaten leagueleading Memphis and cooled down surging Florida Atlantic and Tulane in their past three games.
“They played desperate and we didn’t play desperate,” Tulane coach Ron Hunter said. “They played like a team that’s trying to catch us. Some of our guys got rocked by the crowd and got hit in the mouth and didn’t respond.”
Almost nothing went right for the Wave after it took its largest lead, 31-26, on a Gregg Glenn free throw with 41.6 seconds left in the first half. The Shockers cut the
deficit to 31-29 when Harlon Beverly converted a three-point play off an offensive rebound on their final possession, and Xavier Bell opened the second half with backto-back 3-pointers.
Tulane played uphill the rest of the way and could not stop Wichita State from scoring inside. They finished the half 16 of 24 from the floor, getting 24 points in the paint against a defense that has specialized in rim protection over the past month
“We haven’t had teams do that all year,” Hunter said. “They just kind of put their heads down and drove to the basket. We didn’t get the resistance like we had been doing. Give them credit They played with a lot of confidence, but I just didn’t think we responded very well. We looked more uptight than we normally do.”
The Wave, which had swatted 19 shots in the past two games, had zero blocks for the first time.
Tulane also sabotaged its chances by missing eight of its first 12 free throws before sinking six straight at the end. Rowan Brumbaugh, an 81% foul shooter, clanked two in a row when he had a chance to cut the deficit to 48-45 with 12:11 left.
Glenn missed a pair that could have stopped the Shockers’ early second-half spurt
“We have been lights out from the free throw line,” Hunter said.
“It would have kept us right where we needed to go.” Glenn, who scored 11 in the second half, and Brumbaugh, who had 11 in the first half, paced the
of a drop-off in shooting and decision-making. It also didn’t improve LSU’s rebounding that much.
Having a fourth guard like Vyctorius Miller or Mike Williams instead of the non-shooting forward Corey Chest forces opponents to pay more attention to a shooting threat.
The chance of a fourth good shooter being open pulls defenders farther from the hoop and creates easy angles for drives and cuts This strategy becomes even more worthwhile when the influx of speed with the guards is disruptive on defense, forcing ill-advised decisions.
That is exactly how LSU went on a 22-2 run in the final seven minutes of the first half to take a 37-31 halftime lead.
The Tigers could not sustain that. Florida adjusted its game plan and emphasized imposing its will in the paint in the second half.
Efficient interior scoring helped Florida’s defense get organized and take away LSU’s fast offense.
The turning point came when Florida forced back-to-back liveball turnovers. This resulted in Alijah Martin turning a layup into a three-point play and making a 3-pointer Those six points gave Florida a 10-point lead that it never allowed to get back to single digits for the remaining 4 minutes, 18 seconds.
LSU’s seven turnovers were the second-lowest this season. However, Florida capitalized on every small mistakes, getting 12 points
off of LSU’s six second-half turnovers. That coupled with 11 second-chance points in the second half was too much for the Tigers to overcome. The only major adjustment McMahon had left was to return to the two-forward look to mitigate Florida’s physical advantage. He chose not to play freshman Robert Miller — who had careerhighs with 19 points and 10 rebounds against Florida — together with either Corey Chest (who played 10 minutes) or Daimion Collins (who played 15 minutes) for a significant amount of time.
This was what McMahon said when asked why he didn’t.
“It wasn’t a very effective lineup for us tonight, even though the minutes weren’t many,” McMahon said. “So there’s certainly trade-offs. It’s a very fair question. Offensively for us, our better opportunity from a ball security, assist-to-turnover and a three-point shooting standpoint and spacing, (was) the four-guard attack. But we got to figure out ways to rebound the ball better, protect our paint better if that’s the case.”
Striking the appropriate balance in lineups while your leading scorer Cam Carter had his worst shooting game of the season — seven points on 3 of 13 from the field — was too difficult a problem for LSU to solve.
Email Toyloy Brown III at toyloy.brown@theadvocate.com
MEN’S TOP 25 ROUNDUP
Indiana upsets No. 13 Purdue
By The Associated Press BLOOMINGTON,Ind.— Malik Reneau and Trey Galloway each scored 15 points, and Indiana allowed just 21 in the second half to overcome a 12-point halftime deficit and beat No. 13 Purdue 73-58 on Sunday Reneau also had six rebounds and was 7 of 7 from the field as he joined the 1,000-point club. Galloway added nine assists as the Hoosiers (16-11, 7-9 Big Ten) won for the second time eight games and earned a split in the season series with their biggest rival. Fletcher Loyer scored 20 points to lead the Boilermakers (19-9, 11-6), who have lost four straight It was quite a reversal for Indiana. The Boilermakers appeared to take control by closing the first half on a 21-4 run to make it 37-25. But the Hoosiers opened the second half on a 14-2 spurt, tying the score at 39,
and then scored 14 straight to take a 53-40 lead with 11:56 to go NO.10 ST JOHN’S 89,UCONN 75: In New York, Kadary Richmond and Zuby Ejiofor scored 18 points apiece as No. 10 St. John’s routed UConn to complete its first regular-season sweep of the Huskies in 25 years. Leading scorer RJ Luis Jr added 14 points for the Red Storm (24-4, 15-2 Big East) after sitting out Wednesday’s win at DePaul with a groin injury First-place St. John’s needs one more victory or a Creighton loss to clinch a share of its first regular-season conference championship since 1992. NO 22 MEMPHIS 84, FLORIDA ATLANTIC 65: In Memphis, Dain Dainja had 22 points and 11 rebounds, PJ Haggerty also scored 22 and No. 22 Memphis sprinted past Florida Atlantic. Colby Rogers added 15 points for first-place Memphis (22-5, 12-2 American Athletic Conference), which has won nine of 10.
Wave with 18 points. Kaleb Banks added 10, as did Mari Jordan off the bench, but Tulane never found its offensive flow, finishing with a season-low five assists.
Bell poured in 18 of his gamehigh 23 points in the second half including 10 in the first five minutes. Forward Corey Washington added 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting, Still, Tulane had an opportunity to pull within four with a little more than seven minutes left when Glenn went up for a dunk. The 6-foot-2 Bell rejected it before Glenn fell to the floor expecting a foul call, and Bijan Cortes sank a transition 3 at the other end to make the score 60-51.
“Whether he got fouled or not, that was a swing play,” Hunter said. The Wave never came closer than eight from there.
The only player who kept Tulane within shouting distance late was Jordan, who hit two 3s after going 2 of 15 from long range in the previous seven games.
His performance prompted Hunter to consider a change moving forward.
“That starter group is just not producing at the beginning of halves,” he said. “I’ve got to make decisions. Even in our wins I haven’t been happy with them. The last four or five games Mari’s playing well. I may have to insert him in the starting lineup.”
Tulane returns home to face cellar dwelling Charlotte on Wednesday
Continued from page 1C
against LSU.
The Tigers erased that deficit by moving the ball on offense, pressuring Wildcat ballhandlers in the backcourt and adjusting how it defended Amoore away from the action. In the third quarter, they hit more field goals than they did in the first and second quarters combined, riding a reenergized offense to their first lead of the game, which grew to a sevenpoint advantage before the start of the fourth.
Johnson scored 9 of her 13 points in the third and finished her day with 13 rebounds. Williams added 8 of her 24 in the quarter, to pair with 5 rebounds and 2 assists.
Morrow finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds on 6-of-20 shooting, and Shayeann Day-Wilson — back in the starting lineup after she entered LSU’s Thursday win over Georgia off the bench scored 8 points and assisted 3 buckets on offense while defending Amoore for most of Kentucky’s possessions at the other end.
Amoore shot only 6 of 22 from the field and 3 of 15 from 3-point range. She tallied 12 points and 4 assists in the first half, then added only 4 points and 2 assists in the second. Clara Strack, the Wildcats’ second-leading scorer, finished with only 8 points on 3-of-11 shooting. “That’s the only thing we
Email Reed Darcey at reed. darcey@theadvocate.com. LSU
changed,” Mulkey said, “from an X’s and O’s point of view I just said, ‘Pick them up full court,’ and we were able to cut into the lead early in the third quarter, and then that just gave us a little momentum to keep going.” In the first half, LSU shot only 32% from the field and committed 10 turnovers. Johnson took only one field goal, and Morrow converted only three of the 11 she attempted. Kentucky (21-5, 10-4) pulled 11 rebounds off the offensive glass and drained four 3-pointers in the second quarter to build a 38-26 lead by halftime. LSU then outscored the Wildcats 23-6 in the third quarter
In the fourth, the Wildcats retook the lead, but LSU moved back in front, and Williams sealed the win with the pair of crucial buckets she hit down the stretch.
“That’s what great players do,” Mulkey said. “You got to move fast in this game and forget the last miss. People need to start talking about her in the same breath that they talk about (Johnson) and Morrow because those are our three that really have done this all year.”
LSU clinched a double bye in the SEC Tournament because it picked up a win on Sunday, the 750th victory of Mulkey’s career It also tied its program record for regular-season wins in the SEC era (since 1982).
Next, the Tigers will face No. 18 Alabama on the road at 8 p.m. on Thursday
PHOTO By PATRICK DENNIS
Tulane coach Ron Hunter talks to guard Rowan Brumbaugh in the second half against Memphis on Jan. 30 at Devlin Fieldhouse.
All good things come to an end
ESPN-MLB divorce a shocker to longtime fans
BY PAUL SULLIVAN Chicago Tribune (TNS)
MESA,Ariz. — The breakup of ESPN and Major League Baseball was a shocker to those of us who looked at the partnership as a match made in heaven, or at least the baseball equivalent in Dyersville, Iowa.
“Furthermore, we have not been pleased with the minimal coverage that MLB has received on ESPN’s platforms over the past several years outside of the actual live game coverage.”
ROB
MANFRED, MLB commissioner
Since they presented their vows back in 1990, ESPN helped spread the gospel of baseball through the Steroids Era, the start of bat flipping and other showboating and with so many YankeesRed Sox games that you knew every step of the famous scene in which Red Sox ace Pedro Martinez threw down elderly Yankees coach Don Zimmer
The introduction of the K-Zone in 2001 changed the way we watch baseball. It showed which ball and strike calls were incorrect, ensuring umpire Angel Hernandez would be a trending topic on Twitter, which was not yet invented But, alas, the sides grew apart in recent years and “mutually agreed” to end their national TV deal after the 2025 season a conscious uncoupling that was a bit rockier than the end of the Theo Epstein-Joe Maddon bromance in 2019. Now comes the ESPN Baseball Farewell Tour, which could rival the “Saturday Night Live” 50th anniversary show in hype and hubris. They could even bring back some of the ESPN favorites of the past, such as Keith Olbermann and Jon Miller, along with some of the more polarizing cast members like Curt Schilling and Chris Berman
The ending, like most broken marriages, has gotten ugly In a highlight package, you could pair it with Berman yelling, “Back, back, back gone.”
ESPN wasn’t happy paying about $550 million per year over the next three years and exercised its optout clause before the March 1 deadline. It was kind of like a ma-
Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty reacts during a game against Penn State on Dec. 31 in Glendale, Ariz.
SAINTS
jor league team saying goodbye to an overpaid slugger with a couple years left on his contract, though at least the slugger still gets his guaranteed money MLB is left holding the bag.
In a memo to owners that The Athletic obtained, commissioner Rob Manfred wrote that MLB did not think it was “beneficial to accept a smaller deal to remain on a shrinking platform,” taking a parting shot at the network that helped sell baseball for decades until cord-cutting became a thing in the Streaming Era.
We can expect MLB to hook up with one of the younger, prettier streamers like Apple TV+ that talks a good game but hasn’t been able to replicate the ESPN experience.
Comparing Apple to ESPN is like comparing the Colorado Rockies to the Los Angeles Dodgers. They might play the same game, but they’re not in the same ballpark. ESPN is the king, for all its faults. Apple is beloved only by a generation of fans born after the Red Sox broke their curse.
Like a spurned lover, Manfred wrote that in the last bargaining round, ESPN “declined to purchase the inventory we subsequently sold to Apple and Roku,” adding that “Sunday Night Baseball” ratings were up 6% in 2024 and the wild-card round on ESPN was “the most watched ever.” He also pointed to the fact ESPN was available in 53.6 million homes in December, down from a peak of more than 100 million in 2011.
It’s not me, it’s you!
Continued from page 1C
philosophy of searching for bigbodied, freakish athletes along the defensive line. Will Staley be open to smaller, speedier pass rushers in a way that former coach Dennis Allen was not? And if so, how does that alter, if at all, how the Saints conduct their combine interviews?
How truly deep is this defensive class?
The Saints have pressing needs everywhere including along the defensive line. But there’s good news on that front — pardon the pun.
By all accounts, this is a loaded class for defensive linemen. And the Saints will get a chance to further dive in when they meet with the prospects and watch them work out
The NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah said in a conference call last week that this defensive tackle class is as deep as he could remember, adding later there was also “no shortage” of edge rushers. Names to watch include Michigan’s Mason Graham, Georgia’s Jalon Walker and Marshall’s Mike Green.
Will the quarterbacks build buzz?
Last year’s quarterback class was a special group and that might dampen the excitement for this year’s crop.
Draft analysts have spoken highly of Cam Ward and Shadeur Sanders the consensus top two signal-callers for this draft — but have also said they’d likely rate behind the 2024 class that included Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, Bo Nix and Michael Penix. Jeremiah said he’d have Ward graded between Nix and Penix and Sanders behind Penix.
“Furthermore, we have not been pleased with the minimal coverage that MLB has received on ESPN’s platforms over the past several years outside of the actual live game coverage,” he wrote. We can only assume he’s referring to the network’s footballcentric coverage of the NFL and college football on “SportsCenter” in September and October during baseball’s pennant races and postseason. ESPN is only giving the viewers what they want, and what they want is more cowhide.
Bregman hits 2-run homer in spring debut with Boston
The Associated Press FORT MYERS, Fla. — Alex Bregman hit a two-run homer as part of a three-hit day in his spring training debut with the Boston Red Sox, launching a drive over the left-field wall in the second inning Sunday against the Toronto Blue Jays.
the 2023 amateur draft.
SPRING TRAINING NOTEBOOK Commentary
New York Mets
The combine is an opportunity for Ward, Sanders and the others available to build their case. But this draft has interesting ripple effects for the Saints. If the Tennessee Titans, for instance, pass on taking a quarterback at the No. 1 spot, would they perhaps want to pursue a Carr trade? The New York Giants are also rumored to be interested in trading for Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford instead of drafting a quarterback at No. 3. Would the Giants be interested in Carr if they miss out on Stafford?
The Saints, of course, will also be linked to quarterbacks if they move on from Carr But they could be very well out of the Ward-Sanders range as they hold the ninth pick. Even in a down year it would be surprising to see either of those quarterbacks drop that far
Are running backs back?
In Sean Payton’s first draft, the Saints used the second overall pick on USC running back Reggie Bush.
In Kellen Moore’s first draft, the Saints will use the ninth overall pick on Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty?
Alright, that would still be super surprising given the Saints have greater needs across the roster and that running backs are rarely picked in the top 10 these days. But the NFL scouting combine may very well highlight how a running back resurgence could be in store.
The NFL saw it this last season when free-agent signings of Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry made a huge impact for the Eagles and the Baltimore Ravens. And this year’s draft includes a potential superstar in Jeanty and two other possible first rounders in North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton and TreVeyon Henderson.
Back in 1989, when ESPN signed a four-year, $500 million deal to bring baseball to the cable sports giant starting in 1990, the relationship was beautiful to behold.
That was also the dawn of “Baseball Tonight,” the show that ran nightly during the entire season and made the term “web gem” part of the baseball vernacular — inadvertently leading to fielders trying to make spectacular plays to watch themselves on the nightly highlight packages.
And we ate it up, even watching reruns at 2 in the morning. Olbermann, a baseball encyclopedia with a sense of humor, was the perfect host. Tim Kurkjian, a Hall of Fame baseball writer, gave quirky stats and told stories of the olden days It was the perfect mix of highlights, history, humor and stats.
But the network discontinued “Baseball Tonight” in 2017, the first sign of the eventual souring of the marriage. ESPN and MLB signed a new deal in 2021, renewing their vows but reducing the number of games.
Alas, all good things must come to an end, whether it’s ESPN televising baseball or the Yankees ditching their longstanding policy on facial hair It was a strong marriage for many years, and maybe this final season will bring out the best in both.
Thanks for the memories, ESPN.
OFFENSE
Continued from page 1C
its opening series. But those numbers only tell part of the story
The Tigers only allowed runs in just three innings against Omaha. Their starters — sophomore lefthander Kade Anderson, UC San Diego transfer and right-hander Anthony Eyanson and redshirt sophomore Chase Shores combined to give up just two earned runs in 161/3 innings.
“I would say we’re all pretty different, but I think us three being so close with one another just really helps us,” Eyanson said.
The bullpen had its first rocky outing in the seventh inning of Game 1 of the doubleheader, surrendering five runs after hitting two batters and allowing a walk and two hits, including a three-run home run.
But in the other 92/3 innings, the bullpen had just one unearned run and one hit while striking out 13.
A leadoff conundrum
LSU had a different leadoff hitter in each game of this weekend’s series.
Auburn transfer Chris Stanfield led off Friday’s game, as he had in the first four games, before Utah Valley transfer Daniel Dickinson held the role in Game 1 of the doubleheader and junior college transfer Tanner Reaves hit first in Game 2.
The results between the three were a mixed bag. Stanfield went 0-for-4 before getting relegated to the bench for Game 1 of the doubleheader Dickinson had a double and walked twice while Reaves didn’t have a hit but also walked twice and scored both times.
LSU never settled in on a leadoff hitter last year until the postseason when senior Michael Braswell reclaimed the spot after having it on opening day That could be the case again this year unless Johnson anoints Dickinson.
The second baseman has been one of LSU’s better hitters to start this year making him a worthy candidate even beyond his strong cameo on Saturday The question for Johnson is whether he believes LSU is better off having Dickinson provide protection behind junior Jared Jones or have him lead off. Why the pop ups For 11 innings this weekend, LSU’s offense had trouble finding hits, let alone scoring runs.
From the sixth inning of Friday’s game to the eighth inning of Game 1 Saturday, the Tigers went score-
Bregman also had a single in the first inning and a double off the fence in the fourth. The twotime All-Star signed a $120 million, three-year deal with Boston this month after spending the first nine years of his career with the Houston Astros.
The 30-year-old former LSU standout hit 260 with 26 homers last season and won his first Gold Glove at third base. His defensive position is in question with the Red Sox, but he was at the hot corner against the Blue Jays.
Texas Rangers
Prospect Rosario likely out for season with elbow injury: In Surprise, Ariz., Texas Rangers prospect Alejandro Rosario has an elbow injury that will likely cause the righthanded pitcher to miss the upcoming season. Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young told MLB. com on Sunday that Rosario likely needs Tommy John surgery
“He’s going to require surgery,” Young said. “As with all these things, we want to check the boxes and make sure we get multiple opinions. We don’t want to sit on this and not announce it when we know he’s going to be out, but we’re still figuring out the next steps.”
The 23-year-old is ranked the No. 50 overall prospect in baseball, according to MLB.com He played college ball at Miami and was selected in the fifth round of
Infielder Madrigal dislocates non-throwing shoulder in game vs. Nationals: In West Palm Beach, Fla., New York Mets infielder Nick Madrigal dislocated his non-throwing shoulder Sunday in a spring training game against the Washington Nationals.
Madrigal is fighting for a roster spot with the Mets, and it’s unclear how much time he’ll miss after the injury to his left shoulder The 27-year-old was playing shortstop and charged a grounder up the middle, firing to first base before falling to the grass.
He’ll undergo an MRI to determine the extent of the injury, according to MLB.com
Madrigal was the No 4 overall pick in the 2018 amateur draft and has played five seasons in the big leagues with the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs. He signed a one-year deal with the Mets in January after being nontendered by the Cubs.
Miami Marlins
Alcántara hits 99 mph in return to mound after missing 2024 season: In Port St. Lucie, Fla., Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcántara threw one scoreless inning against the New York Mets in a spring training game Sunday as he continues his comeback from elbow surgery that caused him to miss last season. The 29-year-old looked like his old self against the Mets, blowing a 99 mph fastball past Jose Siri for the final out of the first inning Alcántara threw 17 pitches and gave up one hit.
ON DECK
WHO: Nicholls State (5-2) at LSU (6-1) WHEN: 6 p.m. Monday
WHERE: Alex Box Stadium ONLINE: SEC Network+
RADIO: WDGL-FM, 98.1 (Baton Rouge); WWL-AM, 870 (New Orleans); KLWB-FM, 103.7 (Lafayette)
RANKINGS: LSU is No. 3 by D1Baseball; Nicholls is not ranked PROBABLE STARTERS: LSU — TBA; Omaha — TBA
PREGAME UPDATES: theadvocate. com/lsu
ON X (FORMERLY TWITTER): @KokiRiley
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: LSU will likely turn to junior right-hander Gavin Guidry or left-handed junior college transfer Conner Ware to start.Ware tossed three shutout innings last week vs. Southern, while Guidry hasn’t pitched yet. Nicholls heads into the matchup having swept Little Rock at home over the weekend.
Koki Riley
less, had only three hits and struck out 10 times. They were hitless through the first 72/3 innings of the first game Saturday “I thought (the offense) had pretty good mojo coming into the season, to be honest with you. Like (our pitchers) that aren’t giving up anything, like, we were taking pretty quality of bats off of them (during the preseason),” Johnson said “And we lost that for a good,
whatever you want to call it like 10 or 11 inning stretch of (this) series.”
There was one sequence during the first game of the doubleheader where LSU flew out or popped out in seven consecutive at bats. Johnson attributed those particular struggles to an undisciplined approach.
“We got out of getting in position to hit, getting in position to see the ball,” Johnson said, “and seeing the right part of the ball, attacking the right part of the ball. You know, expanding the zone too much.”
Defense continues to shine
LSU’s pitching staff has allowed its defense to fly under the radar to begin this season. But through seven games, the Tigers have committed just one error from a non-pitcher Their lone blemish came on a catcher’s interference call charged to Hernandez on opening day
The 88 strikeouts from the pitching staff through seven games has gone a long way toward minimizing potential mistakes in the field. But Omaha put the ball in play more often than Purdue Fort Wayne did, and the Tigers still made the routine play
“I played with (Milam) and (Braswell) every game last year So obviously we have great chemistry on the infield, and Danny’s a terrific guy over there in second base,” Jones said. “So we just are always communicating, always talking, and there’s just a lot of confidence on the infield.”
Email Koki Riley at Koki.Riley@theadvocate.com.
PHOTO By PATRICK DENNIS
LSU’s Luis Hernandez gets a standup double to score Jake Brown from second base in the fourth inning of a game against Omaha on Friday at Alex Box Stadium.
AP PHOTO By RICK SCUTERI
What’s
New
Orleans drama teacher creates a talk show by and for teens
ABY RACHEL MIPRO Contributing writer
nthony Bean, surrounded by play brochures, student pictures and awards, points to the motto that centers it all: “It’s more than a theater, it’s culture.”
Bean, a long-standing figure in the New Orleans dramatic arts landscape, just celebrated the second season of his teen TV talk show, a 12-segment initiative that began airing in January
”What’s Going On,” which is broadcast on My54-WUPL is Bean’s attempt to tackle in-depth discussions on issues impacting the city’s youth, such as systemic racism, mental health and local politics.
Teens from his community theater interview local community leaders and politicians during themed sessions such as “Issues and Challenges Faced by Black Teens,” and “Bearing the Brunt of the School-to-Prison Pipeline.”
Much of Bean’s work interweaves community engagement and acting, uplifting Black theater in a city often dominated by other voices
“It’s something I’m compelled to do,” Bean said of his work. “It’s almost like a religion, it’s like a ministry You introduce kids to themselves.”
Awards and accolades
Bean has been acknowledged periodically for his years of work in the community theater space, given awards such as the Theater Lifetime Achievement Award from Big Easy Entertainment Most recently, Bean won the 2024 WYES Celeste Seymour Judell Arts Award, an award given annually by WYES-TV to prominent figures in the local arts and drama scene. Bean founded his school, known
officially as the Anthony Bean Community Theater and Acting School, in 2000 He’s been kept busy in the years since with coaching actors, producing plays and teaching, juggling all of these ventures on a tight budget. Sitting at a table in his Tchoupitoulas Street studio, Bean talked about the art of coaching young Black actors. Bean’s teaching style, as he describes it, ties emotion with the Stanislavski method,
Annual alcohol-free challenge offers resources
BY MOLLY KIMBALL
screenings in New Orleans, Covington, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Shreveport, and Monroe. If you’re not nearby, you can still take part in the challenge on your own and join the
What is the ‘Shoutlet’ device?
The “Shoutlet” is a new revolutionary suppression device/ pillow that allows the person to scream, yell or even cry into the pillow without disturbing others.
It is not uncommon for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease to shout, yell or vocalize during various stages of the condition. Pain, hunger restlessness, anxiety, loneliness, depression or even external factors could be some of the underlying causes that trigger such behavioral challenges. Often, the yelling may just come from an unmet need to communicate something to others. Further, yelling can be a self-soothing and/or coping mechanism for the affected individual.
In helping the person with Alzheimer’s disease to remain calm and to halt the shouting, albeit sometimes temporarily, it is helpful to establish a structured, daily routine, provide meaningful activities, create a calming environment, and above all, offer reassurance to the individual.
Agitation and aggression can be triggers to yelling and screaming, and taking a step back and demonstrating calmness can assist in calming and reassuring the affected individual. It is helpful to stop and slow down and truly listen to the individual, even if it does not make sense. Try not to correct or admonish as this will only “fuel the fire” and perhaps accelerate the yelling and screaming. Redirecting and validating the feelings of the individual can calm him down, giving time for the caregiver to understand the reasons behind the yelling behaviors. Fostering respectful dialogue and entering the affected individual’s reality during yelling episodes promotes a muchneeded connection between the caregiver and the affected individual and gives that individual the dignity he deserves. Using these practices may be effective in diverting or pausing the screaming behaviors. Another alternative, and something tangible to try is the new device/pillow, called the “Shoutlet,” which provides a safe, convenient and effective way to convert negative emotions and promote inner balance. According to the company’s website, the benefits of using the “Shoutlet” include: a reduction of acute stress levels, improvement of sleep quality, promotion of relaxation, comfort and support, assistance in gaining mental and emotional clarity, and improved heart and lung strength. Screaming into a pillow has always been a way to express and release strong emotions like anger or frustration without disturbing others. The “Shoutlet” is lightweight and handy and it is not as large as a regular bed pillow, for instance. It is compact and measures 8.5” (l) x 6” (w) x 3” (depth), weighs about 6 ounces,
See DEVICE, page 2D
PHOTOS By JEFF STROUT
Anthony Bean is surrounded by his students, including Jordan Bates, Edward Francois IV Lourian Jiles, Rori George, Angel West, Floyd Bean, Bryn Ayers, Niyko Square.
Students at the Anthony Bean Theater work on a scene from ‘Romeo and Juliet.’
Is there a link between prediabetes, pancreatic cancer?
Dear Doctors: I just learned I have prediabetes. I also learned that a lot of people with pancreatic cancer have trouble with blood sugar control. A connection between prediabetes and pancreatic cancer is really scary, and I would like to know more.
Dear Reader: While cancer of the pancreas is the 10th most common cancer, it is the third most common cause of cancer deaths. This is because noticeable symptoms of this cancer often appear only once the disease is quite advanced, when it has spread to other areas of the body Diabetes, by contrast, has become so common and widespread that it is considered to be a national epidemic It is estimated that at least 40 million people over the age of 18 are living with
By The Associated Press
Today is Monday, Feb. 24, the 55th day of 2025. There are 310 days left in the year
Today in history
On Feb. 24, 1868, the U.S House of Representatives impeached President Andrew Johnson by a vote of 126-47 following his attempted dismissal of Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton; Johnson was later acquitted by the Senate by a single vote.
On this date:
In 1803, in its landmark Marbury v. Madison decision, the U.S. Supreme Court established judicial review of the constitutionality of laws and statutes.
TALK SHOW
Continued from page 1D
an acting style that emphasizes authenticity and emotional depth.
“They go backward, right into the cusp of what happened, the climax,” Bean said of his students’ approach to acting. “They go to the dramatic, the gut, the punch.”
After observing his students’ learning style, Bean decided to tailor his teaching to an approach that centers on the emotional heart of each play
“I find that my kids are not only receptive to my approach, but they do more with their character,” Bean said. “They’re freer, because I gave them the opportunity to ride on their emotions.”
‘He builds characters’ While he scouts for a more expansive school space, he’s working out of relatively tight quarters — his own renovated home on Tchoupitoulas Street Uptown. When Hurricane Ida caved in the roof Bean decided to knock down the walls of the house and turn the space into a studio with classrooms.
Utilizing this space and sourcing other venues to perform, Bean and four staff members work with about 42 students during the school year, with additional staff added during the summer to accommodate approximately 100 students.
Seventeen-year-old Jordan Bates has been one of Bean’s students for about 10 years.
“We don’t only learn acting here, we learn how to love ourselves and how important it is to know your history as an African American,” Bates said “He doesn’t just train actors, he builds characters.” Bates, who plans on continuing a career in the dramatic arts, highlighted the importance of having a diverse space to grow and learn.
“Where else would I go?”
Bates questioned. “There’s nowhere else I can go and I’ll be a lead or a supporting character or even have any
DEVICE
Continued from page 1D
Dr. Elizabeth Ko Dr Eve Glazier ASK THE DOCTORS
diabetes in the United States. That’s close to 15% of adults. Another 100 million people in the U.S. share your diagnosis of prediabetes. Also known as impaired glucose tolerance, it is a condition in which chronically elevated blood sugar levels are approaching the diabetes benchmark. All of this makes the possible correlation between poor blood glucose and pancreatic cancer that you are
TODAY IN HISTORY
In 1942, the SS Struma, a charter ship carrying nearly 800 Jewish refugees from Romania to British-mandated Palestine, was torpedoed by a Soviet submarine in the Black Sea; all but one of the refugees died. In 1988, in a ruling that expanded legal protections for parody and satire, the Supreme Court unanimously overturned a $200,000 award that the Rev Jerry Falwell had won against Hustler magazine and its publisher, Larry Flynt. In 1991, the United States began ground operations in the Gulf War by entering Iraqi-held Kuwait. In 2008, Cuba’s parliament named Raul Castro presi-
type of say-so creatively.”
Bates added: “I feel like if I go anywhere else, I will not be appreciated the way I am here.”
‘So many creative choices’
For Bean’s nephew and adopted son, Floyd Bean, the theater provides plenty of creative choices, as well as a welcoming atmosphere. Floyd got involved at the age of 7.
“There’s so many choices to choose from and the staff and everyone who’s working with the children, that’s family,” Floyd Bean Jr. said Fifteen-year-old student Rori George has discovered a love of behind-the-scenes work like directing actors, over about a year of working with the studio.
“This is one of my favorite places to be,” George said. “You get to have so many creative choices.”
Write a better one?
Bean’s own journey to acting began at a similarly young age, when he was in junior high at Joseph S. Clark High School in the 7th Ward. Bean followed a girl he liked into the drama club. He felt the play the club was working on, “The Christmas Spirit,” wasn’t relevant to his experience as a Black kid in New Orleans.
When Bean expressed this thought, his teacher challenged him, telling him to write a better one if he thought he could do it. He sat down and wrote his first play, a play he styled, “I Ain’t Dreaming of No White Christmas.”
“I can’t really say I wanted this girl,” Bean said, turning reflective. “I wanted to be something. I wasn’t good at sports.”
He reminisced about trying out for sports. Assuming the audition would include meeting with the coach, he tried out for basketball in a suit.
‘They laughed me off the court and of course, I was wounded. I was really trying to find myself,” Bean said.
Bean’s play proved popular with his classmates, sparking his lifelong interest in theater In 1973, at 17, Bean start-
asking about quite concerning. The pancreas is a spongy, glandular organ about 6 to 8 inches long. Shaped like a sideways comma, it sits deep within the abdomen, surrounded by the liver, stomach, small intestine and spleen. The two main jobs of the pancreas are to aid in digestion and help with blood sugar regulation. It does the latter by producing insulin, the hormone essential to moving glucose from the blood into the cells. It is here that a possible link between diabetes and pancreatic cancer comes into play When blood sugar levels rise, the beta cells of the pancreas send out insulin. If blood sugar is chronically high, as in diabetes, the pancreas is forced into overdrive. The data show that up to 80% of people who are diagnosed with
dent, ending nearly 50 years of rule by his brother Fidel. In 2022, Russia began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, launching airstrikes on cities and military bases and sending troops and tanks from multiple directions. Today’s birthdays: Actor Dominic Chianese is 94. Nike cofounder Phil Knight is 87. Actor Barry Bostwick is 80. Actor Edward James Olmos is 78. Musician George Thorogood is 75. Baseball Hall of Famer Eddie Murray is 69. Actor Billy Zane is 59. Boxing Hall of Famer Floyd Mayweather Jr is 48. Tennis Hall of Famer Lleyton Hewitt is 44. Actor Daniel Kaluuya is 36.
ed the Ethiopian Theater in New Orleans.
“We learned as we went, it was on-the-job training,” Bean said. “I read every book there was on acting and approached acting directly I had people come in to help us build sets. Then my older brother got involved, and we had a full-fledged theater company.”
‘I kept getting tugged to come back home’
Bean studied drama communications at the University of New Orleans, and credits his own mentors in drama, like Ted Gilliam, who founded The Dashiki Project Theatre, and Pat McGuire Hill, a former teacher But Bean also stressed the importance of self-knowledge and self-tutelage, along with continual practice, in shaping his craft.
Bean went to Los Angeles in 1985 to pursue acting, where he said he taught drama, auditioned and hosted some award shows, and stayed, “just involved in the theater scene, or lack thereof. It was really, really boring, but I was trying to do my thing.”
Ten years later, feeling the call of home, Bean returned to New Orleans.
“I kept getting tugged to come back home,” Bean said. “I knew there’s a big void whenever I visited. A void in our kids, in something for our teens to do.”
Today, Bean is still advocating for more investment in New Orleans’ youths, working with few grants and a tight budget Bean described the importance of uplifting these voices through the arts and stressed the need for more targeted funding.
“They have to know that not only do we care, but that we’re willing to invest. Everything is possible if you throw money at it,” Bean said. “We don’t invest in our youth They say midnight basketball, they say this and that, we need to invest more in our youth.”
Contact Rachel Mipro at rachelmipro1234@gmail. com.
is made of canvas and vegan suede, has a hypoallergenic foam core, and is machine washable. The pillow sells for $30. For more information about the “Shoutlet” pillow, visit www.theshoutlet.com. Dana Territo is an Alzheimer’s advocate and author of “What My Grandchildren Taught Me About Alzheimer’s Disease.” She hosts “The Memory Whisperer.” Email her at thememorywhisperer@ gmail.com.
pancreatic cancer have either recently developed Type 2 diabetes or have prediabetes. There is also evidence that long-term diabetes is a risk factor for this type of cancer Whether or not this indicates a direct connection between the two diseases is not yet clear
One idea that is being explored is that a new diagnosis of diabetes, also known as new-onset diabetes, may be a symptom of pancreatic cancer Another potential explanation is that the presence of the cancer itself may have an adverse effect on mechanisms involved in blood glucose control. Even without a direct connection to pancreatic cancer, the chronically high blood sugar you have been diagnosed with should be addressed. Data collected by the American Diabetes Associa-
tion show that 70% of people living with prediabetes eventually go on to develop Type 2 diabetes. Chronic prediabetes is also associated with early forms of kidney disease, damage to the retina, neuropathy and an increased risk of certain types of vascular disease. The good news is that with proper diet, regular exercise and reaching a healthful weight, prediabetes can be reversed. Please be sure to follow the treatment plan that your doctor has provided.
Send your questions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla. edu, or write: Ask the Doctors, c/o UCLA Health Sciences Media Relations, 10880 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1450, Los Angeles, CA, 90024.
Help! My dinner guests just aren’t nosy enough!
two on the coffee table.
Dear Miss Manners: I love scrapbooking and physical photo albums, and I have several proudly displayed on a shelf in my living room. We love to entertain, and while guests usually see the albums on the shelf, they rarely ask about them and almost never pull them down to look through!
Judith Martin MISS MANNERS
The albums contain photos of family and friends through the years, and I’d love to share them. I don’t want to commit the faux pas of forcing photo albums on others, but would it be OK for me to strategically place one on my coffee table, to subtly encourage folks to look through it?
Gentle reader: This is the lower-tech version of passing around your telephone, or, before that, showing home movies of your children’s birthday parties and family vacations. Usually, people only tolerate this in hopes of showing their own pictures But while Miss Manners believes you should let this notion go, she will do her duty to help you. Sure, leave an album or
But it is not as though your living room is a waiting room, where people will grab anything, even old medical journals, to read. What you can do is tell an amusing story about one of your friends or relatives, and then ask, “Would you like to see a picture?” Your guests can hardly say no. When you open the album to the person mentioned, you can then hand it to your guest, who may or may not look more into it.
Just please promise that you will take the album back as soon as they try to return it.
Dear Miss Manners: I was taught by my mother that when one is being toasted, one doesn’t take a sip, as that’s rather like tooting one’s own horn.
When my spouse and I celebrated an anniversary with a party, the guests toasted us with Champagne. When I didn’t sip, one of the guests asked me why, implying that my marriage wasn’t something I wanted celebrated. YIKES! My choices were to “cor-
rect” the guest not one of my children — or leave the impression that my marriage was less than toast-worthy Neither option appealed. How would Miss Manners have handled the situation? Or was my mother wrong all those years ago?
Gentle reader: No, your mother was right; you should not drink to yourselves. This should be obligatory information given to couples applying for marriage licenses, because not everyone is lucky enough to have such a knowledgeable mother Miss Manners does not care for the snippy remark you received, even if meant as a joke. The way to head off such comments is to immediately say, “And we would like to toast our dear friends,” thus enabling you to take a legitimate sip.
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.
Cleaning spider residue off dock
Dear Heloise: I live in a waterfront home on a lake, and I have a large dock on the water During the summer, we get hundreds of spiders on the ceiling and walls of the structure. Where there are spiders, there’s poop and black spots that are difficult to remove. But no more! I mix 1 3 cup of ammonia and 2⁄3 cup of water in a spray bottle. As soon as the spray hits the poop, it dissolves. Then I just spray it again with a hose, and it’s clean as ever! Same goes for the rascals who are pooping on my boat! Thank you for all your great advice over the years. — Susan on Lake Anna, in Orange,Virginia Petroleum jelly uses
worked as an auto detailer when I was teenager, I’ve always paid attention to products on the market to make detailing easier and make my car look even more beautiful.
I read a letter in your column where a reader contacted a company about using a ceramic cleaner that was intended for cooktops, but the company advised against using it on dishware and other items.
apply and does not leave any white residue like other stovetop cleaners and waxes. It also helps not to have 10 different types of cleaners in your cupboards.
I enjoy your column very much and have far too many tips to share, but this is one of my favorites. — Robert L.B., in Vermont
Skincare routines
Dear Heloise: Earlier today, my handyman told me that when I replace a light bulb, I should rub a little petroleum jelly on the threads to make it easier to install and remove. I also found this useful for nail polish bottles where the cap is difficult to remove. — Diane W., Hillsboro, Oregon Ceramic wax cleaner
Dear Heloise: Having
CHALLENGE
Continued from page 1D
For the past three or four years, I’ve been using a newer product that is a ceramic wax for your vehicle and leads to a nice waterrepellent finish that shines like crazy While I wouldn’t use it on dishes, I have used it on everything in my house and all of my sinks. Stainless steel appliances, countertops, my glass range top, and even my fiberglass stall shower and molded bathtub. A word of caution: Never use it on any floors, or you’ll be skating around like Dorothy Hamill! But it even works on windows without leaving streaks. There really are endless uses for this product. It is extremely easy to
Dear Heloise: As a dermatologist, I see a lot of people who are careless about keeping their skin clean. Don’t use an oil or a face cream to remove anything but the most difficult eye makeup. Otherwise, just use mild soap and water, and wash your face only using the pads of your fingers in a gentle, circular motion. Rinse well. (Don’t use a washcloth or anything abrasive on your face.) Your skin needs water Pat your face dry, and while your skin is still in a dewy state, use moisturizer that is suited to your skin type. Don’t forget your neck when applying the moisturizer — A., in Los Angeles
Send a hint to heloise@ heloise.com.
Hints from Heloise
PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Keep your life simple and moderate by using reason and sticking to a budget you can handle. Put more muscle behind what you want to achieve, embrace challenges that offer stability and take care of your needs.
ARIES (March 21-April 19) An open discussion will help ward off misunderstandings. Speak from the heart, offer alternatives and be willing to compromise. Be the force behind positive decisions and outcomes.
tAuRuS (April 20-May 20) Put your time and energy into getting ahead at home and at work. Refuse to let anger slow you down or hold you back. Choose progress over discord, and you'll surpass your expectations.
GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Set boundaries and limit your spending, intake and promises. A reasonable pace and wellthought-out plans will help you bypass temptation. Put your effort where it will do you some good. Learn something new.
CAnCER (June 21-July 22) Put your energy into something worthwhile. Upgrade your skills, qualifications and anything that will help you get ahead. However, say no to conflict or spontaneous spending.
LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Pay attention, and you'll be privy to information that can help you advance. Short-term offers should be looked at with skepticism. Put your energy where it brings the highest returns.
VIRGo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Time is on your side. Plan and execute your actions with precision. Set the stage for a better future, and network with those who can introduce you to the right people.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-oct. 23) Set aside time for the people and pastimes you enjoy. Refuse to let anger cost you. Do what works best for you and allow others the same privilege. Learn from experience.
SCoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Set your sights on what you want to achieve, and get started. Incorporate positive change into your life, establish what you want and proceed to get things done.
SAGIttARIuS (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Keep track of your spending, investments and livelihood. Someone will interfere if you aren't astute and constantly tracking what's changing around you.
CAPRICoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) A change to your surroundings will be uplifting. Make your space more affordable, efficient and comfortable. Discipline, hard work and finishing what you start will pay off handsomely
AQuARIuS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Updating your mindset, appearance or skills will help you stay ahead of any competition. If you snooze, you'll lose; don't lose sight of your goal. Choose self-improvement over criticizing others.
The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2025 by nEa, inc., dist. By andrews mcmeel syndication
FAMILY CIrCUS
Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.
toDAy'S CLuE: Z EQuALS F
CeLebrItY CIpher
For better or For WorSe
SALLY Forth
beetLe bAILeY
Mother GooSe And GrIMM
LAGoon
Sudoku
InstructIons: sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once The difficulty level of the sudoku increases from monday to sunday.
Saturday’s Puzzle Answer
THe wiZard oF id
BLondie
BaBY BLueS
Hi and LoiS
By PHILLIP ALDER Bridge
Dr. Seuss, whose real name was Theodor Seuss Geisel, wrote, “Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!” In bridge, we think left and right when considering our opponents. We think low and high when deciding which card to lead from a given holding (or whether to play low or high when following suit). This week, let’s look at the single most important rule for defenders: When you lead from length, if you lead a low card, you guarantee an honor in that suit; without an honor, lead an unnecessarily high card. (There is one clear exception to that rule, which we will look at later this week.)
Today’s deal provides a good example. What should West lead against three notrump?
The auction is simple and quantitative.
West should lead the spade eight, the high card denying an honor in the suit. Then how should East defend?
Can the eight be fourth-highest from length and strength? Apply the Rule of Eleven. Eight from 11 is three, but East can see four spades higher than the eight on the board and in his hand. So, the eight must be top of nothing. And since South hasthespadekingandjack,itispointless to plug away at that suit. Instead, East should win the first trick with his spade aceandshifttotheclubqueen.Here,that works well, netting the first five tricks for the defenders. Always read partner’s lead, deciding what he has led from; in particular, is he weak or strong in that suit? © 2025 by nEa, inc., dist. By andrews mcmeel syndication
Each Wuzzle is a word riddle which creates a disguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: nOOn gOOD = gOOD aFTErnOOn
Previous answers:
InStRuCtIonS: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,”
toDAy’S WoRD EDItoR: ED-ih-ter: Someone who prepares literary material for publication, especially as an occupation. Average mark 21 words Time
SAtuRDAy’S WoRD — HAPPIESt
loCKhorNs
Don’t
Jesus. G.E. Dean
marmaduKe
Bizarro
hagar the horriBle
Pearls Before swiNe
garfield
B.C.
PiCKles
hidato
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.
Saturday’s Puzzle Answer
ken ken
InstructIons: 1 Each row and each column must contain the numbers 1 thorugh 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. HErE is a
WiShinG Well
Scrabble GramS
roSe
