The Acadiana Advocate 02-28-2025

‘You can feel the energy’

Lafayette officials celebrate reopening of Brown Park after $16 million in improvements

Stakeholders gather on the field for a ribbon-cutting and grand reopening celebration for Brown

expanded park includes a new playground, practice T-ball/Little League field, extended

BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer

This spring, children will again be able to play baseball on tournament-level

fields at Brown Park in north Lafayette Lafayette city-parish officials cut the ribbon Thursday, reopening the improved park with four new baseball fields that can also be used for softball, new dugouts and bleachers, a new concession stand and new playground equipment

“This park is beautiful,” Mayor-President Monique Boulet said. You can feel

the energy here today, the positive energy of growth.”

Brown Park, located on Pont des Mouton Road next to the Dupuis Recreation Center was a neighborhood park where kids played youth baseball and pickup basketball games, and residents walked their dogs.

In December 2022, former MayorPresident Josh Guillory announced plans to spend $12 million to convert it into a tournament-worthy super baseball and softball park that would attract visitors from across the state and region and ri-

Landry vows to find funding for domestic violence shelters

BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writer

Gov Jeff Landry has promised to work with the Legislature to find a consistent source of funding for domestic violence shelters, after critics pointed out that his proposed budget did not include $7 million that has helped expand domestic violence victim services in Louisiana for the past two years.

“Throughout my years as an elected official, I have never wavered in my support of domestic violence services. They are necessary, lifesaving, and essential, and must be treated as such,” Landry said in a statement last week “That is why I am committed to working with the Legislature to ensure there is a higher funding base for these services, and that it remains permanently in our budget, rather than as one-time funding.”

ä See SHELTERS, page 7A

State pushes measles vaccine

Outbreak in Texas has killed one child

BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer

As neighboring Texas faces a growing measles outbreak that killed an unvaccinated child Tuesday night, two top Louisiana officials who are physicians are encouraging residents to get vaccinated against the disease.

Republican U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy a gastroenterologist from Baton Rouge who worked on hepatitis B vaccination efforts before entering politics, noted in a social media post Tuesday that a measles alert was issued in San Antonio, east of where the outbreak originated. In a press call, Cassidy said the measles outbreak “is moving across the I-10, and it’s now in San Antonio, which means it’s moving to us.”

“By golly, if it’s coming down the I-10, it’s gonna be in Houston, it’s gonna be in Lake Charles,” he said “It’s gonna be in Laffy and Baton Rouge, and then it’s gonna go up the I-49 to Shreveport.”

Louisiana Surgeon General Ralph Abraham, also a physician, said in a social media post Tuesday the Louisiana Department of Health “is on alert and ready to respond if the virus spreads to Louisiana.”

val sports complexes in Youngsville and Broussard.

Nearby residents and some officials were caught off guard in September 2023 to discover existing baseball fields, bleachers and other amenities had been razed and the park was off limits to kids and adults for construction. After Boulet defeated Guillory and took over as mayor-president in January 2024, she vowed to return it to a neighborhood park, adding into the design a walking

ä See ENERGY, page 5A

“The measles vaccine (known as MMR) has proven to be safe and effective, and I recommend it to my patients,” he said. “Adults and children should consider getting the vaccine if they haven’t already received it. Be sure to talk to your doctor before making that decision.”

The MMR vaccine is the best way to protect against measles and is generally recommended for children and adults, said Health Department spokesperson Emma

ä See MEASLES, page 7A

Mystery surrounds death of actor Hackman, wife

Bodies discovered in Santa Fe home of Oscar winner

Denise Avila, a sheriff’s office spokesperson, said there was no indication they had been shot or had any wounds.

The New Mexico Gas Co. tested the gas lines in and around the home after the bodies were discovered, according to the warrant. At the time, it didn’t find any signs of problems and the Fire Department found no signs of a carbon monoxide leak or poisoning A detective wrote that there were no obvious signs of a gas leak, but he noted that people exposed to gas leaks or carbon monoxide might not show signs of poisoning.

The gruff but beloved Hackman was among the most accomplished actors of his generation, appearing as villains, heroes and antiheroes in dozens of dramas, comedies and action films from the 1960s until his retirement in the early 2000s.

“He was loved and admired by millions around the world for his

See

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

Actor Gene Hackman arrives with his wife, Betsy Arakawa, for the 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., in 2003. ä

HACKMAN, page 7A

STAFF PHOTOS By BRAD BOWIE

Park on Thursday. The newly

walking path, dog parks and more.

Lafayette Parish Mayor-President Monique Boulet joins others for a ribbon-cutting and grand reopening celebration for Brown Park on Thursday

Miss. Senate passes redistricting of 10 seats

Voters from 10 Senate districts in Mississippi will have to redecide in November special elections who should represent them in Jackson, pending court approval, under a resolution the Senate approved on Wednesday

The chamber passed the plan 33-16. Two Democrats joined with the GOP majority to support the plan, while three Republicans joined with the Democratic minority to oppose it.

Even though voters just elected members of the Legislature in 2023, the 10 races will be held again because a three-judge federal panel determined last year that the Legislature did not create enough Black-majority districts when it redrew its districts.

The panel ordered the state to redraw the districts and create a new majority-Black district in the DeSoto County area in the Forrest County area.

Senate Rules Committee

Chairman Dean Kirby, R-Pearl, told senators that the newly redrawn map complies with federal law and will allow Black voters in the two areas to elect a candidate of their choice

“It’s not a partisan ordeal,” Kirby said. “We have a court order, and we’re going to comply.”

The map creates one new majority-Black district each in DeSoto County and Forrest County, with no incumbent senator in either district. To account for this, the plan also pits two pairs of incumbents against one another in newly redrawn districts.

The proposal puts Sen. Michael McLendon R-Hernando who is White and Sen. Reginald Jackson, D-Marks, who is Black, in the same district. The redrawn District 1 contains a Black voting-age population of 52.4%.

McLendon spoke against the proposal, arguing the process was not transparent and it was not fair to the city of Hernando, his home city.

“I don’t want to be pushed out of here,” McLendon said

The House earlier in the session approved a plan that redrew five districts in north Mississippi and made the House district in Chickasaw County a majority-Black district. Under the legislation, the qualifying period for new elections would run from May 19 to May 30. The primary election will be held on Aug. 5, with a potential primary runoff on Sept 2 and the general election on Nov 4. Bezos to launch fiancée, Perry, King into space

Blue Origin owner Jeff Bezos plans to launch an all-female crew into space that includes pop star Katy Perry, journalist Gayle King and his fiancée, Lauren Sánchez.

Also aboard the New Shepard rocket will be former NASA scientists Aisha Bowe and Amanda Nguyen, along with film producer Kerianne Flynn. The flight is scheduled to take off some time this spring, Blue Origin announced in a press release.

Sánchez, a news reporter, author and actor, has worked closely with Bezos on many projects over the course of their near seven-year relationship. She’s also a licensed pilot who founded Black Ops Aviation, the first female-owned aerial film and production company

She and the billionaire Amazon founder have been engaged since May 2023, though no wedding date has been announced Bezos, who also owns The Washington Post, founded Blue Origin in 2000 The company completed its first mannedmission into sub-orbital space in 2021, with Bezos himself onboard

Suspect

in Tesla

BY COLLEEN SLEVIN Associated Press

Pope continues to improve

Vatican says prognosis remains guarded

BY NICOLE WINFIELD and SILVIA STELLACCI Associated Press

ROME Pope Francis continued to improve from double pneumonia Thursday the Vatican said, working from his hospital room and going to his private chapel to pray, though doctors said he needs more days of “clinical stability” before they revise their guarded prognosis.

The 88-year-old pope, who had part of one lung removed as a young man, was able to begin alternating high-flow supplemental oxygen, delivered by a nasal tube, with a mask in a sign of his improved respiratory condition, the Vatican said in a late update.

For the second day in a row, doc-

tors avoided saying Francis was in critical condition. But they said that given the complexity of his lung infection, “further days of clinical stability are needed” before they revise their prognosis and decide he is out of danger

Francis has been in Rome’s Gemelli hospital since Feb. 14 after a bout of bronchitis worsened.

He has shown steady, albeit slight improvements since a respiratory crisis and kidney trouble over the weekend sparked fears for his life. The improvements, as he nears the two-week mark on Friday, beat back speculation of an imminent death, resignation or conclave and signaled that he was still very much in charge. Nevertheless, his near-term upcoming calendar of events was

being changed: The Vatican cancelled a Holy Year audience scheduled for Saturday, and it remained to be seen if Francis would skip his Sunday noon blessing for the third week in a row Longer term, Ash Wednesday loomed on the horizon March 5, the start of the church’s Lenten season leading up to Holy Week and Easter which this year falls on April 20. In past years, when Francis has battled bronchitis and influenza in winter, he has had to cut back his participation in Ash Wednesday and Holy Week events, which call for the pope to be outdoors in the cold leading services, participating in processions and presiding over prayers in the solemn period in which the faithful commemorate Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. Beyond that, Francis has a few major events coming up that he

Iowa OKs bill removing gender identity protections

BY HANNAH FINGERHUT Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa lawmakers became the first in the nation to approve legislation removing gender identity protections from the state’s civil rights code Thursday, despite massive protests by opponents who say it could expose transgender people to discrimination in numerous areas of life.

The measure raced through the legislative process after first being introduced last week. The state Senate was first to approve the bill on Thursday, on party lines, followed by the House less than an hour later Five House Republicans joined all Democrats in voting against it.

The bill would remove gender identity as a protected class from the state’s civil rights law and explicitly define female and male, as well as gender, which would be considered a synonym for sex and “shall not be considered a synonym or shorthand expression for gender identity, experienced gender, gender expression, or gender role.”

The measure would be the first legislative action in the U.S. to remove nondiscrimination protections based on gender identity said Logan Casey director of policy research at the Movement Advancement Project, an LGBTQ+ rights think tank

The bill now goes to Republican Gov Kim Reynolds, who signed earlier policies banning sports participation and public bathroom access for transgender students If she signs the bill, it will go into effect on July 1.

Hundreds of LGBTQ+ advocates streamed into the Capitol rotunda on Thursday There was a heavy police presence, with state troopers stationed around the rotunda. Of the 167 people who signed up to testify at a 90-minute public hearing before a House committee, all but 24 were opposed to the bill. Protesters who watched the vote from the House gallery loudly booed and shouted “Shame!” as the chamber ad-

journed. Many admonished Iowa state Rep. Steven Holt, who floor managed the bill and delivered a fierce defense of it before it passed.

Supporters of the change say the current law incorrectly codified the idea that people can transition to another gender and granted transgender women access to spaces such as bathrooms, locker rooms and sports teams that should be protected for people who were assigned female at birth. Holt said the inclusion of gender identity in the civil rights codes threatens recent “commonsense” laws to ban transgender participation in sports and access to bathrooms.

“The legislature of Iowa for the future of our children and our culture has a vested interest and solemn responsibility to stand up for immutable truth,” Holt said.

Sexual orientation and gender identity were not originally included in the state’s Civil Rights Act of 1965. They were added by the Democratic-controlled Legislature in 2007, also with the support of about a dozen Republicans across the two chambers.

Iowa state Rep. Aime Wichtendahl was the last Democrat to speak out Thursday against the bill removing those protections, becoming emotional as she offered her story as a transgender woman, saying: “I transitioned to save my life.”

“The purpose of this bill and the purpose of every anti-trans bill is to further erase us from public life and to stigmatize our existence,” Wichtendahl said.

“The sum total of every anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ bill is to make our existence illegal.”

Iowa’s Supreme Court has expressly rejected the argument that discrimination based on sex includes discrimination based on gender identity

Several Republican-led legislatures are pushing to enact more laws this year creating legal definitions of male and female based on the reproductive organs at birth following an executive order from President Donald Trump.

dealership vandalism charged in federal court

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ently

incendiary devices” and materials used in vandalism According to the federal criminal charges filed against Nelson, she is suspected of

included

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presumably would hope to keep if well enough. On April 27, he is due to canonize Carlo Acutis, considered to be the first millennial and digital-era saint. The Vatican considers the Italian teenager, who died of leukemia in 2006 at the age of 15, as an inspiring role model for today’s young Catholics. Another important appointment is the May 24 commemoration of the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicea, Christianity’s first ecumenical council. The spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians, Patriarch Bartholomew I, has invited Francis to join him in what is today’s Iznik, Turkey to commemorate the anniversary, which he has called an important sign of reconciliation between the Catholic and Orthodox churches. Before he got sick, Francis said he hoped to go, though the Vatican hasn’t confirmed the trip.

Menendez family criticizes L.A. DA

BY JAIMIE DING Associated Press

LOS ANGELES Cousins of Erik and Lyle Menendez spoke out Thursday criticizing the Los Angeles district attorney’s recent decision to oppose a new trial for Lyle and Erik Menendez, who have spent nearly 30 years in prison for the 1989 killing of their parents.

The Menendez cousins applauded California Gov Gavin Newsom for his decision a day earlier to order the state parole board to investigate whether the brothers would pose a risk to the public if they are released, the first step for the governor to eventually decide whether or not to grant clemency

The brothers, 18 and 21 at the time, were found guilty in the murders of their mother, Kitty Menendez, and entertainment executive father, Jose, and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

They began their latest bid for freedom in recent years after their attorneys said new evidence emerged about their father’s sexual abuse, and with the support of most of

their extended family In a lengthy press conference last week, District Attorney Nathan Hochman cast doubt on the new evidence of sexual abuse and characterized the brothers’ own testimony of sexual abuse as untrustworthy because they had told five different explanations for why they committed the murder Anamarie Baralt, Jose Menendez’s niece, called Hochman’s decision “extra hurtful” to the family after they had met with his office weeks prior to share their experiences.

“It ignores how far we have come in recognizing the long-term effects of abuse and the systemic barriers that keep victims silent,” Baralt said. “The expectation that victims should have immediately disclosed their abuse ignores the reality of trauma.” Baralt said their relationship with the current administration was different than theirs with the previous district attorney George Gascón, and questioned whether Hochman’s decision took into account current knowledge of trauma.

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by

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showed a small fire on the ground near vehicles. The dealership estimated that several incidents of vandalism over the course of about a month caused between $5,000 and $20,000 in damages, with an estimated $5,000 in damage to the vehicles

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CHARLIE NEIBERGALL

Protesters fi

End of war can’t award ‘aggressor,’ U.K.’s Starmer says

Trump says talks to end invasion of Ukraine are ‘very well advanced’

BY JILL LAWLESS and AAMER MADHANI Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump said Thursday that talks to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are “very well advanced” but cautioned that there is only a narrow window to get a deal done to end the grinding war

Trump made the comments as he hosted Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the White House for talks in which the British premier made his case that American leadership would be critical to maintaining the peace in Ukraine should the three-year war end.

Trump also expressed confidence that Russian President Vladimir Putin won’t press to restart the war if a truce can be reached.

“I think he’ll keep his word,” Trump said of Putin “I’ve spoken to him, I’ve known him for a long time now, we had to go through the Russian hoax together.”

The mention of “Russia hoax” is a reference to the FBI and Justice Department special counsel investigation that examined whether

Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign illegally coordinated with Russia to sway the outcome of the U.S. election.

Special counsel Robert Mueller found that although the Trump campaign welcomed Russia’s help in the form of the release of hacked emails stolen from Democrats, there was insufficient evidence to prove that the campaign had colluded with Moscow Starmer’s trip, coming a few days after French President Emmanuel Macron’s

own visit to Trump, reflects the mounting concern felt by much of Europe that Trump’s aggressive push to find an end to the war signals his willingness to concede too much to Putin.

Trump’s rapprochement with Russia has unsettled America’s historic allies in Europe. They have found themselves on their heels with Trump returning to the White House with a determination to dramatically make over U.S. foreign policy to correspond with his “Amer-

ica First” world view

The Trump administration held talks last week with Russia without Ukrainian or other European allies represented. And this week, the U.S refused to sign on to resolutions at the United Nations blaming Russia for the war, which began three years ago when Moscow invaded. The drifting White House view of Ukraine under Trump is leading to a tectonic shift in transatlantic relations.

Starmer on Thursday fol-

lowing private talks with Trump applauded his push to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but said that “it can’t be peace that rewards the aggressor.”

“History must be on the side of the peacemaker, not the invader,” Starmer told reporters, with Trump by his side.

The White House is pushing back on the notion that Trump is ignoring Europe or is too eager in his push for settlement talks with Putin.

“He hasn’t conceded anything to anyone,” Vice President JD Vance said. “He’s doing the job of a diplomat.”

At a White House meeting Friday, Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr

Zelenskyy are expected to sign off on a contentious agreement that would give the U.S. access to Ukraine’s critical minerals, which are used in the aerospace, defense and nuclear industries. Zelenskyy had chafed at a deal without specific security guarantees from Washington.

Trump was noncommittal about any coming American security guarantees, and underscored that Russia would think twice about attacking Ukraine should the U.S. build an economic footprint in Ukraine to extract critical minerals

“We are a backstop because we’ll be over there, we’ll be working in the country,” Trump said.

But Trump also offered a measure of caution, suggesting that a deal might be at hand but the window to complete it is narrow

“If it doesn’t happen quickly, it may not happen at all,” Trump warned. If a truce can be reached, Starmer and Macron have agreed to send troops for a potential peacekeeping mission to Ukraine to ensure that fighting between Ukraine and Russia doesn’t flare up again. But White House officials are skeptical that Britain and France can assemble enough troops from across Europe, at least at this moment, to deploy a credible peacekeeping mission to Kyiv Starmer is hosting a Sunday meeting in the United Kingdom of international leaders that will focus on Ukraine, and Zelenskyy is expected to attend. The prime minister also announced plans this week for the U.K. to bolster defense spending, something that should sit well with Trump, who has been critical that European allies are spending too little on defense. Starmer on Thursday extended a state visit invitation to Trump on behalf of King Charles, and Trump accepted. The prime minister said the invitation for a second state visit — Trump already received the honor during his first term — was “historic” and “unprecedented.”

Trump plans tariffs on Mexico, Canada, China next week

BY JOSH BOAK and FABIOLA SANCHEZ Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump plans to impose tariffs on Canada and Mexico starting Tuesday, in addition to doubling the 10% universal tariff charged on imports from China.

In a Truth Social post Thursday, Trump said illicit drugs such as fentanyl are being smuggled into the United States at “unacceptable levels” and that import taxes would force other countries to crack down on the trafficking “We cannot allow this scourge to continue to harm the USA, and therefore, until it stops, or is seriously limited, the proposed TARIFFS scheduled to go into effect on MARCH FOURTH will indeed go into effect, as scheduled,” the Republican president wrote. “China will likewise be charged an additional 10% Tariff on that date.”

The prospect of escalating tariffs has already thrown the global

economy into turmoil, with consumers expressing fears about inflation worsening and the auto sector and other domestic manufacturers suffering if Trump raises import taxes. But Trump has also at times engaged in aggressive posturing only to give last-minute reprieves, previously agreeing to a 30-day suspension of the Canada and Mexico tariffs that were initially supposed to start in February

Asked Thursday about the fact that tariffs are largely paid for consumers and importing companies, Trump dismissed any concerns by saying: “It’s a myth.” It’s possible for a stronger U.S. dollar to offset some of the costs of tariffs, but Trump’s statement goes against most economic modeling given the breadth of his planned taxes.

Trump intends to put 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada, with a lower 10% tax on Canadian energy products such as oil and electricity The move,

ostensibly about drug trafficking and immigration, led Mexico and Canada to respond by emphasizing their existing efforts to address these issues. Canada created a fentanyl czar, and Mexico sent 10,000 members of its National Guard to its border with the United States.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Thursday that she hoped to speak with Trump after the Cabinet-level meetings occurring in Washington this week Mexico’s Foreign Affairs Secretary Juan Ramón de la Fuente was scheduled to meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday afternoon.

Trump, “as you know, has his way of communicating,” Sheinbaum said. But she said that her government would stay “coolheaded” and optimistic about an agreement coming together to avoid the tariffs.

“I hope we are able to reach an agreement and on March 4 we can announce something else,” she said.

She said Mexico’s security chiefs were discussing intelligence sharing with their American counterparts that would allow for important arrests in the U.S. On the economic front, she said Mexico’s goal is to protect the free trade pact that was negotiated during the first Trump administration between Mexico and the United States That 2020 deal, which included Canada, was an update of the North American Free Trade Agreement from 1994.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his country has invested more than 1 billion Canadian dollars to improve border security, adding that his government’s ministers and officials are also in Washington this week.

“There is no emergency for the United States at the border with Canada when it comes to fentanyl, and that is exactly what we are demonstrating at this time,” Trudeau said in Montreal. “If the United States goes ahead and imposes tariffs, we already shared

the details of our plan. We have $30 billion worth of U.S products that will be subject to tariffs. And $125 billion of tariffs that will be applied three weeks later But we don’t want to be in that position.” Trump did impose a 10% tariff on China for its role in the manufacturing of chemicals used to make fentanyl, and that tax would now be doubled, according to his social media post.

On Thursday, China’s Commerce Minister Wang Wentao wrote to Jamieson Greer, the newly confirmed U.S. trade representative, that differences on trade should be resolved through dialogues and negotiations.

The 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada would amount to a total tax increase on the U.S. public of somewhere between $120 billion to $225 billion annually, according to Jacob Jensen, a trade policy analyst at the American Action Forum, a center-right think tank. The additional China tariffs could cost consumers up to $25 billion.

BY JANIE HAR Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO A federal judge in San Francisco on Thursday found that the mass firings of probationary employees were likely unlawful, granting some temporary relief to a coalition of labor unions and organizations that has sued to stop the Trump administration’s massive trimming of the federal workforce.

U.S. District Judge William Alsup ordered the Office of Person-

nel Management to inform certain federal agencies that it had no authority to order the firings of probationary employees, including the Department of Defense. “OPM does not have any authority whatsoever, under any statute in the history of the universe,” to hire or fire any employees but its own, he said. Alsup handed down the order on a temporary restraining order sought by labor unions and nonprofits in a lawsuit filed by the coalition filed last week.

The complaint filed by five labor unions and five nonprofit organizations is among multiple lawsuits pushing back on the administration’s efforts to vastly shrink the federal workforce, which Trump has called bloated and sloppy Thousands of probationary employees have already been fired and his administration is now aiming at career officials with civil service protection.

The plaintiffs say the Office of Personnel Management had no

authority to terminate the jobs of probationary workers who generally have less than a year on the job. They also say the firings were predicated on a lie of poor performance by the workers.

Lawyers for the government say the Office of Personnel Management did not direct the firings, but asked agencies to review and determine whether employees on probation were fit for continued employment. They also say that probationary employees are not guaranteed

employment and that only the highest performing and mission-critical employees should be hired.

There are an estimated 200,000 probationary workers — generally employees who have less than a year on the job — across federal agencies.

Unions have recently struck out with two other federal judges in similar lawsuits attempting to stop the

GETTy IMAGES NORTH AMERICA PHOTO By CARL COURT

President Donald Trump meets with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, center left, alongside U.S. Vice President JD Vance, right, and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, left, at the White House in Washington on Thursday.

USAID workers clear their desks

BY GARY FIELDS and ELLEN KNICKMEYER Associated Press

WASHINGTON U.S. Agency for International Development workers

— many in tears — carted away belongings through cheering crowds in a final visit to their now-closed headquarters Thursday as the Trump administration’s rapid dismantling of the congressionally authorized agency moved into its final stages.

Notices sent out in mass mailings this week are terminating over 90% of USAID’s contracts for humanitarian and development work around the world, and the Supreme Court has temporarily blocked a judge’s order requiring the administration to release billions of dollars in foreign aid.

The administration notified most USAID staffers in recent days that they were on leave or being fired, then gave thousands of those who worked in the Washington headquarters 15-minute time slots to clear out their desks under the escort of federal officers Some staffers wept as they carried out grocery bags and suitcases with what was left from their life’s work.

“Heartbreaking,” 25-year-old Juliane Alfen said, carrying a small bag with a stuffed rabbit sticking out. Like hundreds of colleagues, Alfen received a form notice Monday that her firing “was in the best interest of government.”

“I felt like we made a difference,” Alfen said. “To see everything disappearing before our eyes in a matter of weeks is very scary.”

Supporters shouted encouragement and waved signs outside or drove by tapping their car horns A little girl stood next to her mother holding a handwritten sign saying, “I am proud of you Daddy.” A woman who left the building loaded down with bags burst into tears at the cheers greeting her. A small crowd enveloped her in hugs.

USAID has been one of the biggest targets of a broad campaign by President Donald Trump and cost-costing chief Elon Musk’s

Department of Government Effi-

ciency, or DOGE, to slash the size of the federal government.

Their actions have left only a small fraction of USAID employees on the job, slashed $60 billion in assistance overseas and upended decades of U.S. policy that foreign aid helps American interests abroad by stabilizing other countries and building alliances.

Trump and Musk have called USAID programs out of line with the Republican president’s agenda and asserted without evidence that its work is wasteful. In addition to its scope, the effort is extraordinary because it has not involved Congress, which authorized the agency and has provided its funding. Already, organizations reported that thousands of USAID contracts for HIV programs in South Africa were permanently canceled. And despite an assertion from Musk that

funding to fight Ebola outbreaks had been restored, The Associated Press obtained a termination notice for a project by the Baylor College of Medicine Children’s Foundation that was poised to respond to Ebola cases in Uganda. Others warned of profound strategic implications from USAID’s shutdown. “The American people deserve a transparent accounting of what will be lost — on counterterror, global health, food security, and competition,” Liz Schrayer head of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, a nonprofit that promotes U.S diplomatic and humanitarian efforts, said in a statement.

Devon Behrer, a USAID worker hired just three months ago, said helping carry out that work had always been her dream “My plan was to come here and go into development work. My plan went up in smoke Monday,” she said.

The way people’s lives were being swept away was “incredibly disrespectful,” Behrer, 34, added. “There seems to be a lack of acknowledgment that we’re human.” Staffers had pressed for weeks for permission to reenter the building to collect work shoes, family photos and other belongings. Some took flowers from a bucket on their way inside to place at a memorial wall honoring 99 USAID workers killed in the line of duty over the agency’s six decades. Staffers said security stopped them from placing the flowers. Late Wednesday, the Supreme Court temporarily blocked a judge’s order that had given the Trump administration a deadline this week to release billions of dollars in foreign aid. Chief Justice John Roberts said that order will remain on hold until the high court has a chance to weigh in more fully

BY TARA COPP and LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press

WASHINGTON The military services have 30 days to figure out how they will seek out and identify transgender service members to remove them from the force a daunting task that may end up relying on troops self-reporting or tattling on their colleagues

A memo sent to Defense Department leaders on Thursday — after the Pentagon filed it late Wednesday as part of a response to a lawsuit — orders the services to set up procedures to identify troops diagnosed with or being treated for gender dysphoria by March 26. They will then have 30 days to begin removing those troops from service.

The order expands on the

executive order signed by President Donald Trump during his early days in office setting out steps toward banning transgender individuals from serving in the military The directive has been challenged in court.

A senior defense official said Thursday they believe there are about 4,200 troops diagnosed with gender dysphoria currently serving in the active duty, National Guard and Reserves.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel issues, said that between 2015 and 2024, the total cost for psychotherapy gender-affirming hormone therapy, gender-affirming surgery and other treatment for service members is about $52 million

There are about 2.1 million troops serving However, the issue has taken up a large part of the Pentagon’s attention and time as Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth work to root them out

arguing that their medical condition doesn’t meet military standards.

“The medical surgical and mental health constraints on individuals who have a current diagnosis or history of, or exhibit symptoms consistent with, gender dysphoria are incompatible with the high mental and physical standards necessary for military service,” Darin Selnick, who is serving as defense undersecretary for personnel, said in the new memo. It claims that the lethality and integrity of the military “is inconsistent” with what transgender personnel go through as they transition to the gender they identify with, and it issues an edict that gender is “immutable, unchanging during a person’s life.”

Lawyers for six transgender service members who are suing over Trump’s executive order have argued in court filings that his directive openly expresses “hostility” toward transgender people and marks

them as “unequal and dispensable, demeaning them in the eyes of their fellow service members and the public.”

On Thursday, U.S. officials said early rough numbers suggest about 600 transgender troops can be quickly identified in the Navy, between 300 and 500 in the Army and fewer than 50 in the Marine Corps. Officials said individuals could, for example, be identified by documented medical treatments, and acknowledged those numbers are likely to increase.

Other numbers were not available, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel issues.

The officials noted, however, that the early numbers likely fall short of actual totals because some service members may have joined the service after any transition and may not have had medical or surgical procedures that could identify them. And officials also have warned that they

may be limited by health privacy laws on what they can and can’t discern or report from records.

The new Pentagon policy provides two exceptions: if transgender personnel who seek to enlist can prove on a case-by-case basis that they directly support warfighting activities, or if an existing service member, who was diagnosed with gender dysphoria, can prove they support a specific warfighting need and never transitioned to the gender they identify with and proves over 36 months they are stable in their biological sex “without clinically significant distress.”

Gender dysphoria occurs when a person’s biological sex does not match up with their gender identity

If a waiver is issued the applicant would still face a situation where only their biological sex was recognized for bathroom facilities, sleeping quarters and even in official recognition, such as being called “Sir” or “Ma’am.”

in half

BY CARSON SWICK

The Baltimore Sun (TNS)

The Social Security Administration has been instructed to reduce its staff by half as President Donald Trump’s administration continues to pursue widespread cuts across the federal government, according to multiple media reports.

Headquartered in Woodlawn, Maryland, the Social Security Administration is one of the locally based federal agencies that employs Maryland’s large federal workforce. The state is home to more than 160,000 federal workers.

The SSA has been among the sites where protests have been held during the first month of Trump’s second term, as Maryland lawmakers, federal workers and their supporters have called for saving government jobs.

Some SSA staffers anonymously told The Washington Post Wednesday that the agency was directed to “swiftly produce plans” for staffing cuts. The General Services Administration says terminations at the SSA are “imminent,” according to an X/Twitter post from Washington Post reporter Jeff Stein.

According to sources cited by The American Prospect, acting SSA commissioner Lee Dudek requested Tuesday that managers present him with a plan to reduce the staff’s 57,000 employees by Thursday afternoon. The cuts could impact more than 1,200 Social Security field offices across the country, the outlet reported.

Department of Government Efficiency leader Elon Musk has framed the cuts as necessary and consistent with his department’s efforts to curb wasteful spending while insisting that the Trump administration is only targeting non-essential employees.

“We wish to keep everyone who is doing a job that is essential and doing that job well,” Musk said during the Trump cabinet’s first meeting on Wednesday “But if the job is not essential or they’re not doing the job well, they obviously should not be on the public payroll.”

The SSA closed both its Office of Transformation and Office of Civil Rights and Equal Opportunity earlier this week, leading to about 190 workers being put on administrative leave. Dudek — who assumed leadership of the agency upon the resignation of previous leader Michelle King over DOGE access concerns — has publicly railed against these offices as “wasteful” and “duplicitous,” respectively

An anonymous comment on a Blogspot post announcing the latter office’s abolition suggested Trump could be reneging on his campaign promise to “not touch” Social Security benefits.

The SSA maintains a total staff of about 57,000 federal workers, plus 12,000 SSA personnel who are technically state employees. About 120,000 people visit SSA field offices around the country each day, as these offices allow eligible individuals to sign up for Social Security and Medicare benefits, as well as apply for disability or survivor benefits.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MANUEL BALCE CENETA

Lucy Mize, second from right, a United States Agency for International Development health officer for 31 years, cries as she walks with fellow USAID workers to the USAID headquarters in Washington to gather personal belongings Thursday.

Continued from page 1A

trail, dog park, basketball courts and pavilions to serve all residents, not just those participating in baseball tournaments

Boulet said Thursday she went to contractor JB Mouton with her wishes and the company made them happen.

The project cost about $16.2 million and was funded using city of Lafayette bonds and general fund monies, and American Rescue Plan Act funds.

It will be important to maintain the park, Boulet said Thursday An ordinance is heading to the council allowing the Parks, Arts, Recreation and Culture department to sell sponsorships to maintain the new facilities.

Former City Council member Pat Lewis, who spearheaded the improvement project, including the use of city funds, said he was pleased with the results.

“I hope the children come and the parents support the park. This is really unique,” he said, and children don’t have to travel 10-15 miles to other cities to play baseball.

Lafayette Parish council mem-

ber A.B. Rubin said the park will be great for the area’s youth and has long been needed on the northside.

“If you look good,” he said, “you play good.” AQ Studios and LAND Architecture were designers on the project. Brown Park is located near Interstate 10 and Louisiana Avenue, an area that is experiencing growth. A Buc-ee’s convenience store and service station popular with travelers and locals will soon be building nearby, and the Lafayette Public Library Board has purchased land nearby to build a new public library

The

n

n

n Expanded parking lot

n Expanded walking paths and lighting

n Expanded dog

n

n

n

STAFF PHOTOS By BRAD BOWIE

Lafayette Parish Mayor President Monique Boulet and Ryan Ventroy, 6, a student at Lafayette Renaissance Charter Academy perform the ribboncutting and grand reopening for Brown Park on Thursday

Visitors walk around Brown Park after a ribbon-cutting and grand reopening celebration on Thursday.

District 1 City Council member Elroy Broussard speaks during the ribbon-cutting and grand reopening celebration for Brown Park on Thursday.

BRIEFS

Entergy to close $484M sale of natural gas firm

Entergy Corp. started notifying customers Thursday that the $484 million deal to sell its natural gas business to Delta Utilities is set to close in the second half of the year

The company said the change will not impact current natural gas customers and will not have an impact on existing services

Customers will continue to pay their natural gas bill through Entergy and notify the utility company if they have any outages, emergencies or service questions. Entergy said it will provide additional information and instructions to customers as the transition date gets nearer Entergy announced in October 2023 it had reached a deal to sell its natural gas business to Delta Utilities, which was set up by Bernhard Capital Partners. The sale was approved by the Louisiana Public Service Commission in August and the New Orleans City Council in December Delta Utilities is also in the process of acquiring CenterPoint Energy’s natural gas distribution operations in Louisiana and Mississippi. That deal is expected to close in the first half of the year Once the deals are complete, Delta Utilities will be the leading natural gas utility in Louisiana and Mississippi and one of the top 40 natural gas providers in the U.S., said Jeff Jenkins, Bernhard founder and partner Delta Utilities will have nearly 600,000 customers across the Gulf Coast.

CFPB drops Capital One, Rocket Homes lawsuits

The Consumer Finance Protection Bureau has dropped several enforcement actions against companies like Capital One and Rocket Homes, just weeks under new leadership and turmoil at the agency caused by orders from Trump administration

In notices of voluntary dismissals filed on Thursday the CFPB dropped lawsuits it had brought against Capital One, Rocket Homes, Vanderbilt Mortgage and Finance, owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, and others.

Those suits were all filed under the agency’s previous director, Rohit Chopra, who President Donald Trump fired just weeks ago. The CPFB has since plunged into turmoil — with the White House later ordering it to halt nearly all its work. The administration also closed the agency’s headquarters and moved to fire scores of its workers

Number filing for jobless benefits rises

Applications for U.S. jobless benefits rose to a three-month high last week but remained within the same healthy range of the past three years

The number of Americans filing for jobless benefits rose by 22,000 to 242,000 for the week ending Saturday, the Labor Department said Thursday. Analysts projected that 220,000 new applications would be filed. The four-week average, which evens out some of the week-toweek volatility climbed by 8,500 to 224,000.

Some analysts say they expect layoffs ordered by the Department of Government Efficiency to show up in the report in the coming weeks or months.

Pending home sales hit all-time

High mortgage rates, record prices slow market

BY MICHELLE CHAPMAN

Associated Press

Pending home sales in the Unit-

ed States slid to an all-time low in January as high mortgage rates, record-high home prices, and possibly the terrible weather last month hindered those seeking to buy

The National Association of Realtors said Thursday that its Pending Home Sales Index, which is an indicator of home sales based on contract signings, declined 4.6% to 70.6

last month Pending transactions fell 5.2% from the year-ago period. There were month-over-month declines in the Midwest, South and West, with the most significant drop in the South. Despite stretches of high winds and low temperatures, sales in the Northeast rose modestly

“It is unclear if the coldest January in 25 years contributed to fewer buyers in the market, and if so, expect greater sales activity in upcoming months,” NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun said in a statement. “However it’s evident that elevated home prices and higher mortgage rates strained affordability.”

Mortgage rates in January were between 6.91% and 7.04%.

On Friday NAR said that sales of previously occupied U.S. homes slipped 4.9% last month from December to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.08 million units.

Sales rose 2% compared with January last year marking the fourth straight annual increase.

The latest home sales, however, fell short of the 4.11 million pace economists were expecting, according to FactSet.

Home prices increased on an annual basis for the 19th consecutive month The national median sales price rose 4.8% in January from a year earlier to $396,900.

Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes fell last year to their lowest level in nearly 30 years.

Shares of publicly traded homebuilders have been punished this year and those prices slipped again Thursday Tariffs threatened by President Donald Trump have led to rising unease in the sector due to the possibility of higher prices for lumber and metals. And mass deportations under the Trump administration could also raise costs for builders.

The builder Toll Brothers is down 11% this year D.R. Horton and Lennar are down between 7% and 9%. Beazer Homes is down nearly 17% in 2025.

The U.S. housing market has been in a sales slump dating back to 2022, when mortgage rates began to climb from pandemic-era lows.

Plans for U.S. natural gas power grow

Move complicates progress on climate

BY MARC LEVY Associated Press

HARRISBURG,Pa.— A spike in demand for electricity from tech companies competing in the artificial intelligence race is upending forecasts for natural gas-fired power in the U.S., as utilities reconsider it as a major new power source That is not what many scientists and climate activists envisioned in the fight against climate change And it is endangering progress on the greenhouse gas-reduction goals that scientists say are necessary to manage the damage from burning fossil fuels that warms the planet.

Across the nation, tech companies are snapping up real estate and seeking new power projects to feed their energy-hungry operations. One example is the 2,300-megawatt plant Entergy wants to build to serve Meta’s $10 billion data center in Richland Parish The utility company is also building a $1.8 billion power plant in Orange, Texas, slated to open in 2026

In some cases, Big Tech is building climatefriendlier projects like solar, wind, geothermal or battery storage.

But industry decision-makers are also turning to natural gas for what they say is a cheap and reliable source of power raising the prospect that gas-fired power will play a bigger role — and for a longer period of time — than even they had anticipated.

“Gas is growing faster now and in the medium term than ever before,” said Corianna Mah, a power and renewables analyst at data analytics firm Enverus.

Before the spike in electricity demand last year, many in the industry had assumed that there would be few new gas plants and that the nation’s fleet would gradually retire in

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By DAVID J

The foundation for a warehouse is visible in the foreground as crews work Monday at Entergy’s Orange County Advanced Power Station, a 1,215-megawatt facility under construction in Orange, Texas.

favor of a grid powered by wind, solar, geothermal, batteries and possibly the next generation of nuclear power — sources that don’t emit the planet-warming greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. For many countries, that ramp down is happening as they work toward the goal of slashing their emissions to zero — or at least, net zero — by 2050, which scientists say could help the world avoid the worst effects of climate change.

In the U.S the electric power sector is the second-biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, according to government figures. And the construction of every new natural gas plant — built to last for decades — is a setback for climate goals, said John Quigley, a senior fellow at the University of Pennsylvania’s Klein-

man Center for Energy Policy

“At a top level, we will not get to net zero by 2050 if we are building new gas plants. Period,” Quigley said.

Across the U.S., gas pipeline operators are exuberant about the new demand and are reporting strong interest in extending their lines.

“Data center guys are trying to source power and trying to get to market with their data centers as fast as possible,” said Chris Kalnin, the CEO of BKV the largest natural-gas producer in the Barnett Shale gas reservoir in Texas. The key to signing up cloud-computing customers “is getting your facility online quickly and getting your facility online quickly requires you to have power and dependable power and a cost-efficient power source.”

Wall Street falls sharply as Nvidia tumbles

BY STAN CHOE AP business writer

NEW YORK

U.S stock indexes fell sharply Thursday as Wall Street’s frenzy around artificial-intelligence technology faltered some more.

The S&P 500 sank for its fifth drop in six days after setting an all-time high last week. Concerns about the U.S. economy’s future have been behind much of the drop, including worries about how tariffs pushed by President Donald Trump could worsen inflation, and Wall Street’s main measure of health has lost all but 1.4% of its

rally since Election Day

The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq composite also tumbled.

Weighing most heavily on the market was superstar stock Nvidia, one of Wall Street’s most influential companies that’s been leading the market for years. After initially rising at the open of trading following a better-than-expected profit report, Nvidia quickly slid to a loss of 8.5%.

Better-than-expected earnings reports have become routine for Nvidia, whose chips are powering the surge into artificial-intelligence technology, but this was the

company’s first since DeepSeek shook the entire AI industry

After the Chinese upstart said it developed a large language model that can compete with the world’s best without using the most expensive chips, Wall Street had to question all the spending it assumed would go into Nvidia’s chips and the ecosystem that’s built around the AI boom, such as electricity to power large data centers.

Nvidia’s performance for the latest quarter, along with its forecasts for upcoming results, were “good enough to keep the debate moving in a positive direction,” according to analysts at UBS led

by Timothy Arcuri. But it apparently wasn’t enough to send Nvidia’s stock higher, particularly given criticism that its price had already leapt too high, too quickly After more than tripling two years ago, Nvidia’s stock more than doubled last year as its sales exploded. The market also soured on Salesforce, which fell 4% despite topping analysts’ profit expectations for the latest quarter Several analysts called the performance solid, and the company continued to tout its AI offerings, but it gave a forecast for upcoming revenue that fell short of expectations.

PHILLIP

brilliant acting career, but to us he was always just Dad and Grandpa. We will miss him sorely and are devastated by the loss,” his daughters and granddaughter said in a statement Thursday

A maintenance worker reported that the home’s front door was open when he arrived to do routine work on Wednesday, and he called police after finding the bodies, investigators said He and another worker said they rarely saw the homeowners and that their last contact with them had been about two weeks ago

Hackman appeared to have fallen, a deputy observed. He was wearing a blue T-shirt, gray sweatpants and slippers. A pair of sunglasses and a cane were nearby.

A dead German shepherd was found in a bathroom closet near Arakawa, police said. Two healthy dogs were found on the property — one inside and one outside.

The Associated Press left email and phone messages Thursday for sheriff’s officials seeking more details A spokesperson for the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, which runs the state’s medical examiner operations, declined to comment on whether the cause and manner of deaths had been determined

The search warrant affidavit suggests that police appear to have

MEASLES

Continued from page 1A

Herrock.

While most children in Louisiana typically receive two doses of the MMR vaccine before entering kindergarten, those unsure of their vaccination status can talk to their health care provider or access vaccine records through the website myirmobile.com.

Those who don’t have a health care provider can visit a parish health unit. Locations of parish health units across Louisiana are listed on the health department website

The measles death in Texas is the first in the U.S. since 2015, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As of Thursday, no measles cases have been reported in Louisiana this year, LDH said. Last year there were a total of three measles cases in Louisiana and 285 nationwide, according to preliminary CDC data. In 2023, there were no measles cases in Louisiana and a total of 59 nationwide.

SHELTERS

Continued from page 1A

Commissioner of Administration Taylor Barras, Landry’s chief budget official, also promised to work toward such a solution, according to a release from the governor’s office. “Governor Landry has been a staunch advocate for a reoccurring fund in the state budget directed toward domestic violence services. We will work alongside him to make sure this critical aid is protected — not just for this year, but for every year,” he said

During the current and previous fiscal year, the state has allotted $7

a working theory that “some kind of gas poisoning” happened, but that they don’t know yet and aren’t ruling anything out, Loyola Marymount University law professor Laurie Levenson said.

“They don’t have clear evidence that it’s any type of homicide, but they’re asking for blunt instruments or other weapons that could be used,” said Levenson, who has no connection to the investigation.

“It doesn’t also look like some kind of planned double suicide.”

William & Mary Law School professor Jeffrey Bellin said the request for a search warrant was

Measles, a respiratory virus, “is one of the most contagious of all infectious diseases,” according to the CDC “Up to 9 out of 10 susceptible people with close contact to a measles patient will develop measles.”

It is “uncommon” for someone fully vaccinated against measles to contract the infection, the CDC says. “Two doses of MMR vaccine are 97% effective at preventing measles, 1 dose is 93% effective.”

Measles can spread airborne or via infectious droplets, and symptoms typically show up seven to 14 days after infection.

Symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, pink eye, white spots inside the mouth and a rash of red spots that begins on the face and then spreads down over the body

Vaccines and politics

The statements from Cassidy and Abraham on the measles vaccine follow contentious political debates at the local and national levels over vaccine policy

Cassidy chairs the U.S Senate committee that confirmed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the country’s top health official. Cassidy publicly voiced concern over statements

million to the Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence. That money has been considered a onetime expenditure in the budget — in other words, lawmakers have not promised it for the following years.

At a budget presentation last week state Rep. Denise Marcelle, D-Baton Rouge, became upset when she noticed the governor’s proposed budget did not include the $7 million for the coalition.

At the meeting Landry’s top budget officials explained they had eliminated many “one-time” expenditures to create a “standstill” budget.

“I certainly want to make sure that we’re not going backwards in that area,” Marcelle told them,

somewhat unusual because investigators who file one usually believe a specific crime was committed In this case, no alleged crime was mentioned, Bellin said. Police tend to overstate what they know, but this is the opposite, said Bellin, who also isn’t tied to the investigation. “It just struck me as very careful in a way that search warrant affidavits often are not,” he said.

Hackman routinely showed up on Hollywood’s list of greatest American actors of the 20th century He could play virtually any kind of role, from comic book vil-

Kennedy has made questioning the safety and effectiveness of vaccines and unsuccessfully pressed Kennedy to publicly embrace them

In voting to confirm Kennedy as U.S. Health and Human Services secretary Cassidy said the new health chief and the Trump administration committed to work within current vaccine approval and monitoring systems and maintain current immunization practices, among other promises.

Cassidy, amid a surge of measles cases in 2019, decried a debunked myth linking vaccines to autism after that idea, which has its roots in a discredited study, was raised on the senate floor of the State Capitol.

There were 1,274 measles cases that year, the largest spike in the U.S. since the early 1990s.

Meanwhile, Abraham, a skeptic of COVID-19 vaccines, on the day of Kennedy’s confirmation issued a formal directive to Louisiana Health Department employees ending the agency’s promotion of long-standing mass vaccination efforts.

The directive says conversations about vaccines “are best had with the individual’s health care pro-

adding that women seeking shelter do not care whether the $7 million was considered a one-time expense.

Cutting $7 million for domestic violence victim services would have real, tangible and dangerous consequences, says Mariah Wineski, head of the Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence, which distributes the money to shelters across the state.

“It would have an almost immediate effect in a very devastating way,” she said.

Losing the money would eliminate 229 domestic violence shelter beds at least 11 outreach offices, where domestic violence victims go to connect with services.

lain Lex Luthor in “Superman” to a coach finding redemption in the sentimental favorite “Hoosiers.”

Hackman was a five-time Oscar nominee who won for “The French Connection” in 1972 and “Unforgiven” two decades later His death comes just four days before this year’s ceremony Tributes quickly poured in from Hollywood. “There was no finer actor than Gene. Intense and instinctive. Never a false note. He was also a dear friend whom I will miss very much,” actor-director Clint Eastwood, Hackman’s “Unforgiven” co-star said in a statement.

Hackman met Arakawa, a classically trained pianist who grew up in Hawaii, when she was working part-time at a California gym in the mid-1980s, the New York Times reported in 1989. They soon moved in together, and by the end of the decade relocated to Santa Fe.

Their Southwestern-style ranch on Old Sunset Trail sits on a hill in a gated community with views of the Rocky Mountains. The sprawling four-bedroom home on 6 acres was built in 1997 and had an estimated market value of a little over $4 million, according to Santa Fe County property tax records.

Hackman and his wife also owned a more modest home next door

Hackman also co-wrote three novels, starting with the swashbuckler “Wake of the Perdido Star,” with Daniel Lenihan in 1999, according to publisher Simon &

vider.”

Vaccines won’t be promoted by LDH through parish health units, community health fairs or media campaigns, the memo says, although parish health units will continue to stock vaccines.

Vaccine promotion

Cassidy on Tuesday acknowledged he and Abraham diverge somewhat on vaccine policy

“He encouraged people to call their physician and to get their child vaccinated through their doctor’s office. I’m OK with that. I love strengthening the patientphysician relationship,” the senator said.

But Cassidy referred to his previous work on hepatitis B vaccination programs, saying he knows it can sometimes be difficult to get in and see a doctor for a routine vaccination.

“That’s why community health centers are there, and that’s why I favor things like vaccine fairs,” he said.

But Cassidy said that, with respect to both his stance and the surgeon general’s on the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, “there’s no daylight between us.”

Domestic violence is more prevalent in Louisiana than in other states, Wineski said. In 2023, a Tulane survey of more than 1,000 Louisianans found that 51% reported experiencing intimate partner violence at some point in their lives. National averages, which say that up to 1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men are domestic violence victims, are lower

In 2021, the Louisiana Legislative Auditor released a report about domestic violence in the state. It found that, between 2015 and 2020, the state had an average of 2,659 annual unmet requests for shelter

That means that, “2600 times a domestic violence victim was call-

Schuster He then penned two by himself, concluding with “Pursuit” in 2013, about a female police officer on the tail of a predator In his first couple decades in New Mexico, Hackman was often seen around the historic state capital, known as an artist enclave, tourism destination and retreat for celebrities.

He served as a board member of the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in the 1990s, according to the local paper, The New Mexican. In recent years, he was far less visible, though even the most mundane outings caught the attention of the press.

The Independent wrote about him attending a show at a performing arts center in 2018. The New York Post reported on him pumping gas, doing yard work and getting a chicken sandwich at Wendy’s in 2023.

Aside from appearances at awards shows, he was rarely seen in the Hollywood social circuit and retired from acting about 20 years ago. His was the rare Hollywood retirement that actually lasted.

Hackman had three children from a previous marriage. He and Arakawa had no children together but were known for having German shepherds.

Hackman told the film magazine Empire in 2009 that he and Arakawa liked to watch DVDs she rented.

“We like simple stories that some of the little low-budget films manage to produce,” he said.

“Dr Cassidy and Dr Abraham are on the exact same page that your child needs to be vaccinated,” he later added.

Since becoming Louisiana’s surgeon general, Abraham has railed against many federal and state public health policies.

Talking to state lawmakers last fall about “tyrannical forces” that drove the government response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Abraham said nearly all government interventions were “ineffective” and “antithetical to the core principles of a free society.”

He also called the patient-doctor relationship “sacred” and argued it should be tighter than even a marriage bond.

Nonetheless, the February memo Abraham issued to LDH staff about state vaccine policy said the state Office of Public Health plays “an indispensable role in responding to emergent disease outbreaks that may require vaccine promotion as part of the mitigation of the spread of infectious disease.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Email Alyse Pfeil at alyse.pfeil@ theadvocate.com.

ing needing a shelter and couldn’t get it because the beds were full,” Wineski said.

She said the $7 million in funding that the Legislature gave made a real difference: The state drastically reduced its number of unmet requests for shelter to 1400 annually, according to Wineski.

“These investments are absolutely working. They are doing what they are meant to do,” she said. “We’re just really hopeful that we can stay on that same path and keep serving victims who need it.”

Email Meghan Friedmann at meghan.friedmann@ theadvocate.com.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ROBERTO ROSALES

Law enforcement officials talk outside the home of actor Gene Hackman on Thursday in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Hackman, his wife, Betsy Arakawa, and their dog were found dead in the home a day earlier

Spending in Senate race detailed

District 23 candidates loaned selves at least $200,000

CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff

candidates for state Senate District 23 loaned themselves at least $200,000 for the campaign that ended with state Rep. Brach Myers, ayette, defeating Broussard ouncil member Jesse Regan.

The campaign between the two Republican candidates got ugly in the final weeks with someone distributing campaign paraphernalia containing a false report that Myers had been endorsed by the Lady Democrats of Lafayette Myers told The Acadiana Advocate that the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident for potential campaign violations. A campaign finance report filed Feb. 5 shows Myers received $57,950 in contributions plus $4,612 in in-kind contributions for a total of $62,562 from Jan. 7-26. He spent $152,415 during that time frame, according to the report. Myers received $44,990 from political action committees, including $14,840 during the Jan. 7-26 report-

BABYCAKES

Organizations accepting Mardi Gras beads

Work provides community outreach

BY JA’KORI MADISON Staff writer

Securing the best spot along the parade route to catch loads and loads of beads is what Mardi Gras is all about. But what happens to those beads after arriving home?

Two organizations, LARC and Arc of Acadiana, have a solution for anyone looking to offload their beads for a good cause. They work providing jobs to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and their Mardi Gras Beads-n-More store is part of their work in the Acadiana community LARC supports about 300 people with disabilities through community engagement, education and employment services. Through the bead store, individuals employed by LARC,

ä

ABOVE: Babies start crawling in the King Cake Baby Race during halftime of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette men’s basketball game at the Cajundome on Wednesday LEFT: The Segura family — Colsen, 10 months; father Culyn and mom Lexi — celebrate Colsen’s victory on Wednesday RIGHT: Baby Colsen Segura crawls to the finish line and first place in the race.

STAFF PHOTOS By BRAD KEMP

February meant to raise awareness of issues

BY ALENA MASCHKE Staff writer

When Katie Eddington’s OBGYN first told her she had a heart murmur, she was surprised but not shocked. Eddington, who was 29 years old when the murmur was first detected, had lost her brother to heart disease when he was 31. Still, Eddington wondered: “How did I get this far and it’s never been heard before?” She had given birth to a baby girl four years earlier and had run multiple marathons, including the Boston Marathon, just two years before the murmur was detected. Most heart surgery patients fall into one of two categories, Our Lady of Lourdes cardiac surgeon Dr. Robert Chance DeWitt explained. Those, like Eddington, with a family history of heart disease often require intervention at a younger age, but symptoms can go undetected or unrecognized because they’re outside of the age

Heart surgery patient Katie Eddington, from

cause of death in the United States and Louisiana. “Get checked out early,” DeWitt said. “And a lot of times we see that in patients, they’ll describe: ‘I’m getting old, I’m working, I’m stressed. I have all these issues.’ And really they neglect their own Lourdes

her

Evan, surgical technician Raquel Bonin, heart surgeon Dr Robert

DeWitt, and heart surgery patient Jarachin

and his wife, Amanda, are reunited at Our Lady

Hospital in Lafayette on Tuesday.

range when most people start experiencing cardiac issues later in life, when heart problems are more common. On Tuesday, Eddington, along with another patient, was reunited with her care team at Lourdes Heart Hospital in a celebration of their recovery and Heart Health Month. Heart disease is the leading

BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL

STAFF PHOTO By ALENA MASCHKE

left,

husband,

Chance

‘Jerry’ Guidry

of Lourdes Heart

OPINION

State’s education improvements a bright spot

We hear often about all the surveys that rank our state near the bottom in measures we would prefer to be at the top. With that said, it is great to read an analysis of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results where Section 3 of the executive summary is entitled, “Louisiana is a rare bright spot.”

It is a tremendous achievement for our schools in Louisiana to be a bright spot in the gold standard of school performance NAEP is called the Nation’s Report Card and is calculated every other year to objectively assess educational progress in our country On the national rankings by NAEP tests, Louisiana improved from 50th in the 2019 state rankings to 16th in 2024 in fourth grade reading and from 45th in 2019 to 29th in eighth grade reading. This occurred because Louisiana led the nation in reading growth over

the last two cycles in 2019-2022 and 2022-2024. Over the same period, Louisiana fourth grade students improved from 50th to 38th in fourth grade math ranking top five nationally in growth in math.

Phillip Rozeman GUEST COLUMNIST

The NAEP assessment is not like those surveys found in magazines or online that have multiple subjective factors. The Nation’s Report Card is simply about student performance. Every child is measured by the same criteria. What makes the work of our Louisiana schools even more amazing is that there was no adjustment of results by demographics. Louisiana students perform better than those students in California or Utah or New York or Georgia states with much higher average family income. The wisdom of “a rising tide raises all boats” is confirmed by this work of our Louisiana schools

Among several reasons for our

Program can help in choosing the right Medicare plan

As a hospital CEO, people often ask me for advice or information about health care trends and how the system works Lately, Medicare eligible individuals have been asking me about what Medicare Advantage plan to select.

Edgardo Tenreiro GUEST COLUMNIST

Launched in 2003, MA plans were supposed to reduce overall Medicare costs by using private insurance plans. The idea was that the federal government could harness the power of competition between private MA plans in a “free market” to lower costs, like what happens in the free market of other goods and services, like TVs and smartphones.

The program now has MA plans that cover all services under Part A and Part B, prescription drugs, gym memberships and the like without the need for a supplemental plan like traditional Medicare, and with premiums that are many times zero, making them a good option for some seniors. But as is always the case, when something seems too good to be true, well, it is. The lower costs for consumers come at the expense of a narrower choice of physicians and hospitals and with difficulties in accessing health care services when you are sick and need them the most. There is no free lunch. Stories of MA plans denying care, charging unexpected out of network fees to seniors and not paying their hospital bills are abundant.

As a result of these difficulties, many hospital systems no longer accept MA plans Mayo Clinic, for example, announced a couple of years ago that they would no longer accept MA plans, and we at Baton Rouge General, for a period, elected to be out of network with one national MA plan. Becker’s Hospital Review now lists some 32 systems that no longer accept MA plans, including

Vanderbilt Health, Baptist Health, and Scripps. As is often the case when government erroneously thinks that it can harness the power of the free market for its own purposes, it creates severe distortions. MA plans themselves have been enormously successful. These companies make 250% more profit per MA enrollee than they do for commercial health insurance sector members.

That adds up to more than $100 billion per year

But it is also true that the cost of insuring Medicare beneficiaries through MA is 22-35% higher than traditional Medicare, as a recent report shows. Moreover, once medically fragile seniors in MA plans experience denials or delays in care, restrictions in the network of hospitals and physicians they can access, out of network fees, etc., they drop MA plans and move to traditional Medicare. This reduces costs for MA plans (which then tend to insure a healthier less costly population) and disproportionately increases the costs to traditional Medicare (which ends up with a sicker and more costly population) For seniors determining which way to go — traditional Medicare plus a supplement or Medicare Advantage I would say, if you value choice, if you can afford it or if you expect to use health care services because of your medical history choose traditional Medicare plus a supplement. If choice of doctors and hospitals is less important to you, you are healthy or you cannot afford a Medicare supplement, pick an MA plan that has your preferred physicians and hospitals in network.

Edgardo Tenreiro is the president and CEO of Baton Rouge General.

success is our state’s dedication to intense concentration on literacy with a back-to-basics approach emphasizing phonics.

We learned this from looking across our borders and learning from the work of Mississippi schools Continual improvement will require continued intense concentration on literacy — no letting off the pedal.

Louisiana has invested in improving access in early childhood education for our youngest citizens Having more children ready to succeed in reading in pre-K is a reason for improvement and will require continued investment.

Louisiana has a new accountability system that rewards both school performance and school growth and will redefine the importance of career education. Louisiana has spent time, talent and treasure in school districts and statewide on individualized academic attention through tutoring and developing individual plans for students. Teachers talk

about the use of testing data to make a plan that meets the need of each student.

The Louisiana Department of Education and the vast majority of school districts in our state did not panic with the pandemic Although not in the way they would have preferred, our schools continued to make efforts to develop the best learning environment they could for our students.

A report by the education advocacy group 50 Can: The 50 States Campaign for Achievement Now, noted: “After spending billions in recovery funds, some states deliver progress in key metrics of 4th and 8th grade reading. The fact is no state delivered more significant progress than Louisiana.”

“Money alone can’t buy a recovery It takes leadership, advocacy and policy that puts kids first,” the report concludes.

This is what is happening at BESE, Louisiana DOE and in school districts and schools across our state.

One of the main reasons we are making progress in education in Louisiana is that we have leadership that has established priorities, set goals and worked diligently to achieve those goals. With that approach, we achieve successes in other areas as well.

A fantastic turnaround will require a fantastic follow through to maintain our momentum in Louisiana. Every Louisiana score in the nation’s education report card is the highest it has been in a decade of reporting.

In Louisiana, we spend far more time focused on talking about our weaknesses than celebrating our successes. This will have to change if we are ever to meet our potential as a state. This seems like a good place to start. Let’s tell a friend, post on social media and give thanks to every teacher we know

Dr. Phillip Rozeman is a cardiologist and co-chair of Leaders for a Better Louisiana.

Girl Scouts has been crucial to Louisiana’s girls for 100 years

Rebecca Pennington GUEST COLUMNIST

Two years ago, New Orleans high school student Calcea Johnson achieved international acclaim when she and high school classmate Ne’Kiya Jackson were able to prove the Pythagorean theorem by using trigonometry a feat that had not been accomplished before. The pair were the subjects of numerous articles and features, including in American Mathematical Monthly and on “60 Minutes.”

Johnson was an Ambassador Scout and has attributed her feat, in part, to her participation in Girl Scouts and her troop’s Lego League Team participation.

Calcea is just one of thousands of girls who go through Girl Scout programs in south Louisiana. For all of them, Girl Scouts Louisiana East, the local council, provides a raft of opportunities and experiences that give them a chance to shine and develop in ways that will benefit them, their communities and the world.

Those programs are especially important, given that in the 23 parishes served by GSLE, girls face significant challenges:

n Nearly 23% of females aged 18-44 live below the poverty level

n Louisiana has one of the highest teen birthrates in the country

n One in 3 girls experiences bullying

n Forty percent of women have faced domestic violence

Girl Scouts is on the forefront of addressing these issues by providing a safe, nurturing environment where girls can grow learn and build confidence. The organization fosters self-esteem and essential leadership skills, helping to combat bullying, poverty and domestic violence.

Leadership development is a core focus, aiming to cultivate girls of courage, confidence, and character GSLE equips young women with tools for community leadership through programs in areas such as entrepreneurship, life skills, STEM and outdoor activities. A well-known example is the Girl Scout Cookie Program, which allows girls to earn badges while developing their skills in

goal setting, decision-making, money management, people skills and business ethics.

Additionally, Girl Scouts promotes community and connection. It creates lasting bonds among girls, volunteers, and mentors, emphasizing friendship, teamwork, and collaboration, which are crucial for personal growth. A perfect example is the GSLE’s Equestrian Program, which focuses on developing skills at every age level to guide girls through their own individual experiences. The program is operated for girls by girls. Older girls who volunteer for the Wrangler and Spur programs are responsible for managing activities for younger Girl Scouts. These programs have helped produce successful women leaders, including notable figures in the U.S. Congress and numerous female business owners. Growing up in Baton Rouge, I was a Girl Scout in second through fourth grade and still treasure the memories, especially my experiences at Camp Marydale during summer resident camp. I wholeheartedly attribute my successful leadership career to the strong foundation I learned through Girl Scouts.

In 2027, we will celebrate a pair of milestone anniversaries. Camp Covington will turn 100 and Camp Marydale will turn 80.

These treasured institutions have provided outdoor experiences for more than 250,000 girls.

Camp Marydale is located 45 miles north of Baton Rouge near

St. Francisville. The camp was established with a donation of 100 acres in 1947 and has grown to more than 400 acres with the purchase of 300 acres in 1973. Over the years, Girl Scouts have enjoyed a low ropes challenge course, hiking trails, archery, a swimming pool and canoeing. The shining star of Camp Marydale is its herd of 27 horses.

Camp Covington is a 23-acre camp purchased in 1927, making it one of the oldest Girl Scout camps in the United States. It is located along the Bogue Falaya River, about 7 miles northwest of Covington. The camp includes cabins and platform tents, an archery pavilion, hiking trails and access to the river

As GSLE looks to celebrate the milestones of Camps Covington and Marydale’s 100th and 80th anniversaries in 2027, reconnecting with alumnae is crucial.

Alumnae know that Girl Scouts is more than an organization; it’s a life-changing experience essential for shaping girls’ futures. Their support is critical to sustaining Girl Scouts Louisiana East’s mission. By connecting with their roots, Girl Scouts can inspire future generations while enriching their lives and those of young girls in southeast Louisiana. Together, we can build a strong community that nurtures growth, empowerment and leadership for girls now and in the future.

Rebecca Pennington is the CEO of Girl Scouts Louisiana East.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

St. Mary’s Academy graduates Ne’Kiya Jackson and Calcea Johnson were interviewed on ‘60 Minutes’ several years ago.

COMMENTARY

ROOM FOR DEBATE MARDI GRAS

In recent years, a vexing issue has arisen along Mardi Gras parade routes. In our effort to help bring attention to it, we are reprinting a favorite of ours expressing the frustration that many feel as well as an alternate perspective. Feel free to clip and share with your favorite Chad.

Make way for the Chads!

In 2013, I became annoyed with people spray-painting “their” territory on the Orleans Avenue neutral ground before the Krewe of Endymion parade, so I began taking photos of the practice and posting it on the Gambit website. Turned out I wasn’t the only one who didn’t like it.

One of those painted squares was blocked off for the “Krewe of Chad,” and Will Samuels — the late founder of the King Cake Hub — popularized the term on social media.

Now Krewe of Chad has become a term of art to describe Carnival paradegoers who hog public space, make ladder walls on the street, get aggressive over beads, swipe throws from kids (!), and despoil the spirit of Mardi Gras by acting piggishly and antisocially No one likes a ton of rules, especially not at Mardi Gras. But some rules are needed. New Orleanians depend on the streetcar to go to work and get around — impossible if Chads are camping on the tracks. Curb cuts are vital for people in wheelchairs, but we saw Chads blocking those as well before parades The city bans private port-o-lets on public property, but last year there was a photo of a wall of “portable popup privacy tents” being used for private toilets — and blocking the neutral ground. In response, New Orleans passed new rules regulating quality of life violations on the routes, but after the Bourbon Street terrorist attack last month, the city said safety issues, rather than quality of life matters, would take precedence. Will the Chads be emboldened this year? We should find out when we enter the heart of parading season this weekend. Meanwhile, all that Chaddery inspired a poem. (Apologies to Dr Seuss and readers.)

But Super Bowl is now all done Taylor’s gone; here come the fools Why can’t the cops enforce the rules? When Chads like them all flout the law At Mardi and at Family Gras; They make our fun a living hell LaToya? Helena? JP Morrell? At Lent they leave, and we’re all glad But they’ll be back, those Chads so bad I do not like to be this mad! I do not like you, Krewe of Chad! Kevin Allman

Do you like the Krewe of Chad? I do not like them; they are bad. I do not like their tarps and nets. I do not like their port-o-lets. I do not like their scaffolds high When I would like to just get by. I do not like those dudes and bros I do not like them, eaux neaux neaux. I do not like their spray-paint squares I do not like their rows of chairs; I do not like the stakes they pound Into the public neutral ground. I do not like their ladders tall I do not like their ladders’ sprawl Chained together, one and all. They start a fight, invite a brawl I do not like them, not a one At Bacchus nor Endymion; All those Chads make me grow grim And make me scream and scram like Scrim. I dread the Chads; they run in packs They barricade the streetcar tracks With chairs and tents and tarps and snacks I want to tell them, “Dudes: Relax!”

I do not want to stop the fun

Kevin Allman is the former editor of Gambit. He is on X, @KevinAllman.

Chads, Cherubs need a neutral ground in turf battle

With all due respect to the members of the New Orleans City Council (many of whom I admire for their service to the community), I find the most recent local legislation restricting common Mardi Gras seasonal items, such as tents, tarps and grills, to be misguided and gratuitous. It’s an attempt to eradicate a behavior by taking away something physically connected to the behavior rather than focusing on the behavior itself. I do the same thing to my 4-year-old, and it doesn’t work. In addition, I find it a hasty generalization that all Mardi Gras attendees who utilize these newly banned items to create a space to enjoy the parades are “Chads.” This generalization represents how “out of touch” the members of the city council may potentially be with respect to the Mardi Gras

culture that exists on the ground. Sure, we all have experienced individuals who embody the spirit of “Chads.” They believe themselves to be entitled to space on the neutral group because they were there first. They are territorial and obstinate to city officials who attempt to hold them accountable. They do not share their food, drink, ladders, music and most important: a desire for authentic fraternity and community I estimate that these individuals represent roughly 20% of the attendees that view Mardi Gras parades uptown. The other 80% of those who attend Mardi Gras are “Cherubs.” I don’t mean that these individuals act angelically In fact, I guarantee that no small amount of these individuals should probably go to confession on Ash Wednesday

That said, their behavior is in juxtaposition to that of the “Chads.” “Cherubs” embody the spirit of accessibility that the New Orleans City Council wants to encourage. They use tents, grills, generators and other newly banned items to enjoy Mardi Gras uptown. The difference is the spirit in which “Cherubs” use the items. The tent is for protection if it rains, and all are welcome to seek shelter

“Cherubs” use grills pots, fryers and propane to cook the most delicious food the city has to offer, and they place it on tables for all to enjoy

“Cherubs” use generators to power the speakers to play music and point the speakers outward to the street to encourage all passing by to participate in the spontaneous dance party And yes, they do turn it down when the bands pass by

With this comparison in mind, I don’t think we should let a few bad

apples spoil the bunch. If we do, we risk limiting the natural “wow” factor of Mardi Gras culture on the ground. Where else are you going to see an entire pig roasting over coals with oysters chargrilling underneath? What about local police dancing in the streets with Catholic priests while holding bowls of pastalaya?

It simply cannot be the way it used to be. Twenty years ago, you could just walk up with a chair and a box of chicken. That was when the parades were smaller and the experience simpler How do they expect that the Mardi Gras super-krewes would grow to gargantuan sizes over time, and the attendees on the ground not also grow their scale of operation? It doesn’t make sense.

Here’s an alternative: Moderate the behavior, not the infrastructure. No individual should be allowed to rope off an inordinate

amount of space for an oversized crowd that will not arrive for several hours. No individual should be allowed to string up or chain any chair ladder or standing apparatus on the edge of the street to reserve viewing space. Respect should be given to all residents of the uptown area, and all residents of uptown should have a spirit of accommodation (to an extent) during Mardi Gras. With everything going on in the world, why does any of this matter? It matters because what happens in New Orleans during Mardi Gras is one of the few occasions for a divided society to come together We need to protect this sacred mandate to feast and celebrate life together We can meet in the middle on this.

Please don’t take away my grill. James Rosenbloom is a financial planner and cellist in New Orleans.

Staff report

As part of National Invasive Species Awareness Week, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheriesisaskingresidentstokeep an eye out for the Chinese mitten crab, a rare visitor to Louisiana waters. First spotted in 1987, sightings have been extremely rare, according to a depart-

REUNITE

Continued from page 1B

health due to the outside pressures they have from family, work and different things.”

That was the case for Jarachin

“Jerry” Guidry, 44, who suffered a heart attack in October a day before he was scheduled to have some tests run on his heart after a heart murmur had intensified.

“He had a valvular problem that, over time, he didn’t recognize it, whether he was having symptoms or not, he just didn’t recognize it,” DeWitt said of his patient. “So he progressed

SENATE

Continued from page 1B

Louisiana Retailers PAC; Mid-Continent PAC; Southern Glazers PAC; HOSTPAC and WESTPAC. Other contributions came from the Republican Legislative Delegation Campaign Committee, $10,000, and the Jean-Paul Coussan (Public Service Commission) Campaign Committee, $2,500. He loaned himself $200,000 on Jan. 3, according to the report. With $286,509 on hand on Jan. 7, Myers entered the final weeks of the campaign with $192,044 to spend. Regan’s campaign finance report for Jan. 7-26 shows he received $55,675 in contributions during that time frame and spent $50,483. With $243,694 on-hand as of Jan. 7, he had $248,887 to spend heading into the final weeks of the campaign.

He received contributions from the Campaign to Elect (Sheriff) Mark T. Gar-

ment statement, but in January 2025, two were found near the mouth of the Mississippi River in Plaquemines Parish. They are believed to have originally arrived in the United States as hitchhikers on ships or through ballast water

These crabs are easy to recognize by the fuzzy “mittens” on their claws and the lack of paddles on their rear

a little farther, to the poi that his heart was fairly damaged.”

legs. While they live most of theirlivesinfreshwater,they migrate to marine waters to spawn and have been known to travel over 750 miles up rivers in other regions.

LDWF requests any sightings be reported to (225) 7653977 or aquaticinvasives@ wlf.la.gov If possible, snap a picture of the top and underside of the crab and keep it for future examination.

BEADS

Continued from page 1B

sanitize the beads, sort them by size and then bundle them into a dozen of the same size/ length and lastly, the beads are bagged.

“With these jobs, the individuals learn how to hold a job, organizations skills, and responsibility which are lifelong skills no matter where they go,” said COO of LARC, Brian Hensgens. Ten thousand bags of recy-

cled beads are sold per year; each bag contains 36 to 244 beads, depending on the size and style. According to Hensgens, all proceeds benefit LARC’s Vocational Services Department which offers housing, cooking classes, and therapeutic services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

“The beads we resell go directly back into the community We actually have the cheapest beads in the state. Also, the proceeds are how we provide additional service to support LARC individuals,”

Hensgens said. Similar in purpose, the Arc of Acadiana also hosts an annual bead drive to collect used Mardi Gras beads to restock inventory, which are then sold at six resale stores and threeday program locations in Lafayette, Iberia, and St. Landry parishes for tossing off floats. Visit Arc of Acadiana‘s or LARC’s websites to find donation locations and time dropoffs.

Email Ja’kori Madison at jakori.madison@ theadvocate.com.

Guidry’s heart required a temporary heart pump to get back on track af surgery, technology that has only become available at local hospitals in recent years.

“This new technology, prior to us getting this, he would have had to be transferred to another facility, usually a bigger facility,” DeWitt said, noting that a patient like Guidry would have likely been sent to a specialty hospital in Houston just four years ago. The results surpassed expectations. “I didn’t expect to be this good, this soon,” Guidry said. Just a few

ber, $2,500; Friends of (Lafayette City Council member) Andy Naquin, $500; Friends of (District Attorney) Don Landry, $500; the Jean-Paul Coussan (Public Service Commission) Campaign Committee, $2,500; and the Raymond Bourque Jr (Broussard mayor) Campaign, $2,500. An earlier campaign report shows Regan received $500 from Friends of Jan

, ry practically back to normal, DeWitt noted, unusual for the severity of his condition came a grandfather for the first time, it’s a great relief. “I can at least carry and play around with her now, not just sit in a chair and people having to give her to me,” the 44-year-old said of his granddaughter Eddington, too, has made an impressive recovery

She’s back to work as the children’s director at Our Savior’s Church and back in her running shoes, as well. She’s completed another 5K run since and she’s already eyeing the next marathon. Boston again, maybe.

Scott Richard (Scott Mayor); and $2,500 from the Vance Olivier (Broussard Police Chief) Campaign Fund.

Regan loaned his campaign $204,000 and received a $2,000 donation from DJD Development Group of Lafayette, in which he is an officer Myers received 55% of the votes on Feb. 15 to defeat Regan.

RETURN

Continued from page 1B

firefighters were busy fighting small fires around the city when they were called to provide mutual aid to the Milton Fire District in response to reports of a building fire in the 100 block of Santa Cruz Drive around 1:30 a.m. Around 2:15 a.m., while fighting the fire from the rear of the building, a brick wall façade fell on the four firefighters, injuring three and trapping Mannting and Stancliff underneath.

Champagne, who received minor head injuries, said he remembers the silence that fell across the scene when the 30-foot wall collapsed on his crew

“It was just a shock. The first thing I did once I got hit was feel my whole body and make sure I felt my fingers

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and hand and everything was still intact. Right after that, I just went back to fight the fire itself,” he said.

Stancliff, who received minor back injuries, said he remembered the heat emitting from the bricks on his back, which was fortunately protected by an oxygen tank.

“I just had a lot of pain. I decided I wasn’t going to move at first and wait to be pulled out. But I started feeling the heat from the bricks, and they were burning me through the fire vest. So I decided to crawl to the next person I saw,” Stancliff said.

A Lafayette firefighter helped get Stancliff away from the wreckage.

Mannting added his appreciation for all the support he received from the community and fellow firefighters during his recent neck and knee

surgeries. A Meal Train fundraiser with a goal of $2,500 raised $9,630. The support helped his wife and two children out the most, he added.

“The community really stepped up the whole time I was in the hospital, I didn’t even have to worry about it, which was so nice for her She was about spending time with me and not have to worry about providing for the kids,” Mannting said.

Email Stephen Marcantel at stephen.marcantel@ theadvocate.com.

SPORTS

‘HE’S

SUPERHUMAN’

LSU’s Eyanson battled a rare digestive disease — but his play never wavered

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

FRISCO,Texas It was another hot day in southern California when Anthony Eyanson decided to take his shirt off.

The future LSU right-handed pitcher was in the backyard with his younger cousin. They had started playing with water balloons and a garden hose, prompting him to take his top off before he got wet.

But once it was gone, all his mother could do was hold back tears.

“I had to kind of put myself in check because I could feel myself starting to tear up and the choke up,” Kristen Eyanson said, “and I was like, ‘What am I looking at right now?’ “

In roughly a month, because of a rare digestive disease called achalasia, a 10-year-old Anthony had gone from 107 pounds to around 75 He’d lost so much weight that Kristen could see the outline of his bones through his skin. The disease, which prevents the esophagus from allowing food into the stomach, mostly occurs with patients between the ages of 25 and 60, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Only 5% of cases are from children under 16.

“I was normal. Just eating (like a) normal kid,” Anthony said. “I just remember one day it started happening.”

But the disease never affected his baseball career

The junior posted a 3.07 ERA in 82 innings at UC San Diego last year and made the U.S. Collegiate National team before transferring to LSU this past summer

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

INDIANAPOLIS When the New Orleans Saints hired Kellen Moore, they were bringing in not only the new head coach, but also the man responsible for what the offensive side of the football is going to look like for the foreseeable future.

One of Moore’s most important first tasks in that role was to figure out who his counterpart would be on the defensive side. That process eventually led him to hire former Los Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley

“Alignment on the other side of football is a big, important thing,” Moore said this week at the NFL Scouting Combine. “Games are complementary football. To win games takes all three phases, and having a guy on the other side in Brandon that certainly has an experience with, but he’s had success more importantly in this league, is going to be a huge asset for us.”

In some ways, Staley is a lot like Moore. Once he got his foot in the door of an NFL coaching staff, he rose to prominence quickly, spending one fantastic season as a defensive coordinator with the Los Angeles Rams before accepting his first head coaching job at 39 years old.

“I thought he was significantly better this week than he was last week,” Johnson said following Anthony’s second start against Omaha. “It’s a good sign for us.”

But for about a month a decade ago, Anthony wasn’t in a good place.

The sight of skin and bones alone put Kristen into action immediately

first bringing him to his doctor be-

He then made the Tigers’ weekend starting rotation before the start of the season and has allowed just one earned run in 11 innings — across two starts — heading into LSU’s three game series at the Frisco College Baseball Classic, which begins at 2 p.m. on Friday against Kansas State (D1Baseball).

Contributing Writer

After Tuesday’s poor effort at the plate, UL coach Matt Deggs said he implored the Ragin’ Cajuns to be more aggressive Wednesday against Southeastern The Cajuns got the message and who else to start it off but outfielder Caleb Stelly. He had an RBI single in the first inning to put UL up 1-0. Stelly also added a pair of triples in his 3-for-4 night, the Cajuns tallied 11 total hits against the Lions and Deggs’ squad walked away with the 9-7 win.

“We were a lot more aggressive at the dish tonight,” Deggs said. “This was a good bounce back after a lackluster performance last night. We’ve got to swing it better and we came out tonight and answered the bell.”

Deggs said Stelly’s big night was “electric” and shows exactly what he’s capable of. The UL junior said he is itching to break out this season and Wednesday’s effort could be the catalyst.

“I just felt like it was my duty to hit something hard right tonight,” Stelly said.

“Especially with some guys in scoring position. I’d expect this to really get me going for the rest of the season.” Tate Hess started for the Cajuns and got the win after going four and giving up just one run while striking out seven. Deggs went deep into his bullpen – using seven total pitchers to close out the game — but he credited Hess with giving the Cajuns the jump-start they needed.

“I thought Tate set a great tone on the bump tonight,” Deggs said. “He did what he needed to do to get us in the position to win and the bullpen did just enough to get us to the finish line. This was a good way to send us off to Irvine tomorrow morning.” The late innings caused a bit of concern for the Cajuns. Southeastern put up two runs in the seventh inning and two runs in the eighth inning to cut the Cajuns six-run lead down to two. After Dylan Theut gave up a two-run home run in the eighth inning,

fore they were directed to the emergency room at Long Beach Memorial Hospital.

“The minute (the doctor) saw him, she just shook her head and was like, ‘Nope, you need to go (to the hospital) right now,’ “ Kristen said. “ ‘ This is not okay.’ “ He was there for the next 15 days receiving treatment for a disease

ä See LSU, page 3C

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

Typically, a team’s first road trip of the season is a relatively short three-game weekend jaunt.

That’s not the case for UL’s softball team, which begins a 10-day voyage Friday in the Jane B. Moore Memorial tournament in Auburn, Alabama.

“Go big or go home,” UL coach Alyson Habetz said. “Our first road trip and it’s a 10-day road trip. It should be eventful. It’s going to be some really good competition.

“It’s going to bring us together and show a lot of how to play on the road. I think it’s going to be really good for our team.” It begins with Rutgers at 10 a.m. Friday, followed by McNeese. UL (8-4) will then play Rutgers at 10 a.m. and Auburn at 3 p.m Saturday, before Auburn again at 11:30 a.m. Sunday The Cajuns will then play Mississippi State, Alabama and Iowa next week. The Cajuns’ pitching staff has been taxed during earlier tournaments. The plan is

NICK FONTENOT

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP UL coach Alyson Habetz, right, and assistant coach Lacy Prejean will be returning to Alabama over the next 10 days. Prejean played and coached at Alabama and Habetz coached there.

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

UL center fielder Caleb Stelly had

STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

LSU starting pitcher Anthony Eyanson throws a pitch during a game against Purdue Fort Wayne on Feb 15 at Alex Box Stadium. Eyanson has allowed just one earned run in 11 innings over two starts.

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Arkansas State rolls past Cajuns

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

After a late first-half scoring run gave Arkansas State a doubledigit lead for good, it wasn’t much of a basketball game.

The goal of the second half seemed to be getting to the finish line without a brawl breaking out. It got close eight minutes into the second half, but cooler heads prevailed in the Red Wolves’ 83-64 victory over the Ragin’ Cajuns on Wednesday in the Cajundome. In all, there was eight technical fouls, a flagrant foul and an ejection.

“We were fighting, we were competing,” said UL coach Derrick Zimmerman, who was ejected in the second half. “We just didn’t make enough shots, didn’t make enough plays We’ll learn from it.”

The Cajuns (11-19, 8-9 Sun Belt) closes the regular season at South Alabama at 7 p.m. Friday In the first meeting, Arkansas State (21-9, 12-5) jumped out to a 20-point halftime lead in an 83-63 win.

With 2:33 left in the first half, UL was only down 33-28, but didn’t score for the rest of the first half and the Red Wolves used an 11-0 run to seize a 44-28 halftime lead

“We were right there, five-point game in the first half,” Zimmerman said. “Then we let them get out on us in transition at the end of the first half and kind of pushed their lead out. They thrive on transition.”

The frustration for the Cajuns began a few minutes earlier with a technical foul called on a nonplaying UL member at the end of the bench.

That turned a six-point deficit into nine at 33-24 after three free throws from Dyondre Dominguez with 3:14 left.

Then it really got crazy in the second half. With 12:37 left to play Zimmerman said he didn’t like something he saw before a stoppage in play After a review, the officials didn’t see anything and Zimmerman was ejected shortly after that ruling. Zimmerman said he was bewildered with being tossed.

“First of all, I never said anything out of character to get a tech,” he said. “I don’t why I was

ä UL at South Alabma. 7 P.M.

thrown out of the game. That was only my first technical. I need an explanation for that.”

The Cajuns’ interim coach wasn’t happy with something that transpired

“If you were sitting right in front of the bench, their coach (Bryan Hodgson) leaned over and said something to Kentrell Garnett and I heard exactly what he said right in front of the referee,” Zimmerman said. “To me, there’s a level of respect that you’ve got to have as coaches, as authority figures, as leaders of men.

“I felt he crossed the line, because he leaned over and made sure he said that to him. Like, come

on man. But it’s all good. They won the game. It is what it is.”

After the free throws that ensued, Arkansas State led 64-36.

The Cajuns trimmed a lead that got as big as 28 to 14 at 74-60 after two Christian Wright free throws with 3:37 left, but the Red Wolves finished strong to win comfortably

“We have resilient kids,” Zimmerman said. “We have hardworking kids. I told them in a timeout when all of that stuff was going on I said, ‘I’m going to fight for you guys until the end. Y’all don’t ever have to worry about coach not having your back.’ None of that stuff.

“Our kids are never going to quit, never lie down, no matter who we playing. I was proud of the kids.”

The scariest part of the game was London Fields getting fouled hard from behind and taking a nasty spill.

“He said he couldn’t feel his arms on the fall,” Zimmerman said. “He was playing well. He’s been playing well for us the last two or three weeks.

“So he’ll get a little bit of treatment tonight and tomorrow but he should be available for Friday.”

Izaiyah Nelson had a game-high 30 points and 21 rebounds for ASU.

Mostapha El Moutaouakkil led UL with 15 points, followed by Garnett with 11 points and six rebounds.

UL lost the rebounding battle 5624 and the free-throw battle with 35 of 42 for Arkansas State and 17 of 23 for UL.

UL women rally past South Alabama

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

There was a brief one-point lead midway through the first quarter but the UL Ragin’ Cajuns trailed for most of 31/2 quarters Wednesday in the Cajundome.

But once coach Garry Brodhead’s women’s team gained its second lead, it didn’t give it up in a 55-48 victory over South Alabama.

“It was two different halves,” Brodhead said. “Our first half, we didn’t guard like we were expected to guard and I think it affected our offense too.” The Cajuns (13-14, 9-8 Sun Belt), who close out the regular season at 5 p.m. Friday at Southern Miss, are in a three-way tie for fifth place in the SBC.

South Alabama fell to 6-22, 2-14. Erica Lafayette’s two free throws with 6:15 left gave UL a 4443 lead. That sparked a 13-5 run the rest of the way The Cajuns would not have been that close if not for another inspired performance from Skylah Travis. The senior Missouri transfer finished with 10 points on 4-of5 shooting and had 11 rebounds in 28 minutes.

“Right now, I have a lot of motivation going on,” Travis said. “I took a tough loss with

we finally realized, ‘Hey, either we’re going to take this loss and cry about it, or we’re going to pick it up and win this game.’ We really leaned on defense tonight and it worked out in our favor.”

Nubia Benedith scored four of her game-high 16 points in the final surge and had six rebounds in 32 minutes

“Once we found ourselves connected, we were able to start rolling,” Benedith said. “We understand spots — who needs to be where and we get huge rebounds on the defensive end that we need.”

Tamiah Robinson added 12 points, two assists and two steals for UL.

Travis and Benedith were the only Cajuns to shoot better than 50% from the field.

UL limited the Jaguars to 15.4% shooting in the fourth quarter

2-way star Hunter won’t work out at NFL combine

INDIANAPOLIS — Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter insists he’s a different kind of player He’s just waiting until March to put on his dazzling show for NFL scouts.

The two-way star said Thursday he does not intend to work out with the defensive backs Friday or the receivers Saturday at the NFL’s annual scouting combine and instead will wait until Colorado’s Pro Day to give everyone a glimpse of his uncanny skills.

“I’ve been doing this for a long time, so I feel like I can keep doing it,” he said, acknowledging he hopes to play both positions next fall. “Hopefully they’ll let me go out there 100% (at both), but that’s up to the organization.”

Knapp shoots a 59 at Cognizant Classic

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Jake Knapp knew he was on the verge of something special on Thursday, with a run of five straight birdies to open his round at the Cognizant Classic.

In the end, he joined one of golf’s most elite clubs.

Knapp — the No. 99 player in golf’s current world rankings joined the PGA Tour’s sub-60 club on Thursday, shooting a bogeyfree 59 in the opening round at PGA National. It was the 15th time that someone has broken 60 in a PGA Tour event.

Knapp finished one shot off the tour scoring record of 58, done by Jim Furyk in the final round of the 2016 Travelers championship. Knapp became the 14th player to shoot a sub-60 round.

Chiefs TE Kelce plans to return next season

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce plans to play next season rather than retire.

The 35-year-old Kelce had been mulling whether to return for a 13th season. But the four-time All-Pro made his feelings clear in a text to Pat McAfee that the host read during “The Pat McAfee Show” on Thursday

“My dawg!!! I’m coming back for sure,” the four-time All-Pro wrote, according to McAfee. “Gonna try to get to the best shape I’ve been this offseason and get back to the mountaintop. I can’t go out like that!!!!”

The Chiefs’ quest to become the first team to win three straight Super Bowls ended with a 40-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Feb. 9.

Sinner dropped from Laureus awards list

LONDON The nomination of star Jannik Sinner for the Laureus sportsman of the year award was withdrawn Thursday because of the top-ranked tennis player’s three-month ban for his two positive doping tests nearly a year ago.

Laureus World Sports Academy chairman Sean Fitzpatrick said in a statement that the Italian player’s ban resulting from a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency prompted the decision.

“Following discussions by the Laureus Academy it has been decided that Jannik Sinner’s nomination for this year’s Laureus world sportsman of the year award is to be withdrawn,” Fitzpatrick said.

“We have followed this case, the decisions of the relevant global bodies and feel that the three-month ban renders the nomination ineligible.”

my granddad last week Unfortunately he passed away and my teammates held my head up high.

“I was going through it mentally

I wasn’t here in the moment, but tonight made me realize that I can’t get to my family right now, but it doesn’t matter I’m here in the moment. I need my teammates and my teammates need me.” Travis collected one of her two blocks with 1:32 left to help thwart South Alabama’s comeback attempt.

“We thrive through defense,” Benedith said. “If we’re not playing defense, sometimes (we) can struggle on the offensive side. When we’re connected on the defensive side, a lot of things happen for us.”

“I think the first half was an eyeopener for us, the whole defense,” Travis said. “We came out kind of slow When it came to halftime,

UL had a 37-32 edge in rebounding, including 14 offensive rebounds leading to the Cajuns’ 15-5 edge in second-chance points. “We really flourished off those rebounds,” Travis said.

Yankees reliever Effross has hamstring strain TAMPA,Fla Yankees reliever Scott Effross has a grade two left hamstring strain, according to Yankees manager Aaron Boone, New York media reported Thursday Effross, a 31-year-old side-arming right-hander, left his second spring training appearance after just one pitch Tuesday against Minnesota at Fort Myers. He had a plateletrich plasma injection on Thursday, Boone said, adding that Effross is “going to take some time” to return Acquired from the Chicago Cubs on Aug. 1, 2022, Effross had a 2.13 ERA in 122/3 innings over 13 appearances for the Yankees that season, then had Tommy John surgery on Oct. 13 of that year Effross has a 2.89 ERA in 76 relief appearances and one start over three seasons with the Cubs and Yankees. He has an $800,000 salary this year

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

UL interim head coach Derrick Zimmerman, left, sits on the video board while watching the action against Arkansas State during their game Wednesday at the Cajundome.

ä UL at Southern Miss. 5 P.M. FRIDAy, ESPN+

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

UL forward Skylah Travis drives to the basket against South Alabama on Wednesday in the Cajundome.

FRIDAy, ESPN+

SAINTS

His head coaching tenure did not go particularly well — he went 24-24 over parts of three years, with one devastating playoff loss, before the Chargers fired him. But the Saints are banking on his experience being a benefit to them as they try and rebuild their own defense. Before his stop with the Rams as the defensive coordinator, Staley spent three seasons working under Vic Fangio who was on the Eagles staff with Moore this past season. Moore saw how that defensive style could positively impact a team throughout the season.

“Stylistically, obviously, the last two stops I’ve had have been with Vic and Brandon, so it gives us a lot of flexibility from a roster structure (standpoint),” Moore said. “I think he does a tremendous job of being a gameplanoriented coach, giving us a lot of different versatile pieces that we can play with on defense. It’s a long season in the NFL, and the more different tools and ways you can play are going to hold up as the season goes on.” That will require some changes to identifying which players fit what the Saints are doing defensively however.

Like Fangio, Staley has largely employed a 3-4 defense throughout his career — meaning, when his teams have been aligned in their base looks, they feature three defensive linemen and four linebackers. Under former head coach and defensive play-caller Dennis Allen, the Saints were a 4-3 defense.

Those two structures require different types of players. The 6-foot-6, 270-pound defensive ends that were an obvious fit for the old scheme aren’t necessarily a fit for the new one, but the 240-pound edge rushers that New Orleans had traditionally overlooked may now be a fit. Staley is in Indianapolis with the Saints this week for the NFL combine, helping identify the players that best fit.

CAJUNS

Continued from page 1C

Deggs said it was important to send Theut back out to close the ninth to prove Deggs hadn’t lost confidence in the lefty.

“We got a little generous in the middle innings there and they capitalized,” Deggs said. “That home run (in the eighth) gets (Southeastern) all the way back into the game. But I trust Theut and I know he’s going to fill up the strike zone and his fastball is hard to get on top of. So (Southeastern) got back into it, but we got three balls in the ninth and

Continued from page 1C

to get opening-day starter Tyra Clary back during the trip

Clary (1-1, 3.00) suffered a knee injury during his second outing on the first weekend, but Habetz isn’t concerned about the Nevada senior transfer

“The quality about her that doesn’t make me feel that way is she’s a fifth-year senior,” Habetz said. “She’s got a lot of experience under her belt. She’s kind of ‘been there, done that’ and experienced the highs and lows of what it takes to be a pitcher

“If she was a freshman or a sophomore, I might be a little worried about her being apprehensive, but she’s like, ‘Give me the ball. This is my last season, I’m going.’ She wants the ball, so mentally I think she’s going to be great, which is more than half the battle coming back from an injury.”

If she returns, that’ll give pitching coach Shelbi Sunseri four arms with freshman Mallory Wheeler (3-0, 2.66, 29 IP), senior Sam Ryan (3-1, 1.31, 26.2 IP) and Bethaney Noble (1-2, 6.07 15 IP) all having their moments this season. Rutgers enters the tournament 7-9, but four of its losses are to Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee and Oregon State.

Offensively, the Scarlet Knights are hitting .226 as a team with only two homers and 15 stolen bases led by Jillian Anderson (.372, 8 RBIs) and LA Matthews (.295, 1 HR, 10 RBIs).

In the circle, Rutgers has a 3.39 team ERA with 114 hits and 93 strikeouts in 103.1 innings — paced by Ella Harrison (4-5, 2.62, 53.1 IP, 70 K) and Kelsey Hoekstra (3-4, 3.63, 36.2 IP 16 K)

“They’ve lost some games, but

SANCHEZ

The Saints are banking on new defensive coordinator

Brandon Staley’s head coaching experience being a benefit to them as they try and rebuild their own defense.

The prototypes on defense are going to change because they’re a different structure,” said college scouting director Jeff Ireland.

“We’re looking for different ends and different nose tackles and different linebackers.”

Transitions sometimes with regards to scheme, and sometimes with regards to wholesale philosophy — are “inevitable” in the NFL, Moore said. But he also said he sees some core pieces already on the roster that should marry nicely with Staley’s scheme.

“We feel like there are a lot of pieces that will be very complementary to how Brandon is going to present it,” Moore said. “We’ve got a lot of pieces that will be able to hop in there and play at a high level, and as we build it we will be able to evolve that.”

Moore also shrugged off a question about the transition to a different style of defense ushering in sweeping roster changes, because teams so rarely play in their base defense in modern football At the end of the day, Moore said, teams are going to win or lose games most often out of their nickel package, with four down linemen, two linebackers and five defensive backs.

“The beauty of it is Brandon has played a number of different ways that will allow us to have some versatile body types that will play a number of different positions, and we’ll have flexibility within that,” Moore said.

that’s why we scored nine runs.”

The Cajuns are set for a threegame series on the road against UC Irvine. Deggs said he is happy to be heading to California off Wednesday’s performance, but he knows the Cajuns will have to keep giving more effort to get to where he thinks they can go.

“We’ve got to demand more of ourselves especially offensively,” Deggs said “We’re too talented to give away at bats and games like we did last night (to McNeese) “We’re still learning. We’re still growing We’re still maturing. We’re still coming together to find out who we are as a ball club and we have to make our own path.”

lost to some really good teams,”

Habetz said of Rutgers. “They have two really good freshman pitchers.”

Auburn is 14-1 and coached by former UL assistant coaches Chris and Kate Malveaux and former Cajun All-American shortstop DJ Sanders.

The Tigers pound the ball, hitting .271 with 22 home runs and 21 steals. Outfielder Icess Tresvik (.378, 6 HRs, 16 RBIs, 8 SBs) is the top player the Cajuns have played this year

The pitching staff is led by SJ Geurin (9-0, 1.23, 51.1 IP 31 K), as well as Chalea Clemmons (3-1, 2.91) and Haley Rainey (2-0, 3.92).

“After being at Alabama for 25 years, going to the plains of Auburn is going to be well, being with the Ragin’ Cajuns, it’ll have a different feel,” she said “Moreso, they’ll have a different feel about us now being in a different shade of red.”

McNeese is off to a 10-5 start with more hitting and less pitching than in the past

The Cowgirls are batting .319 as a team with nine homers and 39 stolen bases — led by Samantha Mundine (.477, 11 RBIs, 8 SBs) and Kassidy Chance (.440, 8 RBIs, 7 SBs).

In the circle, McNeese has a 4.29 team ERA with 102 hits, 48 walks and 42 strikeouts in 93 innings – led by Maddie Taylor (5-1, 3.53).

“It’s going to be challenge, no doubt, because we’re going to be playing some really challenging competition,” Habetz added. “There are no cupcake games for the next two weeks Every game will be a challenge and being on the road, so having to handle yourself on the road and how to practice. It’s a long road trip.”

Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@theadvocate.com.

LSU will need to find a new defensive line coach — again

Longtime coach Davis lands job with Saints

BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer

Two years ago, LSU lost its defensive line coach in the middle of spring practice when Jamar Cain left to become a pass rush specialist with the Denver Broncos under Sean Payton. His departure forced Brian Kelly to make a late hire, and now the situation is repeating itself.

LSU defensive tackles coach Bo Davis is expected to become the New Orleans Saints’ defensive line coach after one year with the Tigers. LSU now has to find a defensive line coach once again, a position it has found itself in year after year over the past decade.

With spring practice beginning March 8, edge rushers coach Kevin Peoples will likely oversee the entire defensive line while LSU searches for a replacement. Peoples, who helped improve LSU’s pass rush last season, has coached the whole defensive line multiple times during his career including at Tulane and Indiana.

But in the long term, defensive coordinator Blake Baker will likely want a dedicated defensive tackles coach He used separate coaches for the defensive ends and defensive tackles during his two years at Missouri a strategy he brought to LSU this past season.

When LSU hired Davis away from Texas, he had the potential to provide stability to a job that has lacked any for the past decade.

Davis had returned to his alma mater, and he signed a three-year deal worth an average of $1.35 million per year that made him one of the highest-paid non-coordinators in college football. He did not owe a buyout if he left for an NFL job, according to his contract.

Instead, LSU is searching for a replacement 13 months later, the latest example of an unusually high rate of turnover

LSU has not employed the same defensive line coach for two full years since Brick Haley from 2009-14. Since then, it has gone

LSU

Continued from page 1C

that affects roughly one out of every 100,000 people in the United States, per the Cleveland Clinic.

“The frustration of knowing there’s something wrong and knowing that we need to do something,” Kristen said, “but knowing that it’s out of our hands and there’s nothing that we can do. it kind of just frustrates you as a parent.”

Anthony had trouble digesting anything, and whatever he ate would often feel like it was stuck in his throat.

Usually about half an hour after trying to eat something, he’d have to throw up. He was also salivating and spitting a lot, enough to the point where he had to carry around a cup.

The only food his body was able to tolerate was Pepsi and Pringles. He still has no idea why

“When I see those, they’ve got a special place in my heart,” Anthony said. “Because they were there for me when no other food was.”

‘He’s superhuman’

Anthony was pitching and playing third base for his 10-and-under All-Star team. Others noticed that he had lost weight, but somehow his play on the field never wavered.

His father, Jeff, said he played in every game. His team even won a tournament, claiming the East Long Beach Pony Mustang championship.

“I watched him get heat exhaustion during one of his Pop Warner games (he) threw up at halftime, and they were like, ‘I don’t want to hear anybody complain. Eyanson’s over there throwing up,’ “ Kristen said. “And then he went back and played the whole second half.”

“He’s superhuman.”

As his condition worsened, Jeff would “hide” with Anthony in between games to help him eat. He’d nibble through a sandwich, moving each morsel around in his mouth so they could soften.

“It would take him hours to eat the food,” Jeff said.

The Eyansons tried solving Anthony’s digestive issues sooner. But anytime he needed to take a certain test, it would take a week or two for their insurance to approve the referral. There were also a couple of instances where the family was re-

through the following coaches for a variety of reasons, including sudden departures, retirements and health issues:

2015: Ed Orgeron

2016: Ed Orgeron/Pete Jenkins

2017: Pete Jenkins

2018: Dennis Johnson

2019: Bill Johnson

2020: Bill Johnson

2021: Andre Carter

2022: Jamar Cain

2023: Jimmy Lindsey/John Jancek

2024: Bo Davis

Even when Bill Johnson was hired in 2019, he joined the team during preseason camp because of an injury to Dennis Johnson, giving him less than two full years on staff.

The 2023 season was particularly chaotic. Cain left in the spring, and after Chatman served as the interim coach, Lindsey had to step away on the eve of preseason practice because of a health issue.

LSU moved Jancek to the defensive line, a position he had never coached before, and brought Jenkins out of retirement in the middle of the season. Lindsey and Jancek were not retained as LSU overhauled its defensive staff. With Davis leaving, LSU has to find a coach who can continue to

develop the players on its roster and build the position. In the 2025 class, Davis signed four-stars Walter Mathis, Brandon Brown and Zion Williams and three-star Dilan Battle. He also added Texas transfer Sydir Mitchell during the first portal window In the 2026 class, LSU holds a commitment from four-star Edna Karr defensive lineman Richard Anderson, a top 50 overall recruit according to the 247Sports composite. Five-star U-High offensive and defensive lineman Lamar Brown, who has not committed, said Thursday “MY recruitment doesn’t change for me Tigers still #1” in a post on X.

The new coach will inherit a young group of defensive tackles. Other than sixth-year senior Jacobian Guillory, who’s recovering from a torn Achilles, every player has multiple years of eligibility Sophomores Dominick McKinley and Ahmad Breaux played significant snaps during their first seasons, and they will need to take a step forward.

Whoever gets the job has to make LSU better upfront. And now, for the fourth time in his four years at LSU, Kelly is looking for a defensive line coach.

ON DECK

WHO: Kansas State (4-4) vs. LSU (8-1)

WHEN: 2 p.m. Friday

WHERE: Riders Field, Frisco,Texas ONLINE: D1Baseball

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

RANKINGS: LSU is No. 2 by

D1Baseball; Kansas State is unranked

PROBABLE STARTERS: LSU — LHP Kade Anderson (2-0, 1.74 ERA); Kansas State — LHP Jacob Frost (00, 3.38)

PREGAME UPDATES: theadvocate. com/lsu ON X (FORMERLY TWITTER): @KokiRiley

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Anderson cruised through the first five innings of his last start against Omaha but ran into a speed bump in the sixth, allowing two runs. Friday will be his greatest challenge yet. Kansas State took down two ranked teams last weekend in Arkansas and TCU Koki Riley

ferred to a place that had a test he needed, only to find out that they never had that test. Eventually Anthony received the treatment he needed in the hospital.

He underwent four tests and had a Heller Myotomy, the surgical procedure that treats achalasia.

To pass the time while stuck in bed, he’d watch eating challenge shows. Kristen remembers him watching “Man vs. Food,” the reality TV show where Adam Richman the show’s host travels the United States taking on the country’s top eating challenges.

“All he did was watch food, the whole time he was there,” Kristen said. “I was like, ‘Why are you torturing yourself?’

All Anthony wanted once he got out of the hospital was a burger from In-N-Out Burger And with the help of a gift card provided by a neighbor, it was the first meal he had out of the hospital.

Anthony still remembers his order: A double-double burger, two patties and two slices of cheese. As he took his first bite, with his family watching, he anticipated getting the feeling that had haunted him for a month. The food stuck in his throat. The saliva building up in his mouth. But none of that came to pass. All he felt was relief.

“I’m not somebody that’s super emotional or cries or anything like that,” Anthony said, “but I remember being there in the moment hiding some tears, holding them back.”

Email Koki Riley at Koki.Riley@theadvocate.com.

AP PHOTO By MARCIO JOSE

PROVIDED PHOTO By KRISTEN EyANSON Anthony Eyanson spends his time after surgery watching ‘Man vs. Food’ and other food challenge shows as he recovers.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU defensive line coach Bo Davis gives instructions during position drills at a preseason practice on Aug. 5. Davis is set to join the Saints.

‘He

was there’

Lafayette High’s Duhon dedicates senior season to honor slain brother

BY ERIC NARCISSE Staff writer

Lafayette High School’s Diego

Duhon and his older brother Quincy, an Lafayette High alum, were always close.

Much of their bonding revolved around basketball — watching it, talking about it, playing it

Over the summer, with Diego’s senior season basketball quickly approaching, the brothers were eager to see how things would unfold for the Mighty Lions, who were seeking to win their first district championship in five years.

“My brother and I always talked basketball,” Diego said. “I was looking forward to him watching my senior season. And I know he really wanted to watch my senior season.”

Quincy, who died on Aug. 31, wouldn’t get to see any of Diego’s senior games

Diego vividly that Saturday

That’s the day Quincy was killed in a shooting that also claimed the life of 48-year-old Johnny Trailer Jr

“It was a regular Saturday

morning, just like every other

Saturday before it,” Diego said.

“I was playing my video game — college football on my PlayStation 5 — when I heard someone scream.”

That scream, Diego said, was from his mom, who had been told by his aunt that Quincy had been shot about 9 a.m. at a barbershop on Louisiana Avenue in Lafayette.

“I was clueless,” said Diego, whose Lions will host No. 17 Hammond at 6:30 p.m Friday at Northside in the first round of the Division I select playoffs. “I didn’t know anything. It wasn’t until my aunt called me and asked, ‘How is Quincy doing?’ I didn’t know why she was asking me that and that’s when she told me he had been shot.”

Not understanding how bad it was, Diego said he tried “remaining positive.”

“I was in the house, pacing back and forth,” he said “I didn’t really know what to do. This was something that I had never experienced in my life. It was so heartbreaking, but I was trying to stay positive. I was thinking about best-case scenarios, like the bullet grazed him or hit him in the leg. It was a lot more severe than that.”

Quincy was in critical condition for a week and on Sept. 7, the 19-year-old died.

“It was a tough environment, so my dad would ask me ‘Do you want to come (to the hospital)?’ he

said. “But that day, he told me ‘I’m going to come (to the hospital).’

When I got there, there were a lot of people crying. That’s the same day he died.”

With the loss of his brother weighing heavily on him and his family, Diego decided to honor his brother by dedicating the basketball season to him.

“I had no choice but to push forward,” Diego said. “I know that my brother wouldn’t have wanted me to stop. So I wanted everything I did this year to be for him.”

Diego’s senior night came in the regular-season finale against Sulphur on Feb. 21.

Knowing Quincy would have been “front and center” to watch Diego for senior night, Quincy’s friends, along with his parents and other family members were in attendance to support Diego.

“Seeing my parents, family and my brother’s friends all there to support me, it was great to see,” Diego said “It was a surreal feeling. I was really nervous.”

It was a night to remember, culminating in Diego hitting the game-winning basket to give the Lions a 55-54 overtime win.

“I thought he was going to go down and take the shot,” Diego said of senior point guard Kevon’te Landry, “but he made eye contact with me.

“As soon as it left my hands, I knew it was going in. I love my teammates. We dedicated this to my brother It was a huge district

championship game.

“At first, it didn’t feel real,” he said. “I was swarmed and everyone was jumping up and down. It was hard to describe. But one of the first things I thought about after the ball went in was just how excited my brother would have been.”

SCOREBOARD

One of Quincy’s friends remarked later, “I just wish Q had been there to see it.”

Then he corrected himself.

“Actually, he was there. He was there to see the whole thing.”

Email Eric Narcisse at enarcisse@theadvocate.com.

basketball Men’s state schedule Wednesday’s Games Tulane 78, Charlotte 64 Arkansas State 83, UL 64 Thursday’s Games None scheduled. Friday’s Games Arkansas State at UL-Monroe, 6:30 p.m. UL at South Alabama, 7 p.m. Arkansas St. 83, UL 64

Late Wednesday ARKANSAS ST(21-9) Julien 0-6 1-2 1, Nelson 9-14 12-14 30, T.Ford 1-7 6-6 9, Pinion 4-6 0-0 10, Todd 2-5 7-8 12, D.Ford 2-8 2-2 8, Dominguez 3-10 5-8 11, Marshall 0-1 2-2 2, Felts 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 2157 35-42 83. UL (11-19) Cook 1-4 0-0 2, El Moutaouakkil 6-11 3-4 15, Fields 3-8 0-0 7, Garnett 3-10 5-5 11, Wright 1-10 5-5 7, Thomas 3-8 1-2 8, Ratliff 3-4 0-1 7 White 1-4 0-1 2, Evans 1-5 2-3 4, Hardy 0-0 1-2 1. Totals 22-64 17-23 64. Halftime—Arkansas St. 44-28. 3-Point Goals—Arkansas St. 6-24 (Pinion 2-3, D.Ford 2-7, Todd 1-2, T.Ford 1-4, Julien 0-2, Dominguez 0-6), UL 3-19 (Ratliff 1-2, Fields 1-3, Thomas 1-3, Evans 0-2, Garnett 0-3, White 0-3, Wright 0-3). Fouled Out—Julien, Todd, Evans. Rebounds—Arkansas St. 51 (Nelson 21), UL 21 (Garnett 6). Assists—Arkansas St. 13 (T.Ford 5), UL 9 (Thomas 3). Total Fouls Arkansas St. 24, UL 23. A—1,635 (11,550) Women’s state schedule

Wednesday’s games Marshall 73, UL-Monroe 65 UL 55, South Alabama 48 Thursday’s games Southeastern 52, UTRGV, 58 Southern at Florida A&M, n Grambling at Bethune-Cookman, n McNeese at Stephen F. Austin, n UIW at Northwestern State, n Nicholls at Lamar, n UNO at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, n LSU at Alabama, n Friday’s games UL at Southern Miss, 5 p.m. UL-Monroe at James Madison, 6 p.m.

College baseball

Wednesday’s games Northwestern State 10, Alcorn 5 UL 9, Southeastern 7 LSU 7, Dallas Baptist 3 Thursday’s games LSU vs. Kansas State, 2 p.m.

UL-Monroe at Missouri State, 3 p.m. Tulane at Pepperdine, 3:30 p.m. Memphis at Louisiana Tech, 4 p.m

STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

Lafayette High guard Diego Duhon drives to the basket against Westgate defender Tony Quete at the Big Dave’s Classic on Dec. 12 at Northside High School.

Capital’s culture

225 Fest again will celebrate what makes Baton Rouge special from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Airline Highway Park/Fairgrounds. There will be live performances, food trucks, vendors, health and wellness activities and more The event is free RSVP at eventbrite.com.

UPCOMING PARADES

BATON ROUGE: Southdowns, 7 p.m., Friday; Spanish Town, noon, Saturday; Shenandoah, 6:30 p.m., Monday l NEW ROADS: Chemin Neuf, 6 p.m., Saturday; Community Center, 11 a.m., Tuesday; Lions Club, 2 p.m., Tuesday l PORT ALLEN: Good Friends of the Oaks, 1 p.m., Sunday l PLAQUEMINE:

Comogo, 7 p.m., Sunday

Festive finale

8 Baton Rouge-area parades rolling through Fat Tuesday round out

season

BY JUDY BERGERON Staff writer

Haven’t made it out to a Mar-

di Gras parade yet? No worries there are eight more chances in the Baton Rouge area before the season wraps up. Temperatures look to be mild for all the celebrations, but there may be raindrops to dodge on Fat Tuesday Be safe, and Happy Mardi Gras!

FRIDAY

KREWE OF SOUTHDOWNS PARADE:

7 p.m., beginning at Glasgow Middle School along Glasgow Avenue to Whitehaven Street, Lee Drive, Hyacinth, Arrowhead, Stuart, Whitehaven to Stephens. For its 38th parade, Southdowns is taking on a safari theme

SATURDAY

KREWE OF SPANISH TOWN PARADE: noon, starting at Fourth Street and Spanish Town Road, to Ninth, North, Fourth, Main, Ninth, Laurel, Fourth, Florida, Seventh to Convention streets and River Road, ending at North Street The largest parade in town, the flamingo-filled procession takes the theme “In Smiley Town, Smiley Says …,” honoring the late Advocate columnist and local personality Smiley Anders. https://mardigrasspanishtown.com/.

KREWE OF CHEMIN NEUF PARADE: 6 p.m., New Roads, starting at Jackson and Parent streets, to New Roads, Main, Olinde, Napoleon and Poydras streets, ending at Poydras and New Roads. Making its inaugural run, the familyfriendly parade will feature lighted floats, local performances and a festive atmosphere.

ä See PARADES, page 6C

BY JUDY BERGERON Staff writer

Robert King has been involved in the Spanish Town Mardi Gras parade for 40-plus years. Across town

Julie Crow is in just her second year shepherding the Krewe of Shenandoah parade.

This is the tale of two very different processions: one a longtime tradition, the other still the newbie; one drawing a crowd of 200,000 in 2024, the other’s inaugural run last year attracting 25,000 spectators. And the parades’ respective themes? Try Smiley and Star Wars.

It’s crunch time this week for both King and Crow: Spanish Town rolls at noon Saturday and Shenandoah at 6:30 p.m. Monday (Lundi Gras). See accompanying parade maps. The organizers did, however,

take a break to talk about this year’s ride.

Super-duper Spanish Town

“I went to the second year (of the parade) on Spanish Town

Road and saw it and I said, ‘Oh, I’ve got to be part of this. This is great,’ ” King recalled. That was 1982.

“Back then the parade started at the Capitol on Spanish Town Road. It was Boyd Avenue at the time, not Spanish Town Road,” King continued. “And it turned left at the grocery store and kind of paraded through the neighborhood. A lot different than what it is now.”

As president of the Society for the Preservation of Lagniappe in Louisiana (SPLL), which puts on the biggest parade in Baton Rouge each year, King’s in charge of an event featuring the cityregulated maximum of 75 floats, along with numerous marching groups — The Flamingeauxs and The BeignYAYS among them. The route now weaves through 10 streets downtown.

BY JOHN WIRT Contributing writer

FRIDAY WILL WESLEY: Cane River Pecan Company Pie Bar, New Iberia, 5 p.m.

JAMBALAYA TRIO: Randol’s Cajun Restaurant, Breaux Bridge, 6 p.m.

BURRIS: Adopted Dog Brewing, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

JACK WOODSON: Charley

G’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

CLIFF BERNARD: Prejean’s, Broussard, 6 p.m.

FRIDAY NIGHT JAM: La Maison de Begnaud, Scott, 6 p.m.

DOWNTOWN ALIVE! FEATUR-

ING NATHAN & THE ZYDECO

CHA CHAS: Parc Sans Souci, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

JAKE KNOTT: SHUCKS!, Abbeville, 6:30 p.m.

THE CAST: Agave, Youngsville, 6:30 p.m.

STEVE ADAMS: Agave Downtown, Lafayette, 6:30 p.m.

GENO DELAFOSE & FRENCH

ROCKIN’ BOOGIE: Feed’n’Seed, Lafayette, 7 p.m.

KYLE HUVAL & THE DIXIE

CLUB RAMBLERS: Lakeview Park, Eunice, 7 p.m.

HORACE TRAHAN & OSSUN

EXPRESS: Lakeview Park, Eunice, 7 p.m.

CEDRIC WATSON & BIJOU

CREOLE: Hideaway on Lee, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

THE D.O.O.D., ISMONIC, LA

PHANTOMS: Freetown Boom Boom Room Lafayette, 8 p.m.

MAGIC CRAWFISH: Blue Moon Saloon, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

STEVE RILEY & THE MAMOU

PLAYBOYS: La Poussiere Cajun Dancehall, Breaux Bridge, 8 p.m.

JC MELANCON (SOLO): Toby’s Lounge, Opelousas, 8:30 p.m.

DREW LANDRY ALBUM

RELEASE: The Grouse Room, Lafayette, 9 p.m.

SPIRIT

Continued from page 5C

Leading the procession for the last two years is the U.S. Army Marching Band based in Shreveport

“It’s pretty cool,” King said. “You would think that they play military stuff, but now they play all kinds of other music and people seem to enjoy that.”

The floats, dancers, bands and the like that roll, sashay and march in Spanish Town share a few characteristics — they’re usually drowning in the parade’s signature bright pink color, flaunting the flamingo mascot, keeping to the comical, raucous and irreverant spirit it’s

BRIGHT EYES

Continued from page 5C

could barely sing. His voice worsened once the tour began. Following a few troubled shows in September, the band canceled its remaining tour dates. Singer-songwriter Oberst, the Bright Eyes website posted, had “developed a condition that is exacerbated by excessive singing, requiring both treatment and recuperation.”

Regrouped and recovered, Bright Eyes returned in January for a West Coast tour An ambitious 2025 schedule includes Sunday’s show in Baton Rouge at Chelsea’s Live. To the best of Mogis’ knowledge, Bright Eyes, despite an almost three-decade career, has never performed in Baton Rouge. Mogis, 50, the multi-instrumentalist who produces, records and mixes recordings for Bright Eyes and other artists, has known Oberst, 45, since Mogis was a stu-

from page 5C

Preceding the parade will be the Chemin Neuf Mardi Gras Festival from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. in downtown New Roads. kreweofcheminneuf.com.

SUNDAY

SHOWS TO WATCH — ACADIANA

ORDINARY WORLD: Rock ‘n’ Bowl, Lafayette, 9 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Cowboys Nightclub, Scott, 10 p.m.

SATURDAY TONY BRUCE CLASSIC COUNTRY: Buck & Johnny’s, Breaux Bridge, 8 a.m.

GENO DELAFOSE & FRENCH

ROCKIN’ BOOGIE: Buck & Johnny’s, Breaux Bridge, 8 a.m.

SATURDAY MORNING JAM

SESSIONS: The Savoy Music Center, Eunice, 9 a.m. CAJUN JAM: Moncus Park Lafayette, 9 a.m.

CAJUN JAM: Tante Marie Breaux Bridge, 11 a.m.

CAJUN FRENCH MUSIC JAM:

Vermilionville Living History Museum & Folklife Park, Lafayette, 1 p.m.

CAJUN JAM SESSION: Touchet’s Bar, Maurice, 2 p.m.

EUGENE BOTTS: Cafe Sydnie Mae, Breaux Bridge, 6 p.m.

JAMBALAYA TRIO: Randol’s Cajun Restaurant, Breaux Bridge, 6 p.m.

DAP MUSIC: Tap Room, Youngsville, 6:30 p.m.

noted for, and carrying out a theme, this year’s being “In Smiley Town, Smiley Says ” The theme pays tribute to longtime Advocate columnist and Spanish Town fixture Smiley Anders, who passed away in May at 86.

“Smiley was a great person. He’s a legend,” King said, enumerating Anders’ contributions to the Spanish Town parade’s success including reigning as king in 1984. “Everybody on Mondays would run out to get their newspaper to see who won what (awards in the parade judging) and read Smiley’s column. That was always a high point He’s highly missed.”

This year’s royalty includes King Keith Knapps,

dent at University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Oberst was a 14-year-old songwriting prodigy “I helped Conor record songs when he was 15, 16 years old,” Mogis said from his home in Omaha, Nebraska. “We started Bright Eyes shortly after that. It’s been quite a journey with varying degrees of success, but a lot of fun We’re family now Yeah, we’re old, but I hope we’ll be doing it another 25 years more.”

Bright Eyes has enjoyed a varied audience since it began. Mogis credits the wide appeal to Oberst’s introspective, universal lyrics.

“It’s about the human condition,” he said. “As long as you’re a human there’s something for you in the message and presentation of our music — people in their 30s, people in high school, but also 50-year-old guys and gals. The fans this band I play in has, they’re really special. People in other bands are like, ‘Wow, your fans are really enthusiastic and supportive.’

I’m grateful for that.”

Nathan (Williams Sr.) & the Zydeco Cha-Chas will perform for Downtown Alive! at 6 p.m. Friday in Parc Sans Souci in Lafayette.

FILE PHOTO By PAUL KIEU

JASON FREY & LAGNIAPPE: Lakeview Park, Eunice, 6:30 p.m.

KEN HOLLOWAY: SHUCKS!, Abbeville, 6:30 p.m

THE CAST: Agave, Youngsville, 6:30 p.m.

JOURDAN THIBODEAUX ET

LES RÔDAILLEURS: Blue Moon Saloon, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

GROOVE ROOM: Blue Moon

Saloon, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

GENO DELAFOSE & FRENCH

ROCKIN’ BOOGIE: La Poussiere Cajun Dancehall, Breaux Bridge, 8 p.m.

JAMIE BERGERON & THE KICKIN CAJUNS: Lakeview Park, Eunice, 8 p.m.

THE REVELERS: Hideaway on Lee, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

TRAVIS MATTE & THE KINGPINS: Rock’n’ Bowl, Lafayette, 9 p.m.

SUNDAY

LIVE MUSIC: Tante Marie, Breaux Bridge, 11 a.m.

JAMBALAYA ACOUSTIC MUSIC

JAM: Tom’s Fiddle & Bow, Arnaudville, 12:30 p.m.

LE BAL DU DIMANCHE — MASON TRAIL & ZYDECO

Queen Christal Davis and Grand Marshal Kiran Chawla.

A sophomore run

In 2024, a crowd of 25,000 watched the first Krewe of Shenandoah parade make its way through the eastern Baton Rouge subdivision.

Founder and chairman Crow saw that as a great start and is optimistic for another successful run on Monday

The krewe is sticking to its same 2.9-mile route, with the possibility of expanding next year, Crow said.

Paradegoers can, however, look for a different kind of king and queen this year

“It’s more of a character than it is I mean, we obviously have people, but our

Bright Eyes made studio album number nine, “Five Dice, All Threes,” at Another Recording Company, the facility Oberst and Mogis own in Omaha. Inspiration for the project included the Replacements, one of the wilder rock bands of the 1980s, and Pixies leader Frank Black’s solo studio recordings.

“There’s a raw catchiness in the Replacements’ records from the ’80s,” Mogis said “Conor has always been influenced by that We hadn’t made a record like that yet, so we tried it.”

Bringing Alex Levine of the So So Glos in as a guest helped Mogis, Oberst and Walcott give “Five Dice, All Threes” in-performance energy

“Alex brought punk-rock writing and vocals that felt natural,” Mogis said. “Those songs naturally lent themselves to that upfront production.”

The album’s other guests are Cat Power, Matt Berninger (the National) and Hurray for the Riff Raff

RHYTHM: Vermilionville Liv-

ing History Museum & Folklife Park, Lafayette, 1 p.m.

CAJUN JAM: Bayou Teche Brewing, Arnaudville, 2 p.m.

MARDI GRAS MAMBO: Pat’s Atchafalaya Club, Henderson, 4 p.m.

MAEGAN BENOIT: Randol’s Cajun Restaurant, Breaux Bridge, 6 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Charley G’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

LEROY THOMAS & ZYDECO

ROADRUNNERS: Lakeview Park, Eunice, 6:30 p.m.

MONDAY

PATRICIO LATINO SOLO: Cafe Habana City, Lafayette, 11 a.m.

GENO DELAFOSE & FRENCH

ROCKIN’ BOOGIE: Lakeview Park, Eunice, 4:30 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Charley G’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

THE REVELERS: The Whirlybird Compound, Opelousas, 6 p.m.

RUSTY METOYER & CHUBBY

CARRIER: Rock ‘n’ Bowl, Lafayette, 7 p.m.

ZACH EDWARDS AND THE MEDICINE: Blue Moon Saloon, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

TUESDAY

TERRY HUVAL & FRIENDS:

Prejean’s Restaurant, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Charley G’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

GROOVE ROOM: Blue Moon Saloon, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

LEON CHAVIS & THE ZYDECO

FLAMES: El Sido’s Zydeco & Blues, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

WEDNESDAY

DULCIMER JAM: St. Landry Visitor’s Center, Opelousas,

king (Anthony Moody) is Darth Vader, and our queen (Ashley Bartel) is going to be Princess Leia,” she said.

Yes, it’s obviously a “Star Wars” theme this year Crow encourages everyone to dress in costume, especially in the style of the epic space opera franchise.

Many Shenandoah homeowners have decked out their houses for Carnival, with some going with a “Star Wars” theme as well. There will be a house decorating contest this year as well.

Crow said they’re up to 47 parade entries, including some larger floats as seen in New Orleans.

“We’ve got a couple of 40-footers, a good combination of floats, dancing groups, the walking groups

frontwoman Alynda Segarra, a longtime New Orleans resident who moved to Chicago last year

“Alynda has such a cool voice and she’s such a cool human being,” Mogis said. “I’m stoked that she’ll be playing with us in Baton Rouge.”

With their September health issues resolved, Mogis, Oberst and Walcott are on the bright side of the street again.

“It’s night and day,” Mogis said. “It was smart to take a little time. Because we are getting older, we’re taking a new approach to how we rehearse and how we treat ourselves. It’s an adjustment for us, but now we’re coming out swinging.”

10 a.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Park Bistro, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Charley G’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

LEIF MECHE: Tap Room, Youngsville, 6:30 p.m.

SINGER/SONGWRITER NIGHT

FEATURING DANA COOPER, DUSTIN GASPARD AND REECE

SULLIVAN: NUNU Arts & Culture Collective, Arnaudville, 7:30 p.m.

CAJUN JAM: Blue Moon Saloon, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

THURSDAY

AFTER FIVE FEATURING DJ

MIKE JAMEZ: The Ruins Lounge, Lafayette, 5 p.m.

LADIES NIGHT WITH DJ DONOVAN: Cowboys Nightclub, Scott, 6 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Charley G’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

GRADY DRUGG + CREEKBED

CARTER + KID CHARLEROI: The Loose Caboose, Lafayette, 7 p.m.

NOUVEAU STRING BAND: Hideaway on Lee, Lafayette, 7 p.m.

MEDICINE MEN SUPER JAM: Rock’n’ Bowl, Lafayette, 7:30 p.m.

LADIES NIGHT OUT WITH MIKE

JAMEZ: The Ruins Lounge, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

CASEY COURVILLE: Tap Room, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Buck & Johnny’s, Breaux Bridge

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

and bands. Forty-seven is very manageable,” she said.

“And for the first time, we actually have the Krewe of Shenandoah signature bead throws. We have 1,200 of them, so they’ll be a hot item,” said Crow

Juggling parade prep and house guests has left Crow with little time to enjoy many parades this year herself, but said she and her husband did make it to the Krewe of Orion over the weekend and brought her guests from Wisconsin.

“They had never seen a Mardi Gras parade before,” she said. “They thought it was fantastic.”

Email Judy Bergeron at jbergeron@theadvocate. com.

The band’s now five-yearplus reunion began with a phone call Oberst made to Mogis during the 2018 holiday season.

“I was Christmas shopping with my kids when Conor called,” Mogis recalled. “We had been making music together in different capacities. I’d worked on some of Conor’s solo albums. I worked with Nate on films scores throughout that hiatus. And we’re all such close friends. We’re family It felt inevitable that we’d get back together, but you never know So, it was a happy moment when Conor called and said, ‘I’ve got some songs.’”

Email John Wirt at j_wirt@ msn.com.

By The Associated Press

Today is Friday, Feb. 28, the 59th day of 2025. There are 306 days left in the year Today in history On Feb. 28, 1993, a gunbattle erupted at a religious compound near Waco, Texas, when Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents tried to arrest Branch Davidian leader David Koresh on weapons charges; four agents and six Davidians were killed as a 51-day standoff began.

On this date: In 1844, a 12-inch gun aboard the USS Princeton exploded as the ship was sailing on the Potomac River, killing Secretary of State Abel P. Upshur, Navy Secretary Thomas W. Gilmer and several others; President John Tyler, who also was aboard the ship, was uninjured. In 1953, Francis H.C. Crick announced that he and fellow scientist James D. Watson had discovered the double-helix structure of DNA.

In 1983, the final episode of the television series “M*A*S*H” aired; nearly 106 million viewers saw the finale, which remains the most-watched episode of any U.S. television series to date.

In 2013, Benedict XVI became the first pope in 600 years to resign, ending an eight-year pontificate. (Benedict was succeeded the following month by Pope Francis.) In 2014, delivering a blunt warning to Moscow, President Barack Obama expressed deep concern over reported military activity inside Ukraine by Russia and warned “there will be costs” for any intervention.

Today’s birthdays: Architect Frank Gehry is 96. Rock singer Sam the Sham (aka Domingo Samudio) is 88. Actor-director-choreographer Tommy Tune is 86. Hall of Fame auto racer Mario Andretti is 85. Actor Mercedes Ruehl is 77. Actor-singer Bernadette Peters is 77. Nobel Prizewinning economist Paul Krugman is 72. Basketball Hall of Famer Adrian Dantley is 70. Actor John Turturro is 68. Actor Maxine Bahns is 55.

CORRECTION

In a Friday, Feb 21, story about good spots to watch the Krewe of Spanish Town parade, it was reported that the Knights of Columbus will sell po-boys at the parade. The organization will not be selling po-boys, but will be assisting St. Joseph Cathedral in renting parking spaces in the church parking lot. Tickets are $40 per spot for single vehicles, and more for larger vehicles occupying multiple spots. The Advocate regrets the error

KREWE OF COMOGO PARADE: 7 p.m., Plaquemine, starting at St. John the Evangelist Church, to La. 1, and Eden Street to Belleview Drive, ending at the Carl F. Grant Civic Center https:// kreweofcomogo.com/.

MONDAY

KREWE OF SHENANDOAH PARADE: 6:30 p.m., from Tigerbend Road along Jones Creek Road to Shenandoah Avenue, Vicksburg Drive, Malvern Hill Avenue, Antioch Boulevard, Shenandoah Avenue and Jones Creek back to Tigerbend. Reigning

KREWE OF GOOD FRIENDS OF THE OAKS PARADE: 1 p.m., Port Allen, starting at the La. 1 Service Road at Oaks Avenue to South Jefferson Avenue, Court to Sixth, Louisiana Avenue, North Jefferson to South Jefferson and Oaks returning to the starting point For its 40th year it features kings and queens, marching bands, floats and throws, all in a family-friendly atmosphere. https://www.facebook.com/kogfoto1985.

over its second parade will be King and Queen Anthony Moody and Ashley Bartel kreweofshenandoah.com.

TUESDAY

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Take the initiative and implement your agenda. Plan every detail, and you will enjoy turning something you desire into a reality. Be true to yourself, and you'll find the happiness you seek.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Refuse to give up, give in or let anger come to the surface. Your best response is success. Personal growth is yours to make. Where there is purpose, there is meaning.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Discover the pleasure of positive change and concentrate on making your surroundings comfortable. Stick to the people and pastimes that put your mind at ease.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Take one step at a time. Minimize your plans to ensure you do your best and achieve your goal. Personal growth comes at a cost, but ultimately, it will help set the stage for a better tomorrow.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) You'll have the drive, imagination and skills to outperform any rival Put your energy to good use, do your best and promote who you are and what you can do.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Pay attention to how you look at and respond to others. Be the one to make positive suggestions, lend a helping hand and use your skills and knowledge to make situations easier.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Put your plans in motion. Build momentum, put a smile on your face and engage in talks

that change how people perceive you and what you are trying to achieve.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Get out and about. Participate, engage in exciting events and broaden your sense of what's possible. Use your home base as a springboard, and you'll evolve in a direction that surprises everyone.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Relax, enjoy and let the chips fall where they may. Put your heart and soul into exploring what brings you joy. Look into new possibilities, and forge ahead with stamina, ingenuity and a smile.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Be aware; leave nothing to chance. Say less, listen more, read between the lines and be prepared to do whatever it takes to surpass even your own expectations.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) You are in a better position than you realize, so don't slow down or give anyone a chance to step in and take charge Rise above conflict and let your precision and actions speak for you.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) The best improvements you can make are the ones you do yourself. Put a cap on spending and use your skills and creative imagination. Keep your eye on the goal and on any competition you encounter.

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: C EQUALS K

CeLebrItY CIpher

For better or For WorSe

And erneSt

SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM SherMAn’S LAGoon

Sudoku

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

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

THe wiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS

CurTiS

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

BY PHILLIP ALDER

R.K. Milholland, an author of web comics,said,“Friendshipisbeingtherewhen someone’s feeling low and not being afraid to kick him.”

That would work with a lot of people, but would make some feel even worse.

We“kick”partnerbyleadingalowcard from a long suit to tell him that we have at least one honor in it. And this applies during the play if a defender shifts to a suit not yet led by either side.

Here is a classic example. West leads the spade four against three no-trump.

South captures East’s jack with his king and plays a low diamond. What should happen next?

West was right to overcall one spade, not to make a takeout double. He was hoping to introduce hearts on the next round if it seemed expedient.

South has eight top tricks: two spades and six clubs. He needs one diamond trick to get home. And it is usually best to try to sneak an extra winner immediately, while the defenders are still half asleep

However, an awake West knows from the first trick that South has the spade ace and king. Why isn’t declarer running for home? He must be trying to get a ninth trick So West must win with his diamond ace and shift to the heart three. This low card says that West has honors in hearts and is trying to win tricks in this suit. East should take the trick with his king and return the heart two, not go back to spades. If West had begun with ace-10-fifth of spades and had wanted East to return a spade, West would have led a

Wuzzle

today’s thought “And they served their idols: which were a snare to them.” Psalms 106:36

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles