BY STEPHEN GROVES and AAMER MADHANI Associated Press
WASHINGTON The top Republican and Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee requested an investigation Thursday into how national security officials used the Signal app to discuss military strikes, ensuring at least some bipartisan scrutiny on an episode President Donald Trump has dismissed as frivolous.
Sen. Roger Wicker, the Republican chair of the committee, and Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat, signed onto a letter to the acting
inspector general at the Department of Defense for an inquiry into the potential “use of unclassified networks to discuss sensitive and classified information, as well as the sharing of such information with those who do not have proper clearance and need to know.”
The senators’ assertion that classified information was potentially shared was notable, especially as Trump’s Republican administration has contended there was no classified information on the Signal chain that had included Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic magazine.
Across Washington, the Signal
leak presented a major test early in Trump’s second term on the federal government’s system of checks and balances meant to protect national security Yet even as mechanisms for oversight and investigation sputtered to life, it was a halting effort as most Republicans seemed content to allow the controversy to blow over Meanwhile, Democrats slammed the Signal chat as a reckless violation of secrecy that could have put service members in harm’s way “This put pilots at risk because of sloppiness and carelessness,”
ä See PROBE, page 4A
PROTECTING HISTORY
Dense fog blankets the area as a protective metal canopy is constructed over the remaining façade of the Holy Rosary Institute on Wednesday The protective covering will enable the completion of a full restoration of the historic academy located on Carmel Drive in Lafayette.The school was opened in 1913 as a Catholic boarding school for people of color It closed in 1993.
Canadians canceling La. trips over Trump
‘He’s really hurting our tourism industry’
BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer
Some Canadian tourists who had been planning to visit south Louisiana this fall appear to be canceling their trips because of the worsening relationship between the United States and Canada.
President Donald Trump in early March imposed tariffs on Canadian goods entering the United States and has repeatedly said Canada should be America’s 51st state Canada increased tariffs on U.S. goods in response. Canadian stores pulled American
products from their shelves, and some leaders are calling on residents to boycott the United States.
Canadians appear to be getting the message. A tour operator from New Brunswick was planning to bring three to four busloads of tourists to south Louisiana this fall for the Grand Réveil Acadien, the Great Acadian Awakening, Ray Trahan, one of the founders, said Wednesday This week he said they aren’t coming at all.
Louisiana hosts Grand Réveil Acadien every five years, in between the more expansive Congrès Mondial Acadien held in Canada.
Grand Réveil Acadien is a statewide, nineday celebration of the language, music,
BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer
Lafayette is exchanging property on Johnston Street that houses a 72-year-old fire station with universityowned land on Cajundome Boulevard to build a new fire station. Under a proposal, which the City Council agreed to on Tuesday, the city will become the owner of 2.37 acres of land owned by the University of Louisiana at Lafayette along Cajundome
Ray Trahan serves up jambalaya during the Grand Réveil Acadien fais do-do in 2022. Some Canadians have canceled plans to attend the event this fall.
FILE PHOTO By BRAD KEMP ä See SWAP, page 4A ä See CANADIANS, page 4A
PHOTO By PHILIP GOULD
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By BEN CURTIS
Roger Wicker, R-Miss., chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, requested an investigation into the use of the Signal app by Trump administration national security officials.
Amsterdam stabbing attack wounds five
AMSTERDAM A knife-wielding assailant in Amsterdam seriously wounded five people — including two from the United States, one from Belgium and one from Poland — in a stabbing attack Thursday on a busy shopping street, Dutch police said.
The attack lasted several minutes before the assailant was stopped by a passerby near the city’s Dam Square in the late afternoon Police cordoned off the area and several ambulances and a trauma helicopter were called to the scene.
Authorities said in a statement that no motive had been established for the attack, but that police were considering a scenario where the man targeted victims at random.
The victims were identified as a 67-year-old woman and a 69year old man from the United States a 73-year-old woman from Belgium, a 26-year-old man from Poland and a 19-year old Dutch woman from Amsterdam.
“The police investigation is in full swing and has full priority at the moment. We hope to soon get more clarity about the background of this horrible stabbing,” Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema said in a statement Our hearts go out to the victims, their families and loved ones,”
The assailant was injured when he was overpowered by a bystander
L.A. Sheriff’s Department retests 4K DNA samples
LOS ANGELES The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said this week it will retest 4,000 DNA samples and open an internal investigation after learning that it used potentially flawed test kits for eight months.
Sheriff’s officials said Wednesday that a test kit manufacturer sent a letter in August warning the department to stop using certain kits that were prone to giving incomplete results However, the letter was received by a civilian employee who didn’t discard the kits or send them back, according to a department statement.
The department used the flawed kits from July through February, testing thousands of samples from criminal investigations. The problem was discovered Monday when a supervisor at the department’s Scientific Services Bureau found the manufacturer’s letter
The department said it has opened an internal investigation to assess how much the faulty kits have affected criminal cases, and will retest some 4,000 DNA samples.
“We take the integrity of our criminal investigations and the reliability of our forensic testing very seriously,” Sheriff Robert Luna said in a statement. “The Sheriff’s Department is working diligently to assess the impact and to prevent such situations from occurring again.”
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said his office had begun working with the sheriff’s department to determine the extent of the problem.
King Charles in hospital after medical side effects
LONDON King Charles III was hospitalized for observation on Thursday after experiencing “temporary side effects,” related to a scheduled cancer treatment, Buckingham Palace said in a statement. His engagements for Thursday afternoon and Friday were canceled.
“His majesty has now returned to Clarence House and as a precautionary measure, acting on medical advice, tomorrow’s diary programme will also be rescheduled,” the palace said.
“His majesty would like to send his apologies to all those who may be inconvenienced or disappointed as a result.” Charles, 76, has been undergoing treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer for more than a year The king has continued fulfilling his state duties, such as reviewing government papers and meeting with the prime minister, even though he took some time off public duties.
France: Not all allies agree on Ukraine proposal
BY JOHN LEICESTER, SAMUEL PETREQUIN and BRIAN MELLEY Associated Press
PARIS France and Britain will continue to forge ahead with plans to deploy troops in Ukraine to defend an eventual peace deal with Russia but only some other nations want to take part, French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday after a summit of countries that have been mulling the proposal.
The French leader said “several” nations other than France and Britain want to be part of the armed force but added, “It is not unanimous.” Paris and London say such a force would aim to secure any peace deal by dissuading Russia from attacking Ukraine again.
“We do not need unanimity to achieve it,” Macron said. French and British military officials will work with Ukraine to determine where the contingents should be deployed and how many troops they’d need to be a credible deterrent the French leader added.
“There will be a reassurance force with several European nations that will deploy,” he insisted.
The summit of leaders of nearly 30 countries plus NATO and European Union chiefs came at a crucial juncture in the more than three-year war with intensifying diplomatic efforts to broker ceasefires, driven by pressure from U.S President Donald Trump.
But fighting rages on.
Before the leaders met in the luxury of the French presidential palace, Russian drone attacks overnight wounded more than 20 people and heavy shelling Thursday afternoon killed one person and knocked out electricity in parts of Kherson, Ukrainian officials said.
Macron and other summit participants accused Russia of only pretending to want a negotiated settlement
“They are playing games and they’re playing for time,” said U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer. “We can’t let them drag this out while they continue prosecuting
their illegal invasion.”
U.S.-brokered agreements this week to safeguard shipping in the Black Sea and last week to halt long-range strikes on energy infrastructure were greeted as first steps toward peace. But Ukraine and Russia have disagreed over the details and accused each other of deal violations, foreshadowing a long and contentious process ahead.
One reason why some European countries are balking at a potential deployment in Ukraine is because it’s unclear whether Trump would support such a contingent with air power and other military assistance.
“This will require the engagement and support of the United States,” Starmer said. “That’s a discussion we’ve had with the president on many occasions.”
Macron suggested they may have to do without U.S. backing.
“You have to hope for the best, but prepare for the worst,” he said. “My hope is that the Americans will be on our side and that the Americans will support, even play an active role.”
“But we have to be prepared for a situation where perhaps they won’t join in,” he added.
Building a force big enough to act as a credible deterrent — U.K. officials have talked about possibly 10,000 to 30,000 troops — would be a considerable effort for nations that shrank their militaries after the Cold War but are now rearming
Starmer’s office said military planners from Europe and beyond have been drilling down into details, examining “the full range of European military capabilities including aircraft, tanks, troops, intelligence and logistics.”
Greece publicly rejected sending troops. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said those discussions were “somewhat divisive” and distracted from the goal of ending the war as soon as possible.
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also reiterated that Rome won’t contribute troops to a possible military force to be deployed to Ukraine.
At least 6 dead after submarine carrying tourists sinks off Egypt
BY SAMY MAGDY and FATMA KHALED Associated Press
CAIRO A recreational submarine taking 45 tourists on an underwater cruise of coral reefs in the Red Sea sank off the Egyptian resort town of Hurghada on Thursday, leaving six Russians dead, the provincial governor said. The remaining tourists, more than two dozen of whom were injured, were rescued he said.
The cause of the sinking was not immediately known. The Russian consulate said it took place about 0.6 miles offshore.
The submarine was carrying 45 tourists and five Egyptian crewmembers when it sank, Red Sea governor Maj. Gen. Amr Hanafi said in a statement, adding that rescue teams were quickly sent.
He said all six dead were Russians, and that 29 of the 39 tourists rescued were injured and taken to hospitals. No one was still missing from the vessel, he said.
Hurghada is a major destination for divers, snorkelers and other tourists drawn by the Red Sea’s
extensive coral reefs.
The submarine, named “Sindbad,” runs tours lasting about 40 minutes underwater, cruising at about 65-80 feet underwater with panoramic windows on the bottom to give views of the marine life, according to the website of the company that the Russian consulate identified as running the vessel. The company did not respond to phone calls seeking comment.
Russia’s Tass news agency earlier said the Russian dead included at least two children, citing the country’s consul in Hurghada
Judge: Extreme heat in Texas prisons
is unconstitutional
BY JIM VERTUNO Associated Press
AUSTIN, Texas A federal judge on Wednesday found the extreme heat in Texas prisons is “plainly unconstitutional,” but declined to order the state to immediately start installing air conditioning, which could cost billions.
The judge affirmed claims brought by advocates of people incarcerated in the state, where summer heat routinely soars above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. But they will have to continue pressing their lawsuit later in a trial.
The lawsuit was initially filed in 2023 by Bernie Tiede, the former mortician serving a life sentence whose murder case inspired the movie “Bernie.” Several prisoners’ rights groups then asked to join his legal fight and expand it.
The lawsuit argues the heat in the state facilities amounts to cruel and unusual punishment, and seeks to force the state to install air conditioning.
Jeff Edwards, lead attorney for prisoners and advocates, called the judge’s order a victory, even if it didn’t require an immediate fix.
“We proved our case,” Edwards said. “The court made it very clear what the state is doing is unconstitutional and endangering the lives of those they are supposed to be protecting. This is step one in changing the Texas prison system.”
Edwards said advocates will push for relief for prisoners as quickly as possible “I’m regretful we can’t protect them with temporary relief this summer, but we will move as fast as we can,” he said.
Texas has more than than 130,000 people serving time in prisons, more than any state in the U.S. Only about a third of roughly 100 prison units are fully air conditioned and the rest have either partial or no electrical cooling.
“This case concerns the plainly unconstitutional treatment of some of the most vulnerable, marginalized members of our society,” U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman wrote in his ruling on a a temporary injunction request. “The Court is of the view that excessive heat is likely serving as a form of unconstitutional punishment.”
But the judge said that ordering the state to spend “hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars to install permanent air conditioning in every (prison),” could not be accomplished before it expired in 90 days. It would take months to install temporary air conditioning, and could even delay a permanent solution, the judge wrote Pitman said he expects the case will proceed to trial, where advocates for prisoners can continue to argue their case. He also issued a warning to the state that they will likely win at trial, and that the state could face an order to install air conditioning.
The judge also noted that the state Legislature, which is in session through May and writes the two-year state budget, is also considering bills that would require air conditioning to be installed in prisons.
But the Republican-majority Legislature has been hearing complaints about extreme heat in prisons for years and has not addressed the issue. In 2018, the state was ordered to install air conditioning at a unit for older prisoners and those that are medically vulnerable.
Officials at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment. Texas is not alone in facing lawsuits over dangerously hot prisons. Cases also have been filed in Louisiana and New Mexico. One filed in July in Georgia alleged a man died in July 2023 after he was left in an outdoor cell for hours without water, shade or ice.
The consulate had said all 45 tourists on board were Russian, but the Egyptian governor said they also included Indian, Norwegian and Swedish citizens.
Footage posted by the governor’s office showed Hanafy meeting survivors at the hospital, including two Egyptian crewmembers One Russian tourist had a small bandage on his head. A family with two young daughters smiled and told him they were OK An Indian man asked Hanafy to see his daughter, who remains in critical condition, doctors can be heard explaining.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By THIBAULT CAMUS
Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer center left, and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, center right, depart a summit on Ukraine at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Thursday.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO
Boats search for survivors after a tourist submarine sank in the popular Egyptian Red Sea destination of Hurghada, Egypt, on Thursday.
HHS will lay off 10,000 workers, close agencies
BY AMANDA SEITZ Associated Press
WASHINGTON In a major overhaul, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will lay off 10,000 workers and shut down entire agencies, including ones that oversee billions of dollars in funds for addiction services and community health centers across the country
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr criticized the department he oversees as an inefficient “sprawling bureaucracy” in a video announcing the restructuring Thursday He faulted the department’s 82,000 workers for a decline in Americans’ health.
“I want to promise you now that we’re going to do more with less,” Kennedy said in the video, posted to social media.
The restructuring plan caps weeks of tumult at the nation’s top health department, which has been embroiled in rumors of mass firings, the revocation of $11 billion in public health funding for cities
and counties, a tepid response to a measles outbreak, and controversial remarks about vaccines from its new leader
Still, Kennedy said a “painful period” lies ahead for HHS, which is responsible for monitoring infectious diseases, inspecting foods and hospitals, and overseeing health insurance programs for nearly half the country
Overall, the department will downsize to 62,000 positions, losing nearly a quarter of its staff — 10,000 jobs through layoffs and another 10,000 workers who took early retirement and voluntary separation offers encouraged by President Donald Trump’s administration.
The staffing cuts were first reported by The Wall Street Journal.
Public health experts, doctors, current and former HHS workers and congressional Democrats quickly panned Kennedy’s plans, warning they could have untold consequences for millions of people.
“These staff cuts endanger public health and food safety,” said Brian
Ronholm, director of food policy at Consumer Reports, in a statement.
“They raise serious concerns that the administration’s pledge to make Americans healthy again could become nothing more than an empty promise.”
But Kennedy, in announcing the restructuring, blasted HHS for failing to improve Americans’ lifespans and not doing enough to drive down chronic disease and cancer rates.
“All of that money,” Kennedy said of the department’s $1.7 trillion yearly budget, “has failed to improve the health of Americans.”
Cancer death rates have dropped 34% over the past two decades, translating to 4.5 million deaths avoided, according to the American Cancer Society That’s largely due to smoking cessation, the development of better treatments many funded by the National Institutes of Health, including groundbreaking immunotherapy and earlier detection.
The reorganization plan also underscores Kennedy’s push to take
Turkish student at Tufts is latest Palestinian supporter arrested
BY MICHAEL CASEY, JAKE OFFENHARTZ and KATHY MCCORMACK Associated Press
BOSTON A Turkish student detained by federal officers as she walked along a street in a Boston suburb is the latest supporter of Palestinian causes to be swept up in the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigrants who have expressed their political views.
Rumeysa Ozturk, 30, a doctoral student at Tufts University was swiftly moved out of Massachusetts, a demonstration of how U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is sending immigrants who are taken into custody to detention centers or deporting them altogether before a federal judge has a chance to weigh in on their case and possibly halt the actions.
Ozturk, who was detained Tuesday shortly after she left her home in Somerville, had been moved to an ICE detention center in Louisiana by the time her lawyer went to court and a judge ordered her to be kept in Massachusetts, U.S. government lawyers said in a court document Thursday They said they made her lawyers aware that she was being moved and facilitated contact with her Wednesday night.
A senior Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said federal authorities detained Ozturk after an investigation found she had “engaged in activities in support of Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization that relishes the killing of Americans.” The department did not provide evidence of that support.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Trump administration has revoked the visas of at least 300 people, including Ozturk: “We do it
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MICHAEL CASEy
Hundreds of people gather in Somerville, Mass., on Wednesday to demand the release of Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish student at Tufts University who was arrested by federal agents Tuesday night.
every day.”
“We gave you a visa to come and study and get a degree, not to become a social activist, to tear up our university campuses,” Rubio told reporters during a stop in Guyana.
Uninvolved in protests
Friends and colleagues of Ozturk said she was not closely involved in pro-Palestinian protests that broke out on campuses last spring. Her only known activism, they said, was co-authoring an op-ed in a student newspaper that called on Tufts University to engage with student demands to cut ties with Israel.
“The only thing I know of that Rumeysa organized was a Thanksgiving potluck,” said Jennifer Hoyden, a close friend who studied with Ozturk at Columbia University’s Teachers College. “There’s a very important distinction between writing a letter supporting the student Senate and taking the kind of action they’re accusing her of, which I’ve seen no evidence of.” Hamas invaded Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in an attack that killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians. Israel’s re-
taliatory offensive has killed more than 50,000 people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, and destroyed much of the enclave.
Ozturk’s arrest appears to be part of President Donald Trump’s pledge to deport students who he said, engage in “pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity,” a label the administration has applied broadly to those who criticize Israel and protest its military campaign in Gaza.
Earlier this month, immigration enforcement agents arrested and detained Mahmoud Khalil, a legal U.S. resident and Palestinian activist who played a prominent part in protests at Columbia last year He is now facing possible deportation.
Dr Rasha Alawieh, a kidney specialist from Lebanon who was due to start as an assistant professor at Brown University, was deported earlier this month — after a federal judge ordered that she not be removed until a hearing could be held.
Homeland Security officials said Alawieh was deported, despite having a U.S. visa, because she “openly admitted” supporting a Hezbollah leader
more control of the public health agencies — the NIH, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which have traditionally operated with a level of autonomy from the health secretary. Under the plan, external communications, procurement, information technology and human resources will be centralized under HHS.
FDA and CDC
Federal health workers — stationed across the country at agencies including at the NIH and FDA, both in Maryland — described shock, fear and anxiety rippling through their offices Thursday Workers were not given advance notice of the cuts, several told The Associated Press, and many remained uncertain about whether their jobs were on the chopping block.
“It’s incredibly difficult and frustrating and upsetting to not really know where we stand while we’re trying to keep doing the work,” said
an FDA staffer who spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation. “We’re being villainized and handicapped and have this guillotine just hanging over our necks.” HHS on Thursday provided a breakdown of some of the cuts.
• 3,500 jobs at the FDA, which inspects and sets safety standards for medications, medical devices and foods.
• 2,400 jobs at the CDC, which monitors for infectious disease outbreaks and works with public health agencies nationwide.
• 1,200 jobs at the NIH, the world’s leading public health research arm. • 300 jobs at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which oversees the Affordable Care Act marketplace, Medicare and Medicaid.
HHS said it anticipates the changes will save $1.8 billion per year but didn’t give a breakdown or other details.
The cuts and consolidation go far deeper than anyone expected, an NIH employee said.
said Sen. Mark Kelly, an Arizona Democrat and former fighter pilot. Kelly and other Democrats have called for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to either resign or be fired. “If this was an officer in the military — at any level — or enlisted person, they would have been fired already,” Kelly said.
Asked by a reporter on Wednesday about the call by Wicker, of Mississippi, and Reed, of Rhode Island, for an inspector general probe at the Pentagon, Trump replied, “It doesn’t bother me.” Wicker, whose support was crucial to Hegseth’s Senate confirmation, is one of the most ardent defense hawks in Congress and has said the committee will request a classified hearing with a top administration official, as well as for the administration to verify the contents of the Signal chat The contents, which were published by The Atlantic, show that Hegseth listed weapons systems and a timeline for the attack on Iranbacked Houthi rebels in Yemen earlier this month.
Senate Republicans have criticized the discussion on Signal but have stopped short of calling for the removal of Hegseth or anyone else involved. Sen. Mike Rounds, a Republican member of both the Senate Intelligence and Armed Services committees, said that any oversight should be done “in a bipartisan way.”
Still, Democrats are pressing to probe much deeper Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said he wants to check the phones of those involved in the Signal chat for malware as well as whether
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Continued from page 1A
university and Ragin’ Cajun Facilities Inc., a nonprofit group that builds student apartments — will become owners of the St. Julien property
As part of the exchange, the city also agreed to grant the university branding opportunities on the Cajundome Boulevard property, to comply with the university’s master plan, to confer with the university on design and construction of the new fire station and to relocate the Americans with Disabilities Act sidewalks during construction Fire Station No. 5 is aging and in need of repair, Fire Chief Robert Benoit said in an email response to questions There are major foundation problems, he said, plus roof concerns and sewage issues.
CANADIANS
Continued from page 1A
history, culture and influence of Canada’s Acadian people on south Louisiana. The event is scheduled to kick off Oct. 1 in Lafayette, then move around the region, culminating with a Mass and noise parade, or tintamarre, in downtown Lafayette.
More than half of the 26 people Claude Boudreau of Les Voyages DiasporAcadie Inc. of New Brunswick had booked to visit Lafayette and Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes in October have canceled.
Hegseth had shared military plans on other Signal chats.
Warner said he expected support from Republicans in calling for such an investigation, but so far Warner’s Republican counterpart on the intelligence committee, Sen. Tom Cotton, has given no sign he would join in those calls.
Meanwhile, the Justice Department, which has traditionally handled investigations into the mishandling of classified or sensitive information by both Republican and Democratic administrations, showed that under Trump it would
The cost of continuous repairs is escalating, Benoit said.
The station was built in 1953 with renovations in 1978 and 1993.
“In addition,” he wrote, “the services and needs of LFD have outgrown the usefulness of the space and thus triggered a decision to rebuild the station. We needed land in close proximity to the current station to maintain a level of efficient service and response time required in the fire rating.”
Cost of construction is estimated at $10.5 million, Benoit said. The funds will be requested in the upcoming fiscal year 2025-26 budget.
The new station will not interfere with intramural fields or parking. It will be built between Cajundome Boulevard and the intramural fields, which are on the other side of the coulee.
Email Claire Taylor at ctaylor@ theadvocate.com
The other half are undecided, Boudreau said in written correspondence to Trahan and Grand Réveil co-founder Randal Menard of Youngsville.
“The political uncertainty is just too stressful for Canadians to deal with for another five months, not knowing what will happen on every level,” Boudreau wrote, including the Canadian exchange rate, canceled flights, pressure not to travel to the United States and stories about Canadians not being welcome.
Boudreau said he offered to assist any clients still interested in visiting Louisiana, but no one has asked for help
likely stay on the sidelines. When asked at an unrelated news conference what the Justice Department plans to do, Attorney General Pam Bondi deflected, saying the mission was ultimately a success.
Echoing the White House, Bondi also insisted that none of the information shared on Signal was classified, even though officials have provided no evidence that that’s the case. Espionage Act statutes require the safe handling of closely held national defense information even if it’s not marked classified.
Bondi, who has pledged not to play politics with the department, quickly pivoted to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former President Joe Biden who were investigated for allegations that they mishandled classified information but were not charged. Both Democrats were subject to extensive criminal investigations, and the FBI and the Justice Department have long track records of such inquiries.
In civil court, a lawsuit filed by the group American Oversight against several Trump adminis-
tration officials and the National Archives and Records Administration alleges they violated federal record-keeping laws. That only further inflamed Trump’s ire at the judiciary, especially when the case was randomly assigned Wednesday to U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, who was already presiding over a case challenging the deportation of Venezuelan migrants under wartime powers. In that case, the Trump administration just this week invoked the “state secrets” privilege to refuse to share details with the judge about the timing of deportation flights to El Salvador Trump early Thursday declared it “disgraceful” that Boasberg had been assigned the case in the Washington court.
“There is no way for a Republican, especially a TRUMP REPUBLICAN, to win before him,” Trump said. He added that Boasberg, who was nominated by President Barack Obama, a Democrat, is “Highly Conflicted.” Trump and his allies have called for impeaching Boasberg.
The White House National Security Council has also said it would investigate the Signal chat. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Thursday that she had no update on the status of that investigation.
“We’ve been incredibly transparent about this entire situation, and we will continue to be,” Leavitt said.
Leavitt is one of three Trump administration officials who face a lawsuit from The Associated Press on First and Fifth Amendment grounds. The AP says the three are punishing the news agency for editorial decisions they oppose The White House says the AP is not following an executive order to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.
Trahan said Canadian officials like those in cities that have twinned with Louisiana cities aren’t even returning his calls.
“He’s really hurting our tourism industry,” Trahan said of Trump. Louisiana Lt Gov Billy Nungesser said during a visit to Lafayette last week that Canada is the state’s largest tourism market, with 188,000 Canadians visiting in 2019. Canadians like Louisiana because of its geographic location and historical ties between the south Louisiana people and Canadians in eastern regions such as Nova Scotia and New Brunswick,
Ben Berthelot, president and CEO of Lafayette Travel, said Wednesday
He hasn’t heard of any Canadians canceling trips to the United States, Berthelot said.
In fact, he said, a large group from Quebec recently booked a trip for 2026 and another booked seven nights in Acadiana in May
Menard said Canadians are not only canceling their U.S. vacations, they’re selling their summer homes.
A friend, Menard said Wednesday, who is a former council member in Moncton, New Brunswick, has said Lafayette feels like
home. Now he said won’t come back to the States until Trump is gone.
“They’re done with the States,” Menard said.
Trahan, who owns a home near Church Point in Nova Scotia, said many of his friends in Canada are liberal and dislike Trump suggesting Canada should be part of the United States. They avoid discussing politics.
“We’ll still be friends,” he said. “They’re not going to come over It’ll take years and years to get over it.”
Email Claire Taylor at ctaylor@ theadvocate.com.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MARK SCHIEFELBEIN
President Donald Trump waves after speaking at a reception celebrating Women’s History Month in the East Room of the White House on Wednesday.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By J SCOTT APPLEWHITE
Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, center, stands next to a map showing flight restrictions as the Senate Transportation Subcommittee holds a hearing Thursday on Capitol Hill in Washington to examine the preliminary report by the NTSB on the Jan. 29 midair collision of an Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet
FAA says it must do better after deadly D.C. air collision
BY JOSH FUNK Associated Press
The head of the Federal Aviation Administration told Congress during a hearing Thursday about a midair collision over Washington, D.C., that killed 67 people that the agency must do more to ensure flying remains safe.
The FAA’s artificial intelligence-led review aimed at identifying safety threats at other airports with similar helicopter-airplane congestion should be finished in a couple weeks, said Chris Rocheleau, the agency’s acting administrator.
During the hearing, the head of the National Transportation Safety Board and members of Congress again questioned how the FAA hadn’t noticed an alarming number of close calls near Ronald Reagan National Airport and addressed the problem before the January collision between an Army helicopter and a jetliner The collision over the Potomac River was the nation’s deadliest plane crash since November 2001.
“We have to do better,” Rocheleau said. “We have to identify trends, we have to get smarter about how we use data, and when we put corrective actions in place, we must execute them.”
The FAA is using AI to dig into the millions of reports it collects to assess other places with busy helicopter traffic including: Boston, New York, BaltimoreWashington, Detroit, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles and along the Gulf Coast Rocheleau promised to take immediate action if risks are found.
Investigators have highlighted 85 close calls around Reagan airport in the three years before the crash that should have signaled a growing safety problem.
Rocheleau told the aviation subcommittee of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation that every close call is investigated and the data was reviewed before, but
this alarming trend was missed.
NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said there clearly was an issue with identifying trends in the data the FAA collects.
Dailey Crofton, whose brother Casey Crofton died in the collision, attended the hearing.
“I was surprised at the lapses of safety protocols that led to this crash,” he said in a statement afterward.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said he learned that the Secret Service and U.S. Navy triggered a rash of collision alarms in planes around Reagan Airport on March 1 while testing antidrone technology that used a similar frequency to the one used by planes’ warning systems Cruz said that happened despite a warning from the FAA against doing it.
“This is deeply disturbing that just a month after 67 people died while on approach to DCA (Reagan Airport), that the Secret Service and Pentagon would inadvertently cause multiple flights to receive urgent cockpit alerts recommending evasive action,” Cruz said.
Helicopter traffic around Reagan National has been restricted since January any time planes use the same runway the American Airlines plane that crashed was approaching when it collided with the helicopter At the NTSB’s urging, the FAA permanently banned that particular helicopter route under most circumstances. If a helicopter does use the route, planes are prohibited from taking off or landing on that runway
The U.S. Army’s head of aviation Brig. Gen. Matthew Braman acknowledged that as of Thursday morning helicopters were still flying over the nation’s capital with a key system broadcasting their locations turned off during most missions because it deemed them sensitive. Cruz called this “shocking and unacceptable.”
Groups aim to defund Planned Parenthood
BY CHRISTINE FERNANDO Associated Press
WASHINGTON Major antiabortion groups gathered in the nation’s capital on Thursday to begin a lobbying effort with Congress and President Donald Trump’s administration aimed at eliminating funding for Planned Parenthood, with some calling on Elon Musk to make the organization one of his costcutting targets.
The anti-abortion groups are taking aim at abortion providers under an initiative called Defund Planned Parenthood, which targets federal Medicaid funding for the reproductive health care provider More than 150 of the groups signed a letter Wednesday urging Congress to cut Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood and other health care centers that provide abortions through the budget reconciliation process.
“Today is a historic moment where the pro-life movement stands united behind one message: Defund Planned Parenthood,” said Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life, as she kicked off the rally in view of the U.S. Capitol.
She called on Trump and other Republicans to “defund your political enemies,” adding that the abortion lobby has long targeted Republicans.
The federal Hyde Amendment already restricts government funding for most abortions, and less than 5% of the services Planned Parenthood provides are abortions, according to the organization’s 2023 annual report.
Vicki Ringer, Planned Parenthood’s South Carolina director of public affairs, said claims that Planned Parenthood uses Medicaid funding for abortion is “an attempt to mislead the public” and emphasized Planned Parenthood’s role in providing broader reproductive health care.
“We should be expanding health care to low-income people rather than trying to kick off these people who rely on us for health care,” Ringer said.
Planned Parenthood provides a wide range of services besides abortion. Its most recent annual report shows that contraceptive services and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections make up the vast majority of its medical care. It also performs more cancer screening and prevention procedures than abortions, according to the report
The national group said eliminating its federal funding could put those services out of reach for millions of people and would hit low-income communities with little access to health care hardest.
Rachel Rebouche, dean of Temple University’s Beasley School of Law said the Defund Planned Parenthood movement has been building for 10 years but has gained momentum as the anti-abortion movement has been emboldened by Trump’s presidential victory and by Republicans winning control
of Congress in November
“We’re seeing more enthusiasm in states like South Carolina and others to close down Planned Parenthood under the banner of stopping abortions, which their laws already do,” she said.
Tina Whittington, executive vice president at Students for Life, said she was confident that Trump would consider cutting Planned Parenthood’s Medicaid funding and that Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency could be just the tool for doing it.
“I’m more confident because we’re in an era where DOGE’s actions are targeting waste, fraud and abuse,” she said. “And this is a great way to do that.”
The Supreme Court announced it will hear a case involving South Carolina’s attempt to strip Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood. Experts say the law-
suit could prompt similar efforts in conservative states across the country to chip away at the organization’s funding.
During a 2015 push to strip Planned Parenthood funding, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that doing so would cost the government $130 million over 10 years.
Meanwhile, lawmakers in at least three states Missouri, Ohio and South Carolina — have introduced bills this year aiming to create tax breaks for anti-abortion centers.
The strategies come during a time when abortion rights advocates are warning that Trump and his Cabinet hold significant power to restrict access to medication abortion nationwide.
Rather than immediately heeding calls from antiabortion allies to restrict Medicaid funding for clin-
ics that provide abortions, Trump has made quieter moves after waffling on the issue on the campaign trail.
He reinstated a policy that requires foreign nongovernmental agencies to certify that they don’t provide or promote abortion if they receive U.S. aid for family planning. He also pardoned several anti-abortion activists who had been
The
BRIEFS
FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
Wall Street slips after tariff moves
Wall Street edged lower Thursday after getting pulled in opposite directions as President Donald Trump’s latest tariff escalation creates winners and losers among auto stocks.
The S&P 500 slipped after drifting between small gains and losses several times through the day Better-than-expected data on the economy also helped support the market.
One report on Thursday said slightly fewer workers applied for unemployment benefits last week than economists expected. It’s the latest sign the job market may be settling into a “low fire, low hire” state
A second report said the U.S economy’s growth during the final three months of last year was slightly stronger than earlier estimated.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped and the Nasdaq composite fell General Motors sank 7.4% for one of the market’s sharper losses after Trump announced 25% tariffs on imported cars. Ford Motor Company dropped 3.9%.
GameStop slumps amid plan to sell debt
GameStop shares sank Thursday after its plan to sell debt in an effort to fund purchases of bitcoin raised some questions on Wall Street.
The video game retailer announced a private offering of $1.3 billion in debt
The company said earlier this week that it plans to purchase bitcoin as a reserve asset. It will use proceeds from this debt offering to buy the cryptocurrency The stock slumped 22.1%, marking a sharp reversal from Tuesday’s 11.7% gain. Trading in GameStop’s stock, which is often included with other so-called “meme” stocks, can be volatile. The debt offering comes at a big premium to the company’s value. It could also leave out a large portion of GameStop’s investors who wouldn’t qualify for the offering under certain investor requirements, according to a note from Wedbush led by analyst Michael Pachter
“We find it hard to understand why any investor would pay more than two times cash value for the potential for GameStop to convert that cash into Bitcoin, particularly since the same investors can invest in Bitcoin or a Bitcoin ETF themselves,” he said in the note.
Ex-Mars exec charged with stealing $28M
Before his arrest Wednesday, Paul Steed was a respected sugar market expert for a subsidiary of famed candy maker Mars Inc He served on a U.S. trade advisory committee for sweeteners as well as on industry group boards, while giving presentations at conferences.
Now Steed of Stamford Connecticut, is accused in a federal indictment of stealing more than $28 million from Mars since about 2013 through various schemes, including diverting funds to companies he set up. He is charged with seven counts of wire fraud and two counts of tax evasion.
Steed, 58, a dual U.S. and Argentine citizen, pleaded not guilty in federal court in Bridgeport on Wednesday and was ordered detained pending trial A U.S. magistrate judge said Steed was a flight risk and noted that while the government has seized $18 million of the allegedly pilfered funds, several million dollars remain unaccounted for, and Steed has strong connections to family in Argentina.
Steed and his wife appeared to be living beyond their means, according to the judge’s order authorizing his pretrial detention.
Steed’s annual salary was about $200,000 while his wife was making $40,000 to $50,000 a year as a hairstylist, Magistrate Judge S Dave Vatti said in the order Yet they paid $2.5 million in cash in 2023 for a property in wealthy Greenwich, Connecticut, and own a mortgage-free home in Stamford worth $1 million, he wrote.
CBO: Economic growth to slow
Officials say it’s fueled by debt, declining birth rates over the next 30 years
BY FATIMA HUSSEIN and JOSH BOAK Associated Press
WASHINGTON Weak population gains and increased government spending will result in slower overall economic growth over the next 30 years, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said Thursday
The CBO’s latest long-term budget and economic outlook report — for a timeframe that spans 2025 to 2055 projects publicly held debt to reach 156% of gross domestic product, or GDP, in 2055. That’s down from the agency’s March 2024 long-term budget projection,
which said publicly held debt would be equal to a record 166% of American economic activity by 2054.
However, that’s not necessarily a positive.
The mix of slower population growth and unfettered spending will also result in weaker economic growth over the next three decades than what the CBO projected last year Lower birth rates also mean that the United States is becoming more dependent on immigrants working to sustain growth.
“Without immigration, the U.S. population would begin to shrink in 2033,” the CBO report states.
The report assumes that all the laws set to expire, including certain provisions of Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, will go off the books. But the White House and Republican lawmakers have said that the tax cuts will be renewed and potentially expanded, as well as suggesting reductions in government spend-
ing and an increase in revenues by taxing imports.
Still, the report’s warnings and its projections for the future also set the stage for the challenges on the debt, government spending and economic growth that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent insists the Trump administration can fix.
Bessent has advocated for a “3-3-3” plan, which involves getting the federal budget deficit down to 3% of GDP, boosting inflation-adjusted annual GDP growth to 3% and producing the equivalent of an additional 3 million barrels of oil per day by 2028.
The treasury secretary has sought to discredit CBO scoring, calling it “crazy.”
“I was in the investment business for 35 years, I thought I understood how crazy CBO scoring is,” Bessent told CNBC earlier this month. “And now that I’m on the
other side of the wall, I can tell you it’s really crazy And very unlikely that we are going to get any credit in the CBO scoring for tariffs.” However CBO warnings about population growth cut into Trump administration policy priorities related to mass deportations, as officials claim that immigrants are fueling high inflation by worsening the housing shortage and depriving U.S. citizens of job opportunities. A decreasing population could have profound negative effects on the economy as growth depends on adding workers as well as increasing their productivity Falling population levels could cause a stagnation in living standards and create difficulties in paying down debts as well as funding programs such as Social Security, which is dependent on payroll taxes.
Automakers brace for tariffs
Companies say new tax will be painful for them, U.S. consumers
BY DAVID MCHUGH, LORNE COOK, AAMER MADHANI and DANICA KIRKA
Associated Press
FRANKFURT, Germany — Whatever domestic economic gain comes from U.S. President
Donald Trump’s new 25% tax on imported cars and some experts are skeptical automakers around the world are bracing for a lot of pain.
In Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Canada and across Europe, the world’s largest automakers employ millions of people whose livelihoods depend on U.S. car buyers, who spend more than $240 billion annually on imported cars and light trucks.
The Trump tariffs — aimed at boosting U.S. jobs and tax revenues — will also affect imported auto parts, which were valued at $197 billion last year.
“The impact will be really huge and very disruptive,” said Sigrid de Vries, director general of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association. Vries and others say American car shoppers will also be worse off as tariffs push prices higher
Policymakers around the world said Thursday they were weighing their next moves namely whether to retaliate or not, and if so, how But they also expressed hope that
Coast Guard ship will cost $950 million
BY TIMOTHY BOONE Staff writer
negotiations with Washington could avert an escalating trade war, and the economic damage and global supply chain disruptions that would come with it
Trump said the tariffs on autos would start being collected on April 3. The impending hit comes on top of other U.S tariffs planned globally on steel and aluminum and at a time when competition from China, and the transition to electric vehicles, is already pressuring automakers.
The anticipated blow knocked down the stock prices of many major automakers Thursday, including Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, Kia and BMW
U.S. carmakers are less exposed to possible retaliation because they export only 2% of their production to the EU. Still, shares of Ford and General Motors fell because the U.S. industry relies heavily on cross-border trade in auto parts although Tesla is an exception and its stock price rose on Thursday
Most foreign carmakers have plants in the U.S. — Japanese carmakers have two dozen, for example — but that would not shield them if they use imported parts, unless those parts are exempted under a free-trade agreement with Mexico and Canada.
The auto tariffs will be felt sharply in Europe, for whom the U.S. is the biggest export
market for an industry that supports nearly 14 million jobs.
The EU’s top trade official, Maros Sefcovic, has traveled to Washington at least twice since Trump was reelected to try to engage the administration. But Trump says the tariffs, which his administration estimates would raise $100 billion in revenue annually, are “permanent.” The White House has claimed they will foster domestic manufacturing.
“This will continue to spur growth,” Trump told reporters Wednesday when announcing the tariffs.
The head of the United Auto Workers, Shawn Fain, thanked the White House “for stepping up to end the free trade disaster that has devastated working class communities for decades.”
Some economists say the tariffs will only raise costs that will be passed on to consumers and lead to a cycle of retaliation that will reduce trade between countries.
“There’s a risk of retaliatory tariffs and then a tit-for-tat, and then we end up with significant barriers to trade and we all lose out,” said David Bailey, professor of business economics at the University of Birmingham “That’s the fundamental problem here essentially that governments will start to retaliate against each other.”
up buying the Mississippi company in 2022 from its Singapore-based owners and taking over its shipyard. “Securing this contract modification has truly been a hercu-
effort and underscores the incredible trust the U.S. government has placed in Bollinger to build and deliver the first heavy polar icebreaker in half a century,” Ben Bordelon, president and CEO of Lockport-based Bollinger, said in a statement. Officials said the icebreaker will be used to defend U.S. interests
Bessent
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MARTIN MEISSNER
New German cars are stored Thursday at a logistics center in Duisburg Germany. Automakers around the world are bracing for a lot of pain from President Donald Trump’s new 25% tax on imported vehicles.
Police use force to break up protests in Turkey’s capital
BY ROBERT BADENDIECK and ANDREW WILKS Associated Press
ISTANBUL Police used pepper spray, plastic pellets and water cannons against protesters in Turkey’s capital early Thursday, the latest clash in the country’s biggest anti-government protests in over a decade.
The demonstrations began last week following the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a key rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Imamoglu was jailed pending trial on corruption charges many see as politically motivated and is also accused of supporting terrorism. The government insists the judiciary is independent, but critics say the evidence in Imamoglu’s case is based on secret witnesses and lacks credibility
Early Thursday, student demonstrators tried to march and gathered to read a statement near the gates at Middle East Technical University, pro-opposition broadcaster Halk TV and local media reported.
They were met by security forces who deployed pepper spray, water cannons and plastic pellets. A standoff ensued where the students hid behind a barricade of dumpsters until the police charged to detain them.
Melih Meric, a legislator with Imamoglu’s Republican People’s Party or CHP, was seen soaked with water and suffering from pepper spray exposure.
“My student friends only wanted to make a press statement, but the police
strictly did not allow it, this is the result,” Meric said in social media videos.
Interior Minister Ali Yerkikaya said Thursday that nearly 1,900 people have been arrested over eight days of massive protests across the country. He said that 1,879 suspects were detained, including 260 who were jailed pending trial. A further 468 were released under judicial control while their cases continue. Proceedings are ongoing for 662 other people. The minister said some faced charges for drug offenses and assault adding that 150 police officers had been injured.
He did not specify the nature of other charges but offenses such as resisting police and not complying with a ban on protests and gatherings have been cited previously Demonstrations involving hundreds of thousands of largely peaceful protesters have swept across major
cities, including oppositionorganized rallies outside Istanbul City Hall Other major protests have been held in Istanbul’s districts of Kadikoy and Sisli districts in recent days.
Some demonstrations have been marred by violence as police used water cannons, tear gas, plastic pellets and pepper spray to breakup protests that have been banned in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir
Police continued to carry out house raids targeting protesters Thursday morning. Most of those detained in their homes appear to belong to left-wing parties, trade unions and civil society groups.
Eleven journalists were arrested and sent to jail Wednesday after covering the protests. At least eight were released under judicial control a day later, the Media and Law Studies Association said, but still face charges relating to the protests.
French prosecutors seek 7-year sentence for former president
By The Associated Press
PARIS
— French prosecutors on Thursday requested a seven-year prison sentence and fine of about $325,000 for former President Nicolas Sarkozy in connection with allegations that his 2007 presidential campaign was illegally financed by former Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi’s government.
The National Financial Prosecutor’s Office, known by its French acronym PNF, also called for a five-year ban on Sarkozy’s civic, civil and family rights — a measure that would bar him from holding elected office or serving in any public judicial role.
The case, which opened in January and is expected to conclude on April 10, is considered the most serious of the multiple legal scandals that have clouded Sarkozy’s post-presidency
The 70-year-old Sarkozy, who led France from 2007 to 2012, faces charges of passive corruption, illegal
campaign financing, concealment of embezzlement of public funds and criminal association. He has denied any wrongdoing.
The accusations trace back to 2011, when a Libyan news agency and Gadhafi himself said that the Libyan state had secretly funneled millions of euros into Sarkozy’s 2007 campaign. In 2012, the French investigative outlet Mediapart published what it said was a Libyan intelligence memo referencing a 50 millioneuro funding agreement. Sarkozy denounced the document as a forgery and sued for defamation. French magistrates later said that the memo appeared to be authentic, though no conclusive evidence of a completed transaction has been presented.
Investigators also looked into a series of trips by Sarkozy’s associates to Libya between 2005 and 2007.
In 2016, Franco-Lebanese businessman Ziad Takieddine told Mediapart that he
AP renews request for reinstatement to White House press pool after ban
BY DAVID BAUDER AP media writer
WASHINGTON A lawyer for
The Associated Press asked a federal judge Thursday to reinstate the agency’s access to the White House press pool and other official events, saying the Trump administration’s ban is a fundamental attack on freedom of speech and should be overturned. The government insisted there was no evidence that AP had been harmed irreparably
“AP has now spent 44 days in the penalty box,” said Charles Tobin, speaking on behalf of the news agency After a full day’s hearing, U.S. District Court Judge Trevor N. McFadden adjourned the case without a decision.
The AP and the new administration are at odds
over the White House’s removal of AP reporters and photographers from the small group of journalists who follow the president in the pool and other events.
Last month, AP sued White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and two other administration officials, demanding reinstatement.
The White House retaliated against the news outlet last month for not following President Donald Trump’s executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico.
The notion of banning a news agency for what it says — and for not using the words that a government demands is extraordinarily unusual in a country whose Constitution guarantees free speech without official interference. By punishing AP for what it publishes, the administration has raised
questions about what the White House feels it could punish from news outlets whose words or images it doesn’t like.
The judge questioned whether it’s a court’s place to order the White House which reporters it could or couldn’t exclude from a presidential event. “My instinct is that this has not changed how your client is exercising its free-speech rights,” McFadden told Tobin.
A lawyer for the government, Brian Hudak, said that the AP hadn’t shown irreparable harm to its business. “There is no showing of exclusion,” he said, adding that AP can still access events in the East Room and document who arrives at the White House and leaves it. The AP says that it has had only sporadic access to East Room events.
had delivered suitcases filled with cash from Tripoli to the French Interior Ministry under Sarkozy He later retracted his statement. That reversal is now the focus of a separate investigation into possible witness tampering.
Sarkozy and his wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, have both been placed under preliminary investigation in that case.
Sarkozy’s former ministers Claude Guéant, Brice Hortefeux, and Éric Woerth are also on trial, along with eight other defendants.
But prosecutors have made clear the central figure is the former president himself — accused of knowingly benefiting from a “corruption pact” with a foreign dictatorship while campaigning to lead the French republic.
While Sarkozy has already been convicted in two other criminal cases, the Libya affair is widely seen as the most politically explosive — and the one most likely to shape his legacy
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By
Former city marshal arrested again
Pope accused of probation, parole violat
BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer
Former Lafayette City Marshal
Brian Pope, who spent about four months in jail for malfeasance in office, has been arrested for probation and parole violations and seven fugitive warrants Pope, 60, has been on probation after pleading no contest in June
2021 to one count of malfeasance in office as part of a plea agreement that saw 18 other charges dropped by the District Attorney’s Office.
He also appears to be on probation in another case. A jury in October 2019 found Pope guilty of three unrelated malfeasance charges.
He was sentenced to three years in the parish jail. All but one year was suspended. The charges stemmed from Pope supplem come by personally fees and reimbursemen should have been the Marshal’s Office’ In October 2023, tion was extended to give him additional time to pay $84,742 in restitution.-on morningday activeparole fugitivelease from the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office and jail records.
No bail was set by Thursday afternoon. Court records show Pope was scheduled to appear in the 15th Judicial District Court in Lafayette on Wednesday morning for a revocation hearing. The hearing had been scheduled after Pope failed to appear in court for a previous hearing, court records indicate. A fugitive warrant was issued for his arrest.
FEARLESS READER
Lafayette High’s ‘librarian extraordinaire’ honored by state for creating welcoming space
BY ASHLEY WHITE | Staff writer
At Lafayette High, students know that no mat-
ter what’s going on, they can find what they need inside its library — the next book on their to-beread list, a quiet place to sit or help determining what or who they need to tackle their problems.
“We’re the heart and soul of every single school,” said Amanda Blanco, the school’s “librarian extraordinaire,” as it states on her ID.
“(The library) is kind of their safe place,” she added.
Blanco’s efforts to make the library a welcoming center where students can ask for direction
“We’re the heart and soul of every single school. (The library) is kind of their safe place.”
AMANDA BLANCO Lafayette High librarian
contributed to her recognition by the Louisiana Library Association as the 2025 Louisiana School Librarian of the Year She also volunteers on several Lafayette Parish school system district teams, serves on the state executive board for school librarians and contributes to the Louisiana Young Readers Choice Awards committee. Her favorite read lately, which she recommends to students and adults, is “The Inheritance Games” series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Each Librarian of the Year applicant is
ä See LIBRARIAN, page 4B
Storm threat delays Festival of Colors
Holi event moving to 11 a.m. Sunday
the gathering represents the victory of good over evil, the arrival of spring, and for many, a festive
Holi
been
for mental health, substance abuse treatment
BY EMILY WOODRUFF Staff writer
The Louisiana Department of Health was among several state agencies that received notice Monday of a sudden loss of federal funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, according to state officials.
The department received “a of emails that slightly difficult interpret” tha believe will end grants, said Stubbs, assi secretary of fice of Behavioral Health, duri Senate Committee on Finance hearing Tuesday Three mental health and three were relat ed to substance use.
Dr Pete Croughan, deputy secretary, es timated the funding loss at approximately $10 million. At Tuesday’s meeting, first reported by the Louisiana Illuminator the agency was still assessing the impact on staffing.
Stubbs noted that two of the six grants had already ended earlier this month, and the remaining four were scheduled to expire at the end of the year
This abrupt loss of funding is part
BY JA’KORI MADISON Staff writer
Acadiana could see flooding going into
STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRAD BOWIE
Colored powder called gulal is thrown into the air during the 2022
Festival at Girard Park in Lafayette. This year’s Holi Festival has
moved to 11 a.m. on Sunday due to the weather forecast.
STAFF PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK
Lafayette High librarian Amanda Blanco’s efforts to make the library a welcoming center where students can ask for direction contributed to her recognition by the Louisiana Library Association as the 2025 Louisiana School Librarian of the year
See POPE, page 4B
OPINION
Unwinding Biden-era energy rules crucial for state
President Joe Biden spent four years trying to drag the United States into the dark ages with his anti-energy policies. Thanks to the wisdom of the American people, though, those days are over. American energy independence is back on the horizon under President Donald Trump’s leadership. He signed my resolution to repeal the first of many Biden-era rules that were crushing Louisiana’s energy producers. This is only the beginning of our shared effort to clean up the massive mess that the Biden administration left behind.
terminal permits.
Even after voters rejected Vice President Kamala Harris in November, the Biden administration continued to ignore the will of the American people by banning offshore drilling on millions of acres of coastline just days before Trump returned to the Oval Office.
In total, Biden and his team saddled American energy producers with more than 200 new regulations. Some of these policies were bone-deep, down-to-the-marrow stupid. They killed thousands of jobs by canceling the Keystone XL pipeline, halted new oil and gas permits on millions of acres of America’s public lands, encouraged radical climate activists to file lawsuits against energy producers over “environmental justice” violations and tried to derail several liquefied natural gas development projects in Louisiana by pausing all new export
These breathtakingly bad policies drove up energy costs for the American people. During Biden’s time in office, the average American’s energy bill increased by 29%. In Louisiana, the average household paid $5,202 more for energy and $10,703 more for transportation because of Biden’s inflation.
Trump’s team began unwinding some of these terrible energy policies on day one. Importantly, Trump scrapped Biden’s terrible executive order that paused all permits for new LNG export terminals. He also announced that Cameron Parish will be home to America’s newest LNG export terminal a huge win for Louisianians.
These export terminals will be essential in helping the United States power its allies. Under Biden’s watch, Russia exported a record-breaking amount of LNG
to the European Union. Once we unwind all these harmful Bidenera LNG export regulations, our allies will be able to purchase LNG from Louisiana instead of buying it from countries that hate us. While Trump’s team has made some tremendous progress in scaling back these anti-energy policies, they cannot do it all on their own.
If the Biden administration implemented these changes as formal rules, the Trump administration must introduce its own
Jesuits came to the United States in 1700, which, of course, means we were not yet the United States. They set up in the Louisiana Territory and were some of the first explorers of the mighty Mississippi.
This also means the Jesuit order and its missions and staff have been part of the U.S.’s immigrant history which includes taking in tens of millions of refugees. We have experienced the moments all Americans should be proud of lifting the lamp beside the golden door for generations seeking a better life.
There are also moments we deeply regret, like the Roosevelt administration’s 1939 rejection of the MS St. Louis and the 937 Jewish Europeans onboard seeking refuge.
In 1980, the U.S. created its modern refugee program Some refugees are admitted after being interviewed overseas; others seek asylum at a U.S. port of entry or while in the U.S. Either way, applicants must prove they meet the criteria for refugee status, which includes a well-founded fear of persecution. They must also pass a rigorous security and background screening. Asylum is a central part of our law, not a loophole.
Our refugee resettlement system evolved into a strong network built on public-private partnerships. Communities recognized both the moral imperative as well as the economic and social benefits of resettling refugees, who went on to create businesses, join the military enliven our cuisine and otherwise enrich our communities.
Today, our immigration system needs work. Asylum ap-
plications are backlogged by years. Some attempt to gain asylum without meeting the criteria because they lack other options. Neither of these facts means we should end asylum — a critical part of the larger refugee and immigration picture that unites families, helps us fill vacant jobs and allows trafficking victims to live in safety
We must make sure we have an orderly border, staffed by professionally trained officials assisted by smart and ethical technologies. We need to streamline processes, deal with the backlog and make well-reasoned decisions on applications.
Louisiana has benefited from refugee resettlement. Daulat Sthanki arrived in New Orleans with a single bag. Starting as a jukebox repairman, he became a multimillion-dollar businessman, investor and developer in Baton Rouge.
This kind of story has played out time and again in the U.S.
Refugees are vital to the labor market not only because they fill jobs but also because they often go on to pursue more lucrative, entrepreneurial careers. In 2015, more than 181,000 refugee entrepreneurs generated $4.6 billion in business income, according to the National Immigration Forum. These businesses provide jobs, goods and services for thousands of Americans.
The U.S. welcomed more than 2.1 million refugees and 800,000 asylees between 1990 and 2022. According to the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Human Services Policy those welcomed had a massive positive fiscal impact:
$123.8 billion total, including $31.5 billion to the federal government and a $92.3 billion to
A rig and supply vessel in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Louisiana.
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO
state and local governments. These benefits are real and important, but that’s not why my organization, Jesuit Refugee Service, does this work. For us, it is an expression of our Catholic identity and an exercise of the freedom of religion enshrined in the Constitution. No government administration should interfere with this right. We are called to welcome the stranger and assist the afflicted and needy That is who we are.
And it’s what Louisianans do. Assisting persecuted people — many of whom are Christians targeted for their faith — is lifesaving work. In fiscal year 2024, the U.S. took in 29,493 Christian refugees from the 50 countries where Christians suffer the most persecution, including Afghanistan and Myanmar or Burma. Instances of religious and political persecution are getting worse closer to our borders, too. In Nicaragua, President Daniel Ortega has been targeting the Catholic Church, which has placed itself between the people and the authoritarian government. As of this writing, 11 Catholic priests remain detained after being arrested last summer, an example of what a dangerous environment the country has become for anyone who dissents from the authoritarian government. After the St. Louis was turned away in 1939, nearly 30% of its passengers were murdered in the Holocaust. We must learn from the mistakes of history We can and should continue to help people in need.
Refugees and asylees are thoroughly vetted, subjected to rigorous background checks — and their contributions enrich us all.
Kelly Ryan is the president of Jesuit Refugee Service/USA.
formal rules to reverse the initial policies. This can take months.
Congress, however, has a tool to help the Trump administration expedite rule changes.
It’s called the Congressional Review Act (CRA), and it allows lawmakers to wipe bad rules off the books.
I’ve already started putting this tool to work for the American people.
I introduced a joint resolution of disapproval under the CRA to eliminate a Bureau of Ocean Energy Management rule that
required oil and gas producers in the Gulf of America to submit archaeological reports to the federal government before drilling or laying pipelines.
Essentially the Biden administration wanted to drive up costs for small energy producers — including many mom-and-pop operations in Louisiana — by forcing them to recreate maps of the ocean floor to identify shipwrecks that we’ve already found. If that sounds wasteful, that’s because it is.
Small and independent operations make up roughly one-third of all oil production in the Gulf, and this rule would have cost them millions of dollars. Fortunately, my colleagues in Congress agreed that this rule was bogus. Last week, Trump signed my CRA into law and rendered that rule void.
Biden made a disgusting mess of America’s energy sector by sticking bad regulations on producers like gum to a park bench. Louisianans can count on us to keep scraping away at these terrible regulations until each one is repealed and America has returned to a position of energy dominance.
John Kennedy represents Louisiana in the U.S. Senate.
Congress needs to act now to keep business booming in Louisiana
Louisiana’s innovation ecosystem continues to grow annually, with over 95,000 new jobs created since 2016.
As our state’s business environment flourishes, Louisiana needs policies in place that will spur annual growth and success.
However key provisions of a 2017 law are set to expire at the end of this year, placing Louisiana’s manufacturing sector — and the livelihoods it supports — at risk. Congress must extend these policies to preserve the economic momentum that has revitalized our local industries and strengthened our community
national powerhouse in innovative industries such as advanced manufacturing, energy, life sciences and technology Now that progress is in jeopardy
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) sparked an unprecedented boom in manufacturing job creation, wage growth and capital investment across the country
The numbers tell a compelling story: The TCJA reduced the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%, strengthened incentives for domestic investment and provided relief for many businesses — decisions that reshaped America’s economic landscape and have given U.S.-based companies a competitive edge globally
In 2018, manufacturing experienced its strongest year for job growth creation in more than two decades and its best wage growth in 15 years. Real wages increased by 5%, and unemployment for workers without a high school diploma fell to historic lows.
In Louisiana, this translated into factory expansions in Shreveport, new hires in Lake Charles and pay raises in Monroe.
Businesses reinvested in research, technology and workforce development, making our state more competitive in a global economy Louisiana has emerged as a
If Congress allows the TCJA tax cuts to lapse, Louisiana stands to lose 76,000 jobs and nearly $15 billion in GDP, according to a study by the National Association of Manufacturers. In Congressional District 4 alone Speaker Mike Johnson’s district — the impact could mean 10,000 lost jobs and a $2 billion hit to economic output. These aren’t just economic statistics — they represent paychecks, mortgages and college tuition payments for Louisiana families.
Louisiana policymakers must continue standing with the workers, small businesses and manufacturers who are driving Louisiana’s resurgence. Allowing the TCJA to expire would send us back to an era of uncertainty, stagnation and missed opportunities at a time when our state is finally turning the page on decades of economic decline.
We don’t have time to waste, and the stakes couldn’t be higher For Louisiana’s economic comeback to continue, policymakers must act now to prioritize this critical issue and extend the TCJA.
LABI commends the leadership of Louisiana’s congressional delegation in championing pro-growth policies, including their ongoing efforts to maintain the benefits of the TCJA. We look forward to working alongside them to secure this extension and keep Louisiana’s economy thriving for years to come.
Will Green is president and CEO of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry (LABI).
COMMENTARY
Each year, syndicated columnist George Will challenges readers to test their baseball knowledge with his Opening Day Quiz. How much do you know about the sport’s history and statistics? Test your knowledge below.
Ned Garver, who pitched for the St. Louis Browns when they drew few fans, said, “The crowd didn’t dare boo us. The players had them outnumbered.”
Don’t get booed, get busy identifying:
1.The American League pitcher who won 20 games while his team was losing 102. A Hollis “Sloppy” Thurston
B. Roger Clemens
C. Nolan Ryan
D. Ned Garver
2.The Browns’ only MVP
A Heinie Manush, 1928
B. George Sisler, 1922
C. Rube Waddell, 1908
D. Urban Shocker, 1918
3. The pitcher with the highest ERA (5.08) in a 20-win season.
A. Bobo Newsom, 1938
B. Warren Spahn, 1956
C. Bob Forsch, 1977
D. Grover Alexander, 1914
4. The Hall of Fame pitcher who surrendered a record 46 home runs in a season.
A. Luis Tiant, 1966
B. Tim Wakefield, 2004
C. Denny McLain, 1971
D. Robin Roberts, 1956
5. The pitcher who induced the most double plays.
A. Jim Kaat
B. Ferguson Jenkins
C. Tommy John
D. Phil Niekro
6. The second baseman who turned a single-season record 161 double plays.
A. Joe Morgan
B. Bill Mazeroski
C. Nap Lajoie
D. Jackie Robinson
7. The pitcher who averaged 354 strikeouts through four seasons, 1999-2002.
A. Curt Schilling
B. Randy Johnson
C. Pedro Martinez
D. Greg Maddux
8. He holds the AL season record for assists.
A. Cal Ripken Jr
B. Derek Jeter
C. Sandy Alomar
D. Zoilo Versalles
9 The Cleveland Indian who led the AL in homers and RBI when they won a record 111 games in a 154-game season.
A. Vic Wertz
B. Al Smith
C. Larry Doby
D. Wally Westlake
10. The two Hall of Famers since World War II with 600 doubles, 100 triples, 100 homers and 100 stolen bases.
A. Mickey Mantle, Roberto Clemente
B. Paul Molitor, George Brett
C. Ted Williams, Rickey Henderson
D. Stan Musial, Willie Mays
11. The pitcher who led the majors in strikeouts in 1968,the“year of the pitcher.”
A Sam McDowell
B. Juan Marichal
C. Bob Gibson
D. Don Drysdale
12.The most recent Hall of Fame pitcher with more than 3,000 innings and an ERA under 3.00.
A. Orel Hershiser
B. Steve Carlton
C. Catfish Hunter
D. Tom Seaver
13.The most recent 300-win pitcher
A Tom Glavine, 2007
B. Randy Johnson, 2009
C Roger Clemens, 2003
D. Don Sutton, 1986
14 The two players who hit 30 or more homers with five different teams.
A Gary Sheffield, Fred McGriff
B. Alfonso Soriano, Jose Canseco
C. Jim Thome, Alex Rodriguez
D Goose Goslin, Jimmie Foxx
15. The NL and AL pitchers with the lowest career World Series ERAs.
A. Sandy Koufax, Whitey Ford
B. Chris Carpenter, Jack Morris
C. David Cone, Cy Young
D Madison Bumgarner Babe Ruth
16. The two shortstops with 16 doubledigit home run seasons.
A. Honus Wagner, Ernie Banks
B Luke Appling, Alan Tram-
mell
C Cal Ripken Jr., Derek Jeter
D. Barry Larkin, Robin Yount
17. He wore No. 44 and hit 44 homers
B: Paul Molitor and George
11. A: Sam McDowell.
D: Tom Seaver 13. B: Randy Johnson
A: Gary Sheffield, Fred Mc-
15. D: Madison Bumgarner (0.25) and Babe Ruth (0.87)
four times.
A. Reggie Jackson
B. Sammy Sosa
C. Henry Aaron
D. Harmon Killebrew
18. The youngest pitcher to have a 20win season.
A. Dwight Gooden
B. Kerry Wood
C. Walter Johnson
D. Bob Feller
19.The two who hit over .400 in 1922 but did not have MLB’s highest average.
A. Joe Wood, Wally Pipp
B. Tris Speaker, Casey Stengel
C. Ty Cobb, Rogers Hornsby
D. Lew Fonseca, Frankie Frisch
20 The most recent player to have a 200hit season in each league.
A. Bill Buckner, 1982 Chicago Cubs, 1985 Boston Red Sox
B. Vladimir Guerrero, 2002 Montreal Expos, 2006 Los Angeles Angels
C. Ichiro Suzuki, 2010 Seattle Mariners, 2015 Miami Marlins
D. Frank Robinson, 1962 Cincinnati Reds, 1968 Baltimore Orioles
21. He pitched a record 16 shutouts in 1916.
A. Walter Johnson
B. Babe Ruth
C. Dutch Leonard
D. Grover Alexander
22. He pitched no-hitters 18 seasons apart.
A. Gaylord Perry
B. Nolan Ryan
C. Tommy John
D. Jim Kaat
23.The youngest Cy Young Award winner
A. Clayton Kershaw
B. Vida Blue
C. Dean Chance
D. Dwight Gooden
24. The four first basemen to win backto-back MVP awards.
A. Jimmie Foxx, Frank Thomas, Albert Pujols, Miguel Cabrera
B. Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Ryan Howard, Albert Pujols
C. Lou Gehrig, Harmon Killebrew, Willie McCovey, Albert Pujols
D. Jimmie Foxx, Hank Greenberg, Miguel Cabrera, Albert
Pujols
25.The largest player (height, weight) to win a batting title.
A. Boog Powell
B. Frank Thomas
C. Barry Bonds
D. Willie McCovey
26.The only player to hit .300, score 100 runs, have 100 RBI and walk 100 times in seven consecutive seasons.
A. Lou Gehrig
B. Ted Williams
C. Frank Thomas
D. Henry Aaron
27. The only player who batted .300 and had 100 RBI across each of his first 10 seasons.
A. Stan Musial
B. Albert Pujols
C. Enos Slaughter
D. Rogers Hornsby
28. The team with the worst season winning percentage since 1900.
A. 2024 Chicago White Sox
B. 1916 Philadelphia Athletics
C. 1964 Houston Colt .45s
D. 1962 New York Mets
29. Had the most consecutive 40-home run seasons (four) in the 1960s.
A. Harmon Killebrew
B. Carl Yastrzemski
C. Frank Robinson
D. Willie Mays
30. The shortstop who holds the record for consecutive errorless games and errorless chances.
A. Omar Vizquel
B. Cal Ripken Jr
C. Ozzie Smith
D. Mike Bordick
31. Holds the record for most homers in a season in his home park.
A. Sammy Sosa
B. Hank Greenberg
C. Babe Ruth
D. Mark McGwire
32. The batter with the nearest-miss to a 400 season.
A. Lefty O’Doul
B. George Brett
C. Rod Carew
D. Tony Gwynn
33. He was batting .400 in August 1993.
A. Andrés Galarraga
B. Gregg Jefferies
C. Paul Molitor
D John Olerud
34. The player who hit .370 or better more than once since Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941. A. Rod Carew B. George Brett
C. Tony Gwynn
D. Ichiro Suzuki
35 The only player with 200 or more singles in three seasons.
A. Tony Oliva
B. Al Simmons
C. Steve Garvey
D. Ichiro Suzuki
36. The hitter with only 135 home runs but who received more intentional walks than Ernie Banks or Mike Schmidt. A. Tony Gwynn
B. Jeff Bagwell
C. Harold Baines
D. Chili Davis
37. The catcher whose 57% of stolenbase attempts foiled is the MLB record.
A. Tony Peña
B. Roy Campanella
C. Yadier Molina D. Johnny Bench
38. The youngest to hit 50 homers in a season.
A. Henry Aaron B. Aaron Judge C. Andruw Jones
D. Prince Fielder
39.The most recent AL teammates each with 150 or more RBIs in a season. A. Rafael Palmeiro and Cal Ripken Jr., 1996 Baltimore Orioles B. Vern Stephens and Ted Williams, 1949 Boston Red Sox
25. B: Frank Thomas 26. C Frank Thomas
35. C: Steve Garvey
36. A: Tony Gwynn
37. B: Roy Campanella
27. B: Albert Pujols
19. C: Ty Cobb, Rogers Hornsby 20. B 21. D: Grover Alexander
22. B: Nolan Ryan
23. D: Dwight Gooden
16. C: Cal Ripken Jr., Derek Jeter 17. C: Henry Aaron 18. A: Dwight Gooden
24. A: Jimmie Foxx (1932-1933), Frank Thomas (1993-1994), Albert Pujols (2008-2009), Miguel Cabrera (2012-2013)
28. B: The 1916 Philadelphia A’s
29. A: 1961-64
30. D: Mike Bordick
31. B: Hank Greenberg
32. A: Lefty O’Doul
33. D: John Olerud
34. C: Tony Gwynn hit .394 in 1994, .372 in 1997, .370 in 1987
38. D: Prince Fielder hit 50 in 2007 for the Brewers
39. BL Vern Stephens and Ted Williams
40. A: 1929-1931 Philadelphia
Athletics
Bonus: B: Connie Mack, the major leagues’ winningest manager
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO
Seats are open at Boston’s Fenway Park before
baseball game between the Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles
It’s the fourth reported this year
BY WILLIE SWETT Staff writer
A dead manatee has washed up on the shoreline in Bucktown, and officials say it’s the fourth manatee reported dead in Lake Pontchartrain this year
The carcass is stuck in mud flats and inaccessible, said Gabriella Harlamert, stranding and rehab coordinator for Audubon Aquarium Rescue. But once it’s recovered, it will be examined to find out if it was microchipped, which could show where it traveled.
It also appears to be decomposed, she said, which may make it hard to find out the cause of death.
None of the four manatees reported so far have been confirmed to be the elusive barnacle-covered manatee that rescuers were scouring Lake Pontchartrain for back in January, Harlamert said.
In January, Harlamert led the rescuers searching for a manatee that had been spotted along the northshore. They were trying to find it before a cold front, which lowers the water temperature to a dangerous level. Manatees should generally
FESTIVAL
Continued from page 1B
day to unite and forget all resentments and bad feelings toward each other
The Holi Festival of Lafayette is a unique festival of colors, harmony, friendship and love that grows in popularity each year Although an Indian festival, this event attracts people from many different cultures and backgrounds from the community
RAIN
Continued from page 1B
showers and thunderstorms after 1 a.m. could return Sunday night. There is also a 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1 p.m.
Monday In the flood warning, NWS says excessive showers may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams and other
not be in Lake Pontchartrain between November and March, Harlamert said, and they should stay in water above 68 degrees In early January, the lake’s temperature was 60 degrees even before the cold snap. Harlamert said the four manatees have been reported dead all around the lake, including near Norco and Big Branch. But it’s not clear if any of them were the missing one.
The northshore manatee was headed toward Slidell when it was last spotted in January, she said, and appeared to be smaller than the one spotted in Bucktown. Plus, the northshore manatee was unlikely to survive cold snap that followed the search, Harlamert said.
GRANTS
Continued from page 1B
of a broader termination of over $12 billion in federal grants by HHS this week. Originally allocated during the COVID-19 pandemic for testing and vaccination, much of the funding was later used by states for infectious disease tracking, mental health services, childhood vaccinations and emergency preparedness.
A smaller portion came from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA.
In Louisiana SAMHSA
funds support behavioral h including health crisis sponse, substance use treatment, 988 suicide crisis lifeline, peer and commu nity support grams.
As of Thursday the Louisiana of Health was assess the impact mination.
“The department reviewing all ated with th termine the that was canceled,” munications Herrock wrote in an email.
Secretary of Maranto said Medicaid fundremains und, and that recent executive from PresiDonald Trump eliminating funding diversity eqand inclusion had not imstaffing or funding department. million loss came during Tuesday’s hearing when Sen. Jackson-Andrews, raised concerns potential effects on Louisiana.
Jackson-Andrews asked the Health Department to
keep the Senate informed on the impact to the state. She had not heard news from the department as of Thursday She pointed out that cuts to mental health and substance use programs could have broad consequences, especially given that, earlier in the hearing, state officials identified drug overdose as the leading cause of maternal death in Louisiana.
“When you hear that the federal government is cutting mental health funds to Louisiana, when Louisiana is already doing everything it can to find mental health funds that is extremely concerning,” said JacksonAndrews on Thursday
The number of beached manatees this year atypical, and she said the unusually cold winter may be a factor
LIBRARIAN
Continued from page 1B
“We had an especially cold winter here with snow and the arctic blast, so I wouldn’t say I’m surprised we’re seeing deceased manatees,” she said.
“If people see alive or dead marine animals or turtles, we really encourage them to call,” Harlamert said. The rescue organization’s hotline is (877) 942-5343.
Admission to the event is free. Food and drinks are available for purchase.
For the best effect, wear white. Colors will wash out, but it’s recommended to wear something you don’t mind getting stained, just in case. The color powder is safe and nontoxic
The family-friendly event will feature music, Indian dances, henna art, face painting and vibrant colors in an open-air setting. For more information, visit lafayetteholi.org.
low-lying and flood-prone locations.
“Storm drains and ditches may also become clogged with debris,” according to the warning Forecasters rec ommend monitoring forecasts throughout the weekend and urge residents to be alert for more flood warnings.
Email Ja’kori Madison at jakori.madison@ theadvocate.com
criteria that includes effective promotion of the library, collaboration, leadership, creativity in programming and student engagement.
Blanco, who has been an educator for more than 20 years, said she was overwhelmed and excited to receive the award. She said the award is important to recognize librarians who are often “behind the scenes.”
“Through her dedication, innovation, and leadership, Mrs. Blanco has made a lasting impact on her students, colleagues, and the broader educational community,” district spokesperson Tracy
POPE
Continued from page 1B
It appears his last contact with the court system was in February, the warrant shows.
The warrant signed by Judge David Smith states that Pope “has not prop-
“Her passion for literacy and commitment to student success exemplify the qualities honored by this award.”
Since arriving at Lafayette High in 2016, Blanco has increased student foot
traffic to the library The library has comfort critters, weighted and unweighted stuffed animals that students can check out. There are board games like checkers, Uno and Connect Four
The library has monthly
themed weeks, like Taylor Swift or board game week.
One of Blanco’s favorites was the Zen Zone, when the library was transformed before state standardized testing into a place where students could de-stress. Students could follow along with yoga videos, squeeze a stress ball or decompress while listening to a white noise machine. The week wrapped up with therapy animals — dogs and rabbits — for students to love on. “We try to make it welcoming and different so they know it doesn’t matter what you want to do, the library is here for you,” Blanco said. “Teenagers are sarcastic and funny Being here and seeing how much they love to come into our space is the motivation.”
erly conducted himself, but has violated the conditions of his probation in a material respect by failing to obey the instructions of the court.”
In September, Pope was in court for a revocation hearing. At that time, a probation officer said he was not in compliance with the terms of his probation. He was ordered to show proof within 30 days that he completed 240 hours of community service work that were part of his sentence.
Email Claire Taylor at ctaylor@theadvocate.com.
The prosecutor indicated Pope was paying restitution, so the hearing was reset for January court records show Because of a rare snowfall, the courthouse was closed on the January date and reset for Wednesday, for which Pope was a no-show Court records show he did not appear for several court hearings, including revocation hearings, prompting the warrants for his arrest.
STAFF PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK
Lafayette High librarian Amanda Blanco was recognized by the Louisiana Library Association as the 2025 Louisiana School Librarian of the year on Monday.
Cajuns LF Higgs mastering mental side of game
BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer
Fairly often UL coach Matt Deggs refers to the 2014 club. The majority of the Ragin’ Cajuns have heard some of the stories.
For senior left fielder Conor Higgs, it’s a little more personal than that.
As a youngster, the League City, Texas, native was a big fan. His father, Donnie, played Little League and high school ball with Deggs So young Conor was a Texas A&M fan for a while and then pulled for the Cajuns. When Deggs became the head coach at Sam Houston State, so Higgs verbally committed to the Bearkats as a junior “I remember coming to some of those games,” Higgs said of the memorable 2014 squad. “I even got to hit BP with them when I was little. I got to come to a lot of the games and I watched them on TV, so yes, I was actually very familiar with a lot of those guys.”
Naturally, Higgs jumped at the invitation to join UL’s program when Deggs took over after coach Tony Robichaux’s death
UL heads to Coastal Carolina hoping to win Sun Belt series
BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer
In serious need of another Sun Belt series win, UL’s softball team heads into an uncomfortable situation this weekend against Coastal Carolina in Conway, South Carolina. For one, the Ragin’ Cajuns are 2-8 on road games this season.
Secondly, Coastal Carolina plays at a home run-friendly park, beginning with Friday’s 5 p.m opener “Pitching-wise just trying to keep the ball down,” UL coach Alyson Habetz said “They have a lefty who pretty much keeps the ball down. We just have to stay within ourselves hit the ball up the middle and try to hit some gaps.
“The middle of our lineup has some pop, so we may hit a few long balls, but obviously try to find some gaps and score some runs.”
BETTER TOGETHER
SPOKANE,Wash. — One of the things that helped the LSU women’s basketball team get here, to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament, has appeared this season.
But only in glimpses.
The No. 3 seeded Tigers are capable of keeping the ball moving through halfcourt sets and making extra passes to set up open shots.
“But we haven’t done it consistently,” coach Kim Mulkey said.
Now they are.
Before the NCAA Tournament began, LSU was assisting its shots at one of the three lowest rates in the Southeastern Conference. It’s not that the Tigers couldn’t share the ball. Most of the time they just didn’t need to. Flau’jae Johnson, Mikaylah Williams and Aneesah Morrow could create shots on their own — and convert enough of those looks to give LSU a top-five scoring offense.
Recovery is key for LSU baseball stars
Tigers benefitting from state of the
BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer
Jay Johnson knows that he asks a lot from his players. Freshman Derek Curiel, junior Jared Jones, junior Daniel Dickinson and sophomore Steven Milam have started all 27 games for the LSU coach. Senior
STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP
UL coach Matt Deggs, left, and outfielder Conor Higgs enjoyed a connection long before Higgs joined the team as a player.
STAFF FILE PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
in the
quarter of their NCAA Tournament
BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS
7
4
No Cindarellas left in Sweet 16
BY ERIC OLSON AP sportswriter
INDIANAPOLIS Nearly every year
there’s at least one lovable underdog that rises from obscurity in the NCAA Tournament to capture the hearts of basketball fans and bust their brackets.
Not this year
All 16 regional semifinalists are from power conferences for the first time since the bracket expanded to 64 teams in 1985. The popular theory is that the transfer portal has led to a concentration of the best players at the big schools paying the most NIL money and, soon, the most through revenue sharing. Is this year just an anomaly? Purdue coach Matt Painter, whose 2023 team became the second No 1 seed of all-time to lose to a No. 16 (Fairleigh Dickinson), sure hopes not.
“The upsets and how valuable the upsets are to the common fan, it’s created March Madness,” he said Thursday “Let’s not get away from it. It’s a big piece of March Madness.”
Arizona’s Tommy Lloyd said it’s too early to know if the days of Cinderellas are over or at least not as common.
“I don’t know if there’s enough sample size yet to say this is NILdriven or just how it broke this year,” Lloyd said. There were 15-seeds in the Sweet 16 three straight years recently Oral Roberts in 2021, Saint Peter’s in 2022 and Princeton in 2023. Those Peacocks of Saint Peter’s made it all the way to the Elite Eight. And remember Florida Gulf
Coast’s “Dunk City” team in 2013? It was the first No. 15 to win two games in a tournament. How about 2018 Loyola-Chicago, Sister Jean and the 11th-seeded Ramblers’ run to the Final Four? Those types of storylines are conspicuously missing this year with the SEC sending a record seven teams to the Sweet 16, the Big Ten and Big 12 four apiece and the ACC one. That doesn’t mean the little guys haven’t provided some highlights. No. 12 seed McNeese State, with its social media star student manager, knocked off Clemson, while No. 11 Drake and its four Division II transfer starters took out Missouri, and
No. 15 Robert Morris played Alabama close until fading at the end.
Kentucky’s Mark Pope said those games provided requisite March drama, and the depth of talent pool among players and coaches is so deep that there’ll always be jarring upsets. “I think it’s because it’s a pure meritocracy,” he said. “Once you start playing, doesn’t matter what your budget is, doesn’t matter if you came in on a bus or flew in on a plane. Doesn’t matter if you don’t have 17 different uniforms or if you have only one. Doesn’t matter if you have holes in your shoes or your 75th new pair.”
BYU coach Kevin Young said
this year’s Sweet 16 field illustrates the struggle mid-majors face in the new era of college athletics.
“It’s not even that people are coming to get their players,” he said. “Kids are smart; they see what’s out there, and they think that they can better their situation by going in the portal and maybe going to a bigger school that can offer more to them.”
Three of the five first-team AP All-Americans this season started out at programs outside the power conferences — Auburn’s Johni Broome at Morehead State, Alabama’s Mark Sears at Ohio and Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr at Iona.
Same with three of the secondteam picks — JT Toppin of Texas Tech (New Mexico), RJ Luis Jr of St. John’s (UMass) and John Tonje of Wisconsin (Colorado State).
Nate Oats, who parlayed March magic at Buffalo into his current job at Alabama, said coaches at strong mid-major programs face a nearly impossible task keeping their rosters intact.
“I don’t know that I would have been able to keep my whole team together at Buffalo in today’s day and age,” said Oats, whose 2018 and ‘19 teams won first-round games.
While power-conference programs are trending older with the transfer portal and not relying as much on high school recruits, Oats said, mid-majors that bring in the very best young talent will still have opportunities to win in March.
“There’s a lot of freshmen that are not getting offered at the highmajor level that would have used to get offered that now are ending up at mid-major schools, and some of them are really good,” Oats said.
Reeves showing why Pels drafted him
BY ROD WALKER Staff writer
Antonio Reeves didn’t realize at the time what kind of hot streak he was on. After all, he was just doing what he has known how to do since taking all those jumpers he took as a kid growing up in Chicago. And for Reeves, the New Orleans Pelicans’ rookie guard, those jumpers just kept going in. It was a memorable 21/2 game stretch for Reeves, starting with last Friday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves and ending with Monday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers. Reeves went a perfect 5-for-5 from the floor in Minneapolis, including knocking down his lone 3-point attempt. He then drained his only shot attempt Sunday against the Detroit Pistons, also a 3-pointer And he followed that up by making his first six shots against the 76ers, including five 3-pointers. He finally missed a shot with 7 minutes left in the fourth quarter But not before making 12 consecutive shots while he was in a zone that he
didn’t even know he was in.
“I was just out there competing,” Reeves said. “I wasn’t worried about the misses or the makes. Every shot I threw up, it went in.”
For a while, there was no misses to worry about. A dozen straight shots went in. Making 12 straight shots is what you expect from a player like Zion Williamson who is constantly attacking the rim. But you don’t typically see it from a guard who makes his living mostly from the perimeter
But shooting is what attracted the Pelicans to Reeves in the first place. It’s why they selected him out of Kentucky in the second round of last year’s draft.
“He’s doing fantastic,” said Pelicans’ coach Willie Green.
“The thing he’s doing is building on what he already has. He really comes in and works on his shots.
We see that carry over when he does play And he’s becoming a really good defender.”
Reeves says he’s always been able to shoot the ball well, thanks to his dad and the other coaches he had growing up in Chicago. He spent plenty of time in the gym
then and still does today Putting up 500 to 1,000 shots per day is a part of his normal routine as he strives for the same type of success that his childhood heroes had.
He grew up watching shooters like Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Richard Hamilton. Reeves could be on the court with Curry Friday when the Pelicans host the Golden State Warriors. It would be Reeves’ second time on the court with the most prolific 3-point shooter in NBA history
He still remembers the first time when the Pels and Warriors met in November
“A dream come true,” Reeves said. “Stepping on the floor with him is crazy to me. I stepped on the floor and guarded him and it was unreal. Definitely joyful to be out there.”
Reeves also grew up admiring fellow Chicago native Derrick Rose, the NBA’s MVP in the 2010-’11 season. Reeves would watch Rose’s games on the television in his grandmother’s kitchen. Reeves, like Rose, attended Simeon High School in Chicago, a basketball powerhouse that has
produced NBA players like Nick Anderson, Jabari Parker, the late Ben Wilson and former LSU women’s basketball star Aneesah Morrow Now Reeves is doing his part to become a household name, too. His teammates like what they’ve seen so far When Elfird Payton goes to the gym to get some extra shots up, Reeves is usually there.
“He’s super confident,” Payton said. “And he’s still learning, which is kinda scary He’s a listener and takes coaching well. He has a chance to be a really good player.”
Reeves has bounced back and forth this season with the Pelicans and their G league affiliate Birmingham Squadron. He’s played in 35 games for the Pelicans. His best performance came in November when he scored 34 points in a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The 34 points are the fifth most points scored by a Pelicans’ rookie in franchise history He played 40 minutes in that game. The 24 minutes he played Monday were his third most of the season. His 3-point percentage has risen to 40.8% after his recent shooting success.
LSU center Reed to return for another season
BY TOYLOY BROWN III Staff writer
by On3. The 6-foot-10, junior only played eight games after tearing his ACL during the team’s eighth game of the 2024-25 season against Florida State on Dec. 3. The right knee injury oc-
curred within the first two minutes of an 85-75 win over the Seminoles.
“Just one of my favorite players I’ve had the opportunity to coach over the years,” McMahon said a few days after the injury “Was really the first guy when I got here, and
an overnight success deal He’s been bought into understanding the work that goes into it.” Reed, as the Tigers’ starting center, finished the season averaging 11.1 points on 60.4% shooting and 6.5
on 7-of-12 shooting, 13 rebounds, four assists and two blocks. He also was 7 of 8 from the free-throw line. Regardless of whoever else is retained, Reed will be the only player that has been with with McMahon for four seasons. LSU currently has three players in the transfer portal in redshirt freshman forward Corey Chest, sophomore guard Mike Williams and junior wing Tyrell Ward.
LSU track and field hosts Battle on the Bayou
The LSU track and field teams will have 70 athletes (29 men, 41 women) competing this weekend at the Battle on the Bayou. LSU will begin its action at 12:30 p.m. Friday at with the men’s hammer throw Running events will begin later in the day at 5:30 p.m On Saturday, the Tigers will begin the day at 10:30 a.m. with the women’s discus and start the running events with the 4x100-meter relay at 11:35 a.m.
Teams competing at the Battle on the Bayou include Alabama, Arizona State, Baylor, Colorado, Indiana, Kansas, UL, LSU, Michigan, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ole Miss, Penn State, Southern California and Texas A&M.
NBA, FIBA looking to add new European league
NEW YORK The NBA may soon be significantly expanding its presence in European basketball, in the form of partnering with FIBA on a new league that the sides have been talking about for many years.
Specifics are few, with the initial target — for now — being that it would be a 16-team league. But the announcement made Thursday by NBA commissioner Adam Silver and FIBA secretary general Andreas Zagklis is a major step forward after a long process of the sides going back and forth with ideas about what might work.
It’s a notion that has made sense for some time, particularly with the growth of the game in Europe and development of stars hailing from that part of the world. About one in every six current NBA players hail from Europe.
Sparks to retire star Parker’s No. 3 jersey
LOS ANGELES The Sparks are retiring franchise star Candace Parker’s No. 3 jersey at Crypto.com Arena during halftime of a game against the Chicago Sky on June 29, the team announced Thursday The forward won three WNBA championships, including the Sparks’ third title in 2016. During her 13-year Sparks tenure, Parker was named WNBA MVP (2008, 2013), WNBA Finals MVP (2016) and WNBA Defensive Player of the Year (2020). She earned All-Star honors five times.
“To see my jersey hanging in the rafters amongst other legends is truly an honor This moment is not just about me — it’s about my family, my teammates, and the incredible support from the L.A. Sparks organization and fans,” Parker said in a news release.
Orioles’ O’Neill extends opening day HR streak
TORONTO Baltimore Orioles outfielder Tyler O’Neill hit a three-run home run off Toronto’s José Berríos in the third inning of Thursday’s game at Toronto, extending his major league record by homering for a sixth straight Opening Day Playing a season-opening game in his home country of Canada for the first time, O’Neill connected on a two-out, 2-1 sinker, driving in Colton Cowser and Adley Rutschman and putting Baltimore up 4-0.
O’Neill’s Opening Day home run streak began with St Louis in 2020 and continued for four seasons, matching a mark held by Todd Hundley (1994-97), Gary Carter (1977-80) and Yogi Berra (1955-58).
Red Bull F1 replaces Lawson with Tsunoda Red Bull dropped Liam Lawson as the teammate of Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen after just two rounds of the season and replaced him with Yuki Tsunoda on Thursday Lawson was given the Red Bull seat despite not having previously driven a full F1 season and struggled immediately The New Zealander did not score any points, crashed out of the seasonopening Australian Grand Prix and qualified in last place for the Chinese Grand Prix and its sprint race. Tsunoda moves up from Red Bull’s second team, Racing Bulls, in time for his home Japanese GP next week. Lawson will take Tsunoda’s place at Racing Bulls alongside rookie Isack Hadjar
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL PEREZ
Florida Gulf Coast’s Sherwood Brown, center, celebrates with teammates after their win over San Diego State in a third-round game in the NCAA Tournament on March 24, 2013, in Philadelphia.
The Chanticleers are 26-7 overall and 3-3 in league play — losing two of three at Troy and beating Texas State two of three at home. Coastal hit six home runs in a 14-12 loss Sunday “It’s one pitch at a time and one game at a time,” Habetz said. “This (11-4 loss to LSU) is over with, we learn from it and move on. It’s conference time, so that’s where our goal is, to win conference and that’s still on the table.”
The problem for the Cajuns has been predicting good pitching performances To be safe, none of them have displayed consistency to depend on.
The good things is there are four options – Tyra Clary (4-3, 3.90), Mallory Wheeler
(6-3, 4.25), Bethaney Noble (3-5, 4.57) and Sam Ryan (34, 4.07). “This weekend, Mallory attacked the strike zone,” Habetz said. “This past weekend, I felt like Tyra and Mallory had the best outings because they attacked the strike zone. I think Mallory complements every pitcher the best, because she has a bit more velo.
“But it was also good to see Bethaney go out there and attack the strike zone better than she did this weekend.”
Clary threw three superb innings against an elite LSU offense.
“In the fourth, she tried to be too fine,” Habetz said. “Learning curve for me, she goes through the lineup once and then put in another pitcher a lot of ifs, maybe bringing Bethaney and then finish with Mal. We’ll learn from it.”
Offensively, one bright spot from Tuesday’s loss was Dayzja Williams (.375) getting two hits replacing
Kayla Falterman (.432, 14 RBIs) with a concussion.
“I’m just really proud of Dayzja,” Habetz said. “The whole season she’s been on the bench and that’s hard to do. She’s been very intentional in batting practice about what she’s doing. She never just kind of goes through the motions, which a lot of people who aren’t playing can do that.
“She’s working on things and any time she’s gotten an opportunity off the bench, she’s been fantastic.”
And to no one’s surprise, Falterman remains locked into her leadership role, despite the injury
“She’s being a great teammate on the bench,” Habetz said of Falterman. “The team still rallies around her and wants to play for her She still brings so much to the team. Hopefully we’ll get her back.”
Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@theadvocate.com.
CAJUNS
Continued from page 1C
So one can only imagine how special his career has been at UL with three NCAA regional appearances And how much fun his senior season has been as Higgs heats up heading into Friday’s 1 p.m. start of the James Madison series at Lamson Park.
“It’s always feels good to have some success,” said Higgs, who has career numbers of .295, 34 doubles, 27 homers, 84 RBIs and a .408 on-base percentage.
Indeed, Higgs has been swinging his power bat with authority as the reigning Sun Belt Conference Hitter of the Week. For the season, Higgs is now batting .337 with nine homers, 17 RBIs, a .699 slugging percentage and a .477 on-base percentage.
“He really should have had three (Sunday),” Deggs said of Higgs’ hot weekend. “His third at-bat, when the ball came off the bat, I thought it was a tape-measure home run. He just hit it right into the teeth of the wind and the kid winds up catching it at the wall for a sac fly.
“But everybody in the ballpark thought it was gone. He’s swinging it pretty good
RECOVERY
Continued from page 1C
Johnson’s team this season This spring, the LSU baseball team has been utilizing the new state of the art football recovery center, and it has already started paying off.
“It’s always nice to have a wonderful place like that,” junior left-hander Conner Ware said. “to kind of go and and recover and get your body right.”
The new facility, which cost no more than $20 million to construct, opened this past fall for the football team. The center houses high-tech sleep pods, a cryotherapy chamber a red light therapy table and hydrotherapy pools to help all LSU athletes — not just the football players. The red light therapy table is popular with the baseball
right now He’s having a nice year.”
Despite the recent hot streak, Higgs said he’s focused on consistency
“There’s always room for improvement,” he said. “I’ve done a lot better job of putting the ball in play that I have in the past. I just want to continue to attack the first good pitch that I see.”
Higgs credits much of his recent success to his maturity through the school of hard knocks.
“I’ve been a guy in the past that has allowed failure or success to change my mood up and down,” Higgs said. “It took years to figure that out, that you can’t do that.”
The influence from Deggs and past teammates helped him get to this point.
“I’ve also had some really good teammates and roommates who I’ve been able to talk to who have kind of gone through the same things in the past,” Higgs said. “I’ve played with a lot of really good players who have told me how they go about things. It’s been really helpful for me.” Consequently, his recent hot streak isn’t necessarily Higgs’ most fulfilling part of this season so far. After losing such standouts as Kyle DeBarge and John Taylor off last year’s club, Higgs has tried his best to step up
team. Among others, Jones, freshman left-hander Cooper Williams and sophomore left-hander Kade Anderson utilize the technology.
Pitching coach Nate Yeskie had encouraged Anderson to take advantage of the new mechanism
“It’s a testosterone booster, so obviously natural,” Anderson said. “It’s been a big help. And I’m not sure it’s not one of those things that you can just notice right away, but obviously I guess it’s working.” Housed in the same room as the red light table, Hernandez and Ware use the cryotherapy chamber The extremely cold conditions within the freezer helps regenerate their whole bodies. Hernandez, along with Dickinson and Jones, also like using the cold tubs in the facility. Dickinson, in particular, only uses the tubs and hasn’t dipped his toe into any of the advanced physi-
Against SEC foes, the Tigers assisted 46% of their shots. Now, through two games in the tournament, that rate is much higher LSU assisted 64% of its field-goal makes in its blowout wins over No. 14 seed San Diego State and No. 16 seed Florida State. In the Round of 32 against the Seminoles, the Tigers assisted 29 shots, setting a program NCAA Tournament record and dwarfing their previous season high of 22. Only two other teams (No 1 seed Southern Cal and No. 2 seed UConn) have tallied that many assists in a game this tournament. That unselfishness fueled two offensive eruptions. Until Monday, the Tigers hadn’t tallied 100 points in consecutive games this year Now, they’ll take on No. 2 seed North Carolina State at 6:30 p.m. Friday (ESPN) in the Sweet 16 on the heels of two of their best offensive outings of the season, made possible through the brand of basketball they discovered in the two-week layoff between the SEC Tournament and the NCAA Tournament.
“It’s so much fun when you share the ball with each other,” Williams said, “and everybody’s scoring. So many people have doubledigit scoring or 20-point scoring, triple double watch, all those types of things.
“It was really, really fun.” Williams scored a teamhigh 28 points against Florida State.
But she needed to take only 12 shots to hit that mark The sophomore kept the ball moving.
the floor, to Flau’jae Johnson. Johnson then drove the rim, drew an extra defender and fed a pass to Morrow, who converted an open layup.
Morrow said on Monday that she didn’t expect Florida State to send as many double teams as they did.
But once she and her teammates figured out that the Seminoles were applying extra pressure to whichever LSU player had the ball, she said, they could adjust. Both Morrow and Sa’Myah Smith set career highs in assists as a result, mostly through quick passes in the paint.
Three Tigers notched at least five assists.
Among them was point guard Shayeann Day-Wilson, the senior who tallied at least five dimes without committing a single turnover for just the second time this season.
matchups with South Carolina and TCU, two opponents that eventually won enough contests to earn top-two regional seeds in the NCAA Tournament.
Still, the Wolfpack was hoping for a better start, especially because it was trying to build on its run to the 2024 Final Four Coach Wes Moore said after the game that his team had a “long ways to go” before it could play at LSU’s level. But has NC State seen the best version of the Tigers?
as a leader
“It almost feels like a calling for me to be a light, a guide for some of these younger guys who have never gone through some of these things – either through a college baseball season or just some of the things in life you go through,” Higgs explained.
“Being a young guy dealing with failure, it can be really tough. You feel like the whole world is against you and you’ve got a whole bunch of weight on your shoulders. I’ve been there and let the weight get on my shoulders too and try to ease a little bit of that pain that they’re feeling.”
As his college career nears an end, Higgs sees the big picture, perhaps more than most.
“Some of the stuff and the places that these guys have come from have really taught me a lot,” he said. “It makes you thankful for the things that you have and the people you have in your life, because some people don’t have that.
“Being here matured me into a much better man than when I showed up here. I think the lessons, the brotherhood, being able to help in the community, taking care of my academics really has set me up for a good future, regardless of whether I’m going to be able to play baseball or not.”
cal therapy tech.
“I have never really had the resources that a lot of people have, so I could be interested in it,” Dickinson said. “But I’m also really big on my routine.”
With the exception of junior right-hander Gavin Guidry and sophomore right-hander Deven Sheerin LSU has been extremely healthy this season despite playing 18 games in 24 days to open the season.
Perhaps the new football facility has played a part in its good fortune.
“It’s a long season, long grilling season,” Ware said. “So I know it’ll catch up on you quick if you don’t stay on top of it. So (I’m) just making sure you have your body healthy and doing everything you can to recover And they’ve given us the best chance to do that.”
Email Koki Riley at Koki Riley@theadvocate.com.
On one possession only three minutes into the first quarter, two Seminole defenders crowded around Williams, trapping her near the right corner She could’ve panicked. But instead, she kept her eyes up, set her feet, jumped and lofted a pass to the opposite end of
“You see a difference,” Day-Wilson said. “And it feels good when everyone’s scoring. That enjoyment’s there.”
NC State has played LSU before.
On Nov 27, the Tigers beat the Wolfpack 82-65 in The Bahamas, handing it a third loss in its first seven games of the season NC State had already dropped
“They have definitely gotten better in a lot of areas,” Moore said Thursday Chief among them, ball movement. LSU assisted at least 20 shots in only two of the games it played between the start of January and the end of the regular season. But the Tigers have since hit that mark in three of their four postseason contests, using an added emphasis on sharing the ball to unlock the most dangerous version of their offense.
“I think when they see that happening,” Mulkey said, “they realize this is fun. Scoring is fun. Winning and having everybody score the ball and contribute is just a lot more fun, and it takes you a long way.”
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON LSU guard Mikaylah Williams, right, celebrates after a basket by Sa’Myah Smith, left, during an NCAA Tournament secondround game against Florida State on Monday at the PMAC
The bounciest
The Big Bounce America, featuring “the World’s Largest Bounce House,” jumps into Port Allen Friday-Sunday. Located at 3001 La. 1 South, the tour includes a 24,000-square-foot bounce house, an under-the-sea bouncer and more. Tickets are $22 and up. thebigbounceamerica.com/ event/baton-rouge.
La. singer brings boudin to ‘American Idol’ judges
BY JUDY BERGERON Staff writer
Louisiana teen John Foster went prepared for his “American Idol” auditions in Nashville Tennessee.
Acoustic guitar Check. Cowboy hat Check again Cajun food for the judges. Sure
“Is there some boudin in here?” Luke Bryan asked
“There sure is,” Foster 18, replied.
“Heck yeah,” judge Bryan continued. “ Oh my gosh, oh that jerky!”
In the “Idol” episode airing Sunday night, viewers watched host Ryan Seacrest assist the singer from Addis by carrying in three small plastic coolers
filled with south Louisiana delicacies marked “Lionel,” “Carrie” and “Luke” for Bryan and fellow judges Lionel Richie and Carrie Underwood.
Foster went on to tell the judges he is studying biology now hopefully on a pre-med track to go to medical school
“I have a passion for cancer treatment so the dream is to be a singing oncologist,” he said Foster first performed “Don’t Rock the Jukebox” by Alan Jackson, prompting Underwood to ask for another song that would showcase his vocals a bit more
PROVIDED PHOTO By
ERIC McCANDLESS/DISNEy Louisiana singer John Foster listens to the judges’ critiques on Sunday night’s episode of ‘American Idol.
“Goodbye Time” by Conway Twitty proved the perfect choice, with Bryan singing along and the other judges pleased with what they heard
“There’s such a sweet spot in your voice, and that really brought that out,” Underwood said. “If you do move on to Hollywood, think about how you’re going to navigate different genres (besides country).”
“You’ve got a lot of great tools That last song really showed us that,” added Bryan. As “Louisiana Saturday Night” played in the background, Foster did indeed receive his golden ticket to Hollywood. His large contingent of family was invited into the audition room to help him celebrate.
“I never expected to be doing a duet with Luke Bryan today
ä See FOSTER, page 6C
ADVOCATE.COM | Friday, March 28, 2025 5cN
Springing into action
South Louisiana to celebrate season’s arrival at over 20 area festivals
BY JUDY BERGERON Staff writer
The weather is warming, the flowers are starting to bloom — it must be spring festival season in south Louisiana. Pick and choose from these 27 celebrations in the Baton Rouge area and Acadiana. Don’t see your festival listed here? Let us know by emailing red@theadvocate.com.
FRIDAY-SATURDAY
COOKING IN CENTRAL: Amazing Place, 10305 Blackwater Road. Cook-off, food, vendors and carnival fun. The music lineup features
Thomas Cain, Parish County Line, Chris LeBlanc and Lauren Lee Band. cookingincentral.com.
SATURDAY
CAJUN EATS & BEAUSOLEIL FESTIVAL: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Arceneaux Park, 835 E. Main St., Broussard. Three cooking contest divisions, live music, taste-testing, concessions, kids’ activities. $10, adults; $5, kids 10 and younger; free, kids 5 and younger. HOLI FESTIVAL: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Girard Park, 500 Girard Park Drive, Lafayette. Colorful celebration featuring music with a live DJ, dance, performances, drummer (Dholi), exchange of colors and Indian cuisine. lafayetteholi.org.
HOLIFEST: 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., Repentance Park, 275 S. River Road, Baton Rouge. An afternoon filled with vibrant colors, live music, food and fun. Holi is considered one of the most revered festivals in India and is celebrated in almost every part of the country. Free. www.holifestivalbr.com.
SUNDAY
TASTE OF MID CITY: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., The Executive Center, 250 S. Foster Drive, Baton Rouge. The food festival brings together the area restaurants and chefs in a family-focused event to benefit Kids’ Orchestra. Samples from restaurants, games, activities for kids and live music. $6-$35. eventbrite.com.
APRIL 4-5
ROCK THE COUNTRY: Fairgrounds, 19869 Fairgrounds Road, Livingston. Two-day music event with headliners Kid Rock, Nickelback, Hank Williams Jr. and Lynyrd Skynyrd. $99.99, single day pass; $159.99, weekend. rockthecountry.com.
APRIL 4-6
BATON ROUGE BLUES FESTIVAL: downtown Baton Rouge. A weekendlong annual celebration of the swamp blues. Headliners include Grammy-winning Chris Thomas King, Grammy-nominated Kenny ä See FESTIVALS, page 6C
Amanda Frayle of Metairie heads for home with
flat of strawberries during the 2023 Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival. | STAFF FILE PHOTO BY SCOTT THRELKELD
FRIDAY
DEWEY BALFA CAJUN & CREOLE HERITAGE
WEEK: Lakeview Park & Beach, 1717 Veter-
ans Memorial Highway, Eunice, 9 a.m.
BORN TO BOOGIE: Toby’s Lounge, Opelousas, 11 a.m.
LIVE MUSIC: Cane River Pecan Company Pie Bar, New Iberia, 5 p.m.
Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus and Joe Don Rooney of Rascal Flatts perform on stage during the 2019 CMA Music Festival on June 6, 2019 in Nashville, Tenn. Catch the band, along with Lauren Alaina and Chris Lane at the Cajundome in Lafayette at 7 p.m. Friday
Lafayette, 6 p.m.
JEFF DUGAN: Naq’s
Duson, 6 p.m.
LATE BLOOMIN: Adopted Dog Brewing, Lafayette, 6 p.m.
ANDREW WAIN QUARTET: Whiskey & Vine, Lafayette, 6 p.m.
GRITZ N GRAVY: Agave Downtown, Lafayette, 6:30 p.m.
JACOB HEBERT: Tap Room, Youngsville
6:30 p.m.
RORY SUIRE: SHUCKS!, Abbeville, 6:30 p.m.
GRACE NOVOSAD: The Alley Downtown, Lafayette, 7 p.m.
DYLAN AUCOIN AND THE JUDICE RAMBLERS: La Poussiere Cajun Dancehall, Breaux Bridge, 8 p.m.
HORACE TRAHAN & OSSUN EXPRESS: Lakeview Park & Beach, Eunice, 8 p.m.
MICHAEL SCOTT
BOUDREAUX: Rock ’n’ Bowl, Lafayette, 9 p.m.
DUSTIN SONNIER AND KEITH BLAIR: Old Coulee Lounge, Lafayette, 9 p.m
INTENSITY IN TEN CITIES — MUSCLE: The Loose Caboose, Lafayette, 9 p.m.
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
Stop trying to co-host my party!
Dear Miss Manners: My wife and I entertain frequently We get a lot of joy out of hosting longtime friends and family for holidays and special occasions. We are attentive to the vibe and move things along at a pace that matches it. Everyone always tells us we host lovely evenings and that they can’t wait for the next one. The problem is with one of our longtime friends, who always tries to dictate when we will do what during the evening. A recent example: We were hosting a dinner party and everyone was saying they were so full after the three-course dinner that they couldn’t even think of dessert yet. So we decided to delay it by about 30 minutes and play a card game so everyone had a chance to digest a little bit before dessert. Around the 20-minute mark, I excused myself for a moment to put the coffee on and returned to the game. After the next hand (less than three minutes later), this guest announced to everyone
FESTIVALS
Neal, Grammy-winning Cedric Burnside, gothic blues singer-songwriter
that this would be the last hand and it was time for dessert. I interjected that I had just set the coffee to brew and we would wait until it was done. We played another few hands and then it was time.
Judith Martin MISS MANNERS
This was not the first time this particular guest has announced, at a party they were not hosting, that it was time for something. I find it a bit insulting, if I’m honest, and would like a way to tactfully speak with my friend about this behavior
They are a treasured friend, and I don’t wish to exclude them from future gatherings. But I also do not want them to continue taking part of the hosting duties from the hosts, which leaves other guests confused and me a bit sore.
Gentle reader: There is a longstanding theater etiquette rule that states: There is only one director Writers, producers and actors with feedback must filter their notes through said director so as not to confuse the performers onstage.
Miss Manners suggests you apply this rule to your dinner parties. Tell your friend that you appreciate the input, but if they would take you aside to give it, that would be less confusing for the other guests. And — you may omit saying — stay out of the kitchen, too.
Dear Miss Manners: I ate at a fine dining restaurant on a cruise ship and ordered a rack of lamb. I cut as much meat as I could off of the bone, but there was still a tasty morsel or two on the bone.
May I discreetly take that bite from the bone, or is that too rude? I do mean discreetly, not gnawing at it like an animal.
Gentle reader: If you can guarantee Miss Manners that you can do it quickly and without getting caught, fine. But she thinks that unlikely without the aforementioned animal gnawing. So the official answer is no, with apologies to those tasty morsels.
Send questions to Miss Manners at her website, www missmanners.com.
By The Associated Press
Today is Friday, March 28, the 87th day of 2025. There are 278 days left in the year
Today in history: On March 28, 1979, America’s worst commercial nuclear accident occurred with a partial meltdown inside the Unit 2 reactor at the Three Mile Island plant near Middletown, Pennsylvania.
On this date: In 1898, the U.S. Supreme Court, in United States v. Wong Kim Ark, ruled 6-2 that Wong, who was born in the United States to Chinese immigrants, was an American citizen It was the first Supreme Court decision to rule on the citizenship status of a child born in the United States to noncitizen parents. In 1969, the 34th president of
the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower, died in Washington, D.C., at age 78. In 2024, FTX cryptocurrency exchange founder Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in prison after being convicted on fraud and conspiracy charges related to the collapse of the exchange. Today’s birthdays: Author Mario Vargas Llosa is 89. Basketball Hall of Famer Rick Barry is 81. Actor Dianne Wiest is 79. Singeractor Reba McEntire is 70. Olympic gymnastics gold medalist Bart Conner is 67 Rapper Salt (Salt-N-Pepa) is 59. Country musician Rodney Atkins is 56.
Actor Vince Vaughn is 55. Sen. Ashley Moody, a Republican from Florida, is 50. Actor Julia Stiles is 44. Singer-actor Lady Gaga is 39. Stylist-TV personality Jonathan Van Ness is 38.
Adia Victoria, Louisiana bluesman DK Harrell and Grammy-winning Lost Bayou Ramblers. Free, but VIP experiences available. www.brblues.org.
BOOKS ALONG THE TECHE LITERARY FESTI-
VAL: various locations, New Iberia. Author talks, children’s book fair, trivia, live oak bike tour, Dave Robicheaux’s walking tour, Great Southern Chef seafood demo and more. booksalongthetecheliteraryfestival.com.
BOUDIN FESTIVAL: 5 p.m.
to 11:30 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m to 11:30 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Sunday, 125 Lions Club Road, Scott. Games, bungee jumping on Sunday, beer and daiquiri booths, pageants in several age ranges, Mass on the grounds on Sunday, a huge bandstand and dance floor, 50 vendors selling all kinds of items, and live music. $10; children 12 and younger, free. scottboudinfestival.com.
APRIL 5
FESTIVAL DES FLEURS
DE LOUISIANE: 8 a.m. to
4 p.m., Blackham Coliseum, 2330 Johnston St. Lafayette. Premier garden show and sale which serves as a fundraiser for the University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s Ira Nelson Horticulture Center. More than 100 gardenrelated vendors, displays, informational kiosks and food trucks. https://www festivaldesfleurs.org/.
APRIL 6
EDIBLE BOOK FESTIVAL:
3 p.m., Main Library at Goodwood, 7711 Goodwood Blvd. An international celebration of books, food and bad puns held on or around April Fools’ Day. Participants choose a book and create an edible representation of its title or a wordplay on its title. Voting will take place and prizes will be awarded to winners at 5:30 p.m. ebrpl. com.
APRIL 10-12
LOUISIANA RAILROAD DAYS: 4:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday, 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, and 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, Railroad Museum Park, 400 Lake Charles Ave., DeQuincy Free, family-oriented, no-alcohol celebration featuring gospel night, railroad “Idol,” children’s events, old-timers reunion, pageant and parade. larailroaddaysfestival.com.
APRIL 11-13
PONCHATOULA STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL: noon to 10 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m.
SOUL FOOD
Continued from page 5C
Continued from page 5C I
to 10 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday, Memorial Park, 301 N. Sixth St. Parade, food, strawberry treats in many forms, live music, contests including strawberry eating and egg toss, arts and crafts. Free. www.lastrawberryfestival.com.
NEW IBERIA SPANISH FESTIVAL: 5 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to midnight Saturday, and 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, 102 W Main St. Arts and crafts, carnival rides, live music, parade, jambalaya cookoffs, Easter egg hunt, car show. Free. www.newiberiaspanishfestival.com.
APRIL 12
SNEAKER FEST: 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., Rhorer Plaza 200 St. Louis St., Baton Rouge. Family-friendly free event for buying, selling or trading authentic sneakers, streetwear and collectibles. Also includes live performances, food, drinks and fashion show. More details TBA.
APRIL 23-27
FESTIVAL INTERNATIONAL DE LOUISIANE: downtown Lafayette. Music from around the world, gourmet food, handcrafted artworks, authentic Asian, Cajun or Greek food, Belgium stilt walkers and more. www.festivalinternational.org.
APRIL 25-26
CRACKLIN COOK-OFF FESTIVAL: Cecile Rousseau Poche Memorial Park, 1019 Periou St., Parks. Cracklin cooking, judging, poker run, live music and raffle. www.parkscracklincookoff.com.
Continued from page 5C presentation, taste and the story or history behind each dish. Ten entrants in each category will be preselected by the screening committee. Upon acceptance, the entry fee is $20, $30 for walk-ups, if slots are available. Contestants need to bring enough food for six people on the day of their judging. First, second and third place prizes will be awarded in each category Downloadable forms and addi-
Sunday, with the last of the audition episodes. Look for Foster on the first of the Hollywood Week episodes at 7 p.m. Monday Email Judy Bergeron at jbergeron@theadvocate.com.
APRIL 25-27
THE ITALIAN FESTIVAL: 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, U.S. 51 (next to City Hall), Tickfaw. Italian food, live music and carnival rides. www.theitalianfestivalorg.com.
ÉTOUFFÉE FESTIVAL: 5 p.m. to midnight Friday, 11 a.m. to midnight Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Little Flower Auditorium, 370 Main St., Arnaudville. Cook-off, carnival rides, live music, bingo, auto show, and shopping at St. Therese’s Boutique.
APRIL 26
DENHAM SPRINGS ANTIQUE VILLAGE SPRING
FESTIVAL: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., downtown. Vendors, games, kiddie rides, food booths, antique store shopping, art exhibits, Old City Hall exhibits and music at the Old Train Station. Free. denhamspringsantiquedistrict.net.
APRIL 27
BATON ROUGE EARTH DAY FESTIVAL: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Repentance Park, 275 S River Road; Rhorer Plaza, 200 St. Louis St.; Town Square, 222 North Blvd. Fun-filled day of community and environmental awareness as the planet is celebrated. Free.
MAY 2-4
MAY 8-10
FROG FESTIVAL: Frog Festival Pavilion, Rayne. Frog racing and jumping, frog cook-off, frog-eating contest, history, music, family-friendly entertainment, pageants, diaper derby, parade, and arts and crafts.
MAY 17-18
8TH ANNUAL BATON ROUGE SOUL FOOD FESTIVAL: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Main Library at Goodwood, 7711 Goodwood Blvd. Family-friendly, free event with blues, soul, R&B, gospel and Christian music, vendor’s village, judged soul food cooking contest and pioneer award for contributions to the soul food industry www.brsoulfoodfest.com.
MAY 22-25
JAMBALAYA FESTIVAL: 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday, 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, noon-midnight Saturday, and noon to 9:30 p.m. Sunday, Lamar-Dixon Expo Center, Gonzales. Cookoff, food, bands, carnival rides, vendors, car show and more. Thursday, free; Saturday, $10; Friday and Sunday, $5; weekend pass, $15; children 12 and younger, free. www.jambalayafestival.net.
MAY 23-25
CAJUN COUNTRY JAM MEMORIAL DAY FESTIVAL: North Park, 30373 Eden Church Road, Denham Springs. Frank Foster, Craig Morgan and Dylan Scott headline three days of music. Tickets start at $75. www.thecajuncountryjam.com.
MAY 23-JUNE 1
CAJUN HEARTLAND FESTIVAL: Cajundome, 444 Cajundome Blvd., Lafayette. Carnival midway food, free attractions and family-oriented games. $5, Monday-Thursday and before 7 p.m. Friday-Sunday; $10, after 7 p.m. FridaySunday. cajundome.com.
MAY 26
ZYDECO EXTRAVAGANZA
MUSIC FESTIVAL: 1 p.m., Parc International, 200 Garfield St., Lafayette. Featuring Keith Frank, Alphonse Ardoin, The Williams Family, Rusty Metoyer, David Sylvester and Step Rideau. Cajun food, vendors, arts and crafts, and more. www zydecoextra.com.
Email Judy Bergeron at jbergeron@theadvocate. com.
CRAWFISH FESTIVAL: 4 p.m. to midnight Friday, 10 a.m. to midnight Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Parc Hardy Breaux Bridge. Heritage tent, music, food, crawfish races, Cajun and zydeco dance contests, crawfish étouffée cook-off, carnival rides, arts and crafts, crawfish eating contest and parade. $10, Friday; $15, Saturday; $5, Sunday; and advance three-day pass, $25. bbcrawfest.com.
tional instructions are available on the website. For more information call (225) 802-9681 or visit brsoulfoodfest.com. The pioneer award for contributions to the soul food industry will be announced closer to the date. Past winners include Joe Delpit, owner of the Chicken Shack; Cynthia Green, Owen’s Grocery and Market; Ricky and Kawanda Griffin, Lizzie’s Restaurant; Miss Dee, D’s Southern Soul Café; Sean “I.B. Hood” Huey, Café Express; and Paulette Thomas, the New Ethel’s Shake Shack. The stage lineup is expected to
feature Henry Turner Jr & Flavor and the Listening Room All-Stars including Ervin “Maestro” Foster, Kelton ‘Nspire Harper, Pastor Leon Hitchens, Kevin White and comedian Eddie “Cool” Deemer Touring acts include the Outlaw David James. Additional local acts will include LA Groove, with more acts to be announced closer to the date. A pre-party will be held from 7 p.m.to midnight Thursday, May 15, at Henry Turner Jr.’s Listening Room, 2733 North St. Admission is $30 and includes a soul food buffet and no-host bar
STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRAD BOWIE
Dean and Nancy Whitsett dance to the music of Chubby Carrier during last year’s Scott Boudin Festival.
ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Network, socialize and embrace activities or events conducive to spending time with people who have information to share. A financial investment looks promising.
TAuRus (April 20-May 20) Lift barriers and make a move. A change at home will help you save time and money. Set boundaries, goals and a convenient path; victory will be yours. Unleashing your ego will lead to a treadmill mentality.
GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Keep close tabs on who says and does what to avoid being taken advantage of, misinterpreted or misrepresented. Avoid crowds or taking risks with your health or emotional well-being.
CAnCER (June 21-July 22) Take a closer look at what makes you happy, your skills and how you can use them to do something you enjoy. A professional change will generate opportunity, abundance and respect.
LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Enjoy expanding your mind, interests, circle of friends and plans. A steady approach to realizing your goals will help you avoid getting caught in someone else's dream. Learn from experience.
VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Question everything and everyone. That's the quickest way to find your place and to know your strengths and limitations A partnership will change how or where you do business.
LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Refrain from letting anger set in; action, learning and
progress will be what gets you ahead. Invest more time and energy in yourself and into your personal life and surroundings.
sCoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Start the ball rolling. If you believe in something, pursue it. Taking a trip, getting together with old friends or revisiting goals you have yet to achieve will encourage you to make your dreams come true.
sAGITTARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Finding common ground with whoever you deal with is essential. Don't let what's happening around you get to you. Consider your situation, and you'll gain perspective on how to keep the ebb and flow in harmony.
CAPRICoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Let your actions speak for you. A kind gesture will make a difference to others and to yourself. A lifestyle change will save you money. Be an inspiration.
AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Establish what you want to achieve, and don't stop until you feel good about what you accomplish. Use your physical attributes and skills to finish what you start, and reap the rewards.
PIsCEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Socialize, network and try something new. Get your energy and thoughts out there and vividly describe what you want to achieve to people who can help you.
Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.
ToDAy's CLuE: P EQuALs G
CeLebrItY CIpher
For better or For WorSe
peAnUtS zItS FrAnK And erneSt
SALLY Forth
beetLe bAILeY
Mother GooSe And GrIMM
SherMAn’S LAGoon
bIG nAte
Sudoku
InstructIons: Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.
Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer
THe wiZard oF id
BLondie
BaBY BLueS
Hi and LoiS
By PHILLIP ALDER
Louis Nizer, a noted trial lawyer who died in 1994, said, “When a man points a fingeratsomeoneelse,heshouldremember that four of his fingers are pointing at himself.”
Inbridge,points—thoseforhighcards — are very important. If it helps, count points on your fingers under the table, where no one else can see. Or use your fingers and toes!
Often, tracking high-card points will be invaluable for finding the right play. In this deal, how should East plan the defense against four spades after West leads the diamond jack?
South’s advance of one spade showed zero to 8 points. (With 9 to 11, he would have jumped to two spades, and with 12 or more, he would have cue-bid two diamonds.) When North raised to two spades, he was saying that game was still possible. So he was promising 18 or 19 points. Now South, with six points and a fifth trump, was happy to jump to game. East could see three tricks: the spade king and two diamonds. But the bidding suggested that South would have the heart king and at least one of the major-suit queens. If South had the spade queen, East had to hope his side would get a third-round heart trick. But if South had the heart queen, a second trump trick could be promoted.
East won the first trick with the diamond queen (in case West’s jack was a singleton), cashed the diamond king, and carefully continued with the diamond six.
