LSU’S SEASON ENDS IN ELITE EIGHT LOSS TO UCLA 1C
WILDLIFE SUPPORT
La. rehabilitators, veterinarians experience an influx of animals this time of year
BY CLAIRE GRUNEWALD
Staff writer
About a dozen animals around the room watch as Deborah Harris fills a thin syringe with kitten milk replacement to feed her newest additions: four newborn raccoons.
She has to do this five times a day and throughout the night for several days until the three-week-old raccoons can start suckling a bottle on their own.
“It’s just like baby care,” the Baton Rouge wildlife rehabilitator said. In a room at her house with a “Raccoon Crossing” sign above it, Harris is caring for young raccoons and opossums, a beaver, a skunk and five turtles — as well as the four newborns.
These baby raccoons were found in an attic separated from their mother, so Harris stepped in to fill that role. The intense feeding schedule is a testament to her dedication to animals and also that not just anyone can take care of stranded baby animals.
As spring arrives in Louisiana
“The biggest thing that we really want to hone in on and tell people is that mom is going to be so much better at taking care of the baby than we are. Their chances of surviving are so much higher if they’re with mom instead of us.”
KIMBERLy BOyKIN, assistant professor of wildlife medicine and surgery
litters of wild baby animals will, as well. Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries wildlife rehabilitators and local veterinarians experience an influx of animals during this time. These animal experts recommend leaving the babies’ care to their mothers or the professionals. Harris, who has been rehabilitating animals in Louisiana for nearly 24 years, said if you find an uninjured baby animal, you should leave it for a few hours before taking action because chances are the mom could be nearby
“First and foremost, try to reach a wildlife rehabber Unfortunately, there are not many of us, and it can be hard to make contact,” Harris said.
If an animal is injured, that’s when you should reach out to a veterinarian. The LSU School of Veterinary Medicine expects an increase in animals during every spring, said Kimberly Boykin, assistant professor of wildlife medicine and surgery
Political foes, Landry allies united against amendments
of
BY ALYSE PFEIL | Staff writer
Louisiana voters decisively shut down four constitutional amendments Saturday, handing Gov Jeff Landry and Republican supermajorities in the Legislature one of their first major political setbacks.
The Legislature passed all four proposals by two-thirds majority votes Then Landry crisscrossed the state stumping in particular for Amendment 2, a revision to Article VII of the Louisiana Constitution that governs state finances. He promoted it as a pivotal piece to an expansive package of tax policy reforms he championed during a November special session.
Yet every amendment, which failed by similarly large margins, was rejected by over 60% of voters.
ä Voters in Lafayette deal blow to 2 tax renewals.
“It’s clear from the stunning repudiation of all four of these amendments that the governor and the Legislature, at least in this case, are out of step with the vast majority of people who voted,” said Pearson Cross, a professor of Louisiana and American politics at the University of Louisiana at Monroe.
When it became clear that Amendment 2 was going to fail, Landry issued a statement attributing the loss to liberal billionaire George Soros. “Soros and far left liberals poured millions into Louisiana with propaganda and outright lies about Amendment 2,” the statement said. “We realize how hard positive change can be to implement in a state that is conditioned for failure.”
Through a spokesperson, Landry declined to comment further Sunday and did not answer questions seeking evidence for his claims about Soros and out-of-state spending.
STAFF PHOTO By
voters decisively shut down four constitutional amendments Saturday, handing Gov. Jeff Landry and Republican supermajorities in the Legislature one of their first major political setbacks.
State’s farmers react to end of USDA programs
Cuts end aid to food banks, schools
BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL Staff writer
Betty Chenier started up her side-by-side on an early spring day at her small farm in Opelousas. She drove past large greenhouses and rows of crops. She inspected her recent plantings and then pointed to a pecan tree in the distance.
“My husband said once, when the pecan trees start to sprout, that’s how you really know when winter is over,” she said laughing.
“No other superstitious stuff, just that one.” She returned to her inspection of tomatoes, garlic and onions, strawberries and sweet potatoes. But this year her crops look more bare than usual, she said.
“We usually have all this planted,
STAFF PHOTOS By JAVIER GALLEGOS
Deborah Harris, Louisiana Wildlife & Fisheries permitted wildlife rehabilitator for East Baton Rouge, feeds a baby raccoon with a syringe at her home rehabilitation building on Tuesday.
JAVIER GALLEGOS
Deborah Harris pets her only male turtle at her home rehabilitation building on Tuesday.
Greenland’s leader says U.S. will not get island
The prime minister of Greenland pushed back Sunday against assertions by U.S President Donald Trump that America will take control of the island territory
Greenland is a self-governing territory of Denmark, a NATO ally of the United States. Trump wants to annex the territory, claiming it’s needed for national security purposes
“President Trump says that the United States ‘will get Greenland.’ Let me be clear: The United States will not get it. We do not belong to anyone else. We decide our own future,” Jens-Frederik Nielsen said in a Facebook post.
Nielsen’s post comes a day after the U.S. president told NBC News that military force wasn’t off the table with regard to acquiring Greenland.
In Saturday’s interview, Trump allowed that “I think there’s a good possibility that we could do it without military force.”
“This is world peace, this is international security,” he said, but added: “I don’t take anything off the table.”
Rain turns to ice, cuts power in Midwest states
Freezing rain brought down trees and power lines in Michigan and Wisconsin, cutting electricity for thousands of people Sunday in the upper Great Lakes region.
More than 200,000 power outages were reported in Michigan and Wisconsin. Churches that had power as well as schools and fire halls, were turned into warming centers as utilities worked to restore electricity, a job that will likely stretch into Monday in small communities and rural pockets.
The National Weather Service office in Gaylord, Michigan, was in the middle of it, saying on X: “Accumulations range here from a half inch to nearly a whole inch of ice!”
Despite the calendar showing spring, “it’s still winter,” said Ryan Brege, managing director of the Alpena County, Michigan, Road Commission, 250 miles north of Detroit.
Alpena Power said nearly all of its 16,750 customers — homes and businesses were in the dark.
Authorities in South Carolina reported progress Sunday in controlling wildfires in the Blue Ridge mountains. The Table Rock and Persimmon Ridge fires have burned about 17 square miles. Mandatory evacuations were ordered Saturday for some residents of Greenville County.
“Thank you for the prayers. They’re being heard. There’s rain in the air,” said Derrick Moore, operations chief for the firefighting Southern Area Blue Team.
Plane crashes into home in Minnesota
BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. — One person in a small plane traveling from Iowa to Minnesota died after the aircraft crashed into a house in a Minneapolis suburb Saturday a city official said The residents of the home were not hurt, Brooklyn Park spokesperson Risikat Adesaogun said. But the house was destroyed. The Federal Aviation Administration said the single-engine SOCATA TBM7 departed from Des Moines International Airport with a destination of the Anoka County-Blaine Airport, located in another Minneapolis suburb.
Palestinians in Gaza mark Muslim holiday
BY WAFAA SHURAFA, MOHAMMAD JAHJOUH and TIA GOLDENBERG Associated Press
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip Palestinians in Gaza marked the normally festive Eid al-Fitr on Sunday with rapidly dwindling food supplies and mourning for several children killed in Israel’s latest airstrikes.
There was anger as the bodies of 14 emergency responders were recovered in the southern city of Rafah a week after an Israeli attack, which the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies called the “single most deadly attack on Red Cross Red Crescent workers anywhere in the world since 2017.”
Many Palestinians prayed outside demolished mosques to mark the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. It’s supposed to be a joyous occasion when families feast and purchase new clothes for children, but most of Gaza’s 2 million people are just trying to survive.
“It’s the Eid of sadness,” Adel alShaer said after attending prayers amid rubble in the central town of Deir al-Balah. “We lost our loved ones, our children, our lives and our futures.”
Twenty members of his extended family have been killed by Israeli strikes, including four young neph-
ews a few days ago, he said and began to cry Israel ended the ceasefire with Hamas and resumed the 17-month war earlier this month with a surprise bombardment that killed hundreds, after the militant group refused to accept changes to the truce reached in January Israel has not allowed food, fuel or humanitarian aid to enter Gaza for a month.
“There is killing, displacement, hunger and a siege,” said Saed alKourd, a worshipper
“We go out to perform God’s rituals in order to make the children happy, but as for the joy of Eid? There is no Eid.”
Arab mediators are trying to get the truce back on track. Hamas said Saturday it had accepted a new proposal from Egypt and Qatar. Israel said it made a counterproposal in coordination with the United States, which has also been mediating. Details were not immediately known.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said the bodies of eight of its emergency medical technicians, and five members of Gaza’s Civil Defense, were recovered a week after they and their ambulances vanished in Rafah during heavy fire.
The PRCS said a ninth colleague was still missing, adding that the targeting of medics “cannot be
seen as anything other than a war crime.”
Gaza’s Health Ministry asserted that some of the bodies had been bound and shot in the chest, and it called on the United Nations and other international organizations to investigate and hold Israel accountable. Israel’s military on Sunday said its troops had opened fire on vehicles “advancing suspiciously” without emergency signals or movement coordinated in advance. It asserted that nine “terrorists” had been killed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would continue military operations while negotiating. He rejected claims that Israel does not want to end the war, while laying out conditions that go far beyond the ceasefire agreement and have been rejected by Hamas.
“Hamas will disarm. Its leaders will be allowed out. We will look out for the general security in the Gaza Strip and allow for the realization of (President Donald) Trump’s plan,” Netanyahu told a Cabinet meeting.
Israeli strikes on Sunday morning killed at least 16 people, including nine children and three women, according to Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis.
2 killed, dozens wounded in drone attack on Kharkiv
By The Associated Press
KYIV, Ukraine Russian drones hit a military hospital, shopping center and apartment blocks in Ukraine’s second-largest city of Kharkiv, killing two people and wounding dozens, while U.S. President Donald Trump voiced anger at Russian President Vladimir Putin for comments he made about the leader of Ukraine.
Ukraine’s General Staff denounced the “deliberate, targeted shelling” of the military hospital late Saturday Among the casualties were service members who were undergoing treatment, it said. Regional Gov Oleh Syniehubov said those killed were a 67-year-old man and a 70-year-old woman.
According to Ukrainian government and military analysts, Russian forces are preparing to launch a fresh military offensive in the coming weeks to maximize pressure on Kyiv and strengthen the Kremlin’s negotiating position in ceasefire talks.
Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia fired 111 exploding drones and decoys in the latest wave of attacks overnight into Sunday It said 65 of them were intercepted and another 35 were lost, likely having been electronically jammed.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday that over the past week “most regions of Ukraine” came under Russian attack. Writing on X, he said “1,310 Russian guided aerial bombs, over 1,000 attack drones mostly ‘Shaheds’ — and nine missiles of various types, including ballistic ones” had been launched against Ukraine.
Zelenskyy also repeated his assertion that “Russia is dragging out the war,” echoing comments he made Thursday in Paris that Russia is prolonging ceasefire talks “just to buy time and then try to grab more land.”
Russia’s Ministry of Defense, meanwhile, said its air defense systems shot down six Ukrainian drones. The Russian claim could not be independently verified, and Ukraine did not comment
In an early Sunday morning phone interview with NBC News, Trump was referencing comments Putin made Friday about temporarily putting Ukraine under external governance. Trump said he was “angry, pissed off” when Putin “started getting into Zelenskyy’s credibility.”
Putin repeated his claim that Zelenskyy, whose term expired last year, lacks the legitimacy to sign a peace deal. Under Ukraine’s constitution it is illegal for the country to hold national elections while it’s under martial law
“If a deal isn’t made, and if I think it was Russia’s fault, I’m going to put secondary sanctions on Russia,” Trump told Kristen Welker, adding that there would be “a 25- to 50-point tariff on all oil.”
“Anybody buying oil from Russia will not be able to sell their product, any product, not just oil, into the United States,” he said. Nonetheless, Trump reiterated that he and Putin have a “very good relationship.”
Iran rejects direct talks with U.S.
By The Associated Press
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates
Iran’s president said Sunday that the Islamic Republic rejected direct negotiations with the United States over its rapidly advancing nuclear program, offering Tehran’s first response to a letter that U.S. President Donald Trump sent to the country’s supreme leader President Masoud Pezeshkian said that Iran’s response, delivered via the sultanate of Oman, left open the possibility of indirect negotiations with Washington. However, such talks have made no progress since Trump in his first term unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers in 2018. In the years since, regional tensions have boiled over into attacks at sea and on land. Now, as the U.S. conducts intense airstrikes targeting the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels of Yemen, the risk of military action targeting Iran’s nuclear program remains on the table.
“We don’t avoid talks; it’s the breach of promises that has caused issues for us so far,” Pezeshkian said in televised remarks during a Cabinet meeting. “They must prove that they can build trust.”
The U.S. State Department, responding to Pezeshkian, said, “President Trump has been clear: The United States cannot allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon.”
“The president expressed his willingness to discuss a deal with Iran,” it added. “If the Iranian regime does not want a deal, the president is clear he will pursue other options, which will be very bad for Iran.”
Trump said before Pezeshkian’s comments that he was considering military action and secondary tariffs, if Iran doesn’t agree to a nuclear deal
“If they don’t make a deal, there will be bombing and it will be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before,” Trump said in a comment aired Sunday by NBC News. Iran has long maintained its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. A report in February, however, by the International Atomic Energy Agency said Iran has accelerated its production of near weapons-grade uranium.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MAHMOUD ILLEAN
A Palestinian girl is tossed into the air Sunday as people gather for Eid al-Fitr prayers by the Dome of the Rock shrine in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem’s Old City
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ANDRII MARIENKO Rescue workers clear the rubble of a house destroyed in a Russian strike in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Saturday.
PROVIDED
What Trump’s tariff rollout could mean for you
President calling
it
‘Liberation Day’
BY JOSH BOAK Associated Press
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump said Wednesday will be “Liberation Day” — a moment when he plans to roll out a set of tariffs that he promises will free the United States from foreign goods.
The details of Trump’s next round of import taxes are still sketchy Most economic analyses say average U.S families would have to absorb the cost of his tariffs in the form of higher prices and lower incomes. But an undeterred Trump is inviting CEOs to the White House to say they are investing hundreds of billions of dollars in new projects to avoid the import taxes.
It is also possible that the tariffs are short-lived if Trump feels he can cut a deal after imposing them
“I’m certainly open to it, if we can do something,” Trump told reporters. “We’ll get something for it.”
At stake are family budgets, America’s prominence as the world’s leading financial power and the structure of the global economy
Here’s what you should know about the impending trade penalties:
What exactly does Trump plan?
He wants to announce import taxes, including “reciprocal” tariffs that would match the rates charged by other countries and account for other subsidies. Trump has talked about taxing the European Union, South Korea, Brazil and India, among other countries.
As he announced 25% auto tariffs last week, he alleged that America has been ripped off because it imports more goods than it exports.
“This is the beginning of Liberation Day in America,” Trump said.
“We’re going to charge countries for doing business in our country and taking our jobs, taking our wealth, taking a lot of things that they’ve been taking over the years. They’ve taken so much out of our country, friend and foe. And, frankly, friend has been oftentimes much worse than foe.”
In an interview Saturday with
A person looks at a new car Thursday at a Toyota dealership in El Monte, Calif Economist Art Laffer estimates that planned tariffs on vehicles, if fully implemented, could increase per-vehicle costs by $4,711.
NBC News, Trump said it did not bother him if tariffs caused vehicle prices to rise because vehicles with more U.S. content could possibly be more competitively priced.
“I hope they raise their prices, because if they do, people are gonna buy American-made cars,”
Trump said. “I couldn’t care less because if the prices on foreign cars go up, they’re going to buy American cars.”
Trump has also suggested that he will be flexible with his tariffs, saying he will treat other nations better than they treated the United States But he still has plenty of other taxes coming on imports.
The Republican president plans to tax imported pharmaceutical drugs, copper and lumber He has put forth a 25% tariff on any country that imports oil from Venezuela, even though the United States also does so. Imports from China are being charged an additional 20% tax because of its role in fentanyl production. Trump has imposed separate tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico for the stated reason of stopping drug smuggling and illegal immigration. Trump also expanded his 2018 steel and aluminum tariffs to 25% on all imports.
Some aides suggest the tariffs are tools for negotiation on trade and border security; others say the revenues will help reduce the federal budget deficit. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said they will force other nations to show Trump “respect.”
How could tariffs affect economy?
Nothing good, according to most economists. They say the tariffs would get passed along to consumers in the form of higher prices for vehicles, groceries, housing and other goods. Corporate profits could be lower and growth more sluggish Trump maintains that more companies would open factories to avoid the taxes, though that process could take three years or more.
Economist Art Laffer estimates the tariffs on vehicles, if fully implemented, could increase per vehicle costs by $4,711, though he said he views Trump as a smart and savvy negotiator The investment bank Goldman Sachs estimates the economy will grow this quarter at an annual rate of just 0.6%, down from a rate of 2.4% at the end of last year
Mayor Andrew Ginther of Columbus, Ohio, said on Friday that tariffs could increase the median cost of a home by $21,000, making affordability more of an obstacle because building materials would cost more.
White House trade adviser Peter Navarro told “Fox News Sunday” that the auto tariffs would raise $100 billion annually and the other tariffs would bring in about $600 million per year, or about $6 trillion over 10 years. As a share of the economy, that would be the largest tax increase since World War II, according to Jessica Riedl, a senior
Trump says he’s considering ways to serve third term despite constitutional prohibition
BY CHRIS MEGERIAN Associated Press
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Donald Trump said Sunday that “I’m not joking” about trying to serve a third term, the clearest indication he is considering ways to breach a constitutional barrier against continuing to lead the country after his second term ends at the beginning of 2029.
“There are methods which you could do it,” Trump said in a telephone interview with NBC News from Mara-Lago, his private club. He also said “it is far too early to think about it.”
The 22nd Amendment, added to the Constitution in 1951 after President Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected four times in a row, says “no person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.”
Any attempt to remain in office would be legally suspect and it is unclear how seriously Trump might pursue the idea. The comments nonetheless were an extraordinary reflection of the desire to maintain power by a president who had violated democratic traditions four years ago when he tried to overturn the election he lost to Democrat Joe Biden.
Jeremy Paul, a constitutional law professor at Boston’s Northeastern University, said “there are no credible legal arguments for him to run for a third term.”
NBC’s Kristen Welker asked Trump if one potential avenue to a third term was having Vice President JD Vance run for the top job and “then pass the baton to you.”
“Well, that’s one,” Trump responded. “But there are others too. There are oth-
ers.”
“Can you tell me another?” Welker asked.
“No,” Trump replied.
Derek Muller, a professor of election law at Notre Dame, noted that the 12th Amendment, which was ratified in 1804, says “no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of VicePresident of the United States.”
Muller suggested that Trump is talking about a third term for political reasons to “show as much strength as possible.”
“A lame-duck president like Donald Trump has every incentive in the world to make it seem like he’s not a lame duck,” he said. Representatives for the congressional leadership did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the AP
“I couldn’t care less because if the prices on foreign cars go up, they’re going to buy American cars.”
fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has suggested that tariffs would be a one-time price adjustment, rather than the start of an inflationary spiral. But Bessent’s conclusion rests on tariffs being brief or contained, rather than leading other countries to retaliate with their own tariffs or seeping into other sectors of the economy
“There is a chance tariffs on goods begin to filter through to the pricing of services,” said Samuel Rines, a strategist at WisdomTree.
“Auto parts get move expensive, then auto repair gets more expensive, then auto insurance feels the pressure. While goods are the focus, tariffs could have a longerterm effect on inflation.”
How are other nations reacting?
Most foreign leaders see the tariffs as destructive for the global economy, even if they are prepared to impose their own countermeasures.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Trump’s tariff threats had ended the partnership between his country and the United States, even as the president on Friday talked about his phone call with Carney in relatively positive terms. Canada already has an-
nounced retaliatory tariffs.
French President Emmanuel Macron said the tariffs were “not coherent” and would mean “breaking value chains, creating inflation in the short term and destroying jobs It’s not good for the American economy, nor for the European, Canadian or Mexican economies.” Yet Macron said his nation would defend itself with the goal of dismantling the tariffs.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has avoided the tit-fortat responses on tariffs, but she sees it as critical to defend jobs in her country
The Chinese government said Trump’s tariffs would harm the global trading system and would not fix the economic challenges identified by Trump.
“There are no winners in trade wars or tariff wars, and no country’s development and prosperity are achieved through imposing tariffs,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said.
How did he land on the name?
Based off Trump’s public statements, April 2 is at least the third “liberation day” that he has identified.
At a rally last year in Nevada, he said the day of the presidential election Nov. 5 would be “Liberation Day in America.” He later gave his inauguration the same label, declaring in his address: “For American citizens, Jan. 20, 2025, is Liberation Day.”
His repeated designation of the term is a sign of just how much importance Trump places on tariffs, an obsession of his since the 1980s. Dozens of other countries recognize their own form of liberation days to recognize events such as overcoming Nazi Germany or the end of a previous political regime deemed oppressive.
Trump sees his tariffs as providing national redemption, but the slumping consumer confidence and stock market indicate that much of the public believes the U.S. economy will pay the price for his ambitions.
“I don’t see anything positive about Liberation Day,” said Phillip Braun, a finance professor at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. “It’s going to hurt the U.S. economy Other countries are going to retaliate.”
AP PHOTO By MARK SCHIEFELBEIN
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JAE C. HONG
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP
John Couvillon, a Baton Rouge pollster and political analyst, said “unusually energized” early voting participation by Democrats could reflect people “taking their anger out on the governor or perhaps even the president through “’no’ votes on all four amendments.”
The state’s urban centers voted overwhelmingly against the amendments: In East Baton Rouge Parish, 3 in 4 voters rejected Amendment 2, while 91% of voters in Orleans Parish voted no. But Republicans also helped knock down the governor’s tax amendment, Couvillon pointed out. Even in Landry’s hometown parish of St. Martin, 51% of voters said “no” to Amendment 2. In Jefferson Parish — where 55% of voters backed President Donald Trump, and where Landry defeated Democrat Shawn Wilson 40% to 26% twothirds of voters rejected it “It was the perfect storm of disaster,” Couvillon said Given that the votes were nearly identical for all four amendments, Couvillon said, the turnout represents voters’ general dissatisfaction — a kind of “primal scream.”
Who pushed back?
In more than a year in office, Landry has pushed an aggressive agenda and has usually achieved his goals.
Most recently, he and the Legislature made sweeping changes to the tax code, including: a flat 3% individual income tax rate, a flat 5.5% corporate income tax rate, the elimination of Louisiana’s corporate franchise tax as well as an increase
WILDLIFE
Continued from page 1A
The animals they receive at the vet school aren’t always injured. Sometimes people bringing in orphaned animals are just trying to figure out what to do with them, Boykin said.
The school’s biggest offenders are typically baby birds who get injured after their first attempts at flying, followed by baby squirrels and bunnies.
However, people can call for advice consult the internet for information or reach out to a wildlife rehabilitator if the animals are actually orphaned, Boykin said. “The biggest thing that we really want to hone in on and tell people is that mom is going to be so much better at taking care of the baby than we are,” Boykin said. “Their chances of surviving are so much higher if they’re with mom instead of us.” Harris, the wildlife rehabilitator, said rehabilitating spring babies takes all her time. The number of animals she takes in depends
of the state sales tax rate to 5% and a broadening of the base of goods and services that are taxed.
Landry pitched Amendment 2 as the next step in his plan to rewrite tax laws to make Louisiana more competitive economically with other states.
But the four ballot questions ended up generating two major opposition campaigns from unlikely bedfellows: religious organizations on the political right worried about losing valuable property tax exemptions and a coalition of community, social justice and advocacy organizations on the political left that feared limits on state spending as well as harsher punishments for juveniles in the criminal justice system, among other concerns.
On the left, a coalition called No to Them All, made up of many Louisiana community and advocacy groups, launched a messaging campaign against all four ballot measures.
“No to Them All was an umbrella for the efforts of dozens of nonprofits and individuals who opposed these misleading and harmful constitutional amendments,” the coalition said in a statement.
The group declined to give an accounting of major campaign funders
“The effort relied on endorsing organizations to mobilize their own time and resources in support of our shared goals; as a coalition, there was no central entity or funder behind it,” the statement said.
Among the group’s members were Invest in Louisiana, Together Louisiana and Step Up Louisiana. Also part of the effort was Liberty & Dignity Coalition, a group of advocacy organizations particularly focused
on opposing Amendment 3, which would have resulted in more teenagers being treated as adults in the criminal court system.
Kristen Rome, executive director of the Louisiana Center for Children’s Rights, said the notion the amendment failed because of one person or organization was wrong.
“People got out and voted,” she said. “No one can make people get up, get in their cars, drive to their polling places and press the button People did that because they knew what was going on.”
On the right, the Rev Tony Spell, the charismatic, politically engaged pastor of Life Tabernacle Church and one-time Landry ally, joined forces with Woody Jenkins, chair of the East Baton Rouge Republican Party and a longtime political player. They raised concerns about loosening constitutional protections for property tax exemptions that churches and nonprofits receive.
Jenkins said Landry’s statement attributing the loss to Soros was “an insult to the people of this state” as well as “a face-saving device.”
“The credibility of the administration and the Legislature with people right now is obviously very low,” he said. “People had every chance to vote for (Amendment 2). There were told at every turn how great it was, but they did not believe it.”
Jenkins also took issue with the governor’s idea that the people of Louisiana don’t know how to win.
“The people do win — overwhelmingly,” he said.
A jumble of ideas
Some observers said the amendment’s supporters were trying to do too much too quickly The amendments would affect every-
thing from courts to taxes to juvenile crime and elections for judicial seats — Amendment 2 alone was over 100 pages long.
Cross called Amendment 2 “a hodgepodge of numerous elements designed to remake Article VII of the Louisiana Constitution” that “had way too much going on.”
“Mostly that was a result of the governor and the people who wrote the amendment trying to shoehorn all their constitutional changes into the form of a constitutional amendment,” Cross argued, a move borne out of an earlier failed attempt to rewrite the entire constitution.
Jenkins, who for months has been vocally opposed to Amendment 2, said, “They had the feeling that they could put a lot of things into one constitutional amendment and people wouldn’t notice a lot of the details.”
Couvillon also said the governor waited until it was too late to deflect messaging from opposition campaigns.
“You can’t half-ass it and wait ’til early voting to start your campaigning,” he said.
Nonetheless, both Couvillon and Cross said defeat at the ballot box Saturday in no way spells the demise of Landry’s political fortunes or policy plans.
“I don’t think it says anything about the longterm success or failure of Landry’s policy agenda,” said Cross. “I just think that it indicates disgruntled voters at this stage.
“I don’t see this as a watershed moment for Louisiana politics and for Gov Landry I see this as a reaction to some amendments that people really didn’t warm up to or didn’t understand.”
Email Alyse Pfeil at alyse. pfeil@theadvocate.com.
on the amount of help she has. All the state-permitted wildlife rehabilitators do it on a volunteer basis and pay out of pocket for supplies. Harris said she gets four to six calls a day about rehabilitating baby animals during the springtime, and
more if the weather has been bad.
Harris has over 15 animals she’s rehabilitating at her house, with names ranging from a squirrel called “Sassy” to a raccoon named “Sugar Bear.”
Harris releases the animals into an area full of
nature after about six to 12 months of caring for them. When asked if she gets attached to the animals she rehabilitates, Harris replied, “yes, unfortunately.”
Email Claire Grunewald at claire.grunewald@ theadvocate.com.
FARMERS
Continued from page 1A
but we’re not planting a lot of stuff because we don’t know what’s what,” Chenier said.
The “what’s what” is in reference to recent Trump administration cuts to U.S. Department of Agriculture programs that helped food banks and schools purchase food from small local farmers. The two federal programs, called Local Food for Schools and Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement, provided about $1 billion to schools and food banks across the nation.
Louisiana food banks received around $13 million this year for the program, with Lafayette’s Second Harvest spending around $6 million across two years to Acadiana-area farmers. In 2023, the food purchase assistance program made $837 million in payments to over 10,900 farmers nationally In Louisiana, the program worked with about 40 farms to get products into food banks in every Louisiana parish.
This fiscal year, Louisiana has spent about $3.4 million getting food from local farmers into schools as of Dec. 9, according to a table that has since been removed from the USDA’s website.
The Ascension Parish School Board is the largest purchaser in the state in the Local Food For Schools program, spending $269,347 between 2023 and 2024 Lafayette Parish ranks third with $157,344 in purchases, according to the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry
Existing agreements are expected to be fulfilled, but the USDA said it did not plan to award additional money that had been set aside for the year but not yet used.
For people like Chenier, that looks like thousands of pounds of food dedicated to helping fight food insecurity while providing her and her husband, John, with a steady source of income for their small operation. She said this season, she is expecting to plant half of what she did last year
Chenier has worked with Second Harvest Food Bank for more than four years. She started providing food for the mobile markets but was approached to participate in the food purchase assistance program two years ago. She said she was contracted until 2027.
“I was told that this could not go away It made us invest and put money into (our farm),” she said.
The couple recently built a home for a farmworker that they can no longer afford and two greenhouses to make room for fall and winter crops set aside for the program. John Chenier, who just turned 70, said with the program gone, he is not sure how much longer they can operate, adding that it might be time for him to retire.
“We can’t afford to make a living with it,” he said
“Everything was going up,” but he said, the couple had a guarantee they would sell their produce. “Now, we don’t have that guarantee anymore.” In Eunice, a beef processor and fifth-generation rancher Chip Perrin said the two USDA programs allowed his business to thrive. He joined the programs a year ago when Second Harvest reached out to him. Through the programs, his company processed around 7,000 pounds of beef for food banks and 10,000 pounds for schools and food banks a week. They also processed around 30 cattle a week from other ranchers in the program. The increased business allowed him to expand his operations and hire more workers. Perrin also said he was able to visit a school that his product went to, adding that he was proud to play a role in combating child food insecurity
“Everybody was excited about it, and we really ramped up to take on that business this year and then overnight, funds get cut, and that business is gone. For farmers, the ranchers, us, the schools, everybody,” Perrin said “That’s 40,000 pounds of beef that’s no longer running through our plant.”
Perrin’s business is pivoting in an attempt to make up for the loss, but he said he had to lay off employees. Perrin said he believes the USDA programs will be reinstated in some form, and that there is likely wasteful spending in the federal government and agencies like the USDA. However, he said, these programs did their job of investing in local farmers and small communities while decreasing food insecurity
Second Harvest is also trying to pivot, Paul Scelfo, regional director, said. His office has received many calls from rural community pantries across the Acadiana region that have shown concern.
“Obviously, the decision to cut that funding is not favorable for Second Harvest,” he said. “I don’t know how else to put it, but that doesn’t mean we’re stopping. We’re still looking for other funding opportunities and other ways to work with our farmers to make sure they stay engaged.”
In Louisiana, 1 out of 7 people are considered food insecure, and 46 out of 64 parishes have food insecurity rates higher than 15%.
Scelfo said cutting these programs will increase food insecurity in the state, especially in rural communities
The USDA’s food purchase assistance funds allowed for one of the largest sources of fresh produce to Second Harvest.
“It was an unprecedented amount of food and an unprecedented amount of a ripple effect throughout our communities,” Scelfo said.
Staff writer Ashley White contributed to this article. Email Stephen Marcantel at stephen.marcantel@ theadvocate.com.
STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS
Deborah Harris, Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries permitted wildlife rehabilitator for East Baton Rouge Parish, wrestles Robby the raccoon after she went in his cage to clean it as Teddy Bear watches the commotion at her home rehabilitation center on Tuesday.
Smell of death permeates Myanmar cities
BY THEIN ZAW, DAVID RISING and GRANT PECK Associated Press
MANDALAY, Myanmar
The smell of decaying bodies permeated the streets of Myanmar’s secondlargest city on Sunday as people worked frantically by hand to clear rubble in the hope of finding someone still alive, two days after a massive earthquake struck that killed more than 1,600 people and left countless others buried.
The 7.7-magnitude quake hit midday Friday with an epicenter near Mandalay, bringing down scores of buildings and damaging other infrastructure like the city’s airport.
Relief efforts have been hampered by buckled roads, downed bridges, spotty communications and the challenges of operating in a country in the midst of a civil war
The search for survivors has been primarily conducted by the local residents without the aid of heavy equipment, moving rubble by hand and with shovels in 106-degree heat, with only the occasional tracked excavator to be seen
A 5.1 magnitude aftershock Sunday afternoon prompted screams from those in the streets, and then the work continued.
Many of Mandalay’s 1.5 million people spent the night sleeping on the streets, either left homeless by the quake, which also shook neighboring Thailand and killed at least 18 people there, or worried that the continuing aftershocks might cause structures left unstable to collapse.
Many areas haven’t been reached
So far 1,644 people have been
Love.”
reported killed in Myanmar and 3,408 injured, but many areas have not yet been reached, and many rescue efforts so far have been undertaken by people working by hand to try and clear rubble, said Cara Bragg, the Yangon-based manager of Catholic Relief Services in Myanmar.
“It’s mainly been local volunteers, local people who are just trying to find their loved ones,” Bragg said after bring briefed by her colleague in Mandalay
“I’ve also seen reports that now some countries are sending search and rescue teams up to Mandalay to support the efforts, but hospitals are really struggling to cope with the influx of injured people, there’s a shortage of medical supplies, and people are struggling to find food and clean water,” Bragg added
The organization was sending a team by road on Sunday to assess peoples’ most pressing needs so that it could target its own response.
With the Mandalay airport damaged and the control tower toppled in the capital Naypitaw’s airport, all commercial flights into the cities have been shut down
Official relief efforts in Naypitaw were prioritizing government offices and staff housing, leaving locals and aid groups to dig through the rubble by hand in residential areas, the hot sun beating down and the smell of death in the air
A team sent from neighboring China rescued an older man who had been trapped for nearly 40 hours beneath the rubble of a Naypitaw hospital, and many others are believed to still be buried under, the official Xinhua news
agency reported.
Myanmar sits on the Sagaing Fault, a major north-south fault that separates the India plate and the Sunda plate.
The earthquake occurred when a 125-mile section of the fault ruptured, causing widespread damage along a wide swath of territory down the middle of the country
With widespread telecommunication outages, few details have come out so far from areas other than the main urban areas of Mandalay and Naypitaw
Foreign aid starts to arrive
Still, two Indian C-17 military transport aircraft were able to land late Saturday at Naypitaw with a field hospital unit and some 120 personnel who were then to travel north to Mandalay to establish a 60-bed emergency treatment
center, according to the country’s Foreign Ministry Other Indian supplies were flown into Yangon, Myanmar’s biggest city, which has been the hub of other foreign relief efforts.
On Sunday a convoy of 17 Chinese cargo trucks carrying critical shelter and medical supplies was expected to reach Mandalay, after making the arduous journey by road from Yangon.
The 400-mile journey has been taking 14 hours or longer, with clogged roads and traffic diverted from the main highway to skirt damage from the earthquake.
At the same time, the window of opportunity to find anyone alive is rapidly closing. Most rescues occur within the first 24 hours after a disaster, and then survival chances drop as each day passes.
An initial report on earthquake
relief efforts issued Saturday by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs noted the severe damage or destruction of many health facilities, and warned that a “severe shortage of medical supplies is hampering response efforts, including trauma kits, blood bags, anesthetics, assistive devices, essential medicines, and tents for health workers.” China said it has sent more than 135 rescue personnel and experts along with supplies like medical kits and generators and pledged around $13.8 million in emergency aid. Russia’s Emergencies Ministry said it had flown in 120 rescuers and supplies to Yangon, and the country’s Health Ministry said Moscow had sent a medical team to Myanmar Teams from Singapore have been working already in Naypitaw Malaysia dispatched a team of 50 personnel on Sunday with trucks search and rescue equipment and medical supplies. Thailand said 55 of its soldiers arrived in Yangon on Sunday to help with search and rescue operations, while Britain announced a $13 million aid package to help its locally-funded partners already in Myanmar respond to the crisis.
18 reported dead in Thailand
In neighboring Thailand, the quake rocked much of the country, bringing down a high-rise building under construction in Bangkok, 800 miles away from the epicenter So far, 11 people have been found dead at the construction site near the popular Chatuchak market. A total of 18 people have been reported killed by the quake in Thailand so far
BY BOB THOMAS Associated Press
LOS ANGELES Richard
Chamberlain, the handsome hero of the 1960s television series “Dr Kildare” who found a second career as an award-winning “king of the miniseries,” has died He was 90. Chamberlain died Saturday night in Waimanalo, Hawaii, of complications following a stroke, according to his publicist, Harlan Boll.
“Our beloved Richard is with the angels now. He is free and soaring to those loved ones before us,” Martin Rabbett, his lifelong partner, said in a statement. “How blessed were we to have known such an amazing and loving soul.” Tall, with classic good looks and romantic style, Chamberlain became an instant favorite with teenage girls as the compassionate physician on the TV series that aired from 1961 to 1966. Photoplay magazine named him most popular male star for three years in a row, from 1963-65. Not until 2003 did he acknowledge publicly what Hollywood insiders had long known, that he was gay He made the revelation in his autobiography “Shattered
The actor became known as “king of the TV miniseries” in 1978 when he landed the starring role in “Centennial,” an epic production 24 hours long and based on James Michener’s sprawling novel. He followed that in 1980 with “Shogun,” another costly, epic miniseries based on James Clavell’s period piece about an American visitor to Japan. He scored his greatest miniseries success in 1983 with another long-form drama, “The Thorn Birds,” based on Colleen McCullough’s best-seller He played Father Ralph de Bricassart, a Roman Catholic priest in Australia who falls in love with beautiful Meggie Cleary (Rachel Ward). The ABC production, which also starred Barbara Stanwyck, reportedly attracted 100 million viewers. Chamberlain won Golden Globes for his work in “Shogun” and “The Thorn Birds.” Years earlier, he received one for “Dr Kildare.”
When the public began to lose interest in miniseries, Chamberlain turned to the theater, where he displayed a fine singing voice. He appeared as Henry Higgins in a 1994 Broadway revival of “My Fair Lady” and as Captain von Trapp in a 1999 revival of “The Sound of Music.”
He reprised his role of de Bricassart in the 1996 TV
movie “The Thorn Birds: The Missing Years.”
He also appeared in numerous films, including “The Music Lovers” (as Tchaikovsky), “The Madwoman of Chaillot,” “The Towering Inferno” and “The Three Musketeers” and its sequels.
The “Kildare” series was based on a string of successful 1930s and ’40s films that had starred Lew Ayres in the title role.
Chamberlain’s hunky, all-
American appearance made him an overnight star Another medical show that debuted the same season, “Ben Casey,” also was a smash and made its leading man, the darkly handsome Vince Edwards, a star, too.
The “Ben Casey shirt” became a fashion item, both shows’ theme songs made the pop Top 40 (the Kildare song performed by Chamberlain himself) and there was even a pop song called “Dr Kildare! Dr Casey! You Are Wanted for Consultation.”
But in his book, Chamberlain recounted how he was forced to hide his sexuality He would escort glamorous actresses to movie premieres and other public events at the request of studio executives and dodge reporters’ questions about why he had never married with a stock reply: “Getting married would be great, but I’m awfully busy now.”
“When I grew up, being gay being a sissy or anything
like that was verboten,” he said in an NBC interview “I disliked myself intensely and feared this part of myself intensely and had to hide it.”
He studied voice and drama, and after appearing in guest roles in a handful of TV shows and in the 1960 film “The Secret of the Purple Reef,” he won the Dr Kildare role.
Born George Richard Chamberlain in Beverly Hills on March 31, 1934, the actor originally studied at Pomona College to be a painter But after returning from the Army, where he had served as an infantry clerk in the Korean War, Chamberlain decided to try acting.
When “Dr Kildare” was canceled he moved to England for a time to find work and hone his acting skills. In 1969, Chamberlain played the title role in “Hamlet” at England’s Birmingham Repertory Company and repeated it in a TV adaptation that appeared on NBC in the United States.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By THEIN ZAW
Rescuers work Sunday at the Sky Villa Condo, which collapsed in Friday’s earthquake, in Mandalay, Myanmar
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Voters deal blow to 2 tax renewals
Funding for roads, drainage, fire protection at risk
BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer
Two property tax renewals in Lafayette Parish were rejected by voters in Saturday’s election
The renewals, which were not widely publicized by Lafayette officials, may have suffered from being on the ballot with four statewide constitutional amendments
Louisiana ports weigh investment
Regaining market share a challenge, report says
BY ANTHONY McAULEY Staff writer
The operators of Louisiana’s
five deepwater ports on the lower Mississippi River have known for years that the region needed investment to stop bleeding container shipping market share to Gulf rivals. A new report underlines what a monumental task is ahead to win that business back
The five ports — Baton Rouge, South Louisiana, New Orleans, St. Bernard and Plaquemines — last year commissioned Martin Associates, a Lancaster, Pennsylvaniabased shipping industry consultant, to assess the regional cargo market and advise on strategy
The report was presented by its author, John Martin, on Tuesday to government and port officials in Baton Rouge. While Martin’s report pointed to opportunities where ports can grow bulk and break-bulk cargo traffic in energy, forestry products and metals, it also concluded that it would take large infrastructure investments as well as big economic development wins before the region could begin to win back container ship market share that has been lost to Houston, Mobile, Alabama, and other regional ports in recent decades
“It’s difficult because it’s highly emotional,” said Martin after his Baton Rouge presentation, speaking of the investment choices facing the ports.
See PORTS, page 4B
Banh Mi House to change locations
BY ADAM DAIGLE Acadiana business editor
The owners of a Vietnamese sandwich shop that operated in The Alley Downtown will open a new location nearby Banh Mi House, co-owned by Kiet Phung and Pamela Le, will open in the coming weeks in the first floor of the Evangeline Apartments building, 302 Jefferson St. Banh Mi House opened in The Alley an outdoor food venue about a month ago offering bánh mì sandwiches with Korean barbecue pork, Vietnamese grilled pork, bang bang shrimp and a shrimp and pork patty
The cafe will continue to offer sandwiches and will expand to offer Vietnamese coffee using Asian-imported coffee beans that
that were soundly defeated Saturday across the state and in Lafayette Parish
A 4.47-mill property tax that was expected to produce about $12.7 million a year for Lafayette Parish government to build, improve and maintain roads and bridges was rejected A 3.81-mill property tax that was expected to generate about $10.8
million a year for parish drainage, fire protection in unincorporated areas, roads and bridges, public health units, mosquito control, animal control and the Coroner’s Office also was defeated. Both taxes are being collected. The 4.47-mill tax expires at the end of 2026. The 3.81-mill tax was previously authorized to be collected through 2025.
That gives parish officials time to place the tax renewals on a ballot again before they expire. The 4.47-mill tax was defeated 53% to 47%, with 25,360 ballots cast, according to complete but unofficial returns. The 3.81-mill tax was voted down 52% to 48% with 25,352 ballots cast.
Turnout was 15.6%, according to the Louisiana Secretary of State’s Office.
An Abbeville City Council race was decided Saturday by a single vote. Francis Plaisance received 153 votes to Rachel Mouton’s 152 votes to win the council District B seat, according to complete but unofficial results from the Louisiana Secretary of State’s Office. Both are Republicans. Turnout was 19.5%.
COLORFUL CELEBRATION
ABOVE: A celebrant blows colored powder through the air on Sunday at the 13th annual Holi Festival of Colors at Girard Park in Lafayette. Holi is a spring Hindu festival popular for all of the colored powders that get thrown around during the celebration. BELOW LEFT: An attendee wears a layer of colored powder BELOW RIGHT: Large trays of colored powder are thrown on the crowd.
Southside junior named a Louisiana Young Hero
BY JA’KORI MADISON Staff writer
A Southside High School junior is being recognized by Louisiana Public Broadcasting as one of six students in the state to be named a 2025 Louisiana Young Hero. The Lafayette Parish school system said it is one of the
STAFF PHOTOS By BRAD BOWIE
PROVIDED PHOTO
Jessica Anderson, a junior at Southside High School, has been named one of
Louisiana legislators need to act on online age verification
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been passionate about advocating for those who cannot advocate for themselves. My husband and I live on a farm outside of Baton Rouge, where we raise our child and run our farm. Just as I advocated for animals when I was crowned Mrs. Louisiana American 2023, I feel a stronger responsibility, as a mother of a 10-year-old boy, to speak up and protect my son as he enters the online world.
There’s nothing more important to me than fighting for my son’s future, and that starts with making sure Louisiana lawmakers protect our children in every aspect of life — especially online by introducing age verification legislation this year
As many tweens do, my son loves to play video games. Unfortunately, we’ve had to deal with strangers trying to contact my son and his friends through these games. This is extremely frustrating because there’s no way for my child or me to truly know if the people trying to connect with him are who they claim to be. As he anticipates joining social media soon, this concern remains at the forefront of my mind
Misrepresenting age online isn’t just a gaming or social media issue — it impacts the entire online ecosystem. I could easily sit back and hope that by the time my son joins social media, the issue of age verification will be addressed, but that would be naive. Our children deserve to be protected online, and Louisiana parents need support from our legislators to tackle this concern holistically I urge my representatives to take this issue seriously and to take this important first step to ensure the safety of our children and teens online. We must build a strong foundation of safety for the next generation of teens in Louisiana.
JAMI REDMOND
Mrs. Louisiana American 2023
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE ARE OUR GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name and the writer’s city of residence.The Advocate | The Times-Picayune require a street address and phone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.O Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@theadvocate.com.
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YOUR VIEWS
Allies, enemies watch how we treat Ukraine
Ukraine is fighting for its freedom, and the U.S. was helping. But the Trump administration is quitting on them, just like it did to our Kurdish allies in Syria. Does our flag still stand for freedom, or are they taking that away?
Trump claims he is working for peace in Ukraine.
But once Russia’s Putin is appeased there, he next attacks the Baltic countries, where we have Louisiana troops currently stationed in defense. The choice there for the U.S. would be to stand and fight — and die — for freedom, or to quit and run once again.
The irony is that the United States would be safer, stronger and remain at peace if we stand up to bullies like Vladimir Putin, and stand by our allies, as we have done since World War II. So I ask all our senators and congressional representatives — Cassidy and Kennedy, Scalise, Johnson, Higgins, Letlow, Carter and Fields: Do we still stand strong in defense of freedom, or are we now the “allies” who cowardly slink away? Russia and China await your answer
EDWARD C. BRITTON Baton Rouge
Libraries are oases for learning
Asit dan bibliyotèk laparwas Lès Baton-Rouj-la sî Bluebonnet, mo wa plin moun dédan ki ê lir travayé, é diskité ent yé-minm ê pattajé yê konnésans. In nidé byin intélijen, non? In sèrvis piblik ké piblik sèrvi byin. Dan bibliyotèk-layé trouvé dan nô laparwas, n’a trouvé livyé é DVD-yé en françé, spañol, hindi, vyètnamyin, lalman, shinnwa é plin lòt langaj. Isit, moun kontinnwé aprenn déyò lékòl, trouvé in kominnité ki linm diskité nidé-yé, é chombo yê léspri en bon santé. Lá, m’ê ékri ça isit en kourivini, obin kréyol Lalwizyàn, min çé gras a litérati, konvèsasyon, é kominnité ké mo ka fé ça. Çé in lòt rézon pou protéjé bibliyotèk-yé ki fourni léspas pou édé moun aprenn kishò tou néf o en tradisyon, sèrvi Latwal-la, é minm kolaboré.
Translation: Sitting here in the East Baton Rouge Parish Library on Bluebonnet, I see plenty of people inside reading, working and talking amongst themselves — sharing knowledge. A fresh idea, no? A public service that serves the public well. In the libraries found in our parish, we’ll find books and DVDs in French, Spanish, Hindi, Vietnamese, German, Chinese and plenty of other languages. Here, people continue to learn outside of school, find a community that loves
to have conversations about ideas, and keep their minds in good health.
I’m translating this from Kouri-Vini, the endangered Creole language of Louisiana, but it’s thanks to literature, conversation and community that I can do that.
It’s another reason to protect libraries that provide space to help people learn something new or that’s part of a tradition, use the internet and even collaborate.
JONATHAN JOSEPH MAYERS Baton Rouge Poet Laureate 2021-2023
Cut postal budget by reducing mail frequency
Supporters prefer to ignore some facts of Khalil case
Rabbi Katie Bauman and two other authors asserted in a guest column recently that due process rights of Mahmoud Khalil have been violated by and subsequent to his arrest. They are unequivocally incorrect. First, his arrest was not about free speech and was not only about antisemitism. Second, although the good rabbi lists some legal reasons green card holders can be deported, she left out one: deportation predicated upon acts that have a “potentially serious adverse impact on foreign policy and related to national security.”
It is a fact that Khalil handed out flyers supporting Hamas, a designated foreign terrorist organization. Considering that the U.S. is presently in negotiations to free one or more Americans held hostage by Hamas, it is not difficult to understand how Khalil’s action could have an adverse impact on foreign policy (thus, Mahmoud’s arrest was not just about free speech and antisemitism). Also, apparently Khalil did not report on his green card application that he worked for two years for UNRWA, an organization that both the U.S. and Israel stated employed thousands of active Hamas members and some directly involved in the Oct. 7 attack. As to her claim that due process was denied to Khalil, he recently had his first court hearing. Another has been scheduled for April. Bauman is correct that the burden is on the government to prove any violation of the terms of his green card. If he fails the court hearing next month, he can appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals and further appeal to the federal circuit courts. Bauman’s claim that Khalil was denied due process is false. Khalil’s arrest and deportation hearings are fully in accord with the rule of law
JOSEPH MOLYNEUX
Variety of viewpoints represented, but Trump supporters unsatisfied
With so many media outlets and the richest man on the planet having the biggest platform, conservatives still whine about not being treated fairly in the media. President Donald Trump calls the media “the enemy of the people.” He has gone as far as to suggest some members should be prosecuted.
Two letters in your opinion page recently stand out. Patrick Grossie, of Lafayette, wrote on March 19 that conservative views weren’t adequately represented on your pages. I would like to know what Grossie considers conservative viewpoints. Are they the views of a man many of us admire named Ronald Reagan or is it just the viewpoint of President Donald Trump? Reagan, a man of integrity, was always respectful even to those with whom he disagreed. Trump conflates conservatism with attacking freedom of the press, blaming a lot of our problems on people of color, disrespect for the Constitution and ignoring the rule of law if it doesn’t coincide with his worldview Your paper is very even-handed and has been very fair All Grossie has to do is look at another letter written by John K. Roberts of Gretna. Roberts heaps praise on Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley I find it hard to take Brumley seriously when next year’s students will have to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. Let’s not forget this is the same man who allows schools to use Praeger University videos, which say that slavery wasn’t so bad if you put it in the context of the times in the 18th and 19th centuries.
CHARLES V. DUNCAN Lafayette
Metairie
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO
holds
to protest President Donald Trump’s
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON Several reading areas were created in the South Branch Library in Baton Rouge.
COMMENTARY
ROLE REVERSAL
Wow! We received 822 tasty entries in this week’s Cartoon Caption Contest.We had several zany ideas, from Miracle-Gro to separation anxiety Our winner came up with the perfect short, funny excuse to help this poor guy out of his crazy situation. Creative stuff, folks! As always, when we have duplicate entries, and we always do, we pick the earliest sent in Great job! — Walt
LAUREN GAUTHIER, KENNER: “I shouldn’t have left the energy drinks next to the seafood in the fridge.”
JIM WILLIAMSON, MANDEVILLE: This is the best stretch ever! Can you do my neck next?”
MORGAN J. LANDRY, PIERRE PART: “Pinch me.This has got to be a nightmare!”
EILEEN MENARD MARTIN, LAFAYETTE: “Who knew crawfish needed anger management classes?”
JOHN BARRERA, CONCORD, N.C.: “This is what they call March Madness in Louisiana!!”
JASON BONE, NEW ORLEANS: “The man you’re looking for is Tony Chachere!”
ASHTON PHELPS JR., NEW ORLEANS: “There’s a boil water advisory right now!”
DARREN TROSCLAIR, LAPLACE: “I swear I didn’t put the pineapple in there!”
RALPH STEPHENS, BATON ROUGE: “I’m a vegetarian!!! I’m just here for the corn, potatoes and beer!!!”
JAY HIGH, BATON ROUGE: “Wait! Don’t do it! I begged them to have fried catfish! you gotta believe me!”
ARTHUR WELLER, SLIDELL: “I said I wanted 200 pounds of crawfish, not ONE 200-pound crawfish!”
GARILYN NORTH, METAIRIE: “Did I mention I’m allergic to shellfish?”
BOB USSERY, NEW ORLEANS: “you say I’m going to soak in a nice hot bath?”
DAVID DELGADO, NEW ORLEANS: “My wife doesn’t think I have any taste!”
WENDY KING, NEW ORLEANS: “Wow! Talk about claws and effect!”
KENNETH HOFFMAN, NEW ORLEANS: “Help me, Franz Kafka, you’re my only hope!”
MARY H.THOMPSON, GREENSBORO, GA: “yes, I’m definitely feeling purged now Thank you for asking.”
MARK MARLEY, NEW ORLEANS:
“What kind of mushrooms were in the crawfish boil?!?!!”
PAMELA WOOTTEN, NEW ORLEANS: “About ‘sucking the heads’ pure urban legend!”
CHARLES MARSHALL, METAIRIE: “I knew I shouldn’t have put the Miracle-Gro on the same shelf with the Zatarain’s!”
BRYAN RUIZ (GRADE 4, PHILLIS
WHEATLEY COMMUNITY SCHOOL), NEW ORLEANS: “I did not expect this, for my first time trying crawfish!”
JEFF HARTZHEIM, FUQUAY-VARINA, N.C.: “If you squeeze my tail, I’m going to H.R.!”
ANN WILLS, NEW ORLEANS: “They’re running kind of big this season!”
RORY STEEN, DENVER, COLO.: “If you can wait a few minutes, the next batch will be spicier.”
JIMMIE PAPIA, METAIRIE: “you must have come from the swamp by the nuclear power plant.
FLOYD HODOH,AKRON, OHIO: “Have you tasted the corn?”
MICHAEL GOODMAN, MANDEVILLE: “I swear, I’m just a shrimp and crab guy!”
DON RANDON, GRETNA: “I’m experiencing severe separation anxiety!”
RICHARD MILLER, BATON ROUGE: “Well this sucks.”
A stronger grid is imperative for La.
From the power that lights our homes to the infrastructure that supports our communities, a reliable energy grid is essential to the security and economy of Louisiana and the nation.
Last year’s record-setting hurricanes exposed just how vulnerable our state’s power grid is, leaving families in the dark and threatening both local recovery and national security America should be an energy powerhouse, leading the world in innovation and reliability, but that won’t happen if Louisiana and the MISO South region are left behind.
This month, electric grid leaders at MISO the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, the entity that manages the grid across 15 states, including Louisiana — met to discuss the future of our energy infrastructure. Advocates from across the MISO South region spoke out, highlighting a critical disparity: while MISO has developed a robust transmission enhancement plan for its northern region — ensuring reliable, affordable power for communities now and in the future
MISO South still lacks a plan, investment and a clear strategy to support its communities and protect military installations.
As a veteran who served at Fort Johnson with the 5th Infantry Division, I saw firsthand how critical a reliable power grid is to military operations. Louisiana is home to key installations like Barksdale Air Force Base and the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base, both of which play vital roles in our nation’s defense. But our military readiness is directly tied to the reliability and strength of our civilian grid — and right now, that grid is falling short. Natural disasters, cyberattacks and supply chain disruptions expose our state and our national security to serious risk
While current Department of Defense regulations require a minimum 14-day backup energy supply for critical military missions, many installations struggle to meet this resilience standard, potentially crippling communication, delaying emergency response efforts and endangering lives.
Today, nearly 99% of U.S. military installations depend on the civilian power grid for their electricity, meaning that when the grid goes down, our military’s ability to execute critical missions goes down with it. But the lack of modern transmission infrastructure doesn’t just hurt national
security, it also drives up costs for Louisiana families and businesses. Without strong regional transmission infrastructure, prices spike and energyintensive industries are left with no reliable path to grow or invest. For a state like Louisiana, where manufacturing, data centers and energy innovation offer enormous economic potential, failing to upgrade our grid means leaving jobs and prosperity on the table.
MISO must commit to developing a Long Range Transmission Plan for MISO South, the same way it did for MISO North. No more delays, no more excuses
Our Public Service Commission and Gov Jeff Landry must demand action to protect Louisiana’s economy, military installations and communities. Energy dominance isn’t just about production, it’s about building the infrastructure to move power where it’s needed, when it’s needed. Modernizing our transmission grid is the fastest, most effective way to strengthen our economy, lower costs and protect our national security Louisiana cannot afford to be left behind by MISO any longer The time to act is now John Szoka is the CEO of the Conservative Energy Network.
Why do Louisiana U.S. Reps. Steve Scalise and Mike Johnson, two of the most powerful members of Congress, think your children should have a better chance of getting cancer, leukemia, suffering brain dysfunction and terrible lung diseases? And why are they joined in this decision by their Louisiana colleagues in the House, Clay Higgins, Mike Johnson and Julia Letlow, as well as U.S. Sens. John Kennedy and Bill Cassidy?
Oh, and why do they also want your children and future Louisiana generations to continue to live in the country’s most polluted state with the third worst release of industrial toxins and associated health impacts — all of which help result in the fourth lowest life expectancy in the nation?
I ask this because why else would they have remained silent when President Donald Trump cheered a promised rollback of 31 regulations protecting families from these terrible outcomes — all so fossil fuel producers could make a little extra money?
This isn’t hyperbole from environmental extremists out to kill industry These warnings are coming from leading medical authorities, including the American Lung Association. Labeling Trump’s plan a “tragedy for health,” the lung association called the changes what they were, “a historic handout to polluters at the direct expense of the health of families across America.”
The group made the obvious point that the rollbacks violate the EPA’s legal mandate to “protect the environment and human health.” Well, Trump disagrees.
His EPA director Lee Zeldin, wants to change that congressionally mandated mission to “relieve the economy of unnecessary bureaucratic burdens that drive up costs for American consumers. to lower the cost of buying a car heating a home and running a business to rollback trillions in regulatory costs killing the energy industry.”
Of course, that is nonsense. When those Biden-era regulations were in effect, the United States began producing more oil and gas than any nation in history and is now the world’s leading exporter of gasoline.
Here are some of the most egregious actions Zeldin and Trump are so proud of.
n Rolling back of almost all regulations opposed by the petrochemical industries. These include spending money to reduce emissions of benzene, toluene, xylene and hexene, all known carcinogens; sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide, linked to respiratory problems like asthma; and heavy metals like mercury, nickel and cadmium, which can cause neurological and developmental problems as well as cancer
n Reducing or killing the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards on coal-powered plants. Mercury, a known neurotoxin, is one of the most dangerous pollutants, with even small amounts linked to serious health problems in the nervous, digestive and immune systems, and on lungs, kidneys, skin and eyes and development of children in utero.
n Closing the EPA Office of Research and Development, which studies environmental hazards, so you won’t know just how bad things are, and what new threats are being caused by the polluters.
n Eliminating the 2009 Endangerment Finding, which used science and measurements to prove carbon dioxide was a pollutant causing serious health impacts, and was key to justifying regulations reducing emissions, driving climate change.
n Rolling back the Particulate Matter National Ambient Air Quality Standards and National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for American energy and manufacturing sectors, both of which help reduce premature death, heart attacks, irregular heartbeat, aggravated asthma, decreased lung function and increased respiratory symptoms like coughing and difficulty breathing.
In every announcement about these dangerous changes, the EPA website has shouted about savings for polluting industries and the possibility of reduced costs for consumers. It never once mentions the expected increase in your medical costs or the extra suffering and likely shorter life spans for your children.
If you live in Louisiana, you might want to ask your representatives in Congress why they think it’s a good idea for your kids to have better chances of painful, life-shortening diseases — just to increase profits for wealthy industries.
Why else would they support these changes?
Bob Marshall, a Pulitzer Prize-winning Louisiana environmental journalist, can be reached at bmarshallenviro@gmail.com, and followed on Twitter @BMarshallEnviro.
WINNER: Laura Lawrason, New Orleans
Bob Marshall
John Szoka GUEST COLUMNIST
Laying the groundwork
The ports on the lower Mississippi have a storied past and remain vital to trade in the U.S., handing almost two-thirds of the country’s grain exports. Collectively, the ports also handle about 20% of the nation’s petroleum and other energy commodities. But volume overall has stagnated amid recurring droughts and floods affecting grain production and river levels Also, a lack of investment in infrastructure, including storage capacity and disruptions from tariffs have stymied cargo growth, the repo A been where out hav about imports Since seen triple lion a year has amount uni Hyundai came gome dis 2018 near Mobile. Over the same period, the Port tainer little 500,000 report work terways mission, year with year over set make ports five ports
‘S The the state ing tential dow nal tion
The focus has mainly been on the Port of New Orleans’ proposed terminal at Violet in St. Bernard Parish. The cost of that project has been estimated at $1.8 billion, though it is currently under review to take account of an agreement in January with the International Longshoreman’s Association. New cost estimates would also have to factor in higher materials and labor costs since the project was first announced four years ago. Port NOLA’s project —
BANH MI
and they will come,’ but look at it from a pure market standpoint, from a rational cost-benefit relationship.”
Port of New Orleans hoping to start construction on the Louisiana International Terminal this year and have the first phase open 2028. The plan is to ramp up capacity to 2 million standard units by 2040. However, Martin’s report says that even under the “most aggressive scenario” for container growth, it is unlikely on current trends volume would reach even the Napoleon Avenue’s current capacity of a million units over that period.
link connecting the terminal with the interstate about 10 th roject ing bout new road and rail links. Martin didn’t discuss either project directly but said a downriver container terminal is essential for New Orleans to stay competitive. Already, the larger container vessels cannot make it past the Crescent City Connection to dock at the Port of New Orleans’ Napoleon Avenue terminal, which handles almost all containers on the lower Mississippi River “If you don’t build it, you’re basically out of the game,” Martin said. “But
Charles Tillotson, head of Louisiana Gateway Port, said their strategy would be to focus on Dallas and capture a share of that market, which is currently supplied mainly from the Los Angeles/Long Beach ports.
The Plaquemines strategy “has a distinct focus on connecting to the Dallas Inland Port via a West Bank Union Pacific Railroad container intermodal connection,” he said, adding that they would hope to capture 2 million units annually of the Dallas market’s total 19 million units over the first decade.
Martin is skeptical of a strategy based on capturing market share currently served by West Coast ports.
His report notes that while the lower Mississippi River
advantages, parnks via all six of rail operators, good interstate highway connections and connections by river barge, there are also major disadvantages that are difficult to overcome.
Lots of challenges
Population size is one.
Even the combined New Orleans-Baton Rouge area’s 2.4 million population is dwarfed by Houston’s 7.5 million people, which has allowed it to grow ancillary facilities like Cedar Port Industrial Park, the largest master-planned, rail-andbarge-served industrial park in the U.S. Location is another Competition to supply the Dallas or Midwest markets is stiff even with New Orleans’ transportation links, Martin said. Sailing from China and other Asian manufacturing centers to West Coast ports takes about 12 days less than to Gulf ports, so it is still quicker to send them by rail from West Coast ports to destinations like Chicago. Another problem for New Orleans to overcome is a mismatch in its imports and exports, which adds to shippers’ costs. Coffee beans make up a large portion of container imports, for example, while plastic resin dominates exports. Both are relatively low-value commodities, and they are carried in different-sized containers.
The region already is well served by distribution centers in Houston, Dallas and Mobile, so Martin cautions against pinning too much hope on attracting big retail distribution centers to New Orleans. Rather, economic development agencies should try to attract higher value manufacturing to the area, especially in sectors like medical devices and battery production, he suggests.
Martin also points out that investment by Louisiana has been low and less focused than in neighboring states like Alabama, Texas, Georgia and Florida. Savannah’s port on the Atlantic coast continues to see large investment from state and private sources, and its container volume has surpassed that of Houston’s. Port officials largely welcomed Martin’s sober assessment.
“We’re encouraged by the findings of the need for additional funding for the state’s public maritime infrastructure,” Baton Rouge port’s chief Jay Hardman said via email. Baton Rouge has a small volume of container shipping, mostly via barge, and will “continue what has been our successful pursuit of liquid and dry bulk commodities,” he said.
The Port of New Orleans “agrees with the challenges and opportunities that were laid out in the report,” said Matthew Gresham, chief
governmental affairs officer
“We know we’re a small population center that will have to collectively work with our economic development folks toward building a strong trade ecosystem,” he added.
Napoleon Avenue
On the plus side, the report suggested that new uses could be found for the Napoleon Avenue terminal, which recently had $112 million of investment on wharf upgrades and four new gantry cranes added. One of the bright spots for lower Mississippi River trade are new projects to build liquefied natural gas plants, biofuels and electric vehicle batteries, which will drive traffic to supply their construction as well as for moving goods after they’re built. The Napoleon Avenue terminal could benefit from that activity by being used for iron and steel storage, precious metals and warehouse development, as well as project cargo, the report said. It could even continue to service smaller container ship traffic with Central America by growing business in perishable markets, developing its cold storage capacity further, it added. Email Anthony McAuley tmcauley@theadvocate. com.
Continued from pag TO
JUNIOR
Continued from page 1B ees, will be honored April 28 by LPB on Louisiana Young Heroes Day have Phung be ger tea tries House w cause barber food site, made the a The hopes two. got
a nonprofit offering education, health care and nutrition for children in need
The family’s temporary visit to the United States in 2020 became permanent when the pandemic halted international travel and they stayed in Louisiana.
Five years later, Jessica Anderson’s résumé showcases her leadership, including spearheading a parish resolution to recognize homelessness in Lafay-
in Lafayette in December,isdoublethe size of their old building. Louvierre
ette Parish and organizing drives to support Catholic Charities of Acadiana. She also is a Brent Henley Youth Leadership member and is in the National Honor Society and Beta Club She is also on the MayorPresident’s Youth Advisory Council. “I am so proud of her She has always showed strong dedication from a young age of what she wanted to do in the community, and it truly shows through her work,” Megan Anderson said. Jessica Anderson, along with the five other award-
which owner Vincent Starwood opened bought last summer and has since worked to put back into commerce. Abody contour shop and a laundromat will openinthe development,which wasthe former Hanger Prosthetics& Orthotics. It already houses asmall grocerystore,called Starwood Marketplace, and a beauty salon/barbershop. “Everywhere yougo, you gotta get on the road and go to the otherside of town to get anything you need,” Starwood said. “And
Tollet’s masterful outing lifts UL
past JMU
Cajuns clinch series to improve 14-15 overall
BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer
Sunday’s series finale was under a 3 p.m. curfew for James Madison’s travel purposes UL starting pitcher JR Tollett made that a non-issue by delivering a masterpiece performance in a 3-0 victory over the visiting Dukes at Russo Park.
ä Northwestern State at UL 6 P.M. TUESDAy, ESPN+
“I told him, ‘Go back out and you can put your name in that record book’,” UL coach Matt Deggs said. “Everybody’s going to remember that one.” As the story goes, however, going back out for the final inning was a more complicated issue than it seemed.
When the sophomore right-hander cruised through a 1-2-3 eighth, he initially thought the game was over “You saw that?,” Tollett asked when questioned about reaction. “Rookie move, I had never gone that far in a game before ” Apparently, Tollett was in such a zone, looking at the scoreboard was a distraction he wasn’t going to entertain “In the bottom of the bottom, before I came out to third (base coaching box), I asked him, ‘You good?’,” Deggs said. “He said, ‘Yeah, I’ve got three more outs in me.’ I turned and walked away and thought, ‘That’s kind of strange.’ He really believed he had three more outs to get “It popped his balloon a little bit He had to gather himself and go back out there, but very, very efficient — just an incredible outing.”
Tollett gave Deggs some of his blame for
ä See UL, page 3C
NC AA T OU RN AM EN T
ELITE EIGHT • UCLA 72, LSU 65
LSU ends second straight season one step shy of Final Four
OUT OF REACH
Tigers’ second half comeback falls short in loss to Bruins
BY REED DARCEY Staff writer
SPOKANE, Wash. — Her hands were on her hips. Her nose was sore and bloody After Aneesah Morrow committed her fifth foul, the look of realization crossed her face. Her season and her collegiate career was over On Sunday, the LSU women’s basketball team nearly snuck into the Final Four But No. 1 seed UCLA protected a 14-point third quarter lead, held off the No. 3 seeded Tigers and picked up a 72-65 win in the Elite Eight, advancing to the NCAA Tournament’s national semifinal round for the first time in its history Morrow nearly inspired a miraculous comeback. Some late third-quarter pushing and shoving in the paint gave her a bloody nose. All she needed was a quick trip to the locker room to patch it up and return to the game. She wasn’t going to go out like that. LSU, though, needed something more to stay alive.
“I’m tough,” Morrow said, “and I’m going to go out there and compete with my teammates. I’m going to try to do everything that I can.”
UCLA created open 3-pointers and drained most of them, building a second-half lead that was too large for the Tigers to erase By the end of the game, UCLA had converted just 38% of its total field-goal attempts but shot an efficient 10-of-24 from beyond the arc.
LSU made a late push. Flau’jae Johnson’s scooping layup trimmed UCLA’s lead down to 65-62 at the 3:24 mark of the fourth quarter
But the Tigers ultimately committed too many turnovers (15) and missed too many shots (10 in the fourth quarter) to steal a win.
Johnson scored 24 of her 28 points in the second half.
Morrow finished with 15 and 7 rebounds, and Mikaylah Williams added a total of 10 points. No other Tiger scored more than four
ä See LSU, page 3C
LSU scores 8 in first inning to sweep Mississippi St.
Tigers’ bats light up late into the night to earn SEC win
BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer
As the hours ticked by and the rain continued to fall, LSU’s bats were ready to pounce on Saturday night at Alex Box Stadium. But they really had to wait. Nearly four hours passed before freshman Derek Curiel stepped into the box to start the bottom of the first inning.
But he and junior Jared Jones wasted no time getting LSU’s offense rolling. Curiel singled up the middle before Jones blasted a ball nearly halfway up the batter’s eye in center field for a two-run home run that traveled 440 feet.
“That’s one of the most impressive swings I’ve ever seen,” LSU coach Jay Johnson said. “And (we) just kept going after that.”
By the end of the inning, LSU scored eight runs on eight hits to take an 8-0 lead, catapulting the Tigers to a 17-8 victory and a series sweep over Mississippi State.
The high-scoring affair turned the night into a marathon for everyone at the park. Following a three-hour and 36-minute rain delay, Saturday’s game began at 9:36 p.m. and lasted four hours and eight minutes. It didn’t end until 1:44 a.m. on Sunday morning. “This is crazy,” redshirt sophomore right-hander Jaden Noot said. “I’ve never played this late (before).”
Four Tigers had three hits, including junior nine-hole hitter Chris Stanfield.
This is crazy, I’ve never played this late (before).”
JADEN NOOT, LSU pitcher
The top three hitters in LSU’s lineup — Curiel, Jones and junior Daniel Dickinson — were a combined 8-for-13 at the plate. Jones, Dickinson, sophomore Steven Milam, senior Luis Hernandez and junior Ethan Frey each drove in multiple runs.
“On home games, I’d say close to right before (the game starts), we throw (batting practice) to a lot of them quickly, like firm (and at) game speed,” Johnson said “And there was more of them down there because we had the three hour delay tonight. “And we had one thing we wanted to be a little better (at) than yesterday, and you had to because they do have good arms. And we were right (on top of it) from the first pitch of the game in terms of just ready to go and pouncing on mistakes.”
After the massive first inning, LSU got a run-scoring single from sophomore Jake Brown in the second and a two-run double
STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP
starting pitcher JR Tollett delivers a pitch during his four-hit shutout win over James Madison on Sunday.
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON LSU left fielder Derek Curiel yells towards the bench while heading to first in the first inning against Mississippi State on Saturday at Alex Box Stadium. ä See SWEEP, page 3C
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JENNy KANE
UCLA forward Janiah Barker shoots as LSU guard Mikaylah Williams defends during the first half of their Elite Eight game on Sunday in Spokane, Wash. Williams had a total 10 points in Sunday’s loss.
South Carolina returns to Final Four
BY DOUG FEINBERG AP basketball writer
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. Dawn Staley took a victory lap around the court, giving high-fives to fans and South Carolina’s band and even autographing the rear end of a baby’s pants.
The Gamecocks’ coach has her team back in a familiar place — the Final Four of the women’s NCAA Tournament This time, South Carolina had to grind out a close game to get there. Chloe Kitts scored 14 points and the defending champion Gamecocks reached the national semifinals for a fifth straight year, beating Duke 54-50 on Sunday
“It is not going to look pretty It’s not There’s stretches in each game that does not look pretty,” Staley said. “Some of it’s not going to look as smoothly as us coaches and players envision. How we practice. But you certainly have to get down and play the kind of game that’s presented in front of you. We’ll do that. If we’re not scoring a lot of points, we’ll up our defense.”
South Carolina did just that.
Now, Staley’s top-seeded Gamecocks are two wins away from becoming the first team to repeat as champions since UConn won four straight from 2013-16. South Carolina will play the winner of the Texas-TCU game that takes place Monday night.
The Final Four is Friday night in Tampa, Florida.
Second-seeded Duke was looking to get to its first national semifinals since 2006. That team lost in overtime to Maryland in the title game. The Blue Devils women were also looking to join the men’s program in the Final Four. South Carolina (34-3) was stymied for most of the game by Duke’s stingy defense The Gamecocks came in averaging 80.5 points, but points were difficult to come by Sunday
“I thought they forced us into taking some bad shots that almost ended our season, really especially in the first half,” Staley said. The game was tied at 46-all when Sania Feagin, who finished with 12 points, hit a jumper to
put the Gamecocks ahead with 4:21 left Kitts, who was named the Most Outstanding Player of the region, added two free throws 42 seconds later to make it 50-46.
Toby Fournier, who led Duke with 18 points scored with 3:21 left to get the Blue Devils (29-8) back within two.
The Blue Devils trailed 52-50 with 29.8 seconds left when South Carolina’s Bree Hall was called for an offensive foul on an inbound play, giving Duke a chance to tie or take the lead.
Duke worked the clocked down
before Ashlon Jackson airballed a 3-pointer from the wing with 7 seconds left. Hall got the rebound and South Carolina called timeout.
“Went with the ball in Ashlon’s hands as she had been making plays for us in the fourth quarter out of the ball screen,” Duke coach Kara Lawson said. “She tried to make a play and just missed it.” Kitts was fouled with 5.7 seconds left and calmly sank both free throws to seal the win, much to the delight of a majority of the 11,252 fans in attendance who traveled to Alabama.
Duke turned over the ball on
the ensuing inbound play and the Gamecocks ran out the clock.
“A lot of things we asked our players to do and they delivered in a big way,” Lawson said. “It wasn’t enough. Hold your head high, you competed. They competed as hard as you could. As a coach that’s all you can ask.”
The Blue Devils trailed 26-22 at the half before starting the third quarter with a 16-6 run to take their first lead since the opening minutes. Fournier’s layup with 2:27 left made it 38-32. The Gamecocks trailed 42-38 heading into the fourth.
Houston’s defense carries Cougars to 7th Final Four
BY MICHAEL MAROT
AP sportswriter
INDIANAPOLIS — Houston’s relentless, harassing defense had Tennessee’s shooters dancing around. Now, the Cougars are two-stepping it back to Texas.
L.J. Cryer finished with 17 points, Emanuel Sharp scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half and the nation’s stingiest defense delivered a historic NCAA Tournament performance, leading top-seeded Houston past secondseeded Tennessee 69-50 on Sunday for the Midwest Region title and its seventh trip to the Final Four Next up is Cooper Flagg and five-time national champion Duke on Saturday in San Antonio, just a 3 1/2-hour drive from Houston’s campus. First, the Cougars wanted to savor the journey they took to this net-cutting celebration, one that failed to materialize each of the past two seasons when they were eliminated in the Sweet 16 as a No. 1 seed.
“It’s a good feeling knowing what we’ve been through,” Sharp, the region’s most outstanding player, said of Houston’s first Final Four appearance since 2021.
“A lot of people doubted us.”
The Cougars (34-4) broke the school’s single-season record for wins, extended the nation’s longest active winning streak to 17 games and gave coach Kelvin Sampson a third chance to reach his first national championship game.
Houston has played on college basketball’s biggest stage twice, losing title games in
1983 to N.C. State and in 1984 to Georgetown during the Phi Slama Jama era.
They’re back this time thanks to Sharp, who made two of his four 3-pointers in quick succession to thwart a second-half charge from Tennessee.
Chaz Lanier and Jordan Gainey scored 17 points apiece for the Volunteers (30-8), who again fell short of the program’s first Final Four appearance. Coach Rick Barnes’ team was also eliminated in a regional final last year
Houston won this one with a familiar formula.
The nation’s top scoring defense held the Vols to 15 first-half points, the fewest in an Elite Eight game since 1979. It was also the lowest first-half scoring total by any No. 1 or No. 2 seed in a tourney game since seeding began that same year
“I feel like we always want to throw the first punch,” said Milos Uzan, who scored four points after making the decisive basket against Purdue. “Emanuel was able to get a jump ball early I feel like that shook those guys up a little bit and it was super important to keep our foot on their neck.”
The Cougars stayed locked in even when the Vols could have cut the deficit to single digits in the second half. The nation’s top 3-point shooting team quicklye extended the margin back to 17.
How bad was it for the Vols?
They made only 6 of 28 shots in the first 20 minutes and missed their first 14 3s before Zakai Zeigler finally ended the drought with 38 seconds left to make it
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By AJ MAST Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson holds the Midwest Region championship trophy after defeating Tennessee in the Elite Eight on Sunday in Indianapolis.
a 34-15 game, an all but insurmountable advantage. Tourney teams that trailed by 19 or more points at halftime fell to 0-244 alltime. Tennessee’s top scorers, Lanier and Zeigler, were a combined 5 of 27 from the field. Zeigler had five points and five assists. “When Zakai came off, it hurt me because I knew how much he cared. He said, ‘I’m sorry,’ ” Barnes said. “He’s got nothing to be sorry about because he gave us everything. I know those guys They know I’m an older guy, they
know I’d love to win a national championship, but they have not one thing to hang their head down or be sorry about.”
As the Vols head home, Houston is getting ready for this season’s last dance close to home. “There’s probably 16,000 Tennessee fans here,” Sampson said when told the attendance was about 18,500. “That’s awesome for Tennessee — jump on the interstate and get here. That’s what we’ll do next week — jump on the interstate and head down to San Antonio.”
Liberty re-sign two-time WNBA MVP Stewart
NEW YORK Breanna Stewart resigned with the New York Liberty on Saturday the team announced.
The move wasn’t a surprise after she helped lead the franchise to its first WNBA championship last year Stewart has won three league titles, the first two coming with Seattle. She earned WNBA MVP honors twice and was Finals MVP twice.
“Bringing Stewie back to the Liberty was our top priority this offseason,” New York GM Jonathan Kolb said.
“Her impact on and off the court is immeasurable she’s not only one of the best and most accomplished players in the world, but a leader whose relentless drive is foundational to the standard we continue to build upon in New York.”
New Mexico taps Olen as next basketball coach
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — New Mexico hired UC San Diego’s Eric Olen on Sunday as its next basketball coach. Olen will replace Richard Pitino, who left to become Xavier’s coach on Tuesday “Eric is a proven winner with an incredible track record,” New Mexico athletic director Fernando Lovo said in a statement. “Beyond the accolades and success on the court, he is a values-driven leader who puts student-athletes first.” Olen spent 21 years at San Diego, the last 12 as head coach, and guided the Tritons through their transition from Division II to Division I. San Diego qualified for the NCAA Tournament this season in its first year of eligibility after winning the Big West Conference regular-season and tournament titles. The Tritons lost to Michigan 68-65 in the first round.
Malinin glides to second figure skating worlds title
BOSTON Ilia Malinin walked toward the ice for his free skate at the world championships with the swagger of a conquering hero.
Then he backed up the bravado.
The 20-year-old from Fairfax, Virginia, laid down another highflying, high-energy program while defending his title Saturday night, earning a standing ovation inside TD Garden and capping a memorable home championships for the Americans, who won three gold medals in the four figure skating disciplines to take a wave of momentum into an Olympic year Malinin finished with a seasonbest 318.56 points after his free skate, set to “I’m Not a Vampire” by Falling In Reverse, to win his second gold medal by more than 31 points.
Former LIV golfer wins Hero Indian Open
NEW DELHI Former LIV Golf player Eugenio Chacarra overcame a slow start to win the Hero Indian Open for his first European tour title on Sunday Chacarra shot a 1-under 71 in the final round to finish at 4 under and clinch the victory in his ninth tournament on the European tour The Spaniard ended up two shots ahead of Japanese Keita Nakajima, who shot an even-par 72 in the final round. Chacharra, who was playing on a tournament invitation, won in his fifth LIV start but was left off the Fireballs roster for the 2025 season by fellow Spaniard Sergio Garcia.
“I’m very grateful for that opportunity,” he said, thanking organizers for the invitation. “You guys probably changed my life from today so thanks for that.”
Jets GM Mougey says Fields is starting QB PALM BEACH,Fla.— Justin Fields is the New York Jets’ QB1 right now — and they hope for the foreseeable future. While speaking to reporters Sunday at the NFL’s league meetings, new general manager Darren Mougey left no doubt as to who’s atop the Jets’ depth chart.
“We believe Justin is the starter,” Mougey said “We believe in Justin. We believe we can win with Justin, so we’re excited about Justin.”
The Jets signed Fields to a twoyear, $40 million contract including $30 million in guarantees — on March 10. The 26-year-old quarterback is making starter-type money, so Mougey’s declaration wasn’t a major surprise. But it at least cements his status at the moment ahead of veteran Tyrod Taylor — who Mougey said would be “right on his heels” — and
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By BUTCH DILL
South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley autographs a baby’s clothes after defeating Duke in an Elite Eight game to advance to the Final Four on Sunday in Birmingham Ala.
his intense focus.
“My best answer to that is what coach Deggs has been teaching me the last two weeks, taking one pitch at a time,” Tollett said. “He’s telling me to breathe in between each pitch and not see a finish line. I’ve never gone that far before, so I wasn’t even thinking about it.”
Obviously, Tollett’s approach worked. In nine innings, the Ruston High product hurled a four-hit shutout with no walks and 11 strikeouts. He threw 116 pitches.
“Strikeouts are accidents,” Tollett said. “I believe my defense. I just go right at the zone and I try to force contact. If they don’t hit it on a day like today, I’m racking up to some strikeouts. If you look at previous outings, I’m just getting quick, efficient innings trying to get the ball on the ground.”
Not even a throwing error with one out in the ninth messed with Tollett’s focus. He quickly sealed the deal with his 11th strikeout.
“It was kind of whatever coach G (pitching coach Gunner Leger) calls,” Tollett said. “It was a heavy sinker, cutter day for sure. That’s called pitching behind your fastball.” Tollett entered the game with a 2-2 record and a 4.44 ERA in eighth appearances, including three starts.
“My role is Mr TBA, it’s whenever they call my number,” he said. “That’s how I still look at it. I have experience from the bullpen last year and this year, and now I’ve got some experience starting. So it’s just whenever he calls my number.”
The Cajuns improved to 14-15 overall and 6-3 in Sun Belt play, while the Dukes dropped to 9-19 and 4-5. UL returns to play Tuesday at home against Northwestern State.
“I kept telling them, just keep showing up and use our adversity to our advantage, and let’s learn and grow during his tough time we were going through,” Deggs said. “We continue to do that.”
Tollett’s performance was especially needed after the game came off a marathon 8-7 win using six pitchers and a really short morning Saturday’s game ending at 12:27 a.m. Sunday UL’s leadoff hitter Caleb Stelly gave Tollett all the run support he’d need with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the first.
“We had a super late night last night,” Stelly said. “Nobody got a lot of sleep. We got here around 8 and ate
breakfast. We didn’t hit
much BP We kind of knew it would be grinder of a day
“Thank the Lord, everybody was healthy and we played well today.”
Conor Higgs added a solo homer in the fifth.
“You hear coach Deggs say that the schedule is starting to level off a little bit,” Stelly said. “The biggest thing is the errors. We only had one today. When we play ball like that good things happen.”
The second run was a pinch-hit RBI single to left from Casey Artigues — his first hit and RBI of the season after many quality plate appearances that didn’t go his way
“100%, he’s a competitive out,” Deggs said. “He’s a tough kid. You’re not going to strike him out and he’s going to swing at good pitches. It was just a matter of time.”
Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@theadvocate.com.
LSU pitcher Chase Shores delivers a pitch after taking a baseball to his left eye in the fourth inning against Mississippi State on Saturday. Shores finished the night with five strikeouts, two walks and five hits allowed in four innings
SWEEP
Continued from page 1C
from Dickinson in the fifth. The Tigers then scored two more runs in the sixth and another run in the seventh to take a 14-8 lead. In the eighth inning, the offense nearly ended the game early LSU scored three runs to grow its lead to nine before Frey flew out to deep right field to close out the inning. The Tigers had runners on first and second when the putout was made.
“It’s easy in a long day like today to lose yourself within the five (or) six hours that we’re waiting, or whatever it was,” Frey said. “Just staying mentally ready kind of helps prepare you for the game.”
Sophomore right-handed starter Chase Shores had an eventful night in his third SEC start. After a scoreless first inning, he allowed four earned runs on four hits in the second. He surrendered a oneout solo home run to senior Hunter Hines before giving up a bases clearing double that drove in three runs and cut LSU’s lead to 8-4.
Shores bounced back after that, throwing a scoreless third and fourth inning But before he finished his outing in the fourth, his left eye got hit by a bouncing
ball that deflected off the heal of his glove. The play resulted with him acquiring a bruised cheek and a cut at his eye brow
He stayed in the game despite the accident and forced a fielder’s choice to end the inning, stranding runners on first and third in the process.
“I’ve never seen it happen,” Frey said when asked how rare it was to see a pitcher stay on the bump after getting hit in the face. “I feel like that would have to be pretty rare.”
Shores finished the night with five strikeouts, two walks and five hits allowed in four innings.
“I think that’s a big step for him tonight,” Johnson said.
Junior left-hander Conner Ware replaced Shores in the fifthinningandtossedascoreless frame before freshman right-hander Mavrick Rizy allowed a run in the sixth.
Things then got rocky for LSU’s bullpen in the seventh. Sophomore left-hander DJ Primeaux walked a batter and hit the next one before exiting for junior righthander Connor Benge.
Benge surrendered a two-run double that shrunk LSU’s lead to six before he walked a batter and eventually found himself in another jam. The Bulldogs had two runners in scoring position with nobody out The Dallas Baptist trans-
BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer
Go figure with this UL softball team. There really is no telling from one day to another which pitcher is going to be the most effective.
On Sunday freshman right-hander Mallory Wheeler provided much needed stability in a Cajuns’ 9-5 victory over Coastal Carolina in Conway South Carolina.
In Wheeler’s three previous outings, the true freshman right-hander had allowed 16 hits, 17 runs, five walks and struck out four over seven innings.
Desperately needing to avoid a road sweep at Coastal, though, UL’s staff trusted her and Wheeler delivered in a big way After starter Tyra Clary followed a good — although tough luck — pitching performance in Friday’s 5-4 loss, the senior gave up
LSU
Continued from page 1C
Three Bruins scored in double figures, including star Lauren Betts, the 6-foot-7 center who scored 17 points, corralled 7 rebounds and blocked 6 shots.
UCLA’s leading scorer was Gabriela Jaquez, a junior guard who scored 18 points after nailing four of her five 3-point tries. Sophomore forward Timea Gardiner buried another five 3s.
“Betts did not beat us,” coach Kim Mulkey said. “We guarded her as tough as we could guard her. We did not take advantage of Betts being off the floor in the second quarter, and we allowed perimeter threes and other people to step up.”
These two teams met last season in the Sweet 16, a year to the day of the game they played on Sunday in the Elite Eight LSU won the 2024 matchup, sending a refocused, motivated UCLA team into this season eager to avenge the loss and potentially reach the Final Four for the first time in program history
The Bruins won enough contests to draw the tournament field’s No. 1 overall seed.
On Sunday, they looked the part. Even without Betts.
Officials whistled the first-team All-American center for a second foul at the 57-second mark of the first quarter That call forced Betts to the bench, where she sat for the entire second frame.
four runs in two innings Sunday Wheeler (7-4) then came in and gave up only one run on four hits, one walk and struck out five in five innings of winning relief.
As a result, UL got back to the .500 mark at 17-17 overall while improving to 4-5 in Sun Belt play Coastal dropped to 28-8 and 5-4 in league play UL will next play Wednesday at home against Louisiana Tech. While there’s been inconsistency in the circle, two hitters are beginning to display plenty of consistency in the middle of the lineup — Emily Smith and Sam Roe. In the first inning, Smith walked and Roe hit a tworun homer In the third, Erin Ardoin walked and Smith hit a tworun homer Laney Credeur tripled and scored on a passed ball in the fifth to give UL the
lead for good at 5-4. Fortunately for the Cajuns, they added some insurance runs in two of the final three innings. In the fifth, Ardoin singled and scored on Maddie Hayden’s RBI double. Hayden later scored on a throwing error on Mia Liscano’s stolen base.
Doubles form Hayden and
fer allowed a run, but he got a strikeout, a sacrifice fly out and a groundout to end the inning and keep LSU’s lead at 13-8 heading into the bottom of the seventh.
“A lot of the time I feel like we’re not getting ahead or we’re getting caught behind when we shouldn’t be,” Noot said “So really (we’re) just trying to hammer the zone and get ahead of everybody.”
Freshman left-hander Cooper Williams replaced Benge in the eighth inning and hit the lead off batter Noot then came in for Williams and forced a fly out and an inningending double play with runners on the corners to wiggle out of the eighth without allowing a run.
In the ninth, Noot finished the contest in the wee hours by tossing another scoreless inning.
“We were delayed for what? Five or six hours?” Noot said. “The locker room the whole time was just... electric. Everyone was just having fun, joking around, keeping loose vibes. Made it obviously easier to play together.”
LSU is back in action on Tuesday against Louisiana Tech at Alex Box Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and the game will be available to stream on SEC Network+.
Email Koki Riley at Koki Riley@theadvocate.com.
LSU, however, failed to take advantage.
UCLA won the minutes it played without Betts by 10 points By halftime, Williams and Johnson had scrounged together only
three buckets, Sa’Myah Smith had picked up her second foul, and the Bruins had canned five 3-pointers on only 10 attempts — enough to give themselves a 31-26 cushion ahead of the second-half action they’d play with Betts back on the floor
“Our defense on Betts was as good as we could do,” Mulkey said. “Our discipline defensively cost us. Examples would be when the shot clock was winding down, we are taught every day it’s a hot situation, and it’s an automatic switch, and we gave up several of those today, wide-open shots.”
But LSU nearly did enough across the third and fourth quarters to overcome the open looks they allowed in the first and second. UCLA just hit a few more shots in the fourth.
With 1:30 left, Jaquez snuck open in the right corner and buried the dagger 3-pointer — the bucket that put UCLA up 62-52.
“It was a good game,” Mulkey said. “It was a good game.”
The Elite Eight is the only round of the NCAA Tournament in which coach Kim Mulkey’s teams have a losing record. That mark,
with LSU’s loss to UCLA factored in, is now 5-8. A win would’ve given the Tigers’ their seventh trip to the Final Four But now, for the second year in a row, they suffered a loss that left them on the outside of that group looking in. Morrow is out of eligibility, and she’s soon expected to declare for the WNBA Draft. Johnson, a draft-eligible junior, can renounce her last year of eligibility and join Morrow in the pros if she wants to. The only other Tigers who cannot return next year are seniors Shayeann DayWilson and Amani Bartlett. Last-Tear Poa, a holdover from the 2023 national title team, is also a senior, but a recent NCAA rule change awarded her and other former junior-college athletes an extra year of eligibility LSU is set to add four freshmen, a group that comprises the nation’s No. 1 class. Next year, those newcomers, and potentially more from the transfer portal, will try to help the Tigers climb back over the Elite Eight hump.
Email Reed Darcey at reed.darcey@ theadvocate.com.
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP
UL center fielder Caleb Stelly, left, celebrates his home run with catcher Jose Torres during a game against James Madison on Sunday at Russo Park.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JENNy KANE LSU head coach Kim Mulkey talks to a referee during the
first half of an Elite Eight game against UCLA on Sunday in Spokane, Wash.
LIVING
HOW ‘LEMONADING’ GOT US THROUGH THE PANDEMIC
BY AVERY NEWMARK | Atlanta Journal-Constitution (TNS)
Five years after the start of the COVID pandemic, a study published recently in the journal Frontiers is reviving a mindset that helped people navigate lockdowns, job losses and endless uncertainty: “lemonading.”
Unlike toxic positivity, which ignores reality, lemonading uses humor and creativity to reframe challenges instead of letting them consume you.
The science behind ‘lemonade’
Researchers at Oregon State University studied why some people coped better than others. They surveyed more than 500 adults in early 2021 (during the second wave of COVID-19) to assess how their mindset shaped their ability to handle stress.
The results? Those who were naturally more playful (defined in the study as “lemonading”) or seeking joy, embracing spontaneity and not taking themselves too seriously were significantly more resilient in the face of uncertainty
Also, their optimism didn’t come at the expense of critical thinking; instead, it helped them approach
ä See LEMONADE, page 6C
GETTy IMAGES ILLUSTRATION
Dolly Parton ‘doing better’ after husband’s death
BY CHRISTIE D’ZURILLA
Los Angeles Times (TNS)
As the Grand Ole Opry marked 100 years, Reba McEntire said what many people may have been thinking: The party wasn’t the same without Dolly Parton throwing down.
“It’s been a great night of celebration, but of course, it’s just not the same without you,” McEntire
said to the country star, who per “Today” had appeared before the start of the show with a message on video. “Dolly, everybody here at the Opry and around the world wants to send you our thoughts and prayers. And you gotta know, we will always love you.” Last week the grieving Parton had reappeared in person in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, to sur-
prise fans at last Friday’s season passholders-only opening of Dollywood, where late husband Carl Dean had one rule.
“He bought his own ticket,” Parton told local outlet Knox News, aka the Knoxville News Sentinel, as the theme park kicked off its 40th season. “Stood in line and got his ticket. He didn’t want somebody giving him a ticket ’cause he was Dolly’s husband.
“Everybody thinks that’s the
funniest thing.” During his solo visits to the park, he would skip the roller coasters, grab a snack and just walk around looking at everything, she said. The country singer-songwriter whose husband died March 3 after nearly 60 years of marriage, told fans at the Dollywood opening last Friday that she had been
ä See PARTON, page 6C
Open dialogue key to explaining Alzheimer’s to a child
How can you help a young child understand Alzheimer’s disease?
Just as Alzheimer’s disease is unique in each affected individual, so is a child when it comes to discussions about the illness. What you say to the child and how you explain the disease process to him depends on his age, his level of comprehension, and developmental skills. He will not understand the biology of the disease, so be simplistic in your terms. For instance, talk about some illnesses of which he is familiar perhaps, or illnesses he has already experienced, such as chickenpox or measles. You can explain to him that while these illnesses have physical signs, Alzheimer’s is a sickness in the brain that no one can see. Then you can add that with this illness (Alzheimer’s), the brain makes the person with the condition forget or sometimes get angry but reassure the child that his loved one doesn’t mean to act that way Show understanding and reinforce that it is OK for the child to have feelings of sadness or anger Assure the child that no one caused the disease, as he may think he did something to cause the affected person to act the way he is behaving. There are various children’s books available that can illustrate the disease process in a simple, age-related way for young people, which might give a child a better understanding of the disease.
A few examples are:
n “What’s Happening to Grandpa?” by Maria Shriver n “Nice to Meet You
Again: Empowering Children to Find Joy and Understanding in Loved Ones with Dementia” by Suzanne Bottum-Jones n “Sometimes Even Elephants Forget: A Story About Alzheimer’s Disease for Young Children” by Kathleen Welch n “The Girl, the Star and the Spider” by Sherry Van Atta Smelley
It is also important to show the child that he can still talk to his loved one and that they can enjoy activities together Playing music and singing along, doing simple arts and crafts projects, and reading stories aloud are all examples of creative and enjoyable activities the child and loved one can enjoy together These special times will not only make the child more comfortable with his loved one and the situation at hand but will also give the loved one some much-needed socialization and external stimulation to maintain a quality of life. Additionally, they would both be strengthening their relationship in positive ways. Instead of thinking all the time that his loved one has a disease that’s taking his memory, the child will be making special memories with his loved one in the times they spend together The child will gain a greater sense of understanding of the disease process as well as develop compassion and empathy for
ALZHEIMER’S Q&A
Study suggests physical activity slows Alzheimer’s
Dear Doctors: What do you know about a study that says aerobics might be good for slowing down the progression of Alzheimer’s disease? I’ve read that being active helps your memory, but how would it affect an actual disease?
Dear reader: You are referring to a study conducted by researchers in Great Britain that appeared in the journal Brain Research
Dr. Elizabeth Ko Dr Eve Glazier ASK THE DOCTORS
And you are correct that it investigates the idea that regular physical activity can have a positive effect on the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. The study is part of a growing body of research into the role of physical activity in bolstering and preserving cognition. What makes it notable is that the findings offer clues to the question that you have posed, which is what causes the protective effect. Although the word Alzheimer’s has become shorthand for dementia, it is actually a specific form of the brain disorder Alzheimer’s disease is caused by the buildup in the brain of a sticky substance known as beta-amyloid protein. This protein collects into clumps known as plaques, which damage the neurons and disrupt neural pathways An erosion of the my-
elin sheath, the fatty membrane that surrounds and protects neurons, may also play a role in the formation of toxic proteins. The first area to be affected is the hippocampus, which is the part of the brain that allows us to form memories. As the disease progresses, it gradually begins to affect the areas of the cerebral cortex that are associated with reasoning, logic, language and behavior
Previous studies conducted in rodents have found that exercise can have a protective effect on the hippocampus. In this new study, researchers wanted to learn why Their test subjects were 10 geriatric rats who were old enough for their brains to have begun the physical changes associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Half of the rats were put on
Guess what? No one likes guessing
Dear Miss Manners: I am an accent nerd, especially about accents from Great Britain and its current and former colonies. I like to guess where people are from once I’ve heard them speak (not necessarily to me).
Judith Martin MISS MANNERS
In order to find out if my guess is correct, I have to start up a conversation with them. I usually start off by asking them if I am correct — but not quite so bluntly And then that usually leads to further conversation. Is it rude to start a conversation with a stranger by asking which country they are from? I genuinely want to know their background, not just to find out if my guess was correct.
Gentle reader: Here is an important general rule to apply to many such little ploys, including your own: Never make guesses about people. Never, ever Do not guess where they are from, do not guess whether they are pregnant, do not guess how old they are — just do not guess. And do not take this as permission to ask outright,
TODAY IN HISTORY
By The Associated Press
Today is Monday, March 31, the 90th day of 2025. There are 275 days left in the year Today in history: On March 31, 1968, at the conclusion of a nationally broadcast address on Vietnam, President Lyndon B. Johnson stunned listeners by declaring, “I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your president.”
Also on this date: In 1492, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain issued the Alhambra Decree, an edict expelling Jews from Spanish soil, except those willing to con-
LEMONADE
Continued from page 5C
uncertainty with flexibility and imagination rather than fear They found creative ways to adapt, turning living rooms into dance floors, hosting virtual game nights and jumping on the sourdough trend. Clinical psychologist Dr Linda Blair doubles on this theory explaining to Good Housekeeping that stress hijacks the brain’s fear center (the amygdala), making problem-solving harder A playful mindset, however helps override this stress
PARTON
Continued from page 5C
“crying enough” since his death. “I need to laugh. I need some fun, so I’m probably gonna be stupid,” she said.
vert to Christianity. In 1918, the United States first observed daylight saving time, moving clocks ahead one hour In 1995, Tejano music star Selena, 23, died after being shot by Yolanda Saldívar, the president of Selena’s fan club, who was found to have been embezzling money from the singer In 2004, four U.S civilian contractors were killed by Iraqi insurgents in Fallujah, Iraq; frenzied crowds then dragged the burned mutilated bodies and hanged two of them from a bridge. In 2005, Terri Schiavo, 41, died at a hospice in Pinellas Park, Florida, 13 days after her feeding tube was removed in a wrenching
response, opening the door to new possibilities. How to keep ‘lemonading’
As life continues to throw new challenges our way — from work burnout to dating mishaps we can all benefit from a little lemonading. Here are four tips from Self on how you can bring this mindset into your daily life: Reframe the narrative: Instead of thinking, “This situation sucks,” try asking, “What’s one small way I can make this better?” Have a laugh: Whether it’s a never-ending work meeting or a spilled coffee disaster, find the humor in the situation. It makes problems
Parton told Knox News in an interview that she was “at peace” with Dean being at peace, but said, “that don’t keep me from missing him and loving him.” He “suffered a great deal” at the end of his life, she told Knox News. “I’m doing better than I thought I would” since the death, she said separately “I’ve been with him 60 years. So, I’m going to have to relearn some of the things that we’ve done. But I’ll keep him always close.”
CHILDREN
Continued from page 5C
one-time discussion or lesson. Be sure to acknowledge any feelings or fears he may be experiencing as he continues to witness his
instead. In any case, you should not be eavesdropping.
It may be true that if you guess right, you could start a conversation. But even a correct guess could imply that the person doesn’t really belong here. There are less intrusive ways to get to know people, but you have led Miss Manners to believe that friendship, or even acquaintanceship, is not your objective; rather, it is playing your little guessing game. Please stop.
Send questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com.
right-to-die court battle that began in 1998.
In 2022, scientists announced they had finished fully sequencing the human genome, the full genetic blueprint for human life.
Today’s birthdays: Actor William Daniels is 98. Actor Richard Chamberlain is 91. Actor Shirley Jones is 91. Musician-producer Herb Alpert is 90. Actor Christopher Walken is 82. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, is 81. Former Vice President Al Gore is 77. Actor Rhea Perlman is 77. Rock musician Angus Young (AC/DC) is 70. Hockey Hall of Famer Pavel Bure is 54. Actor Ewan McGregor is 54. Actor Brian Tyree Henry is 43. Filmmaker Chloé Zhao is 43.
feel smaller, even the really sucky ones.
Stay curious: People who explored new hobbies during lockdown reported higher happiness levels. Keep that playful spirit alive by trying something new even if it’s just a different route to work. The time is now: You can’t live in the future. A present mindset is a key factor in lemonading. “Pay attention to how deeply and actively you engage in activities, rather than just going through the motions,” lead study author Dr. Xiangyou Shen told the publication. “At day’s end, swap ‘How productive was I?’ for ‘What moments of fun did I have?’”
Parton and Dean met outside a laundromat in 1964, when she was 18 and he was 21. They got married on Memorial Day 1966, and he stayed in the background for almost the entirety of their marriage.
Dean died March 3 in Nashville, Tennessee, at age 82. He is survived by Parton and his siblings, Sandra and Donnie.
My Grandchildren Taught Me About Alzheimer’s Disease.” She hosts “The Memory Whisperer.” Email her at thememorywhisperer@ gmail.com.
an eight-week exercise program.
This consisted of 30 minutes on an exercise wheel, five times per week. The other five, who served as the control group, remained sedentary
When the researchers examined the rat brains at the end of the study, they found measurable differences in the two groups.
The exercise group not only had a higher volume of normal neurons, but it also had lower amounts of the toxic proteins associated with Alzheimer’s disease. The exercise group also had lower amounts of a type of immune cell, which, when it malfunctions, is associated with age-related inflammation. The researchers concluded that regular physical activity may lead to beneficial changes in brain chemistry that reduce inflammation, slow
the accumulation of toxic proteins and, thus, improve the survival of neurons. This has consequences not only for people living with Alzheimer’s disease, but also for all adults as they reach older age. Although this was just one small study, the results are promising. The researchers are planning a human clinical trial. With an estimated 6.9 million people in the U.S. over the age of 65 now living with Alzheimer’s disease, any advances toward managing the disease are very good news. Send your questions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla. edu, or write: Ask the Doctors, c/o UCLA Health Sciences Media Relations, 10880 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1450, Los Angeles, CA, 90024.
Spaying and neutering pets
Dear Heloise: Boy I cannot say kudos enough to C.H., in Indiana, who wrote about the responsibility that owners should take when getting a pet — any type of pet. I live in town and feed about 2530 feral cats, some of which I believe actually come from a neighbor to eat. I also have seven that I had rescued, neutered, and given shots but had to keep inside because of their circumstances. When I can tame a feral cat enough to touch it, I take it to the vet to be neutered, checked for worms and ear mites, and given shots before I turn it loose Just letting any pet run loose on the theory that it can take care of itself is very wrong. Pets are at the mercy of humans. — Pattie S., Huntsville,Arkansas Pattie, as a member of a feral cat organization, I understand the problem of getting our pets neutered and spayed. Far too many
people don’t do it, and it’s really a shame. A neutered or spayed pet is usually calmer and cleaner than a pet that has not had this simple surgery Unlike a human, they do not long to have a family They go into “heat,” which is nature’s way of keeping the species alive. After their surgery they no longer have the urge to procreate. They won’t roam the neighborhood looking for a mate. Personally I feel that I owe it not only to my pets but to my neighbors to ensure that my pets are neutered or spayed and have their shots. If you truly love your pets, you need to take care that they don’t have a litter that could be hit by a cat, don’t get into fights, or don’t die a slow death by ingesting a poison of some kind. — Heloise Stopping cemetery theft
Dear Heloise: I wanted to respond to a recent letter
from Lynette M., in California, regarding the theft of bronze flower vases from cemeteries. Ask the cemetery to buy cast-iron vases. They have no value (they’re a penny a pound) to a thief, and they will not
Dana Territo is an Alzheimer’s advocate and author of “What
Hints from Heloise
ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Restructuring your routine, lifestyle or health routine to fit your objective will ease stress and help you become more efficient. Change begins with you and how you manage your time and money.
tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Review your options before you say or do something that can influence a meaningful relationship or your position. You can accomplish the most by setting high standards and working behind the scenes.
GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Communication is the best route forward. Realistically adapting your expectations will be necessary to make a difference. Strategize and be ready to go above and beyond the call of duty.
cAncER (June 21-July 22) Do the work yourself and you'll avoid setbacks. Be receptive to change and eager to take on projects that can highlight your abilities and lead to new opportunities.
LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) You may have to restructure what you do or how you deal with others to get things done. Stop dreaming and start doing before someone steps in and takes control. Put your energy into creative development.
VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Set limits to avoid debt and outside interference. Choose your direction based on what you can handle. Focus on your health and diet, and maintain balance and equality in all you pursue.
LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Live and learn. Participate in events that offer insight
into alternative ways to use your skills or market yourself. Open-mindedness and receptivity will lead to new beginnings.
scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Initiate plans. Your actions will position you for success. Networking events will offer insight into the possibilities. Communication is the key to valuable introductions.
sAGIttARIus (nov 23-Dec 21) Tread carefully. Someone will take advantage of you if you aren't explicit regarding what you are willing to do. An emotional situation will result in poor decisions.
cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Educate yourself before you take sides or participate in something questionable. Make a change if it will help you avoid a no-win situation. Make your surroundings more comfortable.
AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Keep your finger on the pulse and your mind on what matters. Express your intentions and desires, and find out where you stand. It's up to you to ask for what you want.
PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Don't waste precious time on people and pastimes that cause you grief. Seek out people who offer positive input and push you toward taking responsibility for your life and happiness.
The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2025 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication
Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.
toDAy's cLuE: t EQuALs c
FAMILY CIrCUS
CeLebrItY CIpher
For better or For WorSe
beetLe bAILeY Mother GooSe And GrIMM
Sudoku
InstructIons: Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.
Saturday’s Puzzle Answer
THe wiZard oF id
BLondie
BaBY BLueS
Hi and LoiS CurTiS
Answer
By PHILLIP ALDER Bridge
Will Rogers said, “People are getting smarter nowadays; they are letting lawyers,insteadoftheirconscience,betheir guide.”
At the bridge table, defenders have gottenmuchsmarteroverthelastcouple ofdecades,lettingtheirpartnersbetheir guide instead of guessing.
In this example deal, how should West plan the defense against three spades after he leads the club ace: jack, two, five?
Since South was vulnerable, had a relatively weak suit and 7-2-2-2 distribution, he opened with two spades, not three. No doubt North should have jumped to four spades, but that would have ruined the story.
West needs to find five tricks. There are two logical ways to procure them: East has the heart ace and the defenderscantaketwoclubs,twoheartsandthe spade king, promoted as a winner on the third round of hearts. Or East has acejack-thirdofdiamonds,givingEast-West two clubs and three diamonds. But how does West know which way to turn?
Under the club king, East can play his nine or his four Each can be used to send a suit-preference signal. Here, because East has the heart ace, in the higherranking of the other two side suits, he plays his club nine. Then West will know to cash his heart king and continue with his second heart. East will win with his ace and play a third heart, letting West score his spade king. Watch out for employing “useless” cards for suit-preference signals when attitude and count are either known or irrelevant.
© 2025 by NEA, Inc., dist.
By Andrews McMeel Syndication
wuzzles
Each Wuzzle is a word riddle which creates a disguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD = GOOD AFTERNOON
InstRuctIons:
toDAy’s WoRD
Previous answers:
sAtuRDAy’s WoRD — EPARcHy
thought “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour:” 1 Peter 5:8
Bizarro
hagar the horriBle
Pearls Before swiNe
