dered, and a level of shock unseen since COVID’s outbreak tore through financial markets worldwide Thursday on worries about the damage President Donald Trump’s newest set of tariffs could do to economies across continents, including his own
The S&P 500 sank 4.8%, more than in major markets across Asia and Europe, for its worst day since the pandemic crashed the economy in 2020. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1,679 points, or 4%, and the Nasdaq composite tumbled 6%.
Little was spared in financial markets as fear flared about the potentially toxic mix of weakening economic growth and higher inflation that tariffs can create.
Everything from crude oil to Big Tech stocks to the value of the U.S dollar against other currencies fell. Even gold, which hit records recently as investors sought something safer to own, pulled lower Some of the worst hits walloped smaller U.S. companies, and the Russell 2000 index of smaller stocks dropped 6.6% to pull more than 20% below its record.
Investors worldwide knew Trump was going to announce a sweeping set of tariffs late Wednesday, and fears surrounding it had already pulled Wall Street’s main measure of health, the S&P 500 index, 10% below its all-time high. But Trump still managed to surprise them with “the worst case scenario for tariffs,” according to Mary Ann Bartels, chief investment officer at Sanctuary Wealth.
Trump announced a minimum tariff of 10% on imports, with the tax rate running much higher on products from certain countries like China and those from the European Union. It’s “plausible” the tariffs altogether, which would rival levels unseen in roughly a century, could knock down U.S. economic growth by 2 percentage points
Louisiana businesses brace for price hikes from tariffs
BY BLAKE PATERSON Staff writer
Louisiana businesses scrambled Thursday to understand the impact to the state and their industries of President Donald Trump’s sweeping new tariffs, as many braced for higher prices and the uncertainty that a trade war might bring.
“Nobody is immune to this. Starbucks is going to raise prices. McDonald’s is going to raise prices.”
BOB ARCENEAUX, owner of Orleans Coffee
Trump said Wednesday that he was placing 10% acrossthe-board tariffs on all imports into the U.S., with sharply higher duties on imports from a number of trading partners, including a 34% tariff on China and a 20% tariff on goods from the European Union. Administration officials and Republican members of Louisiana’s congressional delegation argued the tariffs would lead to stronger trade deals and result in more domestic manufacturing in the long run. Economists say the new tariffs are likely to raise prices of goods for Americans by thousands of dollars each year while slowing the U.S economy
La. schools must end
State education chief agrees with directive
BY PATRICK WALL Staff writer
Active hurricane season expected
17 named storms predicted, including 9 hurricanes
BY KASEY BUBNASH Staff writer
Hurricane researchers at Colorado State University are predicting above-average activity during the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, citing warmer-than-normal temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean and the unlikely return of El Niño conditions by the season’s peak. Researchers said Thursday at the National Tropical Weather Conference that they expect the coming season to produce 17 named storms, including nine hurricanes. Four of those are expected to develop into major hurricanes of Category 3 strength or above.
In Louisiana, industry groups and businesses big and small were bracing for the potential upheaval. Auto dealers, homebuilders, restaurants, and even coffee roasters anticipate higher prices for consumers. There are some fears that large industrial projects in the state could stall as the costs of raw materials soar and demand for petrochemical products and other materials slumps. As stock markets tumbled in response to Trump’s announcement, Bob Arceneaux, owner of Orleans Coffee, a New Orleans-based wholesale roaster of specialty beans,
ä See BRACE, page 5A
DEI programs
The Trump administration is giving states 10 days to certify that schools are not engaged in what it considers illegal practices related to diversity equity and inclusion — an order that could potentially threaten funding for some Louisiana schools. In a letter Thursday, the Department of Education said state education agencies and school districts must affirm in writing that schools are complying with anti-discrimination laws Programs that promote diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, by favoring students of one race over another violate federal law and could lead to a loss of federal funding or other sanctions, the department said.
“The continued use of illegal DEI practices may subject the individual or entity using such practices to serious consequences,” states the certification form that state agencies and school districts must sign.
The directive is the latest attack on diversity efforts at colleges and K-12 schools, which the Trump administration says have discriminated against White and Asian students by seeking
ä See DEI, page 7A
This year’s April outlook may be above average, but as CSU senior research scientist Phil Klotzbach said, “it’s not as active as we were forecasting last year at this time.” CSU predicted the 2024 season would be “extremely active” with 23 named storms, including 11 hurricanes and five major hurricanes, the highest number of hurricanes ever predicted by CSU. When all was said and done, CSU’s initial forecast wasn’t too far off: Last year saw a total of 19 named storms and 11 hurricanes, with five of them classified as major Klotzbach and his team said tropical activity in the coming season, which starts on June 1 and ends Nov 30, will likely be fueled by similar conditions, mainly aboveaverage sea surface temperatures in the subtropical eastern Atlantic and Caribbean Sea.
A hurricane’s fuel source is warm ocean water so a warm Atlantic tends to favor an aboveaverage season When waters in the eastern subtropical Atlantic are much warmer than normal in the spring, as they are now it often creates conditions that lead to continued above-average temperatures in the tropical Atlantic through the peak of hurricane season from August to October
A warm Atlantic can also lead to lower atmospheric pressure and a more unstable atmosphere, both of which can aid the formation of hurricanes.
La Niña conditions emerged in
federal funding
STAFF FILE PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER
The Port of New Orleans is an international container port
ä Louisiana’s Democratic congressmen seeking information on proposed overhaul of FEMA. PAGE 1B
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By JACQUELyN MARTIN
The U.S Education Department, led by Secretary Linda McMahon, says states must affirm that schools are not engaged in ‘illegal DEI practices.’ Otherwise, they could lose
Pentagon watchdog to review use of Signal app
WASHINGTON The Pentagon’s acting inspector general announced Thursday that he would review Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s use of the Signal messaging app to convey plans for a military strike against Houthi militants in Yemen The review will also look at other defense officials’ use of the publicly available encrypted app, which is not able to handle classified material and is not part of the Defense Department’s secure communications network.
Hegseth’s use of the app came to light when a journalist, Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic, was inadvertently added to a Signal text chain by national security adviser Mike Waltz. The chain included Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and others, brought together to discuss March 15 military operations against the Iran-backed Houthis.
“The objective of this evaluation is to determine the extent to which the Secretary of Defense and other DoD personnel complied with DoD policies and procedures for the use of a commercial messaging application for official business,” the acting inspector general, Steven Stebbins, said in a notification letter to Hegseth.
The letter also said his office “will review compliance with classification and records retention requirements.”
Hungary plans to quit ICC as Netanyahu visits
BUDAPEST, Hungary Hungary will begin the process of withdrawing from the International Criminal Court, an official said Thursday, just as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived to red carpet treatment in the country’s capital despite an arrest warrant from the world’s only permanent global tribunal for war crimes and genocide.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán gave the Israeli leader a welcome with full military honors in Budapest’s Castle District.
The two close allies stood side by side as a military band played and an elaborate procession of soldiers on horseback and carrying swords and bayoneted rifles marched by As the ceremony unfolded, Orbán’s chief of staff, Gergely Gulyás, released a brief statement saying that “the government will initiate the withdrawal procedure” for leaving the court, which could take a year or more to complete.
Orbán later said that he believes the ICC is “a political court.” Netanyahu’s visit to Hungary which is scheduled to last until Sunday, was only his second foreign trip since the ICC issued the warrant against him in November
The ICC, based in The Hague, Netherlands, said when issuing its warrant that there was reason to believe Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant had committed crimes against humanity in connection with the war in Gaza.
N.Y. Mayor Adams to run as independent
New York City Mayor Eric Adams withdrew from the city’s Democratic primary on Thursday and said he would instead run for reelection as an independent, a move intended to buy him time to save a campaign deeply wounded by a bribery scandal and liberal anger over his warm relationship with President Donald Trump.
In a video announcement, Adams said he will not run in the Democratic primary in June because his recently dismissed criminal case “dragged on too long” while the “false accusations were held over me,” preventing him from campaigning. The decision came after intense speculation over whether Adams would remain in the Democratic primary, which has attracted several serious opponents, including former New York Gov Andrew Cuomo.
ASSOCIATED
William Fraser takes photographs inside the warehouse of a damaged building of Specialty Distributors on Thursday after a tornado passed through an industrial park in Jeffersontown, Ky.
Storms kill 6 in the South and Midwest
Forecasters warn of catastrophic rains, floods this week
BY ADRIAN SAINZ, GEORGE WALKER IV and JOHN SEEWER Associated Press
LAKE CITY, Ark. — Tornadoes and violent winds flattened homes and ripped apart buildings from Oklahoma to Indiana in the first round of storms that are expected to bring record-setting rains and lifethreatening flash floods across the nation’s midsection in the coming days.
At least six people were killed in western Tennessee, Missouri and Indiana in the first wave on Wednesday and early Thursday that spawned powerful tornadoes — one launching light debris nearly 5 miles above the ground in Arkansas.
Tennessee Gov Bill Lee, after touring the devastation, said Thursday it was too early to know whether there were more deaths as searches persisted.
Workers on bulldozers cleared rubble along the highway that crosses through Lake City, Arkansas, where a tornado packing winds of 150 mph sheared the roofs off homes, collapsed brick walls and tossed cars into trees.
“I don’t really know how to explain it,” said Cody Ferguson, who hid in a storm shelter with neighbors while the twister roared above them. “Just real loud rumbling, a lot of bangs, debris.”
His home that he built from the ground up was demolished, and he said a neighbor across the street was seriously injured.
Those killed included a man and his teenage daughter whose home was destroyed in western Tennessee, and a man who died after his pickup struck downed power lines in Indiana.
Forecasters on Thursday warned of catastrophic weather soon ahead. Satellite imagery showed thunderstorms lining up like freight trains — taking the same tracks over communities in Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky according to the national Weather Prediction Center in Maryland.
The bull’s-eye centered on a swath along the Mississippi River and included the more than 1.3 million people around Memphis, Tennessee.
More than 90 million people were at risk of severe weather — from Texas to Minnesota and Maine, according to the Oklahoma-based Storm Prediction Center
Round after round of heavy rains are expected in the central U.S. through Saturday and could produce dangerous flash floods capable of sweeping away cars. The potent storm system will bring “significant, life-threatening flash flooding” each day, the National Weather Service said. With more than a foot of rain possible
over the next four days, the prolonged deluge “happens once in a generation to once in a lifetime,” the weather service said. “Historic rainfall totals and impacts are possible.”
Water rescue teams and sandbagging operations were being staged across the region, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency was ready to distribute food, water, cots and generators.
Water rescues were already underway on Thursday in flooded parts of Nashville, Tennessee, where the rain could persist for days after an unnerving night of tornado warnings that drained the batteries of some sirens across the city, the fire department said.
Western Kentucky residents were bracing for historic amounts of rain and flooding in places that normally don’t get overwhelmed by water Gov Andy Beshear said.
Flash flooding is particularly worrisome in rural areas of the state, where floodwaters can quickly rush off the mountains into the hollows. Less than four years ago, dozens died in flooding across eastern Kentucky Extreme flooding across the corridor that includes Louisville, Kentucky, and Memphis, which have major cargo hubs, also could lead to major shipping and supply chain delays, said Jonathan Porter, chief meteorologist at AccuWeather
Forecasters attributed the violent weather to warm temperatures, an unstable atmosphere, strong wind shear and abundant moisture streaming from the Gulf.
Under darkened skies Thursday morning, the remains of a used car dealership in Selmer, Tennessee, stood roofless and gutted by the storm. Shards of debris scattered across the car lot and wrapped around mangled trees. Some homes were leveled to their foundations around the town where three tornadoes were suspected of touching down.
“Thank God we came out without a scratch,” said Willie Barnes, who had only enough time to get in a bathroom with his wife before the storm wrecked his home.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol released video of lightning illuminating the sky as first responders scoured the rubble of a decimated home in Selmer early Thursday morning, looking for anyone trapped
In neighboring Arkansas, a tornado near Blytheville lofted debris at least 25,000 feet, according to weather service meteorologist Chelly Amin. The state’s emergency management office reported damage in 22 counties from tornadoes, wind gusts, hail and flash flooding.
Mississippi’s governor said at least 60 homes were damaged. In far western Kentucky, four people were injured while taking shelter in a vehicle under a church carport, said the emergency management office in Ballard County.
Judge to temporarily block billions in health funding cuts to states
BY DEVNA BOSE AP health writer
A federal judge will temporarily block President Donald Trump’s administration from cutting billions in federal dollars that support COVID-19 initiatives and public health projects throughout the country
U.S District Judge Mary McElroy, appointed by Trump in 2019 but first nominated by former President Barack Obama, in Rhode Island said Thursday that she plans to grant the court order sought by 23 states and the District of Columbia
“They make a case, a strong case for the fact that they will succeed on the merits, so I’m going to grant the temporary restraining order,” said McElroy, who plans to issue a written ruling later New York Attorney General Letitia James tweeted about the judge’s deci-
sion immediately after the hearing, saying: “We’re going to continue our lawsuit and fight to ensure states can provide the medical services Americans need.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Leslie Kane objected to the temporary restraining order in court but she said she was limited in the argument she could make against it, adding that her office was unable to thoroughly review the thousands of documents under the time limitation.
The states’ lawsuit, filed Tuesday sought to immediately stop the $11 billion in cuts.
The money was allocated by Congress during the pandemic and mostly used for COVID-related initiatives, as well as for mental health and substance use efforts.
The lawsuit said losing the money would devastate U.S. public health infrastructure, putting states “at greater risk for future pandemics and the spread of otherwise preventable disease and cutting off vital public health services.”
Trump fires ‘some’ National Security Council officials
Move comes after far-right activist raises staff loyalty concerns
BY MATTHEW LEE, AAMER MADHANI and ZEKE MILLER Associated Press
WASHINGTON President
Donald Trump said Thursday that he’s fired “some” White House National Security Council officials, a move that comes a day after far-right activist Laura Loomer raised concerns directly to him about staff loyalty
Trump downplayed
Loomer’s influence on the firings. But Loomer, during her Oval Office conversation with Trump urged the president to purge staffers she deemed insufficiently loyal to his “Make America Great Again” agenda, according to several people familiar with the matter They all spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive personnel manner
Vice President JD Vance, chief of staff Susie Wiles, national security adviser Mike Waltz and Sergio Gor, director of the Presidential Personnel Office, also took part in the meeting with Loomer, the people said.
“Always we’re letting go of people,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he made his way to Miami on Thursday afternoon. “People that we don’t like or people that we don’t think can do the job or people that may have loyalties to somebody else.”
The firings by Trump of NSC staff comes at a tumultuous moment for Waltz, as he fights calls for his ouster after using the publicly available encrypted Signal app to discuss planning for the sensitive March 15 military operation targeting Houthi militants in Yemen. Trump has said he stands by Waltz, who traveled to Florida with Trump on Thursday for a dinner event ahead of the LIV Golf tournament in Miami.
The Presidential Per-
sonnel Office has fired at least three senior NSC officials and multiple lower-ranking aides since Wednesday’s meeting with Loomer, according to the people familiar with the situation. NSC spokesman Brian Hughes declined to comment on the meeting or the firings, saying the White House does not discuss personnel matters.
“Laura Loomer is a very good patriot. She is a very strong person,” said Trump, who described the far-right activist as usually “constructive.”
Trump acknowledged that Loomer “recommended certain people for jobs.”
“Sometimes I listen to those recommendations like I do with everybody,” Trump said. “I listen to everybody than I make a decision.”
Loomer, who has promoted 9/11 conspiracy theories, was a frequent presence on the campaign trail during Trump’s 2024 successful White House run. More recently, she’s been speaking out on social media about members of Trump’s national security team that she insists can’t be trusted.
“It was an honor to meet with President Trump and present him with my research findings,” Loomer said in a Thursday posting on X. “I will continue working hard to support his agenda, and I will continue reiterating the importance of, and the necessity of STRONG VETTING, for the sake of protecting the President of the United States of America, and our national security.”
The NSC officials fired include Brian Walsh, a director for intelligence; Thomas Boodry, a senior director for legislative affairs; and David Feith, a senior director for technology and national security, according two people familiar with the matter.
DEIR AL BALAH, Gaza Strip Israeli airstrikes killed at least 100 Palestinians acrossthe Gaza Strip on Thursday,including 27 or more sheltering at aschool in thenorth, according to Palestinian medical authorities, in a stepped-up offensive that Israel’smilitary said is intended to put new pressure on Hamas and eventually expel the militant group
The bodies of 14 children and five women were recovered from the school in the Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza City,and the death tollcould stillrisebecause some of the 70 wounded had critical injuries,saidHealth Ministryspokesman Zaher al-Wahidi. Morethan 30 other Gaza residents were killed in strikes on homes in the nearby neighborhoodof Shijaiyah, he said, citing records at Ahli Hospital
The Israeli military said it struck a“Hamas command andcontrol center”inthe Gaza City area, and saidit took steps to lessenharm to civilians. Israel gave the same reason—striking Hamas militants in a“command and control center” —for attacking aUnited Nations building used as a shelter aday earlier,killing at least 17 people.
Hamas condemned the strike on theschool, calling it a“heinous massacre” of innocent civilians.
The Israeli military on Thursday ordered more residents in parts of northern Gaza to movewest and south to shelters, warning that it planned to “work with extreme force in your area.
Anumber of the Palestinians leaving the targeted areas did so on foot, with some carrying their belongings on their backs and others using donkey carts.
“My wife and Ihave been
BY DAVID RISING Associated Press
BANGKOK The death toll from the earthquake that hit Myanmar nearly aweek ago rose Thursday to 3,145 as search and rescue teams found more bodies, the military-led government said, and humanitarian aid groups scrambled to provide survivors medical care and shelter Information Minister MaungMaung Ohnalso announced at ameeting in the capital, Naypyitaw,that 4,589 peoplewere injured and 221 others were missing, state television MRTV reported. The epicenter of the 7.7-magnitude quake on March 28 was near Mandalay,Myanmar’ssecondlargest city.Itbrought down thousands of buildings, buckled roads and destroyed bridges in multiple regions. Local media reports of casualties have been much higher than the officialfigures. With telecommunications widely out and many places difficult to reach, the numberscould rise sharply as more details come in
walking for three hours coveringonly one kilometer,” saidMohammad Ermana, 72. The couple, clasping hands,each walked with acane. “I’m searching for shelters every hournow,not every day,” hesaid Israel has issued sweeping evacuation orders forparts of northernGaza aheadof expected ground operations. The United Nationshumanitarian officesaidaround 280,000 Palestinians have been displaced since Israel ended the ceasefire with Hamas last month. Thefresh evacuation orders came aday after senior government officials said Israel said it would seize large
partsofthe Palestinian territory and establish anew security corridor acrossit.
To pressure Hamas, Israel has imposed amonthlong blockadeonfood,fueland humanitarianaid that has left civilians facing acute shortages as suppliesdwindle —atactic thatrights groups say is awar crime. Hamas saysitwill only releasethe remaining 59 hostages —24ofwhomare believed to be alive— in exchange for the release of morePalestinianprisoners, alasting ceasefireand an Israeli pullout from Gaza. The group has rejected demands that it lay down itsarms or leave the territory
Overnight strikes by Israel killed at least 55 people in theGaza Strip, hospital officials said Thursday In thesouthern city of Khan Younis, officialssaid the bodies of 14 people had been taken to Nasser Hospital—nine of them from the same family.The dead includedfive children and four women. The bodies of another 19 people, including five children agedbetween 1and 7years anda pregnant woman,were taken to the European hospitalnear Khan Younis, hospitalofficials said. In GazaCity, 21 bodies were taken to Ahli hospital, including those of seven children.
ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOByJEHAD ALSHRAFI yamama Jundia, 13, whowas injured in an Israeliairstrike grievesalongside others over the bodies of their relatives, whowere killed in the samestrike Thursdayatthe Baptist Hospital in GazaCity
leather sandal in tan,
Death row inmates file challenges
Defense attorneys ask La. Supreme Court to overturn executions
BY JOHN SIMERMAN Staff writer
Attorneys for two Louisiana death row inmates with pending execution dates filed challenges this week at the Louisiana Supreme Court, arguing that their death warrants are premature.
“The beginning of executions in Louisiana via nitrogen gas does not authorize the state to execute an individual who has never exhausted their appeals,” wrote attorneys Zachary Orjuela and Russell Barksdale in a writ filed late Wednesday on behalf of death row inmate Darrell Draughn of Caddo Parish.
Attorneys for Marcus Reed, another Caddo Parish death row inmate, filed a similar writ.
District Judge Donald Hathaway recently signed warrants setting a May 28 execution date for Draughn, and a June 4 date for Reed at the request of Caddo Parish District Attorney James Stewart’s office.
Prosecutors argued that Draughn, 54, effectively abandoned his post-conviction claim years ago, and that Reed, 47, waited too long for a lawyer to file one for him, after a legal process in which his lawyers were jettisoned from the case.
Hathaway’s signature on the two warrants places Draughn and Reed at the center of a pitched legal battle over the state’s ability to execute any of the 55 prisoners who remain on death row following the March 18 execution of Jessie Hoffman Jr., which ended a 15-year hiatus for executions in Louisiana.
Ivy Woodard, a spokesperson for Stewart, insisted the two have exhausted their appeals.
“This is just the next step in the process,” she said. “The court is going to have the final say.”
Attorney General Liz Murrill said she’ll assist Stewart’s office in defending the two Caddo Parish warrants. The night of Hoffman’s execution, Murrill said she would push to “clear the underbrush” and move forward on death penalty cases that have sat dormant in courts for years.
Many state post-conviction cases involving death row inmates in Louisiana have sat idle, often for years, with neither side moving them forward, according to records.
Capital defense attorneys note that courts in Louisiana and nationally have repeatedly turned back death warrants where the prisoners hadn’t exhausted their state post-conviction or federal habeas corpus rights.
“If a state tries to set an execution date before the prisoner has completed their appeals, they are ordinarily entitled to a stay of execution,” said Robin Maher, executive director of the
Attorneys for two Louisiana death row inmates with pending execution dates filed challenges this week at the Louisiana Supreme Court, arguing that their
warrants are premature.
nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center “It would be extraordinary for a state actor to request an execution date before the prisoner has completed their appeals.”
Murrill and some district attorneys are pressing the issue, however.
Hoffman’s execution was Louisiana’s first using nitrogen gas, following a new law that Gov. Jeff Landry signed last year Hoffman’s attorneys had acknowledged that he had exhausted his appeals.
The case of Draughn is “in a dramatically different posture,” his attorneys argue.
Draughn was convicted and sentenced to death in 2003 for the murder of 64-year-old Lauretta White of Shreveport. White was found on April 6, 2000, in a pool of blood in her kitchen, in what appeared to be a robbery gone awry She’d been stabbed numerous times.
An anonymous tip six months after the killing led to Draughn, then a 29-yearold neighbor who denied ever being in the house but agreed to provide his DNA, according to court records. Authorities found a match.
Draughn had an alibi supported by family, claiming he was three houses down at his grandmother’s when White was killed. But the jury didn’t buy it, and the Louisiana Supreme Court in 2007 denied his direct appeal.
Draughn’s attorneys argued Wednesday that the district attorney’s office had no problem with an extension requested in 2011 to file a post-conviction plea. A judge never ruled, and the last activity in the case came that year — until Stewart’s office sought an execution date last month.
Death row prisoners frequently file their own pro se” shell petitions as placeholders. Draughn’s lawyers say Louisiana courts haven’t allowed an execution to go forward in the modern era where the condemned person didn’t have a lawyer to supplement it.
“If this Court does not intervene, Mr Draughn will be the first condemned inmate in Louisiana to be denied the right to file a counseled postconviction application, and he will be pushed towards an execution without any court hearing his state post-conviction or Federal Habeas claims,” they wrote. “This would be unheard of in both
this state and the nation.”
Reed was convicted of murdering three brothers in August 2010 after a burglary at his home. The bodies of Jeremiah, 20; Jarquis, 18; and Gene Adams, 13; were found in Jeremiah’s silver Chevrolet Malibu, parked in the front yard of Reed’s home.
At trial, Reed claimed selfdefense, but the Louisiana Supreme Court upheld his conviction and death sentence. The court found credible a pair of witnesses who testified that Reed “emerged from the darkness of the woods shooting at Jarquis, who was not carrying a weapon and who did not threaten or attack the defendant.”
The witnesses said Reed wore latex gloves and “proceeded clockwise around the vehicle, shooting out the windows in the process, as he savagely and without provocation killed 13-yearold Gene and oldest brother Jeremiah before completing his circuit by again shooting a motionless Jarquis in the head as he lay on the ground.”
Stewart argues that Reed lost his chance at post-conviction relief by failing to supplement his shell petition, which he filed pro se. Prosecutors pointed to a legal fight in 2019, when the DA challenged Reed’s representation by a team led by attorney Blythe Taplin, who had also represented Reed on appeal.
The judge at the time had set a Dec. 30, 2019, deadline for Reed’s attorneys to supplement his petition, but the removal of the lawyers confounded that plan, and the deadline was stayed.
“Due entirely to actions of the State in prompting the removal of Mr Reed’s qualified counsel, Mr. Reed has not yet had an opportunity to avail himself of his statutory right to counsel” in post-conviction, wrote Nalia Campbell and Talia MacMath of the Mwalimu Center for Justice in their new filing.
Taplin argued at the time that the district attorney’s successful bid to remove her was a response to records requests she’d filed with the District Attorney’s Office. On Thursday, Taplin said a team had been actively preparing Reed’s post-conviction application when they were tossed.
“It’s shocking to see that
BY LINDSAY WHITEHURST and CHRISTINA A. CASSIDY Associated Press
WASHINGTON Democratic officials in 19 states filed a lawsuit Thursday against President Donald Trump’s attempt to reshape elections across the U.S., calling it an unconstitutional invasion of states’ clear authority to run their own elections.
The lawsuit is the fourth against the executive order issued just a week ago. It seeks to block key aspects of it, including new requirements that people provide documentary proof of citizenship when registering to vote and a demand that all mail ballots be received by Election Day
“The President has no power to do any of this,” the state attorneys general wrote in court documents. “The Elec-
tions EO is unconstitutional, antidemocratic, and unAmerican.”
Trump’s order said the U.S. has failed “to enforce basic and necessary election protection.” Election officials have said recent elections have been among the most secure in U.S. history There has been no indication of any widespread fraud, including when Trump lost to Democrat Joe Biden in 2020. The order is the culmination of Trump’s long-standing complaints about how U.S. elections are run. After his first win in 2016, Trump false-
the DA is now asking for an execution warrant and complaining about delay given the role that his office has played,” she said in a statement
STAFF FILE PHOTO By TED JACKSON
death
TARIFFS
Continued from page 1A
this year and raise inflation close to 5%, according to UBS.
Such a hit would be so big that it “makes one’s rational mind regard the possibility of them sticking as low,” according to Bhanu Baweja and other strategists at UBS.
Trump has previously said tariffs could cause “a little disturbance” in the economy and markets, and on Thursday he again downplayed the impact as he left the White House to fly to Florida.
Thursday
“I think it’s going very well,” he said. “We have an operation, like when a patient gets operated on and it’s a big thing. I said this would exactly be the way it is.”
One wild card is that the Federal Reserve could cut interest rates in order to support the economy That’s what it had been doing late last year before pausing in 2025. Lower interest rates help by making it easier for U.S. companies and households to borrow and spend.
economy, they can also push upward on inflation. And worries are already worsening about that because of tariffs, with U.S. households in particular bracing for sharp increases to their bills. The U.S. economy at the moment is still growing, of course. A report on Thursday said fewer U.S. workers applied for unemployment benefits last week. Economists had been expecting to see an uptick in joblessness, and a relatively solid job market has been the linchpin keeping the economy out of recession.
“The markets are going to boom, the stock is going to boom and the country is going to boom,” Trump said. Wall Street had long assumed Trump would use tariffs merely as a tool for negotiations with other countries, rather than as a longterm policy But Wednesday’s announcement may suggest Trump sees tariffs more as helping to solve an ideological goal than as an opening bet in a poker game. Trump on Wednesday talked about wresting manufacturing jobs back to the United States, a process that could take years.
down 11.8% from its record set in February
nouncement on Wednesday as more of an opening move than an endpoint for policy
Yields on Treasurys tumbled in part on rising expectations for coming cuts to rates, along with general fear about the health of the U.S. economy The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.04% from 4.20% late Wednesday and from roughly 4.80% in January
A separate report said activity for U.S. transportation, finance and other businesses in the services industry grew last month. But the growth was weaker than expected, and businesses gave a mixed picture of how they see conditions.
If Trump follows through on his tariffs, stock prices may need to fall much more than 10% from their all-time high in order to reflect the recession that could follow, along with the hit to profits that U.S. companies could take. The S&P 500 is now
“Markets may actually be underreacting, especially if these rates turn out to be final, given the potential knock-on effects to global consumption and trade,” said Sean Sun, portfolio manager at Thornburg Investment Management, though he sees Trump’s an-
Trump offered an upbeat reaction after he was asked about the market’s drop as he left the White House to fly to his Florida golf club on
That’s a huge move for the bond market. The Fed may have less freedom to move than it would like, though. While lower rates can goose the
Worries about a potentially stagnating economy and high inflation knocked down all kinds of stocks, leading to drops for 4 out of every 5 that make up the S&P 500.
thought about what price hikes might be ahead for the raw beans he imports from Brazil, Colombia, East Africa and “every country in Central America.”
“Nobody is immune to this,” said Bob Arceneaux, who said there’s no question the price of a cup of coffee is going to go up. “Starbucks is going to raise prices. McDonald’s is going to raise prices.”
Nobody knows the full impact that the latest tariffs may have on Louisiana’s economy But an analysis from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas from 2018 estimated that Louisiana, which is a major exporter of refined products and has a high concentration of petrochemical plants and other capital-intensive industries, could see a 7% decline in its gross state product if a trade war were to break out between the U.S. and China.
Greg Upton, executive director of LSU’s Center for Energy Studies, said the new tariffs are likely to have a big effect on investments in Louisiana’s energy sector
The United States produces more energy than it needs domestically, and relies on foreign markets to purchase the fuels, chemicals, plastics, fertilizers and other goods it manufactures with that excess supply Many of those exports come from Louisiana.
“Likely what will happen is other countries will follow and implement tariffs on those products that we are exporting,” Upton said As of December, businesses had announced around $116 billion worth of new investments in Louisiana’s energy manufacturing sector to support those exports. But Upton said he expects
those projects to stall.
“This kind of international trade and tariff uncertainty I think definitely has the impact to slow those investments that are being made,” Upton said On top of that, it’s unclear how the new taxes on steel and other imports will affect the cost of the materials needed to construct those new plants, Upton said Louisiana officials said they are hopeful that recent investment wins will persist despite the tariffs.
Economic Development Secretary Susan Bourgeois said both Trump’s and Gov Jeff Landry’s policies “have led Louisiana to a string of economic wins” and that efforts to bring manufacturing back to the U.S. are likely to benefit the state over time
She pointed to Hyundai’s recent announcement that it plans to construct a $5.8 billion steel mill in Ascension Parish.
“Louisiana is critical to a successful American manufacturing renaissance,” Bourgeois said. “We trust that decisions that are good for the long-term strength of the American economy are also good for Louisiana’s prosperity.”
U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, R-Madisonville, echoed Bourgeois’ point about future economic growth, but offered a note of caution during an interview on CNN
Thursday
“In the long run, he’s right,” said Kennedy regarding Trump’s desire to shift the balance of global trade. “But in the long run, we’re all dead. Short run matters too. Nobody knows what the impact of these tariffs is going to be on the economy.”
A spokesperson for the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry declined to comment, noting that they are holding meetings with members this week to get feedback on the
new trade policies The Port of New Orleans said it was closely monitoring the situation.
”We will continue to work with our customers and partners on adapting to market changes and meeting their supply chain needs,” said Port NOLA spokesperson Kimberly Curth.
Other industry leaders in the state were bracing for potential repercussions.
Stan Harris, president and CEO of the Louisiana Restaurant Association, said Trump’s tariffs will raise costs “across a wide range of items.” Dan Mills, executive director of the Homebuilders Association of Greater New Orleans, said tariffs will make it more expensive to build homes at a time when the nation is facing a severe shortage in housing.
He said industry lobbyists are trying to convince the Trump administration to issue carve-outs for homebuilders on items like electrical transformers, noting that the U.S. doesn’t have the manufacturing capacity to meet current demand.
The new tariffs come on top of an earlier announcement of a 25% tax on auto imports, which went into effect overnight Wednesday
Troy Duhon, who is the largest Louisiana-based car dealer, with 39 dealerships across eight states, said he has no doubt prices are about to rise sharply
”Thirty days from now, you’re going to see prices increase from 4% to 15% depending on the vehicle,” Duhon said.
”The administration has dropped an atomic bomb on the industry,” he added.
Staff writer Anthony McAuley and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Email Blake Paterson at bpaterson@theadvocate.
Mike Pistillo Jr., center, works with other traders on the floor at the New york
on Thursday.
Stellantis halts production at 2plants
Automaker Stellantis is temporarily halting production at aplantinCanada and aplant in Mexicoshortlyafter President Donald Trump announced a25% tariff on imported vehicles. The movewillresult in the temporarylayoff of 900 U.S. employees.
Stellantis, which owns car brands like Jeep, Citroën and Ram, said Thursday it will be temporarily pausing production at theWindsor assembly plant in Canada for the weeks of April 7 and 14. Operations will resume at thefacility the week of April 21.
The company willalso be temporarilypausing production at the Toluca assembly plant in Mexicofor themonth of April, starting on April 7. Due to the production pause, there willbetemporarylayoffs at theWarren and Sterling stamping plants in Michigan and at theIndiana and Kokomo transmission plants and Kokomo casting facility in Indiana
In January,the company announced plans to reopen an assembly plant in Illinois and build the next-generation Dodge Durango in Detroitasitlooked to resolve issues with the UAW.
Average 30-year mortgage rate dips
The average rate on a30-year mortgage in the U.S. edged lower forthe second week in arow amodest but welcomeboost forprospectivehomeshoppers duringthe spring homebuying season. The rate fell to 6.64%from 6.65% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday Ayearago, the rate averaged 6.82%. The average rate has mostly trended lower since reaching just over 7% in mid-January Whenmortgageratesdecline, theyboost homebuyers’ purchasing power.
Borrowing costs on 15-year
fixed-rate mortgages,popular withhomeowners refinancing their home loans, also fell this week, pulling the average rate down to 5.82%from5.89% last week. Ayear ago, it averaged 6.06%, Freddie Mac said.
Mortgage rates are influenced by factorsincluding bond market investors’ expectations for future inflation, global demand for U.S. Treasurys and the Federal Reserve’sinterest rate policy decisions.
The overall decline this year in the average rate on a30year mortgage loosely follows moves in the 10-year Treasury yield, which lenders use as a guide to pricing home loans.
Energyinvites AI data center development
The U.S. Department of Energy said it hasidentified 16 federal sites, including storied nuclearresearch laboratories such as Los Alamos, where tech companies could build data centers in apushtoaccelerate commercial developmentofartificial intelligence technology.
The sites are “uniquely positioned forrapid data center construction, including in-place energy infrastructure with the ability to fast-track permitting for newenergygeneration such as nuclear,” the agencysaid in a statement Thursday The lands identified as potential sites include anumberof nationallaboratories,such as the New Mexico-centered Los Alamos and Sandia laboratories and OakRidge in Tennessee. While the tech industry has long relied on data centers to run online services,from email andsocial media to financial transactions, new AI technology behind popular chatbotsand generative AI tools requires even more powerful computationto build and operate. Areportreleased by the Department of Energylate last yearestimated that the electricity needed for data centers in theU.S. tripled over the past decade and is projected to double or tripleagain by 2028, when it could consume up to 12% of thenation’selectricity.
Stocks lose more than $2T
of recession sparks biglosses
BY MATT OTT AP business reporter
U.S. companies had trillionsof dollars in value wiped out ThursdayafterPresidentDonald Trump slappedsweepingtariffs on foreignimports.
Virtually everysector suffered big lossesasU.S. financial markets closed with their biggest one-day drop since COVID-19 flattened the globaleconomy five yearsago.
Banks, retailers,clothing, airlines andtechnology companies were amongthe hardesthit,withconsumers expected to cut spending if tariffs lead to higher prices for goods and services
Many economistscalled the tariffs much worse than expected, and investors dumped shares in companies they predict will suffer most from what is effectively abusiness tax.
In many cases that taxwill be passed on to consumers. If consumers pull back their spending becauseofhigher prices, businesses willproduce fewer goods and economic growth could stall or contract. Consumer spending makes up about 70% of economic
activityinthe U.S.
“This is agame changer,not only forthe U.S.economy but for the global economy,” Olu Sonola, Fitch Ratings’ head of U.S. Economic Research,said in areport. “Many countrieswill likely end up in arecession.”
With adrop of 4.8% in the S&P 500, more than $2 trillion in value vanished, according to Howard Silverblatt, asenior index analyst at S&P Dow Jones Indices.
Airlineshad been projecting a strong year for profits. However, if Americans arefaced with higher prices for essentials,economists say that could put acrimpintheir travel budgets.
That caused major carriersto see significant drops in their stock price. United Airlineswas down 15.6%, while American Airlines dropped 10.2% and DeltaAir Lines fell 10.7%.
Most majorshoe and clothing makers have theirproductsmade outside of theU.S., meaning they will have to paya tariff, or import tax, on all the goodsthatare shipped back into the country for sale here.
Nike wasdown14.4%, while Under Armour plunged 18.8% and Ralph Lauren dropped 16.3%.
Big boxand online retailers also importamassive amount of their inventory from outside theU.S.
Amazon was down 9%, while Target fell 10.9%, Best Buy dropped 17.8% and Kohl’splunged 22.8%.
Companies that make andsell computers, smartphones and other technology sourcemanyoftheir partsfromabroad. Some manufacture their entire products overseas,meaning they will have to pay atariffwhenthose products are shipped back for sale to consumers.
Apple was down9.2%.while HP fell 14.7% and Dell dropped19%.
Bankssaw significant drops, with Bank of America falling 11.1% and JPMorgan Chase dropping 7%. If
the economy slips into arecession, households and businesses will be less likely to borrow money as demandfor productsand services decline.
Somewhat surprisingly, automakersdidn’tget hit as hard mostother sectors didonThursday.That could be because most of Ford, GM and Stellantis’ steel and aluminum —which Trump previously announced tariffs on —already comes from the United States, reducing the direct impact the companies would feel from higher duties.
BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP economics writer
WASHINGTON— President Donald Trump’sexpansive newtariffs flipa decadeslong global trendof lower trade barriers and are likely, economists say,to raiseprices for Americans by thousands of dollars each year while sharply slowing theU.S. economy
The White Houseisgambling that other countries will also sufferenough pain that they will open up their economies to moreAmerican exports, leadingtonegotiations that would reduce the tariffs imposedWednesday. Or,the White Househopes,more companies— both American and foreign— will reverse theirmoves toward global supply chains and bring more production to theUnited States to avoid higher import taxes.
But akey questionfor theTrump administration will be how Americansreact tothe tariffs.Ifprices rise noticeablyand jobs arelost, voters could turn against the duties and make it hardertokeep them in place for thelength of time needed to encouragecompanies to return to the U.S.
The Yale Budget Lab estimates that all the Trump administration’s tariffs would costthe average household$3,800 inhigherprices
this year.The figure includes the impact of the10% universaltariff announced Wednesday,plus much highertariffs on about 60 countries, as well as previous import taxes on steel, aluminum and cars. Inflation could top 4% this year,from2.8% currently,while the economy may barely grow, according to estimates by Nationwide Financial. Investors turned thumbs down on thenew dutiesThursday,with the broad S&P 500 indexdropping 4.1% in afternoontrading.The Dow Jones plungedmore than 1,400 points. The only sector not selling off was consumerstaples, which consists of companiesthatsellbasic food stocks Still, Trumpoffered an upbeat reaction Thursdaywhen asked about the stock market drop as he left the White Housetoflytohis Florida golf club.
“I thinkit’sgoing very well,” he said. “Wehave an operation, like when apatient gets operated on and it’sa big thing. Isaid this would exactly be the way it is.”
TheaverageU.S.tariffcould rise to nearly 25% when the tariffs arefully implemented Wednesday economists estimate, higher than it hasbeen in more than acentury andhigherthanthe 1930 SmootHawley tariffs that are widely blamed for worsening the Great Recession. Economists note that
the United States engages in much moretrade now than it did then.
“The president just announced the de facto separation of theU.S economy from the global economy,” said Mary Lovely,senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Relations. “The stage is set for higher prices and slower growthoverthe long term.”
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, in an interview on CNBC Thursday,saidthe policieswillhelp open markets overseas for U.S. exports.
“I expect most countriestostart to really examine theirtradepolicytowards the UnitedStates of America, andstop picking on us,” he said. ”This is the reordering of fair trade.”
But aformertrade official from Trump’sfirst term, speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity to talk candidly about the impact, suggested that Americans, includingthose who voted for Trump, may have difficulty accepting the stiffduties.
Americans “have never faced tariffslikethis,”the former official saidThursday. “The downstream impact on clothing and shoe stores, it’sgoing to be pretty significant.Sowe’ll have to see howthe Trump voters view this …and how long their support for these policies goes.”
Someexporters overseas may cut their prices to offset someof the tariffs, and U.S. retailers could eat some of the cost as well. But most economists do expect much of thetariffs to feed through to higher prices.
The tariffs will hit many Asian countries particularlyhard,with dutiesonVietnameseimports rising to 46%and on goods fromIndonesia to 32%. Tariffs on someChineseimports will nowbeashighas 79%. Those three countries are the topsources of U.S. shoeimports, withNike making abouthalfits shoes last year and one-third of its clothes in Vietnam.
The Yale Budget Lab estimates allTrump’stariffs this year will push clothing prices 17% higher On Thursday,the Home Furnishings Association, whichrepresents morethan 13,000 U.S. furniture stores, predicted that the tariffs will increase prices between 10% and46%.Vietnam and China are the top furniture exporters to the U.S.
The associationsaidmanufacturers in Asia are offsetting some of the costs by discounting their products and lowering ocean freight rates, but that won’tbe enough to avoidpricehikes. Even domestically madefurniture often relies on imported components, the association said.
to support other students and employees of color The administration already has targeted DEI programs in education, launching investigations into universities — including Tulane — that partnered with a group that helps Black and Hispanic students earn doctorates, and canceling federal grants for programs that aim to increase teacher diversity
Any disruption in federal funding would be disastrous for Louisiana schools, which get nearly 20% of their money from the federal government. Thursday’s letter specifically threatens Title I funding, which supports schools with large shares of students from low-income families. Louisiana schools got about $395 million in Title I dollars last fiscal year
The Trump administration’s DEI crackdown is based on the controversial argument that any program that considers students’ race violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, the U.S. Supreme Court decision that restricted the use of race in college admissions. In a Feb. 14 memo, the U.S. Education Department said that “treating students differently on the basis of race to achieve nebulous goals such as diversity, racial balancing, social justice, or equity is illegal under controlling Supreme Court precedent.”
Louisiana Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley has endorsed this reading of federal law In a Feb. 19 letter to school districts, Brumley
HURRICANE
Continued from page 1A
the Pacific Ocean in December and are still present. That’s not great news for the Gulf Coast and other tropical storm-prone regions: La Niña is associated with more hurricane activity in the Atlantic Ocean.
But forecasters with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration expect this La Niña event to be a weak one, and its chances of lasting through the upcoming hurricane season are low El Niño and La Niña are two opposing climate patterns that disrupt normal wind and current conditions in the Pacific Ocean, which impacts weather patterns across the globe El Niño and La Niña conditions can last for months or several years according to the NOAA They generally occur every two to seven years, with transitional, or neutral, periods in between. They don’t occur on a regular schedule.
While CSU researchers said La Niña conditions are expected to end within the next couple of months, making way for a transitionary period characterized by neu-
said his agency agrees with the federal guidance and advised schools to review their practices. He added that his agency is working to keep “inherently divisive concepts” such as DEI out of Louisiana schools.
Louisiana’s Education Department also has created its own certification letter that school districts will have to sign to receive federal funding that the state distributes, according to a copy of the letter provided by the department. The letter will ask districts to affirm “the absence of DEI programs that treat students differently based on race, engage in racial stereotyping, or create hostile environments for students of particular races.”
The federal guidance — and Brumley’s vow to strictly enforce it — could put some Louisiana schools
tral conditions, there is still “considerable uncertainty” around what conditions will be present during the peak of the 2025 season. The odds of a return to El Niño, which generally creates conditions that hamper hurricane activity in the Atlantic, are low, according to CSU.
Landfall probability
CSU researchers said there’s a 33% chance that a major hurricane will hit somewhere along the Gulf Coast, from the Florida panhandle to Brownsville, Texas. There’s a 51% chance of landfall somewhere along the entirety of the U.S. Coast.
There’s a 46% chance that at least one hurricane will hit within 50 miles of Louisiana, and a 18% chance of at least one major storm making landfall within 50 miles of Louisiana, according to CSU.
CSU’s methodology
CSU has been issuing seasonal hurricane forecasts for more than 40 years, an effort to provide the best estimate of activity in the Atlantic during the upcoming season — not an exact measure.
The team at CSU bases its forecasts on a statistical model and four models that
in the crosshairs.
Under a 2024 state law, schools had to report any programs related to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging that were in place between 2021 and 2024. Schools reported hundreds of activities, including Black History Month and Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations, multicultural and gay-straight alliance clubs and anti-racism training for school staffers. Other schools reported staff training on “culturally responsive” practices and lessons for students on “social-emotional learning.”
It’s not clear which, if any, of those programs are ongoing. And the Trump administration has not clearly defined what it considers “illegal DEI practices.”
But some of the programs could run afoul of federal guidelines A U.S. Educa-
use a combination of information and predictions of large-scale conditions based on medium-range weather forecasts.
The models use 25 to 40 years of historical hurricane season data and evaluate various hurricane-related conditions, including Atlantic sea surface temperatures, sea level pressures, vertical wind shear levels and El Niño.
Forecasting the future is a tough business, but Klotzbach said a lot can be learned by looking at the past.
“There are these precursor signals,” Klotzbach said.
So far, the 2025 hurricane season is exhibiting characteristics similar to 1996, 1999, 2006, 2008, 2011 and 2017.
The April forecast is CSU’s earliest and often most uncertain, Klotzbach said. The research team will issue forecast updates on June 11, July 9 and Aug. 6.
“There’s a lot that still can change,” he said.
The NOAA usually releases its first official hurricane season forecast sometime in May NOAA’s first forecast for the 2024 season was issued on May 23.
Email Kasey Bubnash at kasey.bubnash@ theadvocate.com.
tion Department document states that some schools “have sought to veil discriminatory policies with terms like ‘social-emotional
learning’ or ‘culturally responsive’ teaching.” It also says schools must consider whether a Black History Month celebration or similar program “discourages members of all races from attending” or creates “hostile environments based on race for students who do participate.”
Even before Trump returned to office this year, Louisiana Republicans had gone after school programs related to race. Last year, Gov Jeff Landry, who’s closely aligned with Trump, issued an executive order restricting what schools can teach about racism.
Amid the heightened scrutiny some schools have ended programs that could be labeled as DEI.
FirstLine Schools, which operates several New Orleans charter schools, last year reported to the state that it had spent about $538,000 on an annual antiracism training for new staff and a chief equity officer
On Thursday, FirstLine CEO Sabrina Pence said the organization no longer has a chief equity officer and does not plan to continue the training. She attributed the change to the school’s compliance with the law and “evolving state and federal expectations,” adding that the efforts were paid for entirely with private funding.
Caroline Roemer, chief of the Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools, said schools are seeking clarity about the Trump administration’s latest DEI order She added that school leaders want to ensure that they don’t lose any much-needed federal funds.
“These are complicated times for our schools,” she said, citing federal policy changes under Trump. “We’re doing our best to navigate that change and continue to advocate for the needs of our students.”
Email Patrick Wall at patrick.wall@theadvocate. com.
La.Democrats question FEMA moves
Trumpofficialstakeaim at agency
BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer
WASHINGTON —Fretting over all the talk aboutamassive overhaul of the Federal Emergency Management Agency,Louisiana’s two
UL flagged in audit forbilling, personnel issues
University blames offenses on staffing shortages, turnover
BY ASHLEY WHITE Staff writer
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette was flagged in its annual audit for some repeat offenses that it largely blamed on staffing shortages and turnover.
Of the four findings of concern noted by theLouisiana Legislative Auditor’sOffice,whichposted the audit last week, theuniversity said in its written reply tothe statethat it concurredwith twoof them and said it wouldtake steps to addressthe issue. The university only partially concurredwith the other two findings
The auditors pointedout in each finding that failing to comply with the proper protocol meansthe university risked notreceiving the money it claimed it was owed
The State Auditor’sOffice lookedatfinancialrecordsfrom July1,2023, to June 30, 2024.
The auditors sampled 40 federal, state, local and nongovernmental grants and contracts revenue during that fiscal time.Individual contracts and agreements requirethe university to submit billingswithin aspecific time period.
But auditors found that30% of those invoices were billedanaverage of 120 dayslate and 12.5% of the invoices included transactions for multiple billing periods. It’sthe third consecutive year auditors have flagged this issue, according to the report.
Billing in atimely manner ensurescompliancewiththe contract, agreement or policy and decreases the risk that accounts become uncollectable,the auditors wrote.
The university partially concurred with that finding and claimed that “significant progress hasbeen madeinreducing delays and improving processes.” Issues were caused by staffing shortages and highemployee turnover
The university said it will expand efforts to recruit grants accountants, explore electronicbillingsolutions and cross-train staff.
Twoother findings noted by the auditors had been issues forfour consecutive years, according to the report.
ä See AUDIT, page 4B
Police:One
The Ville Platte Police Department is investigating a deadlyshootingthatoccurred Wednesday evening.
Cawaskee Ardoin, 31, diedat ahospital due to multiple gunshot wounds, according to apolice department announcement. Police responded around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday to reports of ashooting and awounded victim at the GabrielVilla Apartment Complex in the 800
Democratic congressmen wrote PresidentDonaldTrump on Thursday morning asking for clarification abouthow the disaster relief agency will come out of thereorganizations being proposed. “Wehave profound concerns regarding potential plansto eliminatelong-term disaster recoveryefforts underthe Federal Emergency ManagementAgency,FEMA,”wrote U.S.Rep.Cleo Fields, D-Baton Rouge,and Rep. Troy Carter,D-New Orleans. No decisions have been made and no plans have publicly progressed. ButHomeland Security Secretary
KristiNoem, whose department oversees FEMA,tolda March 24 Cabinetmeeting that she wanted to eliminate the beleaguered federal agency that handles relief andrecovery after disasters such as hurricanes,floods, tornadoes, earthquakes, wildfires and the like. In 2024 alone, FEMA responded to more than 100 disasters,
including two catastrophic hurricanes, that required Congress in December to approve billions of dollars in additionalrelieffunds. Over the past four years, FEMA hasprovidedmore than $12 billion to individuals and $133 billion to state andlocal governments,
ä See FEMA, page 4B
‘REFRESHED ENERGY’
Sans SouciGallery’s reopened space features some of Louisiana’stop artisans
BY JA’KORI MADISON Staff writer
With hopes of creating a better experience forobservers and shoppers, Sans Souci
Gallery is reopening in anew space in Lafayette with afresh look
Thegallery has alarge selection of handmade art that features contemporary pottery,clothing, jewelry,paintings and home decor,perfect for collectors, gift seekers and artists alike.
Open Wednesday through Sunday at 549 Jefferson St., the gallery highlights the vibrancyand creativity of Louisiana’sartisan community by exclusively showcasing the work of morethan 100 Louisiana Crafts Guild members, according to anews release.
“This refreshed energyensures we continue to provide a beautifuland welcomingspace forbothour artists and ourvisitors,” said Lynn Jenkins, special coordinator for the Louisiana Crafts Guild. The gallery waspreviously in asmaller space ashort walk away
When Jenkins is notworkingasthe specialcoordinator at theguild, she is crafting at her local business, Magnolia Studios, where she creates jewelry,stainedglass andor-
blockof North LatourStreet. Ardoin was located and taken to alocal hospital, where he later died.
No arrests have been made in connection with the shooting.
The investigation is ongoing.
If anyone has information about this crime, please call the Ville Platte Police Department at(337) 363-1316. All calls are anonymous.
Opelousasman gets25 yearsfor sex crimes
An Opelousas man pleaded guilty to sexcrimes involving a juvenile on Tuesday.
naments using flowersfrom people’sspecial days.
“I would love for my own art to be in here oneday.I think anyartistthatsees theirwork in agallerywouldbethrilled. To showcase your talentand have your work displayed is what it’sall about,” Jenkins said.
SansSouci Gallery has been apart of downtown Lafayette’s artsscene since 2001.
As amember of theguild, artists get the opportunity to show their work in festivals to gain exposure andbuild resources. In additiontoSans Souci, the guild has another
DeShawn Stafford, 38, pleaded guilty to aggravated crimes against nature for his inappropriate acts withavictim under the ageof13, according to aSt. Landry Parish District Attorney’sannouncement
Ajudge sentenced Stafford to 25 years of hard labor without the chance of parole, probation or suspension of sentence. Stafford will be required to register as asex offender for the rest of his life after his sentence.
Twodead after Vermilion Parishtwo-vehicle crash Atwo-vehicle crashinMau-
gallery in New Orleans where members can sell their art on commission.
St. MartinvillenativeBruci Gauthier is one of many artists showcased in the reopened gallery.She creates clay pieces, hand-spun table runners, pastel portraits of animals and painted landscapeimages capturedonvacation or herfarm.
“It’sbeautiful to see the recreation of the new space,” Gauthier said. “I am always working on something in my studio and willing to share it here at Sans.”
Visitlouisianacrafts.org for moreinformation
riceclaimed thelivesoftwo people Tuesday night.
Police confirmed that ReneeRichard, 43, and Brennen Duhon, 26, died in the collision.
Policeresponded to acall at 11:40 p.m. Tuesday about a two-vehicle crash on West Etienne Street Richard andDuhon suffered fatal injuries,according to a spokespersonfor the Maurice Police Department. Awoman in anothervehicle wastaken to alocal hospital with nonlifethreatening injuries. The investigation into the crash is ongoing.
Dismissal of moldy home suit denied
BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer
When Youngsville couple Alicia andWes Dixon wereinthe process of purchasing their first house fromnational homebuilder D.R. Horton in 2014, they signed asales contract that included an arbitration clause.
The Dixons’attorneysinsistthe arbitration clause in the contract is invalid because D.R. Horton sales reps coaxed the couple into signing it under false pretenses. Their lawsuit alleges executives at the Texas-basedconstruction company knew whenthey sold the home that it wasn’tbuilt up to snufffor Louisiana’shumidity and had adefective ventilation system that caused mold and leakage issues.
The Dixons accuse D.R. Horton, the nation’sleading homebuilder, of constructingscoresofhomes along the Interstate 10 corridor between Lake Charles andSlidell thataren’tproperly built to withstand Louisiana’sblistering summer heat.
The legal battle has played out in state and federalcourts over the past threeyears.Attorneys for D.R. Horton contend thearbitrationclause wasa binding agreementthatstipulated any legal disputes that arose would be settled in arbitration
The lawsuit survived arecent challengefrom the company,whose attorneys sought to getthe case thrownout of court last month for lack of substantive evidencetoback theplaintiffs’allegations.
“Just because theysay stuff is so does notmakeitso,” James Alcee Brown, D.R. Horton’slead attorney against the Dixons, said during a March 24 hearing. “Whatthey’re trying to do, quitehonestly, is try to keep proceedings going in this court indefinitely so that the court won’t rule on our arbitration issues. We don’tthink that’sright.”
Lance Unglesby,the plaintiffs’ New Orleansattorney,argued that D.R. Horton’ssales agents told the Dixons the agreement they signed was just aform contract dealing with adeposit theymade on the homethey purchased. It never appeared in the closing documents, and staffnever used the word“arbitration” when explaining thedocuments to potential buyers, he told a judge. That nullifiedthe arbitration agreement because theDixons were induced to sign as part of an elaborate fraud scheme the company orchestrated,Unglesbyargued
“The Dixons neveragreed to arbitration. TheDixonsnever agreed to delegation,” he said. “The Dixons were toldtheywere doing something else, and it was not. They wereliedto. It wasmisstated and mischaracterized.”
District Judge Donald Johnson, who is presiding over the case, denied the dismissal motion after listening to more than two hours of arguments from both sides. He determineditwas too premature at this juncture to decide what defines acontractunder thestandards of Louisiana’scivil law.
Last week’shearing camenearly ayearafter Johnson appointed
STAFF PHOTOSByBRAD BOWIE
ArtistBruci Gauthier,left, discusses apiece withgallerymanager TerryPalmer at Sans Souci Fine Crafts galleryindowntown Lafayette on Thursday.
Lynn Jenkins discusses the variety of artwork at Sans Souci Fine Crafts galleryindowntown Lafayette on Thursday
OPINION
Cuttinguniversityresearchisbad forLa.
Proposed cuts in federal funding for universities have raised alarmoncollege campuses nationwide. But those alarm bells should be echoing across every segment of our society
That’sbecause the dollars universities receive in federal support translate into lifesaving cures and treatments, pathbreaking discoveries, technological advancementsand economic growth that impact each of us. The level of cuts being considered will have devastating consequences for our state—imperiling vital studies in cancer diabetes, Alzheimer’s,hypertension, heart disease and other life-threatening conditions, while vastly decreasing the enormous economic impact Louisianauniversities make in their communities.
Michael
A. Fitts GUEST COLUMNIST
Take Tulane, for instance. Our operations, capital investments, research and other activities touch every segment of communities throughout Louisiana, making a$5.2 billionannual impact, supporting more than 30,000 jobs statewide and generating
$88.2 million in annual state tax revenue. Much of this economic impact is derived from ourresearch enterprise. Forinstance, our staff includes 350 Louisiana residentsemployed at theNational Primate Research Center in Covington, with an annual economic impact of $107 million in St.Tammany Parish and aspecial focus on biodefense that is integral to ournational security Cuts to research funding will cause job losses in numerous sectors reliant on the success of universities,along with attendant decreases in taxrevenue. Federalfunding also provides financial aid, loans, work-study programsand other mechanisms that makeitpossible for more of ourchildren to attendcollege, thus improving their own lives andincreasing the number of higher-income, higher-taxpaying residents in ourstate.
Tulane andits fellow universities also keep ourbest and brightest studentshere at home, while attracting the country’s leading researchers and scholars.
Name another industry that both recruitsand produces such an educated and skilled workforce for our state. Andthis benefit is morecritical than ever today when Louisiana leads the nation in population loss.
Universities are avital part of Louisianalife, but too often we have failed to demonstrateour intrinsic value to our cities and country as well as our absolute reliance on the support of both. We have appeared disconnected, elite and aloof when we should have presented ourselves as partners in improving life for all.
Somehave wondered why universities —especially private ones like Tulane —need public support at all. Why can’twepay our own way? The truth is, Tulane spends morethan $50 million in institutional funds each year to support our research. Andwe provide millionsmore in student aid through programs suchas LouisianaPromise, which meets thefull financial need of attending Tulane, with no loans, for Louisianastudents from families that make less than $100,000 per year Many have pointed to Tulane’s
At the beginning of this year,Medicare hit doctors with apay cut. Congress must reverse that cut soon —and enact apermanent fix in the way it pays doctors. Absentaction, many independent physician practices may be forced to shut their doors That’snot hyperbole, it’sreality.That would deprive countless patients of access to highquality,lower-cost care in their communities.
endowment as asource formaking up the proposed decrease in governmentfunding —cuts that could cost Tulane as much as a half abillion dollars annually Butauniversity endowment is not asavings account that can be drawn from forany purpose. The spending of our endowment income —like that of all universities —islegally restricted to specific purposes designated by donors. In fact, the lion’sshare of Tulane’sendowmentalready goes to support financial aid forstudentsand research and thus could notbeused at Tulane to cover any loss in federal funds.
Butnomatter how much auniversityspends, no entity,private or public, can provide the support for tomorrow’s discoveries on the scale of the U.S. government. And this funding is not ahandout. It is an investment —apublic-private partnershipinthe case of Tulane and other nonprofit institutions —that reapsvast benefits. From thepolio vaccine to the internet to mappingthe human genome and exploring the farreaches of space, university-led research is responsiblefor someofhumankind’sgreatest advancements.
Federal funding to fuel university discovery is also asound financial investment of taxpayer money.According to the organization United forMedical Research, the awarding of $228 million in grants and contracts to Louisiana researchers by the National Institutes of Health during the 2023 fiscal ear directly supported 3,426 jobs and $600 million in economic activity in Louisiana.
Nationally,every dollar in NIHfunded research results in $2.46 of new economic activity.That return on investment is likely even higher foruniversities in Louisiana, where dollars go further than in the Northeast or West Coast, hometoother major universities.
In aword, Louisiana is acosteffective, high-value research hub whose universities —which are economic engines fortheir communities —need strong federal support to continue to find the cures fortomorrow,build the workforce of today and makea lifesaving return to our state and nation.
MichaelA.Fitts is thepresident of Tulane University.
Decliningvoter turnout isn’tjustdisengagement
Berggreen GUEST COLUMNIST
It’sthe fifth consecutive year doctors have seen reimbursement from Medicare decline. At the same time, the costs associated withrunning a practice are set to rise 3.5% this year Medicare reimbursement has been shrinking for along time. When adjusted for inflation, it’sfallen 33% since 2001. When independent physicians can no longer pay their overhead, they have few options for staying in business. They can try to negotiate higher payments from private insurers —anear impossibility,given the leverage the insurers’ huge size affords them overdoctors. They can reduce services. They can close up shop. Or they can sell their practices to larger entities. Many doctors have opted for this last path and joined large hospitals, health systems or vertically integrated insurance companies that now deliver medical care. In the last five years, nearly 75,000 doctors have signed on as employees at hospitals and health systems. For reference, there are about one million physicians in the United States. Hospitals acquired 2,800 additional physician practices in 2022 and 2023. As of January 2024, they owned nearly 70,000 physician practices. That number has grown 12% since 2019. Hospitals have been all too
happy to add physiciansto their employment rolls because they’re asource of referrals for tests andprocedures. Referrals can be big moneymakers. Medicare payshospitals more than private practices or ambulatory surgery centersfor exactly thesame services everythingfrom cancer screenings andX-rays to chemotherapy infusions andheart-imaging procedures.
All this hospital-driven consolidation has serious implicationsfor patients.
When an independent practice in their community closes, they may have to paymorefor thesame care they had been receiving. Hospitals’ higher reimbursement rates can result in patients facinghigher costsharing responsibilities than if they’d received the care in an office or independentambulatory surgery center.They may be forced to travel to ahospital that’smuchfarther away for thecare they need Thegradual disappearance of private practices has also given largehospitals, health systems and vertically integrated payers like UnitedHealthcare license to raise their own prices, sincethey face less competition.Astudy by theNational Bureau of Economic Research found that physician services delivered within largehealth systems cost upto26% more than those delivered by independent practices. And there’snoevidence that thehigher priceslead to better care or outcomes for patients.
Consolidation is driving Medicare’s costs up, too. According to astudyoffive specialties conducted byhealth care consultingfirm Avalere, total Medicare expenditures per beneficiary peryear increased an averageofmore than $1,300 in the12months
after the physician caring for thebeneficiary moved from an unaffiliated privatepractice to ahospital affiliation.
Congress has thepower to reverse these trends —and protect the viabilityofindependent physician practice —byraising Medicare reimbursement for physicians. Undoing theill-advised 2025 pay cut and making doctors whole this year as part of this year’s budget reconciliation process are astart.
The bipartisan Medicare PatientAccess and Practice Stabilization Act of 2025, which was introduced in January by U.S. Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., and has been co-sponsored by 120 of his colleagues, bothRepublican and Democrat, would do just that.
ButCongress must not stop there. It’stime to index Medicare reimbursement to inflation —permanently For years, lawmakers have applied all manner of temporary fixes and patches tomitigatethe impact of Medicare reimbursementcutsfor physicians. Such slapdash policymaking makes no sense —and creates uncertainty for physicians about whether they’ll be able to absorb the rising costs of running apractice, recruit and retain top-notch staff and invest in cutting-edge technology and equipment.
Medicare reimbursement for hospitals has more than kept pace withinflation over thepast quarter-century.Independent physicians deserve thesame treatment. By enacting such policy,Congress can expand access to care and help preserve competition within our health care market. That’s always healthy
Paul Berggreen is agastroenterologistand president of the AmericanIndependent Medical Practice Association. He is agraduate of theLSU School of Medicine.
Louisianavoters today are increasingly choosing not to participateinthe electoral process. With the exception of presidential elections, registered voters are more likely to stay home than turn out to vote, even in high-profile elections such as the race for governor
Although the presidential election attracts wider interest than any other,turnout rates have declined over theyears. In the 1980s and 1990s, three-fourths of registered voters participated. Since 2000, two-thirds of registered voters have turned out in presidential elections.
Ed
Chervenak GUEST COLUMNIST
Voter interest in gubernatorial elections does not match the enthusiasm for presidential elections. On average, from 1983 to 1995, 71% of registered voters cast aballot for governor.However,turnout rates have fallen off significantly since then. From 1999 to 2019, voter turnout across primary and runoffelectionsfor governor averaged 45%.
Turnout in the2023 gubernatorial primary was just 36%, continuing this downward trend. In the past 10 gubernatorial elections, seven had turnout rates of less than 50%.
At first glance, it may seem that Louisianavoters have becomemore apathetic about participating in bothpresidential andgubernatorial elections.However,structural factors may better explain declining turnout rates. For example, the National VoterRegistration Act of 1993, also known as the Motor Voter law,made voter registration more accessible, increasing the number of registered voters.
This expansion can lower turnout rates as apercentage, even if the absolute number of people voting remainsstable or grows. Additionally,more people are not affiliating with apoliticalparty and registering as nonparty independents, a group that historically turns out at lower rates than those registered with the major parties.
The Motor Voter law led to an increase in the number of registered voters in Louisiana. In 1990, there were 725 registered voters
per 1,000 citizens of voting age. By 2000, following the passage and implementation of the Motor Voter law,that number increased to 853 per 1,000. Since then, registration rates have remained relatively stable, with 862 registered voters per 1,000 citizens of voting age today The proportion of registered no-party voters in Louisiana has increased over the decades, while the proportion of those registered with the twomajor parties has declined. In 1990, 918 of every 1,000 registered voters wereregistered with either the Republican or Democratic Party,while 82 per 1,000 were noparty voters. By 2000, no-party voter registration had risen to 179 per 1,000, while major party registration fell to 821 per 1,000. That trend has continued. By 2024, 279 of every 1,000 registered voters identified with no party,while major party registration declined further to 721 per 1,000. The number of registered no-party voters has increased, but their turnout rate remains lower than that of registered Republicans or Democrats.
Over the past six presidential elections, the average overall turnout rate was 67%. Republicans had the highest turnout at 76%, followed by Democrats at 68%, and no-party voters at 54%. Turnout among noparty voters was 13 percentage points lower than the overall average.
Acombination of factors, easier registration through the Motor Voter law and the growing proportion of less-engaged no-party voters helps explain Louisiana’sdeclining voter engagement. Although registration rates in Louisiana increased, voter turnout did not rise at the samerate. This trend, coupled with the fact that no-party voters typically participate at lower rates, has contributed to the overall decline in Louisiana’svoter participation.
Edward Chervenak is the director of theUNO Survey Research Center
Paul
COMMENTARY
ROOM FOR DEBATE THE FEDERAL BUREAUCRACy
TheDepartment of Government Efficiency has beengiven broad authority by President DonaldTrump to slash thefederal bureaucracy. It hastaken aim at what it describesaswaste,fraud and abuseindepartments and agencies throughout government.There’snodoubt that DOGE has reduced the size of government withhundreds of thousands of job cuts, butisitmaking thefederal bureaucracy more efficient? Hereare twoperspectives:
DOGE is making things almost comicallyinefficient
Asenior aide to PresidentDonald Trump once said the administration hoped to traumatize civil servants, an objective it has handily accomplished through arbitrary layoffs and other indignities. But government workers are not theonly victims Taxpayer dollars are being abused, too, as the “Departmentof Government Efficiency” makes the federalgovernment almost comically inefficient.
n At the IRS, employees spend Mondays queuedupatshared computers to submit their DOGEmandated “five things Idid last week” emails. Meanwhile, taxpayer customer service callsgounanswered.
Trump’sstrategyseeking to transformbureaucracy
On March 11, the Department of Education issued anews release announcing that it had “initiated a reduction in force impacting nearly 50% of the department’sworkforce.”
resources forchildren with disabilities and special needs,” will be “fully preserved.”
n At the Bureau of Land Management, federalsurveyors are no longer permitted to buyreplacement equipment.So, when ashovel breaks at afield site, they can’t just drive to the nearest town or hardware store. Instead, work stopsasemployees track down one of the few managers nationwide authorizedtofile an officialprocurement form and order new parts.
n At the Food and Drug Administration, leadership canceled the agency’s subscription to LexisNexis, an onlinereference tool that employees need to conduct regulatory research. Some workers might not have noticed this lossyet, however,because the agency’sincompetently planned return-to-office order this week left them too busy hunting for insufficient parking and toilet paper.(Multiple bathrooms have runout of bath tissue, employees report.)
I’ve spent the past few weeks interviewing frustrated civil servants, whose remarks typically rotate throughpanic rage and black humor.Almost none are willing to speak on the record because of concerns about purges by the U.S. DOGE Service.But their themesare easy to corroborate: Routine tasks take longerto complete, grinding down worker productivity.DOGE is also boggingdown employees with meaningless busywork,which sets them up to be punished forneglecting their actualduties.
“All this talk of warfighterethos, and our ‘priority’ is making sure thereare no three-year-old tweets withthe word‘diversity’ in them,” said aPentagon employee “Crazy town.”
What counts as DEI wrongthink also changesalmostdaily,meaningemployees must perform the same word-cleansing tasks repeatedly
One NASA employee said they were asked multiple times to scourperformance plans and contracts for offending terms. The first sanitization came shortly after Trump’sDay 1executiveorderre-
writer’scity of residence.TheAdvocate|
published. Letters
garding DEI, and resulted in deleting references to “diversity” and “equity.” Weeks later,more banned words (“environmental justice,” “socioeconomic”) were identified,and thescrubbing began anew.Mere hoursafterthat, someoneinupper management emailed staff again to say those new deletion orders were “not NASA policy and should not be used,” andtold workers to simplycheck thecontracts for compliance with the executive order Whatever that means. Meanwhile, NASA’s real work languishes.
Another Kafkaesque executive order requires agency heads to send the White House alist, within 60 days, of their agency’s “unconstitutional regulations” theultimate “When did you stop beating your wife?”-style directive. Meanwhile, somefederal paymentshave stopped. Credit cards used for routine purchases havebeen canceled or had their limits shrunk to $1. Contracts are being arbitrarily canceled midway through.
DOGE officials appear to wrongly believe this saves money But thereare costs to, say,not feeding the Transportation Security Administration’sbomb-sniffing dogs. Andifcontracts lapse when they could have been easily extended,projectsmust restart thetimeconsuming and expensive bid process
At the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, for example, no contracts maybeinitiated or extended withoutsign-off from thecommerce secretary, creatingabottleneck. OneNOAA contract that expires soon is for maintenance and repair of the all-hazards weather radio network, which broadcaststornado warnings and watches,amongother life-anddeath alerts. The contract has been stuck in limbo, just as an already-deadly tornado season is getting underway
“They’re like akid in anuclear power plant runningaround hittingbuttons,”said MaxStier,president of the Partnership for Public Service (which actually focuses on government efficiency), when asked about DOGE’smeasures. “Theyhave no sense of thecascade of consequences they’re causing.”
TheIRS,meanwhile, is deleting all nonEnglish forms and notices, employees were told.This will mean less taxpayer compliance and more work for employees. Lose-lose, if you’re trying to keep thegovernmentefficiently run.
These days, that’sa big “if.”
Email Catherine Rampell at crampell@ washpost.com.
When President Donald Trumpwas inaugurated, the release said, the Education Department had 4,133 employees. After the new cuts, thedepartment will have 2,183 workers. That was areduction of 1,950 federal employees. Of that number,572 accepted either an offer to resign and then not have to workbut still be paid through Sept.30, or an offer to accept abuyout of up to $25,000 immediately.The remaining number of departing workers, 1,378, would be placed on administrative leave before being fired.
The Democratic attorneys general of 19 states and the District of Columbia filed alawsuit seeking to stop the administration from making the cuts. The suit is led by NewYork state attorneygeneral Letitia James —you may remember herasthe official who campaigned on apromise to get Donald Trumpand then sought to destroy theTrumpfinancial empire with alawsuit that many experts deemed baseless. The states’ lawsuit claims thepresident does not have the constitutional authority to makefar-reaching cuts in theEducation Department or in other federal agencies like it. It is true that, in addition to whatever educational goals it waspursuing, Congress in effectset up aseries of booby traps for any president who might want toget rid of the DepartmentofEducation That reality was very much in evidence when it came time, on March 20, to hold aWhiteHouse event announcing what some had hoped would be theeffort to “eliminate” the DepartmentofEducation. Surrounded by conservative educational reformers, Trumpwas very careful with his words. “In afew moments, Iwill sign an executive order to begin eliminating the federal Department of Education once and for all,” he said. Trumpnoted that the administration and the new secretary of education, Linda McMahon, had already cut the number of departmentemployees by nearly half. But he stressed that thedepartment’s“useful functions,” which he defined as “Pell grants, Title 1funding [for low-incomeschools],
The lawsuit from the Democratic states essentially argues that it is impossible to fully preserve the core functions with 2,183 employees, the number leftafter the cuts and buyouts. But Trumpsaid those key functions will remain. On March 21, the day after the White House event, he announced that he is moving management of the DepartmentofEducation’shuge $1.6 trillion student loan portfolio to the Small Business Administration. The president also said that management of the Education Department’sspending on special needs students and nutrition programs would be moved to the Department of Health and Human Services. But even as Trumpcut the staffthat administered them at the DepartmentofEducation, he might have to add stafftomanage them at the Small Business Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services.
Will there be anet reduction in federal workers involved? Maybe. If Trumpends up cutting 1,950 workers at the Education Department —that is, if none are reinstated via the various legal actions now underway how manywill be added elsewhere? That’sunclear.And what functions of the Department of Education will be “sent to the states”? That’salso unclear.And what functions, like the massive student loan program,might be privatized, as someconservatives want? That’sprobably unlikely So is this worthwhile? Many conservatives wanttosee areduction both in the size and scope of the federal government. Failing that, they,like nearly everyone else, would like to see an increase in efficiency.IfTrump’saction does nothing morethan reduce the size of the bureaucracy involved in handing out billions of dollars in taxpayer money,and makethe remaining part moreefficient, that would be a plus. Despite the recent Democratic and media lionization of federal workers, the fact remains that the federal bureaucracy is too big, too slow-moving and too resistant to innovation. Taking it on is aworthwhile start. Byron York is on X, @Bryon York
Catherine Rampell Byron York
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Oneissue wasthatthe university did not have adequate controls to ensure personnel expenses charged to federal research and development awards,which is amajor federal program, accurately reflected work performed. Without those controls, the university could become noncompliant with the federal award.
Auditors looked at 25 transitions out of about 14,000 charged to the grant. For threepayrolltransactions, the university couldn’t provide time and effort documentation to support more than $18,000 in payroll expenses.
Theuniversitypreviously told auditors it would requireemployeestocertify their time andeffort on an annual basis, but the auditors saidthis was not frequent enough, accordingto thereport.
Auditorsalsoclaimed that documentation was only certified for half thefiscal year, but university officials disagreed with that part of the finding.
UL saiditis transitioning to an electronic certification system andis shiftingtoa calendar-year-based framework, which would resolve the issue. It also said it will require reports tobefiled twice ayear to enhance monitoring.
The secondcontinuing issue auditors flagged claimed the university did notade-
quately collect and maintain financial and performance reports,riskanalyses,required audits, or proper dating forsubrecipients of research anddevelopment grants.
Withoutmaintaining the properdocumentation related to thosegrants, the university could become out of compliancewithfederal regulations.
The universityconcurred withthe finding and blamed the issue on high staff turnover,loss of institutional knowledge,increased workloadand systemlimitation.
The university said it immediatelyhelda refresher compliance training with staff. It also said it plans to explorenew recruitment and retentionstrategies, createacompliance position,
enhanceonboarding training and streamline monitoring. Auditors flagged one new issue, claiming the school didnot charge allowable costs tied to afederal grant in atimelymanner. Of the17 grants sampled, two were found to have about $63,000 in expensesthatwere noncompliant with the performanceperiodrequirements
The university agreed withthe finding and blamed the issue on staffing shortages and adelayinthe filing of apersonnel action form. It said it would review its processes, engage an outside consultant to identify opportunitiestoenhance processes and implementan electronic research administration system to centralize grant management.
tribalnations, territories and some nonprofits to help in recovery efforts.
In the past week, aidesto Noem, who co-chairs apresidential committee charged with developing recommendations for FEMA’s future, talked aboutwinding down theagency’sfunctionsby September.Theyfloated ideas to reduce costs, such as spreadingFEMA’s duties to the states and other federal agencies while narrowing the scope of the agency’s obligations.
This includes FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program that underwrites about500,000flood insurance policies for Louisiana businesses and homeowners who can’tfind such coverage in the private market.
Louisiana has been amajor recipient of FEMA assistance, with nearly ahalfmillion households applying for FEMA funds since 2021
The two representatives acknowledged in their letter that their constituents frequentlycomplainabout FEMA’s obtuse rules that slow efforts to help people get back on their feet.
SUIT
Continued from page1B
retired Orleans Parishchief judge Carolyn Gill-Jefferson to be aspecial magistrate, overseeing discovery in the case.
Brown, D.R. Horton’s lawyer,said the company has turned over more than 155,000 documents of emails, sales and training memos, and internal staff reports over an eight-year period. With all that, he saidthe plaintiffs have yet to reveal any evidence of fraud. He objected to amotion to amend theirpetition.
The Dixons initiallynamed Bell Mechanical, aBaton Rouge HVAC company, as a defendant in the lawsuit,allegingtheir subcontractors installed the faulty ventilation system at the Dixons’ and other buyers’ homes. Disclosures made in the discovery phase revealed it was Xcel Air Conditioning Services Inc., aBaton Rouge subcontractor,thatinstalled the HVAC system in the Dixons’ house.
Johnson granted amotion to add Xcel Air as adefendant. Horton’slawyers objected to the amendment and pointed to it as asign that all of the plaintiffs’allegations areunsubstantiated. Brown accused their attorneys of
Butthey say that, without FEMA, relief would be nearly impossible in astate where median household incomeslag nearly $20,000 behind the national median and where local governmentsrely almost completely onfederal dollars to clear debris, provide food, water,bluetarpsfor roofs and funds for rebuilding.
“FEMA is on the ground for everyhurricaneinLouisiana,” Fieldssaid.“Cuts to the organization would devastate the most vulnerable people in our state during some of theworst moments in their life.”
Carter and Fields wrote thatchanges being talked about also would strip away support neededtorebuild damaged communities and end investments in protections, such as levees and water pumps, that lessen damage when storms and floods hit.
“Stripping away these essential programs would leave millions of Americans vulnerable and unprotected as naturaldisasters become more dangerous and frequent,” Carter said.
FEMA wasestablished in 1979 at theinsistence of Southern governors who wanted amore coordinated federalrelief effort. Almost
“sayingstuff that just ain’t so.”
“Theirlawsuithas for the last three years accused D.R Horton of having conspired supposedlywithBellMechanical to dupe the Dixons into buying ahouse with a bad Bell Mechanical HVAC system. That has been their allegation. They arewrong,” he argued at last month’s hearing.
“You don’thave the right to sue anybody, accusing them of fraudand conspiracy, if you don’thave theevidence to back it up,” Brown added later. “You’re supposed to do thatbefore you file alawsuit, and they didn’tdoit. They bandied around allegations of fraudand conspiracy like cheap Mardi Grasbeads Accusing someoneofconspiracyand fraudisa serious matter.You don’tdothat if youdon’t have theevidence.”
Plaintiffs ready
Unglesby pushed for a fact-finding hearing where he couldpresent exhibits, havethe Dixons and other homeowners testify and subpoena salesagents thatsold homes for D.R.Horton. His intention is to show that the arbitrationclause wasa key part of D.R. Horton’sscheme to defraud purchasers.That would set thestagefor the Dixons to get their lawsuit certified as aclass-action claim, which wouldopenthe
from thebeginning, Congress responded to complaints by noncoastal states by imposing tighterfiscal controls and expanding the agency’smission.
FEMA was overhauled in 2003 and sincethen, Louisiana hasreceivednearly $47 billion for 28 disasters
—more thanany other state —thathelped 3.5 million households and nearly 43,000 public assistance projects.
On the campaign trail, Trumpsaidhewas open to closingthe agency and disbursing itsfunctions to the states. As president, he establisheda committeeto review FEMA operations and recommend changes by summer.The committeehas not yet met.
Like Carterand Fields, the rest of the Louisiana delegation —fourRepublican House members and two GOPsenators —havelong been critical of the high cost of flood insuranceand of FEMA’s often slowhandling of recovery claims. Demands that FEMA explain itselfare usually signed by alleight members of the delegation.
And they all have spoken in favor of “comprehensive reform” for theagency For instance, House Ma-
case to hundreds of other potential plaintiffs across the statewho purchased homes from D.R. Horton.
“I have morethan enough evidencetoprove my case,” Unglesby said. “We’ve now uncovered that D.R.Horton knew for 17 years that they were building homes that were ineffective. …I’m just ready for my hearing, judge. I’m ready to put my clients on (the stand) to talk aboutwhathappenedand how they werefraudulently induced.I’m ready to prove to you, judge, that thiswas fraud.”
The plaintiffs’ legal team specified more than 80 fraudallegations against D.R.Hortoninamotion for theevidentiaryhearing, which was filed March 24. The aim is to keep the case out of an arbitrator’s hands. While arbitration
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jority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, wants to work withthe Trump Administration “to improve FEMA and the National Flood Insurance Program.”Rep.Julia Letlow,R-Start, said she is gladTrump ordered areview of the agency
But the entire delegation also has joined together in seeking additional funds in support of FEMA’s work.
Fields and Carter asked the Trump administration to tell thembythe end of April just how FEMA will ensure response timesand resource distribution will remaineffectiveifthe proposedbudget cuts, staffingreductions and structural changes become reality.Theyalso want explanations on how the federal government would help communities better prepare for future disasters.
“Given the increasing frequency andseverity of natural disasters,how does FEMA plan to maintainor improve its mitigation and resilience-building initiatives underthe proposed changes to itsoperational structure?”the letter states.
The 2025 hurricane season begins June 1, andalready weather experts are expecting an active season —not as badaslast year but still significant
is generally considered a cheaper and faster option than court, plaintiffattorneys say D.R.Horton wants to drag the Dixons intoarbitrationunder construction industry rules. That’s a“prohibitively expensive” arena thatcould cost the couple thousands of dollars in fees and filing costs.
“Horton knew that its homeownerswould never be able to affordthe fee,” themotion last week stated. “As aresult, Horton injected thearbitration clause intothe Contract of Sale to insulate itself from being held accountable for its fraud scheme.”
TimothyMarren
AFuneralService will be heldat11:00 a.m.,Satur‐day,April 5, 2025, at Vin‐centFuneralHomeof Abbevillehonoringthe life ofTimothy Marren Creswell, 86, who passed awayonApril 2, 2025, at his residence.Those serving aspallbearers will be Matt Creswell, Larry"Slim Landry, ChuckLandry, ToddGranberry,Debbie Tabchouri,and Scott Bertrand. Aprivate burial willbeheldatBancker Cemeteryata laterdate. A visitationwilltakeplace at Vincent FuneralHomeof Abbeville, locatedat209 S. Saint CharlesSt.,onFriday from3:00p.m.to7:00p.m., witha rosary beingprayed at6:00p.m.Visitationwill alsocontinue on Saturday from9:00a.m.until the timeofservices. Timwas bornonJune 9, 1938, in Abbeville, andgraduated fromMount Carmel High School.Hewas an avid fisher andhunter,who could usually be found withone of hiswell-loved dogs by hisside. He retired fromUNOCALasDirector ofLogistics in 1997 after over40years of employ‐ment. Timwas apassion‐ate anddedicated leader in his community.Heled with humility, wisdom,and heart.Among themanyor‐ganizations that benefited fromhis serviceare the AbbevilleHarborand Ter‐minal District,Governor’s AdvisoryCommissionon Coastal Protection, Restoration andConserva‐tion, Boys’and Girls’ Club ofAbbeville, Vermilion ParishOffice of Emergency Preparedness, United Way, and RedCross. He is sur‐vived by hiswifeand best friendof32years,Lynwood GeorgeCreswell; twosons, MarcCreswelland hiswife, Salina, andMattCreswell and hiswife, Julie; sister CherylCreswell; stepson, ToddGranberry andhis wife, Jennifer;stepdaugh‐ter,DebbieTabchouri;six grandchildren;and three great-grandchildren.Heis precededindeath by his parents,WarrenPaul Creswelland theformer Camille Brasseaux. Allfu‐neral arrangements are being conductedbyVin‐centFuneralHomeAbbeville(337) 893-4661.
Shoop,Grace Lavergne
GraceLavergneShoop passedawaypeacefully March 15, 2025, at theage of76inBaton Rouge. Born inAcadiana, Gracewas raised on atraditional
was co-captainofthe basket‐ballteamand remained ac‐tivethroughouther life She studiedaccountingat UniversityofSouthwestern Louisiana in Lafayette and atthe University of New Orleans.In1976, heryoung familymoved to Baton Rouge where they became members of theSt. ThomasMoreCatholic Church andSchool.For nearlythirtyyears,Grace workedasa leadingsys‐temsadministrator at LCR PlumbingWarehouse.In 2008, sheremarried to Richard Shoop, apartner withwhomshe enjoyed cooking, biking,and out‐door festivals. Gracewas anavidreaderand selftaughtartist. Herelegant handcrafted projects in‐cludedjewelry,quilts, clothing, stainedglass, and decorated cakes. Sheal‐wayskeptanopenmind and likewise explored a widerange of literature.As a loving mother,Grace in‐stilled thevaluesofwell‐ness, self-reliance, opti‐mismand creativity in her children. Shetookpride in arranging home-cooked meals andnurturing her family’sdiverse interests inthe sciences,arts, and sports. Amongher friends, Grace wasbestknown as anattentiveand under‐standinglistener. Her legacyasa cultured,hard‐working,and warm gener‐ous person livesoninthe heartsofall shetouched Grace is survived by her childrenand theirfamilies: Denise, Donavanand TrevorHallofNew York Laura Blereauand EliotJor‐dan of NewOrleans,and Pauland Amelie Blereauof Tennessee; herhusband Richard ShoopofBaton Rouge;her brothers Robert LavergneofMetairieand VictorLavergneofCaren‐cro;and severalniecesand nephews.She wasprede‐ceasedbyher parents JosephServilleLavergne and Eldine MarieMcBride Lavergne; hersisterJanell LavergneVige; andher brother JamesRay Lavergne. Relativesand friends areinvited to at‐tenda visitation on Friday, April 11, 2025, from 9:00 a.m.to11:00 a.m. at Green‐wood FuneralHome, 5200 Canal Boulevard, NewOr‐leans,Louisiana with a catholic serviceat11:00 a.m.Interment will follow inGreenwood Cemetery.A MassIntention will also be offeredfor Graceat8:00 a.m.Monday, April7,atthe St. CharlesBorromeo Church,147 Church St., Grand Coteau,Louisiana Asanexpressionofsym‐pathy,inlieuof flowers, the familyisrequesting donations to theSt. Joseph’sHospice Founda‐tionhttps://www.stjosep hhospicefoundation.org/ or theLouisiana School for Math, Scienceand theArts, https://lsmsa.edu.
Creswell,
AGAINST THE ODDS
BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer
When UL sophomore pitcher JR Tollett hurled the game of his life Sunday with a four-hit shutout of James Madison, the feat accomplished so many things.
A few days later, it gave the Ruston native and his family quite a shock when Tollett was recognized as the NCBWA’s Dick Howser Trophy National Pitcher of the Week.
“I walked down to the bullpen,” said Tollett, whose Cajuns (15-16, 6-3) open up a weekend series against Texas State (14-16, 4-5) at 6 p.m Friday at Russo Park “They knew it and I didn’t. I didn’t really know what was going on.”
It was quite an accomplishment for a pitcher who came to UL as a walk-on and only threw 4.1 innings as a true freshman whose role was undefined when this season began.
“It didn’t really set in all day,” Tollett said “I got to talk to my family and they were in the same disbelief I was in. Like always, I was just really appreciative of everything.
I’m just playing the game and competing and that’s what I love to do.
“I got to enjoy Sunday with my family, but when Monday hits, the focus goes on Texas State.”
Tollett’s 116 pitches with no walks and 11 strikeouts earned UL a much-needed sweep of the Dukes, but also a potential solution for the Sunday starter spot
“Ideally I’d like to see him sit right where he’s at,” UL coach Matt Deggs said. “I think he’s perfectly suited for that. Some days are supposed to be high octane, high offensive type day, but he kind of catches you by surprise a little bit, especially if you can’t get anything going early “What he did (Sunday), that’s one of the best performances I’ve seen out here at our place.”
But for Tollett and his family, this week was more of an encouraging development in a long, winding road back to baseball health.
ä See CAJUNS,
UL pitcher Ryan sets tone for weekend series
BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer
The good thing about a roller-coaster ride is the upswing is just around the corner. That was the case for pitcher Sam Ryan. The
BY REED DARCEY Staff writer
BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer
The eighth inning on Sunday morning was an important moment for LSU baseball. With a six-run lead, coach Jay Johnson needed someone to prevent Mississippi State from clawing its way back into the ballgame. LSU was going for the sweep, so after freshman left-hander Cooper Williams hit the leadoff batter, Johnson turned to sophomore righthander Jaden Noot out of the bullpen.
Why did Johnson put Noot in the game?
Perhaps he was banking on the Califronia native’s recent success as a midweek starter. Maybe he thought Noot’s improved command would be beneficial for an LSU bullpen that had walked five batters and hit three others on the night. Whatever his reasons were, the move worked. Noot tossed two scoreless innings,
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON LSU guard Flau’Jae Johnson takes a shot against San Diego State in the first quarter of their
game on
STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP
UL starting pitcher JR Tollett delivers a pitch against James Madison during their game Sunday at Russo Park.
BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS
6
NBA playoff chase enters final days
By The Associated Press
It’s playoff-positioning time in the NBA.
Going into Thursday, there are 89 games left in the season. The 10 Eastern Conference postseason teams are set; Cleveland, Boston, New York and Indiana are in the playoffs, Detroit and Milwaukee are on the brink of joining them, while Orlando, Atlanta, Miami and Chicago are in the likely play-in field. In the Western Conference, Oklahoma City is the No. 1 seed and Houston is in the playoffs. The Los Angeles Lakers, Denver, Golden State and Minnesota enter Thursday holding playoff spots, with the Los Angeles Clippers and Memphis chasing them and trying to stay out of the play-in. Dallas and Sacramento are fighting for play-in berths, with Phoenix, Portland and San Antonio still alive for those as well. Add it up, and 23 of the 30 teams are still playing for something other than lottery odds with a week-and-a-half to go in the regular season.
Thursday’s games
Orlando at Washington — Big for the Magic in terms of East play-in seeding.
Milwaukee at Philadelphia — The Bucks are on the brink of clinching a playoff berth
Minnesota at Brooklyn — Not a must-win, but might feel like it for Wolves in their quest to avoid the play-in.
Memphis at Miami — Grizzlies are sliding (lost four straight), Heat are sizzling (won six straight)
Portland at Toronto — Blazers’ slim hopes for West play-in probably would require winning out Golden State at LA Lakers Potential first-round matchup. Stephen Curry LeBron James. Need we say more?
National TV schedule
It’s a TNT doubleheader
Thursday, with Grizzlies-Heat at 7:30 p.m. Eastern and WarriorsLakers at 10 p.m. Eastern NBA TV has a doubleheader Friday: Phoenix at Boston (7:30 p.m.) and Denver at Golden State (10 p.m.).
Betting odds
Oklahoma City (+175) is fa-
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander right, drives to the basket as Detroit Pistons forward Tobias Harris defends Wednesday in Oklahoma City
vored to win the NBA title, according to BetMGM Sportsbook, followed by Boston (+190), Cleveland (+500), then Denver and the Lakers (both +1400) and Golden State (+1600)
Key dates
April 11
All 30 NBA teams play
April 12 — No games.
April 13 All 30 NBA teams play, end of regular season.
April 15 The No. 7 and No. 8 finishers in both conferences play to start the play-in tournament. Winners are the No. 7 seed for the playoffs; losers will host play-in elimination games on April 18.
April 16 — The No. 9 and No. 10 finishers in both conferences play Winners move on to April 18; losers are finished for the season. April 18 The April 15 game
losers play host to the April 16 game winners. Winners are the No. 8 seed for the playoffs; losers are finished for the season. April 19 — NBA playoffs begin.
Numbers watch
n Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has 69 consecutive 20-point games, something only Wilt Chamberlain (who twice had 80-game single-season streaks), Oscar Robertson (who had a 76-game single-season streak) and Michael Jordan (who had a 69-game single-season streak) have done in the same season. OKC plays Friday at Houston.
n The league record for 3-pointers made in a season is on pace to fall on Sunday There have been 30,853 made 3s so far this season; the record is 31,579, set last season.
n Boston (1,356) is seven 3-pointers away from matching the single-season team record, set two years ago by Golden State. The Celtics are on pace to break that mark Friday at home against Phoenix.
n For the first time, the NBA could have three players make 300 3-pointers in a season. Detroit’s Malik Beasley has 295, Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards has 292 and Golden State’s Stephen Curry has 282.
Stat of the day
San Antonio’s Chris Paul, a month or so shy of turning 40, is the NBA’s second-oldest player behind LeBron James. And Paul is on pace to start all 82 games this season which would make him the second-oldest player in NBA history to do so, behind Utah’s John Stockton.
Zalatoris, Dunlap to team up at Zurich Classic
BY JEFF DUNCAN Staff writer
Young PGA Tour stars Will Zalatoris and Nick Dunlap will team together in this year’s Zurich Classic, tournament officials announced Thursday
Zalatoris, 28, and Dunlap, 21, will form one of the youngest teams in the tournament, which will be played April 24-27 at the TPC of Louisiana in Avondale.
“Nick has already won two titles, one as an amateur, in his first season on the PGA Tour,” said Steve Worthy, CEO of the Fore!Kids Foundation, which operates the tournament for the PGA Tour “Will had great success prior to injury and bounced back extremely well in 2024 after missing nearly a full season from major back surgery.” Zalatoris teamed with Davis Riley to finish tied for fourth at the 2022 Zurich Classic, just two weeks after finishing in a tie for sixth at The Masters.
He was one of the top players on tour before injuring his back at the 2023 Masters. In seven tournaments this year he has posted three top 25 finishes, the best a
tie for 12th in The American Express. He is ranked 63rd in the latest World Golf Rankings. Last year, he tied for second in The Genesis Invitational and tied for fourth in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He recorded three top 10 finished in 2020-2021, including a second-place finish in his debut at The Masters. In 2022, he finished second at both the PGA Championship, when he lost a three-hole playoff, and the U.S. Open in Brookline, Mass.
The former Wake Forest AllAmerican recorded eight top 10 finishes in 25 events during his debut season in 2020 and won the Arnold Palmer Award as the PGA Tour’s rookie of the year
Dunlap, who is ranked 41st in the world, is one of the top rookie players on tour this season and will be making his debut at the Zurich Classic. He won the American Express tournament in 2024 as a 20-yearold amateur. While still an amateur playing on a sponsor’s exemption, he became the first amateur to win on the PGA Tour since Phil Mickelson in 1991 and the second youngest winner in the last 90 years on Tour
Will Zalatoris plays his shot from the 14th tee during the first round of the Zurich Classic on April 25 at TPC Louisiana in Avondale. Zalatoris and Nick Dunlap will team together in this year’s Zurich Classic.
The Huntsville, Alabama, native recorded seven top 25 finishes last year, including a tie for fifth in the BMW Championship of the FedExCup playoffs. He won the Barracuda Championship on the DP World Tour in July, becoming the first player in PGA Tour history to win as an amateur and professional in the same season.
Like Zalatoris, Dunlap also won the Arnold Palmer Award as the PGA Tour’s rookie of the year Dunlap and Tiger Woods are the only golfers to win both the U.S. Junior Amateur and the U.S. Amateur titles in the same year Dunlap is the first amateur player to have won the U.S. Junior Amateur U.S. Amateur and a PGA Tour event.
U.S. set to host 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup
The United States and the United Kingdom looked set on Thursday to be picked by FIFA next year as hosts of Women’s World Cups expanded to 48 teams from 32. Their respective intentions to bid for the 2031 and 2035 editions are alone in the contests after a first deadline to enter the race passed. The first formal bid documents must be signed by the end of April. FIFA president Gianni Infantino told European soccer officials the governing body received one expression of interest to host the 2031 event from the U.S. with the possibility of other countries in the CONCACAF region joining the project. That long-promised bid would likely include Mexico.
USC star Watkins named AP’s Player of the Year
TAMPA, Fla. — JuJu Watkins, the sensational sophomore who led Southern California to its best season in nearly 40 years, was honored Thursday as The Associated Press women’s college basketball Player of the Year Watkins, whose Trojans won the Big Ten regular-season title for its first conference crown in 31 years, received 29 votes from the 31-member national media panel that votes on the AP Top 25 each week. Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo got the other two. Both were first-team AP All-Americans. Watkins became just the fourth player to win the award in her sophomore year, joining Oklahoma’s Courtney Paris (2007) and UConn stars Maya Moore (2009) and Breanna Stewart (2014). The AP first started giving out the award in 1995 and Watkins is the first Trojans player to win it.
Raiders sign QB Smith to 2-year contract extension
LAS VEGAS The Raiders and new quarterback Geno Smith have agreed to a new deal.
Smith, 34, will ink a two-year, $75 million extension that keeps him under contract through the 2027 season with Las Vegas. The value of the extension can increase to up to $85 million if certain incentives are met. The Raiders acquired Smith, who previously played for coach Pete Carroll in Seattle, from the Seahawks on March 7 for a thirdround pick.
Smith signed a three-year, $75 million contract with Seattle in March 2023 He had one year left on the deal and was due a $16 million signing bonus March 16. His 2025 salary of $14.8 million was not guaranteed on his previous contract.
UCLA’s Close is named AP Coach of the Year
TAMPA, Fla. — Cori Close, who led UCLA to its first women’s Final Four during one of the best seasons in school history, was named The Associated Press Coach of the Year on Thursday The Bruins earned the No. 1 ranking in The Associated Press Top 25 women’s basketball poll for the first time ever, holding the spot for 14 weeks as they piled up win after win on their way to grabbing the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.
“I’m thankful to be surrounded by the players and staff I have,” Close said. “It’s a really nice thing. It does give me an opportunity to say thank you to all the people who have poured into me all the years.”
Cowboys acquire QB Milton from Patriots
DALLAS The Dallas Cowboys have given strong consideration to selecting a quarterback in the third day of the draft to develop. The club may have just done a workaround.
Dallas traded one of its fifthround compensatory picks in this month’s draft to New England for backup quarterback Joe Milton and a seventh-round pick, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Dallas Morning News.
It’s the third trade the Cowboys have made since free agency began in early March.
Cooper Rush, who has been the backup to Dak Prescott the last four seasons, left for Baltimore in free agency That doesn’t mean the Cowboys traded for Milton with the assumption he will take that spot.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By KyLE PHILLIPS
STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRETT DUKE
Iwas abig factor in it, but there were bigger factors. I want my own one, you know what I’m saying? Where I lead the team. That’swhat you really want.”
On Sunday,Johnson almost willed LSU back to the Final Four. She scored 24 of her 28 points in the second half of the No. 3seeded Tigers’ loss to the No. 1seed Bruins.
UCLA had simply built too large of alead. Apivotal second quarter,the entirety of which they played while All-American center Lauren Betts battled foul trouble on the bench, swung 10 points in their favor.
Coach Kim Mulkey said LSU ceded too many open looks from 3-points range.
And Johnson expressed dissatisfaction with the result, saying she wanted to accomplish more before her collegiatecareer ended.
“I feel like Iain’treally do nothing, for real,” Johnson said. “I mean, we goingto Elite Eights, but that’snot no success for me. Some people have to be in the Elite Eight Idon’twant to be in no Elite Eight. Iwant to be in the Final Four.” Johnson is now the fifth notable age-eligible player to pass on the draft. Betts already decided that she was returningtocollege, andso too did UConn guard Azzi Fudd, Florida State guard Ta’Niya Latson and Notre
UL
Continued from page1C
the Trojans (23-16, 3-6) are 6p.m. Friday,3:30 p.m. Saturday and 1p.m. Sunday
“I reallythink theSunday game (win at CoastalCarolina) was apivotal moment,” said UL coachAlyson Habetz, whose Cajuns are tied for eighth place at 4-5. “We scratched and clawed for every run. That was ahardfought win and then getting it here at home.
“Everybody’slike, ‘Let’s runthe table.’ Why not? Theybelievethey can do this. Nobody has any doubt that we can still do this.” Ryan gave up asingle to Elaine Heng to start the game and didn’tallowanother hit until Heng’s one-out single in the sixth. The only baserunner between the two Heng’shits was atwo-out walk to Alannah Rogers in the second.
“I think it definitely boosted my confidence and our team’sconfidence,” said Ryan, who walked one and
CAJUNS
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Thejourney beganmidway through his junior season at Ruston. The Bearcats were facing fiercerival West Monroe in abig matchup with lots of eyeswatching In young Tollett’smind, this was his big chance to catch acollege coach’seye
“I was trying to overdo myself and throw hard,” Tollett said. “In today’sday and age, you have to kindof throw hard to get recruited, it feels like.
“Being young and immature, I’m trying to hit 90 and all that, and Ioverdid myself and get myself hurt. It was my first real elbow occurrenceinmylife.”
The doctor at Tulane told him he didn’tneed surgery, but insteada PRP or plasma injection.
He was able to rehab it enough to attenda camp, where UL associate head coach Seth Thibodeaux noticed him and offeredhim awalk-on opportunity with the Cajuns.
“I took it in aheartbeat, because when you’re hurt in your last two years of high school, you don’thave many options,” Tollett said. “I was just so fortunate that they opened that door for me.”
Sure, the 6-foot-2, 190-pounder probablycould have gotten ajunior college opening somewhere, but “I wanted to get into apro-
Dame guard Olivia Miles. Both Latson andMiles, however,are in the transfer portal, searching for places where they can play their seniorseasons.Before Monday,Mileswas the projected No. 2overall pick, according to recent mock drafts byboth ESPN and TheAthletic Johnson did not appear in either projection because she hadn’tdeclared. Had she thrown her name into thepool of draft prospects and come off the board in the first round, shewould’ve earned afivefigure annual rookie salary.Eachyear,Johnsonis believedtopocket seven figuresworth of name,imageand likeness earnings through brand deals that will follow her to the WNBA when she declares.
Now,because Johnson is passing on this year’sdraft, she’sinlinefor apair of even larger paydays.
LSU will soon startsharingaround $20 million of revenue with its athletes, pending final approval of the landmark House settlement,though it’ssofar unclearexactly howthe athletic department will distribute that cash among its topprograms. CoachBrian Kelly told The Advocate in February,for instance, that he expectshis team to receive $13.5 million for it to use during the 2025-2026 school year
TheWNBAcould also have anew collective bargaining agreement in place before the 2026season. A potential deal would likely
struck out three over 96. “I think everyone played well all aroundand Ithink that’ll be good goingintothe weekendagainst Troy.”
For Habetz,watching Ryan flourish was atreat
“Sam Ryan, the epitome of agreat teammate,”she said. “She’staken leadership of thebullpen. This past weekend,we’reinher hometown and she’saskingme, ‘Whodo you want me to getready?’ It wasn’tabout her. We felt like shedeservedthe opportunity tonight and man, it’staking advantage of the opportunity.She tookitand ran with it. I’m just so proud of her inevery way,shape and form.
“She’sagreat teammate and great human being.To come out and just dominate the strikezone and shut them out,that was incredible.”
UL’s offense took alittle whiletoget going with a singletally in the third. ErinArdoin led off with a walk, advanced on Maddie Hayden sacrifice bunt and aMia Liscano.Emily Smith got her home with asacrifice fly to right.
gram that would helpme gain strength and have the facility andthe resources that UL has.”
In thefallofhis senior season at Ruston, Tollettran into more issues and needed ulna nerve transposition surgeryatthe Dr.James Andrews facility in Birmingham, Alabama.
In that process, hisulna bone had to be shaved down.
He wassupposedtobe readyto pitchas asenior, but thatnever happened after fibrosisbuilt up Tollett was riddled with doubt ashearrived in Cajun Country after missing so much time.
“I was real anxiousgoing into my freshman year of college,becauseIreally hadn’t hadthe reps on the mound for agood year and ahalf to two years goingintoit,”hesaid.
His returntothe mound was on acrisp 5:30 a.m.start during aSeptember practice session.
“That’sawelcome to it right there,” Tollett laughed. As afreshman, Tollett threw4.1 innings over a handful ofoutings with a 12.46 ERA.
“As straight up asIcan be, Ijust wasn’tready,” he said. “I don’ttake thoseoutings for granted, though. My coach is givingmethe opportunity to get my feet wet my freshman year. It was very limited.
“Those were big spots, bigoutings forme. They believed in me, but Ijust wasn’t ready yet.”
usher in larger pay scales forthe next batchofrookies, the group thatJohnson can joinonceshe wrapsup her senior season.
As ajunior,the LSUstar averaged acareer-high 18.6 pointspoint game, to pair with a5.6 rebound average and a2.5 assist average. She shot 47% from the field and 38% from 3-point range.
“Flau’jae Johnsonwas the first McDonald’sAll-American that IsignedatLSU,” Mulkey said on Sunday. “I had not coached and won anything at LSU, andshe cametoLSU. So she jumpstarted ourprogram, really And thenthe portal helped us. We brought in Angel (Reese) and lotsofotherplayers. But Flau’jae wasahigh school All-American, andwe got her.”
Johnson can now return to theTigers, alongside co-star Mikaylah Williams,and try to lead themback over the Elite Eight hump.
LSUisalso adding four recruitsthatcomprisethe nation’sNo. 1freshmanclass, and they can bring back incumbent contributors such as JerseyWolfenbarger, Kailyn Gilbert,Mjracle Sheppard and Jada Richard. So far,Mulkey and her staffhavelost two players to thetransferportal: starting forward Sa’Myah Smith and veteranpoint guardLastTear Poa.
Email Reed Darcey at reed.darcey@theadvocate. com. For more LSU sports updates, sign up forour newsletter at theadvocate. com/lsunewsletter
“Weall went in with a mindset that we’re going to go all in and we’reall going to be going 100%,” Liscano said. “Westuck behind Sam. She did her job and we did ourjob andwejustworked together as awhole team and it showed.”
UL got twoinsurance runs in thefifth.Withone out,Hayden singled and Liscano tripled herhome. One outlater,Sam Roe delivereda clutch two-out RBI single to left for a three-run cushion.
Now hitting in the2-hole with Kayla Falterman still out, Liscano hit .500 last week and was 2-for-3 with an RBI.
“I have been puttinga lotof work in in my hitting away,” Liscano said. “I’m just really confident right now and that’sthe biggest thing.”
Suddenly,ifFalterman returnsfromconcussionprotocol this weekend, making outthe lineupcard could be tougher
“It’s agreat problem to have,” Habetz said. “I just love how they pull for each other.”
After all the obstacles and doubtshe’sovercome, the last thing Tollett wants to do is overlook achance to fulfill his dreams.
“Peopleare going to talk about, ‘Well, if you don’t throw those four innings, youcould have redshirted,’” he revealed. “I just don’tsee it that wayatall. Thoseopportunities were real importanttomeinthis process.”
Tollett beganthis season as apotential bullpen arm, buthe’snow made quite an impression in hisfourth startsinnine outings.
Currently,he’s3-2 witha 3.31 ERA, allowing 34 hits, six walks and striking out in 35.1 innings.
“It just speaks to thepower —Ithink he topped out at 90 maybe once or twice —ofbeing able to wiggle thebaseball, move it around andlocate,” Deggssaid. “If Ican sink it and slide it and maybe pull it at times, then I’ve got achance.
Now that his potential is no longer asecret, Tollettcan even appreciate his rocky road tonational recognition.
“I thank the Lord for my process,” he said. “I was so gladthatIwas able to experience those bumps in theroad health-wise in high school, because by thetime Igot to college and even last year, Ifaced alittleshoulder hiccup at the beginning of the season,Iwas more trained to handle that situation.”
Email KevinFooteat kfoote@theadvocate.com.
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striking out two battersand allowing just one hit as LSU won 17-8 to finish off the series sweep.
“He justkind of reminds me of that 1990s big league starterthat you can count on throwing strikes with three or fourpitches,” Johnson said. “Andyou look up and it’s fiveorsix innings and there’s only one run on aboard.”
Afteraninjury-plagued first two seasons, Noot has been one of the Tigers’ better arms thisyear,particularly since the start of Southeastern Conference play.Hehas a3.07ERA in 142/3 innings with 18 strikeouts and six walks.
Saturday was his first appearance in the SEC and only his second ever conference outing. But over his last 12 innings, he’sallowed just two earned runs and three walks
“I don’tget caught up in roles,”Noot said. “I don’t thinkany of us reallyhave one other than the starters on the weekend, obviously But anyone can do whatever everyone else is doing.”
In some respects, Noot’s recentriseshouldn’tcome as asurprise.There was a reason why Perfect Game pegged Noot as the No. 1 pitcher in California and the No. 33 playerinthe nationfromthe 2022 class. Even then, he had afastball that reached the mid 90s. His high school coach Jerry Royster called him a “straight power pitcher ”
“For him not to go in the first round,” Royster told TheAdvocatelastApril.“I don’tknow what the problem could have been.”
Headingintothe 2023 season,Noot and Shores were theprized freshman arms on aclub that eventually won the national titlewithout either of them. Noot got hurt first, needing Tommy John surgery before the season even started.
The injury sidelined Noot for thenext year anda
half. He returned on April 6, 2024, andthrewjust one inning against Vanderbilt, walking two batters and surrendering athree-run homerun. Asecond injury then sidelined him forthe rest of the year
All of that missedtime resultedinNoot getting lost in the shuffle. Incoming freshman arms andnew faces from theportal seemingly overtook him on the depth chart.
But Noot kept on working. To help make up for losttimeonthe mound, he pitched for theFalmouth Commodores in theCape CodBaseballLeague last summer.Hewasn’tvery successful —hehad a7.15 ERAin111/3 innings —but his experience did help him in one respect.
“Mainly the reason I wentout there (was) just to getsomemoreexperience against college guys, get on the mound again because it’sbeen so long,” Noot said. “But Iwouldn’tsay it helped me gain some confidence or anything. It was moresojust getting more comfortable with what I’m
doing and how to do it.”
After dusting off some rust in the Cape, Noot returned to Baton Rouge and startedout the season in the bullpen before earning his first career start on March 18 againstUNO.Itwas a rocky first inning, but by the end of it he allowed just oneearned runinfour frames.
Noot has continued to pitch well ever since. However,even after his best outing during the weehours on Sunday morning, he doesn’t feel like he’s 100% back to being thepitcher he was before the injury
“I’m notthere yet,” Noot said.“Ijust keep working, keep getting better.” Howwill he know when he’ll be back to his old self? Nootisn’tsure. But whenever that happens, it could spell trouble for the rest of the SEC.
“Onceithappens, youjust know in your mind, ‘Alright, that’swhat it is,’ “Noot said. “Like, you just, your body gets it, Iguess.”
Email Koki RileyatKoki. Riley@theadvocate.com.
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
LSUpitcher Jaden Noot delivers apitch against Mississippi State in the ninth inning of theirgame on Sunday at Alex Box Stadium.
Brodie returnstocoach at Delcambre
Former Kaplan coachwill also be Panthers’A.D.
BY ERIC NARCISSE Staff writer
When Cory Brodie stepped down as Kaplan’s football coach, he didn’tknow if he’d get another chance to run aprogram. Or even if he wanted to “Tobehonest, when Ileft Kaplan Ireally just wanted to coach ball, Brodie said. “I was just looking for
agood situation ” Brodie spent thepastyearas Lakeshore’sdefensive coordinator on thestaff of his uncle Brent Indest. “L ak es hor e provided me with thatfresh start that Ikind of needed,” Brodie said. “Mentally,itwas a breathof fresh air because being ahead coach can be alot. So being adefensivecoordinator gave me a yeartolearn from my uncle Brent whohad more than 200 wins in his career.”
Brodie
And after one season at Lake-
shore, Brodie was hired as Delcambre’sathletic director and football coach.
“I’m super excited to be back in the area,”said Brodie,who has coached at Kaplan and Vermilion Catholic and grew up in New Iberia. “I’m familiar with Delcambre anditwas very enticing to me to go to aplace that wants to improve and being part of that process.”
Brodie said he’sequally excited aboutbeing the Panthers’ athletic director
“Being an athletic director and overseeing all of the sports is something that hasalwaysintriguedme,”Brody said. “I’ve never donethatbefore, so when
theprincipal threw that out there, that definitely intrigued me.”
Brodie, 33, takes over aprogram that went 4–6 last year andlast qualified forthe playoffs in 2022.
“The goal is that we need to be competitive in all sports thatwe put outthere,” Brodie said. “We know thatour communitywants to get behind allofthese sports, but we have to give them something to be proud of.
“I’m football,ifwecan make the playoffs, host aplayoff game and win aplayoff game, then that would be vast improvement.”
When Brodie took over Kaplan at age 28, he took over ateam that also was coming off afour-win
season. But by the timeheleft, the Pirates had won seven games. Now having head coaching experience, Brodie said he has improved.
“I understandthe process and Ithinkwecan do it (win seven games) at afasterpace,” he said. “That first summer (as head coach), maybe we went too long or notlongenough. Youhavetodetermine howphysicalyou want to be in practice or how much practice is mental.Withmyexperience, Ithink can make that process smoother forthe kids.”
Email Eric Narcisse at enarcisse@theadvocate.com.
Acadiana Renaissanceclosing in on first playoff appearance
Jensen steadily building Eagles into contender
BY MIKE COPPAGE
Contributing writer
There was something about building abaseball programfrom scratch that appealed to TylerJensen. ACentral Catholic graduate, Jensen coachedthe Morgan Citybased Eagles for 10 years until he accepted the job as coach at Acadiana RenaissanceinYoungsville four years ago.
“It was areally toughdecision to leave Central Catholic,” Jensen said. “I loved everything about it. Isaw the potential of this place, heard about the growth, and had visions of what that could mean.” Jensen, who has beenatthe helm for the Eagles since theirfirst var-
sity game, has seenthe program progress at arapid rate. ARCA (18-8) not only will make theplayoffs for the first time, but the Eagleswill likely earn an open-
ing-round bye as atop-12 seed. The Eagles areNo. 9inthe Division II select power ratings.
“This is abaseball-rich area,” Jensen said. “I knew there was
tonsofpotential. It wasadifferent type of challenge. Seeing other programs startfromthe ground intrigued me, so Igave it ashot.”
Thefirstteam had just 11 players. Lastyear’ssquad went 12-14 andwasn’tfar removed from a playoff berth ARCA nowboasts more than 30 players. Fifty-five boys tried out —75atthe middle school,which fielded three separate teams.
“It’s goingtocontinue to grow,” Jensen said. “I’m so happy forthe kids.They’ve setthe foundation where it could be an elite program in five, 10, 15 years.”
The Eagles graduated only two seniors last year.This teamhas threeseniors. Sometimes Jensen starts four juniors, four sophomores andafreshman.
On Wednesday,freshman Michael Batiste hit agame-winning sacrifice fly thatscored Spencer Glaeser in a10-9 win over Crowley
The Eagles have been in nine onerun games, including a4-3 loss to DivisionIII nonselectNo. 2Erath
“We’re working on slowing down ourheartbeats andlearning howto win,”Jensensaid. “I’m notsurethe kids realize the growth we’ve had, and how close we are to being a real contender.We’re knocking on the door; we need to kick it down.” Sebastian Rideaux hits leadoff andisone of thebestpitchers Beau Cormierisanother two-way threat at the mound and plate. Additional standouts include Cole Schexnaider,Conner Owens, KeeganHandschin, Emric McAdams and Jackson Kretzer Glaeser and McAdamseach produced four hits against Crowley Glaeser homered and Kretzer had three hits. Schexnaider and Owens both maderelief appearances after Rideaux started the game and threw 31/3 innings.
“It’sbeen adifferent guy every night,” Jensen said. “The best teamsare abunch of nobodies that don’tcareabout being somebody and will serve anybody by playing foreach other.”
PROVIDED PHOTO
Acadiana Renaissancecoach Tyler Jensen has his newprogram heading to thestate playoffs for the first time.
Turning 55
Help BREC’s Baton RougeZoo celebratethis milestone birthdayat Zippity ZooFest from 9:30 a.m. to 5p.m. (grounds close at 6p.m.)
Local talent will rule the stage at the Baton Rouge Blues Festival.
“Wecould fill three weekendswith local talent,” BluesFestival executive director Lauren LambertTompkins said. “We’re proud of how much local talent we’re showcasing this year,and we’re also booking someincredible touring acts.” Blues Fest 2025 runs Friday, Saturday and Sunday on five stages along North Boulevard in downtown Baton Rouge. Opening night features three nationally known young local performers —singer-pianist Hanna PK,singer-guitarist Jonathon“Boo-
5p.m. Friday,12:30 p.m Saturdayand 11:30 a.m Sunday l NorthBoulevard, downtown l brblues.org
gie” Long and former “American Idol” finalist Jovin Webb. National acts at this year’sfestivalinclude CedricBurnside,the grandson of the late north Mississippi hill country bluesstar R.L. Burnside, and Adia Victoria, a Nashville-based singer-songwriter originally from Spartanburg, South Carolina. Anew attraction,Baton Rouge blues artist Kenny Neal’santique car show,parksSaturday only at theOld StateCapitol. “There’sa crossoverofinterest in theblues and antique cars,
ä See BLUES, page 6C
HITTHE RIGHTNOTE
BY JUDYBERGERON Staff writer
ROCK THECOUNTRY
Fridayand Saturday l Livingston Parish Fairgrounds, 19869 Fairgrounds Road, Livingston l Tickets are $119.99 and up l rockthecountry.com
The town of Livingston hasnever rocked like this before. In alineupled by Kid Rock and Nickelback, thetwo-day Rock The Country —A Festival ForWeThe People descends on the Livingston Parish Fairgrounds on Friday and Saturday It’s areturn trip to Louisiana for the music festival, which made a2024 stop in Gonzales,also featuring Kid Rock. TheAscension Parish event drew morethan 23,000 fans, with outof-parish visitors exceeding 20,000. This year,the festival is traveling to 10 towns, with Livingston kicking it off.
“It’sthissimple,Rock TheCountry isn’tjust amusic festival,it’sa movement,” said Kid Rock.“It’sa placefor hard-working, Godfearingpatriotstogather as one and celebrate freedom, music andthe party of theyear.” KidRock, 54,bornRobertJames Ritchie, began his career in the Detroithip-hopscene. He transitioned to rap rock, followed by country rock. His breakthrough album, 1998’s “Devil Without aCause,” sold 14 millioncopies. Among his biggest songs are“Cowboy” (1999), “Picture”(2002) and “All Summer Long” (2008).
ä See COUNTRY, page 6C
‘Diners, Drive-Ins& Dives’ to featurearearestaurants
BY JUDYBERGERON Staff writer
ville, Florida, abig-time
ThreeBaton Rougerestaurants will be spotlighted on episodes of Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins &Dives” soon. Host Guy Fieri and his crew shot the episodeswhile he wasinLouisiana in February forSuper Bowl-relatedevents and other appearances. In the show,Fieri travels around the
country visiting classic hometown favorite eateries, going into thekitchens towatch theirspecialtiesbeing created, and chatting with patrons about what’sontheir plates. First up is Phil’sOyster Bar &Seafood Restaurant, 4335 Perkins Road,at8 p.m. Friday Theepisode is titled “Flavortown Finds.” “This trip,Guy Fieri’sgettin’ into major flavor with thesenew finds! In Gaines-
Creole crawfish with cheesecake andchargrillin’ out-of-bounds oysters. Anda Naples, Florida, spotiscrankin’ outkiller culinary,like prime-timepas-
trami with pickled relish and knockoutgnocchiwithpork ragu.” Next is Dempsey’s, 13580 Coursey Blvd, at 8p.m. Friday, April 11, in an episode called“Sandwich Shenanigans.” “This trip, Guy Fieri’s diggin’ into killer combos between the bread! There’sbig-timeTexas BBQ with fine dining flair in
ä See 'DINERS', page 6C Guy Fieri’s red convertible complete with a‘FLVRTWN’ license plate, has aprime parking spot outside Dempsey’sin February.
By The Associated Press
Today is Friday, April 4, the 94th day of 2025. There are 271 days left in the year
Today in history:
On April 4, 1968, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., 39, was shot and killed while standing on a balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. King’s death triggered a wave of unrest in cities across the United States that killed 43 people and injured more than 3,000.
Also on this date:
In 2012, a federal judge sentenced five former New Orleans police officers to prison for the deadly Danziger Bridge shootings in the chaotic days following
BLUES
Continued from page 5C
Lambert-Tompkins said. “Kenny’s calling all of his friends and organizing the show.” The local acts LambertTompkins is especially enthusiastic about include the Juke Joint Juniors, a band that grew out of the West Baton Rouge Museum’s Blues After School program. The Juniors perform at 12:45 p.m. Saturday
“These are high school students who go to the museum on Friday afternoons to learn how to play the blues,” she said. “They’re really talented.”
On another note, LambertTompkins hopes that festgoers will support the Blues Festival by buying drinks, food and T-shirts from the event’s vendors.
“We’re struggling to keep the festival free,” she explained. “A big portion of our income comes from drink sales, so people bringing their own drinks affects us. Imagine how much you’d spend otherwise for a ticket to a festival of this size with this much talent.”
While admission to the festival is free, VIP passes are available for purchase. Some of the 30 acts at the Blues Festival are previewed below
Kenny Neal
n 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Visit Baton Rouge Swamp Blues Stage
The senior member of Baton Rouge’s Neal family of
‘DINERS’
Continued from page 5C
Dallas, pairing the-bomb brisket with smoked mushroom duxelles and piling prime-time pork with apple slaw Then, in Gainesville, Florida, a real-deal deli is plating a spot-on Cubano and a turkey-short rib mashup, au-jus style,” according to the synopsis. “And a Baton Rouge joint is puttin’ their stamp on po-boys, dishing out boudin balls with remoulade, plus rockin’ roast beef and shrimp with a Creole kick.” Also, Iverstine Farms
Hurricane Katrina. (The verdicts in the case were later set aside by the judge, who cited prosecutorial misconduct; the officers pleaded guilty in 2016 to reduced charges.)
In 2015, in North Charleston, South Carolina, Walter Scott, a 50-year-old Black motorist, was shot to death while running away from a traffic stop; Officer Michael Thomas Slager, seen in a cellphone video opening fire at Scott, was charged with murder (The charge, which lingered after a first state trial ended in a mistrial, was dropped as part of a deal under which Slager pleaded guilty to a federal civil rights violation; he was sentenced to 20 years in prison.)
musicians, Kenny Neal is a second-generation Baton Rouge bluesman who’s made international impact. His dozens of honors include a Grammy nomination for his 2016 album, “Bloodline.” Neal followed that project with 2022’s “Straight from the Heart.” In February, he released the single “Devil’s in the Delta.”
A duet with his son, Micah Willis, the song fuses Neal’s swamp-blues sound with Willis’ soul music style.
Chris Thomas King
n 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Visit Baton Rouge Swamp Blues Stage
Like Kenny Neal, Chris Thomas King is a secondgeneration Baton Rouge blues star During his more than 40-year career he’s released two dozen albums and co-starred with George Clooney in the Coen brothers’ 1930s-set Southern fable, “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” King won a Grammy Award for his contribution to the film’s multiplatinum soundtrack album.
Lost Bayou Ramblers
n 1 p.m. Sunday, Watermark Slim Harpo Stage
Though the two-time Grammy-winning Lost Bayou Ramblers has boldly and loudly carried Cajun music into the 21st century, this Acadiana band never lost touch with its traditional roots. Following a Grammy win in 2018 for the sonically and musically daring “Kalenda” album, Lost Bayou Ramblers won a second golden statuette in 2024 for its collaboration with the Louisiana Philharmonic
Butcher, 7731 Perkins Road, will be featured at 8 p.m. Friday, April 18, in an episode titled “Sandwiches, Seafood and Sweets.”
“Guy Fieri’s gettin’ into next-level seafood, sammies and more! First a farm-totable joint in Baton Rouge is knocking out a killer Cuban and going hog wild with headcheese,” the synopsis states “In Gainesville, Florida, thebomb bakery is rockin’ both savory and sweet with their artisan artichoke croissant and an off-the-chain chocolate cake. Plus, a soul food spot in Tallahassee, Florida, is giving pineapples the spotlight with their signature
In 2023, Prosecutors in New York unsealed a historic 34-count felony indictment of Donald Trump, alleging that he conspired to illegally influence the 2016 election through a series of hush money payments designed to stifle claims that could be harmful to his candidacy Trump became the first former U.S. president to face criminal charges. (He would be found guilty on all counts the following month.)
Today’s birthdays: Recording executive Clive Davis is 93. Golf Hall of Famer JoAnne Carner is 86. Actor Craig T. Nelson is 81. Actor Christine Lahti is 75. Football Hall of Famer John Hannah is 74. TV writer-producer David E. Kelley is 69.
Orchestra, “Live: Orpheum Theatre NOLA.”
D.K. Harrell
n 5 p.m. Saturday, Visit Baton Rouge Swamp Blues Stage
In March, D.K. Harrell, a 26-year-old blues singerguitarist from north Louisiana, signed with the world’s greatest blues label, Alligator Records in Chicago. His forthcoming album, to be released in June, will join the 350 recordings Alligator has released since 1971.
Especially influenced by B.B. King though he is, Harrell blends blues-rock, Americana and funk-blues into a sound of his own.
Jontavious Willis
n 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Watermark Slim Harpo Stage
Acoustic blues master Taj Mahal says Jontavious Willis is “a great new voice of the 21st century in acoustic blues.” Mahal lauds the Georgia native’s singing and distinctive guitar playing. “There’s not a bluesman alive who can pick his instrument up and play it like that,” Mahal said.
Unselfish Lovers of the Blues n 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Chris Whittington Family LA-1 Stage
Unselfish Lovers of the Blues graduated from bassist and music educator David Hinson’s band school for grown-ups, the Adult Music Club. Performing blues and rhythm-and-blues from the 1950s and ’60s, the Unselfish Lovers have made multiple appearances at Phil Brady’s Bar & Grill and Beauvoir Park.
seafood bowl and outrageous oxtail nachos.” While in Baton Rouge, Fieri commented, “You’ve got the greatest food scene. You’ve got the nicest people — a big small town.”
Fieri, 57, is also known for his other Food Network series, including “Guy’s Grocery Games,” “Guy’s Big Bite” and “Tournament of Champions.” The latter is currently airing its sixth season, with New Orleans chef Nini Nguyen among the competitors.
Email Judy Bergeron at jbergeron@theadvocate. com.
FRIDAY
LIVE MUSIC: Cane River
Pecan Company Pie Bar, New Iberia, 5 p.m.
DERRICK SAVOIE: Adopted Dog Brewing, Lafayette, 6 p.m.
CARNELIAN: Adopted Dog Brewing, Lafayette, 11 a.m.
CAJUN JAM: Tante Marie,
COUNTRY
Continued from page 5C
“We’re really looking forward to hitting the road and visiting some amazing towns, especially in places we’ve never played before,” said Nickelback bassist Michael Kroeger. “There’s something special about connecting with fans in these communities, and we’re ready to bring our best and truly rock the country Can’t wait to see you all out there!” Canadian rockers Nickelback’s 2002 single “How You Remind Me” marked the band’s mainstream breakthrough. Between its first album, “Curb,” in 2006 and its most recent project, 2022’s “Get Rollin,’” the band has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide. Nickelback’s most popular singles include “Photograph,” “Rockstar” and “Far Away.”
In addition to the headliners, Rock the Country’s
Breaux Bridge, 11 a.m.
CAJUN FRENCH MUSIC JAM: Vermilionville, Lafayette, 1 p.m.
MAJOR HANDY: Bayou Teche Brewing, Arnaudville, 4 p.m.
THE LAST MANGOS: Adopted Dog Brewing, Lafayette, 6 p.m.
LIVE MUSIC: Jim Deggy’s, Lafayette, 6 p.m.
LIVE MUSIC: Charley G’s, Lafayette, 6 p.m.
LIVE MUSIC: Prejean’s, Broussard, 6 p.m.
LIVE MUSIC: Randol’s, Breaux Bridge, 6:30 p.m.
RORY SUIRE: SHUCKS!, Abbeville, 6:30 p.m.
SECOND CHANCE: Agave Downtown, Lafayette, 6:30 p.m.
DANNY AIRHART: Tap Room, Lafayette, 6:30 p.m.
WAYNE BLUE BURNS: Whiskey & Vine, Lafayette, 8 p.m.
TRAVIS MATTE & THE KINGPINS: Lakeview Park, Eunice, 8 p.m.
ZACH EDWARDS: The Alley Downtown, Lafayette, 7 p.m.
DISCO DANCE PARTY: Feed’n’Seed, Lafayette, 7 p.m.
THE SOUL SUPPORTERS: Hideaway on Lee, Lafayette, 8 p.m.
SYMPHONY SUNDAY IN THE PARK: City Park, New Iberia, 3 p.m.
THE STUDIO DANCE AND FITNESS CENTER PRESENTS “ICONIC”: Cajundome, Lafayette, 4 p.m. FORET TRADITION: Pat’s
lineup will feature Southern rock kings Lynyrd Skynyrd, Jo Dee Messina, Gavin Adcock, Treaty Oak Revival, Shenandoah, Mark Chesnutt, Deana Carter, Little Texas, Brianna Calhoun, Logan Crosby, Them Dirty Roses, Rehab, Afroman and DJ Slim McGraw
Ticket prices range from $119.99 for a single-day Friday ticket to $449.99 for a weekend VIP pass. Tent and RV camping options are also available. Go to rockthecountry.com for tickets and more information. Rock The Country will also visit:
n Knoxville, Tennessee: April 25-26
n Poplar Bluff, Missouri: May 2-3
n Ocala, Florida: May 9-10
n York, Pennsylvania: May 30-31
n Hastings, Michigan: June 13-14
n Little Rock, Arkansas: June 20-21
n Ashland, Kentucky: July 11-12
Atchafalaya Club, Henderson, 4:30 p.m.
LIVE MUSIC: Charley G’s, Lafayette, 6 p.m.
LIVE MUSIC: Randol’s, Breaux Bridge, 6:30 p.m.
LEON CHAVIS: O’Darby’s Pub & Grill, Carencro, 8:30 p.m.
MONDAY
PATRICIO LATINO SOLO: Cafe Habana City, Lafayette, 11 a.m.
LIVE MUSIC: Charley G’s, Lafayette, 6 p.m.
TUESDAY
TERRY HUVAL & FRIENDS: Prejean’s Restaurant, Lafayette, 6 p.m.
LIVE MUSIC: Charley G’s, Lafayette, 6 p.m.
WEDNESDAY
DULCIMER JAM: St. Landry Visitor Center, Opelousas, 10 a.m.
ANDREW DUHON
n Sioux Falls, South Dakota: July 18-19
n Anderson, South Carolina: July 25-26
WEEKEND’S SCHEDULE
FRIDAY
ARIEs(March 21-April19) Keep your thoughts andfeelingstoyourself. Gather information first before you address issues based on half-truths. Focus more on verifying facts
tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Stick to the facts and keep explanations short and to the point, and you'll maintain asteady pace forward withlittle interference.
GEMInI(May 21-June 20) Takeaload off. It's time to create opportunities and utilize your attributes to gain recognition and rewards. You'll get aunique perspective when conversing with someone from adifferent background.
cAncER (June 21-July 22) Putyour emotions aside and your energy into something positive andconstructive. How youchoose to use your time and talents will determine your success. Focuson whatbrings the highest returns.
LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Concentrateon something you enjoy doing. Let your creative imagination take the lead, and seewhat develops. Touching base with past associates will help put different lifestyle changes in perspective
VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Participating in an event, meeting or pastime that encourages positive change or helps you get the backup you require to reach your goals is in yourbest interest.
LIBRA (sept. 23-oct.23) Leave your comfortzone and venture intounknown territory.It's up to youtomake things hap-
pen. Invest more time and moneyinto developing what excitesyou most.
scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Diversify, try something you've never done before and engageinconversationsthat offer aunique perspective. Question your long-term plans and consider what it takes to reach your destination sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Listen carefully and devise aplantohelpyou takethe road less traveled if it will help you reach your destination cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan.19) Separate feelings and money. Buying things you don't requiretoservice an emotional need will leave you in the lurch. Success comes to those who put in thework and effort.
AQuARIus (Jan.20-Feb. 19) Declutter your spaceand make room forsomething you want to pursue. Having a place that facilitates your dreams, hopesand wisheswill be the pick-meup you need PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Explore activities and pastimes that interest you. Socializing, networking and interacting with people searching forsomething new and exciting will not disappoint you.
Celebrity Cipher cryptograms arecreated from quotations by famous people, pastand present. Each letter in the cipherstands for another.
For better or For WorSe
beetLe bAILeY
GooSe And GrIMM
Sudoku
InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1to9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.
Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer
nea CroSSwordS
THewiZard oF id
BLondie
BaBY BLueS
Hi and LoiS CurTiS
Bridge
By PHILLIP ALDER
MignonMcLaughlin, ajournalist and authorwho wrotetwo volumes titled “Neurotic’s Notebook,” said, “Forthe happiest life, days should be rigorously planned, nights leftopentochance.”
The happiest bridge player rigorously planshis campaigns,although sometimes his successisopentochance, depending on where themissing high cards are located. In this deal,South is in three no-trump. AfterWestleadsthediamondqueen,how should South plan the play?
Remember that when youopenone or twono-trump, do not be neurotic about aweak suit.Itisyourpartner’s job to coverthatsuit; youcannotbeexpected to do everything.
South startswith eight toptricks: one spade, twohearts, onediamond and four clubs. In isolation, by far thebest chance of aninthwinner is to taketwo spade finesses. One will work 76 percent of thetime.
However,those finesses are into the West hand, the defender who presumably holds thediamond length.
Declarer should duck thefirst two diamond tricks, thentakethe third with dummy’s ace, being relieved to see that the suit is 4-3, not 5-2. Then South plays aspade to his jack. West wins, cashes hislast diamond, andshifts to aclub.
Each Wuzzleisaword riddle which createsadisguisedword, phrase,name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON
Previous answers:
word game
InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four lettersbythe addition of “s,”such as “bats” or “dies,”are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a“d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit wordsare not allowed.
toDAy’sWoRD HERnIAL: HER-nee-ul: Protruding through connective tissue or through awallofthe cavityinwhich it is normally enclosed.
Average mark 29 words
Time limit 40 minutes
yEstERDAy’sWoRD —VERBEnA
Can you find38ormore words in HERNIAL? vane
today’s thought
is good for me that Ihavebeen afflicted; that Imight learn your statutes.”Psalms 119:71
