The Advocate 04-07-2025 by The Advocate

BLUES YOU CAN USE

MIDDLE RIGHT: Louis Michot, of the Lost Bayou Ramblers, performs on the Watermark Slim Harpo Stage on Sunday.

Lawmaker seeks to ensure ICE cooperation

Bill would make it a crime to interfere with federal agencies

BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer

As President Donald Trump pursues a shock-and-awe crackdown on illegal immigration, some Louisiana lawmakers want to “set the tone” that local law enforcement will cooperate with federal immigration enforcement efforts.

Sen. Jay Morris, R-West Monroe, has filed legislation that would make it a crime for any public official to interfere with Immigration and Customs Enforcement or other federal immigration enforcement agencies. Those officials could be charged with malfeasance in office or even obstruction of justice. “I can’t believe that we actually need a law that says that local officials have to cooperate with our federal law enforcement officials,” Morris said. “But apparently around the country it’s

become somewhat of a trend in certain areas to say they are not gonna cooperate with the federal government. And I think that’s wrong.” Morris said he supports Trump’s handling of immigration: “He’s doing the right thing by deporting criminals and people who are here illegally It’s not much more complicated than that.”

For the most part, state and local law enforcement agencies play a narrow role in immigration

ä See ICE, page 4A

Leesville, mayor settled 2020 case involving harassment, discrimination for $299,000

BY TYLER BRIDGES | Staff writer

Nicole Ybarra received an urgent request from Leesville Mayor Rick Allen. He needed to meet that evening at City Hall with Ybarra and the other City Council members. The public was not invited. Before the six council members and Allen filed into the empty council chamber, the mayor of the small town near the Texas border asked everyone to leave behind their cellphones, Ybarra said. Allen quickly got to the point: He and the city manager had just returned from a mediation session in Baton Rouge and needed the council at its next meeting to approve the settlement of a lawsuit filed by what he described as two disgruntled city employees. Allen said a court gag order prevented him from discussing the details with the council or the public, Ybarra recounted in a recent interview

Several days later, at a regularly scheduled meeting on Sept. 14, 2020, the council approved the settlement without divulging the explosive allegations in the lawsuit: that Allen had a sexual

ä See DETAILS, page 5A

Landry hunting trip includes trial lawyers

Legislative chairs say talks focused on auto insurance

BY TYLER BRIDGES | Staff writer

Five legislative leaders met with Gov Jeff Landry and two prominent trial attorneys in Texas last week to hunt turkey and talk legislative business — including whether lawmakers will keep trying to make it harder for lawyers to collect big payouts for clients injured in car accidents.

Gordon McKernan, one of the two attorneys, flew House Speaker Phillip DeVillier Senate President Cameron Henry and three committee chairs on his law ﬁrm’s jet to the Tributary Sporting Club near Austin Landry met them there. They all returned Wednesday Landry issued the invitations, and Protect Louisiana Values, one of his political organizations, paid for their stay at the hunting resort, lawmakers said. The trip came at a time when business-oriented Republican legislators have been expressing

ä See TRIP, page 4A

A team from the New Orleans Immigration and Customs Enforcement office plans a raid in 2022.

A state senator is proposing to make it a crime for any public official to interfere with federal immigration enforcement agencies.

STAFF PHOTOS By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Lil’ Ray Neal plays the guitar on the Visit Baton Rouge Swamp Blues Stage at the Blues Festival in Baton Rouge on Sunday.

RIGHT: Victoria Savoie dances with her daughter Cecilia, as the Soul Supporters perform on the Visit Baton Rouge Swamp Blues Stage.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MAX BECHERER Allen Ybarra Landry

ä See more from the Blues Festival. PAGE 6A

BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

Yemen’s Houthis say U.S. strikes kill 4

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates Suspected U.S. airstrikes killed at least four people Sunday in Yemen’s rebel-held capital Sanaa, the Houthi-run health ministry said, while a bombing video posted by U.S. President Donald Trump suggested casualties in the overall campaign may be higher than the rebels acknowledge. The strikes in Sanaa hit a home and injured 16 other people, the ministry said.

Earlier on Sunday, the Iranianbacked Houthis said suspected U.S. airstrikes killed at least two people overnight in a rebel stronghold Saada and wounded nine others. Footage aired by the Houthis’ al-Masirah satellite news channel showed a strike collapsing what appeared to be a two-story building. The rebels aired no footage from inside the building, which they described as a solar power shop

The intense campaign of U.S. airstrikes targeting the rebels over their attacks on shipping in Mideast waters — related to the Israel-Hamas war has killed at least 69 people, according to casualty ﬁgures released by the Houthis.

The Houthis have not acknowledged any casualties among their security and military leadership — something challenged after an online video posted by Trump.

Early on Saturday, Trump posted what appeared to be black-and-white video from a drone showing over 70 people gathered in a circle An explosion detonates during the 25-second video. A massive crater is left in its wake.

Le Pen supporters hold rally in Paris

PARIS Convicted of embezzling public funds and banned from running for office, farright politician Marine Le Pen stood unshaken before a sea of French flags in Paris on Sunday “For 30 years I have fought against injustice,” she told the crowd. “And I will continue to ﬁght.”

Le Pen

Thousands of supporters gathered at Place Vauban, near the golden dome of Les Invalides and the tomb of Napoleon, for what was billed as a protest — but observers said it had all the markings of a campaign rally

The National Rally, Le Pen’s party, organized the event in response to what it calls a politically motivated verdict. But with chants of “Marine Présidente!” and “They won’t steal 2027 from us,” the message was clear: this was more than a protest. It was a show of populist deﬁance aimed squarely at France’s institutions.

At the heart of that charge stood Jordan Bardella, Le Pen’s 29-year-old protégé and president of the National Rally His speech was fiery, accusing France’s judges of trying to silence the opposition.

Pope makes surprise appearance at Mass

VATICAN CITY Pope Francis made a surprise entrance to St. Peter’s Square during a special Jubilee Mass for the sick and health workers on Sunday, marking his ﬁrst public appearance at the Vatican since leaving the hospital two weeks ago after a life-threatening bout with pneumonia.

The pontiff waved at the crowd of faithful that stood and applauded as he was pushed in a wheelchair unannounced to the front of the altar in the square. Some exclaimed, “I see the pope!” as his image first emerged on a big screen showing him passing through the Holy Door before being brought down a ramp to the altar

“Good Sunday to everyone,” Francis said, speaking into a microphone, which he tapped to make sure it was working on a second attempt. “Thank you very much.”

The pontiff’s voice sounded stronger than when he addressed well-wishers outside of Gemelli hospital on the day of his release March 23, after a ﬁve-week hospital stay

A man passes Sunday by the

was killed along with her son and five other

in Khan younis, southern Gaza Strip

Israeli strikes on Gaza kill at least 32

Officials: Mostly women and children slain

By The Associated Press

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip

Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip killed at least 32 people including over a dozen women and children, local health officials said Sunday, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu headed to the United States to meet with President Donald Trump about the war

Israel last month ended its ceasefire with Hamas and has seized territory to pressure the militant group to accept a new deal for a truce and release of remaining hostages. It has blocked the import of food, fuel and other supplies for over a month to the coastal territory heavily reliant on outside assistance.

Israel’s military late Sunday ordered Palestinians to evacuate several neighborhoods in central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah shortly after about 10 projectiles were ﬁred from Gaza — the largest barrage from the territory since Israel resumed the war

The military said about five were intercepted.

Hamas’ military arm claimed responsibility Police said a rocket fell in Ashkelon city and fragments fell in several other areas The Magen David Adom emergency service said one man was lightly injured. The military lat-

er said it struck a rocket launcher in Gaza.

Israeli strikes overnight into Sunday hit a tent and a house in the southern city of Khan Younis, killing five men, five women and five children, according to Nasser Hospital, which received the bodies.

The body of a toddler took up one end of an emergency stretcher

A female journalist was among the dead. “My daughter is innocent. She had no involvement, she loved journalism and adored it,” said her mother, Amal Kaskeen.

“Trump wants to end the Gaza issue. He is in a hurry, and that is clear from this morning,” said Mohammad Abdel-Hadi, cousin of a woman killed.

Israeli shelling killed at least four people in the Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry

The bodies of seven people, including a child and three women, arrived at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, according to an Associated Press journalist there.

And a strike in Gaza City hit people waiting outside a bakery and killed at least six, including three children, according to the civil defense, which operates under the Hamas-run government.

Dozens of Palestinians took to the streets in Jabaliya for new anti-war protests. Footage on social media showed people marching and chanting against Hamas. Such protests,

while rare, have occurred in recent weeks.

There is also anger inside Israel over the war’s resumption and its effects on remaining hostages in Gaza. Families of hostages along with some of those recently freed from Gaza and their supporters have urged Trump to help ensure the ﬁghting ends.

Netanyahu on Monday will meet with Trump for the second time since Trump began his latest term in January The prime minister said they would discuss the war and the new 17% tariff imposed on Israel, part of a sweeping global decision by the U.S.

“There is a very large queue of leaders who want to do this with respect to their economies. I think it reﬂects the special personal connection and the special connection between the United States and Israel, which is so vital at this time,” Netanyahu said while wrapping up a visit to Hungary

The U.S., a mediator in ceasefire efforts along with Egypt and Qatar, had expressed support for Israel’s resumption of the war last month.

Hundreds of Palestinians since then have been killed, among them 15 medics whose bodies were recovered only a week later Israel’s military this weekend backtracked on its account of what happened in the incident, captured in part on video, that angered Red Cross and Red Crescent and U.N. ofﬁcials.

Judge: Deportation of Md. man to El Salvador was ‘wholly lawless’

By The Associated Press

GREENBELT, Md. — The U.S. government’s decision to arrest a Maryland man and send him to a notorious prison in El Salvador appears to be “wholly lawless,” a federal judge wrote Sunday in a legal opinion explaining why she had ordered the Trump administration to bring him back to the United States. There is little to no evidence to support a “vague, uncorroborated” allegation that Kilmar Abrego Garcia was once in the MS-13 street gang, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis wrote. And in any case, she said, an immigration judge had expressly barred the U.S in 2019 from deporting Abrego Garcia to El Salvador, where he faced likely persecution by local gangs.

“As defendants acknowledge, they had no legal authority to arrest him, no justification to detain him, and no grounds to send him to El Salvador — let alone deliver him into one of the most dangerous prisons in the Western Hemisphere,” Xinis wrote.

She said it was “eyepopping” that the government had argued that it could not be forced to bring Abrego Garcia back because he is no longer in U.S. custody

“They do indeed cling to the stunning proposition that they can forcibly remove any person — migrant and U.S. citizen alike — to prisons outside the United States, and then baldly assert they have no way to effectuate return because they are no longer the ‘custodian,’ and the Court thus lacks jurisdiction,” Xinis wrote. “As a practical matter, the facts say otherwise.”

The Justice Department has asked the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to pause Xinis’ ruling.

Abrego Garcia, a 29-year-old Salvadoran national who has never been charged or convicted of any crime, was detained by immigration agents and deported last month.

Abrego Garcia had a permit from DHS to legally work in the U.S. and was a sheet metal apprentice pursuing a journeyman license, his attorney said.

Rising rivers threaten U.S. South, Midwest

BY JON CHERRY, KIMBERLEE KRUESI and ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE Associated Press

FRANKFORT, Ky.— Rivers rose and ﬂooding worsened Sunday across the sodden U.S. South and Midwest, threatening communities already badly damaged by days of heavy rain and wind that killed at least 18 people.

From Texas to Ohio, utilities scrambled to shut off power and gas, while cities closed roads and deployed sandbags to protect homes and businesses.

In Frankfort, Kentucky, rescue crews checking up on residents in the state capital traversed inundated streets in inﬂatable boats.

“As long as I’ve been alive — and I’m 52 — this is the worst I’ve ever seen it,” said Wendy Quire, the general manager at the Brown Barrel restaurant in downtown Frankfort.

As the swollen Kentucky River kept rising on Sunday, ofﬁcials diverted trafﬁc and turned off utilities to businesses in the city built around it, Quire said. “The rain just won’t stop. It’s been nonstop for days and days,” she said.

As of Sunday, the river’s depth had risen above 47 feet and was expected to crest above 49 feet Monday morning to a recordsetting level, according to Frankfort Mayor Layne Wilkerson. The city’s ﬂood wall system is designed to withstand 51 feet of water Forecasters said Sunday that flooding could persist as torrential rains lingered over many states, including Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama. Tornadoes are possible in Alabama, Georgia and Florida, forecasters said

For many, as the rain kept falling, there was a sense of dread that the worst was still to come. The 18 reported deaths since the start of the storms on Wednesday included 10 in Tennessee. A 9-year-old boy in Kentucky was caught up in floodwaters while walking to catch his school bus. A 5-year-old boy in Arkansas died after a tree fell on his family’s home and trapped him, police said. A 16-yearold volunteer in Missouri firefighter died in a crash while seeking to rescue people caught in the storm. The National Weather Service said on Sunday dozens of locations in multiple states were expected to reach a “major flood stage,” with extensive flooding of structures, roads, bridges and other critical infrastructure possible. In north-central Kentucky emergency officials ordered a mandatory evacuation for Falmouth and Butler, towns near the bend of the rising Licking River Thirty years ago, the river reached a record 50 feet, resulting in five deaths and 1,000 homes destroyed. There were 207 domestic and international flights cancelled within the U.S. and more than 5,400 delayed on Sunday according to FlightAware.com. The storms come after the Trump administration has cut jobs at NWS forecast offices, leaving half of them with vacancy rates of about 20%, or double the level of a decade ago. The NWS said 5.06 inches of rain fell Saturday in Jonesboro, Arkansas — making it the wettest day ever recorded in April in the city, dating back to 1893.

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His wife is a U.S. citizen.

The White House has described Abrego Garcia’s deportation as an “administrative error” but has also cast him an MS-13 gang member Attorneys for Abrego Garcia said there is no evidence he was in MS-13.

In her order Sunday, Xinis referenced earlier comments from now-suspended Justice Department attorney Erez Reuveni in which Reuveni said: “We concede he should not have been removed to El Salvador” and that he responded “I don’t know” when asked why Abrego Garcia was being held.

The Justice Department placed Reuveni on leave after he made the comments.

Attorney General Pam Bondi in an interview on “Fox News Sunday,” likened Reuveni’s comments to “a defense attorney walking in, conceding something in a criminal matter.”

“That would never happen in this country,” she said. “So he’s on administrative leave now and we’ll see what happens.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ABDEL KAREEM HANA

destroyed house of journalist Islam Meqdad, where she

family members in an Israeli army strike

PRESS

Trump says he’s not backing down on tariffs

President calls them ‘medicine’ as markets reel

BY ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON and FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.

Presi-

dent Donald Trump said Sunday that he won’t back down on his sweeping tariffs on imports from most of the world unless countries even out their trade with the U.S., digging in on his plans to implement the taxes that have sent ﬁnancial markets reeling, raised fears of a recession and upended the global trading system.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said he didn’t want global markets to fall, but also that he wasn’t concerned about the massive sell-off either, adding, “sometimes you have to take medicine to ﬁx something.” His comments came as global ﬁnancial markets appeared on track to continue sharp declines once trading resumes Monday and after Trump’s aides sought to soothe market concerns by saying more than 50 nations had reached out about launching negotiations to lift the tariffs.

“I spoke to a lot of leaders, European, Asian, from all over the world,” Trump said. “They’re dying to make a deal. And I said, we’re not going to have deficits with your country We’re not going to do that, because to me a deﬁcit is a loss. We’re going

M. ALVAREZ

Trade Representative as reporting that more than 50 nations had reached out to the White House to begin talks. Adding to the turmoil, the new tariffs are hitting American allies and adversaries alike, including Israel, which is facing a 17% tariff. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to visit the White House and speak at a news conference with Trump on Monday with his office saying the tariffs would be a point of discussion with Trump along with the war in Gaza and other issues.

ropean partner Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, said she disagreed with Trump’s move but was “ready to deploy all the tools — negotiating and economic necessary to support our businesses and our sectors that may be penalized.”

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick made clear there was no postponing tariffs that are days away

dents to justify new tariffs to Congress. Lawmakers would then have to approve the tariffs within 60 days, or they would expire. Nebraska GOP Rep. Don Bacon said Sunday that he would introduce a House version of the bill, saying that Congress needs to restores its powers over tariffs.

to have surpluses or at worst, going to be breaking even.”

The higher rates are set to be collected beginning Wednesday, ushering in a new era of economic uncertainty with no clear end in sight.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said unfair trade practices are not “the kind of thing you can negotiate away in days or weeks.” The United States, he said, must see “what the countries offer and whether it’s believable.”

Trump, who spent the weekend in Florida playing golf, posted online that “WE WILL WIN. HANG TOUGH, it won’t be easy.” His Cabinet members and economic advisers were out in force Sunday defending the tariffs and downplaying the consequences for the global economy “There doesn’t have to be a recession. Who knows how the market is going to react in a day, in a week?” Bessent said. “What we are looking at is building the long-term economic fundamentals for prosperity.”

U.S. stock futures dropped

on Sunday evening as the tariffs continued to roil the markets. Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 futures fell nearly 4% while Nasdaq futures were down nearly 5%. Even the price of bitcoin, which held relatively stable last week, fell nearly 6% Sunday Trump’s tariff blitz, announced Wednesday, fulﬁlled a key campaign promise as he acted without Congress to redraw the rules of global trade. It was a move decades in the making for Trump, who has long denounced foreign trade deals as unfair to the U.S. He is gambling that voters will be willing to endure higher prices for everyday items to enact his economic vision.

Countries are scrambling to ﬁgure out how to respond to the tariffs, with China and others retaliating quickly

Top White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett acknowledged that other countries are “angry and retaliating,” and, he said “by the way, coming to the table.” He cited the Office of the U.S.

RFK Jr. visits Texas after 2nd child dies from measles-related illness

BY DEVI SHASTRI and AMANDA SEITZ Associated Press

U.S. Health Secretary Rob-

ert F. Kennedy Jr. traveled to West Texas on Sunday after a second elementary schoolaged child who was not vaccinated died from a measlesrelated illness.

Ahead of a “Make America Healthy Again” tour across southwestern U.S., Kennedy said in a social media post that he was in Gaines County to comfort the families who have buried two young children.

Kennedy said he was working with Texas health officials to “control the measles outbreak.” Seminole is the epicenter of the outbreak, which started in late January and continues to swell — with nearly 500 cases in Texas alone, plus cases from the outbreak believed to have spread to New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas and Mexico

The second young child died Thursday from “what the child’s doctor described as measles pulmonary failure,” and did not have underlying health conditions, the Texas State Department of State Health Services said Sunday in a news release. Aaron Davis, a spokesperson

for UMC Health System in Lubbock, said that the child was “receiving treatment for complications of measles while hospitalized.”

This is the third known measles-related death tied to this outbreak One was another elementary school-aged child in Texas and the other was an adult in New Mexico; neither were vaccinated.

It’s Kennedy’s first visit to the area as health secretary where he said he met with families of both the 6and 8-year-old children who died. He said he “developed bonds” with the Mennonite community in West Texas in which the virus is mostly spreading.

Kennedy, an anti-vaccine advocate before ascending to the role of nation’s top health secretary earlier this year, has resisted urging widespread vaccinations as the measles outbreak has worsened under his watch. On Sunday, however, he said in a lengthy statement posted on X that it was “the most effective way to prevent the spread of measles.”

The measles, mumps and rubella vaccine has been used safely for more than 60 years and is 97% effective against measles after two doses.

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention teams have been “redeployed,” Kennedy added Sunday, although the nation’s public health agency never relayed it had pulled back. Neither the CDC nor the state health department included the death in their measles reports issued Friday, but the CDC acknowledged it when asked Sunday The number of cases in Texas shot up by 81 between March 28 and Friday, and 16 more people were hospitalized. Nationwide, the U.S. has more than double the number of measles cases it saw in all of 2024.

Republican U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, of Louisiana, a liver doctor whose vote helped cinch Kennedy’s confirmation, called Sunday for stronger messaging from health ofﬁcials in a post on X.

“Everyone should be vaccinated! There is no treatment for measles. No benefit to getting measles,” he wrote. “Top health ofﬁcials should say so unequivocally b/4 another child dies.”

Cassidy has requested Kennedy to appear before his health committee Thursday, although Kennedy has not publicly confirmed whether he will attend.

Another American ally Vietnam, a major manufacturing center for clothing, has also been in touch with the administration about the tariffs. Trump said Vietnam’s leader said in a telephone call that his country “wants to cut their Tariffs down to ZERO if they are able to make an agreement with the U.S.” And a key Eu-

“The tariffs are coming. Of course they are,” he said, adding that Trump needed to reset global trade. But he committed only to having them “definitely” remain “for days and weeks.”

In Congress, where Trump’s Republican Party has long championed free trade, the tariff regiment has been met with applause but also signiﬁcant unease.

Several Republican senators have already signed onto a new bipartisan bill that would require presi-

“We gave some of that power to the executive branch. I think, in hindsight, that was a mistake,” said Bacon, adding that getting a measure passed would be challenging unless the markets continue to react negatively and other indicators such as inﬂation and unemployment shift.

Wyoming’s John Barrasso, the No. 2 member of the Senate’s GOP leadership, said Trump is “doing what he has every right to do.” But, he acknowledged, “there is concern, and there’s concern across the country People are watching the markets.”

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ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By LUIS

President Donald Trump walks down the stairs of Air Force One on Sunday upon his arrival at Joint Base Andrews, Md.

concern privately that Landry willagain favortrial attorneys on major legislation during the upcoming legislative session. Last year Landry vetoed one major piece of legislationinvolving alegal doctrine known as “collateral source” that would have limited potential payouts for trial lawyers. He also insisted thatlegislatorslimit several other measures opposed by trial lawyers before agreeing to support them. At the time, he said he rejected the collateralsource bill to ensure that working people and consumers would receive what they deserve in medicalcosts following an accident caused by others.

‘Wetried somethingnew’

When this year’ssession begins later this month,the trial attorneys and lobbyists for businessinterests willresume their longtime political ﬁght.

With that in mind, Henry said the outing to Texas was an attempt to see if legislators could find common ground with the trial lawyers on ways to protect the rights of people injured in accidents while eliminating frivolous lawsuits.

Henry said they decided to have the discussionata Texas hunting lodge because, “We’ve tried it around the table in my ofﬁce.” He said that ledtocompromise legislation on property insurancelast year but not auto insurance.

“Year after year,we’ve beentryingto solvethis balancing what’sgood forthe insurance companies,and then we run into the oppositionofthe trialbar,” Henry said. “They’ve been excluded from every conversation. We have to bring all sides in We nowhave abetter understanding of what the sticking points areand what we believethe bad actors on both sides are doing.”

Also traveling to Texas for themeetingswere Sen.Kirk Talbot, whochairsthe Senate InsuranceCommittee; Sen. Patrick McMath, whochairs the Senate Healthand Welfare Committee; Rep. Jack McFarland,who chairs the

“The governor’sthought was why don’twebring these guys to thetable on something that we can pass and bring down rates,”Henry,R-Metairie, said “Wetried something new to see if we couldget abill across thegovernor’sdesk that he’swillingto supportthatdoesn’t restrict the insurance companies in a way that doesn’tmake them want to do businessinLouisiana and doesn’tunfairly restrict those who are injured in accidents.”

House AppropriationsCommittee;KyleRuckert,the governor’schief of staff; and Digger Earles, abig-name personal injury lawyer in Lafayette who is buddies with Landry from when they attended law school together No business lobbyistswent on the trip.

State ethics laws generally prohibit public officials from receiving anything “ofeconomic value” for theperformance of their official duties. Whether thatwould apply to theMcKernan flights is not clear.Public officialshave to disclose flightsondonors’ planesifthe flights are campaign related.

DeVillier,McKernanand Earles did not return phone calls seekingcommentabout the trip or the discussions thattook place.

Througha spokesperson, Landry declined to comment Huntingand insurance

Talbot, R-River Ridge, has championed the business point of view during his tenure in theLegislature. He said the trip didn’t changehis view that to lower autoinsurance rates which he called the highest

in the country —Louisiana must tilt the legalscales away from excessive litigationand excessive payouts.

Askedwhether thepurpose of thetrip was to try to nail down an agreement on car insurance issues, Talbot said, “I wouldn’tcharacterize it as hammering out adeal. It was moreofalively discussiononthe causes of the high ratesand how to solve them. Any timeIcan talk to different people, you hear differentperspectives, and that’s valuable. I’m willing tomeet anyone anywhere to debate and discuss this.”

Lawmakerssaid they went hunting one morning in Texas but otherwise devoted their time to discussing how to addresshigh auto insurance rates and thepath forward on the state budget after votersa week ago rejected overhauling thetax section of thestate constitution.

“Itwas notlike we just wentout there and hada good time,” saidMcFarland, R-Jonesboro. “Wespent hours in meetings on Mondayafternoon, Tuesday and again Wednesday.”

McFarland said he, Landry

and his legislative colleagues discussed the budget situation without McKernan or Earles present. “There are signiﬁcant budgetchallenges,”McFarland said. “It gave us the chance to discuss them. I’ll be forced to do things that Jeff won’t like. Iwon’tbeinagreement witheverything he wants to do.”

Last year,McFarland passed legislation long sought by business interests that prevents injured parties from suing insurance companies directly,apractice known as “direct action.”

Proponents of the measure believe judges and juries awardbigger claims when they know that deep-pocketed insurance companies are on the hook.

But McFarland softened the ﬁnal version at the behest of Landry and trial lawyers.

The governor signed the legislation into law

McMath, R-Covington, said he wasinvited on thetripto lend hisperspective on insurance issues.

“Insuranceisthe No. 1issue our constituents face,” McMath said. “Wehaveto ﬁnd ways to curb costs for homeowners, autos and health. Youhave to have conversations with the people involvedinthe process. You have to be educated on the issues.”

Politicalcontributions

McKernanisamong the major trial attorneys who

contributed heavily to Landry when he won the 2023 governor’srace, after he supported Gov.JohnBel Edwards, aDemocrat, during his eight years in office. McKernan gave $100,000 to theLouisiana Republican Party in 2023, and his law firmcontributed $15,000 to Landry McKernan is based in Baton Rouge but has law offices throughout thestate. In January, he began an ad blitzinmetro NewOrleans to gain clients there. In an interview two months ago, McKernan said he began contributing to state lawmakers because of “therepeated calls by theinsuranceindustry to reform things that make their side of the table moreprofitable. At the sametime, that’sa transaction where regular everyday folk, working men and women,are giving up rights that they don’trealize in return for promises that don’tmaterialize.”

In addition to vetoing the legislation last year over the objections of business interests, Landry has also raised hacklesamong conservatives by appointing two trial attorneys, John Carmouche and Rico Alvendia, to positions on theLSU Board of Supervisors. Both have contributed generously to Landry andthe Louisiana Republican Party Email TylerBridges at tbridges@theadvocate.com.

detention and deportation.

“Immigration law is federal administrative law, explained Metairieimmigration attorney Michael Gahagan. “It’snot criminal law where the judge issues awarrant and the sheriff’s deputy will go out and arrest them at their house based on this arrest warrant.” Federal ofﬁcers enforce federal laws, Gahagan said. Because of that, ICE or other federalagencies take the lead on immigration enforcement operations though sometimes they enlist the support of state or local police. In the course of their regular policing, however state or local law enforcement may learn someone they have arrested is wanted by ICE. In that case, they can inform ICE and hold that suspect for up to 48 hours through what is known as an “immigration detainer.”

Just two Louisianalaw enforcement agencies out of themany scattered throughoutthe state’s 64 parishes have formalagreements in place to assist ICE, according to data available on the agency’swebsite: theKenner Police Department and the BossierParish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce. Those arrangements are often referred to as “287(g) agreements” and are set up under section 287(g) of a federal law called the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Both Kenner andBossier Parish signed onto “jail enforcement model” agreements. These allow certain trained local ofﬁcers to perform immigration enforcement duties inside the local jail after someone has been arrested and booked for another crime.

Those tasks include identifying and interviewing people to determine if they are subject to deportation, issuing detainers, serving ICE warrants, and preparing removal proceeding documents.

Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley signed up in midMarch.

“Sweeps and checkpoints and things of that nature; that’snot even possible with themodel we’regoing into,” he explained. Instead, the agreement applies only to people who have been arrested and taken into custody foranother offense.

Theagreement gives the KennerPolice Department access to federal databases to confirm an arrestee’s

identity and the training and legal authority to interviewthose who are in police custody to determine if they are deportable.

Conley, who was elected to his post in 2022 and over the years held variousroles in Jefferson Parish politics and law enforcement, leads thepolice force inacity wherenearly 30% of the population is Hispanic.

Jefferson Parish, where Kenner is located, has the highestHispanic population in Louisiana, according to U.S.census data.

“I know that the main knock on 287(g) is thatthe police departmentmight lose trustofthe Hispanic community,” he said. “I thinkit’smyjob as the leader of thisdepartment and as an elected ofﬁcial to work on that trust.”

Without the agreement, thepolicedepartmenthad to rely on federal ofﬁcials for these tasks, something that historically hasbeen “verytime consuming,”

Conley said Bossier Parish Sheriff Julian Whittington signed ajailenforcement model agreement on Feb. 27, but through aspokesperson declined to shareadditional information about the arrangement.

ICE did not respond to requests forcomment about immigration enforcement arrests in Louisiana.

ThelatestregionalICE arreststatistics available on itswebsiteare from October 2024. They show that for the 2024 ﬁscal year, which ended Sept. 30, there were atotalof10,327 ICE arrests in thearea thatincludesAlabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee.

OtheragreementswithICE

It is possible that other Louisiana agenciescould signsimilar agreements with ICE.

The Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce is “in active negotiations with ICE to fulﬁllkey regional functions,” according to Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Valerie Ponseti.

“These agreements are in process, and it would be prematuretodisclosedetails,” she said in an email. In the meantime, “we

actively workwithICE to detain andremitprisoners thatwereceive in the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center who do not have lawful status to be in the United States,” she said.

Lafayette Parish Sheriff Mark Garber endedthe policyofa previous sheriff not to honor ICE detainers when he took ofﬁce in 2016. He said that since then, his ofﬁce has“worked withICE seamlessly.”

Garber changedcourse after a2014 decision by then-SheriffMikeNeustrom to honoronlyICE detainersthatwerealsosupported by ajudge’sorder. Neustrom at thetimesaid thepolicy was an effortto avoid litigation after afederal judgefound acounty jail in Oregon liable for civil rights violations over an ICEdetainer. Offenders whodon’t have legalstatus to be in the U.S. “are putting an unnecessary strain on an already strained criminal justice system and parish jail,” Garber said. “Welook forward to cooperating with a reinvigorated Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency to alleviate some of thesepressures from our community.”

What otheragenciesdo

Louisiana StatePolice conﬁrmeditdoes notwork with ICE underany formal agreement, but didn’tshare details as to how the agencies do work together

“Louisiana StatePolice regularly collaborates with local,state, andfederal partners in our shared missionofenforcing laws and ensuring safetyinour communities,” an agency spokesperson saidina statement.

Likewise, Livingston Parish SheriffJason Ard said that, while there’snoformalagreement, if someone booked in Livingston Parish is identiﬁedasbeingwanted by ICE, the agency honors immigration detainers.

“Wehave always maintainedanoutstanding working relationship with our local ICEagents,”Ard said. What do BR andN.O.do?

The East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’sOffice, through aspokesperson,

saiditdoesn’thave any formal agreementsinplace withICE nor has it been asked by the agency to participate in any immigration enforcement activity

In Orleans Parish,aconsent decreehas beenin place since 2013 that limits howthe Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce can assist ICEwith immigration detainers or verifying citizenship status.

But alaw passedlast year bannedillegalimmigration sanctuary policiesand is nowthe basis for an ongo-

ing legal effort by Louisiana Attorney GeneralLiz Murrill to endthe consent decree.

In the meantime, Sheriff’s Ofﬁce in astatement said it “remains in full compliancewithall applicable state laws and valid court orders relatedtoICE detainers.”

“Undercurrent policy, whichismandatedbythe consent decree, OPSO honors ICE detainers in cases involving serious crimes such as murder, rape,and armed robbery,”

theagencysaid.“Our ofﬁcewill continue to follow the law as directed by the courts while maintaining our commitment to public safety andconstitutional policing.”

The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Officeand the NewOrleans Police Departmentdid notrespond to requests forcomment on how those agencies collaborate with ICE.

Email Alyse Pfeil at alyse.pfeil@theadvocate. com

DeVillier McFarland McKernan McMath Talbot

relationship with acity employee who was demoted twice after the relationship ended andrehired amanager who the city employee saidhad previously sexually harassed her —and then the sexual harassment resumed.

No mediaoutlet reported the contents of the lawsuit or the cost to taxpayers to settle the case. The public knew nothing.

Life moved on in Leesville, atown of nearly 6,000 residents in Vernon Parish that abuts what was then named Fort Polk and is now Fort Johnson. La. 171, which connects Shreveport and Lake Charles, intersects thetown.

What happened nearly ﬁveyears ago in Leesville would have remained buried but for an anonymous city resident and Ybarra, whowere troubled by the actions of the mayor and the other council members. Because of their efforts, word about the lawsuit has begun ﬁltering out in Leesville in recent weeks.

Still, Allen and his allies have tried to keep alid on the story,refusing to discuss it or insistingthata courthas sealed the documents. That is not true. Areview of the docket shows no seal orders. The lawsuit and settlement are public documents, given that they involvetaxpayer money. But whilethe lawsuit has been seen by aselect few recently,practically no one has seenthe settlement.

It shows that Allen and the council agreed to pay $299,000 to settle the case.

Three City Council members who voted for the settlement in 2020 declined threeweeks agotodiscuss the matter,while afourth did not return phone calls.

Several politicalinsiders who have seen acopy of the lawsuit said the topic was too hot to discuss in asmalltown where, they said repeatedly,“everybody knows everyone else.”

Apowerfulmayor

At thecenter of the story is Allen, who is servinghis third term as mayor after winning election twice with 68% of the vote. He is this year’spresident of the Louisiana Municipal Association, which represents the interests of cities before the governorand the state Legislature. Associates say Allen has told them he wants to run for lieutenant governor one day.(Rich Dupree, the second vice president of theLouisiana Municipal Association, resigned from that position and as mayor of Pineville in central Louisiana last year after he was forcedtoacknowledge publicly that he had had an affair with acity employee there.) Allen frequently refers to God in his public pronouncements and gets high marks from residents for aggressively winning state and federal contracts for projects in Leesville.

Allen has declined to answer questions about the lawsuit andsettlement but did briefly say after arecent City Council meeting, “You have adisgruntled council member who would like to burn thewhole town down. It’snot about me.”

The City Council member is Ybarra,who is serving her second term and has stood out by not automatically supporting his agenda.

A49-year-old retired pharmacy technician, she defeated a20-year incumbent in 2018 after deciding to run because ofa neighborhood sewage problem. Likeher colleagues, she earns about $500 per month on the council.

Ybarra saidAllenhas frozen her out of council group texts andstopped responding to her requests —to punish her for being the one councilmembertoquestion hisactions, including those involving thelawsuit and settlement.

“I’m just not ayes person,” Ybarra said. “I think he’sused to having yespeople on the council.”

Ybarra also said she believes that Allen hadthe Leesville PoliceDepartment investigate her, tryingtoestablish that she was behind the dissemination of the lawsuit.

City Council member WillieMae Kennedy saidshe founda copyofitplaced on her windshielda few months ago.

Kennedylooked at itbriefly beforedriving to City Hall to give the document to Patti Larney,the city administrator

“I didn’tthink it was for me,” Kennedy said during a briefinterview three weeks ago beforedecliningtoanswer more questions.

Vernon Parish District Attorney Terry Lambright said police ofﬁcials came to him seeking his advice on the investigation of Ybarra. Lambright wouldnot disclose what he told them, but Ybarrasaidshe doesn’t believe the police arestill investigating her PoliceChief Beth Westlakedid not return phone calls.

An anonymoustip

The lawsuit andsettlementseemed destinedto be forgotten, butlastyear, an unidentiﬁed mancalled Ybarra andchided her for voting to approve the settlement, Ybarra said in the interview.

“What are you talking about?” she saidshe replied.

The man began providing details of the lawsuit.

“Where areyou getting this from?”Ybarra saidshe was dumbfounded.

The man saiditcame from alawsuit ﬁled in federal courtinLakeCharles He gave her thedocket number Ybarra said she immediately drove to Lake Charles and requested acopy of the entire ﬁle, all 1,200 pages.

The courtﬁling shows that Allenand thecityhad been suedbyacity employee named Amanda Stoots,who said she hada one-year affair with Allen and was laid off after the relationship ended. Stoots also saidasenior cityemployee sexually harassedher,touchingher breasts and rear end and repeatedly propositioning her, bothbefore, during and afterthe alleged relationship with Allen. In the lawsuit, Stootssaidthe mayor didn’t stop thesexual harassment.

That night, reading it, “I felt sick to my stomach,” Ybarra said.

Thelawsuit said Stoots, who agreed in the settlement not to discuss the case, began working for the cityinApril 2018 as agrasscutter at Fort Polk.

Thefollowingmonth, the lawsuit said, Stoots’ supervisor, James Chris Fox, began making lewd comments to her, in person and through Snapchat, andrepeatedly asked her to have sex with him.She responded that his comments were “gross,”the lawsuit said, and shedemanded that he stop harassing her Stoots informed Allen about what Fox was doing.

“Ms. Stoots felt comfortable reporting this sexual harassment to MayorAllen because Mayor Allenexpressed aromantic and sexual interest in Ms. Stoots, and the twobegan aconsensualintimate relationship in September 2018,” thelawsuit said. “This relationship continued over the next year.”

Stoots,who had been promotedtoproject manager, was demoted twice after theaffair ended,the lawsuit said.

In December 2019, Fox laid off Stoots “aspart of a‘reduction in forcedue to budget constraints,’”according to the lawsuit.

Stoots ﬁled suitinMarch 2020 along with Robyn Bassett, whoaccused Allen, other cityofﬁcials and the city itself of discriminating against her because she is gayand because shecom-

plained of discrimination against other city employees. The settlement was signed in October 2020, according to acopyobtained by TheAdvocate |The Times-Picayune througha public recordsrequest. It showsthatStoots received $186,875. Of that, $124,582.33 went to her,and hertwo New Orleansattorneys, Casey Denson and KerryMurphy, each collected $31,145.83.

Bassett received $112,125. Of that, $74,750 went to her and Denson and Murphy each collected an additional $18,687.50.

Denson said neither Stootsnor Bassettcould discussthe settlement.

Of the $299,000 paid to the two women, the city of Leesville paid $175,000 to Stootsand Bassett, with the additional $124,000 coming from the Louisiana MunicipalRisk Management Agency, an insuranceentity that is partofthe Louisiana Municipal Association. (Leesville’sbudget was $8.1 millionthatyear, according to areport ﬁled with the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’sOfﬁce.)

Foxand Larney did not return phone calls seeking comment.

No questionsasked Audiofromthe dayin September 2020 when the council approved thesettlement showsthatAllen read theresolution, which did not contain any details of the lawsuit or thesettlement

Council member Chris Robertson, an Allen ally, offered the motion for approval. Council member Phillip Hunt, another ally, seconded it. Allen asked if there was anypublic comment. Therewas none. The council approved thesettlement unanimously It was over after 79 seconds.Itappears to have been theonly time the issue hasbeen addressedpublicly

Later askedwhy he voted for it, Robertson said, “We were toldnot to discuss it because of thecourts.” He

then walkedaway. Hunt did notreturn phone calls

Council member Alice Guess would not discuss her vote, saying onlythat Mayor Allen and City Administrator Larney could talk about it Ybarra said she voted for the settlementonlyafter receiving assurances from the then-city attorney,Max Antony,that it was in the best interests of thecity. With the rise of theinternet, small towns across Louisiana like Leesville have become news deserts. The mayor andCityCouncil there don’tget much coverageanymore. Rick Barnickle covers the meetings as publisher of the VernonParish Journal, afree newswebsite that publishesonWednesdays andFridays.

“All Ihear is rumor and speculation,” Barnickle said of the lawsuit, “that they are trying to discredit the mayor andthatthe casehas been sealed andwas settled in 2020.”

KALB-TV in Alexandria published the only account of the lawsuit about six weeks ago.

“Itwent to socialmediaand therewere lots of

sharesand comments. But then it wasdeleted,” said Jessica Herring, who recently stepped down as news director at KVVP,alocal radio station Carli Luca, thestation’s news director,said she removed it fromthe website because the story needed additional reporting and involved a2020 case that had been “dismissed.” (Itwas dismissed only after the partiesagreedtoasettlement.) Luca said shemade her decision without hearing from Allen or anyone else from Leesville State Rep. Chuck Owen, a Republicanwho represents Leesville, said he received acopyofthe lawsuitinthe mail afew months ago but toldhis aide that he didn’t want to knowthe contents. When the KALB-TV report became public, Owen said, “The mayor saidthey gotthe storywrong, that it wasn’tabout him. It was aboutsomeoneelse.Ithit the news andthenwent away.The very few people who have come to me are wondering:Why aren’t more peopleworried about this?”

Email TylerBridges at tbridges@theadvocate.com.

NoticedisherebygivenpursuanttoArticle7, Section23(C) of the Louisiana Constitution andR.S.47:1705 (B) thata public hearing of the Town of ClintonDistrictofEast FelicianaParishwill be held at itsregular meetingplace at the ClintonTownHall Officelocatedat11209BankStreet,Clinton, LA on Tuesday, May13, 2025 at 5:45 p.m. to considerlevying additional or increased millagerateswithoutfurthervoterapproval or adopting the adjusted millage ratesafter reassessment androllingforward to rates nottoexceed the prioryear’smaximum Theestimated amount of tax revenues to be collectedinthenextyearfromtheincreased millage is $1,523,094.23, andthe amount of increaseintaxes attributable to the millage increaseis$8,942.39.

METRO NEWS

Traditional Ukrainian band coming to La.

BY JOANNA BROWN Staff writer

Yagody, a modern folk band

from Lviv — a city on the western edge of Ukraine — is excited to play its ﬁrst North American tour

The band, consisting of four traditional Ukrainian musicians who combine vocals and percussive instruments to create a tight, transportive sound, kicked off its tour in New Mexico in March The group will go on to play cities including Chicago, Seattle, Vancouver and Boulder, Colorado, before wrapping up in Louisiana at the end of April. Yagody is performing April 24 at McNeese State University in Lake Charles and April 25-26 at Festival International de Louisiane in Lafayette

The band’s submission to the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest, “Tsunamia,” encapsulates the way this high-energy group, founded by actress and singer Zoriana Dybovska, uses traditional aesthetics and powerful harmonies to share “positive emotions and energy,” according to Dybovska

The music video for “Tsunamia”

takes place in a desert The group, four women who take equal command of the performance, deliver the music as if calling down a cleansing wave to wash over the harsh environment. “Tsunamia” ended up placing ﬁfth at the Eurovision national selection ﬁnals, but for this band, success isn’t just about winning accolades — it’s about “playing from the bottom of our hearts, for our society culture and world democratic values,” Dybovska said.

Yagody’s values have been inﬂuenced by war Their goal is to revive, reinterpret and spread the sounds of traditional Ukrainian folk music — but that mission is taking place against the backdrop of violent conﬂict with Russia, centered in eastern Ukrainian cities like Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv

Dybovska lived and worked in Donetsk for about a decade before Russian paramilitary groups began seizing cities in the region in 2014. She then ﬂed to Lviv with her young son and started Yagody as a way to spread Ukrainian culture and music, while the nation was being watched by the world.

New laws sought to rein in drivers

‘This crisis is 100% preventable,’ activist says

BY QUINN COFFMAN Staff writer

In 2008, Jennifer Smith lost her mother Linda Doyle, when a 20-year-old driver talking on a cellphone crashed into Doyle’s car

“He didn’t see the red light in front of him. He never touched his brakes. He T-boned her car at about 45 miles per hour, killing her instantly,” Smith said Thursday But distracted drivers are not only irresponsible teenagers, she stressed “He was simply doing what most of us do every day, having a simple conversation,” Smith said. “He had never been in trouble. Never had a speeding ticket, never had a parking ticket. He was talking to a neighbor about something he had found at a Goodwill store. He was doing good.” Smith, of Chicago, is now CEO of StopDistractions.org, a nonproﬁt organization with a goal of educating the public on the dangers of distracted driving. She spoke during a presentation in Baton Rouge promoting April as Distracted Driving Awareness Month.

Distracted driving is much broader than just texting while driving. Drivers can have their attention pulled away by other minor activities, such as eating or drinking, reading a map, grooming, looking out at surroundings, and myriad distractions found on a phone, from taking photos, to watching videos, to changing the playlist.

According to Smith, many of these activities are so common that people might do one or more of them during their daily commute. But none of them are necessary in getting to where drivers need to go, she said “Many don’t see distractions as a threat,” Smith said. “What’s especially painful is that this crisis is 100% preventable.”

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, distracted driving contributed to 8% of all trafﬁc fatalities in 2021. Numbers in 2021 and 2022 show more than 3,000 deaths annually tied to distracted driving.

In Louisiana, preliminary numbers for 2024 show 180 roadway deaths and 1,295 injuries caused by distracted driving.

“That’s 180 empty seats and dinner tables, 1,295 families whose lives were turned upside down and countless friends and loved ones left grieving or caring for someone who may never fully recover,” said Joe Donahue, secretary for Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development.

“There are more than 200,000 traditional Ukrainian folk songs. Other countries don’t have that,” Dybovska said. “Artists and bands are important to spread the music and identity of the nation, and give people a unique chance to hear our language and culture.”

The band’s members all live in Lviv, which is far from the war’s front lines, but the city and surrounding region began to be targeted by Russian shelling and missile attacks following Russia’s major escalation in Ukraine in February 2022. Since 2014, it is estimated that the conﬂict has produced over a million casualties among civilians and Ukrainian and Russian forces.

“It’s like a movie,” Dybobska said. “Sometimes we see parts of a rocket falling down when it’s been hit by air defense. My mom has watched rockets passing through her village, and one night she counted 19 missiles ﬂying over It’s really terrifying.”

She said, “I have friends in eastern Ukraine who are protecting us with weapons. While we’re doing our job spreading Ukrainian culture across the world, they are

doing their job destroying the enemy.”

Dybovska said the past three years, since the 2022 invasion, have been tough — but this period has had a profound inﬂuence on the band’s music. They are more committed than ever to connecting with people who “appreciate good music and positive emotions,” she said.

According to Dybovska, “we are people-to-people performers. It’s not about the political; it’s about the personal. We could just stay in Ukraine, but it’s so important for our music to be in the hearts of people all over the world. You never know if missiles are coming to bomb, if you will survive. We’re just trying to perform our best ever today, because you may not have tomorrow.”

Tickets are $20 to see Yagody’s performance at McNeese State on April 24. They are playing Festival International in Lafayette on April 25, 8:45 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Scène LUS Internationale, and 8 p.m. to 9:15 p.m. at Scène Wellcare Lafayette on April 26.

According to the safety administration, sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for ﬁve seconds. At 55 mph, a vehicle travels the length of a football ﬁeld in that time.

Progress has been made, however According to Donahue, since 2020, Louisiana has seen a 17% decrease in distracted driving

One of StopDistractions.org’s main goals is to seek changes in state laws that make being on a cellphone while driving a ticketable offense.

Currently, 32 states have laws to this effect, but not Louisiana. State law only prohibits drivers in their ﬁrst year and bus drivers from using handheld cellular devices while driving.

Tim Temple, Louisiana commissioner of insurance, wants to change that.

“During this year’s legislative session, we want to introduce a bill like the one we had last year to address and reduce distracted driving by banning handheld wireless devices while driving,” he said during Thursday’s presentation.

Last year, Senate Bill 98, sponsored by Sen Patrick McMath, R-Covington, would have done just that, but was voted down during a third read in the House.

Donahue suggests simply setting up everything you need before leaving your driveway: Put your destination in your GPS, set up a playlist and send any necessary texts.

“Safety isn’t just about enforcement; it’s about personal accountability,” Donahue said.

“Every driver has the power to prevent a crash. Every turn is a chance to make the right choice.”

Temple also wants parents to model good behavior for their children

“They emulate If they see you using a phone while driving or texting while driving, it’s just a natural progression. They’re gonna think that that’s OK,” he said

Smith also urged drivers to enable telematics in their vehicles. This is driving data that your car reports back to your manufacturer on things like phone use, hard braking and distraction behind the wheel.

“Thisdata,it’snotjustidentifying those problems, it’s helping drivers ﬁx them,” she said. “In states and pilot programs that use these telematics programs, we see measurable reductions in risky behaviors. Drivers become more aware, parents can see how their teens are driving, ﬂeets are improving their safety records.”

She said, best of all, crashes are going down and lives are being saved.

Email Quinn Coffman at quinn.coffman@theadvocate. com.

BATON ROUGE BLUES

Tyree Neal performs a guest spot during the set by his cousin Syreeta Neal on the Watermark Slim Harpo Stage during the Blues Festival on Sunday in Baton Rouge

Tariffs may raise prices on throws

Carnival krewes rely on China for imports

BY DOUG MacCASH Staff writer

The new tariffs announced by President Donald Trump on Wednesday could affect the prices and availability of everything from automobiles to whiskey, including imports particularly close to the hearts of New Orleanians.

The masked riders in future Carnival parades may have to pay signiﬁcantly more for the beads and baubles they toss, according to krewe captains. That means the crowds along the curbs may catch signiﬁcantly less. China, the source of most parade throws, was the target of some of the highest import duties. On Wednesday, Trump added a 34% tariff to the 20% already in place, a move that may cause the cost of Krewe d’Etat blinking beads, Iris sunglasses and King Arthur holy grails to soar

The new import tax “is deﬁnitely going to affect prices, no question,” said Krewe of Freret parade captain Bobby Hjortsberg.

Carnival 2026 may be nine months away, but the process of procuring millions of dollars of custom throws from China has begun. “We’re already in the thick of it,” Hjortsberg said. The krewe customarily selects and designs next year’s throws soon after Mardi Gras ends. The krewe then enters into contracts with an importer to buy them by “summer at the latest,” he said.

But considering the implications of the new import taxes, “vendors don’t want to give us prices,” Hjortsberg said. Part of the problem, Hjortsberg said, is the possibility that tariffs could change over the coming months.

Vendors, Hjortsberg said, may need to quote the highest price now, but may be able to lower prices later which could prompt krewe leaders to ask themselves, “Should we wait?”

It may not be the end of the world, Hjortsberg said, but it’s added another challenge. Freret customarily spends about

$1 million on throws, including a percentage of locally made products, which it sells to members in assortments that cost $250, $500, $750 and $1,000. Those 2026 throw packages, as they’re known, were on advance sale to riders on the krewe website last week, but Freret has discontinued sales until the new cost of beads can be determined.

The Krewe of Freret banned plastic beads from this year’s parade for ecological reasons and to help prevent clogged storm drains, but it imports other Chinese throws.

Gwendolyn Rainey, captain of the Krewe of Femme Fatale, said she’s concerned that the increased cost of Chinese throws will have an adverse affect on the krewe in general.

Sometime soon, she said, the parading group will have to commit to buying custom throws in advance. But if prices are higher, the riders might buy less or drop out altogether, which could “leave us in a hole, a deﬁcit,” she said. Considering the increased cost of throws, rising homeowner insurance rates and the possibility of an economic recession, Rainey said she won’t be surprised if Femme Fatale is smaller next year

“We had 34 floats this year,” she said. “We may not have that again.”

Clark Brennan, captain of the Krewe of Bacchus known for its generosity with throws — said that he has already begun negotiating with suppliers to accommodate the increased cost of Chinese beads, foam footballs, ﬂying disks and such.

The krewes and suppliers, Brennan believes, should split the increased expense caused by the new tariffs.

“We have told them they need to share in the price increase 50/50,” Brennan said in a text message “Bacchus is not going to eat all the increase costs.”

Dan Kelly is the owner of Beads by the Dozen, one of the largest Carnival throw import companies, and he’s also the captain of the Krewe of Endymion, a parading organization with the slogan “Throw until it hurts.”

No one knows more about the Chinese bead and bauble business than he.

Kelly said it’s impossible to determine precisely how much Carnival merchandise is imported from China to New Orleans each year, but he estimates the value of the merchandise to be in the $35 million range.

“Absolutely,” Kelly said, “the price of everything goes up” with the imposition of the new tariffs.

Kelly pointed out that until recently, beads, plush animals and a few other items were duty free since they were considered children’s toys and therefore exempt from usual import duties. So, the cost of those items could rise by more than half.

Other throws, such as the popular Mardi Gras bead bags which were already taxed — will now be charged tariffs as high as 102%, he estimated.

Kelly said he believes that some amount of import duties on Carnival throws will remain in place for good, but he expects the extraordinarily high tariffs to eventually drop.

“After a period of time,” he said, “everybody in all countries will ﬁgure it out.”

In the meantime, Kelly said, “It’s a waiting game.” He said he’s asked his suppliers in China to produce the throws for the 2026 Carnival and be ready to deliver but to wait until the tariffs drop before shipping the merchandise.

He can’t wait forever though. For Chinese throws to arrive before the parade season, merchandise must be shipped by early September

Email Doug MacCash at dmaccash@theadvocate.com.

PROVIDED PHOTO yagody, a modern Ukrainian folk band founded by vocalist Zoriana Dybovska, is coming to Louisiana as part of its first North American tour The group will play in Lake Charles at McNeese State University on April 24 and will play two sets April 25-26 Festival International de Louisiane.

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Cassidyshould haveknown RFKJr.’s promises were worthless

What backstory could U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy possibly need to understand Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’slatest attacks on vaccine research? Here’sthe backstory for Cassidy —though if he had been paying attention to his Democratic colleagues or had any integrity left as amedical professional, he wouldn’tneed areminder thathe conﬁrmed aserial anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist. According to Cassidy,“promises were made” that convinced himKennedy would uphold the safety and efﬁcacy of vaccines. But anyone remotely familiar with Kennedy’slong history of misinformation knows those promises are as hollow as the tunnel left by his brain worm. Need proof? In aconversation with Sean Hannity at aFlorida Steak &Shake, Kennedy falsely claimed that the measles vaccine “causesdeath” —only to contradict himself momentslater, insisting that “we should have transparency” and “informed choice” before admitting that “the vaccine does stop the spread of the disease.” So which is it? If the measles vaccine both “causes death” and “stops the spread of disease,” how exactly is the public supposed to make an informed choice? The reality is that Kennedy’srhetoric isn’tabout transparency —it’sabout manufacturing fear,peddling misinformation and eroding public trust in vaccines. And thanks to enablers like Cassidy,vaccine skepticism is at an all-time high in parts of the country Cassidy is no less deceptive than Kennedy. He can either stand up for science, public health and his medical oath—or he can continue appeasing his fellow Republicans while letting Kennedy “go wild.”

Constituents should be deeply concerned that their representatives are not voting their conscience but instead endorsing unqualiﬁed, dangerous ﬁgures who deliberately mislead the public. Cassidy,while representing a state that no longer prioritizes mass vaccinations, only adds to the public’sskepticism on vaccine safety by backing Kennedy. MEGAN HERRINGTON Arabi

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR AREWELCOME.HEREARE

YOUR VIEWS

Resubmit amendments to voters with greaterclarity

The front page headline on the failed amendments prompts this response. In the recent national elections, theDemocrats underestimated voter concern over the issues and lost. Louisiana’sRepublicans underestimated voters’ respect for our constitution and lost. There is value in those amendmentsthat deserves arewritefor the betterment of our state. Let’s offer Louisiana’svoters amendments with clarity of information and intent.Here are some suggestions Amendment 2was actually several scrambled amendments Amendments with onetopic, clearly deﬁned, give the voters understanding theycan trust.

For example, tax cuts are needed to make Louisianainvestment competitive with other states. Millions of Americansare leaving high tax states and moving tolow tax states where they can keep thefruits of theirlabor New businesses would bring good jobs and stop the outﬂow of our kids. This amendmentneeds to be reoffered to voters and the sooner the better Amendment 3was too broadly written. Violent 15-year-old criminals with long records and convicted of ﬁrst-degree murder should be treated as adults to protect the public. An improved rewrite by Gov.Jeff Landry and our Legislature would probably deliver better results.

SIDNEYPULITZER NewOrleans

Attackson Teslaonly hurt American workers

Once again, the hypocrisy and ignorance of the Democrats and the liberal progressive leftison full display.While complaining and whining that DOGE and Elon Musk are putting Americans out of work, they are doing the samething. Firebombing Tesla dealerships, committing terrorist attacks and calling forboycotting Tesla purchases. Tesla employs approximately 22,000 workers at the Tesla plant in Texas and manyadditional American workers at Tesla dealerships throughout the country.Ofcourse, the Democrats and the left-wing extremists are unable to makethe connection that their activities are harmfultoAmerican workers and their families.

Elon Musk owns 13% of Tesla. The remaining 87% is owned by individual investors and various ﬁnancial institutions, which fund manyretirement and pension funds. NewYork City pension funds own 1.2 billion dollars of Tesla stock. Who is really going to sufferbydestroying one of America’s mostsuccessful manufacturing companies? It’s the thousands of Americans whowork forTesla and retirees whose pension funds hold Tesla stock, not Elon Musk. Of course, the Democratic leadership will not point out how harmful these activities are because they care moreabout demonizing Musk and the Trumpadministration than protecting their constituents. Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer refuse to answer any questions regarding these insane activities nor call foranimmediate cessation of such actions. So much fortheir concern forthe welfare of American workers and their families.

PATRICK BOWEN River Ridge

Gov.Jeff Landry blames thedefeat of his proposed constitutional Amendment 2onHolocaust survivor and wealthy liberal George Soros, conservatism’s favorite scapegoat and demon.

Landry stated after votes were counted: “Unfortunately,Soros and far left liberals poured millionsintoLouisiana withpropaganda and outright lies about Amendment2.”

Evidence? Maybe thetruthisthat Louisiana’scitizens educated themselves on the attributes of Amendment 2and theothers

and decided they were flawed or not in our best interests. According to thesecretary of state’soffice, all amendments were soundly defeated, withapproximately 65% voting no. Changes to our constitution and tax codes are necessary but shouldn’tbeatthe expense of citizens who can least afford it, by thestate movingtoaflat incometax that reduces tax on higher personal incomes and businesses and seeks torecapture the over $1 billion in revenue through aregressive sales tax increase. Note that someofLouisiana’smost conservative voices were against Amendment 2.

RICHARD HIRSCH Livonia

Landry should learnfromelectoral defeat

Domestic violence an issuethat deserves

more attention

OUR GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name and the writer’scity of residence.The Advocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address and phone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@theadvocate.com. TO SEND US ALETTER SCAN HERE

Iagreewith Will Sutton’srecent column:

“Landry needs to slow down.” It properly portrayed therejection of all of hisheavily backed Amendmentsasa “beat down” andawake-up call to the governor

Theplain truth is that Landry is only an 18% governor He just got547,827 votes of a36.3% total turnout of 1,062,498 votes. This gave him a mere 51.5% of the36.3% turnout.

His non-mandateof18% of the then-total voter registration of the stateof2,970,684 makes him one of the least, if not the least, elected person in our state’shistory.He needs to learnfrom therecent sound defeat of all four of his amendments and pay more attention to all Louisiana voters and not just his far-right supporters.

THOMAS

E. GUILBEAU Lafayette

Voters turned thetablesonstate’s Republican rulers

Miracles do happen.

Icompletely agree with acomment made by Gov. JeffLandrywith regards to the failure of theproposed constitutional amendments. With our current Republican gover-

nor and our current Republican-controlled Legislature, Louisianaisconditioned for failure.

DOTTY

SUTHON NewOrleans

While there is agreat deal of public and political debate surrounding transgender participation in women’s sports, Iﬁnd myself wondering whythis issue seems to receive moreattention than the pressing crisis of domestic violence and mental illness in this country Every year,countless lives are lost due to domestic violence, and manymore are affected by the devastating impact of untreated mental illness. These tragedies often go unnoticed or unaddressed at the level they deserve. I’mnot here to take a stance fororagainst any particular side of the sports debate, but Ido question whyweare not seeing the samelevel of urgency and discussion about the names and numbers of those lost to these preventable causes.

KATHY ADERMAN Baton Rouge

STAFF PHOTO By JILL PICKETT

Gov. Jeff Landryspeaks last month during aRotaryClub of Shreveport meeting.

COMMENTARY

EGG DECORATING

Easter egg painting is funfor the whole family,but this little guy seemstohave launched this group into someserious creativechaos!

So,what’sgoing on in this cartoon? youtell me.Bewitty,funny, crazy,absurd or snarky —just trytokeep it clean.There’s no limit on the number of entries

Thewinningpunchline will be lettered into the word balloon and runonMonday, April 14 in our print editions and online. In addition, the winner will receivea signed print of the cartoonalong with acool winner’sT-shirt! Some honorable mentions will also be listed.

To enter,email entries to cartooncontest@theadvocate.com.

DON’T FORGET!All entries must includeyourname,homeaddressand phone number.Cell numbers are best.

Thedeadline for all entries is midnightonThursday,April 10

Have fun, folks!—Walt

Thestate of thenationiscomplicated

Louisianans have alot of energy —we produce it, we reﬁne it and we export it across the country and the world. As a native Louisianan, it is exciting to have a president and administration in Washington committed to unleashing our state’senergy potential by prioritizing reliable, affordable and secure American energy U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary DougBurgum recently addressed the nation’slargest annual gathering of energy industry leadership, and it’sclear that we are heading into one of the mostsigniﬁcant eras ever in American energy

Notably,the transformative capabilities of artiﬁcial intelligence wasone of the mostdiscussed topics. As Secretary Wright noted in his keynote address, it is “simply critical that America leads the AI race.” For the rapid expansion of AI to be possible, however,its massive energy demands must be met

AI runs on “hyperscale” data centers that consume enormous amounts of power

According to consulting ﬁrm McKinsey & Company,the power needs of AI data centers are expected to surge roughly threefold by the end of the decade, going from between 3% and 4% of total U.S. power demand today to between 11% and 12% in 2030. Similarly,according to Barclays, AI demands are expected to morethan double data center electricity needs by 2030. Louisiana will be crucial in helping our nation lead the AI race and achieve our energy dominance goals. In December,it wasannounced that Meta is building a$10 billion artiﬁcial intelligence data center in Richland Parish.

As noted by Gov. Jeff Landry,Meta’s investment is establishing northeast Louisiana as an anchor in the state’sexpanding tech sector and is creating opportunities forLouisiana workers to ﬁll high-paying jobs.

If you listen to the media and political campaign ads, you would think that ablack cloud had descended on the United States —and Louisiana. We seem to be living in an ageofpolarization, misinformation, distrust and pessimism. Is that true? What is the real state of the nation? To answer these questions, it would help to have aprogress report, like aschool report card, that measures our nation’ssuccesses and failures.

Irecently led an effort to do just that, partneringwithawideranging group of experts, including appointees and advisers of thepast ﬁveU.S. presidents, both Democrats andRepublicans, including President Donald Trump. We alsoasked for the opinions of arepresentativegroup of athousand American citizens from across thepolitical spectrum.

Our ﬁrst report focuses on what these groups believe to be the most important measures of our progress. We drew four main conclusions about the state of the nation, focusing on data from 1990-2023. First, the good news. Our economyispoised for future success. We are the only country near thetop globally in both the total size of the economy and income per person. We also have alarge, growing and welleducated labor force.

We continue to be among the world’s leaders in the number of years of education and in the top-half of countries on the percentage of young adultswho are in school or working. While it is concerningthat our test scores have been decliningsince 2014, other countries have struggled more, especially with COVID, so that our international standing has actually improved. For now,wealso maintain many of the advantages that generated that economic strength —our culture ofinnovation and entrepreneurship, universities leading on cutting-edge research and policies that generally promote competitive markets and free trade. Many of these economic strengths are nowunder threat from newfederal strategies, but the game is ours to win if we wish.

‘Our risingincomes are no longer translating to greater happiness. Moneyused to buy happiness to somedegree, but that might not be as true anymore.

Several other themes of the report areworrisome, however We are anation of extremes. The economy is really the only area where we are in the top 20% of similar countries. Unfortunately,weare in thebottomthird in alarge number of areas, including citizenship and democracy, inequality, mental health, trust and violence. We are also among the very worsthigher-income countries when it comestoyouth depression, proportion of children with asingle parent and greenhouse gas emissions. In many of these areas, such as violence and the environment, our failures go back well before 1990. It’snot just that we’re doing poorly on mostmeasures, but that ourinternationalstanding is declining further Of the 37 measures we considered, we arefalling behind other countries on 18 of them and only improving on eight. Again, the economy is the main longterm bright spot, along with education. Ourrising incomes are no longer translating togreater happiness. Money used to buyhappiness to some

degree, but that might not be as true anymore. Even as our incomes have risen, every measure of our perceived wellbeing is moving in thewrongdirection. Life satisfaction, youthdepression, adult depression/ anxiety,overdoses and suicide areall worsening. We also see aconsistent rise in social isolation and adecline in howmuch Americans trust other people —ortrust institutionssuch as government,higher education and criminal justice. We cannot measure everything, of course, but these resultsshould give us pause. We are heartened by thefact that our wide-ranging group agreed so much on how to gauge our successes and failures. The fact that large majorities of our board and thepublic agree on how to measure ourprogress provides some hope that we can also ﬁnd agreement on solutions as well.

Douglas N. Harris is professor and chairofEconomics at Tulane University and chair of State of the Nation Project.

In addition to supporting America’sdigital revolution, Louisiana leads among the states forliqueﬁed natural gas exports, boasts four of the nation’sLNG export terminals and holds 6% of the nation’snatural gas reserves. Thanks to recent actions taken by President Donald Trumpand the National Energy Dominance Council ending the LNGexport pause and restoring regular order to federal LNGproject reviews, we are positioned to grow our state’srole as a leading exporter of liqueﬁed natural gas in the coming years.

Just last month, Secretary Wright approved aliqueﬁed natural gas export authorization forthe Venture Global CP2 LNGexport project under development forCameron Parish, which will boost the local economy and is projected to export up to 3.96 billion cubic feet per day of LNG upon completion.

Additionally,Secretaries Wright and Burgum recently joined Gov. Landry and Venture Global CEO Mike Sabel in Plaquemines Parish to announce an additional $18 billion expansion to the Plaquemines LNGExport facility —making the facility the largest of its kind in the United States.

As Louisiana’shighly skilled energy workforce ramps up production to meet the needs of our nation, our industry continues to keep environmental and health impacts top of mind. We remain committed to deploying carbon capture, utilization and storage technologies, which capture emissions and geologically store them safely and securely deep underground. We know that we can support arobust LNG industry,meet the power demands of AI and play acritical role in helping to ensure our national security,all the while reducing our environmental impact.

Louisianans should be proud that we are answering the call of America’senergy production and energy security needs. The natural gas and oil produced in our state, as wellasour neighboring Gulf of America states, touches every sector of the economy and reaches every facet of our lives, from heating our homes and fueling transportation to supporting the manufacture of products we useevery singleday We have got alot of energy in Louisiana —and our country needs us now more than ever

Gifford Briggs is the Gulf Coast region director forthe American Petroleum Institute.

Gifford Briggs GUEST COLUMNIST

STAFF FILE PHOTO By SOPHIAGERMER

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LSU pitchers shineon theroad, dominate Oklahoma series

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

NORMAN, Okla

This weekend was another successful onefor LSU baseball.

TheTigers earnedtheir third sweep through four weeks of Southeastern Conference play.This time they swept No. 10 Oklahoma on the road, winning 2-0 on Thursday, 10-2 on Friday and 3-2onSaturday

With a30-3 record, LSU is off to its best 33-game start since 2013.

Here are ﬁve takeaways from LSU’sbig week over the Sooners:

Eye-poppingweekend forpitchers

This weekendwas basically aperfect one forLSU’spitching staff.

TheTigers onlyused five pitchers didn’tallow anearnedrunin27innings.They struck out35 and held Oklahoma to two extra base hits.

For just thethird time since1992, LSU had gone three straight games without al-

lowing an earned run.

Sophomore left-handerKadeAnderson set thetonefor the Tigers by tossing acomplete game on Thursday,allowingJohnson to save his toprelievers —junior righthanderZac Cowanand freshmanrighthander Casan Evans—for later in the week. Anderson’sabilitytomix pitches and speed set astrongtemplate forFriday starter —juniorright-handerAnthony Eyanson— andEvans. Thetwo combined to strike out 13 Soonersand dominated the bottom half of the strike zone before Saturday starter —redshirt sophomore right-hander Chase Shores —and Cowan took advantage of the series ﬁnale’swintry conditions. Shoresand Cowan only hadeightcombined strikeouts, but they didn’tallow much hardcontact. Shores kept theball on theground, andCowandidn’tallow an extra base hit

ä See PITCH, page 3B

LSU pitcher Kade Anderson delivers apitch against Mississippi State on March 27 at Alex BoxStadium. STAFF PHOTO By

MICHAEL JOHNSON

Edge rusher stillaglaring need forSaints

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

Unlike last year’sNFL draft, when “TACKLE” mighthave well been displayed in all caps and ﬂashing neonlights, there’snoobvious position for the New OrleansSaints to take in the ﬁrst round —given their needs across the roster But pass rusher comes prettyclose to that. The Saints re-signed Chase Young to athreeyear,$51 million deal this offseason but could still use extra juice at the position. Bryan Bresee, adefensive tackle, led NewOrleans last season with 71/2 sacks. And the Saints haven’t had aplayer reach double-digit sacks since 2021 —making them one of only six teams to not hit that marker over the past three seasons. Fortunately for the Saints, this is agood draft if they do want to bolster their pass rush in Round 1.

past, but we do have aboatload of starters, particularly the defensive line,”said DanielJeremiah, adraft analyst for NFL Network. “A bunchofreally,really good players.”

BY DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer

TAMPA, Fla. During thefinalsweet momentsofUConn’s 12th national title, Geno Auriemma andPaige Bueckersembraced after the star guard departed herﬁnal game with the Huskies.

It wasthe momentthey wanted all along.

“They’ve all been gratifying, don’tget me wrong,” Auriemma said. “But this one here, because of the way it came about and what’s been involved, it’sbeen along time since I’ve been that emotional whenaplayer has walked off the court.”

Bueckers, Azzi Fuddand Sarah Strong led the way as UConn returned to the top of women’scollege basketball by rolling to an 82-59 victory over reigning champion South Carolina on Sunday Fudd, who was named the Most OutstandingPlayer of the Final Four,scored 24 points. Strong had 24 points and 15 rebounds, and Bueckers scored 17 points for UConn (37-3).

“Well, it’s amazing to have threeplayers, three people like that on the same team,” Auriemma said. “And Sarah, you would

ä See HUSKIES, page 4B

BY JIM KLEINPETER Contributing writer

“Somepositions maybedon’thave that superstar that we have hadinyears

The Saints’ draft hit rate on pass rushers, of course, hasn’tbeen particularly strong over thelast severalyears. Firstrounders Marcus Davenport (2018) and Payton Turner (2021) ultimatelydisappointed in injury-filled tenures beforeleaving in free agency.IsaiahFoskey, a2023 second-rounder, hasn’tbeen able to consistently crack the pass-rushing rotation and has done little when he has seen theﬁeld.

Do theresults require achangein thinking? TheSaints have historically big, freakish athletes up front,but a newcoaching staffinplace couldleave thefront ofﬁce open to drafting smaller,bendier edge rushers that have become en vogue around the NFL.

It wasanother Sunday at the ballpark for the LSU softball team andanother missed opportunity whenthe No. 5Tigers didn’t play their best in aseries ﬁnale against No 24 Alabama. With achance to sweep the Tide,LSU’s pitching and defense faltered while theoffensive couldn’tget going until late in an 8-5 defeat at Tiger Park. It wasthe fourth consecutive Sunday loss in threeweekends, dropping LSUto34-5 and 8-4 at the halfway point of Southeastern Conference play

“I went to church, so check that box,” LSU coach Beth Torina joked. “I just think we have to be able to make better pitches throughout the game, makesome better decisions on howtomanagethe staff and that’sonme.

“There are some things we need to clean up. Make somebetter pitches in keyspots, clean up thedefense in some areas too. We let them turn the lineup over in acouple of spots. The offense continues to shine but we need to give them less opportunities and do abetterjob attacking them from the pitching and defense side.”

See FINALE, page 3B

Shemar Stewart

AP PHOTO By JOHN RAOUX

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Harman handleswindtowin TexasOpen

The Associated Press

SAN ANTONIO Brian Harman

handledthe wind andthe chill Sunday with apair of key birdies on the back nine Sunday in the Valero Texas Open, closing with a3-over 75 for athree-shotvictory,his ﬁrst title since the 2023 British Open.

Harman began the ﬁnal round with athree-shot lead and it soon became atight battle with Andrew Novak, who was going for his ﬁrst PGA Tour victory and aspot in the Masters.

Harman never lost the lead, though it dropped to one shot with abogey on No. 6and adouble bogey on the ninth hole when he had to take apenalty drop after a pulled tee shot and still could only advance it to the fairway.

But he holed a15-foot birdie putt on the 12th hole to give him some breathing room, andhe got up-and-down from abunker on the par-5 14th andhis lead wasbackto three shots.

He followed that with apairof bogeys, butleftthe mistakes at the end to Novak.

“Just so proud of how Ihandled these conditions,” Harman said. “This golf course gave me all I wanted todayand happy to come out on top.”

Novak, two shots behind with two to play,bogeyed the 17thwith abad chip and the par-5 18thwith abad drive. He shot 76 andfell intoatie forthird with Maverick McNealy (72).

Ryan Gerard made his only bogey on the ﬁnal holefor a69toﬁnish runner-up. It was one of only seven rounds under paratthe TPC San Antonio.

Harman was still under pressure with two holes to play,especially coming off back-to-back bogeys. His tee shots bounced throughthe bunker andintothe rough, and he pitched to about 12 feet for astress-freepar Novak drove over the green, but his pitch up the shelf hitthe slope and rolled back to his feet. His birdie chip ran 6feetbyand

he missed the putt to fall three behind. On the 18th, Novak pulled his teeshot in the barren area of trees andscrubbrush.Hepitched back to the fairway,triedtoreach the greenand narrowlywent into the creek. He had to stand on aboulder to play onto the green and he missed the 10-foot parputt. Patrick Fishburnhad an eaglebirdieﬁnish for a68and was part of alargegroupthattied for ﬁfth. The eagle cameonthe 17th hole,

whereFishburnholed a105-foot putt. It was thelongest putt anyone made on the PGA Tour since 2008. Harman had been struggling since hismajor breakthroughat Hoylake and was on the verge of falling out of the top 50. Nowhe heads to theMasters with amuchneeded win. Adding to the difficultofthe conditions was his mindbeing on aclose family friend, Cathy Dowdy.She spent time in acoma

after helping to rescue Harman’s 6-year-old son from arip current in PonteVedra Beach, Florida, last Octoberwhile hisfamilywas on vacation.

“Just playing with aheavy heart today. Ms. Cathy,she’s notdoing so good,” Harman said. “Just thinking about her all day.”

Theconditions were so difﬁcult thatfour players, including Tommy Fleetwood, failed to break 80 and the course played to an average score of 74.8

Verstappen wins fourth straight Japanese GP SUZUKA,Japan Max Verstappenwon Sunday’sJapanese Grand Prix for his ﬁrst victory of the young season and just thethird in 17 races but needed a drivethathis RedBullteam engineer called “perfection”toget it done It wasVerstappen’sfourth straight victory on the Suzuka circuit in central Japan andbreaks the momentum of the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, who won the season’sﬁrst two races in Australia and China. The four-time reigning Formula 1champion, Verstappen started from pole position after setting a course-record time in qualifying, which he called “insane.” Norris placed second and Piastri third. Ferrari’sCharles Leclerc finished fourth followed by George Russell of Mercedes and teammateKimiAntonelli in sixth.

Clemente Jr.upset Pirates removedfather’stribute

PITTSBURGH The Pittsburgh Pirates have angered the family of the late RobertoClemente by removing asign honoring the franchise icon on the right-ﬁeld wallatPNC Park.

Thesign featured Clemente’s nameand his No. 21. Replacing it is an advertisement for Surfside, an alcoholic drink.

The Pirates said thesign, which had been on the wall since 2022, was meant to be atemporary adornment However,Roberto Clemente Jr.expressed his unhappiness on Sunday

“This change was madewithout any communication or consultation with our family.While we appreciate that the Pirates acknowledged theirfailuretoinform us,itreveals abroader issue: alack of meaningful collaborationbetween the organization and on matters that are deeply personal andhistorically signiﬁcant to us and the fans.”

BY DOUG FERGUSON AP golf writer

AUGUSTA, Ga. Jason Day was looking for anew identity with his clothing, having spent his entire career with two of the most famous apparel brandsinsport. He wanted something that would makehim stand out on the golf course and feel fashionable off it He gotevery bitofthat with Malbon Golf last year at theMasters. Day chose asweater vest,white with large letters stretching across the front that spelled out “No. 313. Malbon GolfChampionship.” He recalls wearing arain suit Fridaymorning on the 14th tee as he resumedthe rain-delayed ﬁrst round alongside Tiger Woods and Max Homa.

“Max and Tiger said, ‘That’s kind of boring,’ ”Day said. He already had been turning heads withhis Malbon Golf attire the past four months, most of it baggy athrowback look in golf.

“I said, ‘Wait until you seewhat Ihaveonunderneath.’I take my jacketoff,and they didn’t know what to say.AsIwas playing, it got crazier and crazier on social media.” Maybe alittletoo crazy forAugusta National. The club determined thelogowas abit over the top and askedthat he not wear it that afternoon.

His agent, Bud Martin at Wasserman Media Group, got word —bythen it was the talk of the Masters and points beyond —on his way to the courseand dreaded the idea of having this conversation in the 30 minutes before Day teedoff for his second round

“I was getting readytomake this speech and he said it wastoo hot and he wasn’tgoing to wear it anyway,” Martin said.

And then there was Stephen Malbon, who founded the company with his wife, Erica, after a creative art career in subcultures from surﬁng to snowboards, fashion, grafﬁti and hip-hop. Behinda passion for designand anewfound addiction to golf, Malbon’sbrand

already was making traction in thegolf world. It exploded that day.

Malbon likes to say that “everyone knows who we are, for better or worse.”

This was alittle of both.

“It had like3 billion impressions those two days on theinternet,”

Malbon said.

“Tiger made the cut.You had Bryson (DeChambeau) andthe Jesus photowhen he pickedupthe sign and putiton his shoulder.Some other player told one of the patrons to (expletive) off. And the only thing they were talking aboutwas Jason and hissweater.”

That was thebetter part of it.

The worse was something Malbonisdetermined to change throughhis streetwear design.

“Golf is intimidating,” he said.

“There was alot of young people who probably looked at Jason that day andsaid:‘Wow, golf might be for me. He looks cool.’ And then he getsmocked and ridiculed and teased by all thecommentators and then they’re like: ‘Nah,I’m not going out there.Ifthey’re mean to him, they can be mean to me.’

“The Master is the Super Bowl of golf,”hesaid. “Thatwas agreat opportunitytoshow golf can be different.”

That was Malbon’sobjective when he launched the brand in 2017 from astudioinLos Angeles.

Theidea was to make golf more appealing to ayounger,style-conscious generation. Day,a37-yearold Australian who once rose to No. 1inthe world, turnedout to be agood ﬁt.

Martin had met Malbona few years earlier andstruck up arelationship. Day’sdeal withNike was up (he waswith Adidas at thestart of hiscareer) and he waslooking for options. For starters, he didn’t likeshowingupata tournament worried that he would be wearing the same scripted clothesasanother Nikegolfer

“That’skind of how it happened,” Day said. “I was going to do my own custom clothes and Budcame to me and said, ‘What about this brand Malbon?’ They

could do anythingfor you, any fabric you want, anystyle you want, any way you want.”

He realizes someofthe apparel can look “wacky.” Day doesn’t care as long as he likes it. He also doesn’tmind the abuse when adesign is rarely seen in golf.

Suchwas thecase on acold day at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am this year.Day wore what looked like an old-school, gray sweatsuit. It’scalled “Lost Luggage”sweatpants. They looked like pajamas. Not everyone was crazy about them.

“I remember somebody sent me atextoratweet that ‘JDay hascome outofbed andgoneto thegolf course,’”Day said with alaugh. “It doesn’ttake much to look different. Whenyou look on therange,everything is performance-based, athletic. That’s great,noproblem “But thenext generation are kids picking up golf for the ﬁrst time,” he said. “And fashion is a big part of their world.”

Malbon Golf sincehas added Charley Hull, theLPGA star known for her devil-may-care approach to life and golf, theplayer known last year for having acigarette dangling from her lips as

shesignedautographs at the U.S. Women’s Open. Hull is huge on ﬁtness and fashion

Otheradditions are Minjee Lee with amore classic style, and NataliyaGuseva of Russia.

Andnow it’s back to the Masters, where Dayand Malbon have submitted —and had approved —their lineup of clothing for the week. There appears to have been somenegotiating.

“After the first two runs, we were on the same page,” Martin said.

Day wantedhis own clothes and Malbon Golfneeded agolfer to pitch them.Day has an equity stake in Malbon and is involved in some of the design work, where he wants to be edgy without crossing what can be aﬁne line.Thatwas Malbon’sobjective allalong with Day

“He believes in us and he believed in us early,” Malbon said. “KudostoBud for taking it to him. He could have easily not. But it means aton to us. We went from maybe 5% or 10%ofthe golf world who knew who we are to everyone knowing whoweare.” Andthen he paused before adding with alaugh, “For better or for worse.”

Charleston Open setto pay women, men equally CHARLESTON, S.C. The Charleston Open is keeping Credit OneBank as itstitle partnerthrough 2031 along with the tennis tournament paying equal prize money to women and men starting in 2026. Credit One Bank announced the rights extension Sunday on the ﬁnal day of this year’sevent. Prize money for the WTA-500 level event will be the same as the men’sATP500 level event. That will make the Charleston Open thefirst standalone WTA500 tournament to hike prize money before the 2033 goal for all weeklong WTA1000 and 500 events to pay the sameprize money to womenasfor men.

The 2025 Charleston Open prize money will be $1.06 million and had been set to rise to approximately $1.15 million for2026.

Journalismwriteswinning storyinSanta Anita Derby

Journalism won the $500,000 Santa Anita Derby by three-quarters of alength late Saturday to confirm his status as the Kentucky Derby favorite, withtrainerBob Baffert’s duo finishing fourth and fifth in the West Coast’smajor prep. Baffert fared better on the East Coast,with Rodriguez leading all the waytowin the$750,000WoodMemorial by 3 1/2 lengths, earning enough points to move into the 20-horse field for the KentuckyDerby.

Ridden by UmbertoRispoli,Journalism ran 11/8-miles in 1:49.56. Sent off as the even-money favorite, he paid $4 to win.

“You justsaw what aserious, serious racehorse he really is,” winning co-owner Aron Wellman said. “The battles are over.Now we’re going to war.”

Nebraska coachRhule dismisses WR Gilmore

LINCOLN, Neb.— Nebraska receiver HardleyGilmore IV,who transferred from Kentucky in January, hasbeen dismissedfromthe team, coach Matt Rhule announced Saturday

The second-year player from Belle Glade, Florida,had come to Nebraska along with former Kentucky teammateDane Key and receivers coach Daikiel Shorts Jr.and had received praise from teammates and coaches for his performance in spring practice.

Rhule did notdisclose areason forremoving Gilmore.

“Nothing outsidethe program, nothing criminal or anything like that,” Rhule said. “Just won’t be with us anymore.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOByMICHAEL THOMAS

Brian Harman holds the trophyafter winning the Valero TexasOpenatTPC San Antonio on SundayinSan Antonio.

BY TOYLOYBROWN III

Staff writer

Omaha’sMarquel Sutton becomes the ﬁfth commitment for LSU men’sbasketball in the transfer portal, according to aposton the player’sInstagram account

The 6-foot-9,225-pound senior forward wasthe Summit LeaguePlayerofthe Year after averaging 18.9 points,on47.9% shootingfrom the ﬁeld and 27.7% from the 3-point line, 7.9 rebounds and 1.2 assistsper game. He also started all 35 games.

“Welove the addition of Marquel Sutton to our program. He is ahighenergy,versatile forwardwho plays with relentless effort on the cour,” LSU coach Matt McMahon said Sunday

“Marquel is astrong ﬁnisher around the rim, skilled on the perimeter,and will impact our rebounding needs. We areexcited to add an experienced winner and college graduate to our roster.”

Sutton was the No.52ranked player in the transfer portal, according to 247Sports

The Tulsa, Oklahoma, native, led Omaha

FINALE

Continued from page1B

Alabama (28-15, 5-7) took control of the game with three runsinthe fourth inning thanks to two LSU errors. Trailing5-1 in thesixth,the Tigers ﬁnally rallied, scoring twiceinthe sixth on basehits by Savanna Bedell and Maddox McKee.

But in the top of the seventh, AudreyVandagriff hit athree-run homer off Jayden Heavener,who won Saturday night’s game and entered the Sunday game in relief in the fourth inning. That proved crucialwhen LSU’sTori Edwards hit atwo-run homer in the bottom of the seventh, her team best 14th. Edwards hadthree hits, including adouble, and Bedell two. The Tigers struggled to get opportunitiesearlier in the game against Alabama starter Catelyn Riley, who they roughed up for six hits in 3 2/3 innings the night before.

“It’s justa reminderthatthisisthe SEC and every game is going to be achallenge,” Edwardssaid. “We’regoing to keep working. Ihave conﬁdence in us. They’rea good team and it’sDay 3. They have achip on (their shoulders), they don’t want to get swept. They came out with some ﬁreand energy.We’re goingtobeOK.”

LSU scoredarun in the first inning withoutahit. Danieca Coffey reached second on an error and came aroundtoscore on fly balls by Jalia Lassiter andMaci Bergeron But Alabama tied it in thesecondoff transferAshley Vallejo,making her first SEC start for LSU.

“Wehadn’tbeenwinning on Sundays and she’s(Vallejo) been throwing well,” Torina said. “She deserved an opportunity and did throw well. She did throw well, did anice jobtoday.”

PITCH

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Curiel’s adjustment

Derek Curiel made history thisweekend, setting the longest recorded on-basestreak for afreshman in programhistory after his double on Saturday

The hit drove in the game-deciding run and extended Curiel’son-base streak to 33 games. He’sreachedbaseinevery game this season.

However,even though he set arecord, Curieldidn’tbelieve that this weekendwas his best at the plate

“Kind of all weekend, I’vebeen tying myself up,” Curiel said. “I’ve been gettingin between pitchesand kindofreaching.”

Curiel said his front shoulder was “ﬂying open” as he swung, resulting inhim rolling the ball over to second base.

“I had opportunities to do damage on some pitches, and my swing didn’t allow me to just because Iwas pulling off the ball alittle bit,” Curiel said. “But I’m going to make sure to see the balla little deeper and givemyself more time to make sureIsee theball.

“Every time you’re grounding outtosecond that’snot good sign for alefty hitter at least.” He made the proper mechanical adjustment on his double on Saturday.Instead of rolling over,Curiel hit the ball hard down the third base line to drive in junior Chris Stanﬁeld.

“I let that ball travel alittle deeper andsaw it deeper in the zone,” Curielsaid. “I think that helpedmeout.”

LSUcapitalizes on park,conditions

L. Dale Mitchell Park is abig andwindy stadium, and LSU took advantage of itbetter than the hosts did.

Hitting the ballwas goingtobedifficultall weekend. The wind howled in fromcenter field for all three games and temperatures were consistently in the 40s. Factor in the wind chillonSaturday anditwas closer to 20 degrees than 40. Johnson saidthe seriesfinalewas oneof the toughest offensive conditions his team hasplayed in since he’sbeen at LSU. “This definitely is probably the top,” Curiel said, “like the coldest game I’veever playedin.”

(22-13) to the 2025 NCAA Tournament. In the Round of 64 matchup against St. John’s,Sutton had11points andfourrebounds.

The senior spent three seasonsatOmaha and started his career at thejunior college level at Connors State. His best gamethis season was a36-point and 12-rebound performance in a93-85 win over SouthDakota StateonFeb. 22.

Sutton is the ﬁfth offseason addition for McMahon andcompany,joining Portland guard Max Mackinnon, UNLVpoint guard Dedan Thomas, Northeastern guardRashad King andMississippi State center Michael Nwoko.

LSUhad six players enter thetransferportal, three of whom are front court players —redshirt freshmanforward CoreyChest, junior center Noah Boyde,and redshirtjuniorDaimion Collins.The other three are guards in freshman Vyctorius Miller,sophomoreMikeWilliams andjunior wingTyrell Ward.

The Tigers ﬁnished this season 14-18 overall and3-15 in theSoutheasternConference.

In the fourth, aCoffey error started the Tide’s rally.Marlie Giles singled and Torina relieved VallejowithHeavener,who surrendered atwo-run double to No. 9hitter Lauren Johnson, who later scored when Edwards booted agrounder

The bottom three hittersinAlabama’s orderwent 7-for-9 with fourruns scored and four RBI, allRBIs by Johnson.

“Winning the serieswas aconfidence booster but that gamewas areality check of what we need to work on,” Heavener said. “Wedid ﬁght, andwehavehad troublewith that in last games of our series.”

LSUmoves on to aWednesdaynonconference game with LouisianaTechat home before going on the road thenext twoweekends at No. 4Texas A&M and No. 1Texas.

It wasn’taperfect weekend for LSU offensively,but theTigershandledthe elements better than Oklahoma. They hit more line drivesand did abetterjob of driving in runs withrunnersinscoring position, keys to overcoming theweather and the park’s grand dimensions —410 feet to center ﬁeld and330 feet from home plate to each foul pole.

The Sooners, meanwhile,were 2for 26 with runners in scoring position during the three-game series and rarely hit baseballs on thescrews.

Lineup tweaks

LSUadded afew wrinklestoits lineups this weekend.

None of the adjustments were dramatic, but redshirt junior Tanner Reaves started against aleft-handeronFriday,junior Ethan Freyearned astart against Oklahoma ace and right-hander Kyson Witherspoon on Thursdayand sophomore Steven Milam hit fourth on Thursday Frey has mostly started against left-handers andReaves has almost exclusively been in the lineup against righties. Milam has hit ﬁfth in almost every game since LSU’strip to the Dallas-Forth Wortharea.

Thesmall changes didn’t make amassive difference this weekend, buttheywere proof thatJohnson isn’tafraid to tweak his lineup if —for example —Freygets on arollagainst right-handed pitching or Reaves holds acertain advantage againstaleft-hander.

“It’snot just as black and white as like, ‘Oh, it’sa left handed pitcher.We’regonna start Frey,’ “Jamie Tutko, LSU’sdirector of pitching development, toldThe Advocate. “Westarted Frey against aright-hander on Saturday (against Mississippi State), he had two hits anditworkedout really well for us.”

Hernandezhitting SECpitching

SeniorLuis Hernandezhad an excellent weekendatthe plate, going 6for 12 with three doubles while catching every inning.

After aslow start offensively,the Indiana State transfer now has a.310 batting average and a.563 slugging percentage. Four ofhis five home runs have come against SECcompetition andheholds a .340 batting average in conference play.

Email Koki RileyatKoki.Riley@ theadvocate.com.

By The Associated Press

Torpedo bats areall the rage this season, and Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred believes all that chatter is positive for thesport

“They’reabsolutely good for baseball,” Ma n -

fred saidinaQ&A published by The New York Times on Sunday. “I believe that issueslike the torpedobat and the debate arounditdemonstrate the fact that baseball still occupies aunique place in our culture,because people get into acomplete frenzy over something that’s really nothing at theend of theday.”

The interviewcovered multiple topics and included Manfred praising the testing of robotumpires during spring training. He saidhe’d like to see their use expanded tothe regular season soon.

“I hope that we bring it to thebig leagues in short order,” Manfred said.“It won’t be in 2025. It’d be in 2026.”

Torpedo bats drewattention recently when the New York Yankees hit ateamrecord nine homersinone game. With several players using astrikingly different model in which wood is moved lower down the barrel toward the label, shaping the end alittle like a bowling pin, thebat has become baseball’slatest fad.

It’s causedAll-Star and even amateurplayers to want to take their swings with theunusual-looking bat, creating arushofordersfor Victus Sports. The company is theofﬁcialbat maker of MLBand hasseen sales and interest spike in thetorpedo bats.

Manfred highlighted that the bathas been usedfor a few years now, with players suchas Giancarlo Stanton and Francisco Lindor usingtorpedoes last season.

The odd shape of the bat —like makingasausage, themeat is simply pushed down the casing —has little to no effect at Victus on the dynamics of making abaseball bat. The cost is thesame as astandard bat,with asticker price starting at around $200 Only theslogan is punched up: Get your hands on the mosttalked-about bat in thegame.

“Players have actually been moving the sweet spot around in bats for years,” Manfredtoldthe Times.

“But it just demonstrates that something aboutthe gameismore important than is captured by television ratings or revenue or any of those things, when you have thediscussions and debates about it.”

Braves-Marlinspostponed

The Miami Marlins’ game

at the Atlanta Braves on Sundaywas postponed due to rain and rescheduled as part of aday-night doubleheader on Aug. 9aspartof aﬁve-gameseries.

Miami already wasscheduled fora four-gameseries in Atlantafrom Aug. 7-10

Thedoubleheader games will start at 1:15 p.m. and 7:15 p.m

Atlanta’sgrounds crew covered the inﬁeld with a tarp about2 hoursbefore thescheduledﬁrst pitch

Light rain beganabout 30 minuteslater,and heavy rain was forecast through the afternoon.

The teams split the ﬁrst two gamesofthe series, with Atlanta winning its home opener 10-0 on Friday night as Marcell Ozuna and Matt Olson hit back-to-back home runs. Matt Mervis hit two homers in Miami’s4-0 win on Saturday night.

Bravesright-hander Grant Holmes was scheduled to face Marlinsright-hander Sandy Alcantara on Sunday Following the postponement, theBraves announced catcher Sean Murphy (cracked ribs) has been reinstated from the injured list

Cardinalscatcher injured St. Louis Cardinals catcher Iván Herrera was unable to put weight on his left leg and had to be helped offthe ﬁeld afterrunning the bases in the third inning in the first game of aday-night doubleheader against theBoston RedSox on Sunday The team announced he had inﬂammation in his left knee.

Herrera went from ﬁrst to third on asingle into the left-ﬁeld corner by Nolan Arenado When Luken Baker fouled to first to end the inning, manager OliverMarmol andan athletic trainer helped Herrera to the dugout, where he got assistance down the steps to the clubhouse. He was replaced in the bottom of the inning by Pedro Pagés.

In the second, Herrera made anice lunging catch for aforce at the plate on Connor Wong’s grounderto third, keeping afoot on the plate as he dove to his right Mariners’OFcartedoff field Seattle Mariners outfielder Victor Robles injured hisleft shoulder andwas carted offthe field after making adazzling catch in the ninth inning of a5-4 loss to the San Francisco Giants on Sunday Robleswas playing right ﬁeld when he made along dash to chase downafly ball hit by Patrick Bailey He went over thelow railing in foul territory to make the catch, fell over the wall andcrashed intothe netting in theprocess.Robles appeared to be in immediatepain, flipping the ball away with his right hand andgrabbing at his left arm.

Marinersmanager Dan Wilson said Robles hasa shoulder-related injury and was having tests done at Oracle Park.

The31-year-old Robles is hitting.273withthree RBIs andthreestolenbases through10games this season after hitting .328 forthe Mariners lastseason and going 30 for 31 in stolen base attempts.He was the ﬁrst Seattle player with abatting average of over .320 sinceIchiroSuzuki hit .352 in 2009. The Giants, who wonthe gameonthe next pitch on a singleby WilmerFlores, challenged the call that it was a catch, but it was upheld. Centerfielder JulioRodriguez wasthe first to wave over athletic trainers after seeing Robles go down, and he called Robles a“very impactfulplayer for our team,defensively andoffensively.”

“I just noticed that he was in pain and called the trainers immediately,” Rodriguez said. “He madeall that effort. But it was at a high cost.”

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU pitcher Jayden Heavener delivers apitch against Alabama in the sixth inning of their game on SaturdayatTiger Park.

No 1. seeds Houston, Florida play for title

BY EDDIE PELLS AP national writer

SAN ANTONIO Whoever said there were no great underdog stories left in March Madness, or that the title would go to whichever team spends the most money or amasses the gaudiest collection of big names from the transfer portal — probably never checked out Houston. And anyone who thought college hoops was leaving behind teams with no NBA-ready stars coached by tart-as-lemon lifers who care more about the size of a player’s wingspan and heart than his 3-point percentage — well, that’s these Cougars, too.

Coach Kelvin Sampson’s squad of defenders and deniers face Florida for the national title Monday night. They wrap up a frontrunner’s Final Four that featured all No. 1 seeds but ends with the two top ones Auburn and Duke — sitting at home.

“We’ve kind of done it our way,” said Sampson who at 69, would surpass Jim Calhoun to become the oldest coach to win the title if his Cougars prevail. “It’s worked out pretty good.”

The Gators have been overlooked in their own way, too Florida, a 1 1/2-point pick in this game per BetMGM Sportsbook, has played underdog in its own way this year

The Gators (35-4) were picked to ﬁnish sixth in their (very good Southeastern) conference and are led by a player, Walter Clayton Jr., whose ﬁrst sport was football.

Their roster is ﬁlled with late bloomers from mid-majors (Clay-

Houston’s J’Wan

ä Houston vs. Florida.

7:50 P.M. MONDAy CBS

ton, Will Richard, Alijah Martin) and a few more out of high school who were 3-star recruits at best (Alex Condon, Thomas Haugh).

Even so, it would be hard to put Florida, with a rich athletic department, rich history and playing in a rich conference, in the same category as Houston a commuter school in America’s fourth-largest city that gets the side eye from some locals who call it “Cougar High.”

Houston’s transition to Big 12 created new narratives

When Houston (35-4) left the American Athletic Conference in 2023 to join the Big 12, it immedi-

Duke’s Final Four fade puts it among top teams to fall short of title

BY AARON BEARD AP basketball writer

SAN ANTONIO Duke had spent much of the season looking like like it was headed to a coronation behind Associated Press national player of the year Cooper Flagg and a roster boasting elite efﬁciency at both ends Instead, the Blue Devils improbably squandered a big lead against Houston and saw their season end in the Final Four And that puts this 35-win Duke team on a select list of elite teams that fell short of winning the NCAA title in the 40 tournaments since expansion to 64 teams in 1985.

Entering the weekend, the Final Four’s all-chalk set of 1-seeds boasted historically elite KenPom numbers when it comes to net efﬁciency, which is based on how much a team’s offensive data outscores that of its defense while factoring in the quality of opponent. All were plus-35 or better, a threshold only six teams had ﬁnished with in KenPom’s history previously going back to 1997.

Duke was the best at plus39.62 for the No 2 rate ever recorded by KenPom. Only now, Duke is joining Auburn on the sideline as Florida faces Houston — in its ﬁrst title game since the Phi Slama Jama teams of the 1980s on Monday night.

“It’s been a special ride,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said, “that ended in a heartbreaking way.”

1984-85 Georgetown John Thompson’s reigning champion Hoyas (35-3) made it back to the title game behind AP national player of the year Patrick Ewing, only to become the ﬁnal victim in eighth-seeded Villanova’s improbable title run.

Rollie Massimino’s Wildcats made 22 of 28 shots (78.6%) in the win at Rupp Arena and remain the lowest-seeded team to cut down the nets.

1990-91 UNLV

It seemed Jerry Tarkanian’s Rebels (34-1) were headed for the history as the ﬁrst repeat champion since UCLA’s run of seven straight from 1967-73, along with becoming the ﬁrst unbeaten champ since Indiana in 1976.

That team was a wire-to-wire No 1 in the AP Top 25 behind eventual No. 1 overall NBA draft pick Larry Johnson and averaged 97.7 points and outscored opponents by an average of 26.7 points.

Yet a season of romping wins ended when Mike Krzyzewski’s Duke team — which lost by 30 to UNLV in the previous year’s ﬁnal — stunned the Rebels i n the Final

Four in Indianapolis before winning its ﬁrst title.

1992-93 Michigan

The famed “Fab Five” burst on the scene as a cultural phenomenon as an all-freshman unit that unexpectedly reached the title game in 1992. A year later the Wolverines (31-5) made it back and played a compelling finale against North Carolina.

But that one featured a tournament-lore blunder of eventual No. 1 overall NBA draft pick Chris Webber receiving a late technical foul for calling a timeout the Wolverines didn’t have to essentially seal the loss.

1996-97 Kansas

This might have been the best team of Roy Williams’ Hall of Fame career, one led by eventual NBA star Paul Pierce and Raef LaFrentz. But the Jayhawks (342) fell in the Sweet 16 to eventual champion Arizona despite ranking in the top ﬁve in efﬁciency at both ends for KenPom.

That team spent 15 weeks at No. 1 and three weeks at No. 2 in the AP Top 25.

1997-98 North Carolina

The Tar Heels (34-4) played their ﬁrst year under Bill Guthridge after Dean Smith’s retirement with the AP national player of the year in Antawn Jamison and a future longtime NBA star in Vince Carter UNC was an offensive machine that shot 51.8% overall and had a national-best 126.3 points per 100 possessions according to KenPom.

But the No. 1 team in the ﬁnal AP Top 25 poll fell to Rick Majerus and Utah in San Antonio’s ﬁrst Final Four

1998-99 Duke

Statistically this is KenPom’s all-time best team, with the Blue Devils (37-2) posting an adjusted net-efﬁciency rating of plus43.01. The team had AP national player of the year and eventual No. 1 overall NBA draft pick Elton Brand as the headliner among four of that year’s top 14 picks.

But UConn led by Richard Hamilton and Khalid El-Amin — pushed past Duke in the title game for that program’s first title.

2004-05 Illinois

The Fighting Illini (37-2) spent the last 15 polls at No. 1 in the AP Top 25 with a guard-heavy lineup featuring eventual NBA star Deron Williams, Luther Head and Dee Brown Illinois lost a tense ﬁnal against UNC to give Roy Williams his ﬁrst NCAA title.

ately became the school with the smallest athletic budget among the ﬁve (now four) major conferences. But things are changing. It will complete a $150 million expansion to its football facility this summer

Athletic director Eddie Nunez said the Cougars are fully committed to revenue sharing under the new rules expected to take over college sports next school year, and that Sampson is evolving as well as anyone.

“Everyone says he’s old-school, but the reality is, he gets it and he surrounds himself with people who can help him with NIL, revenue share, anything that’s laid out,” Nunez said. “Bottom line, he’ll do what he does best He

builds a culture and gets the right kids with the right work ethic.”

Houston’s presence in the Big 12 played into the predominant story line of March Madness this year: From the Sweet 16 on, there were no teams from small conferences and, so, no glass slippers left in a tournament that was losing its soul.

Houston has tradition — everyone remembers Phi Slama Jama and is building a budget. Still, calling Sampson’s program a college basketball monster is missing the point. His biggest portal piece is LJ Cryer the guard who won a title with Baylor in 2021 before transferring and become the Cougars’ leading scorer If Houston is going to place a player in the NBA next

season, Cryer probably is the one.

“I don’t think necessarily that applies to my program,” Sampson said when asked if the portal has changed the nature of his job.

Houston’s long-armed defenders make life hard on opponents

The rest of the roster spends time making life hard on players who certainly will be in the NBA soon. See the last 10 minutes of Houston’s 70-67 win over Duke on Saturday

They are players like J’Wan Roberts, a 23-year-old senior who has played 148 games in ﬁve seasons, all at Houston — a career that was extended because of the coronavirus pandemic. Or Emanuel Sharp, now in his third year with Sampson and averaging about three 3-pointers a game

UConn’s Fudd honored as Most Outstanding Player of Final Four

BY ALANIS THAMES AP sportswriter

TAMPA, Fla. — This time, Azzi Fudd was healthy And she made a big difference for UConn.

Fudd was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four after leading the Huskies to the program’s 12th national championship. The dynamic guard scored 24 points during Sunday’s 82-59 victory over South Carolina in the title game.

UConn also reached the Final Four last season, but Fudd was sidelined by a torn meniscus and anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee. She could only watch as the Huskies were eliminated by Caitlin Clark and Iowa in the semiﬁnals.

Fudd was ready to go this time around. She scored 19 points in Friday’s 85-51 victory over UCLA.

Then, with the Gamecocks trying for a second straight championship, Fudd was terrific She went 9 for 17 from the field. She also had five rebounds, three steals and an assist.

Fudd scored 11 in the third quarter when the Huskies broke the game open. It was the most points in a single quarter of an NCAA title game by a UConn women’s basketball player, and sixth-most by any women’s player in a championship.

“I think all of our mindset was just to be aggressive, stay locked

HUSKIES

Continued from page 1B

think Sarah was graduating the way she plays, right? All three of them complement each other so well. They all have such unique skill sets.”

Bueckers capped her stellar career with the Huskies’ ﬁrst championship since 2016, ending a nineyear drought for the team. That was the longest period for Auriemma and his program without a title since Rebecca Lobo and Jen Rizzotti led the Huskies to their ﬁrst championship in 1995.

Since then the Huskies have had dominant championship runs, including in the early 2000s led by Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi, 200910 with Maya Moore and ﬁnally the four straight from 2013-16 with Breanna Stewart. All were in attendance in Florida on Sunday to see the Huskies’ latest title.

“You just never know if you’ll ever be back in this situation again,” Auriemma said. “And there were so many times when I think we all questioned, ‘Have we been here too long? Has it been time?’ And we kept hanging in there and

in, stay disciplined, stay together,” Fudd said. “And that’s exactly what we did. I happened to score 11 points, but I was doing what the game was giving.”

The cheering crowd for the championship included her parents. Her mother wore a shirt that read “FUDD AROUND AND FIND OUT.”

“I mean, they’re the reason I’m playing basketball,” Fudd said.

“They taught me most of the things I know So shoutout Mom and Dad. But to be able to stand

hanging in there and that’s because these players make me want to hang in there every day.”

Bueckers, the expected No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft on April 14, delivered for the Huskies throughout their championship season.

It was the only thing missing from an incredible UConn career that was slowed by injuries. She was the ﬁrst freshman to win AP Player of the Year before missing a lot of her sophomore season with a tibial plateau fracture and meniscus tear She then tore an ACL before the next season.

UConn closed the ﬁrst half up 10 points and then put the game away in the third quarter, with Fudd, Strong and Bueckers combining for 23 of the team’s 26 points in the period. UConn was up 50-39 with 3:21 left before closing with a 12-3 run. Fudd and Strong got it started with back-to-back 3s, and the rout was on. Auriemma subbed Bueckers, Fudd and Strong out with 1:32 left in the game. Bueckers and Auriemma had a long hug on the sideline, having ﬁnally gotten that championship that he so wanted for her Dawn Staley’s team was trying for a third title in four years and

here, to see all the people that I love in the crowd, people I love here on the stage with me, I don’t even have words to describe this moment right now.”

Fudd led the way against South Carolina, but she got plenty of help. Sarah Strong had 24 points and 15 rebounds, and Paige Bueckers scored 17 points in her final game with UConn.

Healthy again, Fudd paid tribute to her teammates and all the people around her for the championship season.

fourth overall. It would have tied her with Kim Mulkey for third most behind Auriemma and former Tennessee Hall of Fame coach Pat Summitt, who had eight.

“Our kids gave it all they had. When you can understand why you lost and when you’ve been on the other side of that three times, you understand it,” Staley said. “You can swallow it We lost to a very good basketball team.”

UConn had reached the title game only once during its drought since 2016. The Huskies had been eliminated by heartbreaking lastsecond losses in the Final Four on buzzer-beaters. The Huskies’ last title game appearance came in 2022 when Staley’s team beat UConn to start the Gamecocks’ current run of success, a game that ended Auriemma’s perfect record in title games. There seemed to be no nerves early for either team as the game got off to a fast start. The teams traded baskets for the first few minutes before the defenses started to clamp down. The Huskies led 19-14 after one quarter and then extended the advantage to 36-26 at the half. Fudd had 13 points and Strong added eight points and 11 rebounds.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ERIC GAy

Roberts reacts during the first half in the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday in San Antonio.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By BRyNN ANDERSON Florida guard Walter Clayton drives around Auburn guard Miles Kelly during the second half in the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday in San Antonio.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CHRIS O’MEARA UConn guard Azzi Fudd brings the ball up the court during the first half of the Final Four national championship game of the women’s NCAA Tournament on Sunday in Tampa, Fla.

break WayneGretzky’s record.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ADAM

scoring

Ovechkin passesGretzky on NHLcareergoals list

BY STEPHEN WHYNO AP hockey writer

NEW YORK Alex Ovechkinﬁred just about the perfect version of his signature one-timer that has defined his remarkable career When the puck hit the net, it made himthe topgoalscorerin NHL history

Ovechkin scored his 895th career goal on Sunday in theWashington Capitals’ game against the New York Islanders, beating fellow Russian Ilya Sorokin on a power play with 12:34 leftinthe second period. He took acrossice pass from longtime teammate TomWilson and ﬁred alaser past Sorokin with defenseman Jakob Chychrun screening.

With the excitement of achild, the 39-year-old belly ﬂopped onto the ice as tens of thousands of fans around him cheered and chanted, “Ovi! Ovi!” while teammates streamed off the bench, mobbing him in celebration.

“Like Ialways said, all the time, it’sateam sport and without my boys —the whole organization, thefans, thetrainers, coaches —Iwould never stand there and obviously Iwould never pass the ‘Great One,’ “Ovechkin said. Ovechkin hadnever scored on Sorokin before, making his countryman the 183rd different goaltender he has beaten. “Thank youtoSorokintolet me score 895,” Ovechkin said. “I loveyou, brother.”

Ovechkin broke arecord that stood for 31 years and appeared to be one of the most untouchable in sports. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman made sure

SAINTS

Continued from page1B

Let’stake alook at some options who could break the Saints’ mold —as well as those who wouldﬁt that (previous?) archetype to a tee.

Anew direction?

If he’sstill available at No.9, Georgia’sJalonWalker would be thelitmus test of whetherthe Saints have truly changed their ways. In the past, Walker’s6-foot1, 243-pound would have been too small for the Saints.

But “If he’sthere, Iwould runupthe cardto get him,” Jeremiah said Jeremiah praised Walker, who had 61/2 sacks and 101/2 tackles for loss last season, as adynamic player who can also helpﬁrst-year coach Kellen Moore establish his culture in the locker room.Walker, regarded as the draft’stop rusher after Penn State’sAdbul Carter canalso be usedanoff-ball linebacker while getting after the passer

Elsewhere, Marshall’sMike Green would also representfrom the type of rusher the Saintstypically go after.At6-foot-3 and 251 pounds, Green may be slightlyundersized, but he led the FBS with 17 sacks.

Arethere any‘classicSaints?’ Texas A&M’sShemar Stewart stands at 6-5, weighs 267pounds and has aRelative AthleticScore of 10 (out of 10). Underformer coach Dennis Allen, that would practically make him aSaint already

to point that out whenheopened the 10-minuteceremony “Wayne, you’ll always be the ‘Great One’ and you had arecord that nobody ever thought would be broken,”Bettman said. “But Alex, youdid it. You’ve been amazing. Youhave been theconsummateplayer representing the NHL extraordinaryonoroff the ice. Thank you for all you have given the game.”

The first to getahug from Ovechkin was longtime equipment managerCraig “Woody” Leydig,thenBrock Mylesand therest of the training andlocker room staff who have been around him so long. Ovechkinwaved to acknowledgethe crowd andwent through ahandshake line with the Islanders as crew members set up forthe 895 ceremonythat has been months in the making.

Ovechkin gota portraitofhimself and Gretzky.Janet Gretzky presented agift to Ovechkin’s wife,Nastya, just as Colleen Howe did to her when herhusband broke Gordie’srecord back in 1994.

Ovechkin got No. 895 in his 1,487th game —the same number Gretzky ﬁnished with.

GretzkyshookOvechkin’s hand, embraced him and congratulated the “Great 8” and his family for the accomplishment.

“There’snothing better than the National Hockey League,” Gretzkysaid. “They say records aremade to be broken, but I’m not sure who’sgoing to getmore goals than that.”

Ovechkin took the microphone from Gretzky like atorch being passedfrom one legend of the

gametoanother.Hethanked injuredteammates Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie, withwhom he wonthe Stanley Cupin2018, and expressed his affection for his wife, mother andtwo sons standing nearby “Wedid it, boys. We didit,” Ovechkin said. “And themost important thing,tomymom, my family, my beautifulwife,my father-in-law,mybeautiful kids, thank you. Iloveyou so much, andwithout you, withoutyour supportIwould neverstand here.”

More “Ovi!” chants followed. Plenty more will be coming as he attempts to reach 900. Gretzky’stotal of 894 goals had long seemed unapproachable. Ovechkin passeditevenafter missing 16 games in November and December because of abrokenleftleg,atestamenttohis durability anda knack forputting the puck in the net consistently for twodecades. He surpassed 40 goals this season for a14th time —two more than Gretzky and also the most in league history

Even beforethis, Ovechkin owned the NHL recordsfor power-playgoals,shots on goal and themost goalies scored against, now adding Sorokin to that list Only Gretzkyhas more multigoal games,and Ovechkin earlier this season became just thesixth player with700 goals and 700 assists, joining Gretzky,Howe, JaromirJagr, Marcel Dionne and Phil Esposito. Ovechkin last moved up the all-time goal-scoring list Dec. 23, 2022, when he got Nos. 801 and 802 to tie and pass Howe.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By PHELANM.EBENHACK

Georgia linebackerJalon Walker follows aplayagainst Florida during thesecond half of their game on Nov. 2inJacksonville, Fla.

Stewartislong, explosive and has “untapped upside,” according to theNFL Network’sLance Zierlein. But he might be deﬁned more by his potential. He only had 41/2 sacks over thelast three years, despite racking up alot of pressures. (Again,hemight as well have been with theSaints.)

MykelWilliams, the other Georgia edge rusher,isalso close to theSaints’ prototype. Though he’s comingoff an ankleinjury,hecertainly ﬁts thesizethresholdat6-5 and265 pounds. He’s considered to be arelativelyraw prospect, but that hasn’tstopped the Saints before What aboutpastRound 1?

If the Saints choose to select another position in Round 1, at least this draftisdeepenoughalong thedefensive line for New Orleans to ﬁnd aqualityedge rusher

Hamlin takeslate lead outofthe pits, staves off Byron

BY PETEIACOBELLI

Associated Press

DARLINGTON, S.C. Denny Hamlin

did his job so his pit crew could do itsmost stellarstop at the perfect time.

Hamlin cameinto the pits after a final caution in third place and told himself to hit every mark, then let hisguys takeover And that’swhat the Joe Gibbs Racing group did, pulling off a perfect winning momentthat sent Hamlinout withthe lead.Hetook over on the finalrestart andheld off William Byron to win the Goodyear 400 on Sunday.Itwas Hamlin’s56th career NASCAR win, his fifth at Darlington Raceway and his second straight this season

“Whenyou think about 56 wins, that’sahuge deal,” said Gibbs, Hamlin’slongtime car owner

Hamlin said he hung on throughoutasByronand others looked like they might pull out victory.Instead, Hamlin waited outhis time and then pounced as he broke away during thegreen-white-checkered ﬁnish.

“I can still do it,I can do it at a high level and look forwardtowinning alot of races this year,” Hamlin said.

Hamlin wonfor asecond straight week after his success at Martinsville.

Hamlin chose the outside lane for aﬁnal restart and shot out to the lead and pulledawayfromseries points leader Byron and NASCAR wins leader Christopher Bell. Hamlin looked like he’d have astrong ﬁnish, but nota winning oneasRyan Blaney passed Tyler

Reddick forthe lead with three laps left.

But momentslater,Kyle Larson spun out forcing aﬁnal caution and the extra laps.

It was then time for Hamlin’sJoe GibbsRacing pitcrewtoshine as it got him out quickly and in the lead.

Byron, wholed the ﬁrst 243 laps, wassecond withHamlin’s JGR teammateBell in third.

“There are two people Ireally love right now, my pit crew and Kyle Larson,”Hamlin said to a round of boos from those in the stands.

Reddick wasfourth and Blaney wasﬁfth. The rest of the top 10 ﬁnishers were Chris Buescher,Ross Chastain, Chase Elliott, Ty Gibbs and Kyle Busch.

Hamlin credited thepast two victories to his pit crew

“The pit crew just did an amazing job,” he said. “They won it last week, they won it this week. It’s all about them.”

Blaney had thought he wasclear to his first Darlington victory after getting by Reddick late. When he saw the caution flag forLarson’s spin, he said he thought, “Oh, no! I thought we had the race won.” So did Byron, whohad ashot to becomethe firstNASCAR driver in nearly 25 yearstolead every laponthe waytovictory.Hegot shuffled down the standings during the last round of green-flag pit stops and could not recover

“It was looking like it was going to be aperfect race and we were going to lead every lap,” he said. But once “welost control, it was too late to getback up there,” Byron said.

Dolphins’Armstead announcesretirement

BY DAVID FURONES

South Florida Sun-Sentinel (TNS)

MIAMI Terron Armstead will always be known fordoing everything in his power to makeitto NFLgame day Sundays through injury

Butthe MiamiDolphins left tackle has decided he has seen the last of those grueling playing days. Armstead,33, calleditacareer Saturday night, announcing his retirementfrom professional football at aprivate event in Wynwood, near the heartof Miami.

in the ensuing rounds. Arkansas defensive end Landon Jackson, who spent his first year at LSU, clockeda standout-worthy 9.76 RAS. The Athletic’s Dane Bruglerrankedhim as his 45th-rated prospect, putting him in the Day 2 range. He has great size (6-6, 264) and long arms (331/4 inches), Some draftanalystshavetaken issuewith his bend, but he’sfound waystobe productive.

Ohio State’sJack Sawyerand Ole Miss’ Princely Umanmielen also have similarmeasurements andshould slotinthe Day 2range Sawyer can produce big plays, likehis strip sack that resulted in an 83-yardtouchdowninthe College FootballPlayoff against Texas. Umanmielen is coming off a10-sack season.

Email Matthew Paras at matt paras@theadvocate.com

Armstead retires following12NFL seasons, the last three coming with theDolphinsafter he joined theteam by signing afive-year,$75 million contractinfree agency in 2022. He was aPro Bowlselection in his first two seasons in Miami, making it five for his career after coming in with three Pro Bowls in his first nine years with the New Orleans Saints.

Adecision from Armstead was expected soon as coach MikeMcDaniel, at the NFLannual meeting last week, noted the team was in constant communication with him and that wordcould be received within two weeks.The eventinvitation for Saturday’sparty offered apossible hint, with areference to stepping into anext chapter Lastoffseason already presented Armstead with adecision on whether to play the 2024 season. He ultimately decided to return, but the Dolphins begantoshape their future plans at lefttackle, se-

lecting PatrickPaul in the second round of last year’sdraft. With Armstead moving on, Paul now ﬁgures to slide in to starting duties at lefttackle, opposite Austin Jackson at right tackle. Miami added guard James Daniels in free agency,while re-signing Liam Eichenbergand seeing Robert Jones go to the Dallas Cowboys. With AaronBrewerthe starting center and Larry Borom signed as apossible reserve lineman, the Dolphins can still be projected to add moredepth along the line in the NFLdraftlater this month and maybe another free-agent signing. At theNFL scouting combinein late February,McDanielsaid the Dolphins would operate in the offseason as if Armstead wasn’treturning. That sameday,Armstead brought his salary cap number down to the minimum to give the team cap space to maneuver Armstead has often dealt with injuries in his career,missing an average of more than ﬁve games per season since 2016. Last year he played in all but two games, but there were multiple instances where he had to tap out of agame withhis knee not feelingupto snuff early in the outing. Alasting image wascapturedbyCBS cameras duringa December home game against the New York Jets whenArmstead sat on the bench with alook of disappointment and helplessness over his injuries. One thing that can never be questioned about Armstead, aside from histried andtruecommitment to playing if he physically can, is that, when available, he was asoundand solid blocker both in the run game and pass protection.

HUNGER

Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin,center, celebrates with teammates after

against theNew york Islanders during the second periodonSunday in Elmont, N.y. The goal wasthe 895th of Ovechkin’sNHL career,allowinghim to

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOBySCOTT KINSER

Denny Hamlin,front, celebrates on victorylane after winning aNASCAR CupSeries race on Sunday at Darlington RacewayinDarlington, S.C.

Armstead

LIVING

Louisiana singer John Foster,holding guitar,and familymembers celebrate with ‘American Idol’judges,attable, from left, Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwoodand LukeBryan after Foster receiveshis golden ticket to Hollywood for thecompetition’s nextround.

SOUTHERN STYLINGS

BY JUDYBERGERON Staff writer

Not only can Addis teen John Fostersing,but Carrie Underwood thinks he’scute.

Add that to Fostergifting Underwood and her fellow “American Idol” judges Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan each aLouisiana care packagewhen he auditionedfor the show in Nashville,Tennessee, and he had arecipe for success. Now Foster,18, and asecond-semester freshmanat LSU pursuing premed, is competing in the ABCsinging contest series’ second phase, Hollywood Week

The first of those episodes aired Monday, when Fostersung his way throughtothe second round. All of the episodes aired thus farwere prerecorded,sowhen we caughtup with the Louisiana contestant, he was backhomeinBrusly

The following interview has been edited for clarity andbrevity.

How didthe whole care packagedeal for the judges come about?

When you’re in acompetition and you want the approval of thebiggest names in music, youwantto make sure that all of their senses are pleased.SoIwantedto make sure that Isounded good, butI also

Blackbox warnings outline drugs’ most seriousrisks

What do “Black Box” warningsmean on certain medications?

Black box warnings, also known as boxed warnings, are the most stringent warnings the FDA can mandate for prescription drugs, alerting health care providers and patients to serious or life-threatening risks associated with amedication.

The 2005 FDA boxed warning was associated with areduced prevalence of atypical antipsychotic use in elderly patients with dementia and with longterm unintended outcomes that exposed patients to new health risks.

The purpose of black box warnings is to draw immediate attention to the mostserious potential adverse effects of a drug, such as the risk of death, serious injury or permanent disability.The warning box contains asummaryofthe adverse effects and risks associated with the drug, including speciﬁc precautions or restrictions to ensure safeuse.

PROVIDED PHOTO FROM FOX The videoscreen at ‘Extracted’ headquarters shows Louisiana competitor Meagan Delatte opening her compass in the nextepisode, titled ‘Mystery Box,’airing at 7p.m.MondayonFox

wanted to make sure that they had something good to taste, too.

didn’tknow what it was at ﬁrst, and he thought that the beef jerky was foot, and Isaid Iwould neverbring him ’gator foot. He ended up really liking the beef jerky.(Also in the judges’ small coolerswereboudin and some pork sausage). I’m thinking Carrie’sbox also had aCajun corn dish called corn maque choux. AndaBenoit Cajunseasoning for them. Louisianateenadvanceson‘Idol’;

Ican give them ataste of me musically but alsowanted to give them ataste of where Icame from. My familyownsBenoit’sCountry Meat Block in Addis. It’s been apillar of my life. Bringing them food from my family storeand from my homewas just great. LukeBryan seemed to really likeyou bringing him food. Ithought that was pretty fun. He

BYNEAL JUSTIN The Minnesota Star Tribune (TNS) MINNEAPOLIS During arecent episode of “CNN Saturday Morning Table for Five,“ broadcast journalist

Some examples of drugs or drug classes that carry black boxwarnings include: opioids (oxycodone/OxyContin),hydrocodone (Vicodin), morphine,codeine, and fentanyl),benzodiazepines(Alprazolam or Xanax), Clonazepam (Klonopin),Diazepam (Valium), Lorazepam (Ativan), and Midazolam), nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDsaspirin,ibuprofen,naproxen, celecoxib, diclofenacand indomethacin) andfluoroquinolone antimicrobials (ciprofloxacin (Cipro), levofloxacin(Levaquin), andmoxifloxacin(Avelox). Black box warnings are crucial forhealth care professionals to makeinformed decisions about prescribing and administering medications, as well as forpatients to understand the potential risks and benefits of their treatment. This boxed warning meansthat there is reasonable evidence of an association of aserious hazard with the drug. Placing the warning in abox meansthat the adverse reaction may lead to death or serious injury

The decision to use an antipsychotic drug needs to be considered with extremecaution. Research has shown that these drugs are associated with an increased risk of stroke and death in older adults with dementia

The FDA has ordered manufacturers to label such drugs with a“black box” warning about their risks and areminder that they are not approved to treat dementia symptoms. Nondrug approaches are preferred instead of using antipsychotic drugs in managing behavioral symptoms. Many of these strategies aim to identify and address needs that the person with Alzheimer’smay have difﬁculty expressing as the disease progresses. Nondrug approaches should always be tried ﬁrst. They include: recognizing that the person is not just “acting mean or ornery,” but is having further symptomsofthe disease; identifying

PROVIDED PHOTO By ERICMcCANDLESS/DISNEy

Treatmentofburns dependsonseverity, takestime

Dear Doctors: Iburned myself on the stove, but it didn’tlook badso Iwasn’tworried. The nextmorning, the skin had turned red and the burn was all swollen.What’s the right way to take care of a burn? When do you need tosee a doctor?

Dear reader: Bear with us as we begin with anerdy science deﬁnition. Aburn is atraumatic injury in which atransfer of energy causes damage to the tissues at and near thesite of contact.The most common source is thermal energy,which is heat, as happened to you. Othersources are chemical, electric and electromagnetic energy.Ineachinstance, an excessofenergyheats the affected cells to the pointthat they are injured or destroyed.

‘MEAN GIRLS’

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belongs to ademographic that will make up the bulk of theaudiencewhenthe musicalversion of “MeanGirls” arrives at the Ordway in Minneapolisthis week, giving them an opportunity to revisit memoriesofthe Tina Feypenned film that debuteda little more than 20 yearsago. But they won’tbealone.

The ﬁlm, as well as the 2018 Broadway musical, resonates with fans who could be their children, making it one of the most enduring popculture milestones of this century

The ﬁlm earned amodest $130 million at the box ofﬁce and zeroOscar nominations, but its legacy has lasted alot longer than bigger 2004 hits like “Shrek 2” and “The Passion of the Christ.”

It’sgotten nods in pop hits (Mariah Carey’s“Obsessed”), music videos (Ariana Grande’s“Thank U, Next”), Super Bowl ads (Discover Card), TV shows (“How to Get Away With Murder”), toys (Bratz dolls) and novels (Karen McManus’ “Two Can Keep aSecret”).

TV NOTES

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Tell us alittle bit about how and whenyou begansinging Inever really was aserious singer until Iwas about 15 years old. It was then that my family encouraged me to start karaoke, and Inever took it seriously.Inever thought it would go anywhere, but they just keptencouraging me to keep working on it and building on it. Eventually,Istarted singing with my uncle, Galen Martin (of Brusly) just kind of casually.He’sbeen amusician for all of his life. Andhe also was abig voice saying, “You reallyneed to try and do something with this.” Isat in here and there with different bands, singing alittle bit, and it was just one big procession of people encouraging me. Iowe so much to all of my friends and family who encouraged me. Idid my ﬁrst gig in July of 2022 andit’sjustkindof been uphill since there. Where wasthat first gig?

That was at Floyd’s Morley Marina in Brusly How manypeople would you say were at that first show? Not very many.Myaudience has certainly grown very much, very far since then.

Whereelsehaveyou played lately?

Iplay at Side Porch Daiquiris in Addis alot, Jack Miller’s(Landing) in Plaquemine andRio Cantina in Brusly FrequentlyatCharlie’s Lounge in Addis, also. Do you strictly sing country?

Iamacountry artistdown to the bone. Ilove country music, but music is music. I’m aperson who truly loves music, and so Ienjoy all genres Idoa little bit of aswamp pop every now and then, some Cajun, alittle bit of blues. Really, Ilove everything. Who are some of the musical artistswho inspire you?

Willie Nelson is my very favorite artistofall time. I love Willie. Ilove his music. I also love his attitude and his spirit. Ilove that he doesn’t care what people think, and he’sgoing to be his true self

Dr.Elizabeth Ko Dr.Eve Glazier ASK THE DOCTORS

This results in awound we commonlyrefer to as aburn. Burnsare categorized by their depthand severity.Superﬁcial burns,known asﬁrst-degree burns,affect only theepidermis, which is the outer layer of skin. Theburn site will often be red, butblisters do not develop. Second-degree burns, also known as partial-thicknessburns,involve

Today’steens,the oneswho think Britney Spearsis“old school,” treat“Mean Girls” like it was freshly baked.

“That’sfor some great reasons andsome not so great reasons,” said Nell Benjamin, who wrote the lyrics forthe musical. “Thegreat reason is that Tina is acomic genius. She has atalent for finding comedyinabsurd and painful moments. The sad reason is thatthe story remains timely.Young women still havethese enormous, weird pressures.”

Theoriginal film, which Feywrote while she wasstill at “Saturday NightLive, tells the storyofCadyHeron (Lindsay Lohan), a16-yearold tryingtonavigate high school after spendingmuch of her childhood in Africa. In avoice-over,she compares the suburbanmalltoawateringhole in the savanna, where only thestrongand savage survive.

LikeSandyin“Grease,” shedecides that thebest way to fit in is by burying her natural sweetnature andbecoming oneofthe Plastics, agirl group much moreheartless than the Pink Ladies.

But thedecision doesn’t endwith an upbeat round of

injury to the epidermis and the dermis, which are theunderlying layers of skin. The burn site will become redand swollen, may appear dry and cracked and will develop watery,thin-skinned blisters.

The mostsevere are thirddegree burns. Alsoknown as full-thickness burns, these occur when both theepidermis and dermis have been destroyed. Tissue damageoften extends to the underlying muscle, fat and connective tissues, and bone may be affected, as well. Severe burns, as well as chemical or electrical burns, need immediate professional medical care. Because even asmall or seemingly minor burn can quickly becomeinfected, it is important

“WeGoTogether.” Instead, it triggers the distribution of uglyrumors andhurt feelings. In many ways, it asks thesame questions that run through “Wicked,” which arrived on Broadway ayear before ”Mean Girls” hit theaters.

“Howdoyou handle yourself when you have power?” said Benjamin in aphone interviewfrom New York, where she’sputting the finishing touches on “Huzzah!” —amusical she created with husband Laurence O’Keefe about sisters trying to save their family’sRenaissance Fair.“How do you usepower so that it doesn’t break theworld?”

Someelements of the2004 ﬁlm will make you cringe and notthe way original director Mark Waters and Fey intended. There’sastartling lack of diversity and lotsof body shaming and gay bashing.

Themusical, which was adapted for the screen last year,gave Fey and her team achance to make updates. Thereare morecharacters of color, less homophobia anda range of different body types(although main villain Regina George is still determined to lose threepounds).

PROVIDED PHOTO FROM FOX

Louisiana ‘Extracted’ competitorMeagan Delatte’sbest friend,AbbyHayes, and father,Gerrad Delatte, monitor Meagan Delatte’ssurvival in the wilderness on ‘Extracted.’

in every way.That’sthe biggest inspiration Ihave,just to be exactly who Iamand without care of what anyone elsethinks.

Have you gotten to see Williein concert?

Ihave three times, and it was someofthe best times I’ve ever had. Seeinghim in person wasjust amazing.

Do youwriteany of your own songs?

Ido. Songwritingismyfavorite waytoexpress whatever I’m feeling Walk us throughhow yougoabout writing asong. Usually somethingisgoingoninmylife that pushes me,and Iget alittle idea for something.SoIsit down with aguitar, and Ijuststart to hum. And then the hums turn intowords, the words turninto melodies, the melodies get ﬁt with chords, and soon Ihaveasong Are youbeing recognized in public since you’ve been back home?

Yeah,it’skind of hard to go in Walmart without talking to at least one person,but Ilove it.Ilove talking to people. I love making new friends. So Ienjoyeverysecond Lastly,wehavetoask youhow you likedCarrieUnderwoodsayingyou were cute (a cutie patootie to be exact)?

So that actually is pretty interestingbecause she said that when Ileft, so Ihad no idea until Iwatched theepisode.I hearditand Ilooked around and Iwas like, “Oh my gosh, did she say that?” Carrie Underwood, look, Imean, abeautifulsuperstar called

me acutie patootie. That’san instant conﬁdence boost.

“American Idol” airs at 7p.m. Sunday and Monday on ABC and streams afterward on Hulu.

‘Extracted’top 5

While sevencompetitors have been eliminatedonFox survivaladventure competitionseries “Extracted,” Louisiana’sMeagan Delatte continues to make it in the Canadian wilderness.

On last week’sepisode, BatonRouge native Delatte ofﬁcially made the top ﬁve after fellow competitor Jakoben Thomas’ uncle and cousin back at headquarters elected to pull him from the contest.

In the show,a dozencompetitors ﬁght to survive frigid temperatures, treacherous terrainand thethreat of fourlegged predators in aremote forest near Whistler,British Columbia. At headquarters, two family members watch their contestants navigate their surroundings via a24/7 live feed. Each family has the power to decide their loved ones’ fate, with theoption to “extract”their competitor, usually if they’re concerned abouttheir physical and/or mental state

On Monday,Delatte was upbeat after winning a swimming challenge and receiving two supply boxes.

“I will prove that Idohave the physical strength, the mental drive,and I’m notgoing to stop until I’m there,” Delatte said.

to takecareofitright away.The ﬁrst step in caring foraminor thermal burn is to cool the affected area. This helps to dissipatethe excess energy that is causing injury to the tissues. Run cool water over the site for20to 30 minutes. Do not use cold water or ice; these will constrict blood ﬂow to thewound, which can actually compound the damage and delay healing. If the burn is on theface, use asuccession of cool compresses. Once the burn area is cooled, very gentlyclean it with soap and water.Athin layer of ointment, such as aloe vera gel or petroleum jelly,will help keep the burn area hydrated. Useasterile, nonstick bandagetoloosely cover andprotect the area. Youdon’t

The newerversion also reﬂects the impact of social media; three-way phone calls are replaced by viral videos.

SJ Olson, who did the choreography for aDuluth Playhouse production last year,points to thenumber “Stop,” whichincludesthe lyrics:“When you’re feelingattacked/that’safeeling nota fact/don’tjumponline and react/you really need to stop.”

“Theyentered facetsof socialmedia intothe musical we didn’treally have in 2004,” said Olson, who will return to Duluth this summertodirect ayouthproduction of “Cats.”

Olsonadmittedthata few castmembersrolled their eyes at some of themillennialjokes.But thebiggest challenge was coaxing them intocommitting to the story’s“meanest” moments

“Some of thegirls, especially thosewho were playing thePlastics,might have felt alittle afraid of bullying peers becausethey didn’t wantpeople to think they are likethatinreallife,” Olsonsaid. “Theirgeneration hasalens of empathy I didn’tnecessarily seewhen Iwas in high school.”

McComb, Mississippi, native Thomaswas defeated in thesame swimming challenge. Thomas,who revealed in theepisode that he had recently moved to New Orleans, was also acontestant on Netflix’s“Squid Game.”

The show returns at 7p.m. Monday on Fox “Withonly five survivalists left, alliances are tested, and newstrategies emerge in HQ as family membersmust choose whichsurvivalist will forfeit acritical supply of their choosing,”the show synopsis states. “Then, acrucial supply box is stranded in the middleofafreezing 48-degree lake, but only one survivalist can claim it in time.Inthe ﬁnalchallenge, the families must guide their survivalists to crates filled with suppliesusing only a compassinthe all-new ‘Mystery Box’ episode.”

Email Judy Bergeron at jbergeron@theadvocate. com.

By The Associated Press

want the bandage to stick to the wound or to shed ﬁbers that may becomeembedded in the area. If blisters form,donot pierce them, as this can lead to infection. Overthe-counter pain medscan help manage discomfort. Even minor burns can take a fewweeks to heal. As they do, take care to protect the area from further trauma. If signs of infection appear,such as inﬂammation, pus or fever,itisimportant to seek medical care.

Sendyour questions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla edu, or write: Ask theDoctors c/oUCLA HealthSciences Media Relations, 10880 Wilshire Blvd.,Suite1450, Los Angeles, CA, 90024.

Today is Monday April 7, the 97th day of 2025. There are 268 days leftinthe year

Todayinhistory On April 7, 1994, aday after the presidents of Rwanda and Burundi died in amissile attack on their aircraft, the moderate Hutu primeminister of Rwanda, Agathe Uwilingiyimana, and her husband were killed by Rwandan soldiers; in the 100 days that followed, Hutu extremists slaughtered hundreds of thousands of minority Tutsi and Hutu moderates.

On this date: In 1862, Union forces led by Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and Maj. Gen. DonCarlos Buell defeated Confederate forces at the Battle of Shiloh in Tennessee.

In 1922, Interior Secretary Albert B. Fall signed asecret deal to lease U.S. Navy petroleum reserves in Wyoming and California to his friends, oilmen Har-

WARNINGS

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the cause and how the symptom may relate to the experience of the person with Alzheimer’s; and changing the environment to resolve challenges and obstacles to comfort, security and ease of mind. If nondrug approaches fail after being applied consistently,introducing medications may be appropriate forindividuals with severe symptomsor whohave the potential to harm themselves or others. While prescription medications can be effective in somesituations, they must be used carefully and are mosteffective when combined with non-drug approaches.

The FDAisconstantly striving to improve safety processes and methods to serve the public better Thus, the FDAistaking additional steps to identify drugs that may have unac-

ry F. Sinclair and Edward L. Doheny,inexchange forcash gifts; Fall would eventually be sentenced to prison on bribery and conspiracy charges in what becameknownasthe Teapot Dome Scandal. In 1966, the U.S. Navy recovered ahydrogen bombthat the U.S. Air Force had lost in the Mediterranean Sea off Spain following aB-52 crash. In 2022, the Senate conﬁrmed Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, securing her place as

ceptable risk profiles. The FDAalso has new communication channels to share drug safety information sooner,more broadly, and moreconveniently These new and direct communication channels will enhance knowledge and understanding of safety issues, and include adrug safety website (https:// www.fda.gov/drugs/ information-health-careprofessionals-drugs/drugsafety-information) where consumers can find new information on specific drug products, including information sheets forpatients and health care professionals, the product’s regulatory history and its labeling.

Dana Territo is an Alzheimer’sadvocate and authorof“What My Grandchildren Taught Me About Alzheimer’sDisease.” She hosts “TheMemory Whisperer.” Email her at thememorywhisperer@ gmail.com.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Travel, learn from what youexperience andmix businesswithpleasure, and something positive will transpire. An innovative approach will capture attention and profits.

tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Concentrate on what makes you feel happy, accomplished or confident. Planyour actions and stick to aset budget. Anetworking eventwill offerinsightintohow to market your skills

GEMInI (May 21-June20) Ablunt conversation with those you liveorworkwith will help resolve unfinishedbusiness. It's best to address sensitive informationopenly to avoidmisunderstandings

cAncER (June 21-July 22) Use your energy strategically.Focusonprogressively applying your skills, and you'll find newwaystobringinextracash. Putyour time and energy into growing your assets.

LEo(July 23-Aug. 22) It's awasteoftime and money to make unnecessary changes.When in doubt,ask questions. Knowledge is powerful; guessingwon't suffice when situations change quickly.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Pay attention to financial documents, contracts and investmentopportunities.There is plenty to gain if youquickly size up situations and act. You areoverdue for achange.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Broaden your visionand connect with knowledgeable people who can giveyou an in-depth

look into new possibilities. Someone you meet will take an interest in you and whatyou are trying to accomplish

scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Achange will help yousee situations differently. Communication and compromisewill help you closeagap between someone valuable to you andwhat you want to achieve.

sAGIttARIus(nov. 23-Dec.21) Refuseto letanyone bait you into an emotionally draining conversation regarding shared expenses or responsibilities. Say no to temptation andindulgent behavior.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Don't be fooled by an exaggerated profile or opinion. Research,fact-finding and trusting your intuition will saveyou time and money. Sending aclear-cut message will alleviate misunderstanding.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Designate how and where you want to apply your cashtoensure you don't fallshort. Let saving for something special take precedence over emotional spending for instant gratification

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Stick to what's affordable and doesn't threaten your lifestyle and personal well-being. Refusetolet temptation,excess or trying to impress someonetakeover, leavingyou in aprecarious position.

Cipher cryptograms arecreated from quotations by famous people, pastand present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another toDAy'scLuE: oEQuALs K

better or For WorSe

SALLYForth

beetLe bAILeY

Mother 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 1to9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Saturday’s Puzzle Answer

THewiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS CurTiS

By PHILLIP ALDER Bridge

Albert Szent-Gyorgyi, the Hungarian discoverer of vitamin Cwho won the Nobel Prize in physiology/medicinein 1937, said, “Discovery consists of seeing what everybodyhas seen,and thinking what nobody has thought.”

At thebridge table, doing well consists of seeing what everybody has seen, and thinking of theright play at theright moment. Thehard part,ofcourse, is having the winning idea pass into your consciousness.

In this deal,how should East plan the defense againstfour spades after West leadsthe heart nine?

When South rebid two no-trumpto show aminimum balanced hand, North jumped to what he thought would be thebest game contract. Note that three no-trump can be defeated after aclub lead. When three aces are missing, the defenders have several entries, so they canusuallygettheirlongsuitestablished and cashed.

South thought he had only three losers, themissing aces. And that was all he lost whenEasttookthefirsttrickwithhisace andplayedbackaheart.Declarerwonon theboardanddroveoutthespadeace.As thecards lay, he could not go down.

Easthoped West hadled asingleton, but thatwas impossible, because then South wouldhave hadfourhearts and would have rebidtwo hearts, not two no-trump.East should have encouraged with his heart 10 at trick one. Then, when West got in with his spade ace, he would have ledhis second heart,received a heart ruff, and cashed his clubace for down one. When drawing aconclusion, ask yourself if it is consistent with what has happened.

Each Wuzzle is aword riddle which creates adisguised word,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 notallowed. 3.

explicit words are not allowed.

toDAy’sWoRD ADJuVAnts: AD-joo-vents: Serves to aid or contribute.

Average

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C. PiCKles

Rosedale

Port Allen, LA 70767 Non-Discrimination Statement In accordance with Fed‐erallaw andU.S.Depart‐mentofAgriculture (USDA)civil rights regu‐lations andpolicies, this institution is prohibited fromdiscriminatingon the basisofrace, color, nationalorigin, sex, age, disability, andreprisalor retaliation forprior civil rightsactivity. (Not all prohibitedbases applyto all programs.) Programinformation may be made availablein languages otherthan English.Persons with disabilitieswho require alternative meansof communication forpro‐graminformation (e.g Braille,large print, audio‐tape, andAmericanSign Language) should con‐tactthe responsible State or localagency thatadministers thepro‐gramorUSDA'sTARGET Centerat(202) 720-2600 (voiceand TTY)orcon‐tactUSDAthrough the Federal RelayService at (800) 877-8339. To ﬁle aprogram dis‐crimination complaint, a complainant should com‐plete aFormADW3027 USDAProgram Discrimi‐nationComplaint Form which canbeobtained online, at https://www ocio.usda.gov/ document/ad-3027, from any USDA ofﬁce,by call‐i ( ) b

y y ing (866) 632-9992, or by writing aletterad‐dressedtoUSDA. Thelet‐ter must containthe complainant's name,ad‐dress, telephonenumber, and awrittendescription ofthe allegeddiscrimi‐natoryactioninsufﬁ‐cient detail to inform the AssistantSecretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature

tion. Thecompleted AD3027 form or letter must besubmitted to USDA by: mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture Ofﬁce of theAssistant Secretary forCivil Rights 1400 Independence Av‐enue,SW Washington,D.C 20250-9410; or fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; email: program.intake@usda gov ChildNutrition Department Mary Couty, Field Manager 134234-apr7-15-2t $108.58

willbereceivedand openedbythe West Baton RougeParish School Board, Child Nu‐trition Program,at3761 RosedaleRoad, Port Allen,Louisiana,70767 The sealed bids will be openedat 10:00 A.M. Wednesday, May7,2025 The Public is invitedto all bidopeningsat: 3761 Rosedale Road,Port Allen,Louisiana,70767. Bidpackageswillbeemailedand/ormailedto prospective vendors. Sealedbidswillbere‐turnedto: West Baton Rouge Parish School Board,Attention: Mary Couty,CNP FieldMan‐ager 3761 Rosedale Road,Port Allen,Louisiana 70767. Alternatively, bids may besubmitted electroni‐cally at https://www.cen tralauctionhouse.com Seal bids maybedeliv‐eredormailedina pack‐age clearlymarkedwith the bidtitle,bid opening date, andthe