MEXICO CITY — A 3-year-old girl in western Mexico has died after contracting bird flu in the country’s first confirmed human case of bird flu, Mexican health authorities said Tuesday
Mexico’s Health Ministry said in a statement that the girl from the western state of Durango died early Tuesday after she was hospitalized with respiratory complications caused by the infection.
Type A H5N1 influenza has been spreading through animals and some people in the United States. There have been 70 cases in that country since during the past year according to the World Health Organization, though researchers and studies suggest that’s likely an undercount.
S. Korean soldiers fire at N. Korean soldiers
SEOUL, South Korea South Korea’s military fired warning shots after North Korean soldiers crossed the rivals’ tense border on Tuesday, South Korean officials said, the first known border intrusion by North Korea in nearly a year Violent confrontations and bloodshed have occasionally happened at the Koreas’ heavily fortified border, called the Demilitarized Zone But Tuesday’s incident won’t likely escalate, as it didn’t cause any casualties on either side and North Korea hasn’t returned fire.
About 10 North Korean soldiers — some carrying weapons — violated the military demarcation line at the eastern section of the DMZ at 5 p.m. They returned to North Korea after South Korea broadcast warnings and fired warning shots, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.
Army to begin use of horse-drawn caissons
WASHINGTON The Army will soon begin limited use of horsedrawn caissons for funerals at Arlington National Cemetery, phasing in the long-held tradition after nearly two years of work to improve the care of the horses
Starting June 2, the caissons will be used for two funerals per day, up to 10 per week, the Army said. The decision comes as the Army struggles to improve training, get better equipment and facilities and rebuild the stable of horses after two died in 2022 due to poor feed and living conditions.
Rare diamond shines at $100 million exhibition
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates A rare blue diamond was on display Tuesday at an exhibition of $100 million worth of the world’s rarest diamonds in the United Arab Emirates’ capital, Abu Dhabi. The eight diamonds on display at the Sotheby’s exhibition have a total weight of over 700 carats. Visitors focused on the 10-karat blue diamond from South Africa, considered one of the most important blue diamonds ever discovered. Sotheby’s expects it to be auctioned off at $20 million in May
Asteroid resembles a spinning hockey puck
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. The aster-
oid that once had a small chance of striking Earth and now might slam into the moon resembles a spinning hockey puck, scientists said Tuesday A team of astronomers used the Gemini South Observatory in Chile to observe asteroid 2024 YR4 in multiple wavelengths as it zoomed away from Earth in February, barely 11/2 months after its discovery They created a 3D image of it. The nearly 200-foot asteroid looks more like a flat disk — or not-quite-round hockey puck — than a potato.
Texas measles outbreak tops 500 cases
BY JAMIE STENGLE Associated Press
A day care facility in a Texas county that’s part of the measles outbreak has multiple cases, including children too young to be fully vaccinated, public health officials say West Texas is in the middle of a still-growing measles outbreak with 505 cases reported on Tuesday The state expanded the number of counties in the outbreak area this week to 10 The highly contagious virus began to spread in late January and health officials say it has spread to New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas and Mexico.
mixed ahead of scheduled tariffs
White House keeps the world guessing Messages
BY CHRIS MEGERIAN, JOSH BOAK and STEPHEN GROVES Associated Press
WASHINGTON Less than one hour before the stock market closed on Monday journalists gathered in the Oval Office for their only chance of the day to ask President Donald Trump about the turmoil caused by his tariff plans.
Are the new tariffs, scheduled to take effect on Wednesday, a bargaining chip to reach better trade deals? Or are they etched in stone in a mission to revamp the global economy?
Investors around the world were hanging on Trump’s every word, but he did little to clear up the situation.
“It can both be true,” he said.
“There can be permanent tariffs, and there can also be negotiations.”
The markets skidded to a close.
At a time when foreign leaders and business executives are desperate for clarity, the White House is sending mixed messages as it pursues conflicting goals
Advisers have tried with some success to tamp down a dayslong stock selloff by talking up tariffs
as a starting point for negotiations, which could mollify Wall Street and jittery Republicans in Congress. But the president continues to insist that he can raise hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue with his new taxes on foreign imports, and he’s shown no willingness to back down from an agenda that he’s advocated for decades, even before entering politics.
The ongoing paradox could erode confidence in Trump’s leadership at home and abroad after he promised a booming economy and tax cuts, not depleted retirement accounts and fears of a recession For now, as the tariffs are set to kick in, there’s no clear resolution for what could be the most significant overhaul of international trade in a generation.
When reporters asked Sen. Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican, whether he understood the White House’s plan, he responded with a question of his own — “Does anybody?”
As a result, the U.S. stock market has been extremely volatile The S&P 500 stock index initially posted gains on Tuesday morning on the possibility of negotiations,
only to close down 1.57% as the White House said that the combined tariffs on China would be 104% starting on Wednesday Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, urged the White House to “settle the situation.”
He said the “perception as to whether or not there’s an end game is very important.” Tillis said he is “giving the administration the benefit of the doubt” for now. But he added that “you’ve got to get it done as quickly as you can get it done.”
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, said Trump was causing economic chaos with the back-and-forth over tariffs.
“Who makes long term investments based on that?” she said. “Who hires people and trains workers based on the hope that Donald Trump will not change his mind again and again and again?”
Trump claimed on Tuesday that “America’s going to be very rich again very soon” and said his team was negotiating with other countries.
“I call them tailored deals,” he said. “Not off the rack. Highly tailored deals.”
At least 58 dead, 160 injured in roof collapse at nightclub
BY
MARTÍN ADAMES ALCÁNTARA and DÁNICA COTO
Associated Press
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — At
least 58 people died and 160 others were injured in the Dominican capital early Tuesday when the roof collapsed at an iconic nightclub where politicians, athletes and others were attending a merengue concert, authorities said.
Crews were searching for potential survivors in the rubble at the one-story Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo, said Juan Manuel Méndez, director of the Center of Emergency Operations.
“We presume that many of them are still alive, and that is why the authorities here will not give up until not a single person remains under that rubble,” he said.
Nearly 12 hours after the top of the nightclub collapsed down onto patrons, rescue crews were still pulling out survivors from the debris. At the scene, firefighters removed blocks of broken concrete and sawed planks of wood to use them as planks to lift heavy debris as the noise of drills breaking through concrete filled the air
The confirmed death toll had reached 58 Méndez said in the late afternoon.
Earlier, officials had said there were at least 160 people injured.
Nelsy Cruz, the governor of the northwestern province of Montecristi and sister of seven-time MLB All-Star Nelson Cruz, was among the victims. She had called President Luis Abinader at 12:49 a.m. saying she was trapped and that the roof had collapsed, First Lady Raquel Abraje told reporters. Officials said Cruz died later at the hospital.
“This is too great a tragedy,” Abraje said in a broken voice.
The Professional Baseball League of the Dominican Republic posted on X that MLB pitcher Octavio Dotel died Officials had earlier rescued Dotel from the debris and transported him to a hospital.
Meanwhile, the injured include legislator Bray Vargas and merengue singer Rubby Pérez, who was performing when the roof collapsed, officials said.
His manager, Enrique Paulino, whose shirt was spattered with blood, told reporters at the scene that the concert began shortly before midnight, with the roof collapsing almost an hour later, killing the group’s saxophonist.
“It happened so quickly I managed to throw myself into a corner,” he said, adding that he initially thought it was an earthquake.
It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the roof to collapse.
Jet Set issued a statement saying it was cooperating with authorities.
Three people who were unvaccinated have died from measles-related illnesses this year including two elementary school-aged children in Texas. The second child died Thursday at a Lubbock hospital, and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr attended the funeral in Seminole, the epicenter of the outbreak.
As of Friday, there were seven cases at a day care where one young child who was infectious gave it to two other children before it spread to other classrooms, Lubbock Public Health director Katherine Wells said. “Measles is so contagious I won’t be surprised if it enters other facilities,” Wells said. The measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is first recommended between 12 and 15 months old and a second shot between 4 and 6 years old.
Maegan Messick, co-owner of Tiny Tots U Learning Academy, where the outbreak is occurring, recently told KLBK-TV in Lubbock that they’re taking precautions like putting kids who are too young to get the vaccines together in isolation.
“We have tried to be extremely transparent,” she told the TV station.
There are more than 200 children at the day care, Wells said. Most have had least one dose of the vaccine, though she added, “we do have some children that have only received one dose that are now infected.”
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By DAMIAN DOVARGANES Trucks arrive Tuesday at the Long Beach Container Terminal at Middle Harbor in the Port of Long Beach, Calif.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO A woman stands Tuesday outside the Jet Set nightclub after its roof collapsed during a merengue concert in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
Trump’stop trade repunder fire
Negotiator grilledbeforeSenatecommittee
BY PAUL WISEMAN
AP economics writer
WASHINGTON— President Donald Trump’stop trade negotiator came under fireTuesday from senators unnervedbythe president’ssweeping global tariffs, amarket meltdown and the heightened risk of recession from an upended global trading order
“It seems like we’ve decidedto begin atrade war on all fronts,” said Republican Sen. Thom Tillis,of North Carolina. He saidhewanted to knowwho in the Trump administration he should hold responsible —and “choke” —ifthe tariffsfail and Americans suffer from higher prices and slower economic growth. “I wish you well,” he told U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer
“But Iamskeptical.”
Greer addressed the Senate Finance Committee aday after global markets swung wildly andsome business leaders lambasted the president’s aggressive bidtoraise tariffs on almost every nation.
Greer testified that Trump’stariffs are already getting results, convincing “about 50” countries to cometothe negotiating tabletoreduce theirown tradebarriers.He said, for example, that Vietnam is cutting its owntariffsonapples,almonds andcherries.The import taxes are designed to reduceAmerica’s massive tradedeficits, but Greer conceded that it willtake timeand thatthe adjustment might “be challenging at times.
Lawmakers, including Republicans, are getting jittery about
Trump’strade wars, especiallysince stockscollapsedafter he announced broad tariffs last week. The market reboundedTuesdayonhopes that negotiations will convincethe president to lower or suspend the tariffs, the biggest of whichare set to take effect at midnight Wednesday
Severalsenatorsdemandedthat Greer explain what the administrationwas seeking to accomplish. At various times, Trump hassaid the tariffs were meant to raise money for the Treasury,bring manufacturing back to the United States,protect domestic industries andget other countries tomake concessions.
“What is the plan?” saidSen.Ron Wyden, of Oregon, topDemocrat on the committee. “In thelastweek, the WhiteHousehas been all over the mapwhen it comes to these tariffs.”
SupremeCourt blocks ordertoreinstate workers
BY MARK SHERMAN Associated Press
WASHINGTON— TheSupreme Court on Tuesday blocked an order for the Trump administration to return to work thousands of federal employeeswho were letgoinmass firings aimed at dramatically downsizing thefederal government.
The justices acted in the administration’semergency appeal of aruling by afederal judge in California ordering that 16,000 probationary employees at six federal agencies be reinstated while alawsuit plays out because their firings didn’tfollow federal law Thecourt’sorder involved a technical legal assessmentof the right, or standing, of several nonprofit associations to sue over the firings. Justices
Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson said they wouldhave kept thejudge’s order in place. It’sthe third time in less than aweek that thejustices have sided with the Republican administration in its fight against federal judges whose orders haveslowed President Donald Trump’sagenda. The court also paused an order restoring grants for teacher training and lifted an order that froze deportations under an 18th-century wartime law Butaswith the earlierorders,the effect of Tuesday’s order will belimited.Many employees at theagencies willremain on paid administrative leave for now because of an order in aseparate lawsuit over the firings. Thesecond suit, filedin Maryland, involves employees at those same sixagen-
cies,plus roughly adozen more.That order is morelimited in that it appliesonlyin the 19 states and the District of Columbia thatsued the administration.
The Justice Department is separately appealing the Maryland order
At least 24,000 probationary employees have been terminatedsince Trumptook office, thelawsuits claim, though thegovernment has not confirmed that number
The coalition thatsued said it was disappointed withthe court’s order,but it said the battle is far from over
“There is no doubt that thousands of public service employees were unlawfully fired in an effort to cripple federal agencies and their crucial programs that serve millions of Americans every day,” it said in astatement.
JudgegrantsAPreinstatement to WhiteHouse events afterban
BY DAVID BAUDER AP media writer
Afederal judge ordered theWhite House on Tuesday to restore The Associated Press’ full accesstocover presidential events, ruling on acase that touched at the heart of the First Amendmentand affirming that the government cannot punish thenews organization for the content of its speech.
U.S.. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden,anappointee of President Donald Trump, ruled that the government can’tretaliate against the AP’sdecision not to follow Trump’sexecutive orderto rename theGulfofMexico.
The decision handed the AP amajor victory at atime the White House has been challenging the press on several levels.
“Under the First Amend-
ASSOCIATED PRESSPHOTO By EVAN VUCCI
White House press secretaryKaroline Leavitt speaks with reportersTuesdayinthe James BradyPress Briefing Room at theWhite House.
ment, if the Government opensits doors to some journalists —beittothe OvalOffice,the East Room, or elsewher —itcannot then shut thosedoors to otherjournalists because of their viewpoints,” McFaddenwrote “The Constitution requires
no less.”
It was unclear whether the WhiteHouse would move immediately to put McFadden’s ruling intoeffect. McFadden held off on implementing his order for aweek, giving the government timetorespond or appeal.
es Tuesday before the Senate FinanceCommittee on Capitol Hill in Washington.
BY ELLENKNICKMEYER and MATTHEWLEE Associated Press
WASHINGTON TheState Department said Tuesday thatithad rolled back an undisclosednumberofsweepingfunding cuts to U.N. WorldFood Program emergencyprojects in 14 impoverishedcountries, saying it had terminated someofthe contractsfor life-saving aid by mistake.
“There were afew programsthat were cut in other countries that were not meant to be cut, that have been rolledback andput into place,” State Departmentspokesperson Tammy Bruce toldreporters.
Bruce said she had no immediate information on which countries had U.S. funding forfood aid restored. She gave no explanation for how some contracts came to be canceled in error
The World Food Program didn’timmediately respond to messages seeking comment TheAssociated Press reported Monday that the Trumpadministration cut fundingtoWFP emergency programs helping keep millions alive in Afghanistan, Syria, Yemenand 11 other countries, many of them strugglingwithconflict,according to the agency and officialswho spoke to the AP
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ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOByMARK SCHIEFELBEIN
U.S. TradeRepresentativeJamieson Greer testifi
Zelenskyy: Chinese men captured
BY VASILISA STEPANENKO Associated Press
KYIV, Ukraine — The Ukrainian military has captured two Chinese men fighting alongside the Russian army in the eastern Donetsk region and has information that “significantly more” are with Russian forces, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Tuesday
There was no immediate comment from China. Beijing is not known to have provided Russia with weapons or military expertise, and it was not clear whether the Chinese had joined the fight on their own initiative. Russia allows foreigners to enlist in its military, as does Ukraine.
Zelenskyy said he asked his top diplomat “to immediately contact Beijing.” He said China would be the third country to offer military
support to Russia after Iran, which has supplied attack drones, and North Korea, which has supplied soldiers, according to American and South Korean officials.
China has provided strong diplomatic support for Russia since it launched its full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February 2022.
Beijing has also offered an economic lifeline through the trade in energy and consumer goods.
Zelenskyy said a clash with Chinese soldiers occurred near the villages of Tarasivka and Bilohorivka in Donetsk, where six Chinese military personnel engaged Ukrainian troops. Two Chinese were taken prisoner, Zelenskyy said.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, said his ministry summoned China’s chargé d’affaires to demand an explanation, saying on X that “Chinese citizens fighting as part of Russia’s invasion army in
Ukraine puts into question China’s declared stance for peace and undermines Beijing’s credibility as a responsible permanent member of the U.N. Security Council.” Russia has effectively rejected a U.S. proposal for an immediate and full 30-day halt in the fighting in Ukraine, and both sides are believed to be readying a springsummer campaign on the battlefield.
“I cannot see any indications that would lead to a ceasefire or even a peace, but I see many indications (for) the continuation of the war,” Nico Lange, a senior fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis in Washington, said in an analysis Monday Zelenskyy spoke at a news conference in Kyiv alongside visiting Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, who announced
lion aid package for Ukraine this
Netanyahu-Trump meeting reveals unexpected gaps
BY TIA GOLDENBERG Associated Press
TELAVIV,Israel Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to Washington this week for a hastily organized White House visit bringing a long list of concerns: Iran’s nuclear program President Donald Trump’s tariffs The surging influence of rival Turkey in Syria. And the 18-month war in Gaza.
Netanyahu appeared to leave Monday’s meeting largely empty-handed — a stark contrast with his triumphant visit two months ago. During an hourlong Oval Office appearance, Trump appeared to slap down, contradict or complicate each of Netanyahu’s policy prerogatives.
On Tuesday, Netanyahu declared the meeting a success, calling it a “very good visit” and claiming successes on all fronts. But privately, the Israeli delegation felt it was
a tough meeting, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. Netanyahu “didn’t hear exactly what he wanted to hear, so he returns back home with very little,” said Nadav Eyal, a commentator with the Yediot Ahronot daily who added that the visit was still friendly, despite the disagreements. Netanyahu’s second pilgrimage to Washington under Trump’s second term was organized at short notice and billed as an attempt to address the new U.S. tariff regime. But it came at a pivotal time in Middle East geopolitics. Israel restarted the war in Gaza last month, ending a Trump-endorsed ceasefire, and tensions with Iran are rising over its nuclear program.
Netanyahu and his allies were thrilled with Trump’s return to office given his strong support for Israel during his first term. This
time around, Trump has not only nominated pro-Israel figures for key administration positions, he has abandoned the Biden administration’s criticism of Israel’s conduct in Gaza and the West Bank, and of Netanyahu’s steps to weaken Israeli courts.
Monday’s meeting showed that while Trump remains sympathetic to Israel, Netanyahu’s relationship with the president during his second term is more complicated and unpredictable than he may have expected.
With Netanyahu’s strong encouragement, Trump in 2018 unilaterally withdrew the United States from the agreement between world powers and Iran over its nuclear program. That deal, negotiated by the Obama administration, put curbs on Iran’s nuclear program It was denigrated by Netanyahu because he said it did not go far enough to contain Iran or address Iran’s support for regional militant groups.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By EVAN VUCCI
President Donald Trump, left greets Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday at the White
Lawmakersplantopushcar insurancebills
BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer
Freshmen Republican House members are moving forward with legislation this year that likely will set up aclash with trial lawyers and Gov.Jeff Landry on measures that would make it harder for people injured in car accidents towin big payouts.
Landry angered thefreshmen legislators and their alliesinthe business community last year by killing one major piece oflegislation opposed by trial lawyers and watering down several other measures before agreeing to support them.
Landry and the freshmen legislators sought to be on the same page this year by working out adeal at the Governor’sMansion on March 26 on apackage of bills that they all could support, several legislators said. But where that agreement stands is notclear after Landry and fivelegislative leaders met at aTexas hunting lodgelast week with severalprominenttrial attorneys to discuss caraccident legislation.
SOCIAL
Continued from page1A
companies are subject to the regulatory demands.
The group has filed its petition on behalf of 38 social media platforms that are part of its trade association. Among themare titans of the digital world like X, the companyformerly known as Twitter,Snapchat, Google, Lyft and Meta,the conglomerate that owns Facebook and Instagram.
“If the government is concerned about minors accessing social media websites duetoparticularpurported risks or harms of doing so, it makes no sense to allow minors to be exposed to such alleged harms so long as that exposure occurs on websites that have less than five million account holders, or so long as they have asingle parent’sconsent,”
Netchoice’slawsuit states.
Louisiana joins about a dozen other states that have sought to tighten the reins on social media companies with laws that force them to invoke more-rigorous regulations for underage users, according to alist compiled by the Age Verification Providers Association.
In addition to the age-verification and parental consent provisions, Louisiana’slaw intends to restrict targeted marketing aimed at minors. Sites’ algorithmswould not be allowed to use any of a teen’spersonal data —other than theirage andlocation —indetermining what ads to display on their feeds.
Adult usersonthe social media sites will also be prohibited from sending direct messages to teens unless they’re already connected
The trial lawyersthere were GordonMcKernan, of BatonRouge; Digger Earles, of Lafayette; and Todd Townsley,ofLake Charles, saidthe legislatorswho attended. Also attending was John Condos, a Lake Charlesbusiness owner who helps trial lawyers financetheir cases, said Senate President Cameron Henry,R-Metairie, whowas oneofthe five legislators.
Given the uncertainty following that meeting, thefreshmen say they will advance theirbills during thelegislative session that begins Monday.
Theyhad been thinking of holding back two car insurance bills that they know thegovernor and the trial lawyers oppose —inreturnfor Landry supporting other measures,lawmakers said.
“If the governor is willing to work with us on those bills to get them through, maybe we do hold off on some of theother ideas and give them ayeartosee howthey move the needle,” said Rep.Brian Glorioso, R-Slidell, who is at the center of thenegotiations. “You don’twant to gotoo far and have it backfireand hurtthe rightsofthe legitimately injured.”
The key question is whether Landry still supports House Bill 34 by Glorioso, which aims to make it harder for judges andjuries to award big medical judgments,
onthe platforms. In addition, social media companies mustgive parents and guardians tools to monitor and supervise their kids’ online activity
TheLouisiana Department of Justice’sPublic Protection Division can impose administrative fines up to $2,500 on social mediacompanies thatviolate the law
AndAttorneyGeneral Liz Murrill’soffice can dole out civil penalties up to $10,000 forsites with over amillion account holders thatviolate the targetmarketingrestrictions.
The lawsuit names Murrill and Mike Dupree, director of the division, as defendants. According to federal courtrecords, Netchoice andattorneys for thetwo state agencies reacheda case management schedule fordiscovery and expert reports that extendstoDec. 19.Louisiana officialshave agreed to delay enforcementofthe newlaw until then, according to the joint order between theplaintiff and defendants.
Netchoicehas challenged similar laws in other states. In its recent filing here,the plaintiff argued Louisiana’s law is too broad, redundant and vaguely defines which social mediasites haveto complywith theregulatory mandates.
“The statecannot demonstrate what purported problemthisprovision responds to,how the provision isnecessary to solvethe problem, or why the existing and plentiful choices of private tools availabletoparentsare insufficient to address any purported problem,” their lawsuit stresses.
TheHouse bill cited an American Academy of Pediatricsstudy that indicated
somethingthatisanathema to the trial lawyers The Governor’sOfficedidn’trespond to arequest for comment on Glorioso’sbill Tuesday Nordid aspokesperson for the Louisiana Association of Justice, which represents thetriallawyers in Baton Rouge. Landry is holding anews conference Wednesdaytoannounce the insurancemeasureshewillsupport In the meantime,the freshmen said they aredetermined to pass legislationthis year that will end Louisiana’sstatusasthe statewith the highest car insurance rates.
Thetrial attorneyslobby,which is one of the most powerful at the Capitol, is likely to oppose several of the measures.
Speaker ProTem Mike Johnson, R-Pineville,and Rep. GabeFirment, R-Pollock, who chairs the HouseInsurance Committee, said they are supporting the freshmen but declined to comment further Rep. Kim Carver,R-Mandeville, said he knocked on 5,000 doors when he won election in 2023.
“The unaffordabilityofinsurance was brought up all the time,” he said, noting thatmany secondandthird-term membersdidn’t have to campaign because they wereelected without opposition.
“If there’sfrustration among the
the quest for likes and clicks can contribute to poor mentaland physical healthin teens,causes cyberbullying, depression, body-image issues, eatingdisorders and leads to higher rates of suicide.Legislators said the law would help stave off the detrimental impacts of social media.
“Technological advances over the past ten years and the advent of social media have openedthe door to children for learning and exposure to cultures and interestsworldwide,” thebill states. “Unfortunately,data shows that over that same ten-year period, American teenagers, ages twelve through fifteen, who use social media over threehours each dayfaced twice the risk of having negative mentalhealthoutcomes, including depression and anxiety symptoms.”
Most major platformslike TikTok and Facebook ban users underthe ageof13 and take measures to verify teens’ birth dates. Instagram and YouTube require parental consent for certain features for subscribers under theage of 18.
Critics say theverifications aren’trobust enough andteensmanagetoeasily circumventthe agerestrictions. Accordingtoa University of California-San Francisco study published in January,nearly 70%of earlyadolescents between theagesof11and 15 reported having an account on at least one social media platform and many had multiple accounts. About 64% of children under theage of 13 were on social media, the study revealed.
“The children of Louisiana deserve better,and since the federal government has
freshmen, it’sthat we’ve done special sessions on otherthings but not insurance. Now it’s insurance’s time.”
Rep.Chance Henry,R-Crowley saidsolving the insurance crisis is uppermost on the minds of his constituents. “Theyare more pronetoblame the billboards than the insurance companies. They want asolution.
That’swhatIwas sent to Baton Rouge to do,” said Henry,who has co-sponsored several of the bills favored by business interests and insurance companies, with the aim of lowering rates.
At thecenter of the debate between trial lawyers and business interests is Glorioso’sHB34, which supporters call the “medical transparency bill.”
Glorioso said aflaw in the current legal system prevents lawyers defending businesses and insurance companies from bringing out in court howmuchthe plaintiff actually paid in medical costs. Glorioso said judgesand jurors now are only told the billedamount. Gloriosoalsobelieves somelawyers find friendly doctors who produceexorbitantmedical bills for plaintiffs.
That in turn leads to excessive payoutsfor the medical portion in asettlement or jury trial, and that amount is then typically doubled
failed to take the necessary action to stop data sharing, selling and targetedadvertising, it is incumbent upon Louisianatoprotect our children andhold themajor social mediaplatforms accountable,” the Louisiana measure states. Ensuring that the law stands could be arigorous battle. Federal judges have found that restrictions imposed by other states create too great aburden on young people’s online speech and are often “hopelessly vague.” Critics say state legislatorsalso fail to specify howthe social media companiescan comply with thelaws.
“In most caseswhere
forthe pain and suffering portion, said Glorioso, abusiness lawyer HB34 would allow defendants to put an expert witness on the stand to challenge the doctor’sbill.
“Wewanttoallowdefendants to question the amount put out by the plaintiffs,” Glorioso said.“If the medical claimscost is much higher than the actual cost, higher payoutswill occur, andthatwill be reflected in the insurance premium you have to pay.It’sreally about fairness.”
Sen. Kirk Talbot, R-River Ridge, presentedthe business community’spoint of view during the trip to Texas.
“Medical transparency doesn’t fix the problem,” Talbot said Tuesday. “It does balancethe scales It allows insurance companies to contest excessive judgments.”
One bill opposed by the trial lawyers is House Bill 435. It would cap the damage award for pain and suffering at $5 million.
“It needs the light of day,” said Rep. Peter Egan, R-Covington, the bill’ssponsor
Anothermeasure opposedby trial lawyers is House Bill 431 by Rep. Emily Chenevert, R-Baton Rouge.
HB431 would makeitharder for big payouts when apportioning blameinanaccident where several people are at fault.
these social media laws have been adopted, they have been enjoined by the courts and are not going into effect,” said Bob CornRevere, chief counsel for the FoundationofIndividualRights andExpression, aPhiladelphia-basedfreedom-of-speechadvocacy organization. The civil libertiesnonprofit has fought to block social media restrictions across the country and convinced ajudge to shut down provisions of aTexas law in February.Corn-Revere,a longtime First Amendment attorney,pointed to similar injunctions in California, Ohio, Indiana and Mississippi.
On March31, afederal judge ruled that Arkansas’ social media safety law was unconstitutional and granted apermanentinjunction. That case stemmed from a constitutional challenge Netchoice filedinJune 2023, about two months before Arkansas’ protections were settostart. Thelaw never wentinto effect.
“At somepoint, states are going to realize thatdrafting unconstitutional laws can be very expensive,” Corn-Revere said. “Because when states lose these constitutional battles, they end up paying the legal fees of the people challenging them So violating the Constitution isn’tcheap.”
Delays at OMVsites significantly improved Mainframeupdate fixesoutages,officialssaid
BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writer
Computer system outages that have causeddelays at Office of Motor Vehicles sites and public tag agents statewide formore thanamonth havefinally improved, officialssaid.
The state improved an outdated design in the mainframe
La.sees declinein foreign students, data shows
ExpertsciteTrump administration’s actionsfor drop
BY ASHLEY WHITE Staff writer
Louisiana, which was beginning to see its number of international students riseafter plummetingduring the COVID-19 pandemic, is starting to see another decline.
The state in March had about 6,800 international students enrolled in exchange and higher education programs, according to state data
But that’s8%less than March2024, when enrollment surpassedprepandemic numbers.
Experts and advocates worry the decline will continue, citingPresident Donald Trump and his administration’srecent actions affecting immigration, revoking visas for students who participated in campus protests andslashing fundingfor federal research grants, according to reports from Inside Higher Ed.
The uncertainty is exasperated by Trump’stariff wars and his threat to revive his 2017 travelban but balloon the ban from seven to43countries.
“It has achilling effect,” Clay Harmon, executive director of AIRC, a membership organization focused on recruiting and enrolling international students, told The Associated Press.
“Even if there’snodirect consequence or direct limitation right now,all of this cumulatively produces an impression that the U.S.isnot welcoming, it’snot open or that you maybeinsomekindofdangeror jeopardy if you do come to theU.S.” Louisiana’sdrop in enrollment is largely attributed to fewer students from Nigeria,India, Nepal and Ghana enrolling in programs in the state, according to data from the U.S. Studentand Exchange Visitor Information System.
Some colleges look to international students to help offset declining enrollment from U.S. students.
International students enrolled in colleges and universities also contribute to theU.S. economy
During the 2023-2024 school year, international students contributed about $43.8 billion, according to the National Association of International Educators. In Louisiana,
See STUDENTS, page 2B
Thursday, MatthewBoudreaux, deputy OMV commissioner,said in astatement Monday afternoon.
At that point, therehad been no outages since the update, he said.
“Friday,Saturdayand Monday havebeenasgood as we’veseen in months,” Boudreaux said.
Adele Dauphin, president of the Louisiana Public TagAgent Association, confirmed that she saw a
dramatic improvement in the system. Last Monday morning, outages wereoccurring everyhalf hour,she said; then,onFriday,the system worked. The problemswent back to at leastFebruary,disrupting asystemthat the state relies on to issue driver’slicenses and registrations and causing long wait times forLouisianans seeking those
services Former OMVCommissioner Dan Casey said the OMV’s 50-year-old software system was contributing to theproblem.The agencyisgearing up to replace that system, but fully installing it could take up to threeyears.
In the meantime, the Office of Technology Services was attempting otherfixestothe software.
Twoweeks ago, Gov.Jeff Landry declared astate of emer-
gency related to the outages, waiving late fees for those renewing Class Edriver’slicenses, the kind most driversuse.Healso waived theprocurementprocess forthe OMV’snew software, a process that can take six to nine months. Casey resignedhis post as commissioner last month, saying he wanted to spendmoretimewith family.Inhis stead, Landryappointed Bryan Adams, formerly the state firemarshal
EQUALPLAyING FIELD
UL students seek strongerguidelines on protests
BY ASHLEY WHITE Staff writer
Some students at the University of LouisianaatLafayette said Tuesday they want more visible securityand betterguidelines fornonstudent protesters after areligious group demonstrated on campus.
Thedemonstrators,who arenot studentsbut part of thePentecostalConsuming FireFellowship, argued loudly with a large group of studentsoutside the student
union.
Thegrouphas aright to be on campus, according to university policy.But after the demonstrators left, some students said they wished UL would treat outside groups’ demonstrations withthe same scrutinyit gives students who want to stage protests.
“(UL) allows these people to sit here and incite violence, but at they same time, they’ll send us massemails talking about, ‘Weneed peaceful protesting,’”junior Kaylee Brown said.
“We’ve complied withwhatever protest rulesthey want,” she added. “Wecomply with therules that they setfor us, but yet it’snot the same for (these groups).”
Aspokesperson for the university said religious and other groups areallowed on
campus to spread their message in public areas on campus. But groups are notallowed to interfere with traffic or classes.
Freshman Nalani Beaulieu said shewas disappointedbythe lack of visible police presence, especially as thegroup was yellingabout controversial andheated topics, such as abortion.
TwoULpoliceofficers stood off to the side of theduelinggroups, and the police station is acrossthe street from the gathering.
“I hadthe realizationthatthis campus isn’tgoing to protect us,” Beaulieu said “It’s not going to protect those people either.”
See PROTEST, page 2B
Manarrestedinconnectionwithfatal shooting
Aman turned himself intothe Ville Platte Police Department on Monday after he allegedlyshot and killedaman April2
BLOTTER Advocate staff reports
Tijuan Sims, 24, wasarrested Mondayand facesone count of seconddegree murderin connection with the death of CawaskeeArdoin, 31,according to aVPPD announcement. Police responded about
8:30 p.m. April 2toreports of a shooting anda woundedvictim at the Gabriel Villa Apartment Complex in the 800 block of NorthLatour Street. Ardoin was located and taken to alocal hospital,wherehelater died. Sims is being held at the Ville Platte City Jail on a$1.5 million bail. The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information on thecrime can call the Ville Platte Police Departmentat(337) 3631316. Allcalls will remainanonymous.
Woman injured in shooting,police say
Abbeville policeare investigating ashooting that left one woman injured Saturday Police responded about 4:20 p.m to reports of ashooting at theintersection of IJJoinerand Martin Luther King Drive after receiving acall from awoman whosaid she had been shot and was driving herself to the hospital.
After reviewing security camerafootage, police learned that the occupantsofa Dodge Char-
ger stepped out of their vehicle andfiredshots toward aChevrolet van as it madeaturn onto IJ Joiner.The driverwas struck twice, once in the arm and once in the torso. The driverreturnedfire,strikingthe Charger butnot injuring anyone. The Charger was later locatedatSateenRoyaleTrailer Park in Carencro and was towed by police.
An investigation is ongoing, authorities said. No arrests have been madeinconnection with the shooting.
CRIME
ä
STAFF PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK
Members of the Consuming Fire Fellowship religious group engagewith students on the University of Louisiana at Lafayette campus Tuesday.
BY DAVID J MITCHELL Staff writer
A Baton Rouge jury recently awarded $411 million to a Texas scaffolding contractor hit on the head by a heavy metal pipe in a work accident at a Lake Charles refinery, a verdict believed by his lawyers to be the largest of its kind ever handed down in Louisiana
The case has also led to accusations of a cover-up by Jose Valdivia’s former employer, Brock Services, since the accident was never reported to the nation’s worker safety agency, OSHA. While jurors found the company’s work practices contributed to the man’s debilitating 2022 accident, OSHA will not be able to investigate because the statute of limitations has long passed.
Brock officials disputed the findings and argued the Feb. 28 verdict is improper under Louisiana’s worker compensation system. The company said it remains “confident in our position” and upcoming appeal, adding that such unfortunate work accidents can never be completely preventable.
“For over 75 years, Brock’s top priority has been the safety of the company’s employees and job sites, and that commitment remains unchanged,” company officials said in a statement. “We will continue to provide safe and excellent service to all our customers, vendors, and the communities in which we operate.”
Valdivia’s lawyers accused the company of downplaying his injuries and incorrectly attributing his subsequent hospital stay to a preexisting medical condition the then-25-year-old had. That meant the accident would be deemed minor and not require OSHA reporting.
OSHA officials said they didn’t know about the incident until contacted by a reporter on April 2.
“OSHA cannot investigate because the incident is past its six-month statute of limitations,” the agency said in a statement.
‘Very disappointing’
Valdivia, a native of Mission, Texas, now 28, said he had traveled to the scaffolding job in Lake Charles to raise money for his sister’s nursing education.
After weeks in the hospital and later rehabilitation, he said he struggles with his memory and has a hard time taking more than a few steps. He has life-altering spinal cord injuries, will be unable to work for the rest of his life and is being cared for by his sister, according to him and his attorneys.
Speaking with a halting and repetitive stutter, he struggled in a recent interview to get the words to come out about the verdict.
Among the damages the jury awarded, $109 million was for future care, pain and emotional distress, and another $154 million for future loss of enjoyment of life. Valdivia’s lawyers say they believe it’s the largest single-plaintiff verdict ever handed down in Louisiana.
Phillips 66, which owns the refinery where Brock was contracted, said Valdivia’s injuries should have been reported to OSHA, according to court documents. It reached a separate, undisclosed settlement with him before trial, his attorney Roland Christensen said.
When Valdivia was injured on Aug. 2, 2022, he was helping to build scaffolding around metal piping in the refinery’s ethylene feedstock unit and was on grating 20 to 30 feet in the air
Based on witness interviews, one Brock Services worker and potentially one other were manually
handling a large pipe that Valdivia had just passed by hand up to them, according to court papers. One of those workers, whom Brock Services has blamed for the accident, had the pipe resting on another piece of scaffolding when it slipped and fell back on Valdivia’s hard hat, knocking off his eye goggles and causing his head to shrink into his shoulders, according to under oath interview excerpts.
At the time of Valdivia’s injury Brock’s contracted occupational physician, Dr. Phillip Conner, had deemed the case a minor one that didn’t require OSHA reporting, though Valdivia was in the hospital well afterward, had to be put on intravenous fluids and lost consciousness, all potential triggers for OSHA reporting.
Conner, a Lake Charles family medicine and sleep disorder physician, works for a company that handles occupational medicine for Brock and other firms. Conner made early reviews of worker injuries often by reviewing reports and not speaking with workers in person, as was the process, he told lawyers.
In a pretrial interview with lawyers under oath, Conner said he now realizes that Brock didn’t provide him all the documents to assess Valdivia’s condition fully He disavowed his August 2022 assessment after seeing additional reports that Valdivia’s lawyers uncovered.
“It’s very disappointing. You take people for their word to a large degree. And whenever something is so patently misleading, you do feel taken advantage of because you feel like you have a relationship where you can trust your partners to give you the information to make an evaluation,” he said, according to court papers.
‘Human error’
The missing documents included firsthand witness statements from one of Valdivia’s co-workers and from a responding emergency medical technician working for the refinery They said Valdivia had lost consciousness after the audible head strike from the 7-foot-long, 19-pound bar
Valdivia also had to be lowered from an elevated platform with rigging and a basket to a waiting ambulance, according to court papers.
Conner also said he hadn’t seen any information to indicate Valdivia had a preexisting condition that would have led to the extended hospital stay
A message left at Conner’s sleep clinic on Monday wasn’t immediately returned.
Brock officials argued, however, that what Valdivia suffered was an unfortunate accident and perhaps a momentary error by one of its workers for which Brock should be legally immune. Under the law, that kind of negligence is supposed to be handled out of court through Louisiana’s workers’ compensation system.
“If perfect is the standard, then there is no need for hard hats, steel-toed boots or gloves. Human error will always be a possibility,” Brock attorneys argued in pretrial papers.
To bring the case forward, Valdivia’s lawyers were able to convince a judge, however that a jury trial was necessary. A controversy existed, they argued, about whether the incident was serious enough to overcome the company’s immunity protection.
To make that argument, attorneys accused Brock of violating worker safety procedures, including Phillips 66’s policy to minimize manually passing and handling scaffolding materials. Brock workers said they had not been trained on the policy Brock also failed to cor-
don off the area underneath where the piping was being passed and Valdivia, despite airing concerns, was in the fall zone, court papers say
The other Brock worker had been known for risky behavior in the past and made co-workers nervous, other employees testified. He also was previously the cause of “stop work” orders by worried supervisors. One of his nicknames was “Walking Hazard Man,” and one worker testified his presence endangered other workers, court papers say At trial, Brock officials disputed the nickname or that having the worker continue to be on the job was a problem. In court papers, they added
that Valdivia had testified that he viewed his co-workers “like family,” among whom he trusted to pass heavy scaffolding equipment and had never previously had an accident at the refinery in which workers were passing scaffolding equipment by hand.
“This was simply a mistake that (the worker) made while he was trying to complete the job,” Brock lawyers said in court papers.
Jurors ended up agreeing with the plaintiff, concluding that Valdivia’s injuries came from being hit on the head on the job and that the injury was “substantially certain” to occur while working for Brock, a verdict form says.
OUR VIEWS
Louisiana family’s saga exposesbroken systemthat immigrants face
If our interstate highway system operated like our immigration system,its failingswould be impossible for most Americans to ignore.Exits and on-ramps would be blocked withnowarning, milemarkers would beplaced haphazardly along the route, there would benosigns telling you exactly how close you aretoyourdestination and your entire journey would call for exorbitant and arbitrarytolls. Yetfor thosewho want to make alife in the United States,thisis like the road we requirethemtotravel year in, year out, often in the shadows.
President Donald Trump, whowas elected vowing to crack down on illegal immigration and make our national borders more secure, has empowered Immigrationand Customs Enforcement to aggressively pursue apolicyofmass deportation. While we know many agreewith this effort, we also know thatnot many truly understand whatthat looks like. Occasionally,though, U.S. citizens geta window into the frustrations andabsurditiesthat immigrants have faced fordecades. Therecent detention of a73-year-old grandfather from Lafayette pricked theconscience of many across the nation because his story exposes the complexities of immigration enforcement that some would rather ignore.
As his stepdaughter tellsitina Facebook video, Jose FranciscoGarcia Rodriguezcame to the United States in the 1980s as arefugee from Cuba. He arrived unable to speakEnglish and with only the clothes on his back. Over the next 45 years, he was able tobuild alife,raising afamily, holding down ajob andpaying taxes. The family says it tried for10yearsto get him legal immigration status. Butdue to a “mistake” he made early on,heservedtime,and had trouble obtaining awork permit even after he had completed his sentence. At some point, thefamilywas told thatitwould bebetterfor Rodriguez to give up his attemptstogain legal status andjust “lay low.”
But that ended last week when Rodriguezwas arrested near his Lafayette home onhis way to work. With no warning, the grandfather was taken to adetention center in PinePrairie. Thankfully,his family reportsthatRodriguez was freed Monday. But hissagaislikely not over While ICE says it is targetingcriminals first and foremost, there have been reportsfrom around the country aboutimmigrants who have been detained despite havinglived in thecountrypeacefullyand productively for yearsand posingnothreat to public safety.
We understand that there is little sympathy in some quarters for many of these immigrants, but that’snoexcuse to downplay their plight. It’s estimated that ICE detention facilitiesinLouisianahold6,900 immigrants per day on average. We do not know all theirstories. Butweknow Rodriguez’s,and until we fix our immigration system, none of us can deny theneedless suffering it creates.
LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE AREOUR
GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name, occupation and/or title and the writer’scity of residence
TheAdvocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address andphone 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 A LETTER, SCANHERE
Economicdevelopment in La. stillnot focusedonright things
Politiciansare crowing about Hyundai’sproposed steel plant near Donaldsonville and their role in making it happen, but thestoryhad afamiliar ring to it: Louisiana produces thelow-value commodity product while the high-value finished productsare madeelsewhere namely one plant each in Alabama and Georgia.
Aton of rolled steel might cost $1,000 or less in today’smarket (before tariffs) Turn that into a3,000-pound automobile, and the price can reach $35,000 or more. Once aton of steel is made and shipped, that is the end of it. The automobile continues adding employment and value for years.
Meanwhile, steelmaking is among the leading carbon-intensive industries, so we also get carbon dioxide plus nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide,particulatematter and hazardous chemicals resulting from combustion, such as chlorinated dioxins and furans, polychlorinated biphenyls and brominated dioxins.
These persistent, toxic pollutants contribute to respiratory illnesses, cardiovascular disease, reduced productivity
and premature death in surrounding communities. Soundfamiliar?
Irecall Gov.BuddyRoemer’scampaign to moveLouisiana away from producing low-value commodity products such as chemicals and to develop higherend industry
That initiative failed and is largely still failing as thestate continues to court, incentivize, hail and celebrate high-volume, high-impact industries like steel, carbon capture, LNG, fertilizer and data centers.
That’sright: data centers, which use millionsofgallons of fresh water and generatemountains of digital waste chips on circuit boards used to mine Bitcoin.Yet Parish President Kenny Havard described the Hut 8project to theWest Feliciana Council as “no smokestacks, apretty green deal forus.”
It is high time for Louisiana to overhaul itsindustry recruitment efforts to focus on quality of lifeaswell as jobs. That is theway to makethe “good lists” Roemer aspired to forLouisiana.
BILL HUEY Baton Rouge
Thedeath penaltydiminishesusall
Capital punishment is adirty,rotten, stinking, nastybusiness. Andweought not be engaged in it It is aremnant of aretrograde mentality.Longago, theargument for its deterrence value went bankrupt for lack of proof. Thus, its only remaining argument is vengeance. Mistakes in Bible-reading are plentiful. Mistakes learned after the fact of an execution are widely known. Butmaking Jesus an advocate of capital punishment is worse than amistake, it is repugnant. While a discussion of so-called humane methods for theexecution of ahuman being may be of interest toour imaginations, they are, nevertheless, drillings into hideous ethical mineshafts which become darker thedeeper the arguments descend. Furthermore, no secretary of commerce or
promoter of tourism would be so stupid as to advertise that in 21st-century Louisiana, we arestill engaged in so hideous apractice that its defenders call good. Those who defend it remind me of adult men we encounter whostill defend thephysical abuse and punishments they received as children. And so, understandably,the cycleofviolence continues. “Weak people revenge,” said Albert Einstein, offering an astute insight intothe psychological profile of bullies. Remember this: The execution of aprisoner is not self-defense. Capital punishment is adirty,rotten, stinking, nastybusiness. But it is one thing more. It is asin.
THE REV.DR. STEVE J. CRUMP minister emeritus, Unitarian Church of Baton Rouge
Landry’s comments afterelectionwererevealing
Gov.Jeff Landry’scomments following his sound defeat in the recent election just further shows how out of touch he is withhis constituents. Essentially calling thecitizens of this statelosers is asure-fire way tolose support,which was dwindling for him
already.Ifanything,itshould be areflection of himself. After all he’sserved (and failed) this statefor many years. The failure starts at the top.
CARMINE ANDREWS Baton Rouge
Levy not following in traditionof esteemed LSU lawprofessors
Iama 1978 graduate of the LSU law school. In the late 1970s, LSU was apreeminent law school in America. However,the recent disgusting actions of Ken Levy,who proclaimsto be aprofessor of law at LSU, makemequestion the status of my alma mater.Inmyday,professors of law used the Socratic method to teach us the law.Ken Levy now believes that profanity and politics are necessary instruments to teach the law What astark contrast to the iconic professors we had in the mid-’70s whomade the LSU law school atop law school. How about this foratop 10: Robert Pascal, William Crawford, A.N Yiannopoulos, Frank Maraist, Howard L’Enfant, Cheney Joseph, Katherine Spaht, Alston Johnson, George Pugh and Lee Hargrave.
The pinnacle professor was Saul Litvinoff. If ever there were alaw professor whoepitomized this noble profession, it wasLitvinoff. Professor Litvinoffcame to class with one piece of paper —the roll. That wasall this great man needed to teach. Everything else was in his beautiful mind. He wasa true mentor These werethe professors whotaught us the law and they never uttered acuss word, and they never discussed politics. Why? Because profanity and politics have no place in the education of amind to practice law It sickens me to see how Levy has bastardized the First Amendment by claiming it gives him the right to cuss in class and impugn our current governor and our 47th president. To my beloved LSU law school, Iurge you to rid yourself of this cancer.Levy must be excised from the faculty.Dothis in the nameofall those former law professors whomade the LSU law school great.
WARREN
BYRD Baton Rouge
SPORTS
17-YEARITCH
For firsttimesince ’08, theSaintswillpickintop 10.How have they done before?
BY ZACH EWING Staff writer
When the New Orleans Saints lost theirfinal four games last season, it was adreary endtoadisappointing season. Butitdid have an ancillary benefit:The Saints rose to No. 9inthe 2025 NFL Draft order,giving New Orleans atop-10 pick for the first time since manyof its current players were in elementary school. It’sbeen 17 years since theSaints took defensivetackle Sedrick Ellis withthe No. 7pick of the2008 draft. Before that, the Saintspicking in the top10was afairly common occurrence. It happened 17 times in thefranchise’sfirst 41 years, starting withKevin Hardy in 1968 andending with Ellis. TheSaints have had the No. 1overall pick only once, in 1981. Interestingly,they have never before had the No. 9pick (orthe No.4 pick).
Before the Saints add to this number (barring atrade) whenthe first round of the draft commences April 24 in Green Bay, Wisconsin, here’s arundown of New Orleans’ previous top-10 picks and thesuccess—orlack thereof —they’ve had in the NFL: All-Pros
GEORGE ROGERS,RB, NO.1 PICK,1981: Althoughthe Saints chosehim over thelikes of Lawrence Taylorand RonnieLott, the1980 HeismanTrophy winner lived up to thehypeofbeingthe No.1overall pick —atleast for thefirstseason. He ranfor 1,674 yardsin1981, stillthe Saints’ single-season rushingrecord. He scored 13 touchdowns,was first-team All-Pro and the Offensive Rookie of the Year.Unfortunately,Rogersplayedinall 16 games in aseason
BY TOYLOYBROWN III Staff writer
Aroster overhaul wasexpected from an LSU men’sbasketball team that went 14-18and finished second-to-last in the Southeastern Conference. Thus far,coach Matt McMahon —who is entering his fourth season —has added five transfers and lost six players to the portal Vyctorius Miller,CoreyChest and DaimionCollins are the three departures who were significant contributorsduring the season. Mike Williams, Noah Boydeand Tyrell Ward either didn’tplayor were inconsistentmembers of the rotation. Theplayer LSU likely wishedto keep the most is Miller,who is taking his talents to Oklahoma State. The 6-foot-5,185-pound freshmanguard wasthe Tigers’ third-leading scorer at 8.9 points on 44.7% shooting in 19 minutes per game. He missedseven contests because of two ankleinjuriesduring SEC play Miller is afluid three-level scorer who flashed
AUGUSTA, Ga. At 41/2 years old, Poppy McIlroy is old enough to start noticing stuff.Like the fact children at her school weretalking about her dad the day after he won The Players Championship last month.
“She came hometomethat day and said, ‘Daddy,are you famous?’ ” Rory McIlroy said here Tuesday With asheepish turn of the head, the No 2golfer in the world added, “I said it depends whoyou talk to.”
Imagine the playground chatter at Poppy’sPre-K if her daddy wins Sunday McIlroy —affable, likable, the biggest star to ever come out of Holywood (Northern Ireland) resumes his eternal quest foraMasters green jacket this week.
1968: Kevin Hardy, DT,Notre Dame, No. 7pick
1970: Ken Burrough,WR,Texas Southern, No.10pick
1971: ArchieManning,QB, OleMiss, No. 2pick
1972: Royce Smith, G, Georgia,No. 8pick
1975: Larry Burton,WR, Purdue, No. 7pick
1976: Chuck Muncie,RB, California,No. 3pick
1977: JoeCampbell, DE, Maryland, No. 7pick
1978: WesChandler,WR, Florida,No. 3pick
1981: GeorgeRogers,RB, South Carolina,No. 1pick
1986: JimDombrowski, G,Virginia,No. 6pick
1993: Willie Roaf,OT, Louisiana Tech,No. 8pick
1997: Chris Naeole,G,Colorado, No.10pick
1998: Kyle Turley,OT, San DiegoState, No. 7pick
1999: Ricky Williams, RB,Texas, No.5 pick
2003: Johnathan Sullivan, DT,Georgia, No. 6pick
2006: Reggie Bush,RB, USC, No.2 pick
2008: Sedrick Ellis,DT, USC, No. 7pick
just once in his career because of injuries.
WILLIE ROAF,OT, NO.8 PICK, 1993: Oneofthe greatest players to ever don aSaintsuniform, Roaf made good on the team’sgamble in trading Pat Swilling forthe No. 8pickused to select him. He made 11 Pro Bowls (seven with the Saints), was named All-Pro four times (twice with the Saints) and is in the ProFootball Hall
shot-creating brilliance for LSU in nonconference play and in a17-point gameagainst Tennessee. The 20-year-old is alsoagood open-court athlete. These traits combined with ayear of experience playing in the SEC make him an obvious candi-
BY EDDIE PELLS AP national writer
Claim it and seats at two exclusive tables await him.One would be the Masters’ Champions Dinner, which wasset to be held upstairs in Augusta National’sclubhouse Tuesday night. The other would be to join the five men whoare the only players ever to winall four professional majors: Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Ben Hogan, Gary Player and GeneSarazen.
The fact that McIlroy is laden with so manymetric tons of talent has madethe grand slam seem inevitable forhim since he won the 2014 British Open at Royal Liverpool to go with earlier U.S. Open and PGA Championship victories.
Since the 2014 PGA, which he also won,McIlroy has won 19 times on the PGATour.Nine moretimes on
SAN ANTONIO Thefinal buzzer in San Antonio closeda drama that ended with confetti and Gatorchomps —athrill-a-minute NCAA title for the Florida Gators that reminded us all of what’sso good about the gamesthese collegeathletes play In another court—afew hours earlierand 1,700 miles away lawyers, afew athletes and a judge debated issues that will affect thefuture of games like these and what comes next fora multibillion-dollar college-sports industrythatisstrugglingwith change. Thosetwo scenes Monday illustratedall that’s at stake—
and maybe even whether March Madness, which Florida wrapped up with a65-63 title-clinching victoryover Houston, will look the same in coming years. So while Florida guard Walter Clayton’sclutchstopinthe final seconds might have produced theday’sbiggest headline, federal judge Claudia Wilken’sdecision about the multibillion-dollar college-sports lawsuit settlement —which could come within days, weeks, months,who knows? will carry more weight.
“Basically Ithink it is agood settlement,don’t quoteme, and Ithink it’s worthpursuing,” Wilken said near the closeof the daylong hearingshe held in Oakland, California, that finished about an hour before tipoff in the Alamodome. “I think some of these things could be fixedif people tried to fix them andthat it would be worththeir while to
STAFF FILE PHOTO
Saints left tackle Willie Roaf blocks against the SanFrancisco 49ers on Sept. 19, 1999, in SanFrancisco. The Saintsacquired Roaf after trading PatSwilling for the No. 8pick in the1993 NFLDraft. Roaf made 11 Pro Bowls and is in thePro Football HallofFame.
Scott Rabalais
RABALAIS, page 3C
STAFF PHOTO By HILARySCHEINUK Guard Vyctorius Miller,who is transferring to Oklahoma State, could be LSU’sbiggest loss in the transfer portal so far
5
Sampson’s first title painfully slips away
BY AARON BEARD AP basketball writer
SANANTONIO — All Kelvin Sampson could do was stand there, hands on hips with a blank look on his face, as the ball bounced loose and Houston’s latest chance at a national title bounced away, too. The coach who has commanded all details over a 36-year career of wins, losses and a few Final Fours couldn’t do anything about this one. The last-second blunder ended in a 65-63 loss to Florida on Monday night.
It took years for the 69-year-old coaching lifer to turn Houston into one of college basketball’s top programs again – one built on defense, toughness, rebounding and doing things a certain, hard-nosed way Sampson rehabilitated his image too, the pariah who nobody understood becoming an almostlovable beacon for how to connect with players and do things the “right” way But there was no escape from the anguish this time, from squandering a 12-point second-half lead to that final-play turnover that sent Sampson into the offseason stuck on win No. 799 in a windingroad career
“There’s always going to be naysayers and negative nellies and all that stuff, but that’s where your faith and your family is way more important than any of that stuff,” Sampson said outside Houston’s locker room in the Alamodome. The game ended with Houston (35-5) — which finished at No. 2 in the final AP Top 25 poll Tuesday — unable to even get up a shot on its last two possessions, a fact Sampson called “incomprehensible.” On one, Emanuel Sharp drove the right side but had the ball stripped and lost it out of bounds with 26.6 seconds left and Houston down one. Moments later Houston had its second chance to go ahead. The ball again went to Sharp, who tried to fire a 3-pointer on the catch only to see a hard closeout by Florida star Walter Clayton Jr coming his way Stuck in the air, he tried to dribble the ball to avoid a turnover and was forced to let it bounce, the ball hitting the court with about 4.5 seconds left and then continuing to bounce for another 2-plus precious seconds. Finally Florida’s Alex Condon dove for the ball, sending Houston’s Ja’Vier Francis to the floor and killing the final moments of the Cougars’ title dream. Moments later as the confetti started to fall for the Gators, Sampson walked with his head down to the edge of the court as though trying to make sense of what had just happened. He descended the steps, then started making his way up the lane through the heaviest concentration of red-clad Houston fans in a
COURTS
Continued from page 1C
try to fix them.” Among Wilken’s top-line items is figuring a way to gradually implement roster limits prescribed by the lawsuit. A solution could prevent an immediate wholesale phaseout of hundreds of football players, swimmers, sprinters and other college athletes across the country
She also wants tweaks to how athletes who haven’t yet reached college might be treated per terms of an agreement that’s supposed to last 10 years.
“We’re taking your feedback. We’ll take it to our clients,” NCAA attorney Rakesh Kilaru told Wilken. The clock is ticking As currently structured, terms of the settlement are due to take effect on July 1, when the biggest change will be schools’ ability to pay athletes directly Also at stake is $2.78 billion in back pay to former players who weren’t eligible for those payments.
That’s where it comes back to the Gators, along with the thousands of varsity teams and players participating in college sports.
painful march to the locker room.
“I wanted it so bad for him,” said Houston big man J’Wan Roberts, who played five seasons for Sampson after a redshirt year “So, so, so bad. And it hurts. Coach Sampson, the role that he played in my life, I can’t even put into words.”
It was nearly the highlight of a career that started as a Michigan State graduate assistant under Jud Heathcoate. HIs path ran through Washington State, Oklahoma where guided the Sooners to the 2002 Final Four and Indiana before his career ran into a ditch there due to an NCAA probe and triggered this successful second act.
Along the way the two-time Associated Press national coach of the year has rolled with the rapidly changing college landscape.
“More impressive than anything else for me is seeing him and how unbelievable he has been in being agile and understanding how to evolve Everyone says he’s old school but the reality is, he gets it and surrounds himself with his son and other people who can help him with NIL, revenue share.
Whatever’s laid out we’ll do it,” Houston athletic director Eddie Nuñez said.
And yet, Sampson still talked at the Final Four in a way befitting
his early coaching days at tiny Montana Tech.
“I love coaching basketball, I love teaching,” Sampson said.
“I don’t know what I would have been good at had I not been a coach because that’s the only thing I’ve ever been. But I think I would have enjoyed being a teacher, too, because I enjoy teaching stuff and seeing kids learn and apply it, have success with it. I choose to focus on that stuff more so than the portal.”
Ousted from IU due to an NCAA probe into Sampson making too many recruiting phone calls, he received a five-year show cause penalty in 2008 that kept him out of the college ranks until his return at Houston in 2014.
Sampson found refuge there after spending his exile in the NBA, while he offered the school the dream of reconnecting with its history tied to the famed Phi Slama Jama era in the 1980s — which before this year had marked the program’s only two trips to the NCAA title game — behind a coach with a proven record for winning.
By his third season, Sampson had the Cougars back in March Madness. They won 33 games in his fourth, then two years later had the Cougars back in the Fi-
Like every other coach, Florida’s Todd Golden is learning to work with a payroll.
It’s funded both from third-party booster groups that can funnel money to the players, and then, if Wilken gives the OK, from a pool of $20.5 million that schools like his will distribute among all of its athletes — but mostly to football and a little less to basketball.
Those financial decisions, in turn, will dictate roster decisions
and determine whether the Gators can afford another player like Clayton.
He’s the senior who left a small Northeastern school, Iona, to come back to his home state and join Golden and the Gators. He scored 134 points in six tournament games that culminated with Monday’s final. He will be playing in the NBA next year Houston frustrated him and held him to 11 points in his final
nal Four in 2021 — the program’s first since Hakeem Olajuwon and coach Guy Lewis led them to the 1984 title game before falling to Patrick Ewing and Georgetown.
The Indianapolis bubble run of four years ago eliminated any doubt about Houston’s arrival as a national power It’s all rooted in Sampson’s vision, built in his image by demanding an unyielding fight and work ethic going back to his upbringing in eastern North Carolina.
His team had put that on display all season, most recently with an improbable comeback in the final minute to stun Duke in Saturday’s national semifinals Then came Monday night’s finale leading just about the entire way and keeping Clayton under control after the Gators star had torn through March Madness.
The Cougars just couldn’t finish it out on a night when they shot just 34.8%, including 6 of 25 from 3-point range, putting too much weight on the defense to carry them home.
And in the end, Sampson couldn’t find the answer Instead, he spent 20 extra minutes after his postgame news conference talking it all out with reporters, an unusual sight for the losing coach on the final Monday night of the season.
game as a collegian. But Clay-
ton got the last laugh when he charged toward Cougars guard Emanuel Sharp — who was lining up for what could have been the game-winning 3-pointer with the clock ticking down in a tense, rugged, defense-focused game that left everyone on edge.
Clayton’s defense forced Sharp to let the ball go without shooting. It bounced once, then twice, then a third time — Sharp couldn’t grab it, lest he be called for traveling — before Florida big man Alex Condon pounced on it and the buzzer sounded.
“I do think what separates us and has separated us all season long is our team talent, how our guys have played together and for each other all year,” Golden said. “Because of that, we can call each other national champions for the rest of our lives.”
While the Gators got ready to cut down the nets, the well-worn favorite “One Shining Moment” a treacly highlight reel from America’s three-week hoops extravaganza — played on the big screen above.
Florida sprinted and Houston trudged through the tunnel, into their locker rooms, and basketball — and college sports, in general began the long wait to see what comes next.
IN
Top freshman in SEC set to leave Texas for NBA
Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year Tre Johnson says he’s one-and-done at Texas and will enter the NBA draft.
Johnson, who made his announcement on ESPN on Tuesday, averaged 19.7 points per game to lead the SEC and broke Kevin Durant’s school freshman record with 39 points against Arkansas late in the regular season. The 6-foot-6 guard shot 39.7% on 3-pointers, 42.7% overall and 87.1% on free throws to rank among the SEC leaders. He’s projected as a consensus top-10 draft pick.
Johnson was a consensus topfive national recruit coming out of high school in Garland, Texas, and he made an easy transition to the college game. He scored at least 20 points in 15 of 35 games.
South Carolina women get Division I leading scorer
Ta’Niya Latson, the leading scorer in Division I, has decided to transfer to South Carolina, where she will join a high school teammate and try to help the Gamecocks win another national championship.
The Florida State guard already had announced her intention to transfer for her final college season after scoring 25.2 points a game this season. Latson announced her destination Tuesday with a social-media post showing her in a South Carolina jersey with the words “COMMITTED” and her name along with an interstate sign for Columbia and the school logo. Gamecocks guard Raven Johnson celebrated the pending reunion with her high school teamwith several posts making clear she’s returning to South Carolina.
Northwestern, ex-athletes settle in hazing lawsuit
Former Northwestern University football players are finalizing an agreement with the school to settle lawsuits alleging hazing and abuse that led to longtime coach Pat Fitzgerald’s firing, a school spokesman said Tuesday The private university in suburban Chicago has been reeling from the scandal that engulfed the athletic department. Former football players filed the first lawsuits in 2023, alleging sexual abuse and racial discrimination on the team. Similar allegations then spread across multiple sports. “Northwestern and the student plaintiffs recently engaged in a mediation process that resulted in the settlement of the student plaintiffs’ claims,” a Cook County Circuit Court filing by attorneys for Northwestern said last week.
Mariners lose OF Robles for at least next 12 weeks
Seattle Mariners outfielder Victor Robles will miss at least 12 weeks after dislocating his left shoulder while catching a foul ball over the weekend, general manager Justin Hollander said Tuesday Robles, who was batting .273 with three doubles as the Mariners’ leadoff man, was placed on the 10-day injured list Monday Imaging revealed the dislocation caused a small fracture in a bone in the shoulder, and Hollander said it appeared the injury would heal without surgery Robles made a long dash to chase down a fly ball on Sunday
The right fielder went over the low railing in foul territory to make the catch, fell over the wall and crashed into the netting in the process.
Portis returns to Bucks after 25-game suspension
Bobby Portis is coming back from his 25-game suspension as the Milwaukee Bucks continue their push toward the playoffs. The 30-year-old forward dressed for the Bucks’ game Tuesday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves and made his first game appearance since the All-Star break. Portis was suspended on Feb. 20 after testing positive for the painkiller Tramadol, violating the league’s anti-drug program. Portis has indicated he took Tramadol unintentionally His agent, Mark Bartelstein, said Portis believed he was taking Toradol, which is approved and is something that he has taken before. The suspension continued a
for Portis in
cult
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ERIC GAy
Florida’s Walter Clayton celebrates after Florida beat Houston in the national championship game on Monday in San Antonio.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ERIC GAy
Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson yells during the second half in the national championship game against Florida at the Final Four on Monday in San Antonio.
RABALAIS
the DP World Tour.He’s thrice been on the winning European side in the Ryder Cup. But he’sbeen wandering in amajor-less wilderness for going on 11 years now
There’sareason why there are only five Grand Slammers in history: It’s really, really,really hard to do. Phil Mickelson and Sam Snead won them allbut the U.S. Open. Arnold Palmer and TomWatson never won the PGA. Lee Trevino and Walter Hagen are sans green jackets.
Owning enough skill and guile to win all but one of the majors is somehow an anchor the greats belonging to the “Three Out of Four Club” have to drag around that winners of two different majors such as Nick Faldo and Seve Ballesteros and Brooks Koepka don’t.
Be fortunate enough to win one major —like British Open champ Shane Lowry,who will try to repeat with McIlroy in two weeks at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans —and people will say “Good for you.” Winthree of the four majors and they say,“What’s the matter with you?” McIlroy has been close here. Painfully close. He’s been in the top 10 seven times, including 2022 when he came from way off the radarwith asizzling Sunday 64 to finish three back of Scottie Scheffler.In2011, he had afour-stroke lead going to Sunday and was still one in front heading to the back nine. Then he hit a house with aduck hook off the 10th tee —OK, cabin, which is what they call the enormous mansions here between 10 and the Par-3 course—and shot 80 to finish in atie for 15th, a whopping 10 strokes back of Charl Schwartzel
There have been other major pains, too, like at last year’sU.S. Open. He led Bryson DeChambeau by two with four to play but bogeyed three of the last four at Pinehurst No. 2, including missed 4-footers at 16 and 18, to finish one back. Comparisons to Sisyphus —the king from Greek mythology doomed to roll arock up ahillfor eternity,oratleast until his custom fit set of irons are delivered —leap to mind. McIlroy still loves this place.
“People ask me, ‘If you could only play one golf coursefor therest of your life, what would it be?’ ” he said. “I think walking around this place every day would be pretty cool.”
That’snot the only thing they ask Rory,ofcourse. They also ask the major thing. He’snever come into the Masters in better form, having won three times around the worldsince November,but that’sonly made the questions and the burden grow.This is his 17th start at Augusta. Only Sergio Garcia, who won here in 2017 on his 19th try has waited longer for his first Masters win.
Scheffler is the betting favorite to win his third Masters in four years. McIlroy is the sentimental favorite. We all want to stop asking, “Why not the Masters, Rory?” Not surprisingly,McIlroy has built up some mental armor about the whole thing.
“It’sjust narratives,” he said. “It’snoise. Iunderstand the narrative and the noise,and there’sa lot of anticipation and buildup coming into this tournament each and every year.But I just have to keep my head down and focus on my job.”
Somewhat outofthe left rough, McIlroy was asked what book he was currently reading “For the firsttime in a long time, I’m reading a novel,” McIlroy said.
“It’sgot off to apretty good start,” he said brightly So did McIlroy’sgolf career.It’sstill going very well. But the reckoning with his Masters and the Grand Slam still remainsto be written.
SAINTS
of Fame. KYLE TURLEY,OT, NO.7 PICK, 1998: In his fiveseasonsinNew Orleans,Turley did plenty more than rip off Damien Robinson’shelmet.Hestarted 79 of apossible 80 games and was an AllPro for the2000 Saints team that earned the franchise’sfirst playoff win Fanfavorites
ARCHIE MANNING, QB,NO. 2PICK, 1971:
Thefirst face of the franchise made only two Pro Bowls, at least partly due to the sad state of the roster aroundhim.But Manning started 10 years, held every major franchise passing record for about 40 years and gave New Orleans football an identity that lasts to thisday
REGGIE BUSH, RB,NO. 2PICK, 2006: The Heisman Trophy winner finished fifthinthe 2006 Offensive Rookie of theYear votingand helpedthe Saints to the NFC championship game, then was akey part of the exhilarating offensethatled to the Lombardi Trophythree years later In the end, he spent just fiveyears in New Orleans, but his last impression feels larger Good,solid picks
CHUCK MUNCIE, RB,NO. 3PICK, 1976:
He had more than 4,000 yards from scrimmageinfourfullseasons in NewOrleans, including aPro Bowl 1979 campaign with morethan 1,100 yards and 11 touchdowns rushing. But the Saints traded him to the Chargers,with whom he flourishedinthe 1980s.
JIM DOMBROWSKI, G, NO.6 PICK, 1986:
Nothing spectacular here, but whenyou rack up11seasons with a franchise— including nine as afulltimestarter with acouple of playoff berths —that’sa solid top-10 pick.
CHRIS NAEOLE,G,NO. 10 PICK, 1997: Seeabove,although Naeole left for Jacksonville after five years with the Saints. He was afull-time starter at right guard for the aforementioned 2000 team that snapped the franchise playoff drought.
SEDRICK ELLIS, DT,NO. 7PICK, 2008: The most recent top-10 pick never had more than six sacksinaseason, but he was agood run-stuffer and started 70 games over fiveseasons with theSaints, plus six playoff games including SuperBowl XLIV Best came elsewhere
KENBURROUGH, WR,NO. 10 PICK, 1970:
PORTAL
Continued from page1C
date to have abreakout sophomore season. Miller will try to continue to add strength as he prepares for the Big 12. While his smooth scoringistantalizing, he might nothave seamlessly fitwithUNLVtransfer point guard Dedan Thomas, the star of LSU’s transfer class so far.McMahon is replacing Miller with experienced off-ball players who can provide shooting, solid decisionmaking and size.
LSU’sother backcourt additions are Portland junior Max Mackinnon and Northeastern junior Rashad King. The two 6-6 guards might not be as naturally talented as Miller but are well-rounded producers. Those juniors each averaged at least three assists and fiverebounds while Miller averaged 2.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists.
For Mackinnon, who scored 14.5 points per game, his biggest sell is as aperimeter threat, where he shot40.7% from 3.
Miller has touch but went 31.8% from beyond the arc. In 13 nonconference games, he shot 34% from 3.
King, who averaged 18.5 ppg, is not as good of a3-pointshooter (31.9%) but will likely defend opposing teams’ best perimeter scorer.That was not going to be Miller’s role or hisstrong suitasa sophomore.
LSU’sfrontcourt subtractions are even less likely to backfire for the team since the team’sbiggest weakness last year wasrebounding.
Aseries of injuries hampered Burroughduring his rookie season, andhecaught just 13 passes for 196yards. TheSaints traded him to the Houston Oilers, who turned him into atwo-time ProBowler wholed theNFL in receiving in 1975.
WES CHANDLER, WR,NO. 3PICK, 1978: Chandler was good for theSaints a1,000-yardseason and aPro Bowl nod in 1979, and nearly another one in 1980 —but not good enough to preventthemfromtrading himto theChargersearly in the 1981 season. It was in San Diegowhere he had his best years, including an AllPro1982 season.
RICKY WILLIAMS,RB, NO.5 PICK, 1999: The Saints infamously traded their entiredraft haul to pickWilliams
The Tigers finished the season 347th in the country in defensive rebounding percentage, according to KenPom, and sorely missedjunior big man Jalen Reed, who suffered aseason-ending injury in December
Rebounding was challenging with the Tigers’ four-guard lineup surrounding Collins at center —his 12.3% defensive rebounding rate was the worst of 31 SECplayers 6-8 or taller,according to BarTorvik.
The Tigers were bad at crashing the glass even with atraditional two-big group, although Chest —who is heading to Ole Miss— was agifted rebounder with a21.7% defensive rebounding rate.
Collins and Chest were elite athletes but unreliable offensive players and erratic defenders who chased blocks, fouled too often and wereoverpowered by many opponents.
LSU has brought in 6-9 forward Marquel Sutton from Omaha and 6-10, 245-pound Mississippi State center Michael Nwoko. Each has atrack recordofimpressive rebounding, Sutton with a 22.6% defensive rebounding rate and Nowoko at 19.7% Improved offense will comefromSutton, who was the Summit League Player of the Year after averaging 18.9ppg, and from the returning Reed, who put up 11 ppg on 60% from the field in eight games.
The Tigers arenot fully formed yet with the transfer window still open until April 22.
However,the team has more playable talent and made an effort to fix last season’sflaws
He was mostly productive in New Orleans but unfortunately saved his best football forthe Dolphins. He ran for morethan 1,800 yards and was afirst-team All-Pro in his first year in Miamiin2002.
Busts
KEVINHARDY,DT, NO.7 PICK, 1968: Hardy was traded to the 49ersaspartof the Saints’ forced compensation for signing free agent wide receiver Dave Parks. He never amounted to muchinthe NFLanyway,starting 12 games with fivesacks over four pro seasons.
ROYCESMITH, G, NO.8 PICK, 1972: He started 10 games during his rookie season for a2-11-1Saints team, only gotthreestarts the next year and thenwas gone to Atlanta forhis fi-
nal three NFLseasons.
LARRYBURTON, WR, NO.7 PICK, 1975: His 305 yards receiving as arookie were acareer high. Of his seven career touchdowns over fiveNFL seasons,three camewith San Diego.
JOECAMPBELL, DE,NO. 7PICK,1977: He peaked during his second season in 1978 with 16 starts and51/2 sacks. After the Saints traded him midway throughthe 1980 season,henever started another NFLgame.
JOHNATHAN SULLIVAN,DT, NO.6 PICK, 2003: Bestknown for searching forapress boxmealafter being declared inactive for a2004 game, Sullivanshoweduptorookie camp overweight, played threeseasons and was out of the league before he turned 25.
ASSOCIATEDPRESS FILEPHOTO
NewOrleans Saints running back Chuck Muncie breaks atacklebyNew york Giants safety BeasleyReece and headsfor the end zone to score atouchdownonSept. 30, 1979, at the Superdome in NewOrleans. Muncie,who died in 2013, wasthe No.3 pick of the 1976 NFLDraft.
Nuggets fire coach Malone in stunning move
BY TIM REYNOLDS AP basketball writer
Michael Malone coached the Denver Nuggets to the NBA title in 2023. He has them set to make the postseason for a seventh consecutive year Even amid a four-game slide, they’re still in position to have home-court advantage in Round 1. And he’s gone with three games left — an unprecedented move for a club bound for the postseason.
eral manager Calvin Booth, whose contract will not be renewed. The Nuggets said David Adelman will be the coach for the remainder of the season.
The Nuggets fired Malone on Tuesday, a stunning move that comes with less than a week in the regular season. Also out: gen-
Josh Kroenke, the vice chairman of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, which owns the Nuggets, said “it is with no pleasure” that the team made the change at coach
“This decision was not made lightly and was evaluated very carefully, and we do it only with the intention of giving our group the best chance at competing for the 2025 NBA championship and delivering another title to Denver and our fans everywhere,” Kroenke said.
There’s never been an instance in NBA history of a team official-
ly changing coaches with three games left and going to the postseason; the Nuggets aren’t in the playoffs yet but are assured of a play-in berth at worst. The latest in-season change for a playoff team before now was in 1983, when Larry Brown left the New Jersey Nets with six games left to take over at the University of Kansas.
The Nuggets are 47-32 this season but are part of a logjam of teams fighting for home-court advantage in Round 1 of the playoffs. Denver won the title in 2023 and lost a Game 7 at home in the Western Conference semifinals a year ago to Minnesota.
Malone pointed the finger at himself after the most recent loss, a 125-120 defeat to Indiana on Sunday
SCOREBOARD
“I’ll start with me: We’ve lost four games in a row and I’m never going to this-guy, that-guy. How about me, as a head coach, not doing my job to the best of my ability,” Malone said. “We haven’t lost four in a row in a long time. It’s really easy to be together and say ‘family’ when you win, but when you’re losing games, can you stay together?”
The slide comes despite Nuggets star Nikola Jokic — a winner of three of the past four NBA MVP awards — having a historic season, averaging 30 points, 12.8 rebounds and 10.2 assists per game But even that wasn’t good enough for Denver to enter the final week of the season certain of having home court in Round 1. After that loss to the Pacers, Jokic was asked his biggest con-
cern with the team right now
“I don’t know Maybe we just, maybe we just I don’t know, actually,” Jokic said.
The Nuggets are hoping a shakeup might provide the answer Malone had the fourth-longest tenure of any active NBA coach, behind San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich, Miami’s Erik Spoelstra and Golden State’s Steve Kerr Malone won 471 regular-season games in Denver 39 more than Doug Moe for the franchise’s alltime coaching lead.
“While the timing of this decision is unfortunate, as Coach Malone helped build the foundation of our now championship-level program, it is a necessary step to allow us to compete at the highest level right now.”
HOOPS DREAM COMES TRUE
Broussard enjoys time in New york as all-star coach
BY MIKE COPPAGE Contributing writer
Whether his West All-Stars won or not, coach Danny Broussard had already enjoyed the time of his life during the week of the McDonald’s All-American Basketball Game in New York.
One perk was a plum seat at the New York Yankees’ seasonopening win over the Milwaukee Brewers for the longtime baseball fan, who tried out for the USL team and survived some of the early cuts.
He got a photo with former LSU women’s basketball star and Slam Dunk contest judge Angel Reese, and after one practice, Boston Celtics general manager Brad Stevens approached Broussard to pay him a compliment.
“It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” he said. “An incredible experience. I couldn’t have asked for anything better After I thought about it, I’m glad we won because that might have put a damper on things a little bit.
“Winning was the icing on the cake.”
There were NBA scouts at every practice, assessing and evaluating the best high school players in the country The West won 10592 — a big contrast to low-scoring St. Thomas More games.
“We laughed about how we couldn’t do the loose-ball drill or the charge drill,” said Broussard, referring to physically-grueling drills that he puts his STM teams through. “I had to adjust my coaching style. You want them to have fun.” The fiery competitor also wanted to win, and he preached two STM hoops’ tenets to his team — guarding on defense and fighting for offensive rebounds Ultimately, Broussard said second-chance points paved the way to victory “The difference in the game
was us outrebounding them by nine,” said Broussard, who was joined on the West staff by assistants Wesley Cortese and Ryan Welty
He could have picked any two high school coaches as his assistants the East had three head coaches on its staff — but Broussard chose to bring Cortese, who served as interim head coach for a spell last season, and Welty, who has collegiate experience that proved valuable in the fast-paced game.
“Three days of practice wasn’t a lot, but we put some basic sets in,” said Broussard, who also took in “The Lion King” on Broadway with his grandchildren. “The first practice, I was like, ‘Wow! What can’t they do?’ We had 6-foot10 guys who can dribble it (like guards).”
The West squad included 6-foot10 Chris Cenac, who Broussard coached against when the University of Houston signee and Link Academy center was still at Newman High School in New Orleans.
The team also featured the nation’s No. 1 senior, A.J. Dybantsa, a BYU signee and the projected top player in the 2026 NBA Draft; MVP Darryn Peterson (Kansas signee), and Alijah Arenas, the son of former pro player (Gilbert Arenas) who made an impression with his positive demeanor
“He was the most polite, wellmannered kid on the team,” Broussard said of Arenas, a 6-foot-7 USC recruit. “He did all the right things. After the first day of practice, he asked what he could do to get better.”
Tounde Yessoufou was the surprise player for the West. A committee picked each team’s starting five and its second five. With Koa Peat injured, Yessoufou was the 11th man for the West, but he played a crucial role in the win.
“He surprised us the most,” Broussard said of the 6-foot-5 future Baylor Bear “He practiced the hardest and played the hardest.”
Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@ theadvocate.com.
PROVIDED PHOTO
St. Thomas More coach Danny Broussard points toward the advertisement for the McDonald’s All-American basketball game in downtown New york.
Questions linger after 23andMe
files for bankruptcy
BY AVERY NEWMARK
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (TNS)
ATLANTA A few years ago, mailing off a tube of saliva to 23andMe felt like the future. You could learn about your ancestry, your genetic risk for heart disease or diabetes and maybe even connect with long-lost relatives. But now the genetic testing company has filed for bankruptcy, raising serious questions about what happens to your most personal information — your DNA if the company is sold.
Emalyn Cork, a genetic counselor at Emory Healthcare and instructor at Emory School of Medicine, isn’t surprised by the headlines.
“This is something clinical genetics has been screaming about for years,” she said in an interview with The Atlanta JournalConstitution. “It was never really about the reports people got back — it was always about the data. People were essentially selling their genetic data for $100, and what they got in return was, to me, not valuable. It’s not medically actionable.”
MARCUS BRANDT
DPA/TNS PHOTO By
Cybersecurity experts are warning that genetic and biological data of 23andMe users could end up in the hands of a third party they did not authorize to access such information.
What happens to the data?
Cork, who works in clinical genetics, stressed that 23andMe’s reports are like comparing a smartwatch to a hospital monitor The data can be interesting, maybe even helpful, but it’s nothing compared to clinical-grade testing.
So what happens to the data 23andMe has collected from more than 15 million users? Unlike health care providers, the company isn’t bound by HIPAA, the federal law that protects your medical privacy Instead, only limited federal protections apply most notably, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, which prevents employers and health insurers from discriminating based on your DNA. But even GINA has its gaps For instance, it doesn’t cover individuals in the military, and it doesn’t apply to long-term care or disability insurance.
“There’s just not enough federal protection,” Cork said “Legally a new buyer could access and use your data in ways we may not fully understand for years.”
Worried about DNA data?
Experts are urging users to take action now If you’ve used 23andMe and are concerned about where your data might end up, here’s how to protect yourself, according to California’s Attorney General.
n Delete your data: Log into your 23andMe account, go to “Settings,” scroll to the bottom to “23andMe Data,” and click “Permanently Delete Data.” Follow the email confirmation steps.
n Destroy your sample: If you originally opted to let 23andMe store your saliva sample, you can change that in your account
ä See DNA, page 6C
Crawfish and portabella at Roberto’s River Road
New Lafayette food truck park reenergizes once empty downtown lot, in time for spring events
BY JOANNA BROWN Staff writer
There’s a new outdoor dining option in downtown Lafayette. Uncle Bob’s Roundup offers the stuff of plein air picnic dreams — covered tables, fans, bathrooms and a rotating cast of food trucks offering everything from sweet treats to ‘Casian’ specialties.
On Saturday, April 5, the food truck park’s grand opening event featured food from Shakebacks, Ragin Casians Crossroads Cuisine, Maple Street Milkshake Bar Ki Yodi’s Snowballs and more local food trucks. Yard games and live music by The Nouveau String Band entertained customers, and it was a beautiful day of activity for a section of downtown that was just an empty lot only a few months ago. Lafayette architect Dillon Van Way owns Uncle Bob’s Roundup food truck park at 144 E. Cypress St., Lafayette — and the DMS Mail Management building next door, which he purchased in 2021 and converted to apartments. That development project paved the way for the Roundup, which sits on a formerly adjudicated lot that Van Way started taking care of in the process of turning DMS Mail Management into the Cypress Flats. The city granted DVW Properties the lot at 144 E. Cypress St. in
A patron grabs their order from Shakesbacks at the grand opening of Uncle
2023, as Van Way had been main-
taining it in his capacity as an adjoining property owner He saw it as a “blank slate” — and knew that he wanted to develop something there that would benefit the downtown community as a whole.
“I didn’t want to get the lot from the city and let it just stay vacant,” he said. “But with inflation and ris-
ing interest rates, it became difficult to develop anything. The park started as an idea of a less costly development to activate that corner of downtown.”
Uncle Bob’s Roundup has five spots for food trucks, corralled around a central seating area that
STAFF PHOTOS By BRAD KEMP Food trucks serve food during the grand opening of Uncle Bob’s Roundup at the corner of Cypress and Garfield streets in Lafayette.
Bob’s Roundup.
Removing shampoorings
Dear Heloise: For the past 23 years, we have set shampoo and conditioner bottles on the marble seat of our shower in the same corner.A ring shows where each bottle sits, and we have never been able to remove them. Ibelieve it is caused by the oils in the shampoo and conditioner that remain on thebottle after being handled. It simply leaks to the bottom of the bottle after the shower Ihave tried baking soda, vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, chlorine bleach andbiodegradablecleaners. Nothing has worked.Doyou have asuggestion? —Roger R.,A Faithful Reader Roger,mix together baking soda and water until you have athick paste, then apply this to the affected area and cover it with aplastic wrap. Wait at least 24 hours so that the bakingsoda can draw out the oils, then rinse the affected area and dry it thoroughly with amicrofiberclothor avery soft towel If the stains have been therea long time,you might havetogo to ashop or aprofessional cleaning company to see what they
suggest. —Heloise Mayonnaise hint
By The Associated Press
Dear Heloise: Ihaveakitchen hint. Mayonnaisenow comes in squeeze bottles, which are great for makingsandwiches.However,it’sdifficult to get thelast few teaspoons out. So, Iadd just asplash or two of buttermilk to thebottle. It gets all of themayo out of thebottle or jar and still keeps it tasting delicious! Hopeyou like my hint. —B., in Washington
Missingscrewdriver
Dear Heloise: Theother day,I neededtotightena screw in our screen door andcouldn’tfind a screwdriver in thehouse. Finally,Iusedthe tip of apair of scissors, and it worked perfectly! —L.W., in South Dakota L.W.,Ihad thesame problem onetime, and Iused adime to tightenascrew.Readers have written aboutusing thetip of a dinnerknife,a vegetable peeler, and apair of tweezers. Thanks forthe hint! —Heloise
Send ahint to heloise@heloise. com.
TODAYINHISTORY
Today is Wednesday,April 9 the 99th dayof2025. There are 266 days left in theyear
Todayinhistory: On April 9, 1865, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered his army to Union Lt. Gen Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House in Virginia after four years of Civil Warinthe United States.
On this date:
In 1939, Marian Anderson performed aconcert at theLincoln Memorial in Washington,D.C., after the Black singer was denied the use of Constitution Hall by the Daughters of the American Revolution.
In 1942, during World War II, some 75,000 Philippine and American soldiers surrendered to Japanese troops,ending the Battle of Bataan in the Philippines. The prisoners of war were subsequently forced to march 65 miles to POW camps in whatis now known as the Bataan Death March; thousands died or were killed en route.
In 1959, NASA introduced the “Mercury Seven,” its first seven astronauts: Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper,John Glenn, Gus Grissom, Wally Schirra, Alan Shepardand Donald “Deke” Slayton.
DNA
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settings under “Preferences.”
n Revokeresearch permissions: If you previously allowedyour data to be used in third-party research, go to the “Research and Product Consents” section of your settings and withdraw consent.
“If you’re concerned, delete it,” Cork said. “They say it’spermanently removed. We havetotake them at their word —but it’sthe safeststep you can take.”
In 1968, funerals, private and public, were heldfor the Rev Martin Luther KingJr. at the Ebenezer Baptist Church and Morehouse College in Atlanta, five days afterthe civil rights leader was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. In 2003,Baghdad fell to American troopsduring the Iraq War aftersix days of fighting. In 2005, Britain’sPrince Charles married Camilla Parker Bowles, who took thetitle Duchess of Cornwall. In 2018, federal agents raided the office of President Donald Trump’spersonal attorney,Michael Cohen,seizingrecords on matters including a$130,000 payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels Today’sbirthdays: Satirist-musician TomLehrer is 97. Actor Michael Learned is 86. Drummer Steve Gadd is 80. Actor Dennis Quaid is 71. Fashion designer Marc Jacobsis62. Model-actor Paulina Porizkova is 60. Actor Cynthia Nixon is 59. Actor Keshia Knight Pulliamis46. Actor Jay Baruchel is 43. Actor Leighton Meester is 39. Singer-songwriter JazmineSullivan is 38. Actor Kristen Stewart is 35. Actor Elle Fanning is27. Rapper Lil Nas Xis26. Actor Isaac Hempstead Wright is 26. Singer Jackie Evanchois24.
If you’re still interestedin learning about your health through genetics,Corkrecommends skippingthe gimmicks and lookingtoclinical-grade labs like Invitae or Color Genomics.
“They’reconsidered HIPAAcovered agencies, and the tests are more accurate,” she said. “It might cost alittle more up front, but your privacy is far better protected.”
Cork’sfinal note: “YourDNA is the most personal data you have. It’s worth more thana hundred bucks —and it deserves to be protected like it.”
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allows customers to bring large groups during eventslike Downtown Alive! or FestivalInternational,witheveryone able to order from the truck that strikes their fancy VanWay built in features like waste dumps, grease traps and 30, 50 and 110 amp electrical breaker capacity that allows the trucks to draw power for all their cooking and refrigeration needs. By eliminating some keyfood truck infrastructure challenges,and making the parkaninviting place for cus-
BEST
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and served over linguine with a salad and green beans. The dish was truly delectable and came with aheaping serving. The mornay sauce was light enough that Iwasn’tfull after the first three bites.
—Lauren Cheramie, features coordinator
All you can eat
Korean BBQ
n Bushido, 5741 JohnstonSt., Lafayette
If Iwanted to do an “all you can eat and drink” dining experience again, I’d definitely go to Bushido. The food was prepared to perfection, which included a large variety of sushi, ramen and dumplings. The drinks were also worth every penny —for all you can drink, they were pleasantly strong and offered awide range of options. The light-up menus and the beautiful decor also added to the positive experience. Will visit again!
—Ja’kori Madison, staff writer
tomers, he hopes that Uncle Bob’s finds its place in the downtown food ecosystem as a“nice place people wanttobe.”
“It’sacasual, quick option. You don’thave to dress acertain way to eat. We should have everything atruckshouldneed to stay there, but the goal wastogoabove and beyond what the trucks needed. Because if people want to be there, thetrucks wanttocome,” he says.
Thepark’shours will be flexible as diners and the food truck community find agood rhythm for sales. Vendors can apply to be at the park on the Uncle Bob’s Roundup website, and they can essentially choose their ownhours of operation—although spots are
Ahot melt and ‘the Humphrey’
n Counter Culture, 7711 Perkins Road, Baton Rouge
As thedays get hotter and thesun shines brighter,there is nothing better than agood oldfashioned ham and cheese sandwich. At Counter Culture, asmall
already full for major upcoming events like Festival International, according to VanWay He says, “Trucks set their own hours, that’sthe idea. Our piece of the puzzle is not to run the trucks. They’re their own business and we just want to give them aplace to run their business well. Our hours areuntil 11 p.m. —ifwehavea breakfast truck,theycan be open whenever.”
“Wewant to become the place people know they can sit down, have abitetoeat anda rest,”said VanWay.“Asimpler experience with aton of variety downtown.”
shop off of Perkins Road with adrive-thru, the hot melt with ham has acrunchy slice of tomato, iceberg lettuce, perfectly melted cheese and chipotle mayonnaise.
However,the best part of the sandwich, in my opinion, is the bread. Ichose the jalapeño cheddar sourdough bread that brings a spicy,yet fluffy,take on the melt. While Iwas there, Ialso ordered asmallHumphrey yogurt —the house specialty —featuring plain yogurt, grapes, bananas, honey and granola. It wasaperfectly cool and fresh waytoend my late-lunch meal
—Margaret DeLaney, health coordinator
Hints from Heloise
yogurt
STAFF PHOTO By JA’KORI MADISON All youcan eat Korean BBQ at Bushido in Lafayette
STAFF PHOTO By MARGARET DELANEy
The Humphrey, ahouse special, withplain yogurt, grapes, bananas, honeyand granolaatCounter Culture in Baton Rouge
STAFFPHOTO By BRAD KEMP
Owners Hannah S. Higgins, left, and David Bodinwork to makelunches in theirRagin Casians Crossroads Cuisine food truck at Uncle Bob’sRoundup.
ARIES (March 21-April 19) Play by the rules,look forincentives and put your heart and soul intogetting ahead. Nurture relationshipsthatcan help you getahead,and work as ateam player to ensuresuccess.
tAuRuS (April 20-May 20) Venture out, butleave your credit cards at home. A fast-talking salesperson will tempt you with unnecessary bargains. Keeping a lowprofile or goingfor ahike instead of going to the mall will encourage peace of mind.
GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Saynototemptation,overspending or being guilted into making adonationthatyou can't afford.Curb badhabits and avoid making spur-of-the-moment decisions
cAncER(June 21-July 22) Useyour clout andconnections. Discuss your plans, getyourfinances and investments in order, andmake positiveadjustments to ensure you use your skills in the latestand most extraordinary way.
LEo (July23-Aug.22) Reinvent how you want to move forward. It's time to be truetoyourselfand to venturedown apath that offers self-satisfaction and joy.
VIRGo(Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Do what feels right, and don't look back. Overreactingwill getyou nowhere fast, but taking astand andfollowing your heart will soothe your soul. You can make an impact.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-oct. 23) You mustfeel comfortable with what you chooseto
do, so do things your way. Letyour innovative ideas flow and your energy carry you to where you want to be.
ScoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Stop sitting on the sidelinesand take astand. It'son you to turnupthe volume and let your voice andactionslead theway.Reunite withsomeone you miss and love.
SAGIttARIuS(nov.23-Dec. 21) Take a moment,rethink your next move and watch to seewho does whatbeforeyou reveal your position. Earmark your objective, but wait for the right time to make your move.
cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Welcome change instead of hiding. Once you investigate, you'll seethe benefits of keeping up with the times. Investin yourself and whatyou want to do next, and doors will open.
AQuARIuS(Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Handle partnershipswith care. Listen,think before yourespondand offeralternatives that provide incentives for everyone. Less drama andmore affection will be the waytogo.
PIScES (Feb.20-March20) Fewer demands and more action on your part willpay off. If youwant something done, do it yourself. Overreacting will waste time, but concentrating your strengths on what's meaningful to you will make adifference.
Celebrity Cipher cryptograms arecreated from quotations by famous people, past and present.Each letterinthe cipherstands for another.
toDAy'ScLuE: IEQuALS G
CeLebrItY CIpher
beetLe bAILeY Mother GooSe And GrIMM
By PHILLIP ALDER Bridge
Charles R. Swindoll, apreacher who founded Insight for Living, said, “The secret of living alifeofexcellenceis merelya matter of thinking thoughts of excellence. Really, it’s amatter of programming ourminds with thekind of information that will set us free.”
The secret of playing bridge excellently is merely(!) amatter of thinking the excellent thought at theright moment. Really, it’s amatter of programming your mind to sift the information and reach the winning conclusion.
In this deal, West leads the diamond jack againstseven spades. South wins with his ace and runs atorrent of six trumps andthree hearts. What should West discard?
In theory, North’s jump to four spades denied afirst- or second-round control.
Butwithatrue Yarborough (nocard higher than anine), he felt justifiedin aslight fib. South thenhoped he would be able to avoid adiamond loser; maybe partner would have the queen or adoubleton diamond.
Since dummy had no help, Southhad to runhiswinners,startingwithhistrumps, andhope that the defenders would err.
Weststartedwithfourpainlesspitches: twohearts and two clubs. Then, though, when the three top hearts came, he was lesscomfortable.Hewasnotsurewhether to throwdiamonds or clubs. What was the keyclue? If South had started with adoubleton club,hewould have ruffed the second in the dummy. So,since South held at most one club, Westhad to staygluedtohis diamonds.
Each Wuzzle is awordriddle whichcreates adisguised word, phrase, name,place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON
Previous answers:
game
InStRuctIonS: 1. Words must be of four or more letters.2.Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” suchas“bats”or“dies,” are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a“d” or an “s” maynot be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.
toDAy’S WoRD PREPARED: prih-PARE’D: Readytodeal with asituation
