The Times-Picayune 04-14-2025 by The Advocate

ALL THAT JAZZ

ABOVE: The Secret Six Jazz Band has festgoers on their feet at the French Market Traditional Jazz Stage duringthe last day of the French Quarter Festival in New Orleans on Sunday.The free four-day festival featured music and entertainment on 33 stages andspecial eventlocations, food and agood time. BELOWLEFT: People swing to the music of the New OrleansJazz Vipers at the Dutch Alley Performance Pavilion on Sunday. BELOWRIGHT: Loyola student Renaissa Avari performs on the Loyola University Esplanade in the Shade Stageduringthe last dayofthe festival. STAFF PHOTOSBySCOTT

THRELKELD

La.coastal

damage cases mountagainst oilindustry

Landmark verdictearlier this monthheld companyresponsible

BY ALEX LUBBEN |Staff writer

fact that it sets aprecedent for the40 other lawsuits that attorney John Carmouche has ﬁled on behalf of coastal parishes, allseeking damages from oil companies to restore areas along Louisiana’seroding coastline.

BY BILL BARROW |Associated Press

ATLANTA— Trump administrationofﬁcials were out in force across the television networks Sunday defending President Donald Trump’seconomic policiesafter another week of reeling markets that saw the Republican administration reverse course onsome of its steepest tariffs Trump, meanwhile, said on his social media platform that there ultimately will be no exemptionsfor hissweeping tariff agenda, disputing characterizations that he has granted tariff exceptions for

ä See

Alandmark verdict holdingthe oil industry responsible forLouisiana coastal damage was more than adecadeinthe making. It may only be the beginningofa much bigger ﬁght

After amonthlong trial in Plaquemines Parishthat ended earlier this month, ajury found Chevron liable for $745 millionindamages,which, by law,mustbeusedtorestore coastal wetlands.The company immediately promised to appeal, astance that Chevron has emphasized in the days since thetrial ended

Perhaps more importantthanthe outcome of this case, however,isthe

“Thisisone of thelargest verdicts ever wonbya local government for environmental damage —not only in the United States, but globally,” said Michael Gerrard,the founder of the Sabin Center for ClimateChange Law at Columbia University in New York. “Inaddition to its effect on the numerous other similar lawsuits pending in Louisiana, it may inspire similar lawsuits in this country and around the world.”

“It’snot theend of anything,” noted Mark Davis, director of the Tulane Center on Environmental Law.“It’salmost inevitable that the appeals process will commence. And Ithink settlement

ä See CASES, page 6A

Rethinking of defeated amendments also on table

BYALYSE PFEIL |Staff writer

When the Louisiana Legislature gathers Monday in the State Capitol, it will begin debate on contentious issues ranging from improving roads and bridges to embracing the “Make America Healthy Again” movement to reducing the cost of car insurance.

State lawmakers are also trying to ﬁnd a waytorevive key pieces of arecently failed constitutional amendment that was aimed at rewriting an entire sectionof the state constitution governing state ﬁnances. And they will have to craft astate budgetamid unpredictable federal spending cuts andthe specter of potential slashes to Medicaid. Here are what state leaders say are among their top priorities.

Gov. Jeff Landry and legislative leaders in both the House andSenateare throwing their support behind an effort to restructure the Department of Transportationand Development. “We’re hoping to see projects done faster still the samequality work, still all the safety measuresinplace,”saidSenatePresident Cameron Henry,R-Metairie. Henry emphasized theeffort is notcentered on ﬁring DOTD employees but is instead focused on speeding up project timelines and

ä See PRIORITIES, page 5A 2025

BY SAM KARLIN |Staff writer

Louisiana lawmakers are proposing ahost of measures to help incentivize —and possibly require —the building of fortified roofs, which arewidely seen as onesolution to the spiraling insurance premiums saddling homeowners. The Legislature will consider at least six bills directly addressing fortified roofs during the session that begins Monday If successful, proponents of the changes hope Louisiana can rapidly acceleratethe pace at which new, stronger roofsare built in the state. As aresult, they hope insurance companies will offerdiscounted premiums to homeowners in south Louisiana whohave been hammered with soaring costs that have thrown the state into an insurance crisis. Some state officials even believe more insurers will be willingtowrite policiesinstorm-prone coastalLouisiana if acritical mass of homes are better equipped to withstand hurricanes. Onebill would set up adedicated funding stream forastate grant program to give

ä See ROOFS, page 4A

Carmouche

Landry

Doctor: Trump ‘fully fit’ to serve after physical WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. Donald Trump’s doctor says the oldest man elected president is “fully fit” to serve a’s commander in chief as the White House released results Sunday of Trump’s recent physical exam

The 78-year-old Trump is 20 pounds lighter since his checkup as president in 2020 showed him bordering on obesity

His physician, Navy Capt. Sean Barbabella, cited an “active lifestyle” that “continues to contribute signiﬁcantly” to the Republican president’s well-being. Trump turns 79 on June 14

In a three-page summary of the comprehensive exam from Friday, the doctor said Trump is “fully ﬁt to execute the duties of Commander-in-Chief and Head of State.”

Trump weighed 224 at the checkup, down from 244 at that physical more than four years ago. His BMI, or body mass index, which is a measure of one’s weight relative to height, is down to 28.0, which drops Trump to the category of overweight.

The summary noted that Trump previously had cataract surgery on both eyes, but gave no date or dates. A common procedure among aging people, the surgery typically involves removing a cloudy eye lens and replacing it with an artificial lens to help clear up vision In July 2024, according to the report, then-candidate Trump had a colonoscopy that found a benign polyp and the condition called diverticulosis. It’s a common condition in which the walls of the intestine weaken with age.

Trump again passed a Montreal Cognitive Assessment test, a short screening test to assess different brain functions, Barbabella wrote.

Lutnick: New tariffs on semiconductors coming NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tariff exemptions announced Friday on electronics like smartphones and laptops are only a temporary reprieve until the Trump administration develops a new tariff approach speciﬁc to the semiconductor industry, U.S Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Sunday “They’re exempt from the reciprocal tariffs but they’re included in the semiconductor tariffs, which are coming in probably a month or two,” Lutnick told ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday President Donald Trump added to the confusion hours later, declaring on social media that there was no “exception” at all because the goods are “just moving to a different” bucket and will still face a 20% tariff as part of his move to punish China for its role in fentanyl trafﬁcking.

The White House late Friday said it would exclude electronics from broader so-called reciprocal tariffs, a move that could help keep the prices down for popular consumer devices that aren’t usually made in the U.S.

Pet tortoise reunited with family after tornado

KOKOMO, Miss. — Myrtle, a cherished pet tortoise, has been reunited with its family in Mississippi weeks after disappearing during a deadly tornado outbreak in March.

“He’s been through a lot,” said Myrtle’s grateful owner, Tiffany Emanuel. “I know that he knows just as much as I do that every step of the way I’m going to be there helping him, caring for him, making sure he gets you know, the help that he needs.”

The Emanuel family ﬂed their home in the rural Kokomo area as a tornado hit on March 15. They returned to ﬁnd two pine trees had fallen on top of their tortoise’s backyard home Myrtle was missing. Weeks later, a neighbor found the injured tortoise. He was taken to the Central Mississippi Turtle Rescue for medical treatment on April 4.

“The lady who found the tortoise called me and she said she had run into the owners,” said Christy Milbourne, the organization’s founder and co-director

“She said, ‘I think they’re going to be calling you.’ So, I was excited, and then the owners did call and say, ‘Yeah, that’s my tortoise.’” Emanuel is now nursing Myrtle back to health.

PENNSYLVANIA

1 booked in arson at governor’s mansion

Authorities say fire forced Shapiro and family to evacuate building

BY MARC LEVY Associated Press

HARRISBURG, Pa. A man scaled an iron security fence in the middle of the night, eluded police and broke into the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion where he set a ﬁre that left signiﬁcant damage and forced Democratic Gov Josh Shapiro, his family and guests to evacuate the building, authorities said Sunday The man, captured later in the day will face charges of attempted murder, terrorism, aggravated arson and aggravated assault, authorities said.

Shapiro said he, his wife, their four children, two dogs and another family had celebrated the Jewish holiday of Passover at the residence on Saturday and were awakened by state troopers pounding on their doors at about 2 a.m. Sunday. They fled and the fire was extinguished, officials said. No one was injured.

At a Sunday evening news conference in front of the badly damaged south wing of the governor’s residence, Pennsylvania State Police Col. Christopher Paris identiﬁed the man in custody as Cody Balmer, 38, of Harrisburg.

Paris emphasized that the investigation is continuing. Authorities did not disclose the man’s motive, but an emotional Shapiro — who is viewed as a potential White House contender for the Democratic Party in 2028 said he is unbowed.

Shapiro said that if Balmer was trying to stop him from doing his job, then he’ll work harder, and he added that Balmer will not stop him from observing his faith

“When we were in the state dining room last night, we told the story of Passover” and the exodus of the Jews from slavery in Egypt to freedom, Shapiro said. “I refuse to be trapped by the bondage that someone attempts to put on me by attacking us as they did here last night. I refuse

to let anyone who had evil intentions like that stop me from doing the work that I love.”

Authorities said the suspect hopped over a nearly 7-foot-high iron security fence surrounding the property, eluded ofﬁcers who became aware of the breach and forcibly entered the residence before setting it on ﬁre.

Lt. Col. George Bivens said Balmer had a homemade incendiary device — he wouldn’t describe what kind — and appeared to have carefully planned the attack He was inside the residence for about a minute before he escaped, Bivens said.

Bivens said Balmer was later arrested in the area. Shapiro said the ﬁre was set in the very room where the families celebrated Passover with a seder with members of Harrisburg’s Jewish community on Saturday night.

“We don’t know the person’s specific motive yet,” Shapiro told the news conference. “But we do know a few truths. First: This type of violence is not OK. This kind of violence is becoming far too common in our society And I don’t give a damn if it’s coming from one particular side or the other directed at one particular party or another or one particular person or another. It is not OK, and it has to stop. We have to be better than this.”

The ﬁre badly damaged the inside of the large room that is often used for entertaining crowds and art displays. Large west- and south-facing windows were completely missing their glass panes, shattered glass littered the pathways and doors stood ajar amid signs of charring. Window panes and brick around doors and windows were blackened and charred. Inside, a charred piano, tables, walls, metal buffet serving dishes and more could be seen through broken windows and ﬁre-blackened doors.

The Harrisburg Bureau of Fire was called to the residence and put out the ﬁre at the Susquehanna Riverfront mansion. Shapiro and his family had been sleeping in a different part of the residence, police said.

Despite ruling, U.S. still won’t say if it will return deported Md. man

Abrego Garcia wrongly sent to El Salvador prison

BY BILL BARROW Associated Press

The Trump administration is doubling down on its decision not to tell a federal court whether it has any plans to repatriate a Maryland man who was mistakenly deported last month and remains conﬁned in a notorious prison in El Salvador, despite a Supreme Court ruling and lower court order that the man should be returned to the United States.

The U.S. district court judge handling the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia now is weighing whether to grant a request from the man’s legal team to compel the government to explain why it should not be held in contempt. Any move toward a contempt ﬁnding would represent an extraordinary turn in the Trump administration’s assertion of presidential authority both generally and speciﬁcally over immigration policy

The government’s latest daily status update, filed Sunday as required by Judge Paula Xinis, states essentially that the Trump administration has nothing to add beyond its Saturday statement that, for the first time, confirmed that Abrego Garcia, 29, was alive and remained in an El Salvador prison under the control of that country’s government. That means for the second consecutive day, the ad-

ministration has not addressed Xinis’ demands that the administration detail what steps it was taking to return Abrego Garcia to the United States.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last Thursday that the Trump administration must bring him back. Xinis followed that with an order Friday requiring the administration to disclose Abrego Garcia’s “current physical location and custodial status” and “what steps, if any, Defendants have taken (and) will take, and when, to facilitate” his return.

The Trump administration has asserted that Abrego Garcia, who lived in the U.S. for about 14 years before being deported, is a member of the MS-13 gang. Abrego Garcia has disputed that claim, and he has never been charged with any crime related to such activity The Trump administration has called his deportation a mistake but also has argued, essentially, that its conclusion about Abrego Garcia’s afﬁliation makes him ineligible for protection from the courts.

Abrego Garcia’s location was first confirmed to the court by Michael G. Kozak, who identified himself in the Saturday filing as a “Senior Bureau Official” in the State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs Sunday’s status update was signed by Evan C. Katz, who was identified in the filing as assistant director of Enforcement and Removal Operations for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency within the Department of Homeland Security

Russian missiles mar Palm Sunday celebrations

More than 30 killed in Ukrainian city

BY SAMYA KULLAB Associated Press

SUMY Ukraine Russian missiles struck the heart of the Ukrainian city of Sumy as people gathered to celebrate Palm Sunday, killing at least 34 people, ofﬁcials said, in the second large-scale attack to claim civilian lives in just over a week.

The two ballistic missiles hit around 10:15 a.m., officials said. Images from the scene showed lines of black body bags on the side of the road, while more bodies were seen wrapped in foil blankets among the debris. Video footage also showed fire crews fighting to extinguish the shells of burnedout cars among the rubble from damaged buildings.

The dead included two children, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine said in a statement. A further 117 people were wounded, including 15 children, it said.

“Only ﬁlthy scum can act like this taking the lives of ordinary people,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. In a statement on social media, he said the ﬁrst strike hit buildings belonging to a city university, while the second exploded above street level.

The head of the Ukrainian president’s office, Andriy Yermak, said the strike also used cluster munitions in an attempt to kill

as many people as possible. The Associated Press was unable to verify the claim. The attack on Sumy followed a deadly April 4 missile strike on Zelenskyy’s hometown of Kryvyi Rih that killed some 20 people, including nine children. Zelenskyy called for a global response to the attack. “Talks have never stopped ballistic missiles and aerial bombs. What’s needed is an attitude toward Russia that a terrorist deserves,” he said.

Other world leaders also condemned the attack, with French President Emmanuel Macron saying that it undermined Washingtonled peace talks between the two sides.

“Everyone knows: This war was initiated by Russia alone. And today, it is clear that Russia alone chooses to continue it — with blatant disregard for human lives, international law and the diplomatic efforts” of U.S. President Donald Trump, he wrote in a statement.

Elsewhere in Ukraine two women, ages 62 and 68, and a 48-year-old man were killed in Russian attacks on the Kherson region, local Gov Oleksandr Prokudin said. Another person was killed during Russian shelling on Ukraine’s Donetsk region, Gov Vadym Filashkin said.

The mayor of the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, Ihor Terekhov said a Russian strike hit one of the city’s kindergartens, shattering windows and damaging the building’s facade. No casualties were reported.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO

Rescue workers clear the rubble Sunday of a university building destroyed by a Russian missile strike on Sumy Ukraine.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MARC LEVy

Investigators respond to the scene after an overnight fire at the governor’s official residence on Sunday in Harrisburg, Pa

Convalescing pope opensHolyWeekatVatican

Francisgives in-persongreeting at St.Peter’s Square

BY COLLEEN BARRY Associated Press

VATICAN CITY Aconvalescing Pope Francis greeted the crowd in St. Peter’sSquare on Palm Sunday,wishing more than 20,000faithful a“Happy Palm Sunday, Happy Holy Week,” in yet another reassuring public sign of his recovery from a life-threatening battle with double pneumonia. Many in the crowd reached out to touch Francis’ hand or garments as he was brought in awheelchair down aramp to the main altar,where he issued his brief greeting into a microphone. The 88-year-old pope was not wearing nasal tubes for supplemental oxygen, as he had during asimi-

the Vatican.

larappearance lastSunday On hisway back to St.Peter’sBasilica fromwhere he had emerged, Francis stopped to bless arosary,and offered candy to aboy who greetedhim. Francis is entering his fourth week of convalescence during which doctors have advised him to avoid crowds. While Francis is clearly eager to show he is feeling better, he has not spoken more than afew words in public as he recovers from a severe respiratorycrisis that haslaboredhis speech.The Vatican said it was waiting to adviseonwhatrole he may

Israel intensifiesstrikes in Gaza

BY WAFAA SHURAFA and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Awave of Israeli strikes acrossGaza on Sunday hit ahospital and other sites, killing at least21 people,includingchildren,as Israel vowed to expand itssecurity presence in the small coastal strip.

The predawn strike on AlAhli HospitalinGaza City was the latest of severalattacks on northern Gaza’slast major hospital providing critical health care.

Hospital director Dr.Fadel Naim said the emergency room, pharmacy and surrounding buildingswereseverely damaged, affecting over 100 patients and dozens of staff.

One patient, agirl, died during the evacuation following an Israeli warning because staff were unable to provide urgent care, Gaza’s Health Ministry said. Israel said it struck aHamas command and control center at the hospital, without providing evidence. Hamas denied the allegations.

Al-Ahli Hospitalisrun by the Episcopal Diocese of Je-

rusalem, which condemned theattack, saying in astatement it happenedon“Palm Sunday, the startofthe Holy Week, the most sacred week of the Christianyear.”

Palm Sunday commemo-

rates Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, and worshipers in Gaza City marked it in a church whose gilded trim andintactwalls were acontrast to the widespread debris elsewhere Associated Press video showed thehospital’scavedin roof surrounded by rubble. Thehealth ministry’s director general, Dr.Munir al-Boursh,said patients had been carriedoutside in beds andslept in the streets.

“Nothing was left safe inside the hospital, or all over Gaza,”said MohammadAbu Nasser,aninjured manwho sat on hisbed outdoors and lookedatthe destruction.

Thehealth ministry said the hospital was temporarily out of service and patientswere transferred to other hospitals in Gaza City.The aidgroup Medical Aidfor Palestinians called it the ﬁfth attack on AlAhli sincethe war began. Hospitals have specialprotection under international

law. Israel hasbesiegedand raidedthem, someseveral times,and struck multiple ones while accusing Hamas of usingthemascover for its ﬁghters.

LastmonthIsrael struck Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, thelargestinsouthernGaza, killing twopeople and causing alarge ﬁre, the health ministry said. The facilityhad been overwhelmed when Israel endedatwomonth ceaseﬁre last month with asurprisewaveofairstrikes.

Hours later Sunday,a strike on acar in DeiralBalahincentral Gaza killed at leastseven people including six brothers, according to staff at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, which received the bodies.The youngestbrother was 10. Their father,Ibrahim Abu Mahadi, said hissonsworked for acharitythat distributes food to Palestinians. “For what sin were they killed?” he said.

AP reporterssaw the mangled, bloodiedcar as relatives wept over the bodies Israel’s military asserted thatitkilled thedeputy head of aHamas snipercell.

At least50 killed in easternCongo

BY JUSTIN KABUMBA and JEAN-YVES KAMALE

Press

Associated

GOMA, Congo— At least 50 people were killed in weekendattacks in Congo’s conflict-battered east, authorities saidSaturday.The government traded blame with Rwanda-backedrebels over who was responsible for the violence that quickly escalated the conﬂict in the region. The renewed violence that residents reported in and around the region’slargest city of Goma —which the M23rebelscontrol— was

the biggestthreat yet to ongoing peaceefforts by both theGulfArab state of Qatar and African nations inthe conﬂict that has raised fears of regionalwarfare Goma resident Amboma Safari recounted how his familyoffourspentthe night undertheir bedastheyheard gunfire and bomb blasts through Friday night. “We saw corpses of soldiers, but we don’t know whichgroup they are from,” Safarisaid. In the secondcity of Bukavu, which theM23 also controls, dozens of the armed Wazalendo localmilitia mem-

berswho ﬁght alongside Congolese forces marched fora few hours toward the local airport as theyappeared to stage achallenge against the rebels.

The group, which later retreated,declared aceaseﬁre on Sunday to give ongoing peace talks “a chance.”

The decadeslong conflict between Congoand theM23 rebels escalated in January, when therebels made an unprecedented advanceand seized the strategic eastern Congolesecity of Goma, followed by thetown of Bukavu in February

play in upcoming Holy Week events leading up to Easter Sunday It was hissecondtimein St. Peter’sSquare before a crowd since leaving thehospital, following last Sunday’s unexpected appearance that thrilledthe faithful. He also met privately with King Charles III and Queen Camilla this week, and made an impromptutourofSt. Peter’sBasilica, stopping to pray,and to thank apair of restorers fortheir work on the basilica’smasterpieces On Saturday,the eveof Holy Week, Francis went to theSt. Mary Major Basilica in central Rome to pray privately before afavoriteicon of theVirgin Mary,Salus Populi Romani. The basilica, which he typically visivts before and afterhis foreign trips, was alsohis ﬁrst stop after leaving the Gemelli hospital on March 23.

In the traditional Sunday blessing, the pontiff thanked thefaithfulfor theirprayers.

“At this timeofphysical weakness, they help me to feel God’scloseness, compassion and tenderness even more.” Forthe ninth week, including his ﬁve-week hospitalization starting Feb. 14, the blessing was delivered as atext.

The pope offered prayers for those suffering in the conflict in Sudan, which marks its second anniversary on Tuesday, andfor Lebanon, where civil war began 50 years ago, as well as for peace in Ukraine, the Middle East, Congo,Myanmar and South Sudan.

In aprepared PalmSunday homily read by atop Vatican cardinal,Francis urgedthe faithful to carry thecross “of those who suffer around us” to mark the start of the solemn Holy Week.

CardinalLeonardoSandri, vicedean of the College of Cardinals, led the celebrations, leading aprocession of cardinals around the piazza’s central obelisk carrying an ornately braidedpalmthat recalls Jesus’ triumphant entrance into Jerusalem, when crowds waved palm branches to honor him. The initialwelcome contrasts with the suffering that follows, leading up to his cruciﬁxion, which Christians observe on Good Friday, followedbyhis resurrection, celebrated on Easter Sunday The faithful emerged from St. Peter’sSquare carrying blessedpalm fronds or olive branches to mark the occasion. While the pope’sappearance waswidely expected, pilgrims acknowledged some concern that gusts of wind might keep him from entering the square.

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTO By GREGORIOBORGIA Pope Francis arrivesatthe end of Palm Sunday Mass on SundayinSt. Peter’sSquare at

$10,000 each to homeowners that want fortiﬁed roofs. Several lawmakers are proposing various tax breaks to homeowners who voluntarily equip their homes with stronger roofs. Another bill would require insurers to offer a certain discount on premiums in exchange for fortiﬁed roofs, an effort that failed last year but may gain new support from Gov Jeff Landry this time.

State Rep. Aimee Freeman, D-New Orleans, is sponsoring a bill supported by Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple to require that any new roof in coastal parishes be built to the fortiﬁed standard. A similar bill was shelved in 2023 amid opposition from homebuilders.

“We know that we can’t grant our way out of this problem,” Freeman said.

“We’re (never) going to have the funding needed to grant everyone a fortiﬁed roof.”

The crop of bills underscores the enduring nature of the insurance crisis, which has not meaningfully abated for most homeowners in south Louisiana. On average, policyholders who saw their premium change have experienced a 9% increase since last year, according to a Times-Picayune | The Advocate review of state data. Landry signed an industry-

TARIFFS

Continued from page 1A

certain electronics, including smartphones, whose production is concentrated in China Rather, Trump said, “those products are subject to the existing 20% Fentanyl Tariffs, and they are just moving to a different Tariff ‘bucket.’”

White House advisers and Cabinet members tried to project conﬁdence and calm amid Trump’s on-again, offagain approach to tariffs on imported goods from around the world. But their explanations about the overall agenda, coupled with Trump’s latest statements, also reﬂected shifting narratives from a president who, as a candidate in 2024, promised an immediate economic boost and lower prices but now asks American businesses and consumers for patience.

A week ago, Trump’s team stood by his promise to leave the impending tariffs in place without exceptions. They used their latest news show appearances to defend his move to ratchet back to a 10% universal tariff for most nations except China (145%), while seeming to grant exemptions for certain electronics like smartphones, laptops, hard drives, ﬂat-panel monitors and semiconductor chips.

Long before launching his ﬁrst presidential campaign in 2015, Trump bemoaned the offshoring of U.S. manufacturing. His promise is to reindustrialize the United States and eliminate trade deﬁcits

friendly package of bills last May that he and lawmakers said should help to lower costs, but has since said he’s frustrated with a lack of progress Temple remains bullish on the prospects of rate decreases this year

‘The way out’ Louisiana set up the fortified roof grant program in 2022, modeled on Alabama’s program that has seen widespread uptake and led to relief on insurance premiums. A fortiﬁed roof simply uses better nails, a water barrier underneath the shingles and techniques to strengthen the edges of a roof, which is where hurricane winds often start tearing it apart. So far, the state has allocated a collective $45 million to the program and doled out 2,332 grants to build fortiﬁed roofs, with 1,700 more in progress.

Fortified roofs are one of the few potential insurance crisis solutions that have garnered widespread, bipartisan support in the state. Democrats and some consumer and housing groups have hotly contested other free-market insurance strategies championed by the GOP-dominated Legislature and Temple.

Sen. Kirk Talbot, R-River Ridge, said it will take time to see more insurers enter the market and drive down rates.

In the meantime, he’s proposing adding a $10,000 tax credit for homeowners who voluntarily put a new forti-

with other countries. Last week, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, interviewed on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” played up national security “You’ve got to realize this is a national security issue,” he said, raising the worst-case scenarios of what could happen if the U.S. were involved in a war We don’t make medicine in this country anymore We don’t make ships. We don’t have enough steel and aluminum to ﬁght a battle, right?” he said.

On Sunday, Lutnick stuck to that national security framing, but White House trade adviser Peter Navarro focused more on the import taxes being leverage in the bigger economic puzzle.

Hebert said his constituents are still being squeezed by high insurance premiums. “It is the No. 1 issue,” he said.

20% minimum discount for a fortiﬁed roof. A similar bill failed in the Legislature last year, amid opposition from Temple.

Discount debate

Most people who are building fortiﬁed roofs here are doing so outside the grant program. Since January 2024, the number of people doing so rose from 878 to 4,146, Ford said. The department has promoted strengthening roofs through TV ads in hopes that more Louisianans will upgrade their roofs voluntarily

ﬁed roof on their homes. That would dramatically increase the tax break for homeowners, who currently can only get a tax deduction of $5,000.

“That’s the way out,” Talbot said. “That’s the only way we’re all gonna live here, if you put a fortified roof on your house.”

‘No. 1 issue’

The state grant program has continued to win support at the Legislature, but Temple and some lawmakers hope to set up a permanent funding stream to continue doling out roof grants. After approving $30 million for the program for 2023, the Legislature approved $15 million last year

Rep. Troy Hebert, R-Lafayette, is sponsoring a bill to dedicate money from premi-

Truth Social post disputing the notion of exemptions, Lutnick alluded to that coming policy “They’re going to have a special focus-type of tariff to make sure that those products get reshored,” he told ABC’s “This Week.”

“The world cheats us. They’ve been cheating us for decades,” Navarro said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” He cited practices such as dumping products at unfairly low prices, currency manipulation and barriers to U.S. auto and agricultural products entering foreign markets.

Navarro insisted the tariffs would yield broader bilateral trade deals to address all those issues. But he also relied on a separate justiﬁcation when discussing China: the illicit drug trade

“China has killed over a million people with their fentanyl,” he said.

Speaking before Trump’s

Navarro named the United Kingdom, the European Union, India, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and Israel as among the nations in active negotiations with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Lutnick and other ofﬁcials.

Greer said on CBS that his goal was “to get meaningful deals before 90 days” — the duration of Trump’s pause — “and I think we’re going to be there with several countries in the next few weeks.”

Talks with China have not begun, he said. “We expect to have a conversation with them,” he said, emphasizing it would be between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Trump took an aggressive tone himself Sunday in his social media post, saying “we will not be held hostage by other Countries, especially hostile trading Nations like China, which will do everything within its power to disrespect the American People.”

Navarro was not as speciﬁc about Beijing. “We have opened up our invitation

um taxes and fees to the grant program, raising about $30 million a year That’s roughly enough for 3,000 homeowners annually

Insurers offer varying discounts for a fortiﬁed roof because it lowers risk and is seen as less likely to blow off during a hurricane. Roof damage is the most expensive form of damage from major storms for insurers, especially when it allows water to pour into a home.

“We’re trying to lessen damage to people’s homes to ultimately help them achieve lower home insurance rates,” Hebert said. He hopes his bill to set up a dedicated funding stream for the grant program will ensure the program is not subjected to the whims of the Legislature.

to them,” he said. Lutnick characterized the outreach as “soft entrees through intermediaries.”

Pressed on whether there is any meaningful back and forth, Navarro said, “The president has a very good relationship with President Xi.”

Then he proceeded to criticize several China’s policies and trade practices.

Others confronted some of the more complex realities of trying to achieve Trump’s goal of restoring a bygone

A recent state audit found that getting a fortiﬁed roof in south Louisiana provides more benefits premium discounts and fewer hurricane losses — than it costs in the long run. The median recipient in a survey conducted by the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s Office got a 22% insurance discount.

“This is a program that works,” Temple said. “People like it. It’s the most immediate way to get a reduction in your premium.”

Still, some housing advocates and lawmakers want the state to go further in guaranteeing discounts for building a stronger roof Louisiana modeled its program on Alabama, which requires minimum discounts for upgraded roofs. So far, Louisiana has not done the same. Sen. Royce Duplessis, DNew Orleans, ﬁled a bill to require insurers to offer a

era of U.S. manufacturing. Lutnick suggested the focus is on returning hightech jobs, while sidestepping questions about lower-skilled manufacturing of goods such as shoes that could mean higher prices because of higher wages for U.S. workers. But some of that high-tech production is what Trump has, for now exempted from the tariffs that he and his advisers frame as leverage for

Landry said in an interview late last year that he was frustrated with a lack of progress on property insurance premiums and that insurers should be required to step up and offer a minimum discount for fortiﬁed roofs. Duplessis said his bill is about fairness, given that insurance companies beneﬁt from stronger roofs and the state is giving out taxpayerfunded grants to support the program.

“We’re using state money to benefit insurance com-

forcing companies to open U.S. facilities.

Kevin Hassett, director of the White House Economic Council, did acknowledge widespread angst.

“The survey data has been showing that people are anxious about the changes a little bit,” he said, before steering his answer to employment rates. “The hard data,” he said, “has been really, really strong.”

Navarro

streamlining procedures

“The goal is to improve DOTD and its current situation as it relates to project delivery,communication with stakeholders and accountability,” said House Transportation Committee Chair Rep. Ryan Bourriaque, R-Abbeville.

Bourriaque, akey player in plansfor the transportation department overhaul, said stronger accountability measures are aimed at keeping projecttimelineson track and reducing permitting delays.

Kate Kelly,communications director for Landry, said “DOTD reform” also is among the governor’stop priorities thissession.

Just months into his administration lastyear, Landry ordered his transportation secretary,Joe Donahue, to put together aplan to “rehabilitate” the oft-maligned department.

That resulted in areview of the agency by aprivate consultant as well as a44pageStrategic Improvement Plan issued by DOTD, which conceded inefﬁcient and inconsistent project delivery is apressing problem.

House Speaker Phillip DeVillier,R-Eunice, said the rootofDOTD’sproblems lies in an old system where “if you want something in your district, you have to vote acertain way.”

“Infrastructure hasalways been done through politics,” he said. “That’swhat you see DOTD is builtupon. What we’re trying to do now is shift it andactually take care of our infrastructure for achange and make it a priority of the state.”

‘MAHA’

Landry has voiced support on social media for “MAHA” —a slogan promotedbyU.S Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.that echoes President Donald Trump’s“Make America Great Again” catchphrase.

The governor recently posted that he looks forward to working with Trump and Kennedy,who has drawn criticism for his skepticism of vaccines, “to bring the MAHA movement to the forefront in Louisiana.”

Sen. Patrick McMath,RCovington, champions the MAHA cause.

He is sponsoringa sweeping nutritionbill thatwould ban thepurchase of soft drinks using federal food aid payments, prohibit the use of ultra-processed ingredients in publicschools and require restaurantsto tell customers if they cook with seed oils like canolaor corn oil.

The plan would take time and money to implement, McMath hasacknowledged But it also is part of acampaign to pressure food companies to change ingredients in ultra-processed products.

DeVillier said he is “excited” to learn more about McMath’splan.

Henry said he expects “good things to come” from the nutrition legislation and

called McMath’s proposed timeline for changes “very realistic.”

Taxesand spending

Duringa tax-focused special session in November, lawmakers approved major changes, includingreducing individualand corporate income tax rates and increasingthe statesales tax rate

They also proposed Amendment 2, asweeping revision to theLouisiana Constitution’s tax and finance provisions. Butvoters rejected theplanbywide margins on March29.

Lawmakers hoped to implement dozens of policy changes through Amendment 2. But now they have narrowed their focus and say they want to putatleast afew of those before voters again

One would free up money for more immediate spendingneedsbycombining two state trust funds: the BudgetStabilization Fund, with abalance of $1.07 billion, and the Revenue Stabilization Trust Fund,with$2.73 billion.

The money funneledinto those accountscan be spent in only certain cases, such as when the stateisfacing abudget shortfall or other emergency circumstances.

“Wehave more money in savings nowthanwe’ve ever had,” DeVillier said.And theonlyway to accomplish certain goals “is by taking the resources that we have today and putting them to work,” he said.

DeVillier said someofthat money could be used on road construction, water sector improvements, long-delayed maintenance projectsatuniversities andlowering sales and income taxes

Henry also backs combining the two accounts to free up more money

Aside from the trust fund plan, Henry,DeVillier and Rep. Julie Emerson,a Carencro Republican who chairs the Housetax-writingcommittee, all signaled that an effort to phase out a propertytax on business inventory will also resurface during thesession.

Education

Ahigh-proﬁle element in the failed Amendment 2was aplan to permanently increase thesalaries of teach-

ers by $2,000 andsupport staff by $1,000.

During thepasttwo budget years, lawmakers twice approvedthatpay as atemporarystipend. Butthis year,the latest revenue projections show that lawmakersneed to account for an expected $194 million shortfall.

With that budgethole looming, state leaders said they aren’tsure they can come up with the roughly $200 million needed to make theraises permanent.

“That’sapart of theconversation that we’re having,” said DeVillier,asentimentechoed by Henry Landry this month sent a letter to teachers,writing “no existing alternative recurring resources existto fund thepermanent salary increase you deserve.”

But, Landry said, “my door is open to ﬁnding asolution.

Rep. Jack McFarland, R-Jonesboro, chair of the House Budget Committee, said he’s “encouraged by membersand the public thatthe teacher stipendisa priority.”

“Our education system is on theriseinLouisiana,”he said. “Teachers are playing a large role in that.”

Another issue stirring controversy for this session is funding for Landry’ssignature education initiative, the LA GATOR Scholarship program,new taxpayer-funded school vouchers families can use for private schools or other education expenses.

Landry wants$93.5 million for GATOR scholarships for thenext budget year, up from current-year funding of about $44 million for the state’sexisting school voucher program Henry saidhewas “not remotely” expectingthe $93.5 million askand only supportsspending up to $50 million

Budget worries

Dramatic federal funding cutsand fears thatCongress will slash Medicaidspending have sparked worry in Louisiana.

Some, like McFarland, say they are remaining calm, proceeding with thefacts available to them at any given time —and keeping an eye on what is happening in Washington.

“I can’tbudget for some-

thingthat Idon’tknow yet that thefederal government’sgonna do,”hesaid.

McFarland said he has spoken with some members of Louisiana’scongressional delegation.

“I think everyone’sfully aware in D.C. that Louisiana has asigniﬁcant population that depends on Medicaid,” he said.

Lastweek McFarland said that despite widespread talk about cutstohealthcare and education, “I haven’tseen those yet.”

State health ofﬁcialsthis month said they anticipate losing $86 millionfrom eight federal grants eliminated by theTrumpadministration.

At abudgetmeeting last week, then-interim state HealthSecretary Drew Marantospoke to legislators about the possibilityoffederal funding cuts.

“If thefeds make changes, we obviously would have to implementthem,” he said. “The programasitis currentlydesigned is unchanged.”

Askedifhehad spoken with Louisiana’s congressional delegation,Maranto —whose last day in that position wasFriday— wouldonlysay that he has “engaged withthe federal delegation over the last few weeksand will continue to do so.”

Henry has said he has discussed the issue with U.S. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, with whom he is close.

Henry said he told Scalise that if federal funding is cut for agiven program, theproblemitisdesigned to address still exists —and states must then come up with the funding.

Auto insurancerates

Ahead of the session, Landry andDeVillier have both made lowering auto insurances rates akey priority —albeitindistinctways.

Landry this week unveiled thetypes of legislation he believeswill achieve that goal —something he said would require accountability on the

part of both insurancecompanies and trial lawyers who represent accident victims

DeVillier last summer directed someHouse legislative leaderstoconvene months’ worth of meetings aimed at determining why Louisiana’sauto insurance rates are so high.

“My committeechairs have done avery good job digging intothis,and I’mhopefulthat theinsurancecrisis that we haveinLouisiana is going to be addressed thissession,” he said.

Henry emphasized the “tough” balancing act that state lawmakers are forced to make in debatesoverinsurance rates. While lawmakers are wary of insurance companies that want policyholders to cede their power to challenge the fairness of claims payments, Henry said, they also want to avoidover-regulating insurersand driving them away, reducing competition.

“We’re just trying to ﬁnda happy medium in all of this,” he said.

Sightseeing chopper company ceasing operations

BY JAKE OFFENHARTZ Associated Press

NEW YORK The Federal Aviation Administration said Sunday that the helicopter tour company whose sightseeing chopper broke apart in ﬂight and crashed in New York, killing the pilot and a family of ﬁve visitors from Spain, is shutting down operations immediately

The FAA, in a statement posted on X, also said it would launch an immediate review of New York Helicopter Tours’ operating license and safety record.

The move came hours after New York Sen. Chuck Schumer had called on federal authorities to revoke the operating permits of New York Helicopter Tours.

The company’s sightseeing helicopter broke apart in midair and plunged into the Hudson River Thursday, killing the tourists from Spain and the pilot, a Navy SEAL

veteran.

At a news conference Sunday, before the announcement by the FAA, Schumer said the company should be required to halt all flights as the National Transportation Safety

Board investigates the deadly crash

The Senate Democrat minority leader also called on the Federal Aviation Administration to ramp up safety inspections for other helicopter tour companies, accusing them

Historic domes of Hagia Sophia renovated to protect the landmark from earthquakes

BY ROBERT BADENDIECK and MEHMET GUZEL Associated Press

ISTANBUL — Turkey has begun a new phase in sweeping restorations of the nearly 1,500-year-old Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, focusing on preserving the monument’s historic domes from the threat of earthquakes.

Officials say the project will include reinforcing Hagia Sophia’s main dome and half domes, replacing the worn lead coverings and upgrading the steel framework while worship continues uninterrupted in the mosque.

A newly installed tower crane on the eastern facade is expected to facilitate the efforts by transporting materials, expediting the renovations

“We have been carrying out intensive restoration ef-

forts on Hagia Sophia and its surrounding structures for three years,” said Dr Mehmet Selim Okten, a construction engineer, lecturer at Mimar Sinan University and a member of the scientiﬁc council overseeing the renovations. “At the end of these three years, we have focused on the seismic safety of Hagia Sophia, the minarets, the main dome and the main arches, especially due to the expected Istanbul earthquake.” In 2023, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck southern Turkey, destroying or damaging hundreds of thousands of buildings and leaving more than 53,000 people dead. While Istanbul was not impacted, the devastation in southern Turkey heightened fears of a similar quake with experts citing the city’s proximity to fault lines.

Okten said a “new phase” of work is about to begin, one that he describes as the most significant intervention in over 150 years and in the totality of the structure’s long history

“A tower crane will be installed on the eastern facade, and then we will cover the top of this unique structure with a protective frame system,” he said. “That way, we can work more safely and examine the building’s layers academically, including damage it suffered from ﬁres and earthquakes in the 10th and 14th centuries.”

Built by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian in 537, Hagia Sophia was turned into a mosque with the 1453 Ottoman conquest of Istanbul. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founding leader of the Turkish republic, converted it into a museum in 1934.

of “cutting corners and putting profits over people.”

The victims included passengers Agustin Escobar, 49, his wife, Mercè Camprubí Montal, 39, and their three children, Victor 4, Mercedes, 8, and Agustin, 10. The pilot was Seankese Johnson, 36, a U.S Navy veteran who received his commercial pilot’s license in 2023.

“One of the things we can do to honor those lives and try to save others is to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” Schumer said. “We know there is one thing for sure about New York City’s helicopter tour companies: they have a deadly track record.”

Thursday’s crash has renewed safety concerns about New York’s sightseeing excursions, a popular tourist draw that whisks passengers high above the city, offering soaring views of the Statue of Liberty, the World Trade Center and other landmarks.

In the last two decades, ﬁve helicopters on commercial sightseeing ﬂights have fallen into the Hudson and East rivers as a result of me-

chanical failures, pilot errors or collisions, killing 20 people.

The president of New York Helicopter Tours, Michael Roth, did not respond to phone and email inquiries. The company said in a statement published on its website that it was cooperating with authorities in the investigation In response to Schumer’s calls for more oversight, an industry group, Eastern Region Helicopter Council, said Manhattan’s sightseeing choppers “already operate under the most stringent of regulations.”

“We stand ready to work with leaders on ﬁnding ways to ensure the safety and preservation of our businesses and aviation community,” the group said.

Critics of the industry have long sought to limit or entirely ban nonessential helicopter ﬂights from taking off above the city, though they have had limited success. After New York City capped the number of ﬂights that could take off from Manhattan heliports at 30,000 annually in 2016, many companies moved operations to New Jersey

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NOLA.COM | Monday, april 14, 2025 1Bn

Council looks for permitting solutions

Application rules in N.O. are a mess, critics say

BY SOPHIE KASAKOVE Staff writer

New Orleans City Council members are seeking solutions to an issue that has long riled the city’s property owners: the cumbersome process of obtaining building permits in New Orleans.

UNO could return to LSU system

BY MARIE FAZIO Staff writer

A new bill in the state Legislature would set into motion a plan to return the University of New Orleans to the LSU system.

State Sen. Jimmy Harris, DNew Orleans, ﬁled a bill recently that proposes shifting UNO, in the throes of an urgent ﬁnancial crisis, from the University of Louisiana system to the LSU system, which oversaw the lakefront university from its founding in 1956 until about a decade ago.

The bill follows a unanimous vote in favor of the move last month by the Board of Regents, the governing body that oversees higher education across the state, and marks the latest in a series of steps to set in motion the process of moving UNO back to the LSU system. If the bill passes, the next milestone in the process would happen before the fall semester begins.

Harris did not immediately respond to phone calls

Earlier this year, state lawmakers began ﬂoating the idea of shifting UNO to the LSU system, which governed the university until it moved to the University of Louisiana system in 2011.

Last month, Senate President Cameron Henry and House Speaker Phillip DeVillier initiated the process when they requested the Board of Regents study the feasibility of the move.

ä See UNO, page 2B

High schoolers can earn new distinction

Students who pass new civics test will receive ‘Freedom Seal’

BY ELYSE CARMOSINO Staff writer

Louisiana ofﬁcials want to recognize students who demonstrate a strong grasp of civics by honoring them with a special “Freedom Seal” on their diplomas

Starting next year, high schoolers who achieve “mastery” or above on the state’s new civics test will be given a foil seal on their diplomas acknowledging their accomplishment. Those who receive the seal will also qualify for a red, white and blue honor cord to wear during their graduation ceremony The civics test launches next year and will replace the U.S. History LEAP test as a requirement for graduation.

In a motion approved 7-0 on Thursday, the council directed the City Planning Commission to study the city’s land use process to “identify and address ways to mitigate long approval timelines and confusion when ﬁling permit applications.” Business and property owners

say it can take months to make it through that process, delays that drive up construction costs and deter development.

“We must take a hard look at all the causes of lengthy permitting delays negatively impacting our residents’ quality of life and what it means to do business in New

Orleans,” said City Council Vice President Helena Moreno, who authored the motion and is running this fall to replace Mayor LaToya Cantrell next year, in a statement Monday.

“We need a process that is both consistent and streamlined to ensure City government responds to the needs of our community, accelerates meaningful projects, and

fosters economic growth by reducing delays and minimizing costs.” The motion directs the commission to seek input from city staff, residents and developers to identify “barriers which may be removed without the creation of negative externalities.”

SCHOOL BOARD TO HOLD AUCTION

Former vocational facility, Uptown property among sites on offer

BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer

The Orleans Parish School Board is preparing to sell seven properties at a live auction later this month, as the cash-strapped agency seeks to ofﬂoad dozens of vacant school buildings and empty lots across the city that it has been holding onto for years. Among the properties on offer is an 88-year-old Art Deco building at 727 Carondelet St. that recently appraised for $6.5 million. Commercial real estate broker Paul Richard of NAI/Latter & Blum, who is handling the auction, said it would be a prime candidate for redevelopment into a hotel or apartments.

The other big-ticket property in the portfolio is a red brick structure at 401 Nashville Ave. The Uptown building dates to the early 1900s and was recently appraised at $3.7 million. Along with three other former schools in Algiers and Gentilly and two vacant lots, the properties, which will be auctioned individually, could fetch as much as $14 million.

ä See AUCTION, page 2B

The School Board has nearly three dozen pieces of vacant or unused properties, many of which date back to Hurricane

Ex-LSU football player dead after police chase

Sheriff: Lacy had apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound

BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer

Former LSU wide receiver

Kyren Lacy was found dead Saturday night in Houston from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound after a car chase with police, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Ofﬁce. He was 24.

Lacy was involved in a verbal argument with a family member and discharged a gun into the ground the Sheriff’s Ofﬁce said Sunday When the Constable’s Of-

ﬁce responded to the scene at approximately 11:15 p.m., they said Lacy had driven away in his car Law enforcement tried to stop him 20 minutes later, and Lacy fled. He was involved in a car chase for several miles before crashing, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Upon trying to remove Lacy from the car and place him in custody, deputies said they discovered Lacy had suffered an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound and found a handgun in the vehicle. Emergency personnel pronounced him dead at the scene.

According to a preliminary investigation by the Sheriff’s Ofﬁce homicide detectives and crime scene units, Lacy shot himself

during the pursuit and before the car crashed. Police said a review of body camera and car dashmounted video did not indicate any shots were fired after the chase ended.

Lacy was accused of causing a fatal car crash on Dec 17 in Lafourche Parish that killed a 78-year-old man and injured two others. He faced counts of negligent homicide, felony hit-andrun and reckless operation of a vehicle, the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce said. e turned himself in on Jan. 12 and was released after posting $151,000 bail. A grand jury was scheduled to hear Lacy’s case Monday His attorney Matthew Ory said in a statement Sunday that he be-

lieved the evidence would have led to a “declination of charges.” Ory added he would demand a review of the police investigation.

“Kyren was a young man with immense promise, and he was crushed under the weight of an irresponsible and prejudiced process,” Ory said in the statement.

“The pressure and perception likely became unbearable.”

Lacy, a Thibodaux native, was one of LSU’s leading receivers last season with 58 receptions for 866 yards and nine touchdowns, which tied for the most in the SEC.

He recently worked out at LSU’s pro day in advance of the NFL Draft.

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNEFELD

The former L.E. Rabouin Memorial School at 727 Carondelet St. is among seven properties the Orleans Parish School Board is auctioning on April 30

Katrina.

STAFF PHOTO By STEPHANIE RIEGEL

ä See PERMITS, page 2B

Moreno

Unrelated shootings leave 3 wounded at Strawberry Festival

BY BLAKE PATERSON Staff writer

Three people were wounded in two unrelated shootings around the Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival on Saturday night, authorities announced early Sunday

The first shooting was about 9:25 p.m. near the festival’s ticket booth at Ponchatoula Memorial Park, where deputies with the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce found two wounded teenage boys.

One had a graze wound to the leg and the other had been shot in the abdomen.

Five minutes later the Ponchatoula Police Department responded to gunﬁre at the Ponchatoula Community Center just outside the festival grounds at North Fifth and East Beech streets. There, they discovered another teenage boy who had been shot in the leg.

The three victims were taken to a hospital for treatment and were in stable condition as of Sunday morning, police said.

The incidents are being investigated as separate cases. The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce is assisting with the investigation on the festival grounds while the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce is assisting with the investigation off the grounds.

UNO

Continued from page 1B

The study detailed UNO’s struggle to attract and retain students and the university’s substantial debt, which Board of Regents ofﬁcials said could be as high as $30 million, double the amount university ofﬁcials had previously estimated.

Governing systems have significant authority over the colleges and universities they oversee. They supervise the schools’ leaders, provide ﬁscal oversight and approve hiring and stafﬁng plans.

The study did not explain how changing systems would beneﬁt UNO or what impact it would have on the LSU system. After two-thirds of members in the House and Senate approve the legislation, the shift must also be approved by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, UNO’s accrediting institution.

According to the bill, UNO President Kathy Johnson must notify the accrediting agency by Aug. 1 stating her intent to shift UNO’s governance to LSU If the agency approves the move, UNO and all its “assets, funds, obligations, liabilities, programs, and functions” will be immediately transferred to the LSU system.

The bill says that the UL system will continue managing UNO until approval is granted, but in the meantime, it should “enter into agreements to transfer as many administrative and supervisory functions” of UNO as possible to the LSU system.

The bill also says the UL sys-

PERMITS

Continued from page 1B

The commission has four months to complete the study, according to the motion. In a statement, a spokesperson for Cantrell wrote that over the next several weeks, the City Planning Commission “will assign a team, schedule a preliminary public hearing, and begin to identify stakeholders for further discussion.”

The council is taking its cue from Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng, who in February announced the creation of a new task force to take a “deep dive” into the parish’s permitting process. That task force hasn’t begun meeting yet. The two governments will share findings and recommendations with each other Moreno said.

The move is the latest of a series of attempts by officials to tackle the city’s permitting troubles. In 2023, a task force convened

AUCTION

Continued from page 1B

The shootings prompted authorities to shut down the festival an hour early on Saturday. Sunday’s iteration of the free festival opened as planned with a 9 a.m. church service, but was set to close down at 5 p.m., two hours earlier than initially scheduled.

Officials had not announced an arrest in either case as of Sunday morning, but officials said law enforcement would continue to patrol the grounds and downtown Ponchatoula for the festival’s final day

“Both of these incidents are upsetting and unacceptable and those responsible will be found and held accountable,” Ponchatoula Police Chief Bry Layrisson said in a statement Sunday

“The businesses and nonproﬁts that rely on this event for yearround support do not deserve to have their progress and positivity derailed by foolishness and the families that enjoy this event should not be fearful to simply go out for an evening of fun. If you can’t behave respectfully in a crowd or handle disputes maturely, don’t come to our community for our events,” he said.

Email Blake Paterson at bpaterson@theadvocate.com and follow him on Twitter, @blakepater

tem should continue funding UNO until the transfer occurs, and should not make employment decisions about UNO administrators or faculty without approval of the LSU system board.

A spokesperson from UNO declined to comment on the bill. A spokesperson for LSU did not respond to inquiries.

UL system President Rick Gallot said on Monday that if the legislation passes and is signed into law, the UL system will do “everything we can to make the transition seamless.”

The potential shift in governance has been pitched as a way to revitalize UNO, which has struggled with reduced revenue due to dropping enrollment, compounded by expensive annual contracts and athletic commitments, the study found. At its peak before Hurricane Katrina, UNO had more than 17,000 students. Last fall, it had about 6,500 students.

“We anticipate this transfer will produce a bold vision to strategically redesign UNO and position it as a major developer of talent for the Greater New Orleans Region,” Board of Regents Chair Misti Cordell said in a statement after the board unanimously approved the study last month.

In the last year, UNO has already taken steps to right the ship, including consolidating its five colleges into two, closing buildings, laying off and furloughing staff members.

Still, officials have said that those measures will fall short of fully making up the deficit, and university officials have left open the possibility of more layoffs or furloughs in the future.

Staff writer Patrick Wall contributed reporting.

by District C council member Freddie King released a 17-page report with recommendations for how to address permitting woes. Little has been done since then to implement the suggestions.

Former Safety and Permits director Zach Smith said that he supports Moreno’s effort to tackle the department’s longstanding issues by targeting the city’s zoning laws.

“Yes the department could definitely be doing things a whole lot better in so many ways,” said Smith, referencing a history of dysfunction and corruption at the department “But fundamentally it comes down to, ‘What are the rules?’” Smith said, though, that the effectiveness of any recommendations made by the planning commission would come down to how the council implements them.

The council will have to “listen to the experts and block out the noise,” said Smith.

Email Sophie Kasakove at sophie.kasakove@theadvocate. com.

The School Board is dealing with a $50 million budget hole, and while School Board President Katie Baudouin said some of the money generated from the auction, scheduled for April 30, could go toward plugging that revenue shortfall, it more likely will go to a building and facilities fund and used to pay off capital expenses.

“We still have a lot of insurance premiums to pay and security to handle, so the bulk of the money will likely go to that,” she said. “We started working on this process before this current ﬁnancial situation.”

‘Being good stewards’

The School Board has nearly three dozen pieces of vacant or unused properties, many of which date back to Hurricane Katrina. Some of the buildings could still potentially serve as schools or for education-related purposes so they are not considered surplus property, Baudouin said.

Others, however, no longer fit the needs of a modern school facility and could be sold to a private developer or public agency that could ﬁnd a better use for it.

“It’s our job to be good stewards of historic properties and school system assets, and it’s the responsible thing to do to get rid of the buildings we no longer need,” said Baudouin, who joined the board in 2021.

Chief among those buildings in the crop of properties that will be auctioned is the three-story building on Carondelet Street that was built in 1937 for the L.E. Rabouin Memorial School, which was a vocational school for much of the 20th century and remained in operation until it was shuttered during Katrina.

It reopened a few years later as the International High School of New Orleans, a charter school, which operated on the site until it moved to Gentilly last year

At nearly 58,000 square feet, the

LACY

Continued from page 1B

“We’re saddened to learn of the tragic passing of former LSU football student-athlete Kyren Lacy,” LSU said in a statement.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones, as well as his former teammates and coaches impacted by his passing.”

According to a release from Louisiana State Police, Lacy was driving a 2023 Dodge Charger on La. 20 near Perez Lane at the time of the December accident. He then “recklessly passed multiple vehicles at a high rate of speed by crossing the centerline and entering the northbound lane while in a no-pass zone,” police said.

As the driver of a northbound pickup truck swerved to the right to avoid a collision with Lacy, the

CIVICS

Continued from page 1B

State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley said the aim is to incentivize more students to learn about U.S. history and become engaged in the political process.

“It is really important for us to elevate civics education in Louisiana,” Brumley said. “If a country doesn’t understand the civics that govern it, then it’s a national security risk.”

The special diploma is Brumley’s latest effort to promote social studies and civics education in Louisiana in ways that align with the state’s new K-12 social studies standards, known as the “Freedom Framework.”

On Tuesday, a group of high schoolers from around the state representing Louisiana’s Legislative Youth Advisory Council, an organization that aims to foster a greater appreciation and understanding of civic participation among Louisiana students, testiﬁed in favor of the seal before the state school board.

They told members that recognizing achievement in civics education is crucial to increasing political awareness among young people and encouraging them to learn their rights in the democratic process.

“Civics isn’t just a subject in school, it’s a foundation of how we live, work and lead in our schools, communities and country,” said Lafayette High School junior Spencer Croft.

Adopting the seal will send the message “that what students do outside the classroom is just as im-

U-shaped building takes up much of the block between Julia and Girod streets and has a large courtyard as well as a parking lot that backs up to Baronne Street. Its interior still has classic Art Deco features, including terrazzo ﬂoors and inlaid chrome molding.

An open house last week drew interest from potential buyers, said Richard. Among those checking out the property was land-use attorney Mike Sherman, whose ofﬁce is a block away and has represented developers on historic renovations around the city

“This is the greatest adaptive reuse opportunity in the city of New Orleans,” Sherman said, after touring the building. “The location, layout, ceiling height, it has everything.”

He is not representing a potential buyer, he added.

The minimum bid that will be accepted on the building is $5 million. The former Arthur Ashe Elementary School on Nashville Avenue also is generating interest, Richard said. The nearly 30,000-square-foot building sits on a 1-acre lot bounded by Nashville Avenue and Laurel, Arabella and

driver behind the truck took evasive action and crossed the centerline, striking a southbound Kia Sorento head on, police said.

After the accident, police said Lacy drove around the crash scene without stopping to help, call emergency services or report his part in the crash.

A passenger in the Kia, Herman Hall of Thibodaux, was transported to a hospital, where he died from his injuries. Ory claimed in a statement released Feb. 2 that Lacy did not cause the collision.

The statement said in part, that while Lacy “brieﬂy passed other vehicles, he safely re-entered his lane without incident.”

Annunciation streets. Unlike 727 Carondelet, which is zoned for commercial use, the Nashville building is in a historic neighborhood zoned for single and two-family homes, so converting the property to apartments or condos would require a zoning change

The minimum bid that will be accepted on the building is $3.17 million.

Other properties that will be auctioned are:

n Paul Habans Elementary School, 3819 Herschel St in Algiers. The two-building complex has a minimum bid of $1.45 million and is appraised at $1.7 million. n McDonogh #32, 800 DeArmas St., in Algiers. A two-building complex, it carries a minimum bid of $425,000 and an appraised price of $500,000.

n Jean Gordon Elementary, 6101 Chatham Dr., Gentilly The building has a minimum bid of $977,500 and an appraised price of $1.1 million.

n A vacant lot at 2401 St. Maurice Ave. in the Lower 9th Ward, with a minimum bid of $245,650; and a vacant lot at 4348 Reynes in New Orleans East, with a minimum bid of $289,000.

“Young parents, start talking to your kids at a very early age and make sure they are conﬁdent and comfortable conﬁding in you,” he wrote in a Facebook post. “Don’t be cool with ‘I’m Alright, or I’m good’ when you know deep down something isn’t right. Mental health is real, and for the most part, it’s invisible. Don’t ignore the signs, even if they may seem small.

“Our lives have changed forever and this will never be ok, but God needed my baby more than he was needed here. This has to be the biggest pill our families have had to swallow, but I know the love and compassion in our families will get us through. This will never get easier, but we’ll learn to live with it.”

Lacy was a three-star recruit who began his career at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He played two seasons before transferring to LSU. Lacy caught 112 passes for 1,692 yards and 16 touchdowns in three seasons with the Tigers. Lacy’s father, Kenny Lacy, encouraged parents to check on their children’s mental health after his son’s death.

portant as what they learn inside of it.”

Students take the exam the same year they take civics in high school, which is typically during their sophomore year, a department spokesman said. Categories on the test include the foundations of the United States government and how civil rights in the U.S. have developed over time; the role of the U.S. government in developing domestic, foreign and economic policies; and the national, state and local political processes and how citizens participate in those processes.

Beginning next school year, those who score mastery or above will receive the seal and honor cord to wear for graduation. Students who graduate next year but who took the test previously will also be eligible.

Brumley pointed out that only 22% of eighth graders in the U.S performed at or above proﬁcient on a national civics exam in 2022.

“We can improve that by making sure we have rigorous standards to teach civics in our classrooms,” he said Tuesday adding that Louisiana “has done more in the last few years in regards to history and civics education” than any other state.

Since Brumley took on his role in 2020, Louisiana has introduced several changes to its social studies standards. In 2022, the state adopted the “Freedom Framework” for social studies education, a revamped version of the standards that tell “the story of American exceptionalism as well as the nation’s continuous journey towards becoming a more perfect union,” a news release from the state Department of Education said. High schoolers are taught that

the failure of communist policy and the assertion of American principles led to the end of the Cold War, according to a pamphlet that outlines the standards. They also learn how individuals such as Rosa Parks, Malcolm X and Medgar Evers contributed to the expansion of American civil rights.

Most recently, the state board of education voted unanimously last month to align the state’s fourth and fifth grade social studies standards with President Donald Trump’s executive order requiring that the Gulf of Mexico be renamed to the Gulf of America. Brinkley Bennett, a junior at St. Joseph’s Academy in Baton Rouge, said offering a special distinction to high schoolers who demonstrate a strong understanding of civics will help encourage “an entire generation of students” to participate in democracy

“A healthy democracy depends on active involvement of its citizens, but that participation doesn’t happen on its own,” she said.

“It’s something we have to learn.”

Email Elyse Carmosino at ecarmosino@theadvocate.com.

LOTTERY

SATURDAY, APRIL 12, 2025

PICK 3: 2-4-3 PICK 4: 6-0-9-5 PICK

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNEFELD

Built in 1937 for the L.E. Rabouin Memorial School the Art Deco building at 727 Carondelet St. is being auctioned by the Orleans Parish School Board on April 30.

NewOrleans Area Deaths

Hartman, James

Leroy, Derrick EJefferson

Garden of Memories

Hartman, James NewOrleans Boyd Family Leroy, Derrick Obituaries

andCathy;

3grandchildren:Melanie (Roman),John(Christine) and Sam; and 5great grandchildren:Kaitlyn, Conner, Kaleb, Kohenand Dylan.Heisalsosurvived by2 of his10siblings, Eleanor andAlbert. His parents were thelate Henry andHenrietta Hart‐man.James andDolores wereabletocelebrate 72 years of marriage to‐gether, as well as James’ 94thbirthdaybeforehe wenttomeet hissavior, Jesus Christ.James started his ownbusiness, Hartman Frigeration,which enabled him to expand hisconstant curiosity formechanical functions. Jameswas the familyrepairman,always helping anyone to ﬁxany‐thing.Hewould notlet any challenge getthe best of him.James wasa U.S. Ma‐rineand fought in theKo‐reanWar.Hewas awarded several medals,and en‐dured many wounded war‐riormoments in battle. He had thehonor of First Watch during thesurren‐der of North Koreatothe U.S.After histenureinthe war,hebecamea drill sergeantfor theremainder ofhis service. Jameswas a memberofthe VFW, Amer‐icanLegionand theMarine Corps League.Hewas very proud to servehis country. Familyand friendsare in‐vited to attend theservice atthe Garden of Memories FuneralHome& Cemetery, 4900 AirlineDrive,Metairie, LA70001 on Tuesday, April 15, 2025. Visitation will be from10:30 am to 1:00 pm followed by achaplain’s

serviceand speakers at 1:00pm, anda burial with Militaryhonorstofollow. Toorder ﬂowersoroffer condolences,pleasevisit www.gardenofmemorie smetairie.com.

Leroy, Derrick

DerrickLeroy wasborn onJuly2,1973, in thecity ofNew Orleans, LA andde‐parted this life on March

18, 2025. Hismotherwas the late Lorraine Leroyand his father Willie Jones. He was educated in theOr‐leans Parish School Sys‐tem.Derrick wasa devoted employeeofSubterranean ConstructionLLC for18 years ownedbyEvanCon‐ravey.Hewas very com‐passionateabout keeping the home where he lived clean,cookingfor hisfam‐ily,takingtimeout to relax orchill outafter ahardday orweek at work,and watchingbasketballand other television programs. Healsoloved leavingthe cityofRiver Ridgewhere helived to come to New Orleans to have fun. Der‐rickleavestomourn his son Darius Leroy, Derrick Jr.,daughter; Destiny; brother KevinLeroy;aunts; Eileen Webb (Clayton), Vilinda Nyann(Peter) Ber‐netta Royal; uncles;Ed‐mondRoyal (Edna),Melvin Royal (Rosa),Marks D. Royal (Mary),Michael J. Royal,and ahostof cousins, friends, andco-

workersofSubterranean ConstructionLLC.Pre‐ceded in deathbyhis grandparentsLesterL Royal andAnna E. Royal, mother; Lorraine Leroy, fouruncles; Lester,Stan‐ley,Terry,Samuel, andone aunt;GloriaRoyal.Derrick willbemissedbut he will begoing to aplace where there is no sickness or death.A placecalled heaven. Family andfriends are invitedtoattendthe MemorialService on Tues‐day,April 15, 2025, for1:00 p.m.atThe Boyd Family Fu‐neral Home,5001 Chef Menteur Hwy.,New Or‐leans,LA70126. Visitation willbegin at 12:30 p.m. PastorAnthony Pierce,of‐ﬁciating. Intermentispri‐vate. Guestbook Online: www.anewtraditionbegins

HappyHeavenlyBirthday ColetteJ.Fortuna

It is hard to believethat youhavebeenwiththe Angels for4 years!

SadlymissedbyDad,Ms. Charlee, Bryant,Sr.,Adriane,Kris, Cyrus, Lendl, Brandon, Angellica, Lamar, Jr Zahrah,Karen, Kenneth, Lynelle, Raymond, Jr Denise Sabrina, Kelly, Jerron,Jr.,Noah, Alani, Derron,Jr.,Ayla, Judy,and ahostofrelatives andfriends."

Hartman, JamesJ.

JamesJ.Hartman

Metairie, LA passed away onApril 7, 2025.Heissur‐vived by hiswife, Dolores. Healsoleavesbehindtwo daughters, Jane

We need areal accounting of DOGE

Iwould like to see afair and honest reckoning ofthe real fiscal benefit of replacing our inspectors general program with the Department of GovernmentEfficiency.Asfar as Ican tell from several news sources, DOGE has “saved” taxpayers between $9 billion and $65billion; that is atremendous disparity,and Ihave no idea what this mysteriousgroup is costing the governmenttorun. Even if the unelected Elon Musk is offering his services gratis, it would be unfair (and certainly unwise) for me to assumethat all themany techies surrounding himare doing likewise. So,what’s thecost? Then we can compare this with the facts of the government audit that determined that, in 2023, the inspectors general uncovered wasteand fraudtothe tune of $90.1 billion. This same audit determined that thecost to taxpayers was $1 spent for every $26recovered. That soundslike apretty good use of tax dollars. With all the boasting and bragging of this administration, it might be useful to look at honest and independent evaluation of the actual numbers. The inspectors generalhave been successfully used to catchmisuse, wasteand fraud in government on behalf of the American public. Iamskepticalofany politician who seeks to undo the independent work of an oversight committee and replace it with an appointed group with responsibilities only to that politician. Where has common sense gone?

REV.MICHAELKUHN NewOrleans

ficiency

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR

AREWELCOME.HEREARE

YOUR VIEWS

Hurtingrenewableshurts everyone,even oiland gas

Recently,amid federal uncertainty, Diamond Offshoreterminated its agreement with Louisiana to develop offshore wind in state waters. Diamond, aglobal oil and gas companybased in Texas, is among many energyplayers navigating shifting policies.

While President Donald Trumphas promised policies favoring fossil fuels, industry expertsrecognize that modernenergy production is deeply integrated. Undermining renewables ultimately harmsthe very oil and gas industries Trumpaims to protect. Companies like Diamond consume vast amounts of electricity,and adiverse energy portfoliolowers costs —beneﬁting their bottom line. Investing in offshore wind and other renewables remains in their best interest.

Ourenergy future is increasingly interwoven. An “all of the above” approach is essential to meeting rising energy demand, but it’salso driven by ﬁnancial markets, where traditional energy producers are investing heavily in renewables. Their priority is reliable, cost-effective energy,regardless of the source. Take the Louisiana Energy Users Group,

acoalition of major industrial consumers advocating for better electricity options through theLouisiana Public Service Commission. Major oil and gas producers including Chevron, ExxonMobil and Shell —support diversiﬁed energy access to maintain affordabilityand reliability

While LEUG membersmay beneﬁt from expanded fossil fuel development, they also recognize the value of investments in solar,wind and other renewables. Federal tax credits, recently enhancedtosupport domestic production and legacy energy communities, create new opportunities to meet growing demand while reducing costs —even for fossil fuel companies. Renewable energy prices have plummeted, offering traditional energy producers a competitive edge. Framing energy as azerosum battle between old and new technologies is counterproductive. Instead, fostering collaboration across theenergy sector will ensure areliable, affordable and sustainable future for all.

JOSHUABASSECHES

assistant professor of environmental studies and public policy at Tulane University

What coverage of Hoffman’sexecution should teachus

Thank youfor your excellent reporting on the execution of Jessie Hoffman on March 18 bythe stateofLouisiana at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. Ihave been visiting Angola for over 15 years (withtime out for the pandemic) to help leada monthly Bible study sponsored by the Episcopal Diocese of Louisianaand to helpleadanannualthree-dayretreatsponsored by KairosPrison Ministry International.Every time Icheck through themain gate, Imeditate on theappropriateness of thesign statingthatIamentering the Louisiana State Penitentiary.This is aplace for people to be imprisoned—tolimit theirharmful behavior,tobepunished and to do penance.

As aChristian, Iamopposed to the death penalty.Jesus toldthe accusers of the woman caught in adultery that anyone of themwith-

out sin could throw the ﬁrststone to put her to death. They all walked away. “Go,sin no more,” Jesus told the woman. Idid not know Hoffman, but Iwas moved by theguest columnonMarch 17 written by The Rev.Michaela Bono, his Buddhist priest chaplain on death row. She described him as ahumble, changed man whoserved as a“mentor,guiding younger men on their own paths to peace and helping them manage conﬂict and choose alife away from violence.”

Our life and our bodies are giventousby God,not the state. The state does not have the right to terminateanyone’slife. Icannot imagine Jesus looking down from His cross afﬁrming this or any execution.

RICHARD SAXER NewOrleans

Jewish voices must denounce deportation of Khalil

The detention and threatened deportation of Mahmoud Khalil, aPalestinian green card holder whohas not been charged with acrime, is a clear violation of the First Amendmentand athreat to the civil liberties that prevent the United States from morphing into adictatorship. Khalil, arecent graduate of Columbia University,was astudent negotiator during the Gazasolidarity encampment on Columbia’s campus. On March 8, federal immigration agents abducted Khalil and took him to the LaSalle Detention Center in Jena, an ICEfacility with ahistory of deaths and allegations of abuse. The Trumpadministration has since revoked his green card and is attempting to deport him As Jews, we have watched in horror as tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gazaand the West Bank are murdered in the nameofour supposed safety.Now,wewitness as the Trumpadministration begins to disappear activists here —inour name, and in our homeofLouisiana. The experience of being stripped of legal status is familiar to Jewish people, as it has happened to us throughout our history.We know what comes next. The Trump administration has escalated the U.S. government’slongstanding campaign of violence against immigrants and asylum seekers, manyof whom are held in appalling conditions in ICEfacilities across Louisiana. And ICEhas begun to target morestudent protestors, including Palestinian Columbia student Leqaa Kordia.

These repressive actions are clearly meanttostoke fear and to disrupt carefully tended networks of solidarity.Asthe administration mobilizes against immigrants, activists, trans people, universities, and the basic rights that hold our society together,wehave amessage: Louisiana is watching. And we will not be afraid. We will continue to show up and speak out.

Letterspublished do

TO SEND US ALETTER SCAN HERE

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

Aggressive drivingoninterstates gettingout of hand

Speed limits, especially on the interstate, needtobeenforced. Ihave witnessed more peoplegetting mad because someone passinginthe left lane isn’tdoing it fastenough while road ragers think theleft lane is for traveling 90 mph to 120 mph.

People don’thave the right to tail others or cut and slam on their breaks. Ihave witnessed road ragers doing this to others without consequence multiple times.

That is causing theaccidents, and while slow driving in theleft lane may contribute, it’sthesehigh-ratespeeders and aggressive drivers that are notbeing addressed. They are amuch bigger problem than someonedoing the speed limit and passing slower drivers in theleft-hand lanes.

VICTORIA CROWLEY Metairie

Gingrich,not Clinton, deserves credit forbalancing budget

TheClinton administration didn’ttackle balancing the budget, as stated by MuhammadYungai in arecent letter.Actually he fought for deﬁcit spending like every other Democrat had always done. The Republicansled byNewt Gingrich presented the balanced budget and Bill Clinton vetoed it,

but theRepublicans managed to override theveto and as usual Democrats stole the credit for doing this.Facts are facts. Clinton did not balance thebudget intentionally. He fought it and lost.

DAVID BASSHAM Houma

reflectviewpoints of newspaper’s readers

Iamwriting in response to a March 19 letter where Patrick Grossie, of Lafayette, complained that “conservative viewpoints were not adequately represented” in this newspaper.Hereferences the fact that conservative viewsare the majority in Louisiana.

However,Kamala Harris won 82.2% of the vote in Orleans Parish. Further,itismyunderstanding that letters on the editorial page are representative of the majority point of view of letters received on various topics.

Idon’tbelieve that there’sany journalistic rule stating that conservative and liberal viewpoints should be equally presented by which letters to the editor are chosen to run. GENE SHAPIRO NewOrleans

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

Offshore windpower could be asource of energyfor many industries.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

Elon Musk attends the finalsfor the NCAA wrestling championship on March 22 in Philadelphia. Musk is thedriving force behind the Department of Government Ef

COMMENTARY

WALT’S CAPTION CONTEST

WINNER: Debbie Thomas,Baton Rouge

EGGDECORATING

Nice! We received 669 entries in this week’sCartoon Caption Contest,with lots of zany approaches and snarky lines! Our winner’s punchline wasshortand funny, and it fit perfectly from acat’sperspective!Great work everyone!Asalways, when we have duplicate entries,and we always do,wepick the earliest sent in.Here arethisweek’s winner and finalists.Well played, Folks! —Walt

PETER KOVACS, BATONROUGE: “Eggs are so pricey, it’s cheaper to paint your pets.”

FRANK ARRIGO,BATON ROUGE: “It won’t lastlong.He didn’t use primer first.”

DONALD BOREY,GONZALES: “Do youthink this is how Blue Dog gothis start?”

CHRIS DU PASSAGE, MANDEVILLE: “Atleast youget a bath, I’vegottaclean this myself.”

HOWARD W. STREIFFER, METAIRIE: “No more sugar for the kid!!”

PETER A.VIGLIA II, EVERGREEN, CO.: “Todaywas better before he woke up.”

ROBERT KOHN, RIVER RIDGE: “I knewMom nevershould have enrolled him in that ContemporaryArt Camp!”

LARRYDEBLIEUX, METAIRIE: “Just imagine what this kid could do to afreight train!”

JIM FLOCK, HARAHAN: “Amazing! He also managed to getsome on the eggs!”

JANGARDNER, SPRING,TEXAS: “He’sgonna need a bigger basket.”

MARTHA STARNES,KENNER: “Next year,I’m hiding the eggs… and the paint!”

SHEREE MURRAY, BATONROUGE: “And theywant himto take overtheir Home Decorating Business!”

JEFFHARTZHEIM,FUQUAY-VARINA, N.C.: “These aren’t evenmyspring colors!”

CAMILLELINDSEY,BATON ROUGE: “Talk about abad dyejob.”

JASON BONE, NEWORLEANS: “This is the last time I encouragehis artistic side.”

KIRT H. ULFERS,METAIRIE: “I always wanted to be a calico cat, butthisisa bit much!”

DAVID DELGADO,NEW ORLEANS: “He’sonhis wayto becoming aJackson Square Fixture!”

RORY STEEN, DENVER, CO.: “Any chanceyou know how to operate abathtub?”

JOHN BARRERA, CONCORD,N.C.: “Jimmy’snoPicasso that’s forsure!!”

LYNN ROBERTSON, PORT ALLEN: “He’simitating the stockmarket!”

RALPH STEPHENS,BATON ROUGE: “We finally agree on something.Thiswas abad idea!!”

DONNA REUTER, METAIRIE: “Thisegg dyeing is not allit’s crackeduptobe.”

RICH WOLF,WESTMINSTER, MD.: “Just be ok with it and we getCadbury eggs.”

CHARLES THEAUX,PONCHATOULA: “I feel likeone of those psychedelic posters from the 60s.

MARIANO HINOJOSA, BATONROUGE: “I givehim an ‘A’ forcreativity and an ‘F’ forcommonsense.”

SHERRI LINDSEY, BATONROUGE: “And youthought there was nothing worsethan fetching.”

BUDDYGALLO,ABBEVILLE: “Dotheystill payfor hisart classes?!?”

MICHELE STARNES, KENNER: “I groom myselffor eight hoursa day, and nowthis!”

LEANNE WEILL, BATONROUGE: “They’re so expensive that they DO merit theFabergé treatment!”

BONNIE LOSEE, LAFAYETTE: “It’s goingtotakeforever to lick this off!”

Congress should nixonlinesafetybillagain

As abusinessman from Metairie and former chair of the RepublicanParty of Louisiana, I’ve had the privilege ofworkingalongside leaders like SpeakerMike Johnson, R-Benton, and Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, to advance the priorities that matter most to Republicans.Under President Donald Trump, we cut through Washington’s redtape, revitalized the economy and prioritized the needs of hardworking American families.

Now,aswemove forward, Republicans in Congress must remain focused on advancing Trump’sAmerica First agenda strengthening our economy and standingupagainst the Bidenadministration’sfailed policies.

parents

—not Washington politicians

Thesebills create unnecessary regulatory burdens that would stiﬂe free speech andAmerican technological innovation.

It’simperative that Republicans remain steadfast in opposing policies that expand government control at the expense of individual liberties and parental rights.

leaders alike.

Whytenure andacademic freedomare important

American universities, including those in our state, are universally recognized to be the greatest in the world. We produce by far the mostoriginal, lifesaving research and the mostworld leaders in every ﬁeld, from astronomy to zoology

The foundations for this greatness are academic freedom and tenure, which are currently,and we believe wrongly,under attack. Academic freedom can be hard to understand, but it does not mean that professors can say or do anything they like. It means that students and scholars are able to produce cutting-edge knowledge unconstrained by private or political interests, without fear or favor.We makesure that no one can buy or bully the truth.

We have been given this precious right because knowledge freely madeand accessible to all is a universally recognized public good. Tenure, similarly, protects scholars recognized by their peers forlong-term projects such as pursuing new treatments forstroke and Alzheimer’sdisease, documenting the behavior of remote stars and seeking usefulcoastal wetland restoration approaches.

Great universities across the globe have embraced these principles to attract the world’sfuture leaders to their campuses, and to promote discovery at the highest level. Institutions which do not protect scholars from private or political interference can never be great, because the greatness of knowledge lies in its accessibility not to the few, but to all.

Recently,inLouisiana and across the nation, universities and other public educational institutions have becometargets of politicized criticism. Executive orders have unfairly accused teachers of “indoctrination,” and sownfear among the international students and faculty whose expertise and experience we cherish.

In response to sweeping accusations, institutions have begun taking downwebsites and seeking to expunge words such as “diversity” or “women” from course materials, data sets and grant applications. These actions are hasty and reckless, and are having chaotic consequences such as the cancellation of grants, the purging of course syllabi and the editing of museum displays. Even moreisatstake here than academic freedom.

American citizens are losing access to information and services created for the public by the National Park Service, the Centers forDisease Control and Prevention, the Census Bureau and the National Institutes of Health, among others. These actions threaten to create adangerous ‘big brother’ apparatus, one that may try to erase the reality that this nation simply is and has always been diverse. These actions also unfairly accuse of dereliction thousands of teachers and researchers whoare doing their utmost to educate our children and improve our world. Finally, the censorship or removal of data robs the public of the free access to knowledge and information paid forbyour tax dollars and critical to the functioning of our democracy

We write this column as Boyd professors, the highest academic status conveyed upon scholars in the LSU System,with the support of twelve fellow Boyds from all across the system.Werealize that we and our colleagues are imperfect, like all humans.

That means rejecting any measures that would undermine conservative values, particularly those that would lead to an even greater expansion of the federal government’spower

The Kids Online Safety Act, or KOSA,is one such bill. While it claims to protect children online, in reality,itthreatens parental autonomy by shifting power awayfrom families and into the hands of unelected bureaucrats.

This legislation opens the door for the government to dictate what content is deemed appropriate for children, anissue that should lie solely in the hands of

The Republican Party made the right decision in leaving KOSA behind in 2024, and we must remain committed to rejecting any efforts to revive it in 2025. While we all agree on the importance of making the internetsafer for children, last year’s version of the bill was deeply ﬂawed and opened the door to greater government control over online content. It’s just one example of how wellintended policies can ultimately threaten free speech, privacyand therightsor parentstoraise their children without interference.

Instead of getting sidetracked by legislation like KOSA, House Republicans must stay focused on the real priorities: curbingwasteful government spending, supportinghardworking families and safeguarding our fundamental freedoms. Claims that KOSA will make the internet safer for kids have been disputed by policy expertsand conservative

Worse,itisa distraction from the America First prioritiesthat Trump promised to restore when he reclaimed the White House. KOSA represents an unnecessary legislative hurdle that would only drag the president’s priorities into the mud, slowing thecritical progress needed for our great nation to once again workfor the American people,a guiding principle that was lost under the Bidenadministration.

Trump’svision for America is clear: put theinterestsofour citizens first, cut unnecessary regulations and hold Washingtonaccountable.That’swhat made his first termsosuccessful, and it’swhat will keep our movement strong. House Republicans have acritical role to playin advancing this agenda and ensuring that our nation stays on the right track. This is adefining moment for the American people. We cannot afford to lose focus or allow distractions like KOSA to pull us away from the issues thattruly matter

Iurge House Republicans to stand ﬁrm, reject unnecessary government overreach and double down on the America First policiesthat will keep our country strong, secure and prosperous.

Roger Villere is the formerchair of the Louisiana Republican Party

But we know that limiting academic freedomsand denying public access to freelycreated knowledge will not makeusgreat, but on the contrary,doom us to second- or third-rate status and cheat our students of the highest-quality education they deserve. We hope and believe Louisiana’sleaders in the business community,ingovernmental affairs and in the entertainment and hospitality sectors know how vital universities are to our state. Estimates suggest that we contribute over $6 billion annually to the state’seconomy,and our health care system and engineering sectors depend on the thriving of our university systems.

Academic freedom ensures that across all sectors, the public has access to knowledge created without fear or favor

Suzanne L. Marchand is aprofessor in the LSU Department of History and R. Eugene Turner is an emeritus professor in the LSU College of Coastand the Environment.

Roger Villere GUEST COLUMNIST

Suzanne L. Marchand GUEST COLUMNIST

R. Eugene Turner GUEST COLUMNIST

Morrow’s tenacity an assetfor WNBA teams

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

It’seasy to measurethe impactthatAneesah Morrow made on her DePaul and LSU teams across her dominant four-year collegiate career

It’strickier to project how all of her production will translate to theWNBA. Only one woman in NCAA Division Ihistory has ever posted more career double-doubles thanMorrow,and just two haveever grabbed more rebounds. TheLSU staraccomplished both of those featseventhough

she’sonly 6-foot-1,addingtothe signiﬁcance of her achievements yet complicatingmatters for WNBA teamstasked with ﬁnding theright role for her in theleague. Is she aguard? Awing? Aforward?

Dallas Wings general manager Curt Miller —the lucky recipient of theNo. 1pick of Monday’sdraft andthe rights to select UConnstar Paige Bueckers —doesn’tthink hispeersshouldoverthink it

“She’ll be adog,” he said on Thursday Millersaid Morrow’srebounding numbers “pop off thecharts.”From her freshman season at DePaul through her senior year at LSU, she grabbed1,714boards— over 300 more than any other Division Iplayer corralled over that span.

But will the WNBAteam that chooses Morrow move her to the perimeter? Givenher size, will it station herfarther away from thepaint andask hertoshoot more 3s?

“I think whichever franchise is fortunate to endupwith her,”Millersaid, “isgetting areally talented player, ﬁrstand foremost. I, personally,inmydecadeinthis league, think thatrebounding has translated, and players that rebounded in college ended up rebounding in thepros.”

AngelReese added evidence to support that theory last season.

As arookie, shepulled down13.1 rebounds per game—aWNBA record. Reese also set the league record for totalboards in asingle season (446) before she injured her wrist

ä See MORROW, page 4C

Curtain

FORTHE BOOKS

AUGUSTA, Ga. Earlier this week, Rory McIlroy related astory of how his daughter Poppy recently came home from schoolwhereher classmates were talkingabout him and asked, as only a4-year-old can, “Daddy,are you famous?” Yes, dear Poppy,heis.

That’swhat happens when you win the Masters tournament That’swhat happenswhen you win the career grand slam. For along time, andunfairly,McIlroy was famous for his losses. His almostbut-not-quites. His heartbreaks. How he hit one of thecabins (again, they’re really enormous houses)onthe 10thhole here at Augusta National Golf Clubinthe 2011 Masters when hehad aonestroke lead going to the second nine. How he came up short at the 2022British Open at St.Andrews,

where every British subject dearly wants to win. How he missed two short par putts on 16 and 18 in the ﬁnalroundofthe 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst, handing victory to Bryson DeChambeau. It all added up to aweight on McIlroy’sshoulders. Weight he carried with him to theﬁrst tee Sunday along with his two-strokelead over that same DeChambeau.

McIlroy, famous forhis heartbreaks, nowfamousfor hisMasters win Scott Rabalais

“I was really nervous going out,” McIlroy said. He drove intothe cavernous bunker at 1, got on the green in three and three-putted for adouble bogey.It dropped him intoatie for the lead with DeChambeau and ﬂipped the switch on one of the wildest, most dramatic Masters ﬁnal rounds ever And for McIlroy,ashewalked to thesecond tee, the double bogey

ä See RABALAIS, page 5C

homaCity Thunder It’s the second straight season the Pelicans’ season ended with aloss to the Thunder.But this one surely felt different. The loss last season wasinGame 4ofa ﬁrst-round playoffsweepinameaningful

BYLUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

Four rookies topped 1,000yards receiving last season, aﬁrst in NFLhistory,but it would be asurprise if the 2025 class came close to repeating that milestone. This year’sclass of receivers is generally considered to be one of the weaker ones in recent memory—atleast in termsoftopend talent. But while there might not be an obvious ready-made No. 1inthis class, like Ja’Marr Chase or Malik Nabers, there are plenty of options foraNo. 2orNo. 3. In that way,New Orleans is in an interesting spot. It already has twotalented, young wide receivers already in Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed,but both arecoming off

See SAINTS, page 3C

—Scott Rabalais

STAFF

PHOTOByMICHAEL JOHNSON

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ASHLEyLANDIS

RoryMcIlroyreacts after winning in aplayoff against Justin Rose in the fi

On TV

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*Joined in progress

Chun snapsslump in Wave win

Tulane holdsoff

UABfor 8-7victory

BY GUERRYSMITH

writer

Contributing

Tulane freshmanTanner Chan

thought he was cheatedout ofa team-leading sixth home run in the ﬁfth inning against UAB.

He left absolutelynodoubtin his next at-bat, launching a412shot that ricochetedoff the batter’seye in straightaway center

ﬁeldatTurchin Stadium

Busting out of his recent slump in abig way,Chan was part of a seven extra-base-hit onslaught as theGreen Wave rallied from a3-0 deﬁcit to go ahead 8-4 and held on to beat theBlazers 8-7in the rubber game of the series on Sunday Tulane (24-14, 7-5), which remained undefeatedinhome weekend series this year,istied withEast Carolina for fourth place in the American Athletic Conference —a game behind second-place South Floridaand Charlotte.

UAB (19-17, 4-8) has gone 1-2 in all four of its league weekends.

Chun, who was 9for his last 48 and did not start on Fridayor Saturday,doubled into thegap in left-centerfield to bringinthe tying run in the first inning after Tulane fell behind 3-0 in the top half. He followed withhis near homer,which appeared tohit the top of the wall down the right field line and bounce backtothe field off ashed behind it but was ruled in play.Left fielder JP Head held Chun to a325-footsinglewitha strong throw,and areplay review upheld the call.

“I have no clue(whyitwas not ahomer),” Chunsaid. “I thought it was gone, but whatever the umpires call, that’sﬁne.”

Chun promptly stolesecond base, and the call proved irrelevant when Theo Bryant sent one high over the left ﬁeld wall for a two-run shot two batters later for a7-4 lead.

Chan’shomer to center ﬁeld in the seventh —his third hit of the day —padded the advantage to 8-4 and proved to be the decisive run after UAB rallied forthreein the eighth.

“It’sabig breakthrough for

me,” he said.

“I’ve beentryingtowork alot on my swing, and to see it ﬁnally comethrough is prettygood. It was just my handsa little and moreso my mentality going to the plate, getting that conﬁdence back.”

Chun was batting as high as .362 in mid-March and started 26 of Tulane’s ﬁrst 29 games before hisslidebegan. Hisfirst-pitch swingasa pinch-hitter with two outsand the bases loaded in Saturday’snight 4-1 loss dropped his average to .268before he raised it back above. 300 on Sunday

“He’smorethan capable, but he’s afreshman,”Tulane coach JayUhlmansaid. “It’shardfor themtosustain and it’s hardfor themtoplayevery single day,so sitting down for alittle bit and

giving him abreather probably helped.” Bryant, asixth-year graduate transfer from Tennessee Tech,playedahuge role,too.He walked and scored the go-ahead run in the second, doubled in a runinthe thirdand hithis third homer in nine days in the fifth. He also made asliding catch in center field for thesecond out of the ninth as TaylerMontiel finished off a11/3-inning save—his first of theyear —that he made much moredifficult by walking UAB’s 7- and8-hole hitters andgiving up atwo-run single up themiddle to the9-hole hitterafter replacing Jacob Moore with two outs in the eighth. With the lead down to 8-7, he stranded thetying runatthird by coaxinga routine groundout from

Stadium.

leadoff hitter LoganBraunscwheig, then pitching a1-2-3 ninth.

“Theyweretaking,” he said of theBlazers’ approach. “They werenot really trying to hit. That’swhat everyone wastelling me in thedugout, so Ijust hadto ﬁnd thezone. Igot abig swinging strike to start the ninth and got back to my conﬁdence zone.” Closer Michael Lombardi (3-0) was unavailable after starting andwalking three straight batters, all of whom scored, in the first. He wasawardedthe win after settlingdowntopitch two scoreless innings and leaving with a5-3 lead Tulane hostsUNO on Tuesday in thesecond game of the Pelican Cup, two days before beginning a series at AAC frontrunner TexasSan Antonio

LSUfalls to Auburn,hitters stillstruggling

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

AUBURN, Ala. In the eighth inning, with runners on second and third and one out, it was the perfect time for LSU baseball to break through. Its offense had struggled all week, only scoring 11 runs over its past three games. This was agolden opportunity to buck that trend before it returned to Baton Rouge for anine-game homestand.

Trailing 3-0, sophomoreSteven Milam grounded out todrive in arun beforesophomore Jake Brown hit atwo-out, run-scoring single to cut the LSU deﬁcit to3-2.

“It’s late in thegame,” Brown said. “All that you can really do is try to get the bat to the next person.” But those signs of life weren’t enough for LSU to squeakby with avictory.Auburn won 3-2to

sweep the series on Sunday afternoon atPlainsman Park.

It was the ﬁrst time Auburn (2610, 9-6 SEC) hasswept LSU (31-7, 10-5) since 1988.

“I got some good advicebeforeI came out here from another coach in theleague indirectly,”LSU coachJay Johnson said. “You’re going to take apunchtothe gut.

You’re going to get swept at some point on theroad in this league.

“Holding ittogether,staying together and moving forward, and making it about coaching baseball is what makes the difference.”

LSUﬁnished theafternoon with fourhits.

Outsideofthe eighth inning, junior Chris Stanfield’sdouble in the fifth and freshman Derek Curiel’s single in the third were itsonly hits. LSU didn’tstrike out much (onlyfive times),but hit intoa litany of fly outs (13).

Theonly other inning where

LSU seriously threatened was in theﬁfth. It had runners on second and third with nobody out.

But instead of putting up a crooked number,Curiel popped outtosecond base, junior Jared Jones struck out and junior Daniel Dickinson struck out withthe basesloaded afterawalk. LSU’s deﬁcit remained at 3-0.

“That game was there for the taking today,” Johnson said, “and we didn’tdoit.” Sundaywas abrief outingfor LSUright-handed starter Chase Shores. The redshirt sophomore only lasted two innings, surrendering three hits, three earned runs and two walks. He allowed atwo-run double in theﬁrstinningbeforeallowinganother runonaground ball double play in thesecond. Shores startedthe thirdbut he hit the leadoff batter andwas replaced by junior right-hander Zac

Cowan.

“(After)two and ahalf games of notscoring alot, Ididn’tfeel like we could afford to getbehind by ﬁve,” Johnson said. “So we put a guy in that doesn’tgive up runs.”

Cowanmaintainedhis brilliance to keep LSU within striking distance, tossing 42/3 shutout innings. He only recordedtwo strikeouts but induced nine ﬂy outs and 38 of his 50 pitches werestrikes. Freshman right-handerCasan Evans replaced Cowan with two runnersonand two outs in the seventh inning. Evans forced aﬂyout to endthe inning before tossing a scoreless eighth.

After Sunday,Evans and Cowan both hold ERAs under 0.80.

LSUreturns home on Tuesday to face McNeese State. First pitch from Alex Box Stadium is set for 6:30 p.m. andthe game will be availabletostreamonSEC Network+.

Paredes’ 3-runhomer caps Astros’big 2ndinning

By The AssociatedPress

HOUSTON Isaac Paredes hit a three-run homer to cap Houston’s ﬁve-run secondinning, Hayden Wesneski struck out acareerhigh 10 and the Astros beat the Los Angeles Angels 7-3 on Sunday Cam Smith and MauricioDubón hit RBI singles off Angels starter Kyle Hendricks (0-1) before Paredes launched his home run into the Crawford Boxes to give

the Astros a5-2 lead. Paredes has homered in three straight games, all toleft ﬁeld. Jeremy Peña hadanRBI groundout in the sixth and Jose Altuve hit asacrifice fly in the seventh.

Wesneski(1-1) allowed three runs —all on solo home runs— andfivehits in six innings. He retired 11 straight during one stretch before Kevin Newman’s two-out single in theﬁfth. Taylor Ward led off for theAn-

gels with asolo homer,his 10th career leadoff home run. He hasﬁve homers in his past ﬁve games Nolan Schanuelhit asoloshot in thesecond and Jorge Soler hit asolo home runinthe sixth. Hendricks allowed five runs andfour hitsinfourinnings. Hendricks had allowed tworuns over 11 innings in his first two starts this season. Abig moment for the Astros, came withthe Angels having run-

ners on ﬁrst and second and two outs in the seventh, BryanAbreu struck out Ward to end the inning and keep Houstonahead by three. Houston’s pitching combined for 16 strikeouts andnowalks.

After an off day on Monday,Los Angeles left-hander Yusei Kikuchi (0-2, 5.00 ERA) starts Tuesday in theopenerofa three-game series at Texas.Houstonleft-hander Framber Valdez (1-1, 2.50) starts Monday in the opener of a three-game seriesatSt. Louis.

No. 3Texas A&Msoftball

claims4-1 winvs. LSU

Third-ranked Texas A&M completed aseries sweep of fifthranked LSU with a4-1 victory on Sunday in College Station, Texas. LSU moves to 35-8 and 8-7 in the Southeastern Conference.Texas A&M improves to 37-5 and 11-3. LSU pitcher Tatum Clopton (5-1) went ﬁveinnings.Clopton struck out two and gave up fourruns on four hits and two walks.

Texas A&M pitcherEmily Leavitt (4-0) earned the win after striking out two and surrendering onehit andone walk in four innings. Avery Hodge led LSU offensively,going 2for 3including adouble anda run scored.MaciBergeron added an RBI single in the seventh inning. The Aggies’ big hit was a three-run homer by KK Dement in the fourth.

Yankees’Stroman takes shot for swellinginknee

NEWYORK— New York Yankees pitcher Marcus Stroman had a cortisone shot to treat swelling in his inﬂamed leftknee.

Stroman wenttoahospital for scansafter the 33-year righthander mentioned pain to the team following Friday’sstart, whenhe allowed ﬁve runs and got twoouts in arainy 9-1 loss to the San Francisco Giants.

Stroman was placed on the 15dayinjuredlist Saturday, oneday after throwing 46 pitches in steady rain. Boone said he did not know how much time Stroman will miss but hoped his absence would be short-term

Stroman hadsurgery on March 19, 2015, to repair atornACL in his leftknee. He returned to amajor league mound that Sept. 12.

Celtics coachsays Brown had injections for knee Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla has conﬁrmed areport that JaylenBrown receivedinjections during theweek to help his troublesomeright knee that’slimited his playing timethe past month. It was first reported by ESPN that Brownreceivedpainmanagementinjections. The reigning Finals MVPsat outFriday’svictory over Charlotte and missedSunday’sregular season ﬁnale win in the rematch against the Hornets. Mazzulla says it’s“just part of the rehab process forhim to get back to be his absolute best.” In Boston’srun to the championship last spring, Brown was their main defender against the opponents’ top scorer Mazzulla said it wasthe player’s decision to sit out. In doing so, he became ineligible forpostseason awards because he’ll be short of theleague’sthresholdfor total games played.

Alcaraz drops firstset, then cruisestotitle

CarlosAlcaraz hasdefeated an injury-striken Lorenzo Musetti 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 to winthe Monte Carlo ﬁnaland secure his sixth Masters 1000 career title.

Alcaraz cruised to his first Monte Carlo trophy and his18th tour-level victory. The21-year-old Spaniard will reach No. 2inthe world rankings following the triumph in Monaco.

Musetti started showing signs of aright-leginjury in the third setand receivedtreatment at 0-3. The 23-year-old Italian had trouble moving and keeping up with Alcaraz toward the end of the match. Alcaraz has struggled at times this year and was coming offan opening-roundlosstoDavid Gofﬁn in Miami.

Verstappen has rough day, finishes sixth at Bahrain

SAKHIR, Bahrain From ﬁrst to last —atleast brieﬂy —inthe space of aweek.

Aqualifying master class put Formula 1reigning champion Max Verstappen on course forvictory in Japan last week butonSunday in Bahrain he was faroff the pace. At one stage Verstappen even ended up in last positioninthe race, before recovering to ﬁnish sixth andminimize theground lost in the standings.

Verstappen started seventh but steadily lost places —including being overtaken by 18-year-old rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli and his old rival Lewis Hamilton —and complainedoftirewear,brake problemsand overheating.

STAFF FILEPHOTO By SOPHIAGERMER

Tulane outfielder Tanner Chun, shown in action againstUNO on March 25 at Maestri Field, went 3for 4witha home runand double in the Green Wave’s 8-7 win over UABonSundayatTurchin

By WADE PAyNE

Larson dominates, claims emotional victory at Bristol

BY NATE RYAN Associated Press

BRISTOL Tenn With added motivation to honor a late friend, Kyle Larson seemed to have an extra gear Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway

The Hendrick Motorsports star led 411 of 500 laps in a victory that was dominant as it was emotional. Larson, racing just days after the death of Jon Edwards, his former public relations representative, picked up his second Cup win of the season. It was his 31st Cup victory and third at Bristol.

“This one is definitely for Jon,” Larson said. “He is just a great guy, so we’re going to miss him. Wish he was going to be here with us to celebrate, but I know he’s celebrating with us in spirit. Just a ﬂawless race at Bristol for the team. Really, really good car That was a lot of fun.”

Denny Hamlin ﬁnished second in his 400th consecutive Cup start, falling one spot short in his bid for a third consecutive win. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver was gracious in defeat, noting Larson’s victory came after a somber week that

SAINTS

Continued from page 1C

injury-plagued 2024 seasons when they combined to play in just 14 games. Injuries are going to continue to be a concern for Olave and Shaheed because of their comparatively slight frames. Those two have been spectacular at times, but even when they’ve shared the field, the Saints have clearly lacked a possession receiver to complement their skills. That still remains somewhat true even after the Saints added veteran Brandin Cooks in free agency At tight end, the Saints just committed to Juwan Johnson for three years. Johnson has flashed big-time ability as a move tight end, but he has never managed to sustain it over the course of a full season Does the Saints’ financial commitment to Johnson mean they can’t use a high-level draft asset on another pass-catching tight end? That remains to be seen. Here are some receivers who could be intriguing options for the Saints with their selections on Days 1 and 2 of the NFL draft WR TETAIROA MCMILLAN • ARIZONA: Not only is McMillan widely considered the top receiver in this class — potentially the only one that would go in the top 10 but he also possesses the exact skillset the Saints have been missing since Michael Thomas injured his ankle in the 2020 season opener The 6-foot-4, 219-pound McMillan is a contested-catch artist, using his big frame and velcro hands to box out defenders and beat them to the ball. Though he reportedly ran an impressive 40-yard dash at a private workout, he is not considered a burner who separates with speed. That did not stop him from racking up 174 catches for 2,721 yards in his final two seasons with the Wildcats.

TE TYLER WARREN PENN STATE: The track record for ﬁrst-round tight ends isn’t great, but the nature of the position is changing, and Brock Bowers is coming off one of the greatest rookie seasons by a tight end. This isn’t to say Warren is going to follow in Bowers’ footsteps, but he might be the only tight end worth considering with the Saints pick. He was a dy-

In Year 20, Spurs’ Paul starts in all 82 games

BY TIM REYNOLDS AP basketball writer

In Year 20, Chris Paul started all 82. And he made some NBA history in the process. Paul was in the San Antonio Spurs’ starting lineup for their season finale on Sunday making him the first player to ever make 82 starts this deep into a career The previous mark on that front was held by Utah’s John Stockton, who started all 82 games in his 19th and final season.

Paul — who turns 40 in less than a month — is one of three players to have a season with 82 appearances at his age. Stockton did it in the seasons where he turned 39 and 40, and Michael Jordan turned 39 in his ﬁnal season while playing in all 82 games and starting 67 of them.

“It’s crazy,” Paul said. “I was talking to my wife about this. When you’re sort of in it, you’re not really thinking about it. It’s like, ‘OK, it’s Game 30. OK, it’s Game 40something. It’s game such and such.’” It became Game 82. And Paul never missed a beat.

row And Mikal, who was my teammate, he never misses a game.” Also playing in Game 82s on Sunday: Golden State’s Buddy Hield, Detroit’s Malik Beasley, Washington’s Bub Carrington and Minnesota’s Nickeil Alexander-Walker Bridges was playing in his 556th consecutive regular-season game Sunday — out of a possible 556. He hasn’t missed any game since his junior year of high school, including 116 at Villanova and 39 NBA playoff games. Add that up, and he’s played in 711 consecutive games since entering college.

The Knicks held out four starters for a meaningless game standings-wise Sunday Bridges was the exception.

also included the deaths of longtime motorsports journalist Al Pearce and championship truck owner Shigeaki Hattori.

“You’ve got to give that team their due and Kyle his due,” Hamlin said. “Just a dominant performance. Looked like a pretty ﬂawless day for him. It was all I had to try to keep up. Glad we were able to give him a little bit of a run but this weekend we’re all thinking about Jon Edwards and his family, Al Pearce, Shigeaki Hattori. We’ve lost a lot of great people in our sport over this past week. So our thoughts are with them.”

Ty Gibbs was third, followed by Chase Briscoe and Ryan Blaney who led 48 laps but faded to fifth after pitting late and betting on catching a caution. The final 235 laps were run under the green flag in a race with only three yellow flags, the fewest at Bristol since August 1982.

Larson’s No. 5 Chevrolet was one of several cars sporting a decal in the memory of Edwards, the Hendrick Motorsports director of communications whose death was confirmed in a Thursday state-

ment from the team. The cause of death was not announced.

The 53-year-old Edwards was a PR specialist during Jeff Gordon’s four Cup championships. After becoming Gordon’s right-hand man, Edwards also worked closely with Larson since the star joined Hendrick Motorsports in 2021 and won his ﬁrst championship.

On Saturday at Bristol, Larson dedicated an Xﬁnity Series victory to Edwards, who took vacations with the driver and became his closest friend on the No. 5 team. Gordon, who retired from driving in 2015 and since has become the vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, was emotional when talking about Edwards before and after the race.

“It’s been a rough week,” Gordon said. “I lost somebody who was like a brother to me and so many other people that he impacted I just want to say thank you to everybody that has been sending messages, making phone calls. Kyle was obviously very close to him, and Jon did a lot for him. You could tell he was driving with a passion out there.”

Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan

over West Virginia cornerback Garnett Hollis in the second half of their game on Oct. 26 in Tucson, Ariz.

namic all-purpose weapon in his ﬁnal season with Penn State, tallying 104 receptions for 1,233 yards along with 218 rushing yards and four touchdowns (while averaging 8.4 yards per carry). He is a versatile weapon who could ﬁnd an immediate impact role in Moore’s offense.

WR LUTHER BURDEN • MISSOURI: This time a year ago, Burden was considered a potential top-10 pick after a superb 2023 season with Mizzou. His star has dimmed some after his production fell off a cliff in 2024 (1,212 receiving yards to 676). Though he is not the big-bodied receiver that McMillan is (Burden is 6-0, 204 pounds), he does proﬁle as a slot receiver with run-after-the-catch ability, which would ﬁt nicely with what Olave and Shaheed already bring to the table. While Mizzou routinely tried to hit the easy button with Burden (75% of his career catches were made within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage, according to Pro Football Focus), there might be more to his game than he was allowed to show in college.

WR JAYDEN HIGGINS IOWA STATE: Higgins originally focused on basketball in high school before committing himself more toward football in his junior year He

was a two-star recruit who began his career at Eastern Kentucky before finishing with Iowa State. Higgins broke out in his final season there, making 87 catches for 1,187 yards. He has a prototypical build for an outside receiver, standing 6-4, but he might fit best as a power slot in the NFL.

WR JACK BECH • TCU: Bech is a Louisiana product who began his career at LSU before finishing at TCU, where he proved himself with an outstanding season to close his college career (62 receptions, 1,034 yards, nine touchdowns). He followed that up with a standout week at the Senior Bowl, where he finished as the game’s MVP He profiles as a slot receiver in the NFL.

TE MASON TAYLOR LSU: Taylor ﬁnished his career as LSU’s all-time leader in receptions by a tight end, recording 129 receptions in three seasons. Throughout the process leading up to the draft, he has been trying to convince teams that he is a complete tight end who can impact the game as a receiver or as a blocker and his 6-5, 251-pound frame should allow him to play in line — though he is probably farther along as a pass -atcher Email Luke Johnson at ljohnson@theadvocate.com.

He’s one of six players who made 82 starts in this NBA regular season, which was ending Sunday The others: New York’s Mikal Bridges, Minnesota’s Jaden McDaniels, Houston’s Jalen Green, Cleveland’s Jarrett Allen and Paul’s San Antonio teammate Harrison Barnes.

With Paul, Barnes and Julian Champagnie, the Spurs became the first team since the 2017-18 Minnesota Timberwolves with at least three players to appear in 82 games.

For Barnes, who is in his first year with the Spurs, Sunday’s game was his 304th in a row He and Paul are the first Spurs to play all 82 games since Bryn Forbes and Patty Mills in 2018-19 — and the first Spurs to start all 82 games since Bruce Bowen in 2006-07.

“Year 20, this is only the second time in my career playing 82 games,” Paul said. “And also playing as long as I have, I think I know how hard it is. That’s why I have so much respect for Harrison, who is doing this for the third year in a

WALKER

Continued from page 1C

game in late April. Sunday’s loss came in a meaningless game in a season where meaningless games became the norm.

The players who were supposed to help the Pelicans take the next step this season Zion Williamson, CJ McCollum, Herb Jones, Yves Missi, Jordan Hawkins, Kelly Olynyk and Bruce Brown — were all sitting on the bench in street clothes watching the Thunder drive the ﬁnal nail in this season’s cofﬁn. Meanwhile, Jose Alvarado played alongside mostly players who spent much of their time this season with the G League Birmingham Stallions.

The Pelicans ﬁnished 21-61, marking the second worst season in franchise history Only the New Orleans Hornets had a tougher season in 2004, ﬁnishing 18-64.

“We’ve dealt with the injury bug before, but this obviously was the strongest one,” Murphy said before the game. “It sucks, especially with a team so talented. We never really get to see the full group and its full potential. It sucks. It’s life. It’s basketball. Things happen like that and you just have to move on and ﬂip to the next chapter.”

Only Pelicans’ owner Gayle Benson, who watched from her suite above section 101, knows what the pages of the next chapter will look like.

Five months after ﬁring Saints’ head coach Dennis Allen, Benson will have to now take a long hard look at making changes to her other franchise. The future of executive VP of basketball operations David Grifﬁn and head coach Willie Green both seem uncertain after such a disastrous season.

Pelicans’ coach Willie Green said after the game that he hasn’t had any talks with the front ofﬁce about his future. But Green offered an honest assessment of how his fourth season went.

“I didn’t do great,” Green said.

“I have to take full ownership of where we are right now as a team. I’ll go back and reﬂect.

I was beating myself up every game trying to ﬁgure out how to get us competing and playing at the highest level that we can play We failed. I failed.”

“I think he’s earned that right,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “It’s a tribute to him. I think he’s worked hard to put himself in that position. I’ve said this before: He should be commended for it.” Bridges played the ﬁrst six seconds to extend the streak Sunday, took a foul, got subbed out by Landry Shamet and went to the bench. (He did something similar in the ﬁnal game of the 2023-24 season, playing four seconds for Brooklyn against Philadelphia on the last day.)

“I mean, they just asked to see what I want to do,” Bridges said. “It’s really for the young guys, because I could play a quarter or play a half, but that’s taking away from young guys like (Pacome Dadiet and Kevin McCullar Jr.), guys that played well today, too, but just for their minutes.” It happened elsewhere as well: Allen played 41 seconds for Cleveland on Sunday to get to 82 starts, then was subbed out. Sacramento’s Jonas Valanciunas appeared in 81 games this season, not 82, with a big caveat he was inactive for two teams on the same day, which is the only reason why he didn’t get to 82 this season. Valanciunas was traded by Washington to the Kings on Feb. 5; he appeared that night as inactive for both of those teams on the ofﬁcial NBA boxscores because the trade was pending.

Season ticket holders are frustrated and rightfully so. Not just with the losses, but also all the injuries. The quintet of Williamson, McCollum, Jones, Murphy and Dejounte Murray missed a total of 220 games, all variables that made this season a tough pill to swallow for everybody

“That’s the most difﬁcult part, there is so much you can’t control,” Green said. “You have to sometimes surrender to it and continue to ﬁght and stay in there.”

The Pelicans, who got a gamehigh 20 points from Antonio Reeves and a double double (10 points, 16 rebounds) from Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, put up a ﬁght against OKC. It helped, of course, that the Thunder had already wrapped up the top seed in the Western Conference and rested their starters.

There were plenty Pelicans’ games this season that weren’t close. They lost ﬁve games this season by 40 or more points, including the worst loss in franchise history (153-104) to the Miami Heat on Friday Ending the season on a 7-game losing streak is understandable with the players the Pelicans had available down the stretch. It’s what they did in November and December when they were close to full strength that concerned Murphy

“We have to be better as a team,” Murphy said. “There were a lot of things we weren’t doing on our end. We were out there healthy and just fine. We had enough guys out there to win games and we weren’t pulling through games. We’ve got to get better and mature more as a team and be more cohesive.” Sunday was also the end of a frustrating season for all sports fans in the city Coupled with the Saints’ 5-12 finish, the 26 combined wins by the two New Orleans franchises ties the record for the fewest wins ever In 2004, the Saints went 8-8 and the then-Hornets finished 18-64. Who knows how different this Pelicans’ season would have been if not for all the injuries? But, as Alvarado reminded us a few weeks ago, nobody really cares about that.

“I’m pretty sure everybody gets tired of the ‘what if?’” Alvarado said. “We know how good we are. The ‘what if’ is getting pretty tired. We’ve got to just do it.” This season, they didn’t. Thankfully, it’s over

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By RICK SCUTERI

tries

make

catch

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOT0

Kyle Larson leads Ryan Preece, Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin during a NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday in Bristol, Tenn.

PRESS PHOTOS By JESSICA HILL

UConn women’ Celebrate

‘special day’ with their fans

BY JIM FULLER Associated Press

HARTFORD Conn. Not long after Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont announced UConn women’s basketball head coach Geno Auriemma as “the greatest coach in the history of college basketball” following Sunday’s championship parade, the Hall of Fame head coach came up with a new title to bestow on the state of Connecticut.

UConn has referred to itself as the “Basketball Capital Of The World” with 18 national men’s or women’s titles since Auriemma led the women’s basketball program to the first of 12 national titles 30 years ago. With parades being held in Hartford in 2023 and 2024 in honor of the back-to-back national titles won by the Huskies’ men’s basketball program, Auriemma told the assembled crowd in front of the XL Center, “this is the third parade in three years so we are ofﬁcially the parade capital of the world.”

UConn ﬁnished the season with a 37-3 record after winning its last 16 games. The Huskies won the six games in the NCAA tournament by an average of 32.8 points to win their ﬁrst national championship since 2016

“You guys are amazing,” UConn guard Azzi Fudd said “You guys make it possible to keep bringing home championships. This championship means everything, but to do it with this team, this team is so special. They are all my sisters, my friends for life. We have been through so much together.”

One of the hard lessons came when UConn learned of the death of Abby Zittoun, a 13-year-old from Simsbury The team had become close to Zittoun and her family during Abby’s seven-year battle with cancer She died on Oct. 16. Her family made it to Tampa, Florida, to cheer on UConn. Fudd thanked them for their support, and that drew a huge cheer from the crowd.

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near the end of the year opening the door for Las Vegas Aces superstar A’ja Wilson to pass her up on the leaderboard and set it herself (451).

Morrow and Reese finished their four-year collegiate careers with identical rebounding averages (12.3). Morrow also scored more points per game (20.5) than Reese (18.6), who was selected by the Chicago Sky with the No 7 overall pick in the 2024 draft.

ESPN’s latest mock draft projected the Golden State Valkyries to scoop up Morrow with the No. 5 overall selection — the ﬁrst draft choice in the expansion franchise’s history

“It talks about tenacity,” Miller said. “It talks about desire Rebounding is a big hustle statistic. So, systems, coaches will determine what they want her

and whoever

Paige Bueckers, who is expected to be the ﬁrst pick in the WNBA Draft on Monday, Final Four Most Outstanding Player Fudd and Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Freshman of the Year Sarah Strong led the Huskies to their record 12th national title.

“There is a lot of thanks to go around,” Bueckers said. “We can’t possibly thank everybody who helped us on this journey.”

The parade was originally scheduled for Saturday. However with rain in the forecast it was moved to Sunday afternoon.

The festivities culminated with a rally in front of the XL Center UConn stated that no state or city funds were used to stage the parade. An estimated crowd of 20,000 turned out to support the Huskies

“We have the greatest team in the country and we have the greatest fans in the country,” Auriemma said.

Auriemma has been known to make bold proclamations at previous UConn championship parades. He didn’t predict that his team would win the national title again

during the 2025-26 season, but he came pretty close.

“Remember (UConn men’s basketball) Coach (Dan) Hurley said there was going to be a 3-peat,” Auriemma said. “Well, things didn’t go exactly according to plan, but it was a 3-peat. I don’t know whether it is going to be us or them, but we are going to try to make it a 4-peat.”

After the championship rally Auriemma reﬂected on the last gathering to honor a UConn basketball championship team.

“There is a tremendous amount of affection that they have for our players as individuals and our team,” Auriemma said. “There is a bond that they create and it is pretty powerful. A day like today just reinforces that.

“The enthusiasm and the passion that our fans have for our team is just remarkable. We were talking about the very ﬁrst one on the bus. We tried to reminisce about how much time has gone by since that ﬁrst one. You see the reaction of the kids and they were blown away by the whole event. It was a great day for them, a great day UConn Nation.”

Former LSU forward Smith lands in Virginia

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

Former LSU women’s basketball forward Sa’Myah Smith announced Sunday that she’s transferring to Virginia. Smith, a rising redshirt junior, played three seasons with the Tigers. She entered the transfer portal on March 31, just a day after her LSU team’s season ended with an Elite Eight loss to No. 1 seed UCLA. Since then, coach Kim Mulkey and her staff have lost three more players to the portal — point guard Last-Tear Poa, center Aalyah Del Rosario and forward Jersey Wolfenbarger — and signed one transfer, a former high-profile recruit and Notre Dame forward named Kate Koval. The losses have given the Ti-

gers a clear need for frontcourt pieces.

All ﬁve post players from their 2024-2025 team, including star senior Aneesah Morrow, have moved on, either because they exhausted their eligibility or decided to transfer Smith averaged 6.6 points and 6.4 rebounds per game as a redshirt junior but found a way to play the best basketball of her career in the NCAA Tournament. In those four contests, she averaged 13.8 points, 10.3 boards, 2.3 steals and 1 block per game while shooting 64% from the ﬁeld. Now Smith will hope to build on those showings in a Hokies uniform. According to ESPN, she was one of the 10 best players to enter the portal this cycle. The transfer portal is open for women’s basketball players until April 23.

Clark vs. Reese Sky will tip off new WNBA Rivals Week

BY DOUG FEINBERG AP basketball writer

NEW YORK Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever will face Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky in prime time to tip off the inaugural WNBA Rivals Week in August.

Other games will include two between New York and Minnesota in a WNBA Finals rematch; a matchup of projected No. 1 draft pick Paige Bueckers and Dallas against Clark’s Fever; and Atlanta’s Brittney Griner facing her old Phoenix squad. The week will be sponsored by Ally Financial, a new partner for the league this season.

“You can have a great partnership, but you also have to have great activation,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a Zoom interview

“There’s going to be a full slate of games that week and that’s going to be a cool part of the activation.”

Rivalry week games will be broadcast on a variety of networks, starting with the primetime game between the Fever and Sky on CBS on Aug. 9.

“The timing of that week is critical, because in August you start to really make that playoff push,” Engelbert said. “So it would be great to have those matchups during that period to drive that

playoff push into September and crown a champion in October.”

The NBA has had a Rivals Week for three years.

Engelbert has mentioned in the past how important rivalries can be to grow the sport. The league started the Commissioner’s Cup in 2021 and that in-season tournament has helped spawn rivalries between New York and Las Vegas as well as the Liberty and Lynx over the past few seasons.

“To have two teams who are just competing extremely hard every single time they match up and every time you watch is great basketball,” Bueckers said “So I think it was a perfect opportunity to start that — there’s so many great rivalries in the league.

This isn’t Ally’s first foray into women’s basketball. It was one of the inaugural partners with the 3-on-3 Unrivaled league that finished its first season last month. The conversations with the WNBA started years before Unrivaled came into existence.

“What Cathy and her team have done with the league, the cultural currency of the players, the media connectivity, the entire ecosystem, is just phenomenal,” said Andrea Brimmer, Ally Financial’s chief marketing ofﬁcer

Bueckers has had busy week since national championship

BY DOUG FEINBERG AP basketball writer

NEW YORK It’s been a whirlwind week for Paige Bueckers since she won her ﬁrst national championship with UConn.

The Huskies star player has been going back and forth between Connecticut and New York doing morning and night time talk show appearances. Bueckers stopped by “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” and interrupted his monologue to let him hold the national championship on Wednesday night.

Later in the week she came back to New York for WNBA rookie orientation before ﬁnally going back to Connecticut for a parade to celebrate the school’s 12th NCAA title they won in Tampa, Florida. She’s been enjoying the moment since the storybook ending to her college career Bueckers’ life won’t slow down after Monday night when she’s expected to be taken No. 1 overall by the Dallas Wings at the WNBA draft. Bueckers will be headed to Texas to do appearances and get ready for training camp that begins on April 27. She’ll be in the spotlight trying to revitalize the Dallas franchise. Her No. 5 jersey is expected to be one of the top sellers in the WNBA this upcoming season.

The 23-year-old guard has been in the spotlight since her high school days in Minnesota. She’s been one of the most popular players ever since she stepped foot in Storrs, Connecticut, in 2021.

Bueckers burst on to the season as a freshman in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. She became the ﬁrst player ever to earn AP Player of the Year

honors in her first year Then injuries hampered her next two years before she finally was healthy again.

“It was a journey of resilience, of overcoming adversity,” she said. “I wouldn’t trade it for the world just because it became such a beautiful story and a remarkable journey of ups and downs, highs and lows, of keeping the faith, of working extremely hard, and I really wouldn’t trade it.” Her name, image and likeness valuations are among the top for women’s basketball players. She has deals with major sponsors Nike, Gatorade, Verizon and Dunkin’ Donuts She added last week. It’s something that none of the previous UConn greats such as Rebecca Lobo, Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird, Maya Moore and Breanna Stewart had when they entered the WNBA.

On the court, Bueckers has been one of the most efﬁcient players in college basketball during her time at UConn. She finished her career shooting over 53% from the ﬁeld, 42% from behind the 3-point line and 85% from the free throw line.

“It’s going to be fun to watch her because I expect a similar efﬁciency from her at the pro level,” ESPN analyst Lobo said. “I actually think it will be good if her efﬁciency is down a little bit because that means she’s hunting shots more, which is kind of what she has the ability to do and what we saw especially throughout the course of the Big East and NCAA Tournaments.

“But she’s a special talent who can just get where she wants to get and once she gets there, hit her shots at a ridiculously high efﬁciency.”

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Maravich Assembly

ASSOCIATED

Members of the UConn women’s basketball team celebrate from a bus during a parade in honor of the Huskies’ NCAA women’s college basketball championship on Sunday in Hartford, Conn.

UConn’s KK Arnold, left, and Paige Bueckers, right, share a light moment during a parade celebrating the Huskies’ NCAA women’s college basketball championship onApril 13 in Hartford, Conn.

THE 89TH MASTERS

GLORY FOR RORY

McIlroy outlasts Rose in sudden-death playoff to win first Masters tournament

BY DOUG FERGUSON AP golf writer

AUGUSTA, Ga. — The closer Rory McIlroy came to fulfilling his lifetime dream — winning the Masters — the more it kept slipping away Sunday at Augusta National felt like his last 11 years in the majors, blunders mixed in with sheer brilliance.

A two-shot lead gone in two holes. A four-shot lead gone in three holes with a shocker of a mistake A 5-foot putt on the ﬁnal hole to win narrowly missed.

And then McIlroy turned what could have been another major collapse into his grandest moment of all when he hit wedge to 3 feet for birdie in a suddendeath playoff against Justin Rose to become ﬁnally a Masters champion and take his place in golf history as the sixth player with the career Grand Slam.

“There were points in my career where I didn’t know if I would have this nice garment over my shoulders,” McIlroy said, that Masters green jacket looking like a perfect ﬁt. “But I didn’t make it easy today I certainly didn’t make it easy. I was nervous.

“It was one of the toughest days I’ve ever had on the golf course.”

The reward was greater than he imagined, and it showed. He rapped in that ﬁnal putt, raised both arms in the air and let the putter fall behind him He covered his head, dropped to his knees, and before long his forehead was on the green as his chest heaved with emotion

That was 11 years of pent-up emotion from his last major when he began to carry the burden of getting the ﬁnal leg of the Grand Slam. It was 14 years of remembering the time he wasted a four-shot lead with an 80 on the ﬁnal day as a 21-year-old.

“I started to wonder if it would ever be my time,” he said

The thought could have easily crossed his mind during the ﬁnal

round. What could have been a coronation for McIlroy along the back nine turned into a heartracing, lead-changing, jawdropping ﬁnish at golf’s greatest theater that ended with McIlroy sobbing with joy and disbelief.

It ended with more heartache for Rose, who lost to Sergio Garcia in a playoff in 2017 and forced this one with a clutch 20foot birdie on the 18th hole for a 6-under 66. He wound up joining Ben Hogan as the only players to lose twice in playoffs at Augusta National.

“It’s the kind of putt you dream about as a kid, and to have it and hole it, it was a special feeling,”

Rose said “And unfortunately, the playoff, they always end so

quickly If you’re not the guy to hit the great shot or hole the great putt, it’s over. But not really anything I could have done more today.”

The joy on McIlroy’s face never left him from the time that putt dropped — on the green, in Butler Cabin when defending champion Scottie Schefﬂer ﬁrst helped him into the green jacket and during the trophy presentation on the 18th green.

“My dreams have been made today,” McIlroy said.

Moments later, speaking to 4-year-old daughter Poppy, he told her: “Never give up on your dreams. Never, ever give up on your dreams.”

This was shaping up as another horror show for McIlroy,

who in 2011 lost a four-shot lead on the ﬁnal day with a 43 on the back nine, a highlight reel that now can start collecting dust.

“I didn’t make it easy today,” McIlroy said. Right when it looked as though he would throw away another major, McIlroy delivered two majestic shots when nothing less would do, two birdies that sent him to the 18th hole with a one-shot lead. That still wasn’t enough. He hit a wedge into the bunker and wound up missing a 5-foot par putt for a 1-over 73 and the ﬁrst Masters playoff in eight years. Faced with more failure, McIlroy responded with another booming drive, and this wedge bounced onto the slope of the top

shelf with enough spin to trickle down toward the hole, closer and closer, until it stopped 3 feet away

And when Rose missed from 15 feet, McIlroy ﬁnally sealed it.

“I just think all week how I responded to setbacks, that’s what I’ll take from this week,” McIlroy said, though he could have been speaking for the last decade “Couldn’t be more proud I myself for that and being able to back bounce when I needed to.”

McIlroy went 11 long years without any major, knowing the Masters green jacket was all that kept him from joining Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus Gary Player, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen as the only winners of golf’s four professional majors. Nicklaus and Player spoke on Thursday how they thought this was his time. Woods was among those to congratulate McIlroy and welcome him to the club.

So wild was this Sunday at Augusta National that McIlroy set a Masters record as the first champion to make four double bogeys two in the first round that put him seven shots behind, two in the final round that turned this into a thriller U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau, who beat McIlroy at Pinehurst No. 2 last June, had the lead after two holes when McIlroy opened with a double bogey DeChambeau crashed out with a pair of three-putts and two shots into the water on the back nine, closing with a 75. Ludvig Aberg, a runner-up in his Masters debut a year ago, suddenly had a share of the lead when McIlroy fell apart on the middle of the back nine. He missed a birdie putt from the fringe to take the lead, then finished bogey-triple bogey McIlroy and Rose finished at 11-under 277, two shots ahead of former Masters champion Patrick Reed (69). Scheffler, trying to win the Masters for the third time in four years, never got anything going this week and still shot 69 to finish fourth.

Hole position at 16 honors Nicklaus’ 1975 victory

BY SCOTT RABALAIS Staff writer

AUGUSTA, Ga.

— In a place where tradition means so much Masters ofﬁcials changed a familiar Sunday pin placement that was the site for one of the tournament’s greatest moments to honor another great moment. Instead of cutting the cup near the pond and bunker on the left, the place it was where Tiger Woods chipped in for birdie in 2005, they put it on the back right portion of the green. That’s where the flag was when Jack Nicklaus drained an uphill 40-footer in 1975 en route to

RABALAIS

Continued from page 1C

strangely did something for him that a bracing double whiskey in Augusta’s clubhouse couldn’t have done “It’s almost like it calmed my nerves,” McIlroy said.

That’s good, because the entire day was nerve wracking For everyone DeChambeau took the lead with a birdie at 2, but McIlroy then went birdie-birdie on 3 and 4 and amazingly was now up three shots on DeChambeau after he bogeyed those same holes. Eventually DeChambeau would fade from prime contention into a tie for fifth with a scuffling 75. But others would take up the charge. Justin Rose. Ludvig Aberg, runner up to Scottie Scheffler last year Scheffler himself, and former University High golfer Patrick Reed, the 2018 Masters winner Still, for a time it looked like McIlroy was going to run away to Butler Cabin and the green jacket ceremony when he went to 14 under with a birdie at 10. But he

his ﬁfth of six green jackets.

LSU’s Tiger limps home Former LSU All-American Sam Burns had a shot at his best career Masters ﬁnish. But a double bogeydouble bogey end to his round at 17 and 18 left him with a second straight 3-over par 75 and in a tie for 46th at 5 over 293. Burns, 28, has made four Masters appearances, with a tie for 29th in 2023 and two missed cuts. Reed rallies for third

Former University High golfer

Patrick Reed enjoyed his best Masters since his 2018 victory ﬁring

let everyone, particularly Rose, back into it with a double bogey on the gettable par-5 13th when he fanned a simple wedge shot into the bottom of rocky Rae’s Creek.

It led to McIlroy’s fourth double bogey of the week. Can you make four doubles and win the Masters? Maybe you can if you do what McIlroy did two holes later hitting a sweeping 7-iron from 208 yards over the pond and onto the 15th green to set up a birdie.

His wedge betrayed him again on 18, as he found a bunker and made bogey to wind up in a sudden-death playoff with Rose, his friend and respected rival, who earlier made a gutsy birdie on the same hole. Both hit great shots to the 18th green in their sudden-death playoff, a proper gap wedge this time for McIlroy that he put to four feet leading to a winning birdie. The birdie made McIlroy just the sixth man ever to win the career grand slam all four majors — the Masters, U.S. and British Opens, and the PGA Championship It made him the ﬁrst European to do it. But perhaps, most importantly it relieved him of an enormous

a ﬁnal-round 69 that put him in solo third place at 9 under 279.

Reed’s round included a onehop and in eagle 2 at the par-4 17th hole, one of the highlights of the entire round.

“I hit it 90%, and then all of a sudden we can’t really see it because it’s kind of shiny and everything up there” on the green, Reed said “I was flag hunting, and they said it one or two-hopped in. It was either going in or it was going to be really close.”

Another improbable eagle on the par-4 18th would have put Reed in the playoff won by Rory McIlroy over

Justin Rose, but he made par Drive, Chip and Putt Registration is now open for the 2025-26 Drive, Chip and Putt youth competition, with three local qualifying sites in Louisiana. The events will be June 10 at The Island Golf and Country Club in Plaquemine June 18 at the David Toms 265 Academy in Shreveport and Aug. 4 at TPC Louisiana in Avondale. There is also a qualifier July 17 at The Club at Diamondhead in Mississippi.

Boys and girls ages 7-15 are eligible to participate. Winners

burden he’d carried since that cabin-rattling tee shot in 2011. Since, strangely in a way he won the 2014 British Open to put him

one Masters victory away from the grand slam that everyone expected he would quickly capture. It all seemed to slide off McIlroy

advance from local to subregional and regional qualifiers, with 40 boys and 40 girls in four age groups advancing to the DCP Finals, Sunday April 5, 2026 at Augusta National. There is no entry fee. For more information visit www.drivechipandputt.com.

Future Masters dates

The Masters is traditionally played the ﬁrst full week of April. Here are the dates for the next three tournaments: • April 9-12, 2026 • April 8-11, 2027 • April 6-9, 2028

as he sank to his knees on the 18th green, more relieved, he admitted, than elated. His face sank to the grass as tears ﬂowed. That was followed by a hug from his long-time caddie, Harry Diamond, from his wife Erica, from Poppy from fellow Irishman and defending Zurich Classic co-champion Shane Lowry, from everyone in the gallery it seemed. Rory wanted to

be like and fearing, at 35, it might never come.

“A moment like that makes all the years and the close calls worth it,” McIlroy said. An historic moment to end one of the most thrilling and momentous Masters ever

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ASHLEy LANDIS

Winner Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, holds the trophy at the Masters tournament on Sunday in Augusta, Ga.

‘The past is neverdead’

HenryLouis GatesJr. goes from host to gueston PBS’ ‘Finding Your Roots’

BY MARK KENNEDY Associated Press

NEW YORK For11seasons, Henry Louis Gates Jr.has sat across from his guests on the popular PBS series “Finding Your Roots”and led them through secrets intheirfamily tree. Last week,itwas his turn.

The Harvard scholar learned a long-buried puzzle abouthis greatgreat-grandmother,Jane Gates,information which scrambles his ancestry and opens up anew branch that goes backtoIreland.

“I was moved to tears,” Gates tells The Associated Press ahead of the airing.“Iused topassher grave at the Gates’ plot in Rose Hill Cemetery and Iwould say, ‘Grandma, I’m going to outyou.I’m going to tell theworld yoursecret.’”

“Finding Your Roots” is PBS’s most-watched program on linear TV and the most-streamed nondrama program. Season10reached nearly 18 million people across linear and digital platforms and also received its ﬁrst Emmynomination

“The two subliminal messages of ’FindingYour Roots,’which are neededmoreurgently today than

Ibelieve that knowing about ourancestors is fundamentalto knowing about ourselves. The only way to dealwith the past is to know aboutthe past.”

HENRYLOUIS GATES JR.

ever,isthatwhathas madeAmerica great isthatwe’re anation of immigrants,” saysGates.“Andsecondly, at thelevel of thegenome, despite our apparent physical differences, we’re 99.99% the same.”

Season 11 secrets

Season 11 has featured Dax Shepardand Kristen Bell, Melanie Lynskey,chef Jose Andres, Sharon

Stone andAmanda Seyfried, who learned why herpaternal thirdgreat-grandfather was murdered.

Gates shares thelast episode with Laurence Fishburne,who learns the identity of his biological father.Itturns out both men adored jazz, which delighted Dyllan McGee, who helped create and produce “Finding Your Roots.”

“It underscored how family connectionscan shape us,even unknowingly,and made me wonder if reconnectingwith our past somehow afﬁrms the signiﬁcance of ourown storiesbyshowing us howmucheach individualonour tree shapes us even when we don’t know it,” she says.

Howitstarted

The series startedin2006 under the title “African American Lives,” conceivedbyGates in themiddle of thenight in hisbathroom. He invited prominent Black celebrities and traced theirfamily trees intoslavery. When thepaper trail ran out, they would use DNA to see which ethnicgroup they were from

ä See GATES, page 2D

Rare portrait of 19th-century enslaved mansold

BY DOUG MacCASH

tage Louisiana duck decoys, a classical American footstool, and 19th-century watercolorsketches were snapped up by bidders.

But the rare, pre-Civil War portrait of the formally-dressed Black man that was expected to sell for $300,000 to $500,000 was certainly the centerpiece of the selection. The dozen onlookers in attendance, plus the auction house staff members manning

ALZHEIMER’SQ&A

What are some activitiesfor the visually impaired?

Managing everyday tasks is morechallenging forthose whoare visually impaired and whoalso have dementia. Affected individuals with vision impairment face ahost of obstacles because of their condition. They are first and foremost considered afall risk because of reduced mobility and must be assessed regularly.Internally,they lose confidence, and the individual often feels a“burden” to others. The social exclusion, such as limited accessibility in public venues like movies and restaurants, promotes loneliness and further isolation. Additionally,the visually impaired have limited awareness of available support services and often have financial constraints forthe assistance they need.

In planning activities for the visually impaired, communication is mostimportant, and is not much different from communicating with an individual with dementia without avision impairment. For instance, always speak in a normal tone and use everyday language, identifying yourself upon arrival. Avoid patronizing language, don’tassumethey need things simpliﬁed, and ask before offering assistance and follow their instructions. With the visually impaired, provide speciﬁc directions instead of vague references and describe visual details when relevant. Be the guide and describe environmental changes such as if there’sastep down or achange in the layout of the room. Above all, respect their individuality and independence. According to goldencarers. com, manyactivities can be planned forthose individuals whoare visually impaired.

n READ ALOUD: Read books, magazines or newspapers tailored to their interests.

n TALKING BOOKS: Borrow audiobooks from the library for independent listening.

n SHARE JOKES: Lighthearted humor can liftspirits and spark conversations.

n TACTILEGAMES: Play textured board games like dominoes or tactile chess.

n COFFEE OUTINGS: Weekly trips to acafe provide social and sensory stimulation.

n AIR DRYCLAY: Working with clay encourages creativity through touch.

n SOCIAL GROUPS: Connect individuals with peer support groups forsocialization.

n VOLUNTEER COMPANIONSHIP: Arrange forregular visits from volunteers.

Adetail froman 1840 portrait featured an enslavedman named Frederick, attributed to C. T. Parker

n PET THERAPY: Visits from gentle animals can provide comfort and joy

n GENTLE EXERCISE: Activities like chair yoga or tai chi with verbal cues help maintain

n LISTEN TO THERADIO:

GETTy IMAGES/TNS FILEPHOTO By AMy SUSSMAN

HenryLouis Gates Jr., of ‘Finding your Roots,’speaks during the PBSsegment of the Summer 2019 Television Critics Association Press Tour 2019 at The BeverlyHilton Hotel in BeverlyHills, Calif

Aquaticphysicaltherapy aboonfor some patients

Dear Doctors: Ihad atotal hip replacement. Ialso have arthritis It has made it hardto getback on my feet. My doctor is wanting me to try aquatic physical therapy. Is it all that different from the regular physical therapy I’ve already been doing? Why would it be more helpful?

Dear reader: For those who are not familiar,physical therapy is ahealth care practice designed to restore or improve strength, balance,ﬂexibility,range ofmotion,coordination and mobility.It can also improve cardiovascular health and can help reduceinﬂammation. Physical therapyisoften recommended for people recovering from an injury,surgery or illness. In addition to awide range of exercises, it mayalso include the use of massage,heat treatments, electrical stimulation,

Dr.Elizabeth

Ko Dr.Eve Glazier ASK THE DOCTORS

manualtherapy and visualization. Drug-free pain controland pain management arealso important componentsofthis practice. Aquatic physical therapy and nonaquatic physical therapyshare the same goals.The difference is that aquatic physical therapy harnesses theunique properties of waterinorder toachieve them.

To that end, it takesplace in warm water, typically apoolthat has beenheated to between 89 and

95 degrees. The warmth helps increaseblood ﬂow,and thus oxygen delivery,tothe targetareas.It often alsohas asoothing effect on the body and the mind

Because water is dense, it creates steady resistance as you movethrough it.The degree of resistance can be adjusted by changing speed or direction, and with the use of equipment such as weights, ﬂoats, paddles or webs. Andbecause water resistance is multidirectional, it engages the muscles and connective tissues morecompletely than the same land-based exercise would.

Anotherbeneﬁt of aquatic therapy is something known as hydrostatic pressure. That’sthe gentle but steady force thatwater exerts on your body when you’re submergedinatub or apool. Hydrostatic pressure can boost lymphatic

Facing thehomeschooling debacle

universe.

Dear Heloise: I’d like to chime in on homeschooling with afew of my observations since Ihave several friends who homeschool. They use high-quality,outside materials and attend activities withother similar families. This is especially helpful for children who are experiencing delays in reading. These are bright children! The extra time and attention of homeschooling catches them up. However,Ihave seen parents who homeschool and have deficiencies, and they often pass these deficiencies on to their children. Finally,Iworked in a large, bustling law office. We could tell when acompletely homeschooled child got ajob as areceptionist. They were like ababe in the woods with little understanding of how to interact with alarge group of people, and theiron-thespot problem-solving skills were weak. Being in school provides such skills

circulation andhelpease swelling in the joints and tissues, anditadds an additional physical cue to track the position or trajectory of alimb

Perhaps most importantisbuoyancy,which liftsand supports the body during exercise. This allows the musclestowork without the stress and pressure of gravityon the joints andconnective tissues. Research has shownthat aquatic physical therapy can be beneﬁcial to people whoare recovering from joint-replacement surgery This is particularly true forthose, like yourself, whohave undergone atotal hip replacement. Exercising in water provides the resistance needed to build and strengthenmuscle. The warmth helps muscle to becomemore pliant, and the buoyancy of water eases pressure on the new joint. Oneinteresting study compared

the post-surgical recovery of hip-replacement patients whodid only land-based physical therapy and those whoalso included the aquatic version. The researchers found that patients whose physical therapy regimens included both types of PT had afaster and moresuccessful recovery Full recovery after total hip replacement can take from six months to ayear.Regular physical therapy is crucial to asuccessfuloutcome. Whichever form of PT you choose, be sure to follow the complete treatment plan.

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

TODAYINHISTORY

By The Associated Press

Thedecision to homeschool children shouldn’t cost amother ajob she enjoysand is successful at, unless thechild’s needs make it necessary.Myadviceisfor parents wantingtohomeschool is to do so for part of theK-12 years, with at least three years in apublic or privateschool. If the mother (or father) wants to remain working, ﬁnd aMontessori school to cover theyears that you’d wantyourchild to behomeschooled. —Mrs.Young, in Roanoke,Virginia Mrs.Young,wereceived numerous letters on this subject …some prohomeschooling andothers against theidea. Afew suggested that if the father was so keen on homeschooling, he should quithis job and do it.

didn’tlike teaching. They missed interacting with adults or missed the work that they enjoyed before. A few even said they were resentful of having the “duty” of teaching placed on their shoulders.

So, I’d have to say it’s an individual decision and one where thestay-at-home parent has to be fully on board with the task, or there will be problems.

—Heloise Coloredkeys

Dear Heloise: Ihave so many doors, storage unitsand lockboxes that Idecided to get akey made for each lock in adifferent color.It saves alot of confusion. I also made anote of each color and what it unlocks, and Ikeep it in my day planner in case Iforget.

Nancy R., in Lima,Ohio

Teaching children to swim

Today is Monday, April 14, the 104th day of 2025. There are 261 days left in the year

Todayinhistory:

On April14, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was shot and mortally wounded by John Wilkes Booth during aperformance of the play “OurAmerican Cousin” at Ford’sTheatre in Washington; Lincoln was taken to aboarding house across the street and died thefollowing morning at 7:22 am.

On this date:

In 1828, theﬁrst edition of Noah Webster’s“American Dictionaryofthe English Language” was published.

In 1912, theBritish liner RMS Titanic collided with

GATES

More importantly,homeschooling that uses nonsecular science materialsdoes society agreat disservice. We benefit from the discoveries and clarifications that scientific minds provide about our world and the

AUCTION

Continued from page1D

the phones and computers came to attention as the sale began. Time and again voices cried out “bid” as the price climbed from $275,000 to $425,000, before pausing. With aloud clack, the painting was sold to atelephone bidder.The sale price, plus Neal’s22percent commission amounted to more than ahalf-million dollars. Immediately,the painting wastaken fromits spot in a small gallery it had occupied for weeks and spirited to a more secure location. Marney Robinson, the auction company’sdirector of fine art, explainedthat once the painting sold, it belongedto the buyer and more robust security protocols kickedin. Robinson said she could not reveal the identity of the buyer,which could have been either aprivate collector or institution, but she was confidentthe painting “will be in excellent hands.” Speaking for the company, she said “we’re very happy” with thesale price,which fell in the center of its estimate. Once the painting’s new home is known, Robinson said, she hopes that perhaps descendants of Frederick Baker —ashewas known late in life —“get to see the painting.”

Whowas Frederick?

Fredrick’s roleinthe society of northeastern Louisiana in the era before the Civil Wariscomplicated and somewhat problematic. According to research by historian Katy Morlas Shannon on behalf of Neal Auction, Frederick was born in 1802,

Afterdoingresearch on thematter,I’ve come to believe that aprivate school or even apublic oneisagood option. Yes, homeschooling has itsadvantages, and if the parent is interested in teaching their children, they should go for it.

However,wehad alarge number ofletters from peoplewho hated being tied to thehouse all day or just

Dear Heloise: Iadvise parents to make sure that kids know they can swim even with clothes on. Children have fallen in thewater and panicked because they weren’tinswimwear.You could have afun “practice” session in shortsand tennis shoes toshow them how it works. Ilove to read your column daily —Pat, retired elementaryteacher Send ahinttoheloise@ heloise.com.

“Tohave survivedall that he did,” Shannon said, “he had to be strong, and have a commanding presence. He was incredibly savvy and was walking aﬁne line.”

At theend of theCivil Warin1865, Frederick was freed. He adopted the surnameBaker became a farmerand minister,disappearing fromthe historic record in 1872. His portrait remained the propertyof the Nutt family and, until recently,hungintheirNatchez, Mississippi mansion known as Longwood.

probably in Virginia, and becamethe propertyofDr. Rush Nutt, ascientist who relocatedtoMississippi in 1815 wherehebecamea cotton planter.Frederick was laterinheritedbyNutt’sson. Frederick was, in thebrutal parlance of the time, the “slavedriver” of theNutt family’s Louisianaproperties, aposition valued by his White owners. Asrevealed by Shannon’sresearch, Frederick was in charge of lumberprocessing, drainage, levee building, planting,harvesting as well as agricultural tasks. “In that kind of situation,hewould have hadtodiscipline other enslaved people,” she said. Frederickhad a“leadership role and was trusted, Shannon said, which may explain whyhewas thesubject of thesort of laborious oil portrait usually reserved for aristocrats. Nonetheless, as an enslaved manhimself, he wouldhave suffered the inhumanity of the plantation system.There is some evidence, Shannon said,that Frederick was once whipped for correcting aplantation overseer

The architecturally splendid Longwood mansion is a Natchez tourist attraction. Dr Terrel Williams, amember of theexecutive committee of thePilgrimageGardenClub thathas owned the Longwood mansion and the Frederick portrait since 1970, said the organization decided to sell thepaintingbecause, as its value has grown in recent years, it became increasingly difﬁcult to properly protect and insure it Money from the sale will go to maintainingLongwood. ANeal representative declined to reveal the percentage the auction house keeps as acommission on thesale.

The appearance of Frederick’sportrait at Neal is its second visit to Uptown NewOrleans. In 1884,New Orleans staged the World CottonCentennial, aReconstruction-era world’s fair centered in what’snow AudubonPark. Frederick’s portrait was exhibited in the “Colored People’sExhibition”within theCotton Centennial, alargeexhibit meant to highlight therole of Black people in American culture.

Email Doug MacCash at dmaccash@theadvocate. com.

Continuedfrom page1D

in Africa.

Challenged by aviewer to open the show to non-Black celebrities, Gates agreed and the serieswas renamed “Faces of America,” which hadtobechangedagain after the name was taken. Alongthe way,Gates hada crash course in DNA.

“For aguy withaPh.D. in English literature, Ithink I can do pretty well on the AP genetics exam,” he says, before proving it with athorough explanation of autosomal DNA.

Overthe years, the show hasdelivered fascinating results, like when Natalie Moralesdiscovered she’s related to oneofthe legendary pirates of theCaribbean andwhenformer “SaturdayNight Live”star Andy Sambergfound his biological grandmother and grandfather. It revealed that RuPaul and U.S. Sen CoryBooker are cousins, as are Meryl Streep and Eva Longoria.

Guestshaveincluded former U.S. HouseSpeaker Paul Ryan, Director of National IntelligenceTulsi Gabbard,designer Dianevon Furstenberg and “Game of Thrones”author George R. R. Martin.

“I alwaystellmyguests that you’re notresponsible forthe crazy things your ancestors did. Idon’t care what they did. Guilt is notinheritable,” Gates says. “You have to understand howthe people functioned in the past without judging them.”

Akerneloftruth

He and his team —particularly geneticgenealogist

ACTIVITIES

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in pots for arewarding, hands-on experience.

n COOKING TOGETHER: Prepare simple meals together for sensory enjoyment.

n TRIVIA GAMES: Share quizzes, riddlesorwordpuzzles for mental stimulation.

n NATURE WALKS: Enjoy outdoor walks while experiencing natural sounds and scents.

n FISHING: Findsafe locationswhere individuals

an iceberg in the North Atlantic at 11:40 p.m., ship’s time, and began sinking. (The ship wentunder two and ahalf hours later,killing over 1,500 people.)

In 1935, the devastating “Black Sunday” dust storm descended upon the central Plains as hundreds of thousands of tons of airborne topsoil turned asunny afternoon into total darkness.

In 1981, the first test flight of America’sfirst operational space shuttle, the Columbia, ended successfully with alanding at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

In 2021, aWhite former suburban Minneapolis police ofﬁcer,Kim Potter, wascharged with seconddegree manslaughter for

LaurenceFishburne,

CeCe Moore —have found that traditionalfamilystoriespasseddown through thegenerations areoften ﬁlledwith afew lies, often to cover up bad behavior

“I call it, ‘Where there’s smoke, there’sﬁre.’ Thestories are never accurate, but they’re often close,” says Gates. “There is akernel of truth there.”

It took researchersfour years to resolve the mystery of whowas Gates’ great-great-grandfather, the manwho impregnated Jane Gates. The story she told abouther children’s fatherturned outtobenot correct.

The researchers showed him an 1888 obituary for her and a1839 ad for her sale. Gates commented that he’s seen athousand bill of sales like it, but this hit differently. At the end, he looked again at aphoto of Jane Gates. “I see alot of paininthose eyes andnow Iknow why.”

“Something changed for him that day,” says McGee. “I remember him calling

can enjoy the peacefulness of ﬁshing and the outdoors.

n CHILDREN’SVISITS: Organizevisitsfrom local schoolchildren to foster intergenerational connections.

n AROMATHERAPY SESSIONS: Explore essential oils and scents forrelaxation and sensory enrichment.

n LISTEN TO PODCASTS: Introduce engaging podcasts covering avariety of topics.

n BIRD-WATCHING: Set up a bird feeder so individuals can enjoy listening to birds in the yard. Vision impairment and

one of manysubjects

me after thereveal saying, ‘That was the best day of my life!’ It wassuch atreat forthe entire team to be able to give him the gift of amissing linkinhis family history that he has given hundreds of our guests.” Gates is ahuge advocate that everyone should have their family treetraced andpushesback against the idea that digging up the past is divisive.

“I believe thatknowing about our ancestors is fundamentaltoknowingabout ourselves,” he says. “The only way to deal with the past is to know about the past.”

“In terms of people who would pretend that the past is irrelevant andweneed to look forward, William Faulknerwrote,‘The past is never dead. It’s noteven past,’”Gates adds. “It’sstill with us, shaping both who we are and the society and our norms under which we function.”

The“Finding My Roots” episode can be seen online until May 7atpbs.org.

dementia can makeeveryday tasks morechallenging, but with the right support, individuals can maintain their independence, stay engaged and continue enjoying their favorite activities.

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

Hints from Heloise

killing 20-year-old Black motorist Daunte Wright in ashooting that ignited days of unrest.

PROVIDED PHOTO FROM NEAL AUCTION COMPANy Frederick’sportrait was displayed in itsown small galleryatNeal Auction Company.

PROVIDED PHOTOFROMPBS Actor

left,was

of the series ‘Finding your Roots’with HenryLouis Gates Jr., host of the series.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Letyour creative imagination lead the way, and you'll deviseaplan that helps you modify how you approach life,love and happiness. Invest more time in becoming self-reliant.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Ashift in how you live and care for yourself will lead to ahealthy routine. Displaying your skills to encourage an efficient environmentwillpositionyou forsuccess in other aspects of your life.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Setting up a networking system that helps get your messageinto the mainstream will draw attention to whatyou have to offer. Don'tpromise more than you can deliver.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Testyourskills, useyour imagination and participatein an event that can make adifference. Raisingyourawareness and your skills will contribute to your success.

LEO(July 23-Aug.22) Go where theaction is and do your part. It's up to everyone —you included —toget involved in bringing about positive change. Keep your finger on the pulse of anything that motivates you.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept.22) Takenote of what your loved ones aredoing. Protecting and supporting others will give you peace of mind, insight anda unique perspective regarding the possibilities

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Putmorethought andenergy into your surroundings, how

you liveand what you can do to make yourspace more user-friendly. Making alistofyour priorities will help youuse your time and energy efficiently.

SCORPIO(Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Participate andspread joy to those youencounter. Share your knowledge, experience and talents,and you'll attract people who help youreach your desired results.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov.23-Dec. 21) Check to see what youcan part with before you make plans or allocate funds. Someone close to youwill try to convince youto take on more than youcan handle

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan.19) Ajoint venture or commitmentwill play out favorably if you designate who is responsible for what. Adetailed agreementwill help you maintainequalityand encouragelong-term stability.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20-Feb. 19) High energy put to good use will bring handsome rewards. Map out your plan for the day and begin knocking things off your to-do list with avengeance. What you accomplish will be gratifying.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Consider your cost of livingand create afinancial planthathelpsyou save money. Take an interest in maintaining ahealthy andvibrant lifestyle to offsetmedical issues andcosts.

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

Sudoku

InstructIons: sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle basedona9x9 gridwith several given numbers. The objectistoplace the numbers 1to9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once.The difficulty level of the sudoku increasesfrom monday to sunday.

Saturday’s Puzzle Answer

THe wiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS

BY PHILLIP ALDER

P.G.Wodehouse, aprolific English author who spent alot of his life on Long Island,hadseveralunhappyexperiences with auntswhen he was young. He transferredthisanimositytohisbooks,including this passage from aBertie Wooster and Jeeves novel:“There came from withoutthe hoof-beatsofagalloping relative, andAunt Dahlia whizzed in.”

Bridge players —whether an aunt or an uncleoranother relative —need entries forvarious reasons, including to cash winners, to take finessesand to draw trumps. In this deal,what is the critical entry cardthat allows South to make fourspadesafter West leads the heart queen?

Asimple Stayman sequence leads to four spades. (Note that ared-suit lead defeats three no-trump.)

South starts with four losers: one in each suit. The careless declarer wins trickoneandimmediatelyplaysatrump. But thenWestcan win with his ace and lead another heart (East beingcareful to complete ahigh-lowtoshow his doubleton). Suddenly Southcannot avoid going down one.

The more thoughtfuldeclarer realizes that he must eliminate the heart loser before touching trumps. Andonce the diamond ace hasbeen dislodged, he can discardtwoheartsfromtheboard.Buthe must be careful to win the first trick with

wuzzles

dummy’s king. South then calls for the diamondsix.East wins and returnsthe heart five, but declarer takes that with his carefully conserved hand entry, the heart ace, and cashes histwo diamond winners,discardingdummy’sremaining hearts. Finally,withonlythree losers, he plays on trumps.

Each Wuzzle is aword riddle which creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: nOOn gOOD =gOOD aFTErnOOn

Previous answers:

word game

InsTRucTIons: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words

ToDAY’s WoRD GRIEVEs: GREEVS: Suffers; feels sorrow.

Averagemark

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles

dIrectIons: make a2-to 7-letter word from the letters in each row. add points of each word using scoring directionsat right. Finally 7-letter words get 50-point bonus “Blanks”used as any letter havenopoint value. all the wordsare in the Official sCraBBlE® players Dictionary, 5th Edition. For more information on tournaments and clubs, email naspa –north american sCraBBlE playersassociation: info@scrabbleplayers.org.Visit ourwebsite:www.scrabbleplayers.org. For puzzleinquiries contact scrgrams@gmail.com. Hasbro andits logo sCraBBlE associated logo,the design of thedistinctive sCraBBlE

ken ken

InstructIons: 1 -Each row and each column must contain the numbers1thorugh 4(easy) or 1through 6 (challenging) without repeating. 2 -The numberswithin the heavily outlined boxes, called cages, must combine using the given operation (in any order)to produce the target numbers in the top-left corners. 3 -Freebies: Fill in the single-box cages withthe number in the top-left corner.

Saturday’s Puzzle Answer

gamecard, and thedistinctivelettertile designs aretrademarks of