The Advocate 04-15-2025 by The Advocate

CONNECTICUT PICKS LSU’S MORROW IN FIRST ROUND

Landry seeks compromise on auto insurance rates

Gov. Jeff Landry addresses the Legislature on the opening day of the 2025 session on Monday.

Governor faces legislative opposition

BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer

ä Teacher pay among top education issues. PAGE 4A

Gov Jeff Landry on Monday pinned the blame for Louisiana’s car insurance crisis on both trial lawyers and insurance companies, saying “a dark cloud continues to linger in the halls of this Capitol” over the issue. But as Landry opened the 2025 regular legislative session, it was not clear that the 144 House and Senate members sitting in front of him

agree with his approach. Landry was animated as he gave an unusually long 63-minute speech, pounding the podium and jabbing his ﬁnger for emphasis.

“Year after year after year we come here to argue about excessive insurance rates,” Landry told lawmakers “Year

after year people from both sides show up to gaslight us.”

But while legislators applauded him while seated from time to time, the two biggest standing ovations he received came from his senior legislative staff and Cabinet seated in one corner of the House chamber

A few House Democrats stood to applaud at one point

ä See LANDRY, page 4A

Bill may overhaul post-conviction process

Measure would shorten time to executions

BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN

Staff writer

As the state resumes executions of death row prisoners, a bill in the Legislature aims to cut back on the time people convicted of crimes can spend trying to reduce or overturn their sentences, and it would vest more power over the process with the Attorney General’s Ofﬁce.

The move also comes seven months after state lawmakers took action against Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams over deals he made through the postconviction relief process to reduce the sentences of long-serving inmates.

Attorney General Liz Murrill, a conservative Republican with a staunch pro-death penalty stance, says House Bill 572 would prevent victims from waiting decades to

ä See EXECUTIONS, page 5A

Rep. Brian Glorioso, R-Slidell, is sponsoring House Bill 572, which would overhaul Louisiana’s post-conviction relief process.

STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

WBR faces funding dilemma

Laws

BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer

In West Baton Rouge this year, the Sheriff’s Office is operating with $1.1 million more than the Fire Department.

It’s not because the Parish Council has prioritized one over the other The disparity results from a combination of state and municipal law that excludes major chemical plants Dow and Shintech from paying the half-cent fire protection sales tax, according to West Baton Rouge Parish Council members. That money is the difference in hiring more firefighters and moving up from a Class 3 fire rating by the Property Insurance Association of Louisiana to Class 2, West Baton Rouge Fire Chief Butch Browning said. Better ratings can lower property insurance premiums for residents.

“We need more funding to do that, and that’s working with the administration and the council and the public as to what they want,” Browning said. “We should really be a Class 2 department.”

The ﬁreﬁghters have learned to adapt with the funds and infrastructure they have, Browning said For example, they have built a 6,000-foot hose tender to compensate for the insufficient fire hydrants in the parish.

But how to increase funding to reach the Class 2 ﬁre rating or the coveted Class 1 — remains a stubborn question for the Parish Council, thanks to the exclusion of designated industrial areas from paying the half-penny tax.

Parish Council Chair Carey Denstel said he doesn’t believe it’s within the council’s authority to introduce a new tax on the chemical plants.

“We have no solution to that,” Denstel said. “There’s nothing we can do about it. The law is the law, so that makes it challenging.”

Parish officials think the exclusion of the industrial zone from fire protection most likely exists because the plants have their own firefighting departments, due to the particularities of fighting chemical fires.

For example, fires started by electrical equipment or by ﬂammable liquids, such as oil and grease, should never be extinguished using standard pressurized water, according to the UCLA Ambulatory Fire and Life Safety

See WBR, page 7A

Louisiana coastal damage cases mount against oil industry

Landmark verdict found company liable for $745 million

BY ALEX LUBBEN Staff writer

A landmark verdict holding the oil industry responsible for Louisiana coastal damage was more than a decade in the making. It may only be the beginning of a much

bigger ﬁght.

After a monthlong trial in Plaquemines Parish that ended earlier this month, a jury found Chevron liable for $745 million in damages, which, by law, must be used to restore coastal wetlands.

The company immediately promised to appeal, a stance that Chevron has emphasized in the days since the trial ended. Perhaps more important than the outcome of this case, however is the fact that it sets a precedent for

the 40 other lawsuits that attorney John Carmouche has ﬁled on behalf of coastal parishes, all seeking damages from oil companies to restore areas along Louisiana’s eroding coastline.

“This is one of the largest verdicts ever won by a local government for environmental damage — not only in the

United States, but globally,” said Michael Gerrard, the founder of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University in New York. “In addition 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’s not the end of anything,” noted Mark Davis, director of the Tulane Center on Environmental Law “It’s almost inevitable that

the appeals process will commence. And I think settlement discussions will probably commence, too.”

Since 2013, Carmouche has led the charge on 42 lawsuits, each claiming that oil and gas companies polluted areas of the coast and contributed to Louisiana’s land loss crisis. Across the state, more than 2,000 square miles of land has washed away over the

ä See CASES, page 7A

Carmouche

STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

Gen. Caine tapped

as Joint Chiefs chair

WASHINGTON Air Force Gen.

Caine

Dan Caine has been sworn in as chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff after a flurry of paperwork was finished to allow him to fill the job nearly two months after President Donald Trump fired his predecessor A formal White House ceremony is expected to take place this week.

In a message to the force posted on the Joint Staff website, Caine said “the most important thing you should know from me is that I trust you. I trust you — to make hard decisions, to persevere in adversity and to do the right thing.”

He added that the U.S. military needs to be properly armed, globally integrated and ready to ﬁght and win the nation’s wars. And to do so, he said, the force must keep pace with technological and strategic changes, foster innovation and be ready to adapt.

Caine, a decorated F-16 ﬁghter pilot and well-respected officer took over on Saturday after Trump signed the necessary documents. He will serve the remainder of the fouryear term of Air Force Gen. CQ Brown Jr who was fired by Trump as part of a broader purge of military ofﬁcers believed to endorse diversity and equity programs.

Hungary amendment bans LGBTQ+ events

BUDAPEST, Hungary Hungary’s parliament on Monday passed an amendment to the constitution that allows the government to ban public events by LGBTQ+ communities, a decision that legal scholars and critics call another step toward authoritarianism by the populist government.

The amendment, which required a two-thirds vote, passed along party lines with 140 votes for and 21 against. It was proposed by the ruling FideszKDNP coalition led by populist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

Ahead of the vote — the ﬁnal step for the amendment opposition politicians and other protesters attempted to blockade the entrance to a parliament parking garage. Police physically removed demonstrators, who had used zip ties to bind themselves together

The amendment declares that children’s rights to moral, physical and spiritual development supersede any right other than the right to life, including that to peacefully assemble. Hungary’s contentious “child protection” legislation prohibits the “depiction or promotion” of homosexuality to minors aged under 18.

The amendment codiﬁes a law fast-tracked through parliament in March that bans public events held by LGBTQ+ communities, including the popular Pride event in Budapest that draws thousands annually

That law also allows authorities to use facial recognition tools to identify people who attend prohibited events — such as Budapest Pride — and can come with ﬁnes of up to $546.

Hamas sending envoys to Qatar for Gaza talks

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip A

Hamas official said Monday that the Palestinian militant group is sending a delegation to the Gulf state of Qatar to continue indirect ceasefire talks with Israel over the war in Gaza, as the territory’s Health Ministry said that 38 people were confirmed dead over the past day

The Hamas official said teams have been discussing terms for a new ceasefire agreement over recent days in Cairo, including a proposal that Hamas free eight to 10 hostages held in Gaza. But the Hamas official said a major sticking point remained over whether the war would end as part of any new deal. The talks in Qatar are meant to take place later this week or next, the official said.

The Hamas ofﬁcial spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the sensitive talks with the media Ofﬁcials from Israel and Qatar had no immediate comment.

El Salvador refuses to send Md. man to U.S.

Bukele, Trump advisers say no basis to return wrongly deported man

BY SEUNG MIN KIM and MARCOS ALEMÁN Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump’s top advisers and Nayib Bukele, the president of El Salvador, said Monday that they have no basis for the small Central American nation to return a Maryland man who was wrongly deported there last month. Bukele called the idea “preposterous” even though the U.S. Supreme Court has called on the administration to “facilitate” Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s return.

Trump administration ofﬁcials emphasized that Abrego Garcia, who was sent to a notorious gang prison in El Salvador, was a citizen of that country and that the U.S. has no say in his future. And Bukele, who has been a vital partner for the Trump administration in its deportation efforts, said “of course” he would not release him back to U.S. soil.

“The question is preposterous. How can I smuggle a terrorist into the United States?” Bukele, seated alongside Trump, told reporters in the Oval Ofﬁce Monday “I don’t have the power to return him to the United States.”

Should El Salvador want to return Abrego Garcia, the U.S. would “facilitate it, meaning provide a plane,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said.

But ﬁrst and foremost, he was illegally in our country, and he had been illegally in our country,” she said. “That’s up to El Salvador if they want to return him. That’s not up to us.”

In a court ﬁling Monday evening, Joseph Mazzara, the acting general counsel for the Department of Homeland Security, said it “does not have authority to forcibly extract” Abrego Garcia from El Salvador because he is “in the domestic custody of a foreign sovereign nation.”

Mazarra also argued that Abergo Garcia is “no longer eligible for withholding of removal” because the U.S. designated MS-13 as a foreign terror organization.

Abergo Garcia’s attorneys say the government has provided no evidence that he was afﬁliated with MS-13 or any other gang.

The refusal of both countries to allow the return of Abrego Garcia, who had an immigration court order preventing his deportation over fears of gang persecution, is intensifying the battle over the Maryland resident’s future It has also played out in contentious court filings, with repeated refusals from the government to tell a judge what it plans to do, if anything, to repatriate him.

The judge handling the case, Paula Xinis, is now considering 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

The ﬁght over Abrego Garcia also underscores how critical El Salvador has been as a linchpin of the U.S. administration’s mass deportation operation.

Since March, El Salvador has accepted from the U.S. more than 200 Venezuelan immigrants whom Trump administration ofﬁcials have accused of gang activity and violent crimes — and placed them inside the country’s maximum-security gang prison just outside of the capital, San Salvador That prison is part of Bukele’s broader effort to crack down on the country’s powerful street gangs, which has put 84,000 people behind bars and made Bukele extremely popular at home.

“I want to just say hello to the people of El Salvador and say they have one hell of a president,” Trump said as he greeted Bukele, who was wearing a black mock turtleneck sans tie.

Bukele struck a deal under which the U.S. will pay about $6 million for El Salvador to imprison the Venezuelan immigrants for a year

But Democrats have raised alarm about the treatment of Abrego Garcia and other migrants who may be wrongfully detained in El Salvador Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland pushed for a meeting with Bukele while he was in Washington to discuss Abrego Garcia’s potential return, and New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, urged the administration to release Abrego Garcia and others “with no credible criminal record” who were deported to the maximum-security prison.

“Disregarding the rule of law, ignoring unanimous rulings by the Supreme Court and subjecting individuals to detention and deportation without due process makes us less safe as a country,” Shaheen said.

U.S. Army to control land on Mexico border as part of base

Migrants could be detained, officials say

BY TARA COPP and LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press

WASHINGTON — A long sliver of federal land along the U.S.-Mexico border that President Donald Trump is turning over to the Department of Defense would be controlled by the Army as part of a base, which could allow troops to detain any trespassers, including migrants, U.S. ofﬁcials told The Associated Press.

The transfer of that border zone to military control — and making it part of an Army installation — is an attempt by the Trump administration to get around a federal law that prohibits U.S. troops from being used in domestic law enforcement on American soil.

But if the troops are providing security for land that is part of an Army base, they can perform that function. However, at least one presidential powers expert said the move is likely to be challenged in the courts.

The ofﬁcials said the issue is still under review in the Pentagon, but even as any legal review goes on, the administration’s intent is to have troops detain migrants at the border The National Security

Council did not respond to a request for comment.

The land transfer is the furthest the Trump administration has gone yet to use the military for border security Up until now, the military’s involvement has been limited largely to helping build or fortify sections of the border wall and operating deportation ﬂights to send migrants back to their home countries or, in some cases, to the detention facility in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. The military also has assisted U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents by conducting surveillance or performing backup administrative tasks.

The corridor, known as the Roosevelt Reservation, is a 60-foot-wide federal buffer zone that ribbons along the border from New Mexico to California, except where it encounters tribal or privately owned land. It had been run by the Interior Department until Trump directed control be transferred to the Defense Department in a presidential memo released Friday night.

For the next 45 days, the Defense Department will test taking control of a section of the Roosevelt Reservation in New Mexico, east of Fort Huachuca, which is an Army installation in Arizona, one of the U.S. ofﬁcials said. During that period, the Army will put up additional fencing and signs warning people not to trespass.

Suspect in Pa. governor’s mansion arson denied bail

BY MARC LEVY and MARK SCOLFORO Associated Press

HARRISBURG, Pa

A man who allegedly scaled an iron security fence in the middle of the night, eluded police and set fire to the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion was denied bail Monday as he faced charges including attempted homicide, terrorism and arson.

Cody Balmer spoke with a public defender at times as he appeared in court late Monday afternoon after being released from a hospital, where he had been taken after an unrelated medical event.

Balmer, 38, of Harrisburg, told police he planned to beat Gov Josh Shapiro with a small sledgehammer if he encountered him after breaking into the building, according to court documents. A motive for the attack, including whether it had anything to do with Shapiro’s politics or religious beliefs, wasn’t immediately clear

Balmer’s mother told The Associated Press on Monday that she had made calls in recent days about his mental health issues, but “nobody would help.” Christie Balmer said her son was not taking his medicine.

However, in court, Balmer politely told a judge he did not suffer from any mental illness.

“That’s the rumor, but no, ma’am,” he said. He said he was an unemployed welder with no income or savings and “a lot of children.” He did not enter a plea to the charges, which include aggravated assault.

The ﬁre caused signiﬁcant damage and forced Shap-

iro, his family and guests, including other relatives, to evacuate the building early Sunday The residence, built in 1968, did not have sprinklers, Harrisburg Fire Chief Brian Enterline said He estimated the damage could be in the millions of dollars.

Shapiro said he, his wife, their four children, two dogs and another family had celebrated the Jewish holiday of Passover in the same room Saturday night along with members of Harrisburg’s Jewish community They were awakened by state troopers pounding on their doors about 2 a.m. Sunday They ﬂed and ﬁrefighters extinguished the fire officials said No one was injured.

Balmer had walked an hour from his home to the governor’s residence, and during a police interview “admitted to harboring hatred towards Gov Shapiro,” according to a police afﬁdavit that did not expand on that point Afterward, he returned home, where police said they later found clothing he wore at the time and a small sledgehammer Balmer turned himself in at state police headquarters after confessing to his former partner and asking her to call police, which she did, the afﬁdavit said. Authorities did not say whether he has a lawyer Balmer had been due in court later this week in an assault case in which he was accused of punching two relatives and stepping on a child’s already broken leg in 2023. In court Monday, he told the judge he did not have any drug or alcohol problems, but acknowledged missing a few court dates in the past.

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ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ALEX BRANDON

President Donald Trump greets El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele as he arrives Monday at the West Wing of the White House in Washington.

5.2 magnitude quake shakes Southern California

BY JULIE WATSON Associated Press

SAN DIEGO

A 5.2 magnitude

earthquake shook Southern California on Monday morning, sending boulders tumbling onto rural roadways outside San Diego, items rattling off shelves and elephants at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park scrambling to encircle their young Ofﬁcials reported no injuries or major damage.

The quake, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, struck at 10:08 a.m., and was centered in San Diego County only a couple miles from Julian, a mountain town of about 1,500 people that is known for its apple pie shops. It was felt as far north as Los Angeles County, about 120 miles away The quake was followed by several aftershocks.

“I thought the single-pane windows were going to crack because they were shaking pretty good, but they didn’t,” said Paul Nelson, owner of a former gold mine that oper-

ated in the 1870s in Julian. He said some picture frames on the counter at the gift shop fell over at the Eagle Mining Co., but the tunnels that tourists can explore suffered no damage. On Sunday, Nelson said a smaller quake hit when about two dozen visitors were touring the defunct mine but everyone stayed calm. No one was inside the old mine when Monday’s temblor rocked the ground for a longer time.

Transportation officials warned motorists to watch out for rocks that tumbled down hillsides and onto roads and highways, including State Route 76 northwest of Julian. Crews were assessing roadways for potential damage, the California Department of Transportation in San Diego County said. At the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, a herd of African elephants was caught on video running over to protect their young by encircling them during the quake. Elephants have the ability to feel sound through their feet, and the

“But thankfully everything seems to be back to normal.” The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department also said they had received no immediate reports of damage or injuries. Riley Ozuna, owner of the Julian Cafe & Bakery, said some cups fell onto the ground at her business. “But everything is OK,” she said. The quake struck 8.3

behavior is known as an “alert circle.” The herd consisting of Ndlula, Umngani, Khosi, and youngsters Zuli and Mkhaya, appeared to relax after several minutes the park said.

North County Transit District trains were delayed

Russia claims Palm Sunday attack targeted military forces

BY LORNE COOK Associated Press

BRUSSELS Russia on Monday claimed its deadly missile attack on Ukraine’s Sumy that killed and wounded scores including children had targeted a gathering of Ukrainian troops, while European leaders condemned the attack as a war crime.

Ukrainian officials have said two ballistic missiles on Palm Sunday morning hit the heart of Sumy, a city less than 20 miles from Ukraine’s border with Russia, killing at least 34, including two children, and wounding 119. It was the second large-scale attack to claim civilian lives in Ukraine in just over a week.

Asked about the attack, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia’s military only strikes military targets Russia’s Defense Ministry said the strike targeted a gathering of senior

military officers and accused Kyiv of using civilians as shields by holding military meetings in the city’s center The ministry claimed to kill over 60 troops. Russia gave no evidence to back its claims.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for a global response to the attack, saying the ﬁrst strike hit university buildings and the second exploded above street level. “Only real pressure on Russia can stop this. We need tangible sanctions against those sectors that ﬁnance the Russian killing machine,” he wrote Monday on social media.

Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski, whose country holds the European Union’s rotating presidency called the attacks “Russia’s mocking answer” to Kyiv’s agreement to a ceasefire proposed by the U.S. over a month ago.

“I hope that President Trump, the U.S. administration, see that the leader of Russia is mocking their goodwill, and I hope the right decisions are taken,” Sikorski told reporters in Luxembourg, where EU foreign ministers met.

Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen noted that the attack on Sumy came shortly after President Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, was in Saint Petersburg for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. It demonstrates that “Russia shows full disregard for the peace process, but also that Russia has zero regard for human life,” Valtonen said.

Lithuania’s foreign minister, Kestutis Budrys, echoed Ukraine’s assertion that the Russian strike used cluster munitions to target civilians, calling it “a war crime by deﬁnition.” The Associated Press has been unable to verify that claim.

Palestinian activist expecting U.S. citizenship interview arrested by ICE

BY PATRICK WHITTLE and HOLLY RAMER Associated Press

A Palestinian man who led protests against the war in Gaza as a student at Columbia University was arrested Monday at a Vermont immigration office where he expected to be interviewed about ﬁnalizing his U.S. citizenship, his attorneys said. Mohsen Mahdawi, a legal permanent resident who has held a green card since 2015, was detained at the U.S.

Citizenship and Immigration Services ofﬁce in Colchester by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents his lawyers said.

The attorneys said they do not know where he is They filed a petition in federal court seeking an order barring the government from removing him from the state or country

“The Trump administration detained Mohsen Mahdawi in direct retaliation for his advocacy on behalf of Palestinians and because of

his identity as a Palestinian. His detention is an attempt to silence those who speak out against the atrocities in Gaza. It is also unconstitutional,” attorney Luna Droubi said in an email.

According to the court ﬁling, Mahdawi was born in a refugee camp in the West Bank and moved to the United States in 2014 He recently completed coursework at Columbia and was expected to graduate in May before beginning a master’s degree program there in the fall.

so crews could inspect the tracks for any potential damage, spokesperson Mary Dover said in an email to The Associated Press. Schoolchildren were escorted outside of buildings as a precaution when the ground started moving, said

Capt. Thomas Shoots of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection for San Diego County He got a shake alert and then started feeling things rolling and banging.

“There was a lot of shaking and rattling around,” he said.

a second or two before it was felt Monday

Feds freeze $2.2B in grants to Harvard over campus activism

BY MICHAEL CASEY Associated Press

BOSTON The federal government says it’s freezing more than $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts to Harvard University, since the institution said Monday it won’t comply with the Trump administration’s demands to limit activism on campus.

In a letter to Harvard Friday, the administration called for broad government and leadership reforms, a requirement that Harvard institute what it calls “merit-based” admissions and hiring policies as

well as conduct an audit of the study body, faculty and leadership on their views about diversity The demands, which are an update from an earlier letter, also call for a ban on face masks — which appeared to target pro-Palestinian protesters. They also pressure the university to stop recognizing or funding “any student group or club that endorses or promotes criminal activity, illegal violence, or illegal harassment.”

Harvard President Alan Garber, in a letter to the Harvard community Monday, said the demands vio-

lated the university’s First Amendment rights and “exceeds the statutory limits of the government’s authority under Title VI,” which prohibits discrimination against students based on their race, color or national origin.

“No government regardless of which party is in power — should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue,” Garber wrote, adding that the university had taken extensive reforms to address antisemitism.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By DENIS POROy

Tracy Turner, owner of the Wynola Junction, looks over pictures that fell from shelves when a earthquake hit Monday in Julian, Calif.

when Landry said aperson’s creditscore shouldn’tinﬂuence their insurance rates.

Landry faces opposition frommany Republican House members, led by a group of 15 freshmen. They are pushing for changes that would tilt carinsurancelaws againsttrial lawyers and their clients in ways that Landry opposes. That is puttingLandryatoddswitha key part of his political base.

The House leadership is acting quickly on those bills by taking up abatch of them in the Civil Law and Procedure Committee on Tuesday andthe Insurance Committee on Wednesday

“Weare committed to staying focused on our goal,” Speaker Pro TemMike Johnson, R-Pineville, said in an interview.Hepredicted that the two committees would pass most of the bills on those two days and that the full House would take them up next week. Besides the House conservatives, Landry also faces oppositionfrom Insurance Commissioner TimTemple on some measures that favor trial lawyers.

“I don’tbelieve we’reexactly on the same page,” Temple said in an interview in the Capitol’sMemorial Hall after Landry’saddress. Temple said he supports twobills ﬁledbyfreshmen legislators that Landry has told the legislators he opposes.

One is House Bill 435, sponsored by Rep. Peter Egan, R-Covington. It would cap the damages award for pain and suffering at $5 million. While Louisiana has no captoday,Temple notedthat Mississippi’s limit is $1 million. The other one is House Bill 431 by Rep. EmilyChenevert, R-Baton Rouge, and involves alegaltheory known as “modified comparative fault.”

That bill would make it harderfor big payouts when apportioning blame in an accident where several people are at fault.

Trial lawyers say no evidence exists to show that making it harder for them to sue and win large payouts for their clients would actually lower car insurance rates.

“I’m still waiting for @JeffLandry,@TimTtemple, and @BlakeMiguezLA to give me the name of one, just one, large automobileinsurance company in Louisiana that agrees to reducetheir rates if any of yourlaws pass,” tweetedMorris Bart, who operates the biggest personal injury law ﬁrm in Louisiana.

Miguez is aRepublican state senator from New Iberia Landry kicked off his second regular session after suffering his biggest political defeatonMarch29 when voters rejected four proposed amendments to the state constitution.

He is also facing skepticism from restive freshmen of what he calls his “balanced” approachoncar insurance rates. They are working with Johnson and Rep.Gabe Firment, R-Pollock, the House Insurance Committee chair

The governorentered the Housechamber Monday to a more subdued reaction from legislators than ayear ago.

“Wewere collectively elected to bring change, reform and arenewed sense of public service to Louisiana’s government,” he said, referring to changes they adopted

last year with education, insurance and anti-crime laws

“I can say with prideand excitementweare doing so.”

In his speech, Landry twice blamed progressive billionaire George Soros for funding the campaign that defeated the four amendmentsbut hasyet to provide the evidence.

Landry also touted his LA-DOGE program, saying it is “eliminating wasteful spending.”

But the twoDemocratic members of thetask force that he created in January —Rep. Adrian Fisher, of Monroe, and Sen. Gerald Boudreaux,ofLafayette— said Monday that the group hasn’tmet since The Advocate reported in February that it was not publicly advertising its meetings

Landry took up car insurance about two-thirds into his speech, emphasizing repeatedlythat he sides with people whopay high insurance rates, believedtobe the steepest in thecountry

“I travel around Louisianamore than anyoneelse, and Idon’tsee insurance companies or plaintifflawyers going broke,”he said.

“But Isure do see way too many people and businesses struggling financially because of both.”

On some issues, Landry sided with insurance companies andbusiness interests, sayinghewould sign abill that would reduce how much an injureddriver could collect if they didn’t have car insurance. He also said he supportsHouse Bill 34 by Rep. Brian Glorioso, R-

Slidell, that wouldallowinsurance companies in court to challenge what they consider to be excessive medical bills for injured drivers.

ButLandry also said studiesshowinsurance companies earn excessive proﬁts in Louisianaand saidthe companies should not be allowed to recoup their advertising costsinthe form of higher premiums.

Rep. Matthew Willard, who heads theHouse Democratic Caucus, applauded thegovernor for urging that “this is not atime to pick sides.”

“We’veheardpromises from theinsurance industry for several years,” Willard said, but rates have not gone down.

The House Democratic Caucus is focused on providing relief to Louisianainsurance ratepayers.

The caucus has ﬁled legislation thatwould eliminate the use of credit scores or education attainment in determining insurance rates, limit excessive rate ﬁlings by insurancecompanies, bring transparency to insurance companies’ useofalgorithmsinrate setting, and provide taxcredits for high propertyand autoinsurance premiums.

Landry sparked concern among business interests by meeting at aTexas hunting lodge two weeks ago with keylegislators andprominent trialattorneys who made substantial donations to his campaign.

Landry dismissed theconcern in abrief interview after his speech Monday

“I’ve taken hunting trips and campaign contributions from alot of people,” he said. “Itdoesn’tmean they’re favored in any particular way.Ijust laid outa pretty balanced approach The question is: Can we balance the scales?” Capitol bureau reporter Alyse Pfeil contributed to this article.

Email TylerBridges at tbridges@theadvocate. com.

STAFF PHOTOSByHILARy SCHEINUK

Rep. Joseph Orgeron, R-Cut Off, greets Gov. Jeff Landry, center,asLandryleavesthe House Chamber after speaking on the opening dayofthe legislative session on Monday.

Rep.Barbara Carpenter,D-Baton Rouge, left, chats with Rep.Michael Johnson, R-Pineville, on the opening dayofthe legislative session on Monday.

From left,Rep. Tony Bacala, R-Prairieville; Rep. Francis Thompson, R-Delhi; and Rep. Jeffrey Wiley, R-Maurepas, speak on the opening dayofthe legislativesession on Monday.

Teacher pay among top education issues

Bills filed include funding, TOPS, exams

BY ELYSE CARMOSINO Staff writer

As Louisiana’s next legislative session started Monday, education bills already ﬁled by lawmakers ran the gamut from changing how schools are funded to making the ACT a graduation requirement instead of end-of-course exams and overhauling eligibility requirements for Taylor Opportunity Program for Students college scholarships

Perhaps the most controversial education issue on the table is teacher pay

Last month, voters overwhelmingly rejected a jam-packed constitutional amendment championed by Gov Jeff Landry that would have, alongside several other tax policy changes, provided funding for teacher pay increases. Now some lawmakers are proposing bills that would attempt again to revise the constitution in order to fund teacher pay raises.

With the session set to run through June 12, here are some of key education bills to watch.

Teachers

House Bill 321: Requires teachers to undergo training in how to teach numeracy

House Bill 391: Prohibits the inclusion of certain student test scores in teacher evaluations.

House Bill 466: Requires school systems to provide a salary increase for teachers and other school em-

EXECUTIONS

Continued from page 1A

see justice done. She has long complained that families of victims must wait too long to see death row inmates executed due to lengthy appeals processes. In Louisiana, death row inmates have sat in prison for decades awaiting execution

“Victims of crime deserve ﬁnality, but our system does not provide it,” Murrill said in a statement. “The decades of inaction perpetuated by lawyers and individuals convicted of heinous crimes and perpetuated by this system is cruel and unjust.” The bill would apply to all inmates seeking to change their sentences, not just those on death row

Some criminal justice advocates argue the bill would increase the odds that innocent people stay in prison or are executed. Critics also say the bill sets overly harsh deadlines for the post-conviction relief process and could keep people in prison under illegal sentences.

“This bill may prevent a factually innocent person from ever getting out of prison,” said Jee Park, executive director of the Innocence Project New Orleans, an organization that works to exonerate innocent inmates. HB572 would reshape the process of post-conviction relief, which defendants use to try to get their sentences shortened or overturned after they have ﬁnished with their direct appeals. They can either raise ﬂaws in the process of their conviction or argue they are actually innocent of the crime.

Republican lawmakers already clamped down on post-conviction relief last year, setting stricter timelines and procedural rules through Act 10 of the special legislative session on crime. That act also allowed the attorney general to appeal judicial orders granting relief for prisoners. The bill would prevent prisoners who pleaded guilty to crimes from asserting factual innocence claims.

“If they plead guilty, they are admitting to the factual predicate, they are admitting thattheycommittedthecrime and they are waiving all of these rights to appeal,” Murrill said. “Nobody is required to plead guilty to a crime.”

ployees using savings that stem from the payment of debts related to the Teachers’ Retirement System of Louisiana.

Students

House Bill 486: Requires public schools to offer a mental health assessment to students in fourth through 12th grades at the beginning of each school year

Senate Bill 117: Prohibits the serving and selling of ultra-processed foods in public schools.

Senate Bill 121: Requires public schools to offer annual mental health screenings for students and notify parents of available resources if students need them.

House Bill 201: Expands student

who is facing life in prison but gets offered a 20-year sentence, and who is uncomfortable with risk, “you might be inclined to take the 20 years instead of life,”

Park said Acknowledging those concerns, the bill’s sponsor, state Rep. Brian Glorioso, RSlidell, said he wants to pull from the bill the provision that would prevent people who plead guilty from asserting they are innocent.

“Our entire system right now is structured where people are incentivized to plead guilty to lesser offenses,” he said. “There are times when people plead guilty to something they didn’t do, because they’re facing charges and they don’t feel they have adequate representation or means” and they want a lesser sentence.

He expects there will be a lot of changes to the bill before it goes to a House committee for approval, he said. Glorioso wants to ensure “we’re protecting those people that have legitimate rights and need to make sure that they’re able to present their case and bring new evidence,” he said. “We never want to have any innocent person in jail ever.”

But Glorioso said, the state also needs to address “abuses in the system” that allow post-conviction relief cases to remain static for long periods of time.

When Louisiana executed Jessie Hoffman Jr last month using nitrogen gas the state’s ﬁrst execution in 15 years Murrill said she would attempt to “clear the underbrush” on long-dormant death penalty cases. Weeks later, she backed two death warrants for Caddo Parish inmates whose attorneys argued that they still had not exhausted all of their post-conviction appeals.

The Louisiana Supreme Court ruled in favor of the inmates last week, recalling their death warrants and ordering a state district judge to hear their post-conviction relief claims before setting execution dates. Murrill argued that it was an example of the need to change the law

eligibility for participation in the

Reading Enrichment and Academic Deliverables program, a statefunded program that provides free books and other literacy materials for Louisiana kids.

House Bill 478: Requires information about pregnancy, adoption and neonatal care to be posted at health centers in public high schools and public colleges and universities.

Senate Bill 198: Authorizes nonpublic school students to participate in public school activities.

Testing and curriculum

House Bill 614: Requires students to attain a minimum ACT score to graduate high school while prohibiting state-administered end-of-

Currently, it’s up to local district attorneys to respond to post-conviction relief petitions as they see ﬁt.

For example, Williams, the progressive-minded New Orleans district attorney, used that power in recent years to make deals with hundreds of prisoners, citing shoddy police work or suspect tactics by prosecutors. The stricter post-conviction relief rules passed last year were expected to hamper that work, and it is unclear whether Williams has been able to make such deals since. A spokesperson for Williams’ ofﬁce did not return a request for comment.

If HB572 passes, the attorney general could take over any post-conviction relief case from a district attorney, shutting down deals like the ones Williams’ ofﬁce made. She also would automatically get control over post-conviction relief cases for death row inmates.

Currently, the constitution prevents the attorney general from intervening in criminal cases unless a district attorney recuses themselves or gives express permission. She does have the authority to intervene in civil cases, and HB572 would move post-conviction relief to the civil code.

So far, district attorneys have not taken a public stance on the bill.

The Louisiana District Attorneys Association “is reviewing HB572 closely,” said Executive Director Zach Daniels, but has not yet voiced support or opposition.

The bill would also set stricter timelines for prisoners seeking post-conviction relief.

All defendants would have to ﬁle within one year of a conviction; currently, they have two years, and capital defendants have unlimited time, said Cecelia Kappel, an attorney for death row inmates.

Defendants would also be required to ﬁle substantive motions more frequently, and judges would have deadlines to make certain rulings.

course exams. House Bill 243: Adds accountability measures to the LA GATOR program, the state’s new school voucher program.

Senate Bill 105: Requires schools to use a nationally recognized assessment in place of Louisiana’s LEAP test for the purpose of school and district accountability

House Bill 52: Requires high schoolers to take a financial literacy course that includes instruction on how to apply for scholarships, grants and other ﬁnancial opportunities to pay for postsecondary education.

House Bill 372: Adds computer science as a high school graduation requirement.

Senate Bill 180: Establishes a pilot program, called Farm-Ed, that allows for the integration of controlled environment grow chambers and related curriculum in K-12 classrooms.

Senate Bill 81: Requires parental access to instructional materials in public schools.

TOPS scholarships

House Bill 70: Revises initial academic eligibility requirements for a TOPS-Tech award. Students are eligible if they meet at least two of three requirements.

House Bill 77: Revises award amounts for the TOPS program and adds an award category for students with an ACT score of 31 or above.

House Bill 275: Authorizes students who qualify for a TOPS award but graduate from an out-of-state college to apply unused award amounts to medical or dental school in Louisiana. Requires repayment unless certain conditions

where attorneys file barebones petitions and then return months later to ﬂesh them out.

But Park argues innocent people sometimes take plea deals and plead guilty to crimes to avoid the risk of a harsher sentence.

For an innocent person

“The state has funded appeals in these cases with millions of dollars for the last 20 years and has little to nothing to show for it,” she said in a statement about the Caddo cases. “This is the reason we need comprehensive reform of post-conviction relief. Lawyers for these individuals obtained delay after delay then did nothing. District attorneys and judges let these cases falter as well.”

Murrill said post-conviction relief procedures “have long been abused.” She argued defense attorneys draw out cases by repeatedly amending post-conviction relief petitions to get around time limits.

“The delays also do not serve a criminal defendant’s interest either because legitimate claims falter from inaction, forgotten on district court dockets for years,” she said.

Murrill also wants to cut back on “shell petitions,”

are met.

House Bill 378: Lowers the ACT score required for initial qualiﬁcation for a TOPS award for students who complete approved home study programs.

Finance

House Bill 185: Requires districts to submit quarterly attendance data to determine how much state funding they receive.

Discipline

House Bill 225: Authorizes public school staff to conduct a weapons search of students when they enter a school campus.

House Bill 237: Updates rules for secluding or physically restraining students with disabilities.

House Bill 384: Updates penalties for students in sixth through 12th grades found in possession of marijuana or any chemical derivative.

Senate Bill 178: Allows for 14 separate updates to the School Employee Bill of Rights.

Higher education

House Bill 279: Requires students who are members of certain organizations at a postsecondary institution to complete an anti-hazing course.

Senate Bill 202: Transfers the University of New Orleans to the LSU system.

Senate Bill 200: Requires a cap on athletic scholarships awarded to citizens of a foreign country and places restrictions on international intercollegiate athletes and athletic scholarships.

Email Elyse Carmosino at ecarmosino@theadvocate.com.

ecution, a provision Kappel slammed.

Though state courts are the first line of appeal for death row prisoners, they can also ﬁle federal habeas corpus claims to review their sentences.

The bill also would prohibit death row inmates from filing applications within one week of their ex-

In capital cases, tighter deadlines would be problematic, said Kappel, as it can take years to get the records necessary for a postconviction application. It could also harm average prisoners without outside resources who struggle to get the records for their cases, said Park, of the Innocence Project.

“We’ve got the highest per capita exoneration rate from death row in the nation,” she said. “We have to use every single hour these guys have left to prevent a wrongful execution.”

Email Meghan Friedmann at meghan.friedmann@ theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

Speaker of the House Phillip DeVillier, R-Eunice, gavels in the opening day of the legislative session on Monday at the State Capitol.

Getting the IRSonthe

phone is more difficult

Taxpayers calling the IRS for help processing their taxes this ﬁlingseason may ﬁnd it harder than normal to get someone on the phone, experts say,aproblem that is only expectedtoget worsenext year with staffing cuts that could slash the workforce considerably

For this year,data of tax return processing times shows numbers largely in line with those fromlast year.IRS employees involved in the 2025 taxseason were not allowed to accepta buyout offer from the Trumpadministrationuntil after the taxpayer ﬁling deadline of Tuesday,though thousands of probationary workerswere laid off earlier this year

Legal experts in tax compliance say the long wait timesare going to increase as more buyouts and layoffs take effect.

Comparing figures through thefirst week of Aprilfrom 2024and 2025, 101.4 million returnswere processed this year compared to 101.8 milliontax returns last year.Refunds are up, with 67.7 million issued this yearcompared with 66.7 million in 2024.

Former IRS Commissioner John Koskinen said even in a normal yearthe IRS’ responsiveness slows the further into tax season it gets.

“Next year,ifthey cut 10,000 or 20,000 employees, they’re headed back to really bad taxpayerservice on thephone,” he said. “And the taxpayer priority line will become an oxymoron.”

Nvidia plans to make AI chips in the U.S. Nvidia announced Monday that it will produce its artiﬁcial intelligence supercomputers in the United States for the ﬁrst time. The tech giant said it has commissioned more than 1million square feet of manufacturing space to build and test its specialized Blackwell chips in Arizonaand AI supercomputers in Texas —part of an investment thecompany said will produce up to half atrillion dollarsofAI infrastructure in the next four years.

“The engines of the world’s AI infrastructure are being builtinthe United States forthe ﬁrsttime,” Nvidiafounder Jensen Huang said in astatement. “Adding Americanmanufacturing helpsusbetter meet the incredible and growing demand for AI chips and supercomputers, strengthens our supply chainand boosts ourresiliency.”

Nvidia said in apost on its websitethatithas started Blackwell production at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. chip plants in Phoenix. The Santa Clara, California-based chipcompany is also building supercomputermanufacturing plants in Texas —with Foxconn in Houstonand Wistron in Dallas Mass production at both plants is expected to ramp up in the next 12-15 months, Nvidia said. The company alsoplans on partnering with Taiwan-based company SPIL and Amkor for “packaging and testing operations” in Arizona.

Pfizer stops obesity pill development

Pﬁzer is ending the developmentofits potential once-daily pill treatmentfor obesitybeforeventuring into the biggest and most expensive level of clinical testing. The drugmakersaid it would stop studying danuglipronafter aparticipant in one of itstrials experienced apossible druginduced liver injury that ended once the person stopped taking the treatment. The once-daily version of the pill was in early-stage testing, with researchers trying to ﬁgure outthe best dose for patients, aspokeswoman said The company intended to move the drug into late-stagetesting, which is generally thelast phase of development before a company submits the potential treatment to government regulators for approval.

THEADVOCATE.COM/news/business

Stocks rallyafter Trumpeases some tariffs

BY STAN CHOE AP business writer

NEWYORK Stocks rose worldwide

Mondayafter President Donald Trumprelaxed some of his tariffs, for now at least,and as stress from within the U.S. bond market seems to be easing. TheS&P 500 climbed, though tradingwas still shaky,and it briefly gave backall of itsbig early gain of 1.8%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq composite also closed higher Apple and other technology companieshelpedliftWallStreet after Trumpsaidhewas exempting smartphones, computers and other electronics from some of his stiff tariffs, which could ultimately more than doubleprices forU.S

customers of productscoming from China. Such an exemption would mean U.S. importers don’t have to choosebetween passing on the highercosts to theircustomers or taking ahit to their own proﬁts Apple climbed2.2%, andDell Technologies rose 4%.

But suchrelief may ultimately prove fleeting. Trump’stariff rollout has been full of fits and starts, and officials in his administration said this most recent exemption on electronics is only temporary

Thatcould keep uncertainty high for companies, which are trying to makelong-term plans when conditions seem to change by the day.Such uncertainty sent the U.S. stock marketlast week to chaotic andhistoric swings, as investors struggledtocatch up with Trump’s

moves on tariffs, which could ultimately lead to arecession if not reduced.

China’scommerce ministry nevertheless welcomed the pause on electronics tariffs in aSunday statement as asmall step, even as it called for the U.S. to completely cancel the rest of itstariffs. China’sleader Xi Jinping on Monday said no one wins in atrade waras he kicked off adiplomatic tour of SoutheastAsia, hoping to present China as aforce for stability in contrast with Trump’sfrenetic moves on tariffs

Trump noted themoves in the bond market,which suggested investors “were getting alittle queasy,” after he announced a90daypause on many of histariffs last week.

That Trumpacted only after the bond market madeits scary move, but not after the U.S. stock market began trembling, “reveals this administration’sAchilles’ heel,” according to Lisa Shalett, chief investment ofﬁcer at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management.

Elsewhere on Wall Street, Goldman Sachs rose 1.9% after reporting astronger proﬁtfor thelatest quarterthanexpected.Itjoined otherbig banks in doing so,such as JPMorgan Chase and Morgan Stanley Perhaps moreencouragingly for Wall Street, the bond market also showed signs of increasing calm. Treasury yields eased following theirsuddenand scary rise last week, whichseemed to rattle not only investors but also Trump.

BY JOSH BOAK AND MICHAEL LIEDTKE Associated Press

WASHINGTON President DonaldTrump on Monday suggestedthathemight temporarilyexempt theauto industry from tariffs he previously imposed on the sector,to give carmakerstimetoadjust their supply chains.

“I’m looking at something to help someof thecar companieswith it,” Trump told reporters gathered in the OvalOfﬁce. The Republican president said automakers needed time to relocateproductionfrom Canada Mexico and other places,“And theyneed alittle bitoftimebecause they’regoing to make them here, but they need alittle bit of time. So I’m talkingabout things like that.”

Thestatement hinted at yet another round of reversals on tariffs as Trump’sonslaught of import taxes has panicked ﬁnancial markets andraised deep concerns from Wall Street economistsabout apossible recession.

When Trumpannouncedthe 25% auto tariffs on March27, he describedthem as “permanent.” Hishard linesontrade have become increasingly blurred as he hassought to limit thepossible economic and political blowback from his policies

Last week, after abond market selloff pushed up interest rates on U.S. debt, Trump announced that for90dayshis broader tariffs against dozens of countries would instead be set at abaseline 10% to give time for negotiations.

At thesame time, Trump increased the importtaxes on China to 145%, only to temporarily exempt electronics from someof those tariffs by having thosegoodscharged at a20% rate.

“I don’tchange my mind, but I’m ﬂexible,”

Trump saidMonday Trump’s ﬂexibility has also fueledasense of uncertainty and confusion about his intentionsand end goals. The S&P 500 stock index was up Monday, but it’sstill down

nearly 9% this year.Interest rates on 10year U.S. Treasury noteswerealsoelevated at roughly 4.4%

Carl Tannenbaum, chief economist for theNorthern Trust global financial firm, said the whiplash had been so great that he might have to “get fitted for aneck brace. Tannenbaum warned in an analysis: “Damage to consumer, business, andmarketconfidence may alreadybeirreversible.”

Maroš Šefcovic,, the European commissioner for trade and economic security, posted on XonMondaythat on behalf of theEuropeanUnion he engaged in tradenegotiations with Commerce SecretaryHowardLutnickand U.S. TradeRepresentative Jamieson Greer

“The EU remains constructive andready fora fair deal —including reciprocity through our 0-for-0 tariff offer on industrial goodsand the work on non-tariff barriers,” Šefcovic said.

BY BRIAN WITTE and BARBARA ORTUTAY AP technologywriters

WASHINGTON Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg took the stand Mondayinahistoricantitrust trial that couldforcethe techgiant to break offInstagram andWhatsApp, startups it bought more than adecade ago thathave since grown into social media powerhouses. The Federal Trade Commission called Zuckerberg as its ﬁrst witness, as it seeks to prove that Meta

acquired Instagram and WhatsApp to preserve its monopoly in the social networking space. In opening statements, FTC attorney Daniel Matheson saidMeta has used its position to generate enormous proﬁts even as consumer satisfaction hasdropped. He said Meta was “erecting amoat” to protect its interests by buyingthe two startups because the company feared they were athreat to Meta’s dominance. Zuckerberg andother key Metawitnesses will testify throughout the trial.

“We’re going to give them their chance to tell their side of the story,” Matheson said. MarkHansen, an attorneyfor Meta, said the FTCwas making a “grab bag” of arguments that were

wrong. He said Meta hasplenty of competitionand has made improvements to the startups it acquired.

“This lawsuit,insummary,is misguided,” Hansen said, adding: “anyway you look at it, consumers have been the big winners.”

The trial will be the firstbig test of President Donald Trump’sFederal Trade Commission’sability to challenge Big Tech. The lawsuit was filed against Meta —then calledFacebook —in2020, during Trump’s first term.Itclaims the company bought Instagram and WhatsApp to squash competition and establish an illegal monopoly in the social media market. Meta, the FTC argues, has maintained amonopolybypursuing

Zuckerberg’sstrategy,“expressed in 2008: ‘It is bettertobuy than compete.’ True to that maxim, Facebook has systematically tracked potential rivals and acquired companies that it viewed as serious competitive threats.” Facebook also enacted policies designed to makeitdifficult for smaller rivals to enter the market and “neutralize perceived competitive threats,” theFTC says in its complaint, just as the world shifted its attention to mobile devices from desktop computers.

“Unable to maintain its monopoly by fairly competing, the company’s executivesaddressed the existentialthreat by buying up new innovators that weresucceeding where Facebook failed,” the FTC says.

President Donald Trumptold reporters gathered in the Oval Office on Mondaythat

companies with (tariffs).’

past century.Studies have shownthat oil andgas operations have contributed signiﬁcantly

The case in Plaquemines was the ﬁrst of Carmouche’s lawsuits to go to trial; his team reached asettlement with oilcompanies foran undisclosed sum of money in Cameron Parishlastyear

Each lawsuit alleges that oil and gas companies failed to meet their obligations under astate law that went into effect in 1980, which required them to get permits for their operations in the state’scoastal areas. Carmouche’s team argued at trial that the companies didn’treceive or abide by the permits that the state required.

Chevron was accused of contributingsignificantly to coastal land loss in the area in whichitoperated, and notrestoring the coast to itsoriginal condition. At its core, Carmouche’sargument was simple: The oil companies made amess and didn’tclean it up.

To Davis, the case also suggests abroader shiftin Louisiana’srelationship with the oil and gas industry

“The most signiﬁcant development in the case is that it happened. It was brought by alocal government, and ultimately the administration supportedit,” he said, referring to the fact that Gov.Jeff Landry’sadministration joined Plaquemines Parish as aplaintiff in the lawsuit. “That suggeststo me that questioning the practices andlegacy of oil and gas activity in Louisiana is no longer the third rail it once was.”

The case has garnered national attention, particularly from conservative public figures and media outlets who have argued that the litigation will drive business out of Louisiana. The Wall StreetJournal and Fox News ran stories criticalof the lawsuits.

Former U.S. Attorney

Program.

“It makes perfect sense,” Denstel said. “I retired from aplastic reﬁnery here in West BatonRouge. They prefer,because they know their plant, they know their chemicals, to fight thefire themselves.”

The chemical plants don’t opt in or out of the tax, but legally were neversubject to it in the ﬁrst place. AWest Baton Rouge ordinance stipulates that the industries must furnish and maintain their own ﬁre service

“Wedohave hazardous materials inside of our fence line, so we need the correct volume and pressure required to ﬁght large structural tank ﬁres,” said Glynna Mayers, public affairs managerfor DowLouisiana Operations.

In addition,Dow supports theWest Baton Rouge and Iberville communitiesin many ways, Mayers said. Itsinternal fire staff will help put out other industrial ﬁres in the area and assist the local ﬁre department if needed, she said.

“The goal for internal, for Ithink all industry,is protecting both community residents, our environment and our employees,” Mayers said. “Wework very, very closely with West Baton Rouge.” Shintech did not respond to arequest for comment.

The Louisiana Legislature passed the enabling statute that gave parishes the authority to create ﬁre protection districts. State law specifiesthat adistrictwill include “the nonincorporated area of the parish, excludingany area created as an industrial area.”

In 1991, the West Baton Rouge Parish Police Jury used this language in adopting its own ordinance establishingfireprotection districts, with the omission of industrial areas. Amap attached to the or-

Timeline of oiland gas lawsuits

Since lawsuits were first filed in 2013, oil companieshaveappealed them to federalcourtrepeatedly.

July 2013: NewOrleans leveeauthority fileslawsuit seekingtorecoupdamages from oil firmsfor thedamagetheydid to coastalwetlands. Thelandmarklawsuit is the firstofits kind to seek restitutionfromoil companiesfor coastallandloss. Nov. 2013: Plaquemines fileslawsuit,represented by Talbot,Carmouche and Marcello,against oilcompanies.They're immediately 'removed'tofederal court.

Dec. 2014: Federaljudge sendsPlaquemines lawsuitbacktostate court. Feb. 2015: Afederal judgedismisses New Orleans' leveeauthority lawsuit.

Oct. 2017: TheSupreme Courtdeclines to hear appeal on New Orleans' levee authoritylawsuit,dealingita finalblow.

May2018: Oilcompanies appeal parish casestofederal courtfor asecondtime, alleging that oiland gasactivitywas conductedunder federaloversight during WWII

May2019: Federaljudge sendsparishlawsuitsbacktostate courtfor asecond time.Oil companies will appeal

Sept.2019: Talbot,Carmouche,and Marcello settle with oilcompany Freeport McMoRan for$100million

Aug. 2020: U.S. FifthCircuit Courtagain sendsthe parish lawsuits back to state court.

Aug. 2021: Oilcompanies appeal thecases to federalcourt forathird time Dec. 2022: Afederal courtofappeals againdeterminesthe casesbelonginstate court.

Jan. 2023: Oilcompanies appeal ruling to theU.S.Supreme Court, whichdeclines to take thecase, settingthe stagefor thetrial in PlaqueminesParish.

Dec. 2023: Oil firmssettlewithCameron Parish,the firstofthe 42 lawsuits to settle.Details of thesettlementare notmadepublic.

Mar.2025: Trialbeginsinone of thelawsuitsbrought by PlaqueminesParish, the firsttrial in the42cases filedsince 2013

General William Barr wrote aletteropposingthe state’s involvement in thelawsuits, which prompted asharp rebuke from Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, whosaid while she has “greatrespect”for Barr, he is “unfortunately wrong aboutthe facts andthe law” in this case. She stressed that“Louisiana is and will continue tobealeading energy producer forthe nation.”

Carmouche has said that the lawsuits aren’t hostile to theoil and gas industry and has rejected the notion that it would drive business out of the state. “Our goal from the beginning has been to free the coast of Louisiana of past liability,” he said. “If we don’tget rid of the liability,wecan’tbring in new business.”

Still, aresolutioninthis case, as well as the other coastallawsuits,isa ways off —and so is any future effort to restore Louisiana’s

coast that might result from Carmouche’slitigation.

Lengthyappeals process

The oil company insisted even after the verdict that the lawsuits are baseless and suggestedthat it would appeal them allthe way up to theU.S. SupremeCourt if necessary “Chevron will appeal this verdicttoaddress the numerouslegal errors that led to this unjust result,”said thecompany’slead attorney in the trial, Mike Phillips.

Phillips argued the company was denied theopportunitytopresent evidence it believes would have swayed thejury. He noted that Chevron sold theoil ﬁeld operation to another company which, Phillips said, “was responsible for thecondition of the oilﬁeld at the end of operations.”

Butoverturning thejury’s verdict could be along shot, according to legal experts who have been watching the

case.

“Theyhaveamajor uphill battle on appeal,”said BlaineLeCesne, aprofessor and associate dean at the Loyola UniversityNew OrleansCollege of Law. “They are far more likely to settle this case rather than have it go all theway through the appeals process.”

Bill Goodell, aprivate attorney whowas previouslya Louisianaassistant attorney generalfor environmental enforcement, also questioned whether the appeals would be successful.

“It’snot unexpected for industry to takeanappellate challenge allthe way to theSupreme Courttosee what the law is,” he said. “If it doesn’tgotheir way,then they go to thelegislatureand trytochange thelaw.That’s atried and true tactic.”

Indeed, lawmakers will consideratleast twobills this sessionaimed at limiting landowners’ ability to ﬁle lawsuits against oiland gas

companies over pollution. Before the case can be appealed,Judge Michael Clement, whopresided over the trial in Plaquemines Parish, will have to conﬁrm the amount of legal interest to be added to the jury-awarded damages. That sum could be sizable— Carmouche’s team has suggested the damages plus interest could top $1 billioninthiscase alone, which Chevron’sattorneys have disputed. It will also be up to Clement to determine how much to award Carmouche and his team in attorney’sfees. For acaselike this one, which has dragged on forover a decade, that could also be a large ﬁgure.

Carmouche emphasized that he’d devoted ahuge amount of timeand money to the case and had not been paidfor his efforts. “I don’t know anybody who’d agree to work for12years and not be paid adollar,while spending amillion dollars to prosecute acase,” Carmouche said. “Some people call me stupid.”

Wherethe moneygoes

Despitethe fact that the lawsuitsstandtobring in billionsofdollars to the state to restore Louisiana’s eroding coastline, someof the results so farhave been kept secret.

One of thecases,inCameronParish, hasalready settled.Ajudge hasissued an ordersealing the details of that settlement.

The Times-Picayune has filed numerous public records requests seekinginformation about thesize of the settlement and the intended use of the funds, but has not been successful in obtaining details. Several state agencies have cited the judge’sorder in declining to release the information.

“In Cameron, we were asking for $7 billion. That was alarge case,” Carmouche said. “I think it’s fair to assumeitsettled forover$1 billion.” He did notprovide an exact figure, citing the court’sprotective order,and The Times-Picayune has not been able to independently

verifyhis claim.

The Coastal Protection and RestorationAuthority said that the funds will be deposited into the state’s coastal trust fund, aconstitutionally protected pot of money that can only be used for coastal restoration, hurricane protection and related spending.

The agency did not say whether it received any funds through this litigation to date, even thoughthere have been settlements. Carmouche also noted that parish governments will have input into which projects the funds are used for, as long as the uses are alignedwiththe state’s coastal master plan, which is overseen by the CPRA. What is clear,however, is that addressing the land loss crisis will require a huge sum of money.The coastal master plan calls for$50 billion over 50 years, an amount that does not account for inﬂation and will only rise as the coastline continues to erode.

“Ifsomeone’s responsible fordamageand they violated thelaw,eitherwe makethem pay for it or we as taxpayers pay for it,” Carmouche said. “I think the public hasfinally realized why should we pay for it? We didn’tdoit.”

Email AlexLubbenat alex.lubben@theadvocate. com.

dinance sketched out the zone in West BatonRouge not subject to thesales tax —landwhere Dow Chemicaland Shintech arenow located.

“It’saspecial district that wascreatedby the state many,many years agofor industrial customers like that,”said Phillip Bourgoyne,the parish’schiefadministrative officer Thelossoftax revenue makes adifference. The same half-cent sales tax is budgeted at $4.3 million for the fire departmentand $5.4 million for the sheriff’soffice this year,Bourgoyne said. Any additionalfunds fire receives are limited.

“Almost 100% is the halfcent salestax,”Bourgoyne saidabout thefiredepartment’sbudget. “Theyget a little moneyfrom the state fire insurancerebate, but themajority of it is sales tax.”

There areno immediate plans at theParish Council to change the funding structure of the FireDepartment, Denstel said, such as introducing aproperty tax instead of asales tax.

That’slargely because the last two millages, or property taxes, onthe ballot in

West Baton Rouge failed. Library anddrainage millages were up for renewal in theMarch 29 election, but residents’ frustration with higher tax bills and anational political climatedistrustful of government hurt both, parish ofﬁcialssaidafter the election.

Denstel said the council is focused on those services fornow,but he recognizes that to achieve aClass 1 ﬁre rating,the parish must ﬁnd away to increase thefire budget

“Wemay have to go down that rabbithole, so to speak,” Denstel said. “Then it turns to thepeople. Arethey satisﬁed with a2or3,ordothey want a1?”

In the meantime, the departmentisactively recruiting firefighters and attempting to improve its fire grade with thefunds available The latest rating, 3, was a significant jump from ratings in parts of the parish that ranged from 4to7

“I’ve madenobeans about it,”Browning said. “We’ve got to strive to becomea Class 2.”

Email Haley Miller at

Staffgraphic

STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

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LOUISIANA AT LARGE

Army reachesout with video games

Ms. Pac-Man is more my speed, but last week, Ifound myself playing Mortal Kombat in adark trailer straight out of asci-ﬁﬁlm. With eerie green lighting, the trailer had gaming towers, giant surround-style screens and reclining chairs along each side of the interior.Itwas “equipped with the latest for competitive multiplatformgaming,” according to the U.S. Army On the surface, it’stricked out for fun and an esports fan’snirvana.

Esports —competitivemultiplayer video games often played for spectators —may seem an unlikely recruiting tool, but the Army has ﬁgured out that the hand/eye coordination required for video games is askill that transfers well to defend the country.Video game wizards can transfer their skills to operating drones, working with other emerging threats or putthem to useinanother area of technology.

To be clear,the Army will not be recruiting me for my mad video gaming skills

“These are going to be your buttons that you use the high punch, low punch, high kick and lowkick,” Sgt. Scott Brooks explained to me, despite my never having played Mortal Kombat before.

While Mortal Kombat is brutal fantasy,Brooks’ real-world missions have taken him to places with ﬁrsthand views of unpixelated life and death. Brooks has traveled to Iraq, Afghanistan, Qatar,Kuwait, Italy,Belgium, Cameroon, Germany and more.

Now,hetravels with the esport trailer 280 to 310 days ayear

“BeforeIjoined, Ididn’t even know you could be aphotographer in themilitary,” he said as we prepared to play Mortal Kombat.

Once Iwas settled into arecliner,Brooks asked me to pick a character

“Is this one agood guy?” I asked.

His answer conﬁrmed parallels between video games and real life.

“Well, whether they’re agood guy or not in the story mode doesn’tmatter when you’re ﬁghting each other,” Brooks said. “’Cause the goal is to beat the other person. Youknow what I’m saying?” Itried, but the carnage in thegame was so realistic that Icouldn’tforce myself to look much. Brooks tried his bestto givemea ﬁghting chance.

Finally,hesaid, “Miss, you’re going to have to look at the screen if you want to hit me.”

As realistic as the graphics are, the game conceptiscompletely unrealistic regarding life and death. After the sergeantwould bust my on-screen character’s headinto athousand pieces, my character would jump back up and go at it again. While Icould not ﬁnish the video game part of the experience quickly enough, many of the students appreciate the fancy video game setup.

Capt. Terron Riggins said the esports trailer sheds anew light on the military for some.

“A lot of people just go off what they see on social media and what they see in the movies,” Riggins said. “As far as the gaming opportunities we offer through the military,itkind of widens the scope of what they see the Army as.”

In short, Riggins said the con-

ä See RISHER, page 2B

Father facesincreased charges

Manaccused of fatallybeating daughter

BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer

ABaton Rouge man is now facing a ﬁrst-degree murdercharge in the 2022 death of his 5-year-old daughter

Authorities allege AaronMichael Hawkins, 26, killed his daughter,Summer,while disciplining heronApril 6, 2022. According to an arrest report, the man “battered thevictim,causing fatal trauma.”

He was originally indicted in June 2022 on charges of seconddegreemurder and second-degreecruelty to ajuvenile.Court records show state prosecutors got thecharge upgraded to a capital felony count of first-degree murder Wednesday during a

grand jury hearing inside the 19th Judicial District Courthouse. Hawkins is slated to appear Thursday morning beforeDistrict Judge Brad Myerstobearraignedonthe new indictment. First-degree murder is acapital offense punishable by execution. Prosecutors, however,will not seek thedeath penaltyagainst Hawkins, East Baton Rouge ParishDistrict Attorney Hillar Moore said Monday

He said prosecutors gave the facts of the caseacloserreview anddetermineda first-degree murderindictment better ﬁtthe bill in thecase.

“Weobtained the (emergency room) records, whichfurther corroborated the brutality of the beating death of the child,” Moore

said. Hawkins’ trialisset to begin Aug. 18 with Myers presiding.

Court records show prosecutorshave mademultiple offers to Hawkins over the past three years, but hispleahearings and trial dateshave been pushed back on several occasions.

According to Baton Rouge police reports, when Hawkins called emergency responders the afternoon of the death, he tolddispatchers his unresponsive daughter suffered injuries from an accidental fall at their apartment. The child was rushed to Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center to be treated and later died there.

Hospital staff who treated the girl observed “severe bruising andtrauma” on her body and told police the injuries weren’tconsistentwith Hawkins’ story of an accidental fall. Apreliminary exam

HORSIN’AROUND

by theEastBaton RougeParish Coroner’sOfﬁce revealed severe bruising on Summer’s bottom,upper legs, hips, back and forearms, according to investigators. Pathologists also noted “minorswelling andbruising” on the child’sleft eye and chest.

TheCoroner’sOffice determinedinjuries to the child appeared inﬂicted in a“criminally abusive manner” and in an autopsy report ruled the death ahomicide caused by multiple blunt force traumawounds.

Detectiveslater spoke to awoman at the apartment complex who admittedseeing Hawkins striking his daughter with abelt repeatedly days before the fatal incident. The witness told investigators shefeltcompelled to intervene because of theexcessive way he wasdiscipliningthe youngchild, according to police.

BY MARKBALLARD Staff writer

WASHINGTON Louisiana House members from both parties have teamed up with aMississippi Republican to try to keep ﬂood insurance fromexpiring on Sept. 30. Legislation ﬁled Monday would add more than ayear to the life of the program that provides insurance for damage from rising waters—policies that financial institutionsrequire many property owners tobuy before agreeing to lend mortgage money

Filing thebill were Democratic Reps. Troy Carter,ofNew Orleans, and Cleo Fields, of Baton Rouge; Republican member Julia Letlow, of Start, whosenortheastLouisianabased district includes someneighborhoods in the Baton Rouge area; and GOP Rep. Mike Ezell, whose Mississippi congressional district represents that state’s populous GulfCoast. The House legislation is acompanion to asimilar measure ﬁledby Louisiana’stwo U.S. senators, both Republicans, Bill Cassidy,ofBaton Rouge, and John N. Kennedy,of Madisonville. Louisiana property owners held about 400,000 food insurancepolicies as of the end of March, accord-

ing to FEMA. The authority for the Federal Emergency ManagementAgency to oversee the saleof ﬂood insurance policies expired last year.Extensions have been attached to the resolutions thatmaintain funding for the government In fact, during the past decade, Congress had to pass 33 short-term authorization extensions to keep the National Flood Insurance Program operating. HadCongress failed to pass any of the contentiousgovernment funding bills —several times they havecomewithin hours of it —itwould

Accordingtothe National Association of Realtors, alapse of NFIP could impact 1,360 home sale closings daily,translating to approximately 41,300 affected monthly transactionsnationwide. Meanwhile, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has said she wants to close FEMA and move many of its major functions to stategovernments. FEMA hasmoved to lay off personnel and hasended onepre-disaster mitigation grant program and paused taking applications for another Noem heads apresidential task force with an eyeonrecommend-

PHOTO By PATRICK DENNIS

Maddie Noonan, 11, pats her horse, ‘Teddy,’after her competition ride as students showtheir skills in the arena at BREC’s Farr Park Equestrian Center on Sunday

Baker sues to halt school takeovers

Lawsuit claims move violates state constitution

BY CHARLES LUSSIER Staff writer

The city of Baker School Board is suing the state of Louisiana to stop it from taking over two “F”rated schools in Baker schools the district had already voted to close. The lawsuit describes the takeovers as “invalid, unlawful, and null and void.” It alleges the takeovers violate a provision in the state constitution that prevents the state from exerting “control over the business affairs” of a public school district.

“It is antithetical and absurd that (the state) can take action with regard to a school which has already been voted to be closed,” reads the litigation, which was ﬁled late last week.

This long-anticipated legal battle could test the limits of Louisiana’s 21-year-old school takeover law Louisiana education leaders have been pushing to drastically reduce the number of schools earning “F” academic letter grades. The public schools in this suburban city north of Baton Rouge have long languished near the bottom of the state’s academic rankings. Baker Heights Elementary and Baker Middle schools have been academically unacceptable for four consecutive years

Courthouse road

After waiting in vain for the state to take action on a district turnaround plan for the two schools, the city of Baker School Board on Feb. 12 voted to close both cam-

puses when the current school year ends.

A month later, on March 12, the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education ignored that action and voted to take over the two schools. At the same meeting, the state education board handed both schools to GEO Academies, an Indiana-based charter school network. GEO operates four charter schools in Louisiana, including a small 3-year-old charter in Baker, GEO Prep Baker

At that meeting, BESE members were silent as to how the state could take over schools that were already slated for closure. State education ofﬁcials also declined to respond to an email from The Advocate asking that same question.

A week after the BESE vote, the Baker School Board voted to take the matter to court and hired attorney Dannie Garrett III as its special counsel. Garrett also serves as executive counsel for the Louisiana School Boards Association. Garrett ended up ﬁling not one but two lawsuits.

One lawsuit argues the takeovers violate the state constitution It seeks a declaratory judgment as well as preliminary and permanent injunctions against BESE. That case has been assigned to Judge Tarvald Smith, who has scheduled a hearing at 9:30 a.m. April 21. Not specific enough

A second lawsuit argues that BESE violated the state’s Open Meetings Law when it approved the takeovers. That’s because its March 12 meeting agenda made no mention of the school takeovers. Garrett argues that items on that agenda were not “listed separately and described with reasonable speciﬁcity” as required by law

Rather, the board took ﬁnal action March 12 by approving ﬁve “Board Committee Reports” from committees that met the day before The agenda listed each committee by name, including the “School Innovation and Turnaround Committee,” the one that handled the Baker school takeovers, but said nothing more. Such bare-bones agenda writing is long-standing BESE practice going back decades. Garrett argues this practice violates state law and consequently BESE henceforth should be barred “from merely referencing previously conducted committee meetings.”

In an interview, Garrett said that courts have ruled against school districts in the past for taking action based on agendas deemed not speciﬁc enough, citing a 1992 case out of Jackson Parish.

The Open Meetings Law case has been assigned to the court of Judge Eboni Johnson-Rose, but nothing has as yet been scheduled. Johnson-Rose was suspended from the bench in August by the state Supreme Court, and her cases are being reassigned to other judges.

The Advocate has asked state education ofﬁcials for a response to the litigation.

Charters and more charters

As it stands, Baker Heights Elementary and Baker Middle schools are set to close May 23 when the school year ends. BESE plans to take control of them four days later

The state conﬁrmed in an April 1 letter to Baker that it is moving forward, saying on May 27 it will take control of and make “unrestricted use” of Baker Heights, located at 5903 Groom Road, in-

cluding transferring over utilities. The letter makes no mention of Baker Middle, located next door at 5905 Groom Road.

The move would displace Parkridge Academic Magnet School, which currently shares space with Baker Heights.

To head off future school takeovers, the Baker School Board on April 2 approved an agreement with Helix Community Schools, a charter group led by attorney Preston Castille, to manage all school operations in Baker when the current school year ends May 23.

In voting to bring in Helix Baker is poised to become Louisiana’s second all-charter school district. The only other one is New Orleans, which made a dramatic switch to charter schooling in 2006 in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Charter schools are public schools run privately via charters, or contracts.

Turning Baker’s remaining schools into charters would effectively restart Louisiana’s school accountability clock, buying these schools a few more years to try to improve their way out of academic jeopardy Baker High, in particular currently has a low “D” letter grade.

Castille, the attorney, led a town hall Monday in the Baker High gym to answer questions about Helix’s plans for Baker schools.

In addition to running Helix, Castile is also the elected BESE representative for District 8, a 14-parish district that includes Baker Castille was the only BESE member who opposed the state takeovers, expressing concern at the time that the takeover would bankrupt Baker schools.

National hurricane conference kicks off in N.O.

Event lacks federal experts due to Trump policies

BY JOSIE ABUGOV and KASEY BUBNASH Staff writers

An annual national conference on the evolving threat of hurricanes kicked off in New Orleans on Monday, but without the usual presence of experts from the federal government due to cost-saving measures put in place by President Donald Trump’s administration The conference is also taking place with the White House reportedly planning major cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which oversees the nation’s hurricane and weather forecasting services. Weather forecasters, hurricane researchers and emergency responders from agencies across the country convene at the National Hurricane Conference to discuss past storms and strategies to improve preparedness in the face of a changing climate and intensifying disasters. Ofﬁcials with agencies such as NOAA and the Federal Emergency Management Agency typically attend, leading discussions and offering presentations and training sessions.

But events that were supposed to be led by NOAA and FEMA ofﬁcials this year have been canceled or reworked. Travel restrictions placed on federal employees by the Trump administration are to blame for the lack of representation, according to National Hurricane Conference media coordinator Rebecca Mueller and other sources close to NOAA.

“It’s critical for them to be here,” said Julie Roberts, a former NOAA ofﬁcial who now operates a private sector company geared toward disaster relief. “They need to be here

RISHER

Continued from page 1B

cept works. Gaming can open the door for some kids who may have never considered the military gaming can be a good place to start the conversation Denham Springs High freshman Christopher Villagomez and his friend William Dupas signed up to play the games under a small tent near the gaming trailer Then, the pair climbed the steps into the heavily air-conditioned trailer Once there, Villagomez soundly defeated Dupas in Mortal Kombat.

Woman’s body found in pond

CRIME BLOTTER staff reports

West Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce deputies are continuing to investigate the death of a woman whose body was found Monday in a pond behind a home in Port Allen. Deputies arrived at the property shortly before 11 a.m. Monday, responding to a missing persons report, and found the body in the pond, authorities said. The home is in the 8200 block of Section Road.

No further details were immediately available Monday

Firefighters battle brush fire along Nicholson Drive

Firefighters blocked sections of Nicholson Drive and the railroad tracks as they worked to extinguish a brush ﬁre Monday

They began battling the ﬁre along the tracks at 2:48 p.m. before ﬁnally putting it out about 6 p.m., a spokesperson for the St. George Fire Department said.

During the fire, St George firefighters blocked Nicholson from Gardere Lane to Innovation Park Drive. They also diverted traffic coming from St. Gabriel down Gardere. Officials advised anyone traveling south of Ben Hur Drive to seek another route.

By 6 p.m., firefighters had extinguished the ﬁre and opened up Nich-

INSURANCE

Continued from page 1B

to talk about what is going on.”

Roberts served as NOAA’s deputy director of communications under Trump’s first administration and worked at FEMA under the Bush administration. She has attended the conference each year for the past decade or more, and said NOAA and FEMA officials share critical information there, helping them better prepare and strategize for the upcoming hurricane season.

Roberts said failing to do so could result in less accurate forecasts, worse storm preparations, and, ultimately, lives and property lost in natural disasters. Since Trump took office, NOAA has faced repeated threats of stafﬁng and funding cuts Last week, the administration proposed to eliminate the agency’s research arm, according to reports by NPR

“I think we can all agree that we need to look at how to make cuts to the government, every agency,” Roberts said. “But you need to do it with a scalpel, not a sledgehammer.”

Ofﬁcials with NOAA did not immediately respond to requests for comment

John Wilson, chair of the conference, opened Monday’s general session with a note about the unusual circumstances.

“We hope this is just a one-year happenstance that we’re facing this year and we’ll see our friends and folks and comrades next year at our conference in Orlando,” Wilson said

A conference amid cuts

For the nearly 1,600 people who were able to attend, the conference began with emergency managers, elected officials and meteorologists recounting lessons learned during Hurricane Katrina and the critical importance of storm preparedness as extreme weather becomes more common. Much of this year’s conference, which runs

Between classes, Villagomez came for the games — not the Army talk — but he left thinking about both.

Norma De Leon, a junior at Denham Springs High, entered the trailer as the freshmen were leaving. De Leon said she has already decided to join the military She wants to work in the medical ﬁeld. Her friend Carter Heggins joined her for the video games. He said he’s considering joining the military too and that he loves to play video games. “I’m a nerd,” Heggins said. Meanwhile, camouﬂageclad soldiers stood along the edge of the shadows of

through Thursday, centers on the 20th anniversary of the destructive storm and accompanying levee failures that flooded 80% of New Orleans.

There was little public mention of the lack of federal employees during event’s opening day. Trump’s acting FEMA administrator, Cameron Hamilton, did attend and speak, stressing the importance of local, communitycentered disaster response and cutting the red tape that often makes it difﬁcult to reach people in the aftermath of storms.

“The best responders to disasters are those who know their communities best,” Hamilton said. He pointed to efforts following Hurricane Helene last year that “enabled residents to work more directly with survivors.”

“In some circumstances, we literally employed survivors to help survivors,” he said. “This is the community approach and framework we want to achieve and pursue.”

FEMA is among a slew of federal agencies cutting landmark programs and terminating employees. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem even proposed eliminating the agency altogether Last week, FEMA announced that it will end the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities, or BRIC, program, which Louisiana relies on heavily to build levees, elevate homes and conduct other mitigation projects.

20 years after Katrina

Speakers only hinted at the broader political climate, focusing instead on lessons learned from Katrina and the importance of pushing forecasting and emergency response technology forward in a world increasingly threatened by extreme weather

Margaret Orr, the recently retired WDSU meteorologist, choked up as she recalled the destruction

the small tent outside the trailer, waiting for other students to approach.

A barbell was in the center of the tent. One of the soldiers explained that recruits need to be able to deadlift at least 150 pounds Another soldier made a comment about a woman in a dress and heels trying to deadlift and I couldn’t resist trying.

So, I did Turns out, brute strength may be more my military asset than pixelated punches.

Like the students, I came for the experience and left with questions — about war work and the strange places conversations begin.

brought to New Orleans two decades ago.

She described frantically pulling her favorite paintings off the walls of her Lakeview home, packing up her entire wardrobe and gathering up beloved photographs as she prepared to evacuate to the Hilton Riverside Hotel, where several WDSU employees were hunkering down through the storm.

“I think words have a hard time expressing the destruction, the fear, the hopelessness that we went through,” Orr said. It was an emotional start for many of those gathered at the conference, and Orr warned that solid weather forecasts have never been more important.

“We are seeing more extreme tornadoes that EF4 recently We are seeing extreme droughts, 30 inches of rain below average, 17 100-degree days in 2023, saltwater intrusion, that terrible fog event where 167 cars crashed and seven people died,” Orr said “We now have had two Cat 4 hurricanes within two years of 150 mph: Laura and Ida. But Katrina was the worst.”

Others echoed the theme, highlighting emergency management wins during Katrina and Milton and advancements in recording video footage from the worst parts of storms in real time.

Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng, who was ﬁrst elected to the position in 2020, said she was “the poster child” for new politicians being faced with the realities of intense and unexpected extreme weather events — from hurricanes to wildﬁres to unprecedented snow Emergency preparedness can be “a back burner issue” for areas spared from recent disasters, Lee Sheng said, but this is a big mistake.

“We’re in a different world right now,” she said. “We all know this.”

ing changes to FEMA’s operations, funding, duties and mission.

Carter said this bill would lock in FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program through 2026 without further legislative action needed. Should both chambers of Congress approve the bill, and President Donald Trump sign it, ﬂood insurance would remain operational while Congress works to “strengthen and modernize” the program.

Carter added the bill is a straight-up reauthorization that would allow “uninterrupted access to ﬂood insurance across the country.”

“Given our state’s history with extreme weather events, we must ensure that ﬂood insurance remains accessible to all,” Fields said.

Ezell, R-Pascagoula, said passage of the act would deliver stability in communities that are being impacted more and more by severe weather

“For far too long, families, businesses, and entire communities along our coast have lived with the uncertainty caused by short-term extensions of the National Flood Insurance Program,” Ezell said.

Louisiana leaders praised the idea.

“A two-year reauthorization will provide a runway for Congress and stakeholders to hold conversations and hearings around catastrophic insurance and towards highly demanded comprehensive NFIP reform, like a means-tested beneﬁt for affordability, a third-party review of the Risk Rating 2.0 methodology, and proper incentivization of ﬂood risk mitigation,” said Michael Hecht, president of New Orleans business and economic development organization GNO Inc.

In Risk Rating 2.0, Hecht is referring to the new premium-setting system Congress wanted FEMA to implement. Taxpayers have to pick up the costs when the flood insurance funds are exhausted. The goal of Risk Rating 2.0 is to better align the cost of policies with the covered property’s likelihood of flooding. Those rates have been lower for many policyholders, but are significantly higher for others in closer to the Gulf Coast — including many in Louisiana.

“For many Louisianans, ﬂood insurance is not just a policy — it’s a lifeline,” Letlow said in a statement “Given the frequent storms and ﬂooding our state endures, I’m a strong advocate for renewing the National Flood Insurance Program and making sure it serves those who depend on it.”

Email Mark Ballard at mballard@ theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTO By JAN RISHER

Norma De Leon and Carter Heggins, juniors at Denham Springs High School, try their hand at Mortal Kombat in the U.S. Army’s esports traveling trailer on Thursday.

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Funerals Today Obituaries

Wallace J. Braud Jr.,a native of Duplessis, LA and resident of Gonzales, LA, passed awayinBaton Rouge, LA at the age of 80. Wallace wasa proud veteran of the United States Air Force. He enjoyed spending time at his camp in Mississippi, cooking jambalaya, and runningD-Bro Snosnowball stand with his wife. He was also a proud member of the Red Stick Model AClub. Wallace is survived by his loving wife of 43 years, Debra Braud; sons, Michael Braud, Daren Braud (Gina), Damon Braud (Abby); grandchildren, Jennifer, Jessica, Derek Jr., Max, Reid,Maci, Owen, Mason, Collin, Josie; great grandchild, Henry. He is preceded in death by his son, Derek Sr.; parents, Wallace Sr. and Mallie Braud; sister, Diane Kyes. Visitation will be heldonWednesday, April 16, 2025, at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church of Prairieville from 9:30am until Mass of Christian Burial at 11:30am. Entombment will follow at Hope Haven Gardens of Memory Mausoleum in Prairieville.HonorarypallbearerswillbeDoby Dixon, Carey "Hoss" Arceneaux, Frank King, Bob Duhon, andCurtisRouyea. Arrangements entrusted with Church Funeral Services of St. Amant, LA.

It is with profoundsadnessthat we announce the passing of BeverlyKay Morris, aged72, of Gonzales, Louisiana.While she embraced life in Louisiana, she willalwaysremaina Texas lady at heart.Beverly joinedthe Lord on April 8, 2025, with her devoted husband, David,byher side.

Born on July 24, 1952, in Corpus Christi,Texas, Beverlydedicated herlifeto her family, embodyingthe roles of adevoted wife, loving mother,and doting nana. Her unwavering faith, kindness, and selflessness knewnobounds. As the rock upon which her family leanedduringlife's joys and challenges,Beverly's wisdomand unconditionallove were asource of strengthand comfort to everyone around her. Her presence was trulya blessing.

Beverly'slifewas atestament to the power of love,faith, and dedication to family.Her warm heart, steadfastfaith,and enduring love touchedthe lives of so many. Her familyand friends willcarry forward hermemory,celebrating the remarkable woman she wasand cherishing the lessons she imparted.

Some of Beverly's favorite songs: -Just Be Held by Casting Crowns -RedeemerbyNicole Mullen -I CanOnly Imagine by Mercy Me -All of Creation by Mercy Me

-Praise You in This Storm by CastingCrowns

(Natalie), Laura Broussard (Cullen), and Patrick (Alyssa); brother, Jess (Janet); and eight grandchildren: Tyler, Braeden, Emma, Harrison, Quentin, Jacques, Sutten, and C.J. He was preceded in death by his parents, "Bob"and Emma "Lou" Newsom. Serviceswillbeheld at St. John theBaptist CatholicChurch in Brusly on Wednesday, April 16, with visitationbeginning at 9:30 AM and Mass at 11:00 AM with burial to followinchurch cemetery. Celebration of Life meal at theBruslyLion's Den, 202 E St Francis St. at 12:15 PM The family extends heartfeltthanks to allwho visitedLea in his final months. Special gratitude to Hospice of Acadiana and Calcutta House, and thestaff at Our Ladyof LourdesRegionalMedical Center.

Ronald James "Ronnie"

Montez "Tez" Ann Normand Schnebelen passed away peacefully on April 12th, 2025 at home in Baton Rouge, LA surrounded by her loving husband and family.She was born and raised in Marksville, LA untilshe met her devoted husband of 64 years. Montezrecently celebrated her 85thbirthday with agrand celebration of life

Montezwas adevoted and loving wife, grandmother and stay-at-home mother who poured her heart into her family.She enjoyed rough housing and doting on her seven grandchildren and greatgrandchild. Her selfless love, tireless dedication, and gentle strength shaped the livesofher four daughters and left alegacy of compassion, resilience,and unconditional support.

11:30am. The burial will be held at GraceMemorial ParkCemetery in Plaquemine, LA followingthe service.Reception to follow Thefamilyrequests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to St Jude Children'sResearch Hospital or The Hospiceof Baton Rouge John 11:25 Iamthe resurrectionand thelife. Whoever believesinme, though he die, yet shall he live.

Wendt-Forbes, Elizabeth Jane 'Cissy'

LeaNewsom, 72, passed awaypeacefully at his home in Lafayette, LA,surrounded by his lovingfamilyafter acourageous battlewith liver cancer Alifelongoutdoorsman, Lea found joyin huntingand fishing. He cherished the peace of life onthe water. For him, it was never about the catch, but the time spent with family and friends. He often said, "That's why they callitfishing and not catching! Lea had avibrant personality, asharp sense of humor, and never met a stranger. He enjoyedcard games, Dominoes,and the One-Armed Bandit. There wasn'ta casino he didn't enjoy!Hehad asuccessful careerinSupplyChain Management, retiring as Director of International Procurement for Global Industries after yearsof traveling the worldand making friends everywhere. He issurvivedbyhis wife, Lisa Sarradet Newsom; children: Christopher Diaz,Maria Tulagan'Norma' Maria“Norma” Tulagan Diaz ,61, aresidentof Zacharyand anativeofthe Philippines, went to her heavenly home on April13, 2025.Visitationwillbeon Wednesday, April16, 2025 at St.Johnthe Baptist Catholic Church,Zachary from 4:00 PM until mass at 6:00 pm conductedbyFr. LamarPartin. Formorein‐formation, please see www.charletfuneralhome. com.

Jones, Deborah'Debbie' Love doesn't die, people do.So, when allthat's left of me is love, give me away. Born Deborah Dawn Carriere to Millard &Mabel Carriere in Franklinton, LA on December 24, 1929,Deborah (Debbie, Deb) Jones passed on Tuesday, April 8, 2025 at the age of 95.Retiredfrom 24 years at Ethyl Corp, she volunteered in the Radiology Oncology department at Baton Rouge General Mid City She enjoyed the beauty of nature, especially in Louisianaand singing in her church choir.Survived by her husbandJesse Jones, sonRandy Wolf, granddaughters, Chelan& Laura Wolf, great grandchildren Noah& Sabrina Wolf, niece Linda McRaney, stepchildrenTim Jones &Jann O'Donnell, & five step grandchildren Jennie,Brian,Christopher, Anna, &Jack. Precededin death by herparents, son Bretton Wolf,sister Sue Carriere Armstrong, nephewForrest McRaney, &daughter in law Janet Wolf. She didn'tget what she expectedinlife, but met wonderful people alongthe way. Memorial service will be Thursday, April 17 at 1:30pm at BroadmoorPresbyterian Church.Noflowers please

Reine,born on November 6, 1943, in Baker, La, passed away on April 12, 2025, in Gonzales, La. Ronald's life spanned over eight decades, rooted deeply in his love of friendsand family Throughout his years, he touched thelives of many withhis baritonevoice and afun-loving presence that will be remembered by all who knew him. Ronaldwas precededin death by his wife of 46 years, Ida Nichols Reine his parents, JosephSr. "Alex" and Sarah Reine as well as his siblings, Joseph A. Reine,Jr.,Neoma Reine Foster, and John Carl Reine. He is lovingly remembered by his daughters AngelaJordan and her husband John, and Ashley Gautreaux and her husband Gabeaswellashis five grandchildren, Ronald JosephBourgeois, Mary Taylor Gautreaux, Damien LukeGautreaux, Anna Kate Gautreaux,and Sarah Lucille Jordan. He is also survivedbytwo sisters, Hilda Sheetsand Helen Lanoux. Familyand friends will gathertohonorRonald's life during awake on Tuesday, April15, 2025, from 6 PM to 8PMatOurso Funeral Home,13533 Airline Highway in Gonzales, La. Visitation willcontinue on Wednesday, April16, 2025, from 9AMuntil thestart of thefuneralmass at 11 AM at Our Ladyofthe Holy RosaryCatholicChurch, 44450 Highway 429 in Saint Amant, La with burial at HolyRosary Cemetery.Pall bearers will be Ronald Bourgeois, Damien Gautreaux,Justin Foster, CodyMarchand,Phillip Marchand,and Robert Sheets. May Ronald James Reine's memory bring comfort and peace to thosewho knew and loved him. :)

Montez had an adventurous spirit with travel in thestates and abroad.She was theQueen of RV life and enjoyed winters and summers in Wisconsin and Floridawith faithful funloving friends.Her smile wouldalways light up the room.Montez was always thelife of theparty with her contagious laughter and comedy. She never met astranger and embracedall

Montezenjoyed gardening and fishing as well as music and dancing and was quiteknown for her abilityto"cut arug." Her favorite past-timewas watching thebirds and squirrels.

Montezserved theSt. Jean Vianney Church Parish in theAlter Society. She usedher greenthumb to help withher community HOABeautification Committee. In her younger years, she was crowned queen of theAvoyelles Parish beauty pageant. Montezwas apartner to her husband and assisted in their construction business throughout the states.She workeddiligently to managetheir home, help others, and assistedinfamily business endeavors.

Montezissurvived by her husband David Schnebelen, sister Audrey Normand Brouillette and husband Dan, and daughters: Stacey Schnebelen, MichelleRamirez and husband Benjamin, Stephanie Desselle and husband Dewey, and Kellie Seboa. She also leaves behind seven grandchildren: Michael Ritz,wife Adora and their daughter, Layla, Alexandra Ritz, Ryan Ramirez, Brennyn Desselle, Isabella Desselle,Sophia Seboa, and ChristianSeboa. Montezispreceded in death by her parents Dennis and Cecile Normand, and her brother Ray Normand and his wife Faye. The family wouldlike to give aspecial thanksto her wonderful caregivers: Jill McDaniel, Sharon Williams, and AliceGardener as wellasher hospice team and nurse, Amy Nesbitt,from The Hospice of Baton Rouge. Services willbeheldon Wednesday, April16, 2025 at St.JeanVianney Catholic Church in Baton Rouge, LA.Visitation will be from 10:00am to 11:30am, immediatelyfollowedbychurch serviceat

Elizabeth Jane"Cissy" Wendt-Forbes, wife, daughter, sister,stepmother,aunt, realtor,fur-mama, andfriend, took herlast breath on Earth and her first breath in Heavenon April 11, 2025. Cissy was a native of Pride,Louisiana, daughterofBetty Mae Kaufman Wendtand Robert Paul Wendt, born in 1953 in Baton Rouge,LA. Visitation willbeTuesday, April 15, 2025 at Milldale Baptist Church,11950 MilldaleRoad, Zachary, LA from 9:00 am untilfuneral service at 11:00 am. Burial will follow in Zion Lutheran Cemetery in Clinton, Louisiana. Cissy is survivedbyher husband David WayneForbes, stepdaughterMargaret Leigh Forbes and herdaughter Mary Margaret, brother Thaddeus "Thad"Wendt andwife Heidi, sister-inlaw Evelyn Knight Wendt, nieceKimberleeWendt Madison,and husband Bart,nephew Grayson Paul Wendt, nieceShelby Grace Wendtand furbabies Melania,Dixie and Sassy. Cissy was preceded in death by herimmediate familyconsistingofher mother, Betty MaeKaufman Wendt, herfather Robert PaulWendt, brother Kenneth"Kenny" Michael Wendtand stepson Sterling David Forbes. Thepallbearers are Thaddeus "Thad"JefferyWendt; Grayson PaulWendt; Joe DarrenForbesand Donald D. Forbes Jr.; James"Jimmy" Jenkins IV;and hon-

orarypallbearer William A. Clattenburg.Cissy was an active member of Milldale Baptist Church in Zachary, Louisiana whereshe participated in Sunday school; Bible study; andmany other activities. Shegraduated from Pride High School andNorthwestern State University in Natchitoches, LA. Cissy wasa realtor for more than 40 years workingfor several different real estate companiesas well as beinga member of several real estate associations. She recentlyreceived an award for being aTop Producer.Cissy was known for manythings, especially for howmuchshe lovedthe Lord, caredfor others,neverforgot a birthday or important dates.She lovedher country, boardgames, traditions, heranimals and especially herfamily. Cissy wasa walkingmiracle as oneofthe oldest congenital heartpatients in the State of Louisiana having undergone oneofthe first heartsurgeries as achild backinthe sixties by Dr. Denton Cooley. In lieu of flowersdonations canbe made to Milldale Baptist Church or LPCF Louisiana Pediatric Cardiology Foundation. Thefamilywould like to thankPastor Jeremy Pruittand hiswife Dell and theirchurch familyatMilldaleBaptist church for the love andsupport during this difficult time

Schnebelen, MontezAnn

Reine, Ronald'Ronnie'

Braud, Wallace J.

Newsom, CalvinLea

OPINION

OUR VIEWS

Scandals proliferatein small-town Louisianaasno one watches

Nearly

ﬁve years ago, theLeesville City Council gathered in ameeting alongwithMayor Rick Allen. At that meeting, Allen said that heand thecity manager would be askingthe council to approve alegal settlement ﬁled by apairofdisgruntled city employees. Allen told them thecourthad sealed thecase, so he couldn’tdiscuss it. There was no public notice for the meeting, as is required under the open meetingslaw,nor were anymembersofthe public present.

At its next meeting, days later,the council gave unanimous go-ahead forLeesville’s taxpayers to foota$175,000 settlement. Another $124,000 was paid by an insurance agency connected to theLouisiana Municipal Association

What Allen did not tell theCityCouncil, and what remainedlargely secret until revealed last week by reporter Tyler Bridges in this newspaper,isthat it was agreeing to settle alawsuit broughtbyawoman who alleged thatshe had been sexually harassed by hersupervisor and that for ayear,she had carried on aconsensual relationshipwiththe mayor Allen had never revealed that hewas at the center of the allegations,and it is unclear whetherany councilmemberasked.

This is abreakdownoflocal governmentatits most basic level. No council member objected to thesecret meeting, and they voted unanimously to approve the settlement.

The agenda item that included the settlement was read and approvedina little morethana minute at aSeptember 2020 meeting Leesville’selected leaders showed ashocking disregard for basic principles of transparency and ﬁscal responsibility.For Allen,the reason was clear:tokeepcovered upallegations thathe didn’twant aired. For thecouncil, it waseither laziness, indifference or fear of Allen. None are acceptable explanations

What credit there is shouldgotocouncil member Nicole Ybarra who, after almost ﬁve years, wasatleast willing to speak on therecordto Bridges. None ofthe other cityofﬁcialswould discussthe matter

We can’thelp but note that this might not have happenedhad Leesville had avitallocal paper,asitdid into the 2010s. TheLeesville Daily Leader at one time published ﬁve days per week, and its reporters did not shyawayfrom hard news stories when warranted

Theonly media to report on thesettlement from Alexandria TV station KALB, whichpublished ashort itemand then removeditfromthe station’swebsite earlier this year

The factors that made thispossible in Leesville are not uncommon across Louisiana.Sadly, similarscandals have erupted in recentmonths in DeRidder and Pineville as well.

We know we are always going tohavebad politicians.Inthe absenceofmedia,Louisiana communities rely on elected ofﬁcials to take theirroles seriously.Sadly,that didnot happen in this case.

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE AREOUR

GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name, occupation and/or title and the writer’scity of residence

TheAdvocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address andphone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@ theadvocate.com. TO SEND US A LETTER, SCANHERE

Autoinsurance ratesshould notbebased on credit scores

As aretired militaryveteran and Louisiana resident,I’ve always valued fairness and accountability —principles challenged by our state’sexcessively high auto insurance premiums. Louisiana consistently ranks as the most expensive statefor car insurance, signiﬁcantly outpacing our neighbors Mississippi, facing similar hurricane risks, hassubstantially lower premiums, showing storms aren’tthe sole reason for our inﬂated costs. The insurance industry blamed Louisiana’slitigation environment, prompting substantialtortreforms in 1996, 1997, 2003 and, mostrecently,in2020, aimed at reducing premiums. Yet, premiums haven’tdecreased; instead, they’ve continuedrising. Clearly,litigation alone wasn’tthe main driver of our insurance crisis.What’s moretroubling is insurers’

The argument thatparishes should not contributetoclergy abuse settlements is aconvenient way to absolve the laity of responsibility.Itignores afundamental truth: The Catholic Church runs on the ﬁnancial support of itsmembers. Aslong as Catholics continue tithing without demanding real reform,they are enabling an institutionthat has protected predators and fought survivors for decades. The church is not acollection of independent parishes; it is ahierarchical system whereevery priest,bishop and layperson operates under its authority. Abuse happenedinchurches, schools and confessionals —places where Catholics worshipped, donated and trustedchurch leaders to protect them. That trust was betrayed.

The ArchdioceseofNew Orleans,like many others, has fought survivors in court while spending millionsonlawyers and bankruptcy proceedings to shield assets. It has not declared bankruptcy out of repentance —itisa legal maneuver to

use of credit scores to set rates. Unlike driving records or claimshistory,a credit scoreoften reﬂects circumstances unrelated todriving safety.Veterans transitioning to civilianlife, families facing medical debt or workers temporarily unemployed can unfairly experience soaring premiums. Otherindustries —employment, housing, lending —already limit credit-based discrimination. It’stimeLouisiana’s Legislatureand insurance regulators mandate insurers to base premiums on actual driving behaviorand claimshistory,not economic proﬁles.

If tort reform didn’tdeliver relief, addressing discriminatory credit-based pricing may ﬁnally bring fairness to Louisiana drivers.

WAYNE HORNING Prairieville

limit ﬁnancial accountability. If the laity wantstrue reform, it must stop funding the church’sdefense against justice. Some claim settlements will “destroy” the church. Nonsense. TheCatholic Church has survived warsand ﬁnancial crises. What truly threatensitisthe moraldecay of prioritizingwealthover justice. If Catholics believe in justice, they must act.Donot donate to achurch that refuses transparency.Donot fund bishops who cover up abuse. Do notenable an institutionthat treats survivors as liabilities.

The only language the Church hierarchy understands is money.Until it stops protecting itself at the expense of victims, Catholics mustwithholdtheir ﬁnancial support.Justicewon’t come through emptyapologies —itwill come when the laity refuses to bankroll corruption. Stop tithing until real changehappens. SCOTT “ALEX” PEYTON Opelousas

As manyofusrunners prepare for the fun annual Crescent City Classic 10K in New Orleans on Holy Saturday,April 19, Ifondly recall running in the first event, held in 1979 ,when Iwas fast,and it used to end at the wonderful Audubon Park. As Ilook forward to the upcoming CCC (I’m nowa“slow mode runner” and the race nowhas its finish in the beautiful CityPark.), Iwant to thankall the friendly Esplanade Avenue onlookers whoprovide freerefreshments to us geezers as we strive to finish ourstrides. And there are many charitable agencies that benefitfrom theCCC, so whatever your agemay be,pleaseparticipate in this great health promotionalevent KEITH HORCASITAS Baton Rouge

It’stime to ﬁle my 2024 tax return, and Ihaven’treceived my tax refund for my 2023 ﬁling. In July 2023, Idownloaded the IRS2Go app to inquire about my refund status. It stated that my tax return has been received and is being reviewed. By September, Istill had not received my refund, so Iwent to the app again and was told the same thing. This time I asked to speak with an agent. After holding for several minutes, I was told that my refund was being reviewed and no other information was available. Since Iinquired with an agent, Iwas told that Ihad to wait 180 days before inquiring again if Ihad not received my refund. If Iinquired before 180 days, the 180-day wait would start over On March 30, Icalled that same number and extension and spoke with an agent who told me to call that same number and use adifferent extension, whichshe gave me At that number and extension, an agent gave me adifferent number to call. Arecording at this number directed me to the same number and extension with whichIbegan this process, so Irequested and got to speak with an agent. After several minutesand being put on hold three times, this agent informed me that she had put in arequest that Ireceive my refund or receive acall with another agent to discuss my claim.This could take up to 90 days, and if Ihaven’treceived my refund or acall within 90 days, I should call again. An hour and a half on the phone and the problem is unresolved. This is why we need DOGE. BUTCH POLITO Hammond

Rosa Parks was notprotesting the bus. Gandhi wasnot protesting the food. Colonists were not protesting tea. Players are not protesting the ﬂag or the anthem Palestinian supporters are not protesting the Jews.

They are all protesting injustice. MARYLARSON Baton Rouge

SidEdwards’newness is agood thing

Three months in, Sid Edwardsisstill apolitical rookie.

The coach-turned-candidate-turnedmayor-president has gone from leading hisIstrouma High football team into the playoffs last fall to running thestate’smostpopulous parish, ajob with its share of pitfalls —and political pitbulls —just waiting for him to stumble.

They didn’thave to wait long. It took Edwards just over amonth to stumbleinto a ﬁght when he proposed aplan to rededicatethe library millage to help pay for police raises. It was abad plan, and Edwards’ rollout made it appear as if hewas asking voters to choose between cops or libraries. Edwards’ response is worthnoting. And —Iknow this is apipe dream emulating by other leaders.

Faced with immediate blowback, Edwards recalibrated his plan, eventually coming to acompromise with library leaders. And when he satdown to talk about his term so far,hetook responsibility for how it played out

“That was on me,” Edwards toldThe Advocate’sPatrickSloan-Turner for a story reflecting on his first 100daysin office. “Me being arookie and putting it out there. there’salearningcurve.”

Think about that. An elected ofﬁcial worked with his opponents to ﬁnd a compromise, then took theblame himself.

Faced withthat same scenario—a negative reaction from constituents —Edwards could have doubled down. He could have warned of the chaos and cuts that would hit the Baton Rouge Police Department if voters didn’t go along with his plan. He could have loudly trumpeted his electoral “mandate” and tried to cow other ofﬁcials into toeing the line. He could have pointed the ﬁnger at his political enemies for stirring up trouble.

Those areall well-known moves used by far more seasoned politicians than Edwards. After voters resoundingly beat back four constitutional amendments that Gov.Jeff Landry championed, for example, the governor blamed “far-left liberals” and“George Soros” for the defeat.

Congress

AMadisonian moment has arrived Power vested in the judiciary by the Constitution’sArticle III might yet prod Congress into exercising itsatrophied Article Ipowerstorestrain today’srampant presidency,whose Article II powers can only be checked by the courts, and by aCongress reinvigorated by the courts. This processmight advance when the Supreme Court considers the constitutionalityof ararely noticed item in your phone bill. The Federal Communications Commission hopes the court willoverturn an excellent appellate-courtruling about some FCC mischief. Until antitrust policy in the1980s ended AT&T’smonopoly of telephone services, Congress encouraged “universal” telecommunications service by allowing AT&T to charge extra-high rates to urban customersinexchange for also serving high-cost rural customers. After AT&T’sbreakup, Congress mandated vague “mechanisms” to advance universal service but did not stipulatehow the FCC should ﬁnance these mechanisms.

East Baton RougeMayor-PresidentSid

Never mind that the coalition that opposed theamendments included liberals, yes, but also plentyofconservatives. No one would call Woody Jenkins, who chairsthe East Baton Rouge Republican Party,aSoros operative. One of theamendments even failed in St.TammanyParish, not exactly abastion of leftist thought. This playbookisnot party-speciﬁc. Democratic New OrleansMayor LaToya Cantrell has routinely reacted with disdain toward theall-Democratic NewOrleans City Council and any others sheperceives as challenging her leadership. Edwards didn’tdoany of that. Not only didhetake the blame for how the plan was rolledout,healso credited library leaders for coming to the table.

“This part ended very well withus workingtogether,” he said. Maybe the reason Edwards has reacted so differently than othersisbecause he’snot been in politics for very long. He was an outsider candidate whoactually won. Now he’sa newbie mayor-president. And certainly,these ﬁrst few months have beenacold-water baptism.

The reason Edwards put forward the library plan in the ﬁrst place is that East Baton Rouge Parishisfacing a

yawning budget gap estimated at $40 million-$50 million due to theformation of the city of St. George. Edwards didn’tcreatethe problem,but now he has to solve it.His ﬁrst pass was not a good one, but credit tohim for adjusting on the ﬂy. With Edwards, it’seasy to make football analogies. He makes them himself, frequently

In this case, he took over ateam already facing adeﬁcit, and then he took amajor loss in one of the ﬁrst games in theseason.

Butheresponded like acoach, not a politician. Coaches know you will take the“L” everynow and then. It’show you respond to it that will define your tenure. Edwards didn’tlash out at nameless boogeymen or malevolent forces at work. He looked at himself, figured out what he and his team could do better, and then went out and did it. Whether or not you agree with his final proposal, theway he has handled this is worth respecting.

The question is whether other elected ofﬁcials will adopt this winning strategy

Faimon A. RobertsIII can be reached at froberts@theadvocate.com.

President Donald Trumpsays he’s“not joking” about possibly running forathird term But the Constitution clearly forbids such a move. So what’sgoing on?

It’s hard to know what Trumpisreally thinking. But here is what he’scertainly not joking about: ruling as if all the guardrails designed to restrain presidential power, including the Constitution, do not exist.

tribution” amounts, which contribute to your phone bills.

Validating George Orwell’sdictum that “thegreat enemy of clear language is insincerity,” theFCC says “fees” make up what it mincingly calls the “contribution factor.” The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, with Judge Andrew S. Oldham writing for the majority,briskly says: “Wecall it what it is” —a tax

The FCC chose to levy “contributions” (beware suspiciously delicate language) from telecommunications carriers for aUniversal Service Fund to be distributed to schools, libraries, health care facilities and low-income individuals. The FCC delegated the administration of all this to aprivate company: the Universal Service Administrative Co., managed byrepresentatives of “interest groups affected by and interested in universal service programs.”

The USAC is composed of representatives of private, for-proﬁtcarriers eager for Universal Service Fund subsidies to expand universal service programs. The USAC decides the“con-

The power to tax is, Oldham writes, “a quintessentially legislative power”that cannot be delegated.Here it is doubly delegated:tothe FCC, its discretion not inhibited by intelligible principlesarticulated by Congress, and then to anongovernmental entity,the USAC, which has a ﬁnancial incentive to see that universal service subsidiesgrow Unsurprisingly,the Universal Service Fund tax rate has increased ninefold since 1998, and the almost $10 billion raised by the tax in 2021 was nearly 20 times the FCC’sannual budget. So,amultibillion-dollar social programis operated outside thecongressional appropriations process.And without any semblance of supervision by an executive branch agency: “Contributions” assessed by the USAC take legal effect, without formal FCC approval,unless theFCC objects within 14 days, which had never happened before this litigation.

Imagine, writes Oldham,Congress saying: “The defense budget is whatever Lockheed Martin wants it to be, unless Congress intervenes to revise it.” Oldham, who is 46 and merits promotiontoahigher court, notes that Congress’s amorphous language hardly guidesthe FCC: It is to raise “sufﬁcient”funds to advance “universal service,” which Congress left undeﬁned. This, says Oldham,amountsto

the“suggestion” that the FCC exact as much tax revenue as the FCC thinks is good. Cellphone use is inelastic because it is “essential to participation in the modernworld.” Andusers are, Oldham wrote, “subject to amultibillion-dollar tax nobody voted for.The size of that tax is defacto determined by atrade group staffed by industry insiders.”

Today,Congress is evidently unembarrassed about being mostly aspectator in thebleachers at the game of government. Anditprobably regretsthe court’smajor questions doctrine, which is: If Congress intends to authorize executive agencies to make decisions with large economic and political consequences, it must clearly say so. The court can further discomﬁtCongress, constructively,bycurbing itspower to delegateits core powers. The vexing problem, inescapable when power is vested in asingle executive, is how to circumscribe his or her discretion. Hence, thetitle of Harvard political philosopher Harvey C. Mansﬁeld Jr.’s1989 study of executive power: “Taming the Prince.” Today’s challenge is to “recage the executive lion,” says University of Virginia law professor Saikrishna Prakashin“The LivingPresidency” (2020).

The tamingand recaging will advance if oral argumentspersuade the court to limit Congress’sdelegation of its legislative powers to executive agencies and, especially,todisapprove double delegation to privateentities. The court has rightly called this “delegation in its most obnoxious form.” The presidency will cease casting a dark shadow across thenation only if Congress ceases to be ashadow of its former self.

Email George Will at georgewill@washpost.com.

The latest example of his drive fordomination is an executive order requiring voters to prove their citizenship while curtailing their right to vote by mail. This is an invidious answer to an invisible problem.Voter fraud barely exists, and it is already afelony.But Trumpisfollowing the classic tyrant’splaybook: Create afraudulent problem and use it to justifyanextremecounterattack.

“The president’sexecutive order is an unlawfulaction that threatens to uproot our tried-and-tested election systemsand silence potentially millions of Americans,” said Danielle Lang, senior director of voting rights at the Campaign Legal Center,which has already moved to block Trump’sorder in federal court. “Itissimply not within the president’sauthority to set election rules by executive decree, especially when they would restrict access to voting in this way.”

This is aproven strategy followed by many autocrats Trumpadmires, strongmen whohave trashed legal obstacles to maintain their grip on power: Russia’sVladimir Putin (20 years), Hungary’sViktor Orban (15 years) and Turkey’s Tayyip Erdogan (11 years).

“It’sworth considering whyTrumpcontinually praises dictators,” historian Ruth BenGhiat wrote forCNN on the eve of the election. “Someofitisnodoubt Trumpairing his fantasies of the kind of authority he could exert as president. He praises Hitler,Chinese leader Xi, Russian President Putin and others because of their absolute power,not in spite of it.” Indeed, Trumpattimes sees himself as a divinely ordained monarch, not just an elected leader.Heoften boasts about being chosen by God, after his narrow escape from an assassin’sbullet. He eagerly shared afake magazine cover of himself wearing agolden crown and grinning broadly at the tagline, “LONGLIVE THE KING.”And he’sposted this on social media: “He whosaves his Country does not violate any Law.”

Over the years, Trumphas talked frequently about running forathird term.His allies have usually dismissed it as aclever trolling trick, designed to irritate foes and generate attention, and that’sobviously part of his motivation now Afew words to NBC’sKristen Welker andthe whole political world went nuts. There’salso the lame-duck problem that plagues all second-term presidents. As their power to reward friends and punish enemies diminishes, so does their leverage. If folks fear athird Trumpterm, that might slow the decline of his inﬂuence. And remember: Trumpisareality TV star One key to success in that format is maintaining suspense, and here’sthe president playing his part to the hilt after the election: “I’ve raised alot of money forthe next race that I assume Ican’tuse formyself,but I’mnot 100% sure because Idon’tknow.I think I’mnot allowed to run again. I’mnot sure. Am Iallowed to run again?” All good fun. Until it’snot. As this CNNheadline put it: “Trumpsounds dead serious about athird term,nomatter what’sinthe Constitution.” He told NBCthat “there are methods” he could employ to defythe law,but he did not elaborate.

Steve Bannon, alongtime Trumpconﬁdant, wasmore explicit on NewsNation, saying: “I’m a ﬁrm believer that President Trumpwill run and winagain in 2028.” When host Chris Cuomo asked fordetails, Bannon replied: “We’re working on it. Ithink we’ll have acouple of alternatives.”

It’s timetotake Trumpseriously,warns Susan Glasser,aNew Yorker writer whohas studied Putin’srise to power in Russia. “Don’t underestimate Donald Trump’swillingness not only to socialize the unthinkable in American politics, but actually to act on it,” she told CNN. “What’sreally remarkable here is the willingness to ﬂout the law,totest the basic normsof settled governance.” Altering the election law is only one of those tests. So are Trump’scalls to impeach judges and ice out law ﬁrmsthat dare to thwart him We don’tknow yet if Trumpisserious. But if he does aspire to run again, this is exactly what he’d be doing: using his power to tear downthe barriers that might stand in his way

Email Steven Roberts at stevecokie@gmail. com.

George Will

Faimon Roberts

Steve Roberts

STAFF PHOTO By HILARySCHEINUK

Edwards mingles before thestart of anews conference last month at CityHall in downtown Baton Rouge.

Pelicans

fire Griffin after21-61 season

Search forteam’snext VP of operations begins

BY RODWALKER Staff writer

The New Orleans Pelicans are making a change at the top.

The Pelicans fired executive vice president of basketballoperationsDavid Griffin, the team announced Monday “After considerable thought and evaluation, Ihave decided to relieve David Griffinofhis duties as executive vice president of basketball operations,” Pelicansowner Gayle Benson said in astatement. “This was adifficult decision, butone that Ifeel is necessary at thistime to bring afresh approachtoour front office andbuild aculture that will deliver sustainable success, on and off the court.”

The firing came afterthe Pelicans concluded adisappointing seasonSunday with aloss to the Oklahoma Cityatthe Smoothie King Center.The Pelicans finished 21-61, the second-worstrecord in an 82-game season in franchise history.The 2004-05 team finished 18-64.

Grif

ﬁnspent six seasons in charge ofthe team’sbasketball operations after replacing Dell Demps in 2019.

Detroit Pistons legend Joe Dumars, who was the 2003 NBA Executive of the Year and wonachampionship as thegeneral manager of the Detroit Pistons in 2004, has emerged as the frontrunner to replace GrifﬁninNew Orleans, ESPN reported Monday afternoon. Dumars, who won two NBA titlesas aPistons player,isa Shreveportnative who played college ball at McNeese State.

ä See PELICANS, page 3C

GRUNFELD

Pelicans executivevice president of basketball operations David Griffinwas fired on Mondayafter the second-worst season in the franchise’shistory.

SPORTS

NEWPAINT JOBS

LSUwomen will have entirely differentfrontcourtlook

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

On Thursday, theLSU women’s basketball team held its annual banquet for fans and boosters. Nine players showed up. Amongthemwas Jersey Wolfenbarger,a 6-foot-5 forwardwho drewacompliment in aspeech by universitypresident William F. Tate IV He saidhewas eager to see howWolfenbarger would develop hergame.

Now Tate will have to watch anotherteam to ﬁnd out the answer. Not even aday later, Wolfenbarger entered the transfer portal,onlyheightening the need for coach Kim Mulkeyand herstaff to overhaultheirfrontcourt. The Tigers have so far lost seven contributors from their 2024-25 team, and ﬁve of themplayedinthe post.Two ran outofeligibility,and three hit the portal. Mulkey must nowgive agroupcomprised entirely of newcomers themost important responsibilities in hersystem. Defensive rebounding. Offensive rebounding. Help defense. Rim protection.

what drove Morrow down theroad that led herhere. It started on the southside of Chicago, then curvedinto stops at DePaul and LSUbefore rolling into the WNBA.

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

After Aneesah Morrow wasdrafted into the WNBA, she thought of her grandmother Sheplayedbasketball,too.Backthen,though, women could only play on half of acourt “There wasn’tafull court at that time, Morrowsaid. That familial love of the game is part of

The former Tigers starforward nowwill begin herprofessional career with theConnecticut Sun, thefranchisethat chose herwith the seventh overall pick of Monday’sdraft.

“She waspassionate aboutit,”Morrow said, “andmymother was passionateabout it as well, and they always talk aboutthat grit thattheyhad on the ﬂoor.Thatthey were not going to back down to anybody They held me to that standard.”

Twopost players were chosen ahead of Morrow on Monday.The Seattle Storm grabbed19-year-old French sensation Dominique Malonga with theNo. 2overall pick, andthe WashingtonMystics chose Southern Cal forwardKiki Iriafen with the No. 4overall selection Only 6-foot-1 yetone of the topreboundersinthe history of women’scollege basketball, MorrowhelpedLSU reach the NCAA Tournament’sElite Eight in both seasons she spent in BatonRouge.

ä See WNBA, page 5C

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOByPAMELA SMITH

Aneesah Morrow, left,poses with WNBA commissioner CathyEngelbertafter being selected seventh overallbythe Connecticut Sun on MondayinNew york.

TRANSFORMING TRAUMARECOVERY

Guillaume Spielmann,PhD Lead TraumaResearcher, Our Lady of the LakeHealth AssociateProfessor of Kinesiology, LSUHealth

LSUcoach Kim Mulkey

Play-in teams seek path to playoffs

Fifth full season of the NBA tournament

starts on Tuesday

BY TIM REYNOLDS AP basketball writer

Steve Kerr, the basketball fan, raves about the play-in tournament and the drama that it creates down the stretch of the NBA’s regular season and leading into the ofﬁcial start of the playoffs. Kerr, the basketball coach, doesn’t like it so much.

“I haven’t loved it because we’ve been on the wrong end of it,” said Kerr, the Golden State Warriors coach. “We’re 0-3 in these play-in games. And so, you ﬁnish in the top eight, you feel like you should be in the playoffs. On the other hand, it’s been great for the league. If you’re eighth and-or seventh, well, you had 82 games to do better — and you didn’t do better.”

This is where the Warriors — and seven other teams now ﬁnd themselves. They’re in the postseason. They’re not in the playoffs. And six games this week all will have either a playoff berth, season elimination, or both on the line

The ﬁfth full season of the NBA’s play-in tournament starts Tuesday: No. 7 Orlando hosts No. 8 Atlanta in the Eastern Conference, and No. 7 Golden State hosts No. 8 Memphis in the Western Conference.

The winners of those games make the playoffs with the MagicHawks winner earning the chance to play Boston and the WarriorsGrizzlies winner off to play Houston For Tuesday’s losers, all is not lost. The Magic-Hawks loser will host either No. 9 Chicago or No. 10 Miami on Friday in an elimination game to see who faces No. 1 Cleveland in the East, while the Warriors-Grizzlies loser hosts either No. 9 Sacramento or No. 10 Dallas to see who’ll take on No. 1 Oklahoma City in the West.

The Chicago-Miami and Sacramento-Dallas games are Wednesday. The losers of those games are eliminated.

“You want to be mindful that you don’t over-clutter the mind,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We’re at our best when we have great clarity And we know what our game is at this point. We know what their game is. We’ve played them three times in the last two months. So, we will do a little bit more prep than a normal regularseason game but I don’t want over-saturation of information to slow us down.”

The play-in tournament started in the Walt Disney World bubble in 2020, a way to even out an uneven schedule that year The only game

was Portland-Memphis to decide the ﬁnal playoff spot in the West; Portland won to grab the No. 8 position.

The full tournament started a year later Home teams are 17-7 in those games, which is a good sign for Golden State, Sacramento, Orlando and Chicago

Play-in past performances

Of the eight teams in this year’s play-in tournament, six have been there before. Atlanta is 3-1 in past play-in games, Memphis is 2-1, Chicago and Miami are 2-2, Sacramento is 1-1 and Golden State is 0-3.

“We haven’t fared well in these play-in games,” Warriors forward Draymond Green said. “Got to get locked in and get ready to go.” Dallas and Orlando are there for the ﬁrst time.

“The beauty of it and the blessing of it is being at home, in front of our fans,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said.

Atlanta at Orlando, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.

(TNT)

Season series: Tied, 2-2.

BetMGM Sportbook: Orlando by 5.5.

At stake: The winner is the No. 7

seed and opens the playoffs Sunday at No. 2 Boston. The loser will host the Chicago-Miami winner in an elimination game on Friday to decide the No. 8 seed.

Outlook: It’s the third meeting in an eight-day span for these clubs, though Sunday’s regular-season finale saw both teams holding out a ton of players because this matchup was already set. In the three other Hawks-Magic games this season, the ﬁnal margins were six, six and seven points. This format seems to work for Hawks guard Trae Young; he’s 3-1 in play-

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO Golden State coach Steve Kerr and the Warriors are 0-3 in NBA play-in tournament games.

in games. The good news for the Magic: Teams that enter the playin as the No. 7 seed have made the playoffs every time.

Memphis at Golden State,Tuesday, 9 p.m. (TNT)

Season series: Warriors, 3-1.

BetMGM Sportsbook: Warriors by 6.5.

At stake: The winner is the No 7 seed and opens the playoffs Sunday at No. 2 Houston. The loser will host the Sacramento-Dallas winner in an elimination game on Friday to decide the No. 8 seed.

Outlook: The Warriors looked at this week — Sunday’s regularseason ﬁnale against the Clippers then this game, then potentially Friday — as having three home chances to win one game to get to the playoffs. It’s a healthy way to think. The question is, how healthy are the Warriors? Stephen Curry’s thumb was taped Sunday and Jimmy Butler was hobbling when it was over The Grizzlies

love playing road games; Ja Morant says he feeds off the negative energy Miami at Chicago, Wednesday, 6:30 p.m.

(ESPN)

Season series: Bulls, 3-0.

BetMGM Sportsbook: Bulls by 1.5.

At stake: The winner plays at either Orlando or Atlanta on Friday to decide the No. 8 seed in the East. The loser is eliminated.

Outlook: It’s the second meeting between the teams in a week after the Bulls rallied from a double-digit deﬁcit to beat the Heat in Chicago on Wednesday and essentially lock up No. 9. This will be a pace game. If it’s at Chicago’s faster pace, advantage Bulls. If it’s at Miami’s slower pace, advantage Heat. Miami is seeking a sixth consecutive playoff appearance while Chicago is trying to get to Round 1 for what would be just the second time in the past eight years. Dallas at Sacramento,Wednesday, 9 p.m. (ESPN)

Season series: Kings, 3-0.

BetMGM Sportsbook: Kings by 4.5.

At stake: The winner plays at either Golden State or Memphis on Friday to decide the No. 8 seed in the West. The loser is eliminated.

Outlook: It’s the first postseason meeting between the clubs in more than two decades; they played in 2002, 2003 and 2004 with the Kings winning two of those three series. The Mavs went to the NBA Finals last season behind Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving; Doncic is with the Los Angeles Lakers now and Irving is out for the season with an ACL tear Trades changed the Kings’ trajectory as well this season and they won four of their past six to claim No. 9 in the West.

Suns ﬁre Budenholzer after one season

BY DAVID BRANDT AP sportswriter

PHOENIX The Phoenix Suns have parted ways with veteran coach Mike Budenholzer following one dismal season that featured a fast start before a maddening slide out of postseason contention for a high-priced roster that included Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. The Suns made the unsurprising announcement on Monday one day after the franchise finished with a 36-46 record which put them 11th in the Western Conference. They lost nine of their last 10 games, failing to qualify for the play-in tournament.

“Competing at the highest level remains our goal, and we failed to meet expectations this season,” the team’s short statement said. “Our fans deserve better. Change is needed.”

The 55-year-old Budenholzer was hired in May, replacing Frank Vogel, who also had a one-year tenure that ended in disappointment. Coach Bud an Arizona native — won an NBA title with the

went

The

Milwaukee Bucks in 2021, beating the Suns in six games in the Finals, and the hope was he could finally bring a championship to the desert. He didn’t even come close. The season started with optimism after the Suns jumped to an 8-1 record, but Durant went down

Ex-LSU standout Peterson retires as Arizona Cardinal

TEMPE, Ariz. — Three-time All-Pro Patrick Peterson announced his retirement on Monday as a member of the Arizona Cardinals, where he spent the ﬁrst 10 of his 13 NFL seasons as one of the league’s elite cornerbacks. The 34-year-old Peterson was honored at the team’s practice facility with a highlight video and tributes from several former teammates, including receiver Larry Fitzgerald and quarterback Carson Palmer

The No. 5 overall pick in the 2011 draft out of LSU, Peterson made an immediate impact as a rookie and was a Pro Bowl selection in his ﬁrst eight seasons.

He was also a special teams standout early in his career, returning four punts for touchdowns as a rookie, which tied an NFL record.

Scherzer to see specialist concerning thumb injury

TORONTO Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Max Scherzer is still dealing with soreness in his right thumb and will make a second visit to a specialist in the U.S. later this week, manager John Schneider said Monday A three-time Cy Young Award winner, Scherzer received a cortisone injection in his troublesome thumb during a March 31 visit with Dr Thomas Graham. Schneider said the 40-year-old Scherzer played catch several times on Toronto’s recent road trip, doing so most recently Friday at Baltimore.

Scherzer left his debut start with the Blue Jays against Baltimore on March 29 after three innings because of soreness in his right lat muscle.

Guerrero signs 14-year, $500M contract with Jays

TORONTO Calling Canada his “second house,” slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr signed his $500 million, 14-year contract with the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday Guerrero, 26, was born in Montreal while his Hall of Famer father Vladimir Sr was playing for the Expos.

The younger Guerrero signed with the Blue Jays as a 16-year-old in 2015 and made his big league debut in 2019.

Edward Rogers, executive chair of team owner Rogers Communications, called Guerrero “truly a historic franchise player,” and said the contract represented “an historic deal for Canada and for this club.”

Guerrero is a .288 career hitter with 160 homers and 514 RBIs.

Yankees’ Judge named captain for Team USA

NEW YORK — Aaron Judge will captain a team other than the New York Yankees in 2026.

The reigning American League MVP has also been named captain of Team USA for the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Judge, who has yet to play in the international tournament, announced the decision alongside Team USA manager Mark DeRosa MLB Network on Monday morning. With the Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Trout captaining, Team USA lost the 2023 WBC championship to Japan. Judge will be the second Yankees captain to play for Team USA, as Derek Jeter was on the WBC roster in 2006 and 2009.

Reds stellar fielding IF, manager dies at age 83

The Suns tried to retool at the trade deadline, but Beal’s no-trade clause and the team’s salary cap status above the second apron made making any major moves difﬁcult.

Budenholzer’s departure likely signiﬁes major upcoming roster upheaval for a team that’s underachieved for three straight seasons.

Owner Mat Ishbia has deep pockets and a desire to win, but almost every move he’s made since taking over the team in February 2023 has backﬁred.

Budenholzer has a 520-363 career record over 11 NBA seasons with the Hawks, Bucks and Suns.

with a calf strain that knocked the team into a tailspin. Even after the 15-time All-Star returned to the lineup a few weeks later, Phoenix never could recapture its early momentum. Budenholzer couldn’t seem to settle on a regular playing rotation with rookies Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro playing big minutes one night before being benched the next. Veteran center Jusuf Nurkic had an awful start to the season — and complained about a lack of communication with Budenholzer — before being traded to the Charlotte Hornets. Booker and Durant stayed relatively healthy for most of the season, but Beal had constant injury issues and missed more than 20 games in the regular season for a sixth straight year

CINCINNATI — Tommy Helms, the slick-fielding infielder for the Cincinnati Reds who was the 1966 NL Rookie of the Year and had two short stints as the team’s manager, has died. He was 83. The Reds Hall of Fame and Museum said Helms’ wife, Cathy, told the organization that her husband died on Sunday in Cincinnati. The cause of death was not provided. Helms was known more for his glove than his bat in 1,435 games over 14 seasons. He was an All-Star in 1967-68 and won Gold Gloves as the National League’s top-fielding second baseman in 1970-71. When Helms earned a roster spot to start 1966, the Reds had him replace Pete Rose at second base and had Rose move to third. Rose couldn’t get comfortable at third, so Helms moved to the hot corner after just 20 games and became the NL’s second-leading fielding third baseman.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MATT ROURKE

Atlanta Hawks guard Trae young reacts during the second half against the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday in Philadelphia. The Hawks and the Orlando Magic kick off the NBA’s play-in tournament on Tuesday.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CHARLES KRUPA

Phoenix Suns

36-46 this season in Mike Budenholzer’s only year as coach. Phoenix also missed the playoffs.

LB a spot Saints may look at in the draft

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

The New Orleans Saints are at an interesting crossroads when it comes to the linebacker position

Demario Davis, their 35-year-old longtime star, arguably started to show his age last season, even while playing at an overall productive level. Pete Werner their other starter, doesn’t ﬁll up the stat sheet — he failed to record an interception or a sack — but the Saints badly missed his presence in the four games he sat out because of an injury

Even so, the pair’s play badly was overshadowed by what Zack Baun did in Philadelphia The Eagles linebacker was a Defensive Player of the Year ﬁnalist a year removed from sitting on the bench in New Orleans. The mixed results put the Saints in a spot in which linebacker isn’t a desperate need, though it would be understandable if the franchise tries to add more talent. Let’s take a look at this year’s linebacker class and see who might be an option for the black and gold. Can the Saints ﬁnd the next Baun?

Jihaad Campbell, Alabama

Projected to be the ﬁrst non-edge linebacker drafted, Campbell excelled at Alabama with his ability to read defenses and get downhill. He also has impressive speed to pair with his intellect: The 6-foot3, 235-pound linebacker registered a 4.52 40-yard dash. And though he’s not an edge rusher, Campbell is a threat to rush the passer He had ﬁve sacks last season to pair with his 119 tackles and two forced fumbles.

Carson Schwesinger, UCLA

ESPN praised Schwesinger as this draft’s best tackler, noting his “96.6% tackle rate ranked second in the nation among linebackers.” Schwesinger is a fundamentally sound player who has great feel at his position. The 6-2, 242-pound linebacker ﬁnished his career as a

ﬁrst-team All-American, concluding a dazzling journey in which he started at UCLA as a walk-on He could be an intriguing choice for the Saints in the second round, if he lasts that long

Demetrius Knight, South Carolina

The Los Angeles Chargers didn’t draft many linebackers when Brandon Staley, now the defensive coordinator of the Saints, was the team’s head coach. But in 2023, Staley’s final year, the Chargers picked Daiyan Henley — an undersized linebacker who turned out to be their leading tackler in 2024. Could Knight be Staley’s version of Henley for the Saints? Henley (8.05) and Knight (8.17) share similar Relative Athletic Scores, and both know how to use their athleticism. In Knight’s case, he’s one of the older prospects in this year’s draft, as the 24-year-old played four years at Georgia Tech and one year at Charlotte before ﬁnishing his college career at South Carolina. He’s also a cousin of former

Teddye Buchanan, California

The Saints hired former University of California defensive coordinator Peter Sirmon to coach linebackers this offseason Could he be interested in reuniting with Buchanan, who weighs 233 pounds and is 6-2? Buchanan led the Bears with 114 tackles in 13 games last season and was named ﬁrst-team All-ACC. He landed at Cal after four years at Cal-Davis. He has a very intriguing 9.62 RAS, thanks in part to an eye-popping 40-inch vertical.

Cody Simon, Ohio State

The Saints hit on their last Ohio State linebacker when they drafted Werner in 2021. Simon could be another solid ﬁnd, albeit one likely to go later than Werner’s secondround selection. Pro Football Focus calls Simon a “traditional insider linebacker who would play best in a 3-4 with a fellow inside linebacker next to him.” The Saints are likely switching to a 3-4 under Staley

Report: Pels eye Dumars to lead team

BY RASHAD MILLIGAN Staff writer

Now that the New Orleans Pelicans have fired executive vice president of basketball operations

David Grifﬁn, two big questions remain: Who will replace him, and what does the future hold for head coach Willie Green?

A couple of potential answers gained traction Monday after the Grifﬁn news came to light.

According to an ESPN report Louisiana native Joe Dumars is the lead candidate to take over basketball operations for the Pelicans.

The Detroit Pistons legend and former McNeese State basketball star is currently in his third season working in the NBA league ofﬁce as the executive vice president and head of basketball operations. Dumars, a Shreveport native, was the 2003 NBA Executive of the Year and a 2004 NBA champion while leading the Pistons franchise.

A talented guard in his playing days, Dumars was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006 and the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 2003. He won NBA titles as a player in 1989 and 1990 with the Pistons.

The Pelicans went 209-263 during Grifﬁn’s six seasons. The Pelicans made the playoffs in the 202122 season and also last season

Only two Pelicans qualiﬁed for postseason awards by playing a minimum of 65 games this past season: rookie Yves Missi and re-

PELICANS

Continued from page 1C

Dumars has spent the last three seasons as executive vice president and head of basketball operations for the NBA. His last role with a specific team was in the 2020-21 season when he was the chief strategy ofﬁcer for the Sacramento Kings.

The Pelicans’ 49-33 record last season tied for the second-most wins in franchise history

But this season, the Pelicans were hit hard by injuries and never could

Ward leads talented group of hidden gems turned top prospects

BY MICHAEL MAROT AP sportswriter

INDIANAPOLIS Quarterback Cam Ward might be the ﬁrst player off this year’s NFL draft board.

Five years ago, he was pretty much off everybody’s radar outside of West Columbia, Texas. Back then, Ward worked behind center in his high school’s run-heavy Wing-T offense. His roughly 12 throws per game didn’t give him much chance to match the gaudy numbers of top recruits, and not many college coaches were making the one-hour drive from Houston to his hometown of roughly 4,000 people.

So, Ward took the only scholarship he was offered, from an FCS school in San Antonio.

Now the best player in Incarnate Word history could be the No. 1 overall draft pick on April 24.

“I prayed for this moment, since I was 6 years old,” Ward said during the league’s annual scouting combine. “I think I could have gone to the NBA. I always told myself when I was a little kid, I wanted to go pro with something. So whether it was baseball, football or basketball. I always had that big dream, and I never let somebody stop me on it.”

Ward’s determination helped him win the starting job as a college freshman, which propelled him to a record-breaking career that took him to Washington State and then Miami, the cusp of the College Football Playoff and now NFL franchise quarterback.

It’s the underdog story every American athlete envisions, the one fans embrace.

But for Ward and many others who made the journey from hidden gem to NFL prospect, this is no longer a pipedream. It’s reality

Among those expecting to hear their names called on draft weekend are tight end Harold Fannin Jr of Bowling Green and running back Cam Skattebo of Arizona State who emerged as stars last season. Their stories sounds awfully similar to Ward’s.

serve Jeremiah Robinson-Earl.

The team now enters the NBA draft lottery with the fourth-worst record in the league at 21-61. The decision as to whether Green will remain the Pelicans head coach will be up to whoever is hired as Griffin’s replacement, a source conﬁrmed to The Times-Picayune.

But will Green still be with the organization when that time comes?

While Green is staying put for the moment, the Phoenix Suns may be in play to hire him to succeed Mike Budenholzer, who was ﬁred by the franchise on Monday after one season

recover Because of injuries, the Pelicans used 47 different starting lineups this season.

The lineup that was supposed to be the starting ﬁve this season (Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, Herb Jones, Dejounte Murray and CJ McCollum) never played in a single game together Ingram was traded to the Toronto Raptors at the trade deadline, while Williamson, Jones, McCollum, Murray and Trey Murphy all had their seasons end early because of injuries.

Grifﬁn, in his ﬁrst year in the job in 2019, orchestrated the Anthony Davis trade and drafted Zion Wil-

“While Willie Green remains in place as New Orleans’ head coach, he’s been another name, in addition to the recently-extended Chauncey Billups, league ﬁgures have mentioned as a possible replacement in Phoenix,” The Stein Line’s Jake Fischer posted on X. Green served as an assistant for the Suns from 2019-21 under former Pelicans head coach Monty Williams.

“... links between Willie Green and the Suns have been circulating, league sources say because of Green’s relationships with (owner) Mat Ishbia and (star guard) Devin Booker,” Marc Stein reported.

liamson with the No. 1 overall pick.

Griffin fired head coach Alvin Gentry a year later and hired Stan Van Gundy But after one season, Griffin fired Van Gundy and replaced him with Willie Green, who still remains in place as Pelicans head coach. The Pelicans saw their number of victories increase in each of Green’s ﬁrst three seasons before plummeting this season. The Pelicans went 209-263 with Griffin in his six seasons. They were 109-105 during his time in games Williamson played. Griffin’s last time speaking to the media about the season and

school players an avenue to show scouts how they fare against better competition while the extra cash has allowed others to stay on campus, reﬁne their skills and improve their draft stock. Ward and Skattebo are perfect examples.

Both made the jump from the FCS to the FBS and used their ﬁfth and ﬁnal college seasons to enter the Heisman Trophy debate, produce double-digit win seasons and, yes, generate more looks from the pro scouts. Others took different paths to the draft.

Linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr of South Carolina was the ﬁrst player from Strong Rock Christian School in Georgia to play at an FBS school.

Tight end Colston Loveland made the trek from Idaho to college football’s winningest program, where he was part of a national championship team and helped Michigan pick up win No. 1,000.

Linebacker Carson Schwesinger of UCLA and safety Dan Jackson of Georgia began their college careers as walk-ons, while linebacker David Walker left the Division II Southern Arkansas Muleriders to join Central Arkansas, another FCS school.

Yet each earned one of the precious 329 invites to the league’s annual scouting combine in Indianapolis and all but Skattebo, Jackson and Walker are now regarded as top-ﬁve players at their respective positions. Some never doubted they could make it.

“I knew this was my goal and I kind of had the belief in myself of what I could do,” Schwesinger said. “I remember after a couple of the ﬁrst practices at UCLA, I was talking to my mom, and I was like, ‘I’m going to go to the NFL.’ So there was a conﬁdence level obviously there, but there’s still a level of discipline you have to have when you start as a walk-on and kind of just working harder than everybody you’re going against.”

Others had to convince themselves they really could be a pro.

Fannin took the only scholarship offer he received after falling behind academically during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Skattebo opted to stay home after only two FCS schools, William & Mary and Sacramento State, came calling.

Both excelled.

“Leaving Sacramento State was a big thing for me because I was home, I was comfortable,” Skattebo said. “Coach (Troy) Taylor took the opportunity at Stanford, and I knew that was my chance to take an opportunity somewhere else at a higher level. Going to Arizona State was the best decision I’ve made in my life It set me up for success.”

Similar stories can be found across the college landscape. The combination of the transfer portal and NIL money has given sometimes overlooked small-

“It kind of clicked probably earlier this year, when I was leading the nation in receiving yards,” Fannin said. “That’s when I realized it and I got on the watch list for the Mackey Award — that’s when I realized I’ve got something going for me.”

Now, each is only a few days from ﬁnding out their next team and a few months away from fulﬁlling lifelong dreams. If Ward lands with the Titans, as many expect him to, he will use what he’s learned from his challenging path: work hard and just keep proving himself.

“From playing Wing-T to traveling to Pullman, Washington, all the way into Miami, I just think getting to experience different atmospheres, traveling across the country it’s going to end up helping me in the long run,” he said. “At the end of the day, you never know where football will take you.”

the state of the franchise was in February

“When these types of things happen, they really reveal a lot about who you are and what your team represents,” Griffin said. “And unfortunately for us, I think it’s revealed we have a lot of work to do from a front ofﬁce perspective, from a team-building perspective.” That task now will be left up to someone else. It’s the second major change Benson has made in the past six months. Benson, who is also the owner of the New Orleans Saints, ﬁred head football coach Dennis Allen in November

after his team lost seven straight games.

“I am committed to hiring the right person to lead our basketball operations department and deliver an NBA Championship to our city,” Benson said. “That is what our fans deserve. I am truly appreciative of David for his leadership and many contributions to the Pelicans organization and the New Orleans community over the last six years. We wish David and his wife, Meredith, and their family all the best moving forward.” Email Rod Walker at rwalker@theadvocate.com.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Joe Dumars is seen in a 2014 photo.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL LAUGHLIN Miami quarterback Cam Ward throws the ball during his pro day on March 24 in Coral Gables, Fla.

NFL cornerback DeAngelo Hall.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By WVASHA HUNT

Former Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell talks with the SEC Network at Alabama’s pro day on March 19 in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

THE VARSITY ZONE

Senior

BY ROBIN FAMBROUGH Staff writer

There was a time when the odds seemingly favored Brusly’s Mason Comeaux and David Marsh of Catholic High playing a different high school spring sport

Both seniors ended up where they are meant to be — as college golf signees preparing for the Metro Boys Golf tournament set for 11 a.m. Tuesday at the Santa Maria golf course.

“I started T-ball early,” Marsh said. “But the more I played baseball, I think I just kind of wore myself down on it.

“And the more I played golf, the more I liked it. So, I guess it was the summer before eighth grade when I got more serious about it.” Marsh has the top nine-hole av-

erage of 34.29 strokes going into the 18-hole annual tournament that serves as a bridge between the regular season and LHSAA’s regional and state tournaments.

Comeaux is a close second at 34.43, just ahead of another Bears golfer Drew Prieto at 34.71

There are 15 schools set to compete in the one-day tourney

“I played baseball, which I guess was kind of expected since my sisters played softball,” Comeaux said.

“My ﬁrst sport was basketball and I played it through middle school. Golf was always there, just in the background.

“I started playing in more golf tournaments when I was in eighth grade. I wasn’t too good at ﬁrst.

But I kept working at it.”

Marsh, a Southeastern Louisiana signee, has an older brother

playing baseball at Loyola. Comeaux, a UL-Monroe signee, has sisters who played college softball at Southeastern and ULM. His father, Jory, played golf at Louisiana Tech and is the Brusly golf coach.

Both seniors credit their families for giving them the freedom to chart their paths.

“I could always play golf with my dad,” Comeaux said. “But it was never something I had to do.”

Because their teams compete in different LHSAA divisions, the Metro tourney is the final time the two seniors will compete against each other as high school players.

It’s also a little bittersweet, since Marsh, Comeaux and Prieto ﬁrst met while playing in summer tourneys as 12-year-olds.

Though Marsh and Comeaux have each gained physical

strength that allows them to drive the ball longer distances off the tee, both agree the key to victory is likely other things putts, wedge and chip shots.

“Golf did not really click for me until the summer before my junior year,” Comeaux said. “People always say golf is 80% mental and 20% physical, and I believe that. I’ve come a long.

“I spent hours on the green working on chips and putts. I am more conﬁdent. The short game is best way to save a lot of strokes.”

Marsh added, “I’ve played pretty well the last couple of weeks. Before this year, I was average on the greens and with my wedges. I put in work and have been sticking to my game and my strategy.”

Email Robin Fambrough at rfambrough@theadvocate.com

Shepard eclipses 50-foot mark in triple jump

BY ROBIN FAMBROUGH Staff writer

Scotlandville jumps standout Ferzell Shepard had quite a night for the Hornets, leaping a personal/national best in one event and posting a personal record in another on Friday Shepard not only reached his targeted goal, he surpassed it by leaping 51 feet, 5 inches on his ﬁrst attempt in the triple jump at the Brother Martin Invitational at Tad Gormley Stadium.

“We projected this going back to the end of the last outdoor season,” Scotlandville coach Allen Whitaker said. “We knew he was capable of going 50 feet every time he stepped on the track. He just had not done it until Friday

“Ferzell has worked hard to improve his body positioning and overall technique and it has paid off.” The triple jump was not Shepard’s only PR He jumped 24-7 3/4 in the long jump. Whitaker said he fouled by a “toenail” on another good jump. Whitaker asked meet ofﬁcials to measure it and was told it was 25-8. The state triple jump record 51-8 3/4 was set by Tara’s Kenny Hall in 2004. In addition to the jumps, Shepard also competed on the 4x200 and 4x100 relays. The plan this week is to have Shepard run those relays at Catholic’s Grizzly Relays on Wednesday Whitaker said Shepard will do both jumps at Scotlandville’s ﬁnal home meet on Friday. Whitaker said Shepard remains unsigned after decommitting from Mississippi State in football

earlier this year

LHSAA pairings aplenty

If you love watching playoff brackets drop, this is your kind of week

LHSAA baseball pairings are set to be announced Tuesday Softball pairings will then be announced on Wednesday

Live Oak (Division I nonselect), Brusly (Division II nonselect), Catholic (Division I select), Parkview Baptist (Division III select) and Family Christian (Class C) were seeded No. 1 before Monday’s ﬁnal regular-season baseball games were factored in.

Grizzly Relays

Catholic High’s annual Grizzly Relays is set to feature 1,200 entries on Wednesday

Field events begin at 3:30 p.m.

The 4x800-meter relay is set for 4 p.m., followed by other running events at 5:30 p.m

Warriors win title

St. Michael baseball edged Brusly 4-3 and then ousted West Feliciana 10-0 to win the District 6-4A title over the weekend.

Leadoff hitter John Martinez was 4 for 4 in the win over Brusly. LukeAverette pitched a ﬁve-inning shutout for the Warriors in the win over West Feliciana.

Tensas drops football

By a 3-2 vote, the Tensas Parish School Board voted to drop football at Tensas High citing declining enrollment ﬁgures last week.

The northeast Louisiana Parish will become the only one that does not field a 11-man football high school team this fall. School

officials said the Panthers will continue to play girls and boys basketball and announced plans to add track and ﬁeld for the 2025-

26 school year

Email Robin Fambrough at rfambrough@theadvocate.com

BY DOUG FERGUSON AP golf writer

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Rory McIlroy began “the best day of my golfing life” by finding a note in his locker at Augusta National before he got ready for what turned out to be one of the wildest final rounds ever at the Masters. It was from Angel Cabrera, a thoughtful gesture to wish him good luck.

Cabrera played in the ﬁnal group with him in 2011 at the Masters when McIlroy had the world at his feet and a four-shot lead and one arm in a Masters green jacket. But then he threw it away with an 80 in the ﬁnal round.

“It was a nice touch and little bit ironic at the same time,” McIlroy said of the note. “It’s been 14 long years. But thankfully, I got the job done.”

He did, barely, beating Justin Rose in a sudden-death playoff with a gap wedge that spun back to 3 feet for birdie on the 18th hole.

Along with a lifelong dream of becoming a Masters champion, McIlroy is now part of golﬁng immortality as only the sixth player with the career Grand Slam.

“I’ve been saying it until I’m blue in the face: I truly believe I’m a better player now than I was 10 years ago,” McIlroy said. “It’s so hard to stay patient. It’s so hard to keep coming back every year and trying your best and not being able to get it done.

“It’s been an emotionally draining week for a lot of reasons. Absolutely thrilled to be sitting here at the end of the week as the last man standing.”

A ﬁnal round that lasted 4 hours, 45 minutes felt like 14 years, certainly the past 11 years that have been consumed with him getting the ﬁnal leg of the Grand Slam.

Staked to a four-shot lead on the back nine, he hit his worst shot of the week. McIlroy had a big target from 82 yards with a lob wedge but put it into the tributary of Rae’s Creek in front of the par-5 13th green for a double bogey

This looked like the player who two-putted every green in the ﬁnal round at St. Andrews, who missed two short putts in the closing stretch at Pinehurst No 2 last summer to watch Bryson DeChambeau hoist that U.S. Open trophy So much brilliance. Too many blunders. And ultimately, so much determination to keep coming back for more, to not give up on the one prize he was chasing no matter how much it hurt.

Consider this: He set a record for making six straight 3s to start the third round. He set another record for most double bogeys — four — by a Masters champion. McIlroy famously said two years ago after a runner-up ﬁnish in the U.S. Open left him gutted, “I would go through 100 Sundays like this to get my hands on another major championship.”

He won this Masters with that willingness to keep going no matter the setbacks.

McIlroy wasted a superb opening round with two careless double bogeys leaving him seven shots behind. He answered with a 66 the next day

He went from a four-shot lead to trailing by one shot on Sunday when he answered with his best swings — the 7-iron over the pond to 6 feet on the par-5 15th, the 9-iron to a back pin on the 16th to 9 feet, the 8-iron blind shot to 2 feet on the 17th.

When he failed to convert a 5-foot birdie putt on the 18th in regulation, he was headed to a playoff with Rose as more major disappointment awaited. But then he pounded his drive, hit gap wedge to 3 feet and won the Masters.

“There was points on the back nine today I thought, ‘Have I let this slip again?’ But again, I responded with some clutch shots when I needed to,” McIlroy said. “And really proud of myself for that.” Rose was gracious as ever after his second straight time ﬁnishing second in a major, having lost out at Royal Troon last summer

“We saw a part of history today,” Rose said. “Someone won a career Grand Slam “It’s a momentous day in the game of golf.”

McIlroy

PROVIDED PHOTOS

Brusly golfer Mason Comeaux, left photo, and Catholic High golfer David Marsh, right photo carry the top scoring averages into the Metro Boys Golf tournament

UnpackingLSU’s lost weekendatAuburn

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

The end of LSU’sseven-game road trip couldn’thave come sooner LSU gotswept for the ﬁrsttime this season over the weekend by Auburn, falling 8-4 on Friday,4-2 on Saturday and 3-2 on Sunday. Here are five takeaways from thesour ﬁnish to the roadstand. What’s up with thebats?

Jay Johnson didn’tsugarcoat it.

The LSU position players didn’t have agood weekend, driving in only eight runs in three games and committing multiple mistakes defensively

“It’sacollection of issues,” the LSU coach said. “It’spretty hard 37 games in to be critical of anything the position player group has done, (but) we were not very good this weekend and we will be better.”

Thelack of production at the plate was the most startlingaspect of their performance. LSU had just four hits on Sunday,one extra-base hit on Saturday and three hits through the ﬁrst six innings on Friday Fly outs were aconstant problem. LSU ﬂew out 38 times across theseries, including in 15 at-bats Saturday.Johnsonbelieves his hitters expandedthe strike zone on toomany occasions,swingingat balls or pitches they couldn’tdrive.

That’swhatJohnson thought happened during the ﬁfth inning of Sunday’sgame when LSU had runners on second and thirdwith nobody out and couldn’t score.

“Thepitchers are good enough where, if youhelpthem out, it’sgoing to make their job easier,” Johnson said. “And we just didn’thave the caliber of at-batsweneeded, that we’vegotten this year.”

Good bullpen showing

Lost in the shufﬂeofLSU’sstrugglesatthe plate, the bullpen arguably had its best weekend of the season.

Against an Auburn lineup that didn’thavemuchtroubleroughing up the LSU starters, the bullpen allowed justone earnedrun in 122/3 innings in the series.

LSU relieversnot named Zac Cowan or Casan Evans combined to allow two extra-base hits and record seven strikeouts in 62/3 innings.Theytook astep forward in solving their biggest issue throwing strikes —bywalking onlytwo batters and throwing 79 of 123 pitches in thezone.

“Can’task for anythingbetter,”

JohnsonsaidSunday

Roughpatch in outfield

LSUmadea handfulofmistakes defensivelyinthe outfieldthat mayhave cost them Saturday’s game With arunneratsecondand one

WNBA

Continued from page1C

Only two women in NCAA Division Ihistory have grabbed more career boards thanMorrow did from 2021-25, and only one (Oklahoma’sCourtneyParis) haseverposted more doubledoubles. Across her four-year collegiate career,Morrowpulleddown 1,714 rebounds —more than 300 more thanany otherplayercorralled overthat span.

Morrow also finished her career averaging 20.5 points and2.5 steals per game. Her 12.3 career rebounding average is identical to the one posted by Angel Reese, her former LSU frontcourt partner who broke the WNBA’s single-season rebounding record as arookie in 2024.

“I’m looking forwardtoa matchup against Angel,” Morrow said. “That’smyformer teammate, love her to death, but Iknow that it’sgonna be two dogs clashing on the ﬂoor and trying to go up in thereand getasmanyrebounds as we possiblycan.”

In two years at LSU, Morrow averaged 17.6 points and 11.7 boards per game while shooting 48% from the ﬁeld.Asa senior, she led the nation in rebounding. Morrow is now the eighth formerTiger to be selected in the

LSU

Continued from page1C

“That’s hardtodoifyou don’t work at it every day,” Mulkey told the crowd at the banquet, “especially nowwhen you gota kid for the ﬁrst time.This one transferredin, that one leaves, this one comes. “It’shard, people. It’s very,very hard.” Mulkey knows because she’s done it before.

Faustine Aifuwa and Autumn Newby anchoredher first LSU team. They both moved on after that season, leading the Tigers to

out in the fourth inning, freshman Derek Curiel crept in on a ﬂyball thatultimately went over his head, resulting in arun-scoring double.

The next batter hit aball to right ﬁeld that popped out of senior Josh Pearson’sglove,producing another run-scoring double.Pearson had to dive for it,but it was the kind of catchLSU outﬁelders have made almostroutinely

Additionally,juniorcenter ﬁelder ChrisStanﬁeld probably could have called off Pearson andmade the catch himself without exerting as much effort.

“Those balls were hit well and we have agooddefensiveoutﬁeld,” Johnson said. “I really believe if we come up with even oneofthose, it’sa different game.”

Theoutﬁelddidn’tmakemany moremistakes before or after that inning, but the peculiarities of the monstrous left-ﬁeld wall at Plainsman park also caught Curielin some awkwardpositionsthroughout the weekend.

Reevaluating thirdbase

LSU mixed things up alittleat thirdbase against Auburn.

Senior Michael Braswell started againsta right-handed pitcher Sunday,drawing two walks before getting pinch hit for by redshirt junior TannerReaves in the ninth inning.

Reaves notstarting probably wasn’ta result of poor play at the

ON DECK

WHO: LSU (31-6) vs. McNeese State (27-5) WHEN: 6:30 p.m.Tuesday WHERE: Alex Box Stadium ONLINE: SECNetwork+ RADIO: WDGL-FM, 98.1 (Baton Rouge); WWL-AM, 870 (New Orleans);KLWB-FM, 103.7 (Lafayette)

RANKINGS: LSUisNo. 9by D1Baseball; McNeese State isn’t ranked PROBABLE STARTERS: LSU— TBA; McNeese State —TBA WHATTOWATCH FOR: Redshirt sophomore right-handerJaden Noot and freshman right-hander WilliamSchmidt didn’t pitch overthe weekend, suggesting that both should be available forLSU on Tuesday. McNeese haswon 12 straight and is coming offofasweep overIncarnate Word.

Koki Riley

plate. He drove in the second run of Saturday’sgamewith apinchhitbloop single in the eighth inning. But his defenseonFridayleft alot to be desired. He committed twoerrors that resulted in runs for Auburn.

The ﬁrst mistake helped load the bases for AuburnsluggerIke Irish to hit abases-clearing triple in the ﬁfthinning. The seconderror allowed an unearned run to score in the sixth.

Expecting Reaves to become aGold Glove defenderatthird anytimesoon isn’trealistic. His experience at thepositionwas scant before arriving at LSU.But forReaves to maintainregular playing time against right-handed pitching, he’ll need to cut downon the errors.

He leadsthe team with ﬁve of them

“He’sjustgot to be wider and lower,” Johnson said.

Starts at thetop

After aroaring start, the topof the LSU lineup has taken astep back recently

Curiel has furthered his on-base streak to 37, but his batting average is downto.362 after going 4 for 15 over theweekend. Junior Jared Jones struck out six times andwentjust1for 13 againstAuburn. Junior Daniel Dickinson had ahit in every game but also moved from third to fourth in the order Sunday

The recent struggles from the top of the order played abig part in Saturday and Sunday’slosses. Curiel,Jones andDickinsoncombined to go 4for 25 in those contests.

Bueckers’whirlwind week ends as No.1WNBApick

BY DOUG FEINBERG

AP basketball writer

NEWYORK— Paige Bueckers is ready for her next chapter after a whirlwind week that started with herhelpingUConnwin its 12th national championship and ended with her becoming theWNBA No. 1draft pick by the Dallas Wings.

ﬁrst round of the WNBA draft.

All but one of those players were top-10 picks.

From 2013-23, WNBAteams didnot takeasingle LSU player in the ﬁrst round.

Nowex-Tigers have been drafted with top-10 choices in consecutive years. Lastseason, the Chicago Sky scooped up Reese,also with the seventh overall pick.

Before Monday,former Tigers hadcomeoff theboard within the ﬁrst10selectionsinback-to-back WNBA drafts only once —in2005 and2006

Only twoLSU players have ever been chosen in thetop ﬁve: Seimone Augustus (No. 1overall, 2006) and Sylvia Fowles (No. 2 overall, 2008).

Morrow, aChicago native, spent the ﬁrst two years of her career at DePaul. She transferred to LSU in 2023. Laterinthe first round, the Sky selected former LSU guard Hailey VanLith at No. 11 to team with Reese. VanLithtransferred from Louisville to LSUfor the 2023-24 season, then transferred to TCUtoclose out her career last season. The new WNBA season will beginonMay 16.

Email ReedDarcey at reed. darcey@theadvocate.com. For more LSU sportsupdates, sign up for our newsletter at theadvocate.com/lsunewsletter

replace them with two transfers and afreshman: Angel Reese, LaDazhiaWilliams and Sa’Myah Smith. Theteamtheyjoined woundupwinning the2023national championship. Asimilar offseason makeover is now in store again for Mulkey’s frontcourt. LSUquicklydipped into theportal to sign Kate Koval,astrong, sturdy 6-5 risingsophomore who can already block shots and rebound. Next season, she’ll share the paintwith GraceKnox, along, athletic 6-2 forward ranked as one of the10best recruits in the country Anothertransfer or twocould soon join them, potentially giving

“I’m just extremely excited to be there. I’ve only heard great things about the city,”Bueckers said of Dallas. “So excited to start that newchapterand be in anew city and explore thatand give everything Ihave to the Wings organization. Iknowwe’re going to do great things,and it’s afreshstart, andI think we’re allready to do somethingspecial.”

Theversatile UConn staristhe latestHuskies standouttogoNo. 1, joiningformer greats Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Tina Charles,Maya Moore and Breanna Stewart.

Bueckers has had abusy time since helping UConn win the title on April 6. She hassplit hertime between NewYorkand Connecticutdoing morning and nighttime talk shows. On Sunday, she took part in theHuskies’ championship parade.

“I’m glad NewYork and Storrs are pretty close to each otherbecause there’sbeen alot of back and forth,” Bueckers said. “Part of me wants to stay at school, celebrate with theteam, be with them, enjoy thelast momentsof being in Storrs, and the other part of me has to get ready for the next chapter.”

Bueckers got to enjoy themomentMonday night with her UConn teammates and coach Geno Auriemma whowere in the audience at thedraft, which washeldat The Shed in New York.Bueckers choked up when talking about her former Huskies teammates

“They mean everything to me. They helped me get through highs and lows,” Bueckers said.

Mulkeya taller,longerfrontcourt than theone she employed for mostoflast season. Smith is only 6-2, and Aneesah Morrow is just 6-1. “All positions needed torebound for us to be successful this year,” Mulkeysaid. “Wewere really undersizedatthe post. We really were.”

YetLSU still grabbedmore rebounds pergame(46.1)thanall but two Division Iteams. Its four NCAA Tournament opponents still shot 36% from the ﬁeld, comfortably below Mulkey’sgoal of 40%. Andfor the mostpart, LSU contained 6-7 UCLA center LaurenBettsinthe Elite Eight.She ﬁnished with 17 points andseven

Bueckers, right, poses foraphoto with WNBA

CathyEngelbertafter being selected first overallbythe

Wings during the first round of the WNBA draftonMonday

(Risacher)showthat French basketball is great.”

Valkyries Juste Jocyte,

Seattle followed Dallas’ selection by taking 19-year-old French star DominiqueMalongawiththe No. 2pick. The 6-foot-6 Malonga was part of thesilver medal winning French Olympic basketball team She’s the ﬁrst French playertobe drafted this high since 1997, when Isabelle Fijalkowski wentsecond.

“I was so proud to achieve that goal,” Malonga said. “Itshowed that French basketball hasevolved as we’ve seen the past few years on theNBA side.Wesee Wemby (Victor Wembanyama) andZaccharie

rebounds against Morrow and Smith.

“Butwhatwehavetoimprove on is ourdefense,” Mulkeysaid.

“Because we allowed people on the perimeter to beat us. And we will use thatall summer and into the fall to make sure that never,ever happens again.”

If LSU wants to addmoresize and experience, then it can reach into the portal to pursue rising seniors such as Wisconsin’sSerah Williams or St. Joseph’sLaura Ziegler.Transfer Madina Okot, a former Mississippi State center, has played onlyone season of U.S. college basketball,but she’s6-6, andshe averaged 11.3 points and 9.3 rebounds last year withthe

The Washington Mystics, witha newcoach andgeneral manager, then took Notre Dame’s Sonia Citron with the third pick and Southern Cal’sKikiIriafen with No. 4. They also took Kentucky guard Georgia Amoore with the sixth pick.

Amoore was dressed on the WNBA’s orange carpet by NBA star Russell Westbrook, who has aclothing brand called Honor The Gift.AmooresaidWestbrook designed her outﬁtand wasamazing to work with sincethey ﬁrst got togetherona Zoom sessioninNovember

“It’sphenomenal. He did such a good job,” AmooresaidofWestbrook. “It wasn’tjust to put his name on something. He spent hours at the hotel ﬁtting it. He’s been very active in the process.”

The expansion Golden State ValkyriesmadeJuste Jocyte of Lithuania their ﬁrst draft choice in franchise history Connecticut had consecutive picks and took LSU’sAneesah Morrow seventh and N.C. State’s Saniya Rivers eighth.

Bulldogs. Williams, a6-4 forward and twotime member of theAll-Big Ten defensive team, is one of the top transfers still uncommittedasof Monday.Inher junior season,she scored 19.2 points, grabbed 9.8 rebounds and blocked 2.3 shots per game.

LSU is reportedly on Williams’ short list of suitors, alongside UConn and North Carolina. Adding her could give the Tigers one of the top transfer classes in the country WhatdoMulkeyand her staff have to sell her?

Theopportunity to step in and competefor oneofthe leading roles in an overhauled frontcourt

AP PHOTO By PAMELASMITH

Aneesah Morrow, right, celebrates after being selected seventh overall by the ConnecticutSun during the first round of the WNBA draft on MondayinNew york.

Interrupt life cycle by gettingrid of standing water

After some of our recent rains, you may have noticed areas of your lawn holdingwater.Orperhaps you have some buckets, pots, plastic tarps or other items sitting around that ﬁlled up with rainwater As temperatures warm up and mosquitoes become more active, puddles and containers full of water provide aplace for these insectstolay eggs. Having standing water for even a short amount of time can give mosquitoes enoughopportunity to breed —and seemingly take over your yard.

“Within three to ﬁve days, they can start to produce mosquitoes in the area,” said LSU AgCenter entomologist Aaron Ashbrook. “And of course, these could potentially be biting you and athreat to yourself as adisease vector.” If you want to avoid having your time in the garden or on the patio disrupted by itchy mosquito bites, the best solution doesn’tinvolve spraying insecticides. It’sgetting rid of water, which is acritical component of mosquitoes’ life cycle.

LSU AGCENTERPHOTO By OLIVIA McCLURE

Using aeration devices in water features can help deter mosquito breeding

Here are some steps Ashbrookrecommends to help keep the mosquito population in your yard at bay:

1. Use soil or sand to ﬁll in any holes and low-lying areas of the yard that hold water Alternatively,you can try to drain the hole by divertingthe water.Use ashovel to create achannel for water to ﬂow away from the yard. Not only will you eliminate breeding grounds for mosquitoes, you’ll also remove tripping hazards from your landscape.

2. Empty water from buckets, pots,saucers and other containers. When not in use, store these items in aprotectedarea —likeina shed or under acarport —sothey don’t ﬁll up with water again. Or,ifthey must be keptoutside, turn them upside down or dump them regularly Consider throwing away waterholding items that are rarely or no longer used.

3. Bird baths and water features offer aesthetic appeal, but they can breed mosquitoes. Youcan install an aeration system to keep the water moving and fresh, or simplybesureto change the water every three to ﬁve days.

4. Keep bird baths, fountains and other water features clean. Algae and plant material can build up easily in theseitems, providing an easy source of food for mosquito larvae.Try to locate these features in shaded areas; less sunlight will slowthe photosynthesis process and reduce algae growth. When cleaning bird baths, use amixture of equal parts of water and white vinegar.Rinse thoroughly before reﬁlling with fresh water Do not use soap, which can strip oils from birds’ feathers.

‘Drawn to ... makea difference’ LIVING

BY SERENA PUANG Staff writer

Around this time lastyear, 9-year-old Kelvin Ellis Jr.received $20 forhis good grades. He had spent $19 and was waiting for his dad, Kelvin Ellis Sr., whowas at the optometrist. YoungKelvin walked to aCC’sCoffee Housenext door, where he spotted aman. “Excuse me sir,are you homeless?” he saidtothe man. “‘Cuz if youare, here’sa dollar.”

The man,asitturns out,was not homeless. But touched by this act of generosity,heoffered to buy Kelvin Jr.breakfast.After getting the OK fromhis dad, the pair sat down and ate together

Thenew friends werereunited fora segmentonWBRZwhere Sylvia Weatherspoon revealed who the man was: Matt Busbice, arealityTVshow star and multimillion dollar business owner From there, “CBS Sunday Morning” did asegment on the unlikely friendship. Kelvin Jr.and Busbice chatted again, and Busbice gifted him withashopping spree at his store, Buckfeather,where Kelvin Jr.picked out a$2,000 bike, among

Griddlecakes from the Cozy Griddle, a newbreakfast restaurant which will openon CourseyBoulevard in April 2025.

come up and offer him adollar “I’m making aliving off this now,” he quipped. He thinks it’sfunny,and plus, Busbice believes thestory of how he andKelvinJr. met was sent from God. Though he wasinitially takenaback by beingmistakenas homeless, he leans into it now

“The ﬁrst thing that goes through your mind is, ‘Wait aminute, how bad do Ilook?’” he said. “Ithits you, and it humbles you.”

But he said the incident bolstered his faith in humanity

“Whenheoffered me that dollar thinking Iwas homeless, Isaid, ‘Wow.There’shope in this world,’ Busbice said.

other things.

Ayear later,Busbice and Kelvin Jr.are still friends, andthey’re hoping to do something to help thoseexperiencing housing insecurity in Baton Rouge.

‘Ithitsyou,and it humblesyou’

Busbice said that he’s still routinely recognized by people in BatonRouge,and he knows it’s because of what happenedwith Kelvin Jr.Hesaid that people don’t simply say hello. Instead, they

Over the past year,they’ve kept in touch. Kelvin Jr.and his father meet up with Busbice when he’sin town, and when he’snot, they text. Over Christmas break, Busbice and Kelvin Jr.went to Winn-Dixie, hoping to surprisepeople and anonymously pay fortheir groceries. The plan was alittle complicated by the factthat they got recognized, but it’sasweet memory for Busbice.

BY SERENA PUANG Staff writer

experience madehim realize how muchpeople cared about breakfast food.

“It(theexperience) mademe realize breakfast is something that Ilovetodo, something that I’mpassionate about, andsomethingthatI

STAFFPHOTOSByJAVIER GALLEGOS

Kelvin Ellis Jr., Matt Busbice and Kelvin Ellis Sr.sit on the steps of the Ellis home frontporchinBaton Rouge.

Kelvin Ellis Jr.plays withone of his favorite action figures, amodel of King Kong gifted to him by Matt Busbice, as his father,Kelvin Ellis Sr., speaks during an interview

Feedingwildanimals

Dear Heloise: GlenAllen from Virginia wrote that he feeds squirrelsand birds smallpieces of regular or butter-topped bread. Glen said that the squirrels like it so much, they request more, and he feeds them more breadpieces. Unfortunately,this is not agood idea. Feeding bread to squirrelsand birds can make them sick or worse. According to the magazine Birds&Blooms (a reputablebird-andgardensource), dishes people consume like breadare generally bad for birds in the same waythat junk food is bad for our systems. Processed foods have very little nutritional value. If birdsconsume bread on aregular basis, thelack of nutrients causes vitamin deﬁciencies that leadtoserious, even fatal health issues. “Malnutrition is certainly a risk if birds aren’tgetting the food that they need,” says John Rowden, former senior director for bird-friendly communities at the National Audubon Society “They can be undernourished, which makes them more susceptible to disease, so it could cause health or lethal consequences.” With this knowledge, here’s alist of nine nibbles to avoid feeding your feathered friends: raw meat,salted nuts, bacon fat, potato chips, honey, red food coloring, old birdseed (it could be moldy or rancid), and pet food. Recommended foods are a variety of fruits, vegetables (they like chewing on corn cobs), seeds, and unsalted nuts. (Leaving theshells on is good for their teeth.) Feeding squirrels what they normally eat is always the best option.

By The Associated Press

Cody,inSan Antonio, appears to be doingthe right thing! —Holly C., in Redlands, California

Genealogysections

Dear Heloise: Nearly all public librarieshave agenealogy section that will gladlyaccept school yearbooks. —K.H.M., in Buffalo, New York

Better to refrainfrom oversharingdetails

Back-scratchingtool

Dear Heloise: My first effective back scratcher was abrand-new round-head toiletbowl brush. The only problem with it was that thehandle wasn’tlong enough. Then, one day while at an appliance parts store, Iwaited in line. To my right was adisplay of brushes to clean the dryer. The onethatcaught my eye went from my fingertips to my elbow.The flexible wand allowsmetouse it straight, arched or bent. It feels good! —Anna L.Russell,inTyler,Texas

Preserving cheese

Dear Heloise: Someone asked aboutkeepingmold off their cheese. Soak asturdy paper towel in white vinegar,then wrap thecheese in the paper towel and put it into aplastic bag. It will last for much longer —Joyce Space, Hubbardton,Vermont

Cleaning grapes

Dear Heloise: Thisamazing hint needs to be repeated in your column:Cover abig bunch of grapes with water and let them sit for 30 minutes before storing them in the refrigerator.You will ﬁnd black silt in the bottom of thebowl instead of your stomach —J.J., in North Manchester,Indiana

Send ahint to heloise@heloise. com.

ticipate in therobbery.)

Today is Tuesday,April 15, the 105th day of 2025. There are260 days left in the year

Todayinhistory:

On April 15, 1912, the British luxury liner RMS Titanic sunk in the North Atlantic off Newfoundland justover two and ahalf hours after hitting an iceberg on its maiden voyage. More than 1,500 people died;710 survived.

On this date:

In 1865, Abraham Lincoln died after being shot by JohnWilkes Booth at Ford’sTheater the previous evening; Andrew Johnson was sworn in as the 17th president hours later

In 1947, Jackie Robinson,baseball’s ﬁrst Black major league player of the modern era,made his ofﬁcial debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers on opening day at Ebbets Field. (The Dodgers defeated the Boston Braves, 5-3.)

In 1955, Ray Kroc opened the ﬁrst franchised McDonald’srestaurant in Des Plaines,Illinois. In 1974, members of the Symbionese Liberation Army held up abranch of the Hibernia Bank in San Francisco; amember of the group was SLA kidnap victim Patricia Hearst.(Hearst later said she had been forced to par-

In 1989, acrush of soccer fans at HillsboroughStadium in Shefﬁeld, England,caused 97 deaths and more than 760 injuries.

In 2013,two bombsmade from pressure cookersexploded at the BostonMarathon ﬁnish line, killing two women and an 8-year-old boyand injuring more than260.

In 2019, ﬁre sweptacross the top of theNotre-Dame de Paris cathedral during renovation work on thelandmark structure; the blaze collapsed thecathedral’s spire and spread to one of its iconic rectangular towers. (The cathedral was restored and reopened to the public in December2024.)

Today’sbirthdays: Actor Claudia Cardinale is 87. Basketball Hall of Famer Michael Cooper is 69. Olympic track & ﬁeld gold medalist EvelynAshford is 68. Actorscreenwriter Emma Thompson is 66. Singer Samantha Fox is 59. Olympic swimming gold medalist Dara Torres is 58.Singer Luis Fonsi is 47. Country singersongwriter Chris Stapleton is 47. Actor Luke Evans is46. Actorwriter Seth Rogen is 43. Actor Alice Braga is 42. Singer-songwriter Margo Priceis42. Actor Samira Wiley is 38. Actor Emma Watson is 35. Actor Maisie Williams is 28.

GRIDDLE

Continued from page1D

play on eggs Benedict with fried chicken and sausage gravy), breakfast pizza, breakfast sandwiches, griddle cakes (pancakes) and shrimp and grits.

“You won’tgowrong with any of our breakfast sandwiches,” said Johnson. “My omelets are really good as well.” He learned to cookfrom his grandmother, his dad’smom, and the interior colors of the restaurant will represent her.Johnson

hopes that the space will provide peoplewithcomfort anda piece of home.

Johnson’sultimate goal is to create ahospitality group of different restaurants that bring peopletogether and make people happy

“TheCozy Griddleisthe start of that,” he said TheCozy Griddle is located at 11445 Coursey Blvd.,SuiteC,Baton Rouge. Once open, hours will be 7a.m. to3 p.m.Monday to Saturday

Email SerenaPuang at serena. puang@theadvocate.com.

Dear Miss Manners: Ihave been takingtime off work tohelp care for my father,who has incurable cancer.Toclients Idon’tknow well, I’ve said, “I’ll be out of town to help my dad, who is sick.” They almost invariably reply,“Ihope he feels better soon.”Iknow they mean well, andIusually managetotake it that way Butthat doesn’tstop it from feeling like agut punch, because Iknow he is only going to feel worse over the few months he has left.

you until they ﬁnd out enough about the situation to show the appropriateamount of sympathy?

Judith Martin

MISS MANNERS

The ﬁrst time this happened, I was so gobsmacked that Isaid, “Thanks, but this isn’t agettingbetter situation,”which felt graceless and stopped the conversation.

Telling people “I’ll be out of town to help my dad, who has stage 4cancer” sometimes (not always!) avoids the “feel better”comments, but can feel like oversharing.

I’d love advice on navigating this,and perhaps also areminder to readers that when you don’t know thenature of an illness, “I hope they feel better soon” isn’t necessarily thekind comment you thinkitis.

Gentlereader: What would you suggest?That your clientsprobe

Miss Manners considers it more helpful forher to remind anyone in your sad situation to refrain from conﬁdences that require a sympatheticresponse. Youcould have excused yourselftoyour clients by merely stating that you would be absent on family business —replying, if therewerequestions, that it was apersonal matter

Dear Miss Manners: My son and I have agentle disagreement about thehost’sresponsibility at adinner partyorholiday table. As a host,Ilook foropportunities to foster conversations that might involve everyone around the table.

Otherwise, couples or friends will begin their own discussions. This makes it less funfor all, especially for the quiet individuals who don’tengage in conversation with their neighbors.

At one such dinner,myson whispered to me, “You’re being manipulative!” Isaid yes, Iam doing my host duties. Help us settle this, please!

Gentlereader: Youwin.

The late, great sociologist, David Riesman, once told Miss Man-

ners that he had preceded her in the etiquette business, citing his observation of the manners of fellow academics when acting as hosts.

They apparently shared your son’sfear of being manipulative. Therefore, they performed no introductions, provided no seating plan and certainly did not attempt to check that everyone wasincluded in conversations.

The result, Riesman said, was perfectly terrible parties, where people talked only with those in their own departments, whom they had seen all day —orthose with whom they had arrived, and would see all night.

Dear Miss Manners: Iwent to aconcert the other night. What’sthe etiquette if the cup holder is in the armrest of everyone’schair, including both end seats? Which cup holder does each person get? Ihad an argument with the guy next to me.

Gentle reader: It’s the one to your right, just as at the table.

Sendquestions to Miss Manners at herwebsite, www missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mailtoMiss Manners, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City,MO 64106.

DIFFERENCE

Continuedfrom page1D

“That story(of their meeting) wentaround the world,”Busbice recalledtelling Kelvin Jr.during arecent timethey were hanging out. “(But) have we really done anything withthe story other than, youknow, it’sfun to spread God’s love through it? It’s crazythat it happened, and it reached so many people. It made‘em laugh and cry and all the things.”

ButBusbice pointed out that the attention that they got as aresult hasyet to actually beneﬁtpeople experiencing housing insecurity Collaborationtobenefitcity

According to the city’sPoint in Time counts for the lastfew years, BatonRouge has more than400 people whoexperience homelessness during asingle night in January.But this numberdoesn’t account for those who have lost their homes and areliving with family or friends or in halfway houses.

According to Capital Area United Way, as of 2022, 50% of East Baton Rouge Parish residents are either living in poverty or belowwhat is called the ALICE threshold, which puts them at risk of homelessness if acar breaks down or they miss apaycheck. (ALICE stands for AssetLimited, Income Constrained, Employed.)

“Your heartwas to help ahomeless man…,and Iwasn’thomeless,” Busbice recalled saying to Kelvin Jr.“Do you still have a heart to help thehomeless?”

KelvinJr. readily agreed. The two are now in talks withthe Christian Outreach Center of BatonRouge to ﬁgure out how they can collaborate in the future. Both theEllisesand Busbice have had separate meetings withBrian Sleeth, theexecutive director.The next step, Sleethsaid, is to work out details together

The center runs the Purple Cow thrift stores around town, and it

also provides essentialservices such as bus passes, hygiene kits andmore to those whoare food insecure. On Wednesdays, the center provides home-delivered supplemental groceries to 435householdsinnorth BatonRouge.People enrolled in the grocery assistance program are also provided with ﬁnancialeducationclasses through aprogram.

“I look forward to incorporating them— however they wanttoplug in —with what we’re currently doing,” Sleeth said. “I’m excited aboutthe fact that someone who’s so young feels drawn to want to make adifference andcontribute.”

Sleeth works to help those facing housing insecurity after experiencing it himself.In2009, he left thestate with his family to plant a church in Michigan, but after the recession hit, they lost everything and returned to Baton Rouge to live with family

Given thisexperience, he said, seeing ayoung person be proactive andreach out to someone he thought washomeless and strike up afriendship wasexciting.

“WhatI experiencedinmy situationisthat Ihad sort of the reverse: aloss of friendships because of people feeling awkward andnot knowing what to say,”he said.

More than meetsthe eye

In many ways, Kelvin Jr.isan ordinary kid. He hasa messy room, he’s abig fan of action figures, and when asked if he likes school, he freezes with the conflicting knowledge thatyou’re not supposed to say no and that it’sbad to lie.

But, as Sleeth and Busbice noted, there’smore to him than meets the eye. He values helping people, and he takes joy in the little things in life.

Some kids want $500 gaming consoles, Ellissaid, but if Kelvin Jr can buy twoaction ﬁgures, it’slike he’swon amillion bucks. When asked, Kelvin Jr.saidhis favorite memorywith Busbiceis

when Busbice took him to Barnes and Noble for his birthday earlier this year.Hewas told he could pickout anything he wanted in the whole store, and after walking around, carefully weighing his options, he picked aKing Kongaction ﬁgure that ﬁts comfortably in his hand.

“Itdidn’tcome with the scar,but Iaddedthe scar to make it look cool,” he said while brandishing his new toy

Busbice was shocked that the small toy represented Kelvin Jr.’s favorite memory.

“What about that bike?” he asked.

Willingtogivehis last dollar

KelvinJr. has ambitions to one day work in the toy industry himself, making hyper-realistic toys that can be props in movies. Busbice has been mentoring him in business and sales, and Kelvin Jr has even worked in his store on Perkins Rowetohelp sell bows. This summer,he’sgoing to camp at Tara Wildlife in Mississippi to learntohunt andget his hunter safety certiﬁcate. Afterthat, Busbicehopes to takehim hunting on his family’sranch.

Theirs is asweet friendship, which Busbice said will last for life, but according to Ellis, to leave it there misses the point. He said most people misinterpretthe meaning of the story of his son giving the dollar to themillionaire. He said the interaction wasa lot morethan that.

“God used my son to send amessage,” he said.“If a9-year-old kid’s willing to give his last dollar, then whycan’t we as adults —aspeople —bemore courteous to each otherand love eachother the way He loves us all?”

If you’d like to join Kelvin Jr and Busbice in partnering with the Christian Outreach Center, they arealways looking for volunteers. Find out more about their programs and work at christianoutreachcenterbr.com.

STAFFPHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Matt Busbice, left, and Kelvin Ellis Jr.playwith afootballatthe Ellis home in Baton RougeonApril 2.

Hints from Heloise

PROVIDED PHOTO

Breakfast sandwiches are on the menu at the Cozy Griddle, anew breakfast spotopening in Baton Rougeat the endofApril.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Take a moment to observe what's happening before you respond. Expend your energy wisely. Check out innovative fitness activities or equipment, and stick to your routine.

tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Discuss the changes you want to implement with anyone affected by your choices Check into the costs, set a budget and put your plan in motion. Knowledge and support are necessary if you want to reach your goal.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Keep an eye on certain matters to ensure that you aren't stuck with something you don't want. You must be willing to contribute if you want to have a say.

cAncER (June 21-July 22) Build momentum, initiate change and be efficient in your pursuits. Understanding what's important to the people you are dealing with will be your ticket to winning the support you require to achieve your objective.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Pursue an outlet conducive to overcoming obstacles. Learn by listening to others and watching how they react. Flock to the place that offers the best view of incoming problems.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Attend meetings, make phone calls and connect with experts in fields of interest. Taking a day trip, getting together with an old friend or seeing firsthand what's necessary to reach your objective will help you.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Gather information and make plans. An open conver-

sation will help you figure out what's possible and whom you can count on. Regarding money matters, take your time, budget wisely and buy only what you need.

scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Look for a fun outlet that will get you in the groove and encourage you to mingle and socialize withuniquepeople.Beingwell-informed is the best way to increase your chance of advancement.

sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Emotional mind games will leave you at a loss. Leave nothing to chance and do not let anyone scam you. Say no to anything that sounds too good to be true.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Congregate with people who share your interests. It's up to you to set the rules you live by and the schedules you put in place. A positive attitude evolves from having something to look forward to.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Control your emotions and focus on home, family or broadening your interests. An idea you devise has the potential to turn into additional income. Organization and hard work will pave the way to success.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Say no to outside influences and people tempting you with grand ideas. You stand to come out on top if you stick to what you do best. Commit to what makes you happy.

Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

toDAy's cLuE: K EQuALs V

CeLebrItY CIpher For better or For WorSe

SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

LAGoon

bIG

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. Theobject is to place the numbers 1to9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of theSudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

nea CroSSwordS La TimeS CroSSword

THewiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS CurTiS

By PHILLIP ALDER

Who wrote this aboutwhom? “In this matter of shimmering into rooms, the chappie is rummy to adegree.”

This week we are going to look at the important topic of entries.Itisnogood having winners in your hand or on the board if you cannot get to them.

In thisexample, howshould South plan theplay in three no-trump after West leads his fourth-highest heart?

The Northhand is too strong for one no-trumpandtooweakfortwono-trump; hence, one spade. South is too weak for atwo-level response; hence, one notrump.

When theopening-lead choice is between amajor and aminor,itisusually right to pick the major because opponentswill look for major-suitfits, but rarely worry about the minors.

South shouldestablish and run his club suit. Butaslong as the opponent withthe club ace learned the game before breakfast thismorning, he will knownot to take thefirst club trick; he will win the second club. Then South will have three winning clubs in hishand and will need an entry. What is his onlyentry?

Theheartqueen.SoSouthmusttakethe first trickwith dummy’s heart king (or ace),not run it aroundtohis hand. Then he immediately attacks clubs. South will collect at leastone spade, three hearts, one diamond and four clubs.

Today’s opening quotation was written by P.G. Wodehouse about Jeeves. If you have never read any of Wodehouse’s books,enter your local libraryorbookstore (concrete or electronic) and buy one. ©2025 by NEA,Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

Each Wuzzle is awordriddlewhich creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON

Previous answers:

word game

InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of fourormore letters. 2. Words that acquire fourletters by the addition of “s,”such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3

Additional words made by adding a“d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit wordsare not allowed toDAy’s WoRD DIFFIDEnt: DIF-ih-dint: Hesitant in acting or speaking, through lack of self-confidence.

Average mark18words

Timelimit 30 minutes

Can you find 23 or morewords in DIFFIDENT?

yEstERDAy’s WoRD —GRIEVEs

sieve sire

loCKhorNs

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles

hidato

mallard

y p the"APlan to Improve Facilities/Technology Discipline, andCompen‐sationinthe East Baton Rouge Parish School Sys‐tem"(the"Plan") as re‐vised throughFebruary 22, 2018, or reject any and allbidsfor just cause in accordance with the LouisianaPublicBid Law.(Ms.Anderson/Mr Gilbert) Motion by Mark Bellue secondbyMichael Gaudet. FinalResolution: Motion Carries Yea: Bellue,Lanus,Pow‐ell Lewis, Steward, Lewis, Rust, Gaudet,Soulé

B. Minutes 1. MeetingMinutes Approval of theSchool Board minutesofthe February20, 2025, Regu‐lar Boardmeetingand the February 6, 2025 Committee of theWhole meetingaspublished in the Ofﬁcial Journal. Motion by Michael Gaudet, second by Cliff Lewis FinalResolution: Motion Carries Yea: Bellue,Lanus,Pow‐ell Lewis, Steward, Lewis, Rust, Gaudet,Soulé

C. InformationOnly 1. MonthlyFinancial Report

2. PersonnelChanges

D. ReceiveAs Information 1. Update from Superintendent

E. ReportsfromBoard Appointees to Commit‐tees/Agencies 1. BoardAppointees

G. NewBusiness 1. StudentExpulsion Motion to hear there‐quest to appeal astu‐dentexpulsion Motion by DadriusLanus secondbyCarla Powell Lewis

2. StudentExpulsion No motion,the expulsion willbeupheld.

3. StudentExpulsion Motion to hear there‐quest to appeal astu‐dentexpulsion Motion by Nathan Rust secondbyCarla Powell Lewis

4. StudentExpulsion No motion,the expulsion willbeupheld.

5. StudentExpulsion No motion,the expulsion willbeupheld.

6. StudentExpulsion No motion,the expulsion willbeupheld.

H. Presentations 1. ICARE, Mental Health &Counseling 2. Center forHigh School Success

I. Organizational Items 1. Announcementof Meetings

J. Adjournment

Therebeing no further business, theBoard ad‐journed by acclamation.

LaMont Cole Secretary/Treasurer to theBoard Shashonnie Steward School BoardPresident 136674 April15, 1t $107.52

NOTICE NOTICE theLa. Dept. of Energyand NaturalRe‐sources,Office of Coastal Management (OCM) hasreceivedthe following application(s) for aCoastal UsePermit (CUP) in accordance with the Stateand Local Coastal ResourcesMan‐agement Actof1978, as amended,(La.R.S 49:214.21-214.41),and the rules andregulations of the CoastalResources Program.Applications for theproposedwork may be inspectedat617 North 3rdStreet,Room 1078, BatonRouge,LAor onthe OCMweb page at: http://dnr.louisiana.gov/ index.cfm?md=pagebui lder&tmp=home& pid=591. Copies maybe obtaineduponpayment ofcostofcopying.Writ‐ten comments, including suggestions formodifi‐cations or objections to the proposed work and stating thereasons thereof,are beingso‐licited from thepublic. Commentsmustbere‐ceivedwithin25daysof the date of publicationof thisnotice. Comments shouldbeuploadedto our electronic record,but may be mailedor emailedtothe desig‐nated OCMReviewer. All commentsmustcontain the appropriateapplica‐tionnumberand the commenter's full name and contactinformation Any person mayrequest inwriting,withinthe comment period speci‐fied in this notice,that a State or Federalpublic hearing be held to con‐sider this application. Re‐questsfor public hear‐ingsshall state, with par‐ticularity, thereasons for holding apublichearing and must containthe nameand contactinfor‐mationofthe requester. Below arethe referenced application(s): **********OCM;P.O.Box 44487, BatonRouge,LA 70804-4487; Phone: (225) 342-4515; Email: selena brown@la.gov;OCM

waterdisposalwells,as‐sociatedpipingand valves, andother appur‐tenantfacilities(seeSec‐tions 1and 2ofthe JPA narrative fordetails). Ap‐prox. 368,000 cy of exca‐vationand 713,000 cy of ﬁll will be required *OCM; P. O. Box 44487, BatonRouge, LA70804-4487; Phone: (225) 342-2767; Email: maggie.james@la.gov; OCMReviewer: Maggie James;CUP NUMBER: P20250162 Name:Port ShipService,Inc c/oPort ShipService,Inc 7121 North Peters Street P.O. BOX 369 Arabi, LA 70032 Attn:Bob NunezLoca‐tion: PlaqueminesParish, LA; Lat. 29-36-37N,Long. 89-52-02W;Mississippi River;Lot #11and 12; Parcel#1145150; 15465 Highway 15, Davant 70040. Description: Con‐structa pier/walkway and dock forthe purpose ofembarking anddisem‐barking riverpilotsthat anchoratthe Davant and Point CelesteAnchor‐ages. Pilingswillbedri‐ven to refusal. No exca‐vationor ﬁll required 136713-APR15-1T $38

q g exploration and develop‐mentinfederal waters of the OuterContinental Shelf (OCS)beconducted ina manner consistent withLouisiana’s State and LocalCoastal Re‐sources Management Act of1978, as amended(La R.S.49: 214.21-214.41) and theregulations of the LouisianaCoastal Re‐sources Program (LCRP). TheCZMArequirespub‐lic opportunityfor com‐mentonprojectsunder review. Commentersmay reviewinformation made available by theBureau ofOcean Energy Man‐agement (BOEM) andBu‐reauofSafetyand Envi‐ronmental Enforcement (BSEE) on speciﬁcOCS Plansat https://www.data.bsee. gov/Plans/Plans/Default. aspx andfor pipelineapplica‐tions at https://www.data.bsee. gov/Pipeline/PipelinePer mits/Default.aspx TheLouisiana Depart‐mentofNatural Re‐sources Ofﬁce of Coastal Management(OCM) re‐views Exploration Plans and DevelopmentOpera‐tionand Coordination Documents submittedto the BOEM,and Pipeline RightsofWay submitted tothe BSEE, forprojects inOCS waters offshore of Louisiana.Commentson these plansare solicited fromany interested party.Plans maybein‐spected during OCM businesshours at 617 N. 3rd St BatonRouge,LA. SendcommentstoOCM Consistency Section, Attn.M.Hogan, P. O. Box 44487, BatonRouge,LA, 70804, or to james. bondy@la.gov. Com‐ments must be received within15daysofthe datethatOCM receives the applicationfrom BOEM. Formoreinforma‐tioncontact Mark Hogan at(225) 219-9530 or (800) 267-4019. 136714-apr15-1t $34.35

Rouge, LA. Commentsmustbe receivedwithin15days ofthisnoticetobecon‐sidered.For more infor‐mation, contactMark Hoganat(225) 219-9530 or(800)

Direct FederalAction: C20250036 COE-NODCY 2025 &2026 Maintenance DredgingofMississippi River OutletsatVeniceTiger Pass Segments Plaquemines Parish Louisiana SpecialPublicNoticeSection 307 (c)(3)(B) of the CoastalZoneMan‐agement Actof1972, as amended (CZMA),re‐