Superintendent also calls for merger of Capitol middle and high schools
BY CHARLES LUSSIER Staff writer
East Baton Rouge Parish Superintendent LaMont Cole is recommending closing four elementary and one middle school as well as merging Capitol middle and high schools.
Those proposed closures, announced Tuesday afternoon, come on top of already announced closures of J.K. Haynes elementary schools, formerly a charter school,
and two large charter schools run by Texas-based IDEA Public Schools.
The most recent changes are found in Cole’s new, far-reaching “realignment” plan, which he unveiled Tuesday at a special meeting of the parish School Board.
A total of 28 schools would see changes and 16 attendance zones would be redrawn. More than 10,000 children and 1,400-plus staff would be impacted.
A final vote is expected May 1.
Any approved changes would go into effect in time for the start of the 2025-26 school year in August.
“At the end of our conversation, I may be a hero or you may be asking for my resignation,” Cole told the board Tuesday Cole’s announcement has been a long time coming for the school system, which is
built for 60,000-plus students but is now educating fewer than 40,000. Cole held three well attended community meetings over the past month, but said he’s had at least 30 different meetings all over the parish as he developed the plan.
Here are the schools being closed or consolidated: n Bernard Terrace Elementary, 241 Edison St. Its 230 students would be reassigned to Dufrocq elementary n Capitol High, 1000 N. 23rd
St., absorbing Capitol Middle, 5100 Greenwell Springs Road, to become a grades 6-12 school but operating on the newer campus of the middle school, built in 2004, but with upgrades. Capitol Middle currently has about 440 students and Capitol High has about 180 students.
n Eva Legard Learning Center
408 E. Polk St. The 70 students in that specialized environmental education program would relocate to Glasgow Middle, and later, McKinley High. The formerly
See CLOSURE, page 8A
Fed up with bad roads
Lawmakers consider sweeping changes to DOTD
BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer
In an effort to pick up the pace of how quickly Louisiana builds and maintains roads and bridges, legislators are considering sweeping changes to the state Department of Transportation and Development — including creating an entirely new office outside the department to handle road work as well as privatizing many services.
Over the course of a three-hour hearing Tuesday, House transportation committee chair Ryan Bourriaque, R-Abbeville, presented a package of four different bills aimed at overhauling the Transportation Department.
“We can acknowledge the department is unfunded,” Bourriaque said. “But we know we have issues with policies.”
It was clear over the course of the hearing that significant pieces of the plan are still under construction. But all four bills were approved in committee as members voiced frustration with the pace of infrastructure work in Louisiana.
Rep. Jeff Wiley, R-Maurepas, gave the example of a yearslong push to build a new Mississippi River Bridge crossing
in Baton Rouge and long-standing traffic problems on Interstates 10 and 12 as examples of projects that are “begging for addressing.”
“I know that if we don’t do anything, nothing will happen,” said Rep Travis Johnson, D-Vidalia, adding that in his six years as a member of the transportation committee, the project backlog “has not improved at all.”
If House Bill 621 passes, a new Office of Louisiana Highway Construction would be created not within DOTD, but under the Division of Administration, which functions as the administrative arm of
ä See ROADS, page 9A
Fidelis, Microsoft partnering on carbon capture facility
BY BLAKE PATERSON Staff writer
Fidelis, a Texas-based energy company, is partnering with Microsoft on a proposed $800 million facility at the Port of Greater Baton Rouge which aims to capture carbon dioxide that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere and either store it underground or use it to create fuel.
Microsoft signed a contract with Fidelis’ portfolio company AtmosClear to remove 6.75 million metric tons of CO2 from circulation over a 15-year period as part of a larger effort by the tech giant to offset its greenhouse gas emissions, Fidelis said Tuesday
Using materials like sugar cane bagasse and trimmings from “prudent” forest management, AtmosClear plans to produce “clean” energy while capturing carbon dioxide for permanent storage or use as a feedstock for low-carbon natural gas or other synthetic fuels
It’s unclear where the CO2 will be sequestered, though several companies in the region are seeking permits for wells to inject and store it in rock formations deep underground.
The project is expected to create 75 permanent jobs and 600 construction jobs. The company said it is the world’s largest CO2 removal contract to date.
The announcement comes as Louisiana has won an increasing number of projects in recent years aimed at reducing emissions
100TH yEAR, NO. 290
STAFF FILE PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK
Construction continues on the Interstate 10 and Interstate 12 interchange in Baton Rouge.
Belgian ant smugglers arrested in Kenya
NAIROBI, Kenya Two Belgian teenagers were charged Tuesday with wildlife piracy after they were found with thousands of ants packed in test tubes in what Kenyan authorities said was part of a trend in trafficking smaller and lesser known species.
Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx, two 19-year-olds who were arrested on April 5 with 5,000 ants at a guest house, appeared distraught during their appearance before a magistrate in Nairobi and were comforted in the courtroom by relatives. They told the magistrate they were collecting the ants for fun and did not know that it was illegal.
In a separate criminal case, Kenyan Dennis Ng’ang’a and Vietnamese Duh Hung Nguyen also were charged with illegal trafficking in the same courtroom, following their arrest while in possession of 400 ants.
The Kenya Wildlife Service, or KWS, said in a statement that the four men were involved in trafficking the ants to markets in Europe and Asia, and that the species included messor cephalotes, a distinctive, large and red-colored harvester ant native to East Africa.
The illegal export of the ants “not only undermines Kenya’s sovereign rights over its biodiversity but also deprives local communities and research institutions of potential ecological and economic benefits,” KWS said.
France expels Algerian officials amid tensions
PARIS France said Tuesday it was expelling 12 Algerian diplomatic officials a day after Algeria announced the expulsion of the same number of French officials in escalating tensions between the two countries.
Algeria said Monday that its expulsion of 12 French officials was over the arrest of an Algerian consular official by French authorities in a kidnapping case, but relations between the two sides have been deteriorating since last summer That’s when France shifted its position to support Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara — a disputed territory claimed by the pro-independence Polisario Front, which receives support from Algeria.
Tensions further peaked in November after Algeria arrested French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, who is an outspoken critic of Islamism and the Algerian regime. He has since been sentenced to five years in prison a verdict he subsequently appealed.
In addition to what French officials called the “symmetrically” calibrated expulsion of 12 Algerian officials, France’s ambassador to Algiers also was being recalled home for consultations, a statement from the French presidential palace said Tuesday
It said Algerian authorities were responsible for “a brutal deterioration in our bilateral relations.”
Watchdog accuses Google of violations
TOKYO Japanese regulators on Tuesday accused U.S tech giant Google of violating anti-monopoly laws, echoing similar moves in the U.S. and Europe. Google Japan said in a statement that it found the action “regrettable.” It said it has invested in Japan significantly to promote innovation as a technology leader.
The Japan Fair Trade Commission’s “cease and desist order” says Google must stop the preinstallation of the Google search engine in Android smartphones, which it said in effect shuts out competition.
It’s unclear if Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., based in Mountain View in the Silicon Valley, will take legal action to fight the order In the U.S., a judge ruled last year that Google’s ubiquitous search engine illegally exploited its dominance to squash competition. Google has denied the allegations, arguing that it’s immensely popular because people like what it offers. The appeals process is likely to take years. Japanese regulators began their investigation into Google in 2023. They said they consulted with overseas authorities dealing with similar cases.
BY STEVE PEOPLES and FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press
CHICAGO Former President Joe Biden returns to the national stage Tuesday to elevate liberal concerns that President Donald Trump’s agenda is threatening the health of Social Security
The 82-year-old Democrat has largely avoided speaking publicly since leaving the White House in January, which is typically the tradition for immediate past presidents. That’s even as Trump frequently blames Biden for many of the nation’s problems, often attacking his predecessor by name.
istration’s fraud prosecutor program to at least 50 U.S. attorney offices, and establish Medicare and Medicaid fraud prosecution programs in 15 U.S. attorney offices, Leavitt said. Despite such moves, the Social Security Administration has been plagued by controversy under Trump’s leadership.
The Republican president almost immediately began slashing the government workforce upon his return to the White House, including thousands of employees at the Social Security Administration.
NATO chief reaffirms support for Ukraine Biden will speak on Social Security in return to stage
By The Associated Press
ODESA, Ukraine NATO’s support for Ukraine remains “unwavering,” the alliance’s secretary-general said Tuesday, emphasizing that more than 20 billion euros — over $22 billion — in security assistance has already been pledged by NATO allies in the first three months of the year
Mark Rutte spoke on Tuesday in Ukraine’s port city of Odesa, where he met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
His visit came days after two Russian ballistic missiles struck the city of Sumy on Palm Sunday morning, killing at least 35 people, including two children, and injuring 119.
The attack on the northeastern city, about 20 miles from Ukraine’s border with Russia, marked the second largescale attack in just over a week to result in significant civilian casualties. Earlier this month, about 20 people were killed, including nine children, after a Russian ballistic missile struck Zelenskyy’s hometown of Kryvyi Rih on April 4.
“I’m here today because I believe Ukraine’s people deserve real peace, real safety and security in their country, in their homes,” Rutte said during a joint news conference with Zelenskyy
The two met with wounded Ukrainian soldiers at a hospital in Odesa.
This is Rutte’s first trip to Ukraine since U.S President Donald Trump assumed the lead in ceasefire negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow which have included several rounds of talks in Sau-
di Arabia.
“These discussions are not easy, not least in the wake of this horrific violence,” Rutte said, referring to the recent strikes. “But we all support President Trump’s push for peace.” Ukraine has endorsed the broader U.S.proposed ceasefire deal, though Russia has effectively stalled the process by attaching far-reaching conditions.
Meanwhile, Ukraine and its European partners are continuing to develop the infrastructure for the “coalition of the willing,” which is expected to act as a long-term security guarantee aimed at deterring future Russian aggression after a ceasefire is in place.
Amid that uncertainty and U.S. warnings that Europe must take care of its own security and that of Ukraine in the future, the multinational force is seen as a first test of the continent’s willingness to defend itself and its interests.
Zelenskyy said Turkey could play a significant role in providing future Black Sea security guarantees for Ukraine.
“This is not about ending the war, unfortunately,” Zelenskyy said, commenting on the security meeting being hosted by Turkey on Tuesday and Wednesday “It’s about what comes after — the security guarantees for Ukraine following a ceasefire.”
He said military representatives from Ukraine, France, the United Kingdom and Turkey are discussing the presence of a military contingent in the Black Sea as part of those guarantees.
Amendment to Peru law raises fears of rainforest destruction
BY STEVEN GRATTAN Associated Press
BOGOTA, Colombia — A recent amendment to Peru’s Forestry and Wildlife Law is drawing fierce backlash from environmental groups and Indigenous groups that warn it could accelerate deforestation in the Amazon rainforest under the guise of economic development.
The amendment eliminates the requirement that landowners or companies get state authorization before converting forested land to other uses. Critics say the change could legitimize years of illegal deforestation.
“To us, this is gravely concerning,” said Alvaro Masquez Salvador, a lawyer with the Indigenous Peoples program at Peru’s Legal Defense Institute. Masquez added that the reform sets a troubling precedent by “effectively privatizing” land that Peru’s constitution defines as national patrimony. “Forests are not private property — they belong to the nation,” he said.
Supporters of the amendment, enacted in March, say it will stabilize Peru’s agricultural sector and provide farmers with greater legal certainty.
The Associated Press sought comment from multiple representatives of Peru’s agribusiness sector, as well as Congresswoman Maria Zeta Chunga, a vocal supporter of the law Only one person in the agribusiness sector
responded, saying they did not want to comment Peru holds the secondlargest share of Amazon rainforest after Brazil, with over 70 million hectares — about 60% of Peru’s territory, according to nonprofit Rainforest Trust. It’s one of the most biodiverse regions on the planet and home to more than 50 Indigenous peoples, some living in voluntary isolation. These communities are vital guardians of ecosystems and the rainforests they protect help stabilize the global climate by absorbing large quantities of carbon dioxide a greenhouse gas that is the main driver of climate change.
Passed in 2011, the original Forestry and Wildlife Law required state approval and environmental studies before any change in forest land use. But recent reforms have steadily weakened those protections. The latest
amendment allows landowners and companies to bypass that approval, even retroactively legalizing past deforestation.
Peru’s Constitutional Court upheld the amendment after a group of lawyers filed a constitutional challenge Although the court struck down some parts of the amendment, it left intact the law’s final provision, which validates past illegal land-use changes. Legal experts say this is the most dangerous part In its ruling, the court acknowledged that Indigenous communities should have been consulted on reforms to the law and affirmed the Environment Ministry’s role in forest zoning.
Environmental lawyer César Ipenza summed it up like this: “The court admits the law violated Indigenous rights and (tribes) should have been consulted but it still endorses the most harmful part.”
Biden is expected to fight back in an early evening speech to the national conference of Advocates, Counselors and Representatives for the Disabled in Chicago. While Biden has made a handful of public appearances in recent weeks, Tuesday’s highprofile address focuses on a critical issue for tens of millions of Americans that could define next year’s midterm elections.
“This is an all-hands-ondeck moment, which is why President Biden’s voice in this moment is so important,” Democratic House leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a call with reporters ahead of Biden’s speech.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, meanwhile, took a shot at the former president’s age when asked about his speech.
“I’m shocked that he is speaking at nighttime,” Leavitt said during Tuesday’s White House press briefing “I thought his bedtime was much earlier than his speech tonight.”
She said that Trump, who is 78 years old, would sign a presidential memorandum Tuesday afternoon “aimed at stopping illegal aliens, and other ineligible people, from obtaining” Social Security benefits. The memorandum will expand the Social Security Admin-
Along with a planned layoff of 7,000 workers and contentious plans to impose tighter identity-proofing measures for recipients, the SSA has been sued over a decision to allow Trump adviser Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to access individuals’ Social Security numbers and other personally identifiable information.
Musk, the world’s richest man and one of Trump’s most influential advisers, has called Social Security “the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time.”
At the same time, Social Security recipients have complained about long call wait times as the agency’s “my Social Security” benefits portal has seen an increase in outages. Individuals who receive Supplemental Security Income, including disabled seniors and low-income adults and children, also reported receiving a notice that said they were “not receiving benefits.”
The agency said the notice was a mistake. And the White House has vowed that it would not cut Social Security benefits, saying any changes are intended to reduce waste and fraud. Biden will be joined in Chicago by a bipartisan group of former elected officials, including former Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., former Sen. Debbie Stabenow D-Mich., and former Social Security Administrator Martin O’Malley
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By EVGENIy MALOLETKA
Kateryna Sitak 23, a teacher cries while laying flowers and toys on a site of a Russian missile strike in Sumy Ukraine, on Monday.
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By MARTIN MEJIA
Cut-down trees lie within view of the Cordillera Azul
National Park, seen in the background near Chambira community, in Peru’s Amazon, on Oct. 3, 2022.
Harvard’schallenge to Trumpcould test limits of government
BY COLLIN BINKLEY Associated Press
On one side is Harvard,the nation’soldest and wealthiest university,with abrand so powerful that its name is synonymous with prestige. On the other side is the Trump administration, determined to go further than any other White House to reshape American higher education.
Both sides are digging in for aclash that could test the limits of the government’s power and the independence that has made U.S. universities adestination for scholars around the world.
On Monday,Harvard becamethe first universityto openlydefythe Trumpadministration as it demands sweeping changestolimit activism on campus. The university frames the government’sdemands as athreat not only to the Ivy League school but to the autonomy that the Supreme Court has long granted American universities
“Theuniversity will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights,” the university’s lawyers wroteMonday to the government. “Neither Harvard nor any other private university can allow itself to be taken over by the federal government.”
The federalgovernment says it’sfreezing more than $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts to Harvard. The hold on funding marks the seventh time the Trumpadministration has taken suchastepatone of the nation’smost elite colleges, in an attempttoforce compliance with Trump’s political agenda.Six of the
Hundreds of demonstrators gather on CambridgeCommonduring
in Cambridge, Mass., on Saturday, calling on Harvard University to resist what organizers described as attemptsbyPresidentTrump to influence the institution.
seven schools are inthe Ivy League No university is better positioned to put up afight than Harvard,whose $53 billion endowment is the largest in thenation. But like other majoruniversities, Harvard also depends on the federal fundingthatfuels itsscientific andmedicalresearch. It’sunclearhow longHarvard could continue without the frozen money Already,Harvard’srefusal appears to beemboldening other institutions.
After initially agreeing to several demands from the Trump administration, Columbia University’sacting president took amoredefiant tone in acampus message Monday,saying some of the demands “are not subject to negotiation ” In her statement,Claire Shipman saidshe read of Harvard’s rejectionwith
“great interest.” Columbia was previously seen as a prime candidate to challenge the administration’sdemandsand facedblowback from facultyand freespeech groups when it agreed to make concessions instead.
“Harvard is obviously a particularly powerful institution.And itsdecision has potential to galvanize other universities into some kind of collective pushback,” said David Pozen, aColumbia law professor who argued that the government’sdemands areunlawful.
Trump threatened Tuesday to escalate thedispute,suggesting on social media that Harvard should lose its taxexempt status “if it keeps pushing political, ideological, and terrorist inspired/ supporting ‘Sickness?’”
The impasse raisesquestions about how far theadministration is willing to go.
Judgepresses Trumpadministration on
BY MICHAEL KUNZELMAN and BEN FINLEY Associated Press
GREENBELT, Md. Afederal judge said Tuesdaythat she will order sworn testimony by Trump administration officials to determine if they complied with her orders to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported to anotorious El Salvador prison.
U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis in Maryland issued her order after Trump officials continually refused to retrieve Abrego Garcia, sayingthey defied a“clear” Supreme Court order She also disregarded Monday’scomments by White House officials and El Salvador’spresident that they were unable to bringback Abrego Garcia, describing their statements as “two very misguided ships passing in the night.”
“The Supreme Court has spoken,” Xinis said, adding that what was said in the Oval Office on Monday “is not before the court.” Xinis said she will call for
the testimony of government officials, including Robert Cerna, theacting field office director for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.She expects theprocess to last about two weeks.
“Thebottom lineisitwas averysimple directive,” Xinissaidofher own order for the U.S. to return AbregoGarcia. “I’ve got nothing.I’vegot no real response.”
Thehearing came aday after WhiteHouse advisers repeated the claim that they lack theauthority to bring back the Salvadoran national from his native country Thepresident of El Salvadoralso said Monday that he would not return Abrego Garcia, likening it to smuggling“aterrorist intothe United States.”
Abrego Garcia’sdeportationhas become aflashpoint as President Donald Trump followsuponcampaign promises of mass deportations,including to an El Salvadorprison. Following Tuesday’shearing,a crowd outside the federal court house in Maryland chanted,
“What do we want? Due process. When do want it? Now!”
An attorneyfor Abrego Garcia said contempt proceedings could be the logical next step afterthe discovery phase. “This is still awin, and thisisstill progress,” Rina Ghandi said. “We’re not done yet, though.”
Abrego Garcia’s wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, saidshortly beforeTuesday’shearing that he was working hard to achieve theAmerican dream for his family
“That dream was shatteredonMarch 12 when he was abducted and disappeared by theUnited States government in front of our 5-year-old child,” she said. “Today is 34 days after his disappearance. Iwill not stop fighting until Isee my husband alive.”
Abrego Garcia, 29,lived in theU.S. for roughly14 years, during whichhe worked construction,got marriedand was raising three children withdisabilities, according to court records.
However it plays out, alegal battleislikely.Afaculty group has already brought
acourt challenge against the demands, andmanyin academia expect Harvard to bring its ownlawsuit.
In its refusal letter,Harvard said the government’s demands violate the school’s First Amendment rights and other civil rights laws.For the Trump administration, Harvardpresents thefirst majorhurdle in itsattempt to forcechange at universities that Republicans say have becomehotbeds of liberalism and antisemitism.
The conflict is straining the longstanding relationship between the federal government anduniversitiesthat use federal money to fuel scientific breakthroughs.
Long seen as abenefit to the greater good, that money has becomeaneasy source of leverage forthe Trump administration.
Federal money is an investment andnot an entitlement, federalofficials
wrote in alettertoHarvard last week, accusing the school of failing to meet civilrightsobligationsthat are aconditionfor federal aid. They argued that Harvard has allowed political ideology to stifle intellectualcreativity Trump’scampaign has targeted schoolsaccused of tolerating antisemitism amid awaveofpro-Palestinian protests on U.S. campuses. Some of the government’sdemands touch directlyonthatactivism, calling on Harvard to impose tougher discipline on protesters and to screen international students for those who are “hostile to the American values.” Other demands order Harvardtocease all diversity, equity and inclusion programsand to end admissions or hiring practices that consider“race, color,national origin, or proxies thereof.”
BOSTON GLOBE PHOTO By ERINCLARK
arally at the historic park
Ark., Ind. ask USDA to let them
BY JONEL ALECCIA and ANDREW DEMILLO Associated Press
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Republi-
can governors in Arkansas and Indiana moved Tuesday to ban soft drinks and candy from the program that helps low-income people pay for groceries, becoming the first states to ask the Trump administration to let them remove such items from the program long known as food stamps.
Arkansas Gov Sarah Huckabee Sanders said her state’s request is aimed at improving the health of nearly 350,000 residents who participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP
“Taxpayers are subsidizing poor health,” Sanders said at a Little Rock news conference with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins. “We’re paying for it on the front end and the back end.”
In Indianapolis, Gov Mike Braun was joined by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr and Mehmet Oz, who leads the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, to announce sweeping changes to “put the focus back on nutrition — not candy and soft drinks.”
The two states are among several taking steps to strip the purchase of certain foods that may contribute to poor health through the federal program that spent $100 billion to serve nearly 42 million Americans in 2024. The restriction has been a key goal for Rollins and Kennedy and his “Make America Healthy Again” agenda.
“They changed our food system in this country so that it is poison to us,” Kennedy said Tuesday “We can’t be a strong nation if we are not a strong people.”
The Arkansas plan, which would take effect in July 2026, would exclude soda,
including no- and low-calorie soda; fruit and vegetable drinks with less than 50% natural juice; “unhealthy drinks;” candy, including confections made with flour, like Kit Kat bars; and artificially sweetened candy
It also would allow participants to use benefits to buy hot rotisserie chicken, which is excluded from the program now
The Indiana change would exclude candy and soft drinks from the list of foods eligible to be paid for with SNAP benefits. Braun also issued executive orders changing work requirements for SNAP participants; reinstating income and asset verification rules; and launching a review of “improper payments and other administrative errors” to ensure that SNAP meets federal goals.
Antihunger groups oppose SNAP food restrictions, saying that research shows that program participants are no more likely than other low-income Americans to buy sugary drinks or snack foods. And they say that limiting food choices undermines the autonomy and dignity of people who receive a benefit of about $187 per month — or about $6.20 per day
“They just seem to be targeting a specific population without having data that says that they are the issue or that this is going to improve,” said Gina Plata-Nino, a deputy director at the Food Research and Action Center, a nonprofit advocacy group.
Trade groups representing beverage and candy makers criticized the effort, saying that they narrowly target SNAP participants.
Representatives for American Beverage accused state and federal officials of “choosing to be the food police rather than take truly meaningful steps to lift people off SNAP with good-
paying jobs.”
Chris Gindlesperger, a spokesman for the National Confectioners Association, called the approach “misguided.”
“SNAP participants and non-SNAP participants alike understand that chocolate and candy are treats – not meal replacements,” Gindlesperger said.
The SNAP program is run by the USDA and administered through individual states. It is authorized by the federal Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, which says that SNAP benefits can be used for “any food or food product intended for human consumption,” except alcohol, tobacco and hot foods In general, benefits are available to households with gross income at or below 130% of the federal poverty level, or about $33,500 a year for three people.
Excluding any foods would require Congress to change the law — or for states to get waivers that would let them restrict purchases, said Katie Bergh, a senior policy analyst for the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a nonpartisan research group
Over the past two decades, lawmakers in several states and from both political parties have proposed halting SNAP payments for soda, chips, ice cream and “luxury meats” like steak, as well as bottled water and decorated birthday cakes Since 2004 there have been six previous requests for waivers, including four that were not approved, one that was withdrawn and one request that was incomplete.
In rejecting the waivers, the USDA said there was no clear standard to define certain foods as unhealthy and that restrictions would be difficult to implement, complicated, costly and might not change participants’ food purchases or improve health.
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Ausufructisarightthatapersonhasforacertainperiodoftimeontheproperty of anotherperson. Thefeatures of theright of ausufruct vary with the natureofthethingssubjecttoit.Usufructsareoftenestablishedwhensomeonedies.Forexample,amarriedpersonmay,inhisWill,leavehissurviving spouseusufruct of everything he owns when he dies,but thereare certain restrictions andlimitations when establishing ausufruct.The usufructuary may have numerous obligations,suchasanobligationtoprovide security, theresponsibilitytoprovide repairs, thepayment of necessary expenses, taxes,debtsandothercharges
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StudyfindsracialinequalityinLa. industrial jobs
Disparitiesexist in petrochemical jobs nationwide
BY JOSIE ABUGOV Staff writer
People of color are underrepresented in jobs at oil refineries and chemical plants acrossthe country, according to anew peer-reviewed study,with someofthe mostextreme disparities in Louisiana Differences in education do not explain theseoutcomes, thestudy found. The researchers at Tulane Law School and the University of MassachusettsAmherst discovered that when people of color are employed in petrochemical jobs, they are mostly working in the “lowest of the low-paying” positions.
The authorsofthe study,which was published in the journal Ecological EconomicsonWednesday, say the research raises questions about theeconomic justifications of these sectors in local areas.
“Wealways think of pollutionversus jobs tradeoff,” said Kimberly Terrell, aresearch scientist at the Tulane Environmental Law Clinic.
“It’snot really atradeoffwhen the people who are being impacted aren’tgetting any of the benefits and are getting all of the cost.”
Industry and economic development groups stressed their investment in supportingLouisiana workers. Arepresentativefor Louisiana Economic Development, the state’sbusiness agency,said that “providing opportunity for every community in our state is not only ouragency’sfocus,but ourcommitment.”
The Louisiana Chemical Association, whichrepresents dozens of manufacturing companies inthe state, stressed that the sectorisinvested in workforceand educational development. DavidCresson,the CEO of the industry group, pointed to STEM programs forstudents beginning in elementary school as well as partnerships withSouthernUniversityand RiverParishes Community College.
“Werecognize the importanceof examining equity in employment,
however,this study offers an incomplete and misleading portrayal of our industry and its contributions,” Cresson said.
Otherindustryand business associationsdeclinedtocomment
What studysaidabout La
The study used publicly available federaldata to examinethe racialdemographics for chemical manufacturing and petroleum and coalmanufacturingacrossstates, metro areas and Louisiana parishes. In this way, Terrell said, the authors“sliced the dataevery way possible.”
While previous research has shown that people of color in the U.S. aredisproportionately exposed to toxic pollutants, there is much lessresearch on employment equity in these sectors.
Louisiana hadsome of thestarkestdisparitiesamong the handful of states with mostofthe high-paying chemical manufacturing jobs. Texas and Illinois were among the other stateswith the mostextreme disparities, the study says.
“Wefocused on (Louisiana)because it stoodout in our main analysis, but also duetoits relatively
large number of petrochemical jobs, extreme racial inequities,and internationally-recognized environmental justice issues,”the study says.
While over 40% of working-age Louisianans are people of color, only 18.5% of the highest paid workers in the sector were people of color.This trendpersisted when looking at Louisiana cities and parishes individually “People of color hadabout half their expected share of highest/ higher-paying jobsand about three quarters their expected share of lower-paying jobs, but morethan their expected share of the lowestpaying jobs,” thestudy says.
Formanyenvironmental advocates in theindustrial corridor of Louisiana —often dubbed “Cancer Alley”byactivistsand some residentsdue to healthrisks —the findings were affirming, though not surprising. Sharon Lavigne, founderofthe organization Rise St.James, argued that job promises made in connection with petrochemical development often don’t pan out. “With much more industry in thearea than in the past,there are
fewer jobs in generalbut especially forpeople of color,” Lavigne said.
Kimbrelle Eugene Kyereh, who’s fighting against aplanned blue ammonia plant in her St. Rose neighborhood in St. Charles Parish, said thestudy confirmedwhatshe already assumed aboutheavy industry —“that the harm far outweighs the economic gains that arepromised to the Black communities.”
“Thisisn’t about alack of qualifications with chemical facilities operating in ourbackyards,” she said.“It’s aboutthe persistence of a system that was never designed for African Americans to truly thrive.”
‘Opportunity to discriminate’
Thestudy singlesout St. Johnas having the mostextreme disparities identified in the paper.Around 70% of people in St. John are not White, yet people of color only hold 17%ofthe highest-paying chemical manufacturing jobs, it determined. There are morepeople of color in the lower-paid jobs, but still only 50% of thelowest-paying chemical jobs in St. John areheldbynonWhite people.
St. John illustrates other national trends identifiedinthe paper, in-
cluding gaps in education failing to explain economic outcomes. In the parish, there is aless than 2% difference in college education between people of color and White people.
All‘should have access
The study concludesthatinvestment in education and training“is insufficient without attention to job access.” Over the past fewyears, programs on both fronts have croppedupinthe state’s industrial corridor
Cresson of the Louisiana Chemical Association said that “everyone should have access” to high-paying employment in the state’sindustrial manufacturing sector.He pointed to Louisiana Economic Development’sFastStart program for workforce development and talent attraction, among other initiatives.
“Weare committed to closing the training gap in Louisiana by investing in early education, STEM training and technical scholarships to ensure that all members of ourcommunitiesare represented among our industrial workforce,” he said.
Localleaders in AscensionParish have also collaborated on programs to prepare residents to capitalize on incoming industry jobs. The parish recently scored two majorlower carbon, multibillion-dollar facilities for their west bank industrial complex just upriver of Donaldsonville. Some of these efforts include early childhood programs anda new workforce training facilityat Donaldsonville High School, serving not only students but also adults in the evenings.Itispart of an effort by River Parishes Community College to bring services to amajority-Black community with poverty rates over 40%, an aging and shrinking population, and many residentswithout adequate transportation.
AscensionParishPresident Clint Cointment said the programs aredesigned to giveDonaldsonville-arearesidents apathtothe $100,000-per-year jobs these future facilities are expected to provide.
“This is something thatisnot only good for Ascension Parish, but it’s good for the region, surrounding parishes, including the state as a whole,” Cointment said.
STAFF FILE PHOTOByCHRISGRANGER
Sharon Lavigne holds pictures April 16, 2024, of neighborhood activists whodied in her
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or contributing to the transition away from fossil fuels and toward renewable energy.Economic development officialshave touted carbon capture, ”blue” hydrogen and ammonia and other technologies as potential areas forgrowth, though many of those projectsare still in early stages of commercial development and some have faced local opposition.
Fidelis officials said afinalinvestment decision on the project is expectedlater this year. Construction would begin in 2026, and commercial operations wouldstart in 2029.
In 2020,Fidelis leased 141 acres from the port, where its subsidiary,Grön Fuels, announced a
CLOSURE
Continued from page1A
Polk Elementary campus would become office space.
n Ryan Elementary.Its 200students would be reassigned to Progress Elementary.EBR Readiness Middle School would take overthe Ryan campus.
n Westminster Elementary.Its 215 students wouldbe reassigned to Wedgewood Elementary,with upgrades planned later for Wedgewood. One idea for Westminster is to turn the old school into affordable housing for teachers.
n Winbourne Elementary. Its 290 students wouldbereassigned to Capitol and Melrose elementary schools.
Cole is tackling athorny issue thatprevious superintendents haveconsidered but largely shied away from.
The School Board was insistentuponCole’shiring as superintendent in August that he make it one of his first orders of business Board member Nathan Rust said the proposed changes to theschooldistrict are “well thought out” amid acomplex situation “I reallybelieve this is the most important thing this board can do during this tenure,” Rust said.
In deciding which schools need changes,Cole hasfocused on the school’sacademic performance, the school buildings’ age and the degreetowhich the schools’ studentenrollments are too low.Inparticular,heistrying to reduce the ranksof “D”and “F”schools in the schoolsystem.
Cole says what is happening nowis“Phase1 of amultiphase processof school changes that will play out over years. If approved as is, Cole said his proposals would saveat least $5.3 million in deferred maintenance on school buildings that would no longer need to be maintained. Seventy-one percent of students who have to move would move students into higher performing schools and 43% would end up in buildings in better condition.
“Wejust don’thave $129 million to address all the facility needs in our school system,”Cole said.
Theproposed merger of
proposal to build arenewable fuels project that could be a$9.2 billion multiphasedevelopment
Theplant woulduse soybean and canola oil, tallow and used cooking oilto produce renewable diesel andjet fuel.Thatproject has yet to break ground on itsfirst $1.2 billion phase and is on hold while thecompany waits for clarity from Washington on federal clean energy taxincentives, company officials said West Baton Rouge Parish President Jason Manola said he’ll push Fidelistoholdpublic meetings so any questions or concerns about theAtmosClear facilitycan be addressed. Becausethe project is located on port property,itdoesn’t require thesame approvalsfrom parish government that other developments might. Theport’sexecutive director, Jay Hardman, did notrespond to
Capitol High andCapitol Middle schools is notable. Cole attended, taught and later served as principal at Capitol Middle.It’salsoan “F”-rated school thatcould be taken over right away
“Capitol High is an old facility and it’sbeing underutilized,and we haveto do somethingfor those studentsnow,” hesaid.
Capitol High alumni have been actively tryingtorevivethe once-popularhigh school. In 2022, former superintendent SitoNarcisse waged asuccessful public campaigntobring thehigh school back under thecontrol of theEast Baton Rouge Parish school system, with promisesofbuilding anew facilityand apartnership with nearbyBaton Rouge General Medical Center
Capitol’sreturn, though, hasnot been so auspicious. It currently has abouthalf the students it had under the previous management and dropped from a“D” to an “F” letter grade. Four outoffive students enrolled last year were chronically absent, missingatleast 10% of the school year.Meanwhile, proposals to build a newschool at thesite have stalled.
Cole said he plans to work with variousagencies and groups to come upwith a newuse forthe property that benefitsthe community Coleisproposing other changes, including relocatingschools and programs as well as changinggrade configurations and feeder patterns. Here are someof those recommendations:
n Relocating BelfairMontessori School to thenewer Winbourne Elementary, built in 2007. The 75-yearoldBelfair campus at 4451 Fairfields Ave. would be usedasa“swing space” to house schoolstemporarily displaced due to construction,which Cole sayswill allowtackling more projects more quickly
n Turning Melrose and Merrydale elementary schools from traditional elementary schools to grades K-2 schools.
n TurningCapitol and Glen OaksPark elementary schools from traditional elementary schools to grades 3-5 schools.
n Turning Crestworth Elementary back from aK-8 to aK-5 school and mov-
interview requests.
Microsoft is making the investment as part of its goal of becoming carbon-negative by 2030, meaning thatit’sremoving more carbondioxidefromthe atmosphere than it’sproducing.
Microsoft announced asimilar agreement with the firm CO280 on Fridayonaproject aimed at capturing emissions from pulp and paper mills
“Weare proud to work with Fidelis on this pathbreaking project, which will bring together science, engineering, and commercial innovations to offer acompelling model for carbon removal in the United States,” BrianMarrs,seniordirector of energyand carbon removal at Microsoft, said in anews release.
Email Blake Paterson at bpaterson@theadvocate.com.
ing middle school students over to Scotlandville Middle School.
The newK-2 schools would be called “foundational learning centers” where Cole plans to have two teachersinevery classroom, an approach popularized at schoolssuchasLSU Lab andMayfair Lab.
Cole is proposing other improvements. Colewants to beef up STEM —short for science, technology, engineering and math programs— in all theschools in the Scotlandville area. That area is closetoExxon, which has along-standing partnershipwithScotlandville High. Similarly,Cole said, schools near Baton Rouge General would set up medical programs at several schoolalong“on theGus Young corridor.”
Claiborne and Capitol elementaries as well Park Forest Middle would spearhead the district’s adoption of apopular schoolreform known as theTeacher Advancement Program, or TAP, offeredbythe Arizona-based National Institute for Excellence in Teaching.Itcenters around creating higher-level teaching positions where teachers earnmore money for coaching their peers and improving the school while still keeping their hand in the classroom
The school system has steadily lost students for years,most recentlyduring COVID.
Two-thirds of East Baton Rouge Parishpublic schools have lost studentscompared with pre-pandemic numbers. Overall enrollment has declined by about 4% over that period and has fallen under 40,000 students for thefirst time in decades.
If you exclude charter schools,the overallenrollmentisjust 33,000 students, down about 11% from be-
fore thepandemic. Consequently,the number of schools below half their functional capacity has nearly doubled, and such
schools currently makeupa third of the traditional public schools. Cole saidhis proposal would increase the average occupancy of district
schools from 58% to 70%. Email Charles Lussier at clussier@theadvocate. com.
PROVIDED PHOTO
Arendering shows the $800 million carbon capture facility that AtmosClear is proposing in partnershipwithMicrosoft at the Port of Greater Baton Rouge.
Carinsurance legislationpassesfirsthurdle
Billsintended to lowerrates
BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer
Bills that insurance companies and business interests say would address Louisiana’scar insurance crisis advanced their first step in the legislative processTuesday
The measuresapproved by the House Civil Law and Procedure Committee would “levelthe playing field,” according to state representatives who blame Louisiana’s high car insurance rates on alegal system that they say encourages too many lawsuits and bigpayouts to people injured in wrecks.
The committee approved the bills Tuesday on party-line votes with Republicans flexing theirlegislative majority.
The trial lawyer lobby made no public effort to oppose the bills,
Continued from page1A
state government. It would be led by an executive director appointedbythe governor.
The office would handle planning, engineering, design,construction, operation andmaintenance of any of the state’snonfederalaid highways, whichinclude rural and local roads that aren’tmajor thoroughfares.
The highway construction office would be empowered to enter into contracts and promulgate itsown rulesfor management of its own operations, independent of the Transportation Department.
But the purview of the Office of Louisiana Highway Construction could also grow if lawmakers transfer additional duties away from DOTDand to the highway construction office.
“If they are operating in a very efficient manner,there is opportunity for more duties to be transferredover,” Bourriaque said. “This is a route to try and makeimprovements —don’tknow if it’s thebestroute, butitisa route,and we’re going to try and keep working through it.”
Inside of DOTD, anew Office of Transformation would be created and charged with implementing any departmental changes passed by the Legislature this year
An assistant secretary appointed by thegovernor to lead the Office of Transformation would be “a change agent” that thepublic, lawmakers and the TransportationDepartment itself “could rely on” to implement transportation projects from planning and design through construction, Bourriaque said.
DOTD would be required to phase out its ownequipmentand repair shops and privatize thosefunctions under House Bill 556.
In addition, within the department, anew Office of Project Management would
which will be heard on the House floornext week as part of astrategy to get them to the Senate early in the legislative session. Housememberssay privately that they believe thetriallawyer lobby hasgreater influence in the Senateand will try to kill or water down thebills there.
Gov. Jeff Landry told legislators Monday when he kicked off the two-month regularlegislative session that he favors a“balanced” approach that benefits neither side over theother
That view has sparked consternationamong the Republican Housemembers pushing the antitriallawyer bills in an alliance with Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple Landryand Temple set aside their differences —but didn’ttalk to each other— during anews conference Tuesday on the Capitol steps where theyendorsed abill to allow drivers to use their cellphones only hands free. Rep. Brian
be directed to privatize services “tothe fullest extent possible,” under House Bill 528.
Privatizing to the fullest extentpossible” Bourriaque said, means making a“good faith effort to tryand identify efficiencies when it’s possible.”
On Tuesday morning, three of thefour billseach had dozens of changes that had been incorporated just theday before,leaving little time for lawmakers and Transportation Department Secretary Joe Donahue to review them.
Donahuesaidhehad yetto have “candid conversations about the intent” of the new highway construction office with Bourriaque.
“That is notsomething that I’ve wrapped my head fully around,” he said.“As Ihave thoseconversations, hopefully we’llget to understand how they see that operating andhow it will be better.
Duringthe three-hour
Glorioso, R-Slidell, is thesponsor of the measure, House Bill 519. Landry, Temple, Glorioso and state Sen. PatrickMcMath, RCovington, who has sponsored the legislationinpreviousyears,all said thatgetting fewer people to text and watch videos while drivingwill lead to fewer accidents. That in turn, they said, will reduce car insurance rates.
The action on car insurance then movedinsidethe StateCapitol building as the Civil Law Committee debated andpassed several major bills over four hours.
The Democraticlegislators on the committeedidn’twin over any of the Republicans after questioning thelegislative sponsors or insuranceindustry representatives who testified in favor of the bills.
“Itactually wentbetter than I thought,” Rep.Nicholas Muscarello, R-Hammond, the committee chair,said as the hearing ended.
Landryissupporting one con-
committee meeting, Donahue said multiple times that he hadnot yethad achance to have asubstantive discussion with Bourriaque about theupdated legislation.
For example: The bills had previously called to eliminatethe position of chief engineer at the department, but that provisionhad been removed
After the hearing, Donahue said thedepartment isn’t opposed to changeand that he believes “ongoing discussions” withBourriaque will yield “clarity about what it is they’re actually trying to achieve.”
But he argued that increased funding for thedepartment “is the big missing piece from being able to have better roadsand bridges in the state of Louisiana.”
“You will begintosee meaningful change to the status of the infrastructure whenever we begin devoting more revenue to thatportion of the needs of the state,” he said.
tentiousmeasure,House Bill 34, by Glorioso, who told the committee that it would allow defendants to tell jurors how much people injured in wrecksactually pay in medical bills. Under current law, jurors hear thetotal amount billed, regardless of what the plaintiff paid.
Glorioso said lowerpayouts for medical bills would lead to reduced car insurance bills.
“Let’s unblindfold the jury,” Glorioso said.
Rep. Chad Brown, D-Plaquemine, noted that the Legislature has passed several anti-trial lawyer measures in recent yearsthat were supposed to lower rates.
“But we’re still amongthe highest in thecountry,” Brownsaid.
The committee approved the measure on an 11-3 vote, similar to theother bills.
Another controversialmeasure approved Tuesday is House Bill 431byRep.Emily Chenevert, RBaton Rouge.
HB431 would bar adriverresponsible foratleast51% of an accident fromreceiving adamageaward to cover his or her injuries. Under current law,the driver responsible for,say,51% of the accident can collect apayment equalto49% of the overall damage award. Sidney Degan, aNew Orleans attorney,toldcommittee members that current law encourages lawyers to sueeven when the driver is largely at fault because insurance companies would rather settle than face alawsuit that dragsout and runs up big legal fees. Landryhas not saidpublicly whether he supports HB431. The committeealso approved House Bill 434 by Rep. Jason DeWitt, R-Alexandria, which would reduce the payout to an injured driver whodoes not have car insurance. Landry supports the bill. Email TylerBridges at tbridges@theadvocate.com.
Study: More people areobtaining abortionsbut fewertraveling forit
BY GEOFF MULVIHILL Associated Press
Fewerpeople crossed state lines to obtain abortions in 2024 thana year earlier,anew survey has found The Guttmacher Institute,a research organization that supports abortion rights, estimates in areport released Tuesday that the overall numberofclinicianprovided abortions in states where it’slegal rose by less than 1% from 2023 to 2024.
Butthe number of people crossing state lines for abortions dropped by about 9%.
The report, based on a monthly survey of providers, is the latest look at how the abortion landscape in the U.S. has evolved since the Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade in 2022 in aruling that eliminated a national constitutional right to abortion and opened the door to state bans and restrictions.
Totalnumberrose
Guttmacherestimates
there were 1.04million abortions in 2024, up about 1% from its total the previous year
Multiple studies have found that the total number of abortions in the U.S. has risen since Dobbs, despite some states implementing bans.
Twelve states currently enforce abortion bans with limited exceptions at all stages of pregnancy.Four more have bans that kick in after aboutsix weeks, which is before many women know they’re pregnant.
Guttmacher’stally does not capture self-managed abortions such as peopleobtaining abortion pillsfrom community networks, foreign pharmacies or through telehealth from medical
providers in states that have laws intended to protect those whosend pillsinto placeswith bans.There’sa court battle over the constitutionality of suchlaws. But another survey foundthat the number of telehealth pills being sentintostates with bans has been growing and accounted for about 1in 10 abortionsinthe U.S. by the summer of 2024.
Isaac Maddow-Zimet, a data scientist at Guttmacher,said even thoughthe number of abortionsisup, it’slikely some people who wouldlike to endtheirpregnancies are not able to “Weknow that some peopleare accessingabortion through telehealth,” he said “And we knowit’snot an optionfor everybody.”
Travel declined
The number of people crossing state lines for abortions dropped toabout 155,000 from nearly 170,000.
Theyear-to-yearimpact variesbystate.
For instance, about 1in 8abortions in Florida in the first half of 2023 were providedtopeople coming fromout of state.Bythe second half of 2024 —when aban on abortions after the first sixweeksofpregnancy took effect —onlyabout 1 in 50 werefor people from another state.
More people traveled to states includingVirginia and NewYork after theFlorida law took hold Adrop in people traveling to Minnesotacould be linked to abortions being offered again in clinics in Wisconsin. Most abortions in Kansas are provided to people from elsewhere and the number grew as clinic capacityexpanded.
Obstaclesaffectsome
Aworking paper released in March provided differ-
entinsightinto the impact of the bans. It found that birth rates rose from 2020 to 2023 in countiesfarther from abortion clinics. Rates rose faster for Black and Hispanic women, those with lower education levels, and people whoare unmarried.
“The takeaway is that distancestill matters,” said Caitlin Myers, aMiddlebury College economic professor andone of the authors of the working paperpublishedbythe National Bureau of Economic Research. “Itreally wasn’t obvious that that would be the case.”
“These bans are more than just policies;theseare direct attacksonbodily autonomy,” said Regina Davis Moss, president andCEO of In Our OwnVoice:National Black Women’sReproductive Justice Agenda.
Thebansalso exacerbate the huge disparitiesinmaternalmortality for Black women in the U.S, she said. Black women diedaround the time of childbirth at a rate nearly 3.5 times higher than White women in 2023.
“We’re going to be faced with increasing numbers of births,which is goingto increase thematernalmortality rate, the infant mortality rate and inequitiesin care,”she said. “It’svery upsetting andsad.”
Bree Wallace, director of case managementatthe Tampa Bay Abortion Fund in Florida,whichhelps with thelogisticsand costs of abortions, saidpeople who consider getting an abortion don’talways know their options.
“Many people don’tknow their choices or think that it’sjust notpossible to go outofstate,” she said. “A lot of people hear ‘ban’ or ‘six-week ban’ in their state and that’sit.”
NEW YORK Federal aviation regulators issued an emergency order Monday grounding the helicopter tour company involved in adeadly New York crash after learning it had fired its operations director minutes afterhe had agreed to suspend flights during the investigation
The Federal Aviation Administration saiditsuspected the firing was retaliation for asafety decision
“The FAAistakingthis action in part because after the company’sdirector of operations voluntarily shut down flights,hewas fired,” acting Administrator Chris Rocheleau said on X. New York Helicopter Tours’ sightseeing helicopter broke apart in midairand plunged into the Hudson River Thursday,killing five tourists from Spain and the pilot.
Rocheleau said theagency also begana comprehensive review of the company’soperations. Thereview is designedtodetermine whether an operator complies with regulations and effectively manages safety,and identifieshazards andrisks.
The victims included passengers Agustin Escobar,49, his wife, MercèCamprubí Montal, 39, and their three children, Victor,4,Mercedes, 8, andAgustin, 10. The pilot was Seankese Johnson, 36, aU.S. Navy veteran who received his commercial pilot’s license in 2023. Thecrash hasrenewed safetyconcerns about the popular sightseeing flights The company’sdirector of operations, Jason Costello, agreed on Sunday to voluntarily halt flightswhile the crash was being investigated. But 16minutes after Costello sent an email to the
FAA, the company’schief executive officer sent aseparate email to the agency sayinghedid notauthorize the halt. The CEO, Michael Roth, alsosaid Costello was no longer an employee, according to the FAAorder.
“The immediate firing of the Director of Operations raises serious safety concerns because it appears Mr.Roth retaliated against Mr.Costello for making the safety decision to cease operations during the investigation,” read thedocument.
The FAAinits order said the companynow lacksa required director of operations.
An emailseeking comment was sent to Roth
Also Monday, the National Transportation Safety Board said divers found key components of the Bell 206 L-4helicopter as they wrappedup recovery efforts in the river.
BY JENNIFER PELTZ and MICHAELR.SISAK Associated Press
NEW YORK As jury selection started on Tuesday in Harvey Weinstein’sNew York City rape retrial, someprospective jurors madeclear they couldn’tbe fair in judging theone-time Hollywood mogul-turned#MeToo pariah.
Mark Axelowitz, an actor whoplays aManhattan prosecutor in thenew Robert De Niro film “The Alto Knights,” was oneofmore than adozen candidates who raised ahand when the judge asked if anyone felt they couldn’tbeimpartial.
Another dismissed prospective juror disqualified herself because she had previously been sexually assaulted. Yetanother wondered whetheranyone could be impartial. So far, no jurors have been picked. Theprocess continued after alunch break.
Weinstein is being tried againafter NewYork’s highest court last year overturned his 2020 conviction and 23-year prison sentence andordereda new trial, finding that improper rulingsand prejudicial testimonytainted theoriginal one.
ThatCourt of Appealsruling gave Weinstein asecond chance to fight the charges, withhis retrial playingout in adifferent atmosphere than the first, which was
held amida global reckoning over sexual misconduct. Weinstein, 73, haspleaded not guilty and denies he raped or sexually assaulted anyone. He is olderand more frail, in and outof the hospital regularly for avariety of health problemsand farremoved from when he was among the most powerful men in the movie business.
Weinstein’slawyer, Arthur Aidala, said the exstudio boss is “cautiously optimistic that when all the evidenceisout, the jury will find that all of his relationships were consensual and therefore reach averdict of not guilty.” Even if he is acquitted, Weinstein won’tgofree. Weinsteinisalsoappealing a2022 rapeconviction in Los Angeles.
Israeli airstrike hits hospital entrance in Gaza, killing medic
BY WAFAA SHURAFA and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip
An Israeli airstrike hit the northern gate of a field hospital in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, killing a medic and wounding nine other people, a hospital spokesman said.
The strike hit the Kuwaiti Field Hospital in the Muwasi area, where hundreds of thousands have sought shelter in sprawling tent camps.
The wounded were all patients and medics, and two of the patients were in critical condition after the strike, said Saber Mohammed, a hospital spokesman.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military
On Tuesday, a spokesman for Hamas said that strikes had caused them to lose contact with the unit guarding Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander.
Hamas released a video of the 21-year-old soldier days earlier, likely speaking under duress.
Hamas said a direct strike hit the location where Alexander was being held and they were trying to reach them.
In a separate development, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his opposition to Palestinian statehood in a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron, who had said France aimed to recognize a Palestinian state later this year
The military has struck and raided hospitals on several occasions during the 18-month war accusing Hamas militants of hiding out in them or using them for military purposes.
Hospital staff have denied the allegations and accused Israel of recklessly endangering civilians and gutting
Family: Man at Penn. governor’s home struggled with mental health
BY MARK SCOLFORO Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. A man charged with setting fire to Pennsylvania Gov Josh Shapiro’s mansion over the weekend had struggled with mental illness, twice being treated at a psychiatric hospital in recent years, his brother said Tuesday Court records and interviews with family members show Cody Balmer’s life unraveled dramatically in the years before authorities say the 38-yearold scaled an iron security fence in the middle of the night, eluded police and set the Democratic governor’s mansion ablaze.
a place to live a couple years ago.
He was involved in getting his brother treatment at the Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute twice, saying Cody Balmer exhibited disturbing behavior
“He’s had ups and downs his whole life with the bipolar,” Dan Balmer said. “He doesn’t believe he’s bipolar so he doesn’t take his medicine.”
A motive for the attack, including whether it had anything to do with Shapiro’s politics or religious beliefs, wasn’t immediately clear
change during the 2024 election, when “he tried to convince everybody in the family” to vote for Donald Trump.
The night before the governor’s residence was attacked, Dan Balmer said, Cody Balmer flipped over a table containing a jigsaw puzzle at the home where he lived with their parents. Dan Balmer said he felt Cody was verbally abusive to their parents and urged his mother to stand up for herself.
Gaza’s health system.
On Sunday, Israel struck the last major hospital providing critical care in northern Gaza after ordering an evacuation. A patient died during the evacuation, and the strike severely damaged the emergency room, pharmacy and surrounding buildings, according to Al-Ahli Hospital.
The Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, which runs the hospital, condemned the strike.
Israel said it targeted a Hamas command and control center within the facility, without providing evidence. Hamas denied the allegations.
In the call with Macron, Netanyahu said the creation of a Palestinian state would be “a huge reward for terrorism” and result in a militant-run entity just miles from Israeli cities.
In his own statement posted on X, Macron called for another ceasefire, the release of hostages and renewing the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, which Israel has blocked for over a month He did not mention recognition of
a Palestinian state.
Macron said last week that France should aim to recognize a Palestinian state by June when it joins Saudi Arabia in hosting an international conference on implementing a two-state solution.
Later on Tuesday, Netanyahu’s office said he visited northern Gaza. He’s previously entered Gaza a handful of times during the war
The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. Fifty-nine hostages are still inside Gaza, 24 of whom are believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed over 51,000 people, according to an updated toll released by Gaza’s Health Ministry on Tuesday
That includes more than 1,600 people killed since Israel ended a ceasefire and resumed its offensive last month to pressure Hamas to accept changes to the agreement.
Dan Balmer, an electrical engineer who lives in the Harrisburg suburbs, told The Associated Press that he had given Cody Balmer
Cody Balmer, who is registered as an unaffiliated voter, had always been politically interested and considered himself “more of an independent than anything else,” his brother said, but that seemed to
“I remember specifically telling my mom, ‘You need to get mad at him because he’s taking advantage of you guys,’” he said. Christie Balmer, Cody Balmer’s mother, said Monday that she had made calls in recent days about her son’s mental health, but “nobody would help.”
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State Department revokes La. student visas
BY MARIE FAZIO Staff writer
More than a dozen international students studying in Louisiana have had their visas revoked without explanation, university officials confirmed Tuesday, part of the Trump administration’s nationwide targeting of foreign-born students at American colleges and universities.
In New Orleans, at least six in-
ternational students have had their student visa status terminated: two students at Tulane University two at Southern University at New Orleans and three at the University of New Orleans, according to university officials.
In Baton Rouge, seven international students at Southern University had their visas pulled, as did three students at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. An LSU spokesperson did not imme-
diately respond to inquiries about whether any of its students were affected.
The visa revocations, first reported by the Louisiana Illuminator, puts those students at risk of detention or deportation.
Led by the U.S. State Department, the visa terminations are part of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration to the U.S., which has recently expanded to include noncitizens legally re-
siding in the country Students who were granted F-1 or J-1 visas that allowed them to study at American universities have been targeted, in some cases because they expressed pro-Palestinian views or participated in campus protests.
Mike Strecker, a spokesperson for Tulane University, said that the university was aware of two students whose visas had been revoked for “previous criminal arrests” that were not related to any protests He did not elaborate on the criminal allegations but said the university has contacted the students and directed them to third-party legal resources. “The safety and well-being of our students is our top priority,” he said.
EARLy EASTER PRESENTS
Four plead not guilty in February killing
Cathy Conley, tried to clean up blood residue at the crime scene, East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office homicide detectives allege.
face mandatory life sentences if they’re convicted of the murder indictment. Prosecutors have filed obstruction charges against Cathy and Coshelia Conley
Janene Tate, a spokesperson for Southern University, said the campuses were not given a reason for the revocations. Citing the federal
BY AIDAN McCAHILL Staff writer
A $2.5 billion data center planned in West Feliciana Parish has the enthusiastic backing of local officials, but the related sale of a piece of public land brokered by the parish president — has intensified an ongoing political battle.
Tensions have built for years between some members of the West Feliciana Port Commission and Parish President Kenny Havard, who wants to dissolve the nine-member group tasked with overseeing Mississippi River commerce in the parish. Now some port commissioners claim Havard cost the parish’s taxpayers millions of dollars by arranging the sale of surplus government land to a firm with ties to Port Commission President Andrew Grezaffi. They say the company then sold the land for more than 20 times what the parish received. Havard and Grezaffi deny the property resold for that much more than the parish got, though they say the price is confidential by agreement, part of a private business deal not involving the government.
They contend their accusers are creating controversy in an attempt to cling to power Though Grezaffi is president of the port commission, he’s also advocating for its disbandment.
At Havard’s urging, the West Feliciana Parish Council on Monday voted to support a bill in the state Legislature to abolish the Port Commission. During that meeting, a port commissioner spoke out against that move — and repeated his earlier criticism of the land sale.
“I can promise you there is an investigation to be had,” said David Jewell, a new commissioner
The sale
At issue is a 107-acre lot in an industrial park near the southern end of the parish. Next to a paper mill, the property has railroad and river access, and fronts La. 964. It is traversed by natural gas and transmission power lines and is a few miles from River Bend Nuclear Power Plant, making it suitable for energyintensive businesses.
BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer
Four family members charged in the killing of a man whose bloodied, battered body was found on the Huey P. Long Bridge in Baton Rouge pleaded not guilty to their respective charges Tuesday Authorities allege Da’Sean Conley, 17, beat Gerard Nicholas Richard, then shot and killed him during a Feb. 12 argument because he disapproved of the 44-year-old man dating his mother Coshelia Conley, 36, took steps to cover up for her teenage son, according to her indictment She and her 55-year-old mother,
The family then loaded Richard’s bound and bagged body into Coshelia Conley’s SUV and attempted to dispose of him over the side of the Old Mississippi Bridge, investigators determined.
The trio stood before 19th Judicial District Commissioner Kory Tauzin along with Darius Darez Conley Jr who’s accused of helping Da’Sean shoot and kill the victim. Tauzin ordered the defendants, who remain jailed, to return to court for a June 23 hearing in front of District Judge Gail Horne Ray
During Tuesday’s arraignments, Commissioner Tauzin also appointed public defenders to represent the four defendants Brady Skinner, a Baton Rouge defense attorney, will handle Coshelia Conley’s case. Opelousas lawyer Jarvis Claiborne is defending Cathy Conley Darius and Da’Sean Conley are being represented by New Orleans litigator Randy Dukes and Baton Rouge attorney Ryan Thompson, respectively
Body was dumped on Mississippi River bridge ä See BODY, page 4B
Earlier this month, a grand jury indicted Darius and Da’Sean Conley on charges of second-degree murder and obstruction of justice. They both
According to Sheriff’s Office arrest affidavits, Richard’s appeared to have been struck by multiple vehicles the night of Feb. 12, when his “mangled up” remains were found at the center of the elevated bridge that passes over the Mississippi River
His wrists were tied with rope and tape and investigators found a kettlebell and blanket nearby. Blood splatters on the rails near his body suggested to detectives that the killers were in the process of trying to dump his remains over the side into the river waters underneath the bridge, according to arrest documents. A motorist who reported the deceased man told deputies he saw a Chevrolet Tahoe and another vehicle stopped at the top of the bridge where the body was located. The man said both vehicles peeled away as he approached. Authorities later found the Tahoe intentionally torched in East Feliciana Parish and later linked it to Coshelia Conley, through surveillance footage that showed the SUV heading in that direction and the burned truck’s
In 2017, the property and surrounding area was certified by the state as a development-ready site, a step used to market it to industry. Former Parish President Kevin Couhig said in a recent interview that during his tenure, the parish worked for over a year to get the site certified.
“I remember thinking when we approached this project it would be one of the best industrial sites in the Gulf South. The utilities, resources, geology, it was isolated,” he said.
In 2018, under Couhig’s tenure, the Parish Council declared 86 of the lot’s 107 acres surplus. The rest was tagged as surplus in 2022, according to clerk of court records.
Havard said in a recent interview that when he took office as parish president in 2018, he immediately began trying to market the lot but went years without luck.
“I told people for years, we needed to get out of the damn real estate business and get it in private hands to make money, because the government doesn’t do anything but spend money,” he said.
STAFF PHOTOS By JAVIER GALLEGOS
Former LSU player and expected NFL draft pick Will Campbell signs a poster for patient Bryson Cartwright alongside the Easter Bunny at Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital in Baton Rouge on Tuesday.
Patient Adrian Bailey looks back at his mom in shock Tuesday after receiving an iPad from Will Campbell at Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital in Baton Rouge.
Franjeurys Lopez-Abreu, a patient at Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital, hugs Will Campbell after being gifted an iPad on Tuesday.
BR womanfound fatallybeateninhome
Staff report
CRIME BLOTTER staff reports
A68-year-old woman was fatally beaten in her Baton Rouge home Monday night, police said Rose Davillier was foundbattered in her home in the 4100 block of White Sands Drive around 9:30 p.m., according to aBaton Rouge Police Department release. She waspronounced dead at the scene after officers responded to areport of an unresponsive woman. While investigating, BRPD detectives learned that asuspect had gained entryinto Davillier’shome before attackingher The suspect fled the scene before police arrived. This is an ongoing investigation
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the BRPD Violent Crimes Unit at (225) 389-4869.
Police: Woman shot husband,fatally shot self
Awoman shot her husband, thenfatally shot herself outside a Ponchatoula fast-food restaurant Mondayevening aspolice officers ordered hertodropthe gun, authorities said In anews release on its Facebook page Tuesday,the Ponchatoula Police Department said it responded to the McDonald’sonWestPine Street around 5:15 p.m.inresponse to areport of ashooting. Near the restaurant, police found a60-yearoldman with agunshot woundto thehand,Police Chief BryLayrisson said in an interview
As they helped the man, who
Layrisson saidwas hiding near a carwash, officerscame into contact with a47-year-old woman who was armed with ahandgun.
“They gave her two or three verbalcommands” to dropthe gun, but she refused, Layrisson said.
Then she shot herself in thehead.
Policeidentified thewoman as Cabrina R. Stanley,ofHammond. She wastaken to an area hospital where she died, policesaid.
The man who was shot in the hand was listed in stable condition at an area hospital, police said.
Port Allen woman dies in EBR three-vehicle crash
A42-year-old Port Allenwoman waskilled in athree-vehicle crash shortly before noon Monday in Greenwell Springs.
The crashonLa. 37 near Sandy
Creek Community Road in East Baton Rouge ParishkilledChiquita Rogers, accordingtoState Police.
Thepreliminary investigation revealed that Rogers was driving a 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt northbound on La. 37 andstoppedtomakea left turn. At the sametime, a2021 Freightliner tractor-trailer was also travelingnorth behind the Chevrolet,State Policesaid. For reasons still underinvestigation, the Freightliner struck the rear of theChevrolet, pushing it into thesouthbound lane, where it was struck on the right side by asouthbound 2020 Mack tractor-trailer Rogerswas taken to ahospital whereshe later died from her injuries, StatePolice said.
The drivers of theFreightliner andthe Mack were properlyrestrained and werenot injured
Floodgateshuttofight rising river
BY DAVID J. MITCHELL Staff writer
Apermanent gate that blocks backwater flooding from affecting 30,000peopleinsix parishes began to be closed Monday morning ahead of expectedhigh water on the Atchafalaya River The closureofthe 405-foot-long Bayou Chene floodgateisthe first time the 3-year-old structure has been used dueto high water in the Atchafalaya,aSt. Mary Parishlevee official said. The $80 million floodgate finished in April 2022 was first used last fall for Hurricane Francine.Levee district operationscrews began moving the submersible gate shortly before 7a.m. Monday andwere expectedtobefinished in the afternoon.
TimMatte,the former mayor of Morgan City and the levee district director, said the levee district decided to move the gate more than aweek sooner than its operational plan calls for when the Atchafalaya gauge at Morgan City hits 7feet.
The Atchafalaya at Morgan City was alittle over 4feet on Monday and isn’t predicted to hit 7feet untilApril 23,according to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecast Monday
Arelatively quick rise is predictedfor theAtchafalaya and, as that water rises, the flow in Bayou Chene moves more quickly,creating achallenge to move thegatethat’s longerthan afootball field and about as
VISAS
Continued from page1B
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, which protects student information, Tate declined to offer further information.
Katie Dawson, aspokesperson for the University of Louisiana system, confirmed that the UL and UNO students had beenaffected but declined to offerany more information, citing student privacy laws. The speed and scope of the federal government’sefforts to terminate the legal status of international students have stunned colleges across the country.Few corners of higher education have been untouched, as schools ranging from prestigious private universities, large public research institutions and tiny liberal arts colleges discoverstatus terminations one afteranother among their students.
At least 600 students at more than 90 colleges and universities have had their visas revoked or their legal status terminated in recent weeks, according to an AssociatedPress reviewof university statements and correspondence withschool officials. Advocacy groups collecting reports fromcolleges say hundreds more students could be caught up in the crackdown.
Around 1.1 million international students were in the United States last year —a
tall as afour-story building.
“Wethink by closing it a little bit earlier that it will accomplish two things. One, it will besafer,and we won’tput theequipment at anyrisk by closingita little earlierand,number two, thequickeryou can do that, themore water you can block from getting into the basin,” Matte said Crews must empty water from insidethe floodgate so it floats up from its resting locationalong the shore and can beswungonits hinge, knownasa pivotpile, into position in Bayou Chene andresubmerged.
The gate closes off the bayou,becomingthe central piece of a1,100-footlong floodwallthat goes across thebayou andties into levees that head off into Terrebonne Parish and Avoca Island
Thegate and its levees can holdback arise of about 6.5 feet, based on current waterlevels in the bayou, Matte said The floodgate south of
source of essential revenue fortuition-driven colleges. International studentsare not eligible for federal financial aid,and their ability to pay tuitionoften factors into whether they will be admitted to American schools. Often, they pay full price.
Many of the studentslosingtheir legalstatusare from India and China, which together account for more than halfthe international students at American colleges. But the terminations have not been limited to those from any one part of theworld,lawyers said Some of the students were involvedinpro-Palestinian protests, including Mahmoud Khalil, aColumbia University student and legal permanent resident whohas beendetainedinJenasince last month. Last week,an immigrationjudge in Louisiana ruled that Khalil could legally be deported Last month, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said theState Department was revokingvisas held by visitorswho were acting counter to national interests, including some who protested Israel’swar in Gaza andthose who face criminal charges.
But many students say they don’tfallunder those categories. Studentshave filed lawsuits in several states,arguing they were denied dueprocess.
TheDepartment of Homeland Security and State Department didnot respondto messages seeking comment.
Amelia protects St.Mary, Terrebonne, Lafourche, St Martin, Assumption and Iberville parishes from backwater floodinginthe basin.
Temporary submersible barges and sheet piles have been used four other times in roughly thesame location in BayouChene to block high watersinthe Atchafalaya —1973, 2011, 2016 and 2019.
In 2019, Gov.John Bel Edwards announced that the Coastal Protection andRestoration Authority would finance thefloodgate with federal revenue sharing from offshore oil and gas production.
Heavy rains in the Midwest are filling watersheds that drain intothe Mississippi and its related waterways, like theAtchafalaya.
TheAtchafalayaisprojected to peak at 7.5 feet at Morgan City on April 25, and stay at that height untilthe predawn hoursof April 26, when waters will begin to fall, accordingto
There areabout 6,850 international students in Louisiana, according to data from the U.S. Student and Exchange Visitor Information System. They made up just over 3% of all students in Louisianacollegesand universities last fall.
The visacancellations have resultedina flurry of legal action. On Tuesday,the ACLUofIndiana sued the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on behalf of seven Indiana international studentswhosevisas were “abruptly terminated without explanation.”
Earlierthis month, the ACLU of New Hampshire sued theDHS on behalf of aDartmouth College student.The lawsuit claimsthe student hadn’tcommitted a crimeorparticipatedina protest in the U.S. or elsewhere.
Foreigners who are subject to removal proceedings are usually sent anotice to appear in immigration court on acertaindate, but lawyers sayaffected students have not received any notices, leaving them unsure of next steps to take.
Some schools have told students to leavethe country to avoidthe risk of being detained or deported But some studentshave appealed theterminations and stayed in the UnitedStates while those are processed. Among the students who have filed lawsuitsisa Georgia Tech Ph.D. student who is supposedtograduateMay 5, withajob offer
theNOAA.
Last week, state officials suggested high water in theMississippi was leading to evaluation by theU.S. Army Corps of Engineers aboutpartially opening the Bonnet Carre Spillwayupstream of New Orleans. ButCorps officials said theriverisnot expectedto reach the requiredstreamflowtotrigger opening of the venerable series of floodgates near LaPlace. The spillway opens when Mississippi streamflow hits 1.25 millioncubic feet per second, or roughly 17 feet on theCarrolton gauge in New Orleans. Forecasts last week put the peak just below that level but within the forecast’smargin of error Th Ro 40.6 jorfl The he Rouge peaked also net
Standard toxicology samples were collected and will be submitted for analysis.
Woman found dead in WBR pond identified Awoman whose body wasfound in aWestBaton Rougepondhas been identified, but authorities don’t believe foul play was involved in her death.
Wanda Skipper,59, was found dead in apond behind aPort Allen residence in the 8200 block of Section Road shortly before11a.m. Mondayafter deputiesresponded to amissing-person report.
An officialcause of deathisstill pendingautopsy results, butthe West Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office confirmed it does not believe foul playwas involvedin Skipper’sdeath.
Blackbearseen in Zacharyarea
BY AIDAN McCAHILL Staff writer
Zachary residents woke up Monday morning to find ablack bear calmly wandering through their yards.
At about9:20 a.m. Brice Guidry spotted the bear walking alongLa. 19 near Grace Baptist Church in Slaughter.Itwas the first timehehad seen one in the wild, he said, which prompted him to stophis truck and snap aquick picture.
“I couldn’tbelieve it.I thought it wasabig dog,” he said. “It was just moseying along.”
The ZacharyPoliceDepartment alerted the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, but as of Tuesday morning, the bear’s status remained unknown.
The Louisiana black bear population has rebounded dramatically sincethe subspecies was listed as threatened in 1992, growing from the hundreds to around 1,500 statewide,according to John Hanks, LDWF’s largecarnivore program manager
While black bears are morecommon in northern and coastal parishes, Hanks said he believesthis bear
available,it’swarm, everything is green,” Hanks said. Hanks advised residents to secure food andbird feeders and lock their cars to avoid attracting bears. For more information on bear safety, visit bearwise.org.
Email Aidan McCahill at aidan.mccahill@ theadvocate.com or followhim on X, @AidanMcCahill47.
STAFF FILEPHOTO By BILL FEIG
Amodule for the floodgate is shown during construction of the BayouChene
J&J expects$400M in tariff-related costs
Health care giant Johnson &Johnson expects about $400 million in tariff-related costs this year
The costs will be felt primarily within the company’smedical technology unit, which makes a range of medical devices and surgical products. The most substantial impact comes from tariffs against China and retaliatory tariffs from China, said Joseph Wolk, Johnson &Johnson’schief financial officer,in aconference call with analysts following the company’slatest earnings results. The company’sestimate also includes the impact from tariffs on aluminum and steel, along with tariffs against keyU.S trading partners Canada and Mexico. Johnson &Johnson said that contractual agreements already in place limitits leverage on price increases that could potentiallysoften the impact.
The costestimate does not include possible tariffsonimports of pharmaceuticals. The Trump administrationhas launched an investigation into imports of pharmaceuticals, which is a step toward imposing tariffs. Tariffs, especially on pharmaceutical products, could lead to supply chain issues and shortages, said CEO Joaquin Duato. He said the best way to build up manufacturing in the U.S. is through tax policy,not tariffs.
Zuckerberg considered spinning off Instagram
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg once considered separating Instagram from its parentcompany due to worries about antitrust litigation, according to an email shown Tuesday on the secondsay of an antitrusttrial alleging Meta illegallymonopolizedthe socialmedia market.
In the 2018 email, Zuckerberg wrote that he was beginning to wonder if “spinning Instagram out” would be the onlyway to accomplish important goals, as big-tech companiesgrow.He also noted “there is anon-trivial chance” Meta could be forced to spin out Instagram and perhaps WhatsApp in five to 10 years anyway He wrote that while most companies resist breakups, “the corporate history is that most companiesactually perform better afterthey’ve been split up.” Zuckerberg, who was the first witness, testified formorethan seven hours over two days in the trial that could forceMeta to break off Instagram and WhatsApp, startups the tech giant bought more than adecade ago which have since grown into social media powerhouses.
The trial is one of the first big tests of the Federal Trade Commission’s ability to challenge Big Tech under the Trump administration. The lawsuit was filed against Meta —then called Facebook —in2020, during Trump’sfirst term. It claims the company bought Instagram and WhatsApp to squash competition and establish an illegal monopoly in the social media market.
Bank of America to pay $540M in FDIC suit
Afederal judge has ordered Bank of America to pay more than $540 million to resolve long-running litigation from a U.S. regulator that alleged the company underpaid mandatory assessments for deposit insurance. The order,reached March 31 and published publicly on Monday,arrives overeight years after the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation suedBankof America in 2017. Back in 2017,the FDIC accused Bank of America of refusingtopay more than $500 million in assessments—a figure it laterexpanded to $1.12 billion —alleging that the banking giant failed to honor a2011 regulatory rule and “unjustly enriched itself” at the FDIC’sexpense.
The Bank of Americalater filed amotion to dismiss in part, strongly denying it acted with an intent to evade such payments.
U.S. movesahead on tariffs
Probes launched on importsofcomputer chips, pharmaceuticals
BY ELAINE KURTENBACH AP business writer
BANGKOK TheTrump administration has taken its next stepstoward imposing more tariffsonkey imports,launchinginvestigations into imports of computer chips, chipmaking equipment andpharmaceuticals.
TheDepartment of Commerce posted notices about the probes late Monday on theFederal Register,seekingpublic comment within three weeks. It had not formally announced them earlier
Although President Donald Trump paused most of his biggest tariff hikes last week for90days,
apart from those for imports from China, he has said he still plans tariffs on pharmaceutical drugs, lumber,copper and computer chips.
The Commerce Department said it is investigating how imports of computer chips, equipment to makethem and productsthat contain them— whichinclude many daily necessities such as cars, refrigerators, smart phones and other items —affect national security.Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 permits the president to order tariffs for the sake of national security.
The probe includesassessing the potential for U.S. domestic production of computerchips to meet U.S demand and the role of foreign manufacturing andassembly, testing and packaging in meeting those needs.
Among other aspects of the entire computer chip supply chain,
thegovernment intends to also study the risks of having computer chip production concentrated in other places and the impact on U.S. competitiveness from foreign government subsidies, “foreign unfair trade practices andstatesponsored overcapacity.”
After Trump said electronics wouldnot be included in what his administrationcalls “reciprocal” tariffs of up to 50% on somenations,U.S.Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick explained in an interview on ABC News that pharmaceuticals, semiconductors and autos will be handled with “sector specific” tariffs “And those are not available for negotiation,” Lutnick said. “They are just going to be part of makingsure we reshorethe core national security items that need to be madeinthis country.Weneed to
makemedicineinthiscountry,” he said.“We need to make semiconductors.”
Theinvestigation into pharmaceutical imports includes ingredients used to make such drugs and touches on many of the same aspects of relying on imports to makethem
Askedabout his plans for more tariffs on pharmaceuticals, Trump saidMonday,“We’re doing it because we want to make our own drugs.”
More than 70% of the materials, or active pharmaceutical ingredients, usedtomakemedicines made in the United States are produced in other countries, with India, the EuropeanUnion and Chinaleading suppliers. TheU.S. produces about afifth of all pharmaceuticals made worldwide, but consumes about 45%,far more than any other country
Factoryhatches 5.5M Peepseachday
Sugary treats come in nine colors
BYTASSANEE VEJPONGSA and JOHN SEEWER Associated Press
BETHLEHEM, Pa.— Love them or hate them, those marshmallowPeeps that comeinblindingly bright colors and an array of flavors are inescapablearound theEaster holiday. Millions aremadedaily in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, by Just Born QualityConfections, afamily-owned candy manufacturer that also churns outHot Tamales, Mike and Ike fruitchews and Goldenberg’sPeanut Chews Peeps is Just Born’s most recognizable brand and one of ahandful of candies that evoke strong reactions—good and bad.
Some sayanEaster basket isn’tcomplete withoutPeepswhile others deride themas being indestructible. Some use theminrecipes or even artwork.
“Evenifyou’renot usually one to gravitate to eating the Peeps, there’s always so many other funwaystoinclude them in your celebrations,” said Caitlin Servian, brand manager for Peeps On average, about5.5 millionPeeps are made each day
That adds up to 2billion ayear —orroughly six Peeps for everyman, woman and child acrossthe U.S. That’s enough Peeps to circle the Earth twice.
First hatched in yellow, the sugary chicks and bunnies come in nine colorsfor this Easterseason, including pink, blue andlavender And there areeven more flavors —14for Easter —from cookies andcream, to fruit
punchand sourwatermelon. The varieties andcolorsvarythroughout the year with different holiday seasons.
Before the early 1950s, making the candies by hand took 27 hours.
Bob Born, who became known as the “Father of Peeps,” cameupwith away to speed up the process. He anda companyengineer designed amachine to makethem in less than six minutes. The same process is used today
The main ingredients —sugar,corn syrup andgelatin—are cooked andcombinedto createmarshmallows, which arethenshaped and sent through a“sugar shower.”
Awhopping 400 pounds of sugar is used per batch for Peeps’ colored sugars. Freshly made Peeps —each chick weighs one-third of an ounce —then move along a conveyor so that they can cool before being packaged.
Wall Street drifts throughquiet dayfollowing swings
U.S. bond market showssigns of calm
BY STAN CHOE
Associated Press
NEW YORK U.S. stocks drifted Tuesday through arare quiet day for financial markets.
TheS&P 500 slipped, the Dow Jones IndustrialAveragefell and theNasdaq composite edged down slightly
Themodestmovesoffered some respitefollowing the huge swings thathave battered Wall Street recently,not just daytoday butalso hour to hour. The day before, the S&P500 went from again of 1.8% to aslightlossand back to againas it struggled to keep up with shifts
in President DonaldTrump’strade war,which some economists warn could cause aglobal recession unless it’sscaled back. Perhaps more importantly,the U.S. bond market also showed more signs of calm after its sudden and sharp moves last week raised worries that investors worldwide may no longer see U.S. government bonds as ano-brainer go-to when times are scary
The yieldonthe 10-year Treasury eased to 4.33% from 4.38% lateMonday. It hadpulled back to there from 4.48% at theend of last week after surging from just 4.01% aweek earlier.Adrop in yields is what usually happens when investors are scared, and this week’smoves offera returntoform for what historically hadbeen seen as one of the safest
investmentspossible. Thevalue of the U.S. dollar also steadied after tumblinglast week, which had raised more worries that Trump’stradewar was degrading its status as asafe-haven investment, as with U.S. Treasury bonds. The dollar’svalue ticked higher againstthe euro andSwiss franc, though it slipped against theBritish pound.
On Wall Street,Albertsons’ stock fell 7.6% despite reportingastronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected.The companybehind Safeway, Vons andother grocery stores gave aforecast for profit in the upcomingyear that was short of analysts’. DaVita sank 3% for asecond straight drop after it saidaransomware attack is affecting some
of its operations. The health care company said it’sstill investigating theattack, whichitlearned about Saturday,and that it can’tyet know the “fullscope, nature, andpotential ultimateimpact.”
On the winning sideofWall Street was Bank of America, whichclimbed 3.6% after the Charlotte, North Carolina-based bank reported stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected.
Most bigU.S. banks have been reporting strong resultsfor the start of the year,boosted by their stock trading deskstaking advantage of all the huge swings caused by Trump’son-again, off-again tariff announcements. Citigroup also topped analysts’ expectations, and its stock rose 1.8%.
In 2022, the lot was valued at arange of $4,000 and $10,000anacre, saysRebecca Rothschild, who conducted the appraisal.
Havard began touting plans for amajor development there 18 months ago.
“More than 30 permanent jobs,lessthan100,” he said at an October 2023 Parish Council meeting. “No smokestacks —none of that kind of stuff. It’sgoing to be apretty green deal for us.”
Afew days later,the parish sold the land for $500,000 to M/V Industrial, aLafayette-based firm headed by Morgan “Chip” Vosburg.
This February,M/V Industrial bought more than 600acres of surrounding property for tens of millions of dollars. On the same day, it sold the newly acquired property—along with the 107 acres in the industrial site —toHut 8, aNorth American energy infrastructure and Bitcoin mining company,according to public records.
Hut 8has not disclosed the price. In Louisiana, public disclosure of real estate sales prices is not mandated.
“This cash sale is made andacceptedfor adequate and sufficient consideration, recitation of which is omitted at the requestofthe Purchaser andSeller,” reads the bill of sale between M/V Industrial and Hut 8.
Thecriticism
Jewell and other port commissioners say Havard undersoldthe property and that Grezaffi used hisposition to profit off the deal. At apublic Port Commission meeting in March, Jewell claimed he heard rumors that M/V Industrial sold the formerly parish-owned 107acre parcel to Hut 8for “upward of $12 million.”
In arecent interview,Lauren Field, another port commissioner,said she thinks Havard cut aquestionable deal.
“I just find it very unjust
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VIN, which matched aTahoe owned by the woman.
Deputies said Da’Sean Conley had an ongoingfeud with Richard that stemmed from him being upsetwith the man’sromantic relationship with his mother
The two men had afight at the Conley family’s Baker apartment the nightof the killing. Da’Sean Conley “punched and beat” Richard at theresidence along Shilo Drive before their altercation spilled outside.
Witnesses told investigators they saw Darius Conley holding Richard at gunpoint with an assault riflewhile Da’Sean Conley continuedto beat him. Neighborsreported hearing Richard pleading for the teen to stop, saying “hewould do anything they wanted,” according to arrest documents.
Moments afterthe two
that he would deprivethe West Felicianataxpayers of $11 million,”Field said.
When asked about the $11million,Grezaffisaid:
“Wecan’t disclose what it was sold for,but Ican tell youitwas not close to that. They’re going to be disappointedifthey knew.”
Havard said Vosburg approached him about buying theland in August 2023. The twodidn’t know each other said Havard, though he’d heard everything Vosburg “touches turns to gold.”
“They told me they were going to market it to an AI data center and Bitcoin. I said, what the hell is Bitcoin?”Havard recalled
He negotiated the dealfor the parish to sell the 107acre lot to M/V Industrial in October 2023 for $4,672per acre, he said, the lower end of its valuation
Though the ParishCouncildid approve thesale, Field said, there was little discussion of it during the meeting.
“The Parish Council in 2023 authorized himwithoutany question to sell that property,”Field said.
M/V Industrial also bought acreagesurroundingthe lotfrommultiple landowners, including an in-law of Field’s, beforesellingmost of it to Hut8
“Myhusband’sfamily owned the adjacent property,” Fieldsaid.“They sold for nowhere near what the parish sold for.”
Conelymen draggedthe victim into the Chevy Tahoe, witnesses reported hearing a“singlegunshot”gooff inside the SUV. Arrest affidavits state Cathy Conley wasseen on digital images comingout of the apartment later disposingofalarge bag.She was also captured on video footage dumping blood-soaked towels, investigators allege. Coshelia Conley originally told detectives shelast saw Richard alive hoursbefore the altercation, driving away from her Baker apartment in the Tahoe.
MONDAY,APRIL 14, 2025
PICK3: 3-7-7
In three transactions,M/V Industrial bought surroundinglandfor an averageof $14,642 an acre, public sales documents show, before selling it to Hut 8for an undisclosed amount
Richard Sykes, alocal developerand Port Commission member,said the price theparishgave M/V Industrial seemslow,especially for ahigh-potential property already zoned for industrial and commercial use.
“It’sunheard of to sell for $4,600 in theparish,” said Sykes,who opposes Havard’spush to dissolve the body
But Rothschild, the appraiser,said that despite the state certification, factorssuch as thesite’s terrain and distance from majorinterstates and the Mississippi didn’tmake it as attractive as other riverfront industrial-zoned sites in Louisiana.
“Untilvery recently, is was aless-than-desirable lot,” she said. “People were not buying it,even though it was being marketed.”
It was only after the AI marketbegan to rapidly develop thatbuyers saw its potential to supply energy, she said.
Shortlyafter thesale to M/VIndustrial,Havard and Vosburgsaid, they began to courtthe next potential buyers.
The twointerviewed “four to five”tech firms, including SustainHash andBit-
Investigatorsfound evidencethatthe killing happenedatthe apartmentcomplex and signs that someone tried used bleach and other chemical solutions to clean thescene,according to arrest documents.
Detectives found atrail of blood leadingfromthe parking lottothe Conleys’ apartment. Inside,theydiscovered blood residue on thefloors, light switches and sinks, deputies allege.
Email Matt Bruce at matt bruce@theadvocate.com.
deer Technologies, before deciding on Hut 8because it agreed to pay industrial taxes, Harvard said. As part of the deal, Vosburg says, Hut 8contracted with M/V industrial to buy up surrounding property needed for thefacility
“This is done all the time,” Vosburg said.“It’s very common in development in oil and gas.”
Commission president’srole Grezaffi, port commission president since 2013, says he is achildhood friend of Vosburg’sbut had no involvement in the initial dealings with M/V Industrial.
Grezaffi said he discussed thematter with the state ethics board anddecided to initially stay out of the deal. Even if he did take part,there’d be no conflict of interest because the Port Commission had no authority over the property,hesaid.
“I could have had somethingtodowith the property,but Iknew there could be some controversy… so Ihad nothing to do with theinitial conversation,” Grezaffi said. “I never spoke to Kenny about it.”
Grezaffi said he became more involvedayear later as the Hut 8deal grew near His holding company, Cedars Management, became amember of M/V Industrial in August 2024, according to staterecords.
“My role was keeping the train on the tracks,” he said.
Fieldstill sees aproblem with Grezaffi’s involvement
“He was aport commission officer and knew about aland deal,” she said.
Twoadditional limited liability corporations —STB Investments and Pointe Coupeell—were registered afew months before the sale of the property to Hut 8. State records show Vosburg andGrezaffi with ownership interest in those companies.
Grezaffisays those LLCs were created for other potential, smaller projects.
Despitethe politicalmaneuvering, both sidessay they don’twant to jeopardize the project. Havard says it could create 1,500 construction jobsand at least 300 permanent ones.
“Thisisgreat forthe parish, but it’s even better for the state …it’sgoing to create awhole new industry,” Havard said.
“Tome, this hasturnedout exactly how Ihoped it would happen,” Couhig said.
Reporter James Minton contributed to this story
Email Aidan McCahill at aidan.mccahill@ theadvocate.com or followhim on X, @AidanMcCahill47.
BY MARCO CARTOLANO Staff writer
Aroulettedealer at Caesars Casino in New Orleans and aViolet man werearrested Fridayand accused of stealing more than $10,000 from the casino through late bets, according to Louisiana State Police. Ahmod Junius, 23, and the dealer,46-year-old Margaret Lake, were each arrested on acount of theft between $5,000 and $25,000, troopers said. On Tuesday, detectives from the New Orleans Office of the State Police Gaming Enforcement Division began investigating thetheft anddetermined that Lake was intentionally assisting Junius by allowing him to place several late wagers, according to State Police. Detectives executed search and arrest warrants at Junius’ Violet homeFriday,arresting him and booking him intothe OrleansJustice Center.Lake was arrested andbooked into theOrleans Justice Center the same day Late bets refer to placing abet after the time when no more bets are allowedtobetaken.Late betting is considered a form of cheating. State Police did not say whatevidence was used to conclude that Junius was placing late bets and that Lakewas assistingJunius. Email Marco Cartolano at Marco.Cartolano@ theadvocate.com.
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Arnold, Verna
St.GeorgeCatholic Church at 10am
Braud, Wallace
St.John theEvangelistCatholic Church of Prairieville at 11:30am.
Diaz, Maria
St.John theBaptistCatholic Church Zacharyat6pm
Newsom, Calvin
St.John theBaptist Catholic Church in Brusly at 11am
Reine, Ronald OurLadyofthe Holy Rosary Catholic Church,44450Highway 429 SaintAmant,Laat11am.
Schnebelen, Montez
St.Jean VianneyCatholic Church in BatonRouge,LAat11:30am
Simon, Joseph Greenoaks FuneralHome, 9595 FloridaBlvd.,Baton Rougeatnoon.
Thibodeaux, Joyce Greenoaks FuneralHome, 9595 FloridaBoulevard, at 2p.m
Obituaries
Harris,Gene S.
Gene S. Harris, aresident of Baton Rouge, passed awayonSunday, April 13, 2025, at the age of 87. He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on October 23, 1937, to Ivy S. Lemoine and Samuel Harris. In his free time, Gene enjoyed gardening, fishing, and spending time with his family. He was preceded in death by his parents; his brother, Gerald Harris; and his great-granddaughter, Lorelei Truett. Gene is survived by his beloved wife of 67years, Emily C. Harris; his daughters, Deborah Horne and spouse, Tim, and Mitzi Gendron and spouse, Rob; his son, Dale Harris and spouse, Monti; his sister, Patricia Baronne; his grandchildren, Ashley Truett (Lance), Skye St. John (Lawrence), Lauren Behel (Heath), Amanda Roberts (Jason), Bailey Shoemake (Hunter), Reed Gendron, and Mason Gendron; and his great-grandchildren,
Max,Clark and Hollis Truett, Chandler andDrew St. John, Loganand Walker Behel, and Emersyn and Cole Roberts. Relatives andfriends areinvited to attend the FuneralService at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, April 17, 2025,atResthaven FuneralHome, 11817Jefferson HighwayinBaton Rouge. Avisitation will be held at the funeral home beginning at 9:30 a.m. Interment willfollow at St George CatholicChurch Cemetery. Family and friends may signthe online guestbookorleave apersonal note to the family at www.resthavenbatonroug e.com
Hebert,Donna D. Donna DemarsHebert passedawayonApril12, 2025 at the age of 77. Donna is survived by her children, Gene Patrick Hebert, Jr,and Helaine Hebert Zito. Sheisalsosurvived by her daughterinlaw KellyG Hebert and son in law Travis AZito. Also four grandchildren, Collin Hebert, KatherineHebert Sophia Zito, and Garrett Zito Sheisproceeded in death by herfather,OJDemars, motherAddie LDemars, and brotherGardy Demars
Insteadofmourning Donna by wearingblack, we willCELEBRATEher by wearing shades of purple, her favorite color. Please honor her this way. In lieu of flowers, we ask that if you are able,todonate to Habitatfor HumanityofGreater Baton Rouge. Visitation4/17 from 9-11 and FuneralMassat11am at St Alphonsus Catholic Church.
2025. He was 29 years old. He Livedand Lovedasa Husband, Father and CharterFisherman. Survived by HisWife KelsieJordan Romano and daughter LileeA Romano. Parents Desiree Germek Guidry, Ronald (Ronnie) Romano; Brothers Devon M Romano; Grant JGuidry and Lane GGuidry. Grandmothers Marylin (Kay) Wingate Calhoun and PatriciaJames Smith. Great Grandmother Barbara Townsend Wingate. Uncles Michael GermekDarst, ToddDarst,Bryan, Rustin, Tony and Bradley Romano
Preceded by Grandfathers John Calhoun and Anthony (Buddy) RomanoGreat Grandparents R.V. and LeolaJames, Robert (Bobby) Wingate and Roy Anthony and Daisy Palermo Romano. He was aGraduate of St Amant Highin2015. He Lovedhis Wife, Daughter, Dogand Fishing.Somewill argue theorder and on what dayofthe weekthey fellon. He willbeextremely missednot onlybythose he was closest to butalso many Friends and Extended Family
JosephEdgar Simon was welcomedinto theloving arms of Jesus as he passed peacefully at home from this worldinto his eternal reward surrounded by his family Tuesday, April 7, 2025. Alongtime resident of BatonRougefor 54 years, Mr. Simon was85, born in Lafayette, LA on February 4, 1940. ArrangementsmadebyGreenoaks
Funeral Home,9595 Florida Blvd.,Baton Rougefor Thursday, April16th. Visitationfor family 9:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.;friends from 10:00 a.m. until theservice begins at noon. Interment willbe2:00 p.m. at The Louisiana National Cemetery,303 W. Mount Pleasant Road,Zachary, LA. Known to his friends and family as Joe, he was the thirdchildoffour siblings, twoolder sisters and one younger brother. He is preceded in death by his wife Nita Simon, parents Joseph and Enola Simon, brotherin-lawsVictor Delcambre, CarrolClaus, nephews Ronald Tateand Christopher Tate. Joeissurvived by his twin sons, JosephSimon, Jamesand Kathy Simon; granddaughters Kathryn Simon, Kristina and Gabriel Saavedra;sisterLynn Claus, Pearl Delcambre, Gaylord and Patsy Simon and many wonderful nieces and nephews. Joewas agraduateof LafayetteHighSchool in 1958. He answeredthe call to servehis country and enlisted in theAir Force. With unwavering dedication, he faithfully served till an honorable medical dischargeshortenedhis military careerin1963,
reachingthe honorable rankofAirman Second Class stationedinReykjavik Iceland. Joedeveloped apassion for photography whileinthe military andcontinued using these skills with theFBI in New Orleansand Baton Rouge Joecontinued federal service as aUSPS carrier 15 years till early retirement in 1997. Not wanting to keepstill, Joeservedhis longestoccupation with Enterprise as he joined a funrankofretireesdriving theLouisiana roadsacting like "older"teenagers transportingcars, stopping forlunches andtelling Boudreauxand Thibodeauxjokes. He loved hisEnterprise colleagues andtheyreturnedthat love andrespect in kind. He wasmarriedtoJuanita Faye Hopkins of Marshall Texas, Saturday, April 23rd 1966 at St.Genevieve Catholic Churchof Lafayette. Familyvacationswerespent with friends and relativesin Slidell,Lafayette, New Iberia, HollyBeach, and Colfax Louisianaalong with Marshall andElysian FieldsTexas. Lotsoffood, fellowship,fun andlaughterencompassedtheir weekendsand summers
Pallbearers are nephews Steve Woodley, Wayne Woodley, DamonHopkins, Tommy Hall, Keithand Scott Claus, JessieDelcambreand his favorite brother-in-law Elray DuBois. Honorary pallbearers are longtime best friend Richard Jones, friend and neighbor Roland Sanchez andEnterprise drivingbuddy BillScott. In lieu of flowers, the familyrequests grateful donationsbe made in hishonor to Our Lady of theLake Children's Hospital.
Reporting you can trust on stories that matter
Simon, Joseph Edgar
OPINION
OUR VIEWS
Jobdisparities in La.’senergy, chemical industries need addressing
It is disappointing to read that, decades after chemical- and energy-based industriesproliferated across the United States and in Louisiana, the employment opportunities that they provide arestill not widely shared.
That’sthe conclusion of anew analysis undertakenbyateam from Tulane Law School and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The study,published lastweekinthe academic journalEcological Economics, parsedpublicly available federalemployment data to arguethat people of colorlack broadaccess to thehighest paying job in those industries.
Louisiana did not fare well in thereport. St John the Baptist Parish, forexample, had the worstdisparities of all the areas the authors studied. The parish has apopulation that is approximately 70% people of color,but only about 17% of the highest-payingjobs at local chemical plantsare held by peoplewho are non-White It’s better in the lowest-paying jobs, butstill only about 50% of those are held bypeopleof color,the researchers found.
Statewide, approximately 40%of working-age Louisianans are people of color,but only 18.5% of those at the upper echelonsinthose industries are, the study found.
Among other states with highconcentrations of petrochemical industries, Texasand Illinois arealso among those with the worst disparities.
The authors found thatthe oft-citedexplanation for these disparities —that differences in education resultindivergingemployment results —did not justify thestatus quo.InSt. John, for instance, they concluded that among the parish’sresidents there was “almost noracial gap in college education.”
The study also raises questions about the promises made when newplantsare announced or planned.
“Wealways think of pollution versusjobs trade-off,” said Kimberly Terrell, aresearch scientist at the Tulane EnvironmentalLaw Clinic. “It’snot really atrade-off when the people whoare beingimpactedaren’t getting anyof the benefits and aregetting allofthe cost.”
Thestudy’sauthors urge state andlocal authorities to consider economic benefitdistribution when deciding whether to permit anew project. In otherwords, officials should specifically make sure there are plansthatwill enable people of color, especiallylocals, to get highpaying jobs.
These conclusions werehailed byenvironmental justice groups like Rise St. James,which haslongargued that petrochemical plants in that parish disproportionately harm minority communities. On the other side, industry leadersinLouisiana stressed that they worked hard to make opportunities available for all residents.
We urge state and industry leaders to study these findings carefullyand redouble theirefforts to open employment opportunitiestoall. Per the study,this means not just investing in job training and educational initiatives, but undertaking specific policies tomake surejob creation benefitslocal communities.
Thesecommunities livewiththe effects of having alarge-scale industrial facility nearby. It’sonly right that they should also reap the benefits.
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.
Trump’santagonizingcould harm state’stourism industry
President Donald Trump’srecent comments on Canada —specifically, his proposal for Canada to becomethe “51st state” —are troubling for many reasons, not least of which is the potential economic harm it could inflict on New Orleans. Canadian visitors contribute significantly to our economy In 2023, Canadian touristsplayed a keyrole in the city’stourism industry, generating millionsinrevenue and supporting tensofthousands of local jobs. Canada represents theNew Orleans region’sNo. 1international tourism source, and any disruption to this flow could be devastating. According to a recent report, just a10% decline in Canadian visitation to the U.S. could lead to aloss of $2.1 billion in spending and theelimination of 14,000 jobs. International visitors are considered “long-haul” travelers, who generally stay longer and, in turn, spend more money,making them alucrative part of our tourism market. International touristsalso tend to travel to more places across the statethan domestic
tourists.
For New Orleans, where tourism representsnearly 40% of the operating budget, theloss of Canadian travelers would directly impact our economic growth, the taxes needed to keep our community safe and the livelihoods of 75,000 workers in our hospitality and entertainment sectors. Given the recent and arguably shortsighted tensions between the U.S. and Canada, it is critical to ask: Are Louisiana’srepresentatives in Washington, as well as our governor,taking the action needed to protect Louisiana’s economy? Will they put politics aside and stand up to theWhite House to address thereal consequences this antagonism could have on tourism and jobsinNew Orleansand Louisiana? Ourelected officials need to act decisively to ensure that New Orleans remainsa top destination forinternational visitors. The economic stakes are simply too high to ignore.
GRANT COOPER NewOrleans
City workershandled problem, should be praised
Government inefficiency has been in the news lately,sowewanted to tell our story.Wehad asewerage issue at our house that aplumber thought could be caused by aclog in the city line, so we called the sewerage inspector. He was at our house that afternoon. From theevidence we had, he concluded that the clog was on our property, so we forged ahead withthe plumber to fix it.However,the plumber’scamera showednew evidence that aproblem could entail alot of work on city servitude, so we recalled the city
Let’sget real. We hear constantly that we need to cut our federal taxes. What we don’thear regularly that our federal debt is currently $1.8 trillion, andthat our annual revenue requires $138 billion, or 8% of our federal revenue, just to pay interest on our federal debt.
inspector,who, again, came that very day He reversed his opinion and undertook to call the sewerage contractor for thecity,Allen &LeBlanc. This occurred at noon on aFriday.The contractor came within the hour,and worked until 7that evening so we could use theplumbing over the weekend. We were so grateful forthe prompt attention of the city and of the contractor they chose.
GEORGIA WILEMON Baton Rouge
The next time politicians tell you they are running to cut your taxes, ask them if they understand economics. Tell them instead that they might get your voteifthey run on abalanced budget
RAYSCHELL Prairieville
Iwant to discuss the Department of Children and Family Services and its impact on families, particularly regarding child protective services.
While this agency is designed to protect children, it often faces criticism forpractices that can lead to the unjust disruption of families. Many feel that the system prioritizes its procedures over the well-being of children, resulting in unnecessary separations that deeply affect both parents and children.
Iaim to provide practical advice and resources forfamilies dealing with DCFS, especially those who cannot afford legal representation. Navigating the system can be overwhelming. But there are strategies families can use to advocate for themselves. By sharing feedback, mechanisms and support resources, Ihope to empower families to stand up against injustices they may face within the system.Mygoal is to foster resilience and unity within families and ensure they have the tools and knowledge to navigate these challenges effectively
DIAMON BELL Baton Rouge
Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association President Tommy Faucheux’sletter of March 5promoting “carbon capture as economic development” and “the key to Louisiana’senergy future” mademethink of the Hans Christian Andersen story,“The Emperor’sNew Clothes,” and Iwondered how long Faucheux had worked as fantasy tailor
Let’sface it, carbon capture is nothing morethan asophisticated form of griftwhose only reason for existence is to scavenge money from the public treasury with no corresponding benefit to society RACHAELHUGGHINS Baton Rouge
Louisiana will see hundreds, then thousands, of members of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. as they head from their southern Louisiana homes, from parishes across the state, from Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas —the four states that make up Omega’s Mighty Ninth District. There willbeOmega brothers from beyond this region, too, because nearly everyone loves visiting New Orleans. The Bruhz will be headquartered at the HyattRegency on Loyola in New Orleans for the 88th annual district meeting. There were close to 2,000 brothers registered to take care of Omega’sfraternal business the last time Ichecked. That might be the official count, but if you’re anywhere in or near downtown and the Central BusinessDistrict, expect to see hundreds or thousands more men dressed in purple and gold. Freshly minted Tulane University Omega brothers Rodrek Williams, Justin Haysbert, Shazz Preston, Gerrod Henderson and George Washington will likely be there when they don’thave school responsibilities. Caleb McCray,Isaiah Smith and Kyle Thurman won’tbethere.
Neither will Caleb Wilson.
Wilson died one night in February after something happened during an unauthorized fraternity off-campus activity.Police allege that Wilson and others were punched. They say Wilson collapsed. McCray, Smithand Thurman have been charged in the incident. They were my Omega brothers. Now they are not. The fraternity expelled them. Wilson likely would’ve been my Omega brother.Now he’s not. From all I’ve heard from those who knew him, he would’ve been a great Omega brother
The fraternity Iknow has azerotolerance policy against hazing, and we’ve been against hazing for decades. That doesn’tmean thatthere aren’tlots of Omegamen who have experienced hazing. “It was horrible,” said one Omega withmore than 70 years in the frat. “No one should experience that.” I, too, was hazed. Not as bad, though. The fraternity and most Omegamen have matured. Hazing is taken seriously.Like other fraternities and sororities, bands and organizations, hazinghas been an unofficial part of us. But it’swrong. And it’sagainst the law
Touting ourselves with an unofficial mascot hasn’thelped. Don’tcall me a “Que Dog.” I’m an Omega man
The Wilson case is probably the most prominent case since theLoui-
How did I, my parents, grandparents and ancestors going back to the founding of thenationmanagetoget adecent education before the federal Department of Education (DOE) was created byJimmy Carterand aDemocratic Congress?
Quite well, thank you. Iwent to apublic school where the basics weretaught —math, reading, U.S. history and science without apolitical agenda —and Igraduated from college without help from thegovernment. Ipaid back my small (by today’s standards) student loan. Tuition was cheaper thenbecausegovernment had not become involved in education to the extent it has today
siana Legislature passed the felony anti-hazing lawcalled the Max Gruver Act in 2018. The Legislature named it after aLSU Phi DeltaTheta fraternity pledge who died from an alcohol poisoning hazing incident in 2017. Prosecutors can bring felony charges in hazing incidents involving coerced consumption of alcohol, serious bodily harm or death.
I’mcertain ourOmegafounders didn’tenvision hazing when they establishedour four cardinal principles forOmega: manhood, scholarship, perseverance and uplift.For the more than four decades that I’ve been an Omega,the fraternity has increasingly come down hardagainsthazing —with words, actions and punishment.
Thefraternity Iknow expelled three Memphis police memberswho were involved with the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols in 2023. The fraternity Iknow expelled members who were involved withthe unauthorized and unsanctioned activity thatled toWilson’sdeath.
Wilson, 20, aSouthern University and A&MCollegejunior majoring in mechanical engineering, died on a February night in Baton Rouge as he wasdoing what he thought he had to do to become an Omega. The caseis still being investigated by theBaton RougePolice Department, Southern University and Omega. There could be more charges. Therecould be more expulsions. Iwas initiated in July 1981 in aNew Jersey graduate chapter.Soon after,
Ibecame alife member,making a lifelong commitment to thefraternity beyond learning theorganization’s history,learning organization poems and songs and learning asecret handshake.
Ipaid what for me was alarge sum in my 20s.I’ve been achapter,district and national committee member,a chapter officer and adistrict officer I’ve volunteered with thegood brothers of Omega’sRho Phi Chapter scanning tickets at the New OrleansJazz and HeritageFestival. Next year will be my 45thyear in thefrat.
When Iheard the news about Wilson,myheart dropped and my shoulderssunk. Iwanted to write about the incident back then.Icouldn’t. Iwas so angry.One of my brotherstold me he cried. Omegas are hurting.
Ididn’tknow Wilson or themen charged in the incident. People I know tellmethosewho have been charged are good people, good people who made amistake.
Unfortunately,one or more mistakes cutshortthe life of ayoung man with apromising future.
As Omegas gather in New Orleans, Iask my brotherstorecommittothe organization’sfounding principles and stop hazing. Iexpect Omegatodo even more. Iexpect the state Legislaturetodomore. But, in theend, we must take individual responsibility as Omegamen to stop thecancer that hazing has become.
Email Will Sutton at wsutton@ theadvocate.com.
These tariffs, just not those tariffs.
This has been the mealy-mouthed critique of President Donald Trump’strade wars from many Democrats. They awkwardly triangulate between bashing Trump’scatastrophic ideas and touting support for their own similarly spirited, if scaled-down, ideas No wondertheir message is falling flat.
Trump’scurrent tariff regime —including “only” 10% levies on 70 countries, plus 145% on China will devastate the U.S. economy. His tariffs imposed so far are estimated to raise atypical household’sannual costs by $2,700, with lower-income Americans shouldering the biggest burden. Recession risks have surged, companies have begun furloughing workers, and our once-close allies are flipping us the bird.
If this is acurse to the U.S. economy,itshould be awindfall for Democratic politicians. Instead, Democrats areblowing their good fortune.
Rather than shouting from the rooftops that trade wars are bad, Democrats babble in “yes, buts.” Yes, these particular tariffs are costly and regressive, they say,but when Democrats impose tariffs, somehow they present no such downsides.
The most obvious cognitive dissonancerelates to Trump’sfirst-term tariffs. Democrats assailedthese policies in the 2018 midterms and 2020 presidential election —shortly before adopting themastheir own. For instance, in 2019 then-presidential candidate Joe Biden said Trump’sChina tariffs ledto“American farmers, manufacturers and consumers losing and paying more.” The 2020 Democratic platform said Trump had “launched reckless, politicallymotivated tariff wars that have punished American workers, antagonized our allies, and benefitedour adversaries.” They were right!
But as president, Biden extended (nearly) all of Trump’sexisting tariffs. In some cases, he expanded them or replaced them with slightly different trade barriers. He did so with vigorous support from his party Giventhis checkered record, it’snowonderDemocrats struggle to articulate aclear,credible critique of Trump’s(now muchworse) tariff policy.
In asocial media video this month, House Democrats opened with an awkward defense of protectionism: “I think awrong-for-decadesconsensus on ‘free trade’ has been arace to the bottom,” Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Pennsylvania, said, adding thatwe need “a better trade approach” that is “pro-worker. Deluzio clarified that he didn’tmean Trump’strade approach, per se —even though Republicans likewise claim Trump’sapproach is “pro-worker.” Recently,Michigan Gov.Gretchen Whitmer,a Democrat, gave aspeech criticizing Trump for wielding tariffs like a“hammer.” When askedhow would she deploy tariffs differently,Whitmercould not answer.“Idon’tknow how Iwould have enacted them differently,” she said. “I haven’treally thought about that. What Ihave thought about, though, is, you know,tariffs are, need to be used like ascalpel, not ahammer.”
President Donald Trump’s stated goal of eliminating the DOE has begun with his executive ordersdownsizing the bureaucratic population andfederal grants. He will need Congresstoapprove its complete demolition.
The failure of the DOE to improve testscoresinwhat was once considered the basics is wellknown,but it bears repeating.
Federal spending on K-12 public schools has tripled just in thelast two decades, but proficiencyin reading and math has declinedand if tumultuous meetings at school boards across
LETTERS TO THEEDITORARE
the country are any indication, parents are increasingly fed up. Accordingtoanew Gallup poll, thepercentage of adults who report being dissatisfied with the public schools has steadily increased from 62% in 2019 to 73% today.That’s thelowest, notes Gallup, since 2001. Just how desperate theestablishmentistopreserve this failingeducation system can be seeninabill under consideration bythe Illinois legislature. If passed, it would severely harm the growing home-school movement. The bill would require home-school families to submit forms each year to their local public school that include names, birthdates, grade levels and home addresses of their children. Families whofail to submit the forms would be subject to criminal truancy penalties. Nevermindthat fewer than one in three Chicagopublic school students can read at grade level. Federal,state and local governments provide $878.2 billion, or $17,700 per pupil, to fund K-12 public education, according to the Education Data Initiative. Clearly thereturn on this investment is not advancing education achievement.
AWall Street Journal editorial doesn’tlet Republicans off the hook when it comes to education misspend-
ing at all levels: “Republicans in recent decades have helped Democrats expand the Education bureaucracy and balance sheet. Its $1.6 trillion in student debt would make it the fifth largest U.S. bank. The (DOE) doles out $270 billion ayear,which it can use to promoteaPresident’s agenda and please parochial interests in Congress.” That last part is where much of thechallenge lies when it comes to reform,not only in theDOE, but in so manyother programs and legislation where members vote according to their own interests, not thegeneral welfare. Whatever good theDOE might do can be rolled into other government agencies and the building leased to privatecompanies which will help reduce thenational debt.
Iwas not an “A” student in my public schools, but the quality of education Ireceived prompted me later in life to pursue knowledge in history and other subjects.
When he was running for president in 1980, Ronald Reagan told aPBS interview thefederal government had “usurped” education “and has proven incapable of operating (it).”
No one could have said it better Email Cal Thomasattcaeditors@ tribpub.com
Elsewhere, lefty populist thinkers explain that Trump’stariffs are bad but tariffs could be good if only the resulting revenue were usedfor things Democrats like. Both they and their horseshoetheory-demonstrating conservative counterparts contend that Trump’sexecution might be lousy but the underlying premise —that Americamust build higher economic walls —remains correct Real trade wars, it seems, have never beentried. To be clear,there are some limited circumstances in which tariffs (or sanctions) could be an appropriate way to build U.S. capacity or punish badbehavior.For example, if an adversarial country has a stranglehold on some technology criticaltonational defense. Or if an exporter is using slave labor
But that’snot what either party has endorsed. Both Trump and his Democratic critics have supported broad tariffs on our allies and on randomconsumer goods (tiki torches, guitars, toothbrushes) with no plausible security or “resiliency” justification. How did Democrats back themselves into this corner? Partly they’re pandering to pro-tariff constituencies (i.e., unions, once reliable Democratic allies). Populist, anti-“neoliberal” think tanks have also overtaken the party.These often employpolitical operatives churning out pseudo-scholarly research, whichthe media then credulously cites.
That’show you end up with Democratic leaders embracing such quackery as “greedflation” and price controls —both of which, by the way,the Trump administration is also nowflirting with. This Trump blunder should be yet another layup for Democrats, but they can’treally dunk on it now, can they?
But the political calculus on all this is changing. Aggressive trade barriers, no longer abstract hypotheticals, are proving as disastrous as “neoliberal” economists predicted. Americans hate Trump’s tariffs. Even most manufacturing workers think they’re abad idea, according to aPostpoll. Democrats should stop pulling their punches. What the country needs is an unequivocal, full-throated condemnation of pandering protectionism. Let this be the moment that liberates the Democratic Party from the populists tying them to the same mercantilist, regressive, costly command-and-control economic policies that so often drive Trump’sagenda
Email Catherine Rampell at crampell@washpost. com.
Will Sutton
Catherine Rampell
Cal Thomas
STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER
Friends pose outside the Celebration of Life Services for Caleb Wilson at Pilgrim Baptist Church in Kenner on March 15.
Baton Rouge Weather
Kellyreflects on Lacy’s death
LSUcoach
says WR ‘was abrightstar’
BY REED DARCEY Staff writer
Coach Brian Kelly on Tuesday
reflected on the death of former LSU wide receiver Kyren Lacy after the Tigers wrapped up their penultimatespring practice.
Lacy,24, died in Houston on Saturdayfromanapparentselfinflicted gunshot wound while authorities pursued him in acar chase, according to theHarris County Sheriff’s Office.On Monday,agrand jury was scheduled to hear evidence related to the fa-
talcar crash that Louisiana State Police accused himofcausing in December
“Kyren was abright star,” Kelly said. “He had an incredible personality.I’ll remember him as somebody that had alovefor the game,a love for being aTiger and was aguy that played with greatemotion. When you think of Kyren, you’re gonna smile most of the time because of the way he handledhimself
“He was aguy that was fullofenergy,and Ithink alot of his teammates will remember him that way as well.”
Kelly said LSU will“lean heavily” on itsprofessional counseling staff in thedays andweeksahead to give players access to one-on-
oneconversations, if they need them, to process Lacy’s death.
“Certainly,it’sa processfor them,” Kelly said, “the grieving andshock,and certainly,the disbelief.
“I think everybody on our team in some way had arelationship at different levels with Kyren. So, everybody is gonna deal with it differently,sofirst,understanding that, right? That there’s not one way that you’re supposed to feel, right?”
On Jan. 12, state police said Lacy was booked into Lafourche Parish Correctional Complex on countsof negligenthomicide, felony hit-andrun and reckless operation
ä See LACY, page 3C
LINE ’EMUP
Saints have optionsif they target offensivelinemen again
BYLUKE JOHNSON Staff writer
April 24-26.
Four of the New Orleans Saints’ Week 1starters in 2024 along the offensiveline were homegrown, and all of them were top-50 picksintheir respective drafts. Might the Saints tryto make it five in 2025? It may as well have been written in inkthat the Saints were going to select an offensive tackle with their firstround pick ayear ago. New Orleans had aglaring need at the position, and nobody knew whattomake of 2022 firstrounder Trevor Penning. New Orleans followed through, selecting Taliese FuagaNo. 14 overall. Fuaga was imperfect as arookie, especially against high-level pass rushers, but he immediately fortifiedthe left edge of theoffensive line with aphysicalplaystyle.Penning, shifted to the right side, turned in his best season as a professional by far— though that was alow bar to clear This year,the Saints’attention turns to guard. Theylost one veteran (Lucas Patrick, who signed with theBengals)
but picked up another (free agentsigneeDillon Radunz), but it’sprobablynot agood idea to write Radunz’sname in pen in the starting five.
NFL talentevaluatorscan’t seem to figure out whether several prospectsinthis class fit better as guards or tackles at the next level.
That was aquestion with Fuaga last year as well.And while New Orleans has shown no inclination to make this type of move, guard may wind up being Penning’sbestposition,too. Even though the Saints have bothtackles returning from lastseason, is it out of the questionthatthey use one of their premiumpicks on one of the top tackles in this draft, with theideaofshifting either thedraft pick or oneof their current startingtackles inside? Or perhapsthe Saints would prefer to snap up apure guard later in the draft. Here are some players who makesense.
LSUOTWill Campbell
Dependingonthe scouting service, Campbell is considered the best offensive linemaninthis class, andhe might have been considered asurefire top-fivepick if it weren’tfor the measurables. Yes, we’re talking arm length. Campbellmeasured in with 32 -inch arms at the NFLcombine, which is short by NFL standards and is whysome wonderwhether he will need to play guard in theNFL.But despitegoing up against some of college football’sbest pass rushers in the Southeastern Conference,
See SAINTS, page
LSUbats rebound to best McNeese
BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer
Two-out hittinghad been acalling card for the LSUlineupthrough the first 34 games of the season. Butlast weekend against Auburn, LSU struggled at the plate. It went 8for 33 with two outsand scored just eight runs in athree-game sweep. The batsneeded areset on Tuesday night at Alex Box Stadium. It didn’ttake long for therefresh to take effect LSUscoredthree runs in thefirst inning, arun in the second and four in the fourth to cruise to a10-3 victory over McNeese State. Junior Jared Jones led the Tigers by going 3for 3withatwo-run home run andtwo walks. Junior EthanFreywent 3for 4with arun-scoring double. Eight of LSU’snine starters had at least one hit through thefirst five innings.
Jones’ homer and arun-scoring single from sophomore Jake Brown gave LSU (32-6) the 3-0 first-inning lead before its next five runs came with two outs. Jones singled home junior Chris Stanfield in thesecond beforerun-scoring singles from Frey, sophomore Steven Milamand senior Luis Hernandez gave LSUan8-2 lead afterfourinnings Brown alsoreached on an errorfrom McNeese State shortstopEaston Dowell thatallowed arunner to touch home. Freshman right-hander William Schmidt started for LSU. He allowed twoearned runs andfive hits in 31/3 innings, tossing threescorelessframes before running intotrouble in the fourth. Afterstriking out the leadoff batter, Schmidtsurrendered adouble and a two-run homer thatcut LSU’slead to 4-2. He thengave up asingle and awalk before getting replaced by junior righthander Connor Benge.
Benge ended the McNeese (27-6) threat by forcing aflyout on afull count and getting astrikeout for the third out. He didn’tlast long after that, hitting the first batter he faced in the fifth and getting taken out for left-hander Conner Ware. Ware walked two batters and forced asacrificeflythatscored arun,cutting LSU’slead to 8-3. Freshman right-hander MavrickRizy replaced him and got apair of strikeoutstoescape abasesloaded jam.
Tuesday turnedintoone of Rizy’sbest appearances for the Tigers. In 22/3 innings, he struck out six batters, allowed just one hit with no walks on 41 pitches.
Campbell allowed
STAFF FILE PHOTOByHILARy SCHEINUK
LSU wide receiverKyren Lacyshakes hands with coachBrian Kelly before walking down victory hill before kickoff against UCLA on Sept. 21 in TigerStadium. Lacydied Saturday in Houston fromanapparent selfinflicted gunshot wound.
STAFF FILE PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK
LSU left tackle Will Campbell, right,blocks Florida defensivelineman CamJackson on Nov. 16 in Gainesville, Fla. Campbellisthe top-rated offensivelineman by some services in the NFLdraft. He allowedjust twosacks in his final twoseasons at LSU
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTOS Missouri offensivelineman Armand Membou, above, and North Dakota State State offenisvelineman Grey Zabel, below, perform at the NFL scouting combine on March 2inIndianapolis.
STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK
LSUright fielder Jake Brown can’tcome up with acatchagainst McNeese on TuesdayatAlexBox Stadium
LSU hopes Sutton’s numbers translate
BY TOYLOY BROWN III Staff writer
One focus of LSU men’s basketball coach Matt McMahon’s attempt to remake his roster this offseason was to bring in experience and physicality, two glaring issues from last season.
Omaha transfer Marquel Sutton, who is entering his fifth collegiate season, arguably embodies those qualities more than any of LSU’s five transfer portal signings.
The 6-foot-9, 225-pound forward was the Summit League Player of the Year after averaging 18.9 points on 47.9% shooting from the field and 27.7% from the 3-point line. He also averaged 7.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.
The Tulsa, Oklahoma, native started his career at the juniorcollege level at Connors State College in Oklahoma. He recently led Omaha (22-13) to a Summit League regular-season and tournament title, and a NCAA Tournament appearance as a No. 15 seed.
Sutton’s best ability is his rebounding. He had a 22.6% defensive rebound rate, good for second in his conference. He had nine double-figure rebounding games and had a Summit League Tournament record 18 rebounds in the championship game against St. Thomas.
A proven rebounder is what LSU needs after finishing 347th in defensive rebound rate last season, according to KenPom.
Sutton is most comfortable scoring as a rim finisher in post-ups and fastbreak situations With his strong frame, he overpowered the smaller forwards in his conference. His rugged build also complemented his cutting. While Sutton’s athleticism isn’t immense, he still finished 36 dunks and made 70.4% of his 206 shots at the rim, according to BarTorvik.
A healthy share of his dunks came in the open court, where he’s capable of grabbing a rebound and advancing the ball.
Sutton’s self-created scoring likely will not be efficient offense in the Southeastern Conference. He was accustomed to having mismatches because many of his defenders were shorter and less athletic than him. Against similar-sized defenders, Sutton doesn’t have the moves to create easy scoring. The closest facsimile to SEC
competition on Omaha’s schedule were games against UNLV, Minnesota, Iowa State and St John’s. Against those opponents, Sutton averaged 10.8 points on 31.4% from the field (1 of 14 from 3), 5.3 rebounds and 1.5 turnovers in 32.5 minutes. Against St. John’s in the NCAA Tournament, he scored 11 points on 5-of-16 shooting while grabbing four rebounds.
The 22-year-old is not a high leaper or flexible mover At times, his feet looked heavy when maneuvering through traffic. He sometimes shuffles his feet when he looks to attack on the perimeter, and he isn’t an adept ballhandler in the half court.
The athletic concerns are pronounced on defense. He isn’t a good lateral mover, limiting his help and perimeter defense. He is more bound to the ground and not overly strong to make up for it when defending high-major bigs. Sutton’s raw defensive numbers were poor in the Summit League, which was ranked as the 17th-best conference by KenPom. He averaged only 0.8 steals and 0.3 blocks. Against the four toughest teams, he was sometimes outmatched physically by players shorter than him.
To be a large-minute player, Sutton has to be a 3-point shooting threat for LSU. His 3-point shoot-
ing volume (101 attempts) was high, but he simply missed far too many
He made 25 of 91 (27.5%) on catch-and-shoot 3s and 9 of 33 (27.3%) when unguarded in the same scenario, according to Synergy
While the Omaha signing will lose some of his advantages he once enjoyed in the Summit League, he’ll be asked to do far less for LSU. Sutton’s rebounding and experience should translate, giving him a chance to contribute for the Tigers right away Email Toyloy Brown III at toyloy.brown@theadvocate.com
WNBA draftees now aim to make rosters
BY DOUG FEINBERG
NEW YORK Paige Bueckers will be heading to Dallas, the latest transcendent college star to go No. 1 in the WNBA draft Her spot is assured with the Wings. It may be tough for a lot of the other 37 players drafted Monday night to make teams when training camps open in less than two weeks. The WNBA has notoriously been one of the toughest leagues to make. Even with the addition of the expansion Golden State Valkyries this season, there’s a maximum of 156 roster spots in the league.
Last year’s draft class headlined by Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese had 13 players make opening day rosters, which was down two from the previous season and four from 2022. Many teams draft international players to stash them overseas until potentially having them join the franchise at a future date. The league is growing on and off the court.
Last season had record viewership and attendance, which has led to huge optimism in the WNBA heading into the season which begins on May 16. While this season is in a good place, the league and players union are working on a new collective bargaining agreement that will need to be decided before the 2026 season takes place.
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said she’s “optimistic about coming to a transforma-
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JOHN RAOUX
UConn guard Paige Bueckers looks to shoot against UCLA during the Final Four game on April 4 in Tampa, Fla
tional CBA at some point.” She described the talks being in the early phases. Players are looking for higher salaries, a new economic model and improved benefits.
“We want to have a fair deal for all, but it has to be within the confines of a sustainable economic
model that goes on for 10 years,” she said. Salaries are going to be a huge part of the negotiations. They are expected to grow exponentially in the new CBA with the 11-year media rights deal the WNBA signed last July that will bring in at least
LSU women add forward transfer from East Carolina
The LSU women’s basketball team picked up a commitment Tuesday from a transfer forward who started 72 games across three seasons at a mid-major school.
Amiya Joyner, a 6-foot-2 rising senior from East Carolina, is now in line for a role in coach Kim Mulkey’s overhauled frontcourt rotation.
Joyner averaged 15.0 points and 9.6 rebounds last year in 32 appearances with the Pirates. She also shot 48% from the field. In 2022, she was one of the top 100 high school recruits in the country according to ESPN, and the most highly rated freshman signee in East Carolina program history
The Tigers now have landed two transfer forwards: Joyner and 6-5 rising sophomore from Notre Dame Kate Koval.
Reed’s great Masters run opens major opportunities
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Patrick Reed was so consumed with a putter that went cold during the Masters that he might not have contemplated where his third-place finish could lead. He moved up to No. 49 in the world ranking, which at the very least assures a spot in the PGA Championship next month if he wasn’t in already And the PGA Championship gives him another chance to accrue ranking points, something he can’t get with LIV Golf.
The PGA Championship, to be played May 15-18 at Quail Hollow, is the final week before the U.S. Open exempts the top 60 in the world. It doesn’t take much for Reed to move up because his divisor in the formula is at the minimum 40.
Smith to retire with Dallas with a one-day contract
Tyron Smith is set to retire with the Dallas Cowboys after the perennial Pro Bowl left tackle spent his final season with the New York Jets. The Cowboys set a Wednesday announcement from Smith without providing any details. A person who spoke with The Associated Press said the 34-year-old intended to sign a ceremonial oneday contract in order to retire with the franchise that drafted him in the first round 14 years ago.
The selection of Smith at No. 9 overall triggered a rebuilding of the Dallas offensive line, which was among the best in the NFL within a few years of that move.
Smith made 161 starts over 13 seasons with the Cowboys before making 10 starts for the Jets last season.
Dolphins pursuing trade options for CB Ramsey
$200 million a year That deal goes into effect next year
Bueckers is going to make around $78,000 this year in base salary That’s slightly more than Clark and Reese made last season under the current rookie contract scale. All three have supplemented that income with huge endorsement deals with companies such as Nike, Gatorade, Bose and State Farm. Those deals started when they were in college.
Prioritization will also be a key point in negotiations between the players and the league. Three of the top 10 picks in the draft were international players — tied for the most in league history The WNBA has had stiff penalties over the past few seasons for veteran players who don’t make training camp on time because of overseas commitments. As the game becomes more global, something will have to give.
The league is adding two more expansion teams in 2026 with the addition of Toronto and Portland. The WNBA will add at least one more franchise soon after that. Yet Engelbert is concerned about diluting the talent pool too quickly
“You don’t want to degrade the quality of the game, already going to 16. We’re adding 33% additional roster spots by adding 48 spots to a league of 144,” she said before the draft Monday night.
For now, the 38 players who heard their names called on Monday night will do their best to try to make a team in the upcoming weeks.
The Miami Dolphins are pursuing trade options for All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey, general manager Chris Grier confirmed on Tuesday Ramsey did not ask for a trade, and he didn’t ask for more money, Grier clarified, but after weeks of conversations with Ramsey’s representation, both agreed it would be best to potentially move on. Grier declined to go into detail about the contents of discussions he’s had with Ramsey nor a clear reason for potentially parting ways with the cornerback, who was acquired from the Los Angeles Rams in 2023 and given a three-year, $72.3 million contract extension ahead of the 2024 season. That deal made Ramsey the highest-paid cornerback in the league at the time.
Reds activate Diaz, McLain and Hays off of injured list
The surging Cincinnati Reds will have all their key players for the first time this season after making a series of roster moves before Tuesday night’s game against the Seattle Mariners in their threegame series.
The Reds activated right-hander Alexis Diaz, infielder Matt McLain and outfielder Austin Hays. Diaz, who was dealing with a left hamstring strain since the start of spring training, made a pair of rehab appearances in Triple A Louisville last week. McLain missed
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JOSH JURGENS
Omaha forward Marquel Sutton tips the ball in against St Thomas in the Summit League Tournament on March 9 in Sioux Falls, S.D
Fitzpatrick brothers set for third Zurich
BY SCOTT RABALAIS Staff writer
The Fitzpatrick brothers are back for another crack at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans team title.
Tournament officials announced Tuesday that Matthew and Alex Fitzpatrick of England will return to play in the Zurich Classic on April 24-27 at TPC Louisiana in Avondale.
“Both brothers have international team experience,” said Steve Worthy, CEO of the Fore!Kids Foundation that runs the tournament. “Matthew has played for three European Ryder Cup teams, and his younger brother Alex represented the GB&I (Great Britain and Ireland) side in the Walker Cup twice ”
The Fitzpatrick brothers join a flurry of Zurich commitments before Friday’s tournament entry deadline.
The tournament previously has received high-profile commitments from reigning champions Rory McIlroy (world No. 2) and Shane Lowry (No. 15), along with top-25 players Collin Morikawa (No. 4), Wyndham Clark (No 14) and Billy Horschel (No. 23), the latter a two-time Zurich champion who will pair with Tom Hoge (No. 42).
McIlroy, who completed the career Grand Slam on Sunday
with a sudden-death victory over Justin Rose at the Masters, is not entered this week in the RBC Heritage.
This will be the third Zurich Classic for the Fitzpatricks, who tied for 11th in 2024 after tying for 19th in 2023. Their play in the 2023 Zurich was featured in an entire episode of the Netflix series “Full Swing.”
Matthew Fitzpatrick, 30, turned pro in 2014 after playing collegiately at Northwestern.
His biggest win came in 2022, when he captured the U.S. Open at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts.
He also won the 2013 U.S. Amateur there, joining Jack Nicklaus as the only players to win both championships at the same venue. Fitzpatrick also won the 2023 RBC Heritage, has eight other international victories and competed for Great Britain in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
His world ranking has slipped to No. 75 from a career-high of No. 6 back in 2023. Fitzpatrick tied for 40th in this past week’s Masters.
Alex Fitzpatrick, 26, plays on the DP World Tour, having turned pro in 2022 after a collegiate career at Wake Forest.
He tied for 17th in the British Open in 2023 at Royal Liverpool, posted a second in the ISPS Handa World Invitational and tied for
Saints win lawsuit over fleur-de-lis
BY RASHAD MILLIGAN Staff writer
The New Orleans Saints’ logo is still theirs.
The NFL franchise recently faced a lawsuit brought by Michel Messier, a self-proclaimed member of French royalty who said he and his family own rights to the Saints’ logo design, Sportico first reported Tuesday Messier claimed he is a “direct descendant of the Kings of France (Scotland, Aragon and Castille).” That branch of royalty, according to him, owns the rights to the fleur-de-lis design used as the Saints’ logo.
He lost the case in the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board at the Federal Circuit. Chief judge Kimberly Moore, judge Sharon Prost and judge Leonard Stark ruled Messier lacked enough of an argument to present an appeal, so the case was dismissed.
The Saints’ current logo has remained the same since their NFL inception in 1967. New Orleans
received its trademark registration for the logo from the U.S Patent and Trademark Office in 1974. New Orleans was allowed to use the fleur-de-lis design for the logo for “entertainment services in the form of professional football games and exhibition.”
Louis VII is believed to have been the first French king to use the fleur-de-lis design on his shield, according to Britannica.
The general use of fleur-de-lis designs on banners and French royal pieces might have been used earlier King Louis VII lived from 1120-80. According to trademark law, Messier had to show he suffered an imminent injury caused by the Saints. The judges also emphasized in the case dismissal that his family doesn’t offer or sell merchandise that uses the fleurde-lis design, or he isn’t involved in entertainment services related to football.
Email Rashad Milligan at rashad.milligan@theadvocate. com.
LACY
Continued from page 1C
of a vehicle. The charges stemmed from a Dec. 17 crash that killed a Thibodaux man, 78-year-old Herman Hall, and injured two others on La. 20 near Perez Lane.
Police said Lacy “recklessly passed multiple vehicles at a high rate of speed by crossing the centerline and entering the northbound lane while in a no-pass zone.”
Lacy’s defense attorney Matthew Ory said in February that his client “briefly passed other vehicles” and “safely reentered his lane without incident.”
Ory said in a statement Sunday that he believes evidence in the case would have led the grand jury to decline charges against Lacy He also said he would order a review into the police investigation of Lacy’s involvement in the crash.
“Kyren was a young man with immense promise,” Ory said, “and he was crushed under the weight of an irresponsible and prejudiced process. The pressure and perception likely became unbearable.”
Lacy, who exhausted his collegiate eligibility at the end of the 2024 season, spent the first two years of his career at UL, then transferred to LSU prior to the 2022 season. He caught 112 passes for 1,692 yards and 16 touchdowns in three years with the Tigers.
The Thibodaux native did not attend the NFL scouting combine or the Senior Bowl, but he did participate in drills as part of the LSU pro day March 26.
On Saturday, a female family member called authorities to report Lacy had fired a gun at the ground during an argument, the sheriff’s office said. Law enforcement responded to the scene, then learned that Lacy had driven away
About 20 minutes later, police said, officers tried to stop Lacy, but he sped away in his car, starting a
chase that lasted several miles and ended in a crash.
Authorities discovered Lacy had shot himself once they tried to remove him from his vehicle and take him into custody Lacy’s father, Kenny, encouraged parents in a Facebook post Sunday to talk to their children about mental health at an early age. Kelly said Tuesday that he is “always on guard” for mental-health concerns that can arise among players on his teams.
“Unfortunately, in my career,” Kelly said, “this is not the first time that this has happened. Mental health is part of one of the facets of player development that you’re working with in my field Unfortunately, it’s happened before, and I never take a situation like this as one that could never happen.”
only two sacks in his final two seasons at LSU.
Missouri OT Armand Membou
If it’s not Campbell at the top of the offensive line rankings, it is Membou. Like Campbell, there are questions about whether Membou best profiles as a guard or tackle for Membou, it is because he
stands a shade below 6-foot-4. He was a two-year starter at right tackle for Missouri, and in 411 pass-blocking snaps last season he did not allow a sack, according to Pro Football Focus He also fits the athletic profile the Saints usually look for: Membou was named on Bruce Feldman’s annual “Freaks List” last year
North Dakota St. OL Grey Zabel
Zabel was North Dakota State’s starting left tackle last season, but he played four different positions
during his time there and is considered one of the draft’s top interior offensive linemen — in part because of his 32-inch arms. Zabel is tall (6-6) and explosive for his size (combine-best 36.5-inch vertical), and he cleared up any small-school questions with an excellent week at the Senior Bowl. Some see him as a center, while others see him as a guard. Either way, he will offer positional flexibility
Ohio State OT Donovan Jackson
A three-year starter at a big pro-
gram with experience at both left guard and left tackle, Jackson is mainly viewed as an interior player in the NFL. The former five-star prospect started the first 31 games of his college career at left guard before switching to left tackle because of a teammate’s injury last season. While he struggled against Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter, widely considered a top-three pick om the NFL craft, he finished strong while Ohio State was making a national championship run.
Georgia OG Tate Ratledge
Ratledge was an All-American each of his final two years at Georgia, starting 37 games at right guard in his career there — including all 14 on Georgia’s 2022 national championship run. The former five-star recruit is also an excellent athlete, posting elite-level numbers on the explosiveness and speed metrics at the combine.
According to
eighth in the ISPS Handa Australian Open. In 2024, his best DP finishes were a tie for 16th at the Hero Dubai Classic and the Ras Al Khaimah Championship.
STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER
Alex and Matt Fitzpatrick celebrate after completing the third round of the Zurich Classic on April 22, 2023, at TPC Louisiana in Avondale.
THEVARSITYZONE
Sometimesit’stimefor achange
St. Amant baseball coach BrandonBravata remembers the moment he knew something needed to change.
“The last straw for me was when Imissed my daughter’s daddy-daughter dance…the very first one when she wasin kindergarten,” Bravata said. “I just knew.Iguess the fact that I got into coaching at ayoung age and have done it for awhile factors in.
“I got to this point that Idon’t want to miss anymore of my own kids’ events.” With that said, the 22nd-seeded Gators (19-15) travel to No. 11 Sam Houston (27-7)onWednesday andThursday to openthe Division Inonselect playoffs. Game time is 6:30 p.m. Wednesday Game 2isset for 4p.m. Thursday,with athird game, if needed, to follow Rather than looking toward next season, the former Redemp-
Email Robin Fambrough at rfambrough@theadvocate.com As onemoreprepcoach prepares
Parkview’s Carter wins title in playoff
BY ROBIN FAMBROUGH Staff writer
Par really wasgood for the course and Parkview Baptist junior Jack Carter on Tuesday On aday when Carter recorded 12 pars, the last was the most important as it wasgood enough to winthe playoffhole over Catholic High senior David Marsh at the Boys Metro Golf tournament heldatthe par-72 Santa Maria Golf Course.
“We’ve played in smaller tournaments all year,” Carter said.
“This was theone Iwanted to win, because Ikneweveryone, all the top teamsand players, would be here.
“It was good to get it done on the first playoffhole. Obviously, Iwas nervous, but Iwas able to makeafew good shots there at the end.”
Carter andMarsh finished the 18-hole round with even-par scores of 72. Carter also had three birdiesand three bogeys on the day Mason Comeaux of Brusly was 1-over 73. Elliott Aucoin of Parkview and Nyles Williamsof Catholic both carded 74s. Catholic wonits fifth straight Metro crownwith the low team score of 300, just seven strokes ahead of Parkview.University High (328) and Brusly (329) were next in the field of nine full teamsand participants from six other schools.
torist player will prep to start ajob in theprivatesector that keeps him in theAscension Parish area when the season ends. The 37-year-oldBravata is not the first coach to step away from asport tofocus on family.His decision has not been asecret as he was honored prior to the Gators’ last homegame Friday
“What they didatthe last home game was special forme,” Bravata said. I’ve been here six years. Ilove coaching. Ilovethe other coaches and thekids.”
Bravata won’tclose the door on areturn to coaching …someday He does find himself locked in a
E.D.White (17-17) No. 2St. Charles (21-12) vs.No. 18/15 winner Division III select Bidistrict round No. 17 Northlake Christian(15-14) at No. 16 De La Salle (18-12) No. 20 Fisher (14-12) atNo. 13 Newman (16-12) No. 19 Patrick Taylor (14-14)atNo. 14 Houma Christian (18-10) No. 18 D’Arbonne Woods (16-16) at No. 15 St. ThomasAquinas (16-16) Regional round No. 1Parkview Baptist (28-6) vs.No. 17/16
winner No. 9Dunham (16-17) at No. 8NotreDame (18-14) No. 12 Holy Savior Menard (14-11) at No. 5St. Louis (14-18) No. 4Catholic-NewIberia (18-9) vs.No. 20/13
winner No. 3Pope John Paul II (22-8) vs.No. 19/14
winner No. 11 Rosepine (20-10) at No. 6Episcopal (19-12) No. 10 Lafayette Christian (21-11) at No. 7 Calvary Baptist (24-10) No. 2University (21-9) vs.No. 18/15 winner Division IV select
Bidistrict round No. 17 CentralCatholic (12-17) at No. 16 St. Martin’s (13-16) No. 20 Catholic-Pointe Coupee (12-18) at No. 13 St. John (18-11) No. 19 Hanson Memorial(11-14) at No. 14 Sacred Heart (17-11) No. 18 Cedar Creek (12-18) at No. 15 St. Edmund (16-14) Regional round No. 1Covenant Christian (34-0) vs.No. 17/16
winner No. 9St. Mary’s (21-5) at No. 8St. Frederick (18-12) No. 12 Ouachita Christian (15-15) at No. 5 Glenbrook (15-9) No. 4Ascension Christian(24-9) vs.No. 20/13
paradoxhenever expected to be part of,and he is notalone
“When Iwas in high school,I hada lotofclassmateswho were trying to decide what they wanted to be,” Bravata said. “I figured Ihad it made because Ialready knew. Iwatched my coaches, Sid Edwards(football) andChris Porche (baseball), every day.
“I prepared to be acoach my wholelife.Myfirst job wasat Catholic High of Pointe Coupee, andthenIspent two years at LSU Alexandria.And Ikeptgoing fromthere.I met my wife alittle later…inmy30s, whichwas probably agood thing.”
Bravata’sfirst head coaching job was at now-defunctChristian Life. He moved to Berwickthe next year.The Panthers wona state title in 2018.
Bravata’srecord of 143-60 at St. Amantincludesarunner-up finish in 2022 andback-to-back quarterfinalberths. Histotal record is
248-124-1over 11 seasons. The influence of travel ball in allsports plays arole in the longevity of coaches in multiple sports. Teams now play more games, whichputs more on the plates of players and coaches than aconcession stand hot dog. Social media and today’smodern expectations play arole, too. Winning is difficult to build toward these days,even on the high school level. Thatiswhy Iadmire andappreciate today’scoaches more than ever Coaching is rewarding, to be sure, but the profession has growing challenges that need to be addressed acrossthe country. Ihate to seeBrandon Bravata andothers stepback from coaching, but Iunderstand why.Others need to understand it also.
“Thiswas our fifth titleina row, anditwas oneofthe most challenging,” Catholic coach Chris Davis said. “Parkview is a very good, very solid team.” Though Marshmadethe individualplayoff, Daviscredited Williams as the Bears’ MVP Williams, aSouthern University signee, also carded 12 pars on the day
Hahnville (22-12) at No. 12 Ruston (23-11) No. 20 Sulphur (16-18) atNo. 13 Covington (22-8) No. 4Haughton (28-6) bye No. 3Northwood-Shreve (30-4) bye No. 19 Slidell (23-9) at No. 14 Zachary(22-12) No. 22 St. Amant(19-15) at No. 11 Sam Houston (27-7) No. 6West Monroe (26-7) bye No. 7Natchitoches Central (27-7) bye No. 23 Airline (20-14) at No. 10 Dutchtown (23-11) No. 18 Destrehan (23-12) at No. 15 Central (21-10) No. 2Barbe(30-4) bye Division II nonselect Bidistrict round No. 1Brusly (29-5) bye No. 17 Franklin Parish(15-11) at No. 16 Eunice (20-13) No. 24 BeauChene (15-19) at No. 9North Vermilion (16-15) No. 8Iota (20-9) bye No. 5Iowa(15-13) bye No. 21 Plaquemine (17-16) at No. 12 Pearl River (12-12) No. 20 Jennings (13-14) at No. 13 South Terrebonne (16-16) No. 4West Ouachita (22-10) bye No. 3Lutcher (23-11) bye No. 19 Cecilia (17-14) at No. 14 Minden(19-14) No. 22 Franklinton (12-15) at No. 11 Lakeshore (15-13) No. 6Rayne (21-8) bye No. 7West Feliciana (23-11) bye No. 23 Albany(16-13) at No. 10 Belle Chasse (17-14) No. 18 DeRidder (17-17) at No. 15 Breaux Bridge (20-12) No. 2North DeSoto (21-11) bye Division III nonselect Bidistrict round No. 1Sterlington (27-6) bye No. 17 Winnfield (15-13) at No.
4Mangham (12-15) bye No. 3DeQuincy (22-11) bye No. 19 Homer (17-14) at No. 14 LaSalle (10-14) No. 22 South Plaquemines (9-11) at No. 11 Logansport (12-13) No. 6Vinton (16-11) bye No. 7Grand Lake(21-7) bye No. 23 West St. John (4-13) at No. 10 Delcambre(16-16) No. 18 Oberlin (7-14) at No. 15 Franklin (12-18) No. 2Welsh (20-10) bye Class B Bidistrict round No. 17 Simsboro(15-13) at No. 16 Zwolle (13-17) No. 20 Fairview (11-8) at No. 13 Stanley (16-16) No. 19 Florien (11-13) at No. 14 Doyline(12-13) No. 18 Converse(12-17) at No. 15 Avoyelles (10-11)
Regional round No. 1Pitkin (19-7) vs.No. 17/16 winner No. 9Glenmora(17-9) at No. 8Grace Christian (23-11) No. 12 Coudrant (11-15) at No. 5Quitman (14-14) No. 4Hicks (15-10) vs.No. 20/13 winner No. 3Family Community (20-12) vs.No. 19/14
Bidistrict round No. 17 Dodson (9-14) at No. 16 St. Joseph’sPlaucheville (8-13) No. 20 Singer (7-17) at No. 13 Northside Christian (5-18) No. 19 Evans (7-10) at No. 14 Plainview (9-16) No. 18 Starks (7-12) at No. 15
BY ROBIN FAMBROUGH Staff writer
TheLouisianaHighSchool
Coaches Association is in the market foranew director
Eric Held,who has served as the LHSCA leader within the LHSAA’s framework for six years, has been hired as the new director of alumni/high schools relations by theLSU football program
“Tosay it’sadream job is kind of cliché …but it is,”Heldsaid. “Especially for somebody like me who hasworked their whole lifeinfootball the way Ihave.
“This meanssomuch forme because of the relationship I had with coach Bags (the late Charles Baglio).
“Tobeable to serve in the role he did is special.”
Held,54, said he beginswork at LSU on Monday.The New Orleans native is aBrother Martin graduate who spent 25 yearsasa high school coach before taking the LHSCA job in spring 2019. Baglio, asuccessful football coach at Independence High and the founder of the Louisiana Football Coaches Association, was hired by Nick Sabanasthe first liaison to high schools and held the job for20years before retiring.
Former University High and LSU running back Nick Brossette most recently held the job through the 2024 season. It waspreviouslyannounced that Brossette wasn’tbeing retained.
Held was akicker at Nicholls State and spent the
10 years of hiscareer as an assistant in the Catholic League. He
STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK
St. Amant coach Brandon Bravata, right, coaches
LeFors follows heart, leaves Parkview Baptist
BY ROBIN FAMBROUGH Staff writer
Amatter of the heart.
That is thebestway to look at Stefan LeFors’ decision to leave Parkview Baptist to becomethe head football coach at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. LeFors was introduced as the school’s37th football coach. Gallaudet is aDivision III college for deaf students.
“Some people see coaching as a job, and others see it as acalling,” Parkview athletic director Danny Smith said. “Weknowthis is
somethingthat’sclose to Stefan’s heart.”
LeFors,43, also hasa special skillset needed forGallaudet He grew up as thelone hearing member of his household. Older brother Eric playedquarterback at Louisiana School for the Deaf andthen at Gallaudet, acollege thathas fielded afootball team since 1894.
“My brother played there, and my auntand uncle also went to school there,” LeFors said. “I got to watch my brother play there when Iwas growing up. “When the previous coach
manager Nico Harrison of the Dallas Mavericks watches the teamplayagainstthe TorontoRaptorsinDallas on Friday.
stepped down, the school asked alumni if they knew afootball coach who had the abilitytotake thejob of coaching anon-hearing team. My uncle gave them my number. That’show it started. LeFors, 43,came to Parkview in March2019.
He guidedthe Eaglestoa47-24 record andmadesix state playoff appearances, wherethe the team compileda 7-6record.His best seasonwas 2023 when theEagles advanced to theDivisionIII select quarterfinals.
Prior to Parkview,LeFors was head coach at Louisville Chris-
tian Academy in Kentucky from 2011-19.LeFors talliedanimpressive 86-20 record and won two Kentucky Class 2A state championships (2016, 2018) and seven district championships. In 2016, LeForswas named The Associated Press Coach of the Year for Kentucky Aformer quarterback locally at now-defunct Christian Life before moving to the University of Louisville,LeFors wasthe Conference USAPlayer of the Year in 2004 andthe Liberty Bowl MVP that sameyear. He was afourth-round draft pick
of theCaroline Panthers andlater playedtwo seasonsinthe CFL.
“My passion is developing young people andsharing theknowledge I’ve learned from all the wonderful places I’ve been both as a playerand coach,” LeFors said in anews release.
“I look forward to building positive relationships with the players, staffand administration.”
When contactedTuesdaynight, LeFors added: “The last couple of days have been crazy Imet so many people. The moreI learned aboutthe school andteam, Iknow this is whereIamsupposed to be.”
Decisive Pels need Dumars to make theright choices
Joe Dumars’ 40-year NBAjourney has taken him from theBad Boys to abad team.
It will be up to Dumars to transform thatbad team intoa good one anderase all of the misery left behind from the second-worst season in New Orleans Pelicans’history
Lessthan24hoursafter the Pelicans fired David Griffin as their executive vice president of basketball operations, theyfound his replacement.
BY SCHUYLER DIXON AP sportswriter
DALLAS Nico Harrison is undeterred by the ongoing chants of fans calling forthe DallasMavericks general manager’sjob.
Those catcalls persist in allsorts of settings 21/2 monthsafter young superstar Luka Doncic was sent to theLos Angeles Lakers in aseismic trade that brought Anthony Davis to Dallas and unrelenting criticism upon the man who triggered the deal.
At the time,Harrison thought the Mavs had the prospect of a title contender by adding Davis to alineup that eventually would include guard Kyrie Irving,promising young center Dereck Lively II, veteran 3-point threat Klay Thompson and versatile defender
P.J. Washington Jr
The star duo of Davisand Irving hadjust 21/2 quarters together before Davis injured agroin in his Dallas debut, and Irving tore the ACL in his left knee while Davis was sidelined.
The injuriesare forcing the fans to wait for the results, buteven if theresults are good, one of the questions is how many fans will care.
The Mavs unloaded arguably thesecond-most popular player in franchise historybehindDirk Nowitzkijustninemonthsafter Doncic led them to the NBAFinals as a25-year-old.
Thebig Germancarried Dallas
to the 2011 title and spent all 21 of hisseasons withone franchise, an NBArecord
Doncic’srookie season was Nowitzki’slast, so the natural assumption for many fans was that the same would happen with the Slovenian who debutedasa 19-yearoldin2018
Harrison said he believes the vitriol from fans would have eased if Davis and Irving had been able to finish the seasontogether
Whilehesaidhedidn’tunderestimate the reaction fromfans,
Harrison acknowledged how it leftlittle question as to the deep impact Doncichad in Dallas. Noneofthe above has swayed Harrison’s beliefinthe trade.
“There’s no regretsonthe trade,” Harrison said. “Part of my job is to do the best thing for the Mavericks And some of the decisionsI’m gonna make are gonna be unpopular.That’smyjob, and I have to standbyit.”
Standing by it meant saying multiple times, “Defense wins championships,” when asked to justify the trade
Harrison also hasbeen criticized for not getting more than Davis, MaxChristie and a2029 firstround pick in the deal.
“With our philosophy of defense wins championships,wewanted a two-way playertolead our team,” Harrison said. “And that was AnthonyDavis. And so everybody’s going to have their critics. But we gotwhatwewanted.”
Dumars, aShreveport native and NaismithMemorial Basketball Hall of Famer after astandout career withthe Detroit Pistons,has been handed the keys to the Pelicans, asource confirmed to The Times-Picayune. The suddenness of the hire indicates team owner Gayle Bensonand the rest of the team brass already had their guy picked out. Ideally,you would have liked to seethe team go through athorough search to fill the position. Or at leastpretend to Instead, the Pelicanschosea person theywerefamiliar with before Griffin even had cleaned out his office. Dumars, 61, has been linked to this role withthe organization in years past,and now he getshis chance to trytodo in New Orleans what he once did in Detroit as bothaplayer and an executive.
He played guard on the Pistons teams in the late 80s and early 90s thatwon two NBAchampionships. Afterheretired, he took over as the director of basketball operations for thePistons in 2000 and helped build ateam that won the NBAtitle in the2003-04 season. He was named executive of the year the season beforethat He stayed with the Pistons through 2014 and took ajob in the SacramentoKings front office five years later.In2022, he was named executive vice president and head of basketball operations for the NBA. Now Dumars, whosejersey hangs in the rafters at McNeese State, returns to Louisiana to try to get the Pelicanspointed in the right direction after adisastrous 21-61 season.
Pelicans coach Willie Green, a Detroit native, grew up afan of those BadBoy Pistons teamsthat featured Isiah Thomas, Bill Laimbeer,Dennis Rodmanand Dumars. Soon over the next few days, we’ll seewhether Dumars is afan
after anewsconference in Auburn Hills,Mich., on Aug. 6, 2013.
of Green. The first big decision Dumars will make is deciding whether Green remains the coach. The twoofthem never have worked together.Green just completed his fourthseason with the Pelicans, and he increased his win total in each of his first three seasons, including last year when the Pels won the second-most games (49) in franchise history
This season, the Pelicans hit rock bottom. They lost 17 games by 20 points or more, including a 49-point thumping (the worst in franchise history) to the Miami Heat in thenext-to-last game of the season.
“I didn’tdogreat,” Green said after the regular-season finale.
“I have to take full ownership of whereweare right now as ateam I’ll go back and reflect. Iwas beating myself up every game trying to figure out how to get us competing and playing at the highest level thatwecan play “Wefailed. Ifailed.”
As aresult, Griffin was firedby Benson. The next key decisions fall on the shoulders of Dumars.
Will Dumars put the Pelicans’ woes this season on Greenand make acoaching change?
Or does he run it back with Green, who wasdealt about as bad of ahand as acoach possibly could get this season. The injury bug startedbiting the team at training
campinNashville, Tennesse, and never let up. The best fiver players (Zion Williamson, CJ McCollum, Dejounte Murray,Trey Murphy and Herb Jones) missedatotal of 220 games. That doesn’tinclude Brandon Ingram, who played just 18 games before Griffin traded him to the Toronto Raptors.
My guess is Green gets another year to finish out his contract. Dumars’ second major decision will be what to do with Williamson, who just completed his sixth season. Williamson played in just 30 games this season, abig reason for the Pelicans’ woes. When Williamson plays, the Pelicans have achance against most teams in the league. When he doesn’t, they don’t.
DoesDumars take achance on getting the version of Williamson that played in 70 games ayear ago?
Or does he trade away the guy who Griffin tried, unsuccessfully to build the team around for the past six years?
My guess here is the Pelicans move in adifferent direction. But only Dumars really knows. We’ll hear more about his plans when he speaks to the media in the next handful of days to lay out his vision.
Nobody knows how well Dumars will do
Time,something Benson didn’t waste in hiring Dumars, will tell.
ASSOCIATEDPRESS FILEPHOTO By CARLOS OSORIO Detroit Pistons point guard Brandon Jennings, left,poses with Pistons presidentofbasketball operations JoeDumars
Rod Walker
Boston
Bregmanhomerstwice as RedSox roll by Rays
BY ZAK GILBERT Associated Press
TAMPA,Fla.— Alex Bregman went 5 for 5with two home runsand four RBIs, Jarren Duran added atworun homer,and the BostonRed Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays 7-4 on Tuesday night.
Bregman, aformerLSU standout, fell atriple shy of the cycle and had his seventh two-homer game of his career.Kameron Misner nearly robbed him ofthe second one, but the ball fell out of the rookie’sglove and over the rightcenter fence.
The Red Sox got three hits in the first inning off of Ryan Pepiot (1-
2), onemore than they had in six innings against Shane Baz in a16-1 loss on Monday.
Boston starter Walker Buehler (2-1) allowed three hits and two runs over five innings. He walked three and struck out three. Aroldis Chapman fanned Brandon Lowe for his fourth save. Jonathan Aranda, who entered leading themajors with a.395 average, was 2for 3witha homer and an RBI for TampaBay Ahigh-pitched ringing delayed the game for nearly two minutesin the bottom of the second with Jake Mangum at bat. Then in thefifth, the left-field videoboardbriefly wentblack as play continued.
TheRayshave soldout all 14 homegames at Steinbrenner Field (10,046) after Hurricane Milton heavily damaged Tropicana Field in October Buehler,who hadn’twalked more than one in anyofhis previousfive starts, issuedtwo in the fourth inningtoload the bases. After Misner’ssacrifice fly scored Junior Caminero, Ceddanne Rafaela’sdiving catchgot Buehlerout of the jam.
Bregman’sseventh-inning shot wasthe 40th homer already at SteinbrennerField this season. Entering Tuesday,only Yankee Stadium (40) hadasmanyhome runs in 2025.
SCOREBOARD
p.m. Alcorn at Grambling, 6p.m. Liberty at Louisiana Tech, 6p.m. TexasA&M-CC at McNeese State, 6p.m. UL-Monroe at Troy,6p.m. Houston Christian at UNO, 6:30 p.m. Lamar at Northwestern State, 6:30 p.m. Alabama at LSU,6:30 p.m. College softball
Area schedule Monday’s games No games scheduled Tuesday’s games Henderson State 2, Grambling1 Henderson State 3, Grambling2 Thursday’s games Southeastern at UIW,3p.m. Northwestern St. at Nicholls (DH), 4p.m. South Alabama at UL, 4p.m. LSU at Texas, 4:30 p.m. Louisiana Tech at Kennesaw
at Seattle, n Wednesday’s games AnaheimatWinnipeg, 6p.m. Carolina at Montreal,6 p.m. Detroit at New Jersey,6:30 p.m. Dallas at Nashville, 7p.m. Vegas at Vancouver,9p.m. Edmonton at San Jose, 9:30 p.m. Transactions BASEBALL Major League Baseball American League BALTIMORE ORIOLES —Activated RHP Scott Blewett. Optioned RHP Colin Selby to Norfolk (IL).Agreed to terms with CChadwick Tromp on aminor league contract. HOUSTON ASTROS —RecalledRHP Nick Hernandez from Sugar Land (PCL). Optioned RHP Luis Contreras to Sugar Land. TORONTOBLUEJAYS—RecalledINF Addison Barger from Buffalo(IL). Placed OF Nathan Lukes on the paternity list. National League ATLANTABRAVES —Released RHP Buck Farmer from aminor league contract. CINCINNATI REDS —Reinstated RHP Alexis Díaz from the 15-day IL. Reinstated INF Matt McLain and OF AustinHaysfromthe 10-day IL. Optioned OF Jacob Hurtubise and INF Noelvi Marte to Louisville (IL).Placed LHP Sam Mill on the 15-day IL, retroactivetoApril 11 MIAMI MARLINS —Reinstated OF Jesus Sanchez from the 10-dayIL.
BOXSCORES
New York 100 100 100 —3 Minnesota 002 111 10x —6 E—Lindor(4),Castro(4).DP—New York 2, Minnesota 0. LOB—New York 7, Minnesota 7. 2B —Torrens(5),Alonso (7), Jeffers 2(3).HR— Alonso (5), Soto (3), Jeffers (1), Lee(1).SB— Bader(1) Buxton (4), Keirsey (2). SF —Winker(1) IP HR ER BB SO New York Megill L,2-2 58 42 03 Kranick 1 3 42 20 1 Young 11 3 10 00 1 Minnesota Ober W,1-1 6 1 3 53 30 5 Sands H,3 2 3 00 01 0 Jax H,4 11 00 01 Duran S,1-11 10 00 1 HBP —Megill (Larnach), Ober (Taylor) Young (Jeffers). Umpires —Home,Nestor Ceja;First, Todd Tichenor; Second, Hunter Wendelstedt; Third, Adam Hamari. T—2:41. A—12,507 (38,544)
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JASON BEHNKEN
Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman celebrates his homerun during the seventh inning Tuesday against theTampa BayRaysinBoston. Bregman, aformerLSU star,hit twohomeruns in a7-4 victory
LIVING
Lauren Cheramie BONVIVANT
Grab a sno-ball anda po-boy to enjoyspring
and drink
In theknow
Sno-balls are back at Eloise Market and Cakery,320 Lee Drive, Baton Rouge, 11 a.m. to 7p.m. Tuesday through Saturday
PROVIDED PHOTO
Sno-balls arebackatEloise Market and Cakery, 320 Lee Drive, BatonRouge, 11 a.m. to 7p.m. Tuesdaythrough Saturday.
Speaking of things coming back around. …The shrimp poboys are back on the menu at Mid City Beer Garden,3808 Government St., BatonRouge. They come dressed with house pickles and fries.
Trythe spring specialsat Rêve CoffeeLab,8211 Village Plaza Court, Baton Rouge:
n The Steep Escape, made with fruity espresso, housemade white pepper and Earl Grey simple syrup shaken with macadamia milk
n The Blushing Earl,made with house-made Earl Grey and vanilla syrup served over your milk of choice, shaken and topped with cherry cold foam
n Green Machine, madewith black and blue tea shakentogether with blueberrysyrup and topped with alavender matcha cold foam
The Lent menu at Zippy’s,3155 Perkins Road, Baton Rouge, includes crawfish empanadas, shrimp enchiladas,veggie quesadillas and more. Wine andspirits
Patio rosé tasting:1p.m. to 4p.m. Sunday,April 27, at Bin 77, 10111 Perkins Rowe, Baton Rouge
Taste dozens of stilland sparkling rosé wines paired with paella and croque monsieurs from Soleraonthe patio at Bin77. Live music will set the mood from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tickets are $65 per person, available for purchase at bin77.com.
Easter festivities
Easter buffet:10a.m. to 2p.m. Sunday at Crowne PlazaExecutive Center,4728 Constitution Ave., Baton Rouge Crowne Plaza will offer a plethora of options for its Easter buffet, including seafood gumbo, smoked salmon andbagels, awaffle station, eggplant shrimp casserole,prime rib, almond-encrusted duck, caviar deviled eggs, akids’menu and more. Connor Underwoodwill provide live music. Ticketsare $45 for children and $75 for adults, available for purchase by calling (225) 925-2244.
Prix fixe menu:10:30 a.m. to 3p.m. Sunday at Solera, 4205 Perkins Road, Baton Rouge
Enjoy an Easter prixfixe
Coming of age
brickand mortar. Howdid they grow theirrestaurants?
BY SERENA PUANG Staff writer
WhatdoCurbside,House Brew and Offset Smoker Barbecueall have in common?
They’relocal Baton Rouge businesses that allstarted as pop-ups. Across the city,manylocal staples get their start that waybecausethe business model allows for people to test thewatersfor an idea before committing to alease or investing in the heavy machinery associated with acommercialkitchen.With lesspermanent locations, prospective business owners have thefreedom to try out new menu items, get their name out there andexplore what theywant their business to be. Three business owners who have successfullytransformed pop-ups into brick-and-mortar locations share the advice they’d give to others who want to start abusiness.
Curbside: Figure out if this lifeisfor you
These days, Nick Hufft is thecofounder/owner of Hufft Marchand Hospitality,arestaurant group that includes Curbside Burgers, Gail’s Fine Ice Cream and Overpass Merchant, as well as some three businesses in theNew Orleansarea. But in 2009, he was astudent at LSU with abusiness idea.
Baton Rougeand set it up in front of Bogie’s. That food trailer was upgraded to atruck about2015, andthatfoodtruck became Curbside, serving burgers at parties and events. Curbside opened in 2016 in its permanent location on Government Street.
Opening arestaurant isn’tjust about perfecting the food. There are real estate contracts, permitting, licensing, inspections and so much more. Pop-upsallow getting startedwithouthavingtoworry about some of those details. But Hufft said he believes that the pop-up model isn’t foreveryone.
“I would walkout of thebars like,‘Let’sgoeat. Iloveeating at 2a.m.,’”hesaid. But he wasn’tsatisfied withthe options and noticed the 30,000potential customers just like him walking around.
“If Icould somehow put aproduct in front of the customeras they’re walkingout of theestablishment,” he remembers thinking to himself. “That seemslike it could be ahome run.”
He contacted aguy from Miami whobuilt himafood trailer.Hemet the guy halfway,towed it back to
“Itisagreat way forsomebody to get into the business at amuch cheaper sort of way thanitwould be to open arestaurant,” he said. “But it does come with its challenges.”
The punishing summer heat can test the endurance of any business owner,heexplained, sincemost food trucks don’thave AC, and you’re at the mercy of the weather Arainy day could mean lost revenue. Plus, the industry is tough; it requireslonghours and workingonholidays andduring events
Manning Bergeron pours foamed milk to create acaffé latte at House Brew, located inside Pelican to Mars.
STAFF FILE PHOTOS By MICHAEL JOHNSON
Amural featuring afood truck graces the side of Curbside in Baton Rouge.
Assigninggifts during theholidays
Dear Heloise: There are 18 of us dealing withHanukkah/Christmas gifts —three generations. Aboutamonth or so before we gettogether,one of my daughters assigns everyone aperson to buy agift for at an approximately $50 cost. On the occasion when we’re all together,Ipull aname out of ahat, and this person opens their present while the rest of us watch. Then they pull the next name, and the next person opens their present. No Amazon or gift certificate cards! —Judy,via email
Storinglinens
tion. —GailW., in Montana Delaying dinner
Errant text couldundofriendship
text was actually for.The idea that it was possibly for the rest of this group of friends broke my heart. I stoppedall contact with her.
happened; in fact, it is why the apology wasinvented.
Hints from Heloise
Dear Heloise: My daughterhad several handmade baby blankets and baby clothes given to her at her shower.Nearly all of them arewhite or some pale color She handwashed nearlyall of them, and when they dried, she wrapped them firstinwhite tissue paper,then wrapped the item with two sheets of blue tissue papertoprevent them from yellowing. This was away to store them for the next genera-
Dear Heloise: If you need to delay dinner,but youalready have a roast in the oven that’s not done yet, do not wrap ittightly to keep it warm.Ifyou wrap it up in some manner,itwill steam themeat. Remove the roast from the oven and cover it loosely When you want to continue the cooking process, just return the roast to the oven at aslightly higher temperatureuntil it’s done —Janelle O.,inGlenview,Illinois
Gardeningindoors
Dear Heloise: If you’d like to grow parsley indoors, do not go out to your gardenand pull it up for replanting. The shockoftransplanting parsleycan bethe end of the plant. Repotparsley outside and leaveitoutdoors for acouple of weeks, then bring it indoors. This is especially important in the fall whentemperaturesare dropping.
—Patsy H., in Fairborn, Ohio
Email heloise@heloise.com.
TODAYINHISTORY
By The Associated Press
Today is Wednesday,April 16, the 106th day of 2025.There are 259 days left in the year
Todayinhistory:
On April 16, 2007, Seung-hui Cho, a23-year-old Virginia Tech student, killed 32 people on the Virginia Tech campus before taking his own life. It remains the deadliest school history in US history
On this date:
In 1945, aSoviet submarine in the Baltic Sea torpedoed the shipMVGoya, which Germany was using to transport civilian refugeesand woundedsoldiers. As many as 7,000 people died as the ship broke apart and sank minutes after being struck In 1947, the French cargoship Grandcamp, carrying more than 2,000 tons of ammonium nitrate, blew up in the harbor in Texas City,Texas. Anearby ship, the High Flyer,which was carrying ammonium nitrate and sulfur, caught fire and exploded thefollowing day.The combined blasts and fires killed nearly 600 people and injured 5,000 in the worst industrial accident in U.S. history
In 1963, the Rev.Martin Luther King Jr.wrote his “Letter from BirminghamJail” in which the
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menu for $35 at Solera, which includes choices like seafood gumbo, braised lamb shoulder, shrimp and grits, bread pudding and more Kudos
On Monday,the Baton Rouge Epicurean Society gave the Knock Knock Children’sMuseum $2,000 in support of theLittle Garden in the Big Backyard
In collaboration with John
civil rights activistresponded to a groupoflocal clergymen who had criticized him for leading street protests. King defended his tactics, writing, “Injustice anywhere is athreat to justice everywhere.”
In 1972, Apollo 16 blasted off for themoon with astronauts JohnYoung, Charles Duke and Ken Mattingly on board. In 2010, the U.S.government accused Wall Street’smost powerful firmof fraud, saying Goldman Sachs& Co. had sold mortgage investments without telling buyersthe securities were crafted with input from a clientwho was betting on them to fail. (In July 2010, Goldman agreed to pay $550 million in a settlement with the Securities andExchange Commission, but it didnot admit wrongdoing.)
Today’sbirthdays: Singer Bobby Vintonis90. Basketball Hall of FamerKareem Abdul-Jabbar is 78. Football coach Bill Belichick is 73. Actor Ellen Barkin is 71. SingerJimmyOsmond is 62. Actor Jon Cryer is 60. Actorcomedian Martin Lawrence is 60. Actor Peter Billingsley is 54. Actor Lukas Haas is 49. Actorsinger Kelli O’Hara is 49. Actor Claire Foy (TV:“The Crown”) is 41.Rapper Chance theRapper is 32. Actor AnyaTaylor-Joy is 29.
Coykendall, Master Gardener of Blackberry Farm; theLouisiana Hospitality Foundation; LSU College of Agriculture; Louisiana Seed Savers; and thePennington Biomedical Research Center,the Little Garden initiative works to brings an inspiring educational garden experience to life for children.One of theEpicurean Society’sgoals is to raise funds and support childhood nutrition initiatives.
If youhave an upcoming food event or akitchen question, email lauren.cheramie@ theadvocate.com.Cheers!
Dear Miss Manners: Iampart of a group of six college friends from 50 years ago. We stay in touch by textingoften, and getting together in person every few years. We are spreadout geographically,but one friend and Iare just a few miles apart and have always seen each other moreoften. Iwas to stopbythis friend’shouse to pick something up, and Itexted her my expected arrival time. In response, Ireceived what Iwould describe as a cross text —amean-spirited and unflattering statement about my husband and me. (Everyone in the group also knows my husband from school.) The friend criticized our life choices, looking down on us. We were both in the car when Iread it aloud. My husband was angry,and Iwas hurt, not having known she felt this way Iwas left wondering who the
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The group is now planning our next in-person reunion, and Ido not know how to respond, as Idonot feel Ican be around her comfortably.I don’t know if the group received the text as well. What is the best way for me to handle this? The grouphas been aspecial part of allofour lives over theseyears, but now Ifeel betrayed Gentle reader: Our devices change much faster than the human condition, whichmeans etiquette canusually adapt relatively easily.Your friend thought about,wrote and got caught writing something unkind about you. Though thoroughly unpleasant for you, it is not the first time in human history such athing has
Youdonot mention whathappened when you broke off contact. Senders are not always aware they have sent what you call cross texts, an important point.
Miss Manners would have had you text back at the time that you did not believe this text was meantfor you. An apology should then have been forthcoming, after which you could have decided whether 50 years of friendship could be salvaged.
If there remains the possibility that yourfriendisunaware of what happened, youmight confide to one of theother groupmembers, when youdeclinethe next outing, that ahurtful textwas sent— without sharing details —inthe hope that that will elicit theapology
Sendquestions to Miss Manners at herwebsite, www missmanners.com.
whereeveryone else is having fun.
“If you’ve never cooked, Iwould say,‘Go geta job cooking, he said. “I wouldn’tbuy atrailer or atruck.I wouldprobably first go work for somebody else and see if Iactually like the hours,”
HouseBrew: Make connections and get going
ManningBergeronand Joe Foster, co-owners of House Brew, didjustthat, butwithcoffee. The pair met while working at acoffee shop. From there, Foster started a roasting company,Smoky Bean Roasting Co., and they started popping up at Pelican to Mars for events together.This turned into apartnership that allowed them to serve coffee there daily.This year, they opened asecondlocation on Florida Street in Digital Knomad Space.
Both opportunities came through building relationships with other businessowners who allowed them to lease part of their space.
“Wewouldn’tbewhere we’re at without the people that we know and the connections we’ve made along the way,” Foster said. “It’s very difficult to go about this journey as alone wolf.”
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Lettucewrap tacos
n Superior Grill, 7333 Highland Road, Baton Rouge
It’spatio season! While the weather is still nice, Iamventuring to as many outdoor restaurantsaspossible. My first stop was aMonday night dinner at Superior Grill on Highland Road
Yes, themargaritas are great (as always), but thelettuce wrap tacos wereafresh, crunchy and delicious alternative to the heavier options —perfect for an early-week dinner
The lettuce wrap tacos have bright,lemon-flavored grilled shrimp, sautéed zucchini and squash and fresh, creamyslices of avocado. The dish also comes with aside of rice and an option
They are technically still apop-up, in both locations, but they have aplace for their regulars to go daily for acoffee fix.
“If youwantthatfor your business,” said Foster,“just start doingand askquestions later.Start making those connections with other business owners, working and collaborating.
Offset Smoker Barbecue: Don’tbeafraid
Offset Smoker Barbecue, 5335
Government St., is aTexas-style barbecue spot that’sopenFriday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to
of the
7p.m.Itwas started by Tuan Pham and Hue Pham, who are friends. Hue Pham had taken trips to Texas andloved thetaste of thebarbecue there andreturnedmanytimesto take barbecue classes. They started as apop-up in 2020, then moved intoafood trailer. Tuan Pham said they were able to build an audienceand showcase theirfood
“Itjust gave us the confirmation that the food is legit,” he said. He currently works as anurse through the week, thenruns Offset Smokeronthe weekends. To others, his advice is to jumpin.
“Ifyou’re doing pop-ups andifthe demand is there, thecustomers are complimenting your food,I would say just don’tbeafraid,”hesaid.
queso to put on top of my taco).
—Margaret DeLaney, health coordinator
Homemade ranch, fries n Pop’s Poboys,740 Jefferson St., Lafayette
Hands down, these are my favorite fries around. With that homemade ranch dressing, eating these fries is akin to aspiritual experience. They’re crunchy They’re flavorful. They have all the things I’mlooking forina good fry—and that dip. Chef Collin Cormier once told me that he tried every potato and cooking process he could find to figure out how to makethese fries and that the restaurant takes three days to maketheir ranch dressing. No shortcuts. Just good eats. —Jan Risher,Louisiana culture editor
PROVIDED PHOTO
Hue Pham, left,NightMarket BTR founder Laura SiuNguyen and Tuan Pham at thegrand opening of Offset Smoker BBQ
STAFF PHOTO By MARGARET DeLANEy
The shrimp lettuce wrap taco and steak salad fromSuperior Grill on Highland Road in Baton Rouge
Foster
Judith Martin MISS MANNERS
ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Set the pace, agenda and goal and get moving toward your destination. Having a plan and the ability to do everything yourself will deter others from interfering.
tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Take the time to declutter your life. Walk away from situations that are stifling your progress. Be responsible for your actions and straightforward about your intentions.
GEMInI (May 21-June 20) A change will offer a different perspective regarding what's possible. Take a moment to view your options and adjust any aspect that doesn't fit your agenda. Avoid putting your health at risk.
cAncER (June 21-July 22) Apply energy to whatever brings the highest return. Protect your reputation by going a step above others' expectations. Pay attention to how you present yourself and how you handle your money.
LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Take pride in what you do and say; you'll appeal to people who can contribute to your long-term goal. Strive to reach the highest pinnacle and take a bow.
VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Concentrate on what's important to you. Initiate domestic and home improvements that can help to lower your costs. Engaging in a joint venture or sharing expenses will work out if you set ground rules.
LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Heart-to-heart talks will help you avoid a meltdown with someone. Incentives, a positive
attitude and suggestions regarding what you can contribute to make your relationship purposeful will help.
scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Tone down your rhetoric and avoid a dispute. Live within your means, regardless of temptation. Set feasible goals and focus on personal growth, health and fitness.
sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Stick to the basics, the truth and a budget you can afford. You will set yourself back if you take on too much or try to impress others with exaggerated information.
cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Cultivate meaningful relationships. Don't ignore the signs and signals you receive. Using your astute memory to find solutions that satisfy everyone will put you in the driver's seat.
AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Smile and move forward positively. What you achieve will send you to bigger and better opportunities. Financial gain, personal growth and advancement are apparent.
PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Educate yourself and confidently move forward. What you know and how you present your wisdom will help manifest optimal changes. Don't limit yourself by setting boundaries.
Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.
toDAy's cLuE: H EQuALs P
CeLebrItY CIpher
For better or For WorSe
And erneSt
SALLY Forth
beetLe bAILeY
Mother GooSe And GrIMM
SherMAn’S LAGoon dooneSbUrY
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
Carl Sandburg, a poet who won three PulitzerPrizes,said,“Apoliticianshould havethreehats:oneforthrowingintothe ring,onefortalkingthrough,andonefor pulling rabbits out of if elected.”
A bridge declarer should have three hats: one for counting his losers, one for countinghis winners, and one for watching his entries — our theme this week.
In today’s deal, how would a milliner play in three no-trump after West leads the spade queen?
The South hand has only 21 high-card points,butitisstrongenoughtoopentwo clubsinsteadoftwono-trump.Counttwo for an ace and one for a king. A typical two-no-trump opening totals seven. This hand tallies to nine. Upgrade when you have a lot of aces and kings.
North is nearly worth a slam-invitational rebid of four no-trump, but not quite. With no five-card suit or 4-4 fit, you normally need a combined 33 points for six no-trump.
South starts with seven top tricks: two spades, two hearts, two diamonds and one club. He would hope to get a third diamond trick, assuming the missing cards split 3-2. But declarer would still need another winner. It is much simpler totakethreeclubtricks.However,South mustbecarefulbothnottoblockthesuit and to have a dummy entry available after driving out the club king.
Declarer must take the first trick in his
Puzzle Answer today’s thought “He, that being often reproved hardens his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.” Proverbs 29:1
consequences.
marmaduKe
Bizarro
hagar the horriBle
Pearls Before swiNe
garfield
B.C. PiCKles
PUBLIC NOTICE In accordance with the laws of theState of Louisianaand thepartic‐ular referencetothe pro‐visionsofLAR.S.30:4, andthe provisions of StatewideOrder No.29-B as amendedand adopted by theOffice of Conser‐vation of theState of Louisiana DrakePetroleum,LLC (D1168) P. O. Box145 Tullos,Louisiana 71479 (318) 628-1836 is applying to theInjec‐tion andMiningDivision of theOffice of Conser‐vation fora permit to disposeofproduced flu‐idsgenerated from oil andgas production by meansofaninjection well, whichisidentified as TremontLumberCom‐pany CSWD No.193, Ser‐ialNumber(244891) with theinjection interval at an approximatedepth of 1506 feet to 1810 feet ThewelllocationisSec‐tion 03, Township 09 North, Range01East, Tul‐los-Urania Field (9031) LaSalleParish(30) Louisiana. Allinterestedparties are hereby givenanopportu‐nity tosubmitwritten comments no laterthan fifteen (15) days from the date of this publication. Identify thewellwhen corresponding. Direct comments to: Office of Conservation Injection& Mining Division P. O. Box94275 BatonRouge,LA 70804-9275 Re:Commentsfor SWD Application 136744 April 16, 1t $181.09
PUBLIC NOTICE In accordance with the laws of theState of Louisianaand thepartic‐ular referencetothe pro‐visionsofLAR.S.30:4, andthe provisions of StatewideOrder No.29-B as amendedand adopted by theOffice of Conser‐vation of theState of Louisiana DrakePetroleum,LLC (D1168) P. O. Box145 Tullos,Louisiana 71479 (318) 628-1836 is applying to theInjec‐tion andMiningDivision of theOffice of Conser‐vation fora permit to disposeofproduced flu‐idsgenerated from oil andgas production by meansofaninjection well, whichisidentified as TremontLumberCom‐pany CSWD No.101, Ser‐ialNumber(244183) with theinjection interval at an approximatedepth of 725 feet to 1320 feet.The well location is Section 35, Township 10 North, Range01East, TullosUrania Field (9031) LaSalleParish(30) Louisiana. Allinterestedparties are hereby givenanopportu‐nity tosubmitwritten commentsnolater than fifteen (15) daysfromthe d f hi bli i
PUBLIC NOTICE In accordance with the laws of theState of Louisianaand thepartic‐ular referencetothe pro‐visionsofLAR.S.30:4, andthe provisions of StatewideOrder No.29-B as amendedand adopted by theOffice of Conser‐vation of theState of Louisiana DrakePetroleum,LLC (D1168) P. O. Box145 Tullos,Louisiana 71479 (318) 628-1836 is applying to theInjec‐tion andMiningDivision of theOffice of Conser‐vation fora permit to disposeofproduced flu‐idsgenerated from oil andgas production by meansofaninjection well, which is identified as TremontLumberCom‐pany CSWD No.101, Ser‐ialNumber(244183) with theinjection interval at an approximatedepth of 725 feet to 1320 feet.The well location is Section 35, Township 10 North, Range01East, TullosUrania Field (9031) LaSalleParish(30) Louisiana. Allinterestedparties are hereby givenanopportu‐nity to submit written comments no laterthan fifteen(15) days from the date of this publication. Identify thewellwhen corresponding. Direct comments to: Office of Conservation Injection& Mining Division P. O. Box94275 BatonRouge,LA 70804-9275 Re:Commentsfor SWD Application 136746 April16, 1t $181.09
PUBLIC NOTICE In accordance with the laws of theState of Louisianaand thepartic‐ular referencetothe pro‐visionsofLAR.S.30:4, andthe provisions of StatewideOrder No.29-B as amendedand adopted by theOffice of Conser‐vation of theState of Louisiana DrakePetroleum,LLC (D1168) P. O. Box145 Tullos,Louisiana 71479 (318) 628-1836 is applying to theInjec‐tion andMiningDivision of theOffice of Conser‐vation fora permit to disposeofproduced flu‐idsgenerated from oil andgas production by meansofaninjection well, which is identified as LP MineralOwners LLCSWD No.034, Serial Number (246721) with theinjection interval at an approximatedepth of 1500 feet to 1800 feet ThewelllocationisSec‐tion 03, Township 09 North, Range01East, Tul‐los-Urania Field(9031) LaSalleParish(30) Louisiana. Allinterestedparties are hereby givenanopportu‐nity to submit written comments no laterthan fifteen(15) daysfromthe d f hi bli i
NOTICE OF INTENT TO SUBMIT
APPLICATION IBERIA PARISH GOVERNMENT TYPE III LANDFILL NO.2 FREETOWN ROAD,IBERIA PARISH,LOUISIANA Notice is hereby given that Iberia Parish Gov‐ernmentdoesintendto submit to theDepart‐ment of Environmental Quality, Office of Environ‐mental Services,Waste PermitsDivisionanap‐plicationfor aRenewal SolidWaste Permit to op‐eratea Type III (Con‐struction/Demolition and Wood Waste) Landfill in Iberia Parish,Range 5 East,Township12South Section1,which is ap‐proximately5.8 milesin a North72°35’West direc‐tion from thecenterof NewIberia, Louisiana. Commentsconcerning thefacilitymay be filed with thesecretary of the LouisianaDepartmentof EnvironmentalQuality at thefollowing address: LouisianaDepartmentof Environmental
1t $117.28
PUBLIC NOTICE
PUBLIC NOTICE
Requestfor Scenic RiverPermiton BogueChitto River TheSecretary of the LouisianaDepartmentof Wildlife andFisheries (LDWF) as Administrator of theLouisiana Natural andScenicRiversSystem is currentlyconsidering theapplicationofEn‐tergyServices, Inc. (En‐tergy) fora permit to constructa new230-kV electrical transmission line within a125-footwide right-of-way that will span theBogue Chitto River. Copies of theapplicationcan be reviewed by thepublicat theLDWFmainoffice 2000 QuailDrive,Baton Rouge, LA.The public is invitedtocomment on this permit requestfor a period of forty-five (45) days.Responses should be mailed to LDWF Scenic Rivers Program 2000 QuailDrive,Baton Rouge, LA 70808. 136995 April16, 1t $117.28
PUBLIC NOTICE Requestfor Scenic River Permit on BogueFalaya TheSecretary of the LouisianaDepartmentof Wildlife andFisheries (LDWF) as Administrator of theLouisiana Natural andScenicRiversSystem i l id i
Notice of Public Meeting Fire Protection District No.6 (E.B.R.Parish) NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVENpursuanttoArticle VI,Section 22, of the LouisianaConstitution andLa. R.S. 42:19.1,that a public meetingwillbe held on Tuesday, May20, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. at the Fire Protection District No.6 Headquarters,7878 Prescott Road,Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70812 to pass aresolutioncall‐ingfor theapproval of therenewal of thelevy andcollectionofthe 5 mill,nine(9) year,ad valorempropertytax on property within theDis‐trict(the“Tax”)and au‐thorizingthe callingof an election on Saturday November 15, 2025,for submission of theques‐tion of this millage re‐newal to thevotersof theDistrict, apolitical subdivisionofthe State of Louisiana. TheTax will expire at theend of the 2025 taxyearand there‐newalwillbefor the years2026 through2034 (inclusive). Therevenue collectedinthe firsttax year from this renewed millageisestimated to be $351,194.50. This Taxis dedicatedtofund thede‐velopment, operation andmaintenance of the fire protection facilities of theDistrictincluding thecostofobtaining waterfor fire protection purposes and fire hy‐drants within theDis‐
TheCityCouncil of the City of Port Allen, Louisianamet in regular sessiononWednesday April9,2025, in theCoun‐cilChambersofPort AllenCityHall. MayorPattancalledthe meetingtoorder at 5:30 PM.The pledge of alle‐giance wasrecited Councilmembers pre‐sent were:Mrs.Joseph, Ms.Gordon, Mr.Hubble, Ms.King, Mr.Payne.Ab‐sent:noone Amotionwas made by Mr.Payne andseconded by Mrs. Joseph to ap‐provethe minutesofthe regularmeetingofMarch 12, 2025. Arollcallvote wasasfollows:Yeas; Mrs. Joseph,Ms. Gordon Mr.Hubble, Ms.King, Mr Payne: Nays;None: Ab‐stain; None;Absent; None.Motionpassed. Apresentationwas made by Mr.TaniBunde of Ericksen Krentel, CPA on the2023-2024 annual audit. Apublichearing was held to obtain viewson theproposedordinance to subdividethe munici‐palpropertylocated at 605 N15thStreet,also knownas9.108 acresin sec67, T7SR12E,desig‐natedaslotsC &D PA285. Severalcitizenscame forthand made com‐ments. Amotionwas made by Ms.Kingand seconded by Ms.Gordontoadopt an ordinancetosubdi‐vide themunicipalprop‐erty locatedat605 N15th Street,alsoknown as 9.108 acresinsec 67, T7S R12E,designatedaslots C& DPA2-85. Arollcall vote wasasfollows: Yeas;Ms. Gordon,Mr. Payne: Nays;Mrs.Joseph Mr.Hubble, Ms.King. Mo‐tion failed. Items9and 10 were moot issues becauseof thefailure of passageof item 8. Apublichearing was held to obtain view on adopting an ordinanceto increase thewater and gasbudgetby $100,000.00 to address multiple leak repairsNo onecame forward. Amotionwas made by Ms.Gordonand sec‐ondedbyMr. Hubbleto adoptanordinance to in‐crease thewater andgas budget by $100,000.00 to addressmultipleleakre‐pairs. Arollcallvotewas as follows: Yeas;Mrs Joseph,Ms. Gordon,Mr. Hubble, Ms.King, Mr Payne: Nays;None: Ab‐stain; None;Absent; none Motion passed. Amotionwas made by Mr.Hubbleand seconded by Ms.Gordontoautho‐rize MayorPattanto make an emergencyap‐pointmentofAdrian Daigle as Director of Fi‐nancepending advertis‐ingand selectionof a person forthe position A roll call vote wasasfol‐lows:Yeas; Mrs. Joseph Ms.Gordon, Mr.Hubble, Ms.King, Mr.Payne: Nays;None: Abstain; None;Absent; none Mo‐tion passed. Amotionwas made by Mr.Hubbleand seconded by Ms.Kingtoauthorize ChiefMitchelltohirethe followingindividuals in Globointhe police de‐partment: K. Clark, B. i d bl
sideration
Announcements: •PortAllenKidsFestis Saturday beginningat Noon andendingat4:30 PM •SAVEsponsored by SheriffBergeronis scheduledfor April16, 2025 forall Senior Citi‐zens •Musicians Fest is scheduledfor theWBR Museum on Thursday andFriday.
AmotionbyMs. Gordon andsecondedbyMr. Payne to adjournthe meetingwithnoobjec‐tions, themeetingwas adjournedat6:51PM.
Terecita Pattan, Mayor Rose A. Roche’ MunicipalClerk 136928 April16, 1t $56.64
PUBLIC NOTICE
NOTICE theLa. Dept. of Energy andNatural Re‐sources, Office of CoastalManagement (OCM)has received the followingapplication(s) fora CoastalUse Permit (CUP)inaccordancewith theState andLocal CoastalResources Man‐agementAct of 1978, as amended, (La. R.S. 49:214.21-214.41),and the rulesand regulationsof theCoastal Resources Program.Applications forthe proposed work maybeinspected at 617 North3rd Street,Room 1078, BatonRouge,LAor on theOCM webpageat: http://dnr.louisiana.gov/ index.cfm?md=pagebui lder&tmp=home& pid=591.Copiesmay be obtained upon payment of cost of copying. Writ‐tencomments, including suggestionsfor modifi‐cationsorobjectionsto theproposedworkand statingthe reasons thereof, arebeing so‐licitedfromthe public Commentsmustbere‐ceived within 25 days of thedateofpublication of this notice.Comments should be uploaded to ourelectronicrecord, but maybemailedor emailedtothe desig‐natedOCM Reviewer.All commentsmustcontain theappropriateapplica‐tion numberand the commenter's full name andcontact information. Anypersonmay request, in writing, within the comment period speci‐fied in this notice,that a StateorFederal public hearingbeheldtocon‐siderthisapplication. Re‐quests forpublichear‐ings shallstate,withpar‐ticularity,the reasonsfor holdinga public hearing andmustcontain the name andcontact infor‐mation of therequester Beloware thereferenced application(s): OCM; P. O. Box44487, BatonRouge LA 70804-4487; Phone: (225) 342-2767; Email: maggie james@la.gov; i i
PUBLIC NOTICE 19THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF EAST BATONROUGE STATEOFLOUISIANA NO.P-115810, SECTION33 IN THEMATTEROFTHE SUCCESSION OF RICHARDHERMAN JONES, JR. NOTICE OF
