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W e d n e s d ay, M a r c h 12, 2025
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Federal judge halts La. execution
Ruling pauses first usage of nitrogen gas BY ANDREA GALLO and JOHN SIMERMAN
U.S. District Court Judge Shelly Dick granted the preliminary injunction Tuesday after a daylong Staff writers hearing last week in which attorA federal judge in Baton Rouge neys for condemned inmate Jessie has issued a preliminary injunc- Hoffman Jr. argued that the state’s tion to stop Louisiana from moving plan to kill him with nitrogen forward with its first nitrogen gas amounts to cruel and unusual punexecution March 18, though the ishment, which is forbidden under state immediately moved to appeal the Eighth Amendment of the U.S. her ruling. Constitution. She also wrote that
she was persuaded by arguments that death by a firing squad would be a quicker and more humane method, though it is not currently legal in Louisiana. “Now, after an expedited hearing, and absent a fully developed record, this Court must answer the ultimate question: is nitrogen hypoxia cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amend-
ment?” Dick wrote in her ruling. She said Hoffman’s attorneys had proved enough to warrant a delay until she can fully consider the issue. “Plaintiff has shown that nitrogen hypoxia superadds psychological pain, suffering, and terror to his execution when compared to execution by firing squad,” Dick added. “He has shown that execution by firing squad is a feasible and readily available alternative that the State has no legitimate penological reason for not adopting.”
Attorneys for the state filed a notice of appeal within minutes of Dick releasing her ruling Tuesday afternoon. “We disagree with the district court’s ruling and are prepared to appeal swiftly to the 5th Circuit,” Attorney General Liz Murrill said. Cecelia Kappel, one of Hoffman’s attorneys, said they were grateful that the court recognized the risks to Hoffman’s constitutional rights posed by a “new and untested”
ä See EXECUTION, page 4A
Schools in La. to use Gulf of America
One lucky mudbug saved Pardoning ceremony kicks off crawfish season
BESE unanimously adopts name change
BY ELYSE CARMOSINO
Staff writer
Louisiana’s state board of education voted unanimously Tuesday to align the state’s fourth and fifth grade social studies standards with President Donald Trump’s executive order mandating that the Gulf of Mexico be renamed to the Gulf of America. The board’s embrace of the name change, which sparked controversy when Trump announced it in January, means that Louisiana teachers will be encouraged to refer to the body of water between Mexico and North America by the new name in classroom lessons, and all new fourth and fifth grade social studies materials — the two grades whose standards mention the Gulf in units on world history — will be required to reflect the change moving forward. However,
ä See GULF, page 4A
STAFF PHOTOS By LESLIE WESTBROOK
Wendy Huval helps her grandson, John Paul Guerriero, meet Huval the crawfish, held by Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser, during the ninth annual pardoning of the crawfish ceremony on Tuesday at Pat’s Fisherman’s Wharf Restaurant in Henderson. BY JA’KORI MADISON
Staff writer
One lucky crawfish named Huval was saved from being served at any boil, in any étouffées, or other delicious crustacean dishes during the ninth annual pardoning of the crawfish on Tuesday. Huval received a pardon at Pat’s Fisherman’s Wharf Restaurant in a special ceremony that officially kicks off crawfish season. During the ceremony, the mudbug was freed from “water hotter than where it was found in the beautiful swamps and bayous in Louisiana,” according to the proclamation. The official proclamation was first sealed and signed by Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser in 2017, a Louisiana take on America’s annual Thanksgiving turkey pardon. This year’s crawfish is named in honor of former Henderson mayor and owner of Pat’s Fisherman Wharf Restaurant, Pat Huval. “When naming the crawfish the seafood promotion team thinks about someone who has contributed so much to the culture and seafood in Louisiana” Nungesser said. “I’m glad we were able to recognize Huval and his family because they have certainly made an impact.” Huval was deeply involved in the Hen-
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2024 Breaux Bridge Crawfish Queen Demi Patin, left, and 2024 Erath Miss 4th of July Carlie LeBlanc work out the logistics of holding Huval the crawfish during Tuesday’s ceremony. derson community and served as the town’s first mayor from 1949 to 1971. He also was a volunteer firefighter and instituted the first municipal trash services. Huval married Agnes Hebert when he was 18 and the two opened their own grocery store in 1948. The couple bought Henry Guidry’s dance hall/restaurant in the early ‘50s and then in 1952 they bought another building, which is now known as Pat’s Restaurant.
The restaurant is attached to a historical event and music venue called the Atchafalaya Club that still sees crowds on the weekend. Reminiscing on the early days of his political career, Nungesser remembers coming to Pat’s with his dad and giving his first political speech at the venue. “I remember being right here in this venue with my dad and other political peers and we’d talk for hours and enjoy the food,” Nungesser said. “I had my speech on this stage when I was running for lieutenant governor and everyone cheered me on. That was the feeling you get no matter who you were coming into this place because that doesn’t just happen anywhere.” Huval died in 2018, but his legacy lives on through the restaurant, dance hall in the surrounding community. “Thank you to the Huval family for opening the doors to the entire crawfish industry and to the man who put Henderson on the map, Pat Huval,” said Samantha Carrol, executive director of the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board. “This place serves as a gateway to authentic Cajun culture.” After the pardon, Huval was transported to fresh water without spices, potatoes, seasoning, onions or garlic.
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FEMA overhaul seeks La. advice
Trump administration eyes agency’s future BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s advisory council on FEMA’s future wants to hear from the Louisiana Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, said GOHSEP Director Jacques Thibodeaux. There could be Thibodeaux many reasons. As the frequent target of hurricanes, floods and tornadoes, Louisiana has been working closely with the Federal Emergency
ä See FEMA, page 4A
100TH yEAR, NO. 255