The Times-Picayune 02-19-2026

LSUBASEBALL Tigers stay

‘HIS IMPACT IS IMMEASURABLE’

Norman Francis,civil rights icon andlongtime Xavier University president, dies at 94

BY JOHN POPE Contributingwriter

Norman Christopher Francis, the president of Xavier University for 47 years who was aforce for justicein classrooms and boardrooms at the local, state and nationallevels,diedWednesday at Ochsner Hospital, according to family members. He was 94.

During Francis’ yearsasthe leader of the country’sonly Black Catholic institution of higher learning, theGert Town

ä New Orleans leaders react to Francis’ legacy PAGE 5A

campus grewfrom five to 16 buildings,expanding far beyond itsoriginal boundaries. Because of his focus on science, Xavierbecame auniversity that consistently sent more minority students to medical schools than any other college in the country

“His impact is immeasurable,” said Dr.Michael Francis, hisson.“He would

do anything for hisfamily,the Xavier family and theLouisiana family.”

Amongthose Francis welcomed to Xavier’scampus were the Freedom Riders, civil rights activists he housed in adormitory in 1961 after White supremacists attacked them in Alabama; former President Barack Obama, who was Illinois’ junior senator when he delivered the university’s2006 commencement address; and Pope John

ä See FRANCIS, page 4A

Nottoway owners plan to rebuildhome

Historic plantation house destroyed by fire in May

BY QUINNCOFFMAN Staff writer

The Nottowayplantationhouse will be rebuilt “exactly” as it stood before the May fire that totaled it, ending its reign as the largest antebellum home in the South, its owner says.

“It was asad day,May 15. It was a sad day for us,” Dan Dyesssaid. “Part of us said we could just sell andleave,

but we didn’twant to leave alegacy of just leaving Nottoway on the ground.” Whenthe fire started,Dyesswas drivingdownfromNatchitoches, where he ownsthe historic Steel Magnolia House. He had theprogress of the fire described to him in increasingly hopeless phone calls. By the time he reached Nottoway, the electrical fire had been blazing for nearlyfourhours. It had started on the southern side, where the basementmuseum was located, then spread quickly inside to all three floors. After the fire, Dyess said, he re-

ceivedcalls from people alloverthe world, speaking “about howmuchthey love Nottoway.”

Evenso, Dyess saidhewas surprised thefire became national news. The news cyclewas dominated by questions of whether it is propertohost weddings and vacation stays on the grounds. Somepeople celebrated its destruction. Dyesssaid the “disheartening” backlash hasmotivated himtoconsider a “memorial” to Nottoway’senslaved

ä See NOTTOWAY, page 7A

Checchio delivers first Mass as archbishop

Faithful lineupfor ashes as Lent

begins

BY BOBWARREN Staff writer

Hours aftertheyput away the masks and scarfed down the last remnants of king cake, the devout across south Louisiana went to church Wednesday to receive the ashes on their foreheadsthatmarkthe beginning of Lent.

In NewOrleans, James F. Checchio celebrated his first Mass as archbishop, where abig crowd in St. Louis Cathedral offered him around of applauseand then solemnly stood in long lines as Checchio, outgoing Archbishop Gregory Aymond and several other clergy membersdabbed theirthumbs in ashesand then madethe sign of the cross on the foreheads of the faithful.

During the service, Aymond ceremonially walked Checchiotothe cathedra on the altar —the chair that can only be occupied by the current archbishop. As they reached the chair,the menlightly embraced, shared afew words and Checchio sat to the cheers of those who hadgathered for the noon Mass. Checchio, who before the service began had walked up and down thecenteraisle shakinghands and making small talk, acknowledged their support with awide smile.

“It’sbeautiful to see so manyhere,” he

“It’s beautiful to see so manyhere. Everyone’s been so gracious.… I’m blessed to be in New Orleans.” ARCHBISHOP JAMES CHECCHIO ä See CHECCHIO, page 8A

Poll: Many Democrats are still down on party

WASHINGTON Democratic candidates have notched a series of wins in recent special elections but a new AP-NORC poll finds views of the Democratic Party among rank-and-file Democrats have not bounced back since President Donald Trump’s victory in 2024.

Only about 7 in 10 Democrats have a positive view of the Democratic Party, according to new polling from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. While the overwhelming majority of Democrats still feel good about their party, they’re much less positive than they’ve been in the past

The midterm elections are still many months away, and lackluster favorability doesn’t spell electoral doom. Other factors could benefit Democrats this year, including broadly negative views of Trump and other Republicans. Additionally, recent polling has found that independents tend to identify more with the party that’s out of power, which could boost Democrats this year too. Historically, the party not in the White House has picked up seats in Congress in midterm elections.

N.J. diocese agrees to $180M settlement

TRENTON, N.J A New Jersey Catholic diocese this week agreed to a $180 million settlement to resolve allegations of clergy sexual abuse, a figure far exceeding agreements in some large dioceses but still dwarfed by other massive settlements.

Bishop Joseph Williams of the Diocese of Camden, covering southern New Jersey and its Philadelphia suburbs, announced the settlement Tuesday in a letter “For the survivors of South Jersey, this day is long overdue and represents a milestone in their journey toward restored justice and the healing and recognition they have long sought and deserve,” Williams said.

Mark Crawford, state director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said in a phone interview Wednesday that the settlement was long overdue but he was glad the ordeal was coming to an end. He praised the bishop for listening to survivors and for pledging transparency, contrasting him with his predecessor who fought a legal battle over a state investigation into alleged clergy abuse.

5 dead in Colorado highway crashes

DENVER A total of five people have died in crashes on a Colorado interstate involving over 30 vehicles, including seven semitrailers, after blowing dirt made it nearly impossible to see, authorities said Wednesday Authorities initially said four people died and 29 people were injured in the crashes Tuesday on Interstate 25 near Pueblo. But one of the people hospitalized later died of his injuries, the Colorado State Patrol said Dirt from parched land along the interstate was kicked up by heavy winds and blew across the interstate around 10 a.m. Tuesday causing a “brown out,” Maj. Brian Lyons of the Colorado State Patrol said.

“Visibility was next to nothing,” he said.

11 arrested in death of student in France

PARIS French police investigating the beating of a far-right militant who died of brain injuries have arrested 11 people, prosecutors said Wednesday, in a case adding fuel to long-standing divides in French politics ahead of presidential elections in 2027

Quentin Deranque, a 23-yearold student described as a fervent nationalist, died in a hospital on Saturday He was beaten two days earlier by a group of people in the city of Lyon in fighting that erupted between far-left and far-right supporters on the margins of a student meeting where a far-left lawmaker Rima Hassan, was a keynote speaker

An autopsy found that Deranque suffered a fractured skull and fatal brain injuries, according to Lyon’s prosecutor Thierry Dran.

8 backcountry skiers found dead; 1 missing

Guided tour group caught in sudden avalanche

BY BROOKE HESS-HOMEIER, JULIE WATSON and JOHN SEEWER Associated Press

NEVADA CITY Calif. Crews found the bodies of eight backcountry skiers near California’s Lake Tahoe and were searching for one more after they were caught in an avalanche, the nation’s deadliest in nearly half a century, authorities said Wednesday Authorities said the skiers had little time to react “Someone saw the avalanche, yelled ‘Avalanche!’ and it overtook them rather quickly,” said Capt. Russell “Rusty” Greene, of the Nevada County sheriff’s office.

Six from the guided tour were rescued six hours after the avalanche hit Tuesday morning during a three-day trek in Northern California’s Sierra Nevada, as a monster winter storm pummeled the West Coast.

Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon said investigators would look into the decision to proceed with the trip on Sunday despite the forecast for a major storm.

That morning at 6:49 a.m., the Sierra Avalanche Center issued an avalanche watch, indicating that

large avalanches were likely in the next 24 to 48 hours.

The center increased the watch to a warning hours before the avalanche hit. It’s not known if the guides would have known about the warning before they ventured out.

Authorities have told the families the mission has moved from rescuing people to recovering bodies, Moon said during a news conference.

The victims, including three guides, were found fairly close together, Greene said. The dead and missing include seven women and two men, ranging in ages from 30 to 55. The crews have not yet been able to remove the victims from the mountain because of the extreme conditions, the sheriff said.

Three to 6 feet of snow has fallen since Sunday The area was also hit by subfreezing temperatures and gale force winds. The Sierra Avalanche Center said the threat of more avalanches remained Wednesday and left the snowpack unstable and unpredictable in an area known for its steep, craggy cliffs.

Rescuers reached the survivors

just before sunset on Tuesday

The skiers all had beacons that can send signals to rescuers and at least one of the guides was able to send texts, but it wasn’t clear if they were wearing avalanche bags, which are inflatable devices that can keep skiers near the surface, Greene said.

While they waited to be rescued, the survivors used equipment to shelter themselves and fend off temperatures dipping below freezing. The survivors located three others who had died during the wait, Moon said.

Rescuers used a snowcat to get within 2 miles of the survivors, then skied in carefully so they didn’t set off another avalanche, the sheriff said.

One of those rescued remains in a hospital Wednesday, Moon said. A guide was among the survivors.

The area near Donner Summit is one of the snowiest places in the Western Hemisphere and until just a few years ago was closed to the public. It sees an average of nearly 35 feet of snow a year, according to the Truckee Donner Land Trust, which owns a cluster of huts where the group was staying near Frog Lake.

Envoys: No breakthrough on bridging Russia, Ukraine gap

BY JAMEY KEATEN and ILLIA NOVIKOV Associated Press

GENEVA — The latest U.S.-brokered talks between envoys from Moscow and Kyiv over Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine ended Wednesday with no sign of a breakthrough and with both sides saying the talks were difficult,” as the war’s fourth anniversary approaches next week.

The negotiations in Switzerland were the third round of direct talks organized by the U.S., after meetings earlier this year in Abu Dhabi that officials described as constructive but which also made no major headway Expectations for significant progress in Geneva were low

“The negotiations were not easy,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after the talks broke up and he spoke briefly by phone from Kyiv with his negotiating team.

He earlier accused Russia of “trying to drag out negotiations” while it presses on with its invasion — an accusation he and European leaders have repeatedly made in the past.

Despite that, some progress was made on military issues although political differences remain deep, including over the future of land in eastern Ukraine that is occupied by the Russian army and that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to keep, Zelenskyy said.

The head of the Russian delegation, Putin adviser Vladimir Medinsky, told reporters that the two days of talks in Geneva “were difficult but businesslike.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that it’s “too early” to speak about the outcome of the talks Putin has been receiving reports about progress in Geneva, he said.

Both sides said a new round of talks is set to take place.

Soldiers wait Tuesday at a pickup for assignments on the front line near Kostyantynivka, Donetsk region, Ukraine.

Zelenskyy described the military discussions as “constructive,” adding that the armed forces of both countries considered how any future ceasefire might be monitored.

“Monitoring will definitely be carried out with participation of the American side,” he said in a voice message shared in a media group chat on WhatsApp.

U.S President Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, said on social media that Washington’s push for peace in Ukraine over the past year has “brought about meaningful progress,” without elaborating.

The two armies remain locked in battle on the roughly 750-mile front line, while Russia bombards civilian areas of Ukraine daily Hours after the first day of talks ended on Tuesday, Russian drones killed a woman and injured a 6-year-old girl and 18-month-old toddler in the southern Ukraine city of Zaporizhzhia, officials said.

Zuckerberg quizzed in social media trial

CEO pressed on kids’ Instagram use

BY KAITLYN HUAMANI and BARBARA ORTUTAY AP technology writers

LOS ANGELES Mark Zuckerberg and opposing lawyers dueled in a Los Angeles courtroom on Wednesday where the Meta CEO answered questions about young people’s use of Instagram, his congressional testimony and internal advice he’s received about being “authentic” and not “robotic.”

Zuckerberg’s testimony is part of an unprecedented social media trial that questions whether Meta’s platforms deliberately addict and harm children. During questioning by the plaintiff’s lawyer, Zuckerberg said he still agrees with a previous statement he made that the existing body of scientific work has not proven that social media causes mental health harms. The plaintiff’s attorney, Mark Lanier, asked Zuckerberg if people tend to use something more if it’s addictive.

“I’m not sure what to say to that,” Zuckerberg said. “I don’t think that applies here.”

Attorneys representing the plaintiff, a now 20-year-old woman identified by the initials KGM, claim her early use of social media addicted her to the technology and exacerbated depression and suicidal thoughts. Meta Platforms and Google’s YouTube are the two remaining defendants in the case, which TikTok and Snap have settled. Beginning his questioning, Lanier laid out three options of what people can do regarding vulnerable people: help them, ignore them, or “prey upon them and use them for our own ends.” Zuckerberg said he agrees the last option is not what a reasonable company should do, saying, “I think a reasonable company should try to help the people that use its services.” Lanier questioned the Meta CEO extensively about a comment he made during a past congressional hearing, where he said Instagram employees are not given goals to increase amount of time people spent on the platform.

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Officials: More than 550 schoolsmustclose

Investigators find safety issues with commercial drivingprograms

BY JOSH FUNK AP transportation writer

More than 550 commercial driving schools in the U.S. that train truckers and bus drivers must close after investigators found they employedunqualified instructors, failed to adequately test students and had other safetyissues, the federal TransportationDepartment announced Wednesday

Themove marks theTrump administration’slatest effortto improve safetyinthe truckingindustry.And unlike its actions last fall to decertify up to 7,500 schools that included many defunctoperations, this latest step is focused on active schools inspectors identified as having significant shortcomings in 1,426 site visits completed in December

The department has been aggressively going after states that handed out commercial driver’s licenses to immigrants who shouldn’thave qualified for them

ever since afatal crash in August

Atruck driver that Transportation

Secretary Sean Duffy says was not authorized to be in theU.S made anillegal U-turnand caused acrash in Florida that killed three people. Other fatalcrashes since then,including oneinIndiana earlier this month that killed four, have only added tothe concerns.

Duffy said 448 schools that failed to meet basic safety standards.

Inspectors found shortcomings such as employing unqualified instructors, failing to test students’ skills or teach them how to handle hazardousmaterials and using the wrong equipment to teach drivers. Another109 schools removed themselves from the registry of schoolswhen they learnedthat inspectors were planning to visit

“American families should have confidence that our school bus and truck drivers are following every letter of the law and that starts withreceiving proper training

before getting behind thewheel,” Duffy said.

Thelist of schoolsthatofficials want to decertify now are generally smallerones, including a number of programsrun by school districts. Five of the bigger,more reputableschools represented by the national Commercial Vehicle Training Association were audited butthose all passed.

Jeffery Burkhardt,who is chair of the national trucking schools group, said established schools welcome the new enforcement efforttoeliminate badschools that aren’t meeting the standards. He said theseaudits mark thefirst time regulatorshave enforced the standardsfor driving schools that were passed in 2022.

“There’snoreason to believe that they’re notgoing to keep on moving on it, whichisgood. You know,the good playershave no problem withit. Absolutely none,” said Burkhardt, whoisalso is senior director of operations at Ancora, whichprovides CDL training at colleges,communitycolleges andcompanies. Another 97 schools are currently under investigation for compliance issues.

Pope laments‘ashesofinternational law’ in hisAsh Wednesdayliturgy

By The Associated Press

ROME PopeLeo XIV opened the church’spenitential Lenten season by presiding overAsh Wednesday and lamentingthe “ashesofinternationallaw and justice” that have been left by today’s wars and conflicts.

Leo revived the traditional prayer and procession that Pope Francis largely delegated toothers in his final years. He walked with dozens of monks, priests,bishops and cardinalsfrom one Roman church to another and then sprinkled ashes on the heads of cardinals during Mass. Ash Wednesday,aday of fasting and reflection, starts aseasonof self-denial and repentance from sin known as Lent. The 40-day period leads up to observances of Jesus’ death on Good Friday and resurrectiononEaster

In his homily,Leo offered amedi-

BY JULIE CARR SMYTH Associated Press

NEW ALBANY,Ohio The billionaire behind the retail empire that once blanketed shopping malls with names such as Victoria’s Secretand Abercrombie& Fitch told members of Congresson Wednesdaythathewas “duped by aworld-class con man” —close financial adviser Jeffrey Epstein. Les Wexner also denied knowing about the late sex offender’s crimes or participating in Ep-

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO

Pope Leo XIV arrives WednesdayinSt. Peter’sSquare at the Vatican for his open-airweekly general audience.

tationonsin and said the ashes that Christians receive bear the “weight of aworld that is ablaze, of entire cities destroyed by war.”

“Thisisalsoreflectedinthe ashes of internationallaw andjustice

among peoples, the ashes of entire ecosystems and harmony among peoples, the ashes of critical thinkingand ancient localwisdom, the ashes of that sense of the sacred that dwells in every creature,” he said.

JesseJackson’s

children honor hislegacyafter hisdeath

BY SOPHIA TAREEN AssociatedPress

CHICAGO From jokesabout his well-known stubbornness to tears grieving the loss of aparent, the adultchildren of the Rev.Jesse L. Jackson Sr.gave an emotional tribute Wednesday honoring the legacy of the late civil rights icon, aday afterhis death.

Jackson died Tuesday at his homeinChicagoafterbattling a rare neurological disorderthat affected his ability to move and speak. Standing on the steps outside his longtime Chicago home, five of hischildren, including U.S.Rep.Jonathan Jackson, remembered him notonlyfor his decades-long work in civil rights but also for his role as spiritual leader and father

“Our father is aman whodedicated his life to public service to gain, protect and defend civil rightsand human rights to make our nation better,tomake the worldmorejust,our people better neighborswitheach other,” said his youngest son, Yusef Jackson, fighting back tears at times.

The family saiddetails on funeral arrangements for Jackson would be announced at alater time, but services will begin next week,withhim lyinginreposeat theheadquarters of the organizationhefounded, Rainbow/PUSH Coalition in Chicago, which his sonYusef oversees. Services will follow at achurch large enough to accommodate expected crowds. Jacksonrosetoprominence six decades agoasaprotégé of the

Rev.Martin Luther King Jr., joining the voting rights march King led from SelmatoMontgomery, Alabama. King later dispatched Jackson to ChicagotolaunchOperation Breadbasket, aSouthern ChristianLeadership Conference efforttopressure companiesto hire Black workers.

Jackson waswith King on April 4, 1968, whenthe civil rights leader wasslain.

Remembrances have poured in worldwide for Jackson, including flowers left outside the home where large portraits of asmiling Jackson hadbeen placed.But his children said he was afamily man first.

“Ourfather took fatherhood very seriously,” his eldest child, Santita Jackson, said. “Itwas his charge to keep.”

Hischildren’s reflections were poetic in the style of the late civil rights icon filled with prayer, tears and afew chuckles, including about disagreements that occur when growing up in alarge, lively family

Hiseldestson,Jesse Jackson Jr., aformercongressman,said hisfather’sfuneral services would welcomeall, “Democrat, Republican, liberal and conservative, right wing, left wing —because his life is broad enough to coverthe full spectrum of what it means to be an American.”

The family asked only that those attending be respectful.

“Ifhis life becomes aturning point in our national political discourse, amen,” he said. “Hislast breath is not his last breath.”

stein’sabuse ofgirls andyoung women.

“I was naive, foolish, and gullible to put any trust in Jeffrey Epstein. He was acon man. Andwhile I was conned, Ihave done nothing wrong and have nothing to hide,” the88-year-oldretired founder of LBrands said in astatement to theHouse Oversight and Reform Committee released before his interview

Thepanel’sDemocrats had subpoenaedhim afterthe latest JusticeDepartment release of Epstein-related documents revealed new details about Wexner’srelationship with the well-connected financier.Ranking member Rep.

JamesComer,a Kentucky Republican, said Wexner “answeredevery question asked of him” during the6-hour proceeding. Avideoand transcript are to released soon.

Wexner described himself to the lawmakers as aphilanthropist, communitybuilder and grandfather whoalways strove “tolive my life in an ethical manner in line with my moral compass,” according to thestatement. He saidhewas eager“to setthe record straight” about his ties with Epstein.Their relationendedbitterly in 2007, after theWexners discovered he’d been stealing from them. As one of Epstein’smost promi-

nent former friends, Wexner has spent years answering fortheir decades-long association and he soughttouse theproceedingto dispel whathecalled “outrageous untruestatements andhurtful rumor, innuendo,and speculation” that have shadowed him.

Rep. Robert Garcia, aCalifornia Democrat whosat in on Wednesday’sinterview, expressedskepticism in comments to reporters gathered near the proceeding.

“There is no single personthat was more involved in providing Jeffrey Epstein with the financial support to commit his crimes than Les Wexner,”hesaid.

In response to allegationsby

the prominent late Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre, who claimed in court documents that Wexner was amongmen Epsteintrafficked her to,Wexnertestified to utterdevotion to his wife of 33 years, Abigail. He said he’d never once been unfaithful “in anyway,shape,or form.Never.Any suggestion to the contrary is absolutely and entirely false.”

Wexner’sname appears more than 1,000 times in the Epstein files, whichdoesnot implyguilt, and Wexner has never been charged with any crimes. His spokesperson saidthe numberof mentions is notunexpected given their long-runningties.

THE LEGACy OF NORMAN FRANCIS

FRANCIS

Continued from page 1A

Paul II, who, during his September 1987 visit, spoke in the campus’ quadrangle to the leaders of every Catholic university in the country

“It was a great, great moment for Xavier,” Francis said of the pope’s visit in a 1997 interview “That moment gave us a national presence.”

Francis’ years of service have been recognized with a slew of awards, including 42 honorary doctorates and, in 2006, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civilian honor

Because he built the university and thereby drew national attention to it, Francis is “clearly one of the most influential New Orleanians of the 20th century,” said former New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League.

“His greatness is being a builder of institutions that are going to continue being significant players in New Orleans.”

People- and book-smart

Francis, who served on 54 boards and commissions and advised eight presidents on education and civil rights issues, was born on March 20 1931 in Lafayette during the Great Depression. One of five children, he earned money by shining shoes and painting houses.

He graduated from St. Paul High School and considered enlisting in the Army because his family couldn’t afford to send him to college.

But a nun who had taught him contacted the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, the order of Catholic nuns that founded and ran Xavier The group arranged a scholarship for Francis that allowed him work in the library to pay his tuition. He enrolled in 1948 at 17. His leadership skills were evident even then, said Sybil Morial, a friend since their undergraduate days at Xavier an educator and a civil rights activist. Sybil Morial, the wife of former Mayor Dutch Morial and mother to Marc Morial, died last year

“I knew he was full of life and very smart, not just book-smart but people-smart,” she said. “It was an innate talent.” Francis was president of his class each year until his senior year, when he was elected student body president and graduated with honors in 1952.

He later applied to Loyola University’s law school, becoming its first Black student. But there was a catch: Even though Francis had integrated the law school, he couldn’t live in a Loyola dormitory So he bunked in a Xavier dorm, where he was in charge of freshmen men.

“I was a budding lawyer living with a bunch of rowdy teenage boys,” Francis said in an interview “At night, they’d set up bowling pins at one end of the hall and roll a Coke bottle down it to knock them over Those were some of the best years of my life.”

His first day there, Francis met a fellow student, Maurice “Moon” Landrieu, in the lobby

“I put my hands on his shoulders and said, ‘Welcome aboard. If there’s any way I can help you, let me know,’” said Landrieu, a former New Orleans mayor who died in 2022. Before the two met, “I never thought about segregation. That’s just the way things were,” said Landrieu, who often called Francis for advice during his public service career. “But when I met Norman, I began thinking in terms of fairness and integrity I became convinced that as long as his freedom was limited, mine was, too. It made me angry.”

After Francis got his law degree, he joined the U.S. Army, serving in the 3rd Armored Division. He later worked on special assignment with the U.S. Justice Department to desegregate federal agencies in ma-

jor cities, especially in the South.

He also joined the New Orleans law firm of Collins Douglas & Elie, which was counsel for the Congress for Racial Equality, the civil rights organization known as CORE. In this job, Francis fought segregation and represented activists who were challenging shop owners on the then-bustling Dry-

ades Street to hire Black workers and staging sit-ins at White-only lunch counters on Canal Street.

A legacy as an educator

Although his legal career was going well, Francis decided in the late 1950s to pivot.

“I made a decision that education was going to be the answer for me

because as I looked at the struggle for African Americans, I knew we weren’t going to make it if we just kept showing up in courtrooms defending ourselves against whatever the circumstances,” he said in a 1992 interview

He returned to Xavier in 1957 to become its dean of men, the first of several posts he would hold dur-

ing his climb up the administrative ladder In the spring of 1961, a group of Xavier undergraduates told him about the Freedom Riders, a group of young people who planned to take a Greyhound bus from Washington, D.C., to New Orleans in a bid to end segregation in bus travel in the South.

The riders got as far as Anniston Alabama where about 50 White supremacists attacked them and their bus. The next day, Vincent Roux and Rudy Lombard, who were coordinating the New Orleans end of that ride, went to Francis’ office to ask if the Freedom Riders could be put up in St. Michael’s Dormitory which had an empty third floor

“I had to think about it a while for two reasons,” Francis said. “I knew if I put them in the dormitory I was perhaps endangering the lives of the other kids there, but this was the right thing to do.” Sister Mary Josephina Kenney, Xavier’s president, agreed, Francis said, on the condition that the school not announce the decision in a news release, as local hotels and residents feared violence would follow the group.

But he didn’t keep a low profile Instead, Francis held a news conference in the dorm lobby to celebrate the group, who arrived on campus bloodied and bandaged in a scene Francis described as “sad and triumphant.” He also joined the group at Zion Baptist Church to celebrate the seventh anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision that outlawed segregation

New Orleans leaders react to Francis’ legacy

BY MARCO CARTOLANO Staff writer

New Orleanians on Ash Wednesday mourned the death of Norman C. Francis, the former longtime Xavier University president who spearheaded the Black Catholic university’s growth and championed justice.

State and national politicians, Xavier officials, business leaders and others offered reflections about Francis, who died at 94 and was considered one of the most influential New Orleanians of the 20th century Xavier officials honored Francis’ dedication to the Gert Town campus.

“For seven decades, including a resounding 47 years as University President, Dr Francis shaped Xavier into a national model of excellence and access, cementing it as a national leader in education and beyond,” their statement read. “His legacy will live on in every Xavier student and graduate whose life was changed by his belief that education could change the world.”

As president, Francis oversaw the growth of Xavier’s campus from five to 16 buildings. His focus on science and medicine at the university helped to diversify

in public schools.

Seven years later, the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament decided it was time for a Xavier graduate to become president of the 43-yearold university that St. Katharine Drexel, the order’s founder, had established for Black students. Francis became Xavier’s first lay president and first Black president.

When he took over, “everyone was trying to be a general liberal arts college,” Marc Morial said. “He had a focus. He positioned Xavier with a focus on science. He did it before it was a trend.”

These days, Xavier turns out dozens of graduates each year who go on to medical schools, and it has one of Louisiana’s two colleges for training aspiring pharmacists.

Sybil Morial, who held a series of administrative positions at Xavier for 28 years, witnessed all the changes. “It was an exciting job to be part of this vibrant thing that was turning out these successful students who were contributing not only professionally but also personally,” she said. “He set the example.”

As president, he was perpetually cheerful, and he had a hearty greeting for everyone But he could be serious when the situation demanded it, as Sybil Morial remembered when she described a protest on campus.

“It could have been very ugly,” she said. “He told the students he wanted to meet with them and hear what their concerns were. He let them talk, not just the leader He totally disarmed them, and they walked away satisfied I guess they did some marching and public speaking on the campus, but it wasn’t angry He had the talent to do that.”

A 1986 survey by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education named him one of the 100 most effective college presidents in the country

When Hurricane Katrina’s floodwaters battered southeast Louisiana, ravaged his Gentilly home and tore through Xavier’s campus in August 2005, Francis vowed to not only rebuild the campus but make it better

“Bringing us back to where we were before Katrina wasn’t good enough,” he said in an interview

“We had to get where we were planning to go. We were able to combine the plan that started before Katrina and see how we could move to the next step.” Even though the campus mari-

the country’s health-science workforce.

A ‘trailblazer’

Mayor Helena Moreno said Francis had “an immeasurable impact” on New Orleans.

“I was blessed to call Dr Francis a friend and to share a close bond with his beloved family,” she said. “Today, we honor not only a trailblazer and visionary, but a compassionate leader whose life’s work will continue to inspire generations.”

Gov Jeff Landry said Francis will be remembered for his civil rights and educational leadership.

In 1961, Francis, then the dean of men on the campus,welcomed the Freedom Riders, civil rights activists protesting unconstitutional segregation in the South, after they were attacked in Alabama.

“His courage and vision shaped Xavier University into the institution it is today,” Landry said. “Sharon and I are praying for the Francis family and trust he is reunited in Heaven with his wife, Blanche.”

Attorney General Liz Murrill echoed the governor’s sentiments.

“His lifelong commitment to education and civil rights strengthened our State and changed countless lives,” she said.

“Louisiana weeps. But we are

also grateful. Thank you, President Francis,” U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, R-Madisonville, said.

The Louisiana Democratic Party also called Francis a “transformative leader” whose “impact reaches far beyond (Xavier’s) campus — into the civic, educational, and civil rights fabric of New Orleans.” Pillar of New Orleans

Throughout his tenure as president of the nation’s only Catholic historically Black university, Francis impacted the lives of countless Black families.

U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, D, New Orleans, an Xavier graduate, said Francis was one of his mentors

“He believed lifting one student could lift an entire family In our case, he was right,” Carter said.

Former Mayor LaToya Cantrell, another Xavier graduate, said Francis was a New Orleanian who was a “pillar of our community and a giant in the struggle for civil rights.”

“But he carried that stature with grace and kindness,” Cantrell said.

Former New Orleans Mayor Sidney Barthelemy, wife Michaele Thibodeaux Barthelemy and their family said Francis’ “steady leadership, moral clarity, and unwavering belief in the power of education” transformed Xavier and

other students, families and communities.

“During our years of public service, we had the privilege of witnessing firsthand Dr Francis’s commitment to building stronger communities through education, partnership and service,” they said.

Other local leaders react

Former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu said Francis lived as the personification of America’s best ideals. Francis and Landrieu’s father former Mayor Moon Landrieu, were at Loyola Law School together when Francis became the school’s first Black student.

“The most defining part of his character is that he treats every human being with dignity and respect,” Landrieu said. “There is the promise of America that we’re all coming to the table of democracy as equals, and he’s the personification of it,” Landrieu said.

Added former Sen. Mary Landrieu: “His faith guided his lifelong work to build a more just and inclusive community, and we will remain forever grateful for his decades of transformative leadership at Xavier University.”

Francis’ life was a “masterclass in purpose,” Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams said.

Francis chaired the New Orleans Aviation Board and the boards of the Educational Testing Service, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, the Southern Education Association, WLAE-TV, the Metropolitan Area Committee Education Fund and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, a regional accrediting agency He was president of the American Association of Higher Education and the United Negro College Fund and a member of the Catholic University of America’s board of trustees and The Times-Picayune Editorial Advisory Board.

In addition to the honorary degrees he received, Francis was awarded The Times-Picayune Loving Cup and the University of Notre Dame’s Laetare Medal.

In 2020, the New Orleans City Council changed the name of Jefferson Davis Parkway, which runs past the edge of Xavier’s campus, to Norman C. Francis Parkway

“Simply put, he was one of the most extraordinary human beings I have ever had the privilege of knowing,” Williams said “He changed this country, this city, and me for the better.”

Community members mourn

Gayle Benson, owner of the Saints and the Pelicans, said Francis was an early proponent of New Orleans getting an NFL team who was an investor in the Saints during the team’s formative years. “I was deeply saddened this morning to learn of the passing of Dr Norman C. Francis. I was not only grateful for his friendship, but I also held tremendous admiration and respect for the leadership and influence he brought to our city, state, and nation for decades,” Benson said.

William Goldring, chairman of the Sazerac Company and a prominent New Orleans philanthropist, said Francis’ decades of leadership “should be documented in text books and taught as a case study to all aspiring leaders.

“His commitment to his faith and family was inspirational,” Goldring said.

Email Marco Cartolano at marco.cartolano@theadvocate. com.

nated for weeks in water as deep as 6 feet, Francis vowed that classes would resume in January 2006.

They did

“Some said it was crazy Some said it couldn’t happen,” Obama said on campus on the fifth anni-

versary of the storm “But they didn’t count on what happens when one force of nature meets another.”

‘Never forget’

Francis also developed a reputation for leadership in civic and business organizations, including Liberty Bank, one of the biggest Black-owned financial institutions in the United States. He helped found it in 1972 and was chairman of its board of directors.

Gov Kathleen Blanco also appointed Francis in 2005 to lead the Louisiana Recovery Authority to coordinate the state’s comeback from Katrina.

“He was one of the few people that people in politics trusted to do their things,” Dr Michael Francis said of his father Despite his accolades, “I don’t wear my title on my chest,” Francis said in a 1992 interview “It’s the last thing I would do. I just see everybody as important. I’m president because that happens to be my job, but that doesn’t make me any better than anybody else.”

At Francis’ final commencement, in 2015, the tributes rained down Vartan Gregorian, the Carnegie Corporation president and an honorary degree recipient, was succinct when he told Francis, “The universe is not going to see anyone like you again.”

In response to all the praise, Francis said he felt privileged to be of service, and he told the graduates to “never forget from whence you come. I would especially hope that you give your talent and your expertise to those who need it most. You have the tools. You have the strong leadership example. Now go out and contribute.”

Francis’ wife, Blanche Macdonald Francis, died in 2015. Survivors include four sons, Michael, Timothy and David Francis, all of New Orleans, and Patrick Francis of Austin, Texas; two

BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

Nvidia leads the U.S. stock market higher

The U.S. stock market ticked higher on Wednesday, led by its most influential stock, Nvidia.

The S&P 500 rose 0.6% and pulled a bit closer to its all-time high set late last month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 129 points, or 0.3%, and the Nasdaq composite gained 0.8%.

Nvidia helped lift the market and climbed 1.6% after Meta Platforms announced a longterm partnership where it will use millions of chips and other equipment from Nvidia for its artificial-intelligence data centers

“No one deploys AI at Meta’s scale,” Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said. Because his company is the most valuable on Wall Street, Nvidia’s stock was the single most powerful force pulling the S&P 500 higher

That performance demonstrated the upside of AI development for the U.S. stock market

But investors have also focused on the potential downsides recently, which has led to sharp swings for Wall Street Moderna says FDA will consider new flu shot

WASHINGTON The Food and Drug Administration will consider whether to approve Moderna’s new flu vaccine after all, resolving a dispute that had blocked the company’s application for the first-of-its-kind shot.

Moderna announced the change Wednesday, about a week after revealing that the FDA’s vaccine chief was refusing to review the new vaccine, made with Nobel Prize-winning mRNA technology

The dispute centered over a 40,000-person clinical trial that concluded Moderna’s new vaccine was more effective in adults aged 50 and older than one of the standard flu shots used today In the FDA’s rare “refusal to file” letter vaccine director Dr Vinay Prasad faulted the trial for not including another brand specifically recommended for people 65 and older

Moderna publicly objected. It said that while the FDA had recommended that approach, the agency ultimately agreed to the study’s design — and that the company shared additional comparison data from a separate trial that used a highdose shot for older people. Nor did the FDA identify any safety concerns

Still, Moderna said Wednesday that in a compromise, it is seeking full approval for the vaccine’s use in adults 50 to 64 and accelerated approval for those 65 and older

The FDA is targeting a decision on the application by Aug. 5, and Moderna said it hoped to make the vaccine available later this year

Buffett’s company invests in N.Y. Times

OMAHA, Neb Six years after Warren Buffett sold off all of Berkshire Hathaway’s newspapers and predicted unending declines for most of the industry, Berkshire disclosed a new $350 million investment in The New York Times on Tuesday The somewhat surprising move highlighted the quarterly update Berkshire filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission about the company’s stock holdings in Buffett’s last quarter as CEO.

Berkshire also increased its investment in Chevron just before President Donald Trump ordered the arrest of Venezuela’s president, and the Omaha-based company continued selling off more of its Bank of America and Apple shares.

At the time Buffett sold off Berkshire’s dozens of newspapers in 2020 he concluded the industry was “toast.”

But even then he suggested that newspapers with a national brand like the Times or The Wall Street Journal might still do well.

BUSINESS

NOLA.COM/BIZ

Minutes reveal a divided Federal Reserve

Inflation must fall further before a rate cut, most say

BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP economics writer

WASHINGTON Many Federal Reserve officials want to see inflation fall further before they would support additional interest rate cuts this year, particularly if the job market continues to stabilize, minutes of last month’s meeting show

The “vast majority” of the 19 participants on the Fed’s ratesetting committee said that there were signs the job market has stabilized, after the unemploy-

ment rate rose in late 2025, the minutes said. And most of the officials agreed that the Fed’s key rate is close to a level that neither stimulates nor restrains the economy The minutes were released Wednesday three weeks after the central bank’s Jan. 27-28 meeting.

Fed officials at that meeting agreed to keep its key rate steady at about 3.6%, after cutting it three times late last year Two officials Fed governors Stephen Miran and Christopher Waller — voted instead to cut another quarter-point.

The minutes underscored the deeply divided nature of the committee, with several camps emerging: “Several” officials said additional cuts will “likely be appropriate” if inflation continues

to decline. But “some” officials favored keeping rates unchanged “for some time,” suggesting a longer pause. And several other officials said they could have supported language in the statement issued after the meeting that would signal the next move by the Fed could be either a cut or a rate hike, if inflation remains above their 2% target.

The support for signaling an openness to a potential rate hike appears to be a significant shift from previous meetings. Chair Jerome Powell said after meetings last year that the idea of a rate hike wasn’t on the table.

Powell signaled after January’s meeting that the Fed could wait for a few months before cutting rates

again. He said at a news conference that the economy and hiring had improved since the central bank had previously met in December, and added that the Fed was “well positioned” to evaluate how the economy evolves in the coming months before making any further moves.

The decision to keep rates unchanged defied a stream of demands from President Donald Trump for the Fed to reduce its key rate to as low as 1%, a level few economists endorse. When the Fed cuts its key rate, it can over time lower borrowing costs for mortgages, auto loans, and business loans, though those rates are also influenced by financial markets.

‘I would definitely fly them less’

Southwest customers grouse about new seating reality

BY JORDAN PARKER

The Dallas Morning News (TNS)

Washington, D.C., area resident Brad Todd was stunned when a Southwest Airlines

flight attendant barred him from switching seats on a mostly-empty flight from Kansas City to Reagan National Airport on Feb. 11.

Todd, a Republican media consultant who frequently flies for work, said he paid for a seat in row two before attempting to move one row back — in order to spread out after a passenger had purchased the middle seat next to him. Then, he found out that wasn’t allowed even though, as he estimated, only 43 passengers were slated to travel on the aircraft.

“She goes, ‘Well, you have to go back to your assigned seat or we can’t leave,’” Todd said “Five rows wide-open behind me It couldn’t be a weight and balance issue to sit one seat back or it wasn’t a price issue, I’d already paid.”

After Todd documented his experience in a social media post that garnered 4 million views on X, more than 3,000 people chimed in with their own thoughts — the majority of which slammed Southwest. The dominant carrier at Love Field Air-

port first announced the switch to assigned seating in 2024, part of a series of moves the carrier made to increase revenue. CEO Bob Jordan previously said that a majority of customers and potential customers preferred the ability to pick a seat.

But experiences like Todd’s are one of many horror stories since the Dallas-based airline scrapped open seating in favor of assigned seating on Jan. 27. And judging by a public outcry that’s gone viral on social media, the transformative switch is off to a turbulent start.

“I’m for assigned seating,” Todd said. “I think it’s a good thing for Southwest I’m somebody who buys a ticket last minute, and I’m willing to pay more for a better seat.”

When asked if he would continue to fly the airline if changes aren’t made, Todd said he “would definitely fly them less.” Henry Harteveldt, a longtime aviation analyst and founder of Atmosphere Research Group, said flight attendants not allowing passengers to switch seats is where Southwest “potentially made a mistake.”

“Any time you make a major change to a policy, as Southwest did after 54 years, there are inevitably going to be teething pains and some unhappy people. And in the age of social media, where everyone has a microphone, you’re going to hear a lot of people grousing.”

Many complaints have focused on those passengers being forced to place carry-on bags in compartments way to the back of

the plane, a different experience from the prior boarding process. A frequent criticism is that nonpreferred passengers were boarding ahead and taking up available overhead space. Families have also complained about children being separated from them.

Harteveldt said he was “surprised” when he heard of the issues with family boarding, saying the airline “clearly overlooked the need for family seating, and I’m hoping that they will address that.”

There have also been reports that A-list Preferred customers, who are supposed to board in either group one or two, are boarding in later groups, also leading to bin space troubles.

Todd added that Southwest’s new boarding process seemed to create confusion among passengers “Going to this assigned seating system without requiring people to use the bin that’s over their seat is going to cause mass chaos and the quick turn won’t be possible,” he said.

In response to early complaints, company spokesperson Chris Perry said the airline was making a “series of early adjustments designed to smooth operations and reduce friction designed to smooth operations and reduce friction.”

Southwest still has not specified what the adjustments are going to be and declined to comment beyond its original statement.

TWU Local 556, the union that represents Southwest’s flight attendants, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Grandson of Reese’s inventor accuses Hershey of cutting corners Company uses cheap ingredients, he says

BY DEE-ANN DURBIN Associated Press

The grandson of the inventor of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups has lashed out at The Hershey Co., accusing the candy company of hurting the Reese’s brand by shifting to cheaper ingredients in many products. Hershey acknowledges some recipe changes but said Wednesday that it was trying to meet consumer demand for innovation High cocoa prices also have led Hershey and other manufacturers to experiment with using less

chocolate in recent years.

Brad Reese 70 said in a Feb. 14 letter to Hershey’s corporate brand manager that for multiple Reese’s products, the company replaced milk chocolate with compound coatings and peanut butter with peanut crème.

“How does The Hershey Co. continue to position Reese’s as its flagship brand, a symbol of trust, quality and leadership, while quietly replacing the very ingredients (Milk Chocolate + Peanut Butter) that built Reese’s trust in the first place?” Reese wrote in the letter, which he posted on his LinkedIn profile.

He is the grandson of H.B. Reese, who spent two years at Hershey before forming his own can-

dy company in 1919. H.B. Reese invented Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups in 1928; his six sons eventually sold his company to Hershey in 1963.

Hershey said Wednesday that Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are made the same way they always have been, with milk chocolate and peanut butter that the company makes itself from roasted peanuts and a few other ingredients, including sugar and salt. But some Reese’s ingredients vary, Hershey said.

“As we’ve grown and expanded the Reese’s product line, we make product recipe adjustments that allow us to make new shapes, sizes and innovations that Reese’s fans have come to love and ask

for, while always protecting the essence of what makes Reese’s unique and special: the perfect combination of chocolate and peanut butter,” the company said.

Brad Reese said he thinks Hershey went too far He said he recently threw out a bag of Reese’s Mini Hearts, which were a new product released for Valentine’s Day The packaging notes that the heart-shaped candies are made from “chocolate candy and peanut butter crème,” not milk chocolate and peanut butter

“It was not edible,” Reese told The Associated Press in an interview “You have to understand. I used to eat a Reese’s product every day This is very devastating for me.”

Black population, though the details are still unclear.Heviews rebuilding as his due diligence to theWhite Castle community and to visitors who still have fond memories of the place.

Salvage and demolition start this week, Dyess said.

Almost all of the mansion’s white-painted old-growth cypress boards sit charred in untouched piles around the base of the structure. While asooty skeleton of Nottoway’sfaçade still stands,the north-facing portico is completely gone, with only stacks of bricks and snapped cast-iron railings where it stood.

The ruin’stallest heightsare now the topsofblackened pillars, which narrow to points where the third floor once was. Alarge needlepoint rug hangs from oneof those pillars; it was original to the house but is now too burned for its pink-and-white floral pattern to be recognized.

Fire investigation teamswith the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearmswere required to knock down the house’sremaining chimneys over fears of themcollapsing on workers

The surviving granite front staircases are still cluttered with discarded fire hoses, leftwhen Nottoway’sceiling collapsed, making entry impossible.

Despite the damage, Dyess said he’s committed to rebuilding Nottoway regardless of thetime or cost. He estimates the former at two or three years and the latter at “several million dollars.”

No insurance was purchased for Nottoway before the fire due to the cost, Dyess said. And he thinks it’s unlikely he’ll receive any grant funding for historical preservation. Dyess hopes to rely in part on the support of those whohad afondness for the historic home. In the months since the fire, staysinthe property’scottages andevenafew rentals of the Randolph ballroom have continued. In November,Dyess and his wife, Desiree, opened arestaurant on thegrounds witha newchef. Traffic to “Randolph’satNottoway” has been steady,Dyess said Dyess says one way he is raising funds is through donationsbyselling engraved bricks for $150 that will be laid along the recreated plantation house’spaths.

“We’re doingeverythinginour power with the people working here to improve the property,” Dyess said. “Planning, painting, replacingstuff, keepingeverything going by having arestaurant, havingagift shop. We don’twant to quit, and we won’tquituntil we get this done.”

Dyess estimates that 54% of the original building survived, primarily in the unburned garçonnière and the ground floor.Hecallsthat asign that the mansion can be remade authentically,not as areplica. Of Nottoway’soriginal square entrance pillars, only the leftmost survived the blaze, which wasthe one still bearing anotch from where grapeshot struck and lodged itself during theCivil War. To Dyess, this is anothersignhis rebuild is alegitimate extensionof the original property

It’sthose same 20-inch, oldgrowth cypress pillars that architect Shane Aymond predicts will pose the greatest challenge for his team during the rebuild.

“You can’tget wood that wide anymore without it wantingto curl,” said Aymond, an architect with more than 23 years of experience in restoring historic homes

“The wood on that house right therewas cured forsomany years, anditwas all virgin cypress.”

Aymond plans to use treated cypress replacementsfor the pillarstoensure they can support the house’sweight without twistingor buckling

That’sone ofthe dozens of structural, material and design hurdles faced in accurately rebuilding the pre-Civil Warmansion.

Aymond’steamwill consult the few available historical primary sources and the plentiful images of the original structure. Then they will eitherprocurethe same wood, brickorplasterbelieved to be used in the original or the best approximation Wherever possible, structurally sound original materials that survived the fire will be used.

“The goal is to recreatethe house as authenticaspossible to theactual construction that was done in 1859,” Aymond said.

Aymond said thatfor days after the fire, he couldn’tstop thinking aboutthe ruins. That feeling didn’t go away until he contacted Dyess, he said.

“I neededtocall thisman,Ineeded to find outwho he was, andI needed to offer my help,” Aymond said. “He could have said no, but he didn’t. He could’ve gone with a massivewell-knownbuilder but he didn’t.”

What followedwas extensive research. Aymond contacted author RobertBrantley,who wrote abiography on Henry Howard thefamed architect of the original Nottoway Brantleyprovided acopy of the original contract between Howard and sugar cane planter John Randolph,which includeddetails on thehouse’sconstruction. However, in hissearch,Aymond was repeatedly told thatRandolph deliberately destroyedthe originaldesigns to keep Nottoway unique.

In addition to local craftsmen, Aymond hasbrought in specialists from Washington, D.C.,and New York to recreate the home’smantles and plaster frieze work.

Acentral Louisiana team will handle the new cypress planks inside the house and some of the original planks for theoutside siding. Findingera-appropriate an-

“We’re doing everything in our power with

DANDyESS,owner of Nottoway plantation house

tiquefurniture will be easier and will include afew recovered original drapes alongside recreations.

Aymond and Dyess say the goal is to rebuild the structure “exactly” as it was in 1859. Thebiggest change is that guest rooms will be on thelowest floor,where astorage area and, later,the bowling alley once stood.

Both men say that, in some ways, the rebuild will be moreaccurate to the original structure than the onethat burned last year.For one, air-conditioning and electrical systems can be built insidethe walls, hidden.

“Wehaveacouple photos that show abalconygoing around the girls’ wing that was removed over time,” Aymond said. “We’re actually going to be puttingitbackon.”

Reached for asecond opinion, Kevin Harris, an architect and historical home preservationist who workedonboth Magnolia Mound and Woodland plantations, estimated such arebuild could take at least five years. He couldn’toffer apossible total cost.

Harris said the rebuilders must balancethe cost andease of new construction materials and techniqueswith the preservation of the building’shistory.Anowner wanting only awedding venue might opt for the former,hesaid.

“Itwas oneofthe finest houses ever built in Louisiana,” Harris said. “This was thebest of the best at the time, it’satributetoits design for sure, but it’s also atribute to the people that actually built it They may havebuilt it underduress, but they were master craftsmen.

Aymond echoed that, saying the project is away to honor enslaved

builders whocreated Nottoway

Dyesshas stressed his goal is to “unify the community and our state, ournation” through “hope and not hate.”

He saidhedoesn’t want to rebuild the former plantationina historically one-sided way,and that his interestinthe property is historical as wellasarchitectural and commercial.

“We’re going to probably do something, Idon’tknow what it wouldbe, to memorialize,”Dyess said.“Some kind of plaque,or room,orsomething. We’re going to recognize that andembrace the future.”

Dyess said hismodelwillbethe Whitney Plantation in Wallace. He said he believes there’sroom for such an acknowledgment while still keeping the property as abusiness open forweddings, corporate retreats and bed-and-breakfast stays.

Jo Banner is aco-ownerofWoodland Plantation in St. John the Baptist Parish, as wellasfounder of the Descendants’ Project, which is “committed to healing and flourishing of the Black descendant community in the Louisiana river parishes,” according to its site.

“My concern is, and I’ve seen other attractions do this, where they may putall of the history aboutenslavementrelegated to one room or one statue, and say, ‘Yeah,wehaveacknowledgedenslavement,’”Banner said.

Banner said she felt both relief and pain upon hearing Nottoway burned down andunderstood why there was acelebration. So while she wouldn’tcriticize anyone for being glad the plantation burned, Banner said preservationisvery important in her work at Woodland, down to collecting every discarded nail.

“I think thesad part of ourhistory as Black people, as descendants of enslavedpeople,isthat sometimes these houses are the only material thing that we have left of our ancestors,” she said.

Banner said including thedescendants of Black Americans enslaved on aplantationisnecessary in anyfuture decisions about such locations, especially whenthe sitesare operated as businesses.

To her, even if the destruction of

the site was wanted, the fire was an accident, not adirect choice by descendants.

Someofher suggestions, including connecting with local Black faithleaders and studying the work at Whitney Plantation, had already been taken up by Dyess in the wake of the fire.

MiaCrawford-Johnson livesin Baton Rouge and traces some of her family heritage to Nottoway and other plantationsalong River Road. Photos Crawford-Johnson posted the day of the fire, which show her andher cousins celebrating on thelevee aboveNottoway, wentviral during the fire’snews cycle. She drove to White Castle after hearing the plantation was burning. Before leaving, she made sure to grab abottle of House of Mandela wine from South Africa. As the housestill smoldered, CrawfordJohnsonstood on the grounds and poured the wine out.

“Nelson Mandelarepresented freedom,” Crawford-Johnson said. “I intentionally poured that wine as tribute to the ancestors that once roamed that plantation. We often forget about the things that took place on plantations.”

Crawford-Johnson said she thought of Nottoway as aplace interested in honoring slave owners more than the enslaved themselves, and noted the resort’swebsite at the time of the fire didn’t mention the155 men, women and children believed to have been enslaved there in 1860.

Crawford-Johnson said she isn’t fully against reconstructing the house, however,aslongasproper memorials are made.

“They need to do something to honor thoseancestorsthat were on that land,” Crawford-Johnson said, “because those spirits are still there and they’re never going to go away.”

While Dyess is excited about the newrestaurant andthe prospect of the rebuild, he acknowledges the long road ahead.

“It’sthe legacy thing. I’m71 yearsold,”Dyess said. “I don’t know how manymore years Igot. Nobody knows how many more years anybody got, butwedidn’t want our legacy to be that we left Nottoway on the ground.”

CHECCHIO

said moments later from the altar.

“Everyone’s been so gracious. I’m blessed to be in New Orleans.”

The Mass at St. Louis Cathedral mirrored services at churches across the region as area residents ushered in the Lenten season of reflection and penance. Several area churches even offered “ashes to go,” drive-thrus where hurried motorists could drive up to receive ashes

While Wednesday might have marked the first Mass that Checchio has led as archbishop, he has hardly been a stranger to the city and many churches within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans. Checchio arrived in New Orleans last fall to begin the transition and serve alongside the 76-year-old Aymond as he wound down his tenure and prepared for his retirement.

The Vatican announced Feb. 11 that Pope Leo XIV had formally accepted Aymond’s retirement.

Checchio, the 15th man to lead the diocese, thanked Aymond, the 14th, for his guidance and support during the transition.

“I couldn’t have better predecessors,” he said to another round of loud applause.

Checchio, 59, comes to south Louisiana from New Jersey, where he had been bishop of the Diocese of Metuchen since 2016. Before being named bishop in New Jersey, Checchio was rector of the Pontifical North American College in Rome from 2006 to 2016 A New Jersey native, Checchio was rector of the Pontifical North American College in Rome from 2006 to 2016 and has held leadership positions with the powerful U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops.

Checchio’s New Jersey roots were evident as he opened his homily

“I’ve never been more ready for Lent,” he joked. “I thought Mardi Gras was just one evening.

“Mama mia, I need a little break,” he added to peals of laughter from the crowd.

Checchio was at the Rex den early Tuesday morning, spent the day watching parades at Gallier Hall, and then attended the Rex Ball that stretched late into Mardi Gras night, an archdiocese spokesperson said Checchio said the Lenten season is a time for a rebirth of faith. It’s a time to recommit, he said.

“The church gives us this season, in a sense, because it wants to wake us up,” Checchio said.

NOLA.COM | Thursday, February 19, 2026 1bN

Concrete crushing plant to be built

Neighbors appealed to Jefferson council to deny West Bank site

BY LARA NICHOLSON Staff writer

A controversial concrete crushing plant proposed for the West Bank will move forward after the Jefferson Parish Council approved a rezoning and special permitted

use for the property, despite repeated recommendations for denial from the planning board and criticism from neighbors.

The Parish Council waived the requirements for the special permitted use of a concrete crushing plant to be built at 685 Seven Oaks

Blvd., in Nine Mile Point on Feb. 4 after allowing the property to be rezoned from light to heavy industrial back in September

The waiver comes after a series of complaints from neighboring residents about potential noise and dust, two recommendations for de-

nial by the Planning Department and Planning Advisory Board, and two previous zoning applications by the property’s owner, 685 Bridge City Avenue LLC.

“The council is supposed to represent us and make the kind of decisions that should be for the welfare of the neighborhoods as a whole,” said Dustin Schwalb, president of the Nine Mile Point Civic Association. “But they are ignoring citizen input, the input of its own professional committees, boards and departments, to allow one property owner to open a business which will obviously be

END OF THE PARTy

New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno on Tuesday took part in her first ceremonial midnight walk down Bourbon Street to mark the end of Mardi Gras. Escorted by mounted police and joined by the New Orleans Police Department, Louisiana State Police, federal partners and other city and state officials, Moreno walked through the French Quarter as the last revelers lingered, stepping over trash and debris still covering the street ahead of Ash Wednesday.

Revelers mingle on Bourbon Street late on Mardi

as Carnival comes to an end.

Child injured during Zulu parade

Krewe: Rider threw bottle from float

BY POET WOLFE

Staff writer

A Zulu float rider struck a 4-yearold child with a bottle of alcohol in Treme on Fat Tuesday, causing an injury that required three staples

head, according to the

& Pleasure Club Zulu spokesperson Darren Mire confirmed that the organization was investigating the incident and working to identify the rider, who was on Float 26 and threw the bottle from the float’s second level.

Mire said the child was in stable condition as of Wednesday The child was injured on Basin Street, around the same time and area where a paradegoer allegedly threw a bottle at a Zulu rider who was treated by paramedics, Mire said. In a statement on Wednesday, Zulu said it will take “appropriate and decisive action consistent with Zulu’s rules, disciplinary procedures, and any applicable laws,” and described the incident as “a clear and direct violation” of the organization and parade safety. Mayor Helena Moreno’s administration said Wednesday that the New Orleans Police Department

was aware of the “reprehensible and wholly unacceptable” ordeal. The injury follows a recent string of controversies involving multiple krewes this Mardi Gras season. The NOPD removed 41 riders from a Krewe of Carrollton float after some pelted beads at police officers The Krewe of Tucks banned two riders who dangled Black dolls from bead strands during the parade. And police removed a group of riders in the Krewe of Thoth’s parade after they allegedly threw beads at a paradegoer carrying a sign opposing Immigration and

See ZULU, page

Former teacher charged in molestation case

Student says man touched, kissed her

BY MICHELLE HUNTER Staff writer

Jefferson Parish District Attorney’s Office filed charges against a former Metairie middle school teacher accused of inappropriate conduct with a student. Benjamin Powell, 30, was charged Feb. 11 with molestation of a juvenile by an educator, according to Jefferson Par-

ish court records. Powell was first arrested Dec 11 after a Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office investigation. At the time, he was a teacher at T.H. Harris Middle School, according to Capt. Jason Rivarde, spokesperson for the department. The victim is a 13-year-old girl who is a student at the school. She accused Powell of inappropriately touching and kissing her, according to authorities. The girl confided in another

Guatemalan national accepts plea deal

Man residing in U.S. illegally admits to lying on forms

BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer

A Guatemalan national pleaded guilty Wednesday to lying on federal documents to get an undocumented teen out of a refugee detention facility

Standing before U.S. Middle District Chief Judge Shelly Dick, Felix Coc Choc pleaded guilty to felony charges of making a false, fictitious or fraudulent statement and aggravated identity theft. The 28-year-old man faces at least two to 10 years

in federal prison. Coc Choc was residing in the United States illegally when he was indicted on the felony fraud charges in September During Wednesday’s hearing, Dick reminded him that he likely faces immigration consequences in addition to his prison time

Coc Choc, who has been detained in the West Baton Rouge Parish jail agreed to the plea deal through a Spanish interpreter who stood next to him and his attorney in court. He told the judge he could not read write or speak English and had a sixth grade education. According to his indictment, Coc Choc was living in Brusly illegally in January 2023 when he applied to be a sponsor for a 16-year-old Guatemalan boy who had

been captured by immigration officials. The teen entered the U.S. without proper documentation on Jan 17 2023 and Homeland Security agents apprehended him the following day The child was held at a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services facility while he awaited immigration proceedings. Federal authorities classified the Guatemalan teen as an “unaccompanied alien child,” a status designated for undocumented minors with no lawful immigration status and no parent or legal guardian in the U.S. Government officials release unaccompanied alien children to parents, guardians, relatives or qualified sponsors who can prove a family relationship.

Coc Choc applied to become the teen’s sponsor, submitting a “Family Reunification Application” and an Authorization for Release of Information form to the Department of Health and Human Services through the Office of Refugee Resettlement. He completed both forms for the minor’s release in Spanish on the same day the minor was apprehended. They contained fraudulent statements, Coc Choc confessed on Wednesday “I’m guilty, and I apologize for what I did. It is true that I did that,” he said. Coc Choc falsely claimed to be the child’s older brother and tried to assume that sibling’s identity by submitting his birth certificate and Guatemalan national ID

card as his own. Both had photos of the teen’s actual brother Office of Refugee Resettlement officials screening the application became suspicious when they noticed Coc Choc’s appearance didn’t match the photos of the birth certificate or ID card. They asked Coc Choc to come in and submit fingerprints to prove his identity. A day later, he admitted to federal screening officials that he had lied and misrepresented himself on the sponsorship forms.

The government denied the application and Coc Choc submitted another application a day later, this time under his real name and identity The Office of Refugee Resettlement also denied the second application, cit-

Chef’s culinary program caters to inmates in BR

Students get basic lessons to work in kitchens

BY OLIVIA TEES

Staff writer

Chef Celeste Gill grew up in Detroit watching cooking demonstrations by Julia Child and Justin Wilson on TV

Now she is the one doing the cooking demonstrations, but instead of for TV cameras, she’s teaching skills to inmates at the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison, and she wouldn’t have it any other way

Her goal is for the men in her class to leave prison with manager and food service certifications and the skills to succeed in any restaurant across the country

Each class is about 10 inmates with basic literacy and comprehension skills, which Gill says are necessary to succeed in any kitchen. So far, about 50 people have graduated from her program.

She teaches her culinary program in two parts: ServSafe and culinary skills.

All of the lessons she teaches are part of her own career running Chef Celeste Bistro in downtown Baton Rouge’s Main Street Market.

The first part is a fourweek classroom-based course where inmates learn food safety, budgeting and management. They receive their management certificate, allowing them to work in any restaurant in the country and be recognized as certified to handle food and people.

“They’re getting life lessons, along with culinary skills, restaurant manage-

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Customs Enforcement. Mire added Wednesday

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harmful to the public.”

Corey Dunbar, an attorney for the company, said last week they plan to bring a mobile concrete rubble crushing unit with a dust suppression system onto the site, which he said will prevent any harmful respirable dust from getting into the air He said the company previously had temporary zoning for concrete crushing in 2013 without any noise or environmental complaints, and that they want to relaunch that operation.

Dunbar said the project’s critics all live more than 3 miles away from the site, and that their allegations of potential dust and noise pollution are inaccurate.

“There are attempts to shut down the operation based on complaints that are not from people impacted by our property,” Dunbar said.

Parish Council member

ment skills and food safety, which is the most important thing,” Gill said “It’s a huge leg up for them.”

The second part gets hands-on, using learning facilities at the prison, and provides the culinary skills needed to succeed in a kitchen. Gill teaches them basic recipes and the nuances it takes to succeed in a restaurant. Her students have made homemade biscuits and soufflé topped with chocolate sauce and vanilla.

They even go over basic knife skills using knives tethered to the counter

“I have no fear when it comes to stuff like that because they want to learn and

that Zulu prohibits glass bottles on its floats and that any rider or member found responsible would be banned from the organization

“We are deeply concerned by this report and extend

go on and be productive,”

Gill said.

But just like in school, lessons are perfected outside the classroom through homework, and Gill’s class is no different.

She’ll assign projects like opening a restaurant on paper, which require students to create a menu, identify their target audience, and create a budget for everything, down to the fork on the table.

“I love showing people what I do because I really think that if they see me being as goofy as them, they can see that if I can do it, they can do it too,” Gill said. Gill learned the culinary trade while serving in the

our sincere concern to the child and family involved,” Zulu’s statement said. “The safety of children, paradegoers, and the public is of paramount importance to Zulu.”

A concrete crushing plant on Seven Oaks Boulevard in Nine Mile Point will move forward after the Jefferson Parish Council approved a rezoning and special permitted use for the property, despite repeated recommendations for denial from the planning board and criticism from neighbors.

National Guard. She got her official start in the kitchen as the first female night cook at the Alcohol Treatment Center while she was stationed in Hawaii Cooking for people in that facility ignited her passion for cooking and for sharing her skills with those in difficult situations.

Gill has traveled from Hawaii to Virginia and finally to Louisiana, working in kitchens and aiming to help people, specifically those in senior housing and care facilities.

When Gill started working at Baton Rouge’s Main Street Market in 2003, it was also the first time she hired someone from a halfway

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staffer about the abuse, and the school contacted the

sliver of mostly undeveloped land along Whisky Bayou, stretching from Seven Oaks Boulevard to the railroad behind Cabildo Lane, so it could build a concrete and rock crushing plant on the site.

house to work in her kitchen.

“We’re all one decision away from being where they were. Just one bad decision away,” Gill said.

In 2013, Gill was asked by the prison to be an instructor for the program Ten years later, she took over and made the program her own.

Even with the skills and certificates the inmates can gain, there is a stigma in the industry around hiring former inmates, according to Gill.

“What I like for people to do is have an open mind when it comes to people coming out of prison,” Gill said. “Most people, it’s not their choice to go to prison.”

Sheriff’s Office, authorities said.

ing that Coc Choc lied in his original submission. A grand jury indicted Coc Choc on the fraud and identity theft charges Sept. 4. He was arrested in Fayetteville, Arkansas, eight days later, according to federal court records. Both charges carry fines and a maximum of five years’ imprisonment. Dick explained that the identity theft mandates a two-year minimum that must be added to his sentence on the count of misleading statements. Dick ordered a presentencing investigation and report from the U.S. Probation Office. She did not set a date for Coc Choc’s sentencing at Wednesday’s hearing. Email Matt Bruce at matt. bruce@theadvocate.com.

BATON ROUGE

$62K in goods found in storage unit, police say

BY OLIVIA TEES Staff writer

A FedEx delivery driver was arrested this week after police found $62,000 worth of merchandise in a storage unit on Wednesday, according to the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Tyran Jackson, 27, was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on Wednesday after a search warrant found the missing packages in a storage unit in the 10500 block of Perkins Road. The Sheriff’s Office was made aware Friday that packages were reported missing on Feb. 11. This is the second arrest this month for theft of FedEx packages. Among the items stolen were various cartons of cigarettes and cigars, according to pictures posted by the Sheriff’s Office to Facebook.

Draterrius McCollough, 31, another FedEx driver, was arrested for allegedly stealing $32,000 worth of merchandise intended for a Baton Rouge Walmart store on Feb. 6.

Investigators arrested Powell and booked him with indecent behavior with a juvenile. He was released from jail Dec. 15 on a $10,000 bail. Powell is scheduled to be arraigned Monday Email Michelle Hunter at mhunter@theadvocate. com.

favor of the changes. Critics, however, said at the Feb. 4 meeting that their concerns had not been assuaged. Schwalb said the civic association had considered legal action but could not afford to do so.

Byron Lee, who represents the area, said he had not found data to support opponents’ concerns and had not heard complaints about dust. He added that it was “not unusual” for a council member to vote against the recommendation of the planning department or Planning Advisory Board. “There was no one who came to us, met with us and said anything untoward,” Lee said after the council meeting. “Didn’t happen.”

The company, owned by Cai Ngo, according to state business filings, had sought to rezone a roughly 13-acre

Harry Cahill, another attorney for the company told the council last September that the plant would create 10 permanent jobs and be located about three miles away from residences, with a wooded area in between to help isolate noise and dust Ngo had previously attempted to rezone the land in 2018 and again in 2022 for the proposed plant. Each time, the parish Planning Department and the Planning Advisory Board recommended denial, and both times he withdrew the application before it reached the Parish Council. This third time, the Planning Department and Planning Advisory Board again recommended denial, saying that heavy industrial use would be incompatible with existing zoning in the area.

The parish’s Environmental Department also noted on the application that additional approval would be needed for concerns with stormwater and wastewater pollution, although Dunbar said the unit would be selfcontained and not pollute water systems.

At the Parish Council meeting in September, four residents expressed concerns about noise and health problems, as they feared they’d be put within breathing distance of dangerous respirable dust on top of the dust they see from other industrial facilities in the area.

“You can’t sit outside and not see the dust flying around,” said one resident “You can wash your car in the morning, and by afternoon, it’s covered with dust.”

The council approved the rezoning at Lee’s recommendation. While the plant is located in Lee’s district, Nine Mile Point and its civic association reside in council member Deano Bonano’s district, who voted with Lee in

“This council just keeps passing things that should be out in the middle of nowhere, and you’re putting it in very condensed areas of population,” said Nancy Pearson, president of the River Ridge Community Association, at the meeting. “I’m really, really disappointed in this council today.”

Austin,Patricia

Bissant,George

Bullock,Lynnette

Dabon,Anita

Daniel,Damion

HayesSr.,Robert

Jackson, Gregory

Johnson, Marlene

Labat, Susan

LeBlanc, Rita

Lewis, Kenyatta

Lewis, Kim

Mack Sr., Percy

Martin,Irma

Maulet Sr., Eugene

McClure, Elizabeth

Pelias, Magda

Ramirez Jr.,Adolfo

Richardson, Luella

Sims,Terry

Skinkus,Michael

Sullen, Jennifer

Sutton, Joseph

Taylor,Alfred

Veals, Cornelia

Watts,Willie

EJefferson

Garden of Memories

Austin,Patricia NewOrleans

Boyd Family Richardson, Luella Charbonnet

Dabon,Anita

Labat, Susan DW Rhodes

Bissant,George Lewis, Kenyatta

Mack Sr., Percy Maulet Sr., Eugene Sims,Terry

Skinkus,Michael

Patricia Austin,age 79 enteredeternal rest on February 2, 2026. Patricia wasborntothe late Vera andHenry Austin andwas lovingly guided in faith and life by hergodmother,the late Margie Corrine Warner.She wasthe de‐votedmotherofRobert Maldon III andMarvinMal‐don. Shewas also aloving godmother to Catina Lawrence,Greta PolkJasper (Bennie), TorrieLal‐lande, andBrandon Turner. Patricia wasa proudand cherishedgrandmother to Charles, Robert Maldon IV thelateKeyanna Shelby, Brianna,Catrina,Daniella, Asante’, Eric,Timielle(KJ), Jontue’(Darryl), Duane (Ty),Vincent,Marvin, Thaddeus,Shanta, and Toya,along with ahostof great-grandchildrenand onegreat-great-grand‐daughter.She is survived by herbeloved sibling Monticello Austin,and was preceded in deathbyher siblings HenryAustinand Sandra Austin.She also leaves to cherishher mem‐oryher nieces,Monet and Yvette,aswellasa host of closefamilymembers and dear friends. Patricia dedi‐catedover50years of ser‐vice as aCertified Nursing Assistant, caring forothers with compassion,dignity andlove. Herprofessional journeyincludedworkat Coliseum MedicalCenter, TheCarroll,Poydras Home, ChateaudeNotre Dame Community Care Center, LambethHouse,and Sun‐rise Senior Living,among others.She also served as apersonalcaretaker for severalfamilies,including theRice, Roddy,and So‐prah families,leaving a lastingimpactonall she touched. Thefamilywould like to extend theirheart‐felt gratitudeand special thanks to Mr.JohnRice and Gy Irvinfor faithfully carrying outour sweet angel’s finalwishes. Your kindness andsupport will alwaysberemembered anddeeply appreciated. Patricia wasa longtime member of NewHomeMin‐istries, where shebriefly served on theusher board. Afterreturning to NewOr‐leans, shebecamea de‐votedmemberofCrowder BoulevardChurch of Christ where sherededicated her life and wasbaptized by Reverend Bennie Jasper Patricia Austin will be re‐membered forher ser‐vant’s heart, unwavering faith,and thedeep love shehad for herfamilyand community.A Celebration of Life Servicewillbeheld on Saturday,February21, 2026 for1 p.m. at Garden of Memories FuneralHome, 4900 AirlineDr.,Metairie, LA 70001. Visitation begins for11a.m.Interment will be private

Estelle JWilson Bissant,George

Jackson, Gregory

JacobSchoen

Pelias, Magda

Lake Lawn Metairie

Johnson, Marlene

Littlejohn FH

Sullen, Jennifer St Tammany

Grace Funeral

Ramirez Jr.,Adolfo West Bank DavisMortuary

Lewis, Kim

Martin,Irma

Watts,Willie

Robinson FH

Bullock,Lynnette

Daniel,Damion

Davis, Lori

HayesSr.,Robert

Taylor,Alfred

beredfor hisloveand de‐votion to thoseclosest to him. George leaves to cher‐ishhis many memories,his loving anddevoted wife Brenda Bissant, his bonus Children;Joannettia (Patrick)Price,Amanda, John, Jr., (Toya),and Bur‐nell Holmes.(2) Sisters; Lenetta (Linda)Bissant Goudia andAlice Bissant Smith, (1)Brother; Lawrence Bissant, (5)Sis‐ter-in-laws; Glenda,Nancy andEarline Eleby, Dorothy Beal,and Rosalie Brooks, (2)Brother-in-laws;Griffin Eleby, Jr andErnestLee. 14 grandchildrenand 5 greatgrandchildren.A host of nieces,nephews cousinsand otherrela‐tives. He wasprecededin deathbyhis parents, John BissantIIand Delois Bis‐sant;his father and mother-in-law, Griffinand Clementine ElebySr.;his sister,Barbara Bissant Kelly;his brother, John (Manny)Bissant III; sis‐ters-in-law; DebraBissant andBarbara ElebyLee; brothers-in- law; Robert Kelly,FreddieDavis Smith, Sr.and GlennGoudia. Rela‐tivesand friends of the familyare invitedtoattend aFuneralService at New Home Ministries,1616 Carondelet St.New Or‐leans, La 70130 on Friday, February 20, 2026 at 10:00 am.Visitationwillbegin at 8:00 am.Arrangementsby D.W. Rhodes FuneralHome, 3933 Washington Ave. Please visitwww.rhodesf uneral.comtosignthe on‐line guestbook

Lynnette

Lynnette Bullockde‐parted life this on Friday January30, 2026atthe age of 57. Shewas anativeof Gretna ,LA.,and aresident of Harvey,LA..She wasem‐ployed as aDSW at West‐bank Arcand Shalom Home Care.Lynnette is survived by ahostofrela‐tivesand friends. Family andFriends areinvited to attend thefuneral service on Saturday,February21, 2026 at St.PaulBaptist Churchlocated at 1509 Monroe St.GretnaLA. The visitation will beginat8AM followed by a10AMser‐vice.PastorOrinGrant Sr will officiateand interment will follow in Restlawn Cemetery in Avondale LA Funeralplanningentrusted to Robinson Family Funeral Home.(504) 208-2119. For online condolencesplease visitwww.robinsonfamilyf uneralhome.com.

Dabon, Anita DeVaughn Turner

George Bissantwas born November 30, 1954, to theunion of thelateJohn, II &DeloisBissant.George transitioned on January29, 2026, at theage of 71. George received hisearly educationatThomy Lafon Elementary School and Samuel J. Green Middle School andwas aproud graduate of Walter L. CohenSeniorHighSchool He continuedhis studiesat Southern University of New Orleansbefore answering thecalltoserve hiscoun‐trybyenlisting in the United States Army.Atan earlyage,Georgeaccepted JesusChristashis Lord andSavior. Throughout his life,hewas employed with TJ Cooper,Baptist Hospital, andthe VA Hospital,where he dedicatedhimself to serviceand hard work George enjoyedsportsof allkinds,especiallybase‐ball,basketball, andfoot‐ball.Inhis leisuretime, he found joyatthe racetrack, playingpool,and spending meaningful momentswith hisfamily, particularly his grandchildren. He cher‐ishedfamilygatherings, especially during theholi‐days,and will be remem‐

SarahC.Mitchell(Donald), nieceMyraJohnson(John) nephew DominicMalone, anda host of relativesand friends. Shewas preceded in deathbyher husband Sidney Willis Dabon; sister, Mary Fuller (Otis);and her parents, Ardell B. Turner andJesse Turner.Relatives andfriends areinvited to attend aMassofChristian Burial,celebrating thelife andlegacyofAnita De‐Vaughn Turner Dabonat Divine MercyCatholic Church,4337 SalLentini Pkwy,Kenner, LA 70065, on Friday,February20, 2026 at 11:00 am.Visitationat9:00 am.Internment- Provi‐denceMemorialPark, 8200 AirlineDr.,Metairie, LA Please sign theonline guestbook at www.cha rbonnetfuneralhome.com. Charbonnet LabatGlapion Directors, (504) 581-4411.

Davis, Lori Jackson, Gregory'Jack'

AnitaDeVaughnTurner

Dabon, 79, enteredeternal rest on February 4, 2026. Shewas born on July 5, 1946, in Philadelphia,Penn‐sylvania to thelateArdell B. Turner andJesse Turner Shelater made herhome in Kenner,Louisiana, where shelived alifede‐finedbyfaith,service,and quietstrength. Shewas the belovedwifeofthe late Sidney Willis Dabon, whom shemet at Xavier Univer‐sity of Louisiana.She was adevoted mother to Anita Jenine Dabonand aproud grandmothertoAva Jenine Dabon. AnitaattendedSt. Mary’s AcademyinNew Orleans, LA andearneda Bachelor of Arts in Music from Xavier University and aMaster’sinEducation from theUniversityofNew Orleans. Adedicated edu‐catorfor more than 40 years, sheservedasa choirdirectoratLeonGod‐chauxand East St John High Schoolsbeforebe‐coming Director of Student Services andlater Dean of StudentAffairs at South CentralLouisiana Technical College, retiring in 2010. A womanofdeep faith and civiccommitment, shewas adevoted Catholic andac‐tive leader in numerous or‐ganizations. Sheissur‐vivedbyher daughter granddaughter, sister,

Travis Daniel de‐parted this life at Ochnser MedicalCenteronJanuary 23, 2026atthe ageof47. Damion wasbornAugust 22,1978 in NewOrleans,LA. to thelateLoretta Daniel Wilson (lateOliverWilson) andthe late Bernard Thomas.Heattended school in St.JohnParish, LA.Damionaccepted Christ at an earlyage and wasbaptizedatShiloh MissionaryBaptist Church by thelateRev.Jerry Henry.Heisprecededin deathbyhis mother, Loretta Daniel-Wilson; step-father,OliverWilson; father,Bernard Thomas; grandmother, BessieSec‐tion;Grandfather J.C. Daniel;great grandmother, IdaMooreand greatgrand‐father,DanielWebb, uncle, Glen Section; nephew Jalen Daniel.Heleavestocher‐ishhis memories:his belovedsiblings; Minister FurnellDaniel, Katrena Daniel,TiffanyDaniel, ChauardDaniel, Dorrette Bickham, BernardThomas, DeloresThomas, Rose Thomas,Sybil Thomas, VincentThomas, Anthony Thomas,JeremiahThomas, GregoryThomas, Jacquline Populars andFelicia Boss; lifelong friend,Herbert Banks; aunts, IreneGreen, Thea Green (Arthur); un‐cles,Ricky,Gus andAn‐drew Section, andJ.C Daniel;nieces, Claudia Ricketts,Savaria Kelly,Ju‐resiaDaniel, RyjianeJones Gabriella Daniel;great nieces,Ciara Lyons, Dane andMilaKelly;nephews, Shamar Green,Ryjohn Jones, FurnellDanielJr., Travon,Davon andDanny Francois,JasiahSimmons, andElijahDaniel; anda host of otherfamilyand friends. Relativesand friendsare invitedtoat‐tend thefuneral servicein Saturday,February21, 2026, at Robinson Family FuneralHome9611 LA-23, Belle Chasse LA.The visita‐tion will beginat9AM fol‐lowedbya 10AM service. Intermentwillbeprivate Foronlinecondolences please visitwww.robinso nfamilyfuneralhome.com.

Lori AnnDavis,age 60, enteredeternal rest on Thursday,January 29, 2026. Born on December 18, 1965, Lori liveda life filledwith kindness, compassion,and deep love forher family. Shewas preceded in death by herparents,RobertTay‐lorand HildaDavis,and hersiblings, Bobbyand Peggy Haynes,and Robert Hobbs.Lorileavestocher‐ishher loving memory with herdevoted siblings: Robert Johnson, Beverly Johnson, NancyThomas, AvaDix,CamelliaEarls (Willie),MarkDavis,and MichaelDavis;along with a host of nieces,nephews, cousins, aunts, andex‐tended familymembers Shealsoleavesbehind threedevoted friendswho will miss herdearly: ValarieKnight, Terri Hicks, andCarol Williams.Ann, youmeant everything to Lori,and we know the bond yousharedwas somethingtruly special. Thoughour hearts are heavy, we find comfortin theloveLorisharedand thememorieswewillfor‐ever hold close. Relatives andfriends of thefamily areinvited to attend acel‐ebration of Lori's life on Friday,February20, 2026 at Robinson Family Funeral Home 9611 LA-23, Belle Chasse LA.70037. Thevisi‐tation will beginat9AM followed by a10AMser‐vice.PastorEthel Murray of Home MissionFamily Church officiating. Foron‐line condolencesplease visitwww.robinsonfamilyf uneralhome.com

Robert E. HayesSr.,78 yearsofWestwego, LA, passedawaypeacefully at home on Sunday,January 25, 2026 surrounded by his family. Robert wasbornon November 7th,1947 to the late Linzyand Ehel Hayes. Robert marriedata young age, hiswifeof57years DorothyLoweHayes and together they were resi‐dentsofWestwego, LA From theirunion 2children were born.Robertretired from OchsnerMain Cam‐pusafter 45 yearsofbeing aPatient Transporter. Robert is survived by his wife Dorothy, children Christal (Shidana)Hayes andRobertHayes Jr.Bonus daughter Antoinette Hawkinsand godmother Olivia Keller. He is also sur‐vivedby8 grandchildren,14 greatgrandchildren,a host of nieces,nephews, cousinsother relativesand devotedfriends.Relatives andfriends areinvited to attend thevisitationonFri‐dayFebruary20, 2026, from 6:00pm-8:00pmatRobin‐sonFamilyFuneral Home, 9611 LA -23, Belle Chasse

GregoryJackson,affec‐tionatelyknown as "Jack" passedawaypeacefully at home on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, at theage of 69. A lifelong resident of New Orleans, Gregorywas born on April4,1956. He grew up Uptown, where he built deep roots, lastingfriend‐ships, anda reputation for quietstrength, humility, andaneasysense of humor.His community held himinhighregard, andhis presence left a gentle mark on everyone he met. Gregorywas a proud1975 graduate of Walter L. CohenHigh School,where he played on thebasketballteam. He laterdedicated many years as alaborer before retiring He wasprecededindeath by hisparents,Danieland OpheliaA.Jackson;his brothers,DanielSeaberry andBriscoJackson;and hissister, YollandJackson He leaves to cherish his memories,his brothers, Emmett Jackson, JarenW JacksonSr.,and Frank JacksonSr.;his sister Bev‐erly AnnPayne;his nieces LatriceR.Foster, Jaune'M Jackson, Jennifer M. Jack‐son, Jeannine M. Jackson, andTrinity Y. Jackson; his nephews, Brisco Palmer, JarenW.Jackson Jr., and FrankJackson Jr greatnephew,Kevin Route; alongwitha host of un‐cles,aunts, cousins, and friends. Relativesand friendsare invitedtoat‐tend theCelebration of Life serviceatSecondBaptist Church,6th District,4218 Laurel Street,New Orleans, La.70115 on Saturday,Feb‐ruary21, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. Visitation from 9:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m. service time.Rev.Dr. Samuel Gibbs,Jr. Pastor.Bishop VanC.Rousell officiating. Interment: Providence Memorial Park Cemetery, 8200 Airline Dr.Metairie, La.70003. Arrangements entrustedtoEstelle J. Wil‐sonFuneral Home,Inc 2715 Danneel Street,NOLA 70113. Information: (504) 895-4903. To sign online guestbook,pleasevisit www.estellejwilsonfh.com.

Marlene Weiser Johnson passed awaypeacefully on February 10, 2026, at the age of 63. She is lovingly remembered by her beloved daughter, Paige, and her husband of 33 years, Kenneth Johnson. She is also survived by her parents, Earl and Carolyn Weiser, and her siblings Michael Weiser (Pamela), Mark Weiser (Sharon), Matthew Weiser (Tina), Michele Weiser Brimer, and Melanie Weiser Mercier; hercherished nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and many loving aunts, an uncle, cousins, and extended family members.

Marlene graduated from Cabrini High School. Agifted creative spirit, she shared her talents as acalligraphy artist and was an award-winning poet recognized throughher membership in the Poetry Society of America. She hadadeep love for animals and devoted muchof her life to caring for and protecting them. Though Marlene lived aquiet and private life, she brought warmth, humor, and laughter to those fortunate enoughtoknow herand will be deeply missed by all whose lives she touched.

The family wishes to express their deepest gratitude to her caregiver, Brenda Bryant, for her compassionate care, kindness, and unwavering dedication to bring comfortto Marlene in her final weeks.

Visitation will be held February 20, 2026, at 11:00 a.m., followed by Massat Noon at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home, with burial to follow at Greenwood Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to Guardian Angel Hospice or LASPCA.

SusanYoung Labaten‐teredeternal heavenly rest on Monday,February2, 2026 at theage of 76. BelovedmotherofTracy, Glenn, Nicole,Chadand Ronald;devoted grand‐mother of Kortnie, Audie, TaiLyn,Hillary,Denira, Devin, Justin,Caitlin, Ronald,Jr.,DeMario,Jason Jasmine, Mason, Ethan, Malaysa, Carmeloand Lyric; cherishedgreatgrandmotherofKobe, Jerome,Chase,Deryn,Lar‐son, Aris,Denverand Chance.Lovingdaughterof thelateIsabelleRouzan Hall;devoted nieceofRoy Rouzan;cherished sister of James, Jr Jeanette,Delilah andSelimma.Alsosur‐vivedbya host of nieces nephews, cousins, other loving relativesand friends. ACelebration ser‐vice honoring thelifeand legacy of thelateSusan Young Labatwillbeheldin theChapelofCharbonnet LabatGlapion Funeral Home,1615 St.Philip Street,New Orleans, LA 70116 on Friday,February 20, 2026 at 1pm. Interment Private.Visitation 12 noon in thechapel. Please sign online guestbook at www charbonnetfuneralhome. com. CharbonnetLabat Glapion, Directors(504)581 4411.

Rita Rash LeBlancwas born in Dolores, Colorado on July 19, 1933toCharles andLois Rash. Shehad an adventurous spirit that leadher to NewOrleans, Louisiana,whereshe met her futurehusband, Lloyd J. LeBlanc. Her relocation was perfect she hated the cold and loved to cook rich, flavorful foods. Her kitchen skills werelegendary onlyusurped by her gardening skills.She was adevoted Catholic and loved life, family and Mardi Gras. Shebecame a much-beloved school bus driverfor the Jefferson Parish School Board -driving her own schoolbus for 25 years. She enjoyed retirement with Lloyd, until he passed awayin2003. Eventually, Rita relocated to Baton Rouge to be with her granddaughter, Valerie, with whom she lived until herpassing Rita was precededindeath by herhusband, Lloyd, her children, Lori LeBlanc and Lloyd LeBlanc, Jr,and her grandson,Adam Briggs. Shewas also preceded in death by her parents and her siblings, ElaineAbadie, CarolMarciante, KayRash, and HarryRash. Sheis survived by her daughter Dianne Larmann (Bernard), her granddaughters ValerieBargas (Trey), Elizabeth Wichers(Jeff), Rebecca Larmann and her great grandchildren Briggs, Anna-Marie, and ReedBargas and McKenzie Larmann. She is also survivedbya host of nieces and nephews. Avisitation willbeheld from 9:00am to 10:00amonThursday, February19, 2026, followed by a10:00amMassof ChristianBurialatOur LadyofMercy Catholic Church.Intermentat Westlawn Cemetery in Gretna, La. In lieu of flowers, memorialdonations may be made to OurLady of Mercy Catholic Church.

Lewis, Kenyatta Deshawn'Yatta

Kenyatta Deshawn Lewis, affectionately knownasYatta,entered eternalrestonSunday, February 8, 2026, at age36. Sheleavestocherish her memory herbeloved daughter Ya’maine Bless Lewis; hercompanion Jer‐maineElliot, thefatherof herchild;her Grand‐mother,OreliaSmith;her parents, Andrea Lewisand Gerald Smith; herGod‐mother,affectionately knownasNanny,Tanya Lewis; herGodfather Eric Gresham; hersiblingsGer‐ald(Chonda),Genevaand AnthonyLewis (Shelly), Jonathan,Kenya andAu‐thur Johnson, JovanJohn‐son-Shaw (Zarkia), Danielle Horton (Kelvin), ArtrellLundy, Jerald Smith (Kenosha), Orelia Spencer (William), Geraldlyn Howard (Charles), Colette Wilkins(De’mon)and Donna Pearson(JerMar); heruncles, Gregoryand KeithLewis (Marie), Tory James(Rebeca), Mario Miller (Lori),Edward(Aun‐dra),Steve (Ethel), Arnold, Ronell,Don,and Larry Smith(Susan);auntsTanya Lewis, HazelMetcalf (Der‐rick), Debera Smith, El‐metta Ward andLaverne Broussard; herbeloved godchild Demari Hills; her firstcousin, TynishaWal‐lace;her lifelong friends Ke’Angel Moore, ShanaAn‐dres andher best friend PassionHarris. Shealso leaves ahostofnieces, nephews, cousins, and otherrelatives andfriends Preceded in deathbyher Grandparents,Carol and Theodore Lewis, andJohn SmithSr.,her brother, Damian Lewis; heruncles, John SmithJr.,and Tyrone Wallace; andher aunt Marjorie ReneeWallace Relativesand friendsofthe family,aswellaspastors, officers,and membersof Franklin Avenue Baptist Church andall neighboring churches,are invitedtoat‐tend aCelebration of Life

at Rhodes FuneralHome, 3933 Washington Ave, New Orleans, LA,onSaturday, February 21, 2026, at 11:30 a.m. Visitation will beginat 10;30 a.m. until service time.MinisterArthur Rhodes will be officiating. Interment: Providence Memorial Park Cemetery Arrangements by D. W. Rhodes FuneralHome. Please visitwww.rhodesf uneral.comtoshare online condolences

Lewis, KimDay

KimDay Lewisentered peacefully into eternalrest at herresidence on Tues‐day, February 10,2026, at theage of 67.She wasa native of NewOrleans,LA anda resident of Harvey, LA.She wasa graduate of John EhretHighSchool and Meadows-Draughon Busi‐ness College. Kimretired from Avondale Shipyard after over 30 yearsasan ExecutiveAssistant. She wasa member of St.Paul MissionaryBaptist Church for15years,beforejoining RegularBaptist Church Belovedwifeofthe late Forest Lewis, Jr.Devoted mother Nekedrea Lewis, EricaLews(Corey) Lemieux, andShannon Lewis(Calvin)Williams. Daughter of thelateHer‐manDay,Sr. andBeulahJ Day. Loving sister of Lionel Day, RooseveltDay,JoAnn Day, Elaine DayWilliams, andthe late Herman Day, Jr.and John Day. Also cher‐ishing hermemoriesare 8 grandchildrenand ahost of nieces,nephews, cousins, otherrelatives andfriends.Relatives and friendsofthe family, also pastors, officers,and membersofRegular Bap‐tist Church,St. Paul Mis‐sionaryChurch andall neighboringchurches are invitedtoattend theCele‐brationofLifeatRegular BaptistChurch,901 5th Street,Gretna, LA on Fri‐day, February 20,2026, at 10:00a.m.PastorT.A Hodge, officiating. Visita‐tion will beginat8:30a.m until servicetimeatthe church.Interment:Wood‐lawn Park Memorial Ceme‐tery-Westwego, LA.ArrangementsbyDavis Mortu‐aryService,230 Monroe St Gretna,LA. To view and sign theguestbook,please go to www.davismortua ryservice.com.

Mack Sr., PercyB. With sadnessweshare thepassing of PercyB Mack,Sr. on February 12, 2026. Please visitwww.rho desfuneral.comtoview serviceinformation,sign online guestbook,send flowers andshare condo‐lences

Irma LeeRuffinMartin, age80, transitioned peace‐fully into eternalrestat herresidence on Wednes‐day, February 4, 2026. She wasa native of WhiteCas‐tle, LA anda resident of Marrero, LA.Irmawas a graduate of LincolnHigh

School.She wasa former member of St.MarkBaptist Church of WhiteCastle, LA andWhite Chapel Baptist Church.Beloved wife of the late HenryMartin. Loving motherofAnnette Ruffin, Paul Ruffin, Michelle Ruffin (FiancéReginaldAustin), andthe late Paul Leeand Robert Ruffin. Daughter of thelateClarenceRuffin, Sr andBerthaJones.Devoted sister Evelyn (Clarence) Chancellor,Shirley Ruffins Bertha (Don)Jenkins,and thelateDorothy Hayes, Mary Ruffin, Patricia Mc‐Cullum,Laura Ruffin, Clarnece Ruffin, Jr Elijah Ruffinand JamesRuffin. Irma is also survived by 5 grandchildren, 2greatgrandchildren, anda host of nieces,nephews, cousins, otherrelatives andfriends.Relatives and friendsofthe familyare in‐vitedtoattend theHome‐going CelebrationatDavis Mortuary Service, 6820 Westbank Expressway, Marrero, LA on Friday,Feb‐ruary20, 2026, at 10:00a.m Visitation will beginat8:30 a.m. until servicetimeat theparlor.Interment:Rest‐lawn Park Cemetery-Avon‐dale,LA. To view andsign theguestbook,pleasego to www.davismortuaryse rvice.com.

With sadnessweshare thepassing of Eugene E. Maulet,Sr.,onFebruary9, 2026. Please visitwww.rho desfuneral.comtoview serviceinformation,sign online guestbook,send flowers andshare condo‐lences

ElizabethBush McClure, 68, of Austin, Texas, passed away peacefully on Monday, February 16, at St. Luke'sHospitalinHouston Affectionately called Betsy throughout her life,she was born in NewOrleans, LouisianaonMay 17, 1957 intoa family of six including her mother, her father, threesisters, and one brother. She mether future husband, Brian,ona blind date during their senior year of High School.She graduated fromLouise S. McGeheeSchool in 1975 and went on to attend the UniversityofMississippi fortwo years. She then transferred to Louisiana StateUniversity to be with Brian and to finally be able to cheerfor awinning football team. She graduated with aBachelor of Arts degree in Educationin1979. After graduating college, she enjoyed teaching 2nd Grade at St.George's Episcopal School. Brian and Betsy dated throughout theircollege years and were marriedin October1981. They were blessed with threechildren,RobertReed, HarrisonShields,and Travis Bush. Afterteaching for5 years, she happilyretired to be afull-timeMom. The utter joyofBetsy's life was being awife, mother, and homemaker. She loved being at home doing things forand with her family. Above all else, Betsy

adored herboys and showered them with unconditional love.Astheygrew older,she wassoproud of all theiraccomplishments andeven more so of the men they became. In 1997, thefamily moved to Austin. Whether in NewOrleans or Austin, Betsy nevermet astranger she couldn'ttalktoand hadsomany friends whom she enjoyed.Everyone in thefamilyknewthat Betsy always broughtthe funto anyparty or familygathering. During the2020 pandemic,Bestycreated a FamilyZoom Bingo Game, and the entire family, across four different time zones, joined in.Her nieces, nephews, grand nephews, and grandnieces affectionally called her "AuntBoo".She always made sure "TheGrands" received whimsical presents wrappedbeautifully with love for Christmas and Valentine's Day. Betsy is survived by her husband Brian McClure; hersons, Reed andTravis McClure;Travis' wife AshleyMcClure andReed's partnerCelinaGonzalez; hersiblings, Evelyn de Laureal,Henry Bush and Shiela Brantley;her sisters in-law,Louise Bush and Alison McClure; andnumerousnieces, nephews, grandnieces, grand nephews, cousins, and second cousins. Sheisprecededindeathbyher son, HarrisonMcClure;her parents, Shiela andHenry Bush,affectionately called "Mama Pops" and "Daddy Pops"; hersister,SaraAnn Guiterman;and herbrother-in-law Martinde Laureal Betsy wasone of the kindest, sweetest,most considerate, loving and thoughtful people you couldever know.She will be missed by everyone whoknewher,and our lives are forever changed by herpassing Everyoneisinvited to attendthe Celebration of Betsy'sLife.When: Monday, February 23 at 10:00 AM.Where: Riverbend Church at Smith FamilyChapel. Address: 4214 North Capital of Texas HwyAustin,Texas. Receptionimmediately following in Riverbend Church's Community Center In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to: St Elizabeth Foundation stelizabethfoundation.org. Boy Scouts of America, directed to: TheHarrison McClure Conservation Award Fund. Austin Film Society, directed to: The HarrisonMcClure Film Fund. Mobile Loavesand Fishes, mlf.org.

Pelias, MagdaG MagdaG.Pelias, belovedwife, mother, grandmother, great-grand‐mother,and cherishedma‐triarchand friend,passed away peacefully on Febru‐ary13, 2026, in NewOr‐leans, Louisiana. It feelsno coincidencethatshe left this worldona Friday night as theKrewe of Morpheus paradedthrough thecity— Morpheus,the Greek god of sleep anddreams—gen‐tlyusheringher into eter‐nalrest. Born on theisland of Skopelos,Greece, in the WesternAegeanSea, Magdaimmigrated to the United States with her familyin1947, following WorldWar II. From thevery beginning, herlifewas de‐finedbypositivity, faith, andpurestrengthofwillin thefaceofimmensehard‐ship.Magda pursuedher educationatLouisiana Tech University in Ruston and, despitethe chal‐lenges shefaced as a Greek immigrantinthe ruralSouth,embraced everyopportunity with de‐terminationand acoura‐geousspirit. Sheearned herBachelorofScience de‐gree andwentontowork as aresearchassistant at Johns HopkinsUniversity andlater in thehematol‐ogy clinic at OchsnerHos‐pital. In 1958, Magdamar‐ried theloveofher life, Harry MichaelPelias. He adored herblue eyes,and together they builta beau‐tifullifeinUptownNew Or‐leans, where Magdalived formorethanseventy-five years. Theirlively, cacoph‐

onoushomewithfourchil‐dren became agathering place filledwithmusic, laughter,and extraordi‐nary food.A devotedmem‐berofthe Greek Orthodox Church,Magda livedher faith to thefullest extent Shewas akey member of thechurch choir, offering herangelic sopranovoice in joy, reverence, and prayer.Tothose who sang beside her, shewas an es‐sentialand dynamicpres‐ence.Magda wasanex‐ceptionalGreek andCreole cook andanaccomplished bakeroftraditional Greek pastries.Aninvitationto hertable wasconsidereda privilege.In1984, shecoauthored thecookbook NewOrleans Neighbor‐hood Cookingwithher best friend andneighbor, GayleWurzlow,M.D.Her generosity extended far beyond herkitchen.Magda devotedcountless hoursto philanthropicservice,in‐cludingleadershiproles in theVolunteersofAmerica theGreek Orthodox Philop‐tochos Ladies Society, and theP.E.O.(Philanthropic EducationalOrganization) Sisterhood of Women. She supportedthe Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra andenjoyed attendingre‐hearsals as well as their performances with her groupofgirlfriends.Magda hada deep passionfor flowersand wasanactive member of TheNew Or‐leansGardenSociety.She mentored andbefriended students at Sophie B. Wright School,sharing her love of readingand offer‐ingencouragement to the young students shetu‐tored. Throughout herlife, Magdawas asupporter of numerous organizations focusedoncaringfor chil‐dren—especiallyyoung girlsinneed.Magda’s life wasa testamenttoperse‐verance, grace, anddevo‐tion.She nurturedtradi‐tions, strengthened com‐munity,and carriedher Greek heritage forward with pride. Herfamilywas hergreatestjoy,and her love forthemisinfinite Magdaissurvivedbyher threedaughters:Natalia Gonzalez (Guy), Anastasia Pelias, andGeorgia Pelias (AndyWadman);eleven grandchildren: G. Brendan Gonzalez,Alexander Gon‐zalez, ChristinaNakamoto (Andrew),AthenaAntippas (Ben Walton), ArtemisAn‐tippas,TravisWadman (Lauren),Jimmy Wadman, Jenna Wadman,Sandro Pelias, CircePelias, and Zeno Pelias; andeight great-grandchildren: Miles Nakamoto,Max Nakamoto, MiaNakamoto, Maisie Nakamoto,GigiGonzalez, GriffinGonzalez, Lily Wad‐man, andTheodoros Antip‐pas. Shewas preceded in deathbyher loving hus‐band,Harry MichaelPelias, andher belovedson, MichaelHarry Pelias. Magdawas thetreasured “Aunt Magda” to hermany nieces andnephews,and was“Yiayia”toall, blood relativesand otherwise. Much love to Dr.John McGee, Magda’spersonal familyphysician andconfi‐dant who wasalwaysthere forher,day or night. Much gratitudetoall of Magda’s caregivers who provided excellentcareand com‐panionship,singing,prayer andlaughter. Though she hasleftthisdimension Magda’sspiritlives on in thevoices, traditions,and hearts of thefamilyand community shenurtured so deeply.Magda will be foreverrememberedand forever missed. Mayher memory be eternal. In lieu of flowers, donationsmay be made in hermemoryto Holy TrinityGreek Ortho‐doxCathedral in NewOr‐leans, TheTransfiguration Greek Orthodox Church in Austin,Texas,orthe local chapterofHabitat forHu‐manity.Visitationwillbe held Friday,February20, from 5:30–7:30p.m.at Schoen FuneralHome, 3827 CanalStreet.Funeral ser‐viceswill be held Saturday February 21, at 12:30 p.m. at Holy TrinityGreek Ortho‐doxCathedral,1200 Allen ToussaintBoulevard.Burial will follow at Lake Lawn Metairie Cemetery

Adolfo Ramirez Jr. (Al) of Mandeville, LA passed away at the age of 92 on Sunday, February 15,2026. He wasa devoted husband to Dianne Fisette Ramirez for 57 years; loving father to Suzanne Ramirez Kalb (Bob), and doting grandfather to Daniel Kalb and Catherine Kalb. He was preceded in death by his father Adolfo Ramirez, Sr., mother Genoveva Quintana Ramirez, sister Lucilla Ramirez Saldana, brother Juran Ramirez, and nephew Eduardo Saldana. His mostheartbreaking loss was the death of his son and best friend Thomas David Ramirez. Adolfo was born on October 2, 1933 in Laredo, Texas. He graduated from Martin High School, received aBachelor'sDegree in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M, and aMaster's DegreeinStructural Engineering from Tulane University. After graduating from Texas A&M he began hisprofessional career with the U.S. Army Corpsof Engineers in Fort Worth, Texas. He latertransferred to the Corps in New Orleans. He was dedicated engineer for the Corps of Engineers for forty years. The highlight of his career was being the Resident Engineer for Lock &Dam #1 on the RedRiver Waterway. He and his family lived in Marksville, LA in Avoyelles Parish for eight years while this project was under construction. Adolfo was adevout Catholic who practiced his faith over his whole life, starting with serving asanaltar boy for many years in his parish church. After moving to Mandeville in 1985, he later became aCharter Member of both the Knights of Columbus, Council 9240 and the 4th Degree Assembly2467 of Our Lady ofthe Lake Catholic Church.Another organization dear to his heart was the Mandeville Chapterof NARFE (National Association of Retired Federal Employees), of which he was apast president. Visitation will be held from 12:30 pm until 1:30 pm on Saturday, February 21, 2026 at Our Lady of Lake Catholic Church (312 Lafitte St, Mandeville). A Mass of Christian Burial will be Celebrated at 1:30 pm on Saturday, February 21, 2026 at Our Lady of Lake Catholic Church. Graveside Services will be held at 11:00 am on Monday, February 23, 2026 at Slack Memorial Family Cemetery in Springhill, LA. The family wishes to thank the staff of DaVita Covington Trace Dialysis for their excellentcare and themany physiciansand other medical professionals who helped him the last few years of his life.In lieu of flowers, please make donations to charity of your choice or to Our Lady of Lake Catholic Church.

Richardson,Luella

Luella Richardson peacefully passedawayon February 9, 2026, at theage of 79. Luella is survived by children Cheryl andMar‐cus(Tiffany) Richardson, Sr grandsons: Marcus Richardson,Jr. andMarc (Anissa)Bowie,great grandchildrenMarcus, III, Amir,Milan, andMylah Richardson,Mikel,Malik andMakai Bowie, andgod‐children Lazell Richardson Allisonand August Skin‐ner, Jr.She is also survived by four siblings anda host of relativesand friends. Preceded in deathbyher husband Joseph Richard‐son, Jr.parents Isaiah and Beatrice Skinner, siblings: Alvin, Romalious, Roland andRonaldSkinner,Oc‐taviaHulbert,Betty Smith, andIda Owens. Family and friendsare invitedtothe CelebrationofLifeService on Friday,February20, 2026, for10:00 a.m. at The Boyd Family Funeral Home, 5001 Chef MenteurHwy NewOrleans,LA70126. Vis‐itationwillbegin at 9:00 a.m. Reverend Terrence Jonesofficiating. Inter‐

ment private. Guestbook Online:www.anewtraditi onbegins.com (504)2820600. Linear BrooksBoyd andDonavin D. BoydOwn‐ers/FuneralDirectors

Sims,Terry Lynn With sadnessweshare thepassing of Terry Lynn Sims on February 1, 2026. Please visitwww.rhodesf uneral.comtoviewservice information, sign online guestbook,sendflowers andshare condolences.

Skinkus, Michael

MichaelSkinkus was born outsideofPhiladel‐phia,Pennsylvaniain1969 andhad an earlydesirefor syncopated musicsince he wasveryyoung.Hewas an educator,masterpercus‐sionist, teacher, son, brotherand friend to many.His earlymusical endeavorsinclude private guitar lessons until 6th grade. Although he started on guitar,Michael found histrueloveinthe worldof percussion. In 1987, Michaelmoved to NewOr‐leanstoattend Tulane Uni‐versityand to engrosshim‐self in thecity’smusic.In 1999, he begantraveling to Cuba to studythe Bata drumsand Congas with thelatemasterpercus‐sionistReginoJimenez.In addition to Cuba,Michael also visitedHaiti,Brazil andPuerto Rico on what he called “study trips.”He studiedwiththe great AliouDiouf from Senegal andlearned thedrumpat‐ternsspecifictothatre‐gion of Africa.In2003, Michaelearneda Master’s Degree in LatinAmerican Studiesand Ethnomusicol‐ogy at Tulane University Hisskillsasa musician andeducatormadehim a diversified andmuch called upon artist on the NewOrleans musicscene He hadanarsenal of drumsinhis bag, including Bata drums, Congas,Tim‐bales, Shekere, Bells, and much more.Morethan twenty years ago, Michael startedthe band Moyuba with Sula Spirit andMargie Perezonvocalswhich cen‐teredontraditional Yoruba Orisha chants,Batadrums andhis ownmusical arrangements.Moyubahas proudlyopenedthe Jazz Fest forthe past 20 years andwillhavea tribute show to Michaelatthis year's Jazz Fest 2026. Michaelhas also played with greatbands like The Radiators, Dr.John, Irma Thomas,JohnnyAdams ChuckDavis,Michael Ray andthe Cosmic Crew,Tom McDermott, FreddieOmar consuBanda,Gabriel Ve‐lazquez, Bill Summers KumbukaDance Troupe, Kenyatta Simon, Curtis Pierre,Otra, Vivaz, Helen Gillet,IrisMay Tango, Los Vecinos, MasMamones, Margie Perez, Muevelo, Hart McNee, DavidSobel, SamPrice,Scott Messer‐smith, BrentRose, Smilin Myron, TomWorrell,Alexey Marti, Seguenon Kone and Ensemble Fatien,Steve Masakowski,and so many othermusicians toomany to list.Inadditiontohis musicalgenius, Michael wasalsoa belovedteacher andeducator. He taught 5thgrade at theCountry DaySchool andYoung Au‐dienceswhere he influ‐encedmanystudentstobe theirgreatestselves. Teaching washis passion. He wasalsoanadjunct professor at DelgadoUni‐versity. Sincemovingto

When

NewOrleans in 1987, MichaelSkinkus hasbeen an integral part of thelocal Latin, African, Jazz,AfroCubanand Popularmusic scenes.Michael is joined nowinthe ancestralrealm with hisparents DianeSel‐wood andJohnSkinkus.He is survived by hisstepmom DorieSkinkus andher hus‐band Mike Anderson,sister ValerieSkinkus,sisterDani Jupina,her husband Mike Jupina,their children Madeline andBenjamin Jupina,his former partner Jimena Urrutiawithwhom he remained close, plus a host of loving friends, rela‐tives, musiciansand com‐munity members. He will be deeply missedbyall Michaelloved hisfamily, playingmusic with his friends, andthe city of NewOrleans.May we speakhis name with love dailysohewillneverbe forgotten. MichaelSkinkus mayyoursoulascendto thehighest pointofheaven andmay youbeplaying musicwiththe greats on that side.Wesay farewell fornow…until we meet again. Relativesand friendsofthe familyare in‐vitedtoattend aMemorial Servicehonoringthe life of Mr.Michael SkinkusatD.W Rhodes FuneralHome, 3933 Washington Ave.,New Or‐leans, LA 70125 on Satur‐day, February 21,2026 at 2:00 pm.Visitationwill beginat1:00pmuntil 2:00 pm.Pleasejoinusbylive stream by visiting www.D W.RhodesFuneralHome. com/live.Arrangements entrustedtoD.W.Rhodes FuneralHome, 3933 Wash‐ington Ave.,New Orleans, LA.Pleasevisit www.rho desfuneral.comtosignthe online guestbook,share memories andcondo‐lences to thefamily.

Sullen, Jennifer Jennifer Sullen, peace‐fully transitioned into eter‐nalrestonMonday, Febru‐ary9,2026 at theage of 70. Beloveddaughterofthe late Mrs. AnnieMae Landry Sullenand Rev. Walter Sullen. Cherishedsisterof Charlotte Hollinsand Jason Sullen. Loving aunt of Rene Hollins. Jennifer is also sur‐vivedbyher firstcousins extended familyand friends. Pastors, officers, and membersofSt. James MethodistChurch of Louisianaand Franklin Av‐enue BaptistChurch as well as staff of NORDC- St BernardCenterand Desire Care Agency areinvited to attend thefuneral service. AService of Triumphwill be held at St.James MethodistChurch of LA, 1925 UrsulinesAvenue NewOrleans,LA70116 on Friday,February20, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. Dr.JosephA Tilly, OfficiatingVisitation at 10:00 a.m. at thechurch Interment: Mt.Olivet Cemetery.Professional services entrustedtoLit‐tlejohnFuneral Home

Sutton, Joseph M. 'Joey'

Joseph M. Sutton, "Joey" to his friends and family, passed away leaving behind alegacy of creativity athletic grit, and profound kindness. Born and raised in New Orleans,Joey grew up at theIsidore Newman School and spenthis life embodying the unique spirit of his hometown.

An athleteathis core, Joeywas rarely happier than whenhewas competing. Whether it wasyouth sports or his years as a rankedtennisplayer, he thrived on the energyof the game.Evenafter a stroke in 2012shifted his pace, his love for sportremaineda central part of his life as he transitioned intoanenthusiasticspectatorofgolfand tennis.

WhileJoey held alaw degree from Tulane University, his heart belonged to theout-of-theboxworld of entrepreneurship. He took thefamily's traditionalFrench Quarter retailbusiness and reimaginedit, creating a haven for vintage jewelry and curiosities that reflected his own eclecticand inventive personality.

Joey's greatest talent, however, was his ability to see thegoodinpeople. He was amentor by nature, always offeringthe compassionand push someone needed to reach their full potential. He didn't just inhabit theworld; he sought to improveitthrough every personhetouched. He willbedeeply missed by his wife, Lois HarrisSutton;his children, Rachel (Dr. Matthew) Freemanand Cymbol (Jesse) Kibort; his stepsons, Scott (Sara) and Judd (Sarah Knight)Harris; and hissisters, Suzanne Ratner and Candice Rosenblum He also leaves behind his belovedgrandchildren: Joshua and Charles Freeman; Julia and Audrey Kibort; and Millie, Elizabeth, and Isaac Harris. The family wouldliketo express profound gratitude forJoey'smany devotedfriends and caregivers, especially Lashon Lafrance and Jerome Tilquit. Afuneralservice willbeheldfrom1:00 PM to 2:00 PM on 2026-02-19 at Touro Synagogue,4238 SaintCharles Avenue.

Alfred Taylor,age 81,a native of Gretna,Louisiana passedawayonFriday, February 6, 2026, in Baker, Louisianasurrounded by hislovingfamily. Alfred wasbornOctober 28, 1944 in Gretna,LA. He is theson of Joseph Taylor and EleanorVictor. He was marriedtothe late Barbara AnnPierreTaylorand to theirunion,KendalTaylor (Algh) of Harvey,LA, Nigel Taylor (Nyga) of Baker, LA ShannonHoward (Clarence) of Port Allen, LA,and thelateAlfredTay‐lorJr. BrotherofCharles Taylor &SidneyTaylor. He is survived by 10 grandchil‐dren,3 great- grandchil‐dren,a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, other relativesand devoted friends. Relativesand friendsofthe family, offi‐cers andmembers of EveningStarBaptist Church andall neighboring churches,L.B.LandryClass of1964, employees of Hunt Wesson OilCompany,Jef‐ferson Parish Street's De‐partment,Jefferson Parish School Board, as well as all Public School BusTrans‐portationSystem, areall invitedtoattend thecele‐brationoflifeservice which will be held on Sat‐urday, February 21, 2026, at EveningStarBaptist Church locatedat817 Gre‐ferStreet Harvey,LA70058. Thevisitationwillbegin at 8a.m andthe servicewill beginat10a.m.Pastor KeithPaulStewman offici‐atingand intermentwill follow at NewHopeCeme‐tery in Gretna,LA. Funeral planning entrustedto Robinson Family Funeral Home 9611LA- 23, Belle Chasse,LA70037.,(504) 208 -2119. Foronlinecondo‐lences please visitwww robinsonfamilyfuneralho me.com

Veals,Cornelia F. 'Connie'

Cornelia"Connie"F.Veals enetered eternalrest on TuesdayFebruary 3,2026 at the age of 77. She was born on Febraury 1,1949 to Henryand Berma Thomas ForrestinTylertown,Ms. Shelater moved to New Orleanswhere she met and marriedthe love of her life AlbertVeals.She workedatMartinMarietta andDays Inninthe housekeeping dept. She also workedinthe Orleans Parish School System as a cafeteria worker until she retired. Cornelia was alovingperson and very outspoken. She could be the life of aparty. Shewas a person whoyou couldgo to if you needed advice andgive it to you if you likeditornot.Corneliais proceededindeathbyhusbandAlbert, herbrothers,H enry(Clemotean),Bernard( Fannie),W.L(Esther),Charle s, hersistersNorma, and Alice(Jim). She cherishes the memories of heronly son Desi(Roslind) her grandchildren Breione,Darius,and Raven Shealso leaves ahost of nieces andnephews. Relativesand friends of thefamilyare invited to theHomegoing Celebration on Friday, February 20,2026 at Professional Funeral Serviceslocated at 1449 N.ClaiborneAve N.O,La 70116. Visitation at 9:00 am followed by servicesat 10:00 am. Intermentwill follow at Providence Memorial Park8200 Airline Dr.Metairie,La70003. Arrangements are made by Professional Funeral Services, Inc.

Willie Watts entered into eternalrestatEast JeffersonHospitalonFri‐day, February 6, 2026, at theage of 77. He wasa na‐tive of Utica, MS,and alife‐long resident of Marrero, LA.Williewas agraduate of LincolnHighSchool Classof1965, andheat‐tended GramblingState University.Helater served hiscountry in theU.S

Army,where he received an honorabledischarge Willie wasemployedat Johns Manville Company for12years andlater re‐tiredfromthe West Jeffer‐sonLevee District with twenty-plusyears of val‐uedservice.Hewas a member of Vineyard Min‐istries, where he served faithfully as adeaconuntil hishealthbegan to de‐cline. Willie wasaffiliated with many organizationsin thecommunity.Devoted husband of 55 yearsto Thelma Walker Watts BelovedfatherofValerie Hewitt, andKareem Watts (Johanna). Grandfatherof Leena, Zariyah, MiaHewitt, andKaden Watts.Step grandfatherofAlexisand John Rodriguez. GreatgrandfatherofIsaiahGat‐ica. GoddfatherofLacrecia Mason. Sonofthe late Elihuand JimmieWatts BrotherofJuanita Johnson, GeraldineHoward, Patricia (Murphy) Noel,Gwendolyn (Charles)Harris, Rodrick WayneWatts.Calvin (Sandy)CrawfordJr.,Fred (Tyrese) Crawford,Tyrone (Angela) Crawford,Shirley Lorrie,Laquita Crawford, Edna C. Clark, andthe late JuanitaCrawford. Father in lawofthe late ConeyHe‐witt. Brother-in-law George (Linda)Walker, Sr., andthe late Charlie, Robert,Eddie, andWillieHenry Walker, Carron Sims,and Laura Walker,alsosurvivedbya host of nieces,nephews cousins, otherrelatives andfriends.Relatives and friendsofthe familyalso pastors, officers,and membersofVineyardMin‐istries, NewSalem Church of Christ Holiness, and neighboringchurches are invitedtoattendthe Cele‐brationofLifeatNew SalemChurch of Christ Ho‐liness, 1540 MansfieldAve Marrero, LA,onFriday, Feb‐ruary20, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. ElderGeorgeTaylorHost Pastor -Elder Gerald Brownofficiating. Visita‐tion will beginat9:00a.m until servicetime. Inter‐ment:Woodlawn Park Memorial Cemetery-West‐wego, LA.Arrangementsby DavisMortuaryService 230 Monroe St., Gretna,LA. To view andsignthe guest‐book,pleasegotowww davismortuaryservice.com Face masksare recom‐mended

Norman Franciswas aleaderfor theages

It’spossible to measure Norman C. Francis’ impact by listing the accolades he earned over his long publiclife, from numerous honorary degrees to our nation’shighest civilianhonor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom —oreven by drivingdownthe parkwaythat runs by the historically Black, Catholic university he built into apowerhouse,a roadthat since 2021 has borneFrancis’ name Youcould add in his noteworthyachievements, from his history-makingmatriculationto Loyola College of Law as its first Black student to his landmark 47-year tenure as presidentof Xavier University of Louisiana.

As formidable as this list is,though,itdoesn’t fully capture the role that Francis, whodied Wednesday at 94, played as amentor, as an adviser to powers-that-be andasa graciousbut always clear-eyed moral compass fora community he loved.

Anative of Lafayette born intothe Great Depression, Francis came to Xavier as ascholarship student and never left NewOrleans.His leadership skills already on display, he was elected classpresident each year and student body president in his senior year

On his first day of law school, hefamously met afellow student named Moon Landrieu and formed apartnership that would continue throughout their long lives. Landrieu,who would go on to integrate CityHall’sworkforce as mayor,said watching thedisparate treatment he and his friend received opened his eyes to theinjustices of segregation.

As ayoung lawyer,Francis representedcivil rights organizations and activists, but hisalma mater soon called. He returned to Xavierasa dean and served during an eventful periodin which he agreed to house theFreedomRiders after they’d been attacked bysegregationists in Alabama.

In 1968, he became the university’s first Black, and first lay,president, and launchedaperiod of physicalgrowth and academic transformation for Xavier,which under Francis’ stewardship developed aprescient focusonthe sciences

“Dr. Franciswas more than an administrator. He was an institutional builder,a civil rights champion, and aman of quiet generosity ”recalled U.S. Rep. Troy Carter,analumnus whose mother earned aXavier degree while raising sixchildren. “Hebelieved education wasthe pathway to justice. He believed lifting onestudent could lift an entire family.In ourcase, he was right.”

Francis served on numerousboardsand was active in the formation of Black-owned Liberty Bank.

Although both his Gentilly home and his university flooded, Francis stepped upin2005 when then-Gov.Kathleen Blanco asked himto chair the Louisiana Recovery Authorityfollowingthe devastation of hurricanes Katrinaand Rita.

At the same time, he oversaw notjust arebuild but an ambitious expansion of Xavier’s campus. Then-President Barack Obama, speaking on campus on Katrina’s fifthanniversary, described it as acaseofone force of nature meeting another

Those who worked alongsidehim remember Francisfor accomplishing great things by gently leading in the right direction

“Norman Francis had atalentfor calming troubled waters whilestill makingsure that they flowed toward justice,” authorWalter Isaacson, who served as theLRA’s vice chair, recalled.

Tania Tetlow,the New Orleans native and Fordham University presidentwho awarded Francis a2023 honorarydegree, said sheoften asked veterans of thecivil rights erahow they sawthe correct path at thetimewhen so many others did not. She said they all gave her thesameanswer: “Because Norman wasmy friend.”

In ways momentous and deeply personal, Norman Francis made his city, hisstate andthe larger world kinder,smarter and fairer. We are blessedtocount him as one of ourown.

OPINION

Immigrationofficials are traumatizing children

Recently,our 6-year-old grandson, who lives in asmall citywithnoICE presence, asked his mother at bedtime if the “icebreakers” werecoming to his house. This reminded us of ICE stories involving young children:

n ICE agents arrested afather driving his 2-year-old son to day care in Washington, leaving the child crying and confused in the back of the car.The father’sboss came to retrieve thechild andreported that thechild was visibly frightened,telling her that thepolicehad taken his dad.

n Masked ICE agents with guns drawn handcuffed and arrested aU.S. citizen whom theytook out intothe Minnesota winter in his underwear as his 5-year-old grandson watched.

n A5-year-old boy sent by ICE agents as bait to get his father to open thedoor. Father and sonwere flown to Texas that

Areyou ready for hurricanes? Is the New Orleansmetropolitan area ready for amajor Category 5tomake adirect hit?What would it take tobeready? Evacuation planning, no?

Does everybody have ameans out? What about avehicle? Can everybody get out?Can the mayor and parish presidents, as well as other government officials, see to it that buses are provided

It is interesting that one report by the Times Picayune |The Advocate(Feb.8) has meaningful information that posting certain personal info about elected officials is now acrime. Butinsuccessive additions of the newspaper,there are pages and pages of addresses of citizens published on behalf of Jefferson Parish,apparently required for purging of voting records, which anyone could

I’m old enough to recall the impact of thatmostmemorable line from John F. Kennedy’spresidentialinaugural address on Jan. 20, 1961: “Ask notwhat your country can do for you —ask what you can do for your country.”

Sixty-five years later,I find myself among agrowing number of citizens who areanxiously waiting for elected officials

same day to awaitdeportation.

n At achild care center in Chicago, ICE agentsentered, grappled with ateacher and led her away in handcuffs as children watched.

n ICE agents arrived at achurch in North Carolina, sending many worshippers into thewoods while young children sobbedinside thechurch.

These and many other publicized examples of unnecessary traumas involving children can leave lasting scars and turn safe spaces —homes, schools, churches —intodanger zones. Having treated dozens of traumatized young children in our careers, we decry the unnecessarily cruel behavior of ICE. Can’t some of their allocated $75 billion provide humanitytraining to agents?

CHARLES H. ZEANAH AND PAULA D. ZEANAH Metairie

to evacuate indigent and poor folks? Is there ameans to compensate people and places that provide aid to NewOrleanians? Do we want to play Russian roulette with the newer,morepowerful hurricanes? What is our evacuation plan? Do you have one? Do we all?

JOHN GALLAGHER NewOrleans

use for whatever purpose they might ill conceive. Where is the logic in this? Is what is good for the goose still good for thegander? Have government officials forgotten that citizens have rights and that publishing such addresses without permission could have undesirable consequences?

CHAD SHERMAN Marrero

to stand up to andspeak out against this administration’s repeated assaults on our democracy.But perhaps it’seven moreimportant to answer JFK’scall at this moment in history.What can each of us do as patriotic citizens to defend the country we love?

GERALD “JERRY” MEUNIER NewOrleans

Last month, the final hostage, Police Sgt. Ran Gvili, z”l,came hometoIsrael. Ran wasamongthe first hostages Hamas took on Oct. 7, 2023, and is the last recovered after 843 days. The Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans sends our deepest love and condolences to his family and loved ones, and to all the families wholost their dear ones.

Ran’sreturn closes one of the Jewish people’sdarkest chapters in recent history.And though his homecoming is marked by sorrow forthose lost, it is also an occasion forprofound gratitude. We give thanks first forRan himself,who died defending his country,saving lives. His courage and sacrifice embody true heroism.We’re equally grateful for the soldiers whonever stopped fighting to bring every hostage home.

We give thanks, too, forthe strength of the Jewish community,united not only in NewOrleans but across the world. In public and private spaces, the Jewish people have carried one another with prayer,perseverance and hope through this dark time. Finally,weextend deep gratitude to the allies whohave stood with the Jewish people amid rising antisemitism. To those who’ve spoken out against hate, supported stronger protections for schools and synagogues, and affirmed Jewish dignity and belonging in interfaith and community spaces —wethank you. Moments of gratitude remind us whoweare: one people bound by memory, faith and mutual responsibility.Wereaffirm our commitment to stand with our neighbors: to care forthose in need, to advocate forequitydriven policy and to continue to build bridges, in NewOrleans and beyond.

Ran Gvili’sreturn is atestamenttothe unbreakable promise that no soul will ever be left behind or forgotten. May his memorybefor ablessing, now and always.

SHERRI TARR CEO,Jewish Federation of Greater NewOrleans

JD Vanceviesfor thegold medalin coarseness, flippancy

Spurning the rich subtleties of the English language, JD Vance has apenchant for words that he perhaps thinks display manly vigor,and express a populist’srejection of refinement.In arecent social media post,hecalled someone whose posts annoyed him a “dipshit.” He recently toldaninterviewerthat anyone who criticizes his wife can “eat shit.”

Now,Vance might reasonably believe that many Americans enjoy potty-mouthed high officials. The “Access Hollywood” tape became public 32 days before the 2016 election in which the star of the tape, who mused about grabbing women’sgenitals,was elected president. At a minimum, it would be reasonable for Vance to suppose that,after five years of apresident who talks about “shithole countries,” Americans are inuredtosuch pungent language. And that people who look down their upturned noses at it are effete. (An earlier vice president, Spiro Agnew warned against America’s“effete corps of impudent snobs.”) Vance might think that Americans who wince when he swears simply do not appreciate the earthiness of people who express themselveswithavividness not watered down by good taste. Besides, the man currentlyoccupying Abraham Lincoln’schair got there using the word “shit” dozens of times in speeches. Although Lincoln’slarge stock of humorous stories included ribald ones, you can scour his written and spoken record without finding any violation of his “time, place, and manner” standards of propriety.But, then, as has been said, standards are always out of date, which is why we call them standards. Last year,agroup chat of high-spirited Republicans, most in their middle to late 20s, two of them in their 30s, were recorded saying colorful things. (“Can we fixthe showers? Gas chambers don’t fitthe Hitler aesthetic”; “Everyone that votes no is going to the gas chamber”; “watermelon people”; “expecting the Jew to be honest”; “I love Hitler”). Vance’savuncular reaction (he is 41) was that “kids” do the darndest things: “Kids do stupid things, especially young boys. They tell edgy,offensive jokes. Like, that’s what kids do.” The kid Thomas Jefferson was 33 when he wrotethe Declara-

tionofIndependence.

Vance seems to be of the George and Ira Gershwin school of language: Yousay eether and Isay eyether,/You say neether and Isay nyther,/ Eether eyether,neether,nyther,/ Let’s call the wholethingoff. The Gershwins thought it disproportionate for lovers to getinspatsbecause “you like this and the other/ While Igofor this and that.

Vance seems to think it comparably niggling to allow what he evidently considers comparably minor differences tointerfere with friendships and political alliances.“Do Ihave disagreements with Tucker Carlson?” said Vance in an interview last month. “Sure. Ihave disagreements with most of my friends.” Last year,Carlson hosted along, friendly podcast interview with the antisemitic, Hitler and Stalin admirer Nick Fuentes. (Trump had Fuentes to dinner at Mar-a-Largo.) In 2024, Carlson had an amicable discussion with an author he called “thebest and most honest popular historian working in the United States today.” The author thinks Winston Churchill was thevillain of World WarII, for which Adolf Hitler is unfairly blamed.

Vance laconically sayshis “disagreements” with Carlson —who “has a place in the conservative movement” —are akin to disagreementshehas

with other friends. Vanilla, vanella, oysters, ersters, what’sthe big deal? When, during the2024 campaign, rumors about Haitians eating the pets of Springfield, Ohio, weredisseminated, with Vance’shelp, this was his response when confronted with the fact that no factssupported therumors: “If Ihave to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to thesuffering of the American people, then that’swhat I’m going to do.” He has a duty to lie becausethe media areindolent Vance has aknack for late— very late—adolescent naughtiness. It is not easybeing transgressive in an era when there are few norms remaining to transgress. Undaunted, he tries. Of Europe’slargest war since World WarII: “I don’tcare what happens to Ukraine one way or another.” Very edgy Performative politics is almost the only politics on offer nowadays. But must it be acoarseness and flippancy competition?

Let it be saidonVance’sbehalf that he refuses to present himselfasother than what he is.But beforecelebrating him for his authenticity, attention should be paid to what he authentically is.

Email George Will at georgewill@ washpost.com.

Feelinginsecure? Youmay be on to something.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez did astar turn at the Munich Security Conference, and her appearances went about as wellasyou’d expect of acelebrity congresswoman whohas spent about five minutes thinking about foreign policy

AOC is to strategic thinkers what Gayle King is to astronauts.

She projects all the authority of an International Relations 101 student whodidn’trealize that there wasgoing to be apop quiz before spring break. She sounds as if she watched the 2024 KamalaHarris campaign and concluded that what sank the vice president was that the candidate’spolicy answers were much too substantive and precise. There’snoway,judging by her performance in Germany, that AOC is going to let herself make the samemistake.

Ocasio-Cortez critiqued Secretary of State Marco Rubio’sremarkable speech at the conference forbeing “a pure appeal to ‘Western culture,’”which she rendered with air quotes as though its existence is somehow in doubt. It is certainly true, as she said, that cultures change over time, but this doesn’talter the reality of Western distinctiveness as it has developed over acouple of millennia.

AOC seemed to consider it aprovocation that Rubio had talked about Western culture when discussing aWestern alliance, NATO, founded to defend Western countries from atotalitarian menace emanating from aEurasian behemoth. In fact, the secretary’sspeech waswellreceived and persuasively set out the common history of Europe and the United States.

The AOC rejoinder was that what she called “alleged” Western values are illusory because they haven’talways defined our interactions with “the global South.” Even if the West hasn’t always lived up to its values, though, that doesn’tfalsify them or makethem any less powerful.

The best formula forsuccess forunderdeveloped countries around the world —the global South —would be forthem to Westernize in the sense of embracing the rule of law,property rights, markets and stable, representative government.

AOC also said that culture is “thin” compared to concrete economic interests. This belief that material considerations trump cultural ones from religious faith to national identity —isan old Marxist chestnut that has proved false over and over again.

Froma Harrop

Groundhog Day’sfurry forecaster Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of wintry weather.What if we asked Phil to apply his insights to the frigid job market?He might answer the way an alarmedgroundhog does, with chattering teeth, and then squeak, “Wheet! Wheet! Cold days are comingfor American job seekers, and they’lllast alot longer than six weeks.”

Economists are using the term “deep freeze” to describe the currentjob outlook. These are strange times. The officialunemployment rate of4.45% is not adistressing number,but thereasons behind it are worrisome.

Many workers are stickingwiththeir jobs, fearful they can’t find anew one. Aside from some big-headlinelayoffs, most employers figure business is good enough to hang on tothe staff they’ve got, but not strongenough to take new people on. The main reason: They have no idea what exactly is going on in theAmerican economy Is it fair to pin this unsettling situation on Donald Trump? Sure, it’sfair though he doesn’tdeserve all the blame. What he does, reliably,ismake alot of problems worse. Start with the tariffs. His tradewar —slapping higher duties on essentially the rest of the world—was sold as a job-creation engine. It hasn’tworked out that way.Since “Liberation Day,” April 2, 2025, U.S. factory employment has fallen month after month. And

Aside from some big-headline layoffs, most employers figure businessisgood enough to hang on to the staff they’ve got, but not strong enough to takenew people on.The main reason: They have no idea what exactly is going on in the American economy.

last year, thenumber of job openings dropped by nearly amillion. What tariffs have done is push up prices that Americans pay for food and other everyday goods. In other words, they add to inflation. Prices haven’tspiked as dramatically as some warned, but they’ve risen enoughtoleave consumers uneasy and on edge.

American companies that obtain partsand materials from abroad are nowpaying more for them. Some have swallowed at least someofthose added costs, butmuch of the tariff tax gets passed onto buyers. Many companies saytheywill now have to pass more of those costs to consumers. Suchdisruptions have hit Main Street businesses especially hard. They are less able than big corporations to deal with theconfusion over tariffs. Who is meant to foot thebill? Vendors? Purchasers? Shoppers? Small companies employ almosthalf the American workforce.

Then there’sthe immigration crisis. Roundupsofundocumented aliens were supposed to free up jobsfor Americans. But Trump’sspectacle of U.S.Immigration and Customs

Enforcement agents sweeping up the foreign-born has created amess for local businesses. Both legal and illegal immigrants are afraid to go to work andshop at stores. Immigrants, after all, are also customers.

Artificial intelligence isn’tTrump’s doing, but it’s here. Analysts expect American companies to pour more money into robotics and artificial intelligence —technologies that replace human labor.Abachelor’sdegree will no longer shield manycollege grads from unemployment, as AI moves into work that manywell-paid professionals considered safe.

Anthropic’s“AI Assistant,” Claude, can now read, write and analyze text. It can takeonsome accounting tasks, such as reviewing documents and drafting reports. As demand for humans withsuch skills shrinks, employers looking to add staff have become superpicky That’smaking life especially tough for young people trying to landentrylevel jobs. The office outlook is scary: asmall cadre of senior executives, the“C-suite,” presiding over rooms of smart machines that can match, or even outthink, Homo sapiens. Businesses don’tknow which way is up, down or sideways, and Trump’s daily dose of chaos isn’thelping. The mystery of what will come next leaves manycompanies hesitant to hire. Winter is settlinginthe job market. If you’re feeling insecure, you may be on to something.

Froma Harrop is on X, @FromaHarrop.

At the outset of World WarI,the AOCs of the timebelieved that the working classes of the various combatant countries would unite to oppose the conflict. As it happened, they backed the warefforts of their own nations.

The average American worker has nothing in common with aChinese worker or,for that matter,aFrench or German worker.AOC is hoping for, in effect, aFourth International as the foundation of “class-based” U.S. foreign policy —democratic socialists of the world unite!

This is achildish fantasy,but it wasn’tthe least impressive thing she said at Munich.

Asked whether the U.S. shoulddefendTaiwan in the event of aChinese attack, AOC hesitated andstumbledasthough thequestion hadnever occurred to herpreviously, before notanswering. She objected to our operation to grab Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela. According to AOC, we undertook it “just because the nation is below the equator,” when Venezuela is north of the equator

She poured scorn on Marco Rubio’sstatementthat American cowboy culture was “born in Spain,” apparently not realizing that he was wholly correct about this.

AOC is young and charismatic with along career ahead of her,and she isn’tseeking to land ajob at the State Department —she doesn’t need to be Prince Metternich or even Antony Blinken.

Yet, her timeatthe Munich conference was another reminder that no matter how much she is billed as arising star,she is still callow and unserious. If AOC knowswhat she doesn’t know,she doesn’tseem to particularly care, and her casual disregard forWestern culture is symptomatic of aLeft that, to its shame, considers its own civilization an affront and lie. Rich Lowry is on X, @RichLowry.

Butthis missionrequires continued support. We need to fortify, expand, and sustain our work foryearsand decades to come.

PO

SPORT

It’s time forPelicanstohangPaul’sNo. 3jersey

Chris Paul is hanging up his jersey Nowit’stime for the New Orleans Pelicans to hang it up as well, high in therafters of theSmoothie King Center

The greatest player to ever put on aNew Orleans Hornets or Pelicans jersey calleditquits last week. Paul’sNBA journey started inNew Orleansand endedinCanada on Friday just afew hours after the Toronto Raptors waived him, bringing to aclose a21-year career of one of the greatest point guards to ever play

That “Point God” nicknamewas so fitting for aguy whomade at least one of the All-NBA teams 11 times and an All-Defensiveteam nine times.

Paul, who turns 41 in May, decided to retire midseason because he just knew it wastime tospend more time with his family.The Raptors, who he never suited up for after being acquired in atrade, would’ve been his eighth NBA team. Toronto is a51/2-hour flightfrom his home in

MikaelaShiffrin snapsOlympic drought, wins gold in women’sslalom, Page 4C

Caraway keypart in LSU’s rout over Nicholls

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

LSU baseball targeted Trent Caraway out of the transfer portal to fill multiple roles. With Michael Braswell gone, the Tigers needed athird baseman.They also needed morepower,and specifically,right-handed power.Jared Jones andEthanFrey had moved on to professional baseball. Caraway, ajuniortransfer third baseman from Oregon State, potentially could fill both holes. He hit six home runs in the NCAA Tournament last summerand was the starting third baseman forthe Beavers. Through five games this season, Caraway has filled his duties admirably since his first season beganatLSU, andnomomenthas shownhis talent moreclearly than in the first inning of Wednesday’s12-1 winagainst Nicholls State at Alex Box Stadium With the bases loaded and twoouts, Caraway swung at the first pitch he saw and lifted it into the left-fieldstands to break a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the first inning, showcasing the pull-sidepower that madehim an attractive transfer. The blast was his first of the year and wasall the Tigers needed in their eight-inning victory Sophomore John Pearson ended the game

L.A.,which was aplace he wanted to stay close to this season. It’sthe main reasonhesigned withthe Clippersbefore theseason began. It’sunfortunatePaul didn’tget the

Johnsondoesitall forLSU

Freshman hastaken on —and excelled in —several roles

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

The key that unlocked ZaKiyah Johnson’s stardom was her jumper,but it didn’tcome naturally.She started perfecting the shot when she was amiddle-school post player,and the earliest versions of it looked alittlefunky Johnson’smother,TaNeisha Jointer, remembers that her husband, Butch Jointer, once said those shooting mechanics looked like Larry Bird’s. Her release was long and slow —almost like aslingshot

“It was like on the side of her head,” TaNeisha Jointer said with alaugh. “It was weird.” Luckily forJohnson,she hadeasyaccess to ateam of shot doctors whocould bothdiagnose the problem and crafta treatment plan. The LSU freshmanforward comes from afamilyofbasketball players and coaches. It’show she got her physical gifts, work ethic and the list of things sheneeded to do if shewanted to playcollegehoops

ä LSU at Ole Miss 8P.M.THURSDAy,ESPN

farewell tourthat he deserved for such astellar career

Butit’snot too late to still give him his due. In fact,now is the perfect time to do so, especially for the team that drafted him fourth overall in the 2005 draft.

There are no jerseys or championship banners hanging in the building that was called New Orleans Arena during Paul’sdays.

ä See PAUL, page 3C

Now Johnsonisone of thegreatesthigh schoolplayers to ever come throughthe tradition-rich basketball state of Kentucky And herrelease is quick,tight andsmooth. She’s shownthis season shecan drain an outside shot for the No. 7Tigers(22-4, 8-4 SEC), but only when sheisn’t battling an opposing post playerormusclingher way through contested looks around the rim.

Johnson is both willing and able to do a little bitofeverything. She started as apost player in high school, thentransformed into aguard, then morphed back intoaforward for her freshman season at LSU before she finally settled intomore of ahybrid role.

Coach Kim Mulkeystarted Johnsonin thefrontcourt on Saturday in LSU’sloss to South Carolina. She could do so again when theTigers face No. 17 Ole Miss on the road at 8p.m. Thursday (ESPN), and if shedoes,itcould be asign that she wants to give hermorerun than shedid against the Gamecocks.

ä See LSU, page 3C

BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer

Early last year,the LSU equipment staff was given atask. Athletic officials needed jerseys with corporate-sponsor patches on them forpresentationstopotential partners,soa couple of sets weremade. As part of the first known saleofa college jersey patch,LSU wanted to show companies what it would look like if they paidtohave theirlogoonthe uniforms. Even thoughcorporate-sponsor patches were not approved by the NCAA until January, LSUwanted to be readytotap intoa new revenue stream. It struck aseven-year multimillion-dollar deal with Woodside Energy,acompany founded in Australia that hasoperated offshore in Louisianafor

BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS

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LSU men see offensive uptick

Better scoring without PG Thomas still not enough

BY TOYLOY BROWN III Staff writer

LSU did something for the first time in its three-point loss to Texas on Tuesday

Coach Matt McMahon’s group crossed the 80-point threshold in regulation during a game without point guard Dedan Thomas. Before its 88-85 loss to the Longhorns on the road, the last time the Tigers scored 80 or more points in regulation was in an 85-81 loss to Arkansas on Jan. 24. Thomas, who since has had season-ending foot surgery after reaggravating the injury put up 18 points and five assists against the Razorbacks.

McMahon admitted recently that making games “ugly” by slowing the pace to avoid high-scoring contests was how LSU needed to adapt to win games. That was best exemplified in its 73-63 loss at Tennessee on Saturday when the Tigers held the Volunteers to their second-fewest points in SEC play LSU stayed close despite missing four players, including its starting backcourt of Thomas and Max Mackinnon.

The scoring punch that LSU thought it lacked returned against Texas. The Tigers shot 52% from the field, and Mackinnon tied a season-high 27 points on 11-of-17 shooting Marquel Sutton had 21 points and made all eight of his free throws. Mike Nwoko had 15 points in 20 minutes, and Jalen Reece had 14 points and a careerhigh nine assists.

McMahon was pleased with his top contributors.

“Jalen Reese did a fantastic job with nine assists, only one turnover orchestrating the offense there,” the fourth-year coach said after the game on the LSU sports radio network. “Mike was really good with his screening.

ä Alabama at LSU, 5 P.M.SATURDAy SEC NETWORK

That opened him up, freed him up to score it more efficiently, gets 15. And then I thought Max his movement without the ball whether it was off the ballscreen actions in the middle third or some of our baseline runners, where we were setting pin-downs for him he was able to be really effective, especially there in the second half.” LSU had a lull at the end of the

first half, trailing by as many as 17 points with 34 seconds remaining before halftime. It got within three points at the 1:39 mark of the second half, largely thanks to Mackinnon’s 23 second-half points quick decisionmaking and his off-ball threat that pulled defenders toward him and away from his teammates. Despite outscoring Texas 5240 in the second half, the Tigers didn’t have enough timely stops to finish the comeback as they lost their fourth straight game.

“I’m disappointed with this road trip, but we played much better in both games,” McMahon said. “The competitive spirit was there, the fight was there. We just got to find a way to execute a little better Whether that’s getting them one more defensive rebound, one less bad foul. It’s a possession game, and we got to find ways to get better these next couple days, going into Alabama.” LSU’s next game is against No. 25 Alabama at 5 p.m. Saturday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center

Riviera has long history with PGA Tour events

BY DOUG FERGUSON AP golf writer

LOSANGELES Riviera has evolved over its 100 years as one of the best golf courses in America, no greater example than the fourth hole that now has a scorecard yardage of 273 yards that makes it the longest par 3 among regular PGA Tour stops.

Not everyone likes the change, or has been willing to publicly say they do.

“A horrible change,” Rory McIlroy said, the most blunt assessment of the hole Ben Hogan once called the greatest par 3 in America.

“Hit and hope,” Collin Morikawa said. “I think it’s just a very long par 3. There’s not a lot of thought to it other than just kind of hitting the green and moving on, unfortunately.”

The other change for the Genesis Invitational, which starts Thursday, is adding 24 yards on the 18th tee — now roughly where the fourth tee used to be — to make it 499 yards. Someone forgot to tell Scottie Scheffler, or maybe he never looked. He didn’t realize the closing hole at Riviera had been lengthened until he climbed the steep hill to the fairway and wondered why he was having to hit a 4-iron to the green. What hasn’t changed at Riviera is the history Hogan won three times, including the U.S. Open, leading to the nickname “Hogan’s Alley.” Byron Nelson and Sam Snead won at Riviera, as did Tom Watson and Johnny Miller and Fred Couples.

McIlroy has Riviera on his list of places he wants to win, now that he has won at Augusta National and Pebble Beach.

Equally noteworthy is who didn’t win. Tiger Woods, the tournament

Guard Irving won’t return to play for Mavs this season

Kyrie Irving won’t play this season as the star guard for the Dallas Mavericks continues his recovery from a knee injury suffered almost a year ago.

The nine-time All-Star and the team made the announcement Wednesday, two days before the Mavericks return from the All-Star break Dallas is on a nine-game losing streak, its longest in 28 years, and out of playoff contention.

Irving tore the ACL in his left knee on March 3 This will be the first time in his 15-year career that he has missed an entire season. The injury came a month after the Mavericks traded young superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for a package centered around Anthony Davis.

Seahawks go up for sale per late owner’s wishes

The Seattle Seahawks are going up for sale in accordance with the wishes of late team owner Paul Allen.

Allen’s estate announced Wednesday that it has begun the process of selling the team, which is coming off its second Super Bowl victory in franchise history The NFL did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press, nor did Allen’s estate have anything further to add beyond its brief statement, it said. Ahead of the Super Bowl, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell commended Allen’s estate on its time owning the Seahawks.

The estate said the sale is consistent with Allen’s directive to eventually sell his sports holdings and direct all estate proceeds to philanthropy

Bears promote Taylor to offensive coordinator

The Chicago Bears have promoted pass game coordinator Press Taylor to offensive coordinator to replace the departed Declan Doyle one of four coaching moves announced by the team Wednesday Taylor was the Jacksonville offensive coordinator from 2022-24. His promotion comes after Doyle left to call plays in Baltimore under new Ravens coach Jesse Minter Coach Ben Johnson will continue to call plays after the Bears made the playoffs in his first season. The Chicago offense ranked sixth overall, with quarterback Caleb Williams making big strides in his second year He threw for 3,942 yards with 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Northern Illinois football coach leaving for NFL job

Rory McIlroy, from Northern Ireland, hits toward the second fairway at Pebble Beach Golf Links during the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament in Pebble Beach, Calif., on Sunday

host of the Genesis Invitational, went 0 for 11 as a pro at Riviera, making it the PGA Tour course he played the most times without ever winning.

Jack Nicklaus has Woods beat again. He played Riviera 14 times — twice in majors, including a runner-up to Hal Sutton in the 1983 PGA Championship without winning. “There’s places I haven’t won that I would love to, St Andrews being one of them Riviera would be another,” McIlroy said.

This is the 100-year anniversary of the club and the tournament, though what began as the Los Angeles Open was not held at Riviera until 1929. Even more special is just being back at the

fabled course off Sunset Boulevard following the devastating Pacific Palisades wildfires last year that led the tournament to moving south to Torrey Pines.

Ludvig Aberg won the Genesis Invitational a year ago at Torrey Pines. This is only his second time competing at Riviera, but he liked what he saw from 2024.

“I think it’s one of the best golf courses we play all year,” Aberg said “Obviously it’s a small property It’s not crazy long. You’ll have some strong holes and some longer par 4s. But what I like about it is a hole like No. 10 kind of puts the stamp on this golf course in terms of working the angles, fast greens, and everything going down towards the ocean is really

quick and you have to place your second shots into the greens.

“That’s the part about this golf course that I really like, and that’s why you’ll see a lot of different good players winning here.”

The par-4 10th is the most famous hole, reachable off the tee and yet no one ever complains about making a 4 and moving on to the next hole It’s all about angles off the tee with an iron, and even where to miss when trying to drive the green.

As for the fourth hole, that was long and hard, and now it appears to be longer and harder

The idea for his Redan-styled hole is to carry the bunker fronting the green, or using the shoulder on the right that feeds down to the green — except this is February, cold and usually damp, and the kikuyu grass can be sticky and not allow balls to roll.

This would explain McIlroy’s definition of “horrible change.”

“Well, like 15% of the field hit the green last time when it was played at its original yardage at 230,” he said. “If you want it to be a 275yard par 3, you have to change the apron leading up onto the green. It can’t be kikuyu, it has to be another type of grass that can help you run it onto the green because again, in the right conditions, you try to fly that ball on the green with a 3 iron, it’s going to finish up on the fifth tee box.

“That’s sort of what I mean by why it’s not a great change.”

U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun might borrow a page from his college coach at San Diego State.

“If this was a par 4, you’d make 3 every time,” Spaun said. “You know what I mean? It’s kind of a mindset. If this was a drivable 290-yard hole but really a par 4 and you didn’t walk away with a birdie, you’d be kicking yourself.”

Northern Illinois coach Thomas Hammock has resigned to take a job in the NFL, the school announced Wednesday Hammock coached the Huskies for seven seasons and led them to the 2021 Mid-American Conference championship and the program’s first win over a top-10 opponent when they beat Notre Dame in 2024.

Defensive coordinator Rob Harley, who has been on staff for one year, was named interim head coach.

Northern Illinois’ announcement did not specify Hammock’s job in the NFL. ESPN reported Hammock would join the Seahawks as running backs coach and senior offensive assistant.

Hammock was 35-47 at Northern Illinois, with his 2021 team going 9-5 with a win over Kent State in the MAC title game. The Huskies won back-to-back bowls in 2023 and 2024.

Ortiz, Clase plead not guilty in baseball-betting case

A scheduled spring fraud trial for two Cleveland Guardians pitchers accused of colluding with sports bettors to rig bets and betray “America’s pastime” will likely be postponed until October, a federal judge said Wednesday as the men pleaded not guilty to a rewritten indictment.

Pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, speaking Spanish, entered not guilty pleas through a translator to a rewritten indictment in Brooklyn federal court. The pitchers were first charged in November with accepting several thousand dollars in payoffs to help two gamblers from their native Dominican Republic win at least $460,000 by placing more than 100 in-game prop bets and parlays on the speed and the outcome of certain pitches.

PATCH

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today,you better be figuring out how you’re goingtogenerate more revenue. If you’re not doing that, then you’re gonna be dying.”

That mindset is why LSU began the process more than ayear before the NCAA changed its rules around commercial advertising on uniforms. Generatingmore revenue has become atop priorityfor athletic departments now that they canpay players directly through the House settlement, and officials wanted to have adeal in place as soon as the NCAAcleared the way.LSU also has sold asponsorship logo on the field at Tiger Stadium andcreated aconcert series. It voted last fall to raise season-ticket prices beforebacktracking.

“I believe that if we would have

PAUL

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Now is the time to put Paul’sNo. 3 jersey up there.

Youcan still find fans walking around New Orleans wearing Paul’sjersey.Even veteran Saints defensive end Cam Jordan wore one last week as he was riding in a Mardi Grasparade. That’sthe type of lastingeffect Paul stillhas here, despite being gone for 15 years.

Youwon’t find many fans who disagree that Paul deserves to have his jersey retired, but there are some. In an unscientificpoll conducted on Xlast week, Iposed the question. The results showed that 81.5% thinks it should be retired, while 18.5% said no. That 18.5% is likely comprised of fans still bitter about Paul’sdeparture when he was traded to the Clippers.

started this thing when the NCAA approved it, there’sa very small chance we would have found a partner from now until the fall,” said Clay Harris, the LSU deputy athletic director and chief revenue officer

Thedeal was brokered by Playfly Sports, LSU’slongtime multimedia-rightspartner.Playfly came up with avaluation for LSU based on avarietyoffactors mostly related to exposure, including TV viewershipand social media impressions. Italsodid what Harris called “pretty intense studies” on what professional teamsmake from commercial jersey patches Over time,alonglistwas narrowed to arounda dozen potential companies.

“I don’tthink it’ssomething we didn’ttake lightlyasfar as being on thejersey,”Harris said, “so we wanted to make sure it madesense financially.”

After finalizing thedeal with

It’stime to get over that.

Yes, it’shard to get over an ex when you feel likethat person doesn’twant you,but Paulhas stated he never really wanted to leave New Orleans. Paul saidafew years back that he washearingfrom the front office that thefranchise could be relocating. So who can really fault the then-26-year-old for being a little hesitant about stayingwith a franchise that seemed unstable. So instead of focusing on how he left, the focus should be on what hedid while he was here. That includes having the Hornets one game away from reaching theWestern Conference finals, theclosest the franchise ever has beentogettingthat far.Healso finishedsecond to Kobe Bryant forleague MVP that sameseason. Nobodyelse in franchise history hascome closetothat.

If Paulhad finished out this

Woodside Energy in August,LSU added the sponsorpatch midseason to footballpractice jerseys and Mike the Tiger’scostume. Next schoolyear, it will appear somewhere on every uniform in apurple-and-goldcolor scheme AlthoughWoodside Energy’s logo is red, it was important to LSU officials for the patch to stay in school colors.

Officialsdeclinedtodisclose financialdetails of theagreement, and LSU has said contracts done through Playflyare not subject to apublic-records request because it is aprivate third party. UNLV, theonly other school so far that has announced acompleted jersey patch sponsorship, reached a fiveyear, $11 million deal with Acesso Biologics, aLas Vegas-basedregenerative medicine company

“There is more of aconnection between commercial successand competitive success than ever,” said Christy Hedgpeth, thepresi-

season, his return to New Orleans would have been March 11 when the Raptorscame to town. Instead, his final gameinthe Smoothie King Center was last Februarywhen he was withthe Spurs. Paulrecorded 12 points and 10 assists that night for the final double-double of his career Fittingly,itoccurred in New Orleans. And just as fitting, Paulhad this to say during that trip to the city where his career began.

“After 20 years, the love for this city has never changed!”Paul wrote in an Instagram post. “The journey started here, and I’ll always have gratitude for thecity of New Orleans.”

Now that Paul has retired, it’s time for New Orleanstoreturn thegratitude and put No. 3inthe rafters.

Email Rod Walker at rwalker@theadvocate.com.

GRAND SLAM

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via the 10-run mercy rule with a three-run homer in theeighth.

“I’m thebiggest fan of him that I possibly could be,” LSU coach Jay Johnson said when askedabout Pearson, “and glad to see that he smoked that ball.”

Caraway’s final year atOregon State was far from perfect. He hit onlysix home runs in the regular season and struggled with consistency. It’s whyuponhis arrival LSU (5-0), he made afew mechanical adjustments to his swing He struggled in the fall as he got used to the changes, butheeventually found comfortwithhis new mechanics once the preseason began. And so far,thatnewfound comfort has turned into positive results. Caraway was 5for 13 with adouble, atriple and six runs driven in before his blast against Nicholls (0-5).

“I needed to simplify alot of stuff and take alot of movement out of my swing,” Caraway said.“Imean, if you’ve watched alot of hitters here, they take alot of movement out of their swing, (like) Dylan Crews. He’ssuper into the ground and gets into his toe really early and doesn’thave like abig leg kick or anything.”

After Caraway’sgrand slam, the LSU lineup found itself in arut. The Tigers had just one hitfrom innings two through five despite

LSU 12, Nicholls 1 NichollsLSU (0-5)(5-0) abrhbiabrhbi

Artigueslf4 00 0Curielcf4 00 0

Rijo-Berger rf 311 1Milam ss 32 10

Thompson 1b 401 0Simpson ph 11 10

Mattoxdh3 00 0Brown rf 512 2

Shafer ph 10 00 Arrambide c3 00 0

Giger 2b 40 10 Serna c0 10 0 Jenkins 3b 10 00 Yorke1b1 10 0

Milamss 20 00 Jh.Pearsonph 111 3

Millerph/ss 100 0Dardar2b2 11 0

Mockc2 00 0Caraway3b 31 14

Terryph/c1 00 0Hardenph/lf 11 00 Perkins cf 200 0Reaveslf/3b 41 10 Braundh3 10 0 TOTALS28131TOTALS31 1289

Nicholls10000000—132 LSU51000213—1282

E— Giger (1); Milam (1); Caraway (1); Reaves(1). DP —Nicholls 1. LOB—Nicholls 11; LSU 7. 2B —Simpson(1);Brown(3);Dardar (2). HR —Rijo—Berger (1); Pearson(1); Caraway (1). HBP —Jenkins; Westcott. SB Perkins (1); Brown(1); Reaves (2) NichollsIPHRERBBSO Mabry,L(0-1) 1.03 66 41 Avery 2.11 00 02

Simoneaux1.1 00 022

Waters 0.2 11 10 1

Bordelon 0.11 11 20

Dyess 1.10 10 10

Hensarling 0.1 23 31 0 LSUIPHRERBBSO

Cowan, W(1-0) 1.13 11 12

Dathe 1.10 00 02

Theophilus 1.10 00 31 Garcia 1.00 00 22

Ricken, S(1) 3.00 00 02

WP —Mabry(1); Bordelon(1); Dyess(1). HBP —byDathe (Jenkins); by Ricken (Westcott). Umpires —HP: ColbyVidrine 1B: Jeremy Hayes2B: Eddie Newsom 3B:RyanBroussard Start: 1:02 pm Time: 3:24

Attendance: 11164

holding a6-1 lead heading into the sixth. That’swhenthe attack came back to life, as two singles and a walk turned into two runs that gave LSUan8-1 advantage.

“I thought we were much better offensively the last three games than the first two,” Johnson said. LSU senior right-hander Zac Cowan earned the start, but his

dent of Playfly.

While LSU is one of the first schools to add asponsorship patch, more are expected to follow.Hedgpethcalled it “a really compelling asset for all of our schools.” Arkansas plans to have one next season, andAuburn is in the sales process with thehope of identifying apartnerbythe fall. Severalother SEC schools, including Ole Miss and Tennessee, said they areexploringtheir options. So far,Texas is theonlySEC school to sayitwill not have asponsor patch.

“You can only go up on ticket prices so much,” Ausberry said “Apparel companies, they’re pretty much tapped out. They’re only doing so much. Youlook at all the different ways —licensing, concessions, you look at the whole thing, you’re like, ‘OK,where do we generate new revenue?’ AndI think all of us in the country are figuring outthis is where.”

As part of the rule change, the

NCAA letteamsplace two commercial logos on their uniforms during the regular season and one more forconference championships. Theyare notyet approved forthe postseason.

LSU will have the one patch with Woodside Energy.Harris said LSU will “research andstudy andget evaluations” on an equipment sponsor logo, which is nowlegal, in case it wants to sell that in the future.

“Professional sports hasgiven aroadmap to collegesnow to look at, and they do areally good job of maximizing alldifferent revenue streams,and that’swhatwe have to do, tastefully,going forward in collegesports,”Harris said. “I think college is different in pro with the traditions. That’sa massive deal for us, and we want to make sure we uphold the LSU traditions, but we have to startgetting moreaggressive in how we’re generating revenue in this newera of college sports.”

LSU

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Johnson played15minutes in the firsthalf of that game but only five in thesecond. She finished with sevenpoints, three rebounds and an assist.

“That’sone of the things Ithink about, as acoach,” Mulkey said. “Should Ihavegivenher some minutes there? Youcan’tsecondguess yourself now,but Ido. I always go back and think about what Icould have done to help us win this ballgame.”

Johnsonplayed well against SouthCarolina. In the firsthalf, she grabbed arebound and drove coast-to-coast for alayup. She also nailed amid-range jumper She even drew the primary assignmentofdefending Joyce Edwards,the star sophomore who was scoring 20.3 points per game on 61% shooting before she finished with only 10 points on 4-of11 shooting against LSU.

When she wasinhigh school, Johnson affected games in all the same ways for coach Donna Moir at Sacred Heart Academy —an all-girlsprivate school with a powerhouse basketball program

to likenher to NinaDavis —a 5-11 former Baylor All-American who Mulkeyfrequently compared to Aneesah Morrow.They’re all undersized for theirpositions,but they each have the athleticism, skill andtenacity to thrive in the role.

Their roles can be tough to define,but CraigLewis, Johnson’s father,doesn’twant anyone to overthink it.

“She’sjust abasketball player, if you will,” he said.

Which means that Johnson can playanywhere on thefloor for just about any program. In-state schools Kentucky and Louisville recruited her.So, too, did South Carolina, Notre Dame and SouthernCal.Sowhy did she choose LSU?

outing didn’tlastlong. He went just11/3 innings while striking out two battersand allowing three hits. The run he allowed was asolo homer in the first LSUneeded agroup effort to get throughthe rest of thegame. Fifthyear senior right-hander DaxDathetossed 11/3 scoreless innings after Cowan.Freshman right-hander Zion Theophilus made his LSU debut and walked three batters without giving up arun. Oregon transfer Santiago Garcia tossed ascorelessframe before walking theleadoff hitter in thesixthand coming outfor freshman righthander Reagan Ricken. Ricken, in his first collegiateappearance, hadthe bestouting of theday.Hetossed three scoreless innings with twostrikeoutsand did agood jobofconsistently inducing weak contact. He threw the ballefficiently,needing only 38 pitches to get through his outing.

“I’vegot asuper good defense behind me,” Ricken said, “so they make it easyonme, makinggreat plays.

LSU next travels to Jacksonville, Florida, to participateinthe Jax College BaseballClassicbeginning on Friday against Indiana. First pitchisslated for1 p.m., and the game willbeavailable to stream on D1Baseball.com.

Email Koki Rileyatkoki.riley@ theadvocate.com. For more LSU sports updates, sign up for our newsletter at theadvocate.com/ lsunewsletter

“People askmeall thetime,” Moir said. “‘Is she the greatest high school girls basketball player to play (in Kentucky)?’

“I mean, without adoubt, yes. Nobody’sdonewhatshe’s done in the state of Kentucky as faras girlsbasketball goes.I don’tthink people realize the magnitude of what she accomplished here.”

Kentucky is theonly state that doesn’t awardstate titles formultiple divisions or classifications at the end of theseason.Every year, it crowns only one state champion, and Johnson helped Sacred Heart win that distinction allfour years of herprep career.She finished that four-year run with morethan 3,800 points, 1,000 rebounds and500 assists.

Gatorade has been handing out its player of the year award in every state since 1985, and Johnson is theonly Kentucky star —on either the boys or girls side —to takehome that honor four times.

ESPNsaid Johnson was the 10th-best player in her class. It considered hera 6-foot guard, and LSU did, too.

Then Mulkeyand herstaff brought heronto campus and quickly realized they needed to find aspot for her inside the rotation. There was oneproblem, though. The new-look roster was aguard-heavy group, without much room leftonthe perimeter for afreshman

So Johnson moved to the post, and it didn’ttake long forMulkey

“It was really about the atmosphere,the people,the relationships andthe connections,”Lewis said. “ZaKiyah is very outgoing. She’ll talk to some random person on the corner for30minutes, right? She just likes people.” Lewis and Jointer met during their playing days at Morehead State. Lewis was a6-6 forward. Jointer was a5-9 defensiveminded guard.Johnson grew to be 4inches taller thanher mom but 6inches shorter than her dad, which gave heradvantages in size and length over mostplayers she faced in high school. Johnson’sparents knew she’d lose those edges at the collegiate level.It’d be harder for her “to go downthere with the trees,” Jointer said, so they encouraged her to develop someperimeter skills, then combine them withwhatshe already knew about playing in the paint.

“She can hold herown down there,” Jointer said, “but we were just realistic with herand told her,like, ‘Hey,look, you need to start working on that outside game.’ And she did.”

Now Mulkey has anotherdoit-all forward. Only three SEC freshmen have more double-digit scoringgames this seasonthan Johnson, who’s averaging 8.4 pointsand 5.6 rebounds per contest in league play while shooting 54% from the field.

Mulkeystartedoccasionally stationing Johnson on the perimeter when LSU beat Georgia on Jan.8.Those chances have helped the Tigers throw outbigger,more athletic lineups. They’ve also allowed Johnson to take acouple of 3-pointers. She made both of those looks, using the more refined version of the shooting form that propelledher to this point of her career

“She bought in early,” Jointer said, “and she wanted to do it, andshe obviouslyput herselfin agood place.”

MI LA N CO RT IN A OL YM PI CS

Shiffrin captures slalom gold

U.S. star ends eight-year Olympic medal drought with emotional win

BY STEVE DOUGLAS and ANDREW DAMPF AP sportswriters

HOCKEY TEAM

SURVIVES CZECHIA: After losing captain Sidney Crosby to an injury, Canada was staring at a stunning quarterfinal hockey exit until Nick Suzuki tied it on a deflected goal with 3:27 left.Then Mitch Marner scored a little over a minute into overtime to beat Czechia 4-3 on Wednesday and send the tournament favorite into the semifinals.

The nerves were palpable when Canada fell behind with 7:42 remaining on Ondrej Palat’s goal on an odd-man rush off a pass from Martin Necas. Replays showed Czechia had six skaters on the ice Suzuki just about did it all on the tying goal, sending the puck out to the point to Devon Toews and then redirecting the defenseman’s shot that was going well wide past Lukas Dostal and into the net.

U.S. MEN ADD TO BEST CROSSCOUNTRY SKIING SHOWING:

Fresh off ending a 50-year medal drought in men’s cross-country skiing American Ben Ogden proved Wednesday it was no fluke by winning a second silver Teaming up with Gus Schumacher the U.S. men even gave runaway favorites Norway some real competition and held off host country Italy in the home stretch for its winningest Olympics ever at the Milan Cortina Games.

Ogden became the firstAmerican man to win a cross-country skiing medal in the Olympics in 50 years when he won a silver in the sprint event on Feb 10.Until then,Bill Koch, who won silver in 1976 in Innsbruck, was the soleAmerican man to medal in the sport.

DUBOIS STOPS VAN ‘T WOUT’S QUEST FOR 3RD GOLD: Steven Dubois prevented Dutch short track speedskating star Jens van ’t Wout from making it three victories out of three at the Milan Cortina Olympics by winning the men’s 500 meters on Wednesday.

And van ’t Wout’s older brother, Melle van ’t Wout, beat him out for silver It is Dubois’ first individual Olympic gold after helping Canada to the relay title in Beijing four years ago. He picked up bronze in the 500 then as well as silver in the 1,500.

On his 26th birthday, Melle van ’t Wout earned his first medal by finishing just ahead of his brother — who had won both the previous men’s individual events in Milan.

SU WINS CHINA’S FIRST GOLD

OF GAMES: Su yiming celebrated his 22nd birthday with a second career gold medal on Wednesday and China’s first gold medal overall at these Games. He was the winner of an error-prone men’s snowboarding slopestyle final, when he was the only one of the 12 finalists to complete his three runs through the course’s big rails and tightly bunched jumps without any falls or major errors.

— The Associated Press

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy Mikaela

Shiffrin stood atop the Olympic podium, looking almost in disbelief at the gold medal around her neck.

The American skiing star hadn’t simply won a slalom race to end her eight-year medal drought at the Winter Games and underline her status as surely the greatest Alpine skier of all time.

She’d also won a battle with herself

“It’s like,” Shiffrin said, before pausing, “... being born again.”

Racing in what she described as a “spiritual state,” Shiffrin put in two dominant runs in gorgeous conditions amid the jagged peaks of the Dolomites to win by a massive 1.50 seconds, making her the first American skier to win three Alpine gold medals.

In emotional scenes after the race, the 30-year-old Shiffrin was embraced by Camille Rast of Switzerland, who took silver, and bronze-medalist Anna Swenn Larsson before fighting back tears as she approached her mom and coach, Eileen, for a long, deep hug next to the finish area. Through it all, Shiffrin said, she never stopped thinking about her father, Jeff, who died at the age of 65inanaccidentat the family home in Colorado in February 2020.

“This was a moment I have dreamed about I’ve also been very scared of this moment,” Shiffrin said. “Everything in life that you do after you lose someone you love is like a new experience.

“And,” she added, her voice starting to tremble, “I still have so many moments where I resist this. I don’t want to be in life without my dad. And maybe today was the first time that I could actually accept this, like, reality.”

It was the largest margin of victory in any Olympic Alpine skiing event since 1998 and the third biggest in women’s slalom — the event she won as a freshfaced 18-year-old in Sochi in 2014 to buttress her rising status as a skiing superstar Twelve years later and having failed to meet huge expectations at the 2022 Olympics, become the most successful World Cup skier of all time with a record 108 victories, and overcome the two biggest crashes of her career and an ensuing battle with post-traumatic stress disorder she delivered again in her favorite event

Her skiing career, in a sense, had just come full circle.

“Maybe,” she added, “just today, I realized what happened to me in Sochi.”

At the medal ceremony, she shook both of her hands by her side as she was about to receive her medal. When it was placed around her neck, she put one

hand to her mouth. For Shiffrin, this also was a release of the pressure that had been building after going eight Olympic races without a medal since adding gold and silver to her collection in Pyeongchang in 2018.

A nightmarish 0-for-6 performance in Beijing was followed in Cortina this year by a fourthplace finish in the team combined when Shiffrin placed 15th in the slalom portion after teammate Breezy Johnson led the downhill leg — and then 11th place in the giant slalom.

It was fodder for the “keyboard warriors,” Shiffrin acknowledged, but she ignored all of them in a masterpiece Tuesday

“I couldn’t think of a more welldeserved medal for an athlete to win,” said Sophie Goldschmidt, president and CEO of the U.S Ski and Snowboard Association.

“She’s been so dominant but as we know these big sporting moments in the Olympics bring extra pres-

Knight gets dream matchup as U.S. faces Canada for the gold

BY JOHN WAWROW AP Hockey Writer

MILAN — Before the puck dropped on the U.S.-Canada Rivalry Series three months ago, before the Americans romped through their first six games at the Milan Cortina Olympics, and before her engagement on Wednesday, Hilary Knight looked ahead to the gold-medal final with hope and anticipation.

How fitting it would be, the U.S. captain told The Associated Press in early November, for her Olympic career to end with one more showdown against Canada

“It’s best on best. I think people really like it when our two teams face off,” Knight said.

“It’s a testament to the work that both have put in off ice and on ice. So, yeah, it would definitely be a win-win from a 30,000-foot view.”

Anticipation has become reality for the 36-year-old Knight as the border rivals and the sport’s global powers prepare to meet on Thursday It will be their seventh gold-medal matchup in eight Olympics since women’s hockey debuted in 1998 — and the fifth for Knight, who has said these will be her final Games.

“It’s exciting. It’s fleeting. It’s all these emotions at the same time,” Knight said after practice Wednesday, hours after she

proposed to U.S. speedskater Brittany Bowe.

“At the end of the day it’s just so special,” she added. “And I can’t tell you enough how amazing this group is.”

The Americans are favored to add a third gold medal after winning in 1998 and 2018. The team has a mix of experience, led by Knight, and young talent, including seven players still in college U.S. has legacy on the line

The Americans stand one win from cementing a legacy as one of the most dominant women’s hockey teams.

The reigning champion Cana-

dians haves shown signs of age and struggled through parts of the tournament. Canada is 5-1, having dropped a 5-0 decision to the U.S. in the preliminary round — its most lopsided loss and its first time being shut out in Olympic play Canada advanced to the final by eking out a 2-1 win over Switzerland, after which Swiss captain Lara Stalder said the winners looked “shaky” and “beatable.”

The Canadians acknowledge they’ve yet to play their best, and know anything can happen in the final.

“This group does have it in us,” coach Troy Ryan said.

sure and scrutiny And to see her ski that well and just go for it, I couldn’t be prouder of her.”

Shiffrin has now won three golds and a silver at the Olympics to add to her record total of World Cup wins — which include 71 in slalom, also a record There’s also world titles in slalom (four), giant slalom and super-G to fill out arguably the greatest career in Alpine racing.

“In another league,” was how Larsson put it.

Shiffrin led by 0.82 seconds after the first run on a mostly flat course that Team USA officials described to her over the radio as a “high-tempo ripper.” There was one wobble when she struck a gate and for a fraction of a second, it appeared she was headed for another Olympic disappointment.

Not this time.

She snapped back into form to post a time, in the No. 7 bib, no one could get near

U.S. men beat Sweden in OT, advance to hockey semis

BY KEVIN BAXTER Los Angeles Times (TNS)

MILAN The U.S. men haven’t stood on the podium at the end of an Olympic hockey tournament in 16 years and haven’t played for a medal in 12. In fact, it’s been so long since an American hockey team took home a prize from the Winter Games none of the players on this year’s team, the second youngest in the MilanCortina competition, had finished high school the last time it happened. No one on the team was alive the last time the U.S. won gold in 1980. Now this team has a chance to end that drought after beating Sweden 2-1 in overtime on Wednesday to advance to Friday’s semifinals, where it will play Slovakia. The win was the Americans’ first over Sweden in an Olympic tournament in nine games dating to 1960. ThewinninggoalcamefromQuinn Hughes 3:27 into the extra period. The other U.S. goal came from Dylan Larkin but Sweden forced overtime when Mika Zibanejad scored on a slap shot with 91 seconds left in regulation. Hughes, a Minnesota Wild defenseman, then ended things, circling around the ice before skating into the high slot and blasting a shot past Swedish goalie Jacob Markstrom.

Jesuit speedsterisclearing hurdleson track, in football

BY CHRISTOPHER DABE Staff writer

Ja’ir Burks always had speed

He showed it in the fall when he fielded akickoff at the 34-yard line, sliced through an opening and left two Brother Martin defenders in his wake on the way to the end zone

What he didn’talways know was how his speed would translate beyond football. The Jesuit junior tried hurdles for the firsttime in eighth grade.Within two years, he became one of the nation’srising stars in track.

“Hehas achance to be thebest in the country,” Jesuit track coach Nick Accardo said.

Next, at the LHSAA state indoor track and field championships Saturday,Burks will chase anelite sub-8-secondtime in the 60-meter hurdles —anothermark that would showcase his ascent as a two-sport star

His rise began in the spring. At the state outdoor championships, Burks won the 110-meter hurdles in 13.62 seconds, atime that ranked as the second-fastest in the country among high school sophomores. He also won the 300 hurdles in 38.18 seconds.

During the football season, Burks continued his development as areceiver, finishing with 34 receptions for 615 yards and five touchdowns, plus the kickoff returnscoreagainst BrotherMartin

After the football season, he returned to the track and posted apersonal-best 60 hurdles time of 8.00 secondsduring an indoor

state-meet qualifier earlier this month.

Burks is proud of all he has achieved in track andfootball.

“But Ihavetoearnthat back again this year if Ireally wantto continue competing,” he said.

Before high school,Burks playedfootball at Harrell Park, mostly atdefensive end and kicker.Afterhis eighth-grade season at Jesuit, he triedtrack for the first time.

“I’ve always known Iwas fast, andInever used it for anything except football,” Burks said.

Hurdlesbecame an event where he displayed the most improvement. Heshowed promise as afreshman, when he unexpectedly advanced beyond the district and regional meetstoplace fourth in the 110 hurdles at state.

“A year later,he’sthe best sophomore inthe country,” Accardo said.

To getquicker, Burkswants to refine his technique mainly by clearingthe hurdle withhis kneeslightly bent so hisleadfoot strikes the ground faster

“I kindofkick it out straight, and Ican’tget it down back to the ground fast enough,” Burks said.

As for his trail leg, he would like to get more of aswing around the hurdlesothathecan avoid clipping it with hisknee.

“Instead of just snapping back down over the hurdle, he’skind of floatingand notgettingback on the ground as fast as he possibly could, or as fast as we have seen him do it,” Accardo said.

After thestate indoor meet,

Burks will run in Marchatthe Nike Indoor Nationals. Hisoutdoor debut will cometwo weeks later at the FSU RelaysinTallahassee, Florida, where at last year’smeet he finished fifth behind four runners now in college.

Burks alsowantstobecome a more completereceiver.Jesuit used him in moreways last season thanithad in the past, when he primarily played in certain packages.

With Jesuitassistantcoach Vance Andry,Burks improved his routerunning and learned more about reading defenses.

“Wewant to get him to where he’s notjustafast guyonthe football field,” Andrysaid.

Andry has experience coaching track stars into football standouts. He did it withRummel productCyrilGrayson, whoran track at LSUand played in the NFL without any college football experience. He also coached Holy Crossproduct KrosseJohnson, astate champion sprinter now playingcollege footballatCoastal Carolina after he transferred from Arkansas.

Burks’ burst on the football field has madehim tough to tackle.

“Very rarelydoyou see the first man tackle him, no matter whowe play,” Jesuit football coach Ryan Manale said.

Burks has thetype of speed that can create some opportunities for him in thefuture. Most immediate is clearing five hurdles over 60 metersinless than 8seconds.

ContactChristopher Dabe at cdabe@theadvocate.com

Tulane men’sbasketballaimsfor more road revengevs. N. Texas

Four days after avenginga home loss to UAB,the Tulane men’sbasketball team will continueits road revenge tour in Denton, Texas, on Thursday night with an emphasis on offense.

North Texas held the Green Wave to 31.3% shooting at Devlin Fieldhouse on Jan. 18,including amiserable 7-of-24 performance from inside the 3-point line. Those numbers were aseason worst forTulane andaseason best forthe NorthTexas defense in a71-63 Mean Green win.

“Weweren’tvery good, but we’re adifferent team right now,” Tulane coach Ron Hunter said. “We’re playing with alot more confidence and we’re moving the ball better.”

This is apivotal game forTulane (15-10, 6-6 American) andNorth Texas (15-11, 6-7), both of which need to move up in the American Conference standings. Theeighthplace Wave is agame out of second place in the loss column but also is only 11/2 games ahead of 11th-place Rice.

“All thesegames aresoimportant,and Ihopethe coachesare still on us this week because it’seasy get to get toohighand it’seasyto get low,” Tulane point guard Rowan Brumbaugh said. “Wejust have to stay even-keeled and do whatever

ä Tulane at NorthTexas, 8P.M.THURSDAy,ESPN2

it takestowin the next game.”

North Texas has won three in a row, joining along list of hot teams Tulane has faced consecutively.In order, Florida Atlantic was on a four-game winning streak; Charlotte had won four of five;South Floridafiveofsix;Memphis 18 straight home games; and Wichita State, Templeand UAB all winning four of five.

The Mean Green also is 5-0 against theWavesince joining the Americanin2023-24 —byfar

Tulane’s worst record vs.aleague foe in that span. Its 2-4 mark againstUAB is the next closest

“They are good,” Hunter saidof North Texas. “Wehave not played very wellagainstthem, but alot of these guys weren’tonthe team whenthose things happened.”

On Jan.18, NorthTexas made it hard for Tulane to even get into its offensive sets. The Mean Green’s numbers arenowhere close to as good as ayear agowhen it led the Americanin field goal percentage defense withanentirely different roster underformercoach Ross Hodge (just 10th in thatcategory this season), but it was tough to notice adifference in the first meeting.

“They play avery hard hedge defense where they’re trapping all

Bunton’s OT goal moves

BY SPENCER URQUHART Staff writer

BenFranklin senior Chloe Bunton made sure her team’sseason didn’tend in the quarterfinals against Willow BenFranklinwas at home but found itself in danger after Willow seniorGabyCortizas delivered an overtime goal that gave the Lionsthe lead.Bunton responded with agame-tying goal in the second overtime period andmadea penalty kick right before time expiredina 3-2Ben Franklinwin on Tuesday

Burton scored all three goals for BenFranklin,which advanced to the Division II girls soccer semifinals. She took anew approach to herpenalty kickin overtime, whichproved effective in atough matchup against Willow goalkeeper Lilah Matthews.

“I know basically everyone on (Willow’s) team,and they all know that Igotothe left on my (penalty kicks),” Bunton said. “I went to the right, and Imade it. I was just thinking about my team and that if Idon’tscore this, I neverplayhigh school soccer again. Idon’tget to play with the friends I’ve played withthe last four years, so Ihad to make that shot.”

Ajunior,Matthewsdelivered 12 savesfor Willow to keep things closeagainst Ben Franklin, which won the possession battle and outpaced Willow in shots and shots on goal.

Thematch was on thecusp of apenalty kick shootout before Buntonscored in thefinaltwo minutes of the second of two fiveminute overtimeperiods, which were played after two initial 10-minute overtime periods.

“In the second overtime, we weretrying to get some balls

LATE TUESDAY

forward and eventually something was going to fall in,” Ben Franklin coach DavidLeCompte said. “That’show we felt about it. Their goalkeeper (Matthews) is top-class. It was asolid (penalty kick) finish, though. (Bunton) is hard to contain.”

Cortizas scoredboth Willow goals from asignificant distance. Her first goal occurred with less than three minutes to go in regulation, and her second goal went in near the six-minute mark of the second 10-minute overtime period.

Bunton’ssecondgoaloccurred with less than twominutes leftin the second 10-minute overtime andwas assisted by Franklin seniorBijou Benoit. Freshman goalkeeper Lila Finger had seven saves.

“I wasthinking in my head, ‘We need agoal,’ ”Bunton said. “One of my best friends Bijou (Benoit), Iknew she could put it in there forme. She did agreat job.” The No. 1seed in DivisionII, Ben Franklin held off the No. 9 seed Willow,which finishesthe season 13-13-1but entersthe offseason with optimism

“I couldn’tbeprouderofthis group,” Willow coach Justin Dumestre said. “Wehad it there at theend but hadanunlucky call and an unlucky situation. Chloe (Bunton) is ahell of aplayer and Ben Franklinisahellofa team.”

Ben Franklin (12-7-3) is on a seven-gamewinning streak and will be back at home to take on No.5seed Teurlings in the semifinals later this week. It will be a rematch of last season’squarterfinal matchup that saw Teurlings win3-0.

SEMIFINAL PAIRINGS ANDSCHEDULE

Chapelle girlswin first playoff game since2012

BY CHRISTOPHERDABE Staff writer

over the floor,” Brumbaugh said. “They aresimilar to Houston,so we have to really set screens, slip out and everything’sgot to be quick offensively.Wehavetoexploit the pressure.There’s little tricks like gettinginto guys early because if youdon’t do that,all your actions are going to getblown up andit’s hardtoget shots.”

Tulane’sdefensive stats are significantly better than North Texas in leagueplay. TheWaveranks secondtoMemphisin fieldgoal percentage defense (.416) andis coming off back-to-back wins in which it held Templetoits worst percentageofthe year andUAB to itssecond worst.

Hunterisbanking on more of thesame in Denton.

“It’sthe swagger thekids have,” he said. “Threeweeksago we weren’tplaying verywell and you could see our confidence was really shaken. When you win afew games the way we’replaying right now,itgives you alot of confidence becauseyou cangotakeyourdefense on theroad.Itgives youa chance everysingle night.”

The goal is to get agood seed for the conference tournament in Birmingham, Alabama.

“I’vealwayscoached in what I call one-bid leagues, and you better be playingyour bestinFebruary andMarch,” Huntersaid. “Right now we’restarting to play really well.”

The first half ended, and Chapelle coach Mike Krajcer stood with his arms folded as his playersbegan their walk toward the locker room. Once there, he told them what theyneeded to hear “Let’sgo,” he said. “Let’sput our foot on the gas, and let’sgo.” The second half began, and No. 9Chapelle quickly took control of its first-round playoff game against No. 24 Carencro. Sophomore Molly Avrard led with 16 points andwas oneoffourplayerswho scored during akey run that helped Chapelle win abasketball playoff game for the first timesince 2012, the 45-30 victory advancing the Chipmunks in the LHSAA DivisionI select playoffs Chapelle(22-9) overcameaslow start, and the score remained close through the first half —until a15-0 run after halftime widened the margin.

Junior Karoline Roche scored the first basket coming out of thebreak. Sophomore Hailey Ford followed with alongjumper before Roche scored again off aquick pass from Avrard,who followed with a3-pointerfrom thecorner thatpushedthe lead to double figures. Senior Jane Gaudet also made a3 during the stretch that put Chapelle ahead 30-13. “I just think we feed offeach other so well,” Krajcer said. “One person sees the ball go down, it’s kind of like, ‘OK, we can alldoit.’” Roche scored alleight of her points in the secondhalf, along withseven rebounds. Avrard, witheight rebounds, scored nine of her16points after the break. Kelsie Schmidt, in her fifth season on varsity,made a3-pointer in the

fourth quarter.She finished with five points and eight rebounds. When asked what made the differencefor Chapelle in thesecond half, Schmidt said: “Coach K, his halftime peptalk. We werelike, we cannot end it this way.We werelike, let’sgo, and putour foot on the gas.” Avrard playeda keyroleduring that scoring run. In addition to her3-pointer, she made two free throws. She also converted on asteal and layup for a7-6 lead in theclosing secondsofthe first quarter.This is her second season as the starting point guard.

“She controls the tempo,” Krajcer said. “She controls the pace of the game –sometimes not to my liking, where Iknow she can push the game faster,but she’s learning. She really does agood job. We communicatewellafter games. She asks, ‘How did we do? What can we do next time?’ That’s all acoach can ask for.” Chapelle,with20-plus wins for the fourth year in arow,opened the playoffs at home for the fourth consecutive year andwon for the first time —after three consecutive losses against lowerseeded teams. Up next forNo. 9Chapelle is a rematchonthe road against No 8CaptainShreve, theteamthat eliminated Chapelle in the second round last season —after thenNo.6 Chapellehad abye outof the first round.

Chapelle played its final home game with all three seniors getting court time. Penelope Haley entered with less than 2minutes remaining anddrew someloud cheers when she camedown with arebound.

“She’sa huge part of the team that no one realizes,” Schmidt said. “She’salways there, pumping us up.”

Hungarian paprika brings authenticity to goulash

BY LINDAGASSENHEIMER

Tribune News Service (TNS)

Chicken simmered in atomato sauce infused with

n

n

be used.

n To save preparation time, use diced onion and green pepper found in the produce section.

TNS PHOTO By LINDAGASSENHEIMER

Chicken Hungarian Goulash with CarawayPappardelle

Chicken Hungarian Goulash

Yields 2servings. Recipe is by Linda Gassenheimer

2teaspoons

cooked boneless skinless chickenbreast cut in ½-inch pieces Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2tablespoons reduced-fat sourcream

1medium tomato cut into wedges

1. Heat olive oil in anonstick skilletovermedium-high heat andadd onion, green pepperand mushrooms. Saute 3minutes.

2. Sprinkle paprikaover vegetables and saute 2minutes. Add marinara sauce and simmer 1 minute. Add chicken and salt and pepper to taste.

3. Removefrom heat and serve over pappardelle. Dot the goulash with sour cream.Arrange tomatoes on the side.

NUTRITION INFO PER SERVING: 369 calories (32 percent from fat), 13.0 gfat (3.0 gsaturated, 4.3 gmonounsaturated), 114 mg cholesterol, 38.0 gprotein,26.5 gcarbohydrates, 7.1 g fiber,132 mg sodium.

Caraway Pappardelle

Yields 2servings. Recipe is by Linda Gassenheimer

¼pound pappardelle (about 1½ cups)

2teaspoons olive oil

1tablespoon caraway seeds Saltand freshly ground black pepper

1. Bring alarge pot with2 to 3quartsofwater to aboil. Add the pappardelle and boil 3to4 minutes or according to package instructions.

2. Drain, leaving about 2tablespoons water on the pappardelle. Tosswitholiveoil,carawayseeds, andsalt and peppertotaste.

3. Divideinhalf and serve on two dinner plates with thegoulash.

NUTRITION INFO PER SERVING: 262 calories (20 percent from fat), 5.8 gfat (0.8 gsaturated, 2.5 g monounsaturated), no cholesterol, 8.1 gprotein, 44.1 gcarbohydrates, 3.0 g fiber,3mgsodium.

Seeyou on theflipside

As afarewelltoher home kitchen, AprilHamilton serves up shrimp risottoand lemonbars

BY APRIL HAMILTON Contributingwriter

The Food Truck is my kitchen’snickname. It is tinyand theplace where we have madenine years of meals and memories.

The time has come to bid her gratitude and afond farewell.

When we first toured this home as prospective buyers, my wisehusband announced that the kitchen would need to be our first order of upgrades. How could our growingfamily of five, abunch who loves to cook and entertain, function in this 8-foot square cubicle?

As you do, we made it work. Three years intothe small but mightykitchen journey,wetoyed withtearing down walls and buildingour dream kitchen. Afriend recommended acontractor who stopped in to check the scope of our request.Helooked and poked around using thelaser measuring device to do some calculations.

“This is abig project,” he

Shrimp Risotto

Risotto is such afun dish to make for company.Add agreen salad andyou’re good to go. Spring asparagus makes anice substitute for thepeas if preferred. Using shrimpstock makesit Lent-friendly anda great way to put your shrimpshells to use.

6cups shrimp stock

3tablespoons cold butter,divided use 1tablespoon olive oil

4shallots, finelychopped

2clovesgarlic, minced ½teaspoon red pepper flakes

1teaspoon dried thyme

1teaspoon coarse salt

2cups arborio rice

1. In a2-quart saucepan, bring the stock to agentle boil. Reduce heat and keep on asimmer while preparing the rice.

2. In a4-quart Dutchoven, melt 1tablespoon of the butter with the olive oil overmedium heat.Add thechopped shallots and cook until slightly softened. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, thyme and salt and stir for 1minute.

3. Addthe rice and saffron to theDutch oven and stir to coat the rice with the aromatic oil andlightly toast the rice, about 5minutes. Increasethe heat to medium-high and add the wine, stirring constantly until most of the liquid evaporates.

4. Ladle in the stock in halfcups,stirringbetween each

½teaspoon saffron threads

(optional, but recommended if you have it)

1cup drywhite wine

1pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1cup frozenpeas

Zest and juice of 1lemon

Lemon wedges forserving

additionuntil the liquid is absorbed. Adjust heat to medium if it is sticking or burningon the bottom.Continue until most of the stock hasbeen added. If the rice is still firm in the center,add additional stock by ¼-cupfuls.

5. Lay theshrimp andpeas on top of the rice, reduceheat to low and cover for 5minutes to steam cook the shrimpand peas. Add the zest and juice of the lemon and stir well to incorporate everything intothe risotto.

6. Grate the remaining 2tablespoonsofcoldbutterover thetop of the risottoand stir in gently

7. Scoopthe risottointo warm bowls and garnish each with alemon wedge.

BYGRETCHEN McKAY Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (TNS)

Mom’s LemonBars

Ikeep thisrecipe,writteninmymom’sinimitable handwriting, for special occasions. As soon as my new kitchen is upand running,thiswill be the first oven recipe Iturn to FORTHE BASE:

1cup unbleached flour ¼cup powdered sugar

½cup (1 stick) butter,cold FOR THE FILLING:

3eggs

1¼ cups sugar

Zest of 2lemons

¼cup lemon juice

3tablespoons unbleached flour ¾teaspoonbaking powder FOR THE FROSTING:

3tablespoons butter at room temperature

¾cup powdered sugar

Zest and juice of 1lemon, plus extraifneeded

1. First, make the base: Preheat theovento350 F and line an 8-inch or 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper

FAREWELL

Continued from page1D

repeated as he roamed in and out of the kitchen that could.

We chickenedout.

When my second of three daughters was in college, overlappingwith the first one, Ihad the realization that ourdream kitchen would come when we finished funding their college degrees.The year 2021 found us with three college graduates and anew kitchen on the horizon. Then Idecided to punctuate the empty nest with anursing degree My kitchen fund went back to school and this nutrition nurse is now back in the kitchen renovation business. Iobserved in awe as my

2. Placethe 1cup of flour and¼cup powdered sugar in amixing bowl and stir to combine.Grate in the cold butter usingthe large holes of abox grater.When the mixtureholds together,press it out intothe prepared bakingpan andbake untiljust golden, about 15minutes. Cool in thepan on arack while you preparethe filling.

3. Make the filling: Whisk the eggs and sugar together (can usethe samemixing bowl as above) untilno streaksofegg remain.Add thelemon zest andjuice andstirtocombine. Addthe flourand baking powder and stir again until the flour is incorporated.Pour the filling on top of the cooled base and

neighbor Lori remodeled herkitchen.She shared her contractor’snumberand asked me monthslater if I had called him. Iconfessed Ihad not, sincethe idea was overwhelmingand we didn’thaveadesignyet.

“He can help with that,” shereassured Aboutayear ago, Igot the courage to call him. Many visits and sketches later,with numbercrunchingand kitchen tours, the demolition began just this week. In anticipation of beingkitchen-less untillikely summer,I fired up afew burners to makeour last Food Truck supper,shrimp risotto, which is aperfect Lenten dish. Imeasured, mixed and bakeda treasured three-part dessert Mom’sLemon Bars, which taste exactly likemom

bake until just set, about25 minutes. Cool in the pan on a rack before frosting.

4. Make the frosting: Using ahandmixer,blend the 3tablespoons softened butter with the¾cup powdered sugar. Add the zest and juice of 1lemon and mix to combine. If thefrosting is too thickfor spreading,add additional lemonjuice abouta tablespoon at atime. Spread the frosting over the cooled lemon bars and chill briefly to setenough to cut into squares. Cut into2dozen squares or rectangles and serve. Transfer extras to an airtight containerwith layers separated with parchment paper and refrigerate for up to aweek.

madethem herself. While thewalls come down and the dust flies, we will transform thecovered portion of our pool deck into thebackyard bistro. My growing cookbook collection is stashed in boxes in aback closet, and I’m keeping just two within reach toaccess simple recipes that require minimal cookware and cleanup. Isay that aday without cooking is aday without sunshine. The upcoming monthsmight be chaotic, but Iplan to keep thesun shining in amakeshift manner.Ihope you will follow along as Ichronicle this process and we learn to feed ourselves on the fly, hopefully withlots of nutritioushomecooking and maybe adinner party in the backyard bistro.

Cheesy BroccoliChicken Bake

Serves6.Recipe is by Gretchen McKay,Post-Gazette

1pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, rinsed and patted dry Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1tablespoon olive oil

12-ounce packageofbaby broccoli, trimmed and cut into 4-inch florets

5tablespoons butter,divided

5tablespoons flour or cornstarch

2cups chicken broth or stock

1/2 cup heavy cream

1cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided 1cup shredded sharp cheddar 8frozen hash browns patties, thawed and cut into bite-sized pieces

Grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish

1. Preheat ovento375 F.

2. Season chicken breasts with saltand pepper

3. Heat oil in alarge skilletuntil shimmering. Add chicken and cook, turning once, until it is cooked through,10-12 minutes total. Remove to plate and allow to cool for 5minutes, then cut into bite-sized chunks and place in alarge bowl.

BAKE

Continued from page1D

the dish was created in the early 1900s —Chicken Divan became smart mothers’ tactic for getting their kids to eat vegetables after the recipe popped up in cookbooks in the late 1950s and early ’60s. Broccoli is slightly bitter whenraw and mushy (and slightly stinky) when overcooked, so it can be ahard sell on its own. But add some roasted chicken and

PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE/ TNS PHOTO By GRETCHEN McKAy Cheesy BroccoliChicken Bake

4. Meanwhile, steam or boil broccoli florets in well salted water for 4-5 minutes until tender-crisp, drain well andadd to bowlwith chicken. Toss to combine.

5. Melt 4tablespoons butter in aheavy saucepan over medium-lowheat.Add flouror cornstarch and cook, continuouslywhisking, for around 3 minutes to make aroux.

6. Addchicken stockor brothslowly,alittle at a time, whiskingconstantly, until you reach aboil. Then reduce heat and simmer

top it with acreamy cheese sauceand theresult is a rich and cozy casserole that even thepickiest child will happily eat. Thereare probably as many recipes for broccolicheese casserole as there are cooks. Many include canned soup and mayo (my mom’s version) and can be made with either fresh or frozen florets. The topping can also be personalized with crackers, bread crumbs, panko or justa generous sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese or sometimes acombo of all of the above.

Afront-row seat to amidlife spiral

Dear Annie: My friend of 20 years confessed to having acrush on her executive coach, which then developed into a flirtation, which then became asextingaffair.Ihave always known she is unhappy in her marriage, but Icannot condone cheating and have told her so. She’salso started vaping, pierced her nose, talked about buying anew car (she just bought her last one two years ago) and even had an addition put on her house so she could have her own room away from her family I’ve told her she’sexhibiting signs of amid-life crisis. She told me she’s fine and that working out and getting lip filler is just “self-care.”She swings between crying about feeling worthless after her affair and snickering about her “bad girl” behavior

while whisking occasionally for 8minutes

7. Reduce heat to low, and cook for 10 minutes more.

8. Fold in creamalong with ½cup Parmesan and all the cheddar.Stir to combine and cook until cheese is completely melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper

9. Addcheese sauce to the broccoli-chickenmixture and stir to combine.

10. Pour mixture into the bottom of abuttered 2-quart casseroledish. Sprinkle remaining ½cup grated Parmesan on top

11. In asmall skillet, melt remaining1tablespoon butter,add hash brown squares and cook, tossing often, until crispy.Sprinkle on topofthe casserole.

12. Bake in hotoven until just hot, around 20 minutes. For an extracrispy top,turn oven to broil, sprinkle casserole with alittle grated Parmesan andbroil 5inches fromheatuntil casserole is bubbling andgolden, about1 minute. Serve immediately

In this recipe, Iwent the “fresh” route with apackage of long and tender baby broccoli from Trader Joe’s. I also used two typesofcheese —grated Parmesan and extra-sharp cheddar —in the butter-based sauce along withsomeheavy cream. Ihad hoped to top thecasserole withacrunchy layer of tater tots (very trendy these days) but could only find hash brown patties.SoI cut them into squares, fried them in alittle butter to crisp them up and crossed my fingers it would work. It did —beautifully

change, so what should I do? —Watching aTrainwreck Dear Watching aTrainwreck: Advice is only useful to people whowant it. Everyone else just wants an audience. You’re right to be concerned and equally right to know you can’t fix this forher

Annie Lane DEAR ANNIE

The next step isn’t another lecture. It’s aboundary.Tell her you care, but you can’tbe the vault forsecrets you don’tsupport. Stop engaging in the play-by-play When she’sready forreal change, she’ll find you. Dear Annie: I’ma52-yearold womanwith agood marriage, grownkids and alifeI’m generally proud of. But Ican’tstop feeling irritated —and then guilty —around my younger sister

I’m theonly person she’s told about this.Itold her I wish she would follow my advice rather than just tell me her secretsand expect me to keep them.

Ifeel I’m at astandstill with her.Isincerely feel she’sdestroying her life, but Ican’tforce anyone to

She’s46and recently divorced, and now she’s going through what she cheerfully calls her “renaissance.” Newwardrobe, new hobbies, new friend group, new opinions about everything. She posts inspirational quotes daily and talks endlessly about how she’s finally “living her truth.” Iwant to be supportive. Truly.But every conversation turns

into amonologue about her freedom, her glow-up and, inevitably,how she “couldn’timagine” still being tied downlike some people. Those “somepeople” appear to be me. She insists she’snot judging, but Ileave her house feeling like she sees me as the cautionary tale in her comeback story.When I change the subject, she circles right back. When Ijoke it off, she doubles down. Idon’twant to compete with my sister or resent her happiness. But Ialso don’twant to keep swallowing my annoyance. How do Isupport her new chapter without letting it irritate me so much? Happyfor Her Dear Happyfor Her: It sounds like your sister is dazzled by her own spotlight right now.The next timeshe praises her freedom at your expense, respond with acalm, “I’m content where Iam.” No explanation. No speeches. If she’sgenuinely living her truth, she can allow you to live yours —without commentary.Until then, it’sOKtostep back.

Sendyour questions forAnnie Lane to dearannie@creators.com.

Having aphone foremergencies

Dear Heloise: As my grandchildren have gotten older, it occurred to me that their parentshad gotten rid of their old landline. Today, manyhomes rely only on cellphones. Also, parentsare wary of giving their young ones cellphones. This means that when young children are safely left at home without adult supervision for short periods, there is no way for them to call for help in an emergency Parents might consider having aseparate cellphone in thehouse to replace theold landline and teach youngsters how to use it if needed. Thank you for all your hints. —Diane Hobbs, areader Ceramictrivettiles

add adecorative touch. Best of all, they are attractive reminders of places that we’ve visited or of thoughtful friends who gifted them to us. G.A., in Colorado Springs, Colorado Twocycles

Dear Heloise: Coasters are helpful when using drinking glasses, and cups usually come with saucers. However,mugs don’t always fitwell on standard coasters, especially larger or heavier ones. But Ifound that the ceramic trivet tiles that I’ve collected over the years work just fine under my mugs. They provide asturdy surface, protect furniture from heat or moisture, and

By The Associated Press

Today is Thursday, Feb.19, the 50th day of 2026. There are 315 days left in the year

Todayinhistory: On Feb.19, 1942, during World WarII, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which paved the way for the internment of 125,000 people of Japanese ancestry,including U.S.born citizens.

Also on this date:

In 1473, astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus was born in Torun, Poland.

In 1847, the first rescuers reached members of theDonner Party,who had been snowbound in the Sierra Nevada near the California-Nevada border for nearly four months.

In 1878, inventor Thomas Edison was issued apatent for thephonograph.

In 1945, Operation Detachmentbegan during World WarIIasthe first

Dear Heloise: A friend recently complained that her energy-efficient dryer often took twocycles to dry anormal load of clothes. Many newer dryers have built-in safety features that are designed to prevent overheating and reduce the risk of fires, which can cause them to shut off early In many cases, this problem is caused by a clogged or arestricted dryer vent pipe that prevents the proper airflow If there isn’tacompany in your area that specializes in cleaning dryer vent pipes, consider contacting achimney sweep service as they often provide this type of cleaning as well. Keeping vents clear can improve the drying time and help the dryer run moreefficiently —Elaine C. Williamson, via email

Asmarteralternative

Dear Heloise: I’ve read a

wave of U.S. Marines landed at Iwo Jima, where they commenced asuccessful monthlong battle to seize control of the island from Japanese forces.

In 1976, President Gerald R. Ford, calling the issuing of the 1942 internment order forpeople of Japanese ancestry “a sad day in American history,” signed aproclamation formally confirming its termination.

In 2003, an Iranian military plane carrying members of the elite Revolutionary Guards crashed in southeastern Iran, killing all 275 people on board.

In 2008, an ailing Fidel Castro resigned the Cuban presidency after nearly ahalf-century in power; his brother Raúl was later named to succeed him Fidel Castro died in 2016 at the age of 90.

In 2025, the ocean liner SS United States, which shattered the transatlantic speed record on its maiden voyage in 1952, departed

couple of hints about using lockboxes for fire departments, ambulances and similar services. Amuch simpler option is to invest in asmartlock; mostare easy to install and compatible with existing locks. Yousimply program a code, and you can give it to whoever —friends, neighbors, repairmen, the police, etc. This code is reprogrammable and can be specifictoeach entity —A reader,via email

Agentleshake

Dear Heloise: Iuse very little milk, but Iusually have to buy it in half-gallon containers. Occasionally, Ican find milk that is sold in quart bottles, and the containers say to “shake” before use. Inoticed that there isn’talways aclear “use by” date on the bottle, but the milk seemstolast forareally long time. This got me thinking whynot try shaking the half-gallon containers as well? Igave it atry,and it seemstowork. The milk stays fresh longer and tastes better to me. Give it atry and see if it works for you, too. —Sandy C., in Huber Heights, Ohio

Send ahinttoheloise@ heloise.com.

Philadelphia’sDelaware River waterfront under tow forMobile, Alabama, forprep work before officials sink it off Florida’s Gulf Coast to create the world’slargest artificial reef Today’sbirthdays: Singer Smokey Robinson is 86. Rock musician Tony Iommi

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) High energy, trust and belief in your abilities will lead to thestrengthand courage to excel. What you achieve is for your own happiness, not others'. Challenge anyone who tries to take advantage of you.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Take pride in what youdoand what you say. Life is about making sacrifices to get the best outcomefor everyone. Step outside your comfort zone, and the feeling of freedom will exhilarate you.

ARIEs(March 21-April 19) Look into home improvements,lowering your overhead or applying for grants thatfavor the cost efficiency changesyou want to make. Upgrading your skills will encourage you to landaposition that pays more.

TAuRus (April 20-May 20) Study situations before you spring into action. It's necessary to have everything in place if you intend to meet your expectations. Shareyour feelingsand intentions with someone you love.

GEMInI (May21-June 20) Take it easy, be observant, ask questions and get the informationnecessary to make thebest choices.Dismiss suggestions that lack integrity or leaveyou questioning their feasibility

cAncER (June 21-July 22) It'suptoyou to manifestopportunities. Sitting back and waitingfor things to happen will leave you empty-handed. Friendship and romance look promising.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Learn as you go. Put more thought, time and energy into partneringwith someone whohas

as much to offerasyou. Set high standards and useyour skills to promote your interests.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Show discipline in maintaining alifestyle that fulfills yourneedsand makes you happy and grateful forall you have.Put greater emphasis on love and nurturing the mostmeaningful relationships

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Youare in abetter position than you think. Don't hide; get out and mingle,and the networking you do will pay off. Gaining insight into howothersworka room will help you choosewho you approach.

scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Don't waste valuable time over something youneed to put behind you. Learn your lessons and move along. Attend events that offersocial interaction andpeople who can enrich your life.

sAGITTARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Getwhat you want in writing. Someone will offerfar morethan intended to grab your interest. Trust facts, not hearsay. Change requires time, energy and desire.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Extend a helping hand, insight or support to someone, and the response will be awelcome surprise.Attitude and gratitude go hand in hand and canturnanegative into apositive.

Thehoroscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact ©2026 by nEa, inc., dist. By andrewsmcmeel syndication

Sudoku

InstructIons: sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object 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. The difficulty level of the sudoku increases from monday to sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

By PHILLIP ALDER Bridge

Benjamin Franklin Fairless, asteel company executive whodied on the first dayof1962, said, “What is therecipefor successfulachievement? To my mind, there are just four essential ingredients: Choose acareeryou love, give it thebest thereisinyou, seize your opportunities, and be amember of theteam.”

What is therecipe for success in this four-spadecontract?Westcasheshistwo tophearts, then shifts to theclub king.

Thebidding was instructive. North’s redouble indicated at least 10 high-card points. Then, when he raised spades on thenextround, he showed exactly three-cardsupport. (With four spades or more, he would have responded two no-trump.)

East’stwo-heartadvancedidnotpromise any values. By thelogic of theauction, he wasknown to be weak.Hewas justsaying that he had adefinite preferenceforheartsoverdiamondsandclubs West raised hearts with four-card support and afull-weight takeoutdouble South’s four-spade bid was ambitious, butthe vulnerable gamebonus was a powerful lure.

Declarer has six black-suit winners. Ergo, the essential ingredient forsuccess is taking four diamond tricks, which might require three finesses. Andifso, speed is of the essence. At

wuzzles

trick four, Southmust playadiamond to dummy’s 10. Then, he cashes thespade queen,leadsa spade to his 10, repeats thediamondfinesse,returnstothespade king, takes athird diamond finesse, and claims. Before playing fromthe dummy at trick one, count losers and winners. ©2026 by nEa, inc., dist. By andrewsmcmeel syndication

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

Previous answers:

word game

InsTRucTIons: 1. Words must be of four or more letters.2.Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats”or“dies,” are not allowed. 3. additional words made by adding a“d” or an “s” maynot be used. 4. proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

ToDAy’sWoRD coRPoRAL: KOR-por-ul: Anoncommissioned officer.

Average mark 20 words Time limit 30 minutes

Can youfind 26 or more words in CORPORAL?

yEsTERDAy’s WoRD —AuTonoMous

today’s thought

“They shall cast their silver in thestreets, and their goldshall be removed:their silver and their goldshall notbeableto deliver them in theday of thewrath of theLord: theyshall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumbling block of their iniquity.” Ezekiel 7:19

dIrectIons: make a2-to 7-letter word from the lettersineach row. add points of each word, using scoring directions at right.Finally, 7-letter words get 50-point bonus. “Blanks” used as any letter have no point value. all the words are in the Official sCraBBlE® players Dictionary, 5th Edition.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

Formore informationontournamentsand clubs, emailnaspa –northamerican sCraBBlE playersassociation:info@scrabbleplayers.org. Visitour website: www.scrabbleplayers.org. For puzzle inquiries contact scrgrams@gmail.com. Hasbro andits logo sCraBBlE associated logo,the design of thedistinctive sCraBBlE brand game card, and thedistinctivelettertile designsare trademarks of Hasbro in theUnitedstatesand Canada. ©2021 Hasbro. all rightsreserved. Distributed by Tribune

kenken

InstructIons: 1 -Eachrow and each column must contain the numbers 1thorugh 4(easy) or 1through6 (challenging) without repeating. 2 -The numbers within theheavily outlined boxes, called cages, must combine using thegiven operation (in any order) to producethe target numbers in the top-left corners. 3 -Freebies: Fill in the single-box cages with the numberinthe top-left corner.

WiShinG Well

HErE is aplEasanT liTTlE gamEthat will give you amessage every day.it’s a numerical puzzledesigned to spell outyourfortune.Count the letters in your first name. if the number of letters is 6ormore, subtract4.ifthe numberisless than 6, add 3. Theresult is yourkey number. start at the upperleft-hand corner and check each of yourkey numbers, left to right. Then readthe message the checked figures give you

TheSecretary of Housing andUrban Development will bid$397,372.68, plus anyadditional accrual, fees,costs or chargesin‐curred by theSecretary up to thedateofsale. Therewillbenoprora‐tion oftaxes,rents or otherincomeorliabili‐ties,exceptthatthe pur‐chaser(s)willpay,ator before closing, his(their) pro-rata shareofany real estate taxesthathave been paid by theSecre‐tary to thedateofthe foreclosuresale. When making theirbids, allbidders,exceptthe Secretary, must submit a deposittotaling $39,737.27 in theformof acertified checkor cashier'scheck made outtothe United States SecretaryofHousing and UrbanDevelopment A depositneed notaccom‐pany each oral bid. If the successful bidisoral, a depositof$37,737.27 must be presentedbe‐fore thebidding is closed.The depositis non-refundable.The re‐mainderofthe purchase pricemustbedelivered

United States SecretaryofHous‐ingand UrbanDevelop‐ment.Ifthe high bid‐der(s) close(s) thesale priortothe expiration of anyextensionperiod, the unused portionofthe ex‐tensionfee shallbeap‐pliedtowardthe amount dueatclosing If thehighbidder(s) is/are unable to closethe sale within therequired period,orwithinany ex‐tensions of time granted by theSecretary,the high bidder maybere‐quired to forfeitthe cash deposit, or at theelec‐tion of theforeclosure commissioner after con‐sultationwiththe HUD representative,willbeli‐able to theSecretary for anycosts incurred as a result of such failure,and theCommissionermay at thedirection of the HUDField Office Repre‐sentative, offerthe Prop‐erty to thesecondhigh‐estbidderfor an amount equaltothe highest priceofferedbythatbid‐der. Thereisnoright of re‐demption,orright of possessionbased upon a rightofredemption, in themortgagor or others subsequent to aforeclo‐l d

lagniappe DRY SEASON

KeithSpera’s picksfor live musicpost-Mardi Gras page 8

don’tmiss don’tmiss don’t miss

mardipaws parade

Just when you thoughtCarnival was over,itgoes to the dogs. Downtown Covington is thespot forthis2 p.m. Sunday four-legged affair,with thetheme “A Howliday Parade.” Registrationis$25 andbegins at 12:30 p.m. The parade startsatEast Kirkland and NorthFlorida streets, heads down North Florida and turns right on East Gibson Street,rightagain on North New Hampshire Street to end at Plaza Drive. mardipaws.com.

line

upon line

Newmusic for percussion and electronics will be theofferingsatNew Marigny Theater,2301 Marais St., at 7p.m. SaturdaywhenVerispel New Music presents works byLouisiana composers ChristopherTrapani, Stephen David Beck, Fiona Xue Ju andJinxin Fu.The musical performance is part of Versipel’s nienteForte series. versipel.org.

john mulaney originsofalgiers pointstreetnames

The section of New Orleansonthe West Bank has some of thecity’smost unique street names,and the Algiers Historical Society will offer the story behind those names at 10:30 a.m. Saturday with historian William Hylandatthe AlgiersRegional Library,3014 Holiday Drive. algiershistoricalsociety.org.

The Emmy-winning comic returns to New Orleans at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Artswith his “Mister Whatever”tour.The host and executive producer of Netflix’s“Everybody’s Live With John Mulaney” will next be seen in an MGM Studios film, “Madden.” Tickets start at $121. mahaliajacksontheater.com.

‘spacesof

treblinka’

The National WWII Museum will bring in author Jacob Flaws to discuss his book on one of the “secret”sites of mass killings during the war,taking afresh look at the popular historical narrative and its operation. Areception begins at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday with the presentation at 5:30 p.m. in the Louisiana Memorial Pavilion, 945 Magazine St. nationalww2museum.org.

dinner with a curator

“Jazz, Modern Art and the Fight for Creative Freedom in World War II” is the next installment in the series at The National WWII Museum. Erin Clancey will examine how modern artists and musicians fueled resistance and defied Nazi oppression during the war. In addition, enjoy a three-course meal based on the topic. Tickets start at $77. nationalww2museum.org.

ABOUT LAGNIAPPE

The Lagniappe section is published each Thursday by The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate. All inquiries about Lagniappe should be directed to the editor.

LAGNIAPPE EDITOR: Lauren Walck, lauren.walck@theadvocate.com

COVER DESIGN: Andrea Daniel

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Victor Andrews, Doug MacCash, Ian McNulty, Keith Spera

GET LISTED IN LAGNIAPPE

Submit events to Lagniappe at least two weeks in advance by sending an email to events@theadvocate.com.

ON THE COVER

Getty Images photo

food food food

Pop-up to feature national contest-winning cocktails Q&A WITH LATONyA SCOTT

BY WILL COVIELLO Gambit Weekly

Latonya Scott recently won the national Great Shakeup cocktail competition, held in New Orleans in January.

She learned to bartend while evacuated to Houston following Hurricane Katrina, and it was during the pandemic that she went out on her own and ended up launching Libations by L. Ch’nel. She’s highlighting the winning drinks from the competition at a special Ancestral Hour pop-up at Blue Crawfish Boutique Hotel, 1620 Dumaine St., from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday Scott sat down with Gambit to discuss starting her business and her cocktails.

How did you start your business?

I got into it during COVID. When the world closed down, I was idle. I wanted to do something to take my mind off of what was going on. So I started playing around in my mom’s kitchen and trying different things. A lot of the things I saw in stores, like a mint syrup, I was looking through cookbooks and realizing I could make those things for myself. I was developing my own cordials.

She had a large bar with liquors to play around with, so I took it a step further and started making my own cocktails. A lot of them ended up being riffs on classic drinks like French 75s and old fashioneds and mai tais.

One of my friends was selling seafood plates. He was looking for a bartender. So I got these 20-ounce bottles and started batching things I started with maybe three different cocktails.

Latonya Scott, owner of Libations by L. Ch’nel, recently won the national Great Shakeup cocktail competion held in New Orleans.

PROVIDED PHOTO By

CARLOS M. SILVA PHOTOGRAPHy

me, and I liked to tell them about the ingredients or answer “What’s a cordial?” I let them know everything was made from scratch. I still have some repeat customers from those days

LIBATIONS BY L. CH’NEL

We were Uptown on Toledano Street under a tent. I was selling my drinks for two for $20. When people would buy his plates, they would see how aesthetically pleasing my drinks were, because I was putting in fresh mint, or if I made a peach mint julep, I would add fresh peaches. It started from there.

Find Latonya Scott on Instagram, @sip.libations

We did that for maybe three years — working outside and building community. People were accustomed to seeing

My company is called Libations by L. Ch’nel. L is my first initial, and Ch’nel being my middle name. But I chose libations because that is a practice in showing gratitude to your ancestors. A libation is pouring from a deity, which is a goddess, whether she is taking wine or a spirit or even purified water. Doing this shows gratitude to your ancestors. Within six months of me starting to make drinks in 2020, I decided to get my license and make it a full-fledged business. I went from doing business under a tent to doing weddings, baby showers, nonprofit events and things. From there, I was able to create handcrafted menus for a couple of establishments.

What kind of drinks do you make?

I did a take on a Sidecar that I called The New Classic. I did a blueberry reduction syrup but with things I had on my personal altar — things like cinnamon stick, orange, clove and vanilla. Those are ingredients that are linked to abundance. I cooked it down and strained it into a blueberry harvest syrup. I implemented that with Cognac and my own orange liqueur and fresh lemon.

I like to play around with stone fruits like peaches, and I like to play with watermelon as well. I have a drink called Ancestors’ Water.

It’s primarily fresh watermelon pressed juice that I reduced and steeped in mint. Then I implement it into a reposado tequila and let it sit for three or four days. Then I add fresh lime and top it off with sparkling rose. It’s a crowd pleaser.

What happened at the competition?

The first cocktail had to be made with Cognac. We could bring in one surprise

ingredient. I actually made a butternut squash cordial. I took butternut squash and roasted it with star anise, clove, cinnamon and nutmeg. Then I pureed it and strained it and got the liquid out of it. It was nutty and sweet. I never would have thought I’d make a syrup out of butternut squash. But I took Cognac, the butternut squash cordial, fresh lemon and the orange cordial and strained it over ice. Then I garnished it with a squash blossom.

All of this was on the fly. It felt like we were on the show “Chopped,” but cocktail edition. They asked if I had a name for it, and I said it was Rooted in Culture. If you look at butternut squash, it’s not the prettiest thing. But sometimes when times are rough, that’s all you have. Coming from an African American background, we were given the ugliest things to nourish our bodies with. When making the syrup, I knew my ancestors used squash to make soup.

The second cocktail, we had to use both rum and tequila. I did a split riff on a Manhattan. I used equal parts rum and tequila and one of the fruits they had for us to use was banana, so I muddled it into the spirits. I added a little simple syrup and I implemented some Mexican chocolate bitters. Then I double strained it, and the finishing touch was expressing a lemon twist over the glass. I call that drink Chess Not Checkers.

The judges’ notes were that it was very complex. This wasn’t something easy The drink was well-rounded but bold.

The three drinks were based on the continued teachings that my mom gave to me in terms of what kind of fruit and vegetables we were exposed to in the diaspora and what we were given. We were given scraps to find nourishment. That was my theme in the competition.

I want to push myself. I am who I am. I am an alchemist. I want to showcase my city. I want people to know that who I am is giving a piece of my ashe, my purpose, into each libation that I create.

food food food

Kermit Ruffins to take ownership of 7th Ward bar

BY POET WOLFE Staff writer

More than two months after First & Last Stop was sold, touching off disputes between its new and former owners, the small bar in New Orleans’ 7th Ward has closed in recent days. But its legacy as a mainstay for second-lines and Mardi Gras Indians may endure

Kermit Ruffins, the renowned New Orleans trumpeter who runs Kermit’s Treme Mother-in-Law Lounge, said Thursday he was offered a lease on the now-shuttered space — and he will likely accept.

Under his management, Ruffins said the property on the corner of Pauger and Marais streets would remain “an old school mom-and-pop bar,” while honoring its tradition as a longtime gathering spot for Mardi Gras Indians. He added that he plans to play live mu-

sic there twice a week and intends to rename the bar

“I’m going to bring some good food and some good music to the neighborhood,” Ruffins said.

The closure follows months of tension after The Lens reported in October that former owners Al Reagle and his wife, Virginia Sortino Reagle — who also lease the Mother-in-Law Lounge to Ruffins — sold the building to Daniel Sellers.

Carolyn Cushenberry, who had operated the bar since before Hurricane Katrina, asked Sellers to honor the existing lease. But the relationship between the two quickly soured, according to The Lens, amid various accusations.

News of the sale triggered public backlash. Though First & Last Stop has passed through different hands for more than seven decades, it remained

a Black-owned neighborhood hub, even amid migration and gentrification reshaping the 7th Ward.

Neither Cushenberry nor Sellers could be reached for comment Thursday.

When First & Last Stop abruptly closed for the first time in early November, Ruffins said he had already accepted an offer to lease the space. He later reconsidered after learning that Cushenberry would no longer run the bar

Instead, Ruffins said he stepped in to help keep the business afloat, paying the remainder of Cushenberry’s rent out of pocket, seeking public donations and hosting a benefit concert outside the bar.

He said he remained open to taking over once Cushenberry retired. That moment, Ruffins said, came several days ago, when she gave up the space.

When Carnival ends, Louisianagetsits own versionofdry January —withrealhealthbenefits

Nonalcoholic drinks are served duringthe kick off of the 2017 Alcohol Free for 40 challenge.

STAFFFILE PHOTO By BRETTDUKE

WIND DOWN THE

BY EMILYWOODRUFF Staff writer

Peoplelooking for areset often choose January as atime to improve theirwellness habits or take on an annual alcohol-free challenge. Asobriety stintto start theyear hasbecome so mainstream that it has acatchy name: Dry January,orDryuary

Butthere’snothing dryabout January in Louisiana, where thestart of theyear kicks off a two-month celebration of excess, including parades, apastry-eating ritualand regular opportunities to drink. Butbythe time AshWednesdaycomes around, most of ourbodies andbrainsneeda break.

Health experts say thebenefits of taking abreak from alcohol are increasingly clear.

According to Molly Kimball, aregistered dietitian wholeads ayearly alcohol-free challengeknown as Alcohol Free for40 across the state during Lent, taking abreak fromdrinking can see results likebetter sleep, above from left,weight loss and improvedmood.

STAFFAND AP FILE PHOTOS

Sobriety benefits

Excessive alcohol use contributes to about 140,000 deaths each year in the United States, accordingtofederal estimates, through amix of accidents and chronic diseases worsened by drinking. And while earlier studies suggested potential cardiovascular benefits from light drinking, more recent research has found no safe level of alcohol consumption.

“For most people, alcohol isn’tproviding ahealthbenefit— it’sadding risk,” said Scott Edwards, an associate professor of physiology and neuroscience at LSU Health New Orleans who studies substance use and addiction.

Health risks risesharply once people exceed binge-

drinking thresholds, defined as four drinks for women or five for men on asingle occasion. Above those limits, alcohol is more likely to affect the liver, cardiovascular system and brain, increasing the chance of dependence over time. Even low or moderate intake is associated with higher risks of certain cancers, sleep disruption and cardiovascular effects.

What abreak reveals

For people without alcohol use disorder,Edwards said taking abreak from alcohol can be revealing.

“By giving up alcohol, you’re going to probably start to see alot of effects pretty quickly,” Edwards said.

“If you’re used to drinking chronically and you took a

month off, you might be able to realizecertain health benefits,” such as better sleep, eating more mindfully and lessanxiety.

Even ashortreprieve can be insightful, saidMolly Kimball, aregistered dietitian who leads ayearly alcoholfree challenge, known as Alcohol Free for 40, across the state during Lent

People often expect weight losstobethe biggestchange, saidKimball. Butwhat she hearsmost consistently is better sleep,lower anxiety, improved mood and feeling more productive.

The reduced anxietyparticipantsreport is often unexpected by them, even though many people drink specifically to unwind.

“When we drink regularly,

we’re actually training our bodies to oversensitize the stress response,” she said. “So while adrink mayfeelrelaxing in theshortterm, over time it’s worsening ourstress response.”

40 days withoutalcohol

Kimball’sprogram is now in its 11th year andoffered in partnership with Ochsner Health. It grew out of efforts to encourage people to track how alcohol affects theirbodies using lab tests and physical metrics.

Today,participants receive pre- and post-challenge measurements including blood pressure, body composition, lab panels and close-up facial photos, with in-person testing events held in six Louisiana regions: Acadiana, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Shreveport, the northshore and Monroe.

The program, which costs $59, includes online support sessions, educational talks and aprivateFacebook group with morethan 2,000 members. Registration has ended, but those interested can joing the Facebook group.

Social support, Kimball said, is often what helps people stick with the challenge, particularly in aculture where alcohol is used for almost every

occasion.

“Knowing other people are going through the same thing, asking ‘What do Idrink instead?’ or ‘How do Ihandle this event?’ —that’shuge,” she said.

Participants commonly report noticeable physical changes within the first week, including clearer skin, reduced facial puffiness and improved sleep quality.Others say they feel moreproductive. Kimball said some participants return each year forwhat they describe as an annual reset after Carnival season, while others extend their sobriety well beyond 40 days or decide not to resume drinking at all.

Regardless of how people decide to take abreak from alcohol, it often serves as areality check forwhether drinking habits are teetering into problem territory.Difficulty stopping, even briefly, may signal the need foradditional support, Edwards said.

In those cases, primary care doctors can offer medications to reduce cravings, counseling referrals or structured treatmentoptions.

EmailEmily Woodruff at ewoodruff@theadvocate. com.

music music music

TERENCEBLANCHARD’S ‘FIRESHUT UP IN MY BONES’

SUNDAY,CIVIC

THEATRE

Over the course of adistinguished and prolificcareer as amusician, composer and educator,Terence Blanchard has produceda massive body of work. It ranges fromOscarnominated scores for SpikeLee movies to the Grammy-winning album“ATaleof God’sWill (A Requiem for Katrina).”

The first opera hecomposed,2013’s “Champion,” was inspired by the life of boxer EmileGriffith. Hissecondcontemporary, English-languageopera, “Fire Shut UpIn My Bones,” was based on journalistCharles M. Blow’smemoir of thesame name.“Fire Shut Up In My Bones” debutedinSt. Louis in 2019. Arevised version opened the2021 season of the prestigious MetropolitanOpera in New York.

Five years later,Blanchard will preside over his first hometown performance of the “Fire” score at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the Civic Theatre. Presented bythe New Orleans Opera Association,the concert features Blanchard, his E-Collective combo,the Turtle Island StringQuartet, baritone Justin Austin and soprano AdrienneDanrich. Though not afulltheatrical production of “Fire Shut Up In My Bones,” theconcert will feature the major arias andother material from the opera. Tickets are $55and up.

Keith Spera SOUNDCHECK

Not surprisingly,the weekend after Mardi Gras in New Orleans is relatively quiet. Tipitina’s, for instance, is dark. Butyou’ve still got some solid options for live music.

FRIDAY,MAPLE LEAF BAR

For adozen years now,the membersofFunk Monkey have carved out their own brand of New Orleansfunk, one very muchinfluenced by the music of themasters. This weekend, thebandcelebrates the release of its third album, “Pre-Roll.”

The core band on “Pre-Roll” includes trombonist Greg Hicks, guitarist Bert Cotton —both of whom are also principals in Bonerama —vocalist Arsene DeLay,drummer EddieChristmas, saxophonist Jason Mingledorff, keyboardistRik Fletcher and bassist David Pomerleau. That early Meters recordings are amajor influence on themisapparent in the tidy guitar figure and percolating organ of “Pre-Roll”’ssecond track, the Bert Cotton instrumental “Wake-n-Bake” (Cotton also contributed the album’s“Double Toke” and “Stank”).

DeLay takes on “Mojo Hannah,”which the Neville Brothers recorded and performed, the Allen Toussaint composition “Break In the Road,” “AmIthe SameGirl” and “Unwind Yourself,” which turns intoasax and trombone showcase for,respectively,Mingledorffand Hicks. The band also revisitsa pair of compositions by New Orleansfunk, soul and rhythm &blues legend Eddie Bo, “I’ve Got Reasons” and “Lover &A Friend.”They conclude “Pre-Roll” with abreezy take on James Booker’s“So Swell” topped by one of DeLay’smost potent vocal performances.

“Pre-Roll” was produced by Tracey Freeman, best known forhis long history with Harry Connick Jr.and Kermit Ruffins, and funded in part by the Threadheads, the coalition of NewOrleans Jazz &Heritage Festival fans who assist local musicians with album funding.

Funk Monkey celebrates therelease of “Pre-Roll” with ashowatthe MapleLeaf Bar at 8p.m. Friday. Tickets are $15 advance, $20 at the door.

music music music

MAHMOUD CHOUKICIGAR BOXPROJECT

SATURDAY,SNUG HARBOR JAZZ BISTRO

Mahmoud “Mood”Chouki grewupinMorocco, where he masteredanarray of stringed instruments. Duringhis travels, he performedatconservatories around the world. He eventually landed in New Orleans, whereheblendsthe music of his native country with thatofhis adopted hometown in hissoloshows andwithhis New WorldEnsemble. Case in point: his 2024 album “Caravan: FromMarrakech to New Orleans.” He also teaches music at the Lycée Français delaNouvelle Orléans, is the New OrleansMuseum of Art’s music coordinator and composed the music scorefor the 2021 Sundance Award-winning film “Ma Belle, Ma Beauty.”

One instrument he did not learngrowing up in Morocco was the cigar box guitar,a homemade variation on theelectricguitarthatispopular withcertain blues guitarists. But he’s now added the cigar box guitartohis repertoire, as well as a“cigar box oud,” ahomespun hybrid of the traditionalMoroccan instrument. For his Cigar Box Project, he’sjoined byBrett Gardneroncigar box guitar,Rurik Nunan on cigar box violin,Martin Masakowski on bass and Gerald Watkins on “trash kit drums.” Hear themSaturdayatSnug Harbor Jazz Bistroon Frenchmen Street. Showtimes are at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.Tickets are $35.

ALSO AT SNUG HARBOR: DrummerHerlin Riley andkeyboardist David Torkanowsky aretwo of New Orleans’ most talentedand creative practitioners on their respective instruments. On Sunday night at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.atSnug Harbor,they share the stage for arare collaboration. Ticketsare $35.

NOTE: The concertbilled as “The Queens:” Gladys Knight,Patti LaBelle, Chaka Khan and Stephanie Mills,”which wasoriginally scheduled on Thursday, Feb. 19, at the Smoothie King Center,isrescheduledfor May7atthe samevenue.Tickets are on salestarting at $96.

Più Mosso Baroque

spring bouquet wrap it up!

HarpsichordConcertos andComic Cantatas with conductor,harpsichordistPaulMauffray presented by the NewOrleansChamber Orchestra featuring Bach &Rameau Concertos, Vivaldi, the Telemann -Canary Cantata, and theBach -Coffee Cantata

Saturday,March21,5:30pm Sunday,March22,3:00pm at the NewMarigny Theatre, 2301 Marais Street www.newmarignytheatre.com

shop @gaetanasnola

music music music

Dallas heavy metal trio stopping at Siberia

BY JOHN WIRT

Contributing writer

Honing its heavy sound since 2019, Temptress blends solid songwriting with gnarly riffs and punk-rock power.

Following the January release of its second album, Temptress begins a 21-city Southern tour next week. The band played in Baton Rouge on Thursday and will perform Friday at Siberia in New Orleans.

“I’m super excited,” Temptress singer-guitarist Kelsey Wilson said. “We’re playing a lot of places that I have not been to. Whenever we play down there (in Louisiana), we play with a local band and always get a good response ”

Temptress gets linked to a gamut of rock subgenres — metal, thrash, doom, stoner-doom, alternative-rock, post-hardcore, post-rock. The band’s New Mexico-based record label, Blues Funeral Records, colorfully describes its music as a “molten sonic blend that flows and obliterates like a liquid metal assassin.”

Wilson has a less hyperbolic description for Temptress

“When people ask us, I just say we play heavy rock ’n’ roll. It’s not complicated,” she said.

Temptress features Wilson with drummer and singer Andi Cuba, the other woman in the group, and bassist and singer Christian Wright. The group briefly was a four-piece band featuring Wilson, Wright, Cuba and guitarist Erica Pipes. Wilson, Cuba and Pipes previously played together in the all-female punk-metal band Tricounty

Terror

“We could never find a solid bass player,” Wilson said of Tricounty Terror’s demise in 2018.

“A lot of it, too,” Cuba added, “was that Kelsey and I wanted to play different music. We weren’t into the aggressive, yelling, angry kind of thing. We knew what we wanted to do, and the only way to do that was to start something new. That’s where Temptress came in.”

Unlike Tricounty Terror, the Dallasbased Temptress quickly found a dependable, experienced bassist. Alabama native Wright, a musician since childhood, played guitar in a Dallas folk-punk band before joining Temptress.

Wright’s bass fell in naturally with Wilson’s guitar and Cuba’s drums.

“They’re both ear players,” he said. “I hate to say it’s like a jam band, but that’s what I’m talking about.”

“We did our first tour as a three-piece and found a really cool sound,” Wilson agreed. “It’s organic as it could be.”

All three members of Temptress write songs as well as sing. That musi-

cal depth expands the group’s sonic potential far beyond, for instance, a band with a lead singer-songwriter-guitarist backed by a rhythm section.

“That makes us unique,” Cuba said. “I’ve heard a lot of people say, ‘Man, y’all just sound different.’ We have three viewpoints that come together to make this sound.”

The band’s members hear how much musical progress they’ve made from “See,” the debut album they released in 2023, to this year’s “Hear.”

“The first album, we were all getting to know each other,” Wilson said. “This one, you can tell we know each other’s playing style. We’re working together more on each other’s songs and more of our personalities are in this album.”

Wilson counts classic rock and metal as influences in general and, specifically, Lamb of God, Slayer, Metallica, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd. Cuba spent her formative years listening to grunge rock of the 1980s and ’90s. Seattle’s Soundgarden and New York City noise-rockers Sonic Youth are high on her list. Wright’s touchstones include Bad Brains, Fire-

TEMPTRESS

With Friendship Commanders

9 p.m. Friday Siberia, 2227 St. Claude Ave., New Orleans

Tickets are 19.70 at dice.fm

More info at temptressofficial. com

Bassist and singer Christian Wright, from left, drummer and singer Andi Cuba and singerguitarist Kelsey Wilson make up the band Temptress.

PROVIDED PHOTO

hose, Minutemen and Hüsker Dü. Seven years into their group’s existence, Wilson, Cuba and Wright have some basic goals.

“I just want the group to play music I love for people who enjoy it,” Wilson said. “Just do that all over the country, and see how far we can go. There’s the fame aspect, but I never think about that.”

Wright likes the catharsis performing gives him and the community of friends his fellow musicians provide.

“When I’m onstage, it’s a great stress reliever for me,” he said. “And most of the people I know, outside of family, are from the music scene. All my friends are musicians.”

Cuba doesn’t project far into the future, but she does have a short-term goal.

“For this band, right now, I hope that our new album is heard and appreciated by as many people as possible. We put so much into it, and it’s a really good album. I hope it gets the credit it deserves.”

Email John Wirt at j_wirt@msn.com.

food + drink food + drink food + drink

Wine show reflects surging demand for zero-, low-alcohol drinks

BY JOHN LEICESTER Associated Press

PARIS As a French teetotaler, Justine Bobin knows how challenging it can be to not drink in a country where wine, beer and other boozy beverages still lubricate many social interactions, even if France is less hooked on alcohol than it used to be

“People are convinced that you can’t have fun if you don’t drink alcohol in France,” she says.

Which is one of the reasons that Bobin trekked up to Paris recently, to check out the growing array of zeroand low-alcohol drinks — predominantly red, white, rosé and sparkling wines from around Europe, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand Those products rubbed shoulders with established producers and distillers of all things alcoholic at a major international trade show for the wine and spirits industries

With slogans championing “no alcohol, no regrets, no consequences” and encouraging consumers to “drink different,” producers of so-called no/low beverages are aiming to profit from changing tastes and habits, in particular those of young adults more mindful of alcohol’s harms.

In the United States, fewer Americans are reporting that they drink alcohol In other major international markets, a growing no/low industry is chipping away at booze’s hegemony.

France’s government is offering to pay wine-makers who agree to rip up their vineyards, to reduce the output of vintages no longer in demand Dutch drinks giant Heineken this week said it will cut up to 6,000 jobs from its global workforce by 2028, after its beer sales fell last year. But the firm’s portfolio of no/low drinks saw double-digit growth in 18 of its markets.

Bobin, who is Muslim, said zeroalcohol drinks can help teetotalers and drinkers of alcohol spend time together She tasted a variety of nonalcoholic adult beverages at the Wine Paris show, looking for some to sell at her delicatessen shop in France’s winemaking Burgundy region.

“It allows us to share a moment with people even without drinking alcohol. So they can drink if they want, but we can still share a drink, toast with

wines are presented

them,” she said. “It offers an alternative for everyone and brings people together. It’s more of a product for inclusion, I think, for people who don’t drink alcohol, and that’s great.”

Alcohol consumption in France has plummeted in the last half-century, with many adults dropping the habit of wine with most meals and young people, in particular, generally drinking less and differently than their parents.

Katja Bernegger, who produces alcohol-free wines in Austria, said no/ low drinking isn’t a passing fad.

“People are more mindful of their body,” she said. “If you drink today, you probably have a headache tomorrow, and they don’t want it because you need to function, you have kids, you have a job.”

Bernegger and her partner, a winemaker, started venturing into noalcohol wines when she was pregnant She stopped drinking but missed the flavors of wine.

“You are standing there with your orange juice or Coke. You are out of it. You have to explain why you don’t drink,” she said.

“So you are simply having just half of the fun in life. And that’s the reason why we need some sophisticated nonalcoholic options.”