The Times-Picayune 02-23-2026

La.auditor’s time in N.O. notendingsoon

Mike Waguespack workingtoclean up city’s finances

BY SOPHIE KASAKOVE and BEN MYERS Staff writers

For months, the paychecks of

nearly 5,000 New Orleans municipal workers depended on the judgment of one man: Louisiana Legislative Auditor Mike Waguespack. It wasanunusual deal.The state auditor typicallyinvestigates public finances. He does not control them. But after New Orleans’ fiscal crisisworsened last fall, the unassumingThibodeauxresident in November began supervising bond funds New Orleans would use to cover its payroll. Though Mayor Helena Moreno has since assumed office, in order to issue paychecks, Waguespack hadtobeonboard.

That setupwas acompromise between stateleaders whohad threatened to put the city in fiscal receivership, essentially handing controlofNew Orleans’ government to astate appointee, andlocalswho wanted independencebut agreed to getting thestate’sOKto access thebonds.

ä

‘FROMKINDNESS TO CRUELTY’

Inside NewOrleans’immigration court, volunteers watchcases unfold

Courtwatcher ArchChaneysteps off the AlgiersPoint/Canal

he says,atNew Orleans Immigration Court

BY JENNA ROSS Staffwriter

The woman, from Honduras, sat in the immigration courtroom alone. No husband, no kids,no lawyer. In the back row,Arch Chaneyheld his breath.

“Your husband, whereishetoday?” Judge Eric Marsteller asked, noting that he, too, had been scheduled to appear.

“He’sworking,” the womansaid in Spanish, via an interpreter.

“And your children?”

BY MICHELLEL.PRICE and ALLEN G. BREED Associated Press

WASHINGTON An armed man drove into the secure perimeter of Mar-a-Lago,

In an unusual arrangement, Legislative Auditor Mike Waguespackhas been supervising bond funds the city is using to coverits payroll amidNew Orleans’ finanicalcrisis.

money wouldgo toward newfacility

BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writer

Citing aneedfor more beds to house incarcerated youth,Louisiana’s juvenile justice system has asked for$28 million moreinstate funding for the next budgetcycle —including $15.2 milliontoopen anew secure care facility in Vernon Parish.

If approved by the Louisiana Legislature,which will take up the budget during the legislative session that begins March 9, the change would mark aroughly 16% increaseoverthe OfficeofJuvenile Justice’sbudget for thecurrent fiscalyear, whichsitsat about $177 million.

“They’reinschool.”

“Oh boy,” muttered Chaney,aformer attorney.Failure to appear,heknew, could be reason for deportation.

Chaney,80, had seen similar proceedings end in deportation before. He’d seen snippets of many people’sstories from the back row of New OrleansImmigration Court.Onthis January morning, as he had twice aweek for months, he’d arrived to “bear witness,” as he put it.Totake anote, to offer asmile.

Last May,amid the illegal immigra-

PresidentDonald Trump’s resort in Palm Beach, Florida,beforebeing shot and killed early Sunday morning, according to aspokesman for the U.S.Secret Service. Although Trumpoften

spends weekends at his resort, he was at theWhite House when the breach occurred about 1:30 a.m. The man had agas can and

ä See MAR-A-LAGO, page 4A

tion crackdown from President Donald Trump’sadministration, volunteers with Jewish Voicefor Peace, Unión Migrante and other activistgroups in the city began showing up in thesecourtrooms, on the fifth floor of CanalPlace, an escalator rideabove Brooks Brothers, an elevator ride above the food court.

Most hadnolegalbackground. Most could speak little Spanish. But theydid what theycould do. They watched.

ä See ACTIVISTS, page 5A

The OJJ’ssecure carefacilitiesare the equivalent of juvenile detention centers. Theyhouse convictedyouth in need of the highest level of security Of the $15.2 millionfor the Vernon Parish facility,$11 millionisslated to fund 122 positions, while $2.5 million willpay foroperational costssuch as medical care, supplies, leasecosts and insurance costs, according to Commissioner of AdministrationTaylorBarras, a top budget official. Another$1.6 million is set aside for repairs to the building, he said. That building is owned by the Vernon Parish Sheriff’s Office. Of the total $28 millionincrease, $2.6 millionisexpected to be used for one-timepurchases, according to Barras. Asked whatelse was contributing to therequested budgetincrease, Barras said the state anticipated higher costs with more youth using OJJ programs. And, he said, $2 million of theincrease wasslated to pay for staffing at the Jetson Center for Youth in Baker Jetson is ashuttered former juvenile facility.Itisexpected to partly reopen in April. Officials last year said they needed to open abuilding there to house 36 teens due to bedspace shortages.

The state is simultaneouslyexpected to begin construction on anew 72bed facility on the Jetson property So, too, will the Vernon Parish facility help support agrowing population of incarcerated teens, according to Deputy SecretaryCourtneyMyers, the OJJ’stop official.

BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

EU: U.S. must honor deal after tariff ruling

BRUSSELS The European Union’s executive arm requested “full clarity” from the United States and asked its trade partner to fulfill its commitments after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down some of President Donald Trump’s most sweeping tariffs.

Trump has lashed out at the court decision and said Saturday that he wants a global tariff of 15%, up from the 10% he announced a day earlier

The European Commission said the current situation is not conducive to delivering “fair balanced, and mutually beneficial” trans-Atlantic trade and investment, as agreed to by both sides and spelled out in the EUU.S. Joint Statement of August 2025.

American and EU officials sealed a trade deal last year that imposes a 15% import tax on 70% of European goods exported to the United States. The European Commission handles trade for the 27 EU member countries.

A top EU lawmaker said on Sunday he will propose to the European Parliament negotiating team to put the ratifying process of the deal on pause.

“Pure tariff chaos on the part of the U.S. administration,” Bernd Lange, the chair of Parliament’s international trade committee, wrote on social media. “No one can make sense of it anymore — only open questions and growing uncertainty for the EU and other U.S. trading partners.”

The value of EU-U.S. trade in goods and services amounted to $2 trillion in 2024, or an average of about $5.4 billion a day according to EU statistics agency Eurostat.

Huckabee’s words taken out of context, U.S. says TELAVIV,Israel An uproar continued Sunday after the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, said Israel has a right to much of the Middle East, as more Arab and Muslim countries objected and the U.S. said his comments were taken out of context.

Huckabee spoke in an interview with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson that aired Friday Carlson said that according to the Bible, the descendants of Abraham would receive land that today would include much of the Middle East, including parts of modern-day Jordan Syria, Iraq and Lebanon. He quoted from Genesis Chapter 15 and asked Huckabee if Israel had a right to that land.

Huckabee responded: “It would be fine if they took it all.”

A spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy said Sunday that Huckabee’s comments were taken out of context and that there is no change to U.S. policies on Israel. In the interview, Huckabee added: “They’re not asking to go back and take all of that, but they are asking to at least take the land that they now occupy, they now live in, they now own legitimately, and it is a safe haven for them.” He added that Israel isn’t trying to take over Jordan, Lebanon Syria, or Iraq but is trying to protect its own people.

A joint statement Sunday by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Qatar Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Syria, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, the Palestinian Authority and several Arab governing bodies called Huckabee’s remarks

“dangerous and inflammatory” and ones that endanger the region’s stability

NASA to return rocket to hangar for repairs

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Grounded until at least April, NASA’s giant moon rocket is headed back to the hangar this week for more repairs before astronauts climb aboard.

The space agency said Sunday it’s targeting Tuesday for the slow, 4-mile trek across Kennedy Space Center, weather permitting.

NASA had barely finished a repeat fueling test Thursday, to ensure dangerous hydrogen fuel leaks were plugged when another problem cropped up

This time, the rocket’s helium system malfunctioned, further delaying astronauts’ first trip to the moon in more than half a century

ASSOCIATED

Pedestrians

Sunday past a

Next U.S.-Iran talks set for Thursday

Washington awaits proposed deal from Tehran

BY JON GAMBRELL Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The United States and Iran will hold their next round of nuclear talks Thursday in Geneva, a facilitator said Sunday as the Islamic Republic faces both the threat of a U.S. military strike and new protests at home.

Oman’s foreign minister, Badr al-Busaidi, confirmed the talks. Oman previously hosted the indirect talks on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program and facilitated the latest round in Geneva last week.

There was no immediate comment from the Trump administration, which has built up the largest U.S. military presence in the Middle East in decades as it pushes its longtime adversary for concessions on its nuclear program and more.

Shortly before Oman’s announcement, Iran’s top diplomat, Abbas Araghchi, told CBS in an interview that he expected to meet U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff in Geneva on Thursday, and said a “good chance” remained for a diplomatic solution on the nuclear issue.

Washington awaits a proposed deal that Araghchi has said would be ready to share within days, and the foreign minster told CBS that Iran was still working on the draft proposal. The nuclear issue, he added, is the only matter being discussed — even though both the United States and Israel also want to address Iran’s missile program

and its support for armed proxies in the Middle East

President Donald Trump warned on Friday that limited strikes against Iran are possible, and both Iran and the U.S. have signaled they are prepared for war if the talks on Tehran’s nuclear program fail.

Minutes after Oman’s confirmation of the talks, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on social media that negotiations had involved “the exchange of practical proposals and yielded encouraging signals,” but added that Tehran has “made all necessary preparations for any potential scenario.”

The U.S. has said Iran cannot have nuclear weapons or the capacity to build them and that it cannot enrich uranium. Araghchi, however, told CBS that Iran has the right to enrich uranium

On Friday he said his U.S. counterparts had not asked for zero enrichment as part of the latest round of talks, which is not what U.S. officials have said publicly He also said talks focused on how to ensure that Iran’s nuclear program, including enrichment, “will remain peaceful forever.” He said that in return, Iran will implement confidence-building measures in exchange for relief on economic sanctions. Tehran has long insisted that any negotiations should only focus on its nuclear program, and has refused to discuss wider U.S. and Israeli demands that it scale back its missile program and sever ties to armed groups.

Although Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful, the U.S. and others suspect it is aimed at eventually developing weapons. Iran says it hasn’t been enriching uranium since U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites in June.

Blizzard warnings cascade across East Coast as storm approaches

BY ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE, JULIE WALKER and ADAM GELLER Associated Press

NEW YORK New York City and New Jersey announced travel bans, airlines canceled thousands of flights and even Broadway shows were canceled Sunday evening as a fierce winter storm bore down on the Northeastern U.S., prompting blizzard warnings from Maryland to Massachusetts Snow began falling in New Jersey and New York as the storm moved northward.

The National Weather Service said 1 to 2 feet of snow was possible in many areas, along with heavy winds. Visibility in many areas was expected to be a quarter-mile or less. Officials throughout the region urged residents to avoid travel.

“It’s been a while since we’ve had a major nor’easter and major blizzard of this magnitude across the Northeast,” said Cody Snell, a meteorologist at the service’s Weather Prediction Center “This is definitely a major winter storm and a major impact for this part of the country.”

The weather service issued blizzard warnings for New York City and Long Island, Boston and coastal communities in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. State of emergency declarations were issued in New York City and other parts of New York state, New Jersey, Delaware, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts as officials mobilized readiness efforts.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a ban on nonemergency travel on all streets from 9 p.m. Sunday through noon Monday, with travel restrictions planned in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and elsewhere in the region. The emergency alerts, blasted to the phones of New York City residents, warned them to stay off roads “due to dangerous blizzard conditions.”

Around the region, airports canceled flights ahead of the storm, and even DoorDash announced it was suspending deliveries in the city overnight

TSA halts Global Entry program

Move comes amid partial government shutdown

BY JAMIE STENGLE and ALI SWENSON The Associated Press

DALLAS The Transportation Security Administration said Sunday that its Global Entry program would be suspended as long as the partial government shutdown remains in effect.

The announcement comes after the Department of Homeland Security said Saturday night that it planned to shut down both Global Entry and the Transportation Security Administration’s PreCheck program as well, but DHS canceled the PreCheck closure.

“As staffing constraints arise, TSA will evaluate on a case-by-case basis and adjust operations accordingly,” the agency said.

The turmoil at security and customs lanes is tied to a partial government shutdown that began Feb. 14 after Democrats and the White House were unable to reach a deal on legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security Democrats have been demanding changes to immigration operations that are core to President Donald Trump’s deportation campaign.

The security disruptions come at a time when a major winter storm will hit the East Coast from Sunday into Monday Nine out of 10 flights going out of John F. Kennedy International Airport, LaGuardia Airport and Boston Logan Airport have been canceled for Monday

Global Entry is a U.S. Customs and Border Protection program that allows preapproved low-risk travelers to use expedited kiosks when entering the United States from abroad. There’s no specific government data that shows how much time passengers save at airports or other ports of entry from Global Entry

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By SETH WENIG

Pedestrians climb over snow banks to try and cross the streets on Jan. 26 in New york. The region is bracing for another winter storm.

To the south, landmarks such as the Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C., announced closures Monday

The weather service said some of the heaviest snow was expected to fall overnight, with as much as 2 inches of snow per hour accumulating at times in some areas, before tapering off by Monday afternoon.

It said the storm’s strong wind gusts could cause whiteout conditions and warned of a “Potentially Historic/Destructive Storm” southeast of the BostonProvidence corridor

“Winds like that, combined with heavy, wet snow are a recipe for damaged trees and prolonged power outages,” said Bryce Williams, a meteorologist with the weather service’s Boston office. “That’s what we’re most concerned with, is the combination of those extreme snow amounts with that wind.”

The storm could possibly meet the definition of a bomb cyclone, said Frank Pereira, another weather service meteorologist. That’s when a storm drops at least 24 millibars in pressure in 24 hours.

More than 3,500 flights were canceled across the U.S. as of Sunday afternoon along with thousands of delays, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware. Airports in the path of the storm, including in New York City and Boston, were also seeing widespread cancellations and delays.

but travel industry experts estimate that Global Entry cuts the amount of time passengers getting through customs from an average of 30 to 90 minutes to 5 to 10 minutes in Global Entry lines.

Those who purchase Global Entry also receive TSA PreCheck. In 2024, the Department of Homeland Security said more than 20 million Americans had TSA PreCheck, and millions of those Americans have overlapping Global Entry memberships.

Airport lines seemed largely unaffected Sunday, with security check line wait times listed as under 15 minutes for most international airports, according to TSA’s mobile app. Blair Perkins, 39, of Dallas, had seen the news about the shutdown of Global Entry before she left Cancun to return home Sunday morning to Dallas. She said after she and her friends arrived at DallasFort Worth International Airport that the regular line was long but moved fairly fast.

“We went around about four or five different corners to get to the end of the U.S. line,” she said. With Global Entry, it usually takes less than five minutes to get through customs, she said. Sunday, it took about 30 minutes. Perkins said the shutdown was frustrating. “It feels like Washington is using travelers as a pawn to try to, I guess, persuade the other side to do what they want,” she said. Homeland Security previously said it was taking “emergency measures to preserve limited funds.” Among the steps listed were “ending Transportation Security Administration (TSA) PreCheck lanes and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Global Entry service, to refocus Department personnel on the majority of travelers.”

“We are glad that DHS has decided to keep PreCheck operational and avoid a crisis of its own making,” said Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of the U.S Travel Association

La.Democrats won’tboycott Stateofthe Union

BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer

WASHINGTON —Louisiana’s two Democratic U.S. House members —Rep. Troy Carter Sr., of New Orleans, and Rep. Cleo Fields,ofBaton Rouge —plan to sit stoically in the chamber when President Donald Trump gives his State of the Unionaddress Tuesday,unlike some other members of their party

At least two dozen Democratic representatives and senators have announced that they plan to instead attend two “counter events” —orjust not show up to the

Mexican army kills cartel leader ‘El Mencho’

JaliscoNew Generation head slaininoperation to capturehim

BY FABIOLA SÁNCHEZ Associated Press

MEXICO CITY The Mexican army killed the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, “El Mencho,” on Sunday,decapitating what had become Mexico’s most powerful carteland giving the government its biggest prize yet to show the Trump administrationits efforts.

Oseguera Cervantes was wounded in an operationto capture him Sunday in Tapalpa, Jalisco, about atwo-hour drive southwest of Guadalajara and he died while being flown to Mexico City,the Defense Department said in astatement. The state is the base of the cartel known for trafficking huge quantities of fentanyl and other drugs to the United States.

During the operation, troops came under fire and killed four people at the location. Three more people,including Oseguera Cervantes, were wounded and later died, the statement said. Two others were arrested and armored vehicles, rocket launchers and other arms were seized. Three members of thearmed forces were wounded and receiving medical treatment.

The killing of the powerful drug lord set off several hours of roadblocks with burning vehicles in Jalisco and other states. Such tactics arecommonly used by the cartels to block military operations. Jalisco canceled school in the state for Monday

annual briefing to Congress as outlinedinthe U.S. Constitution.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., told the 214-memberDemocratic delegationtodoas theyplease, but he would sit in “silentdefiance”asPresident Donald Trump runs through GOPaccomplishments and desires

“It’s my view that you don’t let anyone ever runyou off of yourblock,” Jeffries told reporters. Fields and Carter,Louisiana’sonly Democratic members, saidthey wouldjoin Jeffries.

“While Istrongly disagree with President Trump and his administration’spolicies, my oath to uphold the Constitution requires thatI show up,exercise oversight and fulfill my responsibility under our system of checks and balances,”Carter said Friday

TheDepartment of Homeland Security hasbeen shut down for aweek and could still be come Tuesday.Democrats have refused to appropriate funding to DHS until Republicans agree to restrictionsonhow the agency’s agents enforce immigration laws. The Federal Emer-

gencyManagementAgency, which handles disaster relief, and the Transportation SecurityAdministration, which checkspassengers at airports, are both part of Homeland Security andare closed, though much of their personnel arerequired to workwithout pay

The Democratic base has been demandingelected officials take astronger stance againstTrumpand Republican policies that have largely been approvedasthe GOP holds majorities in Congress and on the U.S. Supreme Court.

MoveOn, aprogressive advocacy group,and MeidasTouch, aprogressive media group, are hosting “counter-

sitscharred Sundayafter beingset on fire on aroad in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, after the death of the leader of the Jalisco NewGeneration Cartel, Nemesio Rubén OsegueraCervantes, knownas‘El Mencho.

Videoscirculating on social media showed plumes of smoke billowing over the tourist city of Puerto Vallartain Jalisco,and people sprinting through the airport of the state’scapitalin panic.OnSunday afternoon, Air Canada announced it wassuspending flights to Puerto Vallarta“due to an ongoingsecurity situation” and advised customers not to go to their airport. In Guadalajara, the state capital, burning vehicles blocked roads.Mexico’ssecond-largestcity is scheduled to host matchesduringthis summer’ssoccer WorldCup.

The U.S. State Department warned U.S. citizens in Jalisco, Tamaulipas, Michoacan, Guerreroand Nuevo Leon states to remain in safe places due to the ongoing security operations.Canada’s embassy in Mexico warned its citizens in Puerto Vallarta to shelterinplace and generally to keep alow profileinJalisco.

Jalisco Gov.Pablo Lemus told residents to stay at home and suspended public transportation

TheU.S. State Department had offered arewardofup to $15 million for information leading to thearrest of El Mencho. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel, known as CJNG, is one of the most powerfuland fastest growing criminal organizations in Mexico andwas born in 2009.

In February,the Trump administrationdesignated the cartel as aforeign terrorist organization

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum,like her predecessor,has criticized the “kingpin” strategyofprevious administrations that took out cartel leaders only to trigger explosions of violenceascartelsfractured. While she hasremained popular in Mexico,security is a persistent concern andsince President Donald Trump took office ayear ago, she hasbeen undertremendous pressure to show results against drug trafficking.

The Jalisco cartel has been one of the most aggressive cartels in its attacksonthe military—including on helicopters— and is apioneer in launching explosives from drones and installing mines.In2020, it carried out aspectacular assassination attempt with grenades and high-powered rifles in the heart of Mexico Cityagainst thethen head of the capital’s police force and now federal securitysecretary.

The DEA considers the carteltobeaspowerful as theSinaloa cartel,one of Mexico’smost infamous criminal groups, with apresence in all 50 U.S.states. It is oneofthe main suppliers of cocaine to the U.S. market and, like the Sinaloa cartel, earns billions from theproduction of fentanyl andmethamphetamines. Sinaloa, however, hasbeen weakened by infighting afterthe loss of itsleaders Ismael “El Mayo”Zambada and Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, bothinU.S. custody.

Oseguera Cervantes, 59,

was originally from Aguililla in the neighboring state of Michoacan. He had been significantly involved in drug trafficking activities since the1990s. When he was younger, he migrated to theU.S. where he was convicted of conspiracy to distribute heroin in the U.S. District Courtfor the NorthernDistrictofCalifornia in 1994 and served nearly three years in prison.

programming” on the National Mall near the Capitol as Trump giveshis State of the Union speech. About a dozen Democratic members of Congress have said they will attend.

Other Democrats have said they will go to a“State of the Swamp” event at the National Press Club. Still others, such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.,say they plantojust skip the speech.

Jeffries and Senate MinorityLeader Chuck Schumer, R-N.Y.,announced that VirginiaGov.Abigail Spanberger would give the official Democratic response after Trump concludes. U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif.,

will deliverthe Democratic response in Spanish. Because thespeech is so high-profile and televised on most networks, disruptions often occur

Lastyear,DemocraticRep Al Green, aLouisiana native who represents parts of Houston, interrupted Trump yelling, “You have no mandate to cut Medicaid!” House Speaker Mike Johnson, RBenton, had Greenremoved. During the 2023 State of theUnion, then-Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., interrupted President Joe Biden, calling him a“liar.” The address begins at 8p.m.and is available on major television stations and streaming platforms.

By The Associated Press

KYIV,Ukraine Russia attacked Ukraine with abarrage of missilesand drones, killing one personinthe Kyivregion, Ukraine’s Emergency Service said on Sunday

Another eight people, includinga child, were rescued from under the rubble of destroyedbuildings,the service said.

The attack caused damage and fires to erupt in five districts in the suburbs of Kyiv.Inthe village of Putrivka in the Fastiv district, emergency first responders workedonsavingpeople buried under debris.

Russia also struck energy infrastructure in Ukraine’s southern Odesa region, resulting in significant fires, which were later extinguished, the emergency service said.

During thefouryears sinceRussia launchedan all-out war on its neighbor, anddespite anew push over

thepastyearinU.S.-led peace efforts, Ukrainian civilians have endured constantaerialattacks. Russia has also ramped up attacks targeting the country’senergy grid, leaving Ukrainian civilians without electricityand heating amid harsh winterconditions. Ukraine’s Air Force said Sunday that Russia’sovernight barrage had included 297 drones and 50 missiles of various types, of which 274 drones and 33 missiles wereshotdownorneutralized. Of those remaining, 14 missiles and23drones struck 14 locations, it said. Threemissileswereunaccounted for Separately,anexplosion in Ukraine’swestern city of Lviv killed one person andinjured25, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saidina Telegram post on Sunday.One person hasbeen arrestedover the incident, which is unrelated to Russia’saerial attack on Ukraine

Waguespack also pledged to investigate other parts of the city’s finances from as far backas2022 andtorecommend corrective measures.

Now,after three months on the job, the payroll fund is spent. Still, Waguespack says his work atCity Hall could continue for years, perhaps through the end of Mayor Helena Moreno’sfirst term. And he said he expects to make recommendations for nearly every corner of city government,from employee health care policies to the size of the New Orleans Police Department. (He thinks the force should be smaller.)

In an interview,Waguespack said he was “kind of playing somewhat of aDOGE role for New Orleans,” noting that his office assisted Gov.Jeff Landry with his statewide “LA DOGE” initiative, though he later walked back the comparison to billionaire Elon Musk’ssearch for waste in the federalgovernment.

“I don’tthink anybody wantsa shotgunapproach,” Waguespack said, referring to Musk’seffort. “It’smore of ascalpel.”

AMoreno spokespersonsaid themayor’sadministration is willing to work with everyone to address the city’sfinancial problems, and that the auditor’soffice has “worked collaboratively to provide city management with information and opportunitiesfor reform.”

Shealsoemphasizedthatfinal authority overthe city’sfinances rests with Moreno, not Waguespack.

“It is the responsibility of the mayor and her administration to determine the best course for the people of New Orleans,” Isis Casanova said.

Theunprecedenteddealbetween city and state officials rests on afragile political equilibrium. On one hand, state officials expect Waguespack to clean up city finances. On the other,Waguespack said he’ll need to work with localleaders if he is to maintain his reputation as a“trusted adviser” and not become the fiscal administratorstateand local leaders agreed New Orleans should not have.

Theadviser

Waguespack is no stranger to helping the city

The former Assumption Parish sheriff, in town after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, walked up to thenOrleans Parish Sheriff Marlin Gusman as floodwaters engulfed thecityand asked what he needed. The answer was at least 10buses to transport acouple hundred deputies and others who were then huddled at the city’sjail.

Waguespacksent the buses. “I was telling him the other day, ‘This isn’tthe first time you’re rescuing New Orleans,’”Gusman said.

Waguespack wasanoutsider to Assumption, population 21,000, when he waselectedthere in 1999, having moved to Napoleonville five years earlier to setupan accounting and consulting shop. The LSU grad promised to use his accounting background to run the Sheriff’s Office like abusiness Waguespack’seasy manner endeared him to voters andofficials, recalled Martin Triche, the former Assumption Parish Police Jury president “Mike is fair.He’sintelligent. He can …understand the dynamics of various issues fairly quickly, withoutprejudgingorhavingill feelings in his heart,” Triche said.

Still, Waguespack lost his fourth reelectionbid in 2016, and he resigned afterthe election andbefore the new sheriff took office.

He said he stepped down early to take ajob in the private sector and chalked up hisdefeat to a“strong on accountability”stance.

“You terminateenough deputies andarrest enough folks,eventually the tide turns on you,”hesaid

Former Gov.John BelEdwards eventually tapped Waguespack to serve on the Louisiana TaxCommission, which oversees tax collections throughout the state.And in 2021, the Louisiana Legislature appointed himasthe legislative auditor,where he’soverseen standard financial reviews of state agencies, along with investigations into mismanagement of Medicaid funding by thestate Health Department and a$400,000 fraud scheme by aState Fire Marshal’s Officeemployee.

The job is nonpartisan; Waguespack, aformer Democrat, switched to “noparty” affiliation upontaking thehelm. He said he’s trying to change theoffice’simage as afearsome presence for local officials, given its broad powers to investigateany public agency

“The opportunityI sawwiththis office was to get awayfrom the gotcha police,” he said.

Administrator-lite

When the auditor was first called to City Hall last October,hefound abudget crisismore severe than anyone imagined: The 2025 spending deficit was $160million.

Andthat was before the Cantrell administrationannounced it had run out of cashto pay employees, promptingthe city to seekthe State Bond Commission’spermission toborrow$125million.

Thecity’srequest appeared to hitawall when Attorney General Liz Murrill and Gov.Jeff Landry blastedlocal officials andurged the commissiontorequire afiscal administrator as acondition of its approval Moreno, fresh off acommanding election victory and managing her first crisis before she was sworn in, found amiddle ground with state officials allowingthem some authority —but nottoo much —over city finances.

The result was abroadly worded agreement with the Bond CommissionmakingWaguespack something of afiscal administrator-lite. While an actual administrator wieldstotal authority over spending and budgets, Waguespackonlycontrols how theshortterm revenue bond proceeds are spent.But his broad mandate to investigate every corner of City Hall wasenough to appease the governor

“Some people saywe’retreating you all as different. We are,” saidLandry, as Bond Commission membersprepared to approve the agreement at ameeting in November

Since then, the auditor has often spent one day aweek working in a bare room in City Hall, his laptop perchedonaconference table. He andastaff of eight also spend time digging into thecity’sbooks from their headquarters in Baton Rouge.

They’verequested tranches of city payrolland procurement records and policies,and he speaks with themayor and her top deputies “daily, if notmultiple times a day.”

One early takeaway: City government is too big

“You’ve got close to 5,000 employees, alot of employees,” Waguespack said, addingthat every aspect of city government has “a spend factor that needs to be looked at.”

He plans to recommend just

how many people the city should employ. He could alsoeventually recommend that the New Orleans Police Departmentstay at its current staffingwith around 900 officers, he said—its lowestforce levelsincethe 1950s. Thatwould come despiteconsensus among police officials and business groups that 300 additional officers are needed.

His team is reviewing thecity’s fleet log, looking forexcess vehicles to sell. They’re examining employee retirement payouts. They’re also planning to release alist showing the 2025 salaries of everycity employee by position title, with names excluded. They’ve already issued areport on the $24 monthly sanitation fee, finding that it doesn’t cover the cost of trash pickup.

The city hasbeen invoiced more than $100,000 by the auditor’s office forthe work so far, and Waguespack declined to estimate theultimate total cost.

Ahugetask

Waguespack himself seemed overwhelmed —thoughenthusiastically so —about the scope of the project during arecentinterview in his makeshift office.

“We’ve still got to look at health insuranceand the retirement things. There’s, gosh,there’sleave policies that have to be rewritten,” he said, sporting green socks patterned withshrimpand atie striped with Mardi Gras colors.

Murrill and state SenatePresident Cameron Henry, both members of the bond commission, said this month thatthey trusted the auditor and Moreno’sadministration to work together

“They did meet thestandards to be put under afiscal administration,” said Murrill. “Everybody agreed to give this plan ashot andsee if some changes could be made that would stabilize the city’sbudget.”

Murrill said that the onus on the city to comply with Waguespack’s recommendations coulddepend on what they are —and shesaid theNOPDneeds to grow,not shrink or remain stagnant

YetHenryindicated Moreno’s cooperationissomething of a probationary test, with the city’s accesstofuture loansand financial independencehanging in the balance.

“I would highlyrecommend thatthey follow just about every single recommendation that he makes,” Henry said. “For the recommendation they don’tfollow, they need to have averyspecial reason.”

City CouncilPresidentJPMorrell said he thinksWaguespack is probably looking into more than what was originally agreed to, at leastwith respect to theNOPD forcesize. He doesn’tthinkit’sa problem

“I think both the City Council andthe mayor welcome athird party giving their opinion on issues of that kind of importance,” Morrell said, noting the city isn’t compelledtotakeWaguespack’s recommendations So far,they have agreed on plans to rein in NOPD overtimeand curb the city’sfleet of take-home vehicles.Whether thegood faith lasts could profoundly impact the arc of Moreno’sfirst term.

And Waguespack isn’tgoing anywhere.Thoughthe payroll fund is spent, Waguespack said it could take another four years for thecitytostop borrowing money to cover its costs andfor hisdayto-day oversight role to end. He said Moreno wants to limit it to three years.

“Herand Ikind of had alaugh, sort of aside betonthat,” Waguespack said.

MAR-A-LAGO

Continuedfrom page1A

ashotgun, authorities said. Investigatorsidentified himas21-yearoldAustinTucker Martin, of North Carolina, according to aperson familiarwith the matter who was not authorized to discussitpublicly, and authorities said his family had recently reported him missing.

He’sbelieved to have purchased hisshotgun while driving south, Secret ServicespokespersonAnthony Guglielmi said, anda boxfor theweapon waslater discovered in the man’svehicle.

Investigators have not identified amotive. However,Trump has faced threats to his lifebefore, including twoassassination attempts during the 2024 campaign.

Investigationisongoing

The man entered the north gate of theproperty as another vehicle wasexiting andwas confronted by twoSecret Serviceagentsand aPalm Beach County sheriff’s deputy,according to PalmBeach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw

“He was ordered to drop those two pieces of equipment thathe had with him. At which time he put down the gas can, raised the shotgun to ashooting position,” Bradshaw said at abrief news conference. The two agents and the deputy “fired their weapons to neutralize the threat.”

The Moore County Sheriff’s DepartmentinNorth Carolina said a relative of Martin’sreported him missing early Sunday morning. Investigators are working to compile apsychological profile Asked whether the man waspreviously known to law enforcement, Bradshaw said, “not right now.”

TheFBI encouragedresidents wholive near Mar-a-Lago to check any security cameras theymay have for footagethatcould help investigators.

In apost on X, FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau would be “dedicating all necessary resources” to theinvestigation.

On Sundayafternoon, vehicles blocked the entrance to aproperty listedinpublic records as an address for Martin at the end of aprivate road in Cameron,North Carolina.

Braeden Fields, Martin’scousin, reacted with disbelief. He described Martinasquiet, afraid of guns and from afamily of avid Trumpsupporters.

“He’sa good kid,”Fields, 19, said. He said they grew up together.“I wouldn’tbelieve he would do something like this. It’smind-blowing.”

He said Martin worked at alocal golf course and would send money from each paycheck to charity

“He wouldn’teven hurt an ant. He doesn’teven know howtouse agun,”Fields said.

He said his cousin didn’tdiscuss politics.

“Weare big Trumpsupporters, allofus. Everybody,” Fields said, but his cousin was “real quiet, never really talked about anything.” Sunday’sincursion at Mar-aLagotook place afew miles from Trump’sWestPalmBeach club where aman triedtoassassinate him while he played golf during the 2024 campaign.

ASecret Serviceagent spotted that man, Ryan Routh, aiming a rifle through the shrubbery before Trump cameinto view.Officials said Routhaimed hisrifleatthe agent, who opened fire and caused Routh to drop his weapon.

Routh was found guilty last year and sentenced this month to life in prison.

Trumpalso survived an assassination attempt at acampaign rally in Butler,Pennsylvania.Thatgunmanfired eight shots before being killed by aSecretService counter sniper. Onerallyattendeewas killed by the gunman.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in apost on X that “the United States Secret Service acted quickly and decisively to neutralizeacrazy person,armed withagun anda gascanister,who intrudedPresident Trump’shome.” Leavitt used her post to blame Democraticlawmakers in Congress forthe partial government shutdown affecting the Homeland Security Department, which began Feb. 14 after Democrats demanded changestothe president’sdeportation campaign. The Secret Service is amongthe agencies wherethe vast majority of employees arecontinuing their work but missing apaycheck.

“Federal lawenforcement are working 24/7 to keep our country safe and protect all Americans,” Leavittsaid. “It’sshamefuland reckless that Democrats have chosen to shut down their Department.”

The White House referred all questions to the Secret Service and FBI.Both Trumpand hiswife posted statements on social media after theincident,but theywere unrelated to the shooting.

In the past year,there was the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk; theassassination of the Democratic leader in the Minnesota state House and her husband and the shooting of another lawmaker and hiswife;and an arson attack at the official residence of Pennsylvania Gov.Josh Shapiro. Five days ago, aGeorgiaman armed withashotgun was arrested as he sprinted toward the west side of the U.S. Capitol. Trump is scheduled to deliver his State of the Unionaddress there on Tuesday night.

Associated Press reporters

Alanna Durkin Richer and Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to this story

At first, they expectedto observe andfilm Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests. The news then was filled with images of masked federal agents detaining people at routine immigration hearings in New York City courts and elsewhere.

But only afew times have New Orleans volunteers seen or heard rumors of ICE agents in the building. (They still check bathrooms and stairwells, though.)

Instead, their eyes are trained inside theExecutiveOffice for Immigration Review courtrooms —ifand when they’re allowed inside them —trackingacomplex system of hearings, asylum applications and deportations. Day in and day out, they have become quiet witnesses to theTrump administration’sremakingof immigration in this country

And the trends they’ve observed in little notebooks are backed up by national data. Families, fearing ICE, not showing up for their long-scheduled appointments. Immigrants being sent to countries where they have no connections. The Department of Homeland Security restarting deportation proceedings against people whohad previously had their cases closed.

They’ve also witnessed moments not captured by data. Ajudge trying for 15 minutes to find aremote interpreter of an uncommon language. ASpanish interpreter grabbing coloring sheets and crayons forapair of antsy kids clad in Bluey sweatshirts. An immigrant, ordered to leave,weeping without making asound.

“Like with any science experiment, just by observing it you change the results,” said Nora Casserly,who shows up most Wednesdays. “So being watched, they’re likely better behaved —not always.

“I’ve seen everything from kindness to cruelty.”

‘She’s thefastest’

Casserly’sweekly routine begins at 7:45 a.m. On arecent morning, she stepped out of the Canal Place elevator and into agroupof peoplewaitingina beige, brightlylit hallway.Many clutched manilafolders and dogearedenvelopes. One mom, afolder in one hand, used her other to smooth a stray hair in her daughter’s tight pigtails.

Casserly,70, approached her with asmile: “¿Hablas español?”

Continued from page1A

“Toaddressthe increased youth population and alleviateovercrowding,the proposed project will renovate an existing building operated by the Vernon Parish Sheriff’s Office,” Myerssaid in astatement. “This renovation aims to create approximately 56 beds, enhancing

Immigration

The momhesitated, then gave asmall nod.

Casserlyhanded her a sheet of paper with information about lawyers “¿Tienes abogado?” —some of them offering free consultations. She worked her way down the line, passing outpapers in Spanish and Creole, before she and two of her counterparts joined it themselves.

“Relax your shoulders,” she said, taking adeep breath, “and softenyour heart.”

Past security,the court watchers gathered around a printed calendar on awall. It was their first opportunity to see it; it is not posted online.

“This might be afamily,” Casserly said, eyeing the matching last names,the shared lawyer,the sequential numbers.

Then each volunteer headed intoadifferent courtroom for themorning “master calendar” hearings, which areopentothe public. One morning in January Casserly picked Judge Charlotte Marquez’scourtroom, settling into the back row, opening anew page in her notebook.

“Date: 1-7-26. Marquez.” Marquez entered the room in arobe and with asingsong“Good morning ”

“She’sthe fastest,” Casserly said, explaining the judges’ different styles. “You needtotake adeep breath andcome down to herlevel —oruptoher speed.”

Thevolunteers arecritical of thesystem but respectful of thejudges, who are grapplingwithever-changing case law and hefty caseloads. They sense what the data show: Marquez is less likely to approve asylum requests, at 10.8%. Judge Joseph LaRocca,onthe bench for 11 years, granted 22.1%.

safety,enablingdevelopmental separation of youth, and supporting broader operational improvements.”

Statedata shows thenumberofyouth in secure care hassteadily risenover the past several years. In the fourth quarter of 2020, 308 received secure care servicesfrom the state; by the fourthquarter of 2025, that numberreached 510, accordingtoreports availableon the OJJ’swebsite.

And Judge Eric Marsteller granted 27.2%.

Since itsstart, the Trump administration hastargeted asylum, arguing that the Bidenadministrationforced immigration courts “to implement adefacto amnesty for hundreds of thousands of aliens,” aDepartment of Justicespokesperson said by email.

“ThisDepartment of Justiceisrestoring integrity to ourimmigration system by followingthe law,timely completing cases,and hiring themost talented legal professionals to join in our mission to protect national securityand public safety, thespokesperson said.

The Trump administration has “used aggressive measurestodeny asylum cases in immigration court,” according to Joseph Gunther, an independent researcher and mathematician who has used public data to analyze immigration court arrests, decisions and legal strategies.“Recently,a newstrategy known as ‘pretermission’ has emerged for ending asylumcourt cases abruptly,” Guntherwrote in arecent report, showing how judges nationwide have been denying moreasylum cases without merits hearings

In New Orleans, judges generally require due process,several courtwatchers said. “They’re doing their job, and they’re doing it professionally,for the most part,” Chaney said. “They’re treating people withdignity and respect.

“It’s thesystem Ihave an issue with.”

They are agray-haired group, forthe most part Veteransand retirees and grandparents,concerned aboutwhatthis country is becoming.

Each took atraining,

TheOJJ did notanswer questionsabout its current secure bed capacity or about what its capacity would be if theVernon Parishfacility opens.

Historically,the agency has struggled to provide enough beds for adjudicated youth. As aresult,some teens have languished in pretrial detention centers, whichare oftennot equipped to provide theservices they need

concerned about what’sgoing on,” said immigration attorney MauricioPons, who knows many of them by sight, if not name. Having them inside master calendar hearings is “appropriate, completely reasonable,” he continued.

“But whenyou go to an individual hearing, that’s when things get very sensitive.”

To maketheir case for asylum, immigrants are often reliving, under ajudge’s intense questioning, their worst moments, he continued. Rape,murder, torture. They’re sharing information that, if it were to become public, could put their lives at risk. “It’s between them, Godand the court,” he said.

Canal Place food court one morning, sporting an “I love due process” T-shirt. He found himself prosecuting people for offenses, mainly drug crimes, that were enforced on minorities in ways he believed were inequitable. He’d grown up watching “The Defenders” on TV and wanted to becomealawyer “out of anaive belief” that he’d be advancing the cause of justice. That tension led to a “flaming burnout” thatleft Chaney homeless. (He ended up in New Orleansvia the Department of Veterans Affairs. “They fixed me,” he said.)

learning how to trackstatistics: Attorney?Adequate interpretation? “Y,” they write, or “N.” No names,no addresses.

“Don’tbecreative, because it goes into adatabase,” said Mary EllenBurns, who learned theart of “de-identifieddata” while working as an oncologynurse.Her husband, Jon Christopher Brown,a retiredprofessor, is making use of theSpanish he learned while doing field workinMexico.

Casserly moved from San Francisco to New Orleans to be closertoher grandkids. AfterTrump’s first election, she donated andvolunteered.After his second, she began marching in the street

“You can just sit thereand be in despair,right?” she said.“Butdoing something makes you feel better.…I do it because it makes me feel better.”

‘Lagniappe time’

The court watchers attend allthe morning “master” hearings. But making it inside an individual hearing means getting the OK from the judge, the attorney and theindividual.

The court watch volunteers “seemlikegoodfolks,

The court watchers are sensitive to immigration attorneys’ concerns and careful not to writedown individuals’ names or full court ID numbers. Some take extensive notes,while others like Chaney,write little.

On his first court-watching shift, the first note Chaney wrote was alegal term: “Nexus?”

After riding theferry to his West Bank home later thatday,helooked it up. To win asylum,helearned, there needs to be alegal nexusbetween thepersecution youexperienced in your homecountry and your race or religion, nationality or social group. Chaney has a lawdegreeand hadbeen an attorney in Floridadecades ago.

He’sfamous in the group’s Signal chat foroffering regular legal know-how

But immigration courts are different than criminal courts. “I’m getting an education,” Chaney said.

Thecourts are part of theDepartmentofJustice, rather than the judiciary branch. Immigrants show up because the federal government has initiated deportationhearings forentering the country illegally.Attorneys are not required or provided.

Working as aprosecutor,back in the day,meant compromising his values, Chaneysaid, sitting in the

Now, after surviving addiction, homelessness and prostate cancer,“I’mliving on lagniappe time.” “I’m there to give whatever bodily support Ican,” he said. “My wife is adeeply religious person. …I toldher, ‘I feel likethis is whatGod wants me to do.’”

During the Jan. 22 “masters,” Chaneytook fewnotes as Marstellerslowly led a long slate of immigrants somelivinginthe United States for decades, some forjustmonths; somewith attorneys, many without through their rights and responsibilities.

Aprinter whined, the computer beeped, ababy cried from another room

Then thewoman from Honduras took her seat, as four numbers were read But she appeared alone. At aprevious hearing, she explained, the judge said she could appear on behalf of her family

“OK,I may have said that, and Ijust didn’twrite it in my notes,” Marsteller allowed, but warned her: Next time, she and her husband would both need to attend.

Chaney released the bit of air he’d been holding in. As the woman left the courtroom, her next hearing set forMarch 2029, Chaney gave hera littlewave. She broke into abig smile, waving back.

Email JennaRossat jenna.ross@theadvocate. com.

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LASPCA faces budget cut, trims services

Advocates fear crisis is on horizon

BY JONI HESS Staff writer

The Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has trimmed some of its services amid New Orleans’ budget crisis and animal welfare advocates fear a major public safety crisis is on the horizon. As of this month, the

nonprofit will continue to perform animal welfare checks in the community, but will not pick up strays or take in large animals as it contends with a 38% budget cut doled out by Mayor Helena Moreno’s administration.

The organization has also reduced adoption and intake times to four days a week and will be more se-

Acre Road complex demo to begin

Jefferson Parish’s last public housing area has sat vacant for years

BY LARA NICHOLSON Staff writer

For the last two years it’s been a ghost town along Betty Street in Marrero.

About 100 duplexes have sat vacant, with windows boarded up and some sections fenced off to discourage illegal dumping. Playgrounds once bustling with children are now rusty and falling apart.

Soon, the derelict Acre Road public housing complex — the last of its kind in Jefferson Parish will be demolished to make way for a new affordable housing development, marking the end of the Jefferson Parish Housing Authority and the traditional public housing model as the parish completes its shift toward the Housing Choice Voucher Program, commonly known as Section 8

“Nobody ever expected them to last as long as they have,” Benjamin Bell, executive director for the Housing Authority, told 30 residents at a community meeting for the demolition on Thursday night.

The Jefferson Parish Housing Authority has contracted with Manning Architects to manage the demolition, and is currently seeking proposals for a demolition contractor through March 13.

The agency will complete the demolition in phases, with the first phase including only the units within Julie Street, Acre Road, Betty Street and Dale Street, project planners said The second phase will demolish the units surrounding that area, and the final phase will demolish the remaining units on the other side of the Mayronne Canal.

The demolition process, which will require individual permits for all 100 street addresses, will also include asbestos remediation and air monitoring.

The entire cost of the demolition is estimated to be $5.1 million, according to the application submitted to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, while the first phase will utilize about $1.5 million in available funds, said Charles Luquet, director of construction for Manning Architects. Once cleared the property will be turned over for redevelopment to the Jefferson Parish Housing Services Development District, which now handles the

lective in delivering medical services and certain treatment. Pet owners will still be able to access routine veterinary care.

“These adjustments allow us to focus our resources where they are most effective while maintaining our responsibility to animals, public safety, and the people we serve,” said Ana Zorrilla, chief executive

officer of the Louisiana SPCA, in a news release

The cuts are part of wider budget clawbacks Moreno’s administration has implemented to avoid an estimated $222 million budget deficit this year carried over from the previous administration.

The city’s funding to the LASPCA this year $2 million — represents a portion of its total budget that also includes private donations and grants. In

2024, total revenue was $14 million, tax records show More recent numbers were not readily accessible.

In a statement Saturday,

Chief Administrative Officer Joe Giarrusso said the administration communicated with the LASPCA several weeks ago about the city’s budget and ways to raise revenue, but the organization failed to respond until only recently

To fill in the gaps, officials have proposed rais-

ing rabies fees comparable to Jefferson Parish, which could bring in at least an additional $400,000. They’ve also proposed using capital fund dollars for long-term improvements that the organization could repurpose toward animal control.

“As we manage grappling with this general fund budget crisis, we welcome the opportunity to collaborate as we’ve done with

AFTER PAWTy

Professor awaits decision on return to research

Woman removed from project after revealing pollution

BY DAVID J MITCHELL Staff writer

A Southeastern Louisiana University professor removed from a research project after revealing pollution in Lake Maurepas now awaits a decision on whether she can return to her role after a hearing that examined if the transfer violated academic freedom.

During the academic grievance hearing on Friday, Fereshteh Emami and two SLU research officials behind her removal offered dueling cases to a seven-member panel made up of university academics in SLU’s Fayard Hall Emami revealed this summer that Lake Maurepas is more polluted than anyone had realized, ratcheting up a running debate over a proposed carbon-capture network planned for the water body by the Air Products company Heavy metals, microplastics and other

chemicals were found in the lake and in some lake sediments, possibly from longterm industrial runoff and air pollution.

The findings from the Air Products-funded research project have raised concerns from critics that new lake dredging to build the company’s planned platforms and pipelines to inject carbon dioxide under the lake could stir up those pollutants After her results gained news media attention in mid-June, SLU officials removed her from the project. Emami contends it was in retaliation for speaking out and hurting prospects to replicate the research project with other companies pursuing carbon capture.

University officials say the charge is false and obscures the more prosaic reality — that she simply wasn’t keeping up the administrative demands of her job as a principal investigator and, as a result, was falling behind on research deadlines.

Led by geography professor Molly McGraw, the panel has 10 days to make a recommendation to university President William Wainwright, who makes the final decision.

High school, magnet enrollment season begins in Jefferson Application window closes March 27

BY ELYSE CARMOSINO Staff writer

Jefferson Parish families can soon begin applying to a high school or magnet program of their choice.

Beginning Monday, eighth graders who don’t want to attend the high school they’ve been zoned for can apply to any of five traditional high schools elsewhere in the district.

And starting March 2, families of children in grades K-11 can begin applying to magnet programs, which offer specialized learning opportunities focused on the arts, science or language, and require students to maintain a certain minimum GPA and take an entrance exam to be accepted. Families can choose from three magnet schools serving grades 6-12, as well as from magnet programs

LASPCA

Continued from page 1B

other projects and agencies to think outside the box on revenue streams to fill gaps,” Giarrusso said. The issue comes as animal welfare agencies have been struggling with shelter capacity issues and decreased adoptions since the pandemic, problems advocates have blamed on residents’ economic instability and a lack of shelters available to accommodate the need. The reductions also come as the LASPCA’s operating costs have increased in recent years. At a November budget hearing before the City Council, Zorrilla highlighted some of the main

DEMO

Continued from page 1B

parish’s voucher program that subsidizes rent paid to private landlords.

Dorian Rawles executive director of the district, said the redevelopment will primarily focus on affordable housing, with retail and community spaces incorporated into the project.

“We do have some preliminary plans that are proposed, but we are in our community input stage, where nothing is finalized,” Rawles said.

‘It’s really heartbreaking’

Anita Ford-Louis was one of three generations in her family who lived in the Acre Road complex during its heyday, with her mother being one of the first tenants to move in after it opened in 1964.

“This was a family, just one big family,” Ford-Louis said. “To see it vacant, it’s really heartbreaking because I see all the memories every time I drive down the street of all the people that lived here and the things we did here. For them to tear it down is like erasing the memories of childhood.”

Ford-Louis left in 1975 and now lives in Waggaman, but said her daughter’s family was living in the complex until the housing authority decided in 2020 to shutter the site and move tenants to voucher-based assistance, following a nationwide trend of housing authorities offloading properties as federal funds dwindled.

Jefferson Parish officials said the cost to rehabilitate the properties for issues like mold and mildew had become too expensive, and federal officials approved the closure of the complex in 2021.

But finding a viable living space that accepted vouchers proved difficult for tenants who left, and a research study performed on

PROFESSOR

Continued from page 1B

‘Shaken me’

Emami, an Iranian immigrant who became a U.S. citizen in 2024, said she fled repression and corruption in her home country But she argued that she suffered interference from SLU administrators, including an allegation that she was pressured to sign time sheets to pay interim Dean Daniel McCarthy for work she says he didn’t do.

“I came to the United States for freedom of speech and freedom of scientific inquiry,” she said. “To be repressed like this here too has shaken me to my core.”

With her attorney William Most, not allowed to speak, Emami went through a timeline of events that she contends shows project lead Kyle Piller, McCarthy and others tried to remove her after an Illuminator story on June 19 about her results that caught university officials off guard. Other media interest, including from The Advocate, emerged in the weeks that followed.

Based on emails and text messages she obtained through a public records request, the timeline ended with her removal in late July, a search between Aug. 1 and 3 for negative material on her, and a later letter on Aug 4 detailing why Emami contends this was an after-the-fact justification and that her work was “on track.”

In a text sent a day after The Illuminator story, an unnamed official asked if there was “any plan for Fereshteh?” and another responded, “Yes, there is a plan for Fereshteh.”

drivers, such as increased costs of emergency care and foster care supplies, including kitten formula and litter

An “unprecedented” number of horse maltreatment cases has also been problematic. Last year, six horses needed to be impounded, on top of the four in the SPCA’s care from the previous year Daily care and veterinary services for a horse typically cost about $1,100 a month, Zorrilla said.

When discussing the 38% cuts

first proposed by former Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s administration at the hearing, Zorrilla said it’d be unsustainable.

“That sets us up for a $2 million deficit, which is extraordinary and not something that we’re in a position to be able to subsidize,” Zorrilla said then.

Calls to other rescue groups, meanwhile, have gone unanswered or unresolved, according to resident emails the Humane Society of Louisiana, New Orleans’ private animal protection charity, shared with The TimesPicayune

One woman facing housing instability and financial constraints said she was struggling to safely surrender her dog and another said she made multiple reports of what appears to be ongoing neglect at a nearby home in the Milan neighborhood. The dogs are tethered on short leashes with little room to move and little access to clean food and water

Jeff Dorson, president of the Humane Society, said the cuts were poorly planned and communicated, and that the city is “play-

ing with fire” now that the SPCA is hobbled. Moreno’s administration did not respond to a request for comment. While based in New Orleans Dorson said the Humane Society typically focuses on animal rescue and care in less resourced areas like the rural parishes, but in the past three weeks since the changes were implemented, they and other groups have been inundated with calls from residents.

“Multiply that by a couple of weeks or months, it’s not going to be pretty If there’s no system to pick up stray animals, I promise you that is going to create more problems than you can imagine,” Dorson said.

Email Joni Hess at joni.hess@ theadvocate.com.

houses fill one of the Jefferson Parish Housing Authority’s

on Friday.

them found that most moved into census tracts with higher rates of poverty and unemployment, larger concentrations of Black and Latino residents and lower rates of homeownership compared to elsewhere in Marrero.

“They had a time frame to move out and to find somewhere to live, and a lot of people just moved in with relatives because they just couldn’t find anything that they really felt comfortable with,”

Ford-Louis said.

The Jefferson Parish voucher program’s demand also consistently outweighs its supply of affordable housing units, and opportunities to join the waitlist are exceedingly rare The Jefferson Parish Housing Services Devel-

opment District last opened its waitlist in September for a period of 40 hours.

Legal battle Acre Road tenants, under the Marrero Tenants’ Organization, cited that study in a federal lawsuit against HUD in 2023, which claimed the agency violated the Fair Housing Act when it approved the closure of the complex by forcing tenants into poorer, racially segregated neighborhoods.

A federal judge sided with the tenants in April 2024 and vacated HUD’s approval, but by that point all but one household had moved out. By July 2024, every tenant had moved out of the complex, and its

Louisiana

at SLU Emami was seeking a return to her role as one of the principal investigators on an Air Products-financed university project to study the aquatic health of Lake Maurepas. Emami contends she was removed over the summer after speaking to the media about her published findings showing toxic heavy metal contamination in lake waters, possibly from industrial sources. SLU officials say she was removed over her administrative management of her piece of the multiyear research project.

The application window for both traditional and magnet school choice programs closes March 27.

Families also can apply to one of six charter schools in Jefferson Parish, each of which each have their own enrollment process listed on its website. Most charter school applications are due in February or March. The application window for students looking to apply to a high school other than the one they’re assigned to opens Monday Students who want to attend their zoned school, which is determined by their home address, do not need to apply Those who wish to attend a school outside of their attendance zone must be in eighth grade and enrolled in a Jefferson Parish public school for the 2025-26 school year to submit an application.

There are 278 nonzoned seats available across five high schools: Bonnabel, East Jefferson, West Jefferson, Fisher and L.W Higgins. Students are asked to rank their preferences and will be admitted on a first-come, firstserved basis depending on available seats. Preference is given to children of full-time district employees or military personnel, as well as to students with siblings currently enrolled at the same school, if capacity allows. When applying, students must have a valid photo ID of their parent or guardian, their birth certificate, current proof of Jefferson Parish residency dated within two months of the application and a copy of their parents’ custody agreement, if applicable.

Students who are accepted to a high school outside their attendance zone must figure out their own transportation.

Qualified students who are unable to secure a seat at one of their preferred schools will be placed on a wait list in the order in which their application was received. The wait list will be active until the 15th day of the 202627 school year

100 duplexes permanently closed their doors.

The Marrero Tenants Organization submitted a final comment letter to HUD last August that it did not oppose the demolition and “indicated a desire by former Acre Road residents to move the proceedings ‘forward as quickly and efficiently as possible,’” HUD wrote in a letter approving the demolition application the following month.

“I’m praying they do a great job at whatever it is that they do to redevelop it,” Ford-Louis said. “At the same time, I just want to be a part of that, to know exactly what they are doing.”

Email Lara Nicholson at lnicholson@theadvocate.com.

highest levels of university leadership.

McCarthy charged that Emami’s attempt to connect the dots with emails and texts failed produce any explicit statement that SLU was removing her for drawing publicity to her work and the lake’s pollution concerns.

He added that Emami’s failure to keep up had delayed analysis of aquatic tissue sampling that might show if lake water pollution was in crabs and fish people eat.

“So, it was nothing reactive at all. So, the way that they’re weaving this narrative is based essentially on speculation,” not on facts, he said.

University officials say a new team in place since Emami’s removal has processed those samples and they anticipate an announcement of preliminary results March 20.

Piller detailed alleged administrative breakdowns, including failing for months to fill research positions to analyze her collected crab and catfish samples, missing a few months of sampling trips on an SLU research boat and failing to be on campus frequently enough over this past summer to supervise a research assistant in Emami’s lab.

Piller went through alleged problems going back to 2023 as Emami tried to hire enough experienced staff to keep up with the field research and efforts later by him and McCarthy to help her deal with the administrative load.

Magnet school applications

Applications for the district’s magnet schools — selective public schools that offer more specialized programming — open March 2.

There are three magnet schools in Jefferson Parish with selective enrollment for students in grades 6-12: Thomas Jefferson Academy in Gretna, which serves students on the West Bank, Haynes Academy in Metairie, which serves those on the east bank, and Patrick F. Taylor Science and Technology Academy in Avondale, which serves students parishwide.

Students can also apply to magnet programs at traditional schools that offer specialized courses, such as Bonnabel High School in Kenner, which features an automotive program as part of the school’s career and technical education track.

Students in grades 2-11 who apply for a magnet program must have at least a 2.0 GPA in all core subjects, including English, math, science and social studies. High school students must also complete a round of testing, typically offered in January

Those applying to a Spanish immersion program for grades K-8 must show that they were previously enrolled in a similar program or achieve at least 85% proficiency on a grade-level language test.

Students can only apply to magnet programs on the same side of the river they live on and must provide their birth certificate and verified proof of address in Jefferson Parish in the name of their parent or guardian. Students who wish to attend a school on the opposite side of the river will be accepted based on available seating once applications for students in that zone have been reviewed.

The district will provide transportation to students who are accepted into a magnet school within their attendance zone.

Seats are offered on a firstcome, first-served basis. Students will be notified via email if they are accepted.

Based on speculation?

Under questioning by Emami, Margaret Adelmann, an SLU

University lawyers redacted who sent or received those texts, but the request that produced the texts was limited to Piller McCarthy and SLU Dean Patrick Moyer, according to Emami’s grievance letter When Emami asked Piller later, however, who sent or received the “plan” texts, Piller said he couldn’t recall and didn’t know why university lawyers had redacted the names.

grants specialist, said she did try to find past information on Emami in early August as she was being removed but didn’t do that at Piller’s direction. It was on her own initiative, she said.

In separate presentations, Piller and McCarthy told the panel that they had been working on removing Emami for six months before the news attention on her research and that her removal involved the

“Twenty months into a 36-month project, Dr Emami hired a postdoctoral researcher despite having the funding day one,” he said. That worker left three and half months later; Emami said it was for a job more aligned with the worker’s research interests.

David J. Mitchell can be reached at dmitchell@ theadvocate.com.

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Rohm,Gloria NewOrleans

Greenwood

Rohm,Gloria

Obituaries

Rohm,GloriaThurman

Gloria ThurmanRohm, aged 96,ofMetairie, Louisianadiedpeacefully on Saturday,February 7, 2026.She wasbornonJune 22, 1929 in NewOrleans Louisiana. Gloria waspre‐cededindeath by herhus‐band,HughChristian

Rohm,her parents, Joseph Edward Thurmanand Cora Borey Thurman, andher brotherRonaldJoseph Thurman. Sheissurvived by herson,GeraldJ.Rohm, daughters, LauraC.Lei‐dinger (Myron)and Gail A. Johnson(David).She is also survived by hergrand‐children,Jamie R. Moore (Eric),KateT.Rohm(Stew‐art),Brian H. Rohm (Caro‐line), Rebecca L. Ducote (Christopher), EricaM.Lei‐dinger (Ben), NealJohnson (Angela),and ChristinaJ Carrier(Joshua), 20 greatgrandchildren, nieces and cousins. Gloria grew up in theLakeviewneighbor‐hood of New Orleansand graduatedfromMcDonogh 35 High School.She lived heradult life in Metairie, Louisianawhere sheand herhusband reared their threechildren. As ahome‐makerand mother,she wasloving, giving,caring, kind andsacrificing.Gloria wasalwayssmiling,opti‐mistic,laughing, andposi‐tive findingjoy helping otherpeople. After her children were grown, she worked outsideofthe home as areceptionistata localveterinaryclinicand volunteered at East Jeffer‐son Hospital formany years. Gloria wasa devout Catholic andpracticed her

faithasa member of St ClementofRomeParish. Gloria will be greatly missedbyall whoknew her. Relativesand friends of thefamilyare invitedto attend thefuneral service on Thursday,February26, 2026, at Greenwood Funeral Home,5200 CanalBlvd. NewOrleans.Visitation from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm, followed by aRosary, with Mass of ChristianBurialat 1:00 pm.Private burial will follow at Greenwood Cemetery.The family wouldliketoextendtheir gratitudetoGloria’scare‐takers andhospice nurses fortheir loving service throughthe finalyears of herlife. In lieu of flowers, please donate to TheDe‐mentia Society of America in Gloria's name.Memories andcondolences canbe shared online at green‐woodfh.com

Higgins’ record shows no respect forlaw and order

In itsJan. 26 editorial, thenewspaper’seditorial staff imagined that U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins might have something reasonable to sayabout the necessity of due process and equal protection in immigration enforcement in the wake of the deaths of Minneapolitans Renee Good and Alex Pretti at the hands of federal immigration authorities. The newspaper cited Higgins’ “background in local law enforcement” as asource of wisdom that he might provide It is time for the media to quit portraying Higgins as some sort of “top cop.” It istrue that Higgins was employed by the Opelousas PoliceDepartment from 2004 to 2007. His SWAT unit was disbanded after he anda colleague were caught on aconvenience store camera, purchasing alcoholic beverages while on duty.Hewas also investigated for using unnecessary force in beatingasuspect who was unarmed, already in handcuffs and later released for no wrongdoing. Higgins resigned beforedisciplinary action could be taken. He called his police chief a“peacock, acolorful, flightless bird.”

Medical school chancellor’s ouster raises ugly specter

As aLouisiana native and former director of adepartment of the LSU Health Sciences Center in NewOrleans, Iamdeeply disturbedbythe major self-inflicted injury the political leadership of the state andthe LSU System have inflicteduponthis preeminent health careinstitution.

Aresident ducks under partofadowned tree to getinto ahomealong astreet on Feb.1 in LakeProvidence.

In aftermathofice storm, crews andcommunity came together

From Opelousas, Higgins bouncedtothe Port Barre Police from 2007 to 2010. Very littleis known of his time there, buthis tenure was as brief as it was with Opelousas police. From 2011 to 2016,Higgins was employed with the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office as apublic relations officer There, he rosetoculturalnotice with bounty videos of alleged gang members. Hissuperior,the sheriff, told him to “tone it down” andto“put his big boy pants on” forputting a“target on the back” of fellowofficers. Higgins again resigned just as disciplinary measures were being taken. Let’sbereal. Except for masks, which Higgins believes conceal ouridentity as “children of God,” Higgins is no different from the ICE thugs —not asource of wisdomonlaw enforcement.

M. CHRISTIAN GREEN Lafayette

With power now fully restored across northLouisiana followingthe historic winter storm,Iwant to pause to say two simple words: thank you. Thank you to our customers for your patience, resilience and extraordinary sense of community.Inthe face of adversity,what shined brightest was how people cared for one another.Wesaw neighbors stepping in to help,families making room for others and communities lifting each other up. That kindness and generosityare theheart of northLouisiana, and we are proud to serve aregion built on those values. Your spirit made aset of difficult circumstances more manageableand reminded us why these communities are so special. Ialso want to recognize themorethan 4,500 restoration workers who answered the call. These men and women worked around theclock in some of the most hazardous conditionsour system has ever faced. Many were away from their own families while

enduring freezing temperatures, mud, standing water and difficult terrain to rebuild damaged lines and infrastructure.

In my four decades in this industry,this wasthe mostsevere ice event Ihave witnessed on our electrical system. Restoration required persistence and precision. Even after initial repairs, continued environmental impacts created new challenges, and crews returned again and again to ensure every repair was completed thoroughly and correctly.That sustained effort is what allowed us to restore service across theregion.

We are deeply grateful for the trust you place in our company,and we don’ttake that for granted. Storms will come and go, but our commitment to north Louisiana remains constant. It is an honor to standwith you, and we thank you for reminding us what true community looks like.

PHILLIP MAY president and CEO,EntergyLouisiana

GOPreaps fruitofdeceptionstheynurtured

While my political leanings are wholly mine, andI would never force, coerce or even ask another to hold them in place of their own educated or otherwise opinion, I wish to pointout themodern hand-wringing and brow-dabbing that Republicans are going through.

When narratives held in recent years such as vaccine efficacy,voting security, environmental technologies, immigration andclimate analysis —are questioned and vilified, is it anywonder that the constituents whohave been weaned on the teat of questionable defiance now so threaten the stability of those very politicians’ futures that said politicians are near to tears hoping that voters suddenly accept the very things denounced for years?

regardless of winning. Carbon capture technologies, once a“leftist” effort, are now embraced by theright and vital forindustries that know via science that it is safe, effective and beneficial.

The natural process of human populations to moveand mix andspread physically is now bound by imagined lines andfalse ideas of race, leaving aonce-proud country farmer squeezed by massive industrial processes and alack of honest workers.

That very climate activity binds mostof these issues together,swinging through extremes that will only grow worse in decades to come, and acontinued denialdoes nothing for abetter understanding of the solutions, if not of climatechange, then of the multiplicity of issues theworld will face in compensation

By unceremoniously dismissing Dr.Steve Nelsonaschancellor aftera little more thanayear in the position, the future suddenly appearsbleak

Dr.Nelsonisa widely respected physician, administrator and researcher,not only in the local regionbut also across the world in his field of expertise

Moreover,hewas successfully undertaking the herculean task of rebuilding trust andrespect in the community following the misdeedsofhis predecessor so very thoroughly documentedbythis newspaper.

By following the tired old failed script of reorganizing andremoving people of integrity,independenceand character with cronies who fail upward, the institution (aswellasthe state) is set back by decades

LSU HSC’sbillion-dollar impact will wither away because of departuresand retirements of worldclassresearchers, educators and clinicians who have lost faith as a result of the political games originating in BatonRouge. Sadly,these missteps have been the case since the HueyLongera.Everyone loses when “leadership” chooses politics over integrity: students, educators, staff, researchers andespecially patients.

As he is widely respected, I’m sure Nelson likely will do just fine in his next position, though he deserveda kinderfate.

More importantly,those families who rely on health care education andtreatment in Louisiana deserve amuchbetterfuture.

JAMES A. HARDY San Diego,

California

Arequiem forour democracy

“America first,” he said

Better than ever before

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

Measles, once carefully controlled, has returned, surely in time for atrue epidemic to emerge that half our population will refuse wholeheartedly to accept any medical intervention for.Elections are denied to the pointthat either blindloyalty shadesthe selection available or the resultsare rejected

Maybe amatter of time will lay low the wheat, and perhaps theseed will find root in abrighter future —but not in the darkness of lies and purposeful mismanagement.

NATHAN MEAUX Crowley

Saints make faux pasinallotting Paristickets

Ijust foundout thetickets for the New Orleans Saints game in Paris will be by lottery In thepast, it was done by seniority. Iaman original season ticket holder with the highest seniority and was expecting the ticketstobe offered this way again.

What’sthe point of having seniority if they’regoing to use alottery?

I’vebeen with theSaintsfor almost 60 years nowand have been loyal this entire time. Where is their loyalty to the fans like

me whohave been here since Day 1?

Loyalty works bothways, andifitmeans nothing to theSaints, then Imay have to rethinkcontinuing to show my loyalty by buying season tickets.

Iamthoroughly disappointed in their decision, and Ihope Gayle Benson is madeaware of how disgusted the season ticket-holders are with this decision.

KEITH ORGERON youngsville

Just watch us soar And prices did Then came the ICE

Chilling the plan

Killing the vision

Causing the tears

The anguish

Forgotten promises

Broken dreams Nightmares galore

Bringing us more

Heartache and pain

Losing family and friends

Not making amends

But causing morechaos

When will this end

Will they ever bend

To hear our pleas

For harmony and peace

First to last, alas!

MARYLARSON Baton Rouge

PamBondi showsloyalty to heraudienceofone

Let’shear aword of praise for the ordinary citizens who havecalled for an endtothe too-often reckless invasions of American cities byfederal agents carrying out PresidentDonald Trump’scrusade against undocumented immigrants.

Iammoved by the courageand patriotism of those who have comeout on the streets, sometimes in awesome numbers, to demand investigations into and accountability for recentallegations of misconduct byofficers of the Departmentof Homeland Security in Minneapolis, Chicago and elsewhere. These events were spotlighted earlier this month in hearings in the House Judiciary Committee. Then there’sU.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, who, as is often said aboutthe dramatis personae of the executive branch thesedays, plays to “an audienceofone,” namely the president, andher actions and demeanor have descended to sucha low standard that theDepartment of Justice approaches astaffing crisis.

To see why,consider Bondi’srecent House testimony.She cameintothe hearing against abackdrop of recrimination between apresidential administration and the opposition party the depth and rancor of which has not been seen since the Watergate era. Team Trump faced anumberof problems, including theirhandling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, thefailed attempt to indict six Democratic lawmakers and the killing of two protesters by federal officers in Minneapolis last month.

The attorney general, steadfast in her defense of the administration, replied to questions from Democratic members withadramatic escalation of the angry rhetoric, invective and combative name-calling, at points reading scripted “sick burns”from abinder.Attimes,ifyou closed your eyes, it was easy to believeyou were watching “Jerry Springer.”

One illustrative low pointcame when she lashed out at the committee’sranking Democrat, Rep.Jamie RaskinofMaryland.

During adiatribe Bondi launched at another Democrat on thecommittee, Raskin broke in, directing her to respond to the question. “You don’t tell me anything, you washed-up loser lawyer,” shemuttered.“You’re not even alawyer.”

It’swell known that Raskin is indeed alawyer,amagna cum laude Harvard

May we talk about spiritual matters? “In the beginning,” the Bible opens, “God created the heavensand theearth.” Several lines down,God says, let humankind “havedominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air,and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of theearth,and over every creeping thingthat creeps upon the earth.”

We humans were given stewardship of earth, but global warming is remaking the world beneath us. We are the cause, but we stillhave thepowerto stop or at least greatly slow the desecration of what was placed in our care I’ve written at length about theeconomic damage global warming can inflict, knowing that money arguments often get more traction than ethical ones. But the moral urgency of this crisis deserves far more attention than it receives. Howeverwe define conscience, within traditional religion or outside it, protecting theenvironment for future generationsisamoral imperative. In the world of Donald Trump,dollars outrank soul. His Environmental Protection Agencyhas just revoked the 2009 “endangerment finding,” which allows the governmenttoregulate planet-warming pollution. In sum, he has just taken the United States out of the race to preserve theCreation. “The U.S. no longer has emission standards of any meaning,”aformer

Lawgraduate and professor of constitutional law.But that wasn’teven the most absurd thing Bondi said.

She provoked audible laughter early in the hearing when she suggested Democrats on the committee should lookatthe good news of Trump’ssecondterm.

“The Dow is over 50,000 right now, the S&P at almost 7,000, and theNASDAQ smashingrecords, Americans’ 401(k)s and retirement savings are booming,” Bondi said. “That’swhat we should betalking about.”

Maybe,inher view, but thestock market was way off topic for the Judiciary committee, as aDemocratic member pointed out.

It’sashame,but also not asurprise, that Bondi came prepared for afight, which shemade sound at least as personal as it was political. After all, the DOJisfallingdown on anumber of importantissues.

Democrats repeatedly pressed Bondionher department’sfailure to redactnames, addresses and other identifying information relating to Epstein’s victims, and in some cases nude images, fromthe files it released last month.

When Rep.Pramila Jayapal, DWash., asked Bondi to address Epstein’svictims present in the hearing room, theattorney general declared, “I’m not going to get in thegutter for hertheatrics.”

In fairness, she did express regret for “what any victim has been through, especially as aresult of that monster,” Epstein.She added, “I want youtoknow that any accusation of

EPAemissions regulator said. “Nothing. Zero.” At age 79, Trump likely won’tbe aroundtosee the worst of what’scoming. But he can makeplenty of money in the meantime, championing thefossil fuels that heat the atmosphere. Andhe’snot just promoting them; he’ssmotheringtheircompetition.

criminal wrongdoing will be taken seriously and investigated.”

That’swhat agood attorney general is supposed to do. Ionly wish Icould feel more confident that Bondi is up to thetask.

Unfortunately,her to-do list is full of dead-end tasks on behalf of her No. 1fan. Whether it’sgetting revenge on Trump’sold enemies (e.g., indicting former FBI Director James Comey andNew York Attorney General Letitia James)orreviving his old conspiracy theories (e.g., investigating the “stolen” election in Georgia, promising “Russiagate” prosecutions), covering his posterior (the “Epstein files” slow roll) or gettinghis mighty deportation machine running, theDOJ is losing talented attorneys who didn’t sign up to do political wet work.

“The system sucks,”a DOJ grunt attorney told ajudge in Minneapolis, breaking down in thecourtroom earlier this month.“This job sucks.”

Likeother federal judges, the one presiding in this particular case demanded to know why Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials were not complying with court orders, and what the DOJ was doing about it.

“Fixing asystem,abroken system, Idon’thave amagic button to do it,” theattorney pleaded. “I don’thave the power or the voice to do it.”

Away from the sound and fury of the hearing room on Capitol Hill, the problems of our democracy run deeper than we know

Email Clarence Page at clarence47page@gmail.com

“Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.” —George Orwell, “1984”

When the 105-day warended, almost 400,000 Soviet soldiers had been killed or wounded or were missing. The Kremlin reported minor losses. Vladimir Putin, aStalin admirer,should have studied the actual past that Stalin falsified.

Stalin began the Winter War, aka the RussoFinnish War, on Nov.30, 1939, as his then-ally Adolf Hitler had begun World WarIIinEurope three months earlier: by staging afraudulent border incident. Stalin, dictator of anation of 170 million, expected to quickly subdue Finland, anation of 3.5 million.

When Putin invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, his troops weretold to pack dress uniforms. There would be avictory parade afew days later in Kyiv.In“The Winter Warriors,” ajust-published novel by Olivier Norek, Vyacheslav Molotov,Stalin’s close aide, tells aRed Armycolonel that Stalin wants to celebrate his next birthday on the steps of Finland’sParliament, “in precisely 20 days.” ASoviet general had told Stalin 10 days should suffice.

The warended on March 13, 1940. The Soviet Union settled forabout 10% of Finland’sterritory

As the fifth year of Russia’swar to subdue Ukraine approaches, Putin has learned that the past is easier to control than the present. He has a grim future if the United States and Europe press their advantages.

Amuch-diminished Russia occupies just 20% of Ukrainian territory that Kyiv controlled four Februarys ago. Europe, which has not yet even completely weaned itself from Russian energy, is at least accustoming itself to the vocabulary of military seriousness.

In 2024, every Swedish household received a booklet stating: “From the year you turn 16 until the end of the year you turn 70, you are part of Sweden’stotal defense and required to serve in the event of war or the threat of war.”Finland andNorway have longhad military conscription. Other nationsare preparing infrastructures for mobilization.DonaldTrumphas endorsed legislation that would provide crushing economic penalties fornations that buy Russian oil.

Last year,Putin would not —crippled by his Ukraine misadventure, he could not —try to rescue his client regimeinSyria as it was being swept away.Iran’sregime, Putin’smost important ally other than China, is preoccupied with suppressing Iranians. Putin’sonly sympathizer in the European Union, Hungary’sViktor Orban, might now have firmer support among American authoritarians (“national conservatives”) than among Hungarians.

Putin’s“special military operation” in Ukraine (calling it awar can mean imprisonment) has lasted longer than Russia’sinvolvement in World War II. By now,Putin has surely defined success down: anegotiated armistice that provides Ukraine with security “guarantees” even moregossamer than those of the infamous 1994 Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances.

In it, Ukraine agreed to give up the almost 2,000 Soviet-era nuclear weapons (and ballistic missiles and strategic bombers) stationed on its soil. Russia gave “assurances” that it would “respect the independence and sovereignty and the existing borders of Ukraine,” and would “refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Ukraine.” Russia seized Crimea in 2014 and invaded Ukraine eight years later

Forstarters, he’ssabotaging theproduction of American electric vehicles, for which U.S. automakers will pay theprice. This is agift to China, which is dominatingworld production of EVs, as the world shifts to electrical vehicles. Trumphas also frozen or slowed offshore windenergy projects. (He ludicrouslysuggests that turbine noise causes cancer.) He’s also targeted onshore wind, which now produces some of America’scheapestelectricity.A recent Lazard cost-of-energy comparisonfoundthat “utility-scale solar and onshore windremain the most costeffectiveforms of new-build energy generation,” even when unsubsidized.

TheEdison Electric Institute, which lobbies for investor-owned utilities, said scrapping federal rules on powerplant carbon emissions would hurt the sector’sgrowth. And just as the industryisexpanding to meet the ravenous power demands of artificial intelligence.

Trump’sEPA has gone beyond making false claims about the costs of

green energy.Itperversely started zeroing out the public-healthsavings its own analyses credited to banning two pollutants. Fewer cases of asthma, cardiovascular disease and brain-development problemsdon’tjust spare people suffering. They spare thecountryenormous medical costs.

I’m not indicting theoil and gas industry,which has been around long before we knew what carbon dioxide would do. Civilization still relies on someofits products. Butweshouldn’t tolerate efforts to slam thebrakes on themove to clean energy —especially when even major oil companies have madesubstantial investments in renewables that they view as central to their future.

Back at the beginning, in theBook of Genesis, we read that when humanity corrupted the world with sin, God destroyed his Creation by unleashing the great flood. Buthedoes save therighteous Noah and the animals Noah brings onto his Ark. (Thestory also appears in theQuran, which treats Noah as aprophet warning his people.) When thewaters receded, God said to Noah,“Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish theearth.” Noah becomes afarmer and plants avineyard. Humankind, if it refuses to act as aresponsible steward, may not get a second chance.

Froma Harrop is on X, @FromaHarrop.

Choices by Ukraine’sfriends can deliver condign punishment to Putin forhis Ukrainian blunder

These friends can at last choose to fund Ukraine with the approximately $300 billion in frozen Russian assets. They can intensify interdiction of the shadow fleet of tankers getting Russian oil to foreign buyers. And they can deny Putin aveto over security guarantees forUkraine, including permanent troop deployments there. Otherwise, any agreement will be asizzling fuse.

In Norek’snovel, before Russia attacked, Molotov explained that negotiations with Finland “have never been anything but along fuse.” And if Finland accepts Soviet demands, “We’ll only ask formore until we’ve taken the whole country.” Today’sStalinist in the Kremlin is no sphinx.

Writing in Foreign Affairs (“Russia’sDescent Into Tyranny”), Nina Khrushcheva of the New School reports that in 2023, “1984,” George Orwell’sdystopian novel about aregime resting on masssurveillance and incessant propaganda, was, according to aRussian bookstore chain, its most stolen book.

In the first half of 2025, the moststolen item was the Russian constitution, which guarantees free speech and forbids censorship. Hence, aRussian joke: “Weread Orwell forhis reflection of reality and the constitution as abeautiful utopia.” Negotiate accordingly

Email George Will ageorgewill@washpost.com

LosAngeles officially on theclock forSummer Games

BY THUC NHI NGUYEN

Los Angeles Times (TNS)

VERONA, Italy In fair Verona, L.A.,unofficially,takes the torch.

While the Olympic flag passed from Italy to France at Sunday’sclosing ceremony, handing off the Winter Games from MilanCortina to the French Alps, the flame will burn next in L.A. In just over two years,the UnitedStates will host the country’sfirst SummerGames since 1996, welcoming an Olympic movement thatissurging in popularity butunsteady in achanging world, as the Games return to Los Angeles for thethirdtime

The Milan-Cortina Olympics are expected to rake in recordTVnumbers forNBC Theyalready produced themost-watched women’shockeygame on record when an average of 5.3 million viewers took in the United States’ thrilling overtime win over Canada. The rivalrygame contributed to the largest weekday audience foraWinter Games since 2014 withanaverage of 26.7

ä See OLYMPICS, page 6C

Jordanturned back clockin Pelicans’win over 76ers

Rod

Walker

7P.M.TUESDAy GCSEN

DeAndre Jordan craved twothings Saturday night when he left theSmoothie King Center Wine. And ice. The wine to unwind andcelebrate the key role he played inthe New OrleansPelicans’126111 victory over thePhiladelphia 76ers. The ice to help his37-year old body recover from playing in an actual game for the first time in almost four months. There wouldn’thavebeen anything to celebrate if it weren’tfor Jordan.Hefinished with just six points, but it was his 15 rebounds and four blocked shotsthat were pivotal in makingsure the Pelicans erased thebitter taste from the night before whenthey fell 139-118 to the Milwaukee Bucks. The Pelicans know theyshouldn’thave lostby21points to the Bucks, especially when the only Antetokounmpowho played Friday was Thanasis. Hislittle brother Giannis, the two-time leagueMVP,sat out thegame. ä Warriors at Pelicans

SP

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

U OT sin

USA beats Canada in to win firsthockeygold ce1980‘MiracleonIce,’ Page 4C

CRUISE CONTROL

Coach Kim Mulkey went big on Thursday to spark the LSUwomen’sbasketball team’scomeback win over Ole Miss,and then shewentsmall on Sunday to secure its lopsided victory over Missouri.

The No. 7Tigers(24-4, 10-4 SEC) won 108-55, even though they playedmostofthe first half without oneof their post players on thefloor.Theydidn’treally need one. LSUprevented Missouri from scoring at therim, dominated the glass and uncorked its transition offense anyway,which allowed it to tiea program record for margin of victory in an SEC game.

“You’re notgoingtobeable to (go small) much,” Mulkeysaid, “but what Iliked was sharing the ball. I like the ability to takeoff, and everybody’sjust running.

That puts alot of pressure on them defensively.” Freshman forward ZaKiyah Johnsonscored 17 points andgrabbed acareer-high14boards—11ofwhich she pulled off the offensive glass —topost her third doubledoubleofthe season. Junior MiLaysia Fulwiley chipped in 22 points, acareer-high 11 rebounds and four assists, three blocks and two steals in her first career double-double. Star senior Flau’jae Johnson tallied 16 points, while sophomore JadaRichard added 10 points, six assists and four rebounds. Mikaylah Williams, astar junior,sat out the whole secondhalf of LSU’s win over the No. 17 Rebels on Thursday in what Mulkeycalleda “coach’s decision.” On Sunday, shebounced back,tallying12points, 10 rebounds,four assists and four steals.

Prospectsfor Saints to watchatNFL combine

BYMATTHEWPARAS Staff writer

With all due respect to the SeniorBowl, last month’sAll-Star college exhibition game didn’thave the star power that this year’sNFL scouting combine brings. Manyofthe event’s topprospects pulled out at thelast minute— meaning thatwhen teams descendonIndianapolis this week, they’ll finally have the chance to get an up-close look at the biggest names in the 2026 draft. That applies to theNew Orleans Saints. Here are eight names to keep an eyeon when thescouting combine begins Monday —inhonor of the Saints holdingthe eighthoverall pick this year

LOVE •NOTRE DAME •RB Arguably,noplayer hasbeen linked to the Saints more in mock drafts —and for good reason. The electric 20-yearold is aforce and would likely provide a much-needed jolt to New Orleans’ offense. Love’scollege tape is dazzling. Can he be just as impressive at the combine? It remainstobeseen whether he participates in drills or waits untilhis proday,but he still will likely meet with teams. MAKAI LEMON •USC •WR; CARNELLTATE•OHIO STATE •WR; JORDYN TYSON •ARIZONA STATE• WR

Let’slink these threetogether, because if the Saints don’ttake arunning back in Round 1and still want adynamic weapon, oneofTate, TysonorLemon is certainly appealing. But whichone would best fit the Saints, if all three werestill available when New Orleans is on the clock at No. 8? This is aweek to help create that separation whether that’sthrough on-field testing or the interview process, when each (presumably) will chat with the Saints. Each brings adifferent flavor,too. Lemon thrivesinthe slotand would seemingly complement Saintscoach KellenMoore’s preferencefor deploying three-wide receiver sets. Tate, who NFL.com compared to Chris Olave, can work the middle-of-thefield andvertical routes with steady speed andcrafty route running. Tysonisthe contested-catch, do-it-all type RUEBEN BAIN• MIAMI •EDGERUSHER Everyone knows thatBainisundersized —and it hardly mattered when he wrecked opposing offenses as one of the nation’s best pass rushers. But how small is he?

On TV

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

6p.m. Nicholls St. at Lamar

6p.m.

8p.m.

6p.m.

6:30p.m.

4p.m.

Drivevs. Boston CG ESPN

8p.m. L.A, Golf vs.Atlanta Drive ESPN2

SPRING TRAINING noon Miami vs. St. LouisMLBN

2p.m. Milwaukee vs. San DiegoMLBN NBA BASKETBALL

6p.m. San Antonio at Detroit PEACOCK

8:30 p.m. Utah at Houston PEACOCK

LSU’sstartingpitcher William Schmidt warms up

the

against Milwaukee SundayinLSU’sAlex Box Stadium.

LSUblanksUCF to winFloridatourney

BY SCOTT RABALAIS Staff writer

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. Cade Arrambide belted ahome runfor the second straightday and William Schmidtdelivered five shutout innings as LSU blankedCentral Florida 11-0 on Sunday inthe final game of the Live Like Lou Jax College Baseball Classic.

The game ended afterseven innings becauseofthe mercy rule. The No. 2-ranked Tigers ran their record to 8-0, tying LSU’s beststart since 2019. Overall, theTigers havewon 16 straight dating back to last year’sNCAA Baton Rouge regional, including a14-7 win here Friday over Indiana and 9-4 Saturday over Notre Dame.

LSU jumped out to a3-0 lead in the third inning, keyedby RBI singlesfrom Jake Brown and Steven Milam. In the fourth, they scored fourmore

times, with Arrambide launching atwo-run homer to the base of the scoreboard in leftinto astiff westerly wind, scoring Milam after he led off with a triple.

It was thesecond home run in as many days for the LSU catcher,who nowhas threethisseason.

The Tigers tackedonfourmore runsinthe top ofthe seventh, with Derek Curiel driving in a pair of runs with adouble off the high brickwallinright field at VyStar Ballpark. It wasmorethanenoughrun support for Schmidt (2-0). He threw five innings of three-hit ball, striking out seven andwalking one. He was named thetournament’sMVP

Mavrick Rizy threw two innings of scoreless relief to end it.

TheTigersreturn home to face McNeese State at 6:30p.m. Tuesday at AlexBox Stadium. The gamewillbestreamedonSECNetwork+.

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Tulane baseball dominatesHarvard to take series finale

BY DARRELL WILLIAMS Contributingwriter

In thefirst gameofthe seriesagainst Harvard, Tulane jumped outtoabig leadand held off theCrimson. The second game,the Green Wave rallied froma six-run deficit to win aslugfest.

In Sunday’sseries finale,Tulane dominated,11-1, behind starting pitcher Jack Frankel and back-toback big offensive innings, as the GreenWavecompleted asweep at Turchin Stadium.

“Wedidn’tget complete (sweep)last weekend (at Loyola Marymount), but now it’stwo series wins on theyear,” said Green Wave coach Jay Uhlman.

“I think that the minimum criteria for where we want to go is nine of those things. We’removing in the rightdirection,and now thingscontinue to rampup as we get going.”

Tulane is now 5-2 heading into Tuesday’sgame at UNO. The Green Wave will then playon Wednesday at SouthAlabama before returninghomeFriday for aweekend series against Eastern Kentucky

On awindy day,Frankel, a sophomoretransfer from Liberty,scattered seven hits in seven innings, as thegame was shortened because of the 10-run-lead rule.Hestruckout three and walked none.

“Wetalked about using the wind to our advantage,” Frankel said. “There was a20mph wind blowing in,soreally nothing was going to leave (the stadium) Andthe defense kept me in it.

“I threw primarily fastballs today —a four-seamer anda two-seamer —withacouple of change-ups here and there.It was tough to throwthe slider and the cutterjust because it was such tough wind.”

Frankel had plentyofbacking. Shortstop Kaikea Harrison droveinfourrunswitha tworunsingle, ahit-by-pitchand aground-out. Left fielder Tye Wood went 2-for-3 and drove in two runs. CenterfielderTanner Chun scored three runs.

Harvard coach Bill Decker

saidhethought his team competed well in the series untilSunday.The Crimson (0-3) walked 12, which is why Tulane plated 11 runs on seven hits.

“Wehavea lot of respectfor (Uhlman) and Tulane’splayers,” Decker said. “I just think we gave up so many free 90s —walks, hit-by-pitches (five), extra bases.”

Harvard starter Vedant Sharma,aright-hander,went 22/3 innings before leaving with an elbow injury.However,heallowed seven base on balls and four earned runs. Reliever Jack Smith was whacked for seven runs on four hits in 1/3 of an inning, as he allowed four hits and threewalks, as the Wave broke thegame open.

The Wave led 2-1 before plating fiveruns with two outs in the third. Chun walked, then Smith walked first baseman TrentLiolios, third baseman Matthias Haas andsecond baseman AJ Groeneveld.

After Chun scored on awild pitch, Harrison followed with a single to center,driving in Liolios and Haas. Wood then doubled down theright-field line, scoring Groeneveld and Harrison. Afour-run fourth highlighted by catcherHughPinkney’s run-scoring double and an RBI single by Haas left in doubt onlywhether the game would be shortened.

Harvardcenterfielder Max Lane washit by apitch leading off the sixth.However,Wood made three impressive run-down catches for outs,including alinedrive potential extra-base hit by Crimson secondbaseman Tuler Shulman,quelling anypotential threat that might have developed.

“It’spretty easy to play defense behind aguy that just constantly(challenges hitters) and goes outthere andgets outs,” Wood said. “I knew that last fly ball was coming to me.I’d already gotten two, so Iwas like, ‘Yep, that last one’scoming.”

Uhlman saidhis team is gaining confidence.

“Weknow what the game against UNOmeanstoour fans,” he said, “and South Alabama has gotten alot better.”

LSUsoftballnarrowlyovercomes Howard

BY JIM KLEINPETER

Contributing writer

On aday when LSU waslooking for veteran support for afreshman pitcher making her first career start, it was that freshman who did the supporting.

Ashlin Mowery retiredthe first nine hitters she faced and got late help from Tatum Clopton as LSU won arazorthin 1-0 decision against Howard to cap thePurple and Gold Challenge SundayatTiger Park.

Mowery,atall, hard-throwing righthanderfrom Lancaster, Ohio, allowed one hit and onewalk with four strikeouts in 51/3 innings Clopton enteredinthe sixthwhen an error and awalk put two runners on. Clopton threw one pitch, resulting in an inning-endingdouble play and then retired all three hitters in the seventh forher first save.

Mowery said her big moment came without nerves

“Honestly,it’shard to have nerves when you havesuch an amazing team behind you,” she said. “From the moment Ilearned Iwas starting today,I hadhigh fives and pumped energy through it all. It gives you all the confidence in the world to go out and do your thing.

“It was amix of everything. One wasusing what I’m good at, and that’svelo (velocity) and trying to pump strikes in there and attack the zone. We work heavy on that.”

NFL WR Rondale Moore found dead in Indiana

NEWALBANY, Ind. Rondale Moore, an NFL receiver who had seasonending training camp knee injuries in each of the last two years after astandout collegecareer at Purdue anda promisingstartwiththe Arizona Cardinals, was found dead Saturday,authorities said. He was 25. Police said Moore died of a suspected self-inflicted gunshot wound. Moorewas found dead in the garage of aproperty in his hometown of New Albany,police chief Todd Bailey said. The death remains under investigation. FloydCountyCoroner Matthew Tomlin also confirmed Moore’s death. He saidanautopsy would be conducted on Sunday MooregrewupinNew Albany, just acrossthe Indiana border from Louisville, Kentucky,and wasafirst-team All-American as a freshman at Purdue in 2018.

Insurancekeeps

Phillies

LHP Alvarado from WBC CLEARWATER, Fla. Philadelphia Phillies left-hander José Alvarado announced on social media Sunday that insuranceissues will prevent him fromrepresenting Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic. Alvarado wrote on his Instagram message thenews “deeply saddens me.” He added “the insurance requiredfor my participation was not approved.This is asituation that is beyond my control and without adoubt it fills me with sadness and is difficult to understand. Ihad thehopeand commitment to once again wear my country’s jerseyfor thethirdconsecutive time. Representing Venezuela has always been one of the greatest honors of my career.”

Cowboys, RB Williams agree to 3-year contract

The DallasCowboysand running back Javonte Williamshave agreed on a$24 million, three-year contract, following through on the front office’spledge that bringing back their leading rusher was a top priority

The team announced the deal on itswebsite Saturday,more than twoweeksbeforefreeagency opens. ESPN reported the deal includes $16 millioninguaranteed money Williams joinedthe Cowboys on aone-year contract last season after an injury-filled four years on his rookie deal withthe Denver Broncos. He hadhis first 1,000yard season andfinishedwith 1,201 yards rushing, the mostfor aDallas back since two-time rushing champion Ezekiel Elliott had 1,357 in 2019.

Thitikulwins home LPGA tournament for firsttime CHONBURI, Thailand World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul justified her top billing in emphaticfashion after edging Japan’sChizzy Iwaibyone stroketocapture and claimher homeLPGAThailand tournament forthe first time.

great thewhole time.”

Mowery and Clopton needed to be precisewhenthe LSU offense mustered only five hits and left eightrunnersonbase in six innings. Tori Edwards delivered thegame’sonlyrun with abloop single to right field in the first inning but had troublethroughout the afternoon squaring up Howard pitcher Aiko Conaway Conaway allowed only an unearned runwith two walks and a strikeoutwhile throwing only 83 pitches in the 1hour, 32-minute game.

“We’re still searching, trying to find theright answers alittle bit,” Torina said the day after her team left 21 runners on in adoubleheader.“At theend of the day,we’ll just double down on our process.We know we haveagreat team,great hitters. They will come around I’m 100 percentconfident they’re going to be great.

Buoyed by raucous homesupport, theThaistar kept hercomposure undersweltering conditions and intense pressure to card aclosing 4-under-par68, finishing on 24-under-par 264.

The victory marked her eighth LPGA Tour title and her first triumph on homesoil.

“I would rate it Atriple-plus,” said the 23-year-old. “I know it’s not as big as the majors, but winning in my home country means so much to me —sometimes even morethan amajor.”

South African golferJarvis wins in Kenya by 3shots

It was the secondshutout of the weekendfor Beth Torina’s crew andfourth of theseason. Mowery threw 61 pitches, 40 for strikes.

“She did great, she gave us the start we needed,”Torina said. “She looked confident, con-

trolled thezone and didareally nice joband got her first winas aTiger

“I thought shewouldbe(nervous), but she seemed great. Rightoff thebat shegot three up, threedown andseemed

“She (Conaway) did agood job keepingusoff balance with the changeup. We hadsome balls in the air to the left side that we didn’twantoff that pitch.Itwas deceptive. On aweekend like this, you don’thave aton of time to plan for an outlier arm like that. At the endofthe day,weneed to do a better job,perform better top to bottom.”

LSU is back in action at 6p.m. Tuesday at McNeese State before next weekend’sLSU Invitational Fridayand Saturday

NAIROBI,Kenya— South African golfer Casey Jarvis wonthe Kenya Open by three shots on Sunday to clinch his first title on the European tour TheNo. 195-rankedJarvisrolled in an eagle putt on his 72nd hole to post 8-under 62 forthe final round and finish on 25-under par for the tournamentatKaren Country Club in Nairobi. Jarvis also eagledthe short par-4 12thholeSunday,making awinding right-to-left putt over aridge, on theway to shooting 30 in his back nine.

Jarvis shared the lead in each of thefirstthree rounds —and each timewith adifferent player —before finally pulling away American Davis Bryant (64) was alone in second place andHennie Du Plessis (65) of South Africa was third.

Tide coach sings LSU’s praises after close game

BY TOYLOY BROWN III

Staff writer

Nate Oats didn’t speak about his team for the first minute of the postgame press conference.

The seventh-year coach of No. 25 Alabama used the time to talk about an LSU team that lost 90-83 Saturday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center

“Got a lot of respect for LSU players and staff,” Oats said.

“Watch those guys lose tight games Kentucky one awfully tough. They played Arkansas really tough. Lost one-possession game to Texas, who we lost to at home. For them to play as hard as they’re currently playing and keep fighting. They’re down 16, seven minutes to go, and fought all the way back, cut it to 6.

“You got to give them a lot of credit, because they could easily not do what they did tonight, based on some of the tough, close one-, two-possession losses that they’ve had. So lot of credit to them.”

LSU played a tightly contested

first half, trailing 43-40 at halftime, and got within six points twice at the end of the game despite the Crimson Tide’s earlier scoring runs.

The Tigers were down 81-75 with 2:38 remaining and 89-83 with 14.7 seconds left. While it seemed that Alabama extinguished any hope of a comeback when the lead ballooned back to 10 points with 38 seconds left, the Tigers didn’t stop trying hard.

LSU coach Matt McMahon said that the effort level of his group has consistently been at a high as of late.

“When you look at these last three games at Tennessee, at Texas, here at home against Alabama, the effort, the spirit, competitive spirit, the togetherness is where it needs to be,” the fourth-year coach said “It’s where it needs to be for us to take the next step forward as we get ready to get back to practice on Monday in preparation for Ole Miss. We have to execute better We have to finish every possession with the box out. In the first half, we give up two defen-

WOMEN’S TOP 25 ROUNDUP

sive rebounds for the entire half.

Second half, they get 11 offensive rebounds.”

Marquel Sutton, who had a gamehigh 21 points, said the team isn’t discouraged by deficits and continues to push each other “I feel like we’ve been down a lot before, and you know, we made strides to come back like that before,” Sutton said. “We just all believe in each other We got stops when we needed to, and we scored when we needed to get that comeback.”

The failed comeback didn’t dampen LSU’s hunger to win. The Tigers will return to the practice court and film room just as determined as they try to snap their five-game losing streak against Ole Miss on Wednesday at The Sandy and John Black Pavilion in Oxford, Mississippi.

“I’ve been very pleased with the effort, with the focus, the preparation and the togetherness on the floor,” McMahon. “We just got to make a couple more plays on both sides of the ball to get over the hump there.”

Clemson upsets No. 9 Duke

By The Associated Press

CLEMSON, S.C. — Hannah Kohn hit

a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 3.1 seconds left for her only points of the game as Clemson upset No. 9 Duke 53-51 on Sunday to snap the Blue Devils’ 17-game win streak.

Demeara Hinds finished with 13 points and Taylor Johnson-Matthews and Mia Moore each added 11 for the Tigers (19-9, 10-6 ACC), who added a huge resume-building victory before the NCAA Tournament.

Toby Fournier had 18 points and seven rebounds for Duke (207, 15-1 ACC) which lost its first conference game of the season. Fournier, an ACC player of the year candidate, was held in check for most of the second half after scoring 14 before the break

The Blue Devils appeared in control entering the fourth quarter but Clemson stepped up its defense.

The Tigers took the lead at 44-43 with 3:24 left when Moore drove the lane and drew a foul for a 3-point play Johnson-Matthews then drilled a 3 to give the Tigers their biggest lead of the game at 4 Duke would battle back though and Riley Nelson hit a corner 3 to give the Blue Devils the lead with 9.3 seconds left

But Kohn, who had missed her previous four shots of the game, got free and hit the 3 as Clemson made four of its final five shots from the field.

NO 1 UCONN 81, PROVIDENCE 38: In Storrs, Connecticut, Azzi Fudd had 13 points and four steals in her final regular-season game at Gampel Pavilion as UConn tied a program record by forcing 39 turnovers in a victory over Providence, extending the Huskies’ win-

ning streak to 45 games.

KK Arnold finished with eight points, eight assists, and a seasonhigh seven steals. Sarah Strong had 13 points in 13 minutes for the Huskies (29-0, 18-0 Big East), who have won 56 consecutive conference regular season games. NO 2 UCLA 80, WISCONSIN 60: In Los Angeles, Lauren Betts had 19 points, 14 rebounds and five assists, and UCLA defeated Wisconsin for its 21st consecutive victory, clinching the program’s first outright Big Ten championship.

The Bruins (27-1, 17-0) are close to completing the first undefeated league season since 2014-15, when Maryland went 18-0. They finished 14-0 at home and have one road game remaining.

NO 3 SOUTH CAROLINA 85, NO. 17 MIS-

SISSIPPI 48: In Columbia, South Carolina, Joyce Edwards scored 21 points, Madina Okot had 17 and South Carolina clinched a share of the Southeastern Conference regular-season championship with a victory over Mississippi.

The Gamecocks (27-2, 13-1 SEC) can earn their fifth straight crown outright by beating either Missouri or Kentucky in the season’s final week The victory, their 21st straight over the Rebels (21-8, 8-6), guarantees South Carolina the top seed in next month’s SEC Tournament in Greenville.

NO 4 TEXAS 92, MISSISSIPPI STATE 42: In Austin, Texas, Madison Booker scored 23 points, Jordan Lee added 17 and Texas routed Mississippi State. Texas (26-3, 11-3 Southeastern Conference) has won 41 straight home games, the longest such streak in the country.

NO 5 VANDERBILT 81, NO. 16 KENTUCKY

79: In Nashville, Tennessee, Mikayla Blakes scored 35 points and Justine Pissott came up with a big

Hot-shooting Tulane fries Rice in second half

BY GUERRY SMITH Contributing writer

Rice was well rested. Tulane was weary but battle-tested. Score one for the team that had been through the wars.

Asher Woods tied his career high with 24 points while the Green Wave shot 57.1% in the second half and enjoyed a rare 34-27 rebounding advantage, beating the Owls 81-75 while leading by as many as 16. Tulane (17-10, 8-6 American) had a quick turnaround after rallying from 15 down in the second half to win at North Texas on Thursday night before experiencing flight issues that delayed its return to New Orleans until about 5 a.m. Friday Rice (11-16, 5-9) had not played since last Saturday, but the Wave won almost all of the hustle stat categories despite admittedly lacking energy for the 1 p.m. tipoff.

“When we started the game, I was really concerned because I knew we were tired,” Tulane coach Ron Hunter said. “We were exhausted. I knew it yesterday, and in the first five or six minutes of the game, we were a step slow on everything — offensively and defensively Then at the end of the first half, we were able to get our legs back a little bit.”

Scotty Middleton capped a 13-3 half-ending run with a 3-pointer with 4.5 seconds left that put Tulane ahead 36-33, and the Wave led the rest of the way Rowan Brumbaugh, Woods and Curtis Williams sank 3s that prompted a quick Rice timeout after the break and sparked an 18-7 run over the first seven minutes of the second half for a 54-38 advantage.

Tulane held on from there despite some lapses, never letting Rice get closer than five points and answering those runs with key baskets every time.

Ringgold, who lost a tooth after taking a blow to the face early in the second half, returned a few minutes later and scored six straight points after the Owls cut the deficit to 54-47. He hit a driving lay-up while falling down, sank a 3-pointer from the top of the key and drew a foul after grabbing an offensive rebound.

Middleton hit his third trey off a Ringgold pass with 4:09 left after the Owls pulled within 63-58. Woods anticipated a pass from off-balance Rice guard Bodey Howell for a clean steal, then hit a streaking Brumbaugh for a transition lay-up with 3:28 left that made the score 68-58. Those plays were enough to guarantee Tulane’s fifth win in six games. The Wave moved ahead of Memphis and Temple and into a tie with Charlotte for fifth place in the American — a half-game behind UAB. The victory also virtually sealed a spot in the 10-team league tournament. Eleventhplace Rice is three games behind the Wave with only four games remaining in the regular season. Matching his point total from the season opener against Samford, Woods did most of his damage from the foul line, going 12 of 16, but he also hit two 3s and was five of seven from the floor

“I wasn’t thinking about getting hot or anything like that,” he said. “I was just being who I am.” Brumbaugh added 19 points, six rebounds and five assists, while Ringgold contributed a team-high seven rebounds, five assists and three steals to complement his 16 points.

So much for being tired.

“It’s hard, but look at NBA teams,” Brumbaugh said. “They play back-to-back. We’re getting paid now We should be able to turn around and do that. There’s nothing to it.”

Ringgold had the dental damage, but star Rice guard Trae Broadnax was toothless for much of the day as he continued to struggle against Tulane’s matchup defense. After going 4 of 17 in two losses to the Wave last year, he was 1 of 4 in the first half this time and missed his first shot of the second half before scoring 14 of his 16 points when it was too late.

Backcourt mate Nick Anderson compensated with a career-high 29 points on 9-of-13 shooting, but the Wave’s primary focus was on Broadnax, the Owls’ leader for the season in points, assists, rebounds and steals.

Tulane, which improved to 4-0 against Rice since the Owls joined the American Conference in 2023-24, hosts Tulsa on Wednesday night.

defensive play late to help Vanderbilt edge Kentucky NO 13 IOWA 62, NO. 6 MICHIGAN 44: In Iowa City, Ava Heiden had 24 points and 10 rebounds to help Iowa beat Michigan. Hannah Stuelke added 11 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists for the Hawkeyes (22-5, 13-3 Big Ten), who held the Wolverines (22-5, 133) to their lowest point total of the season and moved into a secondplace tie in the Big Ten with Michigan heading into the final week of the regular season.

VIRGINIA 74, NO. 8 LOUISVILLE 72: In Louisville, Kentucky, Romi Levy made a clutch 3-pointer with 13 seconds remaining and grabbed Louisville’s missed 3 at the buzzer as Virginia held off the Cardinals. Imari Berry made 1 of 2 free throws with 31.4 seconds left to put Louisville up 72-71. Virginia (19-8, 11-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) ran time off before Levy spotted up for a 3 on the right side for her second basket in the final 2:08 to give the Cavaliers their fourth win in five games. Levy finished with 15 points, hitting three 3-pointers.. NO 10 OHIO STATE 88, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 83: In Columbus, Ohio, Jaloni Cambridge scored 33 points, including 16 in the fourth quarter, and Ohio State used a 15-0 run to rally for a victory over Southern California. It was Cambridge’s fifth 30-point game this season. The sophomore was 12 of 21 from the field and 8 of 9 from the line as the Buckeyes (23-5, 11-4) snapped a two-game losing streak. Cambridge also had three steals and forced USC to commit a season-high 25 turnovers as the Trojans (17-10, 9-7 Big Ten) had their six-game winning streak come to a close.

The Tigers shot 47% from the field and won the rebounding battle 72-25, setting an NCAA-era program record for boards grabbed in a game. Missouri converted just 24% of its field-goal tries and missed 33 of 44 3-pointers.

“They run an offense that’s hard for our bigs to just move and get out there and defend,” Mulkey said. “We’re fortunate to have depth on the perimeter and fortunate that we have a couple of perimeter players that can go inside and defend.

“You never think you’re going to win by that much. You never think you’re going to rebound like that, but it just unfolded today.” Because it pulled off the win over Ole Miss on Thursday LSU began its matchup with Missouri on Sunday in sole possession of fourth place in the SEC. The Tigers can secure that spot, netting themselves a double bye in the SEC Tournament for the fifth year in a row, just by winning two of their last three regular-season games. Mulkey started senior forward Amiya Joyner next to ZaKiyah Johnson, Williams, Flau’jae Johnson and Richard for the third contest in a row After only three minutes, though, she subbed Fulwiley for Joyner, sliding ZaKiyah Johnson down to the 5. That group then laid the foundation of the 21-7 run that LSU

used to take control of the game. Richard drained a 3 from the right wing. A few minutes later, Williams connected on a jumper as the shot clock expired, ZaKiyah Johnson snared an offensive board to convert a three-point play and Fulwiley nailed a 3 from the left wing.

LSU won the second quarter 31-8. Missouri missed 17 of the 19 shots it took in that frame. Things didn’t improve for the visiting Tigers in the second half. They scrounged together only three field goals in the third and six in the fourth.

“What does it do?” Mulkey said “What does it mean? This is the SEC. This league is brutal. This team never gets too high. It never gets too low They just keep getting better.” Joyner, center Kate Koval and freshman forward Grace Knox combined to play only seven minutes through the first three quarters. Knox was active for the game, but she did not see the floor

The Tigers have now scored at least 100 points 13 times this season — two shy of tying the NCAA single-season record.

LSU will play two more games before the SEC Tournament begins March 4. It can clinch a double bye in that bracket if it wins

MI LA N CORT IN A OL YM PI CS

SWEDEN’S BIG DAY: First, Ebba Andersson, pictured above pulled away from the pack to win the 50-kilometer mass start crosscountry ski race and earn redemption for her crash that cost Sweden a gold medal in the team relay.

“I’ve dreamed about this day for a long time now and it’s almost unbelievable that everything went as planned,” she said.

And then Sweden’s women’s curling team beat Switzerland to give the Scandinavian nation another gold.

DIGGINS CONCLUDES

GLITTERING OLYMPIC CAREER:

Jessie Diggins finished fifth in the 50-kilometer mass start crosscountry ski race. Just a few seconds shy of one more medal.

She’s OK with that.

“I can confidently say I could not possibly have tried harder or gotten more out of my body,” the 34-year-old Diggins, pictured below, said.

It marked the final Olympic event for an athlete who transformed American cross-country skiing and became a symbol of endurance.

LOCHNER’S BOBSLED SWEEP:

In bobsled, Germany’s Johannes Lochner added the four-man gold to his two-man title.

Lochner — who announced his retirement months ago — capped his career with his second gold medal of these Olympics, winning the fourman event over two-time defending Olympic champion Francesco Friedrich by 0.57 seconds

“It’s just such a dream. It’s indescribable,” Lochner said “A moment for eternity A perfect finish, the most perfect finish ever.”

OLYMPIC CAULDRONS

EXTINGUISHED TO CLOSE WINTER

GAMES: The Milan Cortina Olympics ended Sunday as the twin flames in co-host cities Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo were extinguished as part of a closing ceremony inside the ancient Verona Arena, roughly mid-distance between the far-flung mountain, valley and city venues that made these the most spread-out Winter Games ever.

In declaring the 2026 Games over, International Olympic Committee

President Kirsty Coventry told local organizers that they “delivered a new kind of winter games and you set a new, very high standard for the future.”

A total of 116 medal events have been held in eight Olympic sports across 16 disciplines including the debut of ski mountaineering this year over the course of 17 days of competition.

—The Associated Press

NO MIRACLE NEEDED

BY STEPHEN WHYNO Associated Press

MILAN

The United States is on top of the hockey world for the first time in nearly a half-century No miracle needed.

Jack Hughes scored less than 2 minutes into overtime and the U.S beat Canada 2-1 in the gold medal final at the Milan Cortina Olympics on Sunday, earning the nation’s third men’s title at the Games and its first since the “Miracle on Ice” in 1980 — 46 years to the day of the upset over the mighty Soviet Union, too.

Unlike that ragtag group of college kids that pulled off one of the biggest shockers in sports history in Lake Placid, the Americans in Milan were a machine that rode goaltender Connor Hellebuyck and a roster full of NHL players through the tournament unbeaten Still, they were underdogs again against the stacked Canadians and came out on top — again.

“This is all about our country right now,” said Hughes, who lost at least one and maybe two of his front teeth taking a high stick during the game. “I love the U.S.A. I love my teammates It’s unbelievable. The USA Hockey brotherhood is so strong.”

Early in the three-on-three

overtime, Zach Werenski took the puck away from Nathan MacKinnon and passed it to Hughes, who was wide open streaking to the net Hughes fired a shot past Jordan Binnington 1:41 in to send players into a wild celebration as the rival Canadians watched from the bench.

Asked his favorite moment during his Olympic debut, captain Auston Matthews quipped, “I think when Jack scored. I’ll definitely remember Jack’s goal.”

There was a note of sadness amid all the joy as Werenski and Matthew Tkachuk carried a Johnny Gaudreau No. 13 jersey around the ice in tribute to the beloved player who was killed along with his brother in 2024.

Gaudreau’s parents, Guy and Jay, his widow, Meredith, and their oldest children were in attendance. It was Johnny Jr.’s second birthday and he was brought on the ice with older sister Noa for the team photo.

“We just wanted to show the Gaudreau family our support,” Brady Tkachuk said of the player known as “Johnny Hockey.” “He was so near and dear to a lot of us, and we miss him dearly We did it for him.”

Hellebuyck was extraordinary, stopping 41 of the 42 shots he faced as Canada tilted the ice toward him over the final two periods. He made the save of the tournament by getting his stick on the puck on a shot from Devon Toews in the third period, then minutes later denied Macklin Celebrini on a breakaway something he also did to Connor McDavid earlier

“He was our best player by a mile,” winger Matt Boldy said. “He’s an absolute stud. He wants to be in those moments. He wants to make the saves. And he did just that, so he was definitely our MVP.”

It was a glorious weekend for Team USA, with the women’s hockey team also defeating Canada in overtime to win gold. For the men, it was only fitting the Americans needed to go through Canada, their northern neighbor that beat them at the 4 Nations Face-Off a year ago and has won every international competition over the past 16 years that featured the world’s best players. Not anymore.

Gu claims gold on halfpipe for sixth career medal

She has earned six medals in six events over her Winter Games career

BY EDDIE PELLS Associated Press

LIVIGNO,Italy Eileen Gu snatched a gold ribbon off a gift basket on her way to the mountain Sunday and stuck it in her pocket just in case. Just in case? If her 16-day odyssey at the Milan Cortina Games taught the world anything, it’s that there are no sure things in sports. Especially when the athletes flip 15 feet over rock-hard snowscapes for a living

But that gold ribbon Gu tied into a bow in her hair after her curtain-closing Olympic performance on the mountain did, in fact, match the color medal she won in the women’s ski halfpipe final. And that gold medal also was the third she’s won over two Olympics more than any athlete in her sport. And she is now 6 for 6 — six events, six medals, three of them gold, three silver — over a stillyoung Olympic career that has cascaded well beyond sports,

veering into geopolitics, inclusion and, as the gold ribbon reminded us, fashion.

“I took a big risk in trusting myself,” Gu said of her frenetic quest this year, “and I’m glad that I did.” Gu, born in the United States but competing for her mother’s homeland of China, knows that the modeling career, the fame, the platform she commands and the message she sends wouldn’t be possible if she weren’t the best freeskier in the world She was also the only woman willing to divide her attention between halfpipe, slopestyle and big air over the 2 1/2-week marathon of

Olympic risk-taking.

It was a quest that limited her training, rest and sometimes her sanity Never her confidence, though. “I’m not a gambling woman, but if I were, I took a pretty big bet on myself,” Gu said. “There was a chance everything could go wrong and I could have walked away with nothing, because I was trying to do too much. But in my head, even if everything crashes and burns, I tried I’ll never regret trying.”

The risk of doing too much once again reared its head on the first run of this bluebird day in Livigno — the halfpipe bathed one half

in sun, the other in shade a day after a snowstorm postponed the final. Gu lost balance on the landing of her very first jump of the contest, forcing her to abandon the run toward the top of the pipe. Each of her qualifying rounds at these Olympics involved a fall and a must-make return that she landed every time just to get to the final.

In halfpipe, largely viewed as the premier event in the sport and also the event where Gu has won 15 of her 20 World Cup titles, the odds of Gu not landing any of her three runs in the final seemed slim. In fact, it was none. She ended up with not just the best score of the 32 runs by 11 athletes, but the best two scores of them all. Her second run was a 94 and her last was a 94.75.

“I tried for gold,” said Li Fanghui, who made this the first 1-2 finish for China in this event. “But my first goal was for silver.” Gu won because she flies higher than almost everyone (except for bronze medalist Zoe Atkin), does more rotations than anyone (highlighted by two 900-degree spins in opposite directions) and, in a key separator in a 1.75-point win over Li, tried one more trick than her Chinese teammate (Gu and most skiers did six, Li only tried five).

“She is ‘Wonder Woman,’” New Zealand’s eighth-place finisher Mischa Thomas said.

Reddick, Jordan get victory in Atlanta

By The Associated Press

HAMPTON, Ga.

— Whether on or off the racetrack, all Michael Jordan does is win in NASCAR.

For the second consecutive Sunday to open the season, the basketball great and co-owner of 23XI Racing celebrated in victory lane with driver Tyler Reddick. This time, after a thriller at Echo Park Speedway Jordan’s team now has the top two drivers in the Cup Series points standings with Reddick and Bubba Wallace The six-time NBA champion already added a ring last week with Reddick in the Daytona 500, the crown jewel of stock-car racing.

Oh, and Jordan also settled a federal antitrust lawsuit with NASCAR in December, a major legal victory that secured a permanent franchise-style model and ensured his team would remain in business for the long-term

“The guys worked hard all summer, and I know we had our little ordeal,” Jordan said after Reddick’s victory Sunday, referring to the bruising court battle that ended with him making peace with NASCAR CEO and chairman Jim France. “They kept working hard and this is the fruit of their labor They put forth the effort, and for us to come out and win the first two races says a lot about our whole team.” It especially says a lot about Reddick, who put on another dazzling performance the week after he became the fourth driver in history to win the Daytona 500 by leading only the final lap.

This time, he led a race-high 53 laps on the 1.54-mile oval south of Atlanta – including the final two in a double-overtime restart. He snatched the lead from Wallace despite the right-front fender of his No. 45 Toyota being damaged in a nine-car crash on the 224th of a scheduled 260 laps. Reddick fell two laps down for repairs but came roaring back from 27th for his 10th career victory I mean, that’s crazy, ain’t it?” said Reddick, who became the

first driver since Matt Kenseth in 2009 to win the first two NASCAR Cup Series races of the season. “I just found a way to get back in the top five, and I tried to stay committed to somebody.”

and leading 46 laps.

“Tyler did an unbelievable job,”

Jordan said. “I feel bad for Bubba because he had an unbelievable day But Tyler drove his ass off. I’m very happy for Tyler I’m very happy for 23XI.”

Green turns to yellow

Austin Cindric took advantage of a stretch of 61 green-flag laps to open the race, winning the first stage after starting 30th. It was the second consecutive year that the first stage in the February race was completed without a yellow flag – an oddity for a track known for chaos since its 2022 reconfiguration into a high-banked drafting oval. The cautions quickly picked up pace in the second stage with three yellow flags in 40 laps that collected 16 cars and eliminated notable drivers Ty Gibbs Josh Berry, Ricky Stenhouse Jr and Kyle Busch. The 160-lap middle segment ended under another yellow when defending Cup Series champion Kyle Larson slammed the outside wall after a collision with Shane van Gisbergen.

No Las Vegas love lost Busch was perturbed after his No. 8 Chevrolet “got rammed” exiting Turn 2 by the No. 4 Ford of Noah Gragson on the 125th lap.

“Tyler had like another gear,” Chastain said. “(He had) no fender, and he pulled us so fast.”

In a race that featured a trackrecord 57 lead changes, Wallace was first entering the final restart but shuffled to eighth He still gained the second-most points (48) by winning the second stage

He got a helpful push from runner-up Chase Briscoe. Ross Chastain finished third followed by the Spire Motorsports tandem of Carson Hocevar (who triggered a large crash in the first overtime) and Daniel Suarez.

SCOREBOARD

WP — Schmidt 2(2); Wicker, C(1); Dorsey C(1). HBP — by Wicker, C (Braun); by Wicker, C (Curiel); by Wicker, C (Arrambide). BK — Dorsey, C(1). Inherited runners/scored: Dorsey, C 3/2; Schoneboom,K 2/2; Rosado, K 3/3. Umpires — HP: Jason Bradley 1B: Chris Tipton 2B: Danny Cricks 3B: Ray Chamberlin Start: 3:48 pm Time: 2:52 Attendance: 5777 Weather: Clear; 65F; 15—20 MPH Men’s college basketball

Though both drivers hail from Las Vegas, Nevada, the 40-year-old Busch felt little kinship in taking issue with the aggressive style of Gragson, who is 13 years younger

“He didn’t give me an opportunity to make sure I was straight before hitting me or get into me gently to try and get the momentum back,” said Busch, who finished 33rd. “He just drove right through me.”

Notre Dame 4 Tulane 11, Harvard 9 Southeastern 7, SIE 2 UL 9, Maryland 1 UL—Monroe 9, UNO 1 Nicholls 9, Tennessee—Martin 8, Game 1 Tennessee—Martin at Nicholls, n, Game 2 UNO 10, Northern Kentucky 3

State scores, schedule Saturday’s games UL 67, Texas State 54 Arkansas State 102, UL—Monroe 94 Northwestern St. 71, Houston Christian 53 UTRGV 96, Southeastern 75 Kennesaw State 58, Louisiana Tech 55 Alabama 90, LSU 83 Stephen F. Austin 81, Nicholls 78 Southern 85, Grambling 73 UNO 77, Lamar 71 McNeese 70, Texas A&M—CC 54 Sunday’s game Tulane 81, Rice 75 Monday’s games UNO at Stephen F. Austin, 6 p.m. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at Southeastern, 6 p.m. Nicholls at Lamar, 6 p.m. Texas—Rio Grande Valley at McNeese, 6:30 p.m. Incarnate Word at Northwestern State, 6:30 p.m. Mississippi Valley at Grambling, 7 p.m. National scores EAST American 75, Lafayette 61 Drexel 68, Towson 62 Fairfield 85, Quinnipiac 79 Holy Cross 72, Bucknell 63 Lehigh 70, Boston University 67 Marist 65, Sacred Heart 63 Merrimack 88, Iona 86, 2OT Mount St Marys 68, Canisius 47 Rider 67, Niagara 62 Siena 72, Saint Peter’s 63 SOUTH Tulane 81, Rice 75 UAB 78, Memphis 67 MIDWEST Detroit Mercy 74, Green Bay 70 Michigan State 66, Ohio State 60 Oakland 81, Milwaukee 70 Purdue Fort Wayne 92, Cleveland State 86 Robert Morris 81, Wright State 68 Wisconsin 84, Iowa 71 Youngstown State 64, Northern Kentucky 58 SOUTHWEST North Texas 73, Florida Atlantic 72 Tulsa 100, UTSA 74 Women’s college basketball State scores, schedule Friday’s games No games scheduled Saturday’s games Georgia Southern 67, UL—Monroe 54

N’western St. 70, Houston Christian 64 UTRGV 77, Southeastern 54 Louisiana Tech 63, Kennesaw State 59 McNeese 72, Texas A&M—CC 55 Stephen F. Austin 77, Nicholls 57 Southern 59, Grambling 45 Lamar 84, UNO 54 Arkansas State 92, UL 66 Sunday’s game LSU 108, Missouri 55 Monday’s games None scheduled. No. 7 LSU 108, Missouri 55 MISSOURI (16—13) Dowell 3—11 3—5 10, Schreacke 1—7 1—3 4, Slaughter 3—12 6—8 14, Sotell 3—12 2—2 11, Tyler 2—7 0—0 6, Toman 1—2 0—0 3, Smith 2—10 0—0 5, Thompson 1—2 0—0 2, Vincent 0—3 0—0 0, Totals 16—66 12—18 55 LSU (24—4) Joyner 2—6 1—2 5, Flau’jae Johnson 6—15 3—3 16, ZaKiyah Johnson 6—9 5—5 17, Richard 4—10 0—0 10, Williams 4—15 4—5 12, Koval 4—7 5—6 13, Bourrage 1—1 0—0 2, Fulwiley 7—11 2—2 22, Hines 4—7 0—0 11, Totals 38—81 20—23 108 Missouri1481518—55 LSU23313123108 3—Point Goals—Missouri 11—44 (Dowell 1—4 Schreacke 1—5, Slaughter 2—7 Sotell 3—11, Tyler 2—5, Toman 1—2, Smith 1—7, Thompson 0—1, Vincent 0—2), LSU 12—29 (F.Johnson 1—8, Richard 2—5, Williams 0—3, Fulwiley 6—9, Hines 3—4). Assists—Missouri 10 (Dowell 2, Schreacke 2, Smith 2, Sotell 2), LSU 23 (Richard 6). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Missouri 25 (Sotell 7), LSU 72 (Z.Johnson 14). Total Fouls—Missouri 20, LSU 15. Technical Fouls—None. A—11,278. National scores EAST Hofstra 75, UNC Wilmington 43 Loyola (MD) 58, Colgate 49 Maryland 99, Purdue 66 St. John’s 59, Seton Hall 56 Temple 65, Memphis 62 Towson 73, Stony Brook 68 UConn 81, Providence 38 Villanova 64, Marquette 39 Wake Forest 79, Boston College 65 SOUTH Alabama 76, Florida 71 Clemson 53, Duke 51 Drexel 63, William & Mary 61 Elon 70, Northeastern 57 Miami (FL) 69, California 60 Monmouth 64, Hampton 57 North Carolina 78, Pittsburgh 50 North Carolina State 82, Syracuse 69 Richmond 92, La Salle 58 South Carolina 85, Ole Miss 48 Stanford 77, Florida State 61 Vanderbilt 81, Kentucky 79 Virginia 74, Louisville 72 Virginia Tech

(20) M. McDowell, Chevrolet, 271, 17. 21. (32) Christopher Bell, Toyota, 271, 16.

LATE SATURDAY

Brother Martin defeats Denham Springs in semifinal

BY CHRISTOPHER DABE Staff writer

Brother Martin defender Mateo Tuzzato has played the entire soccer season with a brace on his right knee because of a preseason meniscus tear that will require surgery As a senior, his goal has been to play as many matches as possible.

His heroics Saturday gave the Crusaders the opportunity they most covet — a chance to play in the state title match next weekend against top-seeded Jesuit.

In a Division I semifinal against No. 3 Denham Springs, junior Nathan Wellman scored the winning goal with just over two minutes remaining on the game clock, and it was Tuzzato’s sliding save in front of an open net during stoppage time that preserved secondseeded Brother Martin’s 4-3 victory at Pan American Stadium.

“That may have saved the game,” Brother Martin coach Matt Millet said. “That tackle was amazing.”

Tuzzato’s slide stopped a pointblank shot by Denham Springs’ Michael Nassembeni. The wellstruck ball hit off Tuzzato’s left shoulder and soared out of bounds, setting up one of several corner kicks Denham Springs had down the stretch.

Tuzzato knew he had one job to

do when he saw the ball go across the front of the goal and stop at Nassembeni’s feet

“Don’t let the ball go in the goal,” Tuzzato said “That’s what I did. I put myself in front of it.”

Tuzzato missed the entire season

Athletes attend the closing ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics Sunday in Verona, Italy

OLYMPICS

Continued from page 1C

million viewers who also watched

U.S. star Alysa Liu win the country’s first Olympic gold medal for women’s singles figure skating in 24 years. The smiling 20-year-old with horizontal stripes in her hair became a sensation in Milan just as 41-year-old mother of two Elana Meyers Taylor did in Cortina d’Ampezzo after the five-time Olympian won her first gold medal in bobsled, jumping into the arms of her nanny and, through tears, signing to her deaf children, “Mommy won.”

No matter protests, politics or planning hurdles, the Olympics sought to remain a stage for those athletes to shine.

“You showed us what excellence, respect and friendship look like in a world that sometimes forgets these values,” International Olympic Committee

President Kirsty Coventry said to the Olympians in her speech while standing on a platform in the stands placed in front of the Italian delegation. “You showed us that the Olympic Games are a place for everyone. A place where sport brings us together.”

After record numbers from the 2024 Paris Summer Games, the Milan-Cortina Games sold 1.3 million tickets, which, accounting for 80% of the expected tickets, was “beyond our expectations,” Milano Cortina 2026 chief executive officer Andrea Varnier said at a news conference. Of the 63% of international fans who attended the Games, the United States, at 14%, bought the second-most tickets.

Fans filled arenas that were finished just in time in Milan. They withstood snowstorms in Livigno, cheered the debut of ski mountaineering in Bormio and held their breath while multiple skiers got airlifted off the downhill course in Cortina.

The most widespread Games in history created distinct pockets of Olympic spirit separated by hours on trains and miles of winding mountain roads The Olympics that preached harmony finally united in a single city known for love, beauty and grudges. The Milan-Cortina Games represented seemingly every Shakespearean theme.

Athletes got engaged. Sponsors organized hair and makeup sessions in the Olympic villages, which went through an average of 365 kilograms of pasta and 10,000 eggs a day A cheating scandal rocked curling.

The closing ceremony set at the Roman amphitheater at the heart of the city that inspired “Romeo and Juliet” celebrated the Games as “beauty in action.” But beneath the glittering gold medals, there was pain.

Alpine skier Lindsey Vonn suffered a horrific crash and has already undergone four surgeries on her broken leg. Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych was disqualified when he refused to compete without his helmet honoring Ukrainian athletes who’ve been killed in the war with Russia.

Already holding the weight of their personal dreams, U.S. athletes faced additional pressure answering questions about the country’s political landscape. After freestyle skier Hunter Hess he said he had “mixed emotions” representing the United States at the Olympics, President Trump called the 27-year-old “a real loser” on social media.

Two weeks later, Hess held his thumb and forefinger in the shape of an “L” to his forehead after his first qualifying run.

Athletes pleaded for assistance navigating an onslaught of social media threats as the Olympic spotlight grows with every Games. Coventry said at a news conference this week that the IOC has a safeguarding unit that monitors the organization’s social media platforms for hateful messages. More than 10,000 such comments were taken down during the Paris Games, IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said The number for the Milan-Cortina Games hadn’t been finalized.

With the largest delegation of any country at the Games, the United States won the secondmost medals with 33, including 12 golds, the most Olympic titles for the country at any single Winter Games. The total gold medals surpassed the 10 won in Salt Lake City in 2002, the last time the United States hosted an Olympic Games. After more than two decades away, the Games will return to the United States twice in the next eight years. L.A. will host the 2028 Games and Utah will have the 2034 Winter Games.

last year as he recovered from an initial meniscus tear A partial tear before the season wasn’t enough to keep him out another year

“He’s one of the real differences from last year to this year,” Millet said, likening Tuzzato to a rudder

SAINTS

Continued from page 1C

Specifically, Bain’s arm length measurement will be closely watched this week, just as it was for former LSU tackle Will Campbell a year ago. Either way, Bain would be an intriguing option to play across from Saints defensive end Chase Young if he’s still on the board at No. 8. CALEB DOWNS OHIO STATE • S If Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor leaves in free agency Downs instantly makes a lot of sense for New Orleans. Though he’s listed at safety, the Ohio State

WALKER

Continued from page 1C

Pelicans interim head coach James Borrego left the arena disappointed. He knew he needed to do something to shake things up. The light bulb that popped up in Borrego’s head told him to insert the 6-foot-11 Jordan into the starting lineup.

“After the game, my gut was saying make this move,” Borrego recalled. “I slept on it.”

When Borrego woke up Saturday morning, he was convinced it was the right thing to do. His team could use more size to help with their rebounding and physical struggles, and protecting the rim. It didn’t matter that Jordan had only played in two games this season. The last one was way back on Oct. 29, the third game of the season. So it’s understandable why Jordan felt the way he felt when Borrego told him he was going to be in the starting five.

“I was extremely excited,” Jordan said. “Anytime you can go out there and compete in this league, it’s a gift. It was cool to be able to go out there and be able to play.”

Jordan, in his 18th NBA season, had only played 23 minutes and grabbed 10 rebounds all season before Saturday He eclipsed that rebound total in the first half, finishing with 11.

“DeAndre raised the level of everybody,” Borrego said. “He lifted everybody’s standard, competitiveness, defensive effort. And I think it sustained throughout the game.”

Jordan’s biggest highlight was soaring for an alley-oop from Herb Jones, turning back the clock to his high-flying days with Chris Paul and the Los Angeles Clippers squad nicknamed Lob City Seeing Jordan show that type of athleticism took teammate Bryce McGowens back to his youth.

“Watching him when I was 7, 8 years old and to grow up and be on the same team with him and seeing him doing the same thing, it’s unbelievable,” McGowens said. “Him having 15 rebounds is insane. It’s a credit to him being who he is. He’s a leader even when he’s not playing. And then coming in and dominating the game was crazy to see.”

Jordan credits the Death Row League for helping him stay prepared to play despite racking

Junior Hudson Cammarata assisted on the goal with a long rolling pass from near midfield to Wellman in the open field, leaving him one

on a ship. “He’s really calmed us down. He’s technical on the ball. He’s a big kid, so he wins a lot of stuff in the air.” The winning goal by Wellman came after Denham Springs rallied from a 3-0 deficit, scoring

product has the versatility that could help fill Taylor’s departure in the slot. NFL scouts already rave about Downs, and he has the chance to make another strong impression this week. TY SIMPSON ALABAMA • QB The Saints aren’t in the market for a quarterback, but they may still be monitoring Simpson’s stock. With Fernando Mendoza the only signal-caller projected to go in the top 10 — likely first overall to the Raiders the Saints would benefit if Simpson can perform well enough to put himself in that territory or even in the conversation to be picked in the first round. The earlier Simpson goes, the more likely the Saints

won’t have to worry about a team ahead of them picking the player they want. Think back to the 2024 draft, when the run of quarterbacks in Round 1 cleared the way for them to take tackle Taliese Fuaga at No. 14.

MANSOOR DELANE • LSU • CB Delane would be another name to watch in the event Taylor bolts. Even if he’s not a target for the Saints, Delane is worth keeping an eye on given his local connection to LSU. As of now, the 22-year-old is lined up to be the first cornerback off the board come April. If the Saints did have an interest, he has the vision and awareness to fit into defensive coordinator Brandon Staley’s scheme.

up 53 consecutive DNPs (coach’s decision) on the stat sheet before Saturday The Death Row League is the name the Pels give to games held before or after practice between players who are out of the rotation or getting limited minutes.

“It helps keep a rhythm and keep our conditioning up and still get that competition aspect,” Jordan said.

Jordan knew when he arrived in New Orleans that there could be many nights he wouldn’t touch the floor He understood the roster has other big men like Zion Williamson, Derik Queen, Yves Missi, Karlo Matkovic and Kevon Looney

“Coming in, I knew it was going to be ‘play some nights’ and ‘not play some nights’ and (I’d) be more of a mentor,” Jordan said.

“But when my number is called, I’ve got to be ready and that’s what it was tonight.”

In a way, it was a throwback night as the 76ers started Andre Drummond at center Ten seasons ago, Jordan was voted as first-team center on the All-NBA team, while Drummond made the third team. Jordan has played in the playoffs 10 times, including each of the past four seasons. With the Pelicans improving to just 16-42 Saturday, Jordan’s playoff streak will end this season. But...

“We want to continue to stack wins and keep building as this season comes to a close,” Jordan said. “We’re just trying to see how

much noise we can make as the regular season ends.”

Just three seasons ago, Jordan played on the Denver Nuggets’ championship team. Now he’s trying to spread that winning mindset to his teammates. It’s why he’s always mentoring his younger teammates.

“We all go through ups and downs, but he keeps everybody level headed,” McGowens said.

“Hearing his voice and feeling his demeanor has been huge for me and I know it’s been huge for the younger guys, especially the rookies.”

Jordan has taken rookie center Queen under his wing. Earlier in the season, he instructed Queen to stand up while doing his postgame interview Queen still does to this day Jordan can be gentle, putting his arms around a younger player when he’s getting down on himself. Or he can be fiery, which was the case Saturday when he told Queen to “calm the f*** down” when he was getting heated. Jordan has been a boost to the locker room. And on Saturday, he provided just as much of a boost on the court.

“What I’m most proud of is the leadership, the human being (he is), the professional (he is) and the way he’s elevated our program in so many ways,” Borrego said. “He deserves all that comes with tonight.” That includes some wine and some ice.

BY MATT SEDENSKY AP national writer

NEW YORK — For years, it was a daily McDonald’s trip for a cup of coffee with 10 sugars and five creams. Later, it was Starbucks caramel macchiatos with almond milk and two pumps of syrup. Coffee has been a morning ritual for Chandra Donelson since she was old enough to drink it. But, dismayed by rising prices, the 35-year-old from Washington, D.C., did the unthinkable: She gave it up. “I did that daily for years. I loved it. That was just my routine,” she says. “And now it’s not.” Years of steadily climbing coffee prices have some in this country of coffee lovers upending their habits by nixing café visits, switching to cheaper brews or foregoing it altogether Coffee prices in the U.S. were up 18.3% in January from a year ago, according to the latest Consumer Price Index released on Friday Over five years, the government reported, coffee prices rose 47%.

The Damascus book fair draws crowds, with censorship eased in post-Assad Syria

BY OMAR SANADIKI and BASSEM MROUE Associated Press

DAMASCUS, Syria Abdul-Razzaq

Ahmad Saryoul began publishing books in Syria in 2003 but he used to abstain from participating in the annual International Damascus Book Fair because of tight measures by the country’s security agencies and bans on many books under Bashar Assad’s rule.

In the first post-Assad book fair to be held in Damascus, which wrapped up Feb. 16, Saryoul was surprised when he was issued a permit the day he applied to take part without being asked what his books are about. The wide range of titles available made this year’s fair “unprecedented,” he said.

Another publisher, Salah Sorakji, was proud to offer Kurdish books in the Syrian capital for the first time in decades. During the Assad era, ethnic Kurds suffered from discrimination, including bans on their language.

The first book fair since Assad was unseated in December 2024 witnessed high turnout, with state media reporting that 250,000 people attended on the first day, Feb. 6, trekking out to fairgrounds where it was held about 10 miles from the city center The fair’s director, Ahmad Naasan, said about 500 publishing companies from some 35 countries took part.

A debate over religious texts

While the new freedom of ex-

pression was widely welcomed, the introduction of some previously forbidden books by Islamist writers sparked anxiety among religious minorities.

Religious books were among the best selling at previous fairs in the majority Sunni Muslim country

That extraordinary rise has brought some to take extraordinary measures.

“Before, I thought, ‘There’s no way I could make it through my day without coffee,’” says Liz Sweeney, 50, of Boise, Idaho, a former “coffee addict” who has cut her consumption. “Now my car’s not on automatic pilot.” Sweeney used to have three cups of coffee at home each day and stop at a café whenever she left the house. As prices climbed last year, though, she nixed coffee shop visits and cut her intake to a cup a day at home. To make up for the caffeine, she pops open a can of Diet Coke at home or rolls through McDonald’s for one. Dan DeBaun, 34, of Minnetonka, Minnesota, has likewise trimmed back on coffee shop visits, conscious of the increasing expense as he and his wife save up for a house.

SALAH SORAKJI, publisher

Tonsillectomiesstill performed, butmoreselectively

Dear Doctors: When Iwas young, it seemed to be aregular practice that you would get your tonsils removed,thoughIstill have mine. Why was that? Is it still the same now? What are the pros and cons of having your tonsils removed as achild?

Dear Reader: Youare correct. From the early 1900s through the 1960s, tonsillectomies were common preventive care. As a front-line organ of the immune system, tonsils are prone to repeated infection. Before antibiotics and when antibiotics were still new, these infections were seen as adangertohealth. To avoid repeated throat infections in children, surgery to remove tonsils became the go-to answer.The trend peaked in thelate 1950s, with more than 1.4 million tonsil-

Dr.Elizabeth Ko Dr.Eve Glazier ASK THE DOCTORS

lectomies done in asingle year Tonsillectomiesstill take place today, but for moreselective reasons. Part of the reason for the decline is that wenow understand therole of tonsils in good health. Tonsils are two ovalmounds perchedoneither side of the throat. Theyare an important part of the immune system and lymphatic system. Theyguard theentranceto the respiratorysystem,

trapping viruses and bacteria. They also act as afiling system to help guide thebody’sfuture immune responses. They contain immune cells that sample incoming microbes and help build long-term immune memory. This is very important during childhood, when the immune system is on asteep learning curve. As antibiotics became morewidespread and doctors grew morecomfortable using them, medication clearly became less extreme thansurgery Today,people have tonsillectomies for specific reasons, unlike in the past when they were almost achildhood riteofpassage. In somecases,the tonsils can be too large for the throat and can interfere with breathing, particularly at night. This can lead to snoring and to obstructive sleep apnea.

BOOK FAIR

from page1D

This year,however,books of the Islamic scholar Ibn Taymiyya —who lived in Damascus seven centuries ago and whose teachings are followedbySunni jihadi groups —were sold openly at the fair after being banned for decades

Thecirculation of books spreadinganextreme ideology raised alarms in Syria, where sectarian killings have lefthundredsofAlawites and Druze dead over the past year in sectarian attacks by pro-government Sunni fighters.

Assad, amember of the Alawite religious minority officially espoused asecular ideology.The Assad dynasty launched brutal crackdowns on theMuslim Brotherhood and other Islamistgroups during the family’sfive- decade rule

The only known book to be banned this year —“Have YouHeard the Talk of the Rafida?” —included audio addresses by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, theleader of al-Qaida in Iraq who was killed in aU.S. strike in 2006. Iraq reportedly asked Syrian authorities to remove it because it incites hatred against Shiite Muslims.

Abearded man wearing a military uniform who identified himself by his nom de guerre Abu Obeida,bought acopy of Ibn Taymiyyah’s famous book “Al-Aqida Alwasitiyeh” or “The Fundamental Principles of Islam.”

COFFEE

Continued from page1D

Two-thirds of Americans drink coffee daily,according to the National Coffee Association. For many,it is such an indispensable part of their routine, the soaring price has led to nothing more than grumbling. The coffee association saysits surveys show coffee consumption is broadly holding steady despite price hikes. But, squeezed by the cost of everything from rent to beef,othersare shaking up their habit.

Sharon Cooksey, 55,of Greensboro, North Carolina, was visitingher local Starbucks most weekday mornings for acaramel latte until scaling back last year.First,

“Before liberation this book was banned in Syria,” Abu Obeida toldThe Associated Press, standing at astand selling religious books. “Anyone who had such abook used to be taken to jail.”

“Now it is available, thanks be to God,”hesaid,adding that in thepast people read “whatthe statewantedthem to.”

Anew era

The book fair was first held in Syriain1985and stopped for several years after thecountry’s civil war began in March 2011.

Hala Bishbishi, the director of the Egypt-basedAlHala publishing house, was surprised by the number of peoplewho showed up, although she added that the Damascus book fair cannot yet be comparedto those held in oil-rich Gulf countries.

“With thecircumstances that Syria passed through, this fair is excellent,” the woman said.Shuttle buses between thefair and central Damascus boosted visitor numbers, she added.

AtefNamous, aSyrian publisher who had been livingabroad for 45 years, said he was participating for the first time because any book canbesoldat thefairnow, even those imported form Western countries.

The exhibition this year comes weeks after intense clashes betweengovernment forces and Kurdish fighters in thenortheast. A ceasefire deal was reached and thegovernment in Damascus has sought to reas-

she switched to brewing Starbucks at home. Then, she discovered Lavazza coffee was about 40% cheaper and switched to it “I can buy abag of coffee for $6?” she said to herself. “It was like Ihad just discovered another world. The multiverse opened up to me in the coffee aisle of Publix.”

She has noticedher homebrewedcosts tick upward, too, but it’snothingcompared toher café habit. A bagofbeansthat lasts weeks costs heraboutthe sameas onelatte.

Cooksey misses thesocial aspect of visiting the café, where baristasgreeted her by name.But she’sbeen surprised to find sheactually prefersthe way herhomemade coffees taste. “I’ll be damned if it didn’t taste so good,” she says.

sure Kurds that they are equal citizens in the new political order

InterimPresident Ahamd al-Sharaa issued adecree last month giving Kurds rightsunseen in decades, including restoring citizenshiptoKurds whohad been strippedofitunder the Assaddynasty, making Kurdish one of Syria’s official languagesaswellasrecognizing the Kurds most importantholiday,the spring celebration of Newroz.

“Weare very happy with this positive step toward Kurds,who for morethan 60 years have been deprived of practicing the Kurdish culture,” said Sorakji, the Kurdish publisher about being allowed to show books in Kurdish for the first time in manyyears.

Selling history,literature and philosophy books at his stand, Sorakji said most of the people buying were Kurds, but there were also Arabs who want to know more abouttheir compatriots.

“Weare allSyriansbut what caused allthe differences was the(Assad) regime,”hesaid.

Anotherowner of apublishing company, Mayada Kayali, saidthatthe most importantthing to offer to theyoungergenerations who “have emerged from war,injustice and oppression is knowledge —knowledge that is accessible to them, without placing restrictions on their ideas or their opinions.”

Mroue reported from Beirut

Growing up, Donelson watched enviously as her mother made adaily coffee jaunt (also to McDonald’s, also 10 sugars and five creams), and she duplicated thehabit. Shewentfrom college to the Air Force to agovernment job as adata and artificial intelligence strategist, but through it all, coffee was there. She noticed the growing expense of her routine, but kept it up until a government shutdown halted her paychecks last fall and sheneeded to trim herspending. Looking for amorning substitute,she landedona Republic of Teablendwith ahealthy squeezeofhoney “Twentycents acup compared to $7 or $8 acup,”she says. “The mathjustmakes sense.

Sleep apnea is when breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep. It can be apotentially dangerous condition. Children who have frequentthroat infections across multiple years may benefit from tonsillectomy. People who experience serious complications, such as infections that lead to abscesses, may also be referred for surgery Providers now evaluate the pros and cons of tonsillectomy on acase-by-case basis. The wide-ranging immune benefits of the organsoften outweigh the difficulties of an occasional infection.Surgery itself carries risks, including pain and bleeding. Complications from anesthesia are also possible, though these are rare.The surgery has an uncomfortable recovery period. De-

pending on insurance, it can also be costly.Children with severe and frequent throat infections may experience stress from illness and miss school days. They can also have other problems from repeated antibiotics use. These may be cases where tonsillectomyisthe best path forward. The bottom line is we no longer view tonsils as useless, nuisance organs. But forsome people in specific circumstances, tonsillectomyisstill asolid and wellsupported treatment.

Send yourquestions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla. edu, or write: Ask theDoctors, c/oUCLA HealthSciences Media Relations, 10880 Wilshire Blvd.,Suite 1450, Los Angeles, CA, 90024.

Using‘proper’AmericanEnglish

Dear Heloise: What has happened to proper grammar usage and the proper pronunciation of American English? “Gonna” and “wanna” have replaced “going to” and “want to.” People use “different than” instead of “different from.” Words such as February,mischievous, veteran and temperature are constantly mispronounced by TV journalists, weather reporters and politicians. Unfortunately,weare judged by our vocabulary when we speak, which makes people form instant impressions about our education, social class and intelligence. Many thanks for all your wonderful hints. —Lori H., in California Lori, Idon’tknow if proper grammar is still taught in school. It disturbs me,

By The Associated Press

too, when Ihear someone say “I’d have went” rather than “I’d have gone.” People have lost promotions and jobs because of improper English. As one CEO of a very large corporation once told me, “Our employees represent this company,and we could never hire someone whouses terrible English. We want polished individuals whoput their best foot forward.” —Heloise

Funeralto-dos

DearHeloise: Ihave lived in several different cities during my lifetime, and I recently found out, weeks after the fact, that my close friend had died. The surviving family members apparently did not know who to contact or how to contact them. Iwould have loved to send condolences (and

TODAYINHISTORY

Today is Monday,Feb.23, the 54th day of 2026. There are 311 days left in the year Todayinhistory: On Feb.23, 1945, during World WarII, U.S. Marines on Iwo Jima captured Mount Suribachi, where they raised two American flags. (Thesecond flagraising was captured in an iconic photograph by Joe Rosenthal of The Associated Press.)

Also on this date: In 1836, thesiege of the Alamo by Mexican troops began in San Antonio. Almostall of the nearly 200 heavily outnumbered Texas defenders, including American frontiersman and politician Davy Crockett, were killed in the13day assault

In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt signed an agreement with Cuba to lease land around Guantanamo Bay to theUnited States. No datewas set for termination of the lease and Naval Station Guantanamo Bay continues at thesite, along with ahighsecuritydetention complex for suspected terrorists.

In 1942, thefirst shelling of the U.S. mainland during World WarIIoccurred as a

GOLF

Continuedfrom page1D

stay cool. Stay humble.” Owen’sdad,Adam, accompanied himonthe trip to California and had a front-row seat for his son’s triumph. He could hardly believe what he was seeing “It was alittle surreal and unbelievable,” Adam Zaragoza said. “He made thethird chip. He madethe first putt, barely missed the second putt, and then he hit thethirdputt, andIremember texting(my wife) Anna being like, ‘Holy cow Ithink this might actually happen.’

“Six or sevenplayers were left, andthe scores kept comingin. Iwas sitting there watching it and pac-

Japanesesubmarinefired on an oilrefinery near Santa Barbara, California.

In 1980, American Eric Heiden completed his sweep of the five men’s speed skating events at the Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, NewYork, by winning the men’s 10,000-meter race in world record time; Heiden was the first athlete to winfive gold medals in asingle Winter Olympics.

In 2011, in amajor policy reversal, President Barack Obama’sadministration said it would no longer defend the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act, afederal law banning recognition of same-sex marriage.

In 2020, a25-year-old Black man, Ahmaud Arbery,was fatally shot while running in acoastal Georgia neighborhood after a White father and son armed themselves and pursued him. (Greg and Travis McMichael and neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan subsequently drew life sentences for murder convictions and later were convicted of federal hate crimes.)

Iwill do so now) or maybe even attend the funeral, but Ihad no knowledge that my friend had died. Ihave created afile on my computer that details what to do when Idie and have sent it to my children. I’ve included specifics formyfuneral and final resting place, but it also includes alist of friends in different cities whoshould be contacted, as well as their phone numbers. Iknow that during a timeofgrief,mychildren will not know whotocall (other than the obvious) or their phone numbers. I am healthy now,but Ialso know that if Iwere to get seriously sick, Iwould not think of this. We all die, so whynot prepare for it at any age? —Ann P.,inFlorence, South Carolina

Sendahinttoheloise@ heloise.com.

In 2021, golfer Tiger Woods was seriously injured when he crashed his SUVinto amedian and rolled over several times on asteep downhill road in suburban Los Angeles. In 2023, afederal judge handed singer R. Kelly a 20-year prison sentence forhis convictions that include producing child sexual abuse materials and federal sex trafficking charges., but said he would serve nearly all of the sentence simultaneously with a30-year sentence imposed ayear earlier on racketeering charges. Today’sbirthdays: Football Hall of Famer Fred Biletnikoffis83. Actor Patricia Richardson is 75. Singer Howard Jones is 71. Japanese Emperor Naruhito is 66. Actor Kristin Davis is 61. Business executive Michael Dell is 61. TV personality-business executive Daymond John is 57. Actor Niecy Nash is 56. Democratic Sen. Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland is 55. Country singer Steve Holy is 54. Actor Kelly Macdonald is 50. Rapper Residente, born René Juan Pérez Joglar,is48. Actor Josh Gadis45. Actor Emily Blunt is 43. Actor Aziz Ansari is 43. Actor Dakota Fanning is 32. Star guard Jamal Murray of the NBA’s Denver Nuggets is 29. Actor Emilia Jones is 24.

ing, going back andforth, and it went final. It was a little surreal.” Owenwas 2yearsold when he received aplastic set of golf clubs from his grandmother. When the plastic balls that came with the set got lost or chewed up by thedog,Owendidn’t slowdown,instead taking aimatthe pine cones in his backyard.

Histwinsister, Abby,oftenservedashas histarget. “Wewereall targets at somepoint in time,” his dad said. Owen graduatedtoareal set of clubs at 3, and played his first hole that sameyear on the nine-hole course at Three IslandCrossing in Glenns Ferry He joinedthe BanBury Boomers, ayouth golf training program held at Ban-

Bury Golf Course, at age 5, and began competing in the U.S. Kids Golf programby the timehewas 7. “I like meeting new friends and going to these really awesome places, like going to Augusta,” Owen said. “It’sjust super fun.” The entire Zaragoza family willbegoing to Georgia in April forOwen’sbig day.The participants compete Sunday and then get to watch the pro golfers’ Masters practice round on Monday TheDrive, Chip andPutt competition will air live on the Golf Channel beginning at 7a.m. April 5. “It’s gonna be really something that Iwill hopefully,definitelyremember,” Owen said. “I really want to do good,because that’d be super awesome.”

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Follow through, take advantage of opportunities and make themost of your time. Choose to be unique and to allow yourself the privilege of following your heartand enjoyingwhatlife has to offer

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Know when to saynotoothers instead of trying to please everyone. Your top priority is your mental, physical and emotional well-being. Excess and indulgent behavior will pose problems.

TAURUS (April 20-May20) Monitor situations, weighthe pros and cons, and change only what's necessary. Askquestions, rely on experts and go through the proper channels to ensure you get precisely what youwant.

GEMINI(May 21-June 20) Keep busy. It's what you achieve that will make your dayworthwhile. Steer clear of conversations that can lead to distress or uncertainty. Look out foryour interests first andforemost.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Set your sights on what you wanttoachieve. Discipline and awell-thought-out plan will help youreach your goal with time to spare. Yourexpertise will be recognized and respected

LEO(July 23-Aug. 22) Take careofbusiness. Map out aplan and setgoals. Refuse to let outside influences stifle your progress. Putyour energy into selfimprovementand upping your game.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Address issues of concern. Honesty will helpyou gain insight andmake allowances that

encourage better relationships.Ashift in how or where you work will lead to interestingpossibilities andconnections.

LIBRA(Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Check out the possibilities,and eliminate what isn't necessary to reach your destination. Thejourney that has the mostimpact will be the one that includes the people you meshwith best.

SCORPIO(Oct. 24-Nov.22) Have apurpose in mind before you walk out the door Channel your energy wisely to avoid unsavory incidents. Change only what's necessary,and avoid discordwith partnersand people you count on.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Take pride in what you do, and be quick to stop anyone who interferes with your progress. It's necessary to put yourself first if you want to get ahead.Say no to emotional manipulation.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Question anything that sounds suspicious.Don'tlimit what youcan do.Trusting others to do things to your specifications will lead to disappointment

AQUARIUS(Jan. 20-Feb.19) Distance yourself from procrastinators and people eager to take advantage of you. Refuse to buy intofads, promotional ads and products that sound too good to be true.

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

Sudoku

InstructIons: sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle basedona 9x9 gridwith severalgiven numbers The object is to place thenumbers 1to9inthe emptysquares so that each row,eachcolumn and each 3x3 box contains thesame number onlyonce.The difficultylevelofthe sudoku increasesfrommonday to sunday

Saturday’s Puzzle Answer

BY PHILLIP ALDER Bridge

Rene Descartes, aFrench philosopher, mathematician and writer whospent most of hislifeinthe Dutch Republic anddiedin1650, said in alecture,“And nowwecometothetwooperationsofour understanding,intuitionand deduction, on which alone we have saidwemust rely in the acquisition of knowledge.”

At the bridge table, we gain an understanding of adeal primarily by using deduction —although someplayers also employ intuition.

If you wish to test your deductive powers, cover the West and South hands. The contract is three no-trump. West leads afourth-highestheart two and declarer calls for dummy’s four. Would you put in the 10 or rise with the king? Why?

This is atrap deal forNorth and South. They have 29 high-cardpoints, but cannot, in theory,makegame. However, if anygame is going to get through, it is three no-trump. Often, when dummy has theheartqueenandEasttheking-10over her, it is right for East to play his 10. But notinthis instance. If Southispermitted to take the first trick with his heart jack,hewill then cash four clubs, four diamonds and the spade ace to score up an overtrick. It is right to play the 10 when South has the ace, but is thatpossible?

No!

wuzzles

If South had started with ace-low in hearts, he would have called for dummy’s queen,hoping the lead was away fromthe king. So East should playhis king at the first trick, confident it will win, then return the five, his original fourth-highest. Thedefenders will run the suit fordownone.

©2026 by nEa, inc.,dist. By andrewsmcmeel syndication

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

Previous answers:

word game

InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,”suchas“bats” or “dies,”are notallowed. 3. additional words made by adding a“d” or an “s” may notbeused. 4. proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are notallowed.

toDAY’s WoRD VItIAtEs: VIH-she-ates: Makes ineffective.

Average mark 18 words

Time limit 20 minutes

Can you find22ormore words in VITIATES?

dIrectIons: make a2-to 7-letter word fromthe lettersineach row. add pointsof each word, using scoring directionsat right.Finally 7-letter words get 50-point bonus. “Blanks” used as any letter havenopoint value.all the words are in theOfficial sCraBBlE® players Dictionary, 5th Edition. For more informationontournaments and clubs,email naspa –north americansCraBBlE playersassociation: info@scrabbleplayers.org.Visit ourwebsite:www.scrabbleplayers.org. For puzzleinquiriescontact scrgrams@gmail.com Hasbro andits logo sCraBBlE associated logo,the design of thedistinctive sCraBBlE brand game card,and the distinctivelettertile designsare trademarks of Hasbrointhe United statesand Canada. ©2021 Hasbro. all rights reserved. DistributedbyTribune Content

ken ken

InstructIons: 1 -Eachrow and each column must contain the numbers 1thorugh4 (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.

Saturday’s Puzzle Answer

WiShinG Well

HErE is aplEasanT liTTlEgamEthatwill give you amessage every day.it’sa numerical puzzle designed to spell outyourfortune.Count the letters in your firstname. if thenumber of letters is 6ormore, subtract4.ifthe numberisless than 6, add 3. The result is your key number. start at the upperleft-hand corner andcheck each of yourkey numbers, left to right. Thenreadthe message the checked figures give you.