The Advocate 02-24-2026

Three AI data centers set for northwest La.

Officials announce $12B development plan to build facilities in the region, creating 540 permanent jobs

BY LIZ SWAINE Staff writer

Gov Jeff Landry announced what he called “the largest investment in the history of northwest Louisiana” on Monday, two Amazon Web Services AI data centers to be built in Shreveport and Bossier Parish. Economic development officials say the third, in rural Caddo Parish near Blanchard, is “coming.”

The governor was joined by Amazon and STACK Infrastructure at the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium to unveil the $12 billion development plans. Construction on the centers is beginning “imminently,” said Roger Wehner, Amazon’s vice president of economic development

“When you just look at the seriousness of it, the size of it, the scale of it and just the cumulative nature of it, it’s really remarkable,” said Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Susan Bourgeois. “You layer that on to other things that we’ve been talking about I would argue that north Louisiana hasn’t seen this

Abraham leaving CDC

Ex-La. surgeon general cites ‘family obligations’

BY MATTHEW ALBRIGHT and MARK BALLARD Staff writers

kind of momentum.”

Monday’s announcement was the latest sign of how Louisiana is capitalizing on the rapid emergence of artificial intelligence data centers and the economic promise they hold. Over the past couple of years, Landry and other top state and local

officials also have announced multibillion-dollar data center projects in Richland and West Feliciana parishes. The two data centers announced Monday are part of a

ä See CENTERS, page 7A

EPA rollback of climate rule could raise risks in state

Repeal of scientific finding affects legal basis for federal regulation

BY ALEX LUBBEN Staff writer

The Trump administration has rolled back a scientific finding that serves as the backbone for federal climate change policy a move that could leave Louisiana’s industrial players in a state of regulatory uncertainty while exposing the state to more extreme weather, rising seas and hotter temperatures.

The Environmental Protection Agency on Feb. 12 rolled back the “endangerment finding,” which allowed planet-heating greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide to be regulated like other pollutants under the Clean Air Act. That finding has served as the foundation of federal regulations aimed at limiting the long-term impacts of climate change. In practical terms, standards for tailpipe emissions and other climate rules aimed at power plants and major industrial sources could be stalled, rewritten or struck down in court. That could leave companies and regulators operating in a gray area for months or years as lawsuits play out.

“This is the single largest act of deregulation in U.S history and will make buying a car more affordable for Louisiana families.”

“This radical rule became the legal foundation for the Green New Scam, one of the greatest scams in history,” said President Donald Trump at a news conference announcing the move.

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill praised it as a step toward eliminating a slate of climate change policies, often referred to as the “Green New Deal,” that some Democratic lawmakers have championed.

“This is the single largest act of deregulation in U.S. history and will make buying a car more affordable for Louisiana families,” Murrill said.

The Trump administration estimated that the change will save $1.3 trillion in costs over three decades, mostly by reducing the price of new cars, though environmental groups like the Sierra

See CLIMATE, page 5A

Mexico security forces keep up fight with cartel

BY MEGAN JANETSKY and MARÍA VERZA Associated Press

Ralph Abraham, the former Louisiana surgeon general and congressman is stepping down from his role as second-incommand at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to “address unforeseen family obligations,” the agency said in a statement.

“Dr Abraham led with clarity and discipline, advancing the CDC’s mission to protect the

ä See ABRAHAM, page 7A ä Baton Rouge family trapped in Mexico amid unrest. PAGE 1B

TAPALPA, Mexico A day after the Mexican army killed the country’s most powerful drug lord, the picturesque town where it happened was a study in contrasts. Tourist shops in Tapalpa were open Monday, and workers were on the job. But gunshots also rang out, and in the street was a dead man lying beside a bullet-pocked vehicle. Meanwhile, heavily armed Mexican security forces kept up their battle with cartel gunmen following the killing that sparked a surge in violence and put the country on edge. Cartel fighters continued to block roads as smoke rose on the outskirts of the town in the state of Jalisco.

More than 70 people died in the attempt to capture Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes and the aftermath, authorities said Monday Known as “El Mencho,” he was the notorious leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, one of the most powerful criminal organizations in Mexico. The body count taken by security officials included security forces, suspected cartel members and others. Officials did not offer details, and the circumstances of most of the deaths were unclear Oseguera Cervantes was the boss of one of the fastest-growing criminal networks in Mexico,

ä See MEXICO, page 5A

BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

U.S. strikes alleged drug boat, killing 3

WASHINGTON The U.S. military said it killed three people Monday in a strike on an alleged drug-smuggling vessel in the Caribbean Sea as part of the Trump administration’s monthslong campaign against alleged traffickers

Monday’s attack brought the death toll to at least 151 people since the Trump administration began targeting those it calls “narcoterrorists” in small vessels in early September

As with most of the military’s statements on the more than 40 known strikes, U.S Southern Command said it targeted alleged drug traffickers along known smuggling routes. The military did not provide evidence that the vessel was ferrying drugs but posted a video on X that showed a small boat with outboard engines being destroyed.

“Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Caribbean and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations,” Southern Command stated in a post on X. “Three male narco-terrorists were killed during this action.”

President Donald Trump has said the U.S. is in “armed conflict” with cartels in Latin America and has justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States But his administration has offered little evidence to support its claims of killing “narcoterrorists.”

Students in Iran protest against government

CAIRO Students held anti-government protests at universities across Iran’s capital on Monday, according to witnesses and videos circulating online, in a new sign of unrest as U.S. forces gather in the region for possible strikes.

The protests, in which many students expressed support for the exiled crown prince of Iran’s long-deposed monarchy began over the weekend. Demonstrations erupted on at least three university campuses on Monday, in one instance leading to scuffles with the paramilitary Basij. Iran launched a fierce crackdown in January on mass protests, killing thousands of people and detaining tens of thousands.

President Donald Trump threatened military action in response before shifting his focus to Iran’s disputed nuclear program and warning it to make a deal. American and Iranian negotiators are set to hold another round of indirect talks in Geneva this week, where Iran is expected to make a detailed proposal on reining in its nuclear program. The USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier is meanwhile heading toward the Middle East to join another carrier

Israeli settlers torch, vandalize mosque

TELL, West Bank Israeli settlers vandalized a mosque in the Israeli-occupied West Bank early Monday, spray-painting offensive phrases and setting a fire, according to the Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Religious Affairs.

Worshippers arriving for the day’s first prayers found the damage and a smoldering fire that spewed black smoke across the entrance of the Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq Mosque in the town of Tell, near Nablus, and stained the ornate doorway

“I was shocked when I opened the door,” said Munir Ramdan, who lives nearby. “The fire had been burning here in the area, the glass was broken here and the door was broken.”

Security camera footage showed two people walking toward the mosque carrying gasoline and a can of spray paint, and running away a few minutes later Ramdan said.

The attackers spray-painted graffiti denigrating the Prophet Muhammad, as well as the words “revenge” and “price tag.” In “price tag” attacks, hard-line Israeli nationalists attack Palestinians and vandalize their property in response to Palestinian militant attacks or perceived efforts by Israeli authorities to limit settlement activity

Huge snowstorm slams Northeast

Weather forces millions to stay home, disrupts flights

BY ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE, CLAIRE RUSH, JULIE WALKER and ADAM GELLER

Associated Press

NEW YORK A massive snowstorm pummeled the northeastern United States from Maryland to Maine on Monday forcing millions of people to stay home amid strong wind and blizzard warnings, transportation shutdowns, and school and business closures.

Meteorologists said the storm is the strongest in a decade, dumping more than 2 feet of snow in parts of the metropolitan Northeast, shattering accumulation records in places, immobilizing transit and even leading the United Nations to postpone a Security Council meeting Officials declared emergencies, schools closed, including in New York City, which had its first “old-school” snow day in six years, and people grappled with power failures.

Even as the snow moved northward and tapered off in other areas, the National Weather Service said it is tracking another storm that could bring more snow to the region later this week.

The weather service referred to Monday’s storm as a “classic bomb cyclone/nor’easter off the Northeast coast.” A bomb cyclone happens when a storm’s pressure falls by

a certain amount within a 24-hour period, occurring mainly in the fall and winter when frigid Arctic air can reach the south and clash with warmer temperatures. While it was paralyzing and potentially dangerous for millions along the Eastern Seaboard, meteorologists found themselves rhapsodizing over the combination of power and beauty

The storm hit the “Goldilocks situation” of just the right temperature for wet, heavy snow: Any warmer and its precipitation wouldn’t have fallen as snow, any colder and there wouldn’t have been as much moisture in the air to feed that snowfall, said Owen Shieh, warning coordination meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center

in Maryland. In Lower Manhattan, snow shovelers appeared to outnumber commuting office workers, and pedestrians walked freely in streets normally blocked by morning traffic.

“It’s very quiet, except for the howling winds,” said Luis Valez, a concierge at a residential tower just off Wall Street, as he cleared the sidewalk. “A couple of residents have gone out to get their essentials. Other than that, there’s nothing.”

Schools were closed, and he said he hoped people would get out and enjoy the snow

“We have sleds at the ready,” he said.

Karen Smith and Adele Bawden are tourists visiting New York from the United Kingdom.

“We’ve been dancing in

Times Square this morning in the middle of the road in rush hour,” Bawden said.

“We’ve just been dancing and not believing we could do it.”

Ingrid Devita said she liked to patrol the Lower East Side on skis, checking on people who might need help.

“I find people fall in the snow and they can’t get up,” she said.

Central Park in New York City recorded 19 inches of snow Warwick, Rhode Island, exceeded 3 feet, topping the nation so far The highest wind gust of 83 mph was recorded in Nantucket, with hurricaneforce gusts seen all over Cape Cod.

New York, Philadelphia and other cities, as well as several states, declared emergencies.

More than 5,600 flights in and out of the United States were canceled Monday, and a further 2,000 flights scheduled for Tuesday were grounded, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware. Most of the cancelations involved airports in New York, New Jersey and Boston. Almost 2,500 flights were delayed. Rhode Island’s T.F. Green International Airport announced Monday that it was temporarily ending all airport operations. The Weather Service reported that the facility got 32.8 inches of snow, breaking a record set in 1978. Public transit ground to a halt in some areas, while DoorDash suspended deliveries in New York City overnight into Monday Meteorologists said strong winds and heavy, wet snow are a recipe for damaged trees and prolonged power outages. More than 450,000 utility customers nationwide remained in darkness Monday evening, according to PowerOutage.us, which tracks outages nationwide.

In Connecticut, crews at the Mystic Seaport Museum prepared to clear snow from a fleet of historic ships, including the 113-foot-long Charles W. Morgan, a wooden whaling ship from the 19th-century American merchant fleet. Shannon McKenzie, vice president of watercraft operations and preservation, said shipyard staff will clear the snow by hand using rubber or plastic shovels because machinery or metal shovels could damage the boats.

Rob Reiner’s son pleads not guilty in murder

Man accused in parents’ killing

BY ANDREW DALTON Associated Press

LOS ANGELES Nick Reiner, the 32-year-old son of Hollywood luminary Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, pleaded not guilty Monday to two counts of first-degree murder more than two months after their deaths, denying for the first time that he fatally stabbed his parents. Nick Reiner’s attorney Deputy Public Defender Kimberly Greene, entered the plea on his behalf as he stood behind glass in an enclosed custody area of the packed Los Angeles courtroom. The third of Rob Reiner’s

four children, Nick Reiner has been held without bail since his arrest hours after beloved actor-director Reiner and photographer and producer Singer were found dead on Dec. 14 at their home in the upscale Brentwood section of Los Angeles. Reiner appeared in court with a shaved head and light facial hair, wearing brown jail clothes. He talked to his lawyer briefly through the glass before the judge began the hearing. At one point a low door in the enclosure was opened and they crouched down and spoke face-to-face. During the hearing, he spoke only to answer yes when the judge asked if he waived

his right for next steps of the case to proceed speedily Reiner was not wearing the suicide prevention smock he wore in his first court appearance in December days after his parent’s killings. It was the third time he had been set to enter a plea, but issues surrounding the high-stakes, closely watched case, including a surprising change in defense lawyers, kept it from happening until Monday

The judge told Reiner to return to court April 29 for the scheduling of a preliminary hearing where prosecutors will present evidence and a new judge will decide if it’s enough

Former ambassador arrested in U.K. probe into Epstein ties

BY PAN PYLAS and JILL

LAWLESS

Associated Press

LONDON British police on Monday arrested Peter Mandelson, a former U.K. ambassador to the United States, in a misconduct probe stemming from his ties to the late Jeffrey Epstein. It came days after a friendship with Epstein landed the former Prince Andrew in police custody Both men are suspected of improperly passing U.K. government information to the disgraced U.S. financier, and the high-profile British arrests are some of the most dramatic fallout from the trove of more than 3 million pages of Epstein-related documents released last month by the U.S. Justice Department. London’s Metropolitan

Police force said “officers have arrested a 72-year-old man on suspicion of misconduct in public office” at an address in north London. He was taken to a police station for questioning. The man was not named, in keeping with British police practice, but the suspect in the case previously was identified as the former diplomat, who is 72. Mandelson was filmed being led from his London home to a car by plainclothes officers on Monday afternoon.

Under U.K. law, police can hold a suspect without charge for up to 24 hours. This can be extended to a maximum of 96 hours. Mandelson could be charged, released unconditionally or released while investigations continue. Police are investigating

Mandelson over claims he passed sensitive government information to Epstein a decade and a half ago. He does not face allegations of sexual misconduct

His arrest came four days after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former Prince Andrew, was arrested in a separate case on suspicion of a similar offense related to his friendship with Epstein. Andrew was released after 11 hours in custody while the police investigation continues.

Mandelson served in government roles under previous Labour governments and was U.K. ambassador to Washington until Prime Minister Keir Starmer fired him in September after emails were published showing that he maintained a friendship with Epstein after the financier’s 2008 conviction for sex offenses involving a minor

for Reiner to go to trial.

The case will now be handled by longtime Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Sam Ohta. He has had many prominent murder, manslaughter and public corruption cases in his courtroom in recent years, but none have drawn the national media attention this case has.

District Attorney Nathan Hochman said outside court

that his office still hasn’t decided whether it will seek the death penalty for Reiner Hochman said the death penalty decision “goes through a very rigorous process. We will be looking at all aggravating and mitigating circumstances.”

Reiner’s not guilty plea is common for criminal defendants at this stage of the case, whatever their longerterm plan might be.

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Judge blocks release of special counsel report

Jack Smith investigated Trump’s classified documents case

BY ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press

WASHINGTON A federal judge on Monday permanently barred the release of a report by special counsel Jack Smith on his investigation into President Donald Trump’s hoarding of classified documents, a prosecution that was once seen as the most perilous of the four criminal cases the Republican faced.

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who was nominated to the bench by Trump, granted a request from the president to keep under wraps the report on an investigation alleging that Trump stored sensitive documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate after he left the White House following his first term and that he obstructed government efforts to get them back Smith and his team produced a two-volume report on the classified documents investigation and a separate probe into Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election after he lost to Democrat Joe Biden. Both investigations produced indictments that were abandoned by Smith’s team after Trump’s November 2024

election win in light of longstanding Justice Department legal opinions that say sitting presidents cannot face federal prosecution.

said the release of the report would present a “manifest injustice” to the president and his two co-defendants.

Landry requests expanded DEI probe of La. colleges, universities

Governor asks Education Department for investigation

BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer

Gov Jeff Landry has asked the U.S Department of Education to expand its investigation of diversity, equity and inclusion practices at the state’s higher education board to include all public colleges and universities in Louisiana, a news release Monday said.

from public postsecondary schools.

Federal officials said the practice appeared to violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bans discrimination based on race, color or national origin in education programs and activities that receive federal funds.

“Title VI guarantees all students equal access to educational programs and opportunities regardless of race and OCR is committed to preserving these rights,” Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey said in the announcement.

Attorney General Pam Bondi had already determined that the report was “an internal deliberative communication that is privileged and confidential and should not be released” outside the Justice Department, according to court papers The Trump administration has characterized Smith’s investigation as politically motivated and said in recent court papers that the report belongs in the “dustbin of history.” Cannon’s order blocking the release also applies to Bondi’s successors at the Justice Department. Cannon, who in 2024 dismissed the case after concluding that Smith was unlawfully appointed after multiple other favorable rulings for Trump,

“Special Counsel Smith, acting without lawful authority obtained an indictment in this action and initiated proceedings that resulted in a final order of dismissal of all charges,” she wrote “As a result, the former defendants in this case, like any other defendant in this situation, still enjoy the presumption of innocence held sacrosanct in our constitutional order.”

A First Amendment group and a watchdog organization have been pressing for the report’s release.

Chioma Chukwu, executive director of American Oversight, said it “will continue using every tool available to force this information into the open and to defend the public’s right to the truth through the release of this report.”

“Let me be clear: Louisiana is done with woke DEI policies,” Landry said in the release. “Discrimination against ANY student will not be tolerated.”

In a letter dated Monday to the Office for Civil Rights within the Department of Education, Landry said, “it is vital to discover if any institution in this state is engaged in practices contrary to federal law and policies.”

The federal investigation, launched earlier this month, focused on performance targets laid out in the Board of Regents’ executive budget reports. The targets called for public universities to increase the number of underrepresented minorities — defined as races other than White or Asian — graduating

Ex-agency lawyer: ICE officer training

BY REBECCA SANTANA Associated Press

WASHINGTON A former U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement lawyer who was responsible for training new deportation officers warned Monday that the agency’s training program for new recruits is “deficient, defective and broken.”

Ryan Schwank’s comments during a forum held by congressional Democrats come at a time of intense scrutiny of the officers tasked with carrying out President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda. Critics, including rights groups and Democratic politicians, have accused deportation officers of using excessive force when arresting immigrants, attacking bystanders who record their conduct and failing to follow constitutional protections of people’s rights.

The Department of Homeland Security is rapidly scaling up the number of deportation officers, raising concerns that it will sacrifice proper screening and training of applicants in a rush to get them into the field. The department denied it was cutting corners, saying new officers get trained on firearms, use-of-force policies and how to safely arrest people.

Schwank testified during a hearing hosted by Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Rep.

from whistleblowers. Blumenthal’s office said the documents demonstrated “drastic cuts” to how new deportation officers are trained

“OCR will fully enforce Title VI to ensure our education programs are defined by equality, not exclusion.”

The Department of Education did not immediately respond to a request for comment about whether the office will expand the investigation.

Diversity equity and inclusion policies in higher education have regularly surfaced as a contentious issue in Louisiana politics, particularly under the second Trump administration.

A bill advanced through the House in 2025 that would have banned those programs in state agencies and prohibited universities from mandating instructional content related to “critical race theory, white fragility, white guilt, systemic racism, institutional racism, anti-racism, sys-

temic bias, implicit bias, intersectionality, gender identity allyship, racebased reparations, or racebased privilege.”

Members of the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus decried the legislation, with Rep Candace Newell, D-New Orleans, calling it “the most racially offensive piece of legislation that I think I’ve had to debate since I came into office.”

The bill ultimately died in the Senate.

Louisiana’s higher education institutions have also taken steps to remove or rename initiatives with ties to diversity, equity and inclusion in recent years. In 2024, LSU struck some references to diversity from its website and replaced the word “Inclusion” with “Engagement” in the renamed Division of Engagement, Civil Rights and Title IX.

LSU system President Wade Rousse said Monday that LSU would comply with an expanded investigation.

“The LSU System intends to be compliant with all state and federal laws and is prepared to cooperate with this expanded investigation,” Rousse said. In the letter shared Monday, Landry said his administration welcomes “efforts to root out remnants” of diversity, equity and inclusion practices in the state.

“If there are violations of federal law anywhere in our system, we want them corrected,” Landry said.

‘deficient,’ ‘broken’

and tested. That includes changes to the number of exams new officers have to pass, the classes they have to take and the hours they train.

Ho me lan d Se cu ri ty strongly denied that it has removed any training requirements or lessened requirements for officers.

Robert Garcia of California. Blumenthal’s office said Schwank resigned from the agency on Feb. 13. “I am here because I am duty-bound to report the legally required training program at the ICE academy is deficient, defective and broken,” Schwank said.

He also accused the department of dismantling the training program for new deportation officers and lying about what they were doing.

“DHS told the public the new cadets receive all the training they need to perform their duties, that no critical material or standards have been cut,” he said.

“This is a lie ICE made the program shorter, and they removed so many essential parts that what remains is a dangerous husk.”

Monday’s was the third public forum held by the two

Democrats to examine how ICE is training thousands of new officers and the conduct of those officers once they’re on the streets. Both have been vocal critics of how ICE officers conduct themselves.

At the beginning of the hearing, Blumenthal thanked the witnesses, including Schwank, for their “courage and strength.”

Blumenthal’s office said Schwank was one of two anonymous whistleblowers who came forward earlier to disclose a new ICE policy authorizing deportation officers to forcibly enter an immigrant’s home to remove them from the country even if they didn’t have a warrant signed by a judge.

His office also released dozens of pages of documents related to the training of new deportation officers, noting the disclosure came

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By The Associated Press

a friendship spanning 250 years,” it said. Kushner had been summoned following a statement by the State Department’s Counterterrorism Bureau, which posted on X that “reports, corroborated by the French Minister of the Interior,thatQuentinDeranquewas killed by left-wing militants, should concern us all.” The U.S. Embassy had posted that statement on social media. Deranque, a far-right activist, died of brain injuries this month from a beating in the French city of Lyon. He was attacked during a fight on the margins of a student meeting where a far-left lawmaker was a keynote speaker France moves to bar U.S. ambassador from

The ministry, however left the door open for reconciliation.

“It remains, of course, possible for Ambassador Charles Kushner to carry out his duties and present himself at the Quai d’Orsay, so that we may hold the diplomatic discussions needed to smooth over the irritants that can inevitably arise in

PARIS France’s top diplomat Monday requested that U.S. Ambassador Charles Kushner no longer be allowed direct access to members of the French government after he skipped a meeting to discuss comments by the Trump administration over the beating death of a far-right activist. French authorities had summoned Kushner, the father of U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner, to the Quai d’Orsay, which houses the Foreign Affairs Ministry, on Monday evening but he did not show up, according to diplomatic sources. Jean-Noel Barrot, the foreign affairs minister moved to restrict Kushner’s access “in light of this apparent misunderstanding of the basic expectations of the mission of an ambassador, who has the honor of representing his country.”

or oneof

Volunteers scour desert for ‘Today’ host’s mom

Authorities urge them to stop

BY JACQUES BILLEAUD and FELICIA FONSECA Associated Press

TUCSON, Ariz. — The disappearance of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie’s mother three weeks ago has inspired a small number of volunteers to launch their own searches in the dense desert near her home in hopes of cracking the case.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said while it appreciates the concern for Nancy Guthrie, it asked people inquiring about volunteering to give investigators space to do their jobs.

“We all want to find Nancy, but this work is best left to professionals,” the agency said in a statement over the weekend.

Nancy Guthrie, 84, was last seen at her home just outside Tucson on Jan. 31 and was reported missing the following day Authorities believe she was kidnapped, abducted or otherwise taken against her will. Drops of her blood were found on the front porch, but authorities haven’t publicly revealed much evidence.

Despite the sheriff ’s request for people not to

search on their own, volunteers have continued to look. A small group reported finding a black backpack on Sunday but it wasn’t the same brand as one identified in video surveillance that the FBI released of a masked man at Guthrie’s home the night she disappeared.

A sheriff’s spokesperson told Tucson television station KOLD that the bag and its contents didn’t appear to be viable leads. The Associated Press reached out to the sheriff’s department for comment on Monday

Two women from the group Madres Buscadoras de Sonora, or “Searching Mothers of Sonora,” who were carrying digging tools Sunday outside of Guthrie’s home, said they too, would join the search. They posted flyers on Guthrie’s mailbox with her picture and their contact information.

Lupita Tello, who joined the group after her son disappeared in Mexico in 2020, said Monday she and two other volunteers will continue to post flyers on bus stops and utility poles near Nancy Guthrie’s home. Members of the group plan to do the same in Nogales, Mexico

She said the group was contacted by a friend of one of Nancy Guthrie’s daughters

who asked them for help because of their experience.

The group has found the remains of more than 5,000 people in Mexico since it was started 10 years ago by mothers with missing children.

“We know the soil. We know when someone has dug deep or when there is a shallow grave,” Tello said. “We hope we can help because we understand the pain of having a missing relative.”

She said group members have received training by

Mexican forensic experts on how to conduct their searches.

Tony Estrada, the former longtime sheriff in neighboring Santa Cruz County, said volunteer searchers have good intentions in wanting to help and can serve as a force multiplier, but it’s crucial that their efforts be coordinated with law enforcement.

“You can’t have people all over the place looking for something and not reporting

to anybody or letting them know that they’re going to be in that area,” Estrada said. “They may be trampling into things that may come out to be helpful in the future.”

Nearly all search operations for U.S. law enforcement agencies are staffed with volunteers, said Chris Boyer, executive director of the National Association for Search and Rescue.

Untrained volunteers who show up to help in a search may mean well, but experts

say they could end up contaminating a crime scene.

“It’s painful for law enforcement when that happens,” Boyer said.

Volunteers should undergo background checks, be trained in things like administering first aid and preserving crime scenes, and work under the direction of law enforcement authorities said Boyer whose group provides education, certification and advocacy for search and rescue efforts across the United States and other countries.

Several hundred people are working the Guthrie investigation, and more than 20,000 tips have been received, the Sheriff’s Office has said. The FBI and other agencies are assisting.

The Sheriff’s Office has watched around the clock lately at Guthrie’s house. It also enacted a temporary one-way flow on the road so that emergency vehicles and trash collection trucks could get through. The constant presence of news crews, bloggers and curious onlookers has drawn mixed reaction from neighbors.

Some appreciated the attention the case has been getting. Others have placed traffic cones and signs on their properties to keep people off.

Cousin: Armed man killed at Mar-a-Lago uninterested in politics, guns

BY ALLEN G. BREED

Associated Press

CAMERON, N.C.

— The 21-yearold North Carolina man who entered a gate at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort with a shotgun before he was shot and killed worked as a golf course groundskeeper and liked to sketch.

Austin Tucker Martin rarely, if ever, talked about politics, seemed afraid of guns, and came from a family of Trump supporters, according to Braeden Fields, a cousin who said the two grew up together “I wouldn’t believe he would do something like this. It’s mind-blowing,” Fields said. “He wouldn’t even hurt an ant. He doesn’t even know how to use a gun.” Martin walked up to the secure perimeter at Mara-Lago early Sunday and went through a gate when it opened for employees to leave, a U.S. Secret Service spokesperson said Mon-

A Palm Beach County sheriff deputy talks to a bicyclist Sunday on the bridge leading to Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla. The U.S Secret Service said an armed man was shot and killed after entering the secure perimeter of President Donald Trump’s resort.

day Martin dropped a gas can and raised a shotgun at two Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputy who then

opened fire “to neutralize the threat,” said Sheriff Ric Bradshaw Trump, who often spends weekends at the Palm Beach,

Florida, resort, was at the White House at the time. Investigators have not identified a motive. Trump faced two assassination at-

tempts during the 2024 campaign, including one just a few miles from Mar-a-Lago when a man was spotted aiming a rifle through shrubbery while Trump was golfing. Following Sunday’s incident, Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said investigators believe Martin bought his shotgun while driving to Florida. Authorities said his family had recently reported him missing.

Martin was from central North Carolina, where guns and hunting are a part of life, his cousin said. But whenever they’d go hunting or target shooting, Martin would never pick up a gun, Fields told The Associated Press on Sunday He lived with his mother in a modest modular house down a rutted sandy road near the town of Cameron No one answered the door Monday, and the large police presence from the day before was gone.

Martin’s sister was just 21

when she was killed in a car accident in 2023, and he has an older brother who’s in the military, Fields said. For the past three years, Martin worked as a groundskeeper at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club.

“It’s tragic. I feel for his family,” said Kelly Miller, president of the course in nearby Southern Pines. “It’s just unfortunate what transpired. It was totally unexpected.” Martin last year started a business to sell pen drawings he made, according to state records. A website matching the company name features illustrations of golf courses, buildings and ancient Roman architecture.

Politics didn’t seem to be among his interests, his cousin said.

“We are big Trump supporters, all of us. Everybody,” Fields said, but his cousin was “real quiet, never really talked about anything.”

BY SAM MCNEIL and SYLVIE CORBET Associated Press

BRUSSELS The European Union failed to pass new sanctions on Russia on Monday after surprise objections from Hungary, the bloc’s top diplomat said.

“This is a setback and a message we did not want to send today,” said Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy chief. Foreign ministers had scrambled to finalize the sanctions along with a massive new loan for Kyiv ahead of the fourth anniversary of a war that has left an estimated 1.8 million Russian and Ukrainian soldiers dead, wounded or missing.

Monday’s meeting sought to make Russia pay a greater economic price for the all-

out war it launched against its neighbor on Feb. 24, 2022, and which shows no sign of ending Hungary, seen as the EU’s most pro-Russian member, threatened over the weekend to hold up both the sanctions and the $106 billion loan meant to help Ukraine meet its military and economic needs for the next two years.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz marked what he called “four monstrous years of war” at a pro-Ukrainian event in Berlin on Monday “I appeal again to our European partners: Do not let up in your support, in our common support, for Ukraine,” Merz said. “We are standing at a crossroads that could decide on the

well-being of our whole continent.”

In Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron declared that “our determination to continue supporting Ukraine is unwavering.” He met with Finland’s President Alexander Stubb, another staunch supporter of Kyiv who urged European allies to raise the costs on Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Many EU leaders had hoped to move forward on the 20th package of sanctions targeting Russia’s shadow fleet and energy revenues before Tuesday’s anniversary of the war

But Hungary said it would stand firm until Russian oil deliveries to Hungary resume. It had previously agreed to the loan to Ukraine. Kallas said reneg-

ing on that goes against EU treaties

Russian oil shipments to Hungary and Slovakia have been interrupted since Jan. 27 after what Ukrainian officials say were Russian drone attacks damaged the Druzhba pipeline, which carries Russian crude across Ukrainian territory and into Central Europe.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán doubled down Monday on an unsubstantiated allegation that Ukraine is deliberately holding back shipments of Russian oil, and accused Kyiv of seeking to topple his government. He referred to the oil supply disruptions as a “Ukrainian oil blockade” led by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

“No one has the right to put our energy security at

risk,” Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó told journalists ahead of the meeting.

Some European leaders stressed that the most effective way to get Russia to agree to peace in Ukraine is to raise the cost to Moscow of continuing the war

“This war will only end when Russia no longer sees any sense in continuing it, when Russia can no longer expect more territorial gains, when Russia’s costs for this madness have simply become too high,” Merz said. “We must dry up Moscow’s war financing.”

Finland’s leader argued that Russia’s war was a “strategic failure” as he made the case for ratcheting up pressure on Putin.

“It is also a military fail-

ure — he is now losing many soldiers — and, on top of that, it is an economic failure,” Stubb said, speaking in French. “Putin is not winning this war, but he cannot make peace.”

The EU already has sent Ukraine 194.9 billion euros ($229.8 billion) in financial assistance while squeezing Russia’s key energy exports. Nearly every country in Europe has significantly

known for trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine to the United States and staging brazen attacks against Mexican government officials. The organization responded to his deathwith widespread violence, including erecting more than 250 roadblocks across20states and setting fire to vehicles.

Oseguera Cervantesdiedafter ashootout with the Mexicanmilitary.Mexican Defense Secretary Ricardo Trevilla said Monday that authorities had followedone ofhis romantic partners to his hideout in Tapalpa.

The cartel leader and two bodyguards fled into awoodedarea where they were seriously wounded in afirefight. They were taken into custody and died on the way to Mexico City,Trevilla said

In adifferent location in Jalisco, soldiers killed another high-ranking cartel member who Trevilla said wascoordinating violence and offering more than $1,000 for every soldier killed.

The dead included 25 members of the Mexican National Guard who were killed in six separate attacks,SecuritySecretaryOmar García Harfuch said. Harfuch said some 30 criminal suspects werekilled in Jalisco, andfour others were killed in the neighboring state of Michoacan. Also killed were aprison guard and an agent from the state prosecutor’soffice.

As the threat of more violence loomed, several Mexicanstates

CLIMATE

Continued from page1A

Club have stressed that figure ignores the health and infrastructure costs of allowing additional airpollution.

Many of those health impacts may fall on Louisianans, some of whom already live in areas with poor air quality.The move is also likely to increase Louisiana’s climate risk, potentially increasing already high insurance costs while making hurricanesstronger and more likely to rapidly intensify

“This increases the likelihood of another Katrina,” said Joshua Basseches, a professor of publicpolicy andenvironmental studies at Tulane University.“This is the single most damaging thing thatthis administration has done with regard to climate change.”

Louisiana is on the front lines of climate change, Basseches said. It is ahurricane-pronestate, and storms can be supercharged by hotter Gulf waters,which not only make the storms more powerful but also more likely to undergo rapid intensification —giving the city less time to prepare and residents less time to evacuate. Land loss and chronic flooding are also likelyto become more severeonahotter planet. Risingsea levels will eatawayatLouisiana’s already diminished coastal marshes, givingmetropolitan areas like New Orleans and Baton Rougeless buffer from storm surge. Day-

canceled school Monday,while local and foreign governments warned their citizens to stay inside.

TheWhite House confirmed that theU.S. provided intelligence support to the operation to capture the cartel leader and applaudedMexico’sarmy fortakingdown aman whowas one of the most wanted criminals in both countries.

Mexico hoped the death of the world’sbiggestfentanyl traffickers would ease Trump administrationpressure to do more against the cartels, butmany people were anxious as they waitedtosee the powerful cartel’sreaction.

The U.S. Embassy said via Xthat its personnel in eight cities and in

to-day tidal flooding will get worse,too, particularly in places outside of levee systems, likeCocodrie. Plus, New Orleans’ levee system is only built to withstand aso-called100-year storm —one that has a1% chance of happening during anygivenyear. As theclimate changes, those storms are set to become more likely.Congress has authorized but has not completely funded astudy aimedatproviding 200-year protection to NewOrleans’levee system on theeast bank In thelong-term, however, it’snot yetcertain that the Trumpadministration’s move will stick. Already, the rescission has been challenged in federal court. Environmentaland health groups, including theAmericanPublic Health Association,the Alliance ofNurses foraHealthy Environment, and the Environmental Defense Fund, filed alawsuit on Wednesday

‘Waitand see’

The endangermentfindingtraces back to a2007 Supreme Court decision, Massachusettsv.EPA,which held that greenhousegases qualifyas“airpollutants” under theClean Air Act and required theagencyto decide whether those emissionsendangerpublic health or welfare.

The rollback is already headedfor alegal showdown in the D.C. Circuit, and observers expect the dispute couldultimately returnto the Supreme Court, which haspreviouslyrecognized EPA’sauthoritytoregulate greenhousegases underthe

thestate of Michoacan would shelter in place andwork remotely Monday.Itwarned U.S. citizens in many parts of Mexicotodothe same.

Cars began circulating in Guadalajara before sunrise Monday with thestart of theworkweek, a notable change from Sunday, when Jalisco’sstate capital and Mexico’s second-largest citywas almost completely shut down as fearful residentsstayed home.

More than 1,000 people were stuckovernight in Guadalajara’s zoo, where they slept in buses.

LuisSotoRendón, thezoo’s director,said manyhad been trapped there sinceSunday morning, when violencebroke outinJaliscoand

Clean Air Act.

Industry maywaittosee how theTrump administration’s latestmoveplays out before makingdecisions based on it.Globally,investments in renewable energy have still been breaking recordsdespite the Trump administration’sopposition. Energy experts in Louisiana don’tthink that is likely to change now

“Trump isn’tdictating what happens in worldenergymarkets,” saidDavid Dismukes, aprofessor emeritus at the LSUCenter for EnergyStudies. “When you create this kind of uncertainty in policy,whether you thinkit’s‘good’ or ‘bad,’ you start changing things that’sjust not good for capitalformation,regardless of what side of the political coin you’re on.”

“From apure economist, finance-guy perspective,” he added, “this isn’ta good thing.”

To Dismukes, abigger deal than the rollback of the endangerment finding may be the Trump administration’s movetoundo tax incentives forrenewable energy that theBiden administration put forward.

thesurrounding states. Families concludedtheycould notreturn homeinnearby states like Zacatecas and Michoacan.

“Wedecidedtolet peoplestayinside thezoo for their safety,” Soto said. “There aresmall children and senior citizens.”

José Luis Ramírez, a54-yearoldtherapist, was in along line of people waiting outside apharmacy,one of the fewbusinesses that were open Monday in Guadalajara.

Familieswere buying food, medicine,water,diapers andbabyformula, from pharmacists through a chained door

It was Ramírez’s first time leaving the house sincethe violence erupted, but he struck ahopeful tone, saying that despite the bloodshed, civiliansneeded to moveforward.

“Wehavetonot think scared, but be coolheaded, like they say,and takethings as they come,” he said.

Those who had to work carefully madetheir way across the city

IrmaHernández, a43-year-old hotel security guard in Guadalajara,normally takes public transportation to her job, but buses were notrunning, and shehad no way to cross thecity.Her bosses organized aprivate car to pick her up. Her family,she said, wasstaying at home, too scared to leave.

“I am worried because Idon’t know how to get homeifsomethinghappens,” she said.

President Donald Trumphas demanded Mexico do more to fight the smuggling of fentanyl, threatening to impose moretariffs or take unilateralmilitary action if thecountry does not show results.

The operationmay also pave theway for moreviolence as rival

“In the here and now,that has much bigger implications,”hesaid.

Keith Hall, the director of LSU’s Energy Law Center, saidifthe endangerment findingisrescinded,that could open the door for cities run by Democratic administrations, such as New Orleans,orenvironmental groups tobring new lawsuitsagainst companiesfor climate pollution.

“Someofthese groups may feel like if nothing’sgoing to happen at the federal regulatorylevel, we need to

criminal groups take advantage of the blow dealt to El Mencho’s organization, said David Mora, Mexico analyst for the International Crisis Group.

“This might be amoment in which those other groups seethat the cartel is weakened and wantto seize the opportunity for them to expand control and to gain control over Cartel Jalisco in those states,” he said.

EversincePresident Claudia Sheinbaum took office, “thearmy hasbeenway more confrontational, combative against criminalgroups in Mexico,” Mora said. “This is signaling to the U.S. that if we keep cooperating, sharing intelligence, Mexico candoit. We don’tneed U.S. troops on Mexican soil.”

TheU.S.State Department had offered areward of up to $15 million forinformation leading to the arrest of El Mencho. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel beganoperating around 2009.

In February 2025, the Trumpadministration designated the cartel as aforeign terrorist organization. It has been one of the most aggressive cartelsinits attacks on the military —including on helicopters —and is apioneer in launching explosives from drones and installing mines.

At ablockade Monday on the outskirtsofTapalpa,25-year-old Joel Ramírezand twofriends were waiting forsoldierstoclear ablockade of tree limbs. He hauls things in his pickup foraliving and had not been able to get home since Sunday’sviolence.

“Everythingseems calmer, but we were almost there and got stuck,” he said. “We’re scared.”

file lawsuits,” he said. “But Ithink there’sgoing to be some wait and see, both because of the legal challenges and the fact that the next administration may take adifferent view.”

Louisiana’sclimate plan

Under former Gov.John Bel Edwards, the state convened atask forcethat put forward aplan aimed at guiding the state toward limiting itsgreenhouse gas emissions.But that plan appearstohavebeen shelved by Gov. Jeff Landry’s administration. That plan was not law Basseches said, andhad no framework for holding companies to account if they did not follow it. “But it wasextremelyimportantcompared to nothing,which appearsto be thedirection that this state is going in now,”hesaid. He added that the state’s plan was not reliantonthe federal government’s climate regulation.“There’snothing stopping Louisiana from reviving itsclimate action plan,”hesaid, “other than the lack of political will.”

Justices to hear from oil, gas firms

Industry trying to block climate change lawsuits

BY LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Supreme Court said

Monday that it will hear from oil and gas companies trying to block lawsuits seeking to hold the industry liable for billions of dollars in damage linked to climate change.

The conservative-majority court agreed to take up a case from Boulder, Colorado, one of multiple lawsuits alleging the companies deceived the public about how fossil fuels contribute to climate change.

Governments around the country have sought damages totaling billions of dollars, arguing it’s necessary to help pay for rebuilding after wildfires, rising sea levels and severe storms worsened by climate change. The lawsuits come amid a wave of legal actions in California, Hawaii and New Jersey and worldwide seeking to leverage action through the courts

The case out of Boulder County likely will have implications for other lawsuits, some of which have been dismissed while others work their way through state courts.

Suncor Energy and ExxonMobil appealed to the Supreme Court after Colorado’s highest court let the Boulder case proceed. The companies argue emissions are a national issue that should be heard in federal court, where similar suits have been tossed out.

“The use of state law to address global climate change represents a serious threat to one of our Nation’s most critical sectors,” attorneys wrote. ExxonMobil said Monday that “climate policy shouldn’t be set through fragmented state-court actions.” President Donald Trump’s administration weighed in to support the companies and urge the justices to reverse the Colorado Supreme Court decision, saying it would mean “every locality in the country could sue essentially anyone in the world for contributing to global climate change.” Trump, a Republican, criticized the lawsuits in an executive order, and the Justice Department has sought to head some off in court.

Attorneys for Boulder had argued that the litigation is still in early stages and should stay in state court “There is no constitutional bar to states addressing in-state harms caused by out-of-state conduct, be it the negligent design of an automobile or sale of asbestos,” they wrote.

City officials said the case was about dealing with problems people are facing in Colorado. “Our case is, fundamentally, about fairness. Boulder is already experiencing the effects of a rapidly warming climate, and the financial burden of adaptation should not fall solely on local taxpayers,” said Jonathan Koehn, its climate initiatives director

The Supreme Court also asked the two sides to present arguments on whether the case is truly ready to be heard by the justices Arguments are expected in the fall.

Fed’s Waller says rate cut in March is a ‘coin flip’ WASHINGTON Federal Reserve

governor Christopher Waller said Monday that solid job gains in January could mean the central bank can skip a rate cut at its next meeting in March, a decision that would likely spur further attacks by President Donald Trump. At the same time, Waller said last month’s pickup in hiring, when employers added a more-than-expected 130,000 jobs, could have been a one-time gain He said he would need to see a similarly positive report next month to conclude the job market, which he noted was very weak in 2025, is improving.

Waller also said that the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down many of Trump’s tariffs would likely have only a limited impact

THEADVOCATE.COM/news/business

Stocks drop as Trump ramps up tariffs

BY STAN CHOE Associated Press

NEW YORK U.S. stocks slumped

Monday after President Donald Trump ramped up his newest tariffs, while investors continued to punish companies that could be losers in the artificial intelligence revolution.

The S&P 500 fell 1% after Trump said on Saturday that he would place temporary 15% tariffs on other countries. That’s up from the 10% rate he announced Friday following a Supreme Court ruling that struck down his sweeping “reciprocal” taxes on imports from around the world.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 821 points, or 1.7%, and the Nasdaq composite sank 1.1%.

Trump’s quick move toward more aggressive tariffs shows how much uncertainty still hangs over the global economy, even after the Supreme Court said the president lacked the legal authority to institute his sweeping “reciprocal” tariffs.

Beyond a 15% tariff that could last for up to 150 days, unless Congress extends it further, Trump is moving forward on other avenues to place more permanent tariffs on countries and industries. That has trading partners uneasy South Korea’s

EU hits pause on trade deal

BY DAVID McHUGH AP business writer

FRANKFURT, Germany Frustrated European officials pushed Monday for clarification on how President Donald Trump’s declaration of a 15% global tax on imports would affect the trade deal they struck with Trump this summer as EU legislators hit pause on the deal’s ratification until they get clarity

The European Parliament’s trade committee postponed a committee vote on ratification after Trump said he would impose the new tariff, after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down his use of an emergency powers law to set new import taxes. Trump then turned to another section of trade law to justify his imposition of the 15% global rate, which take effect Tuesday

The EU position is expressed in five words: “A deal is a deal,” said commission spokesperson Olof Gill. “So now we are simply saying to the U.S., it is up to you to clearly show to us what path you are taking to honor the agreement.”

The U.S.-EU deal called for a 15% cap on tariffs on most European goods imports, while tariffs on U.S. industrial goods would be lowered to zero. While the deal burdened consumers and businesses with a tariff increase from the previous average of 4.8%, it also gave businesses certainty so they could plan — a factor cred-

on the economy and inflation, and therefore wouldn’t affect his view on rates.

The ruling could have “a positive impact on spending and investment,” he said, but “how large the impact may be and how long it could last is unclear.”

Waller also noted that the White House is seeking to reimpose the tariffs using other laws, creating “considerable uncertainty over to what extent tariffs will continue.”

If February’s jobs report is similar to last month’s, “indicating that downside risks to the labor market have diminished, it may be appropriate” to keep the Fed’s short-term rate “at current levels and watch for continued progress on inflation and strength in the labor market,” Waller said in remarks to a conference held by the National Association for Business Economists

trade minister, Kim Jung-kwan, said Monday that uncertainty may worsen if the Trump administration continues imposing new tariffs under alternative laws.

To be sure, Monday’s moves for markets weren’t close to as bad as the panic that swept the world in April, when Trump initially announced his “Liberation Day” tariffs. U.S stocks were modestly higher for a brief moment during the morning.

The U.S. dollar’s value edged lower against other currencies.

Bitcoin briefly fell below $64,000 but remained above its low point reached earlier this month. Gold continued to rise thanks to its reputation as something safer to own during uncertain times. Investors may be sensing it will take a long time, as well as more court battles, before more clarity comes about how global trade will look.

“Stocks got a boost Friday from the Supreme Court’s tariff ruling, but it quickly became clear that the decision was simply going to open a new chapter in the trade saga, not end it,” according to Chris Larkin, managing director trading and investing, at E-Trade from Morgan Stanley On Wall Street, big losses hit companies under suspicion of getting undercut by AI-powered rivals. Investors have been

sharply and suddenly punishing stocks of such companies recently

CrowdStrike fell 9.8% to widen its loss for the young year so far to 25.3%. A new tool from Anthropic that scans codebases for security vulnerabilities and suggests targeted software patches for human review has been hitting stocks across the cybersecurity industry

AppLovin sank 9.1% and took its loss for the year to date to 43.5%. It’s among the software companies hurt by worries that AI competition will steal customers and fundamentally reset their industries.

Companies that have lent money to software companies whose revenues may be under threat also continued falling, and Blue Owl Capital fell 3.4% to bring its loss for the year so far to 30.1%.

More big moves may still be ahead for Wall Street this week, particularly with a profit report from Nvidia coming on Wednesday Worries are rising that companies like Alphabet and Amazon may be spending so much on Nvidia’s chips that they’ll never be able to recoup their investments through higher productivity and future profits.

Elsewhere on Wall Street, stocks of airlines fell after heavy

snow and high winds canceled thousands of flights across the busy Northeast.

United Airlines lost 5.2%, American Airlines fell 4.9% and Delta Air Lines sank 3.7%. Novo Nordisk’s stock that trades in the United States tumbled 16.4% after the Danish drugmaker said a trial for its CagriSema drug showed people lost a smaller percentage of their weight after 84 weeks than with a similar one made by rival Eli Lilly Eli Lilly rose 4.9%. All told, the S&P 500 fell 71.76 points to 6,837.75. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 821.91 to 48,804.06, and the Nasdaq composite sank 258.80 to 22,627.27.

In stock markets abroad, indexes mostly

Kospi rose a more modest 0.6%. Markets in Japan and mainland China were closed for holidays. In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.03% from 4.08% late Friday AP business writers Matt Ott and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed to this article.

ited with helping Europe avoid a recession last year Since the new 15% rate announced Saturday would be applied on top of the previous tariffs, it would break the agreed ceiling on tariffs, said Bernd Lange, chair of the parliament’s trade committee. Legislators postponed a committee vote on the agreement scheduled for Tuesday Questions surrounded other trade deals done with individual countries including Brazil, India and Britain. For instance, Britain agreed a 10% maximum tariff with the U.S., while India settled on 18% and Vietnam accepted 20%. Although the Supreme Court decision did not directly affect bilateral deals, they were negotiated using threats of imposing the now-invalidated tariffs as leverage. However re-opening

those deals could backfire because Trump has made clear he will pursue tariffs under other laws than the one the Supreme Court said he could not apply

U.S. Trade Representative Jamison Greer said Sunday on CBS’ “Face the Nation” program that the administration had made clear to negotiating partners that Trump was intent on tariffs whether the Supreme Court ruled against him or not, that “whether we won or lost, there were going to be tariffs.”

He said that the bilateral deals

“are good deals, we expect to stand by them, we expect our partners to stand by them.”

Moving from country-specific tariffs to the flat 15% global tariff

“will have considerable implications elsewhere,” said Atakan Bakiskan, economist at Beren-

berg bank. The new tariff means a reduced rate for some countries, for example Brazil, which faces a reduction of nearly 15 percentage points and China which sees a reduction of nearly 10 percentage points.

Under the law Trump relied on, these latest tariffs are in effect for only 150 days unless Congress votes to extend them. Trump could use that time to search for other legal provisions that would support his actions. While uncertainty hits European companies, it puts pressure on the U.S. economy as well, where consumers and companies pay the tariffs on goods purchased from abroad. “Uncertainty around trade policy appears here to stay, putting continued pressure on the U.S. economy,” Bakiskan said.

“But if the good labor market news of January is revised away or evaporates in February,” he continued, “a cut should be made at the March meeting.”

“As things stand today, I rate these two possible outcomes as close to a coin flip,” Waller added.

Kaiser Permanente health care workers end strike

LOS ANGELES An estimated 31,000 registered nurses and other frontline Kaiser Permanente health care workers will return to work on Tuesday after a four-week strike in California and Hawaii to demand better wages and staffing.

The United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals said in a statement Monday that “significant movement at the bargaining table” prompted

an end to the walkout. There were no details about what progress was made during negotiations or what a potential deal might look like.

“According to the union returning members to their patients and their livelihoods is the clearest path to securing a final agreement and building on the progress achieved during the strike,” the statement said.

Kaiser Permanente officials didn’t immediately comment on the union’s announcement. They asked for a 25% wage increase over four years to make up for wages they say are at least 7% behind their peers.

NYC nursing walkout ends with new deal NEW YORK Nurses at a big New York hospital system approved a

new contract Saturday, voting to end a major nursing strike after more than a month.

More than 4,000 nurses in the privately run NewYork-Presbyterian system went on strike Jan. 12. They are now due to start returning to work in the coming week The union, called the New York State Nurses Association, said 93% of its members at NewYork-Presbyterian voted to ratify the three-year contract.

Two other big private hospital systems, Montefiore and Mount Sinai, ended their nurses’ walkout earlier this month by inking contract agreements with the same union. “We are so happy with the wins we achieved, and now the fight to enforce these contracts and hold our employers accountable begins,” union President Nancy Hagans said in a statement Saturday

Continued

multitechnology campus that will total more than 7 million square feet and will be located in west Shreveport and in Bossier Parish near Benton.

“This project is so significant because it positions north Louisiana to be at the center of something that is shaping the global economy — that is artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure,” Landry told the gathered crowd In addition to site construction dollars, AWS also plans to invest $400 million in public water infrastructure, said Landry, who was adamant in his promise to state utility ratepayers “What I’m telling you is that this is not going to cost the people of Louisiana anymore in their utility

ABRAHAM

Continued from page 1A

health and safety of the American people,” the CDC said in a news release. “He worked directly with career staff and public health partners to strengthen national preparedness and improve the country’s emergency response efforts.” Abraham didn’t return requests for further comment.

Abraham was named principal deputy director in November, but didn’t assume office in Atlanta until Jan. 5. His appointment made

rates,” he said. Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell, who represents north Louisiana, said he and the commission would be “grading the papers” of SWEPCO, Caddo and Bossier’s electric utility, making certain any costs incurred for the data centers were not passed on.

It is a major undertaking for the utility In a news release following the announcement, SWEPCO touted the investment already made to its system, but made no reference to a need for additional power generation such as Entergy needed to power the huge Meta data center in Richland Parish. The commission said any similar request from SWEPCO would come to it first.

Jobs are coming

The projects will create 540 permanent jobs with wages 50% higher than the state average. A

waves nationally because of his stance on vaccines; he was a fierce critic of COVID-era vaccination mandates and requirements to wear masks in public places.

As Louisiana surgeon general in 2024 and 2025, Abraham ordered the Louisiana Department of Health to stop promoting universal vaccinations.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who leads the Department of Health and Human Services, has been making numerous personnel and policy changes in the agencies under his charge, including CDC, the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Medicare and

webpage with job openings will go live on Tuesday Matt Vanderzanden, CEO of STACK Infrastructure, said to expect 1,500 construction jobs from the projects. “I can’t wait to get started telling the contractors to get going. You guys should see dirt

Medicaid Services.

Under Kennedy the CDC’s budget has been cut, staff has left and vaccination policy advisers were replaced largely with vaccine skeptics hand-picked by the secretary

The CDC has been without a full-time director for all but four weeks of the 13 months President Donald Trump has been president. The position is presidentially nominated and Senate confirmed.

pushing imminently,” he said.

STACK is the owner and developer of the data centers and will be leasing them to AWS. “This development reflects confidence in northern Louisiana’s leadership workforce and ability to execute at scale,” Vanderzanden

Susan Monarez, who was CDC director for about four weeks, was fired in August for not agreeing to the vaccination recommendations. Four other high-ranking CDC officials resigned after Monarez was fired.

She was replaced as CDC director on an interim basis by Jim O’Neill, who also is deputy secretary of Health and Human Services. He stepped down from the CDC on Feb. 13.

Last week, the president named Jay Bhattacharya, director of the National Institutes of Health to also become the CDC director. He’ll hold both jobs.

Abraham, a Republican from the town of Alto, between Monroe and Winnsboro, represented Louisiana’s 5th Congressional District from 2015 to 2021. He ran for governor in 2020 but didn’t make the runoff.

said. “We’re entering this market with a long-term mindset. We’re not here to build a project We’re committed to be an excellent partner.”

“Louisiana is making generational changes and it starts with what we are doing today,” Landry said.

U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow’s husband Luke was Abraham’s chief of staff and closest adviser When Luke Letlow died in December 2020 of COVID-19 complications, his widow, who was administrator at the University of Louisiana at Monroe, ran for and was elected to Congress — with the help of Abraham. She had no comment on Abraham’s resignation. Abraham is expected to help out with Julia Letlow’s campaign to unseat Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge. Trump endorsed Letlow The closed party primary is May 16, with early voting beginning May 2.

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LOUISIANA AT LARGE

What’s beingbuilt across the South

Twelve graduate students took their turns standing on astage in Baton Rouge on Friday —each withone static slide,nonotes and exactly three minutes to explain years of research. No pressure.

Ihad never heard of theThree Minute Thesis competition 3MT,asit’sknown —before last week. Developed at the University of Queensland in Australia, the format challenges master’s and doctoral students to present their original research to anonspecialist audience in 180 seconds or less. In other words: Take something really complicated and make it make sense to someone who doesn’tknow anything about the topic.

When Mary Farmer-Kaiser, dean of the graduate school at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, asked me to serve as acommunity judge at the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools’ regional competition at the Crowne Plaza, Ithought the event sounded interesting, but Ididn’tappreciate the extent to which it would impact me.

In short, Iwalked in to score presentations, and Iwalkedout reconsidering the future.

Five Baton Rouge community judges listened as 12 finalists each awinner from their home university and of apreliminary round at last week’sregional competition —took the stage As judges, we didn’tknow the topics in advance. We scored based only on theindividual presentations. We didn’tknow where they were studying. That element of blind judging turned out tobe more importantthan Iexpected. One student explained how microRNA29a might help recharge cancer-fighting Tcells. Another mapped the implications of how North Carolina’shistoric2024 floods redistributed microplastics.

One studied whether dolphins can recognize their own names amidthe rising noiseofthe ocean —what she called, memorably, “the dolphin cocktail party effect.” There was research on turning waste into sustainable iron composites for cleaner water On coating probiotics so they survive the stomach and dissolve where they’re actually needed. On developing avaccine to prevent lameness in broiler chickens. On reexamining ancient plant-based remedies withmodern chemistry Hiding behind big words and jargon would have been easier Instead, they told stories.They translated. They connected dots. Judging the competition was not easy.Fellow judge Robyn Merrick, of Southern University, said she was “absolutely blown away” by both the innovation and the clarity of the presentations —and she was right. The range of topics alone was alot to take in The discipline required to distill the information was even more impressive Somewhere along the way,I found myself rooting not just for one student but for all of them. They were earnestwithout being naive and serious without being self-important. They were doing both the hard work of discovery andthe even harder work of makingthat discovery understandable.

My top score went to Samadhi Nisansala Nawalage, whose research focuses on creating sustainable iron composites for

See RISHER, page 2B

Professorawaitsdecisiononreturn

Womanremoved from projectafter revealing pollution

BY DAVID J. MITCHELL Staff writer

ASoutheastern Louisiana Universityprofessor removedfrom aresearch project after revealing pollutioninLake Maurepas now awaits adecision on whether she canreturnto herroleafter ahearing that examined if thetransfer violatedacademic freedom.

During the academic grievance hearing on Friday,Fereshteh Emamiand twoSoutheastern research officials behind her removaloffered duelingcases to a seven-member panel made up of university academics in Southeastern’s FayardHall.

Emamirevealed this summer thatLake Maurepas is more polluted than anyone hadrealized, ratcheting up arunning debate over aproposedcarboncapture network planned for the water body by theAir Productscompany

Heavy metals, microplastics and other chemicalswere found in the lake andinsome lake sediments, possibly from long-term industrial runoff andair pollution.The findingsfrom theAir

SoutheasternLouisiana University researcher Fereshteh Emami,left, speaks withher attorney, William Most, before agrievancehearing FridayatSLU.Emami wasseekinga returntoher role as one of the principal investigators on an Air Products-financed university project to studythe aquatic health of LakeMaurepas. Emami contends she wasremovedoverthe summer after speaking to the mediaabout her published findingsshowing toxic heavy metal contamination in lakewaters, possibly from industrial sources. SLUofficials sayshe wasremovedoverher administrativemanagement of her piece of the multiyearresearch project.

Products-funded research project have raised concerns from critics that newlakedredging to build

thecompany’splanned platforms and pipelines to inject carbon dioxide under the lake could stir up

STATESCAFFOLDING

those pollutants. Afterher results gainednews media attentioninmid-June Southeastern officials removed herfromthe project. Emami contends it was in retaliation for speaking outand hurting prospects to replicate the research project withother companiespursuing carbon capture.

University officialssay the charge is false andobscuresthe more prosaic reality —that she simply wasn’tkeeping up the administrative demands of herjob as aprincipal investigator and, as aresult, was falling behind on research deadlines.

Led by geography professor Molly McGraw, the panelhas 10 days to makearecommendation to university President William Wainwright, whomakes the final decision.

Emami, an Iranian immigrant who became aU.S.citizenin 2024, said she fled repression and corruption in her home country Butshe argued that shesuffered interferencefromSoutheastern administrators, including an allegation that she was pressured to sign timesheets to pay interim Dean Daniel McCarthy for work

BR family trappedin Mexico amid unrest

Violence after cartel killing disrupts travel plans

BY OLIVIA TEES Staff writer

As Mandy Bruns-Apolzan, her husband and her 17-year-old son approached the airport Sunday morning in Puerto Vallarta to leave Mexico and head home to Baton Rouge, they saw thick black smoke rising in the distance. It was abus engulfed in flames. It was one of many “Wehad noidea thehead of this cartel had been murdered and

thatthere’s these fires allover Puerto Vallarta,” Bruns-Apolzan said. Baton Rouge tourists BrunsApolzan, her husband, John and17-year-old son, Will John Jr.arrived at the Conradresort in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico,the week before for afamily beach vacation. Their son was out of school for Mardi Gras. Sevendayslater,theywere stranded at theairport when all flights were canceled because of theaftermath of the government’skilling of Jalisco New Generation Cartel kingpinNemisio “El Mencho”Cervanteson Sundaymorning. Thefamily is

See FAMILY, page 2B

Retrodiner food truck to getfirst location

BY CLAIRE GRUNEWALD Staff writer

The pink food truck parked in Albany,known forits retro diner-inspired look and menu items, has found apermanent home in another part of Livingston Parish. Natalie Moore, owner of Moore to Lovefood truck, said her first brick-and-mortar dinerisofficially coming to Walker in midApril. The permanent location is 9993 Florida Blvd.The food truckwill also be at this location while the building goes through renovations to achieve the business’s signaturelook,Moore said. Moor saidsecuring thelocation “truly feelslike areal-life

Cinderella story.” Moore, of Albany,worked in thecafeteria and as acustodian at HoldenSchool for years while she sold bakedgoods at markets on the side

After seeing success at the markets, Moore left the school systemand beganoperating the foodtruck with her husband, Caleb, in May2024 with the goal of oneday owning herown restaurant.

“(Owning aphysical location) was the main goal, but the food truckwas the easiest waytoget my foot in the door,” Moore said. Running thebright pink truck forMooreand herfamily has been “very rewarding,”and she

Livingston Parish wildfire returns, grows Monday

BY CLAIRE GRUNEWALD Staff writer

The wildfire that burned more than 200 acres Sunday night flared up again Monday afternoon and is getting bigger, according to fire officials.

The Livingston Parish Fire Protection District No. 7 said about 2 p.m. Monday that the fire along Gum Swamp Road has grown in size.

The wildfire has shut down Gum Swamp Road as of about 2:45 p.m., according to the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office.

The district and the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry are working to get the

fire under control, according to the district.

The fire protection district asked drivers to keep traffic to a minimum in the area and use alternative routes.

The National Weather Service also placed parts of southeast Louisiana, including Livingston Parish, under a red flag warning until 6 p.m. Monday

The weather service warned that the combination of low humidity and gusty winds creates critical weather conditions for fire.

The weather service suggests avoiding open flames, keeping vehicles off dry grass and properly discarding cigarettes.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Baton Rouge tourists Mandy Bruns-Apolzan, her husband and 17-yearold son arrived at the Conrad resort in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, last Sunday for a family beach vacation but were stuck in Mexico during a shelter-in-place order issued in the aftermath of the government killing of drug cartel kingpin ‘El Mencho.’ The killing sparked a wave of violence, including arson, across multiple Mexican states.

FAMILY

Continued from page 1B

now safely sheltering in a Puerto Vallarta Hampton Inn near the airport, waiting for their flight to depart for Dallas on Thursday evening. “It’s just very unsettling because they are not prepared for this type of emergency,” Bruns-Apolzan said. “The guys driving us have all said, ‘We’ve never seen anything like this before.’”

The U.S. government issued a shelter-in-place advisory for all U.S. citizens in certain parts of Mexico due to ongoing criminal activity Sunday The notification was sent as an email that the family didn’t see until that afternoon On Sunday morning, as the family checked out of the resort, the bellman told Bruns-Apolzan they couldn’t take the direct route to the airport because it was blocked. The family spoke with the concierge and was told it wasn’t safe for Americans there, but that they could take the back road

As they drove the 45 minutes to the airport in their Volkswagen Jetta about 10:30 a.m. Bruns-Apolzan said it was deserted, with no other cars on the road or a national guard presence, both of which were visible the previous week

“We are going through, and all the tolls are open. There’s no police; there’s no one,” BrunsApolzan said. “It was very eerie because I know it’s a Sunday morning, but it’s still a tourist town.”

When they got closer to the airport, they saw thick black smoke rising in the distance and a bus on fire

When they arrived at the National Car Rental Agency, the doors were chained and barricaded closed. One person rushed out and told the family that he was going to drive them to the airport in their car That was when they were finally told about what was going on.

“He told us, ‘We are under attack by the cartel of “El Mencho.” He was murdered this morning so they are attacking anywhere that there’s a heavy military or police presence,’” Bruns-Apolzan said As they arrived at the Puerto Vallarta Airport and were going through security, Bruns-Apolzan said they heard rounds of “pop pop pop” sounds inside. Everyone started running and screaming “Vamanos!”

“My 17-year-old son is running ahead of me and he’s my only child. He’s saying ‘Mom keep up. Mom come on, we gotta go. Keep running.’” Bruns-Apolzan said. “And I’m just like this is my child and we

DECISION

Continued from page 1B

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.”

University lawyers redacted who sent or received those texts,

RISHER

Continued from page 1B

cleaner water I was fully committed to her presentation before I knew anything about her background.

When she ended up winning second place, I learned she is pursuing her degree at my alma mater, Mississippi State University It startled me, and I couldn’t help but be especially proud of and for her

The overall winner Natasha Khatwani, of the University of Miami, earned first place for her presentation, “From exhausted to energized: Recharging cancerfighting T cells.”

but the request that produced the texts was limited to Piller, McCarthy and Southeastern 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.

Based on speculation?

Under questioning by Emami, Margaret Adelmann, an Southeastern 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 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 Southeastern 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 Southeastern 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.

“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.

are literally running for our lives.”

The family and the rest of the people who ended up on the tarmac about 11:51 a.m. were taken back inside the terminal about 20 minutes later Bruns-Apolzan said there was no security, no police presence and no indication the city was prepared for the violence.

Once inside the airport, the family retrieved their bags from the security scanner and spent the rest of the day and night in the airport until they got a taxi ride to a Hampton Inn where they got a room.

During that ride, she saw the true extent of the damage caused by the cartel members burned convenience stores and buses that looked completely melted.

“I was told (by the taxi driver) that they weren’t hurting civilians or tourists, that (the cartel) would get on the bus and tell everyone to get off and then throw their cocktails to light it up,” she said.

Bruns-Apolzan said when she spoke with the closest U.S. Embassy in Guadalajara, they offered nothing other than advising them to keep looking at the website for updates because the Mexican government had no shelters or evacuation plan in place.

“I called the embassy and I said, ‘I just want you guys to know that we are here, that we didn’t make it out.” Bruns-Apolzan said.

Even though the embassy was of little help, Bruns-Apolzan said the Baton Rouge community has come together to help her and her family She spoke with Terri White, a caseworker in Baton Rouge Republican U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow’s office, who helped calm her down.

She’s also contacted Baton Rouge Republican Sen Bill Cassidy’s office.

The entire situation has been extremely stressful for the family because there is little information on what’s going on, Bruns-Apolzan said They were told to stay away from the police and military because they are targets of the cartel, but she wonders how she’s going to stay safe without them.

Bruns-Apolzan said her family is from Indiana but has lived in Baton Rouge for the past 13 years.

Her son is a junior at Catholic High School, and she hoped to spend more family time together before he goes off to college.

As they wait out the coming days in the hotel, Bruns-Apolzan said she is thankful for her friends and community who have rallied to make her feel safe and seen.

She said there’s one good thing about the hotel.

“The saving grace is that next

door it says La Casa de Waffle. I’m like please tell me it’s a Waffle House,” Bruns-Apolzan said.

The audience selected Alyson M. Ackerman Olivelli’s research on upgrading ancient remedies with modern chemistry for the People’s Choice Award. Olivelli studies at the University of Kentucky Afterward, I spoke with the winners and several of the finalists. I asked Nawalage what she took away from the experience.

“To enjoy what you do — and to enjoy what you do you have to really know where it connects in the big picture, in the big story,” Nawalage said. “If you find where it fits in the big story, you can narrow it down and find purpose in what you do.”

She’s 28. I wanted to hug her and assure her of the promise she and her generation hold.

Something about the brief intersection of our lives still almost makes me cry — and I

can’t fully explain that. Perhaps it’s in knowing that she and her colleagues don’t yet see all the ways life will stretch them. And yet, they’ve already shown that they know how to do hard things. I have written plenty over the years about what’s broken — in institutions, in communities, in public life. Sitting in that hotel ballroom Friday, listening to young scholars explain how they are tackling cancer, pollution, water quality, animal health and more, I was reminded that something else is happening, too. People are still building.

DINER

WV at 11am EST.

Burst, David Michael'Dave' David“Dave”Michael BurstofMetairie, LA, passedawayathis home in NewOrleans at theage of 49 on February 16, 2026. ANew Orleansnative, Dave wasbornonNovember4 1976, to FrankDonaldBurst andBetty Jean “BJ” (Fricken)Burst.After at‐tendingSt. Edward the Confessorand then gradu‐atingfromArchbishop RummelHighSchool in 1994, he attended LSU (class of 2001),where he met, befriended,and fell head over heelsfor the love of hislife, Michelle They marriedinOctober of 2005 at abeautiful beach‐side celebrationinRose‐mary Beach, FL.Dave worked as an international pilotfor AtlasAir forover 20 years, proudlyachieving therankofCaptain in 2017. Beyond hisinterestinavia‐tion,heloved to travel,was asportscar enthusiast,en‐joyed fine food,wines,and bourbons,was an animal lover, likedtoskateboard andplaytennisand rac‐quetball,and wasanavid fan of musicand deejay‐ing. Dave wasquick-witted with akindsmile anda welcomingheart andwas always pressedand ready forfun or to help others Lovedoneswillmissthe wayhereallylistenedand remembered life’s impor‐tant details, as well as the comfortofhis big, longlastinghugs. He is survived by hiswifeof20years Michelle LeeBryant; mother,BJBurst of New Orleans, LA;sister, StephanieBurst Wotiz, brother-in-law,Frank Blake Wotiz, nephew,Brody Don‐aldWotiz, andniece, Sloane Harper Wotiz, of At‐lanta, GA;father-in-law, MichaelBradfordBryant, andmother-in-law,Sandra (Kroll)BryantofFolsom, LA;sister-in-law,Anne Noel Bryant-Breaux, brother-inlaw, Timothee Breaux,and niece, Morgan LeeBreaux of NewOrleans,LA; and many dear friendsfrom around theworld.Hewas preceded in deathbyhis belovedfather, Donald, anduncle,Raymond Lee Fricken, as well as his grandparents,Thelma Mitchell Burst, FrankBurst, Gladys LeeWest, andRay‐mond Morris Fricken. The funeralwillbeheldonSat‐urday, February 28, 2026, withvisitationfrom12:002:00 andservicesfrom 2:00-3:00, at JacobSchoen &Son FuneralHome(3827 CanalStreet), andfollowed by intermentatGreenwood Cemetery (5190 Canal Blvd.) in NewOrleans,LA. Thefamilywishestoex‐tend theirdearthanksto thepallbearers and friends, ChrisGomez, JameyOsborne,Ted Alven‐dia, ChristianCole, Eric Perdomo, Dominick Liccia‐rdi, andBlake Wotiz. In lieu of flowers, memorial dona‐tionstoMDAndersonCan‐cerCenterand St.Jude’s Children’s Research Hospi‐talare appreciated.

Cantrell, Leslie Howard

Leslie "Les" Howard Cantrell February 3, 1957 -February 22,2026 With deep sadness, we announce the passing of Les Cantrell, abeloved husband, father, and grandfather.Hepassed away peacefully in his home with his family surrounding him. Born on February 3, 1957, in Houston, TX, Les spent his early years in Covington, LA, where he graduated from Covington High School. He later earned his degree from Ole Miss, aschoolhe held dear throughout his life. Les' career was atestamenttohis work ethic, passion, and determination. His journey began as a petroleum landmanin Dallas, TX, before he and his wife, Lisa, moved back to New Roads. Together, they opened aconvenience store business. Later,hewent on to become a successful real estate land broker, dedicating decades

management

Lesdevoted much of his life to the bettermentof his community.Hevolunteeredasthe Chairman of Education for Petroleum Land Management while he lived in Dallas. He servedasthe Director of the Planning and Zoning Committee of Pointe CoupeeParish for ten yearsand later as Economic Developer for the Chamber of Commerce for anotherdecade.Hewas a member of the RotaryClub and the St. Mary sofFalse River Knights of Columbus. He felt adeepspiritual connection with the Knights of Columbus, wherehe earned his Fourth Degree title. He attributesmuch of his spiritual growth to thisbeloved group of men. Above all, Les was adevoted family man. He cherished his wife, Lisa,whom he called the love of his life, and was immeasurably proudofhis daughters, Cameronand Paige. As agrandfather, Les found immense joyin his role as "Pop,"always present for his grandchildrenand nurturingthem with love and care.Les was preceded in death by his parents, JamesEdwin "Pete" Cantrell and Martha SueHoward Cantrell,his brotherDavid Wayne Cantrell,and his in-laws MorelGregory "Skippy" Lemoine and Rose Bordelon Lemoine. He is survived by his wife,Lisa Lemoine Cantrell; his children, Cameron Cantrell Murdock (Ty), and Paige Cantrell Guillory (Brad); his4 grandchildrenGraham, Hudson, Amelia, and Georgia;and his brother James Larry Cantrell (AmberLynn). The Knights of Columbus 1998chapter will escorttheir brother knight to his final resting place Services willbeheldatSt. Mary's of False River Catholic Church on February26starting with avisitationinthe church hallat 9amuntil 11:50am, and a funeral service to follow at noon.The entombment will follow in FalseRiver Memorial ParkMausoleum. Pallbearerswill be LarryCantrell,Michael Edwards, BradGuillory,Ty Murdock, PaulKnowlton and Randy Dykes. Honorary pallbearers will be Marty Lemoine, Reid Averill, and Brack Cantrell.Les willbedearlymissed, but his legacy willlive on in the countless liveshe touched.May his memory be ablessing, and mayhe rest in eternalpeace.He and his family wouldlike to acknowledge the exceptionalcare given by the Pointe CoupeeHome Health and Hospice team and his team of physicians Dr. Paul Rachaland Dr. Mo (Mohammad Efishat). In lieu of flowers, the family requestscontributions to the Janell LaCombe Cancer Foundation.

John Earl Fournet, 80, passedawaypeacefully on February 21, 2026. Born and raised in Bogalusa, Louisiana,and alongtime resident of St. Francisville Louisiana,heworked nearly fifty yearsatthe St. Francisville PaperMill and with Georgia-Pacific. He wasactiveinthe West FelicianaYouth Baseballprogram and adevoted parishionerofOur Lady of Mount CarmelCatholic Church.Heenjoyed fishing, woodworking,and time with family.Heissurvived by his wife, Tonna Fournet; sons,David Fournet (Robin), DanielFournet (Brandy), and John Fournet; daughters, Deborah Fournet (Robin) and Jessie Brennan; stepchildren, Brad Miller(Marta)and CourtneyMiller;six grandchildren, Anna Fournet, Elizabeth Fournet, Carter Fournet, Reid Fournet, Jackson Brennan, and Braden Miller; one greatgrandchild, GradyFournet; brothers,Jimmy and Pie Fournet; and sister, Jane Varnado.Hewas preceded in death by hisparents, Jeff and JessieFournet; brothers, Jerry and Joe Fournet; and sister, Judy Jenkins. Visitation will be February 24 from 5:00-8:00 p.m. and February25from 9:00-11:00 a.m. at OurLady of Mount Carmel Church Hall,followedbya Mass of ChristianBurial at Our Lady of Mount Carmel CatholicChurch.Pallbearerswillbehis sons and grandsons. Honorarypallbearers will be Al Osterberger,Ronnie Martin, and Wayne Browning. Share

Guerin, Joseph

Joseph"Doc" Guerin, resident of Denham Springs, passed at theage of 100 on February 19, 2026. He was born in Baton Rouge, Louisianatohis parents Josephand Virginia Langlos Guerin on September 16, 1925. Joseph was aproud veteran and servedhis country in the U.S. Navy during World War II.Heworked as aCoca Colasignpainter for37 years and was an avid member of JudsonBaptist Church. In his free-time, he enjoyed gardening,woodworking, hunting, and fishing.Joseph willbedearly missed by thosethathad theprivilegetoknowand love him. He is survived by his wife Mable Kimble Guerin and family.There willbea visitation held at Judson Baptist Church (32470 Walker North Rd, Walker, LA 70785) on Wednesday,February 25, 2026 from9:30amto 11:00am with aservice starting at 11:00am. Burial willfollow at JudsonBaptist Church Cemetery.

GordonErnest Holcomb, born July6,1932, passed away peacefullyathis home on January 30, 2026. Services willbeheldatLA National Cemetery, located at 303 W. Mt. Pleasant Rd., Zachary, LA,onWed., March 4, 2026, at 2:00 PM where Gordon'sasheswill be interred.All who wish to remember Gordonare invited to attend. See full obituary at ChurchFuneral Services.com.

Dan LewisSealeleft this world to be withhis Creator on December22, 2025. He was 66-years oldand willbedearlymissedbyall who lovedhim and called him afriend Dan was born on March 9, 1959, in Bogalusa, Louisiana, where he spent hisearlyyears. He later moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he worked formany years and eventually retired as a printer forthe State of Louisiana. There was no printing press Dan could not operate,and he took greatpride in his skilland craftsmanship. An avid outdoorsman, Dan enjoyed hunting and fishing, especially when he couldshare thosemoments withfriends Dan was alongtime memberofthe Baton Rouge area Alcoholics Anonymous community Throughout hisjourney in sobriety, he developed lasting relationships and impacted thelives of many. He reached and helped others in many ways -throughservice work, sponsorshipand fellowship.A gifted storyteller, Dan had arare ability to share his experience in away that resonated withnewcomers struggling to achieve and maintain sobriety. He could relate equallywelltothe richest of the rich and the poorestofthe poor,and he helpedmany find theirway to abetterlife Dan was afriend to many. He shared aspecial bond with acoregroup of men he met through AA, friendshipsthat endured for many years. He loved talking withhis friendson thephone, and thoseregular—often daily—calls will be deeplymissed

Dan was preceded in death by his parents, Richard and LaNelle Seale; hisbrother, BillSeale; his grandmother, EthelSeale; and hisaunt,Mary Ella Shields.Heissurvived by his brother, Mike Seale; his nephew, MattSeale; his former wife, Jacqueline Nesbit-Seale;and his stepdaughter, Amy Nesbit. Amemorial servicehonoring Dan's life willbeheld at 12:00 noon on Saturday, February 28, 2026, at Goodwood Community Church, located at 7125 Goodwood Avenue,Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Simmerman,Shelley Dorothea

Shelley Dorothea Simmerman, age71, celebrated thefaithful completion of atriumphant lifetimeof faithfulness when she succumbedtoa handicapping disease that tookher life on February 18, 2026, and woke in thearms of her SaviorJesus Christ. She was amember of the Gospel Light Baptist Church (GLBC)inBaton Rouge, LA.She was also a member of the Rotary Club of Baton Rouge, and aloving wife and caring mother of six children. As ahome maker, she homeschooled allsix childrenfrom preschool through the12th grade,whilealso supporting her husband as an active-duty veteran for 22 years. Shelley managed theestateasChief Financial Officer of JS Stellar Group LLCwhich included real estate holdings in 8 different states until her disease preventedher fromdoing so. She was precededintoglory by her mother, Bette Laws Lefevre.Shelley is survived by her husband,CommanderJeffSimmerman,US Coast Guard (ret); her children,David Simmerman (Brandi), Sarah Simmerman (Jinn), James Simmerman, Elizabeth Simmerman (Bradford Collins), Rebekah Simmerman,and Joshua Simmerman (Ariana); numerous grandchildren;her brothers, David Laws (Joyce), Rick Laws (Monica); and her sister, PatriceMurphy(Michael). In lieu of flowers,Shelley requested that donations be madetothe Gospel Light Baptist Church of BatonRouge,LABuilding and Land fund.A church that she was involvedinministry and lovedfor over 20 years. Donations can be madebygoing online to: glbcbr.com/donation. Please specify your gift in thememo section for Building and Land Fund.A special thankstothe loving membership of Gospel Light Baptist Church and to Audubon Hospice who assistedinher care thelast 18 months of herlife.A Celebration of Life Funeral Service willbeheldat Gospel Light Baptist Church, 20440 Highland Road,Baton Rouge, LA,on Friday, February 27, 2026, beginning at 10 am with services to follow at 10:45 until 12 noon. Burial will follow in LA National Cemetery,Zachary, LA. Please visit www.greenoak sfunerals.com to leave condolences to thefamily.

AudreyMae Steib departed this life on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, at Chateau St. James in Lutcher, LA.She was 89, a nativeand resident of Vacherie, LA.Visitation on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, at Our LadyofPeace Catholic Church from 9:00am to Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00am. Entombment in thechurch mausoleum. Survivedby2 sisters,Rose Marie Long and Geneva Perez (Maurice); 3brothers, Joseph Steib(Cleaster), John Steib, and Wilbert Steib; a host otherrelativesand friends.Preceded in death by her parents, LucilleDumas Steib and Clerville Steib, Sr.; 1sister,Caroline

SteibGautier; 3brothers, Charles, Raymond,and ClervilleSteib,Jr.; brotherin-law,Joseph Long. Arrangements by Williams & Southall Funeral Home 5414 Hwy1;Napoleonville, LA 70390 (985) 369-7231. To sign guest book andoffer condolences, visit our website at www.williamsa ndsouthallfuneralhome.co mA visitation will be held from9:00 AM to 11:00 AM on 2026-02-23 at OURLADY OF PEACECATHOLIC CHURCH, 13281 HWY644.

Sister Patricia AnneSullivan (92), died peacefully surrounded by herloving sistersonFebruary 20, 2026 at Mount St.Joseph in Wheeling,WV.

Sr.Pat waspreceded in death by herparents, George William Sullivan andJeanne d'Aquin Sullivan.She is survived by her dear friend, Sr.Ileana Fernandez, herbrother Kevin Sullivan (Terry), nephews Greg, Owen andRichard Sullivan,and nieces Laura Sullivan andKatherine Sullivan.

Anative of NewOrleans, Sr.Pat (Sr.M.Kevin)enteredthe Sisters of St Joseph on September 8, 1952, after herhighschool graduation from St.Joseph Academy. SheattendedSt. Joseph's Junior College andLoyola University whereshe graduatedwith aBSinEducation in 1963. Sr.Pat began studies at theUniversity of NewOrleanswhere she earneda Masters of Science in Counselingin1975.

Sr.Pat's long career in Education began in 1954 in NewOrleans,where she taughtinseveral Archdiocesan Elementary Schools. In 1968 she moved to Bay St.Louis, Mississippi,and served as ateacher andlater as Principal at OurLady of theGulfElementarySchool, aposition she held until1976. Sr.Pat became Administrator of St.Joseph's Children's Home (a longtime ministry of theSisters of St.Joseph to orphans andchildren from familiesinneed) in Baton Rouge.She wassuch akindand caring

administrator that local neighborsconsidered her their"little mother".

In 1985, Sr.Pat began herservice as Principal of SacredHeart of Jesus ElementarySchool. An innercity school with averydiverse populationinBaton Rouge,SacredHeart of Jesus tripled itsenrollment in thenext21yearsunder theleadership of Sr.Pat To this day, herformer students andfaculty members stayedintouchwith Sister.

Beginning in 2006, Sr Pat served as Administrator of ourCommunity at Kleinert, whichin2009 moved to ournew Center

on HundredOaks Avenue in Baton Rouge.She remained in that positionuntil2013.

RetiredfromAdministrationministry, Sr.Pat became amentor for several youngwomen discerning religiouslifewithour Congregation. Shealso continuedtoserve as amentor to aCSJ Associate Circle

Sr.Pat resided in Baton Rouge from 1976 until 2021, thenretired andmoved to ourCSJ centerinWheeling to receivethe nursing care she needed.Sr. Pat offered hergifts of leadership and prayer untilthe end. She wasa belovedmember of theWheelingcommunity.

Friends and familywill be received,Monday, February 23, 2026 from 1:00 pm untiltimeofVigil at 7:00 PM EST andthe Funeral Liturgy will be Tuesday, February 24, 2026 at 11:00 am EST at theCongregation of Mt.Saint Joseph Wheeling,WV.

Memories andcondolences may be sharedand theserviceswatched at www.AltmeyerFuneralHom es.com.

Millie "Jo" Bryan Whetstone,GrandMa-Matoall wholoved her, passed away peacefullyonSaturday, Feb. 21, 2026. Shewas 87 years old and aresident of Zachary. Visitation will be at Charlet Funeral Home, Zachary on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026 from 10am untilservice at 12pm. Burial will be in Port HudsonNational Cemetery, Zachary. Sheissurvived by herchildren, Karon Harrell andhusband, Mitch, JamesRobert Whetstone and wife, Dora, Russell Stanley Whetstone and wife,Terri andDavy JoeWhetstoneand wife, Melanie.12grandchildren and18great grandchildren.She is preceded in death by herhusband, Robert Stanley Whetstone parents, Clifford andMildred Bryan, and brothers, Jimmy Leroy andWilliam Clifford Bryan.Pallbearers will be JamesRobertWhetstone,Jr., Robert Stanley Whetstone,NicholasChase Whetstone,Davy JoeWhetstone,Jr., Russell Stanley Whetstone,Jr., Austin DeLee,Ethan DeLeeand Travis Whetstone.GrandMa-Ma always hada smile on herface. She will be missed. Share memories at www.CharletFuneralHome com.

OURVIEWS

Candidates, listen to the concerns of real Louisianans

With the slate of candidates set forupcoming congressional elections, we wish we could take the hopefuls aside for afew wordsonbehalf of thepeople of Louisiana.

The May 16 party primary election features someimportantoffices, mostnotablythe seat nowoccupied by Republican U.S.Sen. BillCassidy.Among those seeking to take down theincumbent is state Treasurer JohnFleming, aRepublican firebrand, and U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, who is banking on the endorsementofPresident Donald Trump to carryher over the finishline Democrats haven’tput up well-known challengers, but three are seekingthat party’snod for Senate In heavily red Louisiana, most of theaction so far has been on the Republican side— with attacks and counterattackstrying to paint opponentsastoo liberal.

We’re not naive enoughtothink that national politics shouldn’tplay arole in ourelections. With the House and Senate sonarrowly divided, we know that each seat matters to either party’sprospects to gain amajority. Addto that Trump’sability to marshal his supporters behind anyone who shows loyalty tohis agenda, and it’snowonder candidates are wary of straying too far from the national party line Still, we would hope that some room in these important races can be reserved fora discussion of issues that mattertoour state.Wewould invitethe candidatesasthey visit citiesand towns to listen to what is on the minds of Louisianans.They might be surprised

We want to see candidates offer solutions to the problems we face, not just whip up division and anger.Werealize, too, that ifweasvoters wantadifferent kind of politics, we must support candidates who embody that.

In addition to the Senateseat,all six of Louisiana’sHouse seats are up forelection, though five are considered safe forthe incumbents. Letlow’s5th District seat,however,has drawn fierce competition —withstate Sen. BlakeMiguez, whohas Trump’sendorsement,state Sen Rick Edmonds and state Rep. Michael Echols among the top Republicannames.It’snot encouraging that the candidates seem to be vying more to cozy up to the president— Echols has gone so far as to propose abill thatwould name abridge after Trump —thantoaddress concerns we hear from voters.

Other races on the ballot include the Louisiana Supreme Court, Public Service Commissionand the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

We’ll be eager to hear what all the candidates have to say in the run-up tothe primariesand possible party runoffs, andall the way to the Nov.3general election.

Elections are when voters get their sayon what direction our country is going. Smartpoliticians will recognizethey’re not inthe driver’s seat.

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE

WELCOME. HERE AREOUR

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

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

TO SENDUS ALETTER SCAN HERE

Is therenoend to Trump’s need to push hisbrand?

Nothing seemssafe from having Donald Trump’snamestamped on it. Buildings, train stations, cultural centers, watches, clocks, jewelry,clothing, collectible coins, tie clips, belts, restaurants, cryptoventures, even Bibles and steaks —this list is long but incomplete. There was also Trump University,his defunct real estate seminar program, for which Trumppaid a $25 millionsettlement to the students who alleged fraud and deceptive practices. More recently,Trump’sDepartment of Transportation froze federal funding for thePenn Station project and the Dulles Airport. Multiple outlets reported that Trump considered unfreezing the $16 billion of funding if the responsible entities would renamePenn Station and Dulles Airport after him. Why would abillionaire sell tie clips, belts, steaks, Bibles, and other products? Theanswer seemsless financial and more psychological. Next is Trump’spicture on buildings and billboards all across the country,asyou see in many authoritarian countries.

It’s time forGOP to standuptothe president

What is really going on in our country these days when we have asitting president who only wantstotrample over those who do not agree with him. Ionly wish that those of theRepublican Party would stand up to this president whom I see as abig bully

VINCENT YOUNG Baton Rouge

On Feb. 10, the David Shribman article on the editorial page made astatement thatwas not correct He said, “It is well known what went intoVietnam: a disproportionate number of Black soldiers. It’swell known what happened to them: Adisproportionate number sent to the front in the early years of combat, producing adeathrate higher thanthat of Whites, and ahigher rate of military punishment.” It was an unpopular war, and there was muchmisin-

And nowfirst lady MelaniaTrump is joining the name-stamping party.Jeff Bezosspent $75 million on adocumentary about Melania. The exorbitant priceis unheard of for adocumentary,soitraises the possibility of beingabribe to appease any future Trump tempertantrums and anypast Trump grievances against Bezos thatwould negativelyaffect Bezos’sbusinesses. The documentary is projected to lose tens of millions of dollars, according to Variety,a fact that mostpeoplewould notwant their name associated with.

At thisrate, perhapsweshouldbrace for “Trump” toilet paper to be soldonAmazon.Amazonmight feature it withaspecial badge —not “Amazon’sChoice,” but with anewly created badge —“Amazon’s Greatest Choice Ever.”

“MAGA” could be embossed on every sheet,but the Arepresenting America would have an entirelydifferentmeaning appropriatefor the task at hand.

RICKI THARPE Baton Rouge

Glad to putHarris’ characteragainst

Trump’s

In response to George McMillian’s letter that Mayor Helena Moreno should not have invited “deplorable” Kamala Harris to her inauguration, I wish he would please list the deplorable things she’sdone compared to all thedeplorable things Donald Trump has done.

WENDELL DUPUY Gonzales

formation about it,mostly supporting those who opposed the war.Here are some of the myths along withthe facts.

Myth: The U.S. soldiers were young and poorly educated. Fact:the average age was 23 and 79% of our troops were high school graduates.

Myth: the soldiers were mostly poor and minorities. Fact:Only 30% of the 58,000 killed camefrom the lowest third of income. Twenty-six percent came from the highest third,

12.5% were Black There are manyother bits of misinformation which can be corrected by contacting thekeepers of record of each person who diedand whosename appears on theVietnam Memorial. Please publish facts not opinions about Vietnam. It is adisservice to thoseofuswho served. Iwas an 11-year veteran of the Marine Corps and served in Vietnam 19691970. Semper Fi WILL LANNES NewOrleans

Bad Bunny speaks to what is best about America

There are so manyugly and hurtful (as well as illegal) things taking place in our country that are fueled by the pervasive divisive and mean-spirited social and political climate. Iam commenting on the absurdity of controversy over Bad Bunny’s Super Bowlhalf-time show First, let’slook at the facts: Puerto Rico is aUnited States commonwealth territory,that status established in 1952. Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, professionally knownasBad Bunny,was born March 10, 1994, in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. Therefore, he is an American citizen.

The Super Bowlshow he headlined wasacelebration of Puerto Rico, apart of the United States. Ocasio is aspokesperson forPuerto Rico, his home, and forthe extended Latin community,and he supports diversity and inclusion in his community.Inaddition, Ocasio has established the GoodBunny Foundation, aphilanthropic organization that serves underprivileged children. He is bilingual but prefers to speak his native language of Spanish, and he uses language creatively in his music. So, how is any of that bad or wrong or un-American?

Iwill makeone last point —I don’tunderstand what religion or religious beliefshave to do with the Super Bowl; Idoknow that his message (which by the way,was displayed in English) of “love is morepowerful than hate” is amessage that all of us, people of all faiths and of humanitarian persuasion, should have in our hearts and be practicing in our daily lives.

DESHA RHODES Baton Rouge

It’sonly February and other than the almost nonstop coverage of the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping story,especially cable networks are obsessed with the November election, though it is more than eight months away So much can —and likely will —change before then. Why all the attention?

Whysomuchfaith in politics? The2020 ‘stolen election’ obsession

When Iwas active on the lecture circuit, my openingline was,”I’m happy to be here tonight from Washington, D.C., where the only politicians with convictionsare in prison.” Another laugh-getter was, “Do you know the meaning of politics? Poly means many andticks are blood-sucking insects.”

Whydosomany put so much faithin politicians when they have repeatedly proven they can’t, or won’t, deliver on important issues? Like Social Security andMedicare reform and the massive national debt, which is at $38 trillion and counting because Washington refuses to cut spending, despiterecord amounts of revenue flooding intothe Treasury Politics is afalse god. Its “altar” is the Capitol and its required sacrifices consist of taxpayer (and borrowed) money.Somuch of that money is wasted.Child care fraud in Minnesotais only one of many examples and Minnesota is only one of many states with lax control of welfare spending. We keep electing them —one party and then the other —expecting better outcomes. Instead, many spend too much time fundraising and cementing their careers. Few read the bills they vote on, relying instead on staff and lobbyists, the latter who contribute to their campaigns.

As we approach another tax season, aprime example of the havoc Congress has imposed on the public is the U.S. tax code. It is mostly indecipherable but gives breaks to those donors favored by incumbents. The taxcode is 6,871 pages. When IRS tax regulations and official tax guidelines are included, the number of pages jumps to about 75,000. This should violate Article 32 of the Geneva Convention, which, among other things, prohibits torture.

The dirty little secret about politics andpoliticians is that if they solve a problem, they no longer have an issue to run on. Keeping their place in office with all its perks hasbecomethe primary objective of too many members.

Need Imention how some members and/or their spouses become multimillionaires on alow six-figuresalary?

Term limits used to be ahot issue as ameans tosolvethe problems that accompany incumbency.Itwent nowhere because members of Congress are not about to limit themselves. As previously mentioned here, an Article 5Convention of States remains the only way power will be transferred from the politicianstothe people where the Founders intended it to reside.

Kansas recently became the 20th state to vote for aConvention of States. Thirty-four areneeded. According toConvention of States Action, the following states will be considering this year whether to vote

for an Article 5convention: Hawaii, Illinois,Iowa, Kentucky,Massachusetts, New Jersey,North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Washington and Wyoming. The latestphony and unnecessary partial government “shutdown” should add to the momentum. Democrats and the left are mobilizing to opposesuch aconvention because they know it would mean aloss of their power.That’s why people who are fed-up with theway things are had better turn up theheat on these remaining states if they wanttomaintainanything resembling thenation that has been passed down to them. EmailCal Thomas at tcaeditorstribpub.com.

Ourbrainscan’t handle amoderneconomy

Asked whatshe thought of an attack on the poet Lord Byron’smorals, awit replied, “It is the first time Iever heard of them.” Youmight say the same if asked whatyou think about proofs that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.

Donald Trump’sbelief in widespread fraud in the casting and counting of 2020 ballots is entailed by his belief that it is theoretically impossible for him to lose at anything. His certitude infects millions of Americans, some of whomthink it inconceivable that he could ever be mistaken. Others doubt that anyone could win the presidency while obsessing about acomplex conspiracy for which there is no evidence.

Remember,however,the aftermath of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy Many people, reluctant to believe thatimmense consequences could result from an insignificant person, concluded that the complete absence of evidence of the conspiracy was conclusive evidence of how vast and competent the conspiracy to kill Kennedy had been.

The 2020 election’scontribution to humanity’s history of gullibility continues through Sidney Powell, aformer Trump post-electionlawyer. Five days after the election, she appeared on Fox News to say there had been “massive and coordinated” malfeasance to “delegitimize and destroy” Trump votes, and “manufacture” votes for Joe Biden. She spoke of a“computer system” in Dominion voting machines “flipping votes” or manufacturing them.

Dominion sued Fox News and collected $787.5 million. Now Powell is defending herself against adefamation suit involving another voting-technology company.Powell is merely acuriosity —anexotic (even by today’sstandards) flavor of paranoia, or cynicism,orboth. Tulsi Gabbard, however,isimportant.

Aficionados of internet discourse may recall the vogue fordeeming things “stochastic terrorism.” Astochastic process has astrong elementofrandomness, even when the overall result is predictable. Thus the idea of stochastic terrorism, which has been defined as “the use of mass media to provoke random acts of ideologically motivated violence that are statistically predictable butindividually unpredictable.” (For example, how the Islamic State used social media to inspire attacks.)

The term was used ceaselessly and carelessly,and eventually became a calumny against any speaker someone disagreed with. But the idea of stochasticity remains useful. Lately,I’ve been thinking about what you might call the stochastic economy —the things we pay for to avoid outcomes that are statistically likely but individually rare. Because I keep having conversationswith folks who claim that the economy simply stopped getting better some decades back, and I think one reason they feel this way is that stochasticity makes it harder to see real and valuable improvements. These discussions are happening as the disconnect grows between healthy economic indicators and Americans’ negative perceptions of the economy

My interlocutors concede that a few things have improved, such as flat-panel televisions, but they think we’ve lost at least as much as we’ve gained. Sure, we got better screens, but social media ruined our politics, attention span and culture. OK, maybe trade and immigration made goods and services cheaper,but they’ve also disrupted tight-knit communities. There’sa spirited debate to be had about whether the benefitsofthese developments outweigh their costs. But that’sanargument for another day, because Iwant to focusonhow many amazing improvements this sort of debate ignores.

Take automobile safety.You’ve probably read about how theaverage price of anew vehicle is more than $50,000. If you’re of acertain age, that number seems insane. In 1990, theaverage new vehicle price was $15,000, which would be about $38,000 in today’s dollars. Acar is amajor and unavoidable purchase for most families —it’s something they pay alot of attention to when they thinkabout how well they’redoing. Doesn’tthat huge number mean we’re worse off?

Well, no.One reason cars are more expensive is that as the economy grew,consumers decided to spend some of the surplus on larger,plusher vehicles —for one thing, we’re buying more SUVs and fewer sedans. Another reason is that cars today have more bells and whistles, including features thatmakethem much safer, such as air bags, stabilitycontrol and advanced driver-assist systems. We’re not buying the same vehicles we were 30 years ago; we’re buying much betterones, and that shows up in crash data: In 1995, we lost 1.7 American livesfor every 100 million vehicle miles traveled, but only 1.2 in 2024.

Compared with thevalue of ahuman life, afew grand more for acar seems like abargain. Butthat doesn’tmean it feels like abargain when you’re at the dealership. Sure, your chance of dying in acrash hasbeen reduced significantly,but that chance was small to begin with. You’veentered the stochastic economy,paying asignificant sum to prevent an accident that is statistically likely to happen to someone butnot particularly likely to happen to you. Many things we nowspend money on have this quality,such as car and homeowner’sinsurance. That’s particularly true when it comes to health care, which accounts for almost afifth of the U.S. gross domestic product Nowhere is the improvement in our quality of life more apparent: acure for hepatitisC,treatments for cystic fibrosis, immunotherapies for cancer, retroviral medications that turned HIV into amanageable disease rather

than adeath sentence, much better treatments for cardiovascular disease, and mRNA vaccines that stopped a pandemic in itstracks. Yetnowhere is that improvementmore debated. Vaccines create aparticular kind of dissonance, because if they work, you’ll never know whether you benefited from takingthem. Butamilder disconnect pervades almostall health care spending, because the improvements are invisible to most consumers. Unlike the consumer-goods bonanzathat drovethe midcentury economic boom or the internet revolution of the2000s, these gains become clearer only when you get sick. Odds areyou will end up with a condition for which medical treatment has greatly improved over the pastthree decades.But you probably don’trealize how much they’ve improved, and you alsodon’tknow which treatmentyou’ll need, so you pay abit for each of them every year through insurance premiums.Until you’restruck down withsome illness, it’s hardtosee what you’re getting for your money.All yousee is your premiums marchingupward.

Stochasticityhelps explain the mystery of good economic dataand bad economic vibes. It might alsoexplain another mystery: why so manyseemingly normal people cheered the assassination of UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson. People absolutely hate healthinsurers, because it feels as though they take your money and give younothing back.

That’snot true —insurersare legally required to spend most of our premiums on care, and their profit margins averaged under 1% in 2024. Butmost people don’tknow that. All they know is they’re paying alot for what feels like nothing.

Ourbrains just aren’t adept at parsing those sorts of unknowns.Sadly they may be better able to process stochastic terrorism than to handle stochastic economics.

Megan McArdle is on X, @asymetricinfo.

She is director of national intelligence.Inher spare time, of whichshe evidently hastoo much, she is asleuth who last month appeared at a warehouse in Fulton County,Georgia. There, the FBI, which surely has better things to do,seized ballots from 2020. Gabbard was there to To do nothing proper.Writing for the Dispatch, Kevin Carroll, senior counsel to the Homeland Security secretary during the first Trump administration, says the National Security Act of 1947, which established the CIA, was passedby areluctant Congress only after it was amended to stipulate that the agency “shall have no police, subpoena, or law enforcement powers or internal security functions.” Carroll says the “entire intelligence community is prohibited fromcollecting information on U.S. persons solely to monitor First Amendment-protected activity —such as voting.” An executive order, updated since Ronald Reagan issued it, prohibits all elements of the intelligence community,otherthan the FBI, from “acquiring informationconcerning the domestic activities” of Americans.

Aparticularly sinister aspect of Richard Nixon’sbehavior in the wake of the Watergate break-in washis attempt to draw the CIA into the subsequent cover-up by claiming there was a “national security” dimension to the matter.The Trump administration has offered no intelligible national security rationale for Gabbard’sGeorgia grandstanding.

The FBI was there to placate the president, who in January said he should have ordered the National Guard to seize ballot boxes in 2020 swing states —presumably not in any he won. This spoken regret wasfollowed by his wish that congressional Republicans would “nationalize” elections.

Hours after the FBI’sGeorgia stunt, Trump posted some conspiracy theories, including speaking of the exotic —this: China coordinated the use of Italian military satellites to cause U.S. voting machines to flip Trump votes to Biden. Someone should read to him “Lost, NotStolen,” a2022 report by eight conservatives (two formerRepublican senators, three former federal appellate judges, aformer Republican solicitor general, and two Republican election law specialists). They examined all 187 counts in the 64 court challenges filed in multiple states by Trump and his supporters.

Twenty cases were dismissed before hearings on their merits, 14 were voluntarily dismissed by Trump and his supporters before hearings. Of the 30 that reached hearings on the merits, Trump’sside prevailed in only one, Pennsylvania, involving far too few votes to change the state’sresult. Trump’sbatting average? 0.016. In Arizona, the most exhaustively scrutinizedstate, aprivate firm selected by Trump’sadvocates confirmed Trump’sloss, finding 99 additional Biden votes and 261 fewer Trump votes. It would be reassuring to think that Trump believes nothing he says about 2020: Cynicism in the presidency is less disturbing than delusion. But reassurance is not plausible. As the poet William Blake wrote, “The manwho never alters his opinion is like standing water,and breeds reptiles of the mind.”

EmailGeorge Will at georgewill@washpost. com.

SPORTS

Market musings

Scouting combinecan give Saints glimpseintooffseason

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

INDIANAPOLIS— Welcome to the NFL scouting combine.

As players prepare fordrills and interviews that couldaffect the discourse ahead of April’sdraft, teamsare also quite busy this week. Executives not only speak with this class of prospects but also spend plenty of time meeting with agents to get an informal startonnextmonth’s free agency

That’show the gossip begins.

The combine has become abreedinggroundfor chatterthatwillsurely

spread leaguewide. The New Orleans Saintswill be abig part of those talks, and thereare anumberofstorylinesto keep tabs on as theleague’s biggest convention gets underway

Taylor’s market

Agents use their time at the combine to getabetter understanding of what the market will be fortheir clients ahead of freeagency.Will therebeademand for Saintscornerback Alontae Taylor? Before the Saints opted to keep him at the tradedeadline, the Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bearswere reportedly in themix to trade for him.There should be

no shortage of suitors this spring, but the potentialgap in his value will be worth monitoring. The league’shighest-paid nickel cornerback is Chicago’sKyler Gordon at three years, $40 million good for a$13.3M annual average value. But Taylor,who also has played as an outside cornerback, just watched former teammate Paulson Adebo sign for an average of $18 million last yearwith the New York Giants.That’squiteadifference. TheSaints tried to negotiate a new deal withTaylor this past season but didn’treach an agreement.

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

ä Tennessee at LSU, 5P.M.THURSDAy,ESPN

When thescore got outofhand, coach KimMulkey started experimenting. Sheplayed four guards. Thenshe played five. She even defied her nature and threw out azonedefense —something she hardly ever does. All of it worked against Missouri, the overmatched foe that visited the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Sunday and leftwith a 53-point loss. The LSUwomen’s basketball team never hasbeaten an SEC team by awider margin, so Mulkey found herself with arare late-season opportunitytotoy around with the depth and versatility her roster has to offer

“You neverthink you’re goingtowin by that much,” Mulkey said. If Mulkey needs to go big, she can go big. If she needs to go small, she can go

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.— The LSU baseball Tigers won all three of their gamesinthe JaxCollegeBaseball Classic here over the weekend. They won the tournament title. And yes, of course, LSU fans won the attendance battle overfansfrom Notre Dame, Indiana andCentral Florida during the three-day event. Now 8-0, with 16 straight victories dating backtolast year’sNCAA Baton Rouge regional (rememberthatloss to LittleRock?), the Tigers have far outclassed their competitionbyoutscoring them 97-34.

But what do we really know about LSUtothis point? Here are five topicsasthe No. 2-ranked Tigers return home to host McNeese Stateat6:30p.m. Tuesday at Alex Box Stadium:

Brownstill hot JakeBrown looks alittlemore like afirst-year P.E. teacher than a top-shelf college athlete.

Numbers don’tlie,however He definitely is the latter.Brown hasbeen LSU’sbest overall hitter since last June’s College WorldSeries, where he ledthe Tigers with a.385 average. Brown said he bulked up in the offseason andclearly haselevated his offensive game. Thejunior right fielder is batting arobust .459, hitting acool .400 (6 for 15) in Jacksonville with LSU’sfirst fourhit game of 2026 in Saturday’s9-4 winoverNotre Dame. And those fourhome runs he hitlastweek in consecutive games against Milwaukeeand KentState are still traveling.

Brown batted second or thirdin

coach Jay Johnson’sorder over the weekend. He looks primed to make good use of LSU leadoff hitter Derek Curiel’stable setting. Curiel is Curiel

Before the season, Ifigured contact-hitting machine Curiel would easily surpass his .345 freshman batting average from 2025 and at leastflirt with .400. But after the first two games in Jacksonville when acombined 2-for-9 performance dropped his average to .276, Iwasn’tsosure.

Oh, me of little faith. Curiel was goldenagainst the UCF Golden Knights, going 3for 4with three RBIs, including adouble off the 22-foot brick wall in right-center at VyStar Ballpark. Curiel’sseason average is back up to asolid .333 andfigures to rise from here.

Schmidtmovingup?

Another sophomore, righthandedpitcher William Schmidt,

earned MVP honors in the event with five shutout innings of threehit ball against UCF that included seven strikeouts and one walk. Aslightly surprising choice since the Tigers hit the ball, but Schmidt’sonly rival for top pitcher honors was Notre Dame’sJack Radel, who cameout after six perfect innings Saturday against UCF before the Irish fell 4-2 in 10 innings. Should Schmidt get bumped up in the LSU weekend rotation? Tap of the brakes time. Friday starter Casan Evans was better in retrospect than Ifirst thought in a14-7 win against Indiana: five innings, three runs (two earned), just three hits, two walks and four strikeouts. Similar story for Saturday starter Cooper Moore against Notre Dame: 52/3 innings, three earned runs, eight hits, one walk and six strikeouts.

6

Auriemma makes AP Top 25 history

BY DOUG FEINBERG Associated Press

Geno Auriemma broke a tie with Tara VanDerveer of Stanford for most appearances by a coach in The Associated Press women’s basketball Top 25 on Monday when UConn was again a unanimous No. 1.

Auriemma has the Huskies ranked for the 655th time. UConn was atop all 31 ballots from the national media panel. The Huskies (29-0) are the last unbeaten team in Division I basketball and have won 45 consecutive games dating to last season.

The top five teams remained unchanged in the rankings this week with UCLA, South Carolina, Texas and Vanderbilt following the Huskies.

The rest of the top 10 changed as Michigan, Louisville, Duke and Ohio State all lost games last week.

LSU moved up one spot to sixth with Oklahoma jumping up four places to seventh. Michigan dropped two spots to eighth, and Iowa was ninth.

The Hawkeyes moved up four places after beating the Wolverines on Sunday Louisville was 10th.

Duke, which ended its 17-game winning streak Sunday in a loss to Clemson, dropped to 12th, and Ohio State was 13th.

Falling Lady Vols Tennessee dropped out of the

Conference supremacy

The SEC remained the top conference with nine teams in the poll. The Big Ten is next with seven. The Big 12 has four teams, the Atlantic Coast Conference has three and the Ivy League and Big East each has one.

Games of the week

times the honesty is good.”

poll for the first time this season after losing last week to Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Oklahoma.

The Lady Vols have dropped seven of nine games for the first time in school history Tennessee had been ranked for the past 31 polls.

“We’ve had an incredibly tough stretch,” coach Kim Caldwell said after Sunday’s loss to Oklahoma.

“You just (have to) be honest with your team, and they can handle it or they cannot. And sometimes the honesty is not good and some-

The schedule doesn’t get any easier for the Lady Vols with regular-season games left against LSU and Vanderbilt. Welcome back Princeton re-entered the poll this week at No. 25. The Tigers (21-3) fell out last week after losing to Columbia on Feb. 13. The Lions have beaten the Tigers twice this season, and Princeton’s other loss came to No. 14 Maryland.

No 8 Michigan at No 13 Ohio State, Wednesday The two rivals meet with Big Ten Conference seeding on the line. The Wolverines lost their last game, falling at then-No. 13 Iowa on Sunday. The Buckeyes have dropped two of their past three games.

No. 12 Duke at No. 21 North Carolina, Sunday The Blue Devils beat the Tar Heels in the first meeting earlier this month and will look to wrap up the ACC regular-season crown with another victory

Rams finalize staff with Kingsbury as assistant HC

LOS ANGELES Kliff Kingsbury will have the title of assistant head coach on Sean McVay’s staff with the Los Angeles Rams.

Kingsbury’s formal title was revealed Monday when the Rams finalized their coaching staff for McVay’s 10th season in charge. The Rams also announced that recently retired receiver Robert Woods will be their assistant wide receivers coach.

Kingsbury, the former Arizona Cardinals head coach, is joining his friend’s staff following two years as Washington’s offensive coordinator He is also bringing Brian Johnson as a senior offensive assistant after the former Philadelphia offensive coordinator worked for Kingsbury with the Commanders.

Mayweather, Pacquiao agree to rematch in Vegas

LOS ANGELES Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao have agreed to a rematch of their landmark 2015 bout.

Their second fight will be held Sept. 19 in Las Vegas, the boxing icons said Monday The rematch, which will be streamed on Netflix, will be the first boxing event to be held at Sphere, the immersive event venue east of the Strip.

Mayweather, who turns 49 on Tuesday, announced his intention last week to end his nine-year retirement from competitive boxing. The 47-year-old Pacquiao ended his own four-year retirement last year, and he is scheduled to meet Ruslan Provodnikov on April 18 in the second bout of his comeback. Mayweather and Pacquiao didn’t announce a weight class or length for their second bout.

U.S. women’s hockey team declines Trump invitation WASHINGTON The U.S. women’s hockey gold medal-winning team has politely declined an invitation from President Donald Trump to attend his State of the Union address on Tuesday “We are sincerely grateful for the invitation extended to our gold medal–winning U.S. Women’s Hockey Team and deeply appreciate the recognition of their extraordinary achievement,” the U.S. women’s team said in a statement released Monday Trump also invited the U.S. men’s gold medal-winning team. Logistics played a role in the decision, as many on the women’s team were not scheduled to arrive in North America until Monday evening.

BY AARON BEARD Associated Press

Duke’s win against Michigan has propelled the Blue Devils to a familiar perch: No. 1 in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll.

The Blue Devils climbed two spots to top Monday’s poll, marking the 148th appearance at No. 1 to add to what was already the record for any program. Duke (25-2) claimed 56 of 61 first-place votes to supplant Michigan (25-2) after Saturday’s 68-63 win against the Wolverines in Washington.

That win came in a matchup of the top two teams in the NCAA men’s selection committee’s preliminary top 16 seeds for March Madness, released hours before the game. The Blue Devils enter this week with a national-best 12 Quadrant 1 wins, along with nine wins against AP Top 25 teams. And now the latest such win has pushed the Blue Devils back to a No. 1 ranking for the second straight season under fourth-year coach Jon Scheyer Last year’s Final Four team sat atop the past two polls entering the NCAA Tournament, the first time Duke had reached No 1 since Scheyer took over for retired Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski in 2022. Arizona rose two spots to No. 2 after beating BYU and winning at Houston, and secured the other five first-place votes. Michigan fell to No. 3 as its first appearance at No 1 since January 2013 turned into a one-week stay, followed by a pair of Big 12 teams in Iowa State and Houston.

The top tier

UConn fell one spot to No. 6 after a week that included a home loss to Creighton, while reigning national champion Florida leapt five spots to No. 7 to return to the top 10 for the first time since late November The Gators were ranked No. 3 in the preseason and spent a week among the unranked

in early January They have won seven straight and 12 of 13. Purdue, Gonzaga and Illinois rounded out the top 10.

Selection committee vs. AP

The selection committee had Michigan, Duke, Arizona and Iowa State as the No. 1 seeds in Saturday’s revelation of the preliminary top 16 seeds. The Cyclones edged UConn and Houston for the fourth 1-seed, with the Huskies’ loss to Creighton and then Iowa State’s head-to-head win against Houston to start last week swinging the vote to T.J. Otzelberger’s squad.

Monday’s poll largely aligns with the committee’s reveal, starting with the same four teams at the top in a shuffled order — with Iowa State moving up two spots even after Saturday’s loss at nowNo. 19 BYU.

In addition, the AP Top 25 and committee align on 15 teams being ranked among those top 16 seeds. The outlier is St. John’s at No. 15 in the AP poll, taking a slot that went to Vanderbilt with the Commodores seeded 15th overall

by the committee Saturday but sliding to No. 25 in Monday’s poll.

Rising

Alabama had the week’s biggest jump, rising eight spots to No. 17 after a thrilling double-overtime home win against Arkansas and a win at LSU pushed the Crimson Tide’s win streak to six games. Florida had the week’s secondbiggest gain, while BYU rose four spots after the Arizona loss and Iowa State win. In all, 11 teams moved up from last week’s ranking.

Sliding No. 14 Kansas joined Vanderbilt with the week’s biggest slide of six spots. The Jayhawks are coming off a 16-point home loss to a Cincinnati team that was reeling in early February but has won four straight. The Commodores lost at Missouri and at home to Tennessee last week, falling to 5-6 since a 16-0 start that carried them to a No. 10 ranking as of mid-January Saint Louis tumbled five spots to No 23 after last week’s loss at

Rhode Island ended an 18-game winning streak, while 11 teams fell from last week but remained in the poll.

Coming and going

Tennessee was the lone new addition at No. 22, with the Volunteers beating Oklahoma and Vanderbilt last week to push its winning streak to four games. This starts a third stint in the poll for Rick Barnes’ Volunteers, who fell out for two weeks in mid-January returned for a week at No. 25 to start February, then were unranked again for the past two weeks.

The Vols replaced Wisconsin, which fell out from No. 24 after last week’s loss at Ohio State. Conference watch

The Big 12 led all conferences with six ranked teams, while the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference each had five. The Atlantic Coast Conference was next with four, followed by the Big East with two.

The West Coast Conference, Mid-American Conference and Atlantic 10 each had one ranked team.

Two-time WNBA champion dies at 43 after car crash

Two-time WNBA champion Kara Braxton died after being in a car crash in Atlanta on Saturday She was 43.

The athletic department at Georgia, where Braxton played in college, texted The Associated Press confirmation of her death on Monday and posted on social media. Her son, Jelani Thurman, posted a photo of his younger self in her jersey on social media and wrote that he we will miss his “queen.” Braxton last played in the WNBA in 2014 while finishing up a fouryear stint with New York. She won two titles with the Detroit Shock in 2006 and 2008.

The 6-foot-6 Braxton was drafted by Detroit with the seventh pick in 2005 She earned All-Rookie honors that season after averaging 6.9 points and 3.0 rebounds.

Murray setfor season debutafter Achilles recovery

BY RODWALKER Staff writer

Dejounte Murray doesn’t know when the emotions will hit him Tuesday night, but he knows they will Perhaps when he puts on his No. 5New OrleansPelicansjersey. Or maybe when he runs out of the tunnel onto the court for the first time in 389 days. Or maybe during the national anthem or when he makes his first basket.

After all,hehasn’tplayed in an NBA game since Jan. 31, 2025. That was the night he missed a shot against the Boston Celtics, then planted his right foot to try to get the rebound before crumbling to the Smoothie King Center floor and grabbingthe back of his leg. Murraylimpedtothe bench and got helped to the lockerroom with what turned out to be aruptured Achilles.

Murray makes his return Tuesday, back at the crime scenewhere he was robbed of most of hisfirst season in New Orleans. He can hardly wait.

“Let’sdoit,” Murray said after practice Monday.“ When this gamegets taken away from you and you love it like Ido, it’snot a great thing. There’ll be some emotions, but alot of excitement.”

Murrayhas had to bounce back before. He missed the entire 201819 season with atorn ACL inhis third year with the San Antonio Spurs. Last season, just 31/2 months afterthe Pelicans acquiredhim in atrade with the Atlanta Hawks, he fractured his left hand in the seasonopener.Seven days earlier,his mother had astroke.Heleftthe teamtobewith her,but sheinsisted he get backfor the opener Then three months later came theAchilles injury.All of thatex-

Pelicans guardDejounte Murrayreacts after hitting a3-pointer against the Utah

halfof agame at the Smoothie King Center on Jan. 20,2025.

ä Warriors at Pelicans, 7P.M.TUESDAy, GCSEN

plains why Murray said on apodcast that last season was theworst experience he’shad since coming to the NBA.

“I don’tlike to make excuses, but Iwouldn’twish what Iwent through off thefloor on anybody that’sanormal human being that doesn’tplaysports,” Murray said.

“So playing sportsmade it that much harder.But Itookitonthe chin,heldmyhead high, putthe

McGowens’playresults in newcontractwithPels

The stat line for Bryce McGowensinthe New Orleans Pelicans’ first game after the All-Star break went something like this Friday night. Tenpoints. Twosteals.

One rebound. And awhole lot of congratulations.

work in, andI’m excited to go out there andshowall of my supportersand my family thatI’m built for it.”

The Pelicans, just 16-42 thisseason, surely could use hishelp.And no,not just the 17.5 pointsand 7.4 assistsheaveragedinthe 31 games he playedlast season. ThePelicans will count even more on his leadership and abilitytoplay on both ends of thecourt.

“Dejounte will raise ourlevel,” Pelicansinterim head coach James Borregosaid. “… He’sworked his tailoff, so there’sprobably alittle

bit of relief of ‘I’m finally back.’

But more than anything, Ijust want him to go out there and compete andembrace the moment and be there with his teammates.”

Pelicans forward Saddiq Bey was Murray’steammate with the Atlanta Hawkstwo seasonsago.Bey suffered atorn ACL that season, so he can relate to what Murray has gone through.

“Oncehegetsback, everyone is going to look at wins andlossesand how we are doing,” Bey said. “But I’m just happy as aman to another manseeing him gethealthy.(He

brings) overall leadership. He’sa floor general, and his wisdom and being able to play both sides of the ball and get people involved and score. He can do everything.”

SomeofMurray’smost importantteammates during his rehab were guys who play elsewhere. He kept in constant contact with fellow NBAstars Jayson Tatum, Damian Lillard and Tyrese Haliburton, who allsuffered Achilles injurieslastseason.Theyleaned on each other for support.

Murray never got discouraged. “I’vebeenthrough so much,” he said. “This is part of the journey Injuriesare apartofsports. It’s nothow youfall. It’s howyou get back up. For me,itwas attacking the process day-by-day and stayinglevel-headedand trying to find some positive and fun out of it.”

Murray knows he could have sat outthese last 24 game,but he refused to do so because he’sjust not wiredthatway.Basketballishis love and he needed to get back to it.

“What I’ve beenthrough, what I go through, Iuse that all to fuel the fire,” Murray said. “I could have sat out and been achump and been like, ‘Nah, I’mnot playing. I’mgoing to get my money and I’m going to get morerest, morerecovery.’ Butfor me, Ilovethe game andI put myself in aposition to be able to say Iwant to go out and play for not only my family and organization but also the city of New Orleans.”

That begins Tuesday when he playsinhis firstgameinovera year.Heplans to treateachof these last 24 games as if they were championship games.

“Life’sa challenge,” Murray said. “I accept the challenge.”

EmailRod Walker at rwalker@ theadvocate.com.

Source:WNBAsaysnew deal by March10toavoid season delay

disperse the funds.

Rod Walker

McGowens, who had played all season as atwo-way player,was given astandard NBA contract Friday prior to the game against the Milwaukee Bucks.

“I was kinda speechless,” McGowens said.

“Just the course of the yearhas beena heavy grind, day in and day it. Just sticking to the routine and competing any chance Iget. Ijust thanked the Lord about a thousand times.” McGowens is in his firstseason in New Orleans after playing his first two NBA seasons with the Charlotte Hornets and last season with the Portland Trail Blazers. The Pelicans signed him during the offseason.

The signing itself didn’tgarner many headlines, but McGowens has made sure the coaching staff noticed him. He’saveraging 7.9 points and1.9 rebounds this season, includinga career-best23 points in games against the Blazers and the Los Angeles Lakers He’splayed in moregames (34) this season than the total minutes (31) he played all of last season with the Blazers. Most of his time last season was with the Rip City Remix, the Blazers’ G-League affiliate But this year,hedidn’tspend any time playing with the Birmingham Squadron, the Pels’ G-League affiliate. He’sbeen in New Orleans all season long, giving him achance to mesh with his teammates.

“It’sabig accomplishment for him to come in here and battle his way and play as well ashe has,” Pelicans interim head coach James Borrego said. “He’s earned it. Bottom line. Credit to him.He’sbusted his tail from Day One.” The open roster spot became available when the Pelicans traded Jose Alvarado to the New York Knicks. The Pelicans received Dalen Terry butwaived him the next day,openingaspot for McGowens. It validated McGowens’ decision to sign with the Pelicans.

“I trusted myself and thought I’d fit well here,” McGowens said. “I just trusted my work.” McGowens’rookie seasonin Charlotte was right after Bor-

STAFF PHOTO By ENAN CHEDIAK

Pelicans guardBryce McGowens goes for adunk against Philadelphia76ers center Adem Bona during agameat theSmoothie King Center on Saturday.

regowas firedbythe Hornets, so the two of themhadn’t worked togetherprior tothis season. But Borrego was familiar withMcGowens’ game

“I’ve had my eye onhim for a while,” Borrego said.“Early on youcould seesomething in him

I’ve alwayslikedhim from afar Justhis energy every day.He’sa pro.He’sawinner, andIbelieve in him.”

More importantly,McGowens believesinhimself

His scoring, field goal percentage(47.5%) and 3-point shooting percentage (43.3%) are the highest of hiscareer.Hehas started 13 games,including Friday’s loss to the Bucks on the day the Pelicans converted his two-way contract.McGowenshad to turn his cellphone off because he was getting bombarded with so many messagesfromfriends and familymembers.

“I’ve got alot of messagesto getto,”hesaid. McGowens followed up Friday’sgamewith asolid performanceinSaturday’swin over the Philadelphia 76ers. He came off the bench and finished with 13 points, including knocking down threeofhis four 3-pointers. His goals forthe rest of the season?

“Continue to grow my allaround game,” McGowens said.

“On thedefensive end and leading into next year,trying to be a staple ondefensetohelp us win games.”

BY DOUGFEINBERG

AP basketball writer

NEW YORK The WNBA told the players’ union that it needstoget adeal in place by March 10 to start the season on time at avirtualcollective bargaining agreement negotiating session Monday,a person familiarwith the discussions told The Associated Press.

Theperson spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the negotiations. With an expansion draft for two teams needed to getdone, as well as 80% of theleague freeagents, there’splenty to getaccomplished andlittle timetodoit. Adelay would hurtbothsides.

The season is supposedtostart May 8and every gamemissed is lost revenue, sponsorships, TV money andfan support. Monday’s meetingwas the first between the sides thatinvolved players and the league since they metatthe WNBA offices on Feb. 2. Because of the winter storm thathit New York, it was decidedtoholdthe meeting virtually More than50players were on the call, which lasted nearly two hours, thepersonsaid.

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small. Alineup thatfeatured both 6-foot-2 Amiya Joyner and 6-5 Kate KovalsparkedLSU’s come-frombehind winoverNo. 17 OleMiss on Thursday,and agroup without either one of them laid the foundationofits beatdown of Missouri on Sunday Forward ZaKiyah Johnson,a 6-foot freshman, anchored the two most productive lineups Mulkey usedagainst Missouri.The onethat featured guards Jada Richard, MiLaysia Fulwiley,Flau’jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williamsnext to her outscored the visiting Tigers 30-10 in the10minutes it spent on the floor

That group did most of itsdamageinthe first half. Mulkeypivoted to it quickly because Missouri ruled 6-3 starter Jordana Reisma out of action on the availability report it released two hoursbefore tipoff. Mulkey needed asmaller,quicker groupofplayerstomatch up with thestarting lineup Missouri threw outinstead,but she andassociate head coach Bob Starkey already had decided to startJoyner “Bob andI were like,‘We got a problemhere,’ ”Mulkeysaid.“I said, ‘Go ahead with thelineup we hadplanned to start, and then we’ll

Thetwo sidesare still farapart on revenue sharing andhousing.

The league said in the meeting on Mondaythatitwould need to have at leasta handshake agreement by March 10 for there nottobeadelay to the start of the season.

Theleague, in itslatest proposal that was sent Friday,offered 70% netrevenue forthe players. That came after theunion hadasked foranaverageof27.5%ofthe grossrevenue over thecourseof the CBA, beginning with 25% in the first year of the new deal. In its previous offer, the union had asked for an average of more than 30%.

The league at that point said in a statement the revenue-sharing percentageremainedunrealistic and would cause “hundreds of millions of dollarsoflosses for our teams.”

Also on Monday,the union confirmedtothe AP that the WNBA will give its players $8 million from revenuesharingfromlast season as theleague generatedenough to triggerrevenuesharing forthe first timeinleague history

The players will decide how much eachplayer will receivefromthat distribution. The union has 60 days from Feb. 9, when it wasofficially notified of the revenue-sharing money,tocome up with how it will

just adjust and move (Williams) inside with (Johnson) and just play small.’ It worked, and it was entertaining.”

Mulkeyhas those optionsnow LSU hasplayed14league games, and she still isn’trelying on her stars nearly as muchasshe did in theprevious two seasons. Only six Tigers played more than 15 minutes pernight in SECmatchups last season. Aneesah Morrow Flau’jae Johnson and Williams each loggedmore than 33 minutes per game. Now LSU haseight players who are seeing,onaverage, morethan 15 minutes of run in league play, and none of them are playing more than28. That group does not include guardBella Hines, afreshman who’sbeginning to carve out aconsistent role in Mulkey’srotation.She didn’tplay morethan 14 minutes in any of LSU’s first 10 league contests, butnow she’s earned morethan 15 minutes in threeofthe last four Williams is playing three fewer minutesand taking four fewer shots pergamethan she did last year.Flau’jae Johnson is taking three fewer shots pernight and playing fivefewer minutes. LSUbegan SECplay leadingthe country in bench points. It’snow receiving 39.4 ppg from its reserves, which means it still hasn’tfallenoff the topspot.

That money will be distributed by the teams, which will then be reimbursed by the league. Under the 2020CBA that has sinceexpired, players received 50% of shared revenue —defined in the CBA as the amount of revenue that’sabove apredetermined threshold amount minus 30% for expenses. Neitherthe league northe union would say what that thresholdis. The league hashad in nearly allof its proposals that it would do away with the threshold needed to be reached for revenue sharing. In its latest offer,the league said teams would continue to pay for housing for allplayers this season, another person familiar with the negotiationstoldthe AP on Saturday.After that, franchises would payfor housing forplayers on minimum-salary contracts, rookies in their first season and the two developmental players teams would be allowed to have.

The unionhad askedfor teams to continue paying forhousing for players in the first few years of the new agreement, but in the last two years of theCBA the franchises would no longer have to pay for housing forplayers who are making near the maximum salary

“You can get really creative,” ZaKiyahJohnson said. “Everybody on the floor is sprinting. They got adifferent bag, and you just have alot of weaponsall theway down the bench, even when yougotothe bigs, but whenwecan getinthere and run, it’salways more fun.” Conventional wisdomsaysthat playing smaller lineups hurts a team’s chances of grabbing rebounds. That logic, however,did not apply to LSU’s win over Missouri —one of the best rebounding games the No.6Tigers have ever produced.

LSU corralled awhopping 72 boards on Sunday,setting its NCAA-era single-gamerebounding record. They pulled 30 of those boards off the offensive glass, two shy of the program record. With onlytwo regular-season contests left, LSU is outscoring SEC opponents by 23.3 points per 100 possessions, according to Her Hoop Stats. Thatrating would be the highest the Tigers have posted in league play since Mulkey took over in 2021.

What’sdriving that success? Start with LSU’sadded depth and versatility. It lookslikeMulkeyis ready to use it in the postseason.

“We’re fortunate to have depth on the perimeter,” Mulkeysaid, “and fortunate that we have acouple perimeter players that can go inside and defend.”

LSUgym playingit cautious with injuries

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

The LSU gymnasts posted a season-highroad score at No. 1 Oklahoma on Friday,but they also picked up acouple of injuries ahead of the meet.

Coach JayClark saidMondaythat junior all-arounder Konnor McClain suffered an arm contusion on the uneven bars in pre-meet warmups He also said that sophomore allarounder KaliyaLincoln started battling inflammation in her Achilles tendon in the days before theNo. 2 Tigers’ road trip. McClain is day-to-day,Clark said.She satout themeetwith the Sooners, while Lincoln performed on vault and balance beam but not on floor.Clark said that LSU will continue to take a cautious approach to herinjury as it readies to competetwice in one weekend —first onFriday against No. 3Alabamainthe Pete Maravich Assembly Center and again on Sunday in the annual PodiumChallenge at Raising Cane’s River Center

“I hope that we’ll do the same thing with (Lincoln) this weekend that we did last weekend,”Clark said, “and that’sreally just outof abundanceofcautionjust because we’ve just got to preserve her “That last stretch, when weget into the postseason, we need that floor routine, and so we’ll do everything we can to make sure that that

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Evans’ ERA of 6.48after two starts is still ayellow caution flag, but there are many laps left in this race. The Tigers still havetwo nonconference series andchange to figure things outbefore opening Southeastern Conference play March 13 at Vanderbilt. My bet is the rotation stays the same, but if Schmidt makes two more starts like this one, lookout.

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Oldguysrewarded Taylor isn’tthe only Saints defender with apossible complicated negotiation. After bounce-back seasonsfrom Cam Jordan andDemarioDavis, New Orleans is left in atricky spot of how much to pay for past performance when factoring future contracts. It’snot often that 36-year-olds get araise in the NFL, but both Jordan and Davis might not be willing to take much

ä AlabamaatLSU 8:30

remains the case.”

LSU put sophomore Lexi Zeiss in thefloorlineupinplace of Lincoln against the Sooners, and shedelivered astrong9.925 score in the first such routine of hercareer Clarksaid he was impressedwith howthe Tigers responded to thelineup shuffling against Oklahoma.

“They just were matter of fact,” Clark said,“and that’s good. That’s the mark, Ihope, of ateam that’s mature and that understands what we’re asking of them and handles thosethings.Because circumstances can change quickly,one way or another.”

Chio keepsposting 10s

Only three NCAA gymnasts have earned multiple perfect 10.0 scores this season,and sophomore Kailin Chio is one of them.

She picked up 10s on both vault and balance beam on Friday,becoming the first athlete to earntwo perfect scores in one meet thisyear.She now has four on theseason. Team USA starand UCLA senior Jordan Chiles is the onlygymnast with more “There’sjust not awhole lot you can sayother than, ‘Wow,’”Clark said. “I mean, she’soperatingatsuchanefficient, consistent, extremely high level, and seems to really rise to the occasion in momentswhere we need hertobe. Ithink every team needs

Dardar on radar

Back in the early 80s,myfolks sat next to afan in TigerStadium who so loved defensive lineman RamseyDardar he would yell, “Givethe ball to Dardar!”Well, these days, give the bat to second basemanSeth Dardar.Asmuchas possible

The fifth-yearsenior from Mandeville came to LSU theatypical way:ColumbiainManhattan, New York;then Kansas Statein Manhattan, Kansas; and now home (Big Apple to Little Apple to Baton Rouge). He’sbeenaninstant asset,

ofa discount this time around. Andifthey don’t, how many other teams will be interested in them?

This week might provide some clarity

Dazzling defenders?

The prevailing thought, at least amongdraft analystsand other media members, is that the Saints should look to juicetheir offensetosurround quarterback Tyler Shough with better weapons. But if thatnarrative is going to change, the combine could be thestart of the shift.This is astrong class of edge rushers

Reds aceGreene workingtostay healthyin2026

BY JAYCOHEN AP baseball writer

GOODYEAR, Ariz. The Cincinnati Reds like theirchanceswhen Hunter Greene is on the mound.

The 6-foot-5 right-handerhas one of baseball’sbest fastballs,togo along with anasty sliderand an improving split-finger fastball. But keeping him on the mound has been achallenge.

Going into his fifth year in the majors, Greene added morelower-half strengthening exercises to his offseason routine. The end resultofhis durability pursuit could go along way to determining the course of the Reds’ season.

“Definitelyset personal goals,” Greenesaid Sunday.“Youknow for me it’sbeing able to gettoa high amount of innings, obviously strikeouts, all that good stuff, but it’s being able to go out there and stay out there as long as Ican and be healthy andmake all my starts.”

Greene went 7-4 with a2.76 ERA last year, helping Cincinnati earn an NL wild card for its first playoff appearance since 2020. But he was limitedtoa career-low 19 startsand 1072/3 innings.

He wasplaced on the 15-day injured list on May 9with aright groin strain. He returned on May 23 and made three starts before goingback on the IL with the same injury.This time, he was sidelined until Aug. 13.

Greene, 26,was selected by Cincinnati withthe No. 2pickin the 2017 amateur draft. After undergoing Tommy Johnsurgery while he wasinthe minors, he earneda spotinthe Cincinnati rotation in spring training in 2022. Greene had his best season in 2024, making theNLAll-Star team forthe first time while going 9-5 with a2.75 ERA in 26 starts. He also had 169 strikeouts in 1501/3 innings, but he also spent timeonthe IL that year with elbow soreness.

“I’m 6-5, 230 pounds. Igot alot of body that’s coming down the hill, alot of force, alot of output,”Greene said. “SoI got to makesure that allthe boxesare checked whenitcomes to, you know,health and output. So it’sa long process, but it’smyjob and Iembrace it.”

Greene describedthe potentialofthe Cincinnati rotation as “through the roof,” and he thinks they feed off each other

“Our relationships are strong and there’sanaccountability factor too withall of us,”hesaid. “I think that helps with the production on the team.”

Greene got ataste of the postseason last year when Cincinnati was swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers in an NL wild card series. He surrenderedfive runs andsix hitsinthreeinnings in Game 1inhis first career playoff start.

somebody like that.”

Chio said Monday she was surprised that judges deemed her vault worthy of aperfect score Friday.She thinks she’sdone better vaultsthis season.

“I’ve been wanting it for so long,” Chio said with alaugh, “but it was just funny that it came on thatone instead of all the other ones.”

Busy weekend

The string of postseason meets that Clark likestocalla “meat grinder” is right around the corner as there are only threeweeksleft in the regular season.

So taking on two meets in three days, which LSU will do this weekend, is anice way to prepare for not only the SEC championships but alsothe NCAA regionals.

“Our regionalwill be aThursdaySaturday type situation,” Clark said, “assuming we advance. So, it’s just more of asemantic, sort of logistical preparation for thosekinds of thingsthat areonthe horizon.”

Sunday’smeet in the River Center will be staged on apodium —the softer,elevated surface that teams compete on in the NCAA Tournament.

LSU’sperformance in that quad meet can count toward itsnational qualifying score (NQS) as aroad score. No.3Alabama,No. 17 North Carolina and No.27Arizona are also competing in thatmeet,which will begin at 3p.m. Sunday.

The Tigers will host theCrimson Tide at 8:30 p.m. Friday

batting .400 for the season witha team-high four doubles and two homers.

Dardar seems entrenched at second with six startsinthe past sevengames,including all three in Jacksonville. Yes, he uncorked athrow well wide of Zach Yorke at firstagainstNotreDameafter making aniftystab on ashift into right field, but overall he looks like the veteran he is. Measuringstick So how good are theTigers? The offenseisoutstanding, hitting .367 overall.

—another need for the Saints —and perhaps the Saints will be tantalized enough by Miami’s Rueben Bain, TexasTech’s David Bailey or Ohio State’s Arvell Reesetomerit consideration when they’re on the clock at No. 8come April (if any of them are still left on theboard). There’salso Ohio State safetyCaleb Downs,who becomes an intriguingoption should Taylorboltinfree agency Kamara buzz NFL.com recently listed Saints running back Alvin Kamaraasa possible cut candidate,given the

The Reds have adeep rotation that also includesAll-Star lefthanderAndrewAbbott, Nick Lodolo and BradySinger. Rhett Lowderand Chase Burns —two former first-round picks outof Wake Forest University —are in themix forthe fifth spot.

Butahealthy Greene takes the group to another level.

“He looks good, he’singood shape,” Cincinnatimanager Terry Francona said. “These guys, they work really hard,theyget after it pretty good.”

Greene, who signed a$53 million, six-year contract with the Reds in April 2023, has been around Cincinnati long enough to have an idea of what along Octoberrun would mean for thecity. The franchise hasn’twon aplayoff gamesince 2012, and it hasn’t advanced in the postseason since 1995.

“I think it’d be very special,” he said. “I mean, therichhistory of Cincinnati and the World Series that they’ve been able to bring to the city,and they deserve it. It’s a baseballcity. Theirheartiswith baseball.”

Pitching could be atweak better, but it appeared to make progress from the opening weekend. And fielding —a .976 percentage so far compared to .981 in 2025 —needs abit of polish. That said, most of LSU’sfoes so far have been solid, if not SEC timber.Kent State left a10-7 loss at LSU on Feb. 16 and wontwo of threeatTennessee. Indiana is not its football team (neither is Notre Dame), but those two and Central Florida are Power Four programs. LSU could gettripped up between now and Nashville on avisit to UL next week, or aMarch 10

Saints can save $8.5 millionwith apost-June 1release.But parting ways with Kamaraisnot as simple as it seems. For one, Kamara’s$18 millioncap hit still wouldbefully on the books until June, so New Orleanswouldn’ttruly benefit from thatmoney until building next season’sroster (or for arare late summersigning). The better question could be whether Kamara is open to staying on apay cut, though it’s unclear whether the Saints have engaged in such discussions. Carr interest If Derek Carr is serious about

game with Creighton. Likely the Tigers will go into SEC play with one or two losses, max. Are they ready? Notquite yet. But the building blocks of another stellar team are there.

“The blueprint of our baseball is at avery high level,” Johnson said on his way out of Jacksonville. “Very sustainable.”

From the early results, an argument against the Tigers is not sustainable.

Formore LSUsports updates, sign up for our newsletter at theadvocate.com/lsunewsletter

coming out of retirement, the combine could be agoodway to findout if the interest is mutual —meaning the Saints could reap some return in atrade.The former Saints quarterback said on his podcast that he’d only do it forachance to win aSuper Bowl, whichwouldlimit his market. Will anyofthose contending teams want to take a chance on asoon-to-be 34-yearold coming off amajor shoulder injury?

Email Matthew Paras at matt. paras@theadvocate.com

THE VARSITYZONE

10 PITCHERS TO WATCH

Theseareahighschoolsoftballhurlers arepoisedfor bigseasons

BY JACKSON REYES

Staff writer

The high school softball season is just getting started in the Baton Rouge area.

Theareaoffersplenty of players who left their mark last year, and several are back this season to continuebuilding on their elite high school careers. The Baton Rouge area features many top pitchers, and listed below are 10 area pitchers to watch this season.

Malloy Miles, French Settlement,Jr.

The Ole Miss commit will look to use her junior year to build on her sophomore season that culminated in aselectiontothe LSWA Class 2A All-State team. She totaled a12-8 record and adominant 1.95 ERA in 2025. She has not allowed asingle hit or run and struck out 36 batters across 14 inningsinher first threegames to start 2026.

BlairClement,Lutcher,Jr.

The junior righty had amassive breakout season last year,finishing with a14-5 record anda2.16 ERA. She racked up 137 strikeouts across 116 innings.Clement began the 2026 season with an impressive 12 strikeouts to lead her side to awin.

BrayleeDecoteau, St.Amant, Sr

The Co-Lin CommunityCollege

commitment looks to build on a strong junior campaign in which she posted a13-3 record and a 3.00 ERA. Her performance in the 2025 season earned her a spot on The Advocate’sAll-Metro team.

AvaKatePhillips, Live Oak, Sr

The Eagles senior played akey role in Live Oak’ssuccess last season. She compiled an 18-8 record with a3.60 ERA. Phillips was another member of the AllMetro team andwas integralin Live Oak’srun to the DivisionI nonselect quarterfinals as the No. 8seed.

AbigailHeidbrink,Brusly, So

The right-hander put together an impressive freshman campaign and looks to continue building on herpromising high school career.She recorded a19-3 record with a1.87 ERA ayear ago. She also totaled 109 strikeouts. Heidbrink will be aname to watch afterearning All-Metro anddistrictMVP honorsinher first year of high school play

Brooke Clement, Prairieville, So

Clement flashed potentialin limited action last year. She had a2.25 ERA in 91/3 inningspitched

The sophomore has followed that up with a3.03 ERA and a2-1 recordin30innings this season.She has also struck out 25.

JalayahSlaughter, Parkview Baptist, Fr

Slaughterbrokethrough onto the Eagles varsity squad as an eighth grader.She made themost of the opportunity with a12-8 record and a2.24 ERA. She alsotallied 172 strikeouts. Slaughterearned LFCA All-State honorslast season. In her latest outing, against Chapelle this season, she struck out 13 and allowed one earned run.

McKenzie Creel, East Ascension, Sr

The Coastal Alabama CC signee enters herfinal seasonfor the Spartans. Lastyear,she pitched 115 innings andwent12-5. She also tossedano-hitter.Creel also was named to the All-Metro team andwas an LSWA Class 5A AllStatehonorable mention.

Kaylee Dieck, Walker,Sr.

The right-hander fueled aWalker playoff runthat made it all the way to the DivisionInonselect semifinals last year.Dieck has signed with SoutheastArkansas College.

Payten DeVeer,Prairieville, So In five appearances, DeVeer has already nearly matched the numberofinnings she pitched last year.The sophomore hasa 2.10 ERA and a2-0 record through 20 innings pitched in five games.She has alsoracked up 26 strikeouts.

GEONextgirls usehighenergy to topNorthlake

Tigers advance to quarterfinals for firsttime

BY JACKSON REYES Staff writer

Northlake Christian’sAva Dale caught an inbound pass with just 5.3 seconds leftagainst GEO Next Generation. She dribbled past one defender and hoisted up a3-point attempt, lookingtotie the second-round game andsendittoovertime Tigers juniorKimberly Jack swooped in and swatted the shot back as the buzzer sounded, helping send GEO Next Generation to its first trip to the Division III select quarterfinals.

“I gotitfor us,”Jack said on her block. “I hadtoget it. Coach told me to go get it, and Igot it.” No. 7GEO Next Generation (19-11) defeated No. 10 Northlake Christian 3835 on Monday night at home in thesecond round of the Division III select playoffs.The wincomes one year after the Tigers won theirfirst playoffgame in theschool’sfirstyearofeligibilitytomake the playoffs Theywill face No. 2Rosepine in the quarterfinals on Thursday

11-9after the first quarter.Jack scored seven of her 10 total points in the opening period. The Tigers took a15-9 lead to start the second quarter.The Wolverines fought back with apair of triples by Riyah Berry and Abigail Willie.

Northlake Christian (13-13) closed out the quarter on a13-3 runand took a22-18 lead at the half

GEO Next Generation’s Sur’Myricle Jackson opened the third with aputback layup to spark a5-0 run for the Tigers to retake the lead. Willie answered with atriple to end the run. The two sides continued to trade baskets and were deadlocked at 27 points apiece after three quarters. Neither side found an edge to start the fourth, still tied at 31-31 midway through thefourth.The Tigers’ Rylee Jones put her team in front by twowith apair of free throws.

“Withthe team beingasyoung as it is,it’sveryspecial.”

MICHAEL INGRAM, GEONextGeneration coach

Dale knocked down atriple on the ensuing possessionto put the Wolverines back in front. Jackson gotaputback layup to go. Jones then hit alayup to put GEONext Generation up 37-34 late.

“With theteam being as young as it is, it’svery special,” Tigers coach Michael Ingram said. “We have no seniors, just like last year.I’m proud of the work they put in. Ilove them.” Ingram, who’salso the athletic director,has watched the program blossom into awinning team.

“Tosee it’s growing,” Ingram said. “It feels so special because I’ve seen it from nothing to where it is now.It’slovely.” GEONextGenerationled

Afterbothteams traded asingle free throw,Northlake Christian got the ball back with seconds left. The Wolverines’ final shotattempt was blocked to seal the Tigers’ win. Jones finished with eight points, allcoming in the fourth quarter Jacksonled theteam in scoring with 12 points.

Ingram said his team’senergy was the difference in the narrow victory “Wetold them that if they came outwiththe energy they had in the first quarter,wewould be able to put pressure on themand pull through the win,” he said. “That’s what happened.”

HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS

Girls Regionals Monday’s scores Division Inonselect No. 1Zachary 72, No. 17 Walker 25 No. 3Prairieville 65, No.19Ouachita 49 No. 7Denham Springs 49, No. 10 South Lafourche 31 Division II nonselect No. 1Sterlington 69, No. 16 Lutcher 19 No. 8West Feliciana 59, No. 9Iota 57 No. 3North Vermilion 48, No. 14 Plaquemine28 No. 7Albany50, No. 10 Brusly 44 Division III nonselect No. 1French Settlement 65, No. 17 Vidalia 32 No. 5Ville Platte 63, No. 12 Doyle 57 No. 4Springfield47, No. 13 Oakdale28 Division IV nonselect No. 8White Castle 49, No. 9Franklin 39 No. 5East Feliciana 53, No. 12 Jeanerette 43 Division Iselect No. 4Huntington 57, No. 13 Woodlawn40 No. 3St. Joseph’s 46, No. 14 St. Thomas More29 No. 6Scotlandville 59, No.11Ponchatoula 58 No. 18 Liberty 62, No. 2Riverdale55 Division II select No. 1Madison Prep65, No. 17 Booker T. Washington(Shreveport) 13 No. 8Northside 61, No. 9St. Michael 50 No. 3Parkview Baptist 61, No. 19 St.Louis Catholic 43 No. 2University78, No. 15 Booker T. Washington (N.O.)19 Division III select No. 9Episcopal47, No. 8Newman 38 No. 11 D’Arbonne Woods 44, No. 6Dunham 40 No. 7Geo Next 38, No. 10 NorthlakeChristian 35 Division IV select No. 1Southern Lab66, No. 16 Highland Baptist13 No. 9Ascension Catholic at No. 8Sacred Heart, 6p.m. Monday No. 7Vermilion Catholic 57, No. 10 Central Private 49 GEONext Generation 38, NorthlakeChristian 35 NorthlakeChristian 9135 8-35 GEONextGeneration 11 79 11 -38 SCORING: GEONext Generation: Sur’Myricle Jackson12, Kimberly Jack 10, Rylee Jones8,Carlaysha Forman 5, Taia Brown3;NorthlakeChristian:Ava Dale 9, Abigail Willie 9, Evie Burns 6, Sam Raimondi 6, Riyah Berry 5 3-POINT GOALS: NorthlakeChristian6 (Willie 3, Dale 2, Berry 1) RECORDS: GEONext Generation 19-11,

University High78, Booker T. Washington-N.O. 19 BookerT.Washington-N.O. 11 42 2-19 UniversityHigh1822299 -78 SCORING: U-HIGH: Kennedy Aldridge 30, Haley Hirst

Milo Gutfreund/Michael Zhang, Episcopal def. Beau Penton/Hayden Rizzutto, Central 6-1, 6-2 Robert Bradford/David Gboloo, Episcopal def. Haydon Johnson/Denym Armstead, Central 8-3 HayesHill/Dafi

LIVING

Native staple

Mirlitonsare part of Louisiana’s heritage —and they’reeasy to grow at home

Likealot of people who grew up in Louisiana, LSU AgCenter horticulturist Jason Stagghas fond memories of eating casseroles andotherdishes his mother prepared using mirlitons —asquash that has been grown in the state forgenerations.

Mirlitons (Sicyos edulis or Sechium edule) —also known as vegetable pears and alligator pears —are apear-shaped squash with amild flavor They’re usually green but sometimes are white. Known as chayote in their nativeMexico and Central America, some sources indicate they arrived in Louisiana by way of Haitiin the 19th century It’seasy to grow your own mirlitons. Traditionally, mirlitons are plantedoutdoors in the spring. But if you have some space indoors or in another warm, protected area, you can plant them in containers while it’sstill winter and get an early start on your vine, Stagg said.

Now mirlitons don’tgrow from small, dried seeds like tomatoes or many other crops. Eachmirliton contains one embryo, and the entire fruit essentially is aseed. That means you’ll need to plant the whole thing to grow amirliton vine. Something else to know about mirlitons is that they are self-pollinated.

LSU AGCENTERPHOTO By

RANDyLABAUVE

Mirlitons hold aspecialplace in Louisiana’sculinaryand horticultural heritage.

“You do not need two different plants to pollinate because the male flowers and the female flowers grow on one plant,” Stagg said. “However, having acouple of different plants does improve your chance for pollination.”

So, the first step is to getyour handsonamirliton —ora few

“It’simportant to research your sources for these because finding true Louisiana heritage mirliton varieties will give you thebest results,” Stagg said Leave the mirliton in awarm place indoors until asprout emerges from the larger end of the fruit.

Next, place the mirliton in a 3-gallon container filled with potting mix. Position the mirliton at a45-degree angle with the larger,sprouted end pointing downward. Bury about two-thirds of the mirlitonwith potting mix so thatthe smaller end is sticking out above the surface

The vine will begintogrow larger soon. Keep the container moist but take care not to overwater.

“They do not like wet feet, especially when establishing,” Stagg said.

Once spring arrives and the threat of frost has passed,you canmoveyourcontainertoa sunny spot outdoors or transplant the mirliton into araised bed. Planting directly intothe ground isn’trecommended if

ä See MIRLITON, page 2D

LEFT: Twoofthe featured people in Louisiana’sOld State Capitol’s exhibit, ‘A More Perfect Union: Reconstruction’sLegacyinLouisiana, are twins Elsieand Lela Scott, daughters of John and JuliaScott, whomigrated from Louisiana to Indiana and finally to Kansas during post-Reconstruction.

BY ROBIN MILLER | Staff writer

TDuring Reconstruction, former enslaved people often placed ‘Lost Friends’ notices in newspapersseeking lovedones from whom theywere separated during slavery

BY MADDIE SCOTT Staff writer

Fuego Tortilla Grill, aTexasbasedtacochain,willopenits first Louisiana location in March, accordingtoanews release. The fast-casual taco

he white robe and itspointy hat are blood-curdling yetnecessary

This is whythe items are tucked away in adisplay withinthe smallturret room connected to Louisiana’s OldState Capitol’snewest permanent exhibit, “A MorePerfect Union:Reconstruction’sLegacy in Louisiana.”

The smaller display is very much apartofthe exhibit, but as curator Anne Mahoney points out, its content is sensitive, and yes, ugly.But to ignore it would be adisservice to thevictimswho experiencedthe violence inflicted by the wearers of robes and pointyhats. Black Southerners and their supporters were the targets.Some survived, but manydidn’t. And their suffering changed history Lincoln’stesting ground

Thedisplaycomes at the end of Louisiana’sReconstruction story and its impact on the nation. The ä See EXHIBIT, page 2D

AKuKluxKlanrobe and hood tell the storyofthe violence that arose among White supremacists during Reconstruction.

Do notask more from aguest than theirpresence

Dear Miss Manners: People want to feel loved and cherished. An invitation to shareameal in your home is aspecialexample. So when dinner guests ask me what they can bring, Itell them something specific: “Oh, Iwould love some pink peonies.Those would be so beautiful.” Or Imight request abottleof maple syrup, or arecipe card for the wonderful cookies the guest baked on aprevious visit.

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

Offering these suggestionslets your friends love you back Gentle reader: Please do not make the idea of bringing something —or, as it is now phrased,“not showing up empty-handed”— more of achore than it alreadyis.

Miss Manners pictures your

By The Associated Press

guests,lookingforward to a pleasant evening withyou, being confronted with your suggestions. “Pinkpeonies?” they say in despair. “Where in the world are we supposed to find those? Even if there’s aflorist open, they’re not likely to have thoseon hand.” Or:“Maple syrup? We could stop at the grocery store on the way,but they probably expect some kind of gourmet version.”

Or: “What cookie recipe?

Maybe they’rethinkingofthose cookies that AuntLucy sent us, andIdidn’tcorrect their assumption that I’d baked them. HowdoI knowwhatthe recipe was?”

Miss Mannerswould not describe this as making someone feel loved

TODAYINHISTORY

Today is Tuesday,Feb. 24,the 55th day of 2026. There are 310 days left in the year

Todayinhistory:

On Feb. 24, 1868, the U.S. House of Representatives impeached President Andrew Johnson by avote of 126-47 following his attempted dismissal of Secretary of WarEdwin M. Stanton; Johnsonwas later acquitted by the Senate by asinglevote. Also on this date:

In 1803, in its landmark Marbury v. Madisondecision,the U.S. Supreme Court established the foundational principle of judicial review of the constitutionality of laws and statutes.

In 1981, ajury in White Plains, New York, found Jean Harris guiltyofsecond-degree murder in the fatal shooting of “Scarsdale Diet” author Dr.Herman Tarnower.(Sentenced to 15 years to life in prison, Harris was granted clemency by New York Gov.MarioCuomo in December 1992.)

In 1988, in aruling thatexpanded legal protections for parody and satire, the Supreme Court unanimously overturned a$200,000 award that the Rev Jerry Falwell had won against Hustler magazine and its publisher,Larry Flynt.

In 1991, the United States began ground operations in the Gulf War by entering Iraqi-held Kuwait.

In 2008, Cuba’sparliament named Raul Castro president,

endingnearly 50 years of rule by hisbrother,Fidel, who announceddays earlier that he would not seek reelection. Raul Castro served as president until April 2018.

In 2011, Discovery,the world’s most traveled spaceship, thundered into orbit for the final time, heading toward theInternational Space Station on ajourneymarking the beginning of theend ofthe shuttleera.

In 2020, Hollywood movie mogul Harvey Weinstein was convicted of rapeand sexual assault in New York and was led off to prison in handcuffs in a pivotalmoment for the #MeToo movement.Anappeals court later threw outthe verdict and ordered anew trial, but Weinstein remained behind bars after other convictions.

In 2022, Russia began afullscale invasionofUkraine, launching airstrikes on cities and military bases and sending troops and tanks from multiple directions.

Today’sbirthdays: Actor Dominic Chianese is 95. Nikeco-founder PhilKnight is 88. Actor Barry Bostwick is 81. Actor Edward James Olmos is 79. Musician George Thorogood is 76. Baseball Hall of Famer Eddie Murray is 70. Actor Billy Zane is 60. BoxingHall of Famer Floyd Mayweather Jr. is 49. Tennis Hall of Famer Lleyton Hewitt is 45.Actor Daniel Kaluuya is 37. Singer-songwriter Domenic Innarella is 15.

MIRLITON

Continued from page1D

your garden stays wet, as good drainage is important for mirlitons.

Warmer weather will encourage your mirliton to grow into avigorous plant rather quickly, and it willcontinue to do so throughout the summer.Some people find that installingshade cloth above their rapidly growing mirlitons during this time helps keep the plants from wilting in the hot afternoon sun

“Once established, these plants will grow to be quite large, so you’ll need to make sureyou have plenty of space and agood

TACO

Continued from page1D

sonal margarita as well as beers. The dining spotisopen 24 hours, six days aweek and closed Mondays.

Grandopening

At the grand opening on March 3, the first100 guestsget alimited-edition Fuego T-shirt, and the first 20 guests win free queso for ayear,according to the release.

It is not the jobofhoststodictate any presentsthe guests may bring. And bringing something is not an easy jobfor the guests. Many used to bring flowers or chocolates, but would now risk running intoallergies and diets, so theybring wine instead —tothe annoyance of hosts whodonot drink. Miss Manners only wishes everyone would calm down. Atoken present is fine, but thereal show of appreciation from aguest is responding to theinvitation immediately,engaging other guests in friendly conversation, thanking thehost and reciprocating soon.

Dear Miss Manners: Lastyear,our son marriedhis longtimegirlfriend in alovely ceremony followed by alarge reception. This year,they’re planning an even bigger party.This next

partyissomehow about their wedding —but we already had thewedding!

I’m finding it difficult to be enthusiastic about attending a partywhen Idon’tknow what I’m celebrating. To have asecond celebration seemstomake the first one less meaningful.

Of course Ican decline with asimple “no, thank you,” but Iwould like to hear your comments

Gentlereader: Would you feel better if they called it an anniversary party?

In today’scasual world, it puzzles Miss Manners that people seem tothink awedding is the only formal event they are entitled to throw or attend —unless they are up foranentertainment award.

People crave abit of formality, if only forarare change from near-universal grunge. Thus the urge to have multiple weddings if not multiple marriages. Boycotting this event would be ahostile move. Are you not in a position to have agentle conversation with the couple, in which you support their idea but discuss modifying it? Calling it an anniversary party would makeittheir first big attempt at entertaining, instead of awedding rerun. Then again, perhaps they should not call it that. Surely they don’t want their friends thinking, “Do we have to give them presents AGAIN?

Sendquestions to Miss Manners at herwebsite, www missmanners.com.

OF

Aphoto of the 1864 inauguration of President Abraham Lincoln’s second termisfeatured in Louisiana’sOld State Capitol’snewestpermanent exhibit,‘A More Perfect Union: Reconstruction’sLegacyinLouisiana.’Lincoln talked about his Reconstruction plan for Louisiana in hisspeechthat day.The speech washis last at thenation’scapitol.

EXHIBIT

Continuedfrom page1D

state waschosen by President Abraham Lincoln as the testing ground forhis lenient “Ten Percent Plan” for Reconstruction, requiring only 10% of voters to pledge loyaltytothe United States forthe state’srestorationtothe Union.

Lincoln hoped this fasttrack experiment would lead to the establishmentofaloyal government thatabolished slavery and provided public education. It also considered limited Black suffrage. But the president was assassinated beforehecould fully implement his plan. And, as often is the case with good intentions, things didn’tgoasplanned, turning, well, ugly

“Wehave deliberately putthis information in here,because it has to do with theviolentaftermath of the war,”Mahoney said.“And so, we did this veryintentionally because we’re bringing school groups through here, and we’re goingtoask the teachers, ‘Do you want us to talk about this?’”

Themuseumtoursaren’tglossing over thesubject of violence, openly discussing it in the main gallery

Asword belongingtoP.B.S Pinchback is featured in Louisiana’sOld State Capitol’s exhibit, ‘A More Perfect Union: Reconstruction’sLegacyin Louisiana.’Pinchback’sinitials are inscribed on the grip.Hewas the nation’s first Black governor serving as Louisiana’s24th governor during Reconstruction.

were captured quickly.”

sturdy structure like atrellis to support the weight,” Stagg said.

Patience is key when growing mirliton, as flowers won’tappear until late summer,producing a fall crop that will last all theway to the first frost. Each vine can producedozens of fruits.

Mirlitons are technically perennials. Their vines will die back once cold temperatures setin— but as long astheir roots are insulatedwith athicklayer of mulch, they often can survive Louisiana winters andregrow eachspring foryearstocome, Stagg said. However,asasafeguard against unusually cold weather, save some of yourcrop to plant next year.Storing mirlitons in a cool, dark,dry place for the winter will helpensure longevity

“Certainly,wetalk about violenceand people fleeingviolence andthe JimCrow laws, but we wanted to put these really graphic descriptions andthings in this other room so that if somebody doesn’twant to see it, they don’t have to,” Mahoney said.

Storybeginswithsecession

“A MorePerfect Union” starts at the beginning of the Civil War, represented by areproduction of Enoch Perry Jr.’s1861 painting, “Secession Ordinance.” The piece depicts the Louisiana Legislature’s votetosecede from the nation.

The vote happened in the Old Capitol’sHouse of Representatives chamber directly abovethe “Reconstruction” gallery.Then camewar and Union occupation, followed by the Emancipation Proclamation and finally,Reconstruction.

The exhibit illustrates this sequence of eventsthrough artifacts, documents, photos and panels.

“This exhibit has been three years in the making —three long yearsofstudy and scholarlyresearch,” Mahoney said. “Wefinallyopened it on Jan. 22, andit really started because, honestly,I sawaprogramonLPB about Reconstruction, andI learnedthings Ididn’tknow.Istartedlooking at how Louisianawas literally thepetridish of how Lincolnhoped Reconstruction would work andhow we were under Reconstruction longer than anybody else, because we

The exhibit examines how the state was an early Union target because of itsproximity to the Mississippi River. Control of the river meant control of its traffic, making both NewOrleans and BatonRouge key military strategic points.

“Thiswas before the Emancipation Proclamation,” Mahoney said. “The Union established amilitary roleand startedgovernments and started instituting this new society with whomever was there. And once they had established astronghold, the enslaved people on surrounding plantations fled to these areas, kindofforcing the military generals to start setting up asociety,a democracy. So,really,the freed people whofled there kind of forced this situation of starting early.”

‘LostFriends’notices

It’s at this point in the show where the exhibit becomes more thanahistorical overview.Real people were affected by the war andits aftermath as shown in adisplaytitled“Lost Friends” notices, featuring messages posted by formerly enslaved people.

Visitors can thumb through thesepostingsoriginallypublished by theSouthwestern Christian Advocate newspaper in NewOrleans, most of themseeking the whereabouts of loved ones separated by slavery In one ad,aman named Edgar Spencer,ofIndian Bayou,Mississippi, desperatelyseeks wordof his sister,Eliza Cotton, who, he’s heard, may be living in NewOrleans.

“Letthis letter be read fromthe pulpits,” he writes.

In another,AlexDawson,of Shreveport, asks for information abouthis missing brother, Len Davis, who was ownedbyRobert Davis, of Shelbyville, Texas.

“There were ‘Lost Friends’ ads in other papers, but these were specifically published in NewOrleans,” Mahoney said.

And in the midst of this chaos, Lincoln was inaugurated forasecond presidential term “Wehavea photo of the inauguration in the exhibit, and he towers over everybody,” Mahoney said. “In the last speech that Lincoln gave from the White House, he talked aboutLouisiana andtaking the statebackinto theUnion, because the state passed aconstitution that would give the right of public education to Black and White children and allow Black mentovote.”

Mahoney,through research, discovered that Lincoln’sassassin, John Wilkes Booth,was in the audience that day

“And three days later,Lincoln was dead,” she said. “There was alot of violence that followed, because Andrew Johnson, who became president, wasnot completely on board with how Lincoln wanted Reconstruction to roll out.”

Violence ensued

So, violence ensued. This included the New Orleans Massacre of 1866, where Freed Black men conducting ameeting were killed by White rioters.

“Thatwas one of two major events —the other happened in Memphis —that prompted the congressionalReconstruction acts that basically saidstates had to create new constitutions to protect free people,” Mahoney said. “If they didn’t, they wouldn’tbe readmitted to the Union.”

Meanwhile, Black people began practicing activism through their churches and social clubs, and in New Orleans, Straight University was established. The school eventually would be renamed Dillard University

But contentionoverBlack voting power brewed among White supremacist groups, whose rampant violencetorethrough the South. Highest in profile wasthe Ku Klux Klan, whose uniforms were the samewhite robes andpointyhats as that displayed in this show

The Klan’sperpetual terrorization heavily contributed to Congress’ act to end Reconstruction in 1877. And though the country reunited, the nation’sracial problemspersisted, prompting many BlackSoutherners to migrate northward in post-Reconstruction. And the exhibit’sugly side is a reminder of that.

Email RobinMilleratromiller@ theadvocate.com.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Embrace change. Check out your options, and make choices that allow you to grow and excel. Know when to walk away from restrictive situations and toward the happiness you deserve.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Spend your money wisely. Be creative in your thought process when making home improvements or dealing with institutions or agencies. Set high standards and fulfill your promises.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Reconfigure your plans to suit demands. Being receptive to whatever comes your way and able to step up and lead quickly will pay off. Personal and financial gain are within reach.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Put your energy into something that offers high returns Refuse to let anyone compromise your emotional or physical health and wellbeing. Know when to say no and walk away.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Check out what's available for you professionally. Consider how to market yourself for a position that interests you. Follow the path that leads to your happiness.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) You'll feel good if you give back. Donate, volunteer or help people who appear to be struggling. A kind word or gesture is all it takes to make the world a better place.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Don't let your emotions stop you from doing what's right. Set high standards and pursue the path that is most meaningful to

you. It's time to expand your interests, friendships and prospects.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Set a budget and stick to it. You'll have more willpower than usual, so set your sights high, and don't stop until the results satisfy you. Think big, but live and operate within your means.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Hunker down and tidy up loose ends before heading out into a social setting. Let your charm, knowledge and experience open doors to new friendships, possibilities and prospects.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23-Dec 21) Use your imagination and rearrange your space to make it more convenient. Bringing in additional income by doing something you enjoy or by selling items you no longer need or use will be liberating.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) It's up to you to discover opportunities and to make things happen. Take responsibility for your happiness and financial wellbeing, and you'll find it easier to move forward.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Rethink how or where you want to live. A change at home can create a new income source. Follow your heart, your dreams and your passion. Explore the possibilities.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2026 by NEA, Inc., dist.

By Andrews McMeel Syndication

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. Theobject is to place the numbers 1to9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of theSudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

nea CroSSwordS La TimeS CroSSword

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

Bridge

BY PHILLIP ALDER

Supposedly, confession is good for the soul. But Peter De Vries, anovelist and an editor who died in 1993, said, “Confession is good for the soul only in the sense that atweed coat is good for dandruff.”

Regardless,Iwillconfesstoanerrorin today’s deal. Look at the South hand. You open one spade and partner raises to two spades. What would you do now?

Iwas in Phoenixfor the Fall North American Championships, playing for afew hours with friends. North was Eddie Kantar, atwo-time world championandanexcellentteacherandauthor We were playing against Eddie’s wife, Yvonne,andVinitaGupta,whowasfresh from winning the Baze Senior Knockout Teams, her first national title. When Kantar raised to twospades, I thought Iwould keep my heart suit hidden, so jumped to four spades. Error! Gupta led the diamond six. Iput in dummy’s 10 and ruffedEast’s queen. Then Iled my low club, but West, who couldseethreemajor-suitwinners,went inwithheraceandshiftedtoalowspade.

Ihad to lose two spades, one heart and one club.

If Ihad sensibly rebid three hearts, North would have raised to four hearts. Then, it is true, Imight have bid again, becauseNorthcouldhaveheld,forexample,king-thirdofspadesandking-fifthof hearts, when six hearts would have been excellent. But we would have stopped in five hearts. Then, after Idrove out the club ace, cashed the heart ace, and discarded two spades on the king-queen of clubs, aspade-diamond crossruff would have produced 11 tricks. ©2026 by NEA, Inc.,dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

Each Wuzzle is aword riddle which creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON

Previous answers:

word game

InstRuctIons: 1. Wordsmustbeoffour or more letters.2.Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” suchas“bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a“d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicitwords are not allowed.

toDAY’sWoRD WAtcHFuL: WACH-ful: Carefully observant or attentive.

Average mark 15 words

Time limit 25 minutes

Can you find 22 or more wordsinWATCHFUL?

YEstERDAY’sWoRD —VItIAtEs

vase vast vest visa vise visit vista vita vitiate ivies taste teat test east sate save seat site stat state stave stet

today’s thought

“Give us help from trouble: for vainisthe help of man. Psalms 108:12