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THE
ACADIANA
ADVOCATE
T H E A C A D I A N A A D V O C AT E.C O M
ST. MARTIN
Parish may seek to leave juvenile justice district
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M o n d ay, M a r c h 2, 2026
$2.00X
New assaults launched; Iran vows revenge 3 U.S. military members killed in attacks, 5 injured
Exit could have major consequences for upcoming tax election
BY JOEL THOMPSON Staff writer
St. Martin Parish may seek to exit the Acadiana Regional Juvenile Justice District, sources on the district’s board revealed. During a Thursday meeting of the board, former Jefferson Davis Parish Sheriff Ricky Edwards said he had received word from St. Martin officials who are weighing whether the parish will remain in the district. The information comes days after Vermilion Parish voted to request its removal, becoming the second parish to do so following Evangeline. The exit of St. Martin could have major consequences for an upcoming tax election, however, and would likely lead to its postponement. Evangeline and Vermilion’s request to exit came in response to issues both parishes had with a proposed 1-cent sales tax district that residents could vote on in the June 27 election. The sales tax would be in effect for one year, after which it would be reduced to a quarter-cent levy. The tax is essential to funding a proposed juvenile detention center; the project prompted the creation of the Acadiana Regional Juvenile Justice District in 2023. Property being considered for the facility, however, is located in St. Martin, meaning the district leadership would need to find another location before holding an election for a funding mechanism. Members of the district board made a motion in Thursday’s meeting to require all remaining parishes, including St. Martin, to send a written statement committing to remain in the district,
ä See DISTRICT, page 5A
Brown pelicans land on the Terrebonne Houma Navigation Canal Bird Island near Cocodrie on Tuesday. The revitalization of the remote island restores a key nesting area for scores of waterbirds, including Louisiana’s state bird, the brown pelican. STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE
WEATHER HIGH 79 LOW 59 PAGE 10C
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By VAHID SALEMI
Smoke rises after a strike in Tehran, Iran, on Sunday. The U.S. and Israel are pounding targets across Iran, dropping massive bombs on the country’s ballistic missile facilities and wiping out warships as part of an intensifying military campaign that accompanied the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. BY JON GAMBRELL, MELANIE LIDMAN, JOSH BOAK and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The U.S. and Israel pounded targets across Iran on Sunday, dropping massive bombs on the country’s ballistic missile sites and wiping out warships as part of an intensifying military campaign following the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Blasts rattled windows across the country and sent plumes of smoke high into the sky above Tehran. More than 200 people have been killed since the start
of the strikes that killed Khamenei and other senior leaders, Iranian leaders have said. Iran vowed revenge, firing missiles at Israel and Gulf Arab states in a counteroffensive that the U.S. military said resulted in the deaths of three service members — the first known American casualties from the conflict. Five others were seriously wounded. Israeli rescue services said strikes had hit several locations, including Jerusalem and a synagogue in the central town of Beit Shemesh, where nine people were killed and 28 wounded, bringing the overall death toll in the country to 11.
Eleven people were still missing after the strike, police said. But the attacks on Iran showed no signs of relenting as the U.S. and Israel took aim at key military, political and intelligence targets in what appeared to be a widening war that carried the potential for a prolonged conflict that could envelop the Middle East and destabilize it. The strikes represented a startling show of military might for an American president who swept into office on an “America First” platform and pledged to keep out of “forever wars.”
ä FBI probes possible link of deadly Austin shooting to Iran operation. PAGE 2A ä At least 22 people killed in Pakistan protests. PAGE 2A ä Iran strikes spark calls for peace, flashes of anger.
PAGE 3A
ä Oil prices rise sharply in market trading after strikes. PAGE 3A
ä Some fear war will slow momentum of Gaza ä See IRAN, page 4A ceasefire. PAGE 3A
‘Every little bit helps’
Instead, it has been revived after Remote island’s years of work, and the state bird will be among the primary benefirevitalization restores ciaries. After a 20-minute boat ride from key nesting area a Cocodrie marina in Terrebonne Parish on a cool morning last week, for waterbirds a group of scientists and engineers
BY JOSIE ABUGOV
surveyed the now-completed restoration project and explained its dual importance. The island may be unassuming It would not have been long before the small island off Loui- — mostly hay bales, rock dikes and siana’s coast washed away com- sparse vegetation — but its revitalpletely, joining a list of other loca- ization restores a key nesting area tions that have disappeared under ä See ISLAND, page 5A the tides. Staff writer
Classified .....................4A Living............................5C Nation-World................2A Comics-Puzzles .....7C-9C Lottery..........................4B Opinion ........................2B Commentary ................3B Metro ...........................1B Sports ..........................1C
101ST yEAR, NO. 245