The Advocate 03-02-2026

Judge’s role in tax law raises ethics questions

La. high court justice voted on challenge to measure he helped write

BY JOHN SIMERMAN staff writer

Louisiana Supreme Court Justice

Cade Cole was barely a week into the job last March when he weighed in on a subject he knows well: taxes.

The high court was reviewing a challenge to a ballot measure that Gov. Jeff Landry pushed to revamp the state tax code. Early voting was underway Cole, a former state tax judge, helped kill the challenge in a 4-3 ruling.

“If the ballot language were inaccurate this Court would act to protect the voters,” he wrote in a concurring opinion. “That is not the case here.” Cole was hardly fresh to the topic. Emails show he helped draft the law behind the contested ballot measure, called Amendment 2, which tanked at the polls. Months before his swearing-in, Cole sent detailed revisions of Amendment 2 to top officials at the Department of Revenue, in a pair of November 2024 messages. The Times-Picayune | The Advocate received them through a public records request.

Some of the proposed changes made it into the complicated ballot initiative, which Louisiana voters rejected less than two weeks later by a nearly 2-1 margin. It was one of four constitutional amendments that failed last March Veterans on judicial ethics say Cole should have recused himself from the case, or at least should have alerted the parties.

There is no evidence in the court record that Cole did so, or that he was subject to any attempt to have him step off the case. The justices meet in private when they decide on whether to take up a case and when they rule. Cole declined an interview request through the court and declined to respond to written questions about his vote or his role in shaping Amendment 2. “The Supreme Court’s opinions speak for themselves and justices or staff cannot comment on court rulings,” said Supreme Court spokesperson Trina Vincent in a statement. Under state law, a judge must recuse

ä see QUESTIONS, page 6A

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

New assaults launched; Iran vows revenge

3 U.s. military members killed in attacks, 5 injured

campaign that accompanied

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 syna-

Iran’s

gogue 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.

ä see IRAN, page 4A

‘Every little bit helps’

Remote island’s revitalization restores key nesting area for waterbirds

BY JOSIE ABUGOV staff writer

It would not have been long before the small island off Louisiana’s coast washed away completely, joining a list of other locations that have disappeared under the tides. Instead, it has been revived after years of work, and the state bird will be among the primary beneficiaries. After a 20-minute boat ride from

a Cocodrie marina in Terrebonne Parish on a cool morning last week, a group of scientists and engineers surveyed the now-completed restoration project and explained its dual importance.

The island may be unassuming — mostly hay bales, rock dikes and sparse vegetation but its revitalization restores a key nesting area for scores of waterbirds, including the brown pelican, Louisiana’s state bird. Part of the Terrebonne Barrier Islands, it also plays a modest role in safeguarding south Louisiana communities from storm surge.

“Every little bit helps,” said Renee Bennett, who is overseeing the

ä see ISLAND, page 6A

Bolsonaro supporters rally across Brazil

RIO DE JANEIRO Thousands of supporters of Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro demonstrated in cities across the South American nation on Sunday, as organizers hoped to build momentum for a right-wing victory in the upcoming presidential elections.

Protesters draped in yellow and green — the colors of the national flag — took to the streets in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and the capital Brasilia to voice their opposition to current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who faces a tough reelection bid in October

“This year will be decisive for all Brazilians,” Flávio Bolsonaro, the ex-president’s son who was chosen by his father to stand against Lula, said on Instagram ahead of the demonstration “We’re one step away from succeeding at rescuing our Brazil.”

Flávio has sought to rally the right around his candidacy against Lula, who has said he will run for a fourth, nonconsecutive term.

Bolsonaro is in prison, where he is serving a 27-year sentence for attempting a coup despite his 2022 electoral defeat to Lula Many of Bolsonaro’s supporters believe the embattled far-right leader is the victim of political persecution.

“We believe that 2026 will be the year of the turning point. We have a project led by President Bolsonaro, which was entrusted to Flávio Bolsonaro,” said Douglas Ruas dos Santos, a state lawmaker at the protest in Rio.

Recent polls show Flávio Bolsonaro and Lula as almost tied in a hypothetical runoff vote.

Group: Gunmen kill at least 15 in Nigeria

ABUJA,Nigeria At least 15 people have been killed after gunmen attacked three communities in north-central Nigeria, Amnesty International said Sunday

The simultaneous attacks occurred on Saturday in Tashan Maje, Saduro, and Runtuwa villages located in the Borgu area of Niger state, the rights group said in a statement posted on X “The gunmen invaded the villages on dozens of motorcycles shooting in all directions. They also ransacked shops,” Amnesty said.

The “horrific attack” is yet another indication that “people are constantly living on the edge and feeling helpless,” the statement said. It didn’t provide further details about the attackers.

Northern Nigeria is in the grip of a complex security crisis featuring both Islamic militants operating in the northeast and armed criminal gangs kidnapping people for ransom who have wrecked havoc in the northwest and north-central regions

Africa’s most populous country has been a focus of Washington after President Donald Trump said that the country wasn’t protecting Christians from an alleged genocide. The Nigerian government rejected the accusation, and analysts say that it simplifies a very complicated situation in which people are often targeted regardless of their faith.

In December, U.S. forces launched airstrikes on Islamic State group-affiliated militants in northwestern Nigeria 9 wounded in Cincinnati nightclub shooting

CINCINNATI A shooting early Sunday at a crowded Cincinnati nightclub and concert venue wounded nine people, police said. There were no immediate arrests. The shooting victims were taken to hospitals with second graph of bottom item: The shooting victims were taken to hospitals with injuries that were not life-threatening, Adam Hennie, the city’s interim police chief, said at a news conference. About 500 to 600 people were in the Riverfront Live nightclub when shots rang out at 1 a.m., Hennie said. He declined to provide additional details, citing the integrity of the investigation. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said it was helping in the investigation.

Two killed in Austin bar shooting

FBI probes possible link to Iran operation

BY JACK MYER, ALANNA DURKIN RICHER, ERIC TUCKER and JOHN SEEWER Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas A gunman wearing clothes with an Iranian flag design and the words “Property of Allah” killed two people and wounded 14 early Sunday at a Texas bar a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. The FBI is investigating the shooting, which erupted a day after the U.S. and Israel launched an attack on Iran, as a potential act of terrorism.

Police in Austin shot and killed the gunman, who used both a pistol and a rifle to carry out the attack, police said.

The shooting happened outside Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden just before 2 a.m. along Sixth Street, a nightlife destination filled with bars and music clubs and only a few miles from the University of Texas at Austin. Nathan Comeaux, a

At least

Demonstrators try to storm U.s. Consulate

BY ADIL JAWAD and MUNIR AHMED Associated Press

KARACHI, Pakistan Violent clashes between protesters and security forces in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi and in the country’s north left at least 22 people dead and more than 120 others injured as demonstrators supportive of the Iranian government attempted to storm a U.S Consulate on Sunday, authorities said. In the north of the country demonstrators attacked U.N. and government offices.

The violence came after the United States and Israel attacked Iran, killing its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Police and officials at a hospital in Karachi said that at least 50

22-year-old senior, had spent the evening there with friends and said the bar was “full of college students, probably mostly UT kids, shoulder to shoulder, hundreds just enjoying their nights.”

The assailant drove past the bar several times before stopping and shooting from the window of his SUV at people on a patio and in front of the bar, according to Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis. He then parked, got out with a rifle and began shoot-

ing at people walking along the street before officers rushed to the intersection and shot him, Davis said. Three of the injured were in critical condition Sunday morning, she said.

The gunman was identified as 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement Comeaux had left the bar to grab pizza at a food truck across the street about 10 minutes before the first gunshots were fired. No

one around the pizza truck understood what was happening, he said, with some thinking the noise was fireworks or a loud motorcycle.

Comeaux said he hid behind a bench for about a minute before getting out, and he saw police officers running toward the scene. He pulled out his phone to begin recording. That’s when more shots rang out.

Comeaux said he saw the suspect turn his gun on police before officers shot him.

He said he knows someone who was shot and guessed that many other UT students do as well.

“The UT community has definitely been majorly affected by this,” he said.

Authorities haven’t provided a clear motive for the attacks but found “indicators” on the gunman and in his vehicle leading them to look into the possibility of terrorism, said Alex Doran, the acting agent in charge of the FBI’s San Antonio office. “It’s still too early to make a determination on that,” Doran said Sunday morning.

Diagne first entered the U.S. in 2000 on a B-2 tourist visa and became a lawful permanent resident six years later after marrying a U.S. citizen, according to DHS. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2013, the department said. Diagne was originally from Senegal, according to multiple people briefed on the investigation who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the investigation. The White House said President Donald Trump had been briefed on the shooting.

22 people killed in Pakistan protests

police in the northern GilgitBaltistan region when thousands of protesters angered by U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran attacked the offices of the U.N. Military Observer Group and the U.N. Development Programme (UNDP), local police official Asghar Ali said.

people were also wounded in the clashes and some of them were in critical condition.

President Asif Ali Zardari expressed his “profound sorrow over the martyrdom” of Khamenei and conveyed his condolences to Iran, according to his office. He said: “Pakistan stands with the Iranian nation in this moment of grief and shares in

their loss.”

Summaiya Syed Tariq, a police surgeon at the city’s main government hospital, confirmed six bodies and multiple injured people were brought to the facility However, she said the death toll rose to 10 after four critically wounded people died.

In addition, 12 people were killed and over 80 wounded in clashes with

Afghanistan says it thwarted Pakistani strike on air base

Fighting enters fourth day

BY ABDUL QAHAR AFGHAN and ELENA BECATOROS Associated Press

KABUL, Afghanistan Afghanistan thwarted attempted airstrikes on Bagram Air Base, the former U.S. military base north of Kabul, authorities said Sunday while cross-border fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan stretched into a fourth day

The fighting has been the most severe between the neighbors for years, with Pakistan declaring that it’s in “open war” with Afghanistan. The conflict has alarmed the international community, particularly as the area is one where other militant organizations, including al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, still have a presence and have been trying to resurface.

Pakistan accuses Afghanistan’s Taliban government of harboring militant groups that stage attacks against it and also of allying with its archrival India.

Border clashes in October killed dozens of soldiers, civilians and suspected militants until a Qatari-mediated ceasefire ended the intense fighting. But several rounds of peace talks in Turkey in November failed to produce a lasting agreement, and the two sides have occasionally traded fire since then.

On Sunday, the police headquarters of Parwan province, where Bagram is located, said in a statement that several Pakistani military jets had entered Afghan airspace “and attempted to bomb Bagram Air Base” at around 5 a.m.

The statement said Afghan forces responded with “anti-aircraft and missile defense systems” and had managed to thwart the attack.

There was no immediate response from Pakistan’s military or government regarding Kabul’s claim of attempted airstrikes on Bagram or the ongoing fighting.

Bagram was the United States’ largest military base in Afghanistan. It was taken over by the Taliban

as they swept across the country and took control in the wake of the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from the country in 2021. Last year, President Donald Trump suggested he wanted to reestablish a U.S. presence at the base.

The current fighting began when Afghanistan launched a broad crossborder attack on Thursday night, saying it was in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes the previous Sunday Pakistan had said its airstrike had targeted the outlawed Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehreek-eTaliban Pakistan, or TTP Afghanistan had said only civilians were killed.

The TTP militant group which is separate but closely allied with Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban, operates inside Pakistan, where it has been blamed for hundreds of deaths in bombings and other attacks over the years. Pakistan accuses Afghanistan’s Taliban government of providing a safe haven within Afghanistan for the TTP, an accusation that Afghanistan denies.

A government spokesman, Shabir Mir, said all staff working for those organizations was safe. He said protesters repeatedly clashed with police at various places in the region, damaged the offices of a local charity, and set fire to police offices. However he said authorities had deployed troops and brought the situation under control.

The U.S. Embassy in Pakistan said in a post on X that it was monitoring reports of ongoing demonstrations at the U.S. Consulates General in Karachi and Lahore, as

well as calls for additional protests at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad and the consulate general in Peshawar It advised U.S. citizens in Pakistan to monitor local news, stay aware of their surroundings, avoid large crowds and keep their travel registration with the U.S. government up to date. In Karachi, which is the capital of southern Sindh province and Pakistan’s largest city senior police official Irfan Baloch said that protesters briefly attacked the perimeter of the U.S. Consulate, but were later dispersed. He dismissed reports that any part of the consulate building was set on fire. However, he said that protesters torched a nearby police post and smashed windows of the consulate before security forces arrived and regained control.

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Iran strikes spark calls for peace, flashes of anger

BY CLAUDIA CIOBANU and ANGELA CHARLTON Associated Press

PARIS Three close allies

of the United States said Sunday they are ready to join forces to defend their interests in the Middle East and stop Iran’s retaliatory missile and drone strikes following the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as others around the world raised concerns that the conflict sparked by coordinated U.S.-Israel attacks could spread into a wider war

Britain, France and Germany said they were prepared to work with the United States.

“We will take steps to defend our interests and those of our allies in the region, potentially through enabling necessary and proportionate defensive action to destroy Iran’s capability to fire missiles and drones at their source,” their statement said. “We have agreed to work together with the US and allies in the region on this matter.”

Massive explosions rocked the Iranian capital for a second day as Israel’s military said it was targeting the “heart” of Tehran. Iran pressed on, targeting Israel and U.S. military bases in Gulf states. Iranian officials hurried to plan a future after the death of Khamenei, who had no designated successor, as

some Iranians who had long suffered from political repression celebrated. On streets around the world, there were protests in outrage or bursts of celebration.

Pope Leo XIV, the first pope from the United States in the history of the Catholic Church, said he was “profoundly concerned” about the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran and urged both sides to “stop the spiral of violence before it becomes an irreparable abyss.”

The statement by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Em-

Stranded travelers scramble to make new connections

BY MARC LEVY Associated Press

Hundreds of thousands of stranded travelers scrambled to make new connections and get through to airlines on jammed phone lines Sunday after the attack on Iran by the United States and Israel shut down much of the Middle East to air travel

Tourists and business travelers crowded hotels and airports, with no word on when many airports would reopen or when flights to and through the Middle East would resume. Some governments advised their stranded citizens to shelter in place.

Shutdown airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha — including Dubai International Airport, one of the busiest in the world — are important hubs for travel between Europe, Africa and the West to Asia. All three were directly hit by strikes.

Mohammad Abdul Mannan, in the crowd at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, Bangladesh, said he wasn’t concerned about the war, but that he needs to get his flight to the Middle East to make a living. “We have set out to go for work, and we must go,” he said. “My only concern is how to go abroad and how to earn an income.”

Confusion reigned for many travelers as they tried to get answers on online portals or through busy phone lines. In Dubai, stranded travelers could hear fighter jets overhead and an explosion when the Fairmont Palm Hotel was hit by a missile strike. Many were unable to get updated flight information from tour operators or Dubai-based Emirates, which suspended all flights to and from Dubai until at least Monday afternoon.

Louise Herrle and her husband had their flight to Washington canceled on their way back to their Pittsburgh home after a tour of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, with no word when they could reschedule.

“We’re in the hotel room, we are not leaving it so you’re not going to give it up until we know we have a flight out of here,” Herrle said. “I’m sure everyone else is in the same situation.”

Cirium, an aviation analyt-

ics firm, said it is hard to calculate the number of travelers stranded worldwide.

However, it estimated that at least 90,000 people alone change flights daily in the airports in Dubai, Doha or Abu Dhabi on just three airlines, Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways.

Airspace or airports in Israel, Qatar, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and the United Arab Emirates were closed, according to flight tracking sites and government agencies there

More than 2,800 flights were canceled Sunday to and from airports across the Middle East, including those that remained open in Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt, according figures on flight tracking site FlightAware. International airports in London, Mumbai, Delhi, Bangkok, Istanbul, Sri Lanka and Paris each reported dozens of flights canceled, as well.

Cancellations will extend beyond Sunday at least Emirates suspended all flights to and from Dubai until at least Monday afternoon. Air India suspended all flights to and from the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Israel and Qatar until Tuesday Israeli airline

EL AL said it was preparing to fly home Israelis stranded abroad once the airspace reopened and closed ticket sales for flights through March 21 to ensure stranded customers get priority.

manuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said they are “appalled” by Iran’s “reckless” strikes on their allies, which threaten their service members and citizens in the region.

A drone strike damaged a hangar at a French naval base at the port of Abu Dhabi, France’s defense minister said. British Defense Minister John Healey said Iranian missile and drone strikes came within a few hundred yards of a group of 300 British military personnel in Bahrain.

Healey also said two missiles were fired in the direc-

tion of Cyprus, where the U.K. has bases, though a Cyprus government spokesman said on social media those reports were not valid.

Starmer said the U.K. will not join in strikes on Iran but has newly agreed to let Washington use British bases for attacks on Iran’s missiles and their launch sites.

Top diplomats from the 27 European Union nations held an emergency meeting Sunday to discuss the situation and next steps for the bloc.

“The death of Ali Khamenei is a defining moment in Iran’s history What comes next is uncertain,” EU for-

eign policy chief Kaja Kallas said. “But there is now an open path to a different Iran, one that its people may have greater freedom to shape.”

Perhaps cautious about upsetting already strained relations with U.S. President Donald Trump, many nations, including several in the Middle East, refrained from commenting directly or pointedly on the joint strikes but condemned Tehran’s retaliation.

The 22-nation Arab League called the Iranian attacks “a blatant violation of the sovereignty of countries that advocate for peace and strive for stability.” That coalition of nations has historically condemned both Israel and Iran for actions it says risk destabilizing the region.

“Return to your senses and deal with your neighbors with reason and responsibility before the circle of isolation and escalation widens,”

Anwar Gargash, an adviser to the United Arab Emirates’ president, told the Iranian theocracy The UAE closed its embassy in Iran and announced the withdrawal of its diplomatic mission after Iranian strikes hit the country

The UAE foreign minister met with counterparts from five other Gulf states Sunday for an emergency virtual meeting. The top diplomats said their countries retain “the legal right to respond and the right to self-defense” under international law

Russian leader Vladimir

Putin blasted Khamenei’s killing, which he called “a cynical violation of all norms of human morality and international law.”

“The blatant killing of the leader of a sovereign state and the incitement of regime change are unacceptable,” China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a phone call with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, according to China’s official Xinhua News Agency “These actions violate international law and the basic norms governing international relations.”

Wang said attacking a sovereign state without U.N. Security Council authorization undermines the foundation for peace established after World War II.

In Iraq, hundreds wore black and waved flags belonging to Iran-backed Iraqi militias and red flags that symbolize vengeance in the Shiite Muslim faith as they marched across Sadr City to decry the killing of Khamenei.

Anger flashed at protests in Istanbul and among Shiite Muslims in India.

Demonstrations were also held in cities including New York, Berlin, Paris and Vienna by members of the Iranian diaspora and their supporters, celebrating the end of Khamenei’s rule. Some demonstrators waved flags of the Iranian monarchy with Israeli and U.S. flags also on display

Oil prices rise sharply in trading after strikes

BY CATHY BUSSEWITZ AP business writer

NEW YORK Oil prices rose sharply when market trading began Sunday, as U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran and retaliatory strikes against Israel and U.S. military installations around the Gulf sent disruptions through the global energy supply chain.

Traders were betting the supply of oil from Iran and elsewhere in the Middle East would slow or grind to a halt.

Attacks throughout the region, including on two vessels traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, have restricted countries’ ability to export oil to the rest of the world. Prolonged attacks would likely result in higher prices for crude oil and gasoline, according to energy experts.

West Texas Intermediate, the light, sweet crude oil produced in the United States, was selling for about $72 a barrel Sunday night, according to data from CME group, up around 8% from its trading price of about $67 on Friday

A barrel of Brent crude, the international standard, was trading at around $79 per barrel Sunday night, up about 8% from its trading price of $72.87 on Friday, according to FactSet. Roughly 15 million barrels of crude oil per day — about 20% of the world’s oil — are shipped through the Strait of Hormuz, making it the world’s most critical oil chokepoint, according to Rystad Energy

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Tankers traveling through the strait, which is bordered in the north by Iran, carry oil and gas from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq Qatar Bahrain, the UAE and Iran. Iran had temporarily shut down parts of the strait in mid-February for what it said was a military drill. Further disruptions to that shipping channel could lead to lower supply and higher

prices for oil. Attacks throughout the region, including on two vessels traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, could restrict countries’ ability to export oil to the rest of the world. That would likely result in higher prices for crude oil and gasoline, according to energy experts.

Against that backdrop, eight countries that are part of the OPEC+ oil cartel announced they would boost production of crude Sunday The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, in a meeting planned before the war began, said it would increase production by 206,000 barrels per day in April, which was more than analysts had been expecting.

Some fear war will slow momentum of Gaza ceasefire

BY WAFAA SHURAFA, TOQA EZZIDIN and CARA ANNA Associated Press

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip Some Palestinians say they fear the widening war sparked by U.S. and Israeli attacks against Iran could overshadow the fragile situation in Gaza, just over a week after President Donald Trump rallied billions of dollars in pledges for the territory’s reconstruction and tried to nudge a ceasefire forward.

Residents say they are scared of neglect and deprivation, with Israel in the wake of the weekend strikes closing all crossings into their shattered territory of over 2 million people.

Palestinians told The Associated Press they were rushing to markets, haunted by memories of painful food scarcity last year under months of Israel’s blockade. Part of Gaza, around Gaza City was found to be in famine.

“When the crossings shut down, everything was suspended from the

IRAN

Continued from page 1A

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.”

Trump vows vengeance

U.S. President Donald Trump said in a video posted to social media that the U.S. would “avenge” the deaths of the service members and that “there will likely be more” killed before the conflict ends. Israel, which had pledged “nonstop” strikes, said it was increasing its attacks, with 100 fighter jets simultaneously striking targets in Tehran, Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin told reporters at a briefing. The targets included buildings belonging to Iran’s air force, its missile command and its internal security force, which violently quashed anti-government protests in January

The U.S. military, meanwhile, said B-2 stealth bombers struck Iran’s ballistic missile facilities with 2,000-pound bombs. Trump said on social media that nine Iranian warships had been sunk and that the Iranian navy’s headquarters had been “largely destroyed.” Europe has mostly stayed out of the war and pressed for diplomacy, but in an indication that the conflict could draw in other nations, Britain, France and Germany said Sunday they were ready to work with the U.S. to help stop Iran’s attacks.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Britain would allow the United States to use its bases to strike Iranian missile sites. The U.K. maintains nearby bases on Cyprus and the Chagos Islands, a British archipelago in the Indian Ocean The weekend attacks were the second time in eight months that the U.S. and Israel had combined against Iran. In the 12-day war last June, Israeli and American strikes greatly weakened Iran’s air defenses, military leadership and nuclear program. But the killing of Khamenei, who ruled Iran for more than three decades, creates a leadership vacuum, increasing the risk of regional instability. Trump, who a day earlier had encouraged Iranians to “take over”

market,” said Osamda Hanoda from Khan Younis. “The prices go up, and people live in misery.”

The shaky Israel-Hamas ceasefire had led to more humanitarian aid and other supplies entering Gaza, even as the United Nations and aid partners say more of everything from basic medical supplies to fuel is needed.

Now, Palestinians are hoarding again, with reports of prices rising sharply for basic goods such as bags of flour

“We are afraid of not finding milk” and diapers for the kids, or food and water, said Hassan Zanoun, who was displaced from Rafah.

COGAT, the Israeli military body overseeing civilian affairs in Gaza, did not respond to a request for comment Sunday In its announcement of the closings, it asserted that the food supply inside the territory “is expected to suffice for an extended period.” It added that the rotation of humanitarian workers in and out of Gaza is postponed.

It was not clear when any crossing might reopen Israeli authori-

their government, signaled Sunday that he was open to dialogue with Iran’s new leadership.

“They want to talk, and I have agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them,” he told The Atlantic.

Beyond U.S., Israel

In the Gulf, Iran’s retaliatory strikes went beyond U.S. and Israeli targets, pushing the conflict into cities that have long marketed themselves as regional safe havens.

The foreign ministers of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain said Sunday that their countries retain “the legal right to respond and the right to selfdefense” after Iranian strikes hit hotels, airports and other sites in multiple cities throughout the Gulf.

In the United Arab Emirates, authorities said most Iranian missiles and drones were intercepted. But some either got through or fell as debris killing three people, injuring others and causing significant damage.

Bahrain and Kuwait said Iranian strikes in both countries hit civilian targets.

Israel fires on Beirut

In other developments, Israel launched strikes on Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, after the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah fired missiles across the border early Monday

It was the first time in more than a year that Hezbollah has claimed a strike against Israel. The Israeli military said it intercepted a projectile that crossed the border and that several others fell in open areas. No injuries or damage were reported.

Hezbollah said in a statement that the strikes were carried out in retaliation for the killing of Khamenei and for “repeated Israeli aggressions.”

Associated Press journalists in Beirut were jolted awake by a series of loud explosions that shook buildings and caused windows to shatter Warplanes could be heard flying low overhead.

Lebanese government officials had urged Hezbollah not to enter the fray in support of Iran, fearing another war The country has not recovered from the last IsraelHezbollah war, which nominally ended with a U.S.-brokered cease-

ties focused on Iran, and citizens dashed repeatedly for shelter as sirens wailed. The war in Gaza began with the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct 7, 2023, and it’s been marked from the start by restrictions on people and supplies being allowed into the territory — and terrified people, including medical evacuees in need of treatment, getting out.

A month ago, Gaza’s main Rafah border crossing with the outside world its only crossing not with Israel — reopened, allowing a small and tightly controlled flow of Palestinian traffic in both directions. No cargo was allowed through.

Now all crossings are closed again in the middle of the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, a time of chosen deprivation, evening feasts and prayer Images have shown Palestinians lined up at long tables in the middle of bombed-out debris

The strikes on Iran shook that routine.

“All the people rushed to markets, and they all wanted to shop and

hide,” said Abeer Awwad, who was displaced from Gaza City, as word of the explosions in Tehran began to spread.

Under the Oct. 10 U.S.-brokered ceasefire, the heaviest fighting has subsided, though regular Israeli fire continues in Gaza. The U.N. World Food Program has noted progress in the enclave but said in its latest food security analysis last week that hunger remains.

“Households reported an average of two meals per day in February 2026, compared to one meal in July,” it said. “Still, one in five households consumed only one meal daily.”

Refocusing the world’s attention on Gaza is a challenge for aid groups and others as Iran scrambles for new leadership and explosions continue in Tehran, Israel and around the Middle East.

Trump has said bombing in Iran could continue through the week or longer, and warned Tehran of “A FORCE THAT HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE!” if it escalates attacks It’s a dramatic turn from Trump’s

fire in November 2024. Since then, Israel has continued to launch near-daily strikes in Lebanon aimed at stopping Hezbollah from regrouping.

People sheltering in Tehran

In Tehran, there was little sign that Iranians had heeded Trump’s call for an uprising against the government.

The streets were largely deserted as people sheltered during airstrikes, witnesses told The Associated Press, speaking anonymously for fear of retribution. The paramilitary Basij, which has played a central role in crushing protests, set up checkpoints across the city, they said.

Two powerful explosions were heard in Tehran’s Niavaran neighborhood late Sunday

An eyewitness in the city told AP that the windows of their apartment shook violently, and residents came out onto the streets fearing it was too dangerous to stay inside The witness spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. Video footage from Tehran showed plumes of smoke filling the skyline, and the official IRNA news agency reported that parts of the building of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) were struck Sunday In southern Iran, at least 165

people were killed Saturday when a girls’ school was struck, and dozens more were wounded, IRNA reported. The Israeli military said it was not aware of strikes in the area. The U.S. military said it was looking into the reports.

New Iranian leadership

As supreme leader, Khamenei had final say on all major policies since 1989. He led Iran’s clerical establishment and the Revolutionary Guard, the two main centers of power in the governing theocracy Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a prerecorded message that a new leadership council had begun its work. The country’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said a new supreme leader would be chosen in “one or two days.”

Araghchi wrote Sunday in a letter to the United Nations that the attacks on Iran by the U.S. and Israel — including the strike on Khamenei — “recklessly open a dangerous Pandora’s box, eroding the bedrock of sovereign equality and the stability of the international system.”

Iran promises revenge

As word spread of Khamenei’s death, some in Tehran could be seen cheering from rooftops, witnesses said. Others mourned as

launch less than two weeks ago of his new Board of Peace, a gathering of world leaders that is aimed at ending the war in Gaza but has ambitions of resolving conflicts elsewhere.

Even with that bump in momentum on Gaza, major challenges remain for the ceasefire. They include disarming Hamas, assembling and deploying an international stabilization force, and getting a newly appointed Palestinian committee meant to govern Gaza into the territory

As the Middle East turns to another war, some Palestinians see a benefit: Israel’s military is distracted.

“The good thing is that the sound of booms and demolitions is rare now near the yellow line,” said Ahmed Abu Jahl, of Gaza City, speaking about the line dividing Gaza and marking out roughly half the territory controlled by Israeli forces.

“Even the drones, they are still flying overhead, but their number has gone down.”

a black flag was raised over the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad.

An Iranian medical professional in northern Iran said he and colleagues spent the early hours of Sunday celebrating Khamenei’s death indoors because armed security forces are still heavily deployed in his city

There were forces stopping and interrogating people celebrating in their cars, but there was no gunfire, said the doctor, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.

“It was one of the best nights, if not the best night of our lives,” the doctor said in a voice message from the city of Rasht. In fact, “it was actually my first time ever smoking a cigarette. It was a very, very nice time. We didn’t sleep at all. And we don’t even feel tired.”

Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister blamed the U.S. and Israel for starting the war He said he had spoken to his counterparts in the Gulf countries and urged them to pressure the U.S. and Israel to end it.

“You have crossed our red line and must pay the price,” Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, said in a televised address. “We will deliver such devastating blows that you yourselves will be driven to beg.”

In a social media post Trump warned against any retaliation, saying “IF THEY DO, WE WILL HIT THEM WITH A FORCE THAT HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE!”

A ‘golden opportunity’

An Israeli military official described Saturday’s mission against the Iranian leadership as the result of months of “extremely high coordination” with the U.S. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss a covert operation, said a variety of factors created a “golden opportunity.” Those factors included weeks of training and monitoring the movements of senior figures, along with “real time intelligence” that the targets were gathered together

The results, the official said, were near-simultaneous strikes, within 60 seconds of one another, in three locations 1,000 miles from Israel that killed Khamenei and some 40 senior figures, including the head of the Revolutionary Guard and the country’s defense minister

projectfor the state’sCoastal Protection and Restoration Authority.“Rather it be an island than somebody’s house.”

The remote island, roughly 5miles from Coco Marina, is fittingly called the Houma Navigation Canal Bird Island, due to its location along the shipping channel and its popularity among colonial waterbirds. The coastal agency drew on lessons learnedduring restoration efforts of larger pelican nesting sites —Queen Bess Island near Grand Isle and Rabbit Island within Calcasieu Lake —for the HNC Bird Island. Before constructionbegan in 2024,less than athird of the roughly 28-acre island offered suitable nesting habitat. Aprocess of dredging new sediment, elevating land and constructingrock dikes expanded the island to roughly 35 acres better protected from erosion and suitable for nesting birds

The coastal agency used around $40 million for the project, mostly coming from Deepwater Horizon oil spill settlement funds specifically allocated for birdrestoration projects.

‘Amazing accomplishment’

In 2024,more than 800 brown pelican nestsand over 1,400 shrub-nesting bird nests were documented on the island, accordingto the Louisiana Department of Wildlifeand Fisheries.

QUESTIONS

Continued from page1A

if they have “beenemployed or consulted as an attorney in the cause” or if they are “biased, prejudiced, or interested in the cause or its outcome.” Louisiana’sCode of Judicial Conduct alsosays judges should recuse themselves “in aproceeding in which the judge’simpartiality might reasonably be questioned.”

Judges need to step aside when there’sa“substantial and objective basis that would reasonably be expected to prevent the judge from conducting any aspectofthe cause in afair and impartial manner,” state recusal law says.

“Justice Cole’sinvolvement in drafting portionsof Amendment 2just weeks before joining the court could create an appearanceofbias when he latervoted to uphold it,” said Clare Roubion, alegal ethics specialist who often represents judges accused of misconduct.

“Tosee it rebuilt and restored to basically 100% of the island being able to be utilized by water birds is an amazing accomplishment for allofus, for the coastof Louisiana,” Bennett said. The project is also garnering praise from stateleaders

Beyond the statebird, the smallislandseesa bouquet of birdsfrom ternstoegrets to herons

“Even if the judge believes they canbeimpartial,their prior involvement cancreate an appearance they have astake in the outcome. At minimum, disclosure of his priorinvolvement would have allowed parties to make an informed decision about whethertoseek his recusal.”

‘Has adog in the fight’ Decisions onrecusing SupremeCourt justices are most often left to the individualjustices themselves.

Gabe Roth, who directs the national watchdog advocacy group Fix the Court, said Cole’sinvolvement in drafting Amendment 2precluded him from later voting over the ballot language.

“If you worked on an issue, andthen ashortwhile later that issue is put before you as ajudge, there’s no way you can remain unbiased.

That’snot how the human brainorthe state’sjudicial recusal lawworks ”Roth said.

“Justice Colehas adog in the fight —inthis case, the ballot initiative he helped draft —and any reasonable person knowing his work history would assume the judge is biased in favor of that dog,which meanshis recusal was required in this case under Louisiana law.

Attorney WilliamMost, who represented the losing challengerstoAmendment 2, declined to comment.

AttorneyGeneral LizMurrill’soffice had asked the Supreme Court to toss the legalchallenge after adistrict judgerefused. Murrill declined to comment on the emails showing Cole’s participationorifhedisclosed it.

“Our job was to defend the lawsuit, whichwedid suc-

supportive of smaller-scale restorationefforts involving dredging. Sediment usedto restore thebirdisland was pumped from aborrow area in CatIsland Pass, roughly 10 miles southofthe site.

Gov.Jeff Landrycalled the dual benefit of strengthening the coast’s barrier islands andrestoringthe bird habitat “a win-win.” CPRA Chair

cessfully,”Murrillsaidina statement

Former taxjudge

Cole joined the Supreme Court after Landry engineered an open seat by installingthen-Justice Jimmy Genovese as president of Northwestern State University. It was part of abroader push by theRepublican governor to reshape the court, along withstate boards and agencies.

Cole, 42, of Lake Charles, won theseat unopposed Before then, he sat on the state Board of TaxAppeals andalso servedasits first appointed judge of the Local TaxDivision.The Legislature created the entity in 2014 as “a forum for the uniform adjudication of all Local Taxdisputes,” according to its website.

The emails from Cole in November 2024,whichThe Times-Picayune |The Advocate obtained from the Department of Revenue, include markups of House Bill 7, arewriteofArticle 7 of the state Constitution.

They also included edits to House Bill 9, failed legislation from Rep. Neil Riser,a northeastLouisiana Republican,topay for atax revamp through new sales taxes on services

Cole addressedthe proposedchanges to then-Revenue SecretaryRichard Nelson and others in his department

Gordon “Gordy” Dove said the island’srestoration helps “protect our inland marshes, homes and livelihoods.”

As the island’sname suggests, the site has been dually shaped by natural and man-made forces.Itwas originally created around 1,500 years agoassediment from the Mississippi River’s flow formed the Lafourche-Terrebonne delta andsurrounding islands.

Bird Island is likely the last remaining part of alarger marshland area, according to areport by theengineering firm that led the project.

By the 1980s,the island was usedasa dredgedisposal site to maintain the Houma NavigationCanal, which had been completed earlier in the20th century as an important vessel gateway to the Gulf of Mexico. But the dredged material was ecologically damaging to theisland.

Bird Island stoppedbe-

In the second email, Cole referenced JeffersonParish Sheriff Joe Lopintoand former St. Martin Parish President Guy Cormier

Cole wrote that “locals’ attorneys have approved these drafts for taking to Lopinto and thenifheapproves to Guy Cormier.”

Lopinto and Cormier,who heads thestate Police Jury Association, were “knee deep in conversations” with Nelson,along with statebusiness leaders and lawmakers, on away for parishes to eliminate inventorytaxes, Cormier said.

“I neverhad aconversation withCade Cole,”hesaid. “It would make sense to me that he’shaving aconversation withRichard Nelson.”

Nelson nowpresides over the state’scommunity colleges. He declined to comment through his chief of staff.

Lopintosaid he didn’trecall speaking directly with Cole about the legislation but that Cole hasinteracted with his office on tax mattersinthe past

“It wouldn’tsurprise me that my officewould have been involved in drafting it, because we’re involved in it every year,” Lopinto said of thelegislation.

“I had no clue that there was achallenge to theballot language,” he added.

Wasballotlanguageclear?

The bill to place the constitutional amendment before

ing used as adisposal site in the 1990s.Various efforts to construct rock dikes around the island and fill in the shrinking land mass took place over the years, but the bird colony declined as timepassed, another victim of the land loss afflicting Louisiana’scoast. Before the current restoration project began, theoriginally 50acre island hadbeenroughly halved.

‘Their naturalhabitat’

If not for this project, the island would have eroded into open water, Bennett noted. Asubsidiary of ConocoPhillips owns the island andgavethe state land rights forthe restoration project at no cost. The currentrestoration is designed to last 20 years, and CPRA will monitor it for10.

“They don’texpect it to be gone,” said BrandonCarreras, aconstruction engineer with CPRA. “It meansyou’re

voters passed in Landry’s third extra session of 2024, his first year as governor The Senate vote was unanimous. The House backed it 87-11 with no Republicans voting against it.

But opponents argued that theballotlanguagewas misleading and biased.

With the election ongoing, Judge Louise Hinesofthe 19th Judicial District Court in BatonRouge declined to order it removed from the ballot.

“We’re past whether people can vote on it,” she said. “Because the bell has been rung, the cows areout of the barn …the toothpaste is out the tube.”

Opponentsarguedthat Hines could still halt the counting under an injunction. But before the judge couldentertain it,the Supreme Court stepped in.

Murrillargued that the challenge amounted to “gamesmanship galore” by opponents at the 11th hour

In an unsignedopinion, the Supreme Court majority found the ballot language was clearenough,ending the case.

going to assume some settling.” Land sinking and sea level rise will gradually lower the roughly 4.5-footaverage elevation on the island. But in those years to come, the habitat is expected to enliven. Small grass seeds —such as ryegrass, clover and seashore paspalum scattered on the sand hint at the future landscape plannedfor Bird Island. After nesting season ends in September,vegetationconducive to nesting, including blackmangroveand marsh elder,will be planted along the water On thevisit last week, scores of brown pelicans were already scattered on the island’sshoreline, huddledaround grassesand someofthe new hay bales. “You seeall themangroves that the pelicans are in?” Carreras said. “That’s theirnatural habitat, that’s what they want.”

“Plaintiffs also argue that the ballot language is biased:thatit’s‘alldessert and no vegetables,’ the court wrote. “Yet vegetablesmay be healthier than dessert. This too is a matter of opinion andfor debate,beyondthiscourt’s analysis, and for the voters to decide.”

Cole was joined in the majority by Justices Jefferson Hughes and Jay McCallum and then-Justice Will Crain, who has since joined the federal bench.

Among the three dissenters, ChiefJustice John Weimer complainedthat themajority was allowing thestate to “upend thenormalprocess” by dismissing the case before Hines could first address all the claims.

“This court does nothave any mechanism for hearing evidence,” Weimer wrote, “and anyevidencethe parties intended to introduce will nowbeessentially swept under the rug.”

Justices John Michael Guidryand Piper Griffin joined Weimer in dissent. Guidry noted arequirement that aproposed amendment have “a titlecontaininga brief summaryofthe changes proposed” and be “confined to one object.” Guidry found the amendment did neither as it spanned “a multitude of unrelated issues,” including a pay raise for teachers. In the end, voters killed it for similar reasons, Cormier said.

“Thatone amendment tried to handle too many things at onetime,” he said of its defeat.

Supporters have now split the issues and will try againthis Maywith apairof amendments on the ballot.

METRO NEWS

HARD AT WORK

Hungarian settlement prepares for Sulyok

BY CLAIRE GRUNEWALD staff writer

In rural Livingston Parish, local officials have been practicing songs and mapping out event space in preparation for an unheard of event for their small town: a presidential visit.

Tamás Sulyok, president of Hungary, is coming to the parish this week to visit the largest rural Hungarian settlement in the United States, which is nestled between the small towns of Albany and Springfield.

Sulyok is visiting on Wednesday He will be making a public appearance at the Albany Hungarian Presbyterian Church at 5 p.m., though space will be limited, according to an online post about the event. Sulyok is part of the government led by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Hungarians first arrived in Louisiana in 1896 to work at a local lumber mill. Now, about 150 to 200 families of Hungarian descent live in the area, but many of them are only part Hungarian. The community has two Hungarian organizations: the Árpádhon Hungarian

Settlement Cultural Association and the Hungarian Settlement Historical Society The community also is home to the Hungarian Settlement Museum. Victoria Mocsary, assistant director of the museum, will sing the national anthems of the U.S. and Hungary at the event.

She has been one of the residents helping plan for the visit.

“I love Hungarian folk songs.

I’m probably the only one in the community who can sing it and knows it by heart,” she said about singing the Hungarian national an-

them. “It’s a little bit of excitement mixed with a bit of nervousness.”

Mocsary said the visit will be short, but that Hungary likes to maintain strong connections with its diaspora in other countries, hence the visit.

She believes that the rural settlement has been attracting attention in Hungary because its cultural association has young people introducing and hosting a range of local events.

“New life has been breathed into our Hungarian community,” she said. “We have a treasure here.”

Alex Kropog, who created the Hungarian Settlement Museum and is the last one in the town who can fluently speak Hungarian, reiterated in a written note that the cultural association has had a revival over the past four years. The museum and books written about the settlement have created a new interest in the community

The New Orleans Hungary honorary consul declined to speak about the visit and deferred questions to the Embassy of Hungary in Washington, D.C., which did not respond to an email request asking about the president’s visit to Louisiana at the time of publication.

The president’s visit comes after the relationship between the U.S. and Hungary recently gained strength, with the countries signing a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement.

Local residents and Hungarian officials have been quietly getting the town ready for the event for weeks.

Parish Council member Joe Erdey said in mid-February that settlement leaders met with Hungarian secret service agents to map out a route for the president and figure out logistics of a community space to host the event.

“They’re calling the shots,” Erdey said.

The lifelong Hungarian settlement resident remarked on how big of a deal it is to have a president of a country visit the area.

A

BLOTTER staff reports

BY ELLYN COUVILLION staff

the scene.

Police said Variste was shot by an unknown person after a fight, and the shooter fled the scene. The circumstances are similar to the death of 25-year-old Prenesha Wagner on the morning of June 22. Police said she was killed during an exchange of gunfire outside the Big Blue House at Choctaw Drive and Acadian Thruway

According to social media, both clubs are operated by AllNite Entertainment, which posted a video promoting the Lil Blue House on Thursday morning.

A suspect in Wagner’s killing pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact to second-degree murder last week. The investigation into 35-year-old Dexter Cormier’s killing, also shot in a large crowd outside a nightclub, ended in mistrial in January East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council member Darryl Hurst, of District 5, said in September he was spurred by Wagner’s death to seek limitations on Baton Rouge nightclubs and the crowds that gather after they’ve closed. No specific action from the cityparish was suggested by Hurst when he spoke to The Advocate last year

Gunshot victim, 42, dies Friday at hospital

A 42-year-old man found shot and lying in the road near North 13th Street died of his injuries Friday evening, according to Baton Rouge police.

Officers found Jermaine Clark suffering from multiple gunshot wounds in the street near a driveway in the 100 block of North 13th Street around 8:18 p.m. Friday

He was transported to a hospital, where he died from his injuries, police said in a Saturday news release.

No suspects or motives have been developed at this time.

Motorcyclist dies in Airline Highway crash

A motorcyclist was killed Saturday afternoon in a crash on U.S. 61, according to State Police. At 2:42 p.m., troopers responded to the crash that killed Samuel Wright, 43, of Gonzales. Wright was driving a 2007 Suzuki motorcycle in the south lane of Airline Highway behind a car Wright accelerated and hit the left rear of the car Wright was transported to a hospital, where he later died. The driver of the car was properly restrained and had only minor injuries.

At the time of the crash, Wright was wearing a motorcycle helmet approved by the U.S. Department of Transportation. The crash is under investigation.

FEB 28, 2026

Medicaid work mandates will cost states

states

to spendmillionsonupgrades

as part of policy meanttosavemoney

BY DAVID A. LIEB Associated Press

JEFFERSON CITY,Mo. To receive Medicaid health coverage, some adults will soon have to show theyare working, volunteering or taking classes. But to gatherthat proof, many states first will have to spend millions of dollars improving their computer systems.

Across the nation, states face an immense task and high costs to prepare for the Jan. 1kickoff of new Medicaid eligibility mandates affecting millions of lower-income adults in the government-funded health care program.

The firsthalfofa $200 million federal allotment has already begun flowing to states to help implement the new requirements. But the tab for the needed technology improvements and additional staff is likely to exceed $1 billion, according to an AssociatedPressanalysis of budget projections in more than 25 states. That extra cost will be borne by a mixture of federal and state tax dollars.

The task is not as simple as pushingthrough asoftware update on your smartphoneorpersonal computer.That’sbecause each state has its own system for managing Medicaid, often requiring experts to make customized changes

“Our current eligibility systems are pretty old, and the ability to change them is very,very difficult,” said ToiWilde, chief information officer for the MissouriDepartment of Social Services.

The big tax-cut law signed last year by Trump is financed,inpart, by sweepingMedicaid changes intended to cut government spending. Twoofthe most prominent will apply in four-fifths of thestates, affectingMedicaidenrollees ages 19 through 64, without young children, whose incomes are above the typical eligibility cutoff.

Those Medicaid participantswill have to workor

do community service at least 80 hours amonth, or enroll at least half-time as a student. They also willface eligibility reviewsevery six months, instead of annually,meaning they could lose coveragemore quickly when their circumstances change.

The two provisions together areprojectedto save thefederal government $388 billion over the nextdecade, resultingin6 million fewer people with health insurance, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

But states first must update their online portals used by Medicaidparticipants, their aging computer systems used by state workers andtheir methods of verifying information through various databases.

Most will have to turnto private contractors to meet the timecrunch. At least 10 companieshave agreed to offer discounted services, according to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Making those technology upgrades “is going to be alift. It’snot something straightforward. It’snot easy,” said Jason Reilly,a partner at Guidehouse, a firmthatisadvisingseveral states on theMedicaidrequirements

Most states don’tcurrently collect employmentoreducation information about Medicaid participants. So statesare lookingtotap into outsidesourcestoverifyjob and school data. But there’s no database of community volunteers

And states are still waiting on federalrules—not due until June —todefine some of theexceptionstothe work requirements, such as how to determine whoqualifies as “medically frail.”

States face extrapressure to get it right because the federal government will start penalizing stateswith too manyMedicaidpayment errorsinOctober2029

Congress guaranteed all states ashare of the $200

million allotted for Medicaid work and eligibility changes. But states must applyfor additional federal money.The federal governmentcovers up to 90% of states’ costs to developsystemsfor determining Medicaid eligibility, 75% of costs to maintain those systems and half of most other administrative costs

Missouri wonearly approval forthe 90%federal funding rate. State lawmakers noware fast-tracking a $32millionappropriation needed to solicit bids for vendors to start upgrading technology platforms and improvinga chatbot for Medicaid participants. Over the next year,the state’ssocialservices agency expects to need about 120 additional workers—atacostof$12.5 million —tohandle the extra administrative workload.

Other states also project large costs. Maryland expectstospend over $32 million in federal andstate funds to implement theMedicaid changes, Kentucky more than$46 million and Coloradoover $51million Arizona estimatesitcould cost $65 million— andrequire 150 additional staff —toimplementthe new

federal requirements

Some statessurveyed by the AP reportedevenhigher expectedcosts, though they didn’talwaysprovide abreakdown for how much is due to new Medicaid mandates and how much pertains to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program changesalso containedin Trump’sbig law

Several states, including Arkansas, said they are still working on cost estimates for theMedicaid changes Arkansas instituteda Medicaidwork requirement in 2018-2019, andthousands of people were dropped from therolls before afederal court endedit. Many of the technology changes requiredbythe new federal mandates couldbecovered underanexisting vendor contract and have “a minimal financial impact on our Medicaid budget,” the Arkansas Department of HumanServices said in an email.

Nebraska hassaiditplans to launch Medicaid work requirements in May, seven months ahead of the federal deadline. Butthe statehas notdetailedany associated costs and did not respond to inquiries from theAP.

Georgia is currently the only staterequiring some Medicaid recipientstowork, after receiving special federal approval several years agotoexpand coverageto some adults not otherwise eligible.

The Georgia Pathways to Coverageprogram racked up morethan $54 million of administrative costs from 2021 through the first part of 2025 —twice theamount of medical assistance paid out over that sameperiod, according to the U.S. GovernmentAccountability Office.Almostall of those costs camefrom technology changes to its eligibility and enrollment system.

Some Medicaidanalysts point to Georgia’scosts and Arkansas’ enrollment losses as reasons for caution as work requirements rollout in other states.

“A huge amount of funding is going to go to vendors to construct these complicated red-tapesystems that prevent people who need it from getting health care,” said Joan Alker,executive director of the Centerfor Children and Families at Georgetown University.“In my view, that is abig, big risk.”

AlgeriansstruggletoaffordRamadan feasts as prices rise

By The Associated Press

ALGIERS,Algeria As Algerians fast, pray and gather for the holy month of Ramadan, aworry lurks in many minds: how to afford the holiday feasts this year In addition to itsreligious significance for billions of Muslims, Ramadan also means tables laden with rich and varied meals eaten after the muezzin’scall to break the fast at sunset. Today,these feasts come at acost beyond the reachof many Algerians, whose purchasing power has declined in recent years despite Algeria’sgas and oil riches, pushing more and more people below the poverty line.

Food prices have soared, and tensions at marketplaces now occasionally erupt into violence.

After Algeria wasconvulsed by nationwideprotests in 2019, the governmentbecame concerned about broader social unrest and promised economic aid.

“In the 1970s, we didn’t earn much,but we could stock up for Ramadan and afford fresh meat, fruit, and vegetables,”AhmedMessai, aretired railway worker, told The Associated Press at the Clauzel market in cen-

tral Algiers.

On the ground floor of the market, the beating heart of commerciallifeinthe Algerian capital, merchants’ stalls are well stocked with fruit and vegetables,displayed with enticing artistry. But as Ramadanapproached, pricesclimbed. An older woman, clutching her traditional white haik garment,lamented onion pricesgoingfrom 45 dinars perkilo to 100 dinars, about 35 cents to 77 cents, in two days. She hurled insultsat an impassive vendor as he talked to her about profit margins. Carrots sell for 150 dinars perkilo, peppers 200 dinars and green beans 550 dinars.

The woman’sshopping basketremainedempty

The Algerian government hascracked down on Ramadan speculators, to little effect.Ataspecial recent Cabinet discussion of Ramadanfood supplies,President Abdelmadjid Tebboune vowed, “all conditions must be guaranteed to allowcitizens to spendthe holy month in perfectpeace and without worry.”

Among his promiseswere government importsof 144,000 sheep and 46,000 cattle to make meat more

up on food

accessible for Ramadan meals.Locally sourced mutton from Algeria’sHigh Plateaus,known for itsflavor and aroma, as well as young cattle from theKabyle mountains,have become prohibitively expensive even formiddle-income professionals.

Civil societyplays akey role in helping struggling families during Ramadan.

Restaurantowners transformtheir establishments into soupkitchens or “mercy restaurants” serving free meals

“It’sagood mechanism for solidarityand civic awareness,” said academic Hocine

Zairar,“but the proliferation of thistype of restaurant says something serious about our society: how poverty is gaining ground in our country.”

One of the largest mercy restaurant operations in Algiers is run across different neighborhoods by the Algerian Red Crescent.People fill rows of long tables inside a huge tent in acentral square to break theirfast. “The atmosphere is family-friendly and we serveupto800 meals aday,” said Nour el-Houda Remdani, oneofthe organizers, as shewalked between therows of diners benefiting from the provisions.

Mercy restaurants used to be frequented mainly by singles, people without housing or travelers. But in recent years, entire families now fill these makeshift eateries.

Eventhe president acknowledged profound economic shifts in recent years.

“The middleclass,once the pride of Algeria, is now being decimated by the crisis,” Tebboune said in an interview on Algerian television earlier this month.

Tebboune hasalso promised an increase in the minimumwage from 20,000 to 24,000 dinars, an increase in retirement pensions of 5 to 10%, andanincreasein unemploymentbenefits for university graduates, from 15,000 to 18,000 dinars.

Theaverage salary in Algeriais42,800 dinars, the equivalent of approximately $330 accordingtothe official exchange rate, and less than $235 on theinformal market.

ProfessorRedouaneBoudjema of the Institute of Journalism in Algiers said the government’sRamadan aid measures represented an effort to ensure “social peace” and“absorb political anger stemming from restrictions on civil andtrade unionfreedoms.”

By The Associated Press

BANGKOK Airstrikes by Myanmar’smilitary on a trading junction in the central Magway region killed more than two dozen people and wounded 20 others, a resistance group and independentonline media said Sunday The attack is the latest in aseries of frequent and

deadlyaerial strikes targetingarmed pro-democracy forces and ethnicarmed groups in the country.The strikes often cause civilian casualties.

Thestrikes near Pyaung village, westofMindon township, occurred twice on Sunday morning, according to Ko Myat,the spokesperson of the Thay-

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the army seized powerfrom the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1, 2021, triggering widespread popular opposition. After peaceful demonstrations were put down withlethal force, many opponents of military rule took up arms, and large parts of thecountry are now embroiled in conflict.

et District Battalion No. 4, which operates in Magway He saidthat two jet fighters bombed atrading point on aroad, where locals and truckdrivers loadand exchange goods, andatleast 25 people,including two women, werekilled in the attacks. About 14 vehicles were burned or damaged by theexplosions “Weare carrying out

search, rescue and cremation operations,” Ko Myat said. Myanmar’smedia outlets, including Mizzima, reported the deathtollatbetween 20 and25. They also posted photos and videos showing what they said wasthe aftermath of thestrike,withimages of

and damaged ve-

Howto

opposition to ICEhas thefacts wrong

In aDecember letter about citizens voicing opposition to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the author makes statements most of which are false. In U.S. v. Mendenhall (1980) and U.S. v. Sokolow (1989),more than 40 years prior to theSupreme Court ruling in Noem v. Vasquez, both ruled race can be one component of aprofile that police utilize to stop someone with reasonable suspicion. Thus, in Noem v. Vasquez, this Supreme Courtdid not turn the clock back to the pre-civil rightsera but ruled consistently with theearlier rulings.

Demonizing immigrants, alie? It is ICE that is demonized, being called Nazis, Gestapo, criminals, murders, rapists and traitors. Since Jan. 1, illegal immigrants have killed 12 Americans in trucking accidentsand committed another twohomicides and 10 reported rapes. Anti-ICE rioters shot three people in Dallas and killed one. They alsoshot twoNational Guard members andkilled one.

Anti-ICE rioters do not engage in protectedFirst Amendment protests. None had parade permits. There were over 80 incidents of ramming ICE automobiles,attacking ICEpersonnel withrocks, BB guns, fireworks, Molotov cocktails or damaging government property,and 140 prosecuted for resisting arrest AlexPrettihad therighttobring agun while protesting, but he violated the law by not notifying law enforcement when encountered. ICE does not attack any families in America, but it is acrime for illegal immigrants to work in this country Their deliberate defiance of U.S laws invariably is what leadsto broken communities. Those who work steal SocialSecurity numbers, lie on the I-9 form, conspire with narco-traffickers,paying them thousands of dollars to assist them in human smuggling, all felonies. The narco-traffickers use the $13 billion ayear that the illegal immigrants pay them to commit acts of terrorism,murder, rape and drug trafficking, renderingthe illegal immigrantsinthe U.S. complicit in those crimes.

JOSEPH MOLYNEUX Metairie

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR

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Agroupofinmates

Countthe cost of crime, notjustprisons

Thenewspaper’srecent editorial stating that tough criminal laws that put morepeopleinprison cause a“strain” on government financesiscorrect, as far as it goes. But what the editorial didn’tsufficiently analyze was thecost of not locking criminals up. Acriminal who is on the street commits additional crime, and this additional crime costs more money than locking him up, both for thegovernment and private citizens. Why? Because responding to crime isn’t free. Responding to theadditional crime requires additional money.Let’sexamine the additional costs to the government first When the government responds to an additional crime that afreed criminal commits, police officers must be dispatched, perhaps accompanied by investigators, detectives, photographersand theyellow tape guys. And these additional crimes also require more prosecutors, more public defendersand more prison psychologists. Indeed,the total cost of this additional crime is mind-boggling. Andthese costs are

not only borne by thegovernment. Private citizens also pay aprice, bothfinancially and emotionally

When astoreisrobbed, the stolen inventory must be replaced. Andwhen acar window is broken, it must be fixed. When someone is shot,the medical treatmentisn’tfree, and as for thecost to acommunity when someone is murdered, bothinterms of heartbreak and dollars, well, how can you put aprice tag on that? Youcan’t. That “strain,” to use the editorial’slanguage, is too large to measure. It is gigantic beyond all understanding. Just ask amurder victim’s family

If you want to lessen thecost of incarceration, the answer isn’tletting criminals roam free. The answer is building “no frills prisons.” That’s thesmartresponse to our crime problem. Letting criminals go free is not only immoral and dumb, it actually costs more.

MIKEWEINBERGER founder,Home Defense Foundation Metairie

Tulane must be open aboutmonkeyescape

Despite the ethical questions raised about Tulane’sanimal testing following the escape of 21 of their research monkeys last October, there has been surprisingly little sustained public discussion, giving theimpression that it was quietly brushed under therug.

While theescape posed amajor riskto public safety,italso raises questions about Tulane’sanimal testingpractices and ethical responsibility.From itsmission statement to its code of conduct, Tulane consistently emphasizes its commitment to ethics, community responsibilityand global leadership.

Partyloyalty makes citizens hypocrites andkeeps countrystuck

Listening to allthe President Donald Trump voters defend and make excusesfor his shortcomings andlack of moralcharacter, even asking to forgive him because everyone makes mistakes, has me wondering what these people were saying aboutBill Clintonwhenhe was president. Ithink Iheardthemsaying something aboutnot being able to govern without moral character, andforgiveness was considered blasphemy

Back then, it wasthe Clinton voterswho made excuses and said forgiveness should be considered. Now theyare saying Trump is not competent andshould never be forgiven.

This is only oneofthe many ways the two major partiesare exactly alike.Itseems thattobelongto eitherone of these parties, you must be ahypocrite and go along with anything theytell you, no matterwhetheritmakes sense or not. WhenIregisteredtovote, it was afew yearsafter the Watergate fiasco, andIhad watched alittle bit of the hearings. Icould notbelieve some of the idiotic questions and answers, so thatiswhy when the registrar asked, “What party?” I said none of them. Everyone knows the reason this country is in the shape it is now is because the two major parties have been in controlfor many years. The sadthing is, both parties know what it will take to get this country going in the right direction, but as long as theykeep their attitude, neitherside will give the otheranything when theyare in power CLIFF JOHNSON st. Amant

rying hepatitis C, herpes and COVID-19. Tulane later denied these claims. However, it also claimed that it did not own themonkeys and failed toidentify whodid and what research purposes they were being used for.

The conflicting reports created confusion and highlighted the lack of transparency between Tulane and its community.Tulane also showed little urgency in collecting the13 remainingliving monkeys in the overturned truck, stating that they would “collect them thefollowing day.”

To sEND Us ALETTER, sCAN HERE

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

Monkeys are incredibly complex animals that, like humans, are capable of forming social bonds, feel stress and suffer from isolation and fear.When such intelligent animals are then confined to small cages, exposed to disease and shot and killed withlittle explanation provided to the public, it fundamentally undermines Tulane’score values.

Thetruck driver reported that the monkeys weresaid to be aggressive and car-

If Tulane wishes to align with its mission statement of acting with integrity and connecting itsvalues to local and global needs, it is crucial that it strengthen transport and recovery procedures, publicly disclose animal research protocols and invest in alternative research methods that reduce reliance on primates while prioritizing both animal welfare and community safety

SOFIA WALZ Tulane University student

Closed primaryreallylimitsvoter choice

Gov.Jeff Landry has effectively stolen the ability to participate in statewide elections by approximately two-thirds of the registered voters in this state. The closed primary election system that has been forced upon the voter population has essentially eliminatedall voterswho don’tapprove of the Republican nominee. This manipulation of theprimary is an excellentexample of how gerrymandering operates. If the governor can’tguarantee his endorsed candidate in an open primary,then

let’sjust change the system.The open primaryassures all votersofLouisiana an equal chance to select the most popular candidate. Ihope thatU.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy wins the nomination, but Iwish he would have run as an Independent.Itruly believe there areenough Independents, Republicansand Democrats fedupwith the autocracyofthe Trumpian clan that they would have reelected Cassidy.Goback to the open primary system.

RICHARD STAGNOLI Central

Men, don’t be afraid of tying theknot

Men, anecktie does not makeyou look old or old-fashioned. Wearing anecktie with asuit or blazer and slacks will makeyou look respectable and serious about what you are doing. It is an emblem of respect. TV lawyers and newsannouncers whowearasuit with open collar look half-dressed, and it is difficult to take them seriously.So, tie the knot and look great!

JOE ZEHNER Metairie

On Feb. 12, President Donald Trump sent amessage to Louisianaresidents andbusinesses south of Interstate 10: Go drown! And there wasn’tapeepofoppositionfrom Gov.Jeff Landry or other state politicians who put loyalty to Trump ahead ofthat to their constituents.

I’m talking about Trump’sannouncement that his administration would ignore the 2009 scientific finding that greenhouse gas emissions are pollutants that causeserioushealth problems. Those facts passed U.S. Supreme Court review and became the legal underpinningfor the nation’s regulatory efforts to reducethe cause of climate change, which threatens to drown most of our coastalzoneoverthe next three decades.

floodwalls are sinking faster than sea levels are rising, and themoney to raise them isn’tthere.

From Yahoo Finance: Louisiana is among the five worst statestoinvest in, mainly becauseofclimate risks.

Those profit seekers based their warnings on thefollowing facts collected by scientific agencies.

Fact: Seas are rising at record rates because emissions from theuse of fossil fuels are causing unprecedented warming of the atmosphere.The oceans absorb 90% of that heatand, because water expands when warmed, their volumes are increasing, meaning they are rising.

Fact: The warmer oceans are causing more large hurricanes and rainfalls, leading to record billions in damages.

southeasterncoastal zone is 2.5 feet, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has said our coast could seeasmuch as 2feet of sealevel rise just from warming as soon as 2050, flooding mostareas southofU.S. 90.

Fact: Scientists saythereisnoway to stopsea level rise for centuries, but the world may be able to slowitdown in the second half of this centuryifwebegin to dramatically reducegreenhousegas emissions.

Now,Trumphates sciencebecauseit is based on verified truth. He has long hated climate science because solutions could reduceprofits for the industries thatpour billions intohis campaigns and help enrich his family

This isn’tmore “sky is falling” rhetoricfrom climate extremists. It’s the finding of some cold,hard facts

From Insurance.com: Louisiana home insurance rates soared 58% last year, the highest increase in the nation, due largely to climate impacts. This state’s average annual premium is $5,989, second only to $7,136 in Florida —another state hammered by climate change For the third poorest state in the nation, with amedian household income of $52,000, it’smaking home ownership an impossible dream.

From research based on Army Corps of Engineers findings: New Orleans

Fact: The Gulf of Mexico is rising at one of the planet’sfastestrates.Since 2010,the Gulfhas risen at about triple the rate experienced during the previous 30 yearsand twice theglobal rate over the past 14 years. This is largely because the Gulf Stream starts in the western Caribbean Sea, which contains someofthe world’swarmestwater

Fact: At the same time theGulf is surging, coastal Louisiana’ssedimentstarved delta landscape is sinking in somespots atthe rate of 3feet in a century

Fact: The average elevation of the

Like Landry—another opponent of climatescience and solutions —heprefers to demagogue voters on theissue. They claim climate regulations are just attemptsby“liberal elites”who hate your lifestyles and the jobs that give you ahealthy living.

The truth is the opposite. Climate regulations areathreattothe wealthy class, who aremaking fortunes while our lifestyles and futures suffer. Besides, as your propertyvalues sink, they’ll just move to second homes in the mountains of Colorado or NorthCarolina.And your governor and other Trump loyalists think that’s just fine

Bob Marshall can be reached at bmarshallenviro@gmail.com.

Donald Trump has waged war on the news media his entire career,frequently deriding journalists as “enemies of the people”and “real scum.” In his second term, he has gone far beyond name-calling, suing The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, exerting regulatory pressure on the parent companies of CBS and ABC, defunding NPR and PBS and arresting journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort.

One of the most serious threats to press freedom has been playing out in alow-level federal court in Virginia, and it was already weakening the ability of journalists to hold this power-hungry president accountable for his actions. But abrave federal judge has now thwarted the administration and struck astrong blow for press freedom.

On Jan. 14, federal agents raided the home of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson, seizing two phones, two laptops and otherdevices.The ostensible reason is that Natanson had received and published information from Aurelio Luis Perez-Lugones, afederal contractor who was later indicted for mishandling government secrets. Underthe First Amendment, it is not acrime for journalists to disclose classified documents. But legal punishment was not the purpose of the raid. It was to deter and demoralize both reporters and sources who might document the president’s many mistakes and misdeeds.

“This is the first time in U.S. history that the government has searched areporter’shomeina national security media leak investigation, seizing potentially avast amount of confidential data and information,” said Bruce Brown, president of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. “The move imperils public-interest reporting and will have ramifications far beyond this specific case.”

“The outrageous seizure of our reporter’sconfidential newsgathering materials chills speech, cripples reporting, and inflicts irreparable harm every day the government keeps its hands on these materials,” warned the Post in astatement. This is only the latest example of adeliberate and destructive strategy Trump has long followed: Defy and distort reality.Frighten andfire people who contradict your “alternative facts.” Persecute the press, the institution that provides the primary protection against your fantasies and falsehoods. In arare moment of candor in 2017, Trump told journalist Lesley Stahl why he relentlessly assails the media: “I do it to discredit you all anddemean you all,” he admitted, “so when you write negative stories about me,noone will believe you.”

Another exercise in nonpartisan cooperation ended sadly,as Donald Trumpundoubtedly planned. Every year,the nation’sgovernors meet with the president to discuss common concerns. Trump had initially banned two Democratic members of the National Governors Association from attending governors Jared Polis of Colorado and Wes Moore of Maryland. The association’s chair,Oklahoma Gov Kevin Stitt, aRepublican, objected toTrump’s banishing of two members. The governors’ gathering is one of the few cross-party eventsstill held at the national level.

“He can invite whomever he wants,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt snapped like ahigh school mean girl. And Stitt responded by canceling the meeting. As he explained to Trump, “I said, ‘Sir,Ican’tcancel an event at theWhite House. The only thing Isaid was, ‘Ifit’snot for all 50 governors, then the NGA is not the right facilitatorfor it.”’

Once Trump succeeded in injectinghis unique brand of nastiness into what’snormally afriendly bipartisan affair,hebackpedaled and said, OK, Polis and Moore can attend. Mission accomplished. He had wrung maximum attention from avenue that normally escapes extensive news coverage. But by keeping thegovernor’s confab from collapsing, he still had a full set of politicians to toy with.

Aboutour governors. As thehighest elected stateofficials, they manage, budget and lead in emergencies.They seteducational standards and oversee road projects. In other words, they do things thatmatter to everyday citizens.

Andfacing astatewide electorate, theymust appeal to abroader voter base than representatives cosseted in their gerrymandered districts Because their job revolves around pragmatic problem-solving, governors occupy one of the political offices for which voters will cross their party lines. In addition, their party affiliation doesn’tgreatly change thepower balance inWashington.

Thejob’sabove-the-fray nature helps explainwhy deep-blue Vermont hasaRepublican governor —and conservative Kentucky and Kansas have Democratic ones. On theTennessee governor’sofficial website, Bill Lee offers an extensive biography covering his deep Tennessean roots and accomplishmentsinoffice. Nowhere is there mention of political party.(Lee is a Republican) With congressional Republicans staring down arough ride through themidterms, some political analysts have expressed surprise at polls showingmomentum in governors’ races leaning more toward Republicans than Democrats. Some wrongly hold up these Republican-friendly surveys as evidence that the party isn’tinas much trouble as was widely thought. But the real reason was already outlinedabove. Washington Repub-

licans have largely submitted to Trump’sgrifting schemes and erratic policies —the tariff chaos being most unpopular.That makes them adifferent animal from Republicans in state capitals, in Montpelier,Vermont, or Columbus,Ohio.

Speaking of Ohio, Gov.Mike DeWine did himself proud by denouncing Trump’sdemented claim, echoed by thespinelessJDVance during the 2024 campaign, that Haitian immigrantsinSpringfield areeating cats and dogs. DeWineresponded: “These Haitians came in heretowork because there were jobs. And if you talkto employers, they’vedone avery,very good job andthey workvery, very hard.”

Trump isn’thelping Republican governors seeking reelection by dragging them intohis houseofcrazy mirrors —notwithstanding their survival in therecent past. In 2022, DeWine won again after angering Trump by saying Joe Biden was the elected president. Trump repeatedly attacked Georgia’s governor,Republican Brian Kemp, for defending his state’selection results favoring Biden. And New Hampshire governor,Republican Chris Sununu, prevailed after Trump accused him of disloyalty.

Democrats are pumped for themidterms andmight just supply theboost that brings defeat to otherwise popular Republicans —popular precisely becausethey rise above party when doing so seems right Froma Harrop is on X, @FromaHarrop.

The Natanson raid wasalready having anegative impact. Her lawyer,Simon Latcovich, told Magistrate Judge William Porter,who is handling the case, that she had been receiving dozens, even hundreds, of tips every day from disgruntledfederal workers documenting the disastrous impact of Trump’sunbridled budget cuts. “Since the seizure, those sources have dried up,” Latcovichsaid. Those sources are critical to Natansonand any investigative reporter.AsFirst Amendment lawyer David Schulz wrote in The New York Times: “History is full of examples of whistleblowers who were able to inform the public of misconduct, illegality and abuse only through reporters who could guarantee them confidentiality and could publish free of government interference.”

“The Trump administration’sactions in this case have inflicted serious damage to journalism and could have achilling effect on afreepress,” added media critic TomJones in the Poynter Report. “While Natanson might not be atargetofthe investigation, sources might now be hesitant to deal with her —orany reporter covering political issues —out of fear they will be outed.”

This “chilling effect” is particularly insidious because its impact is often invisible.Whatstories are never written? Questions never asked? Sources never interviewed? What nefarious plan is Trump pursuing that we will neverknowabout because apotential whistleblower is now too scared to comeforward?

Judge Porter clearly saw the danger. He ruled this weekthat the administration could not go fishing for leads and leakers in Natanson’sdevices.Instead, he would personally identify any evidence directly relevant to the Perez-Lugones caseand hand it over to the government.

“Allowing the government’sfilter teamto search areporter’swork product,” he wrote, “is the equivalent of leaving the government’sfox in charge of the Washington Post’shenhouse.”

This is amajor victory for journalistic freedom and integrity.But as former Post editor Marty Baron warns, “this administration will set no limits on its acts of aggression against an independent press.”

Journalists and judges have to counter thataggression with courage and conviction. Insteadof looking over their shoulders, they have to look straight ahead and tell Trump, and the public,the truth.

Email Steven Roberts at stevecokie@gmail.com

Like yesterday,we’re waking to somepatchy fog againthis morning. When the fog lifts, expect apartlycloudymorning to giveway to another mostlysunnyafternoon. Temperatures for the last several days have been running some10degrees aboveaverageand today will be no exception. Expect afternoon temperatures to rise to the

to

and we’ll probablysee thosenumbers getting

between todayand Friday. If you’re headed to Alex Box tonight, expect somemildand dryconditions. No rain is expected.

Primaryvotetobe held Tuesday

BY THOMAS BEAUMONT and SEAN MURPHY Associated Press

SAN ANTONIO Aheated U.S Senate race in Texas entered its final stretchonSunday with candidates on both sides of the aisle making final pitches to voters ahead of Tuesday’sprimary,the nation’sfirst big contest of the 2026 midterm elections. Incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. John Cornyn is trying to avoid being the first Republican senator from Texas to lose aprimary,fighting challengesfrom Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt.

And yet, Cornyn’s schedule was very light, as he spoke at aSan Antonio church with little notice, where he held private meetings and was raising money campaign aides said. Democrats, hungry to win aSenate race for the first time since 1988, see an opening, but have their own knotty race to figure out.

U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, the rhetorical brawler and regular antagonistfor President Donald Trump, is stressing her federal experience, reminding voters that she has brought millions of

dollars in federal funding back to her district.

“So yes, Iwill clash with folkwhen it’stime to do so but Iactually govern as well,” Crockett said during achurch stopSunday She also gave anod to the Black women she described as thecoreofher support, in Texas and nationally Crockett, who would be the first Black woman from Texas elected to theU.S Senate if shewins office,is backed by prominent Black women in politics including former Vice President Kamala Harris,who endorsed heron Friday. Sens.Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland and Ayanna Presley of Massachusetts campaigned for her in the state this weekend.

State Rep. JamesTalarico, the soft-spoken seminarian who emphasizes his crossover appeal,met with voters as hestrolled San Antonio’s HistoricMarket District before headlining arally downtown.

“Thousands of people showing up to rally with us Ican’ttellyou howmany peopleare comingupto me and telling me theyare not a Democrat,”Talarico told The Associated Press. “I’m just so proud of themovement we are building.”

In the downtown heat Sunday,hundreds stood in line along San Antonio’sPearl Parkwayawaiting entry to

U.S. Senate candidates in Texasmakelastpitches

the event in the 132-year-old Stable Hall.

But Cornyn’sprecarious stature as an incumbent vulnerable in his own party’s primaryhas beenthe focus of amajority of themassive sums spent by both sides in the run-up to Tuesday “Complacencyisakiller,” Cornyn told voters Saturday at aseafood restaurant in TheWoodlands, aHouston suburb. “It kills relationships. It kills careers.” Senate Republican lead-

ers in Washington, working to holdtheir thin majority, have worried outloud for months that Democrats could have ashot at along out-of-reach Texas seat,if Republicans nominate Paxton, who is popularwith MAGA voters but has had years of legal problems. Talarico, who has raised moremoney than Crockett, is part of the Texas primary’srecordfundraising pace. His campaign has spent $13 millionontelevi-

sionadvertising just this year,the most of any single entity in the crowded field of groups spending on either side, according to the ad-tracking firm AdImpact.

“Thatmeanswe’re buildingatrue grassroots movement,” Talarico told AP

Heading into Tuesday’s primary elections, the cost of advertising and reserved advertising time had topped $110 million, themostever foraSenate primary.Most of it —morethan$67 mil-

lion —had been spent by Cornyn’scampaign and alliedgroups,muchofitattacking Paxton, but also latelytrying to keep Hunt from advancing. If no candidate receives at least50% of the vote on Tuesday,the primary proceeds to arunoff between the top two vote recipients on May 26. Alate visit to Texas on FridaybyTrump, who usedthe Port of Corpus Christi as a backdrop for aspeech highlighting energy production, drewall of thetop Republican U.S. Senate candidates And while Trump said Friday he’s“pretty much” decidedwhomtoendorse,he declinedtoname who he’ll actually support.

“Wehave agreat attorneygeneral,Ken Paxton. Where’sKen? Hi, Ken,” Trump said. He continued, “And we have agreat senator,John Cornyn. Hi, John.” Noting that they’reina “little bit of arace,” Trump added: “It’sgoing to be an interesting one, right? They’re both great people.”

Despitehis long career in Texas politics, Paxton has painted himself as a Washington outsider and a staunch supporter of Trump.

“I’m not going up to Washington, D.C., to join the swamp club,”Paxton said at acampaign eventinFort Worth. “I will go up there and fight foryou.”

Venezuelan opposition leadersaysshe will return home

By The Associated Press

in the coming weeks and that elections will be held in the South American country

Machado did not set adate for her return but said that oneofthe objectives will be to prepare “for anew and gigantic electoral victory.” In amessage shared on social media, thepolitician called on hersupporters to “strengthen the unity of Venezuelans that beganwith theprimaries,” areference to the 2023 process in which she won thevote aimed at establishing asinglecandidate to competeatthe polls against former President Nicolás Maduro. Acting PresidentDelcy Rodríguez —inpower since Maduro andhis wife were captured in aU.S. military operation in January —has warned that Machado“will have to answer” if she returns to thecountry U.S.Secretary of State MarcoRubio hassaidthat change in Venezuela must go through phasesofstabilization, economic recovery andtransition. He has not indicated that elections could be held in theshort term. The58-year-old politician, akey figure in the Venezuelan opposition, was awarded the Nobel PeacePrize last year for herfight fordemocratic transition in Venezuela. She controversially later presented her medal to U.S. President Donald Trumpafter the military intervention that depositedMaduro, who nowfaces drug-traffickingrelated charges in U.S. courts. He has pleaded not guilty

AfterMadurowas declared thevictorofthe July 2024 elections, protests erupted which sparked widespread repression. The oppositionclaimedithad credible evidence that the real winner was Edmundo González, who replaced Machado after she was barred from participating.

SPORTS

Williams leadsLSU to winover

Miss.State

Junior sparks Tigers’victory in regular-season finale

BY REED DARCEY staff writer

STARKVILLE, Miss. – The LSUwomen’s basketball team fell into apair of offensiveruts on Sunday in agame againstMississippi State And MikaylahWilliams pulled the No. 6 Tigers out of each one. Thestarjuniorguard from Bossier City scored 26 points, grabbed acareer-high 15 reboundsand assisted four shots againstthe Bulldogs,leading LSUto a72-63 win in its regular-seasonfinale. She played all 40 minutes of thegame, doing so for just the second time in her career. Mississippi State didn’t quit. Itbuilt one double-digit lead, then erased another Williams, though, made sure theTigershad an answer for both threats. The pull-upjumper she hit in the mid-rangelateinthe fourth quarter wasall LSU neededtoice the win.

ä see LSU, page 3B

BY KOKI RILEY staff writer

For William Schmidt, this was always the hope.

Dominating hitters with strikes and devastating breaking pitches has been thegoal for him since the sophomore right-hander arrived on campus. Reaching this level had alwaysbeen in thecards for Schmidt, ever since he decided to pass up potentially becominga first-round MLB pick.

Schmidt was perfect throughfourinnings on Sundayagainst Dartmouth, retiring the first 12 hitters he faced. He dominated the Big Green with four pitches: Afastball that wasupto97mph,acurveball andsliderthat are arguablyhis best pitches anda changeup he threw early and often.

He finished the day allowingnoruns in 71/3 innings with nine strikeouts and zero walks,

ä see TIGERS, page 4B

Pelicans-Clippers endedafter this editionwenttopress.For complete coverage,visit theadvocate.com

HITTINGTHE MARK(AGAIN)

Chio perfectagain as LsUposts wininfour-team meet

BY SCOTTRABALAIS staff writer

There was something different about LSU gymnast Kailin Chio’sperformance Sunday in the Podium Challenge at the Raising Cane’sRiver Center Forthe first time this season andjustthe secondtime in hercollegiate career,Chiodidn’tperform as an allarounder in all four events, sittingout floor exercise. Buttherewas something veryfamiliar about what Chio did Sunday,almost routine. She posted another perfect 10 on balancebeam, women’sgymnastics’ most exacting event. It was thethird straight 10.0 scoreonbeam for Chio

and fourth this season, to also go with perfect marks on vault andfloor. Her six 10s in 2026 arethe most for any NCAA women’sgymnast and give the sophomore seven for her career The win wasalso Chio’s 50thcareer title in 24 events, helping propel the No.2-ranked Tigers to a198.200 totalinthe four-team meet, their second-best team score of the season. No. 3Alabama, which LSU beat Friday 197.975-197.600, wassecondat197.650, followed by No 17 North Carolina(195.950) and No. 27 Arizona (195.000). “That’spretty much the way you want adouble weekend to go,” LSU coach Jay Clark said. “You always stress

ruled out about an hour before tip-off.

Early in thesecond quarter Saturday night, Zion Williamson jumped and then landed on thefoot of Utah Jazz guard Elijah Harkless. Williamson’sright ankle rolled, forcing him to missthe remainder of the game. He also missed Sunday’s gameagainst theLos Angeles Clippers witharight ankle sprain, ending his career-best streak of 35 consecutive games played. Williamson likely won’tbeout long. He wasinitially listed as “questionable” for Sunday’sgamebefore eventually being

That’sgood news for aplayer whose career has been plagued by injuries. He’s returned from injuries this season much sooner than he did in years past, when the injuries tended to linger Credit all thepeople whohave worked to makesure Williamson’sbody has been in thebest shape of his career.That includes both thePelicans’ staffand Williamson’sown personal trainers. And also credit Williamson himself.

“There is an element of care factor that I’ve seen at amuch higher level for

him this year than I’ve ever seen before,” said Pelicans interim coach James Borrego. “That’sinhis workand how he showsupand how he prepares his body and his mind. Those are all things that I can boil it downto. He’sraised his professionalism,and I’mextremely proud of him that he’staken it to another level. Now it’sabout sustaining it,” Borrego said. “There is another level to get to.” The good newsfor the Pelicans is they no longer have to rely on Williamson to carry so much of the load. The Pelicans have moredepth now, which wasevident in Saturday’s115-105

Echavarria nabs Cognizant Classic victory

Meltdown by Lowry on closing stretch at PGA National opens door for Echavarria

BY TIM REYNOLDS Associated Press

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Nico

Echavarria didn’t make a bogey all weekend. Shane Lowry was on his way to doing the same, until the very end.

And that’s what decided the Cognizant Classic.

Echavarria who was three shots back with three holes left — shot a 5-under 66 on Sunday to win at PGA National, finishing at 17-under 267 and beating Lowry (69), Austin Smotherman (69) and Taylor Moore (68) by two shots.

“Sometimes you have to have good breaks,” Echavarria said He got them. Lowry didn’t. Lowry — who remains snakebit by PGA National, where he has now finished in the top 11 for five straight years without a victory was undone by consecutive double bogeys at the par-4 16th and par-3 17th, both resulting from tee shots that drifted way right and into the water.

It was Echavarria’s third PGA Tour win and first in the United States, and this one earned a second Masters invitation for the 31-year-old from Colombia. The $1.728 million winner’s check was the biggest of his career, about $200,000 more than what he got for winning the Zozo Championship in Japan in 2024.

Lowry was rolling along, chipping in for birdie on the par-4 ninth to start a run where he went 5 under in a five-hole stretch

And he had a three-shot lead over Echavarria going to the par-4 16th. That’s where his nightmare began.

Lowry’s long iron off the tee was to the right and found the water After a penalty drop, he hit a wedge back to the fairway and his fourth shot found a greenside bunker From an awkward stance, he blasted to 31/2 feet and rolled in the putt for double bogey trimming his lead to one. While all that was happening, Echavarria hit his approach on the par-3 17th to about 10 feet He made the putt to pull into a tie, punching the air as he watched the ball roll into the hole Lowry then made another double at 17 with an iron shot that was well short and right. He needed a miracle on the par-5 18th after playing his second shot into a greenside bunker Lowry’s shot from nearly 30 yards skidded by, and Echavarria — in the scoring tent, watching the finish — knew he had won.

Lowry was second in 2022 when the event was still called the Honda Classic, losing the lead after getting caught in a deluge on the final hole He tied for fifth at PGA National a year later, had the solo lead going into the final round before finishing tied for fourth in 2024, then tied for 11th last year This was, on paper, his best finish at PGA National. It just didn’t feel that way

Lowry’s implosion

Lowry’s 4-year-old daughter came to PGA National for the final round on Sunday, and he wanted nothing more than to see her running across the 18th green in celebration. And with a three-shot lead and three holes left, such a moment was within his grasp — until it wasn’t.

“I wanted it so bad,” Lowry said. “Just to see her little ginger hair running down the 18th green would have been the most special thing in the world I thought I had it. I thought I was going to win.”

Everybody watching probably thought the same until Lowry sprayed a pair of tee shots well right and into the water — first at the par-4 16th, then on the par-3 17th. Those two blunders, combined with a birdie from Echavarria on the 17th, added up to a five-shot swing.

“I’m obviously extremely dis-

appointed,” Lowry said. “I had the tournament in my hands, and I threw it away What more can I say? That’s twice this year now so far I’m getting good at it. I played unbelievable all day, and one bad shot on 16 completely threw me for the last three holes.

It’s never happened to me before.”

He had the lead on the 72nd hole at the Dubai Invitational in January; he made double bogey when par would have put him in a playoff. And his history at PGA National has been of the love-hate variety; he’s been 11th or better for five straight years, famously losing in 2022 when a rainstorm hit on the final hole.

“I was beaten that day,” Lowry said. “But I beat myself today.” Lowry hasn’t had an individual win in the United States since the Bridgestone Invitational in 2015; he teamed with Rory McIlroy to win the Zurich Classic in 2024,

and the 38-year-old Irishman was part of a win in a slightly bigger team event last year at Bethpage Black — the Ryder Cup, when he halted America’s dream of a historic comeback with the clinching putt.

“How do I feel like this now when I went through what I did last September in Bethpage and got through that fine?” Lowry said. “I just felt like it was weird out there; I just couldn’t feel the clubface the last three holes then after my tee shot on 16. It was strange. What can I say? It’s very disappointing. This is going to be hard to take.”

Doubleheaders for Homa, Kim Max Homa (tied for 13th) and Tom Kim (59th) had a doubleheader Sunday They were playing for Jupiter Links in a TGL match Sunday night, just about 5 miles away from PGA National. Homa wasn’t sure if he’d ever had two competitive events in one day before.

“I doubt I have,” he said. “I’m sure when I was young I might have got close, but I can’t think of it off the top of my head.”

Notes

Brooks Koepka and Ben Silverman played all four rounds together this week — and both holed out for birdie from the sand on the par-4 14th Sunday “I’m sure he’s tired of me now,” Koepka said. “He’s a good player. I’ve known him for a long time.” Koepka closed with a 65 to finish in a tie for ninth, by far his best finish since returning to the PGA Tour Max McGreevy made an albatross on the par-5 third hole.

It was the first at PGA National in the tournament’s 20 years at the course, the tour said. Defending champion Joe Highsmith finished 67th out of 67 players who made the cut. He finished at 6-over 290, 25 shots worse than a year ago.

South Africa’s Jarvis wins for second straight week

Victory at south African open grants him entry to Masters, British open

By The Associated Press

STELLENBOSCH,

spot in the Masters and the British Open this year Jarvis won for the second straight week on the European

tour, following his victory last week in the Kenya Open.

“I just had a slight feeling at the start of the week that something crazy was going to happen,” Jarvis said after his three-shot victory at Stellenbosch Golf Club.

The timing was ideal. For the first time, the Masters offered an invitation to the winner of the South African Open. Golf’s thirdoldest national championship also provided three spots to the leading players not already eligible for the British Open in July at Royal Birkdale. Francesco Laporta of Italy closed with a 69 and tied for second with Frederic Lacroix of France (65) and Hennie Du Plessis of South Africa (69). Du Plessis was the main chal-

lenger to Jarvis for most of the day He was two shots behind playing the 18th but finished with a bogey, which cost him a spot in the British Open. Those places went to Laporta and Lacroix because of their better world ranking.

Jarvis has played only one major, earning a spot in the 2024 U.S. Open through a 36-hole qualifier in England. He missed the cut at Pinehurst No. 2. He moves into the top 100 in the world for the first time and could be in line for an invitation to the PGA Championship in May

“It’s my dream as a kid to play at Augusta,” Jarvis said. “I thought about it in the morning it’s hard not to think about it I cannot wait to go there and see

Iran’s play in U.S. portion of World Cup in doubt

The president of Iran’s soccer federation says he does not know if the national team can play World Cup matches in the United States following the surprise U.S. and Israeli bombardment of his country

“What is certain is that after this attack, we cannot be expected to look forward to the World Cup with hope,” Mehdi Taj told sports portal Varzesh3 as Iran traded strikes with Israel as part of a widening war prompted by the bombardment.

Iran has been drawn in Group G at the World Cup and is scheduled to play in Los Angeles — where it faces New Zealand and Belgium on June 15 and 21 — before it plays Egypt in Seattle on June 26. The United States is hosting the tournament with Canada and Mexico from June 11-July 19.

Colorado QB dies in car crash at 23, police say

BOULDER, Colo. — Colorado quarterback Dominiq Ponder died early Sunday morning in a single-car crash, police said. He was 23. Ponder was driving a 2023 Tesla when he lost control on a curve and hit a guardrail, according to the Colorado State Patrol. The car struck an electrical line pole and rolled down an embankment.

Ponder was pronounced dead at the scene in Boulder County Police said a preliminary investigation “shows that speed is suspected as a factor.”

Ponder played in two games for the Buffaloes last season. The Buffs were slated to begin spring practice on Monday

“God please comfort the Ponder family, friends & Loved ones,” Colorado coach Deion Sanders posted on X. “Dom was one of my favorites! He was Loved, Respected & a Born Leader.”

USC scorer Baker-Mazara abruptly out of program

LOSANGELES Chad Baker-Mazara is no longer a member of Southern California’s basketball program, the team announced Sunday He was the team’s second-leading scorer while starting 22 of 26 games for the Trojans this season, including a 14-point effort in an 82-67 loss to No. 12 Nebraska on Saturday Baker-Mazara played 16 of his 19 minutes in the first half. He went down hard on the baseline and left for good three minutes into the second half.

No reason or details were provided by the team.

“He said he couldn’t go,” coach Eric Musselman said after he was asked about Baker-Mazara’s potential injury and his future status.

Australian wins event in Singapore by a stroke

SINGAPORE Australian Hannah Green has won the HSBC Women’s World Championship for a second time, holding off a fast-finishing American Auston Kim to claim a one-stroke victory on Sunday Green, the 2019 Women’s PGA Championship winner, closed with a 69, after an erratic back-nine with three birdies and three bogeys nearly opened the door for Kim. Green carded a 14-under fourround total of 274 at the par-72 Sentosa Golf Club and give her another title in Singapore after also winning here in 2024.

Kim had the equal-best round of the day with a 67 on the back off six birdies and an eagle, but bogeys at the second and especially at the par-3 15th ended her charge at 13-under 275.

Hillier holds off Herbert to win New Zealand Open

how my game compares with the best players in the world.”

Starting the final round with a one-shot lead, Jarvis holed a 40foot birdie putt on the opening hole, hit his approach to 2 feet for birdie on No. 4 and made a third birdie on the par-5 fifth. He finished with six straight pars for a 14-under 266. Jarvis is the second South African to win back-to-back on the European tour this season, following Jayden Schaper winning in consecutive weeks at the Alfred Dunhill Championship and the Mauritius Open at the end of December Former Masters champion Patrick Reed, who leads the Race to Dubai, shot 68 in the final round and tied for 29th.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand New Zealander Daniel Hillier held off a late charge from Australian Lucas Herbert Sunday to defend his overnight lead and to win the 105th New Zealand Open by two shots. Hillier also overcame strong winds and cold conditions to post a final round 67 for a 22-under four-round total of 262 at the par72 Millbrook Resort. Herbert shot 67, finishing 20 under at 264.

The winner of the New Zealand Open receives automatic entry to The Open Championship but as Hillier already has qualified, that prize passes to Herbert, who will now play at Royal Birkdale. Hillier became the first New Zealander since 2017 to win his national open.

Texas moves to No. 1 seed in latest NCAA women’s bracket

BY DOUG FEINBERG AP basketball writer

Texas joined UConn, UCLA and South Carolina as No. 1 seeds in the women’s NCAA Tournament if it began now

The Longhorns replaced Vanderbilt as the fourth top seed in the second reveal by the NCAA basketball selection committee of teams in line for the top 16 seeds Sunday Texas was a No 2 seed in the initial reveal on Feb. 14, which was shown right after the Longhorns lost to Vanderbilt.

“We were all viewing it the same way in the conversation it was so close and that head-to-head tipped the scales last time,” NCAA women’s basketball selection committee chair Amanda Braun told The Associated Press in a phone interview “The loss (by Vanderbilt) tipped it back. The overall resume of Texas is stronger than Vanderbilt in a few different ways.”

Undefeated UConn was still the overall No. 1 seed, edging UCLA and South Carolina.

“We had some conversations, obviously it’s not all cut and dry, but we feel good where we landed,” Braun said. “We do look at it as what has happened since last reveal and none of those three lost and had pretty convincing wins against really good teams.”

The committee uses 12 criteria to determine who belongs in the

LSU

Continued from page 1B

“They came out really aggressive,” Williams said, “playing really fast, playing really hard I think we kind of let it fluster us at the beginning, but once we slowed down, ran our offense, it didn’t let them force us to do what they wanted us to do.”

The Tigers could not have improved their postseason seeding outlook against the Bulldogs (1812, 5-11 SEC). They were already locked into a fourth-place finish in the SEC and penciled into a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament – behind a group of teams that won their last matchups of the regular season. At times inside Humphrey Coliseum, it looked like LSU could become the lone No. 1 or No. 2 seed to suffer a loss on Sunday

Then the Tigers (26-4, 12-4) started turning successful defensive possessions into productive offensive trips Across just the first and second quarters, they forced Mississippi State into 11 turnovers and capitalized by scoring 14 points at the other end — a large reason why they took a 35-22 lead into halftime.

Things flipped as soon as MiLaysia Fulwiley checked into the game at the 3:00 mark of the first quarter She and sophomore point guard Jada Richard combined to force five of those turnovers in the first half. Fulwiley tallied with 16 points, four assists and two steals, while Richard chipped in 12 points and four steals.

Sophomore center Kate Koval

corralled seven rebounds and blocked five blocks in her first start since LSU lost to Texas on Feb 5. Senior forward Amiya Joyner added nine points and eight boards.

field and where teams should be seeded.

“Things can still happen in the next two weeks,” the chairwoman said.

The top 16 seeds in the 68-team field will host first- and secondround games, with the regional rounds being played at two neutral sites for the fourth straight year Fort Worth, Texas, will host half of the Sweet 16, and Sacramento, California, will host the other eight teams.

UConn and South Carolina were projected as the top seeds in the Fort Worth Regional, with UCLA and Texas in Sacramento. The Huskies, as the top overall seed, would potentially have the FridaySunday games on the second weekend, allowing them an extra day of rest before the Final Four

Joining UConn in its bracket was No. 2 seed LSU, third-seed Louisville and fourth-seed Maryland.

The Bruins would have No. 2 seed Vanderbilt, No. 3 seed Duke and fourth-seeded Ohio State in their region.

The Big Ten had seven of the top 16 seeds and the SEC had five.

“When you watch them those are really good teams. Every element we look at, the Big Ten has a lot of really good teams,” Braun said.

“We don’t really know how many are going in as we are doing it oneby-one and then they are seven of the best 16.”

DENNIs

PHoTo By PATRICK

LsU guard Jada Richard scores on a jump shot in a game against Alabama on Feb 1. Richard scored 12 points and had four steals in sunday’s win over Mississippi state

The Bulldogs hit five of their first 10 shots. Then they missed 16 of their next 20 and finished with just 22 makes on 68 attempts (38%). They also missed 18 of their 22 3-point tries.

“They play hard,” coach Kim Mulkey said “Mississippi State is trying to get in the NCAA Tournament,” coach Kim Mulkey said. “We’re in. We’re the No. 4 seed in the SEC, and what happens a lot is, when you go on the road the last game of the season, don’t let that team outplay you because they’re trying to get in the tournament, and you know you’re in.

“Sometimes I think that happens. I don’t know that that happened today.” When LSU needed a bucket in

Tigers looking for answers to homecourt woes

BY TOYLOY BROWN III staff writer

The LSU men’s basketball team hasn’t accomplished consecutive wins in Southeastern Conference play yet this season.

The team had a good chance seemingly to change that when it faced Oklahoma at home after its double-overtime win at Ole Miss on Wednesday

LSU wasn’t close to achieving the elusive second win in a row, falling 83-67 Saturday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center The loss to Oklahoma (15-14, 5-11 SEC) was another example of how the Tigers haven’t played better with homecourt advantage during conference play

the road.

“I think it’s a very fair question,” the fourth-year coach said. “When you look at it, I think some of our better performances, our higher energy performances have certainly been on the road. You look at the win at Ole Miss Look at how we played at South Carolina, at Tennessee, at Texas, at Arkansas. I don’t have the answer as to why that is, but I certainly understand the question, and I see the same thing you’re seeing there.”

Joining the Gamecocks in Fort Worth would be No. 2 Michigan, No. 3 TCU and No. 4 Minnesota. The Longhorns would have No. 2 Iowa No 3 Oklahoma and fourthseed Michigan State in California. TCU is hoping to be in one of the Fort Worth brackets so that Horned Frogs wouldn’t have to leave home. The arena where the regional is being played is roughly 10 minutes from campus. Teams just outside the top 16 included Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina and West Virginia. Ole Miss was in the initial top 16 reveal.

The Final Four will be played in Phoenix on April 3 and the NCAA championship game is two days later

The NCAA has been doing inseason reveals since 2015 to give teams an early idea of where they could be come selection night. Sunday’s reveal did not factor in the games scheduled for later that day, which included South CarolinaKentucky, Duke-North Carolina and Vanderbilt-Tennessee.

Next up will be the reveal of the top 16 teams in alphabetical order a day before Selection Sunday on March 15. It’s the first time the NCAA will do that so as to gives schools an extra day to sell tickets as well as to give ESPN more time to get its equipment in place to broadcast the tournament.

the halfcourt, it put the ball in Williams’ hands. She broke the Tigers out of their offensive skid late in the first quarter, first by draining a runner through contact and then by sinking a short jumper from the paint. Those buckets set the foundation of the 32-10 run that the Tigers built across the last 13 minutes of the first half.

Mississippi State made a couple of adjustments. The Bulldogs’ fullcourt press broke LSU’s offensive rhythm, sparking a run they used to climb out of a 15-point hole and regain the lead. They led 41-38 at the 4:18 mark of the third quarter

Then Mulkey decided to throw out her big lineup the one that includes both Joyner and Koval — and that group helped LSU string together some defensive stops. Mississippi State missed nine of the last 12 shots it took in the third quarter, while the Tigers made five of their last eight.

Williams either scored or assisted on five of the eight field goals the Tigers made in the fourth. She shot 10 of 17 from the field and 2 of 3 from 3-point range, while also turning the ball over a career-high eight times.

“(Williams) is a special player,” Mississippi State coach Sam Purcell said. “The kid’s an All-American. What separates her is her high release and her elite handles.”

LSU,asateam,committed20turnovers — two short of its season high. LSU has now won at least 12 league games in all five years of Mulkey’s tenure. This season, the Tigers’ first postseason game will be a quarterfinal SEC Tournament matchup that tips off at 1:30 p.m Friday in Greenville, South Carolina. They’ll face either No. 5 seed Oklahoma, No. 12 seed Florida or No. 13 seed Mississippi State.

LSU (15-14, 3-13) has played eight games each at home and away against conference opponents. In Baton Rouge, it has lost by double digits five times. That has happened only three times on the road. While LSU’s home (1-7) and road records (2-6) aren’t that different, the Tigers entered the game against the Sooners with much different shooting numbers depending on the location. In home games, the Tigers average 7.4 fewer points and shoot 6.1% less from the field, 5.2% less from the 3-point line and 9.1% less from the free-throw line.

The team’s home shooting splits nose-dived more after playing Oklahoma, shooting 35% overall, which was its second-worst percentage in SEC play, and 26% from the 3-point line.

Coach Matt McMahon was asked why his team has played worse at home than it has on

LSU has tried to figure out the best way to channel the crispness it plays with in away games to home performances. One attempt at a solution was using the team’s routine for road games before playing at the PMAC, McMahon said.

The Tigers are not only making fewer shots at home, but they are also more careless with possessions. This is shown in the assistto-turnover ratio. The team has seven more assists than turnovers in home games, compared to 46 more assists than turnovers in road games.

Max Mackinnon, who had a team-high 17 points against Oklahoma, was asked about the difference in play of his team at home and on the road.

“It’s a tricky one,” the senior guard said. “Obviously, we can’t let that dictate how we play at home or away There’s no difference.”

Regardless of why LSU’s home outings have been more lopsided, it’s focused on the next game, which is against Auburn at 9 p.m. Tuesday at Neville Arena in Alabama.

LSU is No. 2 seed in latest NCAA tourney projection

Tigers haven’t been a 2 seed since 2008

BY REED DARCEY staff writer

The NCAA women’s basketball selection committee had LSU ranked eighth overall the last time it offered a glimpse into its top 16 teams. Now the Tigers are ranked seventh overall, which means they’re still on track to land a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The committee revealed Sunday morning, as part of a second and final glimpse into its top 16 teams, that it had moved LSU up one spot after it lost to South Carolina, then picked up wins over Ole Miss, Missouri and Tennessee. The committee still has the Tigers paired with No 1 overall seed UConn at the top of the Fort Worth 1 region of the bracket. LSU was an NCAA Tournament No. 3 seed in each of its first four seasons under coach Kim Mulkey. It hasn’t landed a No. 2 seed since 2008, and it hasn’t earned a No. 1

seed since 2006. On the women’s side, the 16 teams that are given a No. 4 seed or higher host the first two rounds of the tournament. This year, Fort Worth, Texas, and Sacramento, California, will host the Sweet 16 and the Elite Eight. The Final Four is in Phoenix.

The Tigers (26-4, 11-4 SEC) may still have a shot at landing a No. 1 seed. But first, they will need to leapfrog Texas, Vanderbilt and Iowa — the selection committee’s fourth, fifth and sixth-ranked teams, respectively UConn, UCLA and South Carolina are still the top three teams in the field.

The Tigers have already secured a top-four finish in the SEC regular-season standings, which means they’ll have a double bye in the conference tournament for the fifth year in a row Their run in that bracket won’t begin until the quarterfinals tip off on Friday in Greenville, South Carolina.

This year, the full NCAA Tournament bracket will be revealed on March 15.

Green Wave explodes late against EKU

BY GUERRY SMITH

Contributing writer

Tulane had absolutely nothing going with the bat on Sunday Coach Jay Uhlman called a timeout in the bottom of the eighth inning and summoned AJ Groeneveld for a conference on a 1-2 count with the bases loaded on free passes

Groeneveld immediately delivered a perfectly stroked oppositefield, tie-breaking single, and the Green Wave batted around from there with an eight-run outburst that finally put away Eastern Kentucky in the rubber match of their weekend series at Turchin Stadium.

The 11-3 win was in serious doubt until, suddenly, it wasn’t

“The lid was on the basket, and we couldn’t make a shot,” Uhlman said. “I just wanted (Groeneveld) to relax and trust himself. I asked him, ‘Are you a great hitter?’ He said yeah, and I said, ‘Yes, you are, and this is just backyard baseball.’” Tulane (8-4) won its third consecutive weekend series to start the season while Eastern Kentucky (3-8) fell to 0-3.

Groeneveld had extra incentive to come through. He played for Eastern Kentucky last season — making the All-Atlantic Sun freshman team — before following former Eastern Kentucky coach Walt Jones to Tulane when Jones was hired as a hitting assistant

“I definitely wanted to win the series,” Groeneveld said “It’s cool to come from the place that I was able to develop at and just continue to elevate my game.”

Tulane baseball coach Jay Uhlman,

fore the onslaught was over

“It felt like we were knocking and knocking and knocking,” Uhlman said. “Johnny didn’t find an infielder that time. He found the middle of the field They (the Colonels) set the table for us with three bases, but what I appreciated is they didn’t just gift us after that. We hit them.”

The Colonels took a brief 3-2 lead in the top of the sixth after Jack Frankel shut them down through five innings. He hit the first batter and surrendered back-to-back singles before shortstop Kaikea Harrison’s error allowed the tying run to score with no outs. A sacrifice fly off reliever Jack Brafa accounted for the third run, but Matthias Haas tied it with a homer to left leading off the bottom of the inning for Tulane’s second hit of the day

Eastern Kentucky’s Kobe Benson blew an opportunity to reclaim the lead in the seventh after stealing second base. He waited to see if center fielder Tanner Chun would catch a long fly over his head, getting a late start when the ball glanced off his glove. Chun retrieved it quickly after it bounced off the wall, and the relay throw to home plate beat Benson easily

The Wave won 5-4 on Friday and lost 6-3 on Saturday

During their conversation, Uhlman also brought up Groeneveld’s history with Wachs, a former summer-ball teammate telling him this was no different than those games.

Tulane had only three hits until Groeneveld’s swing. Johnny Elliott, Tye Wood, Jason Wachs and Matthias Haas followed with runscoring knocks in a long-awaited explosion that ended a much tighter weekend than expected

Rangers-Dodgers matchup highlights difference between past two World Series winners

BY TIM COWLISHAW

The Dallas Morning News (TNs)

SURPRISE, Ariz. Wedged between classic gold medal games in winter sports and the coming World Baseball Classic, MLB found a way to stage a battle between the two most recent world champions here Saturday afternoon.

OK, it’s possible the entire baseball community didn‘t view the matchup in such breathless winner-take-all fashion. Rightfully so. The Dodgers’ split-squad group that journeyed the 14 miles from Glendale (and ultimately lost to Texas, 7-6) was largely a skeleton crew of Triple-A bound prospects and wannabes.

There was the notable exception of Kyle Tucker batting second, a little reminder that the winner of the last two World Series, and the franchise that is shattering payroll and luxury tax records in the process, managed to add another AllStar bat at an average value of $60 million per season.

Small potatoes, as Hyman Roth would say

The Dodgers paid $169 million in luxury tax on top of a $417 million payroll last season. To the Guggenheim Partners owners, who bought the Lakers at a $10 billion valuation as an aside last year, these are minor matters With Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto bringing the entire Japanese market on board as Dodgers fans, the richest and smartest team in baseball has ways of generating millions beyond the boundaries of normal revenue sharing that rival owners never even stopped to consider Meanwhile, Rangers President Chris Young spent the offseason reluctantly shedding payroll from a losing team, dismissing Marcus Semien, Adolis Garcia and Jonah Heim from the regular 2023 World Series lineup. There’s a real possibility that the Rangers’ one and only championship season in more than half a century in Arlington will be largely viewed, in historical terms, as a fluke. That doesn’t mean it counts any less.

But a team that was in the process of collapsing in September of ‘23 before sneaking into the postseason as a 90-win wild-card team, then managed to win 11 straight road playoff games before retreating to the land of obscurity for two years is not exactly the regular contender that Young vowed to construct when he replaced Jon Daniels.

After two non-winning seasons (78-84 and 81-81), Bruce Bochy and his magic touch have been replaced by the younger more aggressive approach of Skip Schu-

maker He watched last year’s lost season as a special adviser Does he have enough to work with to get Texas back into contention? We are months away from finding that answer

What we do know is that while other recent World Series winners Dodgers in ‘20, Braves in ‘21, Astros in ‘22 — either won 100-plus games the following season or advanced to their league championship series, the Rangers have taken the Washington Nationals’ route of disappearing from the playoffs

Even if they haven’t gone to the Nats’ extreme six losing seasons, some of them big ones, since the 2019 World Series — the Rangers aren’t viewed as one of the Dodgers’ greater threats to a third straight title. The AL West has shifted, with Seattle now expected to replace Houston in the top spot, but the Rangers retain the look of a middle-of-the-pack team — plenty of starting pitching (if healthy), major bullpen questions and mostly just hoping for an offensive revival after scoring fewer than 700 runs the last two seasons (they had 881 in 2023).

One plus from the offseason is that Brandon Nimmo’s bat has not shown the diminishing signs that Semien’s displayed the last two years. But the fact that Nimmo turns 33 in March suggests that day is not far off. Still, for this season, the arrival of Nimmo in the outfield and Danny Jansen at catcher represent on-base percentage improvement the Rangers sorely need. Still, it’s not quite Kyle Tucker, is it?

Baseball being the game that it is, there are no guarantees even for the loaded Dodgers, who required a few late-inning miracles to hold off Toronto. But in a 30team league, DraftKings has the Dodgers at +230 to win the World Series, which means a $100 bet only wins $230 if LA survives three (or potentially four) rounds of playoffs. The Seahawks and Rams are +800 to win next year’s Super Bowl by comparison.

No one is asking owner Ray Davis to throw Guggenheim dollars at any of the Rangers’ various issues. But if they are to be anything more than a one-hit wonder like the 2005 White Sox or the 2019 Nats, the Rangers could use a great leap forward in 2026. It starts with claiming their first winning season since winning it all Both Schumaker and the fans will need a little patience while waiting for those bats to make some meaningful contact and point the Rangers in the proper direction.

“I tried to play free, swing loose and just drive it to the backside,” Groeneveld said. “It definitely broke the game open. It’s always good when you get to start a little rally.”

Tulane, which scored twice in the first inning after Eastern Kentucky starter Johnny Bingham walked the first three batters before being pulled, had come up empty in its few chanc-

es since then. Johnny Elliott grounded into an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded in the sixth. Nolan Nawrocki grounded into a force-out at the plate with the bases loaded right before Groeneveld’s critical atbat. Elliott then atoned for his double play with a two-run single through the infield. Six batters reached base consecutively be-

“When a guy turns his back, you’ve really got to be off,” Uhlman said. “He went back to tag because he thought (Chun) was going to catch it That’s a no-tag situation. You need to almost be standing at third.”

Tulane’s Tom Vincent (1-0) picked up the win, retiring the only batter he faced on a soft grounder to first base with two outs and the go-ahead run at second in the eighth.

Sapp resigns, Marve hired as the defensive coordinator

BY PAT GRAHAM AP sportswriter

Colorado coach Deion Sanders is putting the finishing touches on his coaching-staff makeover with spring practice starting Monday He will be without one of his good friends, too.

Hall of Fame defensive lineman Warren Sapp announced his resignation to “pursue other opportunities,” the school said in a statement. “CU athletics thanks Warren for his contributions to our football program over the last two seasons and for his commitment to our student-athletes.”

Sapp was the defensive pass rush coordinator for the Buffaloes last season.

Sanders promoted Chris Marve to the role of defensive coordinator following the departure of Robert Livingston, who recently took a job with the Denver Broncos as their passing game coordinator and secondary coach. Livingston spent two seasons with the Buffaloes, including the year Travis Hunter won the Heisman Trophy as a two-way standout

Marve was the defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach at Virginia Tech from 2022-24. He took a job with Colorado in December as the linebackers coach.

“Chris Marve was hired with the knowledge that he could one day

TIGERS

Continued from page 1B

leading LSU to a 3-0 win over Dartmouth at Alex Box Stadium.

“He’s going to be hard to beat when he throws the ball like that,” LSU coach Jay Johnson said.

Schmidt’s performance on Sunday isn’t a one-off. On Feb. 22 against Central Florida, he allowed just three hits in five shutout innings and he’s walked just one batter over his last two outings. His vastly improved control has allowed him to go deeper into games. Sunday was the longest outing of his career after the five innings he threw last week were a personal high.

“I’ve gotten bigger and stronger, so (I’m) not getting as tired and maybe being able to drive the ball down more,” Schmidt said when asked about his improved strike-throwing abilities. “(In the) offseason, that was a big focus: Adding a pitch and then just throwing more strikes.” Schmidt is LSU’s third starter, but his importance for the Tigers goes beyond just his role. This

for Colorado

FILE PHoTo By MATT GENTRy — THE RoANoKE TIMEs

Virginia Tech defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Chris Marve speaks to players during a practice in 2022 in Blacksburg, Va

advance considering his history and experience if the opportunity was presented,” Sanders said in a statement Saturday “He’s a teacher, a motivator and a man of great character.”

It’s been a busy offseason on the coaching front for Sanders. In December, he hired offensive guru Brennan Marion to instill a highoctane scheme Marion termed the “Go-Go” offense.

The Buffaloes now feature a Black head coach, offensive and defensive coordinators for the first time in program history, the school announced.

“I’m excited to get on the field Monday with these two extraordinary coordinators that will uplift our program on and off the field,”

year, he has the chance to ease pressure off an offense that’s had an up-and-down start to the season. He can also provide more depth to a rotation that’s breaking in a new Friday starter (Casan Evans), who is still easing into the role.

Johnson has had trouble finding a third starter since arriving at LSU even rotating through numerous options last season, when the Tigers’ pitching staff was at its deepest under Johnson.

The ultimate test for Schmidt still awaits in two weeks when LSU begins Southeastern Conference play at Vanderbilt. But maybe Johnson has finally found a Sunday starter this season with Schmidt.

“He said (the outing) wasn’t as sharp,” junior Jake Brown said. “I feel like that’s the best I’ve seen him throw.” Schmidt hit the second batter he saw in the eighth inning, so with one out, he was replaced by Angelo State right-handed transfer Dax Dathe. But Dathe also hit the first batter he saw and got immediately lifted for sophomore righthander Mavrick Rizy With two runners on and just one out, Rizy escaped the jam with a pair of strikeouts despite falling

said Sanders, whose team finished 3-9 last season.

Other additions to the staff include Vonn Bell, a longtime NFL player who will be an analyst and help with the safeties.

Dante Carter steps in as the defensive line coach for Domata Peko, who left to join the Pittsburgh Steelers. Aaron Fletcher will oversee the cornerbacks, while Justin Houlihan serves as an analyst in addition to helping out with the quarterbacks.

Johnnie Mack will take over the running backs for Marshall Faulk, who was hired as the head coach at Southern University. Clancy Pendergast was brought on board as a senior analyst. He will also help with the linebackers.

behind in the count on both occasions. Rizy then recorded the first two outs of the ninth inning before redshirt junior right-hander Jaden Noot closed out the win.

As Schmidt and the pitching staff dominated Dartmouth, LSU’s offense failed to capitalize on the zeroes they posted on the scoreboard. Brown blasted a solo home run in the first inning — his fifth of the year but the Tigers had just three hits for the rest of the day following his shot into the right field stands. Johnson declined to discuss why his offense is struggling, having scored just 11 runs over its last three contests, but he was not happy with the offense following Sunday’s game.

“I’m not going to get into it because I want to attack it with the team and not through you guys, as much as I respect all of you,” Johnson said. “I’m going to be very clear on that.” LSU will play its fourth game in four days on Monday in a rematch with Northeastern. First pitch from Alex Box Stadium is set for 6:30 p.m., and the game will be available to stream on SEC Network+

Durant’s LA 2028 hopes land on Spoelstra’s desk

BY TIM REYNOLDS

AP basketball writer

MIAMI If Kevin Durant ultimately decides to chase more Olympic gold, Erik Spoelstra seems interested in coaching him.

Spoelstra, the Miami Heat coach who will lead the U.S. men’s basketball team at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, said Saturday he’s aware of Durant’s recent comments about the potential of playing for what would be a fifth gold medal. And the concept is clearly intriguing.

“Just him saying that is incredible,” Spoelstra — an assistant on the 2024 Olympic team — said before the Heat beat Durant and the Houston Rockets 115-105. “You know, that’s the culture of USA Basketball. You just want the best American players to raise their hand and say ‘I want to do this.’ ” When the 2024 Games were complete, Durant said he wouldn’t rule out a chance at playing in the Olympics again. And Durant told ESPN in a recent interview that he “would love to” play in the Los Angeles Games, adding that he wants his level of play between now and then to convince USA Basketball managing director Grant Hill, national team director Sean Ford, Spoelstra and anyone else involved in the selection process that he’s worthy of a spot.

“Hopefully I get that chance,”

MARK

Continued from page 1B

over potential injuries and fatigue, those kinds of things, but our kids handled it. We prepared them pretty well for it. We moved some things in the lineup today, and to have the level of performance we had, I’m really pleased with how it went.”

Competing with all four events on raised platforms, and twice in three days, is a regular-season dress rehearsal for the postseason

The SEC Championships will be on podiums later this month, as will the NCAA Championships. NCAA regionals, one of which LSU will host at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, and the NCAA Championships, will have semifinal and final sessions over three days.

“Two meets in three days is a pretty daunting test,” Clark said.

“If you’re worth your salt, you want to handle it this way.”

Back to Chio, who is believed to be the first LSU gymnast in 31 years to post perfect 10s on the same event in three straight meets. The last to do it was Jennifer Wood in 1995 on vault

Chio had a 10 on beam Friday Feb. 20, at Oklahoma and Jan 23 against Kentucky. She also had 10.0 scores on floor Feb. 13 against Auburn and on vault at OU. Clark said it was important for the judges to have LSU’s other gymnasts set Chio up for the score she got. Amari Drayton who fell on beam Friday, had a 9.925 and Konnor McClain immediately preceded Chio with a 9.95.

“Those things don’t happen if the first five don’t do their job,” Clark said. “If you don’t show

Durant said Saturday “I’ve got to stay on top of my game. I keep saying that. I want to earn my spot on the team. Got to stay on top of my game and hopefully I’m out there with Coach Spo and his staff.”

Durant gave his time with Spoelstra at the Paris Games rave reviews.

“I’ve always been impressed with Coach Spo from afar, but to be in the same locker room with him, to see his intensity his scouts just made me want to run through a wall,” Durant said. “He was so enthused about being an assistant coach on Team USA and he understood that we wanted to make a statement out there as a team and he backed us.”

Durant’s place in USA Basketball lore was secured long ago.

He’s the only four-time gold medalist in men’s Olympic basketball history, after winning golds in London 2012 Rio de Janeiro 2016, the Tokyo Games that were delayed a year until 2021, then Paris in 2024. In Paris, he became the career leader in points for the U.S. in Olympic competition, passing Lisa Leslie for that mark.

“You can feel his passion for representing the country and having the USA on the jersey,” Spoelstra said. “He’s been incredible in those competitions.”

Durant said one of the big takeaways from his time with Spoelstra in Paris was how someone who is a head coach an NBA champion head coach, at that — serve

as an assistant. As part of Golden State coach Steve Kerr’s staff in Paris, Spoelstra was on the floor after practices and before games to work with players individually throw them passes in warm-ups, even rebound for them.

“Just doing the dirty work. Spo was great at that,” Durant said. “He made it exciting to come into work every day.”

Spoelstra says the 37-year-old Durant’s game is timeless proven by the fact that the No 6 scorer in NBA history, who is on pace to pass Michael Jordan for the No. 5 spot in the coming weeks, is still putting up numbers almost unheard of for someone at that age. At 26.2 points per game this season — 32 of them coming on Saturday — Durant could pass Jordan in about 10 games, or sometime around the third week of March.

“He’s an absolute tactician in terms of his work ethic and how he drills,” Spoelstra said. “It’s a great lesson for all the young players coming into the league. There’s one thing to get up shots and there’s another thing to really work player development and I think that’s a takeaway that we all had, watching him work during the summer those six weeks.

“After practice, before practice, the days in between, he’s going in there with intention to try even at this age — to get better and improve What a beautiful mindset that is.”

Mavs sign undrafted guard Nembhard to standard contract

The Associated Press DALLAS The Dallas Mavericks have signed point guard Ryan Nembhard to a standard NBA contract after he thrived as an undrafted rookie free agent on a two-way deal.

The multiyear agreement announced Sunday fills the roster spot created when the Mavericks waived point guard Tyus Jones, an 11-year veteran who was part of the three-team, nine-player trade that sent 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis from Dallas to Washington.

The Mavericks also filled two openings for two-way contracts by signing guard John Poulakidas and forward Tyler Smith. Dallas waived two-way guard Miles Kelly to make room for both signings. Nembhard was closing in on the maximum number of games allowed under two-way contracts when the Mavericks turned Jones

Continued from page 1B

victory over the Jazz at the Delta Center Saturday’s win over Utah was the fourth straight win for the Pelicans. They won six of their past eight games heading into Sunday’s late game against the Clippers.

loose to give him a chance to sign with a contender Dallas has lost 12 of its past 14 games and is on the way to missing the postseason for the second year in a row Nembhard has made 17 starts in 38 appearances for the Mavericks, averaging 6.7 points while leading all rookies at 4.9 assists per game He became the first undrafted rookie with at least 25 points and 10 assists without committing a turnover, scoring 28 points with 10 assists in a 131-121 victory over Denver on Dec. 1. Poulakidas started the season with the G League’s San Diego Clippers after going undrafted out of Yale. Smith started this season with Rio Grande Valley in the G League. He previously played one season for the G League Ignite before getting drafted by Milwaukee in 2024. Smith played 23 games as a rookie for the Bucks.

bounds and five assists.

“His poise, his playmaking settled us,” said Pelicans interim head coach James Borrego. “His pace. You felt him early Especially when he rebounds like that, we’re gone. To rebound like that at his size and position just fuels our offense. And he continues to grow defensively, making havoc plays out there. I see a focused young man. I thought he was fantastic tonight.”

was

In addition to missing Williamson in the second half Saturday, the Pelicans also played without Dejounte Murray and Trey Murphy (right shoulder contusion). Murray who returned Tuesday from last year’s Achilles injury, didn’t play Saturday since it was the first of back-to-back games. Despite missing so many weapons, the Pelicans still had enough firepower to build a 27-point lead and then stave off a Utah rally It was the Pels’ seventh consecutive win against Utah.

Just being able to step out there and contribute. We know (that) with the second group we are speed and space.”

JEREMIAH FEARs Pelicans guard

“It was huge,” said rookie Jeremiah Fears about the Pelicans stepping up in Williamson’s absence. “Just being able to step out there and contribute. We know (that) with the second group we are speed and space. We just continue to play fast, move the ball and play together.”

Fears came off the bench and recorded his second career double-double. He finished with 18 points, a career-high 11 re-

them something spectacular ahead of them, judges don’t typically go there. You have to include the kids that went ahead of her who got 9.9plus (scores), where you had to go up if it (Chio’s performance) was any better. We had a great beam set all the way through.”

LSU posted a 49.625 on beam, a quarter-10th behind its season-best beam score of 49.650 against Kentucky. The Tigers were the same fraction off their season-best score on uneven bars (49.550), led by a 9.95 from Chio. Clark credited assistant coaches Haleigh Bryant and Courtney Mc-

Cool Griffeth for their work with the beam gymnasts.

“Beam’s a different animal,” he said. “It’s such a mental game. They do such a great job of letting the style that appeals best to each athlete be the coach they deal with the most. Some of them like to hear Haleigh’s voice in their head and some like to hear Courtney’s voice in their head.”

With Chio a spectator on floor, it was Kylie Coen’s time in the spotlight. She dazzled with a career-high 9.975, getting a perfect 10 from one of the event’s two judges as the junior earned her first career win.

“I feel like it’s something I do every single day,” Coen said. “I’m just really grateful that’s the score it came out tonight. I wouldn’t be able to do any of it without my team and fans cheering me on. It was a blast.” Drayton won the vault title with a 9.95 as Chio settled for a 9.85, taking a small step back on her landing. Alabama’s Gabby Gladieux won the all-around title with a 39.575 (no LSU gymnasts officially competed as all-arounders), while the Crimson Tide’s Azaraya Ra-Akbar won bars with a careerhigh tying 9.975.

Saddiq Bey, fresh off Thursday’s 42-point outing against the Jazz, once again led the Pelicans in scoring with 24 points. Bey has averaged 25.2 points and 5 rebounds since the All-Star break, picking up some of the scoring slack in Murphy’s absence. Herb Jones finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Bryce McGowens scored 18 points and knocked down 4-of10 3-pointers.

The Pelicans had plenty of key contributions on the defensive end, too. They tied a season-high with 11 blocked shots. Ten of those blocks came from nonstarters. Six different Pelicans blocked shots. Yves Missi had three in his first game back after missing the previous

games with a left calf strain. The Pelicans got even more weapons back Sunday with both Murphy and Murray returning. Now the team is just waiting on Williamson. This time, the wait won’t be as long.

oUT oF THIs WORLD

In ‘Wonder’ the musical, young actors with facial differences find their voices onstage

BY MICHAEL CASEY Associated Press

CAMBRIDGE, Mass When Max

Voehl auditioned to play the lead role in the musical “Wonder,” he sensed he was playing a version of himself onstage.

Voehl, who was born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate, has endured multiple surgeries like Auggie Pullman 13 to Auggie’s 28.

The 12-year-old from Utah also has been bullied, much like Auggie, who is targeted over his rare genetic condition known as Treacher Collins syndrome, which causes underdeveloped facial bones and tissue.

“Channeling Auggie on stage is actually pretty easy for me because I have felt the emotions he has felt, and I have gone through what he has gone through,” Voehl said after a matinee performance at the American Repertory Theater at Harvard University. Voehl, who alternates the role of Auggie with Garrett McNally, who has Treacher Collins syndrome, called the experience “pure joy.”

Popular book becomes musical

Adapted from R.J. Palacio’s 2012 young adult novel, “Wonder” is a story about the power of kindness

BY MICHAEL LIEDTKE

and resilience. It revolves around 10-year-old Auggie, who lives in New York and is attending school for the first time after years of being homeschooled. The book was also adapted into a popular film in 2017 starring Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson as Auggie’s parents. Much of the story is about Auggie’s year at school, where the science whiz and “Star Wars” fan initially endures stares from fellow students and uncomfortable

questions about his face. He considers dropping out of school at one point but, thanks to a few friends and his family, perseveres and is awarded a medal at graduation for his strength and courage.

The musical also explores Auggie’s journey from the perspectives of those closest to him — his sister Via, who feels overshadowed by her brother and his parents, who

ä see 'WONDER', page 2C

Louvre director resigns in wake of heist

BY THOMAS ADAMSON and JOHN LEICESTER Associated Press

PARIS The Louvre Museum’s director resigned Tuesday after months of pressure following the October theft of the French crown jewels, as the world’s most visited museum faced widening scrutiny over security failures, labor unrest and a suspected ticket fraud scheme. Laurence des Cars quit after a punishing year for the former royal palace — the high-profile jewels heist from the Apollo Gallery, a mid-February burst pipe near the “Mona Lisa,” water leaks damaging priceless books, staff walkouts and a wildcat strike over overcrowding and understaffing.

The landmark has faced a narrative of an institution spiraling out of control.

And that pressure deepened in recent weeks when French authorities revealed a suspected decadelong ticket fraud operation linked to the museum that investigators say may have cost the Louvre $11.8 million.

President Emmanuel Macron accepted des Cars’ resignation as “an act of responsibility” at a moment when the Louvre needs “calm” and new momentum for security upgrades, modernization and other major projects, according to a statement from his office.

Macron wants to give des Cars a new mission during France’s presidency of the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations, focused on cooperation among major museums, the statement said.

For many in France’s cultural world, the resignation answers months of head-scratching over why no top official had fallen after the heist: a daylight robbery that many in the country saw as the most humiliating breach of French heritage security in living memory It also came as lawmakers and cultural officials widened scrutiny of the museum’s leadership and security practices in the months since the breach. Brazen theft

Thieves took less than eight minutes in October to steal crown jewels valued at $102 million from the Louvre, in a weekend operation that stunned visitors, exposed glaring vulnerabilities and left one of France’s most symbolically charged collections in criminal hands. Several suspects were later arrested, but the stolen pieces remain missing.

Des Cars, one of the most prominent museum directors in Europe, had offered to resign on the day of the robbery, but it was initially refused by the culture minister In remarks after the theft, she described the moment as a “tragic, brutal, violent reality” for the Louvre and said that, as the person in charge, it had felt right to offer her resignation.

Lightning rod

In an interview published on Tuesday by daily newspaper Le Figaro, des Cars said that she had tried to steer the Louvre through the fallout from the heist, but had concluded that she could

By The Associated Press

Today is Monday, March 2, the 61st day of 2026. There are 304 days left in the year

Today in history:

On March 2, 1962, Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points for the Philadelphia Warriors against the New York Knicks, a singlegame NBA record that still stands. Philadelphia won by a score of 169-147.

Also on this date: In 1807, the Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves was signed by President Thomas Jefferson. (The domestic trade of enslaved people was not affected.)

In 1861, the state of Texas, having seceded from the Union, was admitted to the Confederacy In 1877, Republican Rutherford B. Hayes was declared the winner of the 1876 presidential election over Democrat Samuel J. Tilden, despite Tilden winning the popular vote.

Continued from page 1C

Staying on, she said, would have meant managing the status quo when the museum still needs deep reform.

“I was there to take the lightning” as museum director, she said.

Des Cars also said that the October break-in exposed problems that she had been warning about since taking office, including aging infrastructure, obsolete technical systems and severe congestion.

She had led the Louvre since 2021, taking over one of the museum world’s most prestigious jobs as the institution emerged from the coronavirus pandemic and mass tourism returned.

Multifaceted crisis

In June, a wildcat strike by front-of-house staff and security workers forced the Louvre to halt operations, stranding thousands of visitors outside the glass pyramid and underscoring the depth of anger among employees over overcrowding, understaffing and what unions called untenable working conditions.

Workers said that the pressure of daily visitor flows — particularly around the “Mona Lisa” had become unmanageable and that promised reforms were arriving too slowly There were growing complaints that the infrastructure and staffing of the crumbling medieval structure haven’t kept pace with the crowds

WAYMO

Continued from page 1C

is likely to be London.

Tilden remains the only presidential candidate to get over 50% of the popular vote (50.9%) and not win the presidency In 1943, the three-day Battle of the Bismarck Sea began in the southwest Pacific during World War II; U.S. and Australian warplanes inflicted heavy damage on an Imperial Japanese convoy In 1955, nine months before Rosa Parks’ more famous act of defiance, Claudette Colvin, a Black high school student in Montgomery, Alabama, was arrested after refusing to give up her seat on a public bus to a white passenger In 1985, the U.S government approved a screening test for AIDS that detected antibodies to the virus, allowing possibly contaminated blood to be excluded from the blood supply In 2011, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled, 8-1, that a grieving father’s pain over mocking protests near his

pouring through its galleries.

The resignation came at an especially punishing moment, less than two weeks after French authorities revealed the separate ticket fraud scheme.

That case widened scrutiny beyond the jewels robbery and toward the museum’s day-to-day controls.

Fraud scheme

Prosecutors say tour guides are suspected of — up to 20 times a day — reusing the same tickets to bring in different visitor groups, at times allegedly with the help of Louvre employees, in a system investigators believe operated for a decade.

In a rare interview just days ago with The Associated Press after the fraud case was made public, the Louvre’s No. 2, general administrator Kim Pham, said that fraud at an institution the size of the Louvre was “statistically inevitable.”

He argued that the museum’s sheer scale — millions of visitors, multiple checkpoints and a sprawling historic complex — makes it uniquely exposed.

To help pay for more robotaxis, Waymo recently raised $16 billion as part of the financial infusion that puts the value of the company at $126 billion. The valuation fueled speculation that Waymo may eventually be spun off from its corporate parent Alphabet, where it began as a secret project within Google in 2009. Although Waymo is open-

Marine son’s funeral had to yield to First Amendment protections for free speech in a decision favoring the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas. In 2020, a tornado outbreak began in Tennessee, killing 24 people and causing massive destruction as at least six twisters tore through the state over two days.

Today’s birthdays: Author John Irving is 84. Actorcomedian Laraine Newman (Saturday Night Live) is 74. Golf Hall of Famer Ian Woosnam is 68. Musician Jon Bon Jovi is 64. Actor Daniel Craig is 58. Rapperactor Method Man is 55. Musician Chris Martin (Coldplay) is 49. Actor Rebel Wilson is 46. Actor Bryce Dallas Howard is 45. Hockey Hall of Famer Henrik Lundqvist is 44.

Actor Robert Iler is 41. Actor Nathalie Emmanuel is 37. Country musician Luke Combs is 36. Singer-actor Becky G is 29.

But he also acknowledged shortcomings, and said that the museum had tightened validation checks and increased controls.

New Renaissance

The succession of crises has put new political weight on a project Macron has heavily championed: the Louvre’s sweeping overhaul plan, branded the “Louvre New Renaissance.”

Unveiled by Macron in January 2025, the renovation, which could take up to a decades, aims to modernize a museum widely seen as overstretched and physically worn down by mass tourism.

The plan includes a new entrance near the Seine River to ease pressure on I.M. Pei’s pyramid, new underground spaces and a dedicated room for the “Mona Lisa” with timed access — all intended to improve crowd flow and reduce the daily crush that has become a symbol of the Louvre’s success and its dysfunction.

The project is expected to cost roughly $826 million to $944 million, with funding from ticket revenue, state support, donations and Louvre Abu Dhabi-related income.

The scale and cost of that plan now loom over the search for des Cars’ successor

Macron has framed the overhaul as a national priority, comparing its ambition to other landmark French restoration efforts and casting it as part of a broader defense of French cultural prestige.

ing up in four more cities, its robotaxis initially will only be made available to a limited number of people with its ride-hailing app in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Orlando before the service will be available to all comers in those markets.

wrestle with how to protect him while helping him grow more independent.

There’s also Jack, who becomes Auggie’s best friend only to betray him to score points with popular kids. He ends up reconciling with Auggie, choosing to do his science project with him rather than the school bully

A softer world

Director Taibi Magar encountered “Wonder” during the height of the pandemic in 2021 when she wasn’t sure theater would return. Magar was offered a proposal to turn “Wonder” into a musical and came to appreciate how the story shows people a way to live that is “a little softer and a little kinder.”

One of the early challenges was finding young actors with facial conditions to portray Auggie. The movie features an actor without any facial condition, who portrayed the boy wearing makeup and prosthetics.

Matthew Joffe, a consultant on the project who is a retired therapist and learning disability specialist, argued the role should go to someone with a facial difference. As someone who has a facial condition known as Moebius syndrome, Joffee feared giving the role to an actor without one risked “alienating” that community

“They were so desperate to get actors that will be able to play the role. They were willing to consider looking for actors and just making them up, and I put my own foot down,” he said. “The community would be completely outraged to know that an actor with a craniofacial condition wasn’t being used.”

First night jitters

In the end, the production found Voehl and McNally for the part of Auggie. Magar described them as “two extraordinary actors.”

McNally, a 16-year-old from California who had never acted before, saw the post on a Facebook group for the role and thought it would be fun to audition. He related to Auggie, he said, because of how people look at him “differently” and sometimes don’t treat him as “normal” person.

When he got on a Zoom call to learn that he was headed to the Northeast to be in major musical, he was thrilled but a little anxious that first night.

“I was nervous because I thought I would mess up or get stage fright, but it generally went pretty smoothly, except for that one time where I hit my shin on one of the tables,” McNally said “Other than that, it was a really good show and I was really proud of myself.”

Moms there for support

Sitting beside the new star was his mother Jules McNally, who never doubted her son’s potential but was surprised that he was “capable of such dedication and commitment” to the part. As the audiences watches her son, whom she described “as his own unique person,” she hopes the play moves people to act.

“I want people to leave the show taking the things that they felt, the empathy that they experienced,” she said. “I want them to go out into their own communities and do what they need to do to make people

feel safe and accepted and welcome.”

Garrett McNally and Voehl also seem to appreciate how the role of Auggie gives them an unexpected platform to change perceptions about those with facial differences.

“I’m making a difference in helping people understand that even though some people may look different or have like a facial difference, we are all in the end the same the on inside,” Voehl said. “It does not matter what we look like because we are all human.” Students cheer for Auggie

At one of the last performances, hundreds of screaming school children filled the theater The show ended a two-month run on Feb. 15. Many, like Dylan Marion, a 14-year-old from Malden, Massachusetts, lined up afterward for autographs — getting seven actors to sign a hard copy of the book. Many had read the book in school and were quick to compare the narrative with what they saw on stage. “I loved it. It was amazing,” said Aili Sparandara, a 10-year-old from a school in Cambridge, whose entire grade read the novel. “It’s nice how he has people out there who can help him. It was a lot of equality I like it. This book is based on someone with differences that can be shown It’s not like everybody in every book has to be perfect.”

PIscEs (Feb.20-March 20) Discuss your intentions and focus on getting things done. Keeping everyone you deal with up to date will help you gain momentum and avoid interference.

ARIEs (March21-April 19) Keep an eye on domestic expenditures. Don'tgoover budget or let anyone talk you into doing or purchasing something you don't need. Focus on personal development, growth and gain.

tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Impulseisthe enemytoday, so do your due diligence before you commit to something you don't need or cannotafford.Engage in an activity that encourages youto relax.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Take amoment to reevaluateyour life, purpose, direction anddesire. It's time to consider what makesyou happy and to let go of what isn't working for you anymore.

cAncER (June 21-July 22) Disregardwhat isn't proven, and head in adirection thatisclear-cut and doable and offers plentyofroom for growth. Stopdreaming and start acting on your behalf.

LEo(July23-Aug. 22) Change will serve you well. Take the step that offers a unique objective regarding your path forward. Momentum is crucial if you want to reach your target first

VIRGo (Aug.23-sept.22) Don't secondguess yourself. You are sitting in an opportune position. Partnerships, finan-

cial gains and thepursuit of knowledge and skills will pay off.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Take amoment to gather your thoughts and to work out apractical budget and realistic timeline. Spend moretime working from home, where you'll have fewer distractions.

scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Apositive attitude will help you influence thoseyou hope to entice to see things your way You have plenty to gain personally and professionally if you are forwardthinking.

sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Pay attention to detail instead of trying to sway others to think like you. It'swhat you do andhow youpresentyourselfand your ideas that will draw acrowd.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Stick to the facts.Embellishing information will hurt your reputation andleave you vulnerable. Speak fromthe heart, back up your claims and pursue your goals.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Adomestic change will be refreshing. Don't be afraid to be different or to go up against someonewho opposes you. Trustand believe in yourself,and find the path that offers comfort and joy.

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

By Andrews McMeel Syndication

Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created fromquotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands foranother.

toDAy's cLuE:K EQuALs y

FAMILYCIrCUS

Sudoku

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

Saturday’s PuzzleAnswer

By PHILLIP ALDER

LordChesterfield, aBritish politician wholed acolorfullife anddied in 1773, said, “Never seem more learned than the people you are with. Wear your learning like apocket watch and keep it hidden. Do not pull it out to count the hours, but give thetime whenyou are asked.”

At thebridge table, do notcount the minutes; instead, count the points, the winners, the losers. The more counting you do, themore successful you will be.

In this deal, South charges into six hearts. How should he play after West leads thespade king?

South decided that if he needed asidesuit finesse to work, it probably would, given West’s opening bid. So he adventurously used theGerber four-club aceasking convention, then settled into six hearts.

Southismissing15high-cardpoints.So it is just possible that East has the heart king. And if East has that king, West mustholdtheclubking,anddeclarercan take all 13 tricks. However, if the heart finesse loses, West will cash acouple of spade tricks.

Suppose, instead, that the club finesse is winning. How many tricks would that provide?

Onespade,six hearts, two diamonds and threeclubs —ah, 12. South should winwith his spade ace and playa clubtodummy’s jack. Then

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

Previous answers:

InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of four or more letters.

Averagemark

IBERVILLE PARISH COUNCIL MINUTES REGULAR MEETING, TUESDAY, JANUARY20, 2026

The Parish Council of Iberville Parish, State of Louisiana, met in Regular Session, in the Council Meeting Room, 2nd Floor, Courthouse Building, 58050 Meriam Street, Plaquemine, Louisiana, on the 20th day of January 2026.

The Council Chairman, Steve C. Smith, called the meeting to order at 6:30p.m. followed by the roll call with the following Council Members in attendance: Chasity B. Easley; District 2; Thomas E. Dominique, Sr District 3; Steve C. Smith, District 5; Raheem T. Pierce, District 6; Nadia Jenkins, District 7; Hunter S. Markins, District 8; Terry J. Bradford, District 9; ChasityMartinez, District 10; Charles Dardenne, District 11; B. Morgan, District 13.

Absent: Allen, Frazier,Jewell.

Chief Administrative Officer-Dwayne Boudreaux, Chief Operating OfficerRandall Dunn, and Legal Counsel- Nedi Morgan and Evan Alvarez were also in attendance.

Aquorum was present and due notice had been posted and published in TheAdvocate newspaper on the 15th day of January,2026. The Pledge of Allegiance followed.

Council Chairman Smith called for anyone wanting to make public comments to register with the Clerk. Six people registeredtospeak.

ELECTION OF COUNCIL CHAIRMAN

Legal Counsel, Evan Alvarezopened the floor for nominations for Chairman of the Iberville Parish Council.

Upon amotion by Councilman Dardenne, and seconded by Councilman Dominique, it was moved to nominate Councilman Steve Smith for Council Chairman. The motion having been duly submitted to avote was duly adopted by the following yea and nay votes on roll call:

YEAS: Easley,Dominique, Pierce, Jenkins, Markins, Bradford, Martinez, Dardenne, Morgan.

NAYS: None.

ABSTAIN: None.

ABSENT:Allen, Frazier,Jewell.

Councilman Steve Smith is declared Council Chairman. Chairman Smith thanked the Council for this honor and their support.

ELECTION OF COUNCIL VICE CHAIRMAN

Legal Counsel, Evan Alvarez opened the floor for nominations for Vice Chairman of the Iberville Parish Council.

Upon amotion by Councilwoman Jenkins, and seconded by Councilman Dominique, it was moved to nominate Councilman Raheem Pierce for Council Vice Chairman. The motion having been duly submitted to avote was duly adopted by the following yea and nay votes on roll call:

YEAS: Easley,Dominique, Pierce, Jenkins, Markins, Bradford, Martinez, Dardenne, Morgan.

NAYS: None.

ABSTAIN: None.

ABSENT:Allen, Frazier,Jewell.

Councilman Raheem Pierce is declared Council Vice Chairman.

ADDENDUM

A) None.

PRESENTATIONS AND APPEARANCES

A) Resolution of Recognition for North Iberville High School for making it to the 2025 LHSAA Football Playoff

•Councilman Dardenne read the resolution aloud and presented the resolution to Coach Gast and senior team members. Coach Gast thanked the Council for the honor and apicture was taken.

B) Resolution of Recognition for the retirement of Judge Alvin Batiste

Jr •Parish President Daigle read the resolution aloud and presented the resolution to Judge Alvin Batiste. Judge Batiste thanked the Council for their years of support and for taking the time to recognize his years of service to the Parish of Iberville.

C) Announcing Candidacy for State Representative District 60 –Chasity Martinez.

•Came beforethe council to announce her candidacy for State Representative for District 60. She stated that she will work to get real results for the Parish and that her timeasaParish Council Members will help her at the State level. She thanked the Council for their time.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Upon amotion by Councilwoman Jenkins, and seconded by Councilman Markins, it was moved to wave the reading of the minutes of December 16, 2025 and approve as written. The motion having been duly submitted to avote was duly adopted by the following yea and nay votes on roll call:

YEAS: Easley,Dominique, Pierce, Jenkins, Markins, Bradford,Martinez, Dardenne, Morgan.

NAYS: None.

ABSTAIN: None.

ABSENT:Allen, Frazier,Jewell.

The motion was declared adopted by the Chairman.

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

President Daigle reported on the following:

•Hestarted offbyrecognizing employees and their years of service to the Parish, Ramona Sanchez, 33 years; Andy Williams, 5years; Dustin Osmer,5years.

•Hestated that the Bayou Grosse Tete clean-up project is out for public bid. The Bayou Paul drainage improvements arecomplete. The project on Hwy 404 bridge in White Castle should be complete in the next few weeks.

•OnFebruary 23, the Parish will host the Black History Month Program. On April 15, will be Iberville Day at the Capitol and on April 18 will be Keep Iberville Beautiful Clean Up Day

FINANCIAL REPORT

Finance Director,Randall Dunn stated that the Council has received their budget to actual financial statements. He stated that they arestarting to work on the audit for the prior year and that the sales tax collection picked up at the end of the year

OLD BUSINESS

None.

NEW BUSINESS

A) Motion to reschedule the February 17, 2026 Council Meeting to Tuesday,February 24, 2026

Upon amotion by Councilman Bradford, seconded by Councilwoman Jenkins, it was moved to reschedule the February 17, 2026 CouncilMeeting to Tuesday,February 24, 2026. The motion having been duly submitted to avote was duly adopted by the following yea and nay votes on roll call:

YEAS: Easley,Dominique, Pierce, Jenkins, Markins, Bradford, Martinez, Dardenne, Morgan.

NAYS: None.

ABSTAIN: None.

ABSENT:Allen, Frazier,Jewell.

The motion was declared adopted by the Chairman on January 20, 2026.

B) Introduction of Ordinances a. Ordinance to amend portions of Chapter 9ofthe compiled Ordinances of Iberville Parish entitled “Garbage, Trash and Disposal”, Article III entitled “Solid Waste Collection and Disposal”, Section 9-36 entitled “Intent and Purpose” through Section 9-45 entitled “Violations, Penalty”. Set for public hearing on February24, 2026

Upon amotion by Councilwoman Easley,seconded by Councilwoman Martinez, it was moved that apublic hearing be held on Tuesday,February 24, 2026at6:00 p.m. on the introduced ordinance.

The motion having been duly submitted to avote, was dulyadopted by the following yea and nay votes on roll call:

YEAS: Easley,Dominique, Pierce, Jenkins, Markins,Bradford, Martinez, Dardenne, Morgan.

NAYS: None.

ABSTAIN: None.

ABSENT:Allen, Frazier,Jewell

The motion was declared adopted by the Chairman on January 20, 2026.

RESOLUTION COMMITTEE REPORT

The Resolution Committee met on Tuesday,January 20, 2025 at 6:15 p.m., followed by the roll call with the following Resolution Committee Members onlyinattendance: Dardenne, Pierce, Jenkins, Markins Morgan, Dominique.

Absent:Jewell,Martinez, Frazier

The following resolution was read aloud by Mr.Boudreaux:

A) Approve Resolution in oppositiontoany Legislation to provide for Centralized Sales and Use Taxtobeadministered by the Stateof Louisiana Department of Revenue

B) Approve Resolution to authorize Parish President to apply for Better Utilizing Investments to LeverageDevelopment (BUILD) Grant Program

C) Approve Resolution authorizing the IbervilleParish President to execute an intergovernmental agreement between IbervilleParish Government and the city of St.Gabriel forutility services related to sewer enforcement

D) Approve Resolution authorizing the Iberville Parish President to execute any and all documents and contracts related to aLouisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries project in conjunction with a United States Fish and Wildlife Service Grant forthe Planning and Development of ashotgun range at the existing firing range site; and to provide for related matters

E) Approve Resolution authorizing the Parish President to sign an intergovernmental agreement on behalf of theParish of Iberville with the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development to establish adetour route for bridge replacement on Callegan Road

Councilman Markins made arecommendationtoforwardthe resolutions to the regular meeting, seconded by Councilman Pierce. The recommendation having been duly submitted to avote was duly adopted by the following yea and nay votes on roll call by ResolutionCommittee Members only:

YEAS: Dardenne, Pierce, Jenkins, Markins,Morgan, Dominique.

NAYS: None.

ABSTAIN: None.

ABSENT: Jewell,Martinez, Frazier

The recommendation was declared adopted by the Chairman to forward this item to the regular meeting

During the Regular Meeting:

RESOLUTION IPC# 2026-001

RESOLUTION IN OPPOSITION TO ANY LEGISLATION TO PROVIDE FOR CENTRALIZED SALES AND USE TAXTOBEADMINISTERED BY THE STATEOFLOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE

WHEREAS,the following resolution was introduced by Councilman Bradford, and seconded by Councilman Markins

WHEREAS,the IbervilleParish Council and other local taxing authorities such as school boards and sheriffs have professional staffthat are extremely capable to collecting the local sales and use taxes fortheir Parish. These local tax collectors arecapable of providing information and assistance to parish taxpayers without having to depend on any telephone answering system in an attempt to resolve an issue. State offices have telephone answering systems when acitizen calls and thereisnothing but frustration of citizens in their attempt to speak with an individual to resolve any issue, including sales/use tax issues. State government agencies arenot responsive to calls forassistance from the citizens. Furthermore, citizens like to do business locally wherethey have ample parking available when visiting alocal sales/use tax office rather than having to drive around looking fora parking space, very few of which offer free parking.

WHEREAS,State government agencies frustrate citizens with all of the redtape and bureaucracy when acitizen attemptstoresolve any outstanding issue, specifically sales and use tax issues. The local sales and use tax collectors have the best knowledge and experience related to its sales/use tax ordinances and regulations, and have clearly demonstrated expertise and efficiency in enforcing its local ordinances, auditing taxpayers, resolving tax disputes and successful litigation of tax issues when appropriate. AParish governing authority can best provide for the needs of its citizens related to local sales and use tax matters.

WHEREAS,the IbervilleParish Sales and Use TaxDepartment has been very responsibletothe needs of its taxpayersand professional, courteous, and quick services aregenerallyrendered and outstanding tax issues areresolved immediately. The IbervilleParish Sales and Use Tax Department has received very minimal complaints from citizens regarding the administration,enforcement and collection of local taxes.

WHEREAS,local sales and use taxes areused to incur bond indebtedness forParishes, the local collector is in the best position to provide information regarding its sales and use tax ordinances and the collection and distribution of all local taxes. The Parishes do not need a Statetax collection entity to collect and distribute its taxes or to provide data on purely local collections and local bond issues forparish projects.

WHEREAS,the attempt to centralize sales and use tax collections is nothing morethan an attempt to usurp the power and authority of local governing authorities to enablethe statewide collection authority to obtain morefunding and deprive local governments of its much-needed tax revenues.

WHEREAS,this scheme and attempt to deprive local governing authorities of its ability to enact, interpret, collect and resolve any tax issues will not be in the best interest of local taxpayers, and one central collectionentity for the StateofLouisiana will result in much frustration, confusion and aggravation of the citizens related to purelylocal tax issues.

WHEREAS,a single centralized sales and use tax agency will result in the loss of numerous jobs at the Parish level with an adverse impact on the local economy

WHEREAS,itthe Stateislooking forefficiency in tax collections, perhaps Louisiana should allow the Internal Revenue Service to collect the Louisiana income taxes and distribute the taxes to the Louisiana Department of Revenue.

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED,bythe Iberville Parish Council, as follows: The Iberville Parish Council,asalocal tax collectionauthority,requests that each member of its StateLegislative Delegation for the Parish of Ibervillevigorouslyoppose any and all current and/or proposed legislation that transfers the Parish’ssales and use tax collections to the Louisiana Department of Revenue or any other State entity

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED,that acopy of this resolution be forwarded to the Parish StateLegislative Delegation so thatthey aremade awareof the Parish President and Parish Council position regarding this matter

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED,that acopy of this resolution be forwarded to the Governor of the StateofLouisiana, Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Revenue, Louisiana Chemical Association, Police Jury AssociationofLouisiana, Louisiana School Boards Association, Iberville Parish Industries and Louisiana Sheriff’sAssociation. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this Resolution shall take effect immediatelyupon its adoption. The foregoing resolution having been submitted to avotebyroll call was adopted in regular session this 20th day of January,2026 by the following vote:

YEAS: Easley,Dominique, Pierce, Jenkins, Markins,Bradford, Martinez, Dardenne, Morgan.

NAYS: None.

ABSTAIN: None.

ABSENT: Allen, Frazier,Jewell.

The resolution was declared adopted by the Chairman on January 20, 2026.

RESOLUTION IPC# 2026-002

RESOLUTION TO AUTHORIZE PARISH PRESIDENT TO APPLYFOR BETTER UTILIZING INVESTMENTS TO LEVERAGE DEVELOPMENT (BUILD) GRANT

whichprovides

local or regionalimpact

WHEREAS,the grant for this project may be available through the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) program operated by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s(USDOT). NOW,THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED,bythe Chris Daigle (Parish President) of the Iberville Parish Government that: Section1.The Iberville Parish President is hereby authorized to submit apre-application, application to the U.S. Department of Transportation on behalf of the Iberville Parish President for the purpose of

this project on the Project Priority List for funding through the BetterUtilizing InvestmenttoLeverageDevelopment grant program; and, Section2.The Iberville Parish President is furtherauthorized to furnish such additionalinformation as mayreasonably be requested in connection with the pre-application; and, Section 3.The Iberville Parish President is hereby designated as the Official Project Representative for the AggregateRoadImprovement Project for anyproject thatmay result from the submission of the pre-application.

The foregoing resolution having been submitted to avote by roll callwas adopted in regularsessionthis 20th day of January,2026 by the following vote:

YEAS: Easley,Dominique, Pierce, Jenkins, Markins, Bradford, Martinez, Dardenne, Morgan. NAYS: None ABSTAIN: None ABSENT:Allen, Frazier,Jewell.

The resolution wasdeclared adopted by the ChairmanonJanuary 20, 2026.

RESOLUTION IPC #2026-003

RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THEIBERVILLE PARISHPRESIDENT TO EXECUTEANINTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN IBERVILLE PARISH GOVERNMENT AND THE CITYOFST. GABRIEL FOR UTILITY SERVICES RELATEDTOSEWER ENFORCEMENT

WHEREAS,the following resolution wasintroduced by Councilman Bradford, andsecondedbyCouncilmanMarkins.

WHEREAS,Iberville Parish Government is aLouisiana body politic with authority to enterinto intergovernmentalagreements pursuant to Article VI, Section 20 of the Louisiana Constitution andapplicable Louisiana law; and WHEREAS,the City of St. Gabriel hasrequested assistance from the Iberville Parish Government Utility Department for the enforcement of sewer service charges, sewerfees, andcompliancewith sewer connection requirements, including the disconnection andreconnection of potable waterservice; and WHEREAS,the City of St. Gabriel requires assistance in enforcing proper connection to the municipalsewer collection system for customers located within three hundred (300) feet of the public sewer system, in accordance with Louisiana law; and

sewer system whenrequired, or hasfailedtocorrect sewer system infiltration issuesasdeterminedbythe City of St. Gabriel; and WHEREAS,the proposed IntergovernmentalAgreementdesignatesthe Iberville Parish Utility Department to implement andperform the terms of the agreement, including coordination of writtennotifications, door hangernotices, andproceduresfor shutting offand restoring potable waterservice, subject to the City of St. Gabriel’swritten direction and sole discretion; and WHEREAS,the Agreementprovides thatpotable watershutoffs shall occur only Monday through Thursday, excluding Fridays andthe day beforea legalholidayfor eitherthe City of St. Gabriel or Iberville Parish Government; and WHEREAS,the Agreementapplies to properties located within the incorporatedlimits of the City of St. Gabriel as well as areas outside the incorporatedlimits thatreceive waterorsewer services from the City; and WHEREAS,the Agreementsetsforth compensation to the Parish Utility Department for disconnect andreconnect services, establishesbilling andpaymentprocedures, provides for indemnification of the Parish,and establishesaone-year term with automatic renewals unless timely notice of non-renewal is given; and WHEREAS,the Iberville Parish Council finds thatenteringinto this IntergovernmentalAgreementisinthe best interest of the Parish and serves avalid public purpose by promoting cooperation between governmentalentitiesand ensuring efficientutility service enforcement; NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED,bythe Iberville Parish Council, as follows SECTION 1. The Iberville Parish President, Chris Daigle,ishereby authorized and empowered to execute,onbehalfofIberville Parish Government, an Intergovernmental Agreement with the City of St.Gabriel,substantially in the form described herein andcontainingthe terms andconditions set forth below andinthe attached agreement. SECTION 2. The IntergovernmentalAgreementshall include,but not be limitedto, the following provisions:

1. Authorization for the Iberville Parish Utility Department to disconnect andreconnect potable waterservice at the written direction of the City of St. Gabriel for nonpayment of sewer charges, failuretoconnect to the sewer system, or failure to correct sewer-related issues.

2. Proceduresfor customer notification,including writtencertification from the City andplacementofCity-provideddoor hangernotices by the Parish Utility Department.

3. Compensation to the Parish Utility Department as follows: oDisconnect during normalbusiness hours: $40.00 per meter oReconnect during normalbusiness hours: $40.00 per meter oDisconnect afterhours, weekends, or holidays: $80.00 per meter

oReconnect afterhours, weekends, or holidays: $80.00 per meter

4. Monthly payment by the City of St. Gabriel to Iberville Parish Government for services rendered, due on the last day of each month.

5. Indemnification andhold harmless provisions in favor of Iberville Parish Government.

6. Aterm of one (1)year commencing on the day of 2026, with automatic one-year renewals unless timely noticeof non-renewal is provided, andallowing the Parish to terminatethe Agreementupon sixty (60) days writtennotice.

SECTION 3. The Parish President andall Parish officialsand employees arehereby authorized to take anyand allactions necessary to carry out the intent of this Resolution andthe IntergovernmentalAgreementauthorizedherein.

SECTION 4. This Resolution shall become effective immediately upon its adoption. The foregoing resolution havingbeen submitted to avote by roll callwas adopted in regularsessionthis 20th day of January,2026 by the following vote:

YEAS: Easley,Dominique,Pierce, Jenkins, Markins, Bradford, Martinez, Dardenne, Morgan. NAYS: None

ABSTAIN: None

ABSENT:Allen, Frazier,Jewell.

The resolution wasdeclared adopted by the ChairmanonJanuary 20, 2026.

RESOLUTION IPC#2026-004

RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THEIBERVILLE PARISH PRESIDENT TO EXECUTEANY AND ALL DOCUMENTSAND CONTRACTS RELATEDTOA LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE AND FISHERIES PROJECT IN CONJUNCTION WITH AUNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICEGRANT FOR THEPLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT OF ASHOTGUN RANGE AT THEEXISTING FIRING RANGE SITE; AND TO PROVIDE FOR RELATEDMATTERS

WHEREAS,the following resolution wasintroduced by Councilman Bradford, andsecondedbyCouncilmanMarkins. WHEREAS,the Iberville Parish Council seeks to promote safe recreational shooting, wildlife conservation,huntereducation, andpublic outdoor recreation opportunitieswithin Iberville Parish;and WHEREAS,the Louisiana Department of Wildlife andFisheries (LDWF), in conjunction with the UnitedStatesFish andWildlife Service (USFWS), administers grant funding programs to support the planning and developmentofpublic shooting ranges; and WHEREAS,Iberville Parish intends to participate in agrant-fundedproject with LDWF andUSFWS for the planning anddevelopment of ashotgun range at the existing firing range site located within Iberville Parish;and WHEREAS,participation in said project requires the execution of applications, agreements, grant documents, contracts, amendments, certifications, andotherrelated instruments with LDWF,USFWS, andany other required state or federal entities; and WHEREAS,the Iberville Parish Council finds it to be in the best interest of the Parish to authorizethe Parish President to act as the official signatory for alldocuments necessary to carry out this project. NOW,THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Iberville Parish Council,

resolution was declared adopted by the Chairman on January 20, 2026.

RESOLUTION IPC# 2026-005

RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE PARISH PRESIDENT TO EXECUTE AN INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE PARISH OF IBERVILLE AND THE LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND DEVELOPMENT (DOTD) FOR THE PURPOSE OF ESTABLISHING ADETOUR ROUTE IN CONNECTION WITHTHE REPLACEMENTOFTHE BRIDGE ON CALLEGAN ROAD; AND TO PROVIDE FOR RELATED MATTERS

WHEREAS,the following resolution was introduced by Councilman Bradford, and seconded by Councilman Markins.

WHEREAS,the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) has planned and authorized the replacement of the bridge located on Callegan Road within Iberville Parish; and WHEREAS,the bridge replacement project will requirethe temporary closureofthe bridge and the establishment of an official detour route to ensurethe continued and safe movement of vehicular trafficduring construction; and WHEREAS,DOTD has requested that the Parish of Iberville enter into an Intergovernmental Agreement with

disruptions, and facilitate the timely completion of

project; and WHEREAS,the Iberville Parish Council finds it to be in the best interest of the Parish to authorize the Parish President to execute the necessary Intergovernmental Agreement with DOTD to establish said detour route.

NOW,THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Iberville Parish Council, in legal session convened, that the Parish President is hereby authorized and empowered to execute, on behalf of the Parish of Iberville, an Intergovernmental Agreement with the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development for the purpose of establishing adetour route related to the replacement of the bridge on Callegan Road.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Parish President is authorized to executeany and all related documents and to take any actions necessary to carry out the intent and purposes of this Resolution.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this Resolution shall become effective immediately upon its adoption.

The foregoing resolution having been submitted to avotebyroll call was adopted in regular session this 20th day of January,2026 by the following vote:

YEAS: Easley,Dominique, Pierce, Jenkins, Markins,Bradford, Martinez, Dardenne, Morgan.

NAYS: None.

ABSTAIN: None.

ABSENT:Allen, Frazier,Jewell

The resolution was declared adopted by the Chairman on January 20, 2026.

PLANNINGCOMMISSION REPORT

A) Approve Consideration of re-subdivision for Texas Williams •Brandi Spencer came beforethe Council in support of the proposed re-subdivision and variance forTexas Williams. She read aletter to the Council from Mr.Texas Williams. She stated that she doesn’tknow if she wants to build ahouse or put a new trailer on the property at this time.

Upona motionbyCouncilman Morgan, seconded by Councilman Dardenne, it was moved to approve as is. The motionhaving been duly submitted to avote, was dulyadopted by the following yea and nay votes on roll call:

YEAS: Easley,Dominique, Markins,Bradford, Dardenne, Morgan.

NAYS: None.

ABSTAIN: Pierce, Jenkins, Martinez.

ABSENT: Allen, Frazier,Jewell.

The motion was declared adopted by the Chairman on the 20th day of January,2026

B) Approve Consideration of re-subdivision forMyrick &Kent

UponamotionbyCouncilman Bradford, seconded by Councilman Dardenne, it was moved to approve as is. The motionhaving been duly submitted to avote, was dulyadopted by the following yea and nay votes on roll call:

YEAS: Easley,Dominique, Pierce, Jenkins, Markins,Bradford, Martinez, Dardenne, Morgan. NAYS: None.

ABSTAIN: None.

ABSENT: Allen, Frazier,Jewell

The motion was declared adopted by the Chairman on the 20th day of January,2026

C) Approve Consideration of re-subdivision for Chris Elliot Upona motionbyCouncilman Dardenne, seconded by Councilman Bradford, it was moved to approve as is. The motionhaving been duly submitted to avote, was dulyadopted by the following yea and nay votes on roll call:

YEAS: Easley,Dominique, Pierce, Jenkins, Markins,Bradford, Martinez, Dardenne, Morgan.

NAYS: None.

ABSTAIN: None.

ABSENT: Allen, Frazier,Jewell

The motion was declared adopted by the Chairman on the 20th day of January,2026

BOARDS &COMMISSIONS REPORT

None

DISCUSSIONS

A) VLSEnvironmentalSolutions •VLS is asite located along the Mississippi River andfor the last year andahalfthe Parish hasreceived numerous complaints about the vibrations coming from across the river to homes in the Plaquemine area close the levee. VLShas movedthe worksite on land andput up abarrier wall to help eliminate the vibrations or sounds thatare coming across the river

•Kyle Aymond, camebeforethe Council, stating thathehas been dealing with this issue since June 2024 andthateven with the workbeing movedtolandheisstill dealing with the vibrations andthe damage it hascaused to his house.Hehas sent videos to Council Members andthe Parish President. He stated thatbeforethe company started workthattheydid not experience sounds or vibrations. He just wants his peace andquite back. He also hasconcerns of whatthe constant vibrations is doing to his home •Clint Brownwell, Sr came beforethe Council stating thathe hasalso been dealing with the sounds andvibrations from this company.Hestatedthatjust wants the noise andvibrations to stop andthathis house hassustaineddamagefromthe constant vibrations.

•Marianne Freeman camebeforethe Council to shareher concerns with the about the ongoing vibrations andthe damage thatthis hascaused herhome as well. She

•Rebecca Vincecamebeforethe Council, stated thather driveway andconcrete have cracked from the vibrations and thather windows andpictures on the wall will vibrate. She would like somethingtobedone to stop this.

•Les Ann Kirkland, camebeforethe Council to attest to whatall these other people have stated. That she