The Advocate 03-04-2026

Israel steps up airstrikes in Tehran

Iran

widens response across Gulf region

BY JON GAMBRELL and ELENA BECATOROS

Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Israel

said it launched airstrikes against Iranian missile launchers and a nuclear research site Tuesday, and Iran struck back against Israel and across the Gulf region, targeting

U.S. embassies and disrupting energy supplies and travel.

Four days into a war that President Donald Trump suggested would last several weeks or perhaps longer, nearly 800 people have been killed in Iran, including some Trump said he had considered as possible future leaders of the country.

Explosions rang out Tuesday in Tehran and in Lebanon, where Israel said it retaliated against Hezbollah militants. The American embassy in Saudi Arabia and the U.S. consulate in the United Arab Emirates came under drone attacks. Iran has fired dozens of ballistic missiles at Israel, though most of the incoming fire has been

intercepted. Eleven people in Israel have been killed since the conflict began.

In other developments, the Pentagon identified four U.S Army Reserve soldiers who were killed in a drone strike at a command center in Kuwait The strike also killed two other service members. The spiraling nature of the war raised questions about when and how it would end.

LSU researchers develop breakthrough exoskeleton

Prototype meant to help prevent construction injuries

BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer

Tucked away in a lab in the LSU Human Ecology Building, an exoskeleton resembling a minimalist super suit hung from a female mannequin

“The initial idea of the project was creating a lower body exoskeleton that could assist workers in reducing repeat stress injuries, because that is a major reason for leaving construction.”

M-G TAyLOR, LSU apparel design doctorate candidate

A lightweight orange harness wrapped around the shoulders, attaching around the curve of the waist with adjustable straps The vest connected to hard-plastic braces further down the body that encircled the thighs and lower calves. When donned by a user doing repetitive motions like squatting and kneeling, the motorized braces will engage to offset some of the energy expended by the human wearing the suit.

“The initial idea of the project was creating a lower body exoskeleton that could assist workers in reducing repeat stress injuries, because that is a major reason for leaving construction,” LSU apparel design doctorate candidate M-G Taylor said. “Over time, the wear and tear on the body is just too much.”

Currently in the prototype phase, the exoskeleton was developed by researchers in engineering, fashion, computer science and other disciplines to address one of the biggest challenges in the construction industry: repetitive strain injuries, or damage to muscles, tendons and nerves caused by repeat use.

These injuries can be debilitating over

ä See EXOSKELETON, page 8A

Development office has $150 million to help attract new businesses

BY ALYSE PFEIL

Staff writer

Louisiana officials on Tuesday announced 19 industrial and business locations that collectively will receive $140 million of state money to develop land and infrastructure to attract new investments in energy, manufacturing and logistics.

The locations are part of the inaugural round of the new FastSites program, a $150 million revolving capital fund run by Louisiana Economic Development. The goal is to help Louisiana build development-ready sites to compete with other states for new business.

“FastSites is about making sure Louisiana is competing nationally,” Gov Jeff Landry said at news conference Tuesday

“When companies look at states like Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Virginia or Ohio, they don’t have a lot of time,” he said. “If the land isn’t ready if there’s no water, no electricity, no roads, no rail access or the infrastructure that they need at the speed that they need it they just scratch it off their list.”

Now, instead of waiting for companies to approach Louisiana before preparing a site, the state will have land that is “shovel ready,” Landry said.

The sites selected for development in the first round are: n Acadiana Regional Airport, Iberia Parish n ARQ Red River, Red River Parish n Avondale Global Gateway, Jefferson Parish n

‘Deadliest Catch’ deckhand dies

JUNEAU, Alaska

A deckhand on the reality television show

“Deadliest Catch,” which documents the lives of crab fishermen working in one of the world’s harshest environments, died after he was reported to have fallen overboard, the U.S. Coast Guard said Tuesday

The Coast Guard received a notification shortly after 5 p.m. Feb. 25 from the Aleutian Lady that crew member Todd Meadows had fallen overboard about 170 miles north of Dutch Harbor, Alaska, Chief Petty Officer Travis Magee, a spokesperson with the Coast Guard’s Arctic District, said by email Tuesday.

“He was recovered unresponsive by the crew approximately ten minutes later,” Magee wrote. Meadows, from Montesano, Washington, was in his first year as a cast member of the Discovery Channel show He joined the series last May but no episodes for the new season have aired.

Plane makes emergency landing in Hudson River

NEWBURGH, N.Y A small plane attempting an emergency landing crashed into the frigid Hudson River where the pilot and a passenger escaped the wreckage and safely swam to shore, authorities said.

The crash occurred Monday night, shortly after the singleengine Cessna 172 took off from Long Island MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The plane’s two occupants were a flight instructor and his 17-year-old student, New York state police said Tuesday

The pilot, Liam Darcy, 31, had reported engine trouble shortly before the plane went down south of the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge. The FAA is investigating what caused the crash Death toll in S. African collapse rises to 9

JOHANNESBURG The number of people killed in a building collapse in the South African city of Johannesburg has risen to nine, emergency services and city officials reported Tuesday, while the government readies to demolish the building saying it was erected illegally

Johannesburg Emergency Management Services spokesperson Xolile Khumalo said two more bodies had been recovered and one other body has been located in the rubble.

“The teams are busy extracting him from under the concrete rubble,” she said.

Johannesburg public safety official, Mgcini Tshwaku, confirmed that a total of nine bodies had been confirmed from the fallen building at a business park in the south of Johannesburg.

Trinidad and Tobago declares emergency

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad Trinidad and Tobago declared a new state of emergency Tuesday, only about a month after the end of the previous one, as authorities in the Caribbean nation continue to grapple with high levels of violent crime.

Prime Minister Kamla PersadBissessar cited credible reports of attacks planned against law enforcement officers in reimposing the emergency, which grants the government additional powers, including to make arrests and conduct searches without warrants.

Trinidad and Tobago has spent roughly 10 of the last 14 months under an emergency, with the last one ending Jan. 31.

Bissessar said the country’s National Security Council has noted that ongoing crime has led to “multiple deaths due to mass shootings and that the continuance of reprisal shootings amongst criminal gangs, if left unchecked, would endanger public safety.”

Man who gave son gun found guilty of murder

Teen accused of killing 4 at Ga. high school

BY JEFF MARTIN Associated Press

—

WINDER, Ga.

A Georgia man who gave his teenage son the gun he’s accused of using to kill two students and two teachers at a high school was convicted Tuesday of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter

Jurors took less than two hours to find Colin Gray guilty of all charges in the September 2024 shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, northeast of Atlanta.

Gray now joins a growing number of parents being held responsible in court after their children were accused in shootings.

Colin Gray was found guilty of second-degree murder in the deaths of two 14-year-old students, Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo. Georgia law defines second-degree murder as causing the death of a child by committing the crime of cruelty to children.

Gray was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the killings of teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53. Another teacher and eight other

students were wounded. Gray was also convicted of multiple counts of reckless conduct and cruelty to children.

Reactions to the verdict

Gray showed little emotion as the verdict was read and each juror was polled by the judge. Deputies then cuffed his hands behind his back as he stood at the defense table, speaking with his lawyer He will be sentenced at a later date. Second-degree murder is punishable by at least 10 but no more than 30 years in prison, while involuntary manslaughter carries a penalty of one to 10 years in prison.

Some relatives of victims wept as the verdicts were read. They declined to comment after court. Gray’s defense lawyers left without speaking to reporters.

“We talk a lot about rights in our country,” Barrow County District Attorney Brad Smith said after the verdict. “But God gave us a duty to protect our children, and I hope that we remember that, as parents, as community members, to protect our children because that is our God-given duty.”

The teen’s mother, Marcee Gray, wasn’t charged. She testified that she had urged her estranged husband to take any guns and lock them inside his truck so they would not be accessible to their son. She and Colin Gray were separated in the months leading up to the shooting, and Colt Gray lived mostly with his father during that time. She declined to comment when reached by phone after the verdict.

The shooting Prosecutors said Colin Gray gave his son the gun as a Christmas gift and allowed him access to it along with ammunition despite the boy’s deteriorating mental health. They said he had “sufficient warning that Colt Gray would harm and endanger” other people. Fourteen at the time of the shooting, Colt Gray has pleaded not guilty to a total of 55 counts, including murder A judge has set a status hearing for mid-March.

Investigators said Colt Gray carefully planned the Sept. 4, 2024, shooting at the school attended by 1,900 students.

Change in primary rules leads to confusion in Texas

BY SARA CLINE, ALI SWENSON and NICHOLAS RICCARDI Associated Press

Voters in two major Texas counties were turned away at polling locations and directed to different precincts Tuesday, after a recent change in how the primary is conducted created confusion and frustration.

In Dallas County, a judge ordered polls to remain open for two hours past the scheduled 7 p.m. closing time, citing “voter confusion so severe” that it caused the website of the county election office to crash.

The judge was acting on a petition filed by the local Democratic Party in a heavily left-leaning county. Democrats in Williamson County, north of Austin, said they succeeded in getting two precincts to stay open late.

In both counties, voters had been allowed to cast their ballot anywhere in their county for years. But for this primary, the local Republican parties opted against countywide voting. State law says both major parties have to agree to the countywide system for it to be in effect.

That meant that on Tuesday all voters could cast ballots only at their assigned precinct.

The campaigns of the two Democrats running in the primary for U.S. Senate denounced the effect of the change on voters.

“Both Dallas and Williamson county voters have grown accustomed to countywide voting, including on election day,” U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett’s campaign said. “This effort to suppress the vote, to confuse and inconvenience voters, is having the intended effect as people are being

turned away from the polls.”

The campaign of James Talarico, a state lawmaker, said it was “deeply concerned” about the reports of voters showing up at polling locations and being sent elsewhere.

Adding to the confusion was the fact that voting locations also might be specific to someone’s party affiliation, said Nic Solorzano, a spokesperson for the Dallas County Elections Department.

“We’re seeing a lot of people that are going to their vote centers that they usually go to and not realizing they can’t do that anymore. They have to go to their precinct-based location,” he said.

The extensions in Dallas applied only to Democratic voting precincts. Voting also was extended for an hour in El Paso County after problems with voter check-in systems earlier in the day Texas was one of three states kicking off the 2026 midterm elections, along with North Carolina and Arkansas. Voting otherwise went fairly smoothly, except for a problem with electronic poll books in one rural North Carolina county that prompted the state elections board to delay the release of statewide results by an hour

Shooting suspects facing federal charges

9 injured in attack at Ohio nightclub

BY PATRICK AFTOORA-ORSAGOS Associated Press

were discharged during the shooting.

“Our top priority is protecting our communities and holding accountable those who threaten them,” U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II said in the statement. “If you pull a trigger in an illegal act of violence or otherwise illegally possess a firearm or ammunition, rest assured we will do everything we can to send you to federal prison.”

Earlier Tuesday, Cobb was arraigned in Hamilton County Municipal Court on local charges of felonious assault in the shooting. He showed no emotion as he walked into the courtroom. During the arraignment, Hamilton County Assistant Prosecutor Connor Wood said Cobb had a “long-standing grudge” against an unidentified victim in the case, and when Cobb saw the victim inside the venue, he “immediately” opened fire, causing injuries to multiple people.

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Kennedypresses Noem on Homeland Security ads

BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer

WASHINGTON—

U.S. Sen. John Kennedy on Tuesday challengedHomelandSecuritySecretary Kristi Noem on spending $220 million for television commercials featuringher,thenquestioned whyshe blamed aWhite House aidefor callingprotestors killed by immigration officers “domestic terrorists.” Noem denied blaming Stephen Miller,White House deputy chief of staff,for her calling the victims “domestic terrorists” andsaid she acted with President Donald Trump’sblessing to makecommercials made under acontract she had nothing to do with.

“I’m not saying you’re nottelling the truth,” Kennedy,R-Madisonville, saidabout the commercials, with his hand over his heart.“Knowing the president as Ido, it’shardfor me to believe you said, ‘Mr.President, here’ssome ads I’vecut and I’m going to spend $220 million running them,’ that he would have agreed to that.” Kennedy’sinterrogation of the head of the Department of Homeland Security was part of anearly five-hour Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.

Democratic committee members revisited the killings of American citizensatthe hands of federal officers enforcing immigration laws.

Republican senators, on the other hand,largely praisedefforts to rid thecountry of immigrantswho enteredthe countryillegallyand blamed Democrats for shutting down Homeland Security’s subsidiary agencies, such as theFederal EmergencyManagement Agency.

The only otherRepublican joiningKennedy with critical questioning of Noem was Sen. Thom Tillis, of North Carolina. He was much louder andfocused more on FEMA’sshortcomings in handling recovery from Hurricane Helene in 2024

Later,during aspeech on the Senate floor,Tillis saidhewas so angryhewould stallconfirmations

of Trumpnominees and refuse to approve any legislation, including hisown, until Noem adequately answers questions.

Kennedy wasmorepoliteand low-key when he drilled down on the TV commercials, in which Noem warnedimmigrants whoentered the country withoutproper documentation and those in other countriesthinking aboutcomingto Americawithout permissionthat theywould be deported.

“How do yousquare that concern forwaste,which Ishare,withthe fact that you have spent $220 million running television advertisements that feature you prominently?” Kennedy asked.

“The president taskedmewith gettingthe message out to the countryand to other countries where we were seeing the invasion come from with putting commercials out,” she said. “That has been extremely effective.”

Kennedysaidhis recordsshowed

The Strategy Group, one of the two agencies contracted to handle the commercials, received the lion’s shareofthe contracts worth about $220 million. The firm’schief executive officer is married to Noem’s spokesperson, Tricia McLaughlin, andher top adviser,Corey Lewandowski, hasworked with the firm.

The other company,Safe America Media,was formed11daysbefore being picked, Kennedy said.

“The people that you ended up picking were people who had formerlydoneyour political work back in South Dakota. Is that right?” Kennedy asked.

“No, that’snot correct sir,” Noem said.

“I think it is,” Kennedy said. Noem said Homeland Security career officials, not political appointees, made the selections. Kennedy pivoted to her characterizing as “domestic terrorists,” Alex Pretti andRenée Good,two U.S. citizens whowere killed by federalofficerswhile protesting immigrationroundups in Minneapolis

“I think it would be safe to say yougot some pushback on that,” Kennedy said. “What got my attention is youblamed those statements on Mr.Stephen Miller at theWhite House, did you not?”

“Nosir,where you’re seeing that is in anews articleofanonymous sources,” Noemsaid. “I have never said that.”

Kennedy read fromaJan.26 newsarticle. “Are youdenying that you said that?” he asked.

“Sir,I’m notgoing to speak to that situation that is relayed (by) anonymous sources,” Noem responded.

“You said it. Theyare quoting youonthe record,”Kennedy said before his time for questioning expired.

Kennedy wasnot the only senatortorefer to Noem’s comments in news conferences after thekillings. Noem repeatedly declined to retract or apologize for the suggesting Good and Pretti were domestic terrorists.She said shegot theinformation from federal officers.

Senate Judiciary was the first to questionNoem as the shutdown of Homeland Security nears the end of itssecondweek. TheHouse Judiciary committee is scheduled to question her Wednesday Democrats refuse to fund HomelandSecurityuntil Republicans agreetosome safeguards on the aggressive actions of officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and theU.S.Customs and Border Protection.

Homeland Security also oversees FEMA,the Transportation Security Administration and other agencies. Almost all of the employees under Homeland Security have remained on their jobs without pay.

Email Mark Ballardat mballard@theadvocate.com.

BY STEVE KARNOWSKI and TIM SULLIVAN Associated Press

ST.PAUL, Minn. Afederal judge clashed Tuesday with Minnesota’s top federal prosecutor during an unusual contempt hearing that highlighted growing confrontations between increasingly frustrated judges and Department of Justice officials.

U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Bryan called Tuesday’s hearing to decide whetherU.S.Attorneyfor

the District of Minnesota Daniel N. Rosen and others should be held in contemptfor notheeding orders to returnthe personal property of immigrants who had been detained andthen orderedfreed. The property ranges from cash to identity documents to asingle shoelace. Bryan, who had said in calling for thehearing that there had been “numerous unlawful violations of court orders,” started Tuesday by saying it would be a“historiclow point” for the U.S. attorney’soffice if he held anyone in contempt

“Your honor has made aremark smearing myself,” Rosenshot back.The judge later called for a break in the hearing to allow for a reset, acknowledgingthe twohad “been alittle testy and frosty with each other.” Bryan did not immediatelyrule Tuesday on whether Rosen or otherscould be held in contempt and didnot give atimelinefor adecision. Things were calmer in the afternoon,with Rosensayingthere “was no defiance, no disobedience,” over

judicial orders. He said compensation would be paid in cases where immigrants’ property waslost, problems he said would “fall into the realm of human error,” and that the government believesproperty was returned in other cases.

“The government believes contemptisfar beyond anything that ought to be considered here today,” Rosensaid. Rosen’sofficeisfacing aserious staff shortage. Aseries of prosecutors have left the office over the past year,including arecent group

wholeftamidgrowing frustration with the administration’simmigration enforcement and the Justice Department’sresponse to twofatal shootings by federal officersin Minneapolis. There has been asurge in recent weeksofjudgesissuing critical and sometimes scathing statements and rulings over the fallout from the administration’sattempts at mass immigrant deportations, withthe Department of Justice appearing unable to always keepupwiththe flood of cases from the crackdown.

Trump: Someone in regime could lead Iran

‘Most of the people we had in mind are dead,’ president says

BY AAMER MADHANI and SEUNG MIN KIM Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that “someone from within” the Iranian regime might be the best choice to take power once the U.S.Israel military campaign is completed — but said “most of the people we had in mind are dead.”

The president, who four days ago had emphatically called on Iranians to “take over your government” once the U.S.-Israel bombardment ends, appeared to drift further away from the idea that the war presents an opportunity to end

the theocratic rule that has been in place since the country’s 1979 Islamic revolution.

Trump said that many Iranian officials his administration had viewed as potential new leaders for the country had been killed in the U.S.-Israeli campaign that killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and many other top officials.

Trump has not publicly identified anyone whom he views as a credible future leader for Iran. And it’s unclear what, if any outreach the White House had with Iranian officials since the war started.

“Most of the people we had in mind are dead,” he said in an exchange with reporters in the Oval Office. “Now we have another group, they may be dead also, based on reports So you have a third wave coming. Pretty soon we’re not going to know anybody.”

for “somebody that’s there, that’s currently popular, if there is such a person” to emerge from the power vacuum.

Trump’s comments came as he hosted German Chancellor Friedrich Merz for his first in-person engagement with a foreign leader since the U.S. and Israel launched the war against Iran.

Trump said he wanted to avoid a “worst case” scenario where “somebody takes over who’s as bad as the previous person.”

“That could happen We don’t want that to happen,” Trump added. “You go through this, and then in five years you realize you put somebody in who was no better.”

Trump said Reza Pahlavi, the exiled crown prince of Iran’s last shah who is trying to position himself for a return should Iran’s Shiite theocracy fall, is not someone that his administration has considered in depth to

take over leadership in Iran.

“It would seem to me that somebody from within maybe would be more appropriate,” Trump said, adding that it may make sense

BY MATT SEDENSKY and STEFANIE DAZIO Associated Press

Frustrated and anxious travelers clamored Tuesday for ways out of the Middle East and beyond as the widening Iran war constrained commercial flights through the region for a fourth day, stranding tens of thousands of people.

The conflict that started Saturday when the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran grounded airline passengers in major Mideast cities as well as ones awaiting connecting flights in countries far from the threat of airstrikes. With national airspaces closed or tightly restricted across

much of the Gulf, many were unsure what to do and appealed to their governments for information and exit strategies.

“They say ‘Get out,’ but how do you expect us to get out when airspaces are closed?” said Odies Turner, a 32-year-old chef from Dallas who was stuck in Doha, Qatar “They just have been canceling every flight. I want to go home.”

The U.S. State Department told American citizens to leave more than a dozen countries in the region right away using any available commercial transportation. The countries included Iran and Israel, as well as Qatar, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan,

Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, the Palestinian territories, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

But commercial options remained limited. About 18,000 flights, or nearly 55% of all scheduled flight arrivals and departures in the Middle East, have been canceled since Saturday, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. The number included 3,800 cancellations on Tuesday

The State Department said Tuesday it was “actively securing” military and charter aircraft to fly Americans out of the region. It said it was in contact with nearly 3,000 citizens seeking assistance or information.

OPENINGSOON

After the most recent round of discussions in Geneva, Switzerland, last week, Witkoff and Kushner told Trump that reaching a nuclear agreement similar to one that former President Barack Obama struck in 2015 was possible, according to a senior administration official.

The official, who briefed journalists on condition of anonymity, described it as a potential “Obama-plus deal” and Witkoff and Kushner believed such an agreement would take months, but was possible.

The White House has stepped up its push to counter criticism that it moved unnecessarily quickly to launch a war of choice against Iran. Trump’s decision to strike last week followed lengthy negotiations by the president’s envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner with the Iranians — talks the U.S. increasingly viewed as an effort to stall any progress.

The administration has offered various objectives, including destroying Iran’smissilecapabilities, wipingout itsnavy,preventing it fromobtaining anuclear weapon and ensuring it cannot continueto support allied armed groups

While the initial U.S.-Israeli strikes killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei andTrump urged Iranians to overthrow their government, senior administration officials have since said regime change was not the goal.

Trump on Tuesday seemed to downplay chances of the war ending Iran’stheocratic rule, saying that “someone from within” the Iranian regimemight be the best choice to take power once the U.S.Israel campaign is finished.

SpeakingTuesday from the Oval Office, Trump said RezaPahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’stoppled shah, is not someonethathis administration has considered in depth to take over.

As far as possible leaders inside Iran, “the people we had in mind are dead,” Trump said.

“I guess the worst case would be do this, and then somebody takes over who’sasbad as the previous person, right? That could happen,” Trump said. “Wedon’twantthat to happen.”

Iran’sleaders are scrambling to replace Khamenei,who ruled the country for37years. It’s only the second time since the 1979 Islamic Revolution that anew supreme leaderisbeing chosen. Potential candidates range from hard-liners committed to confrontation with the West to reformists who seek diplomatic engagement.

Information coming out ofIran hasbeen limited becauseofpoor communications, round-the-clock airstrikesand tight restrictions on journalists. But across Iran’scapital, aircraft were heard overhead, andexplosions rang out.

The Israeli military said it conducted awave of airstrikes on sites thatproduce and store ballistic missiles,inTehran and Isfahan. It also saiditdestroyed what it called Iran’ssecret, undergroundnuclear headquarters. Without providing evidence, it said thesitewas used for scientific research“to develop akey component fornuclearweapons.”

“The regime attempted to re-

build its efforts and conceal them, thinkingwewouldn’t notice. They were mistaken,” said Israeli militaryspokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin.

There was no immediatepublic comment fromthe U.S. or Iran aboutthe site Israelnamed.

Iran has said it has not enriched

uranium sinceJune,though it has maintained itsright to do so and says itsnuclear program is peaceful.

The UnitedNations’ nuclear watchdogsaidIran’sNatanznuclear enrichment site had sustained “some recent damage,” though there was “no radiological con-

sequence expected.” TheU.S.hit Natanz during the 12-day war in June, when Israeli and American strikes greatly weakened Iran’s nuclear program New rounds of U.S.and Israeli airstrikes rattled Iran.

“Sincemidnight,I andmywife arehearing sound of explosions,” said Ali Amoli, an engineer living in north Tehran.

Satelliteimages published TuesdaybyColorado-basedcompany Vantor showed the domed roof of Iran’spresidentialcomplexinTehranhad been destroyed,supporting Israel’sclaim of an overnight strike.Iran didnot acknowledge thedamage or report anycasualties

Defrin saidthe Israelimilitary struck abuilding in the Iranian city of Qom whereclerics were expected to meet to discuss selecting anew supreme leader.Hesaid the army was still assessing whether anyone was hit.

Anorth Tehranresident who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliationdescribed growing fears in thecapital as it comes under heavybombardment. The resident said most storesin thenormally bustling area of Tajrish were closed,thoughbakeries and supermarkets remained open.

An attack fromtwo drones on the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh caused a “limited fire,” according to the Saudi ArabianDefense Ministry, and the embassy urged Americans to avoid the compound.

An Iranian drone strucka parking lotoutside theU.S.consulate in Dubai, sparking asmallfire, SecretaryofState MarcoRubio saidin Washington. He said all personnel were accounted for.

The UnitedArabEmirates said it has intercepted thevast majority of morethan 1,000 Iranian missile and drone attacks against it.

U.S. embassies in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait andLebanon said they were closed to the public.

The U.S. State Department ordered the evacuation of non-emergency personnel and family in Kuwait,Bahrain, Iraq,Qatar,Jordan and the UnitedArab Emirates. The U.S. also urged its citizens to leave morethan adozen Middle Eastern countries, though with much of the airspace closed, many were stranded.

The State Department said Tuesday it’spreparing military and charter flights forAmericans who want to leavethe Middle East. Several other countries also arranged evacuation flights fortheircitizens.

The U.S.-Israeli strikes have killed at least 787 people in Iran, according to the Red Crescent Society. In Lebanon, where Israel launched retaliatory strikes on the Iranian-supported militant group Hezbollah, 50 people were killed, including seven children, Lebanon’shealth ministry said.

The U.S. military has confirmed six deaths of American service members. In addition, three people werekilled in the United Arab Emirates, and one each in Kuwait and Bahrain.

The four dead American soldiers whowere identified Tuesday were assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command in Des Moines, lowa. Killed wereCapt. Cody A. Khork, 35, of Winter Haven,Florida;Sgt 1st Class NoahL.Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor,39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota; andSpc.Declan J. Coady,20, of West Des Moines, lowa.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan FidanonTuesdaycriticized Iran’s attacks against Gulf neighbors that hadworked to prevent war as an “incredibly flawed strategy” that threatened to widenthe war if those states decide to retaliate.

Parish n Franklinton Industrial Park, Washington Parish

n Gulf South Commerce Park, St. Tammany Parish

n Lake Charles Regional Airport, Calcasieu Parish

n McLeod Business Park, Lafourche Parish

n Natchitoches Parish Port Warehouse, Natchitoches Parish

n Naval Support Activity Site, Orleans Parish

n Port Dis-Tran, Rapides Parish

n Port of Caddo Bossier, Caddo Parish

n Port of Columbia, Caldwell Parish

n Port Vinton, Calcasieu Parish

n Riverplex MegaPark Port, Ascension Parish

n ScaleBTR, East Baton Rouge Parish

n South Monroe Industrial Park, Ouachita Parish.

LED did not immediately disclose dollar amounts for each project or other details, saying more information will roll out over the coming months as project agreements are finalized.

The minimum award amount is $1 million and the maximum is $25 million.

EXOSKELETON

Continued from page 1A

the long term and force workers into early retirement, with chronic pain to boot.

And women who work in the industry face a unique risk: injury caused by poorly fitting equipment that was designed for men and untested on female bodies.

“There have been a couple of instances with these safety harnesses where, female workers specifically, they have fallen,” Taylor said “They’ve been strapped in the way they should, but their breasts have actually been ripped off.”

The exoskeleton will function for men and women, but the development team

The sites, which are scattered throughout the state in 16 parishes, were selected through a competitive process. Susan Bourgeois, secretary of Louisiana Economic Development, said Tuesday that projects were chosen based on industry demand, how quickly the money could be put to use, a clear project

scope and delivery timeline, and a measurable return on the state’s investment.

One of the conditions for a project award is a 100% return to the state fund within five years, Bourgeois said. But she also noted that, under some of the agreements, which are tailored for each individual project, “the state’s gonna

Doctoral candidate M-G Taylor explains how the exoskeleton harness system is designed to help monitor and relieve stress on construction workers.

wanted to use the “female morphology” as its starting point to challenge the bias toward male forms when creating products, Taylor said.

The prototype fits women sizes 8 through 12, around 5 feet, 7 inches tall.

“There is a bit of a malefirst default in design — oh,

see an upside well beyond the dollar investment we’re making.”

“The floor is dollar-for-dollar repayment, but there isn’t a ceiling,” she said.

Bourgeois said having sites ready is one of the first steps to ensuring that businesses seriously consider Louisiana as a place to invest.

“Companies eliminate sites im-

if you can design it for a guy, it will work for everybody,” Taylor said “We are still designing for everybody; we’re just starting with the female user.”

The top half of the suit features mesh panels for breathability and contains a slot for a battery pack, which powers the motorized lower half of the suit Many individual parts of the exoskeleton are produced with a 3D printer

Engineering researchers are building sensors for the leg braces to measure muscle fatigue in real time, Taylor said. As the worker exerts energy, the motor will engage to alleviate some of the stress put on the body

“The sensors that engineering is working on designing will track and monitor and then compensate for

the fatigue,” Taylor said.

mediately if gaps exist,” she said.

Last year, the Louisiana Legislature gave $150 million to Louisiana Economic Development for a new fund specifically dedicated to “site investment and infrastructure improvements for economic development purposes.”

The aim is to create “marketready sites, places where businesses can build and grow quickly,” according to the FastSites program website. Parishes, cities, towns, redevelopment authorities, nonprofit groups and local or regional economic development groups can apply for project funding. Private landowners can apply for the money too but must agree to certain conditions.

The money can be used for things like creating new access roads and intersections; land and property improvements like drainage, tree-clearing, filling wetlands and building demolition; setting up utilities like water, power, sewer and internet; and creating rail access, among others.

There were 50 applicants for the initial round of funding, and 19 projects worth $140 million were selected.

Bourgeois said because a portion of the $150 million fund has not yet been awarded, the agency may open another round of applications to fund additional, smaller projects.

Across multiple prototypes, the researchers adjusted issues with weight distribution and fit, Taylor said. The model will move into wear trials this spring to measure comfort level, chafing, thermal output and other factors.

“You don’t want all the weight on your shoulders; you don’t want all the weight on your hips,” Taylor said.

“That will cause a different kind of repeat stress injury.”

The goal of the project is to sell the exoskeleton to construction companies for widespread use. The product is different from others on the market because of the attention to the female form as well as its hybrid model of mechanized and analog features, Taylor said.

The construction indus-

try is in the early stages of adopting exoskeletons, Taylor said.

“In construction, they are starting to, but they are big, bulky, fully automated exoskeletons,” Taylor said.

“They’re a robot suit.” The wearable suit will also help reduce the “labor gap” on construction sites, Taylor said.

“When construction workers, male and female, have been put against one another, it is the same muscle, energy output,” Taylor said.

“The female workers and the male workers are doing the same amount of work, but maybe due to heckling, maybe due to societal pressures, the female workers feel like they can’t. This is hopefully going to alleviate some of that perceived difference.”

Lawmakersquestioncosts,risks of war

Tempers flareat

U.S. Capitol

BY LISA MASCARO AP congressional correspondent

WASHINGTON Tensions

flaredasquestions mounted at theU.S.Capitol on Tuesday over the Trump administration’sshifting rationale forwar withIranaslawmakers demand answers over the strategy,exit plan and costs to Americansin lives and dollars for what is quicklybecoming awidening Middle East conflict.

Trump officials made their case at theCapitol during a second day of closed-door briefings, this time with all membersofthe House and Senate ahead of alooming war powers resolution vote intended to restrict Trump’s ability to continue the joint U.S.-Israel campaign against Iran

“The president determined we were not goingtoget hitfirst. It’s that simple,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in atesty exchange with reporters at the Capitol.

Rubio pushed back on his ownsuggestiona dayearlier that Trump decidedto strike Iran because Israel was ready to act first. Instead, he said Trump made thedecision to attack this past weekendbecause it presenteda unique opportunity with maximum chance for success.

“There is noway in the world thatthis terroristic regime was goingtoget nuclear weapons, not under Donald Trump’swatch,”he said. The sudden pivot to a U.S. wartimefootinghas disrupted the political and policy agenda on Capitol Hill and raised uneasy questionsabout the risks ahead for aprolonged conflict and regime change after thekillingofIran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. At least six U.S military service personnel have died so far

Thesituation has intensified the push in Congress for the war powers resolution —among the most consequential votesalawmaker can take, with the war wellunderway —as

administrationofficials are telling lawmakerstheywill likely need supplemental funds to pay for the conflict.Itcomes at the start of ahighly competitive midterm electionseasonthat will testTrump’s slim GOP control of Congress.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer leftthe closed hearing, saying he was concerned about “mission creep” in along war Senatorsspent the morning grilling Trumpofficials during an Armed Services Committeehearing over Rubio’sclaim Mondaythat the president, believingthat Israel was ready to act, decided it was better for the U.S. to launch apreemptive strike to prevent Iran’spotentialretaliation on American militarybases andinterests abroad

Sen. Angus King, the independent from Maine, said it’s “verydisturbing” that Trump took theU.S. to warbecause Israel’s Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu wanted to bomb Iran. PastU.S.presidents, he said, “have consistently said, ‘No.’

SlainU.S.soldiersremembered as devotedparents,reservists

BY HANNAH FINGERHUT, KONSTANTIN TOROPINand REBECCA BOONE Associated Press

WEST DES MOINES,Iowa —Sgt

1stClass Nicole Amor was just days away from returning home to her husband and twochildrenwhena drone strike at acommand center in Kuwait killed her and five other U.S. service members.

“She was almost home,” her husband, Joey Amor,said from their Minnesota home on Tuesday. “You don’tgoto Kuwait thinkingsomething’s going to happen, and for her to be oneofthe first— it hurts.”

Amor was one of four U.S. soldiers killed in the Iran war on Sunday and identified Tuesday by the Pentagon; two soldiers haven’tyet been publicly identified. The members of the Army Reserve worked in logisticsand kept troops supplied with food and equipment.

They died just one day after the U.S. and Israel launched itsmilitary campaign against Iran. Iran responded by launching missiles and drones against Israel and several Gulf Arab states that host U.S. armed forces Those killed also included Capt. Cody Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida;Sgt.1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska; and Sgt DeclanCoady,20, of West Des Moines, lowa, who wasposthumously promoted from specialist. No other names were released.

“These men andwomen all bravely volunteeredtodefend our country,and their sacrifice will never be forgotten,” Army Secretary Daniel

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO

Keira Coadyholds aphoto of her brother,Sgt.Declan Coady, 20, outside her homeTuesdayinWest Des Moines, Iowa.

Driscoll said.

All were assigned to the 103rdSustainment Command, which providesfood, fuel, water and ammunition, transport equipmentand supplies.

“Sadly,there willlikely be more, before it ends. That’s the way itis,” President Donald Trump said of deaths.

Aweekbefore thedrone attack, Amor,39, was moved off-base toashipping container-style building thathad no defenses, Joey Amor said.

“They were dispersing because they were in fear that the base they were on was going to get attacked andthey felt it wassafer insmaller groupsinseparate places,” he said.

He last spoke to her about two hours before she was killed. He said she was working long shifts and they had been messaging about her tripping and fallingthe night before.

“She justnever responded in the morning,” he said.

Thecouple’schildren are

asenior in high school and a fourth-grader Coady’sLinkedIn page said he was astudent at Drake University andaninformation technology specialist withthe Army Reserve.

He said he had learned how to“interactwithcountlessdifferent kinds of people from alldifferent backgrounds” through his service.

Coady became an Eagle Scout in 2020, according to a Facebook post from hisWest Des Moines troop.AnIowa organization that helps homeless children said he made12 Adirondack chairs for the group.

Nebraska U.S.Sen.Pete Ricketts saidheand hiswife are mourning Tietjens’ death and praying for his family

“May we alwaysremember andhonor the sacrifices made by Noah Tietjens and the Tietjens family,” Ricketts said.

Tietjens was married with a son,according to aFacebook page. Aphotoshows thecouple with their son wearing a martialarts uniform

Defense official Elbridge Colby told senators the president directed the military campaign to destroy Iranian missilesand deny thecountry nuclear weapons.

Trump himself disputed theidea that Israel had forced his hand. In his own Oval Office remarks, he said, “I mightmight have forced theirhand.”

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, a

Trump ally fromOklahoma, said thepresident“didthe world afavor.”

“How about we say, ‘Thank you, Mr.President, for finally getting rid of this nuisance,’” he said.

ButSen.Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.,demanded to know how thisfits into Trump’s“America First” campaign promise notto commit U.S. troops to protractedmilitarycampaigns

abroad

Trumphas suggested the war could drag on, and has not ruled out sending American troopsinto Iran.

“‘America First’ and ‘peace through strength’ are served by rolling back —asthe military campaign is designedtodo— the threats posed,” Colby responded. “This is certainly not nation-building. This is notgoing to be endless.”

When Marshall Faulkwas growingupinNew Orleans,footballformedthebasisforhisfuture.Ashe honedhisskillsasarunningbackatCarverHigh,he’d sometimesheadtoBatonRougeforfootballcampsat SouthernUniversity. Decadeslater,Faulk is aSuper Bowl champion,a memberoftheProFootballandCollegeFootballHalls ofFame,andwidelyrankedasoneofthebestrunning backstoeverplaythegame.In2026,hewillusethose talentsinanew wayas theHeadCoach of the SouthernJaguars

“AsIgotintocoaching, Irealizedthe passion wasthere andthe love wasthere,” he said.“I’m readytomakeanimpact. I’ve been remembering exactlywhy Igot into football andexactly how footballchangedmylife. This spring,asCoach Faulksolidifiesthe roster andbeginsdeveloping game plans, he isn’toverlyconcerned with what the scoreboardswillshow.Instead,heisthinkingabout thequalitiesandvalueshewantstoinstillintheyoung menontheteam

“You’regoing to seekidstakethe field with character.They’regoingtoplaysmartandthey’regoingto playdisciplined,”hesaid.“Whentheyleavethefield, regardless of awin or aloss, theother team is going tosayweplayedhard.

CoachFaulk’shirehasalreadygeneratedexcitement throughoutBatonRougeandespeciallyamongSouthernJaguarsfans.Footballseasonticketapplications arenowopenatwww.gojagsports.com.Theteamwill beginthe season on Aug. 29 againstAlabama State in Birmingham,and thefirsthomegamewillbeon Sept.5againstKentuckyStateUniversityinthePete RichardsonClassic. Southern Jaguarsfootballfanscan also support theteamduringthisyear’sJag-A-ThononFriday,

March27.TheJag-A-Thonistheuniversity’slargest single-dayfundraiseroftheyear,withcontributions goingtosupportfacilityupgradesandequipment,as well as academic andholisticprogramstosupport student-athletes’personaldevelopment

Thisyear’sJag-A-Thonwillbeacombinedin-person andvirtualeventencompassingphonebanking,live streamingandsocializing.Alivestreamwillbeavailable from9a.m.to5p.m.onJaguarsSportsNetwork.com, FacebookandYouTube.Itwillalsobebroadcastlive on CumulusRadio: Max94.1, Q106.5,Heaven95.7 andClassicHits103.3.

Jag-A-Thondonationsmaybemadeinthefollowingways:

•Phone:Call225-771-2436thedayoftheJagA-Thonevent

•Online:https://foundation.sus.edu/jag-a-thon/ •Inperson:LeonR.TarverIICulturaland HeritageCenter(9a.m.to5p.m.March27)

•Mail:SouthernUniversityAthletics,P.O.Box 9942,BatonRouge,LA,70813

“Weareaboutexcellence,weareaboutcommitment andweareaboutmakingsureweimpactthecommunityandhelpkidssucceedinlife,”CoachFaulksaid

France aligns strategy with allies

Move couldmark nuclearpolicyshift

BY SYLVIE CORBET

Associated Press

PARIS France is moving to align its nuclear deterrent strategy more closely with European allies while keeping full controlover any strikedecision —anunprecedented coordination that French President Emmanuel Macrondescribed as crucial to bolstering the continent’s strategic autonomy Experts say the plan reflects growing doubts acrossEurope aboutU.S. reliability when it comes to the continent’sdefense. France has been the only nuclear power in the European Union since Britain’s exit from the bloc in 2020 Macron’smove reflects that, in case of anuclear crisis, France would be the one offering “some form of anuclear securityguaran-

tee,” said FlorianGalleri, anuclear deterrence expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’ssecurity studiesprogram.

Speaking Monday from atopsecret submarine base in Western France, Macron announced “a new step of France’sdeterrence.”

His speech marked what could be the start of amajor shiftinpolicy that would allow,for the first time, temporary deployment of French nuclear-armed aircraft to allied countries.

Macron saidthat Parishas started nuclear talkswith eight nations Britain,Germany,Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Sweden andDenmark.Partners joining the initiative wouldsee their territory “gaina clearly affirmedlinktoour deterrence,” Macron said.

American allieshaveplayed acentral roleinEurope’sdefense since the end ofWorldWar II, protecting the continentthrough NATO’s nuclear mission. However,Macron noted, recent

U.S. national security anddefense strategiesreflect areshuffling of American priorities.

Faced with heightened tensions with Russia, which has avast nuclear arsenal and is developing new

Israel sendstroops into southern Lebanon

Hezbollahsays it is readyfor ‘openwar’

BY ABBY SEWELL and BASSEM MROUE Associated Press

BEIRUT Israel sent troops into southern Lebanon on Tuesdayand warned residents of more than 80 villages to evacuate as theIranbacked militant Hezbollah group said it was ready for an “open war” with Israel in the wake of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

The development came after Hezbollah fired rockets and launched drones early Monday toward northern Israel. Israel retaliated with awaveofairstrikesthat killed 50 people in Lebanon, including seven children as well as aPalestinian militant and aHezbollah intelligence

official in Beirut’ssouthern suburbs.

That death toll isarevised figure from an earlier onereported bythe Health Ministry,which originally said Monday that 52 people died in the strikes.Lebanese Health Minister Rakan Nassereddine then on Tuesdayreduced that number to 40, then later raised the toll to 50. Lebanonalsosaid335 peoplewere wounded and thattens of thousands were displaced.

The U.N. refugee agency said Tuesday that 30,000 displaced people were staying in collective shelters in Lebanon,“whilemanyothers sleptintheir cars, on sides of the roads as they could notyet find safe shelter.” Hezbollah fired two salvos of rocketstowardnorthern Israel, the militant group said while Israeli airstrikes overnight damagedabuild-

ing housing Hezbollah’s television andradio stations. Beirut’ssouthern suburbs also saw aseries of strikes on Tuesday afternoon that came without warning. The Israeli militarylater said it targeted Hezbollah officials.

The Israeli military’sArabic spokesman, Avichay Adraee, warned residents of more than 80 villages and towns in southern Lebanon to leave, adding thatpeople should notreturntothese areas until further notice.

Asenior Hezbollah official said that after more thana year of abiding by aceasefireasIsrael’s strikes continued on Lebanon, the group’s patience has ended, leaving it with no option but to fight Israel. “The Zionistenemy wanted an open war,which it has not stopped since the ceasefire agreement,” Mohamoud Komatisaid.

“So letitbeanopen war,” added the Hezbollah official.

missiles, andasChina expands its nuclear forces, “our wayofthinking mustchange,” Macron said. Outlining the new strategy he called“forward deterrence,” Macron insisted that France won’t share anydecision-making since underits constitution, the president remains solelyresponsible forany decision on using nuclear weapons

Still, that stance underscores a fundamental contradiction, Galleri said. “The strategic backing intended to integrate Frenchnuclear deterrence into acollective European defense frameworknecessarily requires adegree of coordination and joint planning,”heargued.

“One cannot, forexample, carry outanuclear strike without consulting apartner,” he added.

France’snew approach offers the possibility forpartners to participate in deterrence exercises, Macron also said. In case of crisis, French nuclear forces couldbesupportedbysome European conventional capabilities.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg leaves a Los Angeles court Feb. 18

Trial against Meta in N.M. highlights video depositions

Prosecutors show interviews of top executives

BY MORGAN LEE Associated Press

SANTA FE, N.M. — Prosecutors began presenting never-before-seen video depositions of Meta executives at a trial in New Mexico on Tuesday to bolster accusations the social media conglomerate failed to disclose what it knows about harmful effects to children on its platforms, including Instagram.

New Mexico prosecutors are billing depositions from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram leader Adam Mosseri as centerpieces of the state’s case against Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Prosecutors have accused Meta of violating state consumer protection laws.

Prosecutors say the dangers of addiction to social media as well

as child sexual exploitation on Meta’s platforms weren’t properly addressed or disclosed by the company.

Meta attorney Kevin Huff pushed back on those assertions during opening statements on Feb. 9, highlighting efforts to weed out harmful content from its platforms while warning users that some content still gets through its safety net. He said Meta discloses the risks.

On Tuesday the New Mexico jury watched a video in which prosecutors peppered Mosseri with questions about Meta’s approach to safety, corporate profits and social media features. They also asked him about policies for young users that might contribute to sleep deprivation, unwanted communications with adults and negative effects of cosmetic beauty filters.

Counsel for state prosecutors repeatedly asked whether Instagram should do everything it can to keep teens safe. “I think we should do what we

can,” Mosseri said. “I think that there’s over 2 billion people on Instagram, which means there are millions of teens on Instagram So when you say everything, I want to be clear that we are a large enough platform that sometimes some things will — so for instance, problematic content will be seen.”

The New Mexico case and a separate trial playing out in Los Angeles could set the course for thousands of similar lawsuits against social media companies.

Zuckerberg testified last month in Los Angeles about young people’s use of Instagram and has answered questions from Congress about youth safety on Meta’s platforms.

During his 2024 congressional testimony, he apologized to families whose lives had been upended by tragedies they believed were caused by social media.

But while he told parents he was “sorry for everything you have all been through,” he stopped short of taking direct responsibility for it.

St. Vincent denies giving U.S. permission for strikes

3 killed in attack on alleged drug boat

BY DÁNICA COTO Associated Press

SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica The prime minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines said Tuesday that his government did not give the U.S. authorization for a recent strike on an alleged drug boat in local waters that killed three people.

Prime Minister Godwin Friday said at a press conference that his administration found out about the deadly Feb. 13 strike through social media and online reports.

“There has been no direct communication with respect to the strikes with us,” he said, adding that Caribbean leaders are concerned. “It was agreed that this is a serious matter because of the risk that it poses potentially to our people going about their normal busi-

ness. People plying the waters want to know that they’re safe.”

The U.S. military said that three people were killed in the strikes, but did not confirm their identities.

Relatives of a boat captain from St. Lucia recently told The Associated Press that they believe Ricky Joseph, a 35-year-old father of four, was killed in the strike because he remains missing and had departed in a boat like the one shown after the strike in pictures posted on social media.

Friday said that Caribbean leaders recently met to talk among themselves about security and safety concerns of U.S. drone strikes “in our waters.”

He said Caribbean leaders who met last week in St. Kitts for a regional summit that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio attended “agreed that this was a serious matter that will affect all of us” and that they would pursue it with U.S. authorities.

Trump administration to pursue fight over law firms

BY ERIC TUCKER Associated Press

WASHINGTON — A day after abandoning its efforts to enforce executive orders that targeted some of the world’s most elite law firms, President Donald Trump’s administration abruptly reversed course on Tuesday and said it would proceed with the court fight.

The unexplained about-face represents the latest development in a yearlong effort by the Republican administration to impose sanctions against major law firms whose attorneys had done legal work Trump opposed or had been associated with prosecutors who investigated him.

Judges who received challenges to the executive orders from targeted firms uniformly ruled against the government, prompting an appeal from the Justice Department. In a brief filing Mon-

day in the federal appeals court in Washington, the Justice Department withdrew its appeal, ending efforts to enforce executive orders against the firms of Perkins Coie, Jenner & Block, Susman Godfrey and WilmerHale.

Then, on Tuesday, the Justice Department, without any explanation, submitted a new court filing saying that it was withdrawing its earlier one and was no longer giving up its appeal. It said that because the appeals court had not yet granted its motion to dismiss, the firms were not harmed by the department’s change in position. The department said that it had advised lawyers for the four firms of its change in position and that they objected.

The White House referred questions about the change in position to the Justice Department, where a spokesperson declined to comment.

METRO

Psych-punk music to rock Saturday fest

BY MADDIE SCOTT Staff writer

The LA Psych Fest is bringing a full day of psychedelic punk, garage rock, DJ sets and more to the overpass Saturday Baton Rouge businesses, bands, artists, vendors and music lovers are assembling for a one-day music festival in the overpass area between Chelsea’s Live, 1010 Nicholson Drive, and Brickyard South, 174 South Blvd.

This is the LA Psych Fest’s first

Hung jury delivers mistrial in ’24 fatal shooting

Scuffle took place outside North Donmoor Drive apartment

BY QUINN COFFMAN

Staff writer

Jurors failed to find consensus

Tuesday in a murder trial where they were asked to consider a selfdefense argument even though the victim was killed in his own home.

After seven days of trial, a hung jury delivered a mistrial for 32-year-old Joel Johnson, who was charged with the second-degree murder of Byron Irving, 36, at his North Donmoor Drive apartment in July 2024. The defense presented a narrative in which Johnson only came to Irving’s doorstep to break up a fight between their respective partners, but was forced to fire on Irving after seeing the man holding a firearm.

In the defense’s account, Johnson killed Irving using a gun he’d picked up seconds before, after it had fallen out of Irving’s waistband during the initial fighting. Prosecutors pointed to details about the scene — including the number of shots fired, a missing weapon after the fact, the size of the location where the fighting began and the fact that Johnson admitted to offering Irving’s girlfriend $2,000 after Irving’s death — as evidence he had not acted in self-defense.

Ultimately, jurors found Johnson guilty of the aggravated battery of Irving’s girlfriend, Jalea Barnett a charge that was reduced from attempted second-degree murder. He was found not guilty of an armed robbery charge; he was accused of taking Barnett’s cellphone The night of the shooting, Johnson was visiting the apartment of a woman with whom he was in a casual relationship, and who lived in the unit beneath Irving and Barnett.

About 2:30 a.m., the woman Johnson was seeing got into a confrontation with Barnett over missing packages, outside Irving and Barnett’s apartment door and on the landing at the top of the building’s stairs. According to the defense, Johnson went upstairs to intervene and began trying to break up the women, at which point Irving walked out of a back bedroom in the apartment and joined in the scuffle.

A handgun fell out of Irving’s waistband, the defense argued, with Johnson stepping on it to keep it out of Irving’s reach.

“Joel sees it drop,” Christina Bartzowkis, Johnson’s attorney said in her closing argument. “I have to imagine that his heart dropped in that moment, because this situation that he went upstairs

year, and it was imagined by a team including Baton Rougeborn band Blue Widow, a punk, psychedelic collective of five members who have performed locally since 2022. LA Psych Fest Director Cole Dewey (who is also manager of Blue Widow) joined forces with the managers of Chelsea’s Live and Brickyard South to host the event.

“We’re heavily involved in Louisiana, and we want to see the music scene grow here,” Dewey said. “We’re tired of people leav-

ing or saying that there’s not enough stuff to do here in Baton Rouge. People like to say that, but we want to change that.” Blue Widow joins the performance lineup with other Baton Rouge-based artists like Bozo Red, Neoseoul500, Sunscape and Knightshift Krewe.

Some performers are based outside Louisiana like headliners L.A. Witch, a Los Angeles garage rock band, and Daikaiju, an Alabama-based surf rock band. All bands will perform at either one

of the three music stages — one in Chelsea’s Live one at Brickyard South and a third stage under the overpass. A string of over 30 food, beverage and art vendors will sell materials like art, clothing and specialized tie-dye items. On the food side, Rougaroux will sell tacos and crawfish, KBBQ Boy will sell specialized Korean barbecue, and Tasty Creations will have a menu with quesadillas, bowls and more. Drink vendors include local coffee

business House Brew, dirty soda pop-up Pop’n Rouge and Erwin Coffee.

Dewey said he is looking forward to the Therapy Skate Jam setup, led by Therapy Skateboards and Still Pushing Skate shop in Hammond. The competition starts at 3 p.m., and there will be prizes.

“Honestly, I just can’t wait to see everyone day-of,” he said. “I want to meet people. I want

Important work

Parish allegedly held closed-door talks

finds

James officials tried to bypass transparency law

BY ALEX LUBBEN Staff writer

A Louisiana appellate court has ruled that St. James Parish officials violated state law when they held closed-door meetings about a proposed chemical plant, finding they deliberately structured the sessions to keep the public in the dark.

The three-judge panel of the Louisiana 5th Circuit Court of Appeal in Gretna unanimously affirmed a lower court’s ruling on Feb. 25 that the parish intentionally circumvented the open meetings law by splitting members of the Planning Commission and Parish Council into two back-to-back sessions on May 14, 2019, each carefully arranged so that neither body had a quorum present. The meetings were not publicly noticed, were held at a location not typically used for parish business, and were closed to anyone who had not been invited.

Parish officials testified that they wanted council members to be able to ask questions of the company “without being bombarded by any other opinion,” and that the meetings were closed to the public to “alleviate the potential for bickering.”

The sessions were convened so that members of both bodies could privately receive infor-

mation from Wanhua Chemical, a Chinese company that had applied for a land-use permit to build a $1.25 billion polyurethane manufacturing facility in Convent.

During oral arguments in the case last month, an attorney for the parish, Tara Clement, told the court that the meetings were not “secret.” The doors to the meeting room were not locked, she said, and anyone could have attended.

Judge John J. Molaison appeared unconvinced. If someone wanted to attend the meeting, he asked Clement, “they would have had to have wandered in by accident?” Clement acknowledged that was true

The court found that avoiding bickering was not a valid reason for failing to provide notice of

the meetings to the public, and that the parish’s actions clearly showed an intent to circumvent the open meetings law The ruling noted that the sessions were held just six days before a key Planning Commission vote on Wanhua’s application, and that no public meeting was held afterward to share the information that members had received privately

“If Wanhua had come in, that would’ve meant more pollution,” said Sharon Lavigne, a St. James resident and the founder of community activist group RISE St. James. “So for them to do this behind our back, they need to be held accountable.”

Neither Clement nor a spokesperson for St. James Parish

JURY

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to try to de-escalate just became unbelievably more dangerous.”

Irving then reached for asecond gun, whichwas kept on ashelf by the door insidethe apartment.

Johnson’sattorneys said Irvingraised the second gun and leveled it at Johnson, butitfailed to fire on the first pull of the trigger

This jam, followed by a real gunshot that missed Johnson, prompted him to pick up the firearm he was standing on and fire back In the shooting, Irving was struck 10 times, falling forward onto the floor of thelivingroomjustin front of the door Johnson said the first gun fired multipleshots in a row when he’d shot it, with the defense arguingitwas possibly modifiedwith a Glock switch.

Prosecutors doubted much of Johnson’s story about why he felt compelled to shoot, questioning if Irving had evereven dropped afirst firearm, if he’d leveled the gun and if he’dtaken any shots at Johnson.

While Johnson testified that he’d left the gun at the scene afterkilling Irving, the prosecution’s chief detective on the case said police never founditintheir search of the scene.

Prosecutors repeatedly drew jurors’ attention to twobullets found underneath Irving’sbody,which theyargued could have gotten there only if Johnson had fired into Irving’sback after he’d already fallen to

PARISH

Continued from page1B

responded to requests for comment. Wanhua ultimatelywithdrew its application in September 2019. The project hadfaced mounting communityopposition, costly tariffsimposedduring the U.S.-China tradedisputein the first Trump administration, andanear doubling of the plant’sconstruction costs, which the parish president at thetime said had risen to more than $2 billion.

Had the facility been built, it would have emitted more than 300,000 pounds per year of toxic pollution, including cancer-causing substances and phosgene, achemical warfare agent, according to the plaintiffs’ attorneys.

St. James Parish sits in a stretch of the Mississippi River corridor between New Orleansand Baton Rouge that many referto as “CancerAlley”because of the high concentrationofpolluting industrial plants in the area. In aseparatefederal lawsuit, RISE St. James andtwo other groups allege that the parish hasfor decades steered industrial facilitiesinto predominantly Blackneighborhoods while shielding White areasfromdevelopment.Afederal judge ruled last monththat the case can proceedonall counts. The plaintiffs in the open meetings case —longtime residents Genevieve Butler and Pastor Harry Jo-

theground.

The geography ofthe apartment’s tight stairwell anddoorwayalsoled prosecutors to question if there wasroom for the kind of fighting Johnson described andthe defense called jurors out to tour the crime sceneduringthe trial Prosecutors argued that Johnson wasinside the apartmentduring the scuffle and ensuing shooting,or elsehewouldn’t have been able to see Irvingreach for the secondgun on theshelf by thedoorway

“Now the defense would have you believe that Joel Johnson acted in self-defense. Howcan oneact in self-defensewhenone is in someoneelse’sapartment?” Assistant District Attorney Cheryl Carter said.

“Wesaw the crime scene pictures. Byron Irving isin his apartment, not downstairs. Upstairs in apartment 4. Andwhat they’re not telling you, ladies and gentlemenofthe jury,is in Louisiana,you haveevery right to protect your home.”

$2,000 cash offer

The only charge Johnson was convicted of was the aggravated battery of Barnett in the aftermath of the shooting.

Barnett testified that she heard her boyfriend beingshot while shewas still struggling on the ground of the landing with theother woman. After the shots, she went back inside theapartment to call police. On that call, agunshotcan be heard.

In Barnett’s account, Johnson took ashotather but missed. Shesaidhe’d

seph Sr., along with RISE St. James and the LouisianaBucket Brigade environmental group —were representedbyMatthew Turner, astudent attorney with the Environmental Law Clinic at TulaneUniversity.Turner argued that the illegal meetings were discovered largely by accident, through apublic records requestthatturned up emails organizing the sessions

The court declared the meetings illegal butdeclined to issue apermanent injunction barring the parishfrom holding similar meetings in the future.The trialcourthad found that the meetings were not held with “ill intent,” and the appellate court agreed that the plaintiffs’ fear thatsecret meetings could happen again was not sufficientto supportan injunction.The court noted that the parishisnow wellaware” of what constitutes a violation.

“It is sortofa‘slap on the wrist,’” said DevinLowell, an attorney withthe Environmental Law Clinic at Tulane. “But it does make clear that what the parish did is illegal. So theyshould know not to do it again.”

Louisiana’sopen meetings law requires thatmost government meetings be advertised publicly at least 24 hours in advancewhen a quorum will be present.The law also prohibitspublic bodies from using “any other means to circumvent”its intent —the provisionthe court found the parishhad violated.

Attorney General Liz

been eggedonbyhis partnerto“kill her” andprevent her from calling the police.

She saidthathethen offered her$2,000 to not call the police, beforetaking her phone and fleeing theapartment.

Johnson admitted to offering Barnett the money but saiditwas “because she had children” and not in exchange forher silence. He testified that the gunshot heardonthe call was from agun Barnett was holding, which wentoff when he tried to “flick it” out of her hand.

Barnett’sinclusion in the trialwas contentious,too, with herbeing introduced by the prosecution four days into thetrialafter they originally notbeing able to locateher

She testifiedshe was scared to relive thetraumaticevents of Irving’s deathand only agreed when reached in person by adetective.

Johnson’sdefensecharacterized this as thestate realizing itscase was failing and seeking alast-minute witness who’d originally been written off as unnecessary

Bartzowkis alsoimplied that prosecutors might have used an active arrest warrant forBarnett to pressure her intotestifying.

While 19thJudicial District Judge Donald Johnson agreed that it was improper for Barnett to be introduced intothe trial so late, he said her testimony as one of the only other eyewitnesses to Irving’skilling was necessary

Email Quinn Coffman at quinn.coffman@ theadvocate.com.

Murrill hasrecentlysued local governments forfailing to abide by parts of the open meetings law.She sued the Caddo Parish Commissionfor failing to vote on aresolution welcoming Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., to Shreveport, andthe LivingstonParish Library Boardfor violating agenda requirements when it voted to oustits library director Email Alex Lubben at alex.lubben@theadvocate. com.

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Continuedfrom page1B

prompting thecashier to end the call.

Woods and Spears returnedtothe restaurant and were confrontational, using threatening and profane language.The cashier offered to remake their food but Woods and Spears continuedtoshout.Atthis point, Woods placed his firearm on the counter

Thecashier wenttothe kitchentoget theowner andtold herthe codeword “boudin,” whichmeantto call the police and thatthere wasdangerinthe restaurant, according to the warrant.Before going back to the counter,the ownertold the cashier,the dishwasher anda juvenile employee to hide in the walk-in freezer

Theowner went to the counter and hit ahidden buttonthat called the police. As she tried to talk down Woods and Spears, the confrontation escalated and the owner said she armed herself with herpersonal firearm. At some point, Woodsand the owner exchangedgunfire, and shewas shot in the abdomen, according to police.

Woodsand Spearswent to leave, with Woodsfiring two additional shots at the exterior of the restaurant, according to police.

Thecashierand the other employees exited the freezer after they heardgunshots and found therestaurant owner shot. This is an ongoing investigation.

Principal returnsafter school gun incident

Three employees at IstroumaHigh wereplaced on leave as an investigation continues into agun that discharged inside aclassroom last week,after astudent managed to slip past metal detection.

Taylor Gast, aspokesperson for the East Baton Rouge Parish school system, confirmed that thethree employees —the school’s

principal, ateacher andan office clerk —were placed on leave due to the investigation, which shedescribed as standardprocedure, but said Principal CleothaJohnigan returned to school Tuesday All three went on leave at some point after Wednesday, the day whenthe incident occurred,Gast said Marcus Washington, 18, asenior at Istrouma anda prominent member of the school’sbasketball team, admitted to bringing the gun to school last Wednesday, telling authorities the gun went off when he tried to adjust it in hispants. Thegun, aGlock 45 modifiedwith a switchthat converts into an automatic weapon, was laterfound in the ceiling of aschool bathroom. There were no injuries.

East Baton Rouge Parish

Superintendent LaMont Cole saidWashingtonarrived late for school thatday,was flaggedbythe metal detector,but aschool clerk opted not to check himorhis backpack for aweapon because of the possibility it wasa false reading and because Washington wasconsidered agood student who was popular due to his prowess at basketball.

Washington wasbooked in parish prison on multiple counts, including carrying a firearm on school property, negligentcarrying of aconcealed handgun, illegal use of weapons, and illegal possession of stolen firearms.

Washington has also been recommendedfor expulsion from school due to Louisiana’szero-tolerance law

Couple accusedof insurancescam

ABaton Rouge couple was arrested by Louisiana Bureau of Investigationagents in February for attempting to defraud an insurance companyof$30,000 over acar crash.Investigators found thepair was not in the car at thetime of thealleged incident. Agents from theLouisiana Bureau of Investigationlearned thatbothSarai Stansberry,37, andRhashie-

di Porter,48, allegedly filed afalse insurance claim involving aminor car crash in aparkinglot,accordingto an announcementfrom Attorney General Liz Murrill’s Office. Duringthe investigation, agents learned that Stansberry and Porter hadgiven sworntestimoniesthatthey were in the vehicle and properly restrained whenitwas hit by another vehicle. The couple also claimed they needed five months of medical treatment. However,surveillance video obtained by the insurance company showed that neitherofthemwas in the vehicle at thetime of the crash When the couple waspresented with this videofootage, they dropped the lawsuit. Further investigation proved thatthe couple intentionally submitted afalse claim with the explicit intent to defraudthe insurance company,according to the Attorney General’s Office. Louisiana Bureau of Investigationagents arrested Stansberry and Porter on Feb. 23 at the8500block of Pontchartrain Boulevard and were booked into the OrleansParish Jail. Each of them is charged with insurance fraud, perjury,false swearing and filing public records.

Man killedafter hitting tractor-trailer Aman was killedearly Tuesday morning after he failed to stop in traffic on Interstate 10 and rear-ended atruck, according to the Louisiana State Police. Phillip Scott, 51, of Albany,was pronounced dead at the scene, near the 147-mile marker Investigations show that Scott was properly restrained but did not brake andhit thetruck.The driver of the tractor-trailer Scott hit suffered minor injuries and wastaken to the hospital.

Impairment is notsuspected, but routine toxicologysampleswill be collected.

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to see smiles on people’s faces.Iwanttoliterally justsee the communityofwhat this is going to be.”

Pre-sale tickets are available onlinestarting at $30 for those aged 18+.Tickets canbepurchased at the event.

“Wewant peopletofeel like theycan find aplace in this festival andthat there’ssomethingfor everyone,” Dewey said.“We want people to have fun andfeel included.”

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Gas prices spike as drivers fill their tanks

NEW YORK The average price for a gallon of gasoline jumped 11 cents in the U.S. as war engulfed the Middle East and shipments of oil and gas were stranded in the Persian Gulf. A gallon of regular was selling for $3.11 on average in the U.S., according to motor club AAA, surprising some drivers at the pump.

Gasoline prices were already rising before the U.S. launched strikes on Iran as refiners switch over to summer blends of fuel. But crude prices rose sharply in recent days because of the war

Anne Dulske paid $15 more than usual to fill up her tank at a Jackson, Mississippi, gas station on Tuesday

“It’s going to affect everything in our lives,” she said “It’s very scary, and it does hit closer to home than people think.”

“We are knee-deep into the gas price increases,” said Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, a technology company that helps people find cheap gasoline. DeHaan estimates gasoline price could rise further but he doubts the price would reach $4 a gallon.

“Many Americans seem very panicked that prices could hit multiple dollars higher than that, which at this point, I wouldn’t say anything’s impossible, but certainly it’s quite improbable based on the current developments.”

Dow drops as oil prices climb even higher

NEWYORK A sell-off for stocks wrapped around the world and hit Wall Street Tuesday, while oil prices climbed even higher on worries about the widening war with Iran. But the big moves that rocked markets in the morning eased substantially as the day progressed By the end of trading, the S&P 500 had sunk 0.9% That would be a solid loss on a typical day but the index had been down as much as 2.5% in the morning because of worries that the war may do more sustained damage to the economy than feared.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 403 points, or 0.8%, after plunging more than 1,200 points earlier in the morning The Nasdaq composite pared its loss to 1%. It was just a day earlier that U.S. stocks opened the morning with a sharp loss, only to recover all of it and end the day with a tiny gain.

Helping to drive that rebound was a record showing that past wars and conflicts in the Middle East have not usually meant long-term pain for U.S. stocks.

Target to invest another $2B to boost its sales

MINNEAPOLIS — Target is investing another $2 billion in its business this year to spruce up its store experience, remodel stores and invest in its workers as it tries to turn around a persistent sales malaise and reclaim its authority on style.

The investment, announced Tuesday at its annual investor meeting at its headquarters in Minneapolis, comes as the discounter reported another quarter of declining sales and profits amid its struggles to regain its footing with customers who are going elsewhere for fashion, home and other needs. Tuesday’s report offered some hope for the business. The company delivered a solid annual profit outlook that was better than Wall Street had been projecting. It also said it believes net sales will grow every quarter this year

Target said comparable-store sales rose to start the current quarter

“This is a new chapter, and it’s all about growth,” said CEO Michael Fiddelke, a 20-year company veteran who succeeded longtime CEO Brian Cornell last month “We’ll do so by playing our own game and making big changes to delight our guests.”

BUSINESS

THEADVOCATE.COM/news/business

Consumers siding with Anthropic in dispute

Company’s chatbot outpaces ChatGPT in downloads now

BY MATT O’BRIEN AP technology writer

Anthropic’s moral stand on U.S. military use of artificial intelligence is reshaping the competition between leading AI companies but also exposing a growing awareness that maybe chatbots just aren’t capable enough for acts of war

Anthropic’s chatbot Claude, for the first time, outpaced rival ChatGPT in phone app downloads in the United States this week, a signal of growing interest from

consumers siding with Anthropic in its standoff with the Pentagon, according to market research firm Sensor Tower

The Trump administration on Friday ordered government agencies to stop using Claude and designated it a supply chain risk after Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei refused to bend his company’s ethical safeguards preventing the technology from being applied to autonomous weapons and domestic mass surveillance.

Anthropic has said it will challenge the Pentagon in court once it receives formal notice of the penalties.

And while many military and human rights experts have applauded Amodei for standing up for ethical principles, some are

also frustrated by years of AI industry marketing that persuaded the government to apply the technology to high-stakes tasks.

“He caused this mess,” said Missy Cummings, a former Navy fighter pilot who now directs the robotics and automation center at George Mason University “They were the No. 1 company to push ridiculous hype over the capabilities of these technologies. And now, all of a sudden, they want to be for real. They want to tell people, ‘Oh, wait a minute. We really shouldn’t be using these technologies in weapons.’”

Anthropic didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

“You’re going to kill noncombatants,” Cummings said. “You’re going to kill your own troops. I’m not clear whether the military truly understands the limitations.”

The Defense Department declined to comment on whether it is still using Claude, including in the Iran war, citing operational security Cummings published a paper at a top AI conference in December arguing that government agencies should prohibit the use of generative AI “to control, direct, guide or govern any weapon.” Not because AI is so smart that it could go rogue, but because the large language models behind chatbots like Claude make too many mistakes — called hallucinations or confabulations — and are “inherently unreliable and not appropriate in environments that could result in the loss of life.”

Strait of Hormuz a key passageway essential for global energy supply

Closure could mean tanker disruption, rising prices

BY JON GAMBRELL and MAE ANDERSON Associated Press

DUBAI,UnitedArab Emirates The widening war in Iran has ground tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz to a halt and oil prices have soared, highlighting the important role the narrow passageway plays in global energy supply

The Strait of Hormuz is the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which about a fifth of the world’s oil passes. 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. Most of that oil goes to Asia.

Any disruption to traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is highly disruptive to the oil trade.

“The scale of what is at stake cannot be overstated,” said Hakan Kaya, senior portfolio manager at investment management firm Neuberger Berman He said a partial slowdown lasting a week or two could be absorbed by oil companies. But a full or near full closure lasting a month or more would push crude oil prices, trading above $75 on Tuesday, “well into triple digits” and European natural gas prices “toward or above the crisis levels seen in 2022.”

The Strait of Hormuz is a bending waterway, about 21 miles wide at its narrowest point. It connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman. From there, ships can then travel to the rest of the world. While Iran and Oman have their territorial waters in the strait, it’s viewed as an international waterway all ships can ply The United Arab Emirates, home to the skyscraper-studded city of Dubai, also sits near the waterway Important for trade

The Strait of Hormuz through history has been important for trade, with ceramics, ivory, silk and textiles moving from China through the region. In the modern era, it is the route for supertankers carrying oil and gas from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Qatar, Bahrain, the UAE and Iran. The vast majority of it goes to markets in Asia, including Iran’s only remaining oil customer, China.

While there are pipelines in Saudi Arabia and the UAE that can avoid the passage, the U.S. Energy Information Administration says “most volumes that transit the strait have no alternative means of exiting the region.”

Threats to the route have spiked global en-

ergy prices in the past, including during the Israel-Iran war in June.

Strait declared closed Iran has attacked several ships in the Strait of Hormuz and threatened any ships that try to pass through, effectively closing it. But a move by Trump on Tuesday to protect tankers in the strait could get things moving again.

“The Strait of Hormuz is closed,” declared Iranian Brig. Gen. Ebrahim Jabbari, an adviser to the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, vowing that any ships that passed through it would be set on fire.

Previously, Iran temporarily shut down parts of the strait in mid-February for what it said was a military drill. Oil prices jumped about 6% in the following days.

In past times of tension and conflict, Iran has at times harassed shipping though the narrows, and during the 1980s’ Iran-Iraq war, both sides attacked tankers and other vessels, using naval mines to completely shut down traffic at points. But Iran had not carried out repeated threats to close the waterway altogether since the 1980s, even during last year’s 12-day war when Israel and the U.S. bombarded Iran’s key nuclear and military sites.

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump pitched a plan aimed at getting oil and trade moving again through the Strait.

Trump said on social media he ordered the U.S. development finance arm to provide po-

litical risk insurance for tankers carrying oil and other goods through the Persian Gulf “at a very reasonable price.”

Political risk insurance is a type of coverage intended to protect firms against financial losses caused by unstable political conditions, government actions, or violence. Marine insurers had been canceling or raising rates for insurance in the region.

Trump said that, if necessary, the U.S. Navy would escort oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz. The Navy has at least eight destroyers and three, smaller, littoral combat ships in the region. These ships have previously been used to escort merchant shipping in the region and in the Red Sea.

Global shippers suspend operations

Global shippers have issued service alerts saying they have suspended operations in the area. Danish shipping company Maersk, the world’s biggest shipping company, said Sunday it is suspending all vessel crossings in the Strait of Hormuz until further notice. Other ocean carriers including HapagLloyd, CMA-CGM and MSC made similar announcements.

“Those ships that got stuck in the Gulf are not going anywhere,” said Tom Goldsby, logistics chairman in the Supply Chain Management Department at the University of Tennessee. “There’s also a whole host of ships that were heading into the Gulf to replace them, and of course they’re anchored or going elsewhere now.”

Drone strikes on data centers highlight industry’s vulnerability

Amazon facility attacks create damage but little disruption

BY KELVIN CHAN Associated Press

LONDON — Damage to three Amazon Web Services facilities in the Middle East from Iranian drone strikes highlights the rapid growth of data centers in the region, as well as the industry’s vulnerability to conflict. The company’s cloud computing division, Amazon Web Services, said late Monday that two data centers in the United Arab Emirates were “directly struck” and another facility in Bahrain was also damaged after a drone landed

nearby

“These strikes have caused structural damage, disrupted power delivery to our infrastructure, and in some cases required fire suppression activities that resulted in additional water damage,” AWS said in an update. It said by late Tuesday that recovery efforts at the UAE data centers were making progress. Unlike previous AWS disruptions involving software that resulted in widespread global outages, these attacks involving physical damage appear to have resulted only in localized and limited disruption. Amazon Web Services hosts many of the world’s most-used online services, providing behindthe-scenes cloud computing infrastructure to many government

departments, universities and businesses.

The company advised customers using servers in the Middle East to migrate to other regions, and direct online traffic away from the UAE and Bahrain.

“Amazon has generally configured its services so that the loss of a single data center would be relatively unimportant to its operations,” said Mike Chapple, an IT professor at the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business.

Other data centers in the same zone can take over and most of the time this happens seamlessly every day to balance workloads, he said.

“That said, the loss of multiple data centers within an availability zone could cause serious is-

sues, as things could reach a point where there simply isn’t enough remaining capacity to handle all the work.” Amazon doesn’t typically disclose the exact number of data centers it operates around the world.

It says only that its data centers are clustered in 39 geographic regions, with three such regions in the Middle East, covering the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Israel.

Each AWS region is split up into at least three data center availability zones, with each zone isolated and physically separated “by a meaningful distance,” although they are all within 60 miles of each other and connected by “ultra-lowlatency networks” that reduce the time lag for data transmission.

4B

■ Wednesday, March 4, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

AirlineHighway Gonzales,LAat11am.

Obituaries

Brimmer, Beverly Ann

Entered to eternalrest, surrounded by loved ones on February 26, 2026 at the age of 73. Beverly is survived by her son, Sam Brimmer, Sr. (Melody); daughter, Jasmin Brimmer. Visitation Friday, March 6, 2026, Hall's Celebration Center, 9348 Scenic Highway, Baton Rouge, LA., 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm. Visitation continues Saturday, March 7, 2026,Charity Christian Center, 871 O'Neal Ln., Baton Rouge, LA., 9:00 am until religious service at 11:00 am. Entombment Heavenly Gates Cemetery of Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge, LA. Entrusted to Hall Davis and Son.

Today fully on February 20, 2026 in Gonzales,Louisiana. Shannon'svibrant spirit and infectious laughter left an indelible markonall who knew him. Survived by motherJoy Robertson, father RexDiggs, brother Jarrett Robertson, Aunt Tina Richardson, UncleBobby Robertson, lovinggirlfriend LolaBorne Kinler,nephews Chevy, Harley and Dax. Precededindeath by Stepfather Dane Giardina, grandmother Lois Lee Perry He attendedFrench Settlement Elementary and St.AmantHigh, wherehe built lifelong friendships. He playedbaseball for King GeorgeBayouLeague and football at St. Amant High. Shannon lovedlivingon the Amite River. He definetely livedhis life to the fullest. He had ahuge heartand passion forhelping others. Hisabsence willbefeltbythe many great friends he considered family.A memorial service willbeheldfrom 11AM to 2PM on March 7, 2026 at Christ Healing CommunityChurch 404 W Pine Street Gonzales, Louisiana 70737, Immediately followingwillbea celebration of Shannon's life at 19554LaTrace Rd French Settlement,La. 70733

"SugarBrown" Gilmore, born on May11,

Brown Sr. and Memphis Coleman Brown; grandson Erick J. Gilmore; stepson, James Washington, one brother and seven sisters Visitation willbeheldat Greenoaks Funeral Home, 9595 FloridaBlvd.,Baton Rouge, LA., Friday, March 6, 2026, from5:00pm7:00pm. Visitation willresume Saturday, March 7, 2026, at NewGideon Baptist Church, 2552 BalisDr., BatonRouge,LA.,from9:00 am until funeral service at 11:00 am. Interment will immediatelyfollow at Greenoaks Memorial Park.

James "Henry" Grace, Sr., alifelong resident of Baton Rouge, passed away peacefully on February 26, 2026, at theage of 83. Born on November 28, 1942, Henry liveda life defined by service,leadership,faith, and deep love for hisfamily and community. He attendedCatholicHigh School and graduated from Baton Rouge High School in 1960. He went on to earn hisdegree fromthe University of Southwestern Louisiana in 1967. Henry honorably served his country as aStaff Sergeant (E6), earning distinction as bothaSharpshooter and Expert Shooter. His commitment to servingothers extended far beyond his military service. As atype Oblood donor, he faithfully gave blood formany years, quietlyhelpingsavecountless lives. Henry began his career with Ethyl Corporation before devotingnearly 60 years to Louisiana Fire Extinguisher, where he served as President and CEO for many years. His steady leadership and strong workethic left a lasting impact on thecompany and thosewho worked alongsidehim. A man of deep faith, Henry

was an activeand devoted member of Most Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church. He served as President of theMen'sClub twice, head usher at the 9:45 a.m. Mass, and was a dedicatedmember of the parish fair committee.For many years, he brought joy to parish events dressed as thePelican. Henry's commitment to heritage and patriotismwas evident in his extensiveinvolvement with historical and lineagesocieties. His interest in American history deepened when he began dating Rachel, and the twoenjoyed visiting historic sites and battlefields togetherover theyears. He served in numerous leadershiproles, including President and board memberofthe Louisiana SocietySonsofthe American Revolutionand as President and officerofthe GeneralPhilemon Thomas ChapterSonsofthe American Revolution. He also served as aSenior State and National Officerofthe Childrenofthe American Revolutionand was a member of theNational Society Sons &Daughters of thePilgrims, theGeneral Society of the War of 1812, and theJamestowne Soci-

ety. Hisspirit of service extended throughoutBaton Rouge.Henryservedas Chiefofthe St.George Volunteer FireDepartment and wasa foundingmemberofthe CityofSt. George.Hewas President of theShenandoah Homeowners Association for manyyears, amember of theFederation of Greater Baton Rouge Civic Associationsand theJones Creek Business Association and served on theShenandoah Crime District.Hewas also adedicated member of the Rotary ClubofBaton Rouge,a PaulHarrisFellow, anda memberofthe Metro9Advisory Committee andBaton Rouge Fire Prevention. Henry embracedfellowship andcelebrationasKingofthe KreweofRomanyin2000, a member of the Kreweof Tucumcari,and amember of Allthe King's Men. He was also amember of American Legion Post 38 and Kappa SigmaFraternity. He was theself-proclaimed chairman of the rulescommittee of the MBS BuncoGroup and the founder of thefuzzy dice.A generoussupporterofthe community, Henrywas a longtime donortoWoman'sHospital andplayeda i l l i h

pivotal role intheGreater Baton Rouge State Fair Foundation, writingthe checkthatsecured the fairgroundsonAirline Highway— alegacythat will benefit generationsto come. He wasprecededin death by hisparents,Evelyn Williams Graceand John Mallory Grace, Sr Henryissurvivedbyhis belovedwife of 50 years, RachelAustinGrace; daughters, Sarah Grace Brooks (Lester)and Maria Andrade; son, JamesHenry "Jay" Grace, Jr.; sisters, AliciaGraceOhlmeyer and ConnieGraceSchudmak (Mel); brother, John Mallory Grace, Jr.; treasured grandchildren, Macy Ann Grace, Ashton Michael Grace, andMallory Austin Brooks; and numerous nieces, nephews, greatnieces, great-nephews cousins, and friends. Henry Gracelived 83 years marked by faith, service, generosity, andlove for his familyand community. His legacywill continue in the lives he touched andthe institutionshehelped build.Relatives andfriends are invited to celebrate James' life on Thursday, March5,2026, at St.Jude Catholic Church.The visitation will begin at 10:00 f ll d b h

AM, followed bytheFuneral Mass at 12:00 PM. Burial will follow at Resthaven Gardens of Memory. Pallbearers will include Lester Brooks, Raleigh Ohlmeyer, Stephen McGuire, Joey Culmone,Don Simoneaux, and Earl Breaux. Honorary pallbearers will include Darrell Ourso, Donn McGuire, Mark Evans, John Dabkowski, Elmo Dean, and Thomas Miguez. The family would like to extend sincere thanks to Dr. Ethan Greenblatt at Baton Rouge GeneralHospital and the staff at St. Joseph Hospice -Carpenter House for the care given at the end of life. In lieu of flowers, the family asksfor donations to be made to Woman's Hospital, care of the Foundation for Woman's (https: //www.womans.org/found ation). Family and friends may sign the online guestbook or leave apersonal note to the familyat www.resthavenbatonroug e.com.

Judy Fern Lowery Hoffpauir, age 83, of Gonzales, Louisiana, peacefully passed away on February 22, 2026. Through Acelebrationoflife will be held on Monday, March 9, 2026, at Household of Faith at 10469 Airline Highway in Gonzales, LA, 70737.Visitation will be from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM, with aservice to follow

On Thursday, February

26th, Henry passed away at his home in Houston, surrounded by his devoted wife and children at the blessed age of 93. Henry lived alife guided by his Catholic faith and devoted to his family while modeling selflessness, gratitude humility, integrity, and humor. His innate love of animals, nature, and water began where he was born, in Lockport, LA on the banks of Bayou Lafourche. He was an only childbut grew up enjoying Sunday dinners with his large and loving extended familyon his grandparent's sugar cane plantation. Henry also inherited the music gene from his family, a legacy he passed on to his children and grandchildren. He grew up playing trumpet in the Holy Savior School band, at numerous churches, and in dance hall bands at The College Inn (Thibodaux) and Kohlman's Beach Haven (Grand Isle). One of his fondest memories was being roud member of the LSU Tigerland Henry

his giftofmusic with othersasa cantorinchurch and at weddings,parties, and nursing homes until his late 80's. After graduating from LSU with aBachelor of Science degree in MusicEducation, Henry was draftedtoKoreaasa memberofthe United States Army.Uponhis return to Louisiana,hewanted touse his mechanical aptitudetopursue asecond Bachelor of Science degreeinMechanicalEngineering. After graduation, he embarked on asuccessful 55-year careerthroughout the southeast involving national and international industrialprojects. The final years of hiscareer werespent as an independent consultant doing private machinerydesign work in Houston. Henry was amentorfor many and it was not unusualfor hiscolleagues and former employerstoalsobecome his life-long friends. When he was not working, he and his wife, Dottieenjoyedsailing,traveling, attending cultural events, playingpoker,and entertaining with familyand friends. In the last few years of his life, while living with heart and kidney failure,Henry found much gratitude in the simpler thingsathome. Tending to his beautiful Bougainvillea plants, visiting with neighbors and their dogs, enjoying visits from grandchildrenand great grandchildren, and playingMexican Trainwith familyand friends. Henry made aconnection with everyone he met eveninthe final months of his life. He genuinely caredabout the livesofothers andwill be missedgreatly by those who loved him.

Henryissurvived by his wifeof18years,Dorothy Erwin-Legendre; his daughter, Michelle Waguespack and husband Philip, and son, Henry Stephen (Steve) Legendre and wifeJodie. He was adored by his grandchildren and the nine great grandchildrenthatlovingly calledhim "Pops".Grandchildren: Beau Tanner (Nicole), Christen Foster (Zach), Annemarie Menard (Cody),Paige Waguespack, AveryLegendre, Hallie Legendre, Luke Legendre. Also survived by stepson Robert Erwin (Carissa)and family

Henrywas precededin death by his second wife, Carolyne Gibbs Legendre, and first wifeMarie Campbell Legendreand his parents Rita GuidrozLegendre andHenry JosephLegendre,Sr.

Aspecial thankyou to the dedicateddoctors, nurses, healthcare workers, and caregiversthat

provided support to Henry and his family "I have fought thegood fight, Ihavefinished the race, Ihavekeptthe faith."

2Timothy 4:7

Avisitationwillbeheld at St.Michael the Archangel Catholic Church in Houston, Texas,1801 SageRoad on Monday, March 23rd at 9:30 a.m. followedbya mass at 10:00 a.m. with reception immediatelyfollowing. The Rite of Committaland burial willbeatSt. George Catholic Church Cemetery in BatonRouge,Louisiana on Friday, March 27th at 10:30 a.m. with areception immediatelyfollowing in theKleinpeterActivity Center.

Cleament Brannon"Bo"

Smith passed away peacefully on March 1,2026, at theage of 83. Alifelong resident of BatonRouge, Louisiana, Bo was born on June 24, 1942, and liveda life defined by service,loyalty, faith,and adeeplove forfamily and community. Bo was aproud graduate of CatholicHighSchool where he later servedas thePresident of theMen's Club and was one of the men who ran CatholicHigh Bingointhe 70's. He also attended Louisiana State University. An avid and devotedLSU fan,he rarely missed an opportunityto cheeronthe Tigers.In true Tiger fashion,Bo willbe laid to rest wearinghis favorite LSUshirt.Visitorsare warmly welcomed and encouraged to wear their LSU attire in his honor, something he wouldhavetruly enjoyed.Bofaithfully served hiscountry as a member of theNational Guard.Hewent on to build alongand respectedcareer withthe East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney's Office, where he dedicatedmany years of servicetohis community He was known for his strong workethic,integrity, and commitment to doing what was right.Hewas preceded in death by his father Cleament Brannon

Smith, Sr., and hismother DorothyAdams Ricketts and hissister ReeKostuch Bo is survivedbyhis loving wife Corky;his sister-inlaw, KimBevil andbrotherin-law,Billy Lasseter; his daughters Katherine King (Gordon), KimBoneno (David) and Karen Melancon(Eric); his grandchildren Lauren King, Abby King Bourgeois (Butler), Brannon Melancon (Danielle),Dr. Mary Jordan Melancon, Sydney Boneno and WilliamBoneno;and his great-grandchildren HaleighKing, CamilleBourgeois and MaggieMelancon, allofwhomwere the prideand joy of his life. Pallbearers willinclude GordonKing, DavidBoneno, Dr. EricMelancon, Brannon Melancon, William Boneno,Billy Lasseter, Butler Bourgeois and Buck Hawks. Serviceswill be conducted by Deacon James Morrissey. In lieu of flowers,the family requests that donations be madetoCatholicHigh School, 855 Hearthstone Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70806 in Bo'smemory. Bo willberemembered forhis devotion to his family,his lifelong friendships, and his unwavering love for LSU. Hislegacy livesonin h li h h d

themanylives he touched. Friends andfamilyare invited to attenda funeral service to be held at Greenoaks Funeral Home, 9595 Florida Blvd., Baton Rouge,LA70815 on Thursday, March 5th, 2026, at 2:00 PM. Visitationwill be from12:00 PM untilservice time.Burial will follow in Greenoaks Memorial Park.

Cemetery.Survivors includeher devotedhusband, Albert Woods; sons, Jeremy andJoshuaMoore; siblings, BrendaMagee, Rev. Daniel(Melanie),Ellis III(Debra) andMichael Wells(Jessie);bonusbrother-in-law, Earl Magee; nieces, nephewsother relatives andfriends; preceded in death by herson, Joseph Moore;parents, Allice andEllis Wells, Jr.; sister, Diane Washington. Woods, Valarie

ValarieWells Moore Woods enteredinto eternal rest at The Carpenter's HouseonFebruary 24, 2026. She was a70-year old native andresident of Baton Rouge,Louisiana. ViewingatMiller& DaughterMortuary on Thursday, March5,2026 at 9:00 am untilCelebrationofLife Service at 11:00 am; intermentatLouisianaNational

dental insurance in retirement.

Many Americans are fortunate to have dental coveragefor their entire working life,through employer-provided benefits. When those benefits end with retirement,payingdental bills out-of-pocket can come as a shock,leading peopletoput offoreven go without care.

Simplyput —without dental insurance, there may be an importantgap in your healthcarecoverage

Whenyou’recomparing

 Look forcoveragethat helps pay formajor services. Some plans maylimit thenumber of procedures —orpay forpreventive care only.

 Look forcoveragewithnodeductibles. Some plans mayrequire you to pay hundredsout of pocket before benefits are paid.

 Shop forcoveragewithnoannual maximumoncash benefits.Some plans have annual maximums of $1,000.

Medicare doesn’tpay for dental care.1

Previous dental work canwearout

That’s right. As good as Medicare is,itwas never meanttocover everything. That means if youwant protection, youneed to purchase individual insurance.

Early detectioncan prevent small problemsfrom becomingexpensive ones

Even if you’ve hadqualitydentalworkinthe past, youshouldn’t take your dentalhealth forgranted. In fact, your odds of havinga dentalproblemonly go up as youage.2

Treatment is expensive especially theservicespeople over 50 often need

The best way to preventlarge dental bills is preventive care. TheAmerican Dental Association recommends checkupstwiceayear.

Consider these national average costsof treatment. $274for acheckup $299 for afilling $1,471 foracrown.3 Unexpected bills likethiscan be areal burden, especially if you’reonafixed income

La.’sankle monitoring programneeds to be mended or ended

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill remains on amission to crack down on weak enforcementofankle monitoring systems for criminal defendants. She is quiteright to pursue that mission.

Indeed, the failures of the systems are so great that Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams makes sense in suggesting that the whole program should be paused until the repeated kinks can be worked out.Such amoratorium should at least be considered. Even if over-incarceration is aproblem, it’s better not to let potentially dangerous criminals on the streets if they can’tbetracked and kept from violence.

The latest notable example of crimes committed by people who were supposed to be monitored happened Jan. 22 in the Village de l’Est neighborhood in New Orleans, when a juvenile wearing an ankle monitor,issued by the Office of Juvenile Justice, repeatedly shot avictim in the back. Themonitor’sbattery had died four days earlier,but no officials had done anything to ensure it was recharged or working.

Murrill for years has been trying to force responsible parties to make sure the ankle devices actually work and are monitored. Her latest targets, via aFeb. 4complaint tothe Louisiana Judiciary Commission, are all four Juvenile Court judges in New Orleans.

Most specifically,Murrill asked thecommission to investigate Judge Candice BatesAnderson for allegedly improper oversight of two juveniles connected withhigh-profile killings when their ankle devices weren’tbeing tracked.

Similar problems have occurred in multiple areas of the state. A2022 investigation by this newspaper found widely varying performance among the companies that provide the equipment, along with poor or even nonexistent record-keeping in some communities.

And awhole, horrible string of violent incidents across Louisiana have occurred when monitoring failed. Perhaps the most notorious one occurred in St. Francisville in 2021, when aman named Marshall Rayburn, who already had been charged several times with raping his wife and ordered to stay away from her house, nonetheless continued to terrorize and finally kill her and then himself. The monitoring company had never notified law enforcement of Rayburn’smultiple violations of theprotective order.

We do not know how far the problem extends statewide, but this much is certain: Somehow, some way,the state andits judicialsystem and all local jurisdictions must ensure that the monitors work and are tracked and that transgressors will quickly be imprisoned. Order must be imposed on the chaos, with clear lines of authorityand no buck-passing. If nobody monitors the monitors, more innocent people could die. Let’shope Murrill’s spotlight causes officials tostopbeing so dangerously negligent.

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE AREOUR

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

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

Political leaders relying on spiritual belief systemstosupport their power is nothing new

The authority of theRoman emperor was reinforced by ahierarchy of pagan gods at the time Jesus Christ was born. Paganismlegitimized that political system until thefourth century,when Emperor Constantine consolidated his personal political control by proclaiming Christianity theofficial religion of theempire. The monarchsofWestern civilization continued to use Christianityinthe form of Catholicism to validatetheir “divine right”torule until the16th century.When theProtestantReformation provoked areligious fragmentation throughout Europe, however,those controversies became conflated with political ones. With each European monarch declaring his authority to impose his own spiritual preference over those he ruled, continentwide protestserupted. In order to ultimately determine which form of Christianity would be practiced, aseries of viciously bloody wars were fought over the following years, resulting in thedeaths of over 8million

It seems there are manyU.S. citizens who believe if aperson enters our country illegally,has ajob and hasn’t committed aserious crime, they have a right to remain here. Well, they don’t.

That’sthe mindset that encouraged thecaravans in which people gave their life savings to cartels to bring their children to America, only to have manyofthem raped, beaten and sold into slavery.Millions of young adult males (unvetted)entered illegally from countries all over the globe. Arethey all good people?

The job they had was taken from a legal citizen (at areduced wage). They have put an enormous strain on our welfare, education and health systems, as well as our judicial system.

Youdon’thave to like President

Traffic signs are meaningless. Stop signs, traffic signals, no left turn, no right turn, no parking, handicapped parking, school zones, speed limit and yield signs mean nothing anymore. When you have no enforcement,why comply? Amessage to the lady who

people.

America’sFounding Fathers had learned from the previous century’s gory history how disastrous it could be when politics and religion became intermingled. In their courageous attempttoestablish anew independent country with an experimental form of government, theyrecognized that if they wanted to avoid apath to selfdestruction, they needed to allow space for freedom of conscience when writing the Constitution. Thanks to their foresight, adiversity of religious thought has becomean enduring part of the American mindset over the past 250 years. While the TenCommandments may have historical and cultural significance, they are undoubtedly primarily religious laws. If our current political leaders wish to keep our country strong, they could likewise learn from history why posting acopy of these lawsinpublic classrooms is ablatant disregard for thereligious freedom our Founders so wisely provided.

SUE GISCLAIR Baton Rouge

Donald Trump’sbraggadocio (I don’t either), but look at theresults. He has sent themessage that illegal entry won’tbetolerated, stopping the caravans, thereby saving lives and preventing atrocities.

I, too, have aheart and feel sympathy for people who live in fear and poverty so terrible that they think their only hope is to flee.

Ibelieve we need to help these desperatepeople, but we need to help them in their own countries so they don’t have to flee.

That’sa big part of what President Trumphopes to accomplish in Venezuela, and it sends the message to the other Latin American countries.

BV BUTCH POLITO Hammond

complained about getting an electronic ticket for running ared light: There’sa simple solution. Don’t run ared light. It’sa total breakdown of society.No accountability KEN NAQUIN Baton Rouge

Naming sports arenas notina hospital’s job description

Iagree with and applaud James L. Smith forhis letter that was printed on Feb. 25. Ican’timagine that the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady consider sports venue naming rights to be part of their mission to provide forthe health care needs of the people they serve. In my opinion, these funds would be better spent on medical services and health care personnel.

Iama fanofOLOL, but Idon’t choose to access their services because their nameisonafootball field. Iagree that the OLOL board of trustees should reconsider its decision to compete forthe naming rights to sports venues. RICHARD FRUGE Lafayette

People should question their representatives aboutwar in Iran

Iamwriting to my congressman,Clay Higgins, from Louisiana’sThird District. Ifeel that he, along with the rest of our Congressional delegation, owes us all aresponse.

As his constituent, Iwant to know acouple of things about the latest warthis Republican administration has launched in our name.

WasHiggins, as amember of Congress, consulted, and did he give consent to this recent action beginning Feb. 28? Iwould normally refer to congressional votes to determine his actions, but, to my knowledge, this was not discussed in the halls of our government. This seemsunilateral, by an out-of-control administration with no bounds.

Iwill emphatically state that he owes it to us in Lafayette, to us in Louisiana and to the rest of his fellow citizens across America to be 100% transparent and tell us what he knew and when.

RICHARD SMITH

Lafayette

Dr.Norman Francis meant the world to so many.But it was different for some.

“When we were growing up, he was daddy,” Kathleen Francis told me during aWBOK Good Morning Show Monday before aseries of events honoring Dr.Francis at Xavier University’sconvocation center.“Growing up, we didn’trealize he was alegacy.We thought ourjob was to keep him humble. He would come home and ask us whether we were watching the news. We’d say no, we’re watching ‘The Mod Squad.’” Kathleen is founder andpresident of Oasis Management and chair and president of Women in Sports +Events (WISE).She’sone of six successful Francis adult children. Dr.Francis died the first day of Lent, as if he wanted afull Carnival season before leaving. His funeral Mass was held at St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square in the New Orleans French Quarter.Kathleen and some of her siblings shared some of what they experienced as children.

Norman Francis, wife Blanche and their children lived on the second floor of atwo-story house, ahome with two parents, six children and one bathroom.

Things really got fancy when the house was renovated, giving them the first floor as an addition, adding asecond bathroom —but only one shower

On any given day,the Francis kids didn’tknow who or whattoexpect. It was normal to bounce downstairs andsee their mom havingcoffee with 62-year Xavier employeeJoe Spencer, acustodian, mailman and keymaster,the one man on campus who had keys to every door on campus. It was normal to head downstairs and see a prominent elected official,business or university leader visiting. Kathleen Francis said they’d run upstairs to grab apair of shoes or shorts, or whateverwas needed at the moment.

Dr.Francis talked and walked with those of great note and those who few people knew.But his wife and family were most important.

With six children playing sportsand having other youth activities with the Carrollton Boosters, there were different activities, different sports, dif-

Christina Francis, center,isjoined by her siblingsatSt. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans as theyremember their father,Dr. Norman C. Francis, during his funeral on Tuesday.

ferent teams on different days. Yet, he made time for his family

“He and my mother never missed one baseball game or one football game or whatever we were doing if he was home,” TimFrancis told me. Theirfatherwasn’tanavid kids’ sportsfan or adiehardparent telling coaches what they should do. No, he wasfocused on one player at atime.

“Timmy,don’tplay around. Don’t throw junk. Play it straight,” Tim recalled his father saying from the bleachers. “You could always hear his voice. He was always engaged.”

Dr.Michael Franciswanted to be ajournalist,but “Norman mademe go into medicine.” Norman?Iasked. “Well, Inever called him that to his face.” Michael likes saying Norman whentalking about his father,though his brothers and sisters do not.He followed his father’sadvice, went to medical school and became asuccessful pediatric anesthesiologistand medical school professor.Thesedays, he’sdirector of investigations for the Louisiana Board of Medical Examiners— and he loves it. “It’skind of like journalism,” he said. “Tell me your story.What did youdo? What happened? Why did it happen?”

Michael noted that none of his brothers and sisters live public lives

as their father did. “Noneofuswere running for office,” he said. “Wedon’t have high profiles.…But we all have been apart of giving of some kind.”

Thereare other children of Blanche and Norman Francis. Christina Francis runs FranchiseEnterprises LLC, asports managementfirm. Patrick Francis is aformer associate vice chancellor at the University of Texas System. David Francis is co-founder of Verite News.

Since theloss of Dr.Francis, many have expressed appreciation and gratitude for his life and the ways he touched others. Many arethanking the Francis family for sharing their father and their grandfather with us.

Norman Francis loved God, Blanche, his children, his grandchildren and the larger Francis family clan.

Now that two daysofcelebrating his life have passed,the rest of us who want to honor his legacy can do a couple of things: “Live like Norman,” as former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu saidatthe program. And prove that Norman Francis isn’tgone by living our lives as he would. That’swhat his children aredoing. So should we.

Email Will Sutton at wsutton@theadvocate.com.

Joe McCarthy wasfamously undone by the rhetorical questions at a1954 congressional hearing: “Have you no sense of decency,sir,at long last? Have you leftnosense of decency?”

If the samequeries weredirected to Candace Owens at such aforum, she’d sail on unperturbed —since she has no idea what “decency” means.

The conspiratorial podcaster has embarked on an investigative series on Erika Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk. In this context, “investigative series” meansa loosely stitched together collection of sewerish falsehoods and innuendo smearing Erika Kirk. Perhaps Owens can follow up with afranchise devoted to sullying the reputations of the widows of assassinated husbands throughout U.S. history.Are we sure that Mary Todd Lincoln wasasinnocent as she seemed? Didn’tJackie Kennedy act kind of weird in Dallas? What did IdaSaxton McKinley know and when did she know it?

The narrative and commercial logic always suggested that this is where Owens was headed. It didn’tmake any sense to libel TPUSA as being connected to the murder of its leader and founder —asOwens has formonths now without implicating its new leader,Erika Kirk. And, as the shock value of her anti-TPUSA campaign woreoff, Owens had to stoke outrage and interest anew with something even more perverse.

And what is moredemented than portraying the wife of the victim of ashocking assassination as ablack widow?

Whereas mostofhave seen in Erika Kirk a Christian womanbearing up under an intolerable burden and stunningly forgiving the alleged murderer of her husband, Owens purports to see Clytemnestra, the mythical Greek figure whobetrayed her husband Agamemnon upon his return from the Trojan War.

The title of her series is “Bride of Charlie.” Getit? Like the “Bride of Frankenstein.”

Shortly after Nick Reiner pleaded not guilty last week to charges that he murdered his parents, filmmaker Rob Reiner and photographer Michele Singer Reiner,Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said he was still considering thedeath penalty “Wewill be looking at all aggravating and mitigating circumstances,” he said, “and we have invited defense counsel to present to us both in writing and orally in ameeting any arguments that they would like to make.” Nick Reiner’stwo siblings have saidthey do not want their brother put to death if he’sconvicted.Prosecutors in such cases, of course,work for the government, not for victims’ families, for whom the perpetrator’sdeath sentence can be yet another traumaon top of the loss of aloved one. Consider adecades-old murder case from Columbia, South Carolina, that has recently resurfaced thanksto avictim’ssister who, after years of silent suffering, has become an antideath penalty activist

whowas 19 when her sister was killed, to remember and tell what happened to her family during that time.

“My family disintegrated after Carlotta’smurder,” she told me. She has been coping through thedecades ever since, with the anguish and physical toll of both her little sister’smurder and her family’scloistered silence. Hartness’sfather ordered thefamily never to mention Carlotta’s name.

That command and decades of isolated suffering led Hartness, now 68, toasurprising conclusion and advice for prosecutors: Don’tmakeitworse for thealleged perpetrator’sfamily by seeking the death penalty. It almost always leads to appeals and forces the victim’sfamily —who are called murder co-victims —toendure the agony of the killing again

church, or work. This realization led Hartness to oppose the death penalty “I cannot be apart of something that brings suffering to families like my family suffered,” she said.

Hartness’sempathyhas offended somepeople, she told me, but she doesn’tcare anymore. “Let them be offended.” While many friends celebrated the executions, she said, “no one was celebrating in my house. We had to relive every detail of my sister’srape, torture and murder.”

As aso-called investigator,Candace Owens is like Perry Mason if the fictional attorney had been aschizophrenic high on crack. Her method is to pile will-o’-the-wisp connections one on top of another,often buttressed by flagrant factual mistakes, and insist that if she’s debunked, it just showshow she must be on the right track.

Her mantra is that “wedon’tknow-know,but we know”—inother words, her malicious, irrational intuitions are superior to actual knowledge backed by facts.

She now says that “Erika Kirk should be dragged into apolice precinct forquestioning,” and anyone whodisagrees is “a full-blown fraud.” According to Owens, “the amount of evidence that is now piling up, Iwould say, against Erika Kirk, is almost akin to an NBC Dateline episode.”

On Oct. 29, 1977, 14-year-old Carlotta Hartness and 17-year-old Tommy Taylor were in the wrong place at the wrong time —parked in acar when three males were on adrug-andalcohol-fueled mission to “find agirl to rape,” as one of the suspects testified in court. Spotting the teenagers, they drove up and shot Tommy dead. Carlotta was kidnapped and taken to anearby dirt road, where the trio repeatedly raped and tortured the teen before killing her.One of them returned later to mutilate her body.Two were sentenced to death and executed in 1985 and1986. The third, who testified against theothers, was sentenced to lifeand died in prison. Carlotta’sparents and their son have died, leaving only Sherrerd Hartness,

Thedeath penalty “is thelast thing that victim family membersneed,” shewrote in an article for the State newspaper in Columbia. “The months priortothe executionsofmysister’s murdererswere filled with relentless news coverage.”

Hartness said she still suffers extreme physical pain, diagnosed as fibromyalgia, related to Carlotta’s murder.Thiscondition is not uncommonamong victims of psychological or emotional trauma. Each time one of Carlotta’skillers was executed, aches andmuscle cramps gripped Hartness’s body,aphysical terror connected not only to thedeaths but to thesuffering of theperpetrators’ families.

Forthem, she thinks, it may be worse than for some victims’ families.Not only dofamilies of death rowinmates have to countdown theminutes and seconds until their son, brother,uncle or father is executed but they have to walk into school the next day,or

Hartness said no one called to check on her for weeks before or after the executions. (Oneneighbor brought a loaf of bread.) Lonelinessand lack of support were constants in her life, giving her time to think and contemplate vexing questions —how cycles of crime pass through generations, how childhoods of neglect and abuse create people filled with rage and bereft of coping mechanisms. She yearned to help, to stop the cycles, to interrupt the rage, but how?

After decades of silence, she found her voice and began talking —oncollege campuses, on panels and even to garden clubs. The more she talked, theless her body ached. Though sometimes lonely,Hartness is far from alone. The Justice Department’sOffice for Victims of Crime reported in 2018 that 1in10Americans will lose aloved one to homicide in their lifetime, covictimswhose suffering doesn’tend when amurderer’sheart stops. Killing, whether by arenegade trio of rapistsorbythe government,isn’tthe answer,itseems. Not even, Hartness would argue, for an alleged murderer such as Nick Reiner.Alife sentence spent suffering for his slain parents surely would be apunishment worse than death.

Email KathleenParker at kathleenparker@washpost.com.

Usually,conspiracy theories spring up around assassinations that are hard to fathom,orhave someambiguity about them. It is clear that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in killing JFK, but it’sunderstandable that there have been questions about the event. It is the depraved achievement of Candace Owens to makeabonkers true crime drama, with all sorts of mysteries and twists, out of an open-and-shut murder case.

Kirk’saccused killer,Tyler Robinson, had a motive, leftatrail of damning evidence and confessed to multiple people. To dismiss all this and call forErika Kirk to be frogmarched into apolice station is so mad it makes Owens’ conviction that both the moon landing and dinosaurs are fake look well-grounded by comparison.

It is asymptom of our time that such malevolent buffoonery is rewarded with ahuge audience. It is impossible to discredit Owens because she is not in the credibility business to begin with. In the attention economy,denunciations are just as useful as praise, especially if amedia figure is posing as abrave truth-teller —sobrave that, in this case, she’swilling to drag through amud amother of twowho saw her beloved husband murdered less than six months ago.

It’s not just that decency is not necessary in the Candace Owens business model; it would be an obstacle.

Rich Lowry is on X, @RichLowry.

Alittle patchyfog is possiblebut less likely thismorning,and rain has creeped back into the

MISSINGPIECE?

Running back JeremiyahLove could be an enticingpick for the Saintsinnext month’sNFL draft.

home-run threat the Saints need, but some questionwhetherNew Orleans hasenough other

Former NotreDameRB Love says Saints canuse himlikeKamara

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

INDIANAPOLIS Jeremiyah Love can envi-

sion what it would be like to be drafted by theNew Orleans Saints.

“They’ll find away to use me,”the Notre Damerunning backsaid, “like they did AlvinKamara.”

If it happens,Love’sselection would againsee the Saints usher in atransition from one eratothe next. WhenKamara was taken in 2017,the electric rookie was paired with veteran Mark Ingram before eventually becoming the mainback.And that passing of the torchwas reminiscent of the one that happened between Reggie

ä NFL draft. APRIL23-25, PITTSBURGH

Bush and Deuce McAllister theprevious decade.

On the surface, picking Love could mark the Saints’ most tantalizing draft choice since Bushin2006. No playerinthisyear’s draftarguably hasmoretalent. At Notre Dame,Love was adown-to-down home run hitterwho became thefocal point of game plans —the sort of player missing from New Orleans’ offense.

But as enticing as Love is,dothe Saints have theresources inplace to justify takinga running back in the top 10?

TheNFL has changed in the20years

since the Saints took Bush. Teams have become more selective about when to take the positioninthe first round because of durabilityconcerns andthe value often found in later rounds.That’snot to say first-round running backs area waste, but picking onerequiresa more thorough examination of the fit rather thanthe plugand-play nature that Love’sskill set suggests.

“There is something to, OK, when the team is ready to really take off, thenyou drop in therunning back,” NFL Network draft analystDaniel Jeremiah said. “You utilize all of his carries.They all matter

ä See LOVE, page 4C

Coltsplace transition tagonveteran QB Jones

NewyorkJetsslapfranchise tagontop running back Hall

BY JOSH DUBOW AP pro football writer

The IndianapolisColtsplaced atransition tagonquarterback Daniel Jones and the New York Jetsused the franchisetag on running back Breece Hall as teams beat the deadline Tuesday to placetagsonpotential free agents

The Colts opted to usethe $37.8 million transition tag instead of the$43.9 million franchise tag, openingupthe possibility that he could still leave without compensation for Indianapolis. Jones can signanoffer sheet with another team once free agency starts March 11 with the Colts havingfive days to matchor allow him to leave.

Hall got the $14.3millionfranchise tag from New York, meaningthe Jetswould get twofirst-round picks as compensation if they

didn’tmatch anypotential offersheet.

Dallas receiverGeorge Pickensand Atlanta tightend Kyle Pitts hadthe franchise tags placed on themwell before the deadline.

Thefourtotal tagssurpasslastyear’s total of two. Therehad been an averageofmore than nine franchise tags handedout each year from 2020-24, with two other playersgetting the transition tag withthe previous one going to New England’sKyle Dugger in 2024.

The move by the Colts meanscoveted receiverAlecPiercecould hit the open market next week if he doesn’tsigna deal withIndianapolis beforethe startofthe new league year

Amongthe other prominent players who didn’tget taggedand could hit the open marketnextweek areCincinnati edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, Seattle’sSuper Bowl MVP running back Kenneth Walker,Baltimore centerTylerLinderbaum,Chargers edge rusher Odafe Oweh and Jacksonville running back Travis Etienne Jones hadapromising starttohis first seasonwith the Colts, helping the team get off

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Bregman, Skenes shine in 15-1 exhibition win

BY DAVID BRANDT AP baseballwriter

SCOTTSDALE,Ariz.

TheUnited States wasted little time showing how potent its rostercould be at the upcoming World Baseball Classic.

TheAmericans needed just three batters to take a2-0 lead in thefirst inning of theirexhibition game against theSan Francisco GiantsonTuesday after Bobby Witt Jr.singled, Bryce Harper doubled and three-time American League MVPAaron Judge hit atwo-run single.

The United States won 15-1 with a19-hit performance in the 10-inning contest. RomanAnthony hit atwo-runhomer,forme LSU star Alex Bregman added asolo shot andGunnar Hendersonhad atworundouble.

“We’ve got agreat group of guys,” Harper said. ”Bobby Witt starting it at thetop, being atablesetter up there for us. Obviously, onethrough nine we’ve gota pretty good dynamic.

“We’ve just got to continue to be good.”

NationalLeagueCyYoung Awardwinner Paul Skenes of LSU had asolid outing, giving up one runand one hit while striking out four over three innings. Therighthander gave up aleadoff double to Willy Adames,who scored on a groundout.

The 23-year-old retired his last nine batters.

“It’sa spring-training game, but it’sstill surreal,” Skenes said. “It’s going to be exciting when we get to Houston and it’sthe real deal.”

Left-hander Matthew Boyd followed Skenes,striking out four over 22/3 scorelessinnings.David Bednar,Mason Miller,Griffin Jax and Gabe Speier each threwa scorelessinning.

The Americansare trying to win their second WBCtitle and

United States’Alex Bregman, aformer LSUstar,celebrates hishome runagainst the San Francisco Giants with Bobby Witt Jr.during the fourthinning of an exhibition game Tuesdayin Scottsdale, Ariz.

6

1:30

6:50 p.m. Canada vs. Nicaragua FS2 WOMEN’S SOCCER

2:30 p.m. Argentina vs. Colombia TRUTV

5:30

LSU’s Chio named SEC gymnast of the week

The Southeastern Conference gymnast of the week award, which could be called the Kailin Chio trophy, is back in the LSU sophomore’s hands.

Chio on Tuesday was named SEC gymnast of the week for the fifth time this season. Florida’s Skye Blakely was SEC specialist of the week while Oklahoma’s Mackenzie Estep won freshman of the week, an award Chio captured a record nine times in 2025

8

Scherzer’s daughter gets her wish

Blue Jays re-sign the three-time Cy young Award winner

DUNEDIN, Fla. — Max Scherzer says the note his daughter composed asking the Toronto Blue Jays to re-sign the three-time Cy Young Award winner arose as his kids were writing letters to Santa Claus in December After Scherzer agreed last week to a $3 million, one-year contract to return to the Blue Jays, his wife posted on Instagram the handwritten note from their 8-year-old daughter Brooke.

“It’s the cutest thing you can possibly imagine when you read that, how much it meant to her to be in Toronto,” Scherzer told reporters Tuesday after his deal

was finalized. Scherzer said his kids were writing letters expressing what they wanted from Santa when Brooke approached him and his wife, Erica May-Scherzer The 8-year-old asked for a stamp and then put it on a sealed envelope that she handed to her parents.

After Brooke went to bed, her parents opened the letter to see what she had written.

“Dear Blue Jays,” the note began, “I am so sorry that you didn’t win the World Series. I hope that you win next time. I hope my dad is back on the team. My whole family loves spending time in Toronto with our dad. We loved the aquarium, the (CN) Tower and of course the stadium. I am looking forward to come back next season. Love, Max Scherzer daughter.”

Scherzer noted he and his wife didn’t send the letter to the Blue

Jays.

“That’s a bad negotiating tactic,” Scherzer said with a laugh.

Scherzer, 41, wanted to return to Toronto after the Blue Jays came so close to winning the World Series last season. The Blue Jays led in the ninth inning of Game 7 before falling 5-4 to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 11th.

“Obviously we came as close as you possibly can to winning the whole thing something you can never get over, forget or anything of that nature,” said Scherzer, who won World Series rings with Washington in 2019 and Texas in 2023. “That was a huge reason why I wanted to come back. This team can win. I wanted to be a part of it.”

Scherzer said he’s right on schedule for the start of the season after dealing with a thumb injury for much of last year “I feel healthy,” Scherzer said.

Scherzer went 5-5 with a 5.19 ERA in 17 regular-season starts last year. He also was the winning pitcher in Game 4 of the AL Championship Series with Seattle and made two starts in the World Series. He wanted to return to Toronto but understood the uncertainty that comes with being a free agent. His deal with the Jays includes $10 million in available performance bonuses for innings, “Free agency is a weird animal,” Scherzer said. “I’ve been through it many times. You think it’s going to go one way and it goes another way I kind of knew not to get my hopes up, but like I said, I was going to be picky about where I went. I wasn’t just going to sign with anybody There was only a couple of teams I’d sign with at this point in time, and obviously Toronto was one of them.”

Source: Braves’ Profar faces suspension

Outfielder to miss entire season after 2nd positive drug test

BY RONALD BLUM

AP baseball writer

NEW YORK Atlanta outfielder Jurickson Profar faces a 162-game suspension by Major League Baseball for a possible second failed test for a performance-enhancing drug, a person familiar with the issue told The Associated Press on Tuesday

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the process, first reported by ESPN, was ongoing.

Profar intends to ask the players’ association to file a grievance to appeal any discipline to baseball’s independent arbitrator, Martin F. Scheinman, a second person familiar with the process said, also on condition of anonymity, because no announcement had been made.

Because this would be Profar’s second infraction, an appeal would take place after a suspension was announced.

An All-Star in 2024, Profar was suspended for 80 games last March 31 following a positive test for Chorionic Gonadotrophin (hCG), a hormone that helps production of testosterone. He issued a statement then saying: “I would never willingly take a banned substance, but I take full responsibil-

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first since 2017. Manager Mark DeRosa said he was thrilled that all the starters stayed in the dugout well after being taken out of the game, talking with their temporary teammates.

“You look down the dugout, you’re seeing Bregman talking to Roman Anthony, you’re seeing (Tarik) Skubal and Skenes on the top step, you’re seeing Judge and (Cal) Raleigh talking,” DeRosa said. “That’s what I wanted to create, the coaching staff wanted to create — an environment where these guys didn’t want to leave.” Bregman — who lives in the Phoenix area — had several U.S teammates over for dinner last night. He said 23-time U.S. gold medalist swimmer Michael Phelps spoke to the group for motivation. “He just shared what it takes,” Bregman said. “Controlling the

ity and accept MLB’s decision.”

His agent, Dan Lozano, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Profar homered in his return from suspension on July 2 and finished with a .245 average, 14 homers, 43 RBIs and a .787 OPS in 80 games. He batted .280 in 2024, when he set career highs with 24 homers, 85 RBIs and an .839 OPS.

Profar said at the start of spring training that he had sports hernia surgery in November, requiring a six-week recovery time. He has appeared in four spring training games this year, going 3 for 10 with three RBIs.

A native of Curaçao, Profar had been set to play for the Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic.

Under the suspension, he would be ineligible for the postseason.

Profar would lose his $15 million salary for this year as part of a $42 million, three-year contract through 2027. He lost half his $12 million salary in 2025 due to the initial suspension.

He would be the seventh player suspended 162 games for a second PED infraction after New York Mets pitcher Jenrry Mejia (July 2015), Cleveland outfielder Marlon Byrd (June 2016), free agent catcher Cody Stanley (July 2016), Houston pitcher Francis Martes (February 2020) Mets second baseman Robinson Canó (November 2020) and Milwaukee pitcher J.C. Mejia (September 2023).

Mejia received a lifetime ban in February 2016 after a third positive test, the only player to be given a permanent ban since drug testing with penalties started in 2004.

Four players have been suspended previously this year for positive tests, including free agent outfielder Max Kepler for 80 games under the major league program following a positive test for Epitrenbolone.

Following the offseason signing of left fielder Mike Yastrzemski to a $23 million, two-year deal, Profar had been targeted to be the Braves’ primary designated hitter

When catcher Sean Murphy returns from a hip injury perhaps in May, 2025 NL Rookie of the Year Drake Baldwin could fill in at DH when not behind the plate.

With Yastrzemski, Michael Harris and Ronald Acuña Jr in the outfield, Eli White could be a DH option. The Braves also are without projected starting shortstop Ha-seong Kim due to a finger injury Mauricio Dubon, expected to serve a utility role, is scheduled to open the season as the starting shortstop.

The loss of Profar could create an opportunity for Dominic Smith, who signed a minor league deal on Feb. 17

“It’s a spring-training game, but it’s still surreal It’s going to be exciting when we get to Houston and it’s the real deal.”

PAUL SKENES, United States pitcher

San Francisco Giants ace Logan Webb will start the opener against Brazil on Friday Twotime defending AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal is expected to start Saturday against Britain, followed by Skenes vs. Mexico on Monday New York Mets right-hander Nolan McLean is tentatively scheduled to start on Tuesday in the final pool-play game against Italy, even though he’s dealing with vertigo-like symptoms and hopes to join the U.S. in Houston. DeRosa said after Tuesday’s exhibition that McLean’s health was improving. Skubal is expected to make just one start for the U.S. before rejoining the Detroit Tigers for the remainder of spring training.

Chio had another stellar week, winning or sharing four titles Friday against Alabama That included a perfect 10 on balance beam and a 39.800 to win the all-around crown. Sunday in the four-team Podium Challenge at the Raising Cane’s River Center, Chio had another 10.0 score on beam, her third straight perfect 10 in that event.

Kentucky’s Barnhart to retire as athletic director

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Mitch Barnhart, the longest-serving athletic director in the Southeastern Conference, will retire in June and take on a new role with Kentucky university President Eli Capilouto announced on Tuesday

“Mitch Barnhart has led University of Kentucky athletics for nearly a quarter-century,” Capilouto said in a statement released by the university Capilouto said he had “a profound mix of emotions” to announce Barnhart’s retirement. Barnhart, 66, was named Kentucky’s 10th athletic director in 2002, succeeding Larry Ivy Kentucky won six NCAA championships under Barnhart, including men’s basketball in 2012. Barnhart previously served as athletic director at Oregon State.

Iowa State discontinues gymnastics program

AMES, Iowa Iowa State is ending its women’s gymnastics program.

The decision, announced by athletic director Jamie Pollard on Tuesday, comes not long after the school canceled the remainder of its 2026 season because of what Pollard described as “unresolvable” issues between players, coaches and parents.

Pollard said the school will replace gymnastics with another women’s sport that “provides equal or additional participation opportunities” for female athletes.

The school will honor the scholarships of any current or incoming gymnasts who opt to remain at the university, including making sure they will continue to have access to all departmental services available to Iowa State student-athletes.

Pitt fires women’s coach Verdi amid legal issues

PITTSBURGH Pittsburgh fired women’s basketball coach Tory Verdi on Tuesday, ending a threeyear tenure in which the Panthers struggled to find success on the court and Verdi potentially ran into trouble off it.

Athletic director Allen Greene announced the decision shortly after the Panthers missed the ACC women’s tournament after going 8-23, including a 1-17 mark in conference play

The decision comes just weeks after former Pitt players filed a lawsuit against Verdi and the university, alleging they were subject to Verdi’s abusive coaching methods and their pleas for the university to intervene went unheard. The school has denied the allegations.

Tennessee Tech fires coach Pelphrey after losing season

COOKEVILLE,Tenn. Tennessee Tech has fired John Pelphrey after his seventh straight losing season ended with the Golden Eagles failing to qualify for the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. Pelphrey, 55, posted a 79-138 record that included a 13-18 mark this season. Tennessee Tech’s season ended Saturday with an 89-73 loss to Southeast Missouri State. Tennessee Tech tied for eighth place in the Ohio Valley Conference but lost a tiebreaker with Eastern Illinois for the league’s final tournament spot. Tennessee Tech was the third head coaching stop for Pelphrey, who owns an overall record of 228-264 in 16 seasons. He posted an 80-67 record at South Alabama from 2002-07 and went 69-59 at Arkansas from 2007-11.

on Feb 14 in Adelaide,Australia.

Rahm says European tour is ‘extorting’LIV players

BY DOUG FERGUSON AP golf writer

Jon Rahm tore intothe European tour Tuesday over itsoffer forhim and other LIV Golf players to rejoin, claiming the tour was “extorting players” by forcingthemtoplay additional tournaments.

Rahm, competing this week in LIVGolfHongKong, spokepublicly for the first time since the European tour announced adeal that would require LIV players topay previousfines fornot gettingreleases and to compete in additional events designated by the tour

Eight players from LIV,including Tyrrell Hatton, accepted the deal. Rahm did not.

“I don’tknow what gamethey’re tryingtoplay right now,” Rahm said. “But it just seems like in a way they’re using our impact in tournaments and fining us and trying to benefit both ways from what we have to offer.Ina way,they’re extorting players like myself and young players that have nothing to do with the politics of the game.

“So Idon’tlike the situationand I’m not going to agree to that.”

Players are required to play four tournaments, not including the majors, to keep membershiponthe European tour.Rahmsaid thedeal

would have required LIV members to playsix tournaments.

“And they dictate where two of thosehave to be, amongother things that Idon’tagree with,” Rahm said.

“I’ve been adualmembermywhole career —PGA Tour andDPWorld Tour NeveroncehaveI been asked for arelease to play either one of thosetours. So why is it now that we need to be offering thisand there’sall thesepenalties?

“I just don’tlikethe situation,” he said.“Ithink we should be able to freelyplaywhere we want and have the choice to play where we want and not be dictated whatwedo.”

The fines stem from playing LIV Golf events opposite European tour events without getting aconflictingevent release.Rahm wasable to usethe “hometour” policy on the PGA Tour to play in European tour events

Rahm said he toldthe European tour —known as theDPWorld Tour commercially —that if it lowered the minimum requirement to four tournaments, he wouldsignthe deal.

“They haven’tagreed to that,”

he said. “Ijustrefuse to play six events. Idon’twant to, and that’s not what the rules say.”

Rahm and Hatton were among those who appealed theirfines for

playing LIV.That case has not been heard, but the appeal allowed them to play in the RyderCup last year at Bethpage Black.

Now the Spaniard’sparticipation in the2027 matches in Ireland are in question.

An arbitrational panel in Britain, Sports Resolution, ruled in April 2023 the tour had the right to penalize players as amembership organization.Ifthe panelrulesinfavor of thetouragain, Rahm would be required to settle his fines or lose his membership, whichwouldkeep himoff the Ryder Cup team next year RoryMcIlroy said in January aboutthe fines Rahm andHatton were facing, “Wewent really hard on theAmericansabout beingpaid to play the RyderCup, andwealso said that we wouldpay to play in Ryder Cups. There’stwo guys that can prove it.”

Rahm fired back by saying his commentwouldmake more sense if all12players wereaskedtopay, notjust him and Hatton.

“There’s more intricacy that goes into this whole situation,” Rahm said. “I’ll gladly paymyway to go on theRyder Cup, nothavetopay to still be amember of theDPWorld Tour and fulfill acommitment that I’m fully willing to commit.”

Lowryhas no choice buttopickup, move on afterPGA collapse

ORLANDO,Fla.— It’sOKtofeel sad for Shane Lowry

He hadone hand on the trophy andthe other hand outstretched to hughis 4-year-old daughter when she ranonto the 18th green at PGA Nationaltocelebrate the first time seeing herfather win. That was the plan, anyway.Lowry could practically picture the whole scene.

“Just to see her little ginger hair running downthe 18th green would have been the most special thing in the world,” he said. “I thought Ihad it.I thoughtI was going to win.”

in Bethpage and got through that fine?”

It was areminder not just how

fickle golf is, but the extraordinary gap between the highs and lows.

Yes, it was only five months ago when Lowry birdied three of his last four holes, the last one from 6 feet to secure the half-point Europe needed to retain the Ryder Cup. What amoment! He pumped his fists and spun around the green while squeezing every teammate he could find.

BY MARK LONG Associated Press

GAINESVILLE,Fla. Florida coach Jon Sumrall has anew appreciation for the gator chomp. The former Tulane coach may have left the bayou but he has not left gators behind.

Sumrall got hissed at andsnapped at while posing for promotional pictures with alive alligator last week

It was enough to prompt Sumrall to

backpedallikehis collegeplaying days at Kentucky

“I’m pretty certain I’d look like Chubbs from Happy Gilmore if thealligator had gottenclose to my hand,” Sumrall joked Tuesday following his first springpractice at Florida. “Yeah,that was cool, man.” Alittle nerve-racking, too.

“Inmymind, Ihad this visualimageofwe’regoing to have like a little baby alligator,like a1-foot al-

ON DECK:LSU AT UL

Mondaywas arough one for LSU baseball. The Tigers dropped their second game of the year to NortheasternonMonday,falling 13-10 after an unimpressiveweekendofmatchups against Dartmouth and the Huskies.

LSU trailed by as manyas11runs on Monday before mounting alate comeback effortwithits backups in the game.

On Wednesday, the Tigers traveltoplayahot Cajuns teamthat has wonnine of their past 10 games.The game is sold out. Here’swhat youneed to knowabout the Tigers’ next matchup on WednesdayatUL.

HOWTOWATCH

WHO: LSU (11-2) at UL (9-3)

WHEN: 6p.m.Wednesday

WHERE: RussoPark, Lafayette

ONLINE: ESPN+

RADIO: WDGL-FM, 98.1 (Baton Rouge); WWLAM,870 (NewOrleans); KLWB-FM, 103.7 (Lafayette)

RANKINGS: LSU is No.2 by D1Baseball; UL is notranked

PROBABLESTARTERS: LSU —TBA;UL —TBA PREGAME UPDATES: theadvocate.com/lsu ON X: @KokiRiley

WHATTOWATCH FOR: LSU will likely startjunior right-hander Jaden Noot on Wednesday. Noot only threwsix pitches in his most recent outing Sundayand didn’t throwonMonday.Heholdsa 6.32

Thatwas beforehehit 3-iron off the 16th tee and into the water and had to scramble for a double bogey justto stay one shot ahead. Before he could hit another shot, Lowry watched Nico Echavarria make birdie on the par-3 17th to tie him.

AndthenLowry hit achip 7-iron —perfect number,perfect club, imperfect swing— into the water for another double bogey

Afive-shot swing in two holes. It wascrueltowatch, and especially painful to hear him talk about how badly he wanted to win for 4-yearoldIvy,noone else.

Butthere’snoneed to feel sorry for Lowry

There will be other opportunities, perhaps morepainful outcomes, no promises. Such is sport. This is whatgolf does to playersatthe highest level. The game can turn on the best of them without notice, as it did Sunday in the Cognizant Classic

“Golf does strange things to you at times,”Lowry said, “and it certainly did it to me today.”

Lowry,ofcourse, has plenty of companyonfar bigger stages. Scott Hoch missing a30-inch putt to win the Masters in 1989 comes to mind. Later that year was an even greater gut-wrenching moment whenMike Reid lost athree-shot lead with three holes to play in the PGAChampionship. He was in tearsmeeting with the press, stopping six times to compose himself. Bob Verdi wrote in his column for theChicago Tribune that Jack Nicklaus sought out Reid in the locker room at Kemper Lakes and his voicecracked when he told Reid, “I just wanted to say I’ve never feltso badfor anyone in my life.” Butitwas something Lowry said late Sunday afternoon when trying to decipher how one bad swing on the 16thtee could leave him unable to feel the club face. Lowry said he told caddieDarren Reynolds, “How do Ifeel like this now when Iwent through what Idid last September

“Coolest thing I’ve done in my life,” Lowry said that day,strong words coming from an Irishman who won the claret jug at Royal Portrush

Jim Furykisthe only Ryder Cup player who was on both sides of the decisive match against Europe. He watched PaulMcGinley celebrate aEuropean win at The Belfry in 2002, and it was Furyk’swin against Miguel Angel Jimenez that clinched it for the Americans at Valhalla in 2008.

Lowry has suffered twice now at PGANational. It was four yearsago when he came to the 18th hole tied for the lead. Sepp Straka blasted a334-yard drive over the bunkers that lefthim a6-iron to the green. And then the sky opened with rain so hardLowry couldn’ttake the same aggressive line off the tee. “As bad abreak as I’ve got in a while,”Lowry said after finishing one back.

And it doesn’thave to be on a major stage, wherefans have witnessed the sudden calamity of Jean VandeVelde at Carnoustie in the 1999 British Open, the slow bleed of Greg Norman at the 1996 Masters and the perplexing decisions by Phil Mickelson when he made double bogey on the final hole to lose the 2006 U.S. Open at Winged Foot

That was Kyle Stanley at Torrey Pines in 2012 when he had athreeshot lead and was 77 yards from the 18th green. His wedge spun back into the water,hethree-putted for atriple bogey and lost in aplayoff to Brandt Snedeker.Stanley’slip quivered as he tried to explain what happened on No. 18. “I could probably play it athousand times and never make an 8,” he said. The next week, Stanley came from eight shots back to win the Phoenix Open.

Tommy Fleetwood lost the Travelers Championship on atwo-shot swing at the final hole, and amonth later gave up atwo-shot lead with three holes to play in the FedEx Cup playoff opener.Two weeks later,hewas the FedEx Cup champion. There’salways the next tournament. There’salways another opportunity

ligator you might see on ariverboat cruise in Louisiana, mouth’staped,” he said. “I walk up and there’sthis 7-foot alligator “I’m like, ‘Hang on. What am Idoinghere?’ They’re like, ‘We’re goingtotake some pictures. Youcan get this close.’ I’m like,‘Look, during COVID Iwasn’tallowedtoget this close to people. Idon’tknow about an alligator.’ The alligator was named Helena and was from anearby gator farm.She may have been relatively friendly,but shewas far from trained. Shewalked in and out of shots while Sumrall flippeda football —and eventually turned on the former Troy andTulane head coach.

“As soon as Istarted to get kind of comfortable …I’m like, ‘All right, this thing isn’tgoingtodoanything crazy,Idon’t think.’ Iget 4or5feet away anditstartstokind of hiss alittle anditsnaps,” he said. “I’m like,‘What the hell is goingon? I’m outofhere.’” He didn’t actually bail.Helena simmered down, andthey got the photos done.But it wasanexperience Sumrallwon’t soon forget “I’mnot necessarily looking forwhen that’scoming up on my scheduleagain,” he said. “But it was afun experience.”

Ariz.The Cardinals plan to release thetwo-time Pro Bowler on March 11, according to aperson familiar with thedecision.

Cardinalsexpected to releaseQBMurray

BY DAVID BRANDT AP sportswriter

TEMPE, Ariz. The Arizona Cardinals haveinformed two-timePro Bowlquarterback Kyler Murray that they plan to releasehim at the beginningofthe newleague year on March 11, aperson familiar with the decision told The Associated Press.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the move can’t be officially announced until next week.

Murray,the No. 1overall pick in the 2019draft, —who is owed $36.8 million in guaranteed money in 2026 —will be free to sign with any team oncehe’sreleased.

The 28-year-old posted a goodbye message to Arizona’sfans on social media, expressing regret that he couldn’t have more success with the franchise. He led the team to the playoffs just once during his seven-year

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to an 8-2 start before being slowed by aleg injury and then going down with a torn right Achillestendon in aWeek 14 loss to Jacksonville. The Colts lost the final seven games of the season and missed the playoffs for afifth straight year,becoming the first team since the 1995 Oakland Raiders to miss the postseason after starting the season 8-2 or better Jones set career highsin passer rating (100.2) and completion rate (68%)as Indianapolis rankedfifth in the NFL in scoring at 28.9 points per game before he went down with the seasonending injury Jones threw 19 TD passes with only eight interceptions, whilealsorushing for 164 yards and five TDs. The Colts are uncertain when Jones will be ready to play again after getting hurt on Dec. 7. The team has 2025 sixth-round pick Riley Leonard on the roster, as well as 2023 first-rounder Anthony Richardson, who has beengiven permission to seek atrade. Hall, who turns 25 in May, was asecond-round pick in the 2022 draft out of Iowa State, but didn’treceive acontract extension last offseason as first-rounders Sauce Gardner and Garrett Wilson did. That caused some uncertainty about Hall’sfuturewith the franchise, andhewas mentioned in trade rumors leading up to last year’s deadline.

But coach Aaron Glenn insisted the Jets wanted to keep Hall as the engine of their offense. New York planned to use athree-run-

tenure —awild-card loss in 2021.

“Toeveryone that supported me and showed kindness to my family and Iduring my time inAZ, fromthe bottom of my heart, thankyou,”

Murray posted. “I wanted nothing more thantobe the one to end the 77-year drought forthisorganization, IamsorryI failed us. Iwish this community and my brothers nothing but the best.

He continued: “I am no stranger to adversity,Iam prepared for whatever’s next. Itrust inGod and my work ethic. Itruly believe my best ballisinfront of me and Ilook forwardtoproving it. Godspeed.”

Murray played in just five games last season —throwingfor 962yards, sixtouchdowns andthreeinterceptions —before sufferinga footinjury against the Tennessee Titans. The Cardinalsinitially thought Mur-

raywould only miss afew weeks, but backup Jacoby Brissettplayed well in his absence, creatinga quarterback controversy

Murray was eventually placed on injured reserve and missed the rest of the season. The Cardinalsfinished with a3-14 record and fired coachJonathanGannon. Murray arrived in Arizona with huge expectations after winning the Heisman Trophy at Oklahomain2019, and at times he delivered.

He was the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year,providing multipleelectrifying highlights such as the so-called “Hail Murray” in 2020, when he connected with DeAndre Hopkins for agame-winning touchdown againstthe Buffalo Bills on the final play of the game.

The pinnacleofhis Cardinals’ tenure came in 2021, whenthe team jumpedout to a10-2 record by early December.But Arizona faded

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By VERA NIEUWENHUIS Newyork Jets running back BreeceHall, whohad the franchise tag placed on him Tuesday, rushed foracareerhigh 1,065 yardsin2025 despite missing the final game withaknee injury.

ning back approachwith Hall, Braelon Allen and IsaiahDavis sharingcarries, butAllen injureda knee and landed on injured reserve and Davis remained aclear No. 2. The Jets, with new offensive coordinator Frank Reich, will belooking for a new quarterback thisoffseasonbut thefranchisetag on Hall gives New York the chance to keep the playmakingrunning back in its backfield while also trying to negotiate acontract extension. Hall rushed for acareerhigh 1,065 yards in 2025 despite missing the final game with aknee ailment, becoming the first Jets player to top 1,000 yards rushing in aseason since Chris Ivory in 2015. Hall has 1,000 yards from scrimmage in three straight seasons, just the sixth player —and fifth running back —infranchise history toaccomplish that feat The only three running backs in the NFLwho have contractswith an average annual value of morethan the $14.3 million Hall are former AP NFL Offensive

Players of the Year Saquon Barkley, Christian McCaffreyand Derrick Henry Pickens’ tag is worth about$27.3 millionfor next season as the Cowboyslook to retain him. Pickens, whoturns 25 on Wednesday,had career highs in catches (93), yards receiving (1,429) and touchdowns(nine)for oneofthe best offenses in theNFL last season Dallas had one of the worst defensesinthe league andfinished 7-9-1, missing the playoffs for the second year in arow Pitts’ tag is worth about $15 millionfor next season The fourth pickinthe 2021 draftearned second-team All-Pro honors after he had acareer-high 88 receptions and five touchdowns last season.His 928 receiving yards werethe second most among NFL tight ends, behind only Arizona’s Trey McBride Teams can sign players on the tags to long-term deals between now and July 15,otherwise players can only playonone-year dealsfor 2026.

Falconsscheduled to play in Madrid vs.opponentTBA

By The Associated Press

MADRID The Atlanta Falcons will play in the second ever NFL regular-eason gameinMadrid this year

The Falcons’ opponent will be confirmed when the full season schedule is released later in theyear.The Falcons are expected to be the hometeam at Real Madrid’sSantiago Bernabeu

Stadium

The Madrid gameis part of arecord nine internationalgames in 2026, including new host cities in France, Australia and Brazil.

TheSaintswillplay in Paris on Oct. 25, likely facing the Cleveland Browns.

The Washington Commanders faced the Miami Dolphins in the inaugural game in the Spanish capital last year at the Bernabeu. TheDolphins won 16-13 in overtime before acrowdof 78,610 fans.

This summer, Spain’snational soccerteamwillplay two World Cup matches at theFalcons’MercedesBenz Stadium

Giants

VETERAN LB OKEREKE TO BE RELEASED: The New York Giantsinformed veteran linebacker Bobby Okereke they are releasing him, a person with knowledge of the decision said Tuesday night.

Cutting Okereke saves theGiants $9 million against the salary cap next season, instead of him carrying a$14.5 million cap number

Theyare expected to overhaul the position with new coach John Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson taking over Okereke, whoturns 30 on July 29, led New York with 143tackles,including 78 solo, last year and wastied forthe team lead in interceptions with two.

A2019 third-round pick of the Indianapolis Colts, Okereke was also selected as oneofthe Giants’ captains in his third season with NewYorkand seventh in the NFL.

down the stretch, losing four of its final fivegames before getting bounced by the Los Angeles Rams34-11 in the wild-card round.

The Cardinals signed Murrayto$230.5million, fiveyear deal in 2022 with $160 million guaranteed, but the honeymoon after that commitment wasshortlived. A fewweeksafter signingthe deal, the franchise removed astrange clauseinhis contract, which mandated four hours of “independent study” during gameweeks.

The kerfufflecalledinto question Murray’swork ethic, and his relationship withthe franchise was never quite the same.

Murraytorehis ACL against the New England Patriots in 2022, which caused himtomiss the rest of that season and abig chunk of the 2023 schedule. Coach Kliff Kingsbury wasfiredafter the 2022 seasonand Gannon was hired to replace him

LOVE

Continuedfrom page1C

and they’re helping you get in theplayoffs and chase the championship.

“I think there’ssome other pieces to fillbefore you say that rocket’sreadytotake offthere in New Orleans.”

Jeremiah initially had the Saintsselecting Love in his first mock draft of the year

But when updating his latest version, the former Baltimore Ravens scout flipped his prediction to theSaints selecting USC wide receiver Makai Lemon.Jeremiah, in aconference call with reporterslastmonth,said he thoughtcoach KellenMoore would“knowexactly” how to use Lemon, who he said wouldhelpfindeasycompletions for young quarterback Tyler Shough and be aperfect complementto Saints wide receiver Chris Olave.

Wide receiverisapiece the Saints they need to fill, too.Based on conversations with people at theNFL scouting combine, New Orleans recognizes it could use another burneracross from Olave and take the top off defenses.

The first round, in particular, could unfold nicely forthe Saints in thatregard betweenLemon, Arizona State’sJordyn Tyson and Ohio State’sCarnell Tate —the latter of whomstill plays fast, despite an underwhelming4.53-second 40-yarddash. Any of those three could propupShough.

The other questionabout Loveand theSaints is whether New Orleans has the offensiveline to make him effective.The Saints hadone of theworst rushing attacks in theleague last year,and the line didn’t do its backsany favors.

“Weare incredibly proud to be part of an NFLregular season game in Madrid at the iconic Bernabeu,” Falcons president and CEO GregBeadlessaidin the NFLannouncementon Tuesday.“Atlanta and Madrid area fitting match as we will host twoofSpain’s groupstage matchesin theupcoming FIFA World Cup at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.”

It will be theFalcons’fifth triptoEurope, andfourth in six seasons. Atlanta played in Toronto in 2013, London in 2014, 2021 and 2023, and Berlin in 2025.

The NFLannounced in February it reached amultiyear deal to keep playing regular season games at the Bernabeu. Theleague saidSpain was“an important market globally” with 11 million fans. It said it will also focus on developing the league’s flagfootball initiatives across the country

According to ProFootball Focus, the Saints had the league’ssecond-lowestrun blocking grade. ESPN found the Saints had arun-block win rate of 70%,good for 23rd.

Either way,the Saints’ running backs averaged only 3.7 yards per carry

“Certainly,we’ve got to run the football better,” Mooresaid at the combine.

Maybe Love would be so good right away that he’d be able to overcomelessthan-ideal circumstances. He’sseen as that type of prospect. And as poorly as theSaints’ run blocking appeared to be,there were yardsthatmight havebeen left on the table.

According to NextGen Stats,Kamarahad 95 fewer rushing yardsthanexpected,third behindSan Francisco’sChristian McCaffrey andTampaBay’s BuckyIrving. Kamara’syardsrushing expected per attempt of -0.7 were also tied for the league’sworst among qualified rushers.

Love hasthatsortofburst

To match the game-changing speed he put on film, the 20-year-old ran a4.3640yarddash. He performed well enough that he might not even be on the board when the Saints pickatNo. 8, withthe Arizona Cardinals (picking third) and Tennessee Titans (fourth) recently mentionedaspossible suitors.

“Runningbacks are very valuable,” Love said. “I feel like that’sbeing more and more recognized as of today. Imean we had (Seattle’s) Kenneth Walker (win) Super Bowl MVP. Runningbacks like him continue to pave the way forguys that are justcoming into the league.”

Oneofthe worst-case scenarios forthe Saints and Love would be if the situation mirrors what happened

Bears

CENTER DALMAN TO RETIRE: ChicagoBears ProBowl center Drew Dalman is retiring after fiveseasons, a person with knowledge of the decision said Tuesday The 27-year-old Dalman playeda big role in solidifying the interior of the offensive line after signing a $42million,three-yearcontract last March. He made his first Pro Bowl after spending his first four seasons in Atlantaand helped Chicago win the NFC North at 11-6. The only Bears player to participate in every offensive snap, Dalman was akey figureinthe transformation of the line. The Bears also traded for AllPro left guard Joe Thuney, signedguard Jonah Jacksonand draftedOzzyTrapilo, who emerged as the startingleft tackle during the season.

with theLas VegasRaiders andAshtonJeantya year ago. After Jeanty went to Las Vegas sixthoverall in 2025, the former Boise State star couldn’tovercome aporousRaiders offensive line and averaged only 3.7 yards percarry on awhopping266 attempts.And even if Jeanty feasts undernew coach Klint Kubiak next season, theRaiders have plentyof holes elsewhere. Even theFalcons have yettomakethe playoffs since draftingBijan Robinson, one of the league’s bestbacks,three years ago. TheNew York Giants also famously drafted Saquon Barkley second overall in 2018 but failed to maximize the rosteraround him. Thenagain, there’sstill time forthe Saints to addresstheir offensive line in free agency.And New Orleans fielded one of the league’smostimproved defenses last season,another plus whenpropping up a young quarterback. If Love is still available, the choice is fascinating.

“I don’tknow if there’sa wrong answer,” Jeremiah said.

THE VARSITY ZONE

St. Michael avenges losses to Parkview with win in regionals

BY WILLIAM WEATHERS

Contributing writer

St. Michael the Archangel guard

Boogie Levingston appeared he was going to dribble the ball out to the perimeter with his team clinging to a one-point lead over homestanding Parkview Baptist with more than a minute left in overtime.

Instead of taking additional time off the clock, Levingston made a quick turn through the lane where he was fouled on a made basket with 1:20 remaining. His missed free throw left the Warriors with a three-point lead they rode to a 5953 victory Tuesday in a Division II select regional playoff game.

“In my head, if I would have brought it out, their defense pressured us pretty good,” Levingston said. “I saw the ability to score and took it because we may not have gotten it again.”

Levingston’s play, which included 12 points off the bench, went a long way in helping No. 13 St. Michael avenge two earlier losses to No. 4 Parkview He was sidelined both times while still recovering from a fractured collarbone as the Warriors quarterback in the regular-season finale.

St. Michael (17-14) travels to Lafayette to face No. 12 Northside, a 66-65 upset winner over No. 5 Lake Charles College Prep, in Friday’s quarterfinal.

“Boogie really hurt us, especially when he got into the paint,” Parkview Baptist coach Brad Voight said. “It felt like he finished every floater or got fouled He was really tremendous and definitely an X-factor for them.”

There were five lead changes and a tie in the fourth quarter when Parkview guard Colby Evans tied the game at 47-47 with 9.5 seconds showing on a short pull-up jumper

Both teams were playing in their third overtime game of the season, including their second against each other The Eagles won 52-47 in the French Settlement tournament on Jan 3.

Point guard Colt Edgecombe’s 15-footer with 2:37 left in overtime provided St. Michael with a lead it wouldn’t relinquish. A pair of free throws from Levingston matched the team’s biggest lead of the game (51-47) with 1:59 remaining.

“That’s the key in overtime,” St. Michael coach Drew Hart said.

“It’s a brand new game and you want to grab momentum quick. I’ve got a resilient group I felt Boogie was going to be a difference maker.”

Parkview’s leading scorer, Kaden Irwin, the team’s lone double-digit scorer with 12, drew the Eagles (22-8) within 53-51 on a free throw with 1:04 left They missed four of five field goal attempts and turned the ball over three times in overtime.

Free-throw shooting proved key for St. Michael in the final 50.8 seconds with Braxton Rodrigue, C.J. Levingston, who had a gamehigh 13, Edgecombe and Andrew DeBarbieris combining to make 6 of 8 shots.

“I feel probably the tougher team won today,” Voight said. “We were tougher in the regular season. It seemed like they made every play when they had to You have to tip your hat to them and say great game and great job.”

PREP REPORT

East Feliciana’s historic season gives hope for program’s future

Tigers look to build on state semifinal game appearance

BY JACKSON REYES Staff writer

The East Feliciana girls basketball team walked slowly to the locker room following the Tigers’ loss to Midland in the Division IV nonselect semifinals on Monday Midland swarmed in celebration after winning the game in commanding fashion, 73-43, at University Center in Hammond.

Division III nonselect No. 1 Marksville 62, No. 16 St. James 40 No. 4 Doyle 67, No. 13 Jena 58 No. 14 Rayville 64, No. 3 Donaldsonville 55 No. 2 Madison 58, No. 15 Port Allen 52 Division IV nonselect No. 3 East Iberville 79, No. 19 Homer 46 No. 6 Lake Arthur 68, No. 11 Jeanerette 55 St. Michael 59, Parkview Baptist 53 St. Michael 13 12 9 13 12 -59 Parkview Baptist 16 13 4 14 6 -53

SCORING: SMHS: C.J. Levingston 13, Boogie Levingston 12, Braxton Rodrigue 9, Andrew DeBarbieris 9, Colt Edgecombe 7, Rok Kau 7 Khy Harvey 2; PBS: Kaden Irwin 12, Will Goza 9, Trey Williams 8, Colby Evans 8, Nick Dixon 5, Grant Herrington 4, Max Montgomery 4, Landon Ripple 2, Ahmir Howard 1 3-POINT GOALS: Parkview Baptist: 8 (Goza 3, Irwin 2, Williams 2, Dixon); SMHS: 8 (C.J. Levingston 3, Rodrigue 2, Kau, B. Levingston, DeBarbieris) RECORDS: St. Michael 17-14, Parkview Baptist 22-8 Boys golf

Tuesday

Location: Webb Park, Par: 36 Team scores: 1. Parkview Baptist 163, 2. Zachary 173, 3. St. Amant 180, 4. Southern Lab 209

Medalists: 1. Jack Carter, Parkview Baptist, 38. 1. David Gary, Parkview Baptist, 38. 3. Tyler Vessell, Zachary, 40. 4. Cruise Brewster, Parkview Baptist, 40. Location: Santa Maria, Par: 36 Team Results: 1. Episcopal, 149. 2. University, 163. 3. Zachary 173. Individual Results: 1. Austin Ray, Episcopal, 33. 2. Whit Crawford, Episcopal, 36. 2. Brad Buras, University, 36. 4. Townes Couvillion, Episcopal, 39. Softball

Monday Episcopal 12, Plaquemine 5 Plaquemine 100 031 0 - 5 5 5 Episcopal 307 020 X 12 14 2 2B: L. Tolivar, N. Gardner. HR: L. Tolivar. SB: K. Roth. W: A. Castille.

While East Feliciana coach Tyrese Chambers hoped for a different result, he still found reason for optimism in the history his team made. The Tigers made their first semifinal appearance since Clinton High and Jackson High combined to make East Feliciana High in 2010.

Their 16-11 record marked the team’s third winning season since the merger 16 years ago The Tigers also captured their second straight District 8-2A title, which was the first time any sport at the school had won consecutive district titles.

“The game was a win in my book,” Chambers said. “A lot of people said that we would never make it this far Just to be here and enjoy this experience is in itself.”

The run to the semifinals also marked East Feliciana’s first playoff win in girls basketball since 2015.

“Hopefully this is just a storm,” Chambers said. “Hopefully we get back to this stage next year, and we have that experience to fight. Just use it as a stepping stone.”

The build toward becoming a perennial contender has shown progress these past two seasons. East Feliciana made the playoffs last year as a No. 13 seed but lost in the first round. This year, the Tigers entered the Division III nonselect playoffs as a No. 5 seed and were one of the last

four teams standing.

The team also doesn’t have to look far to see what incremental progress can create. Monday marked Midland’s third straight trip to the semifinals. After losing the first two times, two years of tears turned to joy after the Rebels got over the hump to make their first state title game in 51 years. Chambers is hopeful his Tigers can follow a similar path of consistent success. He said part of that will be getting their feeder school more involved. He said the school’s middle school team has just one eighthgrader on the team. His rotation on the Tigers’ varsity squad includes 10 players, and he plays a six-man rotation. East Feliciana will graduate two of them but return the team’s top two leading scorers in Kariah Dunn (17 points per game) and Kemani Coleman (12).

“That’s the biggest thing,” Chambers said about boosting interest in basketball in the feeder school. “Our administration is

behind us, our school board and superintendent board members. They showed up and supported us.”

The key is piquing interest at the middle school and junior high level.

“When they get to high school, it’s not hard,” he said “We can actually play It’s my hope that any girl that comes out can already dribble. That’s one less thing we have to spend time on.” Chambers cited the team’s free-throw performance (16-of29) as one thing that can benefit from earlier work in the sport.

“It’s hard to work everything when you have a team of inexperienced players,” he said.

He said, besides Dunn, a majority of his roster has two years of playing experience, only under Chambers. There’s work to be done, but he’s confident the program is on the right trajectory

“A lot of work has been put in,” he said. “It’s just taking one day at a time. Piecing all the pieces together to the puzzle and try to get us a ride back here.”

After winning Big 12, No. 2 Arizona eyes deep March run

BY JOHN MARSHALL Associated Press

TUCSON, Ariz. — Bill Self spent the morning before his team’s game at Arizona walking around campus, getting some exercise while enjoying the mild desert weather But the Kansas coach couldn’t seem to get very far without being stopped. Nothing derisive. Just basketball talk.

“There’s no telling how many people stopped me to

talk ball,” Self said after No. 2 Arizona’s 84-61 win over his 14th-ranked Jayhawks on Saturday night. “There was so many people who did that because they just love ball, much like we do.” Kansas set the Big 12 standard under Self by winning or sharing an NCAA-record 14 straight league titles from 2005-18. Arizona has made a quick imprint in a short time. A year after finishing tied for third in their first Big 12 season, the Wildcats

(28-2) stormed through the conference at 15-2. Arizona bounced back from consecutive losses to Kansas and No. 10 Texas Tech last month by winning five straight closing out their third conference title in five years the previous two in the Pac-12 — by beating the Jayhawks and Cyclones by a combined 29 points.

“We talk about vision a lot. What’s our vision, what’s our purpose?” coach Tommy Lloyd said after Arizona’s 73-57 win over No. 6 Iowa

State on Monday night. “We want to envision ourselves cutting down the nets. We want to envision hoisting that trophy Don’t get ahead of yourself, then you got to dig into like, what do we have to do to get that, what’s the most important thing today?”

Lloyd’s ability to find players who fit his system and hone their focus has the Wildcats among the favorites to reach their first Final Four since the Lute Olsonled 2000-01 team.

A long-time assistant under Mark Few at Gonzaga, Lloyd has recruited high-level talent in Tucson while developing a team-first mindset that’s led to the best start by any coach in NCAA history He was The Associated Press national coach of the year during his first season in 2021-22 and the Wildcats have kept winning, earning Lloyd 140 wins as a head coach in five seasons — one more than the NCAA record set by Butler’s Brad Stevens. Lloyd went against recent

conventional wisdom with this season’s roster, relying heavily on freshmen. The recruiting class, headlined by Koa Peat and Brayden Burries, was one of the best in the nation and has meshed well with the returning veterans. “Just doing it all with my brothers, just knowing stuff we talked about before the season, it’s clicking,” point guard Jaden Bradley said. “March is a special month in basketball. We still have a lot of room to go.”

Colorado playersgrieveafter deathofteammate

BY PATGRAHAM Associated Press

BOULDER,Colo. The Colorado Buffaloes told stories Monday,like how Dominiq Ponder once jumped a10-foot fence to let arehabbing teammate into the hot tub. They chatted about his work ethic, too, andhow he was in the quarterback room before sunrise.

It was achance to reflect on their teammate who died early Sunday morning in asingle-carcrash. He was 23.

The players were given the option by coach Deion Sanders to skip thefirst day of spring practice Monday.But in an emergency meetingthe night before —to grieve togetherand comfort one another —everyone agreed that taking the field was the best option.

Because that’swhatPonder would’ve wanted. He wasontheir minds at practice as they broke the huddle with the chant of “Dom.”

“Almostlike aboost of energy, like he was there with us,” running back DeKalonTaylor said.“That’s what it felt like.”

News trickles out

Some found out the news Sunday after church. Some later inthe day Offensive coordinator Brennan Marion said he received aphone call from Ponder’sfatherwhile Marion was playing with his own son.

“I couldn’tmove,” Marionsaid.

“I was speechless talking to Dom’s dad.”

Ponder was driving a2023 Tesla whenhelost control on acurve

andhit aguardrail, according to the Colorado StatePatrol. The car struckanelectricallinepoleand rolled down an embankment.Ponder was pronounced dead at the scene in Boulder County.Police said apreliminary investigation “shows that speed is suspected as afactor.”

“God please comfort the Ponder family,friends &Loved ones,” Sanders posted Sunday on X.

“Dom was oneofmyfavorites! He was Loved, Respected &aBorn Leader.Let’s pray forall that knew him&had theopportunity to be in

his presence. Lordyou’rereceiving agood 1.”

Sanders is expectedtoaddress themedia on Friday

“It’ssad notbeing able to protect him (Ponder) off the field,”offensive lineman Yahya Attiasaid Monday.“Istill don’treally realize it —Idon’twant to believe it yet.”

Samewith Taylor,who said Ponder was justshowing off his new tattoo to him Friday.Itwas surreal being at practice without Ponder

“Heavy at first,”Taylor said. “But we all boughtin. We hadno choice buttogohardfor him.

Everybody was running around and doing their best. And if we did mess up, we messed up at full speed.”

Full speed

Because that’show Ponder operated —atfullspeed.The backup QB and special teams player wasa leader who learned how to guide a team by watching the likes of Shedeur Sandersand HeismanTrophy winner Travis Hunter

“It’s sad

said. “Wecoached like you would coach your child.”

Defensive back BenFinneseth became tight with Ponder since the 6-foot-5 sophomore from Opa Locka, Florida, transferred into theprogram.Hevisited Ponder and his family over spring break ayear ago.

“Everything that we’re going to do moving forward is forhim,” Finneseth said.“It wastough, meeting together (Sunday), everybody,and knowing whathappened. CoachPrime askedusifweifwe wantedtowork (Monday).

yAHyAATTIA,

“(Teammates) sawhow hard (Ponder) worked,how hard he wantedit, to prove that he could play at the collegiate level and be acollege quarterback,” Marion said of Ponder,a transfer from BethuneCookman. “In an era where you have to force peopleto work hard, you had to tell Dom to stop working so hard.Just being aroundakid like that, his energy wascontagious as far as his workethic.”

It was difficult for Marion beinginthe quarterbackroomat 5:30 a.m., knowing that Ponder was always there by that time.

“We’ll just save aspot forhim in theroom,” Marion said.

Catharticpractice

ThepracticeMondaywasn’t so much forqualityofwork purposes, but achance to simply be together

“Wedidn’tcoach with the same urgency,asfar as screaming at guys and losing our mind,”Marion

SCOREBOARD

Florida Atlantic61, Tulane 57 Alabama State 65, Southern 63 Northwestern 81, UNO 65 Thursday’s games Southern at Alabama A&M, 5:30 p.m. Grambling at Alabama State, 6p.m. New Mexico State at Louisiana Tech,6:30 p.m. Sun Belt Conference Tournament At Pensacola, Fla. Tuesday’s games No. 12 South Alabama 68, No. 13 App State 57 No. 14 UL 71, No. 11 GeorgiaState 66 Wednesday’s games No. 9Coastal Carolinavs. No.12South Alabama, 11:30 a.m. No. 10 ULM vs.No. 14 UL, 2p.m. National women’sscores Tuesday’s games SOUTH Alabama A&M 55,GramblingState 50 Alabama State 65, Southern University 63 Alcorn State 67, Mississippi Valley State 56 AustinPeay63, Lipscomb 56 Florida Atlantic61, Tulane 57 Florida GulfCoast94, Bellarmine28 Jackson State 63,Arkansas-Pine

Northwestern

State 62 McNeese 75, Nicholls 65 Southeastern 82, UNO78 Tuesday’s games Southern 71, Alabama State 64 Alabama A&M 77, Grambling63 LSU at Auburn, n Sun Belt Conference Tournament At Pensacola, Fla. Tuesday’s games No. 12 UL 84, No. 13 GeorgiaState 75 No. 11 Old Dominion 87, No. 14 ULM 80 Wednesday’s games No. 12 UL vs.No. 9JamesMadison,5 p.m. No. 11 Old Dominionvs. No. 10 Georgia Southern, 7:30 p.m. National men’s scores Tuesday’s games EAST Bucknell 65, Army55 Buffalo 72, Eastern Michigan 67 Hofstra62, Drexel 51 Holy Cross 82, Lafayette 77 Monmouth 89, Northeastern83 New Hampshire88, Bryant 83,2OT St. John s72, Georgetown 69 Towson 69, StonyBrook 57 UMBC 91, NJIT 52 UMass 94, Ohio 82 UMass Lowell 67, Maine 56 Vermont 69, Albany56 SOUTH Campbell 90, North CarolinaA&T 72 Dayton 65, Richmond60 Georgia 98, Alabama 88 Louisiana 84, Georgia State 75 North Carolina67, Clemson 63 Oklahoma State 111, UCF104, OT Tennessee78, South Carolina59 UNC Wilmington76, Elon57 VCU70, George Mason 65 Virginia 75, Wake Forest 70 William &Mary 94, Hampton 85 MIDWEST Akron 77, Central Michigan 64 Ball State 74, Western Michigan 71, OT Miami (OH) 74, Toledo 72 Seton Hall 77, Xavier 68 SOUTHWEST Oklahoma 80, Missouri 64 TCU73, TexasTech 65 TexasA&M 96, Kentucky 85 State women’s scores, schedule Monday’s games McNeese 87, Stephen F. Austin60 Lamar 70, Southeastern 52 Tuesday’s games Alabama A&M 55, Grambling50

Texas55 FARWEST San Diego State 74,Air Force57 Wyoming 59, Grand Canyon57 College baseball State scores, schedule Late Monday Northeastern 13, LSU10 Northeastern LSU (3-6)(11-2) ab rh bi ab rh bi Musacchia ss 51 10 Brownrf3 00 0 Feinberg lf 62 33 Yaminph/1b 32 22 Gerety cf 50 10 Curiel cf 321 0 Brinkerdh6 23 1Reavesph/3b 100

Bentley rf 51 21 Pearson1b2 00

Cha 1b 51 20 Serna 1b/c2 00 1 Aschettino 3b 33 11 Yorkedh2 00 0 Tarantino 42 11 Milamss3 01 0 Walsh, Chr.2b3 11 4Clauss ss 111 0 Griffinp 31 14 Simpson lf 200 0 Braun ph/lf 300

046

200 —13152 LSU 000 101 323 —10104 E—Musacchia (4),Griffin(2);Brown (2) Pearson (1), Ruckert (1),Williams (1). DP Northeastern 2. LOB— Northeastern 9; LSU 10. 2B —Feinberg(2),Gerety (2), Brinker 2 (3). 3B —Clauss (1). HR —Chr.Walsh (1), Yamin (1). HBP —Gerety; Pearson, Milam. SF —Chr.Walsh (1).SB—Aschettino (3). CS —Bentley (4). Northeastern IP HR ER BB SO Griffin, W(1-0)5.1 42 12 2 Coniglio 0.20 22 20 Car.Walsh0.1

—Car. Walsh (1), Rogovic (1);

“Wedecided, as ateam, Dom wouldn’tmiss the day. He wouldn’t miss the day of workouts. That’s what he would’ve wanted for us. He wouldhave said, ‘Life’s gotto moveon. We’ve got championships to winand we still have goals, and the clocks are still rolling.’”

Finnesethsharedthe storyabout howafew weeks agotheywere hanging out at his apartment complex and wanted to use the hot tub. Finneseth, who’srehabbing his knee, didn’thavethe keysoPonderhopped over thetallfenceto get them inside.

“Always there for teammates,” Finneseth said. “Whatever we needed.”

Defensive back RJ Johnson felt the sameway

“That’swhatwehave to do this season,” Johnson said, “play for Dom.”

SignedGChris Youngblood and FJaysonKenttotwo-way contracts

NFL CLEVELAND BROWNS —Hired Todd Monken as head coach, John Carr as chief of staff, Travis Switzer as offensivecoordinator, MikeRutenberg as defensivecoordinator and ByronStorer as specialteams coordinator. Terminatedthe contractofT Cornelius Lucas. Waived CJustinOsborne. NEW YORK JETS —TenderedRBBreeceHall. SEATTLESEAHAWKS —TenderedS Ty Okada and RB George Holani WASHINGTONCOMMANDERS —Signed OL Andrew Wylie to acontract. NHL CHICAGOBLACKHAWKS —RecalledEthan Del MastrofromRockford(AHL). COLORADO AVALANCHE —RecalledJason Polin from Colorado (AHL) DALLAS STARS —PlacedF Roope Hintz on injuredreserve FLORIDAPANTHERS —Reinstated Tomas Nosek from non-rosterinjured reserve. LOSANGELES KINGS —SentErik Portillo and Angus Booth to Ontario(AHL). MINNESOTA

LIVING

Lauren Cheramie BONVIVANT

Afried oyster sandwich highlights

Lenten menu specials

Bon vi·vant /noun/ asociable personwho has cultivatedand refined tastes, especially with respect to food and drink

Newfood on theblock

The Colonel’sClub,2857 Perkins Road, Baton Rouge, has three new salads on the menu. Try thechicken satay with teriyaki chicken; Italian chop with crispy chickpeas and sun-dried tomatoes; and the Waldorf with creamy hot honeydressing. Add grilled chicken, shrimp, fish or steak to any salad. Thai Kitchen,4550 Concord Ave., Baton Rouge, introduced theNam Sod with mincedmeat of your choice seasoned with fresh ginger,red onions,scallions, roasted ground peanuts and lime juice.

In theknow

From March 9-17, Raising Cane’s will bring back its green lemonade for St. Patrick’sDay

Raising Cane’sCaniac Club members can earn St. Patrick’s Day prizes like free lemonade, Cane’sgear,rewards and offers, digital surprises and the chance to winfreeCane’sfor ayear Lenten specials

On every Friday during Lent, Zee Zee’s,2943 Perkins Road, Baton Rouge, is cooking up shrimp tacos, blackened redfish over crawfish étouffée, shrimp and catfish platters, catfish po-boys and more.

The shrimp Creole at BrewBacher’sGrill includesGulf shrimp simmered in tomato Creole sauceand served over rice, plus aside salad and bread, for $15. Brew-Bacher’s has locations at 8415 Bluebonnet Blvd. and 3554 Drusilla Lane in Baton Rouge. Trythe fried oyster pastaat Eliza Restaurant,7970 Jefferson Highway,BatonRouge, made with squid ink pasta and Calabrian chilibeurreblanc.

PROVIDED PHOTO

The Rocca PizzeriaLent menu includes arancini with cornand lump crab risotto, calamarifritti, salmon carpaccio, oysterpizza and afried oyster sandwich.

The Rocca Pizzeria Lent menu includes arancini with corn and lump crab risotto, calamari fritti, salmon carpaccio, oyster pizza and afried oyster sandwich. Rocca is located at 3897 Government St., Baton Rouge. Wine andspirits

Intro to vodka:6p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday at The Tipsy Librarian, 7450Jefferson Highway, Baton Rouge

This class will cover cocktailmaking basics that participants can apply to all spirits through the lens of vodka. Learn how to make alemon drop, daisy and dirty martini.

MatthewBolton adds cubes of breadtoaserving trayfor customers to tryatBlue Rabbit

on Saturday.

JUST FIT’

BY

BMADDIE SCOTT Staff writer

lue Rabbit Bakehouse in Baton Rouge is athreefor-one special. At its newly opened storefront, customers can get sourdough bread,desserts andspecialty coffee. At 17301 Jefferson Highway,a 500-square-foot space is shared by three local businesses: Crumb and GetItsells desserts, Next Chapter Coffee Company sells specialty coffee and BlueRabbit Bakehouse owns the overallspace andsells sourdough bread. The space opened Feb. 21 and will operate9 a.m. to 5p.m. Saturdays, but the owners hope to expand thehours to include aweekdayevening or two.

“Weall just fit,” said Matthew Bolton,owner of Blue Rabbit Bakehouse. “The threeofusworked together previously,and bread,coffee and cheesecake all go together.”

Sourdoughbread

Bread maker Matthew Bolton opened Blue Rabbit Bakehouse in

Acup of coffee from Next Chapter Coffee CompanyisservedupatBlue Rabbit Bakehouse.

2024,named afterthe rabbitsathis family farm in East Feliciana Parish that kept getting intothe blueberry bushes. “Everything Imakeissourdough bread,” Bolton said. “Most of my flour Ifresh mill, so it’s all ancient grain wheat —Ancient grain, heritageheirloom grains that Imill myself.” The foundation of his bread uses flour,salt, water and sometimes olive oil. From there, he may add nuts, fruits, cheeseorchocolate. He bakesabout 30 varietiesof bread and brings at least five kinds

Machu Kroeung from Sambath’s Donuts &Khmer Cuisine

report Machu Kroeung n Sambath’s Donuts&Khmer Cuisine, 5703 Essen Lane,

TRIO

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each Saturday

On Feb. 28, his bread spread included the Fat Clemenza, a loaf with whole wheat, milk, butter, honey, pepperoni, salami, mozzarella, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted onions and garlic. There was also the Trailblazer, with cranberries and walnuts, and the Vote for Pedro with jalapenos and sharp cheddar

Additionally, Bolton sells hummus dip, pimento cheese, olive oil and almond butters all products that complement sourdough bread, he said.

“It’s a labor of love,” Bolton said

“Because we’re certainly not going to be getting rich doing it, but we enjoy it.”

Desserts and sweets

On the chocolate chip front, 17-year-old Abigail Coots, owner of Crumb and Get It, says a good chocolate chip cookie should have double the amount of chocolate chips any recipe calls for

And that’s exactly her strategy at her storefront.

She started the dessert business as a high school project in 2024, and it’s since blossomed into her own business where she sells mostly cookies, brownies and cheesecakes.

“Most of the recipes I have are from my grandmother in the family recipe book,” Coots said. “My grandmother definitely taught me how to bake when I was younger, so that’s where my love for baking came in.”

She rotates the cheesecake flavors like the maple brown butter, banana pudding and fruit cheesecakes. For Valentine’s Day, she

made a strawberry white chocolate cheesecake. Between school, the gym, baking and errands, Coots keeps a busy lifestyle She likes being her own

boss, she said. “It’s like an outlet for me,” Coots said. “It’s one of my hobbies that turned into a job, and I could not be more happy with my job.”

The high school senior graduates in two months and plans on attending LSU to study anesthesiology through the pre-med track and minoring in entrepreneurship. She plans to continue the dessert business through college.

Coots says that every cookie supports her dream of sharing her products with customers.

Specialty coffee

Thirteen years ago, a magazine article about coffee roasting ignited Amy and Jerry Dobbs’ dreams to open a coffee business. Now as co-owners of Next Chapter Coffee Company, the couple is living the dream.

“We just want people to explore,” Amy Dobbs said. “Explore flavors, the countries, the histories.”

Their coffee beans come from countries across the world, specifically sourced through a green coffee wholesaler in Oakland, California, called Sweet Maria’s Coffee.

Specialty coffee has 10 different characteristics, Amy Dobbs said, (like flavor, acidity, bean size or processing) that contribute to an overall score on a 100-point scale. Coffee rated 80 and above is considered specialty coffee, and all of Next Chapter Coffee Company’s coffee is scored 85 and up.

Customers can drink coffee from one of the smallest countries in Africa, Rwanda, or sip coffee picked 6,000 feet on the northwest border of Mexico and Guatemala, Jerry Dobbs said, adding that a good cup of coffee is like a geography lesson.

The coffee is air-roasted on Thursday nights, and the menu includes pour-overs, cold brew AeroPress espresso and more.

“That’s the goal,” Amy Dobbs said. “We want people to know that coffee doesn’t just taste like coffee. There’s so many other adventures you can take with coffee and flavors.”

By The Associated Press

TODAYINHISTORY

effect as the first Federal Congress met in NewYork.

Dear Heloise: WhenIbuy a rotisserie chicken, Ieat one leg and thigh while it is nice, warm and tasty.Then Iput the bag of chickeninthe fridge. Ilater take the breast meat off for chicken salad to eat alone or as asandwich, and I always put ahalf teaspoon of curry powder in the chicken salad. Iuse the remaining leg and thigh meat to make achicken noodle casserole and boil up everything else into adelicious soup. —Fran, via email Fran, during the depression, ourgrandmothers often made the most of ev-

erythingthey had. As they said then,“waste not,want not.” Ilike the way youmake everybit of thechicken useful. —Heloise Bedwedges

Dear Heloise: Iwanted to sharea safety tip that has made abig differenceinour home.Recently,myelderly husband fell out of bed during the night and fractured three ribs,along with injuring his elbow.Itwas a frighteningexperiencefor both of us. While wewerein the emergency room,a nurse mentionedthat she used bed

wedges to keep her children from rolling out of bed and suggestedthat we try the same idea for my husband. We followed her advice and placed the wedges along the sidesofthe bed. The resultshave been wonderful! The wedges help prevent him from rolling out of bed, especially when he has vivid dreams or restless nights. He now sleeps more securely,and Ihave amuch greater peace of mind knowing thatheissafer.Sometimesthe simplest ideas can make abig difference! —Judy V.Miller,inWinchester,Virginia Send ahinttoheloise@ heloise.com.

from page1D

menu items. —Maddie Scott, features reporter

The salad n Salt Pepper Oak, 6721Exchequer Drive,Baton Rouge

“The salad” seems like an appropriate title for this dish at Salt Pepper Oak because, well, it’sthe only salad on the menu. Trust me when Isay that in ordering this, Iwasn’ttrying to be healthy at abarbecue restaurant.

My pro tip at Salt Pepper Oak is to add pork bellyto the salad. It’stender.It’s savory. It’sdelectable. The heaping dish comes with romaine, iceberg, arugula, cucumbers, tomatoes, smoked grapes, pickled onions, spiced pecans,smoked cheddar,croutons, pickled mustard seeds,Tabasco onion strings, quesofresco and barbecue vinaigrette. When it comes out, it’sa

BONVIVANT

Continued from page1D

Tickets are $115 per person, available for purchase at thetipsylibrarian.com.

Participants must be 21 years or older

Up in smokewine dinner:

had my first tray of boiled crawfish for the season. Iselected Crawfish Time for theoccasion, and the bustling restaurant was full of diners peeling trays of boiled crawfish, shrimpand crab legs inside, with an even longer line waiting in thedrive-thru.

Iput away a3-pound tray at the market price of $26.99, and what Igot was well worth the wait.

real mountain. Thepork belly adds an extra smokiness to adish that would probably fillme up without it, but it’s nice to have aprotein included. Icould eat this salad every day if Ineeded to.

—Lauren Cheramie, features coordinator

Boiled crawfish n Crawfish Time, 320 Ridge Road, Lafayette It’sFebruary,and Ijust

My tray was piled with aselection of crustaceans, mostly medium-sized, with several crawfishImight label “giant” throughout At this point in theseason, we can look forward to moreand morelarge, sweet crawfish hitting our tables, as producers begin to harvest their ponds in earnest now that south Louisiana’s winter weeks are getting milder

Igot the basic spice level, and the mild, citrusy flavor with just ahint of heat and sweetness was just right for acelebratory Mardi Gras meal.

—Joanna Brown staff writer

Today is Wednesday, March 4, the63rd day of 2026. There are 302 days left in the year

Todayinhistory: On March 4, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated for asecond term. With theend of the Civil Warinsight, and just six weeks before his assassination, Lincoln declared: “With malice toward none, withcharity for all, with firmness in the fight as God gives us to seethe right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in tobind up the nation’swounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan —to do all which may achieve and cherish ajust and lasting peace among ourselves and withall nations.”

Also on this date: In 1789, theConstitution of the United States took

In 1801, Thomas Jefferson becamethe first president to be inaugurated in Washington, D.C. In 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt wasinaugurated for his first term as president; he wasthe last U.S. president to be inaugurated on this date (subsequent inaugurations have been held on Jan. 20). In his inaugural speech, Roosevelt stated, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

In 1998, the U.S. SupremeCourt ruled that workplace sexual harassmentlaws are applicable when the offender and victim are of the samesex.

In 2015, the JusticeDepartment cleared Darren Wilson, aWhite former Ferguson, Missouri, police officer,inthe fatalshooting of Michael Brown, aBlack 18-year-old, but also issued ascathing report calling for

sweeping changesincity lawenforcementpractices which it calleddiscriminatory andunconstitutional.

In 2020, daredevil Nik Wallenda successfully walked across a1,800-foot tightrope spanning the active Masaya Volcano in Nicaragua, completing the trip across the steel cable in just over 31 minutes. Today’sbirthdays: Film director Adrian Lyne is 85. Author James Ellroy is 78. Musician-producer Emilio Estefan is 73. Actor Mykelti Williamson is 69. Actor Patricia Heaton is 68. Democratic Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota is 68. Actor Steven Weber is 65. Rock musician Jason Newsted is 63. Author Dav Pilkey is 60. Republican Sen. James Lankford of Oklahomais58. NBAforward Draymond Green is 36. NFLwide receiver George Pickens is 25. Singer Cameron Winter is 24.

Join chef Barrett Meeks and general manager Ryan Fitzgerald for afive-course winedinner.The menu features cold-smoked oysters,smokedlamb boudin, butter-poached lobster tail, coffee-smoked beef short ribs and s’mores. Seating

6:15 p.m. April 20 at Mansurs onthe Boulevard, 5720 Corporate Blvd., Baton Rouge

startsat6:15 p.m.,and the first course is served at 6:45 p.m. Tickets are $125 per person, available for purchase by calling (225) 932-3366.

If you have an upcoming food event or akitchen question, emaillauren. cheramie@theadvocate. com. Cheers!

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Let kind gestures be your calling card. How you treat others will set the stage for what you receive in return. A positive lifestyle change will promote unique encounters and unexpected offers.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Give yourself time to rejuvenate. Delve into something you find relaxing and enjoyable. Use your creative imagination and put your talents to work for you.

tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Take care of small but essential details. Your patience and willingness to go the extra mile will win you well-deserved praise. Be honest with yourself about your happiness.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Take charge, initiate change and focus on friendships, helping others and walking away from toxic situations. Take the plunge and do something that restores your faith.

cAncER (June 21-July 22) Express yourself openly and make suggestions that help you gain recognition. A chance to expand your skills, interests and possibilities is heading your way.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Put your energy where it brings the highest return. Learn something new, travel, communicate and make special plans with those who inspire you to try new things and challenge you to grow intellectually.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) How you deal with people and respond to requests will influence your position and reputa-

tion among your peers. Step up and lead the way, and rewards will follow.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Consider some of the suggestions you receive and offer your input to those you feel comfortable working with. If you mix business with pleasure, positive options and an acceptable offer will unfold.

scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Attend functions that allow you to further your interests. Communication and learning are on the rise and will help you fine-tune your skills to fill fast-growing needs.

sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Be careful what you share with whom. Someone will be eager to twist your words and put you in a precarious position. Strive for better health, less worry and a simpler lifestyle.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) You've got more going for you than you realize. Speak up, share your intentions and make plans that point you toward greater security. Self-improvements will give your life a positive spin.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Size up your situation, budget and the changes necessary to relinquish any doubt you have about your lifestyle and prospects. Invest in yourself, your health and your wealth.

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

By Andrews McMeel Syndication

Sudoku

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

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

nea CroSSwordS La TimeS CroSSword

Bridge

By PHILLIP ALDER

Vinoba Bhave, an Indian advocate for human rights who died in 1982, said, “Innumerable actions aregoing on through us allthe time. If we started counting them, we shouldnever come to an end.”

Luckily, it is not that tough at the bridge table. But the more counting you do, the betteryou will play —our theme this week.

In today’s deal, look at the auction and theWest and North hands.South is in fourspades.Westleadsthediamondace. Howshould he continuethe defense?

North,holdingalowdoubleton,reasonably chose to use Stayman. (If he had respondedthreeno-trump,thatcontract could alsohave been defeated.) South correctly rebid two hearts when holding four cards in each major. North jumped to three no-trump. And South, knowing hispartner had four spades, corrected back to gameinthat strain. When the dummy comes down, agood defender first checks out the high-card points.Southindicated15-17,dummyhas 13,andWestholdsseven.Thatleaves3-5 forEast.SoEast could have one winner to go with West’s diamond ace-king. But whereisthe fourthdefensive trick?

Now count the suitlengths. Dummy hasthreehearts,Southshowedfour,and Westhas five.Eastmust have asingleton. This is West’s bestchance. At trick two— not after cashing the diamond king, acard needed as an entry —West shifts to aheart. Then, East can take the first or second round of spades, returnadiamond to his partner’s king, and receive aheart ruff to defeat the contract.

©2026 by NEA,Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

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

Previous answers:

word game

InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of fourormore letters. 2. Words that acquire fourletters by the addition of “s,”such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3 Additional words made by adding a“d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit wordsare not allowed toDAy’s WoRD FREtFuLLy: FRET-fuh-lee: Restlessly.

Average mark 22 words

Timelimit 40 minutes

Can you find 32 or morewords in FRETFULLY?

yEstERDAy’s WoRD —MARoons