BY JON GAMBRELL, SAM METZ, KAREEM CHEHAYEB and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates Mojtaba Khamenei, a son of Iran’s late supreme leader, has been named his successor, Iranian state TV announced early Monday, as the war that began a little over a week ago with his father’s killing took a dramatic turn.
‘People
The younger Khamenei, who had not been seen or heard from publicly since the war started, had long been considered a contender for the post, even before an Israeli strike killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and despite never being elected or appointed to a government position.
The announcement came after signs of a rift among Iranian officials as the country awaited a decision by the 88-seat
Assembly of Experts, a group of clerics that selects the supreme leader. State TV read a statement from the assembly saying he was selected based on “strong” votes and urging the nation to unite behind him. The station broadcast scenes of people celebrating in parts of Tehran. There has been only one other transfer of power in the office of supreme leader since the Islamic Revolution almost a half-century ago.
A secretive figure, the 56-year-old Khamenei now stands at the heart of Iran’s theocracy and will have final say
Lafayette artist Dege Legg honored with mural
BY JOANNA BROWN Staff writer
Dege Legg still receives mail at his studio on Garfield Street in Lafayette, according to the late artist’s neighbor, painter Herb Roe
His band, Brother Dege & The Brethren, is getting ready to release a new album with Legg’s final songs. Last year, the documentary “A Hard Row to Hoe” was released to fans around the world, shining a light on the eloquence of the rocker’s music and philosophy And on Sunday, a mural featuring Legg’s signature craggy stare and Dobro guitar was unveiled in Lafayette, giving fans, friends and family a place to permanently memorialize the musician, because two years after his death, it’s clear that Brother Dege won’t be disappearing any time soon. Sunday was the two-year anniversary of the artist’s death at the age of 56. Legg lived and worked at the motley collection of studios at 625 Garfield St., where his portrait
ä See LEGG, page 4A
Poor performance results draw state intervention
BY JOEL THOMPSON
Opelousas Junior High School will officially be merging with Opelousas Senior High School after the St. Landry Parish
School Board voted to make the decision during a Thursday meeting. The motion to merge passed with near-unanimous support, with one abstention from District 5 board member Bianca J. Vedell. The two schools are planned to merge into a consolidated school beginning in the 2026-27 school year on Opelousas Senior High’s current campus on Judson Walsh Drive.
The School Board was initially given an ultimatum by Louisiana Education Superintendent Cade Brumley to either consolidate the two schools or have Opelousas Junior High taken over by the state through its Recovery School District program. The junior high received an F letter grade from the Louisiana Department of Education for six consecutive years, making it eligible for state intervention
through the RSD. Many schools taken over by the RSD become charter schools, which many local education leaders in St. Landry Parish said they found unacceptable.
“We don’t want to lose our students to the RSD,” said District 2 board member Joyce Haynes. “We do have to realize the school
See MERGE, page 5A
over all matters of state He will serve as commander-in-chief of the military and powerful paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. He also has authority over a stockpile of highly enriched uranium that could be used to build a nuclear weapon, if he chooses to decree it.
The selection of Khamenei faces the likelihood of U.S. criticism. “(Ali) Khamenei’s son is unacceptable to me,” President Donald Trump has said. “We want someone that will bring harmony
Colleges struggling with enrollment stagnation, budget challenges
return on investment of higher education faces scrutiny on the federal and state level, Louisiana legislators have debated what to do with the state’s sprawling system of postsecondary options. And that debate could play a role in the upcoming legislative session that starts Monday “As someone born and raised in Louisi-
Kansas City airport
opens after evacuation
KANSAS CITY The Kansas City International Airport terminal reopened Sunday afternoon, hours after it was evacuated while authorities looked into a potential threat, the Kansas City Aviation Department said Airport spokesperson Jackson Overstreet said in an email shortly after 2 p.m. that the terminal was reopened. The evacuation began after a threat that surfaced about 11:15 a.m. Flights that landed after the evacuation were held on the taxiway during the shutdown, which Overstreet said lasted about two hours.
In a social media post Sunday afternoon, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the incident was clear and “normal operations are resuming.”
FBI Director Kash Patel said on social media Sunday afternoon that the FBI reviewed the threat and determined it “not to be credible.”
Logan Hawley, 29, said he was waiting to board a flight to Texas when he noticed a swarm of police and K-9 units inside the terminal.
“Suddenly there was an airport worker saying, ‘Immediately evacuate.’ People got up fast and rushed out of there,” Hawley said. He said the group of roughly 2,000 people were ushered onto the tarmac.
NTSB member says he was fired
WASHINGTON A National Transportation Safety Board member who was a public face of the investigation into last year’s deadly collision of an airliner and an Army helicopter near the nation’s capital said Sunday that he had been fired by the Trump administration without explanation.
Todd Inman said in a statement he received notice Friday from the White House personnel office that his position on the board was “terminated effective immediately.” He said he had not yet received a reason for his firing.
The White House had no immediate response to a message seeking comment.
The NTSB has a five-person board but its website on Sunday showed just three members
The board’s vice chair, Alvin Brown, was abruptly removed last year
Brown and Robert Primus, who served on the U.S Surface Transportation Board, were the only Black board members overseeing their respective independent agencies when they were fired last year Both have challenged their firings in court, and the group Democracy Forward has filed discrimination claims on behalf of the men When Brown was fired, experts said they couldn’t remember such a firing from the NTSB.
The White House previously has said that President Donald Trump was within his legal rights to fire Brown and Primus and that performance, not bias, drove the decisions
Officials: 3 arrested in Peru nightclub bombing LIMA, Peru Authorities in Peru on Sunday said they have arrested three people following the deadly bombing of a nightclub as the number of those injured rose to 44.
The explosion occurred early Saturday at the Dalí nightclub in the city of Trujillo in La Libertad region, which has the largest gold-producing area in Peru and is rife with extortion and illegal mining.
La Libertad Regional Health Management confirmed that those injured rose from 33 to 44, including three minors between the ages of 16 and 17.
At least 10 patients have been discharged, while four others remain in serious condition, said Gerardo Florián, executive director of the Trujillo Health Network.
Municipal officials said they shuttered the club for 30 days because it violated an operating hours limit and an ordinance prohibiting minors from entering the establishment.
The owner or owners of the club could not be immediately reached for comment.
By The Associated Press
NEW YORK A device thrown by a counterprotester at an anti-Islam demonstration in New York City on Saturday was confirmed to be an improvised explosive, according to a preliminary police analysis. As the investigation continued on Sunday, police said they were looking into a second suspicious device found in the same area of Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
Two people were in custody for their alleged role in Saturday’s confrontation, which unfolded dur-
ing a “Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City” event led by the far right activist Jake Lang outside the Manhattan residence of Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
The sparsely attended event drew a far larger group of counterdemonstrators, including one person who tossed a smoking object containing nuts, bolts, screws and a “hobby fuse” into the crowd, police said.
In a social media post Sunday, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the department’s bomb squad determined the object wasn’t a hoax device or smoke bomb, but an improvised explosive device that could have caused serious injury or death.”
The device extinguished itself steps from police officers, Tisch noted. The same person who threw
it then received a second device from another counterprotester, which was dropped and did not appear to ignite, the commissioner said.
Charges against the two counterprotesters were still pending.
Tisch said police were working with federal prosecutors and the FBI on the case.
“Violence at a protest is never acceptable,” Mamdani said in a statement Sunday “The attempt to use an explosive device and hurt others is not only criminal, it is reprehensible and the antithesis of who we are.”
A person associated with Lang’s protest was also arrested and charged with reckless endangerment, assault and unlawful possession of a noxious matter after allegedly macing counterprotesters, police said.
Lang was previously charged with assaulting an officer with a baseball bat, civil disorder and other crimes before receiving clemency as part of President Donald Trump’s sweeping act of clemency for Jan 6 defendants last year He recently announced that he is running for U.S. Senate in Florida.
Later Sunday, police said on social media that authorities investigating Saturday’s events had “identified a suspicious device in a vehicle on East End Avenue between 81st Street and 82nd Street.” Several streets were closed and “limited evacuations of buildings” were ordered as the bomb squad assessed and worked to remove the device, the post said.
NTB SCANPIX PHOTO By HANS O TORGERSEN
Norwegian police and technicians investigate an
in Oslo, Norway.
BY STEFANIE DAZIO and MATTHEW LEE
Associated Press
Police in Norway were investigating an explosion early Sunday outside the U.S. Embassy in Oslo, the capital of the Scandinavian country, officials said.
No injuries were reported. Police received reports of a “loud bang” or explosion about 1 a.m., Oslo police said in a news release.
The explosion was caused by some sort of incendiary device, according to Frode Larsen, leader of the Oslo police joint unit for investigation and intelligence. Investigators believe the embassy was the target and are searching for the perpetrators and their motive.
Larsen said the embassy’s entrance had damage, but no arrests have been made.
“We are early in the investigation, but we are working based on multiple hypotheses,” Larsen said in a statement.
“Given the current security situation, it is natural to consider whether this was a targeted attack on the American Embassy However, we have not committed to any single hypothesis.”
Local media reported that people nearby said the street was blanketed in thick smoke following the blast. Police are
seeking to talk to witnesses.
A U.S. official said the incendiary device was inside a backpack and detonated outside the entrance to the Consular Affairs office at the embassy The official spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter
PST the Norwegian police security service, called in additional personnel following the incident, but hasn’t changed the country’s terror threat level, according to communication adviser Martin Bernsen.
“This is an unacceptable incident that is being treated with the utmost seriousness,” said Astri Aas-Hansen, Norway’s minister of justice and public security.
“The police have stated that they are investigating the case with significant resources, and that nothing indicates the situation poses any danger to the public.”
The U.S. Embassy in Oslo referred media inquiries to the U.S. State Department, which said it was aware of the incident and was opening its own investigation.
“We thank the Norwegian authorities for supporting the investigation,” the statement said.
Dazio reported from Berlin and Lee reported from Washington.
BY IMAD ISSEID and MELANIE LIDMAN Associated Press
ABU FALAH,West Bank Three Palestinians were killed in a violent clash with settlers in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Sunday, bringing the number of Palestinians killed in recent days to six. The surge in violence comes as much of Israel and the world’s attention is focused on the regional war with Iran.
The Israeli military said it responded to reports of Israeli settlers attacking Palestinians near Khirbet Abu Falah, east of Ramallah. Two Palestinians were killed by gunfire and a third died from suffocation, likely due to tear gas, the military said.
Two of the victims, Fare’ Hamayel and Thaer Hamayel, were cousins. The third man killed was Mohammad Murra. All three were buried in a joint funeral.
Amin Shouman, a resident of Abu Falah
who witnessed the attack, told The Associated Press that dozens of Israeli settlers approached the village from the north and opened fire when they were confronted by a community guard committee along the border of the village.
In 2025, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
reported 240 Palestinians were killed in the territory, with the vast majority by Israel’s military and nine attributed to Israeli settlers. Thus far this year, a far larger share of fatalities has been directly attributed to armed settlers.
Sunday’s fatalities followed several deadly incidents last week. One Palestinian was killed in the South Hebron Hills on Saturday by an Israeli reservist, and settlers shot and killed two Palestinian brothers in the northern West Bank on March 2.
In a rare rebuke, the Israeli military strongly condemned the settler violence and said it opened a criminal investigation against the settlers involved.
“This is an unacceptable incident. There will be zero tolerance for civilians who take the law into their own hands,” said Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, the commander of the military’s Central Command that includes the West Bank. “Especially at a time when the IDF is striking our bitter enemies Iran and Hezbollah, with a firm hand — we cannot allow reckless internal violence to undermine the rule of law and the security of the region.” Palestinians and rights groups say Israeli routinely fails to hold settlers accountable for violence.
BY FLORENCE MIETTAUX and DENG MACHOL Associated Press
JUBA, South Sudan Thousands of civilians have fled an opposition-held town in eastern South Sudan following an evacuation order issued by the army to pave the way for a military operation, officials said Sunday The exodus from Akobo, near the border with Ethiopia, began on Saturday night.
“The town is now almost empty,” said Nhial Lew, a local official in charge of humanitarian affairs. “Women, children and the elderly have left and crossed into Ethiopia.”
While the government’s deadline to evacuate was supposed to expire on Monday afternoon, fighting has been reported west of Akobo since Saturday
“We are hearing the sound of machine guns approaching,” Lew said on Sunday evening.
The national army called the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces, ordered the U.N. Mission in South Sudan, or UNMISS, to close its Akobo base on Friday Nongovernmental organizations and civilians were also asked to evacuate “in
order to avoid unnecessary collateral damage,” as the government prepares a military assault targeting “Akobo and surrounding areas,” according to a statement by military spokesperson Lul Ruai Koang. Akobo is one of the last strongholds of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In Opposition, or SPLM-IO, led by Riek Machar, South Sudan’s detained vice president. A 2018 peace deal between Machar and President Salva Kiir has nearly collapsed since fighting resumed between their forces last year Confrontations have dramatically increased in the northern part of Jonglei since December, when opposition forces captured government outposts. They were repelled by a government counteroffensive that displaced more than 280,000 people in a few weeks. The town of Akobo, located in the far east of South Sudan and under opposition control since the civil war that erupted in 2013, was seen as a relatively safe haven. The presence of a small contingent of U.N. peacekeepers has led more than 82,000 displaced people to seek refuge in and around Akobo.
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BY JOSH BOAK Associated Press
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump promised that 2026 would be a bumper year for economic growth, but instead it has kicked off with job losses, rising gasoline prices and more uncertainty about America’s future.
In his State of the Union address less than two weeks ago, the Republican president confidently told the country: “The roaring economy is roaring like never before.” The latest batch of data on jobs, pump prices and the stock market suggests that Trump’s roar has started to sound far more like a whimper.
There is a gap between the boom that Trump has predicted and the volatile results he has produced — one that could set the tone in this year’s midterm elections as he tries to defend his party’s majorities in the House and Senate. With Trump’s tariffs drama ongoing, the war in Iran has suddenly created inflationary concerns regarding oil and natural gas
To the White House, it is still early in the year and stronger growth is coming.
No signs of jobs boom
“WOW! The Golden Age of America is upon us!!!” Trump posted on social media Feb. 11 after the monthly jobs report showed gains of 130,000 jobs in January Since then, the job market has evaporated in worrisome ways. Friday’s employment report showed job losses of 92,000 in February The Jan-
uary and December figures were revised downward, with December swinging to a loss of 17,000 jobs. Monthly data can be rocky, but a trend has emerged that shows an enduring weakness. Without the health care sector, the economy would have shed roughly 202,000 jobs since Trump became president in January 2025 Still, his administration notes that construction job gains outside of the housing sector point to future hiring growth.
Trump often brags that jobs are going to people born in the United States, rather than to immigrants. But the latest report punctured some of that argument.
The unemployment rate for people born in the U.S. has climbed over the past 12 months to 4.7% from 4.4%.
This means a greater share of the people who Trump said would get jobs because of his immigration crackdown are, in fact, searching for work.
Prices at the pump go up
“Slashing energy costs is among the most important actions we can take to bring down prices for American consumers,” Trump said in a February speech in Texas just before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran. “Because when you cut the cost of energy, you really cut you just cut the cost of everything.”
The president has repeatedly told Americans that keeping gas costs low would be key to defeating inflation. He has talked up the decline citing figures that were far below the national average to assure the public that driving was getting cheaper
But the strikes against Iran that began Feb. 28 have, for the moment, crushed that narrative.
Prices at the pump have jumped 19% over the past month to a national average of $3.45, according to AAA.
The investment bank Goldman Sachs warned in an analyst note that, if higher oil prices persist, inflation could rise from its 2.4% reading in January to 3% by the end of the year
The administration is banking on plans to contain any energy price increases, essentially betting that either the conflict will end shortly or the administration can succeed in getting more tankers through the Strait of Hormuz. Trump advisers on Sunday sought to assure anxious Americans that surging fuel prices are
a short-term problem.
“We never know exactly the time frame of this,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright told CNN’s “State of the Union. “But in the worst case, this is a weeks, this is not a months thing.”
Stocks are off their highs
“You know, we set the alltime record in history with the Dow going to 50,000,” Trump said Thursday at the White House.
This frequently repeated talking point has grown stale. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, one of Trump’s preferred measures of success, has dropped 5% over the past month. Stocks are up during his presidency, just as they were previously when Democrat Joe Biden was president The recent decline could be reversed if
the war with Iran ends and companies see solid profits over the next year and beyond. The recent dip, however should be a warning sign as the administration has stressed the importance of more people investing in the stock market through vehicles such as “Trump accounts” for children.
The stock market has become a barometer of how people feel about the economy, with stock investors tending to have more confidence and those without money in the markets being more pessimistic.
Joanna Hsu, the director of the University of Michigan’s surveys of consumers, noted that in February a “sizable” increase in sentiment among people owning stocks “was fully offset by a decline among consumers
without stock holdings.”
Productivity
Trump can point to a win in that the economy has become more productive generating more value for each hour of work. That is a positive sign for long-term growth in the U.S. and a reflection of its strong tech sector
Business sector labor productivity climbed 2.8% in the fourth quarter of last year, the Labor Department reported Thursday But the challenge is that the gains might not be spread to workers in the form of higher pay as labor’s share of income last year fell to the lowest level on record, noted Mike Konczal, senior director of policy and research at the Economic Security Project, a nonprofit aligned with liberal economic issues.
Economic growth
“Under the Biden administration, America was plagued by the nightmare of stagflation, meaning low growth and high inflation — a recipe for misery, failure and decline,” Trump said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January The scoreboard tells a far different story, one that makes Biden’s track record in 2024 look better than Trump’s performance last year The U.S. economy grew at a 2.8% pace during Biden’s last year, compared with 2.2% under Trump in 2025. As for inflation, the primary measure used by the Federal Reserve is the personal consumption expenditures price index. It was 2.6% in both 2024 and 2025.
Remembrance comes amid worries about future of voting rights
BY KIM CHANDLER Associated Press
SELMA,Ala. — Sixty-one years after state troopers attacked civil rights marchers on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, thousands gathered in the Alabama city this weekend, amid new concerns about the future of the Voting Rights Act.
The March 7, 1965, violence that became known as Bloody Sunday shocked the nation and helped spur passage of the landmark legislation that dismantled barriers to voting for Black Americans in the Jim Crow South. The anniversary was celebrated in this southern city, with events through the weekend and ending with a commemorative march across the bridge Sunday But the festivities came as the U.S. Supreme Court considers a case that could limit a provision of the Voting Rights Act that has helped ensure some congressional and local districts are drawn so minority voters have a chance to elect their candidate of choice.
“I’m concerned that all of
the advances that we made for the last 61 years are going to be eradicated,” said Charles Mauldin, one of the marchers beaten on Bloody Sunday.
Democratic officeholders, civil rights leaders and tourists descended on the southern city to pay homage to the pivotal moment of the Civil Rights Movement and to issue calls to action. Speakers warned of the looming court decision and criticized the Trump’s administration actions on immigration and efforts to roll back diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Standing at the pulpit of the city’s historic Tabernacle Baptist Church, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said that like the marchers on Bloody Sunday, they must press forward.
“Those who marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge deserve better than us cowering while the freedoms that we inherited and they fought for, are being ripped away,” Moore said.
Illinois Gov JB Pritzker, speaking at a rally at the foot of the bridge, said racism is on the rise in America and “Trump’s Supreme Court is gutting the Voting Rights Act.”
“Let’s march forward today with the knowledge that we are the inheritors of the faith that brought marchers to the bridge 61 years ago. It is now on us to bend the arc of the moral universe toward justice,” Pritzker said.
Justices are expected to rule soon on a Louisiana case regarding the role of race in drawing congressional dis-
BY ELÉONORE HUGHES Associated Press
tricts. A ruling prohibiting or limiting that role could have sweeping consequences, potentially opening the door for Republican-controlled states to redistrict and roll back
majority Black and Latino districts that tend to favor Democrats.
U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures won election in 2024 to an Alabama district that was
give Black voters a greater voice. His district will likely be targeted if the state gets the opportunity to redraw lines.
RIO DE JANEIRO Sunday’s marches in Brazil for International Women’s Day served as a rallying cry against gender-based violence, fueled by the latest case to outrage the country involving the alleged gang rape of a 17-year-old girl in Copacabana The case in Rio de Janeiro’s famed, beachside neighborhood took place in January, but gained national traction this week when four suspects handed themselves over to authorities. Described by police as a gang rape, it has added fuel to the fire in a nation where reports of violence against women have surged in recent months, sparking nationwide protests and a flurry of digital activism. At least 15 protests were planned across the country, with organizers calling for the defense of women’s lives and an end to femicide.
Lawyers for two of the suspects have denied any wrongdoing, while legal counsel for the remaining three have yet to comment on the case publicly
Rio’s Civil Police said the four young men in pretrial detention will be charged with rape, while a fifth suspect — a minor — turned himself in on Friday to face an equivalent charge under juvenile law Authorities issued an arrest warrant for the minor after his alleged involvement in another case of sexual violence with a similar dynamic to the Copacabana episode came to light, Rio state prosecutors’ office said in an email.
A police investigation revealed that in January, the victim received a message from a classmate at her prestigious school inviting her to a friend’s home Once inside the apartment, she was taken to a room and locked in with the suspects, where she was sexually assaulted and subjected to physical and psychological violence, a Wednesday police statement said. Last week, security camera footage of the men arriving then leaving the scene of the alleged crime circulated widely on social media.
BY ANNIKA HAMMERSCHLAG Associated Press
As missiles and drones curtail energy production across the Persian Gulf, analysts warn that water, not oil, may be the resource most at risk in the energyrich but arid region.
On Sunday, Bahrain accused Iran of damaging one of its desalination plants
Earlier Iran said a U.S. airstrike had damaged an Iranian plant.
Hundreds of desalination plants sit along the Persian Gulf coast, putting individual systems that supply water to millions within range of Iranian missile or drone strikes. Without them, major cities could not sustain their current populations.
In Kuwait, about 90% of drinking water comes from desalination, along with roughly 86% in Oman and about 70% in Saudi Arabia.
The technology removes salt from seawater most commonly by pushing it through ultrafine membranes in a process known as reverse osmosis — to produce the freshwater that sustains cities, hotels, industry and some agriculture across one of the world’s driest regions.
For people living outside the Middle East, the main concern of the Iran war has been the impact on energy prices. The Gulf produces about a third of the world’s crude exports and energy revenues underpin national economies. Fighting has already halted tanker traffic through key shipping routes and disrupted port activity, forcing some producers to curb exports as storage tanks fill.
But the infrastructure that keeps Gulf cities supplied with drinking water may be equally vulnerable.
“Everyone thinks of Saudi Arabia and their neighbors as petrostates But I call them saltwater kingdoms. They’re humanmade fossil-fueled water superpowers,” said Michael Christopher Low, director of the Middle East Center at the University of Utah. “It’s both a monumental achievement of the 20th century and a certain kind of vulnerability.”
Early signs of risk
The war that began Feb 28 with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran has already brought fighting close to key desalination infrastructure. On March 2, Iranian strikes on Dubai’s Jebel Ali port landed some 12 miles from one of the world’s largest desalination plants, which produces much of
Continued from page 1A and peace to Iran.”
the city’s drinking water. Damage also was reported at the Fujairah F1 power and water complex in the United Arab Emirates, and at Kuwait’s Doha West desalination plant. The damage at the two facilities appeared to have resulted from nearby port attacks or debris from intercepted drones.
On Sunday, Bahrain accused Iran of indiscriminately attacking civilian targets and damaging one of its desalination plants, though it didn’t say supplies have gone offline The island nation, home to the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, has been among the countries targeted by Iranian drones and missiles.
Earlier, Iran said a U.S. airstrike damaged an Iranian desalination plant. Abbas Araghchi, the country’s foreign minister, said the strike on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz had cut into the water supply for 30 villages. He warned that in doing so “the U.S set this precedent, not Iran.”
Many Gulf desalination plants are physically integrated with power stations as co-generation facilities, meaning attacks on electrical infrastructure could also hinder water production. Even where plants are connected to national grids with backup supply routes, disruptions can cascade across interconnected systems, said David Michel, senior fellow for water security at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
“It’s an asymmetrical tactic,” he said. “Iran doesn’t have the same capacity to strike back at the United States and Israel. But it does have this possibility to impose costs on the Gulf countries to push them to intervene or call for a cessation of hostilities.”
Desalination plants have multiple stages — intake systems, treatment facilities, energy supplies — and damage to any part of that chain can interrupt production, according to Ed Cullinane, Middle East editor at Global Water Intelligence, a publisher serving the water industry
“None of these assets are any more protected than any of the municipal areas that are currently being hit by ballistic missiles or drones,” Cullinane said.
A long-standing concern Gulf governments and U.S. officials have long recognized the risks these systems pose for regional stability: if major desalination plants were knocked
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Trump told ABC News on Sunday he wants a say in who comes to power once the war is over; a new leader “is not going to last long” without his approval.
But Iran’s Revolutionary Guard issued a statement expressing support, and the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah shared a portrait of the younger Khamenei on Telegram with the caption, “Leader of the blessed Islamic revolution.”
Top Iranian security official Ali Larijani, speaking to state TV, praised the Assembly of Experts for “courageously” convening even as airstrikes continued in Tehran. He added that the younger Khamenei had been trained by his father and “can handle this situation.” Regional anger grows
The war’s toll on civilian targets grew as Bahrain accused Iran of striking a desalination plant vital to drinking water supplies, and oil depots in Tehran smoldered following overnight Israeli strikes. As the war impedes the region’s oil production and shipping, crude prices have surpassed $100 per barrel for the first time in more than three and a half years. The price for a barrel of Brent crude the international standard, traded at $ 101.19 on Sunday, up 9.2 % from Friday’s closing price.
In a sign of rising regional anger, the Arab League chief lashed out at Iran for its “reckless policy” of
offline, some cities could lose most of their drinking water within days. A 2010 CIA analysis warned attacks on desalination facilities could trigger national crises in several Gulf states, and prolonged outages could last months if critical equipment were destroyed.
More than 90% of the Gulf’s desalinated water comes from just 56 plants, the report stated, and “each of these critical plants is extremely vulnerable to sabotage or military action.”
A leaked 2008 U.S diplomatic cable warned the Saudi capital of Riyadh “would have to evacuate within a week” if either the Jubail desalination plant on the Gulf coast or its pipelines or associated power infrastructure were seriously damaged.
Saudi Arabia has since invested in pipeline networks, storage reservoirs and other redundancies designed to cushion shortterm disruptions, as has the UAE. But smaller states such as Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait have fewer backup supplies.
Water plants threat
As warming oceans increase the likelihood and intensity of cyclones in the Arabian Sea and raise the chances of landfall on the Arabian Peninsula, storm surge and extreme rainfall could overwhelm drainage systems and damage coastal desalination.
The plants themselves contribute to the problem. Desalination is energy-intensive, with plants worldwide producing between 500 and 850 million tons of carbon emissions annually approaching the roughly 880 million tons emitted by the entire global aviation industry
The byproduct of desalination, highly concentrated brine, is typically discharged back into the ocean, where it can harm seafloor habitats and coral reefs, while intake systems can trap and kill fish larvae, plankton and other organisms at the base of the marine food web.
As climate change intensifies droughts, disrupts rainfall patterns and fuels wildfires, desalination is expected to expand in many parts of the world.
Threat is not hypothetical
During Iraq’s 1990-91 invasion of Kuwait and the subsequent Gulf War, Iraqi forces sabotaged power stations and desalination facilities as they retreat-
ed said the University of Utah’s Low At the same time, millions of barrels of crude oil were deliberately released into the Persian Gulf, creating one of the largest oil spills in history
The massive slick threatened to contaminate seawater intake pipes used by desalination plants across the region. Workers rushed to deploy protective booms around the intake valves of major facilities.
The destruction left Kuwait largely without fresh water and dependent on emergency water imports. Full recovery took years.
More recently, Yemen’s Houthi rebels have targeted Saudi desalination facilities amid regional tensions.
The incidents underscore a broader erosion of longstanding norms against attacking civilian infrastructure, Michel said, noting conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza and Iraq.
International humanitarian law, including provisions of the Geneva Conventions, prohibit targeting civilian infrastructure indispensable to the survival of the population, including drinking water facilities.
The potential for harmful cyberattacks on water infrastructure is a growing concern. In 2023 and 2024, U.S. officials blamed Iranaligned groups for hacking into several American water utilities.
Iran supply at risk
After a fifth year of extreme drought, water levels in Tehran’s five reservoirs plunged to some 10% of their capacity, prompting President Masoud Pezeshkian to warn the capital may have to be evacuated.
Unlike many Gulf states that rely heavily on desalination, Iran still gets most of its water from rivers, reservoirs and depleted underground aquifers. The country operates a relatively small number of desalination plants, supplying only a fraction of national demand.
Iran is racing to expand desalination along its southern coast and pump some of the water inland, but infrastructure constraints, energy costs and international sanctions have sharply limited scalability
“They were already thinking of evacuating the capital last summer,” Cullinane of Global Water Intelligence said. “I don’t dare to wonder what it’s going to be like this summer under sustained fire, with an ongoing economic catastrophe and a serious water crisis.”
U.S.-Israeli strike on an oil storage facility in Tehran, Iran.
attacking neighbors, including ones that host U.S. forces. Gulf countries have been struck by hundreds of missiles and drones since the war started on Feb. 28. Saudi Arabia reported its first deaths, saying a military projectile fell onto a residential area and killed two people of Indian and Bangladeshi nationality Foreign residents and workers have made up most of the war’s deaths in Gulf nations.
Israel reported its first soldier deaths, saying two were killed in southern Lebanon, where its military is fighting Hezbollah. The U.S. military said a service member died of injuries from an Iranian attack on troops in Saudi Arabia on March 1. Seven U.S. soldiers have now been killed. The war has killed at least 1,230 people in Iran, at least 397 in Leba-
non and at least 11 in Israel, according to officials.
Facilities attacked Bahrain Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia reported additional Iranian missiles launched toward them
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has urged neighboring states not to take part in U.S. and Israeli attacks. The U.S. strikes have not come from Gulf Arab governments but from U.S. bases and vessels in the region.
Bahrain accused Iran of indiscriminately attacking civilian targets and damaging one of its desalination plants, though its electricity and water authority said supplies remained online.
Desalination plants supply water to millions of residents in the region and thousands of stranded
Legg’s
Continued from page 1A
now fronts the road. The work was completed by mural artists Susan David, Herb Roe and Miguel Lasala, with help from Kathy Dumesnil, Roz LeCompte, Erin Broussard, John Zant and others, based off a photograph by Travis Gauthier
Legg’s presence was the star of the show at the unveiling, felt through the dozens of artists, bandmates, collaborators and old friends who gathered in the street to share stories about the man, the musician, the writer and the artist. Legg’s work covered decades of freewheeling inspiration, from his days fronting Southern rock band Santeria, to the publication of his book, “Cablog: Diary of a Cabdriver.”
Later, his brand of Southern blues meets psychedelic rock would appear on the soundtrack of the movie
“Django Unchained,” with “Too Old to Die Young” by Brother Dege & The Brethren. Legg’s friend and former Santeria bandmate
Troy Primeaux spoke at the mural unveiling, saying, “He always fought to be acknowledged.”
“I know he’d be tickled, and very happy,” Primeaux said.
“He lived here, he died here, and it’s the perfect place to have his image And people will remember his music forever.”
Primeaux also made an announcement for fans of Brother Dege & The Brethren: “He’s got a new album. He just didn’t finish it.”
That album is being finished right now by Primeaux, Tony Daigle and Legg’s bandmates, further proof that the artist’s death did not stop his work — or his impact. It’s going to come out this summer, according to Primeaux.
“It will never be 100% Dege, but after doing so many albums with him, I think we’re pretty good I think he’d be very proud of it,” Primeaux said.
Legg’s presence will con-
A man carries shoes from his house, which was destroyed after it was hit by Israeli airstrikes in Sir al-Gharbiyeh village, Lebanon, on Sunday.
travelers, raising new fears of catastrophic risks in parched desert nations.
The strike came after Iran said a U.S. airstrike damaged a desalination plant there. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the strike on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz had cut into the water supply to 30 villages.
He warned that in doing so “the U.S. set this precedent, not Iran.”
In response, CENTCOM spokesperson U.S. Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins said that “U.S. forces do not target civilians — period.”
Iranian authorities also said Israel’s overnight strikes on four oil storage tankers and a petroleum transfer terminal killed four people. Witnesses in Tehran said the smoke was so thick that it looked as if the sun had not risen.
Israel’s military said the oil de-
tinue to be alive in the community Sunday, with the return of the Rock & Roll Farmers Market at Blue Moon Saloon, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Started by Legg more than 10 years ago, the market is an opportunity for musicians with extra gear to buy sell and trade, and keep the music going.
The dynamism of change, and the drive to create, was a major factor in Legg’s life, according to the many friends and collaborators who have worked to continue his legacy over the past couple of years. The mural itself expresses what it feels like to create and start anew each day, with the way its corrugated metal background shifts the light around Legg’s face from morning till sunset.
“He was a road dog for so long, and he accomplished so much, but he was always that guy Always ready for an adventure,” said Lasala, one of the principal artists on the mural with Roe and designer David. David said, “The idea is he’s facing west, he’s looking out into the distance. He’s still traveling, he’s on tour It just feels like he’s still exploring. He was a trendsetter and innovator — he just showed up to the page and he did it.” The art community that gathered around Legg admired this about him, and took inspiration from it. What he faced in life, he managed to get onto the page, creating a Dege Legg that will live on through his prolific works.
“The guy was not just sitting around — he was a very powerful person in the sense that he got his work done,” Lasala said. “So many people doubt themselves and don’t get their work done, but he knew who he was, and he was not afraid to do his s***. And even though he was always powering through so many things at once, he would always take the time to encourage other people and be cool and listen.”
Email Joanna Brown at joanna.brown@ theadvocate.com.
pots were used by Iran’s military for fuel to launch missiles.
The Iranian Red Crescent Society warned Tehran residents to take precautions against toxic air pollution and the risk of acid rain. It also said about 10,000 civilian structures across the country had been damaged, including homes, schools and almost three dozen health facilities.
Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf warned it soon could become harder to produce and sell oil. Some regional producers, including in Iraq, have curbed output amid dangers in the Strait of Hormuz.
Half-million displaced
Lebanon said over a half-million people have been displaced in the week of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.
The actual number is likely higher Lebanon’s count of 517,000 refers to those who registered on the government’s online portal. Israel over the past week has called on residents in dozens of villages across southern Lebanon and the entirety of Beirut’s southern suburbs to evacuate.
Health Minister Rakan Nassereddine said 83 children and 82 women have been among those killed. In Beirut, sheltering families crammed into schools, slept in cars or in open areas near the Mediterranean Sea, where some burned firewood to keep warm. Israel’s renewed offensive began last week after Hezbollah launched rockets toward northern Israel during the Iran war’s opening days. Associated Press journalists Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel and Aamer Madhani in Doral, Florida, contributed reporting.
ana, Ican tell you we’ve been struggling in these areas for along time,” Rep.John Wyble, R-Franklinton,said. “I think we’re slowly moving more and more toward a coordinated effort in terms of programs of study,what we offer.” The question becomes all the more salient as someof those schools struggle with enrollment stagnation and decline, as well as budget challenges that go back to historic cuts to state higher education fundingunder former Gov.Bobby Jindal.
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette’senrollment, for example, dipped to approximately 12,200 undergraduate students in the2022 fall semester,adecrease of over 1,000 students from three years prior.Enrollment has trended modestly upward since then, with 12,600 undergraduates enrolled in the 2024 fall semester In atownhall in December,ULLafayette President Ramesh Kolluru said the university maintained a$10.5 million deficit, down from previously $25 million.
“There’snosystem or school in ourstate that’s not faced with this,” University of Louisiana system President Rick Gallot said about the system’sfunding.“Obviously,some have been in a better position to absorb it and address it than others, but generally,weall face the same main challenge, and that is the amountofstate resources being allocated to our schools. It’ssimply putting us further and further behind our southern peers.”
Those workingtosolve the state’ssmall public universities’ budgetary and enrollment woes often pointto two paths forward for aschool in crisis: absorption into another system, currently underway with the University of New Orleans migrating from the UL system to the LSU system, or specialization, which involves scaling back programs that failto alignwithindustryneeds and bolstering more work-
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hadaproblem, and only one acceptableoption given to us by the state.”
The School Board’splan will allow students servedby the junior high to stay under the purview of the parish and eliminate concerns of astate takeover.Opelousas Senior Highhas aCletter grade from the state EducationDepartment, which makesitineligiblefor incorporation into theRSD.
Many board members and community members expressed resentment over Brumley’sultimatum and felt that amerger was the less harmful of the two options.
“I don’tlike the state’sdecision. It’spart of a50-year attack on public education,” said Rod Sias, who serves as the president of the local chapter of the NAACP Sias hadraised concerns over the merger plan at the previous council meeting butsaid on Thursday that the merger was the best choice the board had available.
“After talkingwith people in the community,Itruly believe this is the only path forward for the school. We’re talking about accountability There’saproblem and it’s unacceptable.There should be no failingschools in St Landry Parish.” Anthony Standberry,who represents District 1, where the junior high is located,argued that the state’sgrading system is not effective atassessing school performance.
“I still say that aletter grade does not speak to what goes on in aclassroom,” Standberry said. “I can’t change the rules, but the formula doesn’tseem to be fair Publiceducation is under attack right now,and there doesn’tseem to be awhole lot aschool districtcan do about it.” Many of the junior high staff and faculty members were in attendance on Thursday; however, none
force-oriented majors. “I do think that specialization will be the order of the day,”Louisiana Commissioner of Higher Education Kim Hunter Reed said. “The institutions will notbeableto be allthings for all people.”
Theroute of UNO
It’s beenayear since Senate President Cameron Henry and House Speaker Philip Devillier first proposed making the University of New Orleans part of the LSU system, amove supporters thought could breathe new life into the beleaguered New Orleans research institutionand save it from afinancial crisis that stemmed from more than adecadeof low enrollment.
Though the university won’tofficially transition to LSU until July1,plans have beenmadeand somechanges are alreadyinprogress.
Atransitioncommittee led by LSU Board ofSupervisors member Rico Alvendia, with more than 20 executive membersrepresentinga slew of NewOrleansindustries and both universities, metpublicly twice at UNO to discuss aspectsofthe transition,from facility use to aca-
expressed opposition to the plan. Instead, the tone was largely that of embracing the merger as an opportunity to provide more resources to local students.
St. Landry Parish schools
Superintendent MiltonBatiste discussed an emerging partnership with LSU-Eunice at thenew school, which wouldinclude the introduction of a“summerbridge” program.LSUEChancellor Nancee Sorenson confirmed theschool’sintention to offer resources to the school district during themeeting
“I knowwhatit’sliketo nothave every advantage,” Sorenson said.“We too are underfunded, but we’ve been abletomake alot happen. We are notexpertsinK-12, but we have an amazing system. Wouldn’titbegreatto collaborate withSt. Landry Parish to help use this as an opportunity?”
Sherika Simon, who serves as the principal of Opelousas Junior High, reflected on the change comingto the school district duringa brief address to the board and expressedasimilar sentiment regarding the merger being an opportunity to further benefit students.
“Overall, Iamvery optimistic aboutthemgoing to the high school,” Simon said.“I know they will be OK,wejust have to haveaplan. We don’t want the charter schools to take them, we want to offer them growthrighthere in St. Landry Parish.” Simon was in her first year as principal of Opelousas Junior High.Several board members stated that they felt if she had been given several more years in the role, the school’sperformance would improve.Batiste affirmed that thedecision was not related to Simon’s abilityas principal,orof the junior high staff broadly “I think we all want to make it clear that this is no reflection on theeffort andwork of OJHS,” said Batiste. “We’re so grateful for all you have done forthese kids,and it grievesusthat we have todo this.”
University of NewOrleans President KathyJohnson, right, speaks nexttoLSU Board of Supervisors ChairScott Ballard, left, and board member Roderick ‘Rico’Alvendia during aUNO Transition Team meeting in November
logistical steps like renegotiatingcontracts,collecting money owed from vendors andidentifying overbilling. It is also working to enroll studentswho were declined from the LSU campus in BatonRouge, but meet UNO’s admissions standards, to boostenrollment
—our budget is realigned and we are about to be part of one of the strongest public highereducation systems in the country,” Johnson said. “Wemust do whateverwe can to capitalize on this moment and charge ahead to meet the needs of our students and our community.”
schools will go the route of specialization, with afocus on the demands of the job market in each region.
“I do notsee an appetite for the Legislature to continue to move institutions fromone system to another as thesilver bullet,” Reed said. Wyble, whofiled abill aheadofthe 2026 regular sessionthatwould prohibit the use of state funds toward low-earning programs of study,said colleges will need to be responsivetothe labor demand driven by economic developmentprojects in the state.
demic focuses “I think everything is going as smoothly as it possibly can,” UNO President Kathy Johnsonsaidlast week, thanking faculty andstaff for their “willingness to focusonadaptingtothe role thatLSU New Orleans must play in thefuturetobestfulfill our mission.”
“It always is challenging to disruptthe status quo,” sheadded, “andofcourse we have had to do that with very limited resources.”
This time last year,UNO was completing amajor restructuring, consolidating itscolleges andlaying off a handful of high-ranking administrators. It also slashed theadjunctprofessor ranks, closed some campus buildings in disrepair andimplemented aspending and hiring freeze. Johnson said those measures haveallowed the university to operate with abalanced budget this year
The university alsotook
Rousse has saidheplans to requestfunding from state legislators this sessionto aidwith the transition. Last year,legislators allocated $23 milliontohelpUNO pay off longstanding debt.
Johnsonsaidshe wasn’t sure how muchwould be requested, but said she hopes the state would cover unbudgeted transition costs for expenses associated with things such as branding and signage. She saidthe university would use existing funding to pay for an IT overhaul estimated to cost$46 million and$355 millionindeferred maintenance.
But muchofthe transition —and how it will impact UNO studentsand staff—is still unclear.Though Rousse and other officials have hinted at “tough decisions” that may be necessary to align, the university hasnot publicly discussedwhichUNO programscould be cut.
Still Johnsonsaidshe remains “incredibly hopeful regarding our future.”
“Wehave turnedthe corner
At the news conference in February,RoussesaidUNO could serve as amodel for howtoshape the future of higher education in Louisiana.
“How we reimagineeducating Louisiana is probably going to be led from what we do at the University of New Orleans,” Rousse said.
“I think that’sgoing to be sort of astrong line, really focusedcurriculum that can be successful. Abig positive public research university in the New Orleansareais probably agood thing, but moneydoes not grow on trees, and enrollment is very, very competitive.”
“You have got to offer value,” he said. “You have to have an ROI on that investment for kids to come.”
Shifttowardindustry
Someargue UNOshould serve as the exception rather than therule forhow to envision the next chapter of Louisiana’s postsecondary landscape.
Reed predicted more
euro
PUBLIC NOTICE Advertisementfor Bids Notice is hereby given that sealed bids (one original)willbereceived by theLafayette Parish School System Purchas‐ingDepartment, located at 113 ChaplinDrive Lafayette,Louisiana, 70508 andelectronicbids will be received at www. centerlinebidconnect com. Delivery to any otherdepartmentother than thePurchasingDe‐partment is unaccept‐able andmay result in non-considerationofthe bid. Bids will be received until 1:00 p.m.,CST on April1st,2026 forcon‐structionofthe following projectasdescribed in theBidding Documents andlistedonthe Bid Form: Lafayette Elementary School Reroof 1301 W. University Avenue Lafayette,LA70506 BID#35-26 It is furtherunderstood andagreed that thework under this contract shall be completedwithin120 consecutivecalendar days of thedatespeci‐fied in theContractor a Notice to Proceed,sub‐ject to reimbursementto theownerofliquidated damagesinthe amount of Five HundredDollars ($500) perconsecutive calendar day. Bids will be publicly opened andreadaloud at theabove stated time anddateinthe Purchas‐ingConferenceRoom of theLafayette Parish School System Central Office Building Complete BiddingDocu‐mentsfor this projectare beingdistributed in elec‐tronic form andmay be obtained withoutcharge andwithout depositfrom thePublicPlanRoom at www.centerlinebidco nnect.com.Printed copies arenot available from theOwner or Pro‐ject Designer but arrangements canbe made to obtain them throughmostrepro‐graphic firms. Plan hold‐ersare responsiblefor theirown reproduction costs. Questionsabout this procedureshouldbe directed to:Centerline –Phone: 504-291-5738, emailbidconnect@ centerline.co. Each bidmustbeaccom‐panied by acertified
“I think it’sgoing to be incumbent upon them andall of those institutions to really take ahard look at our job market, our economy, where we’re projecting to be, and then how do we produce those graduatesthatcan help fill those jobs that are in demand,” Wyble said. As the2026 regular session begins, Gallot said part of UL’s approach will also be apprising legislators of the industry-aligned programs currently offered by the university system, including cybersecurity and pharmaceuticals.
“If you look at whatwe’re doing, those specializations exist already,” Gallot said. “It’sreally our job to make sure that we educate our legislators about the things that we’re already doing.” Louisiana Board of Regents Chair Misti Cordell saidthe state’spublic institutions must continue an ongoing process of fiscal belttightening, but the answer to strainedfinances andenrollment challenges does not necessarily lie in shrinking the number of institutions. Those schools often serve as cornerstones of their regionaleconomies, she said. “On thesurface it may look like we have alot of colleges in thestate of Louisiana, but we need to look at how they function in the region,” Cordell said. “They’re regionally relevant.”
p nates. MoneyOrderswill notbeaccepted. Electronic bids maybe submittedonlineat www.centerlinebidco nnect.com.Inaccor‐dancewithLARS38: 2212.E(6),bidsfor this projectmay be submit‐tedelectronicallyvia up‐load to Centerline Bid Connect(www.centerl inebidconnect.com ). All biddocuments shallbe uploaded by thedue date andtimestatedabove Questionsabout this pro‐cedure should be di‐rected to Centerline (phone 504-291-5738, email: bidconnect@centerline. co ). ABid bond will be required,per thecon‐tractdocuments,and should be uploaded with therestofthe required BidDocuments.If a scannedcopyofthe Bid Bond is uploaded, the original notarizedbid bond must be produced “on-demand”per the Owner’srequest ThesuccessfulBidder shallberequiredtofur‐nish aPerformance and PaymentBondinan amount equalto100% of theContractonthe formsprovidedbythe School Boardand written in accordance with Louisianalaw Bids shallbeaccepted only from contractors whoare licensed by the LouisianaState Licensing Boardfor Contractorsfor theclassification of Building Construction: Commercial Roofing and Sheet Metal, Siding.No bidmay be withdrawn fora period of forty-five (45) days afterreceipt of bids,exceptunder the provisions of La.R.S 38:2214. AMandatory
Doberman puppies forsale. 4males,7 femalesborn2/5/26. Tailsdocked, dew clawsremoved will be wormed,uta on shots. $1800 (225)953-3629 five percent(5%)ofthe amount of theproposed Base Bidplusall Alter‐nates. MoneyOrderswill notbeaccepted. Electronic bids maybe submittedonlineat www.centerlinebidco nnect.com.Inaccor‐dancewithLARS38: 2212.E(6), bids forthis projectmay be submit‐tedelectronicallyvia up‐load to Centerline Bid Connect(www.centerl inebidconnect.com ). All biddocuments shallbe uploaded by thedue date andtimestatedabove Questionsabout this pro‐cedure should be di‐rected to Centerline (phone 504-291-5738, email: bidconnect@centerline. co ). ABid bond will be required,per thecon‐tractdocuments, and should be uploaded with therestofthe required BidDocuments.If a scannedcopyofthe Bid Bond is uploaded,the original notarizedbid bond must be produced “on-demand”per the Owner’srequest ThesuccessfulBidder shallberequiredtofur‐nish aPerformance and PaymentBondinan amount equalto100% of theContractonthe formsprovidedbythe School Boardand written in accordancewith Louisianalaw Bids shallbeaccepted only from contractors whoare licensed by the LouisianaState Licensing Boardfor Contractorsfor theclassification of Building Construction.No bidmay be withdrawn fora period of forty-five (45) days after receiptof bids,exceptunder the provisions of La.R.S 38:2214. Amandatory Pre-Bid Conference will be held at theProject Site at 312 AlmonsasterRoad, Youngsville,LA70592 at 10:00 a.m./p.m.CST, March19, 2026. Theowner reserved the righttorejectany andall bids forjustcause TheLafayette Parish School System strongly encourages thepartici‐pation of minority busi‐ness enterprisesinall contractsorprocure‐mentslet by theBoard forgoodsand services To that end, allcontrac‐tors andsuppliers are encouraged to utilizemi‐nority business enter‐prises in thepurchaseor sub-contractingofmate‐rials, supplies, andser‐vicesinwhich minority ownedbusinessesare available. LAFAYETTE PARISH SCHOOL SYSTEM Kristie Sam, Purchasing andProcure‐ment Coordinator Advertisingdates:March 2, 2026 March9,2026 March16, 2026 179099-mar2-9-16-3t $131
2.2COMMITTEE:
Have us take alook!
manager of project development at DESRI.
BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL Staff writer
Renewable energy developers, speaking Tuesday at the Petroleum Club in Lafayette, said the Acadiana region and Louisiana are at an inflection point in energy buildout.
The developers discussed the role of quickly deployable renew-
While the green energy sector has benefited from the state’s willingness to do business and the growing need for additional electricity to meet industrial demand, the developers said an often antagonistic Trump administration could make that growth more difficult Still, they said the market will ultimately dictate the future
Move comes days after report detailing structural issues
BY MEGAN WYATT Staff writer
A restaurant inside a golf clubhouse operated by the city of Westlake abruptly closed Friday, just two days after city leadership received an engineer report detailing potential structural issues with the building. The Advocate has made a public records request for the report but has not yet received it.
“Our restaurant will be closed until March 27 as we enhance your dining experience, but our bar is still open!” said a post shared by the Facebook pages for the restaurant, The Max, on the site of the National Golf Club of Louisiana. “The National and pro shop remain open. Follow us for exciting updates.”
Earlier that same day, the restaurant posted about its Lenten seafood specials.
The Westlake City Council unanimously approved a resolution last month authorizing Mayor Hal McMillin to hire Stutes & Lavergne Law Firm over problems with the clubhouse and restaurant. The 16,000-square-foot facility was completed at the end of 2021, and cost $6 million through a combination of city, parish and state tax dollars.
The council action came after an engineer hired by the city warned the second level of the building where The Max restaurant is located could “fall or cave in” without immediate action, according to an audio recording of a Jan. 29 meeting. The engineer said temporary walls could alleviate immediate concerns, but a long-term fix would require a full structural evaluation. The Acadiana Advocate reported on warnings about structural problems with the building Feb. 20. King Architects, Ritter Consulting Engineers and Miller & Associates Development designed and built the facility
Attorney Dale Clary, who is representing King Architects, previously said structural integrity issues at this stage are “only theoretical,” but the architect, contractor and engineer are cooperating with the city to evaluate allegations
“At this point, King Architects disagrees there are any structural issues,” Clary said in a Feb. 18 emailed statement. “There are none of the typical indications of building stress, e.g., sheet rock cracks, molding separated, doors sticking, etc.”
Attorney Tom Gayle, who represents Miller & Associates, issued a statement via email the same day
“Much like Dale (Clary) we are at the infancy of this discussion and are looking for more information before we can weigh in on the situation,” Gayle said.
able energy projects as Louisiana’s power demand continues to rise. Long waitlists for traditional energy turbines have pushed the state to rely more heavily on renewables such as solar and wind to meet rapidly growing industrial needs — particularly in the power-intensive digital economy and the expansion of data centers, said James Kondrat, senior
“The state is attracting serious interest from the digital economy,” he said. DESRI, which develops, owns and operates renewable energy projects, has seven projects in development in Louisiana, representing about $2 billion in investment in the state. The company plans to invest another $2 billion to $3 billion in Louisiana over the next five to 10 years, Kondrat said.
“Louisiana continues to be a standout place where long-term energy infrastructure investment makes sense economically, strategically and socially,” Kondrat said.
Louisiana has seen a major expansion in renewable energy, with more than a dozen projects currently operating, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. At least another eight projects are under construction
ABOVE: Members of Ainsley’s Angels make the turn onto Jefferson Street during the 2026 Zydeco Half and Full Marathon on Sunday in Lafayette
LEFT: Runners Laney LeBoeuf, left, and Kinsey Mahler smile at family members while running down Vermilion Street in the half marathon.
Prices, market average and more are available
BY JOANNA BROWN Staff writer
The founder of SackTrackr, a new boiled crawfish price tracking app out of Lafayette, doesn’t even eat crawfish.
Ben Powers, the founder of Developing Lafayette and a selfprofessed “data nerd,” started working on the project because he loves the community around crawfish — even if the crustacean’s gustatory appeal is a bit mystifying to him. “Crawfish is just an amazing part of this area, and I was like,
‘You know what? I just want to be a part of it somehow,’” said Powers, who released SackTrackr with a stock tracker-style interface where vendors can directly list their live and boiled crawfish prices.
“Crawfish prices have been a topic of conversation for years, and they move like a market,” he said. “We built SackTrackr to provide a real-time pulse on where prices stand.” People can use the interface to see prices for individual vendors, as well as the market average price, top movers and price trends. Vendors can join for free to update their business information and prices, or join a monthly paid plan for increased promo-
Iwould like to suggest more coverage of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcementdetention facilities in Louisiana, which areowned and managed byGEO, Inc. The facilities in Alexandria, Jena and Pine Prairiehavea capacity of 2,654. Contracts awarded to GEO, Inc. are substantial andpaid with taxpayers’dollars. GEOGroup was asubstantial donor to President Donald Trump’s 2024 election efforts and inauguralfund.
Please help the publicunderstand how private companies are benefiting from detention centersinLouisiana, while thestate struggles withother prison costs. We need to know more about Louisiana detention facilities in general and why they are located in this state BARBARAMOLLERE NewOrleans
The SAVE Act is asolution in search of aproblem. Noncitizen voting is anonissue. For instance, only 80 noncitizens have been found to have voted in Louisiana elections since the 1980s, as per the Louisiana Secretary of State. Instead of trying to address real issues for real people, such as high drug prices and high healthcare costs, the Republican Partyhas decided to try to stay in power by gerrymandering and disenfranchisement. Nothing to see here.
HERB WILSON Mandeville
LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR
AREWELCOME.HEREARE
Y’all indulge me while Ifuss at New Orleans paradegoers.Iread the article aboutthe “lack of throws” during this year’sCarnival season. Andbless your hearts, but y’all need to check yourentitlement. Yougotoparades expectingtobeshowered withthrows, and not just regular throws but thereally good throws, andyou get offended when you don’tget what youthink you’reowed. Didn’tget ashoe from Muses? Muses sucks! Only got four Cleo cups and 18 pairs of Bacchus socks? Samewhiny refrain. Ialso see how much stuff is left on the ground. The vast majority of that are throws that y’allare frankly too snobby to keep. This breaks my heart, because it’sliterally like leaving money on the ground. As arider,I’ve seen people get abranded throw from me, glance at it, and throw it on theground. To me, that’slike me giving you a$10 bill and you
wadding it up and throwing it away because someother rider mightgive you a$20. I’ve also watched paradegoers reach up and unscrew lightbulbs from floats that supposedly didn’tthrow enough, or spectators throwing beads back at riders. This is not only stupid and disrespectful, but it’salso dangerous. Look,wecan’tplease everybody.Wewould love to have enough good throwsfor everybody,but there’sonly so much we can afford to buy or make. Riders individually spend thousands of dollars on throws that we think you’ll keep, and we throw to you forfree. I think alot of you takethat forgranted, but we don’t. As riders, we do what we do because we love bringing joy to New Orleans. Maybe quit complaining and instead show us somelove and appreciation.
NATHAN TIPTON Baton Rouge
Everyone is suddenly talking about America’sfallingbirthrate. Politicians propose tax credits or cultural renewal. Butifwewant to talk about fertility honestly,weneed to talk abouteconomic risk.
In Louisiana, young families are making rational decisions in avolatile economy.Many young women still want children. What they fear is long-term financial vulnerability. Motherhood still carries awell-documented earningspenalty —lower lifetime wages, slower advancement and reduced retirement savings. In astate that struggles with workforce participation, poverty and out-migration of youngprofessionals, that risk feels even heavier. So womenhedge. They delay children until they feel financially secure. They pursue degrees first.They build work experience. They try to protect themselves against uncertainty That is not selfishness. It is prudence.
Imade asimilar choice decades ago. Ipostponed having children until age26soI could complete college. At thetime, that felt cautious. Today,26would be considered early by manystandards. The difference is not that women value family less. It is that the economic consequences of stepping away from theworkforce feel more permanent.
If Louisiana wants to retainyoung families, we should reduce thepenalty of caregiving. Education credits, structured workforce reentryprogramsand limited retirement protectionsfor primary caregivers would protect long-term earning power
Fertility is not just avalues debate. It is an economic one. If we want stronger families and astronger workforce, we must reduce the risks young families are rationallytrying to manage.
CURCHEL SMOOT Harvey
On Feb. 24, it was four years since Russia launched its fullscale invasion of Ukraine and 12 years since Ukrainians first stood up during the Revolution of Dignity Imoved to the NewOrleans area at the end of 2013 while my friends stood in freezing streets in Kyiv demanding the right to live in anormal country.Soon after came war. It still has not ended.
Living in southeast Louisiana helped me explain Ukraine to Americans. People here understand resilience —rebuilding after disasters, neighbors helping neighbors, traditions protected because they are identity,not decoration. Ukrainians are defending the samething: the right to exist freely in their own home. When Americans hear “aid to Ukraine,” it sounds geopolitical. For Ukrainians, it is survival. It meansair defense that stops missiles over cities, equipment that protects soldiers and support that keeps society functioning while under attack. Youwouldn’t abandon acommunity while the disaster is still happening. Ukrainians chose dignity over submission. They are still paying forthat choice with their lives. Continued support forUkraine is not charity; it is standing with people whobelieve that home and freedom are worth defending.
TETIANA SPINDEL Covington
Somepeople, mainly those whocall themselves conservative Christians, are celebrating because afederal appeals court will allow the TenCommandments to be posted in Louisiana classrooms. Others, mainly those calling themselves supporters of constitutional religious freedom, are lamenting this ruling.
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Friends, Ithink arecent dispute on these pages goes to theheart of what is polarizing us as acountry.I’m thinking about Ellen Holliday’sguest column“Making acase for pluralism” andPeter Gambel’sFeb. 14 responsetoit. If we could find amiddle ground between the positions of these two fine contributors, Ithink we’d have also found some fertile ground to plowasacountry and aculture.
My initialsympathies are withHolliday
To be sure, we as aspecies (andinfact the whole planet) need each other,inall our gloriousvariety.But Ialso think Gambel’sissue about personal motivation is important —is it enoughtohope people will want to help one another,without also helping themselves?
To me, there is an obvious middle ground, and one we as acountry have embraced ever since the Great Depression, and maybe even
since we had tocope with the robber barons of thelate 19th century.That is to have the free economy Gambel wants, but to makesure it is aregulated free economy.Weneed to avoid designing our freedom so as to allow us to trample on one another,and Ithought we had learned to keep thebasic advantages of capitalism, while limiting monopolies, giving labor aseat at the table, providing robust public education and so on.
Ihave my own opinions as to where we are today and what specific policy proposals could re-invigoratethe “golden mean”between these poles. Butitisenough forone letter to simply point out that the middle ground is there for reclaiming, if we are wise enough to avoid extremes.
MICHAELCAVANAUGH
Baton Rouge
Ifeel strongly both ways. Perhaps this will encourage the reasonable discussion of moral values. For example, “Thou shall not kill” —does this apply to capital punishment? How about “Thou shalt not bear false witness?” Most everyone agrees that President Donald Trumpregularly spouts outrageous lies, but his supporters, including those calling themselves devout Christians, excuse this and look the other way. How about “Thou shalt not covet?” Is it moral to covet taking possession of asovereign country like Greenland?
Ipersonally look forward to increased discussion of moral values, and Isuggest that all Louisianans discuss all of this with apastor or moral adviser QUIN BATES Marrero
Donald Trump continues trying to wheedle Vladimir Putin toend his war to extinguish Ukraine’snationhood short of that outcome. Trump’spersistence calls to mind the man Gulliver encountered during his travels: He hadspent “eight years upon aproject for extracting sunbeams out of cucumbers.”
The president misunderstands two things. First,the more blood and treasure Putin expends in Ukraine, the more he wantsto win in order to redeem his blunder.This war was supposed to prove Russia’smight,and that Ukraine is an ersatz nation. Instead, it has revealed the yawning gap between Russia’spretensions and its capabilities, and has created an incandescent Ukrainian nationalism.
Second, the way for the West to economize violence and military expenditures in the long run is not to prepare for futureconflictswith a Russia emboldened by success, but to deepen its diminishmentbyenabling Ukraine to continue bleeding Russia’s army and economy Trump, having cast his trained eyes on video of aMoscow military parade, reportedly (according to theFinancial Times) told aides that the Russian army looked “invincible.” Well.
IanBremmer,president and founder of Eurasia Group, apolitical risk consulting firm, writes that in each of the past two months, Russia has suffered 30,000 to 35,000 casualties. In the past two years, Russia has taken 1% of Ukrainian territory at acost of “157 dead per square kilometer.” The fouryear Russian death toll is probably at least nine times higher than the 36,000 Americans killed in three years in the Korean War.
The Economist says that in less than four years (June 22, 1941, toMay 8, 1945), Russia advanced 1,600 kilometers from Moscow to Berlin. In more than four years, Russian forces in Donetsk, the war’sprincipal cauldron, “have advanced just 60km —the distance from WashingtontoBaltimore.”
By the end of 2025, Russia was losing more men than it could recruit,relyingonmoney,not patriotism. Signing bonuses —someequal to thelifetime wages of some Russian workers —equal 90% of Russia’sbudgetdeficit. Prison terms and personal debts are canceled for recruits. Replacing battlefield casualties required up to90% of 2025 recruitsasreplacements.
Kenya’sintelligence agency says more than 1,000 Kenyans, most of
themtricked into signing militarycontractstofight in Ukraine, have been needed to supplement the“invincible” Russianarmy Britain’sdefense secretary says recruits from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Cuba,Nigeriaand Senegal have been “recruited under false pretenses and press-ganged under pressure without necessarily realizing that they’re destinedfor the Russian meat machine on the front line of Ukraine.”
At the opening in Pyongyang of what are called “luxury apartment complexes” —think about that —North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un saidthe grieving families of North Koreans killed fighting for Russia in Ukraine (anestimated one-third of 12,000 sent in 2024) would be given priorityaccesstothe apartments. If you believe that Presumably,Trump will tell Americans,when he thinks they deserve to know,his war or other plans for improving Iran.
Meanwhile, he is supporting the reelection campaign of Europe’s most pro-Putin and aggressively antiUkraine leader.Inmid-February, Secretary of State Marco Rubio was dispatched to Hungarytointervene in thatnation’selection, on behalf of its authoritarian premier,Viktor Orban. His partyatthat moment was, according totrusted polls,behind by 10 points. This was so despiteOrban’s wielding of government-controlled
media. Rubio toldOrban that Trump “isdeeply committed to your success” in theApril 12 election.
Orban’sgovernment has reported a spate of bomb threats (but no bombs) against Hungarian schools and other institutions. The government says thethreatsare written in Ukrainian, so Ukraine is to blame. If you believe that Rubio’sgrovel was perhaps supposed to bribe Orban to stop blocking European Union financial assistance to Ukraine. The blocking has, however, continued.
Aconstant of modern Russian history is thesystemicstupidityand toadyismthat tyranny breeds.Inthe 1930s, some of Josef Stalin’scensors, who were more zealous than educated, reportedly (writes Stalin’sbiographer Stephen Kotkin) forbade radio broadcasts of music by Franz Schubert, who died in 1828, for fear he might be asupporter of Stalin’snemesis, Leon Trotsky,who was bornin1879.
Do not expect those who have risen profitably into Putin’sorbit to steer theirobsessed benefactor toward what Trump’sNational Security Strategy,published in December,calls “an expeditious cessation of hostilities in Ukraine.”
Onewonders: Expediting what, exactly?
Email George Will at georgewill@ washingtonpost.com.
This is the momentwhen total warmeets the fogofwar
Not in tiny steps but in one great leap, the United States has triggered, and itself soon will experience, afrightful period of total warthat extends farbeyond the Middle East. And it is occurring in the usual impenetrable fogofwar
How much faith shouldone put in the veracity of BillClinton when he testified recently in adeposition that he did “nothing wrong” in his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein? Iguess it depends on the meaning of “nothing” and “wrong.” How much faith should one place in Hillary Clinton’sveracity when shetestified she “never met” Epstein, when he visited the White House 17 times?
In her deposition, Hillary Clinton said: “As Istated in my sworn declaration on Jan. 13,Ihad no idea about their criminal activities. I do not recall ever encounteringMr. Epstein. Ineverflew on his planeor visited his island, homes or offices. I have nothing to add to that.”
and admitted to abreach of professional conduct. He didn’tearn the moniker “Slick Willie” for nothing. Look at those hot tuband other pictures that show Bill in thecompany of women and girls, not his wife. One is on his lap in aprivate plane, theother shows him in apool with Ghislaine Maxwell andayoung woman whose face hasbeenblacked out. This is not what used to be called “normal behavior” for amarried man.
Notice the familiar “I do not recall.”
Perhaps she should look at pictures released last December by House Democrats that includesa photograph taken in 2002 of her,husbandBill and Epstein at what appears to be asocial event. They appear jovial andwellacquainted.
In January 2001, on his final day in office, President Clinton reached an agreement to avoid indictmentfor perjury and obstruction of justice regarding the Monica Lewinskyinvestigation He accepted afive-year suspension of hisArkansas law license, paid afine
Just as banks look at one’s credit rating before deciding whether aborrower is agood risk, the Clintons’ credibility rating should also be examined.Google “list of lies told by Bill andHillary Clinton.” These don’tinclude the dissembling and “I don’trecall.” Listing them all might require afullnewspaper page. Check out Benghazi, thebleached computer files, andsomuch more. Here are just afew to jog memories: Hillary didn’tland under sniper firein Iraq as she said, nor was she named after Sir Edmund Hillary,asshe has claimed. (Sir Hillary climbed Mt Everest after she was born.)New York Timescolumnist William Safire wrote in 1996: “Drip by drip, like Whitewater torture, thecaseisbeing made that she is compelled to mislead, and to ensnare her subordinates andfriends in aweb of deceit.”
Safire continued: “Remember the story she told about studying The Wall Street Journal toexplain her 10,000 percent profit in 1979 commoditytrading? We now know that was alie told to turn aside accusations that as the Governor’swife she profited corruptly, her account being run by alawyer for statepoultry intereststhrough adisreputable broker She lied for good reason: To admit otherwise would be to confess taking, and paying taxes on, what some think amounted to a$100,000 bribe.
As for Bill Clinton, where to start (there is no end)? Sexual assault charges date back to at least when he was governor of Arkansas. He denied them all, as did his manyenablers who were madetolook foolish when the truth came out about some of them. Up until then we were toldwemust believe women when it came to such accusations, but for Democrats that apparently applied only when Republicans were accused of inappropriate misconduct.
As an English Literature major in college, Ifirst encountered this line from Sir Walter Scott: “Oh, what atangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!” That could serve as an epitaph for bothClintons.
Email Cal Thomasattcaeditors@ tribpub.com
Though Americans experienced “total war” during the 1861-1865 Civil War, the concept generally has been aEuropean staple, with origins in the FrancoPrussian Warinthe late 19th century and with horrifying applicability during the twoworld wars of the 20th.
The “fog of war”—animagesometimes attributed to the Prussian military theorist Carl von Clausewitz —has its own peril.
The term “total war”has manymeanings, but the relevant one now is the elimination of the distinction between civilians and combatants and the waythe effects of warfare aren’tconfined to the battlefront but instead creep into manifold areas of lifeinthe countries where combat is being conducted and in countries far from the spheres of operation.
The warisbut aweek old, but already it has spread wreckage across the Middle East, spread to countries that weren’tparties of the operation plan, altered the power calculus throughout the region, caused stresses and strains in America’smajor alliances, split the country at home—even as its tentacles are creating the beginnings of ahomefront in North America. There won’t be ration cards or blackout curtains, but effects will be felt here.
The battles of the American Revolution had only marginal effects in Great Britain, confined primarily to costlier consumer goods. But the combat in the world wars created enormous disruption farfrom the battlefields, in extreme cases taking the form in widespread hunger
The combination of the attacks and counterattacks has implications forthe world’soil supply,eventually affecting homeheating bills and prices at the gasoline pump.
About afifthofthe world’soil supply,accounting forabout 20 million barrels aday, comes through the Straits of Hormuz, now the mostdangerous waterway in the world.
Oil sloshes through the world, with supply disruptions in one part of the globe causing disruptions thousands of miles away.With much of Iran’soil ordinarily sent to China, the reduction of oil supplies heading there means Beijing must find supplies elsewhere, resulting in stresses on oil trade patterns, shortages and price hikes. The cessation of liquefied natural gas production in Qatar meansthe samething: higher prices.
Almost forgotten in the fogofthis war: About athird of the world’sfertilizer passes through the Strait of Hormuz.
An example of how disruptions growing out of actual combat has effects elsewhere is in air travel, which has been curtailed across the Middle East. Attacks in Dubai and Abu Dhabi affect Emirates and Etihad airlines, with ripples across the globe. Dubai is the site of the world’sbiggest airport, surpassing Atlanta in passenger travel.
Then there are the security threats posed by Iran, considered the world’sgreatest exporter of terrorism.
Ali Larijani, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps veteran whoruns the SupremeNational Security Council, has indicated that retaliating forthe killing of SupremeLeader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will be broad. Iran already has hit civilian sites such as hotels in Dubai. As noncombatants in Iran are killed or injured, the threat to noncombatants elsewhere almost certainly will grow
Among the great unknowns in this episode: the number of Iranian sleeper cells in North America, and the number of loyalists to the Iranian theocracy living here and motivated to strike the country that, since 1979, it considered the “Great Satan.”
At the sametime, Donald Trump, preoccupied with war command, eventually will have to attend to growing dissension in the MAGA ranks among those infuriated that amovement that once spoke of “no forever wars, “America First,” and an end to nation-building is grappling with aleader whoischallenging all three precepts. Wars create upheaval, sow confusion and inevitability involve unintended events. The world that eventually emerges from that fogalways is profoundly changed, with the international balance of power altered, sometimes with old alliances frayed and new ones created, and with new uncertainties replacing the old ones. This war will be no different.
Email DavidShribman at dshribman@postgazette.com.
the affiliated charities.
BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer
Attorneys and other professionals who worked on the Archdiocese of New Orleans bankruptcy case racked up roughly $60 million in fees and expenses over nearly six years, court documents show, making the case the second-costliest of more than 40 church bankruptcies filed in the U.S. over the past two decades.
The figures were disclosed in final fee applications filed in late February, two months after the archdiocese and its affiliated parishes and charities reached a $300 million settlement with hundreds of survivors of clergy sex abuse At some $360 million including the settlement and fees, the total cost of the case is more than 50 times greater than the $7 million that former Archbishop Gregory Aymond told the Vatican it would likely cost when he filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in May 2020 amid a rising number of clergy sex abuse lawsuits.
The archdiocese has already paid most of the fees, which were given preliminary approval by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Meredith Grabill while the case was going on. But several million dollars remain outstanding, and Grabill still must give final approval to all fees, even those already paid.
Should she determine that some fees were excessive, attorneys could be forced to return them to the archdiocese.
As the debtor in the case, the archdiocese is required to pay all legal and professional fees — both those billed by its own lawyers and experts and those for the abuse survivors and commercial creditors. In 2024, Aymond, who retired last month, said he was “sickened” by the high cost of the case and the exorbitant legal fees.
In a statement last week, the archdiocese said it is “actively working with the professionals who worked on the case to negotiate fee reductions,” including fees charged by its own lawyers, and that once the final fees have been determined, “the archdiocese hopes to provide a report on the bankruptcy for our faithful.”
The statement added that Arch-
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Past attempts to reach a representative at Ritter Consulting were unsuccessful.
McMillin said during a February interview that the building remains safe for the 20 city employees who work there and for those who frequent the clubhouse, which has golf cart storage on the ground level and a restaurant on the second level. The clubhouse sustained about $400,000 in damage during Hurricane Laura in 2020 while under construction, which some officials suggested during recent meetings may have contributed to the current problems.
“We’re going to get it fixed. That’s the story,” McMillin said “We caught it, and we’re going to get it fixed.” Engineer Byron Racca, of Meyer & Associates, recommended in September that McMillin hire a structural engineer and implement a monitoring plan to ensure public safety
The mayor signed an agreement about a week
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tional services — such as the ability to share information about size grading or spice levels — through SackTrackr
Powers’ goal is to grow
SackTrackr to the point where it reflects live price changes, with vendors logging in daily to post their prices, with each update timestamped so users know if they are looking at a current price. The site also
bishop James Checchio, Aymond’s successor, “apologizes again to the survivors for the additional pain and anxiety this long delay has caused them and to our faithful.
He is praying for the healing balm of God to come down upon us all. …”
‘Understand the frustration’
Jones Walker the New Orleansbased firm that represented the archdiocese, had the highest fee bill in the case, charging $17.2 million for some 51,000 hours billed.
Lead attorney Mark Mintz said his firm gave the archdiocese a break on its fees, charging a blended rate of $345 an hour for all partners, associates and paralegals that worked on the case. Typically, Mintz said, he bills at $750 an hour
Also, the firm didn’t charge the archdiocese for attorneys who billed less than 50 hours on the case, which reduced the church’s legal bills by some $400,000.
Court documents filed in April 2024 by a group of attorneys who represented dozens of individual abuse survivors accused the firm of “top heavy billing,” with 30 partners and 24 associates billing on the case. It also alleged excessive billing by the firm.
The firm denied the allegations and Grabill never ruled on the motion.
But Mintz said the firm took the criticism to heart.
“We understand why people feel frustrated by it,” he said. “That is why anyone who billed less than 50 hours in the case, we’re not charging, which reduces the number of timekeepers from 54 to 38.”
In addition to Jones Walker’s fees, law firms for the church that handled specialized issues related to the bankruptcy, financial consultants and real estate professionals charged the archdiocese more than $4 million.
The attorney who separately represented the archdiocese’s 120 parishes and affiliated charities throughout most of the case, Douglas Draper, was not required to submit fee bills for the countless hours he spent on the case because the church affiliates were not technically in bankruptcy until the final weeks of the case.
Draper declined to disclose what he billed the church affiliates or explain who paid the bill, citing “attorney client privilege.”
The archdiocese did not respond to multiple requests for comment seeking Draper’s fees.
Though the parishes and charities are legally separate from the archdiocese, they share certain assets, share insurance policies and exchange some funds. Also, the archbishop is the sole member of
later with Basin Engineering to investigate issues with “walls settling, uneven floors, columns buckling and doors sticking.” Racca, along with Basin Engineering representatives, advised city officials to find an attorney during a January walk-through of the building. They said the problems would be “expensive to fix” and could involve “a complete tear down and rebuild,” according to notes taken
calculates estimated prices for 3- or 5-pound purchases, or whole sacks of live crawfish.
“I’m just hoping that it makes it easier and almost more intuitive and fun to check out crawfish prices, and see who’s got the best price out there, or if you’re just looking for an average price — or if you’re like me and like to nerd out on crawfish stuff,” he said. Powers’ fellow crawfish nerds can view historical pricing graphs on the app that show when prices typically start to drop in a
by Westlake Public Works Director Damon Hardesty
In the meantime, the engineers recommended building temporary walls to address load issues at the clubhouse.
Basin Engineering issued a report on Feb 12 with recommendations on how to temporarily shore up the clubhouse.
As of this week, temporary walls still have not been constructed at the facility
season. At this point in the year, many crawfish restaurants are hovering around $7 to $9 per pound, but with yields increasing as the weather warms, prices can change rapidly
“Our goal is to build transparency, accuracy and trust in crawfish pricing,” said Powers. “We want to create a unifying regional platform that supports the industry and the customers who follow it.”
Email Joanna Brown at joanna.brown@ theadvocate.com.
The archdiocese’s refusal to disclose how much its affiliates paid for representation throughout much of the bankruptcy underscores the opacity that shrouds much of the church’s operations, even as it has pledged greater transparency as part of its settlement.
Toward the end of the case, the affiliates filed “mini-pre-packaged” bankruptcies to shield them from future liability in sex abuse cases. Draper billed the archdiocese $200,000 for handling those cases, the archdiocese said.
Other big billers
The two firms that represented the official committee of abuse survivors, together, billed $17.3 million in the case. Pachulski
Stang, a California-based plaintiffs’ firm specializing in clergy abuse cases billed nearly $8.7 million, including expenses. Troutman Pepper, the local bankruptcy firm for the survivors, billed more than $8.6 million.
Financial experts and consultants hired by the committee, who sought for years to determine the value of archdiocese- and affiliateowned assets in order to reach a settlement, added an additional $11 million to the tab.
Stewart Robbins, which represented dozens of unsecured commercial creditors, or vendors that do business with the archdiocese, billed more than $4.3 million, including expenses.
Mediators brought in to help settle the case, including Baton Rouge attorney John Perry, former U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Christopher Sontchi and New York-based M3 Advisory Partners billed more than $820,000, some of which was split between the archdiocese and the survivors committee.
In addition to the bankruptcy fees, the church’s ordinary legal and professional bills for things like workers comp, insurance and employee benefits, among others, cost nearly $6.4 million from the beginning of the bankruptcy through the end of October according to the most recent monthly financial reports filed in the case.
None of the fees come out of the $300 million settlement trust, which is funded by cash contributions from the archdiocese and the affiliates, and the proceeds of various real estate sales. Rather, they are paid out of various
church operating accounts.
“That is not the deal that was cut,” Mintz said. “Even if the judge denied the final fee apps, the settlement pot would not go up.”
Costly process
The fee bills and expenses in the case, which will approach $60 million unless reduced by the court or voluntarily by the firms, are among the most expensive in the country records show.
Professional fees in church bankruptcies in more than three dozen cases dating back to the early 2000s have averaged around $25.5 million, according to Penn State Law professor Marie Reilly, who studies church bankruptcies.
The Archdiocese of Rockville Center in New York, which includes the Long Island area, had the highest legal and professional fees at $124 million.
The Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, at $23 million, was third-costliest.
Several long-running cases in New York and New Jersey have yet to be finalized, which could displace the local archdiocese’s standing as second-most costly in the U.S.
Reilly said bankruptcy cases because of their complexity and duration are among the most expensive all types of litigation in the legal system
“Bankruptcy lawyers in big Chapter 11 cases are well paid for good reason,” Reilly said “They are specialists. Catholic organization bankruptcy cases are a subspecialty within that specialty so the lawyers who excel at this specialty are in high demand. They need a big staff.”
The local church bankruptcy was more expensive than most others because of several side legal disputes that dragged out the case for nearly six years. Compared to some corporate bankruptcies, however, it was relatively inexpensive.
Legal bills in the Purdue Pharma bankruptcy totaled around $250 million. In the Steward Health Care case, they topped $300 million and in cryptocurrency exchange FTX’s bankruptcy they exceeded $950 million.
“Chapter 11 bankruptcy is expensive,” Reilly said. “Nobody chooses it unless the alternative is clearly worse.”
Email Stephanie Riegel at stephanie.riegel@theadvocate. com.
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or in development.
Two major hurdles remain for renewable projects: opposition from some local governments and uncertainty at the federal level.
The Trump administration has long criticized renewable energy and has sunsetted tax credits meant to encourage solar and wind development, frozen approval and permitting for some projects, and reversed approvals granted under thenPresident Joe Biden.
“The volatility around the (Trump) administration makes it a difficult environment for capital planning for long-term investments,” Kondrat said.
In Iberia Parish, opposition from rural landowners near a proposed solar farm led the parish government to impose a moratorium on new projects. The Parish Council later adopted restrictions, including a halfmile setback from residential zones and a minimum project size of 50 acres. Similar disputes have been seen in Tangipahoa and St. James parishes.
“While reasonable regulations at the parish and state level, we believe, are a logical next step toward efficient development, regulation which suffocates development will stifle the energy we need to get to the grid,” Kondrat said.
On the federal side, he argues that consumers and electricity costs will eventually set the priorities for the administration. “The market is what will tell this administration where to go,” Kondrat said.
BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer
Saturday was afrustrating day for Dallas Baptist, which walked eightpeopleand hit eight other batters in asecond straight loss to theULRagin’Cajuns at Horner Ballpark
On Sunday, the host Patriotstook out that frustration on the visitors with adominating 12-1 win over the Cajuns to salvage the final game ofathree-game series.
TheCajuns are now12-4 on the season, while the Patriots improvedto9-7. UL will next play Texas-RioGrande Valley at 6p.m. Tuesday
The score was relatively tame early on. UL starter Sawyer Pruitt wasn’t goingtohave a0.00 ERA all season, and Dallas Baptisttook careofthat in the bottom of the first when Jake Bennett hit asolo homer
Later in the inning, Ben Tryon doubled ahead of RyanMartin’s RBI single for a2-1 Dallas Baptist lead.
UL actually opened the scoring in the first when Donovan LaSalle led off withadouble and Drew Markle gothim home with asacrifice fly
The Cajuns managed just six hits, including five singles. Making his first start of thesea-
son,UrimIbrahimihomered off Pruittfor a3-1 Dallas Baptist lead.
Ibrahimi’sRBI double gota fourth run off Pruitt in the fourth, before Tryon’stwo-run homer in the fifth started to hint at ablowoutwith thescore 6-1.
Pruitt lasted 42/3 innings and65 pitches, surrendering five runs (four earned), six hits, no walks andstruck out four
Thebottom of the sixth was a rolereversal from Saturday with the UL pitcherwalking four in the inning while giving up six runs on only two hits.
Chayton Krauss followed three walkswithasacrificefly, before Martin’sRBI single. After hitting
agrand slam Saturday,Martin was 3-for-3 with two RBIs in the win.
DylanCupp then smasheda grand slam to left –his first homer of the weekend –toupthe Patriots’ lead to 12-1. Inbrahimi was 2-for-4 witha double, homer and twoRBIs Dallas Baptist starter Ryan Borberg allowed one run on four hits, one walkand struck out two on
LiamWattgot the win in relief, giving up no runs on twohits and striking out two in 21/3 innings. Email KevinFoote at kfoote@ theadvocate.com.
BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer
The UL pitching staff finishedupthe pre-conference schedule with quite a performance at the Okana Invitational at Love’sField in Norman,Oklahoma. It didn’tresult in twowins Sunday, but it wasimpressive nonetheless. In Sunday’s opener, Sage Hoover tossed acomplete gameinan11-1win over Abilene Christian. Even moreoutstanding wasasecond complete game turned in by Bethaney Noble in a2-1 loss to No.4Oklahomalater in the day
The Cajuns are now 15-10 heading into Friday’sSun Belt opener at Southern Miss. Oklahoma improved to 23-2 with the win.
After punishing the Cajuns 10-0 on Saturday,itappeared the Sooners were on their waytoanother pleasure cruise when Ella Parker followedaKasidi Pickeringwalkwitha two-runhomer fora2-0 lead.
Butthe powerhouse Sooners didn’t score again. Noble is now 6-1 on the season afterallowing two runs on five hits, three walks and one strikeout in 80 pitches.
The UL offense could muster only a Kennedy Marceaux solo home run in the sixth, and it settled for three hits in the game.
BY REED DARCEY Staff writer
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Thehorn sounded, and the LSU women’sbasketballteam took some time to stew on theloss.
Coach Kim Mulkey kept the Tigers in their locker room for almost an hour Saturday,and she said she did it so she could “teach” the Tigers.
SouthCarolina certainly qualifies. LSU haslost 19 straight matchupsagainst the Gamecocks,and sevenofthose losses have come on Mulkey’swatch.Mostof them have followed afrustratingly familiar script.
“There’sjust asmallmargin of error that youcan have to beat eliteteams,” Mulkey said. “Wethink we’re an elite
About their late-game execution. About their poise and focus. About whatittakes to win these kinds of matchups –the ones in hostile environments against the top teams in thecountry
BY SCOTT RABALAIS
for 18 marks of 9.95 or better
198.325, equaling their score from aFeb. 13 home meet against Auburn. However, No. 4Florida posted the best score in the nation this season, a198.450atthe O’Connell Center in Gainesville, Florida. The Gators moved to 11-2 and 5-2 in the Southeastern Conference. The Tigers went to 10-3-1 and 4-3 in the SEC.
Both teams traded huge routines and big scores all night, combining
The difference was thehole LSU dugfor itself to startonuneven bars. Lexi Zeissled off with a9.70 that LSU was hoping to erase, but then Ashley Cowan,the 2024 SEC bars champion, fellasshe missed the low bar and got only a9.30. With the pressure on to hittheir last fourroutines, the remaining Tigersall came through.Madison Ulrich started LSU off with a clutch 9.90, andChio and Courtney Blackson followed withidentical marks. Konnor McClain anchored the Tigers with asuperb 9.975, a season-high-tying score that would tie her for first in the event with Florida’sSkye Blakely LSUfought back to posta49.375, which tied the Gators who started on vaultafter one rotation. As it turned out, as good as Floridawas,
team, but we’re not there to win those close games against theSouth Carolinas, theUConns.”
What’smissing? In theSEC Tournament semifinals, it was defense and rebounding. In the second halfofSaturday’smatchup, South Carolina shot 48% from thefieldand grabbednine offensive boards,then turnedthose opportunities into 14 second-chance points.
the Tigers would have won the meet with a9.85 from either Zeiss or Cowan.
The Tigers moved to vault for the second rotation and went off for the best road score in theevent in program history LSUbuilt slowly from a9.825 from Zeiss that the Tigers would discard as McClain followed at acareer-high-tying 9.925. After a9.85 from VictoriaRoberts, the final three LSUgymnasts –Kaliya Lincoln, AmariDrayton and Chio –all finished with 9.975s. For Lincoln and Drayton, theywere career-highscores, as LSU went 49.700, ascore eclipsed only by a 49.825ina 2015 home meet against Minnesota. Chio,Draytonand Lincoln
Oklahoma starter Miali Guachino lasted the first 51/3 innings, yielding one run on threehits, onewalkand six strikeouts. Audrey Lowry covered the last 12/3 innings with twostrikeouts forher first save of the season. The offense had alot morefun in Sunday’sfirst game, pounding out 13 hits with four homeruns.
UL scored four runs in the first inning to take control right away.Dayzja Williams was hit by apitch before Cecilia Vasquez hit atwo-run homerun.
After Haley Hart walked, Emily
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1 p.m. Sun Belt: J. Madison vs.Troy ESPNU
4 p.m. A-Sun: Austin Peay vs. J’ville ESPNU
6 p.m. Big East: UConn vs.TBD Peacock MEN’S COLLEGE LACROSSE
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WOMEN’S TOP 25 ROUNDUP
5 p.m.
6:30 p.m. Denver at Oklahoma City NBCSN 9 p.m. New york at L.A. Clippers NBCSN PARALYMPICS
6:30 a.m. Wh. Curling: Sweden vs. U.S USA
7:35 a.m. Hockey: Czech Rep. vs. Slovakia USA
9:30 a.m. Wh. Curling: U.S. vs. China USA
11:05 a.m.Hockey: Germany vs. U.S USA 10:15 a.m.M&W Super-G
Longhorns win their first SEC women’s tournament title
By The Associated Press
GREENVILLE, S.C. — Vic Schaefer
shared a group hug with his Texas players and asked excitedly, “Where’s the confetti?”
A moment later, the veteran coach looked up and the celebratory confetti began falling from the rafters at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena as the last of thousands of disappointed South Carolina fans disappeared through the exits.
Madison Booker scored 18 points as the fourth-ranked Longhorns sprinted to a 14-0 lead and beat three-time reigning champion and No. 3 South Carolina 78-61 on Sunday to win their first Southeastern Conference Tournament title.
Justice Carlton added 15 points and Jordan Lee had 12 for the Longhorns (31-3), who joined the SEC in 2024.
“We belong in the SEC,” Booker said. “We’re here to play, and we’re here to win.”
And they did it on what many view as South Carolina’s “other” home floor
The Gamecocks were 20-1 under coach Dawn Staley in SEC Tournament games in Greenville — just 90 minutes from campus — and had won six of the past seven tournaments here.
But Texas shot a blistering 57% from the field to avenge last year’s 19-point loss to the Gamecocks in the title game. Booker who was named MVP of the tournament, finished 8 of 15 from the field and had four rebounds and two assists. She scored 14 points in the second half on 6-of-11 shooting.
“When her shot is going in like that, they are very difficult to beat,” Staley said.
Joyce Edwards had 13 points for the Gamecocks (31-3), whose 12game win streak was snapped.
Texas made its first seven shots and built a 14-0 lead after five early South Carolina turnovers before Tessa Johnson’s 3 stopped the bleeding. Staley never called timeout during the run, instead opting to let her team play through it.
“It was bad,” Edwards said. “All of the starters, we were supposed to set the tone out there, and we
By
Texas forward Justice Carlton steals the ball away from South Carolina guard Raven Johnson during the final of the Southeastern Conference Tournament on Sunday in Greenville, S.C.
didn’t do that.”
Staley said if there is a silver lining to the loss, it’s that the last time the Gamecocks fell in the SEC title game, in 2022, they went on to win the national championship.
“It might be the very thing this team needs,” Staley said. “It’s not what I would have thought coming in today but now that we’re here and it’s a reality, you search for things that have a connection that can give your team what it needs to make this run for a national championship.” NO 1 UCONN 100, CREIGHTON 51: In Uncasville, Connecticut, Sarah Strong had 23 points, seven rebounds and six steals to lead topranked UConn over Creighton in the Big East semifinals as the Huskies advanced to a conference championship game for the 22nd season in a row UConn (33-0) shot 71% from 3-point range in the first three quarters on the way to its 49th consecutive win. It was also the 38th conference tournament win in a row as the Huskies scored 100 points in the Big East tournament for the first time. Kayleigh Heckel added nine points eight rebounds and seven assists for the Huskies.
Kennedy Townsend had 13 points for Creighton (16-15) NO 2 UCLA 96, NO. 9 IOWA 45: In In-
dianapolis, Gianna Kneepkens scored 19 points and Kiki Rice added 15 points and eight assists as No. 2 UCLA rolled past Iowa to win its second straight Big Ten Tournament crown. It’s the first time the Bruins (311) have won back-to-back postseason conference titles, and it’s also the first time they have won regular-season and league tournament titles in the same season.
Ava Heiden scored 15 points for the Hawkeyes (26-6).
NO 10 TCU 62, NO. 15 WEST VIRGINIA 53: In Kansas City Missouri, Jordan Harrison scored 20 points, Sydney Shaw added 17 and No. 15 West Virginia avenged two regularseason losses to No. 10 TCU by beating the reigning Big 12 Tournament champion in the conference title game. Harrison also had six rebounds and four assists while wreaking havoc on defense, and Kierra Wheeler contributed 10 points, helping the second-seeded Mountaineers (27-6) win their second Big 12 tourney title and first since the 2016-17 season.
Olivia Miles, the league player of the year, scored 17 points for No. 1 seed TCU (29-5) despite playing most of the way in foul trouble.
Marta Suarez added 16 points but was just 6 of 19 from the field
and fouled out in the final minute.
NO 13 DUKE 70, NO 12 LOUISVILLE 65, OT: In Duluth, Georgia, Taina Mair had 19 points and 12 rebounds, Delaney Thomas also scored 19 and No. 13 Duke rallied to win its second straight Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament title.
Thomas’ layup with 4 seconds left in regulation tied the game at 60-all and sent it to overtime after Louisville held the lead for 35 of 40 minutes.
In overtime, another layup by Thomas moved the Blue Devils (24-8) ahead to stay and Riley Nelson put the game away when she buried a 3-pointer with six seconds left. Nelson finished with 12 points.
Imari Berry scored 18 points and Mackenly Randolph had 17 points and 11 rebounds for Louisville (27-7). Randolph played all 45 minutes.
NO 25 FAIRFIELD 65, MERRIMACK 48: In Atlantic City, New Jersey, Jillian Huerter scored 19 points and Meghan Andersen added 18 points and nine rebounds as No. 25 Fairfield advanced to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference final.
The second-seeded Stags (27-4) will take on top-seeded Quinnipiac in Monday’s championship game Quinnipiac was a 63-62 overtime winner over fourth-seeded Iona on Sunday
No. 1 Tennessee beats LSU on walk-off home run
Top-ranked Tennessee defeated No. 17 LSU 8-5 in their softball series finale on Sunday in Knoxville, Tennessee.
LSU (17-7, 0-3 SEC) took a 4-0 lead, but Tennessee (23-0, 3-0 SEC) held on and rallied with five unanswered runs.
LSU tied the game in the sixth inning, but a three-run walk-off home run by Gabby Leach gave the Lady Vols the series sweep. Tigers starter Jayden Heavener (6-4) pitched her eighth complete game this season. She struck out four and allowed eight hits, seven earned runs and five walks. Freshman Rylie Johnson hit her first collegiate home run, and Jalia Lassiter knocked her third homer of the season.
LSU’s next game is at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Nicholls.
Lee birdies final hole to clinch Blue Bay LPGA HAINAN ISLAND, China Mi Hyang Lee threw away her lead with two double bogeys on the front nine, and then delivered a winner on the final hole Sunday with a lob wedge that hit the pin and set up a tap-in birdie to win the Blue Bay LPGA. Lee closed with a 1-over 73 for a one-shot victory over Zhang Weiwei, who shot 69 at Jian Lake Blue Bay but lost the lead with a bogey on the 17th. It was Lee’s third LPGA title, and her first in more than eight years. The South Korean finished at 11-under 277 for her first win since the 2017 Women’s Scottish Open. American Auston Kim (71) stayed in contention for an LPGA title for the second consecutive week and tied for third with Aditi Ashok (72) of India.
Johnson wins Champions debut in four-shot victory
BOCA RATON, Fla. — Two-time major champion Zach Johnson turned 50 on Feb. 24 and quickly cashed in Sunday in his PGA Tour Champions debut, closing with a 3-under 69 for a four-shot victory in the James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational. Johnson made an early bogey and that was his only blemish on the scorecard, adding four birdies to pull away on the Old Course at Broken Sound. He became the 22nd player to win his debut on the 50-and-older circuit. Stewart Cink (70) and George McNeill (72) finished second. Johnson finished at 11-under 205 and earned $330,000 to move to No. 3 in the Charles Schwab Cup. Cink remains atop the standings.
Boston College fires men’s basketball coach Grant
BOSTON Boston College fired basketball coach Earl Grant after five seasons in which the Eagles never made the NCAA Tournament and finished above .500 just once. Grant was 72-92 overall and 3067 in the Atlantic Coast Conference after replacing Jim Christian in 2021 BC has not reached the tournament since Al Skinner’s teams earned seven bids in nine years from 2001-09 a period that spans four coaches, five athletic directors and two conferences. It is the longest NCAA slump in program history
By The Associated Press
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Yaxel Lendeborg scored 19 of his 27 points in the first half and Morez Johnson finished with 18 points, leading No. 3 Michigan in a 90-80 win over No 8 Michigan State on Sunday to give the Big Ten champions a 15th straight conference win.
The Wolverines (29-2, 19-1 Big Ten) head to the conference tournament, hoping to earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament before shooting for the school’s second national championship and first since 1989.
The Spartans (25-6, 15-5) were swept by their rivals in the regular season but might get a third shot against them in a week at the Big Ten Tournament final.
Lendeborg, a preseason AllAmerica selection, was the best player on the court for the second time in the series.
The UAB transfer was 8 of 12 from the field, matched a career high with five 3-pointers, had three assists and also made winning plays at the other end of the court. After Jeremy Fears made a jumper to pull Michigan State
embraced and a short time later the rest of the Huskers came out of the tunnel to salute the sellout crowd at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Nebraska (26-5, 15-5 Big Ten) led by 10 points with five minutes left in regulation but missed five of its next seven shots and a couple of late free throws to let the Hawkeyes back in it. Kael Combs scored Iowa’s last eight points of regulation, including a secondchance 3-pointer that tied it 70-all with 2.7 seconds left.
NO 11
ILLINOIS 78, MARYLAND 72: In College Park, Maryland, David Mirkovic had 22 points and 11 rebounds as No. 11 Illinois held off Maryland.
Grant, 49, had five straight winning seasons at the College of Charleston, winning the regular season and conference championships in 2018 for his only NCAA Tournament berth and the Colonial Athletic Association’s coach of the year award.
Ga. Tech fires Stoudamire to end his third season ATLANTA Georgia Tech fired coach Damon Stoudamire on Sunday one day after the Yellow Jackets’ season ended with a 12-game losing streak.
Sam Hoiberg, who scored 15 points and had five steals on his senior day, hugged teammate Pryce Sandfort near halfcourt as time ran out and then heaved the ball high into the stands. He and his father, coach Fred Hoiberg,
within three points with 3:47 left, Lendeborg made a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession to start a 10-2 run that sealed the victory Fears had 22 points and nine assists, Jaxon Kohler matched a career high with 23 points and Carson Cooper added 19 points. NO 9 NEBRASKA 84, IOWA 75, OT: In Lincoln, Nebraska, Cale Jacobsen came off the bench to score 13 of his 15 points after halftime and hit the tiebreaking 3-pointer in overtime, and ninth-ranked Nebraska matched its program record for wins in a season with a victory over Iowa.
The Terrapins (11-20, 4-16 Big Ten), under first-year coach Buzz Williams, lost 20 games for the first time since 1988-89, but they gave the Illini (24-7, 15-5) a battle. Illinois led 63-62 before Ben Humrichous made a 3-pointer that started a 7-0 run for the Illini. Illinois won despite shooting 5 of 24 from 3-point range Kylan Boswell and Keaton Wagler scored 11 points apiece.
Georgia Tech athletic director Ryan Alpert announced the move after the Yellow Jackets finished 11-20 overall and 2-16 in the Atlantic Coast Conference following Saturday’s 79-76 loss at Clemson. The Yellow Jackets finished last in the conference, failing to qualify for the ACC Tournament as Stoudamire was unable to solve the late-season losing streak. Stoudamire was fired after posting a 42-55 record in three seasons, including a 19-39 ACC mark. Assistant coach Greg Gary, a former coach at Mercer will serve as interim head coach.
BY TOYLOY BROWN III Staff writer
LSU’s last game in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center during a trying season did not end in the desired result. Despite a valiant effort on senior night, the Tigers suffered a 94-91 tripleovertime loss to Texas A&M on Saturday LSU (15-16, 3-15 SEC) finished last in the Southeastern Conference for the second time in coach Matt McMahon’s four seasons with the program. Before McMahon answered a question on why he should remain the leader of the program, the opposing coach entered the news conference room. Texas A&M coach Bucky McMillian delivered an opening statement that focused primarily on LSU.
“I couldn’t live if we went to the fourth overtime,” he said tongue-in-cheek after LSU missed a game-tying 3-pointer at the end of the third extra session.
The Aggies, who are the No. 6 seed in the SEC Tournament, came out victorious after LSU had a seasonhigh 22 turnovers compared to 10 for A&M. McMillan said that the discrepancy in turnovers, along with his team’s 18 offensive rebounds, were the reasons it overcame poor field goal shooting (37%). He said LSU could have had a much different record had it not been for a key injury
“I told coach McMahon I’ve watched them play all year long,” McMillan said.
“They have been in these spots in the close game, where their record could be totally different. I really felt if their point guard (Dedan Thoams) did not get hurt they were a top-25 team. I think they could be right there with anybody in the league. I feel really bad for LSU because of that All these close games, three or four points. I knew they (were) a good team. We have lost one of our main guys, too. Losing a point
drive to the rim.
guard like that is such a detrimental loss.”
LSU’s reality now is a
single-elimination conference tournament in which it needs to win five games in five days. A loss ends the season and potentially McMahon’s tenure after miss-
ing the NCAA Tournament in all four years. McMahon addressed his future after the game Saturday
“I’m 47, this is my 30th season in college basketball,” McMahon said “I’ve just been incredibly blessed. Have absolutely nothing but gratitude, appreciation for this opportunity With the 30 years of experience, I also understand what comes with the job from an expectation standpoint. And I share in the disappointment and frustration that we haven’t gotten the results we wanted these last two months. That’s my responsibility
“With that said, I absolutely love LSU I love our core group that returns next year I think we have a great administration and leadership team here at LSU. And so clearly, I’ll respect whatever decisions they make moving forward. But, you know, I love the opportunity, and for me, I think it’s just critical that we keep our focus on preparing our players and our team for the opportunity next week in Nashville at the SEC Tournament.” LSU’s first-round matchup in the conference tournament is against No. 9 seed Kentucky at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. In the first meeting on Jan.
The Tigers didn’t give themselves enough chances to attack in transition. And when they tried to score in the half court, they usually came up empty The Gamecocks made sure their offense never fell into a rut. They hit five of their last six shots – either through carefully executed half-court sets or on second-chance looks LSU almost retook the lead late in the second half.
MiLaysia Fulwiley hit a 3 that tied the game at the 7:06 mark of the fourth, and then Jada Richard drained one two minutes later to cut South Carolina’s lead to three.
But then the Tigers had to play slower offense. Down the stretch, senior forward Amiya Joyner had her shot blocked on one stalled possession and lost her dribble on another. Freshman forward Grace Knox also missed a contested look on a
Continued from page 1C
Continued from page 1C Smith smashed a two-run home run. Smith finished 3-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs Vasquez was 2-for-3 with the homer and two RBIs. Later in the
The Tigers still could’ve made a final push. When they were down five with 45 seconds left, Mulkey told them in a timeout to try to trap a South Carolina ballhandler and force a turnover, but if they couldn’t, then commit a foul. They had two to give before the Gamecocks were in the bonus.
But LSU didn’t get a steal, and then it let the game clock tick down below 30 seconds without fouling Mulkey pointed to that play as an example of the things that have separated LSU and South Carolina these past few seasons One team executes its offensive and defensive assignments late in games, and the other doesn’t.
“I don’t really know,” Mulkey said, “because you’ve got seniors in that timeout. You’ve got juniors in that timeout You’ve got sophomores, and you’ve got new players, freshmen
“They all just have those lapses like that. I don’t know.” When the two teams met
in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in February, Flau’jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams scored the bulk of LSU’s points, while Fulwiley and Richard battled rough shooting nights. Those roles were reversed Saturday Fulwiley scored 24 points, and Richard chipped in 17. Johnson and Williams combined to score only 20 points on 6-of-20 shooting. Johnson finished with just six after she missed seven of the eight shots she took.
Williams said LSU needs to “play harder” and “be more disciplined.” Johnson said she wished she would’ve contributed more hustle plays once she realized her shot wasn’t falling. Mulkey, she said, told her some things in the hour after the game that she “really took to heart.”
“I think that’s what I needed more of,” Johnson said. “Intensity Just to affect the game more, be disruptive. I feel like it wasn’t enough of that for me, and it showed throughout the whole team you know what I’m saying?”
enth to round out the scoring for the Cajuns.
Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@theadvocate.com.
Continued from page 1C
shared first place on vault. For Chio, it was her 51st career individual event win. The teams continued to trade big scores as LSU went to floor and Florida moved to beam for rotation three. The Tigers were strong, getting a career-high-tying 9.975 from Lincoln, 9.925s from Chio and Kylie Coen and a 9.90 from Drayton for a
in a complete game performance in the Cajuns’ 2-1 loss to No. 4 Oklahoma.
49.600. But the Gators were just a fraction better, going 49.700 on beam led by a perfect 10 from Selena HarrisMiranda. Going to the final rotation, Florida led LSU fractionally, 148.700-148.675. The Gators widened their lead gradually as they went to floor fractionally outpointing the Tigers routine after routine despite career-high 9.95s from Drayton and Lincoln. Chio finished with a 9.975 in the anchor spot, getting a 10
from one of the two beam judges but just missing a chance to match Harris-Miranda with the LSU sophomore’s fourth straight 10 in that event. Harris-Miranda edged out Chio for the all-around title as well, 39.850-39.775. LSU returns to the Pete Maravich Assembly Center to wrap up the regular season against No 8 Arkansas. First vault is set for 7:30 p.m. Friday. The meet will be streamed on SECNetwork+.
LSU could’ve played Texas for an NCAA Tournament No. 1 seed in the SEC Tournament title game on Sunday had it beaten South Carolina. That distinction would’ve ensured the Tigers that they wouldn’t have to face either unbeaten UConn or one-loss UCLA until the Final Four Now LSU will most likely
receive a No. 2 seed, which would be the highest seed it’s earned since 2008. The Tigers were a No. 3 seed in each of the last four seasons. The path back to the Final Four is there for LSU. It just runs through the kind of teams that keep beating the Tigers – the ones that force them to sit down for extended postgame discussions.
“I’ve been at LSU five years,” Mulkey said. “We’ve won a national championship, right? We’ve been in numerous Elite Eights. It takes time. And man, we are just clawing and trying our best. I think we’re doing pretty good. “We’re so close. We’re so close.”
Jonathan Anderson’s collection at ParisFashion
Week invokesan
Impressionistpainting
BY THOMAS ADAMSON
AP fashion writer
PARIS The sun was outoverthe glasswalled runway at the famed Tuileries Garden in the French capital March3, flooding Jonathan Anderson’s fall-winter 2026 collection for Dior with agolden light that invoked Impressionist paintings.
Among the celebrities at Paris Fashion Week packed into the glass walkways around the park’soctagonal basin —dotted with artificial water lilies in anod to Monet —were Anya Taylor-Joy,Charlize Theron, Jisoo, Priyanka Chopra, Willow Smith, Emily Ratajkowskiand Macaulay Culkin.
It was afitting mood foracollection steeped in flowers, water and the art of being seen. The greenhouse settingturned the surrounding Parisian strollers into an unwitting audience —anidea Andersonleaned into.
He said he had been thinkingaboutthe promenade, about people who dress up to go somewhere, and abouthis own status as atourist in his adopted city What emerged on the runway was Anderson’smost coherent women’scollection for Dior to date.
Deconstructed frock coats, peplum jackets and bustle skirts arrived in candied almond shades, Chantilly lace and metallic jacquards. Shrunkenblazers sat above lampshade skirts in baby-soft shearling. Sculptural knits heldtheir shape like origami.
Amodel wears acreation from the Christian Dior Fall/Winter 2026-2027
presented in Parison Tuesday.
ABOVE: Adish named ‘Tongue Kiss’ is servedatrestaurant AlchemistinCopenhagen, Denmark.
BELOW: Acured squid, white cabbage, hazelnuts andwalnuts dish is servedatrestaurant Kadeau in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Denmark’smosttheatrical restaurantssit at thecenter of thedebateonwhether top-levelcooking counts as art
BY JAMES BROOKS Associated Press
COPENHAGEN, Denmark Imagine dining on “edible plastic” madefromalgae andcollagen from fish skins. While you ingest the dish, ocean-borne plastic pollution seemingly floats above you, projected across the restaurant’shuge domed ceiling. It’s an experience— anddish —inspiredbylarge garbage patches found in our seas.
In Denmark, chef Rasmus Munk doesn’toffer dishesatthe Alchemist restaurant. Instead,he whisks guests on an “immersive dining experience” combining performance, music,projections in its planetarium-like domed dining room,and, of course, food.
Opened in 2019 at the site of aformer industrial harborareainthe Danish capital,Copenhagen, Alchemist was namedthe world’sfifth-best restaurant in 2025. It has twoMichelin stars, signifying excellence in cuisine, out of amaximum three possible forone establishment.
Guests at this restaurant can experience 50 “impressions,” most of them edible.Diningthere meanstrying various foods —alarge eyeball dish featuring caviarand codfisheye gel, nettle butterflies served atop cheese and artichoke leaves —over manyhours, in aslow process that invites reflection on thefood andsurrounding projections
“Weconveymessagesthrough ourfood,our food
By the Associated Press
LOS ANGELES Here’s thestory of how amodestmid-century home became aLos Angeles landmark.
The LA city council voted unanimously on Wednesday to designate the the so-called “Brady Bunch” house in the San Fernando Valley as ahistoric-cultural monument.
The vote grants landmark protections to the house on Dilling Avenue that was used for exterior shots of the TV sitcom that ran from 1969 to 1974. Interior scenes were shot on a soundstage,withsets thatbore no resemblance to the property that become aphoto-op magnetfor “Brady Bunch” fans The show,which lived on for decades in syndication, featured the comic travails of afamily of
six blended-family siblings “the youngest one in curls,” as the themesong explained. The shingle-and-stone home with apeaked roof also appeared in the 1995 big screen film “The Brady Bunch Movie” and itssequel. Thelandmark status protectsthe home, built in 1959,from demolitionormajor renovations—but doesn’tprohibit them. If owners ever decide to make big changes, they would be subject to adesign review and theCulturalHeritage Commission can delay theprocess to find preservation solutions. The nonprofit LA Conservancy pushed forthe landmark status and CEO Adrian ScottFine said he wasthrilled it was approved. He said fans of the show have a personal connection to the property
“Ifyou watched the‘Brady Bunch,’ youknew this house.People make apilgrimage to seeit,” Fine said Wednesday. “Tohaveit designated like this, it makes it all thesweeter.”
When the house went on the market in 2018, the cable network HGTV won abidding war that drove the price up to $3.5 million —or$1.6 million over thelisting price for thethen-2,400-squarefoot residence. The housewas expanded, remodeled and redecorated to give it trademark elements of theset version,including thewood-paneled living room withafloating staircaseand an orange-and-green kitchen. The process was documented in afour-partHGTVminiseries called “A Very Brady Renovation.”
Dear Doctors: Ihave alwaysliked how yawning feels and wondered what it’sfor.Ijust read there is newinformation about how yawning affects your brain. Do you know anything about that?Also, do we know yet why yawning is so contagious? I’ve even been able to get my dog to yawn. Dear Reader: Your questionsabout yawning echo across millennia. A physical reflex still shrouded in mystery,the search for an answer to why we yawn dates back at least to the ancient Greeks. Aristotle and Hippocrates favored a theory of ventilation. Less scientific notions have leaned intothe mystical. Some have guessed soul slippage, aleaching of life force or spirits entering or leaving the body.What we do know for sure is that virtually all primates
By The Associated Press
Today is Monday,March 9, the 68th day of 2026. There are 297 days left in the year
Todayinhistory:
On March 9, 1945, during World WarII, over 300 U.S. B-29 bombers began Operation Meetinghouse, a massive firebombingraid on Tokyo. The raid killedan estimated 100,000 civilians, left 1million homeless and destroyed 16 square miles of the city
Also on this date:
In 1796, the future emperor of the French,Napoleon Bonaparte,married Josephine de Beauharnais.
In 1841,the U.S. Supreme Court,inUnited States v. The Amistad, ruled 7-1 in favor of agroup of illegally enslaved Africans who were captured off the U.S. coast after seizing control of aSpanish schooner,LaAmistad. The
ASK THE DOCTORS
yawn. Thebehavior has also been observed in birdsand even some fish. Andyou’re right that it’s contagious. It would be surprisingifaportion of readers hadn’t alreadystifled,orgiven in to, a yawn while reading this column. Now,the results of asmall studysuggest theancient Greeks weren’t that far off themark. Researchers in Australia have
justices ruledthat the Africansshould be setfree.
In 1862, duringthe American Civil War, theironclad warships USS Monitor and CSSVirginia (formerly USS Merrimac) clashed forfive hourstoadraw at Hampton Roads, Virginia. Thefirst engagement of ironclad warshipsopeneda newera in naval warfare In 1916, more than 400 Mexican raidersled by Pancho Villa attackedColumbus, New Mexico, killing 18 Americans.
In 1959, the Barbie doll was introduced at theAmerican International ToyFair in New York In 1964, the U.S. Supreme Court, in NewYork Times Co. v. Sullivan,raised the standard for public officials to prove they’d been libeled in their official capacity by news organizations. In 1997, rapper The No-
found that yawning can affect the movementofcerebrospinal fluid in the brain. Cerebrospinal fluid, or CSF,isa clear liquid produced in the brain. It helps to cushion and protect this critical organ. CSF also carries nutrients and removes waste. In their study,scientists performed MRI scans of the brains of 22 healthy volunteers as they breathed normally,took deep breaths, yawned and stifled a yawn. Because deep breathing and yawning share similar physical actions, theresearchers expected tosee similar MRI results. However,the scans showed that during ayawn, cerebrospinal fluid was often transported away from thebrain. This was theoppositeofwhat happened during a deep breath.
torious B.I.G. (Christopher Wallace) was killed in astillunsolveddrive-by shooting in Los Angeles at age 24. In 2022, aRussian airstrike devastated amaternityhospital in the besieged Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, killing four people and wounding at least 17.
Today’sbirthdays: Singer Jeffrey Osborne is 78. Actor Juliette Binoche is 62. Actor Emmanuel Lewis is 55. ActorOscar Isaac is 47. Comedian Jordan Klepper (TV: “The DailyShow”) is 47 Rapper Chingy is 46. Actor Matthew Gray Gubler is 46. Retired soccer player Clint Dempsey is 43. Olympic skiinggoldmedalistJulia Mancuso is 42. Actor BrittanySnowis40. Rapper Bow Wowis39. Rapper YG is 36. Social media personality KhabyLameis26. Olympic gymnastics gold medalist Sunisa Lee is 23.
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is our medium of expressing ourselves,” saidMunk, whose dishes also explore issues such as state surveillance and animal welfare.
Once known for bacon, herring, andrye bread,the Scandinavian country’scuisine has been in ascendancy since 2003 when René Redzepi’sworld-beating Noma first burst onto the scene, preaching a“New Nordic” philosophy that celebrated foraging, fermenting and Scandinavia’sseasonal larder Emboldened by the success of the NewNordic movement, Denmark’sMichelin-starred restaurants are now asking anew question: Can gastronomy be art?
Culture Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt saidinJanuary that Denmark would explore whether gastronomy couldbeformallyrecognized as an art form. If realized, it could become the first nation to legally place cooking—oratleast the highest versions of it —ona similar pedestal to painting.
It’snot clear how the culture ministry’splans will be impacted by the country’s March 24 generalelection Munk, 34,who says he spentalmosta decade honing his “artistic practices ” has been adriving force behind the move and described it as a“big milestone.”
“I don’tthink all food is art
…Ithink the craftsmanship needs to be on the highest
level,” he said, noting that ultimately it’sapolitical decision what gets called art and what not and that, for now, “this is aclosed society for chefs.”
The change, still in its exploratoryphase, would eventually require avote in Denmark’s 179-seat parliament to reclassify gastronomy from craft to art
It could also make the country’s chefs eligible for state subsidiesand funding from private foundations— like writers and musicians —toget theirprojects off the ground
Other nations with famed food cultures,including France and Japan, haven’t made similar moves.Last year, UNESCO granted Italian cooking cultural heritage status.
Denmark has previously expanded what constitutes art and culture, for example by awarding alifetime national arts honor to heavy metal act KingDiamond. Last year,the Sonning Prize, Denmark’s largestcultural award, was awarded to French gastronomic artist and chemist HervéThis
The Nordic nationof6 million peoplehas become adining destination, home to 37Michelin-starredrestaurants, including Copenhagen’stwo-star Kadeau, which was opened in 2011 by head chef andcreativedirector Nicolai Nørregaard.
“I approach it like Iwould approach making apiece of art, like an artwork or apiece of writing,” Nørregaard said. “It’sabout getting sort of an experience.”
The 46-year-old head chef, whose recipes reference the seasonal flavorsofDanish islandBornholm, said that such recognition would be a “big step.”
“Toacknowledge that this can also be looked upon as art… that’s what’s importantfor me,” he said.
But not everyone,even some within the industry, are toasting the idea.
Nick Curtin, the American executive chef and owner of Copenhagen’s Michelinstarred Alouette restaurant, argues that art and gastronomyare fundamentally different.
“Art’ssolepurpose is expression. It’stoevoke emotion.Food must be consumed,” he said. “(Art) can evoke disgustordisappointmentorpain or sorroworjoy or longing. Food actually can’t express allof those things. It can, but it shouldn’t.”
SomeinDenmark’sart scene alsohaveexpressed concern that suchachange might see greater competition for funding between chefs and more traditional artists like painters.
Holger Dahl, the architecture andart critic at Denmark’s277-year-old Berlingskenewspaper,ismore blunt:“Ithink it’s quitesilly, there’snouse, it doesn’t makeany sense.
“It’sa little bit like abicycle and acar —they have round wheels, they’lltake youfrom onepoint to another point, but it’s not like avery good bicycle all of a sudden turns into acar,” he said. “It doesn’thappen.”
This led the researchers to conclude that, rather than avariant of deep breathing, yawning is a distinct maneuver that reorients theflow of CSF.Asfor whythat is metabolically advantageous, the answer is not yet clear.Theories include the idea that the movementofCSF plays arole in cooling the brain, aids in the removal of metabolic waste or amps up the alertnessthat is critical to scanning for danger While the findings in this study took asurprising turn, it is importanttonote the small sample size. In addition, the movement of CSF during ayawn was not observed 100% of the time. Also, the effect was observed moreoften in women than in men.Inaninteresting side note, each person yawned thesame wayand in the same
pattern. Also, each study participant’syawn sequence was unique. Sadly,nolight wasshed on why yawns are so contagious. As with all preliminary research, larger and repeated studies are needed to affirm the results. However,even without aconclusive outcome, the study bolsters the existing idea that yawning likely serves aspecific purpose. It’s something to consider next timeyou give in to a yawn, or to the urge to get your dog to yawnalong with you. Send yourquestions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla. edu, or write: Ask theDoctors, c/oUCLA HealthSciences Media Relations, 10880 Wilshire Blvd.,Suite 1450, Los Angeles, CA, 90024.
Continuedfrom page5C
The floral theme was everywhere —but it was developed throughsilhouette and fabric rather than slapped on literally Crinkled cardigans recalled the corolla of a bloom. Asymmetrically fastened skirts and dresses evoked petals. Even the crystal detailing on embroidered jeans carried a botanical echo. Anderson reprised his Donegal tweed take on the house’slegendary Bar jacket,but made it longer and looser
The spiral cage dresses thatwowed at his recent couture show returned as clouds of soft pleated fabric. With theirhoundstooth dark and light checks,handpleated jacketsand coats showed signs of trompel’oeil, atechnique to make the objectappear three-dimensional.
Dotted Swiss ruffle skirts with longtrains offered a youthful riff on Christian Dior’siconic Junon gown. There were ivory hammeredsilktrack pants withcoveredbridal buttons, jeans withribbon embroidery and plain robe coatsworn as dresses garments rarely given the spotlight on arunway The celebrityturnout was intense —and so werethe regal echoes
ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOByEMMA DA SILVA Jonathan Anderson’scollection for Dior at Paris Fashion Week invokesanImpressionist painting
Dior has held its showsat the Tuileries since 2020 as part of apartnershipwith the adjoining Louvre Museum to help restore one of the oldest public gardens in Paris —originally commissioned by Queen Catherine de’Mediciand laterredesignedfor Louis XIV as a place to see and be seen. On Tuesday,Anderson’s designs testified that he is steadily finding his version of that centuries-old tradition. Five collections in, the picture is getting clearer even if the designer insists it will always remain amoving target.
PISCES(Feb. 20-March 20) You are overduefor ashift that will rewrite your destination. It's up to you to letgoof what'sstanding in your way and to make the changes necessary to reach your goal.
ARIES(March 21-April 19) Putyour energy intosomething you care about.Check into courses, governmentgrants or volunteer work that address your concerns. Make fitness anda healthydiet part of your daily routine
TAURUS (April 20-May20) Initiate change. Your words and actions will carry weight andresonate with those who offer support.Fine-tune your skills and apply forpositions that excite you.
GEMINI (May21-June 20) Say less and do more. How you reach out to others will determine what youget in return Ahelping hand will fetch better results than criticism.Put acap on your spending.
CANCER (June 21-July 22) Listen, be reasonable andstick to thetruth. Funnel your energyintokeeping up, recognizingyour value and using your intelligence, knowledge and expertiseto uphold your reputation
LEO(July 23-Aug.22) Participate in events that offer insight into subjects, professions or hobbies that interest you. What you discover will motivate youtotake on something newand exciting.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept.22) Keep your emotions to yourself.Someone will usethe informationyou share without con-
cern for your safety or your reputation. Don't reveal financial, personal or health matters.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Stick close to home.Nurture relationships andrearrangeyourspace to encouragegreater creativity andinitiative. Make healthy choices thatencourage you to look, feel anddoyourbest.
SCORPIO(Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Learn as you go. Avoid shared expenses and joint ventures thatadd stress to your life. Don't hesitate to say no or to change your mind if you have doubts. Trust your instincts.
SAGITTARIUS(Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Invest more timeinyourself. Payattention to your needsand what youcan do to maintain the happiness andlifestyle youdesire. Make peace andlovea priority
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Be willing to help others, but don't pay for someoneelse'smistakes. Your foresight and spontaneity will change thedynamics of your professional relationships for the better.
AQUARIUS (Jan.20-Feb.19) Discipline will pay off. Apassionatedisplay of what you can do will have an impact on others. Personal growth and financial gain are within reach. Takeachance andfind your bliss.
The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. ©2026 by NEA, Inc.,dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication
InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1to9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.
Saturday’s Puzzle Answer
BY PHILLIP ALDER Bridge
Bertrand Piccard from Switzerland and BrianJones from England werethe first to travelnonstop around the world in aballoon. Piccard said, “Very often, human beings are living like on autopilot, reacting automatically with what happens.”
Some bridge players count at the table almost without being aware they are doing it. Theseexperts are on autopilot That is good. There are manymore players who areonadifferent autopilot,followingthe typical “rules”ofthe game, whichisoccasionally not good.
In this deal, forexample, how should thedefenders play to defeat threenotrump after West leadshis fourth-highest heart four?
In the auction, Idisagree withNorth’s using Stayman, because his doubleton is so strong. He should just raise to three no-trump.
We have all heard of “thirdhandhigh.”
AndmanyEasts would not be able to resistusing it at trick one, covering dummy’s heart five with the seven —but it is thewrong play. When third hand cannot contribute anine or higher, he should give count. Here,with an odd number of hearts, he should play the two.
Declarer will win with his jack,cross to dummy with aspade to the queen,and run the diamond 10. West, on winning with his king, should cash the heart ace,
knowing thatdeclarer will have to drop his king. Westwill then runhis suit for down one.
If Eastplays the heart seven at trick one, West should assumeEast started withadoubleton and shift to aclub, trying to getEastonlead for aheartlead through declarer’s king.
©2026 by NEA, Inc., dist.ByAndrews McMeel Syndication
Each Wuzzle is aword riddlewhich creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON
Previousanswers:
word game
InStRuctIonS: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,”suchas“bats” or “dies,”are notallowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a“d” or an “s” may notbeused. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are notallowed.
toDAY’S WoRD tuMuLtuouS: tu-MUL-choo-us: Loud, excited and emotional.
Average
SAtuRDAY’S WoRD —RADIAtE
Puzzle Answer today’s thought “Submit yourselves therefore to God.Resistthe devil, and he will fleefrom you.” James 4:7
