THE MASTERS: SCOTT RABALAIS SAYS TOURNAMENT IS GOLF’S ‘ONE OF ONE’ 1C
ADVOCATE THE
T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M
BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA
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T h u r s d ay, a p r i l 9, 2026
$2.00X
EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH
Democrats urge mayor to reduce police raises
2026 LEGISLATURE
$1.5 billion coastal plan hits delay in Senate Advocates push for answers over cancellations
BY MIKE SMITH Staff writer
mayor said he “doubts very seriously” that any changes would be made to his plan or that it would get removed from the meeting’s agenda. “I have made it abundantly clear to our council, I’ve made it abundantly clear to our constable, I’ve made it abundantly clear … with DPW, that I am committed to getting them a raise,” Edwards said. “But we want to do this first.” For the mayor’s raise plan to pass the council on April 22, it will need
Louisiana’s $1.5 billion annual plan for coastal protection and restoration ran into a delay at the state Legislature on Wednesday after advocates raised concerns over a major change in strategy by Gov. Jeff Landry’s administration. The advocacy group Women of the Storm, formed in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, has posed a series of questions to the state’s coastal authority relatINSIDE ed to the cancellation of expansive river diversion projects. Sen- ä Louisiana ate President Cameron schools must justify Henry has signaled his their placement of intent to have those students with special questions answered before the plan can move needs under new forward, officials were bill. Page 3A told at a Senate com- ä Republicans shut mittee hearing. down bill to create The delay is the lat- Louisiana Voting est turn in a long-running controversy sur- Rights Act. Page 4A rounding the Landry administration’s move to cancel the Mid-Barataria and Mid-Breton Sediment Diversions. Mid-Barataria broke ground in 2023, while construction had not begun on Mid-Breton. Those unprecedented projects had long been seen as linchpins in the state’s coastal master plan, and around $700 million had already been disbursed for them. But Landry opposed the plans based on cost and the damage they would do to commercial fisheries in those areas. The projects were being largely paid for
ä See RAISES, page 5A
ä See COASTAL, page 7A
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL DUNLAP
East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Sid Edwards, second from left, talks with Democratic Metro Council members, from left, Carolyn Coleman, Darryl Hurst, Anthony Kenny and Cleve Dunn Jr. after a news conference at City Hall on Wednesday held to discuss equal pay for city workers.
Metro Council members offer alternative proposal that also gives salary increases to other city-parish workers BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER Staff writer
Democrats on the East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council are urging Mayor-President Sid Edwards to reduce his planned pay raise for Baton Rouge police officers so nearly all city-parish workers can have their salaries increased, too. At a news conference Wednesday, four council Democrats — Carolyn Coleman, Cleve Dunn Jr., Darryl Hurst and Anthony Kenney — called on the mayor to scrap his plan, which
is scheduled for a vote in two weeks. They unveiled an alternative that would give smaller increases for police but add raises for departments like the Constable’s Office, public works and others. “What I would ask the mayor and to our council colleagues is to pull his item and consider what we’ve presented here today,” Dunn said. The fifth Democrat — Twahna P. Harris — was not in attendance but said she shares her colleagues’ views. The move sets up a possible clash at the council’s April 22 meeting. The
Ceasefire threatened as Israel strikes Lebanon, Iran closes strait BY BASSEM MROUE, SAMY MAGDY, JON GAMBRELL and SAM METZ
The U.S. and Iran both claimed victory after reaching the agreement, and world leaders expressed relief, even as Associated Press more drones and missiles hit Iran and TEHRAN, Iran — A ceasefire deal to pause Gulf Arab countries. At the same time, Israel intensified its attacks on the war in Iran appeared to ONFLICT the Hezbollah militant group in hang by a thread Wednesday CO Lebanon, hitting several comafter the Islamic Republic IN THE T closed the Strait of Hormuz MIIDDLE mercial and residential areas again in response to Israeli atin Beirut without warning. At AST least 182 people were killed tacks in Lebanon. The White EAST and hundreds were wounded House demanded that the channel be reopened and sought to in one of the deadliest days in the latkeep peace talks on track. est Israel-Hezbollah war.
WEATHER HIGH 79 LOW 59 PAGE 6B
ä Iran’s Strait of Hormuz toll proposal violates trade norms. PAGE 5A The fresh violence threatened to scuttle what U.S. Vice President JD Vance called a “fragile” deal. The Iranian parliament speaker said planned talks with the U.S. to seek a permanent halt to hostilities were “unreasonable” because Washington broke three of Tehran’s 10 conditions
ä See CEASEFIRE, page 8A
Business ......................6A Commentary ................5B Nation-World................2A Classified .....................6D Deaths .........................3B Opinion ........................4B Comics-Puzzles .....3D-5D Living............................1D Sports ..........................1C
2026 PELICAN RELAYS Hosted by Southern University Track and Field
APRIL 10-11 at A.W. MUMFORD STADIUM Gates open Friday at 11:00am Saturday 9:00am
PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS: DILLARD UNIVERSITY DOUGLASS, F.A. JARVIS CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY GRAMBLING STATE UNIVERSITY NICHOLLS UNIVERSITY NORTHWESTERN STATE UNIVERSITY SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA UNIVERSITY XAVIER UNIVERSITY
Pro-government demonstrators in Tehran, Iran, celebrate Wednesday after the announcement of a two-week ceasefire in the war with the United States and Israel.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO
101ST yEAR, NO. 283