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BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA
T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M
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W e d n e s d ay, a p r i l 15, 2026
BR Hilton to become Sports Illustrated Resort Downtown hotel to get $40M in renovations in 2027
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2026 LEGISLATURE HIGHER EDUCATION
Universities in La. may seek new accreditor
Change pushed amid scrutiny of higher ed bureaucracy
BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer
STAFF PHOTOS By JAVIER GALLEGOS
The Southern University Human Jukebox drumline performs as banners fall revealing the Sports Illustrated and Travel + Leisure logos during the announcement for the rebranding and renovation of the Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center to Sports Illustrated Resort on Tuesday. BY IANNE SALVOSA
Staff writer
The Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center is getting a new life. Again. Global travel company Travel + Leisure Co. announced that the downtown hotel at 201 Lafayette St. will be renovated into a Sports Illustrated Resort, a new concept by the company that models hotels in sport hot spots with the magazine’s branding. Renovations, which will total around $40 million, Brown will start in 2027 and the rebranded hotel will open at the end of that year. The Hilton will operate normally for the rest of 2026. Representatives from Travel + Leisure Co., hotel owner Northshore Development, and its partner Kituwah, the economic development arm of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, along with city officials unveiled the hotel’s new brand in an event Tuesday evening with state officials and LSU athletes in attendance. Southern University’s Human Jukebox marching band kicked off the event with a performance ending with a video revealing the Sports Illustrated rebrand.
As higher education bureaucracy comes under scrutiny nationally, Louisiana’s public universities might soon be allowed to seek alternatives to the accreditor that has evaluated institutions in the state for over a century. The potential change comes as some conservative leaders like President Donald Trump and Gov. Jeff Landry criticize excess spending in higher education and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Some administrators say, however, that the problems with accreditation lie less with DEI and more with the inefficiency of a geography-based system. Senate Bill 304 would permit public universities to break with their longstanding accreditor, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. The bill follows the recommendations of a task force Landry created last year to review accreditation in the state and consider membership in the newly founded
ä See UNIVERSITIES, page 7A
Man accused of fatally ramming officer to face death penalty The Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center in downtown was originally built in the 1920s as the Heidelberg Hotel and was later known as the Capitol House. “Tonight’s a little bit more than about a new development,” Travel + Leisure Co. Mike Brown said at the event. “It’s about recognizing something that already exists here and building around it. Baton Rouge does not need to be taught about the sports culture, nor does it need to be taught about success.” Orlando-based Travel + Leisure Co., formerly known as Wyndham Destinations, oversees vacation-re-
BY QUINN COFFMAN Staff writer
lated services like Travel + Leisure magazine, booking services, travel gear and has more than 280 hotels under a number of brands, including Sports Illustrated Resorts, Club Wyndham and Margaritaville Vacation Club. When scoping for new cities for the Sports Illustrated Resort brand, Brown says the company eyes
Prosecutors will seek the death penalty for Gad Black, the 42-year-old man charged with murder for allegedly ramming Baton Rouge police Sgt. Caleb Eisworth with his pickup in June, according to a notice filed in court Tuesday. Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore filed the motion Tuesday morning, making the court aware his office will seek execution for Black, who faces a charge of first-degree murder. Moore told The Advocate in October he intended to seek the death penalty, but had to wait for the court to certify that Black was mentally fit
ä See RESORT, page 6A
ä See DEATH, page 6A
Amazon to buy Covington-based Globalstar for $11.6 billion a news release Tuesday, Ama- Amazon shares for a total purTech giant would be zonIn said it planned to use Global- chase price of around $11.6 billion. star’s satellite network and tech- In the past month, the company’s better able to nology as part of Amazon Leo, a stock price has increased nearly compete with Starlink project that will enable smart- 35%. The deal is expected to close
BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL and JERRY DICOLO Staff writers
Amazon is acquiring Louisiana satellite communications company Globalstar in a nearly $12 billion deal that will allow the e-commerce giant to expand its spacebased mobile phone services.
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phone users to connect directly to a network of thousands of satellites for voice and data service. Amazon also announced a deal with Apple to bring the service to iPhones starting in 2028. Globalstar currently powers the emergency SOS feature on Apple’s iPhones. Globalstar shareholders will receive $90 a share or comparable
in 2027, pending regulatory approval. It’s not clear how the deal will impact Globalstar’s nearly 400 employees worldwide or its headquarters in Covington, where roughly half of the workforce is based. Globalstar Chair Jay Monroe, who bought the company in
Globalstar officials and visitors tour the company’s satellite control center in Covington in 2025. STAFF FILE PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER
ä See GLOBALSTAR, page 7A
Business ......................3B Commentary ................7B Nation-World ................2A Classified .....................8D Deaths .........................4B Opinion ........................6B Comics-Puzzles .....5D-7D Living............................1D Sports ..........................1C
101ST yEAR, NO. 289