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F r i d ay, M a r c h 13, 2026

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Recreational hunting of alligators proposed

Priest charged with indecent behavior with a juvenile BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer

STAFF FILE PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Chandler Franklin lifts a 6-foot alligator out of the water as Dwain Hodge, left, anchors the boat and Eric Edwards wraps up the string used to catch it during an alligator hunt in 2024.

Bill would create a season for licensed hunters BY JOSIE ABUGOV Staff writer

A $50 lottery could soon give anyone a chance to reel in one of Louisiana’s 3 million alligators. Senate Bill 244, sponsored by state Sen. Robert Allain, R-Franklin, would expand alligator hunting by adding a recreational season. Currently, the state has a three-month commercial period when licensed hunters can harvest alligators on land they own or des-

ignated public land and water bodies. of alligator habitat. If the Louisiana Legislature passes “We’re trying to kind of kill two Allain’s bill, the Louibirds with one stone: “We’re trying to kind increase the availabilsiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries ity to go and harvest of kill two birds with would be able to issue one stone: increase the an alligator and, at the 10,000 tags for recresame time, not upset availability to go and the commercial marational hunters, accesharvest an alligator and, ket,” Allain said. sible via a lottery. at the same time, not Increasing hunting Cole Garrett, the of the reptile could upset the commercial general counsel of help address overLDWF, said hunters market.” would be able to get population of the onceendangered species SEN. ROBERT ALLAIN, R-Franklin up to two tags in the lottery, which would without disturbing the cost $50 to enter. The commercial industry, recreational season could begin Oct. according to Allain. The added season would also give a 1 in areas south of Interstate 10 if the broader swath of people the opportu- bill gains approval. The hunting would nity to hunt, as the commercial indusä See ALLIGATORS, page 4A try mostly serves private landowners

An Acadia Parish priest has been formally charged with alleged indecent behavior with a minor. Korey LaVergne, 37, was named on March 5 in a bill of information by the 15th Judicial District Attorney’s Office charging him with three counts of felony indecent behavior with a juvenile, court records show. A bill of information is a charge directly from the District Attorney’s Office, while an indictment is a charge determined by a grand jury. LaVergne previously was arrested on Jan. 16 on the same charges. The bill of information al- LaVergne leges on or about Jan. 1, 2024, LaVergne “did willfully, unlawfully, knowingly, and intentionally commit lewd and lascivious acts upon a juvenile,” age 15, or in the presence of a juvenile where there is at least a two-year age difference. LaVergne, through his attorney, Kevin Stockstill of Lafayette, entered a not guilty plea on Wednesday, court records show. He has a pretrial hearing scheduled for June 12. Stockstill filed several pretrial discovery motions on Thursday asking: n that the district attorney disclose any criminal arrests and convictions of any witnesses. n that officials provide copies of arrest warrants, warrants for search and seizure and affidavits related to those warrants. n that officials provide all initial reports on the case. n that the district attorney disclose the substance of any grant of immunity, plea bargain, agreement or consideration to witnesses or prospective witnesses. n that he reserve the right to move to suppress and/or conduct a preliminary examination of evidence. LaVergne’s case comes as the Catholic Diocese of Lafayette faces a growing number of sexual abuse allegations in civil court. At least 13 lawsuits were filed against the Catholic Diocese of Lafayette in 2025, alleging sexual abuse by priests and other employees against minors across Acadiana, bringing the total pending lawsuits filed since June

Iran’s leader vows to keep up attacks BY JON GAMBRELL, DAVID RISING, MIKE CORDER and NATALIE MELZER Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran’s secretive new supreme leader vowed ThursCO ONFLICT day to keep up IN THE T attacks on Gulf MIIDDLE Arab countries and use the effecEAST AST tive closure of the strategic Strait of Hormuz as leverage against the United States and Israel. It was his

WEATHER HIGH 74 LOW 39 PAGE 12C

INSIDE

ofﬁcial said was wounded in the opening salvo of the war, has not ä Pro-Iranian hackers starting to appeared in public since then. In stretch into the U.S. Page 5A the statement read by a state TV news anchor, he vowed to avenge ä Oil prices jump to $100 per those killed in the war, including in barrel. Page 6A a strike on a school that killed over ä Trump now trying to paint high oil 165 people. costs as positive. Page 6A His comments signaled no plans for talks to end the war, which has disrupted global energy supﬁrst public statement since he suc- plies, international travel and the ceeded his father, who was killed relative safety enjoyed by the Gulf Arab states. in an Israeli strike. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojä See ATTACKS, page 4A taba Khamenei, 56, who an Iranian

Business ......................6A Commentary ................3B Nation-World................2A Classified ..................10C Living............................5C Opinion ........................2B Comics-Puzzles .....7C-9C Metro ...........................1B Sports ..........................1C

ä See PRIEST, page 4A

An oil tanker burns after being hit by an Iranian strike in the ship-toship transfer zone at Khor al-Zubair port near Basra, Iraq, late Wednesday. ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO

101ST yEAR, NO. 256

2A ● Friday, March 13, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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FROM WIRE REPORTS

Drone strike in Sudan kills 4, injures more

CAIRO — Massive explosions caused by a drone strike at a market in the Darfur region near Sudan ’s border with Chad on Thursday killed four people and wounded over two dozen civilians, a medical group said. Doctors Without Borders, known as MSF, blamed the strike on the army, saying the drone hit fuel reserves at the Adikong border market in West Darfur, marking the second fatal drone strike in Adikong in less than a month. Gado Mahamadou, MSF head of mission in Chad, said 23 people were injured, including seven children and four women. Sudan plunged into war in April 2023 after simmering tensions between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, and the army broke out into ﬁghting in Khartoum and spread across the country. The devastating war has killed more than 40,000 people, according to U.N. ﬁgures, but aid groups say that is an undercount and the true number could be many times higher. The Darfur and Kordofan regions became the epicenters of the war, with deadly drone attacks frequently reported in Kordofan. A surge in drone strikes in the Sudanese region of Kordofan has taken a growing toll on civilians and hampered aid operations, analysts and humanitarian workers previously said.

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Israeli military drops charges

5 soldiers were accused of sexually abusing Palestinian detainee BY JULIA FRANKEL Associated Press

JERUSALEM — Israel’s military on Thursday said it was dropping charges against ﬁve soldiers accused of beating and sexually abusing a Palestinian detainee in an alleged assault partially caught on camera. The decision, which came as much of the country’s attention was focused on the war with Iran, closed a ﬂashpoint case that has bitterly divided Israel since the soldiers were arrested in 2024 at the notorious Sde Teiman military prison, prompting anger from members of the far-right government and hard-line ultranationalists who violently overran the prison in protest. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the announcement, while human rights groups accused the military of ignoring one

of the gravest instances of abuse in the country’s network of wartime prisons. “Israel’s military advocate general just gave his soldiers license to rape — so long as the victim is Palestinian,” said Sari Bashi, executive director of the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, after the case was dismissed. She said the decision was “the latest in a long line of actions that whitewash abuses against detainees whose frequency and severity have worsened since Oct. 7, 2023.” Netanyahu welcomed the decision, saying that “the state of Israel must pursue its enemies, not its heroic ﬁghters.” The now-dismissed indictment against the soldiers accused them of an assault that included dragging a Palestinian prisoner along the ﬂoor, stepping on him, tasering him, and sexually assaulting him by stabbing him in the rectum. The

Palestinian was taken to an Israeli hospital with fractured ribs and a perforated rectum that required surgery before he was returned to the prison. The allegations of abuse at the facility gained steam when, in August 2024, Israeli news broadcast a leaked video of the alleged assault. The video showed a group of masked soldiers wresting a detainee from the ground, where he and other Palestinians were lying face down and handcuffed in a fencedin pen, and taking the detainee to an area of the pen they cordoned off using shields. In its Thursday decision dismissing the case, the military’s top legal ofﬁcers said the charges against the soldiers were being dropped because the video did not show abuse violent enough to merit a criminal conviction and had been improperly leaked to the media. The decision added that the

California sued over vehicle-emission rules BY SOPHIE AUSTIN and CHRISTOPHER WEBER Associated Press

19 convicted over 2004 Moscow concert attack MOSCOW — A court in Moscow on Thursday convicted 19 people of involvement in the 2024 shooting rampage at a Moscow concert hall that killed 149 people and wounded over 600 in one of the deadliest attacks in the capital in years. A faction of the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the March 22, 2024, massacre at the Crocus City Hall concert venue. Authorities said four gunmen, identified as citizens of Tajikistan, shot people who were waiting for a show by a popular rock band and then set the building on fire. All 19 defendants were handed lengthy prison terms: 15 received life sentences, one got 22½ years, and three were given 19 years and 11 months each. Those with life sentences will serve part of them in a prison and the rest in a special regime penal colony, according to the verdict. They were also ordered to pay fines ranging from about $6,300 to $34,000.

PHOTO PROVIDED By BRONX ZOO

A red fox that stowed away on a ship is pictured at the Bronx Zoo on Wednesday in New york.

Fox stows away on ship from England to U.S. NEW YORK — This stowaway truly was sly as a fox. A red fox somehow slipped onto a cargo ship that traveled from Southampton, England, to New York, where the animal is now in the Bronx Zoo’s care. The zoo said Wednesday that the 11-pound male fox appears healthy after early examinations. “He seems to be settling in well,” Keith Lovett, the zoo’s director of animal programs, said by phone. “It’s gone through a lot.” It’s not clear how the animal got on the ship full of automobiles, which left Southampton on Feb. 4, according to the zoo. U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the ship’s crew discovered the furry passenger while traveling to the Port of New York and New Jersey, where the vessel arrived Feb. 18. Ofﬁcials brought the fox to the zoo the next day. He’s estimated to be 2 years old. The species, formally named Vulpes vulpes, is widespread in Europe, Asia, North America and parts of Africa. A long-term home for this fox will be found once he clears some more health screening. For now, he’s in the zoo’s veterinary center.

Palestinian victim had since been released back to Gaza, creating an “absence of certainty” he would be able to testify in a trial. In November 2025, after much speculation about how the leaked video got out, Military Advocate General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi — the top legal ofﬁcial in the military — admitted that she had approved its release, saying she had wanted to show how serious the abuse was and convince people the military had a duty to investigate. Facing an uproar from Netanyahu’s government, she abruptly resigned and then disappeared, only to be found phoneless on a Tel Aviv beach after a frantic search by authorities. The phone, believed to hold possible evidence against her, was later recovered in the sea. The Associated Press investigated allegations of inhumane treatment and abuse at Sde Teiman before the surveillance video.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By DAVID A. LIEB

People opposed to new the U.S. House districts passed by the Missouri General Assembly demonstrate Tuesday outside the state Capitol in Jefferson City, Mo.

Mo. judge rejects challenge to new U.S. House districts

BY DAVID A. LIEB

Associated Press

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A Missouri court has rejected a legal challenge to new U.S. House districts backed by President Donald Trump that are aimed at helping Republicans win an additional seat in the midterm elections. Opponents of the new districts claimed they violated a state constitutional provision requiring districts to be compact. But Jackson County Circuit Judge Adam Caine rejected that in a ruling Thursday. Although the decision marked a victory for Republicans, a separate legal challenge remains pending at the Missouri Supreme Court alleging that middecade redistricting is unconstitutional. Opponents also have submitted over 300,000 petition signatures in an attempt to force a statewide vote on the new congressional map. Missouri is one of several states targeted for congressional redistricting by Trump, who has been angling for an edge in the November elections as Republicans try to hold their narrow House majority. After Trump called on Texas Republicans to redistrict, Democrats countered with new districts in California, and a redistricting battle soon spread to other states. Missouri currently is represented in the U.S. House by six Republicans and two Democrats under a map passed in 2022 based on the most recent census. At

the time, Republican lawmakers turned back an attempt by some in the party to push a map giving Republicans a shot at winning seven seats. They cited concerns that it could spread Republicans too thin and backﬁre in losses if Democrats enjoyed a favorable election year. But Republicans set aside those concerns last year under pressure from the White House to revise the districts for partisan advantage. A new map passed during a September special legislative session is intended to help Republicans win a Kansas City-area seat currently held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver. It reassigns portions of Kansas City to two neighboring districts represented by Republicans and stretches the remainder of his 5th Congressional District eastward into Republican-heavy rural areas. Court ﬁlings on behalf of suing voters asserted that the new map “radically departs” from historical norms by splitting apart and stretching out the 5th District, which previously had been more concentrated in Kansas City. But attorneys for Republican Attorney General Catherine Hanaway countered that the new map actually is an improvement. Although the 5th District may be less compact, the state asserted that the map overall is more compact and splits fewer local governments among multiple districts. Caine agreed with that in his ruling.

Latvia’s security service says 2 set fire to train and rail equipment for Russia BY EMMA BURROWS

AP European security correspondent A train and some railway infrastructure were set on fire in August in Latvia by two people acting in Russia’s interests, Latvia’s State Security Service said Wednesday, the latest in a series of warnings by Western officials who say Russia is attacking critical infrastructure across Europe. The security service said the two people set fire to the train and some railway relay cabinets — boxes that contain equipment to control train movements — and also filmed the attack. The video material was later sent to the people who commissioned the arson who used it for propaganda purposes to claim the fires were in Ukraine, the service said. The arson in August is one of at least 151 incidents of sabotage and malign activity across Europe tracked by The

Associated Press and linked to Russia by Western officials since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Ofﬁcials say a goal of the attacks is to undermine support for Ukraine, spread fear and discord in European societies and drain investigative resources. Russia often uses proxies for such attacks and some perpetrators say they have no idea they have been hired by Moscow. In November, Polish ofﬁcials said Russia’s intelligence services were behind several incidents of sabotage on a rail line used to deliver aid to Ukraine. The cyberattacks demonstrate the vulnerability of European critical infrastructure and are part of a concerning trend which suggests Moscow is adopting a “more aggressive posture,” toward European countries it views as adversaries said Ciaran Martin, former head of the U.K.’s National Cyber Security Centre.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Trump administration ramped up a battle with California over the state’s nation-leading vehicleemission standards Thursday, suing air regulators over rules aimed at curbing pollution from cars. President Donald Trump has long fought California’s efforts to curb tailpipe emissions and spur electric vehicle adoption, and last summer he blocked the state’s first-in-the-nation ban on the sale of new gaspowered cars by 2035. He’s also routinely criticized California’s highestin-the-nation gas prices, which are largely due to taxes and environmental regulations. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s ofﬁce blasted the lawsuit, noting it comes as gas prices climb amid the Iran war and as some drivers consider going electric. “Gas prices are soaring nationwide because of Trump’s reckless choices, and now he’s attacking the Golden State for trying to

give Californians more freedom and cheaper options,” Newsom spokesperson Anthony Martinez said. After Trump blocked California’s stringent electric vehicle mandates last year, the state quickly sued over the move. The California Air Resources Board then said previously adopted standards tackling emissions from cars that pose climate and public health risks would remain in effect even if the state’s more ambitious rules remained blocked. But the federal government said in its lawsuit that the state didn’t have the authority to enforce even its less stringent standards. “Oppressive, expensive electric vehicle mandates drive up costs for American consumers and violate federal law,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement. California has for decades been able to seek approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to adopt stricter emissions standards than the federal government. Other states can sign on to adopt California’s rules.

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ROTC students subdue shooter who killed 1 lll

Gunman yelled ‘Allahu akbar’ before opening fire at Old Dominion

BY JONATHAN MATTISE, OLIVIA DIAZ, ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press

ROTC students subdued and killed a gunman who yelled “Allahu akbar” before opening fire Thursday in an Old Dominion University classroom, killing one and wounding two, according to the FBI, which said the shooter had been in the Army and pleaded guilty in 2016 to attempting to aid the Islamic State. Dominique Evans, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Norfolk field office, said at a news conference that the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps students showed “extreme bravery and courage” and prevented further loss of life by stopping the suspect, identified as Mohamed Bailor Jalloh. The ROTC students subdued him and “rendered him no longer alive,” Evans said. “I don’t know how else to say it.” She didn’t provide further details about that except to confirm the gunman wasn’t shot. She said Jalloh aspired to conduct a terrorist attack like the killings at Fort Hood. The shooting is being investigated as an act of terrorism, FBI Director Kash Patel said in a social media post. The students’ actions “undoubtedly saved lives along with the quick response of law enforcement,” Patel said. Jalloh, a former member of the Army National Guard, was sentenced to 11 years in prison and

VIRGINIAN-PILOT PHOTO By KENDALL WARNER

Bystanders are evacuated from Old Dominion University’s campus after reports of an active shooter on Thursday in Norfolk, Va. was released from federal custody in December 2024. Jalloh’s sister, Fatmatu Jalloh, of Sterling, Virginia, said Thursday she knew nothing about the attack. She said she last saw her brother two days earlier. “I have no idea what is going on,” the suspect’s sister said. “I know nothing. I don’t even know who to call.” The public university in Norfolk canceled classes and suspended all operations on its main campus through Friday. In a message to the university community, ODU President Brian Hemphill said the school faced a tragedy on campus. He expressed gratefulness for the swift emer-

He did not acknowledge whether any officers fired a weapon. He said all three victims are affiliated with the university. Shelton said authorities are “very early” in the investigation and have not yet determined the “full cause of death” of the shooter. Within a matter of less than 10 minutes, the call came in, officers arrived and they determined the shooter was dead, the chief said.

gency response and thoughts and prayers to those impacted.

Shooter confirmed dead

At a news conference Thursday afternoon, Old Dominion University Police Chief Garrett Shelton said officers responded after receiving reports that people were being shot in one of the classrooms in the university’s business school building, Constant Hall. After the university initially said there were two victims, Shelton Guard service, Islamic State ties said authorities learned that there The suspected shooter, Jalloh, was a third victim who brought is a naturalized U.S. citizen from themselves to a hospital. It wasn’t Sierra Leone. immediately clear how the shooter According to a 2016 FBI affidadied. vit filed in his criminal case, Jal-

loh told a government informant he quit the Army National Guard after hearing lectures from radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki. The Virginia Army National Guard confirmed Jalloh served as a specialist from 2009 until 2015, when he was honorably discharged. A court affidavit recounts a three-month sting operation in which Jalloh, then 26, said he was thinking about carrying out an attack similar to the 2009 shootings at Fort Hood, which left 13 people dead. Authorities launched the 2016 operation after Jalloh made contact with Islamic State members in Africa earlier that year. Jalloh later told the informant that the Islamic State group had asked if he wanted to participate in an attack. He tried to donate $500 to the Islamic State, but the money actually went to an account controlled by the FBI, according to court documents. Jalloh then tried to buy an AR-15 assault rifle from a Virginia gun store but was turned away because he lacked the proper paperwork. The affidavit says he returned the next day and bought a different assault rifle. Prosecutors said the rifle was rendered inoperable before Jalloh left the store, unbeknownst to Jalloh. He was arrested the following day. The Justice Department in 2017 requested a 20-year prison sentence for Jalloh, noting that he had made multiple attempts to join the Islamic State and had attempted to acquire a gun to carry out a murder plot in the United States. U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, sentenced him instead to 11 years in prison.

FBI: Attack at Michigan synagogue was a ‘targeted act of violence’ Man rammed vehicle into building, fatally shot by security

dren safe and calm,” it said.

Race to retrieve children About a dozen parents sprinted to get their children soon after authorities cleared the building. Other families were reunited at a nearby Jewish Community Center. Allison Jacobs, whose

BY COREY WILLIAMS and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Associated Press

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By PAUL SANCyA

gunfire,” the sheriff said, adding that it was possible the attacker killed himself or died some other way. Bouchard said that he has reached out to communities in the areas surrounding the temple that has “signiﬁcant houses of worship” and large Jewish populations to offer resources. “This community takes care of each other,” Bouchard said. He credited preparation and training for the swift response to the threat, saying that he had contacted the head of security for the temple just two days before the attack. In a statement posted on Facebook, the synagogue praised its security personnel “who are truly heroes” for neutralizing the gunman. “Our teachers followed their training and kept the chil-

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But the bill specifically targets college students who “promote” terrorist organizations. Promotion includes “making a statement or taking an action that supports, approves, or encourages a terrorist organization’s extralegal violence.” Such students would be immediately expelled and assessed outof-state tuition fees. The legislation also follows years of efforts by DeSantis to stamp out proPalestinian protesters on college campuses. In 2023, his hand-picked State University System chancellor accused two Florida chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine of knowingly providing material support for Hamas following the Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Free speech groups have widely condemned the legislation as unconstitutional.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — State lawmakers approved giving Gov. Ron DeSantis broad new powers to name “terrorist” organizations. House lawmakers on Thursday passed HB1471 along party lines, sending it to DeSantis’ desk. DeSantis’ ofﬁce originally proposed the legislation, which would give him and future governors powers typically reserved for the federal government. Under the bill, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which reports to the governor, would have the ability to deem groups as foreign or domestic “terrorist organizations.” Foreign terrorist groups would already have to be deemed as such by the fed-

eral government, such as alQaida, ISIS and various drug cartels. Domestic terrorist groups would have to be engaging in “terrorist activity” as deﬁned in state law and pose “an ongoing threat” to security. Lawmakers on Thursday also passed another bill making records around those decisions secret under state law. Groups could receive access to some of those records if they challenge their terrorist designation in court. Rep. Hillary Cassel, the Republican who sponsored both bills, said she had no intention of blocking students’ right to protest or debate. “This bill protects the Constitution, protects us from those that want to change us, protects us from those who want Western civilization to fall,” Cassel said Thursday.

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The attacker drove through a set of doors and into the hallway where something in the vehicle ignited, Bouchard said. “He was traveling with purpose down the hall, from my look at the video,” Bouchard said. In the minutes after the attack, smoke billowed from the synagogue. One security officer was hit by the vehicle and knocked unconscious but did not suffer life-threatening injuries, the sheriff said. Some 30 law enforcement officers were treated for smoke inhalation. The synagogue has multiple security officers, he said, and at least one fired at the suspect, who was found dead inside his vehicle. “We can’t say what killed him at this point but security did engage the suspect with

Fla. lawmakers approve giving governor power to name ‘terrorist’ groups BY LAWRENCE MOWER

Jacobs, whose family is Jewish, said she tries not to think about all that’s going on in the world. “You never think that this is actually going to happen to you,” she said. “But I know that it’s — it’s just terrible. This morning I was mourning the loss of the school that got hit in Iran.”

Law enforcement escorts families with children away from the Temple Israel synagogue Thursday in West Bloomfield Township, Mich.

AP P

WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich. — An attacker armed with a riﬂe was killed after ramming his vehicle into one of the nation’s largest Reform synagogues Thursday in what federal investigators said was an act of violence targeting the Jewish community. Jennifer Runyan, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Detroit field office, called the incident “deeply disturbing and tragic” at a news conference on Thursday and said the FBI was leading the investigation. The agency considered the crime a “targeted act of violence against the Jewish community,” she said. Investigators have not determined a motive yet. The vehicle caught fire after crashing into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, just outside Detroit, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke to the AP. None of the synagogue’s staff, teachers or the 140 children at its early childhood center were injured, Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard said.

18-month-old daughter is enrolled in Temple Israel’s day care, said she got a message from a teacher saying the children were OK even before she knew what happened. “There are no words. I was in complete and utter shock,” she told the AP. “I was hoping that it was a false report.”

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4A ● Friday, March 13, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

ALLIGATORS

Continued from page 1A be limited to hook-and-line catch from land. “You cannot shoot these things from a boat,” Garrett said. The Senate’s Natural Resources committee on Wednesday greenlit the measure without objections. The bill still needs approval from the full Senate and the House, and would need Gov. Jeff Landry’s signature. Louisiana’s wild alligator population has soared from less than 100,000 to more than 3 million since the launch of the state’s alligator management program more than 50 years ago. Following a decade of closed seasons in the 1960s, the state wildlife agency developed a hunting program that gave an economic incentive — commercial harvesting — for landowners to protect the coastal wetland habitat that alligators call home. The wildlife department estimates that the program brings in more than $250 million each year. “It’s probably the greatest conservation story in America,” said Allain, a commercial alligator hunter himself. “They did such a good job that we have overpopulation now.” The market price for gators is “very low,” Allain said, so fewer

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tor hunting proposal for the past two years. “We want to provide that recreational opportunity for the common folk of Louisiana,” Bosworth said. Under the current system, hunters need to own alligator habitat in order to get a commercial tag, Allain noted. Around 80% of coastal alligator habitat is privately owned land, though alligators also live on some public lands and waterways. The agency is working with private landowners and the alligator industry to cover potential concerns, Garrett told legislators. This means differentiating tags from their commercial counterparts so that the recreationally harvested alligators stay out of the market. “It’s a very highly regulated species, and it’s important we keep it that way,” Garrett said. Kevin Hayes, a representative of the Louisiana Landowners Association, said wildlife agency ofSTAFF FILE PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK ﬁcials have been in recent discussions with coastal land managers Louisiana’s wild alligator population has soared from less than 100,000 to more than 3 million since the and property owners. launch of the state’s alligator management program more than 50 years ago. He said trespassing and enforcement of property rights were impeople were hunting alligators years, that price frequently dipped ties for Louisianans. This includes portant issues, but that his convercommercially. to $7.50 per foot. expanding hunting opportunities sations “gave us some comfort, not Data from the state agency Tyler Bosworth, secretary of to the black-bellied whistling duck 100%, but some comfort that we’re shows price drops in recent years. the wildlife agency, told legisla- and black bears, as well as gaining part of the discussion.” In the early 2000s, the average tors that the new season dovetails state control of amberjack seaprice per foot for alligators ex- with the department’s larger goal son. He said the agency has been Email Josie Abugov at josie. ceeded $25. But in the past 10 of increasing hunting opportuni- working with Allain on the alliga- abugov@theadvocate.com.

ATTACKS

Continued from page 1A Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced the new supreme leader as a “puppet of the Revolutionary Guards” who cannot appear in public. And he addressed the Iranian people, calling this a moment for a “new path of freedom.” But “at the end of the day, it depends on you. It is in your hands,” he added at a news conference. “We are creating the optimal conditions for the fall of the regime.” U.S. and Israeli strikes have exacted a heavy toll on Iran’s leadership, military and ballistic missile program but have failed to topple the government, which U.S. President Donald Trump has at times suggested is his goal. Netanyahu said Israeli attacks had killed a top Iranian nuclear scientist and hit others. The U.S. and Israel say that destroying whatever remains of Iran’s nuclear program is one of the central aims of the war. They have long suspected Iran seeks nuclear weapons, while the Islamic Republic says its nuclear program is peaceful. Since the start of the war, U.S. and Israeli strikes have targeted security checkpoints in Iran to undermine the government’s ability to suppress dissent, according to Armed Conﬂict Location and Event Data, the U.Sbased independent monitoring group known as ACLED. Israel said earlier it struck a nuclear facility in Iran in recent days that it had destroyed with an airstrike in October 2024. Earlier this year, satellite photos raised concerns that Iran was working to restore the facility. As Netanyahu spoke, the Israeli military said it had detected a new barrage of missiles launched from Iran toward Israel. Rescue efforts were underway after an American military refueling plane went down in Iraq, the U.S. military said Thursday.

PRIEST

Continued from page 1A 2024 to about 50. The Louisiana Supreme Court in June 2024 upheld a Louisiana law giving abuse survivors a three-year window — until June 14, 2027 — to sue for damages. The Catholic Diocese of Lafayette had challenged a 2021 “look back” law, arguing in court that it violated due process rights. The Supreme Court disagreed, opening the door for victims to ﬁle lawsuits against the diocese, churches and others.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By VAHID SALEMI

A woman sits on rubble on Thursday across from a residential building damaged last Sunday during the U.S.-Israeli air campaign in Tehran, Iran. The KC-135 aircraft is part of the operation against Iran, but the crash was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire, the military said. U.S. Central Command, which oversees the Middle East, said in a statement that two aircraft were involved. One landed safely, while the other went down in western Iraq. A U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a developing situation, said the other plane involved also was a KC-135 tanker. Iran is trying to inflict enough global economic pain to pressure the United States and Israel to halt their bombardment, which began on Feb. 28. Trump has promised to “finish the job,” even though he claimed Iran is “virtually destroyed.” He said in a social media post Thursday that ensuring Iran does not develop a nuclear weapon was a higher priority than soaring oil prices. The U.S. military said Thursday that American forces have now struck

more than 6,000 targets since the operation against Iran began, including more than 30 minelaying vessels. Meanwhile, Iran-backed Hezbollah militants launched some 200 rockets from Lebanon at northern Israel while sirens rang out and loud booms from the interception of Iranian missiles could be heard in other areas. Israel launched another wave of attacks on Tehran and in Lebanon. The U.N. refugee agency said up to 3.2 million people in Iran have been displaced by the ongoing war. It said most have ﬂed from Tehran and other major cities toward the north of the country or rural areas. Around 800,000 people have been internally displaced in Lebanon, prompting fears of a humanitarian crisis. Khamenei called on Gulf Arabs to “shut down” U.S. bases in the region, saying protection promised by Washington was “nothing more than a lie.” He also said Iran has studied “opening other fronts in which the enemy has little

The lawsuits ﬁled in 2025 in the 15th Judicial District, which includes Lafayette, involve allegations of abuse at churches and schools in Church Point in Acadia Parish, Abbeville and Gueydan in Vermilion Parish, East Cameron in Cameron Parish, Grand Prairie in St. Landry Parish, Breaux Bridge in St. Martin Parish, Berwick in St. Mary Parish and New Iberia in Iberia Parish. LaVergne is the pastor at St. Edward Catholic Church in Richard in the Catholic Diocese of Lafayette. “The Little Cajun Saint,” Charlene Richard, is buried in the St. Edward Church

cemetery. LaVergne was the ofﬁcial courier who delivered documents related to her cause for sainthood to the Vatican in July. Richard died in 1959 at age 12 of acute lymphatic leukemia. A parishioner of St. Edward Catholic Church, she dedicated her suffering in prayer to the salvation of other souls. For decades, the faithful have visited her grave with prayers and offerings. Devotion to Richard has been credited with healing some people suffering from various illnesses. Email Claire Taylor at ctaylor@theadvocate.com

experience and would be highly vulnerable” if the war continues. He did not elaborate, but Iran has been linked to previous attacks on U.S., Israeli and Jewish targets around the world. Khamenei is close to Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard and is widely seen as even less compromising than his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. His location is unknown, and he is likely a prime target for the U.S. and Israel. In addition to attacking energy infrastructure across the region, Iran has also effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway leading from the Persian Gulf toward the Indian Ocean through which a ﬁfth of the world’s traded oil ﬂows.

At a news conference Thursday, Iran’s ambassador to Tunisia, Mir Masoud Hosseinian, said Iranian naval forces “have established full control” over the strait and “carried out precise strikes in response to attacks on our oil infrastructure.” “Global energy security is contingent on respect for Iran’s sovereignty,” he said. He told The Associated Press the new supreme leader was wounded in the attack on his family’s home that killed his wife and father, but “it is not serious.” The hope is he will attend the massive, state-organized Eid prayer next week that his father traditionally led. Hosseinian added that Iran’s strikes on Gulf nations have also been strategic.

“Even when we targeted hotels, we had precise information that they were hosting American and Israeli soldiers,” he said. Israeli warplanes pummeled Lebanon, targeting even the busy heart of Beirut, in response to missiles from Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters launched into Israel. One strike hit in a neighborhood that is close to Lebanon’s parliament, United Nations offices and international embassies. Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said they were targeting a “facility affiliated with Hezbollah.” An Israeli strike also hit in the vicinity of Lebanon’s only public university, killing a professor and the director of the science faculty at the campus in Hadath, on the outskirts of Beirut’s southern suburbs. There was no immediate comment from Israel. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Lebanon that if its government does not prevent Hezbollah from attacking, Israel “will take the territory and do it ourselves.” Lebanon’s government has ramped up calls for Hezbollah to disarm since the group’s last war with Israel was halted by a 2024 ceasefire, and earlier this month declared Hezbollah’s military activities illegal. But it has been reluctant to confront the militants directly. British officials said several U.S. personnel were injured Wednesday night in drone strikes in northern Iraq. Brig. Guy Foden said a number of drones hit a base in Irbil that houses both British and American troops. Another officer, Lt. Gen. Nick Perry, said there were no British casualties, while the U.S. sustained some casualties but “nothing too serious.”

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The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Friday, March 13, 2026 ● 5A

Iran-linked hackers take aim at U.S. lll

BY DAVID KLEPPER

Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Pro-Iranian hackers are targeting sites in the Middle East and starting to stretch into the United States during the war, raising the risk of American defense contractors, power stations and water plants being swept into a wave of digital chaos that could expand if Tehran’s allies join the fray. Hackers supporting Iran claimed responsibility for a signiﬁcant cyberattack Wednesday against U.S. medical device company Stryker. Since the war began Feb. 28, they also have tried to penetrate cameras in Middle Eastern countries to improve Iran’s missile targeting. They have targeted data centers in the region, as well as industrial facilities in Israel, a school in Saudi Arabia and an airport in Kuwait. Iran has invested heavily in its offensive cyber capabilities while cultivating ties to hacking groups. In recent years, groups working for Tehran have infiltrated the email system of President Donald Trump’s campaign, targeted U.S. water plants and tried to breach the networks used by the military and defense contractors. The goal is to wear down the American war effort, drive up the costs of energy, strain cyber resources and cause as much pain as possible for American companies that depend on the defense industry. “Something is going to happen because the gloves are off,” said Kevin Mandia, founder of the cybersecurity companies Mandiant and Armadin.

Who is being targeted Pro-Iranian, pro-Palestinian hackers claimed credit for disrupting systems at Stryker, a Michigan-based medical technology company. A group known as Handala said the attack was in retaliation for suspected U.S. strikes that killed Iranian schoolchildren. Like other ideologically motivated hackers, proﬁt is not Handala’s goal, according to Ismael Valenzu-

Israel on college campuses. They have set up fake news websites and social media accounts primed to spread false and exaggerated claims before big U.S. elections. In 2024, Iranian hackers infiltrated the email system of the Trump campaign and later tried to disseminate files that the hackers said they stole. Hackers linked to Iran also tried to hack into the WhatsApp accounts of both Trump and his then-Democratic opponent, President Joe Biden. The activity prompted the Department of Homeland Security to issue a public warning last year about Iranian cyber threats. “Iran and especially the proxies don’t care how big or smart you are. This is about making an impact, about creating chaos,” said James Turgal, a cybersecurity expert who spent 22 years as an FBI ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By NATHAN ELLGREN agent and is now a vice president at Optiv, a Denver-based informaKevin Mandia, CEO of FireEye, gives a tour of the cybersecurity company’s unused office space in Reston, Va. tion security firm. ela, vice president of threat intel- telligence — for example, Iran’s with customers. Hack-and-leak opligence at the cybersecurity com- effort to hack into cameras in erations, where hackers threaten Next moves from Russia, China neighboring countries to aid its to release sensitive stolen matepany Arctic Wolf. Experts are watching closely “What distinguishes this group is missile targeting. Infiltrating U.S. rial, are another possibility. to see if Russia, China or hacking its clear focus on data destruction networks, meanwhile, would offer The attacks are not that sophis- groups allied with either country rather than financial extortion,” he view into military planning or sup- ticated, according to Shaun Wil- provide hacking assistance to Iran, said in an email. ply chains. liams, a former FBI and CIA of- mounting attacks intended to unPolish authorities are investigatficer who is now a senior director dermine American operations in at the cybersecurity firm Senti- Iran and make it harder for the ing a recent cyberattack — on a Going after easy targets nuclear research facility — that The strikes on Iran’s military as nelOne. But if a business or gov- U.S. to sustain its fight. While China has so far taken a may have ties to Iran, though they well as internet outages may have ernment agency has failed to keep acknowledge that another group limited Iran’s cyberattacks in the up with its cybersecurity, it could cautious approach, there is evicould be behind the attack and us- short term. But experts say Ira- pay a steep price, he said. dence that pro-Iranian hackers in “Patch your systems. Ensure Russia are already at work. Reing the Iran war to mask its iden- nian hackers and their allies will aim for quick victories by target- your firewalls and security solu- searchers at the cybersecurity firm tity. Going forward, U.S. defense ing the weakest links in American tions are up to date,” Williams said. CrowdStrike detected a surge of accontractors, government vendors cybersecurity. “Remove your stale accounts. All tivity from Russian hackers in supand businesses that work with IsOften, local water plants or the cyber hygiene that you should port of Tehran since the war began. One group known as Z-Pentest rael are likely targets, as is critical health care facilities lack the funds be doing, it’s more critical now infrastructure such as hospitals, and know-how to install the latest than ever. Prepare for disruption.” claimed responsibility for disruptports, water plants, power stations software patches or take other seing several U.S. networks, includand railways. curity steps. That has made them a Iran is considered a chaos agent ing some involved in closed-circuit Pro-Iranian hackers openly dis- favorite target, both because of the Russia and China present the video cameras. The timing of the attack sugcuss their plans in Telegram and relative ease of penetrating them greatest cyber threats to the U.S., and because of the panic these dis- while North Korea is a growing gests the hackers were targeting other online message boards. concern. But what Iran has lacked U.S. interests because of the war in “The datacenters need to be taken ruptions can cause. out,” wrote one user, as uncovered This can include denial-of-ser- in resources it has made up for in Iran, according to Adam Meyers, by researchers at U.S.-based SITE vice attacks, in which hackers try ingenuity, experts say. head of counter adversary operaIn recent years, Tehran’s digi- tions at CrowdStrike. Intelligence Group. “They host the to jam a network so legitimate brains of USAs military communi- users cannot use it, and website tal warriors have impersonated “Western organizations should defacements, which can prevent American activists online to co- continue to remain on high-alert,” cation and targeting systems.” Cyber operations also gather in- a company from communicating vertly encourage protests against Meyers said.

Thiel’s lectures on Antichrist come to Rome, and Catholic institutions back away BY NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press

ROME — One of the hottest tickets in the Vatican’s backyard these days is for a four-lecture series on the Antichrist being given by Silicon Valley tech billionaire Peter Thiel. The invitation-only conference in Rome, from Sunday to Wednesday, has proven so controversial that the Catholic universities initially associated with it have all denied ofﬁcial involvement. Thiel is a co-founder of PayPal and Palantir, the data-mining company that has been assisting the Trump administration’s migrant deportation crackdown. An early donor to the political career of Vice President JD Vance, Thiel is also deeply interested in the apocalyptic concept of the Antichrist and has written and lectured on it before. “Christians debated these prophecies for millennia. Who was the Antichrist? When would he arrive? What would he preach?” he mused in a November essay in the Catholic magazine First Things.

Catholic institutions distance Discussion of the Antichrist by a tech billionaire in the Vatican’s backyard has proven divisive.

Initially, the lectures were reportedly going to be held the Pontiﬁcal St. Thomas Aquinas University, the Dominican university in Rome known colloquially as the Angelicum. It is best known these days as the place where a young priest named Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, wrote his canon law doctoral thesis. But as word began to circulate in the Italian media about alleged secret lectures on the Antichrist by Thiel at the pope’s alma mater, the Angelicum took its distance: “We would like to clarify that this event is not organized by the University, will not Thiel take place at the Angelicum, and is not part of any of our institutional initiatives,” the university said in a statement on its website. According to an announcement for the event seen by The Associated Press, the lectures were “jointly organized” by an Italian organization, the Vincenzo Gioberti Cultural Association, and the Cluny Institute at the Catholic University of America in Washington. The Gioberti group, which describes itself as a cultural asso-

and evil. Thiel speaks of the concepts in terms of the choices facing humanity to confront the existential risks of the world today. The Rome lectures appear to follow the blueprint of a four-part lecture series he gave in San Francisco last September. Some of the invitations circulating in Rome, for example, copy the description of the San Francisco event. “His remarks will be anchored on science and technology, and will comment on the theology, history, literature and politics of the Antichrist. Religious thinkers upon whom Peter will draw include René Girard, Francis Bacon, Jonathan Swift, Carl Schmitt and John Henry Newman,” said one invitation. After PayPal was sold to eBay in 2002 for $1.5 billion, Thiel then founded the hedge fund Clarium Capital Management and helped launch Palantir Technologies, which recently inked an agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to streamline the process of identifying and A fascination with the Antichrist deporting people the agency is tarThiel is known to be somewhat geting. obsessed with the Antichrist — the Biblical term used to describe Ties to the Trump administration someone who opposes or denies Thiel was a key adviser and Christ — and Armageddon — the donor to U.S. President Donald Biblical final battle between good Trump during his first administraciation dedicated to the renewal of Italian political culture, confirmed it was involved. The association, named for a 19th century Italian Catholic priest-philosopher, said in a statement it believed in promoting research and encounters “based on the great tradition of classical and Christian thought. We believe this heritage is fundamental to addressing the crisis engulfing the contemporary West.” But CUA distanced itself. “The Catholic University of America is not sponsoring or hosting an event featuring Peter Thiel this month in Rome,” a university spokesperson told AP. “The Cluny Project is an independent initiative incubated at the university.” The Cluny Institute is a new initiative of the CUA to bring together leaders from the worlds of academia, religion and technology. In 2023, CUA hosted Thiel at its Washington campus for a talk on René Girard, the French academic.

tion and has retained some ties to the White House. Palantir is also one of the donors to the White House’s ballroom project and David Sacks, who worked with Thiel at PayPal, is also chair of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Thiel is also known to be close to Vance. He poured millions of dollars into Vance’s successful primary race for the U.S. Senate, from where Trump named him running mate and eventual vice president. Some see Thiel as a mentor to Vance, a Catholic convert and the most high-proﬁle Catholic in U.S. politics. Vance’s theological justiﬁcation for the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigrants, based on an ancient Christian concept of the order of love, received a famous slapdown from Pope Francis just before he died. A few months before he was elected pope, Prevost shared an article from a Catholic publication from his now dormant account on X with the headline, “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others.” Vance attended Leo’s installation and later had an audience with him, during which he delivered a letter from Trump inviting Leo to visit.

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BUSINESS T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M/news/business

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Energy secretary won’t rule out $200 oil prices

Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Thursday refused to rule out oil prices skyrocketing to $200 a barrel and admitted the United States is “simply not ready” to escort tankers despite President Donald Trump’s claim that the Persian Gulf is safe for shipping. In a live interview with CNN outside the White House, Wright struggled to formulate an answer when asked about the chances of a large oil spike, which would send average American gasoline prices shooting up to near $6 a gallon. “Um … I would say unlikely,” Wright said. In a sober assessment, Wright claimed the widespread pain at the pump for Americans would amount to “short-term energy disruption for just huge longterm gain.” Wright conceded that the U.S. military is unable to escort oil tankers and cargo shipping through the Straits of Hormuz. “It can’t happen now,” Wright said, a day after he deleted a tweet claiming the U.S. had started escorting tankers. “We’re simply not ready.”

S&P 500 6,672.62 -103.18 -1.52%

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GOLD 5,115.80 -51.60 -1.00%

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Oil prices jump to $100 per barrel

Last month’s hiring by U.S. em- again hit companies with big fuel that if the Strait of Hormuz remains Stocks sink worldwide closed, oil prices could jump to $150. ployers was surprisingly weak, bills. Cruise-ship operator Carnival the U.S. stock mar- which raised worries about a pos- fell 7.9%, and United Airlines sank as Iran war continues ketTohasbe asure, history of bouncing back sible worst-case scenario for the 4.6%.

BY STAN CHOE Associated Press

NEW YORK — With no clear end in sight, the war with Iran sent oil prices back to $100 per barrel on Thursday, and stocks sank worldwide. The price of a barrel of Brent crude, the international standard, climbed 9.2% to settle at $100.46. Worries are worsening that the war could block the production of oil in the Persian Gulf for a long time and cause a debilitating surge of inﬂation for the global economy. Analysts have said

relatively quickly from military conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, as long as oil prices don’t stay too high for too long. Even with all the up-and-down swings of the last couple weeks, many rocking markets hour to hour, the S&P 500 is just 4.4% below its all-time high set in January. What’s made this jump for oil prices frightening is not only the degree — prices jumped near $120 this week to their highest level since 2022 — but that they’re occurring during an uncertain time for the economy.

economy called “stagﬂation.” That’s where economic growth stagnates while inflation remains high, and it’s a miserable mix that the Federal Reserve has no good tools to ﬁx. Dollar General reported better profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected. But the retailer with relatively low prices, whose customers often have the least cushion to absorb higher gasoline prices, gave forecasts for revenue this upcoming year that indicated a potential slowdown in growth. Its stock fell 6.1%. Some of Wall Street’s worst losses

Worries about the private-credit industry also continued to hurt the market. Investors have been pulling their money out of some funds and companies that have lent to businesses whose proﬁts are under threat. Many of the worries are focused on business that may not pay back their loans because of competition from AI-powered rivals. Morgan Stanley fell 4.1% after its North Haven Private Income Fund said it allowed investors to redeem 5% of its total shares instead of the nearly 11% they had requested. That 5% cap is the advertised limit.

Unemployment declines slowly WASHINGTON — U.S. applications for unemployment benefits inched down modestly last week as layoffs remain at historically healthy levels despite a weakening job market. The number of Americans filing for jobless aid for the week ending March 7 fell by 1,000 to 213,000 the previous week, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Analysts surveyed by the data firm FactSet forecast 215,000 new benefit applications. While weekly layoffs have remained in a historically low range mostly between 200,000 and 250,000 for the past few years, a number of high-profile companies have announced job cuts recently, including Morgan Stanley, Block, UPS and Amazon in recent weeks. Last week, the Labor Department reported that U.S. employers unexpectedly cut 92,000 jobs in February, a sign that the labor market remains under strain. Economists had expected 60,000 new jobs in February. Revisions also slashed 69,000 jobs from December and January payrolls, nudging the unemployment rate up to 4.4%. The Labor Department also recently reported that job openings fell in December to the lowest level in more than five years. For now, the U.S. job market appears stuck in what economists call a “low-hire, low-fire” state that has kept the unemployment rate historically low, but has left those out of work struggling to find a new job.

Universal Pictures expands theatrical runs LOS ANGELES — Universal Pictures will now keep its new films in theaters for at least five weekends, a reversal from the studio’s previous policy of at least 17 days that was set during the pandemic. The change takes place immediately, the studio said Thursday. “We firmly believe in the primacy of theatrical exclusivity and working closely with our exhibition partners to support a healthy, sustainable theatrical ecosystem,” Donna Langley, chair of NBCUniversal Entertainment, said in an email to the New York Times, which first reported the news. The amount of time films are available exclusively in theaters — known as “windowing” in industry jargon — has become a contentious topic of conversation in Hollywood. That debate ramped up during the pandemic, when some studios shortened theatrical exclusivity periods in order to move films to release for video on demand or streaming. Prior to the pandemic, those windows could be as long as 90 days. Now, the average is around 30 days.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ALTAF QADRI

Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz as seen from Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates, on Wednesday.

After bragging about prices, President does about-face Trump now trying to paint high oil costs as positive

BY JOSH BOAK

Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Since starting a war with Iran caused oil and gasoline prices to spike, President Donald Trump has pivoted from a focus on keeping energy prices low to painting high oil prices as a positive. The about-face comes as Trump’s team has struggled to offer a clear plan for opening up the critical Strait of Hormuz so that tankers full of oil and natural gas are no longer stranded. “The United States is the largest Oil Producer in the World, by far, so when oil prices go up, we make a lot of money,” Trump said Thursday on his social media site. It was only last month, in his State of the Union address, that Trump had bragged about gas prices at $2.30 a gallon, a figure that has since soared more than 50% to a national average of $3.60 a gallon, according to AAA. The flip-flop shows Trump’s political interests at home are suddenly at odds with his desire to flex America’s muscles on the

global stage. It comes at a precarious time for Trump’s party, ahead of November midterm elections. Trump has said that high gas prices helped him defeat his predecessor, Joe Biden. But he told reporters on Saturday that he had no worries about the rising costs that could influence voters this year, and create pressure for him to end the conflict prematurely. The investment bank Goldman Sachs on Thursday said that based on its forecasts and historic experience, higher oil prices would cause inflation to be higher, growth to be slower and the unemployment rate to increase by the end of the year. Benchmark oil prices have swung violently with Trump’s shifting statements and as most tankers avoid traversing the Strait of Hormuz. On Thursday, the global crude oil benchmark price jumped to $100 a barrel. “The swings in Brent crude oil prices over the past several days are eye-catching and odds are volatility will remain because of the absence of a timeline for when the conflict will deescalate and when the Strait of Hormuz, which is effectively closed, will see traffic begin to recover,” analysts at the consultancy Oxford Economics concluded on Wednesday. The president has given a series of contradictory messages about his plans to address this issue. He said in a Monday news confer-

ence that the Strait of Hormuz “is going to remain safe” well after it was identified as a danger zone, claiming that the presence of the U.S. Navy and insurance for tankers would keep things secure. By Tuesday, he said on Truth Social that Iran would face “Military consequences” that would be “at a level never seen before” if it placed mines in the Strait of Hormuz, later stressing that the U.S. military was blowing up Iran’s mine-laying ships. After initially downplaying the need to tap strategic reserves, Trump by Wednesday said the U.S. would join with other countries and release oil to lower prices, with the administration later saying it would draw down 172 million barrels. The coordinated release among countries is unlikely to bring down oil prices, so much as stabilize the market. “Such a move will slow rather than stop rising oil prices and offer a temporary salve to the searing burn of rising gasoline prices,” said Joe Brusuelas, chief U.S. economist at the consultancy RSM. The White House also said it may waive Jones Act requirements to use U.S.-flagged ships to move goods between U.S. ports, a temporary move that White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said could “ensure vital energy products and agricultural necessities are flowing freely to U.S. ports.”

Senate passes bipartisan housing bill to improve access, affordability It is unclear if the House will take it up

The legislation, she said, “will help drive down prices.” Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott, R-S.C., led the effort with Warren. He said ahead of the BY CHARLOTTE KRAMON, ALEX vote that the Senate would “do what VEIGA and MARY CLARE JALONICK so many people failed to do in this Associated Press legislative body for the last few deWASHINGTON — The Senate passed cades, and that is pass consequential a broad bill on Thursday to make legislation that makes it easier to beU.S. housing more accessible and come a homeowner.” affordable, a rare bipartisan effort in Congress to address a growing Roadblocks ahead national problem. Despite the bipartisan vote in the The bill, which passed 89-10, Senate and a shared eagerness to would reduce regulations, regulate pass the legislation ahead of the corporate investors and expand midterm elections, It’s unclear how housing dollars can be used to whether the House will take up the build affordable homes and rent- bill again — or if President Donald als. It will now head back to the Trump will sign it. Trump has backed the legislaHouse, which passed a similar bill earlier this year. tion through the bipartisan nego“We have a housing shortage all tiations, but he has also slowed its across America,” said Massachu- momentum with a declaration last setts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth weekend that he won’t sign any new Warren, who worked with Repub- measures unless Congress passes licans to win overwhelming sup- legislation that would require votport from both parties for the leg- ers to show proof of citizenship and islation. “We need more housing of end most mail-in balloting. At the same time, House leaders every kind. ”

have indicated that they are unlikely to accept the Senate version of the housing legislation and have suggested they could launch a formal conference process to negotiate a ﬁnal deal between the chambers — a process that could take months.

Making housing more attainable Both Republicans and Democrats have embraced the legislation as there has been a national shortage of home construction and as prices have climbed faster than incomes. The bill would give local governments more power on housing issues, allow banks to invest more in affordable housing and lift limits on the number of public housing units that can receive private ﬁnancing through Section 8 funding to rehabilitate properties. “You’ve got many provisions in this bill that stop treating the U.S. like one single housing market and start giving local leaders the tools they need to ﬁx their unique regional puzzle,” said Peter Carroll with Cotality, a company that tracks housing data.

The bill aims to make homebuilding easier by streamlining some regulations that require environmental reviews and inspections. It also lifts a limit on a grant for emergency shelter beds and street homelessness outreach. As many affordable housing developers are leaning on manufactured and modular homes that can be transported to areas that need housing, the legislation also would eliminate the requirement that they have to be built on a permanent chassis, reducing costs and making them easier to build and design.

Corporate investors One of the more contested provisions of the bill would bar institutional investors from buying single-family homes — a top priority for Trump. The bill deﬁnes such investors as any that directly or indirectly own 350 or more single-family homes. Investors of any size would not be required to sell single-family homes bought before the date that the bill becomes a law.

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Friday, March 13, 2026 ● 7A

Senate GOP plans talkathon on voting bill lll

BY MARY CLARE JALONICK and LISA MASCARO Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Under pressure from President Donald Trump, Senate Republicans plan to launch a “full and robust debate” next week on legislation to impose strict new proof-of-citizenship requirements, an effort to show Trump that they are serious about the bill even though it doesn’t have enough support to pass. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., is planning a talkathon on the Senate floor for an indefinite period of time, though it won’t officially be the “talking filibuster” that Trump has suggested. Republicans plan to hold the floor for days, if not weeks, to pressure Democrats. “I can guarantee that we are going to put Democrats on the record,” Thune said on the Senate floor Thursday as he announced the plan to take up the bill, which has already passed the House. Trump has said he won’t sign any other legislation until the bill — known as the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility or SAVE America Act — is passed. It faces unified opposition from Democrats, meaning that the Senate likely can’t approve it unless Republicans change the rules and eliminate the filibuster. Many GOP

senators are unwilling to go that far. Trump has made the bill a priority ahead of the midterm elections, arguing that Republicans need it to win — even as his party won the presidency and congressional majorities in 2024 without it. Federal law already requires that voters in national elections afﬁrm under oath, at the risk of prosecution, that they are U.S. citizens. The bill would also require that voters provide a photo ID when casting ballots, as many states already require.

Trump to pass the SAVE America Act and has pushed for the talking ﬁlibuster, said Thursday that it’s not yet clear how it will play out. “I think he understands that we need to put in an aggressive effort here,” Lee said of Trump. “And a lot of that is going to have to be determined in real time as we go about it.” The extent of Trump’s satisfaction with the process, Lee said, “will depend on whether in his view, we gave it everything we have.”

Democrats ready to push back

An alternate path The president’s insistence on the bill, and an energized push from the GOP base, has put pressure on Thune. The GOP leader has repeatedly said they don’t have the votes to eliminate the filibuster, which triggers a 60-vote threshold, or even to move to the talking filibuster that Trump has aggressively lobbied them to deploy. Even if they did have the votes, a talking filibuster would not guarantee passage. Supporters of that approach say that Democrats would eventually tire of speaking or allow the legislation to pass. But Democrats would also be allowed to bring up an indefinite number of amendments on any subject, forcing Republicans to take hard votes in an election year and delaying

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MARIAM ZUHAIB

Senate Republicans plan to launch a “full and robust debate” next week on legislation to impose strict new proof-of-citizenship requirements. the process even more. “We can’t ﬁnd a piece of legislation in history that’s been passed that way,” Thune said this week. Caught between Trump and Democratic opposition, Republican senators have come up with an alternate plan to hold the ﬂoor themselves — denying Democrats the opportunity for a weekslong stage to talk. The strategy avoids the procedural pitfalls, even if the process is likely to end with a failed vote. Republicans are also expected to consider several

amendments on issues that Trump has named as priorities, including an end to most mail-in balloting. “Republicans are looking forward to this debate,” Thune said.

Hoping to appease Trump Similar to the talking ﬁlibuster, though, the plan does have risks — mainly that it won’t satisfy Trump, who has demanded passage and threatened to hold up almost everything else in Congress. Utah Sen. Mike Lee, a Republican who has led the effort with

Democrats uniformly oppose the legislation, arguing that it would disenfranchise some 20 million American voters who don’t have birth certificates or other documents readily available. Sen. Alex Padilla, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Rules Committee, said his side of the aisle is organizing “to bring our arguments — and the facts — to the ﬂoor as well.” He said it would be more accurate to call it the “Save Trump’s Ass Act,” because the only way he said Republicans can try to hold on to power in this November’s elections is to make it harder for eligible people to vote. Padilla said the SAVE America Act “is not a voter ID bill. It is a voter suppression bill. It is a voter purging bill.”

Live Nation employee mocked customers as ‘so stupid’ in internal messages BY LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated Press

NEW YORK — Incendiary internal messages in which a Live Nation employee mocks customers as “so stupid” and says the company is “robbing them blind, baby” have been made public as over two dozen states weigh whether to continue their antitrust trial against the entertainment giant and its subsidiary Ticketmaster. The messages from late 2021 through early 2023 on the online work messaging platform Slack were highlighted late Wednesday in a ﬁling by government lawyers released in the public court record. The lawyers insist the messages should be evidence in the week-old trial in Manhattan federal court

against Live Nation and Ticketmaster. At the trial, lawyers for the federal government and 39 states and the District of Columbia say Live Nation and Ticketmaster were squelching competition and driving up prices for fans through threats, retaliation and other tactics to “suffocate the competition” by controlling virtually every aspect of the industry, from concert promotion to ticketing. The companies insist that artists, sports teams and venues set prices and decide how tickets are sold. The government lawyers wrote that the statements should be part of the trial because they are “candid, internal messages” in which Ben Baker “calls fans ‘so stupid,’ explains that he ‘gouge(s)’ them,

and brags that Live Nation is ‘robbing them blind, baby.’ ” In the submission to Judge Arun Subramanian, the lawyers noted that Baker made the statements while he was a regional director of ticketing with responsibility for a large amphitheater in Florida but has since been promoted to head of ticketing for Venue Nation with responsibilities relating to all of Live Nation’s venues. They said the employees were discussing Live Nation’s price for access to the VIP area of a show at the MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre in Tampa when Baker wrote that the prices are “outrageous,” that “these people are so stupid” and that “I almost feel bad taking advantage of them” before writing, “BAHAHAHAHAHA.”

Live Nation wants the exhibits disqualified from the trial, saying the messages reflect “off-the-cuff banter, not policy” between two friends who do not work together. The company’s lawyers wrote that the exhibits don’t relate to the antitrust claims. They said the employees were making “passing references to non-ticket ancillary products — such as VIP club access, premier parking, or lawn chair rentals — sold to concertgoers at two amphitheaters” in Florida and Virginia. But lawyers for the plaintiff states and U.S. government wrote that “excessive prices for ancillary services are directly relevant” to their claims and that “ancillaries are a significant way that Live Nation monetizes its monopoly posi-

tion in the amphitheater market.” In a statement Thursday, the company said the Slack exchange “from one junior staffer to a friend absolutely doesn’t reﬂect our values or how we operate.” The trial’s status is up in the air after the federal government announced this week it was settling with Live Nation in a deal that would give Live Nation’s competitors some access to ticket sales they are currently excluded from. Lawyers for more than two dozen states have asked that the ongoing trial be scrapped and that a new jury be chosen in the weeks ahead. A jury that began hearing evidence last week was told to stay home this week with the expectation the trial would resume on Monday.

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The most authentic Celtic festival in the South! See you March 14, 2026

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1BN

Downtown program expands coverage

15-block corridor near Catholic Charities added

BY ADAM DAIGLE

Acadiana business editor

STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRAD BOWIE

Downtown Lafayette ambassador Andrew Tucker removes litter from a green patch along Jefferson Street in June.

The ambassador program assigned to downtown Lafayette is expanding to cover a 15-block corridor around the Catholic Charities of Acadiana campus. The Downtown Development Authority joined CCA in making the announcement earlier this week involving Block By Block, which offers cleaning and safety services downtown. Catholic Charities will fund the program to cover the area that includes St. Joseph Diner, its shelter facilities and the surrounding public rights-of-way that extend beyond its campus. Block by Block ambassadors

will provide a dedicated cleaning person to the area from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. weekdays under the same supervisory structure already in place for the existing downtown program, ofﬁcials said. Services include litter and debris removal, mechanical sidewalk cleaning, graffiti removal, weed control and hospitality patrols. The DDA began contracting with Block by Block last year and is funded through the Downtown Economic Development District at a cost of about $375,000 annually for the equivalent of four full-time staffers. “Lafayette has been an outstanding partner from day one, and this expansion reﬂects a pattern we see in successful programs across the

country,” said Nick Haines, regional vice president-Southwest with Block by Block. “When a program delivers real results, communities want more of it.” “The team and infrastructure is in place, the model is proven across the country, and we’re ready to expand it wherever partners are willing to invest in making places clean, safe and vibrant,” said DDA director Kevin Blanchard. “Downtown Lafayette is not standing still — we are actively and methodically addressing the nuts-and-bolts, quality-of-life issues that matter to residents, businesses and visitors.” Email Adam Daigle at adaigle@ theadvocate.com.

PHOTO PROVIDED By DAVID BEGNAUD

David Begnaud, left, and Maria Placer

Begnaud showed promise as teen reporter

BOPPING WITH BIG BUDDy

KLFy’s Maria Placer says she knew he would succeed

ABOVE: Actor and author Roger J.

Timber, also known as Big Buddy Roger, entertains students and

BY JA’KORI MADISON

teachers Thursday at Truman

Staff writer

Long before he became a familiar face reporting breaking news across the country, David Begnaud was a teenager in Lafayette trying to figure out how he would get his start in television. It was at KLFY-TV, where Begnaud landed an entry-level position as a teen reporter, that he first crossed paths with one of Acadiana journalism’s most respected figures — Maria Placer. Placer still remembers that first introduction in the hallway outside the newsroom. “I remember passing him in a hallway in the newsroom,” she said. “Someone introduced him and said, ‘Maria, this is David Begnaud, the new teen reporter you approved.’ ” Begnaud was a senior in high school at the time, eager to learn everything he could about television news. Placer had already built a legacy. Known across southwest Louisiana as the region’s first woman television news anchor and the first female television news director on the Gulf Coast, she spent decades shaping the newsroom while advocating for children through various community programs. “I had came across many talents in my days, but there was something about that 17-yearold,” Placer said. “I was a nosy kid,” Begnaud said. “There’s a picture of me as a child on the phone with my hand in the air like I’m telling someone, ‘You’ve got to listen to this.’ I think I’m just wired to listen, dig and then broadcast.”

ä See BEGNAUD, page 4B

Early Childhood Education Center in Lafayette. Timber is a graduate of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and has been a credited actor in over 40 television shows and movies. Timber aims to promote kindness, respect and friendship through his music, dance and positive-message program for schools. RIGHT: Principal Stephanie Francis plays an inﬂatable guitar as she takes the stage with Timber.

STAFF PHOTOS By LESLIE WESTBROOK

About 50K attended Mardi Gras parades, report says Gras’ Queen’s Parade brought Tuesday drew biggest di10,600 visitors, while Saturday’s Bonaparte and Friday’s Allons Pacrowd of weekend rades brought a combined 17,000

BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL Staff writer

While Lafayette was either unlucky or lucky enough not to have a Shia LaBeouf spotting, the city’s Mardi Gras celebration still attracted droves of people. Around 50,000 attended parades in Lafayette over Mardi Gras weekend up until Fat Tuesday, according to Downtown Lafayette Unlimited’s 2026 Mardi Gras report. Unsurprisingly, people’s favorite day to celebrate Mardi Gras was Fat Tuesday, with 19,000 having attended a parade in Lafayette. Lun-

people to the city. But who are the people who make up parade attendance? Mostly families, according to DLU reports, with up to 63% of attendees from family households. The majority of those come from households with more than two people. What that signals to DLU is that Lafayette Mardi Gras is a multigenerational, family-centered traSTAFF FILE PHOTO By BRAD BOWIE dition, they wrote, which beneﬁts from the ability to bring strollers, The Independent Parade rolls on Mardi Gras in Lafayette. wagons, chairs and ice chests. The report states future deci- consider accessibility for children deﬁned viewing spaces, and capacsions about Lafayette Mardi Gras, and older adults, comfort for mul- ity that matches real attendance including route changes, should tihour attendance, safe and clearly patterns.

OPINION

2B ● Friday, March 13, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M/opinions

La. building a path to a thriving 21st-century economy 2025 was a banner year for eco- create prosperity by itself. We nomic development in the state need to leverage our “external” of Louisiana. From January to wins to invest in both thriving December, the state announced main streets and growing new $61 billion of new direct inindustry leaders, through companies built here from vestment and the expected the ground up. creation of 9,300 direct Practitioners of ecojobs. This is real change, headnomic development use the term “fenceline induslined by a wide variety Jon of innovative companies tries” to describe compleAtkinson mentary businesses that tackling hard problems GUEST from Louisiana and creatsupport major industries. COLUMNIST The easiest business to ing real value in the 21st attract is the one that ancentury global economy. From rare earth elements chors to what is here. That to low carbon steel, data, AI and is why the most important quesautonomous ships, Louisiana is tion in economic development building the infrastructure that is to go to industry drivers who the world will depend on for a chose to be here and ask who they prosperous tomorrow. would want “next door.” While this is needed progress, By pitching complementary we can do even better. Louisiana business, you eventually create has a long history of investing a cluster that becomes hard for in locating new businesses here these industries to ignore. With without making comparable density comes opportunity that investments in the surrounding ﬁnds its way to your door rather systems that lift the prospects of than always having to do the hard local businesses. Outside investwork of searching. People can see a career across multiple compament is a catalyst, but it does not

nies in a sector, not just one job. Communities become stronger and new local businesses that serve residents suddenly thrive. Consider the history of states that have deﬁned their own destiny through new industry: space in Alabama, robotics in Pennsylvania, ﬁnance and bio-tech in North Carolina, software in Texas. Each has reached a tipping point through deliberate focus on locally anchored, future-looking industries. Each also leveraged its “wins” to drive homegrown innovation and double down on creating places where people want to live. Historically, Louisiana has been good at incentivizing companies to bring jobs here, but we become frustrated with the long-term impacts because we lack adequate follow-through to support the things that must happen on the other side of the “fence.” In contrast, states like Texas, Utah and Tennessee have invested hundreds of millions of state dollars (alongside attraction investments) in economic development

through local innovation and local business development. The Texas Emerging Technology Fund provides an example of the scale and ambition of these investments. Launched in 2005 by Gov. Rick Perry when the population of the Austin metro hovered around 1.4 million people and its key industries centered on education, health care and tourism, this fund was a $500 million investment in building an economy based on homegrown innovation in frontier technology. While not a perfect strategy, it built on Texas’ strengths in industrial innovation, research capacity and the emerging technology workforce, centered largely around Dell, to pour fuel on the ﬁre. Today, the Austin metropolitan area has over 2.5 million people and an economy of opportunity deﬁned by software, hardware, advanced manufacturing, data, life science and digital media. To build a world-class 21st century economy in Louisiana, we must make proportionate invest-

ments “outside the fence.” This means supporting startups and local businesses and making capital for them as readily available and abundant as it is for our largest businesses. It also means investing in systems of education, mentorship and market access that encourage entrepreneurship by making it less risky and investing in the places where creative collisions happen and doors are opened. In 2025, Louisiana took signiﬁcant steps, for the ﬁrst time in its history, to build state-level systems to prioritize innovation and fund local business development by creating the Louisiana Innovation or “LA.IO” initiative. This has changed the game and laid a foundation for Louisiana to win longterm. Now we must double down and commit to bold investments in growing our own innovative companies that match the scale of our ambition. Jon Atkinson is the CEO of The Idea Village.

Cancer advocacy matters Congress needs to act as much as treatment does to support farmers now Sugar cane is an inextricable part of the culture and economy in south Louisiana. Our state is the northernmost location in the world where sugar cane is grown, planted across more than 25 parishes and supporting nearly 20,000 jobs and more than $4 billion in annual economic impact. As a sugar cane grower, my family depends on the sustainability of the sugar Chad cane industry, but today we Hanks face serious challenges from labor shortages and stubborn GUEST COLUMNIST inflation. That’s why I spent a week in February in Washington, D.C., pressing for policies that will keep farms like mine alive. I’m a first-generation sugar cane grower, having switched from rice 35 years ago. Even as our industry has adopted new technologies and modernized operations, the nature of sugar cane planting, cultivating and harvesting still requires significant human labor. For example, sugar cane is a tropical grass. You can’t neatly drop seeds into furrows — you must plant parts of the grassy stalk, called billets, to grow. While most planting operations are mechanized, many farms still rely on workers to ensure those billets are correctly planted. Throughout the season, there are many reasons to require farm labor and, similarly, harvest season requires boots on the ground. On my farm alone, we have 3,500 acres of sugar cane that must be cut every fall, either for planting new seed cane or to feed the sugar cane mill. It’s a lot of work to keep harvesters and carts running smoothly while delivering cane on a timely schedule to ensure the mill can run efficiently. Even with farm wages amounting to more than double the minimum wage, it has become increasingly difficult to secure the help we need to plant and harvest our sugar cane. Simply put, most Americans don’t apply to work on a farm during a hot and humid Louisiana summer. While we always prefer to hire American workers, our farm does rely on migrant workers who legally come to work in the U.S. through the H-2A visa program. Many return year after year, determined to work hard and create a better life for their families back home. These workers are taking time away from their families to help plant, tend and harvest the crops that feed American families. It is a responsibility none of us takes lightly. Unfortunately, the programs that we rely on for these workers have become increasingly complex. Congress must act to make

PHOTO By LEE BALL

A two-row sugar cane harvester is pressure washed at HMC Farms in Loreauville.

these programs truly workable for American agriculture. Labor is one pressure. Inﬂation is another. The costs for farm inputs, such as new machinery, repairs, fuel and fertilizer have increased signiﬁcantly in recent years. The U.S. Department of Agriculture forecasts that other expenses will continue to rise over the coming year, as well. Meanwhile, only about 24% of each dollar spent at the grocery store goes to farms, and less than that for the food you purchase in a restaurant. Farmers receive only a fraction of the food dollar spent by consumers. John F. Kennedy once said, “The farmer is the only man in our economy who has to buy everything he buys at retail — sell everything he sells at wholesale — and pay the freight both ways.” That was true in 1960, and it is true today. The price we receive for raw cane sugar has fallen steadily over the past few years and now barely covers our costs. Louisiana’s sugar cane farmers continue to do more with less. We do it because we love agriculture and we want to preserve this way of life. We do it because we value providing jobs to our communities and contributing to the economy. Importantly, we do it because a strong America must be able to feed itself and American-made, all-natural sugar is a vital part of our food supply. We in the Pelican State are blessed to have a congressional delegation that recognizes the strategic importance of the Louisiana sugar cane industry, and I was proud to share our message with other federal lawmakers from across the U.S. to build support for American agriculture. It is my hope that Congress will help ensure American farms will sustain many more generations to come. Chad Hanks is a sugar cane farmer in Lafayette.

Cancer treatment is an uphill battle, not only against the disease itself but also against health care bureaucracy. A few years ago, a patient with prostate cancer came to my clinic seeking treatment after multiple other options had failed. Mounting evidence has Marc shown that a class of canMatrana cer drugs, called PARP GUEST inhibitors, could help him. COLUMNIST Yet his insurance company refused to cover it. Appeal after appeal, they would not budge. Despite having an effective treatment available, we could not get it to the patient who needed it. Binay Only through compassionShah ate use from the manufacGUEST turer did we finally secure COLUMNIST the drug after months of fighting. The patient responded well to the therapy. Health policy profoundly impacts cancer patient outcomes. Cancer’s trajectory is shaped by factors far beyond biology. While the disease ravages organs and bloodstreams, complex administrative barriers and socioeconomic and environmental hazards create another layer of destruction, one that can allow cancer to thrive and become fatal. Consider Louisiana’s “Cancer Alley,” where environmental pollution has created some of the highest cancer rates in the world. Petrochemical plants and refineries have operated in this region for decades, promising economic benefits like job creation and tax revenue. But the human cost is alarming. When weighed against the devastating health consequences, these economic promises ring hollow. Since joining with cancer survivors, oncology clinicians and philanthropists to form the Cancer Advocacy Group of Louisiana (CAGLA), we have helped pass more than a dozen new laws to improve access to cancer care and protect patient rights in the state. Take CAR T-cell therapy, for example, an immune-based treatment that has dramatically improved outcomes for multiple cancers. Access to this treatment has been a major barrier. In response, we advocated for a bill requiring Louisiana Medicaid to cover all inpatient and outpatient CAR T-cell therapy when FDA-approved and administered in appropriate facilities. But the work doesn’t stop there. Insurance-related hurdles, from prior

authorization delays to claim denials, continue to impede care and frustrate patients and oncology care teams. We need policies that expand coverage for prevention, screenings and innovative and beneficial treatments. And contrary to industry pushback, it may not significantly raise premiums and can save money long-term. Patient voices and advocates must be at the center of policy discussions. This ensures that laws are effective, targeted and meaningful. And passing a law is not the finish line. Insurance companies must comply. As the United States debates disagreements over a national funding bill, health care policies are once again at the forefront of public attention. From an oncologist’s perspective, our priority is clear: We want policies that improve the quality of life for patients. Reducing Medicaid access will only put the health of individuals already vulnerable to cancer at greater risk. Whether you are a patient, a caregiver or a cancer care professional, you have the power to influence these policies. If you are frustrated by the red tape and administrative hurdles, start advocating. Start locally: Connect with local oncology associations, patient advocacy groups or government officials. Speak up and share your experience. Sooner than expected, you could be standing alongside the governor as a bill is signed into law. A law you envisioned, drafted and fought for, and that will improve care for hundreds of patients, maybe thousands, for years to come. That is the force and impact of legislative advocacy. History offers hope. In downtown New Orleans, there is an old tuberculosis hospital, now crumbling and abandoned. A relic of a disease that once devastated communities but is no longer a major threat thanks to medical advances and policies that drove its decline. This is how we must envision the future of cancer. We want a world where every patient has access to high-quality cancer care. And one day, perhaps, we will have a world where cancer centers are abandoned and crumbling, because cancer has now become a problem of the distant past. Marc Matrana is an oncologist at the Gayle and Tom Benson Cancer Center. Binay Shah is a hematologistoncologist and the co-founder and president of oncology nonprofit Binaytara.

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COMMENTARY

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, center, with her husband Bryon Noem seated behind her, appears for an oversight hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington on March 3.

ISSUE OF THE WEEK NOEM FIRED As secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem was the face of one of President Donald Trump signature policies — a crackdown that aimed to deport those living and working in the country illegally. But as protests mounted against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and after the killings of two American citizens by federal agents, Noem drew increasing criticism of how she ran the department. Last week, Congress called her in to testify about her tenure and the results were disastrous. Trump fired Noem two days later and nominated Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma to replace her. What does this mean for the future of immigration enforcement? Here are two perspectives.

Can our immigration policy DHS Secretary takes her improve now that she’s gone? last ride off into the sunset The worst of Secretary of Homeland authority would go on to conduct brutal Security Kristi Noem’s many terrible mo- and legally dubious round-ups of imments in recent congressional hearings migrants (and Americans who look like on immigration control probably came them) in a succession of U.S. cities. They when she admitted to being unfamiliar would shoot and kill at least four U.S. citiwith the shockingly appalling case of Ma- zens, including the two in Minnesota, one in California and one in Texas. rimar Martinez. Others, like Martinez, would be She is the Chicago woman who lucky to survive their wounds. managed to survive being shot five As DHS operations inspired times by Border Patrol agents in mass political protest, and October, leaving her with nerve tanked President Donald Trump’s damage in her right hand. polling numbers, Noem faithfully Yet, as Noem, dubbed “ICE BarClarence parroted the administration’s bie” by some for her love of posPage talking points, continually charturing in front of media cameras, was pushed by U.S. Sen. Richard acterizing immigrants as danBlumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, gerous and protesters as terrorists, and to acknowledge that the shooting was Trump stood by her. “wrong” during a heated Senate JudiYet their relationship came crashing down last Thursday when Trump uncerciary Committee hearing, ignorance was her defense. emoniously fired her. Or, rather, demoted “Sir, I don’t know that situation or the her to United States Special Envoy for case,” Noem replied. “I’ll look into it to The Shield of the Americas, whatever ensure that all procedures were followed that is. properly....” Noem had been caught in a lie in testifyHow likely is it that Noem had not ing about $220 million of taxpayer money looked into the case surrounding Marshe spent on TV advertising — some of which ended up going to a company run tinez’s shooting last Oct. 4, especially in by the husband of her erstwhile press light of the embarrassing details that aide, Tricia McLaughlin. On Tuesday became to light as the U.S. Justice Department attempted to prosecute the victim? fore the Senate Judicial Committee, she Some of those details were in evidence claimed the contract for the ads had been in the Senate hearing room, including submitted for competitive bids. However, posters bearing the text messages exon Wednesday, in front of the House, she admitted it was a no-bid arrangement. changed by Martinez’s shooter, Border Worse, she claimed that Trump had Patrol agent Charles Exum, bragging: “I blessed the affair. fired 5 rounds and she had 7 holes. Put Bye, bye, Madam Secretary. that in your book boys.” Lying, corruption, illegal deportation Got that, “boys”? Sounds like the govand even taking innocent life seemingly ernment’s immigration enforcers have are no bar to a seat in Trump’s Cabinet been going after anyone who looks as Room. But implicate him in your shenanithough they might, just might, be an undocumented newcomer, whether they gans, and you’re likely to end up “as dead happen to be here illegally or not. And the as fried chicken,” as the colorful Repubboss isn’t going to check your work. lican Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana put In her 13 months leading the Departit. I hope that Trump’s apparent nominee ment of Homeland Security, Noem manto be her replacement, Republican Sen. aged to cut quite a media figure. In May, Markwayne Mullen of Oklahoma, will do just months into the job, she visited an a better job if he gets confirmed. infamous prison in El Salvador, to which But first, leaders from both parties need her department had deported Venezuelan to talk seriously about what is needed to immigrants. Posing with flowing locks protect our borders without endangering and perfect makeup in front of caged the rights and freedoms that make this gang members clad only in their underwear, Noem sent a message that would be country so attractive in the first place. hard to decode as anything other than a Email Clarence Page at clarence47page@ taste for authoritarian kink. gmail.com. Homeland Security agents under her

At times, you could be forgiven for havtrol over the department’s spending. Self-dealing played a direct role in ing thought that Kristi Noem wanted to be Noem’s defenestration. The department a uniformed DHS officer rather than the approved a $220 million contract — funsecretary of the department. Now, the cabinet member most inclined neled in part through firms run by Noem to glamour shots out in the field is going to and Lewandowski allies — for an ad camhave to go back to wearing civilian clothes. paign encouraging illegal immigrants to For all his trademark firings during go home. “The Apprentice” and the rapid turnover The ad starred — who else? — Kristi of his first term, President Donald Noem. She was on horseback and Trump has been loath to oust top in chaps. The implicit message was officials this time around. Kristi that if illegal immigrants didn’t Noem is the exception, and she’s leave on their own, she’d immediearned the dubious distinction. ately form a posse and run them Incompetent and preposterover the border. It was a production worthy of a ously self-promoting, Noem took Rich spaghetti western, or — more to the a serious role and made it like Lowry point, given her political ambitions something out of the HBO political — a commercial for a 2028 presispoof “Veep.” The Wall Street Journal recently pubdential campaign. Noem couldn’t defend the sketchy lished a devastating report on her time spending decisions, or the blatantly selfat the department, which she ran in close glorifying ad, or much of anything else, partnership with the man she’s been ruin brutal back-to-back House and Senate mored to be having an affair with, former congressional hearings that precipitated Trump consultant Corey Lewandowski her doom. (she dismisses such reports as tabloid She’d already been taken down a notch trash). after the Minneapolis ICE operation went It was a little like Antony and Cleopatra sideways. Not working with copious supon the Potomac, except the empire was a sprawling bureaucracy and as farce plies of credibility to begin with, she rather than tragedy. tossed away whatever she had by instantly According to the Journal, Lewandowski labeling both agitators shot by DHS agents fired a Coast Guard pilot who left Noem’s “domestic terrorists.” blanket behind on another plane and then, All of this said, it was Trump who hired when they reached their destination, reNoem despite her manifest deficiencies, including no notable experience in iminstated him because there wasn’t anyone else to fly them home. migration enforcement. She was cameraReportedly, Noem tracked how often ready and loyal, so why not? Tom Homan, the border czar who supHer designated replacement, Oklahoma planted her in Minneapolis, was on TV and senator Markwayne Mullin, also doesn’t have a background in immigration policy. sought to outpace him. One hopes, though, that he won’t interfere The Journal related that Lewandowski with the professionals and will continue was desperate to get a federally issued the Homan-backed approach of focusing gun and badge and exacted retribution on apprehending illegal immigrants who against those who didn’t cooperate (he have committed other criminal offenses failed to get the gun, but apparently got and received final orders of removal, and the badge). ramping up worksite enforcement. DHS officials denied much of the JourThe French World War I-era statesman nal story, but even if a fraction of it was Georges Clemenceau once said, “War is too true, it was still damning. important to be left to the generals.” By The two were turfy, sharp-elbowed buthe same token, immigration enforcement reaucratic players, not a new or unusual is too important to be left to self-serving offense in Washington. But their enemies glory hounds who are focused more on the tended to be people who knew what they main chance than the underlying mission. were doing, with Tom Homan high on the Trump’s first firing was the right one. list. Noem and Lewandowski raised eyebrows by taking an unusual amount of con- Rich Lowry is on X, @RichLowry

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4B ● Friday, March 13, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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Officials eye route for new BR bridge

BEGNAUD

Continued from page 1B That curiosity led him to Channel 10’s teen reporter program, which allowed high school students across Acadiana to produce stories and experience the pace of a working newsroom. For many students, it was simply another after-school activity. For Begnaud, it quickly became something more. “So many of them would do one or two stories and say, ‘OK, I’m good,’ ” he said. “But I couldn’t get enough of it. I wanted to learn more. I wanted to do more.” Placer says their first real conversation revealed the determination that would later define his career. The young aspiring journalist asked if he could meet with her, and she told him to stop by her office later that day. About half an hour later, he returned — early — and waited outside her door. When she invited him in, she said he was “irradiating” with excitement. “I said, ‘You excited about something?’ ” Placer recalled. Begnaud laughed and replied, “Yes, I can’t believe I’m talking to Maria Placer.” She joked back: “Well, I can’t believe I’m talking to David Begnaud.” When he responded that he wasn’t famous, Placer told him: “I know you’re not — but you’re going to be.” She said she could already see a God-given talent in the young reporter, something reflected in the excitement he felt simply being inside a newsroom. Another small moment stuck with her. As Placer walked from the newsroom toward the studio before a broadcast, she noticed someone following closely behind her. “I stopped suddenly and he almost ran into me,” she said. When she turned and asked what he was doing, Begnaud had a simple answer. “He said, ‘I’m carrying your IFB for you.’ ” The IFB — the small earpiece anchors use during live broadcasts — was hanging down the back of her col-

PHOTO PROVIDED By DAVID BEGNAUD

While he continues to report on major news events, David Begnaud has increasingly shifted some of his focus toward stories that highlight compassion and acts of kindness. lar as she walked. Begnaud had quietly been holding the cord so it wouldn’t drag along the ﬂoor. For Placer, the moment said everything. “For him to be that young and that enthusiastic, willing to do whatever it took — that’s rare,” she said.

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affected by it. Today he reports from across the country, often covering major stories as they unfold. But years of witnessing tragedy and crisis also pushed him to reﬂect on the emotional toll of hardnews reporting. “After a while you realize the stories that stay with you the longest aren’t always the biggest headlines,” Begnaud said. “They’re the people you meet along the way and the moments where humanity shows up.” While he continues to report on major news events, Begnaud has increasingly shifted some of his focus toward stories that highlight compassion and acts of kindness. That shift led him to create what he calls the Do Good Crew, a community focused on sharing positive stories and encouraging people to support one another. “For me, journalism has always been about people,” Begnaud said. “If you can tell stories that remind people of the good that still exists in the world, that’s powerful.” The Do Good Crew launched Feb. 23 with an interview featuring Oprah Winfrey. The project includes a podcast, newsletter, live events and social media accounts under the handle @ DoGood. Begnaud will also continue his Monday morning segments on CBS.

Begnaud’s work ethic quickly helped him climb the ladder in television news, but the path wasn’t without challenges. He has spoken openly about growing up with Tourette’s syndrome and facing bullying during his childhood. Entering the competitive world of television news also meant confronting doubts from people who questioned whether he ﬁt the traditional image of a broadcaster. “There were plenty of people who told me no,” Begnaud said. Still, he kept going. “You can look at the most unlikely person, and that person can the next day be somebody you would never have expected to see in that role,” Placer said. “But if you take the time to understand who they are, you might discover something extraordinary.” Begnaud’s career eventually led him to CBS News, where he became known for his coverage of natural disasters and major national events. Reporting from the ﬁeld, he built a reputation for arriving quickly at Email Ja’kori Madison the center of breaking news at jakori.madison@ while focusing on the people theadvocate.com.

Allegations surface in La. congressional race Accuser’s rape claim disputed by her family

BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer

A police report ﬁled by an ex-girlfriend of state Sen. Blake Miguez, R-New Iberia, accusing him of rape 19 years ago that has been circulating among Louisiana political insiders for several weeks burst into public view Wednesday night when national media reported on it. But the mother and brother of the accuser separately told The Advocate | The TimesPicayune recently that they seriously doubt her allegation against Miguez, who is now a candidate for the 5th Congressional District. “I don’t believe that (police report), not for one minute,” the mother said during a 45-minute interview on her doorstep in Youngsville on Feb. 11. In the Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Department report from 2007, the woman said Miguez raped her at her apartment after a verbal argument at a bar. She said she then ﬂed and hid from Miguez and called 911. The report also stated that she declined to press charges. He was questioned but not arrested. The Sheriff ’s Department report also said that the woman refused medical treatment from a hospital. According to the report, she told a sheriff’s deputy that “she did not want Blake to get into trouble, but she wanted him to understand that he is not to disrespect her like he did.” In last month’s interview,

the mother said that her daughter has suffered from mental health issues as an adult, has been arrested several times for substance abuse and is now homeless. “She suffers from schizophrenia, bipolar, anxiety, depression,” the mother said. “She is sleeping in cane fields, behind churches. I talk to her every now and then.” The ex-girlfriend could not be reached for comment. In a statement issued Wednesday night, Miguez’s campaign said, “The 2007 allegations made by the woman in question against Blake are categorically false.” The woman was 22 when she made the accusation. Miguez was 25 and a student at Southern University Law School. Through a public records request, The Advocate | The Times-Picayune also obtained last month a thick ﬁle from the Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Department containing case reports in which the woman later called the police several times, alleging domestic violence against her by several later boyfriends, and the boyfriends made claims against her. The Atlantic published a story Wednesday evening citing the police report and noting that President Donald Trump had endorsed Miguez. The Guardian then published a lengthy report citing the Atlantic article. The mother said her daughter and Miguez were together for about two years. “(Blake) was one of the best things she ever had,” the mother said. “He was honest. He was just a good guy. He tried to keep her on the right track. Because she

was all over the place. She was my problem child. I just want her to get diagnosed and get medication to have something of a normal life.” The mother said she hasn’t talked to Miguez in years and didn’t know he is a candidate now for the 5th Congressional District, which includes East Baton Rouge and Livingston parishes, the Florida Parishes and the parishes that extend up the Mississippi River to Arkansas. Miguez, who served in the state House before his election to the Senate in 2023, is a Republican from Erath, near New Iberia. The mother’s account was seconded by the woman’s brother, who wrote in a March 5 text, “100% Blake is a fantastic man and my sister has battled drug addiction her entire life. The allegations are completely made up.” The Miguez campaign provided a Feb. 24 email that the accuser’s father sent to Miguez’s legislative office account. In it, the father said his daughter’s accusations were “lies” and added, “You have our 100% support.”

Mississippi River span could cost $1.78 billion to $2.04 billion

BY DAVID J. MITCHELL Staff writer

State highway officials say they expect to choose a route for a new Mississippi River bridge by year’s end — unless further study is needed on the environmental impact of the long-awaited project. The bridge, estimated to cost about $2 billion, would run between La. 1 south of Plaquemine and La. 30 near St. Gabriel. The state Department of Transportation and Development has narrowed down a ﬁeld of 32 possible bridge crossings to three. All begin and end in Iberville Parish, which is split by the river, and require new approach highways. State highway engineers recently concluded the future intersections with La. 1 and La. 30 would need more land than previously thought, citing the results of deeper analysis. Christina Brignac, DOTD’s critical projects manager, said the additional land requires a targeted environmental review once engineers decide on a preferred route and the type of intersections needed. After that, DOTD hopes to pick a final route by December, though it’s possible a far more extensive review of the entire bridge project would be necessary under regulations for federally funded projects. That could take two years to complete, ofﬁcials have said.

Public hearings will be held on the route choice. Upon a ﬁnal selection, further design, land acquisition and other preliminary steps would begin. The cost estimates for the three alternatives range from $1.78 billion to $2.04 billion, excluding some types of work that would likely be needed. So far, about $400 million has been set aside for design and construction. Tolls remain a possibility as one of several funding streams, state highway officials have said. Some residents and landowners have raised concerns about how the routes could affect old-growth cypress forests on each side of the river. Laura and Cliff Comeaux, who own an east bank forest known as the A.E. LeBlanc Natural Area, have called for the deeper environmental review. A botanist working for the family has cited the loss of 200-year-old cypress if the cheapest path is chosen. The owner of a west bank state natural area — St. Barbara, with similarly aged cypress — has voiced opposition to routes that would affect that swampland. Plans for a new bridge in the Baton Rouge area have been batted around for decades, and began to be ﬂeshed out about 15 years ago during discussions over the now scuttled Baton Rouge Loop. In 2020, the state and Federal Highway Administration began an “enhanced planning investigation” into a Mississippi bridge, triggering work that led last year to the start of a formal environmental assessment process called

for under the National Environmental Policy Act. Brignac’s comments came earlier this week during the ﬁrst of two public meetings updating residents on the environmental assessment. At the meeting in Plaquemine, people offered a mix of views, with many saying they were ready for progress. Audrey DeVillier, of Addis, recalled a parish meeting long ago where the potential for a new bridge was discussed. “Thirty-something years later, they’re still talking about it, but this is some progress, but I don’t know, I might not see it in my lifetime,” she said. But Dan Mooney, of Plaquemine, has concerns, arguing the A.E. LeBlanc forest wouldn’t regrow in 100 years, if ever. He said he has researched birds there, adding that their habitats and populations already have been declining. Others were less concerned about the impact on swamps than about other effects. Vanessa and Robert Moore and Vanessa’s brother, Craig Gautreaux, were checking to see how close their a family home is to one of the proposed routes. Robert Moore, 72, a Plaquemine resident, said he wasn’t concerned about the loss of swamp forests for the new bridge. “I mean, we’ve got wetlands all over this state,” he said. Added the 60-year-old Gautreaux: “They’re going to build where they’re going to build, you know what I mean?” David J. Mitchell can be reached at dmitchell@ theadvocate.com.

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UL opens SBC play with South Alabama

L S U A T V A N D E R B I L T • 6 P. M . F R I D A y • S E C N +

UL’s Deggs making league games top priority BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU coach Jay Johnson and Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin listen to the umpire before a game on April 6, 2024, at Alex Box Stadium. The Tigers and Commodores open SEC play Friday night at Alex Box Stadium.

What’s wrong with the SEC? Evaluating LSU’s, Vanderbilt’s struggles as league play begins

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

For nearly a decade, the Southeastern Conference has dominated college baseball. The SEC has produced the past six national champions and seven of the past eight winners. More than 100 players from the conference were selected in the MLB draft last summer, and 98 players were picked the year before. That level of dominance was expected to continue this season, and it may still be the case, with the likes of Texas and Mississippi State getting off to hot starts in nonconference play. But as SEC play begins this weekend, when LSU travels to Nashville, Tennessee, to take on Vanderbilt for a three-game series starting Friday (6 p.m., SEC Network+), an inordinate number of teams in the conference, not just LSU, have struggled against relative-

ly weaker competition. It hasn’t been a disastrous start for the conference. Seven teams enter this weekend with two or fewer losses, and 11 clubs populate D1Baseball’s top-25 rankings. But several teams known for their championship success have struggled. LSU and Arkansas made the College World Series last season, but both teams have lost ﬁve games in nonconference play. All of LSU’s defeats have come against mid-major teams. Arkansas failed to win a home nonconference series last weekend for the first time since 2014, breaking a 34-series streak. Tennessee, after losing coach Tony Vitello to the San Francisco Giants, has dropped four games while struggling at the plate. Vanderbilt has seven losses, and its pitching staff has taken a relative step backward. Florida has won some big games, but it also nearly got swept by High Point last weekend.

It would be one thing if these teams were projected to ﬁnish at the bottom of the conference. South Carolina has ﬁve losses, but the Gamecocks weren’t expected to make the NCAA Tournament this season. LSU, Arkansas, Tennessee, Florida and Vanderbilt, meanwhile, have had national championship aspirations for at least the last decade and entered this year with high expectations. “I think some of it is just like expectations versus reality, which is that baseball is a highly unpredictable game on a game-by-game basis in a way that the other major sports are not necessarily,” D1Baseball analyst Joe Healy said. “And so sometimes when these kinds of results happen, we tend to look for something here that maybe is just a shrug of the shoulders.” There is no singular reason that ex-

ä See LSU BASEBALL, page 4C

Tested UL opens SBC play at Southern Miss BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

The time has come for Sun Belt Conference play and it can’t come soon enough for the UL softball team. The long preconference schedule period is over and now the Ragin’ Cajuns can focus on their quest to win a league championship. The next step begins at 6 p.m. Friday when UL travels to meet Southern Miss in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. “I think they’re ready for conference,” coach Alyson Habetz said. “We’ve talking about being on a mission for conference

ä UL at Southern Miss, 6 P.M. FRIDAy, ESPN+

this year. It’s not a, ‘Hey, let’s go get two out of three,’ it’s a, ‘Hey, let’s go get three and run-the-table-type mission.’ Conference is really important — conference equals postseason.” From playing the likes of Texas A&M and Oklahoma twice over the past two weeks, for instance, the Cajuns are hoping they’re battle tested for conference play. “I think we’ve experienced some adversity, which you want

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

UL coach Alyson Habetz, center, and her Ragin’ Cajuns are ready to ä See UL SOFTBALL, page 4C face Southern Miss on Friday to open Sun Belt play.

There are goals UL’s coaching staff hold high on the priority list for each game during the season. But with Sun Belt Conference play starting with Friday’s league opener against South Alabama at Russo Park, it’s an even bigger ä South priority for the RaAlabama at UL, gin’ Cajuns. “You want to win 6 P.M. FRIDAy, ESPN+ every game you’re in,” coach Matt Deggs said. “However, I rank what we do in the Sun Belt Conference above everything. That’s what I want to do. That’s what the team wants to do.” The Cajuns (12-4) host the Jaguars (115) to open league play in a long bitter series UL leads 38-28, including eight wins in the past 11 meetings. “We better be ready for a really good South Alabama team to start off with,” Deggs said. “It’s going to be a really hard climb, because the league’s as good as it’s been in a number of years. “We’ve got to be in a good spot mentally, physically, spiritually, starting Friday night. I want to see this ball club put itself in a position to be playing there at the end for something.” To do so, Deggs revealed four categories his staff is focused on to win each game. One is a football term “time of possession, meaning how long we’re on defense versus them,” and the second one is “zero game, meaning if you score on us, we’ve got to respond. If we score on you, we’ve got to go out and throw up a zero.” The third key battle is the “alpha atbats, which is (driving in a) runner on third and less than two outs,” which was “just OK” in last weekend’s series win over Dallas Baptist. The fourth one is the “three-run inning game,” or preventing crooked numbers on the mound and producing them at the plate. “(Dallas Baptist) had quite a few of those over the weekend, so we haven’t arrived yet,” Deggs said. “We still need to get better. We haven’t really done anything yet. We’ve got to prove ourselves every single day.” The pitching staff will begin with true freshman Sawyer Pruitt (2-1, 1.48 ERA in 241/3 innings and 29 strikeouts) as the Friday night starter. He’ll be followed by senior left-hander Andrew Herrmann (2-0, 2.84, 251/3 IP, 35 Ks) on Saturday, before junior JR Tollett (3-0, 6.55, 22 IP, 24 Ks) starts the ﬁnale. Deggs said he isn’t concerned about the four solo home runs Herrmann allowed at Dallas Baptist, because “there was a 30 miles an our wind just howling out — probably an exaggeration, but it felt like it.” The Jaguars are hitting .292 as a team with 126 runs, 18 homers and 19 stolen bases.

ä See UL BASEBALL, page 4C

Elliss didn’t expect Saints reunion in free agency “His leadership, his voice, his in the weeks before because of one LB was surprised simple wisdom,” Elliss said, “I don’t think reason. “Demario doesn’t age,” Elliss you can replace that with one huwhen veteran Davis said. “So he’s probably going to be man being. … It’s going to take a effort to ﬁll the void left by back here anyways.” didn’t return to N.O. Demario Davis was, in fact, not group Demario, because he’s special.”

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

The ﬁrst day of NFL free agency came and went with Kaden Elliss unsigned. This was an unexpected development for the 30-year-old linebacker. But what happened on Day 2 left him even more surprised. That was when the New Orleans Saints, the team that drafted him seven years earlier, came calling. They wanted to know if he was interested in a reunion — something Elliss had barely considered

back. The 37-year-old linebacker reached a two-year, $22 million deal with the New York Jets on Monday. A day later, the Saints struck a three-year, $33 million deal with Elliss. By Thursday, Elliss looked as if he were still trying to comprehend the whirlwind. Davis really left the Saints after eight seasons? And they really wanted the player who spent the past three seasons playing for their hated rival, the Atlanta Falcons? All Elliss could do was smile — even knowing the situation he was stepping into.

Even now, Elliss talks about Davis with the utmost respect. The former 2019 seventh-rounder from Idaho began his career, essentially, as Davis’ understudy. He would listen to nearly everything Davis had to say, from teaching him how to rely on the tools “in his bag” to helping him realize he should develop his own routine rather than trying to just copy the veteran’s methods. Elliss went as far as describing Davis as a father-like ﬁgure, despite the fact that they’re only about seven years apart.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By BRyNN ANDERSON

Atlanta Falcons linebacker Kaden Elliss stops Saints running back Alvin ä See SAINTS, page 4C Kamara during a game on Nov. 26, 2023, in Atlanta.

2C ● Friday, March 13, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS On TV AUTO RACING 2 p.m. Indy NXT: Practice FS2 3 p.m. NTT IndyCar: Practice FS2 9 p.m. Formula 1: Sprint Race APPLETV WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC 5:30 p.m. Korea vs. Dominican Republic FS2 7 p.m. U.S. vs. Canada FOX COLLEGE BASEBALL 7 p.m. Georgia Tech at Clemson ACCN MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL 10:30 a.m.GWU vs. Saint Louis USA 11 a.m. Ohio State vs. Michigan BTN 11:30 a.m.Missouri St. vs.TBD CBSSN NOON Kentucky vs. Florida ESPN NOON TBD vs. UAB ESPN2 1 p.m. TBD vs. Dayton USA 1:30 p.m. TBD vs. Illinois BTN

2 p.m. Sam Houston St. vs.TBD CBSSN 2:30 p.m. TBD vs.Vanderbilt ESPN 2:30 p.m. TBD vs.Tulsa ESPN2 4 p.m. TBD vs.VCU USA 5:30 p.m. TBD vs. Nebraska BTN 6 p.m. TBD vs.Alabama SECN 6:30 p.m. TBD vs. St. Joseph’s CNBC 8 p.m. TBD vs. Michigan St. BTN 8 p.m. TBD vs. UC Irvine ESPNU 8:30 p.m. TBD vs.Arkansas SECN 10:30 p.m.TBD vs. UC San Diego ESPN2 WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL 4 p.m. Maine at Vermont ESPNU WOMEN’S COLLEGE GYMNASTICS 5 p.m. ByU at Clemson ACCN GOLF NOON PGA Tour: Championship GOLF 8:30 p.m. LIV Golf: Sentosa Golf Club FS2 9 p.m. LIV Golf: Sentosa Golf Club FS1

IN BRIEF

FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

HORSE RACING NOON America’s Day at the Races FS2 4:30 p.m. America’s Day at the Races FS2 MLB SPRING TRAINING NOON N.y.yankees vs.Atlanta MLBN 3 p.m. San Diego vs.Athletics MLBN 5 p.m. Houston vs. St. Louis MLBN 8 p.m. Arizona vs. Kansas City MLBN NBA 6:30 p.m. Cleveland at Dallas PRIME 7 p.m. New Orleans at Houston GCSEN 9 p.m. Minnesota at Golden State PRIME PARALYMPICS 7:30 a.m. Alpine Skiing: Men’s Slalom USA 8:10 a.m. Biathlon: 7.5km USA 8:35 a.m. Sled Hockey USA TENNIS 1 p.m. Indian Wells: Doubles TENNIS 6 p.m. Indian Wells: Singles TENNIS

Ingram feels the love in return to N.O. New Orleans Pelicans fans always wished for a night like this. A night when Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson, Dejounte Murray, Trey Murphy and Herb Jones were all healthy and playing on the Smoothie King Center court at the same time. They got their wish Wednesday night, although Ingram was wearing a Toronto Raptors uniform in his return to New Orleans. Ingram Rod Walker would’ve really appreciated the video tribute the Pelicans showed during the ﬁrst timeout of Wednesday night’s game. Except there was one problem. “I didn’t even get to look at it because (Raptors coach) Darko (Rajakovic) was yelling,” Ingram said. But Ingram, in his ﬁrst game back in the Smoothie King Center since being traded from the Pelicans to the Raptors last February, didn’t really need to see or hear a video to know how much the folks in New Orleans appreciates him. He could feel it. He felt it from the time he walked into the building until the time he headed to the locker room to “BRAN-DON IN-GRAM” chants. It took him a while to reach his destination because he stopped and signed as many autographs as he could. It took him even longer to get to his postgame news conference as former teammates and coaches stopped and chatted with him in the hallway. “It was everything that I pictured,” Ingram said. “All the love that I got from the fans,

ä New Orleans at Houston. 7 P.M. FRIDAy, GCSEN.

Star game as a member of the Pelicans and made his second one this season. During the game, the fans showed their appreciation for his time in New Orleans. After the game, Ingram returned the favor and showed his appreciation for his time in New Orleans. “It made me who I am today,” Ingram said. “I grew every single year with (coaches) Willie Green, Alvin Gentry and Stan Van Gundy and they pushed me to be a better player each and every year. They taught me different things. I love the fans. I love the coaching staff and I love my teammates and the city. It was a fun time for sure.” The only part that wasn’t fun for Ingram was the game itself. The Pelicans beat the Raptors 122-111. Ingram finished with 22 points, six rebounds and five assists. He shot 8 of 19 from the floor, including 2 for 7 on 3-pointers. “I needed a little bit of love today anyway because I’ve been playing terrible,” Ingram said. “Everywhere I went, I heard fans calling me. I stopped and signed jerseys and remembered some old faces of people that had season tickets. STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD I felt like I should show them love back.” oronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram runs upcourt after sinking For Ingram, this night was all a 3-pointer over New Orleans Pelicans forward Trey Murphy, right, on about returning to the city that Wednesday at the Smoothie King Center. he loved so much because it reminded him of his hometown of Kinston, North Carolina. old coaches, my teammates, 2019 as part of the trade that “I felt the energy and love the ushers, security. Everysent Anthony Davis to the Los throughout the whole game,” Angeles Lakers. By the time body showed love. They gave Ingram said. Ingram was traded, he ranked me my flowers while I was in the top 10 in franchise hishere.” Ingram spent 51/ 2 seasons tory in points, rebounds and Email Rod Walker at rwalker@theadvocate.com. with the Pelicans, arriving in assists. He made his first All-

LSU seniors focus on ‘these last moments’ Seven gymnasts to compete in final regular-season meet

LSU’s seven senior gymnasts come from all corners of the country and are equipped with all sorts of experiences. From California to North Carolina, Minnesota to Houston and spots in between. Only one is a traditional, old school, four years at LSU studentathlete. The rest are in their fifth year or sixth year, some still holdovers from that Scott Rabalais class of college athletes whose careers started in the topsy-turvy world of the COVID-19 pandemic. Friday night against Arkansas, they will compete in their last regular-season home meet. They will all be back in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center for the NCAA regional LSU will host in April. Partly for that reason, LSU coach Jay Clark, in his gruff but endearing way, says the point of Friday’s meet (7:30 p.m., SECNetwork+) is to win, not to eulogize anyone. Still, there is a finality to collegiate gymnastics that doesn’t exist in other sports. For most of these young women, gymnastics is something they can’t remember not doing. After 20 years of tumbling and flipping and balancing, of dealing with injuries and

surgeries and smiling through it all for the judges and the fans, there is no professional level to graduate to. There is no senior tour. When the gymnastics season ends next month, that will be it. For some, there is a strange kind of joy in that. The early 20s brings the magnetic pull of wanting to move on to the next, even if the next is somewhat unclear. Chase Brock, a sixth-year senior from Atlanta, is trying to figure her next out. “I try not to look too far into the future,” Brock said this week. “I know everything is going to come together, whether it’s stay here for a year or go to Dallas where my sister is at to be close to family. “I’m just trying to enjoy these last moments.” Alexis Jeffrey, a fifth-year senior from Warrensburg, Missouri, who transferred to LSU from UCLA before the 2022 season, is planning on becoming an elementary school teacher. But she won’t give gymnastics up completely. “I’ll probably go home and do some coaching on the side while I get my teaching certificate,” she said. As a sport, gymnastics is a little like an iceberg. You only see the tip above the waves, the meets with all the glitter and music and cheering fans. The thousands of hours of work and the concurrent track of rehab and training take their toll by the time gymnasts reach this stage of their careers.

ä Arkansas at LSU. 7:30 P.M. FRIDAy, SECN+

Brock hasn’t been healthy enough to compete this year because of an Achilles’ tendon injury. Jeffrey hasn’t competed at all. Tori Tatum, from Chanhassen, Minnesota, came back for her fifth season despite not having recorded a score in a meet since 2024, but remains bright and upbeat about the program she has loved being a part of so much. “I think the future looks great,” Tatum said. “There’s so much talent and so many different personalities. It’s not a recipe, but just sticking to the LSU culture.” The LSU culture, some secret alchemy, has given this gymnastics program the immunity to collect transfers in this transfermad era without losing any. Additions like Courtney Blackson from Elk Grove, California, who essentially came out of “retirement” after four years at Boise State and one year away out of gymnastics to compete this year at LSU. Like Emily Innes of Pittsburgh, who came to LSU for her fourth and final season after three years at Washington. Or like Kathryn Weilbacher of Houston, a fifth-year senior who transferred to LSU from Bowling Green before the 2025 season. In two years with the Tigers she has done all of one routine, vault, earlier this season at Georgia. One vault routine in two years. It takes about six seconds to complete. Yet, like the others,

Weilbacher stayed. “I’m sure at some point someone will go in the portal,” Clark said. “It’s so prevalent in other sports. “We’re not perfect, but I do believe when kids come here it’s basically what they thought it was going to be. Rarely does their role go as they drew it up in their head, being an all-arounder like (Kailin) Chio or Haleigh (Bryant). Ninety percent of the time that’s not the case. But they appreciate the culture and care we try to prove for them as people.” The only traditional LSU senior, if that term can be used anymore, is fourth-year Tiger Ashley Cowan of Hillsborough, North Carolina. The 2024 Southeastern Conference uneven bars champion, Cowan has been a regular contributor on that event for LSU once again this season. There are still possibly six meets left for these Tigers if they make it all the way to this year’s NCAA ﬁnal. That’s a lot, but after 20 years of gymnastics, it’s like the vault: a pretty short run. The sentimental journey these seniors are on is already starting to set in. “It’s just a family here,” Brock said. “I’ve loved every single team I’ve been a part of. I have lifelong friendships with all my old teammates and the teammates I have now. It’s just been cool to be part of this whole experience.” Advocate sportswriter Reed Darcey contributed to this report.

Newspaper awarded top honors by Associated Press

The sports staff of The Advocate and Times-Picayune was awarded multiple honors for its work in 2025 by Associated Press Sports Editors in the organization’s annual honors. The Advocate and Times-Picayune competed in Class A — the largest division of publications — and earned six top 10 recognitions as voted by a panel of sports editors and writers. The Times-Picayune’s Chris Dabe earned a High School Beat Writing top 10 for his work in the New Orleans area. Saints beat writer Luke Johnson was also awarded a top 10 in the Long Feature category for his indepth piece on Kellen Moore. Also in the print product area, The Advocate and Times-Picayune earned a Special Sections top 10 for the Super Bowl LIX special section.

WNBA, players’ union meet third straight day

NEW YORK — The WNBA and its players’ union met for a third consecutive day Thursday hoping to come to an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement. They have had two marathon bargaining sessions over the past two days that both ended late at night. Union president Nneka Ogwumike said Wednesday night that players are “feeling movement.” “At the end of the day, we want a season,” she said. “We want to play. We’ve heard that from the other side as well. We need to see a more robust demonstration of that as we continue on in these negotiations.” The two sides started Thursday’s discussions around 10 a.m. The main sticking point is still revenue sharing.

Vikings sign QB Murray after release from Arizona

MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Vikings signed quarterback Kyler Murray on Thursday, after focusing their latest search on the ﬁrst overall pick from the 2019 NFL draft who was just released by the Arizona Cardinals. Murray visited Vikings headquarters before agreeing to join them, one day after he was cut by the Cardinals despite them owing him $36.8 million in guaranteed salary for this season. The Vikings didn’t have many other options this year for challenging — or replacing — J.J. McCarthy, their 2024 ﬁrst-round draft pick whose injuries and inconsistency have raised the question of how long they can afford to wait for him to develop.

Fox withdraws from the TPC with kidney stones

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Ryan Fox of New Zealand withdrew from The Players Championship on Thursday, spending the day in a hospital to have kidney stones removed. Fox cited “illness” as the reason for his withdrawal. He later posted to Instagram that this was hardly a case of the flu or a stomach virus. “Not exactly the week I had planned,” he wrote. “Unfortunately some kidney stones took me down on Tuesday night and then had to be dealt with surgically this afternoon. Devastated to miss out on such an amazing event, hoping to have a quick recovery and be back at it soon.” Fox was replaced in the 123man field by David Ford, who was among the 15 players competing for the first time at the TPC Sawgrass.

Miami (Ohio) loses its first game of season

CLEVELAND — Travis Steele went 31 games and 363 days before addressing a losing locker room. Now, the Miami (Ohio) coach and his squad must wait an excruciating three days before finding out if they’ve made the NCAA Tournament. The 20th-ranked RedHawks became the last men’s Division I program to fall from the unbeaten ranks on Thursday as UMass rallied in the second half for an 87-83 victory in the Mid-American Conference Tournament quarterfinals. Miami was the fifth team this century to go undefeated in the regular season and the first since Gonzaga in 2020-21. The RedHawks join Saint Joseph’s — which lost to Xavier in the 2004 Atlantic 10 quarterfinals — as teams whose unbeaten run ended in their conference tournament.

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Friday, March 13, 2026 ● 3C

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Seven area softball position players to watch BY ERIC NARCISSE

doubles and 21 RBIs for the Vi- one of the most clutch hitters in kings, who finished as the state the Bulldogs lineup as a sophorunner-up in Division IV select. more. Sonnier, equally stout behind the plate, hit .440 with seven Zoe Harrington, North Vermilion home runs, 12 doubles and 44 RBIs last season as Iota reached the Di(Sr.) vision II nonselect quarterfinals. A UL signee, Harrington has been stellar behind the plate for Grace Hulin, Catholic High of the Patriots. As a junior Har- New Iberia (So.) rington hit .431 with 10 home runs, 12 doubles, three triples, 22 RBIs, Hulin, who sees time at both and six stolen bases to help lead first base and in the circle for the North Vermilion to the Division II Panthers, Hulin hit .667 with four nonselect quarterfinals. home runs and 44 RBIs to help lead the Panthers to the regional round Peyton Darden, St. Thomas of the Division III select playoffs.

Staff writer

The high school softball season is underway, and the Acadiana area often has teams viewed as title contenders in their respective divisions. Although the area didn’t have a team win a state championship last season for the first time since 2015, five reached the semifinals and two finished as runners-up. With a new year and an influx of talent in the area, the expectation is that several local teams will again be vying for a state title. Here are seven area position players to watch this season.

Valerie Brown, Notre Dame (Sr.) A consistent hitter throughout her career, Brown sparkled last year in hitting .557 with nine home runs, 10 doubles, two triples and 42 RBIs. She scored 56 runs and 17 stole bases to help Notre Dame reach the Division III select semiﬁnals.

More (So.)

Darden received playing time as a freshman as the designated hitter, moves into the starting lineup as the STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON Cougars’ primary catcher. Considering she’ll be hitting in the middle Opelousas Catholic shortstop Madison Gussman drives the ball during of the lineup, Darden is expected to last year’s state tournament. be one of the Cougars’ top hitters as STM looks to make a return trip to Madison Gussman, Opelousas area, Gussman has proven to be the Division I select title game. an impactful on both offense and Catholic (Sr.) defense. As a junior, Gussman hit Charli Sonnier, Iota (Jr.) One of the better hitters in the .361 with seven home runs, eight Sonnier established herself as

Caroline Terro, Lafayette High (Sr.) The Centenary signee is arguably the most feared hitter in the Mighty Lions’ lineup. As a junior, the corner inﬁelder hit .465 with an on-base percentage of .530, while belting eight home runs and driving in 41. She also stole 10 bases for a Lafayette High team that reached the second round of the Division I select playoffs.

SCOREBOARD Prep boys baskeball

Odds

LHSAA state tournament

Sports Betting Line NBA

At Burton Coliseum, Lake Charles

Monday’s games

No. 6 Southern Lab 55, No. 2 St. Martin’s 50 No. 1 Gibsland-Coleman 66, No. 4 Saline 41 No. 2 Pleasant Hill 70, No. 2 Plainview 40 No. 2 Zwolle 48, No. 3 Quitman 42 No. 4 Lacassine 72, No. 8 Pitkin 63

Tuesday’s games

No. 1 Lincoln Prep 58, No. 4 Central Catholic 42 No. 3 East Iberville 59, No. 2 Lakeview 42 No. 1 Ferriday 64, No. 4 West St. Mary 56, OT No. 3 Brusly 72, No. 2 Northwest 56 No. 1 Wossman 55, No. 4 Bossier 49

Wednesday’s games

No. 12 Northside 65, No. 1 Madison Prep 61 No. 1 John Curtis 47, No. 12 Catholic-BR 38 No. 11 Karr 44, No. 2 Alexandria 39 No. 1 Marksville 66, No. 5 Mamou 47 No. 2 Peabody 52, No. 3 Washington-Marion 48

Thursday’s games

No. 3 Country Day 51, No. 2 Dunham 49 No. 1 Calvary Baptist 66, No. 4 DeLaSalle 38 No. 2 Madison 49, No. 11 Green Oaks 46 No. 1 Zachary vs. No. 4 Denham Springs, n No. 6 Central vs. No. 2 Ruston, n

Friday’s championship games

Division IV select: No. 1 Lincoln Prep vs. No. 6 Southern Lab, noon Class C: No. 1 Gibsland-Coleman vs. No. 2 Pleasant Hill, noon Division IV nonselect: No. 3 East Iberville vs. No. 1 Ferriday, 4 p.m. Class B: No. 4 Lacassine vs. No. 2 Zwolle, 6 p.m. Division II nonselect: No. 1 Wossman vs. No. 3 Brusly, 8 p.m.

Saturday’s championship games

Division III select: No. 1 Calvary Baptist vs. No. 3 Country Day, noon Division II select: No. 12 Northside vs. No. 2 Peabody, 2 p.m. Division I select: No. 1 John Curtis vs. No. 11 Karr, 4 p.m. Division III nonselect: No. 1 Marksville vs. TBA, 6 p.m. Division I nonselect: 8 p.m.

Prep track and ﬁeld Schedule James Simmons Relays

At Acadiana High When: Friday (3 p.m. ﬁeld, 5 p.m. track) Teams: Abbeville, Lafayette High, Lafayette Renaissance, New Iberia, Northwest, Southside, St. Thomas More, Teurlings, Westgate, Acadiana.

Pat Arceneaux Relays

At Breaux Bridge High When: Friday (3:30 p.m. ﬁeld; 4:30 p.m. track) Teams: Beau Chene, Bunkie, Carencro, Cecilia, Church Point, Comeaux, David Thibodaux, Hathaway, Highland Baptist, JS Clark, Livonia, Midland, Northside, Northside Christian, Notre Dame, Opelousas, Rayne, St. Martinville, Ville Platte.

Snooks Relays

At Erath High When: Friday (3:30 p.m. ﬁeld; 4:30 p.m. track) Teams: Acadiana Renaissance, Ascension Episcopal, Catholic-NI, Crowley, Delcambre, ESA, Erath, Hanson, Highland Baptist, Iota, Kaplan, Lafayette Christian, Loreauville, North Vermilion, Vermilion Catholic.

Prep baseball Wednesday’s scores Centerville 14, Westgate 0 Cecilia 16, Berchmans 0

Cecilia 16, Berchmans 0

Cecilia 724 3 — 16 7 1 Berchmans 000 0 — 0 2 3 W — Jacob (2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K), L — Mason Briscoe (2 IP, 5 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 0 K). Top Hitters — CEC: Jacob Briscoe 1-2, 2 RBIs; Layne Champagne 2-2, 2B, 2RBIs; Eli Simmons 2-2.

Centerville 14, Westgate 0

Westgate 000 00 — 0 2 5 Centerville 216 5x — 14 8 0 W — Graham Naquin (5 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K), L — Aryo Fleming (2.2 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 2 K). Top Hitters — CV: Evan Daigle 2-3, 2B, 3 RBIs; Jaxon Frederick 1-2, 3 RBIs; Grahm Naquin 1-2, 3 RBIs; WGATE: Rahim Alem 2-2, 2B.

Friday’s games

Northwest at Carencro, Mamou at Cecilia, Ellender at Abbeville, Morgan City at Acadiana Renaissance, Franklin at Church Point, Brusly at Erath, Berchmans at St. Martinville, Highland Baptist at Ascension Episcopal, Gueydan at Westminster-Lafayette.

Prep softball Wednesday’s scores Opelousas 6, Rayne 5 Teurlings 10, Sacred Heart 5

Teurlings 10, Sacred Heart 5

Sacred Heart 500 000 0 — 5 10 3 Teurlings 300 070 x — 10 11 2 W — Kennedy Leblanc (6 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K), L — Amelia Fontenot (5.2 IP, 8 H, 7 ER, 1 BB, 5 K). Top Hitters — TEUR: Marah Huval 2-3, 3 RBIs; Bailee Hebert 2-4, 2B, RBI; Kennedy Leblanc 2-4, 2B, RBI; Reise Guidry 2-4, RBI; SH: Maci Droddy 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI; Ellie Wilmouth 3-4, 2B.

Opelousas Catholic 6, Rayne 5

Opelousas Catholic 101 013 0 — 6 11 3 Rayne 140 000 0 — 5 3 2 W — Jordan White (3 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K), L — Riley LaGrange (7 IP, 11 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 3 K). WP — OC: Madison Ludeau 2-4, 3B, 2 RBIs; Aysia Francis 2-4, 2B, RBI; Jordan White 2-4, 2B, RBI; Emma Ludeau 2-4; RAY: Lanie Marks 1-3, 3B; Riley LaGrange 1-4, 2B, RBI.

Friday’s games

Cecilia at Eunice, Iota at DeRidder, Newman at Loreauville, Midland at Jennings, LaGrange at Westminster-LAF.

Friday

FAVORITE at DETROIT at TORONTO at DALLAS at INDIANA at HOUSTON Minnesota at PORTLAND at LA CLIPPERS

LINE OFF 3½ OFF OFF 7 5½ OFF OFF

O/U UNDERDOG (OFF) Memphis (218½) Phoenix (OFF) Cleveland (OFF) New York (226½) N.O. (224½) at GSW (OFF) Utah (OFF) Chicago

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Friday

FAVORITE at SAINT LOUIS at MICHIGAN at FLORIDA Prairie View A&M at DAYTON at TOLEDO

LINE UNDERDOG 6½ G. Washington 13½ Ohio State 11½ Kentucky 1½at ALABAMA A&M 6½ St Bonaventure 3½ UMass

NHL

Friday

FAVORITE LINE UNDERDOG at N.Y ISLANDERS -141 Los Angeles Edmonton -161 at ST. LOUIS

LINE +119 +135

NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE Boston New York Toronto Philadelphia Brooklyn

L 22 25 29 30 48

Pct GB .662 — .627 2 .554 7 .538 8 .262 26

Orlando Miami Atlanta Charlotte Washington

W 36 37 34 34 16

L 28 29 31 33 48

Pct GB .563 — .561 — .523 2½ .507 3½ .250 20

Detroit Cleveland Milwaukee Chicago Indiana

W 46 40 27 27 15

L 18 26 37 38 50

Pct GB .719 — .606 7 .422 19 .415 19½ .231 31½

Central Division

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Southwest Division San Antonio Houston Memphis New Orleans Dallas

W 48 40 23 22 21

L 17 25 41 45 44

Pct GB .738 — .615 8 .359 24½ .328 27 .323 27

Oklahoma City Denver Minnesota Portland Utah

W 51 40 40 31 20

L 15 26 26 35 46

Pct GB .773 — .606 11 .606 11 .470 20 .303 31

L.A. Lakers Phoenix L.A. Clippers Golden State Sacramento

W 40 38 33 32 16

L 25 27 32 33 51

Pct GB .615 — .585 2 .508 7 .492 8 .239 25

Northwest Division

Paciﬁc Division

Wednesday’s Games

Orlando 128, Cleveland 122 New Orleans 122, Toronto 111 New York 134, Utah 117 Denver 129, Houston 93 L.A. Clippers 153, Minnesota 128 Charlotte 117, Sacramento 109

Thursday’s Games

Philadelphia at Detroit, n Phoenix at Indiana, n Washington at Orlando, n Brooklyn at Atlanta, n Milwaukee at Miami, n Dallas at Memphis, n Denver at San Antonio, n Boston at Oklahoma City, n Chicago at L.A. Lakers, n

Florida A&M vs. Southern U.-Ark.-Pine Bluffwinner, 8:30 p.m.

Conference USA Tournament

At Huntsville, Alabama First Round Quarterﬁnals Wednesday Missouri St. 77, Librty 69 Sam Houston 69, Jacksonville St. 61 Thursday Louisiana Tech vs. Middle Tennessee, 5:30 p.m. W. Kentucky vs. Kennesaw St., 8 p.m.

SEC Tournament

At Nashville, Tennessee First Round Wednesday Kentucky 87, LSU 82 Auburn 79, Mississippi St. 71 Ole Miss 76, Texas 66 Oklahoma vs. South Carolina, n Second Round Thursday Kentucky 78, Missouri 72 Tennessee 72, Auburn 62 Georgia vs. Ole Miss, n Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma-South Carolinawinner, n

American Conference Tournament

At Birmingham, Ala. First round Wednesday Tulane 81, Memphis 69 FAU 63, Temple 59 Second round Thursday Charlotte vs. Tulane, n North Texas vs. FAU 8:30 p.m. Friday UAB vs. Charlotte-Tulane-winner, 1 p.m. Tulsa vs. North Texas-FAU-winner, 3:30 p.m.

Men’s national scores Thursday’s games Atlantic 10

Second Round George Washington 66, Fordham 62 St. Bonaventure 63, George Mason 57

Quarterﬁnal Iowa State 75, Texas Tech 53 Arizona 81, UCF 59

Reb

Min M-A M-A O-T A PF PTS

Barnes 35:32 4-14 0-0 1-6 4 0 9 Ingram 38:01 8-19 4-4 2-6 5 3 22 Poeltl 29:34 4-7 0-0 3-5 0 4 8 Barrett 28:04 5-13 5-8 2-7 1 1 16 Quickly 34:27 8-14 6-6 2-6 3 3 25 Mklshvli 21:15 2-6 2-2 0-5 1 2 8 Shead 20:13 3-7 1-1 1-2 3 1 9 Walter 10:31 0-3 0-0 1-1 1 2 0 Battle 10:09 1-1 0-0 0-1 0 0 3 Dick 7:37 3-6 0-0 0-1 0 1 7 J.-Davis 3:13 0-3 0-2 2-3 2 0 0 Martin 1:24 1-1 1-2 0-0 0 0 4 Totals 240:00 39-9419-2514-43 20 17 111 Percentages: FG .415, FT .760. 3-Point Goals: 14-44, .318 (Quickley 3-7, Shead 2-4, Mamukelashvili 2-6, Ingram 2-7, Battle 1-1, Martin 1-1, Dick 1-3, Barnes 1-6, Barrett 1-6, Walter 0-3). Team Rebounds: 5. Team Turnovers: None. Blocked Shots: 5 (Poeltl 3, Barnes, Mamukelashvili). Turnovers: 11 (Ingram 4, Barnes 2, Barrett 2, Dick, Mamukelashvili, Quickley). Steals: 13 (Ingram 4, Barnes 3, Quickley 2, Barrett, Dick, Martin, Walter). Technical Fouls: Ingram, 4:47 third. FG FT Reb

NOLA

Friday

Big 12

Late Wednesday New Orleans 122, Toronto 111 TOR

At College Park, Georgia Quarterﬁnals Wednesday Prairie View 71, Bethune-Cookman 67 Florida A&M 70, Jackson St. 60 Thursday Texas Southern vs. Alabama A&M, 2 p.m. Southern vs. Ark.-Pine Bluff, 8:30 p.m.

Quarterﬁnal Virginia 81, North Carolina State 74 Miami (FL) 78, Louisville 73

Friday’s Games

Southland Conference Tournament

Atlantic Coast

Cleveland at Dallas, 6:30 p.m. Memphis at Detroit, 6:30 p.m. New York at Indiana, 6:30 p.m. Phoenix at Toronto, 6:30 p.m. New Orleans at Houston, 7 p.m. Minnesota at Golden State, 9 p.m. Utah at Portland, 9 p.m. Chicago at L.A. Clippers, 9:30 p.m.

Men’s State scores, schedule

SWAC Tournament

W 43 42 36 35 17

Southeast Division

College basketball Championship Wednesday McNeese State 76, Stephen F. Austin 59

Pro basketball

Atlantic Division

Bey 27:46 4-15 0-0 2-4 4 1 9 Williamson31:497-12 5-8 0-6 4 1 19 Jones 35:36 6-9 0-0 0-2 1 1 16 Murphy III33:42 8-12 7-8 0-7 3 2 28 Murray 31:27 12-20 1-2 0-5 6 3 27 Missi 19:17 3-6 0-0 5-10 2 1 6 Fears 16:33 2-7 2-2 0-2 2 2 7 Queen 14:27 1-3 0-0 0-5 3 2 3 Matkovic13:27 1-1 2-2 1-3 0 1 4 Jordan 13:08 1-3 1-2 2-4 2 2 3 Hawkins 1:24 0-0 0-0 0-1 0 0 0 Peavy 1:24 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Totals 240:00 45-8818-2410-49 27 16 122 Percentages: FG .511, FT .750. 3-Point Goals: 14-29, .483 (Murphy III 5-8, Jones 4-6, Murray 2-6, Queen 1-1, Fears 1-2, Bey 1-6). Team Rebounds: 13. Team Turnovers: 1. Blocked Shots: 5 (Missi 2, Queen 2, Bey). Turnovers: 15 (Murray 4, Murphy III 3, Queen 3, Williamson 2, Bey, Jones, Missi). Steals: 10 (Murphy III 3, Murray 2, Fears, Jones, Matkovic, Queen, Williamson). Technical Fouls: Murray, 1:24 fourth. Toronto 30 28 25 28 — 111 New Orleans 29 31 33 29 — 122 A_16,568 (16,867). T_2:12.

Min M-A M-A O-T A PF PTS

Big East

Quarterﬁnal St. John’s 85, Providence 72 Seton Hall 72, Creighton 61

Big Ten Third Round

Ohio State 72, Iowa 69 Wisconsin 85, Washington 82

Mid-American

Quarterﬁnal UMass 87, Miami (OH) 83 Toledo 77, Bowling Green 76 Akron 73, Buffalo 70 Mountain WestQuarterﬁnal Utah State 80, UNLV 60 SoutheasternSecond Round Kentucky 78, Missouri 72 Tennessee 72, Auburn 62

SWAC

Quarterﬁnal Alabama A&M 85, Texas Southern 74, OT

Women’s State scores, schedule

Southland Conference Tournament

Quarterﬁnals Tuesday UTRGV 76, Northwestern St. 67 Stephen F. Austin 63, Nicholls 60 Semiﬁnals Wednesday McNeese St. 67, Texas Rio Grande Valley 52 Stephen F. Austin 64, Lamar 59 Championship Thursday McNeese State vs. Stephen F. Austin, 4 p.m.

SWAC Tournament

At College Park, Ga. Second Round Tuesday Florida A&M 55, Bethune-Cookman 52 Ark.-Pine Bluff 81, MVSU 74

Quarterﬁnals Wednesday Alabama A&M 72, Florida A&M 68 Ark.-Pine Bluff 64, Alcorn State 60 Thursday Southern vs. Jackson St., 10 a.m. Alabama St. vs. Grambling, 4:30 p.m.

Carolina 64 Pittsburgh 64 N.Y. Islanders65 Columbus 64 Philadelphia 64 Washington 66 New Jersey 64 N.Y. Rangers 64

Conference USA Conference

41 32 37 33 30 32 32 26

17 17 23 21 23 27 30 30

6 15 5 10 11 7 2 8

88 79 79 76 71 71 66 60

229 187 217 193 192 186 209 205 187 201 208 199 166 192 179 200

L OT 11 9 14 10 16 11 26 5 27 8 27 10 29 10 29 11

Pts 95 90 87 73 66 62 60 59

GF GA 241 159 222 174 220 185 203 181 191 218 179 193 169 216 172 207

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Tuesday Delaware 66, Kennesaw St. 47 Jacksonville St. 82, UTEP 77 Quarterﬁnals Wednesday Louisiana Tech 72, Delaware 43 FIU 76, Jacksonville St. 66 Thursday Liberty 89, Sam Houston St. 57 Missouri St. 69, Middle Tennessee 66

Central Division Colorado Dallas Minnesota Utah Nashville Winnipeg St. Louis Chicago

American Conference Tournament

Tuesday FAU 74, Charlotte 70 Temple 86, Tulane 77, OT Second round Wednesday North Texas 80, FAU 57 UTSA 59, Temple 51 Quarterﬁnals Thursday North Texas 76, Tulsa 73 South Florida vs. TBD, 2:30 p.m.

GP 63 64 65 65 64 63 64 64

Paciﬁc Division

W 43 40 38 34 29 26 25 24

GP W L OT Pts GF GA Anaheim 64 36 25 3 75 215 222 Edmonton 65 32 25 8 72 231 221 Vegas 65 29 22 14 72 210 207 Seattle 63 29 25 9 67 179 190 Los Angeles 64 26 23 15 67 169 192 San Jose 62 30 26 6 66 192 218 Calgary 64 25 32 7 57 158 200 Vancouver 64 19 37 8 46 165 238 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. Top three teams in each division and two wild cards per conference advance to playoffs.

College baseball State scores, schedule

Wednesday’s Games

Tuesday’s scores

Philadelphia 4, Washington 1 Montreal 3, Ottawa 2

UL 11, Texas-Rio Grande Valley 7 Southern 20, Dillard 7, 7 innings Nicholls 12, Jackson State 2, 7 innings Mississippi State 11, Tulane 7 UNO 14, Mississippi Valley State 0 LSU 8, Creighton 4

Thursday’s Games

Wednesday’s games

McNeese at UL, ppd. Nicholls 5, Xavier 4 South Alabama 10, Southeastern 3

Thursday’s games No games scheduled

Friday’s games

Southern at Florida A&M, TBA LSU at Vanderbilt, 6 p.m. South Alabama at UL, 6 p.m. Stephen F. Austin at Southeastern, 6 p.m. Texas-Rio Grande Valley at Nicholls, 6 p.m. Incarnate Word at UNO, 6:30 p.m. Creighton at Tulane, 6:30 p.m.

College softball

Anaheim at Toronto, n Calgary at New Jersey, n Columbus at Florida, n Detroit at Tampa Bay, n San Jose at Boston, n St. Louis at Carolina, n Washington at Buffalo, n Edmonton at Dallas, n N.Y. Rangers at Winnipeg, n Philadelphia at Minnesota, n Chicago at Utah, n Colorado at Seattle, n Nashville at Vancouver, n Pittsburgh at Vegas, n

Friday’s Games

Los Angeles at N.Y. Islanders, 6 p.m. Edmonton at St. Louis, 7 p.m.

Tennis BNP Paribas Open

State scores, schedule

Thursday

Tuesday’s game

No games scheduled

At Indian Wells Tennis Garden Indian Wells, Calif. Purse: $9,415,725 Surface: Hardcourt outdoor Results Thursday from BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden (seedings in parentheses):

Nicholls at UIW (DH), 3 p.m. Houston Christian at Southeastern (DH), 4 p.m. UL at Southern Miss, 6 p.m. Grambling at Southern, 6 p.m.

Quarterﬁnals Alexander Zverev (4), Germany, def. Arthur Fils (30), France, 6-2, 6-3. Jannik Sinner (2), Italy, def. Learner Tien (25), United States, 6-1, 6-2.

Baseball

Quarterﬁnals Aryna Sabalenka (1), Belarus, def. Victoria Mboko (10), Canada, 7-6 (0), 6-4. Linda Noskova (14), Czechia, def. Talia Gibson, Australia, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2.

LSU 12, Nicholls 2

Wednesday’s games

Southeastern 11, Southern Miss 3 Nicholls 10, Jackson State 0, 6 innings

Thursday’s games

Men’s Singles

Friday’s games

World Baseball Classic GROUP A Canada Puerto Rico Cuba Colombia Panama

W 3 3 2 1 1

L 1 1 2 3 3

Italy United States Mexico Britain Brazil

W 4 3 2 1 0

L Pct. 0 1.000 1 .750 2 .500 3 .250 4 .000

Japan South Korea Australia Taiwan Czech Republic

W 4 2 2 2 0

L Pct. 0 1.000 2 .500 2 .500 2 .500 4 .000

Dominican Republic Venezuela Israel Netherlands Nicaragua

W 4 3 2 1 0

L Pct. 0 1.000 1 .750 2 .500 3 .250 4 .000

GROUP B

GROUP C

GROUP D

Tuesday’s games

Pct. .750 .750 .500 .250 .250

Women’s Singles

Men’s Doubles

Quarterﬁnals Guido Andreozzi, Argentina, and Manuel Guinard, France, def. Christian Harrison, United States, and Neal Skupski (4), Britain, 3-6, 6-3, 10-8. Marcel Granollers, Spain, and Horacio Zeballos (1), Argentina, def. Robin Haase, Netherlands, and Constantin Frantzen, Germany, 6-4, 6-2.

Women’s Doubles

Semiﬁnals Aleksandra Krunic, Serbia, and Anna Danilina (5), Kazakhstan, def. Nicole MelicharMartinez, United States, and Cristina Bucsa (7), Spain, 6-3, 6-4.

Mixed Doubles

Quarterﬁnals Gabriela Dabrowski, Canada, and Lloyd Glasspool (1), Britain, def. Tim Putz, Germany, and Erin Routliffe, New Zealand, 7-5, 6-4. Maria Sakkari and Stefanos Tsitsipas, Greece, def. Marcelo Arevalo, El Salvador, and Luisa Stefani (3), Brazil, 7-5, 7-6 (0).

Transactions Major League Baseball

Wednesday’s games

National League ATLANTA BRAVES — Optioned LHP Hayden Harris to Gwinnett (IL). CHICAGO CUBS — Optioned LHPs Luke Little and Ryan Rolison and OF Justin Dean to Iowa (IL).

Thursday’s games

National Basketball Association MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES — Signed F Tyler Burton to a 10-day contract.

Japan 9, Czech Republic 0 Canada 3, Puerto Rico 2 Israel 6, Netherlands 2 Italy 8, United States 6 Canada 7, Cuba 2 Italy 9, Mexico 1 Dominican Republic 7, Venezuela 5

BASKETBALL

No games scheduled.

FOOTBALL

Friday’s games

South Korea at Dominican Republic, 5:30 p.m. United States at Canada, 7 p.m.

Hockey NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division Buffalo Tampa Bay Montreal Detroit Boston Ottawa Florida Toronto

GP 65 63 64 65 64 64 64 65

W 40 39 36 36 36 32 32 27

L OT 19 6 20 4 18 10 22 7 22 6 23 9 29 3 27 11

Pts 86 82 82 79 78 73 67 65

GF GA 231 196 225 177 228 212 192 194 214 201 216 201 195 213 203 229

L OT

Pts

GF GA

Metropolitan Division

National Football League ARIZONA CARDINALS — Signed LS Casey Kreiter, QB Gardner Minshew II, OL Matt Pryor, DL Jonah Williams, RB Zonovan Knight and CB Starling Thomas V to one-year contracts. Signed RB Tyler Allgeier and OL Elijah Wilkinson to two-year contracts. Signed WR Kendrick Bourne to a two-year contract. ATLANTA FALCONS — Re-signed DT LaCale London to a contract. BALTIMORE RAVENS — Signed DE Trey Hendrickson to a four-year contract. CHICAGO BEARS — Re-signed OL Jordan McFadden to a one-year contract. CINCINNATI BENGALS — Signed DE Boye Mafe to a three-year contract through the 2028 season. Signed OT Orlando Brown Jr. to a two-year contract extension through the 2028 season. Signed S Bryan Cook to a three-year contract through the 2028 season. CLEVELAND BROWNS — Re-sign P Corey Bojorquez to a contract.

4C ● Friday, March 13, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

lll

SAINTS NOTEBOOK

With signing of Etienne, Kamara’s future uncertain BY MATTHEW PARAS

free agency effectively opened Monday. Moore said the Saints have a “lot of roster stuff to navigate” over the next few months. “We know we love Alvin and Travis is a really special player,” Moore said. “Certainly identiﬁed that (Travis) is a really good fit and really good timing. He’s gone through those ﬁrst few years of his league. He had to navigate a little bit of some stuff early in his career,

got through that. “Then I thought last year, his ﬁlm was just was really, really good.” David Edwards didn’t need to speak with anyone from the Saints before the 6-foot-6 guard agreed to join the franchise on a four-year, $61 million deal in the opening hour of NFL free agency. The NFL changed its rules for its legal tampering period so that free

agents like Edwards could formally chat with other teams up to an hour before the start of the league’s new year. Previously, teams could only communicate with a player’s representative. But no such call was necessary. Edwards had already done his homework. The former Buffalo Bills guard had spoken with numerous people with ties to New Orleans over the years, helping him get a good sense of what to expect with his new team. He remembered, for instance, what former teammate — and now assistant coach — Will Clapp said about working with Moore and offensive line coach Brendan Nugent. He knew the way former college teammate Ryan Ramczyk raved about the city. Aaron Kromer, Edwards’ former offensive line coach in Buffalo and a longtime New Orleans assistant, also gave a glowing review of the franchise. And he remembered the tape. Speaking to reporters at his introductory news conference, the 28-year-old recalled how impressed he was with quarterback Tyler Shough and New Orleans’ offensive line when he studied the team’s Week 17 win over the New York Jets in preparation for Buffalo’s season ﬁnale against New York. “There’s so much excitement and momentum, I felt like leading into this decision that made me feel really good,” Edwards said. The Saints, likewise, felt really good about Edwards. That’s why they had no qualms about giving him more than $15 million per

over the last two years has recorded more quarterback pressures than Elliss, who has 64, according to Next Gen Stats. That’s 15 more than the next three players. “I didn’t like playing this guy the last couple of years,” Saints coach Kellen Moore said with a smile, later adding, “His versatility and his ability to play in a number of spots, obviously, is very, very valuable.” It was so valuable that the Saints ended up committing more guaranteed money — $23 million to $15 million — than what Davis earned from the Jets. Both deals averaged $11 million annually, but the Saints ultimately landed a younger player who can arguably do more at this stage of his career.

Was that as intentional as it seems? “I don’t want to go into all the negotiating aspects of these things just because that’s not fair to anyone,” Moore said. “Obviously, we love Demario. And so, this thing worked out with Kaden having the opportunity to come here. And we’re really excited about it.” In a goodbye letter posted on his Instagram, Davis wrote he’ll always consider New Orleans home and that he felt the franchise is headed in the right direction — “and headed there quickly.” If it all goes right, Elliss will help with that. Though the linebacker said he couldn’t replace Davis as a leader, Moore noted Elliss’ leadership and ability to command a

locker room. Elliss, 30, was named a captain by the Falcons this past year. And if Elliss thrives, Davis likely would be among those happiest. The longtime veteran would often note that Elliss is part of his “linebacker tree,” a concept similar to a coaching tree in which coaches get credit for seeing their assistants get hired and thrive elsewhere. Elliss is well aware of the concept. He said he’s never talked about it with Davis directly but has chatted with Philadelphia’s Zack Baun, the Saints’ Pete Werner and a number of others about how it’s “pretty cool” to see. “He was obviously the alpha in our room, and there was a lot of high-end talent that, if you really

Staff writer

The Saints made a big splash with the signing of former Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne. What does that mean for Alvin Kamara? Coach Kellen Moore was evasive Thursday about Kamara’s future, telling reporters that there was a “process” that the team would go through. New Orleans recently restructured Kamara’s contract for 2026, but there are questions about whether he’ll be on the roster. “We’d like to go through that process, certainly,” Moore said. “And so we feel, obviously, we know Alvin means a lot to us. “Again, we are three days in this thing. We’ve signed Travis, and we’ll go through that process.” Kamara will enter the ﬁnal year of his contract and carries a $10.4 million cap hit after his latest restructure, according to Over The Cap. ESPN reported that teams around the league are wondering whether Kamara will move on from the Saints and whether New Orleans would be open to trading him. The NFL Network also floated the possibility that Kamara, who turns 31 in July, could retire. “I’m not going to get into all that stuff,” Moore said. “I haven’t had those conversations in any way.” Kamara rushed for a career-low 471 yards last season, missing the last six games because of a knee injury. He averaged only 3.6 yards per carry, also a career worst. The Saints struck a four-year, $52 million deal with Etienne when

SAINTS

Continued from page 1C But as much as he learned from his mentor, Elliss also grew further after leaving New Orleans in 2023. In Atlanta, Elliss became a full-time starter and embraced new responsibilities. The Falcons, for instance, had Elliss wear the green dot on his helmet, meaning he communicated the play calls and pre-snap adjustments for the entire defense. The Falcons tapped further into Elliss’ diverse skill set after what he showed initially with the Saints. They leaned on his ability to rush the passer: No off-ball linebacker

UL SOFTBALL Continued from page 1C

STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

Saints running back Alvin Kamara scores for a touchdown as Arizona Cardinals safety Dadrion Taylor-Demerson tries to make the tackle on Sept. 7 in the Caesars Superdome.

hitting .318 with 165 runs, 29 homers and 29 stolen bases. Leading the way are Mia Liscano (.410, 10 RBIs, 10 SBs), Haley Hart (.366, four HRs, 17 RBIs), Dayzja Williams (.354, 5 RBIs, six SBs) and Brooke Otto (.343, six HRs, 23 RBIs). Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this weekend will be how UL’s coaching staff maneuvers its pitchers. While early-season speculation had Sage Hoover (4-4, 4.74 ERA) and Lexie Delbrey (3-1, 3.50) as the weekend starters, senior Bethaney Noble (5-2, 1.80) went from a potential bullpen piece to being in the mix to be the Friday night starter. “She obviously has a passion and a drive in there that’s refreshing,” Habetz said of Noble. “She’s fun to watch and she’s fun to coach. She’s done some really good things for us, and we’re looking forward to seeing what she’s going to do as we move forward for sure.” Habetz points out, though, the staff remains a work in progress. “We know we have a staff who can give us innings and we can trust to be out there,” Habetz said. “They’re getting better. Lexie pitched to our hitters (Tuesday) and Lexie’s now developed an offspeed pitch — an offspeed rise ball. Coach Kyle (Brady) has been great with her. It’s fun to see pitchers getting better within a season, which you don’t see very often, and that’s fun.”

that early in the season, and I feel like, at times, we haven’t responded to it the way that we should, but then at other times, we have,” Habetz said. “Adversity challenges you, where you either you sink or swim. I think all of our athletes have come together. The goal is to peak at the right time and I feel like we’re on our way to do that.” The Cajuns (16-10) will facing a Golden Eagles squad (1810) that lost to to Southeastern Louisiana 11-3 on Wednesday. “They’re a much-improved team,” Habetz said of Southern Miss. “They don’t have the power numbers offensively, but they’re a scrappy team and they have pitching. They have a freshman pitcher (Madilyn Graham) who throws a good drop ball and has a good changeup. Then they have a sophomore pitcher (Kayla Giardina) who pitched against us last year who has good (velocity), can make the ball move and can hit her spots.” Giardina (8-3) has only walked 11 batters in 77 innings and sports a 2.27 ERA. Grahan (5-2) has only walked nine batters in 332/3 innings and has a 2.10 ERA. The Eagles are batting .312 with 145 runs, with only three home runs but 39 stolen bases. The leaders are Hannah Christian (.427, HR, 21 RBIs, 10 stolen bases) and Carrie Green (.386, 11 RBIs, 10 SBs). Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@ Comparatively, the Cajuns are theadvocate.com.

UL BASEBALL

and 72 walks in 136 innings. South Alabama’s busiest starters have been Daniel Gonzalez Continued from page 1C (1-1, 2.37, 19 IP, 26 Ks), Mitchell Heer (3-0, 4.09, 22 IP, 24 Ks) and Brennan Wright (.475, nine Hayden O’Dell (1-0, 5.23, 22 IP, 24 RBIs), Blake Guerin (.340, five Ks). Jaxon Shineﬂew (1-0, two saves, HRs, 17 RBIs) and Duncan Matthews (.304, three HRs, 12 RBIs) 2.50, 18 IP, 19 Ks) is a closer. lead the way. On the mound, the Jaguars’ staff Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@ has a 5.16 ERA, giving up 129 hits theadvocate.com.

Edwards’ choice

LSU BASEBALL Continued from page 1C

plains all of these clubs’ struggles. For LSU, the problems have been multifold. The offense has had trouble taking advantage of weaker pitching, the bullpen has struggled to hold onto tight leads or keep small deficits where they are and the defense has had problems fielding the ball. The Tigers’ variety of issues is what scares Healy the most about their start to the year. “They’re the ones I’m most surprised are having trouble at this time of year,” Healy said. “If you look at it as like a metaphor of trying to plug holes in a boat, if you’re just trying to plug one hole — if it was just the lineup — then you’d feel like that’s pretty fixable, right?… But with LSU, it’s got three different holes in the boat, and it’s trying to plug all three.” LSU has the talent to turn it around and it won on Tuesday against Creighton, snapping a skid of four defeats in five games. But the Tigers have run out of time to get right with the return of SEC play this weekend. “It feels like they’re kind of experimenting with certain positions in their lineup, and they have a group of players they like more from a defensive standpoint, and players they like more from an offensive standpoint,” Healy said. “And it kind of feels like whenever they try to do one, they struggle with the other and vice versa.” LSU’s opponent to open conference play has arguably found itself in an even deeper hole. Vanderbilt is dealing with injuries to six pitchers, including righthanded weekend starter Austin Nye. The Commodores have also been missing starting catcher Colin Barczi since the first week of the season. Between power hitters Brodie Johnston and Braden Holcomb, Vanderbilt has a pair of bats that can give the lineup more physicality than it’s had in recent years. But one MLB scout, who saw Vanderbilt play and spoke

year and handing him $20 million in guarantees. The deal was struck quickly, ensuring Edwards — one of the top guards on the market — would be wearing black and gold next season. “This guy is the ultimate pro,” Moore said. “He’s a special, special person. Tthe ultimate player, teammate, leader. He’ll have a huge impact on our offense and our team.”

Keeping lines open Cam Jordan and Taysom Hill notably remain unsigned in free agency, but Moore said the Saints would stay in touch with each player to see if a reunion would be possible. Jordan has said he wants to play a 15th season, but the Saints and Jordan have not been able to agree on a new contract. Hill has less deﬁnitive about whether he wants to continue his NFL career. “We love all those guys and we’ll let this thing take its course,” Moore said.

Saints re-sign Radunz The Saints re-signed guard Dillon Radunz to a two-year contract, the team announced Thursday. Radunz started 10 of 15 games for New Orleans after joining the team last offseason. He became the team’s full-time starter at left guard after the team traded Trevor Penning in November. Radunz, who turns 28 later this month, spent his ﬁrst four seasons with the Tennessee Titans. He was a second-round pick in 2021. Email Matthew Paras at matt. paras@theadvocate.com

look at Demario, he fended off a lot of talent that tried to take his job,” Elliss said, with a laugh. “He said, ‘Nuh-uh. This is my spot. I’m here, and I’ll tell you when I’m ready to leave.’” Davis left, and Elliss has returned. When he found out the news Tuesday, Elliss sent a text of three emojis — a fleur-de-lis, a crown and a frog — to his family group chat. They understood immediately, going “nuts” in the messages that followed. “To be back where it started, you just didn’t think it would ever happen,” Elliss said. Email Matthew Paras at matt. paras@theadvocate.com

ON DECK WHO: LSU (13-5) at.Vanderbilt (11-7) WHEN: 6 p.m. Friday WHERE: Charles Hawkins Field, Nashville,Tennessee ONLINE/TV: SEC Network+ RADIO: WDGL-FM, 98.1 (Baton Rouge); WWL-AM, 870 (New Orleans); KLWB-FM, 103.7 (Lafayette) RANKINGS: LSU is No. 13 by D1Baseball; Vanderbilt is not ranked PROBABLE STARTERS: LSU — RHP Casan Evans (1-0, 4.66 ERA);

Vanderbilt — RHP Connor Fennel (2-0, 3.80) PREGAME UPDATES: theadvocate. com/lsu ON X: @KokiRiley WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Evans has improved on the mound each week, tossing ﬁve perfect innings last weekend before giving up a pair of runs in the sixth. He’ll almost certainly start on Friday.Vanderbilt is dealing with multiple pitching injuries, but has turned to Fennel on Fridays through the ﬁrst four weeks of the year.

with The Advocate on the condition of anonymity, is not overly impressed by the Commodores’ roster, especially on the mound. “Everyone’s kind of caught up (to them), right?” the scout said. “That Friday guy (Connor Fennel) is 86-88 (mph) with an invisible fastball. So he gets swing and miss, but, again, at some point, it’s only 88, so he’s got to throw it exactly where he wants, which he does a lot. But if he’s off a little bit, he can’t beat anyone with velocity because he doesn’t have it. “He’s a good pitcher. But you’re thinking Friday guy for Vandy, that guy over the last 20 years, basically has been a 10-year big leaguer.” If injuries have plagued Vanderbilt and underperformance has hurt LSU, Tennessee, Arkansas and Florida have stumbled for simpler reasons. Florida has been without one of its top hitters in second baseman Cade Kurland. Five players who have made at least 10 starts for Tennessee are hitting under .300 to start the season. Arkansas has three starters in its lineup who are sporting a sub-.200 batting average. LSU faces Florida and Tennessee in conference play. The Tigers do not have Arkansas on their schedule, but the same scout who saw Vanderbilt also watched the Razorbacks and was struck by their talent on the mound, despite

their recent struggles. “My big takeaway from Arkansas is they can still really pitch,” the scout said. “Like that’s kind of their whole thing, the bullpen. Their bullpen’s a bunch of guys that throw really hard, and the strikes weren’t great, just OK, but it’s still a super talented roster. I mean, they have some guys back. (Ryder) Helfrick is really good, the catcher. They’ve got a guy back there that can settle the pitching staff down.” It’s more advantageous for LSU, Vanderbilt and the rest of the conference’s struggling teams to take their lumps before SEC play begins, given the added importance of in-conference results as it relates to NCAA Tournament seeding, and just making the big dance altogether. But suffering multiple losses to inferior opponents, such as Sacramento State, Stetson, High Point or Kent State, is not a healthy sign, especially with the guarantee that the schedules for all of these teams will be harder moving forward. Their struggles have all brought up an uncomfortable but reasonable question: Is everything OK with the SEC? “I don’t think our league’s going to have any problem continuing to win games and be at the top of the sport,” LSU coach Jay Johnson said. “I don’t see that coming at all.”

Koki Riley

POST-PARADE PALOOZA

Extend your St. Patrick’s Day fun after Saturday’s parade with Earlapalooza at the Perkins Road Overpass, 2857 Perkins Road, from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. The music lineup includes Boosie, KG & The Bad Habits, Connor Martin and Parish County Line. VIP tickets with access to The Colonel’s Club also are available.

LIVING

T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M

F r i d ay, M a r c h 13, 2026

5cN

WEARIN’ OF THE GREEN Baton Rouge’s annual St. Patrick’s Day parade

11 a.m. Saturday See map for route. wearinofthegreen.com

PROVIDED PHOTO By JUSTIN MAyOTTE

Tyler Nance

Tyler Nance lives the songs he sings

STAFF FILE PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

The 2025 Wearin’ of the Green parade rolls through the Garden District. This year’s procession is Saturday.

‘It was like music became my escape’

BY JOHN WIRT

Contributing writer

BY JUDY BERGERON

WEARIN’ OF THE GREEN ST. PATRICK’S PARADE

Staff writer

Sunday, Marrch 14 • 11 aa.m. Sunday m Pe

Hundred Oaks Ave.

BATON ROUGE

START

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Eugene St.

Terrace Ave.

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Jim Cantore says if he can come cover a hurricane in Louisiana, he can probably handle a parade. The longtime meteorologist for The Weather Channel isn’t just going to the Wearin’ of the Green St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Baton Rouge on Saturday; he’s leading it as grand marshal. “I just got home. I was in Charleston (South Carolina) for the big food and wine festival that they have,” Cantore said by Cantore phone on Monday. “But my next stop is, you know, Wearin’ of the Green.” March rainstorms have been uninvited guests at past Wearin’ of the Greens, triggering worry, postponements and cancellations. So who better to pilot the procession than the national spokesman for treacherous conditions? At least that’s what parade organizers thought last year when they popped the parade question to the Atlantabased Cantore. “I was very surprised,” he said. And as for Irish lineage? “Oh God, no,” Cantore said, adding that his adoptive mother was Irish, however, while his adoptive dad was Italian. “So, you know, I’ve got

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Tyler Nance was in North Dakota last week on a country music tour with Ian Munsick. Even though Munsick headlined the tour, audiences knew newcomer Nance’s songs, too. “It’s kind of been crazy having people sing my songs back to me,” Nance said from Fargo during a morning phone interview. “I never would have expected that to be a thing or a possibility, but that’s been happening regularly. It’s shocking, in a way. I love it.” As Nance’s streaming stats reveal, millions of people are hearing his honest, earnest songs. In 2025 and early 2026, he’s generated more than 157 million global streams. “Keeps Me Sane,” Nance’s moststreamed song, also entered Billboard magazine’s Hot Country Songs Top 40. The 22-year-old singer-songwriter based the deeply personal lyrics on his own life. While “Keeps Me Sane” is his best-known song so far, audiences surprise Nance with their awareness of his earliest recordings. “I didn’t know anybody even knew those songs, but people connect with them a lot,” he said.

Jim Cantore talks St. Patrick’s Day parade in Baton Rouge

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a little Irish in me by default.” On the plus side, the Connecticut native does have grand marshal experience. “I did it at my high school many moons ago,” he said. “That would be Hartford High School in White River Junction, Vermont.” Also in Cantore’s favor — as of Tuesday, the weather forecast was sunny and 77 for parade day.

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Running for it In its seventh year, the 5K Shamrock Run offers participants a chance to sprint the last mile of the parade route before its 11 a.m. start time. The event is open to all ages and costs $65. Race time is 9:30 a.m., and

ä See GREEN, page 6C

ä See NANCE, page 6C

The Oscar votes are in With varied slate of nominees, this year’s winners a toss-up in many categories

Best Picture. There are stories of a creature in “Frankenstein,” aliens in “Bugonia,” Formula One racers in “F1” and an angst-ridden portrayal of William Shakespeare and the impetus behind his masterpiece “Hamlet” in the film “Hamnet.” Additionally, there’s the portrait of a master ping-pong player (based on BY LESLIE CARDÉ a true story) in “Marty Supreme,” Contributing writer the dizzying crime thriller that finds When it comes to awards season a former revolutionary in a constant in the film industry, all roads lead to state of paranoia in “One Battle Afthe Oscars in Hollywood. ter Another,” the family dynamics The 98th annual Academy Awards involved with a fading director and will air at 6 p.m. Sunday on ABC, his rising actress daughter in “SenPROVIDED PHOTO FROM WARNER BROS. PICTURES and there is a particularly broad mix timental Value,” the tense Brazilian Leonardo DiCaprio appears in a scene from ‘One Battle After Another.’ of genres for the 10 nominees for historical thriller where assassins

hunt down a professor on the run in “The Secret Agent” and the melancholic drama “Train Dreams” that explores feelings of isolation and the deep grief of a logger who loses his entire family. Then, there’s the bluesy vampire flick “Sinners,” recipient of the Academy’s record 16 nominations. Shot entirely in Louisiana, it’s been hit-and-miss in previous awards ceremonies. Recently, the Actor Awards (formerly the SAG Awards) crowned Michael B. Jordan with its Best Actor award, and the film won

ä See OSCAR, page 6C

6C ● Friday, March 13, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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SHOWS TO WATCH — ACADIANA FRIDAY

CELTIC BAYOU FESTIVAL: Chez La Fete and Parc Putnam, Lafayette, 11:30 a.m. LIVE MUSIC: Cane River Pecan Company Pie Bar, New Iberia, 5 p.m. BURRIS: Adopted Dog Brewing, Lafayette, 6 p.m. JACK WOODSON: Charley G’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6 p.m. LIVE MUSIC: Naq’s-n-Duson, Duson, 6 p.m. LIVE MUSIC: Jim Deggy’s Brick Oven Pizza & Brewery, Lafayette, 6 p.m. NICOLE MARIE: Prejean’s, Broussard, 6 p.m. FRIDAY NIGHT JAM: La Maison de Begnaud, Scott, 6 p.m. KIP SONNIER: SHUCKS!, Abbeville, 6:30 p.m. YVETTE LANDRY: Buck & Johnny’s, Breaux Bridge, 6:30 p.m. MAYHEM AND MADNESS: The Loose Caboose, Lafayette, 7 p.m. THREE ROADS. ONE ROOF. ONE WEEKEND (JAZZ NIGHT): The Whirlybird Compound, Opelousas, 7 p.m. DUSTIN RAY: Silver Slipper, Arnaudville, 7 p.m. TROY BREAUX COMBO: Whiskey and Vine, Lafayette, 7 p.m. AMIS DU TECHE: Blue Moon Saloon, Lafayette, 8 p.m. LINDA LOU: The Barrel of Broussard, Broussard, 8 p.m. THE PINE LEAF BOYS: Hideaway on Lee, Lafayette, 8 p.m. THE ROUGE KREWE: Rock ‘n’ Bowl de Lafayette, Lafayette, 9 p.m.

SATURDAY

DONNY BROUSSARD BAND: Fred’s, Mamou, 8 a.m. CAJUN JAM: Tante Marie, Breaux Bridge, 11 a.m. CELTIC BAYOU FESTIVAL: Chez La Fete and Parc Putnam, Lafayette, 11:30 a.m. ZYDECO CAPITAL JAM: St. Landry Parish Visitor Center, Opelousas, 1 p.m. CAJUN FRENCH MUSIC JAM: Vermilionville Living History Museum & Folklife Park, Lafayette, 1 p.m. CAJUN JAM SESSION: Touchet’s Bar, Maurice, 2 p.m. BYGONE EARLY EVENING DANCE SERIES: Acadian Superette, Lafayette, 5 p.m. PATTY IN THE PARC: Parc International, Lafayette, 5:30 p.m. AUDREY BROUSSARD: Charley G’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6 p.m. CAJUN BREAKFAST: Naq’s-nDuson, Duson, 6 p.m. JEFF DUGAN: Prejean’s, Broussard, 6 p.m. LIVE MUSIC: Jim Deggy’s Brick Oven Pizza & Brewery, Lafayette, 6 p.m. JACOB AND JIM: Tap Room, Youngsville, 6:30 p.m. RORY SUIRE: SHUCKS!, Abbeville, 6:30 p.m.

OSCAR

Continued from page 5C Outstanding Performance by a Cast. Those are awards that involve only actors and are voted on by actors, and Best Picture is essentially a producer’s award, not awarded at the Actor Awards. The Golden Globe Awards, which separate comedies and dramas for Best Picture, gave the Drama Motion Picture to “Hamnet” and the Comedy Motion Picture to “One Battle After Another,” the Leonardo DiCaprio vehicle that had many questioning how this ﬁlm ﬁt into any comedy category, unless you consider campy to be comedic. Despite its genre, oddsmakers have “One Battle After Another” as the heavy favorite to walk away with the Oscar statuette. The BAFTA Film Awards (Great Britain’s version of the Oscars) is often the biggest predictor of what’s to

Arnaudville, 7 p.m. THREE ROADS. ONE ROOF. ONE WEEKEND (CAJUN DANCE): The Whirlybird Compound, Opelousas, 7 p.m.

MONDAY

PROVIDED PHOTO

Grammy-nominated musician and singer yvette Landry plays Buck & Johnny’s, Breaux Bridge, at 6:30 p.m. Friday.

SHARONA THOMAS: Buck & Johnny’s, Breaux Bridge, 6:30 p.m. NORE DAVIS: Club 337, Lafayette, 7 p.m. MATT GARY TRIO: Whiskey and Vine, Lafayette, 7 p.m. X-CHANGE: Silver Slipper, Arnaudville, 7 p.m. THE AMAZING NUNS W/THE CONRADS: Blue Moon Saloon, Lafayette, 8 p.m. THE HELOTS, THE HOLIDAY PLAYGIRLS: Freetown Boom Boom Room, Lafayette, 8 p.m. DUSTIN SONNIER & THE WANTED: Lakeview Park, Eunice, 8 p.m. GENO DELAFOSE: La Poussiere Cajun Dancehall, Breaux Bridge, 8 p.m. HORACE TRAHAN: Hideaway on Lee, Lafayette, 8 p.m. JC MELANCON: The Barrel of Broussard, Broussard, 8 p.m. LIVE MUSIC: The Barrel of Broussard, Broussard, 8 p.m. CLIFTON BROWN AND RUSTY BUCKET: Toby’s Lounge, Opelousas, 8:30 p.m. SHOTGUN LILLIE: Rock ‘n’ Bowl de Lafayette, Lafayette, 9 p.m.

SUNDAY

THE SUNDAY PEOPLE: Whiskey & Vine, Lafayette, 11 a.m. LIVE MUSIC: Tante Marie, Breaux Bridge, 11 a.m. BAL DU DIMANCHE — KEVIN HUVAL’S CAJUN/CREOLE DANCE BAND: Vermilionville Living History Museum & Folklife Park, Lafayette, 1 p.m. AMERICAN IMPRESSIONS: St. John’s Cathedral, Lafayette, 2 p.m. CAJUN JAM: Bayou Teche Brewing, Arnaudville, 2 p.m. OPEN MIC NIGHT: Adopted Dog Brewing, Lafayette, 4 p.m. JAKE SPINELLA: Charley G’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6 p.m. TERRY, LUKE, AND PHILIP HUVAL: Prejean’s, Broussard, 6 p.m. CREEKBED CARTER, GRADY DRUG, BLUE HORSE BLUE MOUNTAIN, GENUINE MUSTARD: The Loose Caboose, Lafayette, 7 p.m. JC MELANCON: Silver Slipper,

come at the Oscars, and its Best Film went to “One Battle After Another” along with its Best Director award to Paul Thomas Anderson.

No clear front-runners Ordinarily, by this stage of the awards seasons, the same winners crop up again and again, but this season has turned into a real horse race, with three different actresses picking up Best Supporting Actress awards at three different awards ceremonies — Teyana Taylor, of “One Battle After Another,” took the Golden Globe; Wunmi Mosaku, of “Sinners,” picked up that award at the BAFTA’s; and Amy Madigan, of “Weapons,” walked away with the honors at the Actor Awards. Ultimately, this uncertainty is good for ratings, as there are big questions and surprises surrounding the winners, unless you happen to be Jessie Buckley, of “Hamnet,” who has consistently been awarded Best Actress awards at the Actor Awards,

PATRICIO LATINO SOLO: Cafe Habana City, Lafayette, 11 a.m. SAM SPHAR: Charley G’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6 p.m. BLUEGRASS JAM: Cité des Arts, Lafayette, 6:30 p.m.

TUESDAY

DONALD WRIGHT: Whiskey and Vine, Lafayette, 6 p.m. GINO VALLECILLO TRIO: Charley G’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6 p.m. TERRY HUVAL & FRIENDS: Prejean’s Restaurant, Lafayette, 6 p.m. GREENLIGHT SESSIONS OPEN MIC: The Jefferson Street Greenroom, Lafayette, 7 p.m.

WEDNESDAY

DULCIMER JAM: St. Landry Visitor Center, Opelousas, 10 a.m. WESTERN SWING TRIO: Park Bistro, Lafayette, 6 p.m. WANTED WEDNESDAY KARAOKE NIGHT: The Barrel of Broussard, Broussard, 6 p.m. ANDREW WAIN AND LOGAN TURNER JAZZ DUO: Whiskey and Vine, Lafayette, 6 p.m. CASEY COURVILLE: Tap Room, Youngsville, 6:30 p.m. CAJUN JAM: Blue Moon Saloon, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

THURSDAY

ACOUSTIC LIVE MUSIC THURSDAYS — SHAY CHIK: Calvary Creek, Broussard, 6 p.m. LADIES NIGHT WITH DJ DONOVAN IN THE MIX: Cowboys Nightclub, Scott, 6 p.m. LIVE MUSIC: Naq’s-n-Duson, Duson, 6 p.m. MICHALIS: Charley G’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6 p.m. PAUL TASSIN DUET: Whiskey and Vine, Lafayette, 6 p.m. DUSTIN SONNIER: SHUCKS!, Abbeville, 6:30 p.m. ”THE ORIGINAL” PINE LEAF BOYS TRIO: Hideaway on Lee, Lafayette, 7 p.m. ROCKY DALE DAVIS: Club 337, Lafayette, 7 p.m. THE MEDICINE SHOW LEGACY: Acadiana Center for the Arts, Lafayette, 7:30 p.m. KARAOKE PARTY — PANDA ENTERTAINMENT: Black Bull, Youngsville, 8 p.m.

Compiled by Marchaund Jones. Want your venue’s music listed? Email info/ photos to showstowatch@ theadvocate.com. The deadline is noon FRIDAY for the following Friday’s paper.

BAFTA’s and Golden Globes this season. However, if you’re one of the nominees for Best Actor at the Oscars, you will be on the edge of your seat, as not one actor has risen to the top of the awards pile. Wagner Moura, of “The Secret Agent,” won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a drama, while Timothée Chalamet won for Best Actor in a comedy. The BAFTA award for Leading Actor went to Robert Aramayo, of “I Swear” — a ﬁlm totally off America’s radar at the Oscars. And, the Best Actor at the Actor Awards went to Jordan, of “Sinners.” Oddsmakers favor Chalamet to take home the Oscar. As for Supporting Actor, Sean Penn, of “One Battle After Another,” has won both the BAFTA and the Actor Award most recently, but at the beginning of the awards season, the Golden Globe in that category went to Stellan Skarsgard, of “Sentimental Value,” so no shoo-in there, either.

NANCE

Continued from page 5C Nance’s fans will have more songs to connect with when he releases his debut album, “Midwest Memoir,” on March 20. It features a bountiful 17 tracks. “It was going to be less, but I wrote so many songs last year, trying to decide which ones (to include) was really hard,” Nance said. Nance, who’s performing Saturday at Bulls, Bands, & Barrels in Gonzales, comes from a generations-deep cattle-raising family in Missouri. During childhood visits to his grandmother’s house, he loved listening to her large CD and tape collection, which included Elvis Presley, the Everly Brothers and more classic performers. “My early memories are just going home at night and listening to the Everly Brothers on my little RCA CD player,” Nance recalled. “I’d sleep in the living room, and have it turned way down, just enough to where I could hear it. I’d fall asleep to the Everly Brothers’ greatest hits. I got a cool feeling from listening to the older artists. It was like music became my escape and my whole life. I never thought anything would come from it, but I loved it.” He didn’t know it then, but the music Nance’s grandmother shared with him and the verbal gymnastics of auctioneering prepared him to write his own lyrics.

GREEN

Continued from page 5C racers will meet at Moreau Physical Therapy, 3129 Perkins Road. Packet pickup is from noon to 6 p.m. Friday at Baton Rouge Green, 2241 Christian St. Baton Rouge Green is partnering with the Shamrock Run this year, and

the Butler Act, which prohibited public schools Today is Friday, March 13, from teaching the theory the 72nd day of 2026. There of evolution. (Gov. Austin are 293 days left in the year. Peay signed the measure on Today in history: March 21; the bill was chalOn March 13, 2013, Jorge lenged in court later that Bergoglio of Argentina was year in the famous Scopes elected pope, choosing the Monkey Trial.) papal name Francis. He was In 1996, a gunman entered the first pontiff from the an elementary school in Americas, and the first from Dunblane, Scotland, and outside Europe since Pope opened fire, killing 16 chilGregory III’s death in the dren and a teacher before year 741. Pope Francis died killing himself; it remains on April 21, 2025. the deadliest mass shooting Also on this date: in British history. In 1781, the seventh planet In 2020, President Donald of the solar system, Uranus, Trump declared a national was discovered by astronoemergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. mer William Herschel. In 2020, Breonna Taylor, In 1925, the Tennessee General Assembly approved a 26-year-old Black woman,

6:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Saturday ● Lamar Dixon Expo Center, 9039 S. St. Landry Ave., Gonzales ● $63.14-$130.90 ● lamardixonexpocenter.com and tylernance.com “I was put into auctioneering by my uncles, but I got tired of doing tongue twisters,” he remembered. “So, I started listening to rap music. I discovered Eminem and the Notorious B.I.G. I learned how to sing those rap songs. I really got interested in words. I actually read through a dictionary and had fun doing it.” Fast forward to 2020, Nance bought a cheap guitar from Amazon during the COVID-19 pandemic. He didn’t do anything with the instrument then, but a few years later, when he was working on the road as a welder, he retrieved the guitar from back home in Missouri. “I was 19 and bored,” he recalled. “I didn’t have much else to do outside of work. I was in Indiana at the time and kind of going through a tough time. I was like, well, I have this (guitar), I’m going to see about maybe trying to learn how to play this time — and I did.” Just as Nance escaped in music during childhood, songwriting gave him a new

escape as a young adult. “And then I played a song for this guy from Mississippi, who I was working with,” he said. “He was like, ‘Dude, this is really good. You need to post this on TikTok.’ ” Reluctant at first, Nance found the courage one night to make his TikTok debut. “I got 200 likes,” he said of that ﬁrst try. “I thought that was the coolest thing ever. People were connecting to it. So, I was writing stuff and growing an audience on TikTok.” Nance’s TikTok followers included an artist-and-repertoire rep with the Santa Anna Label Group. They stayed in touch and, one windy, muddy day in South Dakota, Nance, emboldened by the A&R rep’s prodding, decided to quit the welding trade and to pursue music. “I had no clue what I was getting myself into,” he confessed. “But I was, like, ‘Yeah, dude, yeah. I’m here for it.’ I’m glad I overcame the anxiety. That was one of the best decisions I made in my life. Because now there’s people who have a deep connection with my music. It’s super cool to talk with people, to see the response from my music and be able to help them.” Like one of his musical heroes, Hank Williams Sr., Nance lives his songs when he sings them. “Like ‘Midwest Memoir,’ anytime I sing that song, it brings me back to me and my best friends living our lives in the Midwest. I think about that imagery every single time, and know that it was real.”

funds raised from the race will go to that organization. For more info, visit wearinofthegreen.com/shamrockrun.

trees that line those neutral grounds, according to the Garden District Civic Association. To protect the oaks canopying the area, volunteers Don’t forget the trees are being sought to rope off The medians in the Gar- the medians at 5 p.m. Friday. den District just off the For more information, call parade route are popular (630) 805-1575. parking spots for paradegoers. This practice, however, Email Judy Bergeron at is extremely damaging to jbergeron@theadvocate. the massive century-old oak com.

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was fatally shot in her Louisville, Kentucky, apartment during a botched raid by plainclothes narcotics detectives searching for a suspected drug dealer; no drugs were found, and the warrant used to enter by force was later found to be based on false information. Today’s birthdays: Songwriter Mike Stoller is 93. Actor William H. Macy is 76. Actor Dana Delany is 70. Republican U.S. Sen. John Hoeven of North Dakota is 69. Bassist Adam Clayton (U2) is 66. Jazz musician Terence Blanchard is 64. Actor Annabeth Gish is 55. Rapper-actor Common is 54. Actor Emile Hirsch is 41.

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The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Friday, March 13, 2026 ● 7C

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FrAnK And erneSt

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For better or For WorSe

zodIAC PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Put common sense first when someone makes costly demands. Too much of anything will set you back. Prioritize your needs and focus on your health and emotional well-being. ARIES (March 21-April 19) Take your time. Making a kind gesture, volunteering your time for a worthy cause or focusing more on what you can do for others, not what they can do for you, will set the tone for what's to follow. TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Communication is your gateway to better understanding what others expect of you and how to deliver. Your input will help you gain confidence and recognition. GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Gather information. Preparation and knowing the facts will save you from scams and people trying to take advantage of you. Upgrade your skills and experience to meet today's demands. CANCER (June 21-July 22) It's time to invest in yourself and your future. Consider what you can add to your resume that will make you more marketable, unique or captivating, and prepare to put yourself out there. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Socialize, communicate and charm your way into the hearts of those you encounter. Put your best foot forward, and dedicate time, effort and ingenuity toward being the best version of yourself. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Look past negativity and roadblocks, and you'll gain

insight into what's possible. Intelligence, along with desire and a strong push forward, will make onlookers take notice. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) A change of perspective will help you adjust your goals to suit your situation. Put more energy into your relationships. Getting along will make a difference when it comes to recruiting hands-on help. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Speak up. Share your intentions and talk to experts. Show enthusiasm and stretch yourself to the limit to reach your goal. You can't buy love or respect. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Look for creative lifestyle alternatives. Use discipline to make your domestic life more comfortable and convenient. Focus on personal growth, love and happiness. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Make wellthought-out adjustments that advance your agenda. Opportunity is apparent in love, partnerships and financial gains. Don't take risks that can lead to illness or injury. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Spend more time dealing with money management, and you'll discover ways to lower your overhead. Incorporate a healthy mindset by implementing a fit-for-life approach into your daily routine. The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2026 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

WonderWord

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beetLe bAILeY CeLebrItY CIpher Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

TODAy'S CLUE: T EQUALS y

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

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8C ● Friday, March 13, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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Sudoku InstructIons: Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday. Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

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The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Friday, March 13, 2026 ● 9C

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B.C.

Bridge BY PHILLIP ALDER Timothy Zahn, a science fiction writer, said, “For a change, Lady Luck seemed to be smiling on me. Then again, maybe the fickle wench was just lulling me into a false sense of security while she reached for a rock.” Some bridge players are superstitious, thinking Lady Luck controls the outcome of deals. But good players know that normally she has no influence over the final result. Occasionally, though, everything looks like smooth sailing, when suddenly a nasty storm blows up. What should happen in today’s deal? South is in three no-trump, and West leads his fourth-highest spade. In the auction, I like North’s jump to three no-trump. If South has a club honor, the chance of five or six club tricks is high. Along with the spade ace and South’s known values, surely three no-trump will roll home. It is just Lady Luck’s perversity that South has only two low clubs. East wins the first trick with his spade king, then should return his remaining spade. Yes, here, a red-suit shift would work even better, but East should try to get the spade ace off the board. South will win with his spade queen and run the club eight. Now comes the key play — East must not take the trick. If East wins, declarer captures the next trick and drives out the club ace, while dummy still has the spade ace as an

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entry. But if East calmly allows South’s club eight to win, East will take the second club and shift to, probably, the diamond jack. Now dummy’s club suit is useless and the contract goes down one or two. Afterward, no doubt South will complain that he was unlucky. © 2026 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

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

PiCKles

Previous answers:

mallard fillmore

word game InStRuctIOnS: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

tODAY’S WORD — PEtARD: peh-TARD: A firework that explodes with a loud

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report. Average mark 24 words Time limit 30 minutes Can you find 31 or more words in PETARD? YEStERDAY’S WORD — HARDtAcK hack hard hark arch rack dacha dark dart data drat tack

track carat card cart chad chakra char chard chart chat karat

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today’s thought “So will I make my holy name known in the middle of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel.” Ezekiel 39:7 Keep your eye on Israel. The end may be near. God will keep His promise. — G.E. Dean

10C ● Friday, March 13, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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Pets

Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Jazmin Joi Reynolds Castillo and/or Jaron Dudley Reynolds, immediately contact ATTY Tyler Sanderson at (337)-337-4117 or ty@sanderson-legal.com. Important Legal Rights to be determined in the near future. 180142-Mar 11-13, 3t $133

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PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE TO BIDDERS Notice is hereby given that sealed bids will be received either electroni‐ cally at https://lafayet tecsdgovla.tylerportico. com/va/vendor-access/ registration or in the of‐ fice of the Purchasing Di‐ vision at the Lafayette Consolidated Govern‐ ment Building, located at 705 West University Av‐ enue, Lafayette, Louisiana, until 2:00 p.m. Central Time on the 9th day of April, 2026 for the following: WASTEWATER COLLEC‐ TION SYSTEM REHABILI‐ TATION – MANHOLE REHABILITA‐ TION / REPAIR PROJECT 2026 and will, shortly there‐ after, be opened and read aloud in a room lo‐ cated at 705 West Univer‐ sity Avenue, Lafayette, LA. Bids received after the above specified time for opening shall not be considered and shall be returned unopened to the sender. Bidders are encouraged to join the bid opening in-person or may join the bid opening virtually via Zoom using the following link: https://us02web.zoom. us/j/83246603178? pwd=rIq0DJ3NSycsWb2 3SBDueboDXoUExg.1 DEADLINE FOR QUSTIONS OR EXCEPTIONS: All question or exceptions regarding this project must be submitted no later than noon 12:00p.m. (CST) on Tuesday, April 2, 2026. Any questions and/or exceptions per‐ taining to this project, specifications and bid documents must be sent in writing via email to Dabne Dover @ dabne‐ dover@lafayettela.gov. All exceptions and ques‐ tions affecting the pro‐ ject, specifications or bid documents, shall be ad‐ dressed in the form of an addendum and will be sent to all bidders on record. No verbal corre‐ spondence will be bind‐ ing. SCOPE OF SERVICES: The work shall consist of labor, materials, and equipment necessary to rehabilitate/repair sani‐ tary sewer manholes for ninety (90) calendar days. Rehabilitated man‐ holes shall have no leak‐ age when tested by the acceptable test. The ma‐ jority of the work to be performed under this contract will be per‐ formed city-wide. In accordance with Louisiana RS 38:2212., vendors may submit their bid electronically at the website listed above. Bidding Documents are available to view only at the website. Contractor may request the bid package electronically from Dabne Dover at dabnedover@ LafayetteLA.gov.

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

DOGS Belgian Malinois - Lrg pups, DNA, OFA, sable males & females. S&W. Kevin for more info. $1300 504-220-2980 DOGS EUROPEAN DOBERMAN - AKC regs euro Doberman puppies for sale. 4 males, 7 females born 2/5/26. Tails docked, dew claws removed will be wormed, uta on shots. $1800 (225) 953-3629

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

g submit their bid electron‐ ically must ﬁrst be regis‐ tered online with Lafayette Consolidated Government as a poten‐ tial supplier at the web‐ site listed above.

g y Louisiana domiciled in‐ surance company with at least an A-Rating in the latest printing of the A.M. Best’s Key Rating Guide to write individual bonds up to ten percent (10%) of policyholders’ surplus as shown in the A.M. Best’s Key Rating Guide, or by an insurance com‐ pany in good standing li‐ censed to write bid bonds which is either domiciled in Louisiana or owned by Louisiana resi‐ dents. The bid bond shall be issued by a company licensed to do business in Louisiana. The certi‐ ﬁed check, cashier’s check, or bid bond shall be given as a guarantee that the bidder shall exe‐ cute the contract, should it be awarded to him, in conformity with the con‐ tract documents within ten (10) days.

Bidders submitting bids electronically are re‐ quested to provide the same documents as bid‐ ders submitting through the mail as soon as avail‐ able. Only a bid bond, certified check or cashier’s check shall be submitted as the bid se‐ curity. Electronic copies of both the front and back of the check or bid bond shall be included with the electronic bid. Bids must be signed in accordance with LRS Title 38:2212(B)5. A Cor‐ porate Resolution or Cer‐ tificate of Authority au‐ thorizing the person signing the bid is re‐ quired to be submitted with bid. Failure to sub‐ mit a Corporate Resolu‐ tion or Certificate of Au‐ thority with the bid shall be cause for rejection of bid. Copies of the bidding documents are available upon request by contact‐ ing the Purchasing office, located at 705 West Uni‐ versity Avenue, Lafayette, LA 70506. Tele‐ phone number (337) 2918262 (Attn: Dabne Dover). Bid documents shall be available until twentyfour hours before the bid opening date. Questions relative to the bidding documents shall be ad‐ dressed to Dabne Dover, telephone number (337) 291-8262. Each bid shall be accom‐ panied by a certified check, cashier’s check, or bid bond payable to the Lafayette Consoli‐ dated Government, the amount of which shall be five percent (5%) of the base bid plus additive Revised January 22, 2021 alternates. If a bid bond is used, it shall be writ‐ ten by a surety or insur‐ ance company currently on the U.S. Department of the Treasury Financial Management Service list of approved bonding companies which is pub‐ lished annually in the Federal Register, or by a i i d i il d i

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Contractors wishing to b i h i bid l

No contractor may with‐ draw its bid prior to the deadline for submission of bids. Withdrawal of bids thereafter shall be allowed only pursuant to LA R.S. 38§2214.C. Other‐ wise, no bidder may withdraw his bid for at least forty-five (45) days after the time scheduled for the bid opening of bids. Each bid shall be submitted only on the bid form provided within the specifications. The successful bidder will be required to execute per‐ formance and labor and material payment bonds in the full amount of the contract as more fully defined in the bid docu‐ ments. Bids will be evaluated by the Purchaser based on the lowest responsible and responsive bid sub‐ mitted which is also in compliance with the bid The documents. Lafayette Consolidated Government reserves the right to reject any and all bids for just cause in ac‐ cordance with LA R.S. 38§2214.B. Contractors or contract‐ ing firms submitting bids in the amount of $50,000.00 or more shall certify that they are li‐ censed contractors under Chapter 24 of Title 37 of the Louisiana Re‐ vised Statutes of 1950 and show their license number on the front of the sealed envelope in which their bid is en‐ closed. Contractors shall be licensed for the clas‐ sification of “MUNICIPAL AND PUBLIC WORKS CON‐ STRUCTION”. Bids in the amounts specified above which have not bid in ac‐ cordance with the re‐ quirements, shall be re‐ jected and shall not be read. Additional informa‐ tion relative to licensing may be obtained from the Louisiana State Li‐ censing Board for Con‐ tractors, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The Lafayette Consoli‐ dated Government strongly encourages the participation of DBEs (Disadvantaged Business Enterprises) in all con‐ tracts or procurements let by the Lafayette Con‐ solidated Government for goods and services and labor and material. To that end, all contrac‐ tors and suppliers are encouraged to utilize DBEs business enter‐

ORDINANCE NUMBER 2026-1 AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 22, MANUFACTURED HOUSING OF THE SCOTT MUNICIPAL CODE TO AMEND AND REVISE SECTION 22-19, 22-21 AND SECTION 22-23 WHEREAS, Section 22-19, 22-21 and 22-23 of the Scott Municipal Code MANUFACTURED HOUSING should be amended to revise the following: WHEREAS, under Section 22-19 - Definitions: Add: Mobile home mover means any person involved in the transportation, delivery, setup or moving of any mobile home, manufactured home or mobile unit as defined in this section. WHEREAS, under Section 22-21 - Penalties: Subsection (b) replaced with: “The owner of any mobile home, manufactured home or mobile unit, operator, park management, subdivision management, mobile home mover, general agent, contractor, or any other person who commits, takes part in, or assists in any violation of this article, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon a first conviction shall be fined not more than $200.00 or may be imprisoned for not more than 30 days, or both. Upon a second or subsequent conviction shall be fined $500.00 or may be imprisoned for not more than 30 days or both.” WHEREAS, under Section 22-23 - Mobile home moving permit required: Subsection (a) replaced with: “It shall be unlawful for any person, owner of any mobile home, manufactured home or mobile unit, mobile home mover, general agent, contractor or any other person to move or cause to be moved any mobile home or building measuring more than ten feet in width or ten feet in length, into or within the corporate limits of the city without first obtaining from the city a permit therefor, at a cost of $25.00. Said permit shall be visible from the outside of the mobile home or building. Any mobile home or building moved into or within the corporate limits of the city shall be moved by movers who are licensed in the state and approved by the city.” BE IT ORDAINED by the Mayor and City Council for the City of Scott, Louisiana, in regular session assembled, that the following ordinance is adopted, to wit:

prises in the purchase or sub-contracting of mate‐ rials, supplies, services and labor and material in which disadvantaged businesses are available. Assistance in identifying said businesses may be obtained by calling 2918410. PURCHASING DIVISION Lafayette Consolidated Government PUBLISH DATES: 3-13-26, 3-15-26, 3-22-26 DPR 1003538 180388-mar 13-15-22-3t $207

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PUBLIC NOTICE --"NOTICE"

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70501

AIRPORT NORTH TO PARISH LINE AND EAST OF FLOODWAY TR C SEC 87 T8S R5E (0.608AC) SECT/TWP/ RANGE 87/8/5 thereon Improvements bear Municipal No. 6066853 Tax sale title to the above-described property has been sold for failure to pay taxes. You have been identified as a person who may have an interest in this property. Your interest in the prop‐ erty will be terminated if you do not redeem the property by making all required payments to the tax collector listed below or file a lawsuit in accor‐ dance with law within [60 days] of the date of the first publication of this notice, or the record‐ ing of an act transferring ownership, if later. Lafayette Parish Tax As‐ sessor, 1010 LAFAYETTE STREET, LAFAYETTE, LA

that there is sufficient unexpended/unencum‐ bered salary appropria‐ tion to cover this reallo‐ cation. The annual recur‐ ring cost is $6,213.87. SECTION 3: This adjust‐ ment to the manning ta‐ bles shall be as reflected in any pertinent docu‐ ments which are at‐ tached hereto and made a part hereof and filed in the Office of the Clerk of the Council. SECTION 4: All ordi‐ nances or resolutions, or parts thereof, in conflict herewith are hereby re‐ pealed. SECTION 5: After first having been adopted by a majority of the autho‐ rized membership of both the Lafayette Parish Council and the Lafayette City Council, this joint ordinance shall become effective upon signature of this joint or‐ dinance by the Lafayette Mayor-President, the elapse of ten (10) days after receipt by the Lafayette Mayor-Presi‐ dent without signature or veto, or upon override of a veto, whichever oc‐ curs first. *****

The political subdivision or acquiring person may file with the recorder of mortgages of the parish in which the property is located a copy of one of the notices that was sent to the tax debtor or the current owner. A trans‐ fer, mortgage, lien, privi‐ lege, or other encum‐ brance filed after the fil‐ ing of the notice shall not affect the property. The recorder of mortgages or recorder of conveyances shall cancel, erase, ter‐ minate, or release the acts upon the request of the acquiring person. The James Firm, LLC has been employed by Judy Theriot to provide notice to you for the above property. If you have any questions, please give us a call 337-703-4312. 180514-mar 13-1t $250.00 PUBLIC NOTICE ---

The Estate of Glenn Michael Gurney THIS NOTICE BY PUBLICA‐ TION IS NOTIFICATION THAT YOUR RIGHTS OR INTEREST IN THE FOL‐ LOWING DESCRIBED PROPERTY LOCATED IN OPELOUSAS, LOUISIANA MAY BE TERMINATED BY OPERATION OF LAW IF YOU DO NOT TAKE FUR‐ THER ACTION IN ACCOR‐ DANCE WITH LAW:

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NOTICE The Lafayette City Coun‐ cil and the Lafayette Parish Council each met in Regular Session on March 10, 2026 and adopted the following or‐ dinance:

/s/ Joseph Gordon-Wiltz JOSEPH GORDON-WILTZ LAFAYETTE CLERK OF THE COUNCIL 185051-MAR 13-1T $21.26

ORDINANCE NO. JO-0072026

PUBLIC NOTICE ---

A JOINT ORDINANCE OF THE LAFAYETTE CITY COUNCIL AND THE LAFAYETTE PARISH COUNCIL AMENDING THE FY 25/26 OPERATING BUDGET AND ADJUSTING MANNING TABLES OF THE LAFAYETTE CITY-PARISH CONSOLIDATED GOVERN‐ MENT TO PROVIDE FUND‐ ING FOR A SALARY AD‐ JUSTMENT WITHIN THE OFFICE OF FINANCE & MANAGEMENT

NOTICE The Lafayette City Coun‐ cil met in Regular Ses‐ sion on March 10, 2026 and introduced the fol‐ lowing ordinances. CO-017-2026 An ordi‐ nance of the Lafayette City Council approving a Conditional Use Permit to allow a bar/lounge in a D (Downtown) Zoning Dis‐ trict, Case No. 2025-2CUP 522 Jefferson Street CUP (Conditional Use Permit), located gener‐ ally north of West Vermil‐ ion Street, west of Jeffer‐ son Street, and south of West Congress Street.

BE IT ORDAINED by the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council, that: SECTION 1: The FY 25/26 operating budget and manning tables of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Govern‐ ment are hereby amended by adjusting the appropriations of the Ofﬁce of Finance & Man‐ agement. SECTION 2: The FY 25/26 operating budget of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Govern‐ ment shall not be af‐ fected due to the fact

CO-018-2026 An ordi‐ nance of the Lafayette City Council amending the Lafayette Develop‐ ment Code so as to re‐ classify the property of Case No. 2025-30-REZ 323 Rue de Commerce Rezon‐ ing, located generally north of Industrial Park‐ way, east of Rue Beaure‐ d d h f

NOTICE TO PUBLIC NOTICE OF PROPOSED SURPLUS ORDINANCE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that Ordinance No. CO-015-2026 has been introduced and is proposed for adoption by the Lafayette City Council on March 24, 2026, whereby the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government would transfer to the Judice Volunteer Fire Department, Inc. a 1997 surplus cargo truck which is no longer needed for public purposes, the following described property, to wit: DESCRIPTION BAES DS 1997 Cargo Truck (tan in color)

VIN # AT004498ECAF

Any opposition to the proposed ordinance shall be made in writing and filed with the Office of the Lafayette Clerk of the Council within 15 days after the first publication of this notice. If an opposition is filed, the Lafayette City Council shall not adopt the ordinance until hearings have been held. /s/ Joseph Gordon-Wiltz JOSEPH GORDON-WILTZ LAFAYETTE CLERK OF THE COUNCIL Publication Dates: February 27, March 6, March 13, 2026. 178813-621980-feb 27-mar 6-13-3t $ 92.61

Housing of the Municipal Code to amend and revise Section 22-23 Mobile home moving permit required: Subsection (a) replaced with: “It shall be unlawful for any person, owner of any mobile home, manufactured home or mobile unit, mobile home mover, general agent, contractor or any other person to move or cause to be moved any mobile home or building measuring more than ten feet in width or ten feet in length, into or within the corporate limits of the city without first obtaining from the city a permit therefor, at a cot of $25.00. Said permit shall be visible from the outside of the mobile home or building. Any mobile home or building moved into or within the corporate limits of the city shall be moved by movers who are licensed in the state and approved by the city.” This ordinance shall become effective on the____day of_____________, 2026. This ordinance having been submitted to a vote in regular session of the Mayor and City Council of the City of Scott, Louisiana, the vote thereon being as follows: YEAS: NAYS:

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y gard, and south of Rue de Commerce; being re‐ zoned from CH (Commer‐ cial-Heavy) to CM-1 (Commercial Mixed).

University Avenue, Lafayette, LA on March 24, 2026.

adopted as part of this ordinance. SECTION 2: The Lafayette Mayor-President, Monique B. Boulet, be and she is hereby autho‐ rized, empowered and di‐ rected to transfer nine (9) Remington 870 Shot‐ guns, one (1) Mossberg 500 Shotgun, four (4) Night Enforcer NE6015, one (1) Night Enforcer PVS-14 and one (1) OPMOD PVS-14 Night Optic per the attached list, to New Iberia Police Department located at 457 East Main St. New Iberia, Louisiana. SECTION 3: It is specifi‐ cally recognized that all requirements of La. R.S. 33:4712 pertaining to the transfer of surplus mov‐ able property, including notice of this proposed ordinance to the public shall be adhered to. SECTION 4: Any opposi‐ tion to this ordinance shall be made in writing and filed with the Office of the Clerk of the Coun‐ cil within 15 days of first publication. SECTION 5: All ordi‐ nances or resolutions, or parts thereof, in conflict herewith are hereby re‐ pealed. SECTION 6: This ordi‐ nance shall become ef‐ fective upon signature of the Lafayette MayorPresident, the elapse of ten (10) days after re‐ ceipt by the Lafayette Mayor-President without signature or veto, or upon an override of a veto, and ten (10) days from the advertisement of final adoption in ac‐ cordance with State law governing the disposal of surplus property. *****

CO-019-2026 An ordi‐ nance of the Lafayette City Council amending the Lafayette Develop‐ ment Code and the offi‐ cial map of the City of Lafayette, providing for the annexation of addi‐ tional land into the cor‐ porate limits of the City of Lafayette, Louisiana, Case No. 2026-1-REZ 144 & 146 Lebesque Road (Tract 12 & 13B) Annexa‐ tion, located generally north of Lebesque Road, west of North University Avenue, and south of Dugas Road; and assign‐ ing a zoning classifica‐ tion of RS-1 (Residential Single-Family) (District 1). CO-020-2026 An ordi‐ nance of the Lafayette City Council amending the Lafayette Develop‐ ment Code and the offi‐ cial map of the City of Lafayette, providing for the annexation of addi‐ tional land into the cor‐ porate limits of the City of Lafayette, Louisiana, Case No. 2026-2-REZ 262 Ridge Road (Tracts 3-5) Annexation, located gen‐ erally north of Ridge Road, east of South Domingue Avenue, and south of Curran Lane; and assigning a zoning classification of CH (Commercial-Heavy) (District 2). CO-021-2026 An ordi‐ nance of the Lafayette City Council amending the Lafayette Develop‐ ment Code so as to re‐ classify the property of Case No. 2026-3-REZ 1115 South Hugh Wallis Road Rezoning, located gener‐ ally north of East Verot School Road, east of South Hugh Wallis Road, and south of Rue Conge Circle; being rezoned from RM-1 (Residential Mixed) to CH (Commer‐ cial Heavy). The ordinances will ap‐ pear before the Lafayette City Council for public hearing and final adop‐ tion in the Ted A. Ardoin City-Parish Council Audi‐ torium located at 705 W.

/s/ Joseph Gordon-Wiltz JOSEPH GORDON-WILTZ LAFAYETTE CLERK OF THE COUNCIL 180503-MAR 13-1T $26.83 PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE The Lafayette City Coun‐ cil met in Regular Ses‐ sion on March 10, 2026 and adopted the follow‐ ing ordinances: CITY ORDINANCE NO. CO006-2026 AN ORDINANCE OF THE LAFAYETTE CITY COUNCIL AUTHORIZING THE LAFAYETTE CITY-PARISH CONSOLIDATED GOVERN‐ MENT TO TRANSFER TEN (10) SHOTGUNS (12 GAUGE), FOUR (4) NIGHT ENFORCER NE6015, ONE (1) NIGHT ENFORCER PVS-14 AND ONE (1) OPMOD PVS-14 NIGHT OPTIC, WHICH ARE NO LONGER NEEDED FOR PUBLIC PURPOSES, TO NEW IBERIA POLICE DE‐ PARTMENT BE IT ORDAINED by the Lafayette City Council, that: WHEREAS, the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government is the owner of ten (10) shotguns (12 gauge), four (4) Night En‐ forcer NE6015, one (1) Night Enforcer PVS-14 and one (1) OPMOD PVS14 Night Optic, which are no longer needed for public purposes as per the attached list; and WHEREAS, the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government plans to transfer all 16 items; and WHEREAS, said transfer would be in the best in‐ terest of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government and is rec‐ ommended by the Lafayette Police Depart‐ ment. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED by the Lafayette City Coun‐ cil, that: SECTION 1: All of the aforedescribed “Whereas” clauses are

CITY ORDINANCE NO. CO016-2026 AN ORDINANCE OF THE LAFAYETTE CITY COUNCIL AUTHORIZING THE LAFAYETTE MAYOR-PRES‐ IDENT TO ENTER INTO A COOPERATIVE ENDEAVOR AGREEMENT BY AND BE‐ TWEEN THE LAFAYETTE CITY-PARISH CONSOLI‐ DATED GOVERNMENT AND THE LAFAYETTE PUB‐ LIC TRUST FINANCING AUTHORITY (LPTFA) TO PROVIDE FOR FUNDING FOR A HOUSING NEEDS ASSESSMENT FOR THE

NOTICE TO PUBLIC NOTICE OF PROPOSED SURPLUS ORDINANCE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that Parish Ordinance No. PO011-2026 has been introduced and is proposed for adoption by the Lafayette Parish Council on March 24, 2026, whereby the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government would sell at public auction surplus vehicles and equipment which are no longer needed for public purposes, the following described property, to wit: misc surplus lcg moveable property for public auction vehicle # description serial/vin 51222403 2006 gmc g8500 dump truck 1GDT8C4366F427289 51222405 2006 gmc g8500 dump truck 1GDT8C4326F430271 51222468 2015 freightliner dump truck 1FVHCYCY7FHGG3699 51243339 2015 peterbilt pothole patcher 3BPPHM7X2FF590679 Any opposition to the proposed ordinance shall be made in writing and filed with the Office of the Lafayette Clerk of the Council within 15 days after the first publication of this notice. If an opposition is filed, the Lafayette Parish Council shall not adopt the ordinance until a hearing has been held. /s/ Joseph Gordon-Wiltz JOSEPH GORDON-WILTZ LAFAYETTE CLERK OF THE COUNCIL Publication Dates: February 27, March 6, March 13, 2026. 178807-621970-feb27-mar 6-13-3t $ 105.84

ORDINANCE NUMBER 2026-2 AN ORDINANCE AMENDING APPENDIX C OF THE SCOTT MUNICIPAL CODE TO REVISE, ENACT AND ADOPT FINES AND PENALTIES FOR TRAFFIC AND MISDEMEANOR VIOLATIONS COMMITTED WITHIN THE CORPORATE LIMITS OF THE CITY OF SCOTT WHEREAS, Appendix C of the Scott Municipal Code SCHEDULE OF FINES AND PENALTIES should be amended to revise, enact and adopt fines and penalties for traffic and misdemeanor violations committed within the corporate limits of the City of Scott; WHEREAS, pursuant to Act 299 (2025), the filing fee authorized by R.S. 13:86 payable to the Louisiana Judicial College has been increased to $2.50, effective January 1, 2026. WHEREAS, said revised fines and penalties are set forth on the attached 2026 Revised Schedule of Fines and Penalties; BE IT ORDAINED by the Mayor and City Coundl for the City of Scott, Louisiana, in regular session assembled, that the following ordinance is adopted, to wit: SECTION I. - ADOPTION OF FINES AND PENALTIES The City of Scott hereby amends Appendix C SCHEDULE OF FINES AND PENALTIES of the Municipal Code to revise, enact and adopt the fines and penalties for traffic and misdemeanor violations committed within the corporate limits of the City of Scott, which revised fines and penalties are set forth on the 2026 Revised Schedule of Fines and Penalties attached hereto and made a part hereof. SECTION II. - EFFECTIVE DATE This ordinance shall become effective on the____day of_____________, 2026. SECTION III. REPEAL OF CONFLICTING ORDINANCES Ordinance number 2025-12 is hereby repealed. All ordinances or parts of ordinances in direct conflict herewith are hereby repealed. This ordinance having been submitted to a vote in regular session of the Mayor and City Council of the City of Scott, Louisiana, the vote thereon being as follows: YEAS:

ABSENT: NAYS: ABSTAIN: WHEREUPON, the presiding officer declared the above Ordinance duly adopted on this______day of___________________, 2026. _________________________ SHELLEY M. GAUTREAU CITY CLERK

_________________________ JAN-SCOTT RICHARDMAYOR

CHAPTER 22 - MANUFACTURED HOUSING The City of Scott hereby amends Chapter 22 - Manufactured Housing of the Municipal Code to amend and revise Section 22-19 Definitions: to add Mobile home mover means any person involved in the transportation, delivery, setup or moving of any mobile home, manufactured home or mobile unit as defined in this section;

I hereby approve the of_________________, 2026

The City of Scott hereby amends Chapter 22 - Manufactured Housing of the Municipal Code to amend and revise Section 22-21 Penalties: Subsection (b) replaced with: “The owner of any mobile home, manufactured home or mobile unit, operator, park management, subdivision management, mobile home mover, general agent, contractor, or any other person who commits, takes part in, or assists in any violation of this article, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon a first conviction shall be fined not more than $200.00 or may be imprisoned for not more than 30 days, or both. Upon a second or subsequent conviction shall be fined $500.00 or may be imprisoned for not more than 30 days or both.”

I certify that the above Ordinance was received by me from the Mayor on tthe_____day of_________________, 2026.

The City of Scott hereby amends Chapter 22 - Manufactured

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above

Ordinance

this_____day

_____________________________ JAN-SCOTT RICHARD-MAYOR

__________________________________ SHELLEY M. GAUTREAU-CITY CLERK

ABSENT: ABSTAIN: WHEREUPON, the presiding officer declared the above Ordinance duly adopted on this______day of___________________, 2026. _________________________ SHELLEY M. GAUTREAU CITY CLERK

_________________________ JAN-SCOTT RICHARDMAYOR

I certify that the above Ordinance was presented to the Mayor by me on the_____day of_________________, 2026. __________________________________ SHELLEY M. GAUTREAU-CITY CLERK I acknowledge receipt of the above Ordinance from the City Clerk on the_____day of_________________, 2026. _____________________________ JAN-SCOTT RICHARD-MAYOR I hereby approve the above Ordinance on this_____day of_________________, 2026 _____________________________ JAN-SCOTT RICHARD-MAYOR I certify that the above Ordinance was received by me from the Mayor on the_____day of_________________, 2026. __________________________________ SHELLEY M. GAUTREAU-CITY CLERK

180510-627252-mar 13-1t $ 221.76

180512-627253-mar 13-1t $ 131.67

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Friday, March 13, 2026 ● 11C

lll

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CITY OF LAFAYETTE BE IT ORDAINED by the Lafayette City Council, that: WHEREAS, Article VII, Section 14(C) of the 1974 Constitution of the State of Louisiana states that, “[f]or a public purpose, the state and its political subdivisions or political corporations may en‐ gage in cooperative en‐ deavors with each other, with the United States or its agencies, or with any public or private associa‐ tions, corporation, or in‐ dividual;” and WHEREAS, the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government (“LCG”) has undertaken a compre‐ hensive planning effort that culminated in Plan‐ Lafayette, the compre‐ hensive master plan for the City and Parish of Lafayette, which was adopted by the CityParish Planning Commis‐ sion by Resolution No. R2014-01 on June 10, 2014 and further endorsed by Resolution No. R-026-2014 by the City-Parish Coun‐ cil on July 1, 2014; and WHEREAS, PlanLafayette, identifies the provision of high-quality, afford‐ able, and diverse hous‐ ing choices as essential to economic vitality, workforce stability, neighborhood reinvest‐ ment, and overall quality of life and establishes goals and policies re‐ lated to affordable hous‐ ing, workforce housing, mixed-income develop‐ ment, and neighborhood stabilization; and WHEREAS, PlanLafayette further recognizes the need for data-driven strategies to strengthen older neighborhoods, support infill develop‐ ment, align housing loca‐ tion with employ-ment centers, and respond to changing demographic and housing preferences; and WHEREAS, LCG is cur‐ rently undertaking a growth and development planning effort focused on development pat‐ terns, land use, and longterm growth manage‐ ment within the unincor‐ porated areas of Lafayette Parish, the findings of which are ex‐ pected to inform future policy, planning, and in‐ frastructure decisions; and WHEREAS, as part of the growth and development planning effort, an as‐ sessment of housing is necessary (the “Housing Needs Assessment”); and WHEREAS, while such growth and development planning effort focus on the unincorporated areas of the parish, the Hous‐ ing Needs Assessment focuses on the City of Lafayette, and together these efforts are in‐ tended to provide a more comprehensive under‐ housing standing of needs, development pat‐ terns, and growth dy‐ namics across the parish; and WHEREAS, a Housing Needs Assessment Work‐ ing Group, composed of representatives from public agencies, housing and economic develop‐ ment partners, philan‐ thropic organizations, and community stake‐ holders, has been con‐ vened to guide and in‐ form a comprehensive analysis of housing needs for the City of Lafayette; and WHEREAS, LPTFA is au‐ thorized under its Trust Indenture to finance and support projects, pro‐ grams, and planning ac‐ tivities that serve a valid public purpose, including those related to housing, economic development d i i l

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p and community revital‐ ization; and WHEREAS, the LPTFA and LCG desire to work to‐ gether and contribute re‐ sources to the Housing Needs Assessment (the “Project”); and WHEREAS, LCG and LPTFA desire to enter into Cooperative En‐ deavor Agreement (the “Agreement”) to set forth the obligation of each with respect to the fund‐ ing and support of a Housing Needs Assess‐ ment for the City of Lafayette, which will di‐ rect future housing-re‐ lated policy and planning decisions and advance the implementation of PlanLafayette; and WHEREAS, LCG has the authority to enter into an Agreement with LPTFA as evidenced by its govern‐ mental purpose of fos‐ tering growth and devel‐ opment within the City and Parish of Lafayette; and WHEREAS, the public purpose of the Project is to assist LCG with en‐ hancing residents’ qual‐ ity of life by improving housing, transportation infrastructure, and ac‐ cessibility to public spaces, which fosters economic growth and de‐ velopment and ensures sustainability; and WHEREAS, LCG has a rea‐ sonable expectation of receiving a benefit or value that is at least equivalent to or greater than the consideration described in the Agree‐ ment; and WHEREAS, the transfer or expenditure of public funds or property is not a gratuitous donation. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED by the Lafayette City Coun‐ cil, that: SECTION 1: All of the aforedescribed “Whereas” clauses are adopted as part of this ordinance. SECTION 2: The Coopera‐ tive Endeavor Agreement by and between the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Govern‐ ment and the Lafayette Public Trust Financing Authority attached hereto is intended to out‐ line the duties and re‐ sponsibilities of LCG and the LPTFA regarding the aforedescribed Housing Needs Assessment. SECTION 3: The Lafayette City Council hereby au‐ thorizes the Lafayette Mayor-President, or her designee, to conduct all negotiations, execute and submit all docu‐ ments, including but not limited to applications, agreements, amend‐ ments, contracts, pay‐ ment request, correspon‐ dence, contracts, amend‐ ments, requisitions, re‐ imbursements, etc., which may be necessary for the completion of the Project and to take all other action necessary in connection with said Pro‐ ject, and to execute and deliver an Agreement substantially in the form attached hereto. SECTION 4: All ordi‐ nances or resolutions, or parts thereof, in conflict herewith are hereby re‐ pealed. SECTION 5: This ordi‐ nance shall become ef‐ fective upon signature of the Lafayette MayorPresident, the elapse of ten (10) days after re‐ ceipt by the Lafayette Mayor-President without signature or veto, or upon an override of a veto, whichever occurs first. *****

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/s/ Joseph Gordon-Wiltz JOSEPH GORDON-WILTZ LAFAYETTE CLERK OF THE COUNCIL 180499-mar 13-1t $86 PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE The Lafayette Parish Council met in Regular Session on March 10, 2026 and introduced the following ordinances. PO-012-2026 An ordi‐ nance of the Lafayette Parish Council authoriz‐ ing the Lafayette MayorPresident to enter into an Intergovernmental Agreement between the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Govern‐ ment and the City of Carencro concerning the surface improvements to Cormier Road. The ordinances will ap‐ pear before the Lafayette Parish Council for public hearing and final adop‐ tion in the Ted A. Ardoin City-Parish Council Audi‐ torium located at 705 W. University Avenue, Lafayette, LA on March 24, 2026. /s/ Joseph Gordon-Wiltz JOSEPH GORDON-WILTZ LAFAYETTE CLERK OF THE COUNCIL 1800494-mar 13-1t $9.04 PUBLIC NOTICE --PROCEEDINGS OF THE LAFAYETTE PARISH COUNCIL MEETING OF THE PARISH OF LAFAYETTE, STATE OF LOUISIANA, TAKEN AT A REGULAR MEETING OF MARCH 10, 2026 HELD AT 705 W. UNIVERSITY AV‐ ENUE, LAFAYETTE, LA. ATTENDANCE COUNCIL: Donald Richard (Chair, District 2), Ken Stansbury (Vice-Chair, District 3), Bryan Tabor (District 1), John Guil‐ beau (District 4) ABSENT: AB Rubin (Dis‐ trict 5) COUNCIL STAFF: Joseph Gordon-Wiltz (Clerk of the Council), Jeremy Richardson (Associate Clerk for Operations & Citizen Advocacy) Cindy M. Semien (Associate Clerk for Legislative Af‐ fairs) and Kelly Comeaux (Assistant Clerk for Leg‐ islative Affairs) ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF: Monique B. Boulet (Mayor-President), Rachel Godeaux (Chief Administrative Officer), Karen Fontenot (Chief Fi‐ nancial Officer), and Paul Escott (Assistant Cityi h )

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Parish Attorney) (4:31:00) MENT

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COMMENCE‐

Call to order Chair Richard called the Regular Parish Council Meeting of March 10, 2026 to order. AGENDA ITEM NO. 1: Invo‐ cation and Pledge of Al‐ legiance The Chair called upon Councilmember Stans‐ bury to cite the invoca‐ tion and called upon Councilmember Tabor to lead the Pledge of Alle‐ giance. WELCOME AND CHAIR ANNOUNCEMENTS Chair Richard made the following announce‐ ments: • District 5 Parish Coun‐ cilmember AB Rubin was unable to attend the meeting due to illness. • Due to the Mardi Gras holiday the Council Meetings in February and March will be on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month. The meetings will return to the typical 1st and 3rd Tuesdays in April; • Wished Adam Marcan‐ tel, Civil Service Director, a Happy Birthday which he celebrates on March 15th. Joseph Gordon-Wiltz in‐ troduced Kelly Comeaux as the new Assistant Clerk for Legislative Af‐ fairs. AGENDA ITEM NO. 2: COUNCIL ANNOUNCE‐ MENTS Guilbeau discussed three (3) items of concern. The first was commending the firefighters for re‐ sponding to the latest calls that were tragic. He offers condolences to the families and friends that lost lives. His second concern was about the homeless that are occu‐ pying bus stops as their personal residence. Guil‐ beau stated that this is considered public prop‐ erty and is becoming a problem that needs to be cleaned up. His last con‐ cern was about inspec‐ tion of utility poles at residences. Guilbeau would like for home own‐ ers to receive notifica‐ tion or a courtesy knock before inspectors enter their property. AGENDA ITEM NO. 3: EX‐ ECUTIVE/MAYOR-PRESI‐ DENT’S REPORT a. Budget-to-Actual Com‐ parison of Major Parish Funds – January 2026 Pre‐ liminary Boulet noted that the monthly Budget-to-Ac‐ tual Comparisons are to comply with statewide auditing procedures. b. Audit Findings Update – February 2026

Boulet noted that they are required monthly to give an update to the Louisiana Legislative Au‐ ditor on the report find‐ ings. Boulet’s announcements: • There will be three (3) meetings concerning drainage. The meetings will be March 18th at 6PM at South Regional Li‐ brary, April 9th at 6PM at South Louisiana Commu‐ nity College, and May 12th at 6PM at Dupuis Recreation Center. • Picard Park Ribbon Cut‐ ting will be held March 20th at 8:30AM. • Bertrand Drive ground‐ breaking is March 23rd at 1:30PM. • The Growth Plan Survey is located online at Lafayettela.gov and is available to the public until March 27th. • Thanked firefighters for responding to the recent tragic calls. • Panel interviews for the Fire Chief was com‐ pleted. JOINT ORDINANCE FINAL ADOPTION

Legal Notices

p pointment(s) to be made at the Tuesday, April 7, 2026 Regular Meeting of the Lafayette Parish Council.

ABSTAIN: None Motion to introduce was approved.

g g g p ject. She noted that heavy rainfall is causing shifts to her home.

INTRODUCTORY NANCE

ORDI‐

AGENDA ITEM NO. 6: PO012-2026 An ordinance of the Lafayette Parish Council authorizing the Lafayette Mayor-Presi‐ dent to enter into an In‐ tergovernmental Agree‐ ment between the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Govern‐ ment and the City of Carencro concerning the surface improvements to Cormier Road, motion to introduce by Tabor, sec‐ onded by Guilbeau, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Tabor, Richard, Stansbury, Guilbeau, NAYS: None ABSENT: Rubin

AGENDA ITEM NO. 4: JO007-2026 A joint ordi‐ nance of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council amending the FY 25/26 operating budget and ad‐ justing manning tables of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Govern‐ ment to provide funding for a salary adjustment within the Office of Fi‐ nance & Management, motion to adopt by Guil‐ beau, seconded by Stansbury, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Tabor, Richard, Stansbury, Guilbeau, NAYS: None ABSENT: Rubin ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was ap‐ proved. ANNOUNCEMENT OF VA‐ CANCIES ON BOARDS/COMMISSIONS AGENDA ITEM NO. 5: A vacancy exists on the Lafayette Metropolitan Expressway Commission for an indefinite term, ef‐ fective immediately. This is a joint appointment by the Lafayette Parish Council and the Lafayette City Council. Individuals wishing to submit a resume for the above volunteer vacan‐ cies must be a registered voter and a resident of Lafayette Parish. Yearly ethics training for all ap‐ pointees is required as is financial disclosure under certain circum‐ stances. Resumes are to be forwarded to Joseph Gordon-Wiltz, Clerk of the Council, P.O. Box 4017 C, Lafayette, LA 70502 or emailed to BCLafayette@ LafayetteLA.gov no later than noon, Tuesday, March 24, 2026 with ap‐ i ( ) b d

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The Chair called upon Councilmember Naquin to cite an invocation and upon Councilmember Hebert to lead the Pledge of Allegiance. WELCOME AND CHAIR ANNOUNCEMENTS Chair Boudreaux made the following announcements: • Due to the Mardi Gras holiday the Council Meetings in February and March will be on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month. The meetings will return to the typical 1st and 3rd Tuesdays in April; • Wished Adam Marcantel, Civil Service Director, a Happy Birthday which he celebrates on March 15th. Joseph Gordon-Wiltz introduced Kelly Comeaux as the new Assistant Clerk for Legislative Affairs. AGENDA ITEM NO. 2: COUNCIL ANNOUNCEMENTS No Council Announcements were made. AGENDA ITEM NO. 3: EXECUTIVE/MAYOR-PRESIDENT’S REPORT a. Budget-to-Actual Comparison of Major City Funds – January 2026 Preliminary Boulet noted that the monthly Budget-to-Actual Comparisons are to comply with statewide auditing procedures. b. Audit Findings Update – February 2026 Boulet noted that they are required monthly to give an update to the Louisiana Legislative Auditor on the report findings. Boulet’s announcements: • There will be three (3) meetings concerning drainage. The meetings will be March 18th at 6PM at South Regional Library, April 9th at 6PM at South Louisiana Community College, and May 12th at 6PM at Dupuis Recreation Center. • Picard Park Ribbon Cutting will be held March 20th at 8:30AM. • PARC is celebrating 100 years of the Jay & Lionel Hebert Municipal Golf Course on March 20th at 4:00PM. • Bertrand Drive groundbreaking is March 23rd at 1:30PM. • The Growth Plan Survey is located online at Lafayettela.gov and is available to the public until March 27th. • Thanked firefighters for responding to the recent tragic calls • Panel interviews for the Fire Chief was completed There are currently 11 finalists for the Fire Chief search. RESOLUTIONS AGENDA ITEM NO. 4: CR-005-2026 A resolution of the Lafayette City Council approving the Cooperative Endeavor Agreement by and between the City of Lafayette and the Lafayette Parish School Board concerning the redesign and construction of the sidewalk in front of Lafayette High School, motion to adopt by Naquin, seconded by Hebert, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved. AGENDA ITEM NO. 5: CR-006-2026 A resolution of the Lafayette City

Lauren Hatley stressed that the Council needs to begin the dredging pro‐ j h d h

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AGENDA ITEM NO. 6: CO-006-2026 An ordinance of the Lafayette City Council authorizing the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government to transfer ten (10) shotguns (12 gauge), four (4) Night Enforcer NE6015, one (1) Night Enforcer PVS-14 and one (1) OPMOD PVS-14 Night Optic, which are no longer needed for public purposes, to New Iberia Police Department, motion to adopt by Broussard, seconded by Hebert, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 1: Invocation and Pledge of Allegiance

There being no further business to come before the Council, Chair Richard declared the Regular Meeting ad‐ journed.

/s/ Joseph Gordon-Wiltz JOSEPH GORDON-WILTZ LAFAYETTE CLERK OF THE COUNCIL

COUNCIL STAFF: Joseph Gordon-Wiltz (Clerk of the Council), Jeremy Richardson (Associate Clerk for Operations & Citizen Advocacy) Cindy M. Semien (Associate Clerk for Legislative Affairs) and Kelly Comeaux (Assistant Clerk for Legislative Affairs)

Chair Boudreaux called the Regular City Council Meeting of March 10, 2026 to order.

(5:05:00) ADJOURN

ORDINANCES FOR FINAL ADOPTION

Call to order

Dave Dixon encouraged the Council to begin the ﬂood mitigation projects.

STAY INFORMED

misc surplus lcg moveable property for public auction

ABSENT: None

(5:30:00) COMMENCEMENT

Laura Godard stated that childhood obesity is a problem in Louisiana as it’s ranked 4th in the na‐ tion. More information can be found at Greax‐ healthty.org.

Godeaux stated that the administration is work‐ ing with the Corps who are committed to the project.

180497-MAR 13-1T $72.28

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that Ordinance No. CO-014-2026 has been introduced and is proposed for adoption by the Lafayette City Council on March 24, 2026, whereby the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government would sell at public auction surplus vehicles and equipment which are no longer needed for public purposes, the following described property, to wit:

COUNCIL: Kenneth Boudreaux (Chair, District 5), Liz Hebert (Vice-Chair, District 3) Elroy Broussard (District 1), Andy Naquin (District 2) and Thomas Hooks (District 4)

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF: Monique B. Boulet (Mayor-President), Rachel Godeaux (Chief Administrative Officer), Karen Fontenot (Chief Financial Officer), and Paul Escott (Assistant City-Parish Attorney)

AGENDA ITEM NO. 7: Comments from the pub‐ lic on any other mat‐ ter(s) not on an agenda and are within the leg‐ islative power of the Lafayette Parish Council.

Guilbeau noted that dredging will have a tremendous impact on ﬂooding. He stated that the Corps need to get the project started soon.

/s/ Joseph Gordon-Wiltz JOSEPH GORDON-WILTZ, LAFAYETTE CLERK OF THE COUNCIL

NOTICE OF PROPOSED SURPLUS ORDINANCE

Council informing the State of Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality that the Lafayette Utilities System has taken the appropriate action concerning permit requirements contained in LPDES Permits numbered LA0036382, LA0036374, LA0036391, and LA0042561, motion to adopt by Naquin, seconded by Hebert, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

ATTENDANCE

COMMENT(S) FROM THE PUBLIC

Legal Notices

NOTICE TO PUBLIC

FOR

Mugs, shirts, hats, posters, books.

PROCEEDINGS OF THE LAFAYETTE CITY COUNCIL MEETING OF THE CITY OF LAFAYETTE, STATE OF LOUISIANA, TAKEN AT A REGULAR MEETING OF MARCH 10, 2026 HELD AT 705 W. UNIVERSITY AVENUE, LAFAYETTE, LA.

Legal Notices

AGENDA ITEM NO. 12: Appointment of Jeremiah Supple to the Downtown Development Authority Board for a three-year term effective March 1, 2026. Nomination list supplied by Lafayette Mayor-President, Naquin nominated Supple, and the vote was as follows: SUPPLE: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Jeremiah Supple was appointed. APPOINTMENTS BY COUNCIL MEMBERS, MAYOR-PRESIDENT AND/ OR ANY OTHER DIRECT APPOINTING AUTHORITY AGENDA ITEM NO. 13: ULL President, appointed Dr. Williams C. “Kip” Schumacher to the Cajundome Commission for an unexpired 4-year term effective January 20, 2026. AGENDA ITEM NO. 14: ULL President, appointed Dr. Ramesh Kolluru to the Cajundome Commission for an indefinite term effective January 20, 2026. INTRODUCTORY ORDINANCES A motion to introduce agenda items 15 thru 19, in globo, was offered by Hebert, seconded by Naquin.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 7: CO-016-2026 An ordinance of the Lafayette City Council authorizing the Lafayette Mayor-President to enter into a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement by and between the Lafayette CityParish Consolidated Government and the Lafayette Public Trust Financing Authority (LPTFA) to provide for funding for a Housing Needs Assessment for the City of Lafayette, motion to adopt by Hebert, seconded by Broussard, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

15. CO-017-2026 An ordinance of the Lafayette City Council approving a Conditional Use Permit to allow a bar/lounge in a D (Downtown) Zoning District, Case No. 2025-2-CUP 522 Jefferson Street CUP (Conditional Use Permit), located generally north of West Vermilion Street, west of Jefferson Street, and south of West Congress Street.

Seven (7) citizens signed in, in support, but did not wish to speak.

17. CO-019-2026 An ordinance of the Lafayette City Council amending the Lafayette Development Code and the official map of the City of Lafayette, providing for the annexation of additional land into the corporate limits of the City of Lafayette, Louisiana, Case No. 2026-1REZ 144 & 146 Lebesque Road (Tract 12 & 13B) Annexation, located generally north of Lebesque Road, west of North University Avenue, and south of Dugas Road; and assigning a zoning classification of RS-1 (Residential Single-Family) (District 1).

Six (6) citizens emailed in support. JOINT ORDINANCE FOR FINAL ADOPTION AGENDA ITEM NO. 8: JO-007-2026 A joint ordinance of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council amending the FY 25/26 operating budget and adjusting manning tables of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government to provide funding for a salary adjustment within the Office of Finance & Management, motion to adopt by Hebert, seconded by Naquin, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved. ANNOUNCEMENTS OF VACANCIES ON BOARDS/COMMISSIONS AGENDA ITEM NO. 9: Five (5) vacancies exist on the Transportation Policy Committee (the governing board for the Metropolitan Planning Organization) effective immediately. Applicants must be either 1) local elected officials, 2) officials of public agencies that administer or operate major modes of transportation in the metropolitan area, including representation by providers of public transportation. AGENDA ITEM NO. 10: A vacancy exists on the Lafayette Parish Waterworks District South Board for the remainder of an unexpired five-year term thru December 31, 2028. Applicants must reside within the Waterworks District South boundaries. AGENDA ITEM NO. 11: A vacancy exists on the Lafayette Metropolitan Expressway Commission for an indefinite term, effective immediately. This is a joint appointment by the Lafayette Parish Council and the Lafayette City Council. Individuals wishing to submit a resume for the above volunteer vacancies must be a registered voter and a resident of Lafayette Parish. Yearly ethics training for all appointees is required as is financial disclosure under certain circumstances. Resumes are to be forwarded to Joseph Gordon-Wiltz, Clerk of the Council, P.O. Box 4017-C, Lafayette, LA 70502 or emailed to BCLafayette@LafayetteLA.gov no later than noon, Tuesday, March 24, 2026 with appointment(s) to be made at the Tuesday, April 7, 2026 Regular Meeting of the Lafayette City Council. CONSIDER APPOINTMENT(S) BY THE COUNCIL, AS A WHOLE, TO BOARDS/COMMISSIONS

16. CO-018-2026 An ordinance of the Lafayette City Council amending the Lafayette Development Code so as to reclassify the property of Case No. 2025-30-REZ 323 Rue de Commerce Rezoning, located generally north of Industrial Parkway, east of Rue Beauregard, and south of Rue de Commerce; being rezoned from CH (Commercial-Heavy) to CM-1 (Commercial Mixed).

18. CO-020-2026 An ordinance of the Lafayette City Council amending the Lafayette Development Code and the official map of the City of Lafayette, providing for the annexation of additional land into the corporate limits of the City of Lafayette, Louisiana, Case No. 2026-2REZ 262 Ridge Road (Tracts 3-5) Annexation, located generally north of Ridge Road, east of South Domingue Avenue, and south of Curran Lane; and assigning a zoning classification of CH (Commercial-Heavy) (District 2). 19. CO-021-2026 An ordinance of the Lafayette City Council amending the Lafayette Development Code so as to reclassify the property of Case No. 2026-3-REZ 1115 South Hugh Wallis Road Rezoning, located generally north of East Verot School Road, east of South Hugh Wallis Road, and south of Rue Conge Circle; being rezoned from RM-1 (Residential Mixed) to CH (Commercial Heavy). The Chair then called for a vote to introduce the ordinances (items 15 thru 19), in globo, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Motion to introduce, in globo, was approved. #15 – Greg Walls spoke in opposition to the CUP and recommends the owner demonstrate full compliance with the rules as he is not complying with another business that he operates. (5:58:00) ADJOURN There being no further business to come before the Council, Chair Boudreaux declared the Regular Meeting adjourned. /s/ Joseph Gordon-Wiltz JOSEPH GORDON-WILTZ, LAFAYETTE CLERK OF THE COUNCIL 180495-627220-MAR 13-1T $ 264.60

12C ● Friday, March 13, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

lll

ALMANAC

AIR QUALITY

LAFAyETTE THROUGH 5 P.M. THURSDAy

YESTERDAY

TEMPERATURE

High/low Normal high/low Record high Record low

GOOD

63°/51° 72°/53° 90° in 1911 32° in 1948

TODAY

PRECIPITATION

MODERATE

24 hours through 5 p.m. Thu. 1.62” Month to date (normal) 3.42” (1.61”) year to date (normal) 11.84” (11.60”)

MAIN POLLUTANT Ozone

SUN AND MOON Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today

MAIN POLLUTANT Particulates

READING 49

NEW

7:20 a.m. 7:15 p.m. 3:59 a.m. 2:04 p.m.

SOURCE: AIRNOW.GOV

FIRST

FULL

LAST

MAR 18 MAR 25

APR 1

APR 9

THE NATION AND WORLD Today City

LOUISIANA FORECAST

RIVER STAGES MISSISSIPPI

Monroe 74/47

Shreveport 75/49

Jackson 73/46

Longview 75/50

Many 76/50

Hattiesburg 74/45

Alexandria 76/48

Memphis Vidalia-Natchez Red River Landing Baton Rouge Donaldsonville Reserve New Orleans OHIO

Cairo COMITE

Near Olive

Baton Rouge 74/49 Beaumont 72/59

Port Arthur 71/61

AMITE

Lafayette

Near Darlington Denham Springs Port Vincent

New Orleans 73/54

Lake Charles 72/53

TICKFAW

Montpelier Holden

Houma 75/52

ATCHAFALAYA

Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

TIDES HIGH

First FT. LOW

Lake Pontchartrain (Tchefuncte River) 3:22a 0.5 Shell Beach 10:15p 1.1 South Point, Marsh Island 4:39p 1.6 Cypremort Point 6:29p 1.4 Grand Isle (Barataria Pass) 6:28p 0.9 Mississippi River (Southwest Pass) 5:38p 1.2 Wine Island 7:36p 1.2

FT.

4:07p -0.1 10:03a -0.3 5:04a -0.1 9:09a -0.1 5:16a -0.2 3:33a -0.4 6:18a -0.3

HIGH

Second FT. LOW

FT.

---------------

Simmesport Melville Krotz Springs Butte La Rose Bayou Sorrel Morgan City

FLOOD STAGE 24-HOUR STAGE CHANGE

34 48 48 35 27 22 17

18.70 27.30 28.90 13.60 7.50 5.61 3.80

+1.81 +1.76 +1.10 +0.90 +0.40 +0.10 +0.37

36.21

+1.30

-0.30

-1.43

18 29 8

2.53 25.87 5.19

-0.31 -2.79 +0.32

13 15

4.07 10.49

-1.25 +1.14

47 34 29 20 12 6

11.88 8.50 8.88 5.90 4.10 3.25

-0.06 +0.18 +1.20 +0.12 -0.10 +0.65

Austin Boston Dallas Fairbanks Honolulu Las Vegas Louisville Miami Nashville

The World Amsterdam Bangkok Barcelona Berlin Brussels Cairo Dublin Frankfurt Havana Hong Kong Jerusalem

Saturday

City

80 42 78 0 76 87 62 82 68

51 36 54 -10 72 61 38 70 42

s pc s pc r s c t pc

84 46 81 6 77 87 64 83 73

63 28 63 -18 71 62 52 72 56

s pc s c r s pc t s

New Orleans Orlando Philadelphia Phoenix Pittsburgh Raleigh St. Louis San Diego Tampa

52 93 62 63 52 77 45 57 85 72 66

39 77 52 46 39 64 34 42 67 61 53

r t pc pc r pc pc r sh pc c

48 94 56 58 48 75 49 48 86 73 66

35 78 43 39 33 57 40 36 68 63 51

pc pc sh r sh pc r r r s t

Kuwait City London Madrid Mexico City Montreal Moscow New Delhi Paris Rome Stockholm Tokyo

Today

73 81 52 93 55 63 59 82 82

54 65 44 64 30 43 37 58 68

s pc pc s c s pc pc pc

76 82 56 92 46 72 63 75 84

65 64 36 63 39 47 56 54 68

s t pc pc pc s pc pc sh

72 49 66 73 35 51 88 53 63 48 52

57 35 48 50 29 32 67 39 42 37 44

t pc s sh sn pc pc r pc sh c

76 52 57 74 34 50 89 50 62 43 58

63 36 36 50 13 30 67 33 49 34 44

c pc c s sn s c r c c s

Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice.

-10

-0s

10s 20s 30s 40s 50s 60s 70s 80s 90s 100s 110s

SOLUNAR TABLE The solunar period schedule allows planning days so you will be fishing in good territory or hunting in good cover during those times. Major periods begin at the times shown and last for 1.5 to 2 hours. The minor periods are shorter.

Today Sat. Sun. Mon. Tue. Wed. Thu.

Major

7:51a 8:38a 9:22a 10:05a 10:47a 11:31a 11:50a

Minor

Major

1:38a 8:17p 2:25a 9:03p 3:10a 9:47p 3:53a 10:29p 4:36a 11:11p 5:19a 11:54p 6:06a 12:18p

Minor

2:04p 2:50p 3:34p 4:17p 4:59p 5:43p 6:29p

Shown are areas of precipitation and high temperatures for the day.

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(877) 662-9029 New equipment sales only — we do not buy used items *Some Exclusions Apply

Saturday

SPECIAL OFFER

Waiving All Installation Costs! Add’l terms apply. Offer subject to change and vary by dealer. Expires 12/27/26.