The Acadiana Advocate 03-17-2026

Lawmakers call for cuts to higher ed

Board of Regents says it is underfunded now

BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer

Louisiana higher education leaders asked legislators on Monday to consider giving them more money as many regional universities struggle financially — but some lawmakers argued it’s time for

those schools to take a hard look at whether budget cuts are necessary instead.

“We have hundreds of programs that we’ve closed,” Commissioner of Higher Education Kim Hunter Reed said during a Senate Finance Committee meeting. “But if you say to us, ‘We’re not going to be

able to provide additional dollars, and you have to flourish within your means — not just survive within your means’ — then we have to do a couple of things.”

“It will be extremely tight,” she said.

Officials with the Board of Regents say the current budget is

$869 million short of what it considers full funding for higher education in Louisiana. The board is requesting $119 million in additional state general fund money for fiscal year 2026-27. Reed said enrollment fluctuations, growing athletics department budgets and inflation have contributed to strained resources at some institutions, but did not specify which schools are faring the worst.

She called the circumstances a “perfect storm” for many schools.

“Regional institutions are generally seeing enrollment shifts, population declines and challenges of that sort,” Reed said “Not going to sugarcoat it, we definitely have some institutions that are struggling.”

If the Legislature does not award

ä See CUTS, page 4A

Meta’s data center brings jolt to Monroe

City having a moment as economic activity swells

BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer

Until last year, there wasn’t much going on in downtown Monroe, a small city in northeast Louisiana that has suffered from decades of disinvestment.

But on a recent Tuesday night, the 70-room Hotel Monroe in the heart of the city’s historic downtown was booked solid, as it has been most weeknights since its May opening At

the trendy new Sushi Koko two blocks away, customers couldn’t get in without a reservation.

And at City Hall, a group of Atlanta developers had pitched the City Council, successfully it turned out, on a multimillion-dollar plan to turn the dilapidated old Coca-Cola building on the banks of the Ouachita River into a complex of apartments, restaurants and a high-rise hotel.

Since Meta broke ground in January 2025 on one of the largest artificial

intelligence data centers in the country in nearby Richland Parish, about 30 miles to the east, the massive investment has spilled over into neighboring communities. Monroe, the largest city in the area, is having a moment.

In the months since the groundbreaking, hotels and restaurants have been slammed. Demand for housing, at least in some parts of the city, has

See MONROE, page 4A

Judge halts changes to vaccine program

BY MIKE STOBBE Associated Press

A federal judge on Monday temporarily blocked federal health officials from cutting the number of vaccines recommended for every child, and said U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr likely violated federal procedures in revamping a key vaccine advisory committee.

The decision halted an order by Kennedy — announced in January to end broad recommendations for all children to be vaccinated against flu, rotavirus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, some forms of meningitis and RSV

It also stopped a meeting of a Kennedyappointed vaccine advisory committee, which was set to convene this week in Atlanta.

The judge’s order, however, is not the final word. The blocks are temporary, pending either a trial or a decision for summary judgment. Federal health officials indicated they planned to appeal.

“HHS looks forward to this judge’s decision being overturned just like his other attempts to keep the Trump administration from governing,” said Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson Andrew Nixon.

The order issued Monday is the latest development in a lawsuit filed last July by the American Academy of Pediatrics and

Ruling says Kennedy likely violated federal procedures Kennedy ä See JUDGE, page 4A

Father killed wife and son then himself, Lafayette investigators say

BY JA’KORI MADISON Staff writer

A Lafayette Parish man shot and killed his wife and 6-year-old son before turning the gun on himself Sunday in a double murder-suicide, police said.

The initial investigation indicates that Brett Richardson, 36, shot and killed his wife, Kasie Richardson, 33, and his 6-year-old son before taking his own life, according to investigators.

Authorities said no one else was inside the residence when the shooting occurred.

Deputies were dispatched to the residence Sunday after reports that three people were dead inside the home in the 500 block of Braxton Drive in an

unincorporated area outside Youngsville.

Deputies found the three victims, who all had gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead at the scene.

A neighbor who lives a few doors away from the home said the news shocked residents in the quiet neighborhood.

The neighbor who asked not to be identified, said Brett Richardson mostly kept to himself but was often seen outside doing yard work or spending time with his young son.

“He was a man of small words,” the neighbor said. “I never heard any arguing. I don’t know the full dynamic of that family but for all of a sudden something like this to happen, it’s un-

usual.”

According to the neighbor, the boy often played outside and greeted people walking by, sometimes stopping to pet the neighbor’s dog.

The neighbor said residents in the area are heartbroken and hoping other family members can find answers.

“My concern is what happened? Why? What led to this?” the neighbor said. “Nobody around here expected something like this.”

Authorities have not said what may have led up to the shooting.

Anyone with information that may assist investigators is encouraged to contact the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office or submit tips through Lafayette Crime Stoppers.

a youngsville-area home on Monday following what police say was a double murder-suicide on Sunday.

Bombs explode in Nigeria, killing scores

MAIDUGURI,Nigeria Bombs exploded in at least three locations in northeastern Nigeria’sBorno state Monday night, killing and injuringscores of people, the emergency services toldThe Associated Press, citing possible suicide bombings.

Explosions were heardinMaiduguri,the Bornostatecapital, where Nigeria’shomegrown jihadi Boko Haram extremists have waged an insurgency for more than adecade.

The blasts occurred at the entranceofthe University of Maiduguri TeachingHospital and two localmarkets, known as Post Office and the Monday Market, according to Sirajo Abdullahi, head of operations at Nigeria’s National EmergencyManagement Agency,orNEMA, in Maiduguri.

“There are casualties andthey arestill managing thecausalities at thehospital,” Abdullahi said “Wecan’t give theactual figure until we count.”

No grouphas yetclaimedresponsibility forthe suspected bombings.

Man exonerated after 19 yearsfor robbery

NEW YORK Aman who spent nearly two decades in prison for aroughly$550 robbery was exonerated and freed Monday after prosecutors said they now agree he didn’tcommit the crime.

“It cost me 20 years, but they said they correcteditnow.So that’s allthatmatters.SoI’m good with that,” Kenneth Windley,61, said as he left aBrooklyn courthouse, at libertyfor thefirst time since 2007.

Ajudge threwout hisconviction and dismissed his case entirely,atthe request of both prosecutors and Windley’slawyers. Prosecutors said new evidence— including confessions from two other men who were convicted of similar robberies —supportedhis long-standing claim of innocence.

“This case is really acautionary tale of how things can seem one way but, withoutcareful analysis, not be what it purports to be,” BrooklynDistrictAttorney Eric Gonzalez,aDemocrat, saidafter shaking Windley’s hand outside court.

“Had we knownwhat theevidence was, this case should have never happened,” he said, adding that he hadapologized privately to Windley Windley was arrested in 2005, afterbuying astove for his mother with amoney order that turned out to be stolen KennedyCenter votes to shut down for 2years

WASHINGTON The Kennedy Center’sboard of directors voted on Monday toshutdownoperations for two years following this summer’sJuly 4celebrations. Thewidely expecteddecision comes in the wake of numerous resignations and cancellations during President Donald Trump’ssecond term, although Trump himself has cited the need for repairs as areasonfor the closure.

“We’regoing to ensure it remains the finest performing arts facility of its kindanywhere in the world,” Trump told reporters at the White House before the board met Monday The board also voted to install Matt Floca as CEO and executive director,replacing Trump ally Richard Grenell, who oversaw far-reaching changes at the venue that prompted an outcry from many artists and exacerbated the operation’sfinancial challenges. Trump praised Grenell onMonday,saying he had been alongtime friend, and wished Floca “good luckwith everything.”

The Kennedy Center said the vote was unanimous, though Rep. Joyce Beatty didn’t cast a vote.

An article Sunday about the impactofthe Iran waronLouisiana’sports misstated the locationofthe Port of SouthLouisiana.Itisupriver of the Port of New Orleans. The Advocate regrets the error CORRECTION

Warrages on multiple fronts

Israeliattacks in Lebanongrow; Iran shipping stranglehold persists

BY BASSEM MROUE, JAMEY KEATEN and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press

BEIRUT,Lebanon— The war in the Middle East raged on multiple fronts Monday,asthe U.S. and Israel pummeled military targets in Iran’scapital, Israel stepped up itscampaign againstIran-backed militants in Lebanon and Iran retaliated with adrone strike that temporarily forced the closure of Dubai’sairport,a crucial hub for travelers.

Fears of aglobal energy crisispersisted, even as asmall number of ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz, avitalwaterway through which a fifth of the world’s oil is usually transported.

Iranian strikes on commercial ships in and around the strait —and even just the threat of attacks —haveslowed shipping to atrickle, dramatically increasingthe price of oil andpressuringWashington to do something to ease the pain for consumers and the globaleconomy.

and its allies.Onsocial media,Araghchi also rejected as “delusional” claims that Iran waslookingfor anegotiated endtothe war.He said it wasseeking neither “trucenor talks.”

Sincethe United States and Israel attacked Iran more than two weeksago, Tehran has regularly fired drones and missilesatIsrael, American bases in the region andGulfArab countries’ energy infrastructure.

Israeli attacks

Massive explosions were heardinBeirutasIsrael launched new attackson theLebanese capital, saying it was striking infrastructure related to the Iran-linkedHezbollah militia.Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel after U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran began Feb. 28. The Israeli army has issued evacuation orders for manyneighborhoods in Beirut as well as southern Lebanon.

Explosions soundedin Tehranand outlying areas

Monday soon after Israel’s military announced it had launchednew strikes on Iran’scapital.

ATehran resident said he was driving when he witnessed an airstrike turn a police station to dust and heavily damage nearby shops and cars. The man, who spoke on condition of anonymityfor fear of retaliation from thegovernment, said it “feltlike the end of the world.”

been killedbyIranianmissile fire. At least 13 U.S. militarymembershave been killed.

Trumpseeks allies’help

The virtual shutdownof the Strait of Hormuz is unnerving the world economy, driving up energy and fertilizer prices, threatening food shortages in poor countries, destabilizing fragile states and complicating efforts by central bankstodrive down prices for consumers.

Brent crude, theinternational standard, remained over $100 abarrel on Monday.President Donald Trump saidhehas demanded that roughly ahalf-dozen countries send warships to keep the Strait ofHormuz open. Sofar his appeals have brought no commitments.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchisaid of the strait: “From our perspectiveitisopen” —just not for theUnitedStates, Israel

Israel’sstrikeshave displaced morethan 1million Lebanese —orroughly 20% of the population from large swathsofthe country’ssouthernregion andBeirut’ssuburbs, according to the Lebanese government,which says some 850 people have been killed.Some Israelitroops have pushed into southern Lebanon, and there are fearsIsrael is preparing a large-scale invasion.

In southern Lebanon, sevenpeople werekilled in Israeli airstrikes, accordingtoauthoritiesand news reports.

More details were not immediatelyavailable with information coming outof Iran severely limited by internet outages,round-theclock airstrikes and tight restrictions on journalists.

More than 1,300 people have been killed in Iran, according to theIranian Red Crescent.

Israel has carried out some 7,600 strikes on Iran, knocking out85% of its air defensesand 70% of Iran’s missile launchers, military spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani toldreporters.

In Israel, 12 people have

On Monday,Trump said “numerous countries” have told him “they’re on the way” to help police the Strait of Hormuz. But he also suggestedsomecountries’ reluctance showed alackofreciprocity in defense agreements with the United States. Europeans have been critical of the U.S. and Israel for failing to provide clarity on their objectives in the war

“The levelofenthusiasm matters to me,” Trump said. He didn’tspecify the countries, but haspreviously

appealed to China, France, Japan, South Korea and Britain. Brent crudefell to $100.21 per barrel Monday,but remained up roughly40% since the war began. Officials have been scrambling to ease prices. FatihBirol,head of theInternational Energy Agency, said its32membercountriesstill have additionalreserves of 1.4 billion barrels on top of the record 400 million they agreed to release last week to address supply constraints.

Admiral Brad Cooper,the top U.S. military commander in the Middle East, said in avideo posted on Xthat American forcesare zeroing in on Iran’sthreats to freighters carrying oiland natural gas.

Ahead of ameeting in Brussels, the European Union’sforeign policychief Kaja Kallas said the bloc’s foreign ministers would discuss possiblyextending anaval missionthat protects ships in the Red Sea to the Strait of Hormuz, without giving any details.

Officials: Cuba struck by islandwide blackout

BY MILEXSY DURÁN and DÁNICA

COTO

Associated Press

HAVANA Officials in Cuba reported an islandwide blackout Mondayinthe country of some 11 million people as its energyand economic crisesdeepen andits power grid continuestocrumble The Ministry of Energy and Mines on Xnoted a “completedisconnection” of the country’selectrical system andsaid it was investigating, noting there were no failures in the units that were operating when thegrid collapsed. It was the third major blackout in Cuba over the past four months.

TomásDavid Velázquez Felipe,a 61-year-oldresident of Havana, said the relentless outagesmake him think thatCubans who can shouldjustpackup andleavethe island. “What little we have to eat spoils,”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By RAMON ESPINOSA People walk outside Mondayduring ablackout in Havana.

he said. “Ourpeople are tooold to keep suffering.”

Cuba’s aging grid has drastically eroded in recent years, leading to an increase in daily outages and islandwide blackouts. But the government alsohas blamed its woes on aU.S. energy blockade after President Donald TrumpinJanuarywarnedoftariffs on any country that sells or providesoil to Cuba.The Trump administration is

demanding that Cuba release political prisoners and move toward political and economic liberalizationinreturnfor alifting of sanctions. Trump also has raised the possibility of a“friendly takeover of Cuba.”

On Monday,hesaid he believes he’ll have the “honoroftaking Cuba.”

“I mean, whether Ifree it, take it.Ithink Icould do anything Iwantwith it,” Trumpsaid about Cuba,

Last protesterheldinimmigration detentionafter crackdown released

BY JAKE OFFENHARTZ and KENDRIA LAFLEUR Associated Press

ALVARADO,Texas APalestinian woman who was the last person still in immigration detention after the Trump administration’s 2025 crackdown on pro-Palestinian activists was released Monday on $100,000 bailafter ayear in custody LeqaaKordia, a33-yearold from the West Bank who has lived in New Jersey since 2016, had been held in aU.S. immigration detention center in Texas since last March. Kordia was among roughly100 people arrested outside

Columbia University during protests at the school in 2024.

“I don’tknow what tosay I’m free! I’m free! Finally, after one year,” Kordia, with abeaming smile, told reporters after emerging from the detention center

An immigration judge had ordered her released on bail three times. The government challenged the first two rulings, but Kordia was freed Monday afteritdid not challenge the third.

She wasrecentlyhospitalizedfor three days following aseizure after fainting andhitting her head at the privately run detention facility.

“Weare overwhelmed withreliefand gratitude at therelease of our beloved Leqaa Kordia,”said Hamzah Abushaban, Kordia’scousin, in astatement from herlawyers. “This past year hastaken an unimaginable toll on Leqaa and our entirefamily.”

Kordia said she waslooking forward to going home andhugging hermother “so hard.”But she also said she would keep fighting on behalf of people still being held at the detention center

“Thereisa lotofinjusticeinthis place,” she said. “There is alot of people that shouldn’tbehere the first place.”

calling it a“very weakened nation.”

The U.S. Embassy in Cuba wrote on XonMonday that “there is no informationon when power would be restored.”

“Cuba’snational electrical grid is increasingly unstable

and prolonged scheduled andunscheduled poweroutages area daily occurrence across the country,” it wrote.

“Take precautionsbyconserving fuel,water,food, and mobile phone charge, and be prepared for significant disruption.”

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Over half of U.S. in path of extreme weather

Country facing winds, blizzards, triple-digit heat

BY SETH BORENSTEIN, SARAH BRUMFIELD and JOHN SEEWER Associated Press

WASHINGTON Chaotic weather from surprising heat in California to damaging winds around Washington, D.C., put over half the U.S. population in the path of extreme conditions Monday

Storms across the nation’s eastern half forced airlines to cancel roughly 4,000 flights nationwide Monday, and many schools closed early in the mid-Atlantic states, where high winds and tornadoes were in the forecast for the evening.

Blizzards buried parts of Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota while torrential rains flooded homes and washed out roads in Hawaii.

In Washington, the House and Senate postponed votes because of difficulty traveling with inclement weather and federal agencies told workers to go home early Airport delays and cancellations piled up Monday in some of the nation’s largest

airports including those in New York, Chicago and Atlanta.

The private weather service AccuWeather calculated that more than 200 million people were under threat Monday of some kind of dangerous weather Those range from extreme heat and wildfire advisories to flood and freeze watches from the National Weather Service.

The storm system that dropped snow by the foot in the Midwest barreled toward the East Coast with dangerously high winds and potential for “producing strong and long track tornadoes,” the weather service warned Monday

“Wind is the primary threat, but within any of these areas of strong wind there could be some embedded tornadoes and even the potential for a tornado to develop ahead of the line,” said Evan Bentley a meteorologist with the weather service.

The biggest threat stretched from Maryland to the upper edge of South Carolina.

North Carolina Gov Josh Stein urged residents to enable emergency alerts on their phones ahead of

expected gusts topping 70 mph.

Blizzard conditions continued in the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes on Monday after the storm walloped parts of Wisconsin and Michigan with several feet of snow

Since Saturday, nearly 3 feet had fallen in the northern Wisconsin town of Mountain.

Another round of snow and gusts on Monday could bring another foot of snow across Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

A heat dome over the

Southwest will push temperatures well into the triple digits in Arizona most of the week, much earlier than normal.

California is starting to feel like summer too. The San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento will see temperatures pushing toward 90 by midweek.

“This is a heat wave that we have not seen before in recorded history in the Southwest,” said AccuWeather meteorologist Dan DePodwin.

Phoenix is expected to have five straight days of tri-

ple digit temperatures this week — only once before, in 1988, has the city recorded a 100 day in March DePodwin said.

Dry and windy conditions were charging the largest wildfire in Nebraska’s history Fires in the state have consumed more than 937 square miles of mostly grassland.

Unrelenting rains triggered landslides, washed away roads and flooded homes and farmland in Hawaii over the weekend.

All of Hawaii’s islands had spots with more than 15

inches of rain while parts of Maui were overwhelmed with double that amount, the weather service said. While the worst of the storm has passed, more heavy rain is expected later this week. Maui Mayor Richard Bissen said there were no reports of injuries or deaths and crews were assessing damage. Forecasters said the East Coast storms were expected leave sharply colder weather in its wake.

The storm will stick around parts of the Northeast until Tuesday morning. By then, wind chills below freezing were expected to reach the Gulf Coast and the Florida Panhandle with warnings in effect across the Southeast and in part of Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Texas, forecasters warned. To the north, rain was expected to change over to snow behind the cold front with heavy snow possible in the central Appalachians of West Virginia.

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BY HANNAH SCHOENBAUM Associated Press

PARKCITY,Utah— Prosecutors on Monday aimed to drive home their argument that a Utah woman who published a children’s book about grief after the death of her husband killed him for his money, while her defense team argued the prosecution’s case leaves much to speculation.

Defendant Kouri Richins was $4.5 million in debt and falsely believed she would inherit her husband Eric Richins’ estate worth more than $4 million when he died, prosecutors said during closing arguments in her murder trial.

“She wanted to leave Eric Richins but did not want to leave his money,” said Summit County prosecutor Brad Bloodworth.

Prosecutors say Richins, 35, slipped five times the lethal dose of fentanyl into a cocktail that she made for her husband, causing his death in March 2022 at their

mous verdict.

Prosecutors said Richins, a real estate agent focused on flipping houses, was deep in debt and planning a future with another man she was seeing on the side. She had opened numerous life insurance policies on her husband without his knowledge, with benefits totaling about $2 million, prosecutors alleged. They showed the jury text messages between Richins and Robert Josh Grossman, the man with whom she was allegedly having an affair, in which she fantasized about

leaving her husband, gaining millions in a divorce and marrying Grossman.

The internet search history from Richins’ phone included “what is a lethal. dose.of.fetanayl (sic),” “luxury prisons for the rich America” and “if someone is poisned (sic) what does it go down on the death certificate as,” a digital forensic analyst testified.

Bloodworth replayed for the jury a clip of Richins’ 911 call from the night of her husband’s death That’s “not ‘the sound of a wife becom-

ing a widow,’” he said, quoting the defense’s opening statement. “It’s the sound of a wife becoming a black widow.” Lewis responded that the prosecution “looks at facts one way and sees a witch, but if you look at those facts another way you see a widow.”

The defense focused on trying to discredit the prosecution’s star witness, Carmen Lauber a housekeeper for the family who claimed to have sold Richins fentanyl on multiple occasions.

home just outside the affluent ski town of Park City She is also charged with fraudulently claiming insurance benefits after her husband’s death, trying to kill him weeks earlier on Valentine’s Day with a fentanyllaced sandwich that made him black out, and other felonies, according to court documents. Richins has pleaded not guilty to all charges. The most serious charge aggravated murder carries a sentence of 25 years to life in prison. What was scheduled to be a five-week trial was cut

short last week when Richins waived her right to testify and her legal team abruptly rested its case without calling any witnesses. Richins’ attorneys said they were confident that prosecutors did not produce enough evidence over the past three weeks to convict her of murder

“They haven’t done their job, and now they want you to make inferences based on paper-thin evidence. They want you to do their job for them. Tell them, ‘No,’” defense attorney Wendy Lewis urged the jury on Monday Jurors must reach a unani-

Officials: 400 killed in Pakistan strike on Afghanistan hospital

By The Associated Press

KABUL,Afghanistan Afghanistan’s deputy government spokesperson said early Tuesday the death toll from an airstrike by Pakistan that hit a hospital treating drug users in the Afghan capital Kabul has increased to 400.

In a post on X, Hamdullah Fitrat said the strike on Monday night had destroyed large sections of the hospital.

He said the death toll so far stood at 400, while a further 250 people had been reported injured. Fitrat said rescue teams were trying to control the fire at the building and recover the bodies of the victims.

Pakistan had earlier denied that it had hit a hospital, saying its strike in Kabul and other strikes in eastern Afghanistan Monday had not hit any civilian sites.

Spain’s king acknowledges ‘much abuse’ in conquest of Americas

BY SUMAN NAISHADHAM Associated Press

MADRID Spain’s monarch said Monday the Spanish conquest of the Americas included “much abuse” and “ethical controversies,” striking a conciliatory tone amid a yearslong row between Spain and Mexico over colonial era abuses committed by the Spanish crown centuries ago. King Felipe VI made the remarks while speaking with Mexico’s ambassador to Spain, Quirino Ordaz, during a visit to a museum exhibition in Madrid about the role of women in pre-

Columbian Mexico. About the centuries-old Spanish conquest, Felipe said: “There are things that, when we study them, we come to know them, and well, with our current values, they obviously cannot make us feel proud.”

“But they must be understood in their proper context, not with excessive moral presentism, but with an objective and rigorous analysis,” he said The Bourbon king’s symbolic remarks came after years of a diplomatic spat between Spain and Mexico over the Mexican government’s demands that Spain

apologize for its 1519-1521 conquest of Mexico, which resulted in the death of a large part of the country’s pre-Hispanic population.

Colonial Spain ruled one of the largest empires in history with colonial holdings spanning 5 continents at its peak between the 16th and 18th centuries. That included much of Central and South America.

Mexico City was the seat of Spain’s colonial power in the Americas after the Spanish and their Indigenous allies toppled the Aztecs in 1521. Mexico City was built over the ruins of the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan.

CUTS

Continued from page 1A

the requested higher education funding, Reed said, the Board of Regents will be working with university systems to evaluate which programs can be cut and how they can specialize as institutions. She said leaders could trim degrees that are offered at multiple schools in the same system, for example.

“That is the kind of exercise that we would have to step through if we’re not able to get there,” Reed said. Some lawmakers said that kind of change may be necessary “I think that time is now, I really do,” said Sen. Gerald Boudreaux, D-Lafayette. “I think that’s where we are.”

Some lawmakers pressed Reed

MONROE

Continued from page 1A

surged, spawning construction of new rentals and boosting home sales. Sales tax collections are up 10% year over year, and American Airlines recently added another flight to the Monroe Regional Airport.

Local developer Larry Culp has lived in the area his entire life.

He’s never seen anything like it

“It is the best thing that has ever happened to this area,” said Culp, who is leasing townhomes faster than he can build them in his new Legacy Park complex north of Monroe. “It is going to transform the area.”

Decades of decline

A century ago, Monroe was the bustling birthplace of Delta Air Lines and home to one of the first Coca-Cola bottling plants in the country In the 1970s, the former Century Telephone Enterprises grew into what would become CenturyLink, an early cellular provider then Lumen Technologies, which still calls Monroe its headquarters and is one of Louisiana’s two Fortune 500 companies. But Lumen’s operations center and executives moved out of state a few years ago, and most of its employees now work elsewhere Meanwhile, the manufacturing and agriculture that powered the area’s economy have changed. The jobs have dried up, and young people have moved away Since 1970, the city has lost more than one-fifth of its population, now around 47,000. Two in 5 residents live below the federal poverty limit. The median annual income is $40,000.

And yearslong plans to reinvigorate the area have stalled or failed, which is why there is so much enthusiasm from so many about the Meta project.

“The community where they are building is one of the poorest areas of the whole state,” said Monroe real estate broker Brian Bendily, who is on track to sell more houses in March than during any other month in his 20-year career “Generational change is coming We’d like to see more business come with them and tag along.”

In some parts of the country, critics are pushing back against new AI data centers, which can drive up utility rates and threaten underground water supplies, even as their corporate owners reap generous state and local tax breaks. Though advocacy groups from south Louisiana are trying to raise community awareness about the potential downsides, in Monroe, there’s little homegrown opposition.

For their area and, especially, their city many see mostly upside potential.

“People can complain and be nervous,” said Cory Bahr, an awardwinning chef who owns Sushi Koko and two other downtown restaurants. “But the train has left the station. We can capitalize on it and

JUDGE

Continued from page 1A

some other medical groups. The lawsuit in federal court in Boston originally focused on Kennedy’s decision to stop recommending COVID-19 vaccinations for most children and pregnant women. The lawsuit was updated as Kennedy took more steps that alarmed medical societies, causing the plaintiffs to ask Judge Brian E. Murphy to take steps to address those policy changes too. For example, the plaintiffs amended the lawsuit to stop the scaling back of the nation’s childhood vaccination schedule They

about budget crises at Louisiana’s smaller public universities, referencing shaky finances at the University of New Orleans — which led the school to be reintegrated into the LSU system — and the University of Louisiana at Monroe.

Some argued they were caught off guard by the scale of the problems.

“We find out our colleges are not just struggling; they’ve been struggling,” said Sen. Glen Womack, R-Harrisonburg.

Reed said quarterly financial reports submitted by each institution will help keep the Legislature and the public abreast of the financial situations at Louisiana’s colleges and universities.

“When the situation happened with UNO, we had no knowledge of the information, and we looked to the systems to say ‘We’ve got to do a better job of having real-time data,’” Reed said

grow our city or be mad I choose growth.”

‘Sharing the love’

Monroe restaurants and hotels are among those feeling the immediate impacts from the influx of 4,000 or so out-of-state workers.

The engineers and executives, the latter of which fly into town every few days or weeks, are eating at the city’s best restaurants, which includes Bahr’s Koko and awardwinning Parish.

“I have a group of executives who come in three or four times a week and start in one restaurant then finish up across the street in the other,” Bahr said. “They spend between $500 to $1,200 a night.”

Local restaurants are also supplying meals to workers at the site who have few dining options in Richland Parish. Joey Trappey, who owns four Monroe-area restaurants, caters 250 lunches a day to the site — a job he has subbed out to other eateries.

“I have 15 local restaurants on my rotating list,” he said. “That way, I’m spreading the love.”

The ripple effect is also evident in the hotel boom. Developer Mike Echols says demand for rooms is so steep at his Hotel Monroe — a $60 million historic rehab in an old bank building — he’s now stepped up the timeline for two other hotels he has planned, including a $25 million Marriott Tribute that will be located in a former department store.

The goal, said Echols, who is also a state legislator, is to get 1,000 rooms downtown.

“This AI corridor is a long-run-

also asked the court to look at Kennedy’s actions concerning the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which advises public health officials on what vaccines to recommend to doctors and patients.

Kennedy, a leading anti-vaccine activist before becoming the nation’s top health official, fired the entire 17-member panel last year and replaced it with a group that includes several anti-vaccine voices. Murphy, who was nominated to the bench by President Joe Biden, said Kennedy’s reconstitution of ACIP likely violated federal law.

He ordered the appointments — and all decisions made by the reformed committee put on hold.

The ACIP was scheduled to meet

ning story,” he said. “This is just the beginning.”

Monroe Mayor Friday Ellis points to the Atlanta developers now pursuing redevelopment of the city’s iconic Coca-Cola building, long a dream of city leaders, as evidence of the interest northeast Louisiana now holds to out-ofstate investors.

“We issued an RFP for this project in 2022,” Ellis said “Seven months ago, we started seeing interest — because of Meta.”

Real estate bump

The influx of workers that is fueling hotel and restaurant activity is also creating a need for more housing. In a suburb 10 miles north of the city Culp is building Legacy Park, a complex of two- and threebedroom townhomes that rent for between $1,900 and $2,100 a month with a pool and pickleball court. All 64 units built to date are leased, 50 or so to contractors for Meta. An additional 160 units are planned.

“The people leasing these units are telling me they’ll be here seven, eight years,” said Culp. “They’re telling me that when Meta comes, all these other companies follow.”

“You don’t know what to believe,” he added. “But when you hear it from people working on the project, it means something.”

The housing market is also experiencing a bump, brokers say, though it’s not reflected yet in sale prices. Bendily said volume is up, both for his business personally and the market as a whole. Demand is particularly high for prosperous neighborhoods in West

this week to discuss COVID-19 vaccine safety, among other issues, but that gathering was postponed, officials said.

“ACIP as currently constituted cannot meet,” said Richard Hughes IV, an attorney representing the AAP “How can a committee meet without nearly the entirety of its membership?”

Jason Schwartz, a Yale University vaccine policy expert who has studied the committee, called the halting of an ACIP meeting for legal reasons “unprecedented” in its 62-year existence. Hughes called the judge’s order “a momentous step toward restoring science-based vaccine policy,” and he was echoed by leaders of several doctors’ groups and public health organizations.

Monroe across the Ouachita River and Frenchman’s Bend, a golf course community with average home sales ranging from $350,000 to $750,000.

“I recently sold one to a family from Sweden who moved here with their two kids,” he said. “They work for Meta.”

Not a boom for all The Meta ripple hasn’t spread evenly across Monroe. In the city’s low-income areas to the south and east, Democratic state Rep. Pat Moore hasn’t gotten calls from investors looking to redevelop the aging housing stock in her district or build on the vacant land where 200 blighted and adjudicated houses were recently demolished.

She also worries that increased apartment demand will worsen a shortage of rental units in the market as a whole, though her area isn’t feeling the effects yet.

As for new employment opportunities, she said some of her constituents are finding work in construction. “But the ones that need most to benefit aren’t feeling it,” she said.

Still, she is not opposed to the project or its potential to help the area. On the contrary, she is working with nonprofits and local leaders to target blight and crime in her district, “one neighborhood at a time,” she said, while also promoting workforce training programs for young people.

“Myjobistomakemydistrictlook clean, safe, attractive, so the people whocomeherewillwanttostay,live, build a family,” Moore said.

When Trump administration officials overhauled the childhood vaccine schedule they said it wouldn’t result in families losing access to them or cause insurers to stop covering them. But it left many Americans confused, as doctors’ groups, public health organizations and many states continued to recommend licensed vaccines, said Dr Andrew Racine, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Several doctors’ groups said the changes were not based on good evidence, and advised doctors and patients to follow guidance that was previously in place. Health officials in 30 states have rejected at least some of the new recommendations. The judge’s order should bring

Long-term deal?

While much of the boost to Monroe’s economy so far has been from construction activity, local business leaders point to signs that suggest the boom is creating more sustainable opportunities. For construction company owner Joe Holyfield, it began in late 2024, when Meta and some of its contractors leased the remaining vacancies in an office building he owns That led to a series of contracts to build temporary housing in Richland Parish and several smaller jobs on the site itself, which opened still more doors.

“There wasn’t any way to get waste off the site and potable water in,” he said.

“So, we created a new company.”

Holy Dippers, as the new venture is called, is now providing those services to the site and looking to potentially expand to other projects out of state.

Altogether, Holyfield’s payroll has grown nearly 50%, and he’s created around 40 new jobs.

Grow NELA Executive Director Rob Cleveland said the area is banking on more data centers coming, piggybacking on Meta’s utility infrastructure and spawning additional waves of activity

He also points to out-of-state companies that have bought warehouses and opened permanent facilities in the area to service Meta with cables, racks and equipment.

“These are not three-year leases,” he said. “These are companies making a 20-year commitment to the community.”

clarity, Racine said.

“If anyone has any questions about what’s the appropriate vaccine schedule for their children, the best thing to do is to talk to their pediatricians,” he said.

Schwartz said he expected federal health officials to keep expressing “their deep skepticism regarding the importance of vaccination” and to keep embracing “unsupported vaccine safety allegations.”

After the ruling, one of Kennedy’s appointees to the committee, Dr Robert Malone, urged the Trump administration to keep pursuing Kennedy’s vaccine policy changes.

“A district court order is a delay, not a defeat,” he wrote Monday on Substack.

‘One Battle AfterAnother’triumphsatOscars

BY JAKE COYLE

AP film writer

LOSANGELES Paul Thomas

Anderson’s“One Battle After Another” wascrowned best picture at the 98th Academy Awards, handing Hollywood’stop honor to a comic, multigenerational American saga of political resistance.

TheceremonySunday, which also saw Michael B. Jordanwin best actor and “Sinners” cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw make Oscar history as the first female director of photography to win the award, was along-in-comingcoronation for Anderson, aSan Fernando Valley native who made his first shortat age 18 and has been one of America’smost lionized filmmakers for decades. Before Sunday,Anderson had never won an Oscar But “One Battle After Another,” the favoritecoming in, won six Oscars,including best director and best adapted screenplay for Anderson, the Oscars’ first trophy for best casting andbest supporting actor for an absent SeanPenn.

filmmaker,won thefirst Oscar in an unblemished career thatstartedout with Jordan in 2013’s“Fruitvale Station.”

Arkapaw was also thefirst Black person to win for best cinematography.Only the fourth female cinematographer ever nominated, her win was along-in-coming triumph for womenbehind thecamera.

“I really want all the women in room to stand up,”said Arkapaw.“Because Idon’t feel like Iget here without you guys.”

And Jordan,one of Hollywood’smost liked leading men, won best actor in one of thenight’sclosestraces.

the fabled studio, which weeks earlieragreed to a sale to Paramount Skydance, David Ellison’srapidly assembled media monolith.

The $111 billion deal, which awaits regulatory approval, has Hollywood bracing for morelayoffs.

But “Sinners” and “One Battle AfterAnother —the much-acclaimed heavyweights of theseason —were each Hollywood anomalies: big-budget originals born from apersonal vision. In ayear where anxiety over studio contraction and the rise of artificial intelligence often consumed the industry,both films gave Hollywood fresh hope.

U.K.,” said Buckleyonthe stage. “I would like to dedicated this to the beautiful chaos of amother’sheart.” Elegy also marked the Oscars. Producers expanded theinmemoriam segment following ayear that featuredthe deaths of so many Hollywood legends, including Diane Keaton, Robert Duvall andRobert Redford Barbra Streisand spoke about Redford, her “The WayWeWere” co-star “Bob had real backbone,” said Streisand, whocalled Redford “an intellectual cowboy” before singing a fewbarsof“The WayWe Were.”

“I wrote this movie for my kids to say sorry for the housekeeping mess thatwe left in this world —we’re handing off to them,” said Anderson while accepting thescreenplay trophy.“But also with the encouragement that they will be thegeneration that hopefully brings us some common sense and decency.”

The DolbyTheatre rose to itsfeet in themost thunderous applause of the night.

“Yo, momma, what’sup?” said Jordan after staggering to thestage.

Ryan Coogler’s Jim Crowset, blues-soaked vampire tale “Sinners,” which came in with arecord 16 nominations, also landed some big and even historic wins. Coogler,the widely loved

TheOscar night belonged to Warner Bros., the studio of “One Battle AfterAnother” and “Sinners,” which scored arecord-tying 11 wins.Itwas an oddly poignant note of triumph for

Jessie Buckley won best actress for her performance as Agnes Shakespeare in “Hamnet,” making her the first Irish performer to ever wininthe category.Atan Oscars where no other acting award seemed asure thing, Buckleycruised intoSunday’sOscarsatthe Dolby Theatre as the overwhelming favorite.

“It’sMother’sDay in the

Billy Crystal paid tribute to Rob and Michele Reiner whowerekilledintheir homeinDecember.Crystal was aclose friend of Rob Reiner’swho memorably starred in 1989’s“When Harry Met Sally...” and1987’s “The Princess Bride.” In his moving remarks, Crystal quoted the latter

“All we can say is: Buddy, howmuch fun we had storming the castle,” said Crystal.

Justices to hear case on ending protectionsfor migrants from Haiti, Syria

BY LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press

WASHINGTON— The Supreme Courtwillhear arguments over the Trump administration’spush to end legal protections for people fleeing war and natural disaster from countries around the world, including Haiti and Syria.

The court declined, though, to immediatelylift the protections for hundreds of thousands of people Monday,allowing them to live and work in the U.S. legally amid the administration’s wider crackdown on immigration.

The case will be heard in April, afast schedule for the nation’shighest court, with a decision expected weeksor months later

The conservative-majority court hassided withthe Trump administration on the issue before and allowed the end of temporarylegal status for atotal of 600,000 people from Venezuela while lawsuits play out, exposing them to potential deportation.The court didnot explain its legal reasoning, as is common on itsemergency docket.

TheTrumpadministration filed emergency appeals afterlower courtsstopped theimmediate endofthe program for350,000 people from Haiti and 6,000 people from Syria.

Theadministrationasked the courttoliftthosedecisions, heararguments and issueabroad ruling that would block courts from intervening when Homeland

Securitydecides to end protections.

The Justice Department argued that the Department of Homeland Security has sole power over the program, whichwas designed to be temporary

“Lower courts are again attempting to block major executive-branch policy initiatives in ways that inflict specific harms to the national interest andforeign relations,”Solicitor General D. John Sauer wroteincourt documents.

But immigrationattorneys argued that bothcountries are still largely in crisis andpeople can’t return safely.

“Withoutafunctioning government, Haiti is anation in turmoil. Rape, kidnapping, and murder are

rampant, while food, housing, andmedical care are scarce,” attorneys wrote, pointing to reportsthat four Haitian womenwere recently founddeadmonths after they were deported from the U.S. LupeAguirre,directorof the InternationalRefugee AssistanceProject, said Syrians are relieved they will stay protected for now, but disappointedthe court agreed to hear the casebefore it has fully worked its way through lower courts. Courts in New York and Washington, D.C.,have agreed to delay the endof protections, with one finding that“hostility to nonwhite immigrants”likely played arole in the decision to end protections forHaitians. During his presidentialcam-

paign, Trumpamplified false rumors that Haitian immigrants were abducting and eating dogs and cats.

Appeals courts leftthe decisions in place.

Atotal of about 1.3 million people fleeing armed conflict, natural disasters and politicalinstability in countries around the world have been grantedtemporary protected status. Federal authorities havesaid conditions in theaffectedcountries have improved and denied racial animus played any role.

Theprotectionsfor Haitians were first grantedin 2010 after acatastrophic earthquake andhave been extendedmultiple times amid ongoing gang violence thathas displaced more than amillion people, according to court documents.

Protections for Syrians werefirst granted protected status in 2012, during acivil warthat lasted for more than adecade before the fall of President Bashar Assad’s government in late 2024. Congress created TPSin 1990 to prevent deportations to countries suffering from natural disasters, civil strife or other dangerous conditions. The designation is grantedin18-monthincrements by the Homeland Security secretary It allows people to legally live andworkinthe U.S., though it does not provide a path to citizenship. DHShas moved to terminate the program forpeople from multiple countriessince Republican Donald Trumpreturned to the White House.

Short-term rental law challenge dismissed

Lawsuit alleged ban in zoned areas was unconstitutional

BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit against Lafayette Consolidated Government that challenged its ban on short-term rentals in residential neighborhoods.

dinance that the plaintiffs challenged.

La. singers perform ‘Sinners’ music

Choir members reunite at Celtic Bayou festival

BY JOANNA BROWN Staff writer

Out of a record-breaking 16 nominations at the 98th Academy Awards, the movie “Sinners” walked away with four Oscars, including Best Original Score for music influenced by the folk sounds of both the Mississippi Delta and ancient Ireland

Composer Ludwig Göransson accepted the Oscar for his work on the film, which also won awards for Best Original Screenplay by Ryan Coogler, Best Cinematography by Autumn Durald Arkapaw and Best Actor for lead performance by Michael B. Jordan. The movie, which was filmed in Louisiana, utilized dozens of Louisiana artists in crafting a world where an Irish vampire launches an attack against a blues club, near Clarksdale, Mississippi, in 1932.

Musician Tony Davoren, a native Irishman and founder of the Celtic Bayou Festival in Lafayette, acted as cultural consultant on the film. Göransson needed a choir of local singers who could perform “Rocky Road to Dublin” and “Wild Mountain Thyme” in an authentic Irish voice, and Davoren pulled together a chorus of musicians from across south Louisiana who nailed the accent, and the tunes.

During the Celtic Bayou Festival on Saturday, singers from that choir came together for a live performance of the Irish and Scottish folk ballads from the film, “Rocky Road to Dublin” and “Wild Mountain Thyme.” Davoren said he wanted to honor the musicians from Acadiana, New Orleans and Baton Rouge who agreed to help with the Hollywood production, even though the choir members were not named in the end credits for “Sinners.”

“I reached out to every musician and singer, neighbors, friends, anyone who could hold a tune and had spent enough stupid time around me to hear this stupid accent,” said Davoren. “Here’s the best part: Every single person who showed up was from Louisiana, baby. This was Louisiana pride on full display musicians, singers, dancers, artists.

“When it came to releasing the movie, none of their names were on the credits. My wife

See SINGERS, page 4B

The lawsuit alleged that a 2023 Lafayette ordinance banning short-term rentals like Airbnbs in neighborhoods zoned for singlefamily use is unconstitutional.

Joseph, in dismissing the lawsuit, adopted the findings and conclusions submitted in February by federal Magistrate Judge

Judge David Joseph, of the U.S District Court, in Lafayette on Thursday dismissed the lawsuit filed in June by Michael Deselle and Rebecca “Becky” Guidry, joined by Stellarising LLC and EPH320 LLC.

David Ayo after a review of the records and written arguments by the plaintiffs and defendants.

The lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice.

David admonished the plaintiffs’ attorney for “unseemly claims that the magistrate judge’s well-supported ruling was ‘riddled with errors’ and ‘flawed from start to finish.’”

Longstanding Supreme Court

precedent, he wrote, holds that local land-use regulation is primarily the responsibility of the people and their elected officials, not federal judges. Ayo’s recommendations follow that precedent, David wrote.

A nationwide debate about allowing short-term rentals in residential neighborhoods and LCG’s policy determination, David wrote, underlie the local or-

“This is how it should be,” he added. “Fundamental principles of federalism dictate that such policy judgments should normally be resolved at the local level through the democratic process, not by converting these disputes into constitutional litigation decided by federal judges.”

Email Claire Taylor at ctaylor@ theadvocate.com.

GOING GREEN

ABOVE: Steve Brownlee plays the bagpipes with the New Iberia Marching Men during a St. Patrick’s Day parade Sunday in New Iberia. The group marched down Main Street led by grand marshal Ray Escuriex.

RIGHT: Courtney Robin, right, with her children, Amelia and Arabella Robin, watch the City Hall fountain turn ‘Emerald Green,’ a holiday tradition.

Roul’s Deli gets

Board grants landscaping, buffer variances

BY FAITH SCHOLL Contributing writer

Popular Baton Rouge eatery Roul’s Deli is one step closer to opening a Lafayette location. The restaurant was granted variances for landscaping strips, buffer and length requirements for its drive-thru window by Lafayette Consolidated Government’s Board of Zoning Adjustment on Thursday for its planned location at 2201 Johnston St The board approved its request for 92 feet for its drive-thru lane, known as stacking, instead of the required 160 feet. It also ap-

OK for layout of Lafayette location

proved its requests to reduce the buffer required along the edges of the property from 10 feet to about 3 feet. Due to the location being a sharp angle on Johnston Street, capacity in the parking lot was significant when considering approval due to the constraints of future usage, officials said. Vehicles will enter the property on Catherine Street and exit on Whittington Drive with no direct access to Johnston Street, according to renderings. The building, which will be 1,980 square feet, will have 15 parking spaces. “We just don’t have the width there for a drive on the front and the back,” said Matthew Landry, of Didier Architecture.

See DELI, page 4B

The separation of the powers of government branches is afoundational American ideal. So is respect for the willofthe people

That’swhy we are troubled bya newproposal currently pending before theLouisianaLegislature. Senate Bill 123, sponsored by state Sen Jay Morris, R-West Monroe, is aconstitutional amendment that, if approved byvoters, would hand theexecutive branch the ability to suspend or remove elected judgesand district attorneys if two-thirds of senators agree.

Like many bills, this onedefies easy narratives. The impetus for the bill —public frustration over incompetence and lackofaccountability within the state’scriminal justicesystem —isjustified.

Recently,those issues were thrown into sharp relief by former LouisianaSupremeCourt Justice Chet Traylor,who resignedfromthe Louisiana Judiciary Commission,the body that investigates complaints against judges andrecommends discipline to the SupremeCourt.

“Judgesneed to be aboveboard andaccountable as their actions determine theway our citizensviewour government,” Traylor wrote in aletter to Gov.Jeff Landry announcing his resignation. He also said some judgesare “incompetent or so arrogantthat they thinkthey are above the law.”

Traylor’sfrustration, coming as it does from acourt insider,isnoteworthy. In manycases, confidentiality rules prohibit judges fromcommenting on cases,and thetight judicial fraternity has often closed ranksaround its ownwhen problems arise But the mechanism that would be created by SB123 is flawed. The billsays judges could be removed for “malfeasance, gross misconduct, or incompetence.” The trick,ofcourse,will be in the definition of those terms, whichMorris haspromisedtoprovideina companionbill.

We feel leaving that up to the executive branch is abad idea and risksundermining the very principle of the separation of powers. Critics have noted, rightly,that thiscould have the effect of making judges susceptible to the political whims inthe state Capitol,atroubling arrangement for those taskedwithimpartially interpreting the law

We are similarlytroubled bythe suggestion that this power should extend to district attorneys. It is perhaps no surprise that this suggestion comes at atime when Republicans in Baton Rougehavefeudedwith theDemocratic district attorney in New Orleans over what they seeas his excessive leniency Prosecutorial discretion is asacred power entrustedto district attorneys by the voters; to make that subjecttothe leaningsofthe state’s chief executive and lawmakersinBaton Rouge is adangerous precedent.

So while we recognizethe realityofthe problems addressed by Morris’ bill, we cannot get behind it. Increasing transparency and accountabilitywithinthe justicesystemisa worthy aim;makingitsubject to more politicsisnot the waytodo it.

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE AREOUR

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

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

TO SEND US A LETTER, SCANHERE

Whether we votereally does matter.From thebeginning of American history,Americans have disagreed on government,always will. Through our votes, we speak our beliefs.

When in office, thewinners logically votethe policies they were elected on. Citizens have to wait until thenext election if we want change. The next election is soon.

On May 16, registered voters can cast their votes in closed primaries for theCongressional house and senate. Not registered? Visit theSecretary of State’swebsite for details. Then register.Then votethe primary,the runoff if necessary and the general election. All matter Can’tgoonElection Day? There are manydays of early voting.

In these Congressional races, many are voicing strong support for the president’s policies. Their voting records and statementsprove their loyalty.Ifthe president’s transformation of America, what you are seeing now,iswhat you want,then choose one of these and vote, knowing your candidatewill do what the president wants.

The last timethe federal government was free of debt was during the administration of AndrewJackson. If you have forgotten your American history,that was 1835. The federal debt is currently largerthan thegross annual product of all goods and services in the country Debt serviceisone of the largest items in the federal budget. And we’re

In Louisiana, courts have cleared the way for the TenCommandments to be displayed in public schools. At the sametime, manywho champion these displays publicly celebratewar,retaliation, and the suffering of immigrants and foreign neighbors. AndIcannot help but ask: What message are we sending our children? The TenCommandments are not décor.They are amirror They call us to revere God, honor life, tell thetruthand restrain violence. They call us to humilityand accountability

What if you disapprove of what you are seeing now? What if you have concerns about:

n Theeffect of tariffs on prices and small businesses.

n The aggressive tactics of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of HomelandSecurity

n The removal of regulations— consumer and banking (remember 2008?) and environmental.

n The effect of collateral destruction on civilians and infrastructure in countries hit by air strikes.

n The government’spriorities/expenditures using funds raised by taxes and tariffs

n The shift in the balanceinour constitutional government.

n ThelackofcooperationinCongress. Youtoo get to choose and vote for one who may voice someofyour same concerns, one who may inspire confidence and trust.That’sdemocracy.Do your research and listen to what each candidate says and does. Then go to thepolls. Please.

ANN GONZALES Baton Rouge

just paying interest

The principal keeps getting larger becausethe government continues to run adeficit.Cutting taxes is good politics but bad policy.And warisexpensive Very expensive. We need peace, prosperity,and higher taxes. Iwould vote for that.

SANFORD W. WOOD Eunice

Yetwhat does it mean to post “Thou shalt not kill” in aclassroom while cheering death on anewsfeed?

What does it mean to command children to honor God while modeling contempt for those wholook, vote, or live differently? Faith was never meant to be weaponized. It was meanttobeembodied. Jesus did not teach us to celebrate thedefeat of enemies. He taught us to love our neighbors, and even our enemies.

CYNTHIA

YOUNG Baton Rouge

Another Republican making stuff up. I’ll have to challenge Duke Truby, whoclaimsinhis Feb. 26 letter that the great majority (75-80%) of this newspaper’sreaders are conservatives or Republicans. Huh? In fact, print reach in NewOrleans is more than 500,000, while in Baton Rouge/ Lafayette, it’sabout 315,000. Orleans Parish is aDemocratic stronghold so it is unlikely that its two-thirds of total readers tend to agree with Truby But that’snot the point. He wants to see only letters that agree with his party.Hehas plenty sources for that. The newspaper,like all media, is entitled to its editorial opinions. I find the letters afair mix, including manythat are Truby-style. That’s fine until they start just making stuff up because they want it to be true. FAYE LIEDER NewOrleans

After 1975, there wasanextensive academic effort by manydifferent American institutions to try and accurately understand what the hell went wrong with America’sinvolvementinthe civil warinVietnam-at the cost of 58,000 lost young American lives. And it looked like those lessons wereactually learned until 2003 when President George Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney launched the “Take Down Saddam military campaign/war Iguess 1975 to 2003 avoiding repeat mistakes is successful in today’slight-speed world. But now, 2026, after ridiculing the Bush/ Cheney war,President Donald Trumphas ordered an ill-advised operation/war against Iran in the hopes of ending up with anew regimethat doesn’tshout, “Death to America.” The history of the prior twoforeign misadventures did not end wellfor America. Iwouldn’texpect this current one to do so either ALEXCHAPMAN Ville Platte

Politicalparties on perilous ground

As Donald Trump’sRepublicans look askance as he launches what looks to some like another long-term warin theMiddle East, and as the anti-Trump Democratshold up HomelandSecurity funding in what looks to some like prioritizing illegal immigrants over U.S. citizens, oneis tempted to ask, what’s going on with America’s political parties? Something close to self-harm, you might answer.And yet it is apparent that the U.S. parties, theoldest and third-oldest in the world,are not in as much trouble as manyold parties abroad. In Britain, both Conservatives and Labour are trailing theproimmigration restriction Reform Party in polls. In France, Emmanuel Macron’scentrist allies struggle to form amajority in the NationalAssembly.InGermany, theSocial Democrats are in third place, and the Christian Democratsare hardpressed by the upstart Alternativefor Germany.And so it goes.

One hundred yearsago, in thedisillusionment over the enormousdeath toll of World WarI,parties labeled as liberal, favoring free trade, market capitalism and some welfare state, largely disappeared. Britain’sLiberal Party,governing from 1906 to 1922, fell to thirdplace in 1923, behind nationalist Conservatives and socialist Labour.

Weimar Germany saw rioting communists, assassinations of political moderates, Nazi street gangs, and militarist putsches, culminating in Hitler’s takeoverin1933. Anticlerical parties, founded to limit established churches, fell to Mussolini’s march on Rome in 1922 and as Hitler’sPanzer troops marched into Parisin1940.

America’stwo political parties had greater staying power despite upheavals. Economic upheaval and Woodrow Wilson’sdisability drove Democrats down to 34% in the 1920 presidential election, but withtheir white Southern base and growing strengthamong immigrants, they remainedcompetitive Similarly,the Great Depression, which began in 1929, proved disastrous forRepublicans, who fellto37% in 1936. But with their base amongrural and small-town Northern Protestants, they remained competitive, andafter Franklin Roosevelt was nolonger on theballot, they won seven of thenext 11 presidential elections

Today,both parties are under stress. In the 1990s,asbaby boom leaders came to the fore, Democratsstarted

In avideo, Chris Kempczinskisitsin what appears to be aworkplace break room—faux marbletable, nondescript blond-wood cabinets, acoustic tiles on the ceiling. In front of him is thatstaple of breakroom lunches: the McDonald’sburger and fries. Like the room, Kempczinski is tidy and ordinary-looking in aVneck sweater and collaredshirt “I love this product,” he says, tapping the box. His voice holds all the enthusiasm of amidlevel finance executive describing anew expense-reporting system. “It is so good.”

winningmost presidential elections, andRepublicans started winning most seats in theHouse. In their competition, they converged on issues, as Bill Clinton led Democrats to takesome lessons from Ronald Reagan, and Newt Gingrich and George W. Bush led Republicans to learn some lessons in turn.

In retrospect, theturn of the century was akind of golden age for the parties. Since then, they’ve changed. Democrats havemoved left on cultural issues from abortion to transgender rights, while Republicans under Trump have repudiated Reagan-Bush stands on trade, foreign policy and entitlements Neither is in as much trouble as many traditional European parties. But both are treading on perilous ground.

Trump’strademark issues helped himwin over noncollege grads who neversupported earlier post-1990s Republicansand even made inroads, in 2024 at least, among Hispanics and Black people. Buthis insistence on relitigating the 2020 election cost Republicans Senate majorities for four years, and hisinsistence on imposing, on shakylegal bases, inflation-stoking tariffs for which there is little popular demand hascost his partycrucial support.

Democrats have problems of their own.Theirpartyhas always been a collection of outgroups, which at its strongest form anational majority but which can become weighted down by the unpopularity of stands insisted on by representatives of what journalists call “thegroups.” So manyoftheir politicianssee nochoice but to takeunpop-

ular and irresponsible stands such as “defund thepolice” and “abolish ICE.”

Many Democratshope to avoid damaging cultural issues by promising economic benefits. Butthe problem there is that the United States already has agenerous welfare state and aprogressive tax system that extracts more from therich and less from the less affluent than Europe does.

AndasPhil Grammand two economistcolleagues have pointed out, government transfer programs provide enough economic benefits that there is little economic difference between the lowest 20% of earners and the middle 20%. The default political strategy is to provide “healthcare” —actually, moregenerous health insurance. But as we’ve seen, most voters don’twant to losetheir present arrangements— they opposed Obamacare when Barack Obama was in office and opposed Obamacarerepeal when Republicans were —and they’re skepticalofpromised improvements.

Things may seem bleak today,with one party,inthe words of talk radio host Erick Erickson, hostage “toone man’s ego,” the other “to abunch of bat-crap crazy progressives.” But compared to acentury ago, when European countries were reeling from the slaughter of and disillusionment after what was then called the Great War, our political parties and the electoral democracies they seek tomanage are in perilous but not deadly shape. Michael Barone is on X, @MichaelBarone.

Evenlongarms get tired. When that happens, it might be time to letgo. That’sthe place longtime 21st JudicialDistrictAttorney ScottPerrilloux finds himself: Threedecades serving as the topprosecutor in Livingston, Tangipahoa and St. Helena parishesare enough. Perrilloux, 63, will leave office in January,capping an extraordinary career leading prosecutions in threeparishesthat run from urbantorural, swampy lowlands to pineywoods, rich to poor.Heand those under his charge have prosecuted everything from the most heinous of murders to the most mundane of traffic violations.

He’s seen it all. Last week, Iwrote about Chad Scott, aformer DEA agentwho is nowinfederal prison. Perhaps unsurprisingly forsomeonewho is incarcerated, Scottviews the justicesystem, specifically the federal part of it, as “broken.” Perrilloux is notsopessimistic. He remains abelieverinthe system, if abit jaded about what it can do andwhatitcannot. He hasseen plenty of changes,plural. But real change, singular? That’smoreelusive. First, what’sdifferent? The obvious answeristechnology In his threedecades,Perrilloux hasseen emailgofrom a newtool to ubiquitous communication. Cellphones have gone from novelty to necessity.Social media is a keyelement of everyinvestigation. Collecting andanalyzing DNA evidence is now routine. Court recordsystems have been digitizedand consolidated. Cameras arenow everywhere: on buildings, traffic lights, doorbells and police uniforms. Each of these advances has been, in its own way,good for law enforcement and prosecutors. They’ve created new lines of evidence andinvestigationtechniques that have made catching andbuilding cases against criminals betterand more precise. They’re notcheap,of course,and Perrilloux hashad to demonstrate some financialcreativity to payfor them, but overall, they’re good things.

But when it comes to making areal difference, that’sa harderquestion.

“I don’tknowthat it’schanged awhole lot,” Perrilloux said of the job’sbiggerchallenges. His second-flooroffice in the Tangipahoa Parish Courthouse overlooks the small city of Amite,where the issuesthat drive crime— addiction, poverty andalack of education— persist.

“In ’97, it wasprobably the same as it wasin ’67, youknow, andprobably the same as it was in ’37,” Perrilloux said.

After some preliminarydescription of his lunch, he proclaims“the moment of truth” and takes asingle,dainty bite Actually,Kempczinski is the chief executive of McDonald’s, andthe video, posted on his LinkedIn account last month, announced the introduction of the Big Arch to America. After test runs in Europe, the Big Arch was ready for the Big Show So, apparently,was Kempczinski, who went viral for his half-hearted taste of the burger.Reviews of his performance were, we might say, somewhat mixed. Many were downright savage. A pithy summation of the reaction,from the comments to the originalpost: “Yo that wasn’tevenabite.” Or, as another commenter put it,“cringe.” There were reaction videos, spoofs and AIgenerated “outtakes” —followed by reviews of the burger and think pieces on the aesthetics of food influencing. Wendy’sand Burger King got intothe act, posting videos where executives tucked into their own productswith somewhat more noticeable enthusiasm. Epic fail, one might think.But inthe new attention economy,it counts as a

rousing success. America once had three major burger chains, three major television networks anda massculture where those thingsformed acommon currency.Toafirst approximation, everyone ate at McDonald’sat least occasionally —and everyone was familiar with dozens of ad campaigns, often for products they didn’tbuy.Even middle-schoolers and Mormons could identify Joe Camel and make “great taste, less filling” jokes. Possibly themost famous Budweiser ad of all —atributeto9/11 —ran only once.

Twentieth century advertising wielded tremendous cultural influence, so much so that acottage industry of paranoidthrillers and panicky nonfiction arose on thepremisethat advertisingwas akind of mind control. This was nonsense, of course —mostly Ads introducedustonew productsor features and perhaps influenced which brands we bought.But those authors couldbeforgiven for thinking it was much more than that, given theamount of money spent on ads and the way advertising permeated not just our television shows but therest of our daily lives. That influence was achieved via ceaseless repetition. The ads would air during multiple commercial breaks, night after night,and if successful, spawn late-night jokes, movie moments and parodies. Even when the television was off, people hummed jingles, cracked jokes and turnedlines from commercials into catchphrases. Now late-night shows are on life support,and therest of television has split into millions of individualizedstreams.

Youcan’tjoke about an ad you’ve seen because what’s thechance your audience saw it, too? Americansincreasingly lack acommon frame of reference. How,then, do you get anew product noticed? Youcan pay influencers or podcasters totout it. Or you can become an influencer yourself, as Kempczinski did, against all odds. Sure, we were laughing at him.But every reaction video or parody drove homethe message that McDonald’shas abig new burger on the market, amessage I’d never have heard if Ihadn’t seen so manypeople making fun of the CEO. Iwould have eaten aBig Arch for dinner tonight— for research purposes, of course —ifmycolumn-writing duties hadn’tchained me to my desk. Such viral moments aremarketing gold and at abargain price —however much McDonald’sspent making that video, it probably only amounted to afraction of the cost of producing a traditional ad, much less of blasting it into our consciousness in aprime-time loop. Corporate America’sproblem is that such moments are wildly unpredictable. If you want brand awareness on the cheap, you are dependent on the kindness (or morelikely,unkindness) of strangers.

The problem for therest of us, meanwhile, is the void where our common culture used to be. Sure, it was sad and crass that so much of common culture rested on people trying to sell us things. Undoubtedly,itwould have been much better if we’d all been hummingBeethoven’sFifth instead of “I’d like to buy theworld aCoke.” Butatleast we were all making music together MeganMcArdle is on X, @asymmetricinfo.

None of the technological changes, the extra evidence, the DNA, the cameras or anything else have done much to address those root causes. Nor have tough-on-crime policiesor criminaljusticereform,which, he notes, tend to run in cyclical patterns based on whether people aremoreworked up about crimeorthe high costofgovernment.

That’snot to saythere are no bright spots. The proliferation of drug courts, including in Perrilloux’sdistrict, has helped. But drug problems remain severe amid the failures of a 40-year-old “warondrugs.”

He also points to the social changesdriving improvements to howlaw enforcement polices minorities, including an emphasis on deescalation. He notes, however,thathis district, where allthe judgesrun at-large, has never elected aBlack judge despite asizable Black population.

Perrilloux’sreflectionunderscores oneofthe tensions of being an elected districtattorney. On the campaign trail, prosecutors promise to be tough but fair,toworktokeep communitiessafe.

But theyreally have very little powertoaffect these sorts of changes. They don’tpass laws; theydon’t run social programs. Local districtattorneys in Louisiana run on areferralsystem, whichmeans cases come to them afterthey’ve already been handed by law enforcement.

“We’re notnecessarily in afixing business,” Perrilloux said. “A lotofthe time, we’re in ‘just going to clean up the mess’ business.” And there arealways plenty of messes to clean up.

Email Faimon A. Roberts III at froberts@ theadvocate.com.

Court filingsshedlight on McGlinchey debts, assets

Chapter 11 reorganization, where adebtor remains in business while paying off debt

BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer

Documents filedinthe

McGlinchey Stafford bankruptcy case shed new light on the New Orleans firm’s financial situation in the wake of its surprise decision early this year to shut down after more than 50 years in business.

The firm’sliabilities top $13 million and include more than $2.5 millionin bank debt,$6.5millionin office leases and more than $1.5 million in wage claims to employees, according to court records.

Its $15.5 million in assets, though greaterthan its liabilities, include more than $9.4 million in accounts receivables, or bills for services that have not yet been paid.

The details were disclosed in documents filed Thursday with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District, where McGlinchey filedChapter 7bankruptcy in mid-February

AChapter 7bankruptcy means adebtor is liquidating its remaining assets to satisfy creditors, unlikea

The case has been assigned to U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Meredith Grabill. In earlyJanuary, McGlinchey Stafford surprised thelocal legal community by announcing that its equity members, agroup of senior attorneyswho owned the firm, had voted to dissolve Avarietyoffactors contributed to thedecision, including the recentdeparture of several high-profile lawyers with the firm, delinquent collections, internal disagreementsand steep overhead costs in far-flung offices,accordingtosources familiarwith the situation and statementsmade by the firm’sleaders.

Managing memberMichaelFerachi and atrustee appointed by thecourtto oversee liquidatingthe firm’s assets,Metairieattorney Bill Babin,have declinedto comment on the case.

Assets andliabilities

JPMorgan Chase Bank is McGlinchey’slargest creditorand is owedmore than $2.5 million by the firm, including more than $813,000 on a2024loan, nearly $825,000 on aline of

credit from mid-2025 and more than $847,000 in lettersofcredit issuedtotwo property owners for office space in Boston andNew York City.

Chaseisa secured creditor,meaning it will get paid first once the firm’sassets are liquidated.

McGlinchey also has more than $10.5 million in unsecured debt

More than half of that debt, some $6.5 million, is owed for office space in high-rise buildings around thecountry.The firm’s New York City landlordisowed nearly $803,000. ItsCleveland, Ohio, landlord is owed $690,000.

Local property owners areowed even more. Mike Wampold,whose II River Mark Centre was home to McGlinchey’sBaton Rougeoffice,isowedsome $942,000. The Pan American Life Center in New Orleans, where the firm was located formorethan15years,is owed nearly $700,000.

Wampold, throughhis attorney,declinedtocomment.

Other unsecured creditors include 165 McGlincheyemployees, who are owed more than $1.5 millioninwageclaims, and 195 vendors that did business withthe firm

Some of those vendors are

Singers raise atoastincelebration with spectators after performingtraditional Irish

songs featured in the 2025 film ‘Sinners’ duringthe Celtic BayouFestival in Lafayette on Saturday. Thesingersperformed severalsongs forthe film’sproduction itself.

SINGERS

Continued from page1B

and daughter,who did the dancing scene, weren’t mentioned, and Ithink that scene is pretty good.So tonight, we’re gonna address that, and Iwant them to have their moment on stage.”

Louisiana artist Beth Patterson,who sang in the “Sinners” choir,shared the

names of allofthe musicianswho appeared in the choir on social media: n Tony Davoren n Richie Stafford n Debbie Cornett n Pete Dawson n Julia Dawson n Frank Bladen n Kevin Muggivan n Ross Muggivan n Jim Hogg n James Linden Hogg n Aaron Svoboda n Shannon Kelly n Jennifer Kelly

n Andy Lee n Robert Ryan

n Eric M. Martin n Toby Rodriguez n BrittanyPiatz

n Jacob Landry n Jesse Reaux n Beth Patterson.

Email Joanna Brown at joanna.brown@ theadvocate.com.

large, with six-figure claims for computer software agreementsand insurance policies. Otherare small. A northshore bakery is owed $60,000 for king cakes. A New Orleansflorist is owed nearly $800 for floral arrangements

McGlinchey, through the bankruptcy trustee, will hope to settle some of those debts by collectingonits accounts receivables. The firm has$7.8 millioninoutstanding accounts that are fewer than 90 days old and $1.6 million that are older than 90 days.

Court records show it also has$4millionin“work in progress,” or legalwork it was doing at the time of the bankruptcy filing, though it is unclear how it will be able to collect on any of that moneybecause all of the attorneys that worked for the firm have since gone to work at other firms.

Otherfirm assetsinclude $4 million in inventory and more than $1.5 millionin cash.

‘Inundated with calls’

The firm had 17 offices in 11 states andemployed 300 people, including 150 attorneys, at the time of the filing. Filings suggested the enormity of workinvolved with unwinding allthe cases and relationships entangled

DELI

Continuedfrom page1B

“Whereas theWhittingtonStreet side,wecan have apickupwindow lane where you’re waiting and adrive-around, pass-around lane on the side and enough room for people to get in and out of those parking spaces.” Board member Garland Pennison discussed the consideration as to why the requirements were given for thebusiness to

in afirm of that size.

Onecourt pleading,filed March 9, says almost immediatelyafter Babinwas appointed as trustee, he was “inundated with emails and phone calls from former McGlinchey attorneys trying to locate the original Last Wills and Testaments (of their clients) that were stored by the debtor.”

“Further,the Debtor has offices filled with client files in multiple locations and in storage that need to be sorted and multiple computer servers anda vast computer network containing client files,” the filing said.

Thepleading askedGrabill for approval to keep paying several McGlinchey employees to help administer the process, noting that “the former debtor employees have institutional knowledge that is unique .and that will help the Trusteetoaccess information quickly and efficiently.”

On Monday,Grabill approvedthe request on an interim basis, freeing up someofthe firm’s money to keep theemployees on the payroll. Ahearing to consider the fullapplication is scheduled fornext week.

Email StephanieRiegel at stephanie.riegel@ theadvocate.com.

be approved “I know Johnston Street is apriority,” he said. “As abusiness owner, Iwould be glad to hear that because the more improvement made on Johnston, the better things will look.” Hesham Saymeh, who bought the property in October,expects to break ground on the project this monthand open either late this year or early in 2027. Roul’sDeli has threelocations in Baton Rouge, one in Gonzales andone in Shreveport.

LOTTERY SUNDAY,MARCH 15, 2026 PICK 3: 1-4-0 PICK 4: 3-8-3-6 PICK 5: 0-4-8-5-0 Unofficial notification, keep your tickets.

SPORTS

Lace ’emup, folks

time once againfor MarchMadness from AtoZ

ä Jacksonville at LSU, 5P.M. FRIDAy,ESPN

The pizza deliveryguy hasbeen generously tipped to “fast break” a large supreme to your frontdoor.Your favorite sports-watching beverage(I make no judgments) is properly chilled. And you’ve finagled your company’sAI searchengine to help you craft awinning bracket. Hopefully after the NCAA tournaments, thoseskills can help you find anotherjob

But what do you care about that now? March Madness is uponus, from the FirstFour starting Tuesday in Dayton, Ohio, to the Women’sFinal Four in Phoenix and the men’sinIndianapolis.

So, forget about work, sleep, and healthy eating.You’ve got 49 weeksof theyear for that. These are thebest three weeksofthe sports year, andit’s time for March Madness from AtoZ:

A is for the women’stournament allnameteam:Azzi Fudd, UConn (no relation to Elmer); Cearah Parchment, Illinois; SnuddaCollins, TexasTech(from Brookhaven, Mississippi, she will play at the PMAC at 7:30 p.m. Fridayagainst

Villanova); Rusne Augustinaite, Clemson; Fadima Tall, Princeton (she’s6-foot-1,so youdecide).The men’steam comes later in our show

B is for ESPN’s JayBilas,who picks Arizonatobeat Michigan State for the men’s title

C is for Charleston,the only NCAA women’stournament first-timer,led by the Barbot twins,Taryn and Taylor.The Cougars are a30-point underdog to Duke but they’re in.

D is for the schools double-dipping in both tournaments, 29 in all, including Texas Tech and Villanova.

E is for EliteEight,the only round of the NCAA Tournament where LSUcoach KimMulkey doesn’thave awinning record (5-8).Still, that’sTHIRTEEN trips to the regional final. By the way,she’s

Pitching amongconcerns afterserieslossatVandy

Five things we learned from SEC-openingseries

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

Analysis

NASHVILLE,Tenn.– It was an up-anddown weekend for LSU baseball in its opening series of Southeastern Conference play Against Vanderbilt, the Tigers dropped Friday’s seriesopener 13-12 on atwo-run, two-out,game-winning home run, got crushed 11-3 on Saturday and earned an emphatic16-9 victory on Sunday Here are five takeaways from a wacky weekend for LSU.

Pitchers struggle

Sophomore right-handerCasan Evans on Friday,junior right-hander Cooper MooreonSaturdayand sophomore right-hander William Schmidt on Sunday,for the most part, struggled as LSU’sweekend rotation in its opening series in SEC play Evans had command issues, resulting in five walks and six earned runs in three innings. He couldn’t locate his sliderand had toomany pitches that were nowhere near the strike zone.His issuesappeared to be mechanical,asmanyofhis misses werelow and toward his glove side.

Moore’souting the next day wasn’tmuch better,allowingfour

ä Grambling at LSU, 6:30P.M.TUESDAy,SECN+

earned runsonseven hits in four innings. He was inefficient throwing 79 pitches in fourinnings before exiting. He consistently found trouble and hadadifficult timefinishingoff hitters with two strikes, atheme for the pitching staff throughout theweekend.

“They did anicejob fighting our pitchers with two strikes,and it made it really hard to put (them) away,” coach Jay Johnson saidafter Saturday’sgame. “I think they did agood job tonight against Cooper.”

Schmidt had the best outing of thetrioonSunday, getting six strikeoutsand limiting the Commodores to three hits. But two of the hits he allowed were home runs,and his command was shaky He walkedthree andhit another, although the final hitter he walked may have been because of theback tightness he waspitchingthrough in the fifth inning

Johnson pulled Schmidt after his thirdwalk, butsaid he could’ve continued topitchifhehad to and said he would be fine physically

“He just started to miss up in the zone, and Ithought he was protectingita little bit,” Johnsonsaid.

“That guy’shealth is the keytomy life for the next 18 months. So it just wasn’treally worth it.”

22-0 in NCAAfirst-rounders at LSU and Baylor.

F is for Flau’jaeJohnson,LSU’srapping, Euro-stepping, jump-shotdraining leader.The senior guard started her career withanNCAA title. Can she finish it the same way?

G is for Baton Rouge’s MarkGrant,who blew out his knee in lateDecemberbut is again fit for his fourthyear as lead director for the entireNCAA Tournament. He can alsofind TruTV on your cable or satellite lineup in asnap.

H is for the IndianaHoosiers.Fifty years ago theybeat Alabama and Marquette in the 1976 NCAAMideast Regional at the PeteMaravich Assembly Center and went on to finish 32-0, still the last undefeated men’steam.

I is for IanEagle,who took overthe Final Four mic in 2024 from Jim Nantz Four We’ll hear Jim’s“Hello, friends” at The Masters, though.

J is for Southern’s JocelynTate.She scored with1.2 seconds left to beat Alabama State for the SWAC title, putting the Jaguars in back-to-back women’stourneys

ä See RABALAIS, page 4C

Biggest keys when spring practice starts next week

BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer

It’salmosttime for LaneKif-

fin’sfirst spring practiceatLSU LSU hits the field againMarch 24, the first of 15 spring practices over the next month. It’ll be the first timeKiffin leads the team throughpractice after he left Ole Miss, making this a critical period as the Tigers try to contend for aspot in theCollege FootballPlayoff during his debut season In these practices, Kiffin and his staff have to mesh with a roster that they overhauled in a shortperiodoftime, especially on offense. While afew players followed him from Ole Miss most of the 43 transfers have never played for these coaches. Kiffin will have to get everyone on the same page in ahurry, something he hasexperience with from his transfer-heavyapproach at Ole Miss.

Let’slook at themost important questions that Kiffin and his staff will have to answer once theTigersget on theprac-

Cajuns relish ranking, but there’sstill work to do

ä UL at Houston, 6:30P.M.WEDNESDAy,ESPN+

UL baseball coach Matt Deggs said he thought it might have happened a week ago, before a12-1 Sunday loss at Dallas Baptist last weekend. But after the weekend’sseries winover South Alabama, his Ragin’ Cajuns are now ranked in the top 25 for the first timethis season —No. 25 in the D1baseball.com poll. More impressively and importantly, UL enters the week with an RPI of 12 after improving to 15-5 with Sunday’s3-1 winover the Jaguars.

“I’m happy forour guys and the fans,” said Deggs, whose Cajuns play at 6:30 p.m.Wednesday at Houston. “It’sanice recognition, because college baseball’sasgood as it’sever been across the country.”

There are several waystolook at the Cajuns’ standing in college baseball.

One way is to say the Cajuns were 9-12 and 1-2 after the first Sun Belt series ayear ago and are now just 12 wins shy of matching last year’swin total. Then there’sthe big-picture view of UL’s program achieving this start against aschedule good enough to have a12RPI without it being NILdriven.

“Knowing the disparity,orwhat I’m going to call the inequality across the board in college baseball where one program might have 34 full scholarships and $1 million in (revune sharing), while we’re still dealing with the basics,” Deggs said. “Wehave agreat stadium.We’ve got an unbelievable fan base. We’ve got alot of talent to recruit from, but we’re not on par with probably 90% of our competition.”

While UL coaches can’twin recruiting battles with asuitcase, it’smore gratifying enjoying success by doing it the old-fashioned way “So what that tells me is these coaches and players have done an amazing

ticefield again. When will Leavittbecleared?

When last we heard from Kiffin, he saidnew LSU quarterback SamLeavittwould throw in certain situations this spring, but he “probably” would not take part in full-team drills. Leavitt is still working his way back from surgery after he suffered afoot injury last season at Arizona State. Even though he won’tbefull-go in the spring, hisrecovery timelineisone of

the most important questions of the offseason. WhowillstepupatQB?

In the meantime, LSU will evaluate Southern California transfer Husan Longstreet andElontransferLanden Clark.Thisserves two purposes: the coaching staffwill be able to get asense of their potential, and one of them should leave the spring as the projected backup quarterback. It’snot an

7p.m.

3:45 p.m.

5p.m. NIT: Liberty at GeorgeMason ESPN2

5:40 p.m. NCAA: UMBC vs.HowardTRUTV

6p.m.NIT: Wyoming at WichitaSt. ESPNU

7p.m. NIT: Davidson at Oklahoma StESPN2

8p.m. NIT: Stephen F.Austin at Tulsa ESPNU

8:15 p.m. NCAA: Texas vs. NCStateTRUTV

9p.m. NIT: South Alabama at AuburnESPN2

10 p.m. NIT: UNLV at UC IrvineESPNU

WOMEN’S COLLEGE LACROSSE

3:30 p.m. yale at Syracuse ESPNU

COLLEGESOFTBALL

11 a.m.Cent.Arkansas at Arkansas SECN

5p.m. UNC-Wilmington at DukeACCN GOLF

5:30 p.m. Los Angeles vs.Atlanta ESPN

8p.m. Jupiter Links vs. Boston ESPN MLB SPRING TRAINING

noon St. Louisvs.Washington MLBN

3p.m. San Diegovs. Seattle MLBN NBA

7p.m. Cleveland at MilwaukeeNBC

9p.m. PhiladelphiaatDenverNBC NHL

6:30 p.m.Minnesota at ChicagoTNT

9p.m.Tampa BayatSeattle TNT MEN’S SOCCER

12:45 p.m.Bodø/Glimt at Sporting CP CBSSN

2:45 p.m.Wrexham FC at Watford CBSSN

6p.m.Portland at Vermont CBSSN

8p.m.Los Angeles FC at Alajuelense FS1

10 p.m.Monterrey at Cruz Azul FS1

WOMEN’S SOCCER

10:50 a.m.Mexico vs. Jamaica FS2

1:20 p.m.U.S.vs. BermudaFS2

3:50 p.m.Canada vs. Nicaragua FS2 TENNIS

10 a.m. Miami-WTA/ATP TENNIS

Skenes shines in theWBC spotlight

Former LSUpitcher dominated in theU.S. 2-1victory over the DominicanRepublic

BY RONALD BLUM AP baseball writer

MIAMI Paul Skenes pitched with poise through pressure, dispatching aseriesofstars on a night of great stakes in asold-out stadium with millions watching on TV

This was the type of game he never sees with the Pittsburgh Pirates and he may not experience on aregular basis until 2030.

The former LSU star dominatedthe DominicanRepublic’slineup of All-Stars for 41/3 inningsinthe America’s2-1 semifinal victory Sunday night, allowing his only run when Junior Caminero hit ago-ahead home run in the second on a1-2 sweeper at the top of thestrike zone.

“The D.R. is the toughest lineup I’ve ever faced, for sure,” Skenes said.

The NL Cy Young Awardwinner last year in his first full seasonatage 23,Skenes mixedsix pitches among 71 offerings that included afastball averaging 97.6 mph. He allowed six hits and finished the tournament 2-0 with a1.08 ERA and a.226 opponents batting average

“You can make the argument he’sthe best pitcher in the game,” U.S. managerMark DeRosa said. “Specialpresence, special man, wants the moment, wasn’ttoo bigfor him.Controls his emotions, makes pitches.”

Skenes retired his first five batters before Caminero homered, then hit Geraldo Perdomo with a pitch and allowed Ketel Marte’s single in the third, when right fielder Aaron Judgethrew a 95.7 mph strike to third, cutting down Fernandez Tatis Jr.for the

inning’sfinalout “A moment like that where I canthrowaguy outand help out Paul Skenes, who is electric as he is, Iwas excited about that,” Judge said Skenes strandedthe bases loaded in the fourth when Austin Wells flied out.Hehad been giventhe lead when Gunnar Henderson and Roman Anthony homeredinthe top half.

“He’svery smart. He likes playing withthe mind of the hitters,” saidJuanSoto, who went 0for 2against Skenes. “Wehave to thinkalot when we face him. That’s why Ithink he’ssospecial.”

Skenes hasa 1.96 ERA in 55 ca-

reer starts,striking out386 while walking 74 in 320 2/3 innings. The 6-foot-6 right-hander has not come closetothe playoffs on Pirates teams that finished76-86 in 2024 and71-91 last year Pittsburgh enters this season with seven straight losing records and 27 in 30 years that includeda record20ina row from 1993 to 2012. The Pirates haven’t reached the World Series since winning the1979 title Skenesisontrack to be eligible forfreeagencyafterthe 2029 season,havingearned extra major league service time by finishing among the top two in voting forthe 2024 NL Rookie of theYearaward, whichhewon

Thatprovision was added to the collective bargainingagreement in 2022.

If he stays healthy and keeps pitching likethe way he has been,helikely would command arecord contract forapitcher Giventhe Pirates lack the revenue of large-market teams, they could considertrading him for prospects before he reaches freeagency Skenes tends to not look too far ahead. He marveled at the Dominicans’ batting order that includedeight All-Stars combining for27selections.

“Before and after,”hesaid, “but can’tget toocaught up on that.”

WBCcrowds‘better than theWorld Series’

BY RONALD BLUM AP baseball writer

MIAMI On anight when AllStars and future Hall of Famers thrilled fans and each other until the final out, Aaron Judge proclaimed the World Baseball Classic had grown intothe sport’sbiggest event.

“The WorldSeries Iwas in the crowd here, the crowd we had when we played against Mexico, it’sbigger andbetter than the World Series,”the U.S captain said after a2-1 semifinal win over the Dominican Republic that came down to Sunday night’sfinal pitch. “The passion that these fans have, representing their country,representing some of their favorite players, there’snothing like it.”

American tradition emphasizing understatement on ateam led by Judge and Bryce Harper was showcased against Latin flair on aside featuring Juan Soto and Vladimir GuerreroJr. When Junior Caminero homered against Paul Skenes to put the Dominicans aheadinthe second inning, he celebrated with an overhand bat flip. In the sixth tournament of an event that started in 2006, the game featured starting lineups featuring 17 All-Stars totaling 56 selections among the20starters. They had won five MVP awards, one Cy Young, five Rookies of the Year and three batting titles Before acrowd of 36,337 at IoanDepot park, theU.S.overcame the deficit on fourth-inning home runs by Gunnar Henderson off Luis Severinoand Roman Anthony against Gregory Soto.

Anthony,at 21 the youngest American player,had bought aticket for the 2023WBC final in Miami and watched from the seatsasJapan beat the U.S. 3-2. “Coming to the WBC here, you dream of representing this country and being herethe next time around,” Anthony said. American relievers allowed twohits over 42/3 scoreless innings, capped by Mason Miller topping100 mph with 13 of 22 pitches. Miller’s last appeared to be low for ball four to Geraldo Perdomobut plateumpireCory Blaser emphatically signaled

strike three. “Just agame we’ll remember forever,right?” U.S. manager Mark DeRosa said.“We understood thiswas going to be atalked-about game, probably one of the most watched games of all time.” Dynamic defense wascommonplace. With the U.S.trailingbyarun in the third, Judge threw a95.7 mph strike from right field to third base to cut downFernando TatisJr. for the inning’sfinal out. Judge then made adivingbackland catchtorob Soto,his former

Alabama’sNo. 2scorer arrested on drug charge

TUSCALOOSA,Ala. Alabamaguard

Aden Holloway was arrested on a felony drug charge Monday, just days before the start of the NCAA Tournament, authorities said. Holloway,21, was arrestedafter agents with theWestAlabama Narcotics Task Force searched aresidence near Alabama’scampus and “recovered more than apound of marijuana, paraphernalia and cash,” Tuscaloosa policespokesperson StephanieTaylor told TheAssociated Press.

“The student has been removed from campus pending further investigation by theUAOffice of Student Conduct,”the school said. Holloway was arrested on afirstdegree charge of marijuana possession, not for personal use, which is a Class Cfelony,and failure to affix a tax stamp.

NBA to vote on adding Las Vegas and Seattle

In asignificant first step, the NBA will hold avote next week to move forward with adding expansionteams in Las Vegasand Seattle, according to ESPN

Should 23 of the 30 team governors vote in support of the move, the NBA can focus solely on adding teamsinthose markets and begin the bidding process. There would still be additional steps, but ESPNreports afinal vote could occur later this year whichwould pave the wayfor the new franchises to debut in the 2028-29 season. The newteams would reportedly be projected to be valued in the $710 billion range.

“I think Seattle and Las Vegas are twoincredible cities,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said.

Michigan player says Kentucky offered $7-9M ANNARBOR,Mich.— YaxelLendeborg hasmademoremoneythan he ever dreamed was possible entering March Madness, allowing him to payhis mother’s bills and buyher anew ride Michigan’s6-foot-9, 240-pound pointforwardwas thetop prospect in the transfer portal last year and Kentucky wasprepared to make him the highest-paid player in college basketball.

“They started the number with $7 to 9(million),” Lendeborgsaid. “They were pretty much going off on the route like we’ll pay him anythingtoget here.”

Instead, he chose to play for Dusty Mayand theWolverines even though theformer UAB star said he would have earned about three times moremoney

Duke men enterNCAA tourneyasNo. 1inAP

Duke is the No. 1seed in the NCAA Tournament and No.1in the final AP Top25ofthe regularseason

New York Yankees teammate, in the fourth. Julio Rodríguez denied Judge a home run witha leaping catch at thecenter-fieldwallinthe fifth, 407 feet from theplate.

“I was like, OK,maybe we got a shot here,”Judge recalled. “But hit it to aguy likeJ-Rod, who’s one of thebest if not the best center fielder in the game, he’s going make exciting plays like that in bigmoments.”

Shortstop Bobby Witt ranged to the right field side of the infield to snag Soto’sslowbouncer in the fifth, scrambled to back to touch second base andmade an off-balance throw to firstfor an inning-endingdoubleplay. Oneinning later,Witt threw out MannyMachado at first from the outfield grass.

Dominican starterLuisSeverino strandedrunnersatsecond and third in thethird inning when he struckout Judge and Kyle Schwarber,and Skenes escaped abases-loaded jam in the fourth when Austin Wells flied out. Wells doubled with one out in the seventh and the relatively slow-footed catcher was held at third on Perdomo’ssingle to Crow-Armstrong in center.David Bednar then struck out Tatis Jr.and Ketel Marteonbreaking balls below the strike zone Judge gavea postgame speech to teammates, looking aheadto Tuesday’schampionship against Venezuela or Italy.

“You get chills standing there on the line,hearingthemannounce all the names,” he said. “It was likeanAll-Star team they got over there.”

TheBlue Devils received50 first-place votes from a57-personmediapanel in The Associated Press men’sbasketballpoll releasedMonday, aday after they were named the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. No. 2Arizona received seven first-place votes,with Michigan, Florida andHouston rounding out the top five. The Wolverines, thebettingfavorite to win thenational championship, did not receive afirst-place vote in the poll. The final rankings will be released on April7,aday after thenational championship game.

Diaz returning to MMA in Rousey undercard

LOSANGELES— Nate Diazwill return to mixed martial artsfor the first time in nearly four years when he fights fellow brawler Mike Perry on the undercard of RondaRousey’s meetingwith Gina Carano. Most Valuable Promotions on Monday announced the latest addition to the Netflix card scheduled for May16atIntuit Domein Inglewood, California. Theboutis scheduled for fiverounds at the 170-pound welterweight limit Diaz,who turns41next month, hasn’tfought in acagesince September 2022, when he choked out Tony Ferguson in his final bout for theUFC. TheCalifornia native is best known for splitting two memorable fights against Conor McGregor adecade agoina rivalry that exponentially boosted both fighters’ star power.

A guide to picking NCAA Tournament

BY TIM REYNOLDS AP basketball writer

There was a time when the NCAA men’s college basketball tournament was wildly unpredictable.

Hard as it may seem to believe, there was one season where a No. 4 seed, two No. 5 seeds and a No 9 seed all reached the Final Four And a year later, a No. 11 seed got to the national semifinals as well. Ah, 2023 and 2024 feel so long ago. Last year’s tournament, for those who love upsets, was a complete and utter dud. Excluding the First Four games, teams seeded No 11 through No. 16 went 3-24. The regional finals had three No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchups, and the other was No. 1 vs. No. 3.

The result? For the first time since 2008, all four No. 1 seeds made the Final Four and Florida went on to capture the national championship. This likely meant those who spend little time agonizing over their brackets — you know, the types who just pick the higher seeds the whole way through and fill the entire thing out in about a minute and a half — probably did well last year

We have sad news to report: They might do well this year, too. The top seeds this season are Florida, Duke, Michigan and Arizona. It would be a sensational Final Four if they all got to the national semifinals. But can history repeat itself and four No. 1 seeds

year’s field. Watch the travel. It’s not easy to get ready for a first-round game on short notice. Those teams that have long, long trips (St. John’s to San Diego, UCLA to Philadelphia, Villanova to San Diego. etc., trips that all are just a bit shorter than Hawaii’s 2,600-mile flight to Portland for Round 1) might look a little rusty to start.

n Always root for the fun matchup UConn vs. UCF in Round 2? For those who followed college football’s short-lived Civil ConFLiCT game (a totally made-up thing by UConn when it decided, for reasons that still puzzle basically everybody, that UCF was its football rival), how can you not want to see this matchup?

n The last preseason No. 1 team in the AP Top 25 to cut down the nets in the men’s tournament was North Carolina in 2009. Purdue was the preseason No. 1 this year, so apologies to the Boilermakers, but history says what it says.

The Miami issues

Jake Dore Course: Jennings Golf Club Hole, yardage: No. 9, 160 yards Club selection: 6-iron Witnesses: Michael Dore, Jacob Dore, Jack Judice, Will Judice, Bill Dore Prep baseball

Tuesday’s schedule Acadiana At Sulphur, Carencro at Lafayette, New Iberia at Barbe, Southside at Sam Houston, Cecilia at Beau Chene, Breaux Bridge at Livonia, Comeaux at North Vermilion, Teurlings at David Thibodaux, Eunice at LaGrange, Rayne at Westgate, St. Martinville at Abbeville, Iota at Church Point, Erath at Kaplan, Northwest at Pine Prairie, Franklin at Catholic-NI, Delcambre at Loreauville, Welsh at Lafayette Christian, Lake Arthur at Lafayette Renaissance, Midland at Notre Dame, Gueydan at Highland Baptist Jeanerette at Centerville, St. Edmund at Sacred Heart, Westminster-Lafayette at Vermilion Catholic, Episcopal of Acadiana at Bell City Elizabeth at Northside Christian Prep softball

Tuesday’s schedule Lafayette at Acadiana, New Iberia at Carencro, Beau Chene at Breaux Bridge, Cecilia at Opelousas, Rayne at David Thibodaux, Eunice at Iowa, Kaplan at North Vermilion, Westgate at Northside, Teurlings at St. Thomas More, Abbeville at Jeanerette, St. Martinville at Acadiana Renaissance, Mamou at Church Point, Crowley at Ville Platte, Hanson at Erath, Iota at Pine Prairie, Vermilion Catholic at Catholic-NI, West St. Mary at Delcambre, Welsh at Lafayette Christian, Lake Arthur at Lafayette Renaissance, Loreauville

get there for the second straight year?

Time to find out.

Key tips

n One of the oddest stat nuggets ever: No team seeded No. 5 has ever won the NBA title, the NCAA men’s title or the NCAA women’s title In this field, St. John’s, Vanderbilt, Wisconsin and Texas Tech surely did not want to

hear that (Also, did the tournament committee even watch the Big East final between St. John’s and Connecticut?)

— We point this out every year, but as a general reminder: Teams with 10 or more losses coming into the tournament have gone on to win the title only three times (N.C. State in 1983, Villanova in 1985 and Kansas in 1988.) That stat alone would knock out about half of this

If you’re Miami, you shouldn’t be happy right now Doesn’t matter which Miami you are, either Miami (the Ohio one) gets a First Four game after going undefeated until its conference tournament. And Miami (the Florida one) is the “home” team in St. Louis against Missouri. Of course, Miami was also the “road” team in the College Football Playoff title game in its home stadium against Indiana. So, it all evens out. Or something.

SCOREBOARD

Oklahoma at Southeastern, 6 p.m. Southern Miss at Nicholls, 6 p.m. UNO at Tulane, 6:30 p.m. Grambling at LSU, 6:30 p.m.

Iowa vs. St. John’s at San Diego, 7:10 p.m. UCF vs. UCLA at Philadelphia, 7:25 p.m. California Baptist vs. Kansas at San Diego, 9:45 p.m. Women’s NCAA Tournament Wednesda’s games

SOUTH Richmond vs. Nebraska at Durham, N.C., 7 p.m. SOUTHWEST Stephen F. Austin vs. Missouri State at Austin, Texas, 9 p.m. Thursday,’s games EAST Binghamton at Mercyhurst, 6 p.m. Bradley at George Washington, 6 p.m. Drexel at St. Bonaventure, 6 p.m. Lehigh at Monmouth, 6 p.m. Missouri at Seton Hall, 7 p.m. NJIT at Merrimack, 7 p.m. Navy at Harvard, 7 p.m.

St. John’s at Columbia, 7 p.m.

SOUTH

Maryland-Eastern Shore at Wake Forest, 6 p.m. Utah at Eastern Kentucky, 6:30 p.m.

Georgia Southern at Miami (FL), 7 p.m.

Quinnipiac at George Mason, 7 p.m. Samford vs. Southern University at Columbia, S.C., 7 p.m. UT Rio Grande Valley at Austin Peay, 7 p.m.

MIDWEST UMBC at Ohio, 7 p.m. Georgia Tech at Kansas State, 7:30 p.m.

Troy at Kansas, 7:30 p.m.

Chattanooga at North Dakota State, 8 p.m.

Arizona State vs. Virginia at Iowa City, Iowa 9 p.m.

SOUTHWEST

Louisiana Tech at Rice, 8 p.m. McNeese at Texas A&M, 8 p.m.

WEST

Colorado at Air Force, 8:30 p.m. Alabama A&M at BYU, 9 p.m.

Houston at Portland, 9 p.m. UC Davis at Pepperdine, 9 p.m.

First-round winners

East: Duke, TCU, St. John’s, Kansas, USF, Michigan State, UCF, UConn.

South: Florida, Clemson, McNeese, Nebraska, North Carolina, Penn (by far, our biggest upset pick), Texas A&M, Houston. West: Arizona, Villanova, Wisconsin, Arkansas, BYU, Gonzaga, Miami, Purdue.

Midwest: Michigan, Saint Louis, Texas Tech, Alabama, Tennessee, Virginia, Santa Clara, Iowa State.

Second-round winners

East: Duke, St John’s, Michigan State, UConn.

South: Florida, Nebraska, North Carolina, Houston.

West: Arizona, Arkansas, BYU, Purdue.

Midwest: Michigan, Texas Tech, Virginia, Iowa State.

Regional finalists

East: Duke, Michigan State. South: Florida, Houston. West: Arizona, Purdue. Midwest: Michigan, Virginia. Final Four

Duke, Florida, Arizona, Michigan. All the top seeds get there, again.

Duke beats Florida. Michigan beats Arizona. They played a classic last month and Duke won it. The Blue Devils beat Michigan for the 1992 national title as well But this time, Go Blue over Blue Devils. Michigan wins it all.

RABALAIS

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Four mic in 2024 from Jim Nantz Four.We’ll hear Jim’s “Hello, friends” at The Masters, though.

J is for Southern’s JocelynTate She scored with 1.2 seconds left to beat Alabama State for the SWAC title, putting the Jaguars in back-to-back women’stourneys for the first time. Southern faces Samford at 6p.m. Thursday in aFirst Four game in Columbia, South Carolina.

K is for Kalshi.com,the prediction platform (gambling site)

that’soffering —get this— $1 billion if someone goes 63-0 for aperfect bracket. Your odds, per NCAA.com, are 1in 120 billion, but why nottakeashot?

becausethe transferportalis strip-mining the mid-majors’ talent.

away it could alsobetheir last: Queens is merging with fellow North Carolina school Elon.

who endured afrustrating season ayear ago and the coaches who had to have many moments wondering how to stay competitive in his new climate, getting ranked Monday is both a joy and encouragement. From abaseball stand-

LSU BASEBALL

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The hitter-friendly conditions at Charles Hawkins Field factored into the rocky weekend for the starters. Theturffield, wind blowing out to center field, unexpectedly warm weather and tight dimensions, especially in the corners —310 feetto left field and320 to right— made it tough on pitchers.

“The wind was howling out today,”catcher Cade Arrambide said Sunday.“Ithink of (when Vanderbilt) hit a fly ball to center field off Schmidt. At first, Iwas like, ‘Oh, that should be aroutine fly ball,’ and then it just kept carrying. But, it’sjust apart of (the game).”

Offensivesurge in context

Give credit where credit’sdue: LSU’soffense was much better this weekend.

The Tigers were patientat the plate and, besides Saturday,drove the ball into the air.Nine extra-base hits and 22 walks don’thappen on their own.

But if there was evera weekend forLSU’s batsto get going during SEC play, this was the week. Vanderbilt is known for its pitching, but the Commodores’ staff was dealing with injuries to fivearms, includingSaturday starterAustin Nye. And on top of all that, Vanderbilt was missing its veteran starting catcher, Colin Barczi. Nye and Barczi

SPRING

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ideal situationfor the upcoming season that Leavitt is limited, but perhaps it helps LSU plan for the future.

WhichWRwillemerge?

Other than quarterback, no position underwent more drastic change. Phillip Wright is the only returningwide receiver, and he recorded one catch as a freshman last season. LSU brought in 12 other receivers, nine of whom are transfers. Kansas State senior transfer Jayce Brown, Florida junior transfer Eugene Wilson and Ole Miss sophomore transfer Winston Watkins willlikely have significant roles because of their experienceand production in apower conference. But others, including Hawaii transfer Jackson Harris and Old Dominion transfer TreBrown, could put themselvesinthe mix.

Offensivelinebattles

It’ssafe to say two of the spots are locked up with junior left tackleJordan Seaton and senior center Braelin Moore. Seaton was the top offensive lineman in the transfer portal when he left Colorado,and Moore returned to LSU insteadof entering the NFL draft. One of theguardpositionswill probably be filled by Aliou

L is for the CalBaptistLancers Their 16th-seeded women face UCLAand their 13thseeded men play Kansas.Let us pray M is for thebest men’stournament names:Koa Peat,Arizona; Boogie Fland, Florida; Solo Ball, UConn; Thijs De Ridder,Virginia; and Boopie Miller, SMU

N is for NoCinderellas in last year’smen’stournament, as no 13-16 seedswon for the first time since 2017. That’s

point,timewill tell if this is comingatthe right time

“I don’tthink we’ve done anything yet, except play some pretty good baseball,” Deggssaid.“Youknow, there’snoranking,stats, RPI —none of that’s going to win aconfrontation for you. It mightget you an award or something at the end,but it’snot goinghelp you winaball game. You’ve gotgoplay.”

O is for odds that amen’s12 seedwill beat a5.It’shappened 57 times since1985, so watch out Vanderbilt against McNeese. The Cowboys upsetClemson as a12lastyear P is for Kansas’ Darryn Peterson,whose dedication has been widely questioned.He says he often suffersfrom body cramps. ESPN’sSeth Greenberg says he doesn’t like Peterson’sbodylanguage. Play on. Q is for all the Queens (University) men,who madethe tourney in their first year of Division Ieligibility. In

Onecould argue it might contribute to losses if not handled properly by the players and could increase themotivation level of the opposition. Intangibles aside, the other reason to consider the timingofitisthe Cajuns don’thave enough ducks in arow The hope is moreofthat will take place this week at Houston on Wednesday

ON DECK

WHO: Grambling(5-13) at LSU(14-7) WHEN: 6:30 p.m.Tuesday WHERE: Alex BoxStadium

ONLINE/TV: SECNetwork+

RADIO: WDGL-FM, 98.1 (Baton Rouge); WWL-AM, 870 (New Orleans); KLWB-FM,103.7(Lafayette)

RANKINGS: LSU and Gramblingare not ranked by D1Baseball

PROBABLESTARTERS: TBA

PREGAME UPDATES: theadvocate.com/lsu ON X(FORMERLYTWITTER): @KokiRiley

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: LSU has turnedtoavariety of arms to startmidweek games. Last week, the Tigers turned to freshman right-hander Reagan Ricken.The week before that, junior right-hander GavinGuidry and sophomore left-hander Cooper Williams started. Gramblingwon its opening series in SWAC play this past weekend, beating Alabama State twice.

had achance to appear in the series butdidn’t. Combine those absences with the same park conditions that were hurting LSU’spitchers, and it was going to be hard for the Commodores to keep LSU’s offense at bay,despite the Tigers’ strugglesheading into the series.

Thewalks

It was amaddening weekend for LSU fans for many reasons, but the walks were at the topofthe list.Withoutthe walks, especially on Friday,LSU likely wins the series.

The Tigers, including hit by pitches, issued29free passes. They walked21in the first two games alone, and 12 of the hitterswho either walked or got hitbya

Bah, atwo-year starter at Maryland.Thatleaves two more positions, and LSU can let the competition play out between Ole Miss transfer Devin Harper,Baylor transferSean Thompkins, sophomore Weston Davis and others. Arethe incumbents ready?

It was apriority forLSU to retain running back Harlem Berry and tight end Trey’Dez Green. Both of them stayed after encouraging2025 seasons, andnow bothneed to take the next step so they can be heavily featured in theoffense. For Berry,thatmeans getting a little morephysical and understandingblitz pickups. Green needs to make the easy catches and keep workingonhis blocking. It’s also an important springfor running backCaden Durham after he withdrew from the transfer portal

What aboutnew-lookDL?

LSUhad areconstruction projectonits handsupfront with significant departures andthe needtohire newinteriordefensive line coach Sterling Lucas. Similar to last season, severalcontributors have come fromthe transferportal, headlined by Ole Miss edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen.

While the transfersare going to take alot of snaps, the most intriguing thingto monitor will be thedevelop-

R is for the Miami(Ohio)RedHawks.They squeaked into themen’sfield after starting 31-0 beforelosing to UMass in theMAC quarterfinals. Miami plays aFirst Four game WednesdayinDayton, one hour from its campus, againstSMU.

S is for the scoringrecord LSU shoots for Friday: 100 points against Jacksonville would tie the NCAArecord for most 100-point games in aseason (15) set by Long Beach State 39 years ago. LSU is a491/2-point favorite.

and at Texas Stateonthe weekend.

Recognition is one thing, but if theCajuns are going to win theSun Belt race like they last did in 2022, two thingswill have to happen.

UL’s hittingand pitching will have to improve in road games.

In thesmall sample size, there’sreason to believe thefirst one will take place. In four road games this

mand, despiteitbeing his calling card. Nearly 40% of his pitches on Saturday were outofthe zone.Schmidt’s ball rate, on the other hand, did eclipse the40% mark.

Arrambide’sstrong weekend

After adip in production during LSU’sslide in nonconference play,Arrambide turned things around at the plate. The sophomorecatcher went 5for 13 with two doubles, awalkand three RBIs, looking morecomfortable than he dida year ago against SEC pitching.

T is for TBS,which will televise the Final Four.So, when youclickonCBS on April 6and see “FBI” instead of “NCAA,” that’swhy

U is forthe UConnHuskies.If the menand women both win (could happen), it would give the school an even 20 NCAA basketball titles (13 women, seven men).

V is for Luther Vandross and his version of “One Shining Moment”playedafter the NCAA men’sfinal. Never gets old.

W is forNCState coach Will Wade,who many Tigers fans fans hope will return to LSU. TheWolfpack plays Texas on Tuesday in Dayton.

season, UL has homered five times —compared to only six homers in 16 home games. With the exception of a fewhome games this year, “The Tigue” has been the opposite of apopcorn park.

The next step is the pitching staffshowing it can consistently hold teamsto fewerthan fiveruns in critical Sun Belt series the rest of the season.

end helped lengthen out an LSUlineup that needed it With fifth-year seniorSeth Dardar andseniorZach Yorke struggling, the Tigers have had to relyonSteven Milam and Jake Brown andDerekCurieltoo many times.

Placing pressure by putting runners on base is akey tenetofJohnson’soffensive philosophy.Astrong year at the plate forArrambide is a necessity if LSU wants to become that kind of team.

Goingforward

pitch ended up scoring. Perhaps themost frustrating aspect was that the arms that struggled typically don’thave this many issues with their command.

Evans had never walked morethan three batters in a game since arriving at LSU until Friday,nor had sophomore left-handerCooper Williams,who only walked 13 all of last season.

“Casan’sanelite strikethrower,he’sanelitestrikethrower,”Johnson said. “Cooper Williams is an elite strike-thrower anddid not throw strikes tonight.”

Sophomore left-hander Ethan Plog walkedtwo of thefive hitters he faced despiteheading into the weekendasatrusted arm in relief for Johnson. Moore also struggledwith his com-

ment of LSU’shighlyranked freshman defensive linemen. Sophomore defensive end Gabriel Reliford is also coming off season-ending shoulder surgery andexpected tohave abig role.

CanWhitWeeks regain form?

Starlinebacker Whit Weeksnever looked like himselflast season comingoff an ankleinjury that required surgery.Heonly played in eight games, and one of those was the brief appearance against Florida beforehewas ejected for targeting. He finished his junior year with 31 tackles, 31/2 tackles for loss andone sack. LSU needs himtobe at full strength again. Will he be after sittingout fiveof thelast seven games? Is secondaryready?

LSU hadtoreplacetwo of itsbest playersincornerback Mansoor Delane and safety AJ Haulcy, apair of one-year transfers whoimmediately improved the defense. At cornerback, LSU is counting on the development of former five-star DJ Pickett and juniorPJWoodland.Willanyonechallenge them? At safety,it’stime for formertop 100recruit Dashawn Spears to prove he can start. BoiseState senior transfer Ty Benefield will likely start somewhere, and Ohio State sophomore transfer Faheem Delane could be afactor

“The guysthatweface on (our)staff arejustlikethe best of the best,” Arrambide said. “And so when I’m seeing thatevery day in the fall, Iguess Ican getalittlebit morecomfortable seeing that (level of stuff).”

Arrambide’sstrong week-

Winning Sunday’sgame kept LSU in the hunt for 15-plus SEC wins, which would give the Tigers a good chance at hosting an NCAA regional at Alex Box Stadium. Road series in the conference are tough to win, butavoidinga sweep this weekend was paramount, especially given Vanderbilt’s

X is usually for Xavier,but neither of its teams are in. So we’ll go with players named Xavier: Xavier Booker of UCLA and Xavier Brown of UCF Y is for you’reoutofhere.We’re talking about Alabama’sNo. 2scorer Aden Holloway, who was arrestedMonday for possession of marijuana. Iwonderifthey can get Charles Bediako back on the roster? Z is for the GonzagaZags They’re really the Bulldogs, but hey,what do youwant? It’salong column. Enjoythe madness, everyone. Call me whenthe pizza arrives.

“Our players have gone out and played well enough to have atop 15 RPI,but like Isaid, we’re 20 games in,” Deggs said. “Rankings are nice, those are great. I’mhappy forour players because it validates alot of the work they’ve put in.

“And RPI,all of it to me just gives you the opportunity to do moreand build off of it and put yourself in agood position.”

early-season struggles. However,for as big as Sunday’s winpotentially was, we’restill early enough in theseason that LSU’s quality of play is astrongerindicator forits future success than the results of the games themselves. Yes, LSUwas an outawayfrom winning this weekend’s series, but, perhaps more importantly,the Tigers did not play like ateam thatdeserved to win an SEC series on the road. LSU still has plenty of talenttobecome that type of club, but it isn’tthere yet formany of the reasons listed above. It will, however have many opportunities to prove it can be the team fans envisioned before the season started, starting next weekend against Oklahoma, which just wontwicein three games against Texas A&M.

The doctor is in

LSUAgCenter team canhelpwith diagnosis when your plants getsick

When aplant isn’tdoing well in the garden, it can feel abit like dealing with asickpet or young child. They can’ttell you what is wrong —but that doesn’tstop you from wanting to help them get better

That’swhen plant doctor Raj Singh and his team at the LSU AgCenter Plant Diagnostic Center can come to the rescue.

GARDEN NEWS

“Plants get sick, too,like we get sick,” said Singh, who holds a doctorate in plant medicine.

“At the Plant Diagnostic Center,ifyou send us your sick plants, we can determine the cause of their sickness.”

Lots of things can make plants sick: fungi, bacteria, viruses,nematodes,insects, even stress caused by nutrient deficiencies or the weather

Differentiating between pathogens and environmental causes of plant health problems is crucial. They often produce similar symptoms but can require drastically different treatment plans.

LSU AGCENTERPHOTO By

OLIVIA McCLURE

LSU AgCenter plant doctorRaj Singh is in chargeofthe Plant Diagnostic Center

In their lab on the LSU campus in BatonRouge, Singhand his staff examine hundreds of plant samples mailed from across Louisiana every year

Anyone who works with plants —commercial growers, homeowners, landscapers,extension personnel —can submit samples.

“Wetriage the samples when theycome in, and based on the symptoms, we conduct diagnostic tests on the roots andon the foliage. It depends on the symptoms that the plants are exhibiting,”Singh said. “We can culture those pathogens and root out the possibilityofif there’s apathogeninvolved in it or not.”

Clients are informed of the diagnosis and given recommendations for managingthe condition.

If you’re interested in sending an ailing plant to Singh’s lab, it’simportant to collect and package the sample properly “Our diagnosticsdependon how good the sample is,” Singh said. If possible,send an entire plant, not just acutting. This allows Singh and his team to run multiple tests on the roots, leaves and other plant parts helping them accurately diagnose the problem.

Once you’ve dug up your plant, don’tsimply toss it in a bag or box and ship it to the lab. Loose soil can interfere with testing.

“There are so many microorganisms in the soil thatcan contaminate the rest of the

BY JOYHOLDEN Staff writer

The parishionersofBaton Rouge’s St. Patrick Catholic Churchhave waited along timefor achurch refresh.

This year,all of their efforts are coming to fruition.

Founded in 1974, St.Patrick Parish was established as morepeople moved into southeast Baton Rouge. TheRoman CatholicDiocese of Baton Rouge took territory from St. ThomasMore and St.George Parishes to create aspiritual homefor about 450 families.

By 1975, St. Patrick Church multiplied to over 850 families, and it wasdedicated by BishopJoseph Sullivan in Januaryof1978. Alarge bronzestatueofSt. Patrick,known as the patronsaint and“apostleof Ireland” who brought Christianity to the country in the 5th century, greets visitors as they approach the building. Usually,the church hostsanannual St.Patrick’sDay reception after SundayMass forSaint Patrick with acommunity meal. This year, however,the churchisonly serv-

to renovate St. Patrick’s. The building needed newflooring, a deep clean, wood refinishing and an overallupdate. After40years of wear andtear,the tattered pew fabric and worn carpet wasapparent, according to Sandra Colomb, the director of administration at St. Patrick Church. With the COVID-19 pandemic and construction material shortages, the project wasput on the back burner.In2024, Father Michael Miceli revived the project, and the parish beganmeeting in the Family Center forMass while renovations took place.

ing coffee and green donutsafter 11 a.m. Mass on March 15. Nextweekend, there are plans for afull dedication of therenovated church withareception at 10 a.m. March 21. In 2017, thechurch started plans

Ahardworking community Colomb, who hasworked at St. Patrick’sfor 16 years, says the members arewhatmakethe church special. Someofthe founding members are still active in the congregation, serving as examples of faithfulness and courage, two of St. Patrick’svalues. Melissa Harshbarger,the director of faith formation, echoes Colomb’swords.She grew up in

BY MADDIESCOTT Staff writer

Don’tlikethe plannedmeal? Pregamewithpizza

DearMissManners: My brother and sister-in-law invited my familyoffour for adinner of corned beef and cabbage to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.They also invited my mom and dad, along with my aunt, who was visiting them from out of town. My aunt does not like corned beef and cabbage, so my mom said that they would bring pizza for her Ihad talked to Mom about the pizza, so when my brother calledand invited us, Isaid Iwas excited to get together,and that my kids and Iwould have pizza, too. (My husband likes corned beef and cabbage.)

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

derstandwhy; shewas upset that some of usdidn’twant the corned beef. She is Irish and it was atradition she wanted to share with everyone. In retrospect, Ibelieve we were rude to say we were bringing pizza. We just wanted to enjoy the get-together while bringingsomething thecorned beef-haterswould eat withoutmaking more work for mysister-in-law

Shouldwehavejust declined theinvitation, or wasthere abetter way to handlethis?

Afew hours later,mysisterin-law canceled the dinner.Iun-

By The Associated Press

Today is Tuesday March 17, the 76th day of 2026. There are 289 days left in the year.This is St. Patrick’sDay

Todayinhistory:

On March 17, 1992, White South Africans voted 68.7% to 31.3%toend over 40 yearsofapartheidinanational referendum. (Voters of all races were allowed to vote two years later in thegeneral election that resulted inNelson Mandela becomingpresident.)

Alsoonthisdate:

In 1762, New York held its first St. Patrick’sDay parade. In 1776, the Revolutionary WarSiege of Boston ended as British forces evacuated the city

BUFFETS

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Seafood House serves dim sum, sushi, seafood, fried foods, vegetables, fruits and more. Dishes include snow fish, clams, fried oysters, Korean barbecue rib-eye and roasted duck. There are also vegetarian options.

Weekday lunch, 11 a.m. to 3p.m., is $14.99 (children ages 3-6, $6.99; 7-10, $8.99)

Dinner,4:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, is $17.99 (children ages 3-6, $8.99; children ages 7-10, $10.99). Friday night and weekend, 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., is $22.99 (children ages 3-6,$11.99; children ages7-10, $13.99) Buffet of Louisiana

n 9626 Airline Highway.Hours are11a.m. to 9:30 p.m.Sundays through Thursdays and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridaysand Saturdays

This 13,000-square-foot buffetjust opened in January and has aMongolian grill,sushi bar,ramenbar and more buffet islands containing foods like fried rice, General Tso’schicken and egg rolls. Weekdaylunch is $13.99 (children ages 3-10, $8.99), weekday dinneris$17.99 (children ages 3-10, $9.99) and weekends are $19.99 (children ages 3-10, $10.99). Children 2and under eat free.

El Magey Mexican Buffet

n 8290 Siegen Lane. Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 9p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays,10:30 a.m. to 4p.m.onSundays

Baton Rouge is home to some great Mexican restaurants,but this buffetmay be the only all-you-can-eat Mexican spot in the city

This buffet serves up dishes like tamales, enchiladas, fajitas, quesadillas, chimichangas, taquitos, tacos,

DOCTOR

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plant, so it’sreally hard for us to find the actual cause of the problem,” Singh said Instead, securely wrap theplant’sroots in aplastic bag, then put the whole thing in another plastic bag Before mailing your sample, be sure to fill out a

TODAYINHISTORY

In 1959, the nuclearpowered USS Skate became the first submarinetobreak through theice and to surface at theNorth Pole. In 1969, Golda Meir took office as prime minister in Israel, beginninga term that would last through five crucial years in thenation’s history In 2003, edging to the brink of war,U.S. President George W. Bush gave Iraqi President Saddam Hussein 48 hours to leavehis country.Iraq rejected Bush’s ultimatum,saying aU.S.attack to force Saddamfrom power wouldbe“a grave mistake.”

In 2016, SeaWorld Entertainment said it would stop breedingkiller whales and makingthem perform

So yes, it was rude to demonstrateyour distasteatthe cost of the hostess’ feelings —and a poor example for your children. That polite hosts now ask if their guestshave food restrictions does not mean that guestscan dictate their mere preferences.

These relatives presumably don’thate the sister-in-law,whose heart was set on abeloved ritual.

Gentlereader: How long has Miss Mannersbeen saying that entertainingisnot about thefood, but thepeople? In other words, exactly theargument you tried to make. Only this one was about the food. As everybody knew There seems to be no question here of allergies, vegetarianism or other restrictions, just that several people “hate” thetraditional dish of which your sister-inlaw is so proud. Really,hate? Or just don’tparticularly like it, and prefer pizza?

So here is akinder suggestion than either declining or declaring her offering inedible: Haters could stuff themselves with pizza in the late afternoon, so they wouldn’tbehungry if they ate only apolitely minimal portion of corned beef and cabbage. Those who do appreciate the meal can help them with loud praise that calls attention away from their suffering.

DearMissManners: I’mnot entirely sure if this falls under the domain of etiquette, but Idecided it was best to check.

When determining the anniversary of adating couple, is it moreappropriate to count from thefirst date or from when they decided to be an official couple? Or is it amatter of personal preference?

Gentlereader: NorisMiss Manners sure whythis should fall under the domain of etiquette. Surely couples can celebrate any or all milestones in their courtship that they care to. It is only if it would affect other people that it might be aconcern. Therefore, if acouple is marking the anniversary of their first kiss, forexample, others might prefer to be spared hearing about it.

Sendquestions to Miss Manners at herwebsite, www missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mailtoMiss Manners, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City,MO 64106.

Trythese tips fornew appliances

crowd-pleasing tricks, bowing to years of public pressure.

Today’sbirthdays: Civil rights activist Myrlie EversWilliams is 93. Singersongwriter John Sebastian (TheLovin’ Spoonful) is 82. Author William Gibson is 78. Actor Patrick Duffy is 77. Actor Kurt Russell is 75. Actor Gary Sinise is 71. NBA executive Danny Ainge is 67. Actor Rob Lowe is 62. Rock musician Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins) is 59. Olympic soccer gold medalistMia Hammis54. Singer-TV personalityTamar Braxton is 49. Singer-songwriter Hozier is 36. Actor John Boyega is 34. Olympic swimminggold medalist Katie Ledecky is 29.

soups andflan

Weekday lunch is$16.95, dinneronTuesdays through Thursdays is $18.95 and Friday dinner and weekends are$20.95. On Wednesday nights, children eat free.

Ombu Buffet

n 3202 S. Sherwood Forest Blvd.Hours are11a.m. to 3p.m. and 4:30p.m. to 9:30 p.m.Mondays through Fridaysand 11 a.m.to 9:30 p.m.Saturdaysand Sundays

Serving sushi and Cajunstyleseafood,this restaurant just reopened its buffet in February and features fare like pho, ramen,steak, sushi,sashimi and fruit Seafooddishesinclude snow crab legs, oysters, crawfish and mussels. Lunch is $13.99, and dinneris$25.99.

Kiro Seafood Buffet n 7677 Andrea Drive. Hours are11a.m. to 10 p.m.Sundays throughThursdaysand 11 a.m.to11p.m. Fridaysand Saturdays

This spot just opened in January next to Honey Baked Ham Company in Siegen Marketplace. Thebuffet menu features snow crab legs,sushi, sashimi, stir-fry dishes, lo mein, build-yourown hibachiand desserts

Weekday lunch, 11 a.m. to

submission form. “It’svery importantthat we know thehistory of cultural practices, including use of fertilizers or chemicals sprayed on plants,and any other events that led to the first appearance of symptoms on your plants,” Singh said.“Also,weneed to know whatwas happening duringthat timeperiod to figure out if it is actually aplant pathogen or just an

4p.m., is $14.99 (children ages 3-6, $7.99; childrenages 7-12, $9.99).

Dinner,4 p.m. to 10 p.m

Mondays throughThursdays, is $19.99 (children ages 3-6, $9.99; childrenages 7-12, $12.99).

Friday night meals, 4p.m. to 10 p.m.and all-day on weekends, are $21.99 (childrenages3-6,$10.99; children ages 7-12, $13.99)

Oriental Pearl

n 4520 S. Sherwood Forest Blvd. Hours are11a.m.to 9p.m.Mondays through Sundays.

Located at the Lake Sherwood Mall Shopping Center, this buffetserves sushi, appetizers, lo mein, friedrice, vegetables and more.

Theflatfee for this buffet is $15.99 for adults.The price for children varies.

Hunan &Ginza

Restaurant

n 4215 S. Sherwood Forest Blvd. Hours are11a.m.to 8:30 p.m. daily

This restaurant and buffet serves Chinese and Japanese cuisine withdishes like chicken wings, sushi, egg rolls, fried shrimp, fried rice, lo mein and apple pie.

Adultseat for $12.99, and the pricefor childrendepends on height

environmental factor that is causing those symptoms.” Routinediagnostic service costs$20. If needed, moretests can be conducted for an additional charge. For moreinformation, including asubmission form and detailed instructions for packing samples, visit www LSUAgCenter.com/PlantDiagnosticCenter.You also can call the PlantDiagnostic Center at (225) 578-4562.

DearHeloise: Isympathize with Sarah; thenew appliances are not what we are used to. I’m still missing my old Maytag Neptune washer! The new energy-efficient ones are OK, but Ifound that for deeper water,after finally reading the manual, Ihave to use the “deep fill” settingbyholding it for 3seconds. Then I get adeep wash and rinse water.Iwould never get an electric dryer just for this reason. The last move, Ihad it changed to gas and got agas range. For thedishwasher,I run it at night,open it,pull theracks out abit, and let it air-dry overnight. For thetoilet, check the water pressure as having to flush it twice shouldn’tbenecessary.Ilive in scarce-water country and never have a problem Heloise, you’re thebest reading in the daily paper! —Janice,inTucson,Arizona More on calciumbuildup

aflat surface, preferably waist-high. Pour acan of cola soda over the door and let it sit forawhile. Depending on the severity, you might be able to just hose it off or scour it off slightly There’snoneed forgloves. The phosphoric acid and carbonated water do all the work. —Teresa,viaemail

Exhaustfan to therescue

DearHeloise: Ihave seen several letters in your column regarding how to cut up onions without causing one’seyes to get full of tears. Ihave an exhaust fanover the burners on my electric stove, so Ijust turn this on before cutting up onions on the cold surface of the stove. No more irritated eyes from onions!

—Peggy,inOmaha,Nebraska

Twocosmetichints

DearHeloise: In response to John, in Murrieta, California, concerning calcium deposit buildup on ashower door: I’ve got an easy solution if thedoor can be easily removed. Take thedoor off and take it outside, then lay it on

CHURCH

Continuedfrom page5C

St. Patrick Church, was baptized there and took herfirst communion there She has worked full time in her position of children and teen ministry for nearly 10 years.

“My grandparents were founding parishioners, so I got to grow up in this parish,”Harshbarger said. “I alwayswantedtobea church lady.Iloved these ladies so much.Mygrandmother’sfriends werethe ladies Ilooked up to, and nowI’m in aBible study with some of them.”

Several St.Patrick Church parishioners are involved in the community, from Knights of Columbus to theKnitting Ladies to the prison ministry to the St. Vincent de Paulconference to thehomebound ministry

“I gettosee so many people who just serve this community,whether it’s right here in ourchurchor far out,” Harshbarger said.

Although St. Patrick’s does nothaveaschool,the church does offer aparttime preschool program Asacredrenovation

St. Patrick Church has a distinctlook,sothe building committee wanted to maintainthe integrity and feel of thechurchthroughout the renovation. With acontemporary design including concrete columns, exposed brickwalls, timber-framed trussesand wood ceilings, thefocus is the altar Colombbursts with excitement when she walks through thenew church. She pointsout thechanges that have been made: n The wood beamsand ceilinghavebeen cleaned and re-stained.

DearHeloise: I’ve found that applying powdered eye shadow under my brows makes the individual hairs so much easier to see for plucking with tweezers. Also, Inolonger have to use bar soap or my hubby’s shaving cream to shave my legs. Adab of hair conditioner lets the razor glide easily over my legs and leaves my legs feeling so smooth and silky.Giv-

n There are now cream, softgreen, whiteand bronze tones throughout.

n Durable, white ceramic tiles now replace worn carpet.

n Ornamental gold details in the main aisle connect the baptistry to the altar.The details are also featured on theends of the pewsinaCeltic knot with a cross in the middle.

n Apendant lighting system was installed with dimmable LED fixtures.

n Additional glass was addedtothe quiet room to improve sound control.

n Anew limestonebaptismalfontwith iridescent glass tile wasinstalled.

n There’snow alarger and permanent sanctuary

n The new crucifix is a replicaofacrucifix originally designedbythe Italian painter Giovanni Cimabue around 1265.

n New paintings wereinstalled for the Stations of the Cross, along with green upholstery forthe pew seats.

n Awall now separates theAdoration Chapelfrom the mainchurch.

BrianFalcon,a GFP Architecture and Design architect, is the project manager forSt. Patrick Church.

ing the razor aquick rinse under the faucet when I’m finished leaves the razor clean of residue and ready forthe next shave. Additionally,myblades last formuch longer because there’sless friction when it’sbeing used. —LaVonneS., inJoliet,Montana

Adryer sheetno-no

DearHeloise: Iread the hint from Paula on cleaning the dryer lint catcher by using the dryer sheet. How many times do people have to be told that this isn’tagood idea?

Even used dryer sheets contain chemicals that will clog the meshlint catcher, which can possibly lead the dryer to overheat and maybe even cause a fire. It’s best to use one’s fingers or possibly an old toothbrush —anything that won’t leave behind a clogging agent. —RichardC., viaemail

Gardeningreminder

DearReaders: Just areminder that spring is creeping up on us! If you are getting ready to start your garden, remember that mulching in the spring will help retain water around plants that get alot of sun. —Heloise Send ahinttoheloise@ heloise.com.

He hasbeen involvedfor almost 10 yearsonthe renovation project.

“I love seeing our worship space brought up to a beautiful level that reflects the glory of God. There wasatimeperiod in our architectural history where churches were sort of nondescript and anticlimactic, and people wereyearning for something to focus on,” Falcon said.

He added that the architecture of St. Patrick Church wasalready solid becauseofits contemporary design, but it wasimportant forhim to maintain the unique features of the space.

“Wewanted to keep what was best aboutitbecause this group of people has been working incredibly hard to make sure thatthis happens theway they believe,” Falcon said. The dedicationand first Mass is scheduled for 10 a.m. March21. Harshbarger hasorganizedthe day

Founding parishioners will be involvedaswell as Bishop Michael Duca, who will dedicate andbless the church. Former pastors andassociatepastorswill anoint the walls. Following the dedication, areception will continuethe celebration.

Father Miceli has written his thoughts forthe day:

”As we have completed renovating andrenewing this physical building, it is my hope and prayer that there will be agreater renewal andrevivalinthe real heart of the Church, and that of course is each and every one of us. May this renovation inspire in us arenewal of spirit and faith.”

Email Joy Holdenatjoy holden@theadvocate.com.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Don't hesitate; if there is something you want, make your move. Don't promise more than you can deliver or let excessive behavior damage your reputation.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Stay focused on what you must do to maintain your lifestyle The more information you have, the easier it will be to make wise choices and sidestep trouble. Use your brain instead of your brawn.

tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Do your part and make a difference. How you reach out to people will determine how much help you receive in return. Avoid excessive behavior.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Proceed with caution. Letting your emotions take the lead will cost you if you go overboard. You have far more to gain by letting your actions speak for you.

cAncER (June 21-July 22) Temptation will get the better of you if you aren't careful. Consider the consequences before you exaggerate, indulge or overspend. The right choice will encourage financial and personal growth.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Secrecy is a must when dealing with financial matters. Protect yourself, your rights and your health and economic well-being from anyone who doesn't fully support you.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) When opportunity knocks, open the door. If you hesitate, you will get left behind. A change

is within reach; all you must do is recognize the signals and respond to it.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct 23) Engage in events that interest you. The information you gather will help build a foundation for something that excites you. Follow your instincts and make things happen.

scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Homeimprovements will make life easier if you stick to your budget. Speak from the heart and clear up any issues that may stand between you and someone you love and respect.

sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Avoid sharing personal information or secrets that someone can use against you. Listen to what others say, but don't believe everything you hear. Protect your assets.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Shy away from conversations that are too personal. Sharing information that makes you feel uncomfortable will lead to trouble. Focus more on advancing professionally and boosting your bank account.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Protect your reputation. Don't mix business with pleasure. Indulgent behavior and temptation are prevalent and can easily test your willpower if you lack discipline.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2026 by NEA, Inc., dist.

By Andrews McMeel Syndication

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. Theobject is to place the numbers 1to9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of theSudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

By PHILLIP ALDER Bridge

Stonewall Jackson,the Confederate general who died of pneumoniaatonly 39, said, “Alwaysmystify, mislead and surprise the enemyifpossible.” That certainly applies to bridge players, especially when the declarer.(It is usually dangerous for adefender to misleadhis partner.)

In this deal, South is in four hearts. Which cardshould declarer play at trick one after West leads the spade ace and East drops the four?

SouthknowsthatEasthasjustplayeda singleton (unless West made an unusual overcall in afour-cardsuit). But West does not know that.

Suppose South plays his spade seven. Then West will know it is safetocash his spade king, because Eastwould not have dropped the four from 10-4-2. And the same applies if South follows suit with his 10.

Instead, Southmust play his two. Then West will wonder if East started with 10-7-4.

Yes, West might still get it right, thinking that Eastwould have raisedtotwo spades with three trumps and forgetting that the auction suggests East has avery weak hand.

ButWest will be nervous about leadingthespadekingattricktwo,lestSouth ruffitand later get acritical discard on dummy’s spade queen.

If West continues spades, the defenders take twospades,one spade ruff and the club king to defeat the contract. If West doesanything else,the contract makes.Ifdeclareristryingtodisruptthe opponents’ signals, he shouldcopy their methods.Heshouldplaylowtotrytodiscourage acontinuation, or vice versa.

©2026 by NEA,Inc., dist.

By Andrews McMeel Syndication

Each Wuzzle is awordriddlewhich creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON

Previous answers:

word game

InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of fourormore letters. 2. Words that acquire fourletters by the addition of “s,”such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3

Additional words made by adding a“d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit wordsare not allowed toDAy’s WoRD LAnGuoR: LANG-ur: Weakness or weariness of body or mind.

Average mark10words

Timelimit 25 minutes

Can you find 20 or morewords in LANGUOR?

yEstERDAy’s WoRD —AVARIcE

beloved, Ibeseech you as strangers and pilgrims,

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Drop in oil prices helps stocks climb higher

NEWYORK A drop in oil prices on Monday helped send the U.S. stock market to its best day since the war in Iran began.

The S&P 500 climbed 1% for its biggest gain in five weeks

The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 387 points, or 0.8%, and the Nasdaq composite jumped 1.2%

The driver for markets once again was the price of oil A barrel of benchmark U.S. crude fell 5.3% to settle at $93.50, easing some pressure off the economy after topping $102 earlier in the morning. Brent crude, the international standard, fell 2.8% to $100.21 per barrel after earlier getting as high as $106.50

It’s a reprieve, for now at least, after oil prices spiked from roughly $70 before the United States and Israel began their attacks on Iran. In response, Iran has nearly halted traffic through the narrow Strait of Hormuz, where a fifth of the world’s oil typically sails from the Persian Gulf to customers worldwide. That has oil producers cutting production because their crude has nowhere to go.

Meta to spend up to $27B on Nebius AI

Meta Platforms Inc. will pay as much as $27 billion over the next five years for access to artificial intelligence infrastructure from cloud provider Nebius Group NV as it spends aggressively to compete with the industry’s top frontier models.

Nebius, a so-called neocloud that operates data centers and has a strategic partnership with Nvidia Corp., will provide Meta $12 billion of dedicated capacity starting in early 2027, the Dutch company said in a statement Monday Meta also committed to buying as much as $15 billion in additional capacity that the cloud provider is building for third-party customers.

The outlay represents one of the biggest single contracts that Meta has signed, underscoring the Instagram and Facebook owner’s push for more computing capacity to power the development of AI products. Last year, it signed a separate $3 billion deal with Nebius.

Meta and some of its largest tech peers are expected to spend some $650 billion in 2026 to build data centers and purchase other infrastructure in anticipation of an AI services explosion in the coming years Meta has made AI the company’s top priority, and is investing heavily to compete with rivals like OpenAI and Google. It has also inked multi-billion dollar partnership agreements with Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. for AI infrastructure since the start of the year Meta is developing its own chips in-house.

3,800 workers strike at meatpacking plant

GREELEY Colo. — About 3,800 workers for the world’s largest meatpacking company began striking Monday in Colorado, and if they don’t get a new contract soon, already costly beef could become even more expensive for U.S. consumers. As the sun rose, hundreds of strikers picketed outside the Swift Beef Co. plant in Greeley owned by JBS USA and one of the largest slaughterhouses in the nation. Walking back and forth in the morning cold, bundled in blankets, some yelled “huelga!” Spanish for “strike.” Others carried signs saying “please don’t patronize JBS.”

The first walkout at a U.S. beef slaughterhouse in four decades follows accusations from union officials that the company retaliated against workers and committed other unfair labor practices. The union also said the company offered less than 2% more a year in wages, which is less than inflation in Colorado.

The union says its workers perform some of the most difficult and dangerous jobs in the country and deserve higher wages and better health care.

BY RIO YAMAT and MARGERY A. BECK Associated Press

Thousands of flights across the U.S were canceled or delayed Monday as powerful storms swept across the eastern half of the country and a partial government shutdown affecting airport security screeners dragged into a second month

The disruptions come at an already challenging time for air travel, in part because the shutdown that began Feb. 14 has strained staffing at some security checkpoints At the same time,

airports are crowded with spring break travelers and fans heading to March Madness games, the annual NCAA men’s and women’s college basketball tournaments. Flight delays and cancellations piled up Monday at some of the nation’s largest airports, including those in New York, Chicago and Atlanta. The storm system that dropped snow by the foot in the Midwest was barreling toward the East Coast with dangerously high winds and the potential for “producing strong and long track tornadoes,” the National Weather Service warned Monday

More than 3,900 flights scheduled to fly into, out of or within the U.S. on Monday have been called off, according to flight-tracking site FlightAware. Roughly 8,200 other U.S. flights were delayed.

Kelly Price, who was trying to get home to Colorado after a fam-

BY ALEXA ST JOHN AND KIKI SIDERIS

Associated Press

DETROIT When gas prices spike, filling up gets more painful But consumers can do something to stretch their fuel just a little farther: Change the way they drive.

“It’s a hard one to swallow right? You gotta put gas in to go about your day and get to work and pick the kids up from school,” said Michael Crossen, Consumer Reports’ manager of auto testing.

Here are seven tips from experts for drivers looking to use less gas: Drive slower, or use cruise control

Vehicles are designed for maximum efficiency around highway speeds, said Sean Tucker, managing editor for compact and full-size vehicles at Kelley Blue Book.

“Stick to 65 mph on the highway,” Tucker said. “Today’s cars are geared to be most efficient at that speed, and you lose quite a bit of fuel efficiency the faster you go.”

Some estimates suggest slowing down increases gas mileage as much as 14%.

“If you have a hard time doing that, cruise control is your friend,” Tucker said. This maintains a set vehicle speed, which cuts the need to press on the gas pedal and avoids fluctuations like jerky acceleration or hard braking.

Experts also recommend coasting to stoplights, whether there is a red light ahead or a green light that is likely to change soon.

Limit idling

Use a vehicle’s automatic start-stop ignition experts say This shuts off the engine at stoplights or when idling, and restarts it once the accelerator is pressed.

“If you’re stuck in traffic and you see it bumper to bumper for a while and you have start-stop, don’t turn that off,” said David Bennett, AAA senior automotive manager “Allow the engine to turn on and off as it’s needed.”

That’s especially true for when drivers don’t need to blast air conditioning while waiting for long periods of time.

Reduce car’s drag, drop extra weight

Many drivers have roof racks on top of their vehicles or bike racks on the back. It takes extra fuel to push that structure through the air experts have found it can cost several miles per gallon.

“If you’re not actually using those devices, it’s like dragging a parachute behind your car,” Crossen said. “Any other type of accessories that basically cause drag, you want to lose those.”

If you’re carrying heavy items in your

BY MICHELLE CHAPMAN Associated Press

A proposed megadeal in the self-storage business would create a $57 billion company overseeing square footage, if it were combined in a single location of a small city such as Cupertino, California, or Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Public Storage said Monday that it will buy National Storage Affiliates in an all-stock deal worth about $10.5 billion, creating a company with 327 million square feet of storage at nearly 4,600 locations in the U.S Public Storage said it wants to

ily vacation in Orlando, Florida, said her Sunday night flight wasn’t canceled until early Monday

“By that time the only place for us to sleep was the airport floor So we’re all tired and frustrated,” she said.

The nationwide cancellations included more than 500 in and out of Chicago O’Hare International, 350 at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International and over 260 at John F. Kennedy International Airport, according to FlightAware.

Earlier Monday, citing severe weather, the Federal Aviation Administration ordered ground stops at Hartsfield-Jackson and Charlotte Douglas International Airport, along with ground delays at JFK and Newark Liberty International Airport.

The storms are also unfolding just as airport security screeners missed their first full paycheck

over the weekend. The current partial government shutdown affects only the Department of Homeland Security, which includes the Transportation Security Administration.

Democrats in Congress have said Homeland Security won’t get funded until new restrictions are placed on federal immigration operations following the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis earlier this year It is the third shutdown in less than a year to leave TSA workers temporarily without pay Once the government reopens, employees will have to wait for back pay Some airports have reported longer security lines because of staffing shortages as more

back seat, trunk or truck bed, and you don’t need them, leave them at home.

Check tire pressure and more

Experts say it’s important that tires are properly inflated, based on what the vehicle’s manual recommends.

Checking tire pressure every other fill-up is one suggestion.

“Lower-inflated tires will increase the resistance on the road, so properly inflated, the vehicle is going to drive a little bit smoother and be able to accelerate properly,” Bennett said. Expect an impact on gas mileage by as much as 10%, estimates say Auto shops might also be able to make some simple changes to improve a vehicle’s fuel economy

“If you’re finding that you are not getting close to what you’re supposed to, then you need to go to the mechanic,” Tucker said. For example, they might replace the air filter or oxygen sensors that tell the engine how rich to make the fuel mixture.

Consider carpooling and combining trips

Figure out a carpool if you can, and you’re effectively splitting costs with the other participants.

And be more thoughtful in planning and organizing your driving to make fewer trips overall.

“Don’t make unnecessary stops. Don’t drive all the way across town just to save a dollar on eggs,” Crossen said. “Plan your

trips. Don’t drive if you don’t have to.”

What fuel are you buying,

Some cars require more expensive premium gas, and that’s what they should get, experts say But sometimes drivers are filling up with premium when their vehicle doesn’t need it — and will do just fine on cheaper regular gas, they say

Regardless of your octane choice, you can be mindful of the quality of your gas. Consider whether a local station carries what’s called “Top Tier gas” — gas developed with additives aimed at clearing carbon deposits from your engine During periods of high prices or shortages, it isn’t a requirement, but it’s good for vehicles long-term.

Apps such as GasBuddy are great resources to compare local gas prices or prices along a driver’s route back home.

Experts say to also start thinking about getting gas when you’re around half a tank. That gives you some flexibility to watch for lower prices.

Consider a hybrid

The average age of a vehicle on the road these days is about 12 years, and newer vehicles are more fuel-efficient than older ones. Not everyone can afford a new vehicle, but when it’s time, shoppers can consider a hybrid if they’re not ready to go fully electric. And if you’re ready to get off gas entirely, EVs — including plenty of used models — are out there.

expand its presence in areas like the Sun Belt and other regions that are likely to grow in population. The deal, if approved, would combine the largest and the fourth-largest U.S. self-storage companies by market capitalization. Extra Space Storage and CubeSmart are the next two largest companies. Public Storage, which has been based in Glendale, California, said this year that it is relocating to Frisco, Texas, near Dallas. National Storage is based in Greenwood Village, Colorado, a suburb of Denver Investors that hold National Storage common stock and operating partnership units will receive 0.14 of a share of Public Storage common stock or partnership units for each National Storage share or unit that they own. This represents $41.68 per share. Shares of National Storage jumped nearly 30% at the opening bell, while Public Storage’s stock fell less than a percent. Before the transaction closes, Public Storage and limited partners in National Storage’s operating partnership will form a joint venture that includes 313 properties on National Storage’s operating platform comprising 19.6 million rentable square feet across 28 states and Puerto Rico with an

estimated value of approximately $3.3 billion. Operating partnership unitholders are