The Acadiana Advocate 04-05-2026

stands Wednesdayinfront of part

WONDER WORKS of

Priest’s artcollectionreflects spiritualnature, family andtraditions

BY JOANNA BROWN Staffwriter

Religious artoften brings to mind quiet, reflective places, meant to draw both the eye and heart to spiritual matters.

Gazing on art inchurches and chapels can be an almost remote experience, meant to evoke an imageofthe divinethatwecan’t actually see. The moment is profound, but it stands outside the bustle of everyday life.

That’snot the case in Monsignor Keith DeRouen’sLafayette home, which is filled with religious art and icons he’scollected over decades, creating an inviting, homey atmosphere where he lovestoen-

tertain and where he planstoeventually retire.

DeRouen is the pastor at Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic Church in Opelousas,wherehe livesthe majority of the time, and was formerly the rector at the CathedralofSt. John the Evangelist in Lafayette. He also serves as the chaplain at the Academy of theSacred Heart in Grand Coteau,and asaNew Iberia native (DeRouen was born on Avery Island), thepriest hasspentover 40 years ministering in Acadiana. Walking through his homeand seeingthe art he’sgathered feels like an extension of thatlife’swork.

ä See ART, page 4A

At least18 injuredat LaoNew Year fest

Police:Drivercrashed into Iberia Parish crowd

BY STEPHENMARCANTEL Staff writer

Adriverwas arrestedSaturdayafternoon afterhedrunkenly drove into paradegoers at the Louisiana Lao NewYear Festival, injuring more thana dozenattendees of the internationally recognized festival, according to Louisiana StatePolice. Todd Landry,57, of Jeanerette, was booked on counts of driving while impaired andfirst-degree negligentinjuring, carelessoperation and open container,officials said.

Deputiesresponded to the corner of Savannakhetand Melancon roads in connection with avehicle that struck multiple people attending the festivalnear Broussard, the Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Officesaid.

During the investigation, Landry showed signs of impairment and submitteda breathsample indicating ablood alcohol levelof0.137%,according to state troopers. In Louisiana,anyone with ablood-alcohollimitoforover0.08% is considered intoxicated.

Studyexaminesworsening salt intrusion

Crevassesslowcurrent in main riverchannel,itreveals

BY MIKE SMITH Staff writer

Newmodeling is deepening understanding of why saltwater intrusionupthe Mississippi River has worsened in recent years, pointing to apreviously underestimated factor as the primary causeand raising questions over how drinking water can be protected in the future. The study of river dynamicsbyTulane

University researchers showsthatcrevasses, or breaksinthe lower Mississippi’s banks, are the main factor in therecent worseningofsaltwater intrusion, which can threaten drinking water for vast areas of southeast Louisiana, including New Orleans.

Sealevelrise and the deepening of the river for shipping purposes have alsocontributed, but thecrevasses located in Plaquemines Parish south of where the mainlevee system ends are by farthe primary cause because of the way they slowthe current in themain channel,the study shows.

The findings are in line withpreliminary assessments from the U.S. ArmyCorps

of Engineers, whichisengaged in its own three-year studyofthe phenomenon, but dealing withthe problem poses aseries of difficult questionsrelated to coastalland loss, shipping and infrastructure. The deepening of thelower river through large-scaledredging to accommodatebigger vesselshas long been acknowledged as afactor in exacerbating saltwater intrusion, and thathas spurredassumptions thatthose projects have been themain cause of therecent worsening.The new modeling disputes that.

ä See SALT, page 4A

At least 18 people suffered injuries in the crash, according to State Police.

“Weare profoundly saddenedbythe news of the incident near the festival grounds. We areawaiting additional

ä See FEST, page 5A

BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer

How does U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow square endorsing diversity,equity and inclusion policies as acollege presidential applicant in 2020 andher subsequent anti-DEI voting record in Congress?

That’sthe question that confronted Letlow Friday in the face of continuing attacks from the manshe is trying to unseat, U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy,for her calls to expand DEI to hire more womenand racial minorities on the faculty whenshe was applying in 2020 to be the next president of the University of Louisiana-Monroe. In news releases and avideo on Thursday and Friday,Cassidy pointed to her comments to challenge herconservative credentials. “Julia is aliberal,” he concluded.

Crews worktocontain

California wildfire RIVERSIDE, Calif. Crews made progress Saturday battling a smoky wildfire in southern California that broke out aday earlier and prompted mandatory evacuations.

Encompassing roughly 6.3 square miles in Riverside County, about 64 miles east of LosAngeles, the SpringsFire was at least 45%contained on Saturday,a fire department spokespersonsaid. It was25% contained on Friday.

While gusts up to 45 mph were predicted Saturday,Terra Fernandez, public safety information specialist for the Riverside County Fire Department,said winds had “dissipated abit”since Friday,helping the efforts of fire crews.

“We’re feeling confident. The winds have died down so it’sassisting us in making more progress,” she said. Fernandez also credited efforts to build and strengthen containmentlines around the fire perimeter

“Wehave natural equestrian trails around wherealot of the structures are and so that helps our firefighters make access.”she said. “And the humidity increasing this evening will also help.”

So far,nostructures have been damaged or destroyed, Fernandez said.

Crews began early Saturday dropping water and retardant all around the fire by air.About 260 personnel are battling theblaze, including crews from around theregion who are building and strengthening the containment lines and laying hose, she said.

Less than adozen zones in the county remained undermandatory evacuation orders, while evacuation warnings in other parts of the county were lifted. It was not immediately knownhow many households were affected by the orders.

The fire is located in apopulated unincorporated part of Riverside County that’s arecreational area near the city of Moreno Valley,which hasapopulation of roughly 200,000.

3tostay in custodyover Jewish ambulancearson

LONDON Twoyoung men and aboy were ordered Saturday to remain in custodyafter appearing in court on arson charges in the torching of four ambulances owned by aJewish charityin London.

The March 23 blaze in Golders Green, anorth London neighborhood with alarge Jewish population, destroyed four ambulances belonging to the volunteer organization Hatzola Northwest, which provides emergency care in the area. Oxygen cylinders in thevehiclesexploded, breaking windows in an adjacent apartment block.

British men Hamza Iqbal, 20,and Rehan Khan, 19, and a 17-year-old of dual British-Pakistani nationality,all from east London, were charged Friday with arson and beingrecklessas to whether life would be endangered. The younger man cannot be named for legal reasons because he is under 18 and will be held in ayouth detention center

The suspects did notenter pleas at the 45-minute hearing at Westminster MagistratesCourt on Saturday.The court also heard that afourth suspect was arrested in connection with the fire. Counterterror police are investigating the fire as an antisemitic hate crime. They were looking into aclaim of responsibility by a group with potential links to Iran, but have not declared it anact of terrorism.

Officials: 5killed in fire at Bangladesh factory DHAKA, Bangladesh Afire broke out at afactory manufacturing gaslightersnear Bangladesh‘s capital on Saturday afternoon, leaving at leastfive people dead, authorities said.

The blaze broke outinthe Kadamtali area of Keraniganj near Dhaka, according to the fire service and civil defense. Seven firefighting units were deployed to extinguish the blaze, which startedinthe afternoon, the fire department said. It took several hours to bring it under control.

Firefighters recovered five bodies by the evening and they couldn’timmediately be identified.

Search continuesfor missingpilot

Trumpgives Iran 48 hourstoopen Strait of Hormuz

BY SAM MEDNICK, SAMY MAGDY and JON GAMBRELL Associated Press

TELAVIV, Israel The U.S military searched on a second day for apilot shot down over aremote area in Iran, while President Donald Trump on Saturday againthreatened Tehran over hisMondaydeadline to open theStrait of Hormuz: “Timeisrunning out.”

rescued. The Pentagon notified the U.S. House Armed Services Committee that the status of asecond servicemember wasn’tknown. Trump toldNBC News that what happened wouldn’taffect negotiations with Iran.

Asecond U.S. Air Force combat aircraftwentdown in the Middle East on Friday,according to aU.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymitytodiscuss a sensitive military situation. It wasn’tclear if the aircraft crashedorwas shot down, or whether Iran was involved.

Iranian state media said aU.S.A-10attack aircraft crashed in the Persian Gulf after being struck by Iran’s defense forces.

TheAmerican warplane, identified by Iran as aF-15E Strike Eagle, was one of two attacked on Friday.Iran has promised areward forwhoever turnsinthe “enemy pilot.” Iran’sjoint military command on Saturday said that it also struck two U.S. Black Hawk helicopters on Friday, butThe Associated Press couldn’t independently verify that.

The war, now in itssixth week,began with joint U.S.Israel strikes on Feb. 28 and has killed thousands, shakenglobal markets, cut offkey shipping routes and spiked fuelprices. It shows no signs of slowingasIran responds with attacks across theregion.

“Wewillcontinuetocrush them,” Israeli Prime Minister BenjaminNetanyahu said Saturday.Israel’smilitaryconfirmedthatitstruck apetrochemical complex in Mahshahr that Netanyahu saidhelps to fund the war Five people werekilled, Ira-

nian state media reported, citing aprovincialofficial. Trump said in anational address on Wednesday that the U.S. has“beaten andcompletely decimated Iran.”But on Saturday, an apparent Iraniandrone damaged the headquarters of U.S. technology company Oracle in Dubai, United ArabEmirates

Both sides have threatened,and hit, civilian targets andinfrastructure, bringing warnings of possible war crimes

The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran said that an airstrike hit near its Bushehr nuclear facility,killing a security guard anddamaging asupport building. The head of Russia’sstate nuclear corporation,Rosatom, saidthat198 workers were being evacuated. It was the fourthtime thefacility was targeted Hopesfor talks Pakistan’sForeign Min-

istry spokesperson, Tahir Andrabi, told theAPthat his government’sefforts to brokera ceasefireare “right on track.” Last week, Pakistan said that it would soon hosttalks between the U.S. and Iran. Iran’s foreignminister, Abbas Araghchi, saidthat Iranian officials“have never refusedtogotoIslamabad.”

Mediators from Pakistan, Turkeyand Egypt were workingtobring theU.S and Iran to the negotiating table, according to two regional officials. They said that they were working on bridging the gapbetween thetwo sides’ demandsto stopthe war and reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz.

Theproposed compromiseincludes acessation of hostilities to allow adiplomatic settlement, according to aregional official involved in the efforts and aGulf diplomat briefed on thematter.Theyspoke on

conditionofanonymityto discuss closed-door diplomacy

Trump reminded Iran of his deadline in asocial media post: “Remember when Igave Iranten days to MAKE ADEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT.Timeisrunning out —48hours before all Hellwill reign downon them.”

MissingU.S.pilot

Thesearch for theU.S. pilot focused on amountainous region in Iran’ssouthwestern provinceofKohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad. An anchor on achannel affiliated with Iranian state television urged residents to hand over any “enemy pilot” to police. In an email from the Pentagon, obtained by the AP, the military said that it received notification of “an aircraft being shotdown” in the Middle East. AU.S. crew memberwas

Oracle’s DubaiHQ

The Dubaioffices of Oraclewere hit after Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard threatened the firm. Footage verified by the AP outside the UAE showed alarge hole in the building’ssouthwestern corner The sheikhdom’sDubai Media Office, which speaks forits government, noted a “minor incident caused by debris fromanaerialinterception that fell on the facade,” saying there were no injuries. OracleCorp., based in Austin, Texas, didn’timmediately respond to arequest forcomment. The Guard hasaccused some large U.S. tech companies of being involved in “terrorist espionage” operations against the Islamic Republic and called them legitimate targets. Amazon WebServices facilities in the UAEand Bahrain were hit in earlier drone strikes.

Russia andUkraine trade deadly strikes

Zelenskyytravels to Istanbul for talkswith Erdogan

BY VOLODYMYR YURCHUK Associated Press

KYIV,Ukraine— Russia and Ukrainetraded deadly strikes overnight andon Saturday morning, killing 10 peopleand wounding several dozen more, officials on both sides said Saturday.

Theattackscame as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to Istanbul for talks with Turkish PresidentRecepTayyipErdogan. He will also meet with Ecumenical PatriarchBartholomew,the spiritual leader of Eastern Orthodox Christians.

“Weare working to strengthen our partnership to ensure the real protection of lives, advance stability,and guarantee security in Europeand the Middle East. Joint efforts alwaysyield thebestre-

sults,”Zelenskyy said in a post on the messaging app Telegram after arriving in Istanbul.

Russia fired286 drones at Ukraine overnight, 260 of which were downed,the Ukrainian Air Forcesaid in an online statement.

Five people —three women and two men were killed in thecity of Nikopol in the Dnipropetrovsk region, and 19 others were wounded, the head of the regional military administration Oleksandr Hanzha said. The attack damaged market stalls and ashop.

In thecity of Sumy,not

far from theborder with Russia,a strike wounded 11 people, theNational Policesaid. Residential areas were hit,and houses, cars andutility networks were damaged in the attack.

In thecapital, Kyiv,a drone strike caused afire on the first floor of athreestory office and warehousebuilding, Ukraine’s StateEmergency Service said.Nocasualties were reported.

In thepartially occupied Donetsk region, aRussian drone strike hit acivilian car on the Kostyantynivka–Druzhkivka road on Saturday morning, killing

Floods,landslidesinAfghanistan

BY ABDULQAHAR AFGHAN Associated Press

KABUL,Afghanistan Widespread flooding, landslides and lightning strikestriggered by heavy rainand stormsacross Afghanistan have left 77 people dead and137 injuredover the past 10days,the country’s DisasterManagement Authority said Saturday More rain has beenforecast for the coming days throughout Afghanistan, and the authoritywarned thepublic to stay away from river banks and areas pronetoflooding.

So far this year,dozens of people have dieddue to extremeweather in Afghanistan, an impoverished country that is highly vulnerable to extreme weather events. Earlier this year,heavy snowfall and flash floods left dozens of people dead across the country

Therecenttollincludes 26 people killed over the past 48 hours, the disaster authority said. Overall, 793homes have been completely destroyed and afurther 2,673 have been damaged, while floods and landslides have destroyed

about 210 miles of roads, it said.

Businesses, agricultural land, water wells and irrigation canals have also been damaged, with more than 5,800 families affected overall, theauthority said.

Several highways connecting the country’s capital to theprovinces have alsobeen damaged by floods and landslides, forcing travelers to take long, circuitous routes to reach Kabul,Public Works Ministry spokesperson Ashraf Haqshinas saidSaturday

one woman and wounding another,according to the head of the Kostyantynivka City Military Administration, Serhiy Horbunov

The Russian Defense Ministry claimed Saturdaythat its forces fired “long-range air-and ground-based precision weapons, as well as strike drones” at unspecified“military-industrial

andenergyfacilitiesused by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.”

Meanwhile, the Russianinstalled head of the occupied Luhansk region, Leonid Pasechnik, said Ukrainian forces hit railroad infrastructure in the region and private houses, killing a family of three —a couple and their 8-year-old child.

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ArtemisIIastronautsmorethanhalfway to moon

BY MARCIA DUNN AP aerospace writer

HOUSTON Now more than halfwaytothe moon, the Artemis II astronauts were toasted by Canada on Saturday as they prepared for their historic lunar flyaround to push deeper into space than even the Apollo astronauts.

The three Americans and one Canadian will reach their destination Monday, photographing the mysterious lunar far side as they zoom around. It’sthe first moonbound crew in more than 53 years, picking up where NASA’s Apollo program left off.

“The Earth is quite small and the moon is definitely getting bigger,”reported pilot Victor Glover

Artemis II is poised to set a distance recordfor humans, traveling more than 252,000 miles (400,000 kilometers) from Earth before hanging a U-turn behindthe moon and heading home without stopping orenteringlunarorbit. Therecord is currentlyheld by Apollo13.

The CanadianSpace Agency celebrated the country’s role in themission, speaking fromQuebec with astronaut Jeremy Hansenas he headed toward his lunar rendezvous. Hansen is the first non-U.S.citizen toflyto the moon.

“Today he is making history for Canada,” said Canadian SpaceAgencyPresident LisaCampbell. “As we watch him taking this bold step into theunknown, let his journey remind us that

Canada’sfuture is written by those who dare to reach for more.”

In thelivetelevisedlinkup, Hansen said he’salready witnessed “extraordinary” views fromNASA’s Orion capsule.

Hansen, Glover,Reid Wiseman andChristina Koch are theworld’sfirst lunar astronauts sinceApollo 17’screw of three in 1972. Koch and Gloverare the first female and first Black astronauts to the moon, respectively

Their nearly10-daymission —ending withaPacific splashdown on April 10 —is thefirst step in NASA’s bold plans for asustainable moon base. The space agency is aimingfor amoon landing by two astronauts near the lunar south pole in 2028.

Trumpadministrationappeals orderhalting ballroom construction

BY STEPHENGROVES Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Trump administration is arguing that ajudge’sorder to halt construction of a$400million ballroom creates asecurity risk for President Donald Trump as it asks afederal appeals court to pause the ruling.

In amotion filed Friday, National Park Service lawyers say that thefederal judge’sorder to suspend construction of the new facility is “threatening grave national-security harms to the White House,the President and his family,and the President’sstaff.”

“Time is of the essence! the lawyers write, citing materials thatwill be installed

to make a“heavilyfortified” facility.The ballroom constructionalso includesbomb shelters, military installations and amedical facility, according to the filing. The

ballroom is part of President Donald Trump’splans to quickly remake Washington. U.S.DistrictJudge RichardLeon in Washington on Tuesday ordered the tempo-

rary pause of the construction project that hasincluded demolishing the East Wing of theWhite House.Heconcluded thatunless Congress approves the project,the preservationist group suing to stop it is likely to succeed on the merits of itsclaims because “no statutecomes close to giving thePresident the authority he claims to have.”

The judge suspendedenforcement of his order for 14 days acknowledging that the administrationwould appeal his decision.

Leon’sruling and theappeal come the same week akey agency tasked with approving construction on federal property in theWashington region gave final approval to theproject.

In his ruling Leon,who was nominated by Republican President George W. Bush, suspended enforcement of hisorderrecognizing that “halting an ongoing construction project may raise logistical issues.”

Leon also addressednational security in his ruling, saying that he reviewed information that the government privately submitted to him and concluded that halting construction wouldn’t jeopardize national security He exempted any construction work that is necessary for the safety and security of the White House from the scope of the injunction.

Butthe National Park Service argues in its motion that the president has “complete authority to renovate the White House” and the current state of the grounds, which is an open construction site, makeitharder to protect the White House.

“Canvastents, whichare necessary without aballroom, aresignificantly morevulnerable to missiles, drones, and otherthreats than ahardened national security facility,”the motion says.

Trumplashed out at the ruling, but also noted that it would allow work on underground bunkers and other security measuresaround the White House grounds to continue —even though those will be paid for by taxpayers. Trump haspledgedthathe, alongwith private donors, will coverthe costsfor the ballroom construction.

Judgerules againstTrump administration in collegeadmissionscase

Courthalts effort requiring schools to show they aren’t considering race

BY MICHAEL CASEY Associated Press

BOSTON Afederal judge has halted efforts by the Trump administration to collect data that proves higher education institutions aren’t considering race in admissions.

The ruling from U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV in Boston on Fridaygranting the preliminary injunction follows a lawsuit filedlast month by acoalition of 17 Democratic state attorneysgeneral. It will only apply to public universities in plaintiffs.

The federal judge said the federal governmentlikely has the authority to collect the data, but the demand was rolled out to universities in a“rushed and chaotic” manner

“The 120-day deadline imposed by the President led directly to the failure of

NCES (NationalCenterfor EducationStatistics) to engage meaningfully with the institutions during the notice-and-comment process to address the multitude of problemspresented by the newrequirements,”Saylor wrote.

President Donald Trump ordered the datacollection in August after he raised concerns that colleges and universities were using personal statementsand other proxies to consider race, which he viewsas illegal discrimination. In 2023, the Supreme Court ruled againstthe use of affirmative action in admissions but said colleges could still consider how race hasshapedstudents’ lives if applicants share that information in their admissions essays.

Thestatesargue thedata collection risks invading student privacy andleading to baseless investigations of colleges and universities. They also argued that universities have not been given enough time to collect the data.

“The data has been sought in such ahasty and irrespon-

sible way that it will create problems for universities,” alawyer for the plaintiffs, Michelle Pascucci, told the court, adding that the effort seem was aimed at uncovering unlawful practices.

McMahon has saidthe data, which was originally due by March 18, must be disaggregated by race andsex and retroactively reported for the past seven years.

TheEducation Department has defendedthe effort, arguing taxpayers deserve transparency on howmoney is spentatinstitutionsthat receive federal funding.

The administration’s policy echoes settlement agreementsthe government negotiated with Brown University andColumbiaUniversity, restoring their federal research money.The universities agreed to give the government dataonthe race, grade-point average and standardizedtest scores of applicants,admitted studentsand enrolled students.

The schoolsalsoagreed to be audited by the government and to release admissions statistics to the public.

The National Centerfor Education Statistics is to collect the new data, including therace and sex of colleges’ applicants, admittedstudentsand enrolled students. Education Secretary Linda

Continued from page 1A

Acclaimed Louisiana folk painter Clementine Hunter lived her entire life on Melrose Plantation near Natchitoches, where she painted scenes of Black Creole life in a bright, primitive style, along with religious scenes like river baptisms, the crucifixion and Nativity scenes. DeRouen has collected pieces by Clemetine Hunter, her son Frank and grandson James, all of whom replicated her style and study on home life and religious themes.

“It reminds me very much of the Incarnation and how Jesus was born into poverty, into simplicity,” said DeRouen.

Wandering through his home is

SALT

Continued from page 1A

“Deepening should not be considered as the main issue here,” said Ahmed Khalifa, the lead author of the new study published in the peerreviewed journal Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science.

“Definitely we showed that it has some part but not as much as, for example, sea level rise or closing any of the passes.”

Yet closing all the crevasses, or passes, is not seen as a viable option, and the Tulane research team, led by Ehab Meselhe, is also examining potential nature-based solutions. They have presented their findings to the Corps, whose data was employed in the modeling. The Corps is taking an extensive look on its own, even building a physical model of the lower river at its Vicksburg, Mississippi, research center, said spokesman Ricky Boyett.

The research is vital as the region grapples with how to ensure safe drinking water and avoid the corrosion of infrastructure well into the future. Climate change-related effects, particularly sea level rise and increased drought in the Mississippi River basin, are expected to become greater factors in the future

Complex threat

The threat is a complex one that occurs seasonally, when river flows drop in the summer and fall. That allows salt water to move upriver from the Gulf in the shape of a doorstop, its leading edge crawling along the river bottom because it is heavier

The Corps has deepened the lower river over the years to accommodate the increasing size of oceangoing vessels, with the most recent project completed in 2022 and bringing it to a depth of 50 feet.

Because deepening worsens saltwater intrusion, the Corps developed a plan to mitigate it, constructing an underwater levee, or sill, along the river bottom to slow the salt water’s advance when it projects that it will be necessary

The sill had initially been required about once a decade, but it has now had to be built four years in a row In 2023, initial projections showed the salt water reaching New Orleans, setting off an emergency declaration from the White House and a scramble for a temporary solution to protect drinking water and related infrastructure. The salt wedge eventually retreated before reaching New Orleans as high flows returned to the river later that year, but it served as a wake-up call for local officials. New Orleans Mayor

both an education and exercise in wonder, such as finding out that Acadiana is home to a trained iconographer An icon of St. John the Evangelist hangs in DeRouen’s home chapel, given to him as a parting gift when he left the Cathedral. It was created by Faye Drobnic of St. Elizabeth Icon Studio in Lafayette, and DeRouen shared that one does not “paint” an icon — you “read” it, in a process governed by the Greek and Russian Orthodox traditions. Said DeRouen, “When someone reads an icon, he or she fasts. It is believed that the icon possesses some of the spirit of what is depicted, so it really is a relic. It’s holy.”

His home is no museum, even with pieces such as a 19th-century Italian “Madonna and Child” hanging on the walls. Part of DeRouen’s passion for hospitality lies in cre-

Helena Moreno has raised the possibility of building a regional water treatment plant as one potential solution, but that comes with extremely high costs and would require multi-parish coordination

The crevasses are largely the result of natural occurrences, with the Mississippi breaking its banks in a number of spots downriver, similar to how it formerly behaved before the construction of the vast levee system that keeps it in place. The slower flow of the main channel speeds the advance of the salt intrusion

The most prominent crevasse in recent years is called Neptune Pass, which at one point expanded so much it was diverting up to 18% of the river into a nearby bay and wetlands. The Corps recently constructed a rock barrier to partially block Neptune, which is located across the river from Buras, bringing the flow down to around 8%

It is not yet clear what effect the reduction of Neptune Pass flow will have on saltwater intrusion since the Tulane modeling used 2023 conditions as a base. Other crevasses included in the modeling are also located along the river’s east bank: Mardi Gras Pass, Bohemia Spillway, Ostrica Pass and Fort St. Phillip.

While shipping interests have long called for the closure of the crevasses because of the complications they create for vessels, the passes are also acting as natural river diversions, creating land the way the Mississippi used to do. That has led coastal advocates to argue for keeping them at least partially open

Closing them could also simply lead to more crevasses being created elsewhere since the river will eventually find its level.

The main focus of the $5.5 million Corps’ study, which is in its first year, is on whether its current mitigation plans involving the sill remain sufficient to deal with the effects of the deepening, said Boyett. But the research could also lead to other types of projects that address the problem more generally

The Tulane researchers note that the future effects of sea level rise and other climate-related changes will be important Boyett said the Corps is incorporating future conditions such as sea level rise in its modeling.

“We’re looking at it to, first, determine what’s causing it, if we are appropriately mitigating for it and — if we are and it’s still occurring — what are the other factors and how would one go about addressing that?” said Boyett.

“We don’t necessarily say we’re going to have all the

ating a place where his family and friends love to gather, where he cooks, reflects and shares the faith that brings him joy “It’s in my nature,” he said. “I went to school with the Benedictines for eight years, and one of the traits of the Benedictines is hospitality I used to host Easter in Opelousas, and in my family I have 24 great-nieces and nephews, and 10 nieces and nephews. When we get together, we’re almost 50 people.

“Most of these paintings have been gifts, and there’s a certain warmth and sentiment that is part of this art. It’s not just from a gallery It hung in someone’s home whom I loved and is now gone or came to me as a gift. So that’s why I collect art.”

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

answers at the end of the modeling. But it may be that modeling gives us recommendations for pilot projects that we should try out.”

‘What is the potential?’

The details of the Tulane modeling are revealing.

It showed that, in 2023, sea level rise over the past three decades caused salt intrusion to advance about 4 additional miles, while the most recent channel deepening led to a 2.2-mile difference.

As for the east bank crevasses, the modeling showed that if all of them were closed — widely seen as impossible, but instructive for study purposes the salt water would have advanced 75 fewer miles. Closing only Neptune Pass and Fort St. Philip resulted in a 47-mile difference, the modeling showed.

The study also looked at whether moving the sill to another location would improve its effectiveness in slowing the salt water’s advance. It concluded that moving it farther downriver would indeed work better Further, the study determined a river level threshold for when the New Orleans area would face a severe threat. It found that a sustained flow of 125,000 cubic feet per second in the lower Mississippi would result in salt water overtopping the sill and advancing to New Orleans. That level is an extreme low but it does occur occasionally

One potential solution being examined by the Tulane team as well as the Corps is whether building sand dams in front of the crevasses when the flow is low could help. The idea could potentially satisfy lots of needs since the sand would wash away once river flows increase, building land farther downstream in the passes. A number of studies are ongoing related to the lower river and the many challenges it presents, particularly as conditions evolve under a warming climate.

The Tulane team is part of a larger project on the future of the river’s mouth, known as MissDelta and financed by the National Academy of Sciences. A separate look at how to deal with the crevasses is being studied by the Baton Rouge-based Water Institute, the University of New Orleans, Nunez Community College in Chalmette and the California Institute of Technology In addition to the Corps’ three-year study of salt intrusion, it is also carrying out a five-year “megastudy” of the entire lower river and how to manage it, from Cape Girardeau, Missouri, to the Gulf.

“We also have to look at it from a perspective of, ‘Will there be more crevasses in the future? What is the po-

tential?’” Boyett said of the Corps’ salt intrusion study “We’re doing it to look to make sure we’re doing what we’re supposed to be doing. But we also need to better

understand what’s happening to the river down there.”

Email Mike Smith at msmith@theadvocate.com or follow him on Twitter,

@MikeJSmith504. His work is supported with a grant from the Walton Family Foundation, administered by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation.

Forthe first time ever,the HondoRodeo Fest is coming to NewOrleans,introducing alarge-scale celebrationofWestern culturetoacityknown for itsown rich traditions.

Theevent will take placeApril 10,11and 12 transforming CaesarsSuperdome andChampions Square into ahigh-energy mixofrodeo competition, live concerts from some of countrymusic’s biggest namesand afullfestivalexperience –marking a significant expansionfor Hondoand anew kind of entertainmentfor theregion.

“The sheersizeand scaleofthe Superdomegives us an incredible opportunitytorespond to their continuously growingappetitefor rodeo excitement andheadliningcountry music,”Hondo RodeoFest CEOJames Trawicksaid. “Weare incredibly lucky to have theindustryvalidationand supportfrom Governor Jeff Landry,the Greater NewOrleans Sports Foundation andNew Orleans&Company to best position ourselvesfor successand producethe best HondoRodeo Fest yet.”

Severalmajor countryand rock artistswill performnightly concerts inside theCaesars Superdome throughout theevent.Headlinersfor theNew Orleansdebut areLynyrdSkynyrdand JasonAldean (April 10), OldDominionand Cody Johnson(April 11)and Bailey Zimmermanand Creed(April11)

Priortoeachperformance,someofthe world’s topcowboys andcowgirlswillcompete in thehighstakes,invitation-only MillionDollarRodeo at 6 p.m. each night. Competitorswillgohead-to-head acrosseight events,including bull riding,barrel racing,teamropingand steerwrestling,all vying for a$1million purse.

Thelevel of rodeocompetition is expected to attractsomeofthe sport’s most eliteathletes, includingworld champions, national finalists andrising stars. AmongthemisShane Hanchey, aSulphur, La.nativewho hasmorethan$3million in career earnings anda2013PRCAWorld Championship as aprofessionaltie down roper. As a16-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeoqualifierwho finished14th in the2025world standings, Hancheyhas established himself as oneofthe toptie down ropers in theprofession.

Hancheytoldcalfroping.comthatmuchofhis successisdue to Reata, oneofhis earliest horses whogave him confidence anda competitivespirit. He’s also adiligentstudent,often rewatchinghis performances to findareastoimprove.

“I know when to take advantageofasituation and when to just getby,”hesaid.

AnotherLouisiana native competinginHondo RodeoFestwillbe21-year-old breakawayroper Josie Conner of Iowa.ConnerisrankedNo. 3inthe 2025 worldstandings andhas more than $200,000 in season earnings.She is afour-time National Finals

BreakawayRopingqualifierand the2022WPRA Rookie of theYear. Conner first picked up aropearoundage seven, startedyouth competitions around age10and has steadily honedher skills since.

“I didn’t winalot as an 11-year-old, butI think that’s part of whyIamwho Iamasaroper today, Conner told WesternSportsFoundation. “Myrookie year,Ifinished 15th andlastyearI was14th. Ithink that just showshow experiencehelps you. Ineeded thosefirstfew yearstobecomethe person androper Iamtoday.” In addition to theMillion Dollar Rodeo, theevent willfeature an AngolaPrisonRodeo Exhibition at 5 p.m. each day. TheAngolarodeo is longtime staple of thestate penitentiary that helpsinstill prideand selfworthinparticipants.Withits inclusionatHondo RodeoFest, thegoalistoshowcaseits valueand benefitstomorepeoplethanever.

“Ultimately, we want theHondo to come into states andcommunities andmakeanimpact,”organizers said.“Ourinvolvement with theAngolarodeo is agreatexample of just that.”

HondoRodeo Fest activities willextendbeyond theCaesars Superdomeand into aStreetFestin ChampionsSquarebeginning at noon each day, with food,music,shoppingand interactiveexperiences Live performances arescheduled from acts including Neal McCoy(4p.m.April 10), EddieMontgomery (4 p.m. April11) andSweet TeaTrio, ClayCormier, Mutton Bustin’and Justin Biltonen (beginningat noon April12) TheStreetFestisfreeand open to thepublic. Ticketsare availablefor entryintothe Angolarodeo, HondoRodeo Fest andthe nightlyconcert.Weekend passes arealsoavailable

“Thisevent represents thekindofmajor entertainment investment that drives tourism, supports localbusinessand strengthensour state’sgrowing live events economy,”Gov.Landrysaid. “The Hondo RodeoFestcapturesthe spirit of themarket, and we’reexcited to work with Jamesand histeamto integrateour NewOrleans culturetomakethisan incredible fanexperience.” HondoRodeo Fest wasalsodrawn to Louisiana becauseitoffered achancetomakea direct impact Throughits newnonprofit arm, The1017Project, Hondowillprovide 35,000 pounds of high-quality andlocally-sourced beef to localfoodbanks,shelters andchurchesacrossthe state. Ultimately,the hope is that HondoRodeo Fest giveslocalsand visitors achancetoexperienceWesternculture in acityknown for itsown world-class celebrations,creatingnew traditionsthatcan return for yearstocome. Visitwww.thehondorodeofest.com/neworleans for full schedule detailsand ticket information

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details from authorities as they become available. All security resources have been redirected to the scene, and we currently do not have security personnel available due to the circumstances,” festival organizers said in a statement.

“We are praying for the victims and for their families during this difficult time.”

Organizers said festival events, which were scheduled to take place through Sunday, will be canceled for the evening.

Vendors would remain open until 9 p.m.

Only religious services and vendor operations were expected to resume on Sunday, according to festival planners.

The Lao New Year Festival, celebrating Songkran, occurs annually on Easter weekend in Lanex-

DEI

Continued from page 1A

State Treasurer John Fleming, the other major Republican candidate in the race, has piled on with criticisms of Letlow

“DEI is a Marxist concept that says everybody has to have equal outcomes regardless of their abilities or regardless of how hard they work or study,” Fleming said in an interview “Socialism or Marxism has never worked in any country.”

So far, Letlow has noted that she has expressed strong opposition to DEI programs since she was elected to the House in 2021. She also noted that Cassidy supported bills passed by Congress that included DEI programs.

On Friday, The Times-Picayune | The Advocate requested an interview with Letlow to ask her to explain how she could call for creating a “division” of DEI at UL-Monroe and then oppose those programs after joining the House the following year

“Early on, DEI was presented in higher education as a way to encourage people to achieve the American dream,” the campaign responded in a statement from

ang Village, outside of Broussard.

The festival, the largest such gathering in the U.S., is hosted by the growing Lao community that has made a home in the Coteau area over the past 50 years.

The event has evolved from a small block party in the mid1980s to a sprawling event filled with religious ceremonies, dozens of food vendors, a parade, live music and a beauty pageant.

Louisiana officials, including Gov Jeff Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill, said they were praying for victims of the crash and would offer support if needed.

“I’m praying for all those injured and impacted by this terrible tragedy and will be following up with responding law enforcement agencies to offer support,” Murrill said in a statement.

An investigation into the crash is ongoing, and no other details were immediately available.

Staff writer Joanna Brown contributed to this report.

Letlow “But I quickly witnessed firsthand what it really was: another tool the radical left hijacked to divide people, push indoctrination, and build a system that holds people down instead of lifting them up.”

The wrangling over DEI is taking place six weeks before the May 16 Republican primary where Republicans and no-party voters will choose among Fleming, Cassidy, Letlow and Mark Spencer, a political unknown, to be their next senator

The party’s leadership is clear on DEI. President Donald Trump, from the day he returned to office, has sought to root out DEI policies at the nation’s universities.

Gov Jeff Landry wrote the U.S. Department of Education on Feb. 23 that “harmful diversity, equity and inclusion policies have no

place in Louisiana.”

This backdrop explains why Cassidy began slamming Letlow on DEI immediately after Fox News on Wednesday aired a report that contained video of her promoting the benefits of DEI when she was one of six semifinalists to be UL-Monroe’s next president in August 2020.

“I think it exposes her true colors,” Cassidy said in a video recorded on Thursday

Letlow, who has a doctorate from the University of South Florida, was the university’s executive assistant to the president for external affairs and community outreach at the time.

Her comments came three months after a police officer in Minneapolis choked George Floyd to death, spurring a leftward move nationally in favor of DEI and so-called “woke” policies.

‘Strong and progressive’

During the interview, Letlow called herself “a strong and progressive leader” and said ULMonroe’s next president needed to provide powerful support for DEI because the university didn’t have enough women and women of color on the faculty

“We have 8% African American faculty women on this campus,”

she said. “That is not enough. That does not reflect our student population.”

She added, “We don’t have enough women at the top. We don’t have enough women of color at the top. I would be committed to that. I believe the president needs to have diversity on their senior council, just like you said. You avoid groupthink when you have more diverse voices at the table.”

Pearson Cross, a political-science professor at UL-Monroe, said central to Cassidy’s efforts is an attempt to neutralize or wrestle away from Letlow her chief campaign calling card: Trump’s endorsement of her on Jan. 17.

“Given the strident anti-DEI efforts by Trump and Landry, being a supporter of DEI makes it seem like you’re terribly out of step,” Cross said. “That’s a point the Cassidy campaign is making. It’s evidence that Letlow is not one of us.”

Ed Chervenak, a UNO political science professor, said Cassidy’s tactics are clear

“He wants to reassure conservative voters that he’s the conservative candidate in the race, not Letlow,” Chervenak said. Cassidy’s narrative

The Letlow campaign is seeking

to undermine that narrative by reminding voters that Cassidy voted to convict Trump on impeachment charges after the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol, and by noting that Cassidy, in August 2023, said Trump should drop out of the presidential race because he was facing criminal charges from four indictments. (Trump was convicted by a jury in New York City in May 2024 of paying hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels to hide a sex scandal that threatened to derail his 2016 presidential campaign.)

The Letlow campaign is also zeroing in on several bills where Cassidy joined some Republicans in voting with Democrats to pass bills when President Joe Biden was in office.

Tucked into these sprawling bills were measures that promoted DEI.

“Cassidy,” Letlow said in her statement, “voted with Democrats to fund and expand the DEI machine. So the contrast in this race is simple: I fought it, and he helped bankroll it.”

There are three candidates in the May 16 Democratic primary They are Nick Albares, Jamie Davis and Gary Crockett. None currently holds elected office.

U.S. jets hitinIranmarkexceedingly rare occurrence

American warplanes firstshotdown by enemy fire in over 20 years

BY BEN FINLEY and JESSE BEDAYN Associated Press

WASHINGTON Iran shooting down two American military jets marks an exceedingly rare assault for the U.S. that has not happenedinmore than 20 years and shows the Islamic Republic’scontinued ability to hit back despite PresidentDonald Trump asserting it has been “completely decimated.”

The attacks came fiveweeksafter U.S. and Israeli strikes first pounded Iran, with Trumpsayingearlier this week that Tehran’s“ability to launch missiles and dronesisdramatically curtailed.”

Iran shot down aU.S. F15-E Strike Eaglefighterjet Friday,withone service membergettingrescued and the search still underway for a second, U.S. officials said.Iranian state media also said aU.S. A-10 attack aircraft crashed afterbeing hit by Iranian defense forces

The last time aU.S. warplane was shot down by enemy fire in combat wasanA-10 ThunderboltIIduring the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, said retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Houston Cantwell, aformer F-16 fighter pilot.

But,hesaid, that’sbecause the U.S. had largely been fighting insurgents who didn’thave the same

anti-aircraft capabilities.The fact that there have not beenmore fighter jets lost in Iran, Cantwellsaid, is atestament to the capabilities of U.S.forces

“The fact that thishasn’t happeneduntil nowisanabsolutemiracle,” said Cantwell, whoserved four combat tours andisnow a seniorresident fellow at theMitchellInstitute forAerospaceStudies. “We’re flying combat missions here, they are being shot at every day.”

U.S. Central Command saidina statement Wednesday thatAmerican forces have flown more than 13,000missionsinthe Iran war while strikingmore than 12,300 targets.

Aftermorethan amonth of punishing U.S.-Israeli airstrikes, adegraded Iranian military nonetheless remainsastubborn foe. Its steady streamof strikes against Israel and GulfArabneighborshave been causing regionalupheavaland globaleconomicshock.

When it comes to American dominance over Iran’sairspace, there’s stilladistinction between air superiority and airsupremacy saidBehnam BenTaleblu,Iranprogram senior director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies,a hawkish Washington think tank.

“A disabledair defense system is nota destroyed air defense system,” he said. “Weshouldn’tbe shocked that they’re still fighting.”

American planes have been flying missions at lower altitudes, which makes them more vulnerable to Iran’smissiles, Taleblu said. It’s possible that Iran fired at the F-15

witha surface-to-air missile,but it’s morelikely that aportable, shoulder-fired missile was used, he said. Those are much harder to detect andreflect howIran is “weak but still lethal.”

“This is aregimethat is fighting for itslife,” he said.

MarkCancian, aretired Marine colonel and asenior defenseadviser with theCenter for Strategicand International Studies,agreed that ashoulder-fired missile waslikely used against thefighter jet

Nonetheless, theAmerican air waragainst Iran hasbeena “tremendous success” so far,hesaid.

To put things in perspective, he said thelossrate for American warplanes flying over Germany during World WarIIwas 3% at onepoint, which would equal about 350 war-

planes in the U.S. war against Iran.

“But then there’sthe political side —you have an American public that is accustomed to fighting bloodless wars,” Cancian said. “Then alarge part of the country doesn’tsupport the war.Sotothem, any lossisunacceptable.”

The last U.S. jet shot down in combat was struck by an Iraqi surface-to-air missile over Baghdad on April8,2003. The pilotsafely ejected and was rescued, according to the Air Force.

In high-threat environments like missions over Iran, Cantwell, the retiredgeneral, said an aviator’s blood pressure goes up and they becomehighly alert to incoming missiles.Thoseare typicallyeither infrared- or radar-guided missiles, he said, requiring different eva-

sive tactics.

If they are hit and need to eject from theiraircraft,theyare trained on whattodonext, he said.

Pilots learn to check for wounds after aviolent ejection and the shock of amissile explosion and, mostcrucially,how they are going to communicate their location so rescuers can find them.

At the same time, he said, the enemy is likelyworking to intercept the communications or even spoof the location.

The planes that wentdown Friday were notthe first crewedAmerican aircraft to be lost overall in Iran. Amilitary helicopter and airplaneexplodedin1980during an abortedmissiontorescue several dozenAmerican hostagesatthe U.S. embassy in Tehran, according to the Air Force Historical Support Division.

Afteraseriesofsetbacks, including severe dust stormsand mechanical failures, the mission wascalled off. As the aircraft took off, the rotor blades of one of the RH-53 helicopters collided with an EC-130 aircraft full of fueland both exploded, killing eight.

More U.S. helicopters have been shot down in recent decades, includingaMH-47 ArmyChinook helicopterthatwas struckbya rocket-propelledgrenade in Afghanistan in 2005, killing 16. Helicopters are moredangerous because “the lower and the slower,the more susceptible you are,” Cantwell said. That’swhy those who went out on this week’srescue missions, likely in helicopters, he said, did “such a brave and honorable act.”

European ministerscallfor profit caps on energy companies

BY DEREKGATOPOULOS

Associated Press

The finance ministers of Spain and four other European countries are urging the European Union to impose abloc-widewindfall tax on energy companies, concerned that surging oil and gas pricesdriven by the war in Iran will fuelinflation and strain households.

Spanish Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo said Saturdaythat his

counterparts from Germany,Italy, Portugal and Austria had signed a lettertothe European Commission citing “market distortions” caused by the pricespike.

“The conflict in theMiddle East has caused oilprices to rise, placing asignificant burdenonthe European economy and on European citizens,” the letter,dated Friday and made public by Cuerpo in an online post, said.

“It is important to ensure that

this burden is distributed fairly,” it added.

Europe is largelydependent on imported oil and gas, leaving it vulnerable to external shocks.In2022, turmoil in energymarkets following Russia’sfull-scale invasion of Ukraine pushed inflation into double digits in many European countries.

At thetime, the EU imposed a“solidarity contribution” thatincluded caps on excess energy profits.

“Given the currentmarket distor-

tions and fiscal constraints, the European Commission should swiftly develop asimilarEU-wide contribution instrument,” the letter said.

“Itwould also send aclear message thatthose who profit from the consequences of the warmust do their part to ease the burden on the general public.”

Driven largely by higher oil prices,the annual inflation rate in the 21 countries that use the euro rose to 2.5% in March, from 1.9%

in February Iran has blocked mosttanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz —achokepoint for about 20% of globaloil andgas —ina move that threatens to stress fuelmarkets for months.

European Union Energy CommissionerDan Jorgensen warnedthis week that disruption caused by the closure means fuel prices are unlikely to “go back to normalina foreseeable future.”

OutspokenIraniansoverseassay families held in Iran

BY AMIR-HUSSEIN RADJY Associated Press

CAIRO— Iran’sgovernment is detaining family members and threatening to seize property of Iranian opposition figures in exile, some tell The Associated Press, in the latest crackdownon dissenting voices as the war rages on.

Activists overseas play akey role in trackingthe crackdown, which is complicatedbythe internet shutdown imposed earlierthis year during massivenationwide protests against the Islamic theocracy.Watchdogs say security forces shot and killed thousands of people The war withthe United States and Israel has intensified authorities’ threats against anyone speaking to outside media or activists. Now that pressure appears to be expanding to intimidate activists in exile.

Intelligence agents in Tehran on March 15 detained the brother of HosseinRazzagh, aformer political prisoner who fled last year to Europe, Razzagh told the AP “My own brother isn’tatall political and doesn’tdoany kind of political activity.It’s to putmeunder pressure,” he said. His brother,Ali, was taken from his home in Tehran and wasabletophone his wife that night “for afew seconds” from adetention center run by Iran’sIntelligence Ministry,Razzagh said. Since then, the family and his lawyer have beenunable to contact him. But the intel-

ligence ministry told them it was reviewing hiscontact with his brother,Razzagh said

Anotheractivistwho fled, Behnam Chegini,saidhis 20-year-old niecewas detained on March10for a week. The niece wastaken from her parents’house in thecityof Arak soon after shereturned from Tehran, where her university had closedbecauseofthe war

She was later released on bail and put under atravel ban.

Chegini, who is nowbased in France, said the detention was at leastinpart“because she ismyniece andthey knowthat.”

Sareh Sedighi, anactivist whofled afterher 2021 death sentence was overturned, said hermother was detained fromher homelastmonthin the westerntown of Urmia.

“The IslamicRepublictook my motheraway to make me be quiet,” she said. Her mother suffersfrom health problems and requires daily insulin doses, she added.

And Mahshid Nazemi, a formerpolitical prisoner and activistwho now lives in France, saidatleast one friend was detainedand questioned about contact with her.

Iran’sjudiciary has begun seizing the propertyof public figures critical of the country’s rulers, underan anti-espionagelaw approved during last year’s 12-day war with Israel thatpunishes media and cultural activities deemedtosupportIran’senemies.

Ajudiciary spokesman on March 31 said on state TV that more than 200 indictmentsfor confiscations have been or are being issued.

BorzouArjmand, an Iranian actor livinginCalifornia, found out from news reportsthathis assetsinIran hadbeen confiscated. After his outspoken support for protests in 2022, Arjmand was unable to return to Iran. Sincethen, authorities have blocked his bank accounts.

Arjmand has expressed support on social media for Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’slast shah who has organized an opposition movement abroad and supported U.S.-Israeli strikes.

Pressuring exiled figures is meant“so the Iranian people’svoice doesn’treach theworld,” Arjmandsaid.

At least three other figuresliving outside Iran—

Eyesurgery marathon restores sightfor some SouthAfricans

BY MICHELLEGUMEDE Associated Press

TSAKANE, South Africa Gladys Khozahad missed being able to see her family.Not because they couldn’tvisit, but because the 84-year-old had vision problems

Now that has changed.

Khoza is one of 133 people whose sight wasrestored during a“marathon” of free cataract surgeries conducted by doctors in South Africa at two hospitals over two weekends last month.

“Wow!” adelightedKhoza whispered as anursepeeled back abandage aday after her operation, and the world came back into view

“Can you see me?” the nurse asked. “Very well,” Khoza replied, abig grin on her face.

Patients in South Africa’s public health service can be on waiting lists for years for thesimple 15-20-minute cataract operation. Officials said someofthose who were selected from hospital waiting lists for the surgeries had been waiting since 2019 to see properly again. Cataracts are acommon, often age-related condition in which the eye’slens becomes clouded, and they are the leading cause of curable blindness. The surgeriesinsert anew artificial lens For Khoza, who said she couldn’t see anything out of one eye becauseofacataract and had long had issues with theother,the simple surgery equates to amajor boostfor her quality of life.

“I just wanted to be able to see,” she said. Now,after nearly ayear of waiting, some of herfavoritethings —seeing loved ones, read-

ing her Bible and watching late-night soap operas —are all possible again

Dr.Tebogo Fakude, one of the doctors who volunteered to perform the operations at two regional hospitals near Johannesburg, said his mother wasblindand that having sightrestored is “beautiful.”

“It’sbeautiful because it alleviatesdepression,” Fakude saidadding that the sense of being aburdenwas also eased Globally, more than 2billionpeople suffer from some kind of vision impair-

ment, according to the World HealthOrganization. For half of them, the problem could have been prevented, or they are still waiting for treatment.

Nearly 100 million people are affected by cataracts, and half of them still need accesstosurgery, according to theWHO In Africa, that figure rises to 75% of people without surgery,according to a studypublished in March by the Lancet medical journal.Surgerybacklogsare a significant problem in South Africa.

star soccerplayer Sardar Azmoun, musician Mohsen Yeghaneh anduniversity professor AliSharifiZarchi —have been on lists of confiscations, according to two semiofficial news agencies in Iran. Yeghaneh and Zarchi have expressedsupport for anti-government protesters on social media.

Iranian security and judicial officials have warned that anynew anti-governmentprotests will be met with lethal force.

State media regularly reportarrests around the country,describing people as “mercenaries” or “agents” of Israel andthe United States, “royalist thugs”or“traitorouselements.”

Reportshave alleged that some sent information to “hostile networks.”

Iran Human Rights, a

Norway-based group, has tracked severalhundreddetentions since the war began on Feb. 28, usingits networks in the country and state media reports, said its director, Mahmood Amiry-Moghhaddam. He said the full number is likely far higher

Amongthose detained is human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, taken by intelligence agents from her house in Tehran, said her daughter Mehraveh Khandan, who lives in Amsterdam. The 64-year-old Sotoudeh had been outonbailfor health reasons following an earlier detention.

Little is known about how trials are functioning, as Israeli airstrikes havetargetedbuildings connected to the judicial system. “It’s liketheyare half-closed Alot of judges are staying home,” said Musa Barzin,

alawyer with Dadban, a groupofrightslawyers based abroad. Somereport deteriorating conditions inside crowded prisons. Speaking from Tehran,the wife of apolitical prisoner held at Iran’s Evin Prison worried it couldbe struckasitwas during last year’swar “Explosions andsmoke can be heardand seen from everywhere in thecity. Every timewehear asound, we get scared,” she said, speaking on condition of anonymity forher family’ssafety

Thesituation hasled to new attemptstoorganize the highly fragmentedIranian opposition abroad.

Shortly before the war, Razzagh and others began planning an opposition conference in London, the Iran Freedom Congress, to bring together pro-democracy groups. Razzagh represented agroup of Iran-based oppositionfiguresincluding Soutoudehand imprisoned Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi.

He called the conference afirst step toward forming acoalition to push fora“political transition” in Iran. For decades, Iran’srulershavequashedorganized political opposition. Some activists in the diaspora say the war is worsening that pressure.

“Israel and America are saying, well, if the Islamic Republic doesn’tkill you, let us bomb you. They’ve been taken hostage from both sides,” Nazemi said of Iranians back home.

BY MATTHEWLEE AP diplomaticwriter

WASHINGTON The Trump administration has revoked the green cards or U.S.visas of at least fourIranian nationals connected to the currentorformerIranian government,including two whohavebeen detained by immigration authorities and are to be deported.

The latest actionswere takenjust this week when Secretary of State Marco Rubiodetermined they were no longer eligible for either lawful permanent resident status, or to enter the United States. The steps

follow amove late last year in which the visas of several diplomats and staffers at Iran’smission to the United Nations werealso revoked.

In astatement on Saturday, the State Department said the niece and grandniece of former Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps chiefQassem Soleimani, who waskilledin aU.S. airstrike near the Baghdad airport in 2020, hadbeen arrestedlateFridaybyimmigrationagents after Rubio revoked their green cards.

“Hamideh Soleimani Afshar andher daughter are nowinthe custody of U.S.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement,” thestatement said, adding that Afshar’shusband has also been banned from entering the United States. Afsharand herdaughter hadbeen living a“lavish lifestyle” in Los Angeles for many years while publicly supporting the Iranian government and anti-American attacks, accordingtothe statement. She is “an outspoken supporter of the Iranian regime who celebrated attacks on Americans and referred to our country as the “Great Satan,”Rubio said in apost on X.

LOUISIANAPOLITICS

1800sLa. lawyer hasroleinbirthrightcitizenship case

19th-century St.Martinville native’s writingsare cited

Mark Ballard

WASHINGTON —U.S. Supreme Court justices are considering two cases that could change longestablished constitutional interpretations concerning race —and Louisiana plays an integral role in both The first is the challengetothe configuration of Baton Rouge Democratic U.S Rep. Cleo Field’s congressional district that could gut the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which opened thedoors for minorities to vote and for minority candidates to have ashotatholding elected office.

The second case was argued Wednesday,inwhich President Donald Trump’sadministration is seeking to eliminate the provision that grants U.S. citizenship to nearly all children born on American soil to immigrantparents. Trump attended that hearing in person, highlighting the importance he puts on the case. To support its position before the nine justices, the Trump administration has cited the 19th-century legal writingsof Louisiana lawyer Alexander Porter Morse, aSt. Martinville native and Confederate officer in Louisiana’s1st Cavalry,formed in Baton Rouge. He became alawyerin1872.

Morse wrote in legal treatises that allowing Black people to vote was a“danger to the republic as a result of the indiscriminateextensionofthe franchise to ignorant and unqualified masses.”

Morse represented Judge HowardFerguson in the seminal 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson case that led to

Bill would change governor term limits

The Louisiana Legislature is considering abill that would ask voters to amend the state constitution to set a limit of two terms for governors —instead of the current limit of two consecutive terms. The change would block former Gov.John Bel Edwards, aDemocrat, from seeking theoffice again in the future. After serving two terms from 2016 to 2024, Edwards was barred from running again in 2023. But, under the current rules, he would be allowed to run again in 2027.

House Bill 225, by Rep. Mike Bayham, R-Chalmette, would change the limit to two terms outright.The bill passed out of the Committee on House and Governmental Affairs on an 11-2 vote, and now is set for ahearing in the House Committee on Civil Law and Procedure.

thecodification of the “separate but equal” doctrine andtoracially restrictingJim Crow laws.

He also helped represent SamuelTilden in negotiationsover the disputed1876 presidential election.Rutherford B. Hayes was declared the winner andremoved federal troops that had been enforcing racial equity in theSouth.

Trump v. Barbara seeks to changethe Citizenship Clause of the14th Amendment —ratified in 1868 to overturn the Supreme Court’s 1858 Dred ScottDecision that deniedcitizenship to Black people

Theamendmentstated,inpart, “all persons born or naturalized in the United States,and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of theUnited States,” ensur-

Only one Louisiana governor haseverservedfor morethan two terms: Edwin Edwards, who was elected in 1972, 1976, 1983 and1991. Theproposed constitutional amendment would be similartothe 22th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.That change, approved byCongress in 1947 and ratified by the states in 1951, set alimit of two terms for U.S.presidents. Beforethat amendment was ratified, only President FranklinD.Roosevelt hadserved more than two terms;hewas elected four times Legislatureseeks to clarifymachine voting

ing the children of newly emancipated enslaved people would share therights and privileges of all Americans.

On thefirst day of his second term, Trumpissued an executive order denying citizenship to children born in theU.S. to parents here illegally and tothose on work, study or tourism visas.

Trumpsays the birthright clause was directed solely to theenslaved but has since been interpreted too broadly.Congressional Republicans have filed bills each year since 1991 seeking to restrict theclause. None have gained traction.

The Supreme Court in 1898 ruled that Wong Kim Ark, aman born to Chinese immigrants in San Francisco, was aU.S. citizen.

Congress in 1940 and again in 1952 put birthright citizenship into law using the same“subject to thejurisdiction” language as the14th Amendment.

In their “friend of the court” brief supporting Trump’sposition, U.S. Sen. TedCruz, R-Texas, and U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, also quoted from Morse’s1881 “A Treatise on Citizenship,” saying foreigners are “subject to the jurisdiction of the United States only to alimited extent,” and thus their children would not be citizens.

In their friend-of-the-court brief,the Chinese American Legal Defense Alliance countered that the writings of Morse and the other two scholars were“a racist and increasingly hostile opposition to Chinese people in the United States” that preceded the 1898 Wong KimArk case.

The Washington Post first reported the Trumpadministration’suse of Morse. The White House defends its position, with spokeswoman Abigail Jackson telling the Post the case is about restoring the Citizenship Clause to its “original public meaning.”

But critics say the TrumpAdministration’sarguments misread morethan 100 years of established law

“Grasping forarguments, Trump’slawyers landed on this: The 14th Amendment’s‘one pervading purpose’ wastoprotect the children of former slaves, not anyone else,” wrote Michael Waldman of the Brennan Center forJustice in New York. “That reading puts aside the clear language of the amendment, along with acentury and ahalf of history and tradition. It’s historical fanfiction, designed to appeal to an ‘originalist’ court.”

The high court likely will release its decision in June or July Email Mark Ballard at mballard@theadvocate.com.

In theadministration’scourt filings and during Wednesday’sSupremeCourt arguments, Solicitor General D. John Sauer contended that “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” meansaparent whoisalready aU.S. citizen and not tied to another country.Congress didn’t intend to extend U.S. citizenship to immigrants’ babies when debating theCitizenship Clause in the1860s, he said. Sauer used the writings of Morse and twoother contemporary legal scholars to demonstratewhat commentators at the time understood the amendment to mean Morse wrote in 1881: “The words ‘subject to the jurisdiction thereof’exclude the children of foreigners.”

La. could add citizenship marker to driver’slicenses

Capitol

Buzz STAFF REPORTS

resolution that the Caddo Parish Commission presented to U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., when he visited Shreveport. Amongother arguments, Murrill’soffice saidavote was invalid becauseitwas made using amachine, andthe state’sopen meetings law requires that votes be conducted “viva voce” meaning by voice. That argument stirred confusion among public bodies throughout thestate that used voting machines Twodifferent bills, one in the House and one in the Senate, would specifically allow votes using electronic machines that publicly display their results.

After arecentcontroversy over how city councils, school boards andother government bodies voteduring their meetings, bills advancinginthe Louisiana Legislature would explicitly allow the use of votingmachines

Many public bodies already use the machines, which tally how their members voteand publicly display them. Butthat practice recently came under scrutiny after Attorney General Liz Murrill’soffice challenged a

SenateBill 1, by Sen. Sam Jenkins, D-Shreveport, passed theSenate without opposition on Tuesday and will now be considered by theHouse. On thesame day,House Bill 73, by Rep.Tony Bacala, R-Prairieville, passed unanimously out of the committee on House and Governmental Affairs.

Louisiana driver’slicenses could soon indicate holders’ citizenship status under abill that passed the state House along party lines on Monday.

House Bill 613 by state Rep. Dodie Horton,RHaughton, would requirethe Office of Motor Vehicles to put an image of an eagle in flight on each driver’slicense it issues to aUnitedStates citizen.

Horton said the symbolwould be apoint of pride and that it would help prevent naturalized citizens from being profiled.

“I think it’simportant to have that designation” so folks who have become citizens “don’thave to prove it over andover again,” Horton said.

ButDemocrats worriedthe distinction could prompt law enforcement officers to target noncitizens.

The proposal comes amid heightened tensions over President Donald Trump’shard-line immigrationpolicies.

In theirpush to deport im-

migrants in recordnumbers, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcementand other law enforcement officials have been accusedofracial profiling. Immigrants with legal status andevenUnitedStatescitizens have been caught in the dragnet. During debate on the House floor,state Rep. Edmond Jordan, D-Baton Rouge, said it was naïve to think including citizenship markersonLouisiana driver’slicenses wouldn’tmake immigrants vulnerable to harassment.

“They’re going to lock youup andask questions later,”Jordan said. “This is anothermeansof harassment, andwedon’t need that.”

State Rep. Kyle Green, aDemocrat from Marrero, questioned the necessity of HB613.

Drivers must showproof that theyare in the United States legally to acquire Real IDs, he said.

The House passed the bill 7129. It needs approval from the Senate before it heads to Gov JeffLandry’sdesk.

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Colleges are turning to oral exams to combat AI

BY JOCELYN GECKER AP education writer

The assignment involves no laptop, no chatbot and no technology of any kind. In fact, there’s no pen or paper either

Instead, students in Chris Schaffer’s biomedical engineering class at Cornell University are required to speak directly to an instructor in what he calls an “oral defense.”

It’s a testing method as old as Socrates and making a comeback in the AI age. A growing number of college professors say they are turning to oral exams, and combining a variety of old-fashioned and cutting-edge techniques to help address a crisis in higher education.

“You won’t be able to AI your way through an oral exam,” says Schaffer, who introduced the oral defense last semester

Educators are no longer naively wondering if students will use generative AI to do their homework for them. A big question now is how to determine what students are actually learning.

College instructors across the U.S. are noticing troubling new trends as generative artificial intelligence becomes more sophisticated. Take-home essays and other written assignments are coming back perfect. But when students are asked to explain their work they can’t. The long-term impact of AI use on critical thinking remains to be seen, but educators worry that students increasingly see the hard work of thinking as optional.

In-person tests

At the University of Pennsylvania, Emily Hammer, an associate professor of Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures, now pairs oral with wri in

says. “That’s not why we’re doing this We’re doing this because students are actually losing skills, losing cognitive capacity and creativity.”

Hammer forbids AI use on all writing assignments but tells her class she knows she can’t enforce that. However, if they haven’t written their papers themselves, defending the material face-to-face will likely be “a very stressful situation.”

Hammer’s class is part of “a massive shift toward in-person assessments,” both written and oral, at Penn, says Bruce Lenthall, executive director of the school’s Center for Teaching and Learning.

The Ivy League school is one of a small but growing number of universities that have started running faculty workshops on oral exams.

Oral exams are not traditionally part of the modern American undergraduate system, unlike certain European universities. For instance, in the Oxbridge tutorial system in England, students meet faculty for weekly discussions

Some U.S. colleges saw a move toward oral exams during the COpandemic addr

During the pandemic, engineering professor Huihui Qi launched a three-year study at the University of California, San Diego on how to scale oral exams. Several universities have since invited her to provide faculty workshops or discuss her research.

Fight ‘fire with fire’

At New York University, several types of oral assessments are on the rise. More faculty are requiring office hours, assigning presentations and cold-calling on students in class. Instructors are saying, “I need to look my students in the eye and ask, ‘Do you know this material?’” says Clay Shirky, vice provost for AI and technology in education.

One NYU professor has put a modern spin on the traditional oral test.

Panos Ipeirotis, a professor at NYU’s Stern School of Business, unveiled an AI-powered oral exam last semester for the final exam in a class on AI product management. He calls it “fighting fire with fire.”

Students log in from home at any time that fits their schedule. voice cloned from business

dent’s name and school ID number and then says, “I’m ready to conduct your exam today.”

The chatbot starts with questions about a final group project and drills into details based on each student’s answers. If the student stumbles, the AI agent gives them clues, along with criticism and positive feedback Ipeirotis grades the exams separately, also with the help of AI.

“We wanted to check: Do you know what your team did? Were you a free rider? Did you outsource everything to AI?” says Ipeirotis, who designed the tool with ElevenLabs, a company that develops generative AI voice agents to conduct job interviews.

Students in the class this semester are redesigning the AI agent to smooth out some kinks, and Ipeirotis plans to use it in all his future classes.

“I want oral exams everywhere now I want to pair it with every single written assignment,” says Ipeirotis. “I don’t trust written assignments anymore to be the result of actual thinking.”

Feedback from students last semester was mixed.

Business major Andrea Liu found the chatbot’s voice to be surprisingly human, but the conversation felt choppy with odd pauses It asked multiple questions at once, which was confusing. And it was jarring to hear a voice but not see a person.

“It felt kind of awkward to be talking to what was pretty much a blank screen,” says Liu, 21.

But, she agreed with worried educators: “There is no perfect world where AI exists and kids are not abusing it.”

Schools see benefits

Across the humanities and STEM disciplines, like computer science, educators worry that students who skip the mental struggle that is necessary for problem solving won’t develop the skills they need advance in -level classes

fense in his biomedical engineering class. He requires students to sign up for 20-minute sessions of Socratic-style questioning after submitting written problem sets, which are assigned several times each semester With a class of 70 students, Schaffer splits the job with his teaching assistants. They no longer grade the written problem sets, just the oral defenses. He calls it “incentivizing” his students to do the work, or at least understand it enough to explain.

Schaffer’s class is highlighted in a new “Oral Assessment Workshop” offered by Cornell’s Center for Teaching Innovation.

Other examples at Cornell: a religious studies professor who now holds 30-minute “final conversations” with students instead of a final exam; and another engineering course where the professor gives four-minute mock interviews to each student in a 180-person class.

Skeptics point out oral exams can be unsettling for students who are shy or have serious anxiety, but clarifying the format ahead of time and starting with softball questions can help, says Carolyn Aslan, who leads Cornell’s oral exam training.

“Sometimes it’s actually good to get that quiet student one-on-one, and you finally get to hear from them. Sometimes that is the breakthrough,” Aslan says.

Several of Schaffer’s students say they felt nervous at first but ended up preferring the oral exam.

“I honestly liked it a lot,” says Cornell junior Olivia Piserchia, a biomedical engineering major She initially found the oral defense nerve-wracking but came to value the one-on-one time with instructors. It kept her from feeling lost in a large class and helped her build the skill of articulating her technical knowledge, as she would need to in a job.

“Having that live check-in holds you accountable,” says Piserchia. lot harder look le i

BY MANU FERNANDEZ and GIOVANNA DELL’ORTO Associated Press

MONTORO, Spain One religious brotherhood’srefusal to include women in its Holy Week procession has made front-page news in Spain, whose Easter-time festivities dating backcenturies are amongthe most fervently celebrated in the world.

The exclusion is the exceptioninthe Catholic processionsthat have been unfolding across the country.They vary from hourslong versionsthatattract tens of thousands of faithfuland tourists in major cities like Sevilleto village affairs that speak more intimately to family and tradition

There was indignation at the controversy unfolding in Sagunto, where amajority of the Puríssima Sang de Nostre Senyor Jesucrist brotherhood’smembers voted to exclude women and said their decision was based on “respect for tradition.” The news triggered protestsfromthe government as well as inthe streets.

Holy Week processions in Spain are elaborate affairs that take months to prepare, peaking inthe early hours of Good Friday,one of

the most solemn days. Brotherhoods organize the groups thatfor hours carry theheavy floats withstatues, sometimes up to half a dozen of them representing scenes from the Gospels’ accounts of Jesus’ passion anddeath, like Judas’ betrayingkissonthe Mount of Olives.

Women aresometimes “portadoras,” carrying the floats on theirshoulders.

In Baena, ahilltop hamlet of whitewashed homes amongAndalusia’s olivegroves, eyelashes lushly covered inmascara wereseen through thepurplehoods of women carrying aflower-decked float with astatue of Jesusinprayer

In Montoro, another village in the same province of Córdoba, amember of alocal brotherhood said men and women should have equal roles, especially since thesacred images carried in procession include both the Virgin Mary and Jesus “In my house Ihave threedaughters, with my wifethat’sfour, andwith me we’re five— andthe wholefamily takes part,” added Ricardo Ruano, whoon Holy Thursdaywas a“costalero,” one of therobed people carrying largefloats on the base of theirneck “Wewait for this the whole year,because it’sour favorite.”

Several “portadoras” in Montoro said they were indignant at thecontroversy in Sagunto.

“Weaswomen have thesame right

as aman to go out in the procession,” saidone, Rosa de la Cruz.“We don’t go in aprocession so that people look at us, we participate so thattheysee theimage.”

Many in the village devoted their HolyWeek prayers to the victims of adevastating train accident outside anearbytownthatkillednearly four dozen people in January

Even as Spain, likemost of Europe, is increasingly secular,interest keeps growing in participatinginprocession roles, said Juan Carlos González Faraco, aUniversity of Huelva professor. He has studied religioustraditions in Andalusia,including the El Rocío pilgrimageatthe end of the Easter season.

Historically male, brotherhoods have been including women in both leadershipand processional roles for decades,headded. That’sespecially true in the lines of often hooded “penitents”who march alongside the floats, though some of theheaviest floats are still carried only by men

In Montoro, Mari Carmen Lopez said physical strengthmight vary, but men and women share the same feeling.

“Wegowith faith, with devotion, withall our hearts,” she said as her brotherhood’sfloat madeits way throughthe village’suphill alleys Men who disregard that, she added, “don’trealize theywere born of a woman.”

Collapse of Tokyo’s cherry blossomtrees raises safety concerns

MARI YAMAGUCHI and MAYUKOONO

Associated Press

TOKYO— Many of Tokyo’s popular and iconic Somei Yoshino cherry blossom trees were plantedduring Japan’s postwar advancement in the 1960s,and arenow getting old and frail.

Somehave fallen and many others requiresupport, triggering safety concern as the Japanese celebrate the season of their favorite flower Twocherry blossom trees collapsedonThursday, oneat KinutaPark in downtown Tokyo andthe other at the Chidorigafuchi greenway.The one in Kinuta Park damaged afence while the other tree almost fellinto theImperial Palace moat,though nobody was injured. Thetree in Kinuta Park was59feet talland 8.2 feet in diameter.Itwas amongthe oldest, believed to be more than 60 years old, officials said.InMarch,anotherold cherry treecollapsed at the park, injuring apasserby Last year,85trees fell in Tokyo parks, injuring three people, and manywere cherry trees, according to Masakazu Noguchi, aTokyo metropolitan official in charge of public parks.

People gather under the trees during the season of hanami, or cherry blossom viewing, and the collapse of trees has alarmed officials in Tokyo, the birthplace of the cherry blossom variety Tokyoassembly member Yutaka Kazama expressed concernonsocial media last monththat“cherry blossom trees withtheir roots partially exposed or obviously rotten (at Kinuta park) seem dangerous,” calling forfirm safety measures but without quickly resorting to tree felling.

Aging and erosion by internal fungusgrowth are among

the main causes for the deterioration of the cherry blossom trees.

Atree doctor,Hiroyuki Wada, said heavy tilting, holes or mushrooms growingatthe bottom aresigns to look for in order to avoidrisk-prone trees. Risks increase when tree trunks retainwater after rain, he said.

“Many trees in ourdaily lives were planted soon after the warand are now 70-80 years old and getting weaker,” he said,addingthatthey are affected by extreme heat in thesummerand an extensive dryseason

“I hope people think about the climatechangethrough what’shappening to the cherry blossom trees, which is very symbolic,” he said. Following the Marchincidents,officials conducted tree health checks at Tokyo’smain parks ahead of the cherry blossom viewing season. At the Kinuta Park,officials have conducted preliminary inspections of more than 800 cherry trees. They chopped down anumber of trees and postedwarning signsnear some trees but the tree that fell Thursday was without caution signs.

“At the moment, our measures are mostly temporary, notfundamental steps such as replanting,” Noguchi said. “Wecall on visitors to use caution because we cannot say it’ssafe even after inspection.”

At the Inokashira Park, oneofTokyo’s most popular viewing spots, dozens of aging cherry blossom treesortheir branches have been choppeddown in recentyears as part of asafe tree regeneration plan and for safety.Somepeople lamented on social media the empty spaces around apond that used to be seamlessly encircledbyfloweringpink blossoms.

Plenty of treats to eat at Festival

Crawfish boats, alligator bites and more available at booths

BY JOANNA BROWN Staff writer

There’s nothing better than a fresh crawfish boat, free music and the company of thousands of your closest friends at Louisiana’s premiere international music festival.

Festival International de Louisiane is almost set to take over downtown Lafayette April 22-26,

along with more than two dozen restaurants and bakeries participating in Festival this year If this will be your first time, know that the crawfish boats from Bon Creole are always a big seller, as are specialties like sweet potato beignets from Poor Boy’s Riverside Inn, or the “World Famous Cuban Sandwich” from Cafe Habana City.

There is something for every-

one near all the Festival stages — so it’s best to go prepared.

Check out this list of food vendors from across Acadiana that will have booths at Festival International this year.

Aww Shucks

Scène Francosphère CODOFIL

Chicken tenders, $10

Fried oysters, $12

Fried turkey wing, $12

Garlic crab fries, $14

Business leader appointed to council seat

Mayor names Goodwin to vacant spot

BY JOEL THOMPSON Staff writer

Jakob Goodwin, president of the Scott Chamber of Commerce, is set to fill a vacant seat on the Scott City Council.

Goodwin, a Republican who has been a member of the city’s planning commission since 2023, was unanimously approved to fill the District 1 seat during the council’s Wednesday meeting. He was nominated for the position by Scott Mayor Jan-Scott Richard.

The seat became open after Doyle J. Boudreaux was the only person to file to run in the special election for state House District 39 to replace former Rep. Julie Emerson. Emerson resigned after being appointed Gov Jeff Landry’s chief of staff. Since Boudreaux does not have an opponent, the election scheduled to be held on May 16 has been canceled. Boudreaux was sworn into the Legislature last month.

The appointment of Goodwin is temporary until an election to replace Boudreaux is held on Nov 3. Richard said Goodwin’s appointment was necessary for the council to continue conducting business.

“This is so we can continue the work of the city,” Richard said. “Jakob is heavily involved as a SCADA engineer and has been a strong presence in our business community, serving on the local chamber and as chairman of the planning commission.”

Following Goodwin’s appointment, the council approved several ordinances, including those revising fines and penalties for traffic and misdemeanor violations, and amendments to regulations on the transport of trailer homes.

The council also heard remarks from Scott Fire Chief Chad Sonnier, in which he described safety concerns brought out by the department’s difficulty retaining employees. The Scott Fire Department has the second-highest number of fire-related calls in Lafayette Parish, behind only Lafayette; however, it lags behind in starting pay offered to employees. While other similarly-sized communities like Youngsville and Broussard offer full-time positions and starting pay above $15 hour, the Scott Fire Department still operates through mostly volunteer workers that Sonnier says aren’t paid enough to cover expenses.

Sixty-two out of 150 shifts at the department were open in February, according to Sonnier,

Smoked shrimp skewers, $14

Patacón

Scène Francosphère CODOFIL

Mini tres leches cake, $6

Ground beef empanada, $6

Cheese tequenõs, $10

Potatoes & cheese pastelitos, $10

Patacón, $12

Caroline’s Cookies

Scène Francosphère CODOFIL

Brownie sandwich, $4.50

Umami Bites

Scène Ochsner Lafayette Gen-

eral Fais Do Do

Braised pork wonton tacos, $13

Chicken & chorizo wonton tacos, $13

Vietnamese spring rolls, $13

Veggie black bean wonton tacos, $13

FUN RUN

TOP: Kids start the Easter egg hunt at Easter Eggstravaganza on Saturday at the Youngsville Sports Complex.

ABOVE: Kids scramble to fill their baskets with the over 50,000 eggs available during the free Easter Egg hunt presented by Our Savior’s Church, Youngsville and Bon Temps Grill.

LEFT: Kailey Jacob, right, helps her son, Koen Jacob, 11/2, fill his basket.

Community Foundation to highlight Just Imagine plan

Events connect people to the area,

organizers say

BY COURTNEY PEDERSEN Staff writer

Throughout April, the Community Foundation of Southwest Louisiana will be highlighting a 50-year resilience master plan for Calcasieu and Cameron parishes at a variety of events. Just Imagine SWLA was

started in the aftermath of hurricanes Laura and Delta,

is, like a lot of community events that are happening, we’ll be highlighting those, not only because we want people to attend them, but because we want to explain how these events call back to the projects and the plan and what that means for our community,” she said.

Galmarini said Just Imagine SWLA will have a presence at several events in the city throughout the month

of April and highlighted two specific events: This is Home Fest and Mid-City in Motion Day This is Home Fest, presented by Lake Charles Toyota, is an all-day music festival that will be held on April 18 at the Lake Charles Event Center Amphitheatre grounds. Galmarini said the foundation will be demonstrating a third space at the festival. A third space is a welcoming place outside of your

2killedin Evangeline Parish crash H

BY CAITIE ZEILMAN Staff Writer

Twopeople died in aThursday night crash on La. 13 in Evangeline Parish, accordingtoLouisiana State Police.

Thecrash killed 68-year-old Timmy Devillier and 25-year-old Andrew Godeaux, both of Mamou, according to a Saturday news release.

Troopers believe Devillier was traveling north on La. 13 near Mariaun Road around 10:15 p.m. when his 2008 GMC Sierra crossedthe centerline andcollidedhead-onwith Godeaux, who was traveling south in aFord F-150.

Devillier was wearinga seatbelt and Godeaux was not, according to troopers. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.

Toxicology samples were submitted for analysis.

Thecrashremains underinvestigation. Additionaldetails were not immediately available.

State Police remind drivers to always use seat belts and avoid distracted driving.

Email CaitieZeilman at czeilman@theadvocate.com

FOOD

Continued from page1B

Chicken &cilantro potstickers, $14

Pork &ginger potstickers, $14

Lagneaux’s Scène Ochsner Lafayette General Fais Do Do Boudin, $6 Seafood jambalaya,$10

Alligator bites, $12 Seafood au gratin, $12

Shrimp po-boy,$12

KOKWings &Things Scène Wellcare Lafayette

KOK loaded fries (BBQ &Ranch), $8

Glazers (fried Hawaiian rolls), $8 Wings, $10

KOK chickenkrakling, $12

Loaded fish sliders, $12

Clambeaugh’s Scène Wellcare Lafayette Chicken &sausage gumbo, $12 Chicken &sausage jambalaya, $12 Red beans &rice with sausage, $12

Crawfish étouffée, $13

Smothered okra with chicken &sausage, $13

Pho Home

Scène Wellcare Lafayette Vietnamese shrimp & pork egg rolls, $9 Fried shrimp cakes, $10 Dumplings (pork or chicken), $12

Chicken curry with ba-

Historian, musician dies at 67

BY JOHNPOPE Contributing writer

Mark FredricFernandez, ahistoryprofessorwho wasequally at home in theclassroom and on the bandstand at local music clubs, diedTuesday of brain cancer at hisNew Orleans home, his family confirmed.Hewas 67.

Anative New Orleanian, Fernandezhad been aLoyola University professorsince1992. In additiontobeing honored for his scholarship,Fernandezplayed guitar at local clubs, including Chickie WahWah, the Maple Leaf and, most recently,LeBon Temps Roulé, where he performed on Sunday nights with theBon Temps Boys.

He also was aboard member of theTennessee Williams &New OrleansLiterary Festival.Peggy Scott Laborde, aformer festival president, praised Fernandez’s love of music and New Orleans culture.

“He had such alight within him He really glowed,”she said. “He wasall around town,really sharingthat light.”

In additiontohis academic and musical performances, he andhis wife, Dione Ezell Fernandez, were renowned for the “SundayGras” partiestheyheld annually on the weekend before Fat Tuesday Fernandez graduated from BrotherMartinHighSchool. He earned bachelor’sand master’s degrees at theUniversity of New Orleans and adoctorate at The CollegeofWilliam& Mary in Wil-

guette, $13

Shrimp &crawfish fried rice, $14

Sonic Sonic Scènedes Jeunes Single flavors(16 oz.), $5 Signature flavors (16 oz.), $8

RotaryInternational

Sonic Scène des Jeunes Chips,$1 Cookies,&1 Hot dog, $2 BayouBao Co.

LUS LA Craft Biergarten

TheBayou Bao, $10

Veggie dumplings, $12

Korean fried chicken sandwich, $13

Korean fried chicken on mac&cheese, $14

Mimi’sThai Eats

LUS LA Craft Biergarten Chicken on astick, $5

Eggrolls, $5

Papaya salad,$10

Pad Thai, $14

Mimi’sspecial plate, $15

Deuce’sTaste ofthe South LUS LA Craft Biergarten

Brisket bombs, $8

Smoked sausage on a stick, $8

Smoked BBQ sandwich

$10

BBQ loaded fries, $11

Loaded smoked mac & cheese,$11

PoupartBakery

ScèneLUS Internationale

Breadpudding, $8

Crawfishpistolette, $9

Shrimp étouffée in puff pastry, $9

Frenchy cheese steak po-

liamsburg, Virginia

During more than three decades on theLoyola faculty,Fernandez received the university’shighest honor, the DuxAcademicus Award, andwas named the Patricia Carlin O’Keefe Distinguished Professor of History

The Louisiana Historical Association gave him theGarney McGinty Lifetime ServiceAward in 2023

His book“From Chaos to Continuity: Evolution of Louisiana’sJudicial System,1712-1862” earned the Louisiana Literary Award from the Louisiana Library Association.

boy, $12

Shrimp &tasso pasta, $12

Taqueria el Mexicano

ScèneLUS Internationale

Kids quesadilla, $10

Street tacos, $15

Quesadilla,$15

Norbert’sRestaurant

Tributes have poured in to Fernandez’sFacebook page.Anthony LeBlanc,a formerstudent, called Fernandez “the best teacher I ever had. And one of the best humans Ihaveever met. He changed the way Isaw theworld. Fernandez’spassion formusical culture was recognized in 2012, when he was named the seventh annualWoody Guthrie Fellow, an accolade named for the folk-music legend.

Sausage po-boy,$9

Fried fish combo, $10

Andin2024, while Fernandez wasbattling cancer,hewas given the Eastman Residency for the Arts and Humanities. Survivors include his wife; a son, Wesley Fernandez; abrother Barry Fernandez; asister,Cindy Francis; andthree grandchildren Amasswillbesaid on Wednesday at 11 a.m. in theJ.Garic Schoen ChapelatJacob Schoen & SonFuneral Home, 3827 CanalSt. Visitation will begin at 9a.m.

de Cuisine Flaming tuna, $11

Shrimptempura, $11

Creamy crawfish mac & cheese,$11

Fried fish with étouffée, $12

Destination India

Quesabirrias,$15

ScèneLUS Internationale

Boudin, $6

Meat pie, $7

Pork jambalaya,$10

Fried catfish withfries, $11

Crawfish étouffée with friedfish,$14

Poor Boy’sRiverside Inn

ScèneLUS Internationale

Sweet potato beignet balls,$7

Fish taco with fries, $11

Alligator balls with fries, $12

Grilled gatorbites with fries, $12

Crabcake balls with fries, $14

Geauxsicles

Amazon Music Pavillon de Cuisine

Classiccrantastic,$5

Classic strawberry chance, $5

Classicsummertime, $5

Premium: Mojito, $6

Premium: FeaturedFestival Flavor,$6

Fezzo’s

Amazon Music Pavillon de Cuisine

Breadpudding with rum sauce,$7

Wednesday after the District 1seat was left vacant following Doyle J. Boudreaux’s election to the Louisiana House of Representatives.

Amazon Music Pavillon de Cuisine

Samosa,$7.50

Cauliflower 65,$9

Chicken65, $10

Butterchicken with rice, $12

Chicken biryani, $12

Bon Creole

Amazon Music Pavillon de Cuisine

Red beans &rice with sausage, $8

Crawfishpo-boy,$12

Crawfish spinach boat, $12

Shrimp po-boy, $12

Jambalaya by Shake

Amazon Music Pavillon de Cuisine

Shrimpaugratin balls, $8

Boudin balls,$8

Chicken &sausagegumbo,$8

Chicken &sausage jambalaya, $8

Seafood gumbo,$8

Blu Basil

Amazon Music Pavillon de Cuisine

Fried eggrolls,$10

Fried dumplings, $11

Sriracha kimchi fries, $12

Pineapple shrimp fried rice,$12

Poké Geaux

Amazon Music Pavillon

FOUNDATION

Continuedfrom page1B

home or work,where you can gather,connect and build community, she said.

“A lot of timesit’slike empty spaces between buildings or something likethat, thatare not that, are just sitting there, not being used for anything, that people can kind of redevelop and make it like an outdoor living room,” Galmarini said.

“We’re going to be out therenearwherethe festival is taking place, and we’ll have an outdoor living room set up for the day.

Galmarinisaid that while the setup will demonstrateathird space, it will also give them the opportunity to discuss the Just Imagine SWLAplan with others.

Mid-City in Motion Day

Mid-CityinMotion Day is an event being hosted by the city of Lake Charles,Lake Charles Mid-City Transformation, Simon and UrbanStrategiesInc.,from10a.m.to noon on April 25 in the green space behind Prien

Wasabi coast, $11

Zesty salmon, $11

Cajun Bowl,$12

Mandez’sSeafood

Amazon Music Pavillon de Cuisine

Beignet fries, $10

Cajun garlic street corn, $10

Voodoo crawfish rolls, $13

Duck empanadas,$15

Five Mile Eatery

Amazon Music Pavillon de Cuisine

Chia pudding cup, $8

Spring salad, $10

3Bean Bowl,$10

Bayou Bahn Mi, $13

BBQ burger sliders, $15

Cafe Habana City

Amazon Music Pavillon de Cuisine

Cuban tamale, $6

World Famous Cuban Sandwich, $11

MediaNoche (Midnight Sandwich), $11

RopaVieja (Cuban shredded beef), $13

Zeus Amazon Music Pavillon de Cuisine BomBom fries,$9

Chicken shawarma wrap, $13 Falafel wrap, $13

Gyro wrap,$13

Spicy chicken wrap,$13

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

Lake Mall.

The event is about the transformation of the Mid-CityNeighborhood, which is apartofthe Just Imagine SWLA plan.

“This event is for people to go out and give feedback about the new parkthat they’re going to design forthat neighborhood, and then all of the neighborhood features that people want to see, kind of outside of the housing development, but in thelargerneighborhood area,” Galmarini said. It’sa big engagement event to get people involved in theplanning process of the amenities that will be available once the neighborhood is done, shesaid.

LOTTERY FRIDAY,APRIL3,2026

PICK 3: 9-8-2

PICK 4: 5-8-3-4

THE GULF COAST

Poweredparagliding creating abuzzonthe beach

Pilotcoasting the coastparamotoring

BY MARTHA SANCHEZ Staff writer

On the beach beside his home, Robbie Cole straps a70-pound engine to his back, runs to inflatehis paraglider and starts soaring high above Mississippi’scoastline.

“It’sincredibly liberating, Cole, an airline pilot, said as he studied the waves one recent day in Pass Christian, Mississippi. “It is afeeling like no other.”

The sport, called paramotoring or powered paragliding, is luring pilots from aroundthe South to Gulf Coast beaches for picturesque views and pristine flying conditions. It is also growing fast across the country

The pastime is creating astir Local governments are weighing new rules about where paramotor pilots can fly.Attendance has risen so much at one paramotor event in Georgia that organizers recently announced thegathering would end because it has outgrown its venue.

Aviation groups estimate there are now 30,000 paramotorpilots

flying across the world.

On the Gulf Coast, public knowledge of the sportisgrowing as the region’spopulationrises and tourism increases. Cole met many new pilots last summer and expects more will arrive in Pass Christian this year as the weather starts warming.

Some Florida Panhandle instructors are even considering marketing tandem flights to growing crowds of visitors Beachgoers are filming pilots andposting their ownvideos to socialmedia in awe. Others are complaining about loud, low-flying motors.

“Wethink it’sthe coolest thing ever,but thereare people on the beachgoing,‘Dude,I’m on vacation, leave me alone,” said Danny DeWitt, an insurance adjuster and powered paragliding instructor in Pensacola Beach, Florida. “We have to guard against that, andnot annoy people.”

Robbie Cole, a pilot, began flying in Pass Christian, Miss., several years ago and is meeting more pilots whovisit the coast to enjoy flying conditions.

Pilots saythe Gulf Coast’sappeal is significant. The air is warm enough to fly almost year-round. If

amotor malfunctions, pilots can glide to safety on sand instead of careening toward buildings or forests.

Inland pilots often fly in the early morning andevenings whenthe winds are less turbulent. But pilotsonthe Gulf Coast canusually launch any time of day because of thesmooth breeze blowing offthe water

“There are no bumps,”said Jayson Calton, an instructor in northeast Mississippi who sometimesbringsstudents to trainon the coast. “It’slike being on the smoothest blacktop you’ve ever drove on.”

The sport requiresprecise knowledge of weather, aerodynamics and federalregulations.

Flights can go wrong quickly Apilot in Florida nearly tumbled from 5,000 feet in the air in Janu-

ary after several lines snapped on her paraglider and forced her to unfurl abackup. Firefighters rescued anotherpilotlast November whowas stuckina 50-footpalm tree in southern California. Incident reportsfromthe U.S.Powered Paragliding Associationlist several recentfatal crashes and dozens more near-tragedies.

Still, pilots say safetyisincreasing andtechnology on motors and paragliders is advancing.

The sport draws manypilots withmilitaryand airline backgrounds, butisalso attracting newcomers with no aviationexperience.

Training andequipment usually cost new pilots several thousand dollars.

“It is pretty much the cheapest form of aviation,” said Dalton Lindsay,aBaton Rouge-based pilot whoflies near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, afew times each year.“If youwant to do it, you can.”

Pilots describe the experience as relaxing, freeing and consuming. They monitor winds and weather like surfers watch waves. In Florida,theysometimessee sharks in the clear water

“All my life in my dreams, in themiddle of the night, Idream sometimes that I’m flying,” said Neal Smith, from Montgomery Alabama. He hasbeen flying in Pensacola Beach for more than a decade and hasthe phrase “live for the thrill” tattooed across his biceps.

“WhenIfinally took up paramotorflying yearsago,” he said, “it’s kind of close to the dreams that I would have.”

Cole beganflying in Pass Christiana few years ago after he drove along the beach highway one day andnoticed agroup of paramotor pilots. He pulled over and watched themflyfor half an hour.Thenhe went home andstartedwatching flights on YouTube “I was intrigued,”hesaid. “I was justtotally caught up in it. The morevideos Iwatched, the more Iwantedtodoit.”

OUR VIEWS

TheEaster messageis oneofhope in an uncertain world

Editor’snote:This editorial, in modified form, hasmarkedprevious Easterholidays in this newspaper

The Easter story,the victoriousending of a tale of brutal crucifixion,suggeststhatthere’sa powerful answerto the pain andevilthathave touched the world throughouthuman history. That’swhy the Easter narrativecan resonate not only with Christians but in secularsociety, too. Any story of hope is needed now morethan ever,asrecent headlines havereminded us.

On this weekend’sEaster,asonothers, there’s trouble afoot on our anguished planet.The scenesofwar abroad and violence closeto home continue to dominatethe headlines.

And the newspapers of today wouldhave beenfamiliar to our grandparents andgreatgrandparents, as there is once again large-scale warfare in Europe, strife in theMiddle East and unrest in our hemisphere.

We hope for an end to chaos around the globe, butweknow that those ravaged populationswill be in need of resurrection, today’stheme, for many years to come.

All this is pretty grim stuff.

Illness and death are ever-presentparts of the human condition, as the Easter story reminds us.

Yetour capacity to be shocked andhorrified by accounts of violence in ourcommunitiesand around the world is, perhaps, oneofthe more affirming things about the humanspirit. We believe that cruelty is an aberration —thatwe’re made for something better.That brighterspirit has been reflected in neighbors helping neighbors,even under the most difficult conditions. That brighter spirit is present whenever we look around and see the good work being done by ordinary people to betterour communities. Easter is the holiest day in the Christiancalendar,and this Sunday,believers aregathering at theirhouses of worship to prayand reflect on the miracleoflife renewed, when all was thought to be lost. In whatever form, Easter speakstoour basic faith that love will ultimately transcendhate, that good will triumph over evil, that our better angels willprevail,that miracles are possible In theclassic children’sstory “Charlotte’s Web,” author E.B. White suggestedthatbelief in miracles is perhaps notsostrange athing when we consider the presence of theeveryday miracles we take for granted. White waswriting particularly about the life of abarnyard,where the wonders of pigs and ducks andspiders were spectacles so grand —but so routine —thatfew visitors thought of them as special. Spring is like that,too,ofcourse. Afterthe frost and cold of winter,the greening trees and emerging blossoms are an extraordinarything, but they’re avictoryweusually overlook Easter is aday to hold such gifts close to heart, to believe once again in renewal—ofthe world and in ourselves.

OPINION

Thepower of celebratingbirthdays

When mostofusthink of our birthdays, we probably have flashbacks to childhood. When Iwas 3, my parents put together aSnow Whiteand the Seven Dwarfs partyfor me. The icing on the cake (pun intended) besides thelove poured into it —was the Dopey cookie. Mom had all seven of the little guys around the cake, but he was my favorite. Isensed akinship early on. That Dopey memorygets us to akey reason birthdays are big deals: People need to know they are loved and ablessing to theworld. They need to know that it’snot their successes that give them irrevocable value, it’s simply their existence. If you are abeliever in God, we should be seeing God in one another,because he cared tothink of the idea of you and me in the first place. From hanging around the religious service group Sisters of Life, I’ve gotten ataste of what life without birthdays can be like. Someofthe women who come to them are pregnant and in need of friendship, mentorship and away to be themother she already is

What

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

to thedeveloping child within her.Not only does abortion end alife, it also hurtsthe mother and has an impact on others in her life —likely the people she loves themost.

birds in the sky,but also you.

Someofthose samewomen have never had anyone celebrate abirthday for them. How do you embrace new lifeunder challenging and even desperate situations if you have never had people insist to you that your life is agift to them? On agood day, how are you supposed to realize that an inconvenient pregnancy is worth much of anything when many, if not most, mainstream signs tell you that abortion is just another medical procedure? And if you don’t thinkyour life is worth living? Most of us are awareofhow prevalent suicide is in the United States —the federal government has called it apandemic. It may sound simplistic, but birthdays are asolution. Obviouslyjust ababy step —the least we can do forsomeone. Butitcould be acontributor not only keeping people alive, but helping with joy,and aknowledge that the creator of the universe cares not only for theoceans and mountains and various

“I think it is moreimportant to celebrate abirthday than asuccessful exam, apromotion, or avictory,author Henri Nouwen wrote. “Because to celebrate abirthday meanstosay to someone: ‘Thank you forbeing you.’ Celebrating abirthday is exalting life and being glad forit. On abirthday,we do not say: “Thanks forwhat you did or said or accomplished.” No,wesay: “Thank you forbeing born and being among us.”

Let’sface it: Whatever mistakes we’ve madeand challenges we have —itisgood to be alive. It’s not easy But we can be grateful, and we can have joy.And Ipromise you it can be contagious.

It’s not only about remembering and celebrating birthdays. Treat people like every day is their birthday.Buy them flowers. Surprise them with a book on their desk. Remind them their existence makes lifebetter.Ask about birthdates. Put them in your calendar It’s moreimportant than we may ever fully realize.

Email Kathryn Jean Lopez at klopez@ nationalreview.com.

Ihear from readers who want to know more about how we choose topics for our editorials. The column on theleft-hand side of the page, four days a week, is devoted to the paper’s view on issues of the day Editorials can be hard-hitting or light-hearted, but mostly they’re about bringing readers’ attention to something we on theEditorial Boardthink is worthy of comment.

During alegislative session or periods of political upheaval, there are plentyoftopics to write about. And really,there’snever ashortage of topics. On our editorial pages, we view our role as one focused on issues that matter to Louisiana and our local communities. That’snot to say that we’ll never write on national or global issues, but that’snot our primary role. We read and discuss thebiggest news stories of the day as an Editorial Boardand decide which ones we feel

thepaper should weigh in on. Sometimes we weigh in when we thinkthe publicisn’taware of what’shappening. Sometimes we’re writing to let officials know we’re watching. Some people call editorials “the voice of the paper,” and as that voice, we know we have aresponsibility to call it like we see it.

Butinwriting editorials, we want to bring context and insight to theissue, not just harangue the reader with blistering words tearing down people and institutions. There certainly is atime and place forthat. Traditionally,the editorials in newspapers have been thespot to see someharsh takedowns of unscrupulous politicians or other skullduggery.But perhaps themost famous editorial ever written was not acriticism,but adefense, in this case, of childhood wonder.That’s why “Yes, Virginia, there is aSanta Claus,” which was published in The New York Sun in 1897 remains aholiday favorite.

While we don’tknow if any of our editorials will ever match that level of notoriety,wedosometimes try with our editorials to touch achord with readers. There is so much that makes where we live and whoweare in Louisiana special that we hope that is reflected on our pages —aswell as our customary inclination to hold public figures to account. We write with purpose. We hope you read our editorials and see we understand the history of our state and care about its future. If we point out awrong or praise an initiative, it’sbecause we care. We want you to know that we’re just as invested as you are in making Louisiana better Given the holiday,I don’thave an update on the letters forthe week. But we’ll be looking foryour letters as usual, and if you have acomment on our editorials, please let us know Email Arnessa Garrett at arnessa.garrett@theadvocate.com

AMERICA 250

A CONVERSATION AT THE NEW ORLEANS BOOK FESTIVAL AT TULANE UNIVERSITy

Can Americans come together in this moment?

Panel of historians and scholars discusses the country’s divisions at a milestone birthday

On the opening night of the New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University on March 12, a group of historians and scholars discussed the meaning of the 250th anniversary of America in this fraught time. The speakers were moderator Jeffrey Goldberg, editor of The Atlantic; historical documentarian Ken Burns, whose latest film series is titled “The American Revolution;“ Walter Isaacson, biographer and professor at Tulane, whose latest book is “The Greatest Sentence Ever Written”; poet and scholar Clint Smith, author of “How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning With the History of Slavery Across America;” and Annette Gordon-Reed, who wrote “The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family.”

This conversation has been edited and condensed for space and clarity. The full conversation is available on YouTube. Go to https://bookfest.tulane.edu for more information about the festival.

GOLDBERG: We’re going to talk about the upcoming 250th anniversary celebration of American independence. And three of the four of us on this stage are old enough to remember the bicentennial.

We remember the tall ships and the fireworks and the hot dogs, and even though it was coming right after Watergate, it was a very different feeling than what we have now. It seemed as if most of the questions about America had been sort of settled Ken, what’s different now?

BURNS: I started this project, our documentary series on the history of the American Revolution, when Barack Obama still had 13 months to go in his presidency So I feel in a way like I’ve been run over by the present.

That is to say, there was a huge amount of attention to the centennial in 1876, also a very complicated year And I do remember the Bicentennial really well, and it was notable for the fact that it didn’t in any way correlate to what we’d been through — the Vietnam era, searing civil rights assassinations. There were hundreds of bombings that had taken place from ‘69 to ‘75 or so. A president had resigned. There was a crippling oil crisis. It was amazingly disconnected, because I think in a way, people had assumed we’d arrived, and everything was just going to be adding layers of positivity to it.

So when we began this, we felt, though in much even more complicated times, that the film that we would be telling would be all right We worried that this coming July 4 would be drowning in fife-anddrum treacle, and we were hopeful that our film might come out, as it did last November, in a way that would offer a kind of counterpoint that would be more complicated And now we’re, of course, arguing about the very meaning of it. About whose history is included and all of that stuff.

And there’s a palpable sense, I think, that is actually ripe for a positive response, because everything is so fraught. The moment feels existential. The threats seem, as they always do in the present, worse than they’ve ever been

The Revolution tells us that’s not true. The Civil War tells us that’s not true. Reconstruction tells us that’s not true. Vietnam and many other periods…

GOLDBERG: History has a strangely calming effect also, knowing the history

BURNS: There is a kind of calming effect And I think that for people who study the past or understand some of the perspectives that an understanding of the past gives you, it helps you Unfinished business

GOLDBERG: Walter, I want to come to you, this idea of the unfinished revolution, I guess the question I have this year is how unfinished is it?

WALTER ISAACSON: When you look at the Declaration of Independence, and I’ve written about that second sentence — that “we hold these truths to be selfevident” sentence you realize it was not a finished description of the nation, but a forcing mechanism and a mission statement, an aspiration of what we could be.

And fourscore and seven years after the founders write that, Lincoln invokes it, saying “a nation conceived in liberty and dedicated the proposition that all men are created equal.” And he wasn’t just giving a speech at Gettysburg. He was consecrating a burial ground, a cemetery there in which young men were being buried for having tried to make that sentence a little bit more true.

And so I think that’s why going back to the founding aspirations and using those as a way to bring us together, not glorifying or sugarcoating it, but also not demeaning the journey that we have been on.

And American history is a narrative in fits and starts. Sometimes progresses, sometimes regresses, but the narrative is to take those founding principles and even that sentence, which not only Lincoln invokes, but it’s in the Seneca [Falls] Declaration of rights for women when they do it.

It’s Martin Luther King’s last speech. It’s LBJ when he signs a civil rights bill.

Fears and hopes

GOLDBERG: Clint, look, you’re a scholar and a writer but you’re also — and I use this word under advisement now — a warrior, in the sense that you are legitimately fighting for the preservation of memory, but the advancement of memory I think a lot of people are surprised that generally accepted memories are so controversial. Now, talk a little bit about this fight. Sometimes you’re writing about it through the prism of institutions, the Smithsonian Institution being obviously one extremely important one, but talk about this fight and talk about things that might have surprised you about this kind of war on accepted memory

SMITH: I think that I’ve been struck by how explicit it is, how direct it is. If we take slavery, for example, our president famously posted in a Truth Social post that the Smithsonian spends too much time thinking about and talking about slavery It spends too much time talking about these sad things these depressing things. It should be more uplifting. He has all these executive orders thinking about what a patriotic education is and that we should be teaching a patriotic education in our curriculums and higher ed, that our museums should reflect notions of patriotism. And what we know is that he has a very narrow sense of what constitutes patriotism. For me and for so many of us who think about the past America is a place that has provided unparalleled, unimaginable opportunity for millions of people across generations in ways that their own ancestors could have simply never imagined. It has also done so at the direct expense of millions and millions of other people who have been intergenerationally subjugated and oppressed, and both of those things, both of those things are the story of America. It’s not this one over here or that one over there. You have to pick this one and not pick that one. Both of those things reflect the totality, the complexity, the cognitive dissonance of this country

If we think about ourselves, I’m a person who has done things in my life that I am proud of, and I am a person who has done things in my life that I’m not proud of. I’ve made mistakes because I’m human, and what I try to teach my children and the way that I try to be in community with my loved ones is that if you make a mistake, you don’t pretend as if you didn’t make a mistake. You don’t pretend as if that mistake doesn’t exist. What you do is you try to acknowledge it and learn from it and become a better version of yourself because of it.

And if that’s the standard I hold myself to, if that’s the standard I hold my children to, why would that not be the same standard that I hold this country to?

GOLDBERG: Annette, I wanted to ask you to talk a little bit about the way to expand upon what Clint is talking about — the way in which you’re seeing people, different political factions, deal with the complicated realities of American history

GORDON-REED: I think a lot of it stems from, well, fear A sense that it’s a zero-sum game.

If you recognize the struggles that some groups

have had, and you try to make recompense for this in whatever way or try to fix the law so that everyone is treated equally, that means that they will lose something. So I think a lot of it has to do with a fear of the loss of privilege, and we just haven’t communicated to one another that there’s enough for everybody That we can be Americans, and we can strive together, and we can all prosper

And we’ve always had this duality in the country from the very beginning: the people who believed in the ideals of the Declaration and people who didn’t. And at various moments, the politics work out so that one side is an ascendancy, and we’re in the ascendancy now of people who don’t believe in America as a creed.

So, I think a lot of it has to do with, as I said at the beginning, fear, and seeing everything as a zero-sum game.

GOLDBERG: Now I want to ask all four of you how you would love to see America recognize its 250th birthday I want you to talk about your own version of patriotism. Ken, you wanna start? Talk about what you would imagine 250 would look like?

BURNS: We have in our editing room and have had for decades, this neon sign that says, in lowercase cursive, “it’s complicated” and that’s it. What we live in is a world in which everything is a binary and real life is not like that.

This is the city that invented jazz, and jazz is so filled with this passionate acknowledgment of the moment. “This is” is what jazz says, and it takes in all of the things that we are. Wynton Marsalis, a son of this city, said in our film, “Sometimes a thing and the opposite of a thing can be true at the same time.” And I think what my idea of what this should be is to embrace that sort of complication.

ISAACSON: You began this panel by talking about the bicentennial, and saying we had just gone through Watergate and Vietnam and the assassinations of Kennedy and King and the urban riots and everything that happened. And then they rang the Liberty Bell, Gerald Ford did, and the tall ships came into our harbors and the fireworks went off, and we healed; we calmed down a bit as a nation. So my hope would be that even as we deeply disagree on different things, we realize we’re all part of this country and that if we can hang together, as they said 250 years ago, we will have the first thing ever on this planet, which is a diverse democracy And so what we could do is we could get up each morning and say, “What can I do each day, every single way, to turn down the hatred and vitriol that gets stoked up in our society?”

Final challenge

SMITH: I try to remind myself to get off my phone. Because if your politics only exists in your phone or manifest themselves through your social media, you will think that everybody is crazy You will think that it’s either you’re with me or you’re against me, that there’s no in between. So, I think the more that we can remember that the digital ecosystem that we live in is distorting our sense of who one another are it allows us to have like a bit more empathy, a bit more humility And again, it’s not going to solve everything. It’s not a panacea. But I try to extend to others the same grace and generosity that throughout so much of my life has been extended to me.

GORDON-REED: What I would hope is what has been said already It’s an interesting moment, though. This is probably the first time that I thought more about the grievances of the Declaration of Independence than the preamble. And the importance of all Americans doing their duty as citizens and being vigilant, not just on social media, but in their communities, on local school boards, all of those kinds of things. Because we’re at a really interesting moment. The question Franklin was asked whether it’s apocryphal or not, the story of it’s a republic if we could keep it — that’s a legitimate question to ask now And the key is people not the individual president, not just the Congress — the actual people of the United States who are going to decide whether this republican experiment is going to continue.

LINE ’EMUP

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

When we last saw the UL offensive line, the unit was in shambles because of abrutal rash of injuries duringthe 2025 season.

Making matters worse, startingleft tackle Bryant Williamsdidn’tfinish the seasonwith the team after entering the transfer portal.

The number of offensive line injuries reached doublefigures, including some that required offseason surgery,sohaving enough bodies to put on atraditional spring football gamewas off the table.

But halfway through the springsession, UL coachMichael Desormeauxsaid

things arelooking up alongthe offensive line. Veteran tackle George Jackson and center Cooper Fordhamhavebeen sidelined this spring, but there’slight at the end of the tunnel.

After reviewing last year’schaos, the UL coaching staff elected not to alterits approach in the trenches.

“Last year was the firstyear I’ve everexperienced anything like that,” Desormeaux said. “I mean, we didn’t changethe waywepracticed last year for allthatstuff to happen. Imean, it’s football. It happens sometimes.

“Wewentback andlooked at allthe injuries anditwas adifferentarray of things.Ifthere was acommon theme, maybethere’s something there, but it is

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

LSU baseball has leaned on its freshmen more than manyanticipated heading into this season The Tigers were expected to be aveteran-laden group in 2026, withmultiple starters backfrom anational championship-winning team and the addition of 10 players from the transfer portal. But LSU has turned to ahandful of young players to fill important roles through the first half of the season. Here’salook at where each freshman stood beforethisweekend’sseries against Tennessee.

what it is. We’re going to practice hard, because Ithink we have to.”

So far, there have been some encouragingsigns.Redshirt sophomore Zay Alexandermissedall of last season whileinjuredbut hasperformedwellin the spring, as hasTulanetransferJayce Mitchell.

“I thinkJayce is playing really well, and Zay is playing well,” Desormeaux said.

For manyofthe younger linemen pressed into dutylast season because of the plethora of injuries—such as redshirt freshmanBaylynn Williams, redshirt sophomore Ryder Bentley and redshirt junior Andrew Martinez— thelearning

James Borrego has preached all season long abouthis team’sresiliency andthe players notdropping the proverbial sword.

Well, that sword shattered into pieces on thefloor of Sacramento’sGolden1 Center on Fridaynight.

Emotions high as UL baseball dropsseries vs.JMU

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

The UL Ragin’ Cajuns were hoping to bounce back Saturday from agamethat gotawayFridayagainst James Madison in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

TheCajunssurrendered agametying, two-run homer in the eighth and then strandedthe bases loaded with no outs in the 11th only to lose in the bottom half on athrowing error Friday night.

UL also wonderedwhether an emotional coach Matt Deggs getting thrown out in the fourth inning Saturday might spark the offense. Neither happened.

Instead, the Dukes scored three runs in thefirst inning andnever looked back in a5-1 winSaturday over the Cajuns in the series finale.

UL dropped to 19-13 overall and 4-8 in Sun Belt play,while the Dukes are now 15-15 and 6-6 on the season.

James Madison jumped on UL starter Ty Roman forthree runs in the first behind Reece Moody’sRBI single and a two-run single from IkeSchmidly Things then got crazy in the top of the fourth. Maddox Mandino led off the inning with atapper to first base. The routine play proved otherwise when Mandino lowered his shoulder and collided with first baseman Wyatt Campbell in the baseline. The umpires quickly kept both teams separated, but ablowup took place while the umpireswerereviewing to seewhetherMandino should be ejected During that delay,itappeared someonefrom theJames Madison dugout toldDeggs something he didn’tlike,and he promptlycharged the Dukes’ dugout while yelling. Once order was restored, both Mandino and Deggs were ejected. Unfortunatelyfor the Cajuns,itdid little to help as they finished with just five hits.

James Madison’s first of five relievers TylerLutzgot thewin after givingup one run on four hits, one walk and one strikeout over 32/3 innings. UL was in positiontododamageinthe eighth likethe Dukes did Friday when walks to Noah Lewis, DonovanLaSalle and Colt Brownloaded the bases with a sacrifice bunt in between. ButLewis wasgunneddownatthe

Ateam still trying to win games because it has no draft picks lost to a tanking team that threw in the towel months ago.

The Pelicansblew a17-point lead to theSacramento Kings in a117-113 loss. Just two weeksremoved from afive-game winning streak that may have made observers think they were figuring things out, thePels now have lost sevenstraight games.

This latest onecame against the team with the third-worst record in the league

“Wegaveupthree30-point quarters defensively,”Borrego said. “I thought that was thegame. Bottom line.”

The Pelicansled 30-21 at theend of thefirst quarter andthenfollowed that up by giving up 34, 30 and32points over thenextthree quarters.

The Kings have atradition of lighting apurple victory beam after wins. Theyhaven’t lit the beam much this season,but they gotachancetoonFriday.Atthe same time, they dimmed the last

flickeroflight the Pelicans had this season. The Pelicans (25-53) are guaranteed to finish with less than 30 wins for the second season in a row.It’sthe first time in franchise history they’ve put together backto-back seasons with less than 30 victories. That’sthe bad news. Here’sthe good news: There are only four more gamestowatch, including two at theSmoothie King Center

The Pelicans host the Orlando Magic on Sunday and the Utah Jazz on Tuesday,then hit the road Friday and Sunday against the Boston Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves, respectively “Just keep competing,” Borrego said after Friday’sloss. “That’s the bottom line. Sprint through the finish line. Don’tgive in. The goal is to go win two games at home right now.” Borrego said earlier in the week that there have been no discussions to sit any players. But at

8 a.m. RSSB vs. Nairobi City NBATV 11 a.m. Petro de Luanda vs. J’burg NBATV BOWLING

3 p.m. PBA Tour: Ohio Classic CW COLLEGE BASEBALL Noon Missouri at Kentucky SECN

5 p.m. Southern Cal at UCLA BTN

4:30

7 p.m. NIT Champ.: Tulsa vs.Auburn ESPN2

2:30 p.m. NCAA Champ.: S.Carolina vs.UCLA ABC

COLLEGE LACROSSE

11 a.m. Virginia at Duke ACCN

11 a.m. Rutgers at Michigan BTN

1

1:30 p.m. Michigan at Northwestern BTN

3 p.m. Clemson at Virginia Tech ACCN

3 p.m. Auburn at Arkansas SECN

5 p.m. Notre Dame at Florida St. ACCN GOLF

7 a.m Drive Chip & Putt Finals Golf

Noon PGA: Valero Texas Open Golf

1:30 p.m. PGA: Valero Texas Open NBC

4 p.m. LPGA: Aramco Championship

12:40

3:30 p.m. N.y Mets at San Francisco (JIP) MLBN

6:20 p.m. St. Louis at Detroit NBCSN, Peacock NBA

2:30 p.m. Toronto at Boston NBATV

6 p.m Orlando at New Orleans GCSEN

6:30 p.m. L.A. Lakers at Dallas NBC, Peacock

9 p.m. Houston at Golden St. NBC, Peacock NBA G-LEAGUE

7 p.m. Stockton at South Bay ESPNU

8 a.m. Midlothian at Livingston CBSSN

a.m. Leeds at West Ham ESPN2 12:45 p.m.Al Qadsiah at Al Ettifaq FS2 5 p.m. Cavalry FC at Pacific FC FS2 WOMEN’S

Coaches clash in postgame exchange

Auriemma apologizes to Staley day after South Carolina beat UConn

By The Associated Press

PHOENIX Dawn Staley and Geno

Auriemma’s coaching rivalry has had something for everyone on and off the court. It reached a dramatic peak Friday night, and the heated exchange between them stirred all the elements that make their matchups must-see TV.

Auriemma said it started at the beginning of the game, but the ending is what everyone will talk about.

A visibly upset Auriemma went over to Staley in the waning seconds of South Carolina’s 62-48 victory over his UConn team in the Final Four and appeared to chastise her before the two shook hands. Staley responded with “don’t do that” while assistant coaches from both teams separated them.

Staley said after the game she was confused by the exchange.

“I have no idea,” Staley said when asked what happened. “But I’m going to let you know this: I’m of integrity. I’m of integrity. So if I did something wrong to Geno, I had no idea what I did. I guess he thought I didn’t shake his hand at the beginning of the game. I didn’t know I went down there pregame, shook everybody on his staff’s hand.

“I don’t know what he came with after the game, but, hey, sometimes things get heated. We move on.”

Auriemma later said the exchange was about the lack of a traditional pregame handshake between the coaches.

“For 41 years I’ve been coaching and, I don’t know, 25 Final Fours,” Auriemma said. “The protocol is before the game you meet at halfcourt. Anybody see that before? Two coaches meet at halfcourt and they shake hands, correct? Ever see it? They announce it on the loudspeaker “I waited there for like three minutes. So it is what it is.”

The Gamecocks will play UCLA in their third straight title game on Sunday, but not everyone was willing to move on from the exchange so quickly

Auriemma immediately left the court without shaking hands when the game ended, and the moment quickly spread on social media.

Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie, a for-

mer Olympic teammate of Staley, posted on X: “It’s a real shame that #Geno took the low road! We have all had to lose with class!

Geno of the @UConnWBB needs to start with an apology!!!”

There were no apologies Friday night, but Auriemma issued an apology on Saturday

“There’s no excuse for how I handled the end of the game vs. South Carolina. It’s unlike what I do and what our standard is here at Connecticut,” the Hall of Fame coach said in a statement. “I want to apologize to the staff and the team at South Carolina. It was uncalled for in how I reacted. The story should be how well South Carolina played, and I don’t want my actions to detract from that. I’ve had a great relationship with their staff, and I sincerely want to apologize to them.”

Staley said Saturday morning she was focused on the title game against UCLA on Sunday and not what happened a night earlier

“For me, no distractions at this time I’m concentrating on winning a national championship, that’s it,” Staley said. “That’s a little disheartening. This is sports, sometimes things like this happen. Continue to focus on my team and ability to advance in this tournament and hopefully win another national championship.”

Coaching rivalry

Auriemma and Staley have been the gold standard in women’s basketball for years, and their battle for supremacy has produced some

of the most thrilling moments in women’s college basketball over the past decade.

They’ve coached some of the greatest talent in the game. They have a combined 15 national championships and nearly 2,000 wins with their respective programs, and their teams have faced each other 15 times.

Despite the intensity on the court, Staley and Auriemma have typically exchanged public pleasantries, complimenting each others’ successes and importance to the women’s game. They sparked conversations in 2023 when Staley defended her team after Auriemma criticized the Gamecocks’ physicality but their rivalry had never boiled over in the way it did on Friday

Auriemma ripped the officiating in the third after the Gamecocks were not whistled for a foul in the quarter He continued to voice his displeasure with how Staley spoke to the refs in his postgame news conference.

“I’m of the opinion that if I ever talk to an official like that, I would get tossed,” he said. “So I just want to make sure there’s not a double standard, that some people are allowed to talk to officials like that and other people are not.

That’s it.”

Physical game

The Huskies hadn’t faced much on-court adversity this season, winning almost all of their previous 38 games by a lopsided margin and logging 54 straight victories.

Once adversity hit on Friday, UConn wasn’t able to respond. Auriemma said the officiating didn’t help.

“There were six fouls called that quarter — all of them against us,” Auriemma said on the broadcast at the end of the third quarter. “And they’ve been beating the (expletive) out of our guys down there the entire game. I’m not making excuses, ’cause we haven’t been able to make a shot. But this is ridiculous.

“Their coach rants and raves on the sideline and calls the referee some names you don’t want to hear And now we get 6 to 0, and I got a kid with a ripped jersey, and they go, ‘I didn’t see it.’ Come on, man. It’s for a national championship.”

It’s true that it was a physical game. Bodies were flying under the basket for the majority of the night for both teams. UConn was whistled for 17 fouls, while South Carolina was called for just eight.

The problem for stars Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong was they couldn’t hit shots even when they had a little space to operate. The 6-foot-2 Strong AP’s Player of the Year — was bothered by South Carolina’s interior size, with several of her inside shots rattling in and out.

“Well, sometimes we do forget she’s a sophomore,” Auriemma said. “She’s carried a huge load for this team. An awful lot falls on her Tonight she’ll be the first to tell you that she is not proud of how her game went today.”

Shortly after hiring, LSU assistant lands head coach job

Gabe Lazo named women’s basketball head coach at UCF

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

It turns out that Kim Mulkey’s newest assistant will not coach at LSU after all.

Gabe Lazo, the former Tennessee assistant who recently accepted a role on Mulkey’s staff, will instead run his own program next season. The University of Central Florida announced Saturday that it had named Lazo its new head women’s basketball coach — just four days after the Tigers said he was moving down to Baton Rouge.

“I’m so happy for Gabe,” Mulkey told The Advocate in a phone interview on Saturday

“How could you not be happy for someone to be a head coach for

the first time and to do it in his home state?”

Lazo, a Miami native, resigned from his position with the Lady Vols on March 27 and officially accepted a coaching gig at LSU the next day, according to his term sheet. The Golden Knights then fired their head coach, former Mulkey assistant Sytia Messer, two days later

“This is a special place with tremendous potential,” Lazo said in a statement. “As a Florida native, this opportunity means a great deal to me. I look forward to building meaningful relationships with our student-athletes, competing at a high level in the Big 12, and making Knight Nation proud.”

Before he worked at Tennessee, Lazo spent two seasons on coach Sam Purcell’s staff at Mississippi State. Purcell said in 2025 that Lazo was “an absolute workhorse” who would be a head coach one day

“He’s a big, strong dude,” Purcell said, “but he’s a teddy bear inside. And his life and where he’s been. Man, he can relate to a lot of kids. And he has a passion and energy for life that sets him apart from other people.” Lazo is known for his recruiting chops He helped Tennessee sign the nation’s second-best 2025 freshman class, according to ESPN, and then he played a key role in its successful push to sign 6-foot-3 forward Oliviyah Edwards — one of the top recruits in the Class of 2026. At LSU, Lazo was going to fill the role left behind by Gary Redus — the former Mulkey assistant who’s now the head coach at Rutgers. He hired LSU assistant Daphne Mitchell to his new staff, giving the Tigers two vacancies to fill this offseason. Mulkey thought she addressed one of those roles by hiring Lazo, but now he’s on the move again.

Missouri softball blanks LSU to close out series

After scoring 25 combined runs during two comfortable wins to open a three-game series, the No.20 LSU softball team could not muster a single one on Saturday in a 1-0 loss to Missouri in Columbia, Missouri. Abby Hay’s single in the bottom of the third inning drove in Addy Waits, who walked with one out, for the only run in the game off LSU starter Paytn Monticelli. Starting pitcher Cierra Harrison made it stand for Missouri (2120, 5-7 SEC) by throwing seven shutout innings with four hits, two walks and three strikeouts.

Char Lorenz was the only LSU (25-13, 6-9) hitter with multiple hits. After having four players hit a home run on Friday, LSU could not record an extra-base hit on Saturday

The transfer portal opens Monday, and Mulkey said she expects to have two new assistants in place “soon.” She also told WAFB-TV on Thursday that she expects to lose only one player to the portal this cycle: freshman point guard Divine Bourrage. Lazo signed a two-year deal worth $740,000 to join Mulkey’s staff. He was set to pocket the same base salary he earned at Tennessee, and according to his term sheet, he does not owe LSU a buyout because he landed a head coaching position elsewhere.

“He’s a proven competitor at every level of the game,” UCF athletic director Terry Mohajir said in a statement, “with deep Florida roots, an elite ability to connect with people, and a track record of developing student-athletes on and off the court.”

Email Reed Darcey at reed. darcey@theadvocate.com.

LSU golf signee Raegan Denton’s first trip to the Augusta National Women’s Amateur will be one to remember The Adelaide, Australia, native finished in a tie for fourth place Saturday at 8-under 208 with a 3-under-par 69 at Augusta National Golf Club.

“There’s been so many different emotions,” Denton, the world’s No. 43-ranked amateur, said after her round. “Definitely some nerves for sure, but overall really proud of myself. I definitely could have gone lower But still, to shoot 3 under at Augusta, not a lot of people can say that.”

Denton finished six strokes back of the winner, Colombia’s Maria Jose Marin (202), a junior at Arkansas and the reigning NCAA champion.

Injured Reaves out for rest of Lakers’ regular season

LOS ANGELES Austin Reaves will miss the rest of the Los Angeles Lakers’ regular season with a Grade 2 oblique muscle injury Reaves and Luka Doncic are both sidelined for at least the next five games for the Lakers, throwing a major complication into Los Angeles’ postseason hopes. Doncic is out for at least the next two weeks after straining his left hamstring in the Lakers’ blowout loss to Oklahoma City Reaves also got injured in the first half of that loss to the Thunder on Thursday, but he returned to the game. He is averaging 23.3 points, 5.5 assists and 4.7 rebounds. The Lakers have won 16 of their last 19 games to surge into the third seed in the Western Conference. The playoffs begin in two weeks. LSU signee ties for fourth at Augusta amateur event

Verlander put on 15-day injured list with hip injury

DETROIT Justin Verlander’s longawaited return to Comerica Park as a member of the Detroit Tigers has been put on hold.

Verlander the major league’s oldest active player at 43, was placed on the 15-day injured list with left hip inflammation. Verlander was scheduled on Sunday night to make his first start in a Tigers uniform at Detroit’s home park since Aug. 20, 2017.

“It’s frustrating for me, obviously,” Verlander said. “I also know a lot of fans were excited about tomorrow night.”

Verlander was dealt to Houston at the trade deadline that season. He re-signed with Detroit on a oneyear, $13 million contract in February after spending last season with San Francisco.

Avalanche D Burns marks 1,000 straight games

DALLAS Avalanche defenseman Brent Burns became the second player in NHL history to appear in 1,000 consecutive games when Colorado faced against Central Division rival Dallas on Saturday The bearded 41-year-old was recognized on the video board by the Stars early in the game. Plenty of Dallas fans joined a vocal Avs contingent in cheering for Burns. Burns has been in the lineup for every game since Nov 21, 2013, with San Jose. He also has played for Minnesota and Carolina. Phil Kessel holds the all-time ironman streak 1,064 regular-season games from 2009-23. Burns, who appeared in his 1,500th game in October against the Stars, is in his first season with the Avalanche and has 11 goals.

UL softball wins wackygameagainst Troy

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

The UL softball team rallied twice in the final two innings to claim adramatic 5-4 win over Troy in eight innings on Saturday at Lamson Park. McKayla Ferguson delivereda clutch two-out single off the wall for the game-winner Lily Knox led off the eighth inning with adouble, and pinch-runner Miki Watts scored the winning run at 5:55 p.m. for agame that began at 1:05p.m.

With the series win, UL improved to 22-17 overall and5-7 in league play.Troy dropped to 23-14 overall and 5-7.

The game washalted by alightning delay at 3:25 p.m. with the game tied 3-3.The game restarted at 5:08 p.m.

Afterthe gamerestartedand one batter after Presley Ivey’ssacrifice fly gave the Trojans a4-3 lead in the top of the seventh inning, the rain returned. At that point, the umpires declared the game over and“officially”a tie, then walked off of the field.

Minutes later,the rain stopped again and the umpires weretalked into restarting the game after ameeting with the coaches from both teams.

Then in the bottom of the seventh, UL batter Erin Ardoin was hit by apitch,advanced on Hart’s single and scored whenBrooke Otto’sshot to shortstop was misplayed to score the tying run.

Mia Norwood’sline drivetosecond then resulted in an inning-ending double play to send thegame to extra innings.

Troy scored first when Dailyn Motes led off with asingle and scored on Makaley Boswell’soneout single in third. Twobatters later,Troy slugger Ella Cunningham hitapop to first.AsUL’sEmily

LSU BASEBALL

Continued from page1C

MasonBraun,OF/1B

Braun started most of thegames before LSU’s conference slate and entered Tuesday’s game hitting .264 with an .866 on-base plus slugging percentage. His outfield defense needs work, but he has a pretty swing that generates alot of contact, andhecan hit the ball to all fields. Braun mightnot start against many left-handed pitchers, but expect LSU coach Jay Johnson to turn to his bat often therest of the season.

Reagan Ricken,RHP

Ricken has struggled as amidweek starter the last fewweeks. He’sfailed to get out of thefirst inning in each of his three midweek starts and has had alot of trouble with his control. He’s also aformer high school starting quarterback, and his athleticism shows up on the mound. Turning those toolsinto consistency will be crucial for him moving forward.

Jack Ruckert, 2B

The defensive struggles at secondbasehavehelpedopenupplaying time for Ruckert, whoJohnson believed is LSU’sbest defensive option at the position But he’s struggled fielding the ballinhis opportunities at second, having committed three errors. On March 27 gainstKentucky,Johnson turned to freshman Ethan Clauss as a

UL BASEBALL

Continued from page1C

plate on aground ball to third. Then aline-drive out to right field ended the threat.

James Madison added two insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth on aConner Worthtwo-run double.

Roman lasted six innings, yielding three runs on five hits, four walks and six strikeouts over 105 pitchesjust two days after pitching in relief during Thursday’s win.

Garret Carter returned to the mound to throw two innings.The first inning was perfect, but he gave up two runs on one hit, one walk and two strikeoutsduring the outing. The Dukes finished with six hits. Jack Anderson led his team with two. Tyler Muscargot his first save of the season with 11/3 scoreless innings with two walks and two strikeoutsfor James Madison.

Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@ theadvocate.com

STAFF PHOTOSByBRAD KEMP

UL starting pitcher Sage Hoovergot the victory— technically in relief after reenteringthe game —inthe Cajuns’ 5-4 win in eight innings.

Smith fielded the “infield fly rule”

pop, Cunninghamcollided with her,knocking Smithtothe ground. UL coachAlysonHabetzpassionately argued the ruling be more than asimpleout andwas ejected from thegame.

Troy added another run in the

fourth when Ivey doubled with one out and scored on atwo-out Megan Loftis RBI single. It appeared the Trojans might put UL away in thefifth.With two outs and nobody on, Kalee Rochin-

UL designated hitter McKaylaFerguson swingsagainst Troy during their SunBelt Conference game at Lamson Park on Saturday

ski was hit by apitchand Sophia Jenkins walked ahead of Ivey’s RBI doublefor a3-0 cushion.

Motes’ bunt resulted in aplay at theplate initially ruled safe for a4-0 lead, but the review overturned the call to an out.

That wasthe break the Cajuns needed

With one outinthe bottom of thefifth, Ardoin washit by apitch ahead of Kennedy Marceaux’s

defensive replacement at second instead of Ruckert

Omar Serna, C Sernahas started18games while also servingasKansastransfer and right-hander Cooper Moore’s

UL FOOTBALL

Continued from page1C

curve continues.

“Weweren’t going to take a bunch of old linemen (in the portal) just to have abetter spring,” Desormeauxsaid. “I think it’sfor the greater good in the longrun andwhatthese guys are going to be “Sometimes you wishyou had some older, more experience players …but once someofthese guys are back from injury,thatcreates more depth.”

PELICANS

Continued from page1C

some point over these next four games, the Pelicansshould give the rookies and two-way players more minutes.

These past few games, it’s been rookie Jeremiah Fears showing the most fight. Fears matched his career-high with 28 points Friday.

primary catcher.His workload has been similar to that of sophomore

Cade Arrambide’s last season until recently,ashestarted every game at catcher for LSUagainst Kentucky last weekend. Offensively, Serna hasbeen on asurge lately

Of theyoung players forced to play ahead of schedule last year,sophomore Jakoby Isom topsthe list of thosepotentially pressing for playing time early on in 2026.

“I’d say Jakoby,for sure,” Desormeaux said. “I thinkhis play when we hadtopushhim into action was really good. He playedreally well. There’s still alot of things to clean up —he missed abunchoftime at the end of lastyear that would have been big for him —but he’s goingtobe ready to compete.”

Isom was pressedinto action and then suffered aseason-ending in-

He also had eight rebounds, six assists andmadefive 3-pointers. The 19-year-old Fearsisthe youngest playerinleague history to score 25 points with at least five rebounds, assists and3-pointers.

with an OPSover.800and three homers this year

Zion Theophilus,RHP

Theophilus’ control hasbeen inconsistent sinceJohnson praised thefreshman forhis abilitytohit

jury himself with asevereturf toe after playing five games at guard.

“He’splaying some center right now, which is good,” Desormeaux said. “It’skind of what we thought maybe would be his best position, playing centerand guardright now, playing well.

“But yes, Jakoby is certainly in the middle of it and so is Jayce.”

As we learned last season,versatility is critical once the injuries come.Jackson hasexperience at both tackle and guard, and Desormeaux said Mitchell could playguard or tackle as well.

“Sothatgives yousomeswing guys in there that could make it

“That’s’ what development andgrowth is about,” Borrego said. “He’sstacking high-quality games together.He’simpacting winning. His effort defensivelyis there. Obviously,he’smakingbig plays for us offensively.I’m really proud of his growth.” Seeing Fears’ growth is promising. But seeing your 6-foot-3 rookie point guard also lead the team witheight rebounds in agameis not. Rebounding and dependable 3-point shooting should be high on Joe Dumars’ list of priorities this offseason. The Pels were outrebounded 46-36 on Friday They’ve been outrebounded in

single.Hartthenlineda single to center,and it was misplayed to chase both runners home. After Otto was hit by apitch as well,Norwood’s unusual9-6 force out at second base after a line drive offfirst baseman Mid Tidmore’s glove gotthe tying run home.

Email KevinFoote at kfoote@ theadvocate.com.

his spots in the strike zone. He’s appeared in two SEC games and has a4.05 ERA with six walks in 62/3 innings this season.

Marcos Paz, RHP Paz has struggled mightily with hiscommand sincehis return from Tommy John surgery.He’s had trouble corralling his breaking ball, andhis fastballvelocity has been inconsistent, which has led to an 8.30 ERA and 12 walks in 92/3 innings.

William Patrick, OF Patrick wasatop-100 MLB draft prospect, but he hasn’tstarted a game yetfor LSU. The Monroe native hasentered numerouscontests as adefensive replacement in left field or as apinch-runner. Johnson recently moved himto second base in an effort to gethis athleticism onto the field moreoften.

EthanClauss, INF

Johnson has said that he wants to play Clauss more, but playing time will be difficult to come by forthe Las Vegas native. Clauss possesses intriguing size andathleticism, but junior Steven Milamiscemented at shortstop. His quickest path to thefieldthis year is likelyatsecond base,where he entered against Kentucky as adefensive replacementonMarch 27.

Email Koki Rileyatkoki.riley@ theadvocate.com. For more LSU sports updates,signupfor our newsletter at theadvocate.com/ lsunewsletter

betterdepth-wise,” Desormeaux said. “Ironically,wefeltlikewe had10or11guys capablelastyear …but typically you always try to get eight that you feel really,really good about, and Ithink we’ll be on track for that.”

Redshirt juniorXzavierBrown at 6-foot-6 and 320 pounds was going to be in the picture as well, but he can’tshake the injury bug. “XzavierBrown’s out, which is unfortunate, because this was going to be abig spring for him,” Desormeaux said.

EmailKevin Foote at kfoote@ theadvocate.com.

every game of the seven-game losing streak.

“That’sgot to become a mindsetfor this group, for this organization going forward,” Borrego said. “Can you rebound the ball or not? That will define if this group takes the next step or not.”

Friday’sloss to the Kings was astep backward. Be careful. Don’tstep on that sword.

Acadiana Renaissance blossoms in baseball

BY MIKE COPPAGE Contributing writer

A meteoric rise is the best way to describe the success of the Acadiana Renaissance baseball program

In their postseason debut last year, the Eagles earned a firstround bye and won the first game of their playoff series at perennial power E.D White, which finished as runner-up to Teurlings Catholic.

This year, No. 3 ARCA is ahead of two-time reigning champion Teurlings Catholic (No. 4) in the Division II select power ratings with less than two weeks remaining in the regular season

“We’re not getting too caught up in the power ratings,” ARCA coach Tyler Jensen said of the LHSAA’s computer-based formula that decides the playoff seeds. “Obviously they’re there, but we’re focused on getting better each day to build towards when we get to the postseason.”

The Eagles had a seven-game winning streak, which was highlighted by a 1-0 win over neighborhood rival Southside, snapped in an 8-5 loss to Erath in the District 5-3A championship on Tuesday ARCA (21-5) wasted no time bouncing back with a victory over Westminster Chris-

tian-Lafayette in its next game.

“We exceeded all expectations last year, but we weren’t ready psychologically and mentally to win at E.D. White,” Jensen said.

“We had never been there. Now we’ve been in situations where we’ve won games against really good opponents.

“We’re no longer, ‘ARCA the new school.’ We expect to go and com-

pete with the big boys.”

Sebastian Rideaux, who forms a talented pitching tandem with senior southpaw Beau Cormier, threw a complete game in the win over E.D. White Rideaux bats leadoff ahead of another speedster, sophomore Michael Batiste, who came through with a clutch single against E.D. White.

“We feel really good about the balance of our lineup,” Jensen said.

“We have a lot of guys who could hit higher in the order who hit lower because we like the fit in that spot.”

Cleanup hitter and third baseman Emric McAdams had three hits and three RBIs against Erath. Rideaux (RBI, two runs scored) and Cormier, the three-hole hitter, each had a hit. First baseman Carter MacKay had a hit and scored a run.

“Before this year, we had hit maybe two home runs in school history,” said Jensen, who is in his fifth year at the Youngsville school. “We’ve hit four this year two in the seventh inning to take the lead. We’ve hit more triples than in the past. We have some power.”

Cormier hit two homers in a come-from-behind win over Cecilia, including a three-run blast late in the game. The Eagles trailed Terrebonne 4-2 with two outs in the seventh inning when McAdams smashed a three-run shot. Batiste had two hits and scored a run.

“The formula for us is to throw strikes, play defense and get clutch hits,” Jensen said. “Most of the guys who get on the bump are juniors and seniors. We have six or

SCOREBOARD

LSWA CLASS 3A ALL-STATE BASKETBALL TEAMS

YER: Kennedy Aldridge University

COACH OF THE YEAR: Gloria Fontenot Westlake

Honorable mention

Mikayela Billiot, Haynes; Ella Boseman, Berwick; Addy Broden, St. James; Alyssa Carter, Richwood; Austin Carter, Sterlington; Lybi Cross, Buckeye; Alicia Cuppens, Westlake; Ga-

brielle Dodson Madison Prep; Libby Fitzpatrick, Sacred Heart; Keira Gordon, Abbeville; Natalie Graves, Buckeye; Jamie Hunter, Richwood; Hailey Hurst, University; Ellie Johnson, Albany; Faith Johnson, South Beauregard; Janiah Leday, Ville Platte, Ella LeFors, Parkview Baptist; Nickaiya Martin, Springfield; Dynistie Minor, Carroll; Alana Myles, Bastrop; Za’Ny Nelson St. James; Raylan Smith, Springfield; Lyric Warner, Vidalia; Mackenzie Watson Vidalia; Allie West, Buckeye; Triniti Williams, Jena; Kayleah Wilson, Bastrop

Percentages:

.511, FT .750. 3-Point Goals: 10-33, .303 (Clifford 4-6, Carter 2-6, Plowden 2-8, Hayes 1-5, McDermott 1-5, Raynaud 0-1, Achiuwa 0-2). Team Rebounds: 9. Team Turnovers: 1. Blocked Shots: 6 (Cardwell 5, Carter). Turnovers: 14 (Clifford 4, Achiuwa 3, Cardwell 2, Carter 2, Hayes, Plowden, Raynaud). Steals: 7 (Achiuwa 2, DeRozan 2, Carter, Clifford, Plowden). Technical Fouls: None New Orleans30362621—113 Sacramento21343032117 A_15,422 (17,608). T_2:22.

College baseball State scores, schedule Friday’s games Incarnate Word 3, Southeastern 2 James Madison, UL 5 LSU 7, Tennessee 5 Southern 7, Bethune-Cookman 3 Wichita State 7, Tulane 4 UNO 5, McNeese 2 Nicholls 10, Houston Christian 6 Saturday’s games James Madison 5, UL 1 Tulane 8, Wichita State 1 Southeastern 13, Incarnate Word, 11 Nicholls 11, Houston Christian 1 UNO 10, McNeese 9 Bethune-Cookman 6, Southern 3 LSU at Tennessee, n Sunday’s games LSU at Tennessee, noon Bethune-Cookman at Southern, 1 p.m. Late Friday LSU 7, Tennessee 5 LSUTennessee (21-10, 5-5 SEC)(19-11, 3-7 SEC) abrhbiabrhbi Milam

seven guys we trust.”

The Eagles have five seniors in outfielder Spencer Glaeser, shortstop Keegan Handschin designated hitter Micah Porche, Cormier and McAdams. Four have been starting since their freshman season. Jensen initially stepped down from his post at the end of last year, citing the need to spend more time with his family When coach Andrew Madden resigned the school asked him to reconsider “I started the high school program here,” he said. “The seniors were eighth graders my first year here. I felt like I owed it to them. I wanted to see them have success. It was actually a really easy decision because, again, I’ve been with them for so long.

“I knew we had almost everybody back. We lost three seniors. Regardless of success, the thing I missed the most was the relationship with the kids. It was something you maybe take for granted.”

Jensen applauded assistant coaches Lane Broussard Matt Taylor, Dan Fanguy and Beau Young, who he said, “did a great job keeping things afloat during the transition last year.”

DannyHeitman AT RANDOM

Acrawfish boil reminds me why they’respecial

When my wife and Igot married three decades ago, our rehearsal dinner was abackyard crawfish boil. Asmall windfall of aspring wedding in Louisiana is that crawfishare in season. They were plentiful that year,soweenjoyed our festive feast without breaking anyone’sbank. Serving boiled crawfish to our guests was also anatural icebreaker

We had friends and relatives from many places in the wedding party,and not everyone had met. As we huddled over steaming mounds of mudbugs, it was impossible for anyone to stay strangers for long. Peeling crawfish, after all, isn’tfor the bashful. The work of the table, joyously messy,nudged everyone to quickly hop in. Amid the claws and tails —and the quickly stained shirts and dresses— our circleofcelebrants quickly bonded.

Our guest list included visitors from North Carolina; Minnesota; Chicago; Washington, D.C.; and Alaska. Not everyone had peeledcrawfishbefore, but we paired the novices withthe locals, and the rite of initiation fornewcomers to Louisiana cuisine was part of the fun.

Iremember few details of our wedding, which passed in ablur, as nuptials for young couples seem to do. But that crawfish boil on the evening before our wedding has stayed with me.

The memory underlines for me the close connection between food, friendship and family that defines this corner of the world, somethingIthink about each springinthe days before Easter.Lent and seafood point us to the idea that sharing foodacrossfrom each other can ground us spiritually, too. All of this came to mind the other day as Ichatted with my friend Jamie at the office where we work together. Talk in Louisiana inevitably leads to the topic of food, and before long, we were trading stories about families and crawfish boils, including the one before my wedding.

“Weshould have acrawfish boil here,” Jamie added, almost as an afterthought.

The idea quickly took shape, and in no time, our staff had planned aboiled crawfish lunch on the officeporch

The day of the luncheon was unseasonably cold, with low clouds occasionally pierced by ahint of sun. Iworried we’d be too cold as we dined in the open, but Itook heart in theideathat brisk temps can sharpen the pleasureofa warm outdoor meal. The coffee and eggs I’d enjoyed on brisk campouts withmyson taught me this is so.

ä See RANDOM, page 4D

The Louisiana Legislature considered namingthe Horace Wilkinson bridge for both Norman E. Lant and Horace Wilkinson, Horace Wilkinson Jr.and Horace Wilkinson III in 1968.

‘Wouldn’tit be good

to

be Cajunfor oneday?’

Rick Braggreturns to Acadiana forbookfestival

BY JANRISHER Staff writer

Rick Bragg says that he’salready eaten his way through Acadiana once boudin from agas station andcracklins in aparking lot. He sayshestood there popping them like M&Ms. When he made the reverse of the“Oh! Susanna” trip and returned to Alabama, he brought his mother some cracklins. Through theyears, he hasbought her twohouses —and she was never happierabout anything thanshe was about those cracklins He’sexcited to be coming back to Acadiana.

in New Iberia. I’ll be the one sitting across from him, attempting to interview him on stage. I’ve spent considerable time lately trying to figure outwhattoask aman who readily admits that he’s already said everything worth saying. Talking to him in advance doesn’t makethat easier Notsomuchabout thefancy folk

For anyone who hasread“All Over but the Shoutin’ ”or“Ava’s Man” —and for anyone whohasn’t, my mother would say,“God bless you. Youhavesomething wonderful ahead.” —this book festival is worththe drive.

Rick Bragg Fan Club. There are parts of hislife and perspective thatshe understands and parts that are foreign to her, but she loves the waythe man can turn aphrase and crack open all the feelings long buried in aheart. Bragg grew up in Calhoun County,Alabama, in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountainchain, among pulp wood haulers, coal miners andfarmers.Hesaysthat he’sspent his career writing about people who live on the edge of things. He notes he has adeep reverence for both WilliamFaulkner and Tennessee Williams, but he writes about the people who don’t appear in their aristocracy Bragg still gradesstudent papers at the University of Alabama, but

On April 11, the1996 Pulitzer Prize-winner will appear at Books Along the Teche LiteraryFestival

In fact, my mother would nominate herself to be president of the

BY ROBIN MILLER Staff writer

ä See BRAGG, page 4D

BOOKS

Diamond Forde reveals the genesis of ‘The Book of Alice’ LEGACy IN POETRy

BY ERIK PEDERSEN

The Orange County Register (TNS)

Diamond Forde is the award-winning author of “The Book of Alice.” Her debut collection, “Mother Body,” won the 2019 Saturnalia Poetry Prize, and her work has appeared in Poetry magazine, Boston Review, Great River Review and elsewhere.

An assistant professor at North Carolina State University, Forde holds an MFA from the University of Alabama and a Ph.D. in creative writing from Florida State University.

Please tell readers about your new book.

“The Book of Alice” is my attempt to mourn my grandmother about a decade too late; a resurrection story told in lyric, “The Book of Alice” tells my grandmother’s journey from childhood through adulthood, from the Jim Crow-era South to the great migration North, raising a family of eight children, through three marriages, and the inevitable journeys of loss diasporic to so many Black experiences across America.

Told through an apocryphal approach to the King James Bible — the only poetry my grandmother knew and loved— this book is my attempt to reach beyond death and the systemic erasures of empire to deepen my understanding of her, her legacy, and the inheritances — both good and bad — that she has left behind.

“The Book of Alice” is a conversation around family, archive, generational trauma, identity, and mythmaking as a means of grieving who we leave behind and understanding who we are and what we hope to accomplish.

Do you remember the first book that made an impact on you?

Sharon Creech’s “Absolutely Normal Chaos” it’s told through an epistolary format, where the main character, Mary Lou, struggles with the awkward dynamics of family, friends, and first love, and it found me at the right moment when all of those challenges felt too real and for at least two years after I kept my own journal, inspired by the main character and her journey Can you recall a book that felt like it was written with you in mind?

“Bestiary” by Donika Kelly — it was the first time I read a book that felt like standing naked in the mirror; it had the uncanny ability to wade past the boundaries of time to see not only who I was, but who I had been, and who I wanted to be. Kelly’s debut romps with the animal, real and imagined, exploring love and wounding through the animal-nature of our feelings, the precarious past and present of our human lives.

Do you listen to audiobooks? If so, are there any titles or narrators you’d recommend?

Audiobooks are my favorite to listen to on long car rides or while completing household chores; something to turn to in order to keep my mind busy when my hands aren’t free, when I’m alone but want good company—

that’s what I love about a good audiobook, that it feels like overhearing the juiciest gossip.

One of my favorite narrators right now is January LaVoy I first heard her read in my audiobook copy of Jesmyn Ward’s “Salvage the Bones,” and she’s an incredible talent, able to create and recreate distinct character voices and develop an experience that accents rather than disrupts the book.

I’ve listened to three other audiobooks just because she was reading them, and I cannot recommend her enough.

Is there a topic you’ll always read about?

Black women. I love finding out about our history, our stories. I love discovering our voices. I love reading about Black women from scholarly perspectives, through poems and fiction. I love historical video essays about the experiences of Black women in our past, and I love thinking about the ways that Black women have been challenged to navigate the intangible nature of womanhood, to overcome the challenges to tell our own stories, and the beauty of our fantastical imaginings to craft our own futures.

What do you look for in a book?

I want a book to change and challenge the way that I look at the world, and to do that, a book must first pay attention to the language we use to shape our world.

English is the language of economy; we privilege concision, preciseness, and business, but those goals make it easy to forget the wealth of hidden depth, connotation, and etymology that exists behind the language we take for granted.

Good writing lets me take nothing for granted. I want to read a book that makes me question a word so deeply I remember that book every time that word slips from my mouth. I want my relationship with language to change; only then can a book change me.

George Saunders will discuss ‘Vigil’

BY JOY HOLDEN Staff writer

George Saunders, author of “Liberation Day,” “Tenth of December” and the Booker Prizewinning novel “Lincoln in the Bardo,” will visit Tulane from 6 p.m to 8 p.m Thursday April 9 in the Kendall Cram Lecture Hall at the LavinBernick Center for University Life at Tulane University Saunders is the 2026 featured writer in the Carole Barnette Boudreaux ’65 Great Writers Series. The recipient of a 2006 MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, Saunders has authored two novels, four collections of short stories, a novella, a book of essays and an award-winning

children’s book. He teaches in the Creative Writing Program at Syracuse University Saunders recently released his new novel “Vigil” in January about an undead death doula named Doll who is ushering an unrepentant oil tycoon into his death. The novel contains themes of forgiveness, power, greed, accountability and reflection. Saunders will discuss his new novel and its themes, which resonate with current ethical issues in the country Register for the event at https://tulane.campuslabs.com/engage/event/12143237.

After hiatus, Nancy Lemann returns with ‘The Oyster Diaries’

BY RIEN FERTEL Contributing writer

“The Oyster Diaries,” by Nancy Lemann, New York Review Book, 240 pages

“The doom” is thankfully over That’s the phrase New Orleans writer Nancy Lemann has used to describe the past two decades, a seemingly productive period that has blame the big-house publishing industry — regrettably resulted in no new books since her 2002 novel, “Malaise.”

This month brings reprints of her rousing 1985 debut novel, “Lives of the Saints,” and its nonfiction followup, “The Ritz of the Bayou,” an affectionate skewering of then-governor Edwin Edwards and the topsy-turvy world of Louisiana politics. Both rank as top-tier local reads.

Most excitingly, this coming week brings a new novel, “The Oyster Diaries,” a throwback of sorts that points Lemann in intriguing new directions.

But don’t call it a comeback. Welcome to the Lemannaissance.

Around a decade ago, the New York literati pounced on her oeuvre, with one fashion website recommending reading “Lives of the Saints” in the bath. Lemann has lately been prominently featured in the Paris Review, which has published an interview and tributes, as well as her recent short fiction and essayistic musings on everything from the wonders of Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” to the horrors of Disney World and her perplexing interactions with talking robots.

as fiction. After the death of Lemann’s mother, her widowed father, Thomas, married Lemann’s contemporary, Sheila Bosworth, best known for her 1984 debut novel, “Almost Innocent.” The novel is a take on New Orleans’s Uptown social circles similar in theme, though not in tone, to “Lives of the Saints.”

Devotees of Lemann’s debut will no doubt note thematic echoes in her new novel. A gag in that previous book has its chorus of characters repeating a similar sentiment: “Everyone is falling apart Everything is falling apart I’m falling apart.”

“The Oyster Diaries” similarly meanders as it drifts along the narrative tides. The novel opens with scattered pages of a 2021 lockdown diary written by Delery Anhalt, a middle-aged, remorse-plagued writer who volunteers as a justice monitor in the criminal courts of New Orleans. Watching via computer screen from her house in Washington, D.C., she contemplates her hometown that exists just outside the confines of the video feed.

Delery’s diary entries soon give way to more fully-formed memories, snapshots of her family First, a loving portrait of her father, August, a retired judge who once kept a diary of his own a 20-year daily accounting of his raw oyster consumption at the Pearl, a downtown restaurant across from his office. It is, she writes, “the work of a madman,” a list of simple descriptions: Sept. 17 — exceptional Sept. 18 — very poor Sept. 19 passable Sept. 20 — fabulous Sept. 21 — utterly tasteless Sept. 22 — beautiful to look at but no salt.

At home in the nation’s capital, life is less straightforward. Delery must contend with what she calls her “lions at the gate”: annoying houseguests, her husband’s extramarital affair, the demands of her two daughters and the world leader she describes as a “lying sack of swizzle sticks.”

A return trip to New Orleans offers little succor

“I watch everyone here decay,” she writes, “and/or take care of their decaying loved one.”

A St Charles Avenue mansion burns to the ground. Her father’s peers are fading away He, however, has managed to “live for years beyond the allotted time.” Delery credits her father’s second life to a second marriage to a much younger wife, her former best friend, Amelia.

In-the-know readers might hereabouts begin to suspect that “The Oyster Diaries” could be as much fact

Though I sadly agree that New Orleans is still falling apart all these decades later Lemann’s musings come off as Crescent City clichés. New Orleans is “more rickety than suave,” she writes, a combustive mix of prosperity and poverty that feels “almost as if a scientific experiment in noble behavior is being conducted.” Echoing Faulkner, a friend tells her, “The past is so much a part of the present here and it’s unhealthy.” In this book about generational changes, the writing can too often feel stuck in the past. Lemann remarks, more than once, that New Orleans is a city filled with Catholic schoolgirls run wild, ignoring the past 20 years of demographic and denominational shifts. There’s a Bed Bath & Beyond joke that falls flat — maybe because that chain went belly up several years ago — while an unfortunate riff that hurricanes “should be named for a voluptuous black woman with a don’t-mess-with-me manner or a Southern matriarch who doesn’t take any of your guff” sounds ripped from the 1980s. This is not to say I didn’t appreciate the return to Lemann’s literary world. She still writes giddily enigmatic sentences that can be simultaneously funny and devastating. And “The Oyster Diaries” certainly points in new narrative directions for the author Its deconstructed, autofiction form and terse, minimalist approach will remind readers of Rachel Cusk’s “Outline” trilogy In a chapter titled “Love in the Ruins,” a nod to the novel of the same name by Lemann’s literary lodestar Walker Percy, whose name pops up frequently in these pages, Delery reminisces about her “wastrel youth.” At the center of those halcyon days is a brief dalliance with a “blue-eyed boy with the crooked smile,” Claude Collier, the saintly antihero at the center of Lemann’s debut novel.

Though their romance is destined to be brief, Lemann renders Delery’s longing with a gauzy-dream quality that should leave readers wanting more.

“To this day when I am nervous and mired in angst and malaise,” she writes, “I still say his name.”

Although “The Oyster Diaries” does not rise to the level of Lemann’s two recently reprinted titles, the novel is not only a cause for celebration but a potential promise that there could be more new work forthcoming.

Oyster eaters understand the bliss that can follow a long wait. Or as August Anhalt writes in his diary during the first days of October: “not yet, not ever yet, not ready yet, at last!”

Rien Fertel is the author of four books, including, most recently, “Brown Pelican.”

Were Made” by Lucy Score

8. “Solo Leveling, Vol. 15” by Chugong/ h-goon

9. “Strange Buildings” by Uketsu 10. “Remarkably Bright Creatures” by Shelby Van Pelt

TRAVEL

Checkout thesespots to seeazaleas in bloom

BY CHERÉ COEN Contributing writer

It’sthat time of year when the South emerges from winter in vibrant explosions of pink, magenta, salmon and white.Inother words, azalea time!

The season typically runsfrom early March through late May, with peak blooming in April.

While our neighborhoods burst forth with these glorious shrubs in the genus Rhododendron,there are sites throughout the Deep South that merit atrip to view amazing collections of color

Below are four places near Louisiana and one in thestate to see azaleas.

East Texas

Nacogdoches, ascenic drive west of its sister city Natchitoches, has been designated the Garden Capital of Texas with 25 miles of self-guided driving routes through itsAzalea Trail. The route takes visitorsthrough town and the Ruby M. Mize Azalea Garden on the campus of Stephen F. Austin State University, where more than 7,000 azaleas grow along Lanana Creek.

The routes are divided into three trails named for different azaleas: Southern Indica Trail, Evergreen Azalea Trail andThe Fashion Azalea Trail, each trail beginning at the Charles Bright Visitor Center on Main Street in downtown Nacogdoches.

Trail maps are available at the Visitor Center or from theAzalea Trail website at nacogdochesazaleas.com.

BellingrathGardens &Home

Theodore, Alabama

The 65-acre gardens located outside Mobile and 20 miles from Dauphin Island areamust-visit in the spring when more than 250,000 azaleas come into bloom. The flowering spectacle is one of the gardens’ most prized events. Bellingrath Gardens &Home was established when Walter Bellingrath, aMobile bottler of Coca-Cola, purchased thesite

TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER

By ChristopherElliott

abovethe Fowl River for afamily retreat. The gardens opened to the public on April 7, 1932. In the mid-1930s, his wife, Bessie Bellingrath,planted theazaleas around their 15-room home, and it grew from there.

Visitors may tour the homeas well as thegardens,statues and

Ibooked a flight for my father on Expedia, but when he went to the airport, there was no such flight.

a flight that never existed. Can you help me getmymoney back? —Mansour Abado, Dubai

water features plus enjoy special events throughout the year.In April, thefollowing events are scheduled:

n April 8: Lunch &Learn

—“The Hidden Tape: Frank Woodard on the Man Behindthe Gardens” n April 11: Preview partyfor

theGulf Coast Chinese Lantern Festival

n April 15: Viewing the summer sky

n April 16-June 21: 2026 Gulf Coast Chinese Lantern Festival

n April 29: Garden walk and talk with horticulture experts.

Garvan Woodland Gardens

HotSprings,Arkansas

First come thethousands of tulips and daffodils on the 210-acre botanical garden of the UniversityofArkansas. Next come the azaleas. If you’re lucky,you might experience both.

Located on the shores of Lake Hamilton,the garden is 45 minutes southwest of Little Rock. The space includes miles of trails meandering over several ecosystemswith streams, fountains, statuary and breathtaking views of the lake throughout.

To check azalea —and other flower —bloom times, visit Garvan’sFacebook page at facebook. com/garvangardens.

Callaway Gardens

Pine Mountain,Georgia

Notonly do thousands of azaleas bloom throughout the 2,500 acres at Callaway,but tulips, dogwoods and seasonal annuals as well.

Through May 10, Callaway features its annual Spring Festival with avariety of special events in addition to visitors enjoying its curated bloom trails.

Look forfood and wine tastings, live artist demonstrations, music performances and more. Signature events include Symphony on the Sand, alakeside concert under the stars, Easter brunch and Mother’sDay brunch.

For moreinformation, visit www.callawaygardens.com.

ClosetoHome

Lafayetteand Kisatchie

In the 1930s, Lafayette developed an Azalea Trail, a20-mile route that begins at the Visitor Center on Evangeline Thruway and skirts through town. Along the way,visitors enjoy city landmarks, homes, historical sites and places to pause to enjoy Lafayette’sculinary scene.

Fun fact: The predominant azalea variety in Lafayette is the Formosa azalea, christened the “General Lafayette, LA,” which bloomsincolors of lavender and fuchsia.

According to Lafayette Travel, someofthe bushes are over 50 years old.

Self-guided trail mapsmay be downloaded from the tourism website at lafayettetravel.com/ plan/trip-ideas-itineraries/azaleatrail or print copies picked up at state welcomecenters.

If you’d rather go wild, the Kisatchie National Forest in the central region of Louisiana, in Rapides Parish, is hometothe Wild Azalea Trail in the forest’s Evangeline Unit.

Hikers wanting to view these azaleas in the wild —the state’s only native variety —may start the 31 miles of trail at the trailhead at the Town Hall in Woodworth. For moreinformation, visit explorelouisiana.com/bike/trail/ wild-azalea-trail.

Christopher Elliott

The reservation wasfrom BeiruttoFrankfurtonLufthansa, connecting to aUnited flight to Austin.Lufthansa wasn’teven operating flights from Beirutatthe time, but Expedia sold me the ticket anyway I’ve been trying for more than three months to getmymoney back. Expedia keepstelling me the refund is “subject to airline approval,”while United insists the ticket is nonrefundable. Ipaid $1,459for

Youshouldhavenever been allowed to buy that ticket. Expedia sold you aphantom flight —a route Lufthansa had already suspended. When yourfather showed up at the airport and discovered there was no flight, theonline travel agency should haveimmediately refunded your fare. Instead, it hid behind airline approval requirementsand passed thebuck to United.

Your paper trail tells the story: monthsofemails,phone calls and chats with no resolution. Expedia kept resubmittingrequests, while United sent you aform denial, citing its “nonrefundable” policy That policy doesn’tapply when theairline isn’tflying theroute at all. Your father could have avoided sometrouble by checking in for his flight early.Ifhe’d done that, he might have been able tofind a suitable replacement through Expedia and received afast refund on his original ticket. This case is agood reminder to keep an eye

on flight schedules, particularly when geopolitical events might cause aflight cancellation. If you’re flying out of an area that’spronetocancellations, assumenothing. And if you ever find yourselfwith aticket to nowhere, remember: you’re entitled to afull refund, no matter what theairline or online agency says. When your online agency refuses to help, you can always escalate yourproblem Ipublish the name, number and email address of the Expedia executives on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org. Abrief,polite

email to one of them might have resulted in aquick refund. Ireached out to Expedia on your behalf

Arepresentative admitted there had been a“system error” that prevented your refund from being processed. Expedia issued a full refund.

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy,anonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him at elliottadvocacy org.

CURIOUS

of the then-5,000 bridges that spanned Louisiana’swaterways. And Horace Wilkinson? That was the name shared by apatriarch, his son and grandson, all of whom were Port Allen businessmen who collectively served 54 years in the Louisiana Legislature.

However,inthe monthsleading to the bridge’sopening,a legislative tug-of-war played out as to how the bridge would be named.

None of this mattered much to Baton Rougeans who referred to it —and still know it today as the “New Bridge,” the “Old Bridge” being the U.S. 190 crossing.

Fifty-five years later,and it’sstill “new.” But that might change with the LouisianaDepartment of Transportation and Development’splans to relieve Baton Rouge’sinterstate traffic by constructing another bridge connecting La. 1south of Plaquemine and La. 30 near St. Gabriel.

Newand oldhavenames

While the “Old Bridge”was named for Louisiana’slegendary governor-turned-senator Huey P. Long, the “New Bridge” brings the story back to the legislative battle.

Earlier in 1968, members of the East Baton Rouge Parish legislative delegation proposed that the bridge be named for Lant. Though he didn’tdesign the “New Bridge,” he did, indeed, design most of the bridges throughout the state, including the Huey P. Long “Old Bridge. Lant died on Sept. 27, 1967, which legally qualified himto be the bridge’snamesakesince state law prohibited state buildingsand bridges being named for living persons. The Wilkinsons also qualified.

Then, in April 1968, J.E.Jumonville Sr., of Ventress, who was athen state senator-elect for the13th Senatorial District,announced thathewould introduce abill to name the bridge for the Wilkinsons when he entered office that May

The 13th District later would become the17th District,which included West Baton Rouge Parish, where theWilkinson family lived. Jumonville held theoffice for eight years before beingsucceeded by his son J.E. Jumonville Jr., who served until 1993. Acasefor both

An April 12, 1968, article in Baton Rouge’sState-Times quoted afamily member in support of Jumonville saying, “the Wilkinson family are direct descendants of Gen. James Wilkinson, co-governor of the Louisiana Territory with William C.C. Claiborne.”

“Lant came to Louisiana in 1922,” the articlecontinued. “He was anative of Indiana. Lantset up the first bridge sectioninthe State Department of Highways, then rose to fame during the road-building heyday of Huey P. Long.” The article added that Lant retiredfrom the Highways Department in 1955 but was recalledtothe department in1957, where, as an urban engineer, he had ahand in designing the

RANDOM

Continued from page1D

Luckily,the day brightened, and thecrawfish, fresh from the pot, kept us toasty.Relishingour main course, Ilearned allover again that while steak or trout might be ameal, boiled

state’smost modern highways.

Lant andall three Wilkinsons are buried in Baton Rouge’s Rose Lawn Memorial Park.

Though other bridge names were floated —including Col. Elias Beauregard,who laid out theBaton Rouge’sBeauregard Town,and Port Allen namesake andformerGov.Henry Watkins Allen —Lant and theWilkinsons remained the main contenders.

Then cameJune,when a compromise was struck for ahyphenatedsolution —the Wilkinson-Lant Bridge.

McKeithenweighsin

The senate passed the bill, but that wouldn’t be thelast of it.

“John McKeithen was the governor,and Iremember well being at Poplar Grove, our home, and seeinghis car drive up in the driveway,”saidAnn Wilkinson, great-granddaughter of Horace Wilkinson Sr.and niece of Horace Wilkinson III.

Ann Wilkinson is now president of Poplar Grove Planting Co. in Port Allen, succeeding the three Horace Wilkinsons —each of whom presided over the company “Gov.McKeithen came by to tell my father that he was going to supportthe name‘Horace Wilkinson’for thebridge,”Ann Wilkinson said. “He just wanted my dadtoknowthat.”

AnnWilkinson was asenior at University High School at thetime, having to cross the river by way of either the“Old Bridge” or thecity of Baton Rougeferry to get there.

“They didn’topen the bridge until the month beforeIgraduated from high school,” she said, laughing.

Still, sheremembers paying attention to the legislative bridge discussions atthe time, and McKeithen stayed true to his word to her father

“The Senate went along with Gov.McKeithen and theHouse today and named the$46 million Mississippi River Bridge here the Horace Wilkinson Bridge, deleting the nameofNorman E. Lant,” reporter JackLordwrote in the July 10, 1968, edition of State-Times.

Avariety of legislators praised Lant inthe story,but their final vote honored the Wilkinson family,alone. Yetitwas an honor that went unnoticed for years.

“And you know,it’sinteresting, because there never was a‘Horace Wilkinson’sign putuponthe bridge,” AnnWilkinson said.

That is, until 2010, when she received acall from former Baton Rouge Mayor-President SharonWeston Broome, who was then Speaker Pro Tempore of theLouisiana House of Representatives.

“She said, ‘Weneed to get aname on thebridge,’”Ann Wilkinson said. “She and Rep. Regina Barrow introduced a measure— it wasn’tabill —to put thename on the bridge.”

Today,“Horace Wilkinson” signs are placed on the railings in both directions.

“So, 42 years after it opened, thename was finally on the bridge,” AnnWilkinson said.

Do youhavea question about something in Louisiana that’s got you curious? Email your question to curiouslouisiana@ theadvocate.com.Include your name,phone number and the city whereyou live.

crawfish are a project.Peeling themwith others isakind of culinary quilting bee, the sharing of effort and skill agift of the experience. Maybe,Ithought to myself, ouroffice crawfish lunch should becomea tradition

Email Danny Heitman at danny@dannyheitman.com.

Godson beingpursued by much olderwoman

Dear Harriette: My godson is 22 yearsold —soon to be acollege graduatebeginning his life as an adult. He confides in me about his life, including his dating life. He toldmethat he is being courted by a woman who is 20 years older than him. Sheisattractive and has agood job,but Ithink that’stoo old. He’sjuststarting his life. This woman is settled, but Ialsolearned that shewants to have a child. She’sonthe edge of not being able to since she’sin her40s, but shehas asked him to try with her.Iamappalled. Why should ayoung man who is just beginning his life want to make that decision? He should be free to explore. What can I say to him to wakehim up? He is completely mesmerized by this woman. —BabyNo

Dear BabyNo: Ask your godson practical questions. What does he want to do when he graduates from college? Job?Career? Location?What arehis dreams,and how does he envision manifesting them? Can he see himself with achild now? Can he afford to takecare of achild? Does he

want to? Would he feel comfortable fathering achild andnot caring for it, just giving it to her? How does he seethe future of this relationship? Get him to think as soberly as possible. This may help to wake him up. The woman in question sounds desperate and territorial. Do your best to gethim to consider his future andrecognize that he is in controlofit. He should notgive thataway DearHarriette: My parents live in atwo-story beautiful home, but theyare too old to do theupkeep themselves. They can’tafford to hire people, so I have to help themwith things like yardwork anddaily chores. Iamtheir only daughter,soall this additionalwork falls on me Ialsohave afamily andhouse of my own to carefor,somyparents’ house has become ahuge stressor for me. I’ve suggested that they considerdownsizing to asmaller single-level home or even aseniorliving community where maintenancewould be handled for them. Every time I bring it up, theyshut down the conversation. They say they’re

notready, thatmoving would be toostressful or thatI’m trying to push themout of their ownhome. I’m starting to feel resentful, andIhateadmitting that. Ilovemyparents and want to support them, but Ialso feel overwhelmed andstretchedthin. HowdoI convincethem that the right choice for allofusisfor themtomoveout of their house?

—Parents in Need

DearParents in Need: Talk to your parents abouta timeline for transition. Layout the facts: Their house hasbecome too muchto maintain, andthey are going to have to move. Make that as concreteofanideaasyou can. Begin to talk aboutthe move as afact Talk aboutwhatdownsizing will look like,whatneedstobesold or givenaway andwhere they might live. Start painting picturesofthe future to help them getusedtoit. Do the research to learnwhat’savailable,and take themonvisits to seeplaces.Ease theminto the idea.

Sendquestions to askharriette@ harriettecole.com or c/o AndrewsMcMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

BRAGG

Continuedfrom page1D

he doesn’tgofar for book talks anymore.

“I turned down that wonderful literary festivaltheyhaveinPebble Beach, California,” he said. “I pick my battles. Idoa lot of stuff around the South. I’mcomfortable with that. Theysendsomebodyto get me.”

Which is exactly what the festival organizers in New Iberia are doing.

He goes because of the people.

“If you write nonfiction books andyou don’twanttosee thepeople who read them, thenIthink there’ssomething terribly wrong with you,” he said.“I’ll go do a book talkand come home from it wore out, but thefirst thingIwant to do thenext morning is write.”

Regretsofa mountain man

Aconversation with Bragg makes it clear thathe’sbeen thinking alot lately aboutthe passage of time.At66, he admits there are some things he would do differently.Mainly,hesays he would have been kinder—not in abig philosophical sense, but in specific moments

Iaskedhim if he could give me an example, and he toldmeabout how his brother Sam loved ashow called “Mountain Men” on the HistoryChannel. Oneday,they were watchingittogether,and Bragg told him thatthe sequence about oneofthe mentakinga horseto town was staged for the show Braggsays that Samtookthe commentasaslight. Samthought his worldly,Pulitzer Prize-winning brother was sayingthathis brother back homeinAlabamawasn’t smart. Bragghas carried that feeling ever since, asking himself, “Why didn’tIjust stayquiet and enjoy the show with him?”

Braggsays he loved Sam like he lovednoone else except his mother

That story has stayed with me. I even shared it with thejournalism classI’m teaching at LSU, because it’ssuch agreat example of showingand nottelling when it comesto

writing. It’sareminder that it’snot thegrandgesture,but the small wrong that sits with us all.

Living in themoment

Bragg has been to New Iberia only once before —the first time was shortly afteraCajun woman had done him wrong.

“I wenttothat part of the world and tried to eat my way out of a broken heart,” he said. “I had a chef in Lafayette whotried to convincemethat gator was food. Istill disagree with that.”

He went to ahonky-tonk where ayoung man was on stage with an accordion doing zydeco, and there were longtables covered in crawfish shells.

Iaskedhim if he joined in the dancing.

“This will be sad to peopleinthat part of the world, but Ijust don’t dance, but I’ve always envied people who could just throw off any inhibitions and just throw down,” he said. “So, Ijust kind of stood to one side andthought, ‘Wouldn’tit be good to be Cajun forone day?’”

He still thinks that.

What Braggdoesbest, on the page and in conversation, is describe athing as it is happening —asitisbeing lived. He says that he’s tried to teach this to students for years with limited success. They,instead,wanttobephilosophical andwrite in abstraction. As it happens, Bragg keeps a

New Iberiapresence in his writing room —apassage from James Lee Burkepinnedtohis wall.It’sone of Burke’sdescriptionsofa juke joint. It blazes with color,noise andcursing during the night and disappearsentirely in the daylight. He keeps Burke’swriting close at hand to remind himself of the distance between good writing and bad.

“Don’ttell me the moon is shining,” goes the old Chekhov line Bragg lives by.“Show me the glint of light on broken glass.”

AlovelettertoAcadiana Today,Bragg still thinks about that honky-tonk. And he has kind remarks about Acadiana.

“Lafayette, Breaux Bridge what abeautiful, striking, remarkable place,”Bragg said.“Youcan go all over this country and find a Chili’sanywhere, but there are few places left that areentirely their ownplaces. New Iberia is that kind of place.”

Books Along the Teche Literary Festival takes place April 10-12 in New Iberia. The Rick Bragg Great SouthernWriter event will be at 11 a.m.April 11 in the Doc Voorhies’ Wing of the Bayou Teche Museum,131 E. Main St., New Iberia. For acomplete schedule and more information about the event, visit booksalong thetecheliteraryfestival.com.

My mom has sent me afew questionstoask Bragg, butI’m still working on therest. You’re welcome to help me think of more by sending suggestions to jan.risher@theadvocate.com.

DININGSCENE

Blissful Battureadds‘happyhourgrocery,’ pop-ups

Picture agrocery stocked specifically for outdoor happy hours and picnics. Now fuse that with awine shop and an espresso barand plant it by arestaurant row of food trucks on agrassy lawn with asweeping view of the Mississippi River

This is the scene that’s been drawing me back to The Batture this spring, and not just on the weekends, when this outdoor spread on the Uptown riverfront is hopping with romping families. I’ve been returning on quieter weekdays, too,for what I’ve come to regard as adinner and ashow combo.

On arecent Tuesday,dinner was amarket-fresh spread of Colombian cooking from the pop-up Waska The show was the river itself, coursing past in currents of opal gray and rose gold as the sun made its slow descent overthe West Bank.

Formations of fat ducks swooped by the riverbank.

Tugboats pushed strings of barges and giant oceangoing tankersfilled the horizon, capturing the attention like parade floats. Some tooted boat horns,which we toasted with plastic wine cups.

It’sbeen ayear sincethe Batture first materialized just over the levee, transforming aonce-invisible maritime industrial yard into an enchanting place for New Orleans to relax, play,have some tasty food and drink, and even getting some shopping done.

It’snext to The Fly,that waterfront curve of Audubon Park with its own vista of the working river

The Batture resembles a park in some ways, but it is aprivate endeavor,led by the developers BenJacobson and Casey Burka, with itsown reasonable rules to maintain its business model (no outside food or drinks, for one, no outside furniture).

Driftwood andreinvention

Entering its second spring, the Batture feels refreshingly low-glitz and easygoing. If the Swiss Family Robinson adopted WesAnderson, they might’ve come up withthis aesthetic of driftwood and rusty reinvention Metalstructures from old offshore platformsnow

AtNuNu Tickets areonsalefor a performance by Madeleine Kelson and Remi Goodeon April 8inthe Singleton’sPure Listening Room at the NUNU Gallery,1510Bayou Courtableau Hwy Arnaudville. Doors open at 6p.m., andthe show begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are$25. Visit events. humanitix.com/nunu4826 Also, registration is open for Jeanney Wharton’s Gelli Printing workshop from 1p.m. to 4p.m. on April 22. Cost is $100, and material fee is $10. Visit simpletix.com/e/ gelli-printmaking-class-tickets-267357.

Jurassic Jam

The Manship Theatreinthe ShawCenter for the Arts, 100 Lafayette St is hosting JurassicJam: AFreeSpring Break Event from 10:30 a.m.to 2:30 p.m. April 7. Activities aredesigned for children age 4-5 in the morning and older childreninthe afternoon. Though the event is free, participants areasked to register by emailing lltompkins@ manshiptheatre.org.

LSUJazz

The LSU Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Doug Stone, and the LSU Jazz Lab Band, under the directionofJohn Madere, will join forces for a high-energy big band concert featuring jazz repertoirefrom

theclassictothe modern. This spring performance will takeplace at 7:30 p.m. April7 in theLSU Union Theater and showcases legendary New Orleans trumpeterJames Andrewsasguest artist. Tickets are$13-$20. Visitlsu. edu/cmda/index.php NASA camp at LASM Registration is openfor the Louisiana Art &Science Museum’s NASA AstroCamp for students in the fifth through eighthgrades setfor July8-10 at the museum,100 S. River Road.

Costis$325. A$75 nonrefundable deposit due at booking. Visit lasm.org.

‘The Ugly Duckling’ The Manship Theatre will host LightwireTheatre’s The Ugly Duckling” at 2p.m. April 19 at theMagnolia Theatreon Baton Rouge Community College’s MidCitycampus. This special presentation marks an expansion of Manship Theatre’s family programming intothe Mid Citycommunity,offering accessible, high-qualityarts experiences in awelcoming neighborhood setting. Tickets are$15. Visitmanshiptheatre.org/comingsoon/ lightwire-theater-the-uglyduckling

‘A Refugee’sOrigin’

The Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge’s ShellGallery will open “A Refugee’s Origin

compriseanoffice workspace, dubbed theRigs. Helicopter landing pads are now pavilions shading picnic tables

Remnants of dredging equipment and ship towing gear lay about,like apostindustrial sculpture garden. Food at theBatture began as aroundup of food trucks, serving Friday through Sunday,and that’sstill the centerpiece. Butfood options have grown through theweek, with some opening on other weekdays.

Abuilding called the Helm,awalk-up kitchen in aship’swheel house, hosts regular pop-ups. Currently that brings Waska on Tuesdays, taco vendor Casa Laly on Wednesdays and Turkey &the Wolf founder Mason Hereford boiling crawfish on Saturdays (this one through theend of May)

Apicnicgrocery

Anchoring the Batture all day,any day is Miss Market (open 8a.m. to 8p.m. Tuesday-Sunday). It’srun by MattMorris, founder of thedowntown coffee shop

ON THEARTSAND CULTURESCENE

by K.T.Ho” on April 27 at the CarySaurage Community Arts Center, 233 St. Ferdinand St.The showruns through May29, and therewill be a reception at 6 p.m. May1 The showisamixed media exhibitexploring Vietnamese Diaspora, colonial legacy and survival. Admission is free. Visit artsbr. org/shell-gallery.

‘MadamaButterfly’

Tickets areonsale for Opera Louisiane’s production of Giacomo Puccini’s grand opera, “MadamaButterfly” at 7p.m April 11 in the Raising Canes River Center Performing Arts Theater, 240 St.Louis St.

Tickets are$20-$150. Visit operalouisiane.com/madamabutterfly

At LSUTheatre

Tickets areonsale for LSU Theatre’s production of “The PlayThat Goes Wrong,”opening April 17, in the Reilly Theatre, TowerDrive on campus.

Tickets are$9-$22. Opening night is preceded by apaywhat-you-can performance on Apri.16. Visit calendar lsu.edu/event/the-play-thatgoes-wrong.

At BatonRouge Ballet

Tickets areonsale for Baton RougeBallet Theatre’s production of “Rapunzel: A Storybook Ballet” on April 17-18 at the Raising Cane’s River Center Performing Arts Theater, 240 St.Louis St.

Tickets are$50-$77. Visit brbt. org. Symphony at L’Auberge

Tickets areonsale for the Baton RougeSymphony Orchestra’s concert, “SymphonyNight at L’Auberge” at 7:30 p.m. April 16, featuring violinist RisaHokamura at the L’Auberge Casino &Hotel Casino,777 L’Auberge Drive. Tickets are$25-$80. Visit brso org.

In West BatonRouge

The West Baton RougeMuseum will open “Tea Party Hats: The Louise Fertitta Collection” on April11and showing in conjunction with “Finding Alice: ArtistsExploring Wonderland featuring Abelardo Morell.” Visit westbatonrougemuseum.org.

At LASM

The Louisiana Art&Science Museum, 100 S. River Road, is showing “Then, and Now, and Always: The Art of Nick Bustamante,”through July19 in its SoupConGallery. Visit lasm.org.

At theOld Capitol

were learning the ropes, putting on agentle air show forpeople watching from picnic blankets and Adirondack chairs near the water’sedge. The wholesomeness factor is high around the Batture. Kids twirl on atire swing, kick soccer balls or run football passing routes (there’sabin of public access balls at the ready). The occasional train whistle sounds behind the levee, and then there’sthe grinding rumble of ship engines announcing another vessel’sapproach.

Markets, pop-ups, vendors

The Batture now hosts the Tuesday edition of the Crescent City Farmers Market (8 a.m. to noon), where stands forcoffee, breakfast sandwiches and pop-ups forhot food can provide amarket breakfast or lunch by the river.Chefs from around the city shop the market early

Nova Espresso, which accounts forthe espresso bar

Itscoolers and shelves are stocked with many morelocal names, from smoked chicken salad from Blue Oak BBQ, to baguettes from Bellegarde Bakery and asupply of sweet and savory pastries from Ayu Bakehouse, the stellar Marigny bakery café.

There’sawall of chilled beer,canned cocktails, soft drinks and awine collection that would be at home at any upscale bottle shop (and priced like awine shop, not awine bar).

Houseplants hang over racks of gourmet munchies, tinned seafood and fine chocolate. There are candles and cookbooks for last-minute gifts. Miss Market even lends out cheeseboards forbuild-your-own spreads of snacks from its inventory

This is also agrocery that sells kites, and on a breezy afternoon, novices

One is Waska chef Chris Blanco, supplying his popup later that day (4 p.m.to 8p.m.). His market menus can run through grilled carrots, shrimpceviche and pollo asada plates with green salads strewnwith strawberries and radish. Someofthe permanent vendors have been slowly expanding their schedules to afew weekdays. That includes Stelly’sfor frozen yogurt and The NellShell, serving lobster rolls and “sea-cuterie” boards of tinned seafood from its vintage trailer Weekends bring the full array,including Bootsy’s, a trailer from Blue Oak BBQ forfried chicken sandwiches and nuggets; the Imperial Woodpecker sno-ball stand; and food trucks from Bub’sBurgers forsmash burgers and from Bourree forbarbecue plates and sandwiches. The Batture has been hosting morevendors on an ad hoc basis, with Flour Moon Bagels and natural wine distributor Disco Liquids visiting recently.The calendar of yoga classes, vintage and art market sales and children’sprogramsisgrowing too. The Batture’sname comes from the term for the alluvial space between the river’slow water mark and the levee. It is liminal, subject to change. Right now,atasunset picnic or pop-up happy hour,itfeels like this space has found the right level.

Email IanMcNulty at imcnulty@theadvocate.com

The exhibit, “Japanese WarBrides: Across AWide Divide,”opens on March 24 and runs through June 13, exploringthe story of more than 45,000 Japanese women who immigrated to the United States after WorldWar II and howtheir bold passage reshaped communities across thecountry.And themuseum will hostits annual Easter Egg Roll from 1p.m. to 4p.m. on March 28. Admission is free to all events. Visitlouisianaoldstatecapitol.org.

By The Associated Press

Today is Sunday,April 5, the95thday of 2026.

There are 270 days left in theyear

Todayinhistory:

On April 5, 1933, as part of his New Dealprograms, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order establishingthe Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC),a Depression-era work relief program for single menaged18-25; the program employed more than 2.5million men for federal conservation andsafetyprojects over its nine-year history

Also on this date:

In 1614, Pocahontas, thedaughter of Tsenacommacah chief Powhatan,married Englishman John Rolfe, awidower,inthe Virginia Colony In 1764,the BritishParliament passedthe American Revenue Actof1764, also knownas the Sugar Act; it providedfor strong enforcement of duties on refined sugar andmolasses imported into the American coloniesfromnonBritishCaribbean sources.

In 1887, in Tuscumbia, Alabama, teacher Anne Sullivan achieved abreakthrough as her 6-year-old deaf-blind pupil, HelenKeller, learned the meaning of theword “water”as spelled out in the ManualAlphabet.

In 1951, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were sentenced to death following their conviction in New York on charges of conspiringtocommitespionagefor theSovietUnion. (They were executed in June 1953.)

In 1986, two American servicemenand aTurkish womanwere killed in the bombing of aWest Berlin discotheque, an incident that prompteda U.S. air raid on Libya nine days later

In 1991, former Sen. JohnTower,R-Texas, his daughter Marian and 21 otherpeople were killed in acommuter planecrash near Brunswick, Georgia.

In 1994, Nirvana lead singer Kurt Cobain died by suicide in his Seattle, Washington, home at age 27.

In 2010, amassive coaldust explosion ripped through underground corridors of theUpper Big Branchmine near Charleston,WestVirginia, killing 29 workersinthe worst U.S. coal mining disaster in 40 years.

In 2024, an earthquake centered between NewYork City and Philadelphia shookskyscrapers and suburbs across thenortheastern U.S., causing no major damage but startling millions in aregion unaccustomed to such temblors.The 4.8 magnitude quake was oneofthe strongest along the East Coast indecades

Today’sbirthdays: Actor Michael Moriartyis85. Actor Max Gail is 83. Singer AgnethaFältskog (ABBA) is 76.Rapper-actorChristopher “Kid” Reid (Kid ’n Play) is 61. Rock musician Mike McCready (Pearl Jam) is 60. Countrymusician PatGreen is 54. Musician-producerPharrell Williams is 53. Rapper-producer Juicy Jis51. Actor Sterling K. Brown is 50. Actor Hayley Atwell is 44. ActorLilyJames is 37.Singer Bryant Myers is 28.

Cuteness doesn’tguarantee youthe chairyou want

Dear Miss Manners: What do you do if someone takes your chair? Does it matter if it is thethrone of aruler of great lands?

While he was out questing, awoman came to rest on the throne. In his very best,most polite voice, he asked, “Can you please move?”

encourage this behavior.Itisrude no matter what the age.

Let me explain. My family and Iwere waiting to be seated at arestaurant and we found acorner of a bench to rest.Afew minutes go by,and alittle patron (preschool age) came and said, “Hey,you’re in our seat!” Ismiled andallowed him and his mother to takethe seat.The mother seemed aghast and at a loss as to what to do.

Ireassured her that it was fine. “Little legs get tired,” Isaid with asmile. She reluctantly took the seat. Iwas in asimilar situation when my own son was small. He had been playing outside the elementary school as Isat on anearby bench.Heclaimed aseparate bench as his“throne” and alternated between standing on his throne and adventuring out across theland.

She was unaware of thekingdom and theimaginary knights coming to the defense of the king. She looked at me expectantly,but Iwas unsure what to do. I said somethingabout my son sitting with me, but thestranger offered to share the throne, and my son was satisfied with that result.

So, what’s agirl to do in that situation?

GentleReader: Why? Do you want to kick someoneout of apublic space, too?

Youcan try to gaslight Miss Manners and her readers with what you think is unabashed cuteness, but none of us is buying it

Teaching children that they have aright to any seat they want, real or imaginary,isrude —nomatter how adorable the little voices making the demand. (And frankly,you do not make aconvincing case that either interaction was adorable.)

These children grow up thinking it is their right to push people out of their favorite subway seats. So please do not

Dear Miss Manners: When Iask questions like, “How tall are you?,” “How fast was it?” or “How much does it weigh?,” I expect an answer with aquantity and a unit of measure —e.g., 5-foot-4, 60 miles per hour,10pounds. But lately,somany reporters on television are instead asking questions like, “How sad are you?,” “How exciting was it?” or “How proud are you?” These are emotions. Iwish someone whoisasked one of these questions would just respond with “27.”

Gentle Reader: Indeed. Notonly are the answers nonquantifiable, but these questions lead the subject —dictating the person’sfeelings, not even asking what they were.

Miss Manners agrees that this is not only lazy journalism,but it is not even red carpet or talk show worthy.Coming up with someactual questions would be farmore entertaining —for everyone.

Send questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com or by email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com.

Dear Heloise: Arthritis and stiff fingers can make fastening buttons adaily struggle, but one of myfriends found a simple solution: Instead of unbuttoning ablouse, leave mostofthe buttonsfastened. Then slip theblouse over your head like apullover,fasteningonly thetop button. This small change removes theneed to handle multiple buttons each time you dress or undress It works best with loose blouses or shirts that pull over your head easily.People with limited hand mobility may find this trick especially helpful. Simple adjustments like this makedaily routines easier —Donna B.,inOhio

The file of life

Dear Heloise: Emergency responders often need medical information fast. In Lincoln, Nebraska, fire stations offer the “File of Life” —asmall magnetic pouch for your refrigerator that holds vital health information. Residents fill in their emergency contacts, medications, allergies, medical conditions andinsurance information. First responders check the refrigerator for this pouch, which saves time during emergencies.

Many communities in the United States offer similar programs. If they’re available in your town,consider using one. Visible medical information helps emergency teams respond morequickly and safely —RobertM., in Lincoln, Nebraska Make bandages stickbetter

Dear Heloise: Outdoor work often causes scrapesand cuts, especially if you skip wearing gloves.Here’satrick to help bandages stick for longer: Before applying the bandage, place it on aclean surface and gently warmitupwith ahair dryer for afew seconds. Warming up the skin slightly can alsohelp. The mild heat softens the adhesive for abetter hold. Ensure thatthe wound is clean and dry, and avoid overheating the bandage or your skin. With care, this trick helps bandages stay in place during handwashing and movement. It works wellonfingers or parts of thehands where bandages loosen quickly —Chuck Threadgill, in Tulsa, Oklahoma Packingwithpopcorn

Dear Heloise: If you need to ship fragile items but lack packing materials, airpopped popcorn makes ahandy substitute. The kernels provide cushioning and

prevent shifting in the box. Line the bottom of the box with popcorn, add your wrapped item,then fill any gaps with morepopcorn to hold everything snugly Air-popped kernels workbest since they contain little to no oil. Buttered popcorn can leave residue. Popcorn may attract pests if packages sit around for too long, so use it mainly forshort shipping distances. —MichaelIzzo, Hillsborough, New Jersey

Stayingconnected

Dear Heloise: Many grandparents want asimple way to contact their young grandchildren whoaren’tready fora smartphone. One family solved this with akid-friendly smartwatch. These watches worklike basic cellphones; children can call or message people, but parents control contacts, only allowing approved communication. Many watches also offerGPS tracking forlocation updates. Families add the watch to their cellphone plan forasmallmonthly fee. The device stays on the child’swrist, making it hard forthem to lose. For many, asmartwatch is asafe, convenient way to stay connected. —Concerned Grandpa, in Arkansas Sendahinttoheloise@heloise.com.

PRINT ADVERTISING WORKS

“Bookshops have become cultural infrastructure. Acity withoutone is acity that stops thinking.”

JOHNSON, founder of Baldwin&Co.

DJ

PLOT

TWIST

IDEAS INNOVATION &

BY MARTHA SANCHEZ Staff writer

New houses are rising. Restaurants are opening. Vacation rentals are busy

It’saportrait of surginggrowth in theGulfCoastcityof Waveland, Mississippi.

“It’spicked up like crazy,” said Lisa Johnson, ashort-term rental owner in Waveland who gets new bookings almost every day.“It’s just going bonkers.” The city of around 7,000 people is experiencing an economic development boon as morenewcomers seek alaid-back,less crowded and often cheaper alternative to neighboring BaySt.

BY RICH COLLINS Staff writer

On aSaturday in late January,hundreds of people gathered to sipbrandymilk punchand share stories at adaylong retirement party at Blue Cypress Books in New Orleans’Carrolltonneighborhood.

Theguest of honor was acat named Kitty Meow,who had greeted the bookstore’s customers for 17 years but was now going to spend quieter days in aseparate office down the street

The huge turnout for theevent and robust sales of Kitty Meow-themed merch demonstrated theloyal community Blue Cypress owner Elizabeth Ahlquistand her team have builtsince launchingthe used and new bookstore in 2008.

“Itwas oursecond-biggest grossing day ever,” Ahlquist said in aphone interview recently.“People arecrazy,and they love

Afew decades ago, independent shops catering to the literary crowd looked like they were in trouble,asonline retailers andbig-boxstores threatened to pull the well-worn rugs outfrom under their dusty bookshelves by offering convenience and lowprices But today,independent bookstores are doing better than ever.Between 2020 and 2025, the numberofshops in the United States grew by astaggering 70%, according to data from the American Booksellers Association. More than 400 stores opened last year alone.

In Louisiana,bookstore owners say the key to the turnaround has been theirabilitytobuild loyalcommunitiesbyhosting awide variety of events, curating unique collectionsofbooks and making welcoming places for people to connect andshare

Louis. It is also asign of growth across theGulfCoast,wherevisitors from Louisiana andaround the South are scrambling to buy some of the last affordable beach homesinthe country. Waveland, destroyedbyHurricane Katrina, has been steadily gaining recognition in recent years for its small-town charm and family-oriented culture. Its waterfrontislined with elegant homes and is quieter thanBay St.Louis, where bars and restaurants

theweird events we have.” She’snot the only Louisiana bookseller to make that observation.

ä See BOOKSTORES, page 2E

BUILDING PERMITS

$459,000.

Issued March 25-31

Commercial alterations

CHURCH: 125 E. Butcher Switch Road, description, none listed; applicant and contractor, Edward’s Blacktop Paving; $40,000.

GARAGE: 807 S. Buchanan St., description, stairwell repair to Buchanan Street parking garage; applicant, Westwood Professional Services; contractor, Bulliard Construction; $1.3 million

PARK: 701 St. Nazaire Road, Broussard; description, pickleball court pro shop; applicant, St. Julien Park Pickleball; contractor, Triad Construction Services; $6 million.

SALON: 409 E. Main St., Broussard; description, hair salon; applicant, Andy Vige; contractor, JV Homes; $134,000.

Commercial demolition

OTHER: 4654 Johnston St., description, none listed; applicant and contractor, My Trang Nguyen; $20,000. SCHOOL: 609 Broadmoor Blvd., description, none listed for Broadmoor Elementary School; applicant, Southern Specialty Services; contractor, Jeremy L. Rowe; $17,686.

APARTMENTS: 2401 E. Simcoe St., description, none listed for Parkside Villas Apartments; applicant and contractor, CB Morgan Equipment; $49,500. New residential

100 SANDY BEACH ST., YOUNGSVILLE: Kydra and Jonathon Melancon, $606,750.

214 ROSE ST.: Castle Row Construction, $279,500.

214 E. SPRING ST.: Castle Row Construction, $209,000.

215 STUTES ROAD: Manuel Builders,

BOOKSTORES

Continued from page 1E

ideas. That means bookstores aren’t just bookstores anymore:

They’re often blended with cafes, bars, podcast spaces and more.

“Bookshops have become cultural infrastructure,” said DJ Johnson, founder of Baldwin & Co., which debuted five years ago in New Orleans. “A city without one is a city that stops thinking.”

Growing indie scene

In Louisiana, bookstores that opened in 2025 include TBR Books & Tea in Baton Rouge, Magnolia Books in Jena and Book Club & Co., a romance-only shop combined with a bakery, in Lafayette. Hemingway House of Stories and Spirits — a used bookstore combined with a coffee shop and bar opened earlier this year in Pineville.

These newcomers join more than two dozen existing Louisiana stores, some of which are growing. In Uptown New Orleans, Blue Cypress and nearby Octavia Books have both doubled in size this decade. The Garden District Book Shop, acquired by new owners five years ago, has a new footprint. And Denham Springs-based Cavalier House Books opened a second location in 2024 in Lafayette.

“Our membership is double what it was four years ago,” said Linda-Marie Barrett, executive director of the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance, which serves Louisiana and 10 other states. “And we’re seeing bookstores opening in new ways, as pop-ups, bookmobiles and nonprofits. They’re becoming that ‘third place’ outside of home and work for people to gather.”

Some of Louisiana’s booksellers are reporting brisk sales. Barkley Rafferty said revenue at the Garden District Book Shop has grown each year since she partnered to buy it in 2021. Garner Robinson, co-owner of Faulkner House Books in the French Quarter, said his small shop just had its best March ever And John Cavalier, co-owner of Cavalier House Books, said firstquarter sales at both of his locations were up considerably from the previous year

Creating customers

Baldwin & Co. has become one of New Orleans’ most high-profile bookstores, partnering to be one of the official vendors at the New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University each March. Johnson, the shop’s owner, said the store’s talk series featuring some of the nation’s biggest authors is a big reason why An off-site event in

304 ACADEMY ROAD: Redemptive Construction, $243,750.

302 ACADEMY ROAD: Redemptive Construction, $243,750.

200 CAMERONS COVE, CARENCRO: Manuel Builders, $215,500.

202 CAMERONS COVE, CARENCRO: Manuel Builders, $227,250.

400 FLORES COURT: Manuel Builders, $236,500.

204 CAMERONS COVE, CARENCRO: Manuel Builders, $231,875.

205 EAGLE HEIGHTS DRIVE, DUSON: DR Horton, $248,625.

502 PARKINGTON COURT: DSLD, $191,125.

215 CAMERONS COVE, CARENCRO: Manuel Builders, $227,250.

409 RUE GAMBETTA: Manuel Builders, $299,500.

123 HAMILTON PARC WAY: Manuel Builders, $315,500.

727 LAFITTES LANDING PASS: Manuel Builders, $311,750.

104 RETREAT ST., BROUSSARD: Advance Development Construction, $950,000.

201 HIGH POINT WAY, YOUNGSVILLE: Level Construction and Development, $294,996.

849 DÉTENTE ROAD YOUNGSVILLE: Acadiana Holdings of Delaware, $450,000.

310 CLIFFSIDE ROAD, YOUNGSVILLE: Francez Builders, $500,000.

312 CLIFFSIDE ROAD, YOUNGSVILLE: Gulf South Builders, $600,000.

111 SOUNDVIEW WAY, YOUNGSVILLE: RLS Properties, $450,000.

201 EMBARK LANE, YOUNGSVILLE: Manuel Builders, $241,600.

206 IVY COTTAGE DRIVE, YOUNGSVILLE: Acadiana Home Builders, $700,000

Keith and Daniella Poirrier established the Poirrier Group LLC

Founder’s Partner Investment Fund in Sales at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, creating a pathway for business students to bridge the gap between academic preparation and professional sales careers.

The fund supports students at the B.I Moody III College of Business Administration through mentorship, applied learning opportunities and exposure to executive sales careers.

The gift honors Keith Poirrier’s parents, Gail and Steven Poirrier, whose connection to the university stretches back to 1964. Steven Poirrier was a football player who later built a career in retail business and wealth management, and Gail Poirrier was dean of UL’s College of Nursing and Allied Health Professions for 21 years.

Tanya Duhon was named chief financial officer with the Coushatta Casino Resort in Kinder

Duhon, who was in the role in an interim basis, will oversee all

Cavalier House Books, which hosts hosts many author talks and other events at its Denham Springs store, opened a second location in 2024 in Lafayette. Co-owner John Cavalier says first-quarter sales at both stores were up considerably from the previous year

2024 featuring author Ta-Nehisi

Coates attracted more than 3,000 attendees and led to the sale of thousands of books.

Octavia Books also hosts talks that bring regular customers into its newly expanded space, as does

financial strategy and operations across the property She earlier led key financial initiatives, including collaboration with the Gaming Commission and the National Indian Gaming Commission, development of the 2026 budgets and cash flow management throughout Coushatta Casino Resort’s expansion. She is a graduate of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

Eight new emergency medical technicians will serve the Lafayette area after completing extensive coursework and hands-on training at Acadian Ambulance’s National EMS Academy Gage Battlefield, Breanna Carter, Gracee Dautreuil, Jaidyn Fusilier, Andre Guilbeau, Jess Harmon, Anne Mullican and Jordan Smith will work for Acadian. Acadian’s EMT program focuses on essential life-saving techniques, some of those being patient assessment, trauma and airway management and emergency childbirth.

Brach J. Myers was named vice president of corporate development with Oceans Healthcare. Myers has over two decades of health care leadership experience in growth strategy, M&A and hospital partnership development, including senior leadership roles at LHC Group where he helped support and strengthen a large

school librarian in the audience, so we got a $10,000 book fair out of it,” he said.

Sip and read

Independent bookstores also have added food and beverage options, and other perks, to cultivate drop-ins even when there’s nothing in particular going on.

On a recent weekday afternoon at Garden District Book Shop, a family was playing a game near the bar The adults were holding cocktails while kids slurped on juice boxes. Nearby, a mother and daughter were hanging out after ballet class while a group of women set up a mahjong board.

Rafferty said she and her business partner, Carroll Gelderman, encourage drop-in visitors to their portion of a high-end retail space serving a mix of locals and tourists in one of the city’s historic neighborhoods.

A few miles upriver, Octavia Books is connected to Cafe Malou, which opened last year, by special bookcases that can open and close.

“People visit the store while waiting for a table, and then it’s hard to pass up a book,” bookstore owner Tom Lowenberg said.

Baldwin & Co. also has a brisk food and beverage business, and it is home to a podcast studio and four-bedroom short-term rental that attracts writers looking for a space to work.

‘People like to see themselves’

In addition to events and amenities, independent bookstore owners say a carefully curated collection — selected by people, not algorithms — is a key to their business models.

“You need to have good staff that can talk about books,” said Lowenburg, who opened Octavia Books 26 years ago when independent stores were “dropping like flies.”

Part of the trick to curating is to focus on local topics, owners say Cavalier and his wife, Michelle, launched their own distribution business, Looziana Book Co., in 2018 to sell books from regional publishers to retailers.

Now, in their dual roles as retailers and distributors, the Cavaliers look for promising new titles from local authors that they can help turn into regional hits. They set up events at libraries, civic organizations, book clubs and anywhere they can connect with interested readers.

Jordan LaHaye Fontenot’s 2025 release, “Home of the Happy,” an investigative memoir about a family tragedy is one success story

national network of hospital joint ventures.

Gabby Derise was hired at Theriot Family Chiropractic Center in New Iberia.

The Greater Iberia Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for her arrival on Wednesday

Derise is a New Iberia native and graduate of LSU and Parker University

Martin Bech was promoted to senior vice president with Acadian Cos. and appointed to its executive committee.

Bech will remain as the company’s general counsel and will lead the corporate legal functions of Acadian’s eight divisions, including contracts, insurance, litigation, risk management and acquisition strategies.

The move allows executive vice president Allyson Pharr to strengthen her role as governmental relations efforts and compliance oversight and serve as executive vice president and chief governmental and regulatory affairs officer Bech is a graduate of LSU and Loyola University College of Law in New Orleans.

BEACH

Continued from page 1E

Driving growth

Leaders say opportunities for growth are increasing in Waveland, especially as Bay St. Louis gets more crowded.

“Everything kind of went nuts in Bay St. Louis, but they’re landlocked — there’s not very far they can go other than what they’ve got,” said Rhonda AimeGamble, who serves on Waveland’s Board of Aldermen. “In Waveland, we’re not surrounded like Bay St. Louis is.”

Waveland’s new four-story hotel on U.S. 90 will be a dual concept property that includes Marriott’s Fairfield and TownePlace Suites. Its announcement two years ago followed news of other U.S. 90 developments, including Express Oil Change and Harbor Freight, a hardware store chain.

County leaders are pushing for more development on the highway, a commercial corridor between Waveland and Bay St. Louis. Popular coffee chain 7 Brew opened there last year New dining and fast-food franchises also want to open in the area, according to Blaine LaFontaine, executive director of the Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission, the area’s economic development authority “There’s demand there,” he said.

Despite the growth, Waveland’s beachfront will remain unique: The city prohibits commercial buildings on its beaches, meaning sandy shores will remain free of bars, restaurants and other waterfront businesses that dot the landscape of the Mississippi Coast. The city’s population is rebounding and has nearly reached its pre-Katrina number Lots that have sat empty since the storm are now filling with homes under construction. Neighbors hear hammers pounding and power tools running almost every day

Waveland’s average home value is just over $200,000 — a few thousand dollars less than Bay St Louis, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Some families who owned second homes in Waveland for years before Katrina are finally buying in the city again. Many come from Baton Rouge, Mandeville and Covington.

Garden District Book Shop. In addition to author talks, shops statewide also welcome book groups and other special events, like the TBR Books “audio book walks,” which see participants popping in earbuds for a neighborhood stroll.

Sometimes, bookstores team up to produce events: A few weeks ago, more than a dozen regional owners gathered at Octavia Books to brainstorm ideas for this year’s Independent Bookstore Day, scheduled for April 25. New Orleans book lovers will be able to pick up “passports” at any of the participating stores, then get them stamped at multiple locations to compete for prizes.

Cavalier said every event is a chance to build business over the long term. “We’ve hosted events that were a flop financially, but there was a

“It would have been a bestseller no matter what,” Cavalier said.

“But the type of events everybody lined up helped turn it into a grand slam home run.”

Finding big sellers is important for the Cavaliers and their industry peers, who remain small businesses facing thin margins and rising costs while maintaining ever-changing inventory

Jamie Freeman, owner of TBR, first stocked her store last year by ordering more than 7,000 books from Ingram, the industry’s dominant distributor Now, after a good first year, she’s focused on figuring out what to buy when new titles are released every Tuesday

Said Freeman: “I love putting the right books in people’s hands.”

Email Rich Collins at rich. collins@theadvocate.com.

“Now they’re trying to rebuild memories with their families,” said Holly Lemoine-Raymond, a real estate broker

The city is still quiet. It has about 85 registered short-term rental properties, according to the mayor But leaders created a new rule a few years ago that prohibits the number of shortterm rental permits from exceeding 5% of the city’s homes. Still, new visitors are arriving from around the country Johnson, the short-term rental owner, said tourists from New Orleans, northern Mississippi and even Chicago have booked her home.

“It’s taken us a long time, but we’re doing well,” Aime-Gamble, the city alderman, said. “This is the time to come to Waveland,” she added. “It’s a bargain right now.”

TALKING BUSINESS

ASK THE EXPERTS

La.’s only circuit board designer, manufacturer is in Lafayette

BY ADAM DAIGLE Acadiana business editor

It was about a decade ago when James Palmer took his experience in circuit board design and ventured out on his own.

Q&A WITH JAMES PALMER

Palmer heads up Lafayettebased Pelican Engineering, which engineers and manufactures circuit boards. Pelican is the only contract manufacturer for circuit boards in Louisiana, he said.

Being the only company in Louisiana to do this work is a badge of honor of sorts, he said.

“Historically, it’s not something that’s been easy to get into, but I think we’ve shown there’s a demand for it. We’ve got clients all the way up to California and New York and a lot in Texas,” Palmer said. With 45 employees and clients scattered around the country the company is poised to grow after it bought an 80,000-square-foot building last month.

In the world of circuit board manufacturing, Palmer said Pelican is still on the boutique side. The client base has grown 30% to 40% a year and the company could add at least five more employees this year, he said.

In this week’s edition of Talking Business, Palmer talks about his company’s move to its new headquarters, how it fared when tariffs spiked prices on its equipment and how a merger with another local company set it on a path for growth. This interview has been edited for clarity

Let’s start with the present.You bought the old Top’s Appliances & Cabinetry building for $4.4 million How does this building meet your company’s needs?

I’ve always kept an eye on real estate as we started filling up our (previous) Banks Avenue location We started getting more and more manufacturing contracts, and that

takes up quite a bit of space. Those machines are not small. Originally, I saw this building for sale a long time ago and we weren’t in a position to buy it. We got a lease on it and eventually were able to buy it. This should hold us for quite a while. I’m a fan of having a little bit extra space for whatever possibilities are going to come up. Did it take you a long time to find a building of this size available in Lafayette?

I had been watching probably for a couple of years I watched the Sears building go up for sale, and that went for crazy cheap. There’s really not a lot of (buildings) greater than 50,000, 60,000 square feet. This one had a combination of a few things that were good: a big

open warehouse for production and a nice storefront for our engineering space. It’s a good combination for both sides of our company Walk me back through how you started the company in 2015. I started my career working as a contractor for the Air Force Research Laboratory I did electronic warfare design for about a decade. Then I started the company, and it was just me and a laptop. An engineer for hire. I’ve been doing circuit board design for all my career, really I joke with people that I’m a onetrick pony circuit board design. But if you have to have a single trick, it’s not a bad trick. How did the business take off for you?

Little by little. I hired an intern and a full-time engineer, and then slowly some customers were like, “We don’t want you just to design it. How about you build a single prototype for us?” I knew how to do that. I did it by hand with microscope and tweezers. I was a lot younger then and my hands were a little bit steadier

Fast-forward a year or two, and they were like “How about you do five prototypes for us? And how about you do a preproduction run for us?” And it’s now, “How about you be our supplier for these things permanently?”

How have you been able to build a customer base? With clients based across the country, what’s been your niche against

these bigger companies?

For (some) customers, because we designed the board, we have design authority We know everything about it. If a substitute part needs to happen, we inform the customer and take it upon ourselves, fix it for them and keep them moving. With other contract manufacturers, as soon as that component goes out of stock, they hand it back to the customer and say, “We can’t build this.”

This came in really handy during COVID with the chip shortage. We did processor redesign for about a half-dozen customers, and it kept them moving. Their competitors were 18-24 months before their product could be back on the shelf. That’s the benefit of having your manufacturing team and your engineering team under one roof.

How did the tariffs from theTrump administration affect your bottom line?

Early on, tariffs were a big deal.

We’ve had to change some of the ways we do manufacturing because of the volatility of the tariffs.

From the time you get a PO (purchase order) to the time you deliver the product, tariffs could jump one way or the other If you’re not pricing that in, you can take a loss on it The manufacturing, although it’s high volume, it’s

AROUND THE REGION

50 Cent, Planet Hollywood eye Shreveport project

$100 million deal aims to develop next-generation

entertainment venue

BY LIZ SWAINE Staff writer

Rap mogul Curtis “50 Cent”

Jackson signed a $100 million deal with Planet Hollywood, expected to bring a next-generation entertainment venue to Shreveport

Jackson will launch PH Live, an entertainment venue set to open at Planet Hollywood’s flagship Times Square location.

The concept is “expected to expand into additional markets, including Shreveport,” where Jackson is building a major film and television production hub, according to a news release.

Amanda K. Ruisi, the president of AKR Public Relations in New York City, said there will be a Shreveport connection to the project.

Jackson signed the contract with Robert Earl, the founder, owner and chair of Planet Hollywood International. Jackson recently completed a residency at the Las Vegas Planet Hollywood.

Jackson also partnered on the 50 Cent Candy Shop Bar at the Las Vegas resort. The venture is Jackson’s first major restaurant and entertainment partnership, the news release said.

PH Live in Times Square will create “a new destination for celebrity-driven entertainment experiences in the heart of New York City.”

“This is about creating the ultimate entertainment destination,” said Jackson. “Planet Hollywood has always been connected to pop culture, and PH Live takes that energy to the next level, a place where music, film, sports and nightlife collide.”

The Times Square venue is expected to host events such as popup music performances, film and

announcing

the

Studios as G-Unit

Curtis ‘50 Cent’ Jackson has been adding to his portfolio of downtown Shreveport properties. The cumulative total of the 13 purchases is more than $4.6 million.

television premiere parties live sports simulcasts, VIP private events and corporate gatherings, bachelor and bachelorette parties and birthday celebrations.

In addition to the events at the venue, Jackson will also curate some of the menu items at PH Live and will loan personal memorabilia to the PH collection. Louisiana and G-Unit Film & Television LLC signed a 62-page Cooperative Endeavor Agreement in January guaranteeing a $50 million state incentive for the development of Jackson’s G-Unit Studio, the G-Dome entertainment facility and for the former Stageworks. In the agreement, Louisiana Economic Development states

that G-Unit and its affiliates have purchased a number of buildings in downtown Shreveport, “among other things,” and have already spent “approximately $10,000,000 as a capital investment in the project.”

Since announcing his plans in 2023-24 for the revival of Millennium Studios as G-Unit Studios, Jackson has been adding to his portfolio of downtown properties. The cumulative total of the 13 purchases is more than $4.6 million.

To date, G-Unit has purchased 13 individual properties downtown.

In addition to the purchased properties, Jackson and G-Unit have entered into long-term leases with the city of Shreveport for Millennium Studios and the former Stageworks/Expo Hall.

As of March 3, Shreveport City Attorney Marcus Edwards said no permits had been pulled for renovations to any of the properties.

The clock is ticking on the $50 million promised as an incentive to 50 Cent/G-Unit by Louisiana

In the signed cooperative endeavor agreement, promises were made on when production and events at G-Unit Studios, the G-

Dome and G-Stage would need to start. Productions must begin this year

During that five-year period, GUnit has agreed to at least 24 productions that will carry a cumulative production budget of $420 million and 26 live performances at the G-Dome. The money part of a performance-based site development award, can be clawed back if specific performance and hiring promises are not met. Email Liz Swaine at liz. swaine@theadvocate.com.

Beyond isn’taplace —it’samindset. Andit’sabeliefthathas poweredusfor over80years We areJones Walker LLP,a firmdrivenbyanentrepreneurial spirit,adeepsenseofcommunity,and afierce determination to deliverexceptional serviceand valuefor our clients.

Since1937, ourfirm hasbeencommitted to workingwithcommunityleaders to develop business opportunitiesacrossthe state. We aresteadfast in continuing ourdedicationtogobeyondinadvising clientsand supportinginitiatives andorganizations that make Louisiana abetterplace to live andwork

Whatstartedasaresponsetoalocalchallengeis nowindemandbeyondourcoastline.It’swhat happenswhenLouisianaknow-howisrecognized andgivenroomtogrow

Fromuniversitiesandpractitionerswithworld-class expertisetostart-upacceleratorsandinvestorsfueling what’snext,Louisiana’sinnovationecosystemishere tohelpturnlocalinstinctintoglobalsolutions

Combinethepersonalexperienceofwatching theforcesofnaturetransformthelandscape withaveryLouisianabrandofmotivationtodo somethingaboutitandyougetNatrx:

ALouisiana-borncompanydelivering breakthroughcoastalrestorationtechnologies thatturnthepowerofnatureintothesolution.

TheFuture FlowsThrough Louisiana

GenXersare facing anew eraofeconomicinstability

RetirementSecurity

relevant.I’ve chosen “Retirement

Financial fear is auniversal language right now

These days, Ioften get stopped in the supermarket aisles, aftera workout or at church.

Michelle Singletary

THE COLOR OF MONEy

From young adults to retirees, the faces change but the questions remain the same.

People arewondering if they should prepare for amarket crash as the conflict with Iran worsens Anxious savers question whether it’stime to withdraw theirmoney from the bank and keep it at home. Families are concerned about whether Social Security will still be there for them or whether the Trump administration will drastically alter the benefits they have spent alifetime earning.

These aren’tsimply nervous ramblings. They are the logical reactions of folks watching the price at the pump rise while the Strait of Hormuz remainslargely impassable.

It’sprecisely this climate of uncertainty that makes this month’s ColorofMoney Book Clubpick so

Fool’sTake: Big brands, big dividend

When acompany is struggling is sometimes (but not always) agreat time to buy its stock

Bites: AGen XGuide to Securing Your Financial Future” by Kerry Hannon and Janna Herron, both seasoned personal finance writers.

The title is awink at “Reality Bites,”the 1994 film that defined

Gen X’searly struggle to find its footinginthe adult world. They arenow facing theangst of retirement.

Gen Xers (theyoungest turning 46 this year,the oldest 61) are a financially strained group. With pensions disappearing, persistent inflation concerns,rising health care costs, lingering student loan debt and awar of choice hitting the stock market hard, they are justified in worryingabout retirement security.

Here are somesobering numbers about this generation, according to the authors’ research:

n Aquarter of Gen Xers don’t have aretirement account. “When looking at medianretirement savings levels for Generation X, the bottom half of earners have only afew thousand dollars saved for retirement,and the typical household has only $40,000 in retirement savings,”according to a2023 report from the National Institute on

n Themajority of the 64 million born between 1965 and 1980 expect to postponetheir retirement.

n They carry the most in averagecreditcard debt ($9,600 in 2025, according to Experian). And they hadthe highest averagestudent loan balance, owing $44,240 in 2024, according to areport by the Education Data Initiative.

n Two-thirdsare living paycheck to paycheck

“But we’re here to say it’snot time to give up,” the authors write. Feel what youmust, but then it’s important that you manage what you can,they encourage.

“Our ultimate goalistoget you where youcan visualize acomfortable retirement —even as new challenges mayarise —but not be overwhelmed by the steps you need to take to get there.”

Youcan’t control global oil prices or geopolitical tensions, but you can control your response to them.

One way to handlefinancial uncertainty is to arm yourself with information. This isn’tleisure reading, but it’sablueprint for aroad outof the economic anxiety Hannonand Herrondon’t start with spreadsheets; they start with

your head. It’sa necessary beginning, because your attitude can stall even the best-laid plans. This journey begins with this question: What’s your financial backstory?

Thinkbacktoyourchildhood

Did you grow up in ahousehold where fightsabout money were so common thatnow youavoid conversations aboutitatall costs? Were yousooverindulgedasa child that youconnect your selfworth to the stuff youown?

Theauthorsencourage youto journal about howyourmemories of money affect your financial habits.

Ihavelongbelievedinexploring the connection between your history andyour financialhabits or the emotional triggers thatcan prevent better money management.

If yougrewupina household where money wasa sourceof trauma, you might find yourself as an adulteitherobsessively hoardingcash outoffear or impulsively spending to compensate forpast deprivation. Youcan’t maintain the disciplineneeded fora 20- or 30yearretirement planifyou haven’t identified the money scripts you inherited.

Looking back,you can gain the clarity to distinguish between needsand wants, askill thatbecomes vitalwhenyou eventually switchtoliving on afixedincome. Hannonand Herronrecognize thatyou can’t build astable retirement on afragile emotional foundation. Before examining the numbers, youmust look in the mirrorand admit thatthe child you once were oftenmakes the adult’s financialchoices

Oncethe emotionalground is cleared,the authors pivottothe traditionalterrain of personalfinance. Theycover awide range of topics, fromcreating anet worth statement to understanding your 401(k), the realitiesofworking longer, optimizing Social Security,and navigating the maze of Medicare andhealth carecosts, allwhile balancing myriad otherfinancial priorities.

Hannonand Herrondon’t promise amiraclefinancialfix, but they offerpractical advicetothe biting reality of ourcurrent economy without having to cover your eyes

Email Michelle Singletary at michelle.singletary@washpost com.

Then

Motley Fool

That seems to be the case with Hormel Foods (NYSE: HRL).

The drop of around 23% in its stock price over the past year has pushed up its dividend yield to arecent 5.1%

Struggling companies sometimes reduce their dividends, but Hormel has been paying dividendsfor 390 consecutive quarters, since it went public in 1928, and it has increased its payout for 60 years in arow

On top of that, The Hormel Foundation controls roughly47% of the company’sstock, usingthe dividends it collects from Hormel Foods to further its philanthropic efforts.Sothat dividend is not very negotiable. Hormel’sportfolio of branded

food products hasn’tbeen firing on all cylinders lately but is still powerful, with names such as Applegate, Dinty Moore, Jennie-O, Planters, Skippy and Spam.Hormel’s brands hold the No. 1orNo. 2 position for market share in more than 40 categories. Its relatively inexpensive foods are alsoitems consumers will turn to during difficulteconomic times, and this can bolsterthe stockduring downturns that affect therest of the market. Hormel has brought back former CEO Jeffrey M. Ettinger as its new interim CEO in hopesofturning its fortunes around.

Fool’sSchool: Smart 401(k)moves, mistakes

Most of us woulddowell to participate in 401(k) plans that our employers offer n Manyemployers will chip in matching funds to your account, so contribute at least enough to your plantograb allavailablematching dollars.Ifyour company matches

50% of your contributions up to 6% of your salary, be sure to qualify for themaximum match —that’s free money n It’soften good to contribute much moretoyour account, though. For 2026, themaximum 401(k) contribution is $24,500. Those aged 50 and older can make an extra $8,000 “catch-up” contribution. If you could contribute $20,000 to your account annually and it grows at 8%, you could amass more than $915,000 over 20 years.

n Be sure to invest your contributions effectively.Many plans will plunk your dollarsinextrasafe, low-return investmentsby default.Consider broad stock funds, such as an S&P500 index fund, for much of your longtermmoney.(Check out thefees charged, though, so you can avoid steep ones. Under 1% is OK, and under 0.50% is even better.)

n Don’tborrow from your 401(k) if you can help it —any money removed won’t be growing for you,

possibly for years. Also, it can be hard to pay back 401(k) loans on time, resulting in taxes due and penalties charged.

n Don’tcash out when you change jobs, either.Instead, roll your account into a401(k) account with your new employer,orinto an IRA. That will let your accumulated funds keep growing for you. (Read up on the rules so you do this correctly.)

n Be sure to designate one or morebeneficiaries for your account to avoid probate and perhaps reduce thetax bill. It’ssmart to review these designations every few years. Learn more about 401(k) accounts and retirement tips at fool. com/retirement.

My Dumbest Investment: Ilost faith

Ibought 100 shares of theRoyal Caribbean cruise line in 2008 at $8 per share. Iwas happy,getting dividends and abenefitfor owning 100 shares when sailing on one of itsships.

Accountabilitycertified: Louisiana’s most scrutinizedfishery justgot recertified sustainable. Here’swhatthe science actually shows.

The Gulf menhadenfishery has passed theworld’smostrigorous fisheries audit –again.

Thisarticle is brought to youby theLouisiana Commercial FisheriesCoalition,LLC

he Gulf menhaden

Tfishery has earned its first recertification from the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) –the world’s leading certification body for sustainable fisheries –reaffirming its environmental performance and science-based management following arigorous,multi-year independentaudit

The MSCisthe world’sleading certification body forsustainable fisheries,and the 2026 recertification provides thirdpartyverification that the fishery continues to meet the highest standards forsustainability, ecosystemhealth, and effective management. MSCcertifications arevalid forfive years, with annual surveillance audits to ensureongoing compliance. Afull recertification –including public commentand the opportunity forobjections –isrequired every fiveyears. The fishery wasfirst certified in 2019

The MSCprocessis exhaustive, examining every dimension of the fishery’s performance: stock health, bycatchrates, environmental impacts,and regulatory oversight. Fisheries must meet strict scoring thresholds acrossall categories with anydeficiencies requiring time-bound correctiveaction.

The Marine Stewardship Council is an independent, international nonprofit organization thatsets the world’s leading standardfor sustainable fishing. Its certification program is science-based, globally recognized, and relies on thirdpartyauditors, transparent public input,and continuous monitoring to ensurefisheries meet the highest benchmarksfor environmental performanceand accountability.

The Gulf menhaden fishery successfully addressedall conditional scores from its first certification, demonstrating continuous,measurable improvement.

“Achieving recertification against the MSCFisheries Standardreflects strong, ongoing stewardship of the resource, including careful monitoring and aclear focus on simultaneously maintaining healthymenhaden populations and protecting the marine ecosystem,”said Marin Hawk, Senior Manager Fishery Partnerships,U.S.atthe Marine Stewardship Council. “MSCcertification is alongterm commitmentrequiring continuous improvementand accountability, and the Gulf menhaden fishery’s performance underscores its dedication to sustainable practices.We commend the fishery and all those involved forhelping to safeguard the long-term sustainabilityof this importantfishery.”

Menhaden aresmall, nutrientrich fish found in abundance along the Gulf Coast and play an importantrole in both the marine ecosystemand Louisiana’s economy. Harvested using purse seine nets,the species is processedintofishmeal and fish oil –essential inputs for aquaculture, U.S. pet food, livestock feed, and human nutrition –valued fortheir high omega-3 content

“This recertification is independent, rigorous,and grounded in science –itconfirms thatour fishery operates responsibly and sustainably,” said Francois Kuttel, Presidentand Principal Owner of Westbank Fishing. “Every step we take, from modernized nets to management and reporting practices,is

independently verified and publicly accountable, leaving no room fordoubt about the fishery’s sustainabilityorits benefit to Louisiana communities and markets.”

Economic Impact and Importance of Recertification

Louisiana’smenhaden industry supports morethan 2,000 jobs and generates approximately $419 million in annual economic impact,and generates$25 million in state and local tax revenue.

The industry alsopurchases morethan $62 million in goods and services from Louisiana businessesacross32parishes

The fishery is poweredbytwo Louisiana-based, U.S.-ownedand-operated companies –Westbank Fishing, headquartered in Empire, and Ocean Harvesters, based in Abbeville. Each works with aprocessing partner –Daybrook Fisheries forWestbank and OmegaProtein forOcean Harvesters–thatreceived the official MSCrecertification certificatesonbehalf of the Gulf menhaden fishery

MSCrecertification enhances global market accessfor sustainably sourced products,helping protect Louisiana jobs while ensuring the industry remains competitiveininternational markets increasingly driven by sustainabilitystandards.

Louisiana’s menhaden industry supports more than 2,000 jobs,and generates approximately $419 million in annual economic impact, and generates $25million in stateand local tax revenue.

Science,Management, and Accountability

“This certification is not just about environmental performance –it’sabout the people and communities that depend on this fishery,” said Ben Landry,Vice Presidentof Ocean Harvesters. “Independent verification confirms the Gulf menhaden stockisabundant, alsothe fishery is well-managed, and operates environmentally sustainably,reflecting both the health of the menhaden population and the stewardship of our industry.”

The MSCstandardisbuilt on three coreprinciples: maintaining healthyfish stocks, minimizing environmental impact,and ensuring effective, adaptivemanagementsystems Certification requires third-party review, stakeholder engagement, and annual audits to ensure ongoing compliance.

Recentstock assessments and ongoing scientific monitoring consistently showthatGulf menhaden populations remain healthyand arenot subject to overfishing. The fishery is widely recognized forits lowbycatch ratesand efficientharvesting practices

The Gulf menhaden fishery is the most tightly regulatedinthe state,overseen by the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Gulf StatesMarine Fisheries Commission, and Louisiana’s wildlifeagencies,ensuring layers of state and federal oversightalready hold the fishery accountable every day, confirming compliance and sustainability. According to the most recent

stock assessment, Gulf menhaden populations arestronger thanat anypointinthe past four decades, with spawning stock biomass morethan tripled since the 1990s Fishing mortalityhas declined to just one-thirdof1990s levels.The Gulf menhaden fishery harvests lessthan2%oftotalbiomass, leaving ample resources in the ecosystemfor predators such as reddrum, speckled trout,and marine mammals

Bycatch Study Reinforces Findings Recertification follows the release of landmark, $1 million state-funded bycatchstudy which found the Gulf menhaden

industry accountsfor just 3.4 percentofred drum removals comparedto96.6percent attributed to recreational fishing.

The findingsunderscorethe Gulf menhaden fishery’s limited ecological impact and adherence to regulatory limits and reinforce thatthe industry’s impact is monitored, measured, and publicly accountable.

LookingAhead

The recertification comes as globaldemand forsustainable seafood inputs continues to grow particularly in aquacultureand animal nutrition markets

“Our abilitytomaintain this certification depends on a

consistentcommitmenttodata, transparency,and responsible management,”said Kuttel. “We’ve shown thatwhen afishery follows strict science-based standards, we candeliver both environmental and economic outcomes –alevel of accountabilitythatnot all user groups areheld to.”

With MSCrecertification secured, the Gulf menhaden fishery continues to serveasa global model forsustainability–supporting healthyecosystems strong coastal communities, and critical U.S. supply chains –with accountability thatisproven, measured, and independently verified.

MADE IN LOUISIANA

Masteryofsex offender registry drawsmajor investment

BY JONAH MEADOWS Staff writer

During its more than 25 years in business, Mandeville-based Watch Systems keeps finding itself in the right place at the right time.

The company beganbuilding its flagship software product, OffenderWatch, at atime when internetbased mapping technology and sex offender regulations were bothin their infancy Its software is designed tohelp law enforcement agencies manage the complex mandates of monitoringregistered sex offenders, which includes keepingtrack of offenders, sharing data across thousands of jurisdictionsand producing apaper trail of compliance.

“We’rethe only company onthe planet that does that,” said Watch Systems President Mike Cormaci.

“And it’sbecause we got luckywith building the original platform.”

Today,its clients include 4,000 law enforcement agencies across all 50 states, and it generates more than $10 million in annual revenue and maintains aproprietary database of about amillion registered sex offenders.

Now it’spoised for further growth. Last fall, aSilicon Valley private equity firm purchasedthe companyfor an undisclosed price and is looking to acquireother businesses in the public safety sector Maptech OffenderWatch’splatform dates back to the 1990s, when Covingtonbased Fuelman, which sold gas cards at adiscount for company

fleet vehicles, developed its own digital mapping technology to help users find gas stations in its network. Many of the company’sclients at the time were law enforcement agencies that, Cormacirealized, could use the mapping technology to keep track of sex offenders.

(Many agencies were still storing theirrecords in filingcabinets.) Cormaci, then asales manager for Fuelman,partnered with Fuelman

Watch Systems President MikeCormaci points to amap indicating locations of his lawenforcement clients duringatour of the company’sheadquarters with Greater NewOrleans Inc. CEOMichael Hecht and Louisiana Economic Development SecretarySusan Bourgeois on Oct. 30 in Mandeville.

CEO Lou Luzynski to spin off a newcompany

“At first, the internet was so newthat Iwould talk to sheriffs about theinternetand they’d say ‘That’snot going to hang in there

Nobody’sgoing to use email, Cormaci said.

Forthe first few years, Luzynski and Cormaci basically worked for free, growingthe businessesone law enforcement client at atime with asingle developer and three other staffers.

Aboutfive years in,things began to snowball, andCormaci’ssales tripsstarted to geteasier

“OnceI gotto20-25 accounts in astate, they started to see thebenefit of thenetwork,” he said. “Law enforcement is very fraternal, so we could startusing them as references.”

In additiontocontractswithlocal police and sheriff’soffices across all 50 states, Watch Systems also has annual contracts with nearly

twodozen statewide agencies, ranging fromless than$100,000 for thesmallestterritoryto$500,000 or morefor alarger state.

50 statesex codes

OffenderWatch’sparticularadvantage comes from itsability to cross-index the codes forsex crimesfrom one state to another,because each state’slaws have their own setofdefinitions for sex crimes and rules for those convicted of them. Over theyears, it has continuously integrated statespecific requirements and updated its software as laws change. Anyprivatecompany lookingtocompete with the platformwould have to spend several years and tens of millions of dollars to build acomparable databaseand client

their children. Still another allows offenders themselvestofulfill their statutory registration requirements forafee of $60 ayear Adifferent butrelated Watch Systemssoftware product uses the samemapping data developed to determine sex offender rules to calculate precise salestax obligations. That can result in significant savings when it comes to sellers of big-ticketitems like cardealerships.

“Ray Brandt came down to shake my hand based on how much money we saved him,” Cormaci said, recalling his last car purchase. Investment,acquisitions

list, Cormaci said. Instead,OffenderWatchhas to contendwithpublic agencies electing to build their own systems rather than outsourcing them.

“It’scrazy because we don’thave commercial competitors. They’ve come and gone,” Cormaci said. “Wehaveavery unique business model.”

“It’scrazy because we don’t have commercial competitors. They’ve comeand gone.We have averyunique business model.”

MIKE CORMACI,Watch Systems president

In additiontostate and local clients, the federal government uses OffenderWatch to scan flight manifests for sex offenders and alerts relevant agencies when an offender goes off the grid.

The companyhas also developed mobile apps leveraging its database One helps officers updatethe registry in real time fromthe field. Another allows parentstoget alerts when aregistered offender attempts to contact

In 2021, Watch Systems relocatedfromCovington to its 12,500-square-foot Mandeville headquarters, from which it prints and sends about 5million cards every year to notifyneighbors that a sex offender has moved in nearby Last fall, the company accepted abuyout offer from STG Partners, aSilicon Valley private equity firm that specializes in middle-market enterprise software platform and techservicecompanies. Watch Systems was an ideal fit for the firm’s portfolio.

“Wehave been impressed by the company’sability to provide highquality, reliable software at great value to its customers,” said managing partner Rushi Kulkarni, announcing the investment.

WatchSystemsleaders, who continue to run the company as they did before the acquisition, aim to use the influx of private equity cash to fuel acquisitions of similar companies and add to its40fulltime employees and more than 15 off-site contractors.

CEO BenLuzynski, who took over as chief executive from his father in 2024, said it has no plans to leave Louisiana.

“Wewant to keep it here,” Luzynski said. “We’ve had it here 25 years, and we’dlike to see it here 25 more.”

Email JonahMeadowsatJonah. Meadows@theadvocate.com.

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GROWING CAPACITY

N.O. hospital expands NICU in $40M renovation due

BY MARGARET DELANEY Staff writer

Manning Family Children’s

Hospital announced a $40 million plan to build a 60-bed neonatal intensive care unit in its New Orleans hospital tripling the current NICU’s square footage — as Louisiana faces the second-highest preterm birthrate in the country

Although no babies are born at Manning Family Children’s, last year the hospital NICU cared for 272 critically ill babies transferred from 39 different referring hospitals across the region.

The current capacity of its NICU is 35 beds, a patient number they have grown out of in the last two years.

The current NICU at Manning Family Children’s is the only Level 4 NICU in the state, an accreditation awarded to hospitals with every pediatric

medical and surgical specialty under one roof.

The hospital has seen an increase in the number of “micropreemies” cared for over recent years, including babies born as early as 22 weeks — many weighing barely a pound.

The fourth floor of the hospital’s building, where the new NICU will sit, was intentionally left as a blank canvas when they completed construction on a new stand-alone children’s hospital in 2021.

One year ago, 45-year hospital board member Betty Sullivan told the hospital’s Chief

Executive Officer Lou Fragoso that a new NICU was the next step in the health system’s care.

“We started working on it the next day,” Fragoso said.

Construction is expected to last a year and half, with hospital operations expected to begin

ä See NICU, page 2X

Expert discusses effects of sitting on the human body

La. occupational therapist talks about sedentary life

BY SHANTELL GOMEZ Contributing writer

Sitting has largely taken over

Commutes happen in a

— just a different chair, maybe paired with a screen. Hours pass.

The body stays folded.

The human body was not built to stay still.

Movement is what keeps joints lubricated, muscles engaged, and energy regulated Without it, things begin to tighten. Hips stiffen, the lower back starts to ache, and shoulders round forward.

Health professionals are seeing the effects more clearly

“In recent years, people of all ages have become increasingly more sedentary,” said Nancy Hollier an occupational therapist.

“When sitting for long periods of time, core strength weakens and posture tends to suffer, which can lead to curving of the spine known as kyphotic posture.”

Hollier also noted that prolonged sitting can compress nerves, sometimes leading to numbness in the legs.

Sedentary behavior often happens in long, uninterrupted stretches rather than being broken up throughout the day according to research published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Stillness, more than slouching, is what creates the cascade of stiffness, weakness and discomfort.

“It isn’t one or the other,” Hollier said. “It’s more of a cause and ef-

fect — prolonged stillness can lead to poor posture.”

After hours of sitting, fatigue sets in, which often leads back to more sitting — even though movement could break the cycle.

Modern environments make this harder Many cities are built around driving, not walking. Workspaces are designed for prolonged sitting. Convenience often removes

ä See SITTING, page 2X

STEPPING UP

BY MIKE STOBBE AP medical writer

NEW YORK Tom McGee be-

gan climbing stairs for exercise 20 years ago as part of an effort to stay off cigarettes.

It hasn’t always been easy: His climbs in hotel stairwells sometimes draw the attention of security guards.

“I’ve gotten kicked out of about every hotel in the city,” said McGee, a 69-year-old market researcher who lives near Chicago.

Climbing stairs has become increasingly ingrained in exercise guidance, but many people who do it regularly say it can be challenging in an era where office tower managers commonly cut off access to stairwells

Here’s a look at stair climbing as a form of exercise, and some of the unexpected challenges some people face in trying to do it.

Great exercise

Dr Luis Rodriguez, a semiretired pediatric pulmonologist, participates in stairclimbing events and lauds the benefits.

“You are working your legs. You are working your heart. You are working your lungs,” said Rodriguez, 66. “You can get a lot more benefit than just walking, because gravity is working against you.”

He’s backed up by research that found climbing stairs for four minutes is roughly equivalent to about 10 minutes of brisk walking or 20 minutes of slower walking.

In 2018, federal physical activity guidance was changed to promote shortburst activities like taking the stairs every time you have to move between floors at work The guidelines said such activities can add up over the course of a day, meaning you can improve your health even if you can’t go for a run or do a 30-minute workout.

Many people “don’t realize that they don’t have to exercise all in one bout for it to be effective,” said Stella Volpe, a Virginia Tech exercise expert.

Stair climbing also has the potential to improve mental health for many people and is associated with improved feelings of energy, said Jennifer Gay, a public health researcher at the University of Georgia.

People who might have trouble on stairs should talk to their doctors before trying a climbing regimen, experts say Liability concerns The American Lung As-

sociation holds fundraising events each spring in office towers in cities across the country The “Fight for Air” events are widely regarded as fun, but organizers say the name draws from the shortness of breath people can experience after climbing dozens of floors — or having a lung disease.

Landlords aren’t always so accommodating.

Some law firms tell landlords and building owners that they can he held liable if someone trips or slips on a staircase Poor lighting, liquid on steps and broken handrails are among the conditions that can be cited in lawsuits if someone falls and gets hurt.

Many building managers have taken such advice to heart, saying stairs can only be used in emergencies.

A study of hospital emergency department visits, published in 2018, concluded that more than 1 million stair-related injuries occur in the U.S. each year, with broken bones more common in older people. More than 60% of the injured were women.

Research suggests there’s very little risk of injuries for people climbing stairs, Gay said. Going down stairs can be riskier and building managers “can’t make it a

one-way street,” she added. For more than a decade, some health advocates have pressed for better access to steps.

In 2013, a California-based health policy nonprofit called ChangeLab Solutions issued a resource guide that urged property owners to open their stairwells, arguing they posed no greater liability risk than other common areas.

Gay and her colleagues have estimated that 60% of U.S. workers do their jobs in multistory buildings with stairwells. But there are no statistics showing what percentage of those buildings have restrictions on stair access.

How to find a way to climb

Many people who like to climb have stories about

trouble finding staircases they can use.

Lisa Bai, a New Yorker who works in real estate, said she’s not able to use the stairs in her office building. It would seem like an easy way to get some exercise, but sometimes “it’s not,” she said.

Bai and others say they find other ways to step up. Fitness equipment such as StairMaster machines can approximate the physical work of stair climbing, although people who participate in tower climbs say it isn’t as arduous as the real thing.

You might have to get creative if you don’t have easy access to stairs at home or in public spaces.

Carmen Erickson and Vivian Dawson, who live in the Detroit suburbs, have been

meeting about three times a week to climb stairs, usually in a nearby park, for roughly a decade.

But it can be trickier when they travel. When they vacation together, they make a point to stay on the top floor of tall hotels so they can use the stairs. They also look for hills and hospital parking decks.

They also have negotiated after-hours access to one building’s stairwells, agreeing to sign a waiver and check in with security officers each time. “If you connect with the right people and tell them what they’re doing and agree to the rules, it hasn’t really been a problem for us,” said Erickson, 53. But Dawson, 64, added: “You have to really want to do it.”

Experts: Sleeping with no pillow may be better for glaucoma

By the dpa (TNS)

LONDON Sleeping without a pillow may be better for people with a common eye condition, a study suggests.

Stacking two pillows in bed was linked to higher pressure inside the eye among glaucoma patients.

The condition is usually caused when fluid builds up in the front part of the eye, damaging the optic nerve, which connects the eye and the brain. It is most common in people over 50 and while it does

This may be down to pressure on the jugular vein, the main blood vessels in the neck, researchers in China said. The study, published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, included 144 people with glaucoma

not usually have symptoms, it can cause blindness if left untreated.

Researchers measured internal pressure in the right eye of each patient every two hours for 24 hours while sitting and lying down.

Their heads were then raised to between 20 and 35 degrees by two pillows, with pressure measured 10 minutes later, before they were

NICU

Continued from page 1X

Stair climbers love their exercise, even when security guards are wary in the new space in spring of 2027. In the meantime, the NICU team is on the hunt for more staff to fill a workforce in the new space — respiratory therapists, NICU nurses, surgical specialists and more.

“We’ve already started recruiting and training,” said Dr Christy Mumphrey, the service line chief for neona-

SITTING

Continued from page 1X

tology, “We plan to be ready well before construction on the space is completed ” The new unit will feature an intentional design that “fosters a quiet, low-stimulation, family-centered healing environment” that includes private spaces for families.

Expansions include: single and double bed family rooms, a “back of the house” wing for medical personnel, academic space for continued learning, washers and dryers for parents in long-term

asked to lie down flat again. Researchers found that eye pressure increased in more than two-thirds (67%) of people when they were lying on pillows when compared to lying flat. The position was also linked to an increased fluctuation in eye pressure over 24 hours and a fall in the pressure at which blood enters the eye.

Lying on pillows with the

neck at an angle may compress the jugular vein, which takes blood from the head back to the heart, the study suggests.

patients

To explore this further, the team performed ultrasounds on 20 healthy volunteers and found the high-pillow position led to “significant constriction” of the jugular vein’s lumen the hollow passageway through which blood flows. Researchers said people with glaucoma “may benefit from avoiding sleeping postures” that cause this compression, although further research was needed. They added that this adjustment represented “a simple yet potentially effective” strategy for maintaining long-term internal eye pressure.

stays as well as advanced technologies and room for industry growth for the preterm babies.

What to do with the old NICU space, once construction is complete, is still up in the air

“Our burn unit, stem cell therapy teams and sickle cell treatments are all possibilities for expansion,” Fragoso said.

Email Margaret DeLaney at margaret.delaney@ theadvocate.com.

a right angle and that chairs should provide lumbar support to maintain the spine’s natural curve. Movement has to be built into the day, not necessarily as a full workout, but as regular interruptions to stillness.

“A simple change to incorporate in each day is standing every 30 to 45 minutes to stretch,” Hollier said “This can help loosen up tension and lead to better posture.”

The goal is not to eliminate sitting. Standing all day comes with its own problems — leg pain and joint stress. Hollier emphasized balance, noting that while standing desks can help, what is most important is how a person is positioned at their desk.

There are simple ways to make that shift. Taking phone calls while standing or walking. Setting a timer as a reminder to move. Changing positions frequently instead of staying locked into one. Even brief activity — lunges, stretches, a short walk can make a noticeable difference over time. The bigger picture is not about perfection or expensive equipment. Standing desks, alternative chairs and ergonomic tools can help, but they are not the foundation. The foundation is consistency Small, repeated actions that break up long periods of stillness. Prolonged, uninterrupted sitting is associated with a

range of poor health outcomes, according to the LSU AgCenter A chair becomes a problem only when it turns into a default that never changes. Shifting that default back toward movement does not require dramatic change. It starts with awareness. Has the body been still for too long? Is that stiffness or restlessness a signal to move?

Answering those questions throughout the day creates a different rhythm — one where movement is normal, not something saved for later

Email Margaret DeLaney at margaret.delaney@ theadvocate.com.

Eat Fit LiveFit

Fasted cardio: when it makessense,and when it doesn’t

It’saquestionIhearoften:shouldI eatbeforeIexercise,orisitbetter towaituntilafter?Theanswerisn’t thesameforeveryone,andmyopinion onthishasn’tchangedmuchoverthe years.Whathaschangedisthelanguage. Today,exercisingbeforeweeatisoften called“fastedcardio.”Itsoundstechnical buttheideaissimple:exercisingonan emptystomach.

Theideagetsalotofattentiononline oftenframedasakindofdisciplinetest. Canyoudoit?Shouldyoudoit?Isit actually“better”forfatburning?That’s wherethingscanstarttogetconfusing, especiallyformostpeoplewhoarejust tryingtostayactive,feelbetterandkeep theirbodiesfunctioningwell.

TheTheoryBehind FastedCardio

Ourbodyusesdifferentfuelsources forenergy.Carbohydratesaretheeasiest andfastest,followedbyprotein,then fat–especiallyatlowerintensities.The theorybehindfastedcardioisthatifwe exercisewithouteatingfirst,ourbody willusefatpreferentiallyasafuelsource duringthatworkout.

Itsoundsappealingandsimple.But here’swhatoftengetsoverlookedon Instagram:thetypeofworkoutmatters, thelengthoftheworkoutmattersandthe persondoingitmatters.

WhenFastedCardioMay MakeSense

Ifyourworkoutisrelativelyshort (thinkunderanhour)andlower intensity,likeacasualwalk,runorjog, abikerideorothertypeofmoderate cardio,thendoingitbeforeyoueat mayfeeljustfine.Somepeopleactually preferit,especiallyifhavingfoodin theirstomachfeelsuncomfortable duringexercise.

There’salsoabiggerlifestyleangle here.Somelikeitbecauseitsavestime inthemorning–youcanjustwakeup, getmovingandeatafterward.Amorning workoutbeforebreakfastsimplyfits betterintotheirschedule,makingit morelikelythey’llstayconsistent.From awellnessstandpoint,thatconsistency mattersfarmorethanwhetheryoueatat 6a.m.or9a.m.

Ifyoutryexercisinginafastedstate andyoufeelstrongandsteady,that’sa goodsignyourbodytoleratesitwell.

WhenFastedCardioUsually Doesn’tMakeSense

Thisiswherethe“performanceversus virtue”ideacomesin.Doingsomething onanemptystomachcanfeellikeyou’re beingextradisciplined,butthatdoesn’t meanit’salwaysbetterforyou.

Ifyou’redoingstrengthtrainingwith thegoalofbuildingormaintaining muscle,goinginwithoutfuelisrisky.Your musclesneedproteinandcarbohydrates availabletotrainwellandrecover efficiently.Thatbecomesmoreimportant asweage,whenpreservingvaluable musclemassisoneofthebestthingswe candoforourstrength,balanceandlongtermindependence.

Thesamegoesforlongerworkouts orhigher-intensitysessions.Ifyou’re pushingyourselftoyourlimits,especially ifit’slongerthan60or90minutes,then havingsomefuelonboardwillalmost

THENUMBERS

In 2024, 15.6% of U.S. adults reported frequent mentaldistress —14ormore mentally unhealthy days during the past 30 days where the person experienced poor mental healthdue to stress,depressionor problems with emotions,according to data from the Centers forDisease Control andPrevention.

In Louisiana, the average percentageofadults experiencing frequent mental distress was 19.9% The state had the second-highest percentageofadults experiencing frequent mental distress in the country.Arkansas had thehighest with 20.1%

In 2019, 7% of all U.S. adults reporting experiencing moderate or severe symptoms of depression withinthe past twoweeks, with women more likely than men and adults ages 18 to 29 more likely than adults 30 years and older to experienceany levelofseverity of symptoms, CDC data says.

alwayshelpyouperformbetterandfeel better.Thiswillleadtoamorefruitfuland productiveworkout.

Therearealsoclearsafetyexceptions, andit’simportanttoalwayscheckwith yourmedicalproviderfirst.Ifyouhave diabetes,takemedicationsthataffect bloodsugarorarepronetodizzinessor lightheadedness,exercisingonanempty stomachcanincreasetheriskoffeeling weak,shakyorevenpassingout.Formany olderadults,thepriorityissteadyenergy andprotectingmuscle,notseeinghow longwecangowithouteating.

MollyKimball,RD,CSSD,isaregistereddietitian withOchsnerHealthandfounderofOchsnersEatFit nonprofitinitiative.Formorewellnesscontent,tuneinto Molly’spodcast,FUELEDWellness+Nutrition,andfollow @MollykimballRDand@EatFitOchsneronsocialmedia. Emailnutrition@ochsner.orgtoconnectwithMollyor scheduleaconsultwithherteam.

well as ahigher riskofa physical manifestation of symptoms.

Developing chronic disease like diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease are strongly linked to health behaviors likesmoking,alcohol use, unhealthydiets and lackofphysical activity —behaviors common among those with frequent mentaldistress.

Chronic stressorssuch as housing insecurity,food insecurityand insufficient sleep are alsorelated to frequent mental distress, according to the CDC.

These Louisiana parishes had the lowest percentageofadults who reported frequent mentaldistress, in ascending order:

APracticalMiddleGround

Itdoesn’thavetobeallornothing.A pre-workoutfuelsourcecanbeassimple asacartonofplainGreekyogurt(low-fat, notfat-free),anegg,cheese,nutbutter oravocado–optionaltopairwithaslice ofwholegrainbread.Thisshouldbe enoughtogiveyourbodysomereadily availableenergywithoutsittingheavyin yourstomach.

Ontheotherhand,“fasted”doesn’t havetomeanextremedeprivation.Water, coffeeorteastillcountashydration,and stayingwell-hydratedmattersforevery workout,regardlessoftiming.

TheBiggerPicture

Foodisn’tarewardforusto“earn”after sloggingthroughatoughworkout.It’sa toolthatcanhelpourbodydothework we’reaskingittodo.

Ifexercisingbeforebreakfastfeelsgood andfitsyourroutine,that’sfine.Ifyoufeel betterwithalittlefuelfirst,that’salso fine.Therightchoiceistheonethathelps youshowup,movewellandkeepitgoing.

and St.Mary parishes with 22.2% BY

In Louisiana, only twoparishes had lessthan aquarter of its adults who reported depression at some time in their lives.Additionally,one in three Louisianans arelonely andlack emotional and social support Studies provethat thereisastrong link betweenatwo-week periodof poor mental health and clinically diagnosed mental disorders as

n West Feliciana Parish with 17.9%; n Lafayette Parish with 18.7%; n East Baton RougeParishwith 18.9%; n Jefferson Parish with 19%; n St. Charles Parishwith 19.1%; n Ascension, Bossier and Orleans parisheswith 19.2%; n Plaquemines and St.Tammany parishes with 19.4%; n West Baton Rougeparish with 19.5%;

n Calcasieu Parish with 19.8%;

n St. John the Baptist Parish with 19.9%;

n East Feliciana Parish with 20%

These Louisiana parishes had the highest percentageofadults who

reported frequent mental distress, in descending order:

n Madison Parish with 23.8%;

n East Carroll Parish with 23.5%;

n Bienville and Tensas parishes with 23.2%;

n Avoyelles Parishwith 23.1%;

n Claiborne Parish with 23%;

n Webster Parish with 22.9%;

n Acadia, Concordia, Franklin and Red River parishes with 22.8%;

n Caldwell Parish with 22.7%; n Morehouse and Sabineparishes with 22.6%; n St.Landry Parish with 22.5%; n St.Helena Parish with 22.3%; n

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‘I

LEARNED TO SEE’

BatonRouge artist uses faithtoliftpeople

BY JOYHOLDEN Staff writer

He once painted Drakeand

Lil Wayne. Now he paints Mary and the saints.

Jacob Zumo used to spend his nights at concerts and clubs. These days,devotion to God and his Catholic faith have come to dominate his life. His gallery no longer boasts bright portraits of rappers and athletes. Now,the walls are covered insacred imagery with ornateframes.

Zumo is currently booked for conferences, retreats, commissions for Catholic paintings and school speaking engagements. He hosts apodcast with Catholic and Christian leaders called Saints by Number,aplay on Louis Armstrong’s“Whenthe Saints Go Marching In” and paint-by-numbersets.

Zumo says hismission now is to make sacred art modern and relevant —especially for people who might never have connected withitbefore.

Raised Catholic in Baton Rouge, Zumo attended Catholic High School, St. Michael the Archangel High School (then Bishop Sullivan) and The Dunham School. He played basketball in high school and one yearin college at BelhavenUniversity in Jackson, Mississippi, but returned home after acareerending injury.He returned to painting, afamiliar outlet While at Dunham, his high school artteacher,Carol Hackler,was thefirst person to steer him in an artistic direction. She believed in his painting and became asafe place for him to retreat to during school days. At the time, he was drifting, unsure where he fit “I know this woman saved my life,” Zumosaid. “Ms. Carol Hackler.That was the cornerstone of everything. Before Iknew it, Iwas skip-

ping class. Iwas going in my off hour to see her and paint. Iwas going before and after practice.She wasjust giving me unconditional loveofthe Father.” She taughtZumo that artis problem solving, and he’sstill using that approach today

Zumo is candid about the path that led himhere. After basketball ended, Zumo got caughtupinpartying and “super goofing off,” he says. He painted Kevin Gates, who was still alocal rapper,and foundhim after a concert at TheVarsity.

“I caught him, like going into his Porsche. He was closinghis Porschedoor, and Iyelled, ‘Kevin!’ He looked backand saw (the painting),” Zumo said. “It’slikethatmoment foreverchanged everything, too.” CaseyEvans, aParkview

Baptist alumnus andcurrent owner of Dearman’sDiner, organized the concert for Gates, andheencountered Zumo’s talent when he saw the painting. One week later, Zumo was hanging out with rapper andsingerDrake in NewOrleans,and he was quickly in ahip-hop circle of celebrities. While Evans was setting up events with his company,Free Agents Management, Zumo came to him with an idea: Evans would book thetalent and put on the show,and Zumo would paint the performer live on the stage.

The duo worked on and off together for about six years, traveling around thecountry and hanging out with celebrities and athletes. “It was such acool experience to have thatgoing on,” Evans said. “It added flair to

allofour shows. Fromthere, alot of people took notice —artists, promoters, event planners. Therule of cool took over,and that really helped his brand. People love hip-hop and art together.”

Even as his art career was taking off, his personal life was beginning to unravel. His brother-in-law,Norman Faucheux, another sacred artist, wasgoing to the Sacred Art School in Florence, Italy,and invited Zumo to go with him

“I was in astruggle in my relationship andinmycareer.Ikindofhad acalling from God. It looked like Italy was ahugething forme, but it was really amajor depression, ashedding of addiction and codependency.I wasable to make it to the other side,” Zumo said.

JanRisher

In 1993, when Iwas living in the Carpathian mountains of Slovakia, Iplanned atrip to Prague and beyond forthe weekbefore Easter

Looking back, Iknew something wascoming before Ileft. In the days before Easter,the teenage boys of the village where Iwas teaching had been bent over their work—braiding willow branches, weaving in ribbons, producing something that was, by any standards, intricate and pretty.I had no idea what it was for, leftfor the week without finding out —and didn’tthink much moreabout it.

Igot back late Easter Sunday night. The village wasquiet. I went to bed.

Iheard Easter Monday before Isaw it. Even before Igot out of bed, Icould hear the merriment outside.

Teenage boys wereout in their friend groups, large bowls and tankards in hand, beautifully braided branches at the ready Iwatched them movethrough the village, going house to house, looking forthe girls from their classes. As they found them,they doused them in cold water and then gently —with someceremony —spanked them with the willow branches.

In return, the generally soaking wetgirls gave them painted eggs. The painted eggs were apretty big clue.

Istood watching with my mouth open, somewhere between National Geographic and complete incomprehension.

And yet the parents stood to the side, smiling and reminiscing. When agroup of boys found a particular girl (one Ihad watched exchanging glances with one of them across aclassroom all semester), the other boys stepped back and gave that boy the lead. It wasserious flirting and clearly ancient all at once. It wasalso, in its own way,tender Now,with access to the internet, Icould easily find the full history and meaning. Back then, Iwas lefttomyown thoughts. There wasnoone to ask. Ifiled it away as one of the stranger things Ihad ever witnessed.

Last week, Icalled Adriana Zimova.

She was8years old during my year in Slovakia, one of my most serious students. Itutored her after school —she and her family were neighbors in the sameblock of flats. She would come over and perch on the edge of my bed, and we would have English lessons.

She taught me as much as I taught her

She now practices law on Bainbridge Island outside Seattle and remains constitutionally serious —aquality Irecognized in her at age 8that has not diminished. Itold her what Iremembered about Easter Monday.She confirmed that Ihadn’timagined any of it.

“I believe it is an old Slavic pagan tradition,” she said, “to use water in the spring as asymbol of rejuvenation.”

The boys would bring two things to each home: the willow branch forthe switching and the water fordousing. All of it, she said, wasabout health and fertility,cleansing, rejuvenation “that kind of symbolism.”

Once the Christians moved in and set up shop in Slovakia, the old traditions simply stayed put,

DeltaInterfaithprogram brings fiberinternettostate

BY LAUREN CHERAMIE Staff writer

Wanda Manning is a former schoolteacher of 33 years in East Carroll Parish. Now retired for five years, Manning is aDigital Navigator at the churchbased coalition Delta Interfaith. In February 2021, the organization partnered with the satellite internet

firm Starlink to provide emergency connectivityfor low-income families with school-aged children. This partnership secured 120 satellite dishes for residents in East Carroll.

This partnership was the first step in what is now a plan to bring reliable, affordable fiber internet to the area. Through agrant from the Louisiana Public Health Institute, Delta Interfaith created the Digital Navigator program to help residents with digital services, troubleshoot technical challenges, conduct speed tests and collect signatures from those who await broadband.

This interview was edited for length and clarity

How did the Digital Navigators programgain traction?

RISHER

Continued from page1y

running beneaththe liturgy, the blessed baskets and the lamb-shaped pastry

“Extremely gendered, obviously,”Zimova said. “And the spanking itself —Idon’t even know how you ever justify that, so Idon’t think you do.” She didn’thave fond memories of the water,either “I absolutely hated it,” she said. “I really don’tlikecold water.” The switching had faded

Continued from page1y

Newcanvas, newcalling Italy wasn’twhat he expected. While in Florence, Zumo experienced humility around other artists as well as isolation, but he had another art teacher that gave him love and confidence. Because of theItalian language barrier, he says he wasn’tlearning much at the school, but he was learning aboutvulnerability “I was being uncomfortable for 10 hours aday,but Ilearned to see,” Zumo said. “I learned to see myself, and Ilearned to see the canvas, and Ilearned to problem solve.” His final piece in Italy was amassive 6-by-9-foot oil painting of Salome and Herodias after the execution of John the Baptist, but it’s set in arecognizable room of

If Iget stuck,Ialways go to her

Once she purchased The East Carroll Banner newspaper here in Lake Providence, she turned the reins over to me. Then Madlyn Matthews was added. Even Laura’shusband Scott assisted on alot of theinstallations.

What aresome of the problems that people come to you with?

Some of them are as simpleashookingupa printer

We’ve had phone issues, technological issues and difficulties that need clearing up. How do you help someone who has never used acomputer or smartphone before?

Sometimes it’svery frustrating to the person who’s actually in need of help. Patience is the key thing understanding that theperson has no idea of advanced technology

Smartphones are very advanced, and for someone who never had an idea of this type of technology it can be frustrating and tedious.Sometimes, on alot of levels, mind boggling. Idonot answer the phones. Laura and alot of other people remind me to set boundaries, but Iknow

Ihave to give hats off to Laura Arvin. Icall her the mother of Digital Navigators, because she’sthe one who spearheaded it.Itwas all her insight. Icannot take credit for something Idid not start

somewhat by the time she was growing up. The water persisted— though neither of usiscertain how prevalent it is now,33yearson. Evenso, shesaysthather father still tries. This made me laugh. Iremember him well. Forthat gentle mantobeinvolved in any of the EasterMonday traditions is atestament to howdeeplya partofthe culture it is. The old spring rite hadn’t beenstamped out by communism or Christianity or modernity or ayoung girl’s completely reasonable objection to coldwater.Itjust

the Pitti Palace, amuseum in Florence

“This interpretation is one way that Iwanttomodernize sacred art —not dumbing thestyle downand simplifying it, but changing the story in amanner that can pull anyone in,” Zumo said. “The drama of the painting is an opportunitytobridgethat gapina noninvasive way.”

Zumo left Italy after one year to take care of family.Helived with his grandmother in BatonRouge for some time while dealing with back pain. Through this time,hekept painting, but he shifted to mostly sacred art. He started numbingthe back pain with alcohol andBaton Rouge parties. He was praying for achange,a sign That’swhen he got acall from Haley,afriend he had brieflydated.She was pregnant. Zumo sayshe felt shamebeing asacred painterwho was responsible for apregnancy outside of marriage. The two married,

what it is to need to know something and not have the help or the assistance to learnabout it

In my head, Ipicture there will be no moreanalog television to watch via antenna and cable wires. Everybody wants to go digital.

With that being said, you have alot of these elderly people that do not know anything about the digital world, so my goal is to be available as much as possible, accessible as much as possible and to make it as elementary as much as possible.

What are someofthe challenges you encounter?

The Digital Navigators program simply assistspeople withdigital problemsas away to bridge thedigital divide in thecommunity

We have gone intohomes. It’skind of hard to talk to a person on how to connect aprinter using aVerizon router.That was so challenging. That almost broke me.

What has been the most rewarding moment foryou?

Just knowing that we have access and people here —boots on the ground. We makeourselves available to the people in need. There was achild that had so manyissues with them staying in avirtual

kept going —scaled down, perhaps, but persisting. That’show it is with many old things. They don’tdisappear.They change just enough to keep going. Zimova described the Easter Sunday traditions thatI missed,like theGreek Catholic Church —abranch of Catholicismbetween Roman and Orthodox—where the liturgy is spoken in a language from the10th century, thechurches look Byzantine,and thepriests have wives and children. In 2012, Iattended the village church for Zimova’swedding near thevillage where

Q&A WITH WANDAMANNING

PROVIDED PHOTO

WandaManning is aformer schoolteacher of 33 years in East Carroll Parish. Nowretired for five years, Manning is aDigital Navigator at thechurch-based coalition Delta Interfaith.

classroom. We were learning as we go at the time COVID came, because we had to get computers, laptops, Chromebooks, etc.

we lived in Slovakia. She said on Easter,the churches are packed with people who never otherwise attended, which sounds familiar on this side of the pond as well. But in Slovakia, on Easter,families carry baskets covered in handcrocheted cloths, filled with ham, beets, hard-boiled eggs and aspecial bread called paska, alamb-shaped sweet Aftermass, thepriest blesses the basketsone by one outside.Zimova said even though she hadn’t been home for Easter in morethan 20 years, she still remembersone particular

and now theyare parents to three children: Lola, 5, Josephine,1,and Pio, 6months. The Zumos share theirstory of choosing life and marriage at various Christian events Afew years later,Zumo met DanielHutchinson, who works in hospitalityand hotel management in downtown BatonRouge. Hutchinson was looking for gifts for priests in his parish, and he remembered Zumo’sstyle “Wekeep in touch and arelooking for ways we can worktogether and help people,” Hutchinson said. “A lotofwhatJacob andItalk

aboutishow we connect the dotswithdifferent folks in thecommunity that may not interact on an everydaybasis.” Hutchinson’s work in hospitality is allabout seeing people from different communities. He sees Zumo’s artasa bridge to link people together.The two have an upcoming project that will benefit St. Vincent de Paul in BatonRouge.

Still transforming

WhenZumo opened his gallery on InterlineAvenue in Baton Rouge in 2021, he

Itold this child and the parents, “Ifit’sthe last thing Ido, I’mgonna make sure you get good internet out here.”

By the grace of God, I held to that promise. They were one of the families that received that Starlink dish at first. Phase 1ofour plan wasto get the community hooked up with the Starlink dish. Phase 2was to get something morepermanent. Nowthat family doesn’t have to worry about the crazy science teacher fussing at them about playing in and out of those classrooms. Find moreinformation at connecthumanity.fund/ story/east-carroll-parishlouisiana.

Once everything wassituated, the teachers had to be in the classroom while we worked from the school building and the kids stayed at home. This particular student wasjust in and out. Igot so infuriated. Ithought the kid wasplaying. It wasn’t. That child’sparent was paying $150 foradial-up via AT&T Ididn’tknow dial-up was still athing. What could you possibly do with dial-up services when technology says you have to sustain so manygigabytes to stay in the class or even upload pictures.

song sung only that one day of the year She told me she would love to go back for Easter for the liturgy,the baskets, that particular song. But Easter Monday she could take or leave. Traditions are curious things. They absorb whatever the century throws at them —new religions, new governments, new generations of young womenwith reasonable objections to cold water —and keep going anyway In some kitchen, some father still thinks it’sworth atry

installed the Salome and Herodias oil painting.

Since then, Zumohas been traveling the country to share his mission.

On March 25, he spoke to St.Thomas More in Lafayette.Heunveiledapainting of The Annunciation of Mary, spoke to the students, hosted apodcastand helpedlead a “Visio Divina,” or divine seeing—the practice of praying with asacred image or workofart. Zumoand his wife traveled to Washington, D.C., forthe March forLife event with Baton Rouge’sSt. Michael’sstudents and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge.

Oneofthe gallery walls at Zumo’sspace featuresover 100 Mary paintings, varying in size and color.Each painting represents Zumo’sdaily spiritual practice.

“It’sareflection of the rosary.I do my morningrosary by listening to it and praying. I’ll do as many backgrounds as Ican,and then the next

Email Lauren Cheramie at lauren.cheramie@ theadvocate.com.

Itold my former young student that Istill remember her as that 8-year-old child on the edge of my bed, translating my attempts at silliness before announcing, with complete composure: “This is nonsense.” She laughed as we both considered that some things change and some things stay the same. “I stay true to my serious form,” she said, “even today.” And the water keeps getting thrown anyway

EmailJan Risher at jan. risher@theadvocate.com.

day I’ll do as many Mary line drawings as Ican,” Zumo said. “Wefindthe frames at antique stores and thrift stores. Ipray through painting all of them.” These days, the audience is different. EmailJoy Holden at joy holden@theadvocate.com.

CORRECTION

In the March 29 edition of aLouisiana Inspired story,the lineagefor PeterDeHart was incorrect. DeHart’sfamily is from south Louisiana by wayofNew Orleans, and his father grew up in Lafayette.Hewas bornin south Louisiana. Allison Bohl DeHart is aBossier Citynative and moved to Lafayette at 18 years old. TheAdvocate |The Times-Picayune regrets the error

These are stories of global progress, compiled by the media group Fix the News and shared in partnership with The Advocate/The Times-Picayune.

Newelectrode captures CO2

Scientists with the American ChemicalSociety have developedanew electrode that can capture airborne carbondioxide from industrial exhaust andconvertitinto formic acid, as reported by ACSin January Traditionally,carbon capture and conversion are separate processes, and most technologies require highly concentrated carbon dioxide to work effectively

This new electrode integrates both capture and conversion into a single system. It consistsofthree layers: acarbon-capturingmaterial,gas-permeable carbon paper and catalytic tin oxide.

This setupconverts carbon dioxide directly into formic acid, a startingmaterial that’sused for a variety of chemical applications, including fuel cells. In testing, the new electrode wasabout 40%more efficient than existing technologies. This innovation could help make carboncapture more practical and scalablefor real-worldindustrial use.

Chileeliminates leprosy

Chile has become the first country in the Americas —and the second globally after Jordan —to be officially verified by the WorldHealth Organization as having eliminated leprosy disease, reported by the WHO in March.

This milestone reflectsdecades of sustained public health efforts, including strong surveillance, early diagnosis, effective treatment and continuous monitoring Chile has reported no locally acquired cases of leprosyfor over 30 years, with the last case recorded in 1993.

The achievementwas verified after arigorous evaluation by WHO and the Pan American Health Organization, assessing epidemiologicaldata and national supply systems. Access to free multidrug therapy —supported by international

partners —played akey role in curing patients and preventing transmission.

Chile’ssuccesshighlightsthat, with commitment and equitable health care, even long-standing

diseases can be eliminated, though continued surveillance remains essential.

Reducing pesticidereliance

Scientists at Stanford University are using synthetic biologytohelp plants defend themselves against pests,potentially reducing the need for chemical pesticides —asreported by the university in February in the Stanford Report.

Led by Stanford bioengineer JenniferBrophy,the research focuses on enhancing plants’ natural chemical defenses rather than relying on external sprays.

The new approach allows plants to adapt to climate change by “tuning natural characteristics” like changing rootbranching to help plantswithstandprolonged drought.

This innovation could significantly cutpesticideuse,which currently costs billions and contributes to air and water pollution. Researchers are especially interested in applying the method to cover crops.

Waterpollution in Bangladesh

The WorldBank Group approveda $370 million program in February to tackle severewater pollution in Dhaka, Bangladesh,where rapid urbanization and industrialgrowth have overwhelmed sanitation systems. Currently,morethan80% of wastewater andsewageisdischarged into the city’swaterways, while only about 20% of residents are connected to sewer systems.

The Metro DhakaWater Security andResilienceProgram aims to improve sanitation and solid waste management services, reduce waterpollution and restore rivers and canals

Akey component is to reduce industrial pollution by encouraging private sector participation to reduce pollution and optimize water efficiency

The program also plans to establish real-timepollution monitoring and develop plans to restore four major Dahka Rivers.

Fix theNewsisthe world’s leading solutions journalism newsletter.The organization finds hiddenstories of progress and shares them withreaders from 195 countries. Steven Pinker calls Fix the News “the bestsource forpositivenewson theinternet.”

With thousands of Shellmen andwomen across thestate,we areworking everyday to reduce emissions, while increasing efficiencyinour operations

Our tomorrowdependsonwhatwedotoday.Together, we arepoweringprogressfor abrighterfuture. Louisiana is where we live and we’reproud to call it home.

FAITH & VALUES

Leo endorses Francis’ 2016 ‘The Joy of Love’ text

New pope echoes policy on Communion after civil remarriage

BY NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press

ROME Pope Leo XIV on March 19 summoned Catholic bishops to Rome for a special meeting on ministering to families that takes as its starting point Leo’s strong endorsement of one of Pope Francis’ most controversial policies on marriage and divorce.

Leo penned a special message marking the 10th anniversary of Francis’ 2016 document “The Joy of Love.” He called the text a “luminous message of hope” that is even more relevant and urgent today than it was a decade ago. When it was released, “The Joy of Love” immediately sparked controversy because it opened the door

to letting civilly remarried Catholics receive Communion.

Church teaching holds that unless these Catholics obtain an annulment — a church decree that their first marriage was invalid they cannot receive the sacraments, since they are seen as living in sin and committing adultery Francis didn’t create a churchwide pass for these Catholics, but suggested — in vague terms and a strategically placed footnote — that bishops and priests could do so on a case-by-case basis after accompanying them on a spiritual journey of discernment

cis’ pontificate and in many ways became the focal point of conservative opposition to his pontificate. It prompted a wave of criticism from mostly conservative Catholics, who said it had sown confusion among the faithful about the church’s teaching on the indissolubility of marriage.

Subsequent comments and writings made clear Francis intended such wiggle room, part of his belief that God’s mercy extends in particular to sinners and that the Eucharist isn’t a prize for the perfect but nourishment for the weak.

The document became one of the most divisive of Fran-

But in his message marking the anniversary, Leo strongly endorsed Francis’ text. He cited the Chapter VIII, which contained Francis’ opening on the divorce question, though he didn’t explicitly refer to access to the sacraments or Francis’ footnote No. 351. In the text, Francis had told priests that they cannot merely apply moral laws to people in “irregular” situations. Rather, he said the church should help people who are in a technical state of sin, especially when there are mitigating factors at play

In the related footnote No.

351, Francis elaborated that “in certain cases, this can include the help of the sacraments.” He told priests that “the confessional must not be a torture chamber, but rather an encounter with the Lord’s mercy” and that the Eucharist “is not a prize for the perfect, but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak.”

“On this tenth anniversary, we give thanks to the Lord for the stimulus that has encouraged reflection and pastoral conversion in the Church, and ask God for the courage to persevere on this path,” Leo wrote.

He summoned the presidents of bishops conferences to Rome for a meeting in October to decide next steps to minister to families today “in light of ‘The Joy of Love’ and taking into account what is currently being done in the local churches.”

Francis’ document sharply divided the church.

Within the first year of publication, four conservative cardinals formally asked Francis to clarify certain questions, or “dubia,” raised by the text. They argued church doctrine held that Catholics who remarried without a church annulment were living in sin and couldn’t receive the sacraments. He never replied. For a variety of reasons, such annulments often cannot be obtained though Francis issued a separate reform to simplify, facilitate and accelerate the process.

The following year, a petition of conservative Catholic theologians accused Francis of heresy But others embraced the text. Bishops from Francis’ native Buenos Aires issued a set of criteria to apply Chapter VIII that clearly allowed for civilly remarried Catholics to receive Communion, especially if the person in question isn’t responsible

for the failed first marriage, while stressing it was not a free-for-all “as if any situation were to sufficiently justify it.”

Francis ordered the Argentine criteria published as an official act of the Vatican and wrote a letter to the bishops declaring their interpretation authoritative. “The document is excellent and clearly sets out the meaning of Chapter VIII,” he wrote. “There are no other interpretations.”

The Maltese church, for its part, issued its own set of guidelines that were published in the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, in another indication of Holy See approval.

The Maltese guidelines say that if a Catholic in a new civil union believes, after a path of spiritual discernment searching for God’s will, that he or she can be at peace with God, “he or she cannot be precluded from participating in the sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist.”

Some colleges trimming bachelor’s degrees to three years

BY JON MARCUS Contributing writer

Editor’s note: This story, created by Jon Marcus for the Hechinger Report is part of the Solutions Story Tracker from the Solutions Journalism Network, a nonprofit organization dedicated to rigorous reporting about responses to social problems. Louisiana Inspired features solutions journalism stories that provide tangible evidence that positive change is happening in other places and in our own communities — solutions that can be adopted around the world.

Quinn McDonald planned to spend the typical four years working toward a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. Then he heard about a place where he could get the same degree in three “It was the idea of being able to save a year” that grabbed his attention, said McDonald — a savings of not only time, but tuition And he could start earning a salary faster than if he spent four years in college. So, last fall, McDonald joined the inaugural class of one of the nation’s first inperson programs approved to award bachelor’s degrees with fewer than the usual 120 credits, at Johnson & Wales University. He’ll need only 90 credits, putting him on track to graduate in 2028, after three years instead of the usual four or more.

That’s an option being made available by colleges and universities with astonishing speed — especially in the notoriously slow-moving world of higher education: an entirely new kind of bachelor’s degree muscling into the space between the traditional four-year version and the two-year associate degree. Three-year degrees have existed, but they simply jammed those 120 credits into fewer semesters

At least one school, Ensign College in Utah, will convert all of its bachelor’s degrees into the new, reduced-credit, three-year kind, it announced in February Nearly 60 other universities and colleges are planning, considering or have already launched them in some disciplines. States including Indiana have required or are considering requiring their public universities to add reduced-credit bachelor’s degrees. Even graduate and professional schools are being pressed to shorten the duration of degrees. Much of this activity has occurred in just the last few months. Yet precisely because it’s come so quickly, and at a time when political controversies have dominated the wider conversation about higher education, the dramatic implications of this reimagining of bachelor’s degrees have gotten surpris-

ingly little attention. Behind the scenes, however, “There are small groups of institutions saying that the old game doesn’t work and has to change,” said Bob Zemsky an emeritus professor at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education who has long campaigned for three-year degrees and co-founded a group of universities experimenting with them called College-in-3

Now the accrediting agencies that oversee universities and colleges are approving bachelor’s degrees that require fewer credits. It’s an idea almost all of them previously rejected, but accreditors today are under political scrutiny themselves, and being prodded to encourage innovation.

Several states whose permission is also needed for these shorter-term degrees, from North Dakota to Massachusetts, are quickly providing it, too, often under pressure from businesses that need workers

Even more than employers, consumers have lost patience with the time and expense it takes to get a fouryear bachelor’s degree, according to the advocates and politicians pushing schools to offer them More than half of students who start down the conventional four-year path today take even longer than four years, according to the Department of Education.

Many colleges, meanwhile, are struggling to fill seats and hope three-year degrees will appeal to students who wouldn’t otherwise come.

These include Johnson & Wales, which lost a third of its enrollment in the 10 years leading up to 2024, the most recent available federal data show, and has been forced to close several satellite campuses. Last year, it laid off 91 faculty and staff.

The idea of getting a degree more quickly appeals to a broader group of prospective students, said Mim

Runey, chancellor at the university where 94 students signed up for three-year degrees when they were offered in the fall, according to a spokesman “There is a market that will think about a three-year degree that maybe wouldn’t think about a four-year degree.”

Samuel Antonio, who is in the accelerated criminal justice major at Johnson & Wales, thinks three years “is an adequate amount of time to be in college.” His friends in conventional four-year programs are almost a year in, and “they’re still taking gen ed and other courses they don’t even care about,” Antonio said, using the abbreviation for general education.

Interest among collegebound high school students in three-year degrees has been climbing since 2019, though it remains relatively small, according to a survey by the higher education consulting firm Eduventures. It might be higher if there were greater awareness that the newest form of these degrees require fewer credits, analysts there said.

“It’s still a little early,” said Richard Garrett, chief research officer at Eduventures. “We’re not sure what the demand is or what subjects are right. But it’s a change that’s coming.”

The work of trimming down four-year bachelor’s degrees to fit within three years has prompted nothing less than a rethinking of the purpose of a college education. Universities and colleges are asking themselves “What are we doing, why are we doing it and what do students really need?” said Johnson & Wales provost Richard Wiscott. Most of those debuting three-year bachelor’s degrees have stripped out elective courses from what students have traditionally been required to take. McDonald doesn’t feel like he’s missing out on anything.

He still has to take humanities courses, math psychology and political science. He plays on the lacrosse team, lives in a dorm and is so woven into campus life that he knows what day and time to nab the free leftovers from the pastry classes that are part of Johnson & Wales’s top-ranked culinary program.

But he didn’t want to spend more time in college than he had to.

In his speeded-up program, “You can focus on what you’re interested in and want to learn about instead of taking classes you don’t care about,” he said.

The three-year bachelor’s degrees at colleges and universities that have so far offered or announced them are almost all in disciplines that lead straight to jobs. In addition to criminal justice, Johnson & Wales introduced three-year degrees last semester in computer science, hospitality management and design.

“There are certain career paths where, at least for the foreseeable future, a fouryear degree is still going to be a requirement,” said Nate Bowditch, provost at Plymouth State University in New Hampshire which added 96-credit, three-year degrees in the fall in robotics, outdoor adventure leadership and other fields. “If you want to go to medical school or be a rocket scientist at NASA, you’re going to need a fouryear degree.”

At the insistence of accreditors, the new degrees are differentiated from their four-year counterparts by being called “applied” or (as at Johnson & Wales) “careerfocused” bachelor’s degrees.

That leads to a critical unanswered question: whether employers, graduate schools and licensing agencies will consider three-year degrees to be as good as the four-year kind.

Because no students have completed these new

reduced-credit programs, that’s hard to know But most employers in a survey by Johnson & Wales said they liked the idea, and that they’d consider three-year degrees just as good as conventional four-year ones.

On the other hand, graduate school admissions officers in a small, separate survey released in January by College-in-3 said almost unanimously that they wouldn’t take domestic applicants with bachelor’s degrees of fewer than 120 credits, though most said they were reconsidering this as more reduced-credit undergraduate degrees are being introduced.

Letting students graduate with bachelor’s degrees in three instead of four years, of course, means less revenue for colleges and universities. But in addition to pulling in more customers, boosters said, those programs will appeal to results-oriented students who are less likely to drop out. Already, the reduced-credit, three-year bachelor’s degree candidates at Johnson & Wales have had lower dropout rates between their first and second semesters than their classmates on the conventional track, the university said. And threeyear-degree recipients might be persuaded to stick around for graduate school on the same campuses, which are more likely to accept the shorter-term degrees conferred by their undergraduate faculty counterparts.

“We’re hoping it’s attracting a really engaged, focused student, and hopefully they stay for that master’s degree as well,” said Stephen Smith, interim associate vice president of academic and strategic operations at the University of Lynchburg in Virginia, which got approval in December to offer 96-credit bachelor’s degrees in public health and educational studies — both fields in which the university also offers graduate programs. Still, some faculty and even students have raised objections.

Accelerated bachelor’s degrees will create a two-tiered system in which the most affluent students will have the luxury of spending four years in college, the president of the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties has contended.

Shorter-term programs with fewer electives won’t do as good a job of teaching such important skills as critical thinking, ethical reasoning or “how to form and answer questions using a variety of intellectual approaches that different disciplines require,” the North Dakota Student Association argued in a resolution against shorter-term degrees.

North Dakota’s State Board

of Higher Education voted anyway, in February, to let public universities in that state test “bachelor of applied science” degrees of less than 120 credits.

“We’re trying to be responsive to the needs of employers and, frankly, the desire of students who do want to work their way through school as quickly as possible,” said Kevin Black, who chairs the board, which voted to reassess the move in four years. Just a few days later, the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education invited proposals for reduced-credit degrees.

A bill under consideration in the Iowa legislature would direct that state’s public universities to develop reducedcredit, three-year bachelor’s degrees. An Indiana law passed in 2024 already requires the same thing. In Utah, addition to Ensign, Weber State and Utah Valley universities are adding three-year bachelor’s degrees after Utah approved reduced-credit “bachelor of applied studies” degrees. Mount Mary University in Wisconsin is adding 95-credit, three-year bachelor’s degrees in cybersecurity and digital marketing; Manchester University in Indiana, 90-credit, three-year bachelor’s degrees in accounting, pre-athletic training and pre-physical therapy Upper Iowa University said in January that it would launch a 90-credit, three-year online bachelor’s degree in business administration. And Loma Linda University in California has added a three-year degree in global health. Now there’s talk of shortening graduate and professional programs such as medical school — which some educators argue should be three years instead of four to speed up the production of new doctors and others and reduce the price, especially with limits on federal graduate student loans set to take effect. More than half of current and aspiring medical students said in a survey they’d prefer a three-year over a four-year medical degree, mostly to save money As she neared the end of high school, Jazmin Cuello was impatient to get on with life. But when she looked around for bachelor’s degree programs in the subjects she wanted to study, they required four more years of classes.

“A lot of people, if they do want to go to college, just want to get it over with,” Cuello said. She, too, signed up for the three-year criminal justice program at Johnson & Wales. Now, said Cuello, sitting in the university’s criminal justice lab and smiling, “I’m almost a third of the way done. And I’m saving a ton of money.”

SUNDAY, April 5, 2026

directions: Make a 2- to 7-letter word from the letters in each row Add points of each word, using scoring directions at right. Finally, 7-letter words get 50-point bonus. “Blanks” used as any letter have no point value All the words are in the Official SCRABBLE® Players Dictionary, 5th Edition.

word game

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

todAY's Word — BrocHures: broSHURS: Pamphlets.

Average mark 44 words Time limit 60 minutes

Can you find 70 or more words in BROCHURES?

ken ken

instructions: 1 -Each rowand each column must contain thenumbers 1through4 (easy) or 1through6 (challenging) without repeating 2 -The numbers within the heavily outlinedboxes, called cages, must combine using thegiven operation (inany order)toproduce the target numbersinthe top-left corners. 3 -Freebies: Fillinthe single-boxcages withthe numberinthe top-left corner

instructions: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 gridwith several given numbers. The object is to placethe numbers 1to 9in theempty squares so that each row,each column and each 3x3 boxcontains the same number only once. The difficultylevel of the Conceptis Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday

directions: Complete thegridso that numbers 1–132 connect horizontally, vertically or diagonally

wuzzLes

Bridge magic

Today’s deal was played in a match between a team from Poland and a team from Norway South was Norway’s Tor Ove Reistad, who played it with great imagination. He played low from dummy on the 10 of clubs lead and calmly played his jack under East’s ace. Reistad ruffed the diamond shift and led his five of clubs. West played low and Reistadplayedtheeightfromdummy! A heart to the king was followed by the queen of clubs to dummy’s king. Another heart saw East rise with his ace and lead another diamond, ruffed by Reistad. The queen of hearts was ruffed low by West and over-ruffed with dummy’s six. A diamond ruff was followed by another heart ruff as West discarded the ace of diamonds. This was the position:

♠

my’s 10 of spades. He conceded the last trick to West but made his contract. Well done! West should have played his nine of clubs at trick three, but Reistad had nothing to lose. He could then lead a heart from dummy and hope for a friendlier lie of the major suits.

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

super Quiz

Take this Super Quiz to a Ph.D. Score 1 point for each correct answer on the Freshman Level, 2 points on the graduate Level and 3 points on the Ph.D. Level.

What does a Geiger

By what name are the ends of a permanent bar magnet known?

What do the letters stand for in AC/DC?

What people are dealt with in the branch of medicine called geriatrics?

Name any one of the

Reistad ruffed a diamond from dummywiththeaceofspadesand ruffed his last heart with dum-

ARIES

An emotional shift will take place relating to an unexpected occurrence or intervention Be receptive to change and mark out a path that will enrich your life

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Be careful who you help. Don’t jeopardize your physical well-being; recognize what’s doable and protect your

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interests. Avoid risk; research gives you an advantage. CANCER (June 21-July 22) Refuse to ignore the truth or to let ego interfere. Holding talks, being honest and admitting you are wrong will help you come out on top Choose to venture forward with love and a positive attitude. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Jump into action, do your part, learn through experience and share what you discover. Make choices that enhance your life and walk away from people that hold you back.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) A discussion with someone interesting will

help you set a time frame and budget. Be bold, honest and willing to walk away from extravagant situations.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct 23) Tune into what’s coming down the pipeline that can affect how you work or earn your money Expand your knowledge, insight and ability to initiate change quickly if necessary

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Stretch your legs and engage in events or activities that are socially inviting and offer great conversations. A change to how or where you see yourself heading next will strike

an emotional chord that enriches your life.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) The more you make your space work for you, the happier you’ll be. It’s a great time to start discussions, share feelings and plans, and invite others to join in and help.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Keep tabs on what others do and say, and monitor how you respond. A positive outcome will unfold if you do what’s best for you and allow those in your sphere to do likewise.

AQUARIUS (Jan 20-Feb. 19) Letting your emotions lead the way will change everything, but before you

let that happen, evaluate the consequences. Do the math and consider the possible repercussions before you make a move. PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Do something rejuvenating that offers a sense of belonging or accomplishment. Listen and learn from heartto-heart talks with those you love. Choose peace and love over discord and chaos.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2026 by NEA, inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

Answers to puzzles

1. Solid, liquid andgas. 2. Radiation.3.Poles or magnetic poles. 4. Alternatingcurrent/direct current. 5. Theelderly.6.Igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic.7.Anatom. 8. Kineticenergy 9. Biology.10. Condensation. 11.Dry ice 12.Alloy.13. Sublimation.14. Ameasure of the disorder present ina system. 15. Tailbone.

SCORING: 24 to 30 points —congratulations, doctor; 18 to 23 points—honorsgraduate; 13 to 17 points —you’replenty smart, but no grind; 5to12points —you really shouldhit the booksharder;1point to 4points —enroll in remedial courses immediately; 0points who reads thequestions to you?

Saturday's Cryptoquote: One of the most beautiful things in the world I've ever seen or heard is people laughing. —D.L. Hughley

Crossword Answers