The Acadiana Advocate 05-10-2026

SAyING FAREWELL

At funeral, family andfriends remember mall shooting victim

BY KRISTIN ASKELSON Staff writer

During abrief respite from heavy rains, family andfriendsofMartha Odom gathered Saturday morning to say goodbye to the17-year-old.

Asomber processionrolled down Johnston Street past oak trees still decorated with colorful Mardi Gras beads. Dozens of Odom’sclassmates from Ascension Episcopal School many seniorspreparing to dongraduationgownsonMay 15 —entered the church wearing dark suits and black dresses. Odom died April 23 after being caught in the crossfire of ashooting at theMall of Louisiana in Baton Rouge. She and two other Ascension Episcopalstudents were visiting the mall for “senior skip day” when gunfire erupted after an argument between twogroupsescalated, police said.

On Friday,Gov.Jeff Landryordered U.S.and state flags at the Capitol and statebuildings flown at half-staffinOdom’shonor,according to an executive order. Her funeral Saturday drew a heavy law enforcement presence, includingofficers from Lafayette police, the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office, Louisiana State Policeand the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office. Lafayette Mayor-President Monique Boulet also attended the service. In her obituary,Odomwas rememberedas“alight to everyone around herand, just as beautifully,saw the lightinothers —encouraging it,

nurturing it,and helping it shine brighter ”

Odom planned to attendSewanee: The Universityofthe South, where sheintended to study Englishand creative writing. She servedas captain of Ascension’sgirls’ soccer team, edited the studentnewspaperand taught at her dance studio. She also earned first place in last

ä See FAREWELL, page 6A

Candidates in Senate election jockey to emphasizeTrump ties as voting daynears

BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer

Louisiana’scontentious U.S. Senate primary race enters its final week centered on the same questionaswhenitbegan: Which Republican candidatebestalignswithPresident Donald Trump?

U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy,stateTreasurer John Fleming and U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow —each is relentlessly claiming to have the preeminent pro-Trump credentials.

At the same time, all three have been broadcasting TV adsand making campaign appearances where they try to undermine the others’ pro-Trump claims.

“They respect the power that Trump has with Republican rank-and-file, even though Trump has diminished in popularity with independent voters and has zero support among Democrats. His approval rating still runs around 80% among Republicans,” saidPearson Cross, apoliticalscience professor at the University of Louisiana at Monroe.

Electionday is Saturday throughout Louisianafor theSenate race and, in different parts

BY STEPHENMARCANTELand ADAM DAIGLE Staff writers

Louisiana residents arebeing askedtoconsider aconstitutionalamendment that would allow local governments to stop levying inventory tax on businesses.

Amendment No. 4onthe May 16 ballot would allowparishestoreduce or remove thebusiness inventory tax, amove that could eliminate nearly $30 million in tax revenue forLafayette Parish governing bodies.

If voters reject the amendment, local governmentswould continue collecting inventory taxes underthe current system.Businesses are taxed on inventory assessed at 15% of fair market value, with local millage rates applied to that assessment.

‘DON’T EVER FORGET THAT ILOVEYOU’

In advance of Mother’s Day,the newspaper asked Louisianansto share old letters to and from mothers and grandmothers. The full range of letters washumblingand deeply human.

BY JANRISHER Staff writer

In the summer of 1923, a6-yearoldinSt. Martin Parish dipped a metal-nibbed pen into an inkwell and wrote to her godmother that the figs were almost ripe andshe missedher so much she could cry She was learningEnglish but still thought in French, so shewrote that she was “lonesome of you.” Her letter survived 102 years.

ANew Orleansgrandmother wrote to her granddaughter Cynthia Andriesin Baton Rouge in 1952, after the girl failed her sophomore Englishclass at St.Joseph Academy. She worked through three pages of household news before landing on what she needed to say.“Don’teverforget thatI love you,Honey Chile.” Cynthia Andries, now Cynthia Litz, has kept that letter 74 years. In 1953, from New Orleans, Bar-

bara Vallina Reilley wrote an announcementletter in the voiceof her 12-day-old daughter.A grandmotherfrom North Dakotanudged her granddaughter in Seattle about keeping her room clean. Amother in Switzerland sent aletter to her daughterinLouisiana. Every time she wrote, sheclosed her letters thesame way: Deine Dich immer liebende Mutter.Your always loving you mother. And adaughternamed Beth Bueche sent the letter hermother wrote in 1963 to her own mother in Haynesvilleafter shesecretly married aman herfamily didn’t approve of. She asked her mother not to turn her away.The couple

was marriedfor 54 years. “Even in the 1960s, historians startedtryingtounderstand women’s roles and the roles mothers and daughters tried to establish with each other based on collections of back andforth of letters between them,” said Gaines Foster,retired professo emeritus of history at LSU.

He worries that letters lik these are disappearing and wo ders what effect the loss will hav on future generations’ understan ing of history

Readersacrossthe stateshare letters from theirmothers r e n e d id ap

“Those are the essence,” he sa “I’llbeworried about whathappens with social history in thefuture.”

ä Read thefull story. PAGE 1D

U.S. strike on boat in easternPacifickills 2

WASHINGTON The U.S.military’slatest strike on an alleged drug-trafficking boat in theeastern Pacific Ocean killed two men Friday whileleaving one survivor. Video posted on social media by U.S. Southern Command shows ablack, boat-shaped image before what appears to be an explosion, followed by acolumn of fire rising from the ocean. SouthernCommand said it “immediately notified the U.S. Coast Guard to activate the Search and Rescue systemfor the survivor.”

The Trump administration’s campaignofblowing up alleged drug-trafficking vessels in Latin American waters, including the eastern Pacific and the Caribbean Sea, has killed at least193 people. The military has not provided evidence that any of the vessels were carrying drugs

Person dies afterbeing hit by plane on runway

DENVER Aperson who jumped afenceand wasona runwayat Denver International Airport was struck and killed by aFrontier Airlines plane duringtakeoff, airport authorities said.The collision sparked an engine fire and forced passengers to evacuate.

The plane, on route from Denver to LosAngeles International Airport, “reported strikinga pedestrian during takeoff at DEN at approximately 11:19 p.m.on Friday,” accordingtoaposton the airport’sofficial Xaccount.

Aspokesperson for the airport said the person, who jumped a perimeter fence, has died. They said the unidentified person was hittwo minutes after entering the airport. The person is not believedtobeanairport employee

“We’re stoppingonthe runway,” the pilot tells the control tower according to the siteATC. com. “Wejust hit somebody.We have an engine fire.”

Theair trafficcontroller respondsthat they are “rolling the trucks now” before the pilot tellsthe towerthey“have smoke in theaircraft. We are going to evacuate on the runway.”

Frontier Airlines saidina statementthatFlight4345 was in thecollision and that “smoke was reported in the cabin and the pilots aborted takeoff.” It was not clear whether the smoke waslinked to the collision.

The airline said the plane was carrying 224 passengers and seven crew members. Passengers wereevacuated via slides and the emergency crew bused them to the terminal.

Suicide bomber,gunmen kill 3inPakistan attack

PESHAWAR, Pakistan Asuicide bomber and several gunmen detonated an explosives-laden vehicle near asecurity post in northwest Pakistan late Saturday,triggering an intense firefight that killed at least three policeofficers, police said. The attack tookplace in Bannu, adistrict in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan, police official Zahid Khan said. He saidmultiple explosions were heard shortly after the attack and that several nearbyhouses and the security post collapsed from the impact of the blast. No group immediately claimed responsibility.However,suspicion is likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, and allied militant groups that have carried out similar attacks in the past.

Iran ceasefire appearstohold

BY ADAM SCHRECK and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press

DUBAI, UnitedArabEmirates Atenuous ceasefire appeared to be holding aday after the United States struck two Iranianoil tankers, while Bahrain, whichhosts the U.S. Navy’sregional headquarters, saidSaturday it arresteddozens of peopleitalleged had links to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.

Friday’sattacks cast doubt on the month-old ceasefire that the U.S.has insisted is still in effect Washington, meanwhile, is awaiting Iran’sresponse to its latest proposal for adeal to end the war, reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping and roll back Tehran’s disputednuclear program

TheU.S. military said Friday its forces disabled two Iranian tankers that were trying to breach the American blockade of Iran’sports. Hours earlier,the military saidit

thwarted attacks on threeNavy ships andstruck Iranian military facilities in thestrait.

On Saturday, the small Persian Gulf island of Bahrain said it had arrested 41 peopleitsaidare part of agroup affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. The interior ministry said investigations confirmed theywere in contactwith theGuard and collected funds “with theaim of sending them to Iran”to support its“terrorist operations.”

Bahrain is ledby aSunni Muslim monarchy but, like Iran, has amajority Shiite population. Rights groups have said the kingdom has used the war between Iran and the U.S., which bases its Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, as an excuse to crack down on dissent. Iran issued awarning to Bahrain. “Siding with theU.S.-backed resolutionwill bring severe conse-

quences.The Strait of Hormuz is avital lifeline; do notriskclosing it on yourselvesFOREVER,”Ebrahim Azizi, headofthe nationalsecuritycommission of Iran’s parliament, said on social media.

Iran hasmostly blocked the critical waterway for global energy since theU.S. and Israel launched thewar on Feb. 28, causing aglobal spike in fuelprices and rattling world markets.

TheU.S. has imposed its own blockade of Iran’sports. U.S. Central Command said on Saturday its forces had turned back 58 commercial ships and“disabled” four since theblockade began April 13.

Britain’sdefense ministry said it was deploying awarship to the Middle East to joina potential mission to protect commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz once hostilities end.

The ministry said the HMS Dragon will “preposition” in the region, ready to join aU.K.- and

French-ledsecurity plan. France announcedthisweekitwas moving its aircraft carrier strike group into the Red Sea in preparation.

U.S. President Donald Trump has insisted the ceasefire is holding but has reiterated threats to resume full-scalebombing if Iran doesn’tacceptanagreementto reopen the strait androllback its nuclear program On Friday,Iranian Foreign Ministry spokespersonEsmail Baghaei said the country was not paying attentionto“deadlines,”according to state-run IRNA Also on Friday,atop Iranian officialsaidSupreme Leader MojtabaKhamenei was in “complete health” and eventually would appear in public.Khamenei hasn’t been seen or heard in public since the warbegan, fueling speculation about his status. Diplomacy continues. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said hiscountry hasbeenincontact with the U.S. and Iran“day and night” in an effort to extend the ceasefire and reach apeace deal.

BY BASSEM MROUE Associated Press

BEIRUT Three Israeli drone strikes on vehicles just south of Beirut on Saturday killed four people while aseriesofairstrikes on southern Lebanon killedatleast13, including aman and his12-year-old daughter,state mediaand the Health Ministry said.

The three drone strikes south of Beirut marked another escalation since aceasefire between Israel and Hezbollahwent into effect on April 17. Both Israel and Hezbollah have continued theirdaily attacks despite thetruce.

On Wednesday night, Israel’sair force carried out an airstrike on asouthern suburb in whichIsrael saiditkilled asenior Hezbollah military official. It was the first strike near the capitalsince the cease-

fire was reached.

Twoofthe strikes on Saturday took place on thehighway linking Beirut withthe southern port city of Sidon in which several people were wounded, while the third happened on aroad leading to Lebanon’sChouf region killing three, the state-run National News Agency said.

An Associated Press journalist at the scene saw adeadbodyonthe highway in thetownof Saadiyat

The Health Ministry said an Israeli airstrike on the southern village of Saksakiyehkilled at least seven, includinga child, and wounded 15. The ministry said thiswas an initial count.

The agency reported strikesinsouthernLebanon, including oneonthe village of Bourj Rahhal thatkilled threeand an-

other in Maifadounthat killed one.

TheHealth Ministry, meanwhile, said three Israeli drone strikes killed a Syrian man who was ridinga motorcycle with his 12-year-olddaughterin thecity of Nabatiyeh.

The ministry saidthat after theinitialstrike, the man and his daughter managedtomoveaway fromthe site only to be attacked again by the drone instantly killing the man.The girlthen moved about 100 yards away and was hit again by thedrone after she had been already wounded. The girllater died in ahospital, NNA said.

“The Ministry of Public Healthdenounces this barbaric targeting and the deliberate violence againstcivilians and childreninLebanon,” theministry said in its statement

Securityforces and emergency responders gather around adamaged vehicle at the scene of an Israeli airstrikethat hit acar in the coastaltownofSaadiyat, south of Beirut, Lebanon, on Saturday.

Miami Herald (TNS)

MIAMI More than 100 people aboard a cruise ship that departed from Fort Lauderdalelast monthhave fallen ill from norovirus, according to the Centersfor Disease Control and Prevention.

The Caribbean Princess, aPrincess Cruisesship departed fromPort Everglades onApril 28 for an 11-day voy-

age, according to Cruise Mapper.But on Thursday,the CDC announced that 102 passengers and 13 crew members were sick and had been isolated. There are more than 4,000 people on board, according to theCDC.

Thecruiseisonthe waytothe Bahamasand expected to arrive there on Sunday beforeits final destination in Port Canaveral, east of Orlando, on Monday

added that the strike marks an ongoing series “of grave violations of International Humanitarian Law.”

The Israeli military said Hezbollahfired explosive drones into Israelnear the border with Lebanonaddingthatthree soldierswere wounded, oneofthemseriously,inone of the attacks. It addedthatHezbollahfired drones inside Lebanon as well in which onehit an Israeli vehiclewithout inflicting casualties. Hezbollahclaimedseveral attacksinside Lebanon as

well as firing adrone at an Israelimilitary post in the northern town of Misgav Am The latest war between Israel and Hezbollah began on March 2, when Hezbollahfired rockets intonorthern Israel, two days after the United States and Israel launched awar on Hezbollah’smain backer,Iran. Israel has since carried out hundreds of airstrikes and launched aground invasion of southern Lebanon, capturing dozens of towns and villages along the border

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Funeralcelebrateslives of ‘Eternal Eight’

Allwerekilledin

Shreveport mass shooting

BY JUSTIN O’CONNOR Staff writer

Eight small white caskets were stretched across the front of Summer Grove Baptist Church in Shreveport on Saturday Gospel singer Kim Burrell roared her song overthem from the stage behind, suffusing aroom full of sorrow griefand questionswith song and praise, too. Her voice lifted hands into the air,bodiesfrom the pews, allrising froma sea of black and white clothing dotted with pastels. There were hundreds of family members, officials, clergy members and more from around the country on hand to mourn the “Eternal Eight” —the childrenshot in Shreveport’sCedar Grove neighborhood in adevastatingdomestic murder spree on April 19 by Shamar Elkins, who was the father of seven and the uncle of one. They were Mar’Kaydon Pugh, 10; Jayla Elkins, 3; Shayla Elkins, 5; Kayla Pugh, 6; LaylaPugh, 7; Sariahh Snow,11; Khedarrion Snow,6;and BraylonSnow 5. Their three mothers, who were injured in the violence but survived, are Shaneiqua Pugh, Christina Marie Snow and Keosha Pugh. Elkins used an assaultstyle weapon and died after fleeing amid apolice pursuit. It was not clear whether he

was killed by officers who fired orfroma self-inflicted gunshot, according topolice.

An investigationremains ongoing into the deadliest mass shooting in the U.S. in more than two years

“It’snot forustoalways understand,”Burrelltold the crowd. “It’sjustfor us to knowthat God is God. SometimesGod does things, he makes choices, so that he can get ustojust pay adeeper,closer attention to him.”

“Thank God for innocence lyingbeforeus. There are some people housed in these boxes, andsometimes it’s questionable. We don’tknow where they’re going,”she continued, her voice gaining urgency, “but I’ve got a feeling.”

“I said I’ve gota feeling, now,”she beltedinsong. Those in attendance clapped and gave “amens” back. “I said I’ve gota feeling about all eight. Somebody thank God for purity and innocence.”

Vigorous praiseinsong andsermonchargedthe whole service, brokenup only by elected officialsat everylevel delivering words in the children’shonor.State Sen. Sam Jenkins read Gov Jeff Landry’sproclamation thatflags in Louisiana were to fly at half-staff from Saturday through May 17 —one day for each child.

U.S.Rep.Cleo Fields joined the room in applause for former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords, whocame to

Shreveport from Arizona for thefuneral. Giffords herself was shotand permanentlyinjured in amass shooting assassination attemptin2011 andhas been an advocate against gun violence ever since.

“This is nota Shreveport mourning. This is anation mourning,” Fields saidto applause and affirmations.

Pastors took turns touching on the moment’scomplexity,the swirl in the room’satmosphere. Confusionatthe senseless deaths shared space witha certainty from thepreachers that God has aplan.

Celebrationsharedspace with anguish, too. Thechildren’smemorial wreaths were decorated with the

thingstheyloved—little Labubus, footballs and Minnie Mouse stuffed animals. Powdery pink andblue sunset pastel paintings hung around the white caskets, depicting the kids giving smiles, peace signs and funny faces.

Sariahh lovedplaying with her dolls. Mar’Kaydon rushed to tell his family and granny what he learned at school every day.Kayla, calledK-Maebyher loved ones, enjoyed roughhousing outside. Layla liked making TikToks with her family and friends. All eight had their ownlittlelives, memorialized in the funeral program

“Their time here was brief, buttheir impact was eternal,” it read.

“Wecome to celebrate Jesus. Thank him forthe lives of these preciouschildren,” Bishop Bernard Kimble told the crowd. “In spite of how youmay be feelingtoday, you all need to know that Godisstill here.”

“Shreveport, we have to love people,” said the Rev Melvin Porter,shortly after the casket lids wereshut after being toppedwithgolden crowns for the boys and silvertiarasfor the girls. “In spite of how they act, we still have to love people. Love must be paramount. It is in moments like this where love becomes morethan a feeling. It’s moments like this where love becomes a ministry,itbecomes presence, it becomes comfort.”

The eight white caskets were usheredtoForest Park West Cemetery in a procession by horse-drawn carriages, where they were toppedwith roses, anddoves were released.

“I knowyou feel like me You’re wondering why we’re here at this time,” Bishop JosephHallJr. saidduring the service in alow voice, pausing and drawing out his words. “I know you said, like me, this should not have happened. We should notbe in this place in this point in time.”

“But Iheard somebody sayGod is stillincontrol,” he said. “... Isaid God is still in control.”

JustinO’Connor is a Report forAmerica corps member covering Bossier government. Email himatjustin.oconnor@ theadvocate.com.

BY HANNAH SCHOENBAUM and MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press

SALTLAKE CITY Cameras

won’tbebannedfromthe high-profile murder case of the man charged with killing Charlie Kirk, aUtah judge ruled Friday,sayingcoverage requestsfrom news stationswould continue to be evaluated on acase-by-case basis.

Tyler Robinson’sattorneys argued potential jurors could be biased by slanted news reports and online comments that depict the defendant as unremorseful based on how he looks and acts in court. They said live broadcasts were fueling those stories and interfering with Robinson’srighttofair proceedings.

State DistrictJudge Tony Graf said some news outlets have used courtroom footage as “a springboard to discuss out-of-court commentary” by public officials, opineon theexistence of evidence that has not been presented in court and “generallyvilify thedefendant,” but he declined to ban cameras.

“Electronic mediacoverage provides ameans to facilitate the public’sright of access to court proceedings for those whocan-

not physically occupy the limited space available in acourtroom,” Graf said. “Livestreaming in particular allows as many people as are interested to observe the justice system at work and hold our branches of government accountable.”

Media organizations, prosecutors and Kirk’swidow Erika Kirk, had urged the judge to allow cameras. They said transparency is thebest way to guard againstconspiracy theories that have circulated since Kirk’s assassination on Sept. 10, whenthe 31-yearold conservative activist was shot in theneckwhile speaking at Utah ValleyUniversity in Orem. The defense and prosecution didnot immediately respond to requestsfor comment after Graf read the ruling via video call. Graf has said repeatedly that he cannotcontrol the spread of misinformation outside court, buthehas taken steps to protect Robinson’srightsduring hearings. He tightened rules for cameras after members of a media pool violated acourtroom order by showingRobinson’sshacklesand capturingclose-upsofhim talking to hisattorneys.Grafrelocated cameras to therear

of the courtroom, behind Robinson, making it harder to get images of him

Thejudge also approved adefense motion to push back Robinson’spreliminary hearing, whichwas scheduled for mid-May.Prosecutors during that hearing, nowset for July 6-10, must show they have enough evidence to proceed to trial.Graf said he set atime frame that balances Robinson’srights with those of Erika Kirk, who is entitled to aspeedy resolution.

Prosecutorsintend toseek thedeath penalty if Robinson,23, is convicted. He is charged with crimes including aggravated murderand has not yet entered aplea.

Prior to his death, Kirk andthe conservative youth movementhefounded, Turning PointUSA,emerged as a major force in U.S. politics.

Authorities havesaid DNA consistent with Robinson’s was found on the trigger of therifle, thefiredcartridge casing, twounfiredcartridges and atowel usedto wrap the rifle. Robinson’s attorneys have argued his preliminary hearing should nottakeplace untilfederal law enforcement agencies turn over more details about their DNA analysis.

Prosecutorssay they have

sufficient proofbeyond DNA, including surveillance video and ahandwritten note Robinson allegedly left for his romantic partner confessing to thecrime.

AccusationsthatRobinson targeted Kirkover hispolitical viewshave amplified interest in the case, which in turn has stoked the longrunning dispute over cam-

eras inside major cases. Judgestypically retain broad discretion over which parts of acase can be broadcast and who can be filmed or photographed.

BY STEVEN SLOAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON Afederal judge weighing the future of an expansive Washington park insisted last week she had no intention of becoming Amy Poehler,the actress who spent seven seasonsmemorablyplaying the head of alocal parks and recreation department.

But President Donald Trump mightbeinterested in the role.

Shortly after the United States and Iran exchanged fire on Thursday,Trump made aquick jaunt to the National Mall to review the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool that he ordered repainted acolor he describes as “American flag blue.”

The project has been on his mind lately.During an hour-plus speech Monday to small-businessowners, Trump spent about nine minutes talking about the paint job, detailing the granite floor and boasting that he whittled therenovation’s cost to $1.9 million from whathesaidwas an initial $350 million estimate.

Trump’snext project might be East Potomac Park, home to an affordable, accessible public golf course with views of the Washington Monument.

TheRepublicanpresident has talked of transforming it into aposh “U.S. Opencaliber course.” Signswere posted warning of adisruption and preservation advocates took the government to court as debris dumped there from the White House East Wing demolition tested positive for lead.

By late Friday,the nonprofit that operates the course said it would continue managing the space untilthe National Park Service begins a “historic restoration.”

Meanwhile, theWhite House told aplanning agency that it would cost taxpayers at least$7.5 million to follow through on Trump’s plan to paint thegranite Eisenhower ExecutiveOfficeBuilding white. And that was just thispast week in Washington’s extreme makeover

Allthe president’sprojects

Over the past year,Trump has bulldozed theEast Wing to make wayfor aballroom. Hisname was added to the facades of theU.S.Institute of Peace and the Kennedy Center,which he plans to close for atwo-year renovation. Hisface adorns a banner atthe Department of Justice’sheadquarters, among others. He is pushing for atriumphal arch near Arlington Cemetery and has closed parks,including Lafayette Square across from theWhite House, for arehab.

Trump is guaranteeing himself alasting imprintona city where he won just 6.5% of thevotein2024.Heisflexingextraordinary executive power and offering fresh insight into how he spends his

time, perhaps apresident’s mostvaluable asset.

As the Washington projects unfolded this week, the ceasefire in Iran was at risk of unraveling, motorclub AAA said the averageprice of agallonofgas surpassed $4.50 and elections provided newevidenceofDemocratic enthusiasm heading into the November elections.

“It’snot azero-sum game but obviously allpresidents have limited amounts of capital they can use and limited amounts of attention that they have to give,” said presidential historian Julian Zelizer of Princeton University. “And he’sdeciding, in a moment of war, amoment of economicinstability, that this is apriority.” Trumprejects such concerns.Asked at the Reflecting Pool whyhewas focused on the project given theU.S. militaryaction in Iran, he said, “Our country is about beauty, cleanliness, safety, great people. Not afilthy capital.”

Politicalconsiderations

ForRepublicans defending slim congressional ma-

jorities,itisnot so simple. Many would prefer to talk aboutpolicyaccomplishments rather than multimillion-dollar Washington construction projects.

While few directly criticizeTrump, there is an acknowledgmentthatthe party needs to confront economic realities.“Alot of Americans areveryworried about the cost of living and we need to addressit,” Sen John Kennedy,R-Madisonville, said recently AWashington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll conducted in late April found that 52% of Americans oppose Trump’splanned arch. That includes about 6in10independents. Some 51% of Republicans favor it Americans oppose the ballroom by a2-to-1 margin, driven largely by Democrats and independents. About 2 in 10 Republicans oppose theproject, according to the poll. The poll did not find a notable shift in support of theballroom after ashooting at last month’sWhiteHouse Correspondents’ Association Dinner.Trump has cited that incident in his push for ase-

cure facility,something he did not mention when he initially ordered the demolition of the East Wing.

Trumpisshowing no sign of backing away from anyof the projects. In asign of the GOP’sloyalty to him, Republican senators added$1billion in White House security upgradesfor theballroom to an unrelated bill.

Adizzyingpaceofchange

Rebecca Miller,the executive director of DC Preservation League, has spent23 years at the organization, whichsued to stop the golf course takeover andjoineda coalition attempting to force the Kennedy Center to comply with preservation laws. She said her organization hasworkedwithadministrations of both parties and called the Trumpmoves “highly unusual.”

“Oneofthe problems that we have right now is an ad-

ministration that seems to think that it can just plow ahead without anyinput,” shesaid. “These assets are owned by the people of the United States. They’renot anybody’spersonalportfolio.”

White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said Trump is “laser-focused on lowering costs for working families, deporting illegal criminals, keeping our cities safe, beautifying our nation’scapital, and protectingour nationalsecurity by ensuring Irancan neverpossess anuclear weapon all at the sametime.”

TomDavis, aVirginia Republican,saidthe renovationsofferan“opportunity to bring some money into the city and spruce up stuff that you wouldn’thave had otherwise.”

“But this is tough,” he said. “This is not acity that is in love with the president.”

Continued from page 1A

year’s Lafayette Public Library

“Writes of Spring” contest and second place this year. She planned to spend the summer before college attending Ballet Austin’s summer intensive program. Odom danced with The Ballet Studio and Lafayette Ballet Theatre, which remembered her as a “joyful, young student.”

Friends and family also remembered her love of the arts.

CANDIDATES

Continued from page 1A

of the state, for elections to the Public Service Commission, the Louisiana Supreme Court and the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. Voters throughout Louisiana will also decide whether to approve five constitutional amendments.

Voters will see candidates for U.S. House races on the ballot, but Gov. Jeff Landry canceled those elections after the U.S Supreme Court ruled recently that Louisiana’s congressional map is unconstitutional. Secretary of State Nancy Landry said it was too late to remove those races from the ballot, but her office won’t count the House votes.

A fourth Republican candidate is Mark Spencer, a business owner in Belle Chasse who is running as a “Guns and Bible” conservative.

Three little-known and underfinanced candidates are running in the Democratic primary on Saturday: Gary Crockett, a business owner who lives in New Orleans; Nick Albares, a policy analyst who lives in New Orleans; and Jamie Davis, a farmer in northeast Louisiana. The top two finishers in the Democratic primary — if no one wins at least 50% — will compete in a Democratic runoff on June 27.

Democrats are hoping that the huge turnout on Friday at the State Capitol against Republican plans to eliminate one or both of Louisiana’s two Democratic congressional seats will translate into a big Democratic turnout on May 16.

She frequently appeared in school plays and musicals and recently wrote in the Ascension student newspaper about a spring break trip to New York City, where she attended Broadway productions, Easter services at The Church of St. Mary the Virgin and a New York Rangers hockey game. She is survived by her parents, Michael and Brooke Bingham Odom, and a younger sister, Margaret Odom; maternal grandparents, Kenneth and Joan Bingham of New Iberia; godmother, Allison Clarke of Crowley; and many aunts, uncles and cousins.

One person has been arrested in connection with Odom’s death and police are seeking another unidentified suspect. State leaders and law enforcement officials have called for accountability for those responsible for Odom’s death.

“The Odom family and mine have been friends for decades,” Attorney General Liz Murrill wrote in a social media post after the teen’s death. “There are no words for the devastating loss of innocent life. I’m praying for her, her family and friends, and the entire Lafayette community during this heartbreaking time.”

MAGA credentials

The latest polling in the race shows Letlow in the lead, or tied with Fleming, in Saturday’s semiclosed Republican primary, where no-party voters can choose to vote for the Republican candidates or the Democrat candidates. The top two Republican finishers — since no candidate is expected to win over 50% — will face off in a June 27 party runoff.

Letlow of course, can make the strongest pro-Trump case because she has his endorsement, and that support caused her in January to give up an easy House reelection campaign to try to unseat Cassidy

“I stand firm in support, shoulder to shoulder with President Trump,” Letlow said during Tuesday’s radio debate with Fleming. “I would never turn my back on him.”

That final comment was a dig at Cassidy’s decision to vote to convict Trump on impeachment charges that he incited the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol by his supporters. Trump and his supporters see that as a betrayal because Cassidy took that vote two months after he won reelection in 2020 with Trump’s strong backing.

Letlow has also noted that Cassidy subsequently said Trump shouldn’t run for president in 2024 because he couldn’t win. Cassidy also suggested that he might run against Trump on a No Labels campaign if Trump did

In 2023, Cassidy said he wouldn’t vote for Trump but said in an interview this year that he did.

Cassidy has noted repeatedly during this year’s campaign that he voted 90% of the time with

Trump in his first term, and he has said Robert F. Kennedy Jr would not have been confirmed as Trump’s health secretary without his support.

“I don’t really think he likes me very much,” Cassidy said of Trump on Monday, “but we work really well together.”

Cassidy has said throughout the campaign that Trump has signed into law four bills during his second term that the senator either sponsored or that contained parts of legislation that he authored.

Fleming has noted repeatedly that he endorsed Trump when he initially ran for president in 2016 and that he worked for Trump during his first administration, including the final 10 months as the president’s deputy chief of staff.

“I was there on Jan 6,” Fleming said during the radio debate. “You know what? There were a lot of resignations in that White House after January 6. I stayed there and would not leave my post. I was there until the very end.”

Fleming has a prominent highway billboard in Baton Rouge that features a photo of him and Trump together, both with their thumbs up.

Attack ads fly

In recent days, it has become clear that Fleming and Letlow want to knock each other out during the primary and face Cassidy in the runoff.

Various polls show both Letlow and Fleming would easily defeat Cassidy in a head-to-head race, while a Letlow-Fleming runoff would be close.

On Thursday, Letlow called on Fleming to resign as treasurer

because of his recently revealed side work for the McKeon Group, a Washington, D.C., lobbying firm. “Louisiana deserves public servants who are focused on serving our people,” she said in a statement.

On Friday, Fleming said he’s allowed to have part-time, outside employment.

Fleming’s personal financial disclosure report shows that he earned $41,000 from McKeon in 2024. In an interview he said he now earns about $12,000 a year to provide “advice” to McKeon and that none of McKeon’s clients are in Louisiana. Officials from the company didn’t respond to a request for a comment.

Fleming, meanwhile, is broadcasting television ads that echoing a Cassidy line — call her “Liberal Letlow” because her voting record on the scorecard of several outside groups is not as conservative as his was.

She has retorted that Trump is backing her because she’s a proMAGA conservative.

Outside groups associated with Landry who has joined Trump in backing Letlow — are spending heavily on TV ads attacking Fleming.

“The whole process is dishonest,” Fleming said, noting that donations to the two groups — The Accountability Project and MAGA Energy are not being disclosed.

Meanwhile, Fleming and Letlow spent more time attacking each other than Cassidy in Tuesday’s radio debate and accused each other of lying about their records.

“Julia, please don’t interrupt me,” Fleming said at one point.

Letlow criticized Fleming’s vote

against the farm bill in 2014 when he was in the House. He said it contained wasteful spending. She belittled him for not getting Trump’s endorsement after having worked with the president. He said they spoke recently, and Trump called him “fantastic.”

She called Fleming “a career politician.” He said he served one term as coroner of Webster Parish beginning in 1996 and then served eight years in the House beginning in 2009 before he was elected treasurer in 2023. Fleming criticized Letlow for calling for the expansion of diversity, equity and inclusion policies when she interviewed to be president of the University of Louisiana at Monroe She said she quickly learned that “the left completely hijacked it” and has voted against DEI policies in the House Fleming criticized Letlow for blaming her financial adviser for the failure to report more than 200 stock trades on a timely basis, saying it amounted to, “Well, the dog ate my homework.”

She replied, “It was a reporting error When it was brought to my attention, I completely fixed it.”

Fleming said she supports vaccine mandates. She said that wasn’t true, that she doesn’t.

The back-and-forth between Letlow and Fleming has made Cassidy less of an issue in the race.

Cassidy dominated the race in February and March with TV and digital media attacks against Letlow that sought to undercut her pro-Trump qualifications, thanks to millions of dollars that he and a super PAC had amassed in their campaign war chests.

Moscow marksVictory Daywitha scaled-downparade

By The Associated Press

MOSCOW— Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday voiced confidence in avictory in Ukraine as he oversawa militaryparade on Red Square commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany in World WarII— ashow that didn’t include heavy weapons for the first time in nearly two decades. Security was tight in Moscow as Putin and several foreign leaders attended the parade, which was scaled down even as aU.S.-brokeredthree-dayceasefire eased concerns about possible Ukrainian attempts to disrupt the festivities.

Putin, in powerfor more than aquarter-century,has used Victory Day, Russia’smostimportant secular holiday,toshowcase the country’smilitary might and rally support for his military actionin Ukraine, now in its fifth year

Speaking at the parade, Putin hailed Russian troops fightingin Ukraine, declaring that they “face an aggressive force thatisarmed andsupported by theentirebloc of NATO,” and are fighting for a “just cause.”

“Victory has always been and will be ours,” Putin said, as columns of troops lined up on Red Square.“The key to success is our moral strength, courage and valor,our unity and ability to endure anything andovercome any challenge.”

But in anotable shift this year, the parade took place without tanks, missiles and other equipment put on display every year since 2008, aside from atraditional flyover of combat jets.

Officials explained the change of format by the“current operational situation” and the threat of Ukrainian attacks. The authori-

AMENDMENT

Continued from page1A

If approved, the measure could benefit businesses while reducing localgovernment revenue, though supporters such as Lafayette Mayor-President Monique Boulet argue increased economic activity could eventually offset those losses.

If voters approve the measure, lawmakers would offer parishes incentive payments ranging from $500,000 to $15 million to eliminate or reduce the tax. Louisiana would then join 41 other states without an inventory tax.

Boulet earlier urged Lafayette residents to support the amendment, arguing it would help maintain the economicmomentumthe city and parish haveseen since she tookoffice.

“If other parishes opt out and we don’t, we suddenly become disadvantaged,” Boulet said. “If businesses have the option to move a few miles down the road, whywouldn’tthey? It works, and we can make it work.”

Boulet acknowledged the loss in revenue would likely require tighter budgetsin the coming years. She said departments have already been asked to prepare for modest spending reductions while the parish waits for

ties also ordered restrictions on all mobile internet accessand text messaging services in the Russian capital on Saturday.Putin toldreporters Saturday after the parade thatitdidn’tfeature heavy weaponry because the militaryneeds it on the battlefield in Ukraine.

For the firsttime, Saturday’s parade featured troops from North Korea, atribute to Pyongyang that sent its soldierstofight alongside Moscow forces to repel aUkrainian incursioninto Russia’sKursk region.

Otherceasefiresdidn’thold Russiadeclared aunilateral ceasefire for Friday and Saturday,while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced atruce that was supposed to begin on May 6, but neither held as the parties traded blame for continuing attacks.

Fears about the festivities’ security eased Friday,when U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Russia and Ukraine have bowed to his request for aceasefirerunning Saturday through Mondayand an exchange of prisoners, declaring that thebreak in fighting could be the“beginning of the end” of the war Zelenskyy,who saidearlier this week that the Russian authorities “fear drones maybuzzoverRed Square” on May 9, followed up on Trump’sstatementbydeclaring Red Square temporarily off-limits for Ukrainian strikes andmockinglypermitting Russia to hold its VictoryDay celebrations on Saturday, amovethat theKremlin shrugged off as a“silly joke.”

Putin told reporters after the parade that Trump offered to broker aceasefire after Russiainformed the U.S.and othersthat it would

launch amassive missile strike on thecenter of Kyiv fraught with collateraldamageifUkraine attempts to disrupt Saturday’s festivities.

“Wejust described the situation to our friends, colleagues and partners: We don’thave any intention to exacerbate or worsen relations with anyone, but it could happen because allcontrol and decision-making centersinKyiv arelocated closetodiplomatic missions,” Putinsaid. “When we startedsuch adialogue with the U.S. administration,wewarned them about this, pointedout the possible consequencesand asked them to do everything necessary to ensurethe security of theirdiplomatic mission.” Putin has used Victory Daycelebrations to encourage national pride and underline Russia’sposition as aglobalpower.The Soviet Unionlost27millionpeople in 1941-45 in what it calls the Great Patriotic War, an enormous sacrifice that left adeep scar in the national psyche andremains arare point of consensusinthe nation’s divisivehistory underCommunist rule.

Ukraine’sdeepstrikes

Russia’sbigger and betterequipped military hasbeen making slow but steady gains along themorethan 600-mile front line. Ukraine has hit back with increasingly efficient long-range attacks, striking Russianenergy facilities, manufacturingplants and military depots. It has developed drones capable of reaching targets more than600 milesdeep into Russia, far beyond its capabilities before 2022 Zelenskyy has proposed to meet with Putintonegotiate apeace deal,but dismissedthe Russian

leader’s suggestionthathecome to Moscow.OnSaturday,Putin said he could meet with Zelenskyy in anothercountry,but only to endorse acomprehensive accord. “A meeting in athird country is also possible, but only aftera peace treatyaimedata long-term historic perspective is finalized,” Putin told reporters. “This should be afinaldeal,not the negotiations.”

Putinpraises hisguests

Malaysia’s King Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar,Laos President Thongloun Sisoulith, Kazakhstan’sPresident Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Uzbekistan’sPresident Shavkat Mirziyoyev andBelarus’ authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko attended the festivities in the Russian capital.

Putin hailed the foreign guests who attended the parade for “personal courage,” noting that they had decided to cometoMoscow before theceasefire brokered by Trumpdefused security concerns. PrimeMinister RobertFicoof Slovakia,a European Union member,laid flowers at the Tomb of theUnknownSoldier memorial just outside the Kremlin walls but stayed away from the Red Square parade. German Chancellor FriedrichMerzcriticizedFico’strip, saying, “I deeply regret this, and we will discuss his visit to Moscow with him.”

Speaking at ameeting with Putin in the Kremlin, Fico bemoaned whathecalled anew “Iron Curtain” in Europe thathampered trade, and emphasized the importance of Russia’senergy supplies to Slovakia.Putin hailedthe Slovak leader for conducting a“sovereign” foreign policyand honoring the memory of fallenRed Army soldiers.

increased business investment and expansion to offset thelost revenue —aprocess sheexpectscould take several years.

“We’ve asked departments to start thinking aboutscaling backbyabout 10%,” she said.“That doesn’tmean we have to cut 10% this year.It’smore of amindset shiftaway from expecting growth budgets.”

Lafayette Consolidated Government andlocal agenciescollected $27.8 million from inventorytaxes in 2025, marking the fourth consecutiveyear of growth, according to data from the LafayetteParishTax Assessor’sOffice. LCG, theLafayette Parish school system and theSheriff’s Officeaccountedfor themajority of collections,receiving acombined$20.8 million —about 10%of their respective annual tax revenues.

The city of Lafayette received $3.3 million from inventorytaxeslastyear, while Carencro —home to an Amazon distribution center —collected about $57,000 in 2025, downfrom $72,000 in 2024. Youngsville, Duson and Scott each collected $30,000 or less. Broussard does not collect amunicipalinventory tax, though businesses there still payparishwide inventoryrelated taxes.

Carencro Mayor Charlotte Claviersaidthe revenue is

not crucial.

“Ultimately, we’re talking about avery smallpercentage of ourrevenue,” she said. “I’m hopeful that perhaps we could see property values increase in the parish if we decide to remove thetax.”

The parish’slargest employersare among the biggest payers of theinventory tax, records show. Stuller, thearea’slargest private employer outside the healthcaresector with more than1,500 workers,paid about $2.1 million in inventory taxes lastyear —more than doublethe amountpaid by Frank’sInternational/ Expro, thesecond-largest payer

Most of thetop 10 inventory taxpayersinLafayette Parish last year were oil andgas companies. Service Chevrolet was the only automobile dealership to make the list.

Attempts to reachStuller officials for comment were unsuccessful.

If voters approve the amendment,officials with parish government, the Sheriff’s Office and the School Board wouldhave to agreeona plan to phaseout reduce or eliminate inventory taxes. If thethree entitiescannot reach aconsensus, the tax would remain in place until an agreement is reached.

Currently, Boulet is advo-

cating for aone-ortwo-year phaseout of the inventory tax

Underthe proposal, parishes thatvotetopermanently eliminate inventory taxes before July2027 could receive aone-time state payment of up to $15 million.Parishes that end the taxeffective Jan.1, 2027, would receive three times the amount collected in inventory taxes during the 2026 taxyear,capped at $15 million.

If aparish chooses afiveyear phaseout instead, the state would provide apayment equaltothe amount of inventory taxcollected during the 2026 tax year,upto $10 million. Estimates place the statewide cost of the incentive payments between $218 million and$563 million. Staff writer Joel Thompson contributed to this report.

Religious liberty commission preparing wish list

Among views: Rejecting separation of church and state

BY PETER SMITH Associated Press

One member calls for a Presidential Medal of Freedom for a baker who refused to create a wedding cake for a same-sex couple.

Another calls for court interventions by the Department of Justice on behalf of Amish parents fighting New York vaccine requirements and Catholic nuns challenging that state’s requirement that they accommodate hospice patients’ gender identities. And the chair of the Religious Liberty Commission is calling for a federal hotline with this automated recording: “There is no separation of church and state.”

These are just some of the recommendations that members of the advisory panel formed by President Donald Trump last year want to see included in the commission’s final report

That report is still in the works, but commissioners had an opportunity to describe their wish lists during their most recent meeting in April. There was little dissent as the commissioners, most drawn from Trump’s base of conservative Christian supporters, covered the items they want in the report

Their ideas reflect the prevailing perspectives on the definition of religious liberty among many conservative Catholic and evangelical activists: increasing avenues for religious expression in public schools; expanding opportunities for faith-based organizations to receive public money; and allowing for religious-based exemptions in areas ranging from labor law to classroom lessons to healthcare mandates.

Criticized for narrow views

Critics of the commission say it embodies a one-sided perspective of Trump’s supporters and is threatening

Witnesses described how they defied workplace regulations that they said conflicted with their conservative religious values on gender, abortion, COVID-19 vaccines and more.

a well-established constitutional separation of church and state, despite the chair’s claims.

A lawsuit by a progressive interreligious coalition argues that the commission fails to comply with federal law requiring advisory panels to feature diverse members and viewpoints.

The lawsuit echoes criticism that most commissioners are conservative Christian clerics and commentators; one is an Orthodox Jewish rabbi. The coalition says members have asserted that America is specifically a Judeo-Christian or Christian nation and notes that most commission meetings took place at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, an institution with Christian leadership.

The Republican administration is asking a federal court to dismiss the lawsuit. The government is citing legal technicalities and contending the law does not define how a commission should be fairly balanced or whose viewpoints should be represented.

Another entity created by Trump — the Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias — issued a report saying Christians faced discrimination under the administration of Democratic President Joe Biden in areas such as education, tax law and prosecution of anti-abortion protesters. Progressive groups said that report failed to document systemic discrimination, focused on causes favored by conservative Christians

and amounted to advocacy rather than an investigation.

In a further interlocking of Trump-related initiatives, several members of the Religious Liberty Commission are scheduled to take part in a May 17 prayer event marking the country’s upcoming 250th birthday

Several also participated in a recent Bible-reading marathon staged largely at the Museum of the Bible.

Harmony and tension

The commission has mostly featured agreement among members, with one dramatic exception. One commissioner, Carrie Prejean Boller, was ousted in February after a contentious hearing on antisemitism

Commission Chair Dan Patrick said Prejean Boller sought to “hijack” the hearing, in which she had sharp exchanges with witnesses about the definition of antisemitism and defended commentator Candace Owens, denying her record of antisemitic statements. Prejean Boller, a Catholic, contended she was wrongly ousted for expressing her beliefs.

In other hearings, witnesses described how they defied workplace regulations that they said conflicted with their conservative religious values on gender, abortion, COVID-19 vaccines and more Some said they were prevented, at least temporarily from displaying a religious symbol at work or trying to sing a Christian song at a school talent show

At the hearing devoted to antisemitism, Jewish witnesses spoke of being harassed and threatened at campus pro-Palestinian protests against Israel. The commission has also heard from some Hindu, Muslim, Sikh and other witnesses.

Even so, critics said the commission mostly focused on conservative Christian and right-leaning political

grievances.

The Rev Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, president of the progressive Interfaith Alliance, one of the groups suing over the commission’s composition, said the panel’s omissions are as significant as what it focuses on.

He said the commission has failed adequately to address such issues as antiMuslim efforts in Texas and elsewhere, and also the rise of antisemitism on the right, not just the left.

Church and state debate Raushenbush said he is especially worried about the commission chair’s challenging the very notion of church-state separation.

Patrick, a Republican who is the Texas lieutenant governor, repeatedly denounced a concept that is embedded in Supreme Court precedent.

“We need to say there is no separation of church

and state,” Patrick said at the April meeting. “That’s a lie.” He suggested printing “a million bumper stickers” to that effect. No one at the commission meeting disagreed.

While the phrase “separation of church and state” does not appear in the Constitution, 20th-century decisions by the Supreme Court cited Thomas Jefferson’s description of the First Amendment as creating “a wall of separation between church and state.” The court applied the First Amendment’s prohibition of any church “establishment” to the states in addition to the federal government, citing the 14th Amendment’s ban on states denying citizens’ rights.

Courts have since wrestled with how to balance freedom of religion and freedom from governmentsponsored religion.

Schools, vaccines, more

Patrick has advocated for prayer and Ten Commandments postings in public schools.

“I don’t have any malice towards anyone that doesn’t believe in any type of faith,” Patrick told fellow commissioners. “That’s fine. That’s what America is about. But these organizations that are pushed by some ideology and pushed by someone’s bank account who wants to remove God from our country? We need to push back.” On other issues, various commissioners called for requiring schools and workplaces to post notices of the rights of religious expression and exemptions.

Some called for restoring full pay and pension benefits for military service members who were discharged for refusing COVID-19 vaccines.

Mother’s Dayisalwaysabig eventfor Gloria Dietz. Severalfamilymembers take herout for lunch. Thosewho live elsewherealways call.Her room at TheVincent Senior Living is filledwithmoreflowersthanshe cancount Dietzdidn’t always know Mother’s Day wouldbesomomentous.Whenshe wasliving in Baltimoreinthe late 1950sand raisingher oldest daughter,Dietz knew shewantedanother child. Shedecided to serveasa foster parent forayoung girl,anexperience that wasdeeply rewardingand meaningful Dietzwould go on to have twomorebiologicalchildrenand relocate with herhusband to Sarasota,Florida.Bythe 1990s, thosechildren were grownadults. Dietzand herhusband lived in alarge home on fiveacres of land andhad purchasedamotor home,withplans to travel thecountry upon herhusband’s retirement

But, they kept seeing television commercials asking forfosterfamilies, andmemoriesofthe experience in Baltimorecameflooding back

“I thought, ‘I couldtakeone childagain.We have allofthese extrabedroomsand alot of spaceinthe house,’” Dietzrecalled. “Wetook in alittleboy whowekeptfor abouta year,and then we fostered severalother children as well.”

In February 1991,the Dietzesreceiveda phonecallsayingthree siblings needed an emergencyfosterhome. They didn’t hesitate to sayyes

“The original plan wastokeepthe children untiltheir biological motherhad hercourt date in aboutsix weeks. We thoughttheywould be returned to her, butthatdidn’thappen, so they stayed with us,” Dietzsaid. “Duringthis time,the fourth child, anothergirl, decidedshe wanted to be with hersiblings. We decidedto take herand have allfourofthe kids together in thesamehouse.”

Thefosterarrangement lasted forseven yearsasthe case woundits waythrough the courtsystem.Whenthe opportunityfinally arose, Dietzand herhusband officially adopted allfourofthe siblings

“Theywerefamilyatthatpoint.Two of them were teenagers,”Dietz said.“Thecourtskept saying, ‘Nobodywilltakefourkidstogether. Isaid, ‘Wewill.’Wecouldn’t imaginebeing withoutthem.”

Theadditionoffourkidsdidn’t deterDietz andher husbandfromtheir travel plans. When herhusband retired, theentirefamilyset outin theirmotor home,spendingmonthstraveling from FloridatoAlaskaand back again.

“I homeschooled thechildrenthe entire time,” Dietzsaid. “Anytime we stoppedin astate,we’dfindout thehistory aboutthat state. We went to alot of national parks, a lotofstate parksand alot of historical sites.

When we wouldstopatacampground, the othercampers wouldsee thesechildrenwith schoolbooksand wouldcomeoverand start talkingtothem.The kids learnedsomuch. They hadaneducation unlike anyother from gettingtotravelsomuch.

Today, Dietzsaidshe is most proudthather sevenchildrenare allhappy andsuccessful They have expanded theirown broods,and she nowhas 10 grandchildren, ninegreat-grandchildren andtwo great-greatgrandchildren “It’samazing howeveryonehas meshed together.Mychildrendon’t look at each other as biological andadopted.They’re just brothers andsisters,” shesaid. “I have some grandchildren olderthanmyadopted children,which is alittlefunny to thinkabout.Wewerehappy to puta lotoftimeand energy into allofthe children,and it’s rewardingnow to seethem have great livesthattheymight nototherwise have had.

AYEAR OF POPE LEO

Pope continuestoemphasizescommunity,harmony

Hispastoralrole

BY NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press

VATICAN CITY Pope LeoXIV had tried during his first year as pontiff to insist that his essential role was that of apastor accompanying his flock. PresidentDonald Trump’s continuing criticisms —and Leo’s increasingly bold retorts— complicated the effort and overshadowed Friday’sanniversaryof Leo’selection.

Leo spent the eve of the 1-year mark meeting withU.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who had come to the Vatican on afencemending visit. Trump’srepeated broadsides against history’sfirst U.S. pope created an unprecedented back-and-forth on the Iran war that strained U.S.-Holy Seerelations. By the end of the visit, both the Vatican and the State Department stressed their strong bilateral ties. But the episode nevertheless pushed Leo out of his comfort zone andonto the global stagetomake zingers like the one this past week, after Trump’s latest misrepresentation of his views. “If someone wants to criticize me for announcing the Gospel,let him do it with thetruth, Leo said.

It’sall abit out of characterfor Leo who —the world has come to learn in this first year —isat heart amild-mannered, 70-year-old Midwestern missionary priest, and a reserved one at that. He likes to play the solitary game of tennis, cites the fifth-century philosopher St. Augustine from memory and insists he is merely quoting the Bible when he calls for peace,ashedid again Friday in markinghis anniversary “May the God of peace pour out an overflowing abundance of mercy, touching hearts,soothing grudges and fratricidalhatred, and enlightening those who bear special responsibilities of gover-

nance,” Leosaid duringananniversary homily in the ancient city of Pompeii.

TheTrump-Leo feud aside,the formerRobert Prevostafter his first year seemsdriven not by the dramatic gesture or headline-grabbing tensions thatoften fueled his predecessor,Pope Francis. Rather, Leoseems inspired by the calm, persistent zeal to preach the Gospel and —thanks to his Augustinian spirituality —emphasizecommunity and harmony

Learning andunifying Leo began hisimprobable papacy promising to workfor unity in apolarized world andchurch, and at the one-year mark, he seemstobedelivering. After Francis’ revolutionary andsometimes divisive 12-year papacy, Leohas brought acalming balmtothe Vatican and church at large. He seems intent on healing divisions, even as new threats of schism emerge.

That has certainly been the case as he navigates someofthe thorniest challenges facing theCatholic Church: tensions between traditionalists andprogressives, financial problemsfacingthe Holy See and the geopolitical crises at the heart of theTrump vs.Leo dissonance.

“I think the challenge that the Holy Father has is to strengthen the unity ofthe church,” said Cardinal WiltonGregory,a Chicago native

like Leo and the retired archbishop of Washington.While therehavealwaysbeen divisions, Gregory said social media had amplified them, and thatLeo seems intent on tamping themdown.

“Social communication makes it possible for people to takesides, and sometimes taking sides adds to the divisiveness that we have to deal with and that theHoly Father, as theBishop of Rome, hastorespond to,” Gregorysaid.

“He hastocall us to ourbetter angels,” he added.

That seemed to be Leo’smodus operandi when,daysinto hisrecent Africa trip,hetemporarily quelled the Trumpbroadsides by essentially declaring he was above thepresident’ssocial media rants. While insisting he would continue preachingthe Gospel messageof peace, Leo said it ”is notinmyinterest at all,” to debate Trump.

“I primarily come to Africaas apastor,asthe head of the Catholic Church to be with, to celebrate with, to encourage and accompany allthe Catholicsthroughout Africa,” he said.

He repeated that messageatthe trip’sconclusion, saying the political role that comes with beingpope, ahead of state and global moral authority,was simply nothis priority An English-speaking pope Formany, theshock of an Ameri-

can pope,who defiedthe taboo precluding aRome-based moral counterweight to the White House, still hasn’twornoff.

“It’sbeen the first year of an American pope whohas been critical of what Americaisdoing for themostpart,” said Anthea Butler seniorfellow at the KochInstitute, Oxford University

She stressed that Leo is doing so “not coming full-onlike Francis would,”but approachingissues from the side.He’snot naming names, he’smerelypreaching the Gospel. That approachhas certainly helpedsomeU.S. Catholic institutions, after the American church developed an almost comically bad relationship with Francis. His criticismofAmerican-style capitalism was amplified by U.S.-based conservative Catholic media during his papacy For many Vatican watchers, the Argentine pope simply didn’t“get” the U.S., andvice versa. SomeU.S. Catholics eventually soured on donating to the Holy See under Francis, following years of unrelenting stories of mismanagement, corruption and scandal.

Butwith aChicagomath major now pope, “he can’tbedismissed as being ignorant of the realities in the United States,” said Kerry Alys Robinson, chief executive of Catholic Charities USA, anational network of Catholic agencies.

Robinson said she had never seen U.S. Catholic bishops so united as now,particularly in speaking about the dignity of migrants and poor people.

She credits that to manyfactors, includingthe Trumpadministration’s immigration crackdownand funding cuts that have created a commonpurpose. Butshe doesn’t discount theunifying message from Leo, in English.

“It’s very different whenyou are hearing the message without it being mediated through translation,” she said.

RepairingU.S.relationships

Ward Fitzgerald,president of ThePapal Foundation,which

funds the pope’s charity projects in thedeveloping world, said an English-speaking pope has been aboon especially in the U.S.and Europe, where there is anecdotal evidenceofa“Leo effect”spurring new converts.

“I think there’slots of reasons for it, but Icertainly think that having apopewho speaks Englishhelps young people understand the messages of the Holy Father,” Fitzgerald said in an interview.That also translates to donors to the church, especially from the U.S.

“When you tell adonor,‘Ireally appreciate what you do’ in English —and they’re English —I think it resonates,” Fitzgerald said. “And so they give alittle more.”

ThePapal Foundation recently announced 25 new families had joined its ranks since Leo’selection, anot-insignificant number givenmembership requires a minimum $1.25 million pledge. Fitzgerald and members of the foundation met with Leo last week and gathered in St. Peter’sBasilica foraMass celebrated by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the towering figure of the U.S. Catholic hierarchy anda kingmaker in the 2025 conclave that elected Leo.

Dolan is also chummy with Trumpand is amember of his Religious Liberty Commission.

In his homily,Dolan extolled the attributes of St. Joseph, the father of Christ and afigure so beloved in the church he is the patron saint of morecauses than anyother saint Dolanalso revealed his feelings aboutLeo, whom he had watched in theSistine Chapel become the 267th pope ayear ago Friday St. Joseph was aman of silence, Dolan said, calm and secure in his place.

“A man whoexuded asense of depth and substance. Aman who is shy,all right, aman whoisfocused on his mission,” he added. “A man, always attentive to God’splan.” Dolan then asked the Americans seated in thepews if they could think of anyone else whofitSt. Joseph’sdescription.

“I can,” Dolansaid. “Pope Leo reminds me of Joseph.”

As hantavirus outbreak unfolds, whereisthe CDC?

Public health expertsquestion theU.S.response

BY MIKE STOBBE Associated Press

NEW YORK No quick dispatching of disease investigators. No televised news conference to inform the public. No timely health alerts to doctors.

In the midst of ahantavirus outbreak that involves Americans and is making headlines around theworld, the U.S. government’stop public health agency,the Centers for DiseaseControl and Prevention, has been uncharacteristically missingin action, according to anumber of experts.

To President Donald Trump, “Weseem to have things under very good control,” as he told reporters Friday evening.

To experts, the situation aboard acruise ship has not spiraled because, unlike COVID-19 or measles or the flu, hantavirus doesnot spread easily.Ithas been health expertsinother countries, not the United States, who have been dealing primarily with the outbreak in the past week.

“The CDC is not even a player,” said Lawrence Gostin, an internationalpublic health expert at Georgetown University.“I’ve never seen that before.”

Not until late Friday did CDC actions accelerate.

Health officials confirmed the deployment of ateam to Spain’sCanary Islands, where the ship was expected to arrive earlySunday local time, to meet the Americans onboard. They said asecond team will go to Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska as part of aplan to evacuate American passengers from the ship to aUniversity of Nebraska quarantine center for evaluation and monitoring. Also, the CDC issuedits first health alert to U.S. doctors, advising them of the possibilityofimported cases

At their first briefing, held Saturday by telephone only for invited reporters, officials pledged to be transparentinupdating thepublic but said themedia could not cite thespeakersbyname under rules set by aides to Health Secretary Robert F.

said the risk to theAmerican public is “extremelylow,” anddescribedthe U.S. governmentas“the world’sleader in global health security.”

Said Nuzzo: “Not only was that not helpful, it actually does damage becauseacore principle of public health communications is humility.”

CDC official came Saturday morning, whenBhattacharya appeared on aFox News program and said, “My message to the American people is please don’tworry.” But he gotsomedetails wrong and overstated what was knownabout the outbreak. COVID-19 comparison

Kennedy Jr.Theydid not directly answer aquestion aboutwhetherthe American passengers could leavethe university medical facility when they wanted

The CDC’sdiminished role in this outbreak is an indicator the agency isnolonger the force in international health orthe protectorof domestic health that it once was, some experts said The hantavirus outbreak is “asentinel event”that speaks to“howwell thecountryispreparedfor adisease threat. And right now,I’m very sorry to say that we are not prepared,”saidDr. Jeanne Marrazzo, chief executive officer of theInfectious DiseasesSociety of America.

Howoutbreakunfolded

Early last month, a 70-year-old Dutch man developed afeverish illness on acruise ship travelingfrom Argentina to Antarcticaand some islandsinthe South Atlantic. He died less than aweek later.More people became sick,includingthe man’swife and aGerman woman, who both died. Hantaviruswas firstidentified as acause of sickness of oneofthe cases on May2 The World Health Organization swung into action and by Mondaywas calling itan outbreak.About twodozen Americanswere on theship, including about seven who disembarkedlast monthand 17 whoremained on board.

WHOtakingcenterstage

For decades, theCDC partneredwith theWHO in such situations. TheCDC acted as amainstay of any internationalinvestigation, providing staff andexpertise to help unravelany outbreak

mystery,developways to control it and communicate to thepublic whatthey should know andhow they should worry

Such actions were alarge reason whythe CDC developed areputation as theworld’spremier public healthagency

But this time, theWHO has been center stage.Itmade therisk assessment that has told people the outbreak is not apandemic threat.

“I don’tthinkthisisa giant threat tothe United States, said Jennifer Nuzzo, director of Brown University’s Pandemic Center.But how this situation has played out “just shows howempty and vapid theCDC is right now,” she said.

Tumult underTrump

The current situation comes after 16 tumultuous months during whichthe Trumpadministration withdrew from the WHO, has restricted CDC scientists from talking to international counterparts at times and embarked on aplan to build its own international public healthnetwork through oneon-one agreements with individual countries.

Theadministrationhas laid off thousands of CDC scientists andpublic health professionals,including members of the agency’s ship sanitation program

As this was playing out, Kennedy said he was working to “restore theCDC’s focus on infectious disease, investininnovation, and rebuild trust through integrity and transparency.”

WaitingtohearfromCDC

The CDC on Wednesday issueda short statementthat

Source:Trump planstofireheadofFDA

BY RACHEL COHRS ZHANG Bloomberg News (TNS)

WASHINGTON— President Donald Trump plans to fire Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary,followingmonths of chaos at one of the country’s most important health agencies, according to aperson familiar with the matter The president hasn’tyet dismissed Makary,the person said, asking not to be identified because discussions are private. The Trump administration is also mulling additional personnel changes at the FDA, accord-

ing to people familiar with thedeliberations. Makary’stime as FDA commissionerhas been marked by high employee turnover andfrictionwith pharmaceutical companies. He hasclashed with key conservative political figures over staffing, abortion pill access andother issues. When asked by areporter Friday if he was replacing Makary,Trumpsaidnobut didn’telaborate. “I’vebeen readingabout it, but Iknow nothing about it,” hesaid.

The Department of Health andHuman Services didn’t respond to requests for

comment. When reached by phone Friday, Makary had no comment

The Wall Street Journal reportedthat Trump had grown increasingly frustrated with Makary fornot moving quickly enough to approve flavored vapes and nicotine products.

Separately,The New York Times reported that the FDA had blocked publication of several studies supportingthe safety of widely used vaccines.

On Friday,news of Trump’splan to fire Makary was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

The CDC’sacting director,Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, posteda message on social media that theagencywas lending its expertiseincoordinating with other federal agencies andinternational authorities.Arizona officials this week said they learned fromthe CDCthatone of the Americanswho left the ship —aperson with no symptoms and notconsidered contagious —had already returned to thestate.

But federal health officials havemostlybeen tight-lipped, declining interview requests.The first on-cameraappearance by a

Some experts made acomparison with a2020 incident involving the Diamond Princess, acruise ship docked in Japan that became the setting of one of the first large COVID-19 outbreaks outside of China.

The CDC sent personnel to the port, helped evacuate American passengers, ran quarantines, sharedgenetic data on the virus, coordinated with the WHO and Japan, held public briefings and rapidly published reports “that became the world’s referencedata on cruise ship COVID transmission,”

saidDr. TomFrieden,aformer CDCdirector Some aspects of the international response to theDiamond Princess were criticized,and it did nothaltthe outbreak or stop COVID-19’s spread acrossthe world. But some expertssay it wasnot forthe CDC’slack of trying. “The CDCwas righton topofit, very visible,very active in trying to manage and contain it,” Gostin said, while the agency’swork now is delayed and subdued. Instead of working with the WHO, the Trumpadministration has pursued bilateral health agreements with individual nations for information sharing and public health support. Roughly 30 agreements are in place. That’snot sufficient, Gostin said. “You can’tpossibly cover aglobalhealth crisis by doing one-on-one deals with countries here and there,” he said.

SouthLouisiana CommunityCollege is playinga vitalroleinAcadiana’seconomy,servingasbotha workforcepipelineandanengineforregionalgrowth.

In the2023-24 fiscal year,SoLAcccontributed nearly $295 millioninincometothe Acadiana region,animpactequaltoabout0.9percentofthe area’s totalgross regional product. That activity supportedmorethan4,000jobs,meaningthatone outofevery97jobsintheregionistiedtothecollege anditsgraduates. “WhatissoimpressiveaboutSoLAccisthatthey areproducing thetalentthat fillsjobsinrealtime. Whenwepitchacompanytocometothearea,one of the firstthingstheywanttoknowabout is the laborpool. SoLAcc is in thoseconversations and is able to turnthatinformation into action,” said MandiMitchell,presidentandCEOoftheLafayette EconomicDevelopmentAuthority. Theyarealways atthereadytocreateprograms,hireinstructorsand makesuretheyhavethespacetoteachtheskillsthat aregoingtobeneeded.”

ThebroadersystematSoLAccincludesmultiple educationplatforms,fromshort-term training credentialstotwo-yearassociatedegreeprograms as well as scholarships,academicsupport,mental healthservicesandcampusprogramstomeeteverydayneeds.Increasingly,thatsystemiscreatingnew opportunitiesfor Acadiana nativestobuild stable long-termcareersclosetohomewhilebalancingthe realitiesofeverydaylife.

BeatriceMatthewshadalwaysplannedtoattend SoLAcc,withthe original intent of taking prerequisitecoursesatthecollegebeforetransferringtoa four-yearuniversity.But,Matthewssoondiscovered that SoLAcc’s multiple campuses and flexible class schedule meantthatshe couldraise herchild and workfull-timewhilecontinuinghereducation.

“I didinitially want to move outofstate,but once Isaw what SoLAcc couldoffer me,there was no reason to leave,” Matthews said.“Ialwaysfelt like Iwas an individual therewho wasdeveloping relationshipswithpeople.EverythingaboutSoLAcc wasconvenientandprofessional. Matthewsearnedherdegreeinbusinessin2010 andhadsuccessfulcareersinbankingandfinance. Today,sheisateacherinIberiaParish,helpingmiddle schoolstudentsprepareforcareersthroughtheJobs forAmerica’sGraduatesprogram.Shealsorecently launched herown business,Resilient Solutions LLC,tohelpotherslearnaboutresumewriting,job interviewingandprofessionaletiquette “IalwaystellpeopleaboutSoLAccbecauseithas allofthetoolsyouneedtobesuccessful,”Matthews said.“Youcan startsmall andjusttakeacoupleof classes.Youcandoashort-termprogram.Youcan earn prerequisitesand usethose to builduptoa degree.Nomatterwhatyourgoalsareorwhatyou wanttodo,there’sgoingtobesomethingatSoLAcc tohelpyougetthere.

Inparticular,Mitchellnotedthatindustry-based credentials–someofwhichcanbeearnedinjusta fewmonths–canallowAcadianaresidentstobreak thecycleofpovertyfortheirfamiliesbypositioning themtosucceedinlocaljobsimmediately.Mitchell saidtherecontinuestobealargeneedinAcadiana forworkersinskilledtrades,suchaswelding,transportation, industry maintenance, plumbing and more–allofwhichareofferedatSoLAcc

“Whenyou seeSoLAccco-design programs withemployersanddesignspecifictraininginreal time,thatclosesthe knowledgegap forstudents. It meanstheycan be productive in theworkplace on dayone,which is what everycompany wants,” Mitchellsaid.“Whenyoudothatatscale,itmeans ouremployersaregoingtobemorecompetitiveand

moreprofitable.Inturn,they’regoingtoinvestmore in Acadiana That’s when yousee thewidespread economicimpact.”

SoLAccleaderssaidoneoftheirprimarygoalsis notonlytotrainstudents,buttokeepthattalentin Acadiana.Todoso,theyensurethattheirprograms arealigned with theneeds of localbusinessesand create opportunitiesfor students andpotential employerstointeractwithoneanotherandexplore potentialpathwaystowardworking together The approachispayingoff–thenetimpactofSoLAcc’s formerstudentscurrentlyemployedintheregional workforce amounted to $253.3 millioninadded incomeinthe2023-24fiscalyear

“Afewyearsago,wetransitionedtosmaller,more focusedcareerfairs,insteadofhavinglargerevents with multiple industries,” said Dr.ToniCelestine SoLAcc associatedeanofstudent services.“These allowfordeeperconversations.Ifwehaveahealthcare careerfairwith30vendors,that’s30opportunities forourstudentstomeetwiththesecompanies.” Dr.TiffanyHoward, SoLAcc vice presidentof economic &workforce developmentand continuingeducation,saidthatsameintentionalapproach guidesthecollege’scurriculumandprogramming decisions. Themission is to ensure that SoLAcc graduatesare prepared forsuccess at thecompanies that call Acadiana home, from longstanding industries like healthcare andenergytoemerging sectors, such as automotive manufacturingand informationtechnology.

“Our average studentisintheir mid-20s. When they find apathway at SoLAcc to aviablecareer, thatmakesthemmorelikelytostayhere.Itchanges thegamefor theirfamiliesand positionsthemto contribute to thelocal economylong-term,” Dr Howardsaid.“That’swhywedon’tofferaprogram if there’snot ajob forit. We’realwaysengagingin deepconversationswithcompanyleaderstoensure we’reteachingtheskillswheretheyhavegapsintheir organizations.Wewantourtrainingandeducation tosuittheirneeds.”

SouthLouisianaCommunityCollegeoffersmore than50programsleadingtoassociatedegrees,technical diplomas andcertificatestoapproximately 12,000 students each year.SoLAccalsooffersawiderange ofnon-creditinstructionandtraining.Campusesare locatedinAbbeville,Crowley,Franklin,Lafayette,New Iberia,MorganCity,Opelousas,St.Martinvilleand VillePlatte. Visitsolacc.edutolearn more

EDUCATION

Study on school cellphone bans has mixed results

BY GREG TOPPO

The 74 and The Associated Press

The largest study ever of school cellphone bans finds that they offer decidedly mixed results, with teachers reporting fewer distractions when students lock their phones away during the school day, but little evidence the bans quickly bring improved academic achievement or better behavior, as many advocates have hoped The study, by scholars at Stanford University, Duke University, The University of Michigan and the University of Pennsylvania, compiled data from Yondr, a California startup that makes lockable pouches for schools, businesses and entertainment venues Published Monday by the National Bureau of Economic Research, it looks at data from about 4,600 schools and is the first nationally representative look at cellphone bans.

It’s also the first to rely on actual data tracking locked-up phones, not just school “no-show” policies that ask students to keep phones hidden in backpacks or pockets, said Thomas Dee, a Stanford economist who co-led the study No-show policies, he said, are inconsistently and unevenly enforced and not a good basis for research. “We wanted to leverage the data from Yondr because it gives us much more confidence that in-school use of phones is actually being restricted,” he said in an interview

A 2024 Pew Research study found that about one in three teachers consider students distracted by cellphones “a major problem.” Among high school teachers, that figure rises sharply, to 72%. More recently, Pew researchers found that 74% of U.S. adults say they would support banning cellphones during class for middle and high school students, up from 68% last fall.

Much of that momentum grows from years of efforts by the psychologist Jonathan Haidt, who has pushed for schools to ban phones. Haidt, author of the mega-best-

seller The Anxious Generation, has said there’s growing evidence of an “international epidemic” of mental illness that started around 2012, caused in part by social media and teens’ uptake of smartphones in the early 2010s.

As of this spring, at least 37 states and the District of Columbia require school districts to ban or restrict students’ phone use in schools. Teachers and parents typically support the bans, while students, on the whole, oppose them Students also say schools shouldn’t expect big results. Here are five key findings from the NBER study:

1. Phone bans work. Teacher surveys in schools that banned phones bell-to-bell found that the share of students reporting using phones in class for personal reasons fell from 61% to 13%. And GPS data suggest phone usage dropped dramatically — a “large and persistent decline” on

campuses with bans, researchers noted. These schools saw a roughly 30% drop in total device pings during school hours by the third year after pouch adoption. This change, however can’t necessarily be read as a direct measure of the change in student phone use, researchers say, since the data also includes use by adults. And pings are often recorded when phones are on but not in use. But the data still suggest that the sheer impact on student use is substantial and that it can be read as a “conservative lower bound” on the magnitude of cellphone policies.

2. Discipline worsened, then improved. In the first year of adoption, schools that banned phones saw about a 16% increase in suspension rates — both in- and outof-school but this effect faded in subsequent years, researchers found. The uptick likely reflects the fact that many schools took

enforcement seriously and that students turned to other disruptive behaviors.

3. Student well-being dipped, then bounced back. Subjective well-being declined in the first year of adoption, then rebounded, researchers found. It turned positive by the second year

4. Academic achievement gains were minimal. Average effects on standardized test scores were “consistently close to zero” across the first three years after adoption, with similar findings across subjects.

5. Attendance, attention and bullying were largely unaffected. Effects on attendance were “close to zero” — researchers also found no measurable improvements in perceived online bullying or selfreported classroom attention

“I think it’s reasonable to view these results as sobering,” said Stanford’s Dee, who added that not seeing better results at this

early stage “is somewhat disappointing.”

But he noted that as schools keep their bans in place, indicators like student well-being and suspension rates improve. In the first year of the phone bans, students’ self-reported well-being dropped substantially, as disciplinary rates rise, Dee said. “But within three years, students’ wellbeing is actually above what it was at baseline.”

Likewise, he said, the rise in socalled “exclusionary discipline” such as suspension, “really only occurs in the first year of the phone bans. By the third year, exclusionary discipline rates have returned to their baseline levels.”

The study tracked three cohorts of schools, which adopted phone bans in 2022, 2023 and 2024 respectively

Dee noted that the newest cohorts have actually seen test scores rise in a short time. He isn’t exactly certain why, but theorizes that “the entire social context around which we understand phone bans may be changing — I think people are much more likely to see phone bans in a beneficent light now, as something that’s meant to help us rather than constrain us, even relative to several years ago.”

Dee cautioned that the findings are just a glimpse into the early days of phone bans. In the end, phone bans do what they advertise: They drive down student phone use. That in itself has a clear effect, even if other indicators don’t shift right away

“I firmly believe that getting student phone use down, recapturing their attention in classrooms within schools, is a critical antecedent to realizing their academic potential,” he said, suggesting we need to give them a couple of years to see results.

“We need to not succumb to the usual faddishness that permeates education reform,” he said, “and persist with a robust learning agenda that will allow us to figure out how to manage digital devices and support child development.”

LOUISIANAPOLITICS

SupremeCourt ruling opensfloodgatesbeyondLa.

WASHINGTON —The recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that found unconstitutional Louisiana’scongressional map that elected two Black Democrats has energized apartisan redistricting war aimed at shiftingenough seats to win amajority in theU.S. House.

Mark Ballard

“Weare watching acoordinated, rapid-fire assault on representation across the South, and it is moving fast like awestern wild fire,” former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieuwrote for his organization EPluribus Unum. He noted that nearly 200 seats in state legislatures also could be affected, as well as schoolboard, city council, police jury and other posts.

“The issues you care about— gasand grocery prices, housing, opportunity for your kids—all of it flows through whether your voice is heard in government,” Landrieuwrote It’shard to say which partyis ahead, but the decision in Callais v. Louisiana has given Republicans the momentum.

Sabato’sCrystal Ball, arespected campaign handicapper affiliatedwith the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, estimated Wednesday that, so far, 213districts favorDemocratic candidatesand 207 favor Republicans, with 15 toss-ups.The House majority is 218.

But Louisiana hasn’tweighed in, yet. Legislatorsbegan taking testimony Friday on plans to rid the six-member congressional delegation of one,perhapstwo, Democratic members And Tennessee on Thursday carved Black majority Memphis, which elected the state’ssole Democratic congressperson, into three congressional districts dominated by White Republicans —virtually ensuring all nine

Governor termlimits bill passes House

Aproposed constitutional amendment that would further limit how many terms aperson in Louisiana can serveasgovernor passed the state House last week after facing headwinds over the past month.

House Bill 225, by Rep. Mike Bayham, R-Chalmette, would change the limit from two consecutive terms to two terms outright. That would barformer Gov.John Bel Edwards, aDemocrat, from running again after he served from 2016 to 2024. If the bill passes, voters statewide would be asked to approve the change.

The House had twice voted on the bill, first in a6722 vote on April 22 and again on a67-21 voteon April 28. The bill requires atwothirds vote —70inthe House because it would amend the constitution, so it failed both times. On Tuesday,the bill passed the House on a73-25 vote. It now

Votingrightsactivists

in October as the justices prepared to takeupamajor Republican-led challengetothe Voting Rights Act.

members of that state’sdelegation are Republican.

Once Alabama legislators get ajudicial OK, they plan to dismantle one or both of that state’s Black majority congressional districtstoadd GOPseats in its seven-member delegation.

SouthCarolinaistalking about convening to rid thatstate’ssole Democrat from theseven-member delegation Kansas, Nebraska and Indiana could oust fourDemocratic members. Utah wants to undo a court-ordered configuration that allowed for asingle Democratic seat among its three-member congressionaldelegation.

Facing anarrow majority,in

heads to the Senate. The legislative session ends June 1, so the bill hasroughly three weeks topass the upper chamber

Only one Louisiana governor,Edwin Edwards, has served more than two terms.

If approved, Louisiana’s rules would be similar to those for president The22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, approved by Congress in 1947 and ratified by the states in 1951, set alimit of two terms for U.S. presidents. Before thatamendment was ratified, only President Franklin D. Roosevelt had served more thantwo terms; he was elected four times.

which Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton,can’tpass legislation that two Republicans oppose and coupled with low popularity ratings nationwide —President Donald Trumpearlier this year pushed Republican-run states to redraw their mapsand turn Democratic-leaning districts into ones that would elect Republicans to Congress. Usually,redistricting occurs once adecade after the U.S. Census shows how populations have shifted and changed. Republican-run Texas started themid-cycle push to redrawing district lines. That caused Democratic California to do thesame. Missouri and Ohio are also press-

REPORTS

for abortions. Murrill is pushing to overturn aFood and Drug Administration regulation that allows doctorstoprescribe mifepristone, which can be used for abortions, using telemedicine and ship thepills by mail. That is allowing out-of-state doctors to circumventthe Louisiana abortion ban and is unsafe for women and girls, state officials argue.

The lawsuit asks thecourts to requirethe FDA to change its rules so that in-person doctor visitsare required to prescribe mifepristone.

Louisiana delegation files brief in abortion pills case

Allsix RepublicansinLouisiana’sCongressional delegation signed an amicus brief withthe U.S. Supreme Courtlastweek supporting state Attorney General Liz Murrill’slawsuit that seeks to halt the dispensing by mail of drugs that canbeused

“I am grateful to my home state of Louisiana for leading theeffort to defend women and babies in our state and across thecountry.Chemical abortion drugs kill innocent children and put mothers’ lives at risk,” said U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy,the Baton Rouge Republican who chairsthe Senate’shealth committee, in a statement. “Safeguards protecting againstcoercion, such as the in-person dispensing requirement, must be reinstated immediately.”

ing to pass partisan maps.

VotersinVirginia, apurple state, voted to allow its General Assembly to reopen redistricting and change the 6-5 Democratic congressional advantage to 10-1.

ButVirginia’sSupremeCourt voted 4-3 Friday to disregard the resultsofthat election. Courts in Florida are considering challenges to aremap that turned four Democratic districts, including two with Black or Hispanic majorities, into safeRepublican seats, thereby making that state’sdelegation 24 Republican to four Democrats. Resultsofthe tit-for-tat seemed to be adraw.Then came Callais on April 29.

The Supreme Court recently overturneda5th Circuit Court of Appeals orderthattemporarily blocked mail-order distribution of mifepristone.That means, for now,the pills can continue to be mailed while the court case plays out.

Louisiana officials have criticized that decision.

“The stateofLouisiana has done heroic work in leading thefight against mail-order, ondemand abortion drugs, and the 5th Circuit was right to block theFDA from continuing this dangerous practice,” Speaker of theHouse Mike Johnson, aRepublican fromnearShreveport, saidinastatement. “Weurge theSupreme Court to affirm that decision and protect women and babies nationwide.”

U.S. Sen. JohnKennedy,RMadisonville, andU.S. Reps Julia Letlow,R-BatonRouge, Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, and Clay Higgins,R-Lafayette, all signed onto the briefaswell.

Presidential search records bill advances

The Louisiana House on Thursday passed without opposition a

“Without partisan gerrymandering, the impact of Callais would be limited. But with it, and with sophisticated modern techniques of gerrymandering, Callais will have adevastating effect on the election of Black individuals forlegislative offices,” Professor Erwin Chemerinsky, dean at University of California, Berkeley School of Law,wrote Wednesday in SCOTUSBlog, which focuses its online coverage on the SupremeCourt.

The 6-3 conservative majority in Callais recast the standards needed to prevail in aVoting Rights Act challenge, which minority voters have used for decades to ensure avoice in government.

Under Callais, challengers need to prove that election configurations purposely diluted a race’svoting strength. States can counter that the districts weren’t gerrymandered forracial reasons but forpartisan political reasons, essentially undoing minority-majority districts that favor Democratic candidates.

“Legislators in states in the old Confederacy were racing at about exactly this time aweek ago to immediately start eradicating their districts in which their Black voters might have had an opportunity to elect candidates of their choice,” said David Becker executive director of the Center forElection Innovation &Research, which represents local election officials.

“Black majority cities, like New Orleans and Montgomery and Memphis, could see zero representation forthose cities, putting aside their racial percentages, because those cities might be carved up in order to provide political gain, with those cities’ sins being that they happen to have a population that’smajority minority,” he added.

Email Mark Ballard at mballard@theadvocate.com.

bill that will allow public universities to shield information from the public about searches fortop leadership positions.

Senate Bill 290, by Sen. Mark Abraham,R-Lake Charles, would create anew exemption to public records lawsthat would allow universities to keep confidential information about searches for president, chancellor,senior vice chancellors, and athletic coaches. The university would only be required to disclose the three finalists forthose jobs. Supporters say it could scare off qualified applicants if the fact that they are applying forajob at aLouisiana university is made public. Transparency advocates have argued that it prevents the public from understanding decisions about important public leadership positions.

The bill also allows universities to keep confidential the names of donors if they request it. SB290 now heads back to the Senate forapproval of amendments madeinthe House. Abraham

THE GULF COAST

Mobile experiencing flat population growth

BY MARTHA SANCHEZ Staff writer

On the Gulf Coast, where most cities’ populations are surging, Mobile, Alabama, is unique.

Despite its booming economy, Mobile has lost more than 5,000 residents since 2020, according to data from the U.S Census Bureau. Mobile County as a whole lost about 2,700 people in the last five years.

The trend in Mobile is a stark contrast to neighboring Baldwin County, where the population has grown by more than 34,000 people since 2020 as newcomers arrive in Fairhope, Gulf Shores and Orange Beach.

But leaders in Mobile say they are taking new and significant steps to improve their region’s quality of life and convince more families to move there.

“It makes all the sense in the world to me that some people would live in Baldwin County and work and spend a lot of time in Mobile,” said Mayor Spiro Cheriogotis. “I don’t think that’s unnatural at all, but it highlights some of the issues I think we need to fix.”

Residents and politicians point to several reasons for the population decline in Mobile, a city of 200,000 people that is growing more connected to New Orleans after Amtrak restarted its Gulf Coast service last year.

Downtown Mobile sits at the easternmost point of the county, and most residential land in the city is already developed Open land where new subdivisions are rising lies in the western and southern reaches of Mobile County, according to Sharee Broussard, the county’s director of public affairs

But the commute to downtown Mobile is far quicker from Baldwin County, Broussard added, and aerospace, maritime, manufacturing and defense industries in Mobile draw thousands of commuters each day.

“That dynamic helps explain why population growth appears flat while economic activity is accelerating,” Broussard said.

Safety fears may also be a deterrent. In 2023, law enforcement leaders in Mobile blasted a report in the business magazine Forbes that called the city among the most dangerous in the country. The city’s police chief said the data was inflated and misleading, and Forbes later corrected its story. Violent crime rates have dropped in Mobile in recent years.

Still, Cheriogotis said, “there’s a perception of crime here that, frankly, doesn’t match with reality.”

Mobile confronts population trend

In Mobile County leaders are improving parks, adding boat launches and widening roads in an effort to improve traffic flows to downtown Mobile and encourage new residents to move into developing land.

Mobile plans to open a new international airport closer to downtown in early 2027. The city is also trying to reduce blight in its aging housing stock upgrading camera systems and sending intervention teams into schools to reduce risk of crime. Cheriogotis said the steps will improve the city’s quality of life.

City leaders are also trying to attract private investment near Mobile’s waterfront, including hotels, retail developments, restaurants and condo space.

The region is already luring industries: Broussard said Mobile County has added nearly 7,500 new jobs since 2020.

Population growth could take time to catch up to economic development as prospective movers realize Mobile County has jobs and opportunities, according to Shuai Zhou, an assistant professor of sociology who studies population change at the University of South Alabama

Why growth matters

Cities and counties often view population growth as a benefit because it signals de-

mand for a region’s lifestyle and amenities. It also usually means wealthier newcomers are moving in and invigorating the tax base.

But growth also brings a host of challenges, including increased traffic and taxed infrastructure. For those reasons, a stable population “can be seen as better than the alternative,” said Nyesha Black, director of demographics at the University of Alabama’s Center for Business and Economics Research.

“But,” Black added, “I do think symbolically, especially for civic leaders, that it is like a thorn in their side if their population is lost.”

Over the last five years, Mobile County has dropped from the second to the third largest county in the state. But Mobile’s population is not plummeting, and demographers say the region is in a far better position than some struggling counties across Alabama.

Census data shows Mobile County’s population fell by only 0.1% last year, a decline of less than 1,000 people. The latest population data for cities, including Mobile, is scheduled for release next week.

Population growth matters to cities because it makes it easier for communities to attract good job opportunities and also boosts property tax income. But most of Mobile’s funding comes from sales taxes, so Cheriogotis said he is not alarmed.

“To some degree, it doesn’t bother me,” he said. “As long as they’re here spending money, we still have the opportunity to have a financially healthy city.”

BY POET WOLFE Staff writer

Destin

A 14-acre waterfront park in Destin, Florida, has officially opened as Florida Gulf Coast officials continue efforts to expand public beach access across the city The park, named Norriego Point Recreation Area, features three dune crossovers, a wraparound boardwalk and a pavilion, the newspaper The Destin Log reported. It also offers restrooms, showers and more than 70 parking spaces, according to Destin mayor Bobby Wagner Parking is free for locals but costs $20 for four hours for visitors. Only service animals are allowed. The $15 million project came to life with $14 million in BP oil spill recovery funds and about $215,000 in local taxpayer money Wagner said. He called the park “the fruits of decades of leadership.”

The park’s opening comes amid ongo-

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HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE

TOP: W.D. Smith Career Center students Dylan Blanchard, from left, Da’ron Scott, electrical teacher Joseph Trahan and student Javon Davis watch as Dominick Nunez, crew leader for Savoy Electric, wires an electrical panel on Tuesday at the Love Our Schools Giveaway Home in Lafayette. The field trip gave students interested in careers in the electrical field an opportunity to see real-world installation work and to learn from professionals on the job. Tickets for an opportunity to win the home go sale in July. The annual home giveaway raises money for Love Our Schools, an organization whose goal is ‘to support educational growth and achievement’ in local schools.

State DEQ can charge higher fees under new bill

BY DAVID J MITCHELL Staff writer

Louisiana’s environmental regulator would get a new lease on life and the ability to charge bigger fees on industries it oversees under two bills headed to Gov Jeff Landry’s desk.

House Bill 697 and House Bill 758 recently gained approval from both chambers of the Legislature. HB758, the fee bill, also garnered the necessary two-thirds votes in the House and Senate for a series of fee increases across a swath of agency functions, from air permits to late fees. Both bills were initiated by the state’s Department of Environmental Quality and received backing from

key industry groups. HB697, by state Rep. Brett Geymann, R-Lake Charles, the House environment committee chair, would extend DEQ’s sunset date five more years from June 30 to July 1, 2031. State law requires the regular review of government agencies to determine their continued necessity HB758, by state Rep. Ken Brass, D-Vacherie, would allow DEQ to reset its fees for the first time in a wholesale way since 2016. The changes would align the fees more closely with neighboring states like Texas and wean the agency off general fund appropriations that have been increasingly necessary

ABOVE: W.D. Smith Career Center student Aiden Sonnier watches as Conner Albarado, with Savoy Electric, installs a light switch LEFT: Brady Domingue, owner of Savoy Electric, speaks to students Carlos Erroa, from left, Aiden Sonnier, Jesse Ard and Cody Castille.

Scott officials say no to RaceTrac project

Mayor cites truck stop ordinance as reason

BY ADAM DAIGLE Acadiana business editor

City officials in Scott turned down a request from popular convenience store chain RaceTrac to open a store just north of Interstate 10 Council members voted during a Thursday meeting to back the decision from the city’s planning and zoning commission to deny the request, citing the company’s plan to have four diesel fueling stations that can be used by 18-wheelers or other oversized vehicles in the rear of the building.

City ordinance does not allow a truck stop at the location, Mayor Jan-Scott Richard said RaceTrac officials argued that its plan was not a truck stop and that putting gas pumps for 18-wheelers does not make it one.

RaceTrac representatives, however, told council members that commissioners acted arbitrarily when they voted the matter down during a November meeting.

Bonnie Anderson, the city’s comprehensive plan facilitator, did not offer a recommendation on the project If she did, Richard said, it would have been to deny it “It was weird, one of the weirdest things I’ve seen at a council meeting,” Richard said. “We were basically treated as an appellate court. They wanted us to find that our planning and zoning commission acted arbitrary and capricious, and I think they chose not to.”

The plan included a 6,000-square-foot store with 16 gas pumps on a 12.53-acre site across from the Destination Pointe development. A rendering of the property which is under contract to be sold, also includes spaces for a hotel, retail shops and a restaurant.

The council’s move follows similar ones in nearby municipalities. Officials in Breaux Bridge denied RaceTrac’s request to build just north of I-10 due to its plans to include a fueling station for 18-wheelers. In Lafayette, city officials turned down QuikTrip’s request to build at the corner of I-10 and Louisiana Avenue over that company’s plan for a fueling station for 18-wheelers. It’s unknown what happens next for the property, which records show remains owned by Modular Space LLC. Upgrades are also planned to La. 93 just north of I-10 with roundabouts at the exit and another planned for the intersection with Renaud Drive.

Construction continues on spaces in Destination Pointe Site work has begun for a gas station and a Waffle House; CC’s Coffee House and Golden Chick restaurant are expected to follow suit

“We’ve got to do it right,” Richard said. “We have one chance to make sure that any development that comes in there, they are following the vision of not only the council, the administration and the commission but also the citizens who were heavily involved in the comprehensive plan two years ago.”

‘The dynamo that is driving the city’

Michael Fitts has transformed Tulane

BY MARIE FAZIO Staff writer

More than a decade ago, when Michael Fitts was just a few months into leading Tulane University he stood downtown in New Orleans and looked at the hulking Charity Hospital.

Once a great institution that cared for the city’s poor, the 20-story colossus was evacuated during Hurricane Katrina and had sat empty ever since.

“This is our future,” he recalls thinking.

In 12 years as Tulane’s president, Fitts has a long winning streak on the Uptown campus: Record student applications and rising selectivity Research funds and donor contributions have doubled. Acclaimed

professors have joined the faculty, elevating its academic reputation. But Fitts, 73, has also pushed Tulane beyond the academic realm, expanding its physical footprint and impact on New Orleans and the state He has long seen Tulane and the city as inextricably linked, with the university relying on New Orleans’ cultural pull and the city benefiting from Tulane’s whirl of intellectual and economic activity

“A great university,” Fitts said in a recent interview, “literally transforms the area around it.” Now Tulane is on the precipice of what is arguably its

most high-stakes project in New Orleans to date — and one that could become the capstone of Fitts’ tenure. The university has agreed to a 65% stake in the estimated $650 million redevelopment of Charity Hospital. Tulane would relocate its public health school and innovation institute to the 1-million-square-foot facility giving the university a downtown presence rivaling that of its Uptown base. “The downtown campus,” Fitts said, “changes our relationship with the city.” Though Fitts’ tenure already is twice as long as the average for university presidents, he tends to deflect questions about his next chapter Still, he sees the Charity Hospital redevelopment as the culmination of “methodical steps” he’s taken over the past decade to grow and strengthen Tulane, recognizing that

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over the past threeyears, Brass and other supporters said.

“In essence, this bill needs to be passed, so we canbe in line with the other states, and it allowsus to operate the department financially solid,” state Sen. Eddie Lambert, R-Gonzales and chair of the Senate Environmental Quality Committee, told the Senate floor Tuesday before passage.

The Senate passed the bill 34-2, meaning after necessary signatures fromthe speakerofthe House and Senate president, it will head to the governor ‘Owe to thepublic’ State budget records show DEQ required no general fund appropriations as recently as fiscal 2020-2021. But DEQ has seen them rise sharply since then to as much as $14.9 million this fiscal year,constituting about 9.2% of the department’s$161.1 million budget.

These general fund influxeshaveoccurred even as self-generated fee collections have risen by 43% since fiscal2021-2022 as economic development efforts add new industries and businesses in need of environmentaloversight. DEQ employee levels have remained basically flat, at around 700 to 710 people.

DYNAMO

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his legacy could hang on the project’soutcome.

It’sarisk: Though in the works for years, the project has not been finalized and could still crumble. But if successful, it will be acareer highlight for Fitts that positions Tulane as an engine of growth for the entire city

“In order to have agreat city,you have to have a greatuniversity,” said author and journalistWalter Isaacson, who teacheshistory at Tulane.“Michael Fitts has made Tulane the dynamothat is drivingthe city.” Tulane rises Fitts can seemomnipresent on Tulane’scampus.

He’sfist-bumpingstudentsonthe quadone minute andhanding out Hubig’s Piestostudents in adining hallthe next.His enthusiasmhas made him popular withmany studentsand an effectivepitchmanfor the university with donorsand state officials.

“He loves his job —and it’spalpable,” said Johns Hopkins University President Ronald J. Daniels, who worked with Fitts earlierin his career AWest Philadelphia native who studied law,Fitts clerked forthe legendary civil rightsadvocateand federaljudge Leon Higginbotham and served as outside council advising former President Reagan. As dean of the Universityof Pennsylvania’s lawschool, he quadrupled the school’s fundraising andencouraged collaboration between academicdisciplines.

Before Fitts arrived at Tulane in 2014, the university had spent the previous decade recovering from Hurricane Katrina under the heralded leadership of Scott Cowen. Board members familiar withFitts’ selectionsaidhewas hired to shift the school from re-

Agencyofficialsalso pointed out that some of thoseself-generated fee revenue increases in recent years were due to asmall, targeted fee increase that took effect in fiscal2023 and also revenues that weren’t strictly tied to permit and other operational fees but to grant and disasterreimbursements and Volkswagen settlement proceeds. In testimony in late March over the agency sunsetbill HB697, DEQ Secretary Courtney Burdetteemphasizedthe breadth ofher agency’s mission.

Shesaid that in astate with “a vast amount” of industry,“we owe to the public and toour citizens a strongDEQ, and that’swhat we strive to provide every day,and Idothink we are fulfillingthat mission.”

The fee increase would come, however,under a stateadministration that has promised torun DEQ and other stateagencies more cost-effectively and cooperativelyinaneffort to boost economicdevelopment and limit public spending

Landry’sfirst pick to try to drive some of those changes at DEQ, former Secretary Aurelia Giacometto, stirred arevoltand astring of departures among employees over her management style. Her replacement since last May,Burdette, received positivereviews from some legislators for progress in the way thedepartment has been interacting with them

covery to growthmode.

“Forsuch along time, the schoolwas seen in reference to Katrina,”said DavidMussafer, Tulane’s board chair.“Mike really took us beyond that.”

Over thelast10years, Tulane’s annualfederal research funding has nearly doubled to $175 million, and its most recent fundraising campaign is approaching $2 billion, officialssaid.

Cranes and construction crewsbecame anear-constantpresenceoncampus as new dormswerebuilt andacademic buildings renovated, and majors like engineering thatwerecut afterKatrina were brought back.

Under Fitts, Tulane has becomemore selective, accepting around 15% of applicants, down from40% adecade ago. Programs like Louisiana Promise, which gives full rides to low-incomeresidents, have helped moreLouisiana studentsattend the university.

When touting Tulane’s broader impact, Fitts points to the work of faculty members like Quincy Brown, aLouisiana native whose MAGIC-SCAN research uses AI to detect cancerous cells. Former President Joe Biden visitedthe campus in 2024toaward Brown’s team a$23 milliongrant. Like other university leaders, Fitts had to steer theschool through the COVIDpandemic and PresidentDonaldTrump’s targeting of higher education funding andpolicy. Under threat of losing $320 million in federal aid, Tulane overhauledits diversity office last year,afterFitts hadpreviouslypledged to bolster diversity andinclusion at the majority-White institution. After pro-Palestinian protesters set up an encampment on campus that thestate policeeventually dismantled, the Trump administration put Tulane on watchfor antisemitism. Observerssay Fitts’charisma and abilitytowork with all kinds of people helped him navigate the

on constituent matters

Major business and industry groups that would bear manyofthe biggest fee costs did not oppose the fee increase bill after meeting with department officialsand legislators. Those groups included the LouisianaChemistry Association,the Louisiana MidContinent Oil andGas Association and the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry

Thegroupsalsowerein uncommon alignment with at least onelocal environmental groupintheir support of the fee bill, though thebusiness groups and environmentalistshad different goals in mind forDEQ to pursue with the added revenue.

“Itisimportant forour state thatDEQ is appropriately fundedand can efficientlyreview permits. We appreciate thedepartmentbeing transparent and engaging with industry throughout this process,” LMOGA President Tommy Faucheuxsaidina statement.

Officialswith theSierra Club’sLouisiana-based DeltaChaptersaid the bill would makeDEQ “more sustainable and effective, and hopefully morediligent in pursuing polluters.”

“Since it gives thedepartmentthe abilitytogenerate funds, although withsome capsinplace, we hope to see amore dynamic and determined department that does abetter job of monitoring

headwinds. His decades of experiencehave made himequally adeptatlanding jokes with alumni and advocatingfor Tulane with politicians andpotential donors.

On Tulane Day at the state Legislature this year,blueand-green booths across theCapitol buildingrotunda showcased Tulane’s researchand economic impact. Fitts gotpulledinto conversations every few steps, making him late to severalappointments with lawmakers.

Senate President Cameron Henry said Fitts is skilled in the give-and-take of politics, offering to contribute to big civic projects like the Charity Hospital development rather than just asking forsupport.

“Tulane shows up with money to help with the projects thatthey knoware going to benefit the state,” Henry said.

Butsomecritics have accused the university of overreach. Lastyear,an Environmental Law Clinic researcher said theuniversity instituted a“gag order” afterher research showed racial disparities in healthimpacts from the petroleum industry.The findings,she said, made local politicians “uncomfortable” as Tulane asked the state forfinancial backing forCharity

At the time, Gov.Jeff Landry’sspokesperson denied that thestate threatened to withhold state funding and praised Tulane for “standing up for Louisiana business andour jobs.”

Thenextfrontier Fitts sees Tulane’sincreasingly prominent role in New Orleans as its civic duty, one that benefits both theuniversity andthe city. Many of itsgraduates are prominent entrepreneurs, business owners, lawyers and teachers in New Orleans.About 20% of graduates in the last threeyears have stayedinthe city,Tulane officials say The universityisamong

and regulating polluters,” thestatementadded.

DEQ thanked Brass for bringing abill that “will help our agency relyless on state generalfund and moreonself-generated revenues” while emphasizing its collaboration with various interest groups.

The agency said in astatement it hadnospecific plans for the increased revenue, once thefees kickinfiscal 2027-28, but it would “allow the department to continue to invest in its priority projects, including permitting modernization.”

‘Helpusget results’

Despite thesupport of influentialbusiness groups, thefee bill had somewhat tougher sledding in winning thenecessarytwo-thirds votesfromthe Houselast month.

The fee increases have been estimated to generate about $13.7 million annually over four years,though the higher fees wouldn’tkick in for about ayear to allow DEQ to put them in place administratively and change software.

Between fiscal 2027-28 and fiscal 2030-31, the fees areexpected to generatea combined $54 million in new revenue for thedepartment.

But the changeswould allow DEQ to set thefees administratively,orwhat’s know as through a“rulemaking,”instead of having them laid out in statuteby legislators, as they arenow The bill would also allow the

the city’slargest employers and boostsits cultural profile with eventslike the New Orleans Book Festival. Tulane officials say the school had an estimated $2.3 billion economicimpact in NewOrleans and $5.2 billion statewide in 2024, acombination of university operations, capital investments,research and other factors.

Puttingaside thepolitical debates about higher education, Fitts said, “what we’re doing is huge for the city and the state.”

The university’sgrowth has at times caused tensions with thesurrounding community

KeithHardie, 77, former president of alocal neighborhood association, said the problembegan years ago when the school opted to build afootball stadium andother campus buildings instead of dorms. Private developers soon converted single-family homesinto student rentals, crowding out some locals and leading to clashes over partying and parking.

UnderFitts,the university hastried to address the issue by creating hundreds of new dorm rooms and requiring studentsto live on campus for at least threeyears. Nearby residentssay the changes have madeadifference, with fewer parking shortages and overcrowded rentals.

But recently tensions have flared anew over Tulane’s planfor aprivate developer to demolish a beloved local diner to build off-campus student apartments.

“They’re the big black bear that doeswhatit wants to do,” Hardie said.

Across town, the university hassteadilyexpanded its downtown presence from amedical school established in the1930s to 17 buildings today,including the medical school and other graduateprograms, with 2,700 employees and 2,600 students.

Now,Fitts and other university officialssay,the

agency to adjust the fees in thefuture forinflation by tracking theConsumer Price Index without going back to Legislature. That shift in authority concernedsome, likeRep.Beryl Amedée, who questioned Brass on the House floor March 30.

“What’stostop the rates from goingupagain laterif it’s just to be done by rulemaking? Is it notgoing to come back before theLegislature?” asked Amedée, R-Houma.

Brassacknowledgedfuture fee increases wouldn’t, but noted the House committeeadded an amendment that capped the total amount DEQcan charge for differentkinds of fees.Otherlegislators weren’tsatisfied.

HB758passedthe House 75-22, with five more votes than were needed to meet the two-thirds threshold.

Some legislators said they would support the fee bill if it would add personnel to handle pressing environmental problems more quickly

State Rep. Robby Carter D-Greensburg, saidhereceives 25 calls per day about the slow pace of testing from theSmitty’sSupplyoil fire and spill last year in Roseland.

“So, if this can help us get results, I’mfor this bill,” saidCarter,who ended up voting in favor

DavidJ.Mitchellcan be reached at dmitchell@ theadvocate.com.

redeveloped Charity Hospitalispoisedtobecome theanchor of what they refer to as Tulane’sdowntown “neighborhood.”The Charity project,which also will include “innovation labs” alongside retailand residential space, will help keep talent andindustry in New Orleans, Fitts argues. Andy Kopplin, chairof the BioDistrict andCEO of the Greater New Orleans Foundation, aphilanthropic nonprofit, said Tulane is the only NewOrleans institution that could takeona project of suchmagnitude.

“Without Fitts and Tulane’scourage, vision and assets,” he said, “thisproject doesn’tget done.”

On the Uptown campus onerecentafternoon, Fitts made abeeline to intercept atourgroup of prospective students andtheir parents as they walkedpastthe student center.Hejokinglyintroduced himself as thefootballcoach,then polled the group on their home states, whichincluded Delaware, Illinois andOhio

“Weoften say we’re the mostnational school,” he said, explainingstudents travel further on average to attend Tulane than any other college. Then he launched into aquickcommercial forNew Orleans, urging the visitors to get a good meal while in town.

As Fitts sees it, the city, theuniversity andits students allneed each other to thrive

“Talking with students is my favorite part,” he said, then hurried to his next meeting.

LOTTERY FRIDAY, MAY8,2026

PICK 3: 9-9-3

PICK 4: 0-8-4-1

PICK 5: 5-4-0-1-6

MEGA MILLIONS: 37-47-49-51-58

MEGA BALL: 16

Unofficial notification, keep your tickets

V.

Funeral serviceswillbe held at Walters Funeral Home on Monday, May11, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. for Betty V. Fontenot Guidry, 82. An hour of visitation willbe observedatthe funeral home on Monday, May 11, 2026 from 11:00 a.m. until time of service at 12:00 p.m. Herson-in-law,Rev Chris Price,will officiate theceremony Along-time residentof Lafayette, LA, Betty died on Thursday, May7,2026. Shewas born andraised in Lawtell,LAtoJoseph andAzena Venable,and attendedT.H.Harris TechnicalCollegein Opelousas, LA before going to work as aLicensed Practical Nurse in the Eunice andLafayette area. Betty waspreceded in death by herfather,Joseph Venable;her mother, AzenaVenable; onesister; fivebrothers; and husband, ClarenceAlGuidry. Sheissurvived by her daughter, ToniaPrice;sonin-law,Chris Price;granddaughter, BrittanyJade LaBove;grandson, BenjaminWade Price;and great-granddaughter, Andie JadeLaBove. Thefamilywould like to extendspecial thanks to AliciaMenard Noel(Social Director at RiverOaks RetirementManor), andall of theStaff At RiverOaks. Walters Funeral Home, (337) 706-8941, 2424 N. University Ave.in Lafayette, is in charge of funeral arrangements.

OPINION

OUR VIEWS

Asimple message before Election Day: Your vote still matters

It’sbeen ahead-spinning few years for voters in Louisiana. After the Legislature instituted a closed primarysystem in 2024, we must navigate party primaries for the first time in along time on May 16.

It’sbeen along and winding road toget here. The 148,464 voters registered as Independent were switched to No Party, and registered Republicans and Democrats faced adecision of whether to switch to No Party so they could choose which primary they wanted tovotein.

Alongside that upheaval, the statelaunched a massive effort to update itsvoter rolls, resulting in roughly 455,000 voters being placed on the inactive voter list.

Now,after aSupreme Courtruling that struck down Louisiana’s6th Congressional District, the governorhas announced that House elections on the May 16 ballot are canceled so that the state can redraw its maps in accordance with the new guidance from the court Lawsuits have been filed in an effort to have the election go forward as planned, but as of this writing, it’sunclear what will happen.

We know some of Louisiana’s2.9 million registered voters may be shaking their heads, wondering what’sgoing on. It could seem that voting is too baffling, too troublesome, too much of aheadache. Some may be ready to throwuptheir hands andforego voting altogether

To that, we say,stopand remind yourselfof our history.Inademocracy,voting is not only the responsibility of every eligible citizen; it is asacred duty.Inthis, the 250thyear since our founding, we recall the brave patriotswho established our country,creating anew form of government based on the will of the people. Then came the suffragists, who fought to expandvoting rights to women. We also remember those who courageously marched during the civil rights movement,often putting their very lives on the line forequal access to the ballot for all races.

It should be said that the struggles we face today are nothing in comparison. But we understand why some might feeldiscouraged. Our leaders seem to be doing everything in their power to nullify our voices. In New Orleans, the duly electedClerk of Criminal Court Calvin Duncan is in the midst of abattle against aLegislature that eliminated his job after he won an election overwhelmingly in November

Still, we must make use of our vote even if politicians make it hard —especially when they make it hard.

The weeklong early voting period ended Saturday,but Election Day is May 16. Major offices up for grabs include aU.S. Senateseat, Public Service Commissioners and amember of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. Five constitutional amendmentsare also on the ballot. And there are multiple local ballot issues to be decided and offices tobe filled. To those who have made it to the polls or voted absentee, we salute you.

If you are heading to the polls on Saturday, afew things to remember.There is still time to educate yourself about thecandidates and constitutional amendmentssoyou can make informed choices. Our recommendations are posted online, as well as our extensive coverage of the candidates and campaigns. While it is too late to register or change your registration for this election, you can check your status on GeauxVote.com. All voters are required to bring avalid photo ID to the polls. And lastly,bekind to your poll workers. They are on the front lines at achallenging time. They deserve our thanks.

Romanstone is rightfully back home

Sextus Congenius Verus finally has madeithome. Or rather,his grave marker has.

Lastweek, the FBI’sArt CrimeUnit announced that it had sent Verus’ inscribed stone to Italian authorities along with some other objects. The return marked the latest in an ongoing arrangementbetween U.S. and Italian authorities to repatriate artifacts taken from the country under questionable circumstances.

put it in her backyard. But when she moved out, she forgot Verus’ memorial was there.

In thecase of Verus’ memorial slab, how it left Italy is a bit of amystery.Records show that it was originally located in acemetery in Civitavecchia, aport city north of Rome. At somepoint,itmade it to that town’s museum,which was bombed during World WarII. When themuseum reopened decades later,Verus’ stone and more than 20 similar ones were missing.

It seems that the stone crossed the Atlantic with Charles Paddock Jr., an American soldier who married an Italian wife while stationed there during thewar

The couple’sgranddaughter,Erin O’Brien,eventually inherited it and

As we get closer to July 4, celebrationsare ramping up for America’s 250th birthday In the Opinions section, we’ve been running aseries of essays from historians, scholars, politicians and othersreflecting on our country’shistory and themoment we’reliving through now. We hope you’ve been enjoying the seriesbecause it’s truly been apleasure bring these perspectives to readers.

Danielle Santoro and Aaron Lorenzo bought thehouse in 2018. Last year, they found the marker under somevines while doing some yard work. They consulted with aTulane classicist and aUNO archaeologist who helped uncovered theobject’s story.That kicked off alengthy process that culminated last month with the handover to Italian authorities.

All in all, this turns out to be agood story of how returning artifacts should work. It doesn’t always, as repatriation can be controversial, especially when the object is unique.

The mostfamous example, perhaps, is the Parthenon Marbles, which currently occupy aprominent spot in theBritish Museum after an English nobleman named Lord Elgin had them taken down from the Athenian landmark in the early 19th century.Elgin claimed to have permission from the Ottoman rulers of Greece, but their presence in London is asore spot for Greeks, who consider them looted. They desperately want them returned.

The sameistrue forthe Rosetta Stone, uncovered by French soldiers in 1799. The inscription on the stone waskey to unlocking hieroglyphs. The stone is also in the British Museum, much to the frustration of Egyptian authorities.

In the case of Verus’ grave marker, his relative obscurity helped smooth the process. Nothing is knownofhim apart from what’sinthe inscription. That is in no wayacomment on his character —he was, after all, atwo-decade veteran of the Roman military whose heirs considered him “well deserving” of remembrance. But without amajor epic tale or knownrole in somehistorical event, interest in his stone is lower What also helped is the sensitivity shownbyall involved, including those whoinherited the stone, those who found it and the scholars whohelped track downitorigins. That is commendable and refreshing. Regardless, after its eight-decade holiday in New Orleans, Verus’ stone and Verus the man can be reunited in their homeland.

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

American history

We’d alsolike to hear from you. We are asking readers to reflect on the quintessential texts of American history. Of course, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are among that number.But we’dlike to hear of other documentsorwords you feel are keys to understanding our country There have been manymemorable speeches by notable figures from Washington’sFarewell Address to the

Gettysburg Address to Martin Luther King Jr.’s“IHave aDream.” speech. There are some texts that werevital to our founding such as Thomas Paine’s“Common Sense” and the“Federalist Papers.” There are texts of treaties like The LouisianaPurchase. The list goes on. Let us know what you think. What texts are mostimportant to understanding American history and why? Send us your thoughts at letters@theadvocate.com. We’ll print aselection of the best lettersina later edition. Many of these texts are ones that schoolchildren are forced to memorize and recite, or at least they werewhen I was in school. Readingthese texts today from my perch on the Opinion pages, Ienvy a time when such rhetorical mastery was commonplace in political circles. The Declaration itself isn’tjust asoaring piece of literary artistry,itisan

argument, laying out the reasons the colonies had no choice but to strike out on their own. It is amazing to think how much the written wordhelped shape anew world.

Turning to our letters inbox, Ican give you our numbers forthe weekof April 23-30. We received 58 letters that week, and the topic that generated to mostinterest involved questions about the letters section. We received four letters on the topic of what letters get published and civility in letters. We received three letters on the birthright citizenship issue and three on the Senate race. We expect that with the election nearing and the Legislature sprinting to afinish, we’ll have high numbers of letters in the coming weeks. As always, we look forward to hearing from you.

Email Arnessa Garrett at arnessa.garrett@theadvocate.com

COMMENTARY

Apugilisticstanceagainst inventorytax

Louisiana’sbusiness inventory tax gave me ajob for aweek when Ineeded extra money.That week taught me how dumb the taxis.

Mercifully,withconstitutional Amendment 4onthe statewide ballot May 16, Louisianans finally have a chance to curb this foolish levy

To be precise, the amendment itself wouldn’teliminate the tax, but it would allow individual parishes to either reduce or eliminate it. As an incentive to end it,the state would make aone-time payment to the parishes to help them transitionaway from the tax’s revenue. It all sounds abit convoluted, so before your eyesglaze over, please allow this vignette that illustrates the tax’sdrawbacks. One Christmas season back in

Quin Hillyer

the1980s when Ineeded some extra cash,aLouisiana retailer (whose name and productsshall remain nameless) hired me for theweek between Christmas andNew Year’sDay.The nature of this business meant it operated on small margins. My sole responsibility was to take productsoff theshelves —probably 90% of each item —and box them up, carefully recording them, to sendthem back to the distributor.The products all had to be out thedoor by Dec. 31. Then, on Jan. 3or4,the proprietor would reorderthe same productsfrom the distributor and put them back onthe shelves. Why? Because theinventory tax is assessed on everything in possessionofthe business as of Jan.1.It literally cost less, substantially so, for the proprietors

to pay me aweek’swages and pay theshipping costs, and then to taketheir own timeaway from other duties in order to restock theshelves once the products came back in January,than it would have cost to pay the tax.

The built-in inefficiencies are abundantly obvious. Anditcan’t even really be said that at least thethreat of the tax was ajob generator for me: Without the assessment,the sameretailer still could have hired me for theweek, but for year-end work far more productive than boxing up items for what amounted to a(perfectly legal) shell game. Especially for small, low-margin retailers, theinventory tax is amajor burden both financially and administratively.Furthermore, because it is levied according to raw inventory rather than as apercentage of net income, it is entirely possible for the tax to

exceed the business’sactual profits. Businesses that lose money obviously can’tstay in business long.

Likewise, as new businesses tendtohave excess inventory on shelves as they take time for word-of-mouth to spread and rampuptheir sales, the tax tends to dissuade startups from …well, from starting up at all. Indeed, it can be argued that the inventory tax is asignificant contributor to Louisiana’snear-perennial status as one of the worst-performing states, economically,inthe nation.

This particular tax is both an anachronism and an outlier.Only eight other states tax business inventory. This meansthis tax putsLouisiana, self-evidently,ata competitive disadvantage. Meanwhile, though, the amendmenthas been thoughtfully crafted. Afew heavily industrialized parishes rely on the inven-

tory tax foramajor part of their revenues, even as the tax seems acomparative pittance to the big national corporations operating there, someofthem earning manymillions or billions of dollars ayear.That’swhy,rather than eliminate the tax statewide, Amendment 4instead lets each parish decide foritself where the best balance lies amid the economic trade-offs involved. As is often the case, allowing a “local option” is awise approach. As forme, Icertainly didn’t mind being paid forboxing up retail wares foraweek, but it wasn’tmuch of arésumé builder Although, come to think of it, perhaps it would have looked pretty cool forwould-be employers to see me listed as a“champion boxer.”

Email Quin Hillyer at quin hillyer@theadvocate.com

Primaryis aboutmorethanjustBillCassidy

Grace

The U.S. Senate primary campaign that’sdrawing to aclose this week has been depressingly unremarkable, dominated by misleading mudslinging rather thanproductive policydebate. Whatisremarkable, though, is what the precarious position of incumbentRepublican Bill Cassidy tells us about this moment in our nation’spolitics. Just take astep back and think aboutit: Atwo-term senator who has directed significant resources back home, who has gained enough seniority to chair apowerful committee with jurisdiction over vast swaths of American life —not just health but education, labor and pensions could get torpedoed by members of hisown party in favor of someone who would have significantly less influence and leverage.

This is not how Ilearned things worked in my political science classes. It’snot how they worked formost of my years covering Louisiana politics, where Iwas schooled from Day One on how aprogression of powerful, longserving House members and senators helped the state punch above its weight.

This election is shaping up as areferendumonwhether any of those old rules still apply,or whether we’ve really left that world behind.

Any conversation about this

level of disruption,ofcourse, must beginwith President Donald Trump. In Trump’sworld —and Congress is certainly that —traditional conservativism hasbeen redefined as loyalty, and loyalty is the only thing that matters. So even someone who reliablysupports thepresident’s agenda, which Cassidy does to afault, can find himself targeted for one long-ago transgression Thetriggering incident was Cassidy’s2021 vote to hold Trump accountable for incitingthe Jan. 6attack on Congress, and the instrument of his vengeance is U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, plucked by the president from theranks to exact retribution.

But it’salso truethatWashington was becoming more polarized even before Trump arrivedon thescene. One early adopter of the approach was John Fleming, theformer congressman and founding member of the House Freedom Caucuswho is nowstate treasurer.He’salsorunning in theGOP primary,and while he

doesn’t have Trump’sbacking, he is claiming to have been MAGA before MAGAwas cool

Of the three, Cassidy’sarc is the most complicated. He came to theSenateasanavatarofthe growing partisansort, beating three-term Democrat Mary Landrieu in 2014 despite herlonghistory of bringing home the bacon andbeing in the middle of dealsthatallowed hertoextract benefits forLouisiana.His campaign rhetoric amounted to a

constant, irritating but effective recitation of howoften Landrieu voted with then-President Barack Obama —97% of thetime,for those who don’tstill hear it in their sleep allthese years later —who was unpopularinincreasingly Republican Louisiana Once he gottothe Senate, though, Cassidy largely emulated Landrieu’s approach,evenas much of Congress shifted ever more toward all-out partisanship.

Asignal moment was Cas-

sidy’sworkonthe Biden-era Infrastructure Investment and JobsAct that sentmajor investments to thestate, but still drew condemnationfromevery other Louisiana Republican in Congress —including Letlow, who’dcampaignedona promise to bring rural broadband to her districtyet voted against thebill that did just that.

His critics callhim aRINO (Republican in Name Only),but he’s really moreofanold-school pragmatist, atype that Louisianansonceappreciated.Perhaps notanymore. It doesn’t feel like acoincidencethatCassidy’stroubles come as another Louisianan serves as Housespeaker Youcould callMike Johnson moreofa modern-daypragmatist, someonewho behavesasif he answers to aconstituency of one. Nobody would accuse him of leveraging his exalted position to promote Louisiana-specific priorities,not theway priorgenerationsofmembers from the state did.

If Cassidy doesn’t finishinthe top twoinSaturday’s Republican primary andmoveontothe party runoff —a realisticpossibility, according to polls —itwill mark another significantstep in that direction

Politicians like him may notbe RINOs, but they arecertainly an endangered species.

Email Stephanie Graceat sgrace@theadvocate.com.

SupremeCourt threatensBlack representation at alllevels

The Louisiana Legislature started considering yet another set of congressional district maps,planning to identify one that isclearly constitutional, aprocess aided by therecent U.S. Supreme Court Louisiana v. Callais decision. The high court ruled that it’s not OK to consider race and racial proportionality as afactor,but it’sperfectly fine to draw maps —ofany kind —based on intentional, obvious political advantages.

districts andpolice juries could find themselves with all-White or majority-White representatives

Though it’sunlikely to happen in thecity of New Orleans, which has astrong home rule charter,places like Bossier City and West Monroe could lose Black elected officials.

Will Sutton

TheCBC could lose 19 members if enough state legislatures movequickly to change state congressionalmaps toscramble theNovembercongressionalraces when all 435 seats are upfor election.

The SCOTUS decision clears a path for our Louisiana Legislature and other legislatures to draw maps that don’ttake into account how many Black or Latino people reside in our state or other states. Nationally and locally,ifRepublicans do what the Supreme Court says they can do with their 6-3 blessing, the 62-member CongressionalBlack Caucus will likely be ashadow of itself, the 37-member Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus would continue but with fewer members and Louisiana cities and parish boards,councils,

Many Black people look at their district-elected congressional representative as their first rep and see U.S.Rep.Cleo Fields, U.S Rep.Troy Carter,Mississippi U.S. Rep.Bennie Thompson or CaliforniaU.S. Rep. Maxine Watersas their secondorthird rep. Overall, Black representation could be significantly diminished.

The VotingRightsAct was signed into law by President LyndonB.Johnson.Itwas never a guarantee. Only an opportunity What’scommonly referred to

as “Section 2” corrected the injustice of decades of states and political subdivisions using atlarge elections that almost always prevented Black candidates from winning afire district,school board, countyorparish seat.Section 2made it clear that doing so was no longer acceptable under thelaw.Democrat Johnson wasn’t theonly president to approve of these protections.

Republican President Richard Nixon signed aVRA extensions in 1970. Republican President Gerald Ford signedaVRA extension in 1975. Republican President Ronald Reagan signed a25-year extension in 1982. Republican President George W. Bush signed a25-year extension of the VRA’s Section 5in1992. After the VRA becamelaw,hundreds of thousands of Black people registered to vote, and more Black people ran for office. Somestates thought our leadership had become too Black.They fought back with racial restrictions. Somestates weresobad, implementingvoter registration and voting thresholds, that they had

to get federal approval to hold elections. All or parts of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, New York,North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia had to prove they werenot discriminating based on race. So did Louisiana. As these “crossover” or “opportunity” districts were created, there were fewerat-large races and more district races. All atlarge council, fire district and school board mapswere changed to include all or somedistrictspecific representation. That created more opportunities forlocal Black candidates. Jefferson Parish School Board memberswere elected at-large until recent decades. Lawsuits were filed to get school board district representation. Donald Jones was appointed to aDistrict 5seat in 1989 after alawsuit settlement. He waselected to theseat in 1991. The Rev.Ricky Johnson waselected to the board to representDistrict 2in2014. He’sstill there. Derrick Shepherd is in the District 5seat. That’stwo

Black members on anine-member board in aparish that is about 53% non-White. Without opportunity,districts created based on historic election discrimination, aschool district with astudent population that is close to 40% Hispanic and close to 35% Black might be represented by all non-Black people. The SupremeCourt could’ve gotten rid of the VRA’s Section 2. What they’ve done instead is to eviscerate it so that creating districts based on politics is OK but creating districts that provide moreopportunities forpeople like Jones and Johnson is not. Those whoweren’talive in the 1940s, the 1950s and the 1960s shouldn’tbefooled. The diverse leadership we see locally,statewide and nationally hasn’talways existed. Now the court has provided pathways to whack at the progress, saying we’ve come so farthat acolorblind society is here or in sight. Ivehemently disagree.

Email Will Sutton at wsutton@ theadvocate.com

SPORTS

Saints bringingalong toprookies slowly

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

Dozens of playerswent through drillswearing New Orleans Saints practice uniforms withoutnames on the back for the closing day of rookie camp —and none of those players wore Nos. 0or52, whichbelongtothe two highestdraft picks from thisyear’sclass. Neither first-round receiver JordynTyson norsecondround defensivetackleChristenMiller participated in the second and final day of therookie orientation, at least for the on-field portion. Thatseemsconcerning on the surface, especially considering Tyson’ssubstantial injury history,but coach Kellen Moore waveditoff after Saturday’ssession

This, the coach said, is part of the team’sprocess of figuring out who they have in theirplayersand what they needinorder to contribute for the regular season. For Tyson in particular,this wasaplanned absenceand not related to any kind of injury.

“Obviously,Jordyn had anumber of things thathe (dealt with) lastyear during theseason, so we gothim into oursystem andlet’s just startbuildingthisthing the right way ”Moore said. “Similar to anumber of guyswe had last year.” Moore said this is an approach theteam likely will followthroughout the summerasthe team ramps up toward training camp. The reality is, their absences during the practice portion are not much of asetback. Both Tysonand Miller were in New Orleansthis weekend getting onboarded with theclub,aprocess thatincludes their first exposure to theplaybook, theteam meeting structure,and thestrength and conditioning department That last point may be especially relevant for aplayer like Tyson, who had spent thelast seven or eight months managing ahamstring injury that cost him threegames of his final season at ArizonaState and prevented him

ä See SAINTS, page 4C

Pelicans can’thit lottery, butintrigueremains ntrigue rem

None of the pingpong balls used in Sunday’sNBA draft lottery in Chicagowill affect the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Pelicans, despite a26-56 record this season, don’thave alottery pick

Their chances of striking gold again like they did in 2012 when they landed Anthony Davis or 2019 when they nabbed Zion Williamson arezilch.

In fact, they don’thave afirstround pick at all because of that much talked about draft night trade last June.

But that doesn’tmean Pels executive vice president of basketball operations Joe Dumars won’t be paying attention.

“Human nature kicks in,”Dumars said. “Of course I’m goingto follow it.”

Analyzing another lost Cajuns softball season

Year Twoofthe Alyson Habetz era is over,and the look on the UL softball coach’sface told the story after Thursday’s 3-0 season-ending loss to UL-Monroe. “I feel like we definitely underachieved,” Habetz said. The 2026 Ragin’ Cajuns are atough team to analyze after the fact. Overall, there was more talent on this team than in Habetz’sfirst season. In that way,Habetz’sassessment is accurate. But it goes deeper than that. This team wasn’tabove average at anything. The hitting was better than the 2025 team, but not really above average. The pitching wasbelow average. There seemed to be enough athleticism on this team to steal morethan 50 bases. And the defense was certainly farbelow expectations. Objectively speaking, that sounds like the recipe foralosing season, so one could argue 29-27 wasn’tanunderachievement.

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

While other NBA executives will have their fingers crossed hoping the pingpong balls fall in their favor,it’ll be just the oppositefor Dumars and Pelicans fans.

The Pels finished this season tiedfor the seventh-worstrecord in theleague. Their pick now belongs to the Atlanta Hawks after Dumars moved up 10 spots from No. 23

to No. 13inlastyear’s draft to select Derik Queen. Sports fans in New Orleans enjoy rootingagainst all things Atlanta, so this is another opportunitytodojust that TheHawks have a6.8% chance of landingthe No. 1overall pick and a29.3% chance of getting atop-four pick. The further from theNo. 1 pickthe Hawks land in thelottery,the better Dumarscan feel about the Queen trade. If the Hawks end up gettingthe first overall pick, Pelicansfans will be left wondering what could have been in ahighly touted 2026 draft class that includes guyssuch as BYU forward AJ Dybantsa, Kansas guard Darryn Peterson and Duke forward Cameron Boozer The development of Queen will also factor in how thetrade is inevitably evaluated. If Queen reaches the potential he showed at times this season and becomes one of theNBA’s biggeststars, thetrade won’tbetalked about nearly as much. (The fact that

ä On theroad LSU-Georgia ended after this edition went to press.For game coverage,visit theadvocate.com

LSU’sinfield hasimproved over the last twoweeks. Freshman Jack Ruckert at second base had twohits and an RBI last Sunday against South Carolina. At first base, freshman MasonBraun hasbecomethe leadoffhitter and leadsthe team in on-base percentage. Both freshmenalso have upgraded the defense. But even with the ascension of Ruckert and Braun, there’sstill ahole remainingonthe infield: third base. The Tigers started fifth-year seniors Tanner Reaves and Seth Dardar at the position over the last handful of games,but neitherveteran played well enough to warrant an everyday role. Reaves started at third in Game1ofthe Tigers’ doubleheader on May2 againstSouth Carolina andwent0 for3.Dardarhad two hitsinGame2ofthe doubleheader,but he struggled defensivelyand was hitless on Sunday.Both players started in Game 2, with Dardar at third base and Reaves in left field. With four regular-season games remaining, LSUcoach Jay Johnson will be

On

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Santos brings rare skillset to SEC

Brazilian LSUcenter comfortableshooting 3-pointers

BY TOYLOYBROWN III Staff writer

There won’tbemany bigs like LSU’sMarcio Santos in theSoutheastern Conference.

Analysis

The 6-foot-9, 250-pound center will be unlike most at his position, not simply because he’saBrazilian pro player from the EuroLeague, the highest level of competition outsideofthe United States Coach Will Wade added aplayer with arare skillset for theconference. In 37 games for Maccabi Tel Aviv in the EuroLeague, Santos, 23, averaged 6.9 points, 1.9 rebounds and 3.2 fouls in 14.1 minutes per game. He is alsoshooting 49.3% from the field and40% from the 3-point line on 1.6 attempts.

Impressive 3-pointshooter

Shooting is Santos’ most tantalizing skill as he’smost often used as a3-point shooting threat

His form is textbook, possessing ahigh and quickrelease,especially for his position. The Brazilian has immense confidence in his jumper,taking open looks withouthesitation as well as moderately contested ones. Santos was comfortable in the pick-and-pop game. Thatiswhen an offensive player sets ascreen for the ball handler and moves to the 3-point line.

Santos should’ve attempted more than 1.8 3s per game. While the low volume of 3s inflates his overall efficiency,heshouldbe willing to take more at LSU since he oozes confidence from outside. It should be noted that he made 4 of 33 3s in 18 games in his lowerlevel domestic league in Israel. What gives even morecredence to his catch-and-shoot talents is his free-throw percentage.

Santos was 80.4% from the freethrow line (82 of 102). That level of consistency is uncommon for aplayerofhis size.Inthe SEC last year,only seven players 6-8 or taller made 78% of their free

Portland Trail Blazers center DonovanClingan, left, shoots over RatiopharmUlm centerMarcio Santosduring a preseason NBAgame on Oct. 16, 2024, in Portland,Ore.Santosisone of four newtransfers on LSU’sroster

throws.

Not many players with his brawn and height will be as capable ofshooting from beyond the arc likeSantos, who made 24 of 60 3s. In the SEC lastyear, there wereonly 18playerswho were 6-8 or tallerand attempted at least 55 shots from distance.

Abouthalf of those players were tallwings rather than true bigs, which speaks even more to the rarity of Santos’ shooting aggression.

Outside of his long-range abilities, he’scapable of finishing with touch in the paint. He also has a knack for getting fouled withhis broad physique.

With howoften he is spaced out above the arc and his lack of vertical explosion, he’snot an effective offensive rebounder. Santos also had too many giveaways: 24 assiststo38turnovers.

Defensiveconcerns

Santos’ subpar defensewas why hewas ninth in minutes among those who played at least 24 of 38 games.

While strong, he’sshortfor the position and notathletic enough to disrupt shots. His two-hand vertical was relatively easy to score over for guards. Santos sometimes denied layups, but theoverall sample of 12 blocks in 37 games suggests he isn’tagood rimprotector

As thescreendefender in the pick-and-roll, Santosstrictly hedged, meaning he stepped up to impede the path of the ball handler.Hewas coached that way instead of dropping, adefensive coverage where he remainsinthe paint to defend the driver Santos was an unimpressive rebounder.His 0.9 defensive boards per game weredisappointing, albeitin14minutes of action.Inthe four contests he’splayed at least 20 minutes, three rebounds were themost he tallied. He alsoaveraged 3.2 fouls, which is too many for his limited minutes. While theoverall defensive package is uninspiring, Santos isn’tdisengaged. He follows the pick-and-roll coverageand tries to box out

Finalverdict

Santos’deficiencies are clear: He lacks the height, leaping ability andinstincts to be apositive big defenderinthe SEC. The goal should be for him to reach neutral levels.That’ll requirebetter rebounding, which he should be feasible, and a strong defensive infrastructure around him. Kentucky transfer forward Mo Dioubate is agood start as aversatile and high-motor 6-7forward.

Time will tell if LSU adds abetter defensivecenterwho starts over Santosorpushes him to the power forwardspot.

Whatcan’tbelost is that what makes Santos aworthy bet. It isn’t just how many 3s he’ll make. His overall presence should do wonders for LSU’soffense because he’llmakeopposingcenters respect him outside the paint.

Having acredible spacer of his size in collegebasketball should widen driving lanes and make generating offense easier overall.

Harden,MitchellleadCavalierspastPistons

BY JOE REEDY Associated Press

CLEVELAND James Harden hit three clutch shots in the final two minutes, Donovan Mitchell scored 35 points and theCleveland Cavaliers beat Detroit 116109 on Saturday to cut the Pistons’ lead to 2-1 in the Eastern Conference semifinal series. Harden bounced back from two mistake-marred performances to finish with 19 points andJarrett Allen scored 18 for the Cavaliers, who will looktoeven the series whenthey host Game 4onMonday night. Mitchell reached 2,000 career postseason points in his 73rd game, tied for third-fastest among active players and ninthinNBA history Detroit’sCade Cunningham had his second career postseason triple-double with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, but also committed eight turnovers. Tobias Harris added 21 points.

Duncan Robinson’s3-pointer with 3:14remaining tied it at 104 before Cleveland, which is unbeaten in five playoff home games, wasable to seize control.

Max Strus interceptedaninbound pass by Cunningham at midcourt and made abreakaway layup with 2:28 left Harden,who drew plenty of criticism for turnovers in the clutch in the first two games, kept theCavaliers in front with bigshots. The17-year veteran hita 16-foot step-back jumper to extend the lead to 108-104. After adriving dunk by Cunningham, Harden made afloating 7-footer to put thelead back up to four Cunningham respondedwith a 3-pointer before Harden provided the decisiveblow with 25 seconds remaining on astep-back 3-pointer while beingguarded by Harris to makeit113-109.

Robinson wasshort on a3-pointer after atimeout and Mitchell made three free throws down the stretch.

FROM

LSU women’stennis team advances to Elite Eight

The No. 10-seeded LSU women’s tennis team reached the national quarterfinals on Saturday after knocking offNo. 7Virginia 4-1in the Sweet 16 in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The Tigers got off to agood start by taking the doubles point 2-1. They then proceeded to take three of the first four singles matches to clinch the victory Cadence Brace won at No.1 singles 6-1, 6-4 over Vivian Yang. Ella McDonald prevailed at No. 3 singles 7-5, 6-1 over Kaitlyn Rolls. And Addison Lanton clinched the victory 6-4, 6-3 by beating Isabelle Lacy at No. 4singles.

LSUadvances to face SEC rival andNo. 2national seed Auburn in the quarterfinals on Friday in Athens, Georgia, at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex.

Cajuns takeearly lead but falltoApp St. in baseball

After adeterminedroadwin in 10 innings over Appalachian State on Friday,the UL Ragin’ Cajuns faced oneofthe Sun Belt’stop arms in Mountaineers aceGage Peterson.

It started off well for UL, but App State rallied forthree runs in the sixth inning to claim a7-2 win over UL on Saturday to even the critical Sun Belt series in Boone, North Carolina. The Cajuns dropped to 31-20 overall and 13-13 in league play, while the Mountaineers improved to 29-19 and 15-11 in the Sun Belt. The rubbergame is scheduled fornoon Sunday UL senior southpaw Andrew Herrmann allowedsix runson10 hits, two walks andthreestrikeouts in 71/3 innings and 102 pitches.

Hall-of-Fame Braves

manager Cox dies at 84 ATLANTA— Bobby Cox, the folksy manager of the Atlanta Braves whose teams ruled the National League during the 1990s and gave the city its first major title as well as WorldSeries trips that fell short, died Saturday.Hewas 84. Cox had astroke in 2019 and heart issues that complicated his recovery Coxtookover alast-place team in June 1990 andled the Braves to aworst-to-first finish in 1991, losing the WorldSeries to the Minnesota Twins in seven games. That was the start of what was to become arecord14consecutive division titles. He managed the Braves for 25 years and led Atlanta to its first World Seriestitle in 1995. He was inductedintotheHallofFamein2014.

Thitikulholds onto lead at Mizuho Americas Open WEST CALDWELL, N.J.— JeenoThitikulheldoff everychallenge Saturday at the Mizuho Americas Open and made nothing worse than par over herlast16holes fora2-under 70 andatwo-shot lead as the Thai golfer goes after her first LPGA title of the year Thitikul startedwith athree-shot lead and it wasgone quickly after abogey on the second hole and a fast start by Hannah Green. But Thitikul kept her cool and kept marching along on aMountain Ridge course softened by rain but still difficult due to its contoured greens.

Thitikul got up-and-down forpar with anifty pitch on the 18th to finish at 10-under 216, two shots over Celine Boutier of France, whohad a67.

Herbertshoots 68, leads LIVGolf Virginiabythree

STERLING, Va Lucas Herbert had a4-under 68 that cut his six-shot lead in half Saturday in LIV Golf Virginia, still leaving him three shots clear of Sergio Garcia as the Australian goes forhis first title in his third season in the LIVGolf League.

Scoring was so low at Trump National that Josele Ballester of Spain had aputt fora59. Ballester madepar on his final twoholes for a60, two short of the scoring record on LIV Golf. Herbert had such alarge lead over the field that Ballester wasin alarge group eight shots behind. Thatgroup includesBrysonDeChambeau (65) and Scott Vincent of Zimbabwe, whohad a62. Garcia shot65toatleast stay in range. Jon Rahm shot 65 andwas nine shots behind.

SAINTS

Continued from page1C

from working out until late in the draft process

The Saints don’tintend to just be smartwith their veterans and their practice workload. The “maintenance program” that Moore speaks of will apply to rookies and other young players as needed to keep them as fresh as possible for game days this fall. This isn’ta newpractice. Offensive tackle Taliese Fuagawas on amaintenance program throughout hissecond season as he dealt with nagging injuries. It wasn’t perfect, but Fuaga managed to play in 13 contests.

More youcan do Barion Brown had one exceptional trait coming out of college that will help him land aspot on an NFL roster: He is an elite return man. Brown, who started at Kentucky before finishing his college career at LSU,set aSoutheastern Conference record with six career kick returns for touchdowns. He

FOOTE

Continued from page1C

During the first news conference of the season before the season opener,Habetz was asked what area of the team was she the most confident. She responded defense.

Although there was some questions about the outfield at that moment, her response made total sense.

After her first season of stellar defense, no one could have predicted the lulls Mia Liscano endured. No one knew Cecilia Vasquez would battle abad hip throughout the season and not be able to play shortstop.

The irony of the way the season ended was the pitching was fantastic in the Sun Belt Tournament but the defensesunk the ship. That and not having an answer all seasonfor ULMonroe ace Ashanti McDade, of course.

“The hard times it’s kind of like fertilizer,it stinks, but it helps you grow,” Habetz said. “You’ve got to go through those things. Watching them celebrate in our field, that’s motivation.

“That’swhere the growth happens —inthe suffering, in the hard times, and when we come through that, that’swhen it’sgoing to really be exhilarating.”

So what is it going to take for the Cajuns to become contenders in the Sun Belt again?

The first step has got to be acquiring alegitimate ace pitcher

Opposing hitters batted .273 against UL pitching this season with a1.53 whip and that doesn’teven include hitting 49 batters. The 3.67 ERA was abit deceiving because of 54 unearned runs allowed.

Atrue ace will instantly improve those figures.

Is it fair to predict Sage Hoovercould be that pitcher next spring? Perhaps. Hoover certainly looked like an ace in Wednesday’s shutout win of Troy,and she figures to be alot stronger

had at leastone in every season, and he recorded three of them as asophomore at Kentucky.

With teams having abetter understanding ofthe dynamic kickoff rule,Brown canbe aweaponfor the Saints even if he never sees the field for an offensive snap.

But the Saintsdon’tstrictly see himasareturn man, and Brown showed some ability as apass catcher this week

Moore probably would have to be creative when it comes to finding waystoget Brown thefootball. At 5-11 and 177 pounds,Brown is built morelike atrack athlete than afootball player, and his size is aserious limitation

But it’salso not like he hasn’tshown he can do it in theSEC. Brown caught at least 40 passesinthree of hisfourcollegeseasons, finishing his career with 175 receptions. And he only missed one game in hiscollege career despitehis slender frame.

Impressive tryout

Brock Rechsteiner drew a

little more attention than un-

drafted rookie tryout players usually get at these sorts of things—his father,Scott Steiner, is in theprofessional wrestling Hall of Fame.

But, at leastfromthe media viewing vantage point, Rechsteiner looks like more than just an interesting side story

The receiver out of Jacksonville State is awellbuilt athlete, checking in at 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds. He showcased an aggressive mentality when theball was headed his way,snatching it out of the airrather than letting it cometohim.It’s tough to saywhetherhis athleticism will play against professional athletes based on thelimitedcompetitive reps thisweek, buthedoes have someintriguing traits. The Saints may not choose to sign him. They spent a lotofdraft capitalonthe receiverposition andcurrently have apretty crowded room. But, if not here, he should getalongerlook somewhere.

Email Luke Johnson at ljohnson@theadvocate. com.

next season after two years of inactivity prior to 2026. Butthat still might be alofty role after going 11-12 with a 3.98 ERAand opponents hitting.285against her Unlikeinfootball and basketball,it’sprobably still possibletobuild aSun Belt contender withoutrecruiting an entirestarting lineup with asuitcase.

It’spretty unrealistic to expect to findanace pitcher without lots of money,however.Sothat goal maybea biggerask than it sounds. If Hoover returns strongernext season andcan be theNo. 2pitcher with herwinningmentality, theCajunsmight be onto something. Thenext step is solving the two-year disappearing act of theteam’sbiggest RBI bat. Twoseasonsago, Laney Credeurwas projected to have ahugesenior season, comingoff of ajunioryear of .331 with seven homers, 28 RBIs anda.543 slugging percentage. Instead,Credeur hit .210 with one homer,19RBIs and a.298 slugging percentage. This past season, Emily Smith was coming offa Freshman of the Year campaignof.346 with10homers, 40 RBIs, a.609 slugging percentage and a.413 onbase percentage. Smith’ssophomore slump dropped her to .190 with seven homers, 26 RBIs, a

thePelicans didn’tput a protection on the pick will likely never be forgotten, though.)

Dumars, as he reminded us last year after the draft, is banking on Queen thriving in the league. “Whenyou have achance to get twolotterypicks in one draft,you’reaccounting for the following year,” Dumarssaid in June. “… When you identify aplayer thatyou think can be one of the foundations here, you go and get him. That’s what we did. We targeted Queen. We thought he could be a heckuva addition here, and we werereally aggressive about going to get Queen in this draft.”

Dumars believes in Queen. Even more impor-

Continuedfrom page1C

hard-pressedtofind aperfect solution at third. But hisbest option at theplate to fill theroleislikely Dardar.The Kansas State transfer was hitting.308 with a.970OPS heading into this weekend’sseries at Georgia.

“I thought he lengthened our lineup alittle bit,”Johnson said. “I thought he took some really good competitiveswings, had acouple of hits.”

The hang-up with Dardar hasbeen his defense. He struggledfillinginatthird base against SouthCarolina, dropping apop-up and misfielding aground ball in Game 2ofthe doubleheader.Healso couldn’tcorral abouncing ball on Sunday that was originally ruled an error before it got changed to being ahit.

tantly,Queen believes in himself

This is what Queen said last year when asked if being under the microscope because of the trade would put achip on his shoulder

“I don’tthink anybody in that class ever is going to be better than me. Iblock all the noise out,” Queen said at his introductory newsconference. “Joe has got alot of faith in me. Most of these guys (in the draft), Ibeat in high school.”

Despite that proclamation, Dumarssaid there wasatimeearly in the season when Queen brought up the trade. Dumarsresponse?

“I remember telling him,‘That’sthe last timeI want you to mention that. Don’tever mention that to me again. Ijust need you to go and be you and do your thing. Whatever hap-

pens, happens.’ He never brought it up again.” Queen ended up playing in 81 of 82 games, averaging 11.7 points and 7.1 rebounds. He started 48 games in aseason highlighted by him recording twotriple-doubles. He struggled on the defensive end and will have to improve in that area. He’ll get workonthat aspect of his gamethis offseason as he looks to prove Dumars right in giving up this year’sdraftpick.

Pelicans fans, eagerly awaiting forDumars to nameanew head coach, will be paying close attention to Queen’sdevelopment. They’ll also be paying close attention to Sunday’s draftlottery,despite not being apart of it.

Email Rod Walker at rwalker@theadvocate.com

lina and committed an error against Mississippi State But like Dardar, Reaves can help LSU at the plate.

“He deserves to be in (the lineup) right now,” Johnson saidlastSunday. “I believe he’s aplayer, if he plays well, that really liftsour team.”

.388 slugging percentage and a.291 on-base percentage.

Different hitting coaches and different classifications, so it’s hard to explain, but that can’thappen again next season.

Of course, that’sassuming players like Kennedy Marceaux, Brooke Otto and Haley Hart will even return to UL. In this era, you never know

The good thingisHabetz was already motivated to get to next season during Thursday’sfarewell postgamenews conference. Throughout theseason, she got constant realitychecks of the mistakes made during last fall’spreparation.

“Atthe end of the day,I need to do abetter job of gettingthem ready,and that starts in the fall,” Habetzsaid. “Our fall is going to be key for next year.Alot of things will be different in thefall as far as the preparation for the spring Imean, the whole spring.”

UL senior pitcher

Bethaney Noble was buying that message as she departs.

“I guess themessage would be that you just got to workharder,startingin thefall,” Noble said after Thursday’sloss. “If we truly want toget where we want to be next year.”

Email KevinFooteat kfoote@theadvocate.com.

Granted, the defenseat thirdbase wasn’tmuch better with Reaves there. He failed to secure apop-out in Game 1against SouthCaro-

Therearen’tmanyalternatives to DardarorReaves at third base. Junior Trent Caraway startedatthe position to begin the season,

but he only holds a.713 onbase plus slugging percentage and hasn’thad an at-bat sincethe Mississippi State series. Senior Brayden Simpson was athird baseman before transferring to LSU,but he has struck out 18 timesin36at-bats this season.

Simpson and Caraway have also struggled at times defensively.LSU’s best defensive alternative is probably freshmanEthan Clauss, whohas only gotten twoat-bats in SEC play

“I would neversay never to anything,”Johnsonsaid when askedabout the possibilityofClausscracking the starting lineup. For now,asLSU triesto sneak into the NCAA Tournament with only two weekends left in SEC play, it’ll rely on Dardar and Reaves to fill out the rest of its lineup and play third base. Especially on defense, it’s not an ideal situation. But if both veterans can contribute on offense, the Tigers will have adeep lineup that will challenge Florida and whoever they face in the SEC Tournament. LSU

LIVING

MargoTrimble Uter holds aletterwritten to her by her mother,SidneyJoess DavisTrimble, at Uter’s home in Lafayette.Atleft are family photos of Uter and her parents, including graduation photos of her mother and herself.

STAFF PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK

ReadersacrossLouisiana shareletters from mom

BY JANRISHER | Staff writer

Somewhere in Louisiana right now,there is abox. It might be in acloset,or in agrown child’s attic, or tucked underabed in ahouse that belonged to someone whois gone. Inside areletters —handwritten, folded, some still in theirenvelopes They smell like time.

The hardest letter she ever wrote

The postmark says Dallas, Texas.The date is Sept. 8, 1963. The envelope is addressed to Mrs. Leslie Miller,Haynesville, Louisiana, in handwriting that is careful and young.

“Well, this is oneofthe hardest letters to write I’ve ever written,” Monte Miller Banks began. “I really don’tknow what to say —Iknowyou must hate me, &Idon’twant you to.”

She had secretly married James Merritt Banks, of Homer,six weeks earlier, on July 20, 1963.

PROVIDED PHOTOS

ABOVE: Monte Miller Banks posed with her mother and grandmother on Mother’s Day1964. Pictured are BelmaAyres, Monte Miller Banks, Kathleen Ayres Miller whoisholding the baby,and Leslie Banks Clark TOP: The postmark says Dallas, Texas. The date is Sept.8,1963. The envelope is addressed to Mrs. Leslie Miller, Haynesville, Louisiana, in handwriting that is careful and young.Monte Miller Banks wrote that this was one of the most difficult letters she ever wrote.

“If you think that you can’tever accept James Merritt &don’twant me to come home, Iwill do whatever you say.” Her mother took to herbed after learning the news.

Bueche has done the samefor her own children.

Theblue satchel on the curb

From NewOrleans, Ann

letter to her sister on the occasion of her first child’s birth.

MonteBanks’familywas from Haynesville —Homer and Haynesville were thekind of rival towns where such things matter —and his family was not what hers had in mind.

She had tried twice to tell her mother in person. Both times,she lost her nerve.

“I know, Mother,that this has probably hurt you worse than anything I have ever done, but it was the only way Icould see to do it,” MonteBanks wrote.

“Andbelieve me, it has upset me terribly to do anything behind your back.”

She closedwithanoffer thatreads, six decades later,with aweight still felt:

Theletters that came back from Monte Banks’ mother and grandmother were, by herdaughterBeth Bueche’s account, mean. Monte Banks’ grandmother wrote her outofher estate entirely,evenleaving her jewelry to two uncles. Eventually, relationsbetween them allbecame amicable, but there were small comments for therest of everyone’s lives, according to Bueche. Banks, who had been her high school’svaledictorian, spent years working long hours,Bueche believes, still trying to prove her decision right. Buechesaidher mother bent over backward to be kind to everyboyfriend sheever had.

MonteBanks triedtothrow theletters away once before her family moved to Birmingham,Alabama. When she put things out on the street, Bueche, then in ninth grade, found a light-blue pleather satchel on the curb amid the boxes of items her parents haddiscarded.She opened thesatchel It wasfilled with letters. She sat on the curb and read them,then put the whole satchel in her car

Whenshe called her mother to say she ä See LETTERS, page 4D

Aletter to TerriSimpson, of Baton Rouge, from her grandmother,Johnnie Almedayarbrough Hillin from Rusk County,Texas.

Anne Bienvenu Broussard sent in this letter her mother, HelenVerne Maraist, wrote in 1923 from her home in St. Martin Parishtoher godmother,Lucie Gauthier

After Eleanor Perret’smother passed away 10 years ago, she found abox of letters she had written to her over the years. The first one is dated Sept. 13, 1961, from Lafayette.

Lisa Cross, of Monroe, submitted thisletter her grandmother wrote to her mother in 1955.

Persistencebringstriumph forCookieContest

Staff report

In April, the newspaper relaunched its Cookie Contest after roughly two decadesat theMain Library’sfirst Bakers Fair.Itdrew amuch larger response than expected. Nearly 3,000 people showed up, and72bakers signed up to compete each contestant with two dozen cookies in hand. What ensued was an afternoon of camaraderie, skill and generosity. Assistantlibrary director Mary Steinbelieves the turnout reflects something larger than enthusiasm for

Recipe, Deep Dish CaramelCups 4D

ä See COOKIE, page 4D

Rain Angels,ideal weatherset tone forFestivalanniversary

Festival International de Louisiane enjoyed spectacular weather,fabulous music and easy-going crowds coming out to enjoy the show

If you want to enjoy the festival when it is less crowded, Thursday and Friday nights are typicallygreat times to go

Kris Wartelle

We visited the RainAngel tent on Thursday where sponsors and guests who support the festival gather.The Rain Angelswere formedfor times whenthe festival was hampered by severe weather.Their support helps keep it operating free of charge even when weather events threaten its overall success. Luckily, the night wasclear,cool and about as perfect as you would want for an outdoor music event.

The tent included friends Michale Doumit and Darrellyn Burts who were at the helm, making sure all was running smoothly.They were joined by several founding members and patrons including Robert and Janice Copeland, Nanetteand JoeHeggie, Renee and John Fenstermaker,along with numerous family and friends.

It is hard to believe, but Festival International hasbeen entertaining crowds in Lafayettefor the past 40 years. Each year,ithas gotten bigger andbetter.The list of entertainers who make theirway to Acadiana is long, and it keepsgrowing. More stages have been added; more volunteers have joinedtohelpout inall areas.And let’snot forget the growing number of vendors proving avarietyoffood options to all the hungryfestival attendees. If you want to know more aboutthe 40-year history of FIL,check out the festival website where you can find the 40th anniversary book for sale. It isfull of interesting festival history We hope everyone continues to show some love andsupportfor theevent. Lafayetteislucky to have such asafe and entertaining environment for one of the premier musical events in Louisiana. Thank youAngels and volunteers for allyou do to make it happen.

TODAYINHISTORY

By The Associated Press

Today is Sunday,May 10, the130thday of

2026. There are 235 days left in the year

Todayinhistory:

On May 10, 1869, agolden spike was driven in aceremony in Promontory,Utah, marking the completion of thefirsttranscontinental railroad in theUnited States

Also on this date:

In 1775, Ethan Allen andhis Green Mountain Boys, along with Col. Benedict Arnold, captured the British-held fortress at Ticonderoga, NewYork.

In 1865, ConfederatePresident Jefferson Davis was captured by Union forcesnear Irwinville, Georgia.

In 1924, J. Edgar Hoover was named acting director of the Bureau of Investigation (later known as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, or FBI) by PresidentCalvin Coolidge; Hoover would serve as FBI director until 1972

In 1933, book burnings were held in 34 cities across Germany,targeting authors whose ideologies were in conflict with Nazism.

In 1940, during World WarII, German forces began invading the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium and France. On thesame day, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain resigned, and Winston Churchill formed anew government.

In 1960, the nuclear-powered submarine USS Triton completed the first submerged circumnavigation of the Earth.

In 1994, Nelson Mandela was inaugurated, becoming the first Black presidentofSouth Africa.

In 1994, the state of Illinois executedserial killer John Wayne Gacy,52, for themurders of 33 young men and boys.

In 2014, Michael Sam was selected by the St. Louis Rams in the seventhround of theNFL draft, becoming thefirst openly gay player draftedbyaNational Football League team.

In 2023, Rep. George Santos, the New York Republican infamous for fabricatinghis life story,was indicted on charges that heduped donors, stole from his campaignand liedto Congress. (Santos pleaded guiltyinAugust 2024 and was sentenced to morethanseven years in prison; President Donald Trump commuted his sentence in October 2025.)

Today’sbirthdays: Basketball Hall of Fame coach Jim Calhoun is 84.Musician-songwriter Donovan is 80. Fashion designer Miuccia Prada is 77. Olympicskiing medalists Phil and Steve Mahre are 69. RepublicanSen CindyHyde-SmithofMississippi is 67. Singer-activist Bono (U2) is66. Playwright Suzan-Lori Parks is 63. Model LindaEvangelista is 61. Rapper Young MC is 59. Racing driver Helio Castroneves is 51. ActorKenan Thompson is 48. Olympic swimminggold medalistMissy Franklin is 31

Oldbuilding, same oldneighbordisputes

Dear Miss Manners: Ilive in a vintagethree-flat condo buildinginChicago.

One recent morning at 6, Ireceived atext from my downstairsneighbor that read, “Tell your niece or nephew to stop running in the hallway It’svery loud.”

Iwas abit stunned.

My 2-year-old niece had, in fact, briefly run down thehallway —but it was a single moment of toddler glee as her family was leaving the building. Iwanted to respond, “Yes, let me just explain the concept of condo living and shared acoustics to a2-yearold who recently graduated from diapers,” but instead I replied, “Good morning toyou, too, Sharon. The guests have departed the building.” Meanwhile, thesame neighbor’sdog barks at all hours, day and night,and alarge shoe

rack sitsoutside their unit door —aneyesore and afire-code violation. Since then, she seemstobeavoiding me. Idon’twant a neighborly cold war, but Ialso don’tfeel I owe her an apology Miss Manners, how does one navigatesuch lopsided standards —where atoddler’s footsteps prompt an early morning demand, but abarking dog and hallway hazards go unaddressed?

Gentlereader: Save for that somewhat sarcastic “you, too, Sharon,” your response was perfectly polite. Perhaps it successfully shamed your neighbor intosilence —and will also shame her intocleaning up her space and quieting her dog.

Butprobably not.Miss Manners thereforesuggeststhat

you waitareasonable length of time and send her anote, politely asking if those things can be addressed. Your speaking about it directly may also help alleviate any retaliatory need forsarcasm.

Dear Miss Manners: Three months ago, my husband was killed in acar accident. Our children and Ihave been struggling personally,spiritually and financially since the accident. It feels close to impossible.

When I’m at work or out in public, people have been approaching me and asking, “How are you doing?” The thing is, they don’treally want the answer.That would be something like, “I’m heartbroken and miserable and Iwasn’t able to bring myself to shower this morning. My youngest child hasnightmares all night, every night, so none of us have slept, and we’re going to

have frozen pizza for dinner for the fourth night in arow Sometimes it feels like Ican’t breathe,” followed by tears.

Irecognize that that’stoo much. If Isay something neutral, like “We’re getting by” or “Every day is different,” Iget pressed forfollow-up details, which again leads to tears. Changing the subject is ineffectual, as people ignore the pivot until they get the response they are looking for. What Iwant is to not have this conversation at all. Is there something Ican say that is polite but firm and makes it clear they should stop asking?

Gentle reader: “I appreciate your concern, but Ifind it too difficult to talk about right now.When Iamready,I will let you know.”

Sendquestions to dearmissmanners@gmail. com.

Dear Heloise: The French have asaying: “Scents are made to be discovered, not announced.”

Montana

SpeakEnglish well

—David K., in Buffalo, New York David, this is very true. But unfortunately, somepeople bothmen and women —don’t understandthe phrase “less is more.” —Heloise Humidifier hint

Dear Heloise: I’m not sure how well this is known, but it took us years to learn it. We use room humidifiers, especially at night, because we live in adry climateinMontana. Before, we used water from the cold water tap that was untreated, and we would experience small white particles that accumulated on nearby furniture and flooring. We learned to use water from the hot water tap that had been treated (“soft water”), and this completely eliminated the deposits. —Brent C., in Billings,

Dear Heloise: By the time my little sister graduated from college, we had four English majorsliving under our roof. My mom was amusic teacher but she was justasconcerned about grammar and pronunciation as the rest of us.The word“February” was one of her pet peeves. My dad taught high school history and was obsessedwiththe correct pronunciation of “mischievous” and “caramel.” Ifollowed my dad into theteaching field and taught bilingual education at the elementaryschool level for 17 of my 27 years.Having begun as an English major,Iwas very interested tolearnthat pointing out issuesinSpanish to my studentswas alsoimportant when developing good, fluent English. I’ve heard appalling grammar in the classroom.“I’d have went” is acommon mistake made in the classroom,as well as “I seen it!” Partofthe

problem with the classroom is that they keep adding more responsibilities to the teacher’s day.It’sdisturbing that our students don’teven know how to sign their names because handwriting isn’ttaught in the classroom.When students grow up in homes where their own families don’tspeak good standard English, it is difficult for them to know that what they are actually speaking is substandard English. Iwas motivated to write by another Lori H. from California! —Lori H., in California Lori, young people need to understand that proper English is very important, especially when youget out in the world and need to apply for ajob. If you’re in arole that represents your company,your employer will want someone who speaks well, sounds educated, and gives agood impression. Speaking English properly makesyou sound bright, educated and intelligent. When you’re going in for ajob interview,everything about you is

important from the way you dress to the way youspeak. So, speak correctly and edge out the competition. —Heloise Homemade icepops

Dear Heloise: Dena G. is right about store-bought ice pops, but you can easily make your own and have adelicious (and even nutritious) snack by using high-quality juices. (Avoid brands with added sugar.) Here’smysecret to improving the texture of the ice, whichtends to be unpleasantly hard: Add applesauce! What adifference it makes without modifying the flavors. Experiment to suit your taste, but start with about 4spoonfuls of no-added-sugar applesauce, at about a1:4 ratio.

Snacking tip: Have asmall bite of several of your favorite snacks, don’tgobble or gorge on them,then top it off with a tasty homemade ice pop! —David B.,inOregon Send ahint to heloise@heloise. com.

TRAVEL

Milesofyardsales offerSoutherntreasurehunting

BY CHERÉ COEN Contributing writer

Thrifters and bargain-seekers know to brake for yard sales.

Local neighborhood-wide and organization sales offer hours of perusing, so imagine ones that spanhighways, regions —even across six states! Yes, they exist. Here are five yard sales across theSouth to know about for deals, steals and treasure hunting.

127YardSale

Known as the “World’sLongest Yard Sale,” the 127 Yard Sale that occurs every first Thursday throughSunday in August runs 690 miles long. The routealong Highway 127 from Alabama to Michiganattractsthousands of shopperseach year in all six states.

The event began in 1987 in Jamestown, Tennessee, when former Fentress County Executive Mike Walker looked for away to move travelers from driving interstate highways, such as Interstate 40 and 75, to scenicroutes through small towns andrural communities.

Not only would thrifty visitors enjoy shoppingalong the route, but they would experience the unique backroads of America.

This year’sgiant yard sale will be Thursday through Sunday, Aug. 6-9, beginning in Gadsden, Alabama.

The route moves into the North Alabama mountains andthrough the 93-mile Lookout Mountain Parkway.Alabama tourism officials estimate there will be more than 1,000 vendors in Alabama alone.

The route then rolls through Chattanooga and up the middle of Tennessee into central Kentucky and through Cincinnatiand the entire length of Ohio before ending in southern Michigan To plan atrip, find accommodations and restaurants alongthe route and learnmore about the many towns along the way,visit www.127yardsale.com/yardsalers.

TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER

By ChristopherElliott

DixieHighwayYardSale

There are many Dixie Highways located throughout the south, but the annual 90-mile

The sale consists of several communities, beginning in Marietta —a short drive northwest of downtown Atlanta

The route moves north through the quaint Georgia towns of Kennesaw, Acworth, Emerson, Cartersville,Cassville, Adairsville, Calhoun, Resaca, Dalton, Rocky Face, TunnelHill and Ringgold. Places to visit while shopping include four award-winning museums in Cartersville, Lake Acworth with its beaches and marina, the miniature village of Rock Garden in Calhoun (that’s so tiny youmust see to believe) andthe Civil Warhistoric towns of TunnelHill andRinggold. Restaurants abound along the route,including avibrant culinary sceneatMarietta’shistoric square andHenry’sLouisiana Grill in Acworth, operated by bayounative chef and owner Henry Chandler. Accommodations vary as well, from cabins at RedTop State Park to the elegantBarnsleyResort and Spa in Adairsville

Closer to home

Shopowners, antique dealers, local artists, crafters and residents cleaning outtheir garages line the streetsfrom Sunset to Grand Coteau for the annual Exit 11 Yard Sale in St. Landry Parish. The sale happens on the third SaturdayofMarch and the first SaturdayofNovember,somake plans forthis fall.

Others to considerfor next year include the Whole Town Garage Sale in spring in Abita Springs (this year washeld on March28) andthe 16-Mile Yard Sale located in St. Helena Parish between Amite andPine Grove held the first SaturdayinApril. Yard sale advice

Vendors selling at the big sales like 127 Yard Sale and Dixie Highwaytypically have their tablesand waresavailable for shoppers by 8a.m.and operate until late in the evening each day of the event. Forthose planning to shop until youdrop, wearcomfortable shoes andclothing, and be prepared forhot,sticky weather. Objectstohaveonhand include insect repellent, sunscreen, hand sanitizerand water

Airbnb frozeaccount,kept$1,000 withoutexplanation

Idon’tunderstand whyAirbnb deleted my account. I’ve been aresponsibleguest with excellent reviews.Airbnb says Iviolated its community standards, but Iknow Ididn’t. The only explanation Ican think of is my location.

Christopher Elliott

Ilive in Zaporizhzhia Ukraine, which is near the front line but remains under Ukrainian control.Airbnbwillnot do business in Russia. Some international services wrongly mark our entire regionas “disputed,”which feels discriminatoryand unfair.Airbnb asked me to confirm my address, and right after Idid, it froze my ac-

count permanently. Iappealed and sent all theinformation they requested, including proof of residence. Still, they refused to restore my account and saidI can’tcreate anew one. Andeven worse, Ineverreceived my refund of $1,000 forthe cancellations Can you help me getmymoney back and, if possible, my account reinstated? —Daria Popova, Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine Airbnbowes you both an explanationand arefund.

The companyisallowed to close an accountifitbelieves a guesthas violated its terms,but it should provide avalid reason and process your refund in atimely

manner.None of that happened here.

Youfollowed the right steps appealing the decision, providing documentation and contacting customer support.

Unfortunately,itlooks like you got stuck in aloop of automated replies from Airbnb. That left you without answers or access to your funds.

This isn’tthe first case where Airbnb got itsgeography wrong. I mediated acase at thebeginning of the Ukraine war where the platform banned aguest because she used to live in Russia and still had aRussian phone number

When the normal resolution process doesn’twork, you can always appeal to an Airbnb executive. I list all of them on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org. Ireached out to Airbnb on your behalf. Arepresentative said the company would review your case. Shortly after,Airbnb asked you again for your address information.You provided it, but then received the samecanned response that your account waspermanently blocked. At that point, you still had no refund. So Iwent back to Airbnb and asked for asecond review.That finally broke the logjam.Airbnb

refunded the full amount of your canceled reservations and reactivated your account

The takeaway: When acompany ignores you, persistence matters. Apaper trail, aclear record of promises made(like refund deadlines) —and, if needed, an advocate —can makethe difference between losing $1,000 and getting it back.

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 elliott.org.

Amother’streasured lettersfromher military son

BY SUSAN WALSH Contributing writer

My good friend Chuck visited me last Christmas and broughta hidden treasure.

Human

Condition

Chuck and Igrew up as neighbors in the early 1960sinFerriday.His mother,Dorothy, the youngest of nine children,was born in 1941 in Rodessa. Chuck’smom passed away in 2018, afterwhich he found ascrapbook made by his grandmother chroniclingthe life and passing of her son. His name was Marshall Cox Jr., buthe went by Junior.Hewas Dorothy’s brother and the oldest child Marshall joined the Navy and wentoff to war in 1943.Dorothy never knew him. Chuck happened upon this scrapbook while clean-

LETTERS

Continued from page1D

hadfound them, Monte Bankstold her it was no accident that they were left.

“Now,Irealize she was trying to leave thosememories behind,” Bueche said.

But back then, ateenage Bueche delivered the satchel back to her mother.Monte Bankskeptitand moved it back to Louisiana years later.She could not bring herself to throw it away asecond time.

Monte and James MerrittBanks were married 54 years, until his death on Dec. 14, 2017.

Bueche last saw her mother on Mother’sDay 2020. MonteBanks’ mother —the one who had gone to bedatthe news —died on Mother’s Day in 1973.

‘HoneyChile’

In 1952, aNew Orleans grandmother named Camille Cobbs wrote to hergranddaughter Cynthia Andries in Baton Rouge after the girl failed her sophomore English class.

Cobbs worked her way through three pages of householdnews the flu making its rounds, aneighbor’sson also struggling in school, the rosary crusade coming to the churches, “Gunsmoke” on theradio —before landing on what she needed to say

“Now honey you just remember that you are not the firstand won’t be the last to fail,” Cobbs wrote. “Don’tever forget that Ilove you, Honey Chile.”

Cynthia Andries, now Cynthia Litz, is nearly 90 years old. She has kept that letter 74 years.

“The grandmother’srole is indispensable,” she wrote in hernoteto the newspaper

This week, Litz learned thatthe land her grandmother left her mother,and her mother left her, had struck oil.

“Look at you, Grandmother you’re still taking care of me,” she said. “I’m going to be 90 years old. I still feellike her armsare wrapped around me. It’sagood waytoleave this world.”

‘Themost beautiful child that has everbeen born’

Monte Banks’ letterwas oneof dozens that arrived when,inadvance of Mother’sDay,the newspaper askedLouisianans to share old letters to and from mothers and grandmothers. Like Bueche’s,not allthe letters told easystories. Some mother-

Recipe by Peter Hubbs. This recipe requires 3-inchbaking rings in order to give thecookies auniform shape and allow the sides to rise and form ashallow cupshape.

FOR THE CARAMEL SAUCE:

PROVIDED PHOTO Marshall Cox Jr., center,holdshis youngest sister,Dorothy. On either side of thesailor are his brothers, Jim and Tom.

ing out his mom’shouse. It is a true time capsule. Marshall served on theUSS Swordfish submarine, which was lost at sea while patrolling the watersnear Okinawa, Japan, on Jan. 12, 1945. The letter reporting this tragedy to the family was written by U.S. Navy Rear Admiral A.R. McCann. It accompanied more official documents regarding the return of personal effectsand bond purchases. It was theletters written by Marshall to his parents, however, that really brought him back to life. One from Jan. 5, 1943, states: “Dear Mom,Dad and All, This thingisanawful mess. We are having somemissing or killed that Iknew real well. Dad, have you still got that old Ford running? Youbetter have because I am going to be back pretty soon! By theway,doyou get all the

gasoline foritthat you need? I found out that we guys can get gasoline when we are on leave up to acertain amount. When Icome homeIwill see if Ican get it or not.Ohwell, it’sgood to think of that sometimes.”

In all of his letters home, Marshall also addresses Jim and Tom, his younger brothers. This is one postscript from him:“Jim, how have you andTom been getting along these days? Idon’tguess you like to go to school in this cold weather.I don’tblameyou but stay right in there. Be sure you help Mama allyou can around homethere. Youbegood boys and maybe Iwill get to see you pretty soon. Studyhard and makegood grades in school so you will grow up to be smart men.”

Excerpts from the last letter, dated Sept. 14, 1944, are especially poignant: “Well Iguess all the kids

daughterrelationships, then as now, were anything but simple.

But the full range of letters was humbling and deeply human.

AnnSaxon, of Baton Rouge, sent aletter she receivedafter her mother’sdeath. From New Orleans, in 1953, when Saxon was 12 days old, her mother had sent it to her sisteronthe birth of her first child.

Saxon’smother,Barbara Vallina Reilley, wrotethe announcement letter in the voiceofher 12-dayolddaughter in1953, describing thenew baby’s“blondish” hair, onedimple in her right cheek and thegood possibility that her eyes would beblue.

“My mother and father think I am the most beautifulchild that has ever been born,” Reilley wrote from 2318 ValmontSt. “Daddy just beams wheneverhelooks at me, andisalwayspleased to hearthat Iresemble him.”

“I am alwayshungry.I like to cry, especially at night, and constantly needtohave my diaper changed. It is timefor me to have agood cry,sobye.”

Saxonsaidher mother’snickname wasSassy— and it fit her till theend.

‘Are youkeeping your room clean?’

Esther A. Wilson, whogrewup in Switzerland and later madeher home in Louisiana, sent aletter her motherwrote in German on June 12, 1964. Her mother wrote of the progress ofthe vineyards, thesnow gone from themountains and birthdaygreetingsfor Wilson’sfather She closed,asshe always did, with:“Deine Dich immer liebende Mutter.Your always loving you mother.”

Agrandmother fromCrosby, North Dakota, wintering in Arizona, wrote to her granddaughter Andrea Gullett in Seattle in 1992

2. Heat the pot to medium and just let it sit. Keep an eye on the pot until it starts bubbling.

3. Once it starts bubbling, pay attention to the color to see when it starts caramelizing. It should turn the goldencolor of astandard jar of honey. This takes roughly 10 minutes,thoughthe timing isn’t as importantasmaking sure it doesn’tburn by going too dark.

with updatesonGrandpa’sdaily pool sessions, upcoming plans in Las Vegas —and agentle nudge about room cleanliness.

“Also are you keeping your room clean& pickedupAndrea,”DorothyJoraanstadwrote,“It helps your mother so she doesn’thave to do it —eh??”

She closed by noting that cousin Jennifer “writes to me all the time Iamher only grandma!” Gullett, whonow livesinBaton Rouge, still has theletter

LisaO’Rourke’smother,Eleanor Reid, often wrote herletters inside books. For her 10thbirthday,Reid wrote aletter inside abook titled “Kindness is aLot of Things.”

“Always be kind and considerate of other people andyou will help God to make our world abetter place in which to live,” her mother wrote.

O’Rourkehas carried the book with hersince childhood —tocollege,through everymovesince She said it shaped theway she has tried to live herlife.Her mother now lives in Jayess, Mississippi.

‘Tear

thisletterup soon as youread it’

Lola Johnson wrote to herdaughters Peggy and Robbie Johnson and their first cousin Patsy Traylor in the summer of 1955, while the threegirls were on an epic crosscountry road trip withtheir grandmother,Ida Traylor. Peggy Johnson was 19 and the oldest of the group. Herdaughter,LisaOrten Cross of Monroe, sent acopyofthe letter to the newspaper

Lola Johnson didn’thave the full address of where to send it, so she guessed —and theletter found its way

“I see Peggyleft one of her good brazziers(sic) andtwo slips, so I guess youwill have to wash out your brazz (sic)a lot.Idon’teven

to cool off and thicken up.

FOR THE COOKIES:

1cup room-temperature butter

1cup packed dark brown sugar

½cup granulated sugar

1largeegg

1largeegg yolk

2teaspoons vanilla

¼cup caramel sauce (the rest goes on top at the end)

2½ cups flour

Lisa O’Rourke poses with aletter fromher mother inscribed inside a book gifted to her on her 10th birthday.

have started school by now.Iwish Icould have been there to take them the first day.I,myself, have completed Radio School meaning Iwill be aRadioman, Third Class. Imiss all of you and certainly would like to see you. Tell Tom and Jim hello from me and keep all those cute girls there until Iget back. Always, your son, Junior.” In ashort four months, Marshall would be “on eternal patrol” with 88 other souls. —Walsh lives in Baton Rouge.

Advocate readers may submit stories of about 500 words to TheHuman Condition at features@theadvocate.com or The Advocate, Features, 10705 Rieger Road, Baton Rouge, LA 70809. There is no payment, and stories will be edited.Authors shouldinclude theircityof residence.

Lafayette foruniversity

“Today is Wednesdayand we hadour first companyfor supper tonight,” shewrote. “Ray was our ‘guest’ but we were so excited over our‘dinnerguest’ that you would have thought the President was coming!”

It was the first of 79 letters Perret wrote home over the next 16 years, chronicling nine moves to seven states, four children, adog and the whole unfolding shape of alife. Her mother kept every one. Perret found the box adecade ago, after her mother passed away

‘Lonesome of you’

STAFFPHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

know if youall have enough hose or not.But maybe you can make out,” Lola Johnson wrote.

Shealsoinstructedher daughter Peggynot to read and study thewhole time—just have agood time andenjoy yourself, her mother wrote. The letter went on to cover everything from railroad crossings to mattersofthe heart.

“If you have your mind on acertainone up there and no one else, andifhedoes act alittlefunny, don’ttry to be so independent,” Johnson wrote.

Then, at the end:“Tear this letter up soon as you read it.”

Peggy Johnson did not tear it up. Six months later,she married.

‘The

future is yours Liveittothe fullest.’

Margo Trimble Uter,ofLafayette, was ahigh school seniorinNatchez, Mississippi, in May 1971 whenher mother,SidneyJoessDavisTrimble, wroteher agraduation letter

“You have many other good traits, also, one of which, Ihope, is ‘humility,’ the state of being humble,” her mother wrote. “If you possess this traitI believe it will make your walk through life easier,happier and closer to God.”

Uter is 73 now.She reread the letterbefore sending it to the newspaper

“My first thought when Igot toward theend was that she was trying to tell me to be morehumble,” Uter said. “At that age, we think we know everything —I’m not sure Ilived up to it.”

Hermother closed the letter with,“The future is yours. Live it to thefullest.”

Eleanor Perret was anewlywed of twoweekswhen she wrote her first letter home to hermotherin Baton Rouge on Sept. 13, 1961, after sheand her husband moved to

baking soda andsalt.

4. Place parchment paper on your baking sheet. Then, grease the baking rings with butter and place as many as you can down withtheir edges flush against the parchment.

5. Roll the dough into 20 even balls andplaceone in eachavailable ring. Lightly press the ball flat to help it spread out toward the ring when it bakessothatyou’ll get nice tall sides.

Gaines Foster,retired professor emeritusofhistory at LSU, worries aboutwhat comesnextfor social history in the age of technology

“Personal letters of family in the 19th and20th century areanamazing resource in termsoflearning what people thought,” he said. “So muchofhistory is about family and attitudes.”

Even as far back as the 1960s, Foster noted, historians were using collections of letters between mothers anddaughters to laythe foundation forunderstanding women’sroles in society Foster encouragespeople to give copiesoffamily letters to research collections before they are lost.

“Texts are so brief you would haveahard time getting much depth out of it,” he said. “I’ll be worried about what happens with social history in the future, and how we’ll put that all together.” In the summer of 1923, a6-yearold in St. Martin Parish dipped a metal-nibbedpen into an inkwell andwrote to hergodmother.The figs werealmost ripe.She missed her so muchshe could cry.She was learning English but still thought in French, so she wrote thatshe was“lonesomeofyou.”

“Dear Godmother,” Helen Verne Maraist wrote on July 11, 1923, “I wanted to know how you are out there sinceyou aregone. Iwas so lonesome of you. That Icould cry so much. The figs are all mostripe. We are eating them now.Mamma madetwo jars of preserves.”

Maraist grew up, married, raised children, madefigice cream from the tree in the backyard of her family’shouse in St. Martinville. Her letter survived 102 years. It outlastednearly everyone who wasalive when she wrote it. Across acentury and across Louisiana, for the mostpart, the letterssay thesamethings in different handwriting.Come home. I’mproudofyou.Clean your room. Ilove you no matter what.

AndfromamotherinSwitzerland: Deine Dichimmer liebende Mutter Your alwaysloving youmother Email Jan Risheratjan.risher@ theadvocate.com.

Continued from page1D Deep Dish Caramel Cups

1. Add the

arubber

4. Onceit’sreached the right color, it’stime to startadding the butter one tablespoon at atime and whisk it. Whisk nonstop until all ofthe butter hasbeen incorporated. The caramel will bubble up aggressively when you add the butter,somakesure not to add too much at once.

5. Remove the pot from the heat and slowly pour in the heavy cream while whisking continuously again.

6. Mix in the vanillaand let it rest

½teaspoon baking powder

¾teaspoon baking soda

1teaspoon salt

1. Heat oven to 390 F. In alarge mixing bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar and sugarfor at least 4minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl often.

2. Add egg, egg yolk and vanilla and mix for 1minute longer. Stir in caramel.

3. Fold in flour,baking powder,

6. Bakefor 8minutes, then open the oven to turn the bakingsheet around 180 F. Bake foranother 1½ minutes. Iturn the sheet to ensure all of the cookies get baked evenly.Ifyou have abetterheating element than me,you might not need to turn the sheet. Venting theoven for 10 seconds is still good,because it helps the centerof thecookiesstart collapsing so that you’ll geta nicecup shape once they’ve finished cooling.

7. Pullthe cookies outofthe oven and set the tray on arack to rest. Letthemcoolatleast 10 minutes to ensure the center of the cookies starts to settleand the sidesseparate from the rings.

8. Gently work the cookies out of the rings and place them on arack to finish cooling.

9. Pour caramel sauce into the cookie cups and enjoy

Amy Faucheaux for her Lemon Macarons— entered primarily because her daughter wasinterested in the baking competition. Below is the second-place recipe forDeep Dish Caramel Cup CookiesfromHubbs,

‘Crawfish

AT THE TABLE

parmarosa’ marriesItalian,La. cuisine

Ajourney of aNew york mom falling in love with crawfish

BY MICHAEL DIRESTO Contributing writer

Writing this month’srecipe and column made me think of aconfluence of severalimportant events that Iwill try to bring together in acohesive whole. Forstarters, the end of crawfish season isnear,soIhad to make something with them while Ihad the chance.

Second, it’sMother’sDay,and it’sonly fitting that Ishare astory about my New York mother’sjourney with themudbug.

And finally,the end of Maywill mark the 30th anniversary of when my wife and I(along withour,atthe time, one child) movedtoBaton Rouge from Dallas, and so began my immersion into Louisiana’s culinary culture —sounique and so very different from where I grew up in New York and New Hampshire.

But if Louisiana food came as arevelation to me, it’sfairtosay that it came as something of a shock tomymom.

Ican remember one particular Sunday phone call, soon after moving to Baton Rouge and beforemyparents had yet to visit us, when the conversation wrapped up with the question that’s always included in my family’sconversations: “What are you eating tonight?”

Herunderstanding would take timeand somehelp from acertain freshwater crustacean

The first time my mom laid eyes on acrawfish, it was still alive.

Perhaps it wasn’tmybestidea, during one of herfirst visits to BatonRouge, to take her to acrawfish boil. She took one look at it and blurtedout,“I’m not eating that thing!”

My dad, agifted troll before trolling was a thing, declared, “Maa,” —his shorthand, pet name versionofMarilyn —“stop being such a dunkey!” (Pronounced duhng-kee, which was my mom’sown label for anyone who turned up anose at anew food without even tryingit).

He got the side-eye, as only she could give it, but she stood her ground and would eat no crawfish that day,falling back on aflimsier excusethat she wasn’tabout to go through all that work of peeling themfor so small apayoff.

Ianswered, “Rachel is making red beans and rice.” On theotherend of the phone, there was silence.After apregnant pause, my momquietly clearedher throat and, in awhisper,asked, “Sweetie, areyou doing OK financially? Do Ineed to send you some money?” Ilaughed out loud, but Iimmediately grasped the misunderstanding.

My mom had assumed that her daughter-inlaw was scrimping and forced to serve us plain rice and acan of pork and beans —and onno less than aSunday,myown family’straditional day of the week for the heartiest and mostextravagant meals.

Itried to explain that, in Louisiana,red beans and rice is exactly that, but Icould picturemy mom still shaking her headwith worryand incredulity

“You’ll understandwhenyou and dad come to visit us in Louisiana,” Iassuredher

And that was theopening: So, you’re saying you would try crawfishifthe tails were already prepared in advance for you? Enter: crawfish étouffée.

Twodays later,mywife made thatdish for my parents. From thatday forward, and on everyoccasion of my parents’ visits to Baton Rouge,itwas astrictrequirement that my wife make crawfishétouffée.

In my mom’sfinal years before her passing, when she was toofrail to travel to Baton Rouge,Iincreased thefrequency of my trips to seeher in New York, and one of the last was aquick solo excursion without my wife and kids due to their school or work schedules. As asurprise, Iput two packs of frozen crawfish tails in my carry-on bag and, to my astonishment,I got through airport security no questions asked My mom was delighted, until Iinformed her: No Rachel, no étouffée.

Itoldher not to worry,that over the years I hadconcocted my own unique recipe marrying our Italian food heritage withLouisiana cuisine. Besides, maybe this would be the best waytointroduce crawfish to therest of our New York family.Itwas ahit,withthe word “luxuriant”uttered at thetable to describe the flavor of themeal. Mostimportantly,mom took abite and winked her approval.

Happy Mother’sDay,mom. Iextend the same sentiment to all the moms reading this story.Ifshe werestill withus, my mom would tell you, “Whenyou make this recipe, serve it with good bread.”

Crawfish parma rosa

pepper,salt and pepper,and sauté for 15 minutes.

4. Add garlic and sauté for one minute.

5. Add tomato paste, wine and acup of water.Whisk thoroughly until mixed and increase heat to bring to boil.

6. Stir in herb bouquet.

7. Cover and lower heat to medium low,and simmer for 30 minutes.

8. Take off the lid and simmer until the sauce is reduced by half.

9. Remove herb bouquet and mix the pan contents with ahand-held immersion blender or potato masher

10. Press the tomato mixture through afine metal sieve into abowl, then return to pan.

11. Add butter,cream and Parmesan, then bring to boil over medium heat, whisking thoroughly,then simmer over low heat until the sauce thickens.

12. In the meantime, bring alarge pot of water to boil and add one tablespoon of salt. Cook pasta to al dente, reserving one cup of salty,starchy pasta water

13. Add crawfish and torn basil to the saucepan and continue to simmer until the crawfish is warm.

14. Add pasta to the saucepan, stir, and incorporate pasta water as needed for desired sauciness.

15. Serve on plates with extra grated Parmesan and good bread.

TedTurner’svisionchanged industry andsociety

‘CNN became almostgeneric for breaking news’

WYATTE

BY JOCELYN NOVECKand

GRANTHAM-PHILIPS

Associated Press

NEW YORK When the Space ShuttleChallengerexplodedin1986, Beth Knobel, afuture TV newscorrespondent, wasingraduateschool. Emerging from class, she sawTV sets had been set up in the lobby They were tuned to CNN, the 24/7 newschannel that TedTurnerhad launched aboutfive years earlier which was carrying the launch live.

“Shuttle launches were just kind of routine andthe broadcast networks weren’teven coveringthem anymore,” says Knobel, who worked for CBS News in the 1990s and now teaches journalism at Fordham University.“CNNdid. So when things went so tragically wrong, theretheywereontop of the story like no one else.”

That, says Knobel, who now teaches aclass on TV’sbiggest innovators, is just one example of why Turner was the biggest of themall —hugesteps ahead of anyone else in his understanding of how news needed to be delivered. Turner’sdeath on May 6comes at afraught time for cable news, which has struggled to retain viewership in an era of countless media choices and abundant streaming video. CNN hasnot been immune; changes in the media ecosystem, the company’sfinancial picture and multiple editorial resets over the years haveleft it amarkedlydifferententity thanthe oneTurnerbuilt But that misses an important point: He built it.

“Weuse the wordgiant sometimes to describe people that really aren’tgiant,” Knobelsays. “Ted Turner truly is agiant. He invented around-the-clock news.” News as somethingglobal

Many in and around the news industrystruggledlastweekfor big enough words to describe Turner’s impact on how we consume news. Longtime TV analyst Robert Thompson said the issuewas hy-

perbole-proof

“Death andhyperbole often go together,” saidThompson, directorofSyracuseUniversity’sBleier Center for Television and Popular Culture.”But there is no hyperbole here. Ican think of very few other things in the20th century that so dramatically changed American politics, journalism andcivic engagement than the invention of 24hour cable news.”

He does add acaveat: The real impact wouldnot be truly felt untilothers starteddoing it. Which, of course, they did. Butfor along time, and certainly well into the 90s, “CNN became almost generic forbreaking news,”Thompson says,” like Kleenex for facial tissues and Xeroxfor photocopying.”

Butitisn’t just the24-hour cycle thatdefines Turner’slegacy in news. Anumber of analysts cited, too, how he conceived of news as a globalcommodity.

Knobel recallsthat when she was Moscow bureau chief for CBS

beginning in theearly 1990s,she would walk into the Kremlin and seeCNN on televisions

“That was theway in which they came to understand what the world was thinking aboutRussia,” Knobel says.The same wastrueinother seats of power across theworld. “Global programming didn’texist beforeTed Turner came along and said, ‘Not only am Igoing to build a newchannelfor America, but there arealot of people around the world that will probablywanttowatch this news channel.’”

All of this has becomesoingrained by now that it’shard to convey to younger people thatitonce didn’texist. Back in the ’70s when Turner—aninsomniac —was first dreaming of 24/7 news,inmany places you’d turn on your TV late at nightand wouldsee only static, atest pattern or an Americanflag until about 6a.m.

Former CNN White Housebureau chief Frank Sesno, now amedia and public affairs professor at

GeorgeWashington University, tells his students about the “Walter Cronkite era” —whennews was delivered at an appointed time, by avoice from on high, in a30-minute broadcast (whichactually doubled the15-minute broadcasts there once were.)

“I teachthese youngpeopleand they have no idea who TedTurner is,“ Sesno said. “I remind them this was, in fact,the world of Walter Cronkite. TedTurner cameinand CNN was seen as an upstart, as something that wasn’tgoing to succeed.” Thus thederisive moniker “Chicken Noodle News,” which was echoing across the industry when Sesno joined the network in 1984.

“When they hiredme, Ihad zero television experience,” he says. But CNN wasn’tlooking forstar anchors at the time. The news was supposedtobethe star.The stars came later Aturning point For CNN, amomentofparticular

success came in October 1987, the year after the Challenger explosion,when18-month-oldJessica McClure wasrescued fromawell in Texasafter atwo-day ordeal CNN covered not only the outcome but the incremental developments —standard fare today but certainly not so then forTV. Brooke Erin Duffy,anassociate professorofcommunicationat Cornell University,points to public appetite forthatstory as akey moment for CNN, which covered the“hoursand hours of waiting” and allowed audiences to regularly tune in forupdates.

But it was during the first Gulf Warwith Iraq when the entire foundation of newsshifted.When other journalists left Baghdad, CNNstayed. With correspondents Bernard Shaw,John Holliman and PeterArnett doing reports under siege from Baghdad’sal-Rashid Hotel, the network changed war journalism forever

Akey factorwas technology CNN’s news managers “went to Turner and said you know,there’sa war coming. We need somemoney to cover it,and TedTurnersaidto themwellwhatdoyou need?” Knobel said. ”What they did withthat money is to bring in satellitephone technology that no oneelse had.”It enabled CNNtocontinue to broadcast news when communications wereknocked out.

“I’m someone whocompeted against CNN for many years working for CBS (and) Ican say CNN always had atechnological advantage over everybody else,” she said, crediting Turner forgiving his network the edge.

The24/7schedule of broadcasting continuous developments also vastly reshaped what it was like to actually work in theTVnews industry.Journalists wereincreasingly expected to “be available 24/7 to satiate the public’sappetite fornews,” Duffy said.

FULL OF AWE

Amother’srituals mark time in ‘For SmallCreatures

BY JOYHOLDEN Staff writer

Sasha Sagan, author of “For Small Creatures Such as We:Understanding Our Place in the Universe” and podcast host of StrangeCustoms, was raised by secular parents, theastronomer Carl Sagan and thewriter and producer Ann Druyan. They taughtSagan that the natural world is full of beauty and that scientific truthsonly enhance the wonders of thecosmos.

Amother of two, Sagan wrote “For Small Creatures SuchasWe” after the birthofher first child, her daughter Helena. When Sagan became amother,she craved integrating ritual andcelebration in her daughter’slife without practicing acertain religion.

She studied the natural phenomena behind humanity’soccasions from births to deaths, holidays to weddings, anniversaries and seasonsin order to develop anew set of rituals for her family that honors thejoy of each experience.

at theNew OrleansBook Festival at Tulane with moderator Nicole Richie. Although thebook was published in 2019, it continues to be relevant for readers, especially parentslooking to create significant moments with their children

Throughout thebook, Sagan marvels at being alive on this planet She sees motherhood as ascientific miracle that transforms people. She contemplates how her own mother practiced rituals that echoed her Judaism and marked thepassage of time.

In her book, Sagan examines the symbiotic relationship between human cultural traditionsand the natural world. However,the bookisalso a personal story and love letter to her parents. She weaves her own family journeybothasadaughterand as a new motherthroughouther retellings of history,anthropology, religion, astronomy and biology

On March 14, Sagan spoke about “For Small Creatures SuchAsWe”

She writes: “After school on Fridays my mom would usually take me to buy aloaf of challah from the Clever Hans Bakery in Ithaca, in upstate New York, where Igrew up. This was akind of hat tip to theways of our forebears This was another kind of holy sacrament, my first appreciation of what it felt like to finish theweek, to transition from work to rest. It was, Ithink now,a way to learn about marking time, about feeling it happen.”

Foraspring ritual, Sagan chooses to dye eggs, although her family doesn’tdirectly celebrate Easter or Passover

Another special spring tradition Sagan’smother practiced that she haspassedontoher daughter is a “first fruits” festival called Blossom Day.She writes that “the biggest gift was theidea that celebrations could be invented, that we could choose to honor what was most meaningful to us, that and theknowledge that

Such As We’

spring was finally here.”

“For Small Creatures Such as We” is part memoir,part cultural study, part natural study and part personal philosophy.Whether she is explaining how cultures over time have worshipped thesun, themoon or marked turns around the sun, Sagan relates therituals and traditions to her own life, and by extension, to our own lives.

This book is for nonreligious and religious folk alike. It’s acelebration of life, both scientific and sacred.

Sagan’sreflections on her own family traditions and creativity to start new rituals in “For Small Creatures Such As We”are inspiring. Her voice when she describes global rituals and natural phenomena is full of awe. She connects thenatural and the universal with avibe of curious wonder She closes the book by sharing a momentwith her young daughter:

“I noticed Helena staring at me from her highchair while Isteamed somevegetables for her —food grown in theearth, with the help of our nearest star,ready for Helena to convert into energy to grow bigger as aresult of millions of years of evolution. She watched me do my small, daily rituals. These images of me, performing semisacred tasks, were being imprinted into her brain, into her memories. Someday Iwill be gone, but she will, Ihope, remember me. AndI’ll be able tolive on, just alittle longer,inthe neurons of her brain and the cells in her blood.”

Email Joy Holden at joy.holden@ theadvocate.com.

Da man nny Heit Danny Heitman

Book charts epic journey made famous by theLa. Purchase

When Stephen Ambrose greeted readers with “Undaunted Courage” in 1996, he admitted someinitial doubts about whether anew book about the Lewis and Clark Expedition wasreally needed. Ambrose, whohad taught history at the University of New Orleans and achieved fameasaDDayhistorian, was impressed by Richard Dillon’s biography of Meriwether Lewis that was published in 1965. Wasthere anything new to say?

But as Ambrose pointed out in unveiling “Undaunted Courage,” alot of fresh research had surfaced since Dillon’swork first appeared. Maybe there wassomething else to be said, after all. Another three decades have passed, and another historian, Craig Fehrman, is having his crack at the Lewis and Clark story.Though his approach differs from Ambrose’s, Fehrman’s“This Vast Enterprise” yields atale that still promises to resonate deeply in Louisiana, which figured largely in this epic piece of American history

The basics will be familiar to manyofuswho first heard about them in grade school. While engineering the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, President Thomas Jefferson also authorized an expedition to head out and kick the tires on the nation’snew real estate, which included ahuge swath of territory west of the Mississippi. Lewis and afriend, William Clark, led the journey,with some30others along forthe ride. In his take on what’sbecome aset piece of the national mythology,Fehrman argues that the expedition “depended on morethan Lewis and Clark.” He expands the narrative to focus on several other expedition members, including York, an African American enslaved by Clark, and Sacajawea, aShoshone teenager who had essentially been passed off as chattel to atranslator in the group, Touissant Charbonneau. Because few records exist about York and Sacajawea, Fehrman resorts to alot of guesswork in telling their stories and filling in other undocumented aspects of the expedition. He tells readers that he’stried to “speculate responsibly,” though his conjectures tend to invite morequestions than they answer

Though “This Vast Enterprise” touches on events from morethan twocenturies ago, afew of its themes chime vividly with current headlines.

Fehrman mentions how international rivalries over the port of NewOrleans helped drive momentum forthe Louisiana Purchase —areminder that then, as now,navigation of critical trade routes wasapriority forworld leaders. In using his presidential authority to advance both the Louisiana Purchase and Lewis and Clark’sexpedition, Jefferson invited debates about executive power we’re still having today

Fehrman’sportrait of polarized politics during Jefferson’spresidency will also strike afamiliar chord with readers. He includes aperiod cartoon from Jefferson’sday in which critics of the Louisiana Purchase depict the president as ascraggly dog.

As the United States prepares foralandmark birthday,Fehrman’sbook is auseful reminder that the Lewis and Clark Expedition, like the nation itself,was at its best as ateam effort.

Email Danny Heitman at danny@dannyheitman. com.

Allen

4. “Dungeon CrawlerCarl” by Matt Dinniman

5. “Remarkably Bright Creatures” by Shelby VanPelt

6. “Dear Debbie” by Freida McFadden

7. “FrozenbyStardust” by Elizabeth Helen

8. “Want to KnowaSecret?”byFreida McFadden

9. “Project HailMary (media tie-in)” by Andy Weir

10. “MyDress-Up Darling, Vol. 15” by Shinichi Fukuda

CE

S FA

FACES IN LIGHTS

Louisiana’s social mediainfluencersare findingfame, successwhile evolving with marketplacedemand

BY RICH COLLINS Staff writer

New Orleans social media per-

sonality Korey Sam was on time for his appointment in Terrytownlast Thursday morning before he got delayedoutside his destination by two fans asking for aphoto. After some quickpicsand chitchat, SamheadedinsideSugaBaby Cosmetics so amakeupartistcould get to work transforminghim into oneof the characters he plays online.

For many,itwould beanunusual waytospend aweekday morning, but for asketch comedy artist whose videos have earned himmore thana million social media followers, it was just another dayonthe job

Posting underthe handle “Korey with aK,” Samisn’tahousehold name —atleast not yet. But he’san example of anew type of celebrity: asocial media influencer whomakes aliving online thanks to aloyal niche audience. And he’sfar from alone.

Dozens of Louisiana creative entrepreneurs make aliving or asignificant portion of their income by posting online. These “middle-class content creators”aren’tglobal celebrities like Lafayette native Addison Rae, an influencer who has parlayed her fame into an acting and music career.But they’re abletogenerate significant revenue —six-figure salaries, in some cases —byleveraging theiraudience’sattention into

ä See INFLUENCERS, page 2E

IDEAS INNOVATION &

TOPFROMLEFT:

Caitlin Minshew makes aliving creating social media content and helping her clients do thesame.

Alex Robinson, a NewOrleanian by wayofBaton Rouge, started creating videos about gardening and other topics during the pandemic.

Chasity Pugh augments her income as a digital marketing consultant with her own content about restaurants, bars, pop-ups, shops and products.

PROVIDED PHOTOS

BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer

Over the past couple of years, as Louisiana hasattractedanew waveofindustrial mega projects with construction budgets totaling some $90 billion, veteran maritime and logistics executive Gregory Rusovich has been picking up on acommon thread as he meets and works with the global companies building new plants and facilities in the state The ports, bargeoperators,

freight lines and other vendors these companies are hiring to transportthe tons of rawmaterials,equipment and machinery to buildtheir artificial intelligence data centers, power plants, refineries and liquefied natural gas export terminals are mostly located in other states. Rusovich is bent on changing that. In late April, he announced anew joint venture between hisexisting firm, Transoceanic Development, and Houston-basedglobal logistics

ABOVE: Social media influencer Carla Pesono takes aselfieMay 2atthe New OrleansJazz&HeritageFestivalatthe Fair Grounds.

STAFF PHOTO By ENAN CHEDIAK

LEFT: Makeup artist Chilli Fontenot helps NewOrleans sketch Comedian KoreySam —better knownas‘Korey with aK’— getinto character recentlyat SugaBay Cosmetics in Terrytown.

STAFF PHOTO By RICH COLLINS

Maritime industry vetaimstogrowstate’s

company UTC Overseas. The new company— called UTC Transoceanic, or UTC Transo —will be based in New Orleans and solely focused on getting thecompanies building mega projects around the state and getting generous breaks on their stateand local taxes in the process— to utilizeLouisiana’s portsand logisticscompanies to do the workfor them.

“Wehavetoget outofthis Texas-centricmindset,” Rusovichsaid during an interviewat theHenrietta, aboutique hotel on St.CharlesAvenueofwhich he is apartowner.“If you’re do-

ingprojects in Louisiana, you need to be using Louisiana infrastructure, vendors and suppliers.”

“Otherwise, these investments will come here, and we won’tget the jobs and the tax revenues that they bring,” he said. UTCTransoiswhatisknownin the logisticsworldasa“freight forwarder” —a company that handles moving cargo from the manufacturer or supplier in whatever corner of the globe it originates to the end user

traffic

INFLUENCERS

sponsorship deals with brands and businesses that want to reachlocal buyers Called “nano” or “micro”influencers in industry lingo, these creativesare agrowing part of a $250 billion industryexpected to doubleinsizethisdecadeasmarketers look for new ways totarget specific demographics inprecise geographic areas. In Louisiana, top creators include food- and culture-focused influencers like Carla Pesono,Alex Robinson, ChasityPugh,Caitlin Minshew,and husband-and-wife team Noah and Xavi Ingram.In Baton Rouge, Dr.BrittneyFusilier has cultivated ahalf-millionfans of her posts about familylife and wellness. And in Lafayette, Chasity Theriot has racked up millions of followers of her comedyvideos, many filmed in front of her bathroom mirror For these folks and the many who aspire to join them, there is real money to be made, though the job requires alot more work than their breezy online videos might suggest. It also comes with downsides, including unsteadyincome, no health insurance, publicscrutiny and increased competition To those in the trenches, the challenges are worth it.

“It’sadream job to promote worthwhile businessesand get paid for it,” said Pesono, aformer WGNO-TV news anchor who has become one of the region’sfulltime content creatorsdoing upbeat restaurant reviews. “And Imake threetimes what ImadewhenI was behind the anchor desk.”

‘Peoplewereoddly interested’

Many of Louisiana’sprofessional creators kick-startedtheircareers during the pandemic, when people had time to kill and were looking for ways to connect.

New Orleans native Pugh, who posts on Instagram as “letdatgirleat,” firstbuilt heraudience during the lockdown by making content about her takeoutorders

PORT

Continued from page1E

It’sacomplex and technical business that involves navigating import and export regulations, customsand ever-changing tariff rates, shipping goods across the ocean, finding aport with the best facilities and lowest rates to offload them then figuring out howtogetthecargo—whetherviabarge,railortruck—to its final destination.

UTC Transo will be specifically focused on moving project-specific breakbulk cargo to individual jobs sites around the state. That covers the massive pieces of specialized equipment, machinery andpiles of raw materials that weigh tens of thousands of tons.

UTC Overseas already does some of this work in the state, as do other global logistics companieswith mostly Houstonbasedheadquarters.

UTC Transo willbe the first one based in NewOrleans and unabashedly biased toward Louisiana.

COLLINS

STAFF PHOTO By RICH

Sketchcomedian ‘Koreywith a K,’right —whose social media accountshavemore than 1million followers —poses for aphoto with afan in Terrytown.

“People were oddlyinterested,” she said.“They wanted to seewhat youwere doing at home.”

Now Pugh augments her income as adigital marketingconsultant with her own content aboutrestaurants,bars, pop-ups, shops and products.

Robinson, aNew Orleanian by way of BatonRouge, started creating videos about gardening and other topics during the pandemic.

These days, she makesmost of her income by posting food and culture content withhelp from herhusband, Carlos Lee, apharmacist who has become abit of a localcelebrity himself because of their videos.

“He’sagood sport because he likesthe free food,” Robinson said.

Dozens of other Louisiana creators —including Lafayette TV personality Gerald Gruenig, who has racked up 1.5 million followers for his food and culture content are supplementing their income with prodigiousposting.

Sam andPesono, however,are among the few who live entirely off theproceedsoftheir work.

Sam workedina refinery andin sales before diving into his creative career full-time seven years ago, collaborating withother sketch artiststomake often profane skitsthatinsomecases earn millions of views.Inone of his most popular videos,he’swearing stage makeup to simulate cuts and

But UTC Transo is hiring and plans to expandtomore than 20 employeesinthe months to come. The new company also is looking to lease office space, preferably in downtown New Orleans. “But thelarger goal,isto hireLouisianabarge operators, trucking companiesand other subcontractors,” Rusovich said. “Wewant to create atrickle-down effect.”

Losing marketshare

Though Louisiana is known for its historic maritime industry and port system along the lower Mississippi River,ithas nonethelesslost market share in the logistics businesstoHouston;Savannah, Georgia; Jacksonville, Florida; Mobile; and other Southern portsinrecent years for acoupleofreasons.

Part of the problems,Rusovich believes, is that Louisiana portsspecialize in dry bulkcargo, like grain and

bruisesasheplays acharacter who just got beaten up by aromantic rival.

“I’m willing to spend on props to make the videos morebelievable, because that’swhat it takes,” he said.

Pesono,meanwhile,has posted thousands of food-related videos to her social accounts since sheleft her TV jobin2020, and she’s now grown hersocial media audience to well over 100,000 New Orleans food lovers, which makes her a marketer’sdream

Samand Pesono, atransplant from Buffalo,New York, have made severalvideostogether, including apopular one of him teaching herhow to talklike aNew Orleanian.

‘Modern-daycommercials’

Like their counterparts around the country,Louisiana-focused influencershaveattractedattention from businesses and advertising agencies looking to connect with specific audiences. Onebig reason is that datafrom social media platformsshows clients exactly who is seeing their message.

Another reason is influencers, thoughbeingpaid to promote, are able to build trust with their followers, said New Orleans ad exec

that Rusovichcan help sell clientsonthem.

“Greg understands what theseprojects need and how to connect them with what Louisianahas to offer,” he said.

Lookingfor leverage

While UTC Transoplans to use connections, data andthe best selling points to bring more logistics business to Louisiana, thereisn’tmuch leveragethe companyhas to convince its clients to ship through aportinsouth Louisiana over one in eastTexas

There’snolegal requirementthat companies doing big projectsinthe stateuse Louisiana logistics or freight companies or any other vendors forthatmatter during the constructionprocess or even, at all.

“Greg(Rusovich) understands what these projects need and how to connect them with whatLouisiana has to offer.”

MARCO POISLER, chief operating officer for Global Energy and CapitalProjects at UTC

“UTC hasrelationships in the state but now with Greg, we will be steering our clients to Louisiana,” said Marco Poisler,chief operating officerfor Global Energy and Capital Projects at UTC.

‘A trickle-down effect’ Rusovich has along history in maritime and logistics. He joinedTransoceanic Shipping, the global logistics company founded by his father,the late Basil Rusovich, in the early 1980sand expanded to 25 international offices. He eventuallytook the reins from his fatherin the late 1990s. In 2005, he sold to Kuwaiti-based PWC Logistics, staying on for several years as CEO before stepping down.

In 2011, he founded Transoceanic Development, which built on his logistics experience but focused on bringing food aid and humanitarian cargo to war-torncountries in Africa and the Middle East. In 2019, he sold off the partofthe company doing work in global hot spots but has kept asmall operation focused on Louisiana.

He currently has acouple of employees and works remotely

coffee, or in the case of the Port of New Orleans, container cargo. Theports are less well known for handling break bulk cargo,which includes the large, heavy equipment andcomponents needed to build anew steel mill or LNG export terminal. Rusovich and Poisler also believe thereisaperception that has turned into something of aself-fulfilling prophecy.Companies don’t use Louisiana ports and freight haulersbecause they view Texas as bigger,better, more affordable, efficient, whatever —which, in turn, drives morebusiness to Texas.

“Many companies,and we are guilty of this as well, think of Louisiana as agreat placetovisit with nice people, good food,” Poisler said.

“But people from Houston often manageprojects from Houston. If it’salong-term deal,they willcontract fora whilefrom Louisianathen go backtoHouston ” The trick to changing those perceptions is what Poislercalls a“multimodal approach” that starts with selecting the bestporttoget the jobdone. He said Louisiana has those facilitiesand

It would takepolicy changes to thestate’s economic development programs, whether through law changes or administrative rules, to put such requirements on incentive deals.Rusovich said he would welcome those kind of requirements Louisiana Economic Development SecretarySusan Bourgeois saidsuchmandates would workagainst thestate.

“I understand whypeople want it,but counterintuitively,mandates would makes us less competitive,” Bourgeois said. “The more requirementsweimpose, the harder it is to compete.”

The state has a“preference” clause in its cooperative endeavor agreements with large companiesthat receive incentive packages encouraging them to hire in-state vendors and contractors. At theend theday, though, the clause is only a suggestion.

“Weare very conscious of making sure we aremaximizing the opportunity for Louisiana businesses,” Bourgeois said.

Rusovich, who has worked closely with LED on projects and serves on Gov.Jeff Landry’s Board of International Commerce, is sup-

Cleveland Spears III.

“A simple smartphone video might reach more people thanan ad shot in astudio,” he said.

Margaret Tuskey,PRaccount supervisor at Peter Mayer,said her firmhas been working with local content creators for years, but it wasn’tuntil the last fewthat some have built big enough audiences to charge for their services.

“Now they’re really relevant to any consumer-facing brand or institution,”she said.

This revenue from advertisers, sponsors andpartnersiskey,creatorssay,because the platforms themselves— primarily Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube —onlymakebig payoutsto celebrities with many millions of followers.

So,togenerateincome,more niche influencers might charge a fee for aone-off videoorsign a long-term contract to represent abusiness or brand. Prices for avideo range from hundreds to thousands depending on the size of the business.

Samhas promotedlocal law firms, restaurants, clothing brands andmore to his core audience of 25-to40-year-olds. Pesono works for restaurants and food brands.

“It’s theWild West,” Pesono said.

portive of the state’scurrent approach toeconomic developmentand said UTC Transo is about trying to leverage the deals it is bring-

“Every creator setstheir own rate, and they have to figure out what they’re worth based on howthey can help abusiness.”

Caitlin Minshew, who earns most of her income from her “eatingwithcaitt” accounts while also providing digital marketing services to clients, said it took NewOrleans awhile to catch up to bigger cities, but now the local influencer marketplace is growing quickly

“Nobody watchesTVanymore, so we’re the modern-day commercials,” she said.

Busy days,and more on theway Robinson, who posts something new almost every day,said she dedicates five hours aday to writing, filming, editing, postingand administrative work. Most weeks, she attends twoorthree events, recently judging acrawfish boil competition hosted by the New Orleans Saints. Pesono followsasimilar schedule,alsoleaving time for events, which have included interviewing Shaquille O’Neal at aSuper Bowlparty and taking aride in the Planters “Nutmobile” forapromo video.

It’sabusy life, but it’sone that sounds great to many people working 9-to-5 jobs.

In 2024, apollster reported that more than half of GenZsurvey respondentswantedtobeprofessional influencers. And, as online content creation has become a national pastime, colleges and universities have begunoffering influencer-focused degrees.

Aubrey Allison, who posts New Orleans political and cultural content as “Aubrey Avocado” while running adigital marketing firm, thinks there’sroom for moretalent at the table —especially in an era when artificial intelligence content is proliferating.

“I think people are craving more authentic and sometimes vulnerable content,” she said. “They want something meaningful, whether you’re trying to help asmall business or letpeople knowabout an election.”

Email RichCollins at rich. collins@theadvocate.com

ing to the state. “I am not trying to grow anew business beyond Louisiana,” he said. “I’m focused on serving these Louisiana projects.”

EmailStephanie Riegel at stephanie.riegel@ theadvocate.com.

TALKING BUSINESS

ASK THE EXPERTS

Banker: La. ‘is due for a 10-year run’

BY ADAM DAIGLE Acadiana business editor

In 2020, longtime banker Joe Zanco left his position as chief financial officer for Home Bank — a large regional lender that ranks as the third-largest in the Lafayette region with more than 12% of its deposits, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. — to take the reins of St. Landry Homestead Federal Savings Bank, a tiny community lender with a nearly century-long legacy in the Acadiana area.

In the years since, Zanco has overseen efforts to grow the bank, which changed its name to Catalyst Bank in 2021, from $177.9 million in deposits to $195 million today and taken it public.

The number of locations has grown from four locations before going public to six today, and Catalyst recently announced plans to acquire Lakeside Bank in Calcasieu Parish, which, when completed later this year, will enable Catalyst to more than double its size. In his more than four decades in banking, Zanco has weathered the ups and downs of Louisiana’s economy and has watched the fortunes of many friends ebb and flow These days, amid a string of recent economic development wins promising to pump hundreds of billions into the state’s economy, Zanco is more bullish on Louisiana than he has been in years.

Officials with the office of Louisiana Economic Development have announced projects in recent months that, if they call come to fruition, will total $100 billion in capital spending — and more could be on the way

“The optimist in me says that Louisiana is due for a 10-year run If the political will is there, we can make some incredible things happen,” said Zanco, a St Bernard Parish native In this week’s edition of Talking

Q&A WITH JOE ZANCO PRESIDENT AND CEO, CATALyST BANK

Business, Zanco talks about the bank’s growth in recent years, its recent merger, the decision to go public and what made him leave a large regional bank for what was then a small lender from a neighboring rural parish. This interview has been edited for clarity

Tell me more about the Lakeside Bank acquisition.That bank is larger in terms of total assets. How does this help Catalyst’s future? We looked at a couple of deals, but they weren’t the right fit for us or weren’t the right price for

us. So we’ve been on the hunt and finally found the partner that we think is culturally aligned with us, that we could get a fair price and that is a market we feel really good about entering — Lake Charles and southwest Louisiana. We are more than doubling the size of our company in this transaction.

How does this grow your bank in regard to jobs?

It means we will have the ability to add jobs to the community and start back-filling some of the banking jobs we’ve lost due to

being on the wrong side of mergers and acquisitions over the last decade. We’ve been in a cycle of losing banking jobs in the last decade, and we need to change that.

If you think about how MidSouth Bank occupied that building downtown and the parking lot was full, they’re gone now When you think back 15 years I think The Independent actually ran an article way back — Lafayette was second to New Orleans in banking in Louisiana. We had these companies doing so well, and unfortunately it turned on us.

Your bank raised $52.9 million in 2021 when it went public as St. Landry Homestead Federal Savings Bank before changing its name. How were you able to do that as a small bank in Opelousas? Our community has a long history of a great deal of success in that space. It’s ultimately (due to) having a group of driven people come together to grow It’s a

AROUND THE REGION

State’s small businesses recognized for driving growth

BY IANNE SALVOSA Staff writer

Small businesses that are creating jobs and spurring innovation were honored by Louisiana Economic Development at its annual Spotlight Louisiana Awards. The awards are the marquee event of the agency’s Louisiana Growth Network, which provides small startups looking to scale with capital, programming and support The recognition honors small businesses driving economic growth. The awards typically recognized a group of “Growth Leaders” and a top “Growth Leader Legend,” but the agency restructured this year’s awards to honor winners in five categories, including Small and Emerging Business of the Year, Excellence in Entrepreneurial Leadership and Innovative Company of the Year

This allows LED to recognize small companies that are having meaningful growth, said LED Secretary Susan B. Bourgeois. She called the Spotlight Louisiana Awards “the most important event for small businesses all year” because it highlights companies and the kinds of jobs they create “It is making sure we are elevating the work we do in the space and the accomplishments of these businesses themselves,” she said.

Donaldsonville-based Marks Construction notched this year’s Small and Emerging Business of the Year award. The company, which specializes in residential construction, commercial construction and roofing, was founded in 2017 by Jay Marks, a former assistant strength and conditioning coach at Tulane University Marks said he started the business after he saw out-of-state contractors try to take advantage of those who experienced property damage from Hurri-

The Louisiana Economic Development’s annual Spotlight Louisiana Awards honored small businesses driving economic growth.

cane Ida. The goal was to provide local, trusted construction services. Small businesses make up 99.5% of Louisiana companies and employ more than half of the state’s workforce, generating about $5 billion in sales annually

To power up the local enterprises, LED has rolled out a small business directory, appointed regional economic development organizations as points of contacts for businesses seeking to train or upskill their workforce and pilot-

ed an accelerator geared toward small to midsized businesses.

The Louisiana Growth Network supported 26,000 businesses last year, which secured a combined $1.45 billion in contracts.

The businesses were honored at a ceremony Thursday evening at the Manship Theatre. The event also recognized winners of awards from the Small Business Association, Louisiana APEX Accelerator Louisiana Small Business Development Center and National Federation of Indepen-

dent Business. “As a former small business owner, I know what it takes to build something from the ground up,” Gov Jeff Landry said in a statement. “The companies recognized at Spotlight Louisiana represent the hard work, innovation and determination moving Louisiana forward, and my administration is committed to making sure Louisiana small businesses are connected to the opportunities being created across our state.”

Louisiana’sMenhadenIndustryMarks Startof2026 Season with Annual Blessing of theFleet

Louisiana’smenhaden fishingindustry officially beganthe 2026 season on April20, theday afterthe annual Blessing of theFleet in PlaqueminesParish. Thelongstanding tradition broughttogetherfishermen, their families,clergyand communitymembers to pray for asafeand successful season.Held in Empire,the Blessing of theFleet reflects generationsofcoastal heritage rooted in faith, family andadeepconnectiontothe Gulf Thefull dayofactivitiesincludedboiled crawfish, lively conversationsand children’s activities.There were also reflectivemoments as captains andcrew membersbowed their headsontheir menhaden steamers to pray for thecomingmonths.

“The Blessing of theFleet isn’t just aboutthe season ahead,”saidFrancoisKuttel, President of Westbank Fishing. “It’sabout recognizing thegenerations of hardworkingfishermenwho have made this industry what it is today.

Theevent wasalsoatimefor Plaquemines Parish families to remember what the menhaden industry meanstothem Dozens of attendees pointedout that the fishingseasonisaway of life for multiple generations. In fact,several notedthat theirparents,grandparents, adultchildren, cousins, in-lawsand others have jobs that aredirectlytiedtothe menhaden industry “Daybrookand Westbank areinvestedin ourcommunity.Theygiveusa chance to do somethinginour hometown,” said Sara Nelson,alifelongresidentofEmpireand a six-year employeeofDaybrook. “IfIdidn’t have this position here, Iwouldn’tbeable to live here.” ACornerstone of Louisiana’sCoastal Economy Formorethana century, Louisiana’s nutrient-rich estuarieshavesupported one of themostproductive menhaden fisheries in theGulf. Today, thefishery is powered by twoLouisiana-based,U.S.-owned-and-

operated companies–WestbankFishingin Empire andOcean Harvesters in Abbeville –which together operateacombinedfleet of 27 vessels. Both companiesmaintain U.S.-built,U.S.-owned, andU.S.- crewed vesselsincompliancewithfederal maritime standards. Each workswitha processing partner–DaybrookFisheries for Westbank andOmega Proteinfor OceanHarvesters.

Together,the industry generates approximately$419million in annual economicoutput, supports more than 2,000 jobs, andcontributes over $62million in goodsand services across32parishes.

“Onceyou gettothe southern endofthe parish,thisisthe biggestindustrythat’s here,” said Niko Tesvich, presidentofthe PlaqueminesParishSchoolBoard Menhaden aresmall,nutrient-rich fish foundinabundance alongthe Gulf Coast andplayanimportant role in both the marine ecosystemand Louisiana’seconomy Harvestedusing purseseine nets,the species is processedintofishmealand fish oil–essentialinputsfor aquaculture, U.S. pet food,livestock feed,and humannutrition –valued fortheir high omega-3content Science-BasedManagementand Industry Innovation Louisiana’smenhaden fisheryiswidely recognized as oneofthe most sustainable in theworld andwas recently recertified by theMarineStewardship Council followinganindependent, multi-year review of environmentalperformance, bycatch, andmanagement. Ongoingstock assessmentscontinuetoshowhealthy and stable populations.

“Louisiana’s menhaden industry is builton accountability,”Kutteladded.“Weoperateunder themostrigorousstandards in theGulf, andwe have consistently met–and oftenexceeded –those expectations throughscience-based management andcontinuousinnovation.

The2026seasonalsoreflectsupdated nearshorebufferzonesapprovedbytheLouisiana WildlifeandFisheriesCommissioninlate2025 Thechangesexpandprotectionsinecologically sensitiveareas,includingtheChandeleurIslands andIsleDernieres,while refiningaccess in historically fishedwatersbased on scientific analysis.Developed throughconsultationwith bothcommercialandrecreationalstakeholders, theupdated frameworkreflects abalanced, science-basedapproachtomanagingLouisiana’s workingcoast Recent findingsfromLouisiana’s $1 million state-funded bycatchstudy furtherconfirm theindustry’s strong compliancewithstate regulations. Thestudy foundtotal bycatch remainsbelow the5 percentcap established in law, with reddrumaccounting forjust3.4 percentoflandings. Thefindings underscore thefishery’slimited ecologicalimpactand reinforce that itsperformanceismonitored, measured,and publicly accountable. Theindustry hasalsousedthese findings to drivecontinued innovation. Westbank Fishinghas invested more than $6.5 million in advanced technologies andgear, including ultra-high molecularweightpolyethylene Spectra/Platinanetting,which reduces net tearsand fishspills, as well as modernized

electronic catchlogging andenhancedvessel tracking systemsthatimprove transparency andoperational awareness. In addition,newly deployed hose-end cage systemshelpprevent non-target speciesfromenteringvessels contributingtoa 24 percentreduction in incidentalred drum mortality.

LookingAhead As the2026seasonbegins, Louisiana’s menhaden industry continuestobalance economic strength with environmental stewardship. From theBlessingofthe Fleettothe final haul on November 1, the season reflectsacommitmenttoresilience, responsiblemanagement, andthe preservation of away of life that hasdefinedLouisiana’s coastfor generations.

“Weput alot of hard hoursin. We work as agroup,” said Corey Powell,a Westbank employee of more than 18 years. “I believe in Christ.Heblesses ourfleet,our flagsand ourwhole crew.There wouldbenoother waytostart.”

With expanded protections, proven sustainability practices,and continued investment in innovation, industry leaders remain focusedonensuringastrongfuturefor boththefisheryandthecommunitiesitsupports

NATION &WORLD

AI

is coming forjobs, and‘We’renot ready,’labor expert says

BY ETHAN BARON

The MercuryNews(TNS)

William Gould, one of thenation’sleading experts on employment, sees artificial intelligence as a“locomotive coming down the tracks” with countless jobs in its path. He offers one major takeaway: “We’re not ready.”

The Stanford University law school emeritus professor,who headedthe U.S. National Labor Relations Board from 1994 to 1998 andthe CaliforniaAgricultural Labor Relations Board from 2014 to 2017, has spent his lengthy careerstudying labor andantidiscrimination law

His work has taken him to Washington, D.C., Detroit, London and South Africa. In 1972,hebecame the first Blackprofessor at Stanford Law after working as avisiting professor at Harvard University.Gould shed light on the looming threat to employment from artificial intelligence, possible social upheaval from massive job losses and how topping up income through “wage insurance” for workers pushed by AI into lowerpaying jobs may provide apartial solution.

Gould is the author of the recently published memoir “Those Who Travail and Are Heavy Laden.”

His remarks have been edited for lengthand clarity

Everymajor industrial revolution has eliminated some jobs andcreated new ones. With AI, is it different this time?

The breadth and depthofitare different. It is goingtoaffect so many traditional tasks. Some havealready been affected. Thus far,wereally haven’tseen much in the way of loss of jobs. But it’s coming.

What’sgoing to become of young people who are justcoming out of school and who are looking for work and who don’thave acollege education?

What frightens me is, as asociety,weseem to be focused on how big is it and what kind of jobs will

Stanford University professor emeritus William Gould,who recently released amemoir,‘Those

and Are Heavy Laden,’isa laborexportand advocate for ‘wageinsurance.’

Q&A WITH WILLIAM GOULD EMERITUS PROFESSOR, STANFORD UNIVERSITy

be affected, ratherthanpreparing the adequate safety net we’re going to need to confront whatever change takes place.

What do youexpect would be the effects of large-scale job losses? Obviously,divisiveness, maybe racialand religious divisiveness.

But don’tforget, coming with that agenda were themostwild and hateful type of movements theKuKlux Klan.

nication.

Thusfar we haven’thad very muchthatcan reallybecharacterized as …AIdislocation, but it does appear to be coming and we’re not readyfor it.

We’re the only industrialized country in the worldthat does not provide for substantial wage insurancegoing foryears, and providing for retraining and relocation.

What would wage insurance for people whosejobs arereplaced by AI involve?

We’ve had legislation… purporting to provide paytoworkers who aredislocated as aresult of trade issues, competition from foreigncompanies.The Republicans fought it,and it’s died. What wageinsurance does is to take the kind of conceptwhichwas enacted by Congress in the early 1970s andapply it to adifferent cause for layoffs, the technological innovation that eliminates work. The European countries, particularly theScandinaviancountries, have ledthe way in providingwage protection for workers who are laid off because of technological innovation.

It soundsveryexpensive— howwouldthe U.S. payfor that?

It will be expensive.Surely a country that can spend abillion dollars aday on awar of choice can afford amodestcommitment for asafety nettoprotect workerswhose jobs arelost as aresult of AI.

You’ve been working forfair workplaces fordecades. What’s changedfor organized labor?

Looking at this morning’snewspapers …anumber of political people are saying that theUnited States is not for Muslims,and the Republican leadership refusesto rebuke that. Youjusthave to multiply that.

What’sstanding in the wayofensuring people displaced by AI willbereasonably supported and retrained?

Look what happenedinthe 1930s at the time of the Great Depression. This is what created the New Deal, this is what created the labor movement,this is what created theconceptofsharedprosperity.

The lack of political will and the increased inequality that exists in our society,and the influence that is reflected in thatincreased inequality: We’reina periodwhere thebillionaire class has obtained control over the workings of government, and perhaps ultimately much of ouravenues of commu-

Working

in Greater NewOrleans business

The primary reason we have uniondecline is the ossification of the movement. The movement has become bureaucratic Youdon’thave unions committed to bringing in newyoung people.The other problemisthis AI locomotive coming down the tracks, whichisgoing to wreak havocfor workers. Idon’t seeany kind of sustained national effort along the lines of providing for protection forworkers from the consequences.

GNO,Inc.Leads theNational Insurance Fight

Thankstoour Federal delegation andthe national Coalition forSustainable Flood Insurance that we lead, Congressisnow taking thenextstep.

Congressman Troy Carter (D-LA), joinedbyRepresentatives SaludCarbajal (D-CA), Gabe Evans (R-CO),and MikeEzell(R-MS), recently introduced H.R. 8439, theCommission on NaturalDisaster RiskManagement andInsurance Act, abipartisan bill to create anonpartisan federalcommission charged withstudying natural disasterinsurance affordability anddelivering policy recommendations to Congresswithin twoyears

Thecommission would assess thestate of natural-disasterinsurance markets, identifycoverage gaps, evaluate thefederal role in improving access andreducing costs, andreportbackwith concrete policy recommendations. Its membership would draw from theinsurance industry, stateregulators,emergency management experts, andacademic institutions.

Thecommission would also examine thefull landscape of risk-sharing tools, such as privatereinsurance, stateresidual markets, andcatastrophe bonds, to ensurerecommendationsreflectevery available option,including theprivatesector.The scopecoversthe full range of natural disasters Americans face:wildfires,hurricanes, floods, earthquakes,tornadoes, hailstorms, extremeheat, andwinter storms.

Thislegislation is endorsed by national groups including Americans for Financial Reform; BipartisanPolicyCenter; Coalition forSustainable Flood Insurance;EnvironmentalDefense Fund;Flood MitigationIndustry Association; NationalAssociation of Counties; andSmart HomeAmerica; manylocal groups arealso supporting.

GNO,Inc.has been at thecenter of theinsurance fight foroveradecade:

•In2012, GNO, Inc. formed theCoalition forSustainable Flood Insurance in response to theBiggert-Waters Act, which threatenedtospikeflood insurance premiums forhundreds of thousands of Louisiana homeowners

•Thatcoalition drovepassage of theHomeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act, which passed theHouse with 306votes andcleared theSenate 72-to-1

•InJanuary2026, CSFI released awhitepaper concluding that, at aminimum, Congressshouldauthorize astudycommissiontoevaluate options and recommendanappropriate intervention

•InFebruary 2026, Rep. Carter andSen.Whitehouse held aroundtable on insurance affordability at GNO,Inc.’soffice,convening regional leadersfrom banking, mortgage lending,homebuilding, affordable housing,and resilience organizations. Acongressional commissionwas theconsensus next step

•H.R. 8439 is thatnextstep

Thankyou to all ourpartnersfor helping to keep GreaterNew Orleans andthe nation safe andaffordable

VieMed posts $16.3M in net revenue in Q1

ViemedHealthcare, theLafayette-based company thatprovides in-home medical equipment and post-acute respiratory healthcare services throughout the U.S., reported an increaseof$16.3 million in net revenueinthe first quarter compared with ayear ago. The company reported $75.4 million in netrevenue as of March 31, according to its earnings report released Tuesday.That amount is up 28% from ayear ago. In the firstquarterVieMedrepurchased and canceled 150,000 common shares under its sharerepur-

chaseprogramatacostof$1.4 millionexcluding taxes, representing an average buyback price of $9.29 pershare.

Ventilatorpatient countwas at 12,089 as of March 31, up 2% from ayear ago. Its PAPtherapy patient count rose to 35,938, up 57% from ayear ago, and its sleepresupply patient count was 33,661, up 47% a yearago It reportedacashbalance of $9.8 million.

“The first quarter showed clearly that thework we have put into diversifying and scaling this platform is paying off,” CEOCasey Hoyt said.“Sleepand maternal healthare growing rapidly,our

BUILDINGPERMITS

Issued April 29 to May5

Commercial alterations

SPA: 3810 Ambassador Caffery Parkway,Suite 500; description, site of a Woodhouse SpaLafayette in former therapyoffice; applicant, DXUInc.; contractor, Chase Group Construction; $800,000

APARTMENTS: 200 OakCrest Drive, description, work at a unit at The GenesisLafayette apartments; applicant and contractor, Acadiana Construction Group; $110,000

OFFICE: 500 Acadiana Hills Lane, description, work for Willow Wellness and Recovery; applicant and contractor, Keith BatesConstruction; $200,000.

RESIDENTIAL: 407 COCircle, description, none listed for building at Housing Authority of Lafayette; applicant and contractor, Ark-La-Tex General Contractors; $60,000.

RESIDENTIAL: 519 CO Circle, description, none listed for building at Housing Authority of Lafayette; applicant and contractor, Ark-La-Tex General Contractors; $60,000.

RETAIL: 1519 Ambassador Caffery Parkway,description, none listed; applicant, El Antoja Snacks; contractor, Eduardo Sanchez;$4,000.

Newcommercial

GAS STATION: 206Ambassador Caffery Parkway description, newgas station; applicant, GuilloryOil;

contractor, I. Mark Builders; $3.1 million. CREDIT UNION: 1820 Camellia Blvd description,OnPath Federal CreditUnion building; applicant,State Permits Inc.; contractor, Noble Construction Management; $4 million. Newresidential 607 PARKLANE ROAD: Dakota Page, $558,500. 315 HARVEST CREEK LANE: Overton Homes, $432,375. 407 JUDICE LANE, DUSON: DSLD,$305,125. 115 GUN RUNNER DRIVE, CARENCRO: Manuel Builders, $265,625. 509 GREYFORD DRIVE: CJS CustomBuilders, $717,375. 107 CRESCENT ROW, BROUSSARD: DSLD,$99,600. 101 AUTUMN ROW, BROUSSARD: DSLD,$99,660. 106 CRESCENT ROW, BROUSSARD: DSLD,$111,060. 104 CRESCENT ROW, BROUSSARD: DSLD,$111,480.

102 CRESCENT ROW, BROUSSARD: DSLD,$106,740.

100 CRESCENT ROW, BROUSSARD: DSLD,$125,520.

104 HEIRLOOM ROW, BROUSSARD: DSLD,$111,480.

706 SUMMER ST., BROUSSARD: DSLD,$111,480.

321 FERN GROVE, YOUNGSVILLE: Blue Wing Builders $419,000.

302 APPLEBYWAY,YOUNGSVILLE: DSLD,$148,500.

501 BRECK AVE.,YOUNGSVILLE: DSLD,$142,320.

BUSINESS BRIEFS

ventilator business is showing the momentum we have been working toward, and the combination of strong revenue growth and amore capital-efficientbusinessmix is producing free cashflowresults that look fundamentally different thanthey did ayear ago.” VieMed’sstock closed at $8.52 Wednesday,upfrom$6.42 one year ago.

Data: It’s more costly to buythan rent in Lafayette

It’sstill more expensive to buy a home thantorent one in the city of Lafayette and Lafayette Parish, but thegap is closing.

Fool’sTake: Recession-proofstock

Data from Construction Coverage,which compiles data forthe real estate industry,shows that gap between the median mortgage payment of $1,392 and the median rent of $1,340 this year is $52, down from about $200 in each of the past twoyears.

The difference in the city of Lafayette is about the same —$48 higherfor amortgage ($1,327) than to rent ($1,279), down about $150 from each of the past two years.

In neighboring parishes, it’sa different story,data shows. Iberia Parish ranked seventhofthe nearly 1,300 parishorcounties surveyed in the favorability to buy than the rent.

Motley Fool recommends WM.)

There the median mortgage payment of $783 is 33.1% less than the median rent of $1,171. In Acadia Parish,the median mortgage is $862,which is 28.2% less than the median rent of $1,200. In St.LandryParish, themedian mortgage is $749,which is 18.6% lower than the $921 median rent. Buying now costs about 20% more than renting across the country,the report indicated. Yetina smallgroupofcities, primarily in the South andMidwest, it costs more to rent. The report used data from Zillow’shomeand rent reports, census data and Freddie Mac’smortgage survey

Motley Fool

If you’re worried about arecession, perhaps due to global economic and political turmoil, you might want to focus your stock investing on companies that tend to stand up well no matter what the economy is doing. Garbage collection tends to be arelatively resilient business, so afine candidateisthe trash-hauling giant WasteManagement (NYSE:WM),which has been rebranding itself as WM.

WM has NorthAmerica’slargestdisposal network and collection fleet. It’s the largest recycler as well, and aleader in producing and using renewable natural gas. The company also provides regulated medical waste and secureinformation-destruction services. Itsvertically integrated assetnetwork of 506 waste transfer facilities,262 landfills, 105 recycling facilities and 18 medical waste incineratorsgives it unmatched scale in the industry.

WM’strash hauling and recycling businesses generaterobustcashflow Lastyear,itproduced $6 billion in net cashflow from operating activities (up 12.1% from 2024). It’sallocating thatcashflow to growing itsbusiness and shareholdervalue: It spent $400 million to acquiresolid waste and recycling businesses lastyear.It’salso investing billions in sustainability growth projects.

WM increased its dividend by 14.5% late last year,extending its growth streak to 23 straight years. Its dividend yield was recently 1.5%. (The

Fool’sSchool: Returnonequity

If you want to learn how to study and evaluatecompanies as possible investments, you should learn about various measures that will help you see how well acompany is performing or how financially healthy it is. It can also be informative to compare acompany’s resultswiththose of other similar companies.Here’sanintroduction to return on equity ROE is arelatively simple ratio one number divided by another.To calculateit, you’ll divide acompany’s “netincome” by its “shareholder equity.”Both figuresare found in the company’sfinancial statements. We’ll explain howtodothe math next, but youcan find ROEs calculated for you at some financial sites.

Net income typically appears near the bottom of the incomestatement (which might be called the statement of operations,statement of earnings or profit and lossstatement). It reflects the company’sprofit after all expenses have been subtracted from its revenue. To calculate ROE, you’ll need total net income over the past four quarters (orover aparticularyear).

Shareholder equity appears on the balance sheet.It’sthe result of subtracting totalliabilities from total assets. If you’re looking at aquarterly report, youcan approximate an annual amount by averaging the latest shareholder equityamount and the amount ayear earlier Divide net income by shareholder equity, and voilà —you have return on equity. Here’sanexample: Coca-Cola’s net income for 2025 was$13.1 billion, and its average shareholder equity over the year was$28.5

Fewindustriesdependonsuchavastarray of raw materialsand high-techproducts, or have such complex business relationshipsamongsuppliers,designers, vendors, or contractorsasthe construction industry

JonesWalker’sConstruction Team helpsclients from across theindustrymanage allofthese moving parts

We understand thecomplexdynamicsbetween —and theuniquepriorities of —industryparticipants andcraft solutions that minimize disputes,manage risks,and help keep projects moving from conception to completion

Ourclients’projectsare equallydiverse andinclude major infrastructure, manufacturingfacilities andplants,hospitals, marine facilities,and airports,aswellasthe products and services necessarytocomplete such facilities

Ownersoccupyapositioninconstruction disputes becausetheybearthe financial burden andrisks of projectfailure.Unlike contractorswho move on,ownerslivewith theresults foryears.Claimsmay come from contractors, subcontractors assertingliens or thirdparties alleginginjuryorproperty damage,often long aftercompletion.

Privateownersenjoy flexibility butface exposure,while public owners operateunder strict rulesproviding protections —ineither case,aprompt responseiscritical. Enforcing notice requirements,preservingdocuments, andrelying on contracts, insurance, and indemnityprovisionsgiveownersa defense, while contract enforcement andearly strategy protectbusinessinterests

Jones Walker is proudtohelpleadthe wayfor Louisiana’sconstruction industry as it navigates acomplex legal environment.

SMALL BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT

South Louisiana contractor is not trying to do it all

BY JONAH MEADOWS Staff writer

Just as the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic began shutting down the economy in March 2020, a trio of construction industry veterans decided to walk away from their steady jobs at an established general contractor and start up their own small firm.

It was nothing if not optimistic. But six years later, Trine Builders has eight employees, $12 million in annual revenue and a growing reputation for revitalizing historic buildings in New Orleans, a city with no shortage of 19th- and early20th-century structures.

Among the projects to the firm’s name are the renovation of a Warehouse District building on Julia Street anchored by Peche restaurant and several art galleries; the former Riecke Cabinet Works building on Tulane Avenue, which a generation of New Orleanians will remember as the Lighting Inc showroom; and, more recently, the multiphase renovation of Rayne Memorial Methodist’s Uptown campus.

“We don’t want to be one of those big general contractors where they’re just machines and they go after every single job and it’s about volume,” said Kyle Hebert, who cofounded Trine Builders along with Derek Gardes and John Segura.

All three had worked together for nearly a decade at Ryan Gootee General Contractors before launching Trine. Hebert, Trine’s projects partner, and Gardes, its treasury partner, subsequently bought out Segura, and now they each own half of the firm.

Trine has a deliberate way of approaching its projects, Hebert said. First, it only takes on private commercial work no public bids, no residential builds.

Plus, about 90% of its contracts are negotiated, rather than awarded through a hard bid process.

That means Hebert and Gardes are usually in the room before the designs are finalized, allowing them to collaborate with architects and

owners to ensure the project can remain within budget and on schedule from the start.

“We like to be very hands-on,”

Hebert said “We’re typically at every owner, architect, contractor meeting with the clients so that we can make decisions quickly It doesn’t have to go up the chain,” he said.

At any given time, the firm handles up to six projects, ranging in size from $500,000 to $10 million.

All field work and skilled trades are subcontracted out, while Trine’s staff handles project management and supervision. That means the small team has to wear a lot of hats as it competes for work against bigger contractors with larger staffs.

“I handle all the estimating, all

the pre-construction, as well as the field operations,” Hebert said.

“Where they have teams of estimators, and teams of people on the pre-construction side and then they hand it off to a team of operations and project managers.”

Building loyalty

Tony Gelderman, an attorney and real estate developer, was the developer on Trine’s first project and he has returned to the firm for two subsequent projects.

Gelderman was familiar with Hebert from before Trine’s founding. Hebert had been project superintendent for the renovation of Fidelity Bank’s headquarters, 353 Carondelet St., and Gelderman was a limited partner on the

project, which was beset by supply chain and other challenges during construction.

“It just became clear to me that he was sort of saving the day,” Gelderman said.

What the developer saw while attending weekly on-site contractor meetings for the project stuck with him. He described Hebert as unflappable, organized and straightforward, someone good at dealing with people.

“So when I heard that he was going out on his own to start his own firm, I thought, ‘Well, I’ve got to try them,’” Gelderman recalled.

That relationship led to Trine’s first project, a renovation of Gelderman’s building at 450 Julia St., the Peche restaurant building.

They teamed up a second time for the exterior restoration of the 36,000-square-foot former home of Riecke Cabinet Works. That work, which involved uncovering the building’s original 1924 facade, restoring its steel windows and shoring up the structure, earned the development team a 2024 Excellence in Historic Preservation award from the Louisiana Landmarks Society For the next stage of the building’s development, now in its design phase, Gelderman selected Trine again over proposals from two other two contractors. Work on the $3.5 million interior buildout is expected to begin soon to convert the second floor to artist lofts and the first floor to light industrial and commercial uses. Trine is also engaged on several other projects around town,

including the Rayne Memorial renovation, an office renovation in the downtown Hancock Whitney Building and a pair of projects on Magazine Street — one turning the former Uptown Pharmacy into a restaurant and another turning a former Popeyes into a suit store.

Though Trine has continued its steady year-on-year growth, it isn’t easy When managing historic renovations in New Orleans, the unexpected becomes routine, from crooked columns and century-old artifacts to underground fuel tanks and streetcar lines.

“Feels like every time we dig into the ground to start doing new foundations, we find new things,” Hebert said.

With such a small team, Trine has limited room for error One bad hire or one project that goes sideways can throw a wrench into the whole operation.

Still, Trine is looking to continue its steady growth and is exploring an expansion into the Baton Rouge market.

“We’re not trying to be this massive, $100 million firm,” Hebert said. “Find out what you do well and don’t try to do it all.” By targeting projects up to $10 million and limiting its focus to private commercial work, Trine has carved out a fruitful niche for itself in the New Orleans area without overextending itself.

“Find out what you do, do it well,” Hebert said, “and don’t try to do it all.”

Email Jonah Meadows at jonah. meadows@theadvocate.com.

Mind your health

Doctors discusswhatLouisianans

should know abouttheir brains

BY MARGARET DELANEY Staffwriter

Stay socially connected. Decrease stress.Get enoughsleep Eat realfood.Have purpose. While it sounds relatively basic, these “five pillars of healthy brain aging”havelong beencirculated as the besttoolsfor longevity nutrition, physical activity,social engagement, cognitive stimulationand purpose.

But, the definition of brain health hasalways been fluid, according to Dr James Rini, abehavioral neurologist whospecializes in memory and cognitive disorders at the Ochsner Neuroscience InstituteinNew Orleans.

tial patients to theright treatment trials and research studies,hopes to build an “adequate” team and system to identify andtreat patients who qualify forcognitive treatments.

“We’re at an inflection point in neurocognitive care,”said Dr Karen Blessey, aprimary care physician for Ochsner Healthin NewOrleans. “Dr.Rini has been at the forefront of coming up with,ordoing the research, that is changing how we feel about dementia and cognitivedecline.”

“I think brain health is the ability to stayengaged,” Rinisaid. “It’show you as ahumanare part of agreater whole —not just your physicalenvironment, but your personal environments. How you achieve your long term objectives,yourdecision making, your relationships and your sense of purpose.”

Neurologists, or doctors of the brain likeRini, are battling a changing technological landscape, adwindling workforce and an influx of more treatable patients as medicineadvancesfor cognitive disorders anddecline.

Rini, who is working within Ochsner’ssystem to streamlinepoten-

Although Riniand Blessey areworkingto improve the state’s presence for brain disease, Louisiana still ranks among the nation’s worst statesfor cognitive decline.

Over 95,000 people in Louisianaare living with Alzheimer’sdisease. That’satleast one in eight adults.

“Weexpect this to increase with theour baby boomer generation. Probably an increase of 20% over the next five years,” Rini said. “Even though we areatthe bottom in terms of the problem in its current form, Ithink we have one of the best possibilities to actually solve the problem in theStates.”

Newinfusiontherapies

Thereare two mainproteins thought to interfere with thecom-

munication between brain cells in certain dementias —tau and amyloid.

Alzheimer’sdevelops when there is an excess of amyloid scar tissue, an abnormally folded protein thatbuilds up in everyone’s brain given along enough time period. People areliving longer, thereforeit’snot uncommon for amyloid proteins tobuild up in the brain.

“Everyone getsa little bit of amyloid,” Rini said. “Not everyone getsAlzheimer’sdisease.”

If too much amyloid develops, caused by viruses, bacteria, fungi or tumors,itcan clog thebrain’s drainage system and produce abnormaltau proteins. This dysfunctional tauistoxic to neurons, causing themtodie and brings on the thinking difficulties that underpin dementia.

“Weactually can’tdirectly stop tau,” Rinisaid. “Our goal is to go upstream of that —catching amyloids as early as possible before that cascading failure occurs.”

Allofthe biomarkers forAlzheimer’s, dementia andother brain aging diseases perform slightly differently in the brain. Certaintau proteins build into plaques, others form in blood vessels. All cause different brain diseases.

New IV infusion therapies —every two weeks for lecanemab and every four weeks for donanemab —target amyloid plaques in the

ä See MIND, page 2X

Close the doors, buckle up

Dr.Scott Hamilton says to ‘teach children early’ aboutcar safety

BY SCOTT HAMILTON Contributing writer

This is acolumn in aseries from Dr.Scott Hamilton, director of the Pediatric Emergency Department at Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Center,offering practical guidance on preventing and treating illnesses and injuries so kids can stay healthy and out of the emergency department.

Imagine you’re parked on the roof of athree-story building. You put the car in gear and drive off the edge. The ground rushes up in your windshield. The impact from landing off the building equals about a30-mph crash. Youprobably wouldn’tdrive off aroof yourself,though your teenager might say,“Hey y’all, watch this!” If you did, you would certainly put on your seat belt. Given today’sair bags and crumple zones, you would likely survive, though you’d be shaken up. This illustration showsthe forces involved in car crashes and reinforces that wearing aseat belt is agood idea. Many people don’texpect to be in acollision, and mostnewer vehicles do have seat belt alerts, but they don’talways prevent people from driving unbuckled or from buckling children correctly.And you wouldn’t drive off that roof with your children in the car Humans have anatural fear of falling from heights. Our ancestors developed that fear to survive and pass it on. That instinct is built into us.

Cars, however,have only been around forafew generations, not long enough to shape behavior the sameway.Understanding danger on the highway is moreintellectual than instinctive. And some, especially teens, don’trely on that judgment.

Parents must engage their brains. Put your kids in appropriate car seats. Teach children early,before the eye-rolling years, to buckle up before the car moves. Good habits are best learned early

Many times in the emergency room,after acrash involving unrestrained or improperly restrained children, parents often say,“We were just going to grandma’sdown the road.”

Most crashes happen within a fewmiles of home. Seat belts go on before the car moves, every time. Asimple checklist can help: makesure everyone is buckled, confirm doors are closed, put

ä See HAMILTON, page 2X

Animal-based products make way into cosmetics

Consumer interest in such products on the rise

BY AYA DIAB, AMY TAXIN and MELINA WALLING Associated Press

Bryan Vander Dussen spent years as a dairy farmer before shifting to selling farm-raised beef. In the past year, he and his wife have been making another transition: Cooking up recipes in their kitchen that turn organ fat from his animals into tallow balm that buyers are eager to slather on their skin.

One tricky bit: Coming up with formulas that don’t smell like pot roast.

“You see it everywhere, so we were like, ‘Why don’t we do this?’” he said. “Some of the feedback is, ‘We don’t want to smell like beef,’ so we add things like lavender and wild orange to kind of counter that potential beef smell.”

From moisturizers made with beef tallow to salmon sperm facials, consumers have become more interested in animal-based skin care products in recent years. Promoted as natural alternatives to synthetics, they’re gaining popularity across social media and high-end spas as well as at farmers markets and in home kitchens.

Some experts connect the products’ rise to an increased focus on the health impact of chemicals as well as pro-meat messaging from the Make America Healthy Again movement.

“There’s been a movement in the last couple of years to embrace animal-based foods,” said Norah MacKendrick, an associate professor of sociology at Rutgers University who has studied why consumers are worried about chemicals in their personal care products “I

think some of that is probably spilling over into the cosmetic world.”

Natalee Keenan, 31, said she was looking for natural skin care products when she decided to give tallow a try The first product she purchased felt beefy and heavy on her skin, but the western Pennsylvania woman said she recently found a whipped tallow balm scented with coconut that feels much lighter

“I use it sparingly,” she said, adding a tiny bit has been enough to keep her skin feeling smooth

Here’s what experts have to say about animal-based skin care, including cautions about a lack of medical evidence for their effectiveness.

The cosmetics industry moved away from many animal-derived ingredients decades ago amid concerns about animal testing and disease outbreaks like mad

cow, said Perry Romanowski, an independent cosmetic chemist who studies how skin care ingredients are formulated.

For years, those concerns, along with the rise of vegan beauty products, pushed many brands to avoid animal-based ingredients altogether. But recently, some of those materials have started to reappear in skin care products and are often marketed as natural alternatives.

Jamie Moody, founder of Sonoma Mountain Beef in Northern California, said she started making tallow products in an effort to reduce waste. “Since the trend toward clean products remains strong, I believe the market will continue to grow,” she said.

Vander Dussen, the California rancher, said he and his wife are “just kind of jumping onto the fad that’s already there.” He added:

“In today’s world, it’s very important not only what you are putting on your face but where it comes from.”

Kelly Pratt, who owns a spa in Tampa, Florida, said demand for treatments like salmon sperm DNA facials have surged because clients report improvements over time. Cassandra Hutchison, an aesthetician who gives the treatments at the spa, said the ingredient is intended to repair skin and keep inflammation down. She said it helps in hydration, making skin look healthier and repairing damage to the outer layer of skin that keeps moisture in and irritants out.

Prices vary, but a tub of tallow balm at Target costs about $15 more than a tub of petroleum jelly And while there are some salmon sperm products like masks you can apply at home, many have to be applied at a spa, which comes with its own costs. Still, that hasn’t

deterred some consumers, whose searches for terms like “beef tallow for skin” have jumped in recent years and remained higher than ever before, according to Google Trends.

Turning waste from an animal product into something people use is certainly an example of sustainability, experts said.

But neither beef tallow nor salmon sperm have robust medical data to support their effectiveness, said Dr Angelo Landriscina, a New York City dermatologist who has taken to social media to debunk what he sees as skin care misinformation.

Dr Heather Rogers, a Seattle dermatologist, agreed there’s no medical evidence that tallow on your skin is helpful. She said it can be rancid and hard to use, and additives to make it smell more pleasant can be irritants.

Romanowski, the cosmetic chemist, said consumers should keep their expectations realistic. He said only a few skin care ingredients, including retinol, a vitamin A-derived ingredient commonly used to reduce fine lines and wrinkles, and niacinamide, a form of vitamin B3 that helps with redness and strengthens the skin, have strong evidence behind them. Others, he said, may offer only modest benefits that are difficult for consumers to notice.

Corrin Dial, 32, owns Lowcountry Family Farms with her husband in South Carolina. Neither of them grew up farming, she said, but decided to try it after he got out of the Marine Corps.

Dial said she was looking for a natural balm for her baby about two years ago and decided to try whipped tallow She said she thinks many people are coming to it to avoid chemical products, citing one customer who had cancer and was told by her

doctor to be careful of anything she puts on her skin.

“A lot of people are moving away from the chemical stuff, they’re trying to get into healthy eating and using more products where they know exactly where it came from,” she said.

MacKendrick, the sociologist from Rutgers, speculated that mothers, who as a demographic have become increasingly aware of how chemical substances affect children, are driving some of the move toward animalbased cosmetic products.

“We find that mothers are making these decisions for the household,” MacKendrick said. “Buying cosmetics for children or personal care products for children is considered high-stakes work.”

Landriscina pointed out that ingredients like salmon-based skin care getting touted as “the hottest new thing” can be rooted in an idea that other cultures, especially in places like Korea, are somehow ahead of the curve or have more innovation in their skin care. That’s a bit different from the “back to basics” mentality that can draw people to ingredients like beef tallow But he said whether people are interested in something old or something new, their skin care choices should be rooted in evidence.

Romanowski said the beauty industry is under pressure to constantly introduce something new

“You should think of the cosmetic industry more like the fashion industry because you can only do so much with the shirt, right?” said Romanowski. “You can change the color, you can do some aesthetics thing, but it’s still a shirt and it’s the same thing with cosmetics.”

Diab reported from Tampa, Fla., Taxin reported from Santa Ana, Calif., and Walling reported from Chicago.

New board of directors officers picked at Woman’s Hospital

BY MARGARET DELANEY

Staff writer

Woman’s Hospital President and CEO Rene Ragas announced the newly elected board of directors officers in April. They will serve for the 2026-27 board year

Woman’s Board of Directors in-

cludes:

n Janet Olson as the chair, n Nick Speyrer as the chairelect, n Dr Shawn Kleinpeter as the secretary and treasurer Call out for research participants at Tulane Researchers from the Mary Amelia Center for Women’s Health Equity at Tulane University are looking for participants in a study on family planning and pregnancy among women in same-sex relationships. The study aims to better understand familybuilding experiences among sexual minority women in the U.S. South. Participants will be invited to take part in a 60-minute interview and will receive a $50 gift card for their time. Interested in participating? Contact lead researcher Dovile Vilda at dvilda@ tulane.edu. Free mobile dental clinics avaiable

from page 1X

brain to slow cognitive decline. Patients caught in the earliest stages of the disease get the most benefit, which means catching symptoms before it’s too late is essential in the current treatment landscape.

“Once major neurological losses occurred, there is, at this time, no way to reverse it,” Rini said. “We have no therapies that can regrow neurons. We have no therapies that can rebuild networks, systems or ways the brain functions.”

‘Improve your brain health’

There’s no one factor that determines brain disease — the onset or the progression. It’s a multitude of genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors. There are also no hard-andfast recommendations on when, or at what age, people should begin screening for dementia.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if some of that comes out in the next five to 10 years,” Blessey said. “But right now, it’s more self reported, family reported, or whether a clinician notices it.” While cognitive slowing is common as people get older, cognitive decline comes with its own definitions.

Lawton’s Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale was developed to assess more complex activities necessary for function-

ing in community settings like shopping, cooking and managing finances, according to the American Psychological Association. Patients with active cognitive decline typically lose these abilities before basic functions like eating, bathing, using the restroom — are gone “Ask yourself, if I left my aging parent alone for a week, a month, what would I worry wouldn’t get done?,” Blessey said. “That’s a pretty good indication of where someone is at in cognitive

decline.”

Lifestyle changes early in life can go a long way in preventing the brain from aging more rapidly Sleep has been identified as “one of the easiest to treat modifiable risk factors for late life cognitive impairment,” Rini said. Managing blood pressure, decreasing stress and getting out into the world keeps the brain “socialized” and “active.”

“Our culture always wants a pill or an easy thing,” Blessey said. “Put the phone

NOTES phones away Teen drivers are tougher Once they are driving alone, they are less likely to listen. Set clear rules early and reinforce them often: phones off and out of reach, no eating and no passengers. Some argue states should raise the driving age to 18 when judgment is better (Maybe?)

Ochsner LSU Health and Southern University Shreveport are teaming up to bring free dental care to the community through a monthly mobile dental clinic offering cleanings, fluoride treatments and consultations for all ages. The clinic runs every first Thursday at the Peggy Prescott Community Health Center, at 3810 Jewella Ave.

Health Notes is an occasional listing of health happenings around Louisiana. Have something you’d like to share? Contact us at margaret. delaney@theadvocate.com.

down. Get out of the pharmacy Go for a walk. Go visit your grandmother and learn

to knit with her If everyone did that, it would put us out of business.”

Join us on a health journey through 2026 with ‘BEYOND THE SCALE:

Continued from page 1X

Finally we often put teens in cheap old beaters that won’t cost much to fix after a fenderbender That may make sense financially, but those vehicles lack modern crash prevention and safety features. “You mean, put my reckless teen stunt driver in the newest, most expensive model just to get it bashed up?” It sounds counterintuitive, but a newer, safer car gives a teen a better chance of walking away from that rooftop-equivalent crash.

EatFit LiveFit

EatFit forthe mind: food forthoughtstraight from mom

Mostofusdon’thavetothinktoo hardtoremembersomethingour momusedtosaydowntothe exactwords,toneandeventhetimingofit.

Someofitmadesenserightaway. Someofitdidn’tlanduntilyearslater.And someofitstucksimplybecauseitwas repeatedenoughthatitbecamepartof howwethink.

Frommyownmom,therewasn’tjustone line;Itwasacombinationofhowshelived andwhatshesaid.

“Ifyouwantsomethingdone,don’t waitaround—figureitoutandmakeit happen.”Thatwasherapproachtopretty muchallthingsinlife.Butjustasmuchas sheemphasizedindependence,shewas equallyclearabouthowmuchsheloved thepeopleinherlife.Shedidn’tholdback.

“Iloveyoutothemoonandback, witheveryfiberofmybeing.”It’s somethingIheardthroughoutmylifeand eveninthelastconversationsIwasable tohavewithher.Shewasquicktosayshe wasproudandneverleftyouguessing whereyoustood.

ForMother’sDay,Iaskedfriends,family andcolleaguestoshareadvicethattheir mom,oramotherfigure,gavethatstayed withthem.Herearesomefavorites:

TheOnesWe HeardGrowingUp

Mymomalwayssaid, “Nevercookbaconnaked.” ShewasCajunFrench,raised inLafayette—practical advice,andstillrelevant.

JimUrdiales

Mymomwouldremindme toalwaysbekindtothe kidsyouwenttoschool with.Youneverknowwhen yourpathswillcrossagain.

AshleyMerlinGold

“Makeyourbedfirstthing inthemorning—you’ve alreadyaccomplished somethingbeforeyoueven leavethehouse.”It’ssucha smallthing,butmymomknew itsetthetonefortheday.

PeytonCherry

Onethingmymom impressedonmewasto neverfeelsorryformyself. She’dsay,“Ifyoufeel down,getupanddo somethingforsomebody else.”Shedidn’tjust sayit—shelivedit. GinnyWalkerShurds

TheOnesThat StuckLater TheOnesWeStill HearinOurHeads

Mymomwouldsay,“Try nottoarguewithsomeone, evenifyou’reright.The truthcomesoutintheend. Saveyourselfthestress.”

VivianDemarinis-Haik

IfIcomplainedabout something,mymomwould say,“Ifyou’renotpartofthe solution,you’repartofthe problem.”It’sstillsomething IthinkaboutwhenIcatch myselfinthatmindset.

CatherineCampanella

Mymomwouldsay “Show meyourfriends,andI’ll tellyouwhoyouare.”It madememoreawareof whoIspendtimewithand howmuchthatshapesme.

KristinaLarson

Itsoundedstrangetomeat thetime:“Don’tjudgeothers byyourownelbow.”Itwas mymom’swayofsaying, don’tmeasuresomeoneelse’s lifeordecisionsbyyourown perspective. DarleenCarlisle

Mymomtoldmebackinhigh school “Theanswerisalwaysno ifyoudon’task.”That’shelped mestepoutsidemycomfortzone multipletimessince.

LaurenBerry

Mygrandmotherusedtotellme, “Sitstilllongenoughtolisten —youranswerswillalwaysfind you. Atthetime,Ididn’t fullyappreciateit,butnow Iseeitdifferently JeannePowers(hergrandmother foundedthenearlycenturyoldBottomoftheCupPsychic ReadingsandTeaRoom)

“Itwillallworkout. WhenI starttogetoverwhelmedabout things,bothinandoutofmy control,sheisalwaysthereto remindmethateverythingwill landthewayitissupposedto.

CarriganChauvin

“NeversendadryChristmas card. Mymomwasemphatic thatyoudon’tjustsignyourname –addanoteandmakeitpersonal.

JaniceCulotta

Mymomusedtosay,“Ifit ain’tbroke,fixitanyway.” Hermindsetwastostay aheadofthings,andnever gettoocomfortable

TiMartin(hermom,Ella Brennan,wasthetrailblazingmatriarchwho transformedCommander’s Palaceintowhatitistoday)

Mymomalwaysemphasized handwrittenthank-younotes. Istillsendthemforholidays, birthdaysandanythingthat deservesacknowledgment.It wasimportanttohertoexpress gratitudeandrecognizeothers.

CurtisHerring

Mymompushedmetolearn howtocook.Shewantedme tobeabletotakecareofmyself andnotrelyonanyoneelse.

HankAllen

Mymomalwaystoldmeto dowhatmakesmehappyand followmyownpath,regardless ofwhatanyoneelsethinks.And forsomereason,Istillbelieve herwhenshesaidnottoshower duringathunderstorm.

AllieForeman

Noteverypieceofadvicewasperfect,andnotallofitmade senseatthetime.Butitcamefromsomeonewhopaidattention, wholovedusmorethanwecouldimagineanddidn’tholdback whenitcametotellinguswhatmattered.

Tuberculosis vaccineshows promise

Once-fatal diseaseevades treatment

BY KARL HILLE

BaltimoreSun (TNS)

The

BALTIMORE Tuberculosis infected more than 8million people in 2024 —surpassing COVID-19 and markinga record high since 1995 —as anew Johns Hopkins-developed vaccine emerges amid rising antibiotic resistance. The nasal spray,DNAbased vaccine targets two genes to help the immune system fight drug-tolerant

“persisters” thatsurvive prolongedantibiotic therapy andcontribute to relapse.

“Administered together with first-line TB drug therapy,our intranasal DNA fusion vaccine helpedinfected mice clear the diseasebacteria faster,reduced lung inflammation and prevented relapse after treatmentended,” said lead author Styliani Karanika, afacultymember of theJohns HopkinsCenter for Tuberculosis Research and assistant professor of medicine at theJohns Hopkins University Schoolof Medicine, according to a university website.

Delivering the drug as

BY THENUMBERS

anasal sprayfocuses the immune response on the mucus lining of the sinuses and lungs, where infections begin, she said.

Tuberculosis is an infectiousdisease caused by bacteria that typically infects thelungs after being spread by coughing, according to the World HealthOrganization. About 1.2 million people died from TB in 2024 among more than 10 million newinfections;roughly one in fourpeople worldwide carries the bacteria without symptoms, while 5-10% develop active disease. Babies andchildren are at ahigher risk of developingthe dis-

ease if they are infected. Common symptomsinclude prolongedcoughing, sometimes with blood, chest pain, weakness, fatigue, weight loss, fever andnight sweats. The disease is usually treated with antibiotics and can be fatal without treatment.

More studies are needed before any human clinical trials can be approved, but Karanika said work with rhesus macaques verified successful immune activation.Her team published theirfindings in theFeb.3 issueofthe JournalofClinical Investigation. The work was funded by National In-

stitutes of Health grants, Hopkins andothersources.

Tuberculosis is preventable and curable, the organizationstates, yetmultidrug resistant strains of TB are agrowing public health crisis.

DATA SHOWSHOW MANy ADULTS

Less than 62% of Louisiana adults see a dentist each year,placing the state at 44th in the nation for annual dentalvisits.

Oral health is avital component of overall health. Oral diseases liketoothdecay,cavities and gum disease are common in adults and can cause pain, tooth loss and infection if left undiagnosed or untreated.

Poor oral health care is worse in adults than in children:

n In Louisiana, an average 61.2% of adults receiveannual dental care and 78.6% of children receiveannual dental care.

n In the United States, an average 67.5% of adults receiveannual dental care and 80.2% of children receiveannual dental care.

Cost of care is the most common reason reported for adults not having visitedthe dentist within the pastyear,evenamong those with private dental insurance.

Tennessee, Kentucky,Hawaiiand more states passed legislation expanding Medicaid access andthe role of midleveldental professionalsso more dental professionals can provideroutine preventiveand restorativetreatmenttypically

only performed by dentists.

These parisheshad the smallestpercentage of adultswho visited adentist in the past year:

n East Carroll Parish with 38.7%; n Tensas Parish with 41.1%; n Claiborne Parish with 42.2%;

n Madison Parish with 43.5%;

n Bienville Parish with 44.8%;

n Morehouse Parish with 45.3%;

n EvangelineParish with 45.5%;

n Concordia Parish with 46.6%;

n St.MaryParish with 48.4%;

n AvoyellesParish with 48.5%;

n Franklin and Webster parishes with 48.8%;

n RedRiver Parish with 48.9%

These parishes had the highest percentageof adultswho visited adentist in the past year:

Astrokeoccurswhenabloodvesselinthebrain“clogs”up,deprivingbraintissueofbloodandthenutrientsitneeds. BEFASTisahelpfulacronymtorememberwhengettinghelpforsomeoneexperiencingastroke,becauseeverysecondcounts.

Istheperson unabletomaintain properbalance?

Istheperson’s visionaffected? Aretheeyes deviatedtooneside?

Doesonesideof thefacedroopor isitnumb?

Isonearm weakornumb?

Stroke facts:

Isspeech slurred?

Ifapersonshowsanyof thesesymptoms,evenif thesymptomsgoaway, call911andgetthemto ahospitalimmediately.

Fromsymptomstotreatments,it’simportanttoknowthefactsaboutstrokes.

Astrokecanhappenatanyage.Aquarterofstrokesoccurinpeopleyoungerthan65,andasmanyas10%ofstrokepatientsareyoungerthan45.

Strokesaffectthebloodvesselsintheneckorbrain,whichiswhythey’realsocalledbrainattacks.

Somepatientsdescribethepaintheyexperienceduringastrokeastheworstheadachethey’veeverhad.Butnotallstrokesaresignaledbya headache.

About85%ofstrokescanbetreatedwitha“clot-busting’’drugcalledtissueplasminogenactivator(tPA),butitmustbeadministeredwithin threehoursoftheonsetofthestroke.InOchsnerspecializedfacilitiessomeoftheworstkindsofstrokescannowbetreatedupto24hoursfrom whenthesymptomsbegan.

Upto80%ofstrokescanbeprevented.

Whenalovedoneexperiencesastroke,itcanpushyouintounfamiliarwaters. Thesesixessentialtipscanhelpyounavigatenewresponsibilities.

Becomestrokesmart

Committolearningallyoucanaboutstrokesandtreatments.

Gettoknowthecareteam

Establishaconnectionwiththedoctorsandnursesoverseeingyourlovedone’scare.

Advocateforrehab

Acornerstoneofstrokerecoveryisawell-structuredrehabilitationprogram.

Writeitalldown

Documenteveryaspectoftreatment.Viewappointmentsummariesandtestresultswiththe MyOchsnerapp.

Createasafeplace

Preparingasafelivingenvironmentforthepatientisessentialafterahospitalstay.

Helppreventanotherstroke

Lifestylemodifications,includingexerciseanddiet,canreducetheriskoffurthercomplications. ProgramssuchasOchsnerTeleStrokecanbealifelinetopatientswhodosufferastroke TeleStrokeallowsdoctorsatdozensofhospitalsinLouisianaandMississippitoconsultOchsner vascularneurologistsviavideotechnology.Thisaccesstospecialistshelpskeeppatientssafeand reducestheneedtotransferthemoutoftheircommunities.

47 hospitals and more than370 health and urgent care centers.Ochsner

Controlyourbloodpressure. Highbloodpressureisamajorrisk factorifleftuntreated.

Askyourdoctoraboutatrialfibrillation(Afib), anothermajorriskfactor.Afibsymptomscan includeheartpalpitations,lightheadedness, dizzinessandshortnessofbreath.

Stopsmoking.Ochsner’sfreeSmokingCessation Programcanhelp.Learnmoreatochsner.org/quit. Limitalcoholuseoravoiditcompletely. Manageyourcholesterollevels. Getregularexerciseandfollowahealthydiet. Gettreatmentforcirculationproblems.

Controldiabetes.TolearnhowtheOchsnerDigital Medicineprogramcanhelpyoumonitoryour diabetesfromthecomfortofyourownhome, visitochsner.org/digitalmedicine.

stronger communitiesthroughexpertise,qualityanddigitalconnectivity.In2025,morethan40,000dedicatedteammembersand5,000employedand affiliatedphysiciansatOchsnercaredformorethan1.6millionpeoplefromeverystateinthenationand65countries.Tolearnmoreabouthow Ochsnerempowerspeopletogetwellandstaywell,visitwww.ochsner.org

FULL OF LIFE

BY LAUREN CHERAMIE Staffwriter

Before awoman strides up the grand staircase to the Parlor Room at The Country Club of Louisiana, she knows she’satthe right place for anight at the 5to9 Clubbythe sight of the 300-pound sequined, ruffle-adorned wooden birthday cake at the foot of thestaircase

The call of the discoballisn’tfar.And neither is 5to 9 Club founder Alyssa Lundy,who is releasing her inhibitions on the dance floor to Shakira’s “Hips Don’tLie” during the April night out. Last year,Lundy started thewomenonly sober club in Baton Rouge that runs from 5p.m. to 9p.m. to offer women areprieve from adult responsibilities and emotionalburdens. Once amonth on Tuesdays,the ladiesgather to dance unapologetically,talkcomfortably and take pride in their girlhood at the beach club-inspiredparty

“It givesthem anight to themselves, once amonth, where they cansay,‘To hell with therestofthe world. If it’s all going to s---, I’mhaving my night outwith my girlfriends. I’m gonna go dance to allmyfavorite tunes from the ’70s,’80s,’90s,2000s.Ican sing my heart out. Ican dance,’ ”said Lundy, whose full-time jobisowningamarketing company calledWho Multimedia and Design. Amidst cheering and whooping, songs like ABBA’s“Dancing Queen” andPitbull’s“Fireball” boomed through thespeakers at theCountry Club of Louisiana— which Lundy’s father, John Miller,helped establish in 1986. Lundy saysher father’sgoal was to open aspot where everyonewas welcome. She wants her club to exude thesame message Women25and older areinvited to show up in theirmost dazzling outfit or arrive straight fromwork.Come aloneorwithfriends.There is no right

or wrong way to do it.

“It’s judgement free. So,you can just come as you are,” said Melissa Dronet, aparticipantwho hasbeentoalmost every5 to 9Club event. “You’re getting to go out and have girltime.”

Dronet, amom of a28-year-oldson, hassince recruited other friends to joinher at the club,including people from her church, Healing Place. At theAprilevent, afriend droveinfrom New Orleans to join her.Since the club servesmocktails only,there’s no hesitation about driving back after the night ends It was important to Lundy that her club be alcohol-free, because she lost oneofher best friends to alcoholism In honor of her, this club is asafespace where women can come to dance the stress away.There are also “listening tents” for group discussions with afacilitator to talkabout grief or mental health. Consider anight of dancing as a night of self care. In 2024, the National Institutes of Healthpublished astudy that found that the supportive nature and partnership of dance “enhances participant enjoymentand provides social engagement, accountability and psychological relaxation which may assist with managing mental disorders, such as anxiety and depression.”

The 5to9Club is also alow-stakes way to network and meet newfriends Marcie Burns, who was oneofthe vendors at theApril eventwith her custom hat company GypsyLane 225, saysthe club is away to connect with adiverse group of women in thecommunity “Everyone is heretohaveagood time. And we do,” Burns said. “It’suninhibited.” Other vendors included EverGlow PermanentJewelryand art from Lundy’smom, Nancy Miller,who was also giving out “fake fortunes.” She says she is most proud of her

JanRisher

LOUISIANA AT LARGE

‘Wewere made for this’

This spring, for the first time in my life,Itaught ajournalism class. I’ve taught writing and English in avariety of settings for more thantwo decades. But journalism, it turns out, is its ownanimal. At some point early on in the semester,I decidedI needed to try to teach themabout how journalism demands acertain level of awkwardness.

So,Iset atimerfor 12 minutes andtoldthe 20 students in the LSU Manship School’smedia writing classthat—working together,insmall groups or individually —theyneeded to leave the room andreturn with at least 20 strangers willing to give me a high five Iwantedthe assignment to simulate oneofjournalism’s most basic —and most human —requirements: walking up to people youdon’t know and asking something of them.

The secondthe word “Go!” left my mouth, astudent named Mya on the front rowjumped to herfeet,grabbed the hand of the friend sitting beside herand said, “Come on!Weweremade for this!”

Twelve minuteslater,the class hadtheir 20 high-fives.

Truth be told, Iwasn’tsure what to expect from aroom of mostly freshmen anda few sophomoresinthe spring of 2026. Most of themwerebornin2008. Forreference, the first iPhone was released in June 2007. These students grewupentirely online.Conventional wisdom would suggest that they might notbeparticularly interested in connecting with the humans around them.

Conventional wisdom would be wrong.

Spectacularly wrong.

My students came from Chicago, New Jersey, New York, New Orleans, LosAngeles, Dallas, SanDiego,Atlanta,Shreveport, Plaquemine andJena. They landedwith me in aclassroom with an iconic view —itlooks out over TigerStadium.

Theygot to work.

TheylearnedAPstyle and basic grammar Idid my best to teach them howtorecognize astory worth telling.

Theywrote profilesand featuresthatran the full range of curiosity.One student reported on the instructorwho teaches atwerking classatthe campus recreationcenter. Another wrote aboutthe ecological valor of Louisiana’s mangroves. They also hadtointerviewand do profiles of each other. Theyworkedhard. They found andtoldgood stories. But what surprisedmemost wasn’ttheir work.

It was them. We laughed—a lot. There were even afew tears. Students who hadnot met when the semester beganwere, by April, the kind of friends who grab each other’s hands without thinking. In my experience as ateacher,that doesn’talways happen.

But when it does,the whole room knows it.

Last week, we had our final class. Alastclass can be bittersweet —there’s relief that the semester hasreached its end, yes, but it also marks the last time thatparticulargroup of people will ever gatherinthatparticularroom. We tend to take for granted the simple fact of being together of showing up week after weekto the same chairs, the same faces. Those moments feel ordinary

INSPIRED DISCUSSIONS

ASK THE EXPERTS

Acadiana leader makes volunteering a life calling

College students inspired to help around the city

BY JOY HOLDEN Staff writer

Lafayette native Julie Lafleur, University of Louisiana at Lafayette alumna and current AmeriCorps program director, has been volunteering in Acadiana since she was in college herself. Now she leads college students to participate in volunteering around the city — education with New Hope Lafayette, the environment with Moncus Park and construction with Habitat for Humanity Lafleur’s journey with AmeriCorps began with volunteering at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Acadiana for two years, and when she returned to the university to get a second degree, she reunited with AmeriCorps in 2002 and tutored elementary students. AmeriCorps members also do additional volunteer hours, and Lafleur has spent many hours volunteering at Catholic Charities of Acadiana’s St Joseph Diner, a local soup kitchen. After graduating with her second degree, Lafleur served on the Volunteer Louisiana Commission. She has continued to work in the nonprofit sector and social services for 20 years. She currently volunteers with St. Barnabas Epis-

In celebration of Arbor Day, representatives from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Office of Sustainabilty, UL Americorps and UL Facilities Management plant a live oak tree in front of the Whittington-Guerniere

copal with nursing home bingo and The Inn Bread Crew Lafleur also serves on the planning committee for the Women’s Creative Process Retreat and on the board of Earthshare Gardens. What does volunteering in Acadiana mean to you? I want to give to the community while I can. I’m a behind-the-scenes kind of person, so I don’t need to be in the front leading. I do a lot of work that a lot of people don’t know about because I don’t need the recognition, and I don’t want the recognition. I

want to just help other people.

Can you tell us more about your willingness to be behind the scenes working toward solutions?

I see myself as a leader, of course, but I also see myself as a cheerleader I don’t need to be leading, and I can if everything’s going well and someone else is leading really well. I can cheer them on. In being behind the scenes, you get the work done and you don’t need the accolades. Just getting the work done is important.

How do you stay motivated whenever community work can be physi-

cally and emotionally exhausting?

It can be tiring. I’ve worked for nonprofits for a long time, and you can get to that point of exhaustion. One of my assets is having learned over the years that you have to take time for yourself. You have to take personal time. There are some months where I’m volunteering a lot, and then I don’t volunteer for two or three months, and then I go back to it. It’s just knowing when to take that personal time. How else do you spread the word about nonprofits or volunteer opportunities?

Q&A WITH JULIE LAFLEUR

PROGRAM DIRECTOR

Julie Lafleur is a lifelong Acadiana volunteer and program director of University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s AmeriCorps program.

If there are any volunteer opportunities that I can pass along to our AmeriCorps students, then we do that in the office. They have their focus areas and their schedule of service work, but anything that we hear — from nursing home bingo to working in a garden to doing a cleanup somewhere to the local soup kitchen, St. Joseph’s Diner — we always like to pass them on to our AmeriCorps members. But also, if there are any volunteer opportunities that I think my friends might be interested in, then I pass that information along also. Do you find that there is a willingness in Lafayette to be involved in the community? I think all of Louisiana,

Continued from page 1y

grow a business, but this is how you grow community, even in your own social circles,” Miles said.

in every part of the state, people help each other. I can’t just say that it’s here because I believe it’s everywhere in the state What would you suggest people do if they want to get out and be more involved? What would be the first step?

United Way of Acadiana has a listing of organizations that are in need of volunteers. There’s everything from working with senior citizens to volunteering at a food bank or volunteering on a construction site with Habitat for Humanity Even filing papers in an office or answering the telephone can help organizations. It doesn’t have to be anything physical.

A lot of organizations have different fundraisers, and they always need clerical help or organizing the T-shirts or small things like that. There’s always someplace that needs help. It just depends on your interest and what your abilities are. But, in every community, there’s something that you can do, even small. Even small towns, they have places that you can volunteer Anytime you help someone else, you’re not thinking about yourself and your own situation. Email Joy Holden at joy holden@theadvocate.com.

Continued from page 1y daughter’s sense of adventure in starting the 5 to 9 Club.

“It’s a major step to saying you want to do this and then actually pulling it off,” she said. “She has worked so hard. I’m very proud of the children she has raised.”

The club is a family affair

Lundy’s son, James, is her business partner while her daughter, Evie, helps with the photo booth. From the sidelines, James says he has seen the women “let loose more” at the club.

First-time attendees Fredricka Miles and Shahidah Rahman said the event fosters community, just by music.

“I think it’s really important when women gather together anywhere, because this is how we grow Not just

Coworkers Lindsey Carlton and Stephanie Eberts were also first-time attendees. The two are therapists at Headspace Counseling & Recovery, which Carlton owns. Over Dua Lipa’s “Dance The Night,” Carlton said she was excited for the chance to put on her brightest pink lipstick for the occasion.

Here, the women talk about rediscovering their spontaneous, creative, playful sides — without self-consciousness or judgment.

“When’s the last time you got to get dressed up in sequins on a Tuesday?” Carlton said. “And the best part is that it ends at nine. Because we’re all ready to go to bed.”

Email Lauren Cheramie at lauren.cheramie@ theadvocate.com

until they’re over Then they feel like something. During our last class, I gave the students a little speech — something I wouldn’t have done a few years ago, but age offers certain permissions. I used one I told them that what they learned this semester was important but so were the relationships they built. I asked them not to let those fragile bonds dissolve through the blur of summer — that when they passed each other on campus or spotted a former classmate across a restaurant, they should stop and say hello, not walk past each other like strangers.

They’re young. They’ve grown up in an age that has worked to engineer awkwardness out of every interaction and created a lot of loneliness. But in this class, it felt like something cracked open. The students seemed to recognize the fun that embracing the awkward can bring. Mya thought she was talking about high fives and strangers and the mild terror of approaching someone in a hallway and asking for something. She was right about all of that. But she was also talking about the whole semester About this group of students from Chicago and Jena and San Diego who ended up, against the odds of geography and circumstance, in a classroom beside Tiger Stadium — and who, when asked to do something hard or uncomfortable or just a little absurd, jumped up and did it. Come on. We were made for this.

Email Jan Risher at jan.risher@ theadvocate.com.

Vets ride Bogue Chitto Mountain Bike Trail

BY JIM DERRY Contributing writer

Several years ago, Toby Cortez wanted to help find away for veterans to release stressand be able to better deal with anxiety and the aftereffectsofpost-traumatic stress disorder,orPTSD, the stress of remembering traumatic events.

Enter mountain biking.

And one of the better sets of trails for those interestedinthe sport can be found in Washington Parish in Bogue Chitto StatePark, just outside of Franklinton.

In fact, over the past fouryears, the state has transformed what used to be just “a couple of trails” into an entire park dedicatedto biking. It currently holds17miles worth of trails with areas for competitive biking, that include aprojumppark, aslope-style course, Enduro lines (steep, downhill trails) and aprogressive jump area.

Those who visit the park and use the trails don’thave to perform tricks or want to plunge 60 mph down asteephill.Infact, visitors don’tnecessarily need to be biking enthusiasts at all. Rather,itis aserene, isolated areasuitedfor those looking to get away from the everyday hustle and bustle.

That’swhy so many veterans find it aperfect spot to visit.

“My father-in-law is aveteran of Vietnam, and Isaw how much it was affecting his life and his spouse and everyone,” said Cortez, developmentcoordinator for the Northshore Off-Road Biking Association, who led developmentof the mountain bike trails atBogue Chitto.

Cortez said it was clear that something needed to be done for the vets, and mountain biking seemed just the answer

“Mountain biking is absolutely perfectly suited to be able tobring anyone —nomatter whether you’re able-bodiedordisabled out here and improve their mindset.Itcan do so in multiple ways, whether it be through companionship and camaraderie or with the sport itself. Youfind another mission. Youjust have another purpose in life when you get together and ride.”

Marine Corps veteran Carlos Pearce, of Covington, hasbecome aregular and is involved in helping coordinate tripsfor other vets.

Last month, he assisted in bringing in agroup of adaptive riders, many of whom have lostthe use of their legs. With the expansion of thepark,itisnow open to those who have special bikes and need wider trails.

After they’re done riding for the day,Pearcesaid groupmembers all huddle together to “cut up, cry, laugh” or do whatever else they want to do.

“Wehave alllived adifferent life than most, and it’s really tough to relate when you haven’tgone through it,” Pearce said. “When you’reabletotalk to someone who knows the pain —things you’ve seen and things you’ve done and thingsyou feel —it’sa relief.

Howitbegan

In 2019,afterdeciding that developing trails suitable for mountain biking wasthe way to go, Cortez roundedupsome investors and called on Lt. Gov.Billy Nungessertoexpand the trails at Bogue Chitto.Itwasn’t ahard sell.

By 2022, the expansion began with helpofa state bill that initially allocated$938,000 to the constructionand design, along withabout $500,000 in private investments.Since then, almost $4 million in public andprivate money has been spent on the trails and amenities.

Attendance at theparkhas nearly doubled on an annual basis over the past half-decade, from about 70,000 per yeartoanestimated 140,000-plus in 2025.

“When Itook office, they were going to close seven state parks because we didn’thave the money.I knewIhad to do something long-term,” said Nungesser,who, as partofhis duties, headsthe state’sDepartment of Culture, Recreation and Tourism. “We started looking at private-publicpartnershipstobring more people in,but also to make some money

“… If you look at thosetrails on the weekends,you’ll see mountain bikes, horse trailers and all kindsofthings,” he said. “Ithas

changed that community.”

In addition to increased park attendance and beautification of thearea, thesupport of local businesses hasalso significantlyincreased, and the park has become “aneducational resource” for the local homeschooling community Families nowuse the area as adynamic outdoor classroom to teach theirchildrenabout nature all thewhile being able to use the publicarea as an open source of physical education.

Cortez has made it his mission to continue to build Bogue Chitto into amulti-faceted destination that serves the region. Still, it is arespitefor veterans that Cortez seems to enjoy most.

“It’sapretty simple formula: Youcome, you ride, we cook, you eat,” he said.

To get moreinformation on theNorthshore Off-RoadBikingAssociation andthe biking trails, visitwww.norbatrails. org. More info on Bogue Chitto State Park can be found at the Louisiana State Parks website, www.lastateparks.com.

Realizeyourdreams...

FAITH & VALUES

La. churches find new life in publishing

Magazines sent around Mandeville and St. Tammany parish

BY BOB WARREN Staff writer

It hardly took a sales job to bring Karen Baker aboard Baker, the director of operations and stewardship at Mary, Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Mandeville, was chatting with Father Robert Cooper a priest at the church, at a conference in 2024.

The topic turned to the monthly publications some other Catholic churches around the country had been trying in their communities — magazines that share news of their congregations in ways that go deeper than the announcements and listings found in the traditional church bulletin handed out each week.

The two agreed that Mary, Queen of Peace could use such a publication.

And it wasn’t lost on Cooper that Baker was just the person who could get it off the ground: Before she jointed the church’s staff, she spent nearly three decades as an editor and writer at the Times-Picayune.

“I was excited about it,” Baker said. “It’s like the old days — just a different media format for me.”

Last September, the first edition of The Porch Light, a monthly magazine, hit some 1,800 mailboxes of the church’s parishioners in and around Mandeville and St. Tammany Parish

In doing so, it joined a growing number of churches around the country working with a Waukesha, Wisconsin-based company called Decided Excellence Catholic Media to print and distribute magazines specific to their communities. The company publishes and mails out magazines for more than 100 Catholic churches in 23 states.

Besides Mary, Queen of Peace, three other Louisiana Catholic churches partner with Decided Excellence: Sacred Heart of Jesus in Baton Rouge; Our Lady Queen of Heaven in Lake Charles; and Our Lady of Prompt Succor in Sulphur

“People love it,” said Jenny Morales, director of integration for church and school at Sacred Heart. “We get really good feedback on it.”

The Sacred Heart Parish Neighbors Magazine has been going for nearly three years now, and is sent to 3,000 homes.

While they serve a small niche, the distribution of the print magazines also gently bucks the idea that readers have abandoned the print format.

“We have to take a break from our phones sometime, right?” Baker says. “Print isn’t dead. It has to be well done.”

Here’s how it works: Baker works with a “staff” of five or six people who contribute stories

some issues of The

and photos. She and the others are always on the lookout for a parish family that other church members might be interesting in learning more about.

“Everybody has a story We want to find them and tell them,” Baker said Recent issues included a feature story about Bridget and Mac McGuire, a couple who grew up down the street from each other in Mandeville, rode the same school bus, became sweethearts as students at Mandeville High School and now, eight years later, are members of Mary, Queen of Peace along with their four children. Baker also wrote a column in one edition, called “Inside the Approach,” for the section of the West Causeway Approach on which the church sits, about her 30 years at Mary, Queen of Peace.

Another feature wrapped up the church’s annual Fleur de Fall fundraising gala. Cooper also has a “From the Pastor” column in each issue. There are also re-

Looking for La. faith

The newspaper is inviting ministers from across Louisiana — every faith tradition, every denomination, every corner of the state to contribute first-person columns on faith for occasional publication in the Louisiana Inspired section.

Topics are wide open, as long as they’re rooted in faith. Write about doubt, community or why ancient traditions still matter Write about what faith looks like in a flood zone, a small town or a hospital room. Write about why you do this work.

Columns should be 550–750 words, first-person, written for a general audience, original and unpublished. Submissions do not guarantee publication and will be edited for length and clarity Promotional content and attacks on other faith traditions are not a fit. Honest, personal writing about faith in Louisiana life is

To submit, email the following to Jan Risher at jan.risher@theadvocate.com:

n The completed column (550–750 words)

n A headshot

n A bio of no more than 100 words

n The name and address of your church or place of worship

n The best contact phone number for the minister (not to be published). Louisiana has always had a lot to say about faith. We’re listening.

ligious writings (“Forming the Faith Through Encounter: Catechesis of the Good Shepherd,” in the February issue), a church events calendar, and even a crossword puzzle. 12 Across is a stumper: “Catholic Social Doctrine is summed up in this number of basic themes.” (Answer: seven.)

While some of the content resembles what one might find in the church bulletins, the packaging — the glossy paper and big, colorful photos — sets it apart, Baker said.

“We want it to look like a magazine. Something that might sit on the table and people come back to,” Baker said. Baker collects and edits the material, then sends it to Decided Excellence Catholic Media, which designs, publishes and mails out each issue. If a church falls short on local material, the company has a supply of evergreen and seasonal content that can fill any gaps. For instance, The Porch Light carried a recent

story on page 11, “Charity and

Tolerance,” from Decided Excellence about a family desperately trying to keep their kids calm in a triple stroller while awaiting a Mass said by Pope Leo XIV in St. Peter’s Square. At Sacred Heart, Morales said Father Josh Johnson, the church’s pastor, stresses the importance of stories that illustrate the “church, school and neighborhood we serve.”

She said a four-person team is responsible for producing 11-14 stories each month. Initially that seemed like a mountain.

“But we usually have too much content,” she said.

Isaac Summers, director of business development and marketing for Decided Excellence, said the company’s rates vary depending on the size of the publication and the number of homes it is mailed to.

Baker declined to say how much Mary, Queen of Peace spends, but said, “It’s not a huge cost to us every month.”

The emergence of localized parish magazines comes at a time when media outlets are struggling to retain customers for their print products, with more and more publishing migrating to the web.

Baker ironically was at The Times-Picayune in 2012 when it made a digital push, cutting the number of days it delivered the newspaper She and numerous other employees saw their jobs evaporate with the change.

(Georges Media Group purchased The Times-Picayune and Nola.com in 2019, restoring daily newspaper delivery.)

Baker said it’s a bit like The Clarion-Herald, the archdiocesan newspaper but on a more local level.

She hears few complaints when the latest issue comes out, except when it doesn’t arrive. “People will call and say ‘I didn’t get one this month.’”

Email reporter Bob Warren at bwarren@theadvocate.com.

Program sends students on STEM trips

BY MIRIAM FAUZIA

The Dallas Morning News (TNS)

Editor’s note: This story was created by Miriam Fauzia for The Dallas Morning News.

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.

DALLAS On most days, the children’s adventure garden at the Dallas Arboretum hums with the chatter of curious kids.

But on one recent morning, the energy was dialed up even

higher

Dallas Independent School District students from 12 schools poured into the eight-acre garden, darting through its maze, studying the shapes of plant roots and experimenting with small wind turbines as they moved from one hands-on station to the next

“I learned about the solar system,” said Alan Baragan,

a fourth-grader at Montessori Academy at Onesimo Hernandez Elementary, who sat in the shade of the garden’s Exploration Center with his classmates. “That the Earth and the moon move at the same time,” but the movement can’t be felt, he said.

Students like Alan had been to the arboretum before. But for many, it was their first time there. Their visit came via a new program launched by Lyda Hill Philanthropies through the Dallas Education Foundation Called “Learning Voyages,” the program will give more than 48,000 Dallas ISD students — about 35% of the district’s total enrollment — the chance this spring to take part in field trips designed to reinforce classroom lessons with real-world science, technology, engineering and math experiences. The initiative removes many of the financial and logistical barriers that can make educational outings difficult for schools to organize. Students from grades 1, 2, 5

and 7 will visit destinations such as the arboretum the Dallas Zoo, the Environmental Education Center and the Perot Museum of Nature and Science.

“Our goal is to ensure that our students understand what STEM careers and opportunities are there,” LeVonue Brewster, executive director of academic enrichment services at Dallas ISD, said.

“We’re enriching their futures and lighting their beacons of hope for what could be.”

Research finds field trips help students be more engaged and do better academically A 2022 study of elementary school students found those who attended “culturally enriching” field trips — such as to an art museum, a theater performance or a symphony concert — earned higher grades, had better attendance and fewer behavioral issues than students who stayed on campus.

Dallas ISD plans to make the program available to all students in the 2026–27 academic

year, aligning with Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde’s broader effort to ensure students have access to meaningful field trips at every grade level.

Supporting Learning Voyages was a natural fit for Lyda Hill Philanthropies, said Margaret Black, managing director of the nonprofit, which has long prioritized expanding STEM learning opportunities and exposure for young students.

“Places like the arboretum, the zoo and the Perot, they spark curiosity for my own children,” Black said. “They’re reasons I feel lucky to raise my children in Dallas,” she said, adding that “tens of thousands of Dallas ISD kids are now going to be able to share the same space.”

Miriam Fauzia is a science reporting fellow at The Dallas Morning News. Her fellowship is supported by the University of Texas at Dallas. The News makes all editorial decisions.

SUNDAY, MAY 10, 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 — MinceMeAt: MINTSmeet: A finely chopped mixture, often used as pie filling.

Average mark 43 words

Time limit 60 minutes

Can you find 64 or more words in MINCEMEAT?

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

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

super Quiz

An unexpected finesse

Aclubleadwouldhavedefeated the contract but West had no reason to find that lead. He chose to lead a trump. South gave the play a lot of thought at trick one He had three possible finesses, but he did not consider the diamond finesse at first as he had no diamond loser. Why create one? He finally decided that it was the diamond finesse that gave him the best chance.

South won the opening trump lead with dummy’s king and led a trump to his nine. That drew the trumps and he led a diamond to the jack and East’s queen. East shifted to a heart, but South rose with his ace and led a diamond to the king.

He came back to his hand with the jack of spades and discarded dummy’s remaining heart on the ace of diamonds. He led the queen of hearts. West covered with the king, so South ruffed, led a spade to his ace, and discarded a club from dummy on the jack of hearts He lost two club tricks but made his contract. Had West played low on the queen of hearts, South would have discarded a

club from dummy. If East could take the king, the king of clubs would be protected from attack and the jack of hearts would have been used to discard another club later Nice sequence of plays!

Tannah Hirsch welcomes readers’ responses sent in care of this newspaper or to Tribune Content Agency inc., 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, Ny 14207. E-mail responses may be sent to gorenbridge@ aol.com. © 2026 Tribune Content Agency

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Emotions will lead to

poor me” syndrome take over Volunteering your time and skills will give you purpose. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Cut yourself some slack, and live in the moment. Reach out to people you enjoy spending time with, and together you’ll start a new adventure. Partnerships, plans and thinking ahead will lead to something new and exciting

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Simplify your life. Less is more likely to satisfy your soul. Take a timeout for self-preservation. Rejuvenation will help you get a sense of what’s important.

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

Identify the historical highlight that took place or began on the given date(s). (Example: 1492: A discovery Answer: Discovery of the Americas.)

FRESHMAN LEVEL

1914-1918: A war Answer________ 2. 1969: A first in space. Answer________ 3. 1939-1945: A war Answer________ 4. 2023: A coronation. Answer________ 5. 1941: A surprise attack. Answer________

GRADUATE LEVEL 6. 1914: The

with situations Choose kindness and consideration over demands and discord.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Keep busy

The more you do, the

you will feel and the less time you will have to let negativity set in and the

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Share your thoughts, and you’ll make a difference. A change will spark your imagination and encourage you to start a dialogue that will improve your lifestyle

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Stop dreaming and start doing. Be bold and passionate about life, love and the happiness you desire. Explore your creativity and the people, places and pastimes you feel passionate about.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Stop, look and listen before casting your fate to the wind. You can gain ground if you take proper precau-

tions, ask questions and get the lowdown regarding the possibilities. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Conversations will be misleading. Ask for proof, verify facts and refuse to take on a responsibility sight unseen. Take time to challenge yourself physically

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Stop and think before you speak. A sharp tongue will make you look bad, not the person you are directing your words toward. Change happens when you are willing to compromise.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Set your tone and your plans to suit your

needs. A social event will help expand your circle, engage in something different or encourage you to start a project that’s uplifting. ARIES (March 21-April 19) A strategic approach to life will help you maintain control. Reconnecting with someone from your past will make you realize how much you’ve grown. Let go of the past and move forward with grace.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2026 by NEA, inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

1. World WarI.2.Neil Armstrong is firstto set foot on themoon. 3. World WarII. 4. King Charles IIIiscrownedkingofthe United Kingdom. 5. Japan attacksPearl Harbor 6. Panama Canal opens. 7. The French Revolution. 8. The GreatDepression.9.The Korean War. 10. Launch of theHubble Space Telescope. 11.The holocaust (the Shoah). 12. The Black Death in Europe. 13. The beheading of CharlesI,King of England.14. Discovery of insulin. 15. The launch of Sputnik 1.

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: Istuck my head outthe window this morning and springkissed me bang in theface.—Langston Hughes