The Acadiana Advocate 05-18-2026

“Our

BY JA’KORI MADISON Staff writer

Lafayette puts out guide for using native plants in landscaping

The plants growing along streets, around public buildings and in front yards across Lafayette may seem like a small detail. But local leaders say they can play a major role in drainage, stormwater management and long-term maintenance costs

After years of relying heavily on ornamental landscaping, Lafayette officials are encouraging a shift toward native plants better adapted to south Louisiana’s climate and soil conditions.

That push led Lafayette Consolidated Government, local officials and Lafayette landscape designer Abbie Judice Acosta, owner of Tree Amis

LLC, to create a standardized Native Landscaping Guide. Originally designed for government projects, the guide is now publicly available for residents to use in their own yards and neighborhoods. The guide recommends that about 75% of plants used in new city proj-

ä See NATIVE, page 5A

BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer

Murrill at center of GOP efforts to reshape New Orleans

BY JAMES FINN Staff writer

In the span of less than a month, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill indicted New Orleans’ outgoing sheriff, threatened to remove eight of the city’s leaders from office and won a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case limiting the Voting Rights Act. Murrill’s office also notched several less high-profile arrests and convictions in that period: people accused of possessing child pornography, and a dancer who disrupted last year’s Super Bowl halftime show The intensive pace Murrill has set as Louisiana’s top legal officer

reflects her wide-ranging effort to reshape the Attorney General’s Office in her image. A Republican often discussed as a potential candidate for governor, Murrill wields the office as a do-everything juggernaut that seeks to implement her conservative vision at all levels of jurisprudence. “Many lawyers are afraid to bring certain issues to a decisionpoint for fear of making ‘bad law,’ ” said Stephen Gele, a New Orleans-based ethics attorney who has represented Murrill and Gov Jeff Landry Murrill “litigates issues to a conclusion,” Gele said. “That’s the only way to know what the law really is.”

Murrill has pursued criminal cases in greater numbers than past attorneys general, prosecuting corruption by public officials and child sexual abuse at prolific clips and across the state. Her deputies have defended controversial state laws, including a requirement that public schools post the Ten Commandments in classrooms, and sought to hasten death row executions at the federal appellate level. And she has pushed conservative positions on issues from social media to the historic voting rights case before the U.S. Supreme Court. But perhaps nowhere has felt the

ä See MURRILL, page 4A

10 random shootings leave 4 hurt in Austin

AUSTIN, Texas Two suspects were being sought in at least 10 random weekend shootings in Austin, Texas, including at fire stations, that left four people injured, the city’s mayor said Sunday

The city ordered residents of a large part of southern area of the Texas capital city to shelter in place Sunday while the search continues.

Austin Mayor Kirk Watson spoke about the shootings at a news conference and said an investigation continues.

The shootings occurred Saturday night and Sunday morning, two of them at fire stations, leaving one person with serious injuries and three others with minor ones, Police Chief Lisa Davis said.

Davis said the suspects appeared to be stealing vehicles as they traveled.

Police identified the suspects as Hispanic men in their late teens and released what appeared to be screenshots taken from video.

“We don’t have any specific motive that has been identified. In fact, these actions appear to be random,” Watson said. “It appears that as part of this, people are changing vehicles.”

Davis said at least four vehicles have been used by the suspects

Taiwan’s leader defends U.S. arms purchase

TAIPEI,Taiwan Taiwan’s president on Sunday stressed that arms purchases from the United States are “the most important deterrent” of regional conflict and instability, after President Donald Trump called into question continued U.S. support of Taiwan following his visit to China.

U.S. arms sales to Taiwan and security cooperation between the two sides are not only governed by law but also a catalyst for regional peace and stability, President Lai Ching-te said in a statement.

“We thank President Trump for his continued support for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait since his first term, including the continuous increase in the scale and amount of arms sales to Taiwan,” he said. His statement came days after Trump raised doubts over his willingness to continue to sell arms to Taiwan, the island democracy that China claims as its own breakaway province, to be retaken by force if necessary

The U.S., like all countries that have formal ties with China, doesn’t recognize Taiwan as a country but has been the island’s strongest backer and arms supplier Washington is bound by its own laws to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself and sees all threats to the island as a matter of grave concern.

Ukraine conducts drone strikes on Russia KYIV Ukraine One of Ukraine’s largest drone strikes on Russia killed at least four people, including three near Moscow and wounded a dozen others, local authorities said Sunday Debris fell on Russia’s largest airport without causing damage Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the drone strikes, saying that they were “entirely justified.” Russia has repeatedly launched similar attacks on Ukraine’s capital and other cities during the war, and an expert said that the strikes appeared to be retaliation for recent Russian attacks on Kyiv Russian drone strikes on Ukraine overnight wounded eight people, Ukrainian authorities said.

In Ukraine’s strikes on Russia, a woman was killed after a drone hit her home in Khimki, a Russian city just northwest of Moscow, and two men died in the village of Pogorelki, which is 6 miles north of the capital, according to local Gov Andrei Vorobyev Ukrainian drones had also damaged unspecified “infrastructure” and several high-rise buildings, Vorobyev said on social media.

One man was also killed after a drone struck a truck in the Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine according to local authorities.

Drone strikes UAE nuclear plant

U.S. and Iran signal they are prepared to resume war

BY JON GAMBRELL and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates

A drone strike sparked a fire on the edge of the United Arab Emirates’ sole nuclear power plant on Sunday in what authorities called an “unprovoked terrorist attack.” No one was blamed, but it highlighted the risk of renewed war as the United States and Iran signaled they were ready to fight again.

There were no reported injuries or radiological release. The UAE, which has hosted air defenses and personnel from Israel, recently accused Iran of launching drone and missile attacks.

Tensions have risen over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital energy waterway gripped by Iran, which is under a U.S. naval blockade.

“For Iran, the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them,” U.S President Donald Trump posted on social media shortly after a call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, whose attack on Iran with the U.S. sparked the war on Feb. 28.

Trump has repeatedly set deadlines for Tehran and

then backed off.

“Our armed forces’ fingers are on the trigger, while diplomacy is also continuing,” Mohsen Rezaei, a military adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, said on state television.

The ceasefire remains tenuous, with diplomatic efforts for a more durable peace having faltered. And fighting has heated up between Israel and the Iranbacked Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon despite a nominal ceasefire there.

The UAE Defense Ministry said three drones came over its western border with Saudi Arabia, with the other two intercepted. It was investigating who launched them. Iran and allied Shiite militias in Iraq have launched drone attacks targeting Gulf Arab states in the war

The attack, “whether carried out by the principal actor or through one of its proxies, represents a dangerous escalation,” Anwar Gargash, a diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, said on social media.

Saudi Arabia condemned the attack, and later said it had intercepted three drones that entered from Iraqi airspace.

The $20 billion Barakah nuclear power plant was built by the UAE with the help of South Korea and went online in 2020. It is the only nuclear power plant in the Arab world and can provide a quarter of the energy needs in the UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms that is home to Dubai.

The UAE’s nuclear regulator said the fire didn’t affect plant safety and “all units are operating as normal.”

The International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, said the strike caused a fire in an electrical generator and one reactor was being powered by emergency diesel generators.

It’s the first time the four-reactor Barakah plant has been targeted in the war Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels, whom the UAE has battled as part of a Saudi-led coalition, claimed to have targeted the plant while it was under construction in 2017, which Abu Dhabi denied.

The UAE signed a strict deal with the U.S. over the nuclear power plant, known as a “123 agreement,” in which it agreed to forgo domestic uranium enrichment and reprocessing of spent fuel to ease any proliferation concerns. Its uranium

comes from abroad. That’s very different from the nuclear program in Iran that is at the heart of long-running tensions with the United States and Israel.

Iran insists its program is for peaceful purposes, but it has enriched its uranium close to weapons-grade levels and is widely suspected of having had a military component to its program until at least 2003. It has often restricted the work of U.N. inspectors, including since the 12-day war with Israel last year Israel is widely believed to be the only nucleararmed country in the region, but has neither confirmed nor denied having atomic weapons. Iran struck near Israel’s Dimona nuclear facility during the war Nuclear plants have increasingly been targeted in wars in recent years, including during Russia’s fullscale invasion of Ukraine that began in 2022. During the Iran war, Tehran repeatedly claimed its Bushehr nuclear power plant came under attack, though there was no direct damage to its Russian-run reactor or any radiological release. Israel is coordinating with the U.S. about a possible resumption of attacks, said two people familiar with the situation, including an Israeli military officer They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing confidential military preparations.

WHO declares global emergency over Ebola outbreak

Congo and Uganda report at least 88 deaths

BY CHINEDU ASADU and SALEH MWANAMILONGO

Associated Press

ABUJA, Nigeria The World Health Organization declared the Ebola disease outbreak caused by a rare virus in Congo and neighboring Uganda a public health emergency of international concern on Sunday, after more than 300 suspected cases and 88 deaths

WHO said the outbreak doesn’t meet the criteria of a pandemic emergency like COVID-19, and advised against the closure of international borders.

WHO said on X that a laboratory-confirmed case has also been reported in Congo’s capital, Kinshasa, which is about 620 miles from the outbreak’s epicenter in the eastern province of Ituri, suggesting a possible wider spread. It said the patient had vis-

NALWADDA

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By HAJARAH

People wait to have their temperature taken on Saturday in front of Kibuli Muslim Hospital in Kampala, Uganda.

ited Ituri and that other suspected cases have also been reported in North Kivu province, which is one of Congo’s most populous and borders Ituri.

On Sunday, the rebel government of Goma eastern Congo’s largest city, said in a statement that the first confirmed case of Ebola was detected in the city

The infected person traveled from Ituri province and was currently under isolation, the statement said. Goma was the site of a rapid rebel offensive in early 2025, and the conflict between the Congolese armed forces and

the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel paramilitary group has displaced hundreds of thousands.

Ebola is highly contagious and can be contracted via bodily fluids such as vomit, blood or semen. The disease it causes is rare, but severe and often fatal.

WHO’s emergency declaration is meant to spur donor agencies and countries into action. By WHO’s standards, it shows the event is serious, there is a risk of international spread and it requires a coordinated international response.

In a separate statement

4 crew members eject safely after 2 Navy jets crash during air show

BY REBECCA BOONE and MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press

BOISE, Idaho All four crew members ejected safely after two Navy jets collided and crashed on Sunday during an air show at the Mountain Home Air Force Base in western Idaho, officials said.

The collision involved two U.S. Navy EA18-G Growlers from the Electronic Attack Squadron 129 in Whidbey Island, Washington, said Cmdr Amelia Umayam, spokesperson for Naval Air Forces, U.S Pacific Fleet.

The aircraft were performing an aerial demonstration when the crash happened, Umayam said in a statement. The four crew members from both

jets safely ejected and the crash was under investigation, she said.

The crew members were in stable condition, base officials said.

Nobody at the military base was hurt, said Kim Sykes, marketing director with Silver Wings of Idaho, which helped to plan the air show

“Everyone is safe and I think that’s the most important thing,” Sykes said.

The base said in a social media post that it was locked down immediately following the incident. The remainder of the air show was canceled.

Videos posted online by spectators showed four parachutes opening in the sky as the aircraft plummet to the ground near the base about 50 miles south of Boise.

The EA-18G Growler is a variant of the F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet with sophisticated electronic warfare systems.

Shane Ogden said he was filming the two jets as they came close together A video he captured shows the two aircraft appear to make contact and then spin in tandem as the crew members eject and their parachutes open. The planes then fall together, exploding into a fireball upon impact as the crew members drop to the ground nearby

“I was just filming thinking they were going to split apart and that happened and I filmed the rest,” Ogden said in a text message. He said he left soon after the crash because he did not want to get in the way of emergency responders.

on X on Sunday, the WHO Regional Office for Africa said that a team of 35 experts from the WHO and the Congolese Ministry of Health had arrived in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, along with 7 tons of emergency medical supplies and equipment.

The global response to previous declarations has been mixed. In 2024, when WHO declared mpox outbreaks in Congo and elsewhere in Africa a global emergency, experts at the time said that it did little to get supplies like diagnostic tests, medicines and vaccines to affected countries quickly Health authorities say the current outbreak, first confirmed on Friday, is caused by the Bundibugyo virus a rare variant of the Ebola disease that has no approved therapeutics or vaccines. Although more than 20 Ebola outbreaks have taken place in Congo and Uganda, this is only the third time that the Bundibugyo virus has been detected.

Congo accounts for all except two of the cases, both of which were reported in Uganda, WHO said.

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Trump administration promotes eligibility program

Critics fear a midterm voter purge

BY JOHN HANNA Associated Press

TOPEKA, Kan. — Even as Democratic officials fight the effort in court, the Trump administration has run millions of voter registrations through government databases to determine their eligibility in a process that critics worry could end up purging valid voters from the rolls before the November elections.

At least 67 million registrations, primarily from Republican-controlled states, have gone through a beefed-up verification program at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and tens of thousands of those have been flagged as potential noncitizens or people who have died. Some states allow only a month for people to prove their eligibility and others suspend it immediately

The scanning of state voter rolls at the national level is part of a broader effort by Republican President Donald Trump to federalize certain election functions and promote his messaging that elections are marred by noncitizen voting, even though instances of that are rare. Voting and civil rights advocates say the DHS system is errorprone and can mistakenly flag people who are eligible to vote.

“If a voter is wrongly removed, by the time they learn about it and correct it, they may miss their opportunity to vote in that election,” said Freda Levenson, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio. The group is challenging an Ohio law requiring monthly checks with the DHS system.

Voters such as 29-year-old Anthony Nel have been caught in the middle. The native of South Africa, who became a citizen more than a decade ago, was flagged as a potential noncitizen when Texas ran its voter file through the DHS verification system. Nel’s local election office in Denton, north of Dallas, temporarily canceled his registration last fall while he was waiting for a new passport to replace an expired one “I’m like, ‘You should know that I’m a citizen, that the passport exists,’” he said in an interview.

Entire voter rolls reviewed

Trump has been trying to overhaul U.S. elections, including calling for a federal list of verified vot-

MURRILL

Continued from page 1A

brunt of her efforts like New Orleans, where Murrill has emerged at the forefront of several Republican-backed efforts to overhaul local government.

Last month, Murrill secured criminal charges against Sheriff Susan Hutson on the eve of her departure from office. And then, after tangling for weeks with New Orleans leaders over a Republican-led effort to shrink the city’s courts, Murrill sharply escalated that feud by threatening to remove the mayor district attorney and a bulk of the City Council from office last week if they did not meet her demands. The letters were explosive The recipients said they would not back down. Some Republicans both publicly and privately questioned whether Murrill had overstepped.

“The attorney general is correct on the law,” said Laura Cannizzaro Rodrigue, a former Orleans Parish prosecutor and Murrill ally on the social media site X on her Bayou Mama Bears account. “That being said, is this battle strategic?” Rodrigue added that a race for a combined clerk of court seat that caused the scuffle would eventually happen, and that “the net gain here for the AG is small and temporary.”

Murrill became attorney general three years ago as Landry, her predecessor, stepped into the governor’s office Landry’s campaign pledge to “bend (New Orleans) to my will” had stirred anxiety among local officials of a largescale state takeover. But Landry, also a Republican, later showed a willingness to strike transactional alliances with Democratic local leaders, even as he has opposed some of them on issues like immigration and homelessness.

Though she has collaborated with local officials on crime-fighting, Murrill’s removal threats sharpened a growing feeling within political circles that the state attorney general — rather than the Cajun in the governor’s mansion is pursuing the state’s boldest effort in years at reshaping New

ers, and his Department of Justice has pushed states to hand over unredacted voter information for mass checks through the DHS program known as SAVE.

The Justice Department has sued states that refuse, saying the government is trying to ensure that they are complying with federal law and have accurate voter lists. States already take a number of steps to maintain the accuracy of their voter rolls.

SAVE, short for Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, was created under an immigration law mandating that DHS help federal, state and local agencies prevent government benefits from going to noncitizens. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, an arm of DHS, said more than 1,300 agencies use it.

At least 25 states have used SAVE to check their voter rolls since April 2025,aftertheTrumpadministration significantly expanded its search abilities, and 60 million registrations were checked in a year’s time, according to Citizenship and Immigration Services. That figure does not include an additional 7.4 million registrations from North Carolina, where Republicans control the state election board, that were recently run through the system.

Citizenship and Immigration Ser-

Orleans’ political leadership. Ryan Berni, a top adviser to former Democratic Mayor Mitch Landrieu, was reminded this week of a missive former Louisiana Gov Earl Long leveled at then-state Attorney General Jack Gremillion in the 1960s as Gremillion protested the newly-adopted Voting Rights Act. “If you want to hide something from Jack Gremillion,” Long said, “put it in a law book.”

“Sadly, Liz Murrill is worse, the most lawless attorney general in the nation,” Berni said. Murrill declined multiple requests to be interviewed for this story and her spokesperson did not respond to a list of emailed questions. Last week, a recall petition was filed against her in Baton Rouge.

“When you finally hold criminals and corrupt elected officials accountable, people get uncomfortable,” she said of that effort in a statement.

New Orleans clashes

Last month’s Supreme Court ruling in the Voting Rights Act case, Louisiana v. Callais, declared the state’s congressional map an illegal racial gerrymander Murrill received praise from national Republicans as the decision rekindled redistricting wars across the country

“No group of elected officials make a bigger impact than Republican AGs,” said Adam Piper executive director of the national Republican Attorneys General Association “RAGA is proud to have leaders like Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill among our ranks.”

The indictment of Hutson landed the same afternoon at New Orleans’ criminal courthouse.

Analysts say that prosecution could face challenges, given potential negative attitudes among prospective jurors toward a Republican official prosecuting a local Democratic leader Public corruption prosecutions are common in New Orleans’ political history but have historically been the domain of the local U.S. attorney Federal court draws jurors from a 13-parish district rather than from New Orleans alone.

Hutson’s charges are among a bevy of corruption indictments

vices said in an emailed statement that it is “committed to helping eliminate voter fraud” to restore Americans’ trust in their elections.

“SAVE is one of the most important tools states have to verify voter information,” Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab, a Republican, recently told a U.S. House committee examining how states keep voter rolls clean.

Schwab’s endorsement is notable because he once was publicly skeptical that noncitizens represented a significant voter fraud threat

Republicans cite SAVE searches

Citizenship and Immigration Services said the 60 million voter registration checks identified about 24,000 potential noncitizens

U.S. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who runs the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, said during a recent Fox News interview that those checks also identified about 350,000 people who appear to have died.

North Carolina’s State Board of Elections said its check had identified another 34,000 registered voters who are potentially deceased.

Even if all those eventually were verified as ineligible, they would represent small percentages of total registered voters. The figure for noncitizens would be about 400 for

Murrill has secured, including against a Baton Rouge council member and the mayor of Winnsboro, both Democrats. Some political analysts say her record of primarily indicting Democratic public officials raises eyebrows.

“This attorney general has chosen to be an activist criminal prosecutor,” said Robert Collins, a professor of public policy and urban studies at Dillard University “And that’s caused some people to question whether this is the office weaponizing its power to target Democrats for political purposes.

Murrill’s letters last week were not her first such warnings to New Orleans leaders. Late last year, she threatened local officials with criminal charges if they did not change a New Orleans Police Department ban on honoring federal immigration detainers.

This spring, state Republicans went on the offensive against New Orleans’ courts in the ongoing legislative session, where Landry backed a bill to dissolve the city’s criminal court clerkship and shift its responsibilities beneath the separate civil clerk’s office. Supporters called it a needed reform in the only Louisiana parish with separate civil and criminal legal systems, though the courts themselves will remain separated under the bill.

Opponents called the measure retaliation against Calvin Duncan, a former jailhouse lawyer who won the criminal clerkship in a landslide last fall despite Murrill’s opposition. She sent cease-and-desist letters to the campaign, ordering Duncan who spent decades in prison until a judge ruled him innocent of a murder that landed him there — to stop calling himself “exonerated.” Landry signed the bill eliminating Duncan’s job four days before he was to take office.

Moreno and District Attorney Jason Williams responded by asking the City Council to call a special election for the newly-merged clerk seat, arguing that the legislation created a new position that voters must fill. The council voted to hold the election last Monday Murrill’s letters came two days later

“Once she picks a side, she fights at all costs, even if it loses her

from South Africa with his parents at age 8. His parents became citizens when he was 16, making him a citizen, as well. He said he has voted regularly since he was 18.

Yet he received a letter in October in a white envelope that looked to him like junk mail. It told him he had been identified as a potential noncitizen through a SAVE check of Texas’ 18 million voter registrations He had 30 days to prove otherwise — a deadline he missed because of the time it took to get a new passport.

“It’s clear that this process that they’ve put into place for this doesn’t work,” he said.

every 1 million registrations. Some 384,000 people identified as potentially deceased in about 67 million registrations is a fraction of 1%.

Some voters have been mistakenly flagged.

In Dallas, election officials recently canceled the registration of Domingo Garcia, a 68-year-old lawyer and voting rights activist, without explanation. He has been voting regularly for 50 years, most recently in the state’s March 3 primary, and suspects that officials concluded he was deceased.

“I should not have been on any lists,” he said.

False positives are popping up

Voting rights advocates have filed at least six federal lawsuits over SAVE checks, either against the Trump administration or states using the program.

Nel, a 29-year-old college administrator, is a plaintiff in one of them, filed recently in the District of Columbia against the Justice Department. It alleges an “illegal and unprecedented quest” by the administration for “millions of Americans’ confidential voter data.”

Lawyers also argue that eligible voters will be disenfranchised by hits from outdated or incomplete data.

Nel came to the United States

ground in the long run,” Moreno said in a message the day before she received Murrill’s letter “And whether you agree with her or not, she approaches every issue with intensity.”

Murrill defended the letters in an interview Friday with WWL Radio host Newell Normand, the former Jefferson Parish sheriff. She said she called Moreno and City Council members multiple times ahead of last Monday’s meeting, asking them to hold off until the courts resolved the dispute.

“Now all of a sudden, I’m the person who has blown up their world,” she said. “They blew up their own world. They did it on purpose.”

“They knew it was wrong, they acknowledged that it was wrong. They said they were going to do it anyway,” Murrill said. “And they knew that I would be compelled to act, because the law requires me to do something when they defy an act of the Legislature and rewrite the law themselves.”

‘Prepared for a deposition’

For decades, state attorneys general largely stayed in the lanes of defending state laws, issuing legal opinions and stepping in when local prosecutors recused themselves from criminal matters. The playbook wielded by Murrill emerged from Republican attorneys general of the 2010s, including Texas’ Ken Paxton and Murrill’s predecessor in Louisiana.

Landry broadened the office’s purview in his eight-year tenure, litigating culture-war issues, such as limiting access to children’s books with sexual content, and rebranding the office’s investigative division, the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation. He clashed with officials in New Orleans, at one point threatening to withhold funding over city leaders’ support for abortion access. Murrill “understands the playbook better than me,” Landry said in an October interview

“She enters every public appearance like she has prepared for a deposition,” said Mary-Patricia Wray, a Baton Rouge-based political consultant and lobbyist. “If she says something that seems radical or outrageous or extreme, you can bet that she has considered that before she’s said it.”

Defenders say SAVE is step one Republican officials said the administration does not portray SAVE searches as foolproof. Instead, it identifies registrations that should be further investigated, they said. In Kansas, Schwab’s office is still investigating its list of flagged registrations and has yet to disclose the number of hits of potentially ineligible voters from a SAVE check of the state’s 2 million registrations Once his office forwards flagged names to county officials, a state law enacted this year requires them to list the registrations as “in suspense” or “pending” until the cases are resolved. A flagged person still can vote, but the ballot is set aside for further review and might not be counted.

Texas is supposed to give people with flagged registrations 30 days to prove they are properly registered. North Carolina will require county elections boards to give people whose registrations are challenged a hearing before they can be canceled.

A new Ohio law requires local election boards to “promptly” cancel the registrations of people whom the secretary of state identifies as noncitizens during registration checks that the official is required to make at least monthly Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a Republican, said in an email that people’s voting rights are not in danger because “all they need to do to immediately restore their registration status is show proof of citizenship.”

But Levenson, the ACLU lawyer, described the approach differently “Shoot first and ask questions later,” she said.

Associated Press writers Jack Dura in Bismarck, North Dakota, and Gary Robertson, in Raleigh, North Carolina, contributed to this report.

National scope Political insiders say Murrill enjoys certain advantages Landry lacked as attorney general. She has a Republican ally in the governor’s mansion, whereas Landry spent time taking shots at policies of Democratic former Gov John Bel Edwards. Murrill also faces a friendlier judicial landscape than Landry did, legal scholars say, as both the New Orleans-based U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court have shifted rightward. At the center of many of Murrill’s legal victories is her solicitor general — a position Landry created for her when he was attorney general — named Benjamin Aguiñaga, who has a law degree from LSU but is not a Louisiana Bar Association member He has gained attention by arguing several of the office’s cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. Murill and Aguiñaga have not enjoyed uniform success there. Most recently, the Supreme Court paused a 5th Circuit ruling they secured which barred abortion pills from being mailed into Louisiana. The appellate court’s decision had raised eyebrows: Sarah Isgur, a Justice Department lawyer in the first Trump administration, called the decision “Bonkers Town-adjacent” if not “full Bonkers Town.”

The high court’s justices have at times directly criticized Murrill’s office, most notably during 2024 arguments over a social media case, Murthy v. Missouri. “I have such a problem with your brief,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor an appointee of President Barack Obama, told Aguiñaga.

The justices ruled against Louisiana and Missouri in that case, 6-3. But they have handed Aguiñaga and his boss victories in arguably more significant ones. In Callais, Aguiñaga argued to the court last fall that Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act was unconstitutional in part because it “placed states in impossible situations where the only sure demand is more racial discrimination.” The court agreed seven months later in its landmark 6-3 ruling.

Email James Finn at jfinn@ theadvocate.com.

Spot in Democratic Senate runoff decided by 284 votes

BY MATTHEW ALBRIGHT

Staff writer

Jamie Davis and Gary Crockett will face each other in a runoff election for the Democratic Party primary on June 27 after competition for second place went down to the wire in Saturday night’s elections.

Davis

Davis, a corn, soybean and cotton farmer in northeast Louisiana who has the state Democratic Party endorsement, was the clear front-runner, winning 48% of the vote. Crockett, a Navy veteran and New Orleans business owner, got 26% of the vote — passing up Nick Albares by only 284 votes. Albares is a policy analyst in New Orleans who was backed by his former boss, ex-Gov John Bel Edwards.

Crockett and Albares ran so close to each other that, by late Saturday night, Albares was ahead by a few hundred votes with almost all ballots counted. But Caddo Parish was delayed in releasing the results of early voting until after midnight. When the results came in, Crockett pulled ahead of Albares, claiming the second spot in the runoff.

The winner of the June 27 follow-up election will compete in November elections against whoever wins the Republican runoff election, U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow or state Treasurer John Fleming. Incumbent Sen.BillCassidycameinthirdplaceinthat race and was eliminated from contention.

CASSIDY’S

Continued from page 1A

lican Senate primary Letlow and state Treasurer John Fleming finished first and second and advance to the June 27 runoff. Cassidy’s reelection campaign is done He will serve out the final six months of his Senate term.

“Cassidy’s political career is over,” Ed Chervenak, a political scientist at the University of New Orleans, said on Sunday Still, as Democratic political strategist James Carville noted, “Two terms in the Senate is nothing to sneeze at.”

Breaking down the loss

In his final race, Cassidy had to run in a closed Republican primary created by Gov Jeff Landry that seemed designed to hamstring Cassidy Under the new rules, registered Democrats who had traditionally voted for Republicans could not vote for him unless they changed their party registration to no party or Republican.

Throughout the campaign, Cassidy touted his ability to work with Trump conservatives, saying the president had signed four pieces of his legislation into law and noting that Robert F Kennedy Jr. wouldn’t have been confirmed as health secretary without his support. At the same time, Cassidy appealed to moderates by saying he knew how to work with Democrats to deliver money for Louisiana. In trying to thread the needle between the two camps of voters, Cassidy fell short, winning only 24.8% of the vote, compared to 44.8% for Letlow and 28.2% for Fleming. Mark Spencer, who called himself a “guns and Bible conservative,” won 2% of the vote. Conservatives didn’t think Cassidy was conservative enough.

NATIVE

Continued from page 1A

ects be native to Louisiana ecosystems, while the remaining 25% can include noninvasive ornamental species for aesthetic purposes In addition to plant recommendations, the guide outlines planning, installation and early maintenance practices that Acosta said are critical to long-term success Plants are also categorized by the environments where they perform best, helping residents and contractors avoid common landscaping mistakes.

City leaders and conservation experts say native plants generally require less water, fertilizer and maintenance while helping absorb stormwater, reduce runoff and support pollinators and wildlife.

Acosta described the philosophy simply as “the right plant for the right place.”

The guide was initially developed as an internal tool to standardize plant selection and landscape design across Lafayette Consolidated Government projects and facilities. Officials later decided to release it publicly to help residents create more resilient landscapes at home.

“We don’t want to invest in landscape and it not succeed,” Lafayette Parish Mayor-President Monique Boulet said. “If we’re going to invest, it needs to be done well and it needs to be done right the first time.”

Acosta said the project grew out of lessons already learned locally about what happens when landscapes are designed for appearance first rather than long-term survival.

The issue became especially noticeable during the severe heat and drought conditions of summer 2024, when prolonged dry weather stressed landscapes throughout the Lafayette area.

At Moncus Park, Acosta said many non-native species declined rapidly despite irrigation systems that rely largely on stormwater capture. Native plants also showed signs of stress but recovered more quickly once rainfall returned.

“We saw a lot of the nonnative species suffer in ways they couldn’t bounce back from,” Acosta said. “Our natives got droopy, they struggled some, but they rebounded. That’s really the difference. We want resilient landscapes that can recover without having to rip everything out and replace it.”

Boulet said conversations with Moncus Park leaders helped shape the city’s broader landscaping strategy

“As I started looking at city projects, we had all these different landscape plans from different architects,” Boulet said. “What became clear is that maintenance and longevity are just as important as what something looks like on opening day.”

The guide includes sample plant palettes for different site conditions and identifies invasive species residents should avoid. Large canopy trees, for example, may thrive in open green spaces but damage sidewalks or driveways if planted too close to infrastructure. Ground-cover species suited for stormwater retention areas may struggle in drier locations Among the native species

“Cassidy betrayed Trump,” said a voter named Judy on Saturday outside a polling station at a New Orleans fire station. “I voted for Letlow.”

Cassidy openly appealed to Democrats to switch their registration. But only 7,488 Democrats did so after Feb. 1. That was 1.8% of the 401,118 people who voted in the Republican primary

“Bill obviously got caught in a vise trying to appeal to Trump voters when it was pretty apparent that he was not supported by Trump and trying to appease more moderate voters who were upset by his vote for Kennedy That created the scenario that played out yesterday, that he didn’t make the cut,” said Jay Dardenne, who preceded Cassidy in the state Senate.

Cassidy didn’t respond to an interview request.

John Couvillon, a Baton Rouge pollster who conducted surveys for Fleming, said Cassidy performed well in moderate Republican parishes: East Baton Rouge, Jefferson and Orleans.

But Letlow smoked him on the Interstate 12 corridor and in the parishes along Interstate 10 west of Baton Rouge.

“The more Republican the region, the worse off Cassidy did,” Chervenak said.

20 years in politics, undone

Cassidy 68, is a Baton Rouge native who earned undergraduate and medical school degrees from LSU and became a liver specialist at the capital city’s charity hospital.

He won election to the state Senate in 2006 and then climbed the political ladder by winning three terms in the U.S House, then Senate victories in 2014 and 2020.

Throughout his 12 years in the Senate, Cassidy has been known as a policy wonk who would rather study how to reduce healthcare costs than analyze how to play the political angles to ensure that he

benefited from a big decision.

Reflective of that, Cassidy preferred to be known as “Dr Cassidy” rather than “Sen. Cassidy.” To be sure, he could take the steps needed to win an election.

He pounded then-Sen Mary Landrieu, a Democrat, in the 2014 election for having voted for President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act five years

earlier But as Couvillon noted, Cassidy received his comeuppance this year from Letlow for his 2021 vote to convict Trump.

“It was the one vote that people would not forget in a Republican primary contest,” Couvillon said.

Immediately after that vote, Cassidy said he had grown angry at how Trump “lied” about claiming he had won the 2020 election against Joe Biden. The senator added that the evidence showed clearly that Trump had incited the attack on the Capitol.

Cassidy immediately faced blowback in Louisiana as the state Republican Party censured him. But, he told reporters, he thought that time would heal the political wounds by 2026.

“He had a comfortable six years ahead of him,” Dardenne said. “It was almost like he decided, ‘I’m going to do what I really believe.’

He didn’t think Trump would win a second term. That was obviously a miscalculation.”

Trying to win his way back

After Trump returned to the White House in 2025, Cassidy did everything he could to get back into the president’s good graces, to have a good working relationship with the White House and to get things done for Louisiana, according to people close to him.

Cassidy tried to convince voters in Louisiana that he was succeeding.

Cassidy’s Senate office even sent out news releases when he merely appeared at events with Trump. By the beginning of 2026, how-

ever, private polls showed that many more voters viewed him negatively than positively That’s typically a death knell in political races.

A key date that came and went was Jan 14 That was the deadline for Cassidy to register as a political independent, which would have enabled him to bypass the party primaries and run in the November general election against the Republican and Democratic candidates.

Trump endorsed Letlow on Jan. 17. Cassidy was stuck running as a Republican.

“That was not coincidental timing,” Dardenne said, noting that Cassidy said at the time that he thought Trump would steer clear of his race.

As the qualifying period approached in February, Cassidy’s chances looked so iffy in political circles that speculation abounded that he would forgo his reelection.

“Unless you’re God’s perfect idiot, the result was predictable,” U.S. Sen. John Kennedy said on Sunday “Everybody knew a year ago that Bill was in trouble. The president endorsing Congresswoman Letlow was the icing on the cake. I respect him for running anyway.”

On election night at Boudreaux’s Catering in Baton Rouge, the hordes of people who had been with Cassidy on his triumphal nights in 2014 and 2020 were gone.

Only four elected officials were spotted: Senate President Cameron Henry, R-Metairie; Rep. Foy Gadberry, R-West Monroe; Rep. Laura Ventrella, R-Greenwell Springs; and Randy Delatte, Livingston Parish’s president. Food on a buffet table was mostly uneaten.

A bartender offering glasses of celebratory Champagne from “Team Cassidy” was asked if she had many takers.

“Only a few,” she said. “Only a few.”

blanket flowers and other native plants

in the

the

of Louisiana Avenue. In an effort to help residents grow their own native gardens, cityparish government has released a standardized Native Landscaping Guide. In addition to plant recommendations, the guide outlines planning, installation and early maintenance practices that experts say are critical to long-term success.

promoted are live oaks, bald cypress trees and Southern magnolias, along with flowering plants such as coreopsis and bee balm that support pollinators.

Acosta said native landscaping serves a broader purpose than beautification, particularly when it comes to drainage and stormwater management. Because native plants evolved in Louisiana’s dense clay soils and wet climate, many develop deeper root systems than ornamental varieties.

Those roots help absorb rainwater, stabilize soil and slow runoff before water reaches drainage systems.

“What people may not realize is these plants are functioning as green infrastructure,” Acosta said. “They filter water, slow it down and help the soil hold moisture longer instead of everything immediately running into the stormwater system.”

That function becomes increasingly important in urban areas filled with roads, sidewalks and parking lots that prevent water from naturally soaking into the ground. Native landscapes can also reduce dependence on irrigation and chemical fertilizers while improving soil health over time, conservation experts say

“You’re not stripping nutrients out of the soil constantly,” Acosta said. “You’re actually regenerating those systems.”

The environmental benefits extend to wildlife as well. Native plants provide food and habitat for pollinators, birds and insects that often struggle to survive in heavily ornamental urban landscapes.

“The more diversity we can keep in our ecosystem, the more resilient we become long term,” she said.

The city is already incorporating native plantings into newer infrastructure projects, including portions of Jefferson Street, University Avenue and the 12th Street corridor. Boulet described the changes as part of a broader effort to create greener, more connected public spaces throughout Lafayette.

“What Moncus Park has

shown is that people respond to these spaces,” Boulet said.

“There’s community pride in it. It tells the story of who we are.”

Acosta agreed, saying native landscapes help preserve a regional identity that can disappear when cities rely too heavily on generic ornamental designs common across the country

“It keeps us from looking like ‘Anywhere USA,’” she said. “Our trees and plants tell the story of south Louisiana.”

Community participation, Acosta said may ultimately determine whether the initiative succeeds, which is why officials made the guide publicly accessible.

“The city is primarily made up of private property,” Acosta said. “If this only stays in government spaces, it only goes so far The game changer is when residents start incorporating these ideas into their own landscapes too.”

“The ultimate success,” Boulet said, “is that this becomes something the entire community participates in.” The Native Landscaping Guide is available online through Lafayette Consolidated Government at lafayettela.gov/nativeguide.

The partly cloudyconditions and spotty showers that we had yesterdaywill probably repeattoday.So, expect apartlycloudy, warmand humid Monday. Temperatures thisafternoon will rise into the mid- to upper 80s.Windswill be southerlyat10-20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph. Rain chances willberight around 20%,so expect afew isolated showers.Evenwith the cloudyskies,the UV index is expected to be at the very high level, so be suretoprotect your skin.

Landry travelstoGreenland

La.governorsays goal is to develop relationships there

BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer

Gov.Jeff Landry and his wife, Sharon, arrived in Greenland on Sunday,reports from local media there show In avideo interview with DR, Denmark’snational broadcaster,Landry wastoldthat some Greenlanders are worried about his intentions and wondering whether he was there as part of President Donald Trump’sintermittent push for the U.S. to acquire the Danish territory.

dent publicly mused about theUnitedStates acquiring theisland. Greenland is a quasi-autonomous territory of Denmark; officials in both Greenland andDenmark reacted with alarm to Trump’s talk of atakeover.

Landry arrived in Nuuk, the capital city,a little after noonlocal time, accordingto DR Greenland’sminister of foreign affairs, Mute Egede, told the Danish outlet that Landry is part of a delegationwith Ken Howery, U.S. ambassadortoDenmark.

Landry is on the list of participants attending the Future Greenlandbusiness conference scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday.

ate with top officials.

However,onSunday,Danish television station TV 2, reported that Greenland Prime MinisterJens-Frederik Nielsen and Landry are set to meet Monday

Aspokespersonfor Landry said Sundayshe could not immediately answer questionsabout the visit.

Landry’strip comes at a volatile political moment for Louisiana.

Thousandsflock to D.C. for America-themed prayer rally

Rededicate 250 eventheldon National Mall

BY TIFFANYSTANLEY Associated Press

“I’m here to simply to build relationships and to look and listen and to learn and to see if there are opportunities to expand the relationship between Greenlandand the United States andDenmark,” Landry responded. “It’sa great day.I’m excited, Ireally am.”

Landry also told the outlet that he spoke Saturday night with Trump, who,according to Landry,told him, “Go over there and make as many friends as we can.” Trump named Landry special envoy to Greenland in December, as the presi-

“Future Greenland focuses on Greenland’srole in development. Acountry with ambitions for greater autonomyneedsastrong business sector,”the conference website says. In late January,Trump in social media postsannounced that, after ameeting with NATO SecretaryGeneral Mark Rutte,a “framework of afuture deal” hadbeen reached regarding Greenland and “the entire Arctic region ” It has been unclear what Landry’sdutiesasGreenland special envoy entail. He has said his goal is to developrelationships with Greenlanders, not to negoti-

On Saturday,voters soundly rejecteda raftofproposed constitutional amendments, four of which were backedbyLandry. Butconservatives also turned out in force to hand U.S. Rep.Julia Letlow adecisive lead in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate, where she has Trump’sendorsement and Landry’ssupport Democratic and progressive votersinrecent weeks have expressed angerata Republican effort toredraw Louisiana’scongressional map. Landrycanceled electionsfor the U.S. Houseafter theSupremeCourt ruled thecurrent districts unconstitutional. The new map will likely ax onemajorityBlack, Democratic district in favor of asafe GOPseat andwill be usedfor U.S Houseelectionsrescheduled for fall.

The LouisianaLegislature is trying to wrap up that redistrictingeffortbefore it adjourns on June 1. Staff writer Tyler Bridges contributed to this report.

Senate parliamentariandeals blow

BYMARYCLARE JALONICK

WASHINGTON Aproposal to fund $1 billion in security additions for the White House campus and the president’snew ballroom fails to meet procedural rules, according to the Senate parliamentarian, dealing ablow to Republicanplans to include it as part of abill to fund immigrationenforcement agencies for thenextthree years. The parliamentarian’sruling, described lateSaturday by SenateDemocrats, said that funding for aproject as largeand complexasPresident Donald Trump’smassive East Wing renovation is

WASHINGTON Thousands of people streamed onto the National Mall for adaylong prayer rally Sunday billed as a“rededicationofour country as OneNation under God.”

Against the backdrop of the Washington Monument, worship music blared from astagethat made clear the event’s Christianfocus Arched stained-glass windows, set underneathgrand columns resembling afederal building, depicted the nation’sfounders alongside awhite cross.

Mostspeakers celebrated Christianity’sties to American history,ablending of ideas that critics flagged ahead of the prayer gathering as supporting Christian nationalism.

President Donald Trump read apassageofScripture in avideo shown at the rally.Filmed in theOval Office, it wasthe samefootage used during amarathon Bible-reading event last month. The verses from 2Chroniclesare often cited by those who believe America was founded

as aChristiannation.

“Ifmypeople,whichare called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, andseek my face, and turn from their wicked ways,” Trump read, “then will Ihear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

Other top Republicans, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth,Secretary of State Marco Rubio and House Speaker Mike Johnson,R-La., were also on the schedule as part of the celebrations this year marking 250 years of U.S. independence.

Only onename on theRededicate 250program was notChristian. Most were among Trump’slongtime evangelical supporters, in-

cluding Paula White-Cain of the White House Faith Office andevangelist Franklin Graham of Samaritan’s Purse.

“Weare deeply concerned that what is really being rededicated is anation to a very narrowand ideological part of the Christian faith that betrays our nation’s fundamental commitment to religious freedom,” said the Rev.AdamRussell Taylor, a Baptist minister who leads theprogressive Christian organizationSojourners. The conservative Christian lineup featured guests who often argue that the United Stateswas founded as aChristian nation, anarrative disputedbymany historians and other religious traditions.

toobroad to be included in thenarrow GOP budget bill, which cannot be filibustered and only needs asimple majority to pass. It’sunclear if Republicans will be able to immediately salvage anypart of thebillion-dollar Secret Service proposal, which would fund security forTrump’s ballroom along withother parts of theWhite House, includinga newvisitor screening center,additionaltraining foragentsand extra reinforcements forlargeevents Republicanssaid Saturday night thatthey are revising thelegislation based on the parliamentarian’sadvice. Ryan Wrasse, aspokesman for SenateMajority Leader John Thune, wrote in apost on Xthat “none of this is abnormal” during the complicated budget process that Republicans are using to try and pass the immigration enforcement and White House security moneyona partisan basis. “Redraft. Refine. Resubmit,”Wrasse said in the post. Democratshaveseized on the security request, accusing Republicans of dedicating preciousfederal resources to theballroom effort instead of focusing on helping Americans with rising costs. Republicans have insisted that private donations will be used to build theballroom and that the federaldollars are focused just on much-needed security enhancements.

Nonprofit breaks ground on center

100 Black Men facility will be a gathering place for mentoring residents

BY JA’KORI MADISON Staff writer

The 100 Black Men of Greater Lafayette officially broke ground Thursday on a new mentoring center designed to expand educational opportunities, youth mentorship and community revitalization efforts in north Lafayette.

The new 3,400-square-foot facility, at 300 Pershing Ave., will serve as a central hub for the organization’s mentoring and educational programs for Black youth and families in the area.

Since the nonprofit was founded in 2008, it has used a variety of community spaces to offer tutoring services, mentoring programs and financial literacy education. According to President Forrest Chaisson, the new facility will provide the organization with its first permanent, community-centered location and allow mentors to spend more consistent time with young people.

“By having our own building, we can meet with them seven days a week if we choose, in the evenings, in the mornings on the weekends,” Chaisson said.

The site is situated near several schools, including J.W Faulk Elementary, Dr Raphael A. Baranco Elementary and Northside High School, with bus stops near the future center

Challenger defeats

Abbeville mayor

BY JOEL THOMPSON Staff writer

Democrat Anita Levy defeated no party incumbent Roslyn White in the Abbeville mayoral election

Saturday

In a close contest where 2,273 votes were cast, Levy received 53% of the vote to White’s 47%, according to the Louisiana Secretary of State’s Office’s unofficial results. White has served as mayor since first being elected in 2022. Levy, a political newcomer, will be the first Black mayor in the city’s history. She operates the Levy Cancer Foundation, a nonprofit focused on raising funds for cancer patients in Vermilion Parish. Levy has said she would prioritize an open-door policy as mayor, with additional support for first responders and small businesses. Levy also proposed policies aimed at expanding Abbeville’s economic sector, including classes on business development and job training.

In City Council elections, no party candidate Bang Bui and Democrat Carlton Campbell will advance to a runoff for the at-large seat. Bui received 46% to Campbell’s 28% with Democrat Ravin St. Julien coming in third with 27%.

In District A, Republican Neal A. Richard defeated Democrat challenger Jesrial Jevon Davis with 77% of the vote. Republicans Francis Plaisance and Rachel Touchet Mouton will advance to a runoff in District B, with Plaisance receiving 42% of the vote and Mouton receiving 41%. No party candidate Todd Chauvin came in third with 17%.

In District D, Democrat Terry Broussard defeated no-party candidate Malcolm Jones with 76% of the vote. Abbeville voters also reelected Republican Mike Hardy as police chief over no party candidate William “Bill” Spearman with 57% of the vote. No official turnout percentages are available. For full results in Abbeville

tions visit the Louisiana Secretary

Accessibility played a major consideration in the selection of the location at the corner of Pershing Avenue and Marne Street, Chaisson said The site is just blocks from Holy Family Apartments on Louisiana Avenue and the Housing Authority of Lafayette development on East Simcoe Street, making the center easily accessible by foot or bicycle for many of the children the organization already mentors.

“Mentoring is going to be the

primary thing that we do for kids because that’s the cornerstone of what we do, but it’s also a community space,” Chaisson said. “We want to be a resource for everyone.”

Chaisson said the center is also expected to be a gathering place for residents and a space where community concerns can be discussed.

The 100 Black Men of Greater Lafayette was established in 2008 as a nonprofit supporting underserved youth in north Lafayette, when a

group began exploring the creation of a local chapter of 100 Black Men of America, Inc. The national organization’s mission is built around four pillars: mentoring, education, health and wellness, and economic empowerment. Later that year an application was submitted to become an affiliate chapter of 100 Black Men of America, Inc., and a few months later, the 100 Black Men of Greater Lafayette was formally chartered.

For Melinda Taylor, executive director of Lafayette Habitat for Humanity, Thursday’s groundbreaking marked the result of years of neighborhood conversations and partnerships aimed at creating more opportunities for local children and families.

“We need something for these kids,” Taylor said. “This project had been churning for a long time, but actually getting together and making something happen is different than just talking about it.”

Taylor said Lafayette Habitat for Humanity primarily served as a connector in helping secure early funding for the project through Republic Services Charitable Foundation’s National Neighborhood Promise grant program.

According to Chaisson, Habitat for Humanity informed the organization about the grant opportunity in 2022 and helped launch the project. The organization, alongside the 100 Black Men of Greater Lafayette, received a $200,000 grant in 2023 to help establish a permanent community-centered space in the neighborhood.

“The funds received from Republic were the seed money for us to purchase a piece of blighted property in a targeted area of the city where we felt the 100 could make a difference,” Chaisson said.

The center is also expected to play a major role in ongoing

WILD FOR WINGS

PHOTO By ROBIN MAy

St. Martinville mayor wins second term

BY JOEL THOMPSON Staff writer

Notbeing able to manage abudget just makes ourcountry weaker

Idon’tunderstand today’spolitical environment. It calls for the politician to do what is best for his/her constituents, but so often that means workingcontrary to the economic environment our state or country might be in. And it ignores necessary solutions that would be better for all in thelong run. Iamseriously concerned that we are living beyond our means. Ihave experience with large as well as small companies, and Ihave seen companies succeed andfail.

Negligent managementisgenerally the key reason acompany fails, mostly because it can’t manage the debt load incurred on the balance sheet. Our state and country are in aseriously negative financial state at present, and it’sbecause our political leaders are more focused on continuing to please their public with tax cuts and support programs we can’tafford.

The damage excessive debt bringsisaloss of flexibility, and at the levels we currently have, it’sthe cost to keep debt on the books —costs that ultimately mean not less taxes but more, and the elimination of critical programs when they are needed most.

At the rate we are adding toour debt load, Ican only conclude that our leaders are willing to leave this mess for the next political group to deal with, which will leave it to future generations.

This means aloss of the progressive, creative focus for an improvedtomorrow

We need credible politicians whorecognize the problem and whowill deal with this serious problem with real solutions even when it may not be what thepublic wants to hear.It’sa difficult task for ageneration that has lived on such “support thinking that “tomorrow,things willbebetter.”

Yes, real change takes intellectual courage.

C. GERONHARGON Baton Rouge

NILhas ruined LSUbaseball

As with manyLSU baseball fans, Iagonize over theteam’srecord this year.Let me be clear about one thing:Jay Johnson is one of, if notthe, best coaches in baseball. This is not about coaching —it’sabout NIL,which hasruinedcollege sports. When theNCAA rolledoverand played dead when thisfirst came about, it vacated its moral authority and opened thedoor for what we see today even though there were several commonsense things it could have done to have controlled some of this Anytime you give alarge sum of money to aperson whoisbasically akid mentally,if not physically,only bad thingscan happen. Several players LSUgave money to thisyear have not played anywhere near theway they playedbefore LSU showed‘em the money Whynot? Complacency! They got the money,

so thefire is gone. It happens in the pros, so why is anyone surprised a21-year-old is not playing as well as last year?

In my opinion, if akid wants to be paid like apro, then treat him like one. Incentivize the NIL contract by reducing the upfront amount and adding step bonuses for milestones in play,e.g., fewererrors, stolen bases, battingaverage and ERA. Don’tjust hand them abucket of cash and thinkthey’ll play lightsout,because they won’t. More likely,they are thinking about thecar,gold bling, cruise or tropical vacation they want. When push comes to shove, Indiana had theright idea: Take athree-star 23- or 24-year-old who may or may not make thepros but still wantstoplay

DUDLEY GARIDEL Baton Rouge

Even Trump’scritics must admit somethinghad to be done aboutIran

Recently,A.R.P.Rau submitted aletter condemning our president for boorishlanguage when he cavalierly suggested the U.S. might wipe out an ancient civilization (Persia).

He also accused our president of actions “illegal under all national and international laws and military codes.” Finally,Rau cutely reminded us that Mahatma Gandhi thought Western civilization would be a good idea, obviously implying theWest is not too civilized.

Iwill agree that President Donald Trump is bombastic.

Title Xfunding is used to support comprehensive, affordable family planning and related preventive health services —especially for people with low incomes or without insurance. Lately,however,Health and Human Services has begun steering funding away from contraceptive services to counseling patients to use natural planning services. Natural family planning uses temperature fluctuations to predict when awoman will ovulate. Such predictions are helpful forincreasing the likelihood of conception but are statistically unreliable forpreventing pregnancy

In acomplex economy such as ours, Ibelieve that it is important forwomen to control the size of their families in order to provide emotional, nutritional and educational support foreach child. The rate of teen pregnancies has declined dramatically in the last 20 years. This has reduced the rate of childhood poverty and benefited the economy.The federal government should not be making the choice for poor women to have morechildren.

MARCIA COOKE NewOrleans

Politicians havesold out Louisianaand itscitizens

Louisiana has surrendered to corporations and politicians interested in personal financial gain.

rational people should find acceptable Agreatlyimproved Middle East mayvery well one day thank the“unhinged boor” that is Rau’s description of our president. At thepresent, it seems most Iranians themselvessee the benefit of the actions taken by theU.S. and Israel and understand eggs need to be broken to make an omelet. The argument that currentactions violate military codes is hogwashonface value.

Lastly,and in defenseofWestern civilization,Gandhi was aweird, flawed manwho shouldn’tearn too many points forflippantly critiquing the West.

OUR GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name and the writer’scity of residence.The Advocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address and phone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@theadvocate.com. TO SEND US ALETTER SCAN HERE

Thatsaid, his actions have been measured andeffective. The attack on Iran has been carried out with surgical precision (very few civilians have died relative to the scope of the effort). The action was necessary because the proudPersian civilization had been hijacked by religious nutswho would bomb TelAviv with less discrimination than

Ivaluethe role your paper plays in our community,but I’mconcerned by the growingnumberofletters that rely on inflammatory rhetoric and personal attacks rather than thoughtful argument. Strong opinions are important, but namecallingand exaggerated claims only deepen divisionand lower the qualityofpublic discourse. Theletters page should encourage

People/societies who live in glass houses need not throw stones. The West has contributed moretoman’sprogress over the lastcouple of millennia than any other region on the planet by alarge margin. Rau knows that —helives hereand not in India.

KEVIN KELLY Baton Rouge

respectful, fact-based discussion —even when viewpoints differ sharply I’m not asking you to limit perspectives, only to uphold standards that promote civility and substance. Your editorial choices help set thetonefor the community,and Ihope thattone can be amore constructive one.

MIKENORTON Metairie

Soon, you won’t be able to sue the oil industry based on damage caused by climate change. Why? Because those politicians supporting these efforts do not care about Louisiana, you or your children’s future. They live forthe moments, and the momentistocash grab everything possible. How much more must we take before we send politicians and judges to jail forviolating their oath of office and not representing our best interests? Instead, they are funded by industries like the oil industry to choose against our best interests. The rich do not deserve the earth morethan we do; it’stimewerecognize that Louisiana is taking the corrupt pathway,much like the administration in the White House. How much must we lose before it is too late?

We allowed money to dominate how elections are run, operated and how outcomes are determined. It’s timetotake money out of politics and support real people, honest people, people whocare about citizens and this democracy

If one of our politicians supports acriminal, then by association, they are no better Their money keeps them out of jail; it’stimetochange that. Who are we talking about? Watch the political ads on the media today.It’s never been clearer.They are so corrupt that they don’teven care what we think anymore.

JOHN SFIRE NewOrleans

COMMENTARY

2026 LEGISLATIVERUNDOWN

As bills move in the Louisiana Legislature, we are featuring the issues that

ISSUES INTHE SPOTLIGHT

La.trailsother SECstatesinschoolchoice

SB157

Educatorsneed paidparental leave

In football’sSoutheastern Conference, you don’tsit on awinning game plan and refuse to run it. When you’ve got the playbook, the recruitsand the crowd behind you, you takethe field. That’sexactly where Louisiana found itself last year.After fouryears and12separatebills,the Legislature in 2024 passed the LA GATOR Scholarship Program —Louisiana’sfirst education scholarship account program —and Gov. Jeff Landry signedit into law.For tensof thousands of families, it was along-overdue breakthrough. LA GATOR funds appropriated to the program can be used by families to pay for private school tuition, stand-alone courses, textbooks and curricula, tutoring, supplies and other approvededucational expenses. These dollars “follow” children to the school or learning environment that their families —those who know them best —believe is the best fitfor their individual needs and values. Unfortunately,when presented with the opportunity to make this areality, the Senate FinanceCommitteepunted. When the 2025 budget season arrived, Landry requested $93.5 million for LA GATOR, and the House backed it. But the Senate FinanceCommittee cut $50 million, leaving just enough to continue covering roughly 6,000 students already receiving statefunded scholarships —and onlya tiny fraction of the new students who had applied. Nearly 40,000 Louisiana families applied for LA GATOR last year,with roughly 35,000 meeting eligibility requirements. Most were low-income families seeking better optionsfor their children. Yetall but about700 wereleft waiting. This spring,the state received more than 17,000 eligible applications. On May 7, some of those families came to Baton Rouge. Parents drove in from across the state. Students sat before lawmakers and shared what education choice has meant to them. For hours, senators heard something no spreadsheet can measure:Education is notone-sizefits-all, and tax dollars should follow the child —not the system.

Meanwhile, Louisiana’sSEC neighbors aren’twaiting. Arkansas passed theLEARNS Act in 2023 and now offers universal education freedom accounts. Florida now serves more than half amillion studentsthrough scholarship programs. Alabama passed theCHOOSEAct andisexpandingfunding and eligibility.Tennessee joined them in 2025. Georgia just increased in size and scope its Georgia Promise scholarship program. These aren’t abstract policy wins. These are families in Little Rock, Mobile, Nashville and Miami who can choose theschool that fits their child —not just theone assigned by their ZIPcode. Louisiana families want anddeserve the same opportunity SenatePresident Cameron Henry says caution is warranted, citing concernsabout long-term costs. Fiscal responsibility matters. ButLouisiana is already competing against states investing boldly in education choice.

Texaslawmakers approved a$1billion appropriation for school choice. Florida’sprograms costeven more —and Florida continues to win the competition for jobs, population and opportunity

AndAlabama, about the same size as Louisiana, will be spending $200 million on its scholarship program, without even coming close to busting thestate’sbudget Families votewith their feet.Increasingly,they’re choosing states that trust parents.

Lastyear’sfunding of just over 700 studentsout of over 35,000 wasn’ta demand problem.Itwas apolitical will problem.

The LA GATOR law is already on thebooks. Gov.Landry is ready.The House is ready.Education leaders are ready.Families are ready —and they proved it by showing up.

The only question now is whether theSenate Finance Committee will let it work —orwhether Louisianawill keep watching the rest of itsconference pull ahead while Baton Rouge debates whether to run theplay When Alabama is beating you on the field and in the classroom, it’stime to ask hard questions in Baton Rouge. LaneKiffin didn’tcome here to punt. Neither should theSenate Finance Committee.

Don GallatyIIisafather of twoand founder of LA Families Want LA GATOR.

The Louisiana Legislature’spossible implementation of paid parental leave for public schoolteachers and other employees is laudable andwelcome Most workers cannot afford to take unpaid parental leave. Senate Bill 157 would enable K-12educators to have six weeksofpaid leave when theyneed to care for anew child without losing their income, savings or much-needed paid sick days.

Having paid parental leave would promote the health and well-being of Louisiana educators and their families. It would aid schools in the recruitment and retention of teachers. Peer states suchas Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee already have paid parentalleave policies for teachers and have found thatonly about 2% use the policy annually

Quality teaching can be maintained by schools developing lists of qualified teachers (often retirees) who may be substitutesfor those on leave. Louisiana is greatly concerned about both teacher shortages and, more generally,outmigrationand the loss of population. Implementing paid parental leave for teachers would be apositive step in helping Louisiana be abetter,more competitive state. PHYLLIS RAABE

NewOrleans SB365

GOP membersshowed how little they care for voters

On the surface, the April 8Senate Governmental Affairs Committee hearing of Senate Bill 365 seemed to be democracy in action, but in reality,it waspolitical theater at best.

People traveled from all over the state to voice their support of the bill by state Sen. Royce Duplessis, aDemocrat, which proposed aLouisiana Voting Rights Act. The chairman of the committee, Sen. Caleb Kleinpeter,a Republican, was courteous, permitting everyone who wishedtospeak to do so without atime limit and thanking themfor their testimony.Twenty individuals testified in favor of SB365, 138 people submitted green cards of support and 70 emails of support were receivedby the committee. Only four individuals submitted red cards in opposition to the bill but none of them testified. When state Sen. Gary Carter, aDemocrat, made the motion that the bill be reportedfavorably, the chair objected and asked that avote be taken. The three Democrats on the committeevoted favorably,and the four Republicans present voted no. The Republican members of the committeedid not engage with the bill proceedings at all. They asked no questions. They expressed no opinions. They were silent until the vote. Ihave never witnessed acommitteehearing where the bill was voted down without an explanation of why Did they not believe the history of blatant Black voter suppression that was expressedbymanyof those who testified?

Did they believe that those issues had beenresolved?

Our neighbors are sleeping outside tonight. They are co-workers, cousins, the woman who used to do hair around the corner.Ifwedon’t know them, someonedoes.

House Bill 211 would finethem up to $500 and imprison them foruptosix months for havingnowhereto sleep. Asecond offense would be afelony: up to $1,000 and onetotwo years in prison, with or without hard labor

Nearly 1in5 Louisianans already lives below the poverty line, the highest rate in the country.HB211 would deepen ourpoverty,perpetuate homelessness and waste public money. It punishes aresult, sleeping outside, instead of dealing with the cause: the lack of affordable housing people can access, affordand maintain. The answer is stable housing, with help to obtain and keep it. Mostpeople experiencing homelessness are not committing crimes. ANational HealthCare for the Homeless Council study found nearly half are themselves victims of violence, comparedtoabout 2% of the general population. Some do commitcrimes, but HB211 does not address that. It makes survivingasbest you can acrime.

$1,200. Enforcementwould clear a sidewalkoranencampment. Arrest someone for sleepingoutside and theywouldgotojail. When they came out,they would still have nowhere to sleep. The next arrest would be for afelony. HB211 would turn survival into afelony HB211offersanalternative to jail: Amandatory treatment program through anew Homelessness Court, paid for by the defendant directly or worked offthrough unpaid labor

Two-thirds of people living in placesnot fit for humanhabitationdonot use illicit drugs. Of thosewho do,42% beganonly after losingtheir housing. Anxiety and depressionare common, but they are most often theconsequence ofbeing unhoused, notthe cause. The bill also assumes people will not accept help unless threatened with jail. The primary barrier is not willingness.Coercion causes compliance.Trust builds transformation. WhenSeattle surveyednearly 900 unhoused residents, 93% said they would come inside if offered safe, affordable housing

The Legislature cannot even tell taxpayers what HB211 would cost Their own fiscal analysis says the cost of the new court system is “indeterminable.” Ajail bed in Louisiana costs $60 to $75 per day.That is $1,800 to $2,250 a month. Rent in New Orleans averages

Residentialrehab in Louisianaaverages$4,400 aweek,orroughly $17,600 amonth. Court-mandated treatment producesworse outcomes than voluntary care, including higherrates of fataloverdose. For those whodoneed treatment,inpatient rehab without stablehousingfails Nationwide, 69% of people who werehomeless when they entered

substance use treatment were still homeless when they left.Treatment did nothouse them. What works is integrated care: stablehousing first, treatment alongside it.Housing first is fiscally responsible. It costs less than jail and less than inpatient rehab andisproven to work for people to access, afford andmaintainhousing. HB211 would alsochipaway at local decision-making. Cities could notopt outinfavor of what they knowisbest for their community.Home for Good hashoused over 1,000 New Orleaniansand closed eight encampments HB211 would dramatically impedeits work Minneapolis is acautionary tale. That city hasspent $5.5 to $7.5 million on forced encampmentclosuressince 2020, 75% of it on police. WhenMinneapolis chose outreach over coercion,costs dropped81%.Atthe Near North encampment, 26 of 28 residents were housedwithin three months. Not moved down theblock.Housed. The path to permanent supportive housing is outreach,not arrest. Louisiana is my chosen home. It’s likenoother place. We deserve elected leaderswho knowthe difference between governing andgiving up. As Paul Wellstone,a cherishedleader from Minnesota,myfirst home state, said, “Weall do better when we all do better.”

Sheila Delaney is aNew Orleans resident and the principal of Dovetail Action, ahousing-focused consultancy

Did they vote to maintain the tools of gerrymandering, poll closures, voter list purging andothers to benefit their party’shold on the state?

SB365 sought to ensure that all citizens of Louisiana have an equal opportunity to participate in the political process. Opponents of the bill didn’tgive citizens the courtesy of explaining their votes. We should all wonderwhy ESTHERDEJONG NewOrleans HB804

Lawmakersseek to protect oil companies at expenseofcitizens

House Bill 804, currently before the Louisiana Legislature, provides immunity to oil and gascompanies from lawsuits for climate-related damages, while forcing taxpayers to cover costs for disasters and coastal damage. This bill mirrors efforts at the federal level, which reflect success by gun manufacturers in passing the despicable Protectionof Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA).

It is important that this Louisiana bill notsucceed. The sooner consequences are enacted for the shameful waythe fossil fuel industry has polluted the planet, the fewer severe catastrophic effects will occur.Salutary reversals still have achance of allowing us to evade extremeheat, weather, fires, sea level rise and more that will be inevitable otherwise. According to data from the Louisiana Ethics Administration website,state Rep. Brett Geymann, who sponsored the Louisiana bill, hasreceivedat least $28,000 from oiland gascompaniesand their PACs in campaign donations from 2002-2025. While this hardly ranks as high corruption, it confirms the suspicion that campaign donations direct egregious legislation.

MARION FREISTADT NewOrleans

Manwhose conviction wasvacated released

He spentmore than 3decades in Angola

BY CLAIRE GRUNEWALD Staff writer

Aman imprisoned at the Louisiana StatePenitentiary at Angola for morethan three decades, whose murder conviction and sentence were vacated last year,was released fromprison Tuesday to wait for anew trial after his $1 million bail was reduced.

KeithEzidore, a73-year-old man from St. James Parish, wassentenced tolifeinprison without parole in 1993, after he wasconvicted of seconddegree murder in the1991 stabbing death of Ralph Flowers. Then,in 2025,a courtof appeals vacated Ezidore’s conviction and lifesentence. The vastmajorityofthe state’scaserestedontestimony from a15-year-old with ajuvenile criminal record, some ofwhich was notpresented to Ezidore’s defense attorneys.

The Louisiana 5th Circuit

Court of Appeal foundthat this violated the U.S. SupremeCourt’s1963 Brady v. Maryland decision, which requires prosecutorstodisclose to defense attorneys any evidence that tends to show adefendant is not guilty

TheLouisiana Supreme Court upheld the lower court’sdecision, vacating Ezidore’sconvictionand sentence and remanding it for a new trial. However,Ezidore remained behind bars for months after his conviction wasvacatedbecause a23rd Judicial DistrictCourt judge

set Ezidore’sbailat$1million.

In April, however,the Louisiana Supreme Court ruled that the bailwas excessive and ordered the district to set bailatamaximum of $100,000.

Ezidore’s$100,000 bail was paid lastweekbyOperation Restoration, aNew Orleans organization, allowing Ezidore to be taken from Angola to the St. James Parish jail, where he walked out on Tuesday with family members, according to Innocence & Justice Louisiana.

Richard Davis, legaldi-

rector of Innocence &Justice Louisiana and one of Ezidore’sattorneys, said Ezidore’srelease was possible because the stateSupreme Court recognized thatEzidore hadan“extraordinary case.” Davis said Ezidorehas aretrial setfor June 9.

“TheAttorneyGeneral’s Office will be trying to send himback to Angola,”Davis said. “The AG’sOffice should not be endorsing this original failed investigation and trying to send an innocent 73-year-old great-grandfather

back to prison for the rest of his life.”

The Louisiana Attorney General’s Office prosecuted the case during Ezidore’s bail hearings and hadpreviously requested thecourt to deny bail altogether or set it at no less than $1 millionwith anklemonitoring requirements, according to the bail order

Aspokesperson with the Attorney General’sOffice said theoffice does nothave acomment at this time on the bail update or the upcoming retrial.

BY CHARLESLUSSIER Staff writer

The nearly universal rejection on Saturday of anew St. George school district is ahuge setback for that educational independence movement, which has already lasted about 15 years, but it also will givepause to any other community in Louisiana seeking to do the same

The picture is radically different than the one years ago when Baker,Zachary and Central rode waves of discontent with East Baton Rouge Parish public schools, fueled by a51-year-old desegregation effort, to gain voter approval for their respective school districts.

The proposed constitutional amendment for St. George failed by awhopping margin, with 64% of voters in Louisiana voting no. An even larger proportion of East Baton Rouge Parish, nearly 69%, rejected the idea.

The measureneeded the approval of both totake effect.

Achorusofnos

All five constitutional amendments on the ballot Saturday failed badly, weighed down by asour electorate.

The St. George proposal, Amendment 2, wasthe

NONPROFIT

Continued from page1B

revitalization efforts within the Veazey neighborhood, transforming what Chaisson described as a“once-blighted site” into aspace dedicated to youth development and community engagement Additional funding later came through Lafayette Consolidated Government’s Community Development Block Grant program.

Chaisson said the organization initially requested $100,000 before later receiving an additional $121,000, bringing atotal contribution of $221,000 from the city Those combined fundswill allow construction to begin while fundraising efforts continuefor the facility’sinterior completion and future programming.

“Just having the ground break is huge,” Chaisson said. “Fromour humble beginnings in 2008, we have always dreamt of the day where we can have our own space.” As construction begins, or-

second mostpopular of an unpopularquintet.Amendment 2earned theassent of voters in only two parishesin Louisiana —Livingston and West Feliciana. The other 67 parishes all rejected theidea, most by wide margins.

OrleansParish led the state with 84% of residents voting no.Thatalone put the St. George proposal nearly 57,000 voters in thehole.

In East Baton Rouge Parish, about 75% of voters living outside the city of St George voted no. Only23of 250 precincts outsidethe city voted in favor.

While state officials have yet to reporthow theschool districtpropositionfared within thecity of St. George, that supportlooks to have beenmodest.

St. Georgeresidents cast ballots at 79 precincts.Some of thoseprecinctsare split, though,meaning they includeamix of St.George and non-St. George residents. On electionday,almost 20,000 people living in those 79 precincts voted, andofthose only 56% voted yes to the newschooldistrict.

Using hisown method, John Couvillon, aBaton Rouge-based pollster andpoliticalanalyst, estimates that about 61% of St.Georgevoters said yes.Couvillonnoted that St.George has struggled with public supportsince the 2019 vote that created the new city; in that vote, only 54% were in favor of creating the city while 46% opposed.

“You did nothave aunanimity of support ”Couvil-

ganization leaders said they hope thementoring center will becomealong-term investment in youth, families and the future of north Lafayette

“Our prayer is thatthe breaking of this ground is a representationof the fertile soilfor the planting of seeds of restoration,transformation and inspiration,”Chaisson said, “which produces a building that feeds ageneration of youth ahealthy diet of knowledge, courage and pride.”

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lon said.

It might not have made a difference. Evenifevery voter in St. George had said yes, the proposal would have still failed parishwide by thousands of votes.

Troubleearly

Theearly vote was bad —60% no statewide,67% no in East Baton Rouge— and those negative margins were worse on election day

St.George Mayor Dustin Yatessaid after early voting he knew Amendment 2 was in trouble. Yates said he’sdoubtful he and other St.George supporters could have done anything different to turn the tide.

“I don’tknowifjustone thing would have made adifference,” Yates said.

Astrong turnout of Black voters sealed matters.Couvillon describeditas“nearly unanimous opposition.”

Black opposition was already high during early voting, especially in East Baton Rouge. Couvillon estimates Black voters opposeda St. George school district by an 88% to 12% margin statewide. In EastBaton Rouge Parish, he said, that opposition was an even greater margin of 95% to5%.

On top of that, the pollster estimatesthat White voters said no as well by a55% to 45%margin,with asimilar split in the Baton Rouge region,despite much more publicityabout theelection.

Theracial tensions in the St.George vote were unmistakable. The mainopposition group adopted the logo “Fight for Fair Schools,” completewith an illustrationinspired by the famous Norman Rockwellpainting of Ruby Bridges, the 6-year-old Black girl whoin 1960 enrolled in an all-White elementary school in New Orleans.

St.George opponents coordinated with the Louisiana Democratic Party and other groupsacross the state on a “NoOnAll Amendments campaign. That campaign was fueled by discontent withGov.Jeff Landry, whosestanding, particularly with Black voters, hasfallen with therecent congressional redistricting which reduced the number of majority-Black congressionaldistricts in Louisiana from two to one.

Local opponents of aSt. George school district also reported receiving alate contribution of more than $100,000from the National Education Association. Abar toohigh Louisiana lawmakes it verydifficult to formand operate anew school district. The keyhurdle is the need to amend the state constitution to receive state per-pupil education funding.

Even so, Baker,then Zachary and finally Central managed to clear this high bar in

1995, 1999 and 2006.

First, they had to obtain two-thirds approvalfrom thestate Legislature. Then they hadtopassmuster with the electorate. All threewerebuoyed by solid support within East Baton Rouge Parish. That support ranged from 56% for Zachary in 1999 to 69% forCentral in 2006.

Central’smultiyear path to aschool district wasthe key model and asource of continuing inspiration for St. George supporters.

In 2001 and again in 2004, leaders in Central fell short in persuading lawmakers to let them go to the voters for approvaltoformtheir own school district. Akey concern was that, unlike Baker and Zachary,Central was not acity in its ownright, just alargesemirural area where residents typically attended Central High School. Centralquickly fixed that problem.Injust ayear,residents incorporated the previously unincorporated area into anew city of Central. Whentheyreturnedtothe Legislature in 2006, lawmakers greenlighted astatewide election.

St.George’spath was much longer, more controversialand ultimately unsuccessful.

In 2012 and2013, supporters asked lawmakers to let them create aforerunner to aSt. George school district, what was to be called

theSoutheast Baton Rouge Community School System

Unlike Baker,Central and Zachary,they ran into stiff local resistance. The most outspokenopponents were parentsofchildreninmagnet schools. They worried they would lose access to those popular programs or that the new district would hurt those schools.

Following the model of Central, they shifted gears to form acity.Unlike Central, that fight lasted more than adecade. Opponents argued it would divide communitiesthat have historically identified as residents of Baton Rouge The debate was also often dividedalong racial lines, with some Black residents describing the proposed new city as modern segregation. The St. George incorporation fight culminated in an October 2019 vote to create the city.That vote, however, was open only to residents of theproposed city.By contrast,Saturday’svoteon aSt. George school district includedthousands of East Baton Rouge voters excluded in 2019.

SPORTS

N.O. hasworktodobeforereturntoprime time

back in the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina —sohemade sure they wereaware to schedule theSaints on “Monday Night Football” against the Atlanta Falcons, anod to thesame matchup that took place all the way back then.

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

The New Orleans Saints’ loneprime-time game in 2026 came on thedirect ordersof NFL commissioner RogerGoodell. No,the league’s topexecutivedidn’tmandate that the Saints needed to be featured after being shut out of thespotlight in 2025 But Goodell did want the league’sschedulemakers and networks torecognize the 20th anniversary of the Saints’ first game

Cajuns must ride momentum into SBC tourney

Saturday was abittersweet afternoonfor the UL Ragin’ Cajuns and theirfans Going into the critical SunBelt series, the feeling was that if the Cajuns wonthe series over the Chanticleers, things would work out in UL’s favor ahead of tournament season.

The long, winding road to respectability after a4-9 start to conference play would be achieved

“Itwas arequirement straight from the boss that it landed on our schedule,” NFL vicepresident of broadcast planning Mike North said on acall with reporters to discuss this year’sschedule.

Otherwise,the Saints still have work to do before they’reonce again regarded as a marquee team in the NFL.

Alate-season win streak,the emergence of quarterback Tyler Shough and abuzzy offseason weren’tenough to completely

turn around New Orleans’ perception,at leastinthe eyes of theleague’s stakeholders. While the Saints were granted theright to play theNFL’s first game in France —another standalone window, albeit onenot in prime time —New Orleans’ schedule features 13 of its 17 games at noon. That’sthree more noon outings than last year,when the black and gold had 10 noon games and six in the late-afternoon window. Given the setup, it is fair to wonder whether theSaints would have been shut out of primetime again hadthere not been asignificant

ä See SAINTS, page 3C

DAYTIMETV

NewOrleans’schedule features 13 of 17 gamesat noon.Lastyear, the Saints had10noon gamesand sixinthe late-afternoon window

ä UL vs: Marshall

3P.M.TUESDAy, ESPN+

Yetjust as the Cajuns and their fans were celebrating Saturday’s2-1 win toclaim the series, therewas still some uncertainty UL still needed help from any one of foursources not alot, just alittle. Unfortunately for the Cajuns, they didn’tget any help. Not oneofthe four teams UL neededtowin did, and so the Cajunsdidn’t reap the full benefit of their outstanding finish.

Consequently,the team that wonthe seasonseriesover No. 1Southern Miss, No.2 Coastal Carolina, No. 3AppalachianState and No. 5South Alabama will be playing the first game of the play-in portionof the bracket.

The Cajuns (34-21, 16-14) arethat No. 7 seed and will take on No. 10 Marshall at 3p.m. Tuesday at Riverwalk Stadiumin Montgomery,Alabama.

“That’salways arisky proposition, becauseinbaseball, anythingcan happen,” Deggs said. “We’re in that position because of our play over the firstfourweekends of theleague. We’re not the same team.We’re alot better team now.” As disappointing as that news is to take in, it shouldn’terasethe momentum created by UL’s late-season run.

There’snoreason for theCajunstobelieve they’re the seventh-best team in the league. Now they just havetocontinue to prove it on the field.

While the final weekenddidn’tgive UL any breaks outside of Russo Park,the Cajuns do potentially have theRPI in their corner.

We’re always just guessingwhat the NCAA committeewilldeem as mostimportant, but ask UL-Monroe’ssoftballteam what ahigh finish in the conference standings gets you sometimes.

CLEANSWEEP

BY JIM KLEINPETER Contributingwriter

LSU softball didn’tsimply get redemption; it left no doubt,and it was theseniors leading the way The Tigerswashed away the bad memoriesoflast year’sregional collapse with athird consecutive dominant performance in beating Virginia Tech, 7-2, in the championship game of the BatonRouge Regional Sunday at Tiger Park. Senior transfer Paytn Monticelli shackled the power-hitting visitors after surrendering an early lead, retiring thefinal 16 battersshe faced. Senior captains Jalia Lassiter and Maci Bergeron keyed the offense with two runs batted in each to propel LSU (40-17) into the SuperRegional round at No.1overall seed

Alabamanext weekend.

“I don’tevenknowwhere to start on our team,” LSU coach Beth Torina said. “I’msoproud of this entire group. I’m proud of their growth and the senior leadership. Every time our senior class decides that it’s time to go, those are the ones that go the best.”

LSU didn’teven makeittoSunday in last year’sregional, falling twice to No. 4seed Southeastern. After a slow start against atough schedule, it finishedstrongand took it up a notch once the regionals began with run-rule victories in the first two games.

“Wetrainedall season long for this moment this weekend,”said Bergeron, who hadsix hits in 10

Strugglesonthe moundcontinued forTigers

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

WhySchmidt andEvans didn’t start With LSU’s fate sealed heading into the weekend in needing to win five games in six days at the SEC Tournament to make an NCAA regional, LSU coach Jay Johnson decided to pull back and rest his top two starters ahead of the Tigers’ first gameinHoover Evans threw41pitches in relief on

ä See LSU, page 3C

MEN’S SOCCER

2p.m.Burnley at Arsenal

3a.m.(Tue.) RolandGarrosqualifying Tennis

5a.m.(Tue.) RolandGarrosqualifying Tennis WNBA

7p.m.Washington

RairunsawaywithPGA Championship

He becomes first English-born player in more than acentury to winevent

BY DOUG FERGUSON Associated Press

NEWTOWNSQUARE, Pa.— Aaron Rai

shifted into high gear Sunday and pulled awayfromaworld-class

field with one amazing shot after another until he became the first English-born player in more than acentury to capture thePGA Championship.

Rai, who dreamed of being a Formula 1driver until he turned to golf as aboy,was three shots behind and approaching the turn at AroniminkGolf Clubwhenhe delivered aperformanceworthy of amajor champion.

He made a40-foot eagle putt on the par-5 ninth during astretch when he one-putted seven straight greens to take the lead. And on theclosing holeswhen the contenders needed himto stumble, Rai holeda birdieputtof some 70 feet across the 17th green for the clincher.

The 31-year-old Rai, who joins two-time PGA champion Vijay Singh as major champions of Indian heritage, closed with a5-under 65.

“Tobehere is outside my wildest imagination,” Rai said Jon Rahm,Rory McIlroy,Xander Schauffele, Cameron Smith, Justin Rose, all major champions, all of them in position until they were undone by untimely mistakes or failure to get goodlooks at birdie.

McIlroy,who closed witha 69, played the par 5s in even for theweekand he chopped up the reachable par-4 13th for abogey. He also glared and softly cursed at afan who said, “USA,”after

McIlroy hit awedgefrom the rough to the bunker on the par-5 16th.It was an indication McIlroy knewhis hopes wereall but gone. Rai, who finished at 9-under 271, is thefirst player from England withhis name on the Wanamaker Trophy sinceJim Barnesin1919, the second edition of this major andthe first after World WarI He woundupwinning by three shotsover 54-hole leader Alex Smalleyand Rahm,who had his best finishinamajor sincedefecting to LIV Golf at the end of 2023. Rahmwas slowed by apair of bogeys on the front nine, and managed only one birdie on the back nine for a68.

Smalley lost thelead with a messy double bogey on the sixth hole,and hisbest golf was too late. Rai already had his eye on the WanamakerTrophy.Smalley made birdieonthe 18thfor a70.

Justin Thomas made a16-foot parputt onthe finalhole for a65 and pulled himwithinone shot of the lead asthe final group was in the second fairway. For thelongest time, as Aronimink got tougher and the pressure gottighter, it looked likeThomasmight have a

chance.

Like everything elseonthisfinal day,Rai ended those hopes, too.

So concluded amost remarkable week in the Philadelphia suburbs, where no one could separate themselves on Aronimink. The 22 playerswithinfour shots of the lead going into thefinal round was aPGA Championship record. From that packemerged the 31-year-old Rai,withone PGA Tour title, three on the European tour, and no finishes inside thetop 15 at any of the majors.

He might not be well known amongcasual observers, but he is astarinthe eyes of his peers for his humility and gracious personality.

“You won’tfind oneperson on property who’snot happy for him,” McIlroy said.

“Super pumped for him andhis team,” Schauffele said. “All-world gentleman, no doubt.”

He wears two gloves, ahabit he started as akid in England to battle the cold winters when he was practicing —and he wasalways practicing.Even moreunusual for Rai is the plastic coversoneach iron, areminder of his roots.

He once said his father sacrificed to buy the nicest golf clubs and then would clean the grooves with baby oil afterhis son was done playing.Rai has leftthe iron covers on since then “to remember where Icam from and to respect what Ihave.”

“Anybody that uses head covers in his irons because he coveted his irons when he was akid so much thathewanted to respect the equipment and to still do it? Yeah, it shows alot aboutaperson,” Rahm said. “What he did today is nothing short of special.”

Thoseseven straight one-putts included ashort putt forbogey on thepar-3 eighth, leaving Rai three behind Matti Schmid,who had three birdies in afive-hole stretch on the front to take the lead. Rai hit 5-wood into the ninth for his 40-foot eagle putt. He saved par witha10-foot putt on the 10th. He hit wedge to 4feet to adangerouspin on the 11th forbirdie.He got up-and-down from behind the 12th green forpar Andonthe 292-yard13th hole, which tripped up McIlroy and Schauffele andNick Taylor of Canada when they were right in the mix, Rai blasted out of abunkerto6feet for abirdie to become thefirst player allweek to reach 7 under.And thenhekeptright on going.

Thomas wound up in atie for fourth at 5-under 275 with Ludvig Aberg (69) and Schmid,whose 5-foot par puttonthe 18th hole gets him into his first Masters next year.Smith, who didn’tdrop ashot until the 17th hole, had a68 to join McIlroyand Schauffele (69) another shot back. Reigning championScottie Scheffler missed a4-footbirdie puttonthe third hole and twice missed 3-foot par putts on the back nine in hisclosing roundof 69 to tie for 14th, his first timeout of the top10atamajor sincethe 2024 U.S. Open.

LSUmen’s golf team headswesttoNCAAregionals

Tigers areNo. 2seed forregionalinArizona

BY SCOTT RABALAIS

Staff writer

The LSU men’sgolf team is hoping achange of direction will mean areversal of fortune from ayear ago as theTigers head to NCAA regional play In 2025, LSU headed eastasthe top seed in the regional in Amherst, Virginia, but finished ninth overall and failed to advance to theNCAA championships. This year,the Tigers are going west as the No. 2seed in theregional in Marana,Arizona, at The

Gallery Golf Club just north of Tucson. The 54-holetournament runs MondaythroughWednesday.The top five teams advance to the NCAA championships May 29-June 3atthe La Costa Resort

&Spa in Carlsbad, California, where the LSU women are teeing it up starting Friday in their NCAA championships.

“Last year we were theone seed in areally tough regional,” LSU coach JakeAmos said.

“This year we’re thetwo seed and theonly way to get through it is to tryto winit, honestly. If youfocusonthe minimum, you will get the minimum.”

The Tigers bolted out of the gate in the fall with three team

victories, rising to No. 2inthe national polls. LSU didn’twin in the spring but was solid with nothing less than afourth-place finish until theTigersfinished 12th in stroke playatthe Southeastern Conferencechampionships last monthand wereunable to advance to match play.

“Ifwe’d had abad fall and then hadthreewins thisspring, we’d have been delighted,” Amossaid.

“You can flip it both ways. Obviously,wehad abad SECs, but SECs is like the hardest event in theworld. It’sridiculously tough.” Amos will take sixplayers, including an alternate, to Arizona, with five competing each day

andthe lowfourscores counting. The lineup includes senior Matty Dodd-Berry and freshman Dan Hayes from England, juniorsNoah McWilliamsfrom Benton and Jay Mendell from Lafayette,and sophomoreArni Sveinssonfrom Iceland. Baton Rouge’s Luke Askew,asenior is the alternate. Mendell, McWilliams and Sveinssonall have stroke averagesunder 70 this season at 69.56, 69.60 and69.83, respectively Live scoring is available at scoreboard.clippd.com. The website babygrandegolf.com will stream action from all NCAA regionals on apay-perview basis.

Woad wins in Cincinnati for second LPGA Tour title

CINCINNATI Lottie Woad held off Haeran Ryuona gustySundayat MaketewahCountry Club in the Kroger Queen City Championship. Three strokes ahead of playing partner Amanda Doherty and four ahead of Ryu entering the round, Woad closed with a1-under 69 for atwo-stroke victory.The 22-yearold English player finishedat 12-under 268. Ryuhad adouble bogey on the par-4 13th in a67. She played first nine in 5-under 30.

Nelly Korda shot a67totie for eighth at 5under afterwinning in her previous two starts. She began the daynine strokes back after a third-round 72. Woad won for the second time on the LPGA Tour,following avictory last year in the Women’s Scottish Open in her professional debut.

Astros hit again by injuries as Altuve heads to IL

HOUSTON Secondbaseman JoseAltuve will be placed on the injured list with agrade 2left oblique strain, the latest blowtoa Houston Astros team that has been ravaged by injuries.

Manager Joe Espada announced the injury following Sunday’s8-0 loss to the Texas Rangers that dropped the Astros to 19-29 this season.Hedidn’tprovide atimeline for how long they expect Altuve to be out.

Altuve wasinjured in the ninth inning of Saturday night’s4-1 win over theRangers after taking an awkward swing.

He was not madeavailable to reporters after Sunday’sgame. Not counting Altuve, the Astros have 14 players on the injured list.

Paloulookstorepeat at Indy 500, wins pole spot

INDIANAPOLIS Alex Palou had his best qualifying attempt on hisfinalfour-laprun Sundayand took hissecondcareerIndianapolis 500 pole with an average speed of 232.248 mph. He’s the first reigning champion to claim the No. 1 starting spot since 2010. He’sthe only starter on the 33car starting grid with aqualifying average topping232.Alexander Rossi will start acareer-best second after going 231.990. He’ll start between Palouand Team Penske driver David Malukas on the front rowinnextSunday’ssold-out race. Malukas went231.877.

Felix Rosenqvist, of Sweden, finished the third and final round with a231.375 and will start fourth. Palouistrying to become the seventh driverinrace history to winback-to-back 500s.

Sinner wins Italian Open, matchesDjokovic’srecord

ROME Italian tennis fans had waited for thismomentfor a half century.For JannikSinner, though, it wasn’tjust about becoming the first Italian man to winthe Italian Open since Adriano Panatta 50 years ago.

Thetop-ranked Sinner’s6-4,6-4 victory over Casper Ruud in Sunday’sfinal on the red clay of the Foro Italicoalsomade himonlythe second man after Novak Djokovic to winall nineMasters 1000 events —the biggest tournaments outside the Grand Slams.

Djokovic completed the career set in 2018 in Cincinnati at age 31 —and thenwentontowin each event at least twice. Sinner is 24, and his only real rival, Carlos Alcaraz, is sidelined duetoa right wrist injury

Rousey uses armbar,beats Carano in 17 seconds

INGLEWOOD,Calif. When Ronda Rousey finally got back into a mixed martial arts cage after 91/2 years away from her sport, she couldn’twait one more minute to collect anotherarm —and to have her own arm raised one last time. RouseystoppedGina Carano with her signature armbar just 17 seconds into the two iconic fighters’double comebackboutSaturday night.

After finishing Carano, 44, with aferocity that evoked her famous heyday,the 39-year-old Rousey reaffirmed that thiswas onlythe epilogue on her historic MMA career Carano, who hadn’tfought in 17 years, was all smiles even after the swiftend to one of the longest layoffs in pro sports history.Rousey and Carano hugged and raised each other’sarmsinvictory

Friday,while Schmidt wasn’teven on the active roster this weekend. The slowweek for both sophomore right-handers meant that they’ll both be available to throw against Oklahoma on Tuesday night.

Johnson wasn’thappy with his own decision.

“Do Ilove not having William Schmidt and Casan Evans against Florida?” Johnson said. “No, Ihate it. It makes me sick in my stomach.”

Is Sernaok?

After blasting ahome run and adouble in the first two games of theseries, LSU’s freshman catcher sat out Saturday’sgame to rest ahead of the SEC Tournament.

“I just told him, Ihope today is thelastday offhe ever has at LSU,” Johnson said. “Unfortunately, we’re in aposition (where) you can make that decision that’sdefinitely best for him.”

Serna has been dealing with abackinjurysince the South Carolina series. He sat out LSU’sfinal midweek game againstTulane because of the ailment.

Johnson said that he’ll be ready to go on Tuesday against Oklahoma.

“It’sprobablybetterto get him in position to play on Tuesday,” Johnson said, “and try to play as many games as we can there than

use him today.”

Eye-poppingpitchingstats

Without SchmidtorEvans availabletostart this weekend,matters got even worse for LSU on the mound. Florida pushed 37 runs across theboard across the three-game series. LSU pitchers surrendered 35 earned runs in 25 innings, posting a12.60 ERAwith 23 walks and10homeruns allowed. It was acontinuationof theTigers’ struggleslast week in Athens, Georgia, when they registered a 14.32 ERA against Georgia. Buttheirissues on the mound extend past the last two weeks

In the fiveseries in which LSU hasbeenswept over thelast sixweeks, the pitching staff had a10.46 ERA, walked 103 batters and gave up 38 home runs in 123 innings.

“I believe in some of the pitchers that can return, but they have to getbetter. They have to geta lot better,” Johnson said. “And theyknow it, and they want to get better.And we’regoing to make sure that we do everything in our power to put them in aposition to be successful. And Ithink there are guys that can be alot betterthan theyare.”

Wasthatitfor Milam?

If Saturday was Steven Milam’sfinalgameatAlex Box Stadium, theTigers shortstop finisheditoff with abang. Thejuniorwent 2-for-5 with athree-run home run in hislast at-bat in

theninth inning.

But what if that wasn’tit for Milam? He didn’tcrack MLB.com’s top-150 draft rankings, andhedidn’tmake

The Athletic’stop-100 draft prospectslist either

Since the question has been raised, Johnson has insisted that thereisno chance that Milam will return to school. ButLSU fans on Saturday still chanted “one more year” during his at-bat in the eighth inning.

“Somebody’sgoing to give him $2 million,” Johnson said. “I mean,I appreciate (thechant).

“He lovesithere. That’s theone thingwehave going for us. It’sjust, Idon’tthink 30 teams aregoing to mess it up.”

Thestakesvs. Oklahoma Oklahoma came intothe week as aNo. 2seed in the NCAA Tournament field, meaning that itsspot in the tourney was secure even after losing twoofthree games to Tennessee this weekend.

There’snot alot riding on Tuesday’sgame forthe Sooners, since their odds of hosting aregionalare next to nothing. But don’tbesurprisedifOklahoma turns to its usualFriday starter right-hander LJ Mercurius, on Tuesday.Mercurius only threw oneinninginrelief against TennesseeonSaturday

Email Koki Rileyatkoki riley@theadvocate.com

For more LSU sports updates, sign up forour newsletter at theadvocate.

SAINTS

Continued from page1C

anniversary of one of the franchise’sbiggest games. But if the Saints feel as if they deservemoreofthe spotlight, they wouldn’t be alone. Five teams didn’t even get one prime-time game —including theTennessee Titans, who were shut out for the second straight year

Gone are the days when teams would automatically be rewarded withanight game. The league changed that rule eightyears ago, North said. These days, the league aims to schedule its most compelling matchups in prime time —with the right to swap out for another matchup later in the year if the “crystal ball” isn’t as clear as theleague hadhoped

“Anybody else who felt like they didn’t getas much national television exposure as they were hoping to, that’swhat flexible scheduling is for,” North said.

“That’swhy we put it in. That’swhy we work with our partners every yearto ensure that the teams that haveplayed theirway into bigger television windows have an opportunity to get rewarded when we get into November or December.”

Last year,Saints general manager Mickey Loomis admitted he was “surprised” at the league’sdecision to shutout the team from prime time. “That’s what the league thinks of

us,” he told reporters at the team’sannual celebrity golf tournament.But the executive also acknowledged the team couldn’t complain about thesnub. The Saints would just have to go out and earn those opportunities, he said.

Ayearlater,the Saints would likely bethe first onestoadmit they still haven’tfully reached that point. Throughout the offseason, Loomis and other members of the organizationhave cautioned against reading too much into the team’sfour-game win streak down thestretch. The Saints ultimately finished 6-11, aone-win improvement from2024.

Of course,thatrecord surpassedmanyofthe expectations that predicted theSaints to be one of the worst teams in the NFL.

But that alone doesn’t guarantee multiple spots in prime time.

“There’salot of talk about everything, but for me,Iwant to keep getting better,” Shough said last month. “I onlyplayednine games. …Ihaven’treally shownanything yet.”

If there is anargument that theSaints did deserve more of ashowcase, the case would start with Shough. Promising young quarterbacks not only bringhope, they sell games. Lookatthe New York Giants, who were rewarded with fourprimetime games after Jaxson Dart’spromising rookie season. And in his case, Shough finished ahead of Dart in voting for Offen-

REGIONAL

at-bats in her final performance before thehome fans. “I’msuper proud of everyone. We executed and hada lotofenergy in the dugout. Icouldn’task for a better team and coaching staff tobearound.”

Virginia Tech (48-12) took an early 2-0 lead with single runs in thefirst and second innings, but Monticelli (9-3) did notallowanother base runner.She struck out two and walked none despite someearly butterflies.

“I was nervous,” said Monticelli, whosepath led from WisconsintoOklahoma andfinally Baton Rouge. “Butterflies,itwas all good feelings.Iwasn’t playing scared.Itwas easy to settle in after that first inning because my teammates had my back and gave me thebreathing room. Ineeded to take a

FOOTE

Continuedfrom page1C

The Warhawks won the Sun Belt’sregular-season title anddidn’tget an atlarge berth after bowing out in the Sun Belt Tournament’ssemifinals.

The problem with playing the RPI gameisthe opponentsmatter alot.

For example, takethe 2023 finish for theCajuns.

UL lost two of three in thefinal weekend of the season at Southern Miss and needed some help.

sive Rookieofthe Year

But there are differences. This offseason, the Giantsnotablyhired John Harbaugh —a big-name coach whofigurestoprovide abaseline of competence that shouldkeep the Giants more competitivein that spotlight. Andthere’s no doubt New York is abiggermarketthanNew Orleans, even if market size doesn’tsolely factor into being awarded prime-time contests.(The New York Jets were surprisingly not givena night game.)

AndatleastShoughwas fortunate enough that the Saintswill gettoplay on “Monday Night Football. Neither Tennessee’s Cam Ward nor Las Vegas’ Fernando Mendoza— the first overallpicks in backto-back drafts —saw their teams get chosen for prime time.

“Not to be flip, but we don’tdraftour wayinto prime time,” North said.

Forthe Saints’ perception to truly change, they simply have to start winning again.

Caseinpoint: the Jacksonville Jaguars. Though they’re another small-market team,Jacksonville’s dramaticturnaroundin 2025 left networksclamoring.

TheJaguars were awarded threeprime-timespots afterhavingjustone last season.

“They earnedthem,” North said. “You play your way into prime time.”

Email Matthew Paras at matt. paras@theadvocate.com

The way thetournament schedule played out, UL “got”the opportunity to play nationally-ranked Coastal Carolina three times in thetournament. At thetime, it may have seemed like abrutal path, but beating theChanticleers twice convinced the committee to grant UL an at-large regional berth.

For thosewho don’tremember,those two wins were powered by legendary pitching performances from BlakeMarshall —he went four shutout innings and 63 pitches in relief,

breath, take asecond and realize Iwas OK.”

Torina,who spent her first game in thethird base coaching box this season, said sheknewMonticelli would be OK when she “saw her smile” after the second run.

“After the two runs, she slowed down,” Torina said.

“Her pace was super fast the first twoinnings. Igot on her alittle bit. When Isaw her smile, Ithought ‘Oh, we’re good,we’refine,she’s smiling.

The Tigers put up four runs in thethirdinarally started by Lassiter’ssolo home run to left field.

Bergeron drilledatwo-run single to makeit3-0 before Ally Hutchins addeda runscoring double.

RBIs by Lassiter and Sierra Daniel in the fifthpaddedthe lead andanother runscored on an error in the sixth. LSU had 12 hits and at least two baserunners in every inning, keeping up the pressure with

then 51/3 shutout innings in 84 pitches later that day

If the Cajuns beat Marshall on Tuesday,they will play No. 2Coastal Carolina on Wednesday And perhaps that could lead to moregames against the Chanticleers or another good RPI squad.

“Wejust have to keep playing like we’ve been playing and makeittough on them (committee),” Deggs said.

It’s baseball, so anything is possible. Of course, UL could lose to Marshall on Tuesday

Sometimes, having to makesuch amad dash late in aseason can wear a team out.

The good thing is it appears theCajuns are more sound baseball-wisethan they’vebeen allseason long.

The late-season curveballs still aren’tgood, but they’ve been addressed. At second base, Owen Galtis showing moreconsistency When he missed atag on apotential steal Saturday, he quickly madeupfor it by igniting acritical tworun frame.

“I just knew Ihad to come back and makeup

four walks and ahit batter

Monticelli made it stand up, cruising through the orderwith astrong pitching mixand flawless defense, highlighted by Alix Franklin’shome run-robbing catch at the right-field wallinthe fifth. Franklin snagged the ball before crashing intothe wall on ahigh drive by Addison Foster.Lassiter ran over from center field andbearhugged her afterward.

“Jalia andI have practiced balls at the wall Idon’t knowhow many times,” said Franklin, who was moved to tearsrecalling the hug from her teammate. “Shout out to Easton (Lonibos) who hits them to us. I couldn’tbelieve it. It was so awesome, Ihad never playedoutfield before.To make that catch wasreally cool.”

LSU pitching held the Hokies, who entered the regionalfifthinthe nation with 105 dingers, without a homer in 13 innings.

forwhat Imade, my mistake, and that’swhat Idid,” Galt said. “Everybody just hopped on board and kept hitting.

“We’re hot. We’re ready to go and just showed that we can play with the best and play together.We’re good when we do that.”

The Cajuns still don’t have aton of arms, but yes, they have guys pitching as wellasanyone in the league over the last month.

“Baseball’sfunny that way,”Deggs said. “You’re only as good as your next day’sstarter.Well, our next starter is Cody Brasch and he’sready to go.” Brasch and Andrew Herrmann have been steady foralong time, but Ty Roman has jumped on board of late with consistent starts as well.

“Oh, man,itlooks good,” Deggs said of Roman. “He looks great. Sandy (pitching coach Taylor Sandefur) cleaned up acouple of things. He’sjust pounding that strike zone. Fastball’s good, and he can ride it. He can pound it to his glove side. And then he can work that change up in that little spinner he’sgot.”

PROVIDED IMAGE

THEDEPTHS OF HISTORY

This steamboathad multiple identities before sinkinginBayou Teche. What’s itsstory?

BY ROBIN MILLER Staff writer

Stories of Civil War gunboatbattles along Bayou Teche havenot been lost to history

After all, the bayou was a vital economic artery in south Louisiana, as well as agateway into the state’sinterior, which made it acontested route between theUnionand Confederacy.So, Josh Hall wasn’tatall surprised to learn that aformer armored Civil Warboat is buried beneath the bayou’smuddy bottom and bank in New Iberia.

Still, he wasn’tfamiliar with the boat’shistory

“This boat was called theTeche, but that was just oneofits identities,”the Lafayette reader said.“I’velooked it up, and I’m findingthat it wentby several names, anditwas used fora different purpose undereach of those names. And now it’sburiedinBayou Teche. What’s its story?”

Neverskirmished

Though Bayou Techeisthis boat’s final resting place, it neverskirmished on the southwestLouisiana waterway. And its connection to the state really begins at the end ofits story when, in 2005, New Iberia architect Paul Allain

discovered its wreckage.

According to theCharles E. Pearson’sreport in the 2006 Bulletin of theLouisiana Archaeological Society, theboat, called the “Teche,” was discovered in November 2005 during construction of abulkhead for aproposed marinesewagepump-out facilityalong the bayou in New Iberia.

Pearson’sreport said Allain was overseeing the project, which was funded by theUnited States Fish and Wildlife Service and the Louisiana Division of Wildlife and Fisheries.

“The wreckage was discovered on the first day of construction when thecontractor recognized apiece of boat structure in thematerial being removed from Bayou Teche with a

Ahistorical marker along the NewIberia Boardwalkat Weeks Street commemorates the site of the sunken steamboat Teche in the Bayou Teche. The boat servedinboth the Confederate and Union navies during the CivilWar and wasused as atransport boat at the timeofits wreck.

PROVIDED PHOTO By THE HISTORICAL MARKERDATABASE

bucket dredge,”Pearson wrote.

Coastal Environments Inc., of Baton Rouge, was then hired to research the sitein2006 to determine its National Register eligibility.The wreck has since been designated the “New Iberia Shipwreck,” aLouisiana archaeological site at thefoot of Weeks Street on thewestern side of Bayou Teche.

Beneath4feetofmud

Today,the wreck is nestled beneath 4feet of mud at Bayou Teche Boardwalk at Weeks Street in New Iberia’s historic district.It’scommemorated by ahistorical marker installed by the Iberia Parish Convention and Visitors Bureau.

ä See CURIOUS, page 6C

Artistsreunite on Dayofthe Dead in newMet Opera

SILVERMAN Associated Press

Racked by unrelenting pain, Mexicanpainter FridaKahlo wrote in her diary shortly before she died: “I joyfully await the exit —and hope never to return. Yetreturn she does —if only briefly —onthe Day of the Deadin“El Último Sueño de Frida yDiego” (“The Last Dream of Frida and Diego”),

aSpanish-language opera receiving its Metropolitan Opera premiere this May The opera, with libretto by playwright Nilo Cruz and music by Gabriela Lena Frank, imagines Kahlo’sspectral reunionthree years afterher death with Diego Rivera, the great Mexican muralist with whom shehad atempestuous romantic relationship

ä See OPERA, page 6C

In

shelters, newborn kittensare uniquely vulnerable

Aworkshop aims to change that

BY MAURAFOX

Isabel Leonard as Frida Kalho, foreground center,and Carlos Álvarez as DiegoRivera performinarehearsal for ‘ElÚltimo Sueño de Frida yDiego’atthe Metropolitan Opera in Newyork

SAN DIEGO It was about17 yearsago that Hannah Shaw found ablack kitten stuck in a tree in aPhiladelphia park. She didn’tknow how to care for the little cat,which had one of its eyes sealed shut with an infection —but her friend advised her not to bring it to alocal animal shelter,where it could be euthanized forits young age. So she adopted it and named it Coconut, or Coco forshort. It’s theclassic story—a kitten rescued after getting stuck in a tree— andit could have endedthere

But forShaw, the moment set her lifeon anew track, one focused on helping especially young kittens that require around-theclock specialized care.

29%

The share of deaths by neonatal kittens —under 4 weeks old—at catshelters, which was the largest share.

“(Coco) was my best friend for15years,” Shaw said. “She’s the reason that Iopened my eyes to this issue.”

Shaw is now the founder of the Orphan Kitten Club, aSan Diego-based nonprofit she started in 2016 dedicated to providing kitten resources to animal shelters around the country,including funding for staffing, kitten formulaand medical treatment At the beginning of the month, Orphan Kitten Club partnered with the San Diego Humane Society for athree-day workshop for11animalshelters to learn techniques for caring fornewborn kittensuptoeight weeks old, the time in acat’slifewhen it’smost vulnerable.

In 2025, neonatal kittens under 4weeks old—accounted for the largest share of cat deaths in animal shelters in the U.S., at 29%,according to ShelterAnimals Countdata. Weaned kittens, from 4to8weeks old, accounted foranother 21%.

“This populationhas been categorized as unhealthy and untreatable,” Shaw said. “So Orphan Kitten Club exists to change that.”

After Shaw rescued Coco, she became her neighborhood’sgoto whenever akitten was found in need —somuchthatshe was dubbed “the kitten lady,” anamethat has stuck over the years. Entirely self-taught and with adegree in psychology, she’swritten several books and offers educational materials on kitten care on her website.

The Orphan Kitten Club’s workshop at the Humane Society providedparticipants an education on several subjects, including how to bottle-train kittens without mothers, tactics forpreventing and treating diseases and how to build engagement with foster families for the kittens.

Such kittensare achallenging demographic to care for, Shaw explained. They need to be fed every two hours, andsome are so dependent they can’tregulate their ownbody temperature. They’re especially susceptible to infection, and their rate of decline is faster than an adult cat if they do get sick —sokeeping themina clean environment is also important.

That can be easier saidthan done, especially at ashelter

“An animal shelter is where a

By The Associated Press

Today is Monday, May 18, the 138th day of 2026. There are 227 days left in the year

Today in history: On May 18, 1980, the Mount St. Helens volcano in Washington state erupted, leaving an estimated 57 people dead or missing.

Also on this date:

In 1863, the Siege of Vicksburg began during the Civil War, ending on July 4 with a Union victory that gave its forces control of the Mississippi River In 1896, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Plessy v. Ferguson, endorsed “separate but equal” racial segregation (The decision was reversed in 1954 by Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka.) In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a measure creating the Tennessee Valley Authority, the largest

CURIOUS

Continued from page 5C

That’s where it is now but how did it get there?

The vessel’s story begins in 1860 as a sidewheel steamboat called the Tom Sugg, which operated as a merchant vessel in Arkansas. In records compiled by the Encyclopedia of Arkansas, the vessel measured more than 91 feet long and 22 feet wide. By the spring of 1862, the boat was commissioned the CSS Tom Sugg, serving in the Confederate Navy’s fleet in Arkansas.

“Captain John W. Dunnington ‘armored’ it with cotton bales and mounted an 8-inch cannon on its bow so that it could be used against Major General Samuel R. Curtis’ Army of the Southwest,” the Encyclopedia of Arkansas continues. “While there are no reports that the Tom Sugg saw action during this period, it continued to serve the Confederacy on the White and Little Red rivers.” That is, until 1863, when Union Forces captured and confiscated it on the White River, then transported it to the U.S. Naval Base in Cairo, Illinois.

“The navy purchased it from an Illinois prize court for $7,000 on September 29 1863, at the urging of Rear Admiral David Dixon Porter, who said that the steamboat was ‘an excellent

KITTENS

Continued from page 5C

lot of sick animals go,” Shaw said. “When a baby kitten comes in, it’s kind of like bringing your newborn to a music festival.”

That’s why the Orphan Kitten Club aims to teach animal shelter staff how to support young kittens and give them the best chance at life.

Kitten season — when the most kittens are born typically lasts during the warmer months from the spring through fall, but in San Diego

public utility in America. In 1973 Harvard law professor Archibald Cox was appointed Watergate special prosecutor by U.S. Attorney General Elliot Richardson. In 1981 the New York Native, a biweekly newspaper directed toward gay men and lesbians, carried a story informing of “an exotic new disease” among LGBTQ+ people; it was the first published report about what came to be known as AIDS. In 1998, the U.S. government filed an antitrust case against Microsoft, saying the powerful software company had a “choke hold” on competitors that was denying consumers important choices about how they bought and used computers. (The Justice Department and Microsoft reached a settlement in 2001.)

In 2018, a Boeing 737 chartered by Cuba’s nation-

vessel and will make one of our most useful gunboats,’ the Tom Sugg’s name was changed to (USS) Tensas,” the encyclopedia states.

Didn’t see action here

Though the USS Tensas didn’t see action in Louisiana, Porter, the admiral who sang the boat’s praises, was a significant figure in the Union’s 1864 Red River Campaign that stretched through the state.

While Gen. Nathaniel Banks commanded the Union Army’s failed effort that resulted in the burning of Alexandria, Porter headed the U.S Navy, whose fleet of 14 ironclads and 20 tinclads found themselves stranded in Alexandria on the north side of the Red River’s rapids during low water season

This situation resulted in Union Col. Joseph Bailey’s construction of a makeshift dam that rose water levels just high enough to get the boats to the other side of the rapids. Though it was an embarrassment to the Navy, Bailey’s feat is still considered a military engineering masterpiece today

It was Porter who, a year before the Red River Campaign, encouraged the navy to convert the USS Tensas to a tinclad gunboat and arm it with a pair of 24-pounder howitzers The boat was commissioned on Jan. 1, 1865, in Mound City, Illinois, and Acting Master E.C. Van

it can be year-round thanks to the mild weather, Shaw said.

“It’s a really interesting city for kittens,” she said.

“We have some of the highest need but also some of the best resources.”

Fostering young kittens can be a game-changer since they need regular care and it gives them the chance socialize with other cats Many can’t be adopted until they’re eight weeks old Shaw encourages people to sign up to be fosters — and to call local organizations like the Feral Cat Coalition to come spay and neuter cats in the community to ad-

al airline from a Mexican company crashed a short distance from Havana’s Jose Marti Airport, killing all but one of 113 people on board. Cuban aviation officials later said errors in calculating the weight and balance of the plane led the crew to lose control of the aircraft during takeoff. Today’s birthdays: Baseball Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson is 80. Musician Rick Wakeman (Yes) is 77. Musician-composer Mark Mothersbaugh (Devo) is 76. Country musician George Strait is 74. Actor Chow Yun-Fat is 71. Hockey Hall of Famer Jari Kurri is 66.

Tennis Hall of Famer Yannick Noah is 66. Comedianwriter Tina Fey is 56. Rock singer Jack Johnson is 51. Figure skater Alina Zagitova is 24. Heisman Trophy

winner Travis Hunter is 23.

Actor Hala Finley is 17.

Pelt commanded it on the Mississippi River for the remainder of the war

Then came the boat’s third and final iteration as the Teche, along with its journey to its bayou namesake. Brought to New Iberia

The Tensas was hauled back to Mound City after the war, where it was decommissioned on Aug. 7, 1865. Shortly after New Iberia businessman E.B. Trinidad of New Iberia bought it at auction for $6,200.

He was the one who renamed the boat the Teche and used it to transport goods through his Attakapas Mail Transportation Co. It wrecked and sank in Bayou Teche in 1868. And that’s where it’s been since.

Author Shane K. Bernard, in his 2016 book, “Teche: A History of Louisiana’s Most Famous Bayou,” states that “parts of the vessel have been excavated, including a section of the keel.”

But the remainder continues to rest in a muddy grave beneath the murky waters of the Bayou Teche.

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

dress the problem at its root.

“There’s too many coming in,” she said.

She hopes the Orphan Kitten Club can expand to a point where the work isn’t so needed. She says she does it less for the love of cats — she doesn’t like cats any more than any other animal — than to serve as a bridge to get the kittens stable.

“It’s about recognizing a vulnerable state that somebody is in,” she said. “Once you get to 8 weeks, it’s all smooth sailing. So it’s like building this bridge to get them there. That’s what it’s about for me.”

In a twist on the Orpheus legend, Rivera has grown weary of life without Kahlo and — on the holiday that honors the dead and welcomes the return of their spirits — he summons her from the underworld in the hope they may be eternally reunited.

For mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard, who stars as Kahlo, the opera is “a journey of emotions that every human can possess, told through the lens or perspective of iconic humans that many of us admire.”

Joining her in the cast are baritone Carlos Álvarez as Rivera, soprano Gabriella Reyes as Catrina, gatekeeper to the underworld, and countertenor Nils Wanderer as Leonardo, a spirit who impersonates Greta Garbo. Met music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts six of the seven performances Thursday through June 5, with the May 30 matinee broadcast to cinemas worldwide in HD.

Two decades in the making

The idea for the work dates back more than 20 years, when the late Joel Revzen, then director of the Arizona Opera, asked Frank to write an opera about Kahlo.

The collaborators agreed they wanted to avoid conventional approaches and instead leaned into magical realism.

“I wasn’t interested in writing a biopic,” Cruz said. “We had the movie with Salma Hayek and I’d seen a couple of monologues that had to do with Frida and her life.

“So this whole concept of Diego approaching the end of his life, especially on the Day of the Dead, I thought was interesting,” he said. “I think opera should be bigger than life, so anything that’s mythical makes for a good opera.”

In setting Cruz’s text, Frank said she steered away from melodies and rhythms that would too closely echo

Mezzo-soprano

and baritone

Álvarez as Diego Rivera perform in a rehearsal for ‘El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego.

traditional Latin music.

“What I wanted to convey instead was something very colorful, something that sounded otherworldly, sometimes ancient,” she said

“You will hear a lot of instruments you won’t always hear in opera,” Frank said.

“The marimba is in almost every scene It might be covering the clarinet line or the voice and you didn’t realize it was there. But it makes it sound to me as if it’s from Central America.”

In praising the score, New Yorker critic Alex Ross wrote that “the challenge of intermingling biography and myth might have defeated a less adroit composer One can imagine a score cluttered with Mexican folkloric effects and supernatural noises. Instead, Frank establishes a dreamlike, liminal mood from the start.”

‘Ainadamar’ team reunion

The opera had its COVIDdelayed premiere in San Diego in 2022. It was a huge success, and the original production has been performed in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and elsewhere.

When the Met decided to stage it, general manager Peter Gelb hired the team that worked on Osvaldo Golijov’s “Ainadamar” in 2024 — director and chore-

ographer Deborah Colker and set designer Jon Bausor — to create a new production Bausor and Wilberth Gonzalez collaborated on the costumes.

“It’s not anything against the original,” Gelb said. “But when you have a work as important and appealing as this there’s no reason why there shouldn’t be more than one production. It’s a sign of its artistic success.”

Finding inspiration

Bausor said his inspiration for the set design was an oil painting by Kahlo titled “Tree of Hope, Remain Strong” that depicts two Fridas. One shows her in an elegant Mexican dress seated on a hospital gurney that rests on cracked earth. Another Frida lies behind her on the gurney, swaddled in sheets with angry red stitches in her back — a reminder of the constant pain she suffered after a 1925 bus collision with a streetcar

There’s no literal tree in the painting, but the title gave Bausor the idea for one of the centerpieces of his set: a large, blood red tree with twisting branches and roots that resemble arteries of the human body The sides and rear of the stage are draped in recycled

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Put your energy to work for you. Focus on finishing what you start and surpassing expectations. An open mind and stellar plan will push you to the winner's circle.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Knowledge and experience are powerful, and your ability to dance circles around others will help you gain momentum and add value to your portfolio. Thinking ahead will help you stay in front of the crowd.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Look at every angle of a situation before you get involved. A disciplined attitude will give you the leverage necessary to zigzag your way to victory.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Everything is yours to discover if you open your eyes, ask questions and use your imagination to create the life and conditions you wish for. Choose to act instead of taking the path that leads nowhere.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Ask questions, and consider the outcome of a change before you commit. Nothing will be as it appears. A last-minute adjustment will signal that you should probably take a step back and reconsider your next move.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Live and learn. Experience is what you gain when you communicate, volunteer and initiate changes that will jump-start a lull in your life. Be the one to stoke the flame and make people think.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Put your energy into discovery, learning and verifying information to ensure you make head-

way instead of creating chaos. Look for opportunities to travel or learn something new.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Consider how to balance situations by implementing lifestyle changes that complement what you are trying to achieve without jeopardizing what those you love are struggling with.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Don't trust hearsay; get what you want in writing Someone will use false advertising to attract attention. Don't buy into someone else's inflated version of what's possible

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Make things happen. You're sitting in an excellent position, so don't waste time. A lifestyle change will boost your energy, mood and idea of what you want your schedule to look like.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Take a moment to analyze the situations around you before you participate. Problems will erupt at home as well as when you indulge in conversations that involve your beliefs, passions and people you love.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Originality, drive and desire will help you turn a thought into something new and exciting. Share your intentions. Self-improvement is favored.

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

By Andrews McMeel Syndication

FAMILY CIrCUS

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudokuis anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several givennumbers Theobjectistoplace thenumbers 1to9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column andeach3x3 boxcontains the same number only once. Thedifficulty levelofthe Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday

Saturday’s PuzzleAnswer

BY PHILLIP ALDER Bridge

Partner opens, say, one heart,the next player passes, and you respond two spades. What are you showing? Therearetypicallytwoanswerstothat question: aweak or strong hand. Aweakjumpshiftshowsasix-cardsuit andsome4-8 high-card points. Butthis week, let’s look at the strong variety. In the old days, astrong jumpshift promised17-19 points. However, it is much better to use a13-16-point range: sufficienttoinsist on game, but then wanting partner to decide whether to go higher. (More on why tomorrow.)

The responder hasone of two handtypes: an excellent one-suiter with six or more cards in hissuit, or agoodtwosuiter with fiveorsix cards in his own suit and four or five in partner’s suit. With the two-suiter, he rebids in partner’s suit.Withthe one-suiter, responder does something else, usually rebidding in his suit or in no-trump. In thisdeal, South learns all about his partner’shand andshould have no trouble settling into seven no-trump. After West leadsthe diamond queen, how should declarer play? South can count 14(!) tricks via fivespades, five hearts,two diamonds andtwo clubs.The only dangerisa4-0

wuzzles

spadebreak. Butdeclarer can avoid a loser whateverthe positionaslongashe starts with dummy’s ace (or king). This keeps one high honor in each hand to capture an opponent’s lower honor (the jack). South can finesseeither way to stop thatjack from taking atrick. ©2026 by NEA, Inc., dist.

By Andrews McMeel Syndication

Each Wuzzleisawordriddle which creates adisguised word, phrase, name,place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON

Previousanswers:

word game

InsTRucTIons: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,”

or

ToDAY’sWoRD FosTER: FOSS-ter:Encourage; promote thegrowth or development of.

Averagemark 13 words

Time limit20minutes

Can you find 17 or more words in FOSTER?

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