Soak’n Fun will lease only water park, not Dixie Landin’
BY ELLYN COUVILLION
and TIMOTHY BOONE Staff writers
Blue Bayou Water Park in Baton Rouge will reopen in May 2026 under new management and a new name — Soak’n Fun — it was announced Tuesday
The water park off Interstate 10 didn’t open this summer, and it was unclear what the future of the popular venue was, especially after its sister attraction, Dixie Landin’ Theme Park, was open for about a week.
The new management company is Leisure Sports and Recreation, based in Mandeville, which also owns and operates the Gulf Islands Waterpark in Gulfport, Mississippi.
Gulf Islands is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year
“The Soak’n Fun family of water parks is known for delivering clean and safe family fun,” the news release said.
“We’re thrilled to bring the Soak’n Fun experience to Baton Rouge,” Glenn Haggerty, managing partner of Leisure Sports and Recreation,
said in the announcement Like Blue Bayou, Gulf Islands is a regional attraction, also located off Interstate 10. It features a wave pool, waterslides and what it bills as a “water roller coaster.” Gulf Islands recently started courting Baton Rouge visitors after Blue Bayou announced it was not opening this year.
Leisure Sports and Recreation will be working this year in preparation for the new Soak’n Fun opening next year, it said. The company said further details will be announced later this year It will not be leasing or operating
Fair Grounds racing season in peril
BY ANTHONY McAULEY and TYLER BRIDGES Staff writers
DA balks at request for cuts to budget
Moore’s office submits plan calling for 158% increase
BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER Staff writer
Facing mounting budget pressure, East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Sid Edwards recently asked all city-parish departments to draft proposals with significant cuts in their 2026 budgets. But District Attorney Hillar Moore’s office has refused, saying it is already facing its own budget crisis. Instead Moore submitted a plan with for a 158% increase.
“Let us be clear: the budget request enclosed does not adhere to proposed 6% or 12% reduction targets,” District Attorney Hillar Moore replied in a letter Friday “Instead, it reflects the unavoidable and pressing need to adequately fund the constitutionally mandated function of the East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney’s Office.” Moore says state law mandates that parishes adequately fund their district attorneys.
The mayor’s spokesperson, Falon Brown, said
BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer
A bill that aims to stop out-of-state doctors from prescribing abortion drugs like mifepristone or misoprostol to people in Louisiana passed the Legislature on Tuesday
Called the “Justice for Victims of Abortion Drug Dealers Act,” the legislation would allow pregnant women to sue those who illegally give them drugs for an abortion or try to perform an abortion on them.
Rep. Julie Emerson, R-Carencro, a co-sponsor of the bill, said in Louisiana it’s already a crime to provide drugs to someone for an illegal abortion,
See ABORTION, page 11A
The upcoming horse racing season in New Orleans is in peril after the owner of the Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots said it plans to give up its racing and gambling licenses following a failed effort to get state legislators to agree to a subsidy to replace lost revenue from slots. William Carstanjen, the chief executive of Churchill Downs Inc which has owned the historic track
for the past two decades, told the Louisiana State Racing Commission and state legislators in a letter dated June 9 that the company plans to relinquish its license to operate the track and its other 13 off-track betting operations at the oversight board’s next meeting. The commission’s executive director, Stephen Landry, said Tuesday that he’s seen the letter but the commissioners haven’t yet set a date for the meeting. He said they expect it will be held sometime within the next 30 days. He declined to comment further
The stalemate leaves in doubt the upcoming season, which normally begins on Thanksgiving and runs through March. The Fair Grounds season is a critical part of the $2.5 billion Louisiana horse racing and breeding industry’s annual calendar, and includes the Louisiana Derby and the Risen Star Stakes, both high-purse races that are part of the “Road to the Kentucky Derby” series. At issue is the loss of tens of millions of dollars in revenue by
Owner Churchill Downs says it plans to give up licenses at N.O. track ä See FAIR GROUNDS, page 8A
STAFF FILE PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER
The Fair Grounds season includes the Louisiana Derby and the Risen Star Stakes, both high-purse races that are part of the ‘Road to the Kentucky Derby’ series.
ä See BUDGET, page 10A
STAFF PHOTOS By HILARy SCHEINUK
Blue Bayou Water Park, located off Interstate 10 at Highland Road, did not open this summer.
Blue Bayou Water Park will reopen in 2026 as Soak’n Fun.
BLUE, page 10A
Barbara weakens
to a tropical storm
MEXICO CITY Tropical Storm
Barbara gradually weakened
Tuesday as it continued heading northwest away from land after earlier strengthening to a hurricane. The storm marked the first hurricane of the eastern Pacific hurricane season.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said swells generated by the storm system will affect portions of the coast of southwestern and west-central Mexico, as well as the southernmost portions of Baja California, on Tuesday Those swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.
Hurricane Barbara was located about 180 miles west-southwest of Cabo Corrientes, Mexico. It strengthened into a hurricane on Monday, but its maximum sustained winds had since decreased to about 60 mph. The storm’s center was moving northwest at 8 mph. The NHC said continued weakening was forecast, and Barbara is expected to dissipate by Wednesday
The storm had been expected earlier to bring heavy rainfall to coastal areas of Guerrero, Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco states, with the possibility of localized flooding. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Cosme strengthened slightly Monday but remained well off the coast of Mexico on Tuesday about 605 miles southsouthwest of the tip of Baja California, the NHC said.
Penguins show decline in region of Antarctica
WASHINGTON The population of emperor penguins in one part of Antarctica appears to be declining faster than previously thought, according to a new analysis of satellite imagery released
Tuesday
The estimated population of 16 penguin colonies — visible in satellite photos taken between 2009 and 2024 — had declined 22% during that period mainly because of climate change that’s shrinking the amount of available sea ice. It’s unclear whether this drop is seen across the continent, scientists said.
“Sea ice is very important for the penguins because they breed on sea ice and forage on sea ice,” said Peter Fretwell, of British Antarctic Survey, who helped analyze the data.
Scientists previously estimated that the total emperor penguin population declined about 10% across all of Antarctica over the past decade and a half. The latest survey included a region covering the Antarctic Peninsula, Weddell Sea and Bellingshausen Sea.
“It’s absolutely alarming that the numbers are so much worse than predicted,” said Daniel Zitterbart, a penguin researcher at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, who was not involved in the study There are uncertainties in the latest estimate. The analysis relies on a calculation of how densely the penguins are clustered in each area where they’re detected in a single satellite photo taken each year
4 dead in explosions in southwest Colombia
BOGOTA, Colombia — At least four people were killed in Colombia on Tuesday as rebel groups detonated bombs near police stations in the city of Cali and the neighboring Cauca province, according to authorities.
Military and police spokespeople blamed the attacks on the FARC-EMC, a group led by former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia who broke away from the group after it signed a peace deal with the government in 2016. Authorities said the rebels placed bombs in cars and motorcycles that were parked near police stations. The attacks on the police stations come just days after Miguel Uribe, a conservative presidential candidate, was shot during a rally in Bogota. Authorities say they are investigating who was behind the attack on Uribe, who is in a critical condition in hospital in Bogota. Colombia’s government has struggled to contain violence in urban and rural areas as several rebel groups try to take over territory abandoned by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia following its peace deal with the government.
Two Israeli Cabinet ministers sanctioned
BY JULIA FRANKEL and JILL LAWLESS Associated Press
JERUSALEM — Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway said Tuesday they have imposed sanctions on two farright Israeli government ministers for allegedly “inciting extremist violence” against Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
The decision by Western governments friendly to Israel was a sharp rebuke of Israel’s settlement policies in the West Bank and of settler violence, which has spiked since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack ignited the war in the Gaza Strip.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, key partners in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition, are champions of Israeli settlement who support continuing the war in Gaza, facilitating what they call the voluntary emigration of its Palestinian population and the rebuilding of Jewish settlements there. They could now face asset freezes and travel bans.
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of the five countries said Ben-Gvir and Smotrich “have incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights. Extremist rhetoric advocating the forced displacement of Palestinians and the creation of new Israeli settlements is appalling and dangerous.”
U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the two men “have been inciting violence against Palestinian people for months and months and months” and “encouraging egregious abuses of human rights.”
“These measures are directed at individuals who directly contribute to extremist settler violence,” said Canadian
Minister Anita Anand. “The measures are not directed against the state of Israel itself.”
Smotrich wrote on social media that he learned of the sanctions while he was inaugurating a new West Bank settlement. “We are determined to continue building,” he said.
Ben-Gvir, also writing on social media, said “we overcame Pharoah, we’ll overcome Starmer’s Wall,” referring to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer
Israel’s government condemned the announcement, which came as traditional allies of Israel escalate denouncements of Israel’s actions in Gaza, from the high civilian death toll to a monthslong blockade that led to famine warnings.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called the sanctions decision “outrageous.” He said he had discussed it with Netanyahu and they would meet next week to discuss Israel’s response.
He said that the move threatened to harden Hamas’ stance in ongoing negotiations to end the war in Gaza and to cut short Israel’s operation in Gaza before it achieves its goals.
Benny Gantz, an centrist Israeli lawmaker an political rival to Netanyahu, wrote he “vehemently” disagreed with Smotrich and Ben-Gvir but said the move was “profound moral mistake and sends a dangerous message to terrorists around the world.”
Netanyahu is the target of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court last year over alleged war crimes in Gaza, part of a global wave of outrage at Israel’s conduct during its 20-month war against Hamas. Netanyahu has denied the allegations and accused the court of being biased against Israel.
Former student opens fire at an Austrian school, killing 10
BY PHILIPP JENNE and GEIR MOULSON Associated Press
GRAZ, Austria A former student opened fire at a school in Austria’s secondbiggest city on Tuesday, fatally wounding 10 people and injuring many others before taking his own life, authorities said.
There was no immediate information on the motive of the 21-year-old man, who had no previous police record. He used two weapons, which he was believed to have owned legally, police said.
“Today is a dark day in the history of our country,” Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker told reporters in Graz, a city of about 300,000 people in southeastern Austria.
He called it a national tragedy that shocks us deeply” and said there would be three days of national mourning, with the Austrian flag lowered to half-staff at official buildings A national minute of silence is to be held on Wednesday morning in memory of the victims.
Special forces were among those sent to the BORG Dreierschützengasse high school, over half a mile from Graz’s historic center, after calls at 10 a.m. reporting shots at the building. More than
300 police officers were sent to the school, which was evacuated Footage from the scene showed students filing out quickly past armed officers.
Police said security was restored in 17 minutes.
The assailant, who acted alone, was a 21-year-old Austrian man who lived near Graz, police said. His name wasn’t released.
Regional Police Chief Gerald Ortner said two firearms a long gun and a handgun — were used in the shooting and recovered from the scene, and that the assailant was apparently legally in possession of them. The man took his own life in a bathroom Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said the gunman had been a student at the school and hadn’t
Wis. man accused of threatening Trump can be released on bail
BY SOPHIA TAREEN Associated Press
CHICAGO An immigrant man who was falsely accused of threatening to assassinate President Donald Trump can be released from a Wisconsin prison on bail, an immigration judge determined Tuesday Ramón Morales Reyes was accused of a writing a letter threatening Trump in a blistering social media post by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem The post includes Morales Reyes’ photo and an excerpt from the letter he purportedly wrote in English. But the claims quickly fell apart as Wisconsin authorities determined that Reyes, who doesn’t speak English well or write in the language, was framed.
The immigrant from Mexico was a victim in a violent 2023 attack where his bike was stolen. According to authorities, the alleged attacker Demetric D. Scott, forged the letter to try to clear his case. Morales Reyes was set to be a witness in Scott’s July trial for armed robbery and aggravated battery Judge Carla Espinoza set Morales Reyes’ bail at $7,500 during a brief hearing at immigration court in Chicago.
“The defendant does not present a danger to the community,” she said.
Morales Reyes, 54, appeared virtually from Dodge Detention Center in Juneau about 70 miles north of Milwaukee. He could be released this week if the federal government does not appeal.
An attorney for the federal government did not speak at the hearing. In a statement Tuesday the Department of Homeland Security said it would “continue to fight for the arrest, detention, and removal” of immigrants without legal status but did not respond to a question about whether government attorneys would appeal Morales Reyes’ bail.
Morales Reyes, a married father of three U.S. citizen children, works as a
dishwasher in Milwaukee. He was arrested by immigration agents last month after dropping a child off at school. He immigrated from Mexico in the 1980s and doesn’t have legal permission to be in the U.S. This year, he applied for a U visa, which is for people in the country illegally who are victims of serious crimes. Getting such a visa can take years. Homeland Security issued a statement to reporters last week saying that although Morales Reyes was no longer considered a threat to Trump, federal attorneys would still pursue an immigration case. The government alleges that Morales Reyes reentered the U.S. times numerous times without a visa.
However, Noem’s social media post blaming Morales Reyes for an assassination attempt, which was circulated by Trump supporters, remains online. Cain Oulahan, an attorney for Morales Reyes, said his client is a crime victim and blasted the misinformation.
“We’d like to hear an official public correction and that someone else is responsible,” he said.
Ahead of Tuesday’s hearing, Morales Reyes daughter spoke to reporters, saying her father is hardworking and always focused on putting food on the table and keeping a roof over the family’s heads. She said he also loved to take his children to parks or for walks and planned frequent cookouts.
“My dad is a not a threat to anyone. He is a good man who got caught up in a terrible situation,” said Anna Morales. “Now that the truth has been proven, I ask from the bottom of my heart he gets the justice he deserves. We need him more than words can explain.”
A hearing for Scott on newer charges related to the letter, including felony witness intimidation and theft, was rescheduled from Tuesday to June 23. He is in the Milwaukee County Jail.
completed his studies. He didn’t specify when the man left the school or at what age.
Karner said Tuesday afternoon that six of the dead were female and three male, but didn’t give further information. He said 12 people were wounded.
The state hospital in Graz later said that a 10th victim, an adult woman, had died of her injuries, the Austria Press Agency reported.
Austria’s Red Cross said it had deployed 65 ambulances to the scene and 158 emergency staffers were helping treat the injured. In addition, 40 specially trained psychologists were counseling students and parents. The Red Cross also called on locals to come forward and donate blood.
Foreign
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MAJDI MOHAMMED
An Israeli armored vehicle drives near burning tires during a military raid in the West Bank city of Nablus on Tuesday.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By KLEINE ZEITUNG
Police officers attend the scene of a shooting at a school in Graz, Austria, on Tuesday.
DOVARGANES
Newsom says ‘democracy under assault’ in response to military
BY JAKE OFFENHARTZ, CHRISTOPHER WEBER, LOLITA C. BALDOR and TARA COPP Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — California
Gov. Gavin Newsom said President Donald Trump is “pulling a military dragnet” across Los Angeles during a brief public address on Tuesday
The Democratic governor’s remarks come after Trump ordered the deployment of nearly 5,000 troops, including National Guard and Marines, to the nation’s second-largest city They were deployed to protect federal buildings but are now also protecting immigration agents as they carry out arrests.
Newsom said Trump’s immigration crackdown has gone well beyond arresting criminals and that “dishwashers, gardeners, day laborers and seamstresses” are among those being detained. He said Trump’s decision to deploy the California National Guard without his support should be a warning to other states.
“California may be first — but it clearly won’t end here,” Newsom said.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued a curfew for downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday to stop vandalism and looting as protests over President Donald Trump’s stepped-up enforcement of immigration laws continued in the city
She said in a news conference that she had declared a local emergency and that the curfew will run from 8 p.m. Tuesday until 6 a.m. Wednesday “We reached a tipping point” after 23 businesses were looted, Bass said.
The curfew will be in place in a 1 square mile section of downtown that includes the area where protests have occurred since Friday The city of Los Angeles encompasses roughly 500 square miles. The curfew doesn’t apply to residents who live in the designated area, people who are homeless, credentialed media or public safety and
emergency officials, according to Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell.
McDonnell said “unlawful and dangerous behavior” had been escalating since Saturday
“The curfew is a necessary measure to protect lives and safeguard property following several consecutive days of growing unrest throughout the city,” McDonnell said
Earlier Tuesday, National Guard troops began protecting immigration agents as they made arrests in Los Angeles on Tuesday an expansion of their duties that had been limited to protecting federal property Photos posted Tuesday by U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement show National Guard troops standing guard around officers as they made arrests.
ICE said in a statement that the troops were providing security at federal facilities and protecting federal officers “who are out on daily enforcement operations.”
The change moves troops closer to engaging in law enforcement actions like deportations as President Donald Trump has promised as part of the administration’s immigration crackdown
The agency said Guard members are also providing support with transportation. The Guard has the authority to temporarily detain people who attack officers but any arrests ultimately would be made by law enforcement.
National Guard, Marines
California Gov Gavin Newsom had asked a federal court to block the Trump administration from using the National Guard and Marines to assist with immigration raids in Los Angeles, saying it would only heighten tensions and promote civil unrest.
Newsom filed the emergency request after Trump ordered the deployment to L.A. of roughly 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to the city
The federal government said Newsom was seeking an unprecedented and dangerous order that would inter-
fere with its ability to carry out enforcement operations.
A judge set a hearing for Thursday
The Marines and another 2,000 National Guard troops were sent to L.A. on Monday, adding to a military presence that local officials and Newsom do not want and that the police chief says makes it harder to handle the protests safely
Marine Corps Gen. Eric Smith said Tuesday that the Marines had not yet been called to respond to the protests and were there only to protect federal officials and property The Marines were trained for crowd control but have no arrest authority, Smith told a budget hearing on Capitol Hill.
Marines were not seen on the streets yet, while National Guard troops so far have had limited engagement with protesters. The mayor and the governor have said Trump is putting public safety at risk by adding military personnel even though police say they don’t need the help. Insurrection Act
Trump left open the possibility of invoking the Insurrection Act, which authorizes the president to deploy military forces inside the U.S. to suppress rebellion or domestic violence or to enforce the law in certain situations.
It’s one of the most extreme emergency powers available to a U.S. president “If there’s an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it. We’ll see,” he said from the Oval Office.
Later the president called protesters “animals” and “a foreign enemy” in a speech at Fort Bragg ostensibly to recognize the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army
Trump has described Los Angeles in dire terms that Bass and Newsom say are nowhere close to the truth.
The protests began Friday after federal immigration raids arrested dozens of workers in Los Angeles. Protesters blocked a major freeway and set cars on fire over the weekend, and police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades.
BY CHRIS MEGERIAN and MICHELLE L. PRICE Associated Press
FORT BRAGG, N.C. — President Donald Trump called protesters in Los Angeles “animals” and “a foreign enemy” in a speech at Fort Bragg on Tuesday as he defended deploying the military on demonstrators opposed to his immigration enforcement raids and as he vowed to “liberate” the West Coast city Trump in his most aggressive language yet regarding the protests, used a speech ostensibly supposed to be used to recognize the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army to denounce the protesters while repeating his false statements about the 2020 election being rigged and attacking the previous commander in chief, former President Joe Biden.
The Republican president, who sees the military as a critical tool for domestic goals, has used the recent protests in Los Angeles as an opportunity to deploy the National Guard and U.S. Marines over the objections of California’s Democratic governor Protesters blocked a major freeway and set cars on fire over the weekend in Los Angeles, but the demonstrations in the city of 4 million people have largely been centered in several blocks of downtown.
“We will not allow an American city to be invaded and conquered by a foreign enemy That’s what they are,” Trump said Tuesday Trump’s heated rhetoric came as he has left open the possibility of invoking the Insurrection Act, one of the most extreme emergency powers available to the president It authorizes him to deploy military forces inside the U.S. to suppress rebellion or domestic violence or to enforce the law in certain situations.
Trump received plenty of cheers from the crowd, which laughed at the president’s jokes and delighted in his dancing to his campaign anthem of “ YMCA.” However, some members of the audience were uneasy with certain aspects of his remarks.
Robin Boothe, who voted for Trump and works on the base as an audiology assistant, said the speech was “classic Trump.” However, she also found it to be too partisan, especially his comments on Los Angeles.
“I thought that was better left for a news conference than what we were celebrating today,” the 50-year-old said.
The president called Los Angeles “a trash heap” with “entire neighborhoods under control” of criminals and said the federal government would “use every asset at our disposal to quell the violence and restore law and order.”
“We will liberate Los Angeles and make it free, clean and safe again,” Trump said.
Trump authorized the deployment of 4,000 National Guard soldiers to the city against the wishes of California Gov Gavin Newsom.
About 700 Marines were deployed to the Los Angeles area but had not yet been sent to respond to the pro-
tests.
Newsom asked a federal court Tuesday to block Trump from using the military in his city California leaders accused Trump of fanning protesters’ anger and stoking the unrest.
Trump also announced his administration was restoring the names of seven military bases that were given the monikers of Confederate leaders until being changed by the Biden administration.
Hegseth has already brought back the names of Fort Bragg and Fort Benning in Georgia.
“Can you believe they changed that name in the last administration for a little bit?” Trump said. “We’ll forget all about that.” As they did when they changed back Fort
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By DAMIAN
Protesters gather to denounce U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations Tuesday in Los Angeles.
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RFKaideattacks health system whilepromoting alternatives
BY MATTHEW PERRONE AP health writer
WASHINGTON Calley Means has built afollowing within the “MakeAmerica Healthy Again” movement by railing against the failingsof the U.S. health system, often pinning the blame on oneissue: corruption.
Healthand Human Services SecretaryRobert F. Kennedy Jr
speaks during anewsconference where the HHSand FDA announced plans to ban petroleum-based food dyes, in Washington on April 22.
benefit himself.”
In awritten statement, Means said his government work has not dealt with matters affecting Truemed and has focused on issues like reforming nutrition programs and pressuring companies to phase out food dyes.
current law,” Mares said.
The full extent of Means’ potential conflicts —including his personal investments— areunclear because of his status as aspecial government employee.
ment employees aresubject to the same law thatbarsall federal staffers from working on issues that could directly benefit theirfinances When such cases arise, they must recuse themselves or risk criminal penalties.
ernment ethics rules are intended to both prevent financialconflictviolations, butalsothe appearance of such conflicts that might undermine public trust in government.
Means, atop aide to Health SecretaryRobert F. Kennedy Jr was hired as aWhite House adviser in March. He has used that perch to attack the nation’sleading physician groups, federal agencies and government scientists, claiming they only protect their own interests in the nation’s$4.9 trillion-ayear industry In recent interviews, speeches and podcasts he has called the American Medical Association “a pharma lobbying group,” labeled the Foodand Drug Administration “a sock puppet of industry,” and saidfederal health scientists have “overseen arecord of utter failure.” Means, however,has his own financial stakeinthe sprawling healthsystem. He’sthe co-founder of an onlineplatform,Truemed, that offers dietary supplements, herbal remedies and other wellness products. Some of the vendors featured on Truemed’swebsite are supporters of Kennedy’s MAHA movement, which downplays the benefits of prescriptiondrugs,vaccines and other rigorously tested medicalproducts Kennedy has pledged to run the Department of Health andHuman Services with “radical transparency,” but Means has never had to publicly disclosehis own financialdetailsorwhereexactly they intersect withthe policies he’s advancing.
“Pursuing theselargescale MAHA goals to make America healthyhas been thesolefocus in my government work,” Means said.
Truemed helps users take tax-free moneyout of their health savings accounts, or HSAs, to spend on things that wouldn’tnormally qualifyasmedical expenses, such as exercise equipment, meal delivery services and homeopathic remedies —mixturesof plants and minerals based on acenturies-old theory of medicine that’s notsupported by modernscience.
The business model caught the attention of the IRS last year,which issued an alert: “Beware of companies misrepresentingnutrition, wellness and general health expensesasmedical care.”
Unlike presidential appointees andother senior officials, special government employees are temporary stafferswho do not have to leave companies or sellinvestments that could be impacted by their work. Also, their financial disclosure forms areshielded from public release.
“It’s abig problem,” says Richard Painter,a former WhiteHouseethics lawyer underGeorgeW.Bush now at the UniversityofMinnesota. Painter and other experts have raisedalarms over awhirlwind of Trump administration actionsto dismantle the government’s public integrityguardrails Still, part-timegovern-
“Itreeks of hypocrisy,” said Dr.Reshma Ramachandran, ahealth researcher at Yale University.“In effect, he is representing another industry that is touting nonregulated productsand usinghis platform within the government to financially
Truemedco-founderand CEO, Justin Mares, said in astatementthe company is “in full alignment” with IRS guidelines
“Truemed enables patients to work with providers to use medical funds for rootcause interventions like exercise andvitamin Dtoreverse disease under
Homeless peoplecould be arrested afterrefusingshelter in California
BY JANIE HAR Associated Press
SANFRANCISCO Homeless people who reject three offers of shelter could be arrested under acontroversial proposal before the city council of the most populous city in California’sSilicon Valley on Tuesday
The proposal being pushed by San Jose Mayor MattMahon is eye-opening because it comes from aliberal city headed by aDemocrat in the left-leaning San Francisco Bay Area. It is among the stricter anti-encampment deterrentsproposedby elected officials since the Supreme Court in 2023 made it easier to ban homeless people from camping on public property
And it’sanother sign of justhow frustrated people have become with squalid tents lining sidewalksand riverbanks, and erratic behavior of those using drugs or in distress in astate with an estimated 187,000 homeless people. Californiaishometo roughly aquarter of all homeless people in the country Mahan saysmost people do accept offers of shelter.But he wants to make cleartothe small percentage of people who refuse, that as the city builds more shelter and interim housing, they havea
responsibility to move indoors.
“I think we need acultural change, acultureof accountability for everyone involved,” said Mahan. “I don’twant to use the criminal justice system to make vulnerable people’slives harder.Iwanttouse it as a last resort.”
California Gov.Gavin Newsom, aDemocrat and former mayor of San Francisco, has repeatedly urged cities to ban encampments. Arrests for illegal lodging have soaredinSan Francisco, and its currentmayor Daniel Lurie, has reiterated that it is not appropriate for people tolive outdoors.
Advocates forhomeless peoplesay crackingdown on encampments is traumatizingand evencounterproductive. Forcing apersonto clear out setsthem back in their search for stabilityas they could lose important documentsneeded to apply for work and housing, they said.
“Pushing people with mental health needs or drugaddiction into incarceration without any crimecommitted— is both inhumane and ineffective,” said Otto Lee, presidentof theSantaClara County Board of Supervisors, in awrittenstatement emailed Monday to The Associated Press.
Leeand other county lead-
ers are opposedtothe mayor’sproposal. They say they need morehousing, beds andservices, andnot punishment.
The “responsibility to shelter” proposaldoes not mandate an arrest after three rejectedoffers.After talking with the city attorney’soffice andpolice, Mahan said it mademore sense to give front-line outreach workers and police officers discretion to decide when to escalateorprioritize asituation. Thecitywill setupa new six-officer qualityoflife unit within the police department.
“Wedon’twanttooverly tie their hands and tell them this is theonly way todoit,” the mayorsaid.People who repeatedly violatethe city’s encampment code of conduct —which also includes keepingtents free of trash andnot blocking thepublic right of way —could be sent to arecovery center for detox or petitioned for courtmandatedtreatment to mental healthand substance use disorder care, Mahan said.
SanJose hasnearly 1,400 shelter spotsand hopes to add another 800 by the end of the year.Officials are aware they do not have enough beds, and Mahan said that people will notbe punishedifbedsare unavailable or the only options are unsuitable.
Means regularly opines on matters before HHS,including rethinking the use of drugs for depression, weight loss, diabetesand other conditions. Recently he’s been promoting anew government report that calls for scaling back prescription medicationsin favorofexercise, dietary changesand other alternatives.
“Ifwerelyless on our medical system,less on drugs, it necessitates the spiritual, cultural conversationabout whatwe’re doing to ourchildren’s bodies,” Meanssaidina recent podcastappearance. Experts note that gov-
“If Iwere running the ethicsofficeoveratHHS, I sure as heck wouldn’twant anybody going around giving interviews and speeches about government matters that could have an effect on their ownfinancial interests,” Paintersaid. Means’ rapid rise reflects theseeming contradictions within the MAHA movement itself,which urges followers to distrust both bigcorporations andthe government agencies which regulate them.
Means rails against big pharma andfood conglomerates, twoindustriesthat he says he spent years working for as aconsultant in Washington.
PROVIDED PHOTO By C-SPAN CalleyMeans, akey adviser to
Palestinians say 36 people killed trying to obtain aid
BY WAFAA SHURAFA and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip Palestinians desperately trying to access aid in Gaza came under fire again on Tuesday, killing 36 people and wounding 207, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.
Experts and humanitarian aid workers say Israel’s blockade and 20-month military campaign have pushed Gaza to the brink of famine.
At least 163 people have been killed and 1,495 wounded in a number of shootings near aid sites run by the Israeli and U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which are in military zones that are off-limits to independent media. The Israeli military has acknowledged firing warning shots on previous occasions at people who it says approached its forces in a suspicious manner
some of the 55 hostages still being held in Gaza, but said it was “too early to hope.” Foreign Minister Gideon Saar also mentioned Tuesday that there was progress in ceasefire negotiations.
Netanyahu was meeting with the Israeli negotiating team and the defense minister Tuesday evening to discuss next steps.
‘Just trying to get food’
In southern Gaza, at least eight people were killed while trying to obtain aid around Rafah, according to Nasser Hospital.
ated Press that Israeli forces opened fire at around 2 a.m., several hundred yards from the aid site in central Gaza. Crowds of Palestinians seeking desperately needed food often head to the sites hours before dawn, hoping to beat the crowds.
The Israeli military said it fired warning shots at people it referred to as suspects. It said they had advanced toward its troops hundreds of yards from the aid site prior to its opening hours.
is humiliation,” he said. “Every day, people are killed just trying to get food for their children.”
Additionally, three Palestinian medics were killed in an Israeli strike Tuesday in Gaza City, according to the health ministry
The foundation says there has been no violence in or around the distribution points themselves. But it has warned people to stay on designated access routes and it paused delivery last week
while it held talks with the military on improving safety Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday there is “meaningful progress” on a possible ceasefire deal that would also return
Conspiracy theorist sticks by false 2020 claims in defamation trial
BY COLLEEN SLEVIN
Associated Press
DENVER One of the nation’s most prominent election conspiracy theorists, MyPillow founder Mike Lindell, stuck by his false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen while testifying Monday during a defamation trial over statements he made about a former official for a leading voting equipment company
Taking the stand for the first time during the trial, Lindell denied making any statements he knew to be false about Eric Coomer, the former product strategy and security director for Denverbased Dominion Voting Systems. Among other things, Lindell accused Coomer of being “a part of the biggest crime this world has ever
seen.” Lindell also distanced himself from a story told by a conservative podcaster who accused Coomer of helping to rig the 2020 election. It was discussed during a 2021 symposium Lindell hosted to discuss election fraud.
Lindell said he did not know about the story before it was discussed onstage at the event and only learned about it during the trial Coomer said his career and life have been destroyed by statements Lindell made about him and allowed to be promoted through his online media platform, Frankspeech.
During sometimes rambling testimony in federal court in Denver Lindell painted himself as the victim of “lawfare” — when people are sued to scare them into
silence.
Several conservative news organizations, including Fox News, Newsmax and One America News, have settled defamation lawsuits from voting machine companies over allegations that they promoted falsehoods about the 2020 presidential election In 2021, Newsmax also apologized to Coomer for airing false allegations against him Nevertheless, Lindell said he hoped his trial would lead people to look at what happened in the election and get rid of electronic voting machines, which have been targeted in a web of conspiracy theories.
Reviews, recounts and audits in the battleground states where Trump contested his 2020 loss all affirmed Democrat Joe Biden’s victory
When aLouisiana resident passesaway, thetitle to alloftheir assets is frozen.Thisincludesallbankaccounts,investmentaccounts,andrealestate intheir name.Noneofitcan be sold until ajudgeordersthe transfer ofthe assetstothesurvivingheirs.
Ausufructisarightthatapersonhasforacertainperiodoftimeonthepropertyofanotherperson. Thefeatures of theright of ausufruct vary with the natureofthethingssubjecttoit.Usufructsareoftenestablishedwhensomeonedies.Forexample,amarriedpersonmay,inhisWill,leavehissurviving spouseusufruct of everything he owns when he dies,but thereare certain restrictions andlimitations when establishing ausufruct.The usufructuary may have numerous obligations,suchasanobligationtoprovide security, theresponsibilitytoprovide repairs, thepayment of necessary expenses, taxes,debtsandothercharges
In northern Gaza, two men and a child were killed and at least 130 were wounded on Tuesday, according to Nader Garghoun, a spokesperson for the al-Awda Hospital, which received the casualties. He said most were being treated for gunshot wounds
Witnesses told The Associ-
Mohammed Abu Hussein, a resident of the nearby built-up Bureij refugee camp, said Israeli drones and tanks opened fire, and that he saw five people wounded by gunshots.
Abed Haniyah, another witness, said Israeli forces opened fire “indiscriminately” as thousands of people were attempting to reach the food site.
“What happens every day
The medics from the health ministry’s emergency service were responding to an Israeli attack on a house in Jaffa street in Gaza City when a second strike hit the building, the ministry said. The Israeli military did not comment on the strike, but said over the past day the air force has hit dozens of targets belonging to Hamas’ military infrastructure, including rocket launchers. Israel and the United States say they set up the new food distribution system to prevent Hamas from stealing humanitarian aid and using it to finance militant activities.
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ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ABDEL KAREEM HANA Palestinians carry bags containing food and humanitarian aid packages delivered by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a U.S.-backed organization, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday.
Churchill Downsafterthe Louisiana Supreme Court ruled in March that the company could not operate atype of slot machine called Historic Horse Racing, or HHR —unless it got voter approval in each parish where the slots operate.
The court decision overturned a2021 law thathad allowed the HHR slots, which are based on anonymized previously run races, as an extension of horse race betting. The court ruled that HHRs are effectively another typeof slot machine andrequire parish-by-parish permission under the state constitution.
Thelawsuit hadbeen brought by agroup of truckstop owners whose video poker operations had been hit by the growth of HHR machines, which can pay out jackpots of up to $100,000, compared with acap of $1,000 for video poker Churchill Downs representatives told the commission last month that the HHR ruling would mean the loss of half its Louisiana revenue and nearly threequarters of its profits. They said they wouldn’tbeable to run Fair Groundsand their other 13 off-track betting outlets profitably unless the revenue wasreplaced by a subsidy
In the letter,a copyof which was obtained by The Advocate |The Times-Picayune, Carstanjen said that efforts to lobby for astate subsidy had made no progress.
“Todate, ourefforts to engage elected officials have not led to meaningfuldiscussions and, co nf oun dingly,CDI’s efforts have been met with acombination of reluctance, indifference, apathyand evenopposition, Carstanjen wrote to the commission.
signature. Thebill allows truck stop operators to increase the number of poker machinesateach site from 50 to 60, and licensed bars andrestaurantstogofrom three tofour machines.
HB540 aims to offset the loss of revenue to the horse racingindustry from the shutdownof Churchill Downs’ HHR machines Forthe first time,the new law sets aside ashare of video poker revenue from sources otherthantrack operators. Thatmoney will go directly to the horse racing industry in the form of higher purses. Under the legislation, thefirst $22 million in tax revenue from theadditional machines would boost winnings at the four horse racing tracks in Louisiana.Apartfromthe Fair Grounds, theothersare Louisiana DownsinShreveport-Bossier City, Delta Downs at Vinton in Calcasieu Parish, and Evangeline Downs in St. LandryParish, justeast of Opelousas.
Carstanjen saidinthe letter that the new legislation andlackofprogress on the subsidy mean Churchill Downs “is left with no choice” but to “begin the next steps for voluntarily surrendering the racing license held by the Fair Grounds.” That would also mean it would have to surrender its gambling license, which is tiedtoits obligations to operate the horse racetrack, he added.
If Churchill Downsdoes relinquish its license,itis not clear what will happen to this year’sracing season, racing officials said.
The most likely scenario would be that the races would have tobe moved from th eF air Groundsto oneormore of the other racetracks, said one seniorracing official, who wasn’t authorized to be quoted.
Gov.Jeff Landry’soffice didn’t respond to arequest for comment.
Churchill Downsdoesn’t report separate financial results for the FairGrounds, but lawmakersand racing industry officials have pointedtothe company’srecord revenue of more than $2.7 billion and all-timehighprofit of $427 million lastyear
Therecordpacecontinuedinthe first three months of this year,and Louisiana racing officialsnotedthat Churchill Downs accounts showed it reported positive cash flow of $44 million in Louisiana, withjust $6 million coming from HHR
The company has not commented on whether it plans to sellthe Fair Grounds if it pulls out of Louisiana.
But it hasstrategically exited several horse racing markets in theU.S. over the past two decades, selling properties to focus more on gambling, online wagering, and marquee assets like the Kentucky Derby
In some cases, this has resulted in racing ceasing at the tracks. For example, thesale of ArlingtonInternational Racecourse in Arlington Heights, Illinois,in 2021 to the ChicagoBears organization for$198millionprompted astrong backlash from Illinois horse racing stakeholders.
There likely would be similareffortsbythe Louisiana horse racing industry to keep racing at Fair Grounds,which haszoning stipulations that would makeredevelopment difficult, racing industryofficials said.
“It would seem to me they would be better off having alicenseingood standing if they are looking to sellFair Grounds,” the senior racing official said.
The letter was copiedto Gov.Jeff Landry; Senate President CameronHenry, R-Metairie; House Speaker Phillip DeVillier,R-Eunice; and Sen. Jimmy Harris, DNewOrleans, whose constituency includes the Fair Grounds.
Landry declinedtocomment. Churchill Downs, in a statement Tuesday,reiterated thepointsCarstanjen made in his letter to the commission.
Newrules
In addition to the financial hit Churchill Downs said it is taking because of the ruling on HHR slots, the state Legislature this weekpassed two billsthat Carstanjen said would furthereat intothe operator’s revenueinLouisiana.
The biggest concernis House Bill 540, which was passed by the House and Senate and awaits Landry’s
After Hurricane Katrina, when the Fair Grounds was flooded, the entireracing season was moved to Louisiana Downs and held under the Fair Grounds banner
Record revenue
While the high-stakes game of chicken threatens thefutureofracingatthe historic track, at least for the time being, Senate PresidentHenry said lawmakersbalkedatpaying apublic subsidy to ahighly profitable private company, especially at atime when the state was making efforts to find money forteachersand to fill othergaps in the state budget
“They cameatthe end of the session and wanted asubsidy from the state, and we said we couldn’tdo it because they’re aprofitable business,” Henry said Monday
“If they choose to close thetrack, we’ll work throughthat.Ifthey choose to sell it, we’ll work through thataswell,” Henry added.
SpeculationamongLouisiana horse industry players hasfocusedonSaintsand Pelicansowner GayleBenson as the most likely buyer if Churchill Downs seeksto sellFair Grounds as agoing concern. She and her late husband, TomBenson, had talkseight years ago about buyingthe grounds,where there has been horse racinginsome form since the 1830s.
Benson ownsahorse breeding operation in Kentuckyand has adeep interest in theindustry,spokesperson Greg Benselsaid last month, afterChurchill Downs’ initial threat. While he declined to commenton whetherBenson would be interested in buying Fair Grounds, he noted that she has supported several other historicNew Orleans-area enterprises and is “monitoring thesituation.”
Henrysaid it is premature to discuss who might buy thetrack but saidthereare several groups that might be interested. He said the topic came up when he had lunch withBenson on June 3inBaton Rouge.
“She lovesthe horse racingindustry,” he said, declining to give specifics of their conversation.
Email Anthony McAuley tmcauley@theadvocate. com.
Dixie Landin’, it said. The theme park located next door to Blue Bayoureopened for the 2025 seasonbut closed about a week later.Sam Haynes Jr CEO and owner of Blue Bayou and Dixie Landin’, told WBRZ that Dixie Landin’ has closedpermanently
Theparks have operated on a limited basis since the COVID-19 pandemic.
DixieLandin’wasclosedfrom2019 to 2024, while Blue Bayou closedafter ashortened season in 2021 due to Hurricane Ida. In 2022, the water park was open for only acouple of weeks due to staffing issues.
In 2023,parkofficialssaidBlue Bayou was open whileDixie Landin’ remainedclosedbecausethe water park was more popular.They denied widespread speculationthat staffing issues were keepingboth parks from operating fully
Before COVID-19, the parks traditionally were open from midMay to Labor Day weekendand featured concerts from pop,rock and country actsincluding Blake Shelton,Panic! at the Disco, Jason Aldean and Cheap Trick. According to alease filed Friday
with theEast Baton Rouge Parish Clerk of Court’sOffice, SFBB LLC of Mandeville will pay $50,000 a month in baserentfor Blue Bay-
ou. SFBB is madeupofHaggerty; Paul Rees, aMandeville tax attorney who serves as president and chieffinancialofficerofLeisure
BUDGET
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publicsafety is atop priority for Edwards. Butall departments arestill fullyexpected to comply with theinstructions given for reduced budgets, she said.
“As part of the review,we will engage directly with the DA’s Office to obtain both the missing reduction scenarios as well as the service impacts associated with reduced funding,” Brown said in astatement Tuesday.
The district attorneys’ 158% increase would bring his budget to $22.6 million for 2026. His 2025budget wasadoptedatabout $8.8 million.
He sought about $22million in new property taxes in Maytoshore up hisoffice’s finances, but voters rejected that plan on amargin of 60% to 40%.
Moore told the mayor this increase puts himuptopar with other large Louisiana district attorney offices. He sayshis budgetismuch smaller,even though as East Baton Rouge’sprosecutor he has the most-populous jurisdiction in the state.
Currently, the District Attorney’sOffice is operating on a$1million deficit, leadingto“dangerous shortfalls,” Moore said,as hemorrhaging staff has led to higher caseloads and reduced services.
In the past year,the district attorney said he has lost one-thirdofhis assistant district attorneys (19) to other agencies, because he’snot been able to pay competitive wages, the letter says While the Mayor’sOffice would likethe district attorney to comply with the request to present azerobased budget with reductions, Brown said Tuesday that it is too early to tell whether or not Moore’soffice will receive any cuts or increases.
In his letter,the district attorney said he remains committed to finding asolution
of St.George is part of the reasonMoorewentout for his own propertytax in May
But the budgetwoes have led some to question whether all Baton Rouge cities are payingtheir fair share for Moore’soffice,the coroner and the parish prison.
Sales taxdollars pay for these parishwide services
Butbecause Baker,Central, Zacharyand now St.George keep those dollarstorun theirgovernment, some believe theyare getting the services for free.
When asked if theadministration is looking for ways for the parish’sfournewestcitiestostart paying for these offices, Brown said, “The Mayor’sOffice is actively exploringopportunities to assistinfunding the constitutional offices.”
Shesaid Edwards’ team believes it is important toensure “equitable distribution of financialresponsibility particularly for servicesthat benefit the entireparish.”
with Edwards’ administration but will take action to make sure he is adequately funded ifneeded
“If necessary,wewill pursue all available legal remedies to ensure EBR’s DistrictAttorney’sOffice receives the funding required to meet the needs of the parishaswellasthe office’s constitutionalobligations,” Mooresaid
Themayor’s “Thrive! BatonRouge” tax rededication plan couldmean additional money forthe District Attorney’s Officeifvoters approveall three measures this November,though it is unclear how much more money Moore would receive
In an interview Tuesday, Moore said his letter to Edwards’ staffwas not done in bad faith, but rather to illustrate his office’sneeds andhow farbehindtheyare from other prosecutors in Louisiana
Therecent$40 million budgetshortfall in thecityparish brought on by the incorporation of anew city
Sports andRecreation; andMark Moore, general manager of Gulf Islands Waterpark, according to a business filing with the Louisiana Secretary of State’soffice.
The lease is set to expire at the end of 2027, but there are options to renew the lease foruptosix five-year terms.
SFBB also has the right of first refusal to buy Blue Bayou if the park ownershipreceives an offer forthe land.
Theagreementallows SFBB to bring in third parties to run restaurants, giftshops or retail in the park and to add new attractions, waterslides and permanent structures to the park.
Along with Gulf Islands and Soak’n Fun, Leisure Sports and Recreation is developing Jubilee Park,aproposed $60 million attraction in Mobile, Alabama. JubileeParkwould include an indoor and outdoor water park, zip lines and sports fields. Plans are to open the park in phases between 2027 and2029, according to The(Biloxi) Sun Herald.
Email Ellyn Couvillion at ecouvillion@theadvocate.com.
The Mayor’sOffice did not say what an agreement with eachcity might look like, but said conversations are taking place as themayor assesses “legal, financial and intergovernmental strategiestoaddress this issue constructively.”
Email Patrick SloanTurner at patrick.sloanturner@theadvocate.com.
Proposed lawcould speedupexecutionsinLa.
Bill headed to Landry’s desk forsignature
BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writer
Louisiana may be able to speed up executions after the Legislature passed abill to overhaul post-conviction relief, amechanism where inmates seektohavetheir sentences shortened or overturned.
While debate over the bill centered around capital cases,House Bill 675 by state Rep. Brian Glorio-
so, R-Slidell, would affect farmore than Louisiana’s55death row inmates.Itwouldapply to any state prisonerseeking post-conviction relief.
Thebill setsnew,tighterdeadlines for judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys handling postconviction relief petitions.Italso restricts shell petitions, barebonesapplications for post-conviction relief that act as placeholders
so that defendants can come back later to flesh out legal arguments.
The Senate softened some of the bill’smeasures through amendments. For example, an earlier version of the bill gave defendants untilthe endofthe year to filefully “briefed” applications in place of shell petitions. An amendment extended that deadline to July 2026.
Anotheramendment allows defenseattorneys andprosecutors to ask for up to three60-dayextensions on certain court deadlines.
The bill originally would have al-
lowed an inmate one year to file for post-conviction relief after their sentence was finalized —that is, afterthe inmate completed their direct appeal. The final version of thebill bumps that timeframe back to twoyears.
Proponents of the bill, which was backed by Attorney General LizMurrill, said it would give closure to victims andprevent them from having to waitdecades to see perpetrators on death row executed.
Criticssaiditwould create chaos
in thecourts andplace too many burdens on prisoners who typically have fewresources to pursue post-conviction claims. HB675 passed the Senate by a 28-11 vote, withDemocrats opposed. The House agreed to the amendments on Tuesday on avote of 82-13. The bill still needsGov Jeff Landry’ssignature before becoming law
Email Meghan Friedmann at meghan.friedmann@ theadvocate.com.
but the state is having ahard time holding medical providers outside of the state criminally liable for sending the medication to people here
HouseBill575 creates an avenue to hold someone civilly liable for providing abortion drugs,Emerson said.
“When doctors and pharmacies realize that this is a thing in Louisiana and that they could be civilly liable, then they’ll stop sending them here,” she said, re ferr ing to abortion medication.
The bill the Legislature ultimately passed was significantly narrower than the original version. Both Democratic and Republican lawmakers had raised concerns that previous versions were too broad and could end up entangling women and their medical records in lawsuits against their will.
An earlier iteration of the measure would have allowed “the mother of the unborn child” as well as the biological father and the maternal and paternal grandparents to sue anyone “who performs,causes, or substantially facilitates”an abortion for up to 10 years. Now,only apregnant woman herself would have acause of action during that same timeframe.
Emerson said the father and grandparentswereremoved from the bill over concerns that it could be difficult to prove paternity and to avoid compromising awoman’smedical records in alawsuit.
Lawmakers also narrowed the definition of what would count as an actthat“substantially facilitates an abortion” for the purposes of suing under the law
Thelegislationnow clarifies that it would only include instances when abortion drugs were provided to someone in the state of Louisiana, and it would not include providing abortion drugs for uses that are legal under Louisiana law
Aregimen of mifepristone and misoprostol can be used to terminate apregnancy, but both drugs have other
uses, too. Mifepristone can be used totreat Cushing’s syndrome, and misoprostol canbeusedfor stomach ulcers and for miscarriages, for example.
Theterm “substantially facilitates” is nowdefined in thebill as “administering,prescribing, dispensing, distributing, selling or coordinating the sale of an abortion-inducing drug to a person in this state.”
Apreviousversion simply defined “substantially facilitates” as “administering, prescribing,dispensing, distributing, marketing, advertising, promoting,orselling an abortion-inducingdrug.”
The final versionalsosays that Louisiana health care providers licensed to practice medicine,Louisianalicensed pharmacists in compliance with state pharmacy board rules, and apregnant woman herself could not be sued under the act
Theprevious version wouldhave allowedfor some cases when Louisiana health careproviders or pharmacists could be sued under themeasure.
Many Democrats still opposedthe bill,however.
Sen. RoyceDuplessis, D-New Orleans, thisweek calledit“pretty horrific” during Senatefloor debate.
“Wealready have the most restrictive laws on the books as itrelates to abortion,” he
said. He argued that “year after year,” the Legislature returnstofurther restrict women’sautonomy andhealth care, anddrives health care professionals andyoung people outof Louisiana.
Last year,lawmakers added mifepristone and misoprostol to the state’s listofcontrolled dangerous substances.They also created the crime of “coerced criminalabortion,”when someone gives apregnant woman an abortion-inducing drug without her consent.
This year,Emerson, bill sponsor Rep. Lauren Ventrella, R-Greenwell Springs, and LouisianaAttorney GeneralLiz Murrill haveall argued that Louisiana law contains aloophole allowing outof-state doctors to prescribe abortion drugs for pregnant women in Louisiana.
While presenting themeasure on the House floor last month,Ventrella linked the need forthe lawtothe case of New York doctor Margaret “Maggie” Carpenter Carpenter earlier this year faced afelony indictment in West Baton Rouge for allegedly prescribing abortion drugs that resulted in the termination of aPort Allen teenager’spregnancy. The case against Carpenter is at astandstill, however, as New York Gov. KathyHochul
has blocked Louisiana’sattempts to extradite her “If doctors are going to come to our state and harm our people and our unborn children —who we do recognize as life —then they need to think twice about coming into our state,”Ventrella told her colleagues.
Murrill spokeinsupport of the measure during two public hearings on thebill this session.
“There areactivists who areintentonsending these pills to people through the mail,” Murrill said last month at ameeting before a House committee. “This bill providesfor civil liability and allowsanother mechanism —itisanother tool in the toolbox —for people who are harmed by somebody whoisintent on violating our laws.”
Email Alyse Pfeil at alyse pfeil@theadvocate.com.
Weinsteinjury poresoveremails during deliberations
BY JENNIFERPELTZ Associated Press
NEW YORK JurorsinHarvey Weinstein’ssex crimes retrial appeared to be focusing on one of his three accusers as deliberations stretched into afourthday Tuesday,with no further sign of interpersonal tensions that flared earlier
The jury had requested to start off Tuesday with electronic copies of emails and other evidence pertaining to Jessica Mann —the accuser with arguably the most complex history with Weinstein Jurors deliberated through the day,winding up with arequest to rehear on Wednesday akey part of Mann’s testimony.Jurors also indicated they want on Wednesday to keep reviewing the emails and some medical records concerning her reaction to news accounts of other women’s allegations against him. During days of testimony,Mann said the Oscarwinning movie producer raped her in 2013 amid a consensual relationship that continued for years afterward. Weinstein’s lawyers emphasized that she kept seeing him, accepting invitations and sending warm messages to
him. Mann saidshe “compartmentalized” the pain he caused her Weinstein, 73, has pleaded notguilty to all the charges in the case. In addition to the rape charge, he’saccused of sexually assaulting two other women, Mimi Haleyand KajaSokola.
Weinstein didn’ttestify duringthe currenttrial, but maintained through his attorneysthat he had completely consensualencounterswithhis accusers,who wanted his help building show business careers.
Weinstein was oneofthe movie industry’smost powerful figures until aseries of sexual misconduct allegations against himbecame public in 2017,fuelingthe #MeToo movement and eventually leading to criminalcharges
The jury is made up of sevenwomenand five men. Their closed-door discussionsbegan Thursday and apparently have been fractious at times.
Weinsteinoriginally was convicted inNew York in 2020 of raping Mann and forcing oral sex on Haley Sokola’sallegation was added last year,after New York state’shighest court overturned the 2020 convictionand sent the case back forretrial.
Russia launches newattackonUkraine
BY VASILISASTEPANENKO and SAMYAKULLAB
Associated Press
KYIV,Ukraine Russia attacked two Ukrainian cities with waves of dronesand missiles early Tuesday,killing three people andwounding at least 13 in what President VolodymyrZelenskyy called“oneofthe biggest” strikes on Ukraine’scapital in the3-year-old war
The attack struck Kyiv and the southern port cityofOdesa. In an online statement, Zelenskyy said Moscow’sforces fired 315 drones,mostofthem Shaheds,and sevenmissiles overnight.
“Russian missile and Shahed strikes are louder than theefforts of theUnited States and others around theworld to force Russiaintopeace,” Zelenskyy wrote, urging “concrete action” from the U.S. and Europeinresponse.
Amaternity hospitaland residential buildings in the southern port of Odesa were damaged in the attack, regionalheadOleh Kiper said. Twopeople were killed and nine injured, according to theregional prosecutor’s office.
Anotherpersonwas killed in Kyiv’sObolonskyi district, regional head Tymur Tkachenko wroteonTelegram.
“Russian strikes areonce againhitting notmilitary targetsbut thelives of ordinary people.Thisonce againshows thetrue nature of what we are dealing with,” he said.
Explosions and thebuzzing of droneswereheard around the city for hours.
POWs swapped
The fresh attacks came a day after Moscow launched almost 500 dronesat Ukraine in the biggestovernight drone bombardment of the war
Mariupol, theCoordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War saidonTelegram. Allofthosefreed had severeinjuries and illnesses, including amputated limbs and vision problems,itsaid.
Russia’sDefense Ministry said it also received a
secondgroup of exchanged soldiers in the deal
Amina Ivanchenko was reunitedMondaywith her husband, aPOW for18 months, in theinitialrelease. She said wasgrateful to Ukrainian officials for supporting her. “My struggle wasmuch
easierthanks to them. Our country will definitelyreturn everyone. Glory to Ukraine! Thank you!”
Anastasia Nahorna waited in the Chernyhiv region to see if her husband, who has been missing for eight months, was among those being released in the latest swap.
“This pain is more unbearable everyday,” she said. “I really want to hear some news, because since the momentofhis disappearance, unfortunately, there has been no information. Is he alive? or maybe in captivity? Has someone seen him?” she asked. Anna Rodionova, the wife of another Ukrainian POW, also was waiting.
“I just wanthim to come back soon andfor this to all be over,” she said. “Weare tired of waiting, we come every exchange andheis notthere.”
BY MICHAEL R. SISAK and LARRYNEUMEISTER Associated Press
NEW YORK Under crossexamination, Sean“Diddy” Combs’ ex-girlfriend testified Tuesday shetook part in sex acts with male sexworkers at the music mogul’srequestbecause it made her feel loved by him, but now regrets what she came to recognize as the “cuckold” lifestyle.
The woman was testifying at Combs’ sex-trafficking trial under the pseudonym “Jane” to protect her identity.A day earlier, she revealedtheir three-year relationship stretched up until the Bad Boy Records founder was arrested in September at aNew York hotel, where she’d been planning to meet him. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges thatcarry apotential penalty of 15 years to life in prison. He has been jailed without bail Prosecutors allege Combs used violence, threats andanetworkof employees and associates to control andabuse women for two decades. His
lawyers have toldthe jury in federal court in Manhattan that althoughthere was domestic violence in his relationships, everything he didsexually was consensual.
Earlier in the trial, R&B signer Casandra “Cassie” Venturatestified over four days that Combs physically abused her and thatshe participated in hundreds of “freak-off” sexual performances during anearly 11-year relationship that ended in 2018. TheAssociated Pressdoesn’t name alleged victimsofsexual abuse without theirconsent unless they have shared their identities publicly,as Cassie has.
Teny Geragos, alawyer for Combs, cross-examined Jane on Tuesday by leading her into discussing the drug-fueled sexual marathonschoreographed by Combs —which Jane said sometimes happened weekly —byremindingher that shementioned regrets in earlier testimony. “I resent himfor leadingmeintothe lifestyle he ledmeto,”Janesaid.“I resented the way he went aboutintroducing me to this lifestyle.”
Ukrainian and Western officialshavebeenanticipating Moscow’sresponse to Kyiv’saudaciousJune 1 droneattackondistant Russian air bases.
Russia hasbeenlaunching arecordnumberofdrones and missiles in recentdays, despitebothsides trading memoranda at direct peace talks in Istanbul on June 2 that set outconditions for a potential ceasefire.
However,the inclusionof clauses that both sides see as nonstarters make any quick dealunlikely,and a ceasefire, long sought by Kyiv,remains elusive.
The only tangible outcome of thetalks hasbeen the exchange of prisoners of war,with aswap that began Mondayfor soldiers aged between 18 and 25.
Asecond group was exchangedTuesday,focusingonseriously wounded and sick Ukrainian service members, Zelenskyy said on Telegram. “Exchanges must continue. We are doing everything to find and return everyonewho is in captivity,” he said.
Among them were soldierscapturedoverthree yearsago in thebattle for
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOByEVGENIy MALOLETKA
People sleep on a floor as theytakecoveratametro station during aRussian dronestrike on Kyiv,Ukraine, on Tuesday.
Hegsethfaces questions on deployingtroopstoL.A.
BY LOLITAC.BALDOR
and TARA COPP Associated Press
WASHINGTON Defense SecretaryPete Hegseth was met with sharp questions and criticism Tuesday by lawmakers who demanded details on his move to deploy troops to Los Angeles, and they expressed bipartisan frustration that Congress has not yet gotten a full defense budget from the Trump administration.
“Your tenureassecretary has been marked by endless chaos,” Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., told Hegseth. Others, including Republican leaders, warned that massive spending projects such as President Donald Trump’s desire for a$175 billion Golden Dome missile defense system willget broad congressional scrutiny
The troopdeployment triggered several fiery exchanges that at timesdevolved into shouting matches as House committee members and Hegseth yelled over one another
After persistent questioning about the cost of sending National Guard members and MarinestoLos Angelesinresponsetoprotests over immigration raids, Hegseth turned to his acting comptroller,BrynWoollacott MacDonnell,who said it would cost $134 million. Hegseth defended Trump’s decisiontosend the troops, saying they are needed to protect federal agents as they do their jobs.
And he suggested that the use of troops inside the United States will continue to expand.
“I think we’re entering another phase, especially under President Trump with his focus on the homeland, where the National Guard and Reserves become a critical component of how
ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTO By JOSE LUIS MAGANA
The Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen.Dan Caine, left,and Department of Defense SecretaryPete Hegseth testifybefore the HouseCommittee on Appropriations subcommittee oversight hearing on the Departmentof Defense on Capitol Hill in Washington on Tuesday
we secure that homeland,” he said.
The hearing beforethe HouseAppropriationsdefense subcommittee was thefirst time lawmakers have been able to challenge Trump’sdefense chief since he wasconfirmed.It is the first of three congressional hearings he will facethis week
Plannedspending Lawmakers complained widely that Congress hasn’t yetgottendetails of theadministration’sfirst proposed defense budget, which Trump has saidwould total $1 trillion,a significant increase over thecurrent spending level of more than $800 billion. And they said they are unhappy with the administration’sefforts to go around Congress to push throughchanges. Spending issues that have raised questions in recent weeks include plans to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on security upgradestoturna Qatari jet into Air Force One and to pour as much as $45 million into aparaderecently
added to the Army’s 250th birthday bash, which coincideswith Trump’sbirthday Saturday Rep.Betty McCollum, DMinn., quizzed Hegseth on the deployment of about700 Marines to assist more than 4,100 National Guard troops in protecting federal buildings and personnel in L.A
She got intoatesty backand-forth with him over the costs of the operation.
He evaded the questions but later turnedtoMacDonnell, who provided the estimate andsaid it covers the costsoftravel, housing and food.
Hegsethsaid the 60-day deployment of troops is needed“because we want to ensure that those rioters, looters andthugs on theother side assaulting our police officers know that we’re not going anywhere.”
Under the Posse Comitatus Act, troopsare prohibitedfrompolicingU.S citizens on American soil. Invoking the Insurrection Act, which allows troops to do that, is incredibly rare, but Trump has left open the possibility.
BY JILL LAWLESS Associated Press
LONDON— The U.S. and China have agreed in principle on aframework to carry out an agreement they reached on resolving theirtrade disputeslast month,Chinese statemedia said.
The announcementfollowed Tuesday’sconclusion of two days of talksinLondon.
Theearlieragreement had been shaken by aseriesofdisputes in theensuing weeks, leading toa phone calllast week between President Donald Trump andChinese leader Xi Jinping to try to calm the waters.
Li Chenggang, avice minister of commerce and China’sinternational trade representative, said the
two sideshad agreed in principle on aframework for implementing the consensus reachedbetween the twoleadersand at talks in MayinGeneva, theofficial Xinhua News Agency said.
Further details, including plans forapotential next round of talks, werenot immediately available.
Li andWangWentao, China’scommerce minister,were part of the delegation led by Vice Premier He Lifeng.Theymet with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Treasury SecretaryScott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer at Lancaster House, a200-year-old mansion near Buckingham Palace.
Lutnick saidashearrived Tuesdaymorning that the talks were “going well,”
and he expected them to continue all day Asked late Monday how the negotiationswere going, Trump told reporters: “Weare doing well with China. China’snot easy.” The two sides sought to build on negotiations in Geneva last month that agreed to a90-day suspension of most of the 100%-plus tariffs they hadimposed on each other in an escalating trade warthat had sparked fears of recession.
Sincethe Geneva talks, the U.S. and China have exchanged angry words over advanced semiconductors that powerartificialintelligence, visasfor Chinese students at
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Man pleads guilty to human trafficking
String of arrests dates to 2015, with victims as young as
BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer
One of East Baton Rouge’s most notorious human traffickers plead guilty Thursday to charges that he preyed on young women.
Kevontae Kindel Reed, 29, of Baker, was set to be tried this week on charges of indecent behavior with a juvenile, pandering, principal to the sexual battery of a juve-
Rapper arrested in 2024 drive-by shooting
Woman killed while sitting at traffic light
BY QUINN COFFMAN Staff writer
Rapper David Catherine, who uses the stage name RealBleeda, made headlines in Baton Rouge when he danced alongside students at Park Forest Middle School in March.
Now, Baton Rouge police have announced they believe he’s responsible for the drive-by shooting death of Teressa Calligan in September
nile and two counts of human trafficking of a minor.
He spent Monday facing a pool of prospective jurors as attorneys sought to select a jury for the trial.
On Tuesday morning, Reed accepted a deal from prosecutors where he pleaded guilty as charged.
District Judge Fred Crifasi accepted the guilty pleas and set a Sept. 25 court date for Reed’s sentencing.
East Baton Rouge Parish District
Attorney Hillar Moore said Reed faces a sentence of five to 25 years for each of the trafficking charges and possible sentences between five and seven years on each of the other counts, as part of the plea deal.
He will also have to register as a sex offender Court records show Reed had a string of arrests for soliciting prostitutes and other sex crimes involving minors dating back to 2015. Moore said he operated for years in a “brazen” manner and became one of East Baton Rouge’s most active human traffickers by the time he was nabbed in 2022 on the charges that led to Tuesday’s convictions.
Authorities said he preyed on runaways and troubled girls as young as 12 years old, according to court records from his previous cases He collected charges from new arrests for continuing to traffic even while he was out on bail from older cases, Moore said. Prosecutors were confident they
Charging documents show those offenses spanned from 2021 to 2024 and the victims’ ages were 13, 14, 16 and 18.
Calligan, who was described by her employer as having “had no beef with anybody,” was waiting at a traffic light at the intersection of Airline Highway and Greenwell Street on Sept. 16, when another car rolled up next to her An occupant of that vehicle allegedly opened fire on Calligan’s car, striking her multiple times and killing her Her car then rolled into the intersection, crashing into a sheriff’s deputy’s vehicle. The Baton Rouge Police Department announced Tuesday they now believe that shooter to have been Catherine, rapper and known member of the “Bleedas” gang.
Catherine was arrested by Monroe police in May for allegedly brandishing a firearm at a mall, according to police records. He was extradited back to East Baton Rouge after being developed as a suspect, a Police Department spokesperson said. Catherine has now been booked on a first-degree murder charge.
Police have described the Bleedas as a “criminal enterprise” based primarily in the Glen Oaks neighborhood, and indicated the gang has been on law enforcement’s radar for some time. Catherine was invited to Park Forest Middle School on March 21 to hand out snacks and donate a PlayStation 5 to the school’s esports program. A TikTok of the visit was uploaded, accompanied by one of Catherine’s explicit songs, “Step 2k25.” In the video, students dance alongside Catherine, pantomiming holding guns and aiming them at the camera. Another video of the visit showed Catherine shaking hands with Principal Xavier Rawls-Stromile during the visit.
2B
Simeon
Goodwood
BY JOY HOLDEN Staff writer
After nearly a decade of planning and construction, BREC is ready to celebrate the redeveloped Howell Community Park on Winbourne Avenue.
The parks and recreation system hosted a media day and a tour of the new facilities Tuesday The original Howell Park was built in the 1950s. The 110-acre park was divided into 30 acres for recreational use and 80 acres for a golf course. In 2016, the Howell Community Park golf course was decommissioned, and the effort to transform the property into
BY AIDAN McCAHILL
STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS
Nwokenkwo focuses intently while studying for the bar exam recently at the Main Library at
Calligan
Teen arrested in 2023 fatalshooting
CRIME BLOTTER staff reports
Baton Rouge police have arrested a19-year-old connected to a fatal shooting that happened more than two years ago near astudent housing complex on HighlandRoad Torian Porter,of Ascension Parish, was arrested Tuesday andbooked into East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on first-degree murder
Over ayearslong investigation, homicide detectives connected him to the death of 28-year-old Davanta Mathews, which occurred the night of May 18, 2023. Mathews was found killed as a result of gunshotwounds on the second floorofaparking garage located at 3135 HighlandRoad, a popular housingcomplexfor LSU students.
According to Baton Rouge police spokesperson Sgt.Darren Ahmed, Porterwas planningtorob Mathews during adrug deal, and shot Mathews when he attempted to flee.
Porter was already in custody
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Investigators used text messages, online photos and social media posts to build cases against Reed. Authorities said he forced the underage girls to have sex with men for money, running his operation out of Baton Rouge motels.
Baton Rouge defenseattorney Ben Gibson said a recent federal indictment factored into Reed’s decisiontoplead guilty Tuesday Agrand jury indicted Reed on May 1onthree counts of production of child pornography,according to records. Those alleged offenses occurred betweenJanuary and February 2024, according to the charging document. Reed faces 15 to 30 years on each of the counts if he’s convicted. No court dates had been set in the federal case as of Tuesday afternoon.
Email Matt Bruce at matt. bruce@theadvocate.com.
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Multiple suspects in the Sierra opened fire on the other vehicle, striking three peopleinside. The victims returned fire before managing to exit the interstate and call 911. All three were transported to anearby hospital, officials said.
On Monday,20-year-old Dantrell Gibbs, of Donaldsonville,diedfromhis injuries. Another victim remains in critical condition after being shot in the head, while athird sustained ahand wound and is expected to recover,accordingto Donovan Jackson, aSheriff’s Office spokesperson Monday afternoon, the Ascension Parish Violent Crimes Unit arrested 19-year-old Jakiryn Johnson, of Gonzales. Johnson faces charges including first-degreemurder,three counts of attemptedfirst-degree murder,illegal use of weapons, assault by drive-by shooting and aggravated damage to property
Sheriff Bobby Webre said the investigation is ongoing and more arrests are anticipated. He also announced a partnership with Gonzales Police Chief Sherman Jackson toincrease law enforcementpresence along the La. 30 corridor in response to the incident.
“It’sgoing to consist of people with the Gonzales Police Department, APSO,our narcotics division, maybe some outside agencies coming in to participate in this multi-jurisdictional task force,” Webre said. “It’snot uncommon you do these things. It needs to happen and needs to happen now.”
Email Aidan McCahill at aidan.mccahill@ theadvocate.com or follow him onX @AidanMcCahill47.
with the East Baton Rouge ParishSheriff’s Office for unrelated charges.
Three arrested in BRPD drug and firearmbust
Twoaddressesraided, three men arrested,seven firearms seized and over 60 grams of fentanyl were recoveredasofficerswith the Baton Rouge Police Department conductedamonthlong investigation into the “ShiestyGang Kartel.”
Starting in May,Police Department SpecialInvestigations detectives worked alongside thefederal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the FBItoinvestigateknown felon and ShiestyGang Kartel member Jaquael Robinson, 20. Robinson has prior arrestsfor firearm violations, according to a news release from police.
On Monday,detectives conducted raids and made arrests of Robinson and two accomplices.
The agencies conducted raids at twoaddresses believed to be resi-
dences whereRobinson stored anddistributednarcotics, onein the8000 block of Jefferson Highway and another in the 1400 block of Gwen Drive.
After raiding these two addresses, detectives arrested Robinson along withtwo other accomplices: Deonta White,25, andKeyon Kyser,23.
Evidencefrom the raids also connected Robinson to apreviousvehicle robbery andtheft of avehicle.
They werebooked into the East Baton Rouge ParishPrison on the following counts:
n Jaquael Robinson: four counts of possessionwith intent to distribute(marijuana, THC, cartridges, Adderall and fentanyl);possession of afirearmbya convicted felon;possession of a firearminthe presence of acontrolled dangerous substance; possession of drug paraphernalia; and illegal useofacontrolled dangerous substances in the presence of personsunder 17 yearsofage.
Robinsonhas prior arrests for illegalpossessionofastolen fire-
arm, distributionofSchedule I substances, illegal carrying of weaponsand aggravated assault with afirearm.
n Deonta White: five counts of possession with intent to distribute (marijuana, THC gummies, methamphetamine capsules, fentanyl and tapentadol); possession of firearms by aperson against whom aprotective orderisissued; andpossession of drug paraphernalia.
Whitehas priorarrests for possession and distributionofSchedule II drugs, illegal carrying of weapons, possession of afirearm while under aprotective order, forgery and theft.
n Keyon Kyser: five counts of possession with intent to distribute (marijuana, THC gummies, methamphetamine capsules, fentanyl, tapentadol); andpossession of drug paraphernalia
Kyser has adocumented arrest record that includes charges related to homeinvasion, domestic abuse,child endangerment, distribution and possession of schedule Isubstance, illegal possession of a
stolen firearm, obstruction of justice and battery of adating partner From the twoaddresses thefollowing firearmswere seized: n Black 9mmFreedom Ordianance Fx-9 pistol n Black .40-caliber Glock 27 handgun n BlackmulticaliberRadical Firearms RF-15 n Black 9mmGlock 19 n Black 9mmCanik TP-9 handgun n Pink, black andsilver.38-caliber Pink Lady revolver n 0.22-caliber with unidentifiable makeand model n Assorted magazines and modifications. From the twoaddresses thefollowing narcotics were seized: n Nearly 39 gramsofmarijuana n Ten30mgAdderall pills n Five THC vape cartridges n 125 capsule pills of methamphetamine n 17 packets of THC gummies n 47 tapentadol pills n 67.3 gramsoffentanyl n Digital scales.
Womanaccused of helpingaid N.O. jailbreak
BY MARCO CARTOLANO and JOHN SIMERMAN Staff writers
Aformer OrleansParish
Sheriff’s Office employee and girlfriend of New Orleans jail escapee Derrick Groves is accused of aiding in the planning ofthe breakoutand setting up phone calls with athird party in which Grovesdiscussed fleeing, accordingto police records.
Darriana Burton,28, was arrestedand booked Monday on afelonycount of conspiracy to commit simpleescape, according to online court records. She was describedbylaw enforcement as agirlfriend and associate of 27-year-old Groves, one of 10 inmates who fled the Orleans Parish jail on May 16.
Only Groves, aconvicted murderer,and 32-year-old Antione Massey remained on therun as of Tuesday afternoon.
Accordingtoapolice affidavit, investigators found that Burton and Groves had exchanged texts andvideo calls beforethe jailbreak through SmartCom, an internet-basedmessaging and
HOWELL
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The property also now containsanimprovedplayground withshaded areas, an earthen amphitheater with seatwalls facingthe playground, and aplaza that connects theparking lot to the play area.
“It’sthe productofyears of thoughtful planning, community feedback and persistent work through some incredibly challenging times,” said Brett Wallace, BREC’s assistant department directorfor planning and engineering Programcoordinator Theresa Griffin, who started her career with BREC at theold Howell Park RecreationCenterin1995, is excitedabout new programming like candle-making, line-dancing,Design-by-
SHOOTING
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Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill complained that the school district had allowed theknown gang member to interact with students andseemingly promotehis own career
On Tuesday following Catherine’sarrest for the 2024 shooting, Murrill againposted to Xtooffer condolences to Calligan’s family and to remind the public of her earlier attempts to hold the district responsible forallowing Catherine’svisit. An East BatonRougeParishSchool District spokesperson said at the time
video calling service that inmates usethrough jailprovided iPads.
On May 14, two days before the escape, Groves took aFaceTime call with Burton and an unknown man whose identity investigators say they kept “intentionally vague,” apparently awarethe call was being monitored, according to theaffidavit.
Inv estig at ors said it was implied that Burton would make an unmonitoredcalltothe unidentified man where they would go over timing, transportation and the man’srole in the escape. In another FaceTimecall between the three people, the unidentified man allegedly told Groves the escape was a“bad move” that would trigger a“manhunt,” according to court records.He advised Groves to seek his release throughthe justice system,according to theaffidavit
“This exchange confirmed that Burton hadalready disclosed theescape plan to the outside contact, actively soliciting his involvement,”
Me and Kids in theKitchen classes.
At 6p.m. Friday,BREC will host theribbon-cutting ceremony for Howell Community Park,which is open Following the ribbon-cutting,the first of four Late Night Hype events of the summer will kickoff from 7p.m. to 11 p.m.
“It’snot just aribboncutting,” said BREC interim Superintendent Janet Simmons. “It’samoment of resilience andinvestment into this community, into our future and into the future of thechildren in this community. This park represents what’s possible when we prioritize people, when we listen to what neighborhoods need,and respond withcare, creativity and purpose.”
Email Joy Holden at joy holden@theadvocate. com.
thatCatherine hadinvited himself and that the principal accepted. The visit was framed as motivation for upcoming standardized testing.
Before her killing, Calligan worked with the Walls Project, whichteaches classesand provides communityevents. In 2020, she becamethe directorofthe FuturesFund teen coding program Heremployeratthe Walls Project,Casey Phillips, told The Advocate in 2024 that he believesCalligan was “absolutely” in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Email Quinn Coffman at quinn.coffman@ theadvocate.com.
investigators wrote. Burton also allegedly drove anotherescapee, Lenton Vanburen,26, to a house in New Orleans East the morningofthe jailbreak, according to police records. Afamily member of Vanburen’stold police thatBurton calledher via FaceTime shortly after theescape, and she saw Vanburenand Burtontogether in thecar Agents withthe Louisiana Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Marshals Serviceobtained a warrant for Burton’sarrest on May 27. Burton wasarrested while shewas pullingout of aparking lotin the 2600 block of St.Peter Street in Treme and booked intothe PlaqueminesParish jail. Her bail was set Monday at $2.5 million, according to court records.
BurtonisamongahandfulofSheriff’s Officeemployees who were fired and arrested between 2023-24 in connection withcontraband in the jail.
Burton, who began working at the jail in 2022, was
accused of bringing afolding knifeand abag of Cheetos containing tobaccoand marijuana into the jail, according to The Associated Press.
Burton was initially booked with malfeasance in officeand introducing contraband in prison. Court records showthe Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office ultimatelyrefused thecharges in October 2024.
TheDistrict Attorney’s Office said in aprepared statementTuesday that Burton’scharges were reviewed by aseniorscreening attorney.
TheDistrict Attorney’s Officefound thatBurton left the contraband inside a bagatthe lockup entrance and did not follow through with the delivery
Because of that, along with her cooperation in the investigation and lack of criminal history,Burton was offered and completed apretrialdiversion program, according to the district attorney Email Marco Cartolano at Marco.Cartolano@ theadvocate.com.
STAFF PHOTO By JOyHOLDEN
BREC interim Superintendent Janet Simmons speaks Tuesdayata tour of the newHowell Community Park.
Groves
Disney taking full control of Hulu
Disney will pay Comcast’s NBCUniversal nearly $439 million for its stake in Hulu, taking full control of the streaming service.
The move closes out an appraisal process that’s dragged on for a few years. Disney said in November 2023 that it was acquiring a 33% stake in Hulu from Comcast for at least $8.6 billion. That amount reflected Hulu’s guaranteed floor value of $27.5 billion, according to a regulatory filing. Disney has run Hulu since 2019, when Comcast ceded its authority to Disney and effectively became a silent partner Hulu began in 2007 and quickly evolved into as a service backed by entertainment conglomerates who hoped to stave off the internet with an online platform for their own TV shows Disney joined in 2009, planning to offer shows from ABC, ESPN and the Disney Channel. A decade later, Disney gained majority control of the business when it acquired 21st Century Fox.
Disney said in a regulatory filing on Monday that its appraiser arrived at a valuation below the guaranteed floor value during the initial phase of the appraisal process, while NBCUniversal’s appraiser arrived at a valuation substantially in excess of the guaranteed floor value. A third appraiser was brought in and concluded that The Walt Disney Co. will pay $438.7 million for the Hulu stake.
The transaction is anticipated to close by July 24.
MLB acquires stake in Jomboy Media
NEW YORK Major League Baseball has agreed on a strategic partnership with Jomboy Media and will acquire a stake in the company The two sides announced the deal on Tuesday Jomboy Media will be used across MLB’s digital channels. MLB will also help grow Jomboy Media’s other shows, including “Talkin’ Baseball,” “Talkin’ Yanks” and “The Warehouse Games.” According to the release, Jomboy Media set revenue and profitability records last year and had more than 93 million engagements on social media. Jomboy Media was founded in 2017.
Game app accused of promoting revolution HONG KONG Hong Kong police on Tuesday accused a mobile game application of advocating armed revolution and promoting secessionist agendas, saying that those who publish it or share it with others online may risk violating national security laws
The announcement — the first to publicly denounce a gaming app — indicates that authorities are widening the crackdown that has followed anti-government protests in 2019. Authorities have crushed or silenced many dissenting voices through prosecutions under the 2020 national security law imposed by Beijing and a similar, homegrown law enacted last year In a statement, police warned residents against downloading the “Reversed Front: Bonfire” application, saying those with the app installed might be seen as possessing a publication with a seditious intention. They also warned people against providing financial assistance to the application developer, including making in-app purchases. The game application was developed by ESC Taiwan, which did not immediately respond to The Associated Press’ request for comment. On the application’s Facebook page, the developer posted about surging searches for the game name and a Hong Kong broadcaster’s news report about Tuesday’s development. According to the application’s introduction, players can assume the role of Hong Kong, Tibet, Uyghur, Taiwan or Cathaysian Rebel factions, among others, to overthrow the communist regime. They may also choose to lead the communists to defeat all enemies.
World Bank downgrades economic forecast
Citing ‘a substantial rise in trade barriers,’ the 189-country lender World Bank predicted that the U.S. economy — the world’s largest — would grow half as fast (1.4%) this year as it did in 2024 (2.8%) That marked a downgrade from the 2.3% U.S growth it had forecast for 2025 back in January.
Trade wars cited as reason, but Trump not mentioned by
BY PAUL WISEMAN AP economics writer
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump’s trade wars are expected to slash economic growth this year in the United States and around the world, the World Bank forecast Tuesday
Citing “a substantial rise in trade barriers” but without mentioning Trump by name, the 189-country lender predicted that the U.S. economy — the world’s largest would grow half as fast (1.4%) this year as it did in 2024 (2.8%). That marked a downgrade from the 2.3% U.S. growth it had forecast for 2025 back in January
The bank also lopped 0.4 percentage points off its forecast for global growth this year. It now expects the world economy to expand just 2.3% in 2025, down from 2.8% in 2024.
In a forward to the latest version of the twice-yearly Global Economic Prospects report, World Bank chief economist Indermit Gill wrote that the global econo-
name
my has missed its chance for the “soft landing” — slowing enough to tame inflation without generating serious pain it appeared headed for just six months ago. “The world economy today is once more running into turbulence,” Gill wrote. “Without a swift course correction, the harm to living standards could be deep.”
America’s economic prospects have been clouded by Trump’s erratic and aggressive trade policies, including 10% taxes — tariffs — on imports from almost every country in the world. These levies drive up costs in the U.S and invite retaliation from other countries.
The Chinese economy is forecast to see growth slow from 5% in 2024 to 4.5% this year and 4% next. The world’s second-largest economy has been hobbled by the tariffs that Trump has imposed on its exports, by the collapse of its real estate market and by an aging workforce.
The World Bank expects
the 20 European countries that share the euro currency to collectively grow just 0.7% this year, down from an already lackluster 0.9% in 2024. Trump’s tariffs are expected to hurt European exports. And the unpredictable way he rolls them out — announcing them, suspending them, coming up with new ones — has created uncertainty that discourages business investment.
India is once again expected to be the world’s fastestgrowing major economy, expanding at a 6.3% clip this year But that’s down from 6.5% in 2024 and from the 6.7% the bank had forecast for 2025 in January In Japan, economic growth is expected to accelerate this year — but only from 0.2% in 2024 to a sluggish 0.7% this year, well short of the 1.2% the World Bank had forecast in January
The World Bank seeks to reduce poverty and boost living standards by providing grants and low-rate loans to poor economies. Another multinational organization that seeks to promote global prosperity the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development — last week downgraded its forecast for the U.S and global economies.
U.S. stocks drift closer to record
BY STAN CHOE AP business writer
NEW YORK U.S. stocks drifted closer to their all-time high on Tuesday as the wait continued to hear what will come of trade talks between the United States and China.
The S&P 500 rose 0.5% as talks between the world’s two largest economies carried into a second day The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 105 points, or 0.2%, and the Nasdaq composite gained 0.6%.
Stocks have roared higher since dropping roughly 20% below their record two months ago, when President Donald Trump shocked financial markets with his announcement of tariffs that were so stiff that they raised worries about a possible recession. Much of the rally has been due to hopes that Trump would lower his tariffs after reaching trade deals with countries around the world, and the S&P 500 is back within 1.7% of its record set in February
It’s getting to be time to see whether such hopes were warranted. The talks with China were going “really, really well,” U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said Tuesday evening in London, where the talks were being held. The two sides worked on “all sorts of trade issues,” he said, according to a video clip posted by the Chinese state broadcaster CGTN.
Both the United States and China have put many of their tariffs announced against each other on pause as talks continue.
Even though many tariffs are on hold for the moment, they’re still affecting companies and their ability to make profits because of all the uncertainty they’ve created.
Designer Brands, the company behind the DSW shoe store chain, became the latest U.S. company to yank its financial forecasts for 2025 because of “uncertainty stemming primarily from global trade policies.”
The company, which also owns Keds, Jessica Simpson and other shoe brands, reported a larger loss for the start of the year than analysts were expecting, and its revenue also fell short of forecasts. CEO Doug Howe pointed to ”persistent instability and pressure on consumer discretionary” spending, and the company’s stock tumbled 18.2%.
The uncertainty is moving in both directions, to be sure. A survey released Tuesday of optimism among small U.S. businesses improved a bit in May
“While the economy will continue to stumble along until the major sources of uncertainty are resolved, owners reported more positive expectations on business conditions and sales growth,” according to Bill Dunkelberg, chief economist at the National Federation of Independent Business.
On Wall Street, J.M. Smucker fell 15.6% even though its results for the latest quarter topped analysts’ expectations. Its revenue fell short of expectations, as did its forecast for profit in the upcoming year
Tesla helped to make up for such losses after rising 5.7%. The electric vehicle company has been recovering since tumbling last week as Elon Musk’s relationship with Trump imploded That raised fears about possible retaliation by the U.S. government against Tesla.
How scammers use AI to steal college financial aid
BY SHARON LURYE AP education writer
It was an unusual question coming from a police officer Heather Brady was napping at home in San Francisco on a Sunday afternoon when the officer knocked on her door to ask: Had she applied to Arizona Western College?
She had not, and as the officer suspected, somebody else had applied to Arizona community colleges in her name to scam the government into paying out financial aid money When she checked her student loan servicer account, Brady saw the scammers hadn’t stopped there. A loan for over $9,000 had been paid out in her name — but to another person — for coursework at a California college.
“I just can’t imagine how many people this is happening to that have no idea,” Brady said.
The rise of artificial intelligence and the popularity of online classes have led to an explosion of financial aid fraud. Fake college enrollments have been surging as crime rings deploy “ghost students” — chatbots that join online classrooms and stay just long enough to collect a financial aid check.
In some cases, professors discover almost no one in their class is real. Students get locked out of the classes they need to graduate as
bots push courses over their enrollment limits. And victims of identity theft who discover loans fraudulently taken out in their names must go through months of calling colleges, the Federal Student Aid office and loan servicers to try to get the debt erased.
On Friday, the U.S. Education Department introduced a temporary rule requiring students to show colleges a government-issued ID to prove their identity It will apply only to first-time applicants for federal student aid for the summer term, affecting some 125,000 borrowers. The agency said it is developing more advanced screening for the fall.
“The rate of fraud through stolen identities has reached a level that imperils the federal student aid program,” the department said in its guidance to colleges
An Associated Press analysis of fraud reports obtained through a public records request shows California colleges in 2024 reported 1.2 million fraudulent applications, which resulted in 223,000 suspected fake enrollments. Other states are affected by the same problem, but with 116 community colleges, California is a particularly large target.
Criminals stole at least $11.1 million in federal, state and local financial aid from California community colleges last year that could not be
recovered, according to the reports.
Colleges typically receive a portion of the loans intended for tuition, with the balance going directly to students for other expenses. Community colleges are targeted in part because their lower tuition means larger percentages of grants and loans go to borrowers.
Scammers frequently use AI chatbots to carry out the fraud, targeting courses that are online and allow students to watch lectures and complete coursework on their own time.
Brittnee Nelson, of Shreveport, was bringing her daughter to day care two years ago when she received a notification that her credit score had dropped 27 points. Loans had been taken out in her name for colleges in California and Louisiana, she discovered. She canceled one before it was paid out, but it was too late to stop a loan of over $5,000 for Delgado Community College in New Orleans. Nelson runs her own housecleaning business and didn’t go to college. She already was signed up for identity theft protection and carefully monitored her credit. Still, her debt almost went into collections before
the loan was put in forbearance. She recently got the loans taken off her record after two years of effort.
“It’s like if someone came into your house and robbed you,” she said.
The federal government’s efforts to verify borrowers’ identity could help, she said.
“If they can make these hurdles a little bit harder and have these verifications more provable, I think that’s really, really, really going to protect people in the long run,” she said.
Delgado spokesperson Barbara Waiters said responsibility for approving loans ultimately lies with federal agencies.
“This is an unfortunate and serious matter, but it is not the direct or indirect result of Delgado’s internal processes,” Waiters said.
In San Francisco, the loans taken out in Brady’s name are in a grace period, but still on the books. That has not been her only challenge. A few months ago, she was laid off from her job and decided to sign up for a class at City College San Francisco to help her career But all the classes were full.
After a few weeks, Brady finally was able to sign up for a class. The professor apologized for the delay in spots opening up: The college has been struggling with fraudulent applications.
Lee Ann Berthelot, joined her beloved husband for awonderful reunion on June 8, 2025. Lee Annwas born in Lake, Louisiana on July 20,1939to Guy and Lee Ida Templet. Lee Ann was amemberof St. Joseph Catholic Church in French Settlement anda member of the Ladies Altar Society. She enjoyed traveling, playing cards, gardening and reading. Herfavorite thing was to cook a big Sunday dinner for the whole family. She held a variety of jobs, including working at the Bank of Gonzales, the post office and owned several of her own businesses. Shewas precededindeath by her husband, Edwin 'Runt' Berthelot, her son Eddie Berthelot, and her parents Guy and Lee Ida Templet. She is survived by her sisters, Jackie Bosch, Bobbie (Guy) Peterson and Gay (Rick) Templet. Her daughters are Rhonda (Mervin) Young and Robin (Everet) Fekete. Grandchildren, Blane Berthelot Jousha Berthelot, Rheana (Joseph) Young Jowers, Randee (Sean) Young, Brant (Jessica) Fekete and Danna Fekete. Great grandchildren Alexis, Peyton and Rylee Grace Berthelot and Rylee Eve, Reese Evelyn and Ryann Elizabeth Jowers. Visitationwill be on Thursday June 12, 2025,at St Joseph Catholic Church in French Settlement from 9:30 am until Mass at 11:00 am. Thank you to her caregivers at The Parc Assisted Living and Clarity Hospice.
Blair, Ann Napier
Ann Napier Blair, went to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Sunday June 8th, 2025, at the age of 81, after along battle with Alzheimer's. Born in Memphis, TN to the late William and Dorothy Napier. She was the wife of the late John Samuel Blair. Loving mother of Deborah Kim Blair, William Napier Blair (Terri) and Leigh Ann Blair Maddox (Michael Schulte). Devoted motherin-law of Jeffrey Michael Maddox. Ann was the grandmother of Lauren Maddox Waters (Lane), William Alexander Maddox (Caroline), Karli Blair Militello (Sean), Tabitha Blair Bradshaw (Stephen), Timothy William Blair and Travis Michael Blair (Meghan).Great- grandmother of Hudson James and Elliott Sprague Waters, William Jeffrey Maddox,
Noah, Levi, Kailyn and Luke Bradshaw, LilyJane,Alana Quinn, Amelia Lynn and JuliaLucille Blair. Sheisalso survived by ahost of cousins, nieces and nephews. Ann was loved by allwho knew her and willbegreatly missed. Special thanks to Eddrina Drake and LaTonya Smith forthe care and love they gave to Ann during herfinalyearsand Heritage Manor of Baton Rouge In lieu of flowers the family ask that donations be made to Alzheimer's Association(Louisiana Chapter)orSt. JosephHospice (CarpenterHouse). Family and friends are invited to attend afuneral service at Greenoaks Funeral Home, 9595 Florida Blvd., Baton Rouge, LA 70815onThursday, June 12that2:00 PM. Visitation willbefrom12:00 PM until Servicetime. Burial willfollow in GreenoaksMemorial Park
Blanchard,CheryleJ
CheryleJ.Blanchard, age66, anative of Fernandina Beach, Floridaand a resident of Napoleonville, Louisiana passed awayon Thursday, June 5,2025. She was an activemember of St. Elizabeth Catholic Churchand served as a memberofthe Bereavement Committee. Shewas also amember of the Assumption High School Band ParentsClub. She enjoyedgardening, camping baking,fishing and dancing but most of allloved her family. She wasa caring,selflessloving soul Sheissurvived by her loving husband of 47 years, Keith G. Blanchard; four grandchildren, Beaux,Ashlyn and Orry Rodrigueand VictoriaWinters; three brothers, Mark Jones(Diane), Cole and AdamPeterson (Kelly);stepmother, Gloria Burrows (Gordon); two sister-in-laws, Gina St Germainand JanetJones; along with ahost of nieces and nephews. She wasprecededindeath by her parents,Alton and Maudie Jones; daughter,Miranda Pitre; brother, DavidJones; father-in-law, RobertBlanchard; mother-in-law, Itzy Blanchard; and sister-inlaw, Raye Simoneaux. A visitation willbeheld on Thursday, June 12, 2025 from 6:00 pm until 9:00 pm at Ourso Funeral Homein Donaldsonville.Then to continue on Friday, June 13, 2025 from 9:00 am until theMassofChristianBurial for11:00amatSt. ElizabethCatholicChurchin Paincourtville. Interment to follow in the church mausoleum. Father Tomi Thomas willbeofficiating
Daigle, GregoryJoseph
Reverend Gregory JosephDaiglewas born on July9,1959, to Abeland Patricia Nancy RussoDaigle in BatonRouge,LA. Alongtime resident of East and WestBaton Rouge Parishes, he passed away on June 8, 2025, at age66. Fr. Greg attended St.George Elementary,CatholicHigh School, Loyola University, earneda degree in Music from LSU, and aMaster of Divinityfrom NotreDame Seminary.Hespent several years as aprofessional vocalist beforeentering the priesthoodin1993. He served as apriest in the Diocese of BatonRouge for 32 years and was an active member of the Knights of Columbus. Alongwithhis ministry, Fr. Greg was a prolific supporter of the arts,particularly with music and opera. He cherishedhis AnnualEpiphany concert where he shared histalents in support of music education.Heenjoyed spending timewith friends and family,telling storiesand was always prepared to share ajoke if thesituationorhomily called forit. With passions forcuisine,tennis, and the Carpenters, he was known to travel in pursuitofall, always readytosharethe storyover ameal or coffee upon his return. Fr. Greg was abeloved pastorand friend to many. He was greatlyloved and will be deeply missed. He is survivedbyhis brother, Michael Paul Daigle (Michelle);niece, Savannah Aiello (Sean); and nephew, HarrisonDaigle (Samanatha). He is preceded in death by his parents, Abeland PatriciaDaigle; paternal grandparents, Oscarand Luce Daigle;and maternal grandparents, Joeand Mamie Russo. A visitationfor Fr. Greg will be held on Thursday, June 12, 2025, at St.John the Evangelist CatholicChurch in Plaquemine beginning at 8amuntil Mass of Christian Burial at 11 am. In lieu of flowers,donationscan be madetothe music program at St.John School in Plaquemine or Our Ladyof theLake CancerInstitute.
Mae Hoggpassed away Friday, June 6, at her home surrounded by her children and grandchildrenasthey sang her favoritehymn "In theGarden". She was 94 years old. Born VerliaMae Kennedy May 7, 1931, to Wallace and Myrtle KennedyinBarrineau Park, Florida, she moved with her family to Alabama Mississippi,and Arkansas.
In Little Rock, Arkansas, she met thelove of herlife,Med Hogg, and thetwo married after a brief courtshipasMed was being transferred west. She said, "We honeymoonedall the way to Phoenix." Mae and Med were married72years at hisdeath in 2020. They were honored by theLouisianaFamily Forum for being one of the longest married couples in thestate Sheand Med moved from PhoenixtoSt. Louis, then to NewOrleans, and finallytoBaton Rougein 1959. Alongthe way they had five children: Tommy, Judy, Jimmy, Trudy, and Johnny. Avivacious, joyous woman, Mae never met a stranger. God was always first in Mae's life,and she lovedtelling people about Jesus. At her witness, many people came to believeinJesus. At her prayers, many people were healed and had relationships restored.People woulddrop in her home for prayer and counsel, and she always graciously welcomed them. Her home was filled with singing,scripture,and prayer.She was amember of theformer FloridaBoulevardBaptist Church, and continued monthly Bible studies, prayer meeting,and lunch with theAlpha Class SundaySchool ladiesfor decades, hosting thegathering forthe last four years. She wasa Prayer WarriorwithFranklin Graham's ministry Operation Christmas Child and was activeinWomenPraying forWomen. She was regularlyfeatured on herson Jim's radio program"SundayMorning in Hogg Heaven" whereshe would offer wisdomand prayer Mae's passionwas her family.Each child felt like thefavorite.She always wanted thedetails of what was happening in their lives. Called Mae Mae by her grandchildren and greatgrandchildren, she lavishedloveoneach one and prayed for each one daily. She was awonderful homemaker and a fabulous cook,famous for Mae Mae's Perfect Pound Cake.She and Med kepta vegetable gardenfor many years, and she enjoyed pickingand preparing home grown vegetables. She also grew beautiful flowers and treasuredthe rose garden her husband planted forher. Mae and Med enjoyed traveling and cruising.They toured Europe, theMediterranean, Canada,Hawaiiand much of the continental USA.They celebrated their50thanniversary at acastle in Scotland. Her favoritetripof allwas to theHolyLand Her career life was varied.She began as a Mary Kay Consultant,then was areal estateagent, jewelry storemanager, and finally helpedher husband in his home-based transportationconsulting business. Mae is preceded in death by her parents; husband; son, Tommy Hogg; grandson, Evan Kennedy Mills; sisters,Norma Letort,AlmaRoberts, Ola Ruddick, GlendaLegg;and brother, JamesWallace Kennedy. She is survived by her childrenand their spouses,JudyMills, Jim and Linda Hogg,Trudy and Tom Kiggans, John and LaurenHogg; and her grandchildrenRebekah Owens (Sean), Matthew Kiggans (Leighanne),Mary Margaret Parker(Tyler), Daniel Kiggans (Carlee), Austin Hogg (Diana), Gabrielle Hogg, and James LindenHogg; sister, Bobbie
Sanford,alongwith a host of great grandchildren, nieces andnephews. Visitation will be held Saturday, June 14, at 10:00 at JeffersonBaptist Church,9135 Jefferson Highway, Baton Rouge,LA. Theservice will begin at 11:00. Theburialwill take place immediatelyafter at Greenoaks Memorial Park, 9595 Florida Boulevard, Baton Rouge,LA. "Manydaughters have done well,but thou excellest them all." Proverbs 31:29
JonnieLuKleinpeter passedaway peacefullyon Friday, June 6, 2025, at the age of 80. She lived a beautiful, faithfilledlife, andwas lovedbyall who knew her. Sheprayedthe Rosary daily andwas graciousinall that she did. Shewas known for her willingness to host many a dinner for friends andparties for all occasions. Thosewho knew herwell were amused andenamored by herlove of all things monkey! Oneofthe true highlights washer time spentinNew Orleans especially Mardi Gras season.She wasa true reveler,yet so graceful in everythingshe did. Shetruly wasa Beautiful Lady inside and she willbemissed.
Shewas preceded in death by herparents, Johnnyand LucilleDeArmond; andher sister, Joyce McIntire.She is survivedbyher son, J.D., lovingfamilymembers, many dear friends, andher exceptional care givers.
At herrequest, avisitation willbeheldat ResthavenFuneral Home, 11817 JeffersonHwy. Baton Rouge,LA70816, on Friday, June 13, 2025, from 1:30 p.m. untilMemorialService at 2:30 p.m. Entombment will follow at Resthaven GardensofMemory.
In lieu of flowers, please considermakinga donation to theAlzheimer'sAssociation
Familyand friends may sign theonline guestbook or leave apersonal note to thefamilyatwww.resthav enbatonrouge.com
TerryLeBlanc Landry, age 66,
ingloving momentswith herfamilyand friends. She is survived by herloving husband of 46 years, Randy Landry; son Jonathan Landry(Trisha); daughter, Jill Broussard (Heath); twogranddaughters, EmilyBroussard and Olivia Landry; sister,Mary Day; twobrothers, Andrew LeBlancand John LeBlanc Jr.(Rene); along with a host of nieces and nephews. She waspreceded in death by herparents, John andMarie LeBlanc. Thefamilywould like to give aspecial thanks to Pinnacle Hospice fortheir care andcompassion. A visitation will be held on Wednesday, June 11, 2025 from 6:00 pm until9:00 pm at OursoFuneral Home in Donaldsonville.Thento continue on Thursday, June 12, 2025 from 9:00 am untilthe Mass of Christian Burial for 11:00 am at AscensionofOur Lord Catholic Church.Interment to follow at St.Jules Church Mausoleum in Belle Rose.Father Tomi Thomas will officiate
McGee 63, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, passed away peacefully on Monday June 9, 2025, after acourageous battle with pancreaticcancer. He was at home, surrounded by loved ones.
Born on April 20, 1962, in Utica, NewYork, Jay was thebeloved son of thelate Robert Andrew McGee and Joyce Anne Bishop. He was adevoted brothertothe lateAmy Kirby andhis lovingsisters, Sally Barlow and Paula Tate,and his cherished partner,Lita Henderson. Jay was a proudand loving uncle to Michelle Norton (Eddie), ReneeNeilsen(Josh), BridgetBroussard (Chris Grigson), BrittanyHenderson (Nathan), Will Cuny(Lona), Jonathan Kirby, Damien Tate (Kayla), and Derek Tate (Rebecca Butler), and agreat-uncle to ninegreat -niecesand nephews. His deep bondwithhis family wasa source of joyand strength—he wasnot only abrother and uncle, butalso amentor,confidant, andfriend to many. Jay earneda Bachelor of ScienceinElectrical Engineeringfromthe University of Southwestern Louisiana and an MBA from LouisianaState University. In 1987, he founded On Hold Systems, abusiness he ledwith vision, integrity, and entrepreneurial spirit for nearly 40 years. Adedicated Freemason, Jay was honored to serve as FelicianaLodge #31's Worshipful Master this year. In araretribute,Jay received hisPast Master apron early in April 2025, a testament to the deep admiration of hisMasonic brothers. Jay was an active andrespectedmember of FelicianaLodge #31 F&AM; in St.Francisville,charteredin1817 and New York's St.George #6, char-
Kleinpeter,Jonnie Lu
McGee, Andrew 'Jay'
Andrew"Jay"
Hogg, Mae
Landry, Terry LeBlanc
in 1774.
Jay's love for Louisiana and its traditions was boundless. In 2019, he was honored to reign as King Mystique XLIII, the oldest parading Mardi Gras krewe in Baton Rouge. Jayserved as Ball Captain for Krewe Mystique de la Capitale and sat on the Board of Directors. He was aproud member of thePete Fountain Half-Fast Walking Club, parading in New Orleans on Mardi Gras and St. Patrick's Day for over a decade. In 2022, he was celebrated as King of the Fifolet Halloween Festival. Jay was adedicated member of the Baton Rouge Jaycees where he held numerous leadership roles and helped organize festivals, parades, and charitable events. Jay embraced these roles eagerly with commitment and enthusiasm. He made countless friends who loved him dearly.
Jay will be remembered for his quick wit, generous heart, and unwavering commitment to service. He had agift for hospitality often opening his home to those in need and working to improve the lives of his tenants. His warmth, laughter, and legacy of kindness will live on in the hearts of allwho knew and loved him.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend aFuneral Service at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 15, 2025 at Resthaven Funeral Home, 11817 Jefferson Highway in Baton Rouge. A Visitation willbeheld at the funeral home beginning at 1:00 p.m. Areception will follow in the Legacy Room.
In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests memorials be made to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN), in honor of Jay's lifelong dedication to community and service.
Familyand friends may sign the online guestbook or leave apersonal note to the family at www.resthav enbatonrouge.com
Mix, Earl Joseph
Earl Joseph Mix, aloving husband and father of 3 children, passed away on Sunday, June 9, 2025 at Our Lady of the Lake Hospital in Baton Rouge. He was92 and aresident of Ventress, LA.Earl enjoyed being outdoors caring for his cows and pasture and swinging on his porch visiting with family and friends. He served in the Navy and enjoyed being out on the water. He was along time member of St. Mary's False River Catholic Church in New Roads, LA. He was married for 70 years andis survived by his 3children, Kenneth Mix (J'Nell), Debra MixLucas (Ernest), and Tammy Mix Jarreau (Joseph); 3grandchildren, KarenMix Grier, Wyatt Aaron Jarreau, and Ashley Mix Hutchings; 2greatgrandchildren,Walker and Annie Jarreau and asoon to be born baby Jarreau. Earl is preceded in death by his wife of 70 years, Velma Mix; his parents,Ida and Lelio Mix, Sr.; and his siblings. The visitation will be held at Niland's Funeral HomeinNew Roads,LAon Thursday, June 12, 2025 from 11:00 am until 1:45 pm.The Mass of Christian burial will follow at St. Mary's Catholic Church at 2:00 pm. Interment willimmediately follow at False River Memorial Park in NewRoads, LA. The family would also like to express gratitude to Rose Marie Fabrefor taking excellent care of their father.
Thomas Ragusa.Born 8/ 18/1944 in Baton RougeDied peacefullyinher home, 6/6/2025 Patti attendedDufrocESinBaton Rouge and Graduated from Baton Rouge High School Patti was the First in her Family to earn aCollege Degree and Graduated LSU in 4years withabachelor's in education Patti Worked throughout College to pay forbooks, supplies and tuition. Her parents, Elias and Lucille Thomas, helped with tuition, as well. When herfather had adebilitating stroke, Patti and her mothersoldAvon makeup, door-to-door,tohelp supportthe family of 7. Patti went on aBlind-Date with Ben PRagusa,Jr, arranged by mutualfriends Sheeventually married BenonJuly 30, 1966 at St. Agnes Catholic Church, by hercousin, Fr. Nick Martrain. Patti enjoyedTeaching 4th Grade atWyandot Elementaryinthe East Baton Rouge Parish School System. Benand Patti bought aYellow 1966 Mustangwitha 289 and 4speed forher to travelto and from work.Ben had to gether aseatcushionso she could reach the clutch. After Jeffreywas born,Patti Found herTrue Callingas aFull-Time Mother. Her passion for Education continuedasshe helped her children excel in scholastics, leading them both to College Degrees. She also was active in their schools and even was theCCD Director at St. Thomas More School in Baton Rouge during the 1970's. Patti also tutored students who needed help andwas instrumental inmany children achieving High School Diplomas andGED's. After more than 20-years in Atlanta, Patti and Ben returned to Baton Rouge to starta new business and take careofPatti's ailing mother.For almost 30 years, old friendships were re-kindledand new ones forged while herfamily grew around her in Baton Rouge. The past 3decades have seen the birth of five grandchildrenwithtwo marriagesand aflourishing businessfamily, as well. Patti is precededin death by herparents Elias Thomas, Lucille Martrain Thomas, and her Brother Kenneth Wayne Thomas. The Joy of Her Lifewas Family!Husband: Ben, of almost 59 years. Children: Jeffrey (56) and Stephanie (54) Grandchildren: Madeline (28), Elizabeth (28), JeffreyJr(27), Tricia(25), & Megan (23). Siblings: Kenneth (deceased) Gail, E.J., and Darla.AnElegant Lady HasFound HerReward with HerLordand The Blessed Mother. AMassof ChristianBurial willbe held at Sacred Heart CatholicChurch, Thursday, June 12, 2025 at 11:00 AM followed by acommittal service at Resthaven Gardens of Memory.
Vivian Lee
Entered into eternal rest on June 4, 2025 at theage of 93. Visitation Thursday, June 12, 2025, GreaterNew GuideBaptist Church,3445 Fairfields Avenue,Baton Rouge, LA 10:00 am until religious service at 12:00 pm.PastorMarkThomas officiating. Interment Louisiana National Cemetery,Zachary, LA.Funeral ServiceEntrusted to Hall Davisand Son. www.halldavisandson.com
Ruckstuhl, Marilyn Hilbert
MarilynHilbert Ruckstuhl,born on October 30, 1935,passed awayon Wednesday,June 4, 2025, at the ageof89. Marilyn was born in New Orleans, LA. She graduated from Dominican High School. Shespent her yearscreatinga home to raise her familyin. She was amember of St Patrick CatholicChurch, and shewas also agirl scout and cub leader. She
always enjoyed traveling domestic and abroad, spending time with her grandchildren, and working in thegarden. Marilyn is survivedby her daughter, Lisa Wesley; sons, Bert (Karen), Ron, Jeff (Monica), and Bruce Ruckstuhl (Tylene); 9 grandchildren; and 7greatgrandchildren. Sheispreceded in death by her husband of 57 years, Bernard LouisRuckstuhl;parents, Albert J. Hilbertand Edna Mayer Hilbert;and sister, Elaine Folse
Visitation willtake place on Thursday,June 12, 2025, beginning at 5:00 PM until 8:00 PM.Visitation willcontinue on Friday, June 13, 2025, beginning at 9:30 AM until services at 10:30 AM, officiated by Father Michael Micelli.Burial will be held at Greenwood Cemetery, 5190 CanalBlvd. NewOrleans, LA,70124. Family and friends may signthe online guestbook or leave apersonal note to thefamily at www.resthav enbatonrouge.com.
DonaldDavid Saunier, 91, died peacefully on Sunday, June 8, 2025. He wasa hard working, fun loving man. He workedfor many years in thegrocery business. He lovedtocut grass, play cardsand just visit with thepeople he loved. He is survivedbyhis son, DarbySaunier, daughter and soninlaw, Jodi and Stacy Gremillion, his grandsons, Alex Gremllion (Whitnee) and Ryan, 3 greatgrandchildren, Wesley, Austenand Kennedy Gremillionand his twin sister, Dolly AnnSaunier Villereal, also many nieces and nephews. Donaldwas predeceasedbyhis beloved wife, Rose Marie Robertson Saunier, his parents, Claudeand Lola Saunier, his 3brothers, C. J.,Wilbert and Tracy Saunierand his 3sisters, DorisMatherne, Lois Rouchon, and Adrian Estave. Funeral services willbeheld. Avisitation willbeheldonWednesday, June 11, 2025 from5:00-8:00 PM at Ourso Funeral Home, 13533 Airline Highway, Gonzales, Louisiana, 70737. Family willcontinue to receivefriendsonThursday, June 12, 2025 from10:0011:00 AM. Service will beginat11:00 AM. Donwillbe laid to rest at HopeHaven Garden of Memory.
Jane FinleyShank, belovedmother, grandmother, and dedicated nonprofitleader, passed away peacefully on June 7, 2025 at theage of 79.
AgraduateofLouisiana StateUniversity and John McDonogh High School in NewOrleans, Janeserved her communityfor over threedecades, including as President and CEO of Volunteers of America Greater Baton Rouge (2003 to 2015). Her legacy of compassionand leadershipimpacted thousands across Louisiana, particularlyinsupporting those impacted by Hurricane Katrina
She wasadevoted mother to four children, Jeremy, Jared,Jessica, and Jordan, and six granddaughters, Gracie, Eden, Annie, Polly, Selby, and Elowen. She is preceded in death by her parents, Josephand Ilah Grace Finley, and sister, IlaDieterich. Her familywas at theheart of everything she did, and she was always there with love,guidance, and unwavering support
Acelebrationofher life will be held at St.James Episcopal Church, 205 N 4thSt, Baton Rouge, LA 70801, at 2:00pm on Saturday, June 14, 2025.
In lieu of flowers,donations may be madeinher memory to Volunteers of America SouthCentral Louisiana.
Janewillberemembered forher strength, warmth,and unwavering dedication to her family and community.
JohnnieSmith,a resi‐dentofKentwood,LA, passedawayonMonday, June 9, 2025 at TheLodge atTangi PinesinAmite,LA. Hewas born October7, 1939 in Kentwood,LAand was 85 yearsofage.Here‐tired from LouisianaDe‐partmentofTransporta‐tion. He milked cows at the familydairy,hauledcattle for localfarmers,and workedatthe auction barn. He is survived by his 2 daughter,Sherry Rosa‐mond(Charles) and Tammy Smith(Michael);4 grandchildren,Stormie RosamondMcNabb (Colby),DustinRosamond (Madison),Tyler Doverand Abagail Dover; sister,Car‐olynSmith Baxter (Henry); brother,ElbertLea Smith, Jr. (Wanda); great-grand‐children, Isabella and LoganRosamondand Creed McNabb. Preceded indeath by hiswife, Hilda F.Smith;parents,ElbertL Smith ,Sr. andEllen S. Smith;sister, JoySmith Stegner. Visitation at McK‐
neelyFuneral Home,Kent‐wood, from 9:00AM until religious services at 11:00AM on Thursday,June 12, 2025. Services con‐ductedbyBro.Sonny Travis. IntermentWood‐landCemetery, Kentwood, LA. Foranonlineguest‐book,visit http://www mckneelys.com.
White,OlenMars
Olen Mars White, Sr., a lifelongresident of Baton Rouge,Louisiana, passed away on June 6, 2025, peacefully in hissleep,at theage of 78. He was a belovedfather, grandfather,brother,uncle and friend. On November 26, 1946, Olen was born to the lateLewis Olen Whiteand Mary LeeMars White. He wasraised in Baton Rouge graduatedfromBaton Rouge High School, and went on to earna B.S. degree from Millsaps. He later met and marriedSara Eaves, with whom he raisedfoursons. He workedasa real estate developer andentrepreneur, held great interest in sci-
ence and American history, andheloved telling outrageousjokes and stories
He will be remembered as an immensely proud and loving father -always therewitha hugand an "I love you." He is survivedbyfour sons and theirfamilies: EverettWhite, husband to Jennifer White, andtheir children, Ellie, Mason and Caleb; Brandon White, husband to SaraAnne White, and theirsons, Neil andHarvey; Barret White, husband to Sarah White, andtheir sons, JamesBarretWhiteand Townsend ; all of Jackson,Mississippi; andOlenWhite, Jr., husband to Lynsey White, of Baton Rouge.Heisalso survived by hissister, KathleenSmith, andher son, BlairSmith. Acelebration of Olen's life will be held on Sunday, June 15, 2025, from 2:004:00 p.m. at AnnConnelly Fine ArtGallery, 1670 Lobdell Ave., Suite100, Baton Rouge,Louisiana 70806.
Smith, Johnnie
Saunier,Donald 'Don'
Shank, JaneFinley
Ross,
Ragusa, Patricia Thomas 'Patti'
We mourn the Loss, but Celebrate the Extraordinary Life of Patricia
The University of New Orleanshas longbeen akey economic benefit to thecityand the state as awhole.
But since Katrina, dropsinenrollment and funding have led to asevere crisis at the once thriving school,which in recentyears has faced mounting debt and an uncertain future.
That’swhy we applaud theLegislature for overwhelminglypassing Senate Bill 202, sponsoredbySen. Jimmy Harris, D-NewOrleans.
The bill moves the school from the University of Louisiana system, where it has beensince 2011, back under the LSU system, whereitwas beforethat year
The LSU system, which in recent yearshas experienced record enrollments at its campuses,isbetter positioned to pullUNO up from its doldrums.
The bill will now go to Gov.Jeff Landry’sdesk, whereheisexpected to sign it. It mustalso be approved by UNO’saccreditingagency, the Southern Association of Colleges andSchools, beforeitcan become official.
UNO’schallenges are significant.The deficit is estimatedashigh as $30 million. Enrollment hasshrunk from apre-Katrinapeakofaround 17,000 to around 6,000. Employees havebeen furloughed and laid off. Some majors have been eliminated and colleges consolidated UNO President Kathy Johnson hailedthe move, calling it “the beginningofanimportant new chapter in our institution’shistory” and adding that “it reflects ashared commitmentto securing UNO’slong-termfinancialhealth.”
There are already some encouragingsigns Enrollment was up slightlyinthe fall, andadministrators will end furloughsonJune 30. Hiringand spendingfreezesremain in place.
The school,which was foundedin1958 as LSU NewOrleans, was akey driver in creatingthe large New Orleans middle class in the second half of thelastcentury.Offeringmyriaduseful degrees, UNO was aplace where Korean War veterans and local high school graduates could get aworthwhile education.
Now,the school boasts more than 53,000 graduatesinthe New Orleansarea, in fieldsacross the professional spectrumfrom hospitality to engineering. Yetithas struggled to find footing within the state’s higher education ecosystem The passing of SB202 is agood step,but there is still plenty of work to be done. Atransition team has been named and must submit aplan to theBoard of Regents andthe Legislature by April. Potential impacts on students,faculty, operations and programs must beworkedout including whetherthe school will retain its blue and silver colors and Privateer mascot or be wrapped in purple and gold.
We trust that the transition team andstate leaders are up to the task. UNO has givenmuch to the people of New Orleans andLouisiana. It would be ashame to allow it to fade away
LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE
WELCOME. HERE AREOUR
GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name, occupation and/or title and the writer’scity of residence
TheAdvocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address andphone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@ theadvocate.com.
TO SEND US A LETTER, SCANHERE
After reading the article detailing the efforts of Keep Tiger Town Beautiful, Ifeel compelled to respond. KTTB has done an amazing job of rallying people to care about cleaning up our community.However,Iamconcerned about the messaging that it promotes about homelessness. As acommunity advocate for people experiencing homelessness and service providers, Iwant to correct the record on afew items. Homelessness might feel like a“siege on Baton Rouge.” Data, however,does not support BREC’sclaim —between 2023 and 2024, East Baton Rouge Parish was one of the few communities across thecountry that saw adip in homelessness. Yes, thenumbers include people with mental illnesses or substance use disorders, but those things alone do not push people intohomelessness. HowdoI know? By looking at thedata. West Virginia, thestate with one of the highest rates of substance use and mental illness in thecountry,has arelatively low rateofhomelessness. Why? Because
The 10 pointsraised by Baton Rouge lawyer Eric Guirard in arecent letterto the editor are excellent recommendations for lowering automobile insurance rates. He says, however,“Don’tblame the lawyers.” Ibeg to differ.Wemoved here from Indiana nearly 10 years ago, astate in which automobile insurance rates are seventh from thebottom nationally.One differenceI immediately noticed when we movedhere is thelargenumberof ads from personal injury lawyers —ads on billboards and television, especially These ads encourage potential plaintiffs to seek large settlements using testimonials, some allegedly from past clients, whosay such things as, “So-and-so got me asettlement of $400,000,” or “Let so-and-so getyou the settlementyou deserve.”
The Indiana legal code of ethics specifically states thatinformation in legal advertising is unethical if it “contains sta-
there is enough available, affordable housing. What’s housing likeinEast Baton Rouge Parish?Fifty-three percent of renters arehousing-cost burdened.
Themost recent Gap Report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition stated that in Louisiana, there is aneed for 106,037 units of affordable housing. EBRP averages nine evictions daily and is responsible for 25% of all evictions across thestate. We need acommunitywide effort that includes homeless providers, local and stategovernment,churches, media, thebusiness community and people with lived experience using practices supported by datarather than pushing narratives that stoke community fears while doing nothing to resolve the underlying issue: alack of affordable housing. Most of all, we need to remember that theunsheltered are people deserving of dignityand compassion.
JENNIFER CARWILE Baton Rouge
tistical dataorotherinformation basedon past performance or express or implied prediction of future success;” or “contains any reference to resultsobtained thatmay reasonably create an expectationofsimilar results in future matters;” or “appeals primarilytoalay person’s fear,greed, or desire forrevenge.” Louisiana’sethicalguidelines have no such statements. Iwould be less inclined to holdthe Louisiana legal profession partially responsible for the high automobile insurance rates if it had similar ethical guidelines, and if personal injury lawyers demonstrated awillingness to followthem.So, Iwould add an 11thpoint to the 10 posed by Guirard: “The legal profession should adopt and follow ethical guidelines in advertising thatdonot encourageclientsto seek large settlements.” MARC LOUDON NewOrleans
As alifelong citizen of Louisianaliving in New Orleans, Ifeel safer in my town with escaped inmates than Ifeel with the recent vaccine announcements
from theU.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr CAROLYN CLARK NewOrleans
West Baton Rouge Parish leaders blamed the recent drainage tax failure on ballot timing and constitutional amendments. But voters know better.The result reflected something deeper: a growing lack of trust in parish government and frustration with how things are being handled. Residents already pay high taxes. Of the 96.86 property tax mills collected parishwide, 52% go to the school board. Yetbasic infrastructure like drainage still seemstofall short. People are tired of paying moreand seeing less. This isn’tjust about money —it feels like aleadership problem When recent stormsflooded neighborhoods in Addis, families wereleftcleaning up without clear answers. Then at atown council meeting, aresident asked whyplanning always seemsto happen after disaster strikes instead of before.
Now,the parish says they’ll bring in aconsultant to figure out where drainage problemsexist. That may help, but it also raises the question: Why wasn’tthat done earlier?
Other things raise eyebrows, too. We haven’thad afull-time, officially appointed fire chief in years. From what I’ve gathered, the department is being run by someone under contract, but it’s not clear to the public how that arrangement works or who’s ultimately responsible. And now ambulances have been added to the mix. That might be agood thing, but there’sbeen little communication about how it will all be staffedorfunded over time. It feels like big decisions are being madewith little input from the public. And only now,after flooding and afailed tax, are parish officials calling fortown halls. Maybe the tax didn’tfail by accident. Maybe people are just tired of not being heard.
DARYLGAUTHIER
Addis
Watchyourlanguage
Thebeginning of summer offers acolumnist the opportunitytoaddress subjects he might avoid the rest of theyear because of his focus on domestic and foreign issues.
Inattention to proper English seems to be a subject that few are bothering to address. I have been making alist of misusedwords that in the past might have labeled aperson uneducated. The following are just afew of what could be hundreds, even thousands, added almost daily toagallery of misspoken words.
People who appear on TVare frequently guilty of mangled English.
“As you can see” is one phrase that is especially annoying. Someoneshould tell them we CAN see because it’s called television.
“Obviously” is repeatedly used by some of the most experienced news anchors. If it is obvious,why are you telling me?
The use of nouns and pronouns in the same sentence is annoying. Example: “The (name of team) they,” or “(name of quarterback),he.” Pronouns are supposed to replace nouns, notadd to them. Former quarterback Troy Aikman, who is nowanNFL sports commentator,does thistothe point of major irritation
Whydothey say “mayoral” and “gubernatorial” and not mayor or governor? No one says, “who are you voting for in the gubernatorial or mayoral election?” Only TV people say that.A “goober” is achocolate-covered peanut or alabel kids used tocall phlegm when it is coughed up. Icannot find the meaning of “natorial.”
Whydoes David Muir on ABC’s “World News Tonight”say “tonight” in virtually every sentence? Has that word been poll tested for some reason? Doesn’therealize it isn’tnight at 6:30p.m. ET in other time zones?
“Like” and “You know” are used as sentence fillers. Like what? If Iknow,
why are you telling me?
“Here” and “there” are other unnecessary sentence place holders.
“At the end of theday” is ameaningless statement. Would that be standard or daylight time?
How about “Alleyes areon?” Really?
“Gearing up” is asubstitute for preparing, or getting ready. Do people have gears?
“The American people” is used by all politicians, as if we are united in beliefs. If we were, we wouldn’thave twoparties and independents.
“Ifyou will.” What if Iwon’t?
Why do so many,especially young restaurant servers, respond when you thank them by saying “noproblem” instead of “you’re welcome?”
Airportshave their own language.
“Preboarding” is afavorite. Youcan get on before others, or boardearly butyou can’tpreboard. It’sanimpossibility,like preexisting, unlessyou believe in reincarnation.
About thatairplane seat —itmust be returned to its“full, upright and locked position.” Isn’tthat redundant? Ilike this one: Passengers who choose to wear face masks must lower those masks before putting on oxygen
masks. What’snext,instructionson how to usethe toilet?
Airlines lie alot. Those countdown clocks at thegate almost always expire before you are allowed on, assuming theplane is at thegate. When it’s not,the screen goes from “time to board” to “boarding soon”toblank.
“Bombshell” used to refer to an especially attractivewoman. Now it is used to describe almosteverything, except an explosive device. Cliché.
“Change theworld” is often used to label an individual who apparently is thought to have powers no oneelsepossesses. If someonecould change the world (and define what that means) would it not have been changed by now,presumably for the better?
(Someone) has “come under fire.” Call thefire department.
The teaching of what was once called “proper English” apparently has been replaced by woke subjects and arefusal to correct its misuse. It’sbecoming obvious to anyone with ears to hear and eyes to see, you know Email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@ tribpub.com.
NewpoliticsofMetropole vs.Heartland Democrats really want your votes
Yousee the same pattern over much of the world. In three consecutive presidential elections in theUnited States. In the latest polls in Britain, where the 2016 Brexit referendum wasthe first notable outbreak. In France’smost recent national electionand in Germany’s. In Canada’selection lastmonth And maybe in Poland and South Korea earlier this month. The pattern can be summarized in asimple formula. M+M versus H. Or,increasingly and to the discomfort of established politicians and presspersonnel, M+(1-x)M.
Where are the Democrats? What are they doing about the damage President Donald Trumpisdoing to everything?
Ihear that alot from my liberal friends these days, ever since Trumpsweptthe battleground states six months ago and proceeded to dismantle government as we Americans used to know it. With the fury of aman whoistrying to makeupfor the time he lost on the sidelines after losing to Democrat Joe Biden, Trumphas been rolling out radical changes almost daily that seem to be aimed at retribution —one of his favorite words —more than decent governance. In the face of the onslaught, Democrats sound about as depressed as the party’sapproval ratings —27% in arecent NBCNews poll, or barely morethan afourth of the electorate.
That’sthe party’slowest positive rating in the network’spolling data since 1990. Only 7% say those viewsare “very positive.”
Throwing moresalt into their wounds is the simmering discontent in the party’score constituencies on whom the party has come to count for decades: young people, Black voters and Latinos, in particular,all of whom turned toward the political right, atrend that —unlike 2016 —included Trump’swinning the popular vote forthe first time.
Self-identified Democratic voters say by atwoto-one margin in the NBCpoll that they would rather see their party “hold the line on their positions, even if it leads to gridlock,” instead of looking forareas of compromise to, as the old Capitol Hill saying goes, get things done.
As aself-described moderate liberal, I’mdismayed but not surprised by that angst-driven reaction. Trump’sslash-and-burn approach to reform —onissues as varied as immigration enforcement to Medicaid to Veterans Affairs and COVID-19 shots, just forstarters, it will take a strong pushback just to land somewhere there near the ever-elusive sensible center
Where are the Dems now?Ofparticular interest this timearound, the party is trying to wooyoung men —diligently
The first Mstands for “Metropole,” thedominant governmental, media and cultural center of eachcountry.London and Paris in Britain and France, obviously, with 16% to 20% of thenation’spopulation and practically allits elites. In the U.S., metro New York, Washington, Los Angelesand San Francisco. In Canada, Toronto and Anglophone Montreal. In SouthKorea, Seoul.
The second Mstands for“Minorities,” racial and ethnic. In Britain, Scotland and Northern Ireland, Muslims in industrial cities. In the U.S., the various peoples, bracketed bythe Census Bureau ukase, as Blacks, Hispanics and Asians. Francophone Canadians. People whoseexperiences have setthem apart as alien and potentially adversary to thedominantsociety.
Ifirst discerned the M+M vs. Hpatterns in June and November 2016. As Iwrote in 2019, in the Brexit referendum, 60% or more of voters in metro London and Scotland voted against leaving the European Union, but Brexit won because 57% in Englandoutside London voted for it.
Theelites have fought back. Johnson wasoustedfollowing an ethics complaint,and aFrench court barred Le Pen from runningfor five years on a flimsyrationale. European Union elites removed the candidate who led the first ballot in Romania from the runoff andhavethreatened to bar Germany’s AfD party,the second-place finisher in theFebruary election, from future contests.
Youcan see the similarities with the lawfare attacks on Trumpand thekangaroo court prosecution by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Elites justify these moves by invoking the tragic history of the first half of the20th century.But objecting to having economic policies set by unelected bureaucrats in Brussels is not undemocratic. Andbarring or limiting the uncontrolled influx of often culturally hostile immigrants is not themoral equivalent of murdering 6 million Jews Preventing voters from exercising theirfree choice is afunny way of “saving democracy.” And not avery effective way.LePen’sdeputy Jordan Bardella is running well in polls, and Labour in Britain polls way behind Nigel Farage’sReform party by 362 to 136seats at present, with nearly 40% of theparty’s seats in metro London. AndTrump’s2024 victory seems to
Similarly,inthe U.S., Hillary Clinton beatDonald Trump 65% to 30% in the NY/DC/LA/SF Metropole, which is 15% of the nation, but Trumpwon 49% to 45% in the Heartland in between Key electoral votes came from 2012 Obama voters switching to Trumpin thenonmajor metropolitan half of the Midwest. The Heartland doesn’talways lose. Joe Biden’s November 2020 victory over Trumpisone example of that The ouster of pro-Brexit Prime Minister Boris Johnson in summer 2022, and theLabour party victory in the July 2024 general election, is another 2022 saw incumbent French President Emmanuel Macron, whointhe first round ran behind aleftist in the Metropole andjust 4points ahead of the populist anti-mass-immigration MarineLePen in the Heartland. Macron won the runoff butbyonlyhalf the margin of four years before.
have produced arealignment in his direction. The Metropole-Minorities alliance is fading, as Hispanics, Asians and, to alesser extent, Blackshave trended Republican.
Abrilliant New York Times graphic shows that Trumphas gained percentages in each of the last three elections in 1,433 counties with 42 million people, while his Democratic opponents have gained percentages three times in only 57 counties with 8million people. As Jewish Insider’sJosh Kraushaar noted on X: “For years, thebelief was Democrats have had demographic destiny on our side. Now,the inverse is true.”
Onecorollary of this largely unpredicted movement of Minorities away from Metropole attitudes and toward theHeartland is that the young, for Minorities tendtobeyounger than average, are moving that way too. Perhaps that helps account for the victory of KarlNawrocki, who was trailing in preelection polling and even in the exit poll in Poland. There’s polling evidence that young voters switched from the center-left in 2020 to theright this time.
At thesame time, the map of last weekend’sPolish election results looks almost identical to those from 2005 to 2020. Andthey’re correlated withhistoric patterns. The center-right party wins areas within the pre-1914 tsarist Russia empire, minus the large cities of Warsaw and Lodz. The center-left wins those areas within pre-1914 Germany. The strongest right areas are in southeast Poland,along the Ukrainian border,which were in pre-1914 Austria, theonly one of those multi-ethnic empires with aCatholic monarch. All of which is to say that the “Metropole plus Minorityversus Heartland” patterndoes not apply everywhere, and history still has its claims on many voters. Butwe’re watchingsome new electoral history being made, with no clear end in sight. Michael Barone is on X, @MichaelBarone.
The harsh Democratic reality includes downwardlong-term trends forDemocrats while Republicans have been gaining ground in recent decades, particularly among noncollege graduates. Working-class voters have been turning away from the Democrats, long-viewed as the party for working families but increasingly perceived as the party of college-educated elites. Which leads us to the mostsignificant new moves by the Dems’donor class and strategists: a $20 million “strategic plan” called “Speaking with American Men,” or SAM forshort.
That’sright, guys. Like an old Uncle Sam poster today’sDemocrats wantyou! Perhaps morethan ever
The decline of men and concomitant rise of women in Democratic voting ranks has been observed fordecades and is not expected to change drastically soon.
Democratic pollsters are advising the party leaders to avoid taking the wrong lessons from the 2026 midterms, when manyofthem hope President Trump’sexcesses will backfire in favor of the Dems
That’swise. Trump’ssuccesses, including his victory last year,have tended to be larger than expected after the Democrats underestimated his popularity As Anat Shenker-Osorio, aDemocratic consultant, told The NewYork Times,“Voters are hungry forpeople to actually stand up forthem —or get caught trying.”
In other words, she said, “The party is doing a lot of naval-gazing and not enough full-belly aching.”
I, too, have heard that lament, particularly from Democrats in cities like Chicago who remember an era when the party seemed less concerned with trying to sound polite and moreconcerned with delivering the goods to its constituents. That’sespecially important at times like these when funding cuts forresearch, veterans and health care, among other issues, can mean life and death forthem
Scott Galloway,amarketing professor at NYU and aprominent commentator,has gained ameasure of fame forhis speeches and research on the feeling of abandonment by the Dems that has been amajor turnoff forthe audience of the socalled “Manosphere” of malepodcasting. He argues that the party’sfocus on other demographics, like womenvoters, is important, but has fedafeeling of neglect and abandonment among young men
This development caught little attention in the era before podcasting. But today’selectorate, like the news, is not what it used to be. Democrats will have to keep up with changing times before the party’scandidates are overwhelmed by them Email Clarence Page at clarence47page@gmail. com.
Clarence Page
Michael Barone
Cal Thomas
SPORTS
SAINTS MINICAMP
Sporting new‘do,’ Mathieusayshe likesnew defense
BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer
At first, Tyrann Mathieu was hard to find
The New Orleans Saints safety had returned for the start of this week’smandatory minicamp after sitting out the voluntary portion of the offseason. But if not for the No. 32 on his jersey,Mathieu would have blended into the crowd.
He wasn’taseasy to spot since his golden dreads were no longer there, flowing out of his helmet.
“(I was) tryingtoshave some years off,” Mathieu said with asmile.
Mathieu nowsports a buzzcutafter gettingin abarber’schair this offseason. And though the 33-year-old joked about wanting to feel younger ahead of his 13th season, Mathieu said the real reason for the makeoverwas that he wastiredofhis old look.
Thedecision, he said wasn’ttough —even if it took some convincing at home.
“I just had to persuade my daughter,” he said. “Because all her brothers have longhair, shewas looking at me strange for two days. Andthenfinally shewas like, ‘Dad,your hair looks good.’ With hisdaughter’s ap-
“I wastrying to shave someyears off.”
TyRANN MATHIEU,Saintssafety
proval, Mathieuisback with the Saints foranother season. For the second straight year,he reworked his contract to stay —this time agreeing to lowerhis $6.25 million base salary for aone-year,$4million deal.This time around, however,Mathieu’scontract also comeswith anew defense.
After missingthe team’s voluntary workouts, Mathieu will have to get up to speed in defensive coordinator Brandon Staley’s scheme.The lack of familiarityperhaps explains why Mathieu’ssnaps were limited Tuesday.The safety saidhewas on a“pitch count,”held somewhere in the range of 7-10 playsduring seven-on-sevens. But Mathieu is optimistic. As he stoodathis locker,he recalled facingStaley’s Los Angeles Chargerswhen he wasstill with the Kansas City Chiefs —and how hard Staley’sdefensesplayed “Even from the back-end perspective,I alwaysfelt like the safetieswere very involved,” he said. “They played alot of top-down
ä See MATHIEU, page 4C
Fans getlookat
Shough,Rattler
BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer
The little kidsinthe risers were screaming for Alvin Kamara’sattention and the mercury rose to barely bearable conditions —summer has arrived for the Saints. The Saints held the first of three minicamp practices Tuesday afternoon at their Metairie facility running drills in front of a capacity crowd that came out to get alook at the new things going on. Most of Tuesday’spractice was devoted to specialteams and individual periods, but quarterbacks SpencerRattler and Tyler Shough did operate two competitive seven-on-seven periods. Onto theobservations, starting with who took the field.
Attendance
Everyone on the Saints roster was present, including those who opted outof attending the voluntary organized team activities last month. That list includes Taysom
Familiar start
BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer
LSU is back in Omaha, Nebraska. The Tigers begintheir20th triptothe College World Series on Saturday against Arkansas (6 p.m., ESPN)before facing either Duke or Murray State on Monday.IfLSU wins, it’ll play at 6p.m.Monday Aloss would mean the Tigers would play at 1p.m Here’sadeeper look at the other teams on LSU’s side of the bracket: the Blue Devils, Razorbacks and Racers.
Arkansas
LSU is familiar withArkansas,a foethe Tigers have faced every year since 2021. Thetwo sides
OBSERVATIONS
Hill,who spent the practice watchingfrom thesideline as he recovers from atorn ACL that he sufferedin December. Afterpractice, coach Kellen Moore declined to offer atimeline for Hill’sreturn,thoughhe made it sound like training camp would beambitious JoiningHill as spectators were tight end Foster Moreauand defensive back Dalys Beanum. Quarterback Jake Haener (oblique), cornerback Quincy Riley and tightend Dallin Holker allparticipated after missingtime in OTAs because of injury AlleyesonQB After practice,Moore applaudedthe fans for packing into the available seating for thenoon practice. Many of them were there to watch thebrewing quarterback battle. Though Moore hasbeen careful to include Haener as part of this competition,all of thesnaps in
ä See FANS, page 4C
LSUopens CollegeWorld Series with Arkansas.Here’salookat theRazorbacksand theother twoteams in theTigers’ bracket ä See LSU, page 5C
played in May at Alex Box and LSU won the series with a5-4 victory in 10 innings in Game 1and a13-3 run-rule victory in seven innings in Game 2while Arkansas won the finale 7-4. Arkansas will almost certainly start junior lefthander Zach Root on Saturday. The East Carolina transfer was pursued by the Tigers in the portal but chosethe Razorbacks andhas been theirace this season. Root hasa 3.59 ERAin922/3 innings. He allowed just one earned run in seven innings Saturday against Tennessee in the Fayetteville super regional, surrendering two hits and striking out six. Against LSU in May,Root gave up two earned runs on five hits in six innings. He’ll be amajor challenge
Sibling squabbles were handled at Mount Trashmore Park during Michaela Rose‘s childhood.
That’sthe Virginia Beach,Virginia, park where theLSU middle-distance star had one of her early seminal moments in track.
Michael RoseSr. took his kids to run. Michaela and Michael Jr.sometimes raced around one of the hills with their dad observing from above.
OneSaturday morning, Michaela’s best chance todethrone her older brother arrived. His early lead in the race wasn’tasign of an eventual win. When his pace slowed, she pressed harder withaburning desire until she was in front.
Atrailing Michael Jr ,who becamea sprinter at Liberty, tried to regain an advantage, but it was afutile effort as his sister,who is two years younger, finally beat him
As expected of asibling, he assumed malpractice. Their father rejected thecheating claim.His 6-yearold daughter won decisively
Michael RoseSr. remembersitas themoment he realized his oldest daughter had something his other kids didn’t.
“(That was) themoment Irealized that she is determined to workharder, outwork anyone that she’scompetingagainst,” he said. “When she beat
PHOTO
LSU’sMichaela Rose, whohas the second-fastest 800-meter runtime in women’s collegiate history, will compete in the NCAA outdoor track and field championships starting WednesdayinEugene, Ore.
him,hestopped trying to beat her in distance.
“She took it from him that day,and she never relinquished it.”
That same moxie is still within the soon-to-be 22-year-old. Michaela Rose intends to take amedal or two in the NCAA outdoor championships. She’s among the 21 entries, nine men and 12 women, LSU is sending to Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, from June 11-14. She will be competing in the 800 meters and the 4x400-meter relay The 5-foot-9 senior enters her final NCAA championships with her name
already etched in the collegiate record books.
Her personal best timeof1 minute, 58.12 seconds in the 800 is the second fastest in collegiate history.She is a10-time All-American, asix-time Southeastern Conference champion and a2023 outdoor NCAA champion in the 800. She also holds the collegiate record in both the indoor 600-yard race (1:16.76) and outdoor 600-meter race (1:25.75).
Amodel of consistency is the easiest way for her distance coach, Houston Franks, to describe her greatness.
“She’salways in the mix,” Franks said. Since her freshman season, Rose has madethe final in every SEC and NCAA championship and U.S. Olympic trials. She is the only LSU runner on the All-SEC first team,and, forathird straight season, is on the Bowerman watch list. The Bowerman Award is given to the mostoutstanding male and female athlete in American collegiate track and field.
‘Not themosttalented’ Rose’sfirst day at LSU was her first day at any school. The biology graduate washome-schooled forthe first 18 years with her twobrothers and one sister
One guarantee in the Rose family was apassion fortrack and field. Michael Rose Sr., whoisfrom Jamaica, and his wife, Marcia Rose, both competed at Auburn. Michaela Rose started running in the Faith in Action Ministries track program,led by her dad, at her church when she was4 ä See ROSE, page 5C
PROVIDED
STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER
Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu, left, warms up during minicamp practiceTuesdayinMetairie.
PHOTO By PATRICK DENNIS
LSU catcher Luis Hernandez gets the throwlate at home plate as Arkansas center fielder Justin Thomas slides in safely in thesecond inning on May11atAlex BoxStadium.Arkansas wonthe game 7-4 but LSU wonthe series2-1.
Finals are shifting to Indianapolis
BY TIM REYNOLDS AP basketball writer
INDIANAPOLIS The Oklahoma City Thunder showed their bounce-back capability in Game
2. The Indiana Pacers know they better do the same in Game 3. The NBA Finals resume Wednesday night with the series tied at a game apiece, the matchup shifting to Indianapolis for Game 3 and what will be the first finals game in that city in 25 years. And the Pacers know it’s on them to respond after Game 2 wasn’t much of a contest
It’s obviously possible: The Pacers haven’t lost back-to-back games in three months, going 9-0 after losses in that span. This would be a good time for them to extend that run.
“Biggest game of the year,” Pacers forward Pascal Siakam said.
That’s technically accurate when said before any finals game, but it does ring especially true in this case. Indiana did what it had to do in Oklahoma City; it got a win and stole home-court advantage. Win three games at home over the next week or so, and the Pacers will be NBA champions. Lose any game at home, and the Thunder get the edge right back. But the Pacers have shown a penchant for resiliency It’s much like how Oklahoma City is 17-2 after losses this season (or 18-2, if counting the NBA Cup final); the latest bounce-back effort for the Thunder came in Game 2 after Indiana won Game 1 of the finals.
“I think that we try not to dwell on things,” Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton said. “As NBA players, just as basketball players in general, it’s easy to make a mistake and dwell on it, give up a bucket or whatever I feel like we do a great job of getting to the next play.”
When the finals are tied 1-1, the Game 3 winner eventually wins the title 80.5% of the time. It’s a big, big game and everybody knows the stakes.
“I think we just have to keep finding ways to get better as a group,” Thunder guard and NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. “If we continue to do that, we’ll be just fine. If we’ve struggled in an area, that’s an area we can get better at. We have to attack that opportunity I think Game 3 is a perfect example of that.”
Haliburton’s status
Haliburton was limping after Game 2 and acknowledged there’s an issue with his lower leg. He didn’t offer much in the way of details, and it doesn’t matter He’s playing.
“He practiced. He went through
losing Game 2 against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday in Oklahoma City ä Thunder at Pacers. 7:30 P.M.WEDNESDAy ABC
everything,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “I know he has some discomfort He feels it. But each day it’s getting better I don’t think you’re going to hear him making a big deal out of it. This is the time of year where it just doesn’t get any better than this.” Pacers at home
The Thunder have a big homecourt edge thanks to their crowd at Paycom Center
The Pacers are hoping for just as much energy — if not more — from their crowd at Gainbridge Fieldhouse for Games 3 and 4.
And the Thunder know what’s coming.
“That’s one thing we have to be ready for coming in here, is understand they’re going to be playing with a lot of energy,”
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “They play very well here. They play very comfortable here
We’ve got to level up to that if we want to give ourselves a chance to compete.”
Long time coming
Indiana’s Myles Turner has played in 346 games at home with the Pacers, including playoffs — by far more than anyone else on the team. No. 347 will be his first there in the NBA Finals.
“I think the city’s been waiting for an opportunity like this. I expect a hell of an environment (Wednesday),” Turner said. “I know it’s going to be. It’s exciting times for everybody just to experience the finals in Indianapolis.” Thunder in the first half
The Thunder won the first and second quarters in Games 1 and 2, taking a 12-point halftime lead in Game 1 and an 18-point halftime lead in Game 2. Indiana knows that can’t keep happening. Oklahoma City is 63-9 with halftime leads this season.
“Obviously it’s going to be a different challenge coming on
Chicago, Connecticut, Dallas struggle to
BY DOUG FEINBERG AP basketball writer
Through the first 20% of the WNBA season there are a bunch of teams that have struggled out of the gate.
The Chicago Sky, Connecticut Sun and Dallas Wings have combined for five victories so far The Wings’ lone victory came over the Sun while the Sky have beaten the Wings twice. Connecticut has the best two victories in the WNBA so far this season, topping Indiana and Atlanta, but also suffered the secondbiggest blowout in league history in a 48-point loss to New York
All three teams have new coaches and are experiencing the learning curve of new systems. The Wings also have been missing No. 1 draft pick Paige Bueckers for their last few games while she dealt first with a concussion and then an illness. She should be back soon. The Sky just suffered their own injury setback, with veteran guard Courtney Vandersloot going down for the season with an ACL tear in her right knee. The injury occurred Saturday night during their game against the Fever
Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers looks toward a referee after being called for a foul against the Minnesota Lynx on May 21 in Minneapolis.
It’s a major blow to the Sky who now need to find a point guard to fill in for Vandersloot. The 36-yearold had returned to Chicago this season after helping New York win its first WNBA championship last year
The Liberty are on the other end of the spectrum, picking up right where they left off after winning the title. New York hasn’t lost yet this season and is one of two undefeated teams along with WNBA Finals runner-up Minnesota.
Power poll rankings
New York led the way as the No. 1 team in the power poll again this week. Minnesota was still right behind in second. The national voting panel chose Seattle third, Phoenix fourth and Atlanta fifth. Indiana was sixth with Las Vegas seventh. Golden State, Washington and Los Angeles were the next three. Chicago, Connecticut and Dallas rounded out the poll.
Wembanyama to rest 10 days in China temple
Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs is in the midst of what’s expected to be a 10-day stay at a Shaolin temple in Zhengzhou, China. The temple is a place for those who wish to study Chan meditation, Shaolin Kung Fu, traditional Chinese medicine and more.
The NBA China office confirmed that Wembanyama is at the temple, and some Chinese media also confirmed his presence there with the temple itself. A social media post on the NBA’s Weibo account revealed the plans for a 10-day stay Some photos of Wembanyama with a shaved head and wearing a robe similar to the other monks began widely circulating this week. One of the photos showed the 7-foot-4 center sitting on a Chinese style chair in front of multiple Buddha sculptures.
Phillies pitcher Nola sidelined two more weeks
PHILADELPHIA Phillies righthander Aaron Nola suffered another setback in his return to pitch when an MRI showed he has an injury in his right ribcage and will be shut down for two weeks.
Nola, a former LSU star, had already been out since early May with a sprained right ankle that was progressing more slowly than expected. He experienced stiffness in his right side last week in Toronto and that wiped out a planned session against live batters. Nola underwent testing this week and had what the Phillies called a stress reaction in his right ribcage. Phillies manager Rob Thomson said ahead of Tuesday’s game against the Chicago Cubs that Nola was unsure how the injury may have happened.
Corso’s ‘GameDay’ finale set for Aug. 30
the road,” Thunder guard Alex Caruso said. “This place will be rowdy They’ll be excited to cheer on their team. For us, I think just sticking with the details of the stuff that we’ve talked about as a team that are important to win the game.”
Winning on the road
Road teams are still winning at about a 44% clip in these playoffs, which is on pace to be the best record in 30 years. Entering Wednesday, road teams are 35-44 in this postseason.
Teams won road games at a 45% clip in 1995. That doesn’t count the 2020 COVID-19 “bubble” playoffs, where everybody was in one spot at Lake Buena Vista, Florida and the “road” winning percentage was .518 — 43-40. Oklahoma City is 4-3 on the road in these playoffs.
Indiana is 7-3. The best league-wide road record for a playoff season was in 1966 — 14-13, a 519 winning percentage.
their way
Calling it a career
Allie Quigley announced in The Players Tribune on Tuesday that she’s officially retiring after not playing since 2021. Quigley, who played in the WNBA for 14 seasons after getting drafted by Seattle in 2008, was a four-time 3-point champion at All-Star weekend.
Player of the week
Napheesa Collier of Minnesota earned Player of the Week honors for the third time this season. The Lynx forward averaged 23 points, 10.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists to help the team win both its game and stay undefeated.
Other players receiving consideration were Kelsey Mitchell of Indiana, Satou Sabally of Phoenix, Breanna Stewart of New York and Gabby Williams of Seattle.
Game of the week
New York at Indiana, Saturday The Eastern Conference representative in the Commissioner’s Cup could come down to this game. The two teams met earlier in the season and the Liberty had to rally for the victory It also could mark the return of star Indiana guard Caitlin Clark, who has been sidelined with a left quad strain the last few weeks.
BRISTOL, Conn. — Lee Corso’s final headgear pick on “College GameDay” will be on the campus where it all started. ESPN’s iconic show will begin its 39th season at Ohio State before the defending national champion Buckeyes host the Texas Longhorns on Aug. 30.
Corso, who turns 90 in August, announced earlier this year that his final show would be on the opening week of the season.
Corso began his popular headgear segment on Oct. 5, 1996, before Ohio State faced Penn State. Since then, he has gone 286-144 in 430 selections wearing everything from helmets and mascot heads to dressing up as the Fighting Irish leprechaun from Notre Dame, the Stanford tree and historic figures James Madison and Benjamin Franklin.
Sanders doesn’t attend camps held at Colorado
BOULDER, Colo. — Deion Sanders has not attended football camps in Boulder, Colorado, this spring.
The University of Colorado said it couldn’t comment on a reason for his absence. ESPN, citing a source it did not name, said Sanders has been ill and out of the office recently
Over the weekend, his son Deion Sanders Jr posted a livestream video on YouTube in which he said his father remains at his Texas home and “feeling well,” according to USA Today His son added in the video: “He’ll tell y’all soon enough what he’s going through.” The 57-year-old Sanders has struggled with his left foot since having two toes amputated in 2021 because of blood clot issues while at Jackson State.
WCWS sees record attendance, viewership
OKLAHOMA CITY The Women’s College World Series has set viewership and attendance records. ESPN said in a news release that the average of 1.3 million viewers across 15 games on its platforms was the most-watched World Series ever, surpassing
Scottie Scheffler walks down the sixth fairway during practice ahead of the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club on Tuesdayin Oakmont, Pa
Scheffler primed foranother toughmajor at theU.S.Open
BY DOUG FERGUSON AP golf writer
OAKMONT,Pa. Scottie
Scheffler doesn’tcare what the oddsmakers think or what people say abouthis status as the overwhelming favorite in this U.S. Open, and pretty mucheverywhere he plays. But he can hear them and sometimes, he hears from them.
“That’swhy Ihad to get rid of my Venmo, because Iwas either getting paid by people or people requesting me abunch of money when Ididn’twin. It wasn’t agood feeling,” Scheffler said with alaughTuesday at Oakmont. It wasn’tentirelyclearif he was kidding.
He did say later the most anyone tried to pay him for awin —he has won 19 times worldwide in just overthree years —was a couple of dollars.
“That didn’thappen nearly as much as the requests did,” he said. Perhaps the most telling numberfor Scheffler,No. 1inthe world ranking for the longest streak since Tiger Woods in the late 2000s, is that he has won 25% of his tournaments since capturinghis first PGA Tour title at thePhoenix Open in 2022. He has won three of his past four tournaments including his third major at the PGA Championship last month at Quail Hollow —byacombined 17 shots. There’salot of numbers that define his dominance in golf. None of it matters to him.
“I don’tpay attentionto the favorite stuff or anything like that,”hesaid.
“Starting Thursday morning, we’re at evenpar and it’suptometogoout there and play against thegolf course andsee what Ican do.”
That doesn’tfigure to be easy.Oakmont isconsidered the toughest golf course in America,and the last few days of practice roundshavenot changed anyone’s opinions.Most of the attention isonthe rough thatcovers the tops of shoes. Sunshine on Tuesday made the greens feel even faster after afew days of rain. Scheffler said he thinks the bunkers are underrated. The overallconsensus?
“Man, it’sjust tough,” Collin Morikawa said. Scheffler wouldseemto have agame built for this given hisextraordinary ability to controlhis golf ball from tee-to-green. He has yet to win his national open, though he had chances at Los Angeles (2023), Brookline(2022) andTorrey Pines (2021)
The exception was last year at Pinehurst No. 2, where Scheffler was never in the mix. One reason might be the schedule —the Memorial was the week before the U.S. Open last year, anothertough test that Scheffler won and never felt he had achance to catch his breath. He won theMemorial againthis year
“Having the week off was really important for me to gethome, get some rest,recover,and Ishowed
up here on Sunday and was able to play maybe 11 holes andreally getused to the conditions,” Scheffler said. “It feels much more like my normalmajor prep, versus last year where you’re coming in from basically amajor championship test. Coming into another oneisprettychallenging.”
Rory McIlroy hada few extra days off after missing the cut in the Canadian Openlast week, giving him time to find adriver that willhelpfind thefairways at Oakmont, perhaps the most critical part of this test.
McIlroy and Scheffler were listed as close to cofavorites after McIlroy won the Masters, giving him thecareer Grand Slam.Healready had won threetimesonsome of golf’s biggeststages. Scheffler at thatpoint had yet to win this year.
So much haschangedin the past two months. McIlroy spoke at the PGA Championship of still wanting to achieve more in golf, knowing that nothing will ever beat thatfeeling of finally becominga Masters champion to join the most exclusive club of players withall four majors. He spoke last week of lacking motivation when getting ready for the Canadian Open.
“At some point, you have to realizethatthere’s alittlebit moregolf left to play this season,” saidMcIlroy singling out Oakmont, the British Open in his native Northern Ireland and the RyderCup in September
“But Ithinkweeks like QuailHolloworeven weekslike last week,it makes it easier to resetin some way, to be like, OK,I sort of need to getmystuff togetherhere and get back to the process andsort of what I’d been doing for that seven monthsfrom October lastyear until April this year.”
For Scheffler,he’sbeen on such aroll that how he playswillbeabig part in thechances therest of the field has.
Jordan Spieth was asked about Dustin Johnson only Scheffler has been at No.1 longer in thelast10 years —and Spieth immediately turned it into aconversation about his Dallas neighbor
“Scottie’s level is something Ihaven’t seen personally out here,” Spieth said. “I play with him at home, too. He mightpull an iron shot once and thenhit the pin on his chip.”
The margin for erroris smalleratOakmont than on most courses, mainly because of allthe trouble off the tee—bunkers and dense rough —and challenges on the fast greens.
“I think everybody knows this is probably the toughest golf course in the world right now, andyou have to hit the fairways, you have to hit greens, and you have to two-putt, worst-case scenario,” reigning champion BrysonDeChambeau said.
“When you’ve gotthose putts inside 10 feet,you’ve got to makethem. It’sa great test of golf. I’m looking forward to it. I’msure everybody else is.”
Tensions up in final as Panthers lead 2-1
BYSTEPHEN WHYNO AP hockey writer
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.—
Things got chippy in the Stanley Cup Final late in Game 3when the Florida Panthers were well on their way to blowing out the Edmonton Oilers. Brawls ensued, Darnell Nurse and Jonah Gadjovichdroppedthe gloves, and eight guysgot sent to the showers earlywithmisconduct penalties. Long before garbage time, Florida took it to Edmonton, with thedefending champions dictatingtheir styleofplay and knocking their opponents off kilter to take a2-1 series lead with a6-1 laugher.If more of that continues in Game 4onThursday night, it’sadvantage Panthers because they thrive on making other teams feel uncomfortable.
“Weplayed our game, our style, stuckupfor each other when we needed to,” Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk said. “If you haveto take apunch, take apunch.” It shouldnot be surprising that tensions boiled over given the lopsidedscore in the 10th game in the Cup final between these two teams over the past year
TheOilers andPanthers have grown ahealthy distaste for each other with all that familiarity.With that comes plenty of hits, shoves and jabs that lead to slashes,
win Game 2. The Oilers certainly look at it as theopposite, discombobulated andnothing resembling the group that had gone 12-2 sinceacouple of losses to open the first round. They’ve dropped two in a rowfor the firsttime since.
McIlroylooks for motivation heading into theU.S.Open
BY EDDIE PELLS AP national writer
OAKMONT,Pa. Ever since
Rory McIlroy checked the biggest box offhis impressive golf to-dolist, all he wantedwas to enjoyit.
Very quickly, he has discovered howharsh this game can be with his foot offthe gas.
Heading into the U.S. Open this week, McIlroy has been disabusedofany notionthat life once he completed the career Grand Slamwiththat win at theMasters in April would be smoothsailing.
“I think it’strying to have a little bit of amnesia and forgetabout what happened,” McIlroy said Tuesday when asked about the difficulties he has faced —onthe golf course, at least —sincedonning the green jacket.“Then, just trying to find the motivation to go back out there and workashard as I’ve been working.”
That edge has been tough to rediscover,buried somewhere beneath the satisfaction of finally conquering Augusta Nationaltobecome only the sixth player to win allfourmajorsinhis career
He hascelebrated by taking more trips, playing more tennis, hanging out at home and “basically saying ‘no’ to every request that comes in.”
Hisforaysback to hisday job—rough.
McIlroy arrived at the PGA Championship amonth after the Masters only to learn that the driver he’d been using for more than ayearhad been deemed nonconforming in a routine test.
He hit only 46.4% of the fairways that week, tying him for68thout of 74 players in that statistic who played four rounds. Those struggles with thenew drivermade hima nonfactor andhefinishedtiedfor 47th.
Thatthe normally closely held news of McIlroy’sillegal driver leaked to the media and Scheffler’sdid not annoyed McIlroy,and he said last week that waswhy
he didn’tspeak to the media after all four rounds at Quail Hollow. That issue appears to be behind him. The next test starts Thursdayatabrutal, brutish Oakmont course that McIlroy said might be playing easier than thelasttime he washere.
No,hewasn’ttalking about 2016, when he missedthe first of three straight U.S. Open cuts, but rather,last Monday,when he needed to go birdie-birdie down the finish to shoot 81 in apractice round.
“It didn’tfeel like Iplayed that bad,” McIlroysaid. “It’s much more benign right now than it was thatMonday Theyhad the pins in dicey locations, and greens were running at 151/2 (compared to an estimated 141/2 for the tournament). It was nearly impossible.But yeah,this morning, it wasa little softer.”
Speaking of soft courses, McIlroy said he bristled at the reputationthatbegan developing afterhis first major title,in2011, whenhedemolished arain-dampenedCongressionalwith aU.S.Openrecord score of 268 that still stands.
“I didn’tlike that reputation because Ifelt like Iwas better than that reputation, so that’sego driven in some way,”McIlroysaid. His other majors —atValhalla, Kiawah and Royal Liverpool —were also on soft courses. All that, plus his inability to capture the Masters, ledcritics to label him aplayer who couldn’tconquerfirm and fast. He tailored his game to handle the toughest conditions the majors can offer. He hasrunner-up finishes at the last two U.S. Opens as proof thatproject worked. But golf always presents newchallenges. Thesedays, McIlroy’siswhether he can find that kind of fire —this week, next month, next year or beyond —now that he had made it over his biggest hump at the Masters.
Noticeisherebygiven pursuanttoArticle7, Section 23(C) of theLouisiana Constitution and R.S. 47:1705(B) that apublic hearing of CentralCommunitySchool System in East BatonRouge Parish will be heldatits regular meeting placeinthe School Board Conferenceroom of the School Board Office,locatedat11576 SullivanRoad, City of Central, LA 70818 on Monday, July 14, 2025 at 5:30 p.m. to consider levying additional or increased millage rateswithout further voterapproval by adopting theadjustedmillage ratesafter reassessment and rolling forwardtorates not to exceed theprior year’s maximum. Theestimatedamountoftax revenues to be collected in thenextyear from the increased millage is $9,053,084 and the amountofincrease in taxes attributableto themillage increase is $941,059.
punchesand gearstrewn all over the ice.
The 140 combined penalty minutes in Game 3were the most in afinalsince Game 4 between Montrealand Calgary in 1986
“The game’soverwith11 minutes left,” Oilers star Leon Draisaitl said Tuesday afterpractice. “Then all hell breaks loose.It’saUFC fight.”
The penaltiesthatmattered to theresult came early
TheOilerswerenot shy about criticizingthe officiating and the Panthersfor allegedly influencingit. Goaltender Stuart Skinner said “Some guys are flaking and going down trying to cause penalties.”
Toeing that line is what the Panthers do best,and it is arecipe that has them
in the final for athird consecutive year under coach Paul Maurice, whocredited Tkachuk for having “a little bitmore impact on thetenacityofthe team than the guy who wears asuit behind the bench and never takes a shift.”
Florida’sroster is full of truculence with talent to match.
SamBennett delivereda big, open-icehit that ledto his breakaway and playoffleading 14thgoal, and finishingchecksonJohnKlingberg hashampered theveteran defenseman’splayin the seriescompared to the first threerounds Maurice did not buy into theidea that Game 3was thePanthers showing what they can do at their best. The opener went to overtime and Florida needed double OT to
NFL Cousinsstaying positive despite beingbackupQB
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GENE J.
Pittsburgh Steelersquarterback Aaron Rodgers:‘It’slikethe first dayofschool. Idon’t knowa lot of guys names. Theydon’t have names on the backoftheir jerseys yet. Theydon’t have names on the meeting rooms.I literally walk out of thelockerroom lost.’
Rodgerslearningropes on firstday as Steeler
RAYFITTIPALDO
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette(TNS)
PITTSBURGH Aaron Rodgers is jumping on the proverbial moving train Mike Tomlin references so often. Eventually,the trainwill slow down, but on Tuesday,Rodgers felt like arookie during his first day at the office on the first dayof Steelers minicamp.
“Everythingisnew,” Rodgers said after practice. “It’slike the first day of school. Idon’tknow a lot of guys’ names. They don’thave names on the back of their jerseys yet. They don’thave namesonthe meeting rooms. Iliterally walk out of the locker room lost. Ihave to grab somebody and say, ‘Hey, where am Igoing?’ But I’ll getthe feel of it. I’m excited about making this home.”
Rodgers might not know many of thenew faces, buttheyknow him. Rookie quarterback Will Howard was 4years old when Rodgers entered the NFL in 2005 after being selected in the first round of thedraft by theGreen Bay Packers.
Heck, even the oldestSteeler is sixyears younger than Rodgers and grew up watching him.
When Cam Heyward entered the league in 2011, Rodgers was fresh off of avictory in Super Bowl XLV over the Steelers and already had six years in the NFL.
“I’mfired up, too, man,”Howard said. “Believe me, he’sa guy Igrew up watching, idolizing. It’scool to beinthe same room as him. Justhearing the first day, his thoughts, the way that he looks at things —he’sa legend in this game.I’m going to try and learnas muchasIcan fromhim and be the best support guy Ican be for him.
It’samazing. The opportunityfor me to learn andwork witha guy like thatissecondtonone.”
Rodgers spent most of practice watching Howard andthe other quarterbacksrun theoffense during team andseven-on-seven drills. Hewatched alongside offensivecoordinator Arthur Smith, trying to get afeelfor theplay calls and theverbiage in Smith’s offense Rodgers saidheexpectstohave the playbook and the newverbiage down“in acoupleofweeks.”
“I trust that whateverissues or learning curve things he needs to get through will be handled during the down period of thesummer, forsure,” said Tomlin, who downplayed thesignificance of Rodgers notworkingwith the starters.
“June reps are aheck of alot more important for aguy like Will Howard than aguy who has beendoing it for 20 years,”Tomlin added.
Rodgers did not call the Steelerstotellhim he was going to sign
untilJune 1, ending amonthslong courtship during whichhegot married and had been dealingwith some personal issues.
Rodgers said it wasn’t until recently he felt comfortable making acommitment for the 2025season.
“I was dealingwith alot of things in my personal life,” Rodgers said.
“Things improved alittle bit where Ifelt like Icould be all in herewith theguys.Ididn’twant to short change the guys, be signed and be elsewhere mentally or physically Until Icould be here and be all in, I had to take care of business.”
The Steelers and Tomlin gave Rodgersthe spacetoworkthrough theissuesinhis personal life. He visitedthe Steelers foraday in March, but he kept in contact with Tomlin andother members of the Steelers front officefor thepast few months.
Rodgers said Tomlin’s handling of the situationisone of the main reasons he signed with the Steelers. “A big attraction was Mike Tomlin,”Rodgers said. “The way the conversations went,. they were some of the coolest conversations I’ve hadinthis game —definitely withahead coach.
“He’s abig reason I’m here. Ibelieve in him.”
Andwhy wasTomlin willingto wait so long for Rodgers?
“Read his resume,” Tomlin said.
By The Associated Press
FLOWERYBRANCH,Ga. Atlanta quarterback Kirk Cousins reported for the first day of Falcons minicamp on Tuesday Cousins, whosigneda four-year $180 million contract with $100 million guaranteed in March 2024, was benchedafter Week 14 last season andlost his starting job to rookie Michael Penix Jr.Cousins threw for 3,508 yardswith 18 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.
Therewas offseasonspeculation that Cousins was looking fora starting jobwithanew team
“Obviously you’d love to play but I’m not(going to) dwell on things that aren’treality,” Cousins said.
“It’sbetter (time) spent to focusing on the situation you’re in and controlwhat you can control. Ithink that’s theright mindset to have Certainly there were conversations in January,February,March and even April but we’re moving forward timeline-wise.”
While Penix will begin the upcoming season as the starting quarterback, Cousins hasmaintaineda positive attitude.
“I’ve always believedgoing back to my rookie year what (former coach) MikeShanahan toldme which is ‘Tough times don’tlast, tough people do,’”Cousins said “It’snot just (aboutbeing)physically tough. It’s (aboutbeing) mentally tough andemotionally tough. You (have to) be resilient. Life is (goingto) throwyou some curveballs. Youjust havetokeep moving. The keyisyou don’tpout or stop. You just keep moving andkeep working forward.”
Cousins, who tore his Achilles tendon while withMinnesota in 2023, said he spent time focusing on getting healthy in the offseason afterdealing with an ankle injury Steelers
WATT SKIPS START OF MINICAMP: In Pittsburgh, Aaron Rodgers is ready to take the practice field for the Pittsburgh Steelers. T.J. Watt is not.
The star outside linebacker is skipping the start of mandatory minicamp. Watt likely is eyeing a new deal as he enters the final year of his currentcontract. The fourtime All-Pro and 2021 AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year signed a four-year extensioninSeptember
competitive periods went to most likely optionsatquarterback: rookie Shoughand second-year player Rattler Both quarterbackswere given 16 reps in the sevenon-seven periods, and if fans were hoping to get aticketto alasershow, theymay have come away disappointed.It appeared much of what Saints asked their quarterbacks to do was to take the easy completions if there.About 90%of thepassescame within5 or 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. Rattler had the best completion of the day when he hit running back Xazavian Valladay on awheel route deep downthe right sideline. Valladay was well behind Chase Young in coverage, and Rattler threaded hispassinto Valladay’s hands before safety Travion Fluellen could get there to help. All of Shough’scompletions were relatively short, but he did showoff some of his best traits on twoincomplete passes. There was an out-breaking route to Brandin Cooks that Shough zipped to the sideline that showed his arm strength. Cooks hauled in thepass but landed out of bounds. The timing needed to be better,as Shough was ahair late on his release, but the throw was impressive. Shoughalso placed his one deep shot deepdown the left sideline, but undrafted rookie receiver Moochie Dixon wasn’table to get both feet inbounds when he came down with it. Neither quarterback turned the ball over in seven-on-seven, thoughRattler cameclose when he didnot put enough touch on asecond-level throw to Juwan Johnson.Rookie safety Jonas Sanker nearlymade aleaping interception. Odds andends LSUquarterback Garrett Nussmeier wasatpractice. The son of offensivecoordinator Doug Nussmeier could beatop-10 pick in next year’sdraft. Garrett Nussmeier spent several minutes chatting with Moore on the sideline.
Kamara looked like the usual version of himself doing drills. It will be interesting to seethe vision Mooreand and his staff has for him Kicker BlakeGrupe is coming off astrongsecond season in which he made27ofhis 31 kicks,and he looked ready to pick up where he left off. Grupe was perfect in Tuesday’ssession, and capped it by making a61-yarder. He will again have to hold off the Irishman Charlie Smyth
There was along line of playerswaiting to catch both puntsand kickoffs duringthe specialteams periods. Rashid
Shaheed was among them, and he has been one of the NFL’s best sincebreaking in with the Saints in 2022, but his injury history might make the Saints hesitant to use him in that role
The return men didn’tinclude offensive and defensive linemen, though we did get to see one fun momentatthe end of practice when guard Kyle Hergel and defensive lineman Omari Thomas were both asked to field punts. Hergelcaught his lone attempt, while Thomas dropped bothofhis chances.
Email Luke Johnson at ljohnson@theadvocate.com.
2021 thatwas scheduled to pay him $112 millionand made him the highest-paid defender in the league at thetime. Clevelanddefensive endMylesGarrett now holds that honorafter signing adealworth $40 millionaseason in March.
Commanders
WR McLAURIN MISSES OPENING OF MINICAMP: In Ashburn, Virginia, wide receiver Terry McLaurin is not at Washington Commanders mandatory minicamp as he looks fora new contract. Coach Dan Quinn said Tuesday it’sa situation where football and business intersect. McLaurin turns 30 in September and is only signed through the next NFL season. McLaurinwas also absent for voluntaryorganizedteam activities last month.
Bengals
HENDRICKSONMISSESFIRST DAYOFMINICAMP: In Cincinnati, defensive linemanTrey Hendrickson wasnot at theopening dayofthe Cincinnati Bengalsminicamp on Tuesdayas he seeks anew contract.
Hendrickson is expected to be fined forhis absence, as coach Zac Taylor warnedhim about last month.
Hendricksonwas an All-Pro selection last season after he led the league with 171/2 sacks. He did make an appearance during an offseason workout last month specifically to speak to reporters andventhis frustrations.
Hendrickson is looking for alongterm contract with asignificant chunk of guaranteed money,and he said the Bengals were just offering ashort-term deal.
Bills
FORMER PANTHERS LB SIGNS: In Orchard Park, New York, the Bills signedShaqThompson to aoneyear contract in providing the veteranlinebacker an opportunity to continue his career after two injury-shortened seasons. Thompson was not re-signedby CarolinainMarch afterspending his first 10 seasonswiththe Panthers. He joins the Bills, where he’sreunited with coach Sean McDermott, who was Carolina’s defensivecoordinator during Thompson’sfirst twoseasons with the team
The next fewweeks and months will revealhow Mathieu fitsin. He said he’s still learning his role, but added Staley’ssystem emphasizes vision and that plays to his strengths.Mathieu has had10 interceptionsinhis pastthree seasonswith the Saints, which ranks 10th in the NFL.
But if he retainshis starting status,he’ll likely be paired with anew safety acrossfromhim. In March, the Saints signed Justin Reidfrom the KansasCityChiefstoa three-year, $31.5milliondealin an attempt to shore up their secondary
Thetwo have history, however.Not only didReid replace Mathieu in Kansas City in 2022, but thetwo spent one season together in Houston in 2018. Reid, 28, was arookie then “We’retwo veteransinthe back endnow,” Reid said. “When Icame in as arookie, it was really following behind him. Ilearned so muchfromhim. He hada big impact on the early stages of my career.And nowweboth come in with awardrobe of experience.
“Weboth gettocome in and add our ownflavors to the defense.”
Mathieu said Reid’sadditioncan help with mentoring what is otherwise ayoung secondary. The Saintsdrafted safety JonasSanker andcornerback Quincy Riley,and projected starters Kool-Aid McKinstry and Alontae Taylor are entering their second andfourth seasons. Mathieu said communication will be key, so they’re on the same page come the fall.
Standing at his locker,Mathieu acknowledged outside expectations forthe Saints aren’tthe highest. The defense, in particular, is coming off a season having given up the third-mostyards per game. Mathieu said the defense needs to tackle better as well as findaway to force more turnovers.
Still, change can be agood thing, Mathieu said. Andthe Saintshave madeplenty of changes sincelastseason, starting with the hiring of coach Kellen Moore.
“I’m happy to be here,” Mathieu said. Even though he looks alittledifferentthan usual
PUSKAR
STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER Saints cornerbackKool-Aid McKinstrygives autographs after minicamp practice Tuesday in Metairie. Fans gota chance to watch the practice and will getanother chance Wednesday
COLLEGE
UNOexpected to hire former Belhaven’sGipsonasnew coach
BYSPENCERURQUHART
Staff writer
UNO is expected to hire Belhaven University coach Andrew Gipson as the school’snext baseball coach, sources told The TimesPicayune on Tuesday Gipson hasbeenthe headcoach at Division III Belhaven, whichislocated in Jackson, Mississippi, since 2023. He was an assistant coach at Southeastern Louisiana from 201522 before returning to Belhaven,his
UCLA coach John Savage is surrounded by players as he hoists the CollegeWorld Series trophy on June 25, 2013, in Omaha, Neb
ASSOCIATED
alma mater, as head coach. Thenews was first reported by WDSU’sSharief Ishaq and later by KendallRogersofD1Baseball com.The Times-Picayune sources confirmed thereports
Gipson is coming off asuccessful 2025 season with Belhaven in which he led his alma matertoa 34-15 record, its first NCAA Division III tournament appearance andasuper regional trip.
UNO has been searching for its third head baseball coach in as
many years after Dax Norris and the programparted waysonSaturday. Norristook over just one month before the start of the seasonafter Blake Dean announced that he’dbestepping down to take ajob outside of coaching. Gipson’s time at Southeastern includedvarious roles, including pitching coach and associatehead coach.
Email SpencerUrquhart at surquhart@theadvocate.com.
‘Thisisfor theWest’
CollegeWorld Series will featuresomePac-12nostalgia
BY ERIC OLSON Associated Press
OMAHA,Neb. The ghostsofthe old Pac-12 will be lurking at Charles Schwab Fieldthisweekend when the College World Series opens. Oregon State, UCLA and Arizona will be backinOmaha, where they combined for eight ofthe 29 national baseball championships won by the conferenceits previous iterations.
“This is for the West,” UCLA coach John Savage said.
The Pac-12 went all butdormant last July when 10 of its members dispersed to other conferences. The Pac-12 willramp up again in July2026 with holdoversOregon State and Washington Statejoined by five members of the Mountain West Conference and one fromthe West Coast Conference.
No. 8national seed Oregon State (47-14-1) is in the first of two years as abaseball independent and had only 19 regular-season home games because of scheduling challenges. The Beavers played eight more at home in the NCAA Tournament —the maximum possible —after coming out of the loser’s bracket to win their regional and beating Florida State in athreegame super regional UCLA (47-16) was the BigTen regular-season co-champion, made it to the conference tournament championship game and was 3-0 in its regional before it sweptUTSA in its super regional. Arizona (44-19)tiedfor fourth in the Big 12, won the conference tournament and went 3-0 as theNo. 2regional seed in Eugene, Oregon. The Wildcats hadtogotoNorth
ROSE
Carolina for their super regional and lost 18-2inthe opener.They won the next two, beatingthe Tar
Heels4-3 in thefinale after erasing a3-1 deficitinthe eighthinning.
Three other formerPac-12 schools —ArizonaState, Oregon and SouthernCalifornia— didn’t advance past regionals.
Arizona meets Coastal Carolina (53-11) in the CWSopener Friday afternoon with Oregon Stateplaying Louisville (40-22) at night
UCLA squares off with Murray State (44-15) on Saturdayafternoon andLSU (48-15) takes on Arkansas (48-13), theonly remaining SECteams, at night.
For LSU coach Jay Johnson, it will be old homeweek in Omaha.
He’s aCalifornia native who lived his entire life in the West before theTigers hired him in June 2021. He coached at Nevadaand Arizona, leading the Wildcatstothe ‘21 CWS.
“I know the brand of baseball out there, something I’mproud of,” Johnson said.“It’s where Ireally cutmyteeth against some of those greatcoaches, and it’ll be fun to see them out there” in Omaha.
Oregon State coach MitchCanham was the catcher on the Pat Casey-coached teams that won nationalchampionships in 2006 and ‘07 at RosenblattStadium. Casey and theBeavers also wonthe title at the current CWS stadium in 2018,when Canham wasmanaging in the minor leagues.
“Omahaisin the Beaver blood, man,” Canhamsaid.“It’llbethe first time stepping in that stadium for me and each and every one of these guys, other than Zak Taylor,” referring to hisdirector of baseball developmentwho played on
the2018 team.
Canon Reeder,who hit athreerunhomer in the Beavers’14-10 winoverFlorida State on Sunday, said he and his teammates formed aunique bond through the challenges of aseason spent mostly on theroad.
“Tobeinthe position wherewe are, youhavetotakea step back andappreciate what you’ve done andwhere we’vecome this season,” he said. “Job’snot finished. There’seight teams left and we want to be thelast one standing.”
Arizona coach Chip Hale, an infielder on theWildcats’ 1986 championship team andinhis fourthseason as coach, said he’s impressedwith howhis team responded to the ups and downs of the first year in the Big 12. The Wildcats opened 0-3, won 17 of their next 18 andlost five of six late in theseason.
“Wehit some real roadblocks along the way and it ended up being ablessing to us because we got hot at the right time,” Hale said.
The CWS berth is especially meaningful to Mason White,who leadsthe Wildcats witha .332battingaverage, 19 homers and 72 RBIs.Hegrew up afan in Tucson, recalling that he watched every game when Arizona won the 2012 titleand in 2016 when it lost to Coastal Carolina in theCWS finals. Hisfather,Ben White, played for Arizonafrom1993-96 andhis grandfather,Tim White, lettered in 1968.
“Tobeathird-generation guy to go to Omaha, I’m the first one of my dad and grandpa to get to go,” he said. “It’s almost like adream.I just can’tbelieve it.”
The LSUTigersare leaving forOmaha, Nebraska, on Wednesday, and Tigers fans are invited to Alex Box Stadium to see them offontheir trip to the CollegeWorld Series. Fans are encouraged to arrive at the ballpark by 9:15 a.m. near Gate 1.Those coming to campus forthe send- offmay parkinthe Hall of Fame lot on the third-base side of the stadium
LSU
Continued from page1C
for aTigers lineup that at times has struggled against left-handed pitching. Against Arkansas, theTigerswere11for 44 against lefties. If Root is out of the game, Arkansas has options in the bullpen. The Razorbacks have six pitchers with an ERA less than 4.00 who have made at least 14 appearances this season. Righthander Christian Foutch leads theteam in saves with four despite having a4.15 ERA.
LSU will also have its hands full on the other side of the ball. Arkansas has one of the most explosive lineups in the nation. They’re fourth in the country in home runs and finished first in the Southeastern Conference in batting average and slugging percentage. Shortstop WehiwaAloyleads thecharge for their attack. He’s first on theteaminhomeruns and slugging percentage and is acritical part of their defense at shortstop.
Seven Razorbacks have at least 13 home runs this season, including outfieldersCharles Davalanand Logan Maxwell, designated hitterKuhioAloy andinfielder Cam Kozeal. Kuhio is Wehiwa’syounger brother and leads the team in RBIs.
Murray State
The Racers, in many respects, are the opposite of ateam like Arkansas or LSU.
Murray State had to win the Missouri Valley Conference Tournamentjusttoreach the NCAA Tournament.But once they punched its ticket into the dance, the Racers never looked back, defeating Georgia Tech and Ole Miss twice to winthe Oxford regional before coming back from aGame 1loss to defeat Duke in the Durham super regional.
The strength of the Racers is their offense. They’re top-30 in the country in batting average and on-base percentage while being fifth in doubles. Eight of theirninestarters have started at least 57 games.
Center fielder Jonathan Hogart leads the way with a1.162 onbaseplus slugging percentage and team-high 22 home runs.
Second baseman Dom Decker is first on the team in batting average and has a.504 on-base percentage. The only Racer who has started at least10games andhas
The Tigers’ team buses will departfor Baton RougeMetro Airportat9:30 a.m.
No.6-seeded LSU(48-15) swept West Virginia 16-9 and 12-5 in the NCAA Baton Rouge superregional over the weekend to qualify forthe Tigers’ 20th CWS appearance.LSU opens play at 6p.m. SaturdayinOmaha against No.3 Arkansas on ESPN. ScottRabalais
an OPS under .790 is outfielder Jackson McCoy Junior right-hander Nic SchutteisMurrayState’s ace, but the Tigers would likely face right-hander Isaac Silva if the two sides face off Monday.Silva surrendered six earned runs in 51/3 innings last weekagainst Duke after giving up three earned runs in four innings the week before facing Ole Miss. In thebullpen,MurrayState lacks quality depth. It doesn’t have apitcher who has made at least 10 appearances and has an ERA under 4.30. Right-hander Graham Kelham leads the Racers in outings with 23.
UCLA
UCLA has not been to the College World Seriessince 2013, but coach John Savage knows a thing or two about Omaha. The Bruins made it to the College World Series three times in four years beginning in 2010 under Savage, winning the program’sfirst national championship in 2013. Heading into 2025, they had only made one super regional since winning the title, but the Bruins ended their Omaha droughtthisyearafter taking down UTSA in the Los Angeles super regional. UCLA heads to the College WorldSeries with one of the best hitters in the field in Roch Cholowsky.The shortstop leads the Bruins with a.742 slugging percentage, .367 batting average, 23 home runs and a.494 OBP Cholowsky is surrounded by a lineup that includesthird baseman Roman Martin andleft fielder Dean West. Both hitters have better than a.450 OBP and are hitting over .310. Besides Cholowsky,first baseman Mulivai Levu and outfielder AJ Salgado are the only Bruins with double-digit home runs.
Right-hander Michael Barnett leads the UCLA pitching staff. Butifitfaces LSU on Monday, right-hander Landon Stump will likely start. Stump didn’t allow arun in four innings on Sunday against UTSA, posting a 4.54 ERA in 731/3 innings on the year.He’ssurrendered more than three runs in an outing just twice this season. Out of the bullpen, UCLA has someintriguing pieces. Righthander Jack O’Connor holds a1.80 ERA in 24 appearances while right-hander Cal Randall has an ERA of 3.09 in 26 outings. Email Koki Riley at Koki. Riley@theadvocate.com.
Continued from page1C MurrayState pitcher Graham Kelham celebrates with catcher Will Vierlingafter a 9-6 winoverOle Miss during a regional game on May30in Oxford, Miss.
Between in-home classes, the Rose kids trained and remained mindful of their diets. Her parents used what they learned from then-Auburn assistant Dennis Shaver,who is now the LSU’shead coach. Michaela Rosedidn’tcommittoLSU because of that familiarity.Her decision rested more on therelationship with Franks, her distance coach.
One of their first interactions was avirtual campus visit during the COVID-19 pandemic. He aimed his phone’scamera around the school grounds as assistant coach Tamara Ards drove the golf cart. After ameticulous college searchand some prayer,Michaela Rose chose LSU for her education and athleticdevelopment She knew her Olympic hopes as a middle-distance runner depended
more on her training than natural ability Despite being themost successful runner in her family,her dad said she’sthe least athletically gifted. Franks saidsomething similar several months agoinameeting with the distance team
“Michaela, she’snot themost talented person,” Roserecalled him saying. “She’shere because of her hard work.
“And Iwas like, ‘You know what, that is so true’ because I’ve seen alot of parts in my life where Istruggled because just people were better than me.”
Rosewas fast but lacked aerobic capacity andoverall strength. At her first 800-meter competition at LSU, she wascrushed after not making the final. In freshman year practices, she was in back of the pack in drills as her endurance was tested.
Lastyear,she lost at the indoor NCAA championships after a lackluster kick, the final push near theend of arace.
Anyshortcoming in the last four years only sharpened her focus.
“She’svery talented, but her best talents are her focus, her drive, her dedication,” Franks said.
Striving forexcellence is true off the track. Michael Rose Sr recalled hisdaughter crying as a kid when she hit the wrong note in choir rehearsal at Mount Carmel BaptistChurch.
“Pretty much every part of her life, you know,she practiced,” he said. “So when it’stimefor her to perform, whether in the classroom,whether it’sonthe track, whether it’sinchurch, wherever
she goes, she wants to makesure that she’sgiving the best.”
The inspiration to do her best reached anew high after an underwhelming freshman year,by her standards. That summer,she earned a bronze medal in the 400-meter hurdles at the World Athletics U20championships in 2022. But seconds before she earned amedal in Colombia, an uncharacteristic smile crossed her face. Awave agratitude washed over her Her reason forputting in copious hours in the sport she loved changed suddenly.Becoming a future Olympian took abackseat to her new guiding light that she’ll carry to Eugene.
“My motivation used to be, ‘I want to be the best,’ but now Isee apurpose greater than that,” Michaela said.
“I see track and field as aministry forme.”
Email Toyloy Brown IIIattoyloy brown@theadvocate.com
PROVIDED PHOTO
LSU’sMichaela Rose leads the wayduring arecent 800-meter run.
LIVING
Lauren Cheramie BONVIVANT
Bon vi·vant /noun/ asociable personwho has cultivatedand refined tastes, especially with respect to food and drink
Specials forthe month
Trythe June po-boy of the month at Jed’sLocal,672 Jefferson Highway,inBaton Rouge. For every order of the fried chicken Caesar po-boy —made with buttermilk-fried chicken breast, romaine lettuce, Caesar dressing and Parmesan cheese on toasted French bread for $13.99 —Jed’swill donate money to Kids’ Orchestra, which helps to create socially engaged students throughmusic education.
PROVIDED PHOTO
Trythe June po-boyofthe month at Jed’sLocal, 672 Jefferson Highway, in BatonRouge.
Rock-n-Sake,3043 Perkins Road, Baton Rouge, released the June roll of the month for Tuesdays: The habanero crunch roll is made with avocado, snowkrab, green onion and crunchies on the inside and spicy salmon, orange zest, micro cilantro and tuxedo sesame seeds on top. Dine in to get your choice of arodeo roll or tiger roll for $6 when you purchase any regularpriced roll.
In theknow
Food truck round-up:6p.m. to 8p.m. Friday at Perkins Rowe, 10001 Perkins Rowe, Baton Rouge
The food truck round-up is back at Perkins Rowe, rain or shine. From Barnes &Noble to Kendra Scott, food trucks will be lined up, and Derrick Lemon will provide live music. Some of the vendors include Capitol Seafood, Marble Slab Creamery,Ninja Snowballs, Vel’sMobile Cafe, Chris’sSpecialty Foods and more.
Two-steppin Tuesday:June 17 at The Grapevine Cafe, 211 Railroad Ave., Donaldsonville
Enjoy alittle two-step to ’90s countrymusic at therestaurant, where they’llalsohave two cocktail specials:blackberry lemonade with blackberry Crown Royal, and back porch tea with vodka.
Zorba’sJune wine dinner willfeature aFrench-themed menu with aGreek twist, paired with French wines for eachcourse. Tickets are $100 per person, available for purchase by calling (225) 444-5074. Stay tuned for more information.
If you have an upcomingfood event or akitchen question, email lauren.cheramie@ theadvocate.com. Cheers!
ATASTE OF ITALY
La Divina’s story, from gelato to communityspace
BY SERENA PUANG Staff writer
OLA DIVINA
3535Perkins Road, Suite 360, Baton Rouge l 7a.m to 8p.m.Sunday through Wednesday and 7a.m.to 9p.m.Thursday through Saturday.
nPerkins Road next to Trader Joe’s, La Divina Italian Cafe stands as an anomaly.The space isn’t just arestaurant, but it’smorethan acafe. While they’re known for their gelato, La Divina sells more food thangelaterias typically do Co-owners Mary andLance LeBlanc opened theplace 12 yearsago in Baton Rouge when theywere looking for apivot. Lance LeBlancwas in the auction business, and he traveled a lot for work. He wasready to be at home more. Mary LeBlancwas in media, andshe eventually quit her job to be at La Divina full-time. Theyboth like to jokethat they traded their nine-to-fives for 24/7s The LeBlancs didn’tinitially offer thefull menu that they have today.But when they opened in 2013, around the same time as Trader Joe’s, people started cominginand making requests, Lance LeBlanc
Co-owners Maryand Lance LeBlanc pose for apicture together in front of the gelato displayatLaDivina.
recalled: “Canyou makepasta? Whatabout spaghetti? Lasagna? Well, if youhavepasta, you gotta have wine.”
Today, La Divina servesa breakfastmenu, pizza,paninis,select Italian entrees likestuffed portobellomushrooms,a house blend of OrleansRoasters coffee and 24 flavors of gelato.
“There’s not alot of places in
town you can go get pizza at eight o’clock in the morning,” said Lance LeBlanc. “But we are one of them.” Theyalsomakemimosas or affogatos withtheir gelato. Customers are passionate about their favorite gelato flavors like the Aztec chocolate, which features dark chocolate mixed withcinnamon
STAFFPHOTOSByJAVIER GALLEGOS
Divina offers 24 different gelato flavors at the Italian cafe.
LA DIVINA
andcayenne pepper HistoryofLaDivina
La Divinawas started in New Orleans by Carmelo Turillo and hiswife, Katrina. He was teaching abroadin Spain in the early 2000s, when Spain’seconomy was booming, and he noticed apattern: his MBA students were graduating and starting businesses of their own the year after his class.
“It’s really difficult in the U.S.tomake things from scratch because our laws aren’tmade for it,” he explained.“Thedairy laws in the U.S. all come from World WarII, so what’slegal for pasteurization is all based on 1940s technology.”
“The first semester that happened, Iwas really proud of my students,” CarmeloTurillo said. “The second semester it happened, Iwas like ‘This is interesting.’ And by the thirdsemester,Iwas like, ‘You know what? Ikind of want to start abusiness.’”
He was making gelato at home as ahobby, and he decided to make it aprofession, so he enrolled in agelato-making class. There were two tracks: one that was a combination between Spanish and Italian,and another in English. The Spanish/Italian one fit his schedule better,soheenrolled.
Later,hediscovered that the two classes werecompletely different. The former taught students to make gelato from scratch, the latter taught people to make gelato using apre-packaged mix.
This should have been a problemwhen he brought his gelato to the U.S., but it happened to be right after HurricaneKatrina. When the Turillos called the Milk and Dairy Unit of the New Orleans Department of Health about the business plan, theyagreed. There were other hurdlestocross, but he eventually opened his gelateria, and in 2012, Mary and Lance LeBlancapproached himtoopen another location in Baton Rouge. For awhile, the LeBlancs bought gelato from Carmelo Turillo in New Orleans,but they couldn’tkeep up with demand and outsourced production —still withhis recipes.
These days, Carmelo Turillo is out of the gelato business, which required longhours and early mornings.The day-to-day work of running anybusinessthat sells food requires alot of behind-thesceneswork. He still makes gelato as ahobby,but La Divina in Baton Rouge is the only La Divina in Louisiana.
Community space
Thestore’sprime loca-
tion near Trader Joe’sand unique hybrid niche make it theperfect placetohost communityeventslikelive music, open micnightsand mahjong. As one of thecity’s only brick-and-mortar gelato places, La Divina is also apopular stop for tourists or road tripperswho want a quick, local stop close tothe highway
Thosewho look carefully at the walls will notice rotatinglocal artistsondisplay For each artist, La Divina typically hosts areception complete with wine and hors d’oeuvres. In May,the LeBlancs took abreak from professional artists and
instead displayed art by students from St.Aloysius Catholic School. They’ll have areception on June 11 thatwill feature gelato and lemonade.
Whenever they can,the LeBlancs source their ingredients locally: fresh milk from Feliciana Farms, ciabatta loaves from Poupart BakeryinLafayette and
coffee from Orleans Roasters in NewOrleans.
“Wereally feel like we represent local,” Mary LeBlanc said.
Forlocals, thespace has become afamiliar stop on people’scommutes, afun treat after aTrader Joe’s run, or just aplace to come together with friends and family.Karen Eddlemon saidshe’s been visiting the shop for at least 10 years and has startedplaying mahjong there on the first Wednesday of every month. Amanda Carlin, chief marketing officer at architecture firm DNA Workshop and aregular at La Divina, knows the store as one of the only places in townwhere she can order alatte without sugar and still have it satisfy her “Two mornings aweek, Imakeanexcusetogothe long way to worktostop and get alatte,” she said. Email SerenaPuang at serena.puang@ theadvocate.com.
Dear Heloise: Ihave ahard time reading or even finding the expiration dates on many food products. On yogurt containers, the date does not consistently appear in the same place on the individual container.It is very difficult to read when it runs into the printing on the label. Manufacturers should be required to print legible expiration dates on each product as this could be ahealth issue at times. Iread your column dailyand have used many of your hints over the years. Thank you for your service —LoryB., in Porter Ranch,California Lory,Iknow it’ssometimes difficult to find the expiration dates on alot of food items, but on asmall container,itcan’tbehelped Ifinally decided to buy an inexpensive magnifying glass for the kitchen. It’s helped me keep track of the freshness of many food items and even examine fruit and vegetables. —Heloise Importantdocuments
legal guardianship, and advanced directivesthatyou list while still competent Here are some more suggestions:
n Have an individual you trust: ThePOA and co-owner on all financial institution accounts will beable to access money if youare unable to access these accounts duetoillness/ injury/death. Check with all financial institutions regardingyour checking, savings, and retirement/401(k) accounts as to whoand how someone canaccess these funds.
n Keep alist of beneficiaries that is up to datefor each account.
n Keep life insurance beneficiariescurrent.
n Listwho is responsible for or has access to the prepaidfuneral/burial plan, includingthe burial facility n The POA, family member ortrusted friendneeds to knowinformation about all currentlife insurance policies
Dear Heloise: Every adult needs the following legal documents to protect themselves in the event of severeillness, injury and/or death: awill (including your estate and list of assets), a durable powerofattorney (POA) for finances,adurable POA for health care,
n ThePOA needsto know where all original documentsare stored including: propertydeed(s), vehicle(s) andtitle(s), Social Security card, birth certificate, military service/discharge documents, and marriage, deathand/or divorce certificates. ThePOA needs to know where allofthese original documentsare stored.
n ThePOA needsaccess
to your current password sheet toaccess all online accounts and all digital devices (computer,cellphone, tablets,email accounts, pictures, etc.)
n For your bank safety deposit box, have atrusted family member or friend listed as an authorized person to access this box and know where thekey is located. —MaryL., via email Mary,thank you for this important list! It’ssoeasy to losepaperwork if it’snot kept in asafe place. Iwould also suggest that people have an extra copy of their birthcertificate kept in two different locations at home. Iprefer to keep my documents in asafety deposit box at the bank, but many people keep all their paperwork in afiling cabinet that can be locked. Either way is really asafe place to store privateinformation. —Heloise
Send ahinttoheloise@ heloise.com.
Turillo
Reminder:Yourcolleagues arenot
By The Associated Press
always your friends
Dear Miss Manners: My boss
let me know that my coworkers have often “told on me,” reporting when I arrive back to work three minutes late from lunch or leave afew minutes early (to make sure Itook the time off).
Idon’tknow how to continue to work with these people and see them daily, now that Iknow that none of them are my friends —and that, in fact, they have it out for me and are reporting everylittle thing Ido.
Judith Martin MISS MANNERS
Gentle reader: Naive Miss Manners never fell for the line that her co-workers should also be her best friends. But then, she also never suffered the heartache of being fired after yearsonthe job only to discover, as so many have, that all those supposed
friendsnolonger returned hercalls. She would, however,have taken note of aboss who was decent enough to tell herwhatwas going on —both so that she could correct the behavior that might be threatening her continued employmentand to establish some reasonable expectations aboutco-workers. As to these particular colleagues, Miss Manners wouldhaveno troubletreating them with aprofessional aloofness.
Dear Miss Manners: Is it worse to gotoapartywithoutRSVPing or to not go to the party?
Gentle reader: As this is a question aboutskipping important steps, MissManners noticed afew other pointsmissing. As there is nothingwrong
with declining an invitation, she presumes your second option refers to therudeness of failing toattend after having said you would. Andyou would not call someonerude for failing to attend due to arecognized exception such as agenuine illness. Either way,her answer is, “Why do youask?” If it is to keep score, she will remind you thattwo wrongs do not make aright.However showing up unexpected is harder on the host,who will now have to stretch his fourbean stew to five guests.
Send questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners. com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail com; or through postal mailtoMiss Manners, Universal Uclick,1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.
BEST
Continued from page1D
exceptionally crispy on the edges and soft on the inside. The vegetables were flavorful, and the tzatziki was noticeably homemade and refreshing.
—Lauren Cheramie, features coordinator Rasta pasta
n The RoyalTaste of Jamaica, 320 St. Charles St., Baton Rouge
At Royal Taste of Jamaica, everyone is royalty. When Iintroduced myself to the man taking my order, he told me Icould call him “King David;” he called me “Queen Serena.”
It was my first time dining at the casual Jamaican eatery,and Iwent for the rasta pasta with jerk chicken, which, like all their rasta pastas, is only available on Friday
Looking at the styrofoam take-out container it comes in (styrofoam plates are extra), it looks like asimple dish, but what it lacks in presentation, it more than makes up for in flavor
strip mall on Ambassador Caffery Parkway between The Cajun Table and CiCi’s Pizza.
Upon entering, the first thingyou’ll notice is alot of customers in scrubs.
Given all the dining options that surround OurLady of Lourdes and the many medical office buildings on Ambassador,itwas agood sign that employees chose to eat here.
The creamy pasta is ultra flavorfuland aperfect complementtotheir jerk chicken.Wash it down with some of their house lemonade andyou have ameal fit for aqueen.
—SerenaPuang, features writer
Hibachi chicken n Hawaii Grill, 4510 AmbassadorCaffery Parkway Lafayette
Iamalways lookingfor lunch spots to work intomy rotation. The criteria? Of course, Iwant something tasty.But it getsbonus points if it is at allhealthy, andifitiseconomical. This is what led me to Hawaii Grill, tucked intoa
The menufeatures avariety of fried rice and noodle dishes —lots of chicken dishes, but shrimpand steak are alsooptions. Each dish is madefresh to order —nosoggy broccoli that’s been sittinginsauce all day Iordered hibachi chicken off the lunch specials menu, which features 20 options, all but one under $10.
The chicken was tender thevegetables were al dente, thesauce was delicious and the rice wasn’tdrowning in it. Also, the portions were huge, apleasant surprise at that price point It was some of the best fried rice I’ve eaten, and I’ll definitely be going back to sample morelunch options.
—Kristin Askelson, Acadiana managing editor
Today is Wednesday, June 11, the 162nd day of 2025. There are 203 days left in the year
Todayinhistory: On June 11, 1963, the University of Alabama was desegregated as Vivian Malone and James Hood becamethe first two Black studentsallowed to enroll in classes; Alabama segregationistand Gov.George Wallace initially blocked thedoorway to the auditorium where course registration was taking place, delivering aspeech before deferring to National Guard orders to move.
Also on this date:
In 1776, theSecond Continental Congress appointed the Committee of Five(composed of John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert Livingston and Roger Sherman) to draft
adeclaration of independence from Great Britain, to be completed in the subsequent 17 days.
In 1955, in motor racing’sworst disaster,more than 80 people were killed during the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France whentwo cars collided and crashed into spectators. In 1962, Frank Morris, Clarence Anglin and John Anglin, prisoners at Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary in San Francisco Bay, staged an escape, leaving the island on amakeshift raft. They were never found or heard from again.
In 1963, Vietnamese Buddhist monkThich Quang Duclit himself on fire on a Saigon street as aprotest against the Vietnamese government’spersecution of Buddhists.
In 1987, Margaret Thatcher became the first British prime ministerin over 160 years to win a
third consecutive term of office as her Conservative Party held onto areduced majority in Parliament. In 2001, Timothy McVeigh, 33, was executed by lethal injection at the federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, forthe 1995 OklahomaCity bombing that killed 168 people. Today’sBirthdays: Drummer Bernard Purdie is 86. International Motorsports Hall of Famer Jackie
is
is
ity and
Administrator
is
is
Stewart
86. Actor Roscoe Orman is 81. Actor Adrienne Barbeau
80. Rock musician Frank Beard (ZZ Top)
76. Singer Graham Russell (Air Supply) is 75. Football Hall of Famer Joe Montana is 69. Actor Hugh Laurie is 66. TV personal-
current Medicare
Mehmet Oz
Actor
Dinklage
STAFF PHOTO By SERENA PUANG
The rastapastawith dark meat chickenatRoyal Taste of Jamaica
STAFF PHOTO By KRISTIN ASKELSON
Hibachi chicken at Hawaii Grill in Lafayette
GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Focusing on what you can afford will help you dodge getting involved with a risky joint venture. Keep an open mind, but refuse to let anyone pressure you into participating in something that isn't right for you.
CANCER (June 21-July 22) Be specific and accommodating if you want to get your point across. Participate in causes that resonate with you, and you'll connect with someone unique. Romance is favored.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) A passionate approach to whatever you pursue will pay off. Stand tall, be proud and make your point heard. A distinctive plan will separate you from any competitor.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Keep to yourself. You'llgaingroundifyouplaytheroleofa sounding board reflecting and directing without trying to control. Your best resultswillcomefromself-improvement projects.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Show respect, and you'll gain respect. Charm and persuasive tactics can do wonders initially, but you'll need a backup plan if you want to go the distance. No lazy Libra tactics will suffice; you must deliver the goods.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Set your sights on a financial goal and put a solid plan together. Leave nothing to chance or in someone else's hands. Do the work and finish what you start; everything else will fall into place.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Keep emotions under control and your mind on what you want to achieve. Expect dis-
tractions and false information, and be ready to deal with them. Success is within reach if you finish what you start.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Distance yourself from negativity and people who cause chaos. You have plenty to gain if you maintain a positive attitude and a willingness to compromise. Opportunity knocks, so answer the door.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Take on a challenge and show everyone your capabilities.Yourinputcanleadtoanewideaand position you for future opportunities. Be the one to lead the way; a positive change will enrich your life.
PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Pay more attention to domestic issues. Discipline will be necessary to divert negativity and opposition. Listen to complaints, show compassion and offer solutions. Don't be afraid to compromise.
ARIES (March 21-April 19) Stay alert and be aware of what everyone around you is doing and saying. Someone will try to take advantage of you. Take care of your responsibilities and protect your rights. Travel and learning are favored.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Don't overextend yourself. Stick to the facts, promise what's doable and walk away from unpredictable situations. Pay attention to money matters. Protect yourself and your assets.
InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. Theobject is to place the numbers 1to9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of theSudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.
Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer
nea CroSSwordS La TimeS CroSSword
THewiZard oF id
BLondie
BaBY BLueS
Hi and LoiS
CurTiS
BY PHILLIP ALDER
Bobby Moore, who was captain of the Englandsoccer team that won theWorld Cup in 1966, said, “If you never concede agoal, you’re going to win more games thanyou lose.”
That is certainly true in soccer, but not inbridge.Thereisanoldsayingthatruns along these lines: If you watch abeginner play in three no-trump, he wins the first eight tricksand loses the last five. In contrast, an expert loses the first four and wins the lastnine. Obviously, that is not exactlytrue, but it makes avalidpoint.
How is that agood hint to thisthreeno-trump contract afterWest leads the spade queen to dummy’ssingleton king?
NoteNorth’sthree-no-trumpresponse. Without West’s intervention, it wouldbe automatic. It should be even after West’s overcall.EvenifWesthasspadesheaded by theA-Q-J-10, he is unlikely to leadthe ace. And five clubs is along wayoff.
Southstartswith five top tricks: two spades, one heart,one diamond and one club. He needs to make useofdummy’s clubs. Butdeclarer must lose at least one club trickwhatever happens. Anda good general rule in no-trump is that if you must lose atrick to establishasuit, loseitasquickly as possible, and the first round of the suit is rarely too soon.
Here, South should play alow club fromthe board at trick two. West wins andpersevereswithspades,butdeclarer takes that trick, plays aclubtodummy’s queen, and has nine top tricks. Also, if he reads the end position correctly, he can catch West in an endplay for an overtrick.
Each Wuzzle is awordriddlewhich creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON
Previous answers:
word game
InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of fourormore letters. 2. Words that acquire fourletters by the addition of “s,”such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3 Additional words made by adding a“d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit wordsare not allowed toDAY’s WoRD DEFIcIts: DEF-ih-sits: Deficiencies; disadvantages.
Average mark21words
Time limit 40 minutes
Can you find 28 or morewords in DEFICITS?
YEstERDAY’s WoRD —KEELson
that is not with me is againstme; and he that gathers not with me scatters abroad.” Matthew12:30
wuzzles
loCKhorNs
marmaduKe
Bizarro
hagar the horriBle
Pearls Before swiNe
garfield
B.C.
PiCKles
hidato
mallard fillmore
When you’re comparingplans
of $1,000.
Medicare doesn’t payfor dental care.1
That’s right. As good as Medicare is, it was never meant to cover everything. That means if you wantprotection, you need to purchase individual insurance.
Early detection canprevent small problems from becoming expensive ones
The best way to preventlarge dental bills is preventive care. The American Dental Association recommends checkups twice ayear.
Previous dental work canwear out
Even if you’ve had quality dental work in thepast, you shouldn’ttakeyourdental health forgranted.Infact, yourodds of having adentalproblem only go up as you age.2
Treatment is expensive— especially theservicespeople over 50 oftenneed.
Consider these national average costs of treatment. $222 fora checkup .$190 for afilling. $1,213 fora crown.3 Unexpected bills likethis can be arealburden especially if you’re on afixed income.
Many Americansare fortunate to havedental coverage fortheir entire working life, through employer-provided benefits.Whenthose benefits end with retirement, paying dental bills out-of-pocket can come as a shock, leading people to putoff or even go without care. Simply put —without dentalinsurance, there may be an importantgap in your healthcare coverage. 1“Medicare&
Meet with an Install Designer Completethe In-Home Assessment
-Location of generator - Sizerequired -How it works
