The Advocate 06-24-2025 by The Advocate

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‘TOTAL CEASEFIRE’

TRUMP SAyS DEAL REACHED; IRAN SAyS IT’LL STOP STRIKES IF ISRAEL DOES IRAN LAUNCHES RESPONSE ON U.S. BASE IN QATAR

BY DAVID RISING, JON GAMBRELL and MELANIE LIDMAN Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates President Donald Trump said that Israel and Iran had agreed to a “complete and total ceaseﬁre” soon after Iran launched a limited missile attack Monday on a U.S. military base in Qatar retaliating for the American bombing of its nuclear sites.

Iran’s foreign minister said that as long as Israel stopped its attacks by 4 a.m. Tehran time Tuesday, Iran would halt its own. But Israel’s military warned its public Tuesday that Iran had launched missiles toward it near an hour after that time.

Sirens sounded in areas of Israel ahead of the missile barrage’s arrival.

It’s unclear what the detected missile launch would do for the ceaseﬁre’s timeline.

Israel did not immediately acknowledge any ceasefire, but there were no reports of Israeli strikes in Iran after 4 a.m. Heavy Israeli strikes continued in Tehran and other cities until shortly before that time. Israel in other conflicts has stepped up its strikes just before ceasefires took effect

“As of now, there is NO ‘agreement’ on any ceaseﬁre or cessation of military operations,” Iranian Foreign Minister

Tehran time, we have no intention to continue our response afterwards.”

His message was posted at 4:16 a.m. Araghchi added: “The ﬁnal decision on the cessation of our military operations will be made later.”

Trump posted on Truth Social that the 24-hour phased-in ceaseﬁre will begin about midnight Tuesday Eastern time. He said it would bring an “Ofﬁcial END” to the war

The Israeli military declined to comment on Trump’s statement and the ofﬁce of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

Trump went so far as to give the conﬂict between Israel and Iran the name of the “12 Day War.” That recalls the 1967 Mideast war, known by some as the “Six Day War,” in which Israel fought a group of Arab countries including Egypt, Jordan and Syria.

BR agency merger slated

Fire, EMS move to reduce duplication

BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER Staff writer

The departments that run Baton Rouge’s ﬁre trucks and ambulances are merging, East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Sid Edwards announced Monday East Baton Rouge Parish Emergency Medical Services will fold into the Baton Rouge Fire Department, Edwards said in a news release. “This merger is a potential opportunity to create a more unified and responsive emergency services system,” Edwards said. “While a transition like this will take time, it positions us to deliver faster, smarter, and more effective service to the people of Baton Rouge.” The merger aims to reduce duplication between the two agencies. It will be phased in gradually, according to the release. EMS employees will move into the Fire and Police Civil Service system, which the release states would give “greater job protections, clearer career advancement, and consistent standards across public safety roles.”

Abbas Araghchi wrote in a post on X.

“However, provided that the Israeli regime stops its illegal aggression against the Iranian people no later than 4 am

Trump’s reference carries emotional weight for the Arab world, particularly Palestinians. In the 1967 war, Israel captured the West Bank and east Jerusalem from Jordan, the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt, and the Golan Heights from Syria. Though Israel later gave the Sinai back to Egypt it still holds the other territories.

La. Senate puts brakes on several big bills

Stalled measures shed light on legislative politics

BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writer

With less than two hours to go in the legislative session, all eyes were on the Louisiana Senate. A day earlier the House had passed on an 88-4 vote a bill to

ban companies from owning both pharmacy benefit managers and pharmacies, a prospect that had initiated a flood of lobbying texts from CVS and ignited a fiery debate in the House. Now, it was up to the Senate to decide whether House Bill 358 by state Rep. Dustin Miller, DOpelousas, would pass. In the end, the Senate didn’t bring it up for a vote. Sen. Kirk Talbot, R-River Ridge, took to the dais to introduce Senate Resolu-

tion 209, which urged the Louisiana Department of Health to study the impact of legislation such as House Bill 358. That signaled Miller’s bill was dead. HB358 was not the only piece of legislation that passed the House, only to meet its end in the Senate. A number of bills, and one major budget measure, all stalled or were killed by the upper chamber “The House does their job

as diligently as they can, but sometimes through the process, by the time it gets to us, people have had more chance to look at it, and they’ve found something in it that they didn’t like or didn’t realize that were in it, and it stays on the Senate calendar,” said Senate President Cameron Henry, R-Metairie.

Talbot said it is natural for the legislative process to slow down

Lawmaker sees ‘conflict’ in Education Department operating LA GATOR

BY PATRICK WALL Staff writer

After a bruising ﬁght over funding, Louisiana’s new LA GATOR program is set to start giving families tax dollars to pay for private education. But now a new question has come up: Who should run the program?

The state Department of Education oversees the program, which in the coming days will give about 6,000 families access to state money they can use to pay for private school tuition or homeschool expenses On Friday, a legislative budget committee approved the

PHOTO PROVIDED By IRANIAN ARMy PRESS SERVICE

Iran’s army commander-in-chief Gen. Amir Hatami, center, accompanied by high-ranking army commanders, speaks Monday in a video call with top commanders of the army in Zolfaghar central headquarters, Iran, as portraits of the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, left, and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei hang on the wall. Iran launched a missile strike Monday against a U.S base in Qatar in response to the U.S. attack on Iranian nuclear sites.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CARLOS BARRIA

President Donald Trump speaks Saturday from the East Room of the White House in Washington after the U.S. military struck three Iranian nuclear and military sites. Trump announced Monday that Israel and Iran had agreed to a ceasefire.

7 dead, 1 missing in Lake Tahoe capsize

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — Divers searched a section of Lake Tahoe on Monday for one person still missing after seven others were killed when a boat capsized during a powerful weekend thunderstorm that whipped up high waves, authorities said.

Ten people were onboard the 27-foot gold Chris-Craft vessel when it flipped Saturday near D.L. Bliss State Park on the lake’s southwest edge, U.S. Coast Guard ofﬁcials said.

Two people were rescued immediately and taken to a hospital in unknown condition Six bodies were recovered later Saturday and a seventh body was found Sunday evening, according to the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Ofﬁce.

The intensity of the thunderstorm surprised even forecasters, who had predicted some rain but nothing like the sudden squall that lashed the southern part of the lake about 3 p.m., said meteorologist Matthew Chyba, of the National Weather Service ofﬁce in Reno, Nevada.

Eight-foot waves on Tahoe is “pretty signiﬁcant,” Chyba said. “They were really rocking the lake.”

Camera releases first shots of universe

NEW YORK The largest digital camera ever built released its ﬁrst shots of the universe Monday — including colorful nebulas, stars and galaxies

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory, located on a mountaintop in Chile, was built to take a deeper look at the night sky, covering hidden corners. Funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and U.S. Department of Energy, it will survey the southern sky for the next 10 years.

The observatory’s ﬁrst look features the vibrant Trifid and Lagoon nebulas located thousands of light-years from Earth. A gaggle of galaxies known as the Virgo Cluster were also captured, including two bright blue spirals.

The observatory hopes to image 20 billion galaxies and discover new asteroids and other celestial objects.

Man trying to get dog gets stuck in chimney

BRISTOL, Conn Firefighters had to rescue a man who got stuck in the chimney of a Connecticut parks building while trying to retrieve his dog from a bathroom when the doors automatically locked for the night.

Police were called Sunday morning to Rockwell Park in Bristol for a burglary complaint and were told by parks employees that someone was in the chimney Fireﬁghters responded to the scene and got the man out after having to remove parts of the chimney and building, causing $5,000 to $10,000 worth of damage, police said.

The Bristol man, who was not injured, was arrested and charged with burglary, trespassing and criminal mischief. He was released on bond and ordered to appear in court on July 7.

Dutch municipalities targeted by hackers

THE HAGUE, Netherlands ProRussian hackers launched a series of denial-of-service attacks Monday on several municipalities and organizations linked to a NATO summit this week in the Netherlands, the Dutch government announced.

The National Cybersecurity Center said in a statement that many of the attacks were claimed by a pro-Russian hackers group known as NoName057(16) “and appear to have a pro-Russian ideological motive.” It did not elaborate.

The cybersecurity center said it was investigating the attacks that ﬂood a site with data in order to overwhelm it and knock it ofﬂine, and was in contact with “national and international partners.”

Mich. pastor thanks God, security team

100 worshippers were in church where shooting was thwarted

BY ED WHITE and HOLLY RAMER Associated Press

WAYNE, Mich. — A pastor said Monday that the “hand of God” prevented a mass shooting at his Detroit-area church when an armed man was struck by a pickup truck and fatally shot by security staff before he could enter and attack more than 100 people.

The day after the thwarted attack, the leader of CrossPointe Community Church in Wayne praised the actions of the security team, which has been in place for more than 10 years. The Rev Bobby Kelly said he had met the gunman three times in the past.

“I can’t say for sure what wasinhisheartorinhismind because he’s never threatened me in any way,” Kelly said. “This young man was deﬁnitely struggling mentally Hethoughthewashearing from God. We had some conversations about that.”

Children from the church’s vacation Bible school were leading Sunday’s worship and were finishing a song when the congregation heard gunﬁre outside Kelly, who was poised to start his sermon, initially thought the noise was coming from a construction crew

A member of the security team rushed in and

told everyone to get out

A livestream video shows people carrying children or directing them to get down and move away

Kelly said a church member arriving late had spotted Brian Browning driving recklessly and called out to the gunman as he exited his car wearing a tactical vest and carrying a rifle and a handgun. The church member struck him with his pickup truck.

Browning, 31, began ﬁring as he approached the church, striking one person in the leg. At least two staff members shot him, Wayne Police Chief Ryan Strong said.

“He is a hero,” Kelly said of the pickup driver “I think that was the Lord leading him to do that. He hit this individual with his car, drove right on the grass because he was shooting at the building at the time. And that cer-

tainly helped the team to be able to respond.”

Browning did not have any previous contacts with police but may have been suffering a mental health crisis, police said.

The “heroic actions of the church’s staff members” saved many lives, Strong said Sunday night.

Police found additional riﬂes, handguns and a large amount of ammunition during a search of Browning’s house nearby in Romulus.

Browning’s mother occasionally attended the church services but was not there on Sunday The pastor said he spoke to her after the shooting.

“To console her, to let her know that she shouldn’t feel guilty about his actions and that we still are there for her as well,” Kelly said. “She is a grieving mom right now because of this tragedy.”

EU finds ‘indications’ Israel breaching Gaza agreement

BY SAM MCNEIL and ELLA JOYNER Associated Press

BRUSSELS The European Union said there are “indications” that Israel’s actions in Gaza are violating human rights obligations in the agreement governing its ties with the EU — but the block was divided Monday over what to do in response.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas presented a review of Israel’s compliance with to foreign minsters of the 27-member bloc in Brussels on Monday, leading at least one country to openly propose suspending the agreement.

“There are indications that Israel would be in breach of its human rights obligations under Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement,” according to the review by the EU’s diplomatic corps, the European External Action Service, a copy of which was seen by The Associated Press.

The review detailed allegations by the International Court of Justice and agencies of the United Nations that Israel had likely broken international humanitarian law in Gaza on multiple levels by cutting off life-saving food and supplies, targeting journalists, and attacking densely populated areas with “weapons with wide area effects.”

Suspending ties would require a unanimous decision, which is likely impossible to obtain from countries like Austria, Germany and Hungary that tend to back Israel.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Monday in Brussels that Berlin is against suspen-

By VIRGINIA MAyO

Supporters of Palestinians protest outside a meeting of EU foreign ministers Monday at the European Council building in Brussels.

sion of the agreement.

Other actions — such as ending visa-free travel to Europe for Israelis, sanctioning Israeli settlers in the West Bank or halting academic partnerships — could be pushed if a “qualiﬁed majority” — 15 of the 27 nations representing at least 65% of the population of the EU — agree.

Kallas said that trade from the parts of the occupied West Bank with “violent settlers” does not “benefit of the trade relationship the beneficial trade relationship that we have between Israel and European Union.”

Countries like the Netherlands, Ireland and Spain have been vocal in their support for the Palestinians in Gaza as Israel battles Hamas.

“When all the focus is on Iran and the escalation regarding Iran, we should not forget about Gaza,” said Dutch foreign minister Caspar Veldkamp, who led the charge for the review

The EU review “clearly

Mideast nations condemn bombing

Syrian church death toll rises to 25

BY GHAITH ALSAYED and KAREEM CHEHAYEB Associated Press

DAMASCUS,Syria The death toll from a suicide bomb attack on a church in Syria at the weekend has risen to 25, state media said Monday

The attack Sunday on the Mar Elias Greek Orthodox church during a Divine Liturgy in Dweil’a, near Damascus, was the ﬁrst of its kind in Syria in years, and comes as Damascus under its de facto Islamist rule is trying to win the support of minorities.

The Interior Ministry and witnesses said a gunman entered the church and opened ﬁre on the congregation before detonating an explosive vest.

State news agency SANA, citing the Health Ministry, said 63 other people were wounded in the attack. The Rev Fadi Ghattas said some 350 people were praying at the church.

The United States, the European Union and governments across the Middle East condemned the attack, decrying it as a terrorist attack.

“These terrible acts of cowardice have no place in the new tapestry of integrated tolerance and inclusion that Syrians are weaving,” Tom Barrack, U.S. special envoy for Syria and ambassador to Turkey, said in a post on X. “We continue to support the Syrian government as it ﬁghts against those who are seeking to create instability and fear in their country and the

broader region.” Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry in a statement afﬁrmed Riyadh’s rejection of “the targeting of places of worship, the intimidation of innocent civilians, and the innocent bloodshed.”

As President Ahmad alSharaa struggles to exert authority across the country, there have been concerns about the presence of sleeper cells of extremist groups in the war-torn country No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack on the church, but the Interior Minister has blamed the extremist Islamic State group.

Syrians decried the attack, many seeing it as a blow to stability in the country after 14 years of war Syrian Christians have appealed that the attack is not just a threat against them but to everyone in the country regardless of their religious afﬁliation.

“It is deﬁnitely an attack on civil peace and coexistence in this country,” said Wassim Boutros, who lives in Damascus.

Wajiha umm Mohammed said that she and her daughter were devastated to learn that one of their friends was killed in the attack.

“All our lives, we’ve been Christians and Muslims together living side by side,” umm Mohammed, a Muslim, said. “We’ve never let anything divide us, and we won’t start now.” She called for more government action to protect minorities.

showed that Israel has violated Article 2 of this agreement, which concerns respect for human rights,” said French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot. “Consequences will have to be drawn at the next foreign affairs ministers meeting in July,” he said.

Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, in which militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took another 251 hostages. About 56,000 Palestinians have since been killed, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, and little relatively aid has entered since Israel ended the latest ceaseﬁre in March.

Outrage over Israel’s actions in Gaza has grown in Europe as images of suffering Palestinians have driven protests in London, Berlin, Brussels, Madrid and Amsterdam.

Spain has canceled arms deals with Israel and called for an arms embargo.

Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares Bueno on Monday called for suspending the EU-Israel agreement.

“The time for words and declarations is behind. We had enough time,” he told the meeting. “And at the same time, Palestinians in Gaza have no more time to lose. Every day, babies, women, men are being killed. This is the time for action.”

Manuel Albares also called for an embargo on EU countries selling weapons to Israel and for the widening of individual sanctions on anyone undermining the proposed twostate solution.

“Europe must show courage,” he told journalists.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ED WHITE

The Rev. Bobby Kelly, of CrossPointe Community Church in Wayne, Mich., speaks to reporters Monday.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By OMAR SANADIKI Syrians gather Sunday inside Mar

Friday forsigning of ‘MAHA’ bill

BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer

Health and Human Services

Secretary Rob-

ert F. Kennedy Jr.willvisit Baton Rouge on Friday with Gov.Jeff Landry for abill-signingevent, Landry spokesperson Kate Kelly said Monday Landry will sign Louisiana legislation that is aligned with Kennedy’s“Make AmericaHealthyAgain”initiative, according to the website for Protect Louisiana Values, a group that backs Landry’s policyagenda,at 11 a.m. at Pennington Biomedical Research Center

The event dubbed as a“MAHA LA ofﬁcial bill signing” is also meant to celebrate the “start of ahealthier Louisiana,” according to the website.

Kelly on Monday declined to provide additional details about Kennedy’svisit

Sen. Patrick McMath, R-Covington, said the ceremony is for Senate Bill 14, which he sponsored during the regular legislative session that concluded earlier thismonth. This spring, McMath said he worked with Kennedy and the Trump administration to craft the measure.

He also won vocal, public supportfromthe governor,who for years has been aKennedy ally SB14 reshapeshow schools, food manufacturers andrestaurants addressnutritionand ingredient transparency.Ithas fourmajor components:

n Schools in Louisiana will not be allowedto serve certain artiﬁcial colors and additives in breakfasts and lunches beginning inthe 202728 school year

n Food manufacturers selling products in Louisiana that contain certain artiﬁcialingredients will have to include aQRcode on packagingbeginning in 2028. The code will lead to awebpage with information about the ingredients and awarning that they could be harmful.

n Restaurantsand food businesses using seed oils will have to ﬂag that for customers beginning in 2028.

n Beginning in January,certain health care providers in the areas of familymedicine, internal medicine, pediatricsand obstetricsand gynecology will have to complete at leastone hour of training on nutrition andmetabolic health every two years.

Staff writer Emily Woodruff contributed to this report.

Email Alyse Pfeil at alyse.pfeil@ theadvocate.com.

Marine vetslams Border Patrol agents

BY JULIE WATSON Associated Press

SAN DIEGO AU.S. Marine

Corps veteran said he was shocked to see avideo on social mediaofhis father,a landscaper in Southern California,being beaten by masked U.S. Border Patrol ofﬁcers as he was pinned to the ground during an immigrationarrest

TheSaturday arrest of Narciso Barranco,who came to the U.S.from Mexico in the 1990s but does not have legal status,is the latest to capture widespread attentionasthe crackdown on immigration by President Donald Trump’sadministration drawsscrutiny and protests

Witnessesuploadedvideos of thearrest in SantaAna, acityin Orange County between San Diego and Los Angeles. No footage shows theentireincident from start to ﬁnish as agents struggled with Barranco outside an IHOP restaurant.

Barranco wastaken to afederal immigration detention center in downtown LosAngeleswhere he is in the custody of Immigrationand Customs Enforcement

Marine veteran Alejandro Barranco said his father called him Sunday and told him that he was in alot of pain.

allies from Afghanistan in 2021.

“It’s uncalledfor,not appropriate or professional in the way they handled thatsituation,” Barranco said. “It looks like he’sputting up resistance on the ground but that’sa natural human reaction and Ithink anybody would do that to defend themselves when they are being beaten on the ground by four men.”

Santa Ana City Council memberJohnathan Hernandezsaid he will be asking foraninvestigation into the ofﬁcers’ actions.

“I found the video to be horrifying,” he said.

hitting Barranco repeatedly on the head and neck as he screams and moans and moves around. Another motorist is heard yelling in Spanish “why are you hitting him?”

The department said in an emailthatBarranco “swung aweed whacker directly at an agent’sface. He then fled through abusy intersection and raised the weed whacker again at the agent.”

It added that Barranco wasofferedmedical carebut declined.

“He just started crying,” Alejandro Barranco saidofhis 48-year-old father

TheDepartment of Homeland Security said Narciso Barranco refused to comply with commands and swung his weed trimmer at an agent. The agents “took appropriateaction and followed theirtrainingtouse the minimum amount of force necessary to resolve the situationinamanner that prioritizes the safety of thepublic andour officers,” the email statement added.

Alejandro Barrancosaid his father did notattack anyone, hadnocriminal record andis kind and hardworking. He said theagents’ useofforce was unnecessary and differed greatly from his military training for crowds and riot control. He aided the U.S. military’sevacuation of personnel and Afghan

DHS posted avideo in which Narciso Barranco is seen running with the trimmer in the air as agents try to corral him. At onepoint, an agent sprays him with pepperspray, andBarranco moves thetrimmerbetween him and the agent but it does not touch him.Behind him,another ofﬁcer has his gun drawn as he crossesabusy intersection.

In othervideo footage, Barranco is seen running through theintersection still holding his long trimmer upright as atruck moves to block his path. He’s then seen darting to another lane and tries to open acar door before agents tackle him.Ashe screams and yells, cars honk and one motorist shouts: “Leave him alone, bro.”

An agent tellsBarranco to give him his hand as he lies prone. Video footage from another angle shows an officer

All threeofBarranco’ssons were born in the United States andeventually joined theU.S military.Alejandro left the Marine Corpsin2023. His two brothers are active-duty Marines.

“Wejoinedthe Marine Corps because we love our country and want to give back,” he said.“Our parents taught us to be appreciative, be thankful of our country about being patriots.”

His father was worriedabout immigrationofﬁcials arresting him and the family hadlooked into his options but Alejandro Barranco said his dad never found the time to tend to the matter as he focusedonhis landscaping business.

In fact, the ﬁrst thing he said to his sonwhentheyspoke after the arrest was to check on his landscaping client to make sure no mess had been left when he droppedeverything andfled from agents, Alejandro Barranco said.

Report:Abortions rose in 2024 duetotelehealthprescriptions

BY GEOFF MULVIHILL Associated Press

The numberofabortions in theU.S. rose again in 2024, with women continuing to ﬁnd ways to get themdespite bans and restrictionsinmanystates, accordingtoareport out Monday

The latestreport from the WeCount project of the Society of Family Planning, which supports abortion access, wasreleased aday beforethe thirdanniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’srulingthat overturned

Roe v. Wade andendednearly 50 years of legalabortionnationally for most of pregnancy

Currently,12statesare enforcingbansonabortion at all stagesofpregnancy,with limited exceptions,and four have bans that kick in at or about six weeks into pregnancy —often before women realizethey are pregnant

While the total numberofabortions has risen gradually over those three years,the number has dropped to near zero in some states, while abortionsusing pills

obtained through telehealth appointments have become more common in nearlyall states.

Pills are used in the majority of abortions and are also prescribed in person.

The latest survey,released Monday,tallied about 1.1 millionabortions nationally last year,orabout 95,000 amonth. That is up from about 88,000 monthly in 2023 and 80,000 a month between April and Decemberof2022. WeCount began after Roe was overturned, and the2022 numbers don’tinclude

January through March, when abortions are traditionally at their highest. Thenumber is still well below thehistoricpeakinthe U.S. of nearly1.6 million ayear in the late 1990s.

The Society of Family Planning reliesprimarily on surveys of abortion providers and uses estimates.

WeCount found that in the months before the Dobbs rulingwas handed down, about1 in 20 abortions wasaccessed by telehealth.

PROVIDED PHOTO

U.S. Marine Corps veteran Alejandro Barranco, left, and his father,Narciso Barranco

“I understand that this change may bring uncertainty,especially for EMS employees, but I’mconfident in our ability to ensure asuccessful transition that beneﬁts both our employees and our citizens,” said Chris Landry,interim director of EMS. The Fire Department has

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once it reaches the Senate, partly because senators represent awider array of constituents.

“Senatorsrepresent almost three times the size of aHousedistrict. They represent —inmost cases, if notall —a larger,more diverse constituency,” he said.

Jay Dardenne, aformer senator,lieutenant governor,secretary of state and commissioner of administration, said the Senate has long “beenthe place where ideas that have sailedout of the House die.”

“It’snot that unusual,” he said. Still, the pattern caused frustration among some House members.

“Nomatterwhat thebill, it’sdisappointing when a bill doesn’tget through the entire process due to the amount of work andtime spent on each piece of legislation,” Rep. Emily Chenevert, R-BatonRouge, said in astatement. “I wouldsay most legislators feel that way ” What billsstalled Chenevert sponsored House Bill 685, which would have banned diversity,equity and inclusioninitiatives in state government. After it sparked abruising debateon the House ﬂoor,the proposal withered away in the Senate without getting acommittee

LA GATOR

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contract for aprivate company that the Education Department hired to manage the program’sday-to-day operation.

563 employees andEMS has 259, city ofﬁcials said.Ata newsconference Monday, Edwardssaid no one would be laid off or ﬁred.

“That’sthe first thing people worry about,istheir jobsand their well-being And none of that’sonthe table with this merger,” he said.

FireDepartment Chief Michael Kimble said hewill remain the top ofﬁcial of the newlymerged agencies, and the EMS director will report

hearing.

Also thisyear,after the House votedtocut salesand income taxes, the Senate Revenue& Fiscal Affairs Committee killed the proposals. Senators said they were wary of potentially creatingabudget hole in future years.

Meanwhile,House Bill 283, aproposal to place acap on state spending, passed the Housebut got stuckinthe Senate FinanceCommittee.

“It’sunfortunatethatthey didn’tcare enough about it to hear it, but Isuppose they have their reasons,”said state Rep. PhillipTarver,RLake Charles,who sponsored that measure. In another example, the House adopted Gov.Jeff Landry’srequest to include $93.5million to fund LA GATOR, aprogram that helps families pay for private schools. But the Senate then took $50 million out Henrysaid $43.5millionwas the amount legislators had previously agreed to,and his members were worried the program’scost couldgrow out of control

Landry’soffice did not comment onthe Senate’srole in halting the legislation.

Building aconsensus

Oneman has the most say in what happens to abill once it reaches theSenate: SenatePresident Henry “Nothingthatwedoisin avacuum. Nothing is asole decision by me that we’re going to dosomethingornot do something. We have an

noting thestate’sdramatic improvementonanational test.

to him

“Once allthisissaidand done,the goal is to have all EMS personnel under the fireand police municipal civil service, which gives those more of astructured promotion standpoint, and some support on the back end,”Kimble said at Monday’snews conference.

Nothing will change for calls to the parish’sother incorporated cities of Baker,Central,St. George and Zachary,headded. EMS re-

sponds to calls in those areas andeach hastheir own ﬁre department. Kimble also said the two agencies will continue to have separate budgets.

When asked if the merger wasatall related to recent reportsofdelayed 911 calls, as EMS facilitates dispatch for theparish, Edwards said no and called some of those reports“misinformation.”

“Those things were out there. This hasnothingto do with that,because it’s

since been found that there was misinformation, huge misinformation, on those stories,and thatthe things that werereported werenot accurate,” Edwards said.

Kimble did saythe merger might still improve call timesand response as more employees could be available to answer 911 calls.

“If we can put our people together,wecan put more people to answer 911 and also working toward aregular dispatch number across

Anumber of bills and one majorbudgetmeasure stalled or were

the 2025 legislativesession.

enormous amount of meetings among thesenators,” Henry said.

But in deciding what happens with abill, senators say Henryseekstobuild aconsensus among members.

“He has taken the position and treated the role in away wherehewantstobuild a consensus amongsenators and pass legislation where we can getbroad support,” said stateSen. Franklin Foil, R-Baton Rouge. That courtesy also extends

acrossthe aisle, according to stateSen.GeraldBoudreaux, D-Lafayette.

Boudreaux said Henry meetsregularly with the Senate Democratic Caucus andkeepshis door open for individual memberstomeet with him.

“Thatgiveshim agauge, it giveshim apulse of what the membershipwants,” Boudreaux said.

Overall, Boudreaux said, Henry “representswhat the Senate is supposedtobe—

the upper chamber,more deliberate.”

“I say that very respectfully” to the House, he added, noting that it is much easier to gradually build consensus in the 39-member Senate than in the 105-member House.

Pharmacy bill

When it cametopharmacy beneﬁt managers, senators hadtodecide whattodo withjust one day left in the session.

the parish, (which) gets them out quicker,” the ﬁre chief said. Edwards said Monday there was no estimate for how much money the merger might save the parish once it is fully implemented.

The merger comes as Edwards andthe Metro Councilwork to ﬁlla budgetgap left by the incorporation of the new city of St. George, whichhas takenoverthe share of sales taxes collected in its new city limits.

They stood in the middle of an aggressive lobbying push. Landry and Donald Trump Jr the president’s son, both pushed for the Senate to pass HB358, which would have banned PBMs andpharmacies from having thesame ownership, a concept known as vertical integration.

Meanwhile, CVS, which owns the PBM CVS Caremark and its ownchain of drugstores,toldlegislators it would have to close 119 pharmacies in Louisiana if HB358 passed. Ultimately, theSenate did not call the bill up foravote. Members were concerned that the measure had not had public input, Henry said. The PBM legislation came through an amendment to a bill that originally set rules forremotework for pharmacy technicians. That amendment wasproposedwhile the bill wasin aconference committee, a closed-door processwhere agroup of Houseand Senate members meet to hash out agreements on billswhen one chamber has rejected the other’samendments.

“It needed afull vetting, and it didn’thave that, so we can waituntil next year and do that,” Henry said. Landry has promised to call theLegislature into a special session to banvertical integration of PBMs and pharmacies.

Email Meghan Friedmann at meghan.friedmann@ theadvocate.com.

But state Senate President Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, asked during thebudget hearing whether there is an “inherent conﬂict” in putting the Education Department— which is responsible for the state’s public schools —incharge of LA GATOR, which theoretically could help some families abandon the public system in favor of private schools.

“You’re doing very well” at improving public education, Henry told state Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley during the hearing,

“Do you see aconflict,” Henry asked, “in that you’re also navigatingaprogram that takes kids out of the system that you’re workingsohard to improveand puts them into private schools?”

One of Louisiana’s most powerful state lawmakers, Henryled a charge this year to scale back the newly launched LA GATOR program, arguing that the state cannot afford topay for tens of thousandsofstudentsto attend private schools.Despiteintense pressurefrom private education advocates and Gov.Jeff Landry,who wanted nearly $94 million for the program, the Legislature ultimately allocated just under $44million. Duringthe legislativesession that ended this month,

Brumley was frequently called on to testify about LA GATOR, which was established by abill that Landry championedand the Legislature passed by awide margin last year.OnFriday, Henrysuggested that overseeing thecontroversial program could be adistraction for the state’stop education ofﬁcial.

“I get the strange feeling you probably spend more time discussing this than you do the numerous other roles that you have,” Henry told Brumley In an interview Monday, Brumley dismissed the idea that there is aconﬂict in havinga singleagency manage public schools and aprivateeducation program. He noted thatthe state Education Department already offers someguidance to homeschool families and conducts some oversight of private day cares and preschools that receive public funding. His goal is to help parents ﬁnd thebest school for their children, regardless of what

type of school they prefer, Brumley said.

“I’vealways wanted families in thedriver’s seat to pick theschool that makes the mostsense for their children,” he said.

Henry also asked during the hearing if any other agency was equippedto oversee LA GATOR, adding that the state Department of Treasury might be an option. Last year,people involved in crafting the LA GATOR bill haddiscussedputting the statetreasuryinchargeof the program,but the final bill gave that responsibility to theEducation Departmentand thestate board of education.

In an interview Monday, state Treasurer JohnFleming said that no one had contacted his ofﬁceabout overseeing LA GATOR, but added that his agency “stands ready tohelp out”ifasked. Flemingsaid he thinksit’s valid to questionwhether overseeing public schools and LA GATOR creates “potential conﬂicts of interest.”

For example, because the state superintendent of education is ultimately responsible forpublic schools’ performance, that person might hesitate to send money to private schools if doing so couldundermine thepublic system,Fleming suggested.

He said thatwas less of an issuewithBrumley, because he is “somebody who does believe in private sector education.”

“But future directorsof education, maybe not so much,” Fleming said, “particularly if they are just dead-set against theideaof public money going to private schools.”

What’s next forLAGATOR

While lawmakers this year debated how muchmoney to give LA GATOR, theyrepeatedly put off approving a contract extensionfor Odyssey,aNew York-based company hired to manage the program.InApril, Landry lashed outatlawmakers over the delay,saying it was hurting families.

On Friday,the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budgetapprovedthe one-year contract extension, which is worth up to $1.9 million. The company will be paid about $144 per participating student, plus some additional money for services suchas creating training videos to showfamilieshow to navigate anew online portal that will allow them to use their LA GATOR grants to pay tuitionorpurchasethingslike laptops or private tutoring. Brumley said he expects the company only to receive about$1.2 million because fewerstudents willparticipate than initially projected. He added that he hopes LA GATOR remains underthe purviewofhis agency,which hasoverseenits development over the past year

“Right now,” he said, “this is probably thebestplace for the program to be for a successful launch.”

Email Patrick Wall at patrick.wall@theadvocate. com.

Henry Brumley

STAFFFILE PHOTOByMICHAEL JOHNSON

killed in the state Senate during

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U.S. stocks rally, oil price tumbles

U.S. stocks rallied, and the price of oil tumbled Monday on hopes that Iran will not disrupt the global ﬂow of crude, something that would hurt economies worldwide but also its own, following the United States’ bunker-busting entry into its war with Israel.

The S&P 500 climbed 1%, coming off a week where stock prices had jumped up and down on worries about the conﬂict potentially escalating. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 374 points, or 0.9%, and the Nasdaq composite gained 0.9% The price of oil initially jumped 6% after trading began Sunday night, a signal of rising worries as investors got their ﬁrst chance to react to the U.S bombings. But it quickly erased all those gains and swung to a sharp loss as the focus shifted from what the U.S military did to how Iran would react.

By late Monday, the price of a barrel of benchmark

U.S. oil had dropped 7.2% to settle at $68.51 after brieﬂy topping $78 That brought it nearly all the way back to where it was before the ﬁghting began over a week ago, when it was sitting just above $68.

The losses accelerated sharply after Iran announced a missile attack on Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, which the U.S. military uses. Iran’s retaliation did not seem to target the ﬂow of oil. The fear throughout the Israel-Iran war has been that it could squeeze the world’s supply of oil, which would pump up prices for it, gasoline and other products reﬁned from crude N.Y. seeks to build new nuclear power plant

New York’s governor on Monday proposed the construction of the state’s ﬁrst new nuclear power plant in decades Gov Kathy Hochul directed the state’s power authority to develop an advanced, “zeroemission” facility in upstate New York that she hopes will help create a clean, reliable and affordable electric grid for the state.

She said the state power authority will seek to develop “at least” one new nuclear energy facility with a combined capacity of no less than one gigawatt of electricity That would increase the state’s total nuclear capacity to about 4.3 gigawatts.

The Democrat, speaking at the Niagara County Power Project in Lewiston, said the state needs to secure its “energy independence” if it wants to continue to attract large manufacturers that create good-paying jobs as it deactivates aging fossil fuel power plants.

Acknowledging critics of nuclear power, she pledged that the new facility or facilities would be safer than their predecessors.

“This is not your grandparents’ nuclear reactor,” Hochul said “The new plan will be a model of 21st-century nuclear design with safety at the forefront, automatic safety systems to enhance the containment, and rigorous environmental standards.”

U.S. home sales in May barely move Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes edged higher in May, as stubbornly high mortgage rates and rising prices made homebuying less affordable even as the inventory of properties on the market continued to increase.

Existing home sales rose 0.8% last month from April to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.03 million units, the National Association of Realtors said Monday Sales fell 0.7% compared with May last year The latest home sales fell topped the 3.95 million pace economists were expecting, according to FactSet The national median sales price rose 1.3% in May from a year earlier to $422,800, an alltime high for May

$400M project planned for Ascension

Linde unit will support proposed ammonia facility

BY CHRISTOPHER CARTWRIGHT Staff writer

Industrial gases and engineering company Linde announced plans Monday to build a $400 million air separation unit on Ascension Parish’s west bank.

The unit will be the largest in the Mississippi River corridor and will supply oxygen and nitrogen to the proposed CF Industries “Blue Point” ammonia production facility, according to an announcement from Louisiana Economic Development. LED said the Linde unit will create 15 direct new jobs.

Sean Durbin, Linde’s executive vice president for North America, said the project will enable the

company to strengthen its industrial gas infrastructure, increase manufacturing capacity and contribute to efforts to lower the carbon output of ammonia production.

The news follows similar announcements for the area, including a separate ammonia plant and a Hyundai steel mill touted by President Donald Trump and Gov Jeff Landry Welcomed by local leaders, including Donaldsonville Mayor Leroy Sullivan and council member Oliver Joseph, residents living near the selected sites have pushed back against the plans. Many fear ammonia leaks similar to the one at the Donaldsonville CF Industries plant in 2022, which forced a local primary school’s temporary evacuation.

The Linde unit is expected to begin construction in 2026 and start up in 2029.

A $4 billion CF Industries ammonia facility that the Linde unit will supply is planned for a large tract

of land near the unincorporated community of Modeste. The plant, which is expected to use carboncapture and sequestration technology, will create 103 direct new permanent jobs with an average salary of $110,000.

In LED’s announcement, Parish President Clint Cointment said the plan signaled a “powerful afﬁrmation” of the west bank’s “industrial future.”

“With three major announcements in just four months, we’re witnessing a commitment to revitalize a rural area that’s long been overlooked. The west bank is rising — this is just the beginning,” Cointment said.

The company is expected to seek an industrial tax exemption from the state, which waives 80% of property taxes for up to 10 years.

Along with the Linde and CF Industries projects, Hyundai and Texas-based Clean Hydrogen

Works have announced multibillion-dollar investments in the area.

Recent public hearings have shown mixed reactions by locals. Elected officials, including Sullivan and Joseph, have supported the plans because of the jobs they’ll bring.

Residents living near the sites have raised concerns about pollution, safety and whether jobs will go to area residents.

To assist the development, the Ascension Parish Council passed a resolution last month allowing the parish government to look into creating a property buyout plan for residents near the facilities. Some of those residents, who have owned their land for generations, say they have no plans to leave.

Linde has facilities in Geismar, St. Charles Parish, Vidalia, Lake Charles and Sulphur, along with a pipeline network across the southern portion of the state In 2024, it reported sales of $33 billion.

BY BERNARD CONDON AP business writer

NEWYORK Elon Musk promised in 2019 that driverless Tesla “robotaxis” would be on the road “next year,” but it didn’t happen. A year later, he promised to deliver them the next year, but that didn’t happen either Despite the empty pledges, the promises kept coming. Last year in January, Musk said, “Next year for sure, we’ll have over a million robotaxis.”

Would you settle for 10 or 12?

Musk appears to be on the verge of making his robotaxi vision a reality with a test run of a small squad of self-driving cabs in Austin, Texas, that began Sunday Reaching a million may take a year or more, however, although the billionaire should be able to expand the service this year if the Austin demo is a success.

The stakes couldn’t be higher, nor the challenges.

While Musk was making those “next year” promises, rival Waymo was busy deploying driverless taxis in Los Angeles, San Diego, Austin and other cities by using a different technology that allowed it to get to market faster It just completed its 10 millionth paid ride.

Boycotts related to Musk’s politics have tanked Tesla’s sales. Rival electric vehicle makers with newly competitive models have stolen market share. And investors are on edge after a $150 billion stock wipeout when Musk picked a social media ﬁght with a U.S. president overseeing federal car regulators who could make the robotaxi rollout much more difficult. The stock has recovered somewhat after Musk said he regretted some of his remarks.

Tesla shareholders have stood by Musk over the years because he’s deﬁed the odds by building a successful standalone electric vehicle company — self-driving car promises aside — and making them a lot of money in the process. A decade ago, Tesla shares

BY DAVID MCHUGH AP business reporter

The war between Israel and Iran has raised concerns that Iran could retaliate by trying to close the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important oil chokepoint, due to the large volumes of crude that pass through it every day

The U.S. military’s strike on three sites in Iran over the weekend has raised questions about how its military might respond.

The Strait of Hormuz is between Oman and Iran, which boasts a ﬂeet of fast-attack boats and thousands of naval mines as well as missiles that it could use to make the strait impassable, at least for

traded for around $18. The shares closed Monday at $348. Musk seemed jubilant Sunday morning, posting on X, “The @Tesla_AI robotaxi launch begins in Austin this afternoon with customers paying a $4.20 ﬂat fee!” The test is beginning modestly enough. Tesla is remotely monitoring the vehicles and putting a person in the passenger seat in case of trouble. The number of Teslas deployed will also be small — just 10 or 12 vehicles — and will pick up passengers only in a limited, geofenced area.

Musk has vowed that the service will quickly spread to other cities, eventually reaching hundreds of thousands if not a million vehicles next year

Some Musk watchers on Wall Street are skeptical.

“How quickly can he expand the ﬂeet?” asks Garrett Nelson, an analyst at CFRA.

“We’re talking maybe a dozen vehicles initially It’s very small.”

Morningstar’s Seth Goldstein says Musk is being classic Musk: Promising too much, too quickly

a time. Iran’s main naval base at Bandar Abbas is on the north coast of the strait. It could also fire missiles from its long Persian Gulf shore, as its allies, Yemen’s Houthi rebels, have done in the Red Sea. About 20 million barrels of oil per day, or around 20% of the world’s oil consumption, passed through the strait in 2024. Most of that oil goes to Asia. The strait connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. It’s 21 miles wide at its narrowest point, but deep enough and wide enough to handle the world’s largest crude oil tankers. Oil that passes through the strait comes from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait and Bahrain, while major supplies of liqueﬁed natural gas

“When anyone in Austin can download the app and use a robotaxi, that will be a success, but I don’t think that will happen until 2028,” he says. “Testing is going to take a while.” Musk’s tendency to push up the stock high with a bit of hyperbole is well known among investors.

In 2018, he told Tesla stockholders he had “funding secured” to buy all their shares at a massive premium and take the company private. But he not only lacked a written commitment from ﬁnanciers, according to federal stock regulators who ﬁned him, he hadn’t discussed the loan amount or other details with them.

More recently, Musk told CNBC that Tesla was experiencing a “major rebound” in demand. A week later an auto trade group in Europe announced sales had plunged by half Musk has come under ﬁre for allegedly exaggerating the ability of the system used for its cars to drive themselves, starting with the name Full Self-Driving is a misnomer The system still requires drivers to keep their eyes on the road because they may need to intervene and take control at any moment.

come from Qatar At its narrowest point, the sea lanes for tankers lie in Omani waters, and before and after that cross into Iranian territory While some global oil chokepoints can be circumvented by taking longer routes that simply add costs, that’s not an option for most of the oil moving through the strait. That’s because the pipelines that could be used to carry the oil on land, such as Saudi Arabia’s EastWest pipeline, don’t have nearly enough capacity “Most volumes that transit the strait have no alternative means of exiting the region,” according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. If Iran blocked the strait, oil prices could shoot as high as $120$130 per barrel, at least temporarily, said Homayoun Falakshahi,

head of crude oil analyst at Kpler, in an online webinar Sunday That would deal an inﬂationary shock to the global economy — if it lasted. Analysts think it wouldn’t. Asia would be directly impacted because 84% of the oil moving through the strait is headed for Asia; top destinations are China, India, Japan and South Korea. China gets 47% of its seaborne oil from the Gulf. China, however, has an oil inventory of 1.1 billion barrels, or 21/2 months of supply U.S. oil customers would feel the impact of the higher prices but would not lose much supply The U.S.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ERIC GAy

in Austin, Texas.

Stay cool in this week’s heat, even without air conditioning

Heat doesn’t just mean canceled events

BY CALEIGH WELLS and MELINA WALLING Associated Press

NEW YORK An intense and nearly historic weather pattern is cooking much of America under a dangerous heat dome this week with triple-digit temperatures in places that haven’t been so hot in more than a decade.

A key measurement of the strength of the high pressure broke a record Monday and was the third-highest reading for any date, making for a “near historic” heat wave, said private meteorologist Ryan Maue, a former National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration chief scientist. The worst of the heat was likely to peak for Northeastern cities on Tuesday forecasters said “Like an air fryer, it’s going to be hot,” Maue said.

Continued from page 1A

Iran attack against U.S Iran’s attack Monday indicated it was prepared to step back from escalating tensions in the volatile region.

The U.S. was warned by Iran in advance, and there were no casualties, said Trump, who dismissed the attack as a “very weak response.”

Qatar condemned the attack on Al Udeid Air Base as “a flagrant violation” of its sovereignty, airspace and international law Qatar said it intercepted all but one missile, though it was not clear if that missile caused any damage.

Iran said the volley matched the number of bombs dropped by the United States on Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend. Iran also said it targeted the base because it was outside of populated areas.

Those comments, made immediately after the attack, suggested Iran wanted to deescalate with the United States, something Trump himself said after the strikes early Sunday on Iran.

Qatar Maj. Gen. Shayeq Al Hajri said 19 missiles were ﬁred at the base that is home to the Combined Air Operations Center which provides command and control of air power across the region, as well as the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, the largest such wing in the world. Trump said 14 missiles were ﬁred, 13 were knocked down and one was “set free” because it posed no threat.

Iran announced the attack on state television, with a caption calling it “a mighty and successful response” to “America’s aggression.”

Just before the explosions, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian wrote on the social platform X: “We neither initiated the war nor seeking it. But we will not leave invasion to the great Iran without

“This is a three-day stretch of dangerous heat that will test the mettle of city dwellers who are most vulnerable to oppressive heat waves.”

A heat dome occurs when a large area of high pressure in the upper atmosphere acts as a reservoir, trapping heat and humidity. A heat wave is the persistence of heat, usually three days or more, with unusually hot temperatures. So here are some tips to stay safe.

When does heat become dangerous?: The answer depends on more than the temperature. The most detailed measurement is called the wet bulb globe temperature, which includes temperature, humidity, cloud cover and wind. The heat index, which measures temperature and humidity is less descriptive but easier to find on weather apps. Both explain why a shaded soccer field on a 90-degree day in arid Phoenix may be less risky than an exposed park on an 80-degree day in soupy Lit-

answer.

Earlier reports that a missile was launched at a base housing American forces in Iraq were a false alarm, a senior U.S. military ofﬁcial said. The ofﬁcial, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment publicly, said debris from a malfunctioning Iranian missile targeting Israel had triggered an alert of an impending attack on the Ain al-Assad base

By early Tuesday, Qatar Airways had resumed its ﬂights after Qatar shut down its airspace over the Iranian attack on Al Udeid Air Base. Flight-tracking data showed commercial aircraft again flying in Qatari airspace, signaling Doha believed the threat on the energy-rich nation had passed.

Symbolic targets Israel and Iran traded airstrikes early Tuesday morning.

Iran struck Israel with a barrage of missiles and drones while Israel said it attacked “regime targets and government repression bodies in the heart of Tehran.”

Earlier, Israel’s military put out a warning that District 6 in Tehran could be struck, while Iran, mirroring the language and maps of the Israeli military, warned people in Ramat Gan it would target military infrastructure” there.

But Israeli ofﬁcials insisted they did not seek the overthrow of Iran’s government, their archenemy since the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The latest strikes unfolded only hours after Trump himself mentioned the possibility of regime change a day after inserting America into the war with its stealthbomber strike on three Iranian nuclear sites

“If the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change???” he asked on his

tle Rock.

Just based on heat index, NOAA has a chart that calculates how dangerous prolonged exposure can be. For example, a day where temperatures reach 96 degrees and 45% humidity would fall into the “danger” category for prolonged exposure or strenuous activity

The WBGT threshold isn’t exact, but recent research suggests that even some young, healthy people can’t

Truth Social website.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later described Trump as “simply raising a question.”

The U.S. strikes over the weekend had prompted fears of a wider regional conflict. Iran said the U.S. had crossed “a very big red line” with its risky gambit to strike with missiles and 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs.

Before the news of a ceaseﬁre, an Israeli ofﬁcial, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss high-level internal deliberations, said Israel aimed to wind down the war in the coming days, but that it would depend on the Iranians.

Israel’s preferred outcome is for Iran to agree to a ceasefire and reenter negotiations with the U.S. over its nuclear program, the official said. But Israel is prepared for the possibility of an extended low-intensity war of attrition or period of “quiet for quiet,” in which it would closely monitor Iran’s activities and strike if it identifies new threats.

Israel strikes prison

Before the ceasefire announcement, the Israeli military warned Iranians it would continue to attack military sites around Tehran as its focus shifted to include symbolic targets The military issued the warning on the social platform X, though Iranians are struggling to access the outside world due to an internet shutdown.

In Tehran, Israel hit the headquarters of the military force that suppressed recent protests and blew open a gate at Evin prison. That facility is known for holding political activists. Iranian state television shared black-and-white surveillance footage of the strike at the facility known for holding dual nationals and Westerners often used by Iran as bargaining chips in negotiations with the West Evin also has specialized

visits to the emergency room.

“When we have overnight temperatures that don’t drop below 75 degrees,” she said, “you start to see some pretty extraordinary outcomes with respect to heat illness and heatstroke, and even mortality.”

Ward’s answer: Find air conditioning. That might be at home, but she said census data overcounts how many people have access.

endure hours of exposure to high heat and humidity

How to cool down: Overnight lows can be a particularly dangerous part of a heat wave, said Ashley Ward, director of the Heat Policy Innovation Hub at Duke University

“Your body needs a reprieve,” she said. “You don’t get that overnight, we start the next day at a deficit.” Heat can worsen labor productivity and lead to more

units for political prisoners run by the paramilitary, all-volunteer Revolutionary Guard, which answers only to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The facility is the target of both U.S and European Union sanctions.

There were no immediate reports of casualties in Iran or signiﬁcant damage.

Iranian state television aired footage it said was shot inside Evin, with prisoners under control. However, the Washington-based Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran said many families of detainees “have expressed deep concern about the safety and condition of their loved ones” in the prison.

The Israeli military also confirmed it struck roads around Iran’s Fordo enrichment facility to obstruct access to the site. The underground site was one of those

If you can’t afford to cool the whole house, Ward said, create a “cool corner” and sleep there, so your body is prepared to tackle the next day Evaporative or “swamp” coolers can help in dry heat, but they increase humidity and can make it more difﬁcult to cool down. In humid places, just use a fan.

If you don’t have air conditioning, ﬁnd public places that do, including movie theaters, malls and libraries. Some communities set up cooling centers. Depending on where you

hit in Sunday’s attack by the United States. The Israeli military did not elaborate.

In Vienna, the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog said he expected there to be heavy damage at the Fordo facility following Sunday’s U.S. airstrike there with sophisticated bunkerbuster bombs.

Several Iranian officials, including Atomic Energy Organization of Iran spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi, have claimed Iran removed nuclear material from targeted sites ahead of time.

Iran presses on attacking Iran said its Monday attacks targeted the Israeli cities of Haifa and Tel Aviv, according to Iranian state television.

Explosions were also heard in Jerusalem, possibly from air defense systems in action, and Israel’s Magen Da-

live, the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program can help you buy a window air conditioning unit, according to the National Council on Aging. Some local nonproﬁts and civic organizations can also help you access one if cost is a burden. Knowing heat illness symptoms: Heat illness symptoms can vary by person, Venkat said. Medications or underlying conditions can also make it harder to regulate body temperature or notice you’re getting too hot. Early trouble signs include heavy sweating muscle cramps and headache. That’s when you stop what you’re doing and cool yourself off — for example, by splashing yourself with cold water or ﬁnding an air conditioned space. As heat exhaustion sets in, new symptoms arrive, including faster heart rate and dizziness. Next comes heatstroke, which can include confusion, slurred words and fainting. Ward said that’s when to call 911.

vid Adom emergency rescue service said there had been no reports of injuries.

In Israel, at least 24 people have been killed and more than 1,000 wounded in the war Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 974 people and wounded 3,458 others, according to the Washington-based group Human Rights Activists.

The group, which has provided detailed casualty ﬁgures from Iranian unrest such as the protests surrounding the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022, said of those killed, it identiﬁed 387 civilians and 268 security force personnel.

The U.S. has evacuated some 250 American citizens and their immediate family members from Israel by government, military and charter flights that began over the weekend, a State Department ofﬁcial said.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO

A man runs past a fountain Friday in Kansas City, Mo., as temperatures approach 100 degrees.

TIGERS! RIGE Congrats

CHAMPIONS IN BASEBALL.

CHAMPIONS IN HEALTHCARE.

Swamp diversion plan gets funding boost

CPRA-led project awarded $60M grant

BY JOSIE ABUGOV Staff writer

The dying Maurepas Swamp between Baton Rouge and New Orleans is another step closer to being revitalized thanks to a $60 million grant, the last major funding needed to construct the nearly $500 million project within one of the largest forested wetlands in the

BR civic activist recalled as ‘a huge force’

BY TIMOTHY BOONE Staff writer

Mary Jane Marcantel, a Baton Rouge civic activist who backed downtown neighborhoods and played a role as investigator in high-proﬁle criminal cases, died Saturday Marcantel, 77, was a longtime advocate for Spanish Town and served as president of the neighborhood civic association for years. In recent years, she moved to Beauregard Town and began to lobby for that neighborhood “She was a huge force,” said Darryl Gissel, a longtime Spanish Town resident and close friend of Marcantel’s. “If it wasn’t for Mary Jane, Spanish Town wouldn’t be what it is today.”

Marcantel was the first paralegal in Louisiana and worked as an investigator for Camille Gravel, the Alexandria attorney who represented a number of high-profile politicians. She helped with the defense on trials involving former Gov Edwin Edwards and longtime Louisiana Agriculture Commissioner Bob Odom. Her background played a role in making sure Spanish Town got adequate police protection, Gissel said. “Without her knowledge, passion and fighting spirit, our neighborhood would have remained a mere blighted spot on our city’s landscape.”

Casey Tate, assistant executive director of the Downtown Development District, said Marcantel was instrumental in getting Spanish Town and Beauregard Town residents to back the property tax that led to the formation of the agency Marcantel served as a liaison between Spanish Town residents and the Police Department, making sure the neighborhoods stayed safe at a time when urban neighborhoods hold a stigma for crime, Tate said. Along with her background in defense work, Marcantel helped a number of crime victims get

country

The project, led by the state’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, aims to reunite the swamp with the Mississippi River after more than 80 years of separation. The diversion project, which broke ground in December, is also one of the biggest investments the RESTORE council that allocates settlement dollars from the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon disaster has funded. In the decades since the levee system disconnected the swamp from

the river, the Maurepas ecosystem of cypress trees and migratory birds along Interstate 10 has seriously dwindled. The project is expected to replenish around 45,000 acres of wetlands over the next 50 years, protecting residents in four nearby parishes from storm surge while reviving a formerly popular ﬁshing and wildlife spot

“This is a game changer for the people and economy of the region,” said CPRA Chair Gordon “Gordy” Dove. “Bringing the river back into the Maurepas Swamp means

healthier wetlands, stronger protection for local communities and a boost for the local economy It’s about making sure future generations can live, work and thrive here.”

Beyond the swamp restoration, the project also has an additional cost-sharing beneﬁt The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will use some of the restored area — around 9,000 acres to offset environmental damage caused by the construction of the nearby West Shore Lake Pontchartrain levee project. This is the

ﬁrst time that the Army Corps has agreed to use a state coastal project for its required mitigation. The total cost of the West Shore project is estimated at $3.7 billion. The roughly $500 million for Maurepas is the best estimate of what will be needed for the diversion itself and the ﬁrst few miles of the levee that overlaps with the channel, CPRA project manager Brad Miller said This

Police: Fistfight escalates into shooting ä See

page

A taste of Omaha

Retirement community continues Tiger tailgate with pizzas, Jell-O shots

BY JOY HOLDEN Staff writer

As the Tigers prepared to take the ﬁeld in Omaha, Nebraska, on Sunday for the College World Series ﬁnals, St. James Place, a retirement community in Baton Rouge, was gearing up for another big watch party for its residents.

Before the UCLA-LSU game was postponed June 16, residents competed in their own Jell-O shot challenge. But this time, Jell-O shots weren’t the only Rocco’s-inspired delicacy

Pizzas straight from the Omaha restaurant were delivered to Baton Rouge, along with burgers and

hot dogs from Omaha Steaks. The feast was set out in a room that was decked out in Rocco’s branding, complete with Rocco’s pizza boxes, red balloons and Rocco’s signage.

Nearly 150 septuagenarians and octogenarians roamed around the cafe, bar and pop-up seating area in their purple and gold, juggling hot dogs, pizza and Jell-O shots on their plates.

Mike the Tiger, wearing a gold LSU baseball jersey and plastic gold chain with a large Omaha Steaks pendant, walked around St. James and took pictures with residents, even sitting and catching a few at-bats during the game like a real fan.

Tonya Dixon, director of active lifestyles at the retirement community, knew on June 18, once LSU defeated Arkansas, that she had to make Sunday’s watch party for St.

Woman killed outside

James Place even more special than the previous Jell-O shot. She thought that a pizza party in the style of Rocco’s Pizza and Cantina, the home of the Jell-O Shot Challenge, would be ﬁtting.

Only one problem: How would she get Rocco’s pizza all the way from Omaha to Baton Rouge? Thursday morning, she called Rocco’s and spoke with the owner, Kevin Culjat. Dixon said he told her he was all in.

For a restaurant that doesn’t deliver in Omaha, getting 30 pizzas to Baton Rouge seemed to be quite a challenge.

Culjat called his friends at Omaha Steaks, who know how to ship food across the country They wanted in on the fun, too, so they committed to sending the hot dogs and burgers that they sell at Charles Schwab

ä See MARCANTEL, page 2B ä See OMAHA, page 2B

BY AIDAN MCCAHILL Staff writer

Authorities have identified 25-year-old Prenesha Wagner as the woman killed in a shooting outside a Baton

BR nightclub identified

license from the city’s Alcohol and Beverage Control Board, Morse said. The venue opened in April, according to social media posts by AllNite Entertainment, the promoter operating at the address. The account also posts music and videos of people dancing and drinking alcohol that appear to be ﬁlmed inside the club. Secretary of State’s Ofﬁce records show that Calvin Leverson is the principal of AllNite Entertainment LLC and its business license was revoked in May 2024. Court documents reveal Leverson has a lengthy criminal history, including recent charges for illegal possession of stolen weapons and criminal damage to property, which he posted a $15,000 bail for in February Police have questioned several people in the shooting, but have yet to make any arrests.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

Mary Jane Marcantel speaks during a meeting of the East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council in March. Marcantel, a Baton Rouge civic activist, died Saturday at 77.

Jan Risher is on vacation. Her column will return next week

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU mascot Mike the Tiger watches game 2 with Sissy Bateman, left, and Mary Dommert during St. James Place’s College World Series watch party Sunday in Baton Rouge with food from Rocco’s Pizza & Cantina and Omaha Steaks.

SWAMP,

MembersofLSU search committeenamed

Grouptasked with findingnext president

BY PATRICK WALL Staff writer

LSU’sboard announced the members of its presidential search committee Friday,acrucial ﬁrst step in the process of finding a new leader of Louisiana’sﬂagship university.

The 19-member committee includes health care executives, business leaders, twoprofessors, one LSU student and several members of LSU’sBoard of Supervisors, which oversees the LSU system. Five of the seven LSU board members on the committee were appointed by Gov.Jeff Landry

The committee will hire areplacement for former President William Tate IV,who stepped

OMAHA

Continued frompage1B

Field to St. James.

“We’re always excited to help bring people togetherfor experiences they’ll never forget,” Nate Rempe, Omaha Steaks president and CEO, wrote in an email, “and we hope our friends atSt. James Place cankeepthe celebrations sizzling throughoutthe ﬁnals!”

Afterseveral hoursofstrategizing, measuring andﬁguring outhow to ship 30 frozen pizzas, Culjat called Dixon and toldher the planwas ready to go. They just had to get the pizza to Baton Rouge in two days— fromNebraska.

The restaurantand steak company collaborated and shipped three boxes full of 10 frozen pizzas each in dry ice,along with frozen hamburger patties and hotdogs.

Andy Gaudiano, the director of dining servicesatSt. James Place, walked around the watch party with trays of Rocco’ssignature square-cut pizza. Every time another pie was ready in the kitchen, he brought it out to the residents.

“In the restaurant business, this is called apop-up, that’s an event that you didn’t really plan for,” Gaudiano said. “Of course, younever canplan for the national championship. So, about 48 hours ago, we started hearing about this party,and it just started to grow and grow.Then, Ihad to pull my team together. I’ve got the chef back there cookingpizzas and the burgers and thedogs, and I’m runningout here.”

Gaudiano and Dixon didn’t know what toppings Rocco’swas going to send. Every timethe kitchen staffopened anew box, they were surprised at the variety of pizzas.Throughoutthe game, the kitchen servedbuffalo chicken, spicy Hawaiian,cheese, pepperoni and garlic Parmesan chicken pizzas.

down this month to lead Rutgers University in New Jersey.LSU’s next president will lead asystem that includes campuses in Baton Rouge, Alexandria, Eunice and Shreveport,along withanagriculture center,biomedical research center and medical schools in New Orleansand Shreveport. The University of NewOrleans is also poisedto join the system under a new bill that Landryisexpected to sign into law

LSU Board Chair Scott Ballard, whom Landry appointed, said in an interview this month that a consulting ﬁrm will help the committeebegin identifying candidates this summer withthe goal of selectinganew president during thefall.

“This distinguished and engaged group brings deep expertise, institutional knowledge, and ashared commitment to identifying the next transformative leader for our universitysystem,” Ballard said in astatement Friday

Here are thecommittee members and their afﬁliations,asprovided by LSU:

n Ballard, chair, LSU Board of Supervisors

n Lee Mallett, vice chair,LSU BoardofSupervisors

n Valencia Sarpy Jones,past chair,LSU BoardofSupervisors

n Rémy Voisin Starns, past chair, LSUBoard of Supervisors

n James Williams, past chair, LSUBoard of Supervisors

n John Carmouche, supervisor

LSUBoard of Supervisors

n Blaise Zuschlag, supervisor, LSUBoard of Supervisors

n Ben Bordelon, president and CEO, Bollinger Shipyards

n Clarence Cazalot, immediate past chair,MDAnderson;former chair/president/CEO Marathon Oil; past chair LSU Foundation Board of Directors

n Paul Coreil, chancellor,LSU Alexandria

n Greg Feirn, CEO, LCMC Health

n EJ Kuiper,president and CEO, Franciscan Missionaries of Our LadyHealth System

n Pete November,CEO, Ochsner

Health

n Roger Ogden, business leader philanthropist, LSU Foundation BoardofDirectors

n Emily Otken, medical student,LSU Health Sciences Center Shreveport; formerstudent member,LSU Board of Supervisors

n Kenneth Schafer, BoydProfessor and Ball Family Distinguished Professor

n Ryan Theriot, executive vice president/COO of Parish Construction;former LSU and MLB player

n Daniel Tirone, LSU Faculty Senate president; associate professor,LSU College of Humanities & Social Sciences

n Bill Windham, ShreveportBossier business and industry leader

Email Patrick Wall at patrick. wall@theadvocate.com.

that held aresolution fromthe residents’ association thanking Rocco’sand Omaha Steaks. As the association’schairman, he was waiting to read it to the residents, andthenSt. James Place will send theresolution to Omaha

The resolution read, “St. James Place Residence Association extends their most sincere gratitude andappreciation to the city of Omaha, particularly to Rocco’s Pizza and Cantina andOmaha Steaks.”

With the pizza, hot dogs, burgers and Jell-O shots, the St.James Place residents relished the game and the meal.

Gunman in fatal shooting at large

Police seek person who fled Longridge Avenue scene

BY AIDAN McCAHILL Staff writer

fired near the11,000 block of Longridge Avenue. When they gotthere,officers learned thattwo people were involved in an argument that led to the shooting, according to authorities Marion Griffin, 27, wasshot during theargument, andtaken to alocal hospital wherehe later died, officials say. Authoritiessay theshooter fled thearea before police arrived.

Anyone having information relative to this shooting incident is urged to contact the Violent Crimes Unitat(225) 389-4869 or CrimeStoppers at (225) 344-7867.

MARCANTEL

Continued from page1B

justice. She unearthed evidenceagainstGeorge Paul “Joey” Smith, whowas convicted of arranging themurderfor hire of hissecond wife, Sheila Lemoine Smith, and was suspected in the disappearance of his third wife, Angela Pitz Smith. Pat Floyd, Pitz Smith’s mother,hired Marcantel to help findher daughter Former FBI agent Owen Odom, told TheAdvocatein 2000 that Marcantel “practically shamed us into taking the case” againstJoey Smith. Pitz Smithdisappearedin 1989, but Marcantel continued to work on the case as lateas this year,trying to track down her remains, said Rannah Gray,alocal public relations consultantand friend. “It’s unbelievable the work sheput into it,” shesaid.

“Seeing theresidents at St. James Placehavingfun with their own Jell-O Shot Challenge, then getting the call that they really wanted Rocco’sPizza for their LSU watch party,and being able to help make thathappen, is what the Jell-O Shot Challenge is allabout,” Culjat said. “It’sabout bringingfans together,nomatter where they are, and turning all that fun into something that helps students in need.”

SWAMP

Continued from page1B

funds. The estimated cost of the swamp restoration itselfisestimated at around $300 million.

Slated for completion in 2028, the finished 5.5-mile channel will bring water from the river into theswamp, with the infrastructure tying into the levee. The diversion will release relatively low amountsofriver water during the springtime at up to 2,000 cubic feet per second, levels mimicking the annual flooding that occurred before the levees were built Dovestressed that the Maurepas project is “a very small diversion,” in contrast to theBonnet Carre Spillway or the MidBarataria Sediment Diversion, whose construction has now been suspended. Dove opposes the Mid-Barataria coastal restoration projectinits currentformlargely because of the harmful effects it would have on commercial fishing, though advocates argue it is necessary to addressLouisiana’s land loss crisis.

Oneofthe residents in the

Openingsofthe Bonnet Carre spillway have also been controversial sincethey haveled to algae bloomsand other environmental harms in the Lake Pontchartrain Basinand along the Mississippi coastdue to the influx of fresh water and nutrient pollution.But the powerful diversion is an importantﬂoodcontrol measurefor theregion, redirecting water at arate up to 125 times that of the Maurepas project if necessary

“The RiverReintroduction into Maurepas Swamp project exemplifies the large-scale, sciencebased restoration that thecouncil wascreated to deliver,”said Mary Walker,executive director of the RESTORE Council. “Itreflects strong state and federal collaboration, andwe’re excited to seeit moving toward completion.”

As the project broke ground last year,the state’soldest coastal advocacy nonproﬁt also began planting scores of baldcypress and water tupelo trees in the swamp Over thenext three years, the Coalition toRestore Coastal Louisianawill plant 4,500trees on top of the8,000 it has planted since 2015.

crowd wasLarry Vanderleest, a Chicago native and Washington state transplant. He sat holding apurple-and-gold folder

Celebration was in the air,and the watch party was able to cheer the Tigers on to victory after theydefeated the Coastal CarolinaChanticleers 5-3 on Sunday to win their eighth College World Series title.

Email Joy Holden at joy.holden@ theadvocate.com.

Graybecame close with Marcantel during the investigation of Scott Rogers, apopular Baton Rouge television personality whowas chargedwith sexually abusing young men in his native England. Graycorresponded with aman in England whosaidhewas abused whilehewas amember of Rogers’ competitive dance academy.The manwas trying to get in touch with people in Baton Rouge about Rogers. Graypresented Marcantel with theemails sheexchanged with the manand asked about hiring her to research the case. “The ﬁrst words she saidwere, ‘I’m not going to charge you foranything that fell in your lap,’”Graysaid.

Marcantel’swork led to a federal grand jury hearing testimony related to aprobe into whether Rogers submittedfraudulent naturalization paperworkwhenheentered theU.S. Rogers was killed in amurder-suicide by aman believed to be his lover

“IfMary Janetold you something,you could take it to the bank,” Gray said. “She wouldn’thave said it without researching it.” Marcantel is survived by two children, ﬁve granddaughters and one great-granddaughter Funeral arrangements are pending.

Email TimothyBoone at tboone@theadvocate.com.

Astuffed tigerwithanOmaha Steaks chain sits along sideJell-O shots.

STAFF PHOTOSByMICHAEL JOHNSON

St. James Placeresidents work their waythroughaburger line at aCollegeWorld Series watchparty Sundayin Baton Rougewithfood from Rocco’sPizza &Cantina and Omaha Steaks.

at 11am

Beauchamp, Ida Mae

IdaMae Beauchamp was born on September3, 1937, she departed this life on June 20, 2025.

Ida leaves to cherish her precious memories four children Barbara Smith (Late Randal), Robert Beauchamp (Cherlyn), Linda Garrison (George) and Doris Richardson (Michael); ten grandchildrenAlicia George (Michael), Marcus Beauchamp (Sandrekia), Amanda Lodge (Aaron), Christopher Richardson (Ashley), Brittney Merritte (Jarrius), Stephanie Shockley (Vincent), Quentin Antoine (Tiaeh), Steven Smith (Jerika), Chassidy Gueldner (Cody) and Kendra Antoine; eight great grandchildren; one sister Mable Beauchamp and ahost of relativesand friends. Visitation will be held Wednesday, June 25, 2025, 9am until religious services at 11am at New Sunlight Baptist 1777 America St. Baton Rouge, La. 70802 Interment at Richardson Garden of Memories, 18872 Jefferson Hwy, Baton Rouge, La.

She was proceeded in death by her husband Joseph Beauchamp.

Christensen, Verda Ann Verda AnnChristensen passed away peacefully on 13 June 2025 at the Baton RougeGeneral hospital Verda was born in Amite, LA on Sept. 24, 1945 to MarvinVirgual Christensen andOlga Kauss Christensen. The family moved to Ponchatoula, LA in 1947 whereshe attended school until moving to Baton Rouge,LAin1955. Verda graduatedfrom Istrouma High Schooland attended LSU. Sheretired from the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals. She volunteeredatthe Council on Aging for several years. She enjoyed caningand helpingothers.Verda was amemberofTrinity Lutheran Church. She was preceded in death by her parents and is survived by her brother, Marvin "Mickey" Christensen(Jane), nephew Joseph Michael "Mike" Christensen (Cathy) and great nephew Dane Alexander Christensen Afamily graveside service will be held in the near future. The family would like to thankthe care giversfor their efforts the last few months, especially Johnette Sanders The family requests that instead of flowers that thosesoinclined make a

memorialdonation to Trinity Lutheran ChurchofBaton Rouge. Their website willallow donations on line. Just fill in the note that it is amemorial for VerdaChristensen.

Depew,Robert Wayne 'Bobby' Robert Wayne"Bobby Depewwas bornonSept 19, 1948 andpassedaway on June 18,2025. To view hisobituaryand express condolences online, please visit www.rabenhorst.com

Gilmore,Erick James

ErickJamesGilmore was born on November24, 1981inB.R., LA to Marie Gilmore and A. J. Ward. He passed awayonSaturday, June 14, 2025 in Houston, TX whereheresided. VisitationThursday, June 26, 2025, New Gideon B.C. 2552 BalisDr.,B.R., LAfrom 9:00 am until religious service at 11:00am. Interment Louisiana National CemeteryZachary, LA. Rev. Samuel Lofton, officiating. ServicesEntrusted to Hall Davisand SonFuneral Services.

Jarreau,Clarence Raymond Cliff

Clarence R. Jarreau,82, of Zachary, Louisiana, passed awayonJune 5, 2025. Clarence wasborn on October 21, 1942, in New Orleans, Louisiana.After graduating from InnisHigh School, he begana longcareer working for the City Parish of BatonRouge, Louisiana Clarenceissurvivedby his loving wifeof59years, LindaJarreau; daughter, Deborah Pitre; son, Kevin Jarreau; daughter-in-law Carrie Jarreau and grandchildren, TylerSylvester, PaigePitre, and Branson Jarreau.

Jarreau, Joseph Jay

Joseph Jay Jarreau passedawayonWednesday,June 18, 2025, at the age of 87. He was anative of Lakeland,LA, anda resident of Baton Rouge, LA Heservedtwo yearsinthe ArmyNational Guard. From 1980to2022, he ran and owned JarreauDrywall, Inc., after being in the industry forover 60 years. Joseph is survivedbyhis sons,Kenneth and Michael Jarreau; grandchildren, Kristenand John Michael Jarreau; great-grandchildren, Savannah and Adalynn; and other family members. He is preceded

in deathbyhis wife,Dollie L. Jarreau; daughter,Sherri D. Jarreau; parents, Gamotois and Delia Jarreau; and siblings,Leroy, Fred Joseph Allen, Amelcar,and LeviJarreau, Gladys St.Romain,Verda Berthelot,Rita Miletello,and Thelma Comeaux. Visitationwill be at Greenoaks Funeral Home,9595 Florida Blvd., BatonRouge,LA, on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, from 5pm to 8pm,and will resume at Greenoaks on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, from 9am until thetimeof funeralservices at 10am. Burial willimmediately followatGreenoaks Memorial Park.

Barbara "Nanny" Elaine Pace, 81, aresident of Gonzales, Louisiana, passed away unexpectedlyon June 20th, 2025. She was born in Alexandria, LouisianaonNovember 4th, 1943. Avisitation for Nanny will be held Wednesday, June 25, 2025 from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM at Ourso Funeral Home, 13533 Airline Hwy, Gonzales, Louisiana70737, followedbya funeralservice at 11:00 AM. Nanny willbe laid to rest in Serenity Oaks Memorial Park, 15304 Hwy 73, Prairieville, LA

Helen Robinson, 79, of Baton Rouge, passed away peacefully on June 16, 2025, at Our Ladyofthe Lake Hospital.BorninAbbeville, she was alongtime em-

ployee of the East Baton Rouge ParishSchool System and awoman of deep faith, knownfor herkindness, strength,and devotion to her family

Sheissurvived by her daughters, Angelaand Yolanda Robinson; grandson, Darryl Wayne Robinson; sister, Alice Francois; brother-in-law, Frank Francois; and many nieces, nephews, and friends.She was preceded in deathby her son, MarkusRobinson; grandchildren, Dominique and D'Angelo "Pookie" Robinson;her parents, Frendrick and Alice Robinson; grandmother, Lucy Minor; and siblings, Pearl Montgomery, Thomas, Per-

cy, Clarence, Fendrick,and Roland Robinson

Visitation will be held Saturday, June 28 at 9a.m followedbya Celebration of Life at 10 a.m. at Greater King DavidBaptistChurch, 222 Blount Rd, Baton Rouge. Interment at Winnfield Funeral Home

Robinson, Helen 'Ms. Helen'

Pace,Barbara'Nanny'

LSU’s eighth title is worth celebrating

After the LSU Tigers baseball team won its eighth national championship Sunday in Omaha, we were glad to see 87-year-old Skip Bertman —inevery sense the creator of what is now college baseball’ssupreme powerhouse —onthe ﬁeld after the game, celebrating the longevity of what he built

The 5-3 win over Coastal Carolina further cements LSU as the greatest program in college baseball over the last 40 years. It’snot even close. After all, the Tigers were largely moribund until Bertman arrived in the mid-1980s. He took LSU to its first Men’sCollege World Series in 1986. But it wasn’tuntil Bertman’steam won its first title in 1991 that the program took off. Histeams followed that first championship with wins in 1993, 1996, 1997 and 2000. The Tigers won again in 2009 under Paul Manieri and in 2023and this year underJay Johnson. It’s fair to say that LSU’ssuccess has been one of the key drivers in the growthofcollege baseball as asport.

To be sure, Sunday’steam played afar different style than Bertman’sdid. Those great teams of the 1990s were known for their “gorillaball” approach with lineups full of mashers looking to hit one deep. This title was won with dominant pitching by Kade Anderson and AnthonyEyanson, as wellas timelyhitting, especially from Steven Milam.

The sustained success is atribute not justto Bertman, Manieri and Johnson, but to dozens of coaches, hundreds of players and, yes, thousands of fans.

We’d speciﬁcally like tooffer congratulations to that last group. In addition toproviding avocal boost throughout the ten days of the tournament —and, of course, easily outpacing the other fan bases in the consumption of JellOshots —they also took it upon themselves to rally behind Michael Braswell III, asenior third baseman who was struggling at theplate.

During Braswell’sat-bats in the ﬁnals, the LSU faithful gave him multiple standing ovations and chanted his name, offering awelcome counterpoint to the cynicism and meanness that sometimes creeps intocollege sporting events. It was simply Tigerfans lifting up one of their own.

To his credit, Braswell did not let his struggles at the plate affect his play in the ﬁeld, where he was akey cog in adefense that smothered opponents.

The big win gave LSU and the stateofLouisiana abit of achance to show off, both on the ﬁeldand in thestands. Some may scoff that it’s just sports, but we believe sportsare an important expression of our cultural identity, our sense of community and our pride in our state. In that vein, we tip ourcaps tothe Tigers, to Johnson,toBertman and toall those who cheered the team on to victory.Enjoy No. 8.

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE WELCOME.

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

OPINION

Do more to help families afford insurance

As aresident of Assumption Parish, tucked along rural Bayou Lafourche, Iaminperil —just like theland Icall home. Hurricane season is here, and forecasters predict it will be brutal. Butlong before thewinds whip and waters rise,manyofusare already underwater Ilive on heirs’ property —not arenter,not adocumented owner —making me ineligible for insurance and excluded from programs like RESTORE Even if Idid qualify,premiums are skyrocketing and out of reach. This isn’tjust my story —it’smyneighbors’, my community’sand countless

others across Louisiana. Many live in mobile homes and must evacuate during even moderate storms. In this state where climate crisis collides with poverty and political neglect,our qualityoflifecontinues to erode. Despite the high-ranking visibility of our congressional delegation —Speaker Mike Johnson andMajority Leader Steve Scalise —Louisiana consistently ranks as one of the worst places to liveinthe country As asocial entrepreneur working to create opportunity through community-rooted innovation, I’ve met barriers at every turn: red tape, closed

Warnings from founders about divisiveness echo throughhistory

In 1787-1788, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay wrote aseries of newspaper articles, The Federalist Papers, under thepen name Publius, in which they argued for theratiﬁcation of our new Constitution. Hamilton,in No. 6, on Nov.14, 1787, warned of thedangers facing our new nation, not from foreign nations, but from dissensions between the states and amongstourselves.

“Such are the rivalships and competitions of commerce between commercial nations. And there are others, not less numerous than either of the former,which taketheir origin entirely in private passions;inthe attachments, enmities,interests, hopes and fears of leading individuals in the communities of which they are members. Men of this class, whether the favorites of aking or of apeople, have in too manyinstances abused theconﬁdence they possessed; and assuming thepretextofsome

WatchingPresident Donald Trump’sresponse during theJan. 6, 2021 attempted insurrection as well as his decisions on how to handle theimmigration crisis reminds me of ascene in the movie “Casablanca.”

After Louie’sFrench police-

public motive, have not scrupled to sacriﬁce the national tranquility to personal advantage or personal gratiﬁcation.”

Hamilton cites Pericles, who“destroyed thecity of Samnians. The sameman,stimulated by private pique against theMegarensians, another nation of Greece, or to avoid aprosecution with which he was threatened or to get rid of the accusations prepared be brought against him for dissipating the funds of the state in the purchase of popularity. was the primitive author of that famous and fatal war the Peloponnesian War,”which brought about the end of theGolden AgeofGreece. Hamilton’swarning morethan 250 years ago seems as relevant today,considering the chaos that exists in the current Washington administration, as it was in Hamilton’s day

JOE BISHOP Abita Springs

men searched for the missing documentsinhis ofﬁce, Rick complained that they really had madea mess. Louie responded, “I told my men to be extra destructive. Iknow how that impresses theGermans.” ALEX CHAPMAN Ville Platte

doors and deaf —and too often, racist —ears. If Louisiana is to rise, it will require bold investment in our people, our resilience and anew kind of leadership rooted in equity,not empty promises.

To our elected ofﬁcials in Baton Rouge and Washington: What are you doing forregular folks like me, still living under blue tarps from hurricanes past?

The stormsare coming. And so is 2026, when every single member of Congress will face reelection.

DOROTHY NAIRNE Napoleonville

This year,The Advocate reported on the fifth anniversary of the pandemic, looking back at how Louisiana’shealth care system made adjustments to meet the moment and how it has adapted since. One primary change has been in the increased use of remote health care practices and telehealth, enabled by innovation and new technologies. As reported, “Patients still have access to these telehealth methods, giving way for a ‘new normal’ for many practitioners.” When it comes to dental care specifically teledentistry has been an extremely useful tool even before the pandemic, as Ican attest firsthand. As aLake Charles resident, Iknow how hard it can be to access affordable, convenient dental care. This is especially true in states like Louisiana, where all but six parishes are considered dentalhealth professional shortage areas.

That’swhy Iwas grateful to ﬁnd atelehealth option that allowed me to straighten my teeth from home, without the needfor expensive ofﬁce visits.

The process was simple. Ireceived aset of clear aligners in the mail and followed a schedule to switch them every two weeks. After six months, Imoved to nighttime retainers, which Istill use. Ididn’thave to take off work or travel long distances to seea specialist. Using aligners from ateledentistry platform ﬁt into my life and made areal difference, while staying affordable.

Teledentistry gave me an affordable,accessible option to address my dental issue that Iwouldn’thave had otherwise —and it worked. Innovative telehealth should continue to be available for others, just like it was for me. Ihope more people across Louisiana get to beneﬁt from this kind of care,asIdid. SHEENA CLOUATRE LakeCharles

“You don’tknow that I’mgoing to even do it. Imay do it. Imay not do it. Imean, nobody knows whatI’m going to do.”

So said the president earlier this month in one of those streamsofsemiconsciousness with whichheinforms us of his ﬂuid intentions. He was musing about intervening in Israel’swar against Iran.Asusual, the reiterated ﬁrstperson-singular pronoun was hismessage. When he knows what he wants to do, everyone, including Congress, for which governance has become aspectatorsport,will know because he will already have done it. As this was written Thursday before the weekend U.S. airstrikes, one questionwas whether he would order bombers to deliver,asonly they can, the only conventional (i.e., non-nuclear) munition that can destroythe most hardened targetinIran’snuclear weapons program. There was astrongargument for doing this. It would,however, have been not only polite but prudent forthe president to make thecase to the public. And although at this stage in our institutional decayitseems quaint to say so, it would be constitutionally proper for Congressto be somehow involved.

Acouple of weekends ago, many Americans —mostlyprogressives, surely —staged “No Kings” protests against what progressivism has done much to produce: today’srampant presidency Their chief concerns were domestic —unilateral spending cuts, deportations, etc. Aweek is,however,forever in today’spolitics. Today,progressives, those occasional constitutionalists, are fretting about uninhibited presidential warmaking.

Last week, Barack Obama descended from Olympus in his usual lecture mode, solemnly sharing his worries about Washington tendencies“consistent with autocracies.” Obama is and was asituational Madisonian. He rewrote immigration law after repeatedly and correctly insistinghehad no legitimate power to do so. And he intervened in Libya’scivil war by wagingwar there for almost eight months without seeking congressional authorizationorcomplying withthe law (the WarPowers Resolution). Obama argued,through his lawyers, that the thousands of airstrikes that killed thousands didnot constitute“hostilities.” Harvard law professor Jack Goldsmith

termed Obama “a matchless war-powersunilateralist.”

Presidents,who, unlike Congress, are alwaysondutyand can respond to crises with dispatch, are preeminent in foreign affairs. But not autonomous: Pertinent powers are shared with Congress. It is vested with the power (which it has largely sloughed off) to “regulate commerce with foreignnations.”The president is commander in chief of the armed forces, butCongress raises them.Presidents wagewars;Congress declares them.

The Senatemust consent to treaties the president negotiates. In his 2015 book on theframers’ creation of the presidency (“Imperial From the Beginning”),UniversityofVirginia law professor Saikrishna Prakash notes that, in the Embargo Authorization Act of 1794, Congress authorized thepresident to impose an embargo —but only for15daysand only when Congress wasnot in session.

The Justice Department’sexecutivefriendly Ofﬁce of Legal Counsel has repeatedly said that theconstitutional propriety of president-initiated military actionsmust be judged by their “nature, scope, and duration.”In“The President WhoWould Not Be King: ExecutivePower Under the Constitution” (2020),Stanford law professor Michael W. McConnell says the OLC’scriteria have legitimated unilateral presidential uses of force involving many billions of dollars and thousands of deaths

in Libya, Bosnia and Somalia: “Even if theconstitutional text does leave some room for the President to initiate hostilities short of full-bore war on his own authority,itishard to believe that executive power can properly be stretched as far as it has in recent times. The militaryengagement in Libya …was in no sense defensive, nor was there anything sudden about it. The president consulted for months with the United Nations and European allies, but did not go to theUnited States Congress.”

Prakashnotes that “‘monarch’ comes from ‘mono,” meaning ‘one’ or ‘single,’ and ‘arch,’ derived from ‘archon,’ meaning ruler.” Today’sfirst-personsingular-pronoun president said last week, “I have ideas as to what to do” and “I can go from one extreme to the other” and “I like to makeafinal decision one second before it’s due.” Congress last declared war many wars ago, on June 5, 1942, when, to clarify legal ambiguities during a world conflagration, it declared war on Hungary,Romania and Bulgaria. Today’sissue is not whether war on Iran should be formally declared but whether constitutional good manners, prudent sharing of responsibility, and adecent respect for the public and its elected representatives require acting other than monarchically Email George Will at georgewill@washpost.com.

President Donald Trumpisﬁnally building his wall. And Americans will pay forit.

WhereisBarack Obama? Democrats had been frustrated that their charismatic former presidenthad gonesilent on MAGA’s march of mayhem. Where is that smooth, persuasive voice? It has risen. Obama has spoken, and Democrats would do well to take in the message.

“You could be as progressive and sociallyconscious as you wanted,” Obama sternly toldan audience in Connecticut, “and you did not have to pay aprice. Youcould still make alot of money. Youcould still hang out in Aspen and Milan and traveland have ahouse in the Hamptons and still think ofyourself as aprogressive.”

aDaily Beast podcast. “Tell me when onebodyfrom that wing has ever run against aRepublican.”

In other words, many rich liberals paid no personal price for backing candidates destinedtolose ageneral election.

Politics for them served as afashion accessory That’sthe best explanation for Obama’sabsenceinDemocratic politics —that he’d given up.There was little point in going public after Democrats lost both houses of Congress and the presidency because theirradical messages freaked out voters. Recall how,aspresident, the activist left pilloried him for,among other responsible actions, deporting undocumented criminals.

Democratic strategist James Carville hitthe nail. “The progressives never beataRepublican,” he recentlytold

When interviewer Joanna Coles broughtupBernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez,Carville went into orbit. “Bernie has runfor president twice. He lost twice but when Igooncable TV or podcasts like this, the entire Democratic Party is AOC andBernie (Nevada Sen.) JackyRosen doesn’texist.OK, (Arizona Sen.) Ruben Gallego doesn’texist.(Michigan Sen.)Elissa Slotkin doesn’t exist. Inever get asked aboutthem.” Coles interjects that at least Bernieand AOC are doing something “They’re clearly puttingthemselves outthere.”

So what, Carville says. “AOC represents aplus-25 Democratic district.” Sure, shehas name recognition. “Do you knowhow manytimes on Fox News AOC is mentioned in aday?”

He goes on:“Every time that you see aDemocrat that is out there screaming andpoundingthe podium,ask yourself, have you everbeat aRepublican?”

Someliberals who had grown sloppy about supporting out-there politicians seem to be getting the message. The New York Times found itsfooting in an editorial warning Democrats against nominatingZohran Mamdani, ademocratic socialist, for New York City mayor.Heisnow running second to former New York Gov.Andrew Cuomo

in the Democratic primary polls. The Times notes that Mamdani would “bring less relevant experience than perhaps any mayor in New York history.”A statelegislator from Queens, Mamdani has never run any organization,public or private, of signiﬁcant size. He thinks government should run grocery stores!

Mamdani is not much into policing —and in acity consumed with public safety. Addressing aperceived decline in quality of life is also not his thing. Buthe’syoung and charismatic and radical. Naturally,AOC and Sanders are endorsing him.

The Times happily adopted Carville’s insistence in praising the approach of pragmatic Democrats. It names former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg, Houston mayors Annise Parker and Sylvester Turner.Italso gave a thumbs up to ﬁrst-term mayors Mike Johnston in Denver and Daniel Lurie in San Francisco.

In thelast presidential election, New York Citywent easily for theDemocrat but less easily than in the past.The party could strengthen its foundations by ﬁnding astrong progressive to replace AOC in theupcoming midterms

Something tells us that the 44th president would quietly approve. Obama has ﬁnally spoken, and he’sspeaking the truth.

Froma Harrop is on X, @ FromaHarrop. Email her at fharrop@ gmail.com.

Trumphas been walling off the United States from foreign-made goods, foreign-generated ideas, and mostsigniﬁcantly,foreign-born humans. This month, Trumpimposed anear-total ban on entry to the United States of citizens from 12 countries, plus apartial ban on nationals from nine additional countries. Recently,aleaked State Department memo said the administration might add 36 morecountries to the list.

The ostensible rationale for these bans is agrab-bag of excuses and grievances, based largely on garbage data and inconsistent metrics about purported immigration sins. One of the stated justiﬁcations forthe bans, for example, is to prevent visa overstays. But some of the countries that are mostguilty of this transgression —such as Canada, which can claim a huge share of all immigrants whooverstay their visas in the U.S. —are somehow not on the list. Countries on the naughty list do have some things in common, however: They tend to be lower-ormiddle-income, and majority non-White. For instance, Trump’sexpanded entry ban would cover mostsub-Saharan African countries. (South Africa is anotable exception.)

There is away forthese nations to be excused forhaving too much melanin or too little money

The State Department memo says Trumpmight overlook their purported failings if they are willing to accept third-country nationals kicked out of the United States. El Salvador has already blazed the trail forthis by ﬁlling awing of anotorious prison with Venezuelans sent by Trump. None of this should be surprising. Trumpand his allies have madeclear they don’twant immigrants, particularly those from what the president once referred to as “s---hole countries,” in adog whistle heard round the world. Notlong ago, alt-right inﬂuencers such as Charlie Kirk tweeted out nearly identical talking points, calling on Trumpto“ban third world immigration, legal or illegal.”

Odious as this sentiment is, it is at least more honest than other claims that Trumpand his supporters have madeabout his immigration agenda. It wasnever about “law and order” or hunting downcriminal gangbangers or making sure people came in “the right way” through the “big beautiful door” in Trump’swall. It is and always was about humiliating and discarding immigrants —regardless of their legal status or contributions to their communities, and especially if they are Black or Brown.

That’swhy,inrecent months, the administration has stripped hundreds of thousands of lawfulimmigrants of their permission to live and workhere, thereby converting “legals” into “illegals” by executive ﬁat. It’s also whyTrump paused or shut downmany orderly,legal pathways to enter the U.S. through visa programs(as students, au pairs, summer workers or refugees, forexample).

These decisions hurt not only immigrants (or would-be immigrants) themselves. They also harm America’sglobal inﬂuence, national security and the broader economy.Perhaps irreparably

Once the world’sshining city on ahill, America is now ejecting and rejecting refugees, asylum seekers and allies of our military,even though welcoming the “tempest-tost” has generated signiﬁcant softpower over the decades. Today we’re sending undesirables to foreign gulags or ﬁlthy container ships, often without due process. We have told countries whose help we will probably need in future geopolitical challenges —including manyAfrican countries already caught in the escalating U.S.-Chinese rivalry —that their citizens are barred from our soil.

Mass deportations and the chilling effect they have on immigrants’ willingness to show up to work already appear to be reflected in official economic data. Given that the administration has also recently revoked work permits formore than half amillion previously legal immigrants, these figures could get much worse soon, with dire results forsupply chains and local communities.

Higher-than-anticipated levels of immigration had contributed to the U.S. economy’sremarkable recovery coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic. Soon, we might see the reverse. More people might leave the United States than arrive this year forthe ﬁrst timeinhalf acentury,and huge numbers of workers working here legally might soon be forced onto the sidelines.

Afew big companies have mentioned these risks publicly,atleast in their ﬁnancial ﬁlings. But mostcorporate titans and other privatesector leaders have stayed curiously mumabout federal immigration actions, among other damaging Trumpeconomic policies.

That’sthe thing about walls: They keep the supposed barbarians out. But they also keep the real barbarism in.

Email Catherine Rampell at crampell@washpost.com.She is on X, @crampell.

Froma Harrop

Catherine Rampell

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CARLOSBARRIA

President Donald Trumparrives withVice President JD Vance, SecretaryofState MarcoRubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to speak from the East Room of the White House in Washington on Saturday, after the U.S. military struck three Iranian nuclear and military sites, directly joining Israel’sefforttodecapitate the country’s nuclearprogram.

George Will

SCHEINUK

FIRE STILLRAGES

OMAHA, Neb Jay Johnson’sbio from his ﬁrst season as atransfer inﬁelder at Point Loma NazareneUniversitylists his greatest sportsthrill in college up to that point:

“Beating Lassen College witha basesclearing double.” Times have changedfor Johnson. The thrills have grown. And multiplied Monday morning at theLSU baseball team hotel,the elevator doors parted and out walked Johnson andhis wife Maureen. Tucked under his arm wasthe

prizedheirloom they picked up during their two-week stay here —the NCAA championship trophy Johnson left asuccessful tenure at

BY TOYLOYBROWN III Staff writer

Foamfingers rose. Pens were uncapped ready for autographs. In the 95-degree heatofaBaton Rouge afternoon, asea of purple andgolduncorked aseason’s worth of joy

The nation’sbest college baseball team returned home from Omaha, Nebraska, on Monday, and the hundredsofLSU fans were more than ready to cheer for the

team members. “Electric,” LSUsenior third basemanMichaelBraswellsaid of the reception. “The best of the best. Not too many wordstodescribe it. There’s no better place to playincollegebaseball, and the

page 4C

BY TIM REYNOLDS AP basketball writer

OKLAHOMACITY

Arizona to come to LSU because of its tradition and its rabid fan support. He’s built on bothwith two College World Series titles in his ﬁrst four seasons, capped by Sunday’s5-3 victory over Coastal Carolina after Saturday’s1-0 win to start the CWS ﬁnal.

On Johnson’sslightly weary but clearly content face he wore agrin that you couldn’tscrub off with 24-grit sandpaper as he paused for autographs and

ä See RABALAIS, page 4C

The promise came three years agofrom Oklahoma City general manager Sam Presti. It might have been overlooked for acouple of reasons. One, the Thunderwas awfulatthe time. Two, he was speaking Latin. “Labor omnia vincit,”Presti said afterthe 2021-22 season, quoting amotto of Oklahoma. Depending on how Presti was translating it, it could have been “hard work conquers all” or “slow work conquers all.”

Eitherway,itappliestothe Thunder.Itdid the hard work slowly Anditconquered all. The Thunder—threeyears removed from winning 24 games won84games thisseason andis NBA champions after beating the Indiana Pacers in aseven-game NBA Finalsslugfestthatended Sundaynight with theThunder on top 103-91. Forthe rest of theNBA,this should be ascary development. Oklahoma Cityhas theMVP in ShaiGilgeous-Alexander.Heand all of Oklahoma City’s keyplayers are undercontract for next season, there’sa2024 lottery pick in Nikola Topic who didn’teven play this season because of atorn ACL, andthe Thundercurrently has two picks in thetop 24 in this year’sdraft as well. The OKC starters, right now,are

Johnson savors last moments with ’25 champions

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

OMAHA, Neb.— It didn’t take much for Jay Johnson to fall asleep Sunday night. Thenewly minted two-time national champion had just led LSU to its eighth national titleand second championship in threeyears.Asthe architect of the team that took down Coastal Carolina 5-3inGame 2ofthe College WorldSeries ﬁnal on Sunday at Charles Schwab Field, Johnson deserved somerest. He had spent countless hours constructing aroster that included12 transfers, three junior-college recruits and10freshmen.Before he ﬁnally went to bed, he wanted to meet with his team one moretime.

“Wespent 15 minutestalking about what this means. Andfor me, it’s special,” JohnsontoldThe Advocateon Monday morningbefore theteam departed forBaton Rouge. “I thinkthese guys are aworthychampion. Andthe wayour society is, you have to winthat last gametoberemembered forever And Ifelt like these guys are deserving of that.”

After leaving the ballpark Sunday,the celebration forJohnson continued back at the team hotel. That’swhere the team held its brief meeting before Johnson congregated with his coaching staff and afew players. He also got to spend more time withhis family before hitting the sack around 1a.m.

“Just wentover to the ballpark this morning, and (it was a) great moment,” Johnson said. “And excited to get back homenow and celebrate with our fans.”

Resting is rarely an option for Johnson. There’salways anext season and another team to build to get back to Omaha. Even Sunday night, Johnson wastexting withplayers in thetransferportaland committed high school recruits.

“It was more me responding to the guys that reached out to me than anything else,” he said.

Presumably, LSUwinninga second national titleinthreeyearsshould make building thenext championship

ä See JOHNSON, page 4C

27, 26, 26, 24 and 23. The Thunder should be contending forawhile.

“Wedeﬁnitely still have room to grow,” said Gilgeous-Alexander, the MVP,the NBAFinalsMVP, theleague’sscoring champion and nowanNBA champion. “That’s thefun part of this. So manyof us can still get better.There’snot verymany of us on the team that areinour primeorevenclose to it. We havealot to grow,individually and as agroup. I’m excited for thefuture of this team. This is agreat start, forsure.” Plenty of teams have questions

going into next season. Oklahoma City isn’tone of them. Jayson TatuminBoston,Damian Lillard in Milwaukee and now Tyrese Haliburton in Indiana all have Achilles injuries and ﬁgure to miss most, if not all, of next season.LeBron James of theLakers will be going into his 23rd season. Golden State’sStephen Curry is turning 38 next season.Kevin Durant, nowofHouston, is going into his 18th season. New York is dealing with acoaching change.

ä See NBA, page 3C

STAFF PHOTO By HILARy

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU first baseman Jared Jones carries the championship trophyMonday at Alex Box Stadiumafter the Tigers returned fromOmaha, Neb

p.m. The game will be televised by NBATV.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By AJ MAST

Consummate team player

BY TEDDY ALLEN Contributing writer

This is an entry in a proﬁle series of inductees for the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2025. The induction ceremony is set for Saturday in Natchitoches.

Vickie Johnson picked up a basketball as a challenge when she was 9 years old and used it to prove a point, ﬁrst in the backyard against her brother and two cousins in Coushatta, then on her way to becoming a two-time AllAmerican at Louisiana Tech, then through 13 seasons in the WNBA and a concurrent 15 overseas, and now through another 15 seasons as a WNBA coach.. Summer ball

AAU teammate Sarah Harrison Zeagler described Johnson as “polite, well-mannered, very bashful and shy and insanely talented.”

It’s that mix that vaulted Johnson, a 5-foot-9 guard with a pure all-around game and sweet baseline jumper, toward a spot in the 2025 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame class.

A year later, 1982, she saw Louisiana Tech and USC, titans of the women’s college game at the time, playing on television.

“I watched with my mom and it

I was thrilled, you know?” Johnson said. “I told her, ‘One day, I’m playing college basketball. I’m gonna play for the team in the blue, the team with the stars going down their jerseys.’ ”

The “team in blue” was the Lady Techsters, located about 70 miles from her home.

“Well,” said the woman everyone in Coushatta called “Mrs. Susie,” the single mom with three jobs, “if you’re gonna play for them, you’d better get back outside.”

By the time Johnson was a sophomore at Coushatta High, she committed to play for Tech

But it wasn’t the same program watched on TV in 1982. Tech fell

out of the Top 25 in 1990-91 for the ﬁrst time in 13 years, then lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The next season was equally mediocre.

“No question that Vickie coming to Louisiana Tech really helped put the program back on the national map,” Tech coach Leon Barmore said. “If we hadn’t signed that class — Vickie, Racquel Spurlock, Amy Brown — we would have disappeared from the national spotlight.”

As a freshman in 1992-93, Johnson helped take Tech to the NCAA regional ﬁnals. During her four

seasons, the Lady Techsters were 116-17 and finished as national runner-up in 1994.

“Vickie was the ultimate teammate,” Barmore said “She did whatever it took to win, whether that meant playing defense or scoring or just being a leader.”

Whether it was a trait developed in the backyard or through emulating her mother, Johnson’s selflessness came early

“Vickie could have played all ﬁve positions by herself,” Zeagler said. “She could see the ﬂoor everything, everywhere, like she had eyes in the back of her head.”

She did it with a silky grace and salty presence.

“She was as smooth a basketball player as I can remember coaching,” Barmore said. “She would roam the baseline and make that little jump shot all night. It was a beautiful thing to watch.”

Thomas Assembly Center proved to be only a launching pad.

In the 1997 WNBA Elite Draft

Johnson was the 12th player chosen. She played nine seasons with the New York Liberty and four with the San Antonio Silver Stars. She was twice an All-Star and won the league’s Sportsmanship Award in 2008, her last as a player, and has been a coach in the league since. She also was the ﬁrst WNBA player to collect 4,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 1,000 assists in a career

A turning point of sorts goes back to a phone call she made to home after her ﬁrst three days of practice at Tech. She told her mom of Barmore, “This man is crazy. I can’t satisfy this guy.”

She was thinking of transferring to LSU.

But on that call, her mom asked her three questions:

“You wanted to go to Tech, right?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“You’re at Louisiana Tech right now, right?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“You signed a scholarship, a contract, right?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Then stay your ass right there.”

That’s the conversation Johnson recalls. “At the time I was devastated,” Johnson said.

The next day, Barmore told Johnson before practice that he had received a phone call overnight. It was from Johnson’s mother

“She told coach Barmore, ‘Don’t mistreat her, but stay on her Don’t cut her any slack. Let her know that this is about more than basketball; this is about life,’” Johnson said. “And that’s what he did.

“I can truly tell you that the discipline and consistency coach Barmore instilled in me during my years at Tech is what I carried with me as a player and is what I carry with me as a coach.”

NASCAR hoping tournament sparks interest

BY DAN GELSTON AP sportswriter

LONG POND, Pa. It’s time to bust out the brackets, pick an upset or two, and follow winners on the road — a journey over city streets, concrete and bricks to the ﬁnal four and beyond. Totally awesome, baby? Forget all the upset specials in March.

NASCAR will find out soon enough if its attempt to snap out of a mid-summer malaise with its ﬁrst in-season tournament is a success with drivers and fans as it strives to boost engagement and build buzz in the staid regular season. The concept has already juiced enthusiasm in NASCAR to levels not seen since the halcyon days when Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough duked it out in the 1979 Daytona 500.

“To be really honest with you,” 2020 NASCAR champion Chase Elliott said, “I have not paid any attention to it.”

Maybe a look at the matchup will get NASCAR’s most popular driver pumped.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO

Denny Hamlin will be the No. 1 seed in NASCAR’s inaugural In-Season Challenge tournament.The event is based on the NCAA basketball tournament and starts this weekend at the Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Elliott is seeded ﬁfth against No. 28 seed Austin Dillon in the ﬁrst round of the head-to-head showdown in the race-within-the-race set for this weekend at the track better known as Atlanta Motor Speedway Here’s a refresher for Elliott and any other sports fan who missed out on the specifics of NASCAR joining the in-season tournament party, much like attempts in the NBA, NHL, and, of course throughout the world in soccer

NASCAR is set to start the engines on a five-race, bracket-style tournament called the In-Season Challenge in the midst of the summer slate, which comes with a $1 million prize to the winner The final 32-driver field was set by results of the past three races at Michigan, Mexico City and Pocono. The drivers are paired in head-to-head matchups based on seeding, with the winners advancing to the next round in a bracket format that mirrors the NCAA basketball tournaments. Buoyed by a win at Michigan and a runner-up finish at Pocono, Denny Hamlin earned the top seed. He’ll square off — race off?

— against No. 32 seed Ty Dillon. Pocono winner Chase Briscoe is the No. 2 seed and is pitted against No. 31 seed Noah Gragson. Chris Buescher is third, Christopher Bell fourth and Elliott ﬁfth, among notable names. The format is single elimination with the field cut to 16 at the street race in Chicago, eight at Sonoma, four on the lone concrete track in the series at Dover and the ﬁnal two over the yard of bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

The Challenge is part of NASCAR’s media rights deal that

Rebuilding Pac-12 reaches deal with CBS

The Pac-12 struck a mediarights deal with CBS on Monday that sets up the network to broadcast a minimum of four football and men’s basketball games per season on its main network and provide a cable and streaming presence for the reconfigured league from 2026-31. Financial details of the new deal were not disclosed Conference Commissioner Teresa Gould called it a “transformational partnership” that allows the Pac-12 to grow when it starts as a remodeled league in 2026-27.

An inability to secure a media deal is what nearly cratered the league in 2023, with all but Oregon State and Washington State departing for the Big 12, Atlantic Coast and Big Ten conferences.

Orioles place catcher Handley on concussion IL

BALTIMORE The Baltimore Orioles placed catcher Maverick Handley on the seven-day concussion injured list a day after he was knocked over in a collision at the plate.

The Orioles announced the move Monday Baltimore also selected the contract of catcher Chadwick Tromp from Triple-A Norfolk. Handley was hurt in the second inning Sunday against the New York Yankees when Jazz Chisholm tried to score on DJ LeMahieu’s single to left. Outfielder Colton Cowser’s throw was up the thirdbase line and Handley moved over to ﬁeld the ball. He reached for the ball just as Chisholm ran past him. Chisholm attempted to veer inside, but couldn’t avoid the collision and Handley was spun by the contact.

Rangers call up Dunning, send Boushley to minors

BALTIMORE The Texas Rangers brought back right-hander Dane Dunning from Triple-A Round Rock on Monday after reliever Caleb Boushley was optioned to the minors. Texas made the move before the opener of a three-game series at Baltimore, a day after Boushley threw 72 pitches.

Boushley faced 22 batters, allowing five runs and 10 hits while pitching the final four innings of an 8-3 loss Sunday at Pittsburgh. That was five days after the righthander also finished a 6-1 home loss against Kansas City, when he retired all 10 batters over the final 31⁄3 innings.

He has a 5.04 ERA in 15 appearances over two stints with the Rangers this season.

Prosecutors in Franco trial seek five-year sentence

PUERTO PLATA, Dominican Republic Dominican prosecutors have requested that suspended Tampa Bay Rays player Wander Franco be sentenced to ﬁve years in prison for his alleged crimes.

Franco faces charges of sexual abuse involving a girl who was 14 years old at the time.

includes TNT, and the Atlantabased cable network will broadcast all ﬁve races in the tournament, starting with the 400-miler in Atlanta.

Aside from a shrug from Elliott and a few others, drivers are intrigued by the idea of increasing the stakes in each race beyond a playoff berth, trophy and the winner’s purse.

“I love it. I think it’s great,” three-time Cup champion Joey Logano said. “I think it’s placed perfectly where it is in the season. This is kind of that moment where the newness is worn off. We’re into the rhythm, we’re racing every week. It’s starting to start a little bit of, who’s going to be in the playoffs, who’s not, the cutoff line all those types of things. But it’s not really the main story quite yet.” Stories are what sell.

“This really spices up the midpart of the season,” Logano said. So does placing a few bucks on No. 11 to win.

But as of Monday afternoon, most sports gambling sites did not offer odds on speciﬁc matchups headed into Atlanta. NASCAR is offering $1 million to a winning fan with a perfect bracket in its fantasy game.

The prosecutors said in court there is sufficient evidence to prove Franco had a relationship with the minor for four months and that he transferred large sums of money to the minor’s mother to consent to the illegal relationship.

The prosecutors also requested the minor’s mother be sentenced to 10 years in prison, arguing she sexually trafﬁcked her daughter

Arizona baseball coach gets contract extension

TUCSON, Ariz. Arizona has extended baseball coach Chip Hale’s contract four years through 2030 after he led the Wildcats back to the College World Series. Terms of the deal announced Monday were not released and must still be approved by the Arizona Board of Regents.

Hale has led Arizona to the NCAA Tournament four straight times since returning to Tucson to coach his alma mater in 2021. The Wildcats returned to the College World Series this year for the ﬁrst time since 2021.

Hale, a former manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks, has led Arizona to consecutive conference tournament championships, coached six All-Americans and two first-round Major League Baseball picks.

SPORTS HALL OF FAME

Unselfish Johnson made a name for herself at Louisiana Tech, in WNBA

PHOTO By LISA BLUMENFELD

Vickie Johnson starred in the WNBA for the New york Liberty and San Antonio Silver Stars.

Johnson

Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky will host the Los Angeles Sparks on Tuesday night at 7

Pels go bigand small in this mock draft

The New Orleans Pelicans have two picks in the ﬁrst round of theNBA draft Wednesday night.

Athleticscelebrate groundbreaking of home in Vegas

BY W.G. RAMIREZ Associated Press

Rod Walker

The Pelicans own picks No. 7and 23. They don’t haveany second-round picksin what will bethe first draft of theJoe Dumars’ era. Dumars was hired in April as executive vice president of basketball operations, replacing David Griffinwho was fired after six seasons. Dumars and his new right-hand man, seniorvice presidentofbasketball operations Troy Weaver,will try to find the pieces in this year’sdraft class to complement what is already on the roster Before Dumars and Weaver make their selections Wednesday,let’s take ourturninthe decision-making chair and pick for the Pelicans in amock draft. For this exercise, we used adraft simulator to make the picks leading up to the Pelicans’ picks. The simulator drafted picks 1-6, with me making the seventh pick for the Pelicans. Then the simulator drafted picks8-22 with me making the 23rd pick. To keep it simple, we didn’tallow for any trades in this mock draft

Here it goes:

1. Mavericks: Cooper Flagg(Duke)

2. Spurs: Dylan Harper(Rutgers)

3. 76ers: Ace Bailey (Rutgers)

4. Hornets: VJ Edgecombe(Baylor)

5. Jazz: TreJohnson(Texas)

6. Wizards: Kon Knueppel (Duke)

7. The New Orleans Pelicansare now on the clock. The Pelicans were one pick away from achance to grab Knueppel, who would havebeen a perfectﬁtfor the roster.He’sone of the better shooters in the draft and would be agood complement to put around Zion Williamson. If Knueppel is still here at 7, he’d be theﬁrst choice.

The simulator has Ace Bailey going third, which is where he was originally projected to go. But his unwillingness to work out for several teams could lead to him sliding.How far he slides remains to be seen. If thePelicans have ahigh grade on him and

Florida’sWalter Clayton goes up high to score in Florida’s79-65 win over LSU on Feb.22at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center

feel they can get past thereports that say he wants to be astar right away, perhaps they take achance on Bailey Sincehe’salso not available in this mock, I’lluse the seventhpick on Dukecenter Khaman Maluach. His size (7-foot-2), athleticism and ability to protect the rim is too good to pass up, even onaroster that already has thepromising Yves Missi. Maluach is only 18, so there’splenty of upside. Speaking ofupside, there was strong consideration here for 18-yearold Oklahoma guard Jeremiah Fears. Don’t be surprised if he’sthe pick, but I’m leaning toward Maluach.

Back to thesimulator for picks 8-22.

8. Nets: Derik Queen (Maryland)

9. Raptors: Jeremiah Fears (Oklahoma)

10. Suns: Kasparas Jakucionis (Illinois)

11. Trail Blazers: Thomas Sorber (Georgetown)

12. Bulls: Egor Demin (BYU)

13. Hawks: Collin Murray-Boyles (South Carolina)

14. Spurs: Carter Bryant (Arizona)

15. Thunder: Jase Richardson (Michigan State)

16. Grizzlies: Noa Essengue

(France)

17. Timberwolves:Cedric Coward (Washington State)

18. Wizards: Rasheer Fleming(Saint Joseph’s)

19. Nets: AsaNewell (Georgia)

20. Heat: Danny Wolf (Michigan)

21. Jazz: Nolan Traore (France)

22: Hawks: Nique Clifford (Colorado State)

23. If the Pelicans can get Florida guard Walter Clayton here, you’d have to call this draft asuccess. A key part of the Gators winning the national title, Clayton is agreat shooter at all three levels and came up big in theclutch time and time again. Theother playerIwas hoping would falltothe Pelicans here was Nique Clifford, taken one pickearlier by the simulator.Most draft boardshaveClaytonstill around at 23. If he’s there, this could be a steal even biggerthanthe Pelicans getting Missi with theNo. 21 pick a year ago. So those are my two picks: Duke center Khaman Maluach and Florida guard Walter Clayton.

The real picks come Wednesday night

Haliburton injury casts shadow over Pacers’future

BY MICHAEL MAROT

AP sports writer

INDIANAPOLIS Tyrese Haliburton took the Indiana Pacers to heightsfew thought possible after they started this seasonwith a10-15record.

Getting back might take some time after team officials confirmedMonday that the two-timeAll-Star tore his right Achilles tendoninGame 7ofthe NBA Finals, an injury that could cost Haliburton all of next season. The announcement casts apall on his historic postseason run —which included alitany of incredible plays, buzzer-beating winners and occasionally unprecedented stat lines —and it helped propel thePacers to their second NBA Finals appearance and within onevictoryofthe franchise’s first championship.

“An MRI taken on Monday conﬁrmed that Haliburton tore hisright Achilles tendon. Surgeryisscheduled later today with Dr.Martin O’Malley at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York,” the team said.

CoachRick Carlisle still believesthat when Haliburton heals he will be every bit as good.

“He will be back,” Carlisle said after the 103-91 loss at Oklahoma City “I don’thave any medical information about what’swhat, what may or may not have happened. But he’ll be back

NBA

Continued from page1C

Oklahoma City seems to have everything in place.

“They have alot of great players on this team,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. Gilgeous-Alexander,Jalen Williams andChetHolmgren all seem to enjoy playing with and off of one another,none of them caring who gets credit. Alex Caruso

in time,and Ibelievehe’ll makeafull recovery.”

Ahealthy Haliburton certainly makesthe Pacers astronger team. They likely wouldn’thave made it this far without him orchestrating three incredible rallies fromseven points down in the ﬁnal 50 seconds of regulation in three weeks.

But after scoring nine points,all on 3-pointers, in the ﬁrst seven minutes of the biggest game in franchise history, Haliburton’scrash to the ﬂoor and suddendeparturecreated adouble whammy forIndiana

Not only did they lose their leader, but Indiana also fell short in its title chase.

“Wejustkept battlingbecause we wantedtomake Indiana proud,make our fans proud,” three-time All-Star Pascal Siakam said. “Wetriedour best, but we’ve got to be strong. It’s hardto lookforwardintothe futureafter you lose like this.”

But everyone else is,and thequestions about Haliburton’splaying status could makethis offseason murkier than expected for Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard. There are silver linings, though.

At age25, Haliburton is young enough toreturn to hispre-injury form and today’smedical advances could helpshorten the expected timetable of

and Isaiah Hartenstein fit seamlessly into the roles the Thunderasked them to play Luguentz Dort is adefensive machine and has come to realizethat most people don’thavethe abilitytoappreciate howgood he is at that end Presti, the architect of it all, rarely speaks publicly. Same goes for Clay Bennett, the owner.And coachMark Daigneaultisthe calminthe eye of any storm, the perfect driver ofthe Thunderbus.

about 12 months.

Many players, including some much older than Haliburton, have shown it is possible to make afull comeback from torn Achilles tendons,and Siakamhas no doubt Haliburtonwill join the club.

“I knowthere’smorecoming, it’s just atough asituation,” Siakam said. “I think back acoupleofyears and basketball was just not fun, you know, andI gottradedhere andthese guys, they just gave me aboost and playing withtheseguys is so incredible. I foundjoy with so much swaggerand happiness.”

Indianaalsowill beginnextseason with astrong supporting cast intact and room to grow defensively

Nine of Indiana’stop 10 players are under contract for 2025-26, withstarting center MylesTurnerthe lone exception.

The Pacers also have strong guard play from Andrew Nembhard and T.J. McConnell, who can run the show, as well as emerging defender Ben Sheppard.

Aaron Nesmith and Bennedict Mathurin also demonstrated their scoring prowess in the postseason Both also showed they can defend guards and forwards, giving Indiana perhaps thetoughness and ﬂexibility to overcomeaHaliburton absence.

“There’snoguarantee you end it the way that we did,”Daigneault said. “I just wanted it so bad forthem. I was just so thrilled that we were able to getthatdone and they gettoexperience this becausethey deserve it. The way theyapproach it, theprofessionalism,competitiveness, team-ﬁrst nature, like Isaid, Iwanted it so bad for them.” The journey isn’tover for the Thunder.It’sjust starting. Presti hasa warchest

filledwith draft picks and the team hassome ﬁnancial ﬂexibilitytoadd apiece if it so chooses. And nowthere’s atitle to defend. Labor omnia vincit. There’smore work to do. “Wehave alot of hard workinfront of us,”Presti said thatday in 2022. “We have to grind in and do it. That’swhat thestate is about. That’swhatthe history of the community is about. That’s whatthe basketball team here is about.”

LAS VEGAS With mounds of dirt, construction vehicles andthe exact location where home plate will be at thenew Athletics ballpark serving as the backdrop Monday morning, team owner John Fisher stood in front of alarge gathering with one message: “Weare Vegas’ team.”

MLBcommissionerRob Manfred, state and local government dignitaries, formerAthleticsgreats suchasRollie Fingers andDaveStewartand many others lookedonas the team celebrated the groundbreaking of a$1.75 billion, 33,000-person capacity ballpark that is expected to be ﬁnished in timefor the 2028 season. Nevada andClark County have approved up to $380 million in public money for the project.

“I have no doubtthisis done in 2028,” team president Marc Badainsaid. “You know theworkforce here;they’re allhereand ready to get going.

“It’s nicetosee thevalidation aday like today brings and whatthe next three years will mean for the community and forthe construction project and the jobs and everything else that you’re going to see as this building comes outofthe ground starting as early as tonight.”

Badainwent through a similar process when serving in the same capacity for the NFL’s Raiders. He

wasacentral ﬁgure in that team’s movefrom Oakland to Las Vegas in 2020 as well as the approval and construction of $2 billion Allegiant Stadium While waiting for Allegiant Stadium to be finished,the Raiders remained in Oakland for three seasons in the stadium they shared withthe A’s. But while theRaiders maintained alargely strong connection to the Bay Area even while playingasa lame-duck franchise, A’s fans wereincensed about their team’simpending departure and the process involved.

Thatmadestaying in Oakland untenable forthe franchise,which played its final season in the dilapidated stadium last year.The A’sare playing thefirstofatleast three years about an hour away at aTriple-Aballparkin West Sacramento, California, while they await their movetoLas Vegas.

“Weare alocal team,” Fisher said. “And we want to startfromthe youngest of fans, because if you can get the kids, you canget their parents. It takes less time than you think; what really takes time is to have awinner.”

“Our goal is to continue to build upon what we have, and building ateam is like building anything else. Sometimes it takes more timethan you want it to. It’s like building thestadium And we think that we have the pieces to makeourselves really successful.”

AP PHOTO By JOHN LOCHER Aperson takes apicture near construction equipment during agroundbreaking ceremony forthe Athletics’ baseballstadium on MondayinLas Vegas.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By PATRICK DENNIS

CHAMPS

Continued from page1C

fans are deﬁnitely the main reason for that.”

LSUreturnedtoAlexBox Stadium with the love of its fanson Monday,aday after capturing its eighth CollegeWorld Series title. The team formally will celebrate at 7p.m. Wednesday when the team has anational championship celebration at the same location.

Plentyofadmirers didn’twant to wait, flocking to the stadium’s entrance an hour before the team’s expected 3p.m.arrival Monday The first person to exit one of thethree police-escorted buses transporting the team was coach Jay Johnson, who pumped both of his fists in the air as the adulation of the fans surrounded him.

“Everything you dream about,” Johnson, atwo-time championship coach, said. “Just because we did it two years ago, we cer-

JOHNSON

Continued from page1C

team easier,but Johnson revealed Monday that LSU already has lost players because of its successthis week in Omaha.

One player in the portal texted him after LSU’sGame 1win over Coastal Carolina to informJohnson that he wasn’tgoing to visitLSU on Thursday and would be going to another school instead.Such a story is partially why Johnson isn’t sure how this week’ssuccess will translate on the recruitingtrail.

“I was like, ‘I don’tknow if you just watched what happened,’ Johnson said, ‘that the number one pick in the draft for the second (time in three years) is goingtobe apitcher from LSU, andhe’snot coming back next year.’ “

RABALAIS

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selﬁeswith fans and hugs with LSU players’ parents.

Youcould tell these are the moments thatmake all the work worthwhile. The hours of practice. The endless recruiting phone calls. Skipping the team dinner at aswanky Omaha steakhouse to prepare for the next day’sopponent.

“It’swhy coaching at LSU is special,” Johnson said before boarding one of the team buses bound for Omaha’sEppleyAirﬁeld. “You know,very rarely in life do you get to do something that so many people care about.

I’m lucky to have aposition these last four years that alot of people care about and take pride in.

“Kind of the best moment of the whole thing (Sunday) was just hearing our song blasting on the (stadium) speakers and looking up in the stands and seeing all the joy on the LSU faces.

2025 COLL WORLDSERIES LEGE W

left ﬁelder Derek Curiel handsout baseballs

theTigersonMondayafter the team returned

national championship.

tainty don’ttakeitfor granted.”

Junior first baseman Jared Joneslookedlike acaptainas he donned what appeared to be asailor hat as he carried the na-

Johnson is conﬁdent in whatthe Tigers have coming back next season. Sophomores StevenMilam and Jake Brown and freshman Derek Curiel head aposition player group that could also bring backjuniorsEthan Frey andChris Stanﬁeld. Pitching depth is expected tobeastrength with freshmen such as right-hander Casan Evans and left-hander Cooper Williams returning.

Johnson and hisstaff will have plentyoftime to ﬁllinthe pieces aroundthoseplayers this summer. In the meantime, it’stime to celebrate.

“I’m excited to get back home now and celebrate with ourfans,” Johnson said Monday before returning home later in the day to do just that.

Email KokiRiley at Koki.Riley@ theadvocate.com

They’re always behind LSU, but they were reallybehind this team, and Ifeltlike our players really deserved that.”

It’sobvious whatthis year’s CWS title means for LSU as abaseballprogram. It’sthe Tigers’ eighth championship— still second-most all-timebehind USC, but the fourth since the Trojanswon the last of their 12 titles in 1998. Since LSU’sﬁrst CWS triumph in 1991, no other programhas won more than three. If theTigers aren’tthe gold standard —orpurple-and-gold standard —ofcollege baseball in itsmodern,transfer portal, lotsof-schools-throwing-money-atthe-sport era, then such standards don’texist

What may be alittle less obviousiswhere this championship putsJohnson in the hierarchy of great coaches in the history of collegebaseball and LSU athletics. Youcan debatewhether he is an all-time great in the same pantheon as SkipBertman, Nick SabanorKim Mulkey,but it’s hard to argue with the accomplishments,eventhough he’scoached

tional trophy into the stadium.

Fans called outtoeach player on aﬁrst-name basis. This happenedtoboth thepotential No.1 pick in theMLB draft, sophomore

Kade Anderson,and players who didn’tget an at-batinthe postseason When freshmanleftﬁelder Derek Curiel wasthe ﬁrst to sign autographs,childrenspoke to himlike they were family members asking about his dog.

“I’mjust so happy we get to enjoy it with the fans now that we’re back in Baton Rouge,” Curiel said.

“The people who made it happen are here,sowe’re superexcited This was our goal from Day One, and we accomplished that.”

One of the fans to receive autographs fromanumberofplayers was Amanda Boulton’syoung sons and nieces, who held asign that said“We flew from Saudi Arabia to celebrate #8.”

Boulton’sfamily is from Baton Rouge buthas lived internationally thelastfew yearsbecause of herhusband’sjob.They’re back in Louisiana forsummer break and needed to see the team they’reaccustomed to watching at 2a.m. in the ﬂesh. The appreciation comesfrommorethanthe

winning.

“You can’thelp butwant to be apart of it,” Boulton said. “This is one of my favorite baseball teams, and we followed baseball for several years. But these guys have just kind of won over my heart. Ilove their attitudes, their sportsmanship

“Those are thekindofguys that Iwant my boys to look up to as mentors.”

As playerssignedanassortment of baseballs, bats, shirts, cards and more, they engaged with toddlers whosometimes dropped the ball they so eagerly waitedtobesigned, andadults who joke about wishing asenior like Braswell had another year of eligibility

“Seeing theloveand support fromeverybody throughout thestate, throughout thecity, it means the world to me,” junior pitcherConnerWaresaid. “This is what you cometoLSU for.” Email Toyloy BrownIII at toyloy.brown@theadvocate.com

theTigers for only four seasons.

When it comes to championship coaches, Johnson occupies some exceptionally rare air:

•Heisthe ﬁrst college baseball coach to win two CWS titles in his ﬁrst four seasons at aschool.

•He’sone of three coaches to lead two different teams to Omaha(Johnson coached Arizona here twice) and win the CWS with at least one of those schools. Augie Garrido won titles at Cal State Fullerton and Texas, and Mike Gillespie won at USC and coached UC Irvine there.

•Heisjust thesixth coach at LSUinall sports to winmultiple national championships at the school, joining track and field coach Pat Henry (27), Bertman (five),track coaches Dennis Shaver andSam Seemes, andmen’s golf coach J. Perry Cole(allwith two). Whatmakes Johnson exceptional? It’sthatfire that burns hotter in some coaches andathletes,thatmakes them wantto outwork everyone else. Iasked himbythe bus whether that fire burns just as hotafter two

championships as it did before the ﬁrst one.

Thesmile returned to his face.

“I told (the players), and they probably thought Iwas alittle weird, but Igot alittle sad that we’re nothaving practice today,”Johnson said.

He is atrue believer in the power of what Bertman built at LSU with ﬁvenational titles in 10 years, what Paul Mainieri kept burning with another CWS title in 2009 and atrip to the ﬁnals in 2017. What he is now responsiblefor not just maintainingbut expanding.

Johnson told astory of arecruit, who he revealed on Sundaytobecurrent Tennessee reliever Nate Snead, who canceled avisit to LSU in 2023 because the Tigers were still playing in the CWS. He told the same story of an unnamed recruit who did a similar thing this year.

“I mean, some dude texted me immediately after Game 1was over that he wasn’tgoing to take his visit on Thursday,” Johnson said. “He’sgoing to another school. Iwas like, ‘I don’tknow if

LSUcoachJay Johnson shares amoment with left fielder Derek Curiel, left,and shortstop Steven Milamonthe field Sunday after the final game of the CollegeWorld Series in Omaha, Neb.LSU defeated Coastal Carolina 5-3 to winits eighth national title.

you just watched what happened, but the number one pick in the draftfor the second time(in three years) is going to be apitcher from LSU. He’snot coming back next year.’

Johnson refers to stafface and CWS MVP KadeAnderson, whojust pitched twobrilliant games here allowing one run in 16 combined innings. Whether or not Anderson is the No.1pick in the MLB draftlike Paul Skenes remains to be seen, but the point waswellmade.

“Ifyou can’twatch that as a testimonial that this is the place to be if you wanttobeamajorleague player and have the best baseball experience of your life, this place is not foryou,” Johnson said. “Wewon’tlower the standard on that.” Oh, yes. The ﬁrestill burns for Johnson, all right.

He’sstill after much morethan that bases-clearing double against Lassen College.

For more LSUsports updates, signupfor ournewsletter at theadvocate.com/lsunewsletter

STAFFPHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

LSU

to young fans greeting

to Baton Rougewith the

STAFF PHOTOSByMICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU third baseman Michael Braswell wavesasfans cheer after the Tigers returned MondaytoAlex Box Stadium with anational titlewon Sunday

LSU catcher Luis Hernandezwalkspast fans tothe AlexBox Stadium locker room after the Tigers returned Mondayfrom winning the national title in Omaha, Neb.

at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha LSUcoachJay Johnson

LSU relief pitcher ChaseShores throws his glove in celebration after the Tigers defeated Coastal Carolina. Shores handled the final eight outs of the season.

STAFF PHOTOSByHILARy SCHEINUK

TheLSU baseball team and staff celebrate their 5-3 win over Coastal Carolina in Game 2ofthe CollegeWorld Series finals on SundayinOmaha, Neb. LSUwon its eighth national titleand itssecondunder coach JayJohnson

LSUplayers pile onto each other after defeatingCoastal Carolina in Game 2ofthe CollegeWorld Series finals on SundayinOmaha, Neb.The Tigers finished the season 53-15.

LSUleft fielder DerekCuriel runs through first base on SaturdayinGame 1ofthe CollegeWorld Series finals between LSU and Coastal Carolina in Omaha, Neb

LSU starting pitcher AnthonyEyanson celebrates after recording astrikeoutSunday against Coastal Carolina. The victorywas Eyanson’s12thofthe season.

LSU pitcher Kade Anderson is awarded the John D.

award

Outstanding Playerafter

Series win Sunday

LSU first basemanJared Jones makes the catch at first base forthe out as Coastal Carolina designated hitter Dean Mihos runs to the bag on SaturdayinOmaha, Neb

Percentages: FG .402, FT .710 3-Point Goals: 11-40, .275 (Wallace 2-3,Caruso 2-5, Jal.Williams 2-7, Dort 2-9,GilgeousAlexander 2-12, Holmgren 1-2,K.Williams 0-1, Wiggins 0-1). Team Rebounds: 13. Team Turnovers: 1.

Blocked Shots: 8(Holmgren 5, GilgeousAlexander 2, Caruso). Turnovers: 7(Hartenstein 2, Dort,GilgeousAlexander, Jal.Williams, Mitchell, Wallace) Steals: 14 (Caruso 3, Dort 3, Wallace3,Jal. Williams 2, Gilgeous-Alexander, Hartenstein, Holmgren). Technical Fouls:None. Indiana22262023— 91 Oklahoma City 25 22 34 22 —103 A_18,203 (18,203). T_2:40. WNBAGlance

EASTERN CONFERENCE

9, Harris English,1,700. 10, Tommy Fleetwood, 1,699. Scoring Average 1, Scottie Schefﬂer, 68.478. 2, Rory McIlroy, 69.249. 3, Thorbjorn Olesen, 69.797. 4, Tommy Fleetwood, 69.862. 5, Keith Mitchell, 69.963. 6, Sepp Straka, 69.967. 7, J.J. Spaun, 69.977. 8, Alex Smalley,69.979. 9, Russell Henley 69.989. 10, BenGrifﬁn, 70.047. Driving Distance 1, Aldrich Potgieter,326.6. 2, Rory McIlroy 320.6. 3, Niklas Norgaard, 319.3. 4, Jesper Svensson, 317.8. 5, Michael Thorbjornsen, 316. 6, Kurt Kitayama, 315.8. 7, Rasmus Højgaard, 314.9. 8(tie),ChrisGotterup and Keith Mitchell, 314.4. 10, AlejandroTosti 314.1. Driving AccuracyPercentage 1, Aaron Rai,74.04%. 2, Collin Morikawa, 73.08%. 3, Paul Peterson, 72.62%. 4, Ben Kohles,71.88%. 5, Takumi Kanaya,70.26%. 6, Andrew Putnam, 69.85%. 7, LucasGlover, 68.89%. 8, Brice Garnett, 68.61%. 9, Sepp Straka, 68.45%. 10, Corey Conners, 68.27%. Greens in Regulation Percentage 1, 10 tied with .00%. Total Driving 1, RicoHoey,64. 2, Alex Smalley, 71. 3, Kevin Roy,77. 4, Steven Fisk, 84. 5, ThomasRosenmueller, 85. 6, Kevin Yu,90. 7(tie), Luke List Keith Mitchell and Michael Thorbjornsen,93. 10, Isaiah Salinda, 96. SG-Putting 1, Sam Burns, .977. 2, Harry Hall, .784. 3, Brandt Snedeker, .760. 4, Sam Ryder, .749. 5, Nico Echavarria, .688. 6, Rory McIlroy 647. 7, Jacob Bridgeman, .636. 8, DennyMcCarthy, .604. 9, Cameron Young, .573. 10, Sami

Valimaki, .557. Birdie Average 1, Justin Thomas,4.57. 2, Sepp Straka,4.53. 3, ScottieScheffler, 4.46. 4(tie),Harry Hall and Keith Mitchell, 4.44. 6, Sam Burns,4.32. 7, Collin Morikawa, 4.31. 8, JakeKnapp, 4.27. 9, DannyWalker, 4.26. 10, Jesper Svensson, 4.25. Eagles (Holes per) 1, AlejandroTosti,63.7. 2, Steven Fisk, 67.5. 3, David Skinns,70.2. 4(tie),Charley Hoffman and Rory McIlroy,84. 6, Antoine Rozner, 86. 7, Karl Vilips, 87.4. 8, LeeHodges,90. 9, ScottieScheffler, 91.6. 10, Cam Davis, 93.6. Sand Save Percentage 1, 10 tied with .00%. All-Around Ranking 1, ScottieScheffler, 201. 2, Keith Mitchell, 202. 3, Alex Smalley, 254. 4, Sepp Straka, 296. 5, Sam Burns,317. 6, Keegan Bradley,326. 7, Justin Thomas,347. 8, Rory McIlroy,357. 9, Kevin Yu,362. 10, Patrick Cantlay, 375. LPGA Tour Statistics Through

From butterﬂies to wasps, time to give thanks to pollinators

GARDEN NEWS

If you’ve paid any attention to the news in recent years, you probably know there’salot of concern about the declinein pollinator populations.Loss of habitat, overuse of pesticides and other factors have all presented threats to pollinators. June is National Pollinator Month, and it’sagreat time to explore ways we can support pollinators in the garden First, let’s define what a pollinator is. Pollinators eat nectar and pollen from flowers. As they search for food, they move pollen betweenmale and female flower parts, allowing plants to produce seeds and fruit. This is why these creatures are so valuable: They pollinate our food sources and help ensure genetic diversity in ecosystems.

Pollinators include beesand butterﬂies, of course, but also a variety of other insects thatwe often consider to be lessthan desirable —including moths, wasps, ﬂies and beetles.

“It’simportant to recognize that just because there’san insect on your plant doesn’t necessarily mean it is apest or causing damage,” said LSU AgCenter entomologistAaron Ashbrook. “It’salsoimportant to not apply broad-spectrum insecticides when our pollinators are active.”

If you need help determining whether an insect is afriend or afoe, contact the AgCenter Department of Entomology or your parish AgCenter ofﬁce.

LSU AGCENTERPHOTO By OLIVIA McCLURE Abee collects pollen from rudbeckia flowers.

Another thing you can do to beneﬁt pollinatorsisplant pollen- and nectar-producing ﬂowers.Try to include plants that bloom at different times of yeartoensure asteady supply of food.

“Planting evensmall pockets of pollinator-friendlyplants is important,” said AgCenter horticulturist Jason Stagg.

Some of Stagg’sfavorite pollinator plants are in bloom right now,including:

RUDBECKIA: The Rudbeckia genus of plants includes species that we commonly know as black-eyed Susans.These perennial ﬂowers offer asplash of cheery yellow to summer landscapes. They attract pollinators and thrive in Louisiana’s hot, humid climate.

STOKES’ASTER: Also called stokesia, this is alow,mounding perennial native to the U.S. South. You’ll ﬁnd it in white, purple, lavender and blue.

SALVIA: With tall ﬂowers spikes in awiderange of colors, plants in the Salvia genusare a go-to pollinatorplant for many gardeners. Stagg recommends the Salvia guaranitica species for Louisiana, as it tends to perennialize better than others.

GAURA: This 2025 Louisiana Super Plant is apollinatormagnet featuring delicate, nectarrich ﬂowers on tall stems.

Color choices include white and various shades of pink

LANTANA: Another popular choice for attracting pollinators, species and hybridsinthe

PROVIDED PHOTO By

Though Hatch ShowPrint had been operating since 1879, ElvisPresley made the business popular in 1956 when the print shop designed hisconcert posters. This poster is copyrighted by HatchShow Print. | PROVIDED PHOTO BY HATCH SHOWPRINT

Hatch Show Print’s letterpress posters take the spotlight in LSU Museum show

ELVIS

APPROVED

BY ROBIN MILLER Staff writer

John Sherraden’sand Jim Langford’s‘Storm Coming’ is featured in theLSU Museum of Art’sexhibit, ‘Carved &Crafted:The Artof Letterpress.’ PROVIDED

If Elvis hadn’tcome knocking in 1956, would HatchShow Printstill be turning the handle of its press today? Maybe, but Elvis put them on theroadmap of music history.That’safact, and the musicians that followed knew it They still know it. Ask Ringo Starr,who contracted theNashville-based printshoptodesign posters for his 2023 tour. In 2022, Elton Johnused the business forhis tour. And even the pop queen herself, TaylorSwift,ordered Hatch Show Print postersfor her2010 FearlessTour.Thatwas long beforethe Eras Tour sealed her place among music royalty, which makes the 2010 poster hanging at the LSU Museum of Art all the morevaluable.

Swift’s poster joins agallery wall of Hatch prints in the museum’snewest exhibit,“Carved &Crafted: TheArt of Letter-

press,”running throughSept. 21. Newtech, timeless process

The show explores the centuries-old printing process through the work of renowned letterpress atelier Hatch Show Print, alongside artwork by former Hatch artist Jim Sherraden andhis collaborations with artist and musician Jon Langford. Though thepieces by Sherraden andLangfordare

‘WE’RE SO LUCKYTOHAVETHEMHERE’

Aheron wades through resurrection ferngrowingon an oak tree on WillowStreet in NewOrleans on Wednesday.

BY MATTHEW HAINES Contributing writer

At ﬁrst glance, the stretch of Willow Street doesn’tappear much different thanothersectionsofUptown. Neighbors chat in the driveways. People andcoupleswalk their dogs down streetslined with

STAFF PHOTO By ROBIN MILLER

HatchShowPrint’s poster designs for Elton John, Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn. The posters are copyrighted by HatchShowPrint and are featured in the LSU Museum of Art’sexhibit, ‘Carved &Crafted: The ArtofLetterpress.’

gers pointing toward the treetops. What’sgoing on?

“You can see them up in that tree,” said Marianne Jouet, a 39-year-old

Aquilt is areminder of cherishedmemories

Dear Heloise: Ilive in Maui, and after my husband died in May,agirlfriend came and took abunch of his beautiful aloha shirts to make aquilt for me. Each square is athousand memories. —Pat Longshore, via email Twophones

Dear Heloise: Ihave amobile phone but do not give out the number except to friends, medical providers and similar people. I still have ahome phone with an answering machine, and this is the number that is given to anyone else. My outgoing message says that I’m either out or screening my calls. If Isee anumber Idon’trecognize, Iwait.Ifsomeone starts to leaveamessage, Ianswer If they hang up, then Ihit the “block call” button. It worksreally well. —Lilith, in Ventura, California

Automatedjob interview

Krista, it’sone of the many changes we’re all facing these days.Atpresent, larger companiesfeel that thisstreamlines the interview processand cuts down the expense ofhiring new people.Itwon’tbelong before this is standard practice in most places of business. —Heloise Easy labelremoval

POSTERS

Continuedfrom page1D

eye-catching,the HatchShowPrint posters steal theshowbecause of their familiarity.Most visitors will remember seeing some formofa Hatchposter at one time or another

Hints from Heloise

Dear Heloise: If you want to remove thecommercial label from an empty plastic container,don’t fuss with soaking thecontainer in soapy water andtrying to scrape it off. Athincoat of peanut butter leftonthe label overnightwill loosen it so that you canpeel it off easily.No frustration required! —Joyce L., in Lerna, Illinois

Hot/cold pads

Dear Heloise: Irecently had ajob interview by phone with an automated voice. Ihad to answer a seriesofquestions for the company to review.Ihated the whole experience. Ihad questions about the company and itsproducts that Iwas unable to ask This is such an impersonal way to qualify an applicant for aposition. —Krista, in Memphis,Tennessee

Dear Heloise: This is my hint: Forsore areas of thebody where you mightneed ahot or cold pad,just take abag of uncooked riceand heat it up in themicrowave for about 35-40 seconds. For acold pad, takethe same bagofriceand put it in the freezer.Not only does it work well, it’svery inexpensive. —Opal, in California

Send ahint to heloise@heloise. com.

POLLINATOR

Continued from page1D

Lantana genus are heat tolerant and reliably bloom allsummer Newer lantanas come in many colors and have asmaller,more mounded shape than older selections.

Youalso can incorporateplants thatcater to moths and butterﬂies, which begin life as caterpillars. Some speciesare picky eaters, feeding only on speciﬁc host

plants. Monarch butterﬂy caterpillars, for example,exclusively eat milkweed (native speciesare ideal), which is also where adults lay their eggs And, while we usually think of pollinators as insects, remember that hummingbirds play a role in moving pollen around, too. Tryaddingplants that they like —look for brightly colored, tube-shaped ﬂowers that accommodate their long beaks and tongues. Agreat option is Vermillionaire cuphea, anewly named Louisiana Super Plant.

TODAYINHISTORY

By The Associated Press

Today is Tuesday,June 24,the 175th day of 2025. There are 190 days left in the year

Todayinhistory:

On June 24, 1983, the space shuttle Challenger —carrying America’sﬁrst woman in space, Sally Ride —coasted to asafe landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

On this date:

In 1509, Henry VIII was crowned king of England;his wife, Catherine of Aragon,was crowned queen consort.

In 1939, the SoutheastAsian country of Siam changed its name to Thailand. (It reverted to Siam in 1945, then became Thailand once againin1949.)

In 1948, Communist forces cut off all land and water routes between West Germany and West Berlin, prompting the Western allies to organize the Berlin Airlift.

In 1957, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Roth v. UnitedStates, ruled in a6-3 decision that obscene materials were not protected by the First Amendment.

In 1973, President Richard Nixon concluded asummit with the visiting leaderofthe Soviet Union, Leonid Brezhnev,who hailed the talks in an address on American television.

In 1992, the Supreme Court, in a5-4 decision, strengthened its 30-year ban on ofﬁciallysponsored worship in publicschools, prohibiting prayerasapart of graduation ceremonies.

In 2010, in the ﬁrst round of the Wimbledon Championships, American John Isner won the

The messages are clear in bold simplicity,proving thatold-fashioned doesn’tnecessarily mean outdated. The fact thatthe LSU Museum Store sold out of itsstock of HatchShowPrint Johnny Cash posters before theshow’sopening is proof of that.

“We’ve had to order moreJohnny Cash,” said store managerLeAnn Russo. “And we’ll also have Elvis in this next order.”

Ah yes, Elvis. He strikeshis classic pose —legs apart, guitarinhands —inthe poster that launched Hatch into musichistory. His poster advertising a1956 concert at theFlorida Theatre in Jacksonville hangs at thetop of the gallery wall in this exhibit.

“Andthe amazingpart is that HatchShow Printstill hasall of theoriginal plates fortheseposters,” museum curator Michelle Schulte said. “They still mix the colorsoftheir inks by hand, and theystill make the posters on a hand-cranked press.”

Butthe business doesn’truleout all technology.Hatchalso produces posters on an automatic press when necessary.The keyword here is “press.” Hatch has been athriving business since1879, andits poster prints are considered prime examples of letterpress artwork. Hand-carvedand set

The shop’sworkershand-carve block print images, set letters by hand and use half-tone photos composedoftinydots. Thedensity of thedotsdetermine thelightness anddarkness that create the image.

All are combinedonto aprinting plate and thenattached to the press. The hand-mixed ink is applied, and the posters are run one by one through the press.

The result is what thecompany describes in its written history as the “Hatch Style”: “Eye-catching posters rooted in late19th century typography,crafted fromwood andmetal type, arranged by hand, letter by letter.”

It’sthe samestyle in the collection of posters ﬁlling the museum wall, touting everything from LSU’s2014 Music City Bowl game againstNotre Dame, to aMcDonald’sadvertisement for 42-cent milkshakes, to ashow hawking “The Fabulous Johnny Cash” at the Minneapolis Auditorium

HERONS

Continuedfrom page1D

wingspanis3½ feet,and itseyes arebrightred.The bird’s grayblue body supports ablack head withwhite markings and the long, yellow plumethatgives thespecies its name.

By ROBIN MILLER Hatch Show Print also designed posters for JohnnyCash. The posters are copyrighted by Hatch Show Print and are featured in the LSU Museum of Art’sexhibit, ‘Carved&Crafted: The Artof Letterpress.

Cash’sconcert bill also included June Carter,The Tennessee Three, MotherMaybelle &the Carter Family,The StatlerBrothersand Carl Perkins. Not bad for $3, right? That was theprice of the highest ticket. The cheap seats were $1.50. Beganwitha handbill

Butmusicwasn’tpart of Hatch’s repertoire when brothers Charles and Herbert Hatch opened it in 1879. Their first print job wasa handbill announcing the appearance of the Rev.Henry Ward Beecher, brother of author Harriet Beecher Stowe of “Uncle Tom’sCabin” fame. Charles Hatch’sson, Will Hatch, took over the business in the 1920s, operating it directly behind the RymanAuditoriuminNashville from 1925 to 1992. Itsproximity, alone, to theGrand Ole Opry’soriginal home made Hatcha known entity for promotional material.

“Nashville iconsRymanAuditorium andHatch Show Print have become so ingrainedinthe city’s culture, thatthey help deﬁne it,” theRyman states on its website.

“After nearly 150 years of creatingMusicCity’smostrecognizable showposters, part of the Hatch Show Print legacy is on display in theRyman’s Hatch Show Print Gallery:afull hallway lined with autographed posters fromRyman shows and events over theyears.

Elvischanged everything

Buteverythingchanged when an order was placed forposters ad-

“They mate and they set up nests, and they do it in dense urban areas far from the predators presentinLouisiana swamps and marshlands. We’veseen these loosecolonies of yellow-crowned night herons here since the early 1990s.”

vertising aconcertfor the young musician fresh offthe Louisiana Hayride.

The young rocker may have been at the beginning of his career,but even then, there was something different abouthim —a force that hadthe power to change the course of events. If Elvis was advertising with Hatch Show Print, it wasnaturally the cool thing to do. And it has been since.

“Today,Hatch does everything from wedding invitations to advertising posters,” Schulte said. “They’re heavily into the concert posters right now,but they always assign one of their designers to work with aclient from beginning to end. They go all the way through theprocess, andthey’re even in charge of the billing.”

Hatch’scomprehensive approach to business is how the LSU Museum of Art’soriginalHatch design came about. Thesmall poster features a tigerleaping toward the words “Geaux See Art.” The museum’s name stretches along the bottom. Everything is setagainst the backdropofa rising sun. And, of course, everything is in purple and gold. This piece also is available in the giftshop.

“The carving of the tiger and the letter fonts were pieces they already had,” Schulte continued.

“They listenedtowhat we wanted and put it together forus.”

CountryMusic Hall of Fame

These days, Hatch operates out of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum at 222Rep.JohnLewis Way. But it was still behind the Ryman when Sherredan joined the business as an intern in 1984.

During that time, he began using the paper scraps —called ﬁshbones —thatfelltothe ﬂoor whilerestriking posterstocreate quilt-like collages. In its own way,Sherredan’s workcarries on the Hatch tradition by reimagining thebusiness’ archive through experimentation. Sherredan’scollaboration with Langford beganin2015. Their work is interspersedthroughout thegallery,almostasifpaying homage to the stars.

Stars whose namesare Dolly, Loretta, Aretha and Tina. Then there’sHarry ConnickJr.’s name highlighted by the starry sky of the New Orleans Water Meter logo. Andthat’snot forgetting Willie and B.B. and ashowing of Edward HopperatNew York’sWhitney Museum. Yes, NewYork calls on Hatch Show Print, too. At the very top is Elvis, whose spotlight on Hatch is still shining today For moreinformation, visit lsumoa.org.

moment for some of those little herons.”

Leavingthe nest …and N.O.

Asign on acorner of Willow Street reads, “Baby bird season now.Please drive carefully.Keep cats inside.”

longest professional tennis matchinhistory,defeating Nicolas Mahut, of France, 6-4, 3-6, 6-7, 7-6, 70-68; the match was played over thecourse of three days and lasted atotal of 11 hours, 5minutes.

In 2015, afederal judge formally sentenced Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaevtodeathfor the2013 terror attacks. (A federal appeals court later threw outthe sentence; the SupremeCourt reinstated it.)

In 2018, women in Saudi Arabiawere allowed behindthe wheel for theﬁrst time as the world’slast remaining ban on female drivers was formally lifted.

In 2021, a12-story condominium building collapsed in Surfside, Florida, killing 98 people.

In 2022,in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’sHealth Organization, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to remove constitutional protections for abortion that had been in placesince 1973’sRoe v. Wade. Today’sbirthdays: Author Anita Desai is 88. Cinematographer Vittorio Storaro is 85. Actor Michele Lee is 83. Actor-director Georg Stanford Brown is 82. MusicianMick Fleetwood is 78. Actor Peter Weller is 78. Golf Hall of Famer Juli Inkster is 65. Actor Iain Glen is 64. Musician Curt Smith (Tears for Fears) is 64. Mexican President Claudia Scheinbaumis63. Singer Hope Sandoval (Mazzy Star) is 59. Actor Sherry Stringﬁeld (“ER”) is 58. Actor-producer Mindy Kaling is 46. Actor Minka Kelly is 45. Singer SolangeKnowles is 39. Soccer player Lionel Messi is 38. Actor Beanie Feldstein is 32. Actor Harris Dickinson is 29.

Asecondadult lands on the branch, presumably withfood hunted nearby.Oncue, anest full of brown- and white-striped hatchlings jump with excitement. Passersby quietly observe from several dozenfeetbelow.Smiles adorn their faces.

“It’s such anice thing —Ifeel so lucky,” Jouet said, alongside her distracted dog, Elka. “Everyevening we go on this walk and, even though we are in the middle of the city,wecan watch these huge, majestic birds.”

“Someone always comes up and asks what we’re looking at,” she continued, “and so it’salso areally nice way tomeet your neighbors.”

Harbingers of springtime

Willow Street isn’tthe only place one can ﬁnd theyellow-crowned night heron in New Orleans (or its closely related black-crowned night heron).Infact, they have several communitiesinthe metro area.

“I ﬁrst noticed them lastspring whileeating lunchoutside my school on Carrollton Avenue,” Jouet said. “I grew up in France very interested in birds, andthen to be here in New Orleans where herons are in the middle of the city is so cool.”

This past April,Jouet hada friend visiting and they noticed thesame species of birdarriving on Willow Street. Theyellow-crowned night heron, according to local bird experts, is one of the ﬁrst species to arrive each spring. Malesmigrate ﬁrst, returningtonesting areas they have known from past years.

“Westart to seethem in late Marchand earlyApril,”saidDavid Muth, whospent 30 years employed by the National Park Service at Jean Lafitte National Historical Parkand Preserve,as well as adecade with the National Wildlife Federation

Those“loose colonies,” also knownassemi-colonial, are adefining feature in New Orleans’ population of both theyellow-and black-crowned night heron. Whereas other species of herons and egrets willnestinlarge colonies with many thousands of birds frommanyspecies,the night heron is more likely to be found in smaller clusters.

“You’ll ﬁndone or two nests next to each other in atree or in neighboring trees,” Muth said, “and then you go afew houses downand ﬁnd acouple of other nests. Theyare spread outover several blocks.”

Hatchlings arrive

Neighbors report anywhere between ﬁve andeight nests on this particular stretchofWillowStreet Similarcolonies of night herons have been reported around the city,including on Esplanade Avenue near South Broad Street.

Some New Orleanians arecompletely unaware of the herons’ existence. Observant locals —or especially unlucky ones —begin to spot clues, however

“I was observing the Esplanade Avenue colony,and this guy with a beautiful, black BMW found out I was interested in birds and yelled to me,like, ‘Why do these birds keep (pooping) on my car?” Muth recalled. “I said, ‘Look up, man. Youparked right underneath one of their nests!’”

The expansive,whitesplotches of excrement are one waytoﬁnd ayellow-crowned night heron nest

But come late Mayand early June, when the young begin to hatch, activity really begins to ramp up.

“You see the adults coming back withcrawﬁsh and sometimes crabs to feed the hatchlings,” Muth said.

“You can hear thelittleones and see them jumping up and down, stretching, eventually ﬂapping and balancing andlearning how to use their wings.”

“It’scool to see,” he added, “but this is also apotentially dangerous

Christina Albers,68, an adjunct professor at Delgado University, lives on the block.She begancreating signs —this oneincluded— approximately threeyears agoto alert neighbors and drivers to be awareofbabyheronsthatmay have fallen from the nest.

“They just seem so cute and vulnerable, and we’re so lucky to have them here,” she said. “They look at youlike,‘Pleaseprotect me,’and I thinkthe neighborhood just wants to take care of them as best we can.” Albers said she keeps an eye out forthe birds while walking. If she sees ababy heron in the street, she will try to guide it out of the road. She hopes her sign will clue drivers to stay alert forthe young birds, as well.

Some ornithologists believeit wasthe relatively safetyofNew Orleans’ oak-linedstreets that brought birds from nearby swamps and marshlands —with predators such as alligators —tothe city

“Thatwould make some sense,” conﬁrmed Peter Yaukey,the chair of theDepartment of Biological and Physical Sciences at Holy Cross University,“but unfortunately there are some new predators here.”

On Willow Street,the bodies of twofallen birds are areminder of how dangerous this momentinlife can be.

“They haven’tonly found threats in thecity,though,”Yaukeysaid. “Communitieslike theone on Willow Street seem to really take pride in protecting these birds.” Soon they will be ready In late June and earlyJuly,groups of yellow-crownednight heronswill begin to leave their New Orleans nests. First they will head to nearby marshlands where food is more accessible, and then they will head south to warmer areas like Central America and theYucatan.

“We’ll missthem,but we know they’ll be back,” Albers said. “And when they return, Willow Street will be readytowelcomethem home.”

STAFFPHOTO

LSU AGCENTER PHOTO By OLIVIA McCLURE

Gaura provides nectar-rich flowers on tall stems.

cAncER (June 21-July 22) Think each move through before you act. It's OK to think big, but common sense will be necessary to complete your mission. A financial gain is apparent if you follow the rules and oversee expenditures.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) It's best to step back and take a pass when in doubt. Making a premature move will put you in a vulnerable position Trust your instincts, not what someone else claims is true.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Refuse to let what others do or say interfere with your progress. Choose the path that allows you to show off your talents and value instead of letting someone light your fuse.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Nurture partnerships; listen, respond and offer positive reinforcement, and you'll get the desired results and shift how others treat you. Domestic changes will improve your personal life.

scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Speak your mind, get your point across and move on to what's important to you. Changing how you handle others will help you gain respect and the support you need to reach your goal.

sAGITTARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Improve your surroundings, but don't go over budget. Haste makes waste, and snap decisions will cost you. Listen to reason before you sign contracts that lock you into something you cannot afford.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Pay attention to your relationships with others. Kindness will help ameliorate any uncer-

tainty or disagreements you have with someone you value. Fix up your personal space to suit your needs.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Get active, and you'll be ready to conquer the world. Refuse to let the changes others make interfere with your plans. Overspending to appease someone will not help you gain respect.

PIscEs (Feb 20-March 20) Put your feelings aside and concentrate on being and doing your best. Home improvements, networking, marketing and promoting what you offer will bring stellar results.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Keep an open mind and heart and live in the moment. Use your discipline and ingenuity to stand up and make a difference. Invest time and money in what's most important to you.

TAuRus (April 20-May 20) Sign up for activities that encourage better health and lifestyle choices. Be open to learning and expanding your mind and interests. A physical change will boost your confidence.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Your thirst for knowledge will lead to research and discovery. The possibilities are endless if you put a plan in place. Don't sit on the sidelines; master the art of staying ahead of the competition.

Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

FAMILY CIrCUS

ToDAy's cLuE: y EQuALs s

CeLebrItY CIpher

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

LAGoon

bIG

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers1 to 9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s PuzzleAnswer

THe wiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS

Bridge

By PHILLIP ALDER

We are looking at transfer bids intothe majors. Why use them?

Thereare two main reasons.First,you get the stronger handtobethe declarer when the final contract is in responder’s major. Andifthe opening bidisone notrump,therespondercandescribeatwosuiterbelow three no-trump.

Look at theSouthhand. Playing natural methods, Southwouldrespond three hearts, showingfiveheartsand at least game-going values. But when North rebids three no-trump, announcing only twohearts, shouldSouth pass or rebid four clubs? He does not know Here, passing would workbadly, because thedefenders take five spade tricks. But when South bids two diamonds, transfer, and rebidsthree clubs natural and game-forcing, what does Northdo?

If he had three hearts, he would indicatethe fit with athree-heartbid. With twohearts and stoppers in spadesand diamonds, he would bidthree no-trump. Here, though, he continueswiththree diamonds, strongly suggesting that he is worried about spades.And if Northis worried, Southisvery worried! He bids four clubs,North control-bids (cue-bids)

four diamonds, South control-bids four spades (yes,aggressive, but the hands are fitting well),North uses Blackwood, and they reach six clubs. This contract makes easily,South taking four hearts, two diamonds, five clubs and one heart ruff in the dummy.

By Andrews McMeel Syndication

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

Previous answers:

word game

InsTRucTIons: 1. Words must be of fourormore letters. 2. Words that acquire fourletters by the addition of “s,”such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3 Additional words made by adding a“d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit wordsare not allowed

ToDAy’s WoRD VAGRAnTs: VAY-grents:Those who have no established residence and wander from place to place.

Average mark15words Timelimit 25 minutes

Can you find 22 or morewords in VAGRANTS?

yEsTERDAy’s WoRD —sLuMLoRD