The Advocate 06-26-2025 by The Advocate

CHAMPIONSHIP CELEBRATION

LSU baseball team honored for eighth title

Jay Johnson lauded by players, fans for team’s success

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

LSU has become accustomed to winning na-

tional championships over the last half-decade and change.

Some area teachers get pay boosts

Iberville Parish highest paying district in the region

BY CHARLES LUSSIER Staff writer

Starting pay for public school teachers in the Baton Rouge region continues to increase as several school districts have approved new pay raises and stipends.

Four of the 12 school districts within the nineparish area have approved permanent teacher pay raises. They range from $1,200 more a year in West Feliciana Parish to a $4,000 raise in Iberville Parish. Ascension agreed to a $1,500 increase and Zachary has agreed to $2,000 more. Three districts acted in the past week.

Meanwhile, West Baton Rouge last week approved a $1,200 one-time stipend for current and prospective employees and $600 for part-time employees.

“We really need to make sure that we stay competitive with our surrounding districts, and really, for us, we want to stay above them.”

LEWIS VOIRON, Iberville Parish schools superintendent

Iberville Parish was already the highest paying district in the region and one of the highest paying in the state. It has distanced itself from the pack with a $4,000 pay raise that it approved in May And a recently approved stipend is adding $2,000 to the pocketbooks of public educators and $1,000 to support workers across Louisiana. It’s the third year in a row that the state has stopped short of approving permanent pay raises for school employees, opting instead for this one-time payment.

ä See TEACHERS, page 4A

Governor signs BREC legislation

Board changes give cities in East Baton Rouge greater role

BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER Staff writer

ä LSU players go to work at Raising Cane’s. PAGE 1B

Football started the run of success, winning its fourth title in 2019. Women’s basketball won its ﬁrst-ever national championship in 2023, followed by gymnastics in 2024, which achieved the same feat. Men’s outdoor track won it all in 2021.

But no LSU program has better exempliﬁed this recent run of success than LSU baseball, especially after the Tigers won their second national championship in three years on Sunday, defeating Coastal Carolina 5-3 in Game 2 of the College World Series ﬁnal.

“I deﬁnitely still think it’s a little bit of a blur

ä See CELEBRATION, page 5A

Gov Jeff Landry has signed a bill that now gives Baker Central, St. George and Zachary seats on the board of BREC, East Baton Rouge Parish’s parks and recreation system. The bill also establishes a requirement for the commission to submit an annual report on BREC’s ﬁnances.

Rep. Lauren Ventrella, the Baton Rouge Republican who sponsored the bill, said that requirement stems from taxpayers’ frustrations surrounding “wasteful spending and excessive taxation.”

“I, too, work for a living, and I’m just as frustrated as my neighbors with how much we’re taxed especially by BREC and how little

ä See BREC, page 4A

AG wants 5 death penalty cases reviewed, expedited

BY MATTHEW ALBRIGHT and MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writers

n Robert Miller in East Baton Rouge Parish Miller was convicted in the 1997 murder, rape and armed robbery of his landlord at her home.

dants have been found guilty, but are challenging the constitutionality of their verdicts or sentences.

the pain and trauma of waiting for ﬁnality for decades.”

n Marcus Reed in Caddo Parish. Reed was convicted of killing three brothers in 2010 after a burglary at his home.

n Antoinette Frank in Orleans Parish. Frank, a former New Orleans police ofﬁcer, was convicted in 1995 in a triple murder at the Kim Ahn Noodle House in New Orleans East.

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill is asking the state Supreme Court to review and potentially expedite five death penalty cases, saying they have languished in the court system for too long and that her office needs clarity on conflicting lower court rulings. The defendants in those cases, all of whom have been convicted of murder, are: n Larry Roy in Rapides Parish. Roy known as the “Cheneyville slasher,” was convicted of a double murder in a knife attack in 1994. Some of his victims are still alive.

n David Bowie in East Baton Rouge Parish. Bowie was convicted in the murder of his friend in Scotlandville in 1996 after a night of gambling. All five cases are in the postconviction relief stage. The defen-

“In these five cases — and many others — the offenders failed to move their cases for many years and sometimes decades,” Murrill wrote in a news release Wednesday “Meanwhile, victims’ family members are left with the fear that the conviction might be vacated and

Cecelia Kappel, an attorney for death row inmates, slammed Murrill’s news release and accused her ofﬁce of attempting to stop defendants from having their claims heard.

“Courts around the state have rejected the attorney general’s arguments, and their news release is meritless grandstanding,” she said. “The attorney general’s filings have nothing to do with

Murrill seeks clarity from state Supreme Court ä See EXPEDITED, page 4A

Murrill

STAFF PHOTOS By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU outfielder Josh Pearson carries the championship trophy during player introductions at the national championship celebration on Wednesday at Alex Box Stadium.

LSU head coach Jay Johnson thanks the fans during Wednesday’s championship celebration.

Alaska bear gets huge crown for canine tooth

DULUTH,Minn. An Alaska brown bear at the Lake Superior Zoo in northeastern Minnesota has a gleaming new silver-colored canine tooth in a first-of-its-kind procedure for a bear

The 800-pound Tundra was put under sedation Monday and ﬁtted with a new crown the largest dental crown ever created, according to the zoo.

“He’s got a little glint in his smile now,” zoo marketing manager Caroline Routley said Wednesday

The hourlong procedure was done by Dr Grace Brown, a board-certiﬁed veterinary dentist who helped perform a root canal on the same tooth two years ago. When Tundra reinjured the tooth, the decision was made to give him a new, stronger crown. The titanium alloy crown, made by Creature Crowns of Post Falls, Idaho, was created for Tundra from a wax caste of the tooth.

Brown plans to publish a paper on the procedure in the Journal of Veterinary Dentistry later this year “This is the largest crown ever created in the world,” she said “It has to be published.”

Tundra and his sibling, Banks, have been at the Duluth zoo since they were 3 months old, after their mother was killed.

Croatia discovers 18thcentury boat under city

DUBROVNIK, Croatia A sunken 18th-century boat has been discovered by chance near the majestic stone walls of Croatia’s medieval city of Dubrovnik.

Ivan Bukelic was working on a water pipeline in Dubrovnik’s old port back in April when he found a wooden structure buried in the seabed.

“I can now say I discovered a boat at the Old Town Dubrovnik,” Bukelic, who is a diver and undersea builder from Dubrovnik, said. He added the vessel was some 23-31 inches under the sea bottom A key trade port in the Adriatic Sea in medieval times, Dubrovnik has been declared a UNESCO protected heritage site It attracts huge crowds of tourists, especially during the summer, and is also known as a ﬁlming site for HBO’s “Game of Thrones” series.

The remains of the boat in Dubrovnik’s old port have been protected for further examination.

Nestle to remove U.S. artificial dyes by 2026

Nestle said Wednesday it will eliminate artiﬁcial colors from its U.S. food and beverages by the middle of 2026.

It’s the latest big food company making that pledge. Last week, Kraft Heinz and General Mills said they would remove artiﬁcial dyes from their U.S. products by 2027 General Mills also said it plans to remove artiﬁcial dyes from its U.S. cereals and from all foods served in K-12 schools by the middle of 2026.

The move has broad support. About two-thirds of Americans favor restricting or reformulating processed foods to remove ingredients like added sugar or dyes, according to an AP-NORC poll. Both California and West Virginia have recently banned artiﬁcial dyes in foods served in schools.

On Sunday, Republican Gov Greg Abbott of Texas signed a bill requiring foods made with artificial dyes or additives to contain a new safety label starting in 2027. The label would say they contain ingredients “not recommended for human consumption” in Australia, Canada, the European Union or the U.K

The federal government is also stepping up its scrutiny of artiﬁcial colors. In January, days before President Donald Trump took ofﬁce, the U.S. regulators banned the dye called Red 3 from the nation’s food supply nearly 35 years after it was barred from cosmetics because of potential cancer risk.

In April, Trump’s Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said the agency would take steps to eliminate synthetic dyes by the end of 2026, largely by relying on voluntary efforts from the food industry

7 Israeli troops killed in a Gaza bombing

BY JULIA FRANKEL and FATMA KHALED Associated Press

JERUSALEM — Israel on Wednesday reported one of its deadliest days in Gaza in months as its military said seven soldiers were killed when a Palestinian attacker attached a bomb to their armored vehicle, while health ofﬁcials in the battered enclave said Israeli attacks killed 79 people over the past day

The attack on the Israeli troops, which occurred on Tuesday, quickly drew the nation’s attention back to the grinding conﬂict with the Hamas militant group after nearly two weeks of war between Israel and Iran.

Among the 79 reported killed in Gaza were 33 people who died while trying to access aid. Palestinian witnesses and health officials say Israeli forces have repeatedly opened fire on crowds heading toward desperately needed food, killing hundreds in recent weeks. The military says it has fired warning shots at people it said approached its forces in a suspicious manner

Israel returns its attention to Gaza

Israel has been ﬁghting in Gaza since the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. U.S.-led ceaseﬁre efforts have repeatedly stalled

Brig. Gen. Efﬁe Defrin, the army’s chief spokesman, said the soldiers were attacked in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, where the army has operated on and off throughout much of the war “Helicopters and rescue forces were sent to the spot. They made attempts to rescue the ﬁghters, but without success,” he said.

The army said another soldier was seriously wounded in a separate incident in Khan Younis. It gave no further details, but Hamas claimed on its Telegram channel it had ambushed Israeli soldiers tak-

ing cover inside a residential building.

Over 860 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the war began, including more than 400 during the fighting in Gaza.

The initial Hamas attack killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 others hostage. Some 50 hostages remain in captivity, at least 20 of whom are believed to still be alive.

Palestinians eager for ceasefire

With a fragile ceasefire holding between Israel and Iran, U.S. President Donald Trump said there has been “great progress” in Gaza ceaseﬁre talks, without elaborating.

“I think we’re going to have some very good news,” Trump told reporters at the NATO summit. He credited the U.S. interference in the Israel-Iran war for progress on Gaza, saying that “I think that it helped a little bit, it showed a lot of power.”

Some Palestinians in Gaza City expressed frustration that the war has dragged on for nearly two years, while the conﬂict between Israel and Iran lasted 12 days before a fragile ceaseﬁre.

“I live in a tent and now my tent is gone too and we’re living in suffering here. The war between Israel and Iran ended in less than two weeks and we’ve been dying for two years,” said Um Zidan, a woman displaced from northern Gaza. Gaza health authorities had announced on Tuesday that the number of Palestinians killed in the war has risen above 56,000. Experts say Israel’s blockade and military campaign have driven the population to the brink of famine.

Mazen al-Jomla, a displaced resident of Shati camp, questioned why war in the coastal enclave has stretched on, noting that Israel’s assault on Iran was based on accusations of possessing nuclear weapons.

Pope affirms celibacy for priests, demands ‘firm’ action on sex abuse

BY NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press

ROME Pope Leo XIV afﬁrmed Wednesday that priests must be celibate and insisted that bishops take “firm and decisive” action to deal with sex abusers, as he gave marching orders Wednesday to the world’s Catholic hierarchs.

Leo met in St. Peter’s Basilica with about 400 bishops and cardinals from 38 countries attending this week’s special Holy Year celebrations for clergy A day after he gave an uplifting message of encouragement to young seminarians, Leo offered a more comprehensive outline of what bishops must do to lead their ﬂocks.

It’s an issue the former Cardinal Robert Prevost would have long pondered given his role as the prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Bishops. In that job from 2023 until his election in May, the Chicago-born Prevost vetted bishop nominations for Pope Francis, identifying the type of leader who would further Francis’ view of a church where all are welcome and dialogue is the decisive form of governance.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ANDREW MEDICHINI Pope Leo XIV leads a meditation with the participants into the Jubilee of Bishops inside St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican on Wednesday.

History’s first American pope reaffirmed Wednesday that the primary role of bishops is to forge unity in his diocese among clergy and to be close to his flock in word and deed. Bishops must live in poverty and simplicity, generously opening their homes to all and acting as a father figure and brother to his priests, Leo said.

“In his personal life, he must be detached from the pursuit of wealth and from forms of favoritism based on money or power,” he said.

Bishops must remain celibate “and present to all the authentic image of the church, holy and chaste in her members as

Mamdani claims victory over Cuomo. Next: Eric Adams, GOP and more

BY ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE Associated Press

NEW YORK Zohran Mamdani has claimed victory over a wounded, but still formidable former Gov Andrew Cuomo in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary Now he faces an equally tough task: Defeating Mayor Eric Adams and a Republican opponent — and maybe even Cuomo again in the general election, while fending off critics who argue the 33-year-old democratic socialist is too far to the left.

While the results have yet to be ﬁnalized, Mamdani had a commanding lead that will be exceedingly difﬁcult for Cuomo to overcome when the vote count resumes July 1 in New York City’s ranked choice voting system.

Mamdani’s likely win was a political lightning bolt partly because of the stunning upset of New York’s once all-powerful former governor, but also for the signals it sent about what kind of leader Democrats are gravitating toward following the party’s bruising loss to Republican President Donald Trump last year But Mamdani still has a ways to go. In a normal New York City election year, the winner of the Democratic primary might be all but assured to sail through the general election and become the next mayor But this is not a normal election year

Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who is a Democrat, pulled out of the primary to instead run as an independent in the general election, a decision he made after it was clear the public uproar over his now-dismissed federal corruption case had severely damaged his chances of winning the party’s nomination. Adams had not done much campaigning, but now appears eager to take on Mamdani, who is still relatively new to politics, having served in the state Assembly only since 2021.

“What NYC deserves is a mayor who’s proud to run

on his record — not one who ran from his record, or one who has no record,” Adams said in a statement. “We deserve a mayor who will keep driving down crime, support our police, fight antisemitism, and stand up for working-class New Yorkers.”

Mamdani, in a clip of an interview released by WABC-TV on Wednesday started turning his attention Adams, criticizing the incumbent’s record and warm relationship with Trump.

“We’ve been told time and again that through his collaboration, he could protect our city But we do not see that protection,” Mamdani said of Adams and Trump. At the same time, Cuomo appears down but might not yet be out. The former governor could also run in the general election on an independent ballot line and said he was still assessing his options, even after conceding the primary race to Mamdani.

Both Cuomo and Adams are guaranteed spots on the general election ballot because of the state’s generous qualiﬁcation rules for third parties. Jim Walden, a former prosecutor, is also running as an independent. Adams created two of his own political parties, one called “EndAntiSemitism” the other called “Safe&Affordable,” to get a spot on the ballot. Cuomo created one called the “Fight and Deliver” party to give himself the option of running.

“I want to look at all the numbers as they come in and analyze the rank choice voting. I will then consult with my colleagues on what is the best path for me to help the City of New York as I have already qualiﬁed to run for mayor on an independent line in November,” Cuomo said in a statement. Heading toward the fall, Mamdani is also sure to face a renewed wave of criticism from the city’s business and real estate communities, which have opposed his plans to hike taxes on the wealthy and poured money into Cuomo’s political action committees.

in her head,” he said.

Referring to cases of abuse, he said bishops “must be firm and decisive in dealing with situations that can cause scandal and with every case of abuse, especially involving minors, and fully respect the legislation currently in force.”

It was the second time in a week that Leo has commented publicly on the abuse scandal. On Friday night, in a written statement to a crusading Peruvian journalist who documented gross abuses in a Peruvian Catholic movement, Leo said there should be no tolerance in the Catholic Church for any type of abuse.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ABDEL KAREEM HANA

Palestinians carry bags containing food and humanitarian aid packages delivered by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a U.S.-backed organization, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on Wednesday.

Report: U.S. strikes only set back Iran’s nuclear program by months

BY MICHELLE L. PRICE, MARY CLARE JALONICK, STEPHANIE LIECHTENSTEIN

and SAM MCNEIL Associated Press

WASHINGTON A U.S. intelligence report suggests that Iran’s nuclear program has been set back only a few months after U.S. strikes and was not “completely and fully obliterated” as President Donald Trump has said, according to two people familiar with the early assessment.

The report issued by the Defense Intelligence Agency on Monday contradicts statements from Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the status of Iran’s nuclear facilities. According to the people, the report found that while the Sunday strikes at the Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan nuclear sites did signiﬁcant damage, the facilities were not totally destroyed. The people were not authorized to address the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity

The White House rejected the DIA assessment, calling it “ﬂat-out wrong.” On Wednesday, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said in a post on X that “New intelligence con-

ﬁrms” what Trump has stated: “Iran’s nuclear facilities have been destroyed. If the Iranians chose to rebuild, they would have to rebuild all three facilities (Natanz, Fordow, Esfahan) entirely, which would likely take years to do.”

Gabbard’s ofﬁce declined to respond to questions about the details of the new intelligence, or whether it would be declassified and released publicly

The office of the director of national intelligence coordinates the work of the nation’s 18 intelligence agencies, including the DIA, which is the intelligence arm of the Defense Department, responsible for producing intelligence on foreign militaries and the capabilities of adversaries.

The DIA’s assessment was preliminary and will be reﬁned as new information becomes available, the agency wrote in a statement Wednesday Its authors also characterized it as “low confidence,” an acknowledgement that the report’s conclusions could be mistaken. According to the DIA statement, analysts have not been able to review the sites themselves.

The DIA also said it is working with the FBI to in-

vestigate the unauthorized leak of the assessment.

The U.S. has held out hope of restarting negotiations with Iran to convince it to give up its nuclear program entirely, but some experts fear that the U.S. strikes — and the potential of Iran retaining some of its capabilities could push Tehran toward developing a functioning weapon.

The assessment also suggests that at least some of Iran’s highly enriched uranium, necessary for creating a nuclear weapon, was moved out of multiple sites before the U.S. strikes and survived, and it found that Iran’s centrifuges, which are required to further enrich uranium to weaponsgrade levels, are largely intact, according to the people.

At the deeply buried Fordo uranium enrichment plant, where U.S. B-2 stealth bombers dropped several 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs, the entrance collapsed and infrastructure was damaged, but the underground infrastructure was not destroyed, the assessment found. The people said that intelligence officials had warned of such an outcome in previous assessments ahead of the strike on Fordo.

Abrego Garcia to remain in jail while attorneys debate deportation

BY TRAVIS LOLLER Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. Kilmar

Abrego Garcia will remain in jail for at least a few more days while attorneys in the federal smuggling case against him spar over whether prosecutors have the ability to prevent Abrego Garcia’s deportation if he is released to await trial.

The Salvadoran national whose mistaken deportation became a ﬂashpoint in the ﬁght over President Donald Trump’s immigration policies has been in jail since he was returned to the U.S. on June 7, facing two counts of human smuggling.

Although a federal judge has ruled that he has a right to be released and even set specific conditions for his release, his attorneys expressed concern that it would lead to immediate detention by ICE and deportation.

On Sunday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes ruled that Abrego Garcia does not have to remain in jail ahead of that trial On Wednesday afternoon, she will set his conditions of his release and allow him to go, according to her order However, his defense attorneys and prosecutors have said they expect him to be taken into custody by U.S.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement as soon as he is released on the criminal charges.

Abrego Garcia’s wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, said during a news conference before Wednesday’s scheduled court hearing that it’s been 106 days since he “was abducted by the Trump administration and separated from our family.” She noted that he has missed family birthdays, graduations and Father’s Day, while “today he misses our wedding anniversary.”

Vasquez Sura said their love, their faith in God and an abundance of community support have helped them persevere.

“Kilmar should never have been taken away from us,” she said. “This ﬁght has been the hardest thing in my life.”

Federal prosecutors are appealing Holmes’ release order Among other things, they expressed concern in a motion ﬁled on Sunday that Abrego Garcia could be deported before he faces trial. Holmes has said that she won’t step between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security it is up to them to decide whether they want to deport Abrego Garcia or prosecute him.

Abrego Garcia pleaded

not guilty on June 13 to smuggling charges that his attorneys have characterized as an attempt to justify his mistaken deportation in March to a notorious prison in El Salvador Those charges stem from a 2022 traffic stop for speeding in Tennessee during which Abrego Garcia was driving a vehicle with nine passengers. At his detention hearing, Homeland Security special agent Peter Joseph testified that he did not begin investigating Abrego Garcia until April of this year Holmes said in her Sunday ruling that federal prosecutors failed to show that Abrego Garcia was a flight risk or a danger to the community He has lived for more than a decade in Maryland, where he and his American wife are raising three children. However, Holmes referred to her own ruling as “little more than an academic exercise,” noting that ICE plans to detain him. It is less clear what will happen after that. Although Abrego Garcia can’t be deported to El Salvador where an immigration judge found he faces a credible threat from gangs — he is still deportable to a third country as long as that country agrees to not send him to El Salvador

NATO leaders agree to hike military spending

BY MIKE CORDER, SYLVIE CORBET, MOLLY QUELL and LORNE COOK Associated Press

THE HAGUE,Netherlands NATO leaders agreed on a massive hike in defense spending Wednesday after pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, and expressed their “ironclad commitment” to come to each other’s aid if attacked.

The 32 leaders endorsed a ﬁnal summit statement saying: “Allies commit to invest 5% of GDP annually on core defense requirements as well as defense- and security-related spending by 2035 to ensure our individual and collective obligations.”

The show of unity vindicated NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte’s billing of the summit as “transformational,” even though it papered over divisions.

Trump called the spending boost “something that no one really thought possible. And they said, ‘You did it, sir You did it.’ Well, I don’t know if I did it, but I think I did.” Spain had already ofﬁcially announced that it cannot meet the target, and others have voiced reservations, but the investment pledge includes a review of spending in 2029 — after the next U.S. presidential elections — to monitor progress and reassess the security threat posed by Russia.

The leaders also underlined their “ironclad commitment” to NATO’s collective security guarantee – “that an attack on one is an attack on all.” Ahead of the summit, Trump had again raised doubts over whether the United States would defend its allies.

“Together, allies have laid the foundations for a stronger, fairer and more lethal NATO,” Rutte told reporters after chairing the meeting in The Hague. “This will fuel a quantum leap in our collective defense.”

The spending hike requires each country to spend billions of dollars. It comes as the United States — NATO’s biggest-spending member — shifts its attention away from Europe to focus on security priorities elsewhere, notably in the Middle East and IndoPaciﬁc. Spain had called the new spending target and 2035 deadline “unreasonable.” Belgium signaled that it would not get there either, and Slovakia said it reserves the right to decide its own defense spending.

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez stood conspicuously aside from other leaders in the summit family

photo. After the meeting, he said that Spain can execute NATO’s defense plans by spending only 2% of gross domestic product on defense.

“In today’s summit, NATO wins and Spain wins something very important for our society, which is security and the welfare state,” Sánchez said.

Trump lashed out at Spain after the meeting.

“They want to stay at 2%.

I think it’s terrible,” he said.

“You know, what we’re going to do? We’re negotiating with Spain on a trade deal. We’re going to make them pay twice as much.”

Along with Spain, many other European countries face major economic challenges, and Trump’s global tariff war could make it even harder for America’s allies to reach their targets. Some countries are already squeez-

ing welfare and foreign aid spending to channel extra funds into their military budgets.

On Tuesday, Trump complained that “there’s a problem with Spain. Spain is not agreeing, which is very unfair to the rest of them, frankly.” He has also criticized Canada as “a low payer.” In 2018, a NATO summit during Trump’s ﬁrst term unraveled due to a dispute over defense spending

Russia’s neighbors lead Other countries closer to the borders of Russia and Ukraine — Poland, the three Baltic states and Nordic countries — have committed to the 5% goal, as have NATO’s European heavyweights Britain, France, Germany and the Netherlands.

In their statement, the leaders said they were united “in

Notice is hereby givenpursuant to Article7,Section 23(C) of the Louisiana Constitution andR.S. 47:1705(B) thata public hearingofthe Town of Sorrento in AscensionParishwill be held at its regularmeeting placeinthe Sorrento Community Center,located at 7471 Main Street,Sorrento, LA on Tuesday, August 12, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. to consider levyingadditional or increasedmillage rateswithout furthervoter approval or adoptingthe adjusted millage ratesafter reassessmentandrollingforwardtorates nottoexceed the prioryear’smaximum. Theestimatedamountoftax revenues to be collectedinthe next year from the increased millage is $84,993, andthe amount of decrease in taxesattributable to the millage increase is $3,443.

the face of profound security threats and challenges, in particular the long-term threat posed by Russia.” It had been feared that Trump would object to that assessment, which European governments need to justify higher spending. Trump has been reluctant to support Ukraine in its war against Russia’s full-scale invasion.

“We stand by Ukraine in its pursuit of peace and will continue to support Ukraine on its irreversible path to NATO membership,” Rutte said. The Trump administration has vetoed Ukraine’s bid to join NATO for the foreseeable future.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb said the agreement “is a big win, I think, for both President Trump and I think it’s also a big win for Europe.”

He told reporters that “we’re witnessing the birth of a new NATO, which means a more balanced NATO.”

He said it would take nations “back to the defense expenditure levels of the Cold War.” NATO countries started to cut their military budgets in safer times after the Berlin Wall collapsed in 1989. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer threw his weight behind the hike, declaring, ““This is the moment to unite, for Europe to make a fundamental shift in its posture and for NATO to meet this challenge head-on.” In a fresh take on Trump’s MAGA movement, Lithuanian President Gitanas Naus da said: “We should choose a motto, ‘make NATO great again.’”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ALEX BRANDON President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at the end of the NATO summit as Secretary of State Marco Rubio, right, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth listen in The Hague, Netherlands, on Wednesday.

TEACHERS

package for the 2025-26 school year but “will be exploring options in July and August.”

Similarly St. Helena Parish, the lowest-paying district in the region, is hoping to ﬁnd money for a stipend in time for when its board meets in July

“We are reviewing our budget to determine if we can issue a stipend as well,” said Superintendent Kelli Joseph.

stipend, returning teachers who stay through the ﬁrst semester will receive an additional $2,000 district-funded stipend. That means annual paychecks ranging from $64,821 for a second-year teacher with a bachelor’s degree to $94,146 for a 50-year teacher with a doctorate.

The various boosts in pay mean that starting teacher

The state is asking voters on April 18 to approve a constitutional amendment that would fund an even larger permanent pay raise of $2,250 a year for teachers and $1,125 a year for support workers. A similar constitutional amendment failed in March. The districts that have thus far opted against teacher pay raises or across-theboard employee stipends this year are Central as well as East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Livingston, Pointe Coupee and St. Helena parishes. East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana and Central all instituted generous raises last year; a total of eight Baton Rouge area districts did the same that year Baker is no longer hiring teachers. Instead, the small city school district last month converted its two remaining schools into charter schools operated by Helix Community Schools of Baton Rouge, which sets its own salaries and beneﬁts.

EXPEDITED

Continued from page 1A

speeding up cases but instead seek to confuse, delay and prevent these individuals from having their day in court.”

Kappel also gave other reasons for why capital cases take so long to reach a conclusion.

“The reasons why capital cases historically take a long time is due to extreme underresourcing of the capital defense and also the prosecution,” she said, adding that there is not enough money in the state to support the prosecution of all death penalty cases at once.

Louisiana stopped executions for 15 years, with past government and prison ofﬁcials saying they could not access lethal injection drugs without risking losing access to medicine for sick inmates. During the hiatus many death row cases sat dormant in Louisiana courts.

BREC

Continued from page 1A

accountability we see,” Ventrella said Wednesday It’s time for real transparency.”

With Landry’s signature, the mayors of Baker, Central, St. George and Zachary will now each appoint a member to the nine-person BREC Commission.

Ventrella said Landry’s support shows the governor shares her “commitment to cutting waste and holding government accountable to taxpayers.”

Of the five remaining seats, the new rules require that at least two members be Baton Rouge residents and one be from an unincorporated area of the parish.

Previously BREC’s ninemember board included:

n The mayor-president of the parish, or a designee

n A School Board designee

n A Planning Commission member

n Six members appointed by the Metro Council.

A BREC spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

BREC has faced accusations of mismanagement.

pay in almost every school district in the region is at least $50,000 a year The only exceptions are Livingston and St. Helena parishes A spokesperson for Livingston Parish says the district has not yet settled on its employee compensation

Teachers in Iberville Parish have entered an even more elite club: the $60,000 club. It’s a small group that includes top-flying Louisiana districts such as Plaquemines Parish and St. Charles Parish, which recently approved its own 5% across-the-board pay raise — a $3,000 raise for its starting teachers.

Starting teachers in Iberville this fall will be making $60,506 a year in base salary On top of the $2,000 state

“We really need to make sure that we stay competitive with our surrounding districts, and really, for us, we want to stay above them,” Superintendent Lewis Voiron said after the May 12 approval of the pay raise.

The next highest paying in the region is West Baton Rouge, which gave a sizable pay raise a year ago. Base salary the state stipend and the new $1,200 local stipend brings a starting teacher in that parish to $56,274 a year

“Our employees are vital to the success of our students and our school district,” said Superintendent Chandler Smith.

Since Louisiana resumed executions in March, several death penalty defendants are now attempting to restart litigating their post-conviction claims.

Defendants would often ﬁle barebones court ﬁlings, known as shell petitions, to start pursuing postconviction relief. But both defense attorneys and district attorneys of-

ten spent years without acting on them while the state’s execution chamber was dormant. Eventually attorneys for defendants in post-conviction relief hearings are

supposed to supplement shell petitions with full ﬁlings that dispute a death sentence. Since Louisiana resumed executions in March, several death pen-

Other school districts in Louisiana are also boosting teacher pay Jefferson Parish recently approved a $1,200 teacher pay raise; combined with the state stipend, starting teacher pay is increasing to $55,000 a year That’s on top of a $2,500 pay raise the year before. In December, parish voters narrowly defeated a property tax that would have lifted educators’ pay by more than $8,000 a year Similarly, Lafayette Parish schools recently did a round of budget-cutting to free up money for a teacher pay raise that, along with the state stipend, brings its starting teacher pay to $52,000 a year Those teachers are getting $1,745 more than they were last year and $2,393 more than they made two years ago.

Email Charles Lussier at clussier@theadvocate. com.

alty defendants are now attempting to restart litigating their postconviction claims.

Louisiana has started executions with a new method: nitrogen gas. The state used it for the ﬁrst time in March when they put to death Jessie Hoffman Jr., who was convicted in 1998 of raping and murdering Mary “Molly” Elliott two years earlier Murrill said she is asking the state’s highest court to take each of the ﬁve cases “and develop clear standards for post-conviction relief cases when an applicant waited decades to pursue relief, the relief was optional, and the state is substantially prejudiced by the delay.” Murrill has long argued that defendants abuse the post-conviction relief process to delay executions for years, denying victims’ families justice. But defense attorneys say a robust post-conviction relief process is vital to preventing the state from executing someone because of a faulty conviction.

Critics point to several years of state audits that have been submitted late and have found misappropriated money and some weak ﬁnancial safeguards.

BREC also periodically faces accusations from cities outside Baton Rouge that its leadership prioritizes Baton Rouge over the rest of the parish.

But BREC leaders point to national awards the park system has won and say they have strong support from the public. Last year, voters approved a 10-year renewal of the tax that funds BREC by a margin of 61% to 39% and re-upped a separate tax for its “Imagine Your Parks” strategic plan on a vote of 53% to 47%.

BREC Superintendent Corey Wilson recently left the agency Janet Simmons, a recent president of nonproﬁt Hope Ministries, has been named interim superintendent.

A similar bill sponsored by Baton Rouge Republican Rep. Dixon McMakin was vetoed by Landry on Wednesday that would’ve also given the same cities seats on the BREC Commission. McMakin’s bill did not include the annual ﬁnancial

reporting requirement.

McMakin said in a statement Wednesday he had spoken with Landry about “ongoing concerns surrounding BREC’s management,” and said “other legislation will still move us toward the accountability and reform our parish deserves.”

“Building a modern, efﬁcient park system in East Baton Rouge can’t be accomplished in just one session and this conversation is far from over,” McMakin said.

“Our work to bring bold, positive change continues and I look forward to working alongside our mayors and legislative colleagues to pursue real solutions for BREC’s future.”

In a statement Wednesday, East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Sid Edwards thanked Landry for signing the bill, which he said “reﬂects the entirety of our parish and gives all municipalities a voice.”

“Special thanks to Representative Ventrella, as well as Representative McMakin, for their hard work and dedication in delivering these much-needed improvements to our park system,” Edwards said. “As Mayor I look forward

to working with BREC and the new board to ensure our parks meet the needs of ev-

ery community in East Baton Rouge Parish.” Central Mayor Wade Evans said he is “happy to be able to contribute to a revitalized BREC.”

STAFF

PHOTO By TED JACKSON

CELEBRATION

Idon’tthink I’ve taken it all in yet,” senior outfielder Josh Pearson said. “I’ve been talking to my family alot. Like Isaid, this is everything I’ve everdreamed of ” Wednesday at Alex BoxStadium wasthe celebration for the program’seighth national championship in 35 years. As the ceremony began, staff members andplayers were introducedone by one from the home dugoutonthe ﬁrst base side.

Plenty of players received a large round of applause. But the ﬁnal standing ovation was not left for aplayer; instead, it wasfor a coach.

Jay Johnson was hired as LSU’s coach from Arizonafollowingthe 2021 season, replacingthe retiring Paul Mainieri. Wednesday wasthe four-year anniversary of his unveiling, and since he overtook the program, only winning has followed.

“He showsusthe way,” Pearson, the only player who has been with Johnson for all four years of his tenure at LSU, said. “I mean, he lets everybody know what they need to do to be successful.And we come out here and work on it.” Johnson on Sunday became the fastest coach in college baseball history to win two national championships in four years at the same school, and he accomplished the feat with two completely different rosters.

Twoseasons ago,LSU’s team was ﬁlled with superstars, some of whom are either in the major leagues or close. But this year’s group played adifferent style of baseball with less superstar talent, with fewerhome runs buteven better pitching and defense.

The constructionofthe rosters was also dramatically dissimilar The2023 teamwas built around players whowere mostly recruited by Mainieri. This year’stitle team waschiefly made up of athletes whowere recruited and developed by Johnson, many of whom were playingtheir ﬁrst seasonwith the Tigers this spring.

Despite having so many new faces,Johnson was still able to cultivate achampionship-caliber team.

Theonly player who startedonthe 2023 national championship team who held abig role on LSU’slatest title team was Pearson.

“I just think when you have a

Fireworksgooff behind the championshipbillboard during the LSU national championship celebration on Wednesday

group ofguys asspecial as the ones we had this year,you don’t really try andforce it,” junior ﬁrst baseman Jared Jones said. “You just kind oflet thecamaraderie happen and thetogetherness happen.”

Pearson said Johnson provides a

binder toevery player ahead of the ﬁrst team meetingofthe season in August. The binder is accompanied by adetailed PowerPoint that Jones estimated is three hours long. Pearson still haseach of hisbinders, allfourofthem. But what is

actually in those folders?

“Everything you can think of that could ever happenona baseball ﬁeld,”Pearson quipped. Apparently,they also include national championship rings.

“We’ve won eight national championships in the last 35 years, and

no other programcan say that,” Jones said. “I think coach Johnson is the perfect man for the job, and thereare going to be many more national championships.”

Email Koki Rileyatkoki.riley@ theadvocate.com.

STAFFPHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

at Alex Box Stadium.

BRIEFS

Online dating platform

Bumble to cut 240 jobs

Online dating platform Bumble plans to lay off about 240 employees, or roughly 30% of its global workforce.

In a securities ﬁling, Bumble disclosed that its board approved the cuts this week as it “realigns its operating structure to optimize execution on its strategic priorities.” The Austin, Texasbased company expects to see $40 million in annual cost savings spanning from the workforce reductions, much of which it says it will invest in product and technology development.

“These decisions were not made lightly, and we are deeply grateful for the contributions of every employee impacted,”

Bumble said in a statement sent to The Associated Press on Wednesday — adding that it was now focused on “moving forward in a way that strengthens our core business” and “positions us for future growth.”

Shares for Bumble soared following the news.

Bumble did not immediately specify when it would implement the layoffs or which roles would be affected. But its securities ﬁling signaled that the process would extend into later in the year

Getty drops copyright allegations in suit

Getty Images dropped copyright infringement allegations from its lawsuit against artiﬁcial intelligence company Stability AI as closing arguments began Wednesday in the landmark case at Britain’s High Court.

Seattle-based Getty’s decision to abandon the copyright claim removes a key part of its lawsuit against Stability AI, which owns a popular AI image-making tool called Stable Diffusion The two have been facing off in a widely watched court case that could have implications for the creative and technology industries.

Tech companies have been training their AI systems on vast troves of writings and images available online. Getty was among the first to challenge those practices with copyright infringement lawsuits in the United States and the United Kingdom in early 2023.

Getty’s trial evidence sought to show the painstaking creative work of professional photographers who made the images found in Getty’s collection, from a Caribbean beach scene to celebrity shots of actor Donald Glover at an awards show and Kurt Cobain smoking a cigarette. It juxtaposed those real photographs with Stability’s AI-generated output.

Tesla sales continue to drop in Europe

Europeans still aren’t buying Teslas with ﬁgures out Wednesday showing sales plunged for a ﬁfth month in a row in May, a blow to investors who had hoped anger toward Elon Musk would have faded by now Tesla sales fell 28% last month in 30 European countries even as the overall market for electric vehicles expanded sharply, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association. The poor showing comes after Musk had promised a “major rebound” was coming last month, adding to a recent buying frenzy among investors. They were selling Wednesday, pushing prices down more than 4% in early afternoon trading. Musk had said Tesla was sure to get a boost once the company was done retooling its factories to produce a new version of its biggest seller, the Model Y. But that was finished months ago, and the new models are widely available. Investors are now hoping that a cheaper Tesla expected to be out later year will help reverse the sales decline. Overall, battery electric vehicle sales rose 25% in Europe compared to a year earlier The market for EVs was particularly strong in Germany, where Musk has angered potential buyers by publicly supporting the far-right, anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany party in elections. Overall, EV sales leapt 45%.

U.S. stocks hang near record

BY STAN CHOE AP business writer

NEW YORK U.S. stocks hung near their all-time high on Wednesday as ﬁnancial markets caught a breath following two big days bolstered by hopes that the Israel-Iran war will not disrupt the global ﬂow of crude oil. The S&P 500 barely budged after drifting through a quiet day of trading and is sitting just 0.8% below its all-time high, which was set in February The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 106 points, or 0.2%, and the Nasdaq composite

rose 0.3%.

In the oil market, which has been the center of much of this week’s action, crude prices stabilized after plunging by roughly $10 per barrel in the last two days. Benchmark U.S. crude rose 55 cents to $64.92 per barrel, though it still remains below where it was before the fighting between Israel and Iran broke out nearly two weeks ago. A fragile ceaseﬁre between the two countries appears to be holding, at least for the moment. On Wall Street, FedEx fell 3.3% despite reporting stronger proﬁt

and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected. It gave a forecast for profit in the current quarter that fell short of expectations. General Mills, the company behind Pillsbury and Progresso soups, lost 5.1% after reporting weaker revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected, though its profit topped forecasts. It also said an underlying measure of profit could fall by 10% to 15% this upcoming fiscal year

On the winning side of Wall Street, Bumble jumped 25.1% after the online dating platform said

it would cut about 30% of its workforce, or 240 jobs, to save up to $40 million in annual costs. QuantumScape rallied 30.9% after announcing a breakthrough in its process for making solid-state batteries. Solid-state battery technology promises to improve electric vehicle range, decrease charging times and minimize the risk of battery ﬁres. But the batteries are expensive to research and difficult to manufacture at a large scale, giving them a reputation for being a Holy Grail for battery engineers all over the world.

Fed chair, GOP senators debate tariffs

BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP economics writer

WASHINGTON Federal Reserve Chair Je-

rome Powell said Wednesday that President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs will likely push up inﬂation in the coming months, even as some Republican senators suggested the chair was biased against the duties.

On the second day of his twice-yearly testimony before the House and Senate, Powell said that consumers will likely have to shoulder some of the cost of the import taxes. Most Fed officials support cutting rates this year Powell added, but the central bank wants to take time to see how inﬂation changes in the months ahead.

“There will be some inﬂation from tariffs coming,” Powell said under questioning from members of the Senate Banking Committee. “Not yet, but over the course of the coming months.”

Powell noted that the duties would likely cost hundreds of billions of dollars annually, and “some of that is going to fall on the consumer We’re just kind of waiting to see more data on that.”

Some GOP senators criticized Powell, however, for characterizing tariffs as a potential driver of inﬂation. Sen. Pete Ricketts, a Re-

publican from Nebraska, argued that the duties could simply act as a one-time increase in prices that wouldn’t fuel inﬂation.

And Sen. Bernie Moreno, a Republican from Ohio, echoed some of Trump’s complaints about Powell’s reluctance to cut rates and accused Powell of political bias.

“You should consider whether you are looking at this through a ﬁscal lens or a political lens because you just don’t like tariffs,” Moreno said. Powell didn’t respond.

But the Fed chair reiterated that most central bank ofﬁcials do support cutting the Fed’s key rate this year Powell added that it is possible that tariffs won’t increase inﬂation by very much.

Trump has sharply criticized Powell for not reducing borrowing costs, calling him a “numbskull” and a “fool.” Trump has pushed for rate cuts in order to reduce the interest costs the federal government pays on its debt. Yet some Fed officials have pushed back against that view saying that it’s not their job to lower the government’s borrowing costs.

Also Wednesday, at a post-NATO summit news conference, Trump said he had candidates in mind to replace Powell, presumably for when Powell’s term as chair ends in May 2026. Trump has previously threatened to

ﬁre Powell, but the Supreme Court has signaled that a president probably doesn’t have the legal authority to remove the Fed chair

“I know, within three or four people, who I’m going to pick,” Trump said, calling Powell a “very stupid person.”

So far, inﬂation has steadily cooled this year despite concerns among some economists about the impact of tariffs. The consumer price index ticked up just 0.1% from April to May, the government said last week, a sign that price pressures are muted.

Compared with a year ago, consumer prices rose 2.4% in May, up from a yearly increase of 2.3% in April.

Yet many economists on Wall Street expect that Trump’s tariffs will lift inﬂation this year, to about 3% to 3.5% by the end of this year

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the senior Democrat on the banking committee, told reporters before the hearing that the Fed would likely be cutting rates if it wasn’t for the threat of higher prices posed by tariffs. When the Fed reduces its key rate, it often lowers borrowing costs for mortgages, auto loans, and credit cards.

“Trump’s chaotic tariff policies are directly causing higher costs for the American people,” Warren said.

Watchdog: Trump budget bill could complicate tax season

BY FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press

WASHINGTON The budget bill championed by President Donald Trump could complicate next year’s tax filing season after the IRS lost one-quarter of its employees through staffing cuts, an independent watchdog reported Wednesday The IRS workforce has fallen from 102,113 workers to 75,702 over the past year, according to the latest National Taxpayer Advocate report to Congress. The report Wednesday offered the first official numbers on the IRS job losses associated with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency Most of the employees took the

“fork in the road” resignation offer from DOGE rather than waiting to get laid off. Some of the ﬁndings from the report: n Taxpayers will likely see effects of staffing reductions. The Trump administration’s efforts to shrink the size of the federal bureaucracy led to a mass exodus of probationary employees who had not yet gained civil service protections and were offered buyouts through a “deferred resignation program.” More than 17,500 IRS workers took that route. The biggest cuts were in taxpayer services, the small business/selfemployed ofﬁce and information technology

The report noted that the Republican administration’s proposed budget includes a 20% reduction

in IRS funding next year That’s a 37% reduction when taking into account the supplemental funding in the Biden-era Inﬂation Reduction Act that Republicans previously stripped away

“A reduction of that magnitude is likely to impact taxpayers and potentially the revenue collected,” wrote Erin M. Collins, who leads the organization assigned to protect taxpayers’ rights.

n The 2026 tax season could be precarious. Collins said the 2025 ﬁling season was “one of the most successful ﬁling seasons in recent memory,” though she warned that the 2026 season could be rocky

“With the IRS workforce reduced by 26% and significant tax law changes on the horizon, there are risks to next year’s ﬁling season,”

Collins wrote. “It is critical that the IRS begin to take steps now to prepare.”

She said that, halfway through the year, there were concerns that the IRS had not yet undertaken key preparation steps, including hiring and training seasonal and permanent employees.

n Trump’s package could add new layer of problems. The report warned about the possibility of understaffing to manage new provisions from Trump’s legislative package if it’s enacted.

“Several provisions will retroactively affect the 2025 tax year, thus impacting millions of taxpayers and requiring the IRS to quickly update tax year 2025 tax forms and programming for the 2026 filing season,” the report said.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JULIA DEMAREE NIKHINSON

Federal Reserve Board Chair Jerome Powell listens Wednesday during a Senate Banking Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington.

Former teen idol Bobby Sherman dies at 81

BY MARK KENNEDY Associated Press

Bobby Sherman, whose winsome smile and fashionable shaggy mop top helped make him into a teen idol in the 1960s and ’70s with bubblegum pop hits like “Little Woman” and “Julie, Do Ya Love Me,” has died. He was 81. His wife, Brigitte Poublon, announced the death Tuesday and family friend John Stamos posted her message on Instagram: “Bobby left this world holding my hand just as he held up our life with love, courage, and unwavering grace.” Sherman revealed he had Stage 4 cancer earlier this year Sherman was a squeakyclean regular on the covers of Tiger Beat and Sixteen magazines, often with hair over his eyes and a choker on his neck. His face was printed on lunchboxes, cereal boxes and posters that hung on the bedroom walls of his adoring fans. He landed at No. 8 in TV Guide’s list

of “TV’s 25 Greatest Teen Idols.”

He was part of a lineage of teen heartthrobs who emerged as massmarket, youth-oriented magazines and TV took off, connecting fresh-scrubbed Ricky Nelson in the 1950s to David Cassidy in the ’70s, all the way to Justin Bieber in the 2000s. Sherman had four Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart — “Little Woman,” “Julie, Do Ya Love Me,” “Easy Come, Easy Go,” and “La La La (If I Had You).” He had six albums on the Billboard 200 chart, including “Here Comes Bobby,” which spent 48 weeks on the album chart, peaking at No. 10. His career got its jump start when he was cast in the ABC rock ’n’ roll show “Shindig!” in the mid-’60s. Later, he starred in two television series — “Here Come the Brides” (1968-70) and “Getting Together” (1971). Admirers from Holly-

Sherman

wood took to social media to honor Sherman, with actor Patricia Heaton posting on X: “Hey all my 70s peeps, let’s take a minute to remember our heartthrob Bobby Sherman” and Lorenzo Lamas recalling listening to Sherman’s “Easy Come, Easy Go” on the school bus as a kid.

After the limelight moved on, Sherman became a certified medical emergency technician and instructor for the Los Angeles Police Department, teaching police recruits first aid and CPR. He donated his salary “A lot of times, people say, ‘Well, if you could go back and change things, what would you do?’” he told The Tulsa World in 1997. “And I don’t think I’d change a thing except to maybe be a little bit more aware of it, because I probably could’ve relished the fun of it a little more It was a lot of work. It was a lot of blood, sweat and

tears. But it was the best of times.”

Sherman, with sky blue eyes and dimples, grew up in the San Fernando Valley, singing Ricky Nelson songs and performing with a highschool rock band

“I was brought up in a fairly strict family,” he told the Sunday News newspaper in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1998. “Law and order were important. Respect your fellow neighbor, remember other people’s feelings. I was the kind of boy who didn’t do things just to be mischievous.”

He was studying child psychology at a community college in 1964 when his girlfriend took him to a Hollywood party, which would change his life. He stepped onstage and sang with the band. Afterward, guests Jane Fonda, Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo asked him who his agent was. They took his number and, a few days later an agent called him and set him up with “Shindig!”

Mississippi executes man for 1976 killing

BY SOPHIE BATES Associated Press

PARCHMAN, Miss.

— The longest-serving man on Mississippi’s death row was executed Wednesday, nearly five decades after he kidnapped and killed a bank loan ofﬁcer’s wife in a violent ransom scheme. Richard Gerald Jordan, a 79-year-old Vietnam veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder whose ﬁnal appeals were denied without comment by the U.S. Supreme Court, was sentenced to death in 1976 for kidnapping and killing Edwina Marter He died by lethal injection at the Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman. The execution began at 6 p.m., according to prison

ofﬁcials. Jordan lay on the gurney with his mouth slightly ajar and took several deep breaths before becoming still. The time of death was given as 6:16 p.m. Jordan was one of several on the state’s death row who sued the state over its threedrug execution protocol, claiming it is inhumane. When given an opportunity to make a ﬁnal statement Wednesday, he said, “First I would like to thank everyone for a humane way of doing this. I want to apologize to the victim’s family ” He also thanked his lawyers and his wife and asked for forgiveness. His last words were: “I will see you on the other side, all of you.” Jordan’s wife, Marsha Jordan, witnessed the execu-

tion, along with his lawyer Krissy Nobile and a spiritual adviser, the Rev Tim Murphy His wife and lawyer dabbed their eyes several times.

During a news conference after the execution, Keith Degruy a spokesperson for Marter’s family, read a statement on behalf of her two sons and husband, who were not present at the execution.

“Nothing will bring back our mom, sister and our friend. Nothing can ever change what Jordan took from us 49 years ago. Jordan tried desperately to change his ruling so he can simply die in prison. We never had an option,” he said.

Jordan’s execution was the third in the state in the last 10 years; previously the

most recent one was carried out in December 2022. It came a day after a man was put to death in Florida, in what is shaping up to be a year with the most executions since 2015.

Mississippi Supreme Court records show that in January 1976, Jordan called the Gulf National Bank in Gulfport and asked to speak with a loan ofﬁcer After he was told that Charles Marter could speak to him, he hung up. He then looked up the Marters’ home address in a telephone book and kidnapped Edwina Marter

According to court records, Jordan took her to a forest and fatally shot her before calling her husband, claiming she was safe and demanding $25,000.

BY MIKE STOBBE and LAURAN NEERGAARD Associated Press

ATLANTA U.S. Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy

Jr.’s new vaccine advisers alarmed pediatricians Wednesday by announcing inquiries into some longsettled questions about children’s shots.

Opening the ﬁrst meeting of Kennedy’s handpicked seven-member panel, committee chairman Martin Kulldorff said he was appointing a work group to evaluate the “cumulative effect” of the children’s vaccine schedule the list of immunizations given at different times throughout childhood.

Also to be evaluated, he said, is how two other shots are administered — one that guards against liverdestroying hepatitis B and another that combines chickenpox protection with MMR, the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.

It was an early sign of how the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is being reshaped by Kennedy, a leading antivaccine activist before becoming the nation’s top health ofﬁcial. He ﬁred the entire 17-member panel this month and replaced it with a group that includes several anti-vaccine voices.

“Vaccines are not all good or bad,” Kulldorff said. “We are learning more about vaccines over time” and must “keep up to date.”

His announcement reﬂected a common message of vaccine skeptics: that too many shots may overwhelm kids’ immune systems or that the ingredients may build up to cause harm. Scientists say those claims have been repeatedly investigated with no signs of

concern.

Kids today are exposed to fewer antigens — immunerevving components — than their grandparents despite getting more doses, because of improved vaccine technology said Dr Paul Ofﬁt, a vaccine expert at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

The American Academy of Pediatrics announced Wednesday that it would continue publishing its own vaccine schedule for children but now will do so independently of the ACIP, calling it “no longer a credible process.”

“The narrative that current vaccine policies are ﬂawed and need ‘ﬁxing’ is a distortion,” said the AAP’s Dr Sean O’Leary “These policies have saved trillions of dollars and millions of lives.”

The ACIP, created more than 60 years ago, helps the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention determine who should be vaccinated against a long list of diseases, and when. Those recommendations have a big impact on whether insurance covers vaccinations and where they’re available, such as at pharmacies.

After Kennedy’s abrupt dismissal of the existing expert panel, a number of the CDC’s top vaccine scientists — including some who lead the reporting of data and the vetting of presentations at ACIP meetings — have resigned or been moved out of previous positions. And shortly before Wednesday’s meeting, a Virginia-based obstetrician and gynecologist appointed to the committee stepped down According to the Trump administration, he withdrew during a customary review of members’ ﬁnancial holdings.

Dear LSU Nation:

As I watched our baseball team’s incredible run to the program’s eighth national championship in Omaha, I couldn’t help but reflect and be grateful for all of you.

All of our student-athletes, coaches and staff. All of our passionate and generous LSU fans and and of our LSU and donors. Our incredible partners who believe in what we’re doing. Our state government leaders who encourage our institutional and athletics success And all Louisianans who take pride in the state’s flagship university.

Sunday’s national title is the 53rd in LSU’s history, including the sixth since 2019. That athletic achievement has coincided with record-setting success in the classroom and the community.

It’s all occurred through a challenging and transformative time in college sports

But as Louisianans always do, we’ve answered the call and met the moment.

Each and every one of you are what makes this state and university great. You are what makes the LSU brand a powerful symbol of excellence and forward-thinking.

The 2025 baseball team’s motto perfectly embodies the LSU spirit: “Tough & Together.”

Together, there’s nothing we can’t accomplish.

Thank you, for all that you do Geaux Tigers! Geaux

Scott Woodward

Iranian-born LSU student detained

Man’s wife also in ICE custody

At least one Iranian-born LSU student has been detained by Immigration Customs and Enforcement agents.

Pouria Pourhosseinhendabad is currently listed as “in custody” on ICE’s ofﬁcial database. The website does not indicate in which facility he is being held. According to a research article published in May, he

is a doctoral student studying mechanical engineering at LSU. LSU spokesman Todd Woodward told The Illuminator that Pourhosseinhendabad’s wife, another Iranian-born LSU student, is also in ICE custody He conﬁrmed that the two had been arrested at their off-campus apartment over the weekend.

The arrests come after U.S. military launched a series of airstrikes targeting three nuclear facilities in Iran on Saturday On Sunday morning, Mandonna “Donna” Kashanian, a 64-year-old Iranian woman who has lived in the U.S. for 47 years, was detained by ICE outside her home in New

Orleans. She in now being held at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Basile. ICE also announced on its website Monday it had arrested 11 Iranian nationals over the weekend, but did not mention

FRY BALL

Members of the LSU baseball team, fresh off winning the College World Series, showed up at the original Raising Cane’s in Baton Rouge on Wednesday morning to sling some fresh chicken ﬁngers.

Riding on the new Mardi Gras Mike ﬂoat to the store’s ﬁrst location near LSU’s campus, players were joined by coach Jay Johnson and Raising Cane’s CEO Todd Graves in manning the drive-thru, signing autographs and greeting fans.

Anthony Eyanson high-fives a customer after serving them their order with the help of Kade Anderson and Derek Curiel

Wednesday. The LSU players, along with teammates Jared Jones and Chase Shores, spent the afternoon

serving chicken to excited fans.

Current owners lack money for historic landmark’s repairs

BY JULIA GUILBEAU Staff writer

the

EBR Metro Council OKs police show

Any resident pulled over may be on live TV, chief says

BY QUINN COFFMAN Staff writer

On Friday and Saturday nights, viewers across the country tune into “On Patrol: Live” to watch law enforcement ofﬁcers make drug busts, arrest suspects and get in car chases. Now with Wednesday night’s approval from the Metro Council, Baton Rouge residents will be able to see their city’s police ofﬁcers on the show starting in mid-July Baton Rouge joins police departments in Las Vegas; Daytona Beach, Florida; Knox County, Te nnessee; Clayton County, Georgia; and Monroe, Louisiana, that are already featured on the three-hour show, which airs at 8 p.m. weekly on Fridays and Saturdays. Police Chief Thomas Morse told the council “On Patrol: Live” is closer to a documentary than a reality TV show “What the public sees is 10% of police work,” Morse said. “This is showing the other 90%

BY MARGARET DELANEY and JULIA GUILBEAU Staff writers

ä See POLICE, page 2B

STAFF PHOTOS By JAVIER GALLEGOS

original Raising Cane’s on

meeting fans, shooting promotional material and

LSU baseball player Chase Shores hands a customer their food on Wednesday.

Staff report

Former stateemployee pleads guilty to stealing $200KinCOVID funds

Aformer employee of the Louisiana Workforce Commission admitted to stealing at least $200,000 in federal COVID assistance by making changes to the unemployment accounts of about 40 people.

Paris Haynes, 28, of Baton Rouge, pleaded guilty Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana to one count of wire fraud.

According to the plea agreement, Haynes worked forthe Louisiana Workforce Commission as acustomer service representative between April 2020 and March 2021. In that role, she helped people with their unemployment claims and had access to Louisiana’spandemic unemployment application system. There, she made changes to around 40 accounts of inactive claimants.

Haynes changed usernames,passwords and email addresses, then logged into accounts and changed the claimants’ preferred method of payment, including their bank routing information, in order to redirect beneﬁts to her bank accounts or to accounts under her control, the Department of Justice said in a news release.

The plea agreement states that she obtained at least $200,000 in pandemic unemployment application benefits to which she was not entitled.

In exchangefor her plea and cooperation, the Justice Department agreed not to prosecute her for any related offensesand asked U.S. District Judge John W. deGravelles to reduce her sentencing guidelines, according to the plea agreement. Haynes’ public defender, Marci Blaize, was not immediately available for comment.

Sentencing guidelines are

aset of levels used by courts to determineappropriate punishments, although the plea agreement statesit isn’tbinding, and the court can impose any sentence. The plea agreement said the maximum sentence for wire fraud is 20 years in prison. However,itadded that if thecourt finds the crime relatedtoa presidentially declared major disaster or emergency,she can face 30 years in prison and aﬁne of up to $1 million. Asentencing datehas not been set.

Weapons, drugs found in jail

For the second time since September,Tangipahoa Parish authorities made asweep of theparish’sjail and seized drugs, makeshift weapons and other banned items such as cellphones, the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday Tuesday’s “shakedown” involved more than 100 agents from theSheriff’s Office as well as the Rayburn Correctional Center and the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Officeina full search of the jail in Amite, authorities said. The investigation into the contraband continues, and arrests are pending, the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Officesaid. It is the second extensive search at the jail since Gerald Sticker becamesheriff nearly ayear ago. In September,a searchturned up improvised weapons known as“shanks,” homemade alcohol, acellphone anddrugs.Two prisoners were arrested after that search.

In May, aprisonerescaped from the jail, resulting in severalemployees being placed onadministrative leave.

STEAMBOAT

Continued from page1B

“It remains DQSC’sgoal and mission to see the DELTA QUEENpreserved and the best solution is one that opens the vessel to the public to generate the revenues necessary to sustain its maintenance and long-term preservation. Whether this means as acruising vessel, or in the manner her identical twin, the DELTA KING has enjoyed as astationary attraction; the DELTA QUEEN needs to be saved,” the post read. The Delta Queen, and her twin the Delta King, were built in 1927 as luxurious passenger steamboats that doubled as shipping vessels. They operated in California for years, commuting between San Francisco and Sacramento each night. WhenWorldWar II commenced, the Delta Queen was commissioned by the U.S. Navy to ferry troops in the San Francisco Bay.It was purchased by Captain TomGreene andreturned to its former job carrying paying passengersupand down the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, stopping at more than 80 ports.

The boat has been docked in Houma since 2015, after it was saved from the scrap-

WEST NILE

Continuedfrom page 1B

West Nile virusdangers

West Nile is avirus that can cause neurological disease anddeath andisthe leading cause of mosquitoborne disease in theU.S.

Humans, birds,mosquitoes,horses andsome other mammals can contract the disease. Between 80% and 90% of allWest Nile virus cases do not cause symptoms,according to the HealthDepartment.

About20% of people infected may develop afever

and experience other symptoms such as headaches, body aches,joint pains,vomiting, diarrhea or rashes, according to the Centers for Disease Control andPrevention. And 1in150 people infected with West Nile virus will develop asevere illness thataffectsthe central nervous system

No specific medicines treat thevirus,but rest, ﬂuids and pain medications may relieve symptoms.

Mosquito protection

The most importantway to prevent mosquitoes is by dumping standing waterthat could be collecting outside of thehome, according to New

OrleansMosquito Ratand Termite ControlBoarddirector Claudia Riegel. Riegel encouraged residents to spend just 10 minutes aweekscanning yards on trashday to see if any items could be collecting water

Even small containers with water inside, like asoda can, can be aproductive site for mosquito breeding.

As for keeping bugs off the skin, bug spray,long sleeves and staying near airflow from fans while outside is the best.

Southern house mosquitoes also bite in the evening, Riegel said, so try to lessen the time spent outside

at night. Here are afew extra tips to stay safe during mosquito season:

n Wear an Environmental Protection Agency-registeredinsect repellent when outdoors.

n Wear long-sleeved, looseﬁtting clothing.

n Spray bug spray on exposed skinorontop of clothes.

n Applysunscreen before applying insect repellent.

n Weather-strip doors and windows and check for holes in screens.

Email Margaret DeLaney at margaret.delaney@ theadvocate.com.

per and towedsouth from Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Owners have beenworking foradecadetorevive the boat, lobbying for federal funding from Congress to getthe job done In 2018,President Donald Trump signed alaw allowing the boat tooperateon wateragain and setting out funding to refurbish the boat so it could once again carrypassengers. Repair costs, which included replacingthe boat’s boilers and adding generators, plumbing, heating and air conditioning, were estimated to be around$10 million to $12 million. But owners say funding forthe projectnever materialized.

The boat’srestoration faced another setback in 2021 when it was damaged in Hurricane Ida. The Category 4storm’sstrong winds damaged the roof andseveral doorsand windows. It was not immediately clear what thecostofthe Delta Queen’slingeringrepairs was. No price was listed for the steamboat in the post, but DQSC saidthey are seeking offers and giving priority to plans that would not involve dismantling the ship.

EmailJulia Guilbeau at jguilbeau@theadvocate com.

of the communityinteraction,showing the human behind thebadge.”

Morse said the show has learned that audiences are more interestedinseeing theseinteractions, like a trafficstop that ends in a warning and arecommendation on where to getthe best pizza ratherthan acar chase.

Howitplays out

“OnPatrol: Live” captures footage live within-person camera operators during ride-alongs with ofﬁcers of police departments across thecountry

The footageisbroadcast on adelay,allowing the studio to cut any grisly,profane or disturbing content before it airs. Acast of former law enforcementofficersprovides commentaryonthe clips.

Suspects or others captured by theshow’scameras do nothavetheir faces blurred before the show goes to air, nor arethey requiredtosign releases or give consent before they areincluded in that evening’sprogram.Morse has said that means anyresident pulled over in atrafﬁcstop has thechance to have their encounter with police put on live television.

Twocouncil members told The Advocatethey had concernsabout broadcasting residents’liveinteractions with police to thecountry

“I don’tsee thebeneﬁt in highlighting thecrime we have in Baton Rouge,” said District 6council member CleveDunn Jr.“Ithink it hurts ourabilitytoattract people to thisarea. Ithink it hurts economicdevelopment.”

Dunn also said he worries how someone’sbroadcast interaction with police might hurt theirinteractions with future employers or universities. He added thatanarrestee’sinnocence is not decided until much later,when thecamerasare no longer rolling.

District 3council member Rowdy Gaudet, who also servesasvice chair on the VisitBaton Rouge board of directors, shared similarconcerns abouthow the showwould affect both Ba-

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ton Rouge’stourism and the reputations of individual residents.

Gaudetsaidhehas heard from constituents whoare concerned thatsomeone’s worst momentwould “live in infamy” on anationally televised show

AddedMorse: “Wedefinitely don’twant to ruin anybody’slives over some kind of mix-up.”

Both council members saidthey had opportunities to speak with Morseand producersof“On Patrol:Live” before Wednesday’smeeting. “I think thechief has a tremendous perspective (on how) this showoftentimes shows the very human side of policing, of police ofﬁcers and their positive interactions withresidents, and I think theshowdoesmake agreat effort to do that,” Gaudet said.

Dunn and Gaudet were the only votes against Wednesday’smotion. Council members Laurie Adams and Carolyn Coleman were absent.

District 5council member Darryl Hurst votedfor it agreeing with Morse that the show’sdepictionsofofﬁcers at parades or community events would help the city’stourism.

BRPD discretion

District 2council member

Anthony Kenney, who abstained from the vote, asked Morsetomake sure that all parts of Baton Rouge are shown, with crime not being “put on another part of the parish.”

Morse agreed, saying if coverage one night showed aburglary in north Baton Rouge, then the next night thecameras mightshow downtown.

The chief expects to have alevel of control over the show’scoverage, allowing him the ability to veto any filmedinteractionduring theshow’s30-minutedelay before it goes to air

“I have full control over picking up the phone and talking to the producer and say ‘We’re not going to show that,’”hesaid.

Morse sees this “frontside control” as apositive, allowing thedepartment and the city to control its image throughthe show.Healso said that he gets to select the ofﬁcers followed by camera crews andwhere theywould be assigned.

On its website, the show says departments are allowed footage review rights in order to protect ofﬁcers, confidential informants or minors, or to remove offensive or disturbing content.

“On Patrol: Live” speciﬁes thatthe edits or censoring aremadetomatch the stan-

dards of their network, not to protect theimage of individualofﬁcers or departments.

Cost-neutral fortaxpayers

The Metro Council vote Wednesday nightspecifically allows BRPDtoenter into acontract with the show’s producer,Half Moon Pictures LLC.

In its contracts with other departments, Half Moon Pictures pays each agency only an “insigniafee” for the rights to broadcast the agency’snameand logo on TV The fee meant to cover a department’soverhead for ofﬁcers’ overtimeand facilitating theirﬁlming, according to the show’s website. In this way, “On Patrol: Live” is also meant to be “cost-neutral” to taxpayers.

“They’re going to be using ourinsignia andlogos,” Morse previously said.

“They give us some money forthat, whichwill also offset the cost of anything it would cost us over time to be able to host theminthe city.” Adraft of the contract was notavailable forreviewby reporters before the meeting, acity-parish official said.

Email QuinnCoffman at quinn.coffman@ theadvocate.com.

Johnson Jr., Raymond

St.Benedictthe Moor Catholic Church in Napoleonville at 11 a.m. Martinez, Huey

St.John theEvangelistCatholic Church,Plaquemineat1pm Parker,Charles Winnfield FuneralHomeat11am. Peters,Julia ResthavenFuneralHome, 11817 JeffersonHighway,at10a.m

Obituaries

Avant, Daniel Laraway 'Danny'

Daniel"Danny" Laraway Avant of Cedar Hill,TX passed into glory at UT Southwestern Medical Center on June 20, 2025,in Dallas, TX at the age of 73. Danny was born in Baton Rouge,LAtoJohn Lewis Avant and Genevieve Rhorer Avant on February 12, 1952. He graduated from Robert E. Lee High School in 1970. Subsequently, he earned his J.D. in law at LSU, graduating at the top of his class. He joined his father in his law firm in 1977 and worked on some of Louisiana's most historicallysignificant cases. Danny is survived by his beloved wife of 44 years, Kathryn Hays Avant; his daughter, Jami McCain, and son-in-law, Adam McCain; and his cherished grandchildren, Cohen McCain and his wife, Hannah, Moriah Kaiser and her husband, Hank, and Adelyn McCain. He is also survived by his siblings,John Avant Jr., Penny Green, Diana Delalla and her husband John, nephews Collis and JamesAvant, and nieces Jessica Becht, Lesley Oseep, and Carolyn Hjelte Preceding him in death are his parents, Jack and Genevieve Avant, his nephew, Daniel Benjamin Avant, and his niece, Damie Leigh Green. Danny's deep commitment to his faith and his community shaped every aspect of his life. He loved LSU sports, fishing, and being apart of GoodNews Riders.Hewas an active and dedicated member of The Chapel on the Campus and served as adeacon and other various positions. He and Katie hosted hundreds of international students from LSU in their home, sharing with them not only Southern holidays and traditions, but also the hope of the Gospel. Later in life, Danny and Katie moved to Texas and served alongside their family at Hill City Churchin Cedar Hill, TX. Funeral services will be held on June 28th at RoseNeath Funeral Home in Arcadia, LA. Viewing at noon followed by aservice at 1:00 pm. In lieuofflowers, donations may be sentto Hill City Church Missions at www.hillcity.us.

Thomas Holliman

Thomas Holliman Brown IV, age 83, passed away peacefully on June 14, 2025, surrounded by his loved ones at his home. Born in Biloxi, Mississippi,onDecember 18,1941, and raised in Bogalusa Louisiana, Thomas liveda life marked by honor, kindness, and deep devotion to his family, faith, and country. He is survived by his beloved daughters, Cherrie Elaine Brown Huerkamp (Matt) and Monica Mavine Brown; and by his cherished grandsons,Matthew Thomas Huerkamp,Dylan Scott Huerkamp, Brandon Todd Huerkamp, and Tyler Allen Huerkamp. He also leaves behind his sisters, Myrtle Lou Brown Givens (Jimmy) and Cheryl Brown Houston (Jimmy); sister-inlaw Kitty Funderburk;as well as many loving nieces and nephews: Jay Givens (Lucy), JillGivens Langston (Todd), Joy Givens Assunto (Trey), Jimmy T. Houston, Tracy Funderburk Averette (Jarod), Bradford Funderburk, and numerous greatnieces, great-nephews

and otherclose family members.Tommy was preceded in deathbyhis loving wife, Jeanette Funderburk Brown; his son, Timothy AllenBrown; his infant daughter, Baby Girl Brown; hisstepson, Brandon Ray Vidrine; his mother, Mavine Morgan Brown; his father,ThomasHolliman Brown III;and hisbrotherin-law, Kenneth Lee Funderburk.Tommyproudly servedhis country in the United StatesArmyfrom 1967 to 1969 during the Vietnam War. Ahighly decorated veteran,hewas the recipientofmultiple honors. His courage, dedication,and patriotism were deeply admired by allwho knew him. Followinghis military service,Tommy devoted over 30 yearsof his life to Exxon Chemical. He was aman of faith who loved Jesus, and we take comfort in knowing he is now rejoicing in Heaven. A very special thank you to Pointe CoupeeHospice, Dr. AshleyBordelon, and Deana with PHS. Visitation willbeheld at Rabenhorst East on Saturday, June28, 2025from9am until services begin at 11:30am Burialwillfollow at Roseland CemeteryinGloster, MS at 1:30pm

Bodo Claus passed awaypeacefully at home on Monday,June 23, 2025, surrounded by hisfamily after abrief illness. Hewas borninBerlin, Germany, and immigrated toAmerica at the age of 19, arriving on StatenIsland by shipin his lederhosen, eventually settling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.Withonlya middleschooleducation, he passedthe LSU entrance exam with atranslator and attended the LSU School of Architecture where he met andmarried the love of his life, Kitty Roy. They attended classes and completed theirarchitecturedegrees together, then worked alongside eachother at theirarchitectural firm, Claus & Claus, AIA Architects, where the project calendar was scheduled around fishing tournaments and summers on the high seas. Togetherwith their three children, they continued this spirit of adventurous living throughout their lives, spending their summers on theirbeloved boat,the "Good Tidings", exploring the waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the Florida Keys in everyway imaginable.Bodo acquired his love of fresh water fishing from Kitty,which later evolvedintoa passion for deepsea fishing and his position as President of the Baton Rouge BigGame Fishing Club for 10 years. His wifeand children were the onlycrewheever needed. Lifewas aseries of grand family adventures, often quite risky, perhapsdown right insane, approached with fearless confidence and alustfor fun in the sun. No concept was out of reach and all boundaries were gleefully ignored.

Bodo is precededin deathbyhis soulmate and wifeof59years, Kitty Roy Claus, and survivedby their threechildren, Heidi Claus, LauraClaus Franks (Michael), and Michael Claus (Sarah), 6grandchildren, Cole Cardenas, Katie Rooney (Alex), Camille Stone(Patrick), Jake Fisher,and Caroline and Bodo Claus, 2great grandchildren, LilyRooney and Stella Stone, sister, Ingrid Achee (Nick),and sisters by marriage,Peg Austin (Tom) and ElaineRoy (Vic). He was also preceded in deathbyhis parents, Margretand Paul Claus of Berlin, Germany,and his two brothers, Gunter(Leni) and Weiland (Margie),and sister, Mausi (Tom). Bodo adoredhis numerous nieces, nephews, and lifelongfriends, the "Ski Group"turned "Tailgate Crew".

Followinga private service on Friday, June 27th, a celebrationofhis life will be held forfriends and family at the home of Heidi Claus, 11131 N. Oak Hills Parkway in Baton Rouge at noon. In lieu of flowers, memorialdonations would be appreciatedtoSt. JamesEpiscopal Church

ColemanSr.,Rev Dr.Joseph

Rev. Dr.JosephCole‐man,Sr.,a native of Don‐aldsonville,LA, andresi‐dentofGonzales, LA, passedawayonMonday, June 16, 2025, at 1:30 AM at the Crossing of ClarityHos‐piceofBaton Rouge, LA BornonAugust26, 1950, to the late Rev. Wilson Cole‐man,Sr. andthe late Mer‐ley ColemanMerriday, he receivedhis generaledu‐cationinSt. Jamesand As‐cension Parishes.Heat‐tendedthe United Baptist Theological Seminary in Houma,LAand theChrist‐ian BibleCollege in Baton Rouge,LA, from which he attained theBachelorof Theology,the Master of Theology,the Graduate Specialistand theDoctor‐ate Degrees.Heworkedat Triad Chemical for29 years.Rev.Coleman mar‐riedDianne ChatmanCole‐man on March8,1974, and theyhad twosons, Joseph Jr. andDerek Coleman. He was baptizedin1972 at Buena VistaBaptist Church byRev.Henry Tribit,Sr.,or‐dainedin1986 by the Christian MissionaryBap‐tistAssociation, andbe‐camethe ﬁfthpastorat Buena VistaBaptist Church in1987. He is survived by his wife,Dianne Coleman; son,Derek (Kenyatta)Cole‐man;two sisters, Beverly Southalland Mary Dorsey; fourbrothers, Welmon, George(Brenda), Wilson, and Ronald (Ruby) Cole‐man;daughter-in-law, Kawandice Coleman; ten grandchildren,Jazlynn, Jaylonne,Denim,Denver, Chad, Tyrone,Ty’Chaz,Glo‐riah, Todd, andJaliyah;one godchild, Destiny; and manynieces, nephews, other relatives, and friends.Rev.Coleman was precededindeath by his parents,WilsonColeman, Sr. andMerleyColeman Merriday; son, Joseph Jr.; grandson, Ty’Quaz; stepfa‐ther, John; andninesib‐lings,Rose, Ivory, Leo, James,Emargie,Charles, Curtis, Ethel, andLeroy,Sr.

Foil, Dr. Lane Douglas

The family of Dr. Lane Douglas FoilofBaton Rouge is saddened to announce his passing on June 22, 2025 at theage of 76 years, following ashort illness. Lane was bornto Rayand Emogene Foilon June 16, 1949 in Union, Mississippi. He livedinvarious southern towns including Shreveport and Laurel, Mississippi where he attendedhighschooland played basketballfor the LaurelTornadoes. Achildhoodanecdote when Lane was aboutsix indicates his charming abilitytoget things done. One summer he visiteda neighbor's home and found akitchen counter full of freshly picked peaches. He asked hisneighbor what dayit was and was told "Thursday." His eyes litup, he pattedhis stomach, and said, "I love peaches on Thursdays." Lane graduated with aBachelor's Degree in Zoology from Auburn University. At Auburn, he was amember of Tau KappaEpsilon fraternity. After graduation he moved to Jackson, Mississippi where he was employedasthe Zoologist for theJackson Zoological Park. Thisjob ledtomany interesting encounters with exotic animals, including raising baby animals at home. One locally famous story involvedraising ababywallaroofor 7 months. The storywas followedbySouthern Living, theClarion Ledger, and an entry in the Guinness Book of WorldRecords Soon Lane's passion for education and researchled to earning aMaster's Degree in Science in Preventive Medicine at theUniversityofMississippi Medical Center.in1975. His major professor was Dr HughKeegan, awellknown publisherinthe fieldofTropical Medicine. In 1978, Lane achieveda Ph.D. in Medical Entomology at Mississippi State University.His doctoraldissertation researchedthe venomofthe brown recluse spider. Thisalso involved thehair-raising task of collecting thespideritselffrom thenooks and crannies of long desertedshacks in theMississippi countryside. As if this wasn't dangerous enough, once he was mistakenasa personwho had

been stealing government checks from locals, and had to exit aramshackle empty home (with hisspiders) at gunpoint from sheriff's deputies

After graduating from MSU, Lane beganhis long and distinguishedcareer as aprofessor in Veterinary Entomology at Louisiana StateUniversity. During his morethan fortyfive years at theUniversity he taught and mentored students, obtainednumerous researchgrants(over 30 totaling approximately .7 million), obtainedfour US patents in areas such as vaccinating companion animals for ticks,published12book chapters and invited contributions, and had over 170 publications in refereed journals. In 2006nLane receivedthe DoyleChambers Research Award formeritoriouscontributions to agriculture. An articleinthe 2019 issue of LouisianaAgriculture stated, "Foil has been recognized fora career marked by asometimes 'unconventional approach' to researchthat has yielded practical solutions that havebeenadopted across theglobe." In 2013 Lane was namedtothe PenningtonChair for WildlifeResearchatthe Bob R. Jones IdlewildResearch Station in Clinton, Louisiana. As therecipient Lane focused his researchondeveloping solutions for problems that affect thehealth and abundance of wildlife, such as hemorrhagic disease in deer.Lane continued his brilliant careerinstudying insect vectorsasdisease carriersand their economic costs. He was still working until afew months prior to his passing, indicating his commitment to research, science, and mentoring thenext generationtocarry on his legacy.

Eventhough he was a dedicatedscientist, Lane found time for fun. Friends knew him as adown-toearth, fun-loving companionwitha dry wit and passionate love of theoutdoors. Most who met him outside of academiawould havenever guessed his educationorachievements. As ayoung man, Lane enjoyed bird hunting in Mississippi and Louisiana, particularlyfor duck and geese.Heparticipated in Field Trialswith his champion LabradorRetrievers, Itch and Tink. Gradually Lane's interests shiftedto fishing, particularlyinthe Gulf of Mexico. The Louisiana state recordfor aMakoShark caught on rodand reel is 765 pounds, caught by Lane in 2006. Lane especiallyenjoyed a triptoVenezuelawithhis daughter where he caught theMarlin "grand slam." Lane willbemissed greatlybyhis daughter, Dr. Allison FoilanequineveterinarianinOcalaFlorida and graduateofLSU's School of Veterinary Medicine,his grandson BenjaminLane Foilwho knew him as "Pops," his olderbrother Mike Foil, an architect in Jackson, Mississippi,his niece Hadleigh FoilofBirmingham, Alabama, and hislong- term partner and colleague, Dr. Claudia Husseneder, Professor of Entomology at LSU. Amemorial forLane Is plannedata later date. Those who lovedLane, in thewords of his brother, knowthathe"sailed away in searchofanotherbig fish."

Gautreau, Byron James ByronJamesGautreau "Paw", bornonSeptember 7, 1931 in Gonzales, LA,and passed away on June 20, 2025 in Reserve, LA,atthe ageof93. He served in Japan during theKorean War and was theAscension Parish School Board Maintenance Supervisor untilhis retirement.He was ahard worker who could fixanythingand was fiercely loyal to his family and friends. He is preceded in death by his father Melton "Machine" Gautreau; his mother, Marie Nadine Duplessis Gautreau; his brother,VirgilGautreau; his sisters, RubyGautreau and Peggy Gautreau; his niece, Pam Gautreau; his wife, Theresa Oubre Gautreau; his daughter, Jody Ann Gautreau; and his grandson, Robert James Stafford. He is survived by his greatgrandson, Byron James Stafford;and two great-granddaughters, Sadie and JosieBrown; his brother, Conrad Gautreau and sister-in-law, Julie Gautreau; his sister, Janice Sullivan and brother-inlaw, Jimmy Sullivan; his nephew, Scott Gautreau; PatriciaGautreau Butler, Kellie Murray, Altonand Jane Rouyea and Clark Stafford. Visitation willbe at GraceworksChurch, 16131 LA 44 Prairieville, LA 70769, on Friday, June 27, 2025, from 10:00 am until serviceat11:00 am. Burial

Griffin, Rosalyn Falsetta

Rosalyn FalsettaGriffin beloved mother,Granny, andGigi, passedaway peacefully on June 22, 2025, surroundedbyher loving family. Alifelongresident of Donaldsonville, Louisiana, Rosalyn wasthe prouddaughterofRalph "BigRalph" andSolange Simoneaux Falsetta. She graduatedfromAscension Catholic High School and attendedthe Universityof SouthwesternLouisiana. Shelater marriedCharles "Charlie"Griffin Sr.Her greatest joyand achievementwereher close-knit family. She waspreceded in death by herparents, herbrother,Raphael "Rip" Falsetta, and herhusband, Charlie. Sheissurvived by hersister Marilyn Falsetta Diez (Pookie), sisters-inlaw Judy Falsettaand Nancy DeLeo (Bruno), herfour children—Chuck (Jean), MargoComeaux(Chris), MiaEdwards (Sammy), and Allison Griffin (Eric)—andher many grandchildrenand great-grandchildren, whowerethe lightofher life. Adevoted Catholic, Rosalyn's faith washer foundation. She will be remembered for her kind heart, legendary spaghetti gravy, andthe love she pouredintoher family. Visitation willbe held at Ascension of Our LordCatholic Church on Friday, June 27, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. untilthe Funeral Mass at 11:00 a.m. Intermentwillfollow at the church mausoleum. Pallbearers: KolbyMartinez, Sammy Edwards, Griffin Edwards, Brayden Martinez, Brysten Martinez, andJohnLandry.

Honoré Jr., Marshall Joseph

to follow at Hope Haven GardensofMemoryHwy 30. Pacificcampaign in the Philippines. He was honorablydischarged from the U.S. Army on December 25, 1945, and receivedseveral decorationsand campaign medals. In hisearly working career,hedid carpentry work with relatives. He began working at theUnited States Postal Service as a lettercarrier in theearly 1950s; then he became a supervisor andretired in 1980 as the first African American Station Manager at AudubonStation Post Office.After his retirement, he workedfor LAMAR Advertising for abrief period He volunteeredfor many yearsatSt. VincentdePaul diningroom andmade numeroustrips to Gambino's on Friday morningsfor food donations. He puthis carpentry skills to usevolunteeringwith Habitat for Humanity building andfixinguphomes for those in need Marshall lovedplaying golf, travelingwith hiswife Graceand spending time with hisfamilyand friends. He wasa man of great integrity, whoexemplified kindness, love andgenerosity andhehas left a lastingimpact on thelives of everyonewho knew him. He wasdevoted to God andhis Catholic faith by livinga humblelifededicated to serving those in need He is survived by his fivechildren: DeirdreHonoréJones (Irvin),Byron F. Honoré(Suzanne), Lilburn H. Bonnie(Terry), CurtisJ Honoré, andLauren H. Hooks (Maurice); 17 grandchildren: KimaniSherman (Tianay), KhalidSherman (Denise), Kashi Sherman, Kasey Sherman,Kelly Sherman, NatashaThomas, GabrielHonoré, Phillip Honoré, Jordan Honoré (Roman),Colby Honoré, Noah Honoré; TerryBonnie -Septh(Alex), M. KwaBonnie, Phalo Bonnie, Shaun Bonnie;Lily Mojica (Eduardo), andGraceHooks; 14 great-grandchildren;and threegreat-great grandchildren; twobrothers: MajorGeneral (Ret.) Charles E. Honoréand Thomas Honoré; twosisters-in-law: GloriaRicard Kennedyand JanHonoré; numerouscousins, nieces andnephews. He is preceded in death by hiswife,GraceRicard Honoré; hisparents, Marshall Honoré,Sr. andEvelyn DarensbourgHonoré; onebrother,H.Harvey Honoré, Sr.; twosisters, ElsieH.Bates andCeolaH Marcelle; father-in-law and mother-in-law, Stafford Ricard, Sr.and Eunice Allain Ricard; eightbrothers-inlaw andseven sisters-in-

"I havefought thegood fight, Ihave finished the race, Ihave kept thefaith." II Timothy4:7 NIV Marshall Joseph Honoré, Jr., alife-longresident of Baton Rouge,Louisiana, wasbornonAugust 4, 1924, on Maximilian Street in SouthBaton Rouge.He wasthe third of six children born to the unionof Evelyn Darensbourg Honoréand Marshall Joseph Honoré, Sr.Hediedon Tuesday, June 17, 2025, surroundedbyfamily. He was 100 years old. He attendedelementary school at St.FrancisXavier Catholic School andhigh school at McKinleyHigh School. He wasjoinedin holy matrimony to Grace Marie Ricard on June 15, 1949. Theyweremarriedat St.FrancisXavier Catholic Church by Reverend Joseph Calamari. He wasa WorldWar II veteran attached to the Army 1323rdGeneral Service Engineers. He participated in theEuropean Campaign at Normandy, NorthernFrance, Ardennes, Rhineland, and Central Europe. He also participated in theAsiatic

Claus, Bodo

Brown,

Legislaturewent toofar in loosening gunrestrictions near schools, parades

The U.S. Constitution protectsthe right to bear arms, but the interpretation of the Second Amendmentisdebated, and the limits on gun rights weighed against public safety have been hotlycontested.

Onething thathas longbeen clear to us is that keeping ﬁrearms away from schools is an entirely reasonable precaution —particularly in an erainwhich deadlyviolence strikesschools across our country,atevery leveland in every type of community, with horrifying regularity So we weredisappointedtosee theLouisiana Legislature shift away from along-standing restrictiononﬁrearms within so-calledgunfree zones around schools. SenateBill 101 by state Sen. Blake Miguez, R-New Iberia,which is awaiting Gov.Jeff Landry’ssignatureand expected to get it, would allow those eligible to carry without apermit underlast year’s “constitutionalcarry”law to do so within 1,000 feet of aschool.

We’ve previously expressed ourobjections to last year’slaw,which eliminated arequirement that thosewho carry undergo trainingand also robbed law enforcement of auseful tool to proactively stop violencebefore it happens. The most vocal opposition camefrom NewOrleans public ofﬁcials, but the LouisianaFraternal OrderofPolice also raised concerns. Polls showed that amajority of Louisianansdid not want the change, andwe’ve got no reason to think public sentimenthas shifted.

Miguez says hisbill will provide consistency, but we don’tthink that should come at theexpense of putting our state’schildrenatfurther risk.

Here’s how Rafael Goyeneche, president of the Metropolitan Crime CommissioninNew Orleans, summed up the potential effect of further loosening restrictions during thisyear’s session: “For every one example of aﬁrearm preventing acrime from occurring there are going to be multiple examples of abad outcome with aﬁrearm in those areas —that’s whythose laws were passed …It’sreally common-sensical and it’sreally afundamental public safetyissue.”

We also have deep reservations overanother measure that theLegislaturepassed,HouseBill 393 by state Rep. DennisBamburg Jr R-Bossier City,which has already gotten the governor’s signature.

This one addresses the righttoconcealed carry along densely packed paraderoutes. Prior law banned most guns at parades and demonstrations, but the language was unclear We have no objection to clarifying therules,but we do worry about the speciﬁcs of the newlaw, which speciﬁes that thoseattending parades and protests can carry concealed weapons but participants cannot.

This doesn’taddress the type ofgun violence among densely packed spectators that has brought tragedy to parade routes inthe past. And we dare say it’snot going to make people whoride, walk or march —let alone thosewho showuptopass agood time alongthe route but could end up in the crossﬁre —any safer. Which is supposed to be thewhole point, isn’t it?

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SCANHERE

OPINION

It is truly unnecessary for thecity of St. George to break away from theEast Baton Rouge School System to form its own school system. The legislation for the new school system causes problems for both St. George and EBR. This split is useless and creates more issues and tension within bothofthe cities. St.George’sschool system will create more sectionalism and division within the area. St. George’sschool system notably tries toexclude Black and Hispanic students,the school system selecting schools withalack of students of color in their population.St. George is creating racial and class barriers with its system, limiting students’ education. The legislation also pushes cross-district enrollment, allowing St. George’sstudentstohave access to EBR magnet schools like Baton Rouge Magnet High School despite thelegislation existing for St. George to have better schools than EBR public schools. St.George’sschool system will inevitably leave EBR students

with fewer opportunities fortheir education. The creation of St. George’sschool system takes away funding from EBR schools and students. Funding provided to EBR schools will decrease tremendously due to St. George’s school system.Despite the legislation enforcement of St. George paying $60 million in legacy costs forthe loss of theEBR schools, EBR will still lose over $100 million due to the departure of these schools and students. This loss of funding will negatively impact EBR students’ education at theexpense of St.George’sunnecessary system The city of St. George should not create its own school system.The effort will only create greater problems like increased racial and class divisions and distribution of state funding. All studentsdeserve access to good education, the school system already provides it,and theSt. George School System will take it away AMBERBARNES Baton Rouge

Parade notpresented with respect it deserved

Iwas disappointed in the Advocate’s coverage of the parade commemorating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army.Your coverage was more about theprotests than the parade. The photoshown on an inside page was terribly disrespectful of our Secretary of Defense. Obviously,The Associated Pressphotographer didn’tcover the viewing stand very well, as there were smiles and respect coming from our leaders and their wives throughout the parade.

Iwas able to watch the parade in its entirety.Asa graduateofbothhistoryand education, Iwould highly recommend the Fox News footage of the event. Its coverage of the parade showed the Army’suniformsand equipment used throughout history The parade announcer’scommentary

A1961 episode of Rod Serling’s“The Twilight Zone” titled “It’s aGood Life” featured 6-year-old Anthony Fremont, an undisciplined, spoiled brat who had godlike mental powers, including mind-reading.

Having witnessed Anthony’spower to makepeople disappear for having “unhappy thoughts” or thinking less

was wonderful, telling the history of our nation’sArmyfrom its conception in 1775 to now.Itwould be afabulous tool for classrooms across the country The costumes and military equipment from all 250 years were represented. My father,who passed away last summer,was amember of the 106th Infantry Division in World WarII. He was captured by theGermans in the Battle of theBulge and held in work camps for several months. He would have loved to have seen this tribute to theArmy. It was truly an event that honors all the men and womenwho have served their country with honor and bravery for thelast 250 years so that we live the lives we have today Youcannot put aprice on that.

ANN BERNARD

Baton Rouge

than positive thoughts about him,the adultsfell all over themselves trying to please Anthony,fearing they’d incur his anger and the punishment he’d impose. Who would have expected that a1960s television show would predict theRepublican Party of 2025?

WAYNE PARKER Baton Rouge

Per Senate Bill 14, Iapplaud the governor and Legislature for taking astand on health, but wonderiftheir efforts shouldn’tbeexpanded. According to the Cato Institute, the average American family pays approximately $870 each year in taxes to fund “corporate welfare” —direct subsidies and grants to private companies. Compared with approximately $516 afamily pays for Supplemental Nutritional Assistance or,SNAP,shouldn’twedemand the same targeted scrutiny of aprogram getting signiﬁcantly more of our taxpayer dollars?

If we agree that sugary drinks are unhealthy and should be banned from SNAP purchases, then we should apply that same rigor to the more expensive corporate subsidies: Legislate how they spend taxpayer-funded handouts so sweet deals like covering executive compensation, buying back stocks and paying down debt are prohibited. Or,inthe absence of enhanced oversight of corporate handouts, we could simply ban unhealthy sugary drinks for everyone, rather than punish afew

Shameonlawmakers who shielded nursinghomes

Iamhorrified that the Republican majority in the Louisiana Legislature passed Senate Bill 134, which shields nursing homes from lawsuits. Louisiana nursing homes are consistently ranked among the worst in the nation. And no lessons were learned from Bob Dean’sdeadly performance after Hurricane Ida. Apparently,over $1 millionincampaign contributions in 2023 and amassive lobbying effort in 2025 were sufficient to convince GOP representatives that the state wasin danger of losing its disgustingly rank homes for the elderly if the Legislature didn’tshield them from lawsuits. How do these elected officials sleep at night? Oh, Iforgot. They have piles of cash to keep them warm and comfortable. Easy to forget the elderly whenyou know they maydie before the next election. Pray none of our legislators or their family members ever have to go into aLouisiana nursing home.

TERRYVERIGAN

Metairie

SARAH KRACKE Baton Rouge

‘Good news’doesn’t have to be acontradiction in terms

Anumber of recent examplesshow that despite what the cynics say,the expression “good news”isn’t an oxymoron. You’ve all probably heard theold saying about newspapersand local newscasts, that “if it bleeds, it leads,” meaning that only blood and tragedy draws attention. Or you know the old Don Henley song “Dirty Laundry,” where he excoriates the newsman’ssupposed attitude that “it’sinteresting when people die Canweﬁlm the operation? Is the head dead yet?”

Well, Louisianans don’tneed to fall forthat. Here, we celebrate life and joy within and despite tragedies. And our coverage in the pages of thisnewspaper show an appreciation that good news isn’tjust for suckers. Each of the following items probably merits afull column of itsown,but for now, let’sjustnoticesome of thestories we can celebrate, several of which made it into our “most popular” list of articles online.

And no, this isn’tjust about theEmpire State Building turning purpleand gold in honor of the LSU Tigers’ national baseball title.

Swamp

Start with the ﬁnal $60 million, for a $500 million project, comingfrom the RESTORE council for restoration of the MaurepasSwamp between Blind River,Lake Maurepas and the towns of Gramercy,Garyville and Reserve. Until loggers culled millionsofcypress trees more than acentury ago, much of southern Louisiana consisted of forested wetlands.Now,though, the 45,000 acres of the Maurepas Swamp (a pittance of the territory once bejeweled with those noble trees) is one of the largest forested wetlandsinthe country

Alas, cut off from theMississippi River morethan 80 years ago, the Maurepas Swamp has been slowly dying. But it’snot dead yet, and this $500 million project,which will slowly divert river water back into the swamp, is designedtosave it. Not to beconfused with the much larger and far more controversial diversion project into Barataria Bay,this onewill restore what once was anatural amount of annual spring flooding from theriver into the swamp without overwhelming fisheries with so much fresh water that it kills them. Meanwhile, the Coalition to RestoreCoastal Louisiana will keep planting thousands of new cypress and water tupelo trees, re-establishing wildlife habitat and sportsman’s opportunitiesand boosting floodprotection for nearby communities.

This is greatstuff.

Youthrecreation

Downriver in New Orleans, meanwhile, recreational activities involving organized games (rather than wild game)are getting abig boost from the state government, in partnership with numerous civic groups and withthe UniversityofNew Orleans. Gov.Jeff Landry’sadministration is providing $1.95 million to renovate UNO ballﬁelds, pools and gyms for swimming, gymnastics, baseball, soccer,tennis andﬂag football.

In conjunction with the500-group NOLA Coalition, the nonproﬁt sports organization The 18th Ward, theMetropolitan Crime Commission and other outﬁts, thenewly formed Recreation for YouthPartnership will complement (not supplant)other offerings such as those from the New OrleansRecreationDepartment, all to give area youthwaystospend their hours that are healthyand fun.

Youthvolunteers In news that will be making alot

moreheadlines amonth from now,the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod is sending 20,000 teenagers, youthpastorsand adult volunteers toNew Orleans from July 19-23, where they will provide an astonishing 150,000 service hours for various charitable projects across the metro area. More on this later,but this convention surely will be atremendous boon to theentire region.

Medstudentsvolunteering

Speaking of volunteers, LSUmedical students in May kept up a40-year tradition of running Camp Tiger,which provides field tripsand summer camp activities for about 75 children, aged 6 to 15, with various mental andphysical disabilities. Trips to the Audubon Aquarium,Insectarium and Zoo, and to an arcade, are among those that highlight theweeklong project. The children, with ailments ranging from Down syndrome to autismtokidney disease, get asense of adventure and of supportive contact withsoon-to-be doctors, while the med students, as reported by this newspaper’sMarie Fazio, “get firsthand experience withthe first patientsoftheir medical careers.”

Studentart

Finally,it’ssmile-inducing to see thepainting —ofawindup toy ﬁsh in aswimming pool lane —from recent Haynes Academy graduate Madison Howard that won the 2025 Rau for Art Scholarship competition. Bright and cheerful, the painting “Bubba” earns her achance to travel to Florence, Italy,tostudy art for four weeks. (Read all about it in aJune 23 online story by Robert Wolfe.)

Sometimes, good news doesn’tsink from sight. We’re all blessed when it surfaces.

Quin Hillyer can be reached at quin. hillyer@theadvocate.com.

Insteadofdefendingbudgetbill, GOPtouts onethatdoesn’t exist

If you don’thave anything nice to say, just make somethingupinstead.

The word “badass” wasbandied about alot afterthe ﬁrst assassination attempt on Donald Trump last year

Famously,the bloodied Republican candidate raisedhis ﬁst in deﬁance. In adifferent context, the same pungent word appliestohis 2a.m.strike on Iranian nuclear facilities. Trump the TV starhas aknack for the theatrical andgrand gesture.Thatobviously matters in domestic politics, but in internationalaffairs, too, where projecting strength andcommand arejust as important.

We don’tknowwhere the war headsfromhereand need to learnmoreabout the damage thatwas inﬂicted. Still, it was an operationwith adistinctand very useful element of Trump badassery

It’snot thatTrump always follows through on his threats. He doesn’t, with his on-and-off “liberation day” tariffs an ongoing example of backing offand recalibrating. But whenhe makes good on athreat, it leaves amark. He’s said howforeign adversaries in his ﬁrst term didn’talways believe his threats 100%; theymight believe him some percentage less thanthat, but it’d still be enough to make them wonder Afterthis, whatever that number is just went up another30% or so.

Trump’ssignature military operations haven’tbeen particularly complex: smashing ISIS, killing Soleimani, bombing Fordow and otherIraniannuclear facilities. They haven’t requiredmustering big international coalitions or launching, say,amphibious landings. But theyachieve an outsized effect thanks to the stark terms in which they are promised (e.g.,bombing “the s***” out of ISIS), or the sheer audacity of the operation. Killing Soleimani was averylimited action but one that was shocking allthe same.Bombing Fordow andthe othersiteswas also quite focused, but the operationcame as astrategic thunderclap. One way to put it is thatthe “shock and awe” bombing campaign before the secondIraq Warwas much less awesomethan advertised, anda prelude to agrinding, drawn-out conﬂict. Trump’soperations tend, in contrast, to be all shock andawe, andfor real.

That’sthe strategy Republican politicians have adoptedin hopes of selling their regressive, unpopular budget billtovoters, as an even harsherversion of the legislationnow makes its waythrough the Senate. The One Big Beautiful Bill is already deeply underwater,voter-wise. Multiple polls now show that about twice as many Americans oppose the bill as support it. This should not be asurprise, giventhat this legislation is effectively amash-up of multiple past GOP initiatives that, individually,had each been among the worstpolling major bills in recent history

For example, the OBBB includestax cuts that disproportionatelybeneﬁt the wealthy; when Republicans last did this, with their 2017 tax overhaul,the legislation garnered more opposition than support in virtually every poll. The OBBB also includes asort of backdoor Obamacare repeal by slashing Medicaid and other measures. As battle-scarred Republicans might remember,their last attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act so enraged voters thatthe party suffered awatershed wipeout in the subsequent midterms.

If you combine these historically unpopular provisions —paying for regressive tax cuts by slashingmajor health care and other safety-netprograms for thepoor of course voters will hate it. Here, voters’ revulsion happens to be grounded in data (which, candidly is not always the case). As I’ve noted before, the OBBB couldeasily become the largest single transfer of wealth from poor to rich in U.S. history.The Congressional Budget Ofﬁce, the legislature’snonpartisan scorekeeper, estimated that those in the bottomtenth of households by income would become about 4% poorer as aresult of the bill. By contrast, the typical household at the

richend ofthe income spectrum would become 2.3% richer.

Thoseﬁgures are for the Housepassedversion of the OBBB. Afew days ago, the Senateintroduced its own versionofthe legislation. Many moderate HouseRepublicans appear to have been banking onthe Senatemaking their legislation better —that is, less punishing forthe poorthrough less draconian cuts to the safety net.After all, some GOP senators, including JoshHawley of Missouri, have warned thatMedicaid cuts would devastateruralcommunities, home to plenty of Republican voters. But that moderation and mercydid notarrive,atleastnot in this initial draftfrom theSenate. For example, the red-tape Medicaid “work requirements” have gotten worse;theyhave been extended to more Americans,such as parents with teenage children. As I’ve written before, Medicaid work requirements are asolutioninsearchofaproblem, as nearly all Medicaid enrollees are either already workingorhave arecognized exemption (such as adisability, caregiver status or full-time school enrollment).But the effectwould be to boot millions of eligible Americans off their insurance anyway,due to added paperwork and other bureaucratic hurdles Cruel, unpopular ideas from Repub-

licans are apolitical gift to Democrats, of course.Sohow areRepublicans responding? Not by defending theiragenda on itsmerits,but by lying about or misrepresenting what theyplan to do For example, the CBO estimates that about 11 million people would become uninsured as adirect result of thebill. Republican ofﬁcials have responded by asserting: 1. No one will losetheir insurance (a completely false claim from Trump’sbudget director,Russell Vought); 2. Don’tworry,only undeserving freeloaders will lose their insurance, not hardworking Americans like you (perHouseSpeaker Mike Johnson, among others); or 3. Hey,we’reall going to die anyway (guessyou can’targue withthattake, via Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst). Republican politicians have also repeatedly attacked the refbyimpugning the integrityofthe hardworking, independent professionals at theCBO. White House press secretary Karoline Leavittclaims they’reall in thetank for Democrats (theCBO is nonpartisan —and not that it should matter, but the current director held senior roles in the George W. Bush administration). Sen. TimScott,R-South Carolina, also recently criticized the CBO for forecasts it supposedly made 50 years before it existed. Elsewhere, some promotional campaigns for thebill wholly fabricate morepalatable thingsthe legislation doesn’tdo. For example, anational ad campaign from aGOP-aligned 501(c)4 organization suggeststhe bill cutstaxes on Social Security beneﬁts. Trumpdid promise to do so on the campaign trail, but it’snowhereinthis bill. People can reasonably disagree about whether it’swise to gut thesocial safety net in service of trillions of dollars’ worth of taxcuts. But Republicans should defend that agenda, ratherthan singing thepraisesofa bill thatdoesn’t exist.

Email Catherine Rampell at crampell@ washpost.com.

He represents the opposite approach of Robert McNamara during the Vietnam War. Basically,the formerbusiness executive and LBJ defense secretary believed that talented managers could micromanage their wayto successingovernment —complicated problems requiredcomplex analysis, shorn of a humanelement.

The Trump methodistosimplify everything andapply blunt-force solutions, undergirded by averyhumanpsychology of dominance. To wit, Iran can’t have anuclear bomb. Diplomacywould be ideal. But if it doesn’twork, military force will be necessary TinkertoEvers to Chance. QED.

Trump provedimmune to anysubtle and counterintuitive theories about Iran, displaying the attitude toward the regime thatyou’d expect of anycommonsensicalAmerican who’slivedthrough the last 45 years.

Anotherway to look at Trump’sstrike is as the bookendofDesert One in 1980, Jimmy Carter’smisbegotten hostage rescue operation.

The failure of thatattempt represented a humiliation thatwas another blow to our nationalself-conﬁdenceand wasasymbol of the reduced state of the post-VietnamU.S. military.Italso spoke to the staying power of the Iranian regime at its inception.

This is the opposite.The strike showcased the remarkable reach and proﬁciency of the U.S. military,and apresident willing to wield it as necessary.The operation mayeventually —although this is less certain —beseen as a prelude to the endofadecrepit regime

Again, who knows how this all plays out, and it maybethatthere are unanticipated downsidesand missioncreep. Trump posted the otherday aboutregimechange.

The Iranians might believe that it’smerely bluster, but theyneed to take it more seriously thanonly acouple of days ago. Suchis the effect of Trump’sbadass move, and we should hope it is being felt not just in Tehran but in everycapitalofacountry thatwishes us harm.

Rich Lowry is on X, @RichLowry.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO

Speaker of the House MikeJohnson, R-Benton, gives reporters an optimistic outlook to passing President Donald Trump’sbig tax and immigration bill.

Rich Lowry

Catherine Rampell

Quin Hillyer

nieces,greatnephews, otherrelatives, and friends.

Richardson, Donald B. 'Pete'

SchonbergJr.,Charles 'Toe Toe'

Joseph Kendrick Matirne "Pneu" passed peacefully on March 8, 2025. Pneu grew up in Grosse Tete, Louisianabefore relocating later in life to Billings, Montana to workfor ConocoPhillips.Hewas an avid hunter, fisherman, rock and book collector, gardener and supporter of his grandchildren and greatgrandchildren's sports and arts.Henever met a stranger and lovedtotravel back to Louisiana to visit his family.

Pneu is preceded in death by his wife, Nancy Hoffman and son Jason, as well as his parents Bossier and Edna Matirne. He is survived by his daughter Alise(Beau), son Derek (Tawnia), granddaughter Katie (Jay) and greatgrandchildren Avery, Iris, Evelynn and Bossier, and his favorite dog Punkin. Graveside services will be held at St. Joseph's cemetery on June 28th at 11am followed by agathering at the Lions Club in Grosse Tete, Louisiana for all those who wish to share memories of Pneu.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, acause both Pneu andNancy were passionate about.

Parker,Charles

It is with profound sorrow and solemn reverence that we announce the passing of Mr. Charles Parker, who departed this earthly life on the 15th of May, in the year of our Lord 2025, at the distinguished age of 82. Apublic viewingshall be held in his honor on Thursday, the 26th of May, commencing at 9:00 AM at Winnfield Funeral Home, where family and friends may gatherto pay their final respects. A Celebration of Life shall follow at 11:00 AM. His earthly remains shall be laid to rest at Roselawn Memorial Park. The distinguished &solemnarrangements have been entrusted to the care of Winnfield Funeral Home of Baton Rouge &Marcus K. Lewis, Vice President.

Joseph Peters was born on September 7, 1934, he departed this life on June 16, 2025 at Our Lady of the Lake Hospital in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He was a native of New Roads anda resident of White Castle, Louisiana. Visitation will be held Friday, June 27, 2025 9am until religious services at 11am at St. Paul Baptist Church 33110 Bowie St. White Castle, Louisiana 70788

He leaves to cherish his memory ahost of cousins, nieces, nephews, great

Donald B. "Pete" Richardson's lifebegan in Bogalusa on October 6,1941. He died in Baton Rouge on June 20, 2025. During his time in Bogalusa he excelled at bowlingand won many trophies. In the 1960's, he and otherresidents from the area commuted to NewOrleans to workatBoeing'sMichaud plant wherethey worked on production of the Saturn Vrockets that sent astronauts to the moon. He livedinBaton Rouge for55 years. He retiredfromRubicon Chemical after 22 yearsofwork there. He spent his spare time bowling,playing pool,and playing golfwith friends and coworkers. The many friends he made while workingand after his retirement enjoyed his stories,jokes,and lively personality Petewas preceded in death by his parents, H,C. and Margaret Richardson, his brothers, Vanand Ray, andhis twin sister, Suzie. He is survived by hiswife Cathy. his son,Bruce, daughter-in-law Michelle, granddaughter, Alivia, nieces and nephews. A celebration of Pete's life willbeheldatRabenhorst FuneralHome, 825 Government St. in B.R. on Saturday,June 28th from 2- 4 p.m. All who enjoyed knowing him are invitedto attend.

Rotolo,Joseph Peter

Joseph "Jay" Peter Rotolo passed awaySaturday, June 21, 2025atthe age of 94. Anative of Baton Rouge, he wasbornOctober 27, 1930,toVincenzo "Charlie"Rotolo and Domina "Maggie" Rumfola Rotolo. Jay enlisted at 17 years old in the United States Marine Corp and served with honors in the Korean War. In1954,heand his sweetheart, Catherine Mae Fisher,married in Natchez, MS and established a home in Greenwell Springs, La. They were happilymarried for34years and raised afamilyof4 children together.They loved travelingintheir RV and spending weekends with family at their camp on the Amite River. He workedasa plant contract maintenance superintendent. As askilled mechanic, he keptthe familyfleet of cars in top shape. Jay loved fast cars, boats,motorcycles, NASCAR, andhis Corvettes. Jay is survivedbyhis sons, Mark Rotolo (Delia), Gregg Rotolo, and Bryan Rotolo (Angie);grandchildren, Rachel Rotolo Daza, Sara Rotolo Hadden, Joseph E. Rotolo, Jacob Rotolo, Wade Rotolo, Ian Marchand, EricaMarchand,EvanMarchand,RyanRotolo,Mary Catherine Rotolo,Zachary Rotolo,Joshua Rotolo, and Matthew Rotolo; 22 greatgrandchildren; and longtime companion, Joan Schuler. He is precededin death by his wife;parents; daughter,Karen Jo Rotolo Marchand; and sisters, Bertha T. Rotoloand Philomene Rotola. The family wouldlike to give special thanks to his home care attendants,Gloria Hood and Lee Smith. Visitation willtake place at Resthaven Funeral Home on Saturday, June 28, 2025, beginning at 9:00 AM until servicesat11:00AM. Burial to follow at Resthaven Gardens of Memory.Family and friends may sign the online guestbookorleave apersonal notetothe familyatwww.resthavenbaton rouge.com.

Charles“ToeToe Schonberg,Jr. Anativeand residentofDonaldsonville, passedawayonWednes‐day,June 18, 2025 at the Veteran Administration HospitalinNew Orleans, at the ageof91. Visiting 9am onFriday, June 27, 2025 at St. CatherineofSienna Catholic Church,Donald‐sonvilleuntil Mass of Christian Burial at 11 am IntermentinAscension of Our Lord Catholic Ceme‐tery, Donaldsonville with MilitaryHonorsrendered. Hewas theoldestmember ofthe KnightsofPeter Clavier,Council #37and a retired ofﬁcerinthe U.S. Navy. Charlesleavesto cherish hismemory, his wifeof70years Janice JulienSchonberg,a sonby loveEurineCarter, numer‐ous nieces,nephews,other relatives andfriends.He was preceded in deathby his parents, Charles, Sr and SadieSchonberg,and his only brotherRalph Schonberg,Sr. Please visit www.dembyandson.com to signthe guestbook

DorothyMae Smithen‐tered into eternalrestat her residenceinBaton Rouge,Louisiana on Wednesday,June 18, 2025 She wasan87-year oldna‐tiveofPlaquemine, Louisiana. ViewingatGreater Morning Star Baptist Church on Saturday,June 28, 2025 at 9:00 am until Celebration of Life Service at11:00 am conductedby Rev.Charles Burris,Jr.;in‐terment at Ventress Ceme‐tery, Ramah, Louisiana. Survivors includeher de‐voted son, Girard Smith, Baton Rouge; siblings, James Nelson,Plaquemine, Louisiana andGrace Nel‐son,Baton Rouge; four grandchildren;other rela‐tives andfriends.Arrange‐ments entrustedtoMiller & Daughter Mortuary

Audrey “PuffRat”Tun‐son departed this life on Wednesday,June 18, 2025, atThe CarpenterHouse in Baton Rouge, LA.She was 82, anativeand resident of Paincourtville, LA.Visita‐tiononThursday,June 26, 2025, at Williams & SouthallFuneralHome from2:00pmto4:00pm. VisitationonFriday, June 27, 2025, at St.Charles Bap‐tistChurch,from9:00amto religious services at 11:00am.Interment in the church cemetery.Arrange‐ments by Williams & SouthallFuneralHome, 5414 Hwy1,Napoleonville LA70390. (985) 369-7231. To signthe guestbook or offercondolences,visit our website at www.william sandsouthallfuneralhome. com.

Aresident of Baton Rouge, and anativeof Vietnam, Kieuoanhwas warmlyknown as Oanh. She passed away on Monday, June 16, 2025, peacefully at her home at the ageof62. Whenlooking for her, there were always four placesyou couldfind her: as aseamstress at School Time, as an aunt at her sibling's homes, adevout ChristianatSt. Anthony Catholic Church, or as a frequent shopper at alocal Albertsons. Skilled in sewing, Oanh leda 31-year career at School Time, whereshe tirelessly prepareduniforms for students across Baton Rouge, ensuring each one looked

theirbest year after year. As amember of St.Anthony andLeVan Phung Parish,she wasanactive participantinher prayer group, "Khu ManCoi" and "Hoi Legio." Shelit up everyroom with hersinging, herlaughter, herjokes, andher love forpeople. Because shedid nothave a familyofher ownorchildren,she lovedtobring joy to everychild that shemet No matter whoa person was, onecould always countonOanhtohave fruit to share with everyoneshe met. Herabsence leaves adeep void in the hearts of family, friends, andcoworkers—one that cannevertruly be filled. Butshe canrest in peace, knowing shewill live on in all,forever remembered. Sheissurvived by sisters, Kieuhanh ThiVu, ThanhnhanThi Vu,Long-KhanhAi ThiVuand Toan-Thuong Than Vu;brothers, Hoan Cong Vu andLuan Cong Vu;brothers-in-law, Hoan QuangDinh and CanhVan Nguyen;and sisters-in-law, Ngoc-HueThi Nguyen and NhungThi Pham. Sheis preceded in death by her father,Han VanVu; moth-

er,Nhiem ThiTran; and brother, An Cong Vu.Visitationwill be at Greenoaks Funeral Home, 9595 Florida Blvd Baton Rouge,LA, on Thursday, June 26, 2025, from 6pm to 8pm, with a prayer service from 7pm to 8pm. Herfuneral mass will take place at St.Anthony of Padua &LeVan Phung Catholic Church,2305 Choctaw Dr Baton Rouge LA, on Saturday, June 28, 2025, at 10am, with avisitationfrom9am to 9:45am. Intermentwill immediately follow at Greenoaks Memorial Park. law. Visitation will be at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church on Friday, June 27, 2025, from 9:00 am until recitation of the rosary at 10:00 am. Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 am celebrated by the Reverend Ugochukwu "Henry" Ihuoma, SSJ. Interment willbe in Port Hudson National Cemetery. Pallbearers will be his grandsons.Inlieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Vincent de Paul Society or St. Jude Children's Hospital. Servicesentrusted to Desselle Funeral Home.

Please consider donatingtolocal journalism in Louisiana. Your tax-deductible contribution goes solely to funding reportersinthe ﬁeld.

Vu,Kieuoahn Thi 'Oahn'

Matirne, Joseph Kendrick 'Pneu'

Smith, DorothyMae

Tunson,Audrey'Puff Rat'

Peters, Joseph

Eyes on next SuperBowl

N.O.’s questtolandnextone complicated, competitive

Jeff Duncan

The New Orleans Super Bowl host committee held abreakfast Wednesday morning to thank sponsors and staff members for a job well done. It was achance for local ofﬁcials to ﬁguratively spike the football on awildly successful Super Bowl LIX.

Anddeservedly so. Super Bowl LIX was ahome run for everyoneinvolved, especially thelocal host committee, led by chairman MarcusBrown, and executives with the New Orleans Saints and Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation The collaboration among local, state and regional partners was inspiring, and the resultswere spectacular Super Bowl LIX had a$1.25 bil-

lion economic impact on the state, including $658 million in direct spending, according to arecent study by theLSU Center for Economics, Businessand Policy Research. There were ancillary beneﬁts, as well, such as extensive infrastructure improvements across thecity The intangible beneﬁts might have been even greater than the tangible ones. The Super Bowl arrived at atime when New Orleans

desperatelyneeded it. In the wake of the traumatic New Year’s Day terrorist attack and aseemingly endless string of bad news out of city hall, the Super Bowl delivered amuch-needed boost to our civic pride and collective self-esteem. Brown called it “one of the momentous achievements ever for our city and state. We broke records andset new standards for allfuture host cities.”

OklahomaguardJeremiah Fearsposesfor aphoto withNBA commissioner Adam Silver after

OrleansPelicans in the firstround of the NBA draftonWednesdayinNew york.

EMBRACINGFEARS

BY RODWALKER Staff writer

The New Orleans Pelicans conquered fears on Wednesday night.

That’sJeremiahFears,the savvyUniversity of Oklahoma point guard selected by the New Orleans Pelicans with the No 7overall pick of the NBA draft.

“It was super dope,” Fearssaidabout hearing his name called.“It was deﬁnitely one of those things you’ll neverforget. It’ssomething that youdream aboutfor along time.”

That wasn’tthe only big move the Pelicans made Wednesday night.

Joe Dumars, in his first year as the Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations,traded the No. 23 pick and their unprotected 2026 ﬁrst-round pick to the Atlanta Hawks for the No. 13 pick.

center

on Jan. 29 in College Park, Md.

As with any event of such size and scale, not everything was perfect. The city will need to address somethings before our next Super Bowl, among them a relative lack of corporate event space and high-end hotel rooms. Likewise, the inﬂux of visitors, at times, overwhelmed the airport and its staff. Otherwise, the reports from the

Bresee hopes newscheme allows him to improve vs.run

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

CamJordanbelieves his defensive line cohort BryanBreseeshouldhave made the Pro Bowl in 2024. Bresee, in his secondseason after the New OrleansSaints selected him in the ﬁrst round out of Clemson in 2023, recorded7.5 sacksand 14 quarterback hitslastseason.Those numbers placed him in aselect group amongNFL defensive tackles, with his sacksranking third andhis quarterback hits ranking 10th.

“Comeon,” Jordan said. “Sevenand-a-half (sacks) will normally get youin.”

There’snodenying Bresee’sskill as apass rusher.His 12 sackssince his rookie season rank sixth among NFL defensive tackles, ahead of somebignameplayers such as Philadelphia’s Jalen Carter and Tennessee’sJeffery Simmons.

What waslikely holding Bresee back compared to his contemporaries was hisrelative ineffectivenessasa run defender.According to Pro FootballFocus, more than two-thirds of Bresee’ssnaps came as apass rusher and that was likely for good reason. Bresee ranked 218thout of 219interior defensive linemen in the service’s run-defense grades.

Things may be different this year

The Saints hired Brandon Staley to serve as the defensive coordinator, andheisbringinganentirely newscheme with him. Thatcould be beneﬁcialfor Bresee, whose regular alignment is going to look different than it did underformer head coach Dennis Allen.

In Allen’s4-3 scheme, Bresee was mostoften playing as the 3-technique defensive tackle, an alignment thatoften hadhim over the offensive guard’soutside shoulder.InStaley’s scheme, he will more oftenline up directly over the offensive tackle in a4-technique position.

Or,inBresee’swords, he will be “further away from the football,” which could lead to more opportunitiesfor him to lean into his strengths as aplayer.

The Intimidator billboard behind the right-ﬁeld bleachers at Alex Box Stadium already had anew championship look in time for Wednesday night’scelebration of LSU’s latest CollegeWorld Series title. It was put up just Wednesday morning, asnarling Tiger aimed at the 2025 championship logo crowned by eight stars representing LSU’seight CWS titles. Quick work. Niftywork.Almost as if someone expected the Tigers were going to win

Scott Rabalais

yet another national championship Of course, when it comes to LSUbaseball, it’sanatural assumption to make. Thecelebration was everythingyou’ve cometoexpect aboutLSU baseball, except a clear-skyweather delay interrupting the whole show for a couple of hours. Thousands of fansﬁlled thestandsatThe Box and cheered like mad as their heroes were announced onebyone,everyonetrying to hold onto that last shred of good vibes to carry them into the long, hotoffseason. No one quite had alook like Jared Jones, still wearing the

spiffy little purple-and-gold sailor cap someonestuck on his head during thecelebration Sunday after LSU clinched thetitle with a5-3 victory over Coastal Carolina. “I don’tknow how Igot it,” Jones said, “but Ihaven’ttaken it off since.” Maybe he held ontothat hat because he was fortunate not to be at the bottom of the dogpile in Omaha on Sunday.That honor,orburden, went topitcher Chase Shores, the100 mph ﬁreballer who got thelast eight outs in relief of starter Anthony Eyanson. “He said he couldn’tbreathe,” said Kade Anderson, theCWS

MVPafter throwing 16 combined innings of one-runball in Omaha, perhaps the best twogameperformance ever there by an LSU pitcher Daniel Dickinson looked like he’d been at the bottom of the dogpile. The LSU second baseman walked onto the podium with his left arm in asling, courtesy of thehamate bone surgery he had Tuesday after playing through virtually the entire NCAA Tournament with abroken bone in his lefthand. He got ﬁve hits in the College World Series. That’sdedication to the cause. That’swhat it

“Lining up outside on atackle or whatever,there’smore room,” Breseesaid. “You’reable to move more, there’s more space.Mostofthe time, your double teams are not aguard and atackle, it’satackle and atight end.” Or the scheme may simply present himwith more opportunitiestonot face adouble team at all. Jordan described Staley’sdefense as one that is “geared toward one-on-ones.”

“Head up on atackle, you’re no longer splitting the guard and center,” Jordan said.“You’renot playing nose, you’re not playing 0(technique), which is right above the center.Now you’re getting alot more one-on-ones.

“... And you’re telling me Bryan Breseeversus anybody one-on-one? Ilike BryanBresee.” Breseesaidhehad some level of comfort with his newdefensive coordinator before he was even hired because he met with him priortothe

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ADAM HUNGER

being selected No.7 by the New

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By STEPHANIE SCARBROUGH Maryland

Derik Queen, right, drives past Wisconsin guard John Blackwell, left, duringagame

ä See DUNCAN, page 4C

2p.m.

LOUISIANASPORTSHALLOFFAME

8p.m.U.S.vs. Ireland TBS WNBA

6p.m.Los Angeles at Indiana PRIME

9p.m.Washington at Las VegasPRIME

Granger’sgameblossomed in Metairie

BY BILL BUMGARNER

Contributing writer

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

Enshrinement in an athletic Hall of Fame requiresahigh level of success over alengthy periodof time.

During abasketball career thatbegan at Grace King High School in Metairie and ended with astandout 10-year NBA career, Danny Granger certainly checked all of the boxes for his pathto the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2025. The induction ceremony is set for Saturday in Natchitoches.

Even though Granger loved the game, it wasn’this ﬁrstchoice

“My favorite sport wasreally football,” he said. “But Ilook back and Ifeel lucky just to have been playing basketball the majority of my youth. Ifelt one of my strengths was passingthe ball to other players,which helped me stay on theﬂoor. Thegamealways drove me to get better.For me, playing basketball was surreal.” In high school, the 6-foot-8 Granger was tall enough toplay center and skilled enough to shoot from the outside.Asa senior,heaveraged24.3 points, 12.0 rebounds and 5.5 blocks before heading to the next level.

His initial college choice was Yale,but theIvy League school didnot offercivil engineering which was his goal as amajor Instead, he and teammate Michael Suggs chose Bradley University where they stayed for two years before decidingtotransfer to New Mexico.

Granger’ssturdy 230-pound frame provided astrong presence inside and he made the most of it, averaging morethan 7.0 rebounds agame in all four of his collegiate seasons. He also was able to stepout and affect games with his scoring ability

He racked up 19.2 points agame as asophomore at Bradley,then averaged 19.5 and 18.8 points in his two seasons at New Mexico.

Granger averaged in double ﬁg-

Rookie

BY STEVE MEGARGEE AP sportswriter

MILWAUKEE Milwaukee’sJacob

Misiorowski made an extra effort to avoid getting caught up in all thehype surrounding therookie ﬂamethrower’shighly anticipated matchup with Pittsburgh’sPaul Skenes.

“It was just one of those things that you wanted to try and calm yourself down as much as possible and stay off the internet becauseI feel like everything Iswiped was me andSkenes, me and Skenes, me and Skenes,” Misiorowski said after the Brewers’ 4-2 victory over the Pirates on Wednesday.“Ihad to mute it, turn it off.”

Theway he’s pitching, Misiorowski better get accustomedto the extra attention.

After throwing ﬁve shutout innings to outperform the 2024 NL rookie of the year,Misiorowski owns a3-0 record and 1.13 earned run average. The three hits Misiorowski has allowedthus far is the fewest by any major league pitcher through his ﬁrst three career starts withaminimumof 16 innings pitched since at least1901, according to Sportradar Plenty of history was made Wednesday According to Sportradar,Misiorowski averaged 99.5 mph and Skenes averaged 98.5 on their fastballs.That representedthe highest combined fastball velocity by two starting pitchers in the same game since at least 2009.

Misiorowski reached at least 100 mph on 19 of his 74 pitches —reachingacareer-bestpeak of 102.4 —and Skenes got to 100 mph once out of 78 pitches. Since at least 2009, this marked the most

By WALLySANTANA

Indiana Pacersforward DannyGranger,center,moves past Houston Rockets players Donatas Montiejunas, left,and FranciscoGarcia during apreseason game against the Houston Rockets in Taipei, Taiwan, on Oct 13, 2013. Granger playedfor 10 seasons in the NBA.

ures in all four of his collegiate seasonsand ﬁnishedhis 95-game career averaging 16.7ppg while shooting 49.6% from the ﬁeld, including 36.6% from beyond the 3-pointarc.

In the 2005 NBA Draft, Granger was aﬁrst-round pick (17thoverall) of theIndiana Pacers.

He played atotal of 10 NBA seasons, starring for the Pacers for 81/2 seasons(2006-14), including an All-Star appearancein2009 —before ﬁnishing his career with the Los AngelesClippers (2014)and Miami Heat(2015)

Granger’s pro career got off to a bit of aslow start, but it didn’ttake long for him to become astaple in thePacers’ lineupasasmall forward

After averaging 7.5 ppg as a rookie in the2005-06 season while playing withestablishedhighscoring veterans such as Ron Artest,PejaStojakovic, Stephen Jackson andJermaine O’Neal, Granger set acourse that would see him become one of the team’s rising stars over thenext few seasons.

His star rose quickly when Granger accepted the role he was

asked to play.That meantdoing thingsthe rightway on andoff the court and being an unselﬁsh teammate.

Thoseweresome of thethings that impressed Mike Wells, aformer Indianapolis Star sportswriter who was the Pacers beat writer during Granger’stenure with the club.

Wells said the biggest thing was Granger’s decision to follow the older players on the court, not off thecourt, at atimewhen some Pacerswereinthe papers and newscasts for the wrong reasons.

“Danny was always there before practice working on his shooting withthe other perimeter players,” Wellssaid, “and he wasalwaysout theredoing more work afterpractice.”

It certainly showed up when Granger improved his scoring average by morethan ﬁve points in each of the next three seasons.

That stretch culminated in what would be acareer-high 25.8 ppg in the2008-09 season.

That year,heearned astarting spot on theEastern Conference All-Star team.

In becoming the first Pacers

playertoaverage morethan25 pointsagame sincethe 1976-77 season, Granger wasrecognized as the NBA Most Improved Player His stock continued to rise as a volumescorer by averaging 24.1, 20.5 and18.7ppg over thenext three seasons.

In aﬁve-year stretch from 200812, Granger was recognized as oneofthe league’selite players when he averaged 21.6 points and 5.4rebounds in 350 games.

After aproductive six-year stretch,injuries hit. Foot,knee and calf issues limited Granger to 76 games with just eight starts over the next threeseasons, essentiallyleading to theend of his career

Although he was ahighly decorated player in the college and pro ranks, Granger said his latest honor really resonates with him “When Igot the call about the Louisiana Sports HallofFame, it was great news,” he said. “This induction is aprivilege.”

Granger,42, resides in Scottsdale, Arizona, with his wife Dianna andtheir threechildren. He and his father Danny Sr

day. “If he does what he’s supposed to do and everybody thinks he can do, that’snot going away any time soon.Get used to it andﬁnd ways to ﬁnd peace and that kind of thing.”

Skenes (4-7) lasted just four innings Wednesday while striking outfourand allowing four runs, four hits and two walks. This was only the third time in 40 career starts that Skenes hasgivenupas many as four runs.

Milwaukeedid all its damage during asecond inning in which Skenesfaced nine batters, threw 37 pitches andallowed four runs. Never before had Skenes faced that many hitters, thrown that many pitches or yielded that many runs in asingle inning.

Irving, Mavericks agreeon athree-year extension

The DallasMavericksand Kyrie Irving have agreed on a$119 million, three-year contract with the All-Star guard still recovering from atorn ACL that will sideline him intothe 2025-26 season,aperson with knowledge of the deal said Tuesdaynight on conditionofanonymitybecause thedeal isn’texpected to be ﬁnalized until the start of the new league year on July 6. Irving is declining the$43 million player option in the ﬁnal year of his current three-year contract. Thenew contract will alignIrving withco-star AnthonyDavis who joinedthe Mavericks in the seismic trade that sent Luka Doncic to theLos Angeles Lakers in February.Davis has three years remaining on his contract, witha player option that now will be the same season as Irving in 2027-28.

Walter,Lakerssay team sale expected later this year

BusinessmanMarkWalter’sacquisitionofthe majority ownership stake of the Los Angeles Lakers, in adeal that puts the franchise valuation at $10 billion, is expected to close in the third or fourth quarter of this year

In astatement Wednesday,the sides conﬁrmed that Jeanie Buss whosefamily has had control of the Lakersfor 46 years—will remain governorofthe team and“continue to oversee all team operations.” The agreement for the sale of the Lakers came aboutthree months after Bill Chisholm agreed to buy the Boston Celtics with an initial valuationof$6.1billion— which was going to be arecord, topping the previous markof$6.05 billion sale for the NFL’s Washington Commanders.

Seahawksbring back veteran cornerbackGriffin

The Seattle Seahawks agreed to termswith veteran cornerback Shaquill Griffin, the team announced on Wednesday Griffin is expected to compete for the third cornerback spot. The ninth-year defensive back played in 17 games last season for the Minnesota Vikings after spending 2023 withboth theHouston Texans and Carolina Panthers.

Griffin hasalso played for the Jacksonville Jaguars, but started his career with the Seahawks, starting in 53 games from 2017 to 2020. He was draftedbySeattle in 2017 and was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2019. He also playedalongside his brother, Shaquem, for threeseasons with the Seahawks. In eight seasons, Grifﬁn has407 tackles and nine interceptions.

Red Sox pitcher’soff-field accident requiressurgery

Kutter Crawford had an off-ﬁeld “accident” that requires seasonending surgery on his right throwing wrist, RedSox manager Alex Cora said on Wednesday, adding that the 29-year-old wasn’tdoing anything “irresponsible.”

Crawford has been sidelined all season by aright-knee injury that he initially suffered in his third gameof2024, aseason in which he went9-6 with a4.36 ERAin33 starts, tied for the most starts in the American League.

Crawford was one of baseball’s mostdurable pitchers in 2024 despite pitching most of the season with patellar-tendon discomfort, leading theRed Soxwith 1832/3 innings pitched and 175 strikeouts, but he also gave up amajor leaguehigh 34 homers.

combined 100-mph pitches by opposing starters for any gamein whichbothreached that threshold at least once. “I’ve watched plenty of his games,”Misiorowskisaidof Skenes.“It’sawesome to face a guy likethatand really compare yourselftosome of the best.”

The hoopla surrounding this matchup of 23-year-olds didn’t seem to bother Misiorowski, who struck out eight while allowing two hits and two walks.That was apparent well beforethe game.

“Wewere sitting over here laughing, joking,” said Brewers catcher Eric Haase, whose locker is just around the corner from Misiorowski’s. “Didn’tseem it was affectinghim at all.”

The matchup drewaseason-best selloutcrowd of 42,774for aweek-

day afternoon game. Mostwanted to see what Misiorowski did next afterallowingatotal of onehit in his ﬁrst two outings.

His torrid startcould force Misiorowski to deal with the level of attention Skeneshas received ever sincearriving in the big leagues as aNo. 1overall draft pick who led LSU to a2023 College World Series title Skenes has outperformed those considerable expectations. He was named theNLrookie of theyear and ﬁnished third in theCyYoung Awardvoting lastseason.

What advice would Skenes give Misiorowskiabout howtohandle the scrutiny that could accompany an emergence to stardom?

“You’ve got to protect yourself, for lack of abetter term, obviously with the media, but Iassume if he goes and walks around Milwaukee now there’sgoing to be more people that recognize him and all that,” said Skenes, who met Misiorowskifor theﬁrst time on Mon-

AfterMilwaukee loaded the bases on awalkand two singles to start the second, Isaac Collins scored from third as Joey Ortiz grounded out to Skenes on an 0-2 pitch. Haase then hit a1-2 pitch for abloop RBI double that bounced in front of center ﬁelderOneil Cruz’s diving attempt. Christian Yelich capped the rally with an RBI single to left on a1-2 offering.

Skenesallowedonly oneother baserunner in his other three inningswhile matchingthe secondshortest stintofhis career.His shortest appearance came in hisﬁnal start last year,when he worked just two innings by design anddidn’tallow abaserunner in a9-4 victoryoverthe NewYork Yankees.

The performance raised Skenes’ career ERAfrom 1.91 to 2.03.

“They did agood jobofgetting to some pitches,” Skenes said. “I wasn’tunhappy withthe execution of all of those, there are probably a couple thatcould have been better but theydid agood job.”

USA Surfing gets finances for Olympics recertification

USA Surfing says it hassecured amultimillion-dollarendowment as part of its push to be recertified as the nascent Olympic sport’s national governing body after losing its status four years ago over financial issues.

USA Surﬁng executive director Becky Fleischauer told TheAssociated Press on Wednesday that the investment is amajor step toward theorganization’s goal to return to the Olympic movement. USA Surfing has struckmultiyear deals for financial backing fromKamakaResponsible Development, whichbuildshousing communities, andwith Orange County-based surf company Resin Services. Kamaka also plans to develop awave pool that can be used for year-round training for USA Surﬁng athletes.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

Skenes

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By KAyLA WOLF MilwaukeeBrewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowskireacts to striking out Oneil Cruz of the Pittsburgh Pirates on WednesdayinMilwaukee.

Mavericks hitch their fortunes to No. 1 Flagg

BY BRIAN MAHONEY

NEW YORK Cooper Flagg is the new Maine man in Dallas.

The Mavericks took the Duke forward with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft on Wednesday night, hoping they have found their next franchise superstar less than ﬁve months after trading one away Mavericks fans were furious when Dallas traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 1, some immediately threatening to end their support of the team. But the ones who stuck around may quickly love Flagg, the college player of the year who averaged 19.2 points and 7.5 rebounds while leading Duke to the Final Four The Mavericks quickly announced that Flagg would wear No. 32 in Dallas, where fellow Duke products Kyrie Irving and Dereck Lively are on the roster

“I’m really excited I think I keep saying I’m excited to be a sponge, to get down there and just learn, be surrounded by Hall of Fame-caliber guys and just to be able to learn from them,” Flagg said. “It’s going to be an incredible experience.”

His selection — considered likely ever since Flagg showed off his considerable game last sum-

FEARS

Continued from page 1C

With the No. 13 pick, the Hawks selected Maryland forward Derik Queen for the Pelicans. That trade won’t become ofﬁcial until July 6. The 6-foot-3 Fears averaged 17.1 points, 4.1 assists and 4.1 rebounds for the Sooners in his only season of playing college ball.

He got better as the year went on, scoring a season-high 31 points against Missouri in the next-tolast game of the regular season. He followed that up by scoring 29 points against Georgia and 28 points against Kentucky in the SEC Tournament. Fears also led the SEC in free throws made (183) and free throws attempted (215). In addition to what he does on the court, Fears also says he brings intangibles.

“I would say my star power (is) leadership and adding wins to the win column,” Fears said.

Fears is the first draft pick of the Dumars’ era. He was hired in April as executive vice president of basketball operations, replacing David Griffin after he was fired after six seasons. The Pelicans finished 21-61 this past season, the second-worst record in franchise history and the fourth-worst record in the league this season. Despite that record, the Pelicans slid from the fourth pick to the seventh pick in the lottery Dumars wasn’t concerned

“I know this draft, and we’re going to get a good player at 7,” Dumars said in May Turns out, Dumars landed a guard with plenty of upside. Fears doesn’t turn 18 until the middle of October, right before the NBA sea-

mer after being invited to the U.S. Olympic team’s training camp was a daylong celebration in his home state for the 18-year-old forward from Newport, Maine.

“It means a lot to me to have the support of the whole state. I know how many people showed up today and supported me at some of the draft parties back home,” Flagg said. “It feels amazing knowing I can inspire younger kids. I was in their shoes really not that long ago, so just to know I can give those kids those feelings and have the whole state behind me, it means a lot.”

He joined Elton Brand, Irving, Zion Williamson and Paolo Banchero as Duke players drafted No. 1 since 1999, and he returned the draft to its longtime start with a one-and-done college player

That’s the way the draft began every year from 2010 until Banchero’s selection in 2022, but the last two No. 1 picks — Victor Wembanyama and Zaccherie Risacher — are both from France.

Rutgers freshman Dylan Harper was taken by the Spurs with the No. 2 pick and will try to follow Wembanyama and Stephon Castle to give San Antonio a third straight NBA Rookie of the Year

“It’s deﬁnitely a goal of mine to make it three in a row,” Harper

said. “I think the coaching staff and the players are going to make it easy for me to go out there and showcase my talent, so deﬁnitely.”

The 76ers then took Baylor’s VJ Edgecombe, getting the first sustained burst of loud cheers of the draft from what seemed to be a number of Philadelphia fans who made the trip to Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The first two picks had long been expected, but the No. 3 spot was the first one where there was intrigue.

Kon Knueppel made it two Duke players in the ﬁrst four picks when the Charlotte Hornets took him at No. 4. Ace Bailey, who could have been in the mix to go third but declined to work out for the 76ers, ended up going at No. 5 to Utah.

Then it was Tre Johnson of Texas to the Washington Wizards at No. 6 and Oklahoma’s Jeremiah Fears to New Orleans at No. 7, before the host Nets took BYU’s Egor Demin at No. 8, Brooklyn’s ﬁrst of potentially five selections in the first round.

Toronto took South Carolina’s Collin Murray-Boyles at No. 9 before Duke big man Khaman Maluach ﬁnished up the top 10, a pick made by the Houston Rockets but headed to Phoenix as part of the trade for Kevin Durant that can’t become ofﬁcial until next month.

PGA Tour signature events get elite winners

BY DOUG FERGUSON AP golf writer

CROMWELL, Conn. — The PGA Tour has created more paths to the $20 million signature events, such as 10 leading players in the FedEx Cup standings and the ﬁve top players on a special list from the events in between. The elite players are still winning them.

Keegan Bradley became the eighth different winner of the eight signature events when he won the Travelers Championship. He also had the worst world ranking (No. 21) of any of this year’s winners. The only other signature event winners outside the top 10 in the world were Russell Henley (14) at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Sepp Straka (17) at the Truist Championship. As far as current ranking, now all eight signature event winners are among the top 12.

Scottie Scheffler at least gave everyone a chance this year Scheffler won four of the eight among his seven official PGA Tour titles a year ago. The only one where he repeated was at the Memorial. Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Hideki Matsuyama are the only players to win at least one signature event in each of the last two years.

“I think the signature events have gone great,” said McIlroy, who won at Quail Hollow last year and Pebble Beach this year

“If you look at the list of winners I think they work. They get all the top players together. I think they’ve produced exciting ﬁnishes with the best players in the world battling one another, played on some of the most iconic venues that we have.”

The difﬁculty is the short season. All eight signature events were held over six months, and that doesn’t include three majors and The Players Championship.

“This is the last signature event of the year, and it feels like we’ve only got started,” McIlroy said “We’re only into June, and we’re not even halfway through the year.”

Still to come, of course, is the British Open and two $20 million FedEx Cup playoff events, along with the bonus payout — $25 million to the winner from the FedEx Cup ﬁnale in the Tour Championship at East Lake.

Scheffler’s run

Even when Scottie Schefﬂer is not winning, he’s rarely too far behind.

He was part of the 36-hole lead at the Travelers Championship when he opened with a triple bogey and shot 72 to fall nine shots behind. He closed with a 65 and tied for sixth.

Dating to the Houston Open, the world’s No. 1 player now has nine consecutive tournaments finishing in the top 10. He had three wins during a four-tournament stretch, including the PGA Championship for his third major His actual scoring average during that stretch is 67.8, and he has earned just over $13 million. Scheffler twice finished five shots behind since late March, at Hilton Head and the U.S. Open.

One last chance

The British Open typically has an exemption based on the FedEx Cup that ends after the Travelers Championship. At the request of the PGA Tour, that spot has been moved back one week to end af-

ter the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

It’s still a long shot.

The category is the leading ﬁve players, not already exempt, from the top 20 in the FedEx Cup. Trouble is, the top 30 going into the Rocket Mortgage already are exempt for Royal Portrush.

Michael Kim is at No. 31, and he would require no less than a twoway tie for second (245 points) to reach the points where Robert MacIntyre is at No. 20. Jacob Bridgeman at No. 34 in the FedEx Cup needs outright second place. One other from the top 40, Ryan Gerard, would have to win this week.

The Open previously offered a spot to the leading ﬁnisher in the John Deere Classic. That spot no longer exists The tour asked for the cutoff to move back one week because the Travelers Championship is a signature event, and some players might not have been in the ﬁeld. Open qualifying

The British Open is offering 20 spots from four golf courses on July 1 in the regional ﬁnal qualifying to see who gets to Royal Portrush on July 17-20.

This is viewed as a significant pathway for players from Saudifunded LIV Golf, and 16 players are entered in the 36-hole qualifier That includes 52-year-old Lee Westwood, who has not played in a major since the 2022 British Open, a month after he joined LIV He will be an Dundonald Links just north of Troon. There’s also a father-son outing at Royal Cinque Ports on the east coast of England, where Ian and Luke Poulter are playing. Luke Poulter nearly qualified for the U.S Open, instead getting an alternate spot but not getting into the field at Oakmont.

The four regional qualifiers start two days after LIV concludes its event in the Dallas area. Among those signed to play are Graeme McDowell, Peter Uihlein, Paul Casey and David Puig. LIV’s next event is July 11-13 in Spain, a week before the British Open.

Long sponsorships

The PGA Tour has extended the contracts of two of its longestrunning title sponsors. The most recent was AT&T which began as title sponsor of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am in 1986 Next year will mark its 41st consecutive year of what now is a signature event. Rory McIlroy won earlier this year at Pebble Beach. Previously it was John Deere, a longtime partner with the PGA Tour and title sponsor of the John Deere Classic since 1999.

Divots

The Broadmoor will get two more U.S. Senior Opens, in 2031 and 2037. The U.S Senior Open is being held on the Colorado course this week for the third time. Joe Hooks, who grew up playing at Detroit Golf Club, shot 68-66 to win the John Shippen Men’s Invitational and earn a spot in the Rocket Mortgage Classic this week. Minjee Lee became the ﬁrst player to win three LPGA majors this decade with her victory in the KPMG Women’s PGA. Nelly Korda, Lilia Vu and Yuka Saso have each won two. Tommy Fleetwood surpassed $31 million in career PGA Tour earnings with his tie for second in the Travelers Championship. No one has earned more without a PGA Tour victory

son begins. Fears should help ﬁll a void on the roster Dejounte Murray tore his Achilles in late January in a game against the Boston Celtics and likely will miss the ﬁrst part of the season And the Pelicans traded guard CJ McCollum on the eve of the draft. The Pelicans traded McCollum, Kelly Olynyk and a future second-round pick to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Jordan Poole, Saddiq Bey and this year’s 40th pick.

So that means Fears can come in and help run the offense, either as a scorer or distributor One of his best games at Oklahoma was a double-double (27 points, 10 assists) against Mississippi State. Fears is the second Oklahoma

player the Pelicans have drafted in the ﬁrst round. In 2016, the Pelicans selected Buddy Hield with the No. 6 overall pick. Queen, meanwhile, averaged 16.5 points and 9 rebounds for the Terrapins. Hie biggest moment came in the NCAA Tournament when he hit a game-winner to beat Colorado State in the second round. Queen was the Big 10 Freshman of the Year, giving the Pelicans two conference freshmen of the year on the ﬁrst night of the draft. The Pelicans have the No. 40 overall pick in the draft. The second round of the draft is Thursday Email Rod Walker at rwalker@ theadvocate.com.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GEORGE WALKER IV

Oklahoma guard Jeremiah Fears celebrates his 3-point basket against Georgia during a game at the Southeastern Conference Tournament on March 12 in Nashville, Tenn.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JESSICA HILL Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, waves as he is announced at the first tee during the first round of the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands on June 19 in Cromwell Conn.

Golf notebook

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ADAM HUNGER

Cooper Flagg right, poses for a photo with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected first overall by the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA draft on Wednesday in New york.

New era for IOC

President Coventry, 41, starts 8-year leadership term

BY GRAHAM DUNBAR AP sportswriter

LAUSANNE, Switzerland The ﬁrst female and ﬁrst African president of the IOC, Kirsty Coventry, was inaugurated in the role Monday on the organization’s 131st birthday with praise that the Olympic movement was “in the best of hands.”

Coventry, 41, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in swimming for Zimbabwe, took office Tuesday after decisively winning a sevencandidate election in March to succeed Thomas Bach.

Coventry cited her family including her two young daughters as “my rocks, my inspiration” to lead the International Olympic Committee through the next eight years including the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.

“You are my constant reminders of why we do what we do every single day,” Coventry said, addressing 6-year-old Ella seated near the front of the ceremony

“You are a constant reminder of why this movement is relevant, why it needs to change, why we need to embrace the new ways,” she said “And you will be a constant reminder for many years to come on the decisions that we all take together.”

She thanked her husband, Tyrone Seward, because “you have always stood by my side and never said ‘No.’ And I appreciate that be-

cause that is something that doesn’t come very often.”

Coventry, a former swimming standout at Auburn, said Olympic leaders were “guardians of a platform to inspire, to change lives, to bring hope.”

Bach’s voice had cracked with emotion minutes earlier as he handed over a symbolic key to the presidency to his protégé in Olympic politics.

The 71-year-old German lawyer, an Olympic champion in team fencing in 1976, leaves after the maximum 12 years in an ofﬁce he said was now in the “best of hands” with Coventry

“I believe with all my heart that the Olympic movement is ready for the future,” said Bach, adding he had “given all I could” to the IOC and the games.

The ceremony took place in a temporary building in the gardens of Olympic House designed in the style of the Grand Palais in Paris that hosted fencing and taekwondo at the Summer Games last year. A steamy, humid day at the IOC’s lakeside modern headquarters saw a sudden downpour of rain minutes before the scheduled start. It forced Bach and Coventry to shelter under a shared umbrella as they walked from the villa that was the former Olympic home.

The hour-long ceremony included a four-minute montage of tributes to Bach, who now becomes the IOC’s hon-

orary president. He has expressed a wish to counsel his successor Coventry’s ﬁrst day at the ofﬁce featured a closed-door session to hear the views of around 100 IOC members. They include current and former heads of state, business leaders and billionaires, past and current Olympic athletes, plus leaders of Olympic sports.

Picking the host shapes as one of the biggest decisions during the new president’s ﬁrst term. Asia seems favored and Middle East neighbors Qatar and Saudi Arabia also are preparing bids in the more ﬂexible and unpredictable process that lets the IOC fast-track a preferred option to avoid a contested vote.

A theme of Coventry’s election opponents including one of her four IOC vice presidents, Juan Antonio Samaranch — was the members’ wish to be more involved in consultation and decision-making after Bach’s hands-on presidency Their ﬁrst chance to air views comes Tuesday

“It’s an important step to listen and to give people the opportunity to talk,” William Blick a member from Uganda, told The Associated Press while welcoming the powerful symbol of electing a ﬁrst IOC leader from Africa who also was a young woman.

“It’s a very good way for her to start.”

Judge orders 12 teams to turn over ﬁnancial data

By The Associated Press

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A federal judge on Wednesday ordered a dozen NASCAR teams to provide 11 years of ﬁnancial data to the stock car series as part of an ongoing legal ﬁght but sharply limited what they need to share. A day after hearing arguments from both sides, U.S. District Judge Kenneth Bell of the Western District of North Carolina said the information will “allow NASCAR to have much of the arguably relevant substance of the requested information, while protecting the legitimate interests” of the 12 teams. They had raised concerns that the private financial details could end up being made public and would hurt competitive balance.

Under the decision, the teams must provide top-line data total revenue, total costs, and net profits and losses — dating to 2014. The teams and NASCAR were ordered to settle on an independent accounting ﬁrm to handle the details by Friday with that work paid for by NASCAR. Earlier this week, attorneys for 12 of the 15 overall race teams argued against disclosing their financial records to become part of NASCAR’s antitrust lawsuit. They are not parties in the ongoing suit filed by 23XI Racing, which is owned by the NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, and Front Row Motorsports, owned by entrepreneur Bob Jenkins. 23XI and Front Row are the only two organizations

of the 15 that refused in September to sign take-it-orleave offers on a new charter agreement. Charters are NASCAR’s version of a franchise model, with each charter guaranteeing entry to the lucrative Cup Series races and a stable revenue stream. Of the 13 teams that signed, only Kaulig Racing has submitted the ﬁnancial documents NASCAR subpoenaed as part of discovery Teams have long argued that NASCAR is not financially viable and they need a greater revenue stream and a more permanent length on the charter agreements, which presently have expiration dates and can be revoked by NASCAR. Two years of negotiations ended last fall with 13 teams signing on and 23IX and FRM instead heading to court.

DUNCAN

Continued from page 1C

NFL were exemplary

“The best Super Bowl the NFL has ever had, according to (NFL commissioner) Roger Goodell,” is how Saints owner Gayle Benson described it.

Local ofﬁcials wisely are trying to ride the momentum. No one wants to wait another 11 or 12 years, as we had to do for our last two Super Bowls. But, as always, the quest for another one is complicated. First and foremost, the competition is more ﬁerce than ever Where Miami, Phoenix and Tampa were once seen as New Orleans’ main competitors for the big game, Las Vegas and Los Angeles have joined the mix. Both check all the Super Bowl boxes, with new stadiums, good weather, great nightlife and massive hotel inventories. Each will be regulars in future Super Bowl rotations.

Additionally, a growing list of cities with new or renovated stadiums will be under consideration. Nashville’s new $2.1 billion stadium and Jacksonville’s

RABALAIS

Continued from page 1C

takes, sometimes, to earn the dogpile in Omaha.

It was Dickinson who initiated the championshipclinching double play grounder to end Sunday’s game, tossing to Steven Milam who was covering second before the shortstop relayed to Jones at ﬁrst to end it.

On Wednesday Milam revealed what was going through his mind as the ball — on a play that he’s practiced and experienced thousands of times was sailing through the air toward him.

“For a split second I was like, ‘Holy crap, this is to win the national championship,’ ” Milam said.

It’s what would have been going through my mind, that’s for sure, before I three-hopped a throw toward Jones. Come to think of it, that ball may still be trying to get there

The Tigers executed on defense, came up with the timely hits and made the big pitches during a season that added up to a 53-15 record and, most importantly, included a win in the season’s very

renovated “stadium of the future” are on track to open in 2028. New enclosed stadium projects are in the works in Chicago, Cleveland and Washington, D.C.

All eventually will jockey for their place in line, and — as we learned in 2018 and 2019 with Minneapolis and Atlanta — league owners and ofﬁcials love to reward cities that build new stadiums with Super Bowls.

What’s more, New Orleans’ bid for future Super Bowls is complicated by Mardi Gras and the busy calendar at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, which has booked major shows as far out as 2038. It’s a Rubik’s Cube that requires countless hours of work and research from local ofﬁcials in the sports, tourism and hospitality sectors.

The NFL has awarded the next three Super Bowls to San Francisco (2026), Los Angeles (2027) and Atlanta (2028), and will likely announce the 2029 game at the league’s fall meeting in New York in October New Orleans is not expected to be in the mix for Super Bowl 2029 because of a conﬂict with Mardi Gras, which falls two days

last game. Good-natured debate instantly began to swirl about whether or not this team was as good as LSU’s 2023 national champions of Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews and Tommy White.

It’s a fun argument but ultimately useless. All you have to be is the best team in your time.

That’s what these Tigers were.

Hail to the victors.

Outﬁelder Josh Pearson, the one Tiger to play on all four of Jay Johnson’s ﬁrst four LSU teams, will leave here with two championship rings. As much as that, he said he will remember the camaraderie of being a part of two of the most special teams in program history

“I love all the guys from the ’23 team and this team,” Pearson said. “I’d show up here two hours early for a Tuesday practice in September just to hang out with these guys.

“I’m looking forward to our 25-year reunions.”

Pearson’s words resonated on a warm summer night, tinged with a trace of melancholy In all likelihood, Wednesday’s celebration was the last time the entire 2025 LSU team ever will be together

later than the game that year A similar conﬂict with Mardi Gras makes the 2032 Super Bowl a nonstarter That leaves 2030, 2031, 2033 and beyond. The longer the wait, the more competition New Orleans faces from rival cities as their new stadiums come online. Therein lies the sense of urgency Landing another Super Bowl would be huge for the city Along with a potential College Football Playoff championship game in 2028, it would cement our status as a major sports event hub while allowing us to reclaim outright the mantle as America’s most popular Super Bowl city “I’ll say it again, it’s what we do,” said Jay Cicero, the CEO of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation. “And now we can say, we did it. And we can also say, I hope we can do it again.” When New Orleans lands another Super Bowl remains to be seen. Hopefully, it’s sooner rather than later

Email Jeff Duncan at jduncan@theadvocate. com.

When they’re celebrated this fall on the ﬁeld in Tiger Stadium, when they have that reunion circa 2050, there will be someone unable to make it for whatever reason. They will have the memories, though. Immortalized as being one of that handful of all-time great LSU teams that only a national title can confer here. Now, on to the next.

“I remember the ﬁrst time I came here, coach Johnson was saying he wanted to change the culture and he did,” Pearson said. “He continued the dynasty Skip Bertman built. I’m excited to see what they’ll do in the next few years.” Pearson will join the spectators in the stands at The Box like the thousands cheering Wednesday night. Milam, for one, will try to do it again in 2026.

“We’re going to celebrate it, enjoy it, then you’ve got to move on to the next one,” he said. Dynasty building, and Intimidator updating, never stops.

For more LSU sports updates, sign up for our newsletter at theadvocate.com/ lsunewsletter

SAINTS

Continued from page 1C

2023 draft when Staley was still the Los Angeles Chargers head coach. He sees Staley as someone who understands how to put his best players in a position to succeed. While it has been difﬁcult to get a true gauge on what that

means this summer because neither the offensive nor defensive lines have played live practice snaps, Bresee can see how Staley’s play calls are difﬁcult for opposing offenses to contend with.

“It’s just so many different variables than what you’re used to,” Bresee said “There will be different opportunities for me to line up in different places.

That just kind of comes with the scheme.” And that might be a good thing for Bresee, specifically “I think this year he’ll have a lot more sacks, and this will be his year to make a lot of hay toward his legacy,” Jordan said.

Email Luke Johnson at ljohnson@theadvocate. com.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is tackled by Saints defensive tackle Bryan Bresee during a game at Caesars Superdome on Dec 1.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By LAURENT CIPRIANI

IOC president Kirsty Coventry, left, and outgoing president Thomas Bach arrive for the handover ceremony of the IOC pesidency on Monday at Olympic House in Lausanne, Switzerland

Physicians wary of lawsuits in NIL era

BY ERIC OLSON AP college football writer

The professionalization of college sports has prompted concern among team physicians that they will be exposed to a greater risk of being sued by athletes who claim a poor outcome from treatment caused them to lose future earnings. Before July 2021 when college athletes were cleared to be compensated by third parties for the use of their name, image and likeness — such lawsuits would have been virtually unwinnable.

Four years later, and with schools set to share millions directly with their athletes, team physicians are wary Some of the most highproﬁle college athletes are already signing multimillion-dollar deals and six-ﬁgure contracts are common.

Though no malpractice lawsuits seeking lost future earnings at the college level are known to have been filed, it’s only a matter of time, said Dr James Borchers, Big Ten chief medical ofﬁcer and president and CEO of the U.S. Council for Athletes’ Health.

“The complexity for the clinician is going to be signiﬁcant,” he said “I do think there are people who are going to evaluate this and say, ‘I didn’t sign up for an 18-year-old making a million dollars and then saying the decision I make affected their ability to make money.’ I think you may see people say this isn’t for me.”

The case of former Philadelphia Eagles player Chris Maragos jolted the sports medicine ﬁeld in 2023 when a jury ordered his surgeon and an orthopedics group afﬁliated with the team to pay him $43.5 million for lost future earnings and pain and suffering after he alleged improper care of a knee injury The orthopedics group ended its two-decade association with the Eagles out of fear of future lawsuits.

At the college level, it still would

Sept 7, 2019, in Honolulu.

be hard for an athlete to contend a team doctor’s errant care cost them an opportunity to make money in professional sports because there are no guarantees to play at the next level. However, a college athlete who didn’t have an optimal recovery could argue treatment reduced their ability to make NIL money or to transfer to a higherlevel school where they could make more money

“You had an ACL tear I did surgery and you never quite made it back — back in my day, you just had bad luck,” said Borchers, who played football at Ohio State from 1989-93. “You’re making a million dollars and that happens, you’re probably having a different discussion.”

Borchers offered a hypothetical

Fan banned by MLB after heckling Diamondbacks’ Marte about late mother

BY RONALD BLUM AP baseball writer

A fan who heckled Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte during a game against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field on Tuesday night has been banned indeﬁnitely from all major league stadiums, a person with direct knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press. Marte was seen in tears on the field after the spectator yelled a derogatory comment about Marte’s late mother during a seventh-inning at-bat in Arizona’s 4-1 win over Chicago.

According to a White Sox spokesperson, the security staff at the ballpark relayed that the 22-year-old fan was “very apologetic and remorseful after the fact, and admitted to being very inappropriate and stupid with his comments.”

Another person confirmed to the AP that Major League Baseball had banned the fan from all big league stadiums

That person spoke on condition of anonymity because the punishment wasn’t announced by the league. Arizona manager Torey Lovullo and bench coach Jeff Banister asked for the fan to be removed from the game.

Before Wednesday’s series ﬁnale, Lovullo said he “had little bit of an interaction with the fan” as he

was yelling at Marte.

“He wasn’t getting it and was very pompous, and it didn’t sit right with me,” Lovullo said. “It was just a gross comment you wouldn’t say about anybody, let alone someone who lost their mom.

“We need better baseball fans Baseball deserves better.”

Marte’s mother, Elpidia Valdez, died in a car accident in the Dominican Republic in 2017. Marte, who hit a solo home run in the first inning Tuesday night, was seen visibly upset during a pitching change in the bottom of the seventh as Lovullo put his arm around his player and consoled him.

“I just reacted as a dad would when I went out to change pitchers,” Lovullo said, according to the Arizona Republic. “I could see he was sobbing It hurt.”

“(I told him): ‘I love you and I’m with you, and we’re all together and you’re not alone. No matter what happens, no matter what was said or what you heard, that guy is an idiot. It shouldn’t have an impact on you.’”

Marte declined to comment on the incident through a team official. Diamondbacks shortstop Geraldo Perdomo said the fan

“should be banned, for sure” and called for MLB to intervene.

“That can’t happen,” Perdomo said. “We can’t continue to do that here in MLB.”

situation to illustrate his concerns about the pressures faced by team doctors. A receiver is treated for a hamstring injury, returns to play and reinjures the hamstring. The receiver says the injury never felt fully healed and his agent takes him to another doctor who has a different opinion on how the injury should have been treated.

Borchers said the receiver would have been better off to sit out longer and miss a few more games.

“But there wasn’t money tied to that,” he said. “Now you could say you hurt my ability to go out and perform, so I’m not going to get as much money or (it) has cost me the ability to put more tape out there so I could have transferred to a better situation and made more money Those are the types of is-

sues we’re hearing about that used to not exist in college sports.”

Typically in college sports, team physicians are employed by a university-afﬁliated medical center or local medical group. Athletic trainers are employed by the athletic department.

Team physicians must carry liability insurance either individually or through the medical center or group. The most common limits for a malpractice insurance policy are $1 million per incident and $3 million total in a year, said Mike Matray, editor of Medical Liability Monitor

“You can see how an athlete’s economic damages, should a medical error end his/her career, would easily exceed those limits,” Matray wrote in an email to The As-

sociated Press. Medical Liability Monitor has followed the medical liability insurance industry since 1975, and though the publication does not track data speciﬁc to sports medicine practitioners who perform surgeries, Matray estimated rates for that specialty to be more than $100,000 per year in some states.

Dr Jon Divine, head team physician at Cincinnati, said Big 12 team doctors are discussing among themselves and university general counsels whether they should increase their liability insurance limits, perhaps to $2 million or $6 million or more.

Divine said he and other team doctors also are taking extra steps in evaluating injuries in the new era of college sports.

“I’ve probably ordered more MRIs than I ever have in 25 years in the last two years,” he said. “It’s to make sure we’re getting it right for the (coaching) staff, for the kids, for the kid’s family There’s that much more riding on it.”

Dr David McAllister head team physician at UCLA who has been practicing for 27 years, said the relationship between team doctor and athlete has gone from one built on trust to now being transactional and at times adversarial.

When athletes spent four or ﬁve years at the same school, as once was the norm, friendships were formed and the team doctor continued to provide care for the same athletes long after their playing days. Now McAllister said many football and basketball players are taking advice from agents and business managers whose priority is the athlete’s earning power, and that puts pressure on team physicians.

“There are seasoned, experienced people that do what I do who either recently got out of it or are really considering it because they don’t want to be exposed to the liability,” McAllister said, “and they don’t find it that much fun anymore.”

Chiefs formulate strategy, expanding their UK fandom

BY KEN MAGUIRE

AP sportswriter

LONDON In an offseason huddle at the NFL’s London headquarters, the Kansas City Chiefs are drawing up a game plan to win over fans in a crowded UK market.

They’re getting input from the locals, and there’s good news

“There is something about that younger generation, in the UK specifically, they are really into U.S. sports at the moment,” says Louise Johnson, chief executive of marketing agency Fuse. “There’s a moment in time that you can really capitalize on.”

Chiefs executives visited London after the team added the UK to its list of countries in the NFL’s global markets program, which puts teams in the driver’s seat to increase fandom overall — as well as land commercial partnerships individually

A day that began meeting with local agencies in the NFL’s glass-enclosed eighth-ﬂoor ofﬁce overlooking Leicester Square ended along the banks of the Thames, where a “Chiefs cab” was the meeting point to surprise a local fan with a ticket giveaway

“The UK is another puzzle piece in the larger globalization of the brand,” said Lara Krug, the team’s chief media and marketing ofﬁcer, echoing a franchise theme of becoming the “ world’s team.”

Krug led the team’s delegation that included business, social media and public relations representatives. Besides marketing agencies they also met with NFL ofﬁcials. The takeaways were clear for growing the Chiefs’ fanbase.

“One, that 12-to-24 (aged) audience is where there is the biggest opportunity,” she told The Associated Press. ”(They’re) very much into the cultural part of the NFL and the Americana of it all.”

Second, find creative ways to connect to local fans. The Chicago Bears did soccer-style jerseys last year for their London game.

“The league and the clubs have done a great job on growing the game,” Krug said “We see the opportunity of reaching more fans and doing it from a cultural lens.” Mahomes, Kelce and KC Wolf

Expanding your fan base is much easier when your quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, is the face of the league, and your star tight end, Tra-

vis Kelce, is dating global pop star

Taylor Swift Kelce was the UK’s top-selling NFL jersey in 2024.

The Chiefs have also played in ﬁve of the last six Super Bowls and won three of them.

Still, there are eight other NFL teams with the same rights the Chiefs have in Britain and six of them have been there longer.

Social media content on platforms like TikTok and Instagram are crucial, especially because NFL fans in the UK over-index on daily social media use compared to other fans, the Chiefs said.

But some old-school methods work too.

“We know mascots do really well in the markets, it becomes an ambassador,” Krug said.

KC Wolf was on hand in Frankfurt, Germany in 2023 when the Chiefs beat the Miami Dolphins 21-14.

They’ll soon be looking for “multiple European-based mascots of our KC Wolf,” Krug said.

“That will be something that we launch later this year,” she said, “so having KC Wolf show up in a few of our markets more frequently.”

Meetings aside, being on the ground in London was helpful in other ways: Krug noted the long line at a Formula One promotion in the Lego store in Leicester Square

The Chiefs have experimented before. Last year the team partnered with Hallmark headquartered in Kansas City — on “ Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story ” Going international

In the NFL’s global markets program, Kansas City has rights in

seven countries only the Los Angeles Rams have as many. All but one — Mexico — of the Chiefs’ markets are in Europe. The team added the UK, Ireland and Spain this year

The team’s brass believes the best way to gain fans in foreign markets is to play games there.

The Chiefs won their only London game, back in 2015. They are 3-0 overall in regular-season international games. Dublin, Madrid and Berlin are all new host cities this season. The Chiefs will play internationally this season — but not in Europe. They open in Brazil on Sept. 5 when they face the Los Angeles Chargers in Sao Paulo.

That’s the ﬁrst of seven international NFL games in 2025 — the most ever in one season and Commissioner Roger Goodell wants to eventually get to 16 games per year Goodell has also ﬂoated the idea of creating a European division and staging a Super Bowl outside the United States. One theory is the league will package the international games into a billion-dollar rights deal. Team and league data show that the Chiefs are already popular internationally

They have the largest overall German-language social media following at nearly 150,000. For consumer products sales, the Chiefs rank No. 1 in the “DACH” region of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and No. 2 in Mexico. In international

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By EUGENE TANNER

Oregon State medical trainers check the right knee of linebacker Matthew Tago during a game against Hawaii on

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By TIM IRELAND Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver De’Anthony Thomas, right, celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Detroit Lions at Wembley Stadium

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By NAM y. HUH

Ketel Marte of the Arizona Diamondbacks rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday.

Picklesstar in creamy, crunchy potato salad

BY GRETCHEN McKAY Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (TNS)

Nashville is renowned for its music scene. Knownasthe country music capital of the world, it’shome to the Grand Ole Opry

But we also love the Tennessee city’seponymous sweet and spicy fried chicken sandwich, which is said to have originated in the 1930s at Prince’sHot Chicken Shack. Brined in pickle juice, slathered in apaste-like saucemade with cayenne, garlicand brown sugar,and served with pickles on white bread, it’sjuicy, crunchy and ﬁery hot.

This potato salad recipe is also worthy of the Nashvillename. It combines one of summer’s favorite side dishes, amayonnaise-based potato salad, with the sharp kick of mustard and the bright, acidic burst of pickle juice and vinegar.Italso includes fresh dill andthe crunch of freshly chopped celery.

But the real kicker is the spicy Nashville Hot seasoning that is tossed in the sauce and, if you’re not afraid of theextra heat, also gets sprinkled on top of the salad beforeserving The original recipe calls for red-skinned potatoes cut into bite-sized pieces, but Iused a 3-pound bag of baby Yukonpotatoes Igot for $1 (score!)

The salad should be refrigerated for at least two hours beforeserving to allow the ﬂavors to mingle and the potatoes to absorb the dressing. Foran extra punch of ﬂavor and/or texture, you could sprinkle a little chopped cooked bacon on top,add ahandful of diced ham or stir in some shredded colby jack or sharp cheddar cheese

However you serve it, it’s perfectfor your next family barbecue or late-night nosh

PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE/TNS

Nashville Hot Pickle Potato Salad

Recipe adapted from chilesandsmoke.com.

FOR SEASONING:

4-8 tablespoons cayenne pepper powder,depending on heat

½cup brown sugar

2tablespoons paprika

1tablespoon kosher salt

1tablespoon celerysalt

1½ tablespoons chipotle powder

2teaspoons granulated garlic

2teaspoons black pepper FOR SALAD:

3pounds red-skinned potatoes

1cup small dill pickles, diced or chopped

1½ cups diced celery

4hard-boiled eggs,cooled and chopped FOR DRESSING:

1¼ cup mayonnaise

¼cup pickle juice

1tablespoon white vinegar

1tablespoon Dijon mustard

2tablespoons Nashville hot seasoning

1minced shallot, about ¼cup

4tablespoons fresh dill, chopped

1. Prepare seasoning: Mix the ingredients together.Makesure to remove any clumps in the brown sugar,then storeinan airtight container.(This dry rub recipe willstay at itsfreshest for about amonth.)

2. Prepare the potatoes. Slice the red potatoes into bite-sized pieces. Place in alarge pot and ﬁll with enough cold water to cover the potatoes, plus an inch. Season with atablespoon of salt and bring the water to aboil. Boil until tender,about 10-15 minutes. Drain the potatoesand allow them to cool completely

3. Make thedressing: Whisk the mayo, pickle juice, vinegar, Dijon and seasoning together. Fold in shallots and dill. Taste andadjustfor additional seasoning if needed.

4. Fold in ingredients: Carefully stir in the cooled potatoes, pickles, celeryand eggs. Mixto coateverything evenly.Taste and adjust. Garnish the topof thepotato salad with additional Nashville Hot seasoning.

5. Refrigerate at leasttwo hours before serving.

SLICE LIFE

Williams

Chocolate angel food cake is a great cake choice for summer. The cake is light and goes well withice cream, cold whipped cream or creme fraiche. Andleftover angel food cake is easy to repurpose. For example, if your angel food cake is getting slightly stale,itcan be transformedinto something very sophisticated. Cut thecake into slices like Texas toast. Butter bothsides of the slices and lightly toast theslices in aheated dry pan. Get abit of color from the Chocolate angel food cake loves ascoop of ice

ä See CAKE, page 2D

ä Pork Chops with Apples and

BY LIZ WILLIAMS Contributingwriter

Chocolate Angel Food Cake

Makes a10-inch angel food tube cake.This recipe calls forcake ﬂour,a

finely ground flour and usually softerthan all-purpose flour.Ifyou cannot

ﬁndespresso powder,use instant coffeecrystals and crush in asmall plastic bag withamallet or awine bottle to make the crystals ﬁner.

2cups eggwhites (thisisabout 15 eggs, depending on their size)

¼teaspoon salt

1¼ teaspoons cream of tartar

1teaspoon vanilla extract

1¼ cup granulated sugar

1¼ cup confectionerssugar

1¼ cup cake flour

¼cup cocoa powder (you can use carob powder if you cannot eat chocolate)

1teaspoon espresso powder (or finely crushed instantcoffee crystals)

1. Preheat oven to 325 F.

2. Whip together the egg whites, salt and cream of tartar in thebowl of an electric mixer.Mix until stiff, but be careful not to overbeat. The mixture shouldmakepeaks when the whiskislifted out of the bowl. Addthe vanillaextract. Addthe granulated sugar abit at atime with the beaters going.

3. While the egg whites are beating mixthe confectioners sugar,cake flour,cocoapowder andespresso powdertogether andsift twice. Then addittothe beaten whites alittleata time untilwellincorporated

4. Pour into an ungreased tube panwith aremovable centerand bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes. Remove from the oven and invert on awine bottle for 45 minutes to an hour

5. When the cake is cool, run a knifearound the circumference of thepan.The knife shouldbelong enough that it reaches to thebottomofthe pan. Thenyou can remove the cakeand the centerinsert of the pan. Then run the knife along the bottom of the insert and remove it. Youcan dust the cake with cocoa powder forgarnish andcut with a serrated knifeoracake comb.

STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

Liz Williams cooks Haitian rice and peas. STAFF

PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

PHOTO By GRETCHEN McKAy

Leaveneighbor’swardrobechoices alone

Dear Miss Manners: Ihave an acquaintance who frequentlywalks her dog at the same time Ido. She is anice person, and we get along well; our dogs even like each other We are both female. The issue is that her skirts or sundresses keep getting shorter.Iavert my eyes, but Ihave seen more of her anatomy than Icare to Ihave also seen acertain male neighbor looking at her in anot-so-nice way

tion of who is snifﬁngwhom at all.

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

Should Isay something to her?

If so, how do Idosopolitely?

Gentle reader: Really,asthisperson is merely an acquaintance, Miss Manners fails to seewhy you would wish to raise theques-

Dear Miss Manners: My husband and Ihostedalongtime friend of minefor 10 days at our home.She had told me sheenjoys stayingwith friends for extended periods, ﬁndingitanefﬁcient way to travel. She didnot bring her own bathroom essentials, vitamins, slippers, etc. We didall the driving and the planning.Wecooked and served every breakfast, lunch anddinner,along with providing beer and wine everyday (Typically she drinks much more than we do.)

Often she would ask themenu for theday,and Iwould prepare

ashopping list.She would join me in the shopping and point out items she thought would be helpful. Iinvited her to purchase items shewanted outside the menu, but her answer always was, “I’ll have whatever you’rehaving.”

She secretly joked with me that if she stares at the check long enough, someone will grab it. We told her we were happy todine out if she did not mind separate checks. She said yes, but added that aman’sego usually prevents this,soIshould makesure my husband was on the samepage. (Hewas.)

We dined out once and included another couple, and everyone received their own check. She took us out todinner at the end of her

Pork Chops with Apples andOnions

Serves 4.

4tablespoons butter

2largewhite or yellow onions sliced thinly in rings or half rings

4cloves garlic, minced

2 firm apples, unpeeled and cut into 8slices per apple (you can use a green apple likeGrannySmith or aRed Galaorone of each)

1teaspoon salt

1teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1⁄8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

½teaspoon ground sumac (if you do not have sumac, use ½teaspoon sweet paprika and increase the lemon zest to the zest of 2lemons)

¼teaspoon smoked paprika

4pork chops, ½to¾ inches thick

¼cup pomegranate molasses (or maple syrup)

Zest of 1lemon

1. Addthe butter to askillet that is large enough to hold all4 pork chops. As thebutter melts add the onions. Cook over mediumheat.Stir occasionally.Donot worry if you geta bitofcharon those onions. It will addevenmore ﬂavor.Cook for about7minutes. Add thegarlic and apple slices and stir.Stir for 3to4minutes.Remove the vegetables from thepan and set aside.

2. In asmall bowl mix the salt, pepper,nutmeg, sumac andpaprika.Stir these ingredients togethersothateverything is evenly distributed. Use this spicemixture to seasoneach of theporkchops on both sides. Then addthe pork chops tothe pan— adding more butter if thepan is toodry Cook for 4to5minutesover medium heat and then ﬂip the chops. Addthe cooked vegetables to thepan,including any juices that have accumulated in the bottom of the bowl.

3. Cook for4to5 more minutes. Place the pork chops on aplatter and cover with the cooked onions and apples. Drizzle the molasses over everything. Zestthe lemon over the dish and place the dishonthe table. (If youare going to freezethis dish,add themolasses andlemon zest after youhave warmedthe dish and are ready to serve.)

Haitian Rice and Peas

Serves 4to6.This recipe callsfor canned black-eyed peas, but if you prefer,you can cook anduse about ½ pound of dried peas.

2tablespoons olive oil

1largeonion, chopped

1bell pepper (green or red), chopped

3cloves garlic, chopped

1tablespoon of salt-free Creole seasoning mix, suchasTony Chachere No Salt Cajun/Creole Seasoning

1cup white rice

1teaspoon salt

1teaspoon ground black pepper

2cans cooked black-eyed peas, drained ½cup chopped fresh parsley

1. Place the oil in apot. Heat until it begins to shimmer.Add the onion and cook, stirring for 5minutes. Add the bell pepper and garlic and Creole seasoning. Stir and cook another 5minutes.

2. Add the rice, salt and pep-

SUMMER

Continued from page1D

per,and 2cups water.Bring to aboil andthen reduce to asimmer. Cook for10minutes, covered. At the10minutemarkadd theblack-eyed peas. Stir.Replace the lid and cook for 8to10minutes more,

is much more compelling that standing in front of the stove. And if you are being pulled in multiple directionsbyall of thehappenings in town, your brain is craving something simple to put together.But, of course, we don’tlower our ﬂavor expectations just because we are in ahurry. These pork chops are really tasty and easyto make Ashort cut is to make a double batch and freeze half of the results. This will give you apass on abusy day,when you know that there is simply no time for cooking.It is worththe extra preptomake the double batch And when you pullitout of thefreezer later,itwill save you atrip to get takeout. Andifyou don’twant pork, this dish is just as delicious with an equivalent amountofchickenthighs TheHaitian Rice and Peas is agift to any table Eatingblack eyed peas or crowder peas or pigeon peasgives you amuch more interesting rice as well as an extra punch of protein.You can cook it fresh withoutbreaking out in asweat and it tastes as though youspent lotsof time putting it together

until the riceiscooked. Transfer to aservingbowl, ﬂuffthe rice andpeas with 2forks. Garnish with ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley.Fluff again. Addthe rest of the parsley and serve.

CAKE

Continuedfrom page1D

cooking butter and make sure to toast both sides. Allow to cool for aminute and thencut each slice into about 4sticks. They are delicious with sparkling wine or adry Marsala.

Liz Williamsisfounder of the Southern Food & Beverage Museum in New Orleans. Listen to “Tip of theTongue,” Liz’spodcast about food, drink and culture, wherever you hear podcasts. EmailLiz at lizwillia@gmail.com.

stay as athank-you.

My manners taught me to be a generous host, and Ibelieve we were, all the waytothe end when Idrove her to the airport. However,Ifeel like our generosity was taken advantage of.

Where is the line? Is alongertermguest expected to pitch in? Iwill deﬁnitely think carefully about afuture invite.

Gentlereader: Alonger-term guest is expected to do more, and Miss Manners agrees your friend fell short.But where the line is drawn canbechallenging since any equalization of expense is meant to occur by the balancing of invitations—not within asingle visit.

Where your friend offended mostwas when she all but told

By The Associated Press

Today is Thursday, June 26, the 177th day of 2025. There are 188 days left in the year

Todayinhistory

On June 26, 2015, in its 5-4 Obergefell v. Hodges decision, theU.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage across thecountry, ruling that state-level bans on same-sex marriage violated thedue process and equal protection clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment

On this date:

In 1917, U.S. troopsenteredWorld WarIasthe ﬁrst troops of the American Expeditionary Force landed in Saint-Nazaire, France. In 1945, thecharter of theUnited Nations was signed by 50 countries in San Francisco. In 1948, theBerlin Airlift began in earnest after the Soviet Union cut off land and water routes to the isolated western sector of Berlin

In 1963, President John F. Kennedy visited West Berlin, where he delivered his famous speech expressing

you she was sticking you with the expenses: joining the shopping expedition and standing at the checkout counter but never offering to pay; joking about staring at the check; the comment about a man’s ego. She would be amuch moreeffective moocher —not to mention amuch morepleasant houseguest —ifshe would learn when to keep her thoughts to herself

Sendquestions to Miss Manners at herwebsite, www missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mailtoMiss Manners, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City,MO 64106.

solidarity with the city’s residents, declaring: “Ich bin ein Berliner” (“I am a Berliner”).

In 1993, President Bill Clinton announced the U.S. had launched missiles against Iraqi targets because of “compelling evidence” Iraq had plotted to assassinate former President George H.W.Bush.

In 1996, in the case of United States v. Virginia, the U.S. SupremeCourt found that the Virginia Military Institute’smale-only admission policy violated the Fourteenth Amendment’sEqual Protection Clause. (VMI enrolled its ﬁrst female cadets the following year.)

In 1997, the ﬁrst Harry Potter novel, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” by J.K. Rowling, waspublished in the United Kingdom.Itwas later released in the United States under the title “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’sStone.”

In 2008, in District of Columbia v. Heller,the U.S. SupremeCourt struck downahandgun ban in the District of Columbia

as it afﬁrmed, 5-4, that an individual’sright to gun ownership is protected by the Second Amendment. In 2013, in the case of United States v. Windsor, the U.S. SupremeCourt gave the nation’slegally married same-sex couples equal federal footing with all other married Americans, and cleared the way forsame-sex marriages to resumeinCalifornia in a separate decision.

Today’sBirthdays: Jazz musician-composer Dave Grusin is 91. Singer Billy Davis Jr.is87. Brazilian singer-songwriter and politician Gilberto Gilis83. Basketball Hall of Fame coach Tara VanDerveer is 72. Musician Mick Jones (The Clash, Big Audio Dynamite) is 70. Musician Chris Isaak is 69. Cyclist Greg LeMond is 64. Football Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe is 57. Filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson is 55. Actor Sean Hayes is 55. Actor Chris O’Donnell is 55. Actor Nick

STAFF PHOTOSByCHRIS GRANGER

cAncER (June 21-July 22) Step up and be the person who makes adifference. Sticktothe truth and adopt discipline, andyou'll turn what you know and love doing into alucrative venture.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Keep personal information to yourself. Observation is in your best interest. Abrupt changes will backfire. It's best to research and take baby steps to break even or come outahead

VIRGo (Aug. 23-Sept.22) Put your energy to good use.It's up to youtomanifest opportunities. Making cold calls,advertising and spreading theword throughoutyourcommunity will help.

LIBRA(Sept. 23-oct. 23) Stick to thetruth anddowhateveryou can to avoid complicatingyourlife.A helpful attitude, enthusiasm anda unique approach will help you gain support andinsight into the possibilities.

ScoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Focus on whatever will bring youthe best outcome. Retaliating against something you cannotcontrolwill be awaste of time. Learn to go with the flow and make the most of whatevertranspires.

SAGITTARIuS (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Creative accounting will help you deal with your finances. It's time to dump thedeadweight in your life.Turnone of your hobbiesinto apart-time business.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan.19) Temptation will cost you. Clear your head and look at every angle before you indulge in something iffy. Fast-talkers and false

accusations will impede communication

AQuARIuS (Jan. 20-Feb.19) Temptation will lead to taking on or spending too much. Prioritize your home, family and yourself before outsiders, or you'll disrupt ameaningfulrelationship. Choose peace over discord.

PIScES(Feb.20-March 20) Use your energy wisely and please loved ones.Making home improvements, participating in activities that bring you closer together anddoing your parttohelp a causeare favored.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Immerse yourself in conversations regarding your plans and get several estimates. Protect yourself from overpaying for additional services you don't need or want.

TAuRuS (April 20-May 20) Putessentials in order and forge ahead without hesitation.Onceyou have your paperwork in order, your plans in place andany permits required to followthrough, you'll enjoy turning your dream intoa reality.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) An open mind will lead to discovery and apathway to new beginnings.Refuse to let disgruntled individuals rainonyour parade. Put yourself and your intentionsfirst

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

MEQuALSW

FAMILYCIrCUS

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

bIG nAte

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1to9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the samenumber only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

THe wiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS

By PHILLIP ALDER

Oneofthe pluses of transfer bids into the majors is that thestronger hand becomes the declarer. This “right-sides” contracts with reasonable frequency. What canhappeninthisdeal if North is in four spades, or South is in three notrump, or South is in fourspades?

In the auction, South opened one notrump, showing 15-17 points. North transferred with atwo-heartresponse, promising five-plus spades and any point-count. After Southcompleted the transfer, North jumped to three notrump to show exactlyfivespades and to ask South to choose between three notrumpandfourspades.(Thiswasaslight overbid;twono-trumpwouldhavebeena slight underbid.)South, with three-card spadesupport anda low-doubleton diamond, preferred four spades.

In this deal,ifNorth is in fourspades, thecontract should go down two.East would lead the heart queen.The defenders could takethreetricks in that suit, then shift to diamonds. When in with the spade ace, West would cash adiamond trick.

If Southisinthree no-trump,West would lead the diamond king and again down two would be theresult.

Now let’s have South in four spades.

He winsthe diamond-king lead with dummy’s ace anddrives outthe spade ace. Westcashes thediamond queen, but South has10tricks: fourspades, onediamond andfive clubs.

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

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

ToDAy’S WoRD EnTERIc: en-TER-ik:Of, relating to or affecting theintestines.

yESTERDAy’S WoRD —InADEQuAcy